Chapter 13: Hakuya's Display of Strength
Tanjiro looked at Hakuya, who had left him behind to talk to the petite girl alone, and his expression turned slightly annoyed. You just told me to approach her—are you sure you don't like her yourself?
Although he was somewhat dissatisfied, Tanjiro still didn't go up to interrupt Hakuya's conversation with the girl.
Tanjiro figured that Hakuya was a few years older than him, so it was natural for him to take the initiative with women at this age. After all, he was old enough to be considering marriage.
Meanwhile, Hakuya's approach to the young woman immediately attracted the attention of the other boys around them. His actions instantly made him the number one rival of most of the male participants.
"I saw her first—you're not allowed to go near her! Otherwise, I'll kill you!" A boy who couldn't contain himself jumped forward, pointing at Hakuya and declaring his claim while also threatening him.
Hearing this, Hakuya turned around and made a gesture for him to be quiet. In an instant, Hakuya's figure vanished from everyone's sight. By the time their eyes could track him again, he had already appeared before the young man who had threatened to kill him.
Hakuya's Nichirin sword was already unsheathed, the sharp blade resting against the young man's throat.
The young man was instantly terrified. Before he could recover from the shock of Hakuya's speed, a dark stain spread across his pants.
Urine seeped through his trousers and dripped onto the ground.
Hakuya's display instantly made everyone realize his power, and those eager eyes suddenly filled with fear.
"You didn't even have a chance to draw your sword. How exactly were you planning to kill me?" Hakuya said calmly to the young man.
"You wet yourself? I think you should go home to your mother." Hakuya taunted him again.
The young man was both furious and helpless at Hakuya's mockery. The sword was already at his throat.
He didn't even have a chance to argue back, because what Hakuya said was the truth—he had wet himself.
The others, hearing Hakuya's mocking words, couldn't help but snicker at the young man's expense.
The laughter around him instantly robbed the young man of his dignity, and finally unable to bear it any longer, he turned and ran down the mountain.
Hakuya hadn't intended to actually harm the young man. He simply shook his head in disappointment and sheathed his Nichirin sword.
Tanjiro had witnessed everything that just happened. Seeing Hakuya's performance, he realized that Hakuya had become even stronger than he was six months ago.
"Hakuya-san, isn't it a bit harsh to drive someone away like that?" Tanjiro, feeling that Hakuya's words were excessive, gently reminded him, hoping he would be more considerate toward the others.
Hakuya didn't think he'd done anything wrong and replied, "It's better he runs away now. Otherwise, being devoured by a demon would be far worse."
"I don't know who trained such an unprepared student. He dared to participate in Final Selection without even having the necessary skills. Truly reckless."
Hakuya couldn't help but voice his opinion.
With that, Hakuya returned to the young woman's side.
The petite girl remained as expressionless as before, seemingly unimpressed by Hakuya's display.
Hakuya knew his previous demonstration had been genuinely impressive.
It was truly strange that he couldn't even get a reaction from this young woman. There were only two possibilities: either this girl was even more powerful than him, and his display wasn't enough to impress her; or she simply had some kind of mental peculiarity.
"So, what do you think? Want to team up together?" Hakuya asked again.
At this moment, the young woman looked Hakuya straight in the eye, then pulled out a coin from her kimono and tossed it into the air, catching it back in her hand.
Then she looked at the coin and said to Hakuya, "I'm sorry. My master told me I can only rely on myself."
After that, the young woman returned to her blank expression.
Seeing that she'd refused, Hakuya didn't press the matter. This was the first time he'd encountered such an unusual personality. Could this girl be on the spectrum?
"Let's go, Tanjiro! The girl doesn't want to team up, so don't push this kind of thing onto me, your senior brother!" Hakuya immediately found an excuse to ease his embarrassment at being rejected.
Upon hearing this, Tanjiro lunged at Hakuya and grabbed him by the neck, defending himself by saying, "Hakuya-san, you were the one who approached her! What does this have to do with me? You can't pin this on me!"
"Alright, alright! Tanjiro, let go!"
