Deep within Natagumo Mountain, the scent of ozone left by the rampaging lightning still lingered over the scorched earth.
With the death of Lower Rank Five, Rui, the eerie presence of the Blood Demon Art that had shrouded the entire mountain rapidly began to fade.
The Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who had been manipulated like marionettes by the tough spider silk and forced to slaughter one another collapsed to the ground one after another, groaning in pain.
Kochou Shinobu took a deep breath as she looked at the demon's remains not far away, which were already turning completely into ash.
"Since you've dealt with the Lower Rank, leave the rest of the cleanup to me." She turned to look at Rin. Though her tone still carried a trace of her usual tsundere sharpness, her purple eyes held a gentleness she herself didn't seem to notice.
Just as she was about to turn and check on the injured swordsmen, the corner of her eye caught a strange demonic aura hiding in a secluded spot.
Buzz!
The instincts of the Insect Hashira instantly sharpened Kochou Shinobu's gaze.
Behind a cluster of bushes not far away, a young girl with a bamboo muzzle in her mouth shrank timidly behind Kamado Tanjiro, who had only just regained a little strength.
"Ara, it seems a fish slipped through the net."
The smile on Kochou Shinobu's lips instantly turned ice-cold. Her fingertips had already settled on the hilt of her specially crafted slender Nichirin blade. "And… as a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, you're actually harboring a demon?"
The moment her words fell, Kochou Shinobu had already crossed dozens of meters.
"Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice!"
The blade tip, coated with a high concentration of wisteria toxin, shot mercilessly toward Nezuko's neck in a sharp and lethal arc.
"Stop!!" Tanjiro shouted in shock, trying to raise his sword to block. But his severely overstrained body simply could not keep up with the speed of the Insect Hashira.
Yet at the exact moment when the lethal blade tip was less than three inches from Nezuko...
Clang!
A cold blade, flowing like a ripple across water, suddenly intervened and directly parried Shinobu's thrust.
"Tomioka-san?"
Shinobu flipped lightly through the air and landed steadily on the ground.
She looked at the Water Hashira, Giyu, who was standing in front of Tanjiro and Nezuko, and her brows knit slightly.
"What is the meaning of this? As a Hashira, you're actually protecting a demon. Tomioka-san, the reason everyone dislikes you is precisely because you always act on your own and refuse to compromise."
Faced with Kocho Shinobu's venomous tongue, Tomioka Giyu kept his usual poker face, not even changing the posture in which he held his sword.
"I am not disliked," Giyu replied in an extremely serious and rigid tone. Then he added quietly, "This demon is different. She does not eat humans."
"Huh? Doesn't eat humans? Do you expect me to believe such baseless nonsense?" The smile on Kochou Shinobu's face vanished as killing intent surged from her once again.
Her hatred for demons was carved into her bones. Even though Rin had helped resolve the turmoil in her heart the previous night, her duty to exterminate demons could never waver.
It looked as though a conflict between the two Hashira was about to erupt.
"Alright, put your swords away. You're being too noisy."
A lazy voice interrupted their confrontation.
At some point, Rin had casually strolled over.
He extended his right hand and pressed it down on the back of Shinobu's slender Nichirin blade.
"Rin san.. what are you..?" Kochou Shinobu froze for a moment.
"I'm protecting this demon."
Rin tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes meeting Kochou Shinobu's. "If I say she doesn't eat humans, then she doesn't. If there's a problem, I'll cut her and that stubborn kid down together with a single strike. Any objections?"
Hearing Rin's completely unreasonable declaration, even Tomioka Giyu beside them broke out in a cold sweat.
With Shinobu's deep-seated hatred for demons, words like that should have thoroughly angered her.
Yet the scene that followed left Giyu completely dumbfounded.
Shinobu, whose blade was being held down, did not fly into a rage. Instead, she merely bit her rosy lower lip.
She looked up at Rin's calm yet imposing profile, and the icy killing intent that had filled the surroundings miraculously dissipated.
"Since you, the 'Special Executive Officer,' have said so… Hmph, then take them back to headquarters and let Oyakata-sama decide."
Shinobu obediently sheathed her blade and cast Rin a sideways glance. "When those hot-tempered people start causing trouble later, you can explain it yourself!"
"..." This blatant double standard caused a flash of confusion to appear in Tomioka Giyu's eyes.
Just a moment ago she had looked ready to fight to the death, yet she backed down with a single sentence from Rin?!
Rin casually withdrew his hand and waved toward the air. "Shinobu-san, have your people come out and clean up the mess."
Soon, the Kakushi unit from the Butterfly Mansion quickly arrived at the scene and began efficiently tending to the wounded.
Tanjiro and Nezuko, who had been placed inside a wooden box, were also properly taken into custody, and the group began the journey back to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
…
The next day, at noon.
At the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, in the courtyard of the Ubuyashiki Estate.
The sunlight was blinding.
"Hey, kid, wake up! Bow your head and kneel properly before the Hashira!"
Accompanied by the rough shaking of a Kakushi member, the bound Tanjiro slowly opened his eyes.
His vision gradually cleared.
He found himself kneeling on the familiar courtyard pebbles. In front of him stood nine figures.
Besides Tomioka Giyu and Kocho Shinobu, whom he had seen the previous night, there were seven others he had never met.
What felt strange to Tanjiro, however, was that several of the unfamiliar faces didn't look very pleased.
Especially the man whose face was covered in scars. Although he stood upright, his legs seemed to be trembling unnaturally.
"So this is the swordsman who travels with a demon? How un-flamboyant! Harboring a demon within the sacred Demon Slayer Corps… we should flamboyantly behead him together with the demon!" the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, declared loudly while touching the jeweled band on his forehead.
