The Demon Slayer Corps—an organization created by the Ubuyashiki clan to hunt down Muzan.
The world operates according to certain rules. Yin and Yang will always seek balance. Since demons exist, it is only natural that an organization opposing them would also exist.
The Demon Slayer Corps has several hundred members, but it is not an organization formally recognized by the government. Its members are commonly known as "Demon Hunters." The organization's goal is to slay the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji.
Although the internal hierarchy of the Demon Slayer Corps is quite complex, the only members that truly matter are the Hashira. The vast majority of other hunters do not possess the strength to face even a Lower Rank.
And the Hashira are the pillars that support the Demon Slayer Corps, the nine swordsmen who stand at the very top.
Every Hashira possesses power exceeding that of a Lower Rank demon, with some even capable of fighting on par with an Upper Rank.
And the one being presented by Kyogai and Fujiwara at this moment was none other than one of the nine Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho!
---o---
[Light Curtain Comments]
Following the light curtain's introduction, Shinobu's appearance gradually perplexed the audience.
They had initially thought she was just an ordinary girl, but they hadn't expected her to have such a special status, much less for such a character to be on the verge of death right after her debut.
As one of the nine strongest swordsmen, it was understandable that she couldn't defeat Dio. But why was she taken down by Dio's underlings? And even captured alive?
[Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho: "Ah, ah. I didn't expect to make my appearance so soon. And it seems... I'll be making my exit just as quickly." ]
[Kanao Tsuyuri: "Master!"]
In the Demon Slayer world, Kanao looked at her adoptive older sister with concern in her eyes. As for Shinobu herself, seeing that she was about to be served as food to the vampire Dio, she didn't know what to think.
Time-stop, instantly killing two Upper Ranks... with that kind of power, the her in the video wouldn't be a match even if she fought with her life on the line. She just hadn't expected to die so soon after appearing. She had thought that as a Hashira, she would have a more significant role to play later on.
But now, it seemed the opposite was true. It was just a pity that she couldn't avenge her sister in the end...
[Sleeping Hashira, Zenitsu Agatsuma: "How is that possible! Isn't Shinobu-san a Hashira, just like Master? Why couldn't she even beat Dio's subordinates?"]
[Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui: "It's the poison... Dio and Muzan are fundamentally two different types of demons. Although they both fear the sun, he's clearly not afraid of Wisteria flowers. And Shinobu, as it happens, relies on poison to kill demons." ]
[Otto Apocalypse: "I see. So it's a matter of compatibility? If it were another Hashira, they might have been able to fight back, but Shinobu's specialty, poison, was nullified by the Dio's Blood in their bodies?"]
[Umaru Doma: "Ah, Shinobu-san seems so pitiful right now. It's like an attribute mismatch in a video game. She's been hard-countered and is going to die right after her debut..." ]
---o---
[Light Curtain]
Realizing that a battle between him and Jotaro Kujo was inevitable, Dio knew he had to return to his perfect, peak condition as soon as possible.
Only by completely fusing with Jonathan's body could he be at ease.
Although he already possessed an invincible Stand like [The World], with a time-stop powerful enough to affect the entire universe, the Joestar family could never be underestimated.
Who knew how the members of the Joestar family always managed to grow stronger in an instant when faced with adversity? Not to mention their inexplicable good luck and that once-in-a-lifetime teleportation.
These were all reasons for Dio's wariness. Although he, Dio, was also a man blessed with great luck, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Facing Jotaro in his peak condition was the only correct choice.
Therefore, Dio was quite satisfied with the little loaf of bread his subordinates had offered him. Although she wasn't a high-quality meal like a Marechi, Shinobu was very beautiful.
As a picky vampire, Dio would never consume an ugly human. An existence like Shinobu was just right—a feast for the eyes.
"Well done. In just a few short days, you've already become strong enough to defeat a 'Hashira'." Dio was not stingy with his praise. For him, his subordinates growing stronger was a good thing.
