Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Chapter 324 I Want a Steady Happiness

The bird quietly looked at the man in front of it.

From the beginning, this man had always used this seemingly passive, fate-accepting approach to find a way to survive in desperate situations.

Although his resilience and wisdom were proven in hindsight, Asuka really disliked this passive way of accepting things.

"You haven't changed at all, Kagaya." Asuka took a sip of tea. "You still like to leave everything to that vague sense of destiny and change of fate."

"However, since you, as the father, don't intend to commit suicide, then I won't say anything more."

Asuka looked at Kagaya, then glanced at Shinobu Kocho: "I will still do what I promised you."

"Whether I forcibly tie her up or break her arms and legs, I will bring her back."

"Once I cut off Aizen's head, all illusions will naturally crumble on their own."

Hearing Asuka's straightforward declaration, Shinobu Kocho shook her head helplessly, while Kagaya, though surprised, also showed a grateful expression.

"...Thank you, Asuka." He bowed slightly in thanks.

The night grew deeper.

Shinobu Kocho was exhausted from accompanying Ichigo in his Bankai training over the past two days, and had also expended too much spiritual energy and mental energy at Sogyoku Hill during the day. She was now struggling to stay afloat and was being helped to the inner room to rest by Lady Amane.

The courtyard fell completely silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects echoing in the quiet night of Rukongai.

Asuka sat alone on the edge of the corridor, leaning against a wooden pillar, her arms casually resting on her knees.

He looked up at the cold, bright moon in the night sky, his eyes deep and unfathomable, lost in thought.

Light footsteps came from behind.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki was wearing a thin coat and carrying a small tray with a pot of sake and two sake cups on it.

He sat down next to the bird, placing the tray on the wooden board between them with a calm and elegant movement.

"Can't sleep, Asuka?" Kagaya asked softly as he poured a drink.

Asuka picked up her glass and downed it in one gulp: "Hmm...it's been a long time since I've been back here."

Yaozai also picked up his wine glass, but didn't drink it right away.

He looked at the moon reflected in the wine and smiled slightly: "I still remember that winter night, in the hospital room of the Ubuyashiki mansion, we chatted together like this."

Asuka paused slightly in her hand holding the empty wine glass, and that memory instantly surfaced in her mind.

The man, reeking of decay, stared at him with his blind eyes as he lay dying...

"Back then, I asked you, are you a god? You told me there are no gods in this world..." Kagaya turned his head and looked at Asuka's profile: "You also told me that after people die, there is no such thing as a wonderful heaven."

"Yes, but it's another world as cruel as hell, full of deceit and struggle for survival."

"At the time, although I said I wasn't afraid, I was actually a little apprehensive inside." Yaozai chuckled and shook his head: "I was afraid that the thousand-year-long atonement would only bring endless torment... I was afraid that my family would continue to suffer in that unknown world."

"But now..." Kagaya took a deep breath, feeling the cool night breeze embrace him, "After going through all this, I think this is good enough..."

17

Asuka turned to look at Kagaya: "So, do you believe me now, Kagaya-sama?"

"Believe in what?"

"I believe there is no God in this world."

The sound of birds flying seemed somewhat ethereal in the night wind.

"In the present world, ordinary people pray to the gods to protect them from illness and disaster, but evil spirits have still ravaged the world for thousands of years. Your Ubuyashiki clan also has to endure that curse that is worse than death."

F

"God has never appeared."

"And here, in this place called the afterlife..." Asuka pointed to the towering white wall in the center of Seireitei, completely protected by a barrier: "Those guys who call themselves Shinigami (Death Gods) set the rules and control life and death... They look like gods."

"But Aizen Sousuke alone could easily tear their order apart..."

"There is no supreme being in this world who can save everything... If you want to live, if you want to protect what you cherish, the only thing you can rely on is the knife in your own hand." He touched the dagger he never parted with, his eyes resolute.

Kagaya listened quietly to Asuka's somewhat extreme yet realistic words.

He didn't refute it, but simply smiled and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

"You're right, Asuka." Kagaya put down his wine glass. "In this world, there may indeed be no omniscient, omnipotent, and merciful god."

"This is not heaven; it is just another mortal world full of flaws and contradictions."

"But Asuka, I also saw something different in this 'hell'."

Yaozai pointed to the room behind him, where the lights were off and the sound of steady breathing could be heard.

"I saw Shinobu tirelessly maneuvering within the Fourth Division to protect us; I saw Gyomei abandon martial arts, finding inner peace in ordinary labor; I saw Hinata's resolute act of wielding her Zanpakuto to stop her sister from making a mistake..."

'

"Gods may not exist, but the brilliance of humanity, that power called bonds and love, is real."

Love? Birds rarely hear this word.

Is it a synonym for "like" and "protect"?

Kagaya's gaze returned to Asuka, his eyes filled with gratitude and respect: "And you, Asuka."

"You clearly have no sense of belonging to this Soul Society, and you could have stayed out of it, but you went so far as to cross time and space to return to this world to protect Shinobu."

"Although you always say cold things, I know that when you wield your sword, you're thinking of the people you want to protect."

"So, for me, it doesn't matter whether there is a God in this world... In this flawed world, we can be each other's light."

Asuka was speechless for a moment after being shoved by Kagaya's words.

He has never been good at dealing with this kind of tender confession, which makes him feel awkward.

He looked away, coughed to cover his mouth, and poured himself a full glass of wine.

"Think what you want." Asuka downed her drink in one gulp. "No matter what, the Soul Society is no longer safe."

"6

"Although Aizen has escaped, this battle is far from over."

"At that time, the entire Seireitei, and even the Rukongai, will be reduced to ashes."

Asuka turned her head and looked at Kagaya seriously: "I came here today to ask about your future plans."

"If you're willing, I can take your family, along with Shinobu and Gyomei, to the mortal world."

"The present world?" Kagaya was taken aback.

"Yes." Asuka nodded. "I know someone in the real world... a bit cunning, but incredibly resourceful."

.

"He has the ability to forge legitimate identities for you in the human world, and can even create barriers that bypass the Soul Society's surveillance."

"Moreover, there aren't so many complicated rules and regulations in the modern world... Although the pace of life there is a bit faster, it's generally very peaceful."

"For you, that may be the real heaven, where you can live peacefully without fear, with your near-immortal lifespan."