217: escalation

Outside the purple light barrier, the oppressive silence was broken by several figures rapidly approaching.

The newcomers moved with extreme speed, landing silently, yet carrying an undeniable sense of authority and a powerful energy field—the high-level support from the Special Affairs Department had arrived.

Kasumigaoka Utaha secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The sudden accident and the tense, confrontational situation between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons made her feel as if she was treading on thin ice, afraid to speak easily, fearing that any word might ignite old grudges and new animosities, drawing the conflict upon herself.

The Leader was tall and burly, with a resolute face and eyes as sharp as knives. He was Leader, the Advanced Instructor from the Special Affairs Department headquarters.

He wore a seemingly ordinary dark jacket, but the profound Aura emanating from him seemed connected to the earth beneath his feet, as heavy as a mountain, yet subtly revealing a restrained sharpness.

His arrival made the already taut air seem even heavier. Even combat fanatics like Shinazugawa Sanemi and Akaza subconsciously reined in their outward Aura, looking at him with grave expressions.

Leader's gaze was palpable, first sweeping over the enormous purple light barrier, his brows tightly furrowed, then settling on Kibutsuji Muzan. His voice was deep and extremely penetrating, carrying undisguised interrogation:

"Muzan, what do you intend to do?"

The brief question, however, contained immense pressure.

Facing this unfathomably powerful high-ranking official of the Special Affairs Department, who held the power of life and death over agreements, Muzan's indifferent expression remained unchanged. He merely turned his scarlet eyes towards Leader, his voice steady and devoid of emotion:

"Instructor Luo, we merely detected abnormal energy and violent fluctuations here, and came specifically to investigate." He slightly turned his body, gesturing towards the purple light barrier enveloping the campus.

Leader gave Muzan a deep look and snorted coldly. He did not continue to press Muzan's intentions, as there was indeed a more urgent situation at hand.

"Report on the current situation." Leader turned to Kasumigaoka Utaha, speaking concisely.

"Yes!" Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately straightened her back and, speaking clearly, quickly reported on the sudden formation of the light barrier, its invulnerability from the outside, the continuous abnormal rise of internal energy, and the gathering of personnel from all sides.

As Leader listened, his gaze once again fell upon the purple light barrier, his expression growing even more solemn. The elite Special Affairs Department members he brought had silently fanned out; some reinforced the outer perimeter, while others began using more precise instruments to scan and analyze the light barrier.

Seeing Leader take control of the situation, the Demon Slayer Corps members, though inwardly frustrated, could only temporarily endure and await orders. The disparity in strength and status compelled them to obey the Special Affairs Department's arrangements.

Doma idly fanned himself, his gaze wandering through the tense crowd, finally settling on the pale-faced boy cowering behind Kasumigaoka Utaha. His multicolored eyes lit up slightly, as if he had found an interesting toy.

"Kenya-kun~" Doma's voice rang out, with a coaxing tone, and he gently crooked a finger in Aki Tomoya's direction, "How have you considered what I told you last time? Come to our side, it might be much easier, you know? After all... aren't those of the same kind better at understanding each other's needs?"

Aki Tomoya's body trembled almost imperceptibly, a flicker of struggle and bewilderment in his eyes. He subconsciously took half a step forward.

"Stop." Kasumigaoka Utaha's cold voice rang out. She stepped forward, directly blocking Aki Tomoya, her brows tightly furrowed, and glared sharply at Doma, "Doma, stay away from him."

Her tone was forceful, adopting an unquestionable protective stance. As a rising star in the Special Affairs Department, Kasumigaoka Utaha's status and influence were no longer what they used to be.

Doma, however, wasn't annoyed in the slightest; instead, his smile deepened, and he lightly tapped his chin with his fan: "Oh dear, Young Miss Kasumigaoka is quite protective, isn't she? I'm just concerned about the 'junior's' development, after all, his current situation... is quite awkward, isn't it? In the Special Affairs Department, he's a 'specimen' that needs to be monitored and controlled; in the eyes of the Demon Slayer Corps, he's a filthy 'demon'; and in the ordinary human world... he can't go back, can he?"

Every word he spoke was like a needle, precisely piercing Aki Tomoya's most sensitive nerves.

"Senior, Mr. Doma... he actually means no harm..." Aki Tomoya lowered his head, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, filled with timidity and a subtle, almost imperceptible waver. He dared not look into Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's heart tightened as she looked back at Aki Tomoya. The boy's pale face was filled with unease, self-abasement, and confusion about his own existence.

Doma watched the scene at his leisure, as if enjoying an interesting play.

"Whether he means harm is not for you to decide, Kenya." Kasumigaoka Utaha's tone softened, but remained firm, "Remember your identity, and remember the rules of the Special Affairs Department. Staying away from them is for your own good."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's words carried protection, yet also felt like an invisible chain, re-emphasizing Aki Tomoya's awkward and restricted 'identity'.

This concern was genuine, but to the boy, who had long been tormented by anxiety and humiliation, it sounded more like a condescending reminder—a reminder of the gap between him and her, a reminder of his situation needing to be 'monitored and controlled', a reminder that he could never truly belong to either side, forever on the fringes.

"It's for your own good."

These words were the final straw.

