"Snake Breathing: Third Form: Constricting Fangs!"
Before the Earth Style Demon could finish speaking, a blade wind flashing with cold light swept past Hiruma's eyes, and Obanai beheaded it.
"Damn! You snake-obsessed freak, what the hell are you doing?"
Hiruma shot to his feet with a startled cry. Obanai had appeared far too suddenly; there had been no time to react at all.
Obanai flicked the blood from his Nichirin Blade, turned, and glared at Hiruma. "You useless glutton, why didn't you kill that Demon?"
To him, every Demon deserved to die. He wished every last one of them would drop dead immediately. Besides, he had overheard part of Hiruma's conversation with the Earth Style Demon. Making a deal with a Demon was something he could not tolerate in the slightest.
Hiruma helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead. The situation was complicated, and he had no idea how to explain it to this guy.
"I have my own plans. At least let me finish asking my questions before you attack!"
"Hmph!"
"Demons should die!" Obanai snorted coldly and headed toward the bushes without looking back. Of course, he was not actually angry at Hiruma.
Before long, he dragged a half-grown wild boar over to Hiruma and said flatly, "That pathetic dry food probably isn't even enough to fill the gaps between your teeth, you glutton."
"This pig ran into a tree and died. Then I found it. You should be grateful."
Hiruma: "???"
Do you even hear yourself? Do you think I'm blind enough not to see that huge slash wound?
"Then, thanks!" It did not matter if he had failed to get his answers. There would be other chances. Honestly, Hiruma was incredibly touched. He had not expected Obanai to think about how much he ate.
"Oh, right!"
"I found a stream. Let's deal with it there. The smell of blood might attract Demons!" The moment he mentioned Demons, his gaze turned icy, killing intent spilling from him.
He led the way while Hiruma dragged the pig along behind him, muttering under his breath from time to time.
"You sick freak, don't even think about bringing the battlefield to the dinner table. Damn it!"
About fifteen minutes later, the two arrived near the stream Obanai had mentioned. From afar, they could already see an orange campfire. It seemed someone had arrived before them.
After nightfall, ordinary swordsmