Beneath the morning glow, Gusion sat cross-legged under a peach tree, exhaling a dragon-like white mist with each breath.
"You're really improving at a remarkable pace. All your years of effort haven't been wasted."
Jigoro walked down from the hillside, looking at Gusion with great satisfaction.
"It's all thanks to your teaching, Sensei."
Gusion opened his eyes and replied modestly.
This was already his second morning in the Demon Slayer world. Although the breathing techniques were mysterious, Gusion didn't find them difficult to learn.
To him, if such things had to be categorized, they belonged to the"internal energy he'd always imagined. Since he had exceptional talent in this area, he managed to get started in just a few hours and mastered the first through sixth forms of the Thunder Breathing style taught by Jigoro in a single day.
"Even though you've grasped the basics, you can't slack off. You need to practice the first through sixth forms of Thunder Breathing often and strive to reach the state of Total Concentration Breathing as soon as possible."
Jigoro instructed. Honestly, Gusion mastering all the Thunder Breathing sword forms in a single day had shocked him.
But after the shock, there was more joy. He felt his years of nurturing and patience hadn't been wasted; Gusion—the seed he'd planted—had finally sprouted and would grow into a towering tree at a speed no one could imagine.
The stronger Gusion became, the more people he could protect—and the better he could protect himself.
"Grandpa—I really can't do it! Let Senpai go to the selection instead..."
Zenitsu, acting like a crybaby, stood behind Jigoro, as if wanting to escape, but was tied by a rope Jigoro had fastened.
"Zenitsu, believe in yourself. You can do it."
Jigoro's headache flared when Zenitsu spoke. He didn't know how to build the boy's confidence. Even he'd been wavering a few days ago, wondering if Zenitsu's temperament would get him killed, despite his Thunder Breathing training being up to standard.
But now, Jigoro wasn't worried. After all, Gusion, who had learned Thunder Breathing, would also participate in the selection. Jigoro thought the demons in the selection site shouldn't be any threat to Gusion, and Gusion would look out for Zenitsu.
"But I only know the First Form..."
Zenitsu still tried to whine and roll around, but Gusion interrupted him.
"Zenitsu, just follow me. I'll help you realize your own strength."
Gusion's calm voice inexplicably reassured Zenitsu, and all his prepared arguments died in his throat.
Seeing the expectant looks from Gusion and Grandpa Jigoro, Zenitsu felt he couldn't let them down by continuing to act shamelessly. He had no choice but to make up his mind to participate in the selection.
But he'd already decided that he'd stick close to Gusion the whole time—after all, Gusion was really strong. Maybe even stronger than Kaigaku by now?
"Yes, if you two brothers look after each other, I'll be at ease. After you pass the selection, remember to write me a letter."
Seeing Zenitsu stop whining, Jigoro smiled and took two bundles off his back. "This one's for you, Gusion. There's fried mochi inside, your favorite. I made it this morning."
He handed the other bundle to Zenitsu. "Zenitsu, this one's yours. There are two sets of clean clothes. You're always so careless, so don't trouble Gusion after you go down the mountain."
Gusion took his bundle and opened it—a set of neatly folded clean clothes, and plenty of crispy, salt-sprinkled fried mochi wrapped in clean oil paper.
He felt a warm sensation in his heart. Fried mochi wasn't actually his favorite food, but he did like this crispy, salty snack.
He knew that despite Jigoro being a former Pillar, life wasn't easy; in this impoverished era, glutinous rice was expensive. They usually never ate rice cakes or similar foods.
"Gusion, even though you were born gifted, you must still be careful after becoming a Demon Slayer..."
Jigoro seemed at a loss for more advice, leaning on his cane, reaching out as if to pat Guision's shoulder.
Gusion looked at the short, one-legged old man and lowered his posture a bit, letting Jigoro's hand rest on his shoulder. Jigoro's face was full of emotion: "Time flies. I can't even reach you anymore... Take care of yourself."
"Rest assured, Sensei."
Gusion replied.
…
As the morning sun rose, it was time for him and Zenitsu to depart.
Mount Fujikasane wasn't far from Peach Mountain, but it was still a day's journey. They had to hurry or risk missing the start of the selection.
Before leaving, Zenitsu put away his usual foolishness, knelt sincerely, and bowed to Jigoro. He truly felt his grandpa treated him well, and after this selection, it might be a long time before he could see him again.
For some reason, he had a foreboding feeling—as if this trip down the mountain would be his final farewell to his grandpa.
The short Jigoro stood beneath the peach tree, the wind blowing across his aged face, watching Gusion and Zenitsu descend the mountain. "I don't ask you to change this era—just survive, that's enough."
…
Gusion and Zenitsu climbed the steps and couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful scenery.
On the hillside, wisteria flowers cascaded down like waterfalls. The hanging clusters swayed gently in the breeze, exuding a faint, elegant fragrance. The petals were tinged with soft purple, like the gentlest clouds frozen from the sky, mesmerizing to behold.
Occasionally, a petal would drift from a branch, fluttering like a purple butterfly before landing quietly on the green grass, adding a tranquil beauty to the sea of flowers.
On the day of the Final Selection, he and Zenitsu arrived at Mt. Fujikasane on time. There were a few hiccups along the way—for instance, when they camped overnight in an abandoned mountain cabin, a demon attacked.
Interestingly, when the demon sneaked into the cabin and saw Zenitsu sleeping, it immediately turned tail and fled.
Gusion didn't let it escape; he leaped silently and beheaded it in the night.
He'd intended to test whether his Mazuko sword was effective against demons. Not only was it effective—it was astonishingly so.
Logically, his sword wasn't a Nichirin Blade and shouldn't be able to deliver a fatal blow to demons. But in practice, he found that demons beheaded by his sword couldn't survive at all.
He speculated this was because his sword was a Zanpakuto, naturally able to cut souls, not just inflict physical harm—so it could kill demons as effectively as a Nichirin Blade, perhaps even more so.
After all, Nichirin Blades kill demons with the power of the sun, while Zanpakuto act directly on the soul. Gusion wasn't sure if this instant-kill effect would work on Upper Moons or Muzan Kibutsuji.
Since he was just testing, Gusion didn't use his full strength—he didn't even use Thunder Breathing. Unfortunately, the demon was so weak it died instantly, so he couldn't tell if Thunder Breathing-augmented techniques would be even more effective.