On the other side, Uzui Tengen was about to retort when he was interrupted by a loud voice.
"Tomioka! What exactly is upper rank six like? How strong is he?!"
Hearing the question, Tomioka Giyu subconsciously thought, "Very good! Very spirited!"
"It's been half a year, and you've gotten stronger, Kyojuro."
"No! This is far from enough! I still need to work even harder!" Rengoku Kyojuro said very earnestly.
Tomioka Giyu smiled knowingly, thinking to himself, "Kyojuro truly shines like the sun."
"This time, I will absolutely not let him fall before dawn."
"As for upper rank six, let's discuss it once Ubuyashiki Kagaya arrives."
As Tomioka Giyu spoke, he also pondered how he should explain things later.
First, he definitely couldn't reveal all the information about upper rank six, especially Daki's identity as an oiran.
If he were to reveal that, Ubuyashiki Kagaya would surely dispatch people to frantically investigate every Flower District, and once discovered, more than half of the Hashira would be deployed.
At that point, Gyutaro and Daki wouldn't even be able to contend with them, let alone escape.
So, there was no choice. To prevent the future plot from deviating, he could only use some irrelevant information to gloss over it.
"Ubuyashiki Kagaya has arrived!"
As soon as the words fell, the ten Hashira lined up, all kneeling on one knee, bowing their heads slightly, to welcome Ubuyashiki Kagaya's arrival.
The door slid open, and Ubuyashiki Kagaya slowly walked out. If one observed closely, they would notice that the curse on his face had spread further.
"Good morning, everyone. The weather is truly lovely today, and the sun is a bit dazzling."
"I am truly delighted that all of you could gather here for the semi-annual Hashira Meeting."
"With you ten Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps, I am very much at ease."
"Since the first generation of swordsmen, you are the strongest generation. I believe that you, my lords, will surely eradicate the demons completely."
As soon as Ubuyashiki Kagaya finished speaking, Shinazugawa Sanemi immediately spoke up.
"We shall not fail Ubuyashiki Kagaya's expectations and will surely slay all the demons!"
Tomioka Giyu subtly glanced at Shinazugawa Sanemi, thinking to himself, "Success is inevitable, but this time, I must save everyone possible!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's lips held a faint smile as he nodded gently in response: "Alright, everyone, please rise."
"Let's discuss upper rank six."
"Giyu, I trouble you."
Tomioka Giyu nodded, then avoided Daki's identity and told everyone everything he could, also mentioning the Red Blade.
He had considered this matter for a long time and still felt that now was the perfect time to bring it up. On one hand, everyone was finally assembled.
On the other hand, informing everyone about the Red Blade in advance would cause negligible butterfly effects, so there was no need to worry about it affecting the subsequent plot too much.
A few minutes later, after Tomioka Giyu finished speaking, Shinazugawa Sanemi was the first to ask: "If you encounter those two demons again, how confident are you in slaying them?"
That was a good question. After fighting them, Tomioka Giyu had largely become familiar with Gyutaro's attack patterns.
Although complex and varied, he had still learned a great deal.
As for Daki, a few more slashes would put her in her place.
"Enm..." Tomioka Giyu pondered for a few seconds, then said faintly, "About seventy-five percent. That guy's keen senses and combat awareness are very troublesome."
"Most importantly, as I said, once injured, it's basically a slow death."
After hearing Tomioka Giyu's words, Shinazugawa Sanemi also fell into thought, seemingly contemplating how he would deal with Upper Rank Six if he encountered it.
Tomioka Giyu, however, changed the subject, looking at the towering figure and saying, "But, if it were Himejima, I believe those two demons wouldn't even be able to escape."
"Hmm! If it were me, I would completely eliminate them!" As he spoke, tears flowed from Himejima Gyomei's eyes again. "Namu Amida Butsu~"
Hearing this, Tomioka Giyu couldn't help but complain inwardly, "This one is truly compassionate to all beings, crying while smashing your head with a flail."
Beside him, Iguro Obanai, who had been silent, asked, "Tomioka, how long can you maintain the Red Blade after activating it?"
Tomioka Giyu recalled, uncertainly, "I'm not too sure either. After all, I've activated it very few times, and the duration was very short."
"But I suspect it might be related to one's grip strength."
"As for the other method, activating it by weapons colliding, its original intention is also to apply force to the nichirin blade, causing it to generate high heat."
Next, everyone discussed many things and experimented with the Red Blade.
As a result, only Himejima Gyomei, with a sweep of his arm, forcefully activated the Red Blade by colliding his flail and axe.
It wasn't until close to noon that Ubuyashiki Kagaya announced the end of the Hashira Meeting.
After returning to his assigned patrol area, Tomioka Giyu resumed his familiar routine: slaying demons, eating, and sleeping.
Soon, it was the end of the year, and Kanzaburo brought a new mission.
"Caw ah — — — — Caw ah — — — —"
"Urgent message!! Urgent message!!"
"Hurry to the Northern Snowy Mountains! Hurry to the Northern Snowy Mountains!"
"Several hunters eaten! Eaten by demons!!"
Tomioka Giyu rubbed his ears and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, Kanzaburo, I know. Please quiet down now."
"Northern Snowy Mountains, huh..." Tomioka Giyu had a strange feeling he had heard of this place before.
After a moment of thought, he finally remembered where it was.
"The extra story, right? I remember Kocho Shinobu was there too, I think."
After traveling at full speed for half a day, Tomioka Giyu finally arrived at the mission location, the Northern Inn.
Entering it, Tomioka Giyu slowly advanced along the main street. As for mission intelligence, he figured everything would be resolved once he found Kocho Shinobu.
"You ran off into the mountains alone again, didn't you?!"
"It wasn't just me! tairo was there too!!"
"Isn't tairo a dog?! The revenge for the evil deeds will be handled by the adults! You just live your life peacefully!"
Hearing the voices, Tomioka Giyu quickened his pace.
When he arrived, he saw Kocho Shinobu crouching on the ground, holding a girl in her arms.
Kocho Shinobu also happened to see Tomioka Giyu, who had just arrived. "Eh? Tomioka? How come you..."
"Never mind, hurry and help me. This girl has a fever; we need to find a place for her to rest!"
At this moment, the middle-aged man who had initially argued with the girl quickly blocked Tomioka Giyu, who was about to move, and questioned him.
"Wait a minute, who are you two? Where are you taking Yae?!"
"Don't get agitated, uncle."
Kocho Shinobu patiently explained, "I'm a doctor, and he's a hunter. We just want to understand about the man-eating bear. We're not bad people."
"Alright, uncle, where is Yae's home? She needs to rest now, and then I'll give her an injection, and she'll be fine."
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