Chapter Fourteen: The Hashira Meeting!
『RYON』
Enjoy~~~
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The special transport carriage of the Demon Slayer Corps moved with eerie smoothness along rugged mountain paths that appeared on no map—paths fitting for a hidden location.
Inside, the atmosphere was charged with a peculiar kind of silent tension, the kind that made it feel as though even the air itself had frozen.
Yukihara Ren sat beside the small window covered with a bamboo curtain, resting his cheek on his palm in an exaggerated display of boredom.
He pretended to watch the misty scenery rushing past, but his mind was working at the speed of a supercomputer.
"This woman… she's reading me like an open book. Or at least trying to," Ren thought irritably as he glanced sideways at Kocho Shinobu sitting across from him.
Shinobu was not looking at him directly. Her violet eyes were fixed on an imaginary point in the air, yet Ren knew—thanks to his enhanced senses screaming warnings in his head—that all her focus was on him. She was analyzing every movement, every breath, every word he had spoken since their meeting.
As for Kanao, she sat in the dark corner of the carriage, silent like a porcelain doll, her hands folded politely on her lap. Still, Ren noticed something interesting—why did she seem lost in thought?
Ren's earlier nonsense about seeing the future had lodged itself in Kanao's small mind, and she was now thinking about the possibility that it might be true.
"If it were true, it would explain his level of strength… maybe," Kanao thought, imagining what it would be like to truly see the future. If that were possible… perhaps Kanae, Shinobu's older sister, would not have died.
"What a suffocating atmosphere," Ren sighed internally. "If my narcissistic crow were here, it would have broken this silence with a stupid joke about its shiny feathers. Unfortunately, regulations forbid crows from riding luxury carriages."
Suddenly, without warning, Shinobu shattered the wall of silence with her calm voice, laced with honeyed poison.
"Yukihara-san."
Ren did not turn his head, continuing to look out the window. "Yes, Hashira Kocho?"
"I want to be honest with you," Shinobu said, her tone sharpening, growing colder—like a surgical scalpel. "As a Hashira, and as someone responsible for training many swordsmen at the Butterfly Estate, I have a certain intuition about people. And frankly… I believe you do not belong in the Corps."
Ren's left eyebrow twitched slowly as he finally turned to face her, his emerald eyes glinting with mocking amusement.
"I don't belong in the Corps?" Ren repeated with a lazy side-smile. "Is it because I killed a Lower Moon on my first outing? Or because I didn't cry while doing it? Or perhaps because I didn't lose my family in some bloody tragedy?"
"No," Shinobu replied coldly, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Because you seem far too happy about it. Most Demon Slayers, even the strong ones, live lives weighed down by duty, misery, and suppressed pain. You… you look arrogant, carefree, as if you're on a school trip. That disregard for death… disturbs me."
(Ahem… I know I'm bad at deep character writing, but please forgive me… enjoy~~~)
The carriage fell silent. Even Kanao raised her eyes to look at Ren, waiting for his reaction.
Ren smiled. This time, it was not a sarcastic smile, but a wide, relaxed one—provocative to the extreme. He lifted his crimson-sheathed sword and rested it on his shoulder in a posture of absolute indifference.
"Ah, Hashira Kocho… how dramatic," Ren said lightly, as if commenting on the weather. "Do you really expect me to be miserable? Should I fabricate tears over a past I never lived, or pretend to be mentally broken just to prove to you and others that I'm 'worthy' of killing monsters?"
Ren leaned forward slightly, his smile vanishing, replaced by icy seriousness.
"Listen carefully, Kocho-san. If you want a Demon Slayer who is strong, efficient, completes the mission, and returns home to eat dinner, then I'm your man. But if you're looking for someone psychologically tormented, fighting with tears in his eyes so you can feel sympathy for his motives… then look elsewhere. The Corps doesn't need more tragedies right now. It needs results."
Shinobu was shaken by his words. They were harsh, direct, and hit painfully close to home. The phrase "psychologically tormented" echoed in her mind. Wasn't that exactly what Kanao was? Wasn't that what she herself was beneath her constant smile?
"Fighting is not a game, Yukihara-san," Shinobu said in a low but firm voice. "You use words like 'efficiency' and 'fun' to describe killing a demon that caused the deaths of many innocents. Do you understand the weight of what you're saying? Do you realize that the 'efficiency' you praise is built on the blood of victims?"
Ren sighed and leaned back against the carriage seat, his eyes drifting to the wooden ceiling.
"I understand that perfectly well, Hashira Kocho. Far more than you think."
