Chapter 137: Just How Many Hashira Have Died?
"Never."
The one to first break the heavy silence was the young Stone Hashira, Gyomei
Himejima. He shared the same mentor as the late Mountain Hashira, Fudo Hino;
even if they weren't of the same class, he was effectively his junior brother.
"Since this monk joined the Demon Slayer Corps, let alone Kibutsuji Muzan
himself... I have not heard even a shred of confirmed intelligence regarding the
Upper Moon demons."
Shinjuro Rengoku set his sake bowl down with a heavy thud. His voice was thick
with a somber weight.
"The Rengoku lineage has made the subjugation of the Demon King its life's work
for generations. But for the last century, no matter which head of the family
held the title, not one has brought back definitive information on Muzan's
whereabouts."
Natsuya set down his own cup, his brow furrowed in a deep "Gamer Scrutiny."
"So many generations of Pillars, a thousand-year legacy, and not one person has
seen the Final Boss's character model?"
Forget the skill kit or the walkthrough guide—you're telling me we don't even
know his height, weight, or gender? No basic intel at all?
The Storm Hashira spoke up next.
"It's more than just the Demon King," Igarashi said, pushing his glasses up as a
complex look crossed his face. "To us, the Upper Moons are also legends."
"Fundamentally... it's because every single Pillar who has personally looked
upon an Upper Moon and crossed blades with them has, without exception, been
KIA. Every single one."
"Not a single survivor."
The most recent tragedy was only a few months prior: the death of the Mountain
Hashira, Fudo Hino. Aside from the massive concentrations of unknown toxins and
the jagged lacerations found on his remains, he had been unable to leave behind
a single scrap of useful intel about his killer.
Igarashi's words left Natsuya in a rare moment of silence.
Wait. I thought the Upper Moons were just high-tier Elites or Mid-Bosses. But
from the sound of it, compared to the Upper Moons, the Nine Hashira are just
trash mobs? A zero percent survival rate... that's a terrifying difficulty
spike.
"I've soloed Lower Moons," Natsuya mused. "And honestly... if you ignore the
'Gimmick' Blood Demon Arts, everyone sitting here is significantly stronger than
them."
Based on their base stats, Natsuya was certain that even Igarashi—who had the
lowest Power Level of the veteran group—could likely delete Enmu or Mukago in a
single exchange.
He chose his words carefully. "If they're all technically Twelve Kizuki... is
the gap between the Upper and Lower tiers really that massive?"
"It is," Shinjuro confirmed. He thought of his father and grandfather, both
veterans who had fallen in the line of duty. His eyes grew dim.
"The previous generations of Flame Hashira in my family... all died at the hands
of Upper Moons. Not a single Pillar of any style has ever survived a frontal
engagement with them."
He paused, his voice dropping into a low rumble. "The last recorded successful
subjugation of an Upper Moon in the Corps' archives... was over a hundred years
ago. And that was only the lowest-ranked Upper Moon Six."
"As for the top five? No one has seen them—or rather, those who have can no
longer speak."
Just in the last century, Natsuya calculated, the number of Pillars confirmed or
suspected to have been deleted by Upper Moons... if not 500, then definitely
close to 100.
Masters of the five basic styles, creators of specialized derivatives, geniuses
and veterans alike—they all went into the "Upper Moon Instance" and were wiped
from the server, leaving zero data behind.
That was the reality of the game world.
Takizuki Himorogi looked at Natsuya and added a heavy detail. "Natsuya-kun, the
most recent 'Clear' intel we have on an Upper Moon actually came from you."
"That 'Smiling Ice Guy' you pried out of that Lower Moon's dialogue? That is the
most 'high-definition' lead we've had on the Upper Ranks in nearly a hundred
years."
Natsuya took a deep breath and looked at Shinjuro, asking the question everyone
was thinking.
"Lord Shinjuro, with your current stats... if you soloed an Upper Moon right
now, what are your odds?"
Silence. Shinjuro's silence was louder than any shout.
Finally, he spoke raspy, "I don't know."
When Shinjuro was a rookie, there were Pillars stronger and more courageous than
him. They died. There were Pillars weaker than him who managed to reach
retirement.
To a certain extent, a Pillar's career length was determined entirely by the RNG
of when they "spawned" into the same map as an Upper Moon.
Takizuki interjected, "Fudo-san wasn't as strong as the rest of us, but he was
definitely 'Hashira-tier.' He was significantly more lethal than any standard
Kinoe veteran. Yet... look what happened."
The Wing Hashira clearly hadn't made her peace with her comrade's death.
"Honestly, I wonder if promoting him was a mistake. If he'd stayed at Rank 2,
maybe he wouldn't have been assigned such a high-lethality sector. Maybe he'd
still be here."
