The meeting convened to decide the fate of the Kamado siblings was ending.
Lord Ubuyashiki's clemency on Nezuko Kamado vetoed the decision made by the Hashira.
And Nezuko had passed Sanemi's test
Tanjiro exhaled, the tension breaking in his chest.
For the first time that day, it felt like the sun was shining again.
Just then, the sound of footsteps reached everyone's ears.
Slow. Measured.
Each step echoed through the courtyard like a drumbeat.
A faint hiss rose in the air, like something was burning.
Every head turned toward the entrance.
A man stepped into the courtyard.
He held a black umbrella traced with crimson lines that spread like veins.
Painted eyes covered its surface.... lifeless designs, yet unsettling to look at.
Steam drifted from his neck and cheek where the wisteria brushed against him.
His skin burned, healed, then burned again, an endless cycle invisible to the naked eye.
His clothes were pure white.
A long coat fitted close to his frame, silver clasps along the chest, black gloves, boots polished clean.
There was something almost surgical about his appearance.
No one needed to see his crimson-black eyes to know what he was.
His overwhelming presence gave him away.
It was like standing in the shadow of a storm.
Every instinct screamed one word "demon"..
But not just any demon.. something much older, stronger than most present had ever encountered.
In a split second, Sanemi's hand went to his sword.
Obanai's eyes narrowed.
Giyu, silent as ever, tensed.
Tanjiro choked as the stench hit him.
It crawled into his lungs, into his blood.
He had never smelled a demon like it.
Everything about the demon radiated a deep, consuming rage.
The next moment, every Hashira moved to attack.
Tengen, the fastest among them, reached the demon first... blade flashing toward his neck.
But the demon didn't move.
Not until the blade was inches away.
He tilted his head and bit down on the sword, shattering it in his mouth.
Before Uzui could react, a hand pressed gently against his torso.
The demon gripped his uniform and turned, using him to push away Gyomei's crushing strike.
The two Hashira collided with explosive force.
The stone beneath them cracked, dust scattering in every direction.
Shinobu appeared next, thrusting her blade into his head.
The demon allowed the hashira to thrust her sword into his head snapping it cleanly the next second with a single chop of his hand.
At the same time, he let go of his umbrella, reaching for the blade strapped to his back.
In one smooth motion, he drew it, meeting Sanemi's charge head-on.
The sword was strange.. a prominent and strangely designed hilt and four thin blades.
Two words were engraved on the metal in gold: Demon Slayer and Thunder God.
Sanemi froze, eyes widening in disbelief.
Before he could speak, Lord Ubuyashiki's unusually loud voice cut through the chaos.
"Cease Fighting at once."
The Hashira stopped immediately, confusion flashing across their faces.
Shinobu stepped back, stunned, as the poison in her blade dissolved before it could spread.
The wound on the demon's head closed like it was never there.
He calmly reached up and pulled the broken piece of blade from his skull, dropping it to the floor.
Rengoku's voice broke the silence.
"What does this mean, Lord Ubuyashiki? Why are you protecting this demon?"
Before Ubuyashiki could answer, the demon vanished.
In an instant, he appeared beside the Master ...silent and effortless.
And more importantly, he held Nezuko up by her face, like a man holding a cat.
Tanjiro froze his body all but ready to attack no matter the difference in power.
The man's words made him pause.
"Don't worry. I won't harm your sister."
His tone carried no warmth, no malice...just certainty.
It was neither reassurance nor threat… simply truth.
The courtyard was deathly still.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Arima lowered his gaze slightly, studying Nezuko with that same detached curiosity one might show a piece of art long forgotten by time.
His grip on her was light, almost careless, yet the weight of his presence alone made it feel like she couldn't move even if she wanted to.
"...Kagaya,"
he said at last, his words drifting across the courtyard like falling ash.
"It's been a long time. The last time I saw you... you were just a child."
His crimson-black eyes flicked toward the Master, then to the two children beside him.
For an instant, those ancient eyes seemed to look through them, as though peering into the threads of their future.
Kagaya's smile remained serene, though the faint tremor in his breath betrayed how heavy the air had become.
He turned to the Hashira, each of whom stood tense, swords drawn, eyes burning with confusion and restrained fury.
"Stand down."
His voice, calm yet firm, carried through the courtyard.
"He is not our enemy."
The disbelief that followed was not something hard to imagine.
Sanemi's knuckles went white around his hilt.
"Not our enemy? He's a demon!"
Even Giyu's usual stillness cracked, his brows drawing tight as his hand hovered uncertainly near his sword.
Only Rengoku's fire seemed to waver...his instincts screaming danger, yet something in the man's presence felt… different.
Kagaya took a breath, eyes soft but unwavering.
"He is Kishou Arima...one of the oldest allies of the Demon Slayer Corps… and one of the only known demon to gain freedom from Muzan."
A ripple of shock spread through the Hashira.
Tengen's eye widened in disbelief.
"Freedom? From Muzan?"
Shinobu's gaze flicked back to Arima, her sharp mind racing even as her lips pressed into a thin line.
"He's also…"
Kagaya's voice lowered, reverent, almost nostalgic.
"…one of the original creators of the Nichirin Blades."
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Power Stones and Reviews please