"Welcome back, Giyu." Ubuyashiki Kagaya signaled to his wife, Amane, to pour the young man a cup of tea.
Tomioka Giyu accepted it respectfully, took a sip, slightly dissipating the fatigue accumulated from days of travel, and nodded slightly to Gyomei Himejima beside him.
The latter fiddled with the Nen Beads, still with that tearful, compassionate look, yet his bear-like build, seated cross-legged, made him even taller than Tomioka Giyu standing, making him impossible to ignore.
"Have you met the child?" Ubuyashiki Kagaya raised his hand in a gesture of forgoing formalities, indicating Tomioka Giyu need not stand on ceremony, as it wasn't the Hashira Alliance Meeting at the moment.
"I have," Tomioka Giyu replied truthfully.
"How was it?"
"There were some discrepancies."
Gyomei Himejima's large hand stopped momentarily.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya unexpectedly smiled and said, "So Urokodaki may have exaggerated a bit."
Giyu's nature is a bit aloof, but he never lies, much less tells an untruth... since he mentioned discrepancies, it means the child named Eiichiro Oda isn't as extraordinary as claimed.
"No,"
"It was the master who was reserved!"
?!
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was taken aback, gestured for Amane to bring Tomioka Giyu a cushion and said, "Explain properly."
Hinaki and Nichika looked curiously, as did Gyomei Himejima, subtly perking up their ears.
"I was defeated," Tomioka Giyu said concisely, dropping a bombshell with his words!
The room instantly fell silent,
The young man thanked Amane, knelt on the cushion, and said earnestly, "Eiichiro Oda has reached the level of a 'Hashira'."
"I gave my all and couldn't defeat him."
Roy's strike, with its 'illusionary' quality, was still vivid in Tomioka Giyu's mind as he meticulously described the sights witnessed upon his return, narrating them word by word... Ubuyashiki Kagaya listened quietly, his light-colored eyes occasionally gleaming.
Beside him, Hinaki and Nichika slightly gaped their mouths as if listening to a story.
Learning "Breathing Technique" in one day, creating moves in less than half a day, presumably achieving "Human-Sword Unity" with a Shallow Strike... Such an impressive figure... the two littles seem to have only encountered people like this in storybooks, even...
The legendary figures described in storybooks weren't as incredible as the person Tomioka Giyu described as "Kamado Eiichiro."
"Amitabha, truly a demon-subduing lord descended from the heavens, akin to a human incarnation of the god of plague." Gyomei Himejima ceased reciting scriptures, pressing his palms together, uttering a Buddhist invocation.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya glanced at him, "Is Gyomei itching for combat?"
Gyomei Himejima neither admitted nor denied, sincerely saying, "I am happy for the lord, happy for the Demon Slayer Corps,"
"We should also rejoice for the people under the heavens."
"Amitabha, you are right, my lord."
'You...' Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled without exposing him and looked warmly at Tomioka Giyu, "Giyu, you did well."
"Urokodaki taught two excellent disciples."
Having two 'Hashira' under him, something not achieved by any other retired 'Hashira'.
"I didn't do much," Tomioka Giyu's cool voice resonated, raising his head to earnestly look at Ubuyashiki Kagaya, "Please permit me the right to draw my sword, my lord."
The young man paused, speaking deeply, "I request my lord to witness the 'Red Blade'."
"Red Blade?!"
"Yes, the Red Blade!"
Numerous gazes gathered on Tomioka Giyu, and upon receiving permission, the young man drew his sword from its sheath, grasped it with both hands, and with a tremor, the blade instantly turned red, like a red sun dispelling all darkness, enhancing the menacing 'Demon Slayer' inscription!
"Hmm, it is the 'Red Blade' described in legends." Gyomei Himejima, highly adept in Breathing Technique, even though blind, could sense the 'murderous and fiery' aura emanating from the Nichirin Sword with his sense of smell!
In the original work, Urokodaki Sakonji had told Tanjiro that with profound mastery of Breathing Technique, one could even detect the scent of demons and discern how many people they had consumed.
Gyomei Himejima, as the current strongest 'Hashira', possessing such a 'sense of smell', isn't surprising.
"Giyu," Ubuyashiki Kagaya observed the Red Blade, vaguely guessing something, and after a while, asked, "Did that child Kamado Eiichiro teach this to you?"
Before returning, he clearly hadn't understood it, but did upon returning... Ubuyashiki Kagaya is a smart man; otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to subdue the pillars with strategy and broad-mindedness and contend with Muzan for so long.
"Yes."
"Clang~" Tomioka Giyu sheathed his sword, faced Ubuyashiki Kagaya, bowed, and respectfully said, "Eiichiro is willing to exchange the method of the 'Red Blade' for information on all the evil ghosts."
"I earnestly request my lord to agree."
"Giyu..." Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke softly, "Is Eiichiro planning to participate in the selection?"
"Yes."
"Good." Ubuyashiki Kagaya bent forward, helped the young man up, and said, "I'll personally deliver it to him then."
He then smiled and asked Gyomei Himejima, "Will Gyomei go?"
Gyomei Himejima uttered a Buddhist invocation, "Amitabha, of course."
Righteously said, "I need to protect the lord, and incidentally..."
"Observe the youth!"
"Only incidentally?"
"Yes, a monk does not lie. When I say incidentally, I mean incidentally. Amitabha..."
The sound of chanting followed, whether the 'Rock Hashira' was reciting the "Diamond Sutra" or the "Sutra of Apology" was unknown...
...
On the morning of January 25, Full-time Calendar.
After bidding farewell to his master and senior brother, he left Sagiri yama, heading straight towards Mount Fujikasane.
Roy departed the Demon Slayer World, returned to the Hunter World, and conducted an extreme test of time... It turns out that one day in the Hunter World equals two days in the Demon Slayer World!
Which means, starting now, Roy's 'one day' can not only have '48' hours but also '72' hours, and in the future, as 'Qi' increases and understanding of 'Nenryoku' deepens, it could potentially expand to '96'... '120'... Even '240' hours!
Greatly expanding the time available for his cultivation!
[Prompt: "Sun Breathing" operates in Full Concentration for one day, "Constitution" +1"...]
A new day, a new beginning, no Golden Crow pecking him, the panel prompts Roy to wake up.
The young man turned over and got out of bed, hearing the sound of the clock tower in the city center of Saba City striking the hour.
He habitually glanced at the "Curse" on the back of his hand and was taken aback!
The "time" that should have been counting down "second by second" seemed to have missed a second... From seven o'clock last night to five o'clock this morning, ten hours should have passed, and the number should have stopped at "9 years, 9 months, 8 days, 23 hours, 9 minutes, 9 seconds".
Instead, it showed "9 minutes, 8 seconds"... clearly not aligning with the count.
'Could it be because my constitution has improved a bit since yesterday?'
Roy suddenly thought of a phrase... "When you are strong enough, even gods will make way for you."
He cast a mocking glance at the mark,
Got up, went for a morning run, had breakfast, and then, with Wutong and Kurajing, returned to the venue at three o'clock in the afternoon, arriving punctually for the appointment.
"Clang~"
The elevator doors opened,
The young man appeared unhurriedly before Botobai.
Chen Long, who had been resting with closed eyes, heard footsteps, opened his eyes, and gazed intently at the young man, "You came."
"Yes, I came."
"You shouldn't have come."
"I already have."