One was unconscious, tied up, and thrown in the courtyard for all to see. The other stood with clean clothes, and apart from not wearing a uniform, was no different from a Hashira. With his ethereal and aloof appearance, he seemed even more like a Hashira than the Hashira themselves. The difference was absurdly large.
"Tie him up," Obanai instructed a Kakushi member, who had followed Tanjiro to the courtyard, to tie up Lexon.
"My apologies," the Kakushi member said apologetically and approached Lexon with a rope.
"I don't like being tied up. Let's just skip it," this was the first time Lexon had spoken since arriving in the courtyard. He spoke to the Kakushi member with a polite smile.
The Kakushi member was instantly hesitant, not knowing what to do.
On one hand was the order of a Hashira. On the other were the words of someone who was clearly not a minor character.
'If I back down, will the Hashira kill me... but if I go forward, will that person cut me down...'
For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
"Tsk."
Obanai let out a low click of his tongue, and his reclining figure suddenly vanished.
The Kakushi member suddenly felt the rope in his hands go slack, and it disappeared.
It was Obanai who had taken the rope.
He appeared abruptly beside Lexon, holding the rope in his left hand, preparing to bind him. His right hand formed a fist and shot towards Lexon's stomach, intending to teach him a lesson.
From the moment he entered the courtyard, Lexon's attitude had been grating on Obanai. It was as if he was ignoring everyone, looking down on everything, and holding nothing in his regard.
But the next moment, Obanai found that neither his left nor his right hand could make the next move. Looking closely, he saw that both of his hands were clamped tightly by the other's arms.
An immense force was transmitted from the other's five fingers, rendering him unable to move.
'How could this be?'
Obanai was puzzled.
Among the nine Hashira, although his wrist strength ranked second to last, only above Shinobu Kocho's, it wasn't something an ordinary corps member should be able to suppress.
And the main point wasn't strength, but speed.
'The other person was able to accurately grasp my speed just now?'
"There's no need to tie me up, right? It would be uncomfortable," Lexon's indifferent eyes looked directly into Obanai's mismatched pupils.
'This guy...'
Obanai's pupils shrank. His body leaped up, his two arms becoming as smooth as snakes, instantly breaking free from Lexon's grip. His right hand formed a fist again, and in mid-air, he twisted his body and threw a punch towards Lexon's face.
But before it could land, Obanai felt as if his body had lost control. The next moment, he realized that his foot had been grabbed by the other person.
Lexon grabbed Obanai's calf and swung him outwards.
Obanai's entire body was thrown backward, slamming hard against the tree he had just been lying on.
"Cough, cough..."
The impact made Obanai's head spin, and he couldn't stop coughing.
But the next moment, he adjusted his breathing and stood up, his face full of anger.
"Mr. Iguro!"
The Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, called out with concern.
"I'm fine."
Obanai's face was grim, his anger rising.
He had a crush on the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, but now he had lost face in front of her, which was a little hard for him to accept.
"See? I told you he was strong," Shinobu said from the side with a gentle smile, though it was unclear what she was so happy about.
"Lexon is indeed very strong!" Kyojuro Rengoku nodded as if it were a fact.
Just then, Tanjiro woke up.
"Nezuko! Nezuko! Where are you! Lexon! Zenitsu! Inosuke! Mr. Murata!"
He started shouting the moment he woke up.
He drew the attention of everyone present.
'What's going on?'
Tanjiro looked around with a bewildered expression at the people who all seemed incredibly powerful.
"You're awake, little one," Shinobu walked towards Tanjiro.
Tanjiro remembered this was the woman who wanted to kill his sister and asked anxiously, "What's going on? And where's my sister?"
"You've violated the Demon Slayer Corps' rules, you know. You took a demon on a mission, so you need to be judged by the Hashira," Shinobu patiently explained to Tanjiro. Putting other factors aside, she still had a rather good impression of the boy.
"Where's... where's my sister?" Tanjiro was more concerned about his sister's safety. He was truly afraid that his sister would be executed just like that.
If that really happened, he would definitely break down. If his last remaining family member also disappeared...
"Your sister..." Just as Shinobu was about to answer, Lexon's voice came over.
"As long as I'm here, she'll be fine."
"Lexon?" Tanjiro said with pleasant surprise.
It had to be said that in Tanjiro's heart, Lexon's words clearly carried far more weight than anyone else's. Just that one sentence was enough to put him at ease.
This was not only due to his trust in Lexon but also a recognition of his strength.
Although Lexon had received Master Urokodaki's guidance at the same time as him, Tanjiro knew that the difference in their strength was now as great as heaven and earth.
However, Tanjiro didn't feel the slightest bit of jealousy. Lexon's great strength had instead become a motivation for his own efforts, constantly inspiring him.
"Your tone is quite flamboyant!" Tengen Uzui couldn't help but exclaim upon hearing Lexon's words.
"Hah, arrogant," Obanai Iguro patted the dust off his clothes, his eyes fixed on Lexon like a venomous snake ready to strike.
He did not immediately rush forward to regain his face.
The acknowledgment of his strength from Rengoku and Shinobu just now, as well as that brief exchange, had already allowed him to determine that this guy definitely had the strength of a Hashira. And within the courtyard, a real battle between two Hashira would definitely damage this place and affect the Master.
So Obanai chose to endure for the time being and no longer mentioned the matter of tying him up.
He would wait for the Master's decision, then gather the other Hashira to take him down with lightning speed.
"You can't just believe what he says, you know. He has also violated the Corps' rules and can't even protect himself!" Shinobu was very dissatisfied that Lexon had interrupted her and with his arrogant words.
"Violated the Corps' rules..." For a moment, Tanjiro was a little dazed. He knew that Lexon had violated the rules for his sake, and he felt extremely sorry in his heart for having implicated him.
Shinobu then asked Tanjiro, "Kamado Tanjiro, why, as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, did you bring a demon with you on a mission? Regarding this matter, I would like to hear your explanation. Of course, this is undoubtedly a violation of the Demon Slayer Corps' rules. You should understand that, right?"
"There's no need to ask," Tengen Uzui said with disdain, placing his hands on the hilts of the twin Nichirin swords on his back.
Clearly, he felt that the fact that he had brought a demon on a mission was enough for a death sentence.
"It's alright to speak slowly. Please explain," Shinobu bent down and met Tanjiro's gaze.
She really wanted to understand why Tanjiro had brought a demon with him. Was it simply because she was family, so he harbored her? Or was there another reason?
'Lexon aside, even Mr. Giyu would say something like, "If I had come earlier, I would have violated the Corps' rules as well."'
'Thankfully, I didn't say that out loud just now. Otherwise, I'm afraid even Mr. Giyu would have been reprimanded.'