216: Campus lockdown

The Original World, Neon District.

Neon lights flowed as trains shuttled through.

The city remained as busy and weary as ever.

But looking up, news of supernatural events like "Reverse Rain," "Walking Ancient Well," and "Mirror Space" scrolled across central giant screens and mobile notifications with the calm tone of social news.

The period of panic had passed; when people found their life trajectories unchanged—mortgages still paid, overtime still worked—their initial shock transformed into numb acceptance.

Special phenomena became daily background noise, or even a sliver of absurd hope for weary Souls: "If I get caught up in it, maybe I can escape this life of being a beast of burden."

The surface was calm, but undercurrents were already stirring.

Outside the high school.

This campus area presented a bizarre "silence." It wasn't that there was no one there; on the contrary.

At the outermost perimeter, members of the units under the Special Affairs Department stood guard in black combat uniforms. Captain Zhong Tao pressed his earpiece, his hawk-like gaze sweeping over every possible approaching intersection.

His mission was to prevent ordinary people from approaching. Using a special mental suggestion field combined with physical isolation, they gently "erased" a layer of the entire area from the cognitive map of ordinary people.

Slightly further in, the atmosphere suddenly became murderous. Members of the "Anti-Demon Action Group," wearing dark gray uniforms and possessing heavy auras, hid in the shadows with sharp eyes. They were not guarding against ordinary people, but against "Cultivators" or other supernatural beings who might be attracted by the anomalies here or harbor ill intentions.

Undetectable ripples of energy monitoring permeated the air; any unauthorized energy fluctuation would trigger an alarm.

The entire campus was shrouded in a powerful barrier invisible to the naked eye, yet one that struck awe into those who could perceive it. That was where the true core strength of the Special Affairs Department resided, exuding absolute majesty in the silence. Anyone who broke through the first two layers and dared to approach this place would face the coldest, most ruthless instant execution.

Three layers of iron walls, all just to blockade this seemingly ordinary school.

Zhong Tao looked toward the building deep within the campus that was the focus of the shroud, his brow furrowed.

His rank was not high enough to know exactly what was inside, but mobilizing such a scale of defensive forces was enough to show how serious the situation had become. It was definitely not as simple as an ordinary "supernatural event" or an "anomaly point."

The short, calm confirmation of the inner security group came through the earpiece; everything was normal.

The second layer of the guard zone—the anomaly individual defense line.

"Senior, how about... withdrawing from this mission? I just have a very bad feeling that something is going to happen." A slightly timid and uneasy male voice spoke very low, sounding from the shadows of several tall beech trees.

The speaker was Aki Tomoya.

His face still showed an unhealthy paleness in the sunlight; his eyes darted about, and his body instinctively curled up slightly.

Compared to when he was first handed over as a "demon specimen," he seemed much more stable, but that deep-seated shrinking and sensitivity to danger had not disappeared.

"No." The one who answered him was Kasumigaoka Utaha, standing slightly in front.

She wore a dark Special Affairs Department uniform designed for mobility, outlining her slender figure. Her long black hair was tied into a sharp ponytail, and her sharp gaze scanned the silent campus walls ahead.

Her voice initially carried a business-like coldness. "This is a top-level mandatory mobilization mission from the department; no absence is allowed without a special reason."

Perhaps sensing the increasing unease from Aki Tomoya behind her, she turned her head slightly, her tone softening a bit. "Stay close to me. If a situation really arises that we can't handle... find a chance to hide in the safe zone."

Aki Tomoya's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only nodded.

"Hmph, truly cowardly, a filthy demon." A male voice, unmasking its disgust and disdain, suddenly cut in.

Not far away, leaning against a wall, the Wind Hashira, Shinazugawa Sanemi, had his arms crossed. His white spiky hair remained motionless in the breeze, and the prominent scar on his face added more ferocity to his already fierce features.

His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over Aki Tomoya as if looking at some nauseating filth.

"Sanemi." A voice as steady as a rock sounded.

Standing like an iron tower on the other side, the Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei, slowly turned his head toward Sanemi. The massive flail in his hand lightly tapped the ground, making a dull thud.

"The mission is the priority right now."

His voice was deep and peaceful, yet it carried an unquestionable weight.

Sanemi clicked his tongue and gave the cowering Aki Tomoya a fierce glare. In the end, he said nothing more, redirecting his impatient and vigilant gaze back toward the depths of the campus.

Himejima Gyomei turned toward Kasumigaoka Utaha and Aki Tomoya, pressed his hands together, and chanted a Buddhist prayer as a greeting, also subtly intending to mediate.

In this tense silence—

BOOM!!!