To rule the world, one must have a group of loyal and capable followers. Dio understood this principle far better than Muzan.
He slowly walked over to Shinobu, and the light curtain's camera focused on her.
Shinobu had black hair with purple tips at the end of her bangs, styled in a "Yakai-maki" bun. She had purple pupils and wore a mint-green butterfly ornament with dark purple edges in her hair. She was dressed in the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform, over which she wore a haori with a butterfly wing pattern.
Her sleeping form made the audience sigh in admiration. In terms of appearance alone, Shinobu was already very beautiful, a beauty even in the multiverse. It was just a pity that such a beauty would die young, becoming a meal for Dio so soon after her debut.
Dio wouldn't spare her just because she was beautiful. After all, in Dio's eyes, humans were no different from bread.
However... as Dio drew closer, his nose twitched slightly, as if he had smelled something unpleasant. His brows furrowed.
Then, he gently traced a small line on Shinobu's neck with the tip of his right index finger. A few drops of blood emerged, staining his finger.
He lightly licked the blood from his fingertip, and his face instantly darkened. Beside him, Kyogai and Fujiwara immediately fell to their knees, their heads bowed, begging for forgiveness.
"Wisteria poison... You mix poison into my food. Are you trying to rebel? Or perhaps you wanted to test if such a low-grade toxin would have any effect on me, a perfect being?"
Dio's tone was abnormally calm, but his words made the kneeling demons break out in a cold sweat.
It wasn't because Dio was scolding them, nor was it fear of death. It was because they had presented Shinobu Kocho, whose blood was laced with Wisteria poison, on Lord Dio's dining table.
Even if the Wisteria poison was useless against Dio, Shinobu's body was already saturated with the toxin. She had lost all her nutritional value as a loaf of bread. Even eating her would do nothing to help heal Dio's wounds...
"Lord Dio, please forgive us!" Kneeling on the ground, the two begged for Dio's pardon.
After becoming Lord Dio's subordinates, they had defeated a 'Hashira' in just a few days. Such an achievement had made them conceited.
So much so that they had served poisoned food to Dio's table.
"WRYYY..." The vampire's cry echoed. Dio ignored their pleas, instead slowly examining Shinobu's body.
To Dio, Shinobu was like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat, but a waste to throw away. Killing her would be a waste. Then, as if an idea struck him, Dio once again revealed his dangerous, sweet smile.
Next, under the watchful eyes of Kyogai and Fujiwara, Dio plucked a single strand of his hair. Like Sun Wukong, he gently pinched the strand, then lifted Shinobu's bangs and implanted his hair into her forehead.
The moment it entered her forehead, the strand of Dio's hair seemed to come alive. In a short time, it intertwined and took root, forming a spider-like flesh bud, firmly embedding itself in Shinobu's forehead.
Then, Shinobu's body sat up uncontrollably. A dark aura emanated from her. When her eyes opened, the vacant gaze was quickly filled with savagery.
She looked at Dio before her, knelt on one knee, and, just like Kyogai and Fujiwara beside her, said respectfully, "Lord Dio."
---o---
[Light Curtain Comments]
Shinobu's defection was something no one had expected. Putting aside why her blood contained so much Wisteria poison, her betrayal was far too sudden. Dio's charisma was powerful, but surely it wasn't enough to brainwash a swordsman with such a firm will.
Of course, the audience wasn't stupid. They could all see that it was the flesh bud implanted in Shinobu's forehead that was at work.
[Conan Edogawa: "This isn't right. This is too abnormal. Since when did vampires have this ability? Besides turning others into their kind, can Dio also control humans?"]
The great detective stated that this was completely different from the vampires he knew. Stands weren't exclusive to vampires, so that was understandable. But flesh bud implantation was a very non-traditional vampire ability.
