Chapter 217: Dio Brando

A certain world, 1900, deep in the Atlantic Ocean

An ancient coffin lay quietly on the seabed, eroded by a hundred years of time, its surface covered with barnacles and rust.

Inside the coffin, a blond man kept his eyes tightly closed, his exquisite features as perfect as a sculpture, yet devoid of life.

Suddenly, a cold mechanical voice echoed through his consciousness: 【Do you want to surpass the limits of humanity? Do you want to escape this eternal loneliness?】

"What sound!" The blond man suddenly opened his eyes, looking around, but could only see the pitch-black inner walls of the coffin.

【Dio Brando, do you crave power? Do you want to dominate the entire world?!】

The mechanical voice rang out again, every word as if striking Dio's heart.

Dio's lips slowly curled into a dangerous smile, his pale fingers trembling slightly in the darkness.

Decades of slumber made his body slightly stiff, but the ambition to dominate everything never diminished.

"Wryyy" Dio let out a low laugh: "Interesting, truly too interesting! Is this the gift fate has prepared for me, Dio? If so, how could I, Dio, possibly refuse such an opportunity!"

"Yes! I accept your conditions!" His voice echoed inside the coffin.

【Reincarnator ready, you are about to go to the Reincarnation World to complete the Main God's task, you can obtain everything you want, 10, 9, 8, 7】

"Reincarnator? Main God?" Dio frowned, then burst into laughter, "It doesn't matter, as long as it makes me, Dio, stronger, I can accept any condition!"

【3, 2, 1, transmission begins.】

Dio felt his vision go black, his consciousness falling into a brief blank.

When Dio regained consciousness again, he found himself standing on a narrow street, raising his hand to cover his eyes as he adjusted to the sudden brightness.

"This architectural style" Dio looked around, the surroundings were typical Japanese-style buildings. Low eaves, wooden structures.

He remembered that when he bought poison in London, he had once seen some books about the East, those illustrations depicting Oriental charm were extremely similar to the scene before him.

"Interesting, this should be an Eastern country." Dio let out a low laugh, "From the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, straight to the Orient? Is this the power of the Main God?"

Dio leaned against the wall, dangerous light flashing in his eyes, "Since I've come here, let me first understand the situation of this world."

A drunk man staggered from the street corner. His face was flushed red, humming an off-key tune in his mouth, completely failing to notice the pair of eyes watching him from the darkness.

Dio's throat writhed slightly: "Just right. I am indeed a bit hungry."

Just as Dio was about to approach the drunkard, a black shadow suddenly descended from the sky, bringing a gust of fishy wind. Dio's eyes narrowed, and he instinctively retreated half a step.

"What good luck, actually running into two at once." A hoarse laugh came from the shadows. It was a hideous monster, with black veins covering its pale-white skin, fangs protruding hideously from its twisted mouth.

Before Dio could react, the monster had already grabbed the drunkard's neck. "Crack!" With a sound, the drunkard's neck was easily twisted off, fresh blood spurting out, all sucked into the monster's mouth.

"Interesting." Dio narrowed his eyes. As a vampire, it was still the first time he had seen an existence so similar to himself.

The monster threw away the drunkard's corpse, its crimson eyes staring at Dio: "Your body... I have never seen such strong flesh and blood. If I eat you, my power will surely double!"

"Oh?" Dio's lips curled into a playful smile, "Want to eat me? You really dare to say that."

The voice had not fallen, and the monster's figure had already disappeared from the spot. Dio's pupils shrank slightly: "Not bad speed."

But this level of speed was still within his reaction range.

"You seem to have gotten something wrong." Dio stood in place, letting the monster approach, "Here, the hunter is me."

Just as the monster's sharp claws were about to touch Dio, golden pupils suddenly burst forth with dazzling light: "Space Ripper Stingy Eyes!"

"Pfft!"

A high-pressure liquid like a laser shot from Dio's eyes, directly piercing the monster's chest. Fresh blood splattered in the air, and the monster's movement stopped abruptly."

"What?! Blood Demon Art!" The monster staggered back, its wide eyes filled with disbelief.

It trembled and knelt on the ground, its forehead touching the ground: "Adult, spare me! It was this lowly one's poor eyes, failing to recognize Adult's identity."

"Blood Demon Art?" Dio chewed on this unfamiliar term: "This world is indeed different from my world."

He stepped forward slowly, his lips curling into a cruel smile: "However, since you just wanted to eat me... your blood, I will take it."

Just as Dio was about to touch the monster, the figure kneeling on the ground suddenly sprang up.

The monster's mouth twisted into a hideous smile, its arm stabbing toward Dio like lightning: "Hahaha! So what if you know Blood Demon Art? If I eat you, I can also level up!"

"Pfft!"