An incredibly thick pillar of light, like a roaring Dragon, shot straight into the clouds, staining the clear sky with an ominous purple hue!

Following that was a violent tremor that felt like the earth and mountains were shaking!

"Rumble—!!!"

The earth groaned, the glass of the school buildings shattered all at once, and dust erupted from the ground and cracks in the buildings! A strong shockwave accompanied by a deafening roar instantly swept through the entire blockaded area!

"Something's happened! Something happened inside!" On the second defense line, Shinazugawa Sanemi's pupils shrank as he shouted sharply. Although Stone Hashira Himejima Gyomei could not see, his massive body had already tensed, the flail in his hand humming as his perception opened fully.

Kasumigaoka Utaha reacted extremely quickly, grabbing the pale-faced Aki Tomoya, who was staggering from the shock, and retreating several steps. At the same time, she activated a protective Talismanic Incantation on her person, and a layer of faint light enveloped them both.

That sky-piercing purple light did not dissipate; instead, it rapidly collapsed inward and expanded!

The light was like a living fluid, spreading and closing rapidly along the campus boundaries. In the blink of an eye, it formed a massive, thick, purple hemispherical shield with eerie energy patterns flowing on its surface, like an inverted giant bowl, completely trapping the entire school along with the three layers of defense lines inside!

"Damn it!" Sanemi was closest to the edge of the shield. Seeing this, he didn't hesitate; he let out a roar, a chilling aura of wind exploding around him as he threw a full-force punch at the purple wall of light right in front of him!

DONG—!!!

A dull sound like striking a giant bell! Sanemi's violent power, enough to sever a demon's head, hit the light wall and was like a clay ox entering the sea, only stirring up a circle of intense energy ripples. Immediately after, an even stronger, more violent counter-shock force suddenly exploded!

"Ugh!" Sanemi groaned as he was forcibly sent flying, only managing to stabilize himself after crashing through a roadside tree. A trace of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of shock and anger. "I can't break it! What kind of ghost thing is this?!"

Almost at the same moment the purple shield formed, several figures flew in at incredible speeds from the outer and neighboring areas!

"Sanemi! Mr. Himejima!" Tomioka Giyu's figure appeared like a ghost, his nichirin blade already unsheathed by half an inch, as he looked at the giant purple shield with a solemn expression.

Behind him, Kochou Kanae and Shinobu landed gracefully, their toes lightly touching the ground.

Kanae quickly scanned the scene, her gaze lingering briefly on the painfully curled-up Aki Tomoya with a hint of complexity, before she, like her sister, turned all her attention to the purple barrier that cut off everything.

Shinobu's fingertips were already pressed against the tsuba of her slender nichirin blade, a chilling light in her purple eyes, but she restrained herself, first checking Sanemi's injuries with her sister.

However, it wasn't just reinforcements from the Demon Slayer Corps that arrived.

Several cold, tyrannical, and inhumanly malicious auras, like vultures smelling carrion, emerged almost simultaneously from several other directions!

"No, I can't punch through it, Lord Muzan." upper rank three Akaza flexed the fist that had just struck the light wall, his battle spirit slowly receding.

"Oh my, this is truly something~" upper rank two Doma paced to the front of the light wall as if strolling through a market. His pale fingers curiously poked at the flowing purple energy, and a slight stinging pain and repulsion came from his fingertips.

He tilted his head, his rainbow-colored crystalline eyes full of fake amazement. "Even Your Excellency Akaza couldn't break it. It seems like something we can't easily participate in, Lord Muzan~ Would it be wiser to leave now?"

As he spoke, he turned with a smile, his golden folding fan snapping open to cover half his face. Those eerie rainbow eyes accurately met two purple eyes filled with bone-deep hatred and killing intent not far away.

"Two beautiful young misses, we meet again~" Doma's voice was sweet as honey, yet carried deadly poison.

Shinobu's breath suddenly hitched, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her sword hilt. Her body trembled slightly due to extreme anger, and the tip of her blade had already risen an inch.

Kanae's hand pressed down on her sister's wrist at almost the same time. The force wasn't great, but it carried an unquestionable firmness.

Doma seemed to shrug with regret, lightly waving his fan.

At this threshold where multiple forces gathered, confronted each other, and hidden killing intent surged due to the sudden change—

An indescribable, extreme pressure, like cold tide water, silently submerged the entire area.

Every member of the Demon Slayer Corps, from the blood-coughing Sanemi to the steady Gyomei, from the cold Giyu to the struggling Butterfly Sisters—everyone's blood seemed to freeze in an instant, and their hearts were gripped by an invisible hand! That was the aura of a mortal enemy engraved deep within their Souls, needing no identification!

"Mu... zan!!"

