Chapter 34 "Aori-chan, who was taken away by Upper Moon One..."
Since the "Pillar Assembly" began its trial, Tanjiro Kamado has once again seen so many Pillars in their entirety, and fortunately, there are no shortage of them compared to the last time.
Several years ago, after Giyu Tomioka and Sabito had their "final farewell" at Fujikasayama, Sabito requested that higher-ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps check the actual strength of the demons on Fujikasayama every year, mainly to eliminate demons such as "Hand Demon" that had eaten dozens of people.
It's not to make the selection process easier for those being selected, but rather to avoid unnecessary casualties. Having high-level ghosts in the selection process is inherently unfair to those participating.
The Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who pass the selection process are awarded the lowest rank, "Kui". Most of the demons on Fujikasane Mountain have eaten two or three people, and the "Hand Demon" clearly raises the difficulty of participating in the selection process to an extremely high level.
Most people who have only undergone short-term training as trainers are not capable of dealing with "Hand Ghosts". After Sabito pointed out this loophole, it immediately gained attention.
Since then, the number of people who have gone through the "final farewell" each year has increased significantly, including several of Tomioka Giyuu and Sabito's fellow disciples, as well as other disciples of the trainers.
While their potential may not be as outstanding as before, there is no doubt that experience is just as important as potential. Swordsmen who gradually hone their skills in subsequent missions will become stronger and stronger.
Some of these extra Demon Slayer Corps members have now reached a level of strength approaching that of a "Pillar" and are playing a significant role in various fields.
In the recent Mugen Train incident, they rushed to support Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku. Although they were unable to eliminate the suddenly appearing Upper Moon Three, they managed to hold out until sunrise, and no one died, which was a victory in itself.
There were no missing members, but several pillars had more visible scars, indicating that everyone had continued fighting during the interval.
Unlike his previous situation, this time Tanjiro Kamado gained the approval of both the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, and the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui. Since he was the only one who truly understood the situation at the time, he was invited to attend the meeting.
Although Inosuke and Zenitsu were very unhappy about this, feeling that they were being excluded.
Sabito recounted most of the story. His fatigue from days of travel was evident, but his eyes remained clear and bright, untouched by worldly cares. He began his narration meticulously from the very first painting bearing the name Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Unsurprisingly, it was another explosive start.
Tanjiro Kamado was only responsible for supplementing Yoshiwara's part, but even so, he still felt extremely uncomfortable being watched by so many Pillars during his speech.
In fact, the time he spent with A-Zhi was quite short. Searching through his brief memories for details made him recall the girl's smile and encouragement again and again...
Such a gentle person has to suffer this kind of treatment because of a ghost.
"…………"
Besides once again cursing the cannibalistic demons in their hearts, everyone had the same thought.
—This is so weird!
Ultimately, the "secret to eliminating ghosts" that was initially introduced by that painting sounded more like a vague fairy tale to them. Without knowing the full story, they wouldn't easily make any judgments.
But the magical developments that gradually began later directly impacted the Pillars' understanding. First, Muzan Kibutsuji appeared, then Upper Moon Six, and finally Upper Moon One.
It seems that from a certain day onwards, the Twelve Demon Moons, which had always been hidden in the mire, began to gradually appear in front of the Demon Slayer Corps. First, they chased Tanjiro for no apparent reason, and then they kidnapped Oori.
Judging from the current situation, Ori seems to be more attractive to demons than Tanjiro Kamado, after all, she gathered three demons in one day, and they were demons that the Demon Slayer Corps might not encounter even once in a hundred years.
This is certainly not a good thing for an ordinary person, but now that all the events have been analyzed clearly, the key to the problem has been revealed: the whereabouts of A-Zhi are unknown.
The air was thick with the scent of impending turmoil.
Shinobu Kocho frowned in thought, then concluded seriously, "Therefore, we can conclude that 'Miss Ori' is the person we are looking for, and she has been captured by Upper Moon One."
What's puzzling is what role A-Zhi played in this complicated relationship, but only she herself can answer that question.
However, finding the Upper Moon's hiding place is not an easy task. Unlike ordinary demons, except for some remote places, the Upper Moon, due to its strength, can disguise itself as a normal human and hide in villages or cities.
Going on a haphazard investigation would be a waste of time, and... although no one really wanted the worst to happen, they still had to take the possibility of A-Zhi's sacrifice into account.
With his hands clasped together and tears streaming down his face, Beimingyu Xingming said, "This is really difficult to handle. Amitabha!"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Before long, a righteous voice broke the increasingly silent atmosphere.
“Something strange happened on the way back,” Rengoku Kyojuro said in a loud voice, his wide eyes staring intently at everyone. “The demons in the northern region are behaving in a rather unusual way.”
As soon as Rengoku Kyojuro finished speaking, he saw several companions who had rushed back from different places nod in unison.
