Now, if one were to speak of what Ubuyashiki Kagaya most wanted to do, it was undoubtedly to retain Reiger.
Having witnessed Reiger’s strength and the potential he possessed, Ubuyashiki Kagaya had co to see him as a hope, a hope for humanity to overco demons and to put an end to the ancient struggle between humans and demons.
If it were this person, he would surely be able to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan and make the "demon," a creature that had prowled the night for a thousand years, disappear forever.
This was the future Ubuyashiki Kagaya most wanted to see, and it was also the long-cherished wish of the Ubuyashiki family and of the Demon Slayer Corps.
If such a future could be realized in his presence, then even if Ubuyashiki Kagaya were to breathe his last now, he would be willing a hundred, a thousand tis over.
Therefore, three months later, Ubuyashiki Kagaya once again extended an invitation to Reiger before all the Pillars.
As long as Reiger was willing to join the Demon Slayer Corps, then their next course of action was to find Kibutsuji Muzan at all costs.
When that ti ca, it would be the final battle between humans and demons, and the tragedy of the ages would co to an end in this generation.
If they won, all demons would disappear, never again would anyone beco food for demons, and the tragedies of the night would cease to exist.
If they lost, for hundreds of years to co, it might be that no one would be able to stop Kibutsuji Muzan, to prevent the atrocities of demons.
This would be the battle that directly determined the future of the world.
For this, Ubuyashiki Kagaya wanted to spare no effort in making it happen, in tipping the scales of this war in favor of humanity.
Of course, bringing about this future would not be easy.
Even with Reiger invited, whether the Demon Slayer Corps could find Kibutsuji Muzan remained an unknown.
Kibutsuji Muzan’s whereabouts had been a mystery for centuries. The Demon Slayer Corps had never given up on searching for him, but not once had they been able to successfully pinpoint his location.
As the progenitor of demons, Kibutsuji Muzan possessed the ability to completely disguise himself, freely changing his appearance.
Whether it was his external appearance or gender, even his scent and breath, Kibutsuji Muzan could freely transform, making it so that even if he wandered among humans, no one could recognize him.
He was also adept at camouflage, at blending into crowds, sotis appearing as a man, sotis a woman, at tis an adult, and at others a child, his true form completely unknown.
As long as it was visible to the naked eye, he could change it. With such an ability, pinpointing Kibutsuji Muzan’s location was as difficult as scaling the heavens.
The information network of the Demon Slayer Corps was already mature and powerful. With crows flying freely around the world to gather intelligence, plus the support from behind the scenes, and with the Ubuyashiki family’s long-standing influence in the secular world, even state secrets were easily accessible to the Demon Slayer Corps. Yet even so, often when they pinpointed Kibutsuji Muzan’s position, he had already changed his appearance and left at ease.
In such circumstances, the Demon Slayer Corps rarely had the chance to directly target Kibutsuji Muzan and set up strategies and tactics against him. At most, they hunted demons, treating the Twelve Demon Moons as threats to deal with.
Reiger might have the strength to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan, but if they couldn’t find his location, it would all be in vain.
But Ubuyashiki Kagaya had no other choice. He felt this was the closest the Demon Slayer Corps and the Ubuyashiki family had co to their long-cherished wish. If it couldn’t be achieved, then it would be fate.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya only wanted to facilitate all this as much as possible, to at least see the Demon Slayer Corps possess the hope of defeating Kibutsuji Muzan before he fell.
However, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, thinking so, did not realize that the future he imagined might co faster than he thought.
"I’m not particularly against joining the Demon Slayer Corps," Reiger began with these words.
The evolution of his breathing techniques was complete, he had acquired his very own Sun Wheel Blade, and he had even awakened abilities like seeing through the world—so joining the Demon Slayer Corps to hunt down evil spirits might not be a bad choice.
However, there was sothing Reiger wanted to make clear first.
"If I stay in the Demon Slayer Corps, then you may face crises beyond your imagination," he said.
His words caused everyone present to freeze in shock.
"Crises beyond imagination?" Kanroji Mitsuri asked with a blend of surprise and anxiety, "What do you an? Demons?"
"Correct," Reiger calmly replied, "After I arrived here, it wasn’t long before this location was exposed. They even sent three Upper Moon demons at once. Do you think that’s a coincidence?"
The others imdiately furrowed their brows.
"It’s not a coincidence." Reiger continued, "My arrival has caught the attention of Kibutsuji Muzan. That’s why he sent soone to investigate , track my movents, and ultimately lead to the exposure of this place."
Tamayo had said that upon hearing the na "Tsukiguni Yoriichi," Kibutsuji Muzan would surely take action.
The result of that action was that Reiger’s presence here was traced, and the location of the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters was consequently exposed.
"So, young Tsukiguni, you’re saying that as long as you stay in the Demon Slayer Corps, Kibutsuji Muzan won’t give up and will keep sending demons to find and attack you, and the location of the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters will be compromised again, correct?" Rengoku Kyoujurou asked.
