The morning sunlight pierced through the thin morning mist, spilling before the massive torii gate at the foot of Mount Fujikasane.
As the Final Selection was officially declared over, the twenty-two surviving swordsmen each received a Kasugai Crow for communication and scarlet ore for forging their nichirin blades, preparing to set off on their journey home.
"Um... Tanaka-san!"
Tanjiro, carrying a heavy wooden box on his back, suddenly stepped forward behind Yamada, who was preparing to leave, and bowed deeply.
His forehead was almost touching his knees, his tone filled with undisguised gratitude and awe. "Thank you very much!"
Tanjiro was an honest person, and his sense of smell far exceeded that of ordinary people.
When he entered that forest of scattered rocks deep within Mount Fujikasane, he had not only smelled the unfathomable, abyss-like aura on Yamada but also the terrifying resentment lingering from the giant demon that had been struck into ash by lightning.
Even just the residual scent made Tanjiro feel a sense of suffocation. He couldn't even imagine what kind of tragic, one-sided slaughter it would have been if Yamada hadn't killed that behemoth with countless arms—which had lived for who knows how many years—before these newcomers, who hadn't even fully mastered Total Concentration Breathing, encountered it.
His master, Urokodaki Sakonji, had told him that there were extremely dangerous demons in the mountain. Tanjiro was certain that the giant mutated demon slain by Yamada was definitely the most terrifying existence in this mountain.
"If you hadn't cleared out that monster and the vast majority of the demons in the mountain beforehand... I'm afraid more than half of us wouldn't have made it out alive. I, Kamado Tanjiro, will never forget this kindness."
Hearing Tanjiro's words, Genya, who was sporting a mohawk nearby, let out a cold snort.
Although he didn't speak, the look in his eyes as he watched Yamada was completely devoid of the arrogance from seven days ago, replaced by deep apprehension.
He never wanted to experience that terrifying illusion from last night, which had nearly shattered his soul, a second time in his life.
As for Zenitsu, if Tanjiro hadn't been firmly clutching the back of his collar, he probably would have lunged forward by now to hug Yamada's thigh, crying and shouting to become his subordinate.
"No need for thanks. I only kill demons to... cough, pass the time."
Yamada turned around and looked at this stubborn "Head Hashira". "If you really want to thank me, remember to leave the kills to me if you encounter high-level goods like the Twelve Kizuki in the future."
Leaving behind a remark that left everyone bewildered, Yamada didn't stay any longer. Chakra instantly gathered and exploded at the soles of his feet.
Bang!
Accompanied by a dull sonic boom, the ground beneath Yamada's feet cracked inch by inch.
His entire body shot up into the air, trailing a black afterimage in mid-air, and in an instant, he disappeared into the end of the vast sea of trees.
"So fast! I can't even see the afterimage! What kind of Breathing Style is this?!" Tanjiro's eyes widened in shock as he gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Kanao silently watched the direction Yamada had left in. In those purple eyes that were usually calm, an unusual light flickered.
She tightened her grip on the scarlet ore in her hand, which represented passing the trial, and turned to walk in another direction.
—
Meanwhile, at the Ubuyashiki Estate, the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters hundreds of kilometers away from Mount Fujikasane.
Within the tranquil courtyard, the atmosphere was so oppressive that one could hear a pin drop.
The current head of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, sat in the primary seat.
On his face, which was covered with purple marks, an expression of extreme astonishment intermingled with joy appeared.
On the tatami in front of him, two Hashira wearing Haori were half-kneeling.
Insect Hashira Kochō Shinobu.
Water Hashira Tomioka Giyu.
And in the center of the Washitsu, two Kasugai Crows that had just flown back from Mount Fujikasane with all their might were flapping their wings, reporting the "bizarre" results of this final trial in extremely sharp, even cracking voices.
"Caw! Wiped out! Wiped out! The demons of Mount Fujikasane were wiped out by a single person!"
"Twenty-two survivors! Unprecedented! Caw!"
