"What?!"
Listening to the Kasugai Crow's report, the teacup in Kagaya Ubuyashiki's hand nearly fell to the floor. The usually serene leader of the Demon Slayer Corps was visibly shaken. "Are you saying an Upper Rank has been slain?!"
The Master's personal Kasugai Crow perched on a branch and croaked, "The slain include Upper Rank Six and Upper Rank Nine. Additionally, five Lower Rank members of the Twelve Kizuki were also killed."
When the crow had first landed in the courtyard, it had given a deliberately brief summary—only mentioning that an Upper Rank had been killed—to allow the Master a moment to process the initial shock.
"So many?!"
Even someone as composed as Kagaya couldn't hold back his astonishment, which was quickly followed by confusion. "According to our existing intelligence, the Twelve Kizuki is strictly divided into six Upper Moons and six Lower Moons. How can an 'Upper Rank Nine' exist?"
"Regarding this anomaly, investigations are currently underway. Initial deductions suggest that Muzan Kibutsuji has expanded the organizational structure of the Twelve Kizuki and recruited more powerful demons," the crow replied. It didn't possess high intelligence; it was merely repeating the analysis provided by the intelligence corps (the Kakushi).
Hearing the crow's words, the Master's joy over the death of an Upper Rank was significantly diluted by deep concern for the "children" of the Demon Slayer Corps. "The casualty report... how is it?"
This was his most pressing concern. A battle involving so many Upper and Lower Rank demons was a nightmare scenario. It was a terrifyingly luxurious lineup the Corps hadn't seen in centuries. Even if multiple Hashira had rushed to the scene to fight, the casualties would undoubtedly be catastrophic.
"According to current statistics from the battle in Yoshiwara: nineteen civilians suffered minor injuries, and three sustained severe or crippling injuries. There were zero civilian fatalities. Furthermore, there were zero casualties among the Demon Slayer Corps," the crow reported crisply.
For a split second, Kagaya thought he had misheard. While he desperately wished for none of his children to be hurt, he wasn't naive. He knew this war against the demons demanded blood. He had already mentally prepared himself to accept a devastating casualty report.
But what had he just heard? Zero civilian deaths? Zero Corps casualties?!
Such a miraculous outcome felt like a beautiful dream. While it brought him immense joy, it also felt entirely unbelievable. "Which Hashira participated in this battle? Was it Gyomei?"
Something felt incredibly bizarre about this report. With his exceptional memory, Kagaya knew exactly where his Hashira were stationed. The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, was currently assigned to an area extremely far from Yoshiwara. It would be highly unusual for him to suddenly appear there to slay demons.
"Lord Himejima did not participate. In fact, no current Hashira took part in this battle. The individual who slaughtered the horde of demons acted entirely alone," the crow stated in a single breath. "...It was the newly inducted Mizunoto ranked swordsman, Lu Li."
"Lu Li?!"
Amane, who was currently supporting the Master and preparing to pour more tea, gasped. "Didn't he just pass the Final Selection yesterday?! How could he possibly be in Yoshiwara?"
For a moment, she grew highly alert. This sequence of absurd news made her suspect the Kasugai Crow had been compromised by a Blood Demon Art. Had the Master's hidden sanctuary been discovered?
Kagaya was calmer. He raised a hand, gesturing for Amane to relax. "What exactly happened? I recall Mt. Fujikasane is roughly three hundred kilometers away from Yoshiwara. There are no railways connecting them; one can only travel via traditional post roads on foot or horseback. Is there an error in the intelligence?"
The Kasugai Crow answered honestly, "According to our intelligence, immediately after the Final Selection concluded last night, Swordsman Lu Li departed for Yoshiwara on foot. He arrived at dawn. Without taking a moment to rest, he was ambushed by the horde of demons. He engaged them in a fierce, solo battle and emerged victorious."
Both the Master and Amane were left slightly open-mouthed, utterly at a loss for words. Right now, they both really wanted to catch the crow and inspect it for mind-control magic.
While the two were still stunned, several more Kasugai Crows fluttered into the courtyard. Amane recognized them immediately—they were the personal crows of Tengen Uzui's three wives.
These crows corroborated the intelligence provided by the Master's crow, cementing the report's authenticity. But Lu Li's combat record was simply too heaven-defying. It was beyond human comprehension.
Sprinting three hundred kilometers in a single night? Was he made of iron? Was he even human?!
Even the mighty Stone Hashira couldn't expend that much stamina and then immediately solo a horde of Upper Moons!