"Mmm! A swordsman protecting a demon is a violation of the Corps' rules and cannot be tolerated! I agree with immediate execution!" the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, added energetically.
Perched on a tree branch, the Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro, let out a cold laugh. "Not just him. Tomioka Giyu also sheltered the demon. He should commit seppuku to atone for his sins."
Hearing these lofty judgments passed so casually, Tanjiro panicked and struggled desperately to explain.
"It's not like that! Nezuko has never eaten anyone! She's different from those demons!"
"Stop talking nonsense! A demon is a demon! Their bloodthirsty nature cannot be changed!"
The Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, suddenly stepped forward, holding the special wooden box that contained Nezuko.
His bloodshot eyes burned with violent madness.
"I'll prove to all of you right now just how disgusting the thing inside this box is!"
With that, Shinazugawa Sanemi abruptly drew his Nichirin blade and thrust it viciously toward the wooden box.
"I SAID STOP!!! Noo!!" Tanjiro roared in despair, his eyes nearly bursting.
Yet at the very moment Sanemi's blade was less than an inch away from the box—
Swish!
A sharp sound of something slicing through the air rang out.
An ordinary white pebble, accompanied by a piercing rush of air, slammed into the side of Sanemi's Nichirin blade.
Clang—!!!
A tremendous force traveled through the blade.
Sanemi felt a sharp tearing pain in the web between his thumb and forefinger. The Nichirin blade flew straight out of his hand, spun several times through the air, and landed on the ground in the distance with a clatter.
"Who was that?!" Sanemi roared as he spun around in fury.
"I say, Sanemi. The cramps in your muscles have stopped, haven't they? Was the electrocution the other day not enough? Want another beating today?"
A lazy voice suddenly drifted in from the long corridor beside the courtyard.
All the Hashira instantly turned their gazes toward the source.
Rin was leaning carelessly against one of the corridor's pillars, idly tossing another pebble in his hand.
The black haori hung loosely over his shoulders, and his dark eyes carried a trace of playful mockery.
The moment they saw Rin speak, the Hashira who had been shouting just moments ago collectively fell silent.
Especially Shinazugawa Sanemi. Just a moment ago he had been brimming with arrogance, yet the instant he saw Rin, the lingering numbness from the lightning buried deep within his body seemed to awaken again, and the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.
"R… Rin… What are you doing here?!" Sanemi gritted his teeth, but the arrogance in his voice had clearly weakened.
After all, he had been instantly defeated by this guy in a single move not long ago. Who would dare raise their voice in front of this monster now?
"As the Special Executive Officer, can't I come watch the show?"
Rin casually flicked the pebble onto the ground, clapped his hands, and strode over to Tanjiro. He nudged Sanemi aside with a kick and stepped one foot onto the wooden box.
"This kid and this demon are people I brought back from Natagumo Mountain. I already told Shinobu yesterday that this demon hasn't eaten anyone. If there's a problem, I'll cut her and Tanjiro down together."
Rin looked calmly at the surrounding Hashira, the curve of his lips growing more arrogant. "So, does anyone still object to how this demon will be handled? Step forward. I wouldn't mind another private training session."
Silence.
A suffocating silence.
Across the entire courtyard, everyone tacitly kept their mouths shut.
Was this a joke? Questioning a monster who had instantly defeated several Hashira with a single move?
That wasn't enforcing the rules. That was asking to die.
Seeing this, Tanjiro, tied up on the ground, was almost moved to tears.
What was a sense of security?
This was absolute security!
The moment Mr. Rin appeared, the people who had just been shouting about killing him didn't even dare make a sound.
Just then, the sliding door of the washitsu slowly opened.
"The Master has arrived.."
Guided by two young girls, Ubuyashiki Kagaya slowly stepped onto the corridor.
The Hashira immediately knelt on one knee and offered their greetings.
"Good morning, my children."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's gentle voice rang out. Although he could not see, he had clearly heard the commotion from moments ago.
"Regarding Kamado Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, I have received a letter from Urokodaki Sakonji-dono. Both he and Giyu are willing to commit seppuku as a guarantee that this demon will not harm humans."
"Of course, what reassures me the most…" Ubuyashiki Kagaya turned his face toward Rin and smiled. "…is Rin-dono's guarantee. Since even you, the Special Executive Officer, believe she poses no threat, then I declare that Kamado Tanjiro is permitted to travel with the demon."
With the Master's final decision, and with Rin—the terrifying god of slaughter—standing behind it, the trial assembly that had originally been so tense and humiliating ended with surprising speed and ease.
"Since the matter is settled, stop kneeling. Take this kid to the Butterfly Mansion to recover."
Rin waved his hand casually and turned to leave.
[Ding! Detected the host's forceful intervention in the Hashira Meeting trial!]
[The Hashira were deterred through absolute force, significantly altering the humiliating plot involving the protagonists 'Kamado Tanjiro' and 'Nezuko'!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining dimension points: 3500!]
The notification in his mind slightly improved Rin's mood.
Just as he was about to return to the Butterfly Mansion to scrounge a meal, Ubuyashiki Kagaya suddenly spoke in a solemn voice.
"Rin-dono, please wait."
Supported by the two girls, Ubuyashiki Kagaya bowed slightly toward Rin.
"According to the latest intelligence gathered by the Kasugai Crows hidden throughout the land… frequent disappearances have been occurring near the Mugen Train. It is highly likely that a true Upper Rank Demon is hiding there."
"Oh?"
Rin stopped walking, his lazy gaze gradually turning dangerous.
"An Upper Rank… finally, some decent prey."
____
12 Adv Chaps:Patreon.com/slept01