SCP-049: Young man, I'm a doctor. May I examine your sister?

No one would let their guard down around SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, just because of its appearance. Besides, the word "plague" was right there in its name!

That alone spoke to how terrifying SCP-049 was!

Just then, detailed information about SCP-049 appeared in the empty space to the right of the image!

[Containment Object]: Plague Doctor!

[Item Number]: SCP-049!

[Item Classification]: Euclid!

[Appearance]: SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, is a humanoid entity whose appearance resembles that of a medieval plague doctor.

Although SCP-049 appears to be wearing a black robe and a bird-beak mask, its clothing and mask seem to grow from its body.

Tests have shown, however, that SCP-049's skeleton is still human.

At the sight of this information!

Holy Kesha froze. "Its clothing is part of its body, but its skeleton is still human. The Foundation's Containment Objects really are bizarre."

As she marveled at it, new content appeared on the livestream.

[Verified by the Doctor: Under normal circumstances, SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, shows considerable goodwill toward humans and is very willing to cooperate with the SCP Foundation!]

Everyone in the livestream was stunned by this revelation.

After seeing SCP-173, Little Peanut, and SCP-096, Shy Guy, they had assumed that all Containment Objects, apart from SCP-343, God...

Were mindless beings.

They never expected SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, to be intelligent, let alone harbor such goodwill toward humanity.

Their eyes lit up.

Some even began calculating whether they could use that goodwill to bring SCP-049 over to their side while exploring the Demon Slayer World...

With SCP-049's help, exploring a little world like the Demon Slayer World...

Even one that had undergone a mutation...

Would be a breeze.

More importantly, they might learn about other Containment Objects and uncover some of the SCP Foundation's secrets from SCP-049.

But just as everyone was making plans of their own...

The information that appeared next was like a bucket of cold water dumped over their heads.

[However, once SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, senses what it considers a "plague" nearby, it will immediately become agitated!]

[SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, will display extreme hostility toward any individual it believes has been affected by the "plague"!]

[Under normal circumstances, SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, will attempt to kill individuals infected by the "plague."]

[Method: Physical contact causes the target to die instantly. This ability is suspected to be conceptual in nature!]

[Note: The "plague" as SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, sees it is not a plague in the conventional sense. Foundation doctors have conducted 123,000 interactive experiments with SCP-049!]

[They have still not determined what SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, means by "plague." They have not even found a pattern!]

After reading this, everyone in the livestream abandoned the idea of winning SCP-049 over.

Containment Objects are Containment Objects. Not one of them is normal, they thought. Even one that showed great goodwill toward humans, like SCP-049...

Could kill people for no apparent reason.

And its method of killing might even be conceptual. That was just absurd!

[Monster King Orochi: If we can figure out what SCP-049 means by "plague," it won't be dangerous anymore! It's like an allergy!]

[Orochimaru: You're right! But do you think you can find the answer when the Foundation couldn't? Also, I hate your name!]

[Child Emperor: You can think of SCP-049 as mentally ill. It's friendly until it has an episode. Then it kills people without any discernible pattern.]

[Sengoku: On behalf of the Marines, I'm withdrawing from this exploration of the Demon Slayer World. A mutated world with a Containment Object in it? No matter how many Marines we send, they'd only be going to their deaths!]

[Aizen: My squad is withdrawing from this mission as well.]

[Momo Hinamori: Our captain is a wonderful captain who truly values his comrades' lives!]

[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Konoha is withdrawing too!]

[Luffy: I'd like to go have a look! Nami...]

[Nami: Our captain doesn't want to!]

[...]

Just then, the information on the livestream began updating again! This time, what appeared left everyone silent.

New information about SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, appeared on the screen.

[Experimental observations show that, under normal circumstances, SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, often displays distress and regret within five minutes of killing someone!]

[According to the Doctor's research, this distress and regret are unrelated to species, age, gender, or other such factors. They appear to be linked to the severity of the "plague."]

[After SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, experiences distress and regret, it takes surgical tools from the black medical bag it carries and performs an "operation" on the deceased target.]

[The Doctor has observed that its surgical tools are far larger than the medical bag it carries.]

In the hall of Demon Castle!

Morgana stared, stunned!

SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, really was something. It felt distressed and regretful after killing someone.

Then it performed surgery on the corpse?

What a freak!

Even her demon army was better than that! When her demons killed someone, that was the end of it.

Why would they feel regret?

Unbelievable!

As Morgana silently mocked SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, for being childish, more information appeared on the livestream.

[Corpses operated on by SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, regain the ability to move.]