After two years of training, Tanjiro's grip had become incredibly strong, and Hakuya was practically choking. If he weren't reluctant to actually fight Tanjiro, Hakuya would have thrown him to the ground. After all, they were from the same school, so Hakuya had to give Tanjiro some face.
Just as Hakuya and Tanjiro were grappling, two young girls in matching purple kimonos appeared in the clearing, carrying lanterns. The girls wore wisteria flowers in their hair.
Seeing the girls approach, Tanjiro let go of Hakuya and jumped off him.
Hakuya immediately straightened his wrinkled clothes and looked at the two girls.
The most striking feature was their large, doll-like eyes and incredibly delicate faces.
"Thank you all for coming tonight to participate in the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection."
"On Mount Fujikasane, demons captured alive by demon slayers are imprisoned here, unable to leave."
"Wisteria flowers, which demons despise, bloom year-round from the base of the mountain to the midpoint. These flowers are poisonous to demons."
"The abundance of wisteria has also made the air of Mount Fujikasane slightly toxic."
"However, please be assured—unless you accidentally ingest wisteria flowers or their fruit, the toxins in the air won't harm you."
"Beyond this point, there will be no more wisteria flowers, and demons will appear."
"Surviving seven days on this mountain will complete your Final Selection."
"Now then, may fortune be with you all."
The two young girls spoke in alternating voices, addressing all the participants gathered in the clearing.
Their delicate voices brought a slight smile to Hakuya's face beneath his mask. However, since he was wearing the warding mask, no one could see his expression.
After the twin coordinators finished explaining the rules, everyone began heading toward the depths of Mount Fujikasane, into the darkness where no wisteria flowers bloomed.
"Tanjiro, let's go!" Hakuya said.
Tanjiro nodded, and together he and Hakuya stepped into the darkness deep within Mount Fujikasane.
After everyone entered the selection grounds, several masked members of the Demon Slayer Corps blocked the only path down the mountain.
It was clear that there was no turning back now.
[Mission: Completely eliminate all demons from Mount Fujikasane]
[Mission Completion Reward: Obtain Wood Breathing (Mastery Level); Upgrade Ghost Devourer ability to D-rank. D-rank Ghost Devourers can absorb demons possessing Blood Demon Arts]
[Mission Failure Penalty: Host lifespan reduced by 20 years (current remaining lifespan: 81 years)]
Just as Hakuya officially entered the depths of Mount Fujikasane, his system suddenly issued a mission.
After reading the mission details, Hakuya was speechless. Was the system trying to work him to death this time? Couldn't it be more reasonable? Why was it so determined to exterminate every demon on the mountain?
And what did the remaining 81 years mean? Was his lifespan really that short? This was completely unbefitting of someone with a system!
Hakuya muttered to himself, feeling completely frustrated. Especially after knowing his exact lifespan—while living to 101 was considered a long life for a human, the idea of failing the mission and having 20 years deducted made Hakuya particularly uncomfortable. Was his life really so disposable that it could just be reduced?
However, this completely disrupted his original plan.
Without this mission, according to the selection requirements, he would have simply taken Tanjiro on a leisurely seven-day camping trip on Mount Fujikasane before descending.
Hakuya estimated that the number of demons imprisoned on Mount Fujikasane wasn't too large—no more than two hundred at most. Furthermore, the mountain was vast, so the chances of encountering demons wouldn't be particularly high. Additionally, demons only emerged at night, which meant there were twelve hours of safety each day.
With this calculation, Hakuya had felt that both Tanjiro and he had a near-perfect chance of survival.
However, after the system issued this mission, the situation changed drastically. Hakuya could no longer use his previous leisurely approach to pass the selection.
After all, Hakuya didn't want to lose twenty years of his life. Even if living to eighty-one would be enough, and the remaining twenty years didn't seem like much—it was still his own life, and he couldn't just throw it away!
In this case, Hakuya would have to search the entire mountain for demons to eliminate, ultimately killing every demon on Mount Fujikasane.
This was a massive undertaking!
Hakuya was also somewhat puzzled by the mission reward. This Wood Breathing didn't seem to be from the five main Breathing styles, nor did it appear to be a derivative of the others. It felt like a Breathing technique completely independent of the known styles.
