Card Conversion and Mechanisms

"The time limit of the card is based on real-world factors... The reason why the flesh and blood of demons are not permanent is because they have been separated from their original bodies and lost their vitality. Furthermore, the Upper Moon itself is a recipient of Muzan's blood, and its strength is not good. It is a secondary vessel... It is definitely not comparable to the original owner."

Long held the card and studied it intently.

As he spoke, he used the meat cleaver to cut another piece of meat from Mireimaru's body.

Turn it into a card.

In just a few minutes, a living Upper Moon 5 was hacked to pieces by Oboro's sword, with many body parts cut off.

The flesh at the wound is slowly growing back... but because I've lost consciousness, it can't heal instantly.

"That's a good way to use a card."

Upon seeing this, Long's eyes lit up.

In just a short while, he had more than twenty 'Demon Flesh and Blood' cards in his hand, all with the same effect.

In other words, if he uses these cards on other people, they can be turned into ghosts.

Just as he was about to cut open the ghost's flesh again, a system notification sounded in his mind.

The number of times the same type of thing or resource can be transformed has reached its limit.

"The system's current capabilities are still too weak, mainly due to the influence of my soul... After all, this is my first time transmigrating to another world. If I can perfectly implement the supreme will this time, the understanding and improvement of my own will will lead to the sublimation of my soul. Perhaps I can also make some moves in the transactions with this 'world,' thereby making the system stronger and its functions more abundant." Long pondered in his heart, and gradually came up with an idea.

He then stored the card in the system.

Looking up, I saw Mireimaru's blank eyes, with tears streaming down his face.

His mind is still intact; he is simply unable to act due to brain control issues.

The Upper Moon Five could sense everything from Oboro's words and actions.

Did you cry?

Long smiled slightly.

Logically speaking, how could the fifth Upper Moon 5 cry?

But Oboro sensed the mournful cry emanating from Mireimaru's soul...

What he did to Mireimaru reminded the latter of some memories from his human past.

Including why they became ghosts.

Oboro saw his 'memory'.

It has been about two hundred years since Mireimaru became a demon. When he became a demon, the Edo period had just begun and was moving towards its peak, and everything seemed to be thriving. But that was all on the surface... In reality, from the Sengoku period to the present, war has never stopped. It's just that after the major wars ended, they evolved into conflicts between smaller regions.

Even now, there are still many rebel groups and insurgents.

Moreover, the environment at that time was far more brutal than it is now, let alone the economy... At the beginning of the establishment of the Shogunate, the first thing to do was to clean up the mess left behind by the 'war of the ages'.

Many people cannot afford to eat and are displaced.

Mireimaru has a wife, children, and a happy family.

He was a hunter and a butcher.

They earned a meager income by selling wild game or slaughtering livestock, and lived a relatively comfortable life.

Until one day, a feudal lord led his army to camp in his village, and the nightmare began... The soldiers ate and drank excessively, forcing the villagers to provide all kinds of supplies, especially food... They had to eat fish and meat in abundance.

If not, they would commit murder as a form of protest, and the feudal lord even made public statements about 'status'.

They are called the lowest of the low... It is the villagers' mission and honor to contribute to them.

This army took root in the village and had no intention of leaving until the entire village was exploited to the point that even the villagers themselves could only eat tree bark and wild grass.

Then, one night, Mireimaru was captured by several samurai and brought before the lord, who then gave him an order.

It turned out that the lord had heard that he was a butcher with excellent knife skills... and ordered him to start killing and dissecting corpses, intending to eat human flesh to satisfy his hunger.

Mireimaru had no choice but to agree, otherwise his wife and children would be implicated.

And so... every day in his dark little hut, he would dissect the living people the samurai brought him—yes, living people... because the feudal lord wanted to eat fresh food, and he was the one who killed them.

Mireimaru gradually became numb...

From the initial teenagers and young adults, to the few remaining elderly people in the village, until finally the entire village population was almost gone, one day... a familiar face appeared on his chopping board.

His wife.

Mireimaru doesn't remember how he dealt with his wife; he was just mechanically 'working'.

