Chapter 397: World-Class Quest
"For now, Aokiji hasn't done anything that constitutes betrayal. Do not issue a bounty yet."
Sengoku reached up and adjusted the black-rimmed glasses on his nose.
Visibly—
his once lush, seaweed-like black hair had begun to turn white, strands of gray poking through.
Everyone present exchanged glances but said nothing. The silence was mutual.
"The losses among the commanders will be compensated by the Marine Alliance,"
Sengoku said hoarsely. His sharp gaze swept across the table.
"But remember—your identity is that of Marines. You will not touch the filth perpetrated by the noble factions."
"If anyone is discovered to be involved in human experimentation with the nobles—
I will personally execute you."
He had been publicly called out by Aokiji.
Sengoku was deeply conflicted.
He had always known that these commanders' endless supply of resources likely came from faint connections with noble factions.
But the Marine Alliance's stability—its base of countless first-rate players—would collapse if all those commanders were purged overnight.
As long as they held the line—
if he ordered the commanders to stay away from it directly, and he personally supervised them, things might not go too far.
It had always been this way:
The opulent Royal Avenue of the Goa Kingdom versus its filthy Grey Terminal…
The Sorbet Kingdom increasing taxes and driving the poor into lawless zones…
The Riku royal family of Dressrosa, overthrown and replaced by the former Celestial Dragon Doflamingo…
This was the pirate world.
"Aokiji has always been like this…"
Sengoku's conscience told him the noble factions deserved to be annihilated.
But logic quickly restrained him.
The World Government had ruled for 800 years,
and its hundreds of member nations operated the same way—nobles enslaving the common folk.
The Navy's justice was to protect civilians from pirates.
Anything beyond that—was domestic.
The Navy had no authority to interfere.
Sengoku let out a long sigh, his thoughts heavy.
Aokiji… your sense of justice has already gone beyond the boundaries of the Marine Alliance.
He pushed thoughts of Aokiji and the experiments aside.
Right now, the top priority was the newly discovered dark gold-tier boss in the zombie world.
Gold-tier zombies were rare,
but they did occasionally appear.
Dark gold-tier generals, however, were once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
"Each of the Four Seas' commanders will dispatch 200 more elite players to reinforce Jiang Family Town!" Sengoku ordered gravely.
"Two hundred?!"
The commanders' expressions shifted. One by one, they wanted to refuse.
They had already given 500 elite players each—
and now they were being asked for more.
Elite players were not easily cultivated.
Every loss was a painful one.
But faced with Sengoku's stern expression, none dared to be the first to say no.
They could only grit their teeth and agree.
Azure Nation: Specter Chronicles World
The elite marine forces had joined up with the Four Admirals.
All minor pirate crews, wandering samurai from the ninja world's weaker nations,
and ordinary players from Demon Slayer and Claymore worlds had already been driven out by waves of magma and poison fog.
Only factions led by first-rate players remained.
The Straw Hat Pirates.
Former Buggy Pirates captain, now part of the Desert Circus alongside ex-Warlord Crocodile.
The escaped Charlotte Family, currently led by Katakuri, Mochi-Mochi Fruit user, who now boasted [2800 Combat Power] thanks to Whole Cake Island's legacy and his own talent.
In the distance,
ninjas from the Four Nations and elite Dawn players were rushing to the scene.
Whoosh…
Fierce wind howled, carrying crimson rain that pelted the ground.
Soaked with dark yin energy, the rain extinguished magma and dispersed Smoker's poison fog with ease.
From within the Ghost General's tomb,
the cave opened like a torn pouch, spewing endless gusts of ghostly wind that blotted out the sky.
"Mmm… this feels incredible. Those useless doctors stopped me from evolving into a perfect being, but it turns out… a blessing in disguise."
In a dark corner, Muzan Kibutsuji stood with his arms spread, basking in the blood rain.
[Toxic Zombie Controller · Lv.29], Combat Power: 1200
Muzan's face trembled with ecstasy as yin energy filled his flesh.
He had once been used as a regenerating meat shield by Orochimaru to block Naruto's holy flames. He had nearly died, humiliated.
