The scene of a mass revival like this was pretty spectacular to witness.
Tanjiro and Nezuko quickly rushed to their mother and younger siblings, the family embracing each other, overcome with tears of joy.
Meanwhile, Kanae Kochou, who didn't see Shinobu among the revived, along with Ichiro Tokito and others, approached Uchiha Hikari, bowing in gratitude.
"No need to thank me."
Uchiha Hikari waved it off, her tone humble. "Your smooth return to the living world is mostly thanks to the Heavenly God. Bulma, Tanjiro, and I just did some minor work behind the scenes—nothing worth mentioning."
"No, Miss Hikari, you're being too modest."
After insisting on a few more bows, Kanae and the others went to the Heavenly God to express their thanks again.
Then came Mr. Popo, the Cat Sage, Bulma, Yamato, and the rest…
—Mr. Popo and the others had indeed played a role in this revival, while Yamato and company had joined Uchiha Hikari in the hunt against Muzan and the Upper Moons, so they all deserved this gratitude.
During this process, the Dragon's body transformed into seven Dragon Balls, shooting off in seven different directions across the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The dark clouds that had gathered under the night sky gradually dispersed, revealing a bright, full moon.
"Huh, it's a full moon tonight!"
"It looks so beautiful."
Bulma raised a hand to her forehead, gazing up at the sky with a delighted exclamation.
Uchiha Hikari paused, then followed Bulma's line of sight to the unusually large full moon in the night sky, nodding. "It really is."
The moon in the Dragon Ball world was a magical creation of the ancient Heavenly God, similar in principle to the "artificial moon" Saiyans make with their energy. So, it wasn't 380,000 kilometers away like in reality and was smaller than the real-world moon.
The Heavenly God's temple, meanwhile, sat tens of thousands of meters above the ground.
From here, looking up at the moon, the phrase "reaching for the stars" wasn't just poetic exaggeration—it felt almost literal. Uchiha Hikari figured if she used the Flying Nimbus technique, she could probably pull off a moon landing in no time.
"By the way, Bulma, how's your research on the Heavenly God's spaceship going?"
Uchiha Hikari suddenly thought to ask.
"Hmm… about a third of the way done, I'd say."
Bulma thought for a moment before replying casually. "Basic takeoff and landing are no problem, and I've figured out half of the weapons system. But the environmental control, life support, and escape systems… those are still a work in progress. Some components seem damaged and need repairs.
This thing's meant for space travel, after all—not like a regular airship. If something goes wrong after we're in space, that'd be a real mess."
"True."
If the ones piloting the ship were Uchiha Hikari, Tanjiro, Yamato, or the like, they could afford to be a bit less cautious.
Not that they could survive in the vacuum of space, but if the ship failed, they could instantly warp back to their own worlds, avoiding a catastrophic outcome.
Bulma, though, was a different story.
Group members traveling from their home world to another and back always landed at the same fixed point. So, if Bulma warped to another world while piloting a spaceship and returned, she'd still land back on the ship. If it crashed, she'd have nowhere to escape.
Unless she was willing to spend her life in another world or somehow gained the ability to survive in space.
"Speaking of which…"
"Frieza can survive in space, right?"
Uchiha Hikari's eyes lowered slightly as she mulled it over in her mind. "If I get the chance to meet the Namekian Dragon, should I try wishing for some kind of 'survival' ability?"
…
That night, Uchiha Hikari checked in with the Heavenly God and set up dozens of simple tents in the temple's plaza as a resting spot for the hundred-plus Demon Slayer Corps guests. It was too late to send them to other worlds in the dark, so it made sense to handle it in batches the next day.
For people like Kie Kamado and the others, this was a pretty novel experience.
Not everyone gets the chance to spend a night tens of thousands of meters in the sky, especially folks from the relatively low-tech world of Demon Slayer.
As for Uchiha Hikari, Bulma, and the rest, they paired up and stayed in small houses popped out of universal capsules.
The next day rolled around.
After brushing her teeth and washing up, Bulma started inviting Kie Kamado and the others to visit West City.
—Researching the spaceship was important, but even Bulma needed a break. Crawling around in the ship's cabin day after day was starting to wear her out.
The invitation piqued Kie and the others' interest, though they felt a bit shy about accepting.
"No need to be polite! Tanjiro's a friend of mine and Hikari's, and you're his family and friends. No need to feel awkward. You're already here, so stay a few days!" Bulma warmly pressed her invitation.
"Well…"
Kie and the others discussed briefly, checked with Uchiha Hikari, and then happily agreed.
So, that morning, Bulma pulled seven or eight airships from her universal capsules. Uchiha Hikari split off six shadow clones, and together with Bulma, they each piloted an airship, carrying the Demon Slayer Corps toward West City.
After they left, Uchiha Hikari's main body piloted another airship, taking Esdeath, Tamayo, Yushiro, and a few other demons to the Red Ribbon Army headquarters in the northern part of Earth—Dr. Gero's research lab.
Speaking of which, Tamayo, Yushiro, and the others were still demons and, by nature, couldn't move around in daylight.
But thanks to Uchiha Hikari's earlier guidance, Tanjiro had returned to his family home during the autumn equinox and dug up some blue spider lilies. Combined with blood samples from Nezuko, who'd overcome sunlight, Tamayo had developed a drug that offered mild resistance to the sun.
