[Light Curtain]
After the mother devoured her own child, the camera shifted its focus.
The scene changed to a dimly lit room where a young woman sat at a desk. The room was surrounded by all sorts of books on pharmacology.
On the young woman's desk were test tubes, remnants of a recent experiment.
In terms of appearance alone, the woman was breathtakingly beautiful, with long black hair, a tall figure, skin as pale as paper, and plum-red eyes.
She looked like an untouchable flower on a high peak—to be admired from afar, but never defiled.
However... at this moment, the face of this stunning beauty held none of the grace of a sublime flower. On the contrary, her expression was utterly twisted.
The contortion made her beautiful face both terrifying and alluring. Her eyes were filled with rage, with a flicker of fear flashing through them.
A powerful aura coalesced around her. The test tubes cracked, unable to withstand the pressure, and the very air vibrated.
"It's been hundreds of years! Besides Tamayo, another demon has appeared that is beyond my control! And... it's the former Lower Rank Six!"
A distinctly male voice rang out, laced with fury.
The audience outside the light curtain was baffled. A stunningly beautiful woman had just spoken with the voice of a man. Or was it that he was a man from the start, merely dressed as a woman?
For a moment, discussions erupted. When did the light curtain develop this habit? First, it made everyone mistake Dio's gender, and now it presented this bizarre, androgynous figure.
However... while many viewers were debating the character's gender, even more had already guessed their true identity after hearing their words.
[Otto Apocalypse: "Beyond control, former Lower Rank Six. Heh, so this is the Demon King that Kyogai spoke of... Muzan Kibutsuji." ]
[Lord of the Scarlet Devil Mansion: "Oh? A Demon King? Heh, look at him trembling. Compared to that other blonde man who calls himself the Vampire King, he's even more pathetic. I thought he was just some small fry." ]
[Eriri Spencer Sawamura: "That's weird. It's just one abandoned demon. Why is he so scared?"]
[Kaguya Shinomiya: "It's because... he lost control. People in power cannot stand the sight of things slipping from their grasp." ]
[Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho: "Muzan Kibutsuji... he's appeared so soon! The Demon Slayer Corps will never let him get away!"]
---o---
[Light Curtain]
Muzan Kibutsuji's expression was contorted, his once beautiful face now looking exceptionally malevolent. He swept all the books off his desk with a single motion.
"Damn it, damn it! What's the point of keeping the Lower Ranks around?! It's been hundreds of years, and they can't even find a single flower! They're all a bunch of useless trash!" he raged.
"Send an Upper Rank! Send the one closest to that forest to kill him!"
Kyogai had to be completely eliminated before he left that forest. There could not be another Tamayo in this world.
A powerful demonic aura brewed within Muzan, and all demons felt the voice echoing from his very being.
The Upper Ranks, sensing Muzan's fury, immediately sprang into action. The Lower Ranks, meanwhile, knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, to say nothing of the even lesser demons.
At the same time, inside Kyogai's house, Dio was quietly browsing through the books, familiarizing himself with the history and knowledge of this world.
Dio possessed an extraordinary capacity for learning and adaptation, which allowed him to achieve perfection in any era.
Kyogai, being a writer, happened to have a rather extensive collection of books, which provided Dio with a steady supply of information, like a sponge absorbing water.
"Hmph. I see. Humanity hasn't grown much after all this time."
Closing a book, Dio's eyes showed a hint of disappointment. He had flipped through the history books, only to find them filled not with words, but with the smoke and fire of wars waged by lesser beings.
The world had been stagnant for too long. Humanity needed a new emperor to rule over them.
"Lord Dio, my apologies for disturbing you, but someone has entered your territory."
The voice of his fledgling came from outside the door. Dio placed the book back on the shelf.
Upon learning that a vampire king like himself existed in this world, Dio had appeared disdainful on the surface, but in reality, he was extremely wary.
