"The gap between you and my demonized form is already so vast, let alone the gap with Muzan Kibutsuji. As for the claims about the Upper Ranks, as I said before, they are judgments I made based on the strength of the Upper Rank I captured alive and his words."
"If you still don't believe me, then you'll understand if you let him have a go with you," Lexon held up the small pot and shook it a few times, then continued, "He is the Upper Rank Five, Gyokko. If you want to get a rough idea of an Upper Rank's strength, you can come find me after the meeting. But there are conditions, you know."
The various Hashira never expected him to suddenly start promoting the demon he had caught.
"What is the condition, Lexon?" Kagaya asked with a smile.
"That's a secret, Master," Lexon replied, also smiling faintly.
To avoid making people think he would propose a difficult request, Lexon specially added, "But don't worry, it's just a small, simple request."
Lexon had laid his cards on the table.
His so-called small, simple request was to make contact with the visitor and sign in for the abilities attached to their body. This had always been his objective and was an important reason for participating in the Hashira meeting.
This was Gyokko's last remaining use.
"A Hashira's strength can only improve under the pressure of death. Even when sparring, the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps will hold back and show restraint, so the effect is minimal. But it's different in a struggle against a demon. A demon won't care about a Hashira's status, and a Hashira will also use their full strength without holding back because it's a fight against a demon. Only in this way can there be progress."
Lexon continued.
Finally, he sat up straight, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the Hashira. A smile appeared on his face as he said leisurely, "There is a risk of death, you know. I ask that you all be very careful."
But the "risk of death" in his words did not frighten any of the Hashira. Instead, they felt even more fired up and excited.
"A risk of death, you say? That sounds incredibly flamboyant!" Tengen Uzui lifted his head and spoke in a haughty tone. "I'll let you see what I'm made of!"
"Lexon, we will make you understand that our strength is not to be underestimated!" Kyojuro Rengoku said loudly, full of spirit.
"Namu Amida Butsu," Gyomei Himejima silently chanted a Buddhist phrase.
"I'll do my best!" Mitsuri Kanroji clenched her small fists and cheered herself on.
"Hah," Obanai Iguro let out a short laugh. "I'll be sure to see for myself the strength of this Upper Rank you speak of."
"Don't you have any objections if that evil demon gets cut down by me!" Sanemi Shinazugawa said with a ferocious grin.
"Killing a demon..." Muichiro Tokito stared at the candlelight, his thoughts seemingly drifting elsewhere.
"Mr. Lexon," a dangerous undertone laced Shinobu Kocho's gentle smile. "I'm not a burden, you know."
Only Giyu Tomioka didn't say half a word, just stared intently at the small pot containing Gyokko.
The meaning of each Hashira was clear.
'Risk of death?'
They weren't worried about that.
What each Hashira carried on their shoulders was something far more terrifying than death.
"The Hashira present," Kagaya spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "Next, Muzan Kibutsuji will definitely act with Lexon as his target, to seize what he desires.
"What we need to do is to stop him, and to slay him!
"To end the thousand-year curse, to end the fate of the Demon Slayer Corps, to complete the mission of the Demon Slayer Corps!
"I believe that Muzan Kibutsuji will definitely be defeated at the hands of this generation of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"Yes! Master!"
"Yes, Master!"
"We will absolutely slay Muzan Kibutsuji! And end the fate of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
The crowd responded.
Their impassioned voices echoed within the hall.
After the meeting ended, the other Hashira all departed, leaving only Lexon behind.
"Lexon, is the risk of death great?" Kagaya asked.
He held a caring heart for every swordsman and had even memorized the name of every single one in the Demon Slayer Corps, whether they had died in the past or were alive now, without forgetting any.
His concern for each Hashira was even greater, for they were the irreplaceable pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, the powerful individuals who did their utmost to slay demons. So he wanted to know just how great the risk in Lexon's words was.
"If Gyokko were to truly fight them, besides the Stone Hashira, all the others would face a risk of death to varying degrees, and it would not be small," Lexon replied.
