Horitake's words left the three little ones exchanging bewildered glances.
It took them a while to fully grasp what he meant.
They knew Horitake had the ability to glimpse the future briefly. Once they combined that knowledge with what he just said, everything became clear.
In short: what was coming next was a trial.
Tanjiro and Yaeko felt quite confident about this kind of training—they both wore expressions of unwavering determination.
Zenitsu, on the other hand, looked like he was about to cry, his face full of despair:
"H-How can it be like this, Big Bro!"
"Don't call me Big Bro—calling me that won't help!"
"Big Bro, didn't you just say we can't handle that big trouble? Then why do you still want the three of us to charge in and fight? Isn't that just sending us to our deaths?"
"Idiot! You still don't get it?
I'm not sending you to die—I'm giving you a chance to train, to temper yourselves. It's not necessarily about increasing your strength; it's about whether you have the courage to face danger head-on.
If things really get critical enough, I definitely won't just stand by and watch you die. I'll step in and help."
"Oh… I see. With Big Bro backing us up like that, I actually feel a little more confident now.
I'll do my best when the time comes. I'll try hard to charge forward and fight the enemy."
Seeing Zenitsu looking so timid and pitiful, Horitake could only feel helpless.
With me here as your safety net and support—if even in a situation like this you still don't dare step up and fight, Zenitsu, then you really are hopeless.
With just a few casual sentences, Horitake had completely changed the nature of this system task.
What was originally a rescue mission had, thanks to his early arrival, turned into a training exercise.
Yaeko, who had been silent the whole time, couldn't help but ask:
"Shixiong, what kind of enemy is this big trouble we're about to face?"
Horitake shook his head:
"What other kind of enemy would the Demon Slayer Corps have? Of course it's a demon. The one you're about to encounter is definitely a fairly strong demon—not something rookies like you can handle.
As for exactly what kind of demon it is, I'm not entirely sure.
I can only catch brief glimpses of the future. Seeing that the three of you were in danger and preparing in advance is already the best I can do. Don't expect me to see everything clearly."
Yaeko nodded to show she understood and didn't ask any more.
And so, the five of them sat around the campfire by the roadside in silence, quietly waiting.
Horitake waited until he was bored out of his mind. Nezuko started dozing off. Tanjiro and Yaeko were a little tense, remaining on high alert at all times.
Only Zenitsu was scared out of his wits.
No matter how tense they were, what was coming would come anyway. If it's fortune, it won't be disaster; if it's disaster, you can't avoid it.
Sure enough, in the second half of the night, the danger arrived right on schedule.
The first to sense it was, of course, Horitake—the strongest one present.
Sitting by the campfire with his eyes closed in meditation, Horitake felt something approaching. He opened his eyes and glanced at the three little ones beside him, who were still relatively alert.
Then he spoke calmly:
"Get ready. Trouble's coming."
The three little ones immediately jolted. The boredom and fatigue from waiting so long vanished in an instant. They warily scanned their surroundings, prepared to face any danger that might appear.
The second to sense the danger was Nezuko.
As a demon, her perception was exceptional. She quickly felt something dangerous drawing near.
The dozing Nezuko snapped her eyes open, leaped to her feet in alert, and stared fiercely in one direction deep into the forest. Her aura was intense and menacing.
At this moment, Nezuko no longer looked like the soft, adorable little bunny from before—she resembled a slightly fierce, cute wolf pup.
Seeing Nezuko's reaction and the direction she was facing, the three little ones immediately understood.
Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Yaeko all stood up at once. The three of them went on full alert, staring warily into the depths of the forest.
After sensing for a moment, Horitake understood.
This enemy had some real strength.
For the three little ones, it was an overwhelmingly powerful foe they couldn't possibly resist.
But for him? It would only take two or three moves.
So Horitake remained completely unconcerned, still sitting leisurely by the campfire with a relaxed, carefree attitude.
Finally, the danger drew closer and closer.
The three little ones could already hear the sound of heavy footsteps coming from deep within the forest.
The steps were exceptionally heavy. Listening carefully, each footfall landed with a loud thud, as if it were smashing a crater into the ground.
Just from the sound of those footsteps, it was clear: this enemy had massive weight.
Massive weight meant great strength. It meant this was no ordinary opponent.
Even though the enemy hadn't appeared yet, just hearing those footsteps approaching from far to near already made the three little ones feel tense.
Especially Zenitsu—he was so nervous he could barely stand it.
At last, a massive figure stepped out of the forest and appeared before everyone!
When they saw the demon's size and appearance, cold sweat broke out on the three little ones' foreheads. Tanjiro, standing at the front, muttered in shock:
"This… this is… a sumo wrestler!?"
That's right—the demon that appeared had the appearance of a sumo wrestler!
Everyone knows that sumo wrestlers in Nihon are all super-heavyweight giants.
Yet despite all that fat, those heavyweights possess terrifying power and destructive force.
Human sumo wrestlers are already frightening enough—but a sumo wrestler turned demon was even more terrifying.
This sumo demon stood nearly three meters tall, with vicious eyes, sharp fangs, and skin an unnatural shade of blue. Most striking of all was his entire body covered in thick layers of fat, combined with his horrifyingly enormous frame.
He was practically a giant little fatty!
An enemy with this kind of weight and size could deliver an overwhelming visual impact and crushing sense of pressure even without moving.
Right now, the three little ones were feeling exactly that immense pressure.
Tanjiro, at the front, had even more cold sweat dripping down.
Yaeko, who had been full of confidence, now felt her resolve waver.
And Zenitsu? The poor kid was scared senseless. If Tanjiro and Yaeko hadn't been standing right beside him, he would have already turned tail and run.
They couldn't help but feel nervous. They couldn't help but feel afraid.
The sheer oppressive presence of the enemy's size was too much. Forget fighting such a terrifying demon—even if it just fell on them, they'd be crushed flat!
Forget strength comparison for a moment—just look at the size difference, and you could tell how massive the psychological shadow was for the three little ones right now.
The opponent: a vicious-looking, terrifyingly imposing giant fatty, nearly three meters tall with an enormous build.
Their side: three teenagers, all only in their mid-teens. Average height barely over 1.7 meters, with skinny arms and legs—looking thin and frail.
The disparity in size alone already represented a certain degree of disparity in power.
How the hell were they supposed to fight this!?
At this moment, the three little ones felt like their minds were on the verge of collapse.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"