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Another week passed, and the Demon Slayer Corps Pillar Meeting convened promptly.
Kaito, though not a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, was also invited to attend.
After this meeting, aside from Shinobu, who had already been captivated by Kaito's spells, the attitudes of Sanemi and Obanai toward him had undergone a complete 180-degree turnaround.
"It seems you've already tested the convenience of those paper talismans on demons?" Kaito stood before the two, asking with keen interest. "Please, do tell me, how effective were they?"
"The effects were excellent!!" Sanemi's ferocious grin could easily scare children to tears. "Ordinary demons turn to ashes immediately upon being exposed to the sunlight emitted by the talismans. Even demons with Blood Demon Arts can only hold on for a few seconds at most."
Obanai nodded in agreement.
Kaito pulled out paper and a brush from his sleeve and began taking notes. "So, have you encountered any demons of the Twelve Kizuki's caliber?"
"I've always wanted to run into one of the Twelve Kizuki!" Sanemi shook his head regretfully. "But those disgusting creatures are usually elusive. It's rare for us to encounter them under normal circumstances!"
"Exactly," Obanai nodded again.
"Is that so?" Kaito said regretfully. "However, it seems the sunlight sealed within the paper talismans still can't compare to the effect of natural sunlight during the day."
"Having achieved this level of effectiveness is already more than enough!!" A young man with striking red-and-gold hair suddenly interjected in an exceptionally loud voice nearby.
His eyes were wide open, and his owl-like facial features reminded Kaito of his good friend, the owl yōkai, Hui.
"Greetings! I am Rengoku Kyōjurō! I've heard about your deeds. Thank you for your assistance to the Demon Slayer Corps!!" The owl-like youth greeted him boisterously. "With your help, our chances of victory have increased significantly. The rest, we'll handle with our Nichirin Blades!!"
"Exactly!!" Sanemi seemed infected by Kyōjurō's enthusiasm and suddenly grew animated. "Even if these paper talismans can't directly kill the stronger demons, they can still significantly weaken their mobility!" His expression turned vicious again as he snarled, "That'll make it easier to chop them up!!"
"So, this is the legendary onmyōji?" Another young man, wearing a diamond-studded forehead protector, face painted with colorful patterns, and carrying dual swords, strode over. He scrutinized Kaito up and down before nodding. "You look rather flashy. I, the Sound Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Uzui Tengen, acknowledge you!"
"Has everyone gathered now?" Ms. Amane pushed a wheelchair over. Kagaya sat in the wheelchair, greeting everyone in a robust voice.
"Lord Ubuyashiki!" The swordsmen present immediately dropped to one knee in unison.
Kaito silently took a few steps back.
"We meet again, my beloved swordsmen. The weather is quite lovely today, isn't it?" Kagaya looked at everyone joyfully. "Seeing everyone in good spirits is truly heartening."
"Lord Ubuyashiki!" Sanemi raised his head. "We are equally delighted to see your health improved compared to before."
After Kagaya and the swordsmen exchanged greetings, the Pillar Meeting officially began.
Kagaya first formally introduced Kaito to the swordsmen.
Having learned about the effectiveness of the paper talismans Kaito provided through their exchanges, the Hashira now held a very favorable impression of him.
Kagaya then introduced the three Hashira-level swordsmen whom Kaito had not met previously.
Rengoku Kyōjurō, the Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, user of Flame Breathing.
Rengoku Kyōjurō had a face that Kaito found kind at first sight and was said to be a self-taught genius.
Uzui Tengen, the Sound Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, user of Sound Breathing.
This one was said to have been a ninja before joining the Demon Slayer Corps, which piqued Kaito's curiosity.
Tomioka Giyū, the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, user of Water Breathing.
This person had been standing alone in a corner since entering the courtyard, speaking to no one. He seemed like a somewhat solitary individual.
As the meeting commenced, after everyone summarized the previous year's work, the topic finally returned to Kaito.
"Everyone," Kaito stepped forward at Kagaya's signal. "You should all understand that in the matter of exterminating demons, even eliminating countless lesser demons is futile. As long as the root of it all remains, the demons can always make a comeback."
The atmosphere in the room visibly grew heavy the moment his words fell.
Kaito continued, "However, fortunately, I have good news here."
Everyone looked up immediately.
Kaito glanced back at Kagaya before addressing the Hashira. "We have learned the hiding place of one of the Upper Rank demons—specifically, the demon ranked as Upper Six."
The intelligence was actually given to Kaito by Hakuten, but to make it more convincing, he had to borrow part of Kagaya's authority.
"Really? Upper Six? Where is it?!" Sanemi immediately stood up and asked urgently.
The others glanced skeptically at Kaito before habitually turning to Kagaya.
Sure enough, after Kagaya smiled and nodded in confirmation, everyone grew thoroughly excited.
"The specific intelligence is here." Kaito pulled a scroll from his sleeve and tossed it to Sanemi.
The Hashira immediately huddled together to examine it.
Even the consistently aloof Tomioka Giyū couldn't help but lean in, standing on tiptoe to peek over shoulders.
"Kyōgoku House in Yoshiwara?"
"Upper Six's Daki?"
"The oiran operating under the alias Warabihime!"
"That kind of place has too dense a population. It might be disadvantageous for our battle."
"Then leave it to me. I can sever her head in an instant!"
"Obviously, I'm more suitable for this!"
They discussed battle plans as they read.
Kaito clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"For this battle, I plan to test some ideas," he said. "Additionally, I'll need two swordsmen to accompany me."
Everyone immediately fixed eager eyes on him.
Even Giyū couldn't resist casting a few subtle glances.
"Considering there may be preliminary infiltration work required…" Kagaya personally made the assignments. "Tengen, Obanai, I'll trouble the two of you with this."
"This flashy guy will flashily slay the demon," Tengen immediately struck what he considered a dazzling pose.
"Yes, Lord Ubuyashiki," Obanai replied in a measured tone, though intense fighting spirit radiated from his not-so-tall frame.
The others appeared somewhat dissatisfied but refrained from objecting since Kagaya himself had made the assignments.
Sanemi, in particular, was gritting his teeth and glaring at the two selected.
"Then, I look forward to working with you both," Kaito said, stepping forward to stand before Tengen and Obanai.