Chapter 61: Hand Demon

Mount Sagiri.

Tanjiro had already been here for two years.

Over those two years, he had ceaselessly carried through to the end everything Urokodaki Sakonji had taught him.

Grueling training had also worn away the boyish innocence Tanjiro once carried.

Until one year ago, when Urokodaki Sakonji gave him a task — rather than a task, it was more like a final trial.

To split apart a colossal boulder.

Yet, even after a year, he still could not manage to split the boulder open.

During that year, Tanjiro also came to know two people.

One boy, one girl.

The boy's name was Sabito.

The girl's name was Makomo.

The two of them were about the same age as Tanjiro.

They too were Urokodaki Sakonji's disciples.

In other words, Tanjiro's senior brother and senior sister.

But for some reason, Tanjiro could not smell any scent of existence coming from the two of them.

And so, accompanied by Sabito and Makomo, hellish training began once more.

And today was yet another sparring match between Tanjiro and Sabito.

The two stood apart at a distance, with Makomo standing not far off to serve as their referee.

Tanjiro gripped the blade in his hand tightly, his eyes fixed on Sabito.

Sabito, too, slowly drew his blade from its sheath.

Under their locked gazes, their figures flashed in an instant — the duel between them began once more.

This time, Tanjiro's blade struck Sabito first for the very first time, and the fight ended right there.

Sabito was defeated; the mask on his face split cleanly in two.

Yet he smiled — a smile full of quiet pride.

And Sabito and Makomo both seemed, as if a great weight had been lifted from them.

The two smiled faintly, their figures vanishing into the mist.

"Tanjiro, when you face that guy, you have to win too…" — those were the words Makomo spoke as she departed.

After Sabito and Makomo's figures faded, Tanjiro came back to his senses — only to find a completely different scene before him.

The blade in his hand, which should have split Sabito's mask, had instead split the colossal rock clean in two, completing the final trial Urokodaki Sakonji had set for him.

Recalling the sparring match with Sabito just now, in that single instant Tanjiro once again sensed that particular scent.

That scent was like a thread, called the "Thread of Vulnerability" — the instant it connected his blade to his opponent, it would pull taut.

And it was because of this that Tanjiro was able to defeat Sabito and split the boulder.

Urokodaki Sakonji walked over from not far away.

Gazing at the boulder split in two on the training ground, he had not expected Tanjiro to truly pull it off.

He looked at Tanjiro again and said: "Honestly, I never wanted you to take part in the Final Selection. After all, I truly cannot bear to see another child die."

"Although the Final Selection has already been reformed now, still…"

"Tanjiro, you did very well. I agree to let you take part in the Final Selection! Your sister and I will be right here waiting for you to come back."

That evening, Urokodaki Sakonji cooked up a pot of delicious hot pot, along with a few grilled fish.

This was also the second time Tanjiro had eaten so much good food — the first was when Zero first visited Mount Sagiri.

After dinner, Tanjiro trimmed his hair a little, and during that time Urokodaki Sakonji placed a mask into his hands.

"Mr. Urokodaki, what is this?"

"This is the Warding Mask. I have already placed a spell upon it — it can protect you from calamity. Tanjiro, you must remember: a demon's strength comes from the number of people it has eaten! The more people it eats, the stronger it becomes. Some demons can even use special abilities — this kind of ability is called Blood Demon Art."

"The demons on Mount Fujikasane are all relatively weak ones that have only eaten one or two people! Over the years, the Mount Fujikasane examination has undergone a great reform, but even so, you must not let your guard down!"

"Yes, I understand, Mr. Urokodaki," Tanjiro replied.

As if something had just occurred to him, he opened his mouth to ask: "Mr. Urokodaki, Nezuko has been sleeping all this time — is that also related to that Blood Demon Art?"

Urokodaki Sakonji shook his head and answered: "That is not the case. That is merely my own speculation. I think your sister, in order not to eat human flesh, is likely relying on sleep to recover her strength."

"Is that so? I understand. Thank you, Mr. Urokodaki."

…………

The next day, Tanjiro put on an outfit identical to Urokodaki Sakonji's — a water-blue cloud-patterned garment.

He tucked his Nichirin Blade at his waist, and the Warding Mask was slanted over his head.

