Chapter 80: The Slasher Demon [Upper]

Tap… tap… tap…

A series of footsteps echoed as a train conductor patrolled each carriage of the moving train.

But he did not know that, just a short distance ahead in one of the carriages, a pair of eyes were fixed intently on him.

After completing his patrol, the conductor turned to head back.

At that moment, the lights inside the carriage flickered erratically, and the atmosphere grew eerie.

The shadow hiding in the dark suddenly appeared, extended its claws, and instantly killed the conductor, spraying blood everywhere.

…………

“P-please… p-please… s-spare me…!!”

Crack! Crack!

The demon’s neck was tightly choked, producing sharp snaps as it struggled to breathe.

Before it stood the hunter known as the 【God of Death】, who now regarded the demon as if it were merely an ant.

“Goodbye!”

Plop!

Swinging the Sun Wheel Scythe, he severed the demon’s head before its terrified eyes, reducing it to ash that scattered into the air.

“This is the last demon in my jurisdiction. Kyōjūrō has been on his mission for a day already. Now… I should set off to check on the Infinite Train.”

He immediately retrieved the 【Solar Flight Device】, strapped it to his back, stored the Sun Wheel Scythe inside the 【Nanospace】, and set off toward the location of Kyōjūrō’s mission.

After flying for over ten minutes, he arrived at a small town near the train station.

“Might as well—since I’ve got nothing else to do, I’ll take a look around.”

He retracted the flight device into the 【Nanospace】 and prepared to walk about.

“Help…”

Suddenly, he heard a faint cry for help—so quiet, yet clearly coming from nearby.

He immediately traced the sound’s origin, estimated its location, and rushed over.

When Zero arrived at the scene, he found a young woman lying on the ground, her clothes soaked in blood, her face severely injured!

He approached the woman and assessed her condition.

“She’s still breathing!” He swiftly retrieved a first-aid kit from the 【Nanospace】 and administered emergency treatment.

Thud! Thud! Thud…

As Zero treated the injured woman, several footsteps approached from behind.

“Zero?!”

“Lord Zero?!”

The newcomers were Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō, followed by two members of the Shadow Division.

“You’ve arrived just in time—I’ve already administered emergency care. Quickly, take her to a safe place and treat her wounds.”

“Yes, Lord Zero!”

The Shadow Division members carefully lifted the woman onto their backs and swiftly departed.

After the Shadow Division members left, Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō could not help but ask: “Zero, why are you here too?”

“My territory is clear of demons. I figured I’d come over and lend a hand if needed.”

“Wum! That’s good! Now that you’re here, I’m at ease! Hahaha…”

Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō laughed heartily—he trusted Zero completely.

“I’ll patrol the surrounding area and see if I can find any trace of that demon.”

“Fine. Meet up at dawn—I’ll send 【Yao】 to guide you.”

【Yao】 was the name of Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō’s Hashira Crow.

“Alright. See you then.”

The two parted ways. Zero activated his 【Analytical Glasses】 and began a systematic search…

Whether the demon was too cunning or had become wary, hours of searching yielded not a single trace.

He gazed at the rising sun in the distance and decided to temporarily abandon the search, preparing to rejoin Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō.

“Gaaah! Lord Zero! Master Kyōjūrō has sent me to guide you to him!” A Hashira Crow flew in from afar.

It was clearly Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō’s Hashira Crow—Yao.

It was said that Hashira Crows mirrored their masters’ personalities—and this one was no exception.

It spoke loudly and with great boldness.

“Understood.” Following Yao’s lead, Zero headed toward the rendezvous point with Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō.

Soon, they arrived at a small restaurant.

At the entrance, Zero heard loud cries of “Delicious!” coming from inside.

He pushed open the door and saw Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō sitting there, devouring udon noodles, with at least ten empty bowls already piled on the table.

Yet the restaurant seemed to be struggling—there were very few customers, only a handful scattered about.

“Delicious! Delicious! Huh? Zero, you’re here! Sit down and eat with me—this place’s udon is great!”

Seeing Zero had arrived, he invited him to sit and share the meal.