Ren's tone changed. The laziness disappeared, replaced by something older and deeper.
"I understand that every second I waste crying, philosophizing about pain, or hesitating… is another second Kibutsuji Muzan has to create more demons. Another second in which an innocent person—like that girl Akemi I met earlier—could die."
Ren looked directly at Shinobu, his gaze piercing through her false mask.
"I use 'efficiency' because I don't want to see more people suffer. If my arrogance, narcissism, and laziness are what drive me to become the fastest Hashira in history to protect them… so be it. I'm not here to tell sad stories to earn your sympathy. I'm here to kill demons—quickly, without losses, and with minimal effort. Isn't that what matters in the end? Isn't the result—protecting humans—what truly counts?"
A heavy silence filled the carriage. Ren's logic stood like a steel wall, impossible to breach. He had cornered Shinobu morally: virtue paired with weakness and sorrow, or arrogance paired with strength and results.
At that moment, something unexpected happened.
Kanao moved in her corner. She raised her head and looked at Ren, her wide eyes losing some of their usual emptiness.
"Ren-san…" Kanao whispered.
The sound was faint, like the flutter of a butterfly's wings, yet it was perfectly audible in the heavy silence.
Ren turned to her, as did Shinobu, stunned.
"You…" Kanao said hesitantly, as if weighing her words for the first time without a coin. "You're not crazy."
Ren blinked for a second, then a warm, gentle, completely genuine smile spread across his face—different from his usual mocking grin.
"Thank you, Kanao-chan," Ren said softly. "That's the best compliment I've received today. I think I'll reserve this charming smile just for you and Shinobu-san."
Shinobu's cheeks flushed slightly with irritation and embarrassment, while Kanao lowered her gaze again, though the corner of her mouth was raised just a little.
Ren suddenly felt that the only reason Kanao had spoken was to stop Shinobu from hitting him.
The transport carriages finally stopped.
When they stepped out, they found themselves before a massive, ancient wooden gate, carefully hidden within a dense forest of wisteria trees whose fragrance filled the air—calming to humans and lethal to demons.
"The headquarters…" Ren murmured, looking around with the curiosity of an explorer, not the awe of a beginner.
They walked through carefully paved stone paths, surrounded by traditional Japanese zen gardens, until they reached a wide open courtyard covered in soft white gravel.
The air here was heavy—not ordinary heaviness, but the weight of "power."
At the front of the courtyard, on a slightly raised wooden veranda, sat Kagaya Ubuyashiki (the Master). Though illness had begun to claim his face, his presence radiated calm dignity that made one bow instinctively.
But what truly caught Ren's attention was not only the Master.
It was them.
The nine giants. The pinnacle of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Hashira.
They stood in a semicircle, each of them emitting an oppressive aura powerful enough to crush the spirit of any ordinary person.
Ren—the ten-year-old child—stood before them. Instead of fear, a transparent system window appeared before his eyes.
[Target Analysis: Hashira]
[System Note: Enormous power, unshakable resolve, and perfectly trained mental strength!]
Since when did the system become so talkative… and start praising everyone?
"My god, this is the real treasure!" Ren shouted inwardly in awe, while his outer face maintained its usual lazy expression. "Gyomei, Sanemi, Giyu, Rengoku… these aren't just fighters, they're walking banks of experience!"
As someone with a system that allowed him to learn skills and level them up like a game, Ren was confident that simply listening to the Hashira explain their techniques would allow him to learn them—even if only at a low level.
"Welcome, Shinobu, and Yukihara Ren," Kagaya's voice came gently, soothing like a spring breeze that washed tension from the heart. "Thank you for responding to the summons so quickly, my dear children."
Shinobu bowed deeply in respect, and Ren bowed beside her, mimicking the motion perfectly, though his eyes swept across the Hashira one by one.
The silence did not last long. A rough, aggressive voice tore through the calm.
"Oi, oi… are you kidding me?"
A man with messy white hair, a body covered in scars, and eyes filled with madness stepped forward. Shinazugawa Sanemi, the Wind Hashira.
"This is the Mizunoto the crow claims killed a Lower Moon?" Sanemi spat contemptuously. "He looks like a kid who hasn't even finished weaning! Are we here to babysit? This is bullshit!"
Beside him, a large man adorned with jewels placed a hand dramatically on his forehead. Uzui Tengen, the Sound Hashira.
"How utterly un-flamboyant," Tengen declared loudly. "I was expecting a monster in human form, but this kid looks completely ordinary. Even worse, he looks way too narcissistic standing there like that. There's no sparkle!"