His caution and fear reached their peak especially after learning from Kyogai that the demon named Muzan Kibutsuji had existed for over a thousand years.
A thousand years... From the time he, Dio, had cast aside his humanity to now, it had been a mere century. In a thousand years, even a pig could become a spirit.
What's more, this was a demon with intellect and reason. At one point, Dio had even worried that he had exposed himself to this Demon King far too soon.
But... as Kyogai continued his description of Muzan Kibutsuji, Dio's expression became difficult to read.
Was it intentional? Or was there some other, deeper meaning? This demon's every move didn't seem like that of a thousand-year-old Demon King, but rather like a cockroach hiding in a sewer.
The Blue Spider Lily? Give Dio a thousand years, and the entire world would have already fallen into his hands. Would he still be afraid of not finding a single flower?
A dignified Demon King who didn't even dare to reveal his identity. A pitifully small organization of humans called the Demon Slayer Corps that hadn't been wiped out in centuries.
This series of strategic blunders forced Dio to re-evaluate Muzan Kibutsuji's combat power and intelligence. Even for a being as meticulous and cautious as Dio, he couldn't think of any reason to be afraid.
---o---
[Light Curtain Comments]
[Lord of the Scarlet Devil Mansion: "Ah? So now we know why he was so scared. A vampire like that is an insult to our kind." ]
[Time-Stopping Maid: "The Mistress is correct. A thousand-year-old Demon King can't even compare to this vampire who is a mere century old." ]
[Yukino Yukinoshita: "I get the feeling those two commentators are quite extraordinary themselves. But is the thousand-year-old Demon King really as foolish as Kyogai describes? Could he be lying?"]
[Otto Apocalypse: "Impossible. That man has been thoroughly captivated by Dio's charisma. Unless Muzan Kibutsuji never trusted him in the first place, what he says is absolutely true." ]
[N'Doul: "Lord Dio's power and depth are beyond the imagination of mortals. He was the first person in the world to acknowledge my worth. That demon is just like me; he already belongs to Lord Dio. He would never betray him." ]
[Fantasiyland's Public Security Officer: "Here we go again. Does that Dio fellow have that many followers? I see them spamming the comments every day." ]
[Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa: "Hmph. He's just another man-eating demon. No matter how many subordinates he has, I'll slaughter every last one of them!"]
---o---
[Light Curtain]
The screen now showed the middle of the dense forest. Two figures were rushing at high speed toward Kyogai's location.
"Lord Muzan sensed that Kyogai's last sight was here, Akaza."
A man wearing a purple snakeskin-patterned kimono with black patches and black hakama, with long, crimson hair tied in a high ponytail, spoke to the man beside him.
He had red markings on his left forehead and the right side of his neck, and he exuded a calm yet terrifying aura.
What was astonishing was that this demon had a total of six eyes. The sclera of his eyes were red, and the irises were golden yellow. In the irises of his central left and right eyes were carved the characters for "Upper Rank" and "One."
Upper Rank One! Was this his opening move? Just how much fear did Muzan have for a demon that escaped his control to send his strongest subordinate, Upper Rank One?
"Ah, yes. There's a house up ahead. That must be the bastard's hiding place," said the man called Akaza.
He was a demon with short pink hair, golden eyes, pale skin covered in deep blue tattoos, and blood-red nails. He wore a short, purple-pink haori and had prayer beads around his ankles. He stood in stark contrast to the samurai-like Upper Rank One. The "Upper Rank Three" in his eyes confirmed his identity.
Two Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki, dispatched at once. This surprised the audience. Although Dio's strength was extraordinary, he was still in a weakened state. Facing two Upper Ranks simultaneously, the outcome was hard to predict.
Of course, the Demon Slayer Corps was even more shocked. For a hundred years, the Lower Ranks and the Hashira had been replaced batch after batch, but the Upper Ranks had remained largely unchanged.
