Emmanuel_Capricorn
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DS Chapter : 124
🕑 Added 2025-01-12 20:50:40 +0000 UTC[3rd POV]
The Hashiras.
They were a bunch of monsters if Obanai had ever seen one. The mere act of standing in the same space as they were was like having a blade at his neck.
It did not help that Kabumaru (his snake) kept whispering in his ear. The snake did not differentiate between demons and humans and only told him how much of a threat they were to him.
It told him to run.
It whispered helplessness.
He had not been told that for a long time now. He was subjected to cruelty ever since he was a child so he got as strong as he could, never to be overpowered again.
If not for most of the Hashiras smiling, he might even feel more nervous.
He eyed the pink-haired girl beside him once more, wondering for the nth time how she could be so at ease around these monsters. She looked like no one here could harm her and she possessed something none of them did.
Her only reactions were towards her new title.
Obanai observed the Hashiras one by one. He could tell that each one of them was a master of their own aspects.
Obanai possessed something akin to a sixth sense, an intuition that had accompanied him all throughout his journey. And he referred to that once more while he examined the Hashiras.
His eyes fell on the biggest man first, a mountain dressed up as a human. Obanai could not even imagine moving him, that was how powerful the blind Hashira was.
His presence was giant, almost overwhelming. It seemed to press down on everyone present even without any intention to do so. Obanai seemed to be the only one affected though as others were used to it.
He was like a mountain that you could not ignore. The only way to deal with him seemed to be to find a way around him. There was no moving him or going through him.
Obanai noted before he looked at the young child beside the giant. Their height alone was comically different. Obanai would've mistaken him for the child of one of the Hashira if not for the child's uniform that showed his rank.
Obanai could not feel much from the boy, and that was concerning. The presence of the boy was light and fluctuating - as if reality was in a perpetual decision on whether he existed or not.
It felt like he was looking at a mist, something that he couldn't touch yet he had to be wary of it because he could get lost in it.
The next Hashira was in one word, intense. The smiling man gave off a powerful aura that seemed to burn the air around him. He was like a campfire in the coldest winter. It could either warm you or burn you, and it was ultimately dangerous.
An unyielding fighting spirit summed up his presence.
The next Hashira was someone Obanai was familiar with, Giyu. It was the Water Hashira and like always, he gave off the feeling of a calm ocean.
There was always a sharp look in his eyes. In his depth was an endless expanse that made you feel forever small.
The man beside him on the other hand was anything but calm. The Hashira with scars covering his body looked exactly like how he felt.
He was chaotic and had endured countless battles that tested his storm. He was like a whirling tornado, a sleeping storm.
The next one was a woman and Obanai was glad to say that she was the weakness amongst them. She had a smile for a mask and Kabumaru could smell potent poison on her. It warned him to stay away from the woman.
Obanai's eyes travelled to the man built like a wall next to the woman. The guy flexed his biceps and gave a sparkling wink at him.
He was.... probably the most dangerous among them. Not because he was the strongest but because he seemed like the most willing to kill.
If the others were a sharp sword in a sheath, he was a sword that was drawn and in mid-swing. His presence told Obanai that he wouldn't require much to kill him.
Other than that, his snake friend told him that the man was annoying. He was loud and released unpleasant vibrations.
And finally....
Obanai observed the last Hashira. The one that inflicted a chill down his spine when those purple eyes looked at him.
.....
There was nothing.
No, maybe it was everything instead. There was no unique characteristic to him and that seemed to be, not because he had none but because he had them all.
His presence told one thing, the strongest.
The man with purple hair and a scar running down his forehead was the strongest among the monsters that had gathered. The closer he looked, the closer Obanai was convinced of that fact.
It was not just him, everyone was admitting that he was the strongest from their body language.
The way they were standing, it was not one made by an order. The purple Hashira stood wherever he wanted and the rest lined up to match his position.
The body language of the other Hashiras also changed when they turned to him. It was not noticeable to everyone else but Obanai's kneen senses and his resourceful friend told him everything.
He was the strongest there was.
Obanai wondered though, just how strong he was.
And in the following introduction where every Hashira introduced themselves in return, he learned of his name.
Seiji Shigan.
A familiar name. He was known by everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps. The Hashira to slay the first Upper Moon, the master of all Breathing styles.
