Compendium of Manga and Anime: The Invincible Me Just Wants to Slack Off

The neon signs lit up one after another above the crowd. A giant screen at "Shibuya Scramble Square" was playing a Halloween-themed animation on loop. The pedestrian signal at the intersection showed a cartoon figure holding a small flag with a pumpkin head superimposed on it, eliciting laughter from the surroundings with every flash.

A boy in a black cloak, holding a cotton candy, squeezed past. As the hem of his cloak brushed his ankles, he could smell cheap pumpkin spice.

Three girls wearing devil horns were pulling at each other's lace skirts, their glow sticks tracing bright yellow trails through the crowd. Their laughter was sharper than the shouts from the izakayas by the street.

Some people had painted their faces like zombies and deliberately squeezed into groups of couples. When a girl playfully pushed one away, he exaggeratedly swung his fake broken arm – this was Shibuya's Halloween, chaotic and vibrant, with a restless sweetness even in the air.

Chen Tian, squeezed against the railing at the intersection, looked down at the person in his arms. Kitagawa Marin was gripping his sleeve and standing on tiptoe to look around. The little devil's tail behind her gently brushed his hand with her movements.

Her hair was dyed a wine red today, and she wore a black off-the-shoulder crop top adorned with white lace. Her tight leather pants perfectly accentuated the beautiful curves of her legs.

"They're selling candied apples over there!" she suddenly pointed towards the street corner and jumped up. "I couldn't get one with strawberry sauce last year, I have to get one this year!"

Chen Tian naturally grasped her wrist, his fingertips brushing the bell on her bracelet – a small accessory she had added specifically, which jingled when she walked. "Don't jump, we'll be there in three more steps. " As he spoke, tilting his head, strands of his white hair brushed her cheek, making her instinctively shrink her neck.

A whistle suddenly erupted from the surroundings. Several boys in knight's armor were laughing at them. One of them even raised his phone to take a picture, shouting, "You two look so good together!" Kitagawa's ears instantly turned red, but she deliberately leaned closer into Chen Tian's embrace, raising her hand to hook around his neck. "They're complimenting my excellent taste," she said. Just then, the traffic light at the intersection changed.

The surging crowd, as if a start button had been pressed, instantly rushed towards the other side.

Chen Tian pulled Kitagawa closer into his arms, using his arm to shield her from a pumpkin-head doll that almost bumped into her. His peripheral vision caught a promotional poster for a Devil May Cry concert flashing on the giant screen by the street – it was a photo from his performance last week, his white hair and the silhouette of his electric guitar particularly striking under the neon lights.

"Look over there!" Kitagawa followed his gaze and suddenly stood on tiptoe, pecking his chin. "For the next concert, no more going shirtless." Before Chen Tian could respond, she pulled him and plunged into the crowd.

Just past seven o'clock, the streets of Shibuya grew even livelier. Kitagawa held a skewer of oden, piercing a piece of soft, stewed daikon radish and holding it to Chen Tian's mouth. With a smile, she said, "Ah—open wide." Chen Tian complied, taking a bite and feeding her a fish cake coated in soup in return.

The surrounding crowd surged, and people in bizarre costumes occasionally squeezed past, letting out cheerful laughter and shouts.

Suddenly, Chen Tian froze as if struck by electricity, the smile on his face vanishing instantly.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the sky.

Kitagawa noticed the abnormality and asked in surprise, "Tian Jun, what's wrong?" She followed his gaze, but all she saw were the flashing neon lights and the dancing Halloween animation on the giant screen. The crowd was still immersed in the revelry, with no sign of anything unusual.

However, in Chen Tian's eyes, the sky had transformed. Countless thick black mud appeared out of nowhere, as if being poured from another dimension.

At first, there were only a few scattered spots, but in an instant, they spread like a breached dam, rapidly expanding in all directions, as if intending to swallow and engulf the entire Shibuya.

Strangely, the people around them continued to laugh and play, buying candied apples, completely oblivious to the terrifying spectacle above.

The boy in the black cloak still held his cotton candy, the three girls with devil horns were still pulling at each other's skirts, and the shouts from the izakayas and the clamor of the crowd intertwined, creating a stark contrast with the black mud spreading across the sky.

Chen Tian's brow furrowed. The discomfort from the black mud grew increasingly clear – it felt like countless icy tentacles were crawling up his spine. He stared at the sky, muttering to himself, What in the world is this stuff? Just looking at it gives me goosebumps.

