Fortune-Dispelling Fox Mask

The site of the Swordsman Trial was called Mount Fujikasane.

In this world, besides sunlight, there was another thing that could threaten demons.

It was a type of flower called Wisteria Flower.

To ordinary people, Wisteria Flower was merely a fragrant and beautiful plant, but to demons, it was no less terrifying than a flood or savage beast.

To a demon's senses, the scent of Wisteria Flower was unbearably foul. Merely smelling it could cause negative effects such as dizziness, stiffness, and paralysis.

Furthermore, if a demon ate Wisteria Flower raw, it would be poisoned. A sufficiently strong dose could kill a demon outright with Wisteria Flower poison.

The Demon Slayer Corps possessed a poison developed from Wisteria Flower, but because it was difficult to produce and extremely scarce, it was only issued to suitable swordsmen.

Mount Fujikasane was a Wisteria Flower prison.

From the foot of the mountain to its summit, every entrance and exit and the entire perimeter of the mountain were densely planted with Wisteria Flower.

These Wisteria Flowers had not formed naturally. The Demon Slayer Corps had selected Mount Fujikasane for its environment, which was suitable for growing Wisteria Flower, then spent decades cultivating it by hand to ultimately create this Wisteria Flower prison.

At regular intervals, swordsmen captured some relatively weak demons and imprisoned them within Mount Fujikasane to study demon habits, weaknesses, and so on.

At the same time, because it contained numerous demons of lower to mid-tier strength, Mount Fujikasane was soon chosen as the ideal site for the Swordsman Trial.

Ever since Mount Fujikasane was established, every Swordsman Trial had been held there.

This time was no exception.

"Mount Fujikasane isn't far from Mount Sagiri. If you travel at full speed, you'll arrive in less than two days."

"You've had three days to familiarize yourselves with your Nichirin Blades. Set out now!"

"Remember, if you encounter fellow disciples on Mount Fujikasane, it's best to travel together."

At six in the morning, three days after Sakonji Urokodaki had handed out the Nichirin Blades, as dawn faintly broke, everyone from Mount Sagiri's Water Breathing Style was ready to depart.

Kurozawa yawned. "When the Swordsman Trial begins, no more than two people are allowed to travel together."

"Sabito, look after Giyu. Those of you who are weaker, remember to team up with stronger fellow disciples."

"Once you get inside Mount Fujikasane, find a way to locate me and regroup with me."

The demons on Mount Fujikasane had always been the weak sort.

But Kurozawa knew that this time would be different.

A demon sent into Mount Fujikasane by Sakonji Urokodaki had continuously hunted its own kind there, quietly devouring trial swordsmen without causing much of a stir. Over time, it had become incredibly terrifying.

Kurozawa hoped that, after the Mount Fujikasane trial ended, he would still see these familiar faces on Mount Sagiri.

So he had to find that demon as soon as possible and deal with it!

If his fellow disciples encountered that thing, their chances of survival would be slim. "These Fortune-Dispelling Fox Masks can ward off calamity and evil, bringing good fortune. Take them with you."

Beside Sakonji Urokodaki sat a box containing fourteen fox-face masks of different shapes and bright colors.

Sure enough, Fortune-Dispelling Fox Masks. Master, Master—if you knew that the Fortune-Dispelling Fox Masks you gave away, along with the demon you personally captured and sent to Mount Fujikasane, had driven all your disciples into a desperate situation, you would probably blame yourself to death.

Luckily, with me here, none of that would happen again.

Kurozawa reached out and selected a Fortune-Dispelling Fox Mask with a white base and red patterns at the corners of its eyes. He wore it tilted atop his head as an ornament rather than putting it directly over his face.

"Fortune-Dispelling Fox Mask. Hmm, pretty handsome."

Using the blade of his Nichirin Blade as a mirror, Kurozawa examined his current appearance.

His sharply defined face gained a hint of softness from the strangely alluring Fortune-Dispelling Fox Mask slanted across his head.

Next, Sakonji Urokodaki patiently placed each Fortune-Dispelling Fox Mask into his other disciples' hands himself.

Once everything was finished, the young swordsmen of the Water Breathing Style prepared to set off.

"Wait for me two minutes."

As though suddenly remembering something, Kurozawa ran back into the house, then came running out again two minutes later.

However, his haori had changed.

Kurozawa had previously worn a black haori patterned with white feathers, which suited his tastes perfectly.

Now, however, Kurozawa wore a blue haori embroidered with water patterns on a blue background.

"Hm?"

Sakonji Urokodaki's expression beneath his mask became subtle.

"Why are you wearing my clothes?"

"Doesn't this tell everyone that the person who slays the most demons on Mount Fujikasane is your disciple?" Kurozawa replied with a smile.

"I'm helping you save face."

After receiving that answer, Sakonji Urokodaki did not question him further.

Then Kurozawa led his fellow disciples away from Mount Sagiri and set off toward Mount Fujikasane.

The blue haori looked old, but it was clean and neat overall. It bore many patches, and there were even stitching marks around the entire shoulder area of its sleeves.

Every one of those stitched patches was evidence of Sakonji Urokodaki's battles against demons.

In his early years, Sakonji Urokodaki had always worn this blue haori while carrying out demon-slaying missions.

After it could no longer be repaired, he put it away inside the house and only wore it occasionally on Mount Sagiri.

Kurozawa's decision to wear this haori had caught him by surprise.

Yet as he watched Kurozawa's departing back, Sakonji Urokodaki seemed, in a daze, to see his younger self—spirited and full of vigor.

The face beneath his mask gradually softened, and Sakonji Urokodaki let out a quiet sigh.

"Perhaps I really am old, Kurozawa."

Meanwhile, because of his tall build, Kurozawa wore the oversized haori like a short vest. Yet thanks to his lean, fit physique, it somehow suited him.

Naturally, he had not put on this haori on a whim.

Kurozawa was highly confident that the Hand Demon on Mount Fujikasane would catch the familiar scent on the haori and come looking for him on its own.

Mount Fujikasane was a mountain, after all. Its area was hardly small.

Kurozawa was not confident that he could quickly locate the Hand Demon. Before then, it would be disastrous if any of his fellow disciples ran into it.

Demons had keen senses of smell, much like wild beasts.

The haori still carrying Sakonji Urokodaki's scent would make that thing walk right into the trap, sparing Kurozawa the effort of hunting it down himself.

"Still... the Swordsman Trial's format really is unreasonable."

"Once I become a high-ranking member of the Demon Slayer Corps, I'll change the Swordsman Trial method immediately."

The Hand Demon had quietly grown stronger, nearly reaching the power of a Lower Rank demon, yet the Demon Slayer Corps remained unaware of it. Only when the future swordsman Tanjiro took part in the trial did he barely manage to behead it, nearly dying at the Hand Demon's hands himself.

Though this was related to the Hand Demon deliberately concealing itself and not slaughtering trial swordsmen on a large scale, it nevertheless proved that the Swordsman Trial contained enormous hidden dangers.

In the original story alone, Kurozawa knew of at least two highly promising swordsmen, Sabito and Makomo, who had been ambushed and killed by the Hand Demon. There were surely others Kurozawa did not know about.