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Alex cleared his throat, preparing to chant.
With his current power, many spells could be cast silently.
But this was resurrection magic. Better to be careful.
Not only did he chant, he even summoned a staff from Unlimited Blade Works.
It was a replica of Morgan's staff, something he'd almost never used.
Seeing how serious he was, Shinobu felt a surge of gratitude.
"Uncharted domain, forbidden wall."
"At this moment, I turn my back upon the laws of heaven."
"Rod of Asclepius, Holy Grail of Salus."
"You whom even the full authority of healing cannot summon, I beg you to linger."
"Judgment of kings, thunder of condemnation."
"If defying divine truth demands a trial by fire, then I shall walk into the underworld myself."
"I knock upon the戒 gate and cross the River of the Dead."
"Hear me, Lord of the Underworld. Deign to listen to this madman's plea."
"Endless tears, boundless lamentation."
"The price has already been paid this night."
"O path of light, turn the ordained past into a living sacrifice and illuminate this foolish wish."
"I will never look back."
"Dia Orpheus!"
As Alex chanted, an intricate magic circle appeared beneath Kanae's remains.
It glowed with vibrant green light, overflowing with life.
The longer the chant continued, the brighter the glow became.
When the final words fell, a pillar of light shot skyward, linking heaven and earth.
At that moment, everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps was stunned.
They all turned toward the cemetery, fearing their headquarters had been discovered by demons.
Without a word, they sprinted toward it.
"This is… truly a miracle," Shinobu whispered, her hands trembling as she clasped them together.
Magic from the DanMachi world, a miracle beyond human understanding.
Now, it bloomed within the Demon Slayer world.
Life energy surged outward, dyeing everything within a hundred li green.
At the center of the magic circle, the bones began to change.
Light seeped into them, and the lifeless remains slowly, unmistakably, regained vitality.
The grime that hadn't been fully cleaned from the surface of the bones vanished under the purifying light.
Color slowly returned.
Marrow formed. Flesh followed.
Muscles, blood vessels, organs—bit by bit, they grew into place.
Last came the skin and hair.
Kocho Shinobu watched the scene unfold, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. She clamped a hand over her mouth, terrified that even the smallest sound might disrupt Alex's spell.
But the tears still poured down her face.
When the pile of bones was fully restored into the form of Kocho Kanae, Alex finally let out a long breath.
Success.
Resurrection complete.
He glanced at the newly revived Butterfly Kanae, standing there completely naked, and couldn't help but admire the view.
A sight delivered right to your eyes—why not look?
He might as well count it as interest for bringing her back to life.
"Damn," Alex muttered casually. "That's a pretty nice figure."
His thoughts drifted to Esdeath.
Ever since he'd crossed that line with her, the two of them had grown very fond of that kind of intimacy.
Neither of them was the type to repress desire. Tasting forbidden fruit for the first time, they'd had no idea what restraint even meant.
It had been quite a while since he left the Akame ga Kill world, and honestly, he'd been holding back for far too long.
Hearing his comment, Shinobu shot him an annoyed look, then quickly pulled out a set of clothes and dressed Kanae.
At the same time, the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps arrived at the graveyard, along with the current head of the Ubuyashiki family, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, and his wife, Amane.
When they saw Shinobu, Alex, and the revived Butterfly Kanae, every single one of them froze in shock.
The Flower Hashira… revived?
How did the Insect Hashira do this?
Had she turned her sister into a demon?
In an instant, countless possibilities ran through their minds.
Their gazes all settled on Alex, filled with open wariness.
If he hadn't been standing in direct sunlight, they might have already assumed he was a demon.
Had Shinobu betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps out of grief, turning her sister into a demon?
Looking at the scene before them, that seemed like the only explanation.
The Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, immediately demanded, "Insect Hashira, what did you do? Who is this man?"
Shinobu's attention was entirely on her sister. Without looking back, she replied flatly, "Isn't it obvious? I revived my sister. As for Alex, he's my friend."
"Damn it," the Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen, snapped. "What method did you use to revive the dead? Does it have something to do with demons?"
Shinobu was about to answer when Kanae suddenly opened her eyes.
