Isekai Adventure in the Dimensional Cube

Under Reiger's watchful gaze, the Pillars quickly decided on their respective opponents.

Rengoku Kyoujurou and Shinazugawa Sanemi were the first to make a decision, simultaneously drawing their swords, and then Shinazugawa launched an attack, charging toward Rengoku Kyoujurou.

Following closely behind these two were Iguro Obanai and Kanroji Mitsuri.

These two, with completely opposite personalities—one gloomy and cold, the other cheerful and lively—actually formed a team more quickly than the others. Judging by their demeanor, they seemed to get along quite well.

Reiger remembered that these two seemed to have a fondness for each other and were an official couple in the original work.

Although it was hard to believe, that lively and cheerful Love Pillar would actually take a liking to such a gloomy and unapproachable Snake Pillar. Yet in reality, Iguro Obanai was quite good to Kanroji Mitsuri. Whenever the Pillars had a dispute, Iguro could almost always be counted on to speak up and throw cold water on any Pillar's words, with the sole exception of Kanroji, proving everything.

So the two of them went to one side and began their battle.

Then, the third pair to form opponents were actually Kochou Shinobu and Himejima Gyoumei.

This was yet another pairing that was quite surprising.

Kochou Shinobu was nearly treated as a goddess in the Demon Slayer Corps. Although not old, she was the head of the Butterfly Estate and always greeted people with a smile, secretly admired by many of the members.

In contrast, Himejima Gyoumei, though the strongest among the Pillars and considered the pinnacle within the Demon Slayer Corps, had a tendency to burst into tears at any moment, which alongside his intimidating physique—the most oppressive among all Pillars—made him a figure of awe rather than affection within the Corps.

Each of the Pillars had their own level of popularity within the Demon Slayer Corps. Kochou Shinobu and Kanroji Mitsuri were amongst the more popular types, both enjoying high levels of popularity. Rengoku Kyoujurou and Uzui Tengen weren't far behind, one being widely recognized as kind-hearted and enthusiastic, the other being straightforward with no airs about him. If these two didn't always engage in peculiar antics, either shouting loudly and not listening to others or constantly using the word "extravagant" like actors, their popularity might have been even higher.

The others were not so well-off.

The most typical examples were Shinazugawa Sanemi and Iguro Obanai—one explosive and ferocious, the other gloomy and venomous—with popularity that was undoubtedly at rock bottom.

Tomioka Giyuu and Tokitou Muichirou weren't faring much better.

Tokitou, though just a spacey kid who was emotionless and expressionless, was actually the youngest Pillar, and there were still quite a few in the Demon Slayer Corps who found him adorable.

Tomioka Giyuu, being reticent and difficult to approach, made others feel that they needed a great deal of courage just to strike up a conversation with him.

Together with the intimidating and inexplicably tearful Himejima Gyoumei, these were the unpopular members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Given this situation, it was quite surprising that Kochou Shinobu and Himejima Gyoumei formed a team so quickly.

Only Reiger knew that, in fact, the relationship between Kochou Shinobu and Himejima Gyoumei was quite good, second only to that between Kanroji Mitsuri and Iguro Obanai.

As a child, before she became a Ghost Hunter, Kochou Shinobu had been attacked by demons, with her entire family killed by them, leaving only her and her sister to be saved and thus survive.

And at the time, it was Himejima Gyoumei who had saved Kochou Shinobu.

Therefore, when Kochou Shinobu and her sister were determined to become Ghost Hunters and join the Demon Slayer Corps, they found Himejima Gyoumei, and it was through his guidance that they were able to join the Corps.

Kochou Shinobu greatly respected Himejima Gyoumei, and he in turn cared for her quietly. Although their ages differed by about a decade, they were somewhat like father and daughter.

And so, the two of them became a pair, ready to face each other in battle.

The last pair was Uzui Tengen and Tokitou Muichirou.

There was no particularly deep connection between these two; they had simply seen each other left without partners and thus naturally formed a team.

Thanks to this, a truly lonesome individual was born.

"...…"

Tomioka Giyuu, watching the pillars entering into the heated battle phase and fighting fiercely, fell silent.

Reiger looked at the Water Pillar who, unnoticed, had been isolated; despite standing right in the center, he was ignored by everyone, surrounded by colleagues in pairs, leaving him alone in the arena. Reiger couldn't help but step forward.

"You're not being disliked, are you?"

The words Reiger blurted out seemed to strike like an arrow piercing through something.

"...No."

After a long silence, Tomioka Giyuu uttered this single phrase.

"Are you sure?"

Reiger looked skeptical.

"It's just a matter of probability," Tomioka Giyuu said expressionlessly, "With nine of us, if we pair up two by two, there will inevitably be one person left out. I just happened to be that person."

As he spoke, Tomioka Giyuu turned his head to look at Reiger.

"I'm not disliked."

He emphasized this point.

Reiger didn't know what to say, so he just glanced at Tomioka Giyuu with a look of pity and said, "Then don't stand here. Go watch the battle from the side; otherwise, you just look pitiful."

Tomioka Giyuu: "..."

Suddenly, there was a disheartened person in the training ground, standing alone to one side, enveloped by a gloomy atmosphere.

Reiger didn't pay any more attention to Tomioka Giyuu and watched the battle from the sidelines.

The fight between Pillars had to be said, it was very worth watching.

