Nobita's Time Heist

A gentle breeze rustled the petals, creating a soothing sound that lulled one to sleep. Da Xiong stared at them, and within seconds, his eyes narrowed involuntarily, as if he were about to drift off to sleep.

But soon, a strange feeling caught his attention—one of the lavender flowers had withered without warning.

"?!"

Like an infection of some disease, this force quickly spread throughout the flower field. Rather than "withering," it was more like all the flowers bursting into flames at the same moment. The exquisite petals were reduced to ashes, first bending under the teasing of the unseen flames, then carbonizing, turning into dust in the wind.

"boom-----"

At that very moment, the sky and earth shook violently, and the word "disaster" materialized, descending upon this wondrous land. Only then did Nobita notice that the sky here was different from Earth's; it was a dreamlike crimson, adorned with countless tiny stars, like a fantastical jeweled crown.

Regardless, under such violent shaking, he had no heart to appreciate even the most beautiful scenery.

Even worse, the palace itself began to shake and collapse. Large chunks of stone crashed to the ground, cracking everywhere. Inevitably, rubble ricocheted off, and a few hit Nobita, but fortunately, his legendary equipment prevented such physical attacks from penetrating his defenses. Slightly larger stones, even if they hit him on the head, would instantly split in two.

Even so, Nobita still tried his best to dodge, running along the corridors through the shattered palace. Unexpectedly, his physical strength seemed to have been greatly improved in the dream. After running for nearly ten minutes, he was panting heavily, whereas normally he would have been out of breath.

As if guided by some divine hand, Da Xiong, despite it being his first time here, found the right path. The bas-reliefs on both sides grew increasingly abstract and dense. With a quick glance, Da Xiong saw some familiar scenes, including the story of several swordsmen defeating the Demon Emperor, which seemed vaguely familiar. Unfortunately, the situation was urgent, and the entire palace was on the verge of collapse; he had no time to stop and investigate.

As they continued forward, the corridor gradually widened, leading to a hall inside. The structure here seemed exceptionally stable; crossing a certain boundary, the tremors from the outside world disappeared, leading Nobita to believe that he had entered a deeper level of the dream.

The scene before us resembles an immersive oil painting.

"Asur?!"

A half-human, half-dragon girl he had never seen before was extending her crimson right claw, gripping Asur's neck tightly and pressing her against the base of the statue in the center of the hall. The statue was undoubtedly in Asur's likeness—she wore a dreamlike three-strand braid, her hands raised, her expression serene, and a wreath on her head, striking a pose as if releasing a dove of peace. At first glance, she inexplicably possessed a transcendent divinity, creating a stark contrast to her current state of being pressed to the ground.

The palace's inner walls were riddled with holes and cracks, including a massive fissure that nearly cleaved the hall in two; the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated. This seemed to attest to a fierce battle that had recently taken place here. The result of the battle, however, was that Asur, the palace's master, was defeated and pinned to the ground in an extremely humiliating manner.

Standing behind the two was a tall, thin, and silent man. He looked very imposing, and the five-colored hada (ceremonial scarf) hanging around his neck left a deep impression on Da Xiong.

It was at this moment that he realized that this was not his dream, but a memory she was trying her best to hide from her companions.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

“I thought you could hold on a little longer…” Jaqen Herma slowly straightened the hem of his wool coat, walked over, and knelt down with gentlemanly manners, giving Asur a warm, sunny smile. “What a pity. It seems there’s no room for me to make an appearance.”

"You...you all..." Asur gritted his teeth, "What exactly do you want?! It's utterly absurd...I don't remember ever provoking you!"

“No, there really isn’t, but how should I put it?” Jakun narrowed his eyes, actually thinking for a moment, before pressing down on Asur’s head. “I don’t have any personal grudges with you. Really, not at all, it’s just… often, humans, these insignificant creatures, are driven by stronger emotions, doing things they themselves can’t understand. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He snapped his fingers, and the light condensed into a short dagger, which he held in his hand and gently pressed against Asur's throat.

"To put it simply... this world doesn't need two gods who control 'dreams.' My ally also wants to sit in that position, so I'll have to ask you to reluctantly give it up."

"People like us are capable of anything for revenge."

Chapter 280: Nobita, See You at the End of the World

"Nobita—!"

"Nobita————"

Faintly, Nobita heard someone calling him. The voice was elusive, as if it were calling him from behind something.

