Chen Tian said no more, immediately grabbing the still-confused Kitagawa. He maneuvered his body skillfully, forcing a path through the frenzied crowd.
Kitagawa stumbled as he pulled her forward, full of doubt: "Ten-kun? Where are we going? Aren't we going home?"
"Follow me." Chen Tian's voice was exceptionally clear amid the noise.
His goal was clear. After a series of twists and turns, he quickly broke away from the surging main street and flashed into a small alley.
The temperature in the alley instantly dropped, and the clamor seemed to be cut off by an invisible wall, leaving only the muffled drumbeats and voices from far away.
Only a dim, old-fashioned street lamp at the alley's entrance provided meager light. The walls were plastered with a few faded event posters and some random graffiti stickers.
A couple of stained trash cans were piled in the corner, emitting a faint sour odor, completely out of place with the celebratory atmosphere just a few steps away—this was a commonplace corner on the bustling backside of Tokyo in 2018: quiet, damp, and even a bit messy.
"What is going on, Ten-kun?" Kitagawa finally steadied herself, looking around in confusion. They were the only two people in the alley. "Why did you bring me to a place like this? It's pitch black..."
Though she was slightly complaining, her eyes held more curiosity about Chen Tian's unusual behavior.
Chen Tian turned around to face her. That familiar, slightly arrogant smile was back on his face, clearly visible in the faint light of the street lamp at the alley's entrance. His white, tousled hair was particularly noticeable in the shadows.
He put down the shopping bag filled with snacks, letting it lean against the wall.
"What comes next," Chen Tian's voice echoed in the narrow space, carrying a hint of wild arrogance, a smirk curling his lips, "is the moment to witness a miracle."
Kitagawa gasped slightly, still not understanding his words, when she saw Chen Tian take two small steps back, creating a bit of distance.
He took a breath. The look of carefree cynicism on his face instantly receded, his expression becoming intensely focused, even solemn.
He slowly closed his eyes, his body seemingly entering a strange state of stillness.
Then, he extended his right hand, his fingers loosely curled, as if grasping something invisible.
As he clearly spoke the following two syllables, an anomaly erupted!
A point of extremely pure, deep, ghostly blue light suddenly flared up out of nowhere from the center of his cupped palm! The light was only the size of a grain of rice at first, but it contained an indescribable sharpness, like a blue star forcibly compressed.
It didn't diffuse explosively; instead, it quickly condensed and elongated at an incredibly stable speed!
Not a single trace of light leaked out. All the energy was perfectly constrained within the trajectory forming the blade. Only a faint, high-pitched humming sound, barely audible in the air, testified to the terrifying power contained within.
Within a few seconds, the light clearly condensed into the shape of a katana—a straight blade, a simple, smooth yet powerful guard (tsuba), and a long handle suitable for a two-handed grip.
A low, clear clang of a sword, as if from the deepest abyss, rang through the silent alley.
The light instantly contracted and vanished, as if it had never appeared.
And what Chen Tian held firmly in his hand was undeniably an ancient yet fierce-looking katana!
The entire sword exhibited a deep, subtle dark metallic texture. The blade was long and straight, with minimal curvature. Its sharpness was contained within, yet it left no doubt that it could cut through anything.
The handle featured a golden patterned design, the tsuba was a pair of hexagons, and it had a white hilt wrapping (tsuka-maki) and a black cord (sageo). The scabbard was wrapped with a dark blue strap, with two long cords draped down quietly.
The entire sword radiated a cold, sharp aura that seemed capable of tearing space apart. It was the legendary weapon from the Devil May Cry world—Yamato!
Kitagawa Marin completely froze in place.
Her large eyes, which were always sparkling with life, were now wide open, her pupils clearly reflecting the suddenly materialized katana—a weapon utterly beyond the ordinary world—and Chen Tian, whose demeanor had abruptly become alien and sharp as he held it.
Her world was now reduced to that katana exuding a cold, dark aura and the lingering hint of that arrogant smile on her boyfriend's lips.
Outside the alley, the clamor of Halloween still faintly drifted in: the bizarre laughter of the Zombie Cosplayers, the waving glow sticks, the shouts from the izakaya—everything was normal.
Kitagawa Marin stood there with her mouth agape, her throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton. She couldn't squeeze out a single word.