Just before leaving, he cast one more glance at the inner room, where Nezuko lay sleeping on the tatami.

"Nezuko, don't worry — I will definitely come back."

Stepping outside the door, he exchanged a brief farewell with Urokodaki Sakonji.

"Don't worry about your sister. I will take good care of her."

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Urokodaki."

Tanjiro turned and left. After running for a stretch, he turned his head back and waved at Urokodaki Sakonji: "Mr. Urokodaki, please say hello to Sabito and Makomo for me."

Urokodaki Sakonji froze for a moment, somewhat incredulous, as the figures of Sabito and Makomo surfaced in his mind.

"Tanjiro, why… would you know the names of those two children who have passed away?" Urokodaki Sakonji thought to himself.

……

The scene shifted, arriving at Zero's side.

Having prepared everything, Zero arrived at the outer perimeter of the Demon Slayer Corps and took out the 【Dark Alloy Armored Vehicle】.

Carrying ten high-ranking swordsmen as well as Ubuyashiki Rika and Ubuyashiki Terigasa, he headed toward Mount Fujikasane.

This was already the fourth Mount Fujikasane Selection he was presiding over; he wondered how many people would be able to pass this time.

In just a few hours, traveling along the well-familiarized route, he arrived at the selection site, and the ten swordsmen in the rear of the carriage disembarked one after another.

Rika and Terigasa were carried down from the front passenger seat by Zero.

Stepping onto the stairs…

Since it was still daytime and the selection had not yet begun, he simply stood on the stone steps waiting, just as in previous years.

The ten swordsmen stood in a row, waiting behind the three of them.

Moreover, Zero had a premonition that this year's selection would see the appearance of that mutated demon inside Mount Fujikasane!

The sun set behind Mount Riluoxi, and night fell.

After traveling for an entire day, Tanjiro finally arrived at the location of the Mount Fujikasane Selection.

The surroundings were planted full of wisteria trees, looking quite magnificent; everywhere was filled with a beautiful yet bewitching purple.

The delicate fragrance of wisteria drifted through the air.

Tanjiro saw that many people had already come to participate in the selection; he estimated at least twenty people.

But when he saw Zero on the high platform, he was immediately a little surprised.

"Big Brother Zero…" The moment Tanjiro called out, Zero gestured with his eyes for him not to speak.

Zero was also a little surprised; he hadn't expected Tanjiro to come participate in the selection as well.

It could be seen that Tanjiro had worked very hard over these past two years; otherwise his trainer would not have agreed to let him come here.

Not only that, Zero also noticed two other familiar faces.

Tsuyuri Kanao and Agatsuma Zenitsu.

Agatsuma Zenitsu was understandable, but why had Tsuyuri Kanao also come to participate in the selection?

Zero remembered Xiang Nai Hui saying that she did not wish for Kanao to participate in the selection; she only wanted Kanao to live a good life.

It seemed she had come to participate secretly.

Rika/Terigasa: "Honored swordsmen, welcome to all of you who have traveled without complaint to participate in the selection…"

The two, as in previous years, delivered an address; afterward Zero explained a few matters related to the selection, and the selection officially began.

Rika/Terigasa: "Then, please fare well on your journey."

More than half of this selection's participants were swordsmen who had been eliminated in the previous selection or the one before that.

The remainder were all newcomers.

When Tanjiro passed by Zero's side, Zero nodded toward him and said softly: "Stay safe."

"Yes, thank you, Big Brother Zero." Then he resolutely stepped into the selection mountain.

When Tsuyuri Kanao passed by Zero's side, Zero called out to her: "Kanao, does your sister know about this?"

"I…" Kanao stammered, unable to get a coherent word out; she had just wanted to take out a coin but stopped herself from doing so.

Over the years, Zero would occasionally teach Kanao that one cannot rely solely on a coin to decide everything; sometimes one must decide according to what is in one's heart.

"Sigh… go on, stay safe."

It seemed Kanao was still not quite used to it; it could only come gradually.

Having received Zero's permission, Kanao finally set her mind at ease and stepped into Mount Fujikasane.

But when Zero saw Agatsuma Zenitsu at the end of the line, he was somewhat speechless.

He kept muttering things like "I'm going to die."

