Transparent World, Selfless State, and One with the Beast

AN: One more Patron!!! Thanks a lot, guys. 2 more to go to achieve the 10 Patrons target. Enjoy!!!

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'How does one resonate the demon slayer marks with each other?' Kai had asked Shinobu one evening.

The Insect Hashira had already chosen to impart Kai with all the secrets. Even then, she had taken a deep breath before divulging the said information.

'The appearance of Demon Slayer Marks opens the doors to two concepts,' she had replied. 'Those two are — Transparent World and Selfless State.'

Then she had imparted the knowledge about these concepts in detail to Kai.

According to Shinobu, the Transparent World was a special form of ocular extrasensory perception that altered demon slayers' visions, allowing them to perceive other living beings as if they were transparent. The users could perceive the flow of blood, breathing, muscular contractions, and joint movements of the creature they were looking at. [Image 1] [Image 2]

It also allowed one to see inside an enemy's body, letting them predict and evade their opponent's attacks and find openings for their own strikes. Not to mention, it also allowed one to perceive the surrounding world in slow-motion, thus skyrocketing their movement speed and reflexes.

'The more the demon slayer marks, the better grasp over the Transparent World,' Shinobu had added. 'When one truly attains mastery over the Transparent World, it causes the demon slayer marks to resonate with each other and hence allowing them to use Bankai. On the other hand, the Selfless State is quite mysterious and demon slayer marks' presence doesn't mean one can attain mastery over it automatically.'

Her explanation had cleared Kai's doubt but had also made him seriously contemplate a higher realm from his previous life.

Selfless State, also known as the Realm of the Highest and Domain of Supremacy, represented the zenith of physical combat. It was a supernatural, esoteric and mysterious state of being in which one completely erased their presence from the battlefield, getting rid of their will to fight, bloodlust, anger, hatred, malevolence, drive, and animosity. However, it did not enhance one's own combat prowess.

'Once in this state,' the Insect Hashira had told Kai, 'the user's behavior becomes incredibly tranquil and focused. This behavior is often compared to that of a plant.'

That evening, and after listening to Shinobu's explanation, Kai had shown no particular expression on his face. But inwardly, his mind and heart were roaring ecstatically, because this Selfless State resembled a higher cultivation realm in his previous life.

'Selfless State…' Kai had contemplated overnight. 'Why does it feel so similar to the State of Anatta?'

In his original world, the Beast Essence Cultivation was divided into two realms — Mortal and Divine.

In the Mortal realm, one was needed to assimilate a beast's essence within one's body. Then in a series of stages, lasting for years, one was required to reach a bodily constituency similar to the beast, to a state where with one thought one could bring out the beast's essence in battle.

To transcend the Mortal realm, one needed to harmonize with the beast's essence, showing the characteristic of being One with the Beast.

This step was also the transcending, transforming, and the first stage of the Divine Realm, and the underlying principle of this transcendence was — State of Anatta.

Those who had reached this stage, after spending decades in meditation and comprehending the State of Anatta, could be counted on fingers. The human population had already been dwindling at that time, so it wasn't surprising that only a few cases had been seen and recorded about this stage.

This step of transcending and achieving Divine by comprehending the State of Anatta was a roadblock, and all were required to cross it to tread further on the path of the Beast Essence Cultivation.

However, there was one exception.

This person had not only achieved the realm of One with the Beast at the beginning of his Mortal realm but had also done it when he was a mere 14-years-old child.

Yes. This person was none other than Kai of House Stormborn.

After Shinobu's lessons that night, Kai recalled his singular experience in the sewers under the city when they had come to claim his life in his original world when he was already on the verge of starving to death. In those filthy moments, when the demon within him had awakened, he had discarded his humanity to not do something extraordinary, but to just live.

The very first time Kai had slithered, he already was One with the Beast.

Yet, Kai couldn't help but also realize that this Selfless State, though lesser than the State of Anatta, was a realm higher than his One with the Beast. It demanded more.

Coming back to the present, Kai stupendously gazed at the sight of Shinobu's Bankai form piercing the demon's chest in one move.

Shinobu's Bankai wasn't as majestic as that of Rengoku's, but especially because of this, she had condensed her Bankai, turning all her Reiatsu to get physical improvements.

This form not only let Shinobu cover her lack of strength but, with the help of the Transparent World, it also allowed her to see her enemies' weak points and openings in their defenses.

Akaza let out a powerful shout and punched.

He blinked, and Shinobu was gone.

Kai saw the most absurd scene, then. A purple blur appeared in his vision. Was it because of his instincts? Kai didn't know. However, he could sense its presence. The absurdity of this purple blur was that it was stepping on air.

Akaza and Kai both blinked again, and in the next moment, Shinobu's stinger was embedded deep into the demon's ear. Another butterfly tattoo appeared around the wound like a majestic curse.

Shinobu disappeared and appeared between Kai and the demon, her figure tall, lean, and backless.

A deadly premonition must have announced itself to the demon, for they all could see his wounds healing instantaneously, but the butterfly tattoos remained on his body persistently.

