Demon Slayer : The Silent Journey-Chapter 167: Hashira Meeting

[3rd POV]

(The Hashira Meeting)

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the paper screens, casting a warm glow across the polished wooden floor. The faint scent of incense lingered in the air, mixing with the aroma of freshly brewed tea. Outside, the wind rustled the leaves of the sakura tree and wisteria, their petals dancing in the breeze.

Normally, the meeting would be held in the yard, but as summer was at its peak, it was too hot to stay under the sun for long. Therefore, this time, the meeting was shifted inside the headquarters.

The Hashiras sat in a semi-circle around Kagaya Ubuyashiki, their expressions ranging from curiosity to quiet relief as Kanae Kocho was sitting among them.

It had been a couple of months since she regained her sight and during this time, she had been training and getting used to her new eyes. At this point, she was well above when she was in her prime and was ready to get back into action.

"Welcome back, Kanae," Ubuyashiki spoke softly, his ever-gentle smile laced with warmth. His pale eyes, though unseeing, seemed to focus solely on her. "It is a joy to have you among us once more,"

Kanae bowed deeply, her voice as soft as the breeze. "Thank you, Lord Ubuyashiki. I am... honoured to return as a Hashira,"

When she lifted her head, you could see in her eyes a certain sharpness that was impossible in the human eyes. The faint glow of her restored sight made her gaze almost piercing now. Yet her smile remained gentle, like a beautiful flower.

"Bis, sis," Shinobu whispered, her voice almost dripping with joy. It had been months, but seeing her sister regain her sight and rejoin them in the ranks still felt surreal.

There was something in her that knew this should be impossible, this was not what fate intended to be. But it was here all the same. Someone had defied fate.

Kanae glanced at her younger sister and gave her a reassuring nod, her hand briefly brushing Shinobu's as if to silently say, I'm here now. She had let her little sister fight the war without her for too long, but now they were together again.

"So, the elder-flower returns," Tengen Uzui broke the silence with a dramatic flare of his hand, his usual flamboyant smile spreading his handsome face, "It's about time!! Our meetings were starting to feel too dull without your elegance, Kanae."

Kanae chuckled softly, her eyes meeting Tengen's for a brief moment. "I'm sure you all managed just fine in my absence."

"Barely," Giyu said, "Without you, these wild cards are tough to handle. Shinobu isn't exactly like you in that regard, you were the big sister figure among us, a voice of reason,"

Mitsuri Kanroji chimed in with a radiant smile, though her eyes glistened with unshed tears of happiness, "I am so happy I finally get to work together with my sister-wife!! By the time I became a Hashira, you were already retired. You see it's been my dream to fight alongside you just as much as it was to fight alongside Seiji,"

Kanae gave a smile of her own at the sweet words. Her smile tried to return the same radiance as Mitsuri's but that was impossible.

Sanemi Shinazugawa sat near the back, his arms crossed, his usual scowl present but less severe. He was always the type to be awkward when these wholesome moments happened. He liked it though, although you wouldn't hear him admitting.

"Tch. Took you long enough." was about the nicest thing he could say.

"Sanemi..." Gyomei Himejima's deep voice resonated through the room, his massive frame unmoving, yet his hands gently clasped in prayer. "We should be grateful for her safe return."

Muichiro sat with his usual distant expression, though his eyes lingered on Kanae curiously. He had always known her as the nice blind lady in the Buttfely Mansion so to see her among them was a little weird

Obanai remained quiet, his heterochromatic eyes briefly glancing at Kanae before shifting away, though Kaburamaru, his serpent, seemed to observe her with quiet curiosity. He was interested to know how strong she was and if she really was worthy. He had not seen her in her prime before so he was a little skeptical.

He hates women due to his traumatic past so it would take long for him to trust Kanae. Maybe that wouldn't ever happen, Mitsuri and Shinobu were already pushing it.

"We should get to the matter at hand," Giyu said, his tone as calm as still water, "Kanae's return is cause for joy, but there are still demons to eliminate."

A hush fell over the room at Giyu's words. The joyous atmosphere was dispersed as heavy duty pressed on their shoulders once more, their duty as the strongest warriors of humanity.

The duty of Pillars.

"You're right, Tomioka," Kanae said softly, her voice steady with reslove. "I may have been gone, but I haven't forgotten our duty. I'm ready to fight again."

Almost everyone in the room remembered that Kanae was not just some pretty flower, she was a flower with thorns. Even after a year of retirement, she was no lesser than any other Hashira present. So her words held weight, an ally against the looming threat was always appreciated.

The flower was ready to bloom on the battlefield once more.

"Good," Sanemi finally said with a gruff, his voice carried an undertone of respect. "Because things have only gotten worse while you were gone."

Ubuyashiki's serene smile faded at Sanemi's words. His face was solemn as he continued, taking the lead in the discussion. "Now that we have welcomed Kanae Kocho... it is time to discuss the shadow that lingers over us."

The Hashira straightened their back and their face matched the seriousness of their master.

"Muzan Kibutsuji," Ubuyashiki's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was loud. It was not exactly the voice that was loud but the name.

"Has there been any sign of him... since the Failed Purge?" Ubuyashiki asked the Hashiras.

A heavy silence filled the room. No one spoke, even the flashy Tengen had no witty remarks. The silence became the answer.

