Luke abruptly looked up, but instead of seeing the familiar figure he had expected, he saw a crow descending from the sky and speaking in a human voice.
"A Kasugai Crow... Yes, I'm Luke."
Luke answered. For that brief instant, he had thought one of his roommates was calling out to him.
Once he came back to himself, he remembered noticing it while catching up on the anime in Endspace: the Master's Kasugai Crow in the Demon Slayer world sounded remarkably like Sosuke Aizen, his roommate from the world of Bleach.
"Due to Swordsman Luke's valiant efforts in slaying seven members of the Twelve Kizuki, including Upper Rank Six, Swordsman Luke has now been promoted as the Demon Slayer Corps' tenth Hashira."
The Kasugai Crow circled Luke as it relayed the message. "Lord Chime Hashira, the Master will convene a Hashira Meeting three days from now. I will guide you to the meeting place."
Luke finally understood after hearing the crow's message. No wonder his Reputation had been shooting up so fast. The Master had been publicizing his accomplishments for him. And now, thanks to those achievements, he had been promoted to Hashira as well.
"I'm a Hashira now... Does that mean I have personnel I can deploy?"
Luke asked. Unlike during the day, he was entering the city at night. He would have loved to run into Muzan and simply cut the bastard down, but if a battle truly broke out within the city, plenty of innocent civilians would likely be caught in it.
He therefore hoped to make the Demon Slayer Corps pull its weight, at least by setting up some advance preparations. If a fight broke out, they could evacuate civilians and reduce the casualties.
"If Lord Chime Hashira requires it, I can send word and mobilize Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen within this area. We should be able to gather ten people before midnight."
The Kasugai Crow replied.
Luke was a little disappointed, but it made sense. The Demon Slayer Corps did not have many members to begin with, and once they were scattered across the country, their numbers became even thinner. Among ordinary people, they were practically the stuff of legends—just like Demons.
Well, yes. There actually were not that many Demons either.
After all, only Muzan Kibutsuji could create Demons, and Muzan did not particularly enjoy making them. He believed himself to be the one noble, perfect life-form. The only reason he created others of his kind was to have them search for the Blue Spider Lily.
Thus, even with Demons running rampant throughout the country, Japan's overall population was still steadily increasing.
The overwhelming majority of people would never see either a Demon or a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman in their entire lives. Anyone who did encounter one could only be called exceptionally unlucky.
"Forget it. Wait outside the city. I'll go in and handle something."
Luke gave up on gathering manpower. A mere handful of people slowly making their way over would not accomplish much. If a battle started, they would only become experience fodder for the Explorers. He would be better off entering the city quietly and investigating on his own.
Night settled over Asakusa, and the first lights came on.
Japanese lanterns swayed softly in the evening breeze, casting colorful pools of light and draping the city in a veil of mystery.
The shops lining both sides of the streets were brightly lit. All manner of signs competed beneath the night sky, while warm amber light spilled through sliding doors alongside bursts of laughter and the crisp clatter of bowls and plates. Vendors called out one after another, and the scent of grilled fish mingled with sandalwood incense, tempting every passerby.
Citizens moved through the crowds, some in small groups and some alone. Their hurried steps carried both the exhaustion and hope of daily life. From time to time, women in kimono passed gracefully by, their delicate makeup appearing even gentler beneath the lights.
A wooden boat glided across the river, its boatman's oar softly stirring the water and shattering the starlight reflected across its surface.
Luke sat at the bow. The night breeze gently brushed over his face, and his eyes reflected both the river of stars overhead and the lights of the city.
In this era, Asakusa was undoubtedly one of Japan's most prosperous districts. The people living here seemed happy, smiles bright on their faces, unaware that their city was already under the control of Demons.
Luke had altered the appearance of Pure Black Nightmare. Wearing a straw rain hat and a loose robe, he looked like a wandering ronin.
After entering the city, he had already spotted three Demons. They had not noticed him, and he had not made any rash moves either.
Because of Muzan, quite a few powerful people had gathered here. Once a battle began, civilian deaths and injuries could reach into the tens of thousands. So Luke could only temporarily suppress his desire for treasure chests.
He did not consider himself to have some lofty moral standard, but neither did he want his own desires and impulsiveness to cause massive civilian casualties.
Of course, that did not mean he would refuse to act merely because he worried about civilian casualties. Just as he was doing now, he had already infiltrated Asakusa to gather intelligence and find Lady Tamayo.
Hesitating to act because he feared for hostages was not his style either. If police moved to rescue hostages kidnapped by terrorists, and the terrorists ultimately executed the hostages because their demands were not met, you could not blame the brave police action. The blame lay solely with the terrorists' evil.
If the Demon Slayer Corps ignored what was happening in Asakusa, the Demons would continue devouring people. And some Explorers would be even more vicious. They did not kill merely to feed. They might kill simply because it pleased them.
Under those circumstances, doing nothing would only mean the people of Asakusa died a slow death anyway. There was no way they could refrain from acting just because they had concerns.
Luke had thought it through clearly. Under normal circumstances, he would consider the civilians' safety. But if Muzan's faction discovered him and started a fight, he would cut loose and fight without restraint.
He could not protect everyone, but he could kill every Demon that ate people and avenge them.
While Luke circled Asakusa, trying to find Lady Tamayo's residence, the Explorers from Muzan's faction within Asakusa had gathered as well.
In a dark alley, the Explorers—who had originally been strangers to one another—convened to discuss what had happened during the day.
"That Swordslayer bunch is dead already."
"They made thorough preparations in Yoshiwara. They even set up a barrier to deal with a daytime battle. Yet even with Upper Rank Six helping them, every last one of them was cut down."
"Looks like a formidable Hashira has appeared. This job won't be as easy as we thought."
The Explorers spoke one after another, all keeping their words deliberately vague. They knew Muzan could monitor the condition of those who had inherited his blood at any time.
Explorers had to keep Endspace's existence secret. But after Muzan gave them his blood, he could read their minds. Endspace's protection mechanisms could fool him in that regard, preventing him from seeing their genuine memories and thoughts. However, if they openly spoke about information related to Endspace, Muzan would immediately learn of it.
"Yoshiwara is close to Asakusa. Maybe he hasn't left yet and came to Asakusa."
"Heh. Wouldn't that be perfect? I refuse to believe he's still at full strength after such a huge battle. Find him and kill him, and we're set."
"That should be something that man wants to see too. So let's just..."
Just as they were discussing it, a voice suddenly descended into their minds.
Muzan Kibutsuji's order had arrived.
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Starting tomorrow, there will be a sustained daily release blitz of over ten thousand words. Each chapter will be a little longer, with more than ten thousand words across three chapters. Please support me, everyone.
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