Lu Li abruptly raised his head, but he didn't see a familiar figure. Instead, a crow descended from the sky, speaking in a human voice.
"A Kasugai Crow... Yes, I am Lu Li," he replied. For a split second, he had thought one of his roommates was calling him.
Snapping back to reality, he remembered something he had noticed while binge-watching anime in his personal room: the voice of the Master's personal Kasugai Crow sounded eerily similar to his roommate from the Bleach world, Sosuke Aizen.
"Due to the valiant efforts of Swordsman Lu Li, who slew seven members of the Twelve Kizuki including Upper Rank Six, Swordsman Lu Li has officially been promoted to the tenth Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."
The Kasugai Crow circled above Lu Li as it delivered the message. "Lord Roaring Hashira (Ming-Bashira), the Master will convene a Hashira Meeting in three days. I will guide you to the location."
Hearing the crow's message, Lu Li finally understood. No wonder his Faction Reputation had been skyrocketing—the Master was actively broadcasting his achievements. And now, thanks to his combat record, he had officially become a Hashira.
"So I'm a Hashira now... Do I have any personnel I can mobilize?" Lu Li asked.
Unlike his morning raid, he was entering a major city at night. While he would love to just bump into Muzan and hack him to death, a full-scale battle inside a densely populated metropolis would result in massive civilian casualties. Therefore, he wanted the Demon Slayer Corps to pitch in, setting up advance perimeters or, at the very least, preparing to evacuate civilians to minimize collateral damage.
"If Lord Roaring Hashira requires it, I can send messages to mobilize all available Demon Slayers in this district. We should be able to gather around ten members before midnight," the Kasugai Crow replied.
Lu Li felt a wave of disappointment. But thinking about it, it made sense. The Demon Slayer Corps was already small; spread across the entire country, they were incredibly sparse. To the general public, they were just as mythical as the demons themselves.
Well, to be fair, there weren't actually that many demons either.
After all, only Muzan Kibutsuji could create them. And Muzan didn't even like creating demons; he viewed himself as a singular, perfect, transcendent being. The only reason he made more of his kind was to use them as search dogs to find the Blue Spider Lily.
Therefore, on a macro level, even with demons ravaging the countryside, Japan's population was still steadily increasing. The vast majority of people would live their entire lives without ever seeing a demon or a Demon Slayer. The ones who did were simply incredibly unlucky.
"Forget it. Stay on standby outside the city. I have some business to attend to inside."
Lu Li abandoned the idea of gathering troops. Waiting for a handful of low-ranking slayers to slowly trickle in wouldn't help much. In a real fight, they would just be free EXP for the enemy Explorers. It was better for him to enter the city quietly and investigate alone.
Night had fallen over Asakusa, and the city lights began to bloom.
Neon lanterns swayed gently in the evening breeze, casting a kaleidoscope of colors that draped the city in a veil of mystery. The shops lining the streets were brightly lit, their varied signboards competing for attention against the night sky. Warm, orange light spilled from the cracks in sliding doors, carrying with it bursts of laughter and the crisp clinking of bowls and plates.
The calls of street vendors rose and fell, and the aroma of grilled fish mingled with incense in the air, teasing the taste buds of passing pedestrians. Citizens weaved through the crowds—some in groups, some alone—their hurried steps and expressions reflecting a mix of daily exhaustion and anticipation. Occasionally, women in elegant kimonos strolled past, their subtle makeup looking even more graceful under the lantern light.
A wooden boat glided across the nearby river. The boatman's oar gently broke the surface, shattering the starlight reflected on the water.
Lu Li sat at the bow of the boat, the gentle night breeze brushing his face. His eyes reflected the starry sky above and the vibrant city lights below.
In this era, Asakusa was undeniably one of the most prosperous districts in Japan. The people living here had a high happiness index, their faces brimming with smiles, completely unaware that this city was currently under the dominion of absolute evil.
Lu Li had altered the shape of his [Pure Black Nightmare] coat. Wearing a woven bamboo hat and a loose, oversized cloak, he looked exactly like a wandering ronin.
Since entering the city, he had already spotted three demons. However, they hadn't noticed him, and he hadn't made any sudden moves.
Because of Muzan's presence, a large number of powerful Explorers were gathered here. Once a battle erupted, civilian casualties could easily reach the tens of thousands. Because of this, Lu Li had no choice but to temporarily suppress his thirst for Treasure Chests.
He didn't consider himself a saint with a bottomless moral compass, but he also refused to let his own desires and impulses cause the slaughter of masses of innocent people.
Of course, this didn't mean he would paralyze himself with worry and do nothing. He had already infiltrated Asakusa to gather intelligence and find Lady Tamayo.
Hesitating to act purely out of fear for hostages wasn't his style either. It was like the police trying to save hostages from terrorists; if the police refused to meet the terrorists' demands and the hostages were killed, the blame lay entirely on the terrorists' evil, not on the police's heroic attempt to intervene.
If the Demon Slayer Corps ignored Asakusa, the demons would continuously eat people anyway. And some of the Explorers were even more brutal—they didn't kill to satisfy hunger; they killed for the sheer pleasure of it.
Under these circumstances, doing nothing meant the people of Asakusa were dying a slow death anyway. He couldn't afford to be crippled by caution.
Lu Li's mindset was crystal clear. He would prioritize civilian safety under normal circumstances, but if the Muzan Faction discovered him and forced a confrontation, he would unleash hell without hesitation.
He couldn't protect everyone, but he could absolutely slaughter every single man-eating demon and avenge the fallen.
While Lu Li wandered Asakusa trying to locate Tamayo's clinic, the Muzan Faction Explorers stationed in the city had also gathered together.
In a dark, secluded alleyway, a group of Explorers who originally didn't know each other were huddled together, discussing the day's catastrophic events.
"Brother Yu's team is completely dead."
"They set up a perfect ambush in Yoshiwara. They even had a sun-shading canopy prepared for a daytime fight. But even with the help of Upper Rank Six, their entire team was wiped out."
"It seems a terrifyingly strong Hashira has appeared. This job isn't going to be as easy as we thought."
The Explorers exchanged hushed, cryptic words. They knew that Muzan could monitor the physical state of anyone who had inherited his blood.
Explorers were strictly bound by the Hub's rules to keep the existence of the Terminus Space a secret. While Muzan's mind-reading abilities were blocked by the Hub's protection mechanisms—meaning he couldn't see their true memories or origins—if they openly spoke about Hub-related information, Muzan would instantly hear it.
"Yoshiwara is very close to Asakusa. He might not have left the area yet. He might have come here."
"Heh. Wouldn't that be perfect? I refuse to believe he's still at full HP and stamina after a massive war like that. If we flush him out and kill him now, we're golden."
"That is likely exactly what That Adult wants to see as well. We'll just..."
While the group was deep in discussion, a cold, absolute voice suddenly descended into their minds.
Muzan Kibutsuji's orders had arrived.
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