Chapter 17: The Strange Pot

On this day, Zero was resting at a teahouse, sipping tea before preparing to continue his journey.

“By this time tomorrow night, I should reach the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters—then I can perform the second treatment for my lord!” Zero thought, just as he was about to rise and settle his bill, a conversation beside him caught his attention.

Had it been ordinary chatter, Zero wouldn’t have noticed—but the topic concerned missing people, which piqued his interest.

“Hey, have you heard? In the village next door, over ten people have vanished. You know about this, right?” The speaker was a bespectacled man who looked relatively refined.

“I’ve heard too. They all disappeared mysteriously from inside their homes! It’s really strange—how could someone vanish from within their own house?” The man speaking to the glasses-wearer was a samurai with a small ponytail.

“In my opinion, they must’ve encountered something unclean—that’s why they vanished without reason!”

“Not necessarily. I heard they all shared a common trait when they disappeared.”

“What trait? Tell me!”

“Supposedly, each household had a strange pot appear right before they vanished! One or two pots might be coincidence—but when it keeps happening over and over, isn’t that suspicious?”

“That’s definitely strange! It’s not like every single person in that village has a habit of buying pots!”

“Of course not. And get this—I heard those pots turn to ash when exposed to sunlight! That’s even weirder!”

“Enough, enough. It’s just gossip. How could a pot vanish under sunlight?”

“True, forget it. Let’s keep drinking—this teahouse’s tea is quite good…”

Hearing their conversation, Zero fell into deep thought—he sensed this wasn’t simple.

And only a demon could turn to ash under sunlight—he couldn’t think of anything else.

If there was another possibility, it was this: the pot must have been created by the demon using Blood Demon Art.

“Heh. Interesting. Looks like I’ll have to delay my return—let’s go check it out first!” With that, he placed payment on the table and rose to leave the teahouse.

He arrived at a quiet little grove, summoned his Sound Crow, Snow, and gave it instructions…

“Snow, do exactly as I just said—go scout the area first, then return and report to me. See if things are as I suspected—I’ll wait here.”

“Yes, Master.”

Watching Snow fly off, Zero began organizing his gear, waiting for his Sound Crow’s return.

He retrieved the [Quantum Dual Pistols], [Dark Alloy Cross Floating Cannon], and [Dark Alloy Gatling], and stored them with energy crystals as backup.

Finally, he took out the [Dark Alloy Four-Style], inserting red energy crystals into the first and second units, and snow-white crystals into the third and fourth.

He had a strong feeling this demon wasn’t ordinary—and made a bold guess: this demon was likely an Upper Moon.

Therefore, he couldn’t afford any carelessness. Though he didn’t know which rank of Upper Moon it was, caution was paramount—better to be overprepared than caught unready.

…

Night fell, and Snow returned, reporting everything it had observed.

“Master, as you suspected, every household of the missing had indeed a strange pot appear.”

“Moreover, the pots only appeared at night, found along villagers’ paths home and taken inside.”

“Also, several Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen sent to investigate have since gone missing.”

Snow’s report confirmed Zero’s suspicions, leaving him in deep thought…

He asked his Sound Crow: “How many swordsmen went missing? What ranks were they?”

“Master, five total—one was a Class-A swordsman; the other four were Class-G and Class-E.”

“One Class-A, several Class-G and Class-E… Even ordinary Lower Moon demons, working together, could have decapitated them. Even against a stronger Lower Moon, they should’ve bought time!”

Snow’s intelligence confirmed Zero’s guess—this demon was unquestionably an Upper Moon.

“I’ll have to go myself. Snow, lead the way. I’ll confront this demon directly—see if my guess is right!”

“Yes, Master.”

He stored his Dark Alloy weapons in his nanospace and, guided by Snow, headed for the scene.

After two hours of travel, Zero arrived at the destination.

The village was unnaturally quiet—though understandable, given the daily disappearances had filled everyone with dread.

They’d surely do everything to protect themselves, fearing they’d be next.

“Door-to-door questioning won’t work now—I’ll have to search alone.” He turned to Snow on his shoulder: “Snow, patrol the skies above. If you sense anything, return immediately.”

“Yes!”

As Snow flew off to scout, Zero didn’t idle—he activated his [Analytical Glasses], scanning the surroundings for clues.

After hours of searching, he’d scoured half the village—every bush, every field, every patch of earth—yet found nothing.

“Did I make a wrong assumption? Fine—I’ll search a bit longer. If still nothing, I’ll reconsider tomorrow.”

Just as he prepared to proceed, his [Analytical Glasses] flashed a red alert.

【WARNING! WARNING! Anomalous activity detected one kilometer to your right rear!】

“!!!”

On the display: a skull-shaped red dot, and a human-shaped blue dot.

The blue dot was his own position; the skull-shaped red dot marked the danger.

Without hesitation, Zero sprinted toward the location.

Less than a minute later, he arrived—a forest, but nothing but trees. Only a few meters away lay a torn garment and a pool of blood.

He knelt, dipped a finger into the blood, rubbed it between his fingers—it was still warm.

“Too late by a step… If I’d moved faster, this child might still be alive…”

Just as Zero felt guilt welling up, a pot appeared silently behind him.

A small hand reached out from the pot, aiming to drag Zero inside—but he sensed it.

Millennia of combat had honed his danger-sense far beyond ordinary men—he reacted instantly.

He braced one hand on the ground, lowered his torso nearly flat, then kicked his right leg sharply backward, sending the pot flying.

The pot struck a tree trunk—yet didn’t shatter. It landed firmly on the ground.

Zero rose swiftly, stepping back a short distance—all motion fluid and seamless.

He stared at the pot he’d kicked away—something about it felt off.

“Hehehe~ You actually noticed me? How fast your reflexes are! You must be from the Demon Slayer Corps! Hehehe~” A voice emerged from the pot. Slowly, a deformed figure emerged.

Zero looked at it and felt only revulsion—it could only be called a “deformed monster.”

Its entire body was pale white, with yellow eyes, green lips, and purple fish-like fins on its head.

Its mouth was where its eyes should be; its eyes were on its forehead and mouth; several small arms sprouted from its head and torso.

The eye on its forehead bore the character “Upper”; the eye on its mouth bore the character “Five.”

Even the monstrous beasts of the Starry Void were more beautiful—at least they had hands, feet, and bodies, or even the Void Worm Matriarch was far more appealing than this thing before us.

“Hehehe~ You’re quite different from the other Demon Slayers I killed a few days ago! Are you a Pillar? Hehehe~”

While the demon chattered on, Zero immediately activated his [Analytical Glasses] to scan its data.

【Analyzing… Analysis complete.】

【Name: Jade Pot (Pot Demon)】

【Rank: Upper Moon Five】

【Superior: Demon King—Kibutsuji Muzan】

【Age: 155】

【Weapon: Pot】

[Blood Demon Arts: Thousand Needles, Fish Slaughter, Blood Prison Bowl, Octopus Pot Hell, Ten Thousand Sliding Air Fish, Array-Killing Fish Scales, Divine Hand.]

【Normal Form: Body fused within the pot; can instantly teleport via the pot, and summon various aquatic creatures for battle—all sustained by Blood Demon Art pots created by Jade Pot, while its true body hides deep within.】

【Complete Form: After molting inside the pot, emerges in final form with “Divine Hand”—a power that turns anything its fist touches into fish.】

【Caution: Jade Pot’s normal form attacks carry poison!】

【Recommendation: Use snow-white energy crystal rounds to freeze it, then decapitate with red energy crystal-enhanced Dark Alloy Four-Style.】

He spent a few seconds absorbing the data, and used the [Analytical Glasses] to analyze the Blood Demon Arts’ attack patterns.

He devised a counter-strategy—thanks largely to Jade Pot’s loquacious nature, which gave him time to analyze.

But using the [Dark Alloy Missile Launcher] felt risky—he didn’t want to ignite the forest; extinguishing a fire would be troublesome.

“Hehehe~ How’s that? Scared stiff by my appearance? Standing there motionless! Of course—you’re just a Demon Slayer, while I’m an Upper Moon! I turn you into art!”

“Ah! Speaking of art—I want you to see my latest masterpiece!”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Jade Pot clapped three times with its extra limbs—suddenly, another pot materialized beside it. From within emerged five stacked, twisted Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen.

Their bodies and limbs were grafted onto one another, pinned in place with Nichirin Blades, blood dripping freely.

Some had glazed pupils; others wore expressions of despair—but no fear. Only rage.

Seeing this, Zero’s fury ignited—he knew who they were. The five swordsmen sent to investigate.

At that moment, a hazy yet familiar memory surfaced in Zero’s mind.

The image was blurred: roaring flames, fleeing people, gunshots and screams, the wailing of an infant.

“What… when was this memory? Why can’t I recall where I saw it? So painful… so sad… but why do I feel mostly… anger!?”

Zero pressed a hand to his forehead, straining to remember—but the memory slipped away.

“Now, behold my latest masterpiece: ‘The Final Cry of the Demon Slayers!’” Jade Pot twisted the Nichirin Blades embedded in the swordsmen’s bodies. The still-living men screamed in agony—imagine the torment they endured!

“Hehehe~ How’s that? My masterpiece? A simple twist of the blade, and you hear the most beautiful cries. Truly…”

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Before Jade Pot could finish, Zero began laughing—applauding, like an audience—though his smile was sinister, brimming with rage.

“Jade Pot, your masterpiece is truly magnificent. Hehehe…”

“You… you understand my art?” Yu Hu asked, incredulous.

“Of course… because your pot is the ugliest one I’ve ever seen!!!!”

Boom! Boom!

Zero instantly pulled out the [Quantum Dual Pistols] from his nanospace and fired two shots—one struck Yu Hu, the other hit the pot containing the swordsmen’s corpses.

Before Yu Hu could react, the shot struck his arm; the quantum bullets, infused with energy crystals, shattered the functional integrity of his arm, slowing his regeneration.

Seeing this, Yu Hu immediately dove into his pot, vanished from where he stood, and reappeared atop a tree.

The pot shattered, and five swordsmen’s corpses tumbled down—none of them intact.

“Sorry I’m late! You’ve suffered too much!”

“Lord Zero Pill… please… you must… exterminate him… I believe… the Demon Slayers… will endure forever…”

“I will. Rest in peace.”

Upon hearing Zero’s reply, the still-living swordsman smiled, closed his eyes, and lost all vital energy…

Looking at these men, Zero had decided: he would make Yu Hu suffer beyond endurance.

Though his inner rage could not be quelled, he remained perfectly calm.

“Huh…”

He took a deep breath, forcing his fury to subside slightly, then fixed his gaze on the pot atop the tree.

“Aaaah! You vile bastard, you shattered my pot! Unforgivable!!!” Yu Hu burst out of the pot, roaring at Zero to vent his fury.

“Yu Hu… you’d better think about how to beg for mercy now!”

Hummm…

Around Zero, space rippled—and twenty [Destroyer Mini Drones] emerged.

But it wasn’t over: eight [Dark Alloy Cross Float Cannons] appeared beside him.

“Upper Rank Five Yu Hu? Hehehe… prepare to endure my wrath!!!”