The sun over Yoshiwara had already reached its zenith.
But at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters a thousand miles away, the atmosphere remained as oppressive as the deepest darkness before dawn.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki knelt quietly on the veranda. The spreading purple markings on his pale face seemed to have deepened another shade. Though his eyes were already blind, he seemed able to see through the distance to the battlefield called Yoshiwara.
Several figures knelt behind him.
They were the mainstays of the Demon Slayer Corps, the "Hashira."
The Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, wore an expression of irritable impatience. His fingers tapped repeatedly against his sword hilt with dull thuds.
"They're taking too long! Still no news?! What the hell is that flashy bastard doing?!"
In the treetops of the courtyard, the Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro, curled around a branch like a snake. The white snake coiled around his neck, Kaburamaru, flicked his tongue.
"Hmph, who knows? With that Thunder Hashira of unknown origins and that idiot boy who shelters a demon, maybe they've torn down all of Yoshiwara themselves by now." His cold voice was full of distrust.
The Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, smiled, seemingly soothing the others, but a trace of lingering worry lay deep within her beautiful purple eyes.
The strongest of them, the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, held his palms together and fingered his prayer beads. Large tears rolled silently from his tightly closed eyes.
"Namu Amida Butsu... may Oyakata-sama's children be fortunate enough to survive..."
Several hours had passed since they received word that the Sound Hashira had encountered Upper Rank Six in Yoshiwara.
In that span, long enough for any battle to end in life or death, every minute and second of waiting was a torment to the mind.
They all knew how terrifying an