[Mmm…]
Nezuko's forehead slammed into Tanjiro's, and she slowly raised her hand, turning her head toward the screen.
At that moment, everyone across the multiverse saw it—
Her porcelain-white forehead rapidly swelling red…
And then—
PAK!!
A crisp sound rang out.
The swollen spot on Nezuko's forehead suddenly split open, and blood trickled down from the wound.
It must have hurt—
because everyone saw Nezuko's innocent little face, her big pure eyes quickly filling with tears.
She was… crying from the pain!!
Instantly, countless viewers sucked in a cold breath.
They had just witnessed a forehead splitting in real time!!
But the most terrifying part was—
Tanjiro's forehead still looked perfectly normal.
Not a bruise.
Not a scratch.
Not even a dent.
This was horrifying beyond words.
...
Demon Slayer World.
Final Selection Mountain.
"That boy!! That boy is too terrifying!!!"
Deep within the forest, the Hand Demon trembled violently as he stared at the scene in the video.
Even he—a monster with countless arms—was shocked by how absurdly hard Tanjiro's forehead was.
He simply couldn't understand.
How could a human have such a monstrous skull!?
Rustle!
Suddenly, a panicked boy burst out of the bushes, running frantically as though something horrifying was chasing him.
The boy's sudden appearance drew the Hand Demon's attention.
Without hesitation, it struck.
The video had frightened it so badly that it desperately needed a snack to stabilize its emotional trauma.
"NO!! Don't!! Please!!!"
The boy had just escaped one danger only to fall into another.
Before he could even react, a soft limb wrapped around his waist—
And then—
He looked up, only to see a gaping maw filled with the stench of blood looming before him.
"Water Breathing: Wheel of Water!!"
Suddenly, a furious shout tore through the air!!
SWISH!!
SPLAT!!!
Before either human or demon could react, the Hand Demon's arm—the one holding the boy—was severed clean off!!
A split second later, a wave of agony blasted through the Hand Demon's brain.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
The Hand Demon, feared ruler of this mountain, howled like a wounded beast.
It had never been injured like this—how could it endure the humiliation!?
"WHO!?"
It roared, spinning toward the attacker.
Then a familiar figure appeared before it.
The Hand Demon: "…"
That flaming-red hair.
That green checkered haori.
That strange scar on his forehead.
Every detail screamed his identity.
Tanjiro Kamado!!!
"W–Why is it you!? Head-Butting Hashira!! Why is a Hashira here!?"
The Hand Demon stared in disbelief.
It never imagined that a Hashira-level monster would appear during Final Selection.
Yes—after being sealed for so many years, it simply assumed Tanjiro had risen to the rank of "Hashira."
Hearing this, Tanjiro—about to launch his next attack—froze.
He had never watched the multiversal ranking video.
He had no idea that "Head-Butting Hashira" referred to him.
"Head-Butting Hashira!? Th–Thank you!!"
A shout suddenly came from behind him.
It was the boy he saved earlier.
But what the boy said only confused Tanjiro further.
Head-Butting Hashira?
Huh??
Were they talking about… him??
Me???
Hashira… of headbutts???
He subconsciously stepped forward in confusion—
And the Hand Demon instantly recoiled in horror, staggering back a dozen steps!!
Tanjiro: "???"
He had no idea what was happening.
Why…
Why was the demon so scared of him??
SWISH! SWISH!
More figures burst from the forest—some human, some demon.
But the moment they saw Tanjiro's face, they all froze.
Several demons even turned tail and ran on the spot, abandoning their human prey entirely.
The humans who had been chased moments ago now stared at Tanjiro with awe.
The might of the Head-Butting Hashira—
Terrifying beyond imagination!!
Everyone looked at Tanjiro with reverence.
And all the demons looked at him with absolute fear.
Only Tanjiro himself was completely lost.
Nothing made sense anymore.
THUD!!!
Tanjiro moved.
He turned toward a demon not far away and took one step forward.
BOOM!!!
The demon immediately turned and bolted at full speed—
Kicking the ground so hard it left a massive crater behind as it ran for its life.
Tanjiro froze, dumbfounded.
It was his first time seeing a demon flee from a human.
Weren't demons supposed to go crazy with bloodlust when they saw humans…??
"Too strong, Head-Butting Hashira!!
Just one step and the demon ran for its life!"
"Finish them all, Head-Butting Hashira!!"
"Use the ultra-mega headbutt!!!"
Watching demons flee boosted the morale of every human around.
Some timid participants even subconsciously covered their foreheads when Tanjiro glanced their way.
Can't blame them—
the "Skull-Crusher Hunter" Tanjiro was no joke.
Even humans knew they didn't want to be on the receiving end of the Head-Butting Hashira.
The Hand Demon fled too—despite its massive body, it ran shockingly fast.
Within moments, the mountain seemed clear of threats.
Feeling countless heated gazes around him, Tanjiro finally couldn't hold back his confusion.
He turned around and asked loudly:
"Please wait!!!
What do you all mean by… 'Head-Butting Hashira'!??"