This year's Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane concluded after only a single day, ending ahead of schedule.
Aside from a few unfortunate Demon Slayer candidates who were killed by demons, the vast majority of participants in this selection survived.
Judging from this final outcome, one might consider this welcome news.
As for why the selection was declared finished early?
The explanation given by Master Ubuyashiki to the Demon Slayer Corps was this—
The candidate Kamado Tanjiro had single-handedly slain every demon on Mount Fujikasane in a single night, rendering the selection unnecessary to continue. Thus, it was concluded ahead of time.
The miracle achieved by past generations had been replicated once more. Undoubtedly, this news greatly inspired and uplifted the members of the Demon Slayer Corps!
However, what these hunters—who were not present at the scene—did not know was that all of this was false information that Ubuyashiki Kagaya had been forced to release in order to prevent widespread panic within the Demon Slayer Corps.
The true reason this year's Final Selection had ended early was because Upper Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki, the "Karma Demon" who had appeared in the Demon Slayer Corps' historical records, had manifested on Mount Fujikasane!
The Demon Slayer Corps. The Ubuyashiki Estate. High noon.
Two days after the conclusion of the Final Selection, the Hashira of the current generation, summoned by Ubuyashiki Kagaya, gathered from various regions to hold a Hashira Meeting.
Unlike in the past, when the Master would sit in the inner chamber while the Hashira could only kneel or stand in the outer courtyard.
Since Ubuyashiki Kagaya had taken charge, the rigid hierarchy within the Demon Slayer Corps had become far less severe.
During Hashira Meetings, the Hashira now sat in the inner chamber alongside Ubuyashiki, each with a small table before them. If they felt hungry, they could even help themselves to snacks on the table—a rather relaxed and comfortable arrangement.
"Quite the rare Hashira Meeting, isn't it? Speaking of which, when was the last time we all gathered like this?"
At this moment, there was still some time before the meeting would officially commence.
In the meeting room, a young man wearing a fox mask that warded off misfortune leaned lazily against his table and spoke.
To the young man's left was Giyuu, who had gone to Tokyo with Kanae several days ago to hunt Enmu.
To his right was a gentle woman with deep green eyes, lovely features, and a faint smile always playing at the corners of her lips.
Without a doubt, this trio of two men and one woman was the current Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps—
Sabito, Makomo, and Giyuu.
The three were fellow disciples under the former Water Hashira, Urokodaki Sakonji, an extremely rare "Three Hashira from One School" in the history of the Demon Slayer Corps!
However, although the three were senior and junior disciples, their personalities were quite different.
Giyuu constantly wore a dead expression and would unintentionally say things that easily offended others, making him rather unsociable—though he himself might be completely unaware of this…
Makomo was taciturn and somewhat introverted.
Sabito, on the other hand, was warm and outgoing, getting along with everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps like a good buddy.
Perhaps it was for this reason that these three Water Hashira usually followed Sabito's lead. Whatever decision he made, the other two rarely objected.
"Hmm… If I recall correctly, it was half a year ago, when Muichirou was promoted to Moon Hashira?"
The one who answered Sabito was the Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen, sitting across from him.
He was a robust man with white hair, magnificent clothing, and gemstones adorning nearly every part of his body.
Sound Hashira Uzui Tengen originally came from a family of shinobi. Unable to bear the tradition of killing one another within his clan, he had left with his three wives.
He later encountered Ubuyashiki Kagaya by chance and, at the latter's persuasion, joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
This was a man who bore no hatred toward demons. He had chosen to become a hunter purely out of personal loyalty to Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
The breathing technique Uzui Tengen used was "Sound Breathing," which he had created by combining his shinobi techniques. The shinobi elements comprised a significant portion of it.
As such, this breathing technique was used by him alone in the entire Demon Slayer Corps; no one else could learn it…
"Hey! I'm talking about you, Muichirou! Stop spacing out over there!"
Turning to look at the boy sitting beside him, the Sound Hashira casually grabbed a peanut from the table and tossed it at him.
This boy was Tokitou Muichirou, with long, silky hair, delicate features, and a short stature—so lovely he could almost be mistaken for a girl.
Muichirou, merely fourteen years old, was said to be a descendant of the progenitor of breathing techniques.
Over half a year ago, the amnesiac Muichirou had been brought back to the Demon Slayer Corps by the Master's wife, thus beginning his legendary demon-slaying career.
Bearing the bloodline of the progenitor of breathing techniques, he was the only one in the Demon Slayer Corps capable of practicing Moon Breathing.
Despite having no foundation, he became a Hashira within two months of wielding a sword. His talent was second only to Tsugikuni Mitsuba from over a decade ago!
Undoubtedly, the young Muichirou possessed the highest talent in the entire Demon Slayer Corps. His future was limitless!
Facing the peanut thrown by the Sound Hashira, the seemingly dazed Muichirou didn't even turn his head, merely raising his hand to catch it with perfect precision.
"Boring."
Lowering his gaze, the boy unceremoniously threw it back along the same path.
"Hah! This brat's still as cocky as ever…"
"Apologies, I'm late. There was an incident on the way; the train from Tokyo was slightly delayed…"
Just then, Flower Hashira Kochou Kanae suddenly pushed open the door and walked in, apologizing to everyone in the room.
"No worries, no worries! The Master hasn't arrived yet anyway~ Kanae, come sit by me~"
The one who responded to Kanae was the current Love Hashira, Kanroji Mitsuri.
She smiled and quickly patted the empty seat beside her, beckoning Kanae to come sit.
Kanroji Mitsuri was a rather peculiar woman.
She was born with a rather special constitution—her muscle density was eight times that of an ordinary human!
Beneath that seemingly delicate body lay terrifying strength!
But because of this, she also possessed an enormous appetite.
Due to her tomboyish personality and her tendency to be carefree, Kanroji Mitsuri had never been particularly favored by the men around her since childhood. After growing up, she experienced several consecutive failed marriage interviews…
Thus, in order to find a place that would accept her, and also to find a man she could love, Kanroji Mitsuri joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
Although this sounded somewhat abstract, that was indeed the case.
Yes, Kanroji Mitsuri was another rare individual in the Demon Slayer Corps who bore no hatred toward demons and had become a hunter purely for personal reasons.
However, although this girl's thought process was a bit abstract, her strength was genuine.
Relying on her eight-times-normal muscle density, combined with her self-created "Love Breathing," Kanroji Mitsuri quickly became the "Love Hashira" of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Incidentally, due to frequently visiting the Butterfly Mansion to consult about questions like "How can I become thinner?" and "Is there any medicine that lets me eat as much as I want without gaining weight?" and various other strange inquiries.
Kanroji Mitsuri and Kanae actually had quite a good relationship; the two were friends.
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This story has ended in chapter 315, you can read on patreon.com/dzeref887 for faster access or wait until August to read on WebNovel until the story ends.