As the sliding door opened, the light inside tore through the darkness outside.
Then, a figure dressed in a gorgeous kimono, with a gentle yet solemn face, quietly entered and walked steadily to the center of the room.
Upon seeing the newcomer, all the pillars bowed deeply.
" My Master!"
Five loud voices rang out almost simultaneously, interspersed with a slightly weaker "Leader."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki responded to everyone with his warm smile. He looked around, his gaze lingering on the faces of each Pillar for a moment, as if silently conveying strength and encouragement.
"Children, I'm so glad to see you all again, especially this time. Even with Upper Rank Two, you all still managed to gather here, which makes me very happy."
His words were gentle yet powerful, like a spring breeze and gentle rain, nourishing everyone's heart.
Even though reason tells Teiichi that it's strange for someone his age to call people like himself "children," his mind inexplicably feels that it's actually quite appropriate.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki knelt at the head of the table, his posture dignified, and continued speaking as he looked at everyone:
"I think everyone already knows the purpose of this Hashira Meeting."
"We're here to share and discuss Upper Rank Two, aren't we?" Gyomei Himejima slowly, his hands clasped together.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded. "That's right, this meeting has only one purpose."
Having said that, he turned his gaze to Kanae.
"Now, let's have Kanae was the first to encounter Upper Rank Two, talk about it."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Kanae Kocho, who was sitting to one side.
Kanae nodded in agreement and began to recount her experience.
"My original mission was simply to find a demon who appeared to be Lower Rank, but during the mission, I unexpectedly encountered Upper Rank Two disguised as a human. At that time..."
"Etc!"
Kanae's words were interrupted almost immediately. Tengen Uzui asked gravely, "You mean Upper Rank Two disguised himself as a human?"
Kanae nodded. "Yes, he was very good at disguising it. I didn't even notice him when we passed each other."
Tengen Uzui pressed further, "He didn't attack you then?"
Kanae shook her head, denying it.
"So how did you find out he was Upper Rank Two?" Gyomei Himejima asked from the side.
"That's what I'm going to talk about next," Kanae said, and then continued.
"Back then, Upper Rank Two was disguised as a human and dating a girl. That girl bumped into me by accident, which is why I have a deep impression of her."
Two days later, I saw the news of the girl's disappearance in the newspaper. At that time, someone from the Wisteria House told me about the girl's situation, and I thought she had eloped with someone, so I didn't pay much attention.
Unexpectedly, when I finished my mission that night, I happened to encounter Upper Rank Two disguised as a human. Out of curiosity, I chased after him. After I caught up, Upper Rank Two revealed his identity to me.
This is how I discovered Upper Rank Two.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"So, Upper Rank Two can disguise itself as a human and live in human society?" The calm words came from Giyu Tomioka's mouth.
Kanae glanced at Giyu and nodded. "I think so."
"If Upper Rank Two possesses this ability, then can I assume that the other Upper Rank demons also possess this ability, and that the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji probably does as well?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki offered his guess, and the atmosphere in the room immediately froze as he did so.
Gyomei Himejima said gravely, "Is this why our Demon Slayer Corps has been Muzan Kibutsuji for so many years?"
Tengen Uzui appeared somewhat agitated. "What a joke! This is simply... this is an insult to us!"
Over the years, we've killed countless ghosts, yet we've been groping in the dark all along. If ghosts can truly roam freely in human society, how can we find them? And how can we protect innocent people?
After Tengen Uzui finished speaking, the room fell silent as everyone pondered this weighty question.
Indeed, the Demon Slayer Corps has always believed that once someone becomes a demon, they will be unable to integrate into the human world.
This time, the information Kanae brought back had a huge impact on them.
Originally, the Demon Slayer Corps searched for demons by tracking the number of deaths in the vast mountains and fields. This news means that if they want to find Muzan, the Demon Slayer Corps may have to investigate from among the vast sea of people in the future.
Without government support, the Demon Slayer Corps, with only a few hundred members including combat and logistical personnel, faced an immense challenge in achieving this.
Teiichi sat quietly in place, his eyes deep. He knew all the information, but there was no point in saying it.
First of all, given the current situation of the Demon Slayer Corps, it is indeed highly unlikely that they can find Muzan. If he doesn't reveal anything, the Demon Slayer Corps would probably only target adult males, Muzan can change his identity from adult to child, man to woman at will. Under these circumstances, there is no way they could find Muzan.
Secondly, even if he himself said that the Demon Slayer Corps could be found, finding it now would be no different from sending them to their deaths. Rather, it's because Muzan has never focused his efforts on the Demon Slayer Corps Demon Slayer Corps that they have been able to exist until now.
Otherwise, Muzan really wanted to find the Demon Slayer Corps, he could have simply converted more demons and let them search the mountains and fields. He would have found them eventually, even after a thousand years.
In conclusion, it wouldn't be of any use to let the Demon Slayer Corps know this information in advance, and Muzan will naturally come out after Nezuko overcomes the sunlight in a few years.
It's Teiichi doesn't believe that Muzan, who has been searching for the Blue Spider Lily for a thousand years, can endure it any longer.
Therefore, to kill Muzan, one would have to encounter him by Muzan and possess the Muzan power to Muzan kill him; otherwise, the only option would be to wait until Nezuko overcomes the sun.
Wait, that's not right!
He planned to take advantage of the opportunity at the Swordsmith Village to kill Hantengu and avenge his master.
What if Nezuko Muzan to overcome the sun's power on that day because of her own actions, and Muzan actually continues to live on...?
Thinking of this, Teiichi fell into deep thought.