章 173: Brutal Truth
The day gradually brightened.
As the sun rose from the horizon, what had been a nightmarish night for the residents of the town finally came to an end.
At this moment, the members of the Kakushi were running back and forth in the town, sometimes cleaning up the aftermath, sometimes aiding the wounded, making the entire town seem unusually bustling.
However, at this point, the town had truly become a disaster area. Everywhere were either collapsed houses or debris strewn about, and even pools of blood staining the ground, glaringly visible under the sun.
In such circumstances, many Kasugai Crows continued to fly back and forth in the sky, sometimes flying out of the town and then returning, seemingly contacting relevant personnel and sending out intelligence.
With such a major event unfolding, every member of the Demon Slayer Corps who was out on mission naturally hurried back, especially the Hashira.
One by one, they all returned.
"Master!"
"Master! Are you okay?"
"It's such a relief that you're okay."
All the Hashira gathered in a clean, temporary house, kneeling before Kagaya, who sat at the head of the room on a tatami mat.
Each Hashira entered with a deep sense of concern on their faces, including the previously silent Giyuu and the expressionless Muichirou. It wasn't until they saw Kagaya safe and sound that a sense of relief washed over their faces.
"It's good to see you all back."
Supported by his wife and children, Kagaya spoke, looking at the row of kneeling Hashira, his face wearing its usual gentle expression.
However, amidst the relief, the Hashira also began to voice their concerns.
"I mean, Rengoku, what happened?"
Sanemi was the first to question Kyoujurou, who knelt beside Kagaya.
"Why was Master still under threat with you around?"
"You've failed as Master's bodyguard." Obanai said coldly. "You were clearly by Master's side, yet you appeared like this, causing him unnecessary distress. It's so unsightly."
At this moment, Kyoujurou did indeed look unsightly, his entire body wrapped in bandages, his clothes stained with blood, turning this once heroic and carefree man into a pitiful sight.
"I have no excuses." Kyoujurou lowered his head, closing his eyes, showing no intention of offering any rebuttal.
In this era, swordsmen still held true to the samurai code.
Swearing allegiance to Kagaya as master meant that being an ineffective bodyguard was a dereliction of duty, a crime.
For Kyoujurou to be held accountable by the Hashira was not uncommon in this era.
Even Tengen said as much.
"If you were a ninja, this would've been a seppuku moment." Tengen chimed in as he crossed his arms. "Need me to do it for you? Though it won't be pretty."
Facing his rather blunt remark, the other Hashira each reacted in turn.
"I... don't have any objections."
Muichirou surprisingly spoke up, even though it was with a cold tone. It seemed that this seemingly reckless Mist Hashira truly valued Kagaya's safety and was angry about his current predicament.
"I have nothing to say."
Giyuu chimed in with closed eyes, appearing detached from the situation.
"Although losing the Flame Hashira is a significant blow to the Corps, someone has to step up to take responsibility for such a failure."
Gyoumei also chimed in before reciting a Buddhist prayer, looking mournful, tears streaming down his face.
"N-No way, right? Mr. Rengoku did nothing wrong, right?! Master is unharmed!"
Only Mitsuri, very excitedly, spoke up for Kyoujurou, looking very anxious and flustered.
Among the Hashira present, if one were to say who had the closest relationship with Kyoujurou, it would undoubtedly be Mitsuri.
After all, before becoming a Hashira, and even before developing Love Breathing, Mitsuri was Kyoujurou's Tsuguko.
In other words, Mitsuri was Kyoujurou's apprentice.
It was also the reason why Mitsuri was able to develop and research Love Breathing as a derivative breathing style of Flame Breathing and became one of the nine Hashira.
Now, seeing her former mentor being questioned, even falling to the point of having to perform seppuku as an apology, Mitsuri naturally panicked.
Fortunately, Kagaya spoke up to ease the situation.
"Don't blame Kyoujurou too much, none of us expected this incident, Kyoujurou has done well."
"Master." Sanemi spoke up, his expression stern and somewhat terrifying. "I've long felt that the security around you is too weak. If an incident like this were to happen again, your situation could become very dangerous. Please consider assigning more Hashira to your side for closer protection."
"I agree." Obanai nodded, his expression grim as he gestured to the white snake coiled around his neck. "This incident serves as a lesson. We can't afford to repeat it."
"Thankfully, we're only dealing with the Upper Ranks this time. But if Kibutsuji Muzan himself decides to step in, what then?" Tengen chimed in, sounding dead serious. "As much as I'd love to have a glamorous showdown with that Demon King, we gotta ensure your safety first, Master."
