Chapter 843: Tanjiro, the Fire Pillar
Chapter 843: Tanjiro, the Fire Pillar
The Flame Pillar, Rengoku Kyojuro, perished in battle.
However, Tanjiro Kamado also rose to prominence by slaying one of the Twelve Kizuki in single combat, thus ascending to the rank of a new pillar in the Demon Slayer Corps. Although Kanroji Mitsuri wanted to bestow upon him the title of 'Head Pillar', Tanjiro was ultimately designated as the Fire Pillar.
There were multiple criteria for becoming a pillar in the Demon Slayer Corps. One was to slay a member of the Twelve Kizuki in single combat, and the other was to kill fifty demons alone. The first condition was not limited to upper or lower moons, and the lower moons were undoubtedly easier and less prestigious.
The second condition was even simpler.
For this reason, there was a significant disparity in the strength of the Pillars in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Tanjiro's generation could be considered the strongest in history, aside from Giyu Tomioka's era. They were so powerful that even the weakest pillar, the Sound Pillar, could defeat Upper Moon Six's Daki in a one-on-one battle! Daki, over the course of centuries, had slain seven pillars, demonstrating that these seven pillars were far inferior to the Sound Pillar and didn't even come close to Daki's caliber, let alone her brother, Gyutaro, who shared a body with her.
"Tanjiro has finally become a pillar!"
Kanroji Mitsuri beamed with joy, knowing that Fengye would save Nezuko but feeling relieved to see Tanjiro achieve the prerequisite through his arduous efforts, replacing the sadness that had come with Rengoku's death.
Kanae nodded and smiled gently, "He's finally reached this stage, but he still needs to work hard. Among the current pillars, his strength is somewhat lacking."
Kanroji Mitsuri replied with a playful smile, "I believe Tanjiro will catch up soon enough."
Kanaeru pondered aloud, "He can handle all the Lower Moons now. As for the Upper Moons, he should be able to take on Upper Moon Six's Daki."
"Daki?"
Kanae turned to Kanaeru.
While many of the Upper Moons had been exposed, the sixth position remained a mystery. During her time, the Demon Slayer Corps had no intelligence regarding the sixth position.
Fengye continued the conversation, "Upper Moon Six consists of a pair of siblings—the sister, Daki, is very weak and only slightly stronger than a Lower Moon. Her brother, Gyutaro, is far more powerful... Hmm, I'd say he's on par with the Sound Pillar."
In the original timeline, the Sound Pillar was slightly inferior to Gyutaro, and while he had improved through swordsmanship training, the insights he gained fell short of those attained by pillars like Rengoku. Thus, his strength was roughly equal to Gyutaro's.
"Huh? So, Upper Moon Six is a pair of siblings, and their strengths differ so greatly?"
Kanae exclaimed in surprise.
It wasn't uncommon for Upper Moons to have multiple bodies, and in recent years, a pillar had fought Upper Moon Four, Hantengu, who had multiple bodies with minimal differences in strength, and their combined power increased significantly when they fused.
"Well," Fengye stroked his chin in thought, "Daki has always been under her brother's care."
In truth, as Kibutsuji Muzan had stated, Gyutaro was strong, but he was held back by his sister, Daki.
If Gyutaro had chosen to devour Daki and absorb everything she had consumed, including the pillars she had slain, his strength would have increased exponentially. Even if he couldn't surpass the first three Upper Moons, he would have been comparable to the fourth Upper Moon.
As for Daki, it was uncertain if she could even rank among the Lower Moons without Gyutaro's protection.
"Their bond as siblings must be very strong. I never expected ghosts to retain such deep familial affections," Kanroji Mitsuri remarked, blinking in surprise.
Soon after, his sister, Koinu, was born, giving Giyu a reason to live. He cared for his little sister devotedly, and she became his entire world.
Due to their impoverished surroundings and Giyu's innate beauty, even at a young age, Koinu inevitably started working in the red-light district as she grew up.
Because of her youth, she didn't have to entertain customers yet, and the establishment she was in also wanted to sell her for a high price when she grew older, so their lives gradually improved.
Until that fateful thirteenth year, when everything took a turn for the worse.
A samurai offered a hefty sum to take Koinu's virginity and hurled insults at Giyu, trying to make Koinu abandon her ugly brother and leave with him.
Enraged, Koinu fought back and stabbed the samurai in the eye with her hairpin, blinding him.
"She's so brave," Kamado exclaimed, unable to contain herself. She admired this girl's defiance against fate, especially since Koinu, at this point, was not yet Daki but an innocent victim of circumstance.
However, the following scene shocked Kamado. She watched as the enraged samurai grabbed Koinu, set her on fire, and burned her to a crisp.
"Whoa..."
Shizuku's expression turned solemn as she watched, and she finally let out a breath. "I can see why she became Daki afterward."
Her eyes held a complex emotion; she felt sympathy for Koinu's tragic experience before becoming a demon, but the fact that she had killed countless people afterward weighed heavily on her heart.
In the image, Giyu soon returned and killed both the shop owner and the samurai. He then desperately carried the dying Koinu in his arms, wandering aimlessly until they encountered Gyutaro, the Sixth Demon!
The moment Shizuku saw Gyutaro, her eyes flickered, but she quickly regained her composure.
And just then, Fengye asked her a question.
"If it were you and Hinatsuru, what would you choose at this moment—to become a demon or..."
The question left Shizuku frozen in her tracks. She stood there, deep in thought for a long time, before finally answering, "If I didn't know the consequences of becoming a demon, I might have made the same choice. But if I knew the price, I wouldn't become one."
"A fine answer," Fengye said with a slight nod. "That's one of the reasons why I appreciate you sisters more than them."
Intrigued, Shizuku asked, "One of the reasons? Are there others?"
She knew that Fengye didn't interfere with the affairs of the world without reason. Many fates he left untouched, but he specifically altered the course for her and her sister, and she was curious about his motives.
Fengye glanced at Shizuku and smiled gently. "Perhaps... well, you sisters are more beautiful, after all. Although Koinu wasn't bad-looking as a human, you are two sisters."
As he spoke these words, a soft murmur escaped his lips.
"The real reason... perhaps it's because of the lingering obsession of my past life."
(End of Chapter)
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