"Ahhhh!"
The Emperor clutched his head, writhing in agony on the floor.
"As expected, the blood of royalty is much stronger than that of ordinary people. You're able to withstand a significant amount of my blood in one go. Excellent," Muzan Kibutsuji said with satisfaction. The more blood these nobles and royals could handle, the stronger they would become, and the more chaos they could cause.
"You've never seen me. From now on, you are the Demon King. Your task is to create as many demons as you can tonight, devour as many humans as possible, and grow stronger," Muzan commanded.
Just seconds after he left, the palace guards rushed in, alarmed by the Emperor's screams. Before they could even shout "Your Majesty!" they were pounced on.
"Ahhh!"
"What's happening?! Y-You… You're His Majesty! What's going on?"
"Ahhh!"
Muzan calmly walked across the stone bridge outside the Imperial Palace, the sounds of chaos and screaming echoing behind him as he made his way to the residences of the nearby aristocrats.
Systematically, he turned each guard into a demon.
The elite of the shogunate lived around the palace, so it didn't take long for most of the aristocrats to be transformed into demons.
Muzan's orders to all of them were simple: No one has seen me tonight, Turn as many humans into demons as possible, and Devour humans relentlessly to grow stronger.
Regular demons could not share their blood to create others, but those of the Twelve Kizuki were capable of this. By the end of the night, over thirty lower-ranked demons and four upper-ranked ones were born from the blood Muzan shared. These demons, in turn, created even more lower-level demons.
The number of demons had already exceeded a thousand, and it continued to grow.
But by then, Muzan had boarded a ship bound for a distant country across the Pacific Ocean.
Only when the ship had left port did Muzan finally allow himself to relax. After learning his lesson from this ordeal, he resolved never to make the same mistake again.
Creating more demons only brings trouble—it offers no benefit.
Chaos had already consumed Tokyo.
The lower-level demons rampaged through the heart of the city, attacking and devouring anyone they encountered, throwing the city into a frenzy.
In a nation just beginning to embrace science and modernity, the concept of "demons" was nothing more than a myth. But now, these creatures of legend were appearing before the public in broad daylight.
Screams filled the streets.
"Aahhhh! What is that thing? It's biting people! Blood! Ahhh!"
"It's eating someone! Help! Stay away!"
"Damn it! My arm!"
At first, people thought they were dealing with rabid patients, but that illusion shattered when a "rabid patient" tore a person apart, eating them flesh and bone. Only then did they realize these weren't sick people—they were monsters.
"Somebody, call the town magistrate! Quickly, we need help!"
"Help! There's another monster over here! Stay away!"
"Run for your lives!"
Panic spread, and the once-bustling streets turned into a scene of trampling, screaming, and chaos.
The Machibugyo, a government office responsible for maintaining public order, received a flood of telegrams, all reporting monsters devouring people across different districts of Tokyo.
When soldiers from the patrol units arrived on the streets, they were greeted by bloodstains and dismembered limbs scattered everywhere. In the midst of it all, a demon was feasting on a corpse.
"Stop right there, or I'll shoot!" one soldier shouted, his hands trembling as he aimed his rifle.
"Aaah..."
The demon looked up from its meal, its blood-red eyes gleaming as it lunged toward the soldier. These lower-ranked demons were completely consumed by their hunger, driven only by the need to feed.
"Eat... I must eat! I must grow stronger by eating more humans!"
"Fire!"
Gunshots echoed through the street as bullets riddled the demon's body, leaving bloody holes.
For a brief moment, the soldiers thought they had killed the creature, but to their horror, the demon's wounds began to heal almost instantly.
"It's a monster! A monster!"
"I remember now! My grandmother told me stories when I was a kid! It's a demon! A flesh-eating, immortal demon! Aaaah!"
"Food... I need more human flesh! Find more humans for me! I'm starving!"
As the patrol units watched in despair, more demons emerged from the shadows of nearby alleys, rushing toward them.
"Quick, ru—"
Before the captain could even finish his command, a demon tackled him to the ground.
Under the dim glow of lanterns and street lamps, the shadows of demons devouring humans twisted grotesquely on the walls, accompanied by the unceasing screams of the dying.
As the administrative center of the country, Tokyo was home not only to its aristocrats but also to foreign journalists and embassies from all over the world.
It didn't take long for news of man-eating monsters roaming the streets to reach them. Telegrams flooded the offices of foreign embassies, and reporters scrambled to cover the story as chaos unfolded across the city.
...................................................
Mount Raiden, Narukami Shrine.
"Lady Kitsune, there's news from a shrine in Tokyo. It says... it says..."
A priest from the sacred family ran into Narukami Shrine, gasping for breath, struggling to get the words out.
"Tokyo has been overrun by demons, hasn't it?" Yae Miko calmly said, lightly shaking her Kagura bell.
"Y-Yes! As expected from you, Lady Kitsune. All of Tokyo has fallen, it's become a demon's playground! The military's been deployed, but nothing can kill the demons!" The priest was trembling with fear.
"There are far too many of them! Not only that, the Imperial Palace, the Shogun's residence, and the estates of the nobility have all been overrun. Most of the people there are probably already dead."
Yae Miko spoke indifferently, "So, you're asking me to intervene."
The priest fell to his knees, bowing his head to the ground. "We humbly beg for the mercy of Lady Kitsune and the gods."
Yae Miko sighed, "Well, it seems I have no choice. We came to this world specifically to eradicate demons. Now that things have escalated to this point, I must take action."
She had already received a message from Lord Indra the previous day, so she knew what was coming.
Initially, she thought she would just play the role of the benevolent kitsune spirit, spending her days idly enjoying herself.
But in the end, she realized she had to get involved. Still, she understood now—Lord Indra, who could foresee every detail of what would happen the next day, must be the God of Time.
Time... such a formidable power.
...................................................
Meanwhile.
Following Yae Miko's instructions, Ayato and Ayaka Kamisato had already boarded the ship, waiting for their prey.
Muzan Kibutsuji, relieved as the ship left the harbor, adjusted his hat.
"My first time leaving this land."
Just as he muttered those words, a calm and graceful voice came from behind him.
"If you're so reluctant to leave, then stay, sir."
Muzan turned around, his crimson eyes narrowing sharply in shock.