Chapter 197: Muzan's Actions (Part 2)

"Find the Ubuyashiki clan for me." After the mass layoff, Muzan left some blood and a single sentence before disappearing from the building.

After Muzan disappeared, a mysterious woman holding a biwa and sitting on a wooden platform in the center of the building nodded lightly. She then split into numerous single-eyed creatures. Following the sound of her biwa, these single-eyed creatures quickly dispersed throughout the building.

"How should I inject Nezuko? Should I do it secretly?" On his way to the next possible location where demons might be, Daniel Davis thought about how to restore Nezuko.

"Let's restore her secretly. There's no scientist in this world, so even though demons turning back into humans seems strange, if demons exist, then anything is possible. It would be great if we could meet that female demon named Tamayo."

Strictly speaking, Tamayo was the first demon to break free from Muzan's control, while Nezuko was the second. Not only did Tamayo escape Muzan's control, but she also created another demon independently, without relying on Muzan's power.

Upper Rank demons can create demons, but Muzan's blood plays a major role in this. However, the demon created by Tamayo did not rely on Muzan's blood and even possessed Blood Demon Arts, which are generally not available to demons who do not consume humans. Although it might take a long time, this ability exceeds Muzan's limits.

Fortunately, Tamayo's ability to create demons is very limited, having created only one in over two hundred years. Otherwise, another Demon King might have emerged.

"The Demon Slayer Corps has suffered heavy casualties recently, with a lot of demon activity. It seems that Muzan has started taking action. After so many years of hiding, it's about time he made his move."

Looking at the information brought by the Demon Slayer Corps, Daniel roughly guessed the current situation. It should be related to the death of Upper Rank Six.

"Muzan's cowardice might have other reasons behind it." Putting down the letter, Daniel pondered for a moment but then decided to abandon this line of thinking due to insufficient information. He didn't know what exactly happened between Yoriichi and Muzan back then.

He only knew that Yoriichi almost killed Muzan, so much so that four hundred years later, Muzan couldn't help but recall the man who nearly exterminated him when he saw Tanjiro's hanafuda earrings.

As for the details of their battle, Daniel was unclear. It must have been a one-sided massacre, otherwise, Muzan wouldn't be so terrified.

Just like how Gecko Moria was defeated by Kaido and didn't dare to return to the New World due to fear.

"The next destination is Mount Natagumo, huh? I remember that place now." Seeing the name, Daniel immediately recalled what kind of place it was—the home of the spider demon family.

"Wanting a family, just like Whitebeard. However, Whitebeard is famous for loving his family, while this one seems to play a role with fear."

Lower Rank Five, Rui, a demon Muzan was particularly fond of, could break Muzan's rules. Even when Muzan summoned the Lower Rank demons for reprimand and dismissal, Rui was unharmed.

Unlike Daki, whom Muzan favored because she and her brother killed the most Hashira, Rui was liked unconditionally and given the highest degree of freedom, a privilege even Upper Rank demons didn't have.

"Help, help!" As soon as Daniel arrived at Mount Natagumo, he heard terrified cries for help from afar, likely from Demon Slayer Corps members who had arrived earlier.

"What's going on?" Daniel drew his Nichirin sword and asked after helping a nearby Demon Slayer Corps member with short black hair fend off a swarm of small white spiders.

"The demon is too strong; we need a Hashira to handle it," the rescued Demon Slayer Corps member said, breathing heavily but remaining rational despite the fear.

"How many of you are there?" Daniel looked at the three Demon Slayer Corps members hanging from trees ahead and didn't rush to act.

"Ten. We split into two groups and entered from two directions. We haven't even seen the demon, and we're already like this."

"What's your name?" Daniel asked while using his Observation Haki to survey the surroundings. "There are quite a few demons. It looks like all the Demon Slayer Corps members are still alive."

"My name is Murata," the Demon Slayer Corps member said, trying to save his hanging teammates.

"Murata, wait here. I'll take action." Without waiting for Murata to speak, Daniel ran forward, slicing through the small spiders attacking him with his Nichirin sword.

Quickly, Daniel rescued the three Demon Slayer Corps members hanging from the trees. The methods used by the demons were cruel, with spider silk embedded deep into the bones of the three. If anyone else had rescued them, they might have been permanently disabled.