Hearing this answer, the look of worry on Kagaya's face deepened.
"But, Master, with me watching over them, you can rest assured," Lexon soothed.
'That's what I say, but how could I let a Hashira simply die in a spar with Gyokko? If they're going to die, it has to be after I've finished fleecing them...'
"That would be for the best," Kagaya was slightly relieved. He believed Lexon.
Or rather, besides believing Lexon, he had no other choice.
And after he had fainted, when his consciousness was in that brief, blurry state of foresight, Kagaya had seen a glimpse of Lexon cutting off Muzan Kibutsuji's neck...
It was also because of this foresight that he held such an attitude towards Lexon and felt so at ease.
After his questions, Kagaya signaled that Lexon could go back and rest.
Lexon also didn't want to disturb Kagaya Ubuyashiki any further and walked out of the hall.
'Oh, right.'
Suddenly, the moment he stepped out of the hall, Lexon remembered that he seemed to have forgotten to say one thing.
That was the frequency of the spars.
His sign-in could only be done once a day. What if those Hashira came several times in one day? Wouldn't that be a loss?
However, in the following days, reality did not turn out as Lexon had thought. There was no situation where one Hashira came several times in a day, or several Hashira came in one day.
The former was because fighting Gyokko once required several days of rest to recover and readjust one's condition. The latter was because it was impossible for all the Hashira to stay at headquarters; many other places still required a Hashira to carry out demon-slaying missions, so most of them were sent out on assignment.
Lexon, on the other hand, seemed to have been deliberately kept at headquarters by Kagaya Ubuyashiki, serving as a resident Hashira, and had not gone out on any missions.
Besides him, other Hashira also stayed behind, which also went along with Lexon's suggestion to "improve their strength by fighting Gyokko."
Speaking of which, Lexon's experience in the Demon Slayer Corps seemed a bit too leisurely and simple.
He had simply passed the Final Selection ahead of time, met the Master, carried out a total of two missions, and then became the Mist Hashira, one of the ten Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, directly skipping the ten ranks specified for swordsmen within the corps.
That's right, the Demon Slayer Corps had ten ranks, from top to bottom: Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe, and Mizunoto.
Above these ranks were the Hashira.
And Lexon had skipped ten ranks to become the Mist Hashira within a few months of joining. This promotion speed was second to none.
Morning.
"Mr. Lexon..." a knock on the door sounded, and Shinobu Kocho's gentle voice followed into the hall.
That's right, the first to stay at headquarters and seek out a spar with Gyokko was Shinobu Kocho.
However, even though she knocked for a long time and called out many times, there was still no response from within the hall.
The gentle smile on Shinobu's face froze. The angry "vein" symbol once again appeared on her forehead, and then she directly and violently kicked open the door of the hall.
"Did Kibutsuji attack?" Lexon, who had been woken up by the sound, rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked the incoming Shinobu.
"Mr. Lexon..." Shinobu's voice was drawn out. With a dark face, she stared at Lexon with her purple eyes. "Didn't we agree that today was practice time?"
"Ah, right..." Lexon said, looking as if he had just remembered.
After asking Shinobu to step aside, Lexon washed up, changed his clothes, and then came out.
The two of them walked side by side to a dense forest. This forest blocked the sunlight, allowing Gyokko to exist there without fear of being exposed to the sun, and Lexon could also maintain his demonized state here.
"A small request," Lexon held out his palm to Shinobu.
Shinobu's face stiffened, but the next moment, she still reached out and slapped his palm.
She had no idea what the meaning of this small request from Lexon was, or what it was for. Could it be purely to satisfy some kind of perverted hobby of his?
Even if she racked her brain, she would never guess that the meaning of this action was for "signing in" for her abilities.
[Sign in]
[Sign-in Successful]
[Obtained "Insect Breathing - Proficient": A branch of Flower Breathing, which is a branch of one of the five basic breaths derived from the original breath, Sun Breathing—Water Breathing. Members of the Demon Slayer Corps can obtain powerful combat strength by cultivating breathing techniques, which is an important method for fighting against demons.]
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]