The Kasugai Crows flew desperately, never stopping for even a second, striving to deliver their messages as quickly as possible.
Finally, three exhausted Kasugai Crows reached the vicinity of the Ubuyashiki estate. Unfortunately, before they could enter, they plummeted from the sky. Just as they were about to crash to their deaths, a figure flashed by and caught them.
Tendo carefully cradled them in his arms, a flicker of heartache in his eyes.
These little creatures were also fighting with their lives.
He hurriedly pushed open the main gate. Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat as usual beneath the eaves, holding a book in his hands—the very picture of a serene and handsome man.
"Boss, these three Kasugai Crows must have urgent news!" With no one else in the courtyard, formalities could be set aside. Tendo naturally took a seat beside the Master.
Kagaya immediately recognized which swordsman these crows belonged to and roughly guessed the situation. The swordsmen sent to investigate Mount Shameyama were likely in grave danger.
At this thought, his heart sank. That was twenty swordsmen.
All due to his own misjudgment.
"Tendo, head to Mount Shameyama. The Twelve Demon Moons you've been eager to slay are likely there." Guilt filled Kagaya's heart as he gently stroked the crows' whitened eyes, as if caressing the swordsmen themselves.
"Understood. I'll set off immediately!" Tendo tossed Kagaya a bottle of his "Laughing Savior 3000" and turned to leave. He could read the Master's thoughts and left him with a parting remark.
"Kagaya, it's not your fault. Everyone is striving for a better future. Their deaths were not in vain."
"On this path, none of us swordsmen would begrudge our lives."
"Just focus on leading us. Don't carry this burden."
Kagaya waved his hand, and a Kasugai Crow flew out from a corner of the courtyard to guide the way. The annihilation of the scouting squad was within the plan—this crow had already familiarized itself with the route to serve as a guide at any time.
Of course, no one hoped this contingency would ever be needed.
Watching Tendo's retreating figure, Kagaya forced a bitter smile. He was grateful for Tendo's comfort.
The relationship between them was less that of superior and subordinate and more akin to friends.
But Kagaya Ubuyashiki was the Master, the decision-maker. Sometimes, his decisions were paid for in lives—an inevitability.
Thus, that sense of guilt could never be erased. This was the burden the Master of the Demon Slayer Corps must bear.
Tendo set out for Mount Shameyama that very day, alone. It wasn't that headquarters didn't want to send more people—there simply weren't enough to spare.
After all, Shinjuro Rengoku, the last surviving elder of the previous generation, was perpetually on missions.
He was already pushing forty—an advanced age for a demon slayer.
...
The setting sun's glow pierced the mountain peaks like giant eyes, scattering like sugar into the sea, only to be swallowed in an instant by the dark, fathomless forest.
At this moment, Mount Shameyama resembled a massive black hole, greedily devouring all light, seeking to engulf the entire world.
At the mountain's base, three swordsmen, ragged as wild men, waited anxiously at the entrance. They had been there for over two days, hoping reinforcements from headquarters would arrive soon.
Perhaps then they could still save Captain Murata's life.
"Did headquarters not get the message?"
"Has the captain already died?"
"We must kill that demon to avenge the captain!"
"If even the captain couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?"The three of them exchanged words, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense—so much so that the conversation had reached a dead end.
To be honest, the three newcomers were already despairing.
Just then, a swiftly moving figure appeared on the horizon.
Tendo, covered in dust, arrived at Mount Xiemu. A journey that should have taken four days had been ruthlessly shortened to two and a half, during which he had barely slept.
Of course, he could have chosen to travel at a normal pace, but lives were at stake. It was best not to waste any time.
Seeing someone approach, the three newcomers broke into smiles, their eyes lighting up with hope.
It must be the vanguard from headquarters.
Noticing them, Tendo stopped in front of the trio and said,
"Hello, I'm the reinforcement!"
"Eh?"
"What?"
"Just you alone?"
"There's a Twelve Demon Moon in the mountain!"
The three newcomers widened their eyes, the flames of hope in their pupils extinguishing once more.
Tendo paid no mind to their doubtful gazes. After all, he had never officially accepted the title of Hashira. Without witnessing his strength firsthand, others wouldn't know his true capabilities.
He patted one of them on the shoulder, speaking with an unshakable confidence that brooked no argument:
"I alone am enough!"
With that, Tendo entered the mountain.
The three novice swordsmen stared in shock, their expressions incredulous as they watched him. His presence was like a towering peak, pressing down on them so heavily they could barely breathe.
This guy was definitely a Hashira!
The three exchanged glances. If headquarters had sent a Hashira, then there was nothing left to worry about.
Tendo didn't bother asking the trio for information. The fact that they had returned alive meant they hadn't engaged the Twelve Demon Moon, so it wasn't worth wasting time on them.
In that case, he might as well charge up the mountain himself. A single blade in hand was all he needed.
As the dark woods gradually swallowed Tendo's retreating figure, one of them suddenly shouted,
"Sir Hashira, what's your name?"
Almost instantly, that supremely confident voice pierced through the darkness in reply:
"Tendo Kazama!"
The three swordsmen bowed deeply in the direction where Tendo had disappeared, shouting in unison:
"Lord Tendo, may your fortunes be ever victorious!"
To face one of the Lower Moons alone—within the entire Demon Slayer Corps, only a Hashira could accomplish such a feat.
Hashira were revered not just for their strength, but because they always stood on the most dangerous frontlines, earning the admiration of ordinary swordsmen.
The cold moonlight fell like sharp arrows, piercing through the gaps in the trees toward Tendo.
Suddenly, two black bamboo poles, thick as pythons, shattered the moonlight, lashing toward him at an invisible speed.
In an instant, blazing flames illuminated the entire forest—the arms of Lower Moon Two, the Long-Armed Ape, were severed in two.
Tendo immediately changed direction, his feet leaving behind crimson-gold arcs of electricity. The next moment, a crimson-gold meteor streaked across the earth.
After the rolling thunderclaps, the Long-Armed Ape burst out of the woods, its eyes wide with shock. The failed ambush made it realize—this time, a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps had come.
Extending its black arms, the ape swiftly grasped the cliff face, staring down at the forest with arrogance as it boasted:
"Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, I'll be waiting for you at the mountaintop!"
"Do you really think you can kill me?"No sooner had it spoken than a thunderbolt-formed qilin tore through the air—with Tendo at its core.
Unfortunately, the long-armed ape contracted its limbs, launching itself upward as if riding an elevator.
Tendo crashed into the mountainside with a deafening boom. Emerging from the dust, he looked up to see a cliff roughly thirty meters high.
"What the hell?!"
"Is this guy Spider-Man or something?"