Uchiha Hikari planned to have Tamayo refine it further for Yushiro and others. Otherwise, they'd only be able to come out at night, which wouldn't be much help for her tasks.
Of course…
News of the "blue spider lily" had to be kept from Muzan. If he got his hands on it, there'd be trouble.
"We're here."
"This is my research base."
Uchiha Hikari stopped in front of the headquarters castle. "Take a look inside, Miss Tamayo, Mr. Yushiro?"
"…Alright. Please lead the way."
It had been a while since Uchiha Hikari's last visit.
A few weeks later, not much had changed at Dr. Gero's lab. When he saw her and Esdeath arrive, he greeted them warmly, bowing respectfully.
"Lady Hikari, Lieutenant Esdeath, welcome."
"No need for formalities."
In front of Dr. Gero, Uchiha Hikari put on a slight air of authority as the "army commander," asking a few questions about the lab's recent progress. Then, she took the sealed Muzan Kibutsuji out of a universal capsule and placed him before the doctor.
"This is…"
"A new test subject."
Uchiha Hikari spent a moment explaining the existence and traits of "demons" to Dr. Gero.
"I see… A humanoid creature with powerful regeneration, a bloodthirsty nature, and blood that can erode others' cells, turning them into 'demons' like itself?"
As a seasoned scientist, Dr. Gero wasn't shocked by the concept of "demons" or their origins. The Dragon Ball world was full of bizarre species, so a few demon-like beings didn't seem out of place.
Now, he began thinking like a scientist, calmly considering how to handle Muzan. "It seems this creature might contain unique active substances that greatly boost physical vitality. If we could extract that, remove the erosive elements, we might transfer that regenerative power to other humans—or even androids."
"Exactly."
In a way, a demon's abilities were like a heavily watered-down version of Buu's.
"But…"
"I need to warn you, Dr. Gero, this one's extremely dangerous. You have to treat him with the utmost caution—no room for error."
Uchiha Hikari spoke gravely.
For her, Muzan Kibutsuji was just an oversized brat. As long as he didn't self-destruct, she had a hundred ways to keep him in line.
But for Dr. Gero, it was different.
With Muzan's strength and unpredictable Blood Demon Arts, even while bound by sealing techniques, he could easily pose a threat. Caution was a must.
"His weakness is sunlight—specifically, certain rays within it. Here."
"This analysis report was written by Dr. Brief's daughter. Using this principle, she made a few laser swords and a UV-protective suit. Samples are here—take a look for reference."
Uchiha Hikari handed Bulma's report to Dr. Gero.
He skimmed it, nodding thoughtfully. "Understood. I'll set up a lab full of lasers and place this test subject in a black box, using robots for blood sampling, slicing, and dissection experiments. Until we fully understand his cells and genetics, I'll avoid direct contact as much as possible."
"Good."
Uchiha Hikari nodded.
Dr. Gero was even more cautious than she'd expected—worthy of a genius scientist who'd create androids with a billion power level to take on a Goku with 9,000.
"One more thing."
Uchiha Hikari turned, gesturing to Tamayo and Yushiro. "These two are scientists I found elsewhere, with expertise in biomedicine, especially demon research. I'd like them to join your lab. They're here to assist, of course—you're still the chief scientist, and you decide how to divide the work."
"…Got it."
Dr. Gero, slightly surprised, sized up Tamayo and Yushiro before extending a hand calmly. "First meeting. I'm Dr. Gero."
"Just call me Tamayo. This is Yushiro. Pleased to work with you."
Tamayo bowed slightly, a bit nervous in her response.
With that, the resettlement of the Demon Slayer world folks was mostly sorted.
Only then did Uchiha Hikari turn her gaze to a mecha under construction in the lab. "Dr. Gero, this is…"
"Oh, that's the 'Strike Freedom Gundam' built to your specifications, Lady Hikari. It's still a work in progress."
"A work in progress?"
"Yes."
Dr. Gero nodded, explaining patiently. "Based on the blueprints you left, I've modified the Red Ribbon Army's existing mecha. The color scheme matches the design. But the material strength and firepower systems are still at the original level, not yet up to your expectations. They need further improvement."
"I see…"
Uchiha Hikari pondered, then raised her chin, her face lighting up with excitement. "Let me try it on first!"
She'd already anticipated the mecha's strength.
—In the original story, when the Red Ribbon Army fell, Black had piloted a mecha built by Dr. Gero against kid Goku, only for it to be pierced by Goku's Power Pole on its debut. That showed how fragile mecha from this era were—nothing compared to the androids from a decade or two later.
But…
Strength was temporary.
Coolness was forever.
Just the familiar red, white, and blue color scheme on this mecha was enough to get Uchiha Hikari's heart racing, itching to give it a spin.
Right then, with Dr. Gero's help, she climbed into the cockpit and followed his instructions to start the mecha.
With a blazing tail flame, Uchiha Hikari piloted the "Strike Freedom Gundam: Youth Edition," lifting off from the lab platform. She glided a short distance down the corridor, then shot into the sky, hundreds of meters up, pulling off spinning tricks under the blazing sun.
[Anonymous: [Gundam Pilot Uchiha Hikari.jpg]]
[Anonymous: How's that? Cool, right? [smug.jpg]]
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