Starting from Demon Slayer, Achieving the Strongest Demon Blade! Chapter 2

"Could I sense your heart's thirst for power? Did you want revenge for your family members who had already died?"

As though his inner thoughts had been struck, Tanjiro answered with a serious expression.

"I want power for revenge, but also to turn my sister back into a human!"

"That would be difficult indeed. But if you want revenge, I can give you enough power." Lin Fan coaxed him patiently.

"Really?"

Though Tanjiro was innocent, he was not stupid.

Seeing this, the black mist began speaking at length.

"But after that, you can only live for revenge. If you are not determined enough, then I will not lend you my power."

After saying that, the black mist dispersed.

Tanjiro fell silent as well. If he lived only for revenge, then what would happen to Nezuko?

He always put others first and thought of others at every moment. That was his kindness.

But at that very moment—

The woman before him spoke again.

"Tanjiro, don't you want to avenge your mother?"

"That's not it..."

Tanjiro wanted to refute her.

But several children appeared beside him. They were his dead younger brothers and sisters, and they spoke one after another.

"Big Brother Tanjiro, why didn't you come back to save us?"

"Brother, are you trying to run away?"

"I knew Brother never cared about us. Do you want to abandon us?"

Tanjiro struggled to deny it. "That's not it... That's not it..."

But none of it stopped.

"We're family, aren't we?"

"Big Brother Tanjiro, don't you want to avenge us?"

"Live for revenge!"

The moment those words fell—

Tanjiro's body trembled as he shouted fiercely, as though he had made some kind of decision.

"All of you, shut up! My family would never be like you! The power I want is power that can protect everything!"

Lin Fan watched it all unfold and could not help but sigh. As expected of Tanjiro. Even after this, he did not get angry. Even Lin Fan himself felt he had gone a little too far.

But the ceaseless system notifications in his mind immediately shattered Lin Fan's conscience.

[ Ding! Detected that Tanjiro has experienced pain. Obtained 7 Emotion Points! ]

[ Ding! Detected that Tanjiro has experienced despair. Obtained 15 Emotion Points! ]

[ Ding! Detected that Tanjiro has experienced regret... ]

Listening to the endless system notifications in his ears, Lin Fan knew it was about time. He immediately used his power again to erase everything.

At the same time, he brought Tanjiro's consciousness into the demon blade.

This was the boundary between sky and sea. Mist shrouded the surroundings, Tanjiro sat collapsed on the ground, and before him was the black mist that had originally dispersed.

A pleasant voice came from within the black mist.

"I like you very much. So long as your heart remains this strong, I will obey you. But if you waver even for an instant, I will take your body!

"My name is Ashura Maru. If you want power, just call my name. Do you have any other questions?"

Tanjiro gradually understood what had happened, but he still had one question. "Are you the blade that has been passed down through my family for generations?"

"That's right."

Lin Fan did not hide anything and answered openly.

Having received the answer he wanted—

Tanjiro let out a long breath. Wearing his gentle smile, he extended one hand and said, "Then please take care of me from now on, Ashura Maru!"

Hearing this, Lin Fan controlled his power and let the black mist enter Tanjiro's body. Meanwhile, the black mist that had shrouded him gradually faded.

It revealed Lin Fan's current appearance within the black mist.

He was less than one and a half meters tall, with stunning features beneath dark purple hair, crimson eyes, and long elf-like ears.

He wore a black hairband, with a pair of white horns on his forehead. Long hair covered half his face, and his purple-and-white evening gown fluttered in the wind.

Lin Fan had no say in this form, since it came with the system template. This was also that flaw which was not really a flaw...

Tanjiro stared blankly.

Lin Fan merely extended his right hand, controlling his power as he continued.

"The contract between us has been completed. I will be your power and become the sharp blade in your hand.

"Open your eyes and fulfill all your desires, Kamado Tanjiro!"

The moment those words fell—

Kamado Tanjiro, standing motionless on the forest path, suddenly opened his eyes. Everything that had just happened seemed like nothing more than an illusion.

He looked around, then turned to the katana hanging at his waist and called out cautiously.

"Ashura Maru, are you there?"

Lin Fan, inside the blade, replied irritably, "Isn't that obvious? If you have something to say, spit it out."

"Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to make sure." Tanjiro hurriedly apologized.

Lin Fan could not be bothered to argue with him. He turned and opened the system panel to examine his personal information.

Host: Lin Fan

Template: Ashura Maru!

Demon Power: 100

Draw Ability: Eternal-grade buff Indestructible!

Template Ability: Blood Cry (Damage inflicted can suppress regeneration and inflict a bleeding effect!) This ability unlocks for 5,000 Emotion Points!

