A Thirteen-Year-Old Swordsman?

A veil of clouds drifted erratically in the night sky, dimming the once bright starlight and making the village, where every house was already dark, appear even more so.

The silence was broken by a sudden sound of footsteps.

Not long after.

Rapid, heavy breathing accompanied by approaching footsteps echoed through the street. Soon, a young man wielding a Samurai sword and wearing a purple haori appeared, running against the night wind, his brow beaded with sweat.

"Damn it, damn it, why am I so unlucky? I was just trying to eat some wild game, and I even ran into a ghost while chasing a pig into the mountains?"

Although he aspires to join the Demon Slayer Corps and eliminate these man-eating demons, he hasn't even joined yet, and the key issue is that the demon is incredibly powerful; he seems to be no match for it!

The boy seemed unable to run any further. He glanced back and, seeing that the ghost didn't appear to be chasing him, relaxed. He braced himself against his bent knees, panting as he regained his breath.

He gave a wry smile and said, "Sigh, do you really think I can pass the Final Selection with my skills?"

[Call out----]

But before he could finish his self-mockery, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came, causing the boy's face to change drastically, and he desperately lunged to the left.

[Bang!]

A loud crash came from behind him. After rolling several times on the ground and looking up in a disheveled state, he was horrified to see that the spot where he had been standing had been smashed into a large crater by a two-meter-tall figure with pale skin and two horns on its head. The dust kicked up by the crash filled the surrounding area, creating a very oppressive atmosphere.

"Hehehehe, you can really run fast! You're so slippery, it's really hard to catch you in the forest. But you did lead me to a good place, hiss----"

The humanoid monster, with black pupils and almost invisible, bloodshot eyes, tilted its head back, enjoying the caress of the moonlight. It took a deep breath and grinned maliciously, "The smell of food... so much!"

However, this place felt somewhat familiar, but it just couldn't remember where it was. But that didn't matter; it would eat the unusual meat in front of it first.

"I'm doomed! Am I really going to die here? I just finished my apprenticeship!"

The knife-wielding youth felt like crying but had no tears left. However, he remained calm and did not lose his mind due to despair. Instead, he began to comfort himself.

"Luckily, there weren't any young girls present, so it won't be too embarrassing when I get eaten later."

The White Demon could no longer restrain itself. It cracked open its mouthful of fangs, which were covered in blood and flesh, and viciously stomped through the potholes in the street again. Like an arrow released from a bow, it bent its sharp fingers and lunged forward to bite.

"Hey, you'd better prepare to die, you little piece of meat~~"

Its speed was astonishing; an ordinary person might not have been able to react at all, but the boy was different. He calmly took a deep breath and swallowed the cool air into his body.

Soon, his originally thin body seemed to swell up slightly, his arm muscles became tighter, and the veins on his neck and forehead bulged.

He's going to fight this hard!

The boy spun around counter-clockwise, narrowly dodging the White Demon's straight lunge, while simultaneously brandishing his longsword adorned with purple patterns.

"First Form: The Crooked Slash!"

A miraculous scene unfolded: a visible pale purple arc of energy appeared on his blade, attempting to strike the White Demon's back force.

But the White Demon seemed to be faster than his knife, blocking the blade with his right arm in time, while his left hand viciously grabbed at the boy's throat.

"Oops!"

Although he successfully severed the White Demon's arm, the latter showed no joy on his face. The boy thought to himself, "My teacher taught me that in situations like this, I can use the Second Form to get behind the opponent and easily cut off their head."

The First Form is his most proficient move. Although he can also use the Second Form, he's sorry, teacher, he can't switch between different sword techniques freely in battle.

"Oh no, am I going to die? What a pity. I heard there would be some cute and brave girls in the Final Selection. I guess I won't have a chance to see them now."

As the ghostly claw drew ever closer, in that instant of mental lapse, the boy's mind seemed to be wandering.

Should I close my eyes now?

[Bang----]

Just as the boy was about to close his eyes and face death, his eyelids were about to droop when something suddenly shattered the pale, black-fingered, blood-soaked claw in front of him.

That's right.

He was reduced to a pile of mangled flesh and burst open. Before he could even react, it felt like someone grabbed his shoulder from behind, and with a tremendous force, he was sent flying backward.

In mid-air, the boy saw a small, pink figure quickly appear, followed by a muffled thud as the White Demon was sent flying.

In the blink of an eye, he and the White Demon landed and fell to the ground almost simultaneously.

"Ouch!"

The boy's bottom stung from the fall, but it made him very happy because it meant he was still alive. He then quickly looked up at the short-haired figure standing in the middle of the field.

"Who are you?"

But when he saw the curved blade katana strapped to his back, he seemed to understand something.

"Hehehe, another one has come along, and she's a delicate little girl with fair skin. Come to think of it, I've never eaten this before, so I'll give it a try~~"

The White Demon, however, flipped himself up, patted his chest where he had been kicked, and grinned as he looked at the Mumei's entire body.

"Has your arm recovered?"

The Mumei, holding Steam Pistol, was astonished to see that both his opponent's right arm, which had been severed by a knife, and his left hand, which he had shot to pieces, had completely healed.

This scene was also witnessed by Laskey, who was hiding on a rooftop. He also noticed that despite the commotion, none of the nearby residents came out to take a look.

Even the village chief Yamana, who provided them with lodging, was awake, judging from their breathing.

What are you?

On the street below, Mumei pointed her gun at the past and shouted.

"Well?"

This caught the White Demon off guard, leaving her momentarily speechless. Just then, the boy who had stood up Mumei Wuming, holding Samurai, walked to her side and asked in surprise, "Didn't your teacher tell you anything about ghosts?"

He mistook Mumei for Demon Slayer Corps candidate heading to the Final Selection, just like himself, since judging from Mumei's skills, he had definitely mastered the Breathing Technique.

Why is this adorable little girl holding a musket?

"No, given the situation, if we hadn't used a gun, they wouldn't have been able to save me at all. It must be because of this!"

"I might have been told, but I didn't remember!"

Mumei tilted her chin up and spoke with an air of self-righteousness. Her arrogant and willful demeanor, combined with her absolutely beautiful face, immediately captivated the young man.

"So cute!"

"Then you can keep reminiscing inside my belly!"

The White Demon laughed wildly and charged forward again. They were just two little brats, perfect for their first meal after descending the mountain.

"Careful!"

"If we cooperate, there shouldn't be any problem. By the way, my name is Koshimizu Fumi, and I'm thirteen years old!"

The young man hurriedly introduced himself, thinking that even if he still lost the fight, at least the other party would know his name.

But despite his thoughts, he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of such a cute girl, so he immediately swung his sword at the White Demon, shouting, "Second Form: Narrow-Head Poison Fang!"

With peculiar steps and unbelievable movements, he instantly circled behind the White Demon, his Purple-Patterned Longsword, enveloped in a layer of rising arcs of air, 'biting' at the back of the White Ghost's neck like a purple snake.

"That's interesting."

Seeing this from the rooftop, Laskey narrowed his eyes. "So young and already able to unleash sword energy? But the strength he's displaying doesn't seem to reach the level of a swordsman."