"What?!"
Upon receiving the Kasugai Crow’s report, Kagaya Ubuyashiki nearly dropped the teacup in his hand. He was simply too excited. "You said an Upper Rank has been slain?!"
The Kasugai Crow assigned to the Master stood on a tree branch and opened its beak. "Those killed include Upper Rank Six and Upper Rank Nine. In addition, five Lower Rank Twelve Kizuki were killed."
After landing in the courtyard, it had immediately delivered a brief report, mentioning only that an Upper Rank had been slain so the Master could first understand the basic situation.
"That many?!"
Even Kagaya Ubuyashiki, with his composed temperament, cried out in surprise. At the same time, he was confused. "According to our previous intelligence, aren’t the Twelve Kizuki divided into six Upper Ranks and six Lower Ranks? How can an Upper Rank Nine exist?"
"That is still under investigation. The preliminary conclusion is that Muzan Kibutsuji has expanded the Twelve Kizuki’s ranks and recruited more powerful Demons."
The Kasugai Crow replied. It was not especially intelligent itself; it was merely relaying the information given to it by the person who had sent it.
Hearing that, the Master’s joy at learning that an Upper Rank had been slain faded considerably. He also began to worry about the children of the Demon Slayer Corps. "What about the casualties...?"
This was what concerned him most. So many Upper and Lower Rank Twelve Kizuki had participated in this battle. It could be called a lineup the Demon Slayer Corps had not seen in centuries. Even if several Hashira had rushed to the scene to fight the Demons, the casualties would surely have been severe.
"According to the current tally, during the battle that erupted in Yoshiwara, nineteen civilians were injured, with three sustaining severe injuries that left them disabled. No deaths occurred. The Demon Slayer Corps suffered no casualties."
The Kasugai Crow reported.
For a moment, the Master thought he had misheard. Though he did not want any of his children to be hurt, he was not so naive as to believe no one would die in this war against Demons. He had already prepared himself to receive reports of devastating losses.
But what had he just heard? No civilian deaths, and no injuries among the Demon Slayer Corps?
Such a wonderful result felt like a dream. It filled him with joy, but also disbelief. "Which Hashira took part? Did Gyomei Himejima go there?"
He could not shake the sense that something was strange. With his excellent memory, he naturally remembered the regions and mission sites under the Hashira’s jurisdiction. He remembered that the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, was stationed quite far from Yoshiwara. It would be odd for him to suddenly appear there to kill Demons.
"Lord Himejima did not participate. No current Hashira acted in this battle. There was only one person who slew the many evil Demons."
The Kasugai Crow said in one breath, "...A newly inducted Demon Slayer Corps swordsman of the Mizunoto rank, Luke."
"Luke?!"
Amane, who was supporting the Master and about to refill his tea, cried out in surprise. "Didn’t he only pass Final Selection yesterday? How could he possibly have gone to Yoshiwara?"
At once, she became wary. With one absurd report after another, she suspected that the Kasugai Crow had been controlled by some Blood Demon Art. Had the Master’s hidden residence been exposed?
The Master was steadier. He raised a hand to stop Amane from getting worked up. "What exactly happened? I recall that Mount Fujikasane is three hundred kilometers from Yoshiwara. There is no train between them, so one can only travel by foot or horseback along the old post roads. Is the intelligence mistaken?"
The Kasugai Crow honestly answered, "According to the intelligence, after Final Selection ended last night, Swordsman Luke set out for Yoshiwara. He traveled there on foot, reached Yoshiwara at dawn, and encountered a Demon ambush before he could rest. After a fierce battle, he claimed victory."
After hearing the report, both the Master and Amane parted their lips slightly, unsure how to comment on such intelligence. At that moment, they both wanted to grab the Kasugai Crow and inspect it from head to toe.
But while the two were still stunned, several more Kasugai Crows arrived at the estate. Amane recognized them. They were the personal crows of Tengen Uzui’s three wives.
Those crows provided intelligence nearly identical to that of the Master’s own Kasugai Crow, reinforcing the report’s credibility. Yet Luke’s record was simply too outrageous to believe.
He had covered six hundred li in a single night. Was he made of iron? Was he really human?
Even the strongest Stone Hashira could not possibly expend that much stamina and then battle Demons, could he?
