Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 20 The Crimson Tide

"Mikkari, Isshiki-senpai, you're both alright." Yurika lifted her skirt and ran to Mikkari's side.

"Hmm, is Lily alright too?" Yu Jian looked her up and down.

The girl had two blushes on her face, and on top of her sailor uniform was a full set of twelve-layered kimonos, but otherwise there was no change.

"Aizen-kun, you're just like a princess from a Taiga drama," Isshiki Akane whispered in praise.

"It's a gift from new friends. I only helped them with a little bit, and they sent so many things. They're so kind." Aizen Yurika spread her arms and twirled around.

Contrary to its exaggerated appearance, perhaps due to the use of ordinary materials, this complex kimono is surprisingly light. With just a slight turn of the girl's body, the layers of hem and skirt flutter like blooming flowers, like butterflies spreading their wings and moving gracefully, beautiful and agile.

This shows their sincerity, and the locals are truly grateful for what Lily Fragrance has done for them.

But the 'people' here are... very kind?
Recalling the crimson monsters he had slain, Yujian couldn't help but have a subtle expression.

After asking around, he learned that the residents living near the White City were significantly different from the crimson monster he had encountered.

The residents of White City look like a jumble of messy lines tangled together, with pure white as the main color, similar to the original color of uncolored paper.

Its round body resembles a ball of yarn walking upright, with almost no visible dividing line between its head and body. Its limbs are short, and it has two upward-pointing ovals on its head, making it easy to associate with a rabbit from a distance.

At this moment, the residents of White City looked conflicted, both afraid and trying hard to get closer.

Clearly, they were afraid of the oil-mixing knife in Yujian's hand, but how did these creatures in the painting know the function of this painting tool?

"It's alright, they're my friends." Lily waved her hand, and the white yarn balls all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lily was just now..." Yujian's gaze fell on the girl's right hand, where she was holding a paintbrush.

"I'll draw facial features for the new friends so they can communicate normally and won't argue over every little misunderstanding." As she said this, Yurika's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Senpai Isshiki, why don't you come and help too? You're a professional, you'll definitely draw better than me."

“No, no, they are all Father’s works, I can’t… I’m not qualified…” Akane lowered her head and gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.

"Senior." Yurika didn't say much, but simply handed the paintbrush to Isshiki Akane, then reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look around.

The residents of White City, who resembled balls of yarn, all wore hopeful expressions. Most of them had no clear facial features and could not speak, but that unspoken emotion permeated every slight movement.

"I...I can't do it!" Akane Isshiki dropped her paintbrush, turned around, and ran into the depths of the alley.

Then, the sound of wind breaking came from behind, and the sword appeared in front of him like a shadow.

At the same time, he was carrying a tiny resident of White City, whose doll-sized body trembled, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape from the cold-faced demon king's grasp, and could only let out shrieks.

"Chirp—" The faceless ball of yarn made a long, drawn-out sound, and Akane Isshiki had no choice but to stop running away.

"Give it a try," Lily Fragrance said, handing over the paintbrush again.

"..." Akane silently took the paintbrush, and the moment she touched it, her trembling hand suddenly became unusually steady.

With just a few strokes, the little ball of yarn let out a silvery laugh. Yu Jian released his grip at just the right moment, and the little guy immediately dashed over to his companions, showing off his big, watery eyes and adorable rabbit-like mouth, drawing gasps of admiration.

"Isn't this a very good drawing?" Yu Jian shook his head, feeling that his role as the bad guy hadn't been in vain.

The world is often filled with illogical chaos, yet it also has its share of heartwarming moments.

Next, Akane Isshiki began to open the eyes and draw mouths of the residents of White Castle one by one, and the atmosphere on site became lively and cheerful again.

Mika walked over to Yurika, who had a free moment, and looked at the president who was thanking others for passing on her work. She couldn't help but marvel at how Yurika was so talented in some areas, as if she was born to be a shogi player.

"No, I just wanted to slack off a bit." Yurika used her mind-reading ability as usual (not really), which Mitsurugi was used to, or rather, numb to.

