Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Chapter 174 Zero (Part 2)

"No...don't..."

'

Shinobu Kocho slumped inside the barrier, her hands gripping the light wall weakly, her nails almost drawing blood: "Seventy years... I finally saw you again... why did you have to abandon me again..."

Looking into Shinobu's desperate eyes, Asuka felt as if a hand had squeezed her heart tightly.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging blood and qi within him, trying to make his voice sound as steady as possible.

"Ren, listen to me."

"I won't die."

The sound of the bird was somewhat distorted by the noise of the distorted space, but it still reached the ears of the person he most wanted to talk to clearly.

"Don't you know me? I've faced countless life-or-death situations, and I've survived them all, haven't I?"

"This is just... a business trip that's a little further away."

Shinobu Kocho looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

With a surge of strength, Asuka raised her right hand from the suffocating pressure of the space, extending her little finger. "I assure you, no matter where you are, no matter what dimension you're in..."

'

"I will definitely come back! I will definitely come back here again!"

Is this a lie? Maybe.

Even that person said it was fate, and Asuka herself had no idea.

But the bird must say so.

Because if Ren isn't given any hope, how will she get through the rest of her long life alone?

The suction force in the sky suddenly increased, and half of the bird's body began to blur, as if it had been pulled into that pitch-black world.

"There's one more thing..."

Asuka's expression suddenly became extremely serious, a solemnity that Shinobu Kocho had never seen before.

"Shinobu, you must be careful while you're alone in Soul Society!"

"That place is more dangerous than the world overrun by demons."

Upon hearing this, Shinobu Kocho seemed to suddenly remember something. She abruptly wiped away her tears and shouted at Asuka, "I'm not alone!!"

"?" The bird paused for a moment, its body about to be swallowed up also paused.

"My lord... Lord Ubuyashiki Kagaya! And Mr. Himejima! Everyone... everyone is here!"

Shinobu's voice trembled with tears, yet held an unwavering resolve: "We found each other in Rukongai, and we've always supported each other!"

"So...so you're not fighting alone! We've been waiting for you!!"

This sudden news made Asuka's heart, which had already prepared itself for death, pound twice.

Yaozai... Xingming... Everyone's here?

They're all in this world?!

How is this possible?!

A surge of immense joy and shock instantly overwhelmed me, even overshadowing the sadness of impending separation.

Very good...

It turns out that Ren wasn't alone, wandering in this cold world.

It turns out that my former comrades-in-arms are still by each other's side.

"Really... That's wonderful..."

1

The smile on Asuka's lips was blurred by the distorted, violent air.

The last heavy weight on his heart was lifted.

In that case, we must not allow their world to be threatened.

At this moment, the magic array in the sky emitted its final roar.

That's the signal to close the door.

The bird's silhouette had become blurred, like a sketch being erased by an eraser.

"Endure! Remember my words!!"

The bird used all its strength to issue its final warning.

This is not only for Shinobu Kocho, but also for all the Demon Slayer Corps members who have been reborn in this world.

"No matter what... no matter what happens..."

'

"Be very careful of a man named Aizen!"

"Remember this name! Aizen!!"

The name echoed across the empty battlefield.

Matsumoto Rangiku was stunned.

Aizen? Captain Aizen? That nice guy from the Fifth Division?

Captain Aizen, who always had a gentle smile and was loved by everyone?

Why? Why would this mysterious and powerful figure specifically mention him before his death?

Shinobu Kocho was also stunned.

She not only trusted Captain Aizen, but also introduced him to the Lord, and they became friends as a family.

Why did he seem to be an even more terrifying being than Muzan Kibutsuji, according to Asuka?

But she unconditionally trusted Asuka.

At that moment, she was filled with terror and felt ice-cold all over.

This was also the first time that Kisuke Urahara had heard Aizen's name from someone else.

The eyes behind the mask stared blankly, almost unable to believe their ears.

"Asuka! What did you say?"

Shinobu Kocho wanted to ask more questions, but it was too late.

Buzz—! ! !

The magic circle in the sky completely closed.

Like turning the pages of a book, the page about Fuyuki City, filled with disaster and despair, was violently turned over by an invisible hand.

Splash!

A crisp sound rang out from the space.

The bird's figure, along with the dark clouds filling the sky, the shattered magic array, and the suffocating malice, vanished completely in that instant.

Instead, tranquility prevailed.

A deathly silence.

""

Everyone stared blankly at what was happening before them.

The hellish battlefield from before has vanished.

The broken bridge has been restored to its original state, and the corroded steel bars are intact.

Fuyuki City, which was originally pitch black and desolate without a single light, is now shining like a dazzling gem, adorned with the lights of thousands of homes.

The streetlights emitted a warm orange glow, and the faint sound of car horns could be heard from the distant streets.

A gentle night breeze blew by, carrying a hint of coolness, without a trace of blood or putrid stench.

It was as if everything that had just happened—the terrifying mutated void, the sky-covering magic array, the man wielding his sword to cleave the heavens—was all just an absurd nightmare.

"This...this is..."

A member of the Death Knight team stared blankly at his arm, where a deep, bone-revealing wound had recently been inflicted by a Hollow.

But then he looked at the pristine Fuyuki City and a sense of absurdity washed over him: "Where am I?"

"The world... has been reset?"

Matsumoto Rangiku sheathed her sword, and looking at the excessively peaceful scene before her, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Is this what that man meant by "world line convergence"?

All abnormalities were removed, and the system was forcibly rolled back to a normal state.

And that man named Asuka is the price paid for this correction.

"Flying birds..."

"

Butterfly Ninja knelt on the ground.

She reached out her hand, as if trying to grab something.

But all that my fingertips touched was empty air.

The man she had waited seventy years for, whom she had only just reunited with for less than an hour, disappeared from her life once again.

"fraud....

Butterfly lowered her head, and large tears fell to the ground, blurring into dark dots.

"You promised... you wouldn't abandon me..."

'

"Big liar..."

'

Kisuke Urahara, wearing a mask, pulled his hat brim down to conceal his complex gaze.

He looked in the direction where the bird had disappeared, then looked back at the 10th Division Shinigami who were equally bewildered and had not yet recovered from the huge contrast.

"Sorry, Asuka-kun."

"This debt... is my fault, Kisuke Urahara's fault. I'll remember it."

At the same time, everyone's mind was filled with the warning that the mysterious man had given before his death: "Beware of Aizen Sousuke."