Chapter 22: Pillars

After several uneventful days of travel, Aomori and the others arrived in a town.

Tomioka Giyu found lodgings there, parked the carriage, and said to Tanjiro, "This is our Demon Slayer Corps property. It's safe here. You and your family can stay for now."

"Okay, thank you so much, Mr. Tomioka!" Tanjiro gratefully shook Tomioka Giyu's hands.

"You idiot, don't touch me," Tomioka Giyu shrugged off Tanjiro's touch and turned his face away.

Over the past few days, Tanjiro had used his talk Breathing technique to gradually open up Tomioka Giyu's heart, making him less withdrawn.

Tanjiro knew that Tomioka Giyu was a warm-hearted person beneath his aloof exterior, so he didn't take offense and went to help with carrying luggage and setting up their new home.

At this moment, Aomori, who had put away Absol and Pidgeot, approached Giyu and said, "We should be getting close to the headquarters from here."

"Yes, we can depart immediately. However, to avoid revealing the true location of the headquarters, you'll need to blindfold yourself. It's a rule," Giyu explained, handing Aomori a black head cover.

Aomori didn't accept it. He knew that with his powers of perception, they couldn't hide anything from him, so he decided to be straightforward. "This thing is useless to me."

"If you're worried, I'll personally promise not to divulge the headquarters' location. How about that?" 

Giyu hesitated. On one hand, he was inclined to trust Aomori, but on the other, there were rules that couldn't be changed.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

He was tall and sturdy, with a forehead cloth adorned with numerous diamonds and pearls. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and had a carefree appearance.

"Tengen?!" Giyu was puzzled.

Tengen, like Giyu, was one of the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps and held the title of "Sound Hashira."

"Hey, Tomioka!" Tengen waved his hand in greeting, then turned to Aomori and said seriously, "The Master has given orders to invite Mr. Aomori to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. I, the magnificent me, and the Water Hashira Tomioka Giyu, will escort you. Additionally, there's no need to hide the headquarters' location."

"Very well, I am honored," Aomori nodded. He didn't question how Tengen recognized him; after all, he had always been the most conspicuous figure in any crowd.

"Wait, is the Master serious?" Giyu couldn't understand.

"We've tried to persuade him for a long time, but the Master is quite determined," Tengen scratched his ear, looking puzzled himself. He assessed Aomori from head to toe, and apart from being exceptionally handsome, he didn't sense anything extraordinarily powerful.

Initially, when the Master informed them that someone had almost killed Muzan, all the Hashira, including him, found it hard to believe. As the frontline warriors against demons, no one knew better than them how formidable demons were and how terrifying Muzan was. Even the Twelve Kizuki under Muzan's command could annihilate them.

"If it's true, that would be magnificent!" Tengen looked at Aomori with a deep gaze.

"Alright, let's get the splendid mission done quickly. The Master has repeatedly emphasized it," he continued.

"Okay..." Tomioka Giyu reluctantly agreed.

"Wait, I need to bring someone with me," Aomori said.

"Who?"

In the deep mountains, a carriage sped along winding mountain roads.

Tengen, the Sound Hashira, was driving the carriage, and inside were Tomioka Giyu, Aomori, and the unexpected addition, Tanjiro.

Tanjiro, unlike Aomori, was blindfolded and being jostled by the rugged mountain road.

When he was about to vomit from motion sickness, the carriage finally came to a stop.

"We've arrived. This is the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, also the residence of our esteemed Master."

Tanjiro's black head cover was roughly lifted, and he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light, revealing a vast complex of interconnected buildings.

"It's huge," Tanjiro exclaimed in amazement.

"Don't just stand there dumbfounded, hurry inside. I don't understand why they had to bring you here," Tengen impatiently remarked.

"I'm s-sorry!" Tanjiro quickly followed Giyu and Aomori, feeling relieved to have a break from the relentless jostling.

It was early spring, and trees were beginning to bud, with purple flowers lining the roads in clusters.

"These must be wisteria flowers," Aomori remarked as he admired the scenery along the way.

After encountering three groups of Demon Slayer Corps members in black uniforms, Tengen led Aomori and the others to a courtyard.

Many people were already gathered in the courtyard, and Aomori identified each of them.

A towering monk-like man with prayer beads around his neck—Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira.

A scarred man with silver hair resembling a hedgehog—Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira.

A cheerful man with fiery hair—Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira.

A young man with jet-black hair— Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Hashira

A man with right golden and left green eyes, with a white snake wrapped around his neck—Iguro Obanai, the Serpent Hashira.

A gentle older sister figure with black hair—Kanae Kocho, the Flower Hashira.

With Tomioka Giyu and Tengen, the eight current Hashira were gathered in one place.

"It makes sense that Mitsuri Ubuyashiki isn't here; she became a Hashira relatively late. But if I remember correctly, by this time, Flower Hashira Kanae Kocho had already been killed by Upper Moon Two, Doma. Parallel world, alteration of the timeline?" Aomori thought.

Thinking of the various parallel worlds in the Pokémon universe, Aomori found the situation less surprising.

As Aomori observed them, the seven Hashira, except for Giyu, were also silently observing him.

Perfect looks, emotionless eyes, polite yet distant smiles, moderately muscular physique, movements full of openings...

There was no way he resembled someone who could have nearly killed Muzan!

Similar conclusions were drawn in the minds of the Hashira, and they didn't have high hopes for the final outcome.

No expectations meant no disappointments.

Faced with Aomori, who continued to smile, even the irritable Sanemi Shinazugawa couldn't find a reason to start a confrontation, so he redirected his criticism toward Giyu, who was also a Demon Slayer Corps member.

"Hey, Tomioka, I heard you missed a great opportunity to kill Muzan. If I were you, I would have committed seppuku by now."

Tomioka Giyu didn't even turn his head and calmly replied, "I'm not like you."

"Not like us? Are you saying we didn't even have a chance to encounter Muzan?" The anger welled up in Sanemi Shinazugawa's forehead as he couldn't believe it.

The other Hashira frowned. They had all heard about the near encounter with Muzan, and Tomioka Giyu's words implied that they hadn't even had a chance.

Just as tensions were rising, a clear and mechanical voice sounded, "The Master has arrived!"

Hearing this, all the Hashira immediately knelt on one knee, bowing their heads respectfully. Even the enraged Sanemi followed suit.

Finally, the person that Tanjiro had been curious about stepped into the courtyard.

He was a young man supported by two white-haired girls. His eyes were vacant, and his face bore strange scars. His frail body seemed like it could collapse at any moment.

"This... this is the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps?" Tanjiro couldn't hide his surprise; this was nothing like the image he had in his mind.

"Though it's hard to believe, he is indeed the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki. Cursed and radiant," Aomori silently commented in his mind.

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