"Can we enter the Infinity Castle ourselves?"
The Flame Hashira asked, brimming with energy.
Luke shook his head. "Unless Muzan or whoever controls that castle opens its doors willingly, we can neither enter it nor easily locate it."
He knew that the Infinity Castle had been created based on an Edo-period castle keep. In the original story, the Serpent Hashira and Wind Hashira had encountered a great number of Demons there and briefly glimpsed the interior of the Infinity Castle.
But under Nakime's control, the Infinity Castle could constantly shift locations and open doors anywhere across the country. Whenever Muzan summoned the Twelve Kizuki, Nakime would usually open a door and bring them into the Infinity Castle.
Once the meeting ended, the small doors would open again, and every member of the Twelve Kizuki would be returned to wherever they had been before. It was an incredibly bizarre ability.
Honestly, Luke felt that this kind of spatial ability was already beyond this world's difficulty level. But reality was reality—Muzan had such a convenient castle, and they had to find a way to counter it.
"In that case, perhaps we can lure the snake from its hole."
The Serpent Hashira analyzed the situation.
"Do we need bait?"
Shinobu Kocho pondered. "Muzan should want to kill Hashira as well. If one of us were alone outside, would he open the gates of the Infinity Castle and send Demons to surround and kill us?"
The movements of the Hashira were usually kept secret. Only the upper ranks of the Demon Slayer Corps knew where they were headed. Combined with the fact that Demons were restricted by sunlight and could not gather intelligence during the day, it was difficult for Demons to specifically hunt a Hashira unless the Hashira went looking for them first.
But if they deliberately exposed their identities and movements, they could most likely draw out an Upper Rank.
"It won't be that easy. Forgive my bluntness, but among everyone here, aside from Mr. Himejima, anyone else who goes out and has their location exposed is walking straight into a dead end."
Luke did not mince words. "Any of the remaining top four Upper Ranks can kill everyone present. Muzan would not need the Infinity Castle at all."
He was not saying it without reason. Even accounting for the possibility that the Hashira might erupt in battle and awaken Demon Slayer Marks, none of them aside from the Stone Hashira could defeat Upper Rank Four in a one-on-one fight.
Not to mention that Muzan's side now had quite a few powerful Explorers. They would not let Upper Rank Four act alone.
"You bastard, aren't you getting a little too arrogant?!"
The Wind Hashira, who had already been dissatisfied with Luke's earlier conduct, rose to his feet, rage written across his face. "You think you're the only one who can kill an Upper Rank—"
Before he could finish the word "fuck," he froze.
Accompanied by a violent rush of wind, Luke's hand had already taken the shape of a knife-hand against the back of his neck. Luke was standing behind him, and he had not even seen how Luke got there.
"If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."
Luke withdrew his hand, his tone calm. "I grew up hearing legends about the Hashira, but seeing you in person... most of you are too weak."
Only then did the Wind Hashira come back to his senses. After that split-second exchange, his back was already soaked through. When he looked at Luke again, there was a trace of awe in his eyes.
When it came to strength, he had never acknowledged anyone except the Stone Hashira. But today, he had encountered another humanoid monster. Nothing else needed to be said—Luke's speed had actually surpassed his own, and he was the Wind Hashira.
"I believe everyone understands now. That is simply the reality of our situation."
Luke moved aside and came to a stop. "I can easily kill everyone here except Mr. Himejima. But even for me, killing an Upper Rank is no easy matter. Upper Ranks One, Two, Three, and Four are all stronger than the two I killed before."
"Thunder Hashira, what exactly are you trying to say? Are you merely showing off your strength and emphasizing our weakness?"
The Serpent Hashira's voice was low, without any discernible emotion.
Under the gazes of the Hashira, Luke nodded openly. "Exactly. That is the premise. I can only continue once all of you understand that."
Anyone would be unhappy to have their weakness pointed out so bluntly. But the Hashira were no ordinary people. They had strong mindsets, and strength was not what they valued most. Every one of them had a heart devoted to slaying Demons and saving people.
So none of them interrupted. They waited for Luke to continue.
"The next matter is today's third agenda item, and it is the conclusion the Master and I reached after discussing the matter."
Luke said, "For the next two months, every Hashira will cease Demon-hunting operations and undergo concentrated special training."
He had arrived at the Master's estate the previous night and spoken with him at length. He had also explained Miss Tamayo's importance.