[We at the Foundation designate organisms in this state as SCP-049-2!]

[However, SCP-049-2 cannot be considered "resurrected." They have no capacity for thought and can only be regarded as mobile corpses.]

[Under normal circumstances, SCP-049-2 remain quiet and rarely move. When they do, they usually walk.]

[SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, can command SCP-049-2 through unknown means. These means are suspected to be conceptual in nature. To date, no method of severing the connection has been found apart from completely destroying SCP-049-2.]

[Upon receiving orders from SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, SCP-049-2 immediately become abnormally active. Experiments show that SCP-049-2 under orders no longer obey the law of conservation of energy.]

[They can carry out any order from SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, without consuming any energy.]

[Regarding SCP-049-2, SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, usually claims: "This is a rather imperfect treatment." SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, has not explained what a perfect treatment would entail!]

The barrage of information left everyone in the livestream reeling.

By the time they finished reading, they had all fallen silent.

They had to admit how ridiculous their earlier plan to win SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, over had been. It might show goodwill toward humans...

But it was still a Containment Object.

Its abilities were at least as formidable as those of SCP-173, Little Peanut, and SCP-096, Shy Guy. In some ways, it was even more terrifying than either of them.

For one thing, SCP-173, Little Peanut, and SCP-096, Shy Guy, were terrifying...

But there were clear rules governing when they killed.

As long as those rules were not broken, a person would be safe.

SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, was different. There was no clear pattern at all! It attacked anyone infected with the "plague."

But...

Who the hell knew what SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, meant by "plague"?

And that was not even the most important part.

Most importantly, SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, was intelligent! Intelligence meant limitless possibilities.

That made it far more dangerous than a Containment Object that simply killed according to fixed rules!

[Gecko Moria: SCP-049's ability is similar to my Shadow-Shadow Fruit. We can both control corpses. I do it with shadows, though, and its method is unknown.]

[Kaido: You're trash I could flatten with one swing of my club. Don't compare yourself to SCP-049.]

[Orochimaru: Impure World Reincarnation has a similar effect. In some ways, it's even better than SCP-049's ability. After all, those brought back through Impure World Reincarnation retain their intelligence and memories!]

[S-Class Hero Zombieman: Is it possible that SCP-049-2 are the result of an imperfect treatment? If the treatment were perfect, the resulting ability might be even more terrifying.]

[They might even become Containment Objects themselves!]

[Child Emperor: I agree with Zombieman. I also have a feeling that if SCP-049 ever completes a perfect treatment, the consequences will be catastrophic!]

[Vegapunk: I have the same feeling!]

[...]

Inside Yanhuang Academy, the assembled Super Soldiers stared blankly at the comments scrolling across the livestream.

When they first read the information, they had thought they could communicate with SCP-049, the Plague Doctor. After reading it all, they were at a loss for words.

A Containment Object really was a Containment Object!

Its way of thinking was beyond belief!

It killed people, turned their corpses into Zombies, and called the whole process treating a plague?

Wasn't that just plain insanity?

After a moment's thought, Qilin voiced an idea. "Could SCP-049 have gone to the Demon Slayer World because it believes there's a plague there?"

"One that needs its treatment?"

At Qilin's words, Rose and the others brightened. She might be right. Perhaps that really was why SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, had gone to the Demon Slayer World.

Wait...

Rose suddenly felt as though she had overlooked something.

But no matter how hard she tried...

She could not remember what it was.

Rose was not alone. Many others present, including the powerful figures from various Indigenous Worlds in the livestream, also realized they seemed to have missed something.

But none of them could recall what it was.

Just then, the image of SCP-049, the Plague Doctor, vanished from the livestream. In its place appeared the slightly gaunt figure of Dr. Kuroto.

Alongside him was a document bearing the SCP Foundation's logo.

Its title read: [Information on the Demon Slayer World and Theories Regarding the Cause of Its Mutation].

At the sight of it, everyone watching held their breath, whether they still intended to explore the Demon Slayer World or had already withdrawn.

They had a feeling!

What Dr. Kuroto was about to say would, to some extent, change the Super God Universe forever!

SCP-049: Young man, I'm a doctor. May I treat your sister?

Under the breathless gaze of everyone in the livestream, Dr. Kuroto opened the document and slowly addressed the camera. "Three days ago, the Myriad Races Livestream issued the mission concerning the Demon Slayer World."

"With my authorization, base researcher Dr. Calvin used Containment Objects SCP- and SCP-, among others, to investigate the Demon Slayer World."