His teacher's face turned deathly pale before him. Tanjiro's vision went red, and his eyes throbbed painfully.
Was this the power of Upper Rank One...?
Gyomei Himejima frowned. "Haruto?!"
"I'm all right!"
Haruto merely bared his teeth, his face drained of color, and muttered a curse under his breath.
Tanjiro saw a long wound stretching from his shoulder to his waist, its edges slowly writhing as it healed.
Even so, blood soaked his haori and trousers, dripping from the saturated fabric to bloom into crimson flowers on the floor.
The more his back hurt, the clearer Haruto's thoughts became.
He felt something inside him beating rapidly, then realized it was his heart.
His powerful heart pumped blood up to his brain, making his whole body feel unbearably hot.
Could this be the prerequisite for awakening a Demon Slayer Mark?
Haruto examined his body, his thoughts racing. He even had time to spare for another question: If I really can awaken a Demon Slayer Mark, should I do it or not?
If marked swordsmen really do start dying at twenty-five, will my time reversal still work then?
Could it bug out?
Die, revive, die, revive, until I can't revive anymore?
Wouldn't that be too miserable?
But then again... can we kill Muzan without awakening our marks?
If we face Muzan, who's even stronger than Kokushibo, with our current strength, does the Demon Slayer Corps have any chance of winning?
Perhaps they did, but the price would surely be devastating.
Like that room beneath the cherry blossom tree, with only Giyu and Sanemi left sitting inside.
"Haah..."
He stared at Kokushibo and sighed softly, making a decision that was not especially difficult.
"The sooner I awaken it, the sooner I reap the benefits. Every extra demon I kill is a gain."
With