But what exactly was the purpose of this Wood Breathing? Would it improve his strength?
"Hakuya-san, what's wrong?" Tanjiro called out to Hakuya, who had suddenly frozen in place.
Tanjiro's voice brought Hakuya back from his thoughts. Hakuya immediately shook his head and said, "Tanjiro, we need to split up once we're deeper into the mountain."
Hearing this, Tanjiro was confused and asked, "Why do we have to split up? Didn't Master tell us to try to stay together?"
"Because I have something I need to handle. If you follow me in this situation, it will only be more dangerous," Hakuya explained simply.
"Tanjiro, you need to trust in your own strength. Even without following me, you have what it takes to survive. I'll carve water ripple marks on tree trunks wherever I've been. As long as you see this water ripple mark on a tree trunk, it means that area is safe. Don't follow me—where I'm going will be extremely dangerous."
Hakuya seemed genuinely concerned for Tanjiro. He offered him encouragement and then gave his final instructions.
As Hakuya finished speaking, the air around him rippled intensely, and in the next moment, his figure vanished from all of Tanjiro's senses.
Tanjiro tried to chase after him, but there was no trace of Hakuya anywhere—not even a lingering scent. Tanjiro suddenly realized that Hakuya truly didn't want him following this time.
"Has Hakuya-san already mastered breathing techniques to this degree?" Tanjiro was astonished.
Without Hakuya by his side, Tanjiro felt uneasy. He couldn't help but think of retreating, glancing back at his escape route—which had already been blocked by the masked members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Just then, a blond boy approached Tanjiro and said, "Um, my name is Zenitsu Agatsuma. Where's that powerful guy you were with just now? Why did he leave?"
Tanjiro studied the blond boy, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and could sense fear and nervousness in his tone.
"Hello, my name is Tanjiro Kamado. The person you're asking about is my senior, Hakuya. I usually call him Hakuya-san." In response to Zenitsu Agatsuma's question, Tanjiro introduced himself in a friendly manner.
"Oh! So where did Hakuya-san go?" Zenitsu Agatsuma continued.
"I don't know. He just told me he had something to take care of, then he left and told me not to follow him. Why do you need him?" Tanjiro briefly explained Hakuya's situation, then asked Zenitsu what he wanted with him.
Upon hearing this, Zenitsu Agatsuma was instantly consumed by fear, muttering, "I'm going to die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"
"Tanjiro, I haven't even gotten married yet! I don't want to die here!"
Just as Tanjiro was still trying to understand Zenitsu Agatsuma's reaction, Zenitsu suddenly teared up, hugged Tanjiro's legs, and began sobbing.
Tanjiro had clearly never expected to encounter such a situation, but seeing Zenitsu so frightened and vulnerable, Tanjiro's natural kindness was completely stirred.
Tanjiro patted Zenitsu Agatsuma's head and soothed him, "It's okay. I'll protect you."
"Really? Are you as strong as Hakuya-san?" Zenitsu Agatsuma seemed to see hope, his despair momentarily subsiding.
"Although I'm not as powerful as Hakuya-san, I'll definitely protect you," Tanjiro vowed earnestly.
"Thank you so much, Tanjiro!" Zenitsu Agatsuma gave Tanjiro a grateful hug.
While Zenitsu Agatsuma was timid, that didn't make him a fool.
Even though Tanjiro admitted he wasn't as strong as Hakuya, Zenitsu still confidently sought his protection. Beyond his trust in Tanjiro, he also trusted Hakuya's judgment.
Zenitsu felt that Hakuya's decision to leave Tanjiro on his own must be a sign of confidence in Tanjiro's abilities.
However, Zenitsu had no idea that his own grandfather's permission for him to participate in Final Selection was itself a testament to his own capabilities.
Due to his anxious personality, however, Zenitsu was completely unaware of his own potential.
And Tanjiro, unaware at this point, had just met the blond-haired young man—Zenitsu Agatsuma—who could turn the tide of battle at crucial moments.
"Let's go, Zenitsu!" Tanjiro said, patting Zenitsu Agatsuma on the shoulder.
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