Chapter 3: Flickering Lotus Lantern

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The Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps stood silently in the garden of the Ubuyashiki estate, wondering why they were summoned. The semi-annual Pillar Meeting wasn't for another month or two, so Oyakata-sama must have something important to tell them.

Giyuu simply waited, not interacting with any of his fellow Pillars. He doubted any of them would want to interact with him either.

All of the Pillars dropped to their knees as Ubuyashiki Kagaya entered the porch, accompanied by two of his children.

"I hope you're in good health, Oyakata-sama," Shinazugawa announced, taking pride in being the first to greet the master.

"Thank you, Sanemi," Ubuyashiki responded. "Rise, my children."

"Oyakata-sama, may I ask why we're meeting all of a sudden?" Kanroji inquired. "I thought the Pillar Meeting was in a month? And where is Kanae-san?"

"Kanae had been recovering from an injury for about a week now, and should be arriving soon." Shortly after his words fell, Kanae walked in with her sister supporting her.

Giyuu frowned when he saw that she was missing a hand. The others had similar expressions of incredulity as well. For a pillar to receive such a drastic injury, it must have been inflicted by a member of the Twelve Kizuki. There was no doubt Kanae was strong, and her experience backed her up.

"Kanae sustained injuries to her lungs, and from the looks of it, they will never return to the state they were before. Her Tsuguko, Kocho Shinobu, will succeed her pillar position. Any objections?" Ubuyashiki asked. No one argued and Shinobu politely bowed to the pillars before her.

Giyuu was confident that Kanae was on par with the rest of the Hashira, not weaker than any of them. They could all slay a Lower Rank easily. For her to lose a hand, it must have been an Upper Rank.

This was very important news. An Upper Rank had not been slain for over a hundred years, 113 to be exact. Most who encountered them never lived long enough to relay information back to the Corps.

"I was fighting Upper Rank Two when my hand was severed," Kanae said, voice firm. "His name was Douma. In the end, I was unable to kill him."

"Explain," Himejima requested, tears streaming down his face. He began to murmur prayers underneath his breath.

"My crow had informed me of disappearances in a mysterious cult. Eventually, I encountered the Upper Rank, who has the center of worship. The Upper Ranks are truly formidable. I could barely dodge his attacks and I believe he wasn't fighting at his full strength for all of the hour we were battling. Toward the end, he had chopped off my hand. I most likely would have died if another demon had not intervened," Kanae explained gravely.

"What do you mean another demon intervened?!" Shinazugawa barked. "There's no way! Why would a demon protect a demon slayer?"

"Calm yourself," Iguro interrupted. "Let Kocho-san explain."

Kanae nodded and continued. "This demon, with nothing peculiar about him, arrived and Upper Rank Two addressed him as Koi-sama. He even offered the other demon if he wanted to eat me. However, the other demon paused when he saw me, as if expecting something. He whispered 'you don't' before trailing off, and starting waiting again. His hesitation stalled long enough for the sun to rise and cause Upper Rank Two to retreat."

Koi-sama. That was the name of the demon Giyuu had conversed with years ago. He didn't doubt that he had helped Kanae on purpose; he had seen his unusual kindness firsthand. Giyuu had privately informed Oyakata-sama of the kind demon he had encountered and asked to keep it private. There was a high possibility it was a one-time occurrence and he didn't feel the need to inform anyone else.

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