Chapter 220: Resurrection Pillar

Right now Zenitsu was gasping for air under the pressure of the Hashira's gaze.

Shinobu put down the report in her hands: "Don't be afraid, we just want to understand the situation in Aoyama Town."

"I-I really don't remember anything at all," Zenitsu's voice trembled, "it was too scary back then, monsters everywhere."

"This is an emergency!" A furious roar cut him off. Sanemi Shinazugawa slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Can't you be serious! An entire town's worth of people all died within a few days!"

Zenitsu was startled into a shudder by this sudden roar: "S-sorry, but I really..."

"Sanemi, calm down." Giyu Tomioka spoke lightly.

Suddenly, a faint scraping sound entered his ears.

He lowered his head to look at the wounds on his body.

Gyomei Himejima stepped forward: "My Lord, do you wish to temporarily leave Headquarters? The situation is dangerous now, your safety is of utmost importance."

"And then that person appeared." Zenitsu's voice shook, "blond hair, like a Westerner, seemed to be called Dio."

"Report!" A Kakushi quickly walked to the door, "Adult Shinoda Shun has awakened."

Moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, the mountains and forests were pitch black.

"The Imperial Court... the Imperial Court has ordered the sealing of our properties nationwide!" That Kakushi's voice trembled, "Not only that, they've also issued Wanted Posters, saying we privately maintain armed forces, intending to rebel!"

The blade struck the ground, the immense impact instantly splitting a grave open.

Sanemi Shinazugawa's fist clenched with crackling sounds: "Beast!"

"Tanjiro!" Zenitsu's eyes lit up, the whole person as if finding his mainstay, directly pounced from the corner, tightly grabbing Tanjiro's sleeve.

"Boom!"

At this moment, the room door was gently pushed open. A faint fragrance drifted in, everyone's gaze turned toward the door in unison.

Mitsuri Kanroji exclaimed: "T-this, how is this possible? We've always been protecting the people."

An army moved silently through the dense forest, the sounds of clashing weapons wrapped in cloth strips, only faint footsteps could be heard.

"Too late!" Shinoda Shun suddenly circulated Water Breathing, the Great Sword drawing a silver flash under the moonlight.

At the same time, Tanjiro was sleeping soundly in the room.

Two muffled sounds came from next door, like something falling to the ground. Shinoda Shun's mouth corner slightly curled, a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes.

"I believe in everyone present." Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked around at everyone, "Whether Hashira or ordinary soldiers, everyone fights to protect others. This conviction will not be shaken by a single imperial edict."

"Stop!" Tanjiro's voice came from behind.

"Namo Amitabha." Gyomei Himejima chanted sutras in a low voice, palms pressed together, at this moment tears welled up in his eyes, "To harm living beings so cruelly, truly..."

Sanemi Shinazugawa turned his head away, snorted coldly, he had always disliked Tanjiro's gentle personality, but even so, he had to admit Tanjiro's strength.

A Kakushi hurriedly rushed in, clutching a scroll of official documents in his hand, beads of sweat on his forehead: "My Lord! Something terrible has happened!"

A huge boom, shattered stones flying everywhere. Large amounts of dirt and shattered stones surged out from underground.

It opened its mouth, a delicate small crossbow slid out from its throat, the pangolin extended its tongue, skillfully hooking the crossbow mechanism, after doing these, it immediately turned around and drilled back into the burrow,

"Water Breathing · Second Form, Water Wheel!"

Soon, the night deepened.

Ubuyashiki's voice trembled slightly: "Such a demon must absolutely not be allowed to rampage."

Afterwards Shinoda Shun stood up, quietly picked up the bundle, and walked toward the door.

Then a deformed skull drilled out—it was a monster with a human head and a pangolin's body, covered all over in hard scales.

"I was executing a Demon Slaying Task in the north." Tanjiro nodded, his expression turning serious: "I immediately rushed back after receiving the emergency news from Headquarters. I've heard some things about the Aoyama Town matter on the road."

Shinoda Shun took a deep breath: "That guy called Dio... his ability is different from previous Demons. He can not only quickly turn people into Demons, but also fuse humans and animals, creating terrifying monsters."

"Stop!" Tanjiro exerted force under his feet, the whole person shooting out like an arrow.

These past few days, although the Imperial Court had sealed many properties, the shops and warehouses hidden underground were still operating. Although the scale had been reduced by half, they could barely maintain the Organization's basic expenses.

"Then how did you escape?" Obanai Iguro's tongue flicked out lightly, his snake-like eyes narrowed.

Shinoda Shun slowly turned around, under the moonlight that face bore a strange smile: "Hehe, didn't expect you to discover me. Worthy of being the current Flame Hashira, this nose is truly sharp."

"It's alright, it's alright." Tanjiro gently patted Zenitsu's back, a gentle smile on his face, "I heard you were injured, are you better now?"

"My Lord is right." Shinobu took up the conversation, "We cannot let a second Muzan cause trouble."

Sound Hashira Uzui Tengen touched his chin: "This really isn't flashy at all, it seems we're facing an unprecedented Enemy."