“Then I won’t be polite.” Zero sat down opposite Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō.

“Boss! Another bowl of udon for my companion—and one for me too!” Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō called out.

“Got it.”

While the boss prepared the food, Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō said: “Zero, I feel this mission of mine isn’t simple.”

“Mm. I sensed it too—that strange undercurrent. Though it’s only a guess, I suspect your mission involves an Upper Rank.”

“Really? Hahaha! Even if it does, I won’t back down! I’m eager to know just how far I am behind an Upper Rank! But now that you’re here, I’m even more confident!”

As the two talked, the boss brought over two bowls of udon and placed them before them. “Your noodles are ready.”

“Wum! Thank you! I’m going to eat… Delicious!”

Zero picked up his bowl, took a bite—the flavor was quite good.

“Boss, your food is excellent. Why does your business seem so slow?” Zero asked casually, still eating.

“What can I do? For the past month, the railway line has been plagued by that ‘Slasher’—passenger traffic has plummeted! My staff are all idle!”

As he spoke, the boss picked up a newspaper and continued: “Just a few days ago, we heard the train conductor was killed! And the so-called Infinite Train has stopped running entirely!”

“And I heard at least forty passengers have vanished without a trace! It’s become terribly unsafe!”

Zero fell into thought.

He suspected the so-called Slasher was the demon responsible for severely injuring the young woman last night.

But Zero’s intuition told him this was not so simple.

Perhaps the Slasher was merely bait—designed to create chaos and distract attention!

Or perhaps it was preparing some larger plan?

He resolved within himself: he would investigate the Infinite Train tonight.

After a brief conversation at the restaurant, Zero left first, preparing to gather any useful intelligence.

He arrived at the train station, where only a handful of travelers waited on the platform.

Clearly, the Slasher had made the station eerily quiet.

“Hello, madam! Would you like to buy something?” As Zero pondered, a girl’s voice called out beside him.

He turned to see a young girl with glasses and a small red cap, her hair braided into twin pigtails. She carried a large wooden tray filled with snacks and food—she looked quite adorable.

“Little one, you’ve mistaken me.”

“Ah?! Sorry, sorry! I—I thought you were…” The girl realized her mistake and apologized profusely.

Zero found her embarrassment amusing but did not mind—after all, he wasn’t the first person mistaken for someone else.

“It’s fine, really. Give me a bottle of soda.”

“Okay.” The girl handed him a soda. “That’s ten sen.”

Taking the soda and paying her, Zero asked casually: “Little sister, why are there so few people here? Shouldn’t the train station be crowded?”

“Sigh…” The girl sighed faintly. “I don’t know. Ever since those people disappeared, the station’s been empty…”

“Why is that?”

“I… I don’t know… Sorry, I have to go—help my grandmother run the shop.” The girl hurried away.

But Zero noticed—she was hiding something. Her expression held more caution than innocence.

He wandered nearby, recalling Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō’s information: this station was where the conductor’s body had been found.

But given the current situation, no anomalies were apparent—so he left to search elsewhere.

He would return here at night.

…………

Nightfall.

Kyōjūrō Kyōjirō arrived at the train station, accompanied by a swordsman.

Perched on the swordsman’s shoulder was a Hashira Crow.

“This is where the conductor’s body was found. Wum! Let’s split up and search.”

“Yes, Flame Hashira!”

As the two prepared to separate, Zero appeared behind them once again.

“Huh? You’re here too?”

“Zero, you’ve come.”

“Zero Pillar, my lord.”

“I found no useful leads during the day, so I decided to come back here tonight,” Zero said.

“Hmm, then the three of us should split up—it’ll be faster.”

Inside the train station.

The little girl who had spoken to Zero during the day now sat before her stall, holding a red bean bun, sighing helplessly.

“Xiao Fu, stop sighing and eat your red bean bun,” said the elderly woman behind her, her hair white as snow, wearing glasses and holding a cookbook on gourmet cooking.

The little girl’s name was Xiao Fu; the elderly woman was her grandmother.

