The Hashira's Judgment: The Boy in the Sun!

On the tree-lined path leading to the Ubuyashiki Estate, an extremely bizarre scene of three people is unfolding.

"Gulp..."

Tanjiro Kamado swallowed hard, each step forward seeming to require all his strength.

He's panicking right now, extremely panicked!!

"It's alright, Tanjiro."

Kanae Kocho was walking ahead, turned around, a gentle smile on her beautiful face.

Today, she was wearing the Demon Slayer Corps uniform that accentuated her curves, and her steps were as light as a pink butterfly dancing in the spring breeze.

"Relax, take a deep breath!!"

"You're a real human now, and the Master and the Pillars are all reasonable people. They'll definitely understand you!!"

Kanae kept comforting the red-haired boy who was on the verge of collapse.

However, Tanjiro wore a bitter expression, his gaze involuntarily passing over Kanae and landing on the man walking at the front.

Giyu Tomioka.

This dignified current Water Hashira, the strongest humanoid weapon of the Demon Slayer Corps... is currently walking at the forefront with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

From the moment he left the Butterfly Mansion until now, a full half hour has passed, and this old man hasn't uttered a single punctuation mark!

That perpetually expressionless, icy face showed not a trace of tension before the battle; his deep blue eyes even held a maddening emptiness.

"Mr. Giyu... is he really worried about whether I live or die?"

Tanjiro silently questioned his own soul, on the verge of tears. o(╥╥)o

Ahead, the spacious and solemn courtyard of the Ubuyashiki Estate suddenly came into view.

"Hiss--!"

As Tanjiro stepped into the edge of the courtyard, an extreme killing intent, a mixture of seven or eight completely different yet equally terrifying, instantly surged into his brain through his nostrils!

"What a terrible smell! My lungs... my lungs are going to explode!"

Tanjiro's legs suddenly buckled, and he almost knelt on the ground.

In his olfactory world, the center of the courtyard was now nothing short of a colorful powder keg!

There were violent storms that were as pungent as chili powder;

It had a chilling, astringent coldness, like the venom of a viper;

It possesses a wild, raging fire as intense and domineering as the surface of the sun;

There are also compassionate rocks, heavy as mountains, pressing down on you until you can hardly breathe...

On the gravel ground in the courtyard, seven figures exuding the pressure of a pillar-level being stood in a row.

With Giyu and Kanae joining them, the Demon Slayer Corps' nine strongest fighters have finally gathered together for the first time in history!

"Ha! I thought it was someone else, but I could smell that disgusting stench of poverty from 800 meters away!"

Before Giyu could even gain a foothold,

A voice, brimming with gunpowder, rang out in the courtyard.

[Wind Hashira] Sanemi Shinazugawa's face was contorted with rage, his white hair resembling a bristling hedgehog.

He left his uniform wide open, revealing horrific scars all over his body. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Tanjiro, who was being protected by Giyu, and a bloodthirsty grin spread across his lips.

"Tomioka! You idiot with a brain full of mush!"

"You actually dared to bring this monster with the Demon King's Blood into the Master's courtyard?!?!"

Sanemi's right hand instantly pressed against the hilt of his Nichirin Blade at his waist, his thumb forcefully pushing open the tsuba.

"Click--!"

A chilling killing intent pressed directly against Tanjiro's brow.

"Today I'm going to clean house for the Demon Slayer Corps!... First I'll chop this brat down, then I'll twist your idiot's head off and use it as a chamber pot!"

"Hey! You're not allowed to talk about Giyu like that!"

No sooner had Sanemi finished speaking than Sabito, Sabito [Water Hashira] standing on the other side of the queue, jumped out.

This passionate young man with medium-length, light pink hair drew his Nichirin Blade without hesitation and stood between Sanemi and Giyu.

"What do you know, you white dog that only knows how to bark?!"

"Since Giyu dared to bring him here, it proves that this boy is absolutely fine! If you want to touch him, you'll have to get past me first!"

"Huh?! You pink-haired bastard, are you looking for death? All those Water Breathing guys are cut from the same cloth, they're disgusting to look at!"

Sanemi was so angry that his veins bulged, and he was about to fight Sabito on the spot.

"Alright, you two, stop with the unrefined noise."

[Sound Hashira] Tengen Uzui crossed his arms, his diamond headband sparkling in the sunlight.

Although he adopted a smug, spectator-like posture, his eyes, as he looked at Tanjiro, also held an undisguised, icy killing intent.

"Although Tomioka is indeed ridiculously strong, so strong that even I find it incredibly impressive!!"

"Bringing a ghost to headquarters is just too unglamorous!! As a Pillar, you have to execute it in a glamorous way!!"

"Hmm! Uzui is right!"

