Appearing and Being Wanted

The best way is to find a dark place and hide.

If it were an ordinary Demon Slayer Corps swordsman, at this moment, they might think they should search the mountains and forests near the scene of the incident.

However, the Scribe's thinking was different.

The fact that this demon could kill all the humans in the entire mansion without anyone giving a warning shows that its strength is far beyond that of ordinary demons.

Moreover, given the current situation, it's astonishing that this ghost was able to enter Axuan's residence.

Aside from a sneak attack, there is only one other possibility.

When it was human, this ghost held a high status.

Through this means, he was able to meet with Axuan.

Then, he killed everyone.

A powerful and noble ghost would naturally not choose to seek refuge in the mountains and forests.

Besides the necessity of eating, decency is also part of their pursuit.

In the current situation where the Shinri Family has become a ghost, the only place the Scribe knows of where the ghosts gather in the open is.

The Eternal Paradise Cult founded by Doma.

If Doma, as the leader of the cult, wanted to meet a "human nobleman," his followers would probably not suspect anything.

Based on this conjecture, the Scribe chose to go to the Eternal Paradise Cult.

However, when he finally arrived at their encampment after making inquiries from various sources, he was completely stunned.

The Eternal Paradise Cult has vanished without a trace!

It wasn't just the believers and related personnel who disappeared; the entire complex vanished along with them.

Only some remaining ruins allow one to recognize that a large religious sect once existed here.

Those around them couldn't offer a reasonable explanation either.

The only thing the Scribe knew was that an explosion had occurred at the Gokuraku Cult's headquarters one night.

Out of fear and panic, the surrounding residents dared not go over to check.

The next morning, I found it had turned out like this.

"The trail has gone cold."

Sitting on a rock, the Scribe's gaze lingered on the ruins of the Eternal Paradise Cult.

He needs to reorganize the information in his mind, find the points he had previously overlooked, and seek a breakthrough.

First, there's the Shinri Family. It's now confirmed that they did indeed have connections with real people, and most of their members have become demons.

Those civilians who were arrested were probably also victims of their influence.

Apart from the demonized clansmen who attacked the Hyakuya Family and were killed by him, the whereabouts of the remaining clansmen are unknown.

Secondly, there is Ayu.

To be missing for so long at this point in time means either death or becoming a ghost, manipulating everything from the shadows.

The Scribe felt that the latter was much more likely.

After all, if he hadn't become a ghost, there would be no need for him to send his subordinates to search for the Blue Spider Lily.

Now, his younger brother Axuan is dead, and his other brothers have no power to fight him.

This should have been the perfect moment for him to make his appearance, yet no one knows where he is.

After that, the demons were centered around Muzan and the Twelve Kizuki.

Since Yu has become a demon, Muzan has likely already obtained the Blue Spider Lily.

No one knows what will happen after taking it.

The capture of humans may be for sustenance, or it may be to create ghosts to become their subordinates.

Let's leave that aside for now.

Finally, there's brain food.

He hadn't dealt with Brain Food much, but he could sense that it was a very troublesome enemy.

With the enemy in the dark and us in the light, coupled with their skillful use of stratagems, their difficulty level is comparable to that of Upper Rank.

Moreover, the location of its main body remains unknown, and it mostly commands its clones to carry out tasks.

When the Scribe encountered those parasites at the Shinri Family last time, he felt something was strange.

The way they appeared, like they were fighting a boss in a game, made it hard not to be suspicious.

"Wait a minute, parasite!"

Suddenly, the Scribe noticed something he hadn't seen before.

Previously, he hadn't paid much attention to the brain food's clone.

Whether it's a swordsman who parasitizes and uses Breathing Technique, or a demon who uses Blood Demon Art, in his eyes, it's all a matter of one strike.

However, he overlooked the most important and obvious factor.

Quantity.

Whether swordsmen or demons, their numbers have remained relatively stable and scarce.

The number of humans who were captured is easily in the tens of thousands.

Those who are weak are also more likely to become parasites.

If the brain food parasitizes ordinary people by creating a large number of clones and secondary clones produced by those clones.

In a short period of time, an extremely large army can be assembled.

If they were just civilians, they might not be a threat, since they don't have much fighting power.

But then Scribe thought of something else, and her unease intensified.

Gunpowder.

The time when the Shinri Family wanted to blow themselves up, they used a large amount of gunpowder.

But that was clearly not all that the Ghosts controlled; they must have possessed even more gunpowder.

Among the noble families and businesses that were recently captured, many had their own production factories.

Gunpowder, muskets, bombs.

With sufficient raw materials, it can be manufactured in large quantities.

An ordinary person wielding a musket might not be scary.

Even a swordsman who has just passed the trial can easily defeat it.

But when that number rises to ten, a qualitative change occurs.

There is only one fate for a swordsman: to be riddled with bullets.

Even if some veteran players come, the result won't be much better.

Only members with higher class rankings and strength approaching that of the Pillars are capable of fighting against muskets numbered in "ten".

However, when the quantity rises again and is measured in "hundreds", the situation changes again.

The very few exceptional cases among the Ranked Corps Member, along with the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, total no more than twenty or thirty people.

Only these people could survive the hail of bullets.

When the number rises again and reaches the "thousand" unit, it becomes something the Demon Slayer Corps cannot contend with.

A single concentrated attack is enough to wipe out most of the swordsmen.

Breathing Technique can give swordsmen superhuman physical abilities, but they cannot change the fact that they are mortals.

Throughout the long river of history, perhaps only Tsugikuni Yoriichi then, and the current Scribe, could handle this number.

Once the number reaches "tens of thousands," even Scribe would face mortal danger in a direct confrontation.

After all, he was also made of flesh and blood.

You will get injured, you will bleed, your physical strength will decrease with activity, and you will not be able to heal your injuries quickly.

Upon realizing this, the Scribe's pupils instantly contracted.

It seems he's figured out the brain-eating conspiracy.

Chapter 563 Appearance and Wanted

"I see. No wonder Ah Yu has been deliberately hiding himself since he went missing, trying not to be found."

Standing up, the Scribe paced around, a look of understanding on his face.

"He's waiting for an opportunity, the perfect time to make his debut."

On ordinary days, Crown Prince Ayu's position is also coveted by his other brothers, such as Axuan.

But in today's environment, things are completely different.

The Emperor is old and has long lost the vigor he possessed in his youth and prime.

In addition, commoners were disappearing and nobles were being attacked, leaving the whole society in a state of panic.

The Crown Prince, who was qualified, capable, and resourceful, disappeared at this time.

The new Crown Prince who replaced him has spent so much time, but instead of resolving the problem, he has made it even bigger.

Normally, Axuan's death would have caused a huge uproar.

The Emperor will surely issue a death order to find the murderer and avenge his son.

But he can't. The most important thing now is not to find the murderer, but to find a new person to take his place.

The disappearance or death of the two crown Crown Prince would cause panic among the other princes.

They were already a bunch of good-for-nothings, and now they're probably too scared to show their faces.

Just then, the former Crown Prince was "timely" found.

Those who previously supported Ayu will certainly increase their investment in an effort to recover their previous losses.

Not only that, but A-Yu's men would also "mysteriously" gain many more soldiers.

They were well-equipped, armed with muskets and ammunition, and fearless in the face of death, strictly carrying out Ayu's every order.

Moreover, after Ayu returned, he "coincidentally" found the civilians who had been arrested.

The people who regained their freedom were grateful to him and supported his return to the position of Crown Prince.

At this point, regardless of the Emperor's thoughts, there was only one choice.

Let Ayu become the Crown Prince again.

With his abilities, he stabilized the situation, found the missing people, and quelled public discontent.

In terms of qualifications, he was originally the Crown Prince, with many nobles and large enterprises standing behind him.

In the hearts of the people, those who are found will spread the word about him, and the rest of the population will also wholeheartedly approve of him.

It can be said that at that time, Ayu's status and position would be unshakable by anyone.

Even the Emperor could not depose him and install someone else.

This should have been a good thing, but everyone overlooked one thing.

Ah Yu may no longer be human.

Once he becomes the most powerful person under the Emperor, whatever he does will be supported by righteousness and the hearts of the people.

Taking it a step further, what if the Emperor suddenly fell ill and died?

Crown Prince Ayumu became the new emperor and the master of this land.

A ghost becomes the emperor of the country!

Forces like the Demon Slayer Corps would be wiped out by him as easily as crushing an ant.

Having reached the pinnacle of power, status, and military strength, he was capable of mobilizing the entire nation to eliminate any enemy standing in his way.