Crossover Anime: I Became Invincible Starting as an Ajin

Chapter 91 The Fifth Demon: Ashes of Gnawing and Slaying!

The surrounding scenery suddenly distorted.

The sea of ​​rats and the towers—all vanished.

The sounds of fighting, clashing swords, and the wails of the dying filled the air.

A bone-chilling coldness assails you, not from the cold of the outside world, but from within your limbs and bones; the emptiness brought on by the passing of life instills fear.

He found himself no longer inside the tower, but lying on the muddy ground.

The sky was leaden gray, so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Cold raindrops fell from the sky, carrying away the rusty smell in the air and Wang Bai's body warmth.

Wang Bai tried to move, but each time he did, he was met with a sharp, tearing pain in his chest.

Now he is nothing but a broken body, covered in mud and blood, on the verge of death.

Several rats were gnawing on the corpse nearby, their eyes fixed on Wang Bai, waiting for their dying meal.

As far as the eye could see, there was a devastated battlefield.

Broken weapons, tattered flags, and—layers upon layers of corpses in various poses—spread into the distance, reaching the horizon.

A hunched figure appeared at the edge of the field of vision, slowly moving among the pile of corpses.

He wore tattered clothes stained with dirt, carried a huge, bulging burlap sack on his back, and dragged a rusty short hook in his hand, its blade inexplicably gleaming with a cold light.

Ashes of thought, chewed and cut.

His appearance at this moment was not that of a hideous demon, but more like that of a emaciated scavenger.

He stopped beside a soldier's "corpse," bent down, and deftly turned it over with a short hook, seemingly to check if it still had any value or if it was truly dead.

Then, ignoring the last faint gasp from the soldier's throat, he thrust his short hook down precisely and without any hesitation.

After a barely audible, abrupt sob, the area fell completely silent. The scavenger continued forward, the sack seeming to grow heavier.

He proceeded to "clean up" them one by one, taking his time.

The movements were practiced and numb, with a sense of entitlement as if handling an object, rather than as a reaction to the end of life.

Here, death is not a heroic sacrifice, nor a tragic end, but becomes a process. The individual's pain, fear, and unfulfilled obsessions seem so insignificant, so ridiculous.

Finally, he stopped in front of Wang Bai.

Those small, mouse-like eyes were filled with numbness, indifference, and mockery.

"—Living is so painful, what's the point of pursuing kingship and high office? We enter this battlefield of death with daydreams, and struggle so painfully—"

That shrill voice, like a venomous snake, licked at every possible vulnerable crevice in my consciousness.

"—Let me help you find liberation—"

The short hook slowly descended, about to pierce Wang Bai's throat.

However, the next second.

A familiar voice echoed from within the realm of imagination.

"Mr. Wang Bai, do not compromise, stand firm in your will!"

Whose voice is that?

Shinmen — Musashi?

Shinmen Musashi seems to have also experienced battles on the battlefield. Isn't he afraid of death?

Seemingly hearing Shiro's question, Shinmen Musashi's voice responded, "How could I have thought that much back then!"

"All I think about is drawing my sword, sheathing it, and making the next cut!"

"What runs through it all is an unwavering obsession with being 'unparalleled in the world,' etched deep into our very bones."

Obsession?

What is my obsession?

It seems I don't have any obsessions—but—

I think I've figured out why I came here, why I'm fighting.

The horrific scenes seen from the seeds of the Imaginary Tree.

The short hook in Hui Nian's hand was caught by Wang Bai's hand, preventing him from advancing an inch.

"So, that's your reason?"

"—What?"

"I say, is this your reason for only daring to humiliate dying soldiers on the battlefield, looting their corpses, and then slaughtering entire cities after becoming a demon?"

The body of a dying soldier miraculously stood up.

Wang Bai looked into Hui Nian's eyes, which were filled with resentment, and said, "I won't think about those complicated issues. Right now, I know there's only one thing I can do."

"You disgusting creature who appears before me, I will utterly annihilate you!"

The short hook in his hand was suddenly crushed by Wang Bai.

The illusion before them shattered.

"No! Impossible!"

