Aoki followed Kanae to a small, unremarkable town.
He looked around curiously.
Buildings lined both sides of the street. There were few people, but he heard dogs barking and chickens crowing.
"I thought the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters would be in some deep mountain forest. I didn't expect you to live openly in a town."
Kanae said, "Sometimes, towns are safer than forests. Also, Master has more than one home."
Aoki nodded, saying nothing.
It was normal to have multiple hideouts.
The Ubuyashiki family and the Demon Slayer Corps had been fighting Muzan for centuries. They understood this.
They arrived at a house on the edge of town.
The yard was large, and the gate was closed.
Kanae knocked, then opened the gate and walked in without waiting for a response.
Aoki followed closely.
As soon as he stepped through the gate, he felt many eyes on him.
Some were wary, some curious, some hostile.
Aoki remained calm and took in the scene.
There were many people in the yard.
In front was a house with curved eaves. A black-haired young man with scars on the upper half of his face sat at the entrance. A beautiful white-haired woman sat next to him.
Two children were playing nearby.
To their right stood four young men with powerful auras.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki, with scars on his face, stood up and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Aomura."
"The pleasure is mine, Master Ubuyashiki!"
Aoki said, then looked at the four men staring at him. "Only four Pillars? Oh, no, five, including Miss Kanae."
Kagaya smiled gently. "I thought Kanae could bring you, but these children insisted on coming."
"I understand."
Aoki looked at the four.
They were all familiar faces.
The first young man had an open chest, scars all over his body, and fierce eyes. He was the Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa.
The second had a stern face and wore a two-colored haori. He was the Water Pillar, Giyu Tomioka.
The third was tall and muscular, with white hair and handsome features. He was the Sound Pillar, Tengen Uzui.
The fourth was even taller, dressed as a monk, and blind in both eyes. He was the Stone Pillar, Gyomei Himejima.
Aoki could feel their strong hostility and wariness.
They stared at each other in silence. The atmosphere grew strange.
After a moment, Aoki said, "Aren't you going to attack?"
He thought they would try to test him or intimidate him.
Especially Sanemi, who was so hot-tempered.
Kagaya said sincerely, "Mr. Aomura, we sincerely want to work with you. These children are just worried about my safety. They don't want to harm you."
Aoki smiled. "It's okay. Everyone seems interested in me. Let's spar! I'm curious about Breathing Styles too!"
Sanemi said eagerly, "Master, since he said that, we shouldn't refuse, right?"
His eyes were wide, like he was always glaring. He had a fierce, violent aura.
Tengen Uzui took his swords off his back, staring at Aoki intently. "If we're going to work together, we should know each other's strength!"
Gyomei Himejima put his hands together, tears streaming down his face. "I agree. Amen."
Giyu Tomioka didn't speak, but his hand on his sword hilt made his attitude clear.
The atmosphere in the yard suddenly became tense.
Aoki said, "Because Master Ubuyashiki brought his family, I won't kill you!
Of course, don't worry about it. You can attack with all your strength!"
The four looked displeased.
This was blatant contempt.
But they wouldn't refuse the offer.
Killing demons was most important.
If giving up some pride gave them an advantage in fighting demons, they would do it.
Kagaya thought for a moment, then looked at Kanae. "What do you think, Kanae?"
Kanae looked at Aoki. "If Mr. Aomura agrees, I have no objections."
"Okay! Since you all want this, I won't stop you."
Kagaya didn't say more. He took his wife and children and moved back.
Sanemi, Kanae, and the others spread out, surrounding Aoki.
Aoki looked around. "Ready? Who wants to go first?"
Sanemi's eyes were bloodshot, his face murderous. "We have the numbers. We'll let you..."
He stopped, his expression changing drastically.
Aoki, who had been in the middle of the circle, suddenly appeared in front of Sanemi, fist ready.
"Then I won't be polite!"
"So fast! No, not just fast. I didn't see him move. Is this the ability Kanae mentioned?"
Sanemi thought fiercely, "Draw your sword! Draw your sword! Draw it now!"
His mind hadn't reacted, but his trained body did. The pale green blade flashed out.
"Wind Breathing, Sixth Form, Black Wind Mountain Mist!"
A black-green blade appeared.
But Aoki's fist cleverly moved aside, brushing the blade, and slammed into Sanemi's chest.
Pfft!
Sanemi stepped back, spitting blood, but his movements didn't falter.
"Wind Breathing, Third Form, Clear Air Tree Wind!"
In the Transparent World, Aoki clearly saw his muscle movements. He accurately predicted Sanemi's actions, moved in close, and struck with lightning-fast punches and elbows.
The first punch hit Sanemi's shoulder, breaking his sword technique. Then a knee slammed into his stomach, and Sanemi doubled over.
A final elbow strike made Sanemi spit more blood. He fell face-first to the ground.
A sharp sound came from behind, followed by two sets of footsteps.
Aoki vanished.
Whoosh!
A broadaxe wrapped in chains swung through the air, hitting nothing.
Tengen Uzui and Giyu Tomioka also missed.
Aoki appeared next to Gyomei Himejima.
"What a strong body. You really are the strongest of the Demon Slayers!"
Gyomei Himejima stepped on the chain, and the meteor hammer at the other end swung towards Aoki's head.
"Stone Breathing, Second Form, Celestial Surface Crush!"
"I think I know your weakness!"
Aoki's eyes flickered. He vanished again, but this time he didn't move far. He appeared diagonally above Gyomei, in a completely unexpected position.
His hand became a blade, silently striking down.
"Aoki Style, Funeral!"
---
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