The Final Selection had begun.
Dozens of swordsmen entered the night-shrouded Fujikasane Mountain one after another.
Shinichi and Shinobu stood at the entrance, watching as the last swordsman disappeared from their sight.
"The future of the Demon Slayer Corps... But if possible, I truly hope Fujikasane Mountain will just become a scenic spot in the future," Shinichi remarked with emotion as he gazed at the countless blooming wisteria flowers.
"That day will surely come," Shinobu said softly yet firmly beside him.
*****
"Mist Breathing, First Form: Low Clouds, Distant Haze."
A flash of blue light was all it took.
A Demon with an elongated tongue froze in place before its grotesque head tumbled from its neck with a sickening squelch.
Foul blood sprayed as its body gradually turned to ashes.
Muichiro's eyes remained calm as he sheathed his Nichirin Blade.
Had one not witnessed it themselves, who would believe such a breathtaking slash had come from this young boy?
Even his older brother, Yuichiro who's standing beside him, was astonished by his sibling's skill.
Such swift swordsmanship—Yuichiro couldn't confidently claim he could surpass Muichiro.
"The Demons here are all so weak," Muichiro said honestly to his brother.
Yuichiro gripped his Nichirin Blade, frowning as he surveyed their surroundings.
"You're right. Just as our masters said, our strength is disproportionate to these Demons. In that case, Muichiro, come with me. We have something else to do."
Muichiro tilted his head, puzzled.
"Something else? Oh!" His face suddenly lit up with realization—Shinobu had tasked him with surpassing Yuichiro during the Final Selection!
How could he surpass his brother in the Final Selection?
Muichiro pondered.
'Would slaying more Demons than him count as surpassing him?'
Though reluctant to compete with his brother, he couldn't let down Shinobu, who had been so kind to him.
"I'm sorry, brother, but I must surpass you! That Demon just now was the first!" Muichiro whispered apologetically to Yuichiro's retreating back.
Unaware of his brother's words, Yuichiro tightened his grip on his Nichirin Blade and prepared to venture deeper into Fujikasane Mountain.
If the weak Demons at the outskirts weren't worth their time, perhaps they could find some hidden, stronger ones.
Their master had mentioned that some cunning Demons lurked in the mountain, secretly growing stronger.
Though a Hashira periodically entered Fujikasane Mountain to purge them, some might slip through the cracks—precisely the prey Yuichiro had in mind.
Meanwhile, in another part of the mountain, a young female swordsman crouched nervously in the dark underbrush, gripping her Nichirin Blade.
Her hair was tied into two cute pigtails.
"It's okay! It's okay! You can do this, Aoi! Don't let your family down! Aoi Kanzaki!" The girl, Aoi Kanzaki, kept encouraging herself, but the eerie, oppressive surroundings sent chills down her spine.
Unnoticed by her, a writhing shadow stirred in the darkness.
****
My name is Hand Demon, the most patient and also the strongest demon on all of Fujikasane Mountain.
If I hadn't nearly died several times, I might have actually believed that!
In the dark corner, a pair of murky yellow eyes peered at everything around.
The faint scent of humans clearly drifted into Hand Demon's nostrils, making it drool with hunger.
At the same time, Hand Demon truly wanted to cry.
How many years had it been? How many years!
Like a cockroach, Hand Demon stubbornly clung to life.
The bitterness of this process could fill another tragic novel.
Of course, what Hand Demon hated most was that damned Urokodaki Sakonji!
All this misery stemmed from that bastard Urokodaki, who had captured it and brought it to this accursed Fujikasane Mountain.
Decades! An entire decades!
The second most hated was that two-colored-eyed bastard Shinichi Moriki.
If Urokodaki Sakonji was the source of its suffering, then Shinichi was the executioner who subjected Hand Demon to endless hellish torment.
That bastard nearly killed it during his first Final Selection.
If not for its tenacious vitality and hatred for Urokodaki Sakonji, Hand Demon would have long kicked the bucket.
When Hand Demon finally recovered a sliver of strength, it got its wish and encountered two of Urokodaki's disciples.
Heaven had mercy—Hand Demon could finally vent its pent-up rage.
Everything had gone smoothly at first; those brats' Nichirin Blades had broken and it seemed it could crush their fox-masked heads any moment.
But right at that moment!!
That pink-haired brat suddenly erupted with a familiar aura—one the Hand Demon would recognize even in ashes!
It was that bastard Shinichi's aura!
The suddenly enraged fox brat fought like he was on drugs, wildly attacking with his broken Nichirin Blade, nearly mincing Hand Demon into paste.
At that moment, Hand Demon truly despaired.
All its arms were chopped to pieces, leaving it completely defenseless.
Just as it seemed destined for hell, fate apparently decreed Hand Demon wasn't meant to die there.
The fox brat eventually exhausted himself, and with its last breath, Hand Demon mustered every ounce of strength to flee desperately, barely escaping with its life.
This time, its injuries were even more severe.
Several times, it nearly collapsed and descended to hell.
But the thought of its unfinished vengeance—of that damned Urokodaki Sakonji and Shinichi Moriki—miraculously kept it clinging to life.
It hid in the shadows, slowly recovering.
"Urokodaki! Moriki! Just you wait! Sooner or later—sooner or later—I'll make you pay! Sooner or later!"
Having narrowly escaped death multiple times, Hand Demon was convinced its fate wasn't over yet.
It would have its revenge!
Just as Hand Demon was grinding its teeth plotting vengeance, a young figure stumbled into its line of sight.
It was the nervous, twin-tailed girl—Kanzaki Aoi.
"A human girl? Slurp~" The murky yellow eyes in the darkness fixed greedily on Kanzaki Aoi.
To hide and recover, Hand Demon hadn't fed in a very, very long time.
Now, the sickly green arms on its body were as frail as a malnourished child's.
"I can't take it anymore, I must eat this human girl!"
The intense hunger drove the Hand Demon to reach out its claw towards Kanzaki Aoi.
It refused to believe that bastard Shinichi, could interfere with its attack this time!
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