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His total points now stood at 10,890, breaking ten thousand once again.
That meant he could exploit the time difference created by the Fairy Corridor to farm points in the future.
When Alex returned to the Butterfly Estate, Shinobu Kocho couldn't help herself and threw herself straight into his arms. 🦋
Alex hugged her back and planted a firm kiss on her lips.
Nearby, Kanae Kocho covered her mouth in shock.
"Mr. Alex and Shinobu… have things already gone that far? Isn't this a bit fast?"
She wasn't the only one stunned. The nurses at the Butterfly Estate, Aoi Kanzaki, Kiyo Terauchi, Sumi Nakahara, and Naho Takada, all looked like they'd just seen a ghost.
Was this really the usually smiling yet extremely serious Insect Hashira?
Their worldviews shattered.
Shinobu came back to her senses after the kiss. Realizing there were people watching, her face instantly turned red. She pushed Alex away and ran back inside.
Alex's smile only grew wider. 😏
Sure enough, no matter how high a woman's status, she still got shy.
Watching the scene, Yoriichi asked, "Is she your wife?"
Alex shook his head. "Not yet. She's my girlfriend for now, but she will be."
Yoriichi nodded in understanding and didn't ask further.
At that moment, Kanae stepped up to Alex.
She curiously examined Yoriichi, who was dressed in Sengoku-era clothing, and couldn't help asking, "And this gentleman is…?"
Alex smiled. "His name is Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the creator of Breathing Techniques." 🌅
Kanae froze on the spot.
Yoriichi's arrival shook the entire Demon Slayer Corps.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya and the Hashira knew Alex was capable of incredible feats, but they never imagined he could travel through time and bring back an ancestor from the Sengoku era. ⏳
After everyone was introduced, Kagaya appointed Yoriichi as the Sun Hashira of this generation. ⚔️
They all held immense respect for him. Without Yoriichi, there would be no Demon Slayer Corps as it existed today.
In the early days, the Corps fought demons by throwing bodies at the problem.
They could only kill weak demons. Truly powerful ones were completely out of their league.
It was only after Yoriichi appeared and introduced Breathing Techniques that casualties were drastically reduced and demon slaying became truly effective.
Yoriichi himself never expected such reverence from future generations.
More importantly, he had returned to the Demon Slayer Corps once again.
The current Corps, both its master and Hashira, felt… right.
For the first time in a long while, he felt the warmth of home. 🏡
That night, the headquarters held another celebration.
Alex drank quite a bit. When he returned to his room, Shinobu was already waiting.
A brief separation made the reunion all the sweeter, and the night was anything but quiet.
…
Early the next morning, Alex and Shinobu were woken up by notification sounds from the chat group. 🔔
[Group Notification: Welcome "Vampire Princess" to the group!] 🧛♀️
[Group Notification: Welcome "Witch of the Gap" to the group!] 🧙♀️
They both opened their eyes, exchanged a glance, and pulled up the chat interface.
Alex: "Welcome, newcomers."
Shinobu: "Welcome."
Miko Yotsuya: "More new members again."
Mikoto Misaka: "Judging by the titles, they're both women."
Touka Kirishima: "I checked the avatars. Total beauties."
Roxy: "Think they're big shots?"
Miko Yotsuya: "Probably. A vampire and a witch don't sound ordinary."
Vampire Princess: "What is this thing? And who are you people?"
Witch of the Gap: "Is this some kind of prank magic?"
Miko Yotsuya: "Not magic. It's a chat group. Everyone here comes from different worlds."
She then explained the chat group to the newcomers in detail.
Vampire Princess: "Amazing. I never thought I'd be invited to something this incredible."
Witch of the Gap: "Interesting. Looks like the world is far bigger than I imagined."
Miko Yotsuya: "You should change your nicknames so it's easier to tell who's who."
Nangong Natsuki: "Already done."
Vampire Princess: "I don't have a name, so I don't know what to change it to."
Seeing the name Nangong Natsuki, Alex immediately recognized her as the Natsuki from Strike the Blood. He had liked her a lot back when he watched the anime.
As for the Vampire Princess, he couldn't tell at first. There were way too many vampire princesses in anime.
No big deal. He could just check the avatar.
Alex opened it.
A blonde, crimson-eyed beauty.
She looked familiar. Definitely someone he'd seen before.
After thinking for a moment, it clicked.
She was Yue from Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest.
In the original story, she was sealed at the bottom of the abyss, later rescued by the protagonist, and fell completely in love with him, following him everywhere.
Yue wasn't just a vampire with an immortal body. She was also an incredibly rare magical prodigy.
As a Divine Apostle, she could learn almost any type of magic.
By the end, she cleared every labyrinth with the protagonist, mastered all ancient magic, and even fused them into conceptual magic.
Now that he knew who she was, things got easier.
Alex: "@Vampire Princess Since you're a vampire, why not go with the name Yue?" 🌙
Yue: "Okay. Thank you for naming me. I'll be Yue from now on."
Miko Yotsuya: "@Alex That name choice was way too casual. You just saw the 'moon' character in Nangong Natsuki's name and reused it, didn't you?"
Alex: "Having a brain is a good thing. Too bad you don't use yours."
Miko Yotsuya: "You bastard, Alex! I'll fight you!"
Alex: "Sure. I'll even let you have one arm and one leg."
Miko Yotsuya: "Damn it! Just because you're strong doesn't mean you're special!"
Alex: "Actually, it does."
Miko Yotsuya: "Waaah… @Hestia, Goddess, the leader is bullying me!"
Hestia: "Alright, alright, Miko, don't cry. When Alex comes back, I'll teach him a lesson." 🏛️
"..."
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