10 Chapter 10 - Demon Slayer Headquarters

Karlamine didn't expect Gyokko to run away. She thought he would finally fight her head-on.

"Please don't run away!" Karlamine shouted and chased after Gyokko.

Gyokko noticed Karlamine moving too fast; she could pass him in a few moments. So, he created several vases in the air, from which demonic humanoid fish emerged.

"Attack her, hyoo! Don't let her chase me!" Gyokko ordered, and the fishmen lunged at Karlamine. But she easily chopped them off like sushi. After dispatching the fishmen, Karlamine resumed her pursuit of Gyokko.

In a few moments, she caught up to him.

"Please die!" Karlamine attacked Gyokko with a newfound power, combining fire and wind magic imbued into her sword.

She slashed at Gyokko, easily decapitating him. Gyokko didn't realize his body was already being separated from his lower half.

'No…' Gyokko muttered, and then his consciousness disappeared from the world.

Karlamine saw that Gyokko had died and brought his corpse back to Ryuuga. They had discussed this before. They would bring back the corpses of high-ranking individuals in each world and give them to Ryuuga.

"Good job, Karlamine." Ryuuga said, seeing her return with Gyokko's corpse. She looked at him with anticipation. He decided to compliment her and reward her with a pat on the head.

Karlamine was overjoyed at the compliment and blushed when Ryuuga patted her head. It felt good...

Ryuuga took Gyokko's corpse and stored it in his [Spatial Storage]. This corpse might be useful in the future.

He was also happy to have obtained ten new powers in this single battle. Although he might not use them, new powers are always good for his arsenal.

Don't worry. He won't use the [Giant Tentacles] on the girls. He didn't like that kind of genre.

"How about that, Shinobu-san?" Ryuuga glanced at Shinobu and said with a smile. This should be enough to prove their reliability.

"Let me guide you all to our headquarters then." Shinobu said to the others. She already believed they were capable enough to kill Muzan.

Ryuuga and the others simply nodded because this is her world, so she must become the tour guide. Along the way, some of the girls asked Shinobu about the world, and she also answered them with great detail.

Shinobu is a Hashira, so she could come and go to the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps. Hashira are the strongest Demon Slayers and the backbone of the Demon Slayer Corps. If they can't kill the demon, then no one can.

Each of them has different styles of breathing according to their preference. Some were passed down from the previous Hashiras, while others created their own styles of breathing that matched their physiques and powers.

Shinobu could be said to be one of the weakest of the Hashiras because of her battle style. She mainly uses poison to kill her enemies, while the others fight with pure raw power.

After half an hour, Ryuuga and the others finally arrived at the location of the headquarters. The location is supposed to be a secret, but she knew that it meant nothing to hide the location from them because they seem to be able to fly with their wings.

"Kochou-sama." when one of the kakushi guards saw Shinobu, they greeted her with utmost respect. The Hashiras are their idols, after all.

The kakushi didn't know how to fight. They mostly cleaned up the battlefield, provided medical support, and were used for transportation to the headquarters for normal members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

They were fast on their feet and also had good strength because they could at least pick up a fainted demon slayer and then still run with good speed.

"Ara~ Good to see you, everyone. Thank you for your hard work." Shinobu smiled at them and complimented them.

"Thank you, Kochou-sama!" The kakushis were in tears when they heard the compliment. Their work was acknowledged by a Hashira!

Shinobu simply gave them a beautiful smile and entered the headquarters. But when Ryuuga and the others wanted to enter, they were intercepted by the kakushis.

"Halt!"

"Non-invited personnel cannot enter this place."

Both of the kakushis shouted with loud voices. They hadn't seen Ryuuga and the others before, so they thought they were just normal demon slayers.

"Let us in." Ryuuga glanced at them and simply said with a smile. As he said that, the light in the eyes of the kakushis disappeared.

"Yes…"

"Please enter…"

The kakushis said in low voices as if they had lost their motivation. Without waiting any longer, they entered the headquarters. Shinobu was about to talk to the kakushis, but she was stunned when they changed their tone.

"What did you do to them?" Shinobu was curious.

"Mind control. They will forget about us in a few minutes. Don't worry." Ryuuga answered simply, reassuring her. He knew she didn't want anything to happen to the kakushis.

"Okay." Shinobu decided to trust him and continued to guide them.

Not long after, they arrived at an outer garden. In front of them was a wide Japanese house with tatami floors. Inside the house sat a man and a pair of young girls.

The man looked quite young despite his age. He had shoulder-length black hair, but from his forehead to his nose, the flesh on his skin was destroyed. He was the Oyakata-sama that Shinobu mentioned, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the head of the Ubuyashiki Clan. His curse had reached a point where his life expectancy was not long.

He would probably die in a few years. Based on the information he gained from Shinobu, Ryuuga estimated that Kamado Tanjirou's family had not been annihilated by Muzan yet.

"Oyakata-sama." Shinobu greeted the man and knelt on one knee. This is how the Hashiras show their respect to their master who took care of them for years.

"Shinobu." Ubuyashiki Kagaya called out her name and nodded. Although he was blind because of the curse, he could still differentiate the members with his ears.

His voice was soothing, making even Ryuuga feel calm. This man is dangerous.

[Passive Skill [Soothing Voice] has been copied.]

'Wow, his voice is so calming that it has become a skill,' Reiji thought.

"Oyakata-sama, I brought some friends back when I went out to kill the demons. They're very strong. Even stronger than Upper Moons." Shinobu said, her voice tinged with excitement. Kagaya could hear the eagerness in her tone, and he grew curious.