[Saitama: "That's some amazing hair. I wish I could have hair like that someday. Even if it can't control people, just having it would be nice..." ]
[Iori Kitahara: "Forcibly controlling a beautiful girl... that ability is way too enviable. But a vampire like Dio... he should just die already." ]
In the Grand Blue world, Iori Kitahara, currently drinking oolong tea, stated that all of Dio's abilities were ones he wanted. Of course, he still knew right from wrong. With Dio possessing such power, from any angle, the probability of that Jotaro guy winning was very low.
[Herta: "A vampire from another world. While such species exist in the universe, they are fundamentally different. I really want to study one." ]
[The Dignified Lord of the Scarlet Devil Mansion: "Flesh bud implantation... an ability I've never heard of. Forcibly controlling humans... I wonder if it would work on the shrine maiden from the Hakurei Shrine next door." ]
[Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho: "No matter how you look at it, this ability is just too much!"]
In the Demon Slayer world, when she saw that Dio had disdained to eat her body, which was soaked in Wisteria poison, Shinobu had been a little happy at first. Not because she thought Dio would spare her, but because she was glad she wouldn't become food for his recovery.
But after seeing herself implanted with a flesh bud, becoming a puppet completely at Dio's command, Shinobu's face quickly darkened. If she were to harm her comrades or aid the villain, not even committing seppuku would be enough to atone for her sins.
---o---
[Light Curtain]
After Dio took complete control of Shinobu, the camera shifted back to Jotaro.
A night had passed. Jotaro hadn't slept, and in a single night, he had single-handedly dealt with all the demons on Wisteria Flower Mountain.
That's right, all of them. Among the numerous demons, he only spent a little more time on the Hand Demon, which had hands all over its body. The rest were all ORA'd down with a single punch.
Because of this, the Final Selection had ended prematurely, and dozens of people had survived.
There was no other choice. Not a single demon could be found on the entire mountain. Continuing the trial would just be wilderness survival. And since they had rations, it didn't even count as that.
As for the rescued Demon Hunters, although their faces showed fear of the demons and the evil spirit behind Jotaro, at least they were all alive now.
Under Jotaro's protection, the results of this Final Selection would most likely be nullified. The survival rate was too astonishingly high, and the number of casualties was too low. It simply wouldn't serve its purpose as a selection process.
The scene changed. On Wisteria Flower Mountain, Jotaro stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the arrival of the so-called master of the Demon Slayer Corps.
His sudden arrival in this world had immediately put him at odds with the Demon Slayer Corps. Not only had he killed all the demons they had captured, but he had also completely ruined their Final Selection.
But it couldn't be helped. Although Jotaro didn't show it on the surface, upon sensing Dio's presence, his mind was in turmoil.
Dio's abilities were still a mystery; he knew nothing about him. But Dio, through various channels and reports from his unknown subordinates, likely already knew everything about their abilities.
Combined with the inexplicable transmigration, all these factors contributed to Jotaro's inner frustration.
This frustration was vented on the demons. Although the demons on Wisteria Flower Mountain were weak, their vitality was top-notch, enough to serve as disposable punching bags for Jotaro...
"Hey, you two kids over there. Hasn't your master arrived yet? I don't like to wait too long."
Jotaro walked slowly to the two little girls and spoke with some impatience.
If it weren't two girls standing before him instead of two boys, he might have blown his top on the spot.
The Demon Slayer Corps—as its name implied, was a team that slays demons. And Jotaro would sooner or later have to face Dio's army of zombies.
Rather than waiting until then, it was better to find suitable allies now. Since this group also happened to slay demons, it was convenient. It would save Jotaro the trouble of explaining the difference between demons and humans.
"Mr. Jotaro Kujo... is it? Please, do not make things difficult for those two children. I have already arrived. It is only due to my physical condition that I was delayed on the road for too long."
Just as Jotaro was asking, a gentle voice came from the bottom of the steps. The master of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, supported by his wife Amane, slowly appeared before Jotaro.
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: I feel the reader's suggestion was very correct. The scene where Kars steps on the shadow is indeed very important. After some thought, it's very likely that the three Pillar Men will appear together.