Demon Slayer: The Second God Who Walks the Earth

Although shocked, Shinobu Kocho accepted the fact and couldn't help but sigh, "Mr. Rengoku's ability to teach his stepson is truly amazing, and Yo's talent is also enviable."

"Then Xiao Yang can be considered my junior brother! That's great!" Mitsuri said excitedly after hearing Kyojuro's words.

Mitsuri is lively and cheerful, very enthusiastic towards everyone, and loves making friends. Now that she has gained a junior brother, she is naturally very happy.

"As your senior, I will protect you from now on. If you have any questions you want to ask me, feel free to ask me."

Mitsuri patted Chiba Yo on the shoulder and spoke in a tone of an adult instructing a child.

Just as Chiba Yo was about to speak, he suddenly felt as if a gaze was staring at him, so he looked around.

He quickly discovered the source of the gaze: a man with a white snake wrapped around his neck and heterochromatic eyes was staring intently at him. Chiba Yang could almost see the black resentment emanating from the man.

(;all)

What's going on? This should be our first meeting, so why is he looking at me like that?

Chiba Yang was a little confused. He was certain that this was the first time he had met this man with heterochromia, and they had never interacted before.

That must be something I did that caused him to react this way.

Chiba Yo was thinking to himself when he noticed Mitsuri's hand on his shoulder.

"Then thank you in advance, Mitsuri-senpai."

Chiba Yo thanked Mitsuri, then took a step to the right to break free from her hand, while also keeping an eye on the heterochromatic man's reaction.

Just as Chiba Yo had predicted, when he took a step to the right to get rid of Miri's hand, the resentment around the heterochromatic-eyed man dissipated, and he stopped staring at him.

He probably likes Mitsuri-senpai...

Chiba Yo reached a conclusion.

"This is the Serpent Pillar! His name is Obanai Iguro! His swordsmanship is amazing!" Kyojuro introduced Obanai to Chiba Yo.

Since everyone had already heard the introduction of Chiba Yo, he didn't introduce Chiba Yo to Obanai again.

"Hello, Mr. Iguro," Chiba Yo greeted Obanai.

However, Obanai ignored him and instead started chatting with Kyojuro.

"Rengoku, have you received any news about the Twelve Demon Moons or Muzan recently?"

“No! I haven’t found any trace of the Twelve Demon Moons or Muzan in the area I’ve been monitoring recently!” Kyojuro replied.

"My area is the same. I hope my luck will be better in the future so that I can meet an Upper Moon," Obanai said.

Chiba Yo watched Obanai talking to Kyojuro from the side, and a thought arose in his mind.

Am I... being held a grudge against...?

Chiba Yo was a little confused. He hadn't done anything yet, but he already seemed to be resented by a Pillar. If he had to give a reason, it was because his senior sister had patted him on the shoulder.

Although they haven't had much contact yet, Chiba Yo has already labeled the Serpent Pillar as a jealous and petty person in his mind.

Next, Kyojuro introduced Tomioka Giyu to Chiba Yo.

"He's the Water Pillar, his name is Giyu Tomioka! He's a man of action, just a bit taciturn!"

"Hello, Mr. Tomioka."

Chiba Yoshiyuki greeted him.

Yi Yong's expression remained unchanged, and then he said, "There's no need to greet me. I'm different from them."

Chiba Yang was stunned, unsure how to respond. Giyu's expressionless face and words gave Chiba Yang a feeling of extreme arrogance and haughtiness.

However, Giyu was thinking: I was just someone who joined the Demon Slayer Corps because I was protected by others, and I am not worthy of being compared with the other Pillars.

Shinobu Kocho couldn't bear to look at the scene before her and couldn't help but say, "Mr. Tomioka... you really don't know how to talk. You should probably keep quiet in the future."

"Just ignore that guy and let him stay alone forever."

Just then, the Serpent Pillar, who hadn't responded to Chiba Yo's greeting, suddenly spoke to him.

Although Chiba Yo and Mitsuri's relationship made him somewhat uncomfortable, he still disliked Giyu even more.

After hearing what the other two pillars said, Giyu didn't say anything. He just stood there expressionless, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while, the other pillars also arrived.

Rock Pillars Screaming Island Walking Underworld

Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa

Sound Pillar Universe Essence Heaven Origin

Mist Pillar Tokito Muichiro

Of these pillars, Chiba Yo is most familiar with the Wind Pillar, because he has discussed it extensively with Genya and now has a fairly clear understanding of it.

