Demon Slayer: The Ultimate Defense System

"Yohan was the one who proposed this plan, and most of the research data for the drug also came from him."

"Then how can we be so sure that Muzan Kibutsuji will really be lured out?"

Everyone could clearly sense that Sanemi Shinazugawa's repeated questioning was aimed directly at Yohan. But since the rest were also curious about the feasibility of luring Muzan out, they didn't stop him.

Kanae had wanted to speak up in defense of Yohan, but seeing him shake his head slightly at her, she held back her words and fell silent once more.

"This is something I was just about to explain," said Kagaya Ubuyashiki calmly. "The one assisting us with the drug research—Tamayo—is herself a demon who once escaped from Muzan Kibutsuji."

The moment Kagaya's words landed, the room burst into uproar.

"A demon?!"

"We're working with a demon?!"

"This isn't some elaborate trap set by Muzan himself?"

"Hah! Lord Oyakata-sama, forgive my rudeness—"

"But I must say, this Yohan fellow seems far too close to demons. This so-called drug research might be nothing but a ploy."

Sanemi's voice had risen with his fury, and his bloodshot eyes practically flared with hostility.

"Are you really sure about cooperating with a demon, Lord Oyakata-sama?" Tengen Uzui also expressed his doubts, his flamboyant look unshaken but his voice heavy with caution.

"I fear Yohan-dono may already have been seduced by this demon woman," said Himejima Gyomei, his tone as expressionless as ever, his pale, pupil-less eyes staring ahead like a statue of judgment.

"Enough!" Kanae could no longer hold back. "Do you even know how many times Yohan has fought against demons? And you're still saying things like this?!"

"And as for Lady Tamayo—yes, she's a demon. But since when does being a demon automatically mean being evil?"

Kanae's voice echoed with rare fury. In her view, the biggest problem among the Pillars wasn't their strength—it was their dogmatic, inflexible hatred toward demons, their refusal to consider that some demons might not be their enemies.

"Everyone here holds the rank of Pillar—the highest officers in the Demon Slayer Corps. You ought to be capable of calm, rational thought," Kagaya said, his voice soft but steady.

He glanced around the courtyard, seeing the clear split forming: on one side stood Sanemi, clearly hostile to Yohan and Tamayo; on the other was Kanae, firmly in Yohan's corner. Others remained silent, their expressions unreadable, clearly weighing their thoughts.

Kagaya knew this was a difficult topic for them. They had all spent their lives fighting demons—it was no surprise that the idea of working with one would shake them. But this was why he had invited Yohan to the meeting in the first place—not just to announce a decision, but to convince them.

Just as Kagaya was about to continue, Yohan's voice rang out.

"Lord Ubuyashiki, may I say a few words?"

"Yohan? Of course. Go ahead," Kagaya replied without hesitation. In fact, this was precisely what he had hoped for.

Convincing the others wouldn't just require his endorsement—it would also require Yohan's own words and strength.

"Yohan-kun…" Tamayo looked up at the man standing, knowing he was stepping into the fire for her sake. Because of her, he was now being accused of conspiring with demons.

"It's fine," Yohan said with a brief smile. He walked calmly into the center of the courtyard.

"You want me to prove myself, don't you?" he said, looking directly at the gathered Pillars. "Then how about a fight?"

He crooked a finger at them, his voice taunting.

"Don't think that just because you survived a fight with an Upper Moon demon, you're above us!" Sanemi snapped, furious at the gesture.

In his eyes, Yohan had simply survived until sunrise by luck. As for killing a Lower Moon demon—please. Every one of the Pillars here could do that in their sleep.

But what Sanemi didn't know—what none of them truly grasped—was the vast difference between a Lower Moon and an Upper Moon demon. Not having fought an Upper Moon himself, Sanemi simply didn't understand the chasm between the two.

"Less talking, more fighting," Yohan said with a dismissive wave, not even bothering to engage Sanemi's temper. In his view, this guy was just a rage-fueled hothead with a permanent chip on his shoulder.

In Yohan's past life, he remembered that Sanemi did eventually mature and begin to open his eyes. But Yohan didn't have the patience to wait around for that to happen. If Sanemi wanted to bark, fine. But if he tried to bite, Yohan would break his teeth.

"You're asking for it," Sanemi growled, drawing his blade—a white-handled, pale green Nichirin sword with jagged serrations running along the edge. Engraved on it were four unmistakable characters: "Destroyer of Demons."

Clearly, he was ready to teach this outsider a lesson and remind him what it meant to be a Pillar.

The rest of the Pillars stepped back to give the two some space. None of them tried to stop the duel—perhaps because, deep down, they knew that strength was the only true language of respect among the Pillars. And to change a Pillar's mind, one had to speak with power.

Kanae's gaze was locked on Sanemi—not with concern for him as a comrade, but as someone about to receive a much-needed dose of reality.

Some might've thought she was worried for Yohan. But in truth, it was the opposite.

She had seen what an Upper Moon could do, had felt that pressure on the battlefield. And even back then, Yohan had held his own until dawn. Who knew how far he had grown since then?

If she stared at Sanemi now, it was only because she was worried he might not make it out of this intact.

Not that a little lesson wouldn't do him good.

Just as Yohan was about to unleash a brutal beatdown on Sanemi, he suddenly paused.

[Ding!]

[Random Mission Triggered: Defeat Sanemi Shinazugawa in a Single Move]

[Reward: Skill—Shinra Tensei (A repulsive force that blasts everything away from the user like a shockwave)]

Oh? A new task from the system.

Across from him, Sanemi noticed the pause and sneered.

"What, getting cold feet now?"

"If you turn around and walk away right now—and let me kill that demon Tamayo behind you—I might let you live."

"…Cold feet? Let me live?" Yohan stared at him, expression unreadable.

Was this guy serious?

Had he been so mad for so long that his brain had melted?

"I was just thinking," Yohan said slowly, "that simply defeating you might not be enough to make my point."

"Besides, it seems you're already planning to kill Tamayo."

"So now, I've decided…"

"I'll end this in one move."

His voice dropped to a deadly calm.

And with that, the air in the courtyard turned sharp as a blade.

-------------------------

Patreon Advance Chapters: patreon .com / ElvenKing20