Demon Slayer:Multiverse crossover

Before the match began, I sent a quick message to Mochizuki:

"I'm in Hall 1."

In this competition format, no one knew who they'd be facing until the battle started. The only certainty was where you'd fight.

After the grand opening ceremony, the crowd dispersed. Only those assigned to Hall 10 remained behind.

I left the main venue and headed toward Hall 1, where I'd be participating in the points round. Standing near the entrance were Mochizuki and a few friends, who had apparently been waiting for me.

Mochizuki's soft lavender hair reached her waist, a delicate pink star hairpin clipped to her bangs. Her large black eyes had a gentle, shy gleam, and her dainty features made her look like she'd stepped out of a painting.

It was true what people said—beautiful girls tend to gather together.

"Brother, this is my good friend, her name is Chiyo Nitta," Mochizuki introduced her, nudging the girl beside her forward.

Chiyo Nitta? The name rang a bell.

If memory served, she was the daughter of the Nitta family—the second most powerful of the four major extraordinary families in Tianshui County. That meant the white-haired old man from the ceremony, Shinji Nitta, was most likely her grandfather.

"Nice to meet you, Nitta-san," I greeted politely.

Chiyo, clearly nervous, peeked out from behind Mochizuki, only showing part of her face and one hand as she shyly returned the greeting.

Wait—Chiyo Nitta was good friends with Mochizuki? That must mean she's a Type B student.

I looked at Mochizuki questioningly. She met my eyes and gave a small nod in confirmation.

So, things were a bit more complicated than they seemed. But this wasn't the time to dive into that.

"Mochizuki, let's head inside. It's almost time."

---

Together, we walked toward Hall 1. The stands were already filled with nearly a thousand spectators, all chatting and buzzing with anticipation.

After saying a quick goodbye to Mochizuki and Chiyo, I made my way to the inner field. They found a pair of seats and sat down, keeping their eyes fixed on the stage.

As I emerged from the players' tunnel, a wave of exclamations rippled through the audience.

"Is that James?!"

"No way! James is in Hall 1?!"

"What luck! I'm going to post this on the school forum!"

"Do you think he's as strong as the rumors say?"

"We're about to find out!"

"He's so handsome up close…"

Someone had posted about my assignment on the school forum, and now more and more students were rushing to claim seats. Before long, the massive venue was completely packed. Even Mr. Motoyama had arrived and was seated among the crowd.

> "James, your match is about to begin. Please proceed to Booth 3."

The notification buzzed on my wrist device.

Hall 1's inner field had been divided into four raised battle booths, each around three meters tall, allowing four matches to run simultaneously.

I stood up and walked toward Booth 3. Around me, the other students waiting for their matches looked uneasy. I could understand why.

With a light jump, I landed on the platform. It was a wide square with training weapons laid out on both sides.

I picked up a long blade, adjusted the grip in my hand, and waited for my opponent.

---

Across the platform, a student from Class 4 slowly climbed the steps. His expression could only be described as... resigned.

"Go on! Don't embarrass Class 4!" someone shouted from the audience.

"Yeah, at least put up a fight!"

Easy for them to say, the poor guy probably wanted to run away. As someone who had been through the practical class, he knew exactly how large the gap between us was.

> "The match begins!"

Despite knowing the odds were against him, his focus was sharp. He summoned spiritual energy into both hands, causing faint magic arrays to appear in midair.

I moved.

Before he could react, I was behind him.

I stood tall, blade in my left hand, and gently tapped his shoulder with my right.

He flinched, turning around in a panic.

All he saw was an open palm.

WHAM!

A powerful force slammed into his face, sending him flying out of the booth.

Wind roared past his ears before everything went black.

When he came to, he was in the referee's arms.

> "You've been eliminated," the referee said calmly.

"Damn it…"

He closed his eyes. Was it all just a dream?

For a moment, the arena was completely silent.

Then—

ROOOAAAR!

The audience exploded in cheers.

"Did you even see what happened?!"

"Not even a little!"

"Then why are you shouting?!"

"Because everyone else is!"

Only Mr. Motoyama wore a solemn expression. He hadn't seen anything clearly either—and that alone worried him more than anything.

> "Next match at Booth 4! Expected start time: 10:00 AM!"

> "Current Points: 1."

My watch updated as I stepped down from the platform and returned to the waiting area.

---

I continued winning matches in the same fashion.

One after another, my opponents fell—most of them not even realizing what hit them.

By noon, the number of spectators had dropped significantly. The casual crowd had seen enough and left. The hardcore fans stayed behind, their eyes still glued to the action.

The points round would last several days. Anyone without real determination wouldn't be able to hold out that long.

A glance at my watch told me the next match was about to begin.

I walked back to the booth as usual, blade in hand.

This time, something was different.

---

A new opponent climbed the stairs.

Short, bristly hair. A hardened face, sharp like a chisel. In each hand, he held a massive axe.

There was immediate noise in the stands.

"Oho! This is getting good. It's Taigo Yokogawa!"

"Who?"

"Come on, Yokogawa ranked 11th in the last tournament. Missed the top 10 by a hair!"

"Still no match for James."

"Eh, maybe. But at least this'll be more fun than the last few rounds."

James listened to the chatter and raised an eyebrow.

What a bunch of professional commentators.

He remembered the name Taigo Yokogawa, but vaguely. Apparently, the guy had trained hard over the past year. His aura now… it reminded James of himself before he had crossed into the Demon Slayer world.

Did he use an artifact? The Yokogawa family was also an influential family in the supernatural realm. It was entirely possible.

"James," Taigo said, standing firm. "I know surrender would be the smart move. But—"

His voice deepened with resolve.

"I've been holding this frustration in for a whole year. And today, I'm going to prove myself."

He raised his axes and bent into a low stance. Spiritual power surged into his legs and weapons.

James tilted his head.

"Do you want to dance too?"

He'd always wanted to say that line—ever since he was a kid.

"You'll regret your arrogance!"

With a powerful stomp, Taigo launched forward, twin axes slashing down in a cross-strike.

James twisted his left foot and slipped past the strike, using his knee to ram into Taigo's arm. The man's grip faltered, and the axes flew into the air.

Taigo didn't give up.

He dropped low, braced with all fours, and leapt back like a beast to create distance. With a burst of energy from his hands, the axes reversed in midair—boomeranging back toward James.

A skill like thread manipulation? That was unexpected.

As the axes whistled toward him, James spun to face them.

With a flurry of afterimages, he snatched both axes out of the air barehanded.

Gasps echoed through the hall.

Taigo's body dripped with sweat, but even as James turned his back to him, he rushed forward again, teeth gritted and eyes wild.

James admired his spirit—but didn't hold back.

He spun, swept his leg—

CRACK!

Taigo was airborne before he realized what hit him, crashing out of the booth and into the arms of the referee.

Silence.

Even the other three battle booths were momentarily forgotten.

---

"Mochizuki, your brother is amazing!"

Chiyo Nitta tugged on Mochizuki's sleeve, her eyes wide with wonder as she watched James calmly toss the axes aside.

Mochizuki smiled, pleased, but when she saw Chiyo's expression, her gaze sharpened.

Wait a second—

What's going on here?

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

pàtreøn (Gk31)