The sky above Yoshiwara burned with the colors of dusk.
The sun had yet to set, and the streets were beginning to come alive, painted in shades of amber and crimson from the countless paper lanterns that glowed in the evening breeze.
Perfume, sake, and laughter mingled in the air.
Amidst the bustle, Akira and Erika walked side by side, their steps light yet deliberate. Thanks to Erika's continuous flight, they had managed to reach the Entertainment District before sunset. Now, dressed in hooded cloaks that made them look more like wizards from Harry Potter than travelers, they walked the crowded streets unnoticed.
At least, to everyone else, they were invisible. Erika's Blood Demon Art: Blindfold kept them hidden from sight.
"It's impressive that you can maintain it this long," Akira said, glancing at her from beneath his hood. "Especially after flying nonstop."
"It's thanks to your blood," Erika replied, her tone calm but a little sheepish. "I don't know how, but drinking your blood really increases my strength a lot."
Selena's voice chimed in telepathically. "Well, he's almost a full-blooded Asterian, and his blood is supercharged with magic. The real mystery is how you can drink it daily without collapsing. Any other dhampir or even pureblood vampire would've been overwhelmed by now".
Erika blinked, startled. "Really?"
She'd been drinking his blood more often than necessary lately, but she never thought it could be dangerous.
Selena replied calmly, "Yeah, that's why I said it's weird you're completely fine. We'll need to run some tests on both of you once you get back home, after this mission".
Erika sighed softly. "I hope it's nothing dangerous."
Meanwhile, Akira walked through the streets of Yoshiwara with the expression of a man who wanted to be anywhere but here. The lively chatter, the music, and the laughter filling the air seemed to irritate him more than entertain him.
"What's so entertaining about this place anyway?" he muttered under his breath. "There are so many people, but there's nothing interesting here."
Crowds weren't Akira's thing. Unless there was something anime-related, he usually avoided places like this entirely.
Selena giggled. Her voice echoed in his mind with mild amusement.
"Well, it might not be entertaining for you, but a lot of people from this era find this place exciting. There are so many beautiful women here".
Akira gave a deadpan look around the street. "Are your eyes not working properly? I don't see any beautiful women here."
"That's because you're a weirdo", Selena teased. "Normal people find these women beautiful".
Erika tilted her head. "What do you mean by weirdo?"
Selena smirked through the link. "He doesn't find certain women attractive, no matter how beautiful they are".
Erika tilted her head. "What kind of women does he find attractive then?"
"2D anime girls", Selena said without hesitation. "He's mostly uninterested in real girls. Mostly".
"Really?" Erika blinked in surprise. "Wait, he doesn't find real girls attractive?"
Akira scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well… I don't know how to put it. It's complicated but… well, I do find you attractive, I guess."
Erika froze, her cheeks instantly turning red. "Oh, I… see." She looked away, suddenly silent.
In truth, Akira did find most anime characters attractive, even when they took physical form in this world. But usually only the main characters. He didn't know what to call it. In his previous life, he hadn't found anyone attractive at all, so in a way, this was progress.
Maybe it was because, to him, normal people just… didn't register. They felt like background extras, NPCs in a world that wasn't real to him.
"Anyway", Selena interjected, snapping him out of thought, "we can talk about your weird preferences later, brother. Isn't it about time we find the demon hiding here? Rose and Raven are already in position".
"Sure," Akira said with a nod. "Erika, can you do it?"
Erika, who had finally recovered from her blushing state, nodded back. "Okay."
She closed her eyes, activating her Vision Sharing ability. Their minds synchronized with the eyes of Rose and Raven, their two crows with talismans on their heads, circling high above the district.
Their vision synchronized perfectly. Through the birds' eyes, the entire Entertainment District unfolded beneath them, its streets glowing in the crimson hue of lanterns, its rooftops awash in shadow. But through Akira's Mystic Eyes of Truth, it was even more extraordinary. The world shimmered with currents of energy, lines, patterns, and flows invisible to normal sight.
Then, Akira spotted them.
"Found them," he said quietly.
Erika focused through the shared vision. "Are there three of them?"
Akira shook his head. "No. Only two. Both are inside that building." He pointed mentally toward the largest cluster of energy. "But there's another presence underground. It feels like… a part of one of those demons."
He frowned. "And there's something else. I can sense a lot of human signatures inside it, too. It's… strange."
Erika's brow furrowed. "But why do the two demon signatures in the building feel so weird?"
Akira narrowed his glowing eyes. "They're fused. No, more like one demon is inside another."
"Are they sharing a body?" Erika asked.
"Don't know," Akira said. "We'll have to figure it out when we meet them."
Erika turned to him. "So what should we do now?"
Akira exhaled softly. "For now, we meet up with the others, then come up with a plan of attack."
On a rooftop overlooking the glowing streets of Yoshiwara, the Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen, stood with Tanjiro and Inosuke.
"Uzui-san," Tanjiro asked, his voice serious, "what happened? Why did you call us again?"
"Yeah, flashy guy!" Inosuke added, crouched like a beast ready to pounce. "I was busy finding the demon!"
Tengen crossed his arms with his usual confident grin. "I didn't call you for no reason. The reinforcements had already arrived, and they wanted to meet up here."
Tanjiro blinked. "That fast? How did they even get here already?"
A familiar voice answered from behind them. "Well, we flew all the way here."
Everyone turned sharply to see Akira and Erika standing on the roof.
"Akira-san! Erika-san!" Tanjiro said, his face lighting up.
"It's the glowing eyes guy!" Inosuke exclaimed.
"Oh? What a flamboyant entrance," Tengen said with a grin.
Akira sighed. "Yeah, yeah, nice to see everyone too. But… why do you guys look like that?"
Both Tanjiro and Inosuke blinked in confusion, still in their female disguises.
