Chapter 191: Upper Moon Six (Part 1)
"So, it was you that the master mentioned earlier," Shinobu Kocho said, her face lighting up with realization after Giyu introduced Daniel Davis.
Compared to the other Pillars, Shinobu had more opportunities to interact with Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the master of the Demon Slayer Corps, because she was not only a Pillar but also the head of the Butterfly Mansion, the medical facility of the Corps. Located close to the Ubuyashiki residence, Shinobu often received information before it reached others.
The Butterfly Mansion primarily treated injured members of the Demon Slayer Corps, and Shinobu was renowned for her medical skills, particularly in using poisons. Although her breathing technique was advanced, her inherent physical strength as a woman was lower than that of men. Despite the enhancements from her breathing technique, she could decapitate regular demons but struggled with more powerful or Lower Moon demons.
To compensate for her lack of strength, Shinobu developed poison-based techniques using wisteria flower poison. Her specialized Nichirin Blade, designed primarily for thrusting, was created to work with her poison.
Shinobu's sword appeared ordinary when sheathed, but its unique properties became evident once drawn. The innate physical differences between men and women were common, though there were exceptions. Love Pillar Mitsuri Kanroji possessed strength surpassing most men and ranked second in raw power among the Pillars, just behind the Stone Pillar.
However, when incorporating breathing techniques, the dynamics changed considerably.
"Hello," Daniel greeted as he sized up Shinobu and her companion, Kanao Tsuyuri.
"Identical eyes," Daniel noted, observing that both Shinobu and Kanao had beautiful purple eyes, although they lacked vibrancy.
Due to her traumatic past, Kanao was often silent and lacked initiative, relying on a coin to make decisions unless given direct orders. This changed only after her encounter with the head Pillar. At this stage, Kanao was likely the strongest of her age group, even surpassing Tanjiro in combat ability.
"Any news about them lately?" Shinobu asked Giyu after nodding at Daniel.
Giyu silently shook his head in response, causing Shinobu's expression to darken momentarily before she regained her composure. If Daniel hadn't been paying close attention, he might have missed it.
"He's like a conversation ender," Daniel thought as the room fell into a quiet atmosphere. Just as Daniel was about to speak, a knock on the door announced that dinner was ready.
"These two seem to have a difficult path ahead if they ever intend to be together," Daniel thought that night as he lay on the roof, gazing at the stars.
Few members of the Demon Slayer Corps lived long enough to marry, and even fewer had children. Among the current Pillars, only the Flame Pillar's father had been a Demon Slayer. The rest joined the Corps after their families were harmed by demons.
The Corps was known for its high casualty rate, but Daniel was determined to change that in this world.
"Where exactly is the Infinity Castle?" Daniel pondered, knowing about the final battle and the Infinity Train but unable to find the castle on any map. It seemed to be a name given by Muzan.
"You seem quite relaxed," a voice suddenly said. Shinobu appeared beside him on the roof. After dinner, she had spent some time with Giyu before parting ways.
"I take the chance to relax whenever I can," Daniel replied, sitting up and turning to face Shinobu.
"Do you find me attractive?" Shinobu asked, her eyes narrowing and her perpetual smile in place.
"You're poisoned," Daniel stated bluntly.
Shinobu's smile faltered for a moment before she responded, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Maybe I was mistaken," Daniel quickly backtracked. Shinobu had been injecting herself with wisteria poison to build resistance and use it against demons, a dedication driven by her desire for revenge.
Daniel understood that trying to stop her would be unwise. Instead, he resolved to eliminate the dangers she faced, making her sacrifice unnecessary. If needed, he could always detoxify her later.
Wisteria poison was lethal to demons but generally harmless to humans unless taken in extremely high doses. Besides, Shinobu had her breathing technique to mitigate the poison's effects.
"Are you a doctor?" Shinobu asked after a moment of silence.
"Yes," Daniel confirmed with a nod.
"That's quite surprising," Shinobu remarked, pausing before asking, "Why did you join the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Demons are creatures that shouldn't exist. Ignoring them would be irresponsible, especially if I ever encounter one myself," Daniel replied, offering a noble justification rather than revealing his true motive of pursuing the Philosopher's Stone.
If he lacked the strength, he might have been less proactive. But with his current power, he didn't mind playing the role of a superhero.
"Don't you think demons are pitiful? Maybe one day humans and demons can coexist," Shinobu said, her words tinged with hope and frustration.
"If demons didn't eat people, perhaps," Daniel replied.
Humans might show kindness to harmless creatures, but they would never sympathize with those threatening their existence.
"I see," Shinobu said, looking up at the stars as if lost in thought.
The next day, the four of them left the Fuji Family house together. Unlike Muzan's demons, who couldn't gather in large groups, Demon Slayers could freely assemble, splitting up only when missions demanded it.