"Oh? Is that so?" Kagaya replied, his voice maintaining its usual calmness. He couldn't help but wonder why Shinobu had suddenly brought guests to the headquarters.

"Yes, Oyakata-sama. I witnessed it myself. Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, was slain by that girl over there alone." Shinobu affirmed, her gaze serious as she gestured toward Karlamine. Kagaya trusted Shinobu's judgment; she wasn't one to deceive or joke about such matters concerning demons.

"That's reassuring. How about you introduce them to me?" Kagaya nodded, maintaining his composed demeanor. He was keen to meet Shinobu's companions.

[Active Skill [Emotion Masking] has been copied.]

'...' Ryuuga was not that surprised anymore. It seems like even in a low-level world, there's an existence like this.

"Yes! The leader's name is Kamiya Ryuuga, and there's also…" Shinobu excitedly introduced Ryuuga and the others to Ubuyashiki Kagaya.

"Except for the young man named Kamiya Ryuuga, are you guys foreigners?" Kagaya asked. Their names weren't typical Japanese names after all. They sounded more like those of foreigners.

"Yes. We're from outside Japan." Rias replied. She decided to use this as the reason for their identities.

"I see. It's really a blessing for us to receive your help." Kagaya nodded and said simply. He trusted that Shinobu's eyes were not wrong, so he trusted Ryuuga and the others.

Although he didn't know if what they said to Shinobu was true or false. After all, the Upper Moons are the real elite of the demons.

"Oyakata-sama, but they want to get the scriptures of breathing styles as the rewards." Shinobu continued, mentioning their request for compensation. She made it clear that they didn't work for free.

"That's an easy matter. I will give the scriptures to you guys, but I hope you will showcase your ability to us first. How about that?" Kagaya's emotion didn't change upon hearing their request for the scriptures. Though the scriptures were important, if it meant getting help from Ryuuga and the others for the Demon Slayer Corps, it was worth it.

However, he didn't want to lose out in the deal. So, he wanted to assess their strength first. All his life, he had harbored deep hatred for Kibutsuji Muzan. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather, ancestors—all died because of the curse that had been passed down to the male members of their family.

He wanted to kill Muzan to remove the curse so that his only son wouldn't be affected by it too.

"Okay. We will show you our power. You can call all your Hashiras here." Ryuuga decided, agreeing to the terms. Although they must prove themselves one more time, it's no different than child's play.

"Okay, please wait for a few hours and enjoy the tea first. I hope you will tell me about the outer lands of Japan." Kagaya nodded and said. He was curious about the outer countries.

The pair of girls on each side of him then moved. One of them moved to make and pour the tea, while the other began writing letters to the Hashiras and delivered them with the crows.

Both of them were twins and the 1st and 2nd daughters of Ubuyashiki Kagaya, Ubuyashiki Hinaki and Ubuyashiki Nichika. They had short white hair styled in bob cuts and ornaments with different colors on each side of their hair.

Hinaki had a red ornament while Nichika had a yellow one. Though they were only 6 years old, they didn't show any emotion other than smiling.

It seemed like they were too mature for their age. Given the burden of their family, they couldn't have fun like other children out there.

Ryuuga and the others agreed to be guests of Kagaya and entered the house.

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"Oyakata-sama."

One hour after the letters were delivered to the Hashiras, they immediately arrived at the headquarters. None of them were out for demon hunting today because no Lower or Upper Moons demons were detected.

As they all arrived at the headquarters, they knelt on one knee and greeted Ubuyashiki Kagaya.

"It seems like my cute swordsmen have arrived. Please, meet them." Kagaya heard the shout of the Hashiras and said to Ryuuga. He enjoyed his conversation with him and had decided something in his heart.

"Okay." Ryuuga agreed and stood up to follow Ubuyashiki Kagaya. When the door was opened by Hinaki and Nichika, the Hashiras saw their Oyakata-sama but also Shinobu and some people that they didn't recognize behind him.

They were all curious about who they were.

"How have you guys been?" Kagaya asked the Hashiras with a kind and peaceful tone. It was as if a father was asking his children.

"We're good, Oyakata-sama." The one who answered was a young man with a short but robust build. He had short spiky white hair and there were some scars on his face and body. He was Shinazugawa Sanemi, the current Wind Hashira. He was one of the strongest Hashira in the group.

"It has been quite some time, Oyakata-sama." another young man also answered, but tears streamed down from his eyes. Yes, he was crying.

He had a tall and huge figure with spiky black hair. It seemed like his eyes were blind. There was a scar that circled his forehead, and his palms were clasped together with a Buddha bead around them. He was Himejima Gyomei, also one of the strongest Hashira there.

"Let me introduce the people behind me. They're from the outer land, and they've come to aid us in killing Muzan." Kagaya explained the situation and introduced Ryuuga and the others.

"Oh?" When Sanemi heard this, he frowned and glanced at Ryuuga. He was the wildest among the Hashiras and never hid his thoughts about someone.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Oyakata-sama, but I don't think they're capable of aiding us. Look at that boy's body. He is too skinny to even create a powerful slash with our katana. Please don't be fooled by their words." Sanemi said as he glared at Ryuuga. Ryuuga's lean and beautiful skin made him think that he had never even stepped into a battle against a demon.

"Shinobu mentioned she saw one of them take down Upper Moon Five with her own eyes. That's why I called for all of you." Kagaya smiled, explaining the purpose behind summoning them back to headquarters.

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A/N: I've decided to rewrite Chapter 9. Please check out that chapter!