And why had Luke rushed to Yoshiwara with such urgency? How had he known there were Demons there?
Though countless questions filled his mind, the fact that Luke had slain Upper Rank Six, Upper Rank Nine, and numerous Lower Ranks could not be denied. This was truly the greatest good news the Demon Slayer Corps had received in centuries. The Master was still in high spirits.
A gentle smile appeared on his face. "Have the Kasugai Crows send word. I will convene a Hashira Meeting. The tenth Hashira has been born."
Amane bowed. She had no objection whatsoever to the Master’s decision.
Under the Demon Slayer Corps’ original rules, anyone who killed one of the Twelve Kizuki—even a Lower Rank—was qualified to become a Hashira. That was all the more true for Luke, who had slain seven—or perhaps eight—members of the Twelve Kizuki in one battle.
Clearly, Luke possessed extraordinary combat strength, perhaps surpassing most of the current Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps. No one would object to his promotion based on such a record.
Amane rose, preparing to take her leave. "What title should Luke be given?"
"Luke is Grandfather Jigoro’s disciple. He should inherit his title. Until we meet him in person, we will provisionally call him the Chime Hashira."
The Master explained that, generally speaking, a Hashira’s title was determined by their Breathing Style. With the classic Breathing Styles, such as Flame, Water, Wind, and Stone, someone became a Hashira in nearly every generation, and those titles were passed down.
There were also a small number of geniuses whose masters used a traditional Breathing Style, but who developed a more suitable Breathing Style based on their own circumstances. The Mist Hashira and Love Hashira were examples. In those cases, they were named after the new Breathing Style they had created, as a sign of respect for the system they had pioneered.
That was why the Master said it was only provisional. At the subsequent Hashira Meeting, they would ask Luke again.
As the Kasugai Crows departed and flew in every direction, news of Luke slaughtering the Demons in a single battle spread throughout the entire Demon Slayer Corps. This ludicrous record made many Hashira nearly question whether the intelligence was real.
But after their shock, the Hashira could only feel delighted. It meant that the Demon Slayer Corps had gained a powerful new fighting force, bringing them one step closer to victory.
The Master’s Kasugai Crow headed directly for Luke to inform him that he had become a Hashira. It would also serve, for the time being, as Luke’s crow for exchanging intelligence.
After all, Luke had rushed down Mount Fujikasane too quickly earlier. The Demon Slayer Corps had not yet had time to assign him a Kasugai Crow. That was why he had run to Yoshiwara overnight, yet no one knew how he had done it.
............
While morale soared within the Demon Slayer Corps as they prepared to welcome Luke, their new Hashira, Luke himself arrived in Asakusa, Tokyo that evening after resting and restoring his energy.
In truth, Yoshiwara was quite close to Asakusa. That was why Luke had previously tried fishing to see whether any Demons would come to reinforce their allies.
The result disappointed him slightly. Even with Explorers joining them, Muzan was still an awful boss to serve. His team was extremely disunited.
Yoshiwara was less than five kilometers from Asakusa. If Muzan’s side had truly wanted to send reinforcements, they could have surrounded all of Yoshiwara in minutes. Yet until Luke had finished killing every Demon, no others showed themselves.
Thinking further about that distance, Luke felt that Muzan’s brain really did not work properly. Upper Rank Six had been right next door. When Muzan first encountered Tanjiro Kamado, his trauma resurfaced and he wanted Tanjiro dead. Fine, he did not act himself—but then he sent two weaklings over to feed him experience. If he had sent Gyutaro, the story would have ended long ago.
As for whether there were Demons in Asakusa right now, that was basically certain. Judging by the timeline, Boss Muzan was still playing house in Asakusa. If the Explorers wanted to gain abilities, they would surely have sought Muzan’s blessing as soon as they entered this world.
Not much time had passed since entering this world, so the Explorers could not all have scattered yet. And since Muzan was terrified of dying, he should have kept several powerful Explorers by his side. Luke therefore guessed that there were chests to collect in Asakusa as well.
[Notice: Pioneer Reputation has surpassed 3,000 and reached the Respected rank.]
Just as Luke was considering how to find Lady Tamayo after entering Asakusa, he heard Endspace’s notification.
At the same time, a somewhat familiar voice came from above.
"Excuse me, are you Swordsman Luke?"
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