"This is..." Tanjiro sat up, grabbing the Nichirin Blade by the bedside.

A moment later, Shinoda Shun was carried into the conference room on a stretcher by two Kakushi. His entire left arm was missing, his body wrapped in bandages, beneath his clothes large burns and small wounds faintly visible.

The conference room fell into silence, Sanemi Shinazugawa was about to speak when suddenly interrupted by urgent footsteps.

Suddenly, dense gunfire came from the distance, followed by rising and falling screams. Firelight lit up in the night sky, illuminating half the horizon.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya turned to Shinoda Shun: "Your injuries need time to recover, leave the upcoming battles to others."

Although his appearance could not be called handsome, those eyes were especially warm, giving people a reassuring feeling.

The General narrowed his eyes looking at the faintly visible building contours in the distance: "These rebel ministers and traitorous sons who dare oppose the Imperial Court will pay the price tonight."

"What?!" Sanemi Shinazugawa stood up abruptly, the chair scraping out a piercing sound on the ground.

"Let him come in." Shinobu immediately said.

And also mastered the legendary Sun Breathing, after the original Flame Hashira's sacrifice became the new Flame Hashira, even other Hashira could not see through his true level.

"But..."

"Mausoleum?" Tanjiro stood at the Mausoleum entrance, brows tightly furrowed, this was the resting place of generations of sacrificed Hashira, few people came on ordinary days.

The leading General raised his hand to signal the troops to stop. He took out a yellowed map from his bosom, carefully examining it under the faint moonlight. The map marked a hidden building complex.

"Speak." Giyu Tomioka said briefly.

"Everyone, rise." Ubuyashiki Kagaya's voice was weak but carried a determination, "I have already heard about it."

"Zenitsu," Tanjiro's voice pulled everyone's thoughts back to reality, "can you tell us what happened back then?"

In that split second, Shinoda Shun took a bottle from the box. The liquid inside gleamed with an eerie luster in the moonlight.

"Thud!"

"They were careless." Shinoda Shun panted, "I escaped when the guards were negligent. They chased me to the door, but it was already daytime outside, so I survived."

"Tanjiro-kun!" Mitsuri Kanroji waved cheerfully, "Wonderful, it's been so long!"

"After escaping from Aoyama Town that day, I was taken to a new village by them."

About a minute passed.

"This is the map His Majesty gave." The General said in a low voice, "The Rebel Army's Headquarters is right ahead."

Tanjiro, carrying his sword, chased after him. Crossing the courtyard, leaping over the wall, the scent grew stronger and stronger, finally pointing to an unexpected place.

"Brother Shun!" Panic tinged Zenitsu's voice, his gaze falling on Shinoda Shun's mutilated left arm. The coffin planks shattered, revealing the bones beneath. Shinoda Shun raised his right hand; the glass bottle arced through the air and fell into the coffin.

"No, these injuries are nothing." Shinoda Shun's voice was somewhat hoarse, "Compared to this, I have something more important to report."

"Calm down." Ubuyashiki Kagaya raised a hand to stop everyone's discussion, his voice still gentle: "Dio must be manipulating things behind the scenes. It seems he has already infiltrated the Imperial Court."

Giyu Tomioka watched this scene, his gaze softening somewhat: "You've returned?"

The soldiers split into several squads, stealthily advancing toward the target like venomous snakes.

"What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, carefully distinguishing the scents in the air. Shinoda Shun's scent was still fresh, extending toward the west.

"Lord!" The swordsmen present immediately dropped to one knee.

Shinoda Shun's peripheral vision glanced out the window. Two Kakushi were hiding in different positions monitoring this place. He shook his head slightly, signaling the Pangolin.

Since Tanjiro first participated in training, he had displayed extremely exquisite swordsmanship, not inferior even to the Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito's talent.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

"What?!" Tanjiro abruptly turned his head toward the direction the firelight came from.

"He wanted to get Demon Slayer Corps intelligence from me." Shinoda Shun continued, his voice growing weaker, "I didn't tell him, so he then"

Tanjiro's nose twitched slightly, his brows suddenly furrowing tightly. There was a strange scent on Shinoda Shun, not the smell of festering wounds, but a more sinister, cold deathly aura.

At this moment only Shinoda Shun's even breathing could be heard.

………………

"Control?" Shinoda Shun threw back his head and laughed loudly, a hint of madness in his laughter, "No, you're wrong. This is my own choice. Dio-sama showed me what lies above humanity's limits. That power, that eternity transcending life and death."

Following the scent, he rushed to Shinoda Shun's room and pushed the door open. In the moonlight, two corpses wearing black Corps uniforms lay on the ground, small wounds on their necks, the blood already congealed.

Giyu Tomioka pondered for a moment: "From your description, this Dio's strength isn't unbeatable. If it's a First Rank Swordsman or above, they should have the power to fight."

By now Tanjiro had already reached the front, the back of his blade striking straight for Shinoda Shun's face, but just then the ground suddenly trembled.

Muichiro Tokito keenly noticed Tanjiro's abnormality: "Tanjiro, did you discover something?"