"A monster! A monster named Tanaka Yamada! Using fire! Using lightning! That giant mutated demon with dozens of arms that lived for over forty years was shredded into dust by him with bare-handed lightning! Gone! Caw caw!"
Hearing the incoherent report of the Kasugai Crows, even the usually expressionless Giyu, who seemed indifferent to everything, suddenly had his deep blue eyes, which were like stagnant water, contract.
"Dozens of arms... a mutated demon that lived for over forty years?" Giyu muttered to himself.
During that cruel selection years ago, he was attacked by a demon at the very start and fell unconscious from heavy injuries.
By the time he woke up, the selection was over, and Sabito, whose talent far exceeded his own and who was as radiant as the sun, had stayed in that mountain forever.
He had never seen the killer of Sabito with his own eyes, nor did he know about the specific hatred between that demon and Sakonji.
He only knew that the one who should have survived was Sabito, and that he himself was not worthy of becoming the Water Hashira. This heavy sense of guilt had weighed on him for seven whole years.
Kagaya's already blind eyes curved slightly. Although he couldn't see, his mind was extremely clear, and his memory was astonishingly good.
"Dozens of arms, over forty years..." Kagaya coughed, his gentle voice carrying a hint of emotion.
"Giyu, do you still remember Urokodaki-san's reports from the early years? During the Edo Period, he personally captured a demon alive and imprisoned it in Mount Fujikasane. Calculating the time, over forty years have passed."
"To be able to avoid the wisteria poison for these forty years and grow into such a massive, deformed shape by eating countless swordsmen... If I'm not mistaken, those thirteen children Urokodaki-san sent to participate in the selection over the years who never returned, including Sabito and Makomo, all perished at the hands of this monster."
Kagaya's gentle words fell into Giyu's ears like a thunderclap.
All this time, he had thought Sabito died from exhaustion while continuously fighting various demons to protect weaklings like them.
It wasn't until today, from Kagaya's deduction, that he learned the one who killed Sabito back then was actually that terrifying Demon that had lived for over forty years and specialized in hunting Sakonji's students.
And now, that giant nightmare lurking in Mount Fujikasane, had been ground into ash by a newcomer named Yamada.
Giyu abruptly lowered his head, gritting his teeth. Although his expression was still forcibly suppressed, his slightly trembling shoulders and fists clenched until the knuckles turned white completely betrayed the turbulent emotions within him.
"Sabito..."
He silently repeated that name in his heart.
The massive boulder that had weighed on his heart for seven years, making it almost impossible for him to breathe, finally developed a crack at this moment.
He didn't know who this person named Yamada was, but he knew very well that by slaying that Demon, the other party had not only avenged Sabito but also prevented the innocent deaths of more Water Breathing users in the future.
"Master!"
Giyu suddenly looked up, his tone solemn to the extreme and his voice resonant. "No matter who this person named Tanaka Yamada is, I, Tomioka Giyu, will take this kindness to heart. If he joins the Demon Slayer Corps, I am willing to do everything in my power to assist him."
Shinobu, who was also somewhat surprised, quickly showed her trademark gentle smile.
She turned to look at Kagaya and reported softly, "Master, the Tanaka Yamada mentioned by this Kasugai Crow is exactly the mysterious young man I reported to you a few days ago."
"He doesn't use any Breathing Style known to us, yet he can release lightning with his bare hands and instantly annihilate demon cells. I once thought he was just exceptionally strong, but I didn't expect... he would actually treat Mount Fujikasane as a training ground."
"Very good." A long-absent flush appeared on Kagaya's pale face.
"In fifteen days, after his nichirin blade is forged, convene a Hashira Meeting. I very much want to personally meet this miracle that might help us completely end Muzan."
[Ding! Detected that the host's achievement of killing the 'Hand Demon' has been conveyed to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters!]
[Water Hashira Tomioka Giyu learned the truth of that year from Ubuyashiki Kagaya's deduction, generating extreme gratitude and shock toward the host! His heart's knot has begun to loosen!]
[Ubuyashiki Kagaya regards the host as the key to breaking the deadlock, the plotline has undergone a major shift!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Dimension Points: 3,000!]