The moment he saw Zero, he rushed forward, hugged his leg, and wailed as if calling for his parents: "Big Brother Zero, can I not participate in the selection?! If this goes on, I'm definitely going to die for sure! Can you put in a word for me with my grandpa?"

So angry that Zero immediately gave him a knuckle-rap on the head and said: "Don't wipe your snot on my pants! Also, if you want to find a girlfriend, obediently participate in the selection for me! I won't pull strings for you!"

Seeing Zero get angry once again, Zenitsu immediately lost his nerve and said listlessly: "Fine~"

"Tch, coward!" A rooster-haired youth passing by saw this scene and looked down somewhat on Agatsuma Zenitsu.

Seeing this youth, Zero only felt that he seemed somewhat familiar? His personality was about the same as Shinazugawa Sanemi's…

After everyone had entered Mount Fujikasane, he released all the small drones from the 【Nano Space】.

He activated the 【Analysis Glasses】 projection mode.

"Act according to the usual rules." Zero said to the ten swordsmen behind him.

"Yes, my lord Zero Pillar!" x10

…………

This was the first night of the selection.

Not long after Tanjiro stepped into Mount Fujikasane, he encountered two demons.

After a brief battle, he smoothly used Water Breathing to slay them.

This scene was captured by the small drones in midair and transmitted to Zero's side.

Looking at the image on the projection screen, Zero felt this was normal, and his heart was put at ease; he continued to watch another screen.

Tsuyuri Kanao was also working very hard; what she had learned was Xiang Nai Hui's Flower Breathing, which she wielded with nimble ease.

She slew a demon in an instant.

But when the drones filmed Agatsuma Zenitsu's side, the corner of Zero's mouth twitched slightly.

Agatsuma Zenitsu was being chased by two demons, crying and wailing with snot running down his face; the sight was somewhat comical.

"Aaaah!!! I'm going to die, I'm going to die! Don't eat me! I don't taste good at all!"

In a moment of carelessness, he tripped over a tree root at his feet, his head struck the tree trunk, and he passed out.

Seeing this, the two demons immediately pounced on him.

However, at that very instant, a flash of lightning.

Thunder Breathing. First Form. Thunderclap and Flash!

A bolt of golden lightning streaked past, and in the blink of an eye, the two demons were decapitated, reduced to ash.

And Zenitsu was still in a half-conscious state, holding the pose of having drawn his sword.

"Ugh... aren't you pretty capable? How do you still have the nerve to let people protect you?! But you really are a weirdo — you only show your true ability while unconscious..." Zero complained helplessly in his heart.

Just then, the small drone captured another scene.

"Pig rush! Pig rush! Yi-ya-hahaha!" On the projection screen, a humanoid creature with a wild boar's head...

Should be a person, probably...

"Looks like he's wearing a wild boar headpiece."

In the footage, the youth wearing the wild boar headpiece held a pair of chipped twin blades that looked like two saws.

He sprinted all the way, constantly shouting "Pig rush!" as he ran.

Zero thought to himself: "Strange, there was no sign of this guy in the group earlier. How did he sneak into the exam? Could he have entered Mount Fujikasane from somewhere else?"

He then took out another pair of 【Analysis Glasses】, put them on, and analyzed the wild boar youth's data.

【Analyzing... analysis successful】

【Name: Hashibira Inosuke — Male】

【Age: 15】

【Mother: Hashibira Kotoha (deceased)】

【Adoptive mother: A wild sow】

【Identity: Demon Slayer Corps swordsman (in exam)】

【Breathing Style: Beast Breathing】

【Special Abilities: Flexibility, Perception】

【Personal Profile: His mother, Hashibira Kotoha, in order to protect the infant Hashibira Inosuke, fled the Wan Shi Paradise Cult, and at the end of her rope threw him off a cliff, letting him drift away down the river.

And she killed herself before the demons! Afterwards, Hashibira Inosuke was fortunately rescued by a wild sow, who raised him to adulthood.】

【Personal Information:...】

"So this little tyke is called Hashibira Inosuke..."

He didn't bother reading the personal information about Hashibira Inosuke that came after, because he had already guessed most of it.

The Wan Shi Paradise Cult...

He hadn't expected Hashibira Inosuke's background to be connected to Douma, nor that he had been through so many hardships.

"Hashibira Kotoha..."

Sigh...

He took a deep breath, calmed his heart, and continued monitoring every single person in the exam.

