"Caw! Caw! Shinichi Moriki has eliminated eleven Demons! Shinichi Moriki has eliminated eleven Demons!" The large-winged crow flapped its wings and deftly landed on Rengoku Shinjuro arm.
Hearing that Shinichi had already slain eleven Demons, Shinjuro expression grew solemn.
In the past, when the Hashira were cleansing Mount Fujikasane, the most they had ever uncovered in one sweep was two or three Demons exceeding the standard.
Yet this time, in just six nights, Shinichi Moriki had eliminated eleven strong Demons!
This indicated two serious problems.
The first was that the number of Demons hidden on Mount Fujikasane far exceeded the Demon Slayer Corps' expectations.
If this continued, the future harm these Demons could inflict on the Corps would be immeasurable.
The second issue was the safety of the Final Selection.
For centuries, the Demon Slayer Corps had relied on Kasugai Crows to monitor the selection process, but they had paid little attention to the swordsmen participating in the trial itself.
After a moment of contemplation, Shinjuro finally gave the crow a few instructions, and it immediately took flight into the sky.
Just then, a youthful voice sounded behind him.
"Father, when can I join the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Not yet, Kyojuro. Right now, your task is to catch that Shiba Inu and keep it away from me."
***
"Hand Demon! You bastard!! I'll curse you even in hell!!" A Demon roared with venomous hatred in its dying breath.
But the Hand Demon remained unmoved.
Survival was what mattered most—otherwise, if he provoked the executioner before him, the one heading to hell would be himself.
Between sending himself to hell or sending his peers there, it wasn't a choice—it was a freebie.
"Blood Demon Art: Life Drain!" Verdant branches instantly pierced the Demon skull and a tremendous suction force drained its life force in moments.
As Shinichi retracted the branches, a breeze swept past and the Demon body crumbled into ashes.
Shinichi took a deep breath, eyes closed, savoring the surge of power within him.
These past few nights of slaying Demons had not only been for his trial but had also greatly enhanced his own strength.
The power of Life Drain was overwhelming.
Each time he drained a Demon, Shinichi strength grew by leaps and bounds—far too quickly.
In seven nights, his power had increased by four or five times.
Opening his eyes, he stared at his palm and realized he was becoming slightly addicted to this rapid growth.
That wasn't a good sign.
No matter how strong the Blood Demon Art made him, it was still a Demon power.
If he relied on it too much, his goal of destroying Muzan might remain forever out of reach.
"I can't rely too much on Life Drain. Forest Breathing is my greatest trump card" Shinichi murmured.
Relying solely on Demon power, Shinichi strength was roughly thirty-five Karasuma.
With Forest Breathing, it could surpass forty and if he went all out, disregarding everything, his power could briefly reach unimaginable level.
Just enough to contend with the former Lower Rank Four, Rokuro whom he had once encountered.
Of course, comparing to karasuma was just a playful analogy Shinichi used for his own amusement.
In reality, even fifty Karasuma wouldn't stand a chance against Rokuro.
As Shinichi was lost in thought, the Hand Demon nearby watched in terror as the Demon—far stronger than itself—turned to ashes beneath Shinichi feet.
"G-Great One, all the Demons on Mount Fujikasane who have eaten more than ten humans have been exterminated by you. Countless other slightly stronger ones have also been wiped out. Congratulations on achieving your goal. From now on, you are the strongest Demon on Mount Fujikasane, hehehe." The Hand Demon fawned and congratulated him.
Shinichi withdrew his hand, snapped out of his thoughts, and looked at the Hand Demon with an amused expression. His tone carried a hidden meaning as he said.
"Oh? Have all the strong Demons really been eliminated? I don't think so. It seems there's still a powerful one left, isn't there?"
The Hand Demon froze.
What? There's more? No way—it had been a very competent traitor, making sure to betray all its fellow Demons.
Where could there possibly be another strong one?
Baffled, the Hand Demon was utterly confused—until it noticed Shinichi gaze lingering on it.
Instantly, its grin stiffened.
Oh no.
He means me.
"G-Great One, th-this isn't funny..."
Shinichi usually stern face broke into a rare smile.
But while humans might find his handsome grin charming, to the Hand Demon, it was no different from the grin of a devil from hell—a smile like Death itself beckoning.
"Hey, ugly. Didn't I tell you from the start? My goal was to eliminate all the Demons on this mountain who surpass the human swordsmen coming here to train, right? And now, it seems you're the only strong one left. What should I do about that?" Shinichi tilted his head, still smiling as he stared at the Hand Demon.
The Hand Demon was now caught in its own turmoil. Its sickly green skin flickered with an unhealthy glow as it internally screamed, WHAT DO I DO?!
In terms of strength, after witnessing Shinichi power firsthand, the Hand Demon knew fighting was suicide.
Escape?
Mount Fujisasane wasn't that big—unless it could withstand an overwhelming amount of wisteria poison, fleeing was impossible.
Too weak to fight, too slow to run—the Hand Demon could already see the devil of hell waving at it.
'FUCK!'
it cursed inwardly, though outwardly, its voice was full of groveling desperation.
"Great One! Great One! You can't do this to me! I've done everything you asked! I don't want to die! Please, have mercy! I swear I'll be your most loyal slave forever!"
Thud.
Dozens of sickly green arms slumped to the ground. At this moment, the Hand Demon had never been more pathetic.
Shinichi looked at it, his lips curling into a mocking smirk.
Can you trust a Demon words? Don't be ridiculous.
He didn't believe a single word the Hand Demon said.
However, there was one thing he would grant it—for now, he wasn't planning to kill it.
A useful "traitor Demon" like this was too good to waste after just one use.
"Relax, ugly. I promised to spare your life, and I'll keep that promise. But how much of that life you get to keep… well, that's up to me."
Hand Demon widened its eyes, barely having time to rejoice at escaping death when Shinichi suddenly rushed in front of it.
"Blood Demon Art: Life Drain!!"
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream from Hand Demon echoed across Mount Fujikasane.
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