The Iguro Family estate is located on the north side of the island, backed by cliffs and facing the sea.
A tall stone wall completely surrounded the entire mansion, and the only main gate, a heavy iron gate, was tightly closed at the moment.
However, the three of them did not use the main entrance.
When they were still a hundred meters away from the manor, Giyu suddenly stopped.
Shinjuro also frowned at the same time.
A night breeze blew in from the direction of the manor, bringing with it an overwhelming... stench of blood.
It wasn't just a little bit; it was so strong it was nauseating, like buckets of blood being spilled on the ground and fermenting overnight.
Obanai's face turned deathly pale.
He smelled it too, and he recognized it—it was the smell of "family"! Or rather, the smell of former family members who might now have become something else.
"It seems..."
Shinjuro's voice deepened.
"We're late. Or rather... we just made it."
"Obanai,"
Giyu turned around and glanced at him.
What you're about to see might become your nightmare. It's not too late to leave now.
Obanai gritted her teeth and shook her head. "I want to see."
"Good."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shinjuro moved.
The flame-patterned haori suddenly billowed in the darkness, its gold and red colors transforming into a streak of light.
He bent his knees slightly, and then—exploded!
Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground as his body shot into the sky like a cannonball.
The ten-meter-high wall seemed like a low fence to him. Flames exploded beneath his feet, propelling him over the top of the wall and drawing a burning arc in the air.
The next second, a deafening roar came from inside the walls.
Giyu turned to Obanai and extended his hand.
Before Obanai could react, the back of her collar was grabbed.
Then he felt himself being lifted into the air, and the scenery in front of him was falling rapidly—no, it was them rising!
Giyu lifted him up, stepped onto the protrusion in the middle of the wall, and with a second burst of strength, the two of them landed lightly on the eaves inside the wall.
They landed silently.
Obanai lay on the roof tile, looking down.
Then, his breathing stopped.
The courtyard is very large.
It should have been a meticulously maintained Japanese-style garden, with artificial hills, ponds, stone lanterns, and neatly trimmed pine trees.
But now, this is hell.
Forty or fifty ghosts roamed, biting, and fighting in the courtyard.
Most of them still retain their human form, wearing the clothing with the Iguro Family crest, and some even show their original appearance.
But its eyes had turned blood red, its mouth was split open, and saliva mixed with blood dripped down. Sharp claws grew from its hands, and its teeth became sharp.
In the center of the courtyard, a flame was burning.
Shinjuro Rengoku stood in the center of the demon horde, his flame-patterned haori fluttering wildly in the turbulent air currents.
He gripped the knife with both hands, the blade burning with pure golden-red flames that illuminated a three-meter radius around him as bright as day.
The ghosts discovered him.
Hunger and madness overwhelmed their instinctive fear of the flames, and they roared as they pounced from all directions. Claws, teeth, and twisted limbs surged toward the fire like a tidal wave.
Shinjuro smiled.
"Flame Breathing - Second Form-- "
He took a step, spun around, and swung his long sword upwards.
" --Rising Scorching Sun!"
Flames surged like a waterfall flowing backwards, shooting from the ground into the sky!
Three massive fiery slashes erupted in a fan shape, engulfing the three demons that were charging straight at them before they could even scream, and splitting them in two at the waist.
His upper body was completely burned away in the flames, but his lower body remained in a forward-moving posture, running two steps before collapsing.
But this is just the beginning.
The demons on both sides had already pounced on him. Instead of retreating, Shinjuro stepped forward and spun around.
"Third Form: All- Blazing Universe!"
The flash of the blade transformed into a whirlwind of flames.
The onrushing horde of ghosts was like hitting an invisible meat grinder; their limbs were severed, burned, and turned to ashes in the flames.
The fiery whirlwind lasted for three seconds, leaving a five-meter radius completely clear.
But there were too many ghosts.
The ghosts behind them continued their attack, stepping over the ashes of their companions.
Shinjuro's figure weaved through the horde of demons, each step precisely placed in the gaps between their attacks, and every strike guaranteed the death of a demon.
