Crossover: The Problematic Deity of Arcadia

— — — — — — 

High in the Sky

Ryo, carrying Shinobu under one arm, used Sonído to travel a considerable distance before stopping, now hovering above a city.

Shinobu, still in his grasp, let out a panicked scream.

"Ahh—I'm gonna fall! I'm gonna—nooo!"

"Relax," Ryo said calmly, his voice laced with a subtle Kido meant to calm the mind.

Almost instantly, Shinobu quieted down, regaining her composure. With wide, serious eyes, she said, "Mr. Ryo, please keep holding on to me. If I fall from this height, I won't survive."

"That's a reasonable request. I've got no reason to say no," he replied nonchalantly.

Hovering in the air, Ryo looked down at the city sprawled beneath them.

"This looks like Edo. Which direction is Mount Fujikasane from here?"

"E-Edo?" Shinobu blinked in disbelief.

The Butterfly Mansion was at least 50 or 60 kilometers from Edo, wasn't it? Had she blinked a few times and already crossed that distance?

Looking down, Shinobu scanned the city's skyline. She spotted a few familiar buildings—yes, this was definitely Edo.

You've gotta be kidding me...

Her mind reeled a little.

Ryo didn't interrupt. Instead, he casually opened the Dimension forum and scanned through its posts.

One particular notification caught his eye, and he frowned.

"Huh… I get to stay in this world for 28 days? That long?"

Back in the Bleach world, the limit was just 14 days. He'd assumed the timeframe was fixed—but apparently, he'd guessed wrong.

Not that he was complaining. This gave him way more time to cause a stir in the Demon Slayer world.

"That means I'll be gone from Little Garden for a day and four hours... I think I've overstayed my time off."

Taking extended leave as the leader? Yeah, Black Rabbit was definitely going to shoot him some passive-aggressive side-eye for this.

He chuckled to himself. The thought was oddly entertaining.

Still slightly dazed, Shinobu looked up at Ryo's face and asked curiously, "Little Garden? What's that?"

He glanced down at her, hesitated for a second, then answered frankly. "It's a playground built by gods and Buddhas. That's what we call Little Garden."

"Oh," Shinobu replied flatly, as if that sort of thing didn't surprise her anymore.

Gods and Buddhas? Sure, why not. Sounds about right.

Ryo raised an eyebrow at her calm reaction, but didn't overthink it. Maybe it just hadn't sunk in yet.

"Anyway, have you figured out the direction yet?" he asked.

"It should be that way," she said, pointing. "It's over 120 kilometers in a straight line. Mount Fujikasane is covered in wisteria all year round, so it's not hard to spot—especially this time of year."

A beat later, the world around them blurred and spun again.

When it settled, Shinobu looked around at the blanket of familiar wisteria flowers below.

"..."

"...We're here," she said blankly. "This is Mount Fujikasane."

Ryo nodded, then looked at the still-under-his-arm Shinobu.

"Wanna get down now?"

She hesitated. "...Give me a moment. My legs are still a little shaky."

It wasn't an exaggeration.

That sudden high-altitude flight and spatial teleportation? Even for someone with enhanced abilities, it was overwhelming. Her legs were legit trembling.

Forget breathing techniques and fancy swords—nothing compared to zipping across Kanto in seconds like this.

This Ryo Yagami… is he a god?

That thought sparked a light in Shinobu's eyes.

"Okay, I think I'm good now," she said with newfound determination.

Ryo gently let her down.

Shinobu took a moment to look around, then nodded. "This is the mountaintop area—where the Final Selection is held. Usually, demons tend to gather nearby."

"But once the trial begins, many of them move toward the lower slopes to hunt participants along the edges."

"I see… so not many demons up here right now?" Ryo asked.

"Correct." She looked up at the sky. "Also, since it's still morning, demons won't be out. They're probably hiding in caves or burrowed underground. If you're planning to hunt them, you'll have to wait until nightfall."

"Yeah… I can sense that."

Ryo closed his eyes and extended his Reiatsu, quietly scanning the surroundings.

"Forty-two demons. Thirty-one humans. Closest human is…"

He turned toward a nearby tree about ten meters away.

Looking up, he spotted a young girl sitting calmly on a branch, wearing a light pink kimono, short black hair, and a fox mask tied to the right side of her head. She leaned against the trunk, eyes closed—pretending to nap.

Shinobu followed his gaze.

The girl seemed to sense their attention and opened her eyes, meeting theirs.

After a brief pause, she asked, "...Do you need something?"

"Oh! You're one of the trainees for this year's Final Selection," Shinobu said, realization dawning.

The girl tilted her head, then hopped down from the tree.

"This year? Wait, are you guys official members?"

Ryo took a step forward, smiling. "You're Makomo, right?"

"Mm-hm," Makomo nodded. "Do I know you?"

"Sort of."

Ryo smiled, a bit surprised to meet her.

In the original timeline, this girl—Tanjiro's senior from the same training lineage—was already dead by the time Tanjiro entered the Demon Slayer Corps.

He hadn't expected to run into her alive. Maybe his presence had already changed something.

Good. No more unnecessary deaths.

As they walked together, Ryo casually asked, "If it's cloudy, demons can still come out, right?"

"Yes," Shinobu and Makomo answered in unison.

"Perfect."

Ryo nodded, smiling faintly. A blade appeared in his hand.

It was his Zanpakutō: Byakuya.

Click.

He slid it slightly from its sheath, then paused, murmuring to himself, "It's going to rain."

"Huh?" Shinobu blinked. Makomo looked confused too.

Rain? Under a clear, sunny sky?

Shinobu tilted her head upward—only to see dark clouds gathering above them.

"Eh?"

Before she could process it, raindrops began to fall—soft and scattered at first, then steadily more frequent. A few landed on her cheeks.

"Here—umbrella," Ryo said, handing her one.

She took it, stunned, then watched as he gave another to the still-dazed Makomo.

Then he grabbed his own umbrella, his two Zanpakutō now hanging at his waist. He flashed a confident smile.

"Let's go."

"As long as you stay behind me—Nothing in this world can stop us."

.

.

.