However, this did not bring him closer to the Wind Pillar. Although the Wind Pillar did not ignore him like the Serpent Pillar, he was not particularly enthusiastic either, but Chiba Yo could understand him.

He had heard of the remaining Pillars before, including the Stone Pillar Gyomei Himejima, the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps, but his actual appearance after meeting him was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

His tendency to cry easily made him hesitant to approach him.

The Sound Pillar, a dashing and handsome man, acknowledged Chiba Yo's good looks, saying he was also dashing, especially praising the flame pattern on his forehead.

Chiba Yo's impression of the Mist Pillar was that he had a bad memory, forgetting what he had just said as soon as he turned his head, and that he liked to watch the clouds. He was also the only Pillar who was a year younger than Chiba Yo.

It's also worth mentioning that some of the Pillars felt that Chiba Yo and Muichiro looked somewhat alike.

After getting to know the remaining Pillars, Chiba Yo could sense that they were all trustworthy people with a strong sense of righteousness. Although they had different personalities—some were a bit short-tempered, some were a bit sharp-tongued and jealous, and some were a bit taciturn—Chiba Yo could sense that they were all trustworthy people.

But one thing is certain: they all gave their all to protect humanity from evil spirits.

All the current Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps have assembled.

"My lord has arrived."

Two children's voices rang out from inside the mansion, and then two children with similar appearances and white hair walked out of the mansion. Then a long-haired man walked out of the mansion with his hands on the two children's hands.

"You've come, my lovely children."

Chapter 23 Yang Pillar

Her voice was so gentle that it made people feel safe and comfortable just by listening to it.

Then, Chiba Yo got a clear look at the man who walked out of the mansion.

The upper half of his face was almost completely disfigured, but even from the intact parts, one could tell that he was a handsome man with a smile on his face and a calm and composed demeanor, like that of a god or Buddha.

Is he the one who commands the entire Demon Slayer Corps? His voice is so gentle. Are the marks on his face from injuries?

This was Chiba Yo's first time seeing Ubuyashiki Kagaya, and he looked at him with a sense of wonder.

Good morning, everyone. It's a nice day today.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked up and felt the sunlight shining on his face. The warmth made his body, which was gradually deteriorating due to illness, feel very comfortable.

"I am very pleased that we were able to hold the Column Meeting again without any loss of personnel."

The next moment, the nine pillars knelt down on one knee in unison, and upon seeing this, Chiba Yo also knelt down on one knee like them.

"It would be wonderful if my lord were still in good health. I sincerely wish my lord continued good health," Sanemi said respectfully.

"Thank you, Sanemi." Kagaya smiled and thanked Sanemi, then continued to address the Pillars, "This Pillars Meeting is being held earlier than usual, and I'm sure you all have some concerns about it."

The main reason for holding the Pillars meeting ahead of schedule was the appointment of the Demon Slayer Corps' new tenth Pillar.

As Kagaya spoke, he looked at Chiba Yo, and upon hearing his words, the gazes of the other nine Pillars all focused on Chiba Yo at that moment.

Chiba Yo was filled with questions, and everyone's eyes were on him, which made him a little flustered.

"Our Demon Slayer Corps has always had nine Pillars, and this has never changed. Although there are times when Pillar-level members are missing, the number has never exceeded nine."

This is partly because the conditions for becoming a Pillar-level member are quite demanding, requiring the slaying of a member of the Twelve Demon Moons or fifty demons, and partly because the missions performed by Pillar-level members are more dangerous and prone to casualties.

However, the newly appointed Demon Slayer Corps member, Chiba Yo, recently killed Rokuro, one of the Lower Moons of the Twelve Demon Moons, thus fulfilling the conditions for becoming a Pillar and breaking the upper limit of nine Pillar-level swordsmen.

"This is a fortunate thing for our entire Demon Slayer Corps," Kagaya said, his words flowing rhythmically.

He looked at Chiba Yo and continued, "Generally speaking, Pillars use their breathing techniques as their names. Yo, have you thought about your name as a Pillar?"

He actually remembered my name all along...

Chiba Yo wasn't surprised that Kagaya knew his name. After all, when Kyojuro took him in as his heir, he reported the situation to the lord, and Chiba Yo guessed that it was at that time that Kagaya learned his name.

However, what surprised Chiba Yo was that Kagaya, as the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, an organization with many members, actually remembered the name of an ordinary member like him, which greatly increased his favorability towards his master.

"Thank you for your kindness, my lord. I will use Yangzhu as my name." Although he was still not quite clear about what was going on, Chiba Yang answered Kagaya's question first.