Flames crisscrossed in the courtyard, their golden-red trails leaving afterimages in the darkness—a breathtaking beauty, yet also a suffocatingly deadly spectacle.
Obanai lay on the eaves, her heterochromatic eyes wide open to the limit.
He couldn't understand what was happening before his eyes.
Those ghosts that he saw as terrifying and irresistible were as fragile as paper in front of that fiery man.
No, it's even more fragile than paper... at least paper won't burn to ash after being cut in half.
This is... the power of the Pillars?
Is this... a level that humans can reach?
His gaze swept over the faces of the ghosts in the courtyard.
He recognized him... the fat ghost clinging to a human leg and gnawing on it was his third uncle, who was in charge of the family finances.
The female ghost who was tearing at the corpse while lying on the artificial hill was his cousin, who always mocked him.
The old ghost fighting with other ghosts for internal organs is a dignified family elder...
They all turned into ghosts.
Suddenly, Obanai felt nauseous.
It wasn't a physiological reaction to the bloody scene, but rather a disgust at the very existence of the "Iguro Family."
This family is rotten to the core. Their so-called bloodline, their so-called glory, their so-called inheritance... are all built on human sacrifice and collusion with demons.
And now, karma has caught up with them.
"Did you see that clearly?"
Giyu's voice rang out beside me, very calm.
Obanai turned her head.
The white-clad youth remained standing there, his icy blue eyes surveying the battle in the courtyard, his face expressionless, as if what lay below was not a bloody massacre, but a performance unrelated to him.
"The Demon Slayer Corps aims to slay demons like these."
Giyu continued,
"But we should still save people like this."
He pointed to the corner of the courtyard.
Obanai followed the gaze... and behind the artificial hill, several figures were huddled together.
Dressed in servants' clothes, shivering, but still with human eyes.
They didn't become ghosts, perhaps because their status was too low to be worthy of receiving "that great one's" favor, thus escaping a calamity.
"The Pillar's mission is not merely to slay the demons before him."
Giyu's voice was soft, yet it reached Obanai clearly.
"And in the disasters caused by the demons, save those who can be saved. Even if... those people were once accomplices of the evil demons."
Obanai was stunned.
He looked at the servants! Yes, he recognized them. The handymen who helped the family deal with the sacrificial corpses, the spies responsible for monitoring the islanders, and even... a few of them had beaten up sacrificial offerings that tried to escape.
Should someone like that be saved?
Giyu's icy blue eyes looked at Obanai:
"This is the choice you need to make. Joining the Demon Slayer Corps means you will not only have to slay demons, but also distinguish between those who should be killed and those who should be saved in the tragedies caused by demons."
"This is difficult, much more difficult than simple 'revenge'."
In the courtyard, the battle was nearing its end.
Shinjuro's final move, "Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation," unleashed a massive vortex of fire that engulfed the remaining dozen or so demons.
The flames burned for ten seconds. When they died down, only scattered ashes and the surviving humans lying limp on the ground remained in the courtyard.
Shinjuro sheathed his sword, and the flames slowly died down.
The moonlight illuminated the courtyard once more, revealing the bloodstains and ashes scattered on the ground, and also the figure standing in the center of the ruins, his flame-patterned haori still vibrant.
He looked up at the eaves, grinned, and gave a thumbs up:
"Done!"
Looking at that smile, at the flames that still shone brightly amidst the bloodshed, the last vestige of hesitation in Obanai's heart vanished completely.
He got up, stood on the roof, and bowed deeply to Shinjuro below.
"Mr. Rengoku! Please teach me the Breathing Style! Please teach me how to slay demons! I want to join the Demon Slayer Corps! To become a Pillar like you!"
The sound was loud, echoing in the silent night sky.
Giyu looked at the bowing boy, and a barely perceptible hint of... approval flashed in his icy blue eyes!
Shinjuro heartily, his laughter was bold and unrestrained:
"Alright! After we've dealt with things here, I'll take you to see the Oyakata-sama!"