At the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, the usually busy Pillars had gathered together for a rare occasion, waiting silently.
Moments later, a young man with severe wounds on his face, accompanied by a beautiful woman, slowly emerged from the room in front.
"You're all here. I'm so glad we can all gather again for the 'Pillar Meeting.'"
His voice was gentle and steady, with a unique rhythm that brought a sense of calm and happiness to those who heard it.
All the Pillars knelt on one knee.
"Greetings, my lord!"
"May my lord be in good health!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya slowly sat down and smiled warmly. "Then, let's begin."
The Pillar Meeting, held every six months, involves the Pillars and the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, the head of the Ubuyashiki clan. They discuss matters such as the areas where demons appear, Muzan Kibutsuji's movements, the next generation of Pillars, and the overall discipline and power balance of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Time passed slowly.
As the meeting was about to end, Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke again: "In addition to the matters we've covered, there's one last thing for this meeting, concerning a special demon."
"A special demon?"
Many of the Pillars looked puzzled.
The Sound Pillar, Uzui Tengen, brushed the hair from his forehead and asked, "A special demon? My lord, is it one of the Twelve Kizuki?"
"It's not one of the Twelve Kizuki."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya shook his head. "For now, let's call him 'Aomura.' Aomura first appeared in November last year at Fujikasane Mountain."
"Fujikasane Mountain?"
All the Pillars were stunned, including the Flower Pillar, Kanae Kocho, who knew part of the story.
The Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa, spoke grimly, "I remember that during that period, a large number of demons mysteriously died on Fujikasane Mountain."
Kagaya nodded gently. "Initially, we couldn't uncover the truth behind the mysterious deaths of the demons, but now we can be reasonably sure that Aomura was responsible."
The Pillars grew more curious.
It's not unusual for demons to fight each other, but without a Nichirin Sword, it's difficult for a demon to kill another if their strengths are similar. How did Aomura kill dozens of demons in less than a month? And what was his purpose?
Kagaya continued, "The first time we observed Aomura was when he left Fujikasane Mountain."
Sanemi interjected, "My Lord, please forgive my presumption. Leaving Fujikasane Mountain? Fujikasane Mountain is covered with wisteria flowers. How did he manage that?"
Kagaya's tone remained gentle. "Aomura prepared special clothing to avoid contact with the wisteria flowers. Moreover, Aomura likely wasn't captured and placed in Fujikasane Mountain. He probably entered on his own."
At this point, the Pillars understood that Aomura had gone to Fujikasane Mountain to kill demons, and his strength must far exceed the demons there.
Kagaya continued, "On the night Aomura left Fujikasane Mountain, something else happened. The Lower Rank Six and Lower Rank Four appeared at the foot of the mountain. They were there for Aomura. After encountering each other, they fought without any communication. We don't know the exact details, but we are certain that Aomura did not die."
The Pillars nodded in agreement. Aomura was indeed powerful, as he managed to escape from two Lower Rank demons, consistent with their earlier assumptions.
"Our second encounter with Aomura was last month."
At this point, Kagaya glanced at Kanae.
Kanae added, "On the night of December 17, a crow flying over Mount Natagumo accidentally discovered demons fighting each other, one of them being Aomura. The crow witnessed Aomura defeating another demon and then using some method to devour it."
"Devour?"
The other Pillars looked confused.
"Aomura placed his palm on the demon, and the demon's body gradually disappeared. This was the crow's description. From what I can tell, the demon was likely devoured," Kanae explained.
The other Pillars remained silent but seemed to agree with Kanae's assessment.
So, Aomura had entered Fujikasane Mountain voluntarily to devour demons? What was his purpose? Could he grow stronger by consuming other demons?
"Are you certain the demon is dead?" Uzui Tengen asked.
"We're almost certain," Kanae replied. "I followed my lord's orders to investigate Mount Natagumo. I found signs of a battle, but no demons other than Aomura. It's safe to assume they're all dead."
Kagaya added, "According to our subsequent investigation, the group of demons that once occupied Mount Natagumo was likely led by the Lower Rank Five, numbering around five demons."
The Pillars had various expressions.
Gyomei Himejima clasped his hands together and asked, "Kanae, did you see Aomura?"
Kanae nodded. "I did, but as soon as we met, he vanished, and I didn't detect any movement."
"Blood Demon Art?" someone speculated.
"It's impossible to be sure," Kanae replied. "There's one more thing. Aomura recognized the crow and captured it. But instead of harming the crow, he instructed it to return to the Demon Slayer Corps to request help in treating the injured at Mount Natagumo."
