Lord Kagaya, also known as Ubuyashiki Kagaya, solemnly surveyed the assembled crowd in the courtyard with his remaining eye:
"It has been a long time since I last saw you all."
"How wonderful that I can still see your faces."
His voice was gentle, like a warm spring breeze.
Yet as they heard Kagaya's words, the breaths of the assembled warriors grew heavy.
They were all well aware of Kagaya's deteriorating health and understood the implications of his words.
The purple scar on his forehead was like a death warrant etched into his flesh, relentlessly eroding his life.
If the Lord could still see them clearly with one eye now, what would happen in the near future...?
But Kagaya seemed unconcerned, continuing to smile warmly:
"How have you all been these past few months?"
Upon hearing these words, even the typically defiant Sanemi softened his demeanor.
He replied respectfully, "All is well."
"But Lord, your health is what truly matters!"
Kagaya turned to Sanemi and smiled gently. "Thank you, Sanemi."
"I overheard your voice earlier. You seemed to have some questions?"
Sanemi clearly hesitated to voice his concerns directly, but under Kagaya's steady gaze, he finally spoke.
"Lord, forgive my impertinence, but..."
"Rengoku Kyojuro has demonstrated undeniable strength, so I no longer question his appointment as the Flame Pillar."
"To put it bluntly, the Demon Slayer Corps is a place where results and power speak loudest."
"Yet this man... I've never heard of him before."
"Did you summon him here to recruit him into the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Yuki was taken aback by this.
Even in this formal setting, Sanemi was still targeting him?
But as soon as Yuki considered Sanemi's personality, he understood.
Sanemi wasn't deliberately targeting him in this setting, trying to embarrass him.
The man simply lacked social skills and questioned everything he couldn't personally verify.
Just recall Sanemi's "achievements" in the original story:
First, upon becoming the Wind Pillar, he questioned Kagaya, believing the leader saw swordsmen as disposable pawns.
Later, when Kyojuro prepared to succeed his father, Sanemi questioned his presence at the Pillar Meeting.
Then, upon encountering his younger brother, Genya, who had also joined the Demon Slayer Corps, he condemned Genya for choosing a dangerous and misguided path. He not only tried to drive Genya away but also refused to acknowledge their familial bond.
And let's not forget the time Tanjiro appeared at the Pillar Meeting with his sister Nezuko. Sanemi immediately drew his sword and stabbed her...
In short, throughout his life as the Wind Pillar, Sanemi was either questioning others or on the path to questioning them.
Faced with Sanemi's relentless skepticism, Yuki naturally chose to forgive him... *yeah, right!*
Yuki stepped forward, his voice low and steady.
"So, are you here to investigate my past achievements or test my strength?"
He knew Sanemi wasn't inherently a bad person. But unless he could earn Sanemi's complete trust, the Wind Pillar would never become the respectful individual he needed to be.
"You—"
Veins bulged on Sanemi's forehead as he heard these words.
But before he could utter another syllable, Gyomei restrained him.
Slowly withdrawing his hand from Sanemi's shoulder, Gyomei clasped his hands together and spoke solemnly:
"Though we currently possess the Nine Pillars, we remain the weaker party compared to the demons."
"We fully understand Lord's desire to recruit exceptional swordsmen for the Demon Slayer Corps."
"However, we also need to learn more about his background to facilitate future cooperation."
Yuki's expression softened slightly at these words.
Gyomei's statement essentially echoed Sanemi's concerns, but his delivery was far more palatable.
Kagaya listened to the exchange with his usual serene smile.
At that moment, he turned to Tomioka and said softly, "Giyu, you and Yuki supported Murata. Why don't you give everyone a brief introduction to Yuki's strength?"
Tomioka remained silent for a long moment before finally saying, "Very strong."
Then he fell silent again.
It took everyone a long while to realize that Tomioka had already finished speaking.
Now, not only Sanemi and Obanai, but even Shinobu beside them, had veins bulging on their foreheads.
Yuki could only sigh and cover his face.
'Seriously, man? I asked you to describe my strength, and after all that thinking, you just say two words?!'
Even Kagaya couldn't help but smile. He turned to Murata and said, "Murata, why don't you add something?"
Murata froze, startled by the Lord's sudden attention.
'The rumors that the Lord remembers everyone's name in the Demon Slayer Corps are actually true!'
He raised a trembling hand and pointed at himself, "Ah... me?"
Kagaya gave him an encouraging smile. "Yes, please tell everyone about Yuki's strength."
Feeling the Lord's and the Pillars' gazes focused on him, Murata began to tremble slightly.
Summoning his courage, Murata said:
"I witnessed Mr. Yuki's skills firsthand. He uses a breathing technique very similar to Flame Breathing."
"The Demon we encountered together was extremely cunning. It used its Blood Demon Art to feign attacks on Mr. Tomioka and me, then secretly ambushed Mr. Yuki."
"But Mr. Yuki instantly decapitated the Demon!"
Having said this, Murata seemed to have exhausted all his strength and immediately lowered his head.
He missed the Pillars' astonished reactions to this news.
Gyomei clasped his hands together, and two streams of hot tears suddenly rolled down his cheeks.
"The fact that the Demon could use Blood Demon Art indicates its considerable strength."
"The fact that Yuki instantly decapitated it proves his skill is sufficient to join the Demon Slayer Corps, at least as a C-Rank Swordsman."
"I support his admission to the Demon Slayer Corps."
Yuki stared at Gyomei, momentarily stunned.
He had almost forgotten that this man was prone to tears.
Sanemi fell silent.
Instantly decapitating a Demon with Blood Demon Art, and seemingly having created his own breathing technique similar to Flame Breathing...
If the Lord wished to recruit such a person into the Demon Slayer Corps, Sanemi would no longer object.
Kagaya suddenly turned to Yuki and said in a deep voice:
"In fact, Yuki has another truly astonishing achievement."
"A few days ago, he encountered Kibutsuji Muzan face-to-face at the summit of Mount Kumotori."
"Not only did he escape unscathed, but he also protected a family living at the mountain's peak."
These words struck the assembled Pillars like a massive boulder thrown into calm waters.
The Pillars froze for a moment, their faces quickly shifting to shock.