Those icy blue eyes, devoid of any emotion, silently gazed at Sabito behind her.
There was no anger, no questioning, not even the slightest emotional fluctuation.
It was as if he wasn't looking at a comrade who had just betrayed him, but at an insignificant, lifeless object.
Yet, it was this calm gaze that made the hairs on the back of the Sabito stand on end!
His hands, pressing on Giyu Tomioka's shoulders, felt as if they were pressing on two blocks of unmelting ice. A chilling coldness crept up his arms and into his body.
"Well..."
The smile on Sabito's face froze.
He felt as if his neck was a rusty gear, making a "creaking" sound, and slowly, with difficulty, he turned his head around.
"Um... Giyu... let me explain..."
His voice was as dry as if it had been sanded.
"I'm doing this for the future of all humanity! Think about it, if we can successfully research your blood, we can mass-produce a whole bunch of Pillar-level fighters! Then what are we afraid of, Muzan Kibutsuji? We'll just storm his doorstep and scatter his ashes!"
"Sacrificing one for the happiness of millions! What a noble cause!"
The more the Sabito spoke, the more excited it became, as if it had truly become that great pioneer who was working tirelessly for the future of humankind.
However, Giyu Tomioka's expression remained unchanged.
He just stared at him quietly, his gaze as if he were watching a monkey jumping around.
The atmosphere in the reception room was extremely awkward.
Tamayo and Yushiro looked at each other in bewilderment. They had lived for hundreds of years and this was the first time they had ever seen such a unique way of expressing "friendship".
"Cough cough..."
In the end, it was Tamayo, this gentle woman, who broke the suffocating silence.
She picked up the syringe beside her, a hint of apology and helplessness on her face, and said softly, "Um... Mr. Giyu, since you don't object, shall I begin?"
As she spoke, she carefully inserted the cold needle into Giyu Tomioka's arm.
The crimson, faintly glowing blood flowed slowly through the tube into the prepared test tube.
One tube, two tubes, three tubes...
The Sabito watched from the side, its eyes wide with amazement.
He could feel that as the blood was lost, Giyu Tomioka's aura did not weaken at all; on the contrary, it seemed to be activated, and the vitality in his body became more and more vigorous.
This guy... he really is a monster...
After drawing four full tubes of blood, Tamayo stopped. She carefully sealed the precious samples, a satisfied smile on her face.
With these, her research progress can be advanced significantly!
Just then, Giyu Tomioka, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating huge waves.
"Miss Tamayo, Mr. Yushiro."
He looked at the two ghosts before him and said in an unquestionable, factual tone:
"Please come with us to Mount Sagiri."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, the three people present were simultaneously stunned.
The Sabito's mouth gaped open in an "O" shape; it wondered if there was something wrong with its ears.
Sending two demons to the Demon Slayer Corps' Cultivator? Isn't that like sending lambs to the slaughter?!
Tamayo's smile froze, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, clearly not understanding Giyu's meaning.
The most vehement reaction came from Yushiro!
"Are you kidding me?!"
He slammed his hand on the table, his whole body bristling like a cat whose tail had been stepped on!
He pointed at Giyu Tomioka's nose and roared angrily, "You want us to go to your Demon Slayer Corps' territory? Are you trying to send us to our deaths?!"
"Who do you think you are?! You think they'll believe us just because you say we're good ghosts?! The moment we show our faces, we'll be hacked to pieces by those Demon Slayer!!"
Yushiro's voice became shrill with anger. He stared intently at Giyu Tomioka, his eyes filled with a desire to devour him alive.
In his mind, demons and the Demon Slayer Corps are natural, irreconcilable enemies.
Sending two ghosts to the Demon Slayer's stronghold is practically suicide!
However, faced with Yushiro's overwhelming rage, Giyu Tomioka's face remained as calm and expressionless as a dead man.
"I will report this matter to my Oyakata-sama."
He calmly explained, "And I will protect you."
His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable confidence.
It was as if he were stating a fact, not a promise.
"My Oyakata-sama?" Yushiro was taken aback for a moment, then let out a cold laugh. "You think your so-called Oyakata-sama would believe the words of a ghost? Don't dream!"
