"Caw! Forest Hashira, Insect Hashira, the Master has awakened! He is now summoning all the Hashira to the meeting room to discuss matters. Please attend promptly!"
A Kasugai Crow flapped its wings and flew above Shinichi and Shinobu's heads.
Its voice, though somewhat shrill, loudly announced the notice.
Shinichi and Shinobu exchanged a glance.
They both knew very well who the crow was referring to as "Master"—Kiriya Ubuyashiki.
Although the young master, Kiriya Ubuyashiki, was still an eight-year-old child, none of the Hashira, including Shinichi, would ever look down on or underestimate Kiriya.
The Ubuyashiki family had led the Demon Slayer Corps in their battle against demons for a thousand years, and the sacrifices they themselves had made were by no means small.
The curse of a short lifespan constantly forced the Ubuyashiki family to make difficult choices, and every descendant of the family was trained from a very young age.
Therefore, every Ubuyashiki was astonishingly precocious.
The previous Master, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, was a clear testament to this.
After his father committed suicide at the age of nineteen, unable to bear the pressure, Kagaya Ubuyashiki took on the heavy burden of leading the Demon Slayer Corps.
He successfully saved the Corps from the brink of collapse.
It could be said that every member of the Ubuyashiki family deserved the eternal respect of the Demon Slayer Corps.
To make a long story short, upon receiving the notice, Shinichi and Shinobu immediately rushed to the headquarters' meeting room.
The few bruises on Shinichi's face were a bit of an eyesore; as he entered, every Hashira's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.
Of course, Shinichi was unbothered.
He walked over to Gyomei Himejima, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Shinobu, looking perfectly natural, followed beside him, her violet eyes fixed on the back of Sanemi's neck, who was sitting on Shinichi's other side.
As if sensing a chill on the back of his neck, Sanemi's eye twitched slightly, but he still stood up and gave his seat to Shinobu.
Seeing this, Kanae's eyes curved into a smile.
She raised her hand and gently beckoned to Sanemi, gesturing for him to take the empty seat next to her.
"Tch!"
Although his heart skipped a beat, Sanemi did his best to feign indifference, yet he quickly sat down beside Kanae.
As the Hashira gradually arrived, the meeting room grew livelier.
They greeted each other and conversed in low voices.
However, when Kiriya Ubuyashiki's small figure appeared in the meeting room, supported by two equally petite figures, everything fell silent.
Shinichi looked at Kiriya Ubuyashiki, slightly dazed.
In his memory, Kiriya was still a shy little boy.
But looking at him now, Kiriya's small body and still-childish face exuded a convincing sense of calm.
For a fleeting moment, Shinichi seemed to see the previous Master, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, smiling at him.
"My apologies, everyone. I overestimated my own body and was thus a little late. I am truly ashamed to have delayed you all."
Supported by his younger sisters, Kanata and Kuina Ubuyashiki, Kiriya Ubuyashiki took the main seat.
But as soon as he sat down, he rose again to bow and apologize to the Hashira for his tardiness.
Rustle!
The Hashira rose almost simultaneously.
Gyomei Himejima pressed his palms together, his expression solemn as he spoke for everyone.
"Master, there is no need to blame yourself. This is our duty."
"Thank you, Himejima-san," Kiriya Ubuyashiki said with a smile.
After sitting down properly, he officially began the meeting that would determine the fate of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Kanata and Kuina stood obediently and quietly by his side.
In truth, the main topic of the meeting already had a basic direction.
After Shinichi had awakened and issued his warning, the Demon Slayer Corps had mentally prepared for another potential attack from demons.
However, compared to the last battle against Muzan, the opponent the Demon Slayer Corps now faced—Shokyu—was far too mysterious.
Aside from Shinichi, no one knew anything about Shokyu.
Even Shinichi himself had limited knowledge; all he knew for certain was that Shokyu's goal was the so-called "Underworld."
Was Muzan still alive?
What were the whereabouts of the three powerful Upper Moons?
Was Nezuko safe?
And why had the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, and the former Thunder Hashira, Jigoro Kuwajima, disappeared after that great battle?
How many more demons were lurking in the shadows across the country?
Had the upper echelons of human society been infiltrated and controlled by demons?
There were far too many vague questions.
Even with so many Hashira present, they couldn't come to any conclusions in a short time.
However, there was one objective that was completely clear: to increase their strength.
No matter what plots or schemes the remaining demons had, as long as the Demon Slayer Corps was strong enough, they would have nothing to fear!
The members of the Corps who had undergone the Hashira Training had already made significant progress.
During the previous great battle, the members had fought with great courage, and the number of demons they had slain was a testament to their training.
With the members' strength improved, the key now was how to further enhance the strength of the Hashira.
Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki once said that the current generation of Hashira, in terms of both number and strength, was among the best in the thousand-year recorded history of the Demon Slayer Corps.
But the power of the demons was also terrifyingly strong.
Not to mention Muzan, just the top three Upper Moon demons were already outrageously powerful.
It was a hard truth to admit, but in a one-on-one fight, it was likely that none of the Hashira present could defeat any one of them.
At the Hashira level, there were very few options for increasing one's strength in a short period.
"The Mark. What my mother found most often in the Demon Slayer Corps' records was the mention of the Mark. Hundreds of years ago, it was by relying on the power of numerous marked swordsmen that the Demon Slayer Corps was able to slay countless demons, gradually forcing the demons to stop brazenly plaguing society. However, as time passed, the number of marked swordsmen dwindled and eventually disappeared, until now."
As Kiriya Ubuyashiki spoke, he looked at Sanemi Shinazugawa.
Shinichi also looked at Sanemi.
Everyone had witnessed Sanemi's strength after he unlocked his Mark, but they also knew the conditions and consequences of unlocking it.
Gyomei Himejima, the eldest among them, pressed his palms together.
After a moment of silence, he spoke solemnly to Sanemi.
"Sanemi, I hope that after the meeting, you can provide me with specific guidance on how to unlock the Mark."
"What? But Gyomei, your..." Shinichi asked subconsciously.
If he remembered correctly, Gyomei was already 27 years old.
If he unlocked the Mark...
"Please count me in..."
"And me!"
"How could someone as flamboyant as me be absent?"
As everyone voiced their commitment one after another, Shinichi said no more.
Kiriya Ubuyashiki looked at the Hashira before him, his eyes was calm and unwavering.
He then continued, revealing his recent discovery.
"During the time I was unconscious, Kanata and Kuina found another great asset our predecessor swordsmen used against demons hundreds of years ago in the records—the Crimson Nichirin."
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