“Hmm… no customers today either…”

“I’ve told you many times—after dark it’s dangerous. Come help at noon tomorrow. Ghosts appear at night.”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts! You’re making up nonsense again—we need to sell our bentos! Mom’s pregnant now, and Dad’s restaurant isn’t doing well…”

Xiao Fu’s grandmother put down her book and said, “Let the adults worry about such things. I’ll handle the morning and evening shifts alone.”

“What if the Ripper attacks you?!”

“If I can shield you from harm, it’s worth it.”

“Grandma!”

As the two spoke, three figures appeared before them.

The three were naturally Zero, Rengoku Kyojuro, and the swordsman.

Rengoku Kyojuro and his companions had found no useful leads at the station and came over upon hearing the voices.

“Good evening! What a splendid moonlit night! I’m searching for ghosts—have you seen any?” asked Rengoku Kyojuro.

This startled the swordsman; Zero also felt helpless, surprised Rengoku had asked them so directly.

“Rengoku, you’re too blunt!!” cried the Sound Hashira.

Seeing Rengoku Kyojuro, Xiao Fu’s grandmother stared in disbelief, a figure flashing through her mind…

Xiao Fu immediately stood up, placing herself between Rengoku Kyojuro and her grandmother, though her body trembled.

“Ghosts? What’s with this nonsense? Don’t come any closer…”

“Danger! You’re shaking so badly, your precious red bean bun’s going to fall!”

“!!!” Zero stared in shock—how could his focus be so off-track?

“Don’t come closer!!” Xiao Fu, terrified, hurled the red bean bun at Rengoku Kyojuro’s face.

Rengoku Kyojuro showed no anger; instead, he removed the bun from his face and took a large bite: “Delicious!!”

“I don’t know anything about ghosts—how could such things even exist?!”

Seeing this, Xiao Fu’s grandmother placed her hands on Xiao Fu’s shoulders and said, “Xiao Fu, don’t be afraid—he’s certainly no evil person.”

At that moment, Zero spoke: “I apologize—my companion is this blunt by nature, but he means no harm. We’re here only to investigate. If we frightened you, I apologize on his behalf.”

“You!” Xiao Fu recognized Zero—the boy who had bought her soda that morning.

Calming down, Xiao Fu spoke slowly: “I’m sorry. The Ripper case has left me on edge lately.”

Rengoku Kyojuro paid no mind to the earlier incident: “From what I heard, you prepare bentos before dawn and bring them here to sell? That’s truly admirable! People like you must not be harmed. Don’t worry—we’ll handle the Ripper.”

“Who exactly are you…?” Though still nervous, Xiao Fu began to trust Rengoku Kyojuro because of his strange behavior.

She believed he would not harm her or her grandmother.

“Then, farewell!” With that, he turned and left.

As the three prepared to depart, Xiao Fu suddenly called out: “Um… this… could I… ask you to buy a bento?”

“Of course! Then… I’ll take them all!”

Thus, Rengoku Kyojuro bought every bento, and the three left the station carrying them.

“Hmm, now we have a fine gift for the team. You’ve done enough—leave the rest to me and these two.”

“Yes, understood, Flame Pillar, Zero Pillar—please be careful.”

After packing her things, Xiao Fu prepared to return home early with her grandmother.

“Who were those three people? I’m glad they bought bentos, but…”

“Hurry home, Xiao Fu. I have a terrible feeling—my spine is chilled.”

“Grandma?”

…………

As Rengoku Kyojuro and Zero prepared to board the train, Zero asked, puzzled: “Rengoku, why are we taking this train?”

“This is the return train to the factory—it goes straight to the Infinite Train. We’re taking it to find it.”

“Uh…” Zero, speechless, grabbed Rengoku Kyojuro’s arm as he stepped onto the train: “The Infinite Train is no longer in the depot.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I investigated during the day. According to my findings, the Infinite Train was transported this morning to a fully equipped repair shop—it’s being prepared for re-deployment.”

“Hmm, I see. My mistake, hahaha!”

“Let’s go. From this direction, we’ll reach the Infinite Train’s repair shop soon.”

Then, under Zero’s guidance, Rengoku Kyojuro sprinted with the bentos toward the Infinite Train’s repair shop.