Thankfully, his survivability had saved him.
"This Ghost General is incredibly strong.
If I can acquire his [Heart of the Ghost General], my flawed mutated yin-body can evolve into an Undead Corpse!"
"Then… I'll kill Uzumaki Naruto!"
Muzan didn't dare provoke Orochimaru—
the psychological trauma left by that man even surpassed the fear of Yoriichi.
So all his pent-up hatred had shifted toward Naruto,
who was just a bit easier to target.
"MUZAN KIBUTSUJI!"
A furious voice rang out.
The glint of a pair of iconic Hanafuda earrings came into view. Muzan's heart skipped a beat—he instinctively crouched and covered his head.
A blade sliced past his scalp.
Blood dyed his handsome face, contorting it.
Steadying himself, Muzan looked up and sneered. "You're Tanjiro, right?"
Not Yoriichi—
just some distant descendant.
He'd scared himself for nothing.
Still, even if Yoriichi resurrected, he could be torn to pieces by Muzan now.
Tanjiro gritted his teeth. "Muzan Kibutsuji! I've finally found you. I'm going to slice your neck off!"
"You?" Muzan smirked.
Dark yin energy swirled around him. A layer of violet-black [Corpse Skin] formed on his body.
His fangs lengthened. Nails sharpened.
He now resembled a corpse.
Shh…
He swiped with his claws.
Four toxic corpse energy claws shot toward Tanjiro.
[Toxic Zombie Controller] was an exceptionally rare class.
After all, most living people couldn't handle fusing with corpse toxins.
Thanks to his demon body, Muzan had combined zombie venom, biochemical viruses, and other substances to unlock this bizarre class.
He had essentially become a zombie—one who could control corpse energy at will.
"…?"
Sensing a familiar aura, Tanjiro's expression turned strange.
He dodged the claws,
then raised a sword forged from refined steel, blessed on a Taoist altar for five years, and enchanted for exorcism.
He dashed forward—
and slashed!
The blade cut through Muzan like butter.
The arrogant smirk on Muzan's face froze.
Stumbling back, he snarled, "You're an Exorcist Taoist!?"
"That's right."
Tanjiro had been trained under Uncle Nine—
and all his abilities were designed to fight the undead.
Who would've guessed Muzan was a zombie now?
Should've said so earlier. I'd have run away—why stand here and let you hit me?
Muzan's expression darkened.
His [Corpse Skin Lv.25] greatly boosted defense—most weapons couldn't even scratch him.
And yet, Tanjiro had shattered his confidence in one swing.
"Goodbye, Tanjiro!"
Cold fury in his voice, Muzan turned to flee.
The Demon Slayer Corps always moved in teams.
If he delayed, they'd surround him.
He wanted the Ghost General's heart—he couldn't afford meaningless fights.
"You're not getting away, Muzan Kibutsuji!"
Tanjiro exhaled a blast of burning red mist—
a result of his enhanced Sun Breathing technique, devastating against evil beings.
Muzan retreated fast.
Corpses burst from the soil where he'd stood, shielding him like undead shields.
ROOOOAR!
A deafening howl echoed—like a prehistoric beast had awakened.
The wind and blood-rain surged into the tomb, drawn by an invisible force.
The Ghost General,
emerged from the tomb.
He wore traditional Azure Nation robes, crimson battle armor underneath. He wasn't huge,
but the pressure he gave off shocked even Shanks.
[World-Class Main Quest Triggered: Rise of the Corpse Dragon (1)]
Quest Description:
Azure Nation's dragon vein has been corrupted, spawning the zombie plague. Beneath the Imperial Palace lies a corpse jiao on the verge of becoming a corpse dragon. If it emerges, the world will fall.
Quest Objective:
Defeat five Ghost Generals under the corpse jiao and obtain the entrance ticket to the Imperial Palace Catacombs.
Quest Reward:
2 million contribution points, [Game Village Voucher]
Note:
This is a chain quest. Final stage: Hunt the Corpse Dragon,
which grants the rare item [Founding Decree].
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