She really is my lucky goddess. That worked perfectly.
The ten meteors fell, revealing the ten character cards.
There was one gold, two blue, three green, and four white.
The cards were revealed from the lowest rarity. White was the lowest, "trash," the kind of character who dies in a series without anyone even remembering their name.
Green was one step up, but still trash.
Blue was elite, like the Chunin he'd pulled at the start. They might not have any lines, but they had some skill.
Purple was next, which was very good. In Naruto, it would be Jōnin-level. In One Piece, it would be a pirate with a bounty over 100 million, or one of the Shichibukai.
And above purple was gold.
In Naruto, that's Kage-level or higher. In One Piece, that's an Admiral or a Yonkō. In Bleach, it's Captain-level.
Soon, the final gold card was revealed.
Kael Vane's eyes went wide. "It's really him!"
On the card was a man in samurai attire, wearing a red haori. He had long, dark red hair tied in a high ponytail, red irises, and hanafuda earrings. Most striking of all was the strange mark on his forehead. He held a red blade, and just standing there, he gave off a terrifying pressure.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The absolute ceiling of Demon Slayer.
Kael Vane had seen many anime, and there were many strong characters. But there was always someone equal, or close, to them.
Yoriichi was different. He was the absolute ceiling. In the anime community, when you mentioned "ceiling," he was the first character anyone thought of.
He was born with unmatched talent. He created the Sun Breathing style, and the five main breathing styles were just poor imitations. Even when geniuses improved those styles, they couldn't come close to him.
The strongest boss in Demon Slayer, Muzan Kibutsuji, was almost killed in their first meeting. He only escaped by blowing himself up. Muzan didn't dare show his face again until after Yoriichi had died of old age.
At the end of the series, the entire Demon Slayer Corps attacked Muzan, using every trick they had. They still suffered heavy losses, and only won because the sun came up.
Kael Vane's evaluation of Yoriichi was simple: a mortal body that could slay gods.
Compared to other anime, where the strong could destroy islands or countries, Yoriichi didn't have that kind of power. But if you were standing in front of him, even a god would have to be on guard.
You may be able to destroy the world, but I can kill you.
Kael Vane tapped the screen, recycling all the characters except for Ulquiorra and Yoriichi. He double-checked to make sure he didn't accidentally recycle the gold cards. He would regret that for the rest of his life.
[Confirm recycling all selected characters?]
"Confirm!"
[Ding! Recycle successful! Host's Magic Power increased by ☆!]
"System, I recycled two 'blue elites'! Why did I only get half a star?! Are you skimming off the top?!"
[The higher the magic power star level, the harder it is to advance. Everything is based on calculations. If the Host wishes to gain more magic power, please recycle higher-quality characters.]
"You win!"
It was the same official reply. He would have to be an idiot to recycle a gold character.
Kael Vane opened his personal panel.
[Host: Kael Vane]
[Age: 18]
[Race: Human]
[Magic Power: ★★]
[Magic: Take Over]
[Character Cards: Ulquiorra Cifer (Gold), Yoriichi Tsugikuni (Gold)]
"Full-Body Take Over! Yoriichi Tsugikuni!"
Kael activated the magic. His hair grew long, and his clothes changed. Soon, he looked just like Yoriichi. His face was still his, but everything else was the same.
Yoriichi's memories appeared in Kael's mind. He was different from birth. The world he saw was different. He could use the Transparent World.
People looked transparent to him. He could see their lungs, their blood flow, and their muscle contractions. He understood his own body's movements better, too. He could easily predict an opponent's moves, and his attack and evasion speed were much higher.
He beat a trained swordsman the first time he held a sword. He created his own breathing style and taught it to the Demon Slayer Corps, giving them the power to fight demons.
He met Muzan Kibutsuji and wounded him so badly that Muzan had to self-destruct to escape.
Finally, he met his older brother, Michikatsu Tsugikuni, who later became Kokushibo. In the end, because of his love for his brother, he held back. He swung his sword one last time and died.
"Hooo...!"
After seeing the memories, Kael Vane took a deep breath. He was still shaking.
He realized the anime had been too conservative. The real Yoriichi was far stronger than what was shown.
Kael thought of a saying: To one who doesn't know the sword, he is the moon in the well. To one who knows the sword, he is the ant staring at the heavens.
You might be a one-in-a-million genius, but being a genius was just the minimum requirement to even see him.
Kael Vane began to use the Sun Breathing style.
A powerful strength, not of energy but of physical ability, surged through his body. He felt his physical stats skyrocket. At the same time, his magic power began to drain quickly.
A moment later, Kael Vane canceled the transformation.
"Hah!"
He felt a strong sense of loss.
It was like going from a super-genius back to an idiot. The difference in talent between him and Yoriichi was too big.
Just then, his body instinctively started using Sun Breathing.
Inhale... Exhale...
As he used the breathing style, Kael Vane felt his body fill with power.
He was stunned. He had already canceled the transformation. Why could he still use the breathing style?
When in doubt, ask the system.
"System, why can I still use the breathing style?"