It was Gyomei who finally broke the silence.

"Nothing. Not a damn trace. He's gone deeper into the shadows... like the coward he is." His fists clenched, veins bulging as anger simmered beneath his stone skin. "But he hasn't been idle."

"No," Obanai's voice was low, almost a hiss, as Kaburamaru coiled tighter around his neck. "He's been preparing."

"Preparing...?" Kanae asked. She was a little clueless since she had just returned and she spent the past couple of months training herself to her prime again.

Tengen clicked his tongue, his usually flamboyant demeanour replaced with grim seriousness. "The demon lord isn't just hiding."

"The little rat is evolving."

Ubuyashiki inclined his head slightly, confirming their fears. "After the FailedPpurge... Muzan did not sit idle." his voice carried tragedy. "He learned... and adapted. Seiji Shigan warned us about this,"

The Failed Purge.

The Hashiras, led by Seiji Shigan, had pushed Muzan to the brink and forced him into a corner. The night nearly birth the ultimate victory for humanity but in the end, Muzan survived, although barely.

Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

"We wounded him," Gyomei said, his voice carrying frustration. "But it wasn't enough And now, he's making sure that doesn't happen again."

The next words were spoken by Giyu as he summarized the discovery he and Sanemi had made over the past months.

"He's giving out his blood more than ever before. Not just to create more demons, but to strengthen them beyond reason."Giyu said and then he added gravely.

"Muzan has also abandoned the system of Lower and Upper Moons."

The Hashiras collectively stiffened at that. They all made the discovery that demons were stronger and more over the past months by themselves but this was news to them.

"There are no ranks anymore," Sanmei spoke this time. "Only the Twelve Moon Demons... all of them infused with as much power as they could take without going insane, some went insane. The Demon Lord is not as picky as he used to be, he doesn't make an exception to those he deems worthy, he just pushes them to their limits,"

The room seemed to grow colder.

"That means....." Mitsuri trailed off in a little fear and nervousness.

"He's preparing for war," Gyomei's voice was as heavy as the earth itself. "A war where every one of his Twelve Moons will be as strong as they could be. All of them might be as strong as the previous Upper Moon... or stronger."

"That's insane," Kanae commented.

"Indeed," Shinobu agreed with her sister. "Even demons who would have never risen beyond the Lower Moons have now been pushed to unimaginable limits. Their bodies... their regeneration... everything has been enhanced."

"Hmph," Sanemi scoffed, "Not that it matters much, we just have to kill them harder. You guys might see this as unfavourable but I see it as desperation,"

"Muzan Kibutsuji, that fucker is desperate because he knows this generation is the strongest that's ever been. Our generation will put an end to this centuries-old conflict, he is preparing for a war that guarantees his defeat," Sanemi said.

It was comforting in a way. Sanemi might not be the smartest among them but he has a unique perspective on a situation that genius would never even thought of. His confidence and reckless bravery instilled encouragement to everyone in the room.

Silence settled over the room again but this time, the Hashiras stopped thinking of themselves as the victims and instead thought of themselves as the victor of the situation.

And when they imagined victory, 'he' collectively appeared in their mind.

"The Pillar of Pillars...." Obanai murmured, "Muzan fears him."

And rightly so. Seiji Shigan had risen beyond what any swordsman should be capable of. He was the one who could singlehandedly stand against the Demon Lord and he was also the one who mastered the legendary Sun Breathing.

Not to mention he was a master of every other breathing style.

"Speaking of which, how long does that motherfucker intend to disappear into his secluded training?" Sanemi asked with a vein popping on his forehead.

It's been eight months since Seiji had left to train and there had not been signs of him yet. No Hashira had ever seen him since.

"We don't know, but what we do know is that he is not staying idle in his training," Giyu said, "The guy is still as efficient as ever if our findings are to be believed, he has been killing more demons than all of us combined," he released a chuckle full of disbelief.

Seiji with his overpowered eyes always had easy killing them. He could notice Demon Art, see-through hidden lairs, pinpoint demons from miles away and he was also the fastest Hashira.

"Missions that magically solved themselves. By the time the Demon Slayers went to the mission designation, everything was already done. Not to mention the many people that have reported that they have been saved by a mysterious figure," Giyu finished.

"And the screams?" Tengen asked.

"Those too. Demons have been found, chopped into fine pieces but they do not regenerate or die until the sun rises to kill them. At first, we thought they were being slaughtered until their regeneration broke but the many cases said that it is impossible. One demon, maybe, but the night is not long enough to put multiple demons in that state," Giyu answered.

"What do you guys think happen?" Tengen asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. He rubbed his chin to appear more thoughtful than he actually was. In truth, he was just waiting.

"No clue, but perhaps he discovered something. A new technique maybe? We are as clueless as everyone else," Shinobu answered, for every girl in Seiji's life.

Tengen just shrugged.

"But enough about that, let's leave Seiji to do Seiji stuff. We can't rely on him every time we need to win," Shinobu said and took a short pause. Her eyes drifted to Ubuyahsiki as if asking for an unspoken permission and he gave a nod.

She took a deep breath and revealed what she had to say.

A piece of news that would change everything.

"We've found a cure," she said.

!!!!!

..

..

[IMAGE]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Double Chapter.

Give stones