Maybe he really should prepare a mask for himself. Even if the image of a cold and handsome guy has already collapsed, at least he shouldn't expose his true nature as a sarcastic person so quickly. That kind of thing... doesn't seem to matter, does it?
"Does Lily have any clues about this incident?" Mitsurugi asked.
“Hmm, if I’m not mistaken, we’ve most likely entered the mortal realm again, but this time we should be much deeper. At least we can’t see any influence from the real world around us.” Yurika tapped her chin lightly with her folding fan. Deeper? Mitsurugi recalled the concept mentioned in the notes passed down through generations of the Supernatural Society and nodded in agreement.

“After talking with the local residents, I found that although they exhibited similar emotional expressions, they had little concept of themselves or the world. Rather than being human, they were more like echoes or reflections in a mirror,” the girl said with a smile, offering an almost indifferent assessment.

"So, whose reflections are they?"

Aizen Yurika turned to look at Mitsuki. In those unique blue eyes, she saw no confusion or surprise, only a calmness, a calmness as unwavering as a metal sword.

"I see." Yu Jian nodded.

"Find the people, find the way, and then go home." As he spoke, the boy turned his gaze in the direction he had come from.

"Looks like we're in trouble."

woo-

A deep horn sounded from the white castle tower, and the residents of the White Castle, who looked like balls of yarn, exclaimed in unison.

Immediately afterwards, they crowded around Yurika and Akane, lifted them up, and carried them towards the castle tower.

Although the yarn balls seemed eager, Mitsurugi didn't sense any malice from them, so he didn't stop them. Instead, he jumped onto the roof and moved towards the castle tower with the group of people.

On the other side, Akane Isshiki, who was being lifted up, couldn't help but gasp in surprise, while Yurika was able to maintain her dignified posture. The two of them were carried into the castle tower as if they were sitting on a flying carpet by balls of yarn, and immediately behind them came the heavy sound of the gate closing.

"It's the Red Country; they've attacked again."

"We have no color, so why are they attacking us?"

"They want blood, our blood."

The ball of yarn, now with a mouth, started making a noisy commotion. Yujian frowned, then suddenly flicked his finger at the blade.

Zheng——

In the open space, the metallic vibrato was particularly long and cold, the echo like a bird spreading its wings, swirling endlessly.

The resounding boom from 'Evil Blade - Extinction of Three Thousand Void' immediately silenced all the yarn balls.

"Block all entrances and exits, don't let the monsters outside in. The biggest ones, take your weapons and come with me to defend the outer wall."

Perhaps it was the strange magic of the phrase "Follow me" that made the residents of White City subconsciously obey orders, despite the fact that Yujian was a newcomer, and they divided into several waves to prepare for various city defense matters.

Unlike Western castles, the castle tower (tenshukaku) does not have extremely tall walls. It mainly relies on its location on higher ground, using walls, moats, and narrow slopes to create multiple lines of defense. However, due to the hasty evacuation, the outer defenses of the White Castle were completely abandoned, leaving only the main keep (tenshukaku) as the last line of defense.

The inhabitants of White City have a furry appearance and, regardless of size, are not good at fighting. The only things they can use as weapons are a few sticks of varying lengths.

Despite the unfavorable conditions, Yu Jian did not complain but silently counted the number of people and then began to think about what he could do.
Ironically, this calm mindset in dealing with unexpected situations, besides being numb by the Shura Dream, was also largely honed by the 'excellent' matchmaking mechanism of MOBA games.

For random teammates on the other end of the internet, cursing is useless and may even backfire. Those are essentially external factors that are difficult to control; only personal action is truly feasible.

Therefore, instead of having unrealistic expectations of others, it's better to think about what you can do right now.

Just like this swordsmanship, it seems to have been specially prepared for this moment.

After a quick inspection, Yu Jian went alone to the top floor of the castle tower and looked out into the distance to see a crimson wave surging toward the White Castle.

It was an army composed of many monsters from the painting, with the ancient warrior in the center wearing heavy armor being the most conspicuous.

Just as he was trying to figure out who the other person was, Akane Isshiki's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"That is the Red King, the King of Courage who rules the Crimson Kingdom."

(End of this chapter)