Chapter 935: The Eighth Day Sets Out (11)

Demon Slayer.

"So pretty, so pretty, so pretty, so pretty—!! Miss Ting Yun looks even prettier than before!"

"To see Miss Ting Yun again... I'm so happy! So happy ahhh!!"

"Pinokangni really is heaven! To meet cute girls like San Yueqi and Ting Yun, I'd gladly stay in Pinokangni as a server for life!"

Zenitsu had a puff of white smoke rise from his head, as if his mind had entered a hyper‑speed overload. Inosuke even wondered if the guy was about to fly up on the spot, unable to look away from a woman's eyes.

"Miss Ting Yun has changed so much this time..." Xiao Kui, also a girl, watched Ting Yun with envy; her attire was completely different from before—her hair tied high in a bun, jeweled ornaments everywhere. A dark‑colored elegant robe draped from her shoulders, dark‑gold patterns winding down the collar; just standing there, she seemed enveloped in a hazy aura of nobility, indescribably beautiful.

She also wanted to try such beautiful clothes... but unfortunately, they probably have to wait until the day they kill all the demons before they can wear anything other than their uniforms.

"Five tails—does she still count as a fox‑person?" Inosuke examined Ting Yun's back; the five tails looked like five fluffy clumps of cotton pressed together, like some strange illusion that could vanish to a single tail in an instant.

"Of course she does; by your logic, General Feixiao doesn't even have a tail, yet no one refuses to call her a fox‑person, right?"

"Huh?? Feixiao actually has no tail?" Inosuke only just realized this.

"Yeah, maybe like Huo Huo, the tail was cut off later due to some factor," Tanjiro guessed. "But Miss Ting Yun's five tails look imposing, giving off a vibe that she's about to lash out and hurt someone..."

——

"Miss Ting Yun, you finally returned!"

Ting Yun gave a slight smile and nodded in acknowledgement.

"For someone so short, you're actually quite formidable..." San Yueqi was about to praise Wanweike a few words when she saw him clutch his head with a pained expression.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Huh..." Wanweike lifted his head, examined Ting Yun carefully again, frowned, and said, "Nothing, just a trivial matter..."

Xingqiri sensed something amiss and whispered, "What did you sense?"

"Sigh, I should've let you handle it yourself. This girl is far from as simple as she appears..." Wanweike held his forehead, gasping heavily, "I just... almost died a moment ago..."

……

Darkness settled before his eyes, like the chaos before the universe's birth. Amid that chaos, a voice sounded like that of a creator...

"Don't be afraid."

Ting Yun opened her eyes to find an unfamiliar, cold laboratory.

"What is this... place?"

The desolate voice whispered in her ear, "No matter what you see, remember one thing—you're not alone."

"Who... are you?" Ting Yun stared blankly at herself, "And I... who am I?"

She looked toward the empty hallway behind her; though it was silent, she seemed to hear the crackle of fire tongues, wails and screams converging into a roar that flooded her ears and seeped into her marrow, then fell silent in an instant.

"Is that... where I came from?"

Ting Yun turned and stared down the empty corridor ahead, "... where does this road lead?"

——

Kamen Rider Builid.

"N-no, that can't be... you die just by looking? Is Huanlong some 'unseeable' thing?"

"And hasn't Huanlong already been driven away? What did Wanweike see? A ghost? Or did that Huanlong thing leave something, something—"

Long Wo stalled for a moment, scratched his head, unable to find the right word.

"Mark," Mei Kong gently took over his words. "It's clearly something like a 'mark'—a lingering aura, a trace of a 'commander's' energy that remains deadly to ordinary fate‑walkers even after ages."

"Then why is Miss Ting Yun still alive?"

"It's probably related to the ancient beast remains that Miss Hime and others were searching for, just like—" Zhan Tu lifted a dark bottle from the table. "When a full bottle is purified after being struck, you can harness part of its power. The ancient beast remains likely work the same way; after Ms. Ruan Mei dissected them, the remains possessed abundant regenerative power or at least some resistance to 【Destruction】. Merged and altered with Ting Yun's original husk... now she can wield a portion of the ancient beast's power, and the five tails are proof."

"The ancient beast's remains are that useful? Feels like some priceless treasure..."

"After all, ancient beasts predate many star gods, so hidden secrets are expected. The key is that even the most potent remains need someone capable of fully using them." Zhan Tu placed the bottle back into the experimental apparatus slot. "Without Ms. Ruan Mei, the remains would just be an ordinary alien skeleton."

——

Walking along, Tingyun saw a phantom of herself ahead; the shadow turned its head and glanced at her, then lightly ran off into the distance.

"That... looks familiar. Is she trying to lead me somewhere?"

The direction where the shadow vanished led to an unfamiliar laboratory, where two men were chatting.

"The life‑support pod is sorted, all minor issues."

"Great. Otherwise, that Immortal Boat person would probably collapse."

"You're still trying?" the maintenance master found it unbelievable. "There's no precedent of success—does anyone truly have a chance after the Great Lord 【Destruction】 has eradicated them?"

"I'm not her, I don't grasp the underlying logic, but that genius said it could... so it must be done."

Ting Yun stepped forward and politely asked, "Gentlemen, may I ask where this is?"

The two didn't answer, continuing their own conversation. Ting Yun then realized they couldn't hear her at all.

She kept moving forward and, in a corner laboratory, discovered an observation log whose subject's portrait was identical to hers.

【51】 Observation Log (Day Six):

"As she walked, Ting Yun saw a faint silhouette of herself ahead; the shadow glanced back at her and then darted lightly into the distance."

Although extremely accidental, while consciousness remained in chaos, the subject began to give concise answers to simple questions.

From current observations, she can form complex sentences; however, intense pain repeatedly strikes in short cycles, interrupting her thoughts and even causing temporary loss of consciousness.

Correction: Temporarily block the subject's various senses to alleviate pain as much as possible; refrain from further questioning while physical recovery progresses.

Prior to this, the subject's answered questions are recorded as follows:

No. 1 Your name?

The subject answered within three seconds—Ting Yun.

No. 2 What did you encounter?

The subject thought for a long period until severe pain caused another loss of consciousness. After four inquiries, it is certain the subject knows the relevant circumstances but cannot explain them within the limited conscious time.