---
**Bang, bang, bang!**
Just like a typhoon passing through, the room was left in ruins. Shattered equipment and collapsed furniture lay in disarray. In the midst of this chaos stood Muzan Kibutsuji, his expression twisted in fury, his aura pulsating ominously.
"Defector!" he spat out the word with venom, his rage echoing in the silence.
One of his own had been slain—by a defector. As Muzan's rage subsided, a cold, calculating look replaced his fury. From the final memories of Rui, he had seen the unthinkable: a demon consuming another demon.
This defector not only neutralized the regeneration ability of demons but also grew stronger by devouring them.
Could this defector have found a way to overcome sunlight?
As this chilling possibility dawned on him, Muzan's fury flared briefly before he mastered it once again. He turned and left the wrecked room, his resolve hardening. This was the first time he had encountered such a demon. The Upper Moons would be mobilized. The defector had to be captured or destroyed.
---
Unaware of the turmoil he had caused in Muzan's ranks, Aoki trekked through the dense jungle. The night pressed in around him as he moved silently, conserving his strength.
Traveling by "space shuttle," his unique ability to traverse distances instantaneously, was something he avoided due to its high energy cost. Unless circumstances were dire, Aoki preferred to rely on his own two feet.
His mind replayed the recent battle with Rui. "Without 'space shuttle', my current strength is barely enough to contend with a Lower Rank demon. But if I use 'space shuttle' effectively, I can catch them off guard and quickly finish them off," Aoki mused.
Though his power had grown, Aoki realized that having a Nichirin Blade would have made dispatching demons more efficient. However, his goal wasn't merely to kill demons but to refine his own abilities and grow stronger.
Aoki reviewed the fight meticulously, noting flaws in his technique—mistimed moves, imprecise strikes. These were issues that required continuous improvement through battle experience.
By dawn, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the canopy, Aoki completed his introspection. Unlike typical demons, he didn't seek the shelter of shadows. Instead, he donned a wide-brimmed hat and continued his journey under the sun's gaze.
Though demons didn't need sleep, Aoki still scouted for demon activity during the day and hunted by night. His growth had made encounters with lesser demons less fruitful, pushing him to seek stronger adversaries.
---
A few days later, he arrived at the bustling city of Asakusa. The streets were alive, brightly lit even at night.
"Here at last," he murmured, taking in the scene. Finding the remaining Lower Rank demons in the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo would be a daunting task, akin to finding a needle in a haystack. His attempts to gather information had yielded little since demons were forbidden from congregating.
Based on what Rui had revealed, other demons like Kyogai might have been replaced, and their hideouts were known. Kyogai's lair, the Drum House, was his next target, rumored to be south-southeast of Asakusa.
As he navigated the lively streets, he considered his next steps. "Since I'm here, I might as well visit Lady Tamayo."
Aoki wandered through Asakusa's streets. The occasional passerby cast a curious glance his way, but he remained inconspicuous.
Lady Tamayo and Yushiro were his potential allies. Sharing a common enemy and similar circumstances, their alliance was natural, even if they were unaware of his existence. Yushiro's blood demon art allowed for invisibility, making them hard to locate unless they wanted to be found.
"If I don't find Lady Tamayo first, perhaps I'll run into Muzan," he thought with a wry smile, turning onto a quieter street.
Ahead, a noodle cart caught his eye. The vendor, a burly man, sat beside it, puffing on a cigarette. Noticing Aoki's gaze, the man looked up. "Fancy a bowl of udon?" he offered.
Aoki shook his head politely. The vendor shrugged and returned to his cigarette.
"Is there something special happening in Asakusa tonight?" Aoki asked casually.
The vendor glanced at him as if he were daft. "New Year's is just around the corner, that's why it's so lively!"
Aoki blinked in surprise. "New Year's already?"
"Three days away!" the vendor confirmed, tapping his cart with his pipe. "This is my last night out here. After tonight, I'm done till next year."
Aoki nodded, lost in thought as he walked away. The idea of the New Year stirred something deep within him. Though it didn't align with the New Year celebrations of his old life, it evoked memories.
He still had people he cared about in this world. "I wonder how Takina and Sensei's wife are doing," he mused, glancing at the crescent moon hanging in the sky.
---
In a warmly lit room far from Asakusa, Rie and Takina sat opposite each other, a table laden with food between them.
"Let's eat!" they said in unison, clapping their hands together.
"Takina, do you want to go to the temple fair with me tomorrow? We need to buy some things for New Year," Rie suggested, her voice bright with excitement.
Takina's eyes lit up. "Of course!"
Rie continued, "The fair here is even better than the ones we used to go to…"
As Rie described the bustling stalls and colorful sights, Takina's responses became more subdued. The room, filled with laughter a moment ago, grew quieter.
"I saw some lovely shrimp today. We could buy some and make tempura," Rie said, smiling.
Takina's face lit up briefly. "Aoki loves shrimp…" She trailed off, her chopsticks halting mid-air.
Silence fell over the room. The warmth and cheer they had tried to force faded away.
The New Year is a time for reunion, but without Aoki, their family felt incomplete.
Takina placed her chopsticks down and stared out the window. "I wonder what Aoki is doing. Why hasn't he come to see us for so long?"
Rie's gaze followed Takina's, both women looking out at the crescent moon in the sky. It mirrored the moon from the previous year, a time when Aoki was still healing from his injuries, unable to join in their celebrations.
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T/N: There is a patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 15 chapters.
Patreon link:- patreon.com/ANelite
And also give me some power stones!!
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