The Taisho Era

Over 100 years old.

Oboro's two maids, Chiyoko and Rina, had already passed away.

He didn't even see them.

From the late Edo period onwards, Oboro, already in his fifties, began traveling alone throughout the country. Chiyoko and Rina were too old to accompany him as they had in their youth. Therefore, Oboro spent almost all his time alone.

On one hand, he used cards to simply increase the number of demons, and on the other hand, he found successors or talented junior members of the Demon Slayer Corps and used experience cards on them.

As combat experience increases, it also becomes more conducive to the evolution of demons, or for swordsmen to study Breath Control Technique.

Oboro was also keeping track of Gyutaro's whereabouts. For over forty years, Gyutaro and Daki had been hunting down Upper Moon demons, but so far, while they had killed many of the Twelve Kizuki, they had only managed to kill Gyokko, one of the Upper Moons. Gyokko became an Upper Moon demon at the end of the Edo period, earlier than Gyutaro, but he hadn't shown his true potential at first, so Oboro hadn't noticed him.

Furthermore, because Gyokko became a demon relatively early, he did not have in-depth exchanges and clashes with the Demon Slayer Corps and its successors during those ten years of the apocalypse, so his strength was much weaker.

This is also why Gyutaro was able to find him and kill him.

As for the other four, they have all honed their skills to reach where they are today... Their strength is even greater than in the original story, and they are also very cautious due to the complexity of the situation, making it not easy for Gyutaro to find their whereabouts.

Even the Demon Slayer Corps has been unable to deal with several Upper Moon demons for years, as Doma and the others are very good at hiding.

However, Muzan's side now knows about Gyutaro's existence.

Six months ago, he even assembled a group of subordinates to design a trap to capture Gyutaro, but they failed.

They sent out Doma and Hantengu.

If it were just a single Upper Moon, it might have been devoured by the Gyutaro.

As for the world situation.

We are now in the Taisho era.

The Shogunate was eventually overthrown... but with Oboro around, it was impossible for the successor to gain any advantage.

It was humans, not demons, who took over power.

Therefore, for those who carry on the tradition, they are still very far from achieving their goals.

The most important difference between the Taisho era and the Edo was the political system.

One system was centralized, where the Shogunate's word was law; the other promoted democracy, leading to a decentralization of power. This resulted in many high-ranking officials losing their voice and the ability to rule unilaterally. Oboro naturally lost the aura of being Shogunate retainer; he could no longer use official channels to manipulate events or gather information, but for him, these things were no longer important.

The world situation he wanted to change had already taken shape after decades of development, and no longer required his intervention.

With the Demon Slayer Corps protecting them, it would be extremely difficult for the successors to attack high-ranking human leaders.

The people of this world have accepted, and even become accustomed to, coexisting with ghosts.

There are only two species in the world: ghosts and humans.

Humans undoubtedly represent the side of justice.

Sanyō Road.

An area not far from Kyoto.

At this moment, a fierce battle filled with the smoke of gunpowder had just ended.

The scene was extremely horrific; at least a hundred soldiers died.

The remaining survivors were dressed uniformly, and the style of their clothes was very similar to the 'modern' clothing that Oboro was familiar with.

The most significant changes during the transition of eras are reflected in clothing, food, housing, transportation, and the openness of thinking.

In addition to the traditional samurai swords worn at their waists, some people were carrying antique firearms.

This war is a typical battle between humanity and the demons.

It's an official demon-slaying army. After joining the organization, these individuals undergo training by Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen... acquiring a certain level of demon-slaying ability. Most of them know breathing techniques, but not the Breath Control Technique, and are not affiliated with the Demon Slayer Corps...

Breathing techniques have become the core strength of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The Ubuyashiki Clan will not reveal this method unless someone is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps... because the condition for joining the Demon Slayer Corps is to inherit the will and have a strong obsession with demons.

These civilian soldiers or warriors, who desired power, all had their own desires and ulterior motives.

It is inconsistent with the ideals of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The Ubuyashiki Clan did not want this power to 'disrupt' peace on earth.

If initially, Ubuyashiki Kuno and Hideo were unable to adapt to the situation created by Oboro, especially the cooperation with the government... then now, after several generations of hard work and maintenance, the Demon Slayer Corps has finally found a balance in the world.

Strictly speaking, they are still separate from the official authorities and do not interfere with each other... They cooperate by helping the authorities train soldiers and avoid being affected by the demons.

Such cooperation would have been absolutely impossible during the hegemonic Edo period.

However, during the more democratic Taisho era, they did not face much difficulty.