During normal missions, the Hashira couldn't even catch a glimpse of an Upper Rank, let alone defeat one. And now... in a small forest, two Upper Ranks had appeared at the same time.
But this was also good. If the demons killed each other, it would be for the best if both sides suffered heavy losses.
[Light Curtain]
As they walked towards the house, Akaza's gaze towards Kokushibo was unfriendly. "For one runaway demon, Lord Muzan even sent you. Isn't that overreacting a bit?"
Due to his personality, Akaza's relationships with many of the other demons were not good, especially with Upper Rank Two, Doma. Their relationship could be described as being at rock bottom.
Although he seemed to be able to coexist with Upper Rank One now, Akaza still disliked doing things together with Kokushibo.
Kokushibo paused, then said coldly, "As a subordinate, it is enough to relieve Lord Muzan's worries. Do not think too much, Akaza."
Kokushibo, with his standard samurai personality, was simply following Muzan's orders. He happened to be passing through this forest, which is why he was here.
Akaza pursed his lips. If it had been Doma here, the two of them would probably have started fighting already. But Kokushibo had, in a way, done him a favor before, so Akaza wouldn't go so far as to disrespect him.
As if sensing something, Kokushibo stopped in his tracks, quietly gazing at the roof of the house before them.
"Hm? What are you doing?" Akaza didn't understand what Kokushibo was doing. He had yet to sense it—that bone-chilling coldness.
"Hoh~ To think two would come at once. I was expecting some small fry. It seems that man named Muzan holds me in high regard."
With his hands behind his back, illuminated by the moonlight, Dio's body appeared exceptionally perfect and beautiful. Aside from the slight disharmony at his neck, the rest of him was as beautiful as an ancient Greek statue.
Kyogai stood respectfully to the side, not even glancing at the two Upper Ranks below. He had already become Dio's loyal servant.
"Who's that? He wasn't in the intel Lord Muzan gave us." Akaza's eyes were wary. His sixth sense was telling him that the man before him was definitely no ordinary person.
Kokushibo didn't answer, his expression grave as he stared at Dio standing on the rooftop. What was this terror that arose from the depths of his soul?
A wicked and dangerous smile appeared on Dio's face. He was quite pleased. This Muzan Kibutsuji was truly interesting, sending him more subordinates.
According to the current intel, although creatures like vampires existed in this world, Stands did not.
A Stand was a spiritual power that transcended living beings. No matter how strong the two before him were, as long as they were still within the category of 'living beings', they could not possibly be his opponent. What's more, his, Dio's, Stand was the most powerful of all.
A golden aura emanated from his body. Dio prepared to charge directly at the two of them. He couldn't wait to turn them into his servants as well. Kyogai was just an experiment; in reality, as the Vampire King, Dio possessed the ability to forcibly control demons.
"That's... Behind him... is there something there?" Akaza's voice stopped Dio's intended attack.
That one... can see it? A flash of surprise crossed Dio's face. He stared intently at the Upper Rank demon before him.
"A golden phantom... a body filled with a sense of power... What... what is that?"
It wasn't just Akaza. In Kokushibo's eyes, the Stand he saw was even more complete than what Akaza could perceive.
"How is this possible? They clearly are not Stand users, yet they can see my Stand."
Dio was now filled with confusion. He was certain that the two before him did not have Stands, and likely didn't even know what the concept of a Stand was.
Yet, they could see the phantom of his Stand. Although they couldn't see its full form yet, they could already make out its shape.
Hah—Calm down. Perhaps there's some unique power in this world, just like the breathing techniques Kyogai described, which are similar to Hamon.
There were indeed Stands that could be seen by ordinary people in this world. Just sensing its shape was not worth panicking over...
Dio comforted himself internally. His gaze towards Kokushibo and Akaza gradually changed. Although he didn't know what method they were using, he had now given up the idea of turning them into his subordinates.
Until he figured out how these two could see his Stand, Dio would not act rashly!