"You... are..."
Thanks to Tanjiro's efforts, Genya finally slowly regained consciousness from his coma. Opening his eyes to see the two people before him, his face was full of confusion.
"We're companions who came to save you! My name is Tanjiro, and he's Zenitsu!"
Briefly introducing themselves, Tanjiro quickly asked:
"Genya, tell me, which demon attacked you?"
"I... I don't know..."
Due to excessive blood loss, his mind was still somewhat muddled. Hearing Tanjiro's question, the weak Genya only responded subconsciously:
"I only heard... a sudden bang from behind, and then... my stomach was bleeding... and then I... I fainted..."
"A bang... what does that mean?"
Tanjiro was full of confusion.
What did he mean by "a bang and then he fainted"?
Could this be some kind of long-range Blood Demon Art?
Wait, there were actually demons with Blood Demon Arts in Mount Fujikasane?!
"I don't know... I... didn't see anything..."
"I understand."
Feeling vaguely uneasy in his heart, Tanjiro looked at the weak Genya and stopped asking further questions.
He took out a portion of the medicine, food, and water he was carrying and handed them to Genya, saying seriously:
"Genya, I still need to continue deeper into the mountain, so I can't protect you all the way back.
From here, walk along the direction of the mountain foot yourself. Be careful not to stray too far from the nearby wisteria forest.
If you encounter any rescue team seniors on the way, call out to them for help, understood?"
After speaking, Tanjiro said no more. Taking Zenitsu with him, he quickly rose and walked toward the deep mountains.
Recalling Mitsuba's earlier warning about "a terrifying demon hidden in the deep mountains," and connecting it with the strange wound on Genya's body,
Tanjiro felt he had discovered the truth.
Genya must have been injured by that terrifying demon!
That mysterious big sister was definitely a member of the rescue team. She had discovered that demon's trail and was pursuing it!
Yes! That's it!
And what he needed to do now was rush to the peak immediately to help that big sister!
Of course, if he encountered other prospective Demon Slayers who needed rescue along the way, Tanjiro would help them too.
However, what Tanjiro never expected was that there were far more people needing his help along the way than he had originally anticipated...
"Kekeke! Little one! Your flesh is mine!"
"Waaah! S-save me! Don't eat me!"
"Don't freeze up! Maintain your breathing! Swing your sword!"
Among this year's prospective Demon Slayers participating in the Final Selection, over twenty were attending for the first time.
Although during the first round of assessment, all of them had demonstrated sufficient Breathing Style ability to pass,
many of them still struggled to overcome the fear of facing demons for the first time.
When they saw those hideous, terrifying monsters grinning as they lunged toward them, these people would often subconsciously forget to breathe, forget the sword techniques they had learned.
They would either freeze in place, unable to move, or turn and run without hesitation.
In the past, rescue team members would always save these people at the last moment, then carefully assess whether they possessed the determination to become official Demon Slayers.
If they did, they would arrange for them to participate in the Final Selection the following year.
If not, they would be directly assigned to the Kakushi—the support unit responsible for logistics.
However, for some reason, during this year's Final Selection, the rescue team seniors had never appeared!
It was as if they had all vanished—completely nowhere to be seen in Mount Fujikasane!
Along the way, Tanjiro had already rescued at least five prospective Demon Slayers who were nearly killed by demons!
What was going on?
Where had all these seniors gone?
Could this also be caused by that mysterious terrifying demon?
Had the seniors all gone to pursue it?
"Don't go deeper into the mountains! It's very dangerous there now! Hurry down the mountain!"
Tanjiro felt truly uneasy.
Ever since encountering that mysterious big sister, he had felt that something was off about this Mount Fujikasane...
What exactly had happened in this mountain?
Come to think of it, did that mysterious terrifying demon really exist?
Had the rescue team seniors really all gone to pursue this demon?
What kind of demon could cause such a huge commotion?
All the answers might lie at that peak in the deepest part of Mount Fujikasane.
He had to go there!
"..."
"As long as you live long enough, boredom will inevitably come knocking. This is true for both humans and demons alike."
The bright moon hung high in the sky. At the peak of Mount Fujikasane, Mitsuba said this while using hemp rope to tie up the swordsman before her, then slowly hung him from a tree.
In the surrounding forest, over twenty people had already been hung up in the same manner.
Among them were some members of the rescue team stationed in Mount Fujikasane, and some prospective Demon Slayers participating in the selection.
"So, I actually greatly admire our Master..."
After securing the rope, Mitsuba clapped her hands and said with a smile:
"To remain so devoted to the same thing for such an extended period of time, using it to offset the wear and tear on one's spirit over the past thousand years—this is truly not something an ordinary person can accomplish...
I can't do that, so I'm always finding different things for myself to do, in order to alleviate the boredom accumulated in my heart."
"W-what... what kind of person are you?"
From the tree, the rescue team member who had been hung up asked with a trembling voice.
"Me?"
Hearing this, Mitsuba touched her chin and thought seriously:
"Hmm... now that I think about it, people have quite a few names for me.
Things like Usurper, Demon of Karma, the God Child's younger sister—all sorts of messy titles.
But if I had to choose one myself, I still prefer the name you all first called me..."
Her eyes turned blood-red, Mitsuba's hair gradually grew longer, and in the pupils of both her left and right eyes, the characters "Upper Rank" and "One" respectively appeared.
"Twelve Kizuki, Upper Rank One."
In that instant alone, the dense, almost tangible demonic aura surged forth from her entire body, sweeping across the entire mountaintop like a tidal wave!
Looking up at the Demon Slayer before her who was already trembling all over, Mitsuba curved the corners of her mouth and asked with a smile:
"Well? Were you at least a little bit frightened?"
...
(Here's something cruel for you, meow~)
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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.