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Chapter 181: The Women of the Apocalypse Make Their Entrance
Greed Island.
Having just formed a Contract with Suyan, Mitsuri Kanroji stood dumbfounded in her first moments within this new dimension. As she flipped through the massive influx of information about this world that had been directly transmitted into her brain, she marveled at the magical place. However, a rather headache-inducing problem immediately presented itself.
"Say, where exactly am I supposed to find Master Busujima?" Mitsuri muttered to herself.
Just then, the Dimensional Gate behind her began to emit a faint, pulsing glow. Mitsuri turned her head, and a second later, Nezuko's silhouette emerged from the portal and came to a halt right in front of her. The two girls stared at each other. Recalling what had just transpired back in the bedroom, neither knew what to say, and the air between them grew instantly thick with awkwardness.
"N-Nezuko-chan~"
Mitsuri finally broke the silence, though she only managed to stutter out the girl's name. Considering Nezuko was standing here right now, it was painfully obvious that Suyan had fished her right out of the closet. Having just experienced such an embarrassing situation, Mitsuri honestly had no idea what to say.
"Mitsuri-nee, um..." Nezuko clearly didn't want to bring up the recent events either. She waved her hands frantically and suggested, "Let's just forget about what happened earlier for now. I think we need to focus on finding Saeko-nee and the others."
"You're absolutely right." Mitsuri nodded in agreement, immediately voicing her main concern. "But, Nezuko-chan, you probably already know this too, right? This place is absolutely massive. How are we supposed to find them?"
"It really is amazing here," Nezuko mused. "The moment I stepped through, so much information just poured into my head. I'm usually the type who can't absorb anything I read! And this place is so incredibly huge! I wonder if it's actually bigger than all of Japan?"
Nezuko also found herself stumped on how to locate Saeko. Obviously, they couldn't just search the entirety of Greed Island on foot—how much time would that even take? Suyan definitely wouldn't expect them to do something so foolish, which meant Saeko's location couldn't be too far from where they had entered. But even so, just navigating the sheer size of the castle they were currently standing in was a daunting task. They needed to hurry and get moving before they delayed Suyan's plans.
Suddenly, Nezuko felt a poke at her waist, snapping her out of her thoughts. She followed Mitsuri's pointing finger to where two strange, white, fluffy creatures were curled up asleep on the floor not too far away.
"Hey, Nezuko-chan, do you think they might know where Master Busujima is?" Mitsuri asked.
Nezuko looked at the two YukimiBotamon. Her maiden heart instantly melted at the sight of the adorable, furry creatures. She had to admit, they were undeniably cute, and it was completely normal for a girl like Mitsuri to want to get close to them. But asking them for directions?
"Mitsuri-nee, I think you're overthinking this," Nezuko retorted gently. "There's no way they could possibly know, right?"
Ignoring Nezuko's logic completely, Mitsuri walked right up to the white creatures. She crouched down and asked in an incredibly sincere tone, "Excuse me, could you please tell me where Master Busujima is right now? Please, her name is Saeko Busujima."
"Mitsuri-nee?!" Nezuko was left completely speechless. Are you actually asking them? We'd be better off just searching on our own! How could they possibly an—answer you?
Wait, did they just answer?!
Nezuko rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Seeing Mitsuri's earnest gaze, the two fluffy YukimiBotamon had actually responded.
"Mii!"
Their cries were crisp and clear. While the girls couldn't understand the exact meaning of the sound, the creatures' subsequent actions made their intentions blatantly obvious: Follow us.
"Nezuko-chan, look, look! I told you so!" Mitsuri grabbed Nezuko's arm and shook it excitedly.
Nezuko scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Alright, alright, I get it. We should probably hurry up and follow them."
Meanwhile, at the Butterfly Mansion.
Facing the overwhelming, crushing pressure of Muzan's full aura, cold sweat poured down Tamayo's forehead. The stalling tactics she had carefully prepared in her mind were entirely forgotten. She opened her mouth to speak, only to find that she couldn't make a single sound.
Suddenly, a lazy, drawling voice drifted over from behind her. "My, my. Tamayo-san, you're still awake at this hour? You really are a hard worker!"