The conditions for slaying demons are extremely demanding. It is difficult to gain an advantage by simply relying on basic breathing techniques. This involves the Swordsmith Village. With the manpower of the Swordsmith Village, it is impossible to forge Nichirin Sword on a large scale to satisfy every member of the Demon Slayer Corps. This is already very difficult for the swordsmiths.

Therefore, the key to these soldiers being able to defeat the demons lies in their weapons... their weapons are not Nichirin Sword, but a new type of item.

Something called the Demon Hand.

It's also a sword... It has a certain restraining effect on Muzan's cells. Although it's not as powerful as the Nichirin Sword, it's enough to kill ordinary demons.

Simply put, it refers to a weapon created by someone highly skilled in Breath Control Technique, who uses internal circulation to channel their inner energy into their cells, then forges it with their own blood during the forging process. There are two key points to achieving this: first, timeliness. The demon-killing effect of a weapon like the Demon Hand doesn't last long because the blood will dry up and disappear, unlike when it's inside a human body. Second, willpower. Just like how Oboro suppressed Muzan's cells, Muzan demon cells requires immense conviction and mental strength; otherwise, the Demon Hand simply cannot be created.

This shows that after so much time, the Demon Slayer Corps' inherited will has become even more astonishing.

Because the situation they faced was completely different from the original story.

The Demon Slayer Corps has also evolved over the years; otherwise, how could it contend with the successors and Muzan?

This was the goal that Oboro initially wanted to achieve.

He had heard that several of the Demon Slayer Corps Pillars had already reached the level of 'Transparent World' through breathing techniques.

The Demon Slayer Mark, the Red Blade, the Transparent World... all appeared ahead of schedule.

It also includes the Demon Hand, a resource that did not originally exist in the Demon Slayer world.

This is exactly the situation that Oboro has been trying to push forward...

But right now, that's far from enough.

The resources he wants are not limited to this.

"Sir!"

The soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield in an orderly fashion when a swordsman suddenly noticed a figure walking slowly towards them in the darkness of the distance.

Startled, he immediately turned to his superior and began to report.

Everyone drew their swords instantly, ready for battle.

Before the battle began, the army had made preparations and given prior notice, ensuring that no unrelated individuals would appear.

Even if it's just a silhouette... it could very well be a ghost.

This time, they eliminated the forces of their respective successors, not Muzan's subordinates.

Unlike the inheritors, the demons controlled by Muzan mostly fight alone and do not form groups.

"Elder?"

However, when the officer in charge saw the newcomer's appearance, he immediately frowned.

This is an elderly man with a full head of white hair and a thin body, but whose appearance and skin look very young. Although he has wrinkles on his face, he doesn't have many.

Especially her bright eyes, which don't look old at all, but instead appear full of energy.

"This outfit..."

The officer seemed to remember something, his pupils contracted, and he murmured.

The other person was wearing a black haori, underneath which was a very old-fashioned samurai outfit that is rarely seen nowadays, and wooden clogs.

While people still wear wooden clogs today, they are generally only worn at home or during holidays, or for short outings. Moreover, the wooden clogs worn by the elderly are the thick, heavy, plank-like kind, not the straw sandals or cloth shoes that evolved from clogs, making them extremely rare.

"Black haori... Are you the God of Imperial Martial Might?"

The officer immediately gasped in horror.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers were also stunned.

The God of Imperial Martial Might is a legend.

Legend has it that the most outstanding warriors among humans will be favored by the God of Imperial Martial Might and gain great power.

No one knows the origin of the God of Imperial Martial Might, or even his true identity—whether he is human or God ...

All I knew was that meeting him would mean an opportunity.

Even today, many samurai still worship the God of Imperial Martial Might, praying for this 'fortune'.

The reason why the God of Imperial Martial Might is so famous is that in this era overrun by demons, there are many strong people among humans who have been enlightened by this God and are still alive. Many messages are passed down from their mouths... and many of them are regarded as 'demons-slaying heroes'.

Long walked step by step to the officer, who was so excited that his face was flushed and he immediately knelt down.

The surrounding soldiers didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Clearly, their commander had been chosen by God.

"Carry on your mission to slay demons, and grow stronger..."

Long was already used to being addressed as such by the former.

He said it indifferently.

Immediately afterwards, a card appeared at her fingertips, then vanished in a stream of light.

Of course, this magical scene was invisible to others.

The officer, affected by the experience card, felt as if his brain had exploded, as a massive amount of information and images flooded into his consciousness.

When he regained his senses and came to his senses, the old man in front of him had disappeared.

Only envious or excited glances were cast from nearby...

"Divine power... it really is divine power..."

The officer swallowed hard, speaking in disbelief.

He clearly felt the changes within himself.