It was obvious.
The bright golden War Mark on Tanjuro's body.
Was clearly a cut above the reddish-gold marks of Shinobu Kocho and Kanae.
Its boost to his physical fitness had reached an astonishing threefold or so.
This also set a new record for War Mark quality in Tamayo and the others' research.
And as they looked at the enormous battle axe in Tanjuro's hands, which seemed to be burning.
Their instincts as demons made Tamayo and Yushiro retreat several steps involuntarily.
"Mr. Xia Xi, is this the power of a Bright Red Nichirin Blade?"
Although Tanjuro really wanted to swing the axe in an open space and try out this new power.
He held himself back.
He was well aware of how much his strength had surged.
They were indoors, after all. If he swung his weapon carelessly and accidentally damaged the research equipment inside.
He would feel guilty about it himself.
Meanwhile, Xia Xi circled him, clicking his tongue repeatedly, clearly curious about this new quality of War Mark.
"Ma'am, I'll take him outside for a little sparring. We'll be back soon."
With that, the Dawn Hashira dragged the Charcoal Seller out of the research institute and into the nearby mountains for a serious "exchange."
Drawing on his strength and experience, which far surpassed Tanjuro's.
He soon figured out exactly how strong the Charcoal Seller was now.
In his normal state, Tanjuro could already easily defeat enemies on the level of Lower Rank One.
With his War Mark and Bright Red Nichirin Blade activated, he had the ability to hold his own against Akaza.
But his chances of winning were relatively low.
And if he used Sun Breathing while also activating his War Mark, Bright Red Nichirin Blade, and Transparent World.
Then a single Akaza was no longer