On the eighth day of the Final Selection, at dawn when the sun first rose.
Shinichi, leaning against a large tree, opened his eyes.
A hint of fatigue flashed in his heterochromatic eyes.
As he moved his neck, making cracking sounds, he stood up and saw a team of Kakushi members carrying stretchers in the distance.
Many of the stretchers covered with white sheets were stained with blood.
Beneath the sheets were young swordsmen with pale faces or groaning in pain.
Needless to say, they were the swordsmen who had failed the Final Selection.
Some failed due to insufficient strength to defeat demons, while others were ambushed due to their carelessness.
Regardless, it couldn't hide the fact of their failure.
In the past Final Selections, failed swordsmen usually couldn't make it out of Mt. Fujikasane alive.
But since Forest Hashira Shinichi took office, the Demon Slayer Corps' emphasis on the Final Selection safety increased by several levels.
In subsequent Final Selections, many Kasugai Crows dispatched to patrol Mt. Fujikasane.
Most crucially, Hashira were assigned to oversee the Final Selection each time.
The Hashira's tasks included maintaining order during the Final Selection, as well as other considerations.
Protecting the safety of participating swordsmen was also one of the tasks, although the Master didn't strictly require this.
After all, Hashira were also human and could get tired.
Compared to other Hashira, Shinichi had more advantages.
When he activated his demon transformation state, blending into Mt. Fujikasane's night mist was incredibly easy.
Even so, Shinichi couldn't guarantee he could rescued all the failed swordsmen.
He could only say that the path of demon slaying was always fraught with danger.
As the sun fully rose from the horizon, it signaled the end of the Final Selection.
Shinichi, the two children from the Ubuyashiki family, and the Kakushi members who hadn't left all turned their gaze towards the exit of Mt. Fujikasane.
They didn't have to wait long.
Soon, the first figure stumbled out of Mt. Fujikasane.
However, seeing this person's appearance, Shinichi was a bit surprised.
Mainly, this boy's hairstyle was, well, how to put it, quite unique.
The black hair on both sides was short and bare, with only a large tuft in the center of his head very lush and dense, trailing to the back of his head like a wolf's tail.
Besides his hairstyle, the boy's appearance was also striking.
A somewhat terrifying scar ran diagonally across his face, giving him a fierce look.
If one ignored his cold expression and the veins on his forehead, he was quite a handsome young man in terms of looks.
What caught Shinichi's attention most were the boy's eyes.
The familiar small pupils, large whites of the eyes, and furrowed brows unconsciously reminded Shinichi of someone.
"Sanemi?"
That's right, this boy looked too much like Sanemi.
Before Shinichi could think more, one after another, many figures walked out of Mt. Fujikasane.
Two boys with fox masks at their waists supported each other as they exited Mt. Fujikasane, though their faces showed some grief.
Kanao, whom Shinobu was very concerned about, also quickly walked out.
Her pink clothes were a bit dirty and her pretty face was covered in some mud, but her expression remained calm.
The blonde boy Shinichi had noticed before the selection began also successfully passed the selection.
However, judging by his unsteady steps and somewhat dazed expression, it seemed like he had passed the Final Selection in a confused state.
If it weren't for his badly damaged clothes and the wounds on his face, Shinichi would have suspected this kid had slept through the seven days to pass the Final Selection.
A few more swordsmen walked out of Mt. Fujikasane one after another, and then there was no more movement at the exit.
Shinichi frowned.
He stared at the exit, but Tanjiro's figure still hadn't appeared.
Could it be that Tanjiro had failed?
"Forest Hashira, sir, it's about time. Should we announce the end of the Final Selection?"
A swordsman who had passed the selection asked Shinichi after standing around for a while.
Almost every one of them had injuries to varying degrees, and standing for so long was indeed draining their energy.
Shinichi crossed his arms and kept staring at the exit.
Who knows how much time passed, but intense disappointment and regret welled up from his heart.
Sighing, Shinichi turned around and nodded to Kiriya Ubuyashiki and Hinaki Ubuyashiki.
The two little ones immediately understood and almost simultaneously began to speak.
"Congratulations to everyone..."
Before they could finish, suddenly, a loud and urgent shout came from behind everyone.
"Wait! Wait a moment! Help, help me! Watanabe is in bad shape! He's been unconscious for half a day! Please save him!"
Shinichi whirled around to see Tanjiro at the exit, panting heavily while carrying an unconscious swordsman on his back, taking big strides towards everyone.
This sudden scene stunned everyone.
Many swordsmen looked at Tanjiro in shock.
He was willing to carry a stranger who had been unconscious for half a day through the dangerous Mt. Fujikasane?
This was too...
The two boys with fox masks, who were also Tanjiro's senpais, were very excited to see Tanjiro.
They called out his name, having thought Tanjiro had unfortunately died in Mt. Fujikasane.
The Kakushi members also rushed forward, taking the swordsman named Watanabe from Tanjiro's back and immediately beginning emergency treatment.
As the exhausted Tanjiro was about to sit down, his arm was supported by a great force.
Looking up, Shinichi's very pleased expression appeared in Tanjiro's view.
"Shi-Shinichi senpai?"
"Tanjiro, you're really something! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!" Shinichi helped Tanjiro up and patted his shoulder.
At this moment, Tanjiro's two senpais also ran over.
Amidst their excitement, they also told Tanjiro some painful news.
Their senpai Fuyuki had sacrificed himself in Mt. Fujikasane to cover for them.
Upon hearing this news, the joy and excitement on Tanjiro's face were immediately replaced by intense sorrow.
Before officially joining the Demon Slayer Corps, these young swordsmen had already experienced the cruel separations that might often occur in the future.
Shinichi didn't offer any consolation, just quietly watching from the side.
This kind of pain needed to be overcome by themselves.
When Kiriya Ubuyashiki and Hinaki Ubuyashiki officially announced the end of the Final Selection, only about a dozen swordsmen were standing in the field, far from the impressive sight of dozens of swordsmen standing here at the beginning.
However, in the eyes of these dozen or so swordsmen who had passed the Final Selection, there was an added hint of maturity.
Having officially faced demons, they could be said to have been reborn.
From today on, they were officially Demon Slayer Corps members embarking on the path of demon hunting.
Tanjiro looked at the crisp black Demon Slayer Corps uniform on Shinichi, his eyes full of determination.
He might not know it, but, the story of the Demon Slayer Corps, from this moment on, had turned a new chapter.
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