As for the current situation, it had been easy to explain to the Master. He was a smart man. Once he understood the strength of the Upper Ranks and the fact that Muzan had expanded his forces, he immediately understood that the balance of offense and defense had changed.
The Hashira were no longer the hunters of Demons. They had become the ones being hunted by the Twelve Kizuki.
With the enemy supported by a strong intelligence network, having the Hashira continue to scatter about and act freely would be tantamount to feeding themselves to the enemy.
Thus, after some discussion, they decided that every Hashira aside from Luke and the Stone Hashira would undergo training.
Well, that was the pleasant way of putting it. The real purpose was mainly to protect them and prevent them from being hunted down before the final battle.
Of course, it would be even better if they could improve their strength during training. That would give them greater confidence in the eventual decisive battle.
External operations would not stop completely. Besides sparring with the other Hashira and teaching them, Luke and the Stone Hashira would also go out to deal with especially dangerous Demons when necessary.
"Special training! That sounds truly blood-pumping!"
The Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, declared in a powerful voice. "It will certainly make us stronger, so that we can protect even more people afterward!"
Luke nodded. "The Master will arrange a concealed location for our special training. During that time, the Demon Slayer Corps will continue functioning normally. The Stone Hashira and I will handle the powerful Demons."
"Continue functioning normally? The other members of the Demon Slayer Corps will not participate in the special training?"
The Serpent Hashira asked in confusion.
"Each Hashira may select several subordinates or Tsuguko they think highly of to join the training. Everyone else will continue going out on missions as usual. There is no point in having too many people in this kind of training."
Luke spoke practically. In the original story, the Demon Slayer Corps had also put everyone through training before the final battle, but Luke thought that was too extreme and served little purpose.
Most Demon Slayer Corps members were ordinary people without much talent. Even intensive elite training would not improve them much. They were better off carrying out their regular missions.
As for the danger, their status as ordinary Corps members actually made them relatively safe. Several hundred people spread across the country made for small targets, and the Explorers would not specifically hunt these ordinary slayers.
Meanwhile, regular Corps members could still slay weaker Demons and protect the people of a region.
Demons and Demon Slayers were both scarce across this land. So although the Hashira were powerful, most of the time their duties were no different from those of an ordinary Demon Slayer: hear of a Demon, rush to the location, and kill it.
The only difference was that when ordinary Demon Slayers could not defeat a Demon, the Hashira could.
"I see. It is indeed a reasonable decision. But without us carrying out missions, more people will surely be slaughtered by vile Demons. How tragic."
The Stone Hashira spoke through tears, effectively voicing his agreement with the plan.
"Training is fine, but it still does not solve the problem of Muzan. How exactly are we supposed to enter the Infinity Castle?"
The Serpent Hashira voiced his doubt.
"With the bait you mentioned earlier."
Luke answered, "But it cannot be bait that simply gets fed to the enemy. It has to be more significant bait—bait capable of counterattacking and buying time, long enough for every Hashira to break into the Infinity Castle."
"Sounds like even we aren't qualified to be bait."
The Wind Hashira spoke, his face full of unwillingness.
Luke nodded. "Considering mobility, I am currently the most suitable person to serve as bait."
In truth, after discussing the bait with the Master, they had arrived at two plans. The plan involving Luke as bait was not particularly reliable.
Even if he were surrounded and hunted while outside, Muzan might not open the Infinity Castle. And even if he did, given the nature of the Infinity Castle, Muzan could very well drag Luke inside in an instant. Luke would have no way to bring the other Hashira in with him.
So the best bait had to carry even more weight—enough that Muzan would personally act. In other words, the Master would serve as the bait.
Once Muzan personally moved against him and was surrounded, he would be forced by the pressure to open a door. Then everyone could enter and fight together.
Of course, because this plan would most likely cost the Master his life, the Hashira would surely oppose it. That was why Luke did not mention it. He was not particularly in favor of the plan himself, either.
He had already entered this world and joined the Demon Slayer Corps. If they still needed to use the Master as bait to win, that would be pathetic.
So Luke had some ideas of his own regarding the bait plan.
For now, however, they could only first arrange the Demon Slayer Corps' internal deployment and get the Hashira to settle down and begin training.
Luke did not expect the Hashira to provide him with overwhelming assistance in the final battle. But he did not want to see these Hashira, who had suffered such tragic pasts and devoted their entire lives to the cause of slaying Demons, die. They deserved better endings.