The first night's exam ended just like that, but still no trace of that mutated demon had been found.

But Zero still firmly believed in his own conjecture, carefully observing every single screen.

The second day was the same.

The third day...

Until the fourth night...

After Tanjiro casually finished off two demons, he planned to set out again.

Unexpectedly, just then, he heard shouting from not far away, and smelled an unbearable stench!

"So stinky! What's with this intense stench?!"

Suddenly, a giant green demon, its entire body wrapped in arms, appeared.

This was a Hand Demon.

With every step it took, the surrounding trees would collapse, and a slight tremor ran through the ground.

Just as Zero had guessed, a mutated demon indeed existed within Mount Fujikasane.

The Hand Demon could no longer stand it — over these past few years, it had been a long time since he had tasted human flesh and blood.

Every time those strange objects flew overhead, he grew extremely wary; he had seen with his own eyes that any demon struck by those objects would be paralyzed and unable to move.

At the same time, he also sensed other Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen in the forest, their auras stronger than those exam-taking swordsmen.

As a result, he could only seize the chance when they weren't paying attention to capture some of his own kind to fill his belly.

But today, he had decided to take the risk and begin directly hunting down these exam-taking swordsmen.

While also carefully avoiding those swordsmen hiding in the shadows.

Two swordsmen participating in the exam fled all the way, dodging the Hand Demon's attacks from behind, and they had also sustained some injuries, presumably from the process of evading.

"How is this possible?! I've never heard of a giant abnormal demon existing here!"

"Stop talking, run! Even if we get eliminated, it doesn't matter!"

Nearby, Tanjiro hid behind a tree trunk, his body trembling constantly, and a thin sheen of cold sweat seeped from the hand gripping his blade.

The two exam swordsmen accidentally fell to the ground while fleeing, and several arms on the Hand Demon's body gathered together, shot out, grabbed their feet, and lifted them up before him.

He opened his great mouth, preparing to devour them.

"What do I do? What exactly should I do? No... no, I can't be cowardly! I must save those two! I'm no longer the weak, powerless me from before!"

Thinking of this, Tanjiro kept encouraging himself inwardly, tightened his grip on his Nichirin Blade, and charged forward!

Water Breathing. Second Form. Water Wheel!

He leaped up, his Nichirin Blade spinning like a water wheel, slicing off two of the Hand Demon's arms and saving those two swordsmen!

"Are you two alright?!"

The Hand Demon saw the fox mask on Tanjiro's head and instantly became ecstatic.

"Here you come again~ my cute little fox~"

…………

"Hm? This is……" Zero saw the giant green demon on the projection screen and understood this was the mutated demon he had guessed.

"I've finally found you! Didn't expect you to be so vigilant! Will you show yourself now?!"

He immediately controlled the small drone to switch to high-explosive bullets and went to open fire to save those two swordsmen.

Before he could open fire, he saw Tanjiro had already made his move and saved them.

"Tanjiro…… fine, let's see how things play out first."

He wanted to see if Tanjiro could defeat this demon; if there was danger, he would step in.

Although this would cause Tanjiro to be eliminated, as long as he could live, that was fine.

Then he sent his kasugai crow, Snow, to Tanjiro's location.

Just like that, the small drone hovered in midair, watching them.

"Little fox, what year of Meiji is it now?" the Hand Demon asked.

"……It's already the Taisho period now."

"Taisho period…… aaaaaah! Damn it! The era name changed again! During the years I've been locked up here, the era name changed once more! Urokodaki! Urokodaki!! That damned Urokodaki!!!"

Hearing the Hand Demon call out Urokodaki Sakonji's surname, Tanjiro was a little puzzled: "How do you know Mr. Urokodaki?"

The furious Hand Demon, hearing these words, burned with even greater rage.

"Of course I know! It's that bastard who threw me into this demon-forsaken place!! I'll never forget it — it was 47 years ago, when Urokodaki was still fighting on the front lines…… the Edo period, during the Keio era……"

"You're lying!!" one of the swordsmen protected behind Tanjiro retorted: "A demon that lives that long simply can't exist on this mountain! After all, the ones imprisoned here have eaten at most two or three people!"