The sharp claws easily pierced Dio's abdomen, fresh blood splattering. The smile on the monster's face had not fully bloomed when it suddenly froze.

"What...?"

A bone-piercing chill spread from the wound. The monster looked down and saw that the arm it had plunged into Dio's body was freezing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"You think..." Dio looked down at the arm piercing his abdomen, his lips curling into a savage smile, "This can kill me?"

"Vaporization Freezing Technique!"

Crack, crack! Frost spread rapidly along the monster's arm, covering half its body in the blink of an eye. Cold air condensed into crystal-clear ice flowers, flashing with an eerie light under the moonlight.

"What is this...!" The monster tried to pull back its arm in terror, but found itself unable to move.

"Wryyy!"

Dio let out an excited growl, his left fist smashing out, directly shattering the monster's ice-sealed half body.

The monster screamed as it fell to the ground, and before it could react, Dio's hand had already plunged into its chest.

The veins on his arm writhed like living things, madly absorbing the blood within the monster's body.

"This blood...!" Dio's eyes widened, feeling the power surging within him. This blood contained a strange energy, undergoing some wondrous reaction with his body.

A power never before seen awakened within him. Dio could feel his cells evolving madly, every vein throbbing with excitement.

This feeling was more intense, more wonderful than drinking human blood!

"Wryyyyy!"

"This blood... is completely different from human blood!" Dio felt the power surging within him, a fanatical smile on his face, "Wonderful! This world is truly too interesting!"

Suddenly a mechanical voice rang out in Dio's mind.

【World: Demon Slayer】

【World Level: Fourth Stage Minus】

【World Information: This is a world where "Demons" exist. Demons are monsters that feed on humanity, possessing powerful regeneration and special abilities called "Blood Demon Arts." Muzan Kibutsuji is the first Demon, and all Demons are transformed from his bloodline.】

【Opposing the Demons is the swordsman organization "Demon Slayer Corps," which wields "Nichirin Blades." Demons turn to ash in sunlight, and only special Nichirin Blades and sunlight can completely destroy them.】

【Quest Name: Subjugate the Demon King】

【Mission Difficulty: S】

【Quest Description: Find and destroy the ancestor of all Demons—Muzan Kibutsuji】

【Time Limit: Unlimited】

【Mission Reward: 10000 Reward Points】

【Mission Failure: Erasure!】

Dio looked at the information before him, a flicker of excitement crossing his golden pupils: "Muzan... the ancestor of Demons?" He licked his lips, excitement flashing in his golden eyes: "Since the Demons of this world possess such delicious blood, then this ancestor's blood must be even more wonderful!"

"However, to deal with such prey, some preparations are still needed." He licked his lips, revealing a dangerous smile: "First, establish my own power."

Dio's gaze fell upon the ancient fortress in the center of the town; its lights were bright, clearly someone lived there.

"Let's start here." Dio's figure merged into the darkness.

……

Late at night, inside the Town Mayor's residence.

The Town Mayor was sleeping in bed when suddenly a cold wind blew; he frowned, groggily opened his eyes, and discovered the window had been opened at some unknown time.

"Strange. I clearly remember closing it." The Town Mayor put on his outer robe and walked to the window to close it.

The wooden floor creaked with a faint sound; the Town Mayor turned around and suddenly widened his eyes.

Under the moonlight, a blond man leaned against the wall. He wore luxurious clothing, his appearance handsome beyond that of a mortal, but those eyes exuded a heart-pounding evil aura.

"Who... who are you?" The Town Mayor's voice trembled.

Dio stepped forward slowly, each step as if stepping on the Town Mayor's heart; an invisible oppressive feeling filled the entire room, leaving the Town Mayor almost unable to breathe.

At this moment, the Town Mayor felt as if he had become a sheep, while the one before him was a demon that could devour him at any time.

"Money... money is in the hidden compartment under the bed!" The Town Mayor stumbled backward, crashing into the wall: "Please don't kill me... I... I still have a wife and children."

Dio stopped before the Town Mayor, looking down at this man already devoured by fear. He extended a finger, gently lifting the Town Mayor's chin.

"Money?" Dio chuckled lightly: "You seem to have misunderstood something."

His voice carried a captivating magic power: "From today on, you will become my servant, Dio's servant; this is your honor."

The Town Mayor wanted to escape, but his legs had already lost all strength.

At this moment, Dio's finger suddenly pierced into his forehead. A bone-piercing cold instantly invaded his brain; the Town Mayor felt his soul being torn by some power.

"Ah!" A shrill scream echoed through the night sky.

"Bang!" The door was slammed open, and two armed guards rushed in: "Town Mayor Adult! What happened?"

They saw the Town Mayor standing with his back to the door by the window, seemingly everything was normal.

"Town Mayor Adult, are you alright?"

