Chapter 264: The Final Meeting

As the last rays of the sun illuminated the earth, it marked the end of a long and arduous journey.

Before the medical team, Kagaya Ubuyashiki needed rest. After a night of recuperation, the Hashira meeting, which had been postponed the previous day, was finally convened.

—The sooner it's done, the sooner it's over. The sooner you die, the sooner you're reborn.

Li Mo had always held this belief.

"Good morning, Kanae."

"Good morning... Mo-chan, aren't you tired at all?"

Early in the morning, outside the guest room, Kanae Kocho rubbed her eyes, responding with visible exhaustion.

She had only fallen asleep when the sun was already rising in the east. Seizing the opportunity, she had immediately gone to the guest room to rest. Although she knew there would be a meeting in the morning, after staying up all night, even a little sleep was better than none.

But the person in front of her? He looked full of energy, as if he hadn't stayed up all night.

Li Mo glanced at the sun and said softly, "It's probably a side effect of the battle..."

At this, Kanae Kocho instantly became alert. She quickly asked, "Did Kibutsuji Muzan do something to you? This is my fault for forgetting to check your condition."

"It's not that. I didn't tell you. Actually, Kibutsuji Muzan wasn't killed by being cut down—he was eaten by me."

For a moment, Kanae was left speechless.

Eaten?

That word was indeed easy to misunderstand.

"Ah... I forgot. Mo-chan has already become a yokai."

The eldest daughter of the Kocho family remembered the man in front of her revealing his tail and ears. It had been during the Red Light District mission, and she had even checked where exactly the tail grew from.

—Also, that fluffy tail was really comfortable to sleep with.

A yokai, a fox yokai. This reminded Kanae of the name "Tamamo-no-Mae." Among Japan's three great yokai, Tamamo-no-Mae was a nine-tailed fox who, according to legend, seduced Emperor Toba, causing his health to deteriorate. From this, it was clear how beautiful Tamamo-no-Mae must have been.

No wonder... I've been feeling like Mo-chan has become even more handsome lately.

"Well, the prototype I modeled myself after is indeed 'Tamamo-no-Mae.' But this world probably doesn't have a Tamamo-no-Mae."

"Oh."

As they talked, the two arrived at the place where the leader was resting. After staying up all night and only getting a little sleep, the reason Kanae was here was for the meeting.

The final Hashira meeting.

Li Mo and Kanae Kocho were the last to arrive. When they entered the courtyard, all the other Hashira were already there. No one said anything. Everyone knew from the others that these two had stayed up all night.

—The aftermath of last night's battle had only been fully dealt with by this morning.

This meant that the war between humans and demons had truly come to an end.

Entering the courtyard, Li Mo's attention was drawn to the marks on the foreheads of Gyomei Himejima and Giyu Tomioka. Yes... he had forgotten about it yesterday. Starting today, he would need to work on a way to deactivate the marks.

Activating the marks leaked life force, shortening one's lifespan. For swordsmen, this was an acceptable price. The real cost was the certainty of death by the age of twenty-five.

There was a possibility that the "death by twenty-five" rule was false... but he didn't dare to test it.

Considering the curse on the Ubuyashiki bloodline due to Kibutsuji Muzan's existence, what if the mark's twenty-five-year death rule was also a form of curse?

Although there were exceptions like Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Li Mo felt that Yoriichi wasn't so simple. He was a more terrifying existence than Kibutsuji Muzan, a man who truly stood at the pinnacle.

"Please, everyone, come in."

"Yes."

The appearance of Amane Ubuyashiki signaled that Kagaya Ubuyashiki had fully awakened. Everyone filed in and saw Kagaya sitting there, dressed in his familiar attire, his vibrant energy proving his health.

"Thank you all for coming."

"Gyomei."

"Li-kun."

"Tengen."

"Makomo."

"Kanae."

"Sanemi."

"Giyu."

"Sabito."

"This is the final Hashira meeting. I am glad to see you all once more...

However, many children lost their lives in the fierce battle.

Fortunately, we have eradicated the demons."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki didn't speak at length, using his warm and comforting voice to summarize the previous night's battle. A night had passed, and the casualty numbers from that fierce battle had been tallied.

Even with Li Mo's preparations—teaching the swordsmen how to activate their marks, significantly boosting their strength—casualties were inevitable in such a chaotic battle.

Li Mo lowered his head. In such a setting, he didn't act out. Instead, one thought kept circling in his mind: If he had acted more decisively, less cautiously, could he have reduced the number of casualties?

Kibutsuji Muzan was, in reality, a paper tiger. The original plan had overestimated him.

His thoughts shifted, and he quickly dismissed the idea. What was done was done. There was no use dwelling on it.

"Although there is still much to be done, I believe today we can announce this.

The Demon Slayer Corps is officially disbanded as of today."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki understood that there were still many follow-up tasks: burying the fallen swordsmen, caring for the injured... But those were tasks for the Ubuyashiki family to handle.

The mission of the Demon Slayer Corps had ended today.

The Demon Slayer Corps, an organization not officially recognized, had lost its reason for existence.

This wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it was a good thing.

"Our Ubuyashiki family extends our deepest gratitude to all of you for risking your lives over these long years to fight demons for the sake of humanity..."

"We offer our most sincere thanks."

The meeting was conducted in the formal seiza sitting position, which made it easy to bow deeply.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki, along with Amane Ubuyashiki and their two children, bowed simultaneously. This gesture instantly flustered all the Hashira.

"Leader, please raise your head."

"There's no need for you to thank us."

Many such statements were made. In the midst of this commotion, those who remained calm and composed were few.

Li Mo was among the few.

He was still lost in thought, and by the time he snapped out of it, Kagaya Ubuyashiki had already straightened up.

No one spoke of the Ubuyashiki family's achievements, nor did anyone praise Kagaya Ubuyashiki's contributions. These were all evident and didn't need to be reiterated.

The Hashira meeting had come to an end.

After the disbandment of the Demon Slayer Corps, the title of "Hashira" would live on in the future.

Li Mo didn't leave with the others. He said to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, "Leader, I'd like to perform a mystical examination."

He had found no trace of the Ubuyashiki bloodline curse on Hinaki and Nichika. But what about Kagaya Ubuyashiki? Thinking the examination wouldn't take long, Li Mo made the request.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki agreed.