"He's right!" the other swordsman chimed in: "Demons like you are either slain by the selected swordsmen or kill each other off — how could you possibly live that long?! Besides, my trainer said the selection has been greatly reformed now, so how could you possibly……"

"But as you can see, I really have lived that long! If it weren't for those damned strange things in the sky constantly watching me, I could have devoured more of you swordsmen a few years ago!" The Hand Demon pointed at the small drone in the sky.

Hearing the Hand Demon say this, the three of them looked up and indeed saw a strange thing flying there, monitoring the area!

So the Hand Demon continued: "It's all because of that damned thing — I haven't tasted human flesh in years!"

Immediately, the Hand Demon's arm gathered again and shot toward the small drone.

But the small drone cleverly dodged it.

Then the small drone fired a shot at the Hand Demon's arm, blasting it apart — flesh and blood flew everywhere.

Every word the Hand Demon said was heard by Zero through the small drone, not a single one missed.

He hadn't expected that, because of himself, this mutated demon had survived for several more years on Mt. Fujikasane.

So vigilant — no wonder dispatching high-ranking swordsmen for inspections at regular intervals never turned up anything!

"You little demon brat, you really are lucky, huh! Heh heh!" Zero's voice came through the small drone.

The three of them stared in disbelief.

"This is…… Big Brother Zero's voice! How did he do that?!"

Then the small drone lowered its altitude and came before the three of them.

Seeing this, the Hand Demon didn't dare make any rash moves for the moment!

"You two — do you choose to continue the exam or leave this place? If you leave, you'll be considered eliminated! Then you'll have to wait for the next exam!"

Who Zero was referring to was naturally the two people behind Tanjiro.

"I…… I choose to leave! Although it's a shame, I don't want to die yet!"

"M-me too!"

The two made the same choice.

"Fine, my kasugai crow will lead you out of here."

A white crow flew down from the sky, and under the two's astonished gazes, spoke: "Follow me, this way! Go this way!"

"Tanjiro, you……"

"Thank you, Big Brother Zero, but I still have questions to ask him."

"Alright, stay safe!" The small drone flew off directly, but it didn't truly leave — instead it hid in a tree.

Having gotten permission, Tanjiro looked at the Hand Demon again and asked: "What did you mean by 'little fox'?"

The Hand Demon came back to his senses and sneered: "Of course it's because of the fox mask on your head~"

"One, two, three…… twelve, thirteen…… mm~ counting you, that's the fourteenth! Hahahaha……"

"What do you mean?" Tanjiro asked.

"Of course it's the number of Urokodaki's disciples I've eaten so far~ I swore long ago I'd kill every single one of Urokodaki's disciples with my own hands!

But the ones who left the deepest impression on me were that little brat with the rather rare flesh-colored hair — he had a scar on his mouth, and he was very strong. And there was a little girl wearing a kimono with a flower pattern — not much strength, short, but incredibly fast!"

Hearing this, Tanjiro already knew who they were!

Sabito and Makomo.

But he had clearly seen them on Mt. Sagiri — why would……

The Hand Demon continued: "That fox mask is carved in exactly the same style as Urokodaki's tengu mask — I remember it's called a 【Warding Mask】, right? It's because of that I could recognize Urokodaki's disciples and eat them one by one!"

"That flesh-haired little brat — I blew his head apart. As for the other little girl…… hehehe~ after hearing what I said, she cried herself into a rage~

Then her movements got a little messy, and I grabbed her — I ripped her arms and legs clean off…… hahahaha~"

Tanjiro was enraged by the Hand Demon's words; recalling the Sabito and Makomo he had seen, it turned out they were already dead……

He gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly and rushed forward.

This was exactly what the Hand Demon wanted — his goal was to enrage Tanjiro, while also keeping an eye out for the small drone's return.

"You're too impulsive, Tanjiro……" Zero thought, but did not go to stop him.

This is something Tanjiro will eventually have to go through, but if Tanjiro's life is threatened, he will step in.

The Hand Demon also began to counterattack, shooting countless arms from his body to block Tanjiro.

As Tanjiro swung his Nichirin Blade in his hand, all the arms that rushed at him were sliced into several pieces.

Just as he was about to approach the Hand Demon, the Hand Demon unexpectedly stretched out another hand and struck Tanjiro in the abdomen.

Tanjiro, sent flying from the blow, crashed into a tree trunk, fell unconscious, and suffered a head injury as well.