Akaza crouched, the Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure) around him boiling, and then he pushed his open palms towards Shinobu.

Technique - Annihilation Type!

Shinobu was calm and collected, as though she could see through everything. Just before the powerful shockwave could hit her, she disappeared and reappeared in the sky. She kicked the air, disappeared again, and then reappeared at another place.

Akaza kept punching shockwaves after shockwaves at her, astounded at the fact that she was walking in the air.

Even Kai was dumbfounded.

Shinobu had already told him about her Bankai. There were only two words to explain the essence of her Bankai — Speed and Precision. A successful attack of her Stinger created a butterfly tattoo over the target's body, spreading the poison and condensing her poisonous Reiatsu within them. The second attack at the same point made the condensed Reiatsu explode, killing the target on the spot.

These were already things that couldn't be defended against. Yet, it was her speed that made Kai lick his lips.

For him to not even see her, and his instincts to lose a grasp over her appearance, she indeed was monstrously fast.

How could Akaza, despite being a monster in a physical fight, retaliate against her battle strength?

Shinobu appeared over Akaza's head, and the demon roared, punching the air over him with his two fists.

Technique - Disorder!

In the next moment, Shinobu's stinger was piercing the demon's ear, its tip at the same spot as the last.

Akaza's head exploded with a bang, sending brain matter flying in all directions. [Image 3]

Shinobu appeared near Kai, her breath misting in the rain.

Kai sighed. He pushed himself to his feet, eyed the transformed Insect Hashira, and couldn't help but shake his head.

The Book had been shuddering in these Characters' presence all this while. If it weren't for his plans and the already decided Characters, whose tales he must devour, he would've considered devouring these Hashiras' tales. But the spots in the books were limited, and he must use it to its fullest extent, Kai knew.

The prospects of obtaining the Multiverse Id of this Random World did cheer him up, giving him hope to have access to these abnormal Characters in the future.

Nonetheless, these thoughts and reasonings couldn't prevent him from feeling useless.

"Don't feel down," Shinobu said, smiling at Kai. "One day you too can reach this level. I know you can, and I have all the faith in you. Even among Hashiras, your potential is top-notch."

Kai smiled ruefully at her, knowing well that she was indirectly pointing at his stubbornness to create his own Breathing Style.

"My plan did work, though," Kai told her meekly. "We killed an Upper Rank Demon before he could use that."

Kai and Shinobu had already discussed the possibility of facing an Upper Rank Demon.

Going against the Insect Hashira's, Kai had planned to let the supposed Upper Rank Demon think they had a full grasp of the situation by beating the shit out of himself.

These demons were overconfident to the core, anyway. So Kai knew that the moment an Upper Rank Demon was to see that both Kai and Shinobu were losing, it would implore the Insect Hashira to use her Bankai, without knowing her abilities. The chances of this course of events happening were low, but not low enough for Kai to discard them.

And Shinobu was too smart and decisive to let go of such a chance.

The results were bare for all to see.

Shinobu shook her head. "You are too much," she reprimanded, but her tone lacked sharpness. "How are your…"

It was at this moment something happened that shocked the living breath out of the two.

A dense, heart-palpating burst of Reiatsu covered them, rooting them to their places.

The surrounding rain flailed like a banner, and even the thunder lost its voice.

Kai and Shinobu, gritting their teeth, turned their heads towards the headless corpse of the demon.

With a backflip, Akaza's corpse stood up and crouched, taking a martial pose with one hand at his waist and the other facing Insect Hashira with an open palm.

How could this be? How was this possible? What willpower was this, keeping the demon alive even after losing his head?

And then something happened that both Kai and Shinobu had been dreading since the beginning. Something that ruined their already successful plan.

Akaza's open palm became a fist, and he punched. Not at Shinobu, but at himself.

No! They must not let him continue. They would definitely die.

"Shinobu!" Kai shouted. But the Insect Hashira had already vanished.

Akaza's fist entered his stomach, penetrating it through and through. Shinobu appeared in front of him, her stinger almost touching the butterfly tattoo on his chest.

A tremendous burst of Reiatsu, accompanying an ethereal blue-colored shockwave, threw her back and pinned her down to the ground.

Akaza pulled back his fist.

And Kai's heart sank, for that hole wasn't regenerating.

A blue pillar of Reiatsu shot up towards the sky with the demon at the center, and from that pillar came a roar, shaking the living and dead alike.

Kai remembered what Shinobu had told him about this ability. He had asked her why the Hashiras, despite having Bankai, hadn't killed all the demons off the earth.

'They neither have the Shikai nor Bankai. But they have…' Shinobu had told her.

Kai's grip over his blades tightened, and he worded out with a dead expression, "Resurrección!!!"

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-- Resurreccion - Yes, the one from Bleach. (many must have already guessed it)

-- How Akaza survived even after losing his head? Because of his willpower. The same had happeend in Manga, so I am using the said plot.

-- Disclaimer: This chapter contains a portion of my Original Cultivation Concept and has nothing to with any fanfic work or other Cannon work available on internet or elsewhere.