"First, the results." Rokuya spoke slowly, but every word was perfectly clear. "Upper Rank Five, Gyokko, and Upper Rank Four, Hantengu, have been confirmed slain for good. Although most of the Swordsmith Village was reduced to ruins, nearly all the core swordsmiths evacuated safely."
At the news of two Upper Ranks falling, Kagaya trembled slightly, and a tear of excitement slipped from the corner of his eye. Although he had already received the news, he still could not contain his joy. He pressed his palms together and softly murmured the names of the swordsmen who had sacrificed themselves over the past century to slay the Upper Ranks.
Once Kagaya had composed himself, Rokuya continued, "But while we were pursuing Hantengu's true body, something unexpected happened. I encountered Upper Rank One, Kokushibo. That wasn't important at the time, so I didn't report it."
The wind in the courtyard seemed to still at that instant.
Lady Amane's writing hand stopped abruptly, and Kagaya's breathing paused for half a second.
"Upper Rank One..." Kagaya murmured the name again, his tone heavy with a gravity he could not conceal. "Did you fight him?"
"Only very briefly." As Rokuya recalled those six demonlike eyes and that utterly bizarre Moon Breathing, his gaze turned cold. "Oyakata-sama, Kokushibo's strength is on an entirely different plane from the other Upper Ranks. He was probably an extremely powerful Demon Slayer before becoming a demon. He might even have very deep ties to Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
Kagaya listened silently without interrupting.
Rokuya continued his analysis. "His swordsmanship has reached the pinnacle. But what concerned me most was his extremely unusual visual ability. I call it the 'Transparent World.'"
"The Transparent World?" Kagaya repeated the unfamiliar term.
"That's right." Rokuya nodded. "Through his eyes, he can see everything inside the human body.