Azuma Shoyo nodded, signaling them to shut the door. After hearing the lock click and the table slide back into place, he turned and headed down the left corridor.
He activated his X-ray vision, sweeping every corner of the abandoned hospital. Soon, he spotted Shizuka Marukawa, who'd somehow wandered to the basement level.
"She made it to the basement?"
Azuma Shoyo shook his head, wondering if Shizuka had a hidden "directionally challenged" trait.
How else did she end up so far off?
He made a beeline for the nearest staircase.
With a clear target, he quickly descended to the basement.
The lighting here was green.
The corridor was lit only by faint safety lights on the floor, casting an eerie glow that screamed creepy.
Click!
A noise—something dropping—came from a room to his left.
Azuma Shoyo glanced over. Through the wall, he saw a staffer dressed as a ghost snickering as he dropped an aged ID badge, then ducked under a table, waiting to jump out and scare him.
Too bad Azuma Shoyo saw it all. He didn't bite—just looked and kept walking.
Inside the room—
The staffer waited, then crawled out when no one showed.
"Didn't fall for it."
He muttered, flipping a switch to slip through a hidden passage.
In the corridor—
Azuma Shoyo strolled leisurely, using his X-ray vision to scan the hospital.
He focused on those non-human creatures.
Three of them—two on the second floor, one down here in the basement.
And it was close to Shizuka Marukawa!
"They're targeting her?"
Azuma Shoyo thought.
He turned right at the next intersection.
Then—
A partition door ahead burst open, and a stumbling figure staggered into view.
"Ms. Marukawa!"
Azuma Shoyo caught Shizuka Marukawa before she fell.
"Huh? Azuma Shoyo? Did you get lost too?"
Shizuka blinked in surprise, staring at him.
"No, I came looking for you, Ms. Marukawa." Azuma Shoyo said, still holding her. This felt way better than Yoko Okino—leagues above, really. Shizuka was at least two, maybe three tiers higher!
"Ah! You came just for me?" Shizuka's face lit up with emotion. "That's so much trouble, Azuma Shoyo! But you've really got a man's responsibility!"
Her oblivious charm didn't register how intimate they looked. Nestled in his arms, she was all warm fuzzies, oblivious to the vibe.
Then—
Footsteps echoed from where Shizuka had come, closing in.
Slow-to-react Shizuka suddenly remembered—she'd been running from a terrifying figure.
She'd been too caught up chatting with Azuma Shoyo to think about it.
"Azuma Shoyo, there's a slasher chasing me—let's get out of here!"
Shizuka said.
"No rush. Wanna see this."
Azuma Shoyo kept an arm around her slim waist, eyes on the path ahead.
Bang!
The partition door slammed open again.
A figure stepped out—skin a bruised purple, eyes glowing red in the dark, mouth split ear-to-ear with razor-sharp teeth.
"Well, well! Another cute prey delivered right to me—buy one, get one free?"
"Ha ha ha!!!"
The thing carried no weapons, but its mere presence sent chills down the spine—way different from the staffer slashers!
"Close your eyes, cover your ears."
Azuma Shoyo ignored it, speaking to Shizuka in his arms.
She didn't get why, but obediently shut her eyes and plugged her ears with her hands.
"What? You think that'll save you from your fated doom?"
The non-human monster cackled.
"So, not gonna introduce yourself?"
Azuma Shoyo asked, eyeing it.
This guy felt weak to him—small-fry he could crush in droves.
But he was curious—what was it?
Might clue him into its world.
"Introduce myself?"
The monster laughed. "Mere blood-food like you deserves that?"
Blood-food?
So these things ate people?
Two options popped into Azuma Shoyo's head.
Ghouls?
But ghouls didn't look like this normally, and their skin wasn't this ugly.
The other—demons!
Not the ghosts he'd zapped with heat vision before, but solid, sunlight-fearing demons.
"So… Demon Slayer?"
Azuma Shoyo mused.
Didn't expect this world to mix in Demon Slayer too.
He'd never seen these demons before, though. In Tokyo, aside from a few sketchy spots he'd avoided, he'd scanned most of it with X-ray vision.
No demons anywhere.
Unless—
Muzan, that coward boss, was holed up on Kosai Island in this world?
In this mashup universe, with big shots everywhere, Muzan's courage might only stretch to hiding here.
If he ran into those heavy hitters, he'd probably bolt a thousand miles!
Assuming he could escape.
"So Kosai Island's Muzan's base?"
Azuma Shoyo pieced together a guess.
He looked at the demon again.
"How many people have you eaten?"
He asked.
"How many?" The demon grinned smugly, baring its teeth. "Maybe a dozen or so. Can't eat too often—plus, those others keep stealing my share."
"But this human-run park? Perfect feeding ground. Wonder how long it'll last."
How many demons in this park?
Azuma Shoyo scanned—32, exact count.
Not a ton, but not trivial.
Compared to the park's thousands of staff, 32 was small. But blending in, preying on stray visitors? That'd tank this place fast.
If they kept eating like this—
The park'd shut down soon.
Not that Azuma Shoyo cared.
He just didn't like being eyed like a snack.
"Alright, you've spilled enough. Time to be my strength-up meal!"
The demon couldn't hold back anymore—waiting this long was a feat.
It opened a mouth far wider than a human's, flashing rows of jagged teeth.
--- Translator Note ---
Read 30+ Advanced Chapters on my Patre on!
This novel has 2 daily chapters being translated and released every day on Patre on!
Patre on.com/MyKitty