A shrill, metallic whistle sliced through the blood-soaked night, a jarring sound against the backdrop of guttural roars and human screams.
It was followed by the thunder of heavy boots on rubble and a series of stern shouts that carried the full weight of the era's authority.
"You damn rioters! Drop your weapons!"
"Cease fighting at once! Drop your weapons!"
"Anyone who disobeys will be shot on the spot!"
A chaotic jumble of commands echoed through the ruins of the red-light district as the dim, flickering glow of lanterns and lamps cut through the darkness.
Under the unsteady light, a large group of police officers emerged from the shadows.
Dressed in dark blue uniforms with cylindrical caps bearing golden badges, they materialized before the Demon Slayers and the handful of demons still standing.
The police flooded into what was left of the district, a scene so devastated it looked like a literal hell on earth.
Armed with heavy batons, katanas, and bolt-action rifles, their faces twisted in shock.
'What in God's name had happened here? Had a war broken out?'
The thick stench of blood hung in the air, so strong that it made several of the younger officers turn pale and gag.
Despite the fear knotting their stomachs, they followed their orders.
Dozens of officers scrambled for cover behind shattered walls, forming a messy defensive line that blocked the Demon Slayers' path.
The dark muzzles of their rifles swiveled to aim at the center of the battlefield—at every monstrous, inhuman figure they could see.
"Police? What the hell are they doing here?" Sanemi snarled, kicking a chunk of debris out of his way as he climbed out of the rubble.
He looked up and found himself staring down the barrels of a dozen rifles.
"Didn't the Wisteria House clear this with them?"
Sanemi and the other Slayers were just as confused by the sudden police presence, but none of them were particularly worried.
The Demon Slayer Corps wasn't an officially recognized government organization, but thanks to the immense influence of the Ubuyashiki Family, they had quiet arrangements with high-ranking officials.
Most cops had no idea who they were, but their superiors usually knew enough to stay out of the way.
They'd even coordinated with the Kyoto Police during the Infinity Train incident.
Normally, this thing shouldn't be happening.
CRUNCH!
Himejima Gyomei, having just crushed the skulls of two demons with a brutal swing of his hammer, turned around.
Though his eyes were blind, his other senses painted a vivid picture of the scene.
He felt the presence of the officers, but beneath their fear, he sensed something else—a cold, calculated malice that didn't belong.
His brow furrowed.
The arrival of fresh humans also caught the attention of the remaining demons.
Their savage, bloodthirsty eyes locked onto the oblivious officers.
A few of the dumber demons stared blankly at the men holding strange metal tubes, a primal part of their brain registering a threat but unable to comprehend it.
The smarter ones might have been wary of firearms, but for all of them, the overwhelming instinct to rip into fresh meat was far stronger.
The sight of the grotesque demons, creatures ripped straight from a nightmare, was clearly rattling the police.
"Superintendent Kuroo! Those… those things!" a young officer stammered, his hand trembling as he pointed a shaky finger toward Kokushibo and Shinichi.
"They have fangs and… and those eyes! They're not human! They're monsters!"
"And the others!" another officer yelled, gesturing at the blood-soaked Demon Slayers.
"They're wielding those weird, glowing swords! It's not natural!"
At that moment, an officer in a pristine, high-ranking uniform stepped forward, his leather boots crunching on the debris.
His face was unnaturally pale under the brim of his cap.
Ignoring the frantic whispers of his men, he raised a metal megaphone to his lips and his voice boomed across the ruins, directed at Slayers and demons alike.
"I am Superintendent General Kuroo Taishi of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police! We have received reports of a large-scale violent disturbance here in the Yoshiwara district! All armed individuals, regardless of who you are, will drop your weapons and surrender immediately! Failure to comply will result in you being treated as criminals and shot on sight!"
As he spoke, Superintendent Kuroo's gaze swept over the scene—Shinichi in his demonic form, the six-eyed Kokushibo, and the exhausted Demon Slayers still gripping their Nichirin Blades.
For a fleeting moment, a cold, cruel smirk flickered across his lips, hidden from his men by the megaphone.
The sudden intervention brought the battle to an eerie halt.
The Demon Slayers stared at each other, a sense of confused absurdity washing over them.
They were risking their lives to protect humanity, and now they were being treated like criminals by the very people meant to uphold order.
Were these officers blind? Couldn't they see the inhuman monsters standing right there?
Gyomei's hands tightened around his prayer beads, his expression growing grim.
Sanemi, still staring down the rifle barrels, looked about ready to explode.
The scars on his face seemed to twist with pure rage.
"What the hell are these idiots talking about?!"
The demons, however, were the first to act.
They didn't understand human laws and they certainly didn't care.
With savage roars, the closest ones abandoned their previous targets and charged headfirst at the line of terrified officers.
"MONSTERS!"
"OPEN FIRE! SHOOT THEM!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
It was impossible to tell who fired first, but in an instant, a deafening roar of gunfire erupted as dozens of officers pulled their triggers.
Thud! Thud!
The demons at the front of the charge were riddled with bullets, their bodies torn apart.
But to the absolute horror of the police, the shredded creatures didn't die.
They didn't even slow down.
They just kept coming, their wounds sealing up before their eyes.
"Ahhh!"
"Help me!"
Before the officers could even process what was happening, two of them were tackled by the bullet-proof demons and ripped to shreds, their screams cut short in a spray of blood.
"Dammit! They're in trouble! We have to help them!" a Slayer shouted.
Without a second thought, the Demon Slayers raised their blades and rushed forward to save the officers from the demonic onslaught.
But just as they moved to intervene…
Hummm…
An invisible vibration swept across the battlefield.
The demons, who had been tearing into the police with rabid ferocity, suddenly stopped.
As one, they turned and fled into the darkness of the ruined district, abandoning the fight.
Then, Kuroo's cold, sharp voice echoed through the megaphone once more, dripping with venom.
"Those sword-wielding thugs are working with the monsters! Don't let them escape! Open fire! Shoot all of them!"
Already terrified and confused, the rattled officers instinctively obeyed their commander.
The dark muzzles of their rifles, still smoking from the last volley, swung away from the fleeing demons and turned toward the Demon Slayers.
"Die, you monster!" a young demon slayer yelled, cleanly decapitating a demon that had been about to pounce on an officer.
A triumphant grin flashed across his face, but it froze in the next instant.
BANG!
A searing pain exploded in his chest.
He looked down and saw a blood on his uniform.
He slowly lifted his head, his confused eyes meeting nothing but the bright muzzle flashes of police rifles.
"STOP!" another Slayer screamed in horror.