Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Chapter 373 A Decision That Had to Be Made

The streets were ravaged, littered with deep craters from the battle and traces of spiritual energy scorching.

Asuka slowly sheathed his long katana, and the phantom of the giant wolf behind him transformed into specks of golden-red sparks, merging back into his body.

The demonic markings covering half his face receded like the tide, revealing his originally cold and stern face.

"Is it over?" Shinobu Kocho landed lightly beside Asuka, checking if she was injured.

Before everyone could fully relax their tense nerves...

Click click click—!

A cracking sound suddenly came from all directions in the sky.

The sound was like an invisible giant hammer, smashing wildly at the sky covering the city.

The bird suddenly raised its head, its face grim.

At this moment, the sky trembled repeatedly, and black cracks appeared everywhere, with a tendency to expand further, exuding an unsettling aura of emptiness.

Not only the sky, but also the ground beneath their feet and the surrounding buildings began to distort amidst the cracking sounds.

The ruins and debris that were originally floating in mid-air lost their final balance and crashed to the ground one after another.

"What's going on?! Weren't we already defeated the monster? Why is it getting worse?!" Yusuke exclaimed, struggling to steady his swaying body.

Kurama frowned, his eyes grave: "I'm afraid... it's because the battle just now was too intense."

"Although the culprit has been eliminated, the power that was capable of severing space has completely destroyed the tolerance threshold of this space, and it is accelerating towards collapse."

"What will happen then?!" Kuwahara asked loudly.

"It looks like the entire Sarayashiki City, along with us, will be swept into the spatial turbulence and torn to pieces," Hiei coldly predicted.

Beep beep beep!

Just as everyone's expression changed, Shinobu Kocho's phone rang.

"Manager Urahara!" Shinobu Kocho anxiously responded into the microphone.

"Miss Butterfly, I've noticed the situation through the monitoring equipment." Urahara Kisuke's voice was no longer playful, but conveyed urgency and unease: "Give the phone to Asuka! Quickly!"

Asuka snatched the phone away: "What's going on?"

"Asuka, the space in Sarayashiki City is now at the final critical point of collapse! It's exactly the same situation you encountered in Fuyuki City, even more violent!"

Kisuke Urahara spoke extremely quickly, as if afraid of wasting even a second.

Fuyuki City.

Just thinking about those three words gave Feibiao a headache.

"What should I do?!" The veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the phone, bulged.

"Kill the Thought Bead!"

Kisuke Urahara's answer was cold and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Although Ryudoji is dead, the anchor point for Kageya remains that girl! As long as she exists, the fusion of Kageya with the present world will not stop, and the collapse of space will continue!"

"Asuka, if you don't want any more life-or-death situations, if you want to safely return to Soul Society with Miss Butterfly, you must sever this anchor point immediately!"

"Killing her will cause the Valley to lose its core, and the laws of the mortal world will automatically repair the space that has been stripped away."

"This is the safest way, hurry up! You don't have time!"

Beep beep beep—

The call was disconnected.

Or perhaps it's because of the violent fluctuations in space that the signal could no longer be transmitted.

"Kill... the Thought Bead."

Asuka was still holding her phone, her gaze fixed on the girl not far away.

Akane Shizuku has just woken up from her coma.

She seemed not to understand what had happened, sitting on the ground somewhat blankly, rubbing her throbbing forehead with both hands.

"Huh? Were those bad guys who kidnapped Shizuku defeated?" Shizuku looked at Yusuke in the distance, her eyes filled with innocence and confusion. "My head hurts so much. It feels like I had a really, really long nightmare..."

'

She was merely a soul pieced together from countless scattered memories, yet she mistakenly believed herself to be a living, breathing person.

It's not even a life...

The bird kept telling itself.

He gripped the weapon tightly in his right hand and strode towards Qian Shizuku.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Yusuke keenly sensed the murderous aura emanating from Asuka and suddenly stepped in front of Shizuku.

His eyes were filled with confusion: "Why did you draw your sword at her?!"

"Get out of the way, brat." Asuka's voice was as cold as ice: "She is not human, she is a bead of longing formed from the memories of countless souls who owed her life."

"As long as she lives, this space will completely collapse. To save this city... she must be dealt with."

"How is this possible?!" Yusuke roared in bewilderment, "She's flesh and blood, she can laugh and curse, why do you say she's not human?! We were just fighting together to protect her!"

"This is the cruelty of the world."

Asuka continued walking forward, avoiding Yusuke's gaze.

Behind her, Shinobu's eyes reddened.

She knew Asuka's character, knew that he possessed an upright soul who did not want to implicate the innocent. Although he appeared cold and ruthless, in his heart he cherished those small bonds and lives more than anyone else.

This decision must have been very painful for him...

But if we don't do this, the city will be destroyed... and the whole world...

"...I'm sorry, girl named Akane Shizuku."

The bird closed its eyes and took a deep breath.

His figure vanished instantly, leaving no trace even for the fastest-moving Fei Ying.

The next second, Asuka appeared behind Shizuku Akane.

He raised his Zanpakuto high.

Akane Shizuku stared blankly at the man who had suddenly appeared in front of her.

His eyes were filled with deep confusion and fear.

"Uncle... are you going to kill me?" she asked softly. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"Feel sorry."

The bird closed its eyes tightly and squeezed out the two words through clenched teeth.

Then, he used all his strength to chop down hard!

The next day, in Karakura Town, at Urahara Store.

The underground training ground was filled with the aroma of tea.

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...What a thrilling and exciting journey through the real world!

-

"I was very anxious after the signal was lost... thankfully, it was resolved perfectly in the end."

Kisuke Urahara sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table, fanning himself with a folding fan, as he greeted the slightly tired Asuka and Shinobu Kocho.

Today, he was not as relaxed and joking as usual; he was carefully observing the birds' condition.

"Thank you both for your hard work, please enjoy your meal."

Without any hesitation, Fei Niao picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp, feeling much less tired.

Kisuke Urahara tapped his chin with his fan, his eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hat brim, gleaming with curiosity.

"However, I really didn't expect this..."

'

He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze darting back and forth between Asuka and Shinobu.

"Brother Flying Bird, Miss Butterfly... you two usually seem quite kind and approachable..."

'

"I originally thought that even when faced with a crisis capable of destroying the three realms, you would make a different choice, which worried me for a long time..."

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"Fortunately, you made the right decision in the end and shut down the Call Valley Space."

"After all, killing a Bead of Thought that only has false memories is the simplest and safest method."

Upon hearing Urahara's words, Asuka paused slightly in her teacup.

He glanced at Shinobu Kocho beside him, and Shinobu Kocho was also looking at him.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and then they smiled at each other.

That smile held a secret known only to the two of them and the boys from that distant other world.

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