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

He knelt there blankly, the flame that had just ignited in his heart completely extinguished by the bucket of ice water, leaving only a wisp of smoke.

Yeah... what makes me think I deserve this?

I am so weak, I can't even protect my younger sister, so what right do I have to make such a presumptuous request to such an unreachable adult?

A profound sense of loss and self-loathing overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands, which were covered in calluses but still powerless.

Should we just give up like this?

Do not!

He clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging deep into his palm.

Can't give up!

Even if I am not accepted as an apprentice, even if I have to grope in the dark alone, I must never give up!

He raised his head again, his gaze fixed on the purple figure that was about to disappear at the end of the corridor.

The path to becoming an apprentice has been severed.

But at least... at least let him know which direction he should strive towards!

That power, that ability to easily change the course of battle and make all the strong take notice—what is its true nature?!

This thought (of money) became his only obsession at that moment.

"Please wait a moment!"

He mustered all his courage and shouted with all his might.

Shinobu Kocho's steps finally came to a stop.

She didn't turn around, as if she was just waiting for him to finish speaking.

Tanjiro took a deep breath and, in an almost pleading and incredibly humble tone, asked the question that lingered in everyone's mind but that no one dared to ask aloud.

"I...I just wanted to know..."

"What...what is that thing that makes you so powerful?"

This question caused all the "pillars" present, who were listening intently, to hold their breath.

Shinobu Kocho remained silent.

She didn't answer, but simply tilted her head slightly, looking at the azure sky that was divided into sections by the eaves of the courtyard.

An image uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.

That man, who always wore simple casual clothes and had a lazy demeanor, seemed to have the whole world under his thumb.

The one who, with the calmest tone, dissected all her pretenses, yet gave her a whole new world—her god.

Thinking of him, the chill that could freeze one's soul melts away like snow in spring.

Amidst the stunned gazes of everyone, including Tanjiro, a gentle smile slowly bloomed on Shinobu Kocho's eternally frozen, exquisitely beautiful face.

That wasn't a laugh.

It was more like... a broken holiness that comes from finally glimpsing the only light in endless darkness, a mixture of despair, fanaticism, and absolute devotion.

She spoke softly, her voice so soft it seemed it might shatter in the wind at any moment.

"It's faith."

boom--! ! !

Tanjiro's mind went completely blank.

He stared blankly at that expression, listened to that word, and felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

Belief…

So... so the powerful and cold-hearted Shinobu Kocho's power comes from "faith"?

For such a person to regard it as a belief...

How magnificent that must be...

Gods?

Chapter 60: The entire Demon Slayer Corps is mobilized! Butterfly: Sensei, I'll be back soon!

The day after the conclusion of the Pillar Meeting, at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, Ubuyashiki Garden.

The place was still a mess, and the air was filled with the smell of dust and sawdust.

A figure, like a lost soul, appeared silently at the doorway.

It's Giyu Tomioka.

The Water Pillar, recognized by the Demon Slayer Corps as the "ceiling of social anxiety," was standing there in an extremely stiff posture, staring at a surviving tree, as if engaged in some profound philosophical contemplation.

His usually expressionless face was now filled with visible struggle and inner turmoil, while a tsunami was raging within him.

(Speak up...speak up, Giyu Tomioka!)

(Just two words, "thank you," is that so hard?!)

The little voice inside him, representing reason, was grabbing his hair and roaring madly.

(She saved the Kamado siblings, you owe her a huge favor! And...)

The purple, divinely punishing light from yesterday flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

(...She showed you scenery you had never imagined.)

(Go and express your gratitude, ask for advice, and try to understand the essence of that power! That's what you should do!)

However, another dark figure, representing the "socially anxious self," poured cold water on the situation with his signature, expressionless, empty eyes.

(...She would definitely say in that insincere, cloyingly sweet tone: 'Oh my, Mr. Tomioka, have you lost your mind? You actually dared to talk to me? It's like the sun rose in the west.')

In Giyu Tomioka's mind, the image of "ninja-style taunting," which he had never heard of before but which was extremely vivid, subconsciously surfaced.

No, that's not right...

He shook his head violently, trying to shake the illusion of Shinobu Kocho, who always wore a fake smile, out of his mind.

next moment.