In the Final Selection, he unprecedentedly slew all the Demons, with zero casualties among the examinees.

"This Dio is even more dangerous than we imagined..." Ubuyashiki Kagaya sat steadily in the Upper Seat: "Have all outer members temporarily conceal their identities, move important supplies to the backup base." He paused, "But we absolutely cannot stop our Demon-slaying operations."

His voice was filled with fanaticism: "You frogs at the bottom of a well, how could you understand Dio-sama's greatness!"

"Tch." Sanemi Shinazugawa sat down heavily, arms crossed over his chest, his face written full of impatience.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya listened to his subordinates' report.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open. A tall, straight youth walked in. He had deep red hair and red pupils, a distinct scar on his forehead.

"Nothing." Tanjiro shook his head, but his gaze remained fixed on Shinoda Shun. Without concrete evidence, rashly exposing him might make the situation even more complicated.

He turned to his subordinates behind him: "Act according to plan, surround the entire area. Remember His Majesty's order — not a single one left."

"You've been controlled by Dio!" Tanjiro gripped his sword hilt tight, staring dead at Shinoda Shun's every move.

"The problem isn't here." Tanjiro shook his head, "He's smart, won't confront us head-on. He's accumulating power in the dark, which is more terrifying than simple force."

Tanjiro's footsteps abruptly halted.

The Pangolin seemed to understand something, its movements becoming even lighter. It gently placed the bundle at the edge of the cave entrance, its throat suddenly wriggling.

"Need to send someone to watch him?"

He turned to the others: "This existence called Dio is probably just as dangerous as Muzan. A monster from a foreign land, harming people with such cruel methods."

Tanjiro stood in the corner, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter. Every word Shinoda Shun said was perfectly reasonable, but his scent was clearly lying. But why lie?

"No need." Ubuyashiki Kagaya shook his head, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "This place is already concealed enough. Besides, if even I choose to flee, how should the Corps members fighting on the front lines conduct themselves?"

Shinoda Shun lowered his head: "Yes, Lord."

Deep night, silent sickroom.

Among them was the Flame Hashira who had once taught him — Rengoku Kyojuro.

The soldiers skillfully worked the bolts, the metal clacking exceptionally clear in the silent night.

Tanjiro did not leave immediately. He gave Giyu Tomioka a look. Giyu Tomioka understood and stayed put. After everyone else left, Tanjiro spoke: "The scent on Shinoda Shun is strange, like he's lying."

"Urgh—"

On his back he carried a Great Sword and a bundle — precisely the one Dio had given him before.

Shinoda Shun was now standing in the center of the Mausoleum.

A faint scent of blood drifted into his nose. He snapped his eyes open, pupils instantly contracting.

Tanjiro whipped his head back — that was a scent a hundred times more evil than Demon Blood.

Evening, five days later.

Just then, a burst of urgent footsteps rang out.

He paused, his voice carrying a tremor: "I saw with my own eyes a woman... turned by him into a half-human half-dog monster, for his own amusement."

"Kakushi!" Tanjiro gritted his teeth, "As expected there's a problem. Damn it!"

The air in the conference room froze instantly. Mitsuri Kanroji covered her mouth, her eyes full of terror.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya walked in slowly, supported by two female attendants. His entire body was wrapped in bandages, only a pair of gentle eyes exposed.

He drew his Nichirin Sword, the blade gleaming with cold light in the moonlight: "All units, take position. Wait for my signal."

Although the wounds had been bandaged, dark red bloodstains could still be faintly seen seeping out.

Shinoda Shun held a glass bottle high, her voice filled with fanaticism: "This is Dio-sama's blood! An existence that can make the rules of life and death collapse!"

"Lord," Giyu Tomioka stepped forward, "what should we do?"

"The operation has begun!" Shinoda Shun's face showed an excited smile: "Dio-sama's plan is simply perfect!"

"Meeting adjourned." Ubuyashiki Kagaya stood up and left the conference room, supported by a maid.

"I remember that night." Zenitsu took a deep breath, "We drank the old woman's soup and were poisoned, then a group of police who had turned into monsters appeared and shot at us."

Shinoda Shun opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the ground. In the moonlight, the floor made a "ripping" sound, and soon a black hole appeared.

……

"Hmm." Tanjiro pondered for a moment, "Find a few reliable Kakushi, take turns monitoring. But be careful, don't let him discover you."

He placed the bundle on the ground, opened it gently, and took out a wooden box. In the moonlight, more than a dozen glass bottles were neatly arranged inside, filled with dark red liquid.

"Thump!"

Suddenly, a sound like a heartbeat came from underground, a nauseating stench of rot rushed over, mixed with the scent he was most familiar with.

Tanjiro's hands began to tremble, the knuckles of his sword grip turning white from force. His pupils suddenly contracted, his breathing becoming rapid.

"No, this is impossible."

The smoke and dust dispersed, Rengoku Kyojuro's figure fully revealed. But at this moment, he was no longer that spirited Flame Hashira. Maggots crawled over his rotting skin, and an eerie red light flickered in his hollow eye sockets.

(Chapter End)