"Tian Jun?" Kitagawa's fingertips gently poked his cheek, carrying the warmth of the oden. "You've been acting strange since a while ago, what's in the sky?"

Chen Tian finally snapped back to reality. He clasped her wrist in return, his palm feeling the bell on her bracelet. "It's nothing," he said with a smile, rubbing her hand with his thumb. "Maybe the lights were just dazzling."

As he spoke, he quickly looked up again – the black mud had completely spread. The colorful neon lights looked as if they had been soaked in ink, turning into dull, lifeless gray in his eyes.

Even the giant screens on the buildings seemed covered in a layer of dust, the colors of the Halloween animation fading rapidly.

Kitagawa stared at his tense profile for a moment, then suddenly leaned close to his ear, her warm breath fanning his earlobe. "If you keep zoning out," she whispered, her voice low, the end of her sentence trailing off with a hint of a tease, "then my new succubus outfit will be something only I get to admire."

Chen Tian's fingertips paused. As he turned his head, he met her flushed earlobes. The girls with devil horns were still laughing around them, and the pumpkin-head signal light began to flash again, but a faint, fishy smell suddenly wafted into his nostrils – not the smell of street food, but rather as if the black mud was seeping out.

"Got it," he said, tightening his grip on her hand and pushing his way out of the crowd. "Let's go buy candied apples first. Didn't you say you wanted strawberry sauce?" Kitagawa's eyes lit up, and she immediately replied with a cheerful "Mhm!" leaning her arm firmly around Chen Tian's.

The devil horns on her head swayed gently with her steps, carrying a hint of the cool evening breeze.

The two slowly moved with the crowd. Chen Tian brushed aside a pumpkin-head doll blocking their path, while she offered him a half-bitten candied apple. Around them, boys in wizard robes were fighting over cotton candy with their companions, and girls in zombie costumes were taking selfies with glow sticks. The noisy chatter, mixed with the aroma of roasted chestnuts, washed over them, truly making Chen Tian temporarily forget the strange black sky.

By the time the shopping bags in their hands were filled with Halloween snacks and street food, the clock had quietly ticked past half-past eight.

Chen Tian carried the shopping bags in one hand, while the other was held tightly by Kitagawa. His fingertips could feel the bell on her bracelet – it had been knocked askew when they squeezed through the crowd earlier, and now it jingled with a faint sound with every sway.

"Should we head home?" Kitagawa looked up at him. "If we're any later, we won't be able to squeeze onto the subway."

As Chen Tian looked down, strands of white hair fell onto his forehead, obscuring a fleeting flicker of strangeness in his eyes.

He had just replied with a "Mhm" when his steps suddenly froze.

The neon sign of the Shibuya ShinQs building was blindingly bright. A girl in a maid outfit had just run out from the building's entrance, her pumpkin lantern nearly hitting him.

But Chen Tian's gaze wasn't on her at all – in that very second, a white figure had flashed past him. The figure was as fast as lightning, its white hair leaving a trail in the night. The outline of its profile was extremely faint under the streetlights, but the black eye mask covering its eyes was clearly visible.

Chen Tian's fingers clenched violently, the handle of the shopping bag instantly deforming. He could even feel the warmth of Kitagawa in his arms, but his nerves instantly tensed. "What's wrong?"

Kitagawa followed his gaze, only seeing the reflection of the crowd on the building's glass curtain wall. "Are you tired?"

Chen Tian didn't speak, his eyes fixed on the direction the white figure had disappeared.

Under the sky shrouded in black mud, Shibuya's neon lights still flickered, but the wind stirred by that figure carried a strange energy.

At this moment, the Halloween animation on the giant screen by the street was still playing cheerfully, the colorful lights still flashing, and the laughter of the surrounding crowd was unending.

He recognized that figure, very familiar. Before crossing over, he had complained about it countless times.

But he couldn't understand. This world wasn't supposed to be a world like a light novel? Why was that guy here too?

Kitagawa clearly felt Chen Tian's arm tense up instantly. His gaze fixed ahead was sharp and unfamiliar, making her heart skip a beat.

"Tian... Tian Jun?" Her voice trembled slightly as she shook his arm forcefully. "What on earth is wrong with you? You've been staring at the sky since a while ago, and now you're..."

