Charles watched Tanjiro load Gyokko and Doma's blood into the backpack on the back of a cat that had appeared out of thin air, then saw the cat vanish right before their eyes.
Blood Demon Arts really defied reason; he truly had no idea how Tamayo had created such a special creature.
Tanjiro stood up and looked to Charles. "Miss Tamayo's request is done. What do we do next?"
Charles exhaled. "Next, it's time we met the Corps' Master, who has been helping us all along."
Tanjiro's face lit with expectation. "I wonder what kind of person he is!"
"See for yourself."
Answering as he turned to leave, Charles set off, and Tanjiro hurried after him.
…
Two days later, led by Corps attendants whose uniforms bore the character "Kakushi" on the back, Charles and the other three arrived at the Ubuyashiki residence.
Upon entering the courtyard, Charles saw nine people kneeling in a row, including Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho. Kneeling at the entryway opposite the main gate were a man and a woman.
The most striking thing about the man was not the fearsome scars covering his forehead, but the warm, trustworthy air that made one instinctively want to rely on him.
Only Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the current Master of the Demon Slayer Corps, possessed such a presence. Beside him knelt his wife, Amane Ubuyashiki.
There was no question that the physically frail Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who could barely hold a sword, was the soul of the Corps.
Because of his leadership, the swordsmen could focus on fighting. Because of his guidance, swordsmen who had endured all manner of tragedy could still find the right path.
There was a reason for Kagaya's poor health.
Muzan Kibutsuji himself may have forgotten that when he was human, he bore the surname Ubuyashiki.
Because their clan produced the Demon King, the source of all evil, the Ubuyashiki were as if cursed.
At first, even newborns could not live to grow up. Only after intermarrying with a line of shrine priests did things ease somewhat.
Even so, the Ubuyashiki family members were plagued by unknown illnesses, and none lived beyond thirty.
What inspired respect was that none of them cursed fate. They regarded it as a heavenly mandate to slay the Demon King.
With keen minds passed down through the generations and an intuition verging on foresight, the Ubuyashiki led the Corps in their struggle against demons.
Kagaya was no exception. Even with a life like a candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment, his indomitable will never wavered.
When the party entered, the two at the entryway placed their hands to the floor and bowed.
"Thank you for your contributions to the work of slaying demons, and even more for giving us hope that Muzan Kibutsuji can be killed!"
At the same time, the nine Hashira seated to the side mirrored the gesture, expressing their gratitude for what the two had done.
Tanjiro was at a loss, hands and feet flustered, unsure what to say.
Charles stepped forward solemnly. "Please raise your heads. You and the generations of Corps swordsmen have been doing the very same thing."
When Kagaya and the nine Hashira sat upright, Charles continued, "I'm not here to trade courtesies. Let's discuss what we agreed on."
Even Kagaya could not help a flicker of excitement. "Is the time already ripe?"
Charles nodded. "Just about. Three Upper Ranks have been killed. Even if replacements are found, they won't match the old strength.
Once Miss Tamayo finishes developing the medicine, we can start preparing the plan to kill Muzan Kibutsuji.
But before that, the Hashira must grow stronger.
Against the three remaining Upper Ranks and Muzan himself, the Marks, the Transparent World, and Red Blades are mandatory powers to master.
You must also drill coordinated combat. Don't imagine the final foe is someone you can defeat alone.
In the time before we begin, I ask you to risk your lives to get stronger."
The nine Hashira exchanged looks and answered in unison, "We shall not shirk it!"
Charles went on. "Considering special circumstances may arise, the more usable fighting strength, the better. I have several promising youths in mind. Let's bring them into the camp as well."
Kagaya nodded. "No problem. I'll arrange the venue and logistics."
Charles smiled. "Then let's work together to sever, once and for all, the chain of tragedies wrought by demons."
…
After all he had seen across worlds, Charles had learned to prepare for the unexpected.
He certainly had absolute confidence he could solo Muzan. The problem was that he could not guarantee nothing would go wrong.
So beforehand, he would prepare everything that could be prepared.
If there was to be a training camp, then everyone who qualified for the original story's final battle would be brought in.
Beyond the Hashira, that meant the main cast of youngsters. Charles decided to fetch them himself.
Kanao Tsuyuri, Shinobu's foster daughter, would naturally attend with her.
Charles headed to a wild mountain. Kagaya remembered every mission report and thus recalled a swordsman who had his Nichirin blade snatched on this mountain by a boy wearing a boar's head, bare-chested.
"Boar Rush!"
He hadn't needed to search at all; the target presented himself.
Inosuke Hashibira, a truly "feral" youth, blessed with extraordinary physical gifts and a genius who could devise his own Breathing.
"Hahahaha! I felt the aura of a wild beast from a mile away. You make my skin tingle! Come on, let's see who's stronger!"
Without waiting for a reply, Inosuke charged.
Humans, fighting upright, generally keep their center of gravity higher. Raised by beasts, Inosuke rushed in like a four-legged animal, practically skimming the ground.
Such a posture was ill-suited to combat and should have severely limited his movements. Yet Inosuke's motion was smooth and agile—astonishing bodily coordination.
Charles nodded in satisfaction, then chopped a knifehand onto the boar head.
Inosuke wobbled, about to topple, then spun and flew.
When his head cleared, he found himself tucked under someone's arm and thrashed wildly.
But Charles's arm didn't budge. Even when Inosuke deliberately dislocated his joints and went limp as mud, he couldn't slip free.
"Damn it, why can't I get away! Hey! What's going on? Where are you taking the great me?"
Charles picked his ear with his little finger. "Quiet. I'm taking you to a place where you can get stronger."
Twin puffs of white snorted from the boar snout. "Really? Once I'm stronger, I'm totally settling today's score!"
…
Charles's next stop was the retirement of the former Thunder Hashira, Jigoro Kuwajima.
Charles sat facing the cane-bearing old man. Kneeling behind Jigoro was his disciple, Kaigaku.
Another blond kid was pouring tea for the two.
Jigoro spoke. "The Master explained the specifics in his letter. So, to increase the fighting strength for the final battle, Lord Charles intends to have some gifted youths attend the training camp?"
Charles nodded. "Yes, and I came specifically to invite the outstanding disciple you've trained."
Kaigaku straightened, chest out. In his view, "gifted youth" clearly meant him. Who else—surely not that coward?
Just as Kaigaku opened his mouth, Charles spoke.
"Then I'll be taking this child, Zenitsu Agatsuma."
"Eh?"
"Huh?"
"Ah?"
The three let out different exclamations, none having expected Charles to choose Zenitsu.
Zenitsu stared at Charles in shock, tea overflowing his cup unnoticed.
Jigoro recovered quickly. Aside from his weakness of character, Zenitsu indeed possessed exceptional talent. He simply hadn't expected that anyone besides himself would recognize it.
Kaigaku's face shifted from surprise to gloom, with a hint of malice showing through.
Charles noticed the ill will and gave Kaigaku a meaningful look.
______
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