The moment Asuka landed on this soil, his consciousness underwent an unprecedented baptism.
This was not the World of the Living or Rukongai that he was familiar with, nor was it the Taisho era where he once lived.
Countless fragmented pieces of knowledge and memories flooded into the depths of his soul like a tidal wave, causing him to instinctively freeze for a moment.
These memories did not belong to him, yet they were as clear as personal experiences, making him understand his current situation—
This was the Third Magic, a miracle known as Heaven's Feel.
It could materialize the soul, serving as the ultimate magecraft capable of granting immortality or fulfilling any wish.
And he himself had been summoned by a certain magus as a Heroic Spirit, a Servant, to fight in this war over the Holy Grail on their behalf.
A translucent panel that he didn't quite understand flickered in Asuka's mind, appearing before him like a projection from the spiritual world:
Name: Asuka Class: Avenger Strength: A++ (Superhuman physical strength, capable of easily destroying steel or boulders) Endurance: A+ (Resilient physique, able to withstand fatal blows without falling) Agility: A+ (Swift as the wind, reflexes surpassing human limits) Mana: E (Lowest level of magical reserves, caused by the Master's insufficient mana, unable to efficiently use magecraft and Noble Phantasms) Luck: E (Extremely low fortune, fraught with hardships, often encountering adversity) Noble Phantasm: ? (Unknown, cannot be recognized by the Holy Grail)
These parameters, accompanied by explanatory annotations, did not bring Asuka any sudden enlightenment; instead, they only deepened his confusion.
'What is this??'
Asuka stood stunned. He recognized some of the words, but others, while readable, made no sense to him.
He didn't understand what A++ meant or how to read it, but he instinctively felt the changes in his body.
His body was not as robust as before, and his reflexes felt somewhat sluggish.
'Is it because of that so-called insufficient mana? Or have I just not adapted to the rhythm of this world yet?'
"Forget about that for now. Look around you," the weak voice of the black-haired young man echoed in the bottom of his heart.
He had expended a tremendous amount of effort to protect Asuka's soul from collapsing in the spacetime rift. The fact that he hadn't passed out yet was already a miracle.
Looking around, Asuka's pupils instantly contracted.
The basement floor was covered in plastic tarps, with several corpses lying haphazardly across them.
They were young men and women, still wearing various school uniforms, looking like ordinary students.
The gruesome state of the corpses made even Asuka, who was accustomed to slaying demons, unable to stop himself from frowning.
Especially one short-haired girl... Her entire body was carved with bizarre symbols, treated like a canvas that had been recklessly defaced...
Her skin was peeled back, exposing the white bone underneath.
The entire room resembled a portrait of hell, and the stench of blood in the air was so thick it was nauseating.
The implanted knowledge flashed through Asuka's mind.
To conduct the Holy Grail summoning ritual, some people would indeed resort to extreme measures to imbue the summoned Servant with attributes like [Madness] or [Tyranny].
But this level of slaughter far exceeded what was necessary; it was purely a twisted, sadistic pleasure.
Asuka's breath hitched as those long-dusted, hellish images in his mind instantly overlapped with the scene before him.
A long-absent fury surged from his chest.
His breathing grew rapid, and a dark, tyrannical glint flashed in his eyes. It was the side effect of the Avenger class acting up, making him want to destroy everything immediately.
But he forced himself to calm down, tightly gripping the hilt of his sword.
Asuka lowered his head and noticed a somewhat familiar-looking girl.
The ligature marks from hemp ropes still lingered on her wrists and ankles, and the cursed seal on the back of her hand was bright and crimson.
Most importantly, Asuka sensed an incredibly intimate aura from her, as if... as if it were his own aura.
Rubbing her wrists, the girl spoke with a trembling yet resolute voice, "It's him! He's the devil!"
Following the girl's gaze, Asuka saw Ryunosuke Uryu sprawled on the ground.
"He kidnapped us, saying he wanted to summon a demon! He slaughtered all these kids... like butchering animals!"
Ryunosuke Uryu was currently completely immersed in a state of maddened euphoria. He stared fanatically at the "demon" he had summoned, flailing his limbs wildly on the floor. "Whoa! Whoa-ho-ho!"
"This kind of presence! As expected, as long as you pile up enough sacrifices, you can summon the coolest thing ever!"
Whoosh—!!
Asuka's figure vanished from his spot.
In the next second, he appeared right in front of Ryunosuke Uryu.
Bang!
He delivered a heavy kick to Ryunosuke's chest. The sheer force caved his sternum in, causing him to instantly cough up a massive mouthful of blood!
Ryunosuke slammed into the wall, but before he could even slide down, Asuka flashed over and seized him in mid-air.
"You did this?"
"Ugh... cough, cough..."
Having been kicked and grabbed so violently, Ryunosuke's entire body went numb. Unable to even muster a struggle, he could only whimper weakly.
A cold glint flickered in Asuka's eyes as a cracking sound echoed from his grip.
He turned his head slightly to look at the girl. "Kid, why do you look so familiar to me?"
"What is your name?"
"Sumire Kamado. Thank you, big brother... Oh, wait, Mr. Deity? Mr. Yokai?"
Sumire Kamado babbled incoherently, unsure of how to address the mysterious man who had suddenly appeared before her.
She felt that the events of tonight were far too bizarre to be explained by any normal logic.
"Kamado?" Asuka's pupils shrank. "How are you related to Tanjiro Kamado?"
"Eh?"
Sumire froze, speaking in disbelief, "How do you know my great-grandfather's name?"
'Great-grandfather? Good boy!'
A myriad of emotions welled up in Asuka's heart.
He had heard that Demon Slayers with the Mark never lived past the age of twenty-five, and he had often wondered what would become of Tanjiro and the others in the future, but there was nothing he could do about it back then.
Learning that Tanjiro and Kanao actually had descendants made him incredibly happy.
But at the same time, he glared at Ryunosuke with even greater fury.
'To dare harm the descendant of my family... you have already chosen the path of death.'
"Pfft..."
As Asuka tightened his grip, Ryunosuke spat out another large mouthful of blood, teetering on the edge of losing consciousness entirely.
"Sir! Don't!" Sumire Kamado suddenly called out to warn him. "Killing is illegal! He's already lost the ability to fight back, let's just call the police!"
"...I once made a promise to your great-grandmother's older sister. My sword does not kill humans."
Asuka released his grip, tossing the semi-conscious Ryunosuke to his feet.
Sumire Kamado had just breathed a sigh of relief when Asuka, as if his mind were being influenced by some dark power, suddenly and violently smashed a nearby chair to pieces.
"Ahhh—!!!!"
Ryunosuke, who had been on the verge of passing out, suddenly let out a bloodcurdling shriek as fresh blood sprayed out!
Asuka had actually taken a splintered chair leg and forcefully driven it straight into Ryunosuke's thigh!
Black markings spread across Asuka's body, and his eyes faintly glowed with a crimson light.
"But kid, you need to understand. People like this are no different from evil demons. If you don't kill him, he will just go on to kill others."
"Let him struggle and die in blood loss and agony."
"Forgiving him is the business of the Buddha and the Soul Reapers. We are only responsible for sending him to meet them."