"The new Lower Rank Two, Rokuro, was the one I encountered. Though he was strong, my own abilities had improved after learning Sun Breathing, so I defeated him without injury! Uzui, thank you for your concern!"
Rengoku Kyojuro sat up straight, his eyes wide, and spoke loudly.
"Uh… actually, I was just asking. If I were truly concerned, I'd be concerned about Qingshui and the others. Encountering two Upper Rank Demons at once and successfully defeating them without any Hashira dying—that's such an incredible feat, I wouldn't have believed it before."
Uzui Tengen scratched his head again, looking at Qingshui, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Everyone had learned the details of the battle at Swordsmith Village.
Kocho Shinobu and Kanroji Mitsuri's performance met their expectations, as the two of them together managed to hold off Upper Rank Five.
But Qingshui's performance was rather terrifying.
First, he single-handedly defeated Upper Rank Two, then returned to support Kocho Shinobu and Kanroji Mitsuri, killing Upper Rank Five with a single strike.
This record was simply too astonishing.
The Upper Rank Demons had not changed for a hundred years. If someone were to defeat an Upper Rank Demon alone, that achievement would be enough to call them the strongest Hashira in a century.
Yet Qingshui had killed two Upper Rank Demons in one night, one of them being the extremely high-ranking Upper Rank Two.
In three hundred years, apart from the era of the first swordsman, no generation of Hashira had ever accomplished such a feat, making him the strongest Hashira in three hundred years!
While this amazed every member of the Demon Slayer Corps, it also sparked an idea among the Hashira.
The Transparent World technique was actually this powerful!
Coach, I want to learn!
"Ahem, everyone, I apologize for being late."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya, amidst coughs, was helped by his wife Ubuyashiki Amane to the front of everyone, a barely concealed joy on his face.
He couldn't help but be happy.
Last year, Lower Rank Two was slain by Rengoku Kyojuro, and this year, Lower Rank Three and Lower Rank Six were eliminated. This was already a rare occurrence in many years.
But now, something even bigger had happened.
Lower Rank One, Lower Rank Two, Upper Rank Five, Upper Rank Two!
In total, purely by number, more than half of the Twelve Kizuki had been annihilated!
Three hundred years ago, apart from the era of the first swordsman, they had slain most of the Twelve Kizuki except Muzan. In the three hundred years since, the Demon Slayer Corps had barely killed any Upper Rank Demons, and for over a hundred years, no Upper Rank had even died.
"Master!"
"Master!"
"Ubuyashiki-senpai."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled as he looked at the people before him.
The character for Hashira has nine strokes, and in the past, the Demon Slayer Corps usually only had up to nine Hashira at any given time.
Yet this generation had ten, and each of them truly possessed the ability to serve as a Hashira, accomplishing what countless previous generations of Hashira had failed to do.
"Everyone, I sincerely thank you. You have braved hardships, risked your lives, and slain Demons for humanity."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya bowed deeply to everyone.
Rengoku Kyojuro and Uzui Tengen, who were closest, quickly stepped forward to support him.
"Namu Amida Butsu, Master, why this formality? Slaying Demons is, after all, the duty of a Hashira."
Himejima Gyomei said, pressing his palms together.
"Compared to you who face life and death, I, who am powerless, can only do so much. Gyomei, Kyojuro, thank you for eliminating another Lower Rank Demon."
"Qingshui, Kocho Shinobu, Mitsuri, I thank you even more for eradicating two Upper Rank Demons. This time, it is a change unprecedented in a hundred, no, three hundred years… cough, cough—!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's voice became emotional, and in the end, due to speaking too quickly, it affected his body, and he began to cough.
Amane quickly patted Ubuyashiki Kagaya's back, helping him catch his breath.
"No, Master, all of this is actually thanks to Qingshui. Both Upper Rank Demons were killed by him. Mitsuri and I merely held off Upper Rank Five temporarily."
Kocho Shinobu turned to look at Qingshui, remembering the awe-inspiring moment when Qingshui killed Gyokko with a single sword that night, and the tragic heroism of him resolutely blocking Doma all by himself.
"Mm-hmm! Shinobu-chan is right! Senior Qingshui is amazing! I barely even saw it, and he killed that fish-like demon with one sword!"
Kanroji Mitsuri nodded her head beside Kocho Shinobu.
Killing an Upper Rank with one sword!
These words made Ubuyashiki Kagaya's heart tremble, and the hearts of Shinazugawa Sanemi and the other Hashira burned with passion.
If they could also master the Transparent World ability, would they also be able to kill Upper Ranks? And if all the Hashira worked together, could they kill Muzan?
Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled, signaling for the incessantly chattering Kanroji Mitsuri to stop, then asked Qingshui and Himejima Gyomei.
"Qingshui, Gyomei, is it possible for other Hashira to also master the Transparent World ability? Our generation is the one with the greatest chance to eliminate Muzan in three hundred years. If we can increase our chances, that would be a tremendous boon."
Qingshui looked at Himejima Gyomei, then at the other Hashira.
In the original timeline, apart from Yoriichi and his brother, and Tanjiro and his father, the only ones who had activated the Transparent World were Himejima Gyomei, Iguro Obanai, and Tokito Muichiro.
It was these three Hashira who, in the final battle, activated all three elements: the Demon Slayer Mark, Red Blade, and Transparent World.
The Serpent Hashira's perception might be the strongest among this generation of Hashira, second only to Himejima Gyomei. In the original timeline, after Gyomei comprehended the Transparent World, he guided the Serpent Hashira with words on the battlefield, and he quickly grasped the technique.
As for Tokito Muichiro, his talent was simply too high; he comprehended these things himself during battle.
These two, with some guidance, would likely be able to activate it.
Beyond them, there's Uzui Tengen.
In the original timeline, Uzui Tengen retired early due to injuries sustained in the battle against Upper Rank Six, so he didn't participate in the Infinity Castle battle or activate the 'three-piece set,' which even made him one of the Hashira with the worst combat record.
However, looking at it now, he actually has the best chance.
In terms of arm strength, excluding Qingshui, he's second only to the Stone Hashira. They are the two most likely to activate a Red Blade without activating a Demon Slayer Mark.
In terms of perception, he can activate the Score, and he's now just one step away from activating Transparent World.
As for the remaining people, Rengoku Kyojuro, who has learned part of Sun Breathing, might have a chance?
As Qingshui pondered, Himejima Gyomei slowly spoke:
"The Transparent World is a sense that can only be activated when the mind and body become transparent. In this state, one's movement speed and the ability to predict and evade attacks will significantly improve. The blood flow in an opponent's lungs becomes clearly visible, and one can grasp the contraction of one's own muscles more quickly, perfectly seeing through all of the enemy's weaknesses..."
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------