Her eyes were wide, staring fixedly at the strange long sword (Yamato) in Chen Tian's hand, which had appeared out of thin air and gave off a cold, dark feeling.
The dim light of the alley lamp hit the blade. The dark metallic luster and the deep blue strap wrapped around the scabbard all exuded a non-realistic strangeness.
But this stiffness lasted less than a second.
Her large eyes, wearing red contact lenses, suddenly burst forth with astonishing brilliance! The previous fear and confusion were instantly ignited, burning into pure, fervent excitement!
"WOW—!!!"
She bounced up and down like a small spring, her wine-red hair and the little devil horns on her head wobbling wildly. She instantly jumped in front of Chen Tian, her face blossoming with a smile brighter than the brightest neon sign in Shibuya.
"Ten-kun!" Her voice trembled with excitement. She looked at the sword, then looked up, staring intently at Chen Tian's face. "Does this mean... you're a hero?!!"
"Huh?" Chen Tian was completely thrown by her leap in logic. His hand gripping Yamato even paused. "Uh? What? What hero?" He was totally out of sync.
Kitagawa excitedly gestured with her small hands, as if mimicking some powerful move: "Like that! A hero who fights monsters! One who protects city peace! Like in a tokusatsu show!" A host of images of people in spandex flying around instantly flashed through her mind.
Chen Tian was even more confused: "Monsters? Heroes?..." He couldn't help but inwardly groan: Why does that setting sound so much like One-Punch Man? Is Teacher Saitama in this transmigrated timeline too? I haven't heard about that.
Seeing Chen Tian's 'what-are-you-talking-about' expression, Kitagawa didn't dwell on it.
Her attention immediately gravitated back to the sword. Her small face was glowing with the light of pure curiosity: "Ten-kun, what kind of superpower do you have? Can you just 'shoo' pop out this sword? And then become... well, a super master swordsman?" She imagined Chen Tian slashing through a skyscraper, and the stars in her eyes multiplied.
Chen Tian looked at his girlfriend's over-the-top excitement and felt both amused and helpless.
"Watch this." He said to Kitagawa.
Then he turned, his back to her, facing the empty alley wall. His right hand firmly gripped Yamato's hilt.
The long sword was instantly drawn from the scabbard, the blade tracing a cold arc in the dim light, so fast that it left only a blur.
With virtually no wind-up, Chen Tian casually swung his arm, cutting horizontally—then vertically—at the air in front of him!
The air made a soft sound, like fabric being torn.
Right in front of the intersection of his sword's trajectory, space was violently cut open like a fragile sheet of paper!
A perfectly clear cross-shaped rift appeared out of nowhere.
The edges of the rift flickered with unstable, ghostly blue electric sparks, making a slight crackling sound.
Inside the rift, there was no longer the damp alley wall, but a deep, boundless, pitch-black void. Pinpricks of rainbow starlight, like fragmented data streams, floated, flickered, and spun in disarray.
A portal leading to an unknown space was opened with just two casual slashes!
"..." Kitagawa Marin was completely speechless.
She covered her mouth, her eyes behind the red contact lenses wide and round, clearly reflecting the cross-shaped starry gate suspended in the air, and the fantastical starlight flowing within the gate.
The light danced in her eyes, as if igniting a universe's worth of fireworks. This was a hundred times more thrilling than her favorite anime or her most wild cosplay fantasy!
Chen Tian sheathed the sword, the movement so fluid it seemed he had done it thousands of times. He turned around, his smile carrying a hint of laziness. He reached out to Kitagawa, who was still immersed in enormous shock and excitement.
"Let's go, Marin," his voice was especially clear in the quiet alley. "We're going home."
"Mhm! Mmm-hmm!" Kitagawa snapped out of her daze, nodding repeatedly like a pecking chick, the flush of excitement still on her face.
She didn't hesitate to grab Chen Tian's outstretched hand. The warm, firm touch made her feel even more secure.
She practically skipped, staying close to Chen Tian, and together with him, took a single step into that cross-shaped rift, which glittered with eerie starlight.
The figures of the two instantly disappeared into the passage where the rainbow starlight and profound darkness intertwined.
In the alley, only the lone shopping bag remained by the wall, along with the old street lamp still casting its faint yellow light. The faded posters and graffiti on the wall were silent, and the sour odor from the trash cans still lingered.