Even without turning her head, Tamayo instantly recognized the voice. It was undeniably Shizuka Marikawa. Despite her incredibly lazy nature, Shizuka had indeed been following Suyan's instructions, assisting Tamayo in researching the Restoration Cure and the Immortality Elixir. Just as Suyan had promised, Shizuka's modern medical knowledge had provided invaluable insights. However, it was mostly just advice; Tamayo handled the vast majority of the actual practical work.
Shizuka treated this assignment like a clock-in, clock-out office job. She slacked off at every opportunity—if she could lie down, she wouldn't sit; if she could sit, she wouldn't stand; if she could just talk, she definitely wouldn't lift a finger. She assisted with the research during the day, and the moment night fell, she vanished completely. She cheerfully called it her "nine-to-six routine."
Therefore, while Tamayo was slightly surprised by Shizuka's sudden appearance, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
Shizuka slowly ambled up to Tamayo's side. She cast a brief, dazed glance at Muzan and asked absentmindedly, "Who's that guy? Is he another test subject Little Suyan sent over?" She sighed dramatically. "Little Suyan is such a pain. Why does he always give me so much extra work?"
Listening to Shizuka openly complain about Suyan—while subtly flaunting how close she was to him—Tamayo had a fleeting, intrusive thought. If this woman died by Muzan's hands right now, Suyan would be absolutely furious, wouldn't he? He'd probably want to tear Muzan apart and eat him alive.
But she knew Suyan only wanted to kill Muzan to fulfill their transaction. Tamayo immediately crushed the dark thought the second it bloomed in her mind. How could she possibly allow such a thing? If she let innocent people die to further her own goals, how was she any different from Muzan?
Tamayo whipped her head around, her eyes wide with panic. "Shizuka-san, run! That man is the Demon King, Muzan!!"
"Muzan? Who's that?" Shizuka blinked in confusion before clapping her hands together as if she had just experienced a revelation. "Oh! I remember now! Isn't he the prey Little Suyan has been trying to catch?"
Test subject? Prey?!
Hearing this, a dark rage surfaced on Muzan's face. He glared coldly at the baffling blonde woman before him. "You insolent woman... you certainly have a lot of nerve to speak to me that way!!"
"Well, if I help Little Suyan catch this guy, he'll definitely be super happy, won't he?" Shizuka continued talking to herself, completely ignoring Muzan as she absentmindedly stroked her chin.
"You court death!"
Being so blatantly ignored by this woman only fueled Muzan's fury. He threw his right hand forward, his arm instantly transmuting into a writhing, grotesque mass of flesh and tendrils that lashed out to engulf Shizuka. Despite his anger, Muzan didn't plan on killing her outright. He intended to capture her and use her as a hostage to threaten Tamayo, noticing how much the traitorous demon seemed to care about the blonde's safety. After all, Tamayo was so suppressed by his demonic aura she couldn't even speak properly, yet she had forced herself to yell out a warning.
Tamayo's pupils contracted. Her body moved on pure instinct as she threw herself toward Shizuka, trying to tackle her to the ground to dodge Muzan's strike. "Shizuka-san, look out!" she screamed.
The next second, Muzan's monstrous arm swept through the room, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris. However, Muzan felt no physical impact. There was no sensation of his flesh tearing into a target.
"She dodged?" Muzan looked at the dust-filled room in mild surprise. "Not bad," he praised coldly.
With the sheer speed of his attack, only the Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki possessed the reflexes to evade him. For Shizuka to dodge it meant she possessed strength at least on par with a Hashira.
"Phew~ That was way too close."
Shizuka slowly walked out of the dust cloud, effortlessly carrying Tamayo in a princess carry. She exhaled a breath of stale air and then looked down, giving Tamayo a mild glare. If Tamayo hadn't suddenly lunged at her, she wouldn't have had to dodge so frantically. Still, she couldn't really blame Tamayo, knowing she meant well.
Setting Tamayo down gently, Shizuka sighed in exasperation. "Tamayo-san, I'm pretty sure I mentioned this to you before, right? I'm actually really strong."
"This..." Tamayo stared at her, stunned.
