"Moshi moshi~. Su Chen-jun, can you hear me?"
Su Chen opened his eyes. He was in a quiet room, no longer on Mount Natagumo.
The voice belonged to Shinobu Kocho. She was kneeling to his left, quietly looking after him.
Beside her sat an elegant, mature woman. She had white hair, beautiful eyes, and a face as stunning as a fairy's. Su Chen recognized her as Amane Ubuyashiki, the wife of the Demon Slayer Corps leader.
When Shinobu saw him awake, she smiled. "Mr. Su Chen, you've been asleep for quite a while."
Su Chen held his forehead and slowly sat up.
"Where is this? Is someone outside?"
Shinobu smiled as she wiped the sweat from Su Chen's forehead. "This is the Master's estate, and this is Lady Amane."
"Hello, Su Chen. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Amane Ubuyashiki."
Lady Amane's voice was lovely. Su Chen thought about how Muichiro Tokito's brother once called her a fairy, and he could see why. Every movement she made was full of elegant beauty.
Su Chen blinked and looked around.
A guess immediately formed in his mind: this was the estate of Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. He had heard voices outside. Could the Hashira be here?
If that was true, it wasn't hard to guess why Shinobu and Lady Amane were with him.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki must already know about his awakened Mark. He probably sent Shinobu to watch him.
"Ara? I came on my own, Mr. Su Chen. Please don't overthink it." Shinobu smiled at him while wringing out a damp cloth.
Su Chen was startled. Before he could speak, the room door opened.
A man in a white robe slowly entered, supported by two young girls. He was tall, but the top half of his face was covered by a purple, scar-like curse.
Su Chen recognized him instantly. It was Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the current leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Behind him followed a group of people, each with a very different style. They weren't wearing the standard black Demon Slayer Corps uniform. Instead, they wore their own unique clothes.
This diverse, colorful group... They were the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest fighters: the Hashira!
Su Chen frowned, not sure what they wanted.
Then Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke. "Hello, Su Chen. Can you tell everyone how to get the special patterns to appear on your body?"
"Patterns?" Su Chen suddenly understood.
Kagaya was talking about the Mark on his body.
The Mark gave Kagaya hope that they could finally defeat Muzan. It made sense now why he woke up here.
"What? He's just a kid!"
A man with a scarred face frowned. He clearly didn't have a good first impression of Su Chen.
Su Chen was thin and looked like he didn't exercise. He seemed to be around the same age as Muichiro Tokito. How could someone this young be as strong as the Master said?
"Is that Su Chen? He looks very flamboyant!" This time, it was a tall, handsome man who spoke.
"Shinazugawa, you should be quiet. You already got put in your place by that Kamado boy once." This time, the Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro, spoke.
He and Shinazugawa had a good relationship and often sparred together.
Shinazugawa's face showed he was annoyed.
"Are you talking about that kid who headbutted me? That was just 'cause I was careless! Otherwise, he never would've touched me!"
Watching them, Su Chen figured out what Kagaya wanted.
It seemed most of the Hashira didn't know about the Mark. Kagaya brought them here to teach them.
Su Chen glanced at Shinobu beside him again. It was a good thing she had rescued him. If she hadn't, he would have died on Mount Natagumo. He owed her for that.
Su Chen looked up and met Kagaya's gaze.
"Yes, I can. But I have one condition."
Kagaya smiled, his expression as calm as always. "Please, tell us."
"I want to join the Demon Slayer Corps!"
Su Chen's goal was clear. Since he was in this new world, he needed strong allies. He had a "cheat" ability with his Heaven-Defying Comprehension, but he still needed time to grow stronger.
What place could be safer than the Demon Slayer Corps? Right now, all of their strongest fighters were in this one place. Even if Muzan himself came, this would be the safest place to be.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded. "Of course. Since you can awaken the Mark, the Demon Slayer Corps welcomes you. I can even offer you a Hashira position."
At these words, the air suddenly fell silent.
Shinazugawa was the first to react. "Master, no! A Hashira represents the heart of the Demon Slayer Corps. How can you give such an important position to a mere kid so easily?"
Obanai Iguro also felt the Master's decision was wrong.
"Master, normally, all swordsmen must pass the Final Selection. Isn't this moving too fast?"
The other Hashira stayed quiet, but their faces showed they were not sure about this.
But Kagaya Ubuyashiki waved his hand.
"This is different. If someone can awaken the Mark, it means a golden age is about to begin. We might finally be able to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji."
"What?!"
Everyone's expression changed at the same time. They couldn't believe the Master thought the Mark was so important.
"What exactly is this Mark?" the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, couldn't help but ask.
"Let me explain." At this moment, Lady Amane stood up.
She and Kagaya exchanged a look. After he nodded, she slowly began to speak.
"Long ago, in the Sengoku period, the first swordsmen who used Breathing Techniques almost pushed Muzan Kibutsuji to a dead end. The stories say that they all had Marks on their bodies, similar to demon markings."
"This story has been passed down quietly. Some of you might have heard parts of it."
Shinazugawa asked, full of doubt, "This is the first I'm hearing of it. Why wasn't this information shared with everyone?"
Lady Amane continued to explain, "In the past, many people became obsessed because they couldn't get the Mark to appear. This caused a lot of problems, so many parts of the legend became unclear."
"To this day, only one phrase has been clearly passed down: 'Whenever one person with a Mark appears, others around them will also awaken Marks, as if they are responding to the first one.'"
"The Mark can greatly increase a swordsman's strength. Because of it, the Demon Slayer Corps will enter a new golden age."
"And Su Chen is the first person in our time to awaken the Mark!"