Shinazugawa Sanemi almost squeezed the name through his teeth, along with blood foam and sky-high hatred, as he struggled to stand.

Kibutsuji Muzan.

He stepped slowly out of the shadows as if he had always been there. His perfectly tailored black suit and long coat made his complexion appear even paler. His face was peerlessly handsome, yet lacked any warmth a human should have.

His crimson eyes were like two frozen blood moons, slowly scanning the field—passing over the Demon Slayer Corps who were as if facing a great enemy, passing over the Upper Ranks under his command, passing over Kasumigaoka Utaha of the Special Affairs Department and the limp Aki Tomoya on the ground—there was no emotion in that gaze, only a high-and-mighty disregard as if for ants.

Finally, his gaze fixed on that massive purple light shield.

Half a step behind him, Kokushibo stood in silent attendance. His six demonic eyes were as calm as an ancient well, and the strangely shaped demon blade in his hand hung naturally, yet it seemed to lock onto the aura of every Hashira present.

Doma tilted his head, his rainbow eyes shifting with a fake smile, his voice sweet like poisoned honey: "Oh my, why is everyone so tense? Aren't we all 'partners' now? Under the regulations of the Special Affairs Department, we're practically colleagues~"

Himejima Gyomei chanted a Buddhist prayer in a deep voice, which was thick but carried a trace of undetectable stagnation. This Stone Hashira, who was always compassionate and firm, now faced Doma's direction, the speed at which he thumbed his giant prayer beads increasing by an imperceptible margin.

Doma's words were like a poisonous thorn, accurately stabbing into the most contradictory and helpless wound in the hearts of all the Demon Slayer Corps members present.

Yes, partners. Or rather, forced "colleagues."

The Demon Slayer Corps as a whole had accepted reorganization by the Special Affairs Department, becoming the core component of its subordinate "Special Action Team for Anomalous Creatures and Events."

This in itself had already made many members who held pure "demon-slaying" beliefs feel uncomfortable.

However, what made them feel even more like they had a bone in their throat, even feeling anger and betrayal, was that shortly after incorporating the Demon Slayer Corps, the high-level officials of the Special Affairs Department had actually reached some kind of dangerous "Temporary Restraint Agreement" with the demon forces represented by Kibutsuji Muzan!

The agreement's terms were harsh, placing great restrictions on the demons: during the agreement period, the demons had to strictly restrain their behavior, absolutely forbidding attacking or converting ordinary people; their activities had to be monitored by the Special Affairs Department, and they had to "cooperate" within a certain range to handle certain special anomalous events that posed a great threat to the human world. In exchange, the Special Affairs Department promised to suspend active extermination of the demons within the agreement during the agreement period and provide limited "legal activity space" and certain resources.

The Special Affairs Department's reasons were high-sounding: to concentrate forces to deal with the more unknown and deadly global "Anomaly Escalation" crisis; to utilize the demons' unique perception and resistance to certain anomalous energies; and to divide and balance the demon forces, preventing them from completely losing control and running wild in the chaos, causing a greater disaster.

But to the Demon Slayer Corps, this was a humiliation. How could hundreds of years of blood feuds be erased by a single piece of paper?

Weak strength meant no right to speak. This was the reality. The power and resources displayed by the Special Affairs Department made the Demon Slayer Corps, acting alone, seem inadequate. They could only endure the awkwardness and continue to fight as "internal personnel," even if their blades sometimes had to shift due to orders.

The only thing that gave them a bit of comfort was that the Special Affairs Department was extremely cold in enforcing the agreement. "Forbidding harming ordinary people" was an absolute red line; no fewer than ten demons who violated the agreement had been executed on the spot, and even Muzan had not publicly opposed it. This proved that the Special Affairs Department was not practicing appeasement, but was rather driving devils in a dangerous way.

Therefore, an absurd confrontation had formed at the moment: the demons were still full of malice, but under the deterrent of the agreement, they didn't dare to truly strike; the Demon Slayer Corps also had to strongly suppress the urge to immediately draw their swords, because the order was to "monitor, balance, and prioritize handling the current anomaly."

It was frustrating, but they had to endure.

"Partners?" Shinazugawa Sanemi spat out a mouthful of blood foam, his eyes fierce. "Just you wait; once this so-called agreement ends, I'll be the first to cut you down."

Doma chuckled behind his fan, but his eyes drifted toward Muzan.

Muzan had zero interest in this argument. His crimson eyes were only fixed on the purple light shield. He was considering Doma's suggestion; his reason told him he should withdraw now. He didn't want to personally approach any unstable factors at all.

Kokushibo stood in silent attendance, his six eyes sweeping over the Hashira before returning to silence.