The sharp, shrill sound of Ash chewing produced a terrified scream, filled with disbelief.

The opponent actually broke through his mental barrier with a simple yet firm will and killing intent.

This guy is someone I can't defeat.

If only he had known, he would have hidden to the side and waited for the other evil spirits to kill him before appearing to collect his body.

Why should I be the first to stand up?

I'm going to run! I'm going to escape!

However, it was too late for Hui Nian to escape.

Fueled by rage, Wang Bai charged at Hui Nianjiaoqie like a cannonball, piercing through the man's chest with one hand.

The runes on the back of his hand activated, and the concept of death enveloped Ash Chewing Chew's body.

The massive tremors caused the entire tower to sway and begin to collapse from the inside, sending rats scurrying in all directions.

A large amount of smoke and dust shot into the sky.

But when the smoke and dust cleared, sunlight once again streamed down on the spot where the tower had once stood.

The dead Hui Nian had already turned into ashes.

Shinmen Musashi was spared from harm after the tower collapsed, thanks to Wang Bai's protection.

However, a single punch was enough to collapse an entire tower.

"Unparalleled in the world?"

"I feel that no one but Mr. Wang Bai is qualified to have this title."

Wang Bai shook his head. Apart from the power of artistic conception, there didn't seem to be any other powerful forces in this world.

Therefore, Wang Bai, whose body was greatly enhanced by magic, naturally surpassed the physical attributes of these people.

However, in other worlds, Wang Bai's enhancement magic might not be considered impressive.

Putting aside everything else, the expressiveness of some of the physical combat characters in Fate is so powerful that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they could shake mountains and seas.

Inside the collapsed tower were many corpses with limbs remaining. To prevent the plague and the continued reproduction of these man-eating rats, Wang Bai and his companion set the tower on fire again.

The entire tower ruins once again turned into a raging pillar of fire, with thick smoke rising high, like incense burning to mourn the dead.

"The city, which is close to the Pingdingshan gathering point, has already become like this not long after it fell."

"I wonder what those cities that fell long ago are like?"

Beneath Shinmen Musashi's calm tone lay a sadness for the scenes he might witness in the future.

"Aren't you overthinking it?"

Wang Bai comforted him.

"Our current responsibility is not to solve any problems related to human survival; such things cannot be solved by one or two people."

"All we have to do is slay the demons on the road and eliminate the source of these demons, Muzan Kibutsuji."

Shinmen Musashi nodded; all he possessed was his swordsmanship and his daring, fearless spirit.

but-

"Mr. Wang Bai, could you really not teach me about those runes and such?"

"It is indeed much more comfortable to return to human form, but it has made me lose my Blood Demon Art, a powerful weapon."

"If it weren't for Mr. Wang Bai being there, those disgusting rats would have worn me down to death."

Shinmen Musashi was really envious of those runes that emitted flames from the blade.

It's such a perfect match for him. After all, his previous Blood Demon Art was about controlling fire. If he had the ability to use fire again, he wouldn't need to practice at all and could use it right away.

Wang Bai was speechless. He also wanted to strengthen the people in the world of Wanderer, but their bodies didn't have magic circuits at all, so how could he activate the power of the runes?

Furthermore, runes are severely suppressed in this world. Rune magic that takes effect inside the body has a smaller impact, but rune magic that takes effect outside the body has a very large impact.

A magic trick that could destroy an entire building is now less impressive than a lighter.

The magic power consumed by maintaining the runes on the Shinmen Musashi sword had basically consumed 80% of Wang Bai's body's magic power.

If placed in Fate, it would be enough for hundreds of Fuyuki City gas explosions.

Wang Bai and Shinmen Musashi watched in silence as the demonic cave, which had devoured countless lives, crackled in the flames and finally turned into a charred ruin.

"Let's go."

Wang Bai withdrew his gaze.

"The commotion here is too great and may attract unnecessary trouble."

Shinmen Musashi nodded.

The two turned around, ready to leave.

However, before they had gone far, Wang Bai suddenly stopped and stared sharply at the hill to his side.

"Who is it?"

