Chapter 61: Hashira Meeting
Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
On the wooden veranda directly in front of the courtyard, Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat quietly in a wooden chair.
He was draped in a Haori embroidered with a purple gradient wisteria pattern.
Due to a sudden and severe illness some time ago, he had fallen into a long coma.
The purple-red pathological marks that spread across the upper half of his cheeks like a curse had deepened slightly,
depriving his eyes of their original vision,
and leaving him able to only "gaze" gently ahead with eyes veiled in a layer of gray, cloudy film.
At his side, his wife, Amane Ubuyashiki, stood tall and straight, dressed in an elegant kimono, like a quiet and stunningly beautiful statue of white jade.
On the white gravel of the courtyard, six swordsmen, each wearing their own distinctive Haori, knelt on one knee, their postures respectful but their expressions varied.
They were the representatives of the Demon Slayer Corps' highest combat power—the "Hashira."
"Master, that is the situation."
Sanemi Shinazugawa slammed his head heavily onto the white gravel, the sharp stones digging into his forehead, yet he seemed to feel no pain.
"In the encounter at Mount Kumotori, the Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho, not only failed to draw her nichirin sword against that demon, but... but she even stood alongside that demon!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa's breathing grew ragged with agitation, his chest heaving violently. The white equipment belt at his waist was empty; the nichirin sword that should have hung there, symbolizing his will to slay demons, had been lost in the battle at Mount Kumotori.
For a swordsman, this was a supreme humiliation.
"Master, I dare to speak! Kanae Kocho's actions have seriously violated the iron laws of the Demon Slayer Corps! I implore you, Master, to immediately strip Kanae Kocho of her status as 'Flower Hashira' and issue a top-level kill order to all Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen! Execute this traitor who has betrayed humanity and colluded with demons... right where she stands!"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki listened quietly to Sanemi Shinazugawa's report; he did not interrupt immediately, nor did he show any anger.
He only slightly lowered his head, a trace of deep sorrow and profound self-reproach flowing from his unfocused eyes.
Feeling his own broken body, his heart was filled with bitterness.
"I was merely forced into a coma for a time because of this cursed body... and in the days while I closed my eyes, have the children actually experienced such a massive upheaval?"
As the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, he regarded every member as his own flesh and blood.
He knew the personality, past, and the very essence of the soul of every Hashira.
He recalled Kanae Kocho.
That child who was always as elegant and gentle as a butterfly orchid blooming in spring.
Kanae's eyes were always full of tolerance; even when facing those man-eating demons, a flicker of compassion would cross her eyes when she swung her nichirin sword.
He had always been an excellent judge of character, and his intuition told him that in the heart of that child, Kanae, lay a love more resilient than anyone else's. It was absolutely impossible for her to betray the Demon Slayer Corps without reason, and even more impossible for her to collude with demons for selfish desires.
Her soul was pure and would never be easily swallowed by darkness.
However, the facts stood right before him.
The Wind Hashira's report could not be false; everything that happened on Mount Kumotori was an ironclad fact.
As the leader, he could not ignore the objective crisis based solely on subjective trust.
He had to be responsible for the entire Demon Slayer Corps, responsible for the hundreds of swordsmen on the front lines battling demons with their lives.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki raised his head slightly; although he could not see, he seemed to be able to precisely capture the aura and position of every Hashira present.
"Sanemi, I have truly felt your anger and pain."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke gently, "You are all my proudest children. I bear undeniable responsibility for such an event occurring.
Giyuu Tomioka is away on a mission and cannot return in time.
So..."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's "gaze" slowly swept across the courtyard, turning to the other Hashira kneeling on the ground—Flame Hashira Shinjuro, Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui, Stone Hashira Gyoumei, Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito, and Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro.
"Regarding the matter of Kanae, do you... have any other thoughts?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked softly, throwing this incredibly heavy question to the highest combat powers present.
He needed to know the true thoughts of the Hashira, for the heart of the Hashira was the heart of the entire Demon Slayer Corps.
"Namu Amida Butsu..."
A deep and sorrowful chant rang out.
Stone Hashira Gyoumei pressed his hands together, the massive string of red prayer beads in his hands emitting a dull clattering sound.
Large tears constantly welled up from his eyes, sliding down his rugged cheeks and dripping onto the gravel.
"What a pitiful, what a lost child... Kanae, what exactly has blinded you? To actually walk down that path of no return.
But..."
Gyoumei's tone suddenly shifted; the original compassion transformed into a determination like that of a wrathful deity:
"The iron laws of the Demon Slayer Corps cannot be violated! Whoever it may be, as long as they collude with demons, they are an enemy of all humanity! I agree with Sanemi's proposal; she must be severely punished without leniency, to console those innocent souls who died in the mouths of demons!"
As the oldest and strongest Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps, Gyoumei's heart was full of compassion, but when faced with matters of great right and wrong, he was colder and more decisive than anyone.
He had once been betrayed by children he protected; he knew well the fragility of human nature, and he knew the importance of rules to this organization where everyone lived with their heads tied to their belts.
A cold and disgusted light flashed in the heterochromatic eyes of Obanai Iguro, and he made a sarcastic sound with his bandage-wrapped mouth:
"Hmph, I've long felt that woman had something wrong with her brain.
Always having those nauseating words about 'living in peace with demons' on her lips—it's simply foolish to the extreme.
Now it's good; the fox's tail has finally been revealed.
A traitor should be strangled without mercy.
I completely agree with Sanemi's view; treat her directly as an accomplice of the demon, and along with that demon, execute them in the most painful way possible."
The golden-red, flame-like hair of Flame Hashira Shinjuro flowed in the breeze, his eyes piercing and bright.
At this moment, Shinjuro, because his beloved wife Ruka Rengoku was still alive, was in an absolute peak state of mind—the Flame Hashira full of justice and fiery passion.
"Hmm! This is truly a heartbreaking matter!"
Shinjuro's booming voice echoed in the courtyard, "Kanae is an excellent swordsman; I find it very hard to believe she would do such a thing!
But, the Master's wisdom is like a guiding light! No matter what decision the Master makes, even if it is to have me go and slay her right now, I, Shinjuro, will absolutely obey without hesitation!
Because, following the Master's orders, burning the flames in my heart, and severing all demons is the mission passed down through generations of our Rengoku family!"
Shinjuro pressed his hands heavily onto his knees, his posture as upright as a pine tree. His loyalty to Kagaya Ubuyashiki was absolute; he believed the Master's judgment surpassed the vision of all of them.
Beside Shinjuro, Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito was looking up at the sky.
His mint-green eyes were filled with confusion.
In the sky, a cloud was drifting slowly.
"Ah... the shape of that cloud looks like a butterfly with its wings spread."
Muichiro thought silently in his heart.
"Butterfly... Kanae? Who was that again? It seems like a person who always had a pleasant floral scent on them..."
Hearing the Master's question, Muichiro finally withdrew his gaze from the cloud and slowly lowered his head.
His long black hair draped over his shoulders, and his voice was airy, without the slightest fluctuation of emotion:
"I... don't remember much about Kanae.
For me, as long as it is the Master's order, I will execute it.
Whether it is to kill demons, or to kill anyone else.
As long as the Master speaks, I will swing my blade.
Anything else, I don't care."
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