The two traveled continuously, only arriving at Mount Fujikasane at night.
The mountain was covered in wisteria flowers. From a distance, it looked magnificent, serene, and mysterious.
Wisteria flowers are also one of the banes of demons. The wisteria poison can destroy a demon's body tissue just like sunlight, so demons instinctively stay away from them.
In Demon Slayer, the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, was even able to use wisteria poison to take Upper Rank Two, Doma, down with her in the final battle in the Infinity Castle.
For demons, wisteria poison is an extremely terrifying thing.
The reason for planting so many wisteria flowers on Mount Fujikasane... was because this was the site of the Final Selection, to prevent the demons inside from escaping.
That's right, there were demons on Mount Fujikasane, and not a small number of them.
The condition for passing the Final Selection was to survive on Mount Fujikasane for seven days.
Whether by hiding or by killing demons to survive, as long as one could live for seven days, they could join the Demon Slayer Corps.
It was impossible for someone without a certain level of ability to succeed.
No matter what, a direct confrontation with a demon within those seven days was a certainty.
A starving demon would seek out the scent of humans and attack.
Although the demons' strength was limited because they had been trapped here without being able to eat people and weren't very strong when they were captured, most trained individuals could normally fight a single demon on this mountain. But this required courage and intelligence.
One needed the courage to confront a ferocious demon, and the intelligence to hide when encountering multiple demons and to tend to one's wounds to preserve oneself.
However, when faced with cruel demons, many newcomers could not be both courageous and intelligent. After all, not everyone had the experience of fighting a demon like Tanjiro did. Seeing the viciousness of a demon and its terrifying regenerative ability, it was inevitable for a normal person to panic.
Therefore, the number of people who survived the Final Selection each year was extremely small.
It was considered a good year if half the people came back alive.
Walking up the stone steps, they passed through the red torii gate. A large number of people were already standing in the wide plaza.
Lexon swept his gaze over them and saw the Insect Hashira's successor, or disciple, Kanao Tsugikuri; the former Thunder Hashira's disciple, Zenitsu Agatsuma; and the current Wind Hashira's younger brother, Genya Shinazugawa... All the important future story characters were present. The rest were just some insignificant cannon fodder.
"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming to participate in tonight's Demon Slayer Corps Final Selection." The twin girls in purple kimonos, holding lanterns, who stood before the crowd, spoke slowly. Their opening words immediately drew everyone's attention. Everyone understood that they were official personnel of the Demon Slayer Corps and waited quietly for their explanation.
The two of them spoke like two emotionless puppets, narrating for the crowd.
"On this Mount Fujikasane, demons captured alive by Demon Slayer swordsmen are imprisoned. The demons cannot leave, because from the foot to the halfway point of this mountain, wisteria flowers that demons hate bloom all year round. However, from this point on, there are no more wisteria flowers, and there will be demons. Surviving on this mountain for seven days is the condition for passing the Final Selection. We wish you all good luck."
After hearing the rules of the selection, Tanjiro moved closer to Lexon and asked, "Should we go together?"
Lexon shook his head. "We could, but it's not necessary."
Because of Urokodaki Sakonji's increased training regimen and Lexon's occasional guidance, Tanjiro's current strength was already a great leap forward from the original story. He believed that fighting the Hand Demon would be much easier for him than in the original plot, so there was no need for Lexon to go with him. After all, Tanjiro needed to grow on his own.
After separating from Tanjiro, Lexon instead sought out Genya Shinazugawa.
Genya Shinazugawa was a fellow with a dark mohawk and a scar on his left cheek that extended to the bridge of his nose.
His face currently bore the marks of a fight, leftovers from the conflict he just had with Zenitsu Agatsuma.
"What do you want, you bastard?" Seeing Lexon walk straight towards him and scan him so brazenly, an annoyed expression appeared on Genya Shinazugawa's face.
Lexon was quite interested in Shinazugawa. He was very curious about his ability to temporarily demonize himself by eating a demon, greatly enhancing his physical constitution. The stronger the demon he ate, the more his regenerative ability and strength increased.
'He's worth a sign-in.'
Although he already had the Demonization ability, this one was different. Rather than waste a sign-in on something useless, it was better to use it on him.