The fox mask hanging askew on his head also shattered into pieces because of this.

"Oh no!" Seeing the situation turn bad, Zero prepared to control the drone to open fire and save Tanjiro.

But before he could open fire, Tanjiro also regained consciousness at that very instant, raised his Nichirin Blade, and charged at the Hand Demon once more.

During the moment he had just been unconscious, he heard his own father calling his name.

(In this book, Tanjiro's family didn't die, so I changed this part to avoid being called trash by those people again for not having read the manga.)

But no matter how Tanjiro slashed, the Hand Demon's arms would regenerate, growing new ones.

Just then, Tanjiro smelled a strange scent emanating from underground.

He leaped up, leaving the ground and rising into midair.

Boom!

The instant he left the ground, suddenly many arms burst out.

The Hand Demon hadn't expected that the little fox in front of him had actually noticed his little trick of hiding his arms underground, and had jumped so high to leave the ground.

"It's a pity I couldn't finish him off in one go, but you, suspended in midair, are destined to be unable to dodge this strike of mine!"

More arms gathered together, transforming into a thick, sturdy arm that charged at Tanjiro in midair.

Thinking this strike could easily kill him, unexpectedly, Tanjiro used his headbutt to knock the arm aside.

Borrowing the momentum with his body, he tumbled once and landed on the arm, swung his blade and rushed forward rapidly—this time, the target was the Hand Demon's neck!

Total Concentration. Water Breathing…

Seeing this, the Hand Demon had already begun to feel some panic, never expecting that his forehead was so hard that his arm had actually been knocked aside by a headbutt!

"It's fine! Even if he dodged my attack, he still can't cut off my neck! My neck has multiple layers of protection, it won't be easily severed!! That brat back then couldn't cut through my neck either!"

Clang!

Tanjiro smelled the scent of the "Thread of Vulnerability,"

"There it is, the Thread of Vulnerability!"

First Form: Water Surface Slash!

Squelch!

He swung out a planar slash that swept across, and the Hand Demon's neck was like fragile paper—separated from his body.

Thud!

The Hand Demon's head fell to the ground, and he saw his own body slowly dissipating, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

At the moment his neck was about to be severed, he saw the figure of Sakonji Urokodaki.

"Damn it! Damn it! Urokodaki!!"

"I'm going to die! My body is dissipating, I can't stop it! To think the last thing I saw before death was a Demon Slayer's face… I'm not reconciled! I'm not reconciled!"

He had thought Tanjiro would look at him with a condescending, trash-treating gaze…

But the truth was not so! Tanjiro looked at the Hand Demon's head, his eyes filled with sympathy and compassion.

"Why… is his gaze so…"

At this moment, a memory surfaced in the Hand Demon's mind—he was like a child who hadn't grown up, crying in a dark corner.

Hoping his older brother could, as before, hold his hand…

He deeply regretted why he had bitten his older brother to death…

But when he once again took the form of a demon, he forgot who his older brother was…

A wave of sorrowful emotion emanated out. Tanjiro came to the Hand Demon's not-yet-fully-dissipated body, grabbed one of the Hand Demon's hands, and prayed: "God, please, when he is reincarnated as a human in his next life, don't let him become a demon again…"

Feeling the warmth transmitted from Tanjiro's hand, the Hand Demon shed tears, and his body and head completely dissipated.

In the darkness, a little boy saw a ray of light shining ahead, guiding him.

He ran quickly toward the light, shouting loudly: "Brother, wait for me! Hurry! Hurry and hold my hand! Don't leave me behind!"

"Why are you still such a coward, you really leave me helpless! Come, come, I'll hold your hand, let's go home together."

With the Hand Demon gone, Tanjiro also felt an indescribable ache in his heart.

"Sabito, Makomo, and those children who died—you can rest easy now…"

"Return to the side of beloved Mr. Urokodaki…"

Afterwards, he turned and left, continuing to complete the exam.

Everything was seen by Zero through the small drone.

"Tanjiro, you really worked hard!"

Tanjiro is still that Tanjiro, still maintaining his kindness.

But his kindness is not the kind that overflows like other people's.

When slaying demons, he will at least show no mercy.

He has already taken that small first step; in the future, perhaps he still has ten thousand steps to walk.

