As Shinobu Kocho stood before him, her legs trembling despite her resolve, a faint trace of amusement surfaced in Kokushibo's many eyes. There was no killing intent behind it only a cold, detached curiosity, like a predator toying with something fragile.
Slowly, he drew his blade. The grotesque, organic sword pulsed faintly in his grip as his six eyes locked onto her.
"I will grant you a choice," he said, his voice calm yet suffocating in weight. "For your sister's sake, I may spare your life… and even allow you to take one of them with you."
His gaze flickered briefly toward the fallen forms of Sanemi Shinazugawa and Giyu Tomioka.
"Tell me… who will you save?"
Kanae Kocho remained silent to the side, her expression conflicted. She understood immediately this was not necessity, nor strategy. It was Kokushibo's warped curiosity at work. A test… or perhaps a cruel observation of human bonds.
Though uneasy, she did not interfere. She knew that forcing the situation might only make things worse.
Kokushibo's presence loomed over Shinobu like a shadow swallowing light, his expression unreadable yet faintly mocking.
"Choose."
There was no hesitation in Shinobu's heart. The very idea of abandoning either of her comrades was unthinkable. Instead of answering, she raised her Nichirin Blade and struck.
The sudden attack caught even Kokushibo slightly off guard. His blade moved instantly, intercepting hers with precision. The clash rang sharply through the air.
For a fleeting moment, his eyes narrowed.
Had he reacted even a fraction slower, her blade might have grazed his face.
Though such a wound would mean nothing to a demon of his caliber, the implication alone was unacceptable.
With effortless strength, he seized her wrist, lifting her off the ground as though she weighed nothing. His blade tilted upward, resting lightly beneath her chin.
"Make your decision quickly," he murmured. "Will the Wind Hashira die? Or the Water Hashira?"
His tone remained steady, yet the pressure behind it deepened.
"…Or will you take their place?"
Despite everything, Shinobu's composure shattered not from fear of death, but from the unbearable weight of the choice. Her voice trembled.
"Sister… help me…"
It was not the answer Kokushibo expected.
A faint pause followed.
Kanae let out a quiet sigh, stepping forward at last, her expression both helpless and gentle.
"That's enough… let them go."
Before Kokushibo could respond, another voice entered the scene calm, steady, and impossibly composed.
"Please… release her."
All eyes turned.
Standing there was Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, accompanied by Gyomei Himejima and Tengen Uzui.
Despite his frail appearance and the curse marking his body, Kagaya's presence carried a quiet authority that even demons could not easily dismiss.
Kokushibo studied him for a moment.
"So… the head of the Ubuyashiki family."
Gyomei's chains shifted slightly as he stepped forward, while Tengen adjusted his stance, both ready to act at a moment's notice. Yet even they understood against Upper Rank One, a direct confrontation here would be disastrous.
At this point in time, none of the Hashira had reached the strength they would later attain. Facing Kokushibo head-on was tantamount to courting death.
Still, Kagaya did not waver.
"It is an honor to meet you," he said gently. "I am Kagaya Ubuyashiki."
Kokushibo said nothing.
He already understood this man possessed something unusual. Not strength, but foresight… a perception that extended beyond the present moment.
Kagaya continued, his tone unchanged.
"Please… release Shinobu."
Silence lingered for a breath.
"I refuse," Kokushibo replied flatly. "And what will you do if I do?"
Before the tension could escalate further, Kanae spoke again, her voice firm this time.
"Let them return."
Kokushibo glanced at her, then at Shinobu in his grasp, and finally at the injured Hashira lying nearby. After a moment, he exhaled faintly.
"…Very well."
He released Shinobu without ceremony.
Before stepping back, however, he deliberately inflicted a shallow but precise wound on Sanemi, drawing blood not out of necessity, but as a reminder of the gap between them.
"Take them," he said indifferently.
Without hesitation, Tengen moved forward, lifting both Sanemi and Giyu, while Gyomei ensured Shinobu was steady. They withdrew cautiously, never turning their backs fully.
Now, only Kokushibo, Kanae, and Kagaya remained.
Kokushibo's six eyes fixed on Kagaya, searching probing for fear, hesitation, anything.
There was none.
Only that same serene expression.
"Tell me," Kagaya said, "why did you turn Kanae into a demon?"
Kokushibo answered without concealment.
"She wished for coexistence between humans and demons. I merely allowed her to witness the reality of that belief."
Kagaya nodded slightly.
"I do not reject that ideal," he replied. "But my duty remains unchanged."
Kokushibo's blade shifted subtly.
"And that duty… includes killing me?"
"No," Kagaya said calmly. "Our purpose has always been singular to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji and end this curse. You… are not our primary target."
That answer did not surprise Kokushibo, but it did interest him.
A brief silence followed before he spoke again.
"Then let us make an agreement."
Kanae's gaze sharpened slightly.
"For the next three years," Kokushibo continued, "I will not attack the Demon Slayer Corps."
Kagaya listened carefully.
"And in return?"
"I require a Nichirin Blade… and access to your Breathing Techniques."
At this, Gyomei still within earshot tightened his grip, his voice heavy with restrained emotion.
"That is unacceptable."
Kagaya, however, raised a hand slightly.
"The blade can be provided," he said after a pause. "But Breathing Techniques… cannot be given so easily. They are not mere knowledge they require training, discipline, and the will to uphold them."
Kokushibo did not react outwardly, though the refusal was expected.
"…Very well."
A Nichirin Blade alone was sufficient for now.
After all, against Muzan, even a demon required a weapon capable of true lethality.
And more importantly…
This was merely the beginning.