"Oh, this?" Tanjiro said awkwardly. "It's to infiltrate the district. We disguised ourselves as girls."
Akira stared at them blankly. "I can't believe anyone actually bought that." Then, shaking his head, he added, "Well, more importantly, what's the situation?"
Tengen and Tanjiro explained everything: their infiltration, the loss of contact with Tengen's wives, and Zenitsu's disappearance.
"I know where the demon is!" Inosuke said suddenly. "It's in the place I infiltrated. I could sense it!"
"Then why did Zenitsu disappear?" Tanjiro asked.
"Don't worry," Akira interrupted calmly. "I already found the demons."
All three turned to him in shock. "Already!?"
Akira nodded. "Two in the building, fused together. And I think a part of one of them separated and went underground."
Tengen asked with a confused expression. "How do you even know all this? You just got here."
"It's a long story," Akira said simply. "Just remember, my eyes can see a lot of things."
They decided to question him later; right now, the mission came first.
Akira continued with a serious expression, "From the underground, I can also sense a lot of human energy signatures. Zenitsu's is in there, too."
"Are they alive!?" Tanjiro asked desperately.
"They are," Akira replied. "But something's… off. It's like they're sealed inside the demon itself."
Tengen frowned. "Strange? In what way?"
"I'm not sure," Akira said. "It's like they're… sealed inside the demon itself. I can't tell exactly what's happening without seeing it directly, but one thing's clear, they're all still alive."
Tanjiro clenched his fists. "Then we need to save them first!"
Akira shook his head slightly. "We will, but first, we need a plan. We can't just rush in blindly, and I don't even know the direct route to get down there."
Tengen raised a brow. "Didn't you say you can see them?"
"I can see their energy signatures, not through solid ground. My eyes aren't X-ray vision," Akira replied with a sigh.
"Then what's the plan?" Tengen asked.
Akira crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. "We'll split into two teams, one to fight the demon aboveground, and one to go underground and save the people."
Tanjiro looked confused. "Why not just rescue them first and then fight the demon together?"
"Because we need one team to distract the demon," Akira explained. "We have to make sure it doesn't notice the rescue or try to harm the people it's absorbed or escape. Remember what I said: the demon underground is a part of the one above. If we attack one, the other might react. If it notices, it could kill the hostages or vanish before we reach it. That's why both teams need to move at the same time."
Tengen nodded. "Makes sense. So what are the teams?"
Akira spoke clearly. "First off, Erika and I need to be on separate teams."
Erika, who had been quiet until now, looked at him in surprise. "Wait, why are we on different teams?"
"Because we need to attack simultaneously," Akira said. "We can communicate telepathically thanks to the system, remember? So we'll still be in perfect sync, even if we're apart."
Erika hesitated, her expression uneasy. "…Fine." She didn't like the idea of separating from him; it made her uneasy, but she also knew people's lives were at stake.
Akira nodded. "I'll go with the team heading underground. Erika will be with the team confronting the demon."
"Wait, why am I on the team facing the demon?" Erika asked.
"Do you know how to free people trapped inside a demon without hurting them?" Akira replied matter-of-factly.
Realizing he was right, Erika sighed. "Fine."
"Alright," Akira continued, "I could go alone, but I'll need someone who can actually get me to the underground chamber. I can't dig through the ground myself."
"I'll get you underground," Tengen said. "Just point out where."
Akira nodded. "Perfect. Then the rest will engage the demon aboveground. But be careful, there are two demons fused together, and they're strong."
Tengen's tone turned serious. "How strong are we talking?"
Akira paused. "The one outside isn't that strong. But the one inside… It's powerful. Not as strong as the Upper Moon Three I fought before, but still, probably an Upper Moon-level threat."
Tengen exhaled sharply. "If it's an Upper Moon, can they even handle it?"
Akira smirked slightly. "It's not that strong. They can buy us some time. And besides, the outer demon's not that dangerous. But if the one inside decides to come out… then things could get ugly fast."
Tengen nodded. "Understood. We'll need to move fast, before that thing causes any lasting damage. Can you all handle the fight for a while?"
Tanjiro and Inosuke nodded with determination. "Yes!"
Erika hesitated for a moment, but then nodded too. "I can handle it."
Akira gave a short nod. "Good. We'll move after nightfall, once the streets are clear. We can't risk any civilian casualties."
As the sun set and the lantern lights flickered to life across Yoshiwara, the group prepared themselves in silence.
By the time the last echo of laughter faded from the streets, two teams were ready. The night air was heavy.
And under the rising moon, they set out, each to face their own battle.
Akira and Tengen moved swiftly through the back alleys until they reached a quiet spot.
Akira crouched, eyes glowing faintly purple as he scanned the ground. "It's directly below us," he said.
"Then I'll start," Tengen said with a smirk spreading across his face. He cracked his knuckles, using his shinobi techniques to dig.
As the earth rumbled softly, Selena's voice echoed inside Akira's mind. "Brother… why did you do that? Anyone could have just cut the obi and released the people. So why do this? And you even sent Erika to fight the upper moon, why?"
Akira's eyes narrowed slightly. "You already know why."
Selena hesitated for a moment, then her tone softened. "…Is it time?"
"I can't think of any better moment," Akira replied quietly, his gaze fixed on the dark hole forming before them.
"Fine… just take care of yourself", she whispered.
Akira smiled faintly. "Take care of Erika for me".
Just then, Tengen's voice pulled him back to reality. "We're through."
He dropped into the tunnel first, landing lightly on his feet. Akira followed right after, the faint purple glow of his eyes illuminating the path below.
As they descended into the darkness, Akira sent a telepathic message to Erika.
"The mission begins."
Far above, Erika and the others moved at the same moment, two fronts, but with one purpose.
The real battle had begun.