At least now, he has already proven himself.

Taking out a notebook and pen from the 【Nano Space】, he wrote a handwritten letter.

After writing it, he folded it up and tied it to the foot of the kasugai crow Yuki, entrusting it to deliver this letter to Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

"Yuki, sorry for the trouble—please deliver this letter to the Master."

"Yes, Master."

The examination continued.

This batch's examination, relatively speaking, was still not bad.

The number of people eliminated these past few days did not exceed five.

Even Zenitsu, who was always afraid he would die, had slain several demons! Although he did so in an unconscious state…

…………

In the blink of an eye, the seventh day had arrived.

The morning sunlight illuminated the entirety of Mt. Fujikasane.

Declaring that this batch's Mt. Fujikasane examination had come to an end.

Of the twenty swordsmen participating in the examination, twelve had already passed; those who failed were only the newcomers and a few individual veterans.

Zero looked at the swordsmen in the center of the field and noticed that one person was missing among the twelve — that Kōchō Shinobu-no, wait, that Inosuke Hashibira was not here.

Thinking it over, he had probably left early.

Although it was somewhat regrettable, these things no longer mattered.

He clapped his hands, signaling for quiet.

Hinaki/Teruyoshi: "Welcome, everyone, to your safe return. First, congratulations to all of you on officially becoming swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"Then what? What do we do next? Where are our swords?" From the outer edge of the center of the field, that rooster-haired boy cut in, interrupting the siblings' conversation.

Ubuyashiki Hinaki and Ubuyashiki Teruyoshi did not stop because of it, continuing to explain the corresponding matters.

That rooster-haired boy was clearly somewhat impatient, constantly asking things like "Where are the swords?"

Afterwards, Ubuyashiki Hinaki clapped her hands, and over a dozen kasugai crows flew down from the sky, each choosing their master and landing on their shoulders or arms.

Zenitsu Agatsuma was a bit speechless, because his was a sparrow.

"You say this is a crow? This is clearly a sparrow."

Causing everyone to cover their mouths and snicker.

Even Zero almost couldn't hold it in, covering his face with a light laugh.

Individual swordsmen who saw Zero laughing there felt it was very beautiful.

They involuntarily lowered their heads, not daring to keep looking, afraid they might turn bent.

"What kind of joke is this! I don't care about any crow! Give me a sword! A Demon Slayer Corps sword! A sword that changes color!"

The rooster-haired boy slapped away his kasugai crow, stormed furiously over to Hinaki, and swung his fist wanting to use violence against Hinaki.

Tanjiro was just about to step forward to stop him, but Zero was a step faster than him.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, startling both the swordsmen and the kasugai crows.

It turned out Zero had fired a shot at the rooster-haired boy's feet, making him not dare to keep advancing.

Coming before Hinaki, he crouched down and stroked her cheek, asking softly: "Sorry, I didn't scare you, did I?"

Hinaki shook her head, indicating she was fine.

Only a faint blush unconsciously surfaced on her face.

Standing up, he looked at the rooster-haired boy and questioned: "What's your name?"

"What do you care what my name is! Give me my sword…"

Bang!

"I don't want to say the same thing twice."

This shot grazed right past the rooster-haired boy's ear.

The pain transmitted from his ear made him not dare to continue running wild.

"Genya Shinazugawa."

"Genya Shinazugawa? What relation is Sanemi Shinazugawa to you?"

"He's my big brother!"

"Heh heh… the same rotten temper as your brother! If you dare do it again, I'll directly revoke your Demon Slayer Corps swordsman status!"

"On what grounds!?"

"On what grounds? Heh… on the grounds that I am the Mt. Fujikasane examiner!"

Genya Shinazugawa was still in that same unafraid-of-death rhythm, retorting: "So what if you're the Mt. Fujikasane examiner?! You're not qualified to revoke it!!"

"Oh~ not qualified? Heh heh… hahahahaha!"

Hearing these words, Zero laughed extremely bewitchingly and wildly.

"Fine, not qualified enough. Then may I ask — the fact that I slew two Lower Rank demons before even joining the Demon Slayer Corps, is that qualified enough?!"

"If that's still not enough, then on the grounds that after joining the Demon Slayer Corps I became a Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps and slew Upper Rank Five, is that qualified enough?!!"

