บท 116: The Group Mission Has Arrived!

"Why is this happening? Where did it all go wrong..."

In a hidden mountain laboratory, Kayaba Akihiko, dressed in a white shirt, black trousers, and a black tie, with a lab coat draped over his shoulders like a researcher, frowned as he stared at the screen in front of him.

On the screen, lines of code continued to flash rapidly. As time passed, Kayaba realized that he was gradually losing control over the game. Despite trying everything he could, he was unable to stop the situation from escalating.

"Could it be that all my years of effort were destined to be nothing but a fleeting illusion?" Kayaba slumped back into his chair, his ordinary-looking face filled with despair, completely devoid of the confidence he once had.

At this point, he had completely lost his management privileges over the game. The game he had personally created was now inaccessible to him, a cruel irony he could not stomach.

Kayaba's base was hidden within a cave in the mountains, away from satellite surveillance, and through his own means, he had ensured that no one could trace his location through the network.

Before executing this death game, Kayaba had made extensive preparations to ensure that the police would not be able to find him.

But man proposes, and fate disposes. In just one day, his entire plan had collapsed, rendering all his careful preparations meaningless.

Meanwhile, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, a mysterious email was received by their official inbox. Not long after, four police helicopters took off from the department's helipad, heading straight for the mountain where Kayaba Akihiko was hiding.

...

As dusk began to fall, Kanae Kocho looked at the brightly lit but remote town ahead, her eyes filled with caution. It had taken her two full days to travel here from the Butterfly Mansion.

Taking a deep breath, Kanae resolutely stepped into the town. The town was home to hundreds of families, and the wide streets were bustling with activity, giving off a lively vibe.

Feeling her empty stomach, Kanae walked over to a ramen stall. For the past two days, she had mainly relied on dry rations she carried with her. Now, seeing the white noodles being prepared at the stall, she couldn't help but swallow in anticipation.

The ramen stall's owner, upon seeing Kanae approach, knew he had a customer and quickly stood up to greet her.

"Miss, would you like a bowl of ramen?"

"Yes, one bowl, please." Kanae nodded, sitting down at one of the tables near the stall and scanning her surroundings.

The Demon Slayer Corps had only received intelligence that a Twelve Kizuki demon had been sighted in this town, but they had no specific details. The slayers who had previously come here had all mysteriously disappeared.

"Mister, have there been any strange incidents around here recently?" Kanae asked as she observed her surroundings.

"Ah, in the past few days, one young woman from a good family has gone missing every night. It's got everyone in town on edge. Families with daughters don't dare let them go outside anymore. It's truly a sign of the times," the owner said with a worried expression, though his hands kept working.

After a pause, he continued, "Miss, are you just passing through? If you're staying the night in town, make sure to lock your doors and windows tightly. Stay safe."

"Thank you for the advice."

The missing women were clearly victims of a man-eating demon, and a perverted one at that, given its preference for unmarried young women.

"Your ramen is ready. Please enjoy." A few minutes later, the ramen stall owner placed a steaming bowl of fragrant ramen in front of Kanae.

After turning off the stove, the owner, who looked to be in his forties, struck up a conversation again.

"A few days ago, I saw several swordsmen dressed just like you arrive in town. But by the next day, they were gone, probably having left during the night. Are you one of their comrades?"

"Yes, I am," Kanae replied softly, her voice gentle. She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and said, "I humbly partake."

She took a spoonful of the rich broth, blew on it gently to cool it slightly, and then sipped it. The moment the soup touched her lips, her eyes lit up with surprise. The ramen's flavor was far better than she had expected, rivaling that of professional ramen shops in larger towns.

Next, she picked up some noodles with her chopsticks and slurped them into her mouth, savoring the chewy texture. She couldn't help but mentally cheer at how satisfying the ramen was.

"You're quite impressive, young lady, traveling the world at such a young age. Unlike us, who don't even dare to leave the town," the owner said with a sigh, his face lined with the years of life's hardships.

"If the world were free of demons, a peaceful, stable life would surely be a blessing," Kanae thought to herself as she stared absentmindedly at the bowl of ramen. She recalled the figure who often appeared in her dreams and silently made a decision: "Yes, I've decided. After defeating Muzan Kibutsuji, I'll take Shinobu and Kanao with me to live in Eriri's world!"

Kanae used to believe that demons were once human and felt sympathy for them, which often worried Shinobu. But now, she no longer held any compassion for demons. Any demon that ate humans was, by definition, evil. She could now unsparingly draw her Nichirin Sword and slay demons with the utmost speed.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Kanae addressed the ramen stall owner, "Being able to live in peace is already a great blessing."

Compared to the constant loss of life among Demon Slayers, a peaceful, everyday existence was indeed a luxury.

"Sigh, but how can we talk about peace when that vile kidnapper is still lurking in the shadows, snatching young girls away?"

"Don't worry, mister. The problem in this town will be resolved soon."

"Haha, I hope so."

A few minutes later, Kanae finished her ramen and paid the owner before leaving the stall.

Now, it was time to hunt some demons!

Without taking a break, Kanae began searching for signs of demons. Usually, demons emitted a distinct scent, and once she caught a whiff of it, she could track them down.

As night fully descended, most of the townspeople had returned to their homes, and the streets became increasingly deserted.

After searching for a while, Kanae still hadn't found any clues. Her brow furrowed, and her face took on a grave expression.

Just then, she heard light footsteps approaching from behind her, and a fierce demonic aura suddenly assaulted her senses, sending shivers down her spine. A strong sense of danger flooded her awareness.

