Chapter 226: Upper Ranks Deploy

On the train to the Imperial Capital.

Dio sat alone by the window, feeling the changes in his body.

Since absorbing the blood of an Upper Rank Demon, his control over his body had reached a new level. Blood vessels, muscles, bones, even the smallest cells, all operated perfectly under his will.

"Click."

The compartment door was suddenly pushed open, and a tall figure flashed in—it was Rengoku Kyojuro.

Rengoku Kyojuro clutched a tattered notebook tightly, quickly walked up to Dio, and knelt on one knee.

"Dio-sama, I have found it."

Dio took the notebook; the cover bore the words "Flame Hashira Notes."

Flipping to the first page, the paper inside had yellowed, and there were scorch marks at the edges. Continuing to flip, one could see large areas of traces where pages had been torn and pieced back together.

"These tears." Dio's fingers lightly brushed the pages.

"They were my father while I was alive." Rengoku Kyojuro lowered his head, his voice somewhat hoarse, "He destroyed part of it before."

"Then?"

"I could only," Rengoku Kyojuro said softly, "turn him into a Corpse Puppet and retrieve these contents from his memories."

"Well done."

Dio continued flipping through, his gaze suddenly stopping on one page, which was a record about Haganezuka: "Infuse ten thousand catties of force into the hilt; only those with mind and body as one can wield it."

On the next page were fragmentary words about the Demon Slayer Mark: "When a swordsman bears a mark, other marked swordsmen will appear as if in resonance. This power is both a blessing and a curse."

"Tanjiro was in this situation back then." Rengoku Kyojuro nodded, "That day in the ruins, I personally saw flame-like patterns appear on his forehead. At that moment, his strength surged, and I couldn't react..." He subconsciously touched his arm that had been severed before.

Dio raised his hand to interrupt him: "Give me your sword."

Rengoku Kyojuro was stunned for a moment, then unsheathed the Nichirin Blade from his waist and presented it with both hands.

Dio's right hand suddenly tightened, his muscles instantly tensing. Blood vessels bulged under his skin, wriggling like earthworms. A strange power surged from his palm into the blade.

"Clang!"

The blade emitted a clear ring; starting from the blade edge, a blood-red color spread at a speed visible to the naked eye. In an instant, the entire sword turned dark red.

Dio lightly shook his wrist, and the blade traced a red arc in the air.

"Boring." He snorted, casually tossing the longsword back to Rengoku.

The red on the blade quickly faded, returning to its original appearance. Rengoku Kyojuro caught the longsword, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Master, this is..."

"Ten Thousand Catty Grip Strength. To me, it's nothing." Dio flicked a finger against the chair armrest, and the metal immediately dented into a deep pit, "Now, my palm alone can generate 900 kilograms of pressure per square centimeter."

The train approached the city, its outline gradually becoming clear. Dio suddenly stood up from his seat, his golden eyes slightly narrowed.

The distant sky was dyed blood-red by firelight, thick smoke billowing.

"Master?" Rengoku Kyojuro sensed the abnormality, his hand already on the hilt.

"Interesting." Dio looked out the window, "It seems someone arrived before us."

The train entered the urban area; huge fish-like creatures were everywhere on the streets, with sharp blades growing on their arms, indiscriminately slaughtering passersby.

A huge fish-like creature suddenly darted out from the side; the blade on its arm flashed with cold light and directly slashed open the rooftop. Shattered metal clattered down, exposing the passengers beneath the night sky.

Dio raised his hand; blood vessels burst out of his skin, like countless tiny poisonous snakes, instantly entangling that fish-like creature.

With a "hiss," the fish-like creature instantly shriveled, turning into a dried corpse that fell to the ground.

"Boring toys." Dio retracted his blood vessels, his gaze sweeping around.

At this moment, a violent shout came from above: "Rengoku Kyojuro!"

Rengoku abruptly looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting: "Akaza!"

A burly figure leaped down from the rooftop. Moonlight illuminated his hideous face, his muscles knotted all over, emitting a terrifying oppressive feeling.

"Destructive Death: Shatter Type: Myriad Leaf Flash Willow!"

Akaza's fist traced an arc in the air, air currents condensing around the fist edge.

"Boom!"

The fist heavily smashed into the train's front car. Steel under this punch tore like paper, air waves surged, and fragments scattered.

The locomotive exploded with a bang under this terrifying impact; the entire carriage was overturned, sliding dozens of meters along the tracks before stopping.

As the smoke gradually cleared, Dio and Rengoku Kyojuro stood on the overturned rooftop.

Behind them, Corpse Demon Swordsmen crawled out from the wreckage one by one, silently standing behind the two.

In the distance, Akaza looked down on them, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes: "You actually really came back to life."

His gaze lingered on Rengoku Kyojuro; six arms stretched out under the moonlight, each arm holding a longsword: "Even your appearance has become so wretched."

But when his gaze turned to Dio, his smile gradually disappeared; this blond man before him gave him a strange feeling—almost unable to sense any aura, like an empty shell.

But the more this was the case, the stronger his vigilance became.

"So you are the target. Muzan-sama was right; you are indeed a dangerous guy."

As his voice fell, Akaza stomped both feet on the ground, his whole body shooting out like a shell from a chamber. The ground beneath his feet instantly cracked, gravel flying.

"Destructive Death: Annihilation Type!"

His fist tore through the air, straight for Dio's face. The fist wind howled, and the air was compressed into visible air waves.

At this critical moment, six crimson lights suddenly lit up from the side.

"Flame Breathing: Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"

"Clang!"

Rengoku Kyojuro's six longswords simultaneously blocked Akaza's fist. Blade and fist edge collided, sparks flying. Amidst the surging air waves, the surrounding ground cracked inch by inch.

The two forces deadlocked; firelight and air waves raged wildly at the junction.

"Your strength..." Akaza's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, "Stronger than when you were alive?"

"Thanks to Master's grace." Rengoku Kyojuro pressed down with all six swords at once, flames surging, "This body far exceeds the past."

"Let me see how strong you are!" Akaza leaped backward, feet spreading apart, planting a firm horse stance. Right hand at his waist, left hand extended forward, aimed at Rengoku Kyojuro.

"Technique Expansion: Destructive Death: Compass!"

Air currents centered on him, forming a twelve-pointed snowflake-shaped formation. Each point emitted a fierce killing intent.

"Come on then!" Rengoku Kyojuro swung all six blades simultaneously, flames intertwining into a net in midair.

"Bang!" Fist tip and blade collided once more. Akaza's fist precisely struck the node where the six blades crossed — the weakest point of the defense.

Rengoku Kyojuro's foot sank, sinking into the ground.

"Destructive Death: Chaotic Style!"

Akaza suddenly changed moves, twin fists pouring down like a violent storm. Every punch accurately found the gaps in the defense.

"Clang clang clang clang!"

Metal impact sounds dense as rain, sparks scattering wildly. Rengoku Kyojuro's six blades danced frantically, barely blocking this wave of offense.

But in this fierce collision, his blades actually began to turn red, a bizarre crimson spreading.

Akaza slammed a heavy punch into the center of the blade net; the tremendous impact caused the ground beneath Rengoku's feet to instantly collapse, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward.

"Hahaha!" Akaza threw his head back and laughed loudly, battle intent blazing in his eyes, "Not bad! This is the fight I want! Come on, let's have a good brawl!"

At this moment, a faint sobbing sound came from the distance.

Dio turned his head to look, only to see a hunchbacked old man standing at the street corner. Horn-like protrusions grew on both sides of his forehead, his face covered in wrinkles, wiping tears with trembling hands.

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"Master, leave this side to us!"

Several Corpse Demon Swordsmen immediately raised their blades and charged. Hantengu saw this and immediately turned and ran; though his steps were tottering, his speed was strangely fast, vanishing around the wall corner in an instant.

Just in this chaos, Dio suddenly felt something strange behind him.

He violently turned, right hand reaching out, blood vessels bursting from his body, shooting toward the air behind him like countless tiny snakes.

"Bang!"

A blue ceramic pot shattered on cue, fragments flying everywhere; Dio narrowed his eyes — just now, in that instant, he had sensed a dangerous presence.

"Oh? Perception ability is actually this sharp, to even detect my presence."

A cold voice came from afar. Dio turned his head to look, only to see a completely pale figure standing on the rooftop.

It was a monster, whole body pale, sporting fish fins; green lips grew where eyes should be, while eyes occupied the forehead and mouth positions.

Dio stood in place, eyes narrowing slightly. He glanced at Hantengu fleeing in terror, then at Gyokko holding the porcelain pot, the corner of his mouth hooking into a cold smile: "Three Upper Rank Demons. Looks like Muzan values me highly."

"An honor." Gyokko elegantly performed a salute, but a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes, "Let me see what ability you have, to make Lord Muzan value you so."

Dio did not speak; right foot stomped hard on the ground, the iron rails beneath his feet instantly shattering, his whole body shooting toward Gyokko like a fired shell.

"Come on then!" Gyokko advanced instead of retreating, a blue-and-white porcelain pot suddenly appearing in his hand, "Blood Demon Art: Thousand Needle Fish Kill!"

The pot mouth instantly opened, two golden koi swam out, flickering with an eerie light under the moonlight. The next moment, countless fine poison needles burst from their mouths, pouring down like a violent storm.

"Puff puff puff!"

Poison needles pierced through Dio's body, bringing up sprays of blood mist. But a bizarre scene occurred — those wounds healed instantly.

"This—" Gyokko's pupils sharply contracted, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes, "Regeneration ability has actually reached this level?!"

No time to think further, Gyokko flipped both hands, another blue ceramic pot appearing in his grasp: "Blood Demon Art: Water Prison Pot!"

The ceramic pot violently shook, the mouth spraying deep blue liquid. Those liquids twisted eerily in midair as if alive, rapidly converging centered on Dio.

"Crack. Crack—"

Water flows intertwining emitted a teeth-aching sound; in the blink of an eye a giant water prison formed around Dio. Blue liquid kept rotating, emitting eerie fluctuations.

"Hehe." Gyokko's slender fingers lightly stroked the pot body, voice carrying a hint of complacency, "In this water prison, air is completely cut off; no one can exert force!"

But he did not pause in the slightest, yet another ceramic pot appearing in his palm: "Blood Demon Art: Octopus Pot Hell!"

"Boom!"

Countless pitch-black tentacles burst out. Each tentacle thick as a water bucket, surface covered in dense suckers, gleaming with an oily sheen under the moonlight.

Tentacles instantly entwined around the water prison, tightening like pythons constricting prey. Suckers clung dead fast to the water surface, countless tiny bubbles bursting on the water prison's surface.

"Shatter for me!"

Gyokko gave a low shout; tentacles exerted force simultaneously, the giant water sphere instantly deforming. Water pressure sharply increased, countless fine streams jetting from the gaps, forming streams of water arrows in the moonlight.

The ground struck by these high-pressure streams was instantly carved with several deep gullies. On the walls, bricks were smashed to pieces.

"This level of pressure is enough to tear anything to shreds!" A ferocious grin appeared on Gyokko's face.

Voice not yet fallen, sudden change arose.

A bone-piercing chill suddenly erupted from the water sphere's center; water vapor in the air instantly condensed into frost. Those jetting streams froze in midair, turning into crystalline ice arrows.

"Crack! Crack!"

Cold air spread outward centered on Dio; surrounding tentacles instantly froze.

"What?!" Gyokko's pupils sharply contracted.

The next moment, "Crash—" all frozen tentacles simultaneously shattered, turning into countless crystalline ice fragments drifting down.

Ice fragments not yet landed, Dio's figure manifested; a bizarre light suddenly flashed in his right eye — "Space Ripper Stingy Eyes."

White light beam tore through the air, straight for Gyokko's throat. Where it passed, even the air emitted a piercing explosive roar.

"What!"

Gyokko's figure flashed, barely dodging this fatal strike. The spot he just occupied was instantly pierced through, leaving two bottomless holes.

Next second, he emerged from another ceramic pot ten meters away:

"Hehe, an attack of this level cannot hit me. I can be in any ceramic pot—"

Voice not yet fallen, Dio turned his head; wherever his gaze fell, all surrounding ceramic pots burst one after another under high-pressure liquid impact, fragments flying everywhere.

Fragments fell like raindrops; each crisp sound pierced into Gyokko's heart like an awl.

"No!" Gyokko's voice turned hoarse. "My art! My collection! You barbarian!"

The words barely fell before Gyokko's clothes tore apart in an instant. His physique swelled by more than half, his lower half transforming into a thick fish tail covered in transparent scales.

His originally slender arms also became thick and powerful, sharp claws growing from his fingertips.

"You bastard." Gyokko's voice turned raspy and deep. "You are the third person to witness this glorious form of mine!"

A white beam shot from Dio's right eye once more, but this time Gyokko raised his arm, letting the beam strike his body.

"Hum—"

The beam struck the transparent scales, yet like light on a kaleidoscope it instantly split into several rays, shooting outward in all directions.

Gyokko laughed hideously: "How about that? This is true art!"

(Chapter End)