[The journey towards the specific mountain range where the mansion was situated was a long one. The journey itself wasn't very perilous, but the build-up until their arrival was exhausting, Giyu didn't pick up the pace but walked steadily. Night after night, you both walked into towns and retired into bed immediately. This repeated itself for 10 days until the mountain range was in sight. Giyu proceeded to climb the mountain.]
[You followed diligently. The mountain was obscured by a dense fog. Once in the fog your sense of direction became wonky, your Perception was blocked throughly, but Giyu seemed fine so you just ignored it, the further up you went, the more you couldn't sense anything. The rest of the journey up was uncomfortable for you...]
"This was never mentioned in the anime." John frowned in thought. In the anime Demon slayer, the Ubuyashiki estate served as the Headquarters, but the exact location was unknown to anyone except the Hashira's it basically served as a place to plan strategies to deal with Demons.
[...along the way, you asked Giyu some basic questions about swordsmanship. After some pestering, he gave you some basic tips about stance and posture.]
[Talent
[Skill
[You took a mental note about his advice. Walking for so long began to take effect on your physical state, and you began to feel exhausted. This wasn't normal. Due to your high stats, this shouldn't be possible. You grimaced as a heavy wave of dizziness assulted you. Now, for sure, you knew there was something seriously wrong here. That was your last thought as you fainted.]
"Damn, this is some crazy shit." John exclaimed with a laugh. Although he had suspected as much there was literally no way Giyu would have taken him directly to the Headquarters, that would have just been plain stupid. If this was their level of security, they wouldn't have lasted this long against the Demons. John couldn't help but wonder about his current situation for sure he was going to meet the Hashira's. His standoff with Urokodaki might not yield much results. That's why he was going to familiarise himself with the other Hashira's. If luck happens to shine on him, one of them might take interest in his talent and accept him as a Tsugoku{Hashira successor}.
If that didn't work, John might as well give up on this simulation. He would train a lot to squeeze out the benefits of
[You woke up in a daze. You gripped your temple as a severe migraine assulted you brutally. You took a moment to recollect. The memories came flooding back. Giyu seemed to have drugged you, and then you fainted. He must have brought you to this place. Speaking of which, you glanced around, the room itself was nothing special, it was a normal styled Japanese room with the tatami mats, sliding doors and futon. You widened your eyes as a sudden thought hit you. You were within the Ubuyashiki estate.]
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
[You stood up hurriedly. The fact that Giyu had brought you here directly meant that the meeting was already taking place and was probably in session. It seemed better to wait a while to wait here than to cause a commotion by approaching right now, especially with that mad man Sanemi Shinazugawa there. The guy was literally a battle maniac. While waiting, you decided it was better to practice in the meantime, the fact you could use mana in this world facinated you, obviously the fact that another energy apart from breathing could be applied boggles the mind. You spent two hours meditating before you sensed a presence approaching. Quickly, you stood up from your crossed legged position and approached the sliding doors.]
[You heard footsteps, although they were silent. The sliding doors were pulled open, before you was a young child with pure black hair and pale skin, wearing a purple kimono with a green obi, the child's entire look was meant to enhance it's feminine nature, but infact this child befor him was the third child of Kagaya and Amane Ubuyashiki, Kiriya Ubuyashiki. You sighed as he stared up at you. He then proceeded to inform you of the summons that his father, the Koketsu, had requested. He left instantly, leaving you dumbfounded but with no choice but to pick up your katana, which was placed on the right side of where he was seated, and straighten your clothes to look presentable. You followed swiftly as you glanced around, the path he followed bypassed the courtyard where a zen garden was situated, the garden was a beautiful sight to behold, an extreme visual representation of nature at it's most magnificent. You continued to follow Kiriya. He took a couple of turns before you saw the elevated flooring, which was the wooden varenda where Kagaya usually sat to welcome his Hashira's. The sight almost caused tears to spill from your eyes, and they probably would have, if not for, the group of people standing before the varenda. The group all turned to stare at your escort Kiriya, for they couldn't really see you, apparently from being disturbed by his presence. The group stared, confused at the turn of events except for Giyu, for he had travelled with you for some time. Giyu called out to you, stunning the group.]
[Immersive simulation activated. Meeting the Hashira's.]
John wasn't shocked when he felt that Soul moving sensation again. This time, he was well prepared. The environment before his vision switched quickly. Before his vision was 10 people, with nine standing before the remaining one, it was quite easy to identify them. Giyu approached him from the side, grabbed his arm, and brought him before the man sitting atop the elevated varenda, he then began to go than on his knees before the man, he pulled John down with him, but John didn't mind for he knew it was the custom here.
"Oyakata-sama, here is the boy." Giyu whispered in a respectful tone.
The person in question was a man with an average height, with pale skin and a very ugly, distinctive curse mark that covered the entire upper part of his face. John knelt in awe before Kagaya Ubuyashiki. This man had sacrificed a lot during his reign as the 97th leader of the Demon Slayer Corp. The tragic losses of people he considered family, his trusted Hashira's, and the self sacrifice he had to make as the leader of the Corps.
"Greetings, Oyakata-sama." John said with the same respect in his voice.
"Greetings, young friend." A warm and delightful voice was heard. "I hope the journey here didn't inconvenience you."
"No, Oyakata-sama, it was very smooth."
"That wasn't what i expected to hear, though. I apologise for the way Giyu had to manhandle you, but we hardly have another option, i hope you can understand." The voice resounded again.
"This was not an inconvenience, Oyakata-sama." John wanted to hear his voice forever. Though they were engrossed in their conversation, the Hashira's themselves looked on with curiosity in their eyes. Especially Kyojuro Rengoku and Sanemi Shinazugawa, with the former showing pure curiosity and the latter fighting intent.
"I believe Giyu is yet to introduce us." Kagaya smiled. Though he was blind and scarred, his deformities only increased his gentle charm. In that moment, as he looked up at the figure sitting gracefully atop the elevated varenda, John understood why these people called Hashira's from all walks of life were able to dedicate their very existence to ensure his safety. He swore to himself that he would let no harm to this man and his family.