the bustling port city of Yokohama, the headquarters of the Armed Detective Agency (ADA) was, as usual, in a state of carefully managed chaos. Osamu Dazai, the newly appointed Nexus Anchor, was perched precariously on a bookshelf, his expression fixed in a state of artful ennui.
"Ah, the persistent drone of continued life," Dazai sighed dramatically, dangling a loose piece of rope from his hand. "Even after saving the entire multiverse, my fundamental existence remains unchanged. Is there no grand, beautiful tragedy left for me to participate in?"
He looked down at his long-suffering partner, Kunikida Doppo, who was furiously typing his detailed 'Ideals' into his notebook, ignoring Dazai's theatrics.
Dazai was feeling the profound, lingering effects of the Nexus compromise. The constant, low-level conceptual link to six hyper-active anomalies was like having six separate, competing inner monologues.
Kazuma's voice: (Whispering) Steal the notebook. Steal the money. Don't fight.
Jin-Woo's voice: (A cold, deep hum) Increase proficiency. Acquire new skill: 'Desk Organization.'
Saitama's voice: (A dull thud) I forgot to buy discount eggs.
Gojo's voice: (A narcissistic purr) My hair is definitely straighter since I lost the wax. I am so much cooler now.
Dazai's own ability, No Longer Allowed in Another World (which nullifies other supernatural abilities upon touch), was now working overtime, passively rejecting the intrusive thoughts of the Nexus. The strain was immense, and he felt a desperate need to find a way to end this cosmic fatigue.
"Kunikida-kun," Dazai called down, "if I were to leap from this building, do you think the trajectory would be suitably poetic? Perhaps landing next to a discarded rose?"
Kunikida finally snapped, slamming his notebook shut. "Dazai! Your antics are a disgrace to my Ideals! We have a critical mission regarding a Port Mafia ability user! Get down here and use your nullification to stop their chaos!"
Dazai merely fluttered his eyelashes. "But chaos is the only honest expression of the human condition, Kunikida-kun. I prefer to observe."
Just as Dazai was considering executing a 'Falling Rose' scene, the final Nexus anomaly was triggered.
In a remote section of the city, a high-level Port Mafia Ability User was attempting to hijack a critical data transport. The ability user was using a powerful, dense Dimensional Sealing power, trying to make the entire transport truck vanish. The sheer, overwhelming lack of kindness radiating from this violent act was a beacon across dimensions.
Miles away, Tanjiro Kamado, training in the quiet calm of his Demon Slayer headquarters, felt a profound disturbance. The scent was unmistakable: pure, concentrated dark despair and moral corruption.
I smell an intense, heartbreaking thread of sorrow and wickedness! I must cut the thread of sadness! Tanjiro thought, his compassionate heart overriding all sense of caution.
The sheer, focused emotional intent of the Demon Slayer activated the Nexus link.
With a whoosh of air smelling faintly of cedar and clean water, a portal opened directly next to Dazai on the bookshelf. Out stepped Tanjiro, his Nichirin Blade ready, his Hinokami Breathing Focus Stone glowing intensely.
"Forgive the intrusion!" Tanjiro cried, instantly spotting Dazai—the most depressed, most obviously afflicted person in the room. "The scent of your sorrow is overwhelming! You are radiating an intense, dark despair! Please, let me help you sever the thread of heartbreak!"
Tanjiro was not focused on Dazai's ability; he was focused entirely on Dazai's soul.
Dazai blinked, momentarily speechless. He was used to anger, annoyance, and even fascination—but not this level of pure, unadulterated, intrusive compassion.
"A sword boy who smells like sunshine and moral superiority?" Dazai murmured, genuinely intrigued.
Kunikida, however, was on high alert. He pointed his Ideal-infused pen at Tanjiro. "Who are you, and how did you bypass the Agency's security? Are you a new Port Mafia ability user?!"
