Seeing that he had summoned yet another Assassin, this time without a catalyst and relying solely on compatibility, Dan Lei began to wonder if he really was fated to be associated with the Assassin class. Had he used Kiara too much during his last two years of playing FGO?
Still, Dan Lei could understand why he felt a connection with this Servant.
The Assassin's true name was Kojiro Sasaki, and he was probably the first Servant of the Assassin class in the Fate games and related anime.
In FGO's first year after launch, thanks to his Assassin class and extremely low cost, Kojiro Sasaki had appeared in countless teams used by free-to-play players to clear the first chapter, back when they had very few Servants. He also showed up in later quests where players needed to farm Dragon Fangs, earning him a reputation as the free-to-play players' dragon-slaying saint.
Of course, Dan Lei had been one of those players. For a while afterward, Kojiro Sasaki had also been the most cost-effective star generator. Dan Lei had used him for a long time, and later, out of nostalgia, had even spent Holy Grails to raise him to level 100.
So, with the fondness of someone seeing an old friend, Dan Lei raised his left hand and said,
"Assassin, I'm your Master."
Seeing the Command Spells on Dan Lei's left hand, Kojiro Sasaki said no more. He bowed slightly and replied,
"The contract is sealed, Master."
Seeing this, Dan Lei used magecraft to lift the deer beside him. It had already passed out from blood loss, so he used the Power of Abundance to heal its wounds, lest it die before they could find seasonings. Then he said,
"Assassin, there's no Holy Grail War here, so there's no need to hide your true name. I'll just call you Kojiro in private, and you can call me Dan Lei.
"Let's find some seasonings and figure out how to cook this deer. Sharing a meal is the best way to get to know each other."
Kojiro Sasaki was pleased by Dan Lei's easygoing manner. After all, he didn't want to follow a strict Master. He fell in step beside him and replied,
"Understood, Dan Lei."
Since Dan Lei had materialized on a mountain, they would have to head down to find people.
They had only gone a short way when Kojiro Sasaki suddenly darted in front of Dan Lei and faced a certain direction.
"Dan Lei, I hear someone running frantically up ahead. There's blood in the air, too."
Dan Lei hadn't sensed a thing. It seemed there was still quite a gap between his senses and those of warriors who had honed theirs through countless trials.
But he could make up for his lack of sharp senses with magecraft. He slightly enhanced his hearing and picked up the unusually frantic breathing and footsteps in the direction Kojiro Sasaki was facing.
Wanting to learn as much as possible about this world as quickly as he could, Dan Lei decided to get involved.
First, he would see what was happening, then decide how to respond.
Dan Lei immediately used the Cloud Chant Technique to cloak himself in mist. A few seconds later, the light around him warped, and he vanished. Even his scent, sounds, and body heat were concealed.
The only thing that could give away his position was his footprints in the snow.
But it wasn't difficult for Dan Lei to use magecraft to lighten himself and leap straight up into a tree. From there, he could travel through the treetops.
As for Kojiro Sasaki, he could simply turn into a Spirit Body.
Moving from tree to tree, Dan Lei soon spotted the person running frantically ahead.
The moment he saw him, Dan Lei knew which world he was in—and even the point in the story.
There was no mistaking the man. He was far too distinctive.
Deep red hair, matching red eyes, a conspicuous burn scar on his left forehead, a green-and-black checkered haori, and a living corpse strapped to his back.
It was clearly Kamado Tanjiro, the protagonist of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. This was the moment after his family had been attacked by Kibutsuji Muzan, when, unaware of what had happened, he carried his demon-transformed younger sister down the mountain in search of help.
Sure enough, as Kamado Nezuko began thrashing about after turning into a demon, Tanjiro lost his footing and tumbled off the mountain path, rolling down the slope.
Luckily, the mountain was buried under deep snow, which cushioned his fall. Otherwise, if there had been even one rock sticking out of the slope, Kamado Tanjiro would have died on the spot.
What followed happened just as it did in the story. Tanjiro was unharmed after reaching the flat ground, but Nezuko had completed her transformation into a demon. The demon blood had temporarily robbed her of reason, and she pounced on Tanjiro.
But Dan Lei didn't keep watching. There was no need to see how Tanjiro's woodcutting axe handle held up against Nezuko's teeth.
Dan Lei dropped the Cloud Chant Technique, formed Magecraft Threads for controlling puppets, and bound Nezuko like a dumpling in midair as she lunged at Tanjiro. Then he jumped down from the tree and said,
"So this is a demon? It doesn't feel much different from a Dead Apostle."
Tanjiro had been badly startled by Nezuko's horrifying appearance and was still trying to recover from the shock.
So Dan Lei walked right up to her. She had only just become a demon and didn't yet have the strength she would display later in the story.
Dan Lei even plucked a few strands of her hair and put them away, intending to study the nature of demons later.
However, just as Dan Lei was about to squeeze Nezuko's hands and feet to study the texture of her flesh, Tanjiro finally snapped out of it. He charged at Dan Lei and shouted,
"You! Stay away from Nezuko!"
But Dan Lei had been keeping an eye on Tanjiro the whole time, and he had no interest in testing out the boy's iron head.
When Tanjiro was only halfway through his charge, Dan Lei easily turned aside, grabbed him by the collar, and stopped his attack.
Tanjiro was just an ordinary person at the moment, so Dan Lei could toy with him even with his modest skills.
After casually tossing Tanjiro into the snow, Dan Lei explained,
"Young man, I just saved you.
"This girl may have been your family before, but she's clearly turned into a demon now.
"If I hadn't restrained her, she would have bitten you just now."
Tanjiro knew the stranger was telling the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. With tears in his eyes, he said,
"Nezuko wouldn't do that! She'd never do that! She's so gentle—even if... even if she really has turned into a demon, she can control herself!"
Dan Lei wanted to point out that Tanjiro was only right because he was the protagonist and his words could bend reality. In any other family, a demon sister would have eaten her brother in no time.
But just as Dan Lei had thought, after Tanjiro declared that he believed in Nezuko, the fierceness in her eyes immediately faded. She still struggled on instinct, but she was crying as she watched her brother weep.
Even so, Dan Lei couldn't simply let Nezuko go. If he wanted to get involved in the events that followed, he needed a reason to be there. He was also interested in the Breathing Technique, so he had to keep up the act a little longer.
Dan Lei deliberately set his hand aflame and said to Nezuko,
"I understand how you feel, but your sister really isn't human anymore.
"The best thing for her now would be to send her on her way and burn her here. Otherwise, if she hurts an innocent person later, you won't be able to take responsibility."
After speaking, Dan Lei used the Cloud Chant Technique to draw on the moisture in the air, then froze Tanjiro's feet to the ground.
Kojiro Sasaki had just told Dan Lei that their last guest had arrived.
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