The Town Mayor slowly turned around; the guards sucked in a cold breath, the Town Mayor's eyes had turned blood-red, and there was a strange wound on his forehead that was slowly healing.

"You..." The guard was about to fire his gun when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.

Dio had appeared behind them at some unknown time; his sharp fingers pierced into the guard's neck. They didn't even have time to scream before being corroded by Dio's blood.

A moment later, the Town Mayor and the two guards knelt neatly on the ground, their eyes flashing with fanatical light: "Greetings, Master!"

Dio looked down at the three kneeling on the ground; satisfaction flashed in his golden eyes: "Very good, now go call the others."

……………………

Two days later, on a sunny mountain road.

Six Demon Slayer Corps members wearing black uniforms were hurrying along; among them, a blond boy was especially conspicuous, walking lazily at the very back.

"Ah, so tired. Why do we have to walk such a long road?" Zenitsu Agatsuma grumbled.

Suddenly, a yellow sparrow fell from the sky and pecked hard at Zenitsu's head.

"Ah! Chuntaro, what are you doing!" Zenitsu covered his head and dodged: "Ow, ow, ow, stop pecking!"

At this moment, a black crow suddenly landed at the very front of the group; the leader Shinoda Shun extended his arm to let it perch on his hand.

The boy was a head taller than Zenitsu, with long black hair neatly tied behind his head, and a pitch-black katana at his waist. Though young, his calm eyes were especially steady, clearly having experienced many battles.

The crow called anxiously: "South, town, Demons appearing! Large numbers of people missing!"

"What?" Shinoda Shun's brow tightened: "That direction should be Aoyama Town."

"Did you all hear that?" Shinoda Shun frowned slightly, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes: "Change itinerary, head to Aoyama Town immediately."

"No! Brother Shinoda!" Zenitsu's face instantly turned pale, and he grabbed Shinoda Shun's thigh: "That place must be very dangerous!"

"Let go!" Shinoda Shun tried to shake Zenitsu off, but this guy stuck to him like glue: "You are a swordsman personally cultivated by the Hashira Adult, how can you be such a coward!"

"It's precisely because I am a swordsman that I'm even more afraid!" Zenitsu had tears in his eyes: "We little shrimps will definitely die if we go!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Another member stepped forward and grabbed Zenitsu's collar: "We came to investigate this matter."

"Waaah, I don't want to go!" Zenitsu was dragged forward: "Why is every task so scary?"

Shinoda Shun sighed and picked up Zenitsu: "Stop crying! Let's go, try to reach Aoyama Town before dark!"

His gaze looked toward the south: "If there really are that many missing people, we can't just sit by and do nothing."

The sun set in the west; several people dragging Zenitsu finally arrived at Aoyama Town.

Although there were pedestrians on the street, it was unusually deserted; passersby hurried along, almost not making eye contact with anyone.

Shinoda Shun frowned and sniffed the air: "Strange. I can't smell any Demon scent, but there's an indescribable strange odor."

"It's almost dark; let's go to the supply point first." A member pointed to a building not far away with wisteria hanging from it.

Several people came to the door and gently knocked; no one answered.

A moment later, Shinoda Shun gripped his sword hilt and pushed open the ajar door; a rich scent of wisteria rushed toward them.

The light inside the house was dim, with only a single electric lamp emitting a faint glow.

Behind the counter, a stooped old woman was organizing items.

Hearing footsteps, she raised her head: "Welcome, sorry this old woman's ears aren't good, I didn't hear the knocking."

Shinoda Shun produced the Demon Slayer Corps Family Token, and the old woman narrowed her eyes: "So it's the Demon Slayer Corps Adults, you've come at just the right time. These past few days people have been disappearing in town one after another, everyone is in a state of panic."

Shinoda Shun surveyed the interior, where the light was dark to an unnatural degree: "Why not open a few more windows?"

"Alas, this old woman's eyes aren't good, she can't stand strong light." The old woman sighed, leaning on her cane as she stood up, "Several Adults, please follow me."

Shinoda Shun secretly observed the old woman; although her eyes were cloudy, there wasn't the slightest trace of demonification.

Moreover, the dense Wisteria filling the room — at this density, demons within several dozen meters should be unable to approach at all.

Although he had some doubts in his heart, he didn't say much more.

The old woman led them to a spacious guest room.

"Finally we can rest!" Zenitsu immediately collapsed onto the Floor, "Walked a whole day, my legs are about to break"

"Rest for a bit first." Shinoda Shun looked around, "Demons won't appear in daytime, we'll act at night."

"Elder Brother Shun," a teammate laughed, "Once this Task is Finished, you'll be able to promote to Rank 1 Swordsman."

Shinoda Shun shook his head: "It's too early to say that now. The current situation" he looked toward the darkening Street outside the window, a trace of unease rising in his heart, "I'm afraid it's not as simple as it appears on the surface."

(Chapter End)