When Tanjiro saw the situation, he shouted anxiously, "No, please don't hurt Nezuko! She won't hurt anyone!"
He noticed the other Hashira glancing at Nezuko's box with hostility, which left him terrified.
At that moment, only Gusion's tall figure gave him any sense of security. All the other Hashira seemed openly hostile toward Nezuko.
Originally, the Sound Hashira had intended to speak up for him, but due to serious injuries, the Sound Hashira had been ordered by the Oyakata-sama to recuperate and thus could not attend today's meeting.
"I've seen Tanjiro's sister. Just as he said, she hasn't eaten anyone and won't harm people. In last night's battle on Mount Natagumo, she fought bravely against demons and protected many members of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Gusion spoke, "The Sound Hashira can also testify, but unfortunately, he isn't here today."
"Hah? Do you know what you're saying?"
The Wind Hashira was furious. If not for the fact that the Oyakata-sama could appear at any moment, he would have taken action already. "A demon that doesn't harm people? Such a thing doesn't exist. Oh, that reminds me, you even brought other demons here."
"Aren't you going to wait to hear what the Oyakata-sama has to say?"
Gusion released his hold, causing the Wind Hashira—who had used too much force—to stagger. "You can take action now, but I've already promised Tanjiro to protect his sister. If you attack, you'll be making an enemy of me."
As he finished speaking, the tranquil aura around Gusion surged, no longer like a still deep pool, but like a raging tsunami. The invisible pressure overwhelmed the Wind Hashira, momentarily disrupting his breathing.
Bang—
A massive warhammer slammed into the ground with a dull thud.
It was the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, who had intervened. Tears in his eyes, he pleaded, "Please don't quarrel in front of the Oyakata-sama. Fighting among comrades is truly too sad."
The Stone Hashira had quite a reputation within the Demon Slayer Corps. Seeing him speak, Sanemi Shinazugawa loosened his grip on his sword but didn't continue toward the box.
Because he felt this new Thunder Hashira was serious: if he continued, the other would surely act, and a deadly battle would be inevitable.
More importantly, the Stone Hashira's words snapped him back to his senses. At the end of the corridor, a figure was already approaching—the Oyakata-sama.
All the Hashira present knelt on one knee, bowing their heads in respect to the Oyakata-sama. Only Gusion remained standing, making him look all the more conspicuous.
Though the Oyakata-sama couldn't see, he seemed to sense the odd atmosphere in the room and merely smiled, showing he didn't mind Gusion's presumption. "It's been half a year since our last Hashira meeting. Though Tengen is absent due to injuries, seeing all of you well brings me great joy."
It was Gusion's first time meeting the Corps' Oyakata-sama. Unlike in the anime, a truly disfigured person in real life was terrifying to look at, but the Oyakata-sama possessed a special aura that made one subconsciously unable to hate him.
Moreover, the Oyakata-sama's voice was special, and hard to describe; just listening to it made one feel light and relaxed, involuntarily drawn to him.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Gusion used his detection skill to check the Oyakata-sama's stats. His physical stats weren't even 5 points, and he had a bunch of negative status conditions from illness. But his mental stat was high—25 points—and his charm stat was a staggering 40!
Gusion couldn't help but touch his own face. He thought he was fairly good-looking, but only had 6 charm points. Did charm not correlate entirely with appearance?
"I heard the dispute between Shinazugawa and Gusion just now. The reason I called everyone here today is to clarify a few matters. The issue of Tanjiro's sister, Nezuko, is among them."
The Oyakata-sama's voice was calm and gentle. When he spoke, all the Hashira lowered their eyes, no one interrupting.
"As for Nezuko, I've already heard the details from Gusion and Tengen. She performed excellently in battle against demons and has been proven not to be a threat to humans."
The Oyakata-sama continued, "Furthermore, Tanjiro's mentor, the former Water Hashira Sakonji Urokodaki, and the current Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka, have jointly guaranteed this. Everyone can rest assured."
"Oyakata-sama."
At this, the Wind Hashira looked up and spoke, "Forgive my bluntness, but how do they guarantee Nezuko won't hurt people?"
Giyu Tomioka stood to the side, staring ahead as if everything before him was irrelevant, ignoring Tanjiro's grateful gaze.
"If Nezuko ever loses control and harms a human, then both the former and current Water Hashira will commit seppuku to atone."
The Oyakata-sama said, "Is that guarantee sufficient?"
The Hashira present were all shocked, but could not continue arguing about Nezuko.
Two respected Hashira had vouched for her; to keep pressing would be disrespectful. Still, they hadn't fully accepted Nezuko and Tanjiro in their hearts, waiting to observe further.
The Wind Hashira was still dissatisfied with the Oyakata-sama's words. He knew how hard it was for demons to suppress their urge to devour humans—even his own mother had succumbed, killing all her children except him and his brother.
He'd wanted to demonstrate with his own rare blood that Nezuko couldn't resist, but sensing the Thunder Hashira's threatening gaze, he could only give up.
"Looks like everyone has no further objections to this matter. Next, let me address the second point."
The Oyakata-sama smiled, "This is also related to demons. It was the Thunder Hashira who discovered and brought her back from Asakusa."