Kanae quickly turned around and took a few steps back, her hand instinctively reaching for her Nichirin Blade, which she drew in one fluid motion, her whole body now on high alert.

Strong!

Indeed, the demon approaching her was far more terrifying than any she had encountered before. Even with her current strength, she wasn't sure she could win.

"Could this be Muzan Kibutsuji?" Kanae speculated, her mind racing as she faced the demon. Only Muzan could make her feel this kind of fear.

But the next moment, when she saw the demon's face, her eyes widened in disbelief.

The demon, who had the appearance of a young man, had the characters "Upper Moon" inscribed on his left eye, while the character "Zero" was inscribed on his right eye.

Upper Moon Zero—a title that didn't exist in the original story.

Danger!

Kanae could feel that this Upper Moon Zero was beyond what she could handle. Without hesitation, she opened the chat group, intending to call for Eriri's help!

[Flower Hashira: Eriri, help me!]

At that moment, the chat group issued a sudden announcement, catching everyone's attention and exciting all the group members.

[Ding! A member, 'Flower Hashira,' has encountered a rogue traveler. Group mission initiated!]

[Mission world: "Demon Slayer" world.]

[Mission objective: Eliminate the rogue traveler.]

[Target identity: Upper Moon Zero.]

[Completion reward: 10,000 points.]

[Participant limit: Three members (Group Leader and the member who triggered the mission are not counted. Participants can be selected by the Group Leader or randomly chosen).]

[Chika Fujiwara: Yay! A group mission! Finally! And 10,000 points for the reward? Awesome! Count me in!!!]

[Ashen Witch: First come, first served! I have to be one of the participants, right? Right?!]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: The chance to change fate has come! I, the Twelve-Winged Fallen Angel, shall descend upon the world again! Big sister, take me along!!!]

[Asuna: Count me in!!!]

[Arche Eeb Rile Furt: Me too, me too! That many points is too tempting! I've lost interest in the quest I just took.]

[Iron-Blooded Hot-Blooded Cold-Blooded Vampire: I'd like to visit other worlds as well.]

[Red Devil: I want to go too! The daily sign-in points aren't enough.]

[Arifureta (Group Leader): Hold on a second, everyone. Kanae needs rescuing right now.]

[Kashiwagi Eri: I won't join the mission. Give my spot to someone else. I'll head there on my own.]

[Kashiwagi Eri: By the way, chat group, if I don't officially join the mission but kill the target, can the reward still go to the members who accepted the mission?]

[Ding! Yes. As long as the group members with mission slots are present in the world, the reward will be distributed among them, no matter how the target is eliminated.]

[Kashiwagi Eri: Alright, then don't count me in the participant selection.]

[Ding! Understood.]

[Kashiwagi Eri: Okay, Arifureta, you can go ahead and pick people. Or just do a random draw. Let's see who gets lucky.]

[Arifureta (Group Leader): Sure thing. We're all sisters, no need to fight over this.]

[Chika Fujiwara: Agreed. I'm all for it.]

[Asuna: Agreed!]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Agreed!]

[Arche Eeb Rile Furt: Agreed!]

[Iron-Blooded Hot-Blooded Cold-Blooded Vampire: Agreed!]

[...]

[Ding! Mission participants have been selected!]

[Participants for this mission: Arifureta (Group Leader), Flower Hashira, Chika Fujiwara, Fallen Angel Black Cat, Ashen Witch.]

[Chika Fujiwara: Yay!]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Yay!]

[Arche Eeb Rile Furt: Boo! Sad.jpg]

[Ashen Witch: Haha, I knew I'd get a spot! Awesome.jpg]

[Iron-Blooded Hot-Blooded Cold-Blooded Vampire: Ah, it seems my luck wasn't so great this time.]

Eriri had just finished dinner, so she didn't need to log out of the game world to participate.

After informing Nana and Momo, Eriri directly traveled to the "Demon Slayer" world.

At the same time, a world portal appeared before the selected group members, large enough for a single person to step through.

Luckily, both Fujiwara Chika and Ruri Gokou were alone in their rooms, so no one was there to witness the mysterious and eerie portal. Otherwise, the sight of it might have made any outsiders question their sanity.

As for Elaina, it was even easier for her. She was staying alone in an inn, and even if someone saw the portal, they would likely assume it was just some form of teleportation magic.

Meanwhile, after the mission was announced, Kanae let out a deep sigh of relief.

Still, she couldn't help but feel that the group mission detection system had some flaws. Why did it only trigger when face-to-face with the enemy? And it took several minutes to assign participants. If she had encountered an enemy strong enough to kill her instantly, the others would have been too late to save her.

"I guess I'll have to suggest an improvement to Eriri," Kanae mused. After all, it was well-known in the chat group that giving feedback directly to the chat group was often ignored. But if Eriri gave feedback, the chat group would comply with her every request within seconds.

So, getting Eriri's approval was essentially the same as getting the chat group's approval.

The outcome was obvious: talking to Eriri was the most effective way to get things done.

"Upper Moon Zero? Since when did the Twelve Kizuki have such a rank?" Kanae muttered, her expression blank as she faced the demon standing five meters in front of her.

The rogue traveler, who had become Upper Moon Zero after crossing into the Demon Slayer world, eyed Kanae with a lecherous gaze, unable to hide his desire.

As a traveler, he had naturally watched "Demon Slayer" and knew the related lore, instantly recognizing the girl standing before him.

He had crossed into this world with a cheat-like "Supreme Demon King System."