"Oh my God!"
"There are such terrifying monsters in the world! I have to spread this news worldwide!"
"This is a miracle from the gods! There are divine miracles happening in the shrines of this country!"
"I must get the first scoop!"
Journalists from all over the world, stationed in Tokyo, hid inside the shrines, both excited and terrified as they filmed the demons outside being subdued by the divine light.
"My Lord! Demons actually exist, which means the gods must exist too! How else can you explain these miraculous, unscientific events?"
A priest clutched his Bible, reciting verses. Having devoted his entire life to his faith, this was the first time he had witnessed a miracle, even though it was from foreign gods.
"Look! What is that? It's flying in the sky! Such a mysterious power!"
"And who are those people wielding swords like the heroes from myths? Were those weapons granted by the gods?"
The reporters captured footage of the Demon Slayer Corps members, who possessed the "Vision," slaying demons and healing the injured. As the journalists dug for more information, the shrine priests proudly shared details about the "Narukami" and "Vision," leaving the European reporters in awe.
Meanwhile, the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps were closing in on Kōkyū from eight different directions, steadily reducing the demonic threat.
Although Tokyo had become a city of demons in every sense, the number of demons was not as overwhelming as they had imagined. Even if Kibutsuji Muzan had been creating demons, he couldn't have turned an entire city's population into demons. Compared to the number of humans, the demons were still relatively few.
The Twelve Kizuki had been desperately creating lower-rank demons, but even now, their numbers had barely reached 10,000. The number of civilians killed and eaten by demons was not greater than the number of demons themselves. Most of the casualties were soldiers and patrols who had been fighting the demons.
"Insect Breathing: Centipede Dance—Hundred-Legged Viper!"
Shinobu Kocho advanced with incredible speed, her movements leaving behind a centipede-like afterimage. Every demon she passed was torn apart as if by a giant centipede.
"At this rate, we'll reach Kōkyū soon, sister."
"Of course. We have the 'Vision,' and Lord Fox Spirit has set up a barrier to suppress the demons. They can't even move inside the barrier."
As she spoke, Kanae Kocho used the power of her "Vision" to heal the people injured by demons.
Those who had their limbs torn off or even their abdomens ripped open were miraculously restored.
The survivors wept with gratitude, treating Kanae like a deity.
In Shinto, everything is considered divine, and many land gods worshipped across Japan were originally various kinds of spirits or yokai.
From all eight directions, each of the Pillars continued their relentless demon slaying, guided by the thousand-paper cranes sent by the gods.
Despite having each slain over 500 demons, none of them felt fatigued. The demons, powerless within the barrier, were no more than helpless prey to them.
And for those with the "Vision," some had already reached Kōkyū.
"Looks like I'm the first one here."
Tengen Uzui stood on the stone bridge leading to Kōkyū, the "Vision" on his waist glowing faintly. Invisible sound waves spread outward, and he quickly became aware of everything in the vicinity.
His early arrival at Kōkyū, where the concentration of demons was highest, was thanks to his ability to sense everything around him without the need to see it with his eyes. No demon could hide from him.
He wasted no time searching for demons.
Within the palaces and courtyards of Kōkyū, demons were feasting on human corpses, their clothing revealing that they had once been servants of noble families.
There were also many ordinary women captured by the demons, their screams echoing through the night.
Tengen Uzui, born into a noble family himself, though trained as a ninja, was all too familiar with the depravity of the aristocracy. Even as demons, their behavior hadn't changed.
They always sought out the best to devour—children and women.
In Tengen's eyes, this country had long been corrupted by its aristocrats, but no one had the power to change it.
Now, ironically, he was forced to kill these aristocrats after they had turned into demons.
In the past, killing a member of the royal family, let alone a mere noble, would have spelled his doom. It would have meant offending the entire ruling class of the country.
"Four Upper Moons, and 17 Lower Moons in total. That's quite a lot. If this had been yesterday, I wouldn't have stood a chance against even one Upper Moon."
"This will be my first time using this technique. Let's see how many demons I can kill in one go!"
"Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Resonant Slash!"
The two massive, chained blades in his hands spun furiously. As the "Vision" on his waist shone brightly, two-meter-wide arcs of energy shot toward the gate of Kōkyū.
Boom!
The moat, the city walls, and the towers on the walls were all obliterated by the purple crescents.
The demons inside the towers were instantly blown to pieces.
Uzui Tengen stood on the stone bridge leading to Kōkyū, the "Vision" on his waist glowing faintly. Invisible sound waves spread out, allowing him to perceive everything around him instantly. The reason he reached Kōkyū faster than anyone else, despite it being the area with the highest concentration of demons, was that he didn't need to physically search for them—he could sense every single one within a wide radius.
Inside the courtyards and pavilions of Kōkyū, demons were feasting on human corpses. The clothes of these victims indicated that they had once been maids and servants of noble families. Among them were many ordinary women, screaming in terror as they were dragged into the horror.
Though Uzui himself was born into a noble family, his background as a ninja made him all too aware of the aristocracy's decadence. Even after turning into demons, their vile habits persisted. They devoured the finest—the children and women.
In Uzui's eyes, this country had long been corrupt due to its aristocrats, yet no one had the power to rectify it. Now, these nobles had transformed into demons, and ironically, it was up to him to kill them.
In the past, killing royalty, let alone a local noble, would have been unthinkable—it would have meant offending the entire ruling class. But now, everything had changed.
"Four Upper Moons and 17 Lower Moons here… what a ridiculous number. Yesterday, I wouldn't have stood a chance against even one Upper Moon, let alone this many."
"This will be the first time using this technique. Let's see how many I can take out at once."
"Sound Breathing: Fourth Form—Resonant Slash!"
The massive chained blades in his hands spun rapidly, and as the "Vision" shone brightly at his waist, two-meter-wide crescent-shaped waves of energy shot toward the gate of Kōkyū.
Boom!
The moat, the city walls, and the towers along the walls were obliterated by the purple crescents. The demons inside the buildings were instantly blown to pieces, and the sound waves that followed ensured their bodies could not regenerate.
"So, these are the infamous Demon Slayers, huh? I've heard about the Ubuyashiki family… How dare they invade Kōkyū and offend our Emperor Hōkō! I'll devour you!"
A higher-ranked demon, clearly one of the Upper Moons, charged forward with a group of demons.
Uzui leaped into the battle. With the power of the "Vision" he was more than ten times stronger than his former self, surpassing even the legendary Yoriichi Tsugikuni of 500 years ago. Back then, Yoriichi could cut through Upper Moons with ease. And now, the "Vision" granted Uzui even greater strength.
As Uzui fought, the other Pillars had also joined the battle, each slashing through hordes of demons.
Even foreign journalists, unafraid of death, trailed behind the Demon Slayer Corps, capturing the fight on camera.
...
In Tokyo Bay, aboard a sailing ship:
Kamisato Ayato tightly gripped the frozen, immobile body of Kibutsuji Muzan, who had been turned into an ice sculpture. He leaped off the ship, and Kamisato Ayaka created a thin layer of ice over the sea's surface, allowing them to sprint rapidly toward the harbor.
Ayato remarked, "Good thing the head priest had us lie in wait here, or he would've escaped."
"Though, I doubt the head priest foresaw all of this," Ayaka replied. "It must have been a hint from that god of Celestia."
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