Chapter 203: 203 "Pillars" and "Upper Moon
The news of the Upper Moon Six demon quickly spread throughout the Infinite City to all the members of the Demon Slayer Corps via the Kasugai Crows.
And soon enough, someone encountered them.
"Roar!"
With a roar, a ferocious tiger nearly three meters tall pounced on a Demon Slayer, biting off his head and splattering his blood on the spot.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Following successive roars, more tigers of equal size emerged, viciously attacking the Demon Slayers and devouring them to death.
In the center of the tiger pack, a gaunt man appeared, wielding a long whip like a beast tamer, dressed in prisoner’s attire.
The man’s eyes displayed digits with unmistakable clarity before everyone present.
One eye bore the mark "Upper Moon."
The other eye bore the mark "Six."
He was the new Upper Moon Six.
"Is this the Demon Slayer Corps?"
The man, looking at the Demon Slayers being devoured by the tigers without any ability to resist, voiced his dissatisfaction.
"Too weak, such trash. My beloveds will get a stomachache eating them. Isn’t there anyone stronger to come out?"
The man, named Toraja, was a convict once sentenced to death.
He loved to breed tigers and was originally just an ordinary hunter until he fell in love with the creature "tiger" upon seeing one in the mountains.
In order to feed the tigers in the mountains and prevent anyone from hunting his beloved pack, Toraja did not hesitate to lure his friends and family into the mountains for the tigers to feast upon. When other hunters entered the mountains, he would scheme to kill them. Even if he hadn’t killed hundreds, there were at least dozens that fell by his hand.
Not to mention those he lured into the mountains to become tiger feed.
So when his crimes were exposed, Toraja was arrested and sentenced to death, until Kibutsuji Muzan freed him from his cell, sparing him from his fate.
Afterward, Toraja accepted Kibutsuji Muzan’s blood, which not only allowed him to become a Lower Moon demon but also to withstand even more blood to gain Muzan’s favor and become a member of the Upper Moon Six, taking over the position left by the deceased Gyuutarou and Daki.
The tigers around him, driven by him, were his Blood Demon Art, the ability to tame and mutate wild beasts—"Abnormal Beast Taming·Demon Transformation."
"Beloveds, continue your hunt,"
Toraja gently commanded the surrounding pack of tigers.
"Hunt stronger foes."
"Feast on better prey."
"That way, you will grow bigger and stronger."
At Toraja’s order, the tigers roared in unison, ready to disperse.
Until—
"Love Breath·Second Form·Love of Wandering Anguish!"
A figure dashed in like an afterimage, a Sun Wheel Blade in hand whipping around like a tornado, slashing multiple tigers in every direction, cutting them into several pieces on the spot.
"Mist Breathing·Fifth Form·Mist Cloud Sea!"
Simultaneously, a mist rolled in, engulfing several tigers like wind-driven clouds, causing them to scream in agony before collapsing into pools of blood.
"What?"
Toraja was momentarily stunned before becoming enraged.
"Who? Who dares to harm my precious beloveds!"
Two voices responded to Toraja.
"Sorry! It was me!"
The girl holding the soft blade landed on the ground, appearing before Toraja.
It was Kanroji Mitsuri.
"...The new Upper Moon Six, huh?"
As the mist cleared, a slightly juvenile boy also quietly appeared.
It was Tokitou Muichirou.
The Love Pillar and the Mist Pillar had both arrived, making their appearance together.
"Gathered! We have gathered!"
"The Love Pillar and the Mist Pillar have successfully joined forces!"
The Kasugai Crows flew about in the sky, cawing loudly to inform others why Kanroji Mitsuri and Tokitou Muichirou had come together.
Thanks to the guidance of the Kasugai Crows, among the nine pillars, some had already joined forces, no longer operating alone.
Kanroji Mitsuri and Tokitou Muichirou were the first pillars to join forces, and being close by, they quickly noticed the commotion here and immediately confronted the Upper Moon Six under the guidance of the Kasugai Crows.
"Damn you!"
Toraja, however, paid no mind to any of this, merely shouting in frustration.
"Do you know what you’ve done? My beloveds are so cute! How could you harm them!?"
If Reiger had been there, he might have imagined a scene like, "Bunnies are so adorable, how could anyone eat bunnies?"
Kanroji Mitsuri and Tokitou Muichirou might not have conjured up such an image, but they certainly felt disgusted by Toraja’s words.
"Is there something off with this Upper Moon Six?"
Kanroji Mitsuri crossed her arms, clearly repulsed.
"Aren’t all demons like this? Utterly disgusting!"
Tokitou Muichirou was indifferent as he readied his blade, prepared to attack at any moment.
"I’ll kill you!"
Toraja was still screeching.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
The surrounding tigers immediately became agitated, charging towards Kanroji Mitsuri and Tokitou Muichirou.
...
"Love Pillar! Mist Pillar! Engaging in combat with Upper Moon Six!"
"Love Pillar! Mist Pillar! Engaged in battle with Upper Moon Six!"
