Chapter 230: Those Who Seek Power, Come to Me

"What a troublesome fellow."

Qi Woza stared unblinkingly at Dio's last traces, and only when he confirmed the other's body had completely turned to ash did his tense muscles slightly relax.

Douma stood to one side, still wearing that faint smile on his face: "To have driven him to such a state, Lord Qi Woza's strength is indeed impressive."

Qi Woza ignored Douma's flattery.

He suddenly turned his head toward a pitch-black shadow in the corner, his voice cold: "Come out. You've been hiding for so long, have you seen enough?"

Rustling sounds came from the shadow, and a figure the size of a rat slowly walked out.

"Oh my, Lord Hantengu." Douma chuckled softly. "Your ability is truly convenient—the main body actually survived, how delightful."

"Lord Douma." Hantengu stammered, his voice filled with obvious reverence: "Most of my strength has been lost; I'm afraid I'll need to devour over a hundred people to recover..."

"Clang—"

A clear shamisen sound rang out, and a vermilion wooden door suddenly appeared in the air.

"Go back." Douma gently unfolded his fan. "Lord Muzan is waiting for our report."

Qi Woza snorted coldly, following Douma's steps; Hantengu hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed.

The three passed through that door, and their figures immediately vanished from the spot.

After a long time, a few brave residents cautiously confirmed the monsters had left, and then the others gradually returned.

The sight on the street made everyone gasp—houses collapsed, the ground cracked, some places still emitting blue smoke, and the air filled with the smell of gunpowder.

The townspeople soon began clearing the destroyed houses on the street.

The sun gradually set, and the street finally regained some order. The exhausted people began walking home in twos and threes.

"Tanaka, you go back and rest too. You've worked hard today." The village head patted a young man's shoulder.

"Alright, thank you, Village Head." Tanaka forced out a faint smile, feeling his whole body as heavy as if filled with lead. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Probably scared by those monsters." Tanaka shook his head, about to leave, when he suddenly felt a strange sensation on his back, as if something was wriggling.

"This is..." At this moment, his pupils contracted violently.

A sharp pain came from his back; he opened his mouth to shout, but the sound stopped before it could leave his lips.

Before those around could react, countless blood-vessel-like tentacles suddenly burst from within Tanaka's body, spreading like a spider web.

"Run!" Someone shouted, and the crowd instantly fell into chaos.

But the blood threads moved with astonishing speed, piercing into over a dozen people who hadn't escaped in time.

Their bodies withered at a visible rate, their flesh and essence madly absorbed.

At the center of the web, a humanoid outline was slowly condensing.

At first it was just a mass of blurred flesh, but as more people were absorbed, the outline became increasingly clear.

In just a few minutes, the entire street had become a dead zone, with dozens of desiccated corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.

Dio's figure emerged from within; he bent down and tore a piece of clothing from a corpse to put on.

He clenched his fist, feeling the power surging within him: "After absorbing so many people's flesh and blood, I've finally recovered seventy or eighty percent of my strength. However..."

Recalling the earlier battle, he sneered: "Upper Rank Two Douma. That fellow's strength was indeed unexpected."

In the final moment, he attached his brain to a passerby's back while letting his body shatter into countless fragments to scatter and escape, using it as bait to draw attention, and thus survived.

A hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes: "The gap in strength among Upper Rank Demons is too great—it's simply a chasm-like difference."

If Upper Rank Two Douma was already this strong, then what about the existences above?

Muzan Kibutsuji and Upper Rank One—what level had their strength reached?

"If we confront them head-on, the odds of victory are too low." Dio calmly analyzed the situation. "We need to find another breakthrough."

At this moment, he heard hurried footsteps behind him; the surviving Corpse Puppets had come before Dio.

"My Lord." The leading Corpse Puppet knelt on one knee. "We have found Lord Rengoku's fragments."

These remnants were precisely the body of Rengoku Kyojuro that Qi Woza had shattered earlier. Much of the muscle tissue had been crushed, but the skeletal structure remained intact.

"Put them on the ground."

The Corpse Puppet immediately complied. Dio crouched down and reassembled the fragments according to human body structure.

Dio stared at the fragments for a while, then bit his finger, letting blood drip onto them.