It was true; Shizuka had mentioned it. Tamayo still hadn't figured out how Shizuka had managed to swat Yushiro away so effortlessly back at her estate. But Shizuka always acted so lethargic, drifting around like a lazy shut-in, making it incredibly easy to underestimate her.
"Alright, Tamayo-san, just stay out of the way and watch," Shizuka said softly. "Don't interrupt me while I catch this guy to give to Little Suyan."
"But..." Tamayo wanted to stop her, but how could she? Was she supposed to fight Muzan herself? Having no other options, Tamayo bowed deeply. "I leave it in your hands, Shizuka-san."
"That's more like it." Satisfied with Tamayo's compliance, Shizuka nodded. "Perfect timing, too. I get to test out my new toy."
The moment the words left her mouth, two drumsticks shaped like beastly fangs materialized in her hands. Behind her, five floating drums emblazoned with the kanji for 'Hatred' materialized in a halo. It was Hantengu's Blood Demon Art, the Raijin Drums, extracted by Suyan and granted to Shizuka via his Equivalent Exchange ability.
"Hantengu's Blood Demon Art?" Muzan noted flatly. "Is this the source of your misplaced confidence?"
Because they were in the Butterfly Mansion—an environment saturated with Wisteria trees—the wooden dragons generated by this Blood Demon Art would be naturally laced with Wisteria poison, giving them an inherent advantage against demons. But to Muzan, it was merely an annoyance. At worst, it would make him feel a slight twinge of threat, but it was nowhere near enough to actually kill him. The truth was, aside from that man from four hundred years ago—the man whose name Muzan refused to even think about—no one had ever made him feel like his life was truly in danger.
Muzan hadn't understood how Suyan's group was stealing Blood Demon Arts even when he scoured Hantengu's memories, but he figured it had to be Tamayo's doing. Once he killed them both, the answer would reveal itself.
"Hmph~" Shizuka hummed softly, offering no verbal retort. She simply raised her hand and lightly struck the Raijin Drums floating behind her.
A massive wooden sprout erupted from the ground, growing at a terrifying, hormonally-accelerated rate. Within seconds, the wood rapidly shaped itself into gargantuan, serpentine dragons. Shizuka tapped the drums again. Responding to her command, the wooden dragons unhinged their massive jaws and lunged ferociously at Muzan.
The battle had officially begun.
From a distance, Suyan observed the entire situation through his En. This development had completely derailed his original strategy.
Their initial plan was to use Kagaya Ubuyashiki as bait, isolating him in a room entirely saturated with Suyan's Nen to lure Muzan in. The moment Muzan stepped inside, Suyan would activate a trap, cutting off Muzan's connection to the Infinity Castle and trapping him in an inescapable cage, ensuring that even if he split into 1,800 pieces, he wouldn't be able to flee. Kagaya had even been fully prepared to endure Muzan's wrath once the Demon King realized he was trapped.
Who could have predicted that Muzan would not only bring an entire army of demons but would also instantly detect the presence of his old acquaintance, Tamayo? Instead of going straight for Kagaya, he had made a beeline for her.
Thank god Shizuka was there to stall him. While it was highly unlikely the lazy nurse could actually capture Muzan, she was more than capable of holding him off for a short time.
Having already safely transported the non-combatants—the Butterfly Mansion trio, Hanako, and Aoi—into Greed Island, Suyan let out a sigh of relief. Since Muzan hadn't taken the bait, he had no choice but to initiate Plan B. But that required setup time.
And then...
Suyan looked at the Dimensional Gate in front of him. A faint light rippled across the portal's surface, and a sleek, capable figure stepped through.
Saeko Busujima was wearing a thin black jacket over a white crop top, paired with simple jeans and long purple boots. It was a completely ordinary outfit, yet on Saeko, it exuded a lethal, magnetic feminine charm.
"A battle?" Saeko's lips curved upward slightly. The moment she stepped through the gate, her sharpened instincts picked up on the dense killing intent hidden beneath the seemingly quiet night air. It was entirely different from the peaceful atmosphere she usually felt when visiting the Butterfly Mansion. Even before her killing intent had evolved following Yoriichi's guidance, she would have easily noticed something was wrong.