"Nobita, it's me...it's me!" After this seemingly "It's me, it's a scam" opening, the voice paused for a moment, becoming muffled like static on a phone. "It's a Baku! These invisible and intangible things are very difficult to detect...My companions are all asleep, and now...they're dreaming..."

"Can you hear me? My magic power is insufficient; I can only awaken one at most... After they awaken, be prepared..."

……

"..."

Jia Kun's expression suddenly froze, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He put away his dagger, slowly raised his head, and met Da Xiong's gaze.

Nobita's heart skipped a beat; reason told him this was impossible. If the voice was true, this was a dream created by the Dream Eater, and everything he saw before him, even if infinitely close to the truth, was merely Asur's dream, pieced together from fragments of her past memories. And these two people before him were nothing more than "materials" pieced together from her dream; how could they possibly interact with him, an outsider?!

However, reason is reason, and emotion is emotion.

Deep down, Da Xiong knew exactly what had happened. He calmed himself down, took a deep breath, and looked up to meet the gaze of the large-statured ascetic.

"Incredible, incredible!"

Separated by the boundaries of time and reality, Jia Kun saw Da Xiong, and with just one glance, he was certain that this was his destined opponent.

"Along the way, I've heard many legends about you. How you tamed the Azure Dragon, how you saved the towns ravaged by monsters, how you killed the Demon Emperor, and how you vanished without a trace after accomplishing all of this. The people of this world seem to believe that when everything collapses, you will reappear and save them from their suffering... Hahaha... Isn't that ridiculous? Your own world is about to be destroyed, yet you still place your hopes on an outsider, making up prophetic stories one after another, but you're unwilling to try it yourself."

"Boom!"

"Ah..." Nobita involuntarily opened his mouth. He felt himself jolted, or rather, he clearly felt his body jolted, producing a strong push-back sensation. At this moment, his temporarily separated spirit and flesh reunited, and his body floated up, about to leave this woven dream.

"What the hell? Did you go crazy from eating those herbs?" The half-dragon girl turned around, looking at her companion with suspicion. "There's no one else here. Who are you talking to?"

"Are you leaving? What a pity..." Jia Kun ignored her, just smiled at Da Xiong and waved to him.

Broad and dark, like a hand cast from black stone.

If I hadn't seen him hold a knife to Asur's throat with my own eyes, this smile of his would have truly resembled that of a kind and honest elder.

"Goodbye, or rather, goodbye for a while, Silver Swordsman."

"See you when the world ends."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"!!"

Almost startled awake, Nobita sat bolt upright, breathing rapidly and his heart pounding. Looking around, he saw his companions had been dragged into the camp's main hall. Despite the commotion, they remained asleep, lost in their own dreams, their expressions uneasy—clearly signs of nightmares. The only one awake was Rin. Having exhausted almost all her magic to wake Nobita, she was now slumped on the sofa, panting heavily, her condition far from good.

"You're awake. Dream Eaters have no physical form; they specifically target exhausted humans and draw sustenance from fear..." She forced a smile. "Speaking of which, they're not really dangerous monsters. Apart from causing nightmares, they're completely harmless to humans. If my magic were still intact, these little shrimps... wouldn't even come near me."

"It's alright," Nobita said with a smile, reassuring him in a matter-of-fact tone. "Once we defeat King Hundred Eyes, everything will be back to normal, and then your magic power will all be back, right?"

Lingyin was initially taken aback, but when she saw him describe defeating the Hundred-Eyed King as as simple as throwing away a piece of trash on the roadside, she couldn't help but laugh.

"hope so."

"I hope everything will be as simple as you say..."

"Thump—!!"

A deafening clang of metal clashing shattered their conversation and sent a shiver through the entire camp. Outside, the distinctive metallic roar of Meijin filled the air, the sounds of gunfire drowning out everything else, instantly making Da Xiong and Ling Yin realize the gravity of the situation. They exchanged a glance, and Da Xiong immediately climbed the ladder to the very top of the camp. He opened a skylight, leaned half his body out, and finally saw the whole scene.

A monster with a bull's head, a spider's body, and eight claws, its eight legs simultaneously exerted force as it slammed into the ground, its massive body matching the size of the transformed Meijin. It displayed extraordinary jumping ability, leaping lightly and landing directly on Meijin's steel body, its two front claws flashing down, piercing into Meijin's shoulder and abdomen respectively.

"laugh--!!"