After saving the Sound Hashira, he had also received a hidden quest.
[Hidden Quest: Perfect Ending]
Quest Objective: After killing Muzan Kibutsuji, ensure that as many as possible of the current nine Hashira survive. The reward will be determined by the number of surviving Hashira.
Reward for 5 survivors: 3 free attribute points
Reward for 6 survivors: 4 free attribute points
Reward for 7 survivors: 5 free attribute points
Reward for 8 survivors: 6 free attribute points
Reward for all survivors: 10 free attribute points
Failure Penalty: None
The rewards for this quest were exceptionally generous. If he could achieve the perfect ending, he would obtain a full ten free attribute points—equivalent to the attribute rewards from a world's overall completion settlement.
So whether for personal reasons or for the quest itself, Luke wanted all nine Hashira other than himself to survive.
"One person acting as bait is still far too dangerous. When you go out, I will accompany you."
The Stone Hashira made the suggestion. He acknowledged Luke's mobility, but he did not believe Luke alone could handle an attack by multiple Upper Ranks.
Besides, he thought that adding himself would make the bait a more tempting target. Muzan Kibutsuji might even personally act.
"I appreciate your goodwill, Mr. Himejima, but let us put that aside for now and discuss the special training first."
Luke smiled. "Since I proposed special training to the Master, I naturally have a reliable method to make everyone stronger."
Luke's words piqued the curiosity of every Hashira present. Who would not want to become stronger? Especially now that Muzan had been found, every Hashira burned with the desire to kill him.
As if sensing the restless hearts of the Hashira, the Master spoke as well. "Luke, stop teasing them. Show them."
At those words, Luke said no more. Amid everyone's astonished gazes, his aura surged, and demonic markings emerged across the surface of his body.
"That is?!"
The Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, cried out. His family had passed down deep knowledge, including notes left behind by swordsmen of the first generation of Breathing Styles. The strange patterns appearing on Luke's body reminded him of an ability mentioned in those records, one belonging to the first swordsmen. "A Demon Slayer Mark?!"
The other Hashira were drawn in by the Flame Hashira's words, turning the unfamiliar term over in their minds. Clearly, most of them were hearing it for the first time.
But whatever ability Luke had displayed, it deeply interested them. Every Hashira present could sense that this was not a Breathing Style, but another secret art—one that caused Luke's physical power to skyrocket the instant he used it.
If they could master this technique and combine it with their Breathing Styles, their strength would increase geometrically!
"Because I spent many years unable to master a Breathing Style, I once considered other methods of fighting Demons. That is why I developed this secret art. It can release the body's potential to the greatest extent possible."
Luke said, "After using this secret art, one's strength, speed, dynamic vision, and more all increase dramatically. Its name is [Demon God]. Are you interested in learning it?"
Demon Slayer Marks?
Not even a dog would activate that crap.
He intended to teach [Demon God] to the nine Hashira. Compared to Demon Slayer Marks, it had far milder side effects, was more controllable, and could be activated at any time. As for the boost in power, it was no weaker than a Demon Slayer Mark.
Simply put, Demon Slayer Marks were a crude technique for overdrawing one's potential. Hashira who awakened them later in life were essentially using their potential in an extremely violent fashion, drastically shortening their lifespans. For swordsmen over twenty-five, using one would even result in immediate death.
But [Demon God] was different. Though the magnitude of its enhancement varied depending on the user's physique, its side effects were vastly milder than those of a Demon Slayer Mark. Its boost to neural reflex speed was also beyond anything a Mark could match.
Overall, [Demon God] was like combining a Demon Slayer Mark with the Transparent World. It increased physical power while also enhancing visual perception and analytical ability in battle.
As for whether the nine Hashira could learn it, the answer was definitely yes.
Luke had personally created this secret art, so naturally he understood it deeply. He would not claim to be an exceptional teacher, but he could clearly explain its principles. He had once taught Raian Kure Armament Haki.
[Demon God] was easier to learn than Armament Haki. As geniuses, the nine Hashira had no reason to fail at learning it. A genius like Muichiro Tokito, who had taken only two months to go from first picking up a sword to becoming a Hashira, would find mastering [Demon God] absurdly easy.
Luke had complete confidence that within two months, he could give the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira a massive upgrade. When the final battle came, their odds of victory would rise dramatically.
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