After that, Vincent Fox was invited to attend the Hashira Meeting.
"Kid, start talking. How did you awaken the Demon Slayer Mark?" Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira, stared Vincent down and demanded loudly.
"Mr. Ye, according to what Rengoku-san said, the state you were in when you fought Upper Rank Three, Akaza, was extremely close to the Mark we're pursuing. Do you have any tips?"
All of them were monsters in their own right. Shinobu Kocho sensed Sanemi's tone could easily offend Vincent, so she quickly added on with a gentler voice.
It worked. Vincent's mood improved almost immediately.
At that moment, Amane Ubuyashiki, Kagaya's wife, stepped forward.
"Our lord, Kagaya, has fallen ill. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to appear before everyone from now on. Please allow me to offer you his sincerest apologies on his behalf."
As she spoke, Amane knelt formally and bowed so deeply her forehead nearly touched the floor.
The room fell silent at once. Every Hashira's gaze turned solemn.
The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, clasped his hands together. Two streams of tears rolled down his face.
"Understood. I pray our lord can preserve his life for as long as possible. Lady Amane, you must also stay strong…"
"Thank you." Amane lowered her head. "Amane thanks all of you, Hashira."
Then, the real meeting began.
Amane sat upright before them. She didn't have Kagaya's overwhelming presence, but she still carried herself well.
"All of you should already know. In the last operation, a demon appeared that, according to our records, is the first ever to resist sunlight. If nothing changes, Kibutsuji Muzan will inevitably launch an all-out assault to achieve his goal. A large-scale war is about to erupt."
"According to the reports, during the battle against the Upper Ranks, a peculiar Mark manifested on Muichiro Tokito and Mitsuri Kanroji. In addition, based on Rengoku-san's report, Mr. Ye also seems to have entered a similar state."
"I heard Tokito-san's comments earlier. Kanroji-san, could you share what you felt when you awakened your Mark?"
Everyone looked to Mitsuri with curiosity.
"Yes!" Mitsuri nodded hard and stepped into the center of their attention.
"Back then it was like, boom, and then I felt super hot all over, and my ears were like whoooosh, and it felt like my hearing got way better, and my heart went thump-thump-thump and then it kind of went guah-guah and it just came, really really fast!"
The room stared at her, stunned.
Where did this abstract genius come from?
Thud.
Mitsuri realized how ridiculous she sounded and immediately bowed down in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I want to dig a hole in the floor and crawl into it…"
"And Mr. Ye?" Amane clearly wasn't expecting much more from Mitsuri. She turned to Vincent Fox.
Vincent thought for a moment and realized they were probably mistaking his Ultra Instinct state for the Demon Slayer Mark.
"If we're talking about what it felt like… my mind sank into a kind of calm. Everything slowed down in my eyes. But it doesn't seem exactly the same as your Marks. What's different… I can't really put into words."
Great. Another explanation that said nothing while sounding like it said something.
After the meeting, the Demon Slayer Corps established specialized guidance and training for its members.
With the coming war so close, everyone had to maintain peak condition.
The Hashira trained the Corps in stages. Even Amane, who had effectively stepped back from the front lines, joined in to oversee and assist.
Tanjiro and the others also joined the training. Their outstanding stamina helped them stand out.
As for Vincent Fox, the Hashira all believed he already met the standard of a Hashira. He just needed time and missions to raise his rank within the Corps. Training under them would do nothing for him besides waste time.
So Vincent returned to handling his own assignments.
One day, Amane Ubuyashiki summoned Vincent personally.
"Mr. Ye, please don't resent us for taking your time. Our lord specifically instructed me to entrust you with an important mission."
"Of course not," Vincent replied calmly. "Please, go on."
Vincent didn't say anything unnecessary. He sat across from her and listened carefully.
Amane nodded and drew out a sealed letter from her robes.
"Long ago, our lord took notice of a demon woman, Lady Tamayo, who also regards Muzan as her mortal enemy. For hundreds, even thousands of years, she has fought against him in her own way."
"Now that the great war is near and time is short, our lord wishes to invite Lady Tamayo to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, so we may discuss how to destroy Muzan."
Vincent paused, then said quietly, "Inviting a demon… into Demon Slayer headquarters?"
"If Mr. Ye feels this is too much pressure, then please consider my words overstepping…"
Amane bowed again and rose as if to leave.
Vincent lifted a hand lightly. "It's fine. Leave this mission to me. Right now, it seems I'm the only one with time to spare."
As Vincent said, the entire Corps was on high alert. Even the Hashira were too busy to breathe.
He accepted the letter and slipped it into his chest. "Wait for good news."
With that, Vincent turned and left the Demon Slayer headquarters.
Guided by the Ubuyashiki family's messenger crow, he moved at full speed along the road.
It didn't take long before he arrived at the estate where Lady Tamayo lived.
"Hidden deep," Vincent murmured. "If not for the crow, even if I knew someone like her existed, I'd have a hard time finding this place."
With a light push off the ground, he vaulted over the wall.
A second-floor window glowed, framing the silhouette of a woman under lamplight. Vincent sprang up and slipped over effortlessly.
Inside, Lady Tamayo sat at her desk, studying the blood samples Tanjiro had delivered, samples taken from the Twelve Kizuki and from Nezuko.
"Unbelievable…" she murmured. "Nezuko's blood has changed so much in such a short time."
"If my judgment is correct, Nezuko may become the first demon in a thousand years to fear no sunlight."
"And this…"
Tamayo glanced at a newly developed serum beside her.
This was the first generation, derived from the blood of the Twelve Kizuki.
"If nothing goes wrong, it may be our best hope of turning demons back into humans. But it's only the first generation. I can't guarantee what side effects it might carry…"
"I should confirm its safety before giving it to Tanjiro."
She exhaled slowly and opened the window.
Even as a demon, maintaining intense focus for so long left her weary.
Then she saw it.
A figure sitting casually on the windowsill.
"Lady Tamayo," Vincent Fox greeted, lifting a hand in a small wave. "Hello."
"Good evening," he continued, tone unhurried. "Though leaving the window open like this really isn't safe."
"But still… the moonlight is beautiful tonight."
"It's been a long time since I've seen a moon this lovely."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"