Nakime watched silently as Muzan began to crush Lady Tamayo's skull. She continued to strike her biwa as if testing her blood demon art; nonetheless, nothing happened. Recalling her final moments in the infinity castle, she was practically invincible. Being able to alter the environment of the entire fortress was no easy feat. One of the very few reasons Muzan approved of her along with her demon art.

As she played her biwa, already sensing two Hashiras descending her way. She got ready to strike, but the sudden materialisation of a portal swallowed the two whole. Did she do that? She never strung her biwa; there wasn't a single sound from it either.

Its uncanny nature could be spotted out easily, so she was quick to the conclusion that it wasn't hers. She struck her biwa repeatedly, scouting the castle, noting the exit of key figures of the demon slayer corps, including a few demons. If it were a demon, she'd have sensed it. The fact that she didn't sparked trepidation within her. For all she knew, it could be an enemy able to level the playing field with her.

Sending word to the demon king crossed her mind first. He ought to be informed of the happenings, only that the king himself had been whisked away. Before long, she too succumbed to the mysterious portal.

And here she was.

Her infinity castle manipulation demon art is utterly useless in this zone. No matter how many times she strung it, it was the same. Fortunately for her, her eye detachment technique is still useful. The one she used to spy on the demon slayer headquarters prior. Yes, she was still useful; that eased the heaviness in her chest a little. For now she would wait until her master was ready while unleashing her demon art to explore this new world.

・・・・・

"You felt his presence. Didn't you?" Akaza asked Kokushibo.

The two stood on a high rise surveying the city. It wasn't the highest architecture, but it provided a good enough view.

"I sense you did as well. Lord Muzan is nearby." Kokushibo answered, his eyes still glancing at the busy streets. "I propose we continue our inspection of this world. That way, we will have the information we need to deliver to him. The modern society has exceeded my expectations. Heroes and Villains. Quirks. Our appearances don't cause unwanted attention. Another benefit. Heroes are the pillars of this society with the presence of hero schools to develop a new generation. Ones such as U.A."

Akaza took the information quietly. He'd gathered much of the same in the past three months, perhaps even more. However, he knew the upper one wouldn't list them all outright. He'd even know the regions he'd already scouted by heart. He won't mention it, not to him or the upper two, especially the upper two. Akaza didn't even want to imagine what he's up to.

Kokushibo paused, letting the silence draw for a minute or two before speaking, "I'll add one more thing. Demon slayers." He made out Akaza's long glance, proceeding, "You suspect where I'm going."

"I already know." Akaza withdrew his gaze to the city lights.

"As you should." Kokushibo said, "If you have nothing else to say, then farewell."

Akaza's gaze settled on the spot Kokushibo formerly stood. Resisting the urge to sigh, especially with another obstacle in the heap from what the upper one mentioned. He might as well continue his investigation. He's heard of U.A. a lot; not certain he held as much knowledge as Kokushibo, but it should be enough.

Gathering himself, he launched off the platform to an adjacent building, hopping from one to another. To be honest, Akaza didn't like this change at all despite having gotten used to his surroundings...well, mostly.

He's killed more men than he's eaten, which says a lot about the people here. Discrimination, crime fluctuation, and more egoistical individuals. He concluded it's all thanks to these quirks of theirs. He'd only met one quirkless couple in the midst of robbers. He'd never wanted to shatter skulls so badly.

That aside, he's met a few nice people too. Few.

Another notable observation is heteromorph discrimination. His complexion attracts his victims most unfortunately; upper one's six eyes wouldn't go unquestioned, as for upper two, he's a lucky bastard.

"Lord Akaza!"

Oh no.

Speak of the devil, Douma was catching up to him, which only emboldened him to quicken his pace. He's the last person he wanted to run into.

"Wait for me!" Of course, Douma chirped, keeping pace with him easily. "Ne, why so tense?"

"What do you want?" Akaza scowled. Not even up to ten seconds, and he's already wanting out.

Douma flashed a peace sign with a smile pasted on his face, "To talk. I caught sight of you and Lord Kokushibo earlier; I may or may not have eavesdropped on your conversation." He feigned hurt, placing a hand on his chest. "To think, you two would have forgotten me."

The latter's eye twitched as Douma continued tilting his head in thought. "Oh, and I hope you haven't been starving yourself. I'd recommend the people here are tasty, especially the women. I feasted on one some time ago. It's unbelievable how hard she attempted escaping, but I think you know the rest. It sucks there's no Marechi, though."

He dodged a fist aiming for his skull with ease. "My, Lord Akaza—"

"Piss off."

He didn't want to deal with him now. Particularly because of his worsened mood. Akaza is quite aware of his fellow demons consuming genders equally. He's knowledgeable of Kokushibo's human consumption due to his strive for more power yet still respects him. As for Douma, he'd die before he gives him any sort of recognition.

"Are you tired of me already?" Douma continues moving to place a hand on his shoulder while using his fan on his left hand to block the right hook. Akaza swept his foot, raising a fist once Douma was off balance and tearing it through his head, providing a remarkable blood splatter on the wall and floor behind. The immediate pungent scent of iron wafted heavily in the air as Akaa began withdrawing his gory fist on hearing footsteps.

Douma's grin didn't falter, soon regenerating his head and earning a tick mark from upper 3. "Needs a bit more punch, don't you think—"

"Watch it."

Douma looked over his shoulder to see who bumped into his shoulder. Akaza simply turned out of curiosity.

Dabi didn't bother to spare a glance at the demons he ran into. As far as he knows, he was waiting for someone still not looking forward to seeing two bystanders at the usual meeting spot.

"Oh dear, I do apologise if my graceful presence might have inconvenienced you." Douma smiled, waving it off casually as if it were nothing more than a minor accident. "I trust you'll find your footing again soon."

"Save your apologies for someone who cares."

Douma blinked at Dabi's dismissive tone, watching as he left; in a way, it reminded him of Kokushibo's. His face was unreadable for a slight second, then morphed to a dramatic pout as he fanned himself.

"Even the people here are no fun, right, Lo—"

Akaza, nowhere to be found, took the opportunity to flee while morons (according to upper 3) were brushing off each other like a speck of dust.

Douma's gaze was still fixated on the spot Akaza formerly stood. "Now now, we weren't even done with our conversation. I'm starting to think I'm the cause now." He swayed in thought. "I wonder if the biwa lady is here too. It would be easier if she were here or I had some of my fellow disciples."

He shifted, wondering what to do next. Perhaps make use of his blood demon art to create something wonderful while exploring the city; shall he feast on unfortunate humans he could encounter on the way, gathering more information? With all this free time, he was practically goalless at this point.

"You know it isn't safe to be out this late?"

Douma directed his head to the newcomer's voice.

A bird? A really big one? It descended down between the alleyway smoothly.

The variety of quirks he's seen so far hasn't failed to intrigue him.

"Ah, a new friend! I was starting to get lonely here. The night is still young, so don't mind me," Douma piped.

Hawks eyed Douma for a moment. Almost amused, he rubbed the back of his head with a sigh. "Late-night stroll, huh?"

"Exactly! The night is so full of wonderful opportunities." Douma spoke casually, approaching Hawks, slipping an arm across his shoulders, making him flinch a bit. "Besides, you seem like someone who could use some company at the moment. I was just thinking up a few ways to pass time, a nice chat... seems like a perfect way to spend the evening." He resumed patting his shoulder gently.

"You often get this friendly with strangers, or are you just bored?" Hawks glanced at Douma's rainbow-filled eyes.

Upper two tapped his chin with his fan gently. "Oh, you can say I'm a people person...at least until I find something...appetizing."

Hawks coughed a bit too suddenly, though not fazing the demon; he followed up by saying,. "Well, that's too bad. I'm actually meeting with someone, and right now I'm late."

Douma excused him just enough for Hawks to pull away. "A shame; I hoped to talk to you a little more." His fan shut with an echoing snap, already walking away in the opposite direction as he waved, "Hopefully we meet again."

・・・・・

All Might rushed into Musutafu General Hospital silently but with urgency. He got off the phone with Tsukauchi a few hours ago and entered the meeting with the Hashiras. Hopefully, he's not late.

"All Might."

All Might turned sharply to the voice of Tsukauchi, who stood with a grim expression.

"Tsukauchi?"

"All Might, I—I tried." The detective rubbed his forehead, feeling a migraine coming. "He was adamant."

All Might nods, placing a hand on his shoulder to reassure him, "Don't worry. I'm here to listen."

And so, Tsukauchi began the detailed explanation of what went down between him and Lucas. From his backstory, his friends, the reason for being in this world, how he ended up with the league of villains, and what he recalls up till now, including his self-preservational genocide plan, making the symbol of peace's frown deepen.

"It may not have immediate effects yet, but the impact is surely spreading. I don't want to blame our visitors for any of this...especially since this is my line of work for the investigating part. Now, most of our questions are answered, but there are still so many problems. It's something threatening to escalate, specifically if we don't take it seriously. At the end of the day, our world—not Lucas', not the demon slayers, but ours—will fall."

"Is he in?"

Tsukauchi nodded.

The two men walked briskly along the halls of the hospital. Most workers are ending their shifts while the night workers take their places. Soon guided by another nurse who had also been looking after Lucas during his night shifts. He escorted them to the fourth floor.

"Ward 4-09"

The door slid open, giving a sensation of cold air current with the window left slightly ajar yet broken. The lights now switched on, revealing the unoccupied bed. The gears turned in their heads.

Tsukauchi?

All Might?

Uh-oh.

Taisho secret

*Dabi had more interest in Akaza than Douma when he was still around.

*Kokushibo sometimes ignored the stray comments concerning his looks and managed to evade officials that might question his possession of a sword.