The sharp, piercing sound of steel colliding was unbelievable to Da Xiong, as the two front claws wrapped in black clouds actually pierced through the body of the US dollar steel.

"ah----!!"

This massive metal behemoth let out a scream that sounded so similar to a human's for the first time. The initial impression he got from taking down the Needle Woman was that "monsters are nothing special." He wasn't human; to him, so-called "monsters" were simply another kind of creature that could be killed. As long as the firepower was strong enough, there was no problem that couldn't be solved.

It was this underestimation of his opponent that led him to subconsciously underestimate him when the enemy appeared. Before the enemy could even get close, he honked his horn and turned on his headlights, making a blatant provocation. The opponent, who hadn't initially recognized the car, was immediately on guard. Instead of launching a proper attack, the car, like a stallion with plenty of energy, charged towards him.

He only realized what was happening when the other party knocked him to the ground with the bull's horns on its head, and quickly transformed into human form. However, before he could even draw his weapon, the other party leaped up and pounced on him, piercing his body with lightning speed.

“Ox-demon…” Lingyin dragged her body and climbed up with difficulty, but she recognized the monster at a glance. Her face immediately turned troubled, and she bit her lip. “This is bad. It’s not easy to deal with.”

"One of the Hundred-Eyed King's subordinates?"

“It wasn’t like that before, but it’s hard to say now… Monsters only obey beings stronger than themselves.” Rinne looked at the suppressed Meijin with some concern, “Does this big iron lump of yours have any resistance to poison or anything like that?”

Before he could finish speaking, the two front claws were already churning inside Meijin's body, inflicting pain no different from that of a human. The newly minted Autobot roared, his arms transforming into short guns, and two scorching plasma beams shot out from the barrels, instantly severing the front claws. Meijin was able to break free, and with a flying kick, he slammed a heavy kick into the belly of the bull demon, finally managing to escape.

But... those two claws remained inside his body, making his movements less free.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"He already knows about your affairs, but this is a matter of the demon realm, and he has no intention of involving you humans."

Despite having its two front paws broken, the bull demon showed no sign of panic. Instead, it spoke in human language and stared intently at Daiki with its eerie eyes.

"Hand her over, and he can pretend nothing happened."

Chapter 281: Long Time No See, Master

"is it?"

Upon hearing this, Da Xiong's first reaction was to laugh. Perhaps he himself didn't realize that this time, his laughter carried a hint of disdain.

"Will he spare my life during the night parade of a hundred demons?"

"..." The bull demon fell silent, and its two severed front claws began to regenerate at a visible speed. Black mist coiled around the broken ends, and after a moment, they grew back completely, exactly as they had been before. Such a powerful self-healing ability made Da Xiong secretly break out in a cold sweat—judging from this situation, if he didn't destroy the entire bull demon's body instantly, he probably wouldn't be able to defeat it completely.

"The Ushi-oni is a hybrid creature created from the hybrid of the Oni race and the Ox. It possesses a physical body and has considerable physical strength, making it a mainstay among monsters. Its true form is not that large; what we see now is an illusion created by layers of black mist."

Lingyin felt a sharp pain in her gums, presumably because her human body had subconsciously sensed fear. She shuddered, "In short... this guy is a master of poison. All the black mist he spews out is poisonous. We must not touch it directly. This guy will use poison to pollute human water sources. Once you come into contact with it, there is no cure."

"It is said that he stored the deciphered bodily fluids in another sac inside his body, but never used them. To save the poisoned person, the only way is to kill him, precisely cut open the sac inside his body, and take out the bodily fluids inside..."

"Hahahaha—!!" Before he could finish speaking, the bull demon burst into wild laughter, proudly extending his two front paws, "Come and try it."

"But... can this steel monster that betrayed my race really still fight?"

Clearly, he interpreted Meijin as some kind of monster he hadn't seen before, but which had betrayed his side; however, none of that mattered. Da Xiong was startled and quickly looked at Meijin—his wound hadn't healed; instead, it emitted a hissing sound like acid corroding steel, and the part near the wound had already turned a rusty red. He seemed to notice this as well; a quick scan with his optical glasses caused his neck to deform again, finally transforming into a vocal organ.

"Nobita, I'm fine, it's just a minor injury..."

"when--!!"

A short blade sprang from his gauntlets, gleaming with a blazing light, and he roared angrily with a metallic clang, "Don't listen to his nonsense, I can still fight!"

