Chapter 828: Farewell Ceremony
Chapter 828: Farewell Ceremony
At the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, dry yellow leaves silently drifted downwards, as if the entire compound were steeped in gloom and sorrow.
For the Demon Slayers who fought against demons, living with death was an everyday occurrence. The passing of comrades happened all too frequently, and many lower-ranked corps members often perished quietly without fanfare.
Only the master of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, remembered the name of every single corps member. He erected a tomb and held a memorial service for each fallen warrior.
The Demon Slayer Corps was perpetually busy, with missions and battles occurring almost nightly.
Even for the funeral of a Pillar, the ceremony was kept simple and brief.
Butterfly Shinobu, who had gotten along well and earned the trust of all the Pillars during her lifetime, did not have all of them in attendance at her funeral. The Pillar of Water and the Pillar of Stone were absent, occupied with external missions, and the Pillar of Swords, Kanroji, was still en route.
In the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu's spirit was placed in the funeral hall for a final farewell ceremony.
"Sister..."
Butterfly Ninja stood at the front, biting her dry, white lips and clenching her fists tightly, fighting to hold back her tears. No matter how accustomed she was to death, this time, the one who had passed away was her only family in this world.
The Pillar of Sound silently walked up behind her and patted her shoulder. He wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent, only sighing as he gazed at Shinobu's spirit. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Daki?
If he ever encountered that demon again, he would surely take its head.
No... Daki wasn't important. The true culprit behind all this tragedy was Muzan. He had caused all of this, and Ninja vowed to make it his life's goal to slay Muzan, no matter the cost.
The Pillar of Fire remained silent, only gripping the hilt of his Nichirin Blade at his waist.
The Pillar of Wind took a deep breath, mentally reciting the intelligence that Ninja had brought back about Daki once more.
In the midst of this solemn atmosphere, footsteps approached from outside, causing everyone to turn and look.
"Lord Ubuyashiki."
All the Pillars suppressed their grief and bowed to the newcomer.
It was Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who had slowly walked down the corridor and entered the hall.
Cough, cough!
Kagaya Ubuyashiki appeared exceedingly frail, and a sudden cough caused him to stumble. The Pillar of Wind quickly rushed forward to support him.
"Lord Ubuyashiki, your health..."
"I'm fine."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki shook his head and, with the Pillar of Wind's assistance, made his way towards the funeral hall. His condition had worsened in recent years, and he had seen countless Demon Slayers off on their final journeys, memorializing an untold number of Pillars.
Upon reaching the front of the funeral hall, Kagaya Ubuyashiki gazed silently at the spirit for a while before speaking, "Kanroji is still on her way back, but she should be arriving soon. We shall begin once she gets here."
Some of the Pillars were away on missions, and while they couldn't all be present for the send-off ceremony, Kanroji also had a task to attend to. However, upon learning of Shinobu's death, she had completed her mission in a single night and was now rushing back at top speed.
"Your sister was an exceptional child."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki turned to look at Ninja.
Ninja slowly loosened her clenched fists and replied, "My sister worked very hard... From now on, I will work even harder and kill that demon named Daki."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded slightly. His greatest worry had been that Ninja wouldn't be able to bear the grief of losing her sister, but it seemed that she had channeled this sorrow into hatred for demons and a determination for revenge.
Almost everyone carried this sadness and hatred for demons, along with the determination to survive. It was the will of the Demon Slayer Corps and the will of the Pillars. He could only watch from the sidelines as they fought the demons with this determination.
Kagaya slowly moved his gaze to the Pillars standing in the hall. His health had been deteriorating, and his vision was now affected, causing his eyesight to blur.
He estimated that it wouldn't be long before he went blind.
He also wanted to see the children here a few more times before that happened.
However...
As Kagaya's gaze swept over the crowd, it paused momentarily, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he looked towards a corner of the Butterfly Mansion. A few strangers had appeared there at some point.
The Demon Slayer Corps had many members, and the turnover was high, to the extent that many Pillars didn't recognize every member of the corps. But as the master of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki knew everyone.
Despite his blurry vision, he was certain that the few people who seemed to have 'suddenly appeared' and yet felt like they had been there all along were not members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Are you friends who have come to pay your respects as well?" Kagaya asked softly.
He didn't sense any hostility from them.
Whoosh!
Kagaya's movement and words startled the Pillars in the room, and they all turned to look, their faces filled with surprise.
By the door of the Butterfly Mansion stood three figures. One of them wore a fox mask and had silver-colored long hair, and although his figure seemed vaguely familiar, they couldn't quite place him.
The other two were complete strangers—a man and a woman. The man also had silver-white hair, and his handsome features were so exquisite that they seemed almost unreal. The woman, on the other hand, had cherry-blossom-colored hair and was looking around the hall with wide, curious eyes.
"Who are you?!"
"Who are you people?!"
The Pillars, realizing the situation a little late, turned pale with shock.
They now understood that Feng Ye and the others were not members of the Demon Slayer Corps but had somehow appeared out of thin air.
Pillars like the Wind Pillar and the Sound Pillar had already placed their hands on their Nichirin Blades, their eyes sharp with vigilance, ready to take action at any moment.
Even the Flame Pillar made a split-second decision and shifted his position slightly, moving in front of Kagaya Ubuyashiki and displaying a hint of wariness.
Although it was broad daylight, and the three of them clearly weren't demons, this was the headquarters of the Butterfly Mansion!
Their mysterious appearance, unnoticed by all the Pillars, was a frightening development, and the Pillars' hearts tightened with tension as they realized this.
Just then—
Butterfly Ninja's gaze landed on Feng Ye, and her pupils narrowed slightly as she exclaimed in surprise, "It's you?!"
(End of Chapter)
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