"Kanae, that doesn't necessarily mean anything," Uzui Tengen remarked, shaking his head.
The other Pillars had similar reactions. They all knew of Kanae's ideals, but they neither supported nor believed they were achievable.
Kanae did not argue further.
"There's more information about Aomura," Kagaya concluded.
Kagaya spoke, drawing everyone's attention: "We received intelligence earlier that a large number of young women have disappeared near Azabu Iikura, and there are rumors that the culprit is a demon.
Team member Shinobu Kocho went to investigate and found that there were no demons involved, but rather people using demons to commit crimes. All the missing women were locked away in a hidden location, becoming tools for those criminals to satisfy their vile desires."
Everyone was silent.
They could protect people from demons, but there was little they could do about the harm humans inflicted on each other.
Kagaya continued, "This was originally kept secret, but something significant happened the night before Shinobu Kocho arrived.
Hundreds of criminals in that den were slaughtered overnight, and the victims were freed. Only then did the truth come to light."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked around the room and said, "The one responsible for this is a demon called Aomura."
The Pillars frowned.
They understood what their lord was implying. The killer was the demon named Aomura.
Putting aside other issues, it is common for demons to kill people. But this situation was peculiar.
According to their lord, Aomura killed criminals and saved hundreds of victims.
The methods were extremely violent, yet it was hard to say his actions were wrong.
If there were no other concerns, he could even be seen as a vigilante of sorts!
This was difficult for them to believe or accept.
A righteous demon? What a joke!
Kagaya added, "Shinobu Kocho personally investigated the scene, and none of the bodies showed signs of being eaten."
Sanemi immediately replied, "Perhaps he didn't eat them on the spot but took a few corpses with him."
The other Pillars remained silent.
They wanted to agree with him, but it didn't make logical sense.
When had a demon ever secretly eaten people? If Aomura truly wanted to devour humans, why did he let the victims go?
Kagaya spoke seriously, "We can discuss whether Aomura eats humans later. What I want to inform you of is that Aomura, while living in Azabu as a human, was seen out during the day on more than one occasion."
"What?"
"This is impossible!"
"My Lord, are you certain?"
Upon hearing this, the Pillars instantly shifted their focus from "whether Aomura eats humans," and the room was suddenly abuzz with shock.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya raised his hand, signaling everyone to calm down. "I have confirmed this matter repeatedly, and it is absolutely true!"
A demon immune to sunlight?
The Pillars were all stunned.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya continued, "In addition to this, there are other pieces of information that have yet to be confirmed.
Over a month ago, it was suspected that Aomura killed Lower Rank Six and saved a woman.
Half a month ago, Aomura was reportedly seen in a town where it was rumored that a demon with the words 'Lower Rank Three' engraved in its eyes was devouring people.
Seven days ago, a fierce battle took place in that town at night, leaving an abandoned street completely destroyed. Since then, there have been no more reports of demons eating people.
Additionally, there have been many recent cases of demons suddenly disappearing. When our team members arrived, they found the demons had already been eliminated. While there is no concrete evidence, it's possible that Aomura was responsible."
The Pillars were all taken aback.
Lower Rank Six, Lower Rank Five, Lower Rank Three.
If this information was accurate, it meant that Aomura had killed three of the Lower Moons.
Quite an accomplishment.
When it came to slaying demons, Aomura was more effective than any of them.
None of them had ever killed three Lower Rank demons!
The high death toll of demons should have been good news, but most were not pleased.
They had not forgotten that Aomura was suspected of growing stronger by devouring demons and that he might have overcome the weakness to sunlight.
If he continued to grow, he would be a far greater threat than the three Lower Ranks combined.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke in a slightly serious tone: "Therefore, I ask that you all closely monitor Aomura's whereabouts from now on. If you encounter him, unless he is harming someone, avoid engaging him in battle. What are your thoughts?"
Sanemi frowned and said, "My lord, demons cannot be trusted!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya gently replied, "Which is why, Sanemi, we need more information before making a judgment, don't we?"
Sanemi fell silent.
Everyone exchanged glances and then responded in unison.
"Yes, sir!"
They hadn't let go of their hostility towards Aomura.
However, gathering intelligence first was indeed a wise approach.
Kanae Kocho had mentioned before that Aomura had mastered the ability to vanish suddenly without her noticing any movement.
Kanae was one of the strongest among the Pillars.
If she couldn't detect him, no one else would stand a chance.
Unless they could counter this ability, dealing with Aomura would be no easy task.
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