“Perhaps it’s because you’re not made of flesh and blood, so you’re a little different.” The bull demon seemed quite relaxed, rubbing his paws and sneering, “But it doesn’t matter, it’s just a matter of time. My poison is equal to everything, the so-called ‘treating all equally,’ gnawing on pig iron and biting into refined steel is no problem for me.”

Da Xiong gritted his teeth and secretly gripped the Overlord Spear in his pocket. Faced with this malevolent alien race, he couldn't think of any other way but to kill it.

The problem is that the only bodily fluid that can be deciphered is in the sac, while the sac is inside his body.

Is it possible for the Overlord Spear, powerful enough to destroy a future world's war machine with a single shot, to pierce through his body and turn him into a pile of ashes?

He was slightly troubled because he didn't know the Oni's anatomy. Da Xiong was afraid of wasting his time, so he didn't immediately draw his gun. Instead, he considered whether to graz the Oni's head with the bullet, so that the energy would only evaporate the head and not damage the vital organs.

This silent standoff was interpreted by Niu Gui as a sign of being hesitant to act and having no other choice, which made him even more smug, and he laughed wildly.

"It won't be long before you rust into a pile of scrap metal, hahaha! Haha... ha..."

"what……"

The laughter abruptly stopped, and both sides fell into an eerie and brief silence.

"ah??!!"

Suddenly, the bull demon let out a shout without reservation, and all six legs supporting its body exerted force at the same time, turning its body around.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Clap!"

The forepaws that had grown out, however, slowly detached from his body and fell to the ground without him noticing.

……

"I'm so sorry, old man, but your laughter is just as annoying no matter how many times I hear it. I just can't get used to it..."

A gentle breeze ruffled the samurai's hair, and the man wearing the Shura mask had somehow appeared atop the explorer's hat. He had a straw stick dangling from his mouth, his hands tucked into his wide ronin sleeves, and both katana hanging neatly at his waist. He looked rather nonchalant, not like someone there to fight, but more like someone catching up with a long-lost friend.

"The Demon Slayer?!" Rinne was startled and instinctively went on guard, but quickly realized that it was the other party who had intervened and removed the two front claws of the Bull Demon from her body. For a moment, she couldn't discern the person's stance and simply asked in surprise, "When did you arrive?"

I didn't see it at all.

To use a somewhat old-fashioned analogy, the camera pans, and there they are.

"..." The distance was so close, almost a single exchange, that if the other party wanted to, they could draw their sword instantly and behead him. But, for some reason, Nobita felt no danger at all. The moment he saw the demon, he understood that this person (this demon?) would not harm him.

There was no reason, but I was just sure.

"Back then, you deliberately let us pass, didn't you?"

"Ha... I knew you must have gone underground when I saw the snakes, ants, and poisonous insects fleeing in such terror. I was right." The Demon Slayer shook his head, his face behind the mask seemingly smiling. "Such a commotion, it took me quite a bit of effort to pretend I didn't see it."

"You?" Lingyin initially doubted if she had misheard, but upon closer reflection, if she interpreted it in the most absurd way, everything that had just happened seemed to make sense. Her gaze towards Da Xiong changed instantly, as if she were looking at a foreign language, filled with astonishment and incomprehension.

How did a human living in the 21st century get involved with the Demon Slayer? What other unknown identities are hidden behind this savior?

"Um, maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. Please forgive me if I'm wrong." To avoid being misunderstood, Nobita used every honorific in Japanese, making every sentence a spice of words, thicker than a stack of murder mystery books. "Have we... met somewhere before?"

……

The samurai's lips twitched slightly, then a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Well, that's normal. After all, it's been a long time. We haven't seen each other since then, and now I'm like this. To be honest, I didn't expect to see you here..."

The samurai removed his Shura mask, revealing a weathered face.

Da Xiong had imagined what the demon slayer beneath the mask really looked like—perhaps a blue-faced, fanged monster with horns on his forehead and an angry expression, a true demon. But his real appearance was quite ordinary: a broad chin, a square forehead, and hair disheveled on his forehead. His cheeks had well-developed jaw muscles, and his stubble wasn't completely shaved. Only his round, piercing eyes were striking, like those of a lion or a tiger. At this moment, he was clearly offering a benevolent smile, his eyes half-closed, yet the light emanating from them showed no sign of diminishing, like a well-fed tiger conserving its energy.

"long time no see."