Shinmen Musashi immediately became alert and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

It's safe to assume that evil spirits would appear in such a place.

But a moment later, several ragged, emaciated figures cautiously emerged from the jungle.

As they stepped into the sunlight, Shinmen Musashi breathed a sigh of relief.

He then exclaimed in surprise that someone had actually survived.

They saw the burning ruins below the mountain and Wang Bai and his companion standing there, their faces showing a mixture of extreme shock and fear.

They seemed to hesitate for a long time. Finally, one of the middle-aged men, who looked like the leader, mustered up his courage and, with two companions, walked down step by step, extremely cautiously. When they were still more than ten meters away from Wang Bai and the others, they knelt down with a thud.

"Please—excuse me—that—that tower—" The middle-aged man's voice trembled violently with fear and excitement, making it difficult for him to speak coherently.

The two people behind him had their heads bowed low and were trembling.

Shinmen Musashi glanced at Wang Bai, and seeing Wang Bai nod slightly, he stepped forward, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible: "Are you survivors from the vicinity? We've already dealt with the demons in that tower, and burned the monsters and corpses inside, so don't worry."

"The solution—is it solved?!"

The three of them suddenly looked up, their eyes blazing with unbelievable ecstasy.

"You two sirs—are you demon slayers?"

"Ghost hunter?"

Shinmen Musashi was unfamiliar with this title.

"Yes—yes!"

The middle-aged man seemed to have confirmed something, and his attitude became even more respectful and even humble.

"It is said that there are some people who possess special powers—hunting down evil spirits everywhere—we never expected—we would be so fortunate as to encounter them—"

Upon hearing the unfamiliar term "Demon Slayer," a hint of doubt flashed in Shinmen Musashi's eyes.

However, he did not delve into it further, but simply nodded in agreement with the other party's words, which was taken as an admission of this identity.

Gathering intelligence is more important right now.

"Get up and speak," Shinmen Musashi gestured to them, indicating that they didn't need to kneel like that.

The three of them then stood up shakily, but still hunched over, not daring to look Wang Bai and Shinmen Musashi in the eye.

The middle-aged man's face was a mixture of awe, gratitude, and a glimmer of hope for a miraculous escape.

"We fled from a village further away—we had heard that there was a city of flowers here that was said to be free of evil spirits, very safe, and where we could eat our fill—so we wanted to escape there."

Another, slightly younger man added, his face still showing lingering fear, "I never imagined that when we were passing through this forest, the people from our village would be captured by the monster in that tower—only a handful of us managed to escape."

"The City of Flowers?"

Wang Bai wondered, how could a capital city possibly survive in this era where evil spirits reign supreme?

The middle-aged man nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, sir! That's what we all call it."

It is said to be a very large and prosperous city, free from evil spirits, where people can live and trade normally, and even—there are sumo wrestling matches to watch!

It is said that anyone can participate in sumo wrestling, and the winner can receive all sorts of rewards: money, houses, land, beautiful women—everything imaginable.

His tone was filled with longing; this legend was quite appealing even in times of peace, let alone in this desperate era.

Wang Bai looked at Shinmen Musashi beside him: "Have you heard of this City of Blossoms?"

Shinmen Musashi shook his head: "I've never heard of it, but I can't rule out the possibility of such a city—"

As he spoke, Shinmen Musashi's voice gradually lowered: "I usually focus on sword practice, and I rarely learn these things."

Got it, it means you're not very well-educated, right?

Do you know the exact location?

The information provided by these villagers is very intriguing.

A city that can remain prosperous and even host entertainment activities in a world overrun by evil spirits?

This in itself is unusual; it either possesses extremely strong defensive capabilities or it may very well be a much larger and more concealed conspiracy.

"We don't know exactly where it is, we just know that we're heading in that general direction —"

The villagers pointed in one direction.

That direction was clearly the same as Kyoto.

Could that place be Kyoto?

"Is there anything special to be aware of in that city? Or are there any legends associated with it?" Shinmen Musashi pressed.

The three tried hard to recall, but ultimately shook their heads. "We only heard about it from other refugees; we just know it's a good place—"

I haven't heard any bad rumors.

",