[Bonus chapter]
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The entire courtyard fell deathly quiet, save for the rustling of wind through the treetops.
"Master… your eyes… your body…"
Sanemi Shinazugawa's mouth hung open, his voice trembling.
He rubbed his eyes hard, almost suspecting he had fallen victim to some bizarre Blood Demon Art.
The curse that had bound the Ubuyashiki Family for a thousand years, the terminal illness every Hashira knew of… how could it have been cured overnight?
"Namu Amida Butsu…"
Although Himejima Gyomei could not see, his keen hearing and perception clearly sensed the powerful vitality flowing through Kagaya's body. Tears streamed down the blind monk's face as his hands came together in prayer, trembling with emotion.
"As you can see."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya raised a hand, signaling everyone to remain calm. His tone carried unmistakable gratitude.
"This is not the mercy of the gods. It is because someone, with extraordinary means, pulled me back from the brink of death."
He stepped aside, yielding the space behind him.
A tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the room.
Rin walked out with one hand in the pocket of his black wool coat, looking down at the stunned Hashira in the courtyard with the same lazy, indifferent expression as always.
Shinobu followed behind him. Although she had already witnessed this once, seeing her colleagues' jaws nearly drop to the ground still made the corners of her lips lift slightly.
"Rin-dono?!"
All the Hashira's gazes instantly locked onto him.
At this moment, the way they looked at Rin had completely changed.
Before, their awe came from his overwhelming combat strength, his ability to single-handedly kill Upper Rank demons.
But now, that awe had transformed into something close to reverence.
Reviving the dying, regenerating flesh and bone, overturning a curse that had lasted a thousand years.
This was no longer the power of a mere swordsman. It was something akin to creation itself.
"Alright, put away those looks like you've never seen anything before."
Rin walked down the steps, getting straight to the point. He had no interest in basking in their admiration. Calling them here today was for something far more practical.
"That coward Muzan, after learning about the deaths of Upper Rank Four and Upper Rank Five in the Swordsmith Village, has completely cut off the Infinity Castle from the outside world. He's hiding in his shell for now, and we won't be able to find him anytime soon."
Rin paused, his gaze sweeping across the nine Hashira kneeling before him.
"He's hiding to evolve, to prepare his next move. When he believes he has the confidence to face me, that will be the start of an all-out war. Before that, I need you—cannon fodder—to sharpen your blades a little more."
Being called "cannon fodder" to their faces, not a single one of the nine Hashira showed even a hint of anger.
After witnessing Rin's power, they all understood that in battles at that level, those who had not even grasped the See-Through World could indeed only be considered cannon fodder.
"Rin-dono! What do you require of us?"
Rengoku Kyojuro looked up, his eyes blazing with intensity.
"The Demon Slayer Mark. All of you will awaken the Demon Slayer Mark."
Rin spoke a few simple words, yet they struck like a thunderclap.
"Among you, only Rengoku-san has barely touched its threshold. For the next period, I will take over your training. What you must do is continuously push yourselves to the brink of life and death, drive your heart rate beyond two hundred, and raise your body temperature above thirty-nine degrees."
Hearing the conditions to awaken the Demon Slayer Mark, the Hashira's expressions tightened.
Obanai Iguro frowned and raised the key concern.
"The Demon Slayer Corps' ancient records mention the Mark. Those who awaken it all die before the age of twenty-five. It is a curse that burns through one's lifespan in exchange for power. We are not afraid of death, but if we fall before the decisive battle…"
"That was the past."
Rin cut him off coldly.
He raised his right hand, palm upward.
A pure emerald glow bloomed at his fingertips. The vitality contained within it was so dense that even its faint diffusion into the air caused the withered grass and plants in the courtyard to regain life, turning lush and green.
Yang Release chakra.
"As long as you still have a breath left, as long as your head hasn't been cut off…"
Rin clenched his hand, crushing the green light as he looked at them, his tone absolute and unquestionable.
"No matter how much life you burn, I can restore it. That rule of dying at twenty-five ends with me."
Boom.
His words struck like a jolt of lightning straight into the minds of every Hashira.
Removing the lifespan limit.
That meant they could awaken the Demon Slayer Mark without restraint, wielding power beyond their limits without fear of their bodies collapsing.
It was equivalent to granting the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest fighters an inexhaustible source of strength.
"With no worries left, what reason do we have to hesitate?"
Uzui Tengen stepped forward with a wide grin, his teeth gleaming.
"How flashy! Let's burn away every last impurity in our bodies during this special training!"
"I am willing to entrust this broken body to Rin-dono for refinement."
Himejima Gyomei clasped his hands together, his voice deep and resonant like a temple bell.
The others voiced their agreement as well, the fighting spirit in their eyes burning at its peak.
"Very good."
Rin nodded, then turned to Ubuyashiki Kagaya behind him.
"Find a location in the back mountains that is large enough and well concealed. Starting tomorrow, the Hashira special training begins. If anyone can't endure it and wants to quit halfway…"
Rin swept his gaze across the group, a faint, almost playful smile appearing on his face.
"I'll personally help crush his bones, inch by inch."
…
That afternoon, the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters moved into action.
With astonishing efficiency, the Kakushi cleared out a vast open-air training ground deep within a mountain valley not far from the Ubuyashiki Estate.
The site was filled with sharpened wooden stakes, heavy rolling boulders, and a training course carved directly out of a rushing waterfall.
Rin stood on elevated ground, surveying the terrain below.
Shinobu walked over, holding a freshly drafted training schedule.
"The first phase is basic endurance running led by Uzui. The second phase is Kanroji's extreme flexibility training. The third phase is Tokito's swing correction. The fourth phase is Iguro's obstacle evasion. The final phase is live combat sparring between Shinazugawa and Himejima."
After reading through the plan, Kocho Shinobu looked up at Rin.
"And what about you?"
"Me?"
Rin watched the Hashira gathering below, casually snapping off a tree branch and weighing it in his hand.
"I'll be responsible for delivering the final hand when they think they're about to die."
He turned his head, his gaze settling on Kochou Shinobu, deep and steady.
"As for you, you don't need to take part in this physical training. You only have one task."
Rin reached out and lightly pinched her cheek.
"Use the Yang Release chakra sample I gave you, combine it with your wisteria-based toxins, and develop a poison capable of completely destroying Muzan's cellular division. I'll handle the frontal assault. You're responsible for cutting off his escape."
Kochou Shinobu froze for a moment at the unexpected gesture, then her eyes became resolute.
"Leave it to me. This time, I won't give him another chance to escape."
At that moment, the countdown to the final battle officially began.
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