Chapter 250: Markings

The Demon Slayer Mark and the Transparent World.

These two terms don't refer to objects but rather to two abilities. When you think about it, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was born with both abilities, was truly a prodigy of heaven. Ordinary people who activate the Demon Slayer Mark are destined to die by the age of 25, yet Yoriichi lived to an old age and, even on the verge of death, managed to severely injure Kokushibo with a single strike.

A monster among monsters.

He was even less human than Muzan Kibutsuji.

Apart from Yoriichi, some of the first-generation swordsmen also activated the Demon Slayer Mark. That era was the worst for demons. However, as time passed, the strength of the Demon Slayer Corps' successors gradually declined, and knowledge of the Demon Slayer Mark was buried in the river of history.

If Li Mo hadn't appeared, it would have taken the near-destruction of the Kamado family for someone to surpass the achievements of the first-generation swordsmen.

But with his arrival...

"I am willing to activate the Demon Slayer Mark," Gyomei Himejima said calmly.

The elder brother of the Demon Slayer Corps had an extraordinary sense of responsibility. Even though he knew the price of activating the Demon Slayer Mark was death by 25, and he was already 23 years old, he resolutely chose to agree after hearing about its benefits.

Hatred was deeply rooted in his heart. For the tall monk, if it increased the chance of killing demons, even at the cost of his life, it was worth it.

Li Mo hesitated slightly. The conditions for activating the Demon Slayer Mark were stored in his memory palace. After his transformation in Fuyuki City, he had organized his memories into a mental library. This seemingly miraculous technique was essentially just the processing and categorization of information.

In the real world of Soubu High, there was a manga called *Demon Slayer*, which contained information about activating the Demon Slayer Mark.

A body temperature exceeding 39 degrees Celsius and a heart rate of over 200 beats per minute.

To ordinary people, these were dangerous numbers. Surviving under such conditions was the key to activating the Demon Slayer Mark.

Li Mo pondered and said, "Let me try first."

The only question was whether he, as a non-human, could activate the Demon Slayer Mark. But it was worth a try. Although he didn't know exactly why the Demon Slayer Mark caused death by 25, with Yoriichi as an example, Li Mo believed it was possible to replicate his situation.

A body temperature of 39 degrees and a heart rate exceeding 200 beats per minute were not difficult for Li Mo, who had mastered magecraft. In fact, he could immediately go to the Kamado family, where his nominal older brother, Tanjuro Kamado, was suspected of having the Demon Slayer Mark.

He could go and see if his brother truly had the mark. If so, he would gain a research subject. But time was precious, and there was no extra time for Li Mo to do such things.

So he decided to try it himself.

Even if he couldn't solve the problem, he wasn't yet 25. At worst, he could cut off Muzan Kibutsuji's head and flee this world, running to the Grand Narukami Shrine on Mt. Yougou and begging Yae Miko for help. The price would just be working for her amidst her mocking laughter.

Dignity was just an external thing. If it could be sold for a good price, why not sell it?

Thus, under Gyomei Himejima's watch, Li Mo attempted to activate the Demon Slayer Mark.

Why Gyomei Himejima was by his side was another matter. If possible, Li Mo would have preferred to chat with Kanae, the beautiful girl. The two had just shared an intimate moment and were in the midst of sweet whispers. But Senior Sister Makomo's cold smile was too intimidating, so he didn't dare say much.

At the same time, Gyomei Himejima's strength was extraordinary. His immense power and the whistling meteor axe were not suitable for training. Only a non-human like Li Mo could face him head-on.

His heartbeat began to accelerate. Li Mo felt his heart pounding like an engine, and his body temperature rose continuously. It was as if a virus had invaded his body, and his body's automatic defense mechanism was determined to kill the virus, even if it meant his heart stopping.

39 degrees Celsius.

For ordinary people, this was a temperature that required immediate treatment, as it could fry their brains in seconds. But for Li Mo, it was just a normal temperature. After meeting these two conditions, Li Mo felt as if something had been unlocked.

No, it was a connection.

It was as if a switch in his body had been flipped, and his body began passively absorbing something from the air. It was like the elements in Teyvat. The effects created by Breathing Styles were a resonance with these "elements."

This world already had its own mysteries—souls and hell were the most typical examples of "mystery."

Feeling and perceiving, Li Mo could sense his life force draining. But soon, it stopped. The reason was that after the "switch" was flipped, energy passively enhanced his bodily functions. The activity of his cells increased dramatically, but at the cost of continuous life force consumption.

It was like combining the Mana from the greater source with the Od from the lesser source to enhance bodily functions. Proficient in various forms of mysticism, Li Mo easily cut off this primitive method of consuming life force.

It felt similar to reinforcement magecraft. But the difference was that after activating the Demon Slayer Mark, the consumption of life force was more efficient and direct.

But here's the question: If it was just this, why was death by 25 inevitable?

And what about Yoriichi Tsugikuni?

But it didn't matter. Li Mo quickly figured out how to deactivate the Demon Slayer Mark. Due to his unique physique, no mark even appeared on his forehead.

"Did it work?" Gyomei Himejima asked.

"Sort of," Li Mo replied.

It did work. The enhancement from the Demon Slayer Mark was reflected in his data panel. But after the experiment, Li Mo deactivated it. He had already understood what the Demon Slayer Mark was and how it worked, so deactivating it was a natural step.

It just wasn't visible from the outside.

Gyomei Himejima said, "Let me try it now."

"Wait a bit longer, Mr. Himejima. Let me figure out how to suppress the side effects first."

"It's fine. We can discuss this after the final battle."

"You're just adding more weight to my shoulders. No, I need to recruit some help."

The "help" Li Mo referred to wasn't for physical labor. There were plenty of people for that. What he needed was researchers! Looking around the entire Demon Slayer Corps, there were only about two and a half people who could be called researchers.

One and a half of them referred to Tamayo and Yushiro. Tamayo was an expert in demon research, while Yushiro was only half a researcher because he couldn't conduct research without Tamayo. Everything he learned was for her sake.

The last one was the "help" Li Mo recruited.

"So you urgently called me here to help you as an assistant?"

Shinobu Kocho, who had rushed over from the Butterfly Mansion overnight, looked at Li Mo with her slightly dark-circled eyes.

"Of course. Mr. Himejima's body is different from mine. To be safe, we need to approach this from both a medical and mystical perspective."

Shinobu fell silent for a moment, wondering why she had hurried over after receiving the urgent letter.

Then, with a smile, she kicked Li Mo in the shin.

The kick was strong.