"You hold on here for a while. I'll take care of the demon controlling everything." Using his Observation Haki, Daniel had already pinpointed the demon's location. Before leaving, he slashed through the swarming spiders with his Nichirin sword and rushed toward the demon.

His speed was so fast that the small spiders targeting him couldn't stop him. Just as he was about to reach the controlling demon, a tall headless demon lunged at him from above.

Ignoring the headless demon, Daniel changed direction with a tap of his foot and appeared in front of the controlling demon. In a moment of despair, the demon was knocked out by Daniel.

That was Daniel's actual behavior, but if someone observed from the side, they would see Daniel decapitating the controlling demon with his Nichirin sword, and the demon turning to ashes—a result of illusion magic.

Daniel quickly drew a Philosopher's Stone transmutation circle on the ground and activated it after throwing the controlling demon onto it.

"Next." After destroying the transmutation circle, Daniel dashed toward another sensed demon. There were two demons there—one a tall demon with many eyes on his head, and the other a female demon in white.

"Daddy, help!" Seeing Daniel charging over, the female demon cried out in fear.

Roar.

Upon hearing his daughter's cry, the father demon swung his huge arm at Daniel. In the next moment, Daniel had passed him, appearing in front of the female demon. The father demon's limbs began to split apart.

"Ah." Seeing her father demon's sudden split, the female demon screamed in terror and turned to run.

"Stay here," Daniel restrained her. Seeing the father demon's limbs starting to recover, he quickly drew another transmutation circle with his Nichirin sword.

After finishing, he threw the female demon onto it and formed hand seals, sending golden chains to capture the father demon and pull him over.

This time, Daniel didn't immediately destroy the transmutation circle but used the power of the Op-Op Fruit. "Room, Slaughterhouse."

Instantly, a small stone in the center of the transmutation circle disappeared, replaced by a young boy demon with letters in his eyes, Lower Rank Five.

Although Daniel's Observation Haki had a considerable range, it couldn't compare to the Op-Op Fruit's range. If he unleashed the Op-Op Fruit's full power, he could cover the entire Mount Natagumo.

Earlier, he sensed Rui heading towards Murata and the others, so he used the Op-Op Fruit's swap ability to bring Rui over.

Murata, the lucky "king of side characters," narrowly avoided a disaster, living up to his name. He survived until the Demon Slayer Corps' battle against Muzan in Infinity Castle and likely beyond.

Moreover, Murata's survival wasn't just luck; his resilience in "Demon Slayer" was as strong as the main characters'.

"Hmm." The sudden spatial shift surprised Rui. Seeing Daniel, a Demon Slayer Corps member, Rui was about to speak, but Daniel didn't give him a chance. Golden chains immediately bound Rui.

Daniel had no patience for his nonsense. Every demon had a tragic past, but that didn't mean their victims deserved to die.

As Rui struggled, Daniel activated the transmutation circle.

"One more to go." Daniel tossed a stone into the circle and used spatial swap again to bring over the spider demon.

This one was even more confused than Rui, disoriented by the sudden appearance on the ground. Daniel quickly took care of him.

"No more demons. Time to save people." There were not only Demon Slayer Corps members captured but also many ordinary humans, many of whom were beyond saving.

"Two Demon Slayer Corps members died." Out of ten, eight survived, seven severely injured, one lightly wounded. Murata, the king of side characters, truly lived up to his name.

Daniel sent a sparrow to notify Butterfly Mansion to send reinforcements. Many were poisoned, so Shinobu had to come personally.

Shinobu and the logistics group quickly arrived, beginning rescue operations. The spider demon's poison could regress people into spiders.

"I didn't expect so many demons to gather together." After the rescue, Shinobu approached Daniel with a sigh.

The Demon Slayer Corps had always dealt with demons by overwhelming them with numbers, and demons had never appeared in groups before. This was the first time.

The Demon Slayer Corps' group tactics aimed to overwhelm demons with numbers or, if they encountered a strong demon, to have someone escape to report back so a Hashira could handle it. If a group of Demon Slayer Corps members was wiped out without any information getting back, it would be very dangerous.

The logistics group's efficiency showed their rigorous training.

As Daniel and Shinobu prepared to return to Butterfly Mansion with the wounded, a group of ten Demon Slayer Corps members was fighting desperately on a rough road. Surrounded by the bodies of their comrades, they faced a demon with short pink hair, golden eyes, pale skin, and deep blue tattoos representing the sins all over his body—a young demon with the number representing his rank in his golden eyes, Upper Rank Three.