Pillar-level Swordsmen were already the strongest group of swordsmen in the world, and though in Reiger's view, even those who hadn't awakened a single type of their three-piece set were just so-so, at least in this era, these people were indeed the top warriors.

The Pillars fighting seriously was indeed a spectacular sight.

Iguro Obanai and Kanroji Mitsuri were both users of derivative Breathing Styles, one using Serpent Breathing, which slithered and curved like a snake, capable of bypassing defenses to strike the enemy directly, and the other using Love Breathing, which was soft yet had an attack force as fierce as fire, both were technique-oriented swordsmen.

Their Sun Wheel Blades were also different from the standard ones.

The Sun Wheel Blade of Iguro Obanai was a purple, serpentine double-edged sword with snake patterns engraved within its round guard, making it look like a steel snake.

This steel snake seemed to come to life in his hands, with each slash seeming to turn corners, attacking Kanroji Mitsuri from unseen angles, causing onlookers to momentarily see a giant python flicking its tongue at a vulnerable girl, biting relentlessly.

Kanroji Mitsuri's Sun Wheel Blade, on the other hand, was like a whip, flexible yet with strong tenacity, extending and retracting, with a jagged blade pattern. The hilt was gray-green with a heart shape, the guard pink with a four-leaf clover design, and the blade itself was pink, capable of coiling and folding like a soft sword, or like a sharp steel whip.

In Kanroji Mitsuri's hands, this steel whip was wielded with formidable power, hissing as it danced, interweaving countless flashes of the blade. Its whip-like nature made her attacks seem to come from all directions, and judging by the speed and frequency alone, she far surpassed Iguro Obanai, almost unmatched by anyone present.

Both were technique-oriented swordsmen capable of altering their own blade paths, making their attack trajectories extremely unpredictable. Clashing together, they indeed possessed a level of spectator appeal, as sword glints and dancing serpents flickered around them, constantly colliding and sparking.

In comparison to these two, the entertainment value of Kochou Shinobu and Himejima Gyoumei's fight was equally high.

Of course, Kochou Shinobu, when she used the Insect Breathing and danced on the battlefield like a colorful butterfly, the spectacle of the battle was already considerable.

Sometimes she flew in front of Himejima Gyoumei, sometimes she leapt into the air, sometimes she soared back and forth, occasionally stinging her opponent like a bee, her beauty hiding a deadly venom.

But Kochou Shinobu's offensive was completely neutralized in the face of Himejima Gyoumei.

Himejima Gyoumei wielded the Sun Wheel Blade, the most eye-catching weapon in the arena.

It was an armament that combined a broadaxe with a meteor hammer.

Connected by a long chain between the broadaxe and the meteor hammer, it appeared extremely heavy at first glance, but Himejima Gyoumei swung them with ease, whipping them through the air with great ferocity.

He did not move his feet, standing firm like a boulder, and each time he swung the broadaxe and the meteor hammer, Kochou Shinobu's attacks were repelled as if with little effort—he made it seem effortless, prompting Reiger to take another look with respect.

Clearly, Himejima Gyoumei was at ease facing Kochou Shinobu.

There was a clear gap in strength between the two, even though they were of the same rank; Himejima Gyoumei was equivalent to an upper level 4, an entity capable of a head-on confrontation with upper-rank demons without defeat, while Kochou Shinobu was only equivalent to a lower level 4. Their battle was somewhat uneven, and had Himejima Gyoumei not clearly abandoned offense in favor of defense, Kochou Shinobu might have already been defeated.

After watching for a while, Reiger lost interest in the unchanging situation of the battle and turned his attention to Uzui Tengen and Tokitou Muichirou.

These two were users of derivative breathing techniques, one employing Sound Breathing, which, combined with explosives, could produce astonishingly loud bangs and great power, and the other employed Mist Breathing, as ethereal as fog, drifting back and forth, with indiscernible form and trajectory.

Tokitou Muichirou's Sun Wheel Blade had a standard design, with a gold-colored squared hilt each corner fitted with a hollowed-out square, and a blade that shone with a pale white light.

Uzui Tengen was a dual-wielder, his Sun Wheel Blades connected by a chain, with red hilts and black blades edged with golden yellow patterns.

Their battle was extremely peculiar; one caused intense explosions with the swing of his dual blades, creating a thundering presence, while the other moved silently and unpredictably like mist, giving the impression of a Thunder God battling a phantom, with no clear winner in sight for the short term.

However, the most fierce battle was indeed between Rengoku Kyoujurou and Shinazugawa Sanemi.

One was enveloped in raging flames, the other in a hurricane, their exact forms completely obscured. They clashed like a vortex of fire and a tornado of wind, chasing one another back and forth in fierce conflict, filling the air with the relentless sound of booms and impacts.

From the intensity and ferocity of their battle, anyone unaware would think these two harbored some deep, irreconcilable hatred, each intent on laying the other to waste.

This couldn't just be called fighting with real fire; they were deeply immersed in the battle, gradually forgetting to hold back, making them the only pair in the arena fighting at full force without any mercy.

However, watching this battle caused Reiger to frown.

"They've fought to this extent; their body temperatures must definitely be over 39 degrees, and their heart rates are surely not low either. Yet, they still haven't activated their Marks?"

The Marks' activation clearly had additional conditions.