"Yeah." Suyan nodded, validating her instincts. He looked at the purple-haired swordswoman. "Saeko-senpai, you can fight to your heart's content tonight. If I'm not mistaken, the absolute strongest combatants in this world have all gathered here tonight. That includes the man I told you about—the older brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the swordsman who lived over four hundred years ago."
"Well now, that is certainly something to be happy about." Saeko licked her lips, her eyes curving into crescents as a look of sheer delight washed over her face.
Perhaps it was because his intimate moment with Mitsuri had been abruptly interrupted, but Suyan's internal fire hadn't fully subsided. Seeing this incredibly alluring, battle-hungry side of Saeko made his blood run hot all over again.
Saeko pursed her lips. Having spent so much time with Suyan, she could easily read the heat flaring in his eyes.
"Once the battle is over, you can do whatever you want to me, Suyan," Saeko purred softly. "But for now, you're going to have to endure it just a little bit longer."
Rising slightly on her tiptoes, the purple-haired beauty pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the corner of his lips.
"Aha! I caught you! You guys are secretly making out behind my back, aren't you?!"
An indignant shout rang out from behind Saeko. Saya Takagi, sporting her signature pink twin-tails, stepped out of the Dimensional Gate. She puffed her cheeks, glaring at Suyan and Saeko with extreme dissatisfaction.
When Suyan and Saeko pulled apart and Suyan looked her way, Saya quickly turned her head, her tsundere nature flaring up. "D-don't get the wrong idea! I didn't come here specifically to help you! I only came out to help Yuriko-nee find a suitable Blood Demon Art! After all, we're the only ones who haven't been assigned one yet, right?"
A pale, elegant hand came to rest on Saya's shoulder, followed by a teasing, mature voice. "My, my. Could it be that our Little Saya is feeling neglected by Suyan lately, and is throwing a jealous fit?"
Following the voice, Suyan saw the elegant, intellectual beauty, Yuriko Takagi.
"Sister!" Saya stomped her foot in embarrassment, completely forgetting about Suyan and Saeko's PDA as she glared indignantly at Yuriko.
While Yuriko's words were ostensibly directed at Saya, Suyan felt distinctly called out. He had to admit, he had been somewhat... preoccupied with the Kochou sisters' three-player games lately, leading to a decrease in his interactions with the others. It was no wonder Yuriko and Saya were harboring complaints.
Sigh~ My body can handle it, but there simply aren't enough hours in the day. If only I could get my hands on a time-manipulation Nen ability, I wouldn't have to worry about scheduling conflicts anymore. Suyan sighed deeply in his heart.
"Alright, alright, that's enough teasing. Look, our little rascal is already blushing," Rika Minami chimed in, stepping out of the Dimensional Gate to smooth things over.
However, her words were a blatant jab at Suyan, directly exposing the underlying meaning in Yuriko's teasing. Suyan had only been feeling a little guilty before, but with Rika calling him out in front of everyone, he actually felt his face growing hot under their collective gaze.
"Fine, fine. Is that how you all want to play it?" Suyan glared playfully at the women before him out of feigned embarrassment. "Just you wait. Once tonight's mess is sorted out, I'm going to make every single one of you meow for mercy."
"Why didn't you just say that earlier?"
The women exchanged knowing glances, brilliant, radiant smiles blooming across their faces as they spoke in unison.
Crap! It's a trap!
Seeing their coordinated reaction, Suyan realized instantly that he had fallen for their stratagem. He was walking right into a trap that would leave him completely drained. He could already vividly imagine how they were going to transform into insatiable succubi and extract every last drop of his essence.
What a blissful headache to have~
The final person to step out of the Dimensional Gate was Rei Miyamoto. She looked curiously at the smiling group and asked, "What's everyone laughing about?"
"Listen closely, Rei-chan. Our dear Suyan just promised that he's going to make us all meow for him later~" Yuriko narrowed her eyes, sidling up to the strawberry-blonde girl with the cunning smile of a fox.
Rei looked genuinely confused. "Meow?"