And today, Obanai finally had a face to put that name on.
..
..
In the end, Obanai felt a great relief come over him. They were comrades now.
All of these monsters were going to work together to fight the creatures he hated all his life. The demons were in for a cruel awakening.
Obanai was glad
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[Seiji's POV]
"I think he fell in love with you," Tengen whispered in my ears when Obanai continued staring at me, lost in his own thoughts.
"For the infinite time Tengen, I'm deaf," I said with a sigh. It has been how many years? The Sound Hashira still refused to acknowledge my deafness.
"Never stopped you from hearing me," Tenegn said, moving his face away from my ear and folding his ripped arms under his chest.
He was right. I had virtually almost no trouble except for only being able to know what the people I could see were saying.
Eventually, Obanao looked away from me and the ceremonial oath began. It went like always, where Ubuyashiki asked questions like if they were prepared to protect and be the pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, bla bla bla.
It was almost too repetitive for me but for the new Hashiras, I could see that it was a magical moment.
After the oath-taking was done, we had an introduction. We introduced ourselves to the newcomers, one by one. We said our names and attached titles after it.
We welcomed them with grace, I for one was trying my best to be nice to Obanai no matter the mixed feelings I had for him. Giyu was also glad to see his previous tsugoku again whereas Sanemi was trying his best to not lash out at him.
The real Hashira meeting started after a few minutes. The newcomers were included in the meeting immediately. There was no official ranking amongst the Hashira but Gymoei was the unspoken leader so he began the meeting.
He was the oldest and most experienced amongst us. The fact that he gave off a serious big brother aura was also a factor. Must have to do with the orphans he used to take care of.
The meeting went better than usual and we finished everything quickly. The main issue of discussion was the demon activities and the recent Upper Moon which was slayed.
Sanemi and Rengoku got the praise and credit they deserved while they shared about what took place during the fight and what they learned from it.
It was not an intense battle at all, nothing noteworthy as Sanemi put it. Gyokko was a fairly weak demon which Muichiro who was caught off guard had no trouble slaying by himself.
Against two Hashiras who knew what to expect from him, Gyokko had no chance,
Regardless, it was an amazing achievement.
"We should expect a rise in their activities," Ubuyashiki said. This was the third time an Upper Moon was killed and we were more accustomed to dealing with the aftermath.
Usually, demon activities would spike after the fall of every Upper Moon. At first, we thought that it was the Demon King being angry and ordering his demons to go wild as a form of revenge but we realized it was not just that.
The demons would compete for the vacant position left by the fallen Upper Moon. This leads to ambitious demons with great power taking risks and attacking humans, even demon slayers, in order to impress the demon lord.
It was usually quite a messy situation.
So to deal with this, each Hashira was assigned a new territory they should guard. There will be no taking mission for us for a while to keep everyone safe.
We were already 10 in number and each Hashira guarding a territory was more effective than ever before. A Hashira now had just the right amount of territory they could maintain.
I took the chance to raise my hand and demand which part of the territory I wanted to take care of. My request was not denied and I got assigned to the region of Gifu.
It was a mountainous region with remote villages. Normally, it was best to assign me to populated regions but since it was my request, I was not denied.
And why did I ask to be assigned to this region?
The answer was obvious. It was the region where the Kamado family lived. I was meant to spend the winter with them and wait for Muzan to come.
"The Gifu region...that's quite far from the Kazusa Province," Mitsuri said, almost whining. The Kazusa Province was located near Tokyo and it was the territory she was assigned to.
We have been living in the Butterfly Mansion - recently changed due to Shinobu being the leader - for four whole months now so such a distance was a horrible turn of events.
"Well.." I said, "You have a duty now, as a Hashira. But don't worry, we will meet again in the New Year and if things go well we won't have to be apart anymore," I gave her a reassuring smile which she returned back with a hopeful one.
At most, in a year or two, I would've ended Muzan Kibutsuji and wiped out all demons.
The meeting came to an end not long after but we did not leave the headquarters. Instead, we all stayed for dinner as we celebrated for a moment, the new Hashiras and the new hope.
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Comments
Martin Lervoll
Nah no way, I'm boutta head to bed and we get another chapter. Sleep can wait. Reading time.