Devour (Killing living beings allows you to devour them and strengthen yourself.) This ability unlocks for 5,000 Emotion Points!

[The first time either of the above two basic abilities is unlocked, it only costs 1,000 Emotion Points!]

Healing (You can heal the host's injuries. So long as they are not dead, Demon Power can be expended to restore them.) This ability unlocks for 10,000 Emotion Points!

...

After the long list of abilities, the lottery options were at the bottom.

They were divided into three tiers: silver, gold, and diamond. A silver draw cost 100 Emotion Points, a gold draw cost 1,000, and a diamond draw cost 10,000.

The rewards within were vast and varied. Even the silver tier could yield the highest reward, an Eternal-grade buff, but the odds were far lower than those of the diamond tier.

The higher the tier, the greater the chance of drawing something good!

The First Battle Against a Demon

Still, Lin Fan was not a gambler. Based on the plot, they should encounter a man-eating demon next.

Though they could safely get through it according to the plot, Lin Fan would not naively assume that meant they could rest easy. One had to be cautious in everything.

The 1,000 Emotion Points from the beginner gift pack could unlock one of the template's basic abilities. Against a man-eating demon, Lin Fan's first choice was Blood Cry.

"System, unlock the ability Blood Cry for me!"

"Ding! 1,000 Emotion Points consumed. Congratulations, Host, you have unlocked the template ability Blood Cry! Damage inflicted can suppress regeneration and inflict a bleeding effect!"

After unlocking the ability, Lin Fan immediately gained perfect mastery over Blood Cry.

As long as someone was wounded by his blade, he could expend Demon Power to prevent their flesh from healing, while the wound would bleed endlessly!

Against man-eating demons with incredibly strong regeneration, it was simply a divine skill!

In other words, Tanjiro could easily kill that man-eating demon while wielding him!

But when he looked at his remaining Emotion Points, which numbered less than two hundred, Lin Fan sighed. "The road ahead is long. I wonder when I'll be able to unlock all my abilities."

With the bamboo basket on his back and the setting sun behind him, Tanjiro continued on his way toward Mount Sagiri without stopping until night fell.

However, his younger sister Nezuko, who had been hiding inside the basket, climbed out and continued down the road with Tanjiro.

The two followed the forest path when they suddenly spotted a faint candlelight ahead. They quickly hastened over.

Seeing it, Tanjiro took his sister's hand and said—

"It's a Buddhist hall. There are still lights on at this hour, so there should be someone inside, right? Let's go take a look..."

But before he could finish, his nose twitched slightly as though he had smelled something. His expression instantly changed. "I smell blood. The mountain paths here are dangerous. Someone must be injured."

With that—

He took Nezuko's hand, climbed the steps, and ran straight toward the Buddhist hall.

Lin Fan did not deliberately warn Tanjiro. What he needed now was for Tanjiro to kill this man-eating demon himself!

When Tanjiro reached the Buddhist hall, he immediately pushed open the door and shouted with concern.

"Is everyone inside all right?"

But after pushing open the door, all he saw were incomplete corpses strewn across the floor. Blood had soaked through the floorboards, and a "person" stood with his back to him, chewing on something.

Tanjiro froze.

Lin Fan immediately said—

"That guy is a man-eating demon. I'll lend you my power. Draw your blade and cut him down now!"

Tanjiro's face was filled with terror, but upon hearing Lin Fan's voice in his mind, he still reacted at once.

One hand gripped the hilt as he drew the blade from its sheath.

He held it with both hands.

The man-eating demon did not even turn around. Sensing the aura of his own kind, he said impatiently—

"This is my territory. If you dare wreck my dining hall, I won't let you off!"

As he spoke, he turned around, licked the blood staining his hands, stood up, and stared straight at Tanjiro with a strange expression. "You feel a little strange to me. Are you a human, kid?"

Tanjiro did not answer. He simply gripped the katana in his hands.

The atmosphere froze for an instant.

The next second, Lin Fan seemed to notice something and immediately warned him.

"It's coming!"

The moment those words fell—

The candles in the Buddhist hall went out.

The man-eating demon lunged forward, grabbed Tanjiro by the shoulder with one hand, and crashed through the Buddhist hall into the courtyard outside.

With his other hand, he intended to pierce straight through Tanjiro's head.

But at that very moment—

Having been warned by Lin Fan and prepared for it, Tanjiro immediately drew his blade and slashed horizontally first.

Seeing this, the demon immediately leaned backward to dodge, but the slash still cut open his throat, and crimson blood immediately sprayed out.

The two pulled apart.