A jet-black blade arc sliced through the night sky, severing a temari midair. As Kurosaki Rei leapt upward, the same strike continued on, cutting cleanly through the demon's neck.
Before the other demon could even register shock, Kurosaki Rei's figure flickered again. Another slash fell, beheading the Arrow Demon as well.
Within a single second, two demons were slain. Their mutilated bodies fell from the air with dull thuds. The head of the Temari Demon, Susamaru, rolled to Yushiro's feet, sending a chill straight down his spine.
Kurosaki Rei flicked the blood from his blade. "I already told you—this place isn't very safe. I'll give you three seconds to make your choice. If you go over time, I'll assume you don't want to live."
His Charm attribute wasn't particularly high, making him ill-suited for emergency negotiations—but fortunately, he also understood physical negotiation.
While Yushiro was still stunned, Prison Demon was already resting against his neck. Kurosaki Rei looked at Tamayo and began counting down. "Three, two—"
"Don't! I'll go with you!"
Tamayo made her decision instantly, not daring to hesitate in the slightest. The man before her was clearly a killing star. The Demon Slayer Corps wanted her, not Yushiro. If she hesitated, this man would definitely strike.
"Well, that was pretty straightforward," Kurosaki Rei said.
He withdrew Prison Demon. "You have five minutes. Pack your things. Gather all the research materials you need—I'll help you take them."
Though the Temari Demon Susamaru and the Arrow Demon Yahaba weren't members of the Twelve Kizuki, they were direct subordinates of Muzan. That made one thing very clear to Kurosaki Rei: Muzan was in Asakusa, and he had already noticed him.
What puzzled Kurosaki Rei was this—after discovering him, the demons under Muzan hadn't attacked him at all. In that brief moment earlier, the two demons' targets weren't Kurosaki Rei, but Tamayo.
This left Kurosaki Rei thoroughly confused. Even if Muzan was furious about Tamayo's betrayal, shouldn't he prioritize dealing with a Demon Slayer like Kurosaki Rei first?
And besides—wasn't Muzan looking down on him a bit too much? Knowing his battle record, and still sending this kind of trash to die?
"Yushiro, go to the study and bring out all the books from the second cabinet," Tamayo said.
Though she didn't understand why Kurosaki Rei gave such instructions, she still complied. She guessed he might have a vehicle or some means of helping her transport the research materials.
Once she calmed down, she also realized just how dangerous the situation was. Those two demons hadn't been attacking a Demon Slayer at all—they were after her.
Muzan had already discovered her location!
That meant every second they stayed here only increased the danger.
"Hurry up," Kurosaki Rei said. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee you'll make it out of Asakusa alive."
Despite how baffling it was for Muzan's faction to send Susamaru and Yahaba, Kurosaki Rei remained on high alert.
Because it meant his whereabouts were already exposed. If Muzan's side truly intended it, they could gather their strongest available forces in a very short time to surround and kill him.
When that happened, regardless of how disastrous the battlefield in Asakusa became, Tamayo—an MVP of the final battle in the original story—would definitely be eliminated by the Explorers.
In fact, Kurosaki Rei had already been surprised when he received the hidden quest, by how "inefficient" the enemy Explorers were. In his mind, Tamayo and Yushiro were already as good as dead.
After all, three full days had passed since everyone entered this world. Three days! Knowing full well that Tamayo was hiding in Asakusa, and yet a group of Explorers with Upper Moon–level strength still hadn't found her. Kurosaki Rei genuinely felt the other side was just terrible.
If the Explorers under Muzan knew what Kurosaki Rei was thinking right now, they'd probably spit blood in rage.
Did they not want to find her? Setting aside Yushiro's Blood Demon Art, which provided excellent concealment, making them hard to locate—did Kurosaki Rei have any idea how hard it was to serve a brain-dead boss like Muzan?
In the first few days after becoming members of the Twelve Kizuki, they lived in constant fear under Muzan. One unlucky guy was executed on the spot just because something he said didn't please Muzan.
Those weaker Explorers turned by Muzan had it easier—since Muzan didn't care about them, he just let them roam freely. But these newly appointed Twelve Kizuki were held to extremely high standards by Boss Muzan.
They practically had no freedom. Everything they did had to align with Muzan's will. The few Explorers who went to Yoshiwara only gained permission after presenting Muzan with a treasure that could block sunlight—only then did Muzan, "his dragon countenance greatly pleased," allow them to act freely.
Within that tiny margin of freedom, they did their best to search for Tamayo—but still couldn't find her. It drove the Explorers under Muzan nearly mad.
Even now, several Explorers were cautiously and earnestly persuading Muzan to get rid of Kurosaki Rei, or at least to eliminate Tamayo.
But Muzan's unpredictable and brutal personality made communication extremely difficult. They lived in constant fear that one wrong word would earn them a cold, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"—followed by execution.
In the end, upon hearing Tamayo's name, Muzan merely felt mildly annoyed and casually sent two subordinates to try and capture her. His thinking was simple: if it worked, great; if not, whatever. He didn't take Tamayo seriously at all.
The Explorers couldn't exactly tell Muzan, Tamayo will later develop a drug that has fatal side effects for you and will ultimately kill you. Left with no choice, they could only give up on the idea of killing her.
To put it bluntly, Muzan still didn't quite trust the strength of the newly appointed Twelve Kizuki. And although he would never admit it out loud, the power Kurosaki Rei had displayed during the day… had already made him somewhat wary.
He had once stood atop the city, gazing at Kurosaki Rei from afar. Every cell in his body instinctively warned him of danger. The last time he'd felt that sensation… was the previous time.
So Muzan decided to summon his veteran employees—the elite Upper Moons One through Five—for a meeting, and then send appropriate manpower to deal with Kurosaki Rei.