Narcissistic? Damn it, I'm just standing lazily. I haven't even taken care of my messy hair or myself for days—how is that narcissistic?!
Is it really that easy to identify a narcissist?
"We shouldn't judge so quickly!" A booming, enthusiastic voice shook Ren's eardrums. Rengoku Kyojuro, the Flame Hashira, was smiling brightly, his eyes wide open.
"If he truly defeated a Lower Moon, then this is 'brilliant' news for the Corps! Talent must be respected! Don't you agree?!"
"Enough, Hashira," Kagaya said softly. Everyone fell silent instantly. The Master turned his gentle smile toward Ren. "Ren-kun, tell us what happened. In detail. How did you defeat one of the Twelve Kizuki?"
Ren took a deep breath. This was his moment. No room for mistakes, and no room for false modesty that could be mistaken for weakness.
Ren began recounting the story. He described how he tracked the demon (using the lie of enhanced senses to cover for the minimap), and how he found the abandoned house.
"It was morning, and the sun was bright," Ren said calmly and confidently, his voice steady. "Lower Moon Four was asleep or in a dormant state. I didn't want to risk a prolonged fight that could destroy the town or put me in danger."
He paused for dramatic effect.
"So I used everything I had. I combined the flexibility of Water to protect my body with the explosive power of Thunder. I focused every muscle in my body into a single strike. I didn't use my sword to cut, but as a tool to push."
Ren looked at Sanemi, who was glaring at him suspiciously.
"I hit him with enough force to shatter the stone wall and launch him out of the house, straight into sunlight. He burned before he even hit the ground—before he could fully activate his Blood Demon Art."
Ren shrugged lazily. "It wasn't a heroic battle. It was extermination. Pure efficiency."
Silence swept the courtyard. The Hashira exchanged glances. The story was… terrifyingly logical.
"Efficiency, then?" came a calm, emotionless voice from the side. Tomioka Giyu, the Water Hashira, looked at Ren with an unreadable expression.
"Yes," Ren replied, meeting Giyu's gaze. "I hate wasting time. And time, in the end, is human life."
Suddenly, a massive man wearing prayer beads began to cry loudly. Himejima Gyomei, the Stone Hashira.
"Namu Amida Butsu…" Gyomei wept, tears streaming from his white eyes. "What a cruel and tragic fate for this child. He lost his innocence at such a young age and hides his sorrow and fear behind a mask of arrogance and coldness… it truly breaks the heart. Poor child."
Ren frowned inwardly, resisting the urge to rub his temples. "My god, this giant sees sadness in everything! When will I convince these people that I'm not tragic and don't have a miserable past? I just like finishing my job and sleeping!"
"Yukihara Ren," Kagaya called again, drawing everyone's attention back. "Hashira Kocho mentioned in her preliminary report that you spoke of creating a new breathing style… 'Storm Breathing,' combining Water and Thunder. Is that true?"
"It is true, Master," Ren replied, bowing sincerely this time, as the question was fundamental.
"Water grants flexibility and adaptability. Thunder grants speed and explosive power. My body… by nature possesses extremely high physical strength. Thunder Breathing threatened to tear my muscles apart if used recklessly, while Water Breathing failed to utilize my full potential. So I merged them. Water protects the body, and Thunder releases the power."
Suddenly, a small boy—smaller than the others, with long hair and a distant gaze fixed on the sky—moved. Tokito Muichiro, the Mist Hashira.
Muichiro lowered his gaze from the cloud he had been watching and fixed his pale eyes on Ren.
"Combining two breathing styles…" Muichiro said calmly and monotonously, but his words fell like hammers. "That's impossible. In the history of the Corps, no one has successfully merged two completely different origins like Water and Thunder while maintaining stability. Either you're lying, or you're delusional."
Ren felt his blood boil—not with anger, but with excitement. This was the challenge he had been waiting for.
Ren smiled broadly, full of confidence and defiance, and looked directly into Muichiro's eyes—the Corps' current prodigy.
"Impossible?" Ren said with a soft scoff. "The word 'impossible' is just an excuse people use when they lack the intelligence—or the strength."
Ren placed his hand on the hilt of his crimson sword.
"If Hashira Muichiro permits it… and if the Master allows it… I would be more than happy to prove that I'm not delusional. Here. And now."
Several Hashira gasped. A Mizunoto challenging a Hashira? In the presence of the Master?
All eyes turned to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, awaiting his judgment. Would he allow this madness—or punish the insolent child?
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End of Chapter Fourteen.
I want comments to continue 😢 and some Energy Stones wouldn't hurt.