In Giyu Tomioka's mind, another, clearer, and even more suffocating image surfaced—

She would only look at me silently with those cold, emotionless purple eyes, as if looking at a lifeless stone, and then, in a tone devoid of any feeling, as if pronouncing a death sentence, she would softly ask:

"Is something wrong?"

Just imagining that scene made Yoshiyuki Tomioka feel like he was about to stop breathing.

He felt that the latter was ten thousand times more terrifying than the former!

Finally, he walked with stiff steps to the purple figure who was directing his team to clear the rubble.

"...Is there something you need, Mr. Tomioka?"

The cold voice shattered his last bit of mental preparation.

(See! I knew it!) Giyu Tomioka's heart was screaming wildly; he felt like he was about to die on the spot.

"I…"

Giyu Tomioka's throat felt as if it were blocked with cement; all the prepared remarks he had made along the way turned to dust in that instant.

He stood there helplessly, silent for a full half minute.

847 Just when Shinobu thought he would stand like a stone until dark, a figure flashed before her eyes.

Something warm was suddenly shoved into her arms.

Before she could even see what it was, the man had already turned around and disappeared at the end of the courtyard with a speed so fast it was almost a blur.

Only a barely audible sentence remained, as if drifting from the horizon:

"...Thanks."

Shinobu Kocho watched his comical escape, almost as if he were running away with his hands and feet clasped together, raised an eyebrow slightly, and opened the cloth bag.

Inside was a steaming hot dish of salmon and radish.

"... "

She was silent.

Kanzaki Aoi, who was watching from the side, was dumbfounded and asked in a low voice, "Shinobu-sama... Water Pillar-sama, what is this...?"

Shinobu Kocho handed her the salmon and radish dish, her tone so flat that it betrayed no emotion.

"Who knows."

"Perhaps it's because the structure of my brain is different from that of ordinary people."

"Dispose of it."

"Yes!" Kanzaki Aoi accepted the salmon and radish that carried all the courage of the water column, silently lighting a candle for him in her heart.

...

Two months later.

The reconstruction of the Ubuyashiki mansion is still slow, but the power structure within the Demon Slayer Corps has undergone a dramatic change.

The new "Pillar Meeting" was held at the newly renovated Butterfly Mansion.

Because the headquarters was destroyed, Lord Ubuyashiki Kagaya and his family temporarily moved to the deepest part of the Butterfly Mansion, the underground secret room with the highest security level.

When the seven "pillars" reunited, the atmosphere was completely different from two months ago.

In the courtyard, no one dared to release their aura freely anymore.

All eyes, whether filled with awe, fear, or curiosity, were focused on the purple figure kneeling at the head of the corridor.

Karma Pillar - Shinobu Kocho

Today, she is no longer just a powerful "pillar".

With the Lord's tacit approval, she has acquired the temporary command authority to mobilize all the "pillars" except herself.

This was an unprecedented authorization, one that would shake the entire Demon Slayer Corps.

"Everyone is here."

Shinobu Kocho's voice broke the silence.

She didn't look at anyone, but slowly unfolded a map in front of her.

"Except for Flame Pillar Rengoku, who was unable to attend due to a mission, the other seven are present."

"Then let the meeting begin."

Her tone didn't sound like she was discussing things with a group of equal colleagues; it sounded more like a commander assigning tasks to his subordinates.

Strangely, no one raised any objections.

Even Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Pillar who was furious just two months ago, now only stared at the ground with a gloomy face, without saying a word.

After being absolutely crushed by superior strength, the deep-seated fear and humiliation he felt completely robbed him of any right to challenge them.

"Based on the 'Butterfly Web' system, after data modeling and cross-validation of all intelligence on 'suspected Upper Moon sightings' over the past hundred years, I have identified two of the most dangerous areas."

Shinobu Kocho extended her slender fingers and pointed to two locations on the map.

"The outskirts of Yoshiwara's entertainment district and the village of swordsmiths."

These words left the pillars present completely bewildered.

What is data modeling? What is cross-validation? What is a spatial node?

Is this woman even speaking human language?

"Therefore, I will divide you into three teams."

Ignoring the confusion of the crowd, she continued making arrangements in her unquestionable tone.

"First team, Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa and Mist Pillar Muichiro Tokito, you two will lead a 50-man Class A squad to conduct a grid patrol of the outer area of ​​the 'Swordsmith Village'."