The Kasugai Crows timely passed this message to everyone.
"Tsk."
Running along a corridor, Iguro Obanai clicked his tongue immediately.
"Kanroji is fighting an Upper Rank demon and urgently needs my help," Iguro Obanai said with a look of disdain. "But why is it that the first person I run into isn’t Kanroji, but you?"
"If you have a complaint, go tell it to Kibutsuji Muzan!" Uzui Tengen, who was running ahead of Iguro Obanai, shouted back over his shoulder. "I didn’t want to run into you first either!"
The two bickered back and forth, but their feet didn’t slow down in the slightest. They kept picking up speed, urgently heading in the direction of Kanroji Mitsuri and Tokitou Muichirou’s battle.
Especially Uzui Tengen, who was moving so swiftly it was like flying, leaving Iguro Obanai behind by who knows how many streets.
It couldn’t be helped; Uzui Tengen was the fastest among the nine pillars. Even Himejima Gyoumei, who was known as the strongest, couldn’t match Uzui Tengen’s speed, only Shinazugawa Sanemi, the Wind Pillar, could barely keep up with him, and Iguro Obanai was obviously not in that category.
"This is so annoying..."
Eating the dust behind Uzui Tengen, Iguro Obanai had a look of displeasure on his face.
But soon, he didn’t have the spare energy for such feelings anymore.
"Thud thud——"
A sudden burst of biwa music rang out, causing Uzui Tengen and Iguro Obanai to momentarily lose their bearings, completely disoriented.
"What...!?"
"This is bad...!"
Both felt as if the world were spinning around them, and then they began to fall into an unfathomably dark abyss.
"Iguro!"
"I know!"
The two who had just been quarreling now demonstrated an astonishing level of coordination.
Uzui Tengen reached out a sturdy hand towards Iguro Obanai, who immediately jumped onto it, using Uzui Tengen as a springboard to leap towards a nearby building.
"Byakkomaru!"
At the same time, Iguro Obanai unleashed the white snake coiled around his neck, sending Byakkomaru shooting out, wrapping around Uzui Tengen’s arm and pulling him along as they both jumped towards the top of the building.
The two were finally able to land safely, avoiding a potentially fatal fall.
In front of them, the person responsible for all this was kneeling there, holding a biwa, and slowly lifting her head.
This person was Nakime.
However, the hair on Nakime’s forehead was now parted, exposing her eyes.
Her eyes were not a pair, but just a single one.
In that single eye was inscribed a number——"Five."
"Oh?" Uzui Tengen smirked, "Following Upper Moon Six, has a new Upper Moon Five appeared too?"
"That sudden teleportation was your doing, right?" Iguro Obanai coldly said, "I see, so it was you who brought us all here."
Nakime didn’t speak, merely raising her biwa as if to start playing.
Both pillars reacted immediately.
"Don’t let her play the biwa!"
Iguro Obanai sharply sensed that once Nakime played the biwa, her Blood Demon Art would activate.
"You don’t need to tell me; I already know!"
As the Sound Pillar, Uzui Tengen understood more than anyone the nature of sound and music as tricky weapons.
He then said the following.
"If you’re going to play, then play something grand, demon!"
Uzui Tengen started running.
Iguro Obanai also charged forward, both attacking Nakime.
......
"Sound Pillar! Serpent Pillar! Engaged in battle with Upper Moon Five!"
"Sound Pillar! Serpent Pillar! Fighting Upper Moon Five!"
The Kasugai Crows still timely relayed the combat status, informing everyone of the current situation.
But quickly, the content of their reports changed.
"Wind Pillar! Water Pillar! Encountered Upper Moon Four!"
"Wind Pillar! Water Pillar! Have met with Upper Moon Four!"
That’s right.
Almost at the same time, Shinazugawa Sanemi and Tomioka Giyuu, who had just recently regrouped, encountered Upper Moon Four.
"Eee eee..."
After two months, Hantengu reappeared, all of a sudden showing up in front of Shinazugawa Sanemi and Tomioka Giyuu, who were on the run.
"Are you the pillars? You are the strong ones, aren’t you? Are you going to bully me?" Hantengu cowered in a corner, trembling as he said, "So scary, don’t do this."
Unfortunately for Hantengu, he ran into the notoriously ruthless Shinazugawa Sanemi and the less ruthless but equally terse Tomioka Giyuu.
"Die!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi’s eyes narrowed as he roared and charged like a gust of wind towards Hantengu.
"It was him who attacked the headquarters two months ago, nearly assassinating our master..."
Murderous intent surfaced in Tomioka Giyuu’s eyes as well. He turned his blade, stirring up waves, slicing at Hantengu’s neck.
The dual strike of wind and water successfully cut Hantengu into four pieces.
"Be careful!"
"Don’t tell me; I know!"
Neither Tomioka Giyuu nor Shinazugawa Sanemi let their guard down; instead, they widened the distance between themselves.
Before long, the Hantengu that had been cut into four pieces had managed to split his body.
"The Four Emotions" spirits reappeared once again.