"That’s a good thing, isn’t it?" Shinazugawa Sanemi imdiately stated, gripping the Sun Wheel Blade at his waist, his face fierce, "I’ve been worrying about not finding a demon or an Upper Moon to fight. If they dare to attack again this ti, I will make sure to slay them all."
"Exactly," Iguro Obanai’s eyes flashed coldly, "I just want to test whether the Upper Moon demons are really as powerful as they say."
"That’s the spirit! A grand fight is sothing I fully endorse!" Uzui Tengen crossed his arms, expressing strong agreent.
"Amitabha."
Hijima Gyoui joined his palms together, intoning a Buddhist chant, not objecting to the others’ words.
Tomioka Giyuu and Tokitou Muichirou remained silent as well, looking as if they were ready to engage in battle with demons at any mont.
Kochou Shinobu looked at Reiger and couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the situation.
At this ti, all the pillars surprisingly shared a unanimous opinion, and not one of them showed any sign of fear.
The attack on the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, the town destroyed by demons, and even the beloved master Kagaya Ubuyashiki facing danger, had already filled the pillars with anger and frustration.
Unfortunately, Rengoku Kyoujurou and Kochou Shinobu, two of the pillars, had been defeated in single combat by the Upper Moon demons, which only intensified the pillars’ feelings of resentnt.
If a pillar was defeated by an Upper Moon, didn’t that an they were utterly powerless against them?
Considering this, even Hijima Gyoui, Tomioka Giyuu, Tokitou Muichirou, and others wanted to fight the Upper Moons to gauge their strength, not to ntion the hot-headed Shinazugawa Sanemi and Iguro Obanai.
Given this, the pillars could hardly wait for an Upper Moon to appear before them, so why would they feel any fear?
It wasn’t just the demons searching for the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters and the Ubuyashiki family’s whereabouts; the Demon Slayer Corps was also constantly searching for the Twelve Kizuki and the demons’ trails.
Both sides were mortal enemies; there was no need for discussion. As long as there were no worries about the aftermath, they would be ready to battle on the spot; there was no issue.
Aside from Zenitsu, that coward, it was unlikely that many in the entire Demon Slayer Corps feared battle.
But then...
"What if the person who’s about to seek out is Kibutsuji Muzan himself?"
When Reiger spoke those words calmly, the expressions of everyone around him changed abruptly.
"What?"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was also stunned.
But that was what was going to happen next.
...
This incident occurred before dawn, after Reiger had successfully slain the attacking Upper Moon demon, leading to the mbers of the Demon Slayer Corps and those in hiding to rush about, assisting the wounded and cleaning up the aftermath.
At that ti, Reiger had returned to the depths of the mountains, where he t again with Tamayo and Yushirou.
Tamayo had apparently watched the entire battle and had seen with her own eyes how Reiger had slain three Upper Moons with a single strike. She no longer doubted Reiger’s strength.
"You are a swordsman not inferior to Tsukiguni Yoriichi. Of that, I am now certain," Tamayo said, her voice laced with concern as she gave a troubling statent.
"I fear that Kibutsuji Muzan, having confird this as well, will make the sa decision he did hundreds of years ago after witnessing your performance tonight."
What decision?
"He will hide away, never to appear again until after your death," said Tamayo with profound worry. "If things turn out that way, then we are in trouble."
This was entirely possible.
Tamayo had explained before that Kibutsuji Muzan was both cowardly and afraid of dying.
He was concerned that the Twelve Kizuki would band together and rebel against him, posing a threat, so he rarely allowed the Twelve Kizuki to gather.
He feared the strength of Tsukiguni Yoriichi and developed a psychological shadow due to his presence, so he hid for decades until Tsukiguni Yoriichi passed away, after which he finally re-erged.
Now, Reiger had almost effortlessly slain three Upper Moons with one strike. Such power could indeed provoke the jealousy and fear of Kibutsuji Muzan again, potentially causing the demon king to hide for decades.
Tamayo worried that the long-awaited hope they had for defeating Kibutsuji Muzan might evaporate right before them.
"Kibutsuji Muzan possesses the ability to perfectly mimic others, transforming into anyone in this world and hiding his presence. If he truly wishes to hide, no one in this world can find him."
And if even the enemy cannot be found, then all of Reiger’s mighty skills would be of no help.
This was the case for Tsukiguni Yoriichi, who, because Kibutsuji Muzan had escaped, never had a second chance to face him directly and went to his grave with that regret.
Tamayo was afraid that Reiger might end up the sa.
However, after Tamayo expressed her concerns, Reiger replied.
"No, he won’t hide this ti."
Reiger declared this with resolute certainty.
"He won’t hide?"
Tamayo was montarily taken aback.
"Right."
Reiger nodded and suddenly smiled.
"Because, I have sothing that he wants."
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