This was Ikenouchi Maki's happiest day.
Yesterday, even though her master had said she didn't need to come anymore, she refused to give up and still arrived early at his doorstep, hoping to beg for a way in, or at least a reason.
But fortunately, it seemed that even being kicked out the day before was just part of her master's test. Yesterday, when her master saw her, he still led her into the house as usual, as if nothing had happened the day before.
This made Maki incredibly excited, even believing that she had received her master's approval and could officially begin her apprenticeship!
...However, as usual, she spent the entire day doing chores, until this morning...
"Maki, do you want to go to an Other World?"
"...Eh?"
Her master suddenly said this out of nowhere, and then cracks began to appear out of thin air around him, splitting inch by inch from his center. Finally, the space around him exploded like glass, engulfing him.
"...Master! Wait for me!"
Both startled and overjoyed, Ikenouchi Maki lunged forward, grabbed a corner of Fang Wuwei's clothes, and then the exploding space began to overflow, eventually engulfing her as well.
Dizziness, nausea, darkness, a sense of ethereal space... Finally, just as she could no longer bear it, land appeared beneath her feet. Her legs gave out, and unable to endure, she collapsed onto the ground, her face ashen...
She started throwing up!!
Ugh~~~
Fang Wuwei watched from the side with a look of disdain. The first time he traveled, he only felt a little dizzy, and now he felt nothing at all... What? His physical fitness had already surpassed human limits the first time he traveled?
Then it was fine.
Maki, who was throwing up rainbows, eventually attracted the station security, and was helped to rest by kind passersby, while Fang Wuwei bought a train ticket.
Which train did he get on?
The Mugen Train.
This was the world of Demon Slayer.
According to the system's instructions and the mission assigned, the Reincarnators had already arrived here, and had even made a cooperative deal with Lower Rank One, Enmu, midway. So now, the Reincarnators were lurking on the Mugen Train, preparing to attack Tanjiro and the others who boarded.
The Reincarnators were his target, and Enmu, who cooperated with the Reincarnators, was also his target.
Before that, he didn't want to alert the enemy, so he decided to buy a ticket and board the train in a conventional manner.
As for Enmu's Blood Demon Art?
Are you kidding? A mere Lower Rank One dares to play genjutsu with my Kaleidoscope Sharingan? Do you want to experience the backlash of Tsukuyomi?
"Mas... Master... Ugh, ugh..."
"You go throw up completely before you talk to me."
"Yes... Ugh, ugh..."
Fang Wuwei looked at the sky; the sun was still high. It was a good thing they came early, otherwise, waiting for this baggage to recover would take forever.
Sitting on a bench with Maki, Fang Wuwei used some points to exchange for the currency of this world, bought two bento boxes and tea, and for now, ignored Ikenouchi Maki beside him, eating with great relish. The reason he brought Ikenouchi Maki was because Ikenouchi Maki was ultimately just a mortal. Her desire to become his disciple and learn skills might have been due to the influence of the World Consciousness. As a severe chuunibyou, she wanted to master true power.
And now, he had brought her away from that world. He wanted to know Ikenouchi Maki's true resolve.
If she didn't have the qualifications and mindset... Fang Wuwei might just leave her here... Perhaps.
The sky slowly darkened, and Ikenouchi Maki, finally recovered, understood the present situation... This was definitely an Other World. The people coming and going were dressed very retro, all in kimonos, yet there were trains, train bentos, and a series of somewhat modern things. It seemed... to be the Taisho period? Her history knowledge was quite good.
Finally recovered and full of energy, she began to look around excitedly, her face beaming with such enthusiasm that she was almost hugging a passerby's leg and asking questions.
Meanwhile, Fang Wuwei remained composedly seated on the chair. He never relaxed his training. Ever since he discovered that his self-created simple defensive spell was quite effective, he had been actively trying more possibilities.
The sun gradually set, and the beautiful sunset appeared, casting a dazzling orange-yellow glow across the sky. After a whole day, once the initial excitement wore off, Ikenouchi Maki only felt bored...
Because, her master never let her go out to explore this unknown world! Whenever she wanted to go out and play, Fang Wuwei would always grab her back and pin her to the chair. Even now, with the sun setting, she hadn't left the station.
So annoying, ugh~
Ikenouchi Maki lowered her head, beginning to sulk at Fang Wuwei. It was so hard to come to an Other World~
But Fang Wuwei didn't care at all. He just watched the sunset, stopped the new magic he had been constantly experimenting with, and began to silently regulate his breath, preparing for battle.
"Eh, Master, look at that person, their clothes are so different! Very few people wore clothes like that in the Taisho period!"
Just then, Ikenouchi Maki, who had been squatting beside him, suddenly tugged at his sleeve and pointed to a person walking by.
Fang Wuwei was startled. This was the bad thing about Ikenouchi Maki; he couldn't sense her spiritual energy at all, which often made him, who constantly sensed his surroundings, overlook Ikenouchi Maki's existence. But now it seemed that his inability to sense her was due to her own constitution, not a trick arranged by the World Consciousness of that world...
Following Ikenouchi Maki's pointing finger, Fang Wuwei saw a man with orange-yellow hair, wearing a white haori, who looked a bit like an owl, with a face full of fiery enthusiasm and vitality.
Flame Pillar Rengoku Kyoujurou.
Fang Wuwei's eyes narrowed. It was about to begin.
"Let's go."
"Eh?! Are we going home already?!"
