How much money had he missed out on? This was enough to buy a whole room full of ohagi! Sanemi felt like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks.
Sure enough, Su Chen was up to no good.
No wonder he wanted his "spot." He never would have guessed. He had just found out about this, and that brat Su Chen was already trying to take his position! It seemed the people at the Butterfly Mansion weren't just petty; they were devious, too.
Oh well. This was a good chance to get the method for awakening the Mark through a bet. That way, he wouldn't owe Su Chen any favors.
Besides, there was no way he could lose.
"I agree," Sanemi said, crossing his arms with a disdainful look.
Immediately after, the Flame Hashira raised his hand. "I'll join in too! If I win, can you also tell me the method to awaken the Mark? Hahahahaha!"
Inosuke also charged over, yelling, "Boar Assault!" "Hee-hee-hee-hee! Count me in! Count me in!"
Sanemi looked at Inosuke, completely baffled. "Why are you joining? You're so weak, how can you even show your face?"
"I just want to have a good fight with Su Chen! I want to be stronger than Su Chen!" Inosuke roared excitedly. He suddenly froze, his boar snout bumping right into Sanemi's face. "What did you just say, Scarface? Are you saying I can't beat you, you idiot!"
Seeing the two were about to argue again, Kanzaki Aoi quickly pulled Inosuke away. Pointing to Inosuke's head, she said, "I apologize, everyone. He got injured here a few days ago, please forgive him."
Sanemi scoffed. "Be careful next time. Confronting a Hashira like that is overstepping your bounds."
Inosuke angrily retorted, "Scarface is pretty arrogant! I'll show you what I can do later!"
After exchanging a few more threats, the list of participants was set. The contestants were: Su Chen, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Kyojuro Rengoku, and the energetic Hashibira Inosuke. The four would be competing individually.
Shinobu Kocho led everyone to the entrance of the Butterfly Mansion. When they arrived, she gave Su Chen a complex look, but quickly averted her gaze before he noticed.
Once all the contestants were ready, Shinobu immediately explained the rules.
"Alright, contestants Su Chen, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Hashibira Inosuke. I will now explain the specific rules for the first stage of the competition. These rules were created by myself and Su Chen, and since everyone approved them, I will ensure absolute fairness. I will be the judge for this match."
Shinobu pointed to the ground where she was standing. She continued, "After the competition starts, Aoi, Xiao Qing, Xiao Cheng, and Xiao Caihui will carry out their normal duties inside the Butterfly Mansion. Kanao and I will be counting here at the entrance. For every patient you bring back, Kanao will award one point to the contestant. The time limit is one hour. Also, to prevent anyone from injuring the wounded, I will temporarily hold onto everyone's Nichirin Swords."
"A friendly reminder: if I catch anyone cheating, I will deal with them thoroughly~ Good luck, everyone~"
After Shinobu announced the rules, she collected everyone's Nichirin Swords, one by one.
Finally, Shinobu stood in front of Su Chen, smiling at him.
Su Chen gave a helpless smile. "No way? Even wooden swords?"
Shinobu leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Hurry up! Isn't collecting the swords for your own good!"
Su Chen chuckled but handed over his wooden sword anyway. Shinobu took the sword and gave it to Kanzaki Aoi to take inside the Butterfly Mansion.
"Alright everyone. From now on, I declare the first stage of the competition open~"
Bang!
Instantly, the four of them shot out like arrows from a bow.
Inosuke, wearing his boar head mask, immediately chose the most crowded path.
"Where is it? It's there! ... There! Hee-hee-hee-hee!"
Inosuke charged forward madly with his Boar Assault, running and looking for injured Demon Slayer Corps members nearby. Usually, injured Demon Slayer Corps members were sent to the Butterfly Mansion for treatment. All he had to do was keep searching and intercept them!
Inosuke let out an excited yell. He instantly spotted an injured person in the crowd! The person was limping, clearly on their way to the Butterfly Mansion for treatment.
"Boar Assault! Boar Assault!"
Inosuke pushed off the ground and charged toward the person.
But just as he was about to reach them, a fiery red figure arrived a step ahead.
It was the large-eyed man with long, curly yellow hair.
The man smiled brightly at Inosuke. "I'm sorry, Boar Trooper, but I'll be taking this comrade for treatment!"
With that, bang! The man flew off like a cannonball, disappearing from Inosuke's sight in an instant.
Inosuke rubbed his eyes, his face hidden by the mask, but he was clearly in disbelief. His prey, which was already in his grasp, had just flown away?
That large-eyed person's speed was too fast!
However, Inosuke didn't give up.
He quickly spotted another Demon Slayer Corps member on the path. This person was also limping and clearly injured.
"Hee-hee-hee, found another one!"
Inosuke once again used his Boar Assault! In the terrified eyes of the injured slayer, Inosuke finally reached him this time!
But then, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Move aside! Move aside!"
The next moment, a whirlwind-like figure suddenly appeared.
Bang!
A brutal, powerful force struck Inosuke's chest. Inosuke was sent flying.
Splash!
Inosuke landed clumsily in a nearby bush. The sunlight shone down on him, making him feel as if he were in a dream. It took him a full five seconds to recover.
He sat up abruptly from the bush, muttering, "How did I fly out just now?"
Inosuke fell into thought. He had clearly touched the person, and then... he just flew away. What kind of monster was responsible for this? Were there other masters nearby?
At this moment, Inosuke had begun to question his life.
The truth was, Sanemi's speed had been too fast. It was so fast that Inosuke couldn't even process what had happened. The tragic thing was that Inosuke still didn't know what had caused him to fly away.
He also didn't know that his opponents were two Hashira-level fighters and Su Chen, who was basically a quasi-Hashira himself. This simple, boar-like youth had already secured fourth place early in the match.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than half an hour had gone by.
Under the fast "rescuing" of the two Hashira, Sanemi and Kyojuro, the injured people nearby were quickly swept away.
The scorching sun was overhead, casting a golden-orange glow. Su Chen stood at the highest point of the Butterfly Mansion, quietly observing his surroundings.