After passing through the wisteria forest, Luke and Zenitsu officially entered the selection grounds. From this point on, encountering a Demon at any time would be perfectly normal.
The young men and women ahead of them wore all kinds of expressions, though most were anxious and afraid. For many of them, this would be their first time facing a real Demon. None of them knew whether they could survive the selection.
More than forty people had joined this selection. Considering that, in the original story, only the main cast ultimately fought their way through and passed, this so-called Final Selection was exceedingly difficult for most people.
Under normal circumstances, the pass rate was likely below one in ten. Its brutality was obvious.
Honestly, Luke found the entire Final Selection system baffling. The Demon Slayer Corps did not have many members to begin with. If only people on Tanjiro and Zenitsu’s level could pass the test, then this examination was far too difficult.
What was more, the test had no protective measures whatsoever. If someone could not defeat a Demon, they would genuinely be eaten. If this was meant to select talent, Luke still found it rather forced. The original story never explicitly mentioned it, but it was clear that Demon Slayer Corps members did not exactly receive generous benefits.
Everyone had already embarked on the path of revenge because Demons had destroyed their happiness. Yet they still had to pass a selection before joining the Corps—and one with an absurdly high death rate. In Luke’s eyes, it was completely nonsensical.
Especially since the Demons inside the selection grounds had all been captured by the Hashira. That wasted the Hashira’s combat strength and time, needlessly consuming the strength of their own side.
Were the candidates who failed the selection and got eaten by Demons truly worthless?
Not necessarily. Even if they joined the Kakushi and handled logistics, they could still contribute. Yet they entered the selection while lacking the necessary strength and died in the end, never providing any value at all.
In Luke’s view, the Demon Slayer Corps’ method of gaining fresh blood had far too many flaws. Could the trainers of these candidates really have no idea whether their students could kill Demons or roughly what level of strength they possessed?
There was even an out-of-scope monster like the Hand Demon on Mount Fujikasane. Did the Demon Slayer Corps genuinely not know about it, or were they simply too lazy to deal with it?
If the Demon Slayer Corps were enormous and had no shortage of manpower, he could understand using this kind of selection to specifically sift out geniuses. But in reality, the Corps only had a few hundred members... and desperately needed people.
In fact, by the time the original story began, the Demon Slayer Corps only had its current numbers because Sabito and Giyu’s class had effectively ushered dozens of people through. Otherwise, there would have been even fewer members.
Using Sabito’s class as a reference, Luke suspected that whenever an exceptionally strong participant appeared, a great number of Demon Slayers were carried through the selection. That would explain why the Corps had so many weak members who were technically Tanjiro and the others’ seniors, yet were unbelievably useless.
In short, Luke believed the Demon Slayer Corps’ current Final Selection had severe problems. There was no need for such a selection after this. From every perspective, he would not allow it to continue.
"Zenitsu, regulate your breathing. This Demon is weak. Kill it, and I’ll bring this selection to an end."
Luke urged Zenitsu on. Not long after entering, they had encountered a Demon. Perhaps it sensed something, because instead of attacking outright, it warily confronted Zenitsu.
"I... I..."
Zenitsu wavered, but the thought of Senior Brother Luke having his back calmed him somewhat.
After steadying his mind, he locked his eyes on the Demon. Thunder Breathing began circulating through his body. He lowered his stance and gripped the hilt of his sword.
In the next instant, golden lightning crackling around him, Zenitsu shot forward at extreme speed like a thunderbolt.
Thunder Breathing, First Form—Thunderclap and Flash!
When Zenitsu’s figure solidified, he had already passed by the Demon. A second or two later, the Demon’s head fell from its neck, its eyes filled with astonishment. "I was beheaded by a little brat like this?"
Still confused, its body and head slowly turned to ash.
"Not bad. Be more decisive next time. Don’t let your hand shake. Trust in your own strength."
Luke encouraged Zenitsu, who was still trembling after killing a Demon for the first time.
"Senior Brother Luke, I did it! I did it!"
Once the initial terror passed, excitement filled Zenitsu’s voice. He had not let down his senior brother or his grandfather. He had truly killed a Demon.
Even if it was only a weak Demon from the selection grounds, he now qualified to become a Demon Slayer. That meant his grandfather’s efforts in training him had not been wasted!
"Mm. I’ll keep my promise. I’ll make sure you pass the selection safely."
Luke smiled and headed deeper into the mountain, toward where the most vicious Demons should be gathered.
Zenitsu was somewhat puzzled. "Senior Brother Luke, wouldn’t it be safer to stay around the outskirts?"
With one hand resting on Prison Demon at his waist, Luke grinned. "The best way to protect you is, of course... to kill every single Demon."
...
"What kind of rotten luck is this?!"
Little Camellia cursed as she fled and dodged. She had assumed passing the selection would be easy, only to encounter the strongest Demon here immediately after entering.
The bloated, gigantic Demon chasing her had its neck wrapped in a mass of hands. It pursued her with a sadistic grin, verbally harassing her in a voice that made it sound like a disgusting old pervert the instant it opened its mouth.
She was merely an average first-tier Explorer. She had not even learned the Breathing Style she had just acquired, leaving her powerless against an out-of-scope question like the Hand Demon.
Of course, if she truly fought for her life, she felt that she might be able to win. But this was just a selection. Why should she risk her life against a Demon capable of super-speed regeneration?
She only needed to escape to the protagonist, Tanjiro. Once Tanjiro killed this Demon, everything would be fine. Right now, she only hoped the selection would end quickly. After completing the first stage of the main quest, she would find somewhere to hide and slowly study Flower Breathing.
"Where the hell is Tanjiro...?"
Even with her powerful physique, she was panting after running for so long. Yet she seemed terribly unlucky, unable to find Tanjiro no matter where she went.
It was not that she had never considered asking another Explorer for help, but they were just as difficult to find, and she could not be sure whether they would help her. Only a gentle little angel like Tanjiro was someone she knew would definitely lend a hand.
Boom—
As she dodged and the Hand Demon crashed into a large tree, her heart sank. She had accidentally twisted her ankle while evading it.
Just as she resolved herself and prepared to turn around to fight the Hand Demon for her life, she suddenly could no longer hear it.
Thud—
A bloated, enormous head dropped to the ground, rolled forward several times, and came to a stop before Little Camellia. She froze.
Instinctively, she looked up and saw a man in a black haori standing atop a tree trunk. Several drops of blood slid down the black blade in his hand.
"Forgot to negotiate a deal..."
The man muttered as though he were a merchant who had lost money on a transaction. Before Little Camellia could say anything, he vanished, leaving only falling leaves behind.
Luke was exhilarated. He had discovered that killing Demons could also increase Prison Demon’s bonus length. Even weak Demons increased it. Following the principle that every little bit counted, every Demon on this mountain had now become his private property.
Thus, the Demon Slayer candidates who had been tense and frightened while facing vicious Demons found themselves having a novel experience. One moment they were nervous or terrified; the next, they saw the Demon before them flying headfirst into the air.
And all that swept past them was a gust of black wind.
Only half an hour after Final Selection began, not a single Demon on Mount Fujikasane was spared. Every last one perished beneath Prison Demon’s blade.
The two Explorers watched the black-clad figure leisurely walk toward the selection ground’s exit with sword in hand. They exchanged a glance and saw the delight in each other’s eyes.
Without saying a word, they both understood what the other was thinking.
Holy shit, a powerhouse is carrying us!
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