Looking at Fang Wuwei, who had suddenly stood up, Ikenouchi Maki was startled for a moment, then quickly disappointed. She thought, it made sense, it was so late already... Perhaps today was just her master taking her to see the world... Ugh...
Ikenouchi Maki, who had obediently stood up, followed Fang Wuwei with her head down, but soon realized... Where were they going?
Seeing a train ticket suddenly slipped into her hand, Ikenouchi Maki immediately understood: they were going to board the train! To go out and have fun!
Woohoo~
Looking at the gesticulating Ikenouchi Maki, Fang Wuwei chopped her on the head with a hand, telling her not to embarrass him.
Though it hurt, it couldn't extinguish Ikenouchi Maki's current enthusiasm. She was truly excited. Nothing could excite a chuunibyou more than actually seeing something from their dreams come true!
"Master, Master! Didn't you say we were going back? It's so late already!"
"To complete the mission. We can't go back until the mission is completed."
Choosing a seat, Fang Wuwei sat down composedly, looking out the window at the scenery, quietly waiting for the right moment. Ikenouchi Maki, however, was so excited that she couldn't control her impulses, jumping up and down. If not for Fang Wuwei holding her down, she would probably have acted like a fool on the spot.
"Master! What's the mission! Exploration? Treasure hunting? Or are we going to uncover the truth of this world?!"
"Killing people."
"Oh, so it's killing... Wait, Master... What?"
"Go kill people."
Fang Wuwei repeated himself, and Maki's excitement instantly vanished, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. But soon, remembering something, her excitement instantly returned.
"Master, Master! Could it be... we're going to fight! To fight against invaders who want to destroy this world?!"
Giving her a strange sideways glance, Fang Wuwei couldn't think of anything to refute her for a moment.
"...It seems that's actually the case."
"That's great!! Brilliant Gale and Master's Other World journey! It starts with shattering the immortal despair's conspiracy!!"
"Those people are called Reincarnators, belonging to the Main God Space."
"...Good! We'll shatter immortal despair later! This time, the great Brilliant Gale will resist the Reincarnators' invasion!"
Speechless, Fang Wuwei decided to ignore the self-entertaining Ikenouchi Maki. He took one last look at the Flame Pillar sitting not far away, then silently closed his eyes and focused his mind...
All he wanted now was quiet...
Completely ignoring the loud, ant-like noises from the owl not far away, Fang Wuwei quietly waited, waiting for the right moment to arrive...
"Master... Look at those three people, their clothes are so different, and one of them is wearing a wild boar head mask, too..."
"Don't mind them."
"Master, that person is so noisy, and he's already eaten over twenty boxes of bento! Is his stomach a Klein's Infinite Stomach?!"
"...You'd better stick close to that one later."
"Eh?"
"Hello... Ticket check... Please show your ticket..."
Fang Wuwei, who had been closing his eyes and placating Ikenouchi Maki, finally opened his eyes when he heard this sentence.
He saw a gaunt conductor, holding a ticket punch, checking tickets one by one. His bloodless face and mechanical movements and voice made him seem like a dead man, or rather... there was no difference.
"Master, ticket... ticket..."
Ikenouchi Maki, who handed over her ticket, instantly became groggy after the ticket inspector punched a hole in it, and collapsed onto the seat.
But Fang Wuwei was not surprised at all. Once the ticket was punched, Lower Rank One Enmu's Blood Demon Art would activate, instantly sending them into a dream.
Though seemingly unprepared, he actually had no fear of this so-called Blood Demon Art. Not to mention his Kaleidoscope Sharingan, if he were afraid, his spiritual power would be the first to object.
However, he remembered the system's hint that Lower Rank One had already cooperated with the Reincarnators, so to be cautious, he still kept some backup plans...
Fang Wuwei, with an expressionless face, handed over his ticket, watched it get punched, and as his vision went black, he felt a release in his heart and collapsed onto the seat as well...
In a short while, the entire train car became completely silent...
And on the roof of the train, a figure stood, dressed in a sharp suit, with black hair and blue-green tips at the ends, fluttering in the wind...
Not far behind, another figure appeared again.
"Your Excellency... Your power is truly immense... All you want are those three demon slayers, right?"
Looking at the figure that appeared behind him, Lower Rank One Enmu, spoke in a voice that was indistinguishable as male or female.
"Give me those three young demon slayers. This is a transaction."
"Heheheh... Your Excellency, are you and your companion truly unwilling to come with me to meet Master Muzan?"
"If you say such words again, I will cut you down. Don't forget, my companion is at your neck."
"Your Excellency does not have a Nichirin Blade."
The figure did not retort, but merely disappeared silently...
——This is a dividing line that cannot be washed away——
His eyes began to clear, and Fang Wuwei opened them, only to see a familiar environment that he missed... yet also feared.
This was... his home.
This was Fang Wuwei's former home.
In an instant, Fang Wuwei understood that this was just a dream. His powerful spiritual energy told him that everything here was fabricated.
Rubbing his eyes, a tremor ran through his heart, causing Fang Wuwei intense pain and discomfort. A terrifying signal came from his brain, and the huge emotional fluctuation made him feel somewhat nauseous...
Enmu... you bastard... I was going to wait for the Reincarnators to come out... but now I've changed my mind. I'm going out right now to tear you to pieces...
Before Fang Wuwei could shatter this dream, a familiar voice, one he would never forget, came from behind him...
"Brother, I'm home..."
Fang Wuwei's body instantly stiffened, and the rage that had been brewing in his heart vanished in an instant...