"Good morning, everyone. The weather today is wonderful."
Kagaya's voice was extremely gentle, as if it possessed some strange magic, instantly calming the courtyard that had been thick with tension and killing intent.
This unique voice could easily soothe the irritability and anger in an ordinary person's heart.
However, Yamada, standing in the center of the courtyard, merely raised an eyebrow.
His mental strength had long since reached a terrifying level. This degree of vocal soothing didn't even count as a light breeze to him.
His pitch-black eyes calmly observed the blind man before him, whose face was mostly covered by terrifying marks.
"Master!"
Sanemi, who had been stomped into internal injuries, was currently kneeling on one knee.
Enduring the sharp pain in his chest, he reported through gritted teeth, "This bastard named Tanaka Yamada not only lacks any respect for you but even spoke arrogantly at the sacred Hashira Meeting! Please allow me to draw my blade and slay this ignorant fool right here!"
"Sanemi, do not be rude."
Kagaya shook his head with a smile, his unfocused eyes accurately facing Yamada's position.
"Yamada-san is not only a distinguished guest of our Demon Slayer Corps but also the benefactor who saved the lives of countless children."
"Benefactor? Just him?" Sanemi suddenly looked up, his face full of resentment and bewilderment.
Not just Sanemi, but Tengen, Kyojuro, and the others also showed expressions of extreme confusion.
Supported by his two children, Kagaya slowly sat down in front of the corridor, his voice gentle yet firm. "I have heard all the reports from the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane. Yamada-san, relying on his own strength, without using any known Breathing Styles and without even drawing his nichirin blade, slaughtered all the demons kept on Mount Fujikasane in just a single day."
"Among them was even a Demon that had survived for over forty years, grew dozens of arms, and had eaten thirteen of Urokodaki-san's personal students."
These nonchalant words from Kagaya were like a heavy bomb exploding in the ears of the Hashira.
"Without drawing a nichirin blade?! Killed every demon on the entire mountain?!" Tengen widened his red-painted eyes, his face full of disbelief.
"How is that possible? Without a nichirin blade, those demons' self-healing abilities shouldn't be suppressed at all. This isn't flamboyant at all."
"This is simply unheard of! What amazing strength to be able to slay a Demon without the help of a nichirin blade!" Kyojuro's eyes were wide open.
Standing under a tree branch, Obanai's pupils constricted as he stared intently at Yamada's calm face.
No wonder Sanemi's extremely sharp kick earlier was caught so effortlessly by this guy with one hand.
To be able to slaughter a whole mountain in a day was definitely not a fluke. He possessed the overwhelming combat power of a monster.
While everyone was in shock, Giyu suddenly stood up and strode in front of Yamada.
Under everyone's stunned gazes, this Water Hashira, who was usually as cold as ice and seemed indifferent to everything, actually bent his knees with great solemnity and bowed deeply to Yamada.
"Master is right." Giyu's voice carried a hint of trembling that was hard for ordinary people to detect.
"That Demon that survived for over forty years was the one who killed my senior, Sabito, during the Final Selection back then. My life was originally bought by Sabito. I thought I would never be able to personally avenge him in this lifetime."
Giyu looked up, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented light of determination as he stared at Yamada. "Yamada-san, you killed it. I, Tomioka Giyu, will never forget this kindness. From now on, if anyone wants to harm you, they must first cross my dead body."
These words plunged the entire courtyard into a deathly silence.
All the Hashira were stunned.
No one expected such an inside story behind Sabito's death, and even less expected the Water Hashira to perform such a grand gesture to a newcomer in public, even at the cost of opposing the other Hashira.
"Hey... Tomioka, you bastard, did you go crazy and draw your sword earlier because of this?" Sanemi gritted his teeth.
Although he still felt unpleasant toward Yamada, his hostility diminished by half after learning that Yamada had avenged the Water Breathing lineage.
Seeing this scene, Yamada rubbed his brow somewhat helplessly. "I was just clearing the map to earn some... cough, to kill some time. There's no need to make it so tragic."
Yamada gave a casual excuse, then turned his gaze toward Kagaya sitting on the corridor. "Let's stop the small talk here. Boss, you called me here specifically, surely not just to praise me in public? If you have any conditions, state them directly. I'm someone who hates trouble most."
This casual, even somewhat condescending attitude toward Kagaya made the corners of several Hashira's eyes twitch. However, after seeing Yamada's strength and background, no one dared to rashly rush forward to strike this time.
Kagaya didn't mind Yamada's rudeness and instead smiled gently. "Yamada-san is a straightforward person. With your strength, you are fully qualified to immediately become the tenth Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. But I heard from Shinobu that you don't seem to like being bound by rules."
"That's right." Yamada said bluntly.
"Making me patrol a jurisdiction on time, write mission reports longer than foot-bindings, and follow orders? Sorry, I don't have the time for that."
"In that case, I propose granting Yamada-san the position of 'Special Executive Officer'."
Kagaya threw out his carefully considered chip. "You won't be responsible for any specific jurisdiction, won't be subject to any corps rules, and won't even need to follow my orders. You can act freely. But in exchange, when encountering the Twelve Kizuki or discovering traces of Kibutsuji Muzan, I hope you can lend us your strength."
"At the same time, you can unconditionally call upon all the logistics resources of the Demon Slayer Corps at any time, including the Butterfly Mansion and the Swordsmith Village."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Hashira were shocked.
This wasn't recruiting a member, this was clearly giving Yamada a 'Supreme Ruler' privilege that was even more transcendent than a Hashira and completely beyond control.
"You are generous."
A satisfied arc appeared at the corner of Yamada's lips, and he agreed without hesitation. "Deal. This is a pretty good bargain."
He could leech off the Demon Slayer Corps' intelligence network and logistics for free, didn't have to clock in for work, and had people to help call for backup when encountering 'Dimension Point' gift bags like the Twelve Kizuki. Only a fool would refuse such a good deal.
[Ding! Detected that the host has significantly changed the hierarchy of the Demon Slayer Corps established for thousands of years, obtaining transcendent privileges!]
[Greatly shocked the Hashira and Ubuyashiki Kagaya, helping the Water Hashira resolve his inner knot!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Dimension Points: 2500!]
The pleasant system notification in his mind made Yamada's mood even more joyful.
"Since the business is finished, cough cough..." Kagaya suddenly coughed violently, a trace of black blood overflowing from the corner of his lips.
"Master!" The Hashira were pale with fright.
"I'm fine." Kagaya waved his hand and slowly stood up with the help of his two children.
"Let's end today's meeting here. Yamada-san, I hope your existence can become the blade that cuts through this millennium-old tragedy. Please excuse me."
***
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