Ti passed quickly.
Under the command of the Hashira, Mount Natagumo was swept from base to summit. Not a single demon that had gathered there managed to escape. Those who hid were found. Those who resisted were slain. Those who had survived the carnage were carried away by the Kakushi before dawn broke over the mountain.
By the ti the Demon Slayer Corps withdrew to headquarters, the sky had already begun to pale.
Tanjiro remained unconscious.
Because of that, the eting Kagaya Ubuyashiki had prepared could only be postponed.
It was not until morning that Tanjiro's eyelids finally stirred.
He opened his eyes slowly, his vision still blurred. For a mont, he simply stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above him, mind blank, body heavy, unable to understand where he was.
A quiet room.
Clean bedding.
The faint scent of dicine, wood, and unfamiliar people.
Two figures in black uniforms sat nearby, their faces covered by cloth.
The mont they saw him wake, both Kakushi jolted.
"You're awake!"
"You're finally awake! I'll report it right away!"
One of them imdiately sprang to his feet, slid the door open, and hurried outside.
Tanjiro pushed himself up with difficulty and looked around in confusion.
"Where… am I?"
His mory still lingered at the mont before he lost consciousness.
He rembered standing at the edge of collapse.
He rembered seeing Asuramaru.
He rembered entrusting his body to him.
Since he was still alive, then those demons must have been defeated.
The remaining Kakushi quickly explained, "This is the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters. You were unconscious all night. Strangely, your body isn't injured at all, so we couldn't understand why you wouldn't wake up."
"The headquarters…"
Tanjiro's eyes widened.
Then he lowered his gaze and called inwardly with imdiate concern.
"Asuramaru, what happened last night? What about Nezuko? Zenitsu? Inosuke?"
Inside the sword, Alex answered lazily, "Your sister was taken by mbers of the Demon Slayer Corps. Zenitsu and Inosuke are fine too."
Only then did Tanjiro let out the breath trapped in his chest.
Thank goodness.
Everyone was alive.
His hand unconsciously settled over Asuramaru's hilt, and his expression softened.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "Really. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened. Thank you for staying with , Asuramaru."
"As long as you understand," Alex replied.
After that, he fell silent.
Rather than waste ti on sentintal talk, Alex had already begun preparing himself.
The Demon Slayer Corps' eting was finally here.
The Hashira. Kagaya Ubuyashiki. The entire organization's decision-makers.
This was the mont he had been waiting for.
If things went well, he could trick—
No.
Convince.
He could convince the Demon Slayer Corps to work for him.
Do you know how I've lived these past two years?
At last, the day had co.
After receiving word that Tanjiro had awakened, Kagaya Ubuyashiki imdiately ordered the Hashira eting to begin.
Soon after, Tanjiro was escorted out of the room and led through headquarters.
The place was quiet, orderly, and vast. The air carried the scent of sunlight on wood, clean stone, and carefully tended flowers. Compared to the chaos of Mount Natagumo, this place felt almost unreal.
At last, he arrived at a broad courtyard before the main mansion.
Nine figures were gathered there.
Each one possessed a presence unlike any ordinary Demon Slayer Tanjiro had t before. So stood casually, so sat in silence, so watched him openly. Yet all of them carried the sa oppressive certainty.
They were strong.
Terrifyingly strong.
Not far away, Nezuko's wooden box had been placed on the ground.
Tanjiro's body tensed at once.
Before he could move toward it, Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira, glared at him with open hostility. His scarred face twisted, and his voice cut through the courtyard like a blade.
"If the Master can't convince , I'll kill your sister without hesitation."
Among the gathered Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira with pink-and-green hair, pressed her hands near her chest, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Are they really going to kill that demon…?
Tanjiro still did not fully understand who these people were.
Fortunately, Alex's voice rang in his mind.
"These nine are the strongest swordsn in the Demon Slayer Corps. They hold the highest rank—the Hashira."
So these are the Hashira…
Tanjiro had no ti to be awed. He quickly spoke up.