Looking at Shinazugawa, a smile he thought was friendly spread across his face.
"You son of a bitch!" Genya Shinazugawa had a very short temper, and perhaps the anger from his earlier conflict hadn't subsided. Seeing Lexon's nonsensical behavior, he thought it was a form of mockery and threw a punch straight at him.
In an instant, the gazes of everyone around were drawn to this scene.
Facing Shinazugawa's fist, Lexon's hand moved to the sword hanging at his waist. His palm pressed against the hilt, pushing it back slightly, and the scabbard instantly flipped around.
Others only saw the tip of Lexon's scabbard press against Shinazugawa's fist, preventing it from moving forward no matter how much force he used.
"Damn it!" Genya Shinazugawa's face flushed red. He pulled back his blocked fist, moved around the scabbard, and closed in on Lexon, wanting to land a punch at close range.
But before he could get close, the scabbard struck again, hitting him on the back and slapping him directly to the ground.
"What are you doing?!"
"You have a pretty bad temper. You should fix it." Lexon squatted down and patted Genya Shinazugawa's shoulder.
[Sign-in Successful]
[Obtained Skill: Demon Eater]
It was another easy-to-understand skill: eat demons to increase strength and temporarily demonize.
'Nothing special, and it conflicts a bit with Demonization, but I can use this to disguise my Demonization in the future.'
Lexon thought.
"Who the hell do you think you are!" Genya Shinazugawa yelled at the top of his lungs. Being completely suppressed in front of so many people made his heart burn with rage.
'It was just carelessness. If I had used my gun, I would definitely...'
When he looked up with a face full of anger, he found that the person was already gone.
'Next time I see him, I'll make him pay!'
Genya Shinazugawa's heart was filled with rage, and he deeply etched Lexon's appearance into his mind.
Walking up the mountain, the scenery here was a stark contrast to that below. There were no more mysterious and beautiful wisteria flowers; it was just an ordinary wild forest. The dark environment even made one feel a chill, and who knew how much danger was hidden in the mottled shadows of the trees.
There were many participants in the Final Selection, but when spread out across the vast Mount Fujikasane, it was like a stone falling into the ocean, barely making a ripple.
The Final Selection tested a person's ability to survive independently, protect themselves, and slay demons, but it did not prohibit people from traveling in groups. However, few people thought of this; most of them excitedly went off as lone wolves.
The scent of the arriving humans eventually caught the attention of the demons hidden in the mountain, and one by one, the evil demons rushed out from their dark hiding places. They hadn't eaten a human in a year, and their instincts had made them frantic. Only instinct dominated their bodies as they madly rushed towards any place with the scent of humans.
At this moment, Lexon was walking alone in the silent woods when a rustling sound suddenly came from all around.
Possessing a sense of smell comparable to Tanjiro's and Urokodaki Sakonji's, Lexon had naturally already noticed the few hungry demons approaching him.
Lexon could even hear the sound of their saliva dripping clearly.
"A human!" One demon finally couldn't hold back anymore and threw its entire body at Lexon. Seeing that someone was trying to get a head start, the other demons couldn't help but rush out as well. After all, one person was not nearly enough to eat.
In an instant, five demons were attacking Lexon from all sides at once.
Lexon did not panic. Faced with such a scene, he didn't even raise an eyebrow.
He drew his sword at extreme speed and took his stance.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash," the calm words fell.
The Nichirin Sword in his hand carried a blue ripple as it slashed out horizontally, forming a sea-like wave pattern around him that swept towards the demons pouncing at him.
The sound of flowing water was fleeting. The five demons had already been decapitated, their heads falling to the ground and their bodies turning to ash.
'Actually, the Fourth Form, Striking Tide, is best for facing multiple enemies. But well, as long as it kills them, who cares about all that.'
Being strong means being willful; you don't have to think so much.
'Then let the demon slaying begin.'
Killing demons increased his contribution score for the mission. Lexon hadn't forgotten the Main God's side quest.
His keen sense of smell was the best tool for hunting demons, and the weak demons on the mountain were no match for him. There was no need to worry about anything. All he had to do was kill.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]