"Regardless, to directly disturb Oyakata-sama without going through levels of assessment is not flamboyant at all!" Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui touched the jeweled headband on his forehead and curled his lip.
On a tree branch, Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro, with a white snake wrapped around his neck, sneered. "He's just an arrogant brat seeking attention. If he dares to show any disrespect in front of Oyakata-sama, I'll snap his neck immediately."
Not far away, Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji covered her reddened cheeks, her heart racing wildly. "Oh my, I heard he's an extremely handsome young man. For someone as proud as Shinobu-chan to personally accompany him, I wonder what kind of person he is. I'm so looking forward to it..."
At the very edge of the courtyard, Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka stood there alone.
He did not participate in the discussion. His deep blue eyes were fixed on the entrance of the courtyard, and his hands subconsciously gripped the Nichirin Blade at his waist.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the gravel path outside the courtyard.
The Hashira who had been talking instantly fell silent. Nine pairs of eyes, like tangible blades, all turned toward the entrance.
Kocho Shinobu was the first to step into the courtyard.
Beside her, half a step behind, Rin walked in lazily, one hand in his pocket while the other casually carried the black straight sword over his shoulder.
Facing the terrifying pressure released simultaneously by several Hashira, enough to make an ordinary swordsman suffocate instantly, Rin's pace did not pause, and his breathing rhythm did not change.
"Oh? So these are the so-called Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Rin's gaze swept across everyone, the corners of his mouth curling into an undisguised, arrogant smile. "They don't seem like much. Other than being loud and dressed strangely, there doesn't seem to be anything special about them."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the courtyard instantly dropped to freezing point.
The extremely protective and violent Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, immediately had several veins bulge on his forehead.
"You bastard brat... what did you say?!"
Boom!
The pebbles beneath Sanemi's feet exploded. He turned into a violent green gale, and using the terrifying momentum of his sprint, his right leg swept toward Rin's head with a piercing sound of tearing air.
"Shut that foul mouth for me!!"
Although he did not use a Breathing Style, with his physical strength as a Hashira, the power of this kick was enough to shatter a giant boulder.
Kocho Shinobu instinctively wanted to shout a warning, but before the words left her mouth, she swallowed them back.
Because she saw Rin's eyes. They were the eyes of someone looking at a clown.
Facing Sanemi's heavy whip kick, Rin did not even blink.
Just as the leg was about to strike him, his left hand, which had been resting in his pocket, shot out with incredible speed.
Snap!
Sanemi's right leg, powerful enough to shatter a boulder, came to a sudden halt just five centimeters from Rin's head.
Rin's left hand had firmly gripped Sanemi's ankle.
No matter how much force Sanemi exerted, that palm did not move in the slightest.
"How is this possible?!" Sanemi's pupils shrank in shock.
He was the Wind Hashira. Yet in terms of pure physical strength, he had been caught with one hand by a newcomer.
"Too slow. Your stance is unstable, and your power delivery is full of openings."
Rin's cold voice sounded beside Sanemi's ear.
In the next second, Rin's left hand yanked downward while his right foot viciously kicked the back of Sanemi's knee, his supporting leg.
Bang!
Sanemi, having lost his balance, had no time to react. While still in mid-air, he was slammed into the ground by Rin's overwhelming strength.
Boom!
The pebbles on the ground shattered into a large crater, and dust rose everywhere.
"Bastard!!" Sanemi roared in rage, struggling to get back on his feet.
But Rin had already stepped on his chest. The heavy pressure forced all the air out of Sanemi's lungs in an instant, turning his face purple-red.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Across the entire courtyard, including Kyojuro Rengoku and Tengen Uzui, all the Hashira wore expressions of utter disbelief.
From Sanemi's sudden attack to being flipped over and pinned beneath Rin's foot, the entire process had taken less than a second.
The Wind Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps had actually been crushed in physical combat by a newcomer.
"Let him go!!"
On the tree branch, Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro's eyes turned cold. He instantly leaped down from the tree, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to draw his blade and force Rin back.
However, just as Iguro was about to act.
Clang!
A blade flashed like a cold ripple of water, suddenly appearing in front of Obanai Iguro and blocking his path.
Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka.
At this moment, Giyu Tomioka had already drawn half of his Nichirin Blade. His deep blue eyes carried an unprecedented determination and coldness as he stared directly at Iguro and the other Hashira preparing to move.
"Whoever dares to touch him will be an enemy of me."
Giyu's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable resolve that echoed through the courtyard.
At that moment, everyone was stunned.
Even Rin raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised at this Water Hashira who usually behaved like a silent gourd.
"Giyu! Are you crazy?! This kid injured Sanemi at headquarters, and you're actually going to protect him?!" Obanai Iguro roared in frustration.
Giyu Tomioka did not explain. He only tightened his grip on his sword, and the Water Breathing within his body had already begun to circulate.
Just as the tense standoff threatened to turn into internal conflict among the Hashira at any moment, the sliding door of the Japanese room directly in front of the courtyard was slowly pulled open from the inside.
Two twin girls, one with white hair and one with black, supported a weak man with purple markings on his face and blind eyes as he stepped onto the porch.
"Oyakata-sama has arrived."
As the girls' gentle voices rang out, the Hashira, who had been brimming with killing intent just moments ago, froze as if time itself had stopped.
Obanai Iguro quickly sheathed his sword, and Sanemi, who had just been released and kicked aside by Rin, endured the sharp pain in his chest as he scrambled to his feet.
In the blink of an eye, the nine Hashira, including Kocho Shinobu and Giyu Tomioka, all knelt on one knee, lowering their proud heads.
In the large courtyard, only Rin remained standing tall, his black sword still resting on one shoulder, looking with interest at the supreme leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya.