One Strike, Total Defeat! The Mystery of the Transparent World Revealed!

Within the spacious courtyard of the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, several Hashira stood beneath the shade, their eyes fixed on the tense standoff not far away.

Mitsuri Kanroji covered her mouth with both hands, her pretty face full of conflict.

"How... how did it come to this?"

Shinobu Kocho shook her head with a wry smile. "Anyone would lose their temper in the face of that kind of provocation. This situation really is unavoidable."

Kyojuro Rengoku sighed repeatedly. "Ah... if only someone could step in and stop them."

Gyomei Himejima caught the unspoken meaning in his words. He pressed his palms together, his expression calm and unruffled.

"Namu Amida Butsu. Mr. Kashu must have his reasons for acting this way."

Was that really so?

Apart from the inscrutable, silent Giyu Tomioka and Muichiro Tokito, the Love Hashira, Insect Hashira, and Flame Hashira were all filled with doubts.

In the open space at the center of the courtyard—

Kashu's gaze swept over Tengen Uzui, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Obanai Iguro one by one.

Then he raised a hand slightly, his tone calm yet overwhelmingly oppressive.

"What are you waiting for? Come at me."

The words were like sparks falling into boiling oil, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of the three Hashira. A fierce battle was about to erupt!

Sound Breathing, Fifth Form: Stringed Melody Overlap!

Tengen Uzui roared as he drew the twin blades from his back. His shinobi technique infused them with gunpowder, and as the blades spun, they unleashed deafening blasts. He charged Kashu first!

Serpent Breathing, Second Form: Narrow-Headed Venom Fangs!

Obanai Iguro moved with eerie unpredictability, suddenly accelerating around to Kashu's rear.

His uniquely shaped Nichirin Blade struck like a venomous snake leaving its nest, aiming straight for Kashu's neck with the same ruthless decisiveness he used to behead demons!

Wind Breathing, Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon!

Sanemi Shinazugawa shot into the sky, forcibly twisting his body in midair. Dozens of violent sword slashes tore through the air and descended from above!

Explosive flames, an unpredictable ambush, and fierce slashes that blanketed the sky.

The three had not exchanged a single word beforehand, yet their coordination was flawless, unleashing a terrifying offensive capable of matching an Upper Rank demon!

Yet Kashu, trapped within their encirclement, remained composed. Only faint arcs of dancing electricity gradually emerged across his body, crackling softly.

Thunder Form: Light Fang, Threefold Devouring!

In an instant, a dazzling flash of heavenly light erupted. Like a dragon, it tore through the flames and thunderous blasts in a single charge.

Tengen Uzui felt a terrifying, monstrous force rebound through him. Both arms went numb in an instant, and he could no longer hold his Nichirin Blades. They flew from his hands!

Before the Wind and Serpent Hashira could react, the bolt of lightning charging straight ahead twisted strangely midway, shooting skyward with its sharp edge aimed directly at Sanemi Shinazugawa!

Obanai Iguro's blade cut through empty air, and his heart clenched.

Then he heard a muffled groan overhead. He hurriedly looked up.

What met his eyes was a savage dragon head formed from lightning, its fangs bared as it bit down from the sky!

The thunder and lightning suddenly vanished, and Kashu reappeared where he had been standing.

He casually shook his blade, flicking away several lingering arcs of electricity, his tone as calm as ever.

"Now do you understand why I said you couldn't help?"

The courtyard fell into deathly silence.

The Hashira watching from the sidelines were all stunned speechless, their minds reeling.

To them, it had all happened in the span of a flash. Three battle-hardened Hashira-level swordsmen had actually...

Tengen Uzui's arms continued to tremble as he watched his Nichirin Blades spin through the air and fall into the stream beside the courtyard. He lowered his head dejectedly and said nothing.

Sanemi Shinazugawa lay flat on his back, his chest heaving violently, his face twisted in agony.

He clutched his chest and opened his mouth several times as if to roar, but not a sound came out.

The force of Kashu's strike with the flat of his blade had been so heavy that it felt as though Sanemi's internal organs had been knocked out of place. He could not catch his breath for the moment.

Obanai Iguro lightly brushed the shallow cut in his uniform, left by the passing blade.

He silently sheathed his sword and walked back among the companions watching the fight without a word.

Though the exchange had been brief, it had made him keenly understand the despairing gap in their strength.

Kashu looked around and nodded slightly.

"Very well. Then today's sparring ends here. I have some personal matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

"Mr. Kashu, please wait!"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's voice rang out with a note of urgency.

