The cold moonlight bathed the earth.
Aoki moved like a leopard, darting through the deep, wild mountains. A touch of his toe could send him leaping meters at a time.
Where can I find demons?
He knew a few places where they were likely to be.
Like Asakusa.
Tamayo and Yushiro should be there. Muzan might be, too.
But he couldn't kill Tamayo or Yushiro. And he couldn't beat Muzan.
Mt. Natagumo had Rui, Lower Moon Five, and his "family." Yoshiwara had Upper Moon Six, Gyutaro and Daki.
But again... he wasn't strong enough.
He'd just become a demon. He couldn't fight the Twelve Kizuki.
Those elite monsters would have to wait. He needed newbie monsters. To level up.
Was there a place where he could quickly find lots of new demons, or demons who hadn't eaten many people?
Hmm?
Aoki stopped.
There was a place like that!
Mt. Fujikasane!
The Demon Slayer Corps' final selection ground!
All the demons there were captured by Demon Slayers and put there. They were weak demons, who'd only eaten two or three people.
The strongest, the Hand Demon, was only as strong as Tanjiro after his training.
Aoki thought hard.
Mt. Fujikasane was perfect for leveling up. Lots of demons, and they were weak.
The problem was the Demon Slayers and the wisteria.
The demons on Mt. Fujikasane couldn't escape because wisteria flowers grew all over the mountain, from the foot to the waist. They bloomed year-round.
Wisteria was poison to demons.
Also, he didn't know if there were Demon Slayers guarding the mountain.
Ding!
[New Task: Mt. Fujikasane Dungeon]
[Mt. Fujikasane Dungeon]
Mt. Fujikasane is home to many demons. The strongest, the Hand Demon, has been hiding there for decades, eating nearly forty humans.
Task: Defeat 30 demons and kill the Hand Demon.
Reward: 300 Experience.
The reward was simple, direct, and tempting.
"I have to go to Mt. Fujikasane now."
Aoki looked up at the sky. "But first, I need to prepare."
First, he had to find it.
He only knew the name. He knew nothing else about Mt. Fujikasane.
Second, he needed something to get through the wisteria.
A week later...
Clouds covered the sky. The night was dark.
"The weather's good tonight."
Aoki looked at the mountain.
Wisteria flowers covered it, from the base to the waist. Mt. Fujikasane looked like it was wearing a purple veil. Mysterious, beautiful.
But Aoki felt a strong disgust.
Wisteria was poison to demons.
Too much could even poison an Upper Moon.
The hate, the revulsion... It was in his demon blood.
"Good thing I came prepared!"
Aoki pulled out a strange-looking suit.
He'd had it made. It was made of airtight material. The eyes had glass sewn in.
He was a demon now, but he looked almost human. Except for the best Demon Slayers, people wouldn't notice anything strange. He could still walk freely in human towns at night.
Aoki put on the suit, started to climb.
There were Demon Slayer guards at the base of Mt. Fujikasane. But they weren't very strict. Just there to keep villagers from wandering in.
Aoki slipped past them easily, entered the mountain.
"Still breathing in some pollen... But it's not too bad."
Aoki wore a special mask. He made sure his body could handle it, then sped up.
Past the mountain waist, the wisteria stopped.
"I'm here!"
Aoki felt a wave of relief.
Even if it didn't hurt him, walking through wisteria wasn't pleasant.
He took off the suit carefully, hid it in a safe place.
He'd need it later.
"Let's start."
Aoki walked up the path.
Past the clearing at the mountain waist, there were fewer signs of humans.
Mt. Fujikasane was eerily quiet. No animals. Just the occasional insect.
"The demons ate them all, huh?"
Aoki watched and listened. He walked slowly, steadily.
He was a hunter. He knew the most important thing was patience. Especially when tracking prey. He had to see every sign.
"I haven't seen you here before. New?"
A voice spoke from behind him.
Aoki stopped, turned quickly.
A demon sat in a tree. Veins bulged all over his body. A horn stuck out of his forehead. His eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. He looked at Aoki with cruel hunger.
"The Demon Slayer Corps is sending more demons to Mt. Fujikasane? Is the Final Selection starting again? Hahahaha! I'll eat so many this time!"
Aoki was silent for a moment. "Okay. So demons aren't like animals. They come to you."
Boom!
The horned demon lunged. His claws slashed at Aoki's face, his eyes wild, his smile crazy.
"Hahaha! Newbie! Let me teach you the rules of Mt. Fujikasane!"
The stench of blood washed over Aoki. He didn't flinch. He stepped forward, opened his hand, then slowly made a fist. His body was like a drawn bow.
All his strength gathered, pushing his fist forward, like a cannonball.
Fist met claw. A huge force slammed into the demon. Crack! The horned demon's arm bent backwards, at a twisted angle.
He stumbled back three steps, almost falling. He looked at Aoki again. His eyes had changed.
Aoki felt a rush of pleasure. The sadness, pain, anger... all the bad feelings he'd held inside... It felt like they poured out with that punch.
He roared, charged the horned demon.
"Hahaha! Come on!"
The horned demon had to fight.
Their fight was simple, brutal. No fancy moves.
A punch for a punch. A claw for a slap.
The simplest, most direct attacks.
The horned demon was weaker than Aoki. He fell back quickly.
Crack.
His arm broke again. He staggered back, hit a tree. He gasped, his face tired.
"Wait! I don't want to fight! Let me go!"
"You fight when you want, stop when you want? It doesn't work like that."
Aoki didn't stop. He lunged, threw a punch.
The horned demon couldn't fight back. He crossed his arms, tried to block.
"We're both demons. There's no point in fighting."
Aoki didn't speak. He put more power into his fist.
Boom!
The horned demon's guard shattered.
Aoki's next punch came fast.
Thump!
The horned demon's face caved in. His head slammed against the tree. His eyes rolled back. He went limp.
"Finally," Aoki said.
He grabbed the horned demon's head, lifted it. "You don't get to decide if there's a point!"
---
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