"Thank you all for coming tonight to participate in the Final Selection of the Demon Slayer Corps.Within Mount Fujikasane, demons captured by previous Demon Slayers are imprisoned. They cannot escape, as the foot and mid-slopes are surrounded by wisteria blossoms—deadly poison to demons.However, beyond that boundary, the flowers do not bloom. Your task is simple: survive for seven nights within the upper region. Those who endure will pass."
Their voices were calm, almost ritualistic.Some participants exhaled in relief—only seven days? Others clenched their weapons tighter, recognizing the unspoken truth: if merely surviving was the requirement, then the mountain must be swarming with demons strong enough to make that survival nearly impossible.
When the twin attendants stepped aside, the path into the forest opened like a mouth waiting to swallow them whole.The crowd moved forward—step by step—into the darkness.
"Hey, Sister," Tanjiro whispered as they walked. "What kind of strategy should we use?"
"Strategy?" Chika cracked her knuckles, eyes gleaming. "Kill. Slaughter. Exterminate everything that moves."
"..."
She folded her arms, two small puffs of breath escaping her nose like steam. Tanjiro's expression twitched.'Shouldn't we not charge in recklessly?'
Then—his nostrils flared. A sharp stench of blood and decay filled them.Demon scent—above!
"Chika, watch out!"
He unsheathed his blade and swung upward toward the treetops.
Swish!
The blade sang like running water—and the next instant, a severed arm hit the ground with a wet slap.
Tanjiro blinked, dumbfounded."...Huh? Did—did it just let me hit it?!"
He had expected a fierce clash, but instead, his sword had sliced through effortlessly.'Wait, are these demons… weak? Or is this a trick?'
Tightening his grip, he resumed the Water Breathing rhythm, air filling his lungs in steady cycles.
Another scent.Behind—his sister!
He turned to warn her, but she was already moving.Her blade flashed upward in a graceful arc.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
The demon behind her was cleaved cleanly in half, its head spinning through the air before it hit the dirt.
"Tanjiro, pick up the pace."
"R-Right!"
The boy snapped out of his daze and looked at his opponent—a lesser demon trying to regenerate its missing arm.
If his sister could do it… then so could he!
He drew a deep breath, channeling the constant rhythm that now pulsed through his body. He no longer needed to "activate" Concentration Breathing—he lived inside it.
"Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
Water spiraled around him, surging from his blade as he spun through the air. A heartbeat later, his sword passed through the demon's neck.
The water's shimmer faded—and the creature collapsed.
"Beautiful! Excellent execution! A perfect 'Water-Cut Decapitation!'"
Tanjiro twitched. "That's Striking Tide, Sister…"
Still, he couldn't hide the pride swelling in his chest. Two years of relentless training under Chika and Urokodaki—and now, he could feel his strength.So this is how far I've come…!
That moment of joy lasted about three seconds before—
Thunk!
Chika's hand came down in her patented Fist of Love against his forehead.
"Ow—why?!"
"Quit daydreaming. You plan on hiding here until the week's over?"
Tanjiro shook his head, eyes burning. "No! If I have the strength to fight, I'll use it! I'll take down as many demons as I can!"
"That's the spirit," she said with a grin. "I'll take the east side—you handle the west. Clear the mountain."
"Got it!"
With that, they split apart—two streaks of motion cutting through the forest like twin blades.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form—Water-Cut Decapitation!"
Chika's sword sang as she spun through the air, slicing cleanly through another demon's neck. One hit, one kill.Each step of hers was fluid, her breathing seamless.
The demons of Mount Fujikasane were all low-tier. Surviving seven days against them was usually enough to prove one's worth.But one demon here was different—stronger, older, and far crueler.
The mountain's king.
It was that creature which had slaughtered so many of Urokodaki's disciples—including Sabito and Makomo.
For Chika, that thing wasn't an obstacle. It was her target.
Yet even after felling several demons in quick succession, she hadn't found it.Perhaps it was hunting elsewhere.Perhaps Tanjiro had already drawn its attention.
As she turned to double back, a soft sound caught her ear.A light flutter of fabric, almost like a petal brushing against the wind.
Not far away stood a young girl in a pink kimono patterned with flowers, a blade at her side.Her movements were quiet, poised, and graceful.
Kanao Tsuyuri.
At this point in the timeline, she was the strongest among the candidates—trained under the Flower Hashira.If the weak demons lined up one by one, she could easily reach the fifty kills required to earn the rank of Hashira herself.
Still, demons rarely came in orderly lines, and even the smallest misstep could mean death.
As Chika watched, one such demon lunged at Kanao, jaws wide, claws flashing.It had picked the wrong prey.
Kanao didn't flinch.The demon's claws descended—
Shing!
The next moment, there was only silence…