"If these things are still not enough, then…"

Clang!

Zero drew a Sun Wheel Scythe from the void beside him, struck the ground heavily, planted it there, and continued: "Then, on the grounds that I encountered Kibutsuji Muzan and repelled him, is that qualified enough?!!!!!"

"On the grounds that I used this Sun Wheel Scythe to face Upper Rank One alone without falling behind, is that qualified enough?!!!!!"

"On the grounds that I fell into Kibutsuji Muzan's main headquarters twice, and fought the Demon King and all the Upper Rank demons alone, is that qualified enough?!!!!!"

Boom!

Genya Shinazugawa's mind was as if struck by a bolt from clear sky, retreating several steps before collapsing onto the ground.

He had once heard that within the Demon Slayer Corps, there was a person who had slain Upper Rank demons and all such matters.

In his heart, he naturally admired it immensely.

Unfortunately, only his voice could be heard, never his person; even the other Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps rarely got to see him.

Yet every swordsman present was utterly astonished — could anyone truly do what Zero had described?

After a brief moment of shock, Shinazugawa Genmuya climbed up from the ground, came before Zero, and bowed: "I… I'm sorry. I'll be sure to pay attention next time. Please forgive me."

"You should apologize to her, not me." Zero pointed at the nearby Ubuyashiki Nika and said.

"I'm sorry."

Ubuyashiki Nika nodded, indicating it was fine.

"Remember, there won't be a next time."

"Yes, my lord Pillar."

From defiance to now, Shinazugawa Genmuya's view of Zero had completely changed; his gaze was filled with admiration.

What he admired most was the strong, and he had likewise heard that the Pillar who had slain an Upper Rank demon had never learned any Breathing Style either.

He hoped that, if he had the chance, he could ask for guidance — to beg him to teach him to grow stronger, to prove it to his elder brother.

Taking Nika's small hand, he returned to his original position, lifted the red cloth on the table, and said: "Next, choose the tamahagane each of you wants."

"Tamahagane is the material needed to forge a Nichirin Blade. Once you've chosen, it will be handed over to the swordsmith to forge the Nichirin Blade. After that, you only need to wait about fifteen days, and the swordsmith will personally deliver it to your door."

Having said that, he led Nika and Hikariya aside to stand.

The swordsmen lined up in order and chose their tamahagane.

"How on earth am I supposed to choose?" Tanjiro stared at the tamahagane laid out on the table, falling into indecision.

Suddenly his nose caught a scent; following that subtle smell, he chose a piece of tamahagane for himself.

Once everyone had chosen their tamahagane, each returned to their trainer and quietly waited the fifteen days.

However, Tsuyuri Kanao was called aside by Zero alone.

"Kanao, you stay. I'll send you back together in a bit."

Kanao said nothing, only nodded to show she understood.

"Master, the reply from the Master has not been read by you yet."

The kasugai crow Yuki landed on Zero's shoulder and reminded him.

Only then did Zero recall that a few days earlier he had sent the kasugai crow Yuki to deliver a letter to Ubuyashiki Yoshiya.

He had not yet read Ubuyashiki Yoshiya's reply.

He hurriedly took down the letter to read it.

【Zero, do everything according to your wishes.】

Just a few brief words, yet they already showed Ubuyashiki Yoshiya's trust in him.

The content of the handwritten letter Zero had written to Ubuyashiki Yoshiya was also very simple:

【A mutated demon that had lain hidden for several decades has appeared on Mount Fujikasane; it has now been dealt with! Once the Final Selection is over, exterminate all demons within Mount Fujikasane to prevent any new mutated demons from existing! Afterwards, have high-ranking swordsmen or Pillar-class swordsmen capture new low-level demons and send them into Mount Fujikasane.】

He turned and issued an order to the high-ranking swordsmen behind him: "Exterminate every demon in the mountain!"

"Yes!" x10

Afterwards, Zero released all the small drones, picked up his Nichirin scythe, and joined the demon-extermination plan together with them.

Tsuyuri Kanao, meanwhile, stayed behind with the Ubuyashiki siblings.

Not a single corner of the mountain was to be spared.

…………

【These past few days I've been forced into women's clothes by my older and younger sisters; my brain was almost broken by them, I can't quite think straight, I have no ideas, so I'll just update this one chapter for now.】