Chapter 37: Survive Until Dawn
[Mission Start]
[Main Quest 1: Survive Until Dawn]
[Main Quest 2: Join any faction.]
[Main Quest 3: Unlocks after completing Main Quest 2.]
[Side Quest: Exterminate the man-eating demon in the mountains.]
The quest text was displayed in crimson letters. At that exact moment, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the distance.
"AAAAH!"
The raw terror and agony in that sound made even the seasoned Reincarnators' expressions turn serious.
"Everyone, since this is a cooperative mission, why don't we exchange some information first? If our objectives don't conflict, we might be able to help each other out."
The solo woman spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. The pair who had been talking about [Slave Shackles] had been about to leave, but they stopped and turned to study her.
Seeing that she had their attention, the woman took a step forward, spreading her arms in an open gesture. "If I'm not mistaken," she said, "everyone's first main quest is to survive until sunrise tomorrow."
"How did you know that?" one of the duo in black asked. They stepped out from the shadows of the trees, revealing their full appearance. Both were dressed in black, form-fitting night-ops gear. One carried a greatsword on his back, the other a katana, their hair wrapped in black bandanas.
Kaito watched their feet. He noticed that they moved on the balls of their feet, their heels never touching the ground. He guessed they were both highly agile types. Despite their casual demeanor, they were actually on high alert, always ready to move and escape, even as a team.
The other pair also walked over. This duo was a man and a woman. The man had blond hair, which wasn't unusual in an anime world, and was tall and muscular, wearing a baggy, hip-hop style t-shirt. The woman had long, curly green hair that flowed down her back. She was also tall, nearly 180cm, with a slender build and cold, indifferent eyes. A rapier was sheathed at her waist.
The woman with the black-framed glasses took another step forward, positioning herself in the center of the group and subtly taking control of the conversation.
"I have my own information channels," she said, her voice quick and confident. "I know a lot about the Nexus and its mission worlds. You can call me—[The Professor]."
"A mission that only requires survival is the most difficult type the Nexus has. Because a mission like this means that the Nexus has determined that for us, simply surviving until sunrise is an extremely difficult task."
"And since this is a cooperative mission world, I believe that when the Nexus calculated the difficulty of our survival… it calculated it for all of us, together."
She paused, but the others understood her meaning.
"Are you saying," the man in the kasa hat spoke, his voice sounding much older, like an elder speaking to a youth, though Kaito couldn't be sure it wasn't a disguise, "that a demon capable of killing all of us will appear tonight?"
The Professor nodded. She looked at the others and said frankly, "I am a Reincarnator who specializes in analysis and exploration. My combat power is average. I believe this is exactly what the main quest is implying. So, I suggest we stick together and survive tonight before doing anything else."
"I know everyone here has their own trump cards. Ordinary man-eating demons are probably nothing to any of you. But…"
"What if it's one of the Twelve Kizuki? What if it's an Upper Rank?"
Her words cut off any arguments before they could begin. The ordinary demons of the Demon Slayer world weren't incredibly powerful. A well-trained soldier with enough ammunition could hold them off. Even if they couldn't be killed permanently, a large-caliber weapon could still inflict horrific damage on them, just as the Taisho-era firearms in their native world could.
But the Twelve Kizuki were different. They possessed unique Blood Demon Arts, and their regenerative abilities were far superior. Encountering one in the dead of night could be fatal for anyone.
Hearing this, Kaito already understood. This woman was a non-combat type. That was why she was trying so hard to keep the group together. Is a person like that really suited to survive in this place? he wondered. Kaito didn't trust the idea of tying his life to so-called "teammates." Then again, she probably has a trump card of her own.
He said nothing. He simply turned and walked away into the darkness.
"Hey! Didn't you hear me?" the Professor called after him. "One of the Twelve Kizuki could show up!"
Kaito didn't respond. He just gave a dismissive wave and called back over his shoulder, "Heh. Can't you guys smell it?"
"The stench of blood in the air… it's getting stronger…"
He was subtly warning them. The others instantly tensed up, and the sounds of weapons being drawn could be heard.
In truth, Kaito didn't smell any blood at all. But ever since the woman had mentioned the "Twelve Kizuki," his [Killing Intent Sense] had picked up a faint, peeping presence. Besides, he wasn't a fool. The strong scent of flowers he had noticed upon waking was an obvious hint from the Nexus. There had to be wisteria nearby. If there truly was a demon capable of wiping them all out, that place was the designated safe zone.
Kaito was now walking in the direction of the floral scent.
Behind him, the others quickly caught on. "Let's head for the wisteria!" the Professor called out.
Thump. Thump. Thump…
Heavy footsteps sounded nearby. A massive figure emerged from the dense forest, and the smell of blood suddenly became overpowering.
Kaito looked up and saw a giant, greenish monster, over three meters tall, step out from behind a bush. This demon had a mane of white hair and a beard that were matted together with bits of flesh and blood. In one hand, it was carrying half a human corpse, from which organs and gore dripped onto the ground.
"Wisteria?" the demon's voice rumbled. "No."
"Please don't go to the wisteria…"
The demon's voice was low, and its huge eyes were filled with a pleading look.
"I'm hungry… Stay here and let me eat you. Please…?"
The demon raised its left hand, grabbed a tree as thick as a bowl, and snapped it in two. It then swung the tree trunk like a club, aiming a sweeping blow at Kaito.
BOOM!
A massive gunshot rang out.
The demon's thick arm, along with the tree it was holding, crashed to the ground in front of Kaito. He hadn't moved an inch, bracing himself against the fierce gust of wind from the attack. He estimated that this demon's Strength was quite high, probably much higher than his own.
"AH! It hurts!"
The demon stared in shock at its severed arm. It took a full second for the pain to register, and then it began to howl.
The Professor stood with a large hand cannon in her hand, smoke still curling from its barrel.
Seeing that the demon wasn't particularly fast, the others sprang into action.
The duo in the night-ops gear were incredibly quick. They burst forward, and in a cloud of dust, they flanked the demon from both sides. A flash of blades, and the demon's ugly head was cleanly severed from its neck.
"Let's go! We can't kill it for good without a Nichirin Blade," one of them said.
The Professor agreed, and the group was about to press on.
Suddenly, fwoosh!
A black shadow shot out from the demon's fallen head. In an instant, it appeared in front of Kaito, its sharp claws slashing at his chest.
The man in the kasa hat's eyes flashed, and his long sword was already half-drawn from its sheath. But before he could act…
Kaito's left hand, which had appeared in front of him at some unknown point, shot out.
GRAB!
The smaller demon, no more than seventy centimeters tall and completely naked, was caught firmly by the neck.
A grim smile spread across Kaito's face.
"You picked the wrong opponent, little bro."
A wave of ripple energy flowed from Kaito's hand. The pale-skinned demon instantly began to scream.
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Guys We cross the 900 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1000 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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