Days and nights blurred together, and three full days passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.
The Infinity Castle, wrapped in endless darkness, remained silent and cold like a vast underground mausoleum.
Deep within its shadowed halls, a massive crystal gave a sudden cracking sound.
Fine fractures spread across its surface until the entire structure shattered, falling away piece by piece.
Inside the broken shell emerged a towering figure nearly seven meters tall with long arms, short legs, and a gaping mouth filled with razor fangs.
A soft tearing sound echoed as flesh split open at the nape of its neck, and Lucien pushed himself upright from within.
His skin tore and reshaped as he opened his eyes, revealing the striking amethyst brilliance of his diamond patterned pupils.
He stared blankly for a moment before emotion returned to his face.
"It worked."
Breaking free completely from the Jaw Titan's nape, Lucien leaped to the ground.
Power surged through every fiber of his body, each cell buzzing with incredible vitality.
He knew immediately that he had succeeded.
Behind him, the Jaw Titan's massive corpse released thick white steam as it melted away.
The surrounding ten-meter radius glowed in the rising heat, preserving the monstrous shape it had held for the past three days.
Within his spiritual space, Lucien had battled Kibutsuji Muzan for an unknowable length of time.
In the end, he emerged victorious.
Muzan's strength had been immense, but his mental will was weaker than Lucien expected.
Lucien silently thanked Ymir for that victory.
By devouring her essence, he gained not only the full power of the Titans but also a profound purification of his soul.
His willpower, talent, perception, and every aspect of the five senses rose to new heights.
Furthermore, the mental world they fought in was still Lucien's domain.
And most crucially, Tamayo had appeared at the final critical moment.
Her willingness to sacrifice herself to destroy Muzan became the final key to Lucien's victory.
A kukri materialized in Lucien's hand.
Without hesitation, he severed his right hand.
Bright strands of colorful regeneration spread instantly, and the limb regenerated in a few breaths.
The combination of the Jaw Titan's regeneration and demon regeneration made him far more resilient than ever before.
Even so, Lucien remained extremely weak.
His mental strength was stretched thin, drained by the prolonged struggle inside the spiritual realm.
His head felt strangely light, and his vision blurred at the edges.
He needed food.
And he needed deep sleep.
Focusing himself, Lucien looked upward.
The Infinity Castle lay beneath the surface.
It would be troublesome if it extended too far underground.
"I still have to transform into the Jaw Titan."
He had no idea how far he was from reaching the surface.
To climb up quickly, the Jaw Titan remained the most efficient choice.
Though excessive, it was the Titan best suited for digging.
More than ten minutes later, on a quiet plain outside a distant city, the ground erupted.
Dirt and stone scattered as the upper half of the Jaw Titan emerged from the earth.
Night had already fallen.
Judging from the sky, dawn was only hours away.
Lucien rose from the Titan's nape, noticing the faint glow of city lights in the distance.
Buildings and silhouettes appeared at the edge of his vision.
With a kick, Lucien launched himself upward and flew at full speed.
...
Hours later, inside a proper inn, Lucien opened his eyes on a comfortable bed.
His condition had fully recovered, stronger than it had ever been.
He had slept for nearly a full day and night.
Now, for the first time, he could calmly examine his new body and the unclaimed rewards from his Golden Finger.
He summoned the light screen.
New messages were already displayed.
Douma and Kaigaku, both secondary villains, had earned him three Dice rolls.
Tamayo, a supporting character, granted one more.
Kibutsuji Muzan, a true fated villain, rewarded four Dice rolls and VIP Luck plus one.
Lucien didn't roll immediately.
He flipped the screen to check his lifespan.
Once marked at just over eleven years, it now displayed three question marks.
Was he immortal now?
Lighting a cloud cigarette, Lucien exhaled slowly.
The meaning of his supposedly useless Golden Finger puzzled him.
He could feel every cell in his body vibrating with unprecedented vitality.
Taking another breath, Lucien finally started rolling the Dice.
The board game model spun, the tiny airplane racing across five spaces.
Light flashed, then vanished.
Lucien did not use VIP Luck.
"Vibrating rod."
He stared at the elegantly carved, overly realistic object.
Its feminine design made him frown in mild disbelief.
He rolled again.
"One set of sexy lingerie."
"Lifelike silicone doll."
"One case of Sprite."
"One hundred thousand rounds of Gatling ammunition."
"One Rocket Launcher."
"One uncensored Western adult movie."
After seven rolls, Lucien flicked away the ash on his cigarette, his expression steady.
Despite the strange items, the massive amount of Gatling ammunition and the Rocket Launcher with ten warheads made the rolls absolutely worthwhile.
One final roll remained.
Lucien activated VIP Luck.
"Kamehameha."
The detailed description followed:
"A powerful technique from Dragon Ball, concentrating all energy into a single point, condensing it, then releasing it in a single devastating blast.
Hands are cupped together at the waist, gathering a glowing light sphere.
Rays of white light erupt from the ball, and upon release, it becomes a blue projectile like a comet trailing fire.
The strength depends entirely on the user's power."
Lucien's breath quickened.
His eyes widened.
He stared at the screen for a full minute.
Kamehameha.
The real Kamehameha.
A grin broke across his face as he let out a wild, genuine laugh.
VIP rewards never failed.
Knowledge of the technique flowed into his mind.
Lucien wanted to practice immediately, but bright sunlight filtered through the curtains.
His body reacted instinctively.
Fear.
The primal, unchanging fear of sunlight.
He had become a demon.
He would visit Nezuko once night fell.
In the original story, demons died with Muzan.
However, there were exceptions.
Those who had severed Muzan's control, such as Tamayo, Yushiro, and Nezuko, survived.
Just then, a small line of text blinked onto the light screen.
"Update?"
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
Was the Golden Finger preparing to upgrade?
If it followed typical system logic, it might be evolving from version one point zero to version two point zero.
Though it resembled a flying chessboard game, it still belonged to the lottery system type.
He hesitated briefly, then tapped yes.
The screen closed instantly, replaced by a countdown in his vision.
Three days.
During that time, he could still access all previously obtained rewards.
Lucien felt a quiet anticipation.
Perhaps the updated Golden Finger would include features like a mall, a chat system, or even further evolution.
If it could update once, it could update again.
Setting that aside, he began examining the abilities he inherited from Muzan.
Muzan possessed numerous powers:
1. The ability to turn humans, and even animals, into demons by infusing them with his blood.
2. Complete control over demons who consumed his blood.
At close range, he could read their thoughts and locate them instantly.
At long distances, the signal weakened.
The strength of a demon depended on the amount of blood he granted.
3. The ability to freely shift appearance, gender, scent, and age, changing at will.
4. Mastery over every cell in his body, allowing instant regeneration and manipulation into countless forms.
But Muzan also had weaknesses:
1. Sunlight.
2. Medicines capable of harming cells.
3. Extreme heat.
Even if Lucien adapted to sunlight someday, medicine and high temperature would remain weaknesses.
Of course, other worlds might offer solutions unavailable in Demon Slayer.
And reaching Muzan's full level would take time and development.
_____
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