[Flame Hashira] Kyojuro Rengoku stood with his hands on his hips, his ever-enthusiastic face now bearing an aura of absolute justice.

"I fully acknowledge Mr. Tomioka's skill! I will always remember his kindness in instructing me in swordsmanship! But--!"

Kyojuro's bright eyes widened, and his booming voice made the leaves in the courtyard tremble.

"A demon is a demon! Even if he looks like a human now, we must never let our guard down!"

"... I advocate for his immediate execution! We must not allow any potential threats to remain! Hmm!"

"Namo Amitabha Buddha..."

[Stone Hashira] Gyomei Himejima his hands together, tears streaming down his resolute face.

"What a pitiful boy, corrupted by the curse of an evil spirit... Mr. Tomioka was also blinded by this false appearance, how pathetic..."

"Let this humble monk help him escape this painful fate..."

Hearing these words, which were practically a death sentence for him, Tanjiro turned pale with fright and hid behind Giyu, trembling.

"It's... it's all over! Mr. Giyu was absolutely right!! This isn't a meeting, it's practically my funeral!!"

Of all the targeted gazes, one was the most sinister and chilling.

"Hiss--!"

[Serpent Hashira] Obanai Iguro sat cross-legged on a tree trunk at the edge of the courtyard, the white snake Kaburamaru around her neck flicking its scarlet tongue.

Obanai's heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one green, weren't looking at Tanjiro, but rather fixedly and jealously on the stunningly beautiful figure beside Giyu.

At this moment, Kanae Kocho was slightly turned to the side, her fair and soft hands naturally resting on Giyu's arm, half of her body exuding an intimate aura of "I am Giyu- sensei's person".

"Mr. Tomioka... why? You shameless scoundrel..."

Obanai squeezed out a voice from under her bandages, her tone so sour it could corrode the stone slabs in the courtyard.

"Not only did he bring dangerous evil spirits back to his base, but he even dared to get entangled with butterflies in broad daylight!"

"You bastard, whose sword spirit has been hollowed out by beautiful women and who reeks of perfume, don't deserve to be called the strongest!"

"... I'm going to melt you and that brat together with snake venom!"

Faced with this passionate and spittle-flecked outcry,

Giyu Tomioka:...

He didn't even blink.

He was like an ancient rock placed in the eye of a storm, his hands still securely tucked into his sleeves.

"Are you done talking?"

Giyu's calm, even slightly indifferent voice, carrying a hint of "you guys are so noisy," rang out clearly in the chaotic courtyard.

He raised his deep blue eyes, his gaze sweeping over his colleagues who were clamoring to kill.

"First, Tanjiro is currently human; he doesn't have any active demon cells in his body."

"Secondly, my swordsmanship is unwavering; it hasn't been eroded by beauty. Kanae is standing here because our Master made an exception and promoted her to the position of Flower Hashira."

"Third..."

Giyu slightly turned his body, completely exposing Tanjiro, who had been hidden in his shadow, to the midday sun.

"You bunch of self-proclaimed strongest swordsmen, have you lost even the most basic common sense?"

"Open your eyes wide and take a good look at where he's standing."

Giyu had barely finished speaking.

The entire courtyard seemed to have been instantly muted.

Sanemi's furious expression froze.

Obanai's sharp tongue got stuck in her throat.

A look of utter astonishment flashed across Kyojuro's wide eyes.

Even Gyomei, who had been weeping, stopped moving his prayer beads.

All eyes were fixed on Tanjiro in disbelief.

More precisely, it's concentrated on the patch of sunlight beneath Tanjiro's feet!

It was midday, and the scorching sun, with no shade, poured into the courtyard like a waterfall.

The red-haired boy, whom they called an "evil spirit" and clamored to perform a physical exorcism, stood there completely unguarded under the scorching sun.

No screams!

No spontaneous combustion!

It didn't turn to ashes!

Not even a wisp of smoke rose from the flames!

He stood there so obediently, shivering in the sunlight.

"This... how is this possible?!"

Tengen Uzui had completely forgotten his usual fancy verbal tics; he rubbed his eyes, which were practically popping out of their sockets.

"A ghost... a ghost can actually stand in the sun?! That's the most unglamorous joke ever!"

"Wow! This is unbelievable!! This completely defies the common sense we've learned about slaying demons for hundreds of years!"

Kyojuro also shouted in shock.

Even Mitsuri Kanroji, the [Love Hashira] who had been standing in the corner and too shy to speak, covered her flushed cheeks and let out a small gasp:

"Oh my... that boy is actually shivering in the sun! Not only is he not afraid of the sun, but he's also so handsome. He looks so pitiful and cute!"

"He must be a kind and gentle boy, okay? Let's not bully him anymore, alright?"

Mitsuri's "overflowing sympathy" remark was like throwing a boulder into a calm lake.