He turned around and called into the house, "Miss Tamayo, please come out. There's no sunlight under the eaves right now."
Although the Hashira had heard rumors before, hearing it from the Oyakata-sama was still shocking. They all stared warily at the door.
The door slid open. A beautiful woman in traditional kimono knelt there, bowing to everyone. "It is my pleasure to meet you all. My name is Tamayo. Please look after me from now on."
"Oyakata-sama, you must not!"
"How can we cooperate with a demon!?"
"To let a man-eating demon into the estate is unwise. If this place is exposed, the Oyakata-sama will be in danger."
"Let me eliminate this threat first!"
"Oyakata-sama, please stay away from her!"
The Hashira exclaimed in alarm at the sight of Tamayo, some even preparing to attack.
Yet the Oyakata-sama remained calm. He had his wife, Amane, lead Tamayo forward and continued, "Miss Tamayo's medical skills are extraordinary. She will help us develop a drug against Kibutsuji Muzan, greatly increasing our chances of victory."
"What?"
The irate Wind Hashira was distracted by this, "Have we found Muzan's location already?"
"Can she really develop a drug to defeat Muzan?"
The Serpent Hashira locked his eyes on Tamayo, his words full of skepticism.
The others had the same questions, looking to the Master for answers.
"Please, everyone, remain calm. Let me explain step by step."
The Oyakata-sama raised his hand to quell their excitement. "First, like Nezuko, Miss Tamayo has freed herself from Kibutsuji Muzan's control, so her actions are not monitored by him and our location won't be exposed."
"And the other, Yushiro, is a new demon created by Miss Tamayo over hundreds of years. He has nothing to do with Muzan either."
The Oyakata-sama continued, "Second, Miss Tamayo truly is a highly skilled doctor and has saved many lives over centuries, so there's no need to doubt her skills or her loyalty."
He then looked toward Gusion's direction, "Finally, it was the Thunder Hashira who discovered and brought Miss Tamayo back. He's made the same guarantee as just now."
Everyone looked at Gusion in shock, unable to understand how he dared guarantee the life of a demon he'd only known for a few days.
They could understand Giyu Tomioka and Urokodaki vouching for Tanjiro and Nezuko—they'd known them for years, were their mentors, and had a personal bond. But what about Gusion?
"Lord Gusion…"
Even Tamayo herself was surprised by the Oyakata-sama's words. She hadn't expected Gusion to vouch for her with his life, and was deeply moved.
She also felt the Oyakata-sama's trust—because Gusion was likely their strongest fighter. If the Oyakata-sama didn't believe she was safe, he would never have agreed.
"Words alone may be feeble, but I still hope you all will trust me. I will do my utmost to research and produce a drug capable of killing Muzan as soon as possible."
Tamayo bowed deeply to the Hashira. "I, Tamayo, will not betray the trust of the Oyakata-sama and Lord Gusion."
The Oyakata-sama smiled and looked toward Shinobu Kocho's direction. "Shinobu, I'll entrust this matter to you."
Shinobu's gaze toward Tamayo was full of hostility, but for the Oyakata-sama's sake, she nodded. "I'll work with Miss Tamayo to develop the new drug."
"Oyakata-sama, have we already found Kibutsuji Muzan?"
With this matter settled, the Stone Hashira asked, echoing everyone's curiosity.
The Oyakata-sama smiled, "That's the third topic for today, which I'll leave to our newly joined Thunder Hashira to explain."
At this, Gusion stepped forward. "I found Muzan in Asakusa."
The room erupted. Even Giyu Tomioka and the Mist Hashira turned to Gusion, eyes fixed on him, waiting for more.
"Gusion-san found Muzan!? Did you fight him!?"
Tanjiro couldn't contain himself, blurting out his most pressing question. Muzan was the demon he most wanted to kill—if not for Muzan, his family would still be happily living in the mountains.
Gusion shook his head. "I only saw him, but because there were too many civilians in Asakusa, I didn't act. Based on the info I got after fighting Upper Moon Five, I believe Muzan has a castle in a different dimension. He can hide there at any time. Unless we can kill him in one blow, there's nothing we can do."
His words startled Tamayo as well. She hadn't realized Muzan was so close in Asakusa. She'd practiced medicine there for years—it was like dancing on a knife's edge.
"A castle in another dimension?"
The Serpent Hashira frowned. "I've seen some Blood Demon Arts that manipulate space, but they're easy to break. You're saying Muzan has a castle-sized alternate space he can enter and exit at will?"
No one doubted Gusion's intel—he'd killed two Upper Moons and had seen Muzan. Knowing more than others was normal.
That was the benefit of Gusion's status and reputation. He was already a Hashira, and with no one privy to the details of his battles, his word was law.
"Yes, let's just call it the Infinity Castle for now. Based on my analysis, if Muzan is prepared, that castle can open doors anywhere, pulling people or demons in and out. It's a troublesome power."
Gusion said, "If we can't figure out a way to restrict Muzan or get into the Infinity Castle, we'll basically be helpless against him."
Because of his status as an explorer, the original story had already gone off the rails. He couldn't think of a good way to kill Muzan, so he wanted to hear the Hashira and the Oyakata-sama's thoughts.