Encountering Upper Rank Three unexpectedly, the Demon Slayer Corps members fought desperately and sent out distress signals. Even though they knew they were no match for Upper Rank Three, no one retreated. Discovering an Upper Rank demon was rare, and they were determined to hold him off, even if it meant their deaths, until a Hashira arrived.

Surprisingly, Upper Rank Three, Akaza, didn't immediately kill all the Demon Slayer Corps members. He seemed to be waiting for something. Despite this, every so often, another member fell in a pool of blood, the power difference being too vast.

The Demon Slayer Corps members' Nichirin swords couldn't penetrate Akaza's defenses, let alone injure him.

"Weak, so weak," Akaza sneered, gripping a Nichirin sword swung at him and shattering it with ease. He grabbed the wielder by the neck, preparing to crush it.

At that moment, a red blade slashed down, severing Akaza's hand and saving the Demon Slayer Corps member. For the first time since the battle began, Akaza was injured.

"Flame Hashira!" The surrounding Demon Slayer Corps members shouted with joy upon recognizing the newcomer, Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira. Their sacrifices hadn't been in vain—reinforcements had arrived.

Kyojuro, with his fiery yellow-red hair, flame-patterned haori, and red Nichirin sword, ordered the remaining members to retreat. Against an Upper Rank demon, the others would only be fodder.

"Finally, a worthy opponent," Akaza's eyes lit up with excitement. He could sense Kyojuro's strength, knowing this would be a fierce battle.

"Technique Development," Akaza said, activating his Blood Demon Art, which increased his strength proportionate to his opponent's power.

"Destructive Death: Compass Needle!" Akaza's arms moved at incredible speed, sending shockwaves through the air toward Kyojuro.

"Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation," Kyojuro countered, creating a vortex of flames with his blade that nullified Akaza's shockwaves.

The clash of their attacks set the surrounding forest ablaze. Kyojuro's fiery attacks met Akaza's powerful blows in a fierce, destructive dance. Each strike from Akaza sent tremors through the ground, while Kyojuro's flames scorched the very air.

"You're strong," Akaza admitted, his excitement evident. "But is that all you've got?"

Kyojuro's eyes burned with determination. "As long as I'm still breathing, I will fulfill my duty."

"Destructive Death: Annihilation Type!" Akaza launched a series of rapid punches that created shockwaves, targeting Kyojuro from all directions.

"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!" Kyojuro's ultimate technique enveloped his sword in an inferno, and he dashed forward, cutting through Akaza's attack with a single, powerful strike aimed at his neck.

The force of the clash was so intense that it created a fiery explosion, lighting up the night sky. Both combatants were thrown back, but Kyojuro stood firm, his resolve unshaken.

Akaza, slightly surprised by the strength of the attack, regenerated his injuries quickly. "You're indeed a Hashira. But how long can you last?"

"I'll fight until my last breath if necessary," Kyojuro declared, charging forward again.

Meanwhile, in the Butterfly Mansion, the injured were being treated. Shinobu, skilled in poisons and antidotes, worked tirelessly to save those afflicted by the spider demons' venom. Daniel assisted, using his knowledge of healing to stabilize the critically injured.

"We must hurry," Shinobu urged, knowing that every second counted. "The poison is spreading quickly."

Daniel nodded, his focus sharp as he worked alongside Shinobu. The teamwork between the two ensured that as many lives as possible were saved.

Back at Mount Natagumo, Kyojuro and Akaza's battle raged on. Each strike and counter-strike pushed both combatants to their limits. The Demon Slayer Corps members watched from a distance, their hearts filled with hope and fear.

Kyojuro's determination never wavered. With each breath, he pushed his body beyond its limits, his flames burning brighter and hotter. But Akaza's regenerative abilities and relentless attacks tested him like never before.

As the night wore on, the outcome of the battle remained uncertain. Kyojuro's resolve and Akaza's unyielding strength clashed in a deadly dance of fire and destruction. The fate of the Demon Slayer Corps and the lives of many hung in the balance, dependent on the outcome of this fierce duel.

In the depths of the forest, away from the main battlefield, Daniel and Shinobu continued their work. Their efforts in saving the injured and curing the poisoned brought a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. They knew that every life saved was a step toward victory against the demons.

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