Aki Tomoya pursed his lips, no longer arguing, and obediently shrank further into the shadows behind Kasumigaoka Utaha, as if completely submitting. However, beneath his lowered eyelids, hidden deep within the shadowed eyes, a surge of intense and chaotic emotions suddenly churned—

Discontent. Unwillingness. Hatred. Fear.

These complex emotions, flashing in an instant, though he desperately suppressed them behind his lowered face, did not escape the eyes of Doma, who had been observing with keen interest.

The boy's trembling shoulders and the subtle changes in his shadowed eyes were reflected in Doma's multicolored pupils. Doma's smile deepened, almost unable to conceal the pleasure of discovering an interesting prey.

He was all too familiar with that look—belonging to the ostracized, the twisted, Souls struggling in despair and longing. Such Souls were often the sweetest, and the easiest to... guide.

"How truly pathetic, Kenya-kun." Doma murmured in a voice only he could hear, his smile behind the fan growing more sinister.

"Sister." Shinobu softly called out, her gaze falling on Aki Tomoya, a fleeting, almost imperceptible complex expression flashing in her eyes.

She, of course, knew Aki Tomoya's file, knew that he had once eaten humans, even stained himself with the blood of his companions. In the creed of the Demon Slayer Corps, this was an unforgivable sin.

But Shinobu also knew that this boy was initially an innocent bystander caught in the turmoil. Seeing him now, pale and timid, struggling to survive in the cracks between all sides, even being tempted by his 'own kind', the soft part of her heart, belonging to a healer, could not be completely hardened.

However, this sympathy was firmly suppressed by her reason and duty. She understood better than anyone that mercy towards demons could mean the sacrifice of more innocents. Thus, that trace of sympathy ultimately transformed into a fleeting hint of sadness in her eyes, and deeper vigilance.

Kochou Kanae sensed her sister's subtle emotional fluctuations and gently patted her hand, silently conveying understanding and shared resolve. They sympathized with his plight, but would never blur the line between humans and demons because of it.

Aki Tomoya seemed to sense something, slightly raising his eyes, and happened to meet Shinobu's gaze, which had not yet fully receded. The complex emotions in that gaze made him pause, and he hastily lowered his head, not daring to meet her eyes.

Doma took all of this in, a playful smirk curving his lips. Sympathy? What an interesting emotion. But how long could this sympathy last in the face of absolute opposition and bloody reality?

Outside the purple light barrier, a sharp, deafening hum pierced the air!

The surface of the hemispherical barrier now violently fluctuated, like a deep pool into which a huge stone had been thrown! It wasn't just a simple tremor, but visible, outward-spreading purple energy ripples. Wherever the ripples passed, the air emitted crackling sounds of unbearable strain, as if space itself was being repeatedly folded and torn!

Leader's pupils constricted, his face instantly turning ashen. He knew better than anyone present what this sight meant—the internal structure of the domain was extremely unstable, and energy was crashing against its boundaries in an uncontrolled manner!

"This is bad!" His heart sank abruptly.

A domain disturbance of this magnitude was far beyond the scope of 'control.' The Special Affairs Department members inside had likely encountered unforeseen dangers, perhaps even... faced a grim fate!

"The people inside are in trouble!" Leader practically roared, his voice filled with unprecedented urgency and decisiveness, "We can't wait any longer! We must break this barrier immediately, save them! Suppress the anomaly!"

His command was like a thunderclap, echoing in everyone's ears.

The three forces—the Demon Slayer Corps, the Upper Rank Demons, and the Special Affairs Department elites—rarely erupted simultaneously, converging into a terrifying torrent of energy that fiercely slammed into the weakest point of the purple barrier.

The deafening roar and blinding energy light made it impossible to open one's eyes. The violent shockwave even scraped away a layer of the ground.

However, as the light dispersed—

The purple light wall was perfectly intact. Not even a single crack had appeared; the surface ripples, after violently undulating, quickly returned to stability.

It was like an absolutely solid, concept-wall that isolated everything, coldly devouring all attacks.

"Impossible..." A Special Affairs Department member muttered, looking at the instrument with no readings.

Shinazugawa Sanemi, unwilling to give up, swung his sword again, but the attack was mercilessly repelled. Akaza's fists, Kokushibo's Sword Qi, the Pillars' Breathing Technique... all attempts were like mud oxen entering the sea.

Even with the combined strength of everyone, they couldn't create a single opening.

An atmosphere of despair began to spread. Even Leader's face turned extremely grim. This meant they could only watch helplessly, powerless over the fate of their companions within the barrier and the potential disaster that might erupt.

Just then—

Crack.

A faint, yet unusually clear crisp sound, like ice cracking for the first time, pierced everyone's strained nerves.

It didn't come from the purple barrier!

Everyone looked up in astonishment, following the sound—only to see the Void Realm above and to the side of the purple barrier. Space, as if struck by an invisible heavy hammer, suddenly twisted, then burst open with an irregular, pitch-black fissure whose edges shimmered with chaotic light!

Terrifying spatial currents erupted from the edges of the fissure like tangible blades, shattering the nearby light! Even more unsettling, a completely different Aura from another world, carrying desolation and strange energy fluctuations, surged forth from the depths of the rift!