"He will."
Giyu said with certainty.
In his mind, this was almost a foregone conclusion.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki, that man, possessed foresight and courage that were difficult for ordinary people to match.
One possesses in-depth knowledge of Muzan Kibutsuji, another can research methods to weaken demons and even turn them back into humans, and yet another presents an opportunity to significantly enhance the Demon Slayer Corps' combat power...
The combined value of all of this was enough for that Oyakata-sama to suppress all dissenting voices and take this gamble.
Moreover, the risks of this gamble were entirely under his control.
Giyu's gaze swept over Tamayo almost imperceptibly.
Trust is useless.
As a pillar, he dared not gamble.
Even though Tamayo seems harmless now, and even though she doesn't live by eating people, no one can guarantee that she won't commit murder again someday for some reason.
After all, she has a "criminal record".
The safest course of action would be to take her to Mount Sagiri and place her under the watchful eye of her mentor Sakonji Urokodaki.
As for why they didn't just bring him back to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters...
A fleeting, almost imperceptible, seriousness flashed in Giyu's eyes.
The Demon Slayer Corps has been able to continue for a thousand years not only because of its so-called spirit, but also because of its deep-rooted, almost obsessive, caution.
The location of headquarters must not be revealed unless there is absolute certainty of a fatal blow.
It's far too early to have Muzan Kibutsuji.
"You..."
Yushiro wanted to say something more, but a soft hand gently pressed down on his shoulder.
"Yushiro."
Tamayo spoke, her voice soft yet carrying a comforting power.
She stopped Yushiro from arguing any further, then raised her head, her beautiful eyes gazing deeply into the icy blue lake of Giyu Tomioka.
After a brief eye contact, she slowly nodded.
"Good."
"I believe you, Mr. Giyu."
We'll go with you.
"Lady Tamayo!!" Yushiro exclaimed in disbelief.
He couldn't understand why Tamayo would make such a hasty decision!
Would you entrust your life to a man you've only met a few times, and who's even from the opposing camp?
This is insane!
However, Giyu Tomioka simply nodded calmly, as if he had expected this outcome.
He stood up, turned around, and walked outside.
Sabito paused for half a second, then quickly followed. Before leaving, he gave the furious ghost a pitying look.
Brother, accept your fate.
Reasoning with this monster is useless.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Yushiro finally couldn't hold back any longer. He turned around and asked urgently, "Tamayo! Why?! How could you trust him?! He's a Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
Tamayo did not answer.
Her gaze followed Giyu Tomioka's not-so-tall, but unusually upright back, and she felt a moment of disorientation.
For some reason, that figure gradually overlapped with the one deep in her memory—a figure dressed in a red haori, as dazzling as the sun.
Hundreds of years ago, that man spoke to her in the same calm yet firm tone.
[Help me, let's find a way to defeat Muzan. We can share information, and you can also use your knowledge to research ways to fight Muzan.]
That was the first glimmer of true hope she had seen since she fell into hell.
And today...
A faint, yet genuine smile appeared on Tamayo's lips.
"Perhaps..."
She murmured softly, her voice carrying a hint of relief.
"New hope has emerged."
Outside the mansion.
Giyu Tomioka took out a pre-written letter from his pocket and handed it to the old-looking Kasugai Crow that had landed on his shoulder.
"Kanzaburo."
He stroked the crow's feathers and said softly.
"Please, get it to our Oyakata-sama as quickly as possible."
"Gaa--!"
The old Kasugai Crow let out a powerful cry, nuzzled Giyu's fingers affectionately with its head, then flapped its wings and soared into the night sky above Asakusa, becoming a black dot and disappearing into the Asakusa night sky.
Soon, Tamayo and Yushiro had packed their few belongings.
It was a seemingly ordinary medicine box, but inside lay all the culmination of her centuries of research.
That's all.
Two swordsmen from the Demon Slayer Corps, and two demons who had broken free from Muzan's control.
This most bizarre and unbelievable combination in history embarked on their journey to Mount Sagiri under the cover of night.