Kurosaki Rei naturally had no way of knowing the complex internal situation of Muzan's faction. He merely stayed alert, prepared for a possible ambush at any moment.
Yet until Tamayo finished packing everything, not a single other demon appeared. That left Kurosaki Rei scratching his head.
He wondered: are the enemy Explorers stupid, or are they just looking down on me and Tamayo?
Either way, not having to fight Muzan's faction in Asakusa while protecting Tamayo was a good thing. Kurosaki Rei walked up to the pile of books. "Is this everything?"
"All the essential research materials are here," Tamayo said. "The rest aren't necessary."
Kurosaki Rei nodded. Then, to Tamayo and Yushiro's astonishment, he brushed his hand across the stack of books—and they vanished.
An Explorer's storage space really was convenient. No need to carry luggage when traveling. His space wasn't filled with much miscellaneous junk, just enough to hold Tamayo's research materials.
"Is that… a Blood Demon Art?" Yushiro couldn't help asking. "No—aren't you a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Let's move under the cover of night," Kurosaki Rei said. "We'll leave Asakusa first."
He didn't explain—there was no way to explain the miraculous ability of a storage space. "By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Kurosaki Rei, the newly appointed Thunder Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."
"So it's Mr. Rei," Tamayo said politely. "I am Tamayo, and this child is Yushiro. We'll be in your care on this journey."
She understood their current situation clearly. Though Kurosaki Rei looked a bit fierce, he was still a reasonable Demon Slayer swordsman—one of the righteous.
And with Muzan currently in Asakusa, there might still be other members of the Twelve Kizuki around. Without Kurosaki Rei, she and Yushiro would be in grave danger if hunted down.
Since they were already exposed and in danger anyway, going to the Demon Slayer Corps was actually the safer choice.
Moreover, killing Muzan had always been her dream. If Kurosaki Rei said the Demon Slayer Corps was preparing for a decisive battle, she was willing to contribute her strength.
Kurosaki Rei didn't waste time on pleasantries. He immediately led Tamayo and Yushiro away. Yet even after leaving the city, no demons attempted an ambush, which only deepened Kurosaki Rei's confusion.
Using gold beans, he bought a car from this era and stored several barrels of fuel in his remaining storage space. At least they had transportation now.
"Is your Demon Slayer Corps… really that rich?" Yushiro asked, baffled at how Kurosaki Rei casually produced a pile of gold beans.
"It's a thank-you gift from a wealthy merchant I saved," Kurosaki Rei replied casually. "I'm just using it as travel expenses."
He fiddled around for a while before finally getting the car started. He'd driven cars in his previous life, of course—but those were far more advanced. Even the vehicles in the Kengan world were better than this. This kind of outdated car was genuinely unfamiliar to him.
After leaving the city with Tamayo and Yushiro, a Kasugai Crow descended from the sky and landed on the roof of the car. Seeing the two demons inside, it looked confused. "Thunder Hashira-sama, are these demons you captured for the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane?"
"Ah! The crow can talk!"
Yushiro jumped in fright, then reacted instantly, nervously grabbing Tamayo's arm. "Lady Tamayo, see? He really does have bad intentions—he's a demon trafficker! He wants to capture us and lock us up!"
"Yushiro, don't be rude," Tamayo said, exasperated by his lack of tact. "Didn't Mr. Rei already make his intentions very clear?"
Then she politely bowed to the Kasugai Crow. "Mr. Crow, we are not evil demons. We are on this journey to assist the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Assist the Demon Slayer Corps?"
The crow's limited intelligence overloaded. It turned to look at Kurosaki Rei. "Thunder Hashira-sama, what exactly is going on?"
"Just give me a general direction, then go back and report to the Master," Kurosaki Rei said. "Tell him that in Asakusa I encountered a kind, highly skilled demon doctor named Tamayo. She will help us develop medicine to deal with Muzan. The Master will understand."
Kurosaki Rei remembered that Ubuyashiki Kagaya knew of Tamayo's existence. In the original story, it was also he who sent a Kasugai Crow to invite her before the final battle.
"Well… alright."
The crow hesitated, but its duty to deliver information prevailed. It flapped its wings and flew off into the sky.
"Mr. Rei…"
After the crow left, Tamayo was the one feeling confused now. "Wasn't it your Master's order that you invited me?"
She had long heard that the Demon Slayer Corps' Master was a brilliant strategist. Though he never showed himself, his intelligence network was vast. So when Kurosaki Rei said they wanted her, she assumed it came directly from the top.
But now it seemed that wasn't the case—this was Kurosaki Rei's own unilateral decision. That made things feel far less secure.
For a moment, she was even considering how to gently suggest that Yushiro leave, while she alone followed Kurosaki Rei.
"Don't worry," Kurosaki Rei said. "The Master is a smart man. He'll understand your strategic value and agree."
"And no matter what, since I'm the one who invited you, I'll protect you to the end."
"You… Mr. Rei…"
Remembering Kurosaki Rei's terrifying strength and Lady Tamayo's warning, Yushiro switched to a respectful tone. "You're not the one in charge of the Demon Slayer Corps. On what basis do you think you can guarantee Lady Tamayo's safety?"
Kurosaki Rei drove on, eyes fixed on the darkness ahead, his voice calm and steady. "Because I'm strong. That's enough."
Even if Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't know Tamayo yet, it didn't matter. He was a smart man. Kurosaki Rei had just created the strongest battle record in the Corps' history—purely on that merit alone, he would take Tamayo in.
This world had always spoken through strength. Without demonstrating your value, you had no voice.
That was why Kurosaki Rei never intended to play the fool who hides his power in this world. He had torn through Mount Fujikasane at lightning speed, and the very next day, pacified Yoshiwara in full.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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