Tanjiro immediately dropped into a full, sincere bow. "My name is Tanjiro Kamado! I am not a Mafia member, and I apologize for the abrupt entry! I believe I may have suffered an inexplicable dimensional displacement due to the emotional distress of this kind man!" He gestured at Dazai.
Dazai smiled, a dark, theatrical twist of his lips. He saw an opportunity. If this boy's pure goodness was powerful enough to pull him across dimensions, maybe Dazai's negation could finally neutralize the one thing that always tortured him: sincere, unwarranted kindness.
Dazai gracefully stepped off the bookshelf, landing directly in front of Tanjiro. "Ah, a fellow seeker of the end! Perhaps your magnificent sword can grant me the elegant oblivion I seek?"
Tanjiro recoiled, his compassion spiking. "Never! I will not allow you to speak of death! Your life is a gift! But I can smell the knots of pain around your heart!"
Tanjiro suddenly lunged, not to strike, but to place his palm gently over Dazai's chest. "I must use my Blade of Kindness—my hand—to cut the thread of your suffering!"
The moment Tanjiro's warm, kind hand touched Dazai's pristine white shirt, Dazai's Ability activated.
Tanjiro's Demon Slayer Mark, his Total Concentration Breathing, and the glowing power of the Hinokami Breathing Focus Stone—all of it instantly vanished. He was left standing there, just a boy with excellent core strength, staring at Dazai in confusion.
"My breathing... my focus... it's gone!" Tanjiro gasped, feeling the familiar hum of his power utterly neutralized.
Dazai felt a wave of triumph. "Magnificent! Your power is utterly destroyed! You are now just a boy with a sword, incapable of using your gifts! Now, finish the aesthetic tragedy! End my perpetual suffering!"
But then, the final twist. Dazai's triumph was short-lived.
Even with his supernatural abilities nullified, Tanjiro's pure, unshakeable kindness did not vanish. It was a trait, not an ability. He looked at Dazai, saw the profound depth of his self-loathing, and his heart broke all over again.
Tanjiro dropped his neutralized sword. "No, Dazai-san," Tanjiro said, his voice thick with sincere emotion. "Even without my breathing, I can still smell the overwhelming grief of a soul who is loved, but refuses to see it. I cannot kill you. I will make you a nourishing bowl of Udon instead!"
Dazai stared, his face collapsing into an expression of utter horror.
"Udon? Nourishing? You would condemn me to the slow, agonizing death of good health and stable relationships?!" Dazai shrieked, the sound less dramatic than a genuine cry of defeat. The simple, low-concept kindness was the one thing his ultimate nullification power could not reject.
Kunikida, seeing the absurdity, dropped his pen. He now saw Tanjiro not as a threat, but as a bizarre, terrifying force of nature.
"A simple, kind-hearted boy with a powerful scent—that is the most terrifying ability I have ever witnessed," Kunikida whispered.
Dazai, completely broken by the threat of Udon, knew he had to expel the boy immediately. He focused all his remaining will on the concept of 'Return to Necessary Duties' and focused it through the emotional anchor.
A flash of white light enveloped Tanjiro.
"Dazai-san! I will be back with the broth! I promise!" Tanjiro's voice echoed as he vanished.
Dazai leaned against the bookshelf, utterly exhausted. "I have failed, Kunikida-kun. I have failed to achieve an honorable exit, and now I have a sword boy who wants to nourish me back to stable life."
Kunikida sighed, picking up his pen. "At least the Port Mafia's dimensional sealer is now operating without interference. Now, Dazai, get to work."
Dazai looked at his partner. "First, I need to open a portal to Jin-Woo's dimension. I need to steal an entire army of Shadow Soldiers just to help me cope with this profound existential dread."
The Nexus Seven's link is proving to be a highly effective, if completely accidental, tool for transportation, powered by strong, defining emotions. Tanjiro's kindness was the ultimate threat to Dazai's existence.