The other Pillars present were overjoyed when they saw their lord, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, suddenly recover.
As mentioned before, Kagaya Ubuyashiki possessed immense prestige within the Demon Slayer Corps—a reputation born of his boundless compassion and gentle temperament.Despite being the leader of the entire organization, he was astonishingly approachable. He even remembered the names of every single member who had died while slaying demons.
Previously, as Kagaya Ubuyashiki's health steadily worsened, the Pillars present—though outwardly composed—had been deeply anxious inside.
Every one of the nine Pillars had, at some point, received kindness from Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
Even though they would continue to repay that kindness by serving his successor after his death, in truth, they all preferred serving this Kagaya Ubuyashiki rather than anyone who might come after him.
"Don't celebrate just yet," Ren Kuroda said calmly, cutting through the joy."While your improved condition proves my earlier theory was correct, it's only temporary."
"The energy contained in inferior demonic crystals is limited. Don't be misled by your current vitality—or by the fact that your body feels stronger than before."
"As time passes, your strength will gradually fade. By my estimation, you have about six months before your body returns to its original state."
Ren's words poured cold water over the crowd's excitement.
From his perspective, given the rate at which Kagaya Ubuyashiki's demonic energy was being consumed, six months truly was the upper limit.
Moreover, those six months didn't mean Kagaya could maintain his current condition the entire time.
In roughly one month, his physical condition would drop to that of an ordinary person.
Another month after that, his strength would begin to decline further.
By the time six months passed, his body would fully revert to its previous fragile state.
The demonic energy contained within the crystal could currently maintain a balance with the curse—but once that energy was exhausted, the curse would inevitably resurface.
"Then how can we obtain more of those purple crystals you mentioned?""If we had more of them, our lord could maintain this state, couldn't he?"
"Tell me how to get them, and I, Rengoku Kyojuro, will retrieve them for our lord—no matter the cost!"
Now that Kagaya Ubuyashiki's recovery had been confirmed, no one wanted to see him return to his former weakened condition.
With proof that the crystals were effective, the Flame Pillar, burning with determination, immediately volunteered himself.
"Unfortunately," Ren replied, shaking his head,"even if you searched the entire world, you probably wouldn't find them."
"And if they were something so easily obtained, do you really think I'd hand one over as a return gift?"
Facing Rengoku Kyojuro's blazing enthusiasm, Ren extinguished it without mercy.
Inferior demonic energy crystals came from his system's reputation shop.There wasn't even a single natural source of demonic energy in this world—how could such items possibly exist here?
"All right, Kyojuro," Kagaya Ubuyashiki said gently, interrupting."I'm already satisfied just being able to enjoy a healthy body before my death."
"There are still six months, aren't there? If we can defeat that person within this time, then wouldn't the curse upon me be broken as well?"
Rengoku Kyojuro was about to argue further, but Kagaya's calm words stopped him.
However, the expressions of the nine Pillars were far less optimistic than their lord's.
They all knew how difficult it would be to find and kill Muzan Kibutsuji within six months.
It was Kagaya Ubuyashiki who bore the pain and the curse—yet he was the one comforting them.
In truth, Ren still possessed a small number of inferior demonic energy crystals.
But not many.
The massacre at Fujikasane Mountain had nearly drained his accumulated reputation entirely. At this point, he had only a dozen or so crystals remaining.
Not knowing what powerful enemies he might face in the future, Ren decided to save the rest for emergencies.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's body could still hold out for roughly six months, so there was no need to rush.
Thus, the Demon Slayer Corps' evaluation of Ren Kuroda finally came to an end.
Despite the twists, confrontations, and even a moment where conflict nearly erupted into war, Ren ultimately gained their initial trust.
Thanks to Kagaya Ubuyashiki's decision, Sakonji Urokodaki's letter, the demonic energy crystal, and several other factors, Ren officially joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
About a week later, Ren—temporarily away from headquarters—received his own Demon Slayer Corps uniform and his personal Nichirin Blade.
Each Demon Slayer's uniform and blade were essentially unique, often reflecting their personality or the breathing techniques they used.
Ren's uniform was pitch black, adorned with eerie purple patterns.
The most eye-catching feature was the pair of silver-embroidered characters on the back:
"Hyakki" — Hundred Demons.
This addition was personally designed by Maeda Masao, the Demon Slayer Corps' tailor, after hearing about Ren's feat of slaughtering countless demons. It was added purely out of admiration.
As for Ren's Nichirin Blade, it was personally delivered a week later by the Demon Slayer Corps' swordsmith, Haganezuka Hotaru.
Despite being a swordsmith, Hotaru preferred to deliver each blade in person.
Partly, she wanted to see whether the swordsman wielding the blade was worthy of her meticulously crafted Nichirin Blade.
And partly, she wanted to witness the moment when the blade revealed its color.
Every Nichirin Blade began as an ordinary sword—the color only manifested when it was held by its true owner.
That color was closely tied to the Demon Slayer's personality.
Initially, Haganezuka Hotaru had been furious upon receiving Ren's unusual request to add a ribbon to the blade.
Adding foreign materials during the forging process was reckless in the extreme.
She could also tell at a glance that the broken sword fragments Ren provided were of terrible quality. Introducing such impurities would unquestionably degrade the blade.
However, after learning why Ren insisted on including those fragments, Haganezuka Hotaru couldn't help but feel a deep admiration for him.
In the end, she agreed to his seemingly unreasonable request.
As a fellow sword fanatic, she found herself intensely curious—
What color would a Nichirin Blade revealin the hands of someone who cherished swords with such unwavering devotion?