She leaned closer, trying to see the scene reflected in his eyes, but only saw the distorted neon reflections of Shibuya.

Chen Tian was brought back to his senses by her anxious voice.

He looked down, meeting her upturned face, filled with worry.

Yeah, in front of her, he always put on that lazy, casual act, as if nothing in the world mattered as long as she was by his side.

His sudden tension and seriousness had startled her.

The tautness in his nerves eased slightly, a habitual smirk lifting the corner of his lips. He reached out and ruffled the top of her wine-red hair, the cute little devil horns nestled within the strands feeling cool to the touch.

"It's nothing," his voice returned to its usual lazy drawl, laced with reassurance. "I was just thinking..."

He paused deliberately, letting her confused, wide-eyed gaze linger before he slowly added, "...that we won't be able to take the subway back."

"Huh?!" Kitagawa clearly froze, then burst into a boisterous laugh, as if her earlier worry had been a mere illusion. "Why not? How are we going to get back then? Walk? Our place is really far from Shibuya!"

She gestured exaggeratedly, the little devil horns on her head bobbing with the movement, the bells on her bracelet chiming crisply.

The surrounding crowd remained noisy, young people in bizarre costumes laughing as they brushed past.

Chen Tian watched her carefree smile, the amusement in his eyes deepening, tinged with tenderness.

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper near her ear, carrying a hint of mystery, "The subway is too slow. And besides..."

He paused again, his gaze sweeping over the crowd immersed in the revelry, oblivious to the strange black mud in the sky, and the direction where the white-haired figure had disappeared. "...it's not entirely safe to be out in the open right now."

Kitagawa blinked, completely unable to follow his train of thought. "Then what do we do?"

Chen Tian straightened up, the smile on his lips a familiar sight to Kitagawa, just like when he was on stage—unrestrained, arrogant. The neon lights cast flickering patterns on his face, just like that idol named 'Nero'.

He looked down into her eyes and said, word by word:

"I'm going to show you a secret."

Chapter 3: Portal

Chen Tian didn't say another word. He directly pulled the still-uncomprehending Kitagawa, skillfully weaving through the crowd, forcing a gap open in the festive throng.

Kitagawa stumbled along, dragged by him, her mind full of questions. "Tian Jun? Where are we going? Aren't we going home?"

"Follow me." Chen Tian's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the clamor.

His target was clear. After several twists and turns, they quickly escaped the surging main street and darted into a narrow alley.

The temperature in the alley dropped instantly, the noise seemingly blocked by an invisible wall, leaving only the faint, distant thrum of drums and muffled voices.

Only a single, dim, old streetlamp at the alley's entrance provided meager illumination. The walls were plastered with faded event posters and a few haphazardly scribbled stickers.

Several stained trash cans were piled in the corner, emitting a faint, sour odor, a stark contrast to the festive atmosphere just a few steps away. This was a common sight in the bustling underbelly of Tokyo in 2018—quiet, damp, and even a bit grimy.

"What's going on?" Kitagawa finally stood steady, looking around the alley in confusion. It was just the two of them. "Why bring me to a place like this? It's so dark..."

Although she complained a little, her eyes held more curiosity about Chen Tian's unusual behavior.

Chen Tian turned to face her, that familiar, slightly arrogant smile returning to his face, clearly visible in the faint light of the alley entrance. His messy white hair stood out starkly in the shadows.

He set down the shopping bag filled with snacks, letting it lean against the wall.

"Next," Chen Tian's voice echoed in the narrow space, carrying a hint of arrogance, the corner of his mouth curling up, "it's time to witness a miracle."

Kitagawa's mouth opened slightly in surprise. Before she could grasp the meaning of his words, she saw Chen Tian take two small steps back, creating some distance.

He took a deep breath, the playful indifference on his face vanishing instantly, his expression becoming incredibly focused, even solemn.

He slowly closed his eyes, his body entering a peculiar state of stillness.

Then, he raised his right hand, his fingers loosely cupped, as if grasping something intangible.

As he clearly uttered two syllables, a drastic change occurred!

A point of extremely pure, deep, dark blue light suddenly ignited out of thin air in the center of his cupped palm! The light was initially only the size of a grain of rice, yet it contained an indescribable sharpness, like a compressed blue star.

It didn't spread explosively but condensed and elongated at an extremely stable speed!

