I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

"…What a nice view."

"...not a single bit superfluous."

“...the perfect...type”.

The first to express this shock in words was Yinzhu Yusui Tianyuan.

“…Hey, this is really…” he murmured to himself in a trembling voice, “…the least flamboyant, yet the most exquisitely flamboyant art…”

As a former ninja, he understood the essence of "assassination" better than anyone else.

But what Shinobu Kocho just demonstrated was no longer a matter of technique.

His proud, explosive "glory" was nothing more than a child's fireworks display in front of the other party.

"Hmm! That's not a movement technique anymore!"

For the first time, a wavering feeling called "confusion" appeared in Rengoku Kyojuro's golden eyes that were burning with flames.

"My flame burns with spirit! It burns with will! It burns with determination to protect!"

"But Butterfly... I can't feel these things in her."

For the first time, he began to doubt the truth he had always believed in.

Can power truly be born from a heart that is already frozen?

Meanwhile, the universally acknowledged "strongest pillar," Gyomei Himejima, still clasped his hands together, tears streaming down his face.

But this time, his voice contained no pity, only a profound and overwhelming shock emanating from the depths of his soul.

"Amitabha…"

"What...what a terrifying silence..."

His perception was deeper and farther than others.

He could "see" that what was contained in Shinobu Kocho's slender body was neither power nor fighting spirit.

Instead, it is a hell of absolute zero, built from endless anger, hatred, and prejudice!

"Her aura... was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss."

Heimei took a deep breath and, in an almost declarative tone, uttered a sentence that made the hearts of all the Pillars stop beating.

"This formidable strength... is probably... no less than mine 々々."

boom-!

The universally acknowledged "Strongest Pillar" himself admitted that the strength of the Karma Pillar, Shinobu Kocho, is now on par with his own!

These words were like a nuclear bomb, shattering all of Zhu's pride and understanding!

From this day forward, the landscape of the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest forces has been completely rewritten.

Shinobu Kocho ascended to her "throne" in the most shocking and unreasonable way!

...

The Nichirin Blade, coated with deadly poison, was slowly withdrawn from Sanemi Shinazugawa's throat.

The movements were so gentle, as if brushing away a speck of dust that wasn't even there.

"Qiang."

A soft sound.

The sound of the blade returning to its sheath was exceptionally clear in the deathly silence of the ruins, as if tolling the final note to this absurd farce.

Shinobu Kocho didn't glance at the Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa, whose body was stiff and whose face was as pale as paper.

It was as if he were just a roadside stone, not even worth a second of her attention.

She turned around, and the feather knitted garment with its butterfly pattern swayed gently in the breeze, without a speck of dust on it.

She strode through the mess on the ground and walked toward the lord in the corridor, who had been smiling the entire time.

Every step he took was built upon the shattered understanding of all the "pillars".

Finally, she stopped in front of Kagaya Ubuyashiki, lowered her head slightly, and for the first time, a faint ripple of apology appeared in her unfathomable purple eyes.

"My lord, I am very sorry."

"Your beloved garden has been ruined."

Her voice remained calm, but the respect that belonged only to her lord filled everyone present with mixed feelings.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's smile remained unchanged, instead becoming even gentler.

His blurred eyes seemed to see through all appearances, revealing Shinobu Kocho's frozen soul, yet burning fiercely for someone.

"It's okay, just bear with it."

His voice has a calming power.

"If the courtyard is damaged, it can be repaired."

"...But the fact that the Demon Slayer Corps was able to produce a child like you, who is capable of changing the times, is the greatest blessing for me and the Ubuyashiki family in nine hundred years."

He didn't ask her why she had become so powerful, nor did he ask where her strange breathing technique came from.

Because he knew the answer wasn't with her.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's heart was already churning with a storm far more turbulent than any of the "pillars" present.

He recalled the innovative proposal submitted by Shinobu Kocho two years ago regarding "organizational structure optimization" and "intelligence network construction".

The mindset contained within it, the concept of "scientific management" that transcends this era by hundreds of years, could not possibly have been conceived out of thin air by a girl immersed in hatred.

He immediately concluded that there must be an unfathomable "teacher" behind her.

