Carl had never liked the Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa, even before stepping into this world. Having watched Demon Slayer, he already had a poor impression of the man.

And now, after being called a "pitiful idiot"?

Carl couldn't help but laugh.

If someone truly wished for death, who was he to stop them?

Without hesitation, Carl killed him—cleanly, decisively.

Brutally.

As Carl withdrew his hand from Sanemi's shoulder

"Thud."

The dull thump of a body hitting the ground broke the silence.

Everyone turned toward the sound.

Only then did they realize what had happened—Sanemi Shinazugawa was dead.

Completely, irreversibly dead.

His head was gone; even the mightiest of swordsmen couldn't survive that.

The Nine Pillars—the most elite among the Demon Slayer Corps—were powerful, yes.

But they were still human, not demons.

No human could live without a head.

And yet, none of them had even seen what happened.

Sanemi had simply… fallen.

It made no sense.

The Nine Pillars were the strongest warriors in the Corps, but the truth was harsh:

Even their eyes could not follow Carl's movements.

He moved faster than light itself.

Now, Carl stood calmly before Sanemi's headless corpse.

Sanemi had been the last of the Pillars to arrive, so his position was separate from the others—off to the side of the courtyard, near the wooden house.

The rest were gathered toward the front, some distance away.

Which meant…

Only Carl stood beside the fallen Wind Pillar.

And that could only mean one thing.

『Rengoku Kyōjurō』: "What have you done?!"

Rengoku drew his Nichirin blade, pointing it at Carl in fury.

『Rengoku Kyōjurō』: "You actually killed Shinazugawa?!"

The other Pillars raised their weapons, all eyes locked on Carl with wary disbelief.

The scene before them was incomprehensible.

Sanemi Shinazugawa—one of the highest-ranking, strongest members of the Corps—had been killed inside headquarters?!

That was absurd.

If anyone had told them such a story earlier, they'd have laughed it off as nonsense.

The Pillars were powerful.

Headquarters was secure, crawling with elite swordsmen.

No one could possibly kill a Pillar here.

And yet—Sanemi was dead.

『Carl』: "What did I do?"

He smiled faintly. "As you can see, I killed an annoying fool."

『Rengoku Kyōjurō』: "Bastard!"

Rengoku lunged, blade flashing, fire roaring in his spirit as he slashed at Carl with all his strength.

But his strike cut through empty air.

Carl was no longer there.

Rengoku's eyes widened, fury burning bright—then dimming with confusion.

Carl had vanished.

And before anyone could react—

Carl was standing in front of the Sound Pillar, Uzui Tengen.

『Carl』: "Just now… what was it you said?"

He tilted his head slightly. "That you'd cut off my head?"

A thin smile formed. "That you'd make my blood spray gloriously across the courtyard?"

『Uzui Tengen』: "W–What!?"

Uzui's composure shattered.

A moment ago, he'd thought Carl was just a normal man—perhaps arrogant, but nothing more.

Like most Pillars, he was confident—proud, even flamboyant.

But now?

Carl had killed another Pillar right before their eyes.

And Uzui hadn't even seen how.

『Uzui Tengen』: "Such speed…!"

Cold realization crept down his spine.

He regretted his earlier bravado.

Deeply.

This opponent was far too powerful—too fast, too calm.

Still, he refused to stand idle.

『Uzui Tengen』: "Sound Breathing, First Form—Roar!"

"Boom!"

The courtyard exploded with sound and smoke.

It was a massive blast—enough to leave a crater in the ground.

Uzui had gone all out from the very start.

He knew this wasn't an opponent to take lightly.

But when the smoke cleared—

『Carl』: "Weren't you going to cut off my head?"

He stepped through the dissipating dust, voice unhurried. "Weren't you going to make my blood spray gloriously?"

He shook his head with a faint, amused sigh. "With that level of power? I don't think so."

Then, softly—

『Carl』: "A shame, really. You seem like a decent man… But words have consequences."

A flash of crimson light filled Uzui's vision.

And then—nothing.

No pain, no thought, no breath.

Uzui Tengen was gone.

Not even a body remained.

Carl's heat vision had vaporized him completely.

『Carl』: "How unfortunate."

His tone was flat, almost indifferent. "You died because you couldn't hold your tongue."

He sighed.

『Carl』: "It's always the same. People mistake arrogance for strength."

Though Uzui was, at heart, a straightforward man, his flamboyant pride and careless words had doomed him.

He had spoken of cutting Carl's head off, of glorious bloodshed—and that was that.

『Carl』: "Rengoku, at least, has some manners."

His gaze drifted toward the Flame Pillar. "He attacked, yes, but he didn't say anything foolish."

He chuckled softly. "That's why he's still alive."

『Carl』: "If Shinazugawa and Uzui had been as decent, they might've lived, too."

He shrugged lightly.

『Carl』: "Etiquette really is important."

The courtyard fell into deathly silence.

Two of the Nine Pillars were gone—one crushed, one vaporized

and the rest could only watch in stunned horror.