The reason for using this name is that the character "Yang" is related to his breathing method and his name, and calling him Yangzhu is also very fitting.

After hearing Chiba Yo's answer, Kagaya nodded.

The other Pillars still looked puzzled. They didn't quite understand why the Pillars Meeting was being held ahead of schedule. Logically, it was just a member being promoted to Pillar rank, nothing more, so the meeting should have been held early.

However, Kagaya then explained the situation to them.

"Next is the reason for holding the Pillar Meeting ahead of schedule, Yang. From Shangya's report, I learned that you have unique markings on your body."

"That's why I convened the Pillars meeting ahead of schedule, hoping you could inform the other Pillars present about the conditions for the appearance of the markings." Kagaya said, looking at Chiba Yo, his tone pleading.

"Striped?!" The other nine Pillars were puzzled after hearing Kagaya's words, as they had never heard of striped patterns.

Stripes! A word the teacher's father once mentioned.

Unlike the other nine pillars, Chiba Yo had heard this term before. When he last visited Kyojuro's house, Kyojuro's father mentioned the term, but he was completely confused at the time and had no idea what it referred to. Now, he heard the term again from his lord's mouth.

Kagaya then explained to them, “It is said that during the Warring States period, a group of swordsmen who used the Breath of Beginning almost managed to kill Muzan Kibutsuji, and they all had markings on their bodies that resembled the mark of a demon.”

However, this is just a legend, so very few people know about it.

After hearing Kagaya's explanation, the Pillars roughly understood what the markings were. Simply put, they were marks that appeared on strong individuals, meaning they could potentially enhance a person's strength.

Chiba Yo fell silent. He had always thought that the strange markings on his forehead were an ominous sign, because his father had abandoned him and his mother because of them, making their lives extremely difficult, and his mother had also fallen seriously ill due to the heavy burden she had been placed on.

He had even attributed the ghosts that had haunted the village to the markings on his forehead, and felt guilty about it. Now, for the first time, he learned the origin of this ominous object.

Upon learning this, Sanemi asked Kagaya with some confusion, "This is the first time I've heard of this. Why did you keep it from us before?"

Upon hearing Sanemi's question, the lord turned to him and replied, "Because many outstanding swordsmen have become heartbroken and depressed after learning about this matter because they did not develop the markings on their bodies... that's why we had no choice but to keep it a secret."

He then added, "There are still too many details about the inheritance of the markings that are unclear. Whether it was because the phenomenon was not given enough attention at the time or because it was accidentally lost during the several near-destruction crises the organization had previously faced, it is impossible to verify."

"Today, only a single passage has been passed down in written form:"

[Whenever a marked swordsman appears, as if in resonance, more marked swordsmen will appear around him.]

"This was recorded in the journal of a swordsman who used the Initial Breathing technique back then. In this era, you are the first person to develop the markings."

After Yaozai finished speaking, he looked at Chiba Yang.

"Thank you for your help." Yaoya said, bowing slightly to Chiba Yo.

He was willing to give anything, even his life, to make the Demon Slayer Corps stronger and thus defeat Muzan, not to mention his pride as a leader.

“My lord…” Kagaya’s actions left Chiba Yo somewhat at a loss. The behavior of the other Pillars clearly showed that they all had genuine respect for their lord, but now Kagaya was bowing his head slightly to him, which made him feel very flustered.

At the same time, the fact that Kagaya, as the lord of the Demon Slayer Corps, could make such a request to one of his subordinates earned Chiba Yo's deep respect.

Feeling everyone's gaze on him, Chiba Yo said somewhat helplessly, "I'm very sorry..."

Chapter 24 Dinner Party

Chiba Yo clenched his fist, feeling a little sad for letting everyone down. He really wanted to tell everyone how to develop the markings, but the key was that he himself had no idea.

"I really want to tell everyone how these freckles appear, but the freckles on my forehead were there from birth, and I don't even know the conditions that caused them to appear..."

Chiba Yo said helplessly.

"Is that so..." Kagaya felt a little regretful after hearing Chiba Yo's words.

"I'm sorry, I've let down the lord and everyone's expectations..." Chiba Yang said with some self-reproach.

Kagaya smiled after seeing Chiba Yo's reaction.

He's a kind-hearted child, just like Kyojuro, who always thinks of others...

"No need to apologize. This was originally your own strength. It's already very kind of you to have this intention." Kagaya smiled and comforted Chiba Yo.

He then continued: