Demon Slayer: The Second God Who Walks the Earth

"The Breath of the Beginning is also known as the Breath of the Sun, and the breathing technique you developed is also called the Breath of the Sun. In addition, you have the markings that appeared when the users of the Breath of the Beginning appeared. Perhaps these coincidences are all the will of Heaven."

This could also be a sign. Back in the Warring States period, the Demon Slayer Corps nearly killed Muzan Kibutsuji. Now that the Demon Slayer Mark has reappeared, Muzan will surely be defeated!

Kagaya's voice was full of inspiring power, and his firm tone made people believe that what he said would come true. Chiba Yo even overlooked the fact that Kagaya knew the name of his breathing technique.

Encouraged by Kagaya, the pillars answered in unison with great enthusiasm.

The Pillars meeting then officially began. The Pillars followed Kagaya into the mansion, exchanged information, and discussed internal issues within the Demon Slayer Corps.

The most frequently mentioned issue is that the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen of this generation are too weak; almost none of them can truly fight and kill demons.

Of course, they excluded Chiba Yo when they discussed this issue, since Chiba Yo's talent was arguably the strongest among all the Pillars, and he became a Pillar in a month less than the shortest time, Tokito Muichiro.

"Thank you all for your hard work. It's already noon, so please go back and rest."

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was lunchtime. Kagaya addressed the Pillars.

The Pillars' meetings usually last for several days, which is one of the few times the Pillars can rest a bit, teach their stepsons, and train on their own.

After saying goodbye to Yaoya, the Pillars left the mansion.

"How about we all have a meal together? It's not easy to get together like this, and we'll all be too busy to see each other after the meeting ends."

After leaving the mansion, Mitsuri smiled and made suggestions to the others with a slightly flushed face.

“Hmm! That’s a great suggestion! I’ll participate!” Kyojuro replied loudly.

“I agree too,” Obanai said after a moment’s hesitation.

Although he really wanted to have dinner with Mitsuri, he would prefer to have dinner with her alone. Since it was a group dinner, the other Pillars would definitely be there too, which made him feel a little disappointed.

“That sounds pretty good, so I’ll gladly agree.” Uzui Tengen said grandly.

“Alright.” Chiba Yo nodded in agreement. He wanted to learn more about the other Pillars, since they might be fighting side by side in the future.

Subsequently, Shinobu Kocho, Gyomei Himejima, Muichiro Tokito, and Sanemi Shinazugawa also did not object.

"awesome!"

Seeing that no one objected, Mitsuri was very happy.

Just then, Giyu left alone.

"Eh? Mr. Tomioka, aren't you going to come along?" Mitsuri called out to Giyu after seeing his actions.

After stamping his foot and grunting in response, Yiyong silently walked away.

Mitsuri wasn't so happy that she couldn't invite all the Pillars.

"What an annoying guy. He always has this 'I'm so unfortunate' look on his face. It makes me so angry."

Giyuu's actions undoubtedly angered Obanai, who then complained to him.

Almost all the pillars present had a tragic past, but Giyu always wore his misfortune on his face, which made Obanai very unhappy with him.

"Amitabha, Tomioka is probably just not good at expressing himself, right? Maybe he doesn't like crowds." The Stone Pillar said with his hands clasped together.

Chiba Yo was also somewhat puzzled by Giyu's behavior. They were just having a meal together; there was no need for him to avoid them.

Like Tanjiro, he also uses the Water Breathing technique, but their personalities are quite different.

Chiba Yo thought to himself as he watched Tomioka's departing figure.

Tanjiro struck him as quite talkative, but Giyu...

Since meeting him, the only complete sentence Chiba Yo has ever heard him say is when greeting him: "You don't need to greet me, I'm different from them."

And his expression never changed.

“Since Tomioka is unwilling, then let’s go together!” Kyojuro said loudly.

Chiba Yo then went to a dinner party with the other eight Pillars besides Giyu, but he regretted it after the dinner party started.

"Five ants! Five ants!" Kyojuro shouted as he ate heartily.

Sanemi silently placed a plate of hagi mochi in front of him and ate it quietly. Uzui Tengen only ate the most fancy-looking food. Mist Hashira would stop after a couple of bites to think about whether he had eaten anything at all. Himejima Gyomei would cry even while eating. Kocho Shinobu, on the other hand, was fine.

But none of that matters. The important thing is Mitsuri and Obanai...

"Xiao Yang, try this, it's delicious!" Mi Li said as she ate, while also putting some food into Qian Ye Yang's bowl.

