A heavy silence followed Akaza's words... then—
"What?!"
Sanemi's voice exploded like thunder, his eyes burning with genuine anger. He stepped forward, his sword gleaming under the dim light as if starving for an attack.
"Are you mocking us?! After all you've done... you think you can become one of us?!"
Sanemi's voice froze in the hall, but before he could say another word, Obuyashiki's calm voice came… yet it cut the tension like a knife.
He slowly raised his hand, signaling Sanemi to stop.
"That's enough, Sanemi."
The tone was strangely calm, yet it carried a weight that made even the angriest lower their heads unconsciously.
Obuyashiki turned to Akaza,
His footsteps on the wood were clear in the stillness as he approached to a close distance, then asked:
"Why do you want to become a Hashira?"
His eyes fixed on Akaza, observing every detail of his expression, searching for any spark of deceit or hesitation.
Akaza paused for a moment, then a wide but cold smile appeared on his face, and he said confidently:
"Pleasure… that is the reason."
Some eyebrows raised in surprise, Sanemi's muscles tensed again, while Obuyashiki remained silent for a moment before asking with a cold calm:
"And will you seek to protect people as well?"
Akaza did not hesitate and answered decisively as if it was obvious to him:
"I will kill demons… that's all that matters. Nothing else concerns me."
A wave of stunned silence spread among the Hashira ranks.
The Butterfly Hashira raised her eyebrow in faint surprise, while Rengoku's smile gradually faded, and the Love Hashira's eyes widened with surprise and confusion.
But Obuyashiki did not look away; he continued coldly:
"And what about humans…? Will you kill them too?"
That cold smile did not disappear from Akaza's face, and his voice was clear, devoid of any attempt to soften the truth:
"I will not hurt them… unless they stand in my way."
The hall froze for a full second.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavier than before, as if every breath passed through a sharp blade.
Sanemi clenched his sword so tightly his fingers whitened, Rengoku bent slightly forward, and the Serpent Hashira slowly turned his head toward Akaza with narrowed eyes.
---
Obuyashiki kept looking at Akaza for a long time, as if they were having a silent conversation only the two of them could hear.
Then, quietly, to everyone's astonishment, he said:
"We will accept you… But remember that if it is proven that you are not new, you will be removed immediately."
Low murmurs rose among the Hashira, but Obuyashiki was thinking of one thing only—
doing anything necessary to gather enough strength to fight Muzan.
Sanemi stepped forward sharply, his voice bursting in objection:
"Do you know what he did just by entering! And now you want us to sit beside him as if he's one of us?!"
But before he could continue, a sudden coughing sound came from Obuyashiki, continuous cough followed by a thin red thread of blood flowing from his mouth.
Everyone's eyes widened, and his wife hurried to gently hold his shoulder, whispering calming words as she helped him sit.
He raised his hand signaling everyone to remain silent, then said in a slightly weaker voice, but still carrying the same strength:
"The matter is settled… the meeting is over."
Obuyashiki's wife turned toward some guests standing near the wall, a group of palace servants accompanying them, and quietly ordered:
"Prepare a place for this man… for him to stay in."
Then she glanced briefly at Akaza before heading to assist her husband out of the hall.
The atmosphere remained heavy, the Hashira's eyes following Akaza as he stood firmly, his eyes roaming the faces around him, as if the whole scene sparked only a cold curiosity inside him.
Two demon slayers stepped forward before speaking:
"This way, Lord Hashira."
---
Akaza's point of view:
I couldn't stop my lips from smiling when I heard that word
"Hashira"
Damn, I can't hold back my excitement.
I looked at the two people who were to escort me before heading out of the palace.
We continued walking through—
The corridor stretches straight ahead, like an endless ribbon in the forest.
The floor is paved with old stones, smoothed by rain and time, droplets glittering on them under the hanging lanterns' light. On both sides of the corridor, red Torii pillars follow one another, forming consecutive arches that envelop the path and give it a sense of sanctity.
The lanterns fixed atop the pillars emit a warm red-orange light, flickering with the gentle air movement, casting long shadows that dance on the ground and wooden walls. In the distance, that light blends with soft mist threads slipping between the trees, covering the corridor with a semi-transparent layer, as if walking in a dream.
The sound of footsteps was the only thing I could hear besides the rain.
"I'm eager to see what will happen," I said before moving forward.
---
End of chapter.
I think in the next chapter I will mention why the Serpent Hashira did not recognize me.
---
Picture of the corridor in the comments