To protect their children.

But in the end, he also lost his son.

One day, he finally heard that the lord was about to leave with his army. When he went to pay his respects, he saw the 'exquisite delicacies' laid out on the lord's table. It was sashimi... plate after plate of raw meat. The moment he saw the food, Mireimaru could no longer control his emotions.

He exploded...

Because... he knew that it was his son's flesh and blood.

However, when facing a group of samurai, his strength was very weak, and he was unable to harm his enemies at all. He was even ridiculed by the lord in public. Just when he was about to be beheaded by the samurai, someone appeared and saved him.

Muzan...

Afterwards, the demon Mireimaru learned that the lord and his retainers had been identified as rebels by the Shogunate and had fled there... In the midst of the chaotic national situation, these ordinary civilians, due to their status, were completely at the mercy of the authorities, powerless to resist, and there was no law or fairness to speak of.

No one came to rescue them...

The villagers had prayed privately more than once, begging for God intervention, but...

"He's a pitiful person too... but this kind of obsession can indeed motivate you to become the Demon Queen and show a good 'ambition.' Muzan is quite good at choosing his targets," Oboro commented.

The Mireimaru cried was because he was thinking of his memories as a human.

On the other hand, at this moment, he was just like those villagers who had been killed back then.

As Long sliced flesh from his body, one cut at a time.

This is the kind of death that Mireimaru most unacceptable.

Identity, hunger, gods... these are the melodies interwoven deep within Mireimaru's soul.

Since the world of Demon Slayer wants to develop its own power system, it will inevitably create an environment and soil conducive to the proliferation of demons, so... the world is bound to be in a bad state.

Muzan is also one of the seeds. The world of Demon Slayer secretly facilitates him, intentionally making the environment this way, pushing the Melody of the fate of all beings toward 'misery'.

It's a pity that the truly valuable seed was Yoriichi Tsugikuni... but the 'fruit' produced by this artificial power system withered prematurely before it matured.

"You're just an experimental subject. Since I can't turn you into a living card, then... you're useless to me... As Upper Moon Five, your strength is decent... but your mental fortitude is too weak. If your willpower were strong enough, perhaps I could extract your Blood Demon Art through cellular genes and convert it into a skill card, instead of just an item or prop card. Unfortunately..."

Long turned around and walked away along the path.

"Your level of skill is probably not enough to gain a foothold in the Upper Moon."

"When you see Muzan, remember to tell him... don't bother, he wants to see me, but he'll have to see if I'm willing to see him."

"I hope you'll still be alive a hundred years from now..."

Oboro's calm voice reached Mireimaru's ears.

In later generations, the position of the Upper Moon of the Twelve Kizuki remained unchanged for over a hundred years. This indicates that, at least for some time to come, the Upper Moon demons will still change, including the rise of Doma and the powerful promotion of Gyutaro.

Without a specific reason, Oboro would not kill an Upper Moon or a Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, as such combat power is extremely important to both sides.

If he wants to change the power system of this world, he must know how to balance it. Only when the forces of both sides have a certain level and number can they collide and spark a dazzling flame. This will also make better use of his 'fertilizing and sowing' skills. At least, now is not the time to act casually.

He has only sown two seeds, one in the Kamado Clan and one in the Demon Slayer Corps.

As for Muzan, we'll have to wait a bit longer...

A few minutes later, Oboro's figure disappeared.

Mireimaru's muscles began to twitch and change, and his eyes gradually became clearer.

The brain gradually regained control of the body.

With a bang.

Once he could move his arm slightly, he smashed his own skull with One-Punch Man.

Then, the head regrowed.

He swallowed hard, a survivor of the ordeal.

"I'm still alive..."

He thought he would be devoured by men.

After all, since they are both demons, if the man eats him, who is the fifth Upper Moon demon, it's equivalent to receiving a large amount of blood personally bestowed by 'Muzan', and he will definitely become stronger.

This opportunity, it seems, was completely disregarded by the other party.

"Unfathomably powerful..."

"He seemed to have mentioned... the soul?"