"Agreed." Muichirou nodded in agreement.
"I'm fine with that." Giyuu chimed in casually.
"Please consider it, Master." Gyoumei pleaded, tears welling up as he pressed his hands together.
"I-I'm on board too!" Mitsuri exclaimed, noticing the change in topic and eager to go along with it.
Unfortunately, Kagaya shook his head, rejecting their proposal.
"I've said it before. Valuable combatants like the Hashira shouldn't be wasted on a dying man like me..." Kagaya spoke gently. "If I were to pass away, there are plenty in the Ubuyashiki family who could take my place. My children are all outstanding talents. But if any of you were to fall, it would be a significant loss to the Corps."
Upon hearing this, the Hashira chimed in one after another.
"Please don't say that!"
"Your life is the most precious thing to the Corps!"
"Losing you would be the Corps' greatest loss!"
"You should cherish yourself more, Master!"
Every Hashira spoke up one by one, including Kyoujurou, without exception, indicating Kagaya's revered and high status in everyone's eyes.
Kagaya was well aware of this, observing the Hashira with increasingly gentle gazes, yet he had no intention of changing his mind.
"Let's not dwell on my security issue anymore. Since our headquarters have been exposed, we need to relocate to a safer place as soon as possible." Kagaya said, turning to Kyoujurou. "Are the people in the town all arranged?"
Kyoujurou lowered his head at the question and gave his report.
"Someone from the Kakushi just reported that all the wounded have been taken care of, and the unfortunate casualties have been counted. Thankfully, the casualties aren't severe."
While the Upper Ranks attacked their respective targets, Gyokko summoned aquatic creatures from his vases to also assault the town. Neither fully human nor demon, these creatures proved powerful, as ordinary Demon Slayers struggled against them.
Fortunately, this town was the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps, with stationed Demon Slayers, including some higher-ranked ones. Dealing with a group of aquatic creatures summoned as lower-level combatants wasn't much of a problem.
As a result, while there were casualties, they weren't particularly serious.
Moreover, after Gyokko was beheaded by Riezel, his summoned aquatic creatures disappeared along with him, avoiding further trouble.
"The civilians who are safe and sound have been provided with an evacuation route, with the Kakushi offering full assistance. Only Kochou, due to her severe injuries, has not only partially paralyzed the Butterfly Mansion but may also be unable to get out of bed for a while."
Kyoujurou reported everything clearly.
Except for Shinobu, every Hashira was currently present in this room.
Since her injuries were too severe, as soon as the battle ended, she lost consciousness and hadn't woken up since.
"Even Shinobu went down?" Mitsuri's expression darkened.
Knowing this, the other Hashira fell silent, some even clenched their fists.
Since the sudden attack last night had already been relayed to all the Hashira by Kasugai Crows, it was clear that they knew the grim outcome Kyoujurou and Shinobu faced against three Upper Ranks the moment they heard the news.
Kyoujurou faced the Upper Four alone, getting completely overwhelmed, sent flying, and if not for falling into the Ubuyashiki Estate, he might have been killed by the Upper Four.
Shinobu was even worse off, heavily injured by the Upper Six, nearly losing her life. If it weren't for Daki's fondness for beautiful women and her habit of keeping them as reserve food, Shinobu might have been eaten the moment she fell, rather than being brought to the Ubuyashiki Estate by Daki.
Fortunately, although three Upper Ranks attacked together, whether it was Kyoujurou or Shinobu, each only faced a single Upper Rank without being ganged up.
Despite this, both of them still suffered devastating defeats.
"Are these Upper Ranks really that powerful?"
Tengen unintentionally muttered what all the Hashira were thinking at the moment.
"Very powerful..." Kyoujurou said, his tone unusually somber. "Even the weakest of them could easily overpower a Hashira. Most of us probably wouldn't stand a chance in a one-on-one fight against an Upper Rank."
Such a brutal truth shattered the pride of many Hashira.
"What about that guy?" Sanemi questioned with a vicious glare. "Where's the guy who supposedly took down three Upper Ranks with one attack?"
Upon hearing this, the other Hashira snapped back to attention, all eyes on Kyoujurou.
At the mention of the so-called 'guy' from Sanemi's mouth, Kyoujurou's heavy expression softened a bit.
"He's with Kochou... He said he has a way to help her recover quickly."
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