Yosuke did not object to Ubuyashiki Kagaya's decision to keep the Demon Slayer Corps intact.
If the world the Priest Master escaped to was truly dangerous, then he would still need the strength of the Corps and its Hashira.
"That's fine. By the way—Kanae, Shinobu, during this time, work with Tamayo to focus your research on the Mark. Opening a Mark and entering the Transparent World is essentially overdrawing one's lifespan to temporarily force the body into its 'prime state.'
In other words, if the body can naturally enter that prime state, then perhaps the side effects of the Mark will disappear. When the rule of life returns, they won't die."
Kanae and Shinobu nodded at once.
"We understand."
Most people present had awakened their Marks. If they were all doomed to die at twenty-five, it would be far too tragic.
"Hakuji, Gyutaro, Koyuki, Ume—be prepared. I may summon you at any time."
Hakuji and the others replied enthusiastically,
"We will await your summons anytime and anywhere, Lord Yosuke!"
After giving his final instructions, Yosuke prepared to depart immediately to pursue the Priest Master. With the Priest Master heavily injured, this was the best opportunity to chase him down.
Yosuke silently called out to the system in his mind.
[Initiating Void Positioning—using the Priest Master as the coordinate reference… Search complete. Constructing Void Passage… Construction complete. The Void Passage has been established. Host may enter at any time.]
A passage woven from countless strands of light opened before Yosuke.
"Well then—I'm off!"
Yosuke stepped inside, and the opening behind him closed instantly.
He felt himself shooting forward at extreme speed, his entire body dizzy from the overwhelming centrifugal force.
After an unknown amount of time, Yosuke finally felt himself come to a stop.
He opened his tightly shut eyes, and the first thing he saw was a waterfall—followed by two gigantic statues standing opposite each other, each forming a strange hand sign.
Looking at the unfamiliar scenery, Yosuke asked,
"System, what kind of world is this?"
[This is a world deeply influenced by foreign deities. Even the native lifeforms here wield the power of those external gods.]
"Deities…? Are there truly gods?"
[When a living being evolves its life or civilization to the extreme, when every gesture carries unimaginable might—such a being becomes a deity. In essence, a deity is simply a lifeform far more advanced than humans.]
Yosuke felt irritation rising.
"Just hearing the word 'deity' already sounds troublesome."
The system advised:
[Indeed. The power level of this world far exceeds that of your original world. It is very likely that our presence has already been noticed by the local deities. The Priest Master has also sensed our pursuit and has already hidden himself. I recommend the host lie low for now and wait for an opportunity.]
But just as Yosuke was about to leave the canyon and head toward an inhabited area, the scenery in front of him suddenly shifted repeatedly—until he found himself in a strange space filled entirely with water.
Floating cross-legged above the water was an elderly man with two horns, brown hair, dressed in white robes. On his chest were six black magatama marks, on his back a red spiral pattern, and beneath that a nine-square array of magatama.
The old man questioned Yosuke sharply,
"Outsider, what purpose do you have in coming to our world?!"
Having dealt with souls frequently, Yosuke could tell that this old man was also in a spiritual form. This must be one of the "deities" the system had spoken of.
Yosuke silently cursed—he hadn't expected to be discovered by a deity the moment he arrived.
"I'm here to chase down a criminal who fled from my world to this one. I have no intention of disturbing the peace of your world."
"I am the Sage of Six Paths. The one you seek should be the one who calls himself the Priest Master, correct?"
Yosuke nodded.
"Yes, that's him."
Yosuke showed no hostility, which made the Sage of Six Paths ease his guard slightly.
"Five years ago, I sensed his arrival as well. I destroyed his physical body…"
Yosuke's eyes widened.
"Wait—five years ago?! But only a single day separates our departures! How could so much time have passed? Are we even talking about the same person?"
The Sage of Six Paths, confused as well, considered the possibility they were referring to different individuals. He then revealed a corpse.
"Take a look—is this him?"
The body was severely damaged, but still recognizable—it was indeed the Priest Master.
"Yes, that's him. But… how could I be five years behind him?"
Yosuke's mind was a complete mess.
The Sage of Six Paths speculated:
"Time flows differently in each world. Perhaps you encountered a temporal surge. When traveling through a dimensional tunnel, the time difference between two worlds can cause the flow of time to accelerate or slow down indefinitely—until you exit the tunnel."
Yosuke reluctantly accepted the explanation. Staring at the Priest Master's ruined body, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had just arrived, yet the target was already dead. Was his mission already completed? Could he go home?
Seeing through Yosuke's thoughts, the Sage explained:
"This so-called Priest Master has not died in the true sense. His soul escaped and attached itself to someone in our world."
Yosuke's expression grew serious. Tracking a soul was already difficult—let alone in a world completely unfamiliar to him.
"Outsider, what is your name?"
"Ubuyashiki Yosuke."
The Sage's expression softened.
"I can sense good and evil within people. Yosuke, that Priest Master harbors great malice toward our world and is currently brewing a grand scheme. Certain events from the past five years may have been influenced by him.
This world is on the brink of major, decisive events—and this world, riddled with wounds since the era of my ancestor, is about to undergo a rebirth by fire. We cannot afford even the slightest negligence.
I am merely a soul now, capable only of guiding.
So I need your help—find the Priest Master and stop his scheme!"
Yosuke nodded firmly.
"That is also the reason I came to this world."
The Sage of Six Paths then explained,
"Our world is a world of shinobi—ninjas who can wield an energy called chakra to unleash special techniques. Primarily ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. Some powerful shinobi can even move mountains and fill seas."
He then gave Yosuke a brief overview of the world's nations, major powers, and relevant historical background.
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