"Alright, alright, let's drop the subject, please? We need to focus on what we're about to do," Suyan quickly interrupted, terrified of where the conversation would lead. If they kept going, he was going to be carved up and devoured alive.
Hearing this, Rei didn't press the issue. She looked at Suyan and said softly, "Suyan-kun, can I finally be of help to you again this time?"
Suyan gently stroked Rei's hair, his voice softening. "Yeah. I'm counting on you, Rei."
"Hmph~" Saya crossed her arms and hummed loudly, demanding her share of attention.
Not wanting to play favorites, Suyan reached out his other hand and ruffled her pink hair. "I'm counting on you too, Saya."
"Just leave it to me!" Saya puffed out her chest proudly, causing the impressive slimes housed there to jiggle violently.
As for the other Contracted women, they were far more mature than Saya and Rei and didn't share the same pet-like desire for headpats.
"Alright, down to business," Suyan said, withdrawing his hands. He addressed the group seriously. "Tonight, practically every demon in this world possessing a Blood Demon Art is here. If any of you spot a Blood Demon Art you like, capture the demon. I'll figure out a way to extract the ability for you afterward. As for the trash that you aren't interested in, just exterminate them. Above all else, prioritize your own safety. Don't risk getting hurt just for an ability. To me, all of you are far more important than any power. Once we capture Muzan, we can harvest as many Blood Demon Arts as we want. Understood?"
"Don't worry, little rascal. You know my ability isn't suited for front-line combat anyway," Rika spoke up. "I'll support them from the shadows. I absolutely won't let our sisters get hurt."
Suyan nodded. Among all the Contracted women, Yuriko and Rika were the weakest in direct, close-quarters combat. However, with the battlefield being the Butterfly Mansion, Rika was ironically the safest person here. Her Nen ability manifested as a long-range sniper rifle, meaning she would naturally seek out a high, secure vantage point—likely the canopy of one of the massive Wisteria trees surrounding the estate. Since demons naturally repulsed the Wisteria flowers, they would actively avoid her location. Furthermore, she was equipped with Karaku's Maple Leaf Fan; even if a demon did manage to close the distance, she could simply blow them away.
Of course, Suyan wasn't going to just sit back and watch. He would blanket the entire battlefield with his En. If any of the girls encountered real danger, he would intervene instantly.
"I leave it to you then, Rika-nee," Suyan said. He swept his gaze over the women one last time. "Then let's move out!"
With his command, Rika was the first to act, which surprised no one. She manifested Karaku's Maple Leaf Fan and charged out of the room, indiscriminately blasting away any low-level demons in her path. Scanning the area, she locked onto a secure vantage point in the distance. Channelling her Nen into her legs, she sprinted to the high ground at top speed.
Once secured, she took a deep breath, stored the fan, and conjured her true Nen ability: her sniper rifle.
Setting up the rifle, Rika didn't immediately start picking off the fodder demons. Instead, she kept her scope trained on the women exiting the room behind her, simultaneously scanning the Butterfly Mansion for her best friend, Shizuka. She had promised to provide cover fire, and she intended to keep that promise.
As for the lives of the other Demon Slayer Corps members on the estate? That was none of her concern. Having served in a Special Forces unit in her original world, Rika was intimately familiar with life and death. Her only duty was to protect her own.
It didn't take long for Rika to spot Shizuka locked in combat with Muzan. Or rather, it was impossible not to spot her. The clash between Shizuka and Muzan was easily the most destructive spectacle on the estate. The colossal wooden dragons Shizuka commanded were tearing the courtyard apart—even a blind person would notice the commotion.
"That little rascal really is biased, giving such a broken ability to a lazy woman like Shizuka," Rika clicked her tongue, muttering playfully. "Can she even use it properly? You just handed it to her?"
She was only joking, of course. She wasn't genuinely jealous of her best friend. While her Maple Leaf Fan wasn't overwhelmingly destructive, it perfectly synergized with her sniping style. She just felt that giving such an overwhelming power to someone as lethargic as Shizuka was a bit of a waste.
Complaints aside, Rika adjusted her scope, locking her crosshairs onto Muzan. She readied herself to provide support fire for Shizuka at a moment's notice.
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