After passing through the wisteria grove, Gusion and Zenitsu officially entered the selection zone. From here on, encountering a demon at any time was normal.
The boys and girls ahead of them showed various expressions, but most were anxious and scared. Many were facing real demons for the first time—no one knew if they'd survive.
About forty people were participating. Given that, in the original story, only the main cast survived, this trial was brutal for most.
Normally, the pass rate was less than one in ten—an incredibly high mortality rate.
To be honest, Gusion found the Final Selection's setup pretty strange. The Demon Slayer Corps didn't have many members to begin with. If only high-level fighters like Tanjiro and Zenitsu could pass, the test was too harsh.
Worse, there were no safety measures—if you couldn't fight, you'd really get eaten. If this was about selecting talent, it seemed forced. The manga never mentioned it, but clearly Demon Slayers weren't paid well.
Most only joined because demons ruined their happiness, seeking revenge. And now they had to survive a deadly selection to join, with a huge mortality rate—Gusion found it baffling.
Especially since the demons inside were all captured by the Pillars—wasting their strength and time was a pointless loss of manpower.
Those who failed the selection and died—were they really worthless?
Not necessarily. They could have contributed as support staff. But instead, they entered the selection and died without achieving anything.
Gusion thought the Demon Slayer Corps' recruitment had many flaws. Did the trainers not know their students' abilities at all?
There was even the Hand Demon in Mt. Fujikasane—was the Demon Slayer Corps unaware, or just lazy?
If the Demon Slayer Corps was huge and didn't lack manpower, using such a selection to find geniuses would make sense. But in reality, the Demon Slayer Corps only had a few hundred people—severely understaffed.
In fact, by the start of the manga, the Demon Slayer Corps only had as many members as it did because Sabito and Giyu's year let dozens of people pass by default—it should have been even smaller.
Based on that, Gusion guessed that whenever there were strong candidates, lots of people got passed through by default. That would explain why so many Demon Slayers in the Corps were weak, even if they'd passed before Tanjiro and Zenitsu.
All in all, Gusion believed the Final Selection was deeply flawed and shouldn't be continued. He wouldn't allow it to continue in the future.
"Zenitsu, steady your breathing. This demon is weak—kill it, and I'll end the selection."
Gusion urged him. Not long after entering, they encountered a demon. Sensing something was off, the demon didn't attack directly, instead warily facing off with Zenitsu.
"I… I…"
Zenitsu hesitated, but with Gusion behind him, he felt reassured.
Calming his mind, he locked eyes with the demon, activated Thunder Breathing, lowered his stance, and gripped his sword hilt.
In the next instant, surrounded by golden lightning, Zenitsu dashed forward like a thunderbolt.
Thunder Breathing, First Form—Thunderclap and Flash!
When Zenitsu's form solidified, he'd already passed the demon, and a second later, the demon's head fell off, shock still in its eyes. "How could a brat like you cut off my head?"
Full of doubt, the demon's body and head turned to ashes.
"Not bad. Next time be more decisive, and don't let your hands shake. Trust in your power."
Gusion encouraged Zenitsu, who was still trembling from his first demon kill.
"Gusion-senpai, I did it—I really did it!"
After the initial fear, Zenitsu was excited. He hadn't let down his senpai or his grandpa—he'd really slain a demon.
Even though it was a weak one, he now had the qualifications to become a Demon Slayer. His grandpa's efforts weren't wasted!
"Yes, I'll keep my promise and make sure you pass safely."
Gusion smiled and strode toward the deeper parts of the mountain, where demons were most densely gathered.
Zenitsu asked, "Gusion-senpai, wouldn't it be safer to stay on the outskirts?"
Gusion rested his hand on his Mazuko sword and grinned. "The best way to protect you is… to kill all the demons, of course."
…
"What rotten luck!?"
Camellia cursed as she ran for her life. She'd thought the selection would be easy but immediately ran into the strongest demon here.
Behind her, the bloated, massive demon with hands wrapped around its neck chased her with a perverse smile, harassing her with creepy words.
She was only a first-tier explorer with average strength and hadn't even learned her breathing technique yet. Facing the Hand Demon was too much.
Sure, she might barely manage a fight if she went all out, but this was just the selection—why risk her life against something with super regeneration?
She just needed to find Tanjiro, let him kill the demon, and finish stage one of the main quest before hiding away to study Flower Breathing.
"Where's Tanjiro, anyway..."
Even with her enhanced physique, she was out of breath after running so long. She'd thought of finding other explorers, but they were hard to find, and she couldn't trust them to help. Only a kind like Tanjiro was sure to help.
Boom!
She dodged as the Hand Demon crashed into a tree, but twisted her ankle in the process.
Just as she resolved to turn and fight, suddenly she couldn't hear the Hand Demon anymore.
Thud—!
A huge, bloated head rolled to her feet. She stared in shock.
She looked up to see a man in a black haori standing on a branch, his black blade dripping fresh blood.
"Forgot to negotiate a deal…"
The man muttered like a disappointed businessman. Before Camillia could speak, he vanished, leaving only drifting leaves.
Gusion was exhilarated—turns out, killing demons increased his sword's length, even weak ones. Since even a mosquito is still meat, all the demons on the mountain were now his private property.
As a result, candidates who were tense or scared suddenly saw the demon in front of them lose its head and fly into the air.
All they felt was a gust of black wind.
Within half an hour, every demon on Wisteria Mountain had fallen beneath the Mazuko sword.
The two explorers saw the black-clad man casually walking toward the exit, exchanged glances, and shared a silent look of joy.
Even without words, they knew what the other was thinking.
We've got a big shot on our side!