"My sister Nezuko has never eaten a human! And she never will!"
Before he could continue, a cold voice ca from above.
Perched on a tree, a black-haired man with the lower half of his face wrapped in bandages looked down at him. A white snake coiled around his shoulders.
The Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro.
"It's natural for soone to defend their family," Obanai said icily. "Your words alone an nothing. Perhaps you should explain that strange sword of yours first."
At the ntion of Asuramaru, the atmosphere changed.
The eyes of several Hashira shifted toward Tanjiro's waist.
They clearly knew sothing.
Tanjiro fell silent for a brief mont, then shook his head.
"My sister beca a demon two years ago. From then until now, she has never eaten a human. Not once."
A massive man clasping prayer beads together lowered his head.
The Stone Hashira, Gyoi Hijima, towered over everyone present. Tears stread steadily from his blind eyes, his expression filled with solemn pity.
"How tragic," Gyoi murmured. "Then let us end this poor child's suffering quickly."
Inside the sword, Alex listened to them one by one and reached a simple conclusion.
None of these people were normal.
Tanjiro still wanted to argue, but before he could speak, two white-haired girls appeared at the entrance of the mansion and spoke in perfect unison.
"The Master has arrived."
The courtyard fell silent.
Every Hashira imdiately turned toward the mansion.
The doors slid open.
A man in a pure white kimono stepped out slowly, supported on both sides by the two girls. His steps were gentle, his posture composed. Though the upper half of his face was marked by grotesque scars and his eyes could no longer see, his presence carried a calm that softened the entire courtyard.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
He stopped along the veranda, letting the morning sunlight fall upon him. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Good morning, everyone."
Tanjiro stared at the scar spreading across Kagaya's face and could not help wondering.
Is that an injury?
No… an illness?
Could Asuramaru heal sothing like that?
Before the thought could settle, Tanjiro sensed movent behind him.
Fast.
He tried to evade, but he was still a fraction too slow.
Sanemi appeared behind him and forced him down, pressing him to the ground until Tanjiro's knees struck the earth.
The reaction sent a subtle ripple through the Hashira.
He noticed?
Even if he had failed to dodge completely, the fact that Tanjiro had sensed Sanemi's surprise attack at all was enough to draw attention.
Sanemi himself paused for half a heartbeat before lowering his head toward Kagaya.
"Master, I'm glad to see you in good health," he said, voice restrained despite the anger beneath it. "Forgive my rudeness, but please explain the value of this Demon Slayer—Tanjiro Kamado. I cannot accept that he is more important than you."
Kagaya's expression did not change.
It was as if he had expected this question from the beginning.
"Then I will answer everyone's doubts here."
At his words, the girl standing to his left took an envelope from within her robes. She opened it carefully and began to read.
"This is a letter from the forr Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki. I will now read its contents."
The Hashira listened.
Tanjiro listened too, his body still held down, his heart pounding.
The girl's voice was clear and even.
"Please allow Tanjiro and Nezuko to remain together. A change unforeseen by Muzan has occurred within Nezuko. Even when starving, she does not eat humans. I know this is difficult to believe, but should any accident occur, I, together with Giyu Tomioka and Tanjiro Kamado, will commit seppuku in atonent."
The courtyard remained quiet.
The girl continued.
"Furthermore, Master, I beg you to treat the following matter with the utmost gravity."
"The sword in Tanjiro Kamado's possession is no ordinary Nichirin Sword."
"It is a sword passed down through his family for generations, and within it resides a legendary deity—a Sword Spirit nad Asuramaru."
At that, the eyes of every Hashira sharpened.
Even Sanemi's grip on Tanjiro shifted slightly.
The girl read on.
"Like sothing from myth, this Sword Spirit possesses many miraculous powers. Healing, perception, the strengthening of its wielder, and powers I cannot fully explain. I believe it may be capable of changing the balance between humans and demons."
"And perhaps…"
Her voice paused for the briefest mont.
"…it may be the key to ending everything."
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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