Outside the alley, the chaotic roar of Shibuya's Halloween celebration was faintly audible, like another distant world.
The electric sparks at the edge of the spatial rift flickered a few times. The cross-shaped tear silently sealed up, as if it had never appeared.
Kitagawa only felt a sudden smear of rainbow starlight before her eyes, and a slight sensation of weightlessness in her body. Before she could react, her feet landed on a familiar wooden floor.
Her vision instantly cleared.
The dim yellow alley was replaced by bright, warm lighting. The lingering sour smell vanished without a trace, replaced by the faint, familiar scent of cleaner from home.
She was standing in Chen Tian's living room—a typical Japanese single-family home's living room, with a beanbag chair, a low table, a wall-mounted TV, and cute stickers she had put up on the wall during her last visit.
"Eh?!" She abruptly twisted her head to look behind her.
There, the entrance to the cross-shaped rift, still flickering with starlight, hadn't completely closed. Ghostly blue electric arcs crackled, a weirdly dreamy, alien window hanging on the wall of their own entryway.
"Ten-kun!" She turned around excitedly, her wine-red hair and little devil horns shaking with the movement. She pointed at the portal. "Can we go one more time? Just once! It was too fast, I couldn't see clearly!"
Chen Tian looked at his girlfriend's red-contacted eyes, which shone even brighter under the living room lights, filled with childlike wonder and eagerness, like she had discovered a new toy.
He was amused by her straightforward and adorable request. He reached out and ruffled her fluffy wine-red hair, his voice smiling: "Next time, absolutely next time." His tone was like one soothing a child.
"Hmph..." Rejected, Kitagawa pouted, but this small disappointment was instantly washed away by the immense excitement.
Like a happy little bird, she lightly spun around in place twice, then let out a cheer, throwing herself "flop" onto the soft sofa, sinking deep into it.
"Ah—!" She lay on her back, gazing at the familiar ceiling, the blush still on her face, her eyes startlingly bright. "I never would have thought! My boyfriend is a superhero! That is so cool! A million times more thrilling than cosplay!!"
Chen Tian laughed, walked over to the sofa, and sat down. With a reach, he scooped his girlfriend, who was still immersed in the afterglow of excitement, into his arms.
"Alright, Marin," he rubbed his chin against the top of her little devil horns. "Don't get too worked up, or you won't be able to sleep."
Nestled in his warm embrace, Kitagawa finally calmed down a little. She suddenly remembered Chen Tian's abnormality in Shibuya.
She raised her head and asked curiously, "By the way, Ten-kun, you were suddenly acting weird in Shibuya, looking up at the sky... did you notice something? Is a supervillain about to appear?!"
Chen Tian tightened the arm holding her, glancing at the simple clock hanging on the living room wall.
The hands clearly pointed to: 20:40.
He nodded slightly, acknowledging her guess.
But in the next second, the warmth in his eyes, generated by his girlfriend's cute reaction, rapidly faded, replaced by an indifferent calm.
The scene of the surging crowd on the Shibuya street flashed through his mind—the partying masses, the wildly dressed Cosplayers, the excited faces...
If they die, does it matter to him? They're just leeks, after all.
The image of the strange black sludge in the sky and that white-haired figure crossed his mind.
That guy who will be sliced in half later, Shibuya, Halloween...
A playful smile surfaced on Chen Tian's lips.
Since he found out, why rush to solve it now?
It's a rare chance to stumble upon the very beginning of the "plot"... why not let things escalate a little more?
Perfectly... he could also use this opportunity to test just how far his power can reach in this 'real' world.
As for whether he might lose?
Chen Tian looked down at Kitagawa's cheeks, slightly flushed from excitement, feeling her warm body pressed against him.
He chuckled lightly, his laughter carrying absolute confidence and a trace of barely perceptible arrogance.
Lose? You must be joking.
He gently patted Kitagawa's back, his tone relaxed: "Alright, don't worry about that. Since we're home early tonight, want to watch a movie or play games?"
Although Kitagawa was still curious, she was soothed by Chen Tian's calm attitude, and the shocking experience from earlier had indeed drained a lot of her energy.
"Uhm... do you want to see my... succubus outfit?" A blush began to blossom on Kitagawa's small face.
Chen Tian looked at her shy expression, but his gaze swept over the clock on the wall again.
20:42.
There was still plenty of time.