There were already many clean plates in front of her, but she didn't slow down her eating speed at all.

Meanwhile, Obanai, sitting opposite Chiba Yo, didn't eat anything, her eyes fixed on Chiba Yo, radiating intense resentment.

Mitsuri, perhaps wanting to be considerate of her junior, sat next to Chiba Yo during the dinner and kept putting food on his plate.

Because of this, Obanai across from him kept staring at him and didn't eat a single bite of food. Chiba Yang, being stared at by him, also didn't eat a single bite of food.

Now Chiba Yo understands one thing: when you gaze at Mitsuri, Obanai will also gaze at you; when Mitsuri gazes at you, Obanai will also gaze at you.

If Chiba Yo suggests changing seats, it might make Mitsuri uncomfortable, but if he doesn't, Obanai will keep staring at him, and he won't be able to eat properly.

"Um... Mr. Iguro, could you please stop staring at me?"

Chiba Yo could only raise his head and say helplessly to Obanai.

Now he's starting to think that it was a wise choice for Yiyong not to come along.

"Hehehe, you're being far too self-important. When did I start watching you?" Obanai said, then looked away from Chiba Yo.

"Uh... well."

Seeing that Obanai was no longer staring at him, Chiba Yo didn't say anything more and lowered his head to start eating. However, before he could even pick up his chopsticks, he felt Obanai's gaze again.

Although Mitsuri was already focused on eating and didn't have time to serve Chiba Yo, Obanai still stared intently at Chiba Yo.

Chapter 25 I Was Not Disliked

Feeling Obanai's resentful gaze, Chiba Yo was speechless.

Chiba Yo took a deep breath, then buried his head in his food and started eating quickly, without paying any attention to anything else.

A moment later, Chiba Yo put the bowl and chopsticks back on the table.

"I'm finished eating! Thank you for the meal!"

After saying that, Chiba Yo immediately stood up and said to Obanai, "Mr. Iguro, is it a bit crowded for you to sit over there? I've finished eating, why don't you sit over here?"

The rock pillar and the sound pillar were sitting over there in the small area, so the space there was indeed a bit small.

Moreover, Chiba Yo now understands that as long as Obanai and Mitsuri's relationship is not yet confirmed, he will definitely continue to harbor resentment. After all, Mitsuri has a very outgoing personality and is very enthusiastic towards everyone, while Obanai cannot stand Mitsuri having any contact with other men.

Therefore, Chiba Yo decided to try to bring the two of them together, otherwise not only him, but all the male members of the Demon Slayer Corps might suffer from Obanai's resentment.

To be honest, given Obanai's jealous nature and his love for such a carefree girl, Chiba Yo feels a bit sorry for him. He probably gets angry all the time.

Xiaoban was stunned for a moment after hearing Chiba Yang's words. All the resentment in her body dissipated at that moment, and her eyes were full of friendliness when she looked at Chiba Yang.

That's a really fast change of expression...

Chiba Yo silently complained in his heart as he saw Obanai's change.

"Hmm...it is a bit crowded." Obanai said, getting up and walking over to Chiba Yang. Chiba Yang had already left his seat, and Obanai sat down in his seat, then looked at Chiba Yang with a look that was almost affectionate.

Then Obanai turned to look at Mitsuri with gentle eyes, while constantly bringing food from the table to Mitsuri, though she herself didn't eat much.

This is really exhausting...

Chiba Yo sighed inwardly, then walked out of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters cafeteria.

He originally planned to go to the training ground to practice his sword skills, but after walking a few steps, he saw Yiyong sitting alone on the steps in front of the team barracks.

At this moment, Giyuu was eating alone in a lunchbox containing radish and salmon.

Even when eating, he still had a stern face.

"Mr. Tomioka, why aren't you having dinner with everyone? Why are you sitting here all alone eating?" Out of curiosity about Giyuu's actions, Chiba Yo sat down next to him and asked.

Upon hearing Chiba Yo's words, Giyu swallowed the food in his mouth, and then slowly said expressionlessly, "I... am not all alone."

Tomioka's words stunned Chiba Yo: "You have no one by your side, aren't you all alone?"

Giyu's words made it impossible for Chiba Yo to continue asking questions, so he stopped dwelling on the issue and suggested to Tomioka, "Mr. Tomioka, I think you should try to be more sociable and interact with everyone more. After all, such opportunities are rare, and if you continue like this, you might be disliked by even more people."

Upon hearing Chiba Yo's words, Tomioka showed a rare expression of shock, turned to look at Chiba Yo, and then said to him, "I... am not disliked!"

Mr. Tomioka... isn't he far too oblivious? Does he really think that way?

Chiba Yo felt the conversation was going nowhere, and at the same time, he found Tomioka's slowness of perception somewhat unbelievable.

Even though Obanai and the Wind Pillar made it so obvious, especially Obanai who said it outright, he still didn't know.

"Uh... um... you... never mind..."

Chiba Yo tried several times, but still couldn't think of anything to say. He even started sweating. Chatting with Tomioka made him feel immense pressure; none of the ghosts he had ever encountered had ever given him this feeling.

Chiba Yo considered himself to have pretty good emotional intelligence, but when faced with Tomioka Giyuu, he really didn't know what to say. Giyuu could always shut you down with a single sentence.

Suddenly, a name flashed through Chiba Yo's mind. He thought of a topic that might lead to further discussion, so he immediately asked Giyuu, "Mr. Tomioka, do you know a boy named Tanjiro? He also uses Water Breathing and is a friend I met during the Final Selection."

Upon hearing the name, Tomioka finally reacted, nodding and saying, "Yes, I introduced him to the trainer to join the Demon Slayer Corps."

Just as I guessed!

When Yiyong finally replied with a reasonably normal statement, Chiba Yang felt somewhat invigorated. Yiyong's performance had aroused his strange competitive spirit, and he vowed to talk to Yiyong for a while today.

"I didn't expect it to be like this. Then you must be Tanjiro's senior apprentice, right? Was Mr. Tomioka's teacher also Mr. Urokodaki?" Chiba Yo continued to ask Giyu.

After learning that Giyu was the Water Pillar, Chiba Yo guessed that he must be related to Tanjiro. After all, the trainers are all retired Pillars, and there are very few Pillars who can last until retirement. It not only requires great strength, but also good luck.

Since Giyu and Tanjiro are quite similar and both use Water Breathing, it's highly likely they were trained by the same person.

"Yes," Yiyong replied, confirming Chiba Yang's guess.

"So how did Mr. Tomioka and Tanjiro meet? And what were your reasons for guiding Tanjiro to join the Demon Slayer Corps?" Chiba Yo continued to ask Giyu.

He and Giyu had nothing else to talk about, so they could only keep bringing up Tanjiro, otherwise their conversation would just stop.

Giyuu was somewhat happy to be able to chat with someone. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I met him one winter while on a mission. His family was killed by demons, his sister..."

Giyu paused here, and then continued, "Then I sent him to find Mr. Urokodaki."

Although Giyuu's explanation was somewhat unclear and he seemed to have concealed some details, Chiba Yo roughly understood what he was saying.

Like most members of the Demon Slayer Corps, his happy life was destroyed by demons, and he embarked on the path of demon hunting.

"Is this so..."

Even though his loved ones were killed by ghosts, he could still express sympathy for the ghosts' plight. Such compassion is truly rare. More importantly, although he expressed sympathy for the ghosts' plight, he showed no mercy to the ghosts that had already killed humans.

Kind but not foolishly kind, gentle yet strong—that's the impression Tanjiro gives Chiba Yo.

"Let's go, it's time for the afternoon meeting," Giyu said to Chiba Yo, standing up as he did so.

"Oh...okay...hmm?"

Chiba Yo responded, but he immediately looked up in surprise.

Just now... Mr. Tomioka spoke to me on his own initiative?

Chapter 26 Crimson Blade

It seems that today's efforts were not in vain.

Chiba Yo felt a great sense of accomplishment and got up to follow Giyu to the mansion where the pillars were gathered.

As the week drew to a close, the summit was coming to an end.

Inside the mansion, the ten pillars knelt on one knee before Kagaya.

With a smile, Yaozai said in a gentle voice, "This concludes the Pillar Meeting. Thank you for attending. I will gradually implement the issues raised and the solutions proposed by everyone."

Finally, I pray that you may always be well.

The most sincere emotions were contained in the unhurried and gentle voice.

"May our lord enjoy good health forever!" The ten pillars bowed slightly and offered their joint wishes.

"Thank you for your well wishes. Everyone, please go back now." Kagaya said to the Pillars with a smile. Then he turned his gaze to Chiba Yo and said to him, "Yo, stay a moment. I have something to say to you."

"Yes," the pillars replied in unison after hearing their lord's words.

Afterwards, apart from Chiba Yo, the other Pillars left the mansion one after another, leaving only Chiba Yo behind.