The blood writhed like a living thing, seeping into the fragments. The fragments began to reconnect, flesh wriggling as it healed.

Soon, Rengoku Kyojuro's form condensed once more. He opened his eyes and immediately knelt on one knee: "Master, I'm sorry to have disappointed you."

"Get up." Dio waved his hand. "Qi Woza's strength exceeded expectations; this isn't your fault."

A Corpse Puppet stepped forward: "Master, should we temporarily scale back our actions? After all, Muzan Kibutsuji has already noticed us."

"Scale back?" Dio sneered. "No, quite the opposite—we need to act more openly."

"But... the previous battle..." The Corpse Puppet's voice grew lower and lower.

Dio suddenly turned around and grabbed the Corpse Puppet's throat. His fingers slowly tightened: "Do you think I'm asking for your opinion?"

With a "crack," the Corpse Puppet's neck was crushed.

Dio casually tossed the corpse to the ground, a cruel smile on his face: "Also, I want you to spread the word—humans who want power can all come to me."

He extended his hand, palm up, slowly clenching a fist: "Those who want to cast off the shackles of weakness, those who want to surpass mortal limits, those who want the power of immortality—all can come to me."

"I want you to split up and create even greater commotion."

"Attack towns, slaughter villages—do anything that can draw attention." Dio's voice echoed on the silent street. "Draw the remaining Demon Slayer Corps members to pursue us."

"I want them to come to me on their own." A glint of gold flashed in Dio's eyes, "instead of hiding in the dark like rats. When they can no longer hold back and rush out, that will be when we cast our net."

……………………

The Demon Slayer Corps' secret base; the remaining Hashira gathered once more.

In the hall, Gyomei Himejima sat cross-legged in the corner; Mitsuri Kanroji and Obanai Iguro sat to one side. Muichiro Tokito stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

No one spoke; the heavy atmosphere made it hard to breathe, and everyone's gaze fell upon the jade pendant at the center of the table.

That is the Kibutsuji Clan's Family Token.

Sanemi Shinazugawa was the last to enter, slamming his sword onto the ground with a heavy clang.

"Speak. What exactly happened." Sanemi Shinazugawa crossed his arms, staring dead at Tanjiro.

Tanjiro took a Deep Breath: "The Lord stayed behind to cover our retreat. At that time the entire Council Hall was blasted to collapse by Artillery."

Sanemi Shinazugawa's gaze grew colder and colder, his knuckles cracking.

Tanjiro continued: "I tried to move the Crossbeam, but the Lord refused. He gave me the Kibutsuji Clan's Family Token, saying this was an order."

Bang!

Sanemi Shinazugawa kicked over the table before him, wood chips scattering; in three strides he rushed to Tanjiro and seized his collar.

"You just watched the Lord die?" Sanemi Shinazugawa gritted his teeth, "As the Flame Hashira, you couldn't even protect the Lord?"

Tanjiro did not resist, letting Sanemi Shinazugawa grip his collar.

Bang!

Sanemi Shinazugawa punched Tanjiro in the face; Tanjiro staggered back two steps, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Sanemi!" Gyomei Himejima barked low.

"All of you shut up!" Sanemi Shinazugawa whirled around glaring at the others, "The Lord is already dead! Don't you feel Anger?"

Giyu Tomioka silently stepped between Tanjiro and Sanemi Shinazugawa: "You know the situation at that time too."

Sanemi Shinazugawa turned his head and roared, veins bulging on his neck, "If it were me there, I would absolutely not have abandoned the Lord!"

Giyu Tomioka was about to step forward to stop him, but was blocked by Tanjiro raising a hand.

Tanjiro lifted his head, gazing straight into Sanemi Shinazugawa's eyes. Tears slid down his cheeks: "I'm sorry I truly failed to protect the Lord. If you want me to commit seppuku in apology, I can do so right now. But."

"But before that, I must fulfill the Lord's final wish — to thoroughly slay all Demons!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa's fist froze mid-air, looking into Tanjiro's eyes, his chest heaving violently, yet he never brought it down.

He released his grip, turned, and punched the Wall; rubble flew.

"Damn it! Damn it!" he growled, voice laced with irrepressible grief, "Why did it turn out like this"

Mitsuri Kanroji wiped tears: "Tanjiro-kun, this isn't your fault. We all know you did your best."

Sanemi Shinazugawa took a Deep Breath, slowly turned around, stared at Tanjiro for a long while, then gritted out: "Remember what you said today. If you can't do it."

"If I can't, then come kill me then." Tanjiro stared straight into Sanemi Shinazugawa's eyes,

Sanemi Shinazugawa stared at Tanjiro for a few seconds, then suddenly seized his collar.

But this time not to hit him, but to pull him close: "Want to die, suit yourself, but before that I'll die on the Battlefield first."

He let go, strode back to the table, gaze sweeping over the several Hashira present: "Now tell me the situation. How much fighting strength do we have left?"

"Currently we still have the seven Hashira present." Giyu Tomioka's Tone was steady, "Plus about eight hundred Corps members scattered across the Country."

"What about our Enemy?" Gyomei Himejima's deep voice rang out.

"Besides Dio himself, there's also Rengoku-sensei revived by him." Tanjiro clenched his Fist, "Also according to intel, large numbers of dead swordsmen have been converted into Corpse Puppets by him."

"Revived swordsmen." Obanai Iguro frowned, "Hiss even dead swordsmen, if they retain their swordsmanship from life, are no small Threat."

"Rengoku is mine." Gyomei Himejima stood up, prayer beads clacking crisply, "Amitabha, in his current state I'm confident I can subdue him."

"That guy called Dio, his strength isn't all that great." Sanemi Shinazugawa crossed his arms, voice carrying clear disdain, "He relies on nothing but those bizarre abilities and underhanded tactics."

"Then we split up." Tanjiro stood up, "Each responsible for their own Area; once Dio or Rengoku-sensei's tracks are found, notify the others immediately."

Everyone rose and departed separately.

After the meeting ended, Tanjiro did not go rest directly, but headed to Tamayo's residence.

This is a Western-style house concealed in the mountains and forests; a few days ago he had brought some Corpse Puppet flesh and blood samples.

Yushiro opened the Door, and seeing it was Tanjiro his brow furrowed: "You again, coming to disturb Lady Tamayo?"

"Sorry for the disturbance." Tanjiro scratched his head embarrassedly.

Inside, Tamayo was sitting before a microscope intently observing something. She wore a plain kimono, black hair pinned up, the patterns at her neck faintly visible.

"Any progress in the research?" Tanjiro approached and asked.

Tamayo straightened: "I extracted a special blood component from the Corpse Puppets. This should be Dio's blood essence."

"Does that mean a counter Method can be found?" Tanjiro's eyes brightened.

She pointed at the microscope: "This blood's structure is very special, unlike any Creature I've seen. I'm trying to develop a targeted toxin, but I'm afraid it will need more time."

"Very sorry, can't help much in the short term." Tamayo said softly, "But one thing is certain, his power is completely different from Muzan Kibutsuji. This may be another kind of Existence we don't yet understand."

"But this situation cannot count as resurrection; just as a rotting corpse cannot become fresh again, dead life cannot truly revive." Tamayo explained, "These Corpse Puppets will collapse sooner or later, only a matter of time."

"Then Rengoku-sensei"

"If he truly was revived by this power, then his current state must be very painful." Tamayo's voice held pity, "For him, perhaps a clean end is the best release."

With a bang, a Crow crashed in from outside the window, fluttering wings landing on the table.

"Tanjiro! Tanjiro!" the Crow called urgently, "Major chaos in the southern Town! Dead reviving! Living turning into monsters! Dio in the Town center declares, whoever goes to find him can gain power surpassing Humanity!"

Tanjiro sprang up: "Exact Location?"

"The Capital's plaza! Lots of people heading that way!" the Crow continued reporting, "Now the streets are full of Corpse Puppets wandering!"

Yushiro frowned: "Those foolish Humans, actually believing that kind of demon talk."

"No need." Tanjiro shook his head, "Time is urgent, I'll go ahead."

He walked quickly to the Door, then turned back to look at Tamayo: "Please continue research, if there's any discovery"

"I'll have Yushiro's cat notify you." Tamayo nodded, "Be careful."

(Chapter End)