Not a single speck of light leaked out; all the energy was perfectly contained within the trajectory of the forming blade. Only a faint, high-frequency hum from the air testified to the terrifying power contained within.

Within seconds, the light clearly condensed into the shape of a neon blade—a straight blade, a simple yet powerful-looking tsuba guard, and a long hilt suitable for two-handed grip at the end.

A low, clear sword cry, as if from the deepest abyss, reverberated through the silent alley.

The light instantly retracted and dissipated, as if it had never existed.

And what Chen Tian held firmly in his hand was none other than a neon sword with an ancient yet sharp design!

Its entire body had a deep, understated dark metallic texture. The blade was long and straight with a very slight curve, its sharpness contained yet leaving no doubt that it could cut through anything.

The hilt featured a golden pattern design, the guard shaped like a pair of hexagons, with a white tsuka-ito and a black sageo. The saya was wrapped with a dark blue cord, two long straps hanging loosely.

The entire sword exuded a cold, sharp aura, as if it could tear space apart. It was the legendary weapon from the world of Devil May Cry—the Enma Sword!

Kitagawa Marin froze completely.

Her usually bright, sparkling eyes were now wide open, her pupils clearly reflecting the suddenly appeared neon sword, which was clearly not of this world, and Chen Tian, who held it with a demeanor that had become suddenly unfamiliar and sharp.

Her world was now filled only with the sword radiating a cold aura and the lingering arrogant smile on her boyfriend's lips.

Outside the alley, the Halloween revelry could still be faintly heard—the eerie laughter of zombie cosplayers, the waving of glow sticks, the shouts from izakayas, everything as usual.

Kitagawa Marin's mouth was agape, her throat feeling as if it were stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a single word.

Her eyes were wide open, staring intently at the strange, long sword (Enma Sword) that had appeared out of nowhere in Chen Tian's hand, radiating a cold aura.

The dim light of the alley cast upon the sword, its dark metallic sheen and the dark blue cord wrapped around the saya, all exuded an uncanny, unreal quality.

But this stiffness lasted less than a second.

The large eyes, adorned with red cosmetic lenses, suddenly erupted with astonishing brilliance! The previous fear and confusion instantly ignited, burning into pure, fervent excitement!

"Whoa--!!!"

She sprang up like a little spring, her wine-red hair and the pair of little demon horns on her head bobbing wildly. She leaped in front of Chen Tian, her smile blooming brighter than Shibuya's most dazzling neon lights.

"Tian Jun!" Her voice trembled with excitement as she looked at the sword, then up to stare intently at Chen Tian's face, "So... you're a hero?!"

"Huh?" Chen Tian was bewildered by her leap in logic, his grip on the Enma Sword faltering, "Uh? What? What hero?" He was completely out of sync.

Kitagawa gestured excitedly, as if imitating some ultimate move, "You know! The kind that fights monsters! The kind that protects the city's peace! Like in the tokusatsu shows!" A flood of images of people in tight suits flying around flashed through her mind.

Chen Tian was even more confused, "Monsters? Heroes?..." He couldn't help but think to himself: This setting is so much like One-Punch Man? Did I transmigrate into a world line with Teacher Saitama? I never heard about that?

Seeing Chen Tian's "What are you talking about?" expression, Kitagawa didn't dwell on it.

Her attention immediately latched back onto the sword, her small face radiating the glow of a curious child, "Tian Jun, so what's your superpower? Can you just 'shing' and summon this sword? And then become... hmm, a super swordsman?" She imagined Chen Tian slicing through buildings with his sword, more stars appearing in her eyes.

Chen Tian found his girlfriend's overly excited state both amusing and a little helpless.

"Watch this," he said to Kitagawa.

Then he turned around, his back to her, facing the empty wall of the alley. He firmly grasped the hilt of the Enma Sword with his right hand.

The long sword was unsheathed in an instant, its blade cutting a cold arc through the dimness, so fast it left only a blur.

With almost no charge-up, Chen Tian casually swung his arm, facing the air in front of him, a horizontal slash! A vertical slash!

The air made a light sound, like tearing fabric.

Just in front of where his slashes intersected, space itself was torn open like a fragile piece of paper!

A perfectly clear, cross-shaped crack appeared out of nowhere.

The edges of the rift flickered with unstable, faint blue sparks, emitting a slight crackling sound.