Today, the results of this "teacher's" instruction have exceeded his wildest imagination.

That's not a sword technique, nor is it a breathing method.

It was a completely new, incomprehensible yet far more powerful "principle" called "dimensional reduction attack"!

perhaps…

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Perhaps, Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado are not the "ray of light" that his wife foretold, the one that could end the thousand-year war with Muzan.

Perhaps they are just a "trigger".

A trigger that leads to the real "variable".

The starting point now points to Shinobu Kocho.

No, to be more precise, it was the mysterious, almost godlike "teacher" behind her, someone even she herself felt a sense of awe and curiosity towards!

"Alright, this farce should end now."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's voice brought everyone back to reality.

"Regarding the proof concerning the Kamado siblings... let's continue."

The subsequent proofs became somewhat comical and tedious.

Despite Shinazugawa Sanemi's continued reluctance to use his rare blood to lure her, and despite Obanai Iguro's constant fanning the flames with his sarcastic tone.

But everyone's attention was already diverted.

Their gazes would involuntarily drift toward the purple figure who stood quietly in the corner, as if the earth-shattering battle just now had nothing to do with her.

In the end, Nezuko Kamado, inside the wooden box, turned her head sharply at her brother's heart-wrenching cries, demonstrating with her actions that she disdained human blood.

Facts speak louder than words.

With the master's final approval, Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko were officially accepted into the Demon Slayer Corps.

The meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has now concluded.

As the pillars, each with their own extremely complex feelings, were preparing to disperse in twos and threes...

"thump--!"

A dull thud, the sound of a knee hitting gravel, brought everyone to a stop.

They turned around and saw something that shocked them once again.

Tanjiro Kamado was pressing his sister Nezuko's head down forcefully, making her kneel heavily in the same direction as him.

Standing in that direction was Shinobu Kocho, the one they had only met briefly and had never even exchanged a single word with—the Pillar of Karma.

Nezuko remained hidden in the shadows of the eaves, making confused "mmm" sounds as she chewed on the bamboo tube, but still obeyed her brother's actions.

"Thank you for...saving my life!"

Tanjiro pressed his forehead deeply against the cold ground, his voice trembling violently with excitement and earnestness.

He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with tears. He looked at the distant purple figure before him, which seemed like a god, and then glanced back at his sister, who was hiding in the shadows, looking lost and helpless.

A tremendous sense of despair, called "powerlessness," instantly gripped his heart.

He had exhausted all his strength just to save his sister's life.

But what about the future?

Facing even more powerful demons, facing the Twelve Demon Moons, facing that final enemy…

With my meager strength alone, I simply cannot protect Nezuko!

Just as this despair was about to completely engulf him—

A thought, like a lightning bolt tearing through the night, suddenly struck his mind!

strength…

The power I lack, the power I yearn for, the power to change my destiny…

Isn't it right in front of me?!

That overwhelming power that silenced all the "pillars"!

This thought, like a flame, instantly burned away all his hesitation and doubt.

He banged his head down again, using all his strength to shout hoarsely:

"Please...please take me as your disciple! Lord Butterfly!"

This kneeling made the air freeze once again.

Mitsuri Kanroji's mouth formed a ".々O" shape. She looked at Tanjiro kneeling on the ground, then at her own beautiful, strong, and cool Shinobu-chan, and her heart was pounding.

Oh my god! Shinobu-chan is actually taking on an apprentice?!

Shinobu Kocho slowly turned around, looking down at the boy kneeling before her.

There was no emotion in those purple eyes.

She did not speak.

She simply watched him quietly, as if she were looking at an object.

That silence was more oppressive than any cold words, making Tanjiro's heart sink little by little.

Finally, she moved.

She ignored Tanjiro's request and walked right past him as if he were just a rock in her way.

Just as Tanjiro thought he was being completely ignored and a huge sense of loss welled up in his heart.

A cold, emotionless voice drifted down from above his head.

I don't need your thanks.

"I refuse your request."

Without pausing, she continued walking forward.

That resolute and indifferent attitude sent a chill down Tanjiro's spine, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He suddenly raised his head, looking at the departing figure, his throat feeling as if it were stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a single word.

I was rejected...

Completely.