She looked around in confusion. "What's going on? Shinobu, why do you look so grown up all of a sudden? And… didn't I die? I remember being killed by Upper Rank Two, Doma."
"Sister!"
Shinobu didn't answer a single question. She just threw her arms around Kanae, crying uncontrollably.
Seeing this, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps didn't know what to say anymore.
They'd assumed Kanae had been revived through demonic means, but she was standing under the sun without any issue at all.
Which meant Alex, this unfamiliar man, and the resurrected Butterfly Kanae were both human.
Shinobu cried for a long time, finally releasing all the emotions she'd bottled up over the years.
Only then did Kagaya Ubuyashiki speak gently. "Shinobu, can you tell me what happened?"
Shinobu wiped away her tears and nodded. "Yes."
After that, everyone left the graveyard and gathered in the Demon Slayer Corps' meeting hall.
All eyes turned to Alex and Shinobu, waiting for an explanation.
Even Kanae watched them with curiosity.
She couldn't understand it herself. Why was she alive again?
Alex sat down casually, clearly having no intention of explaining anything.
Shinobu cleared her throat and began to speak.
She didn't mention the chat group. That secret didn't belong to her alone, but to everyone in the group, and without unanimous consent, she couldn't reveal it.
Instead, she explained that she'd encountered a rare opportunity that allowed her to make contact with people from another world.
Alex was someone she'd met from that other world, and he happened to possess resurrection magic. So she asked him to help bring her sister back.
After hearing the explanation, Kagaya nodded slowly. "So the disturbance in the graveyard just now was caused by Mr. Max using magic?"
At once, everyone turned to look at Alex.
The hostility in their eyes was gone, replaced by something else.
Something almost… fervent.
Alex understood why.
Those who joined the Demon Slayer Corps were people who had lost family to demons, orphans with blood-deep hatred.
The Hashira were no different. They, too, had loved ones they wished they could bring back.
Even Kanae, newly resurrected, looked at Alex with open curiosity.
Another world… it sounded almost enchanting.
A world like that probably didn't have demons, right?
Seeing their reactions, Alex could only say helplessly, "Yes, I used resurrection magic. But there's a condition. I need remains to work with. As long as there's a body, even just a bone or a piece of flesh, I can revive them. If there are no remains at all, then there's nothing I can do."
Hearing this, disappointment flickered across everyone's faces.
Their families had long since been devoured by demons. There were no remains left.
Shinobu silently felt relieved. Thankfully, her sister's body had been preserved intact.
Just as everyone sank into dejection, Kanae suddenly spoke up. "Mr. Alex, does your magic work on demons? Ah— I don't mean reviving demons. What I'm asking is… can your magic kill them?"
Her question made everyone look at Alex again.
He nodded. "Of course."
Smiles immediately spread across their faces.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki eagerly extended an invitation. "Mr. Alex, I would like to invite you to join the Demon Slayer Corps and help us eradicate demons."
Alex smiled. "Sure. I came to this world to help Shinobu revive her sister, and to kill Kibutsuji Muzan."
Kagaya's expression lit up. "Wonderful! Then from this moment on, Mr. Alex is the tenth Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
Shinobu quickly corrected him, smiling. "My lord, the eleventh. My sister, the Flower Hashira, has returned."
Kagaya blinked, then burst out laughing. "Right, right! The Demon Slayer Corps now has eleven Hashira!"
Everyone was overjoyed.
They had gained the support of a powerful warrior from another world, and the Flower Hashira had returned. Their strength had surged.
Their confidence in killing Kibutsuji Muzan soared.
Once the excitement settled, Kagaya asked Alex, "Mr. Alex, since you haven't trained in any Breathing Styles, what title would you like as a Hashira?"
The Hashira's titles were traditionally tied to their Breathing Styles.
Shinobu practiced Insect Breathing, so she was called the Insect Hashira.
Kanae practiced Flower Breathing, making her the Flower Hashira.
Alex shrugged. "Anything's fine."
Shinobu laughed and suggested, "Then how about 'Slaughter Hashira'?"
"Slaughter Hashira?"
Everyone looked confused, unable to grasp the meaning behind the word.
Kanae turned directly to her sister and asked, "Shinobu, why 'Slaughter Hashira'?"
"..."
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