His eyes had already gone completely blind. Everything that had happened had just been quietly relayed to him by his wife and daughters, and only now did he learn of the astonishing outcome.

Unlike the Hashira, who had fallen into deep self-doubt, Kagaya Ubuyashiki had long anticipated Kashu's strength.

Thus, he was instead the calmest person present.

He felt around to adjust the direction of his body. Once he had confirmed he was facing Kashu, he performed the most solemn dogeza, bowing deeply.

"Master!?"

"What are you doing? Please get up!"

"As our master, how can you perform such a bow to another person?"

The Hashira were horrified and rushed forward to help him up, but Kagaya Ubuyashiki stopped them with a calm yet resolute voice.

Still prostrated on the ground, he spoke his request.

"Most of the children who join the Demon Slayer Corps bear blood-deep grudges. Some have lost their closest family, while others have been forever separated from the ones they love."

His voice trembled slightly, but every word was clear.

"They stake their lives on the path of slaying demons, only so that there may be fewer tragedies like their own in this world. For that, they spare no effort in their training."

"Even if... even if it is only the faintest shred of hope, the smallest measure of solace, I beg you, please grant their long-held wish!"

Kashu remained silent. Kagaya Ubuyashiki continued to bow deeply, refusing to rise.

The Hashira beside him lowered their heads, their faces burning with shame. They felt utterly humiliated.

The air seemed to freeze. After an unknown amount of time, Kashu finally spoke.

His voice was calm, yet it carried an aloof detachment from the world.

"Isn't... staying alive good enough?"

Kashu looked at the Hashira. The determination and stubbornness burning in their eyes gave him a silent answer.

He could not fully understand this obsession, but he could no longer try to dissuade them.

Kashu felt a faint ache at his temples and raised a hand to rub them.

"Do as you please. Since you have that resolve, then train with everything you have!"

"If you temper your Breathing Styles to the utmost limit, you may have a chance to reach a state similar to the mind's eye. Tanjiro's father called it the 'Transparent World.'"

"Once you awaken the Transparent World, not only will your perception increase drastically, allowing you to see through openings and predict attacks, but you will also gain perfect control over every ounce of your own strength. It will give you the foundation to contend with Upper Rank demons."

At those words, every Hashira's expression changed dramatically, and an uproar broke out.

"The Transparent World?"

"There is such a realm?"

"We have trained in Breathing Styles for years, yet we had never even heard of it..."

Gyomei Himejima softly recited a Buddhist invocation. "The mind's eye... Namu Amida Butsu..."

A sharp glint flashed in Kyojuro Rengoku's eyes as he urgently asked, "Could it be that Mr. Kashu was able to defeat Upper Rank Three so easily because of the Transparent World?"

Kashu shook his head. "My situation is special, so I cannot be used as a reference. But one thing is certain—"

"Once you successfully awaken the Transparent World, your strength will undergo a qualitative transformation. At that point, even against Upper Rank demons, you will have the power to fight them, or even surround and kill them!"

Upon hearing this, violent flames reignited in the eyes of Sanemi Shinazugawa, who had remained silent since his defeat. A savage grin spread across his face.

"Ha! Now that you've put it that way, isn't it obvious what we have to do next?"

He sprang up from the ground, battle intent surging from his entire body.

"Train! Train like our lives depend on it! One month! I'll open that Transparent World within one month, even if it kills me!"

"I absolutely won't be absent from the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa's declaration was simple and crude, but it shouted out the feelings in every Hashira's heart.

Their unwillingness, their longing, their resolve to grow stronger at any cost!

Afterward, Kagaya Ubuyashiki formally issued a new order to the Hashira.

Effective immediately, all Demon Slayer Corps members ranked Kanoe and above were to be gathered for one month of hellish intensive training!

Each Hashira would be responsible for a specific training subject according to their own specialties.

After assigning their respective training duties, Kagaya Ubuyashiki announced another decision that would shake the entire Demon Slayer Corps.

The position of "Commander-in-Chief of the Demon Slayer Corps" would be established!

The status and authority of this position would be equal to that of the master!

Even in a crisis where the master could not issue orders, the Commander-in-Chief would hold supreme command over all Corps members!

The Hashira understood perfectly well who else could possibly hold this supreme position but Kashu.

Before today, perhaps some might still have harbored doubts.

But after personally experiencing or witnessing that unfathomable strength, not a single person had any objection left.

The motion passed unanimously!

The fate of demons and demon slayers seemed to have quietly shifted at this moment.

But could one month of hellish training truly allow the Hashira to touch that legendary Transparent World?