Furthermore, why was Lu Li in such a frantic rush to get to Yoshiwara? How did he know the demons were there?
Despite the mountain of questions in his heart, the fact remained: Lu Li had undeniably slain Upper Rank Six, Upper Rank Nine, and a squad of Lower Moons. This was the greatest victory the Demon Slayer Corps had achieved in centuries. The Master's heart soared with unadulterated joy.
A gentle, profound smile graced his face. "Have the Kasugai Crows send out the summons. I am convening a Hashira Meeting. The Tenth Hashira has been born."
Amane bowed gracefully, showing no objection to the Master's decree.
In the Corps' established system, slaying even a single member of the Twelve Kizuki—even a Lower Moon—granted a slayer the right to be promoted to Hashira. It went without saying that Lu Li, who had slaughtered seven (or eight?) in a single battle, was overqualified.
It was glaringly obvious that Lu Li possessed absolute combat power that likely surpassed the majority of the current Hashira. No one in the Corps would dispute his promotion based on such a monstrous record.
As Amane stood up to leave, she asked, "What title should we use to address him?"
"Lu Li is the disciple of Grandpa Jigoro. By right, he should inherit his title. Until we meet him in person, he will temporarily be designated as the 'Roaring Hashira' (Ming-Bashira)," the Master decided.
Generally, a Hashira's title was determined by their Breathing Style. "Classic" styles like Flame, Water, Wind, and Stone almost always produced a Hashira in every generation, so the titles were inherited.
However, there were a rare few geniuses who, despite learning under a master of a traditional style, developed a unique variation better suited to their bodies—such as the Mist Hashira or the Love Hashira. In those cases, they were titled after their newly created style as a mark of respect for establishing a new martial path.
Because of this, the Master stated the title was temporary. They would ask Lu Li for his preference during the upcoming Hashira Meeting.
As the Kasugai Crows scattered to the four winds, the news of Lu Li's solo annihilation of the demons spread throughout the entire Demon Slayer Corps. The completely absurd combat record made many Hashira momentarily question the validity of the intelligence.
But once the shock wore off, they were left with nothing but profound elation. This meant the Corps had gained an incredibly powerful new ally, bringing them one massive step closer to final victory.
Meanwhile, the Master's personal crow flew out to find Lu Li directly. Its mission was to inform him of his promotion to Hashira and to serve as his temporary communication liaison.
Because Lu Li had bolted from Mt. Fujikasane in such a hurry, the Corps hadn't even had time to assign him his own Kasugai Crow. That was exactly why no one knew how he had managed to run to Yoshiwara overnight.
While morale skyrocketed within the Demon Slayer Corps as they prepared to welcome their new Hashira, Lu Li—having fully rested and recovered his stamina—arrived in Asakusa, Tokyo, under the cover of night.
In reality, Yoshiwara was incredibly close to Asakusa. This was why Lu Li had tried to "fish" for reinforcements during his battle with Gyutaro.
To his disappointment, he learned that even with Explorers joining his faction, Muzan was still a terrible boss, and his team was entirely disjointed.
Yoshiwara was less than five kilometers from Asakusa. If the Muzan Faction had any real intention of reinforcing their allies, they could have surrounded Yoshiwara in minutes. But until Lu Li slaughtered every last demon, no reinforcements ever arrived.
Thinking about the geographical proximity, Lu Li couldn't help but confirm that Muzan was truly an idiot. Upper Rank Six was stationed practically next door. When Muzan first bumped into Tanjiro and got triggered by his PTSD, he wanted the boy dead. Yet, instead of doing it himself, he sent two absolute garbage demons to feed Tanjiro EXP. If he had just sent Gyutaro, the manga would have ended right there.
As for whether there were demons in Asakusa right now, it was a near certainty. Based on the timeline, Boss Muzan was still playing "house" in Asakusa. For the enemy Explorers to gain their demon bloodlines, they had to meet Muzan here to be baptized.
Since the Mission World hadn't been open for long, the Explorers couldn't have scattered too far. Furthermore, given Muzan's extreme cowardice, he likely kept a few of the strongest Explorers close by as bodyguards. Therefore, Lu Li deduced there were definitely more Treasure Chests waiting to be claimed in Asakusa.
[System Prompt: Pioneer's Faction Reputation has exceeded 3,000. Status upgraded to: Revered.]
Just as Lu Li was pondering how to find Lady Tamayo in the bustling streets of Asakusa, the system prompt rang out.
At the exact same time, a somewhat familiar voice called out from the air above.
"Excuse me... are you Swordsman Lu Li?"
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