Stopping atop a clock tower, Giyuu crouched down, scanning the dark streets below with his dead fish eyes, his brow slightly furrowed.
"It's gone. We lost it."
His words remained as concise as ever, his tone quite calm, as if merely stating some trivial matter.
"That Lower Rank demon should still be nearby. It couldn't have escaped too far."
Her figure landing lightly beside Giyuu, Kanae made her decision after brief contemplation.
"Giyuu, we'll split up from here. The district on the left is yours, the one on the right is mine.
Don't act rashly. In half an hour, regardless of whether we've found its traces or not, we meet back here."
"Mm."
Nodding lightly, Giyuu leaped, his figure quickly disappearing into the district on the left.
Kanae followed closely behind, leaping down from the clock tower to carefully search the district on the right.
Not long ago, the Demon Slayer Corps received intelligence that a new private cinema had recently opened in Tokyo city.
This cinema was quite strange, operating only at night.
Moreover, it was said that every customer who had watched a film there, after going once, would become completely captivated, as if addicted, returning again and again without end.
Some extreme individuals would even eat, drink, and relieve themselves within that cinema, stubbornly refusing to leave.
Had this been all, it would be nothing. The important point was that from half a month ago, customers at this cinema began disappearing.
Not death, but vanishing mysteriously without anyone knowing, just like that.
A bizarre cinema, customers disappearing mysteriously...
The combination of these two aroused Ubuyashiki Kagaya's high alert.
Behind this cinema, there was likely collusion with demons.
Realizing this, Ubuyashiki Kagaya immediately dispatched two Hashira-level swordsmen—Kanae and Giyuu—to investigate together.
No probing, going straight for the king bomb from the start!
According to the Demon Slayer Corps' past conventions, after suspecting that demons might be active in a certain area, the Ubuyashiki clan would not actually send Hashira-level swordsmen there at the very beginning.
Under normal circumstances, they would first dispatch an ordinary team of swordsmen. If this team could resolve the matter smoothly, that would be best.
If they couldn't resolve it, then they would continue to send reinforcements.
Until multiple teams of swordsmen were unable to resolve it, the Ubuyashiki clan could thereby confirm—
This demon must be one of the Twelve Kizuki!
At this point, they could formally requisition Hashira-level swordsmen to go subjugate it.
And to raise the success rate of subjugation as much as possible, most of the time, the Ubuyashiki clan would simultaneously dispatch two Hashira-level swordsmen to go together.
Of course, the above was the past procedure.
As historical materials were organized, the Demon Slayer Corps gradually detected that since several decades ago, the movement patterns of demons seemed to have undergone some changes compared to the past.
Although those weak demons would still inhabit sparsely populated rural areas, avoiding frequent contact with human society as much as possible.
As for those powerful demons, especially the Twelve Kizuki, they all seemed to be gradually moving toward major human cities?
Although there were still no records of Upper Rank demons, at least two-thirds of the Lower Rank demons slain by the Demon Slayer Corps within the past several decades were inhabiting large cities such as Tokyo or Osaka!
This was a very unusual signal.
Powerful demons were abandoning their habitat habits of the past several hundred years, actively beginning to integrate into human society, disguising themselves, living like normal humans...
What did they want to do?
Kibutsuji Muzan, what do you want to do?
Regarding this, Ubuyashiki Kagaya did not know.
But regardless, this abnormal phenomenon still provided him with some convenience when judging demon strength.
Those active in sparsely populated rural areas were, with high probability, weak ordinary demons.
Those active in densely populated major cities were, with high probability, one of the Twelve Kizuki.
Following precisely this logic, after suspecting that the new cinema in Tokyo might be related to demons, Ubuyashiki Kagaya directly presumed this demon to be one of the Twelve Kizuki, dispatching two Hashira to subjugate it.
And reality was indeed as he predicted.
Upon arrival, Kanae and Giyuu discovered that the owner of this cinema was precisely a demon who had only recently been promoted to Lower Rank Two.
Its name was Enmu, a special demon possessing mental attack-type Blood Demon Art.
By making targets come into contact with objects contaminated by his blood, Enmu could force targets into sleep, creating various different dreams for them, torturing their spirits.
Moreover, he could even invade a target's dreams with his own will, destroying the "spiritual core" in this manner, thoroughly destroying the target's spiritual will.
Thus causing someone originally firm in will to become a spiritual cripple.
When they first entered the cinema, Kanae and Giyuu, without any precaution, had both simultaneously fallen victim to Enmu's Blood Demon Art, falling into sleep together with the other moviegoers.
But just as Enmu was about to erase Kanae's spiritual will, she, originally deeply trapped in dreams, strangely and suddenly awoke, frightening Enmu into fleeing in panic.
Because she was worried about Giyuu who was still asleep, Kanae did not choose to pursue immediately.
And by the time she woke Giyuu, Enmu had already escaped the cinema. Thus began a fierce chase through the night streets of Tokyo between the two and one demon.
[Mm?]
Rapidly shuttling through the night streets, having just run past one street, Kanae's peripheral vision suddenly captured a black shadow flashing past at the end of the street ahead.
[Found it!]
Without hesitation, Kanae immediately placed her hand on her blade hilt, pursuing at full speed.
Rushing through the intersection ahead, she turned to see that black shadow stumbling into a luxuriously decorated building adorned with countless neon lights.
[Crap, if there are humans inside...]
"Hey! Miss! Please wai—"
"Sorry! I'll definitely pay for the entrance fee later!"
Without time to think, Kanae hurriedly pursued. Her figure nimbly flashed between the two attendants attempting to block her at the main entrance, following the shadow into another world behind that heavy door.
In the next instant, melodious Western music surged like tidal waves, instantly filling her eardrums.
A grand dance hall unfolded before Kanae's eyes. Men and women in splendid attire paired up, dancing together in the hall following the rhythmic Western music.
Crystal chandeliers overhead refracted countless tiny points of light, dotting their swaying skirts and garments, adding even more splendor to this entire dance hall.
The atmosphere within the dance hall was bustling with excitement. Attendants carrying trays shuttled nimbly through the surrounding aisles, always ready to provide drinks and refreshments to those men and women indulging in pleasure within the hall.
What... is this place?
A dance hall?
A dance hall where Tokyo's elite usually gather for entertainment?
Suddenly intruding into such an unfamiliar place, Kanae stood frozen in place for a moment, somewhat at a loss.
"Congressman Yoriichi, regarding that previous matter..."
Just as Kanae was in a daze, two men suddenly walked past before her.
Both held wine glasses in their hands. One wore a kimono, bald and obsequious.
The other wore a suit, his dark red long hair tied in a high ponytail. Though already middle-aged, one could still glimpse his handsome youth.
Kanae had once seen this man by chance in a newspaper.
His name was Tsugikuni Yoriichi, a government official with considerable influence in this cabinet, also highly respected among the common people.
____________________
This story has ended in chapter 315, you can read on patreon.com/dzeref887 for faster access or wait until August to read on WebNovel until the story ends.