Kanroji Mitsuri clutched her braid, her face slightly flushed: "Um, when I came back from the west, I also felt something was a little strange..."
This was something they discovered unintentionally.
Some of the ghosts that should have been at the mission location were nowhere to be found. After searching the surrounding area, it was discovered that they had all hidden in the deep mountains and forests.
Saying they were hiding isn't quite accurate. It seems they didn't know in advance that the demon hunters were coming to kill them, but rather they went to some remote places on their own initiative. These places were sparsely populated and not good for hunting at all.
What greatly surprised Rengoku Kyojuro was that he also encountered a demon during the day. You know, even if the sunlight in the forest is blocked by trees, demons would never risk their lives to come out.
But he did encounter one, but because it was not very intelligent, he couldn't get any information out of it and could only kill it on the spot.
So now it seems that it wasn't just him; the other pillars also noticed the commotion caused by the demon.
Demons certainly wouldn't gather together to discuss countermeasures, so there's only one reason for this situation: Muzan Kibutsuji gave them an order.
This command made them seem like they were searching for something, and it was easy to figure it out after a little contact.
Uzui Tengen stroked his chin. After the poison in his body was cured, he had recovered most of his energy and it would not affect his participation in the meeting. He boldly guessed: "Could Kibutsuji Muzan also be looking for Upper Moon One? That would be too spectacular."
He wasn't just making things up; it's entirely possible, and quite likely. Otherwise, why would he be searching for a treasure map deep in the mountains?
There's a problem between Upper Moon One and Muzan Kibutsuji!
"…………"
As the meeting drew to a close, decisions regarding future developments were discussed and arrangements began to be made.
"While ensuring the Demon Slayer Corps' original operations remain unchanged, gather as much information about Aori as possible from the demons and keep an eye on the movements of demons in various locations."
It may sound like a vague arrangement, but it is the most reasonable one and the best solution at present. Those who have lost their loved ones to ghosts are certainly grieving, but they cannot remain immersed in grief forever.
"Sabito, Giyu." Lord Ubuyashiki, who was trusted by everyone, called out to the two swordsmen who were about to get up and take their leave. His gentle yet deep voice had the power to soothe people's hearts. "I believe that Miss Aori, who was taken away by Upper Moon One, should be alright."
Because the previous head of the family had spent time with Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Iwakatsu Tsugikuni, although very few stories have been passed down, the few that remain are enough for Kagaya Ubuyashiki to make this judgment.
As for Kokushibo, he inexplicably turned into a demon and betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps, becoming Upper Moon One, Kokushibo. However, it seems that after his defection, he did not follow Muzan Kibutsuji, but instead remained aloof from the Upper Moons.
They rarely appear in front of the world, which is why there was the previous rumor that "Upper Moon One may have been destroyed by Yoriichi Tsugikuni a long time ago".
He doesn't seem to be a pure enemy or a pure friend, but current indications suggest that he at least doesn't side with Muzan Kibutsuji.
Yoshiyuki Tomioka and Sabito paused slightly, exchanged a glance, and then listened intently to what Kagaya Ubuyashiki would say next.
Do you have any of Miss Aori's personal belongings there?
Throughout the entire ordeal, Kagaya Ubuyashiki maintained an extremely calm demeanor on his thin face, even after Sabito and the others brought back bad news.
The flesh-haired swordsman paused for a moment, then pushed aside the right side of his haori, took the wisteria sachet he had been carrying with him ever since he picked it up, and placed it on the floor in the middle.
The stains on the surface of the sachet were cleaned off, and the broken rope was replaced with a new one; such details are enough to show his careful care.
Their conversation wasn't meant to be kept secret, and Shinobu, who stayed behind to talk to her lord again, naturally heard everything clearly and also took in Sabito's actions.
She was also familiar with that wisteria sachet.
Sabito had asked her about his sleep problems before, and Shinobu had teased him about it, though not out of malice.
Then, Sabito, who wasn't as composed as he is now, described the little girl's various symptoms to Shinobu Kocho very seriously. Some of them were quite subtle, so Shinobu made a deluxe wisteria sachet to ward off ghosts, insects, and help her sleep.
Hmm, who knows, it might even lead to a relationship.
That's what she thought at the time—that A-Zhi must be that girl. Little did she know that she would truly understand her under such circumstances.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded: "I have already dispatched Kasugai Crow to Miss Tamayo for help; we should have news soon."
"As for Miss Tamayo, you can ask Tanjiro."
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Author's Note: The next chapter is going to be a really long one, I'm sure I'll be able to write until my head spins! Also, there are a lot of personal settings in this story, I'll try my best to fix them all!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-05-08 21:55:44 and 2023-05-09 20:48:06!
Thanks to the little angel who threw the landmine: Chelsea (1).
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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