Shinobu often worked with her sister, the former Flower Pillar. Now, she traveled with Kanao to train her in fighting demons. The goal was to ensure Kanao faced demons without fear or hesitation.
Fear and hesitation in battle against demons led to a quicker death.
Urokodaki had lost a disciple, Makomo, who froze in fear for a moment and was killed by a demon. This highlighted the importance of overcoming fear.
"Is Kanao already practicing total concentration breathing? Growing up with a Pillar makes a big difference. The Hand Demon would have been killed by someone else if not by Tanjiro during the test," Daniel mused.
Tanjiro's peers in the test included strong individuals like Kanao, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and the boar-headed Inosuke Hashibira, all capable of defeating the Hand Demon.
Their destination was the Butterfly Mansion. Shinobu and Kanao were returning, while Daniel needed to register as an official member of the Corps, receive his uniform, specialized Nichirin Blade, and a communication pet.
At the Butterfly Mansion.
"So, I'm officially a Demon Slayer now and don't need to take the test?" Daniel asked, accepting the uniform and a sparrow from Shinobu.
"That's only for novice members," Shinobu replied without her usual smile, looking worried.
Daniel knew what troubled her. He was supposed to meet Kagaya Ubuyashiki, but the master's health had suddenly deteriorated, requiring urgent medical attention. It would be some time before he could see visitors.
Under these circumstances, Daniel couldn't afford to wait indefinitely.
"Alright, I'll see you next time," Daniel said, waving goodbye to Shinobu, Aoi Kanzaki, and three young children before leaving the Butterfly Mansion.
During his stay, Daniel had formed a good relationship with the three children. Unlike Kanao, who was rescued by Shinobu and her sister, Aoi and the three children were saved by the Corps after their families were killed by demons. Although they worked, the Corps provided for their needs.
This era, despite having electricity and steam trains, was chaotic, with legal human trafficking. Kanao herself was to be sold before being saved by Shinobu.
"Birds that don't talk are better," Daniel thought as he set off, using the sparrow to follow leads on demons. He needed to compete with other Demon Slayers for targets.
With his strength, obtaining a Kasugai Crow wouldn't have been an issue, but to avoid complications, he chose a sparrow. The Ubuyashiki family excelled at training animals, even sparrows could be used as messenger pigeons.
"Training talking crows would be a new species in the Marvel world," Daniel mused but dismissed the idea. He didn't need that kind of attention.
Besides his mission to kill demons, Daniel also had orders to capture some. This task was generally reserved for powerful Demon Slayers, particularly the Pillars.
They captured newly turned demons and placed them in the Corps' test area, replenishing the test demons annually.
"Sleep now," Daniel said, putting the sparrow to sleep before confronting a demon.
"Catching demons is too troublesome. I'll leave it to the Pillars," Daniel thought, deciding to abandon the capture mission. It wasn't mandatory, and he preferred to focus on eliminating threats directly.
Members could opt out of dangerous tasks and join the hidden or support units of the Corps. The Ubuyashiki residence was guarded by Corps members to provide escape time if discovered by demons.
Mount Fujikasane, the final selection site for the Demon Slayer Corps, was a vast mountain surrounded by wisteria flowers. Only Upper Rank demons could resist the flowers, but even they struggled against the sheer quantity.
Daniel wasn't there for the selection. Already a member, he aimed to kill the Hand Demon.
The Hand Demon's presence was a nightmare for test participants. Cleverly, he never killed all the test-takers, avoiding detection by the Corps' upper echelons.
If the Hand Demon's existence were known, a Pillar would be dispatched to eliminate him.
"Urokodaki's disciples are truly unfortunate," Daniel thought. As a former Water Pillar, Urokodaki's teaching was exceptional. Each generation of his disciples was among the best, but the Hand Demon prematurely ended their potential.
This included Sabito, Urokodaki's most outstanding disciple, who single-handedly killed all other demons
before fighting the Hand Demon. Sabito's worn-down Nichirin Blade ultimately led to his defeat.
Sabito's strength and kindness marked him. Giyu, his contemporary junior, was weak at the time and survived the test thanks to Sabito's sacrifice.
Giyu felt unworthy of the Water Pillar title, believing Sabito was more deserving. He even thought Tanjiro would make a better Water Pillar.
Sabito's kindness was misplaced, helping weaker test-takers who later died in their first demon encounters. The test wasn't designed to identify the strongest since survival for seven days could be achieved by groups.
The Corps' members varied widely in skill. If all were as capable as Tanjiro, Zenitsu, or Kanao, the battle against demons wouldn't be so one-sided.
"There's a human scent. Is the test happening again?" In a hidden cave on Mount Fujikasane, the massive Hand Demon sensed a human and emerged.
"Just one person," the Hand Demon noted, cautiously scanning the area. His survival depended on his vigilance.
"That mask, it's him again," the Hand Demon growled, recognizing the mask hanging from Daniel's shoulder. Rage filled his eyes as he advanced on Daniel.
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