"Takizuki!" Shinjuro barked. "Fudo Hino made his peace with death long ago! Do
not insult his resolve or his pride with such talk!"
The Wing Hashira bit her lip and went silent.
Natsuya, meanwhile, was processing a new realization. If even Shinjuro in his
prime isn't confident, then the others...
If they solo-queue into an Upper Moon, they're basically 'Inting' (intentionally
feeding).
I think I fundamentally misunderstood the ranking system. Twelve Kizuki? It's
not a single bracket. It's like six 'Bronze' players and six 'Grandmasters.' And
the Hashira? They're just 'Diamond' players. They stomp the Bronzes but get
deleted by the GMs.
"So, Junior," Igarashi said, slapping Natsuya on the back to break the tension.
His eyes were serious, filled with a sense of "Passing the Torch."
"We 'Old-Timers' might truly be reaching the limit of human potential. We may
never have the odds to beat an Upper Moon."
"The more you train, the more you feel the hard-cap of being a human. One day,
we'll likely go the way of our ancestors—vanishing into the shadows of an Upper
Moon without leaving a single useful report."
"BUT—"
He adjusted his glasses and gave Natsuya a warm smile.
"But you children of the new era are different. You have infinite potential. You
have time to grow."
"Especially you, Natsuya. And Gyomei."
"Your growth rates are unheard of. Even comparing you to the legends of the
past, you are anomalies."
One in his early twenties, the other still a teenager. Yet both have already
climbed to the top of the food chain.
If they had a few more years to grind and polish their "Builds," their combat
power might actually rival the Upper Moons.
Gyomei Himejima sat with his hands clasped, tears flowing freely as he chanted a
low sutra.
"To reach our current tier," Igarashi continued, "a gifted swordsman usually
needs seven or eight years—sometimes a lifetime. A prodigy needs at least five.
Even the most cracked 'Genius' on record needed at least two years of constant
slaughter to become strong enough to trade with a Lower Moon."
"But you and Gyomei? You did it in less than one."
Not just hitting the rank, but having the actual DPS to solo a Moon-rank
monster.
"In the future, when we have to face the monsters that break the rules... the
hope of the Corps will likely rest on your shoulders."
As Igarashi spoke with such gravity, Takizuki Himorogi let out a lazy, "Oh?"
She drawled, her tone playful, "My, my. Are we being excluded from the 'Hope'
list already, Aizen-san? That's so hurtful~"
Igarashi gave her a dry look. "Our Power Levels are roughly identical, Takizuki.
We know where we stand. Let's not blow smoke up each other's asses. If we're
unlucky enough to run into the Top 3 Upper Moons, our job is to last as many
frames as possible to create a opening for the others."
"If we can do that, our time as Hashira wasn't a waste."
The female swordsman pouted. "Hmph. Men."
The sake, the sense of powerlessness, and the crushing weight of duty fermented
in the night air. Natsuya watched the sparks dancing in the campfire, then
suddenly looked up.
"Before you all leave tomorrow... can we spar?"
The four Hashira froze, turning their eyes to their youngest colleague.
Natsuya spoke bluntly: "I think everyone here still has some 'Room for
Improvement' in their stats and mechanics."
"If we trade some frames, maybe we can find a way to push past the current
hard-cap. It's a bit early to decide you can't beat an Upper Moon when you
haven't even seen my new patch, isn't it?"
He paused, adding, "It's not about winning or losing. Let's just measure each
other's capacity. Let's confirm that even among the Nine Hashira, there's a
tier-list and room to level up."
Okay, fine, Natsuya admitted to himself. The main reason is that my hands are
itching. I want to test the 'Luminary' meta in a real high-level PVP match. And
maybe I can use my [Mentorship] skill to buff these veterans so they don't die
needlessly later.
His proposal was like a stone dropped into a still pond.
Igarashi was the first to agree. He pushed his glasses up. "It's been a while
since Yokohama, and I've been curious to see your progress. I'm in."
Shinjuro didn't refuse either, letting out a hearty laugh. "Natsuya, just don't
try to pull that 'I've learned so much' humble-brag after I floor you again."
"This monk... has no objection," Gyomei nodded slowly. "But how shall we conduct
the match?"
Takizuki, however, covered her mouth with her sleeve.
"Me? Pass. I'm not like you men, always looking for a fight. Battling and
killing... it's so exhausting~"
She let out a tiny, fake yawn.
"But! I'm happy to be the referee. I'll cheer you on and make sure you don't get
'Hyper-Focus' and burn down the Master's forest. That I can do."
Classic Slacker build, Natsuya thought. He wasn't surprised.
"With four of us," Natsuya calculated, "we'll do a six-round robin. Everyone
fights everyone else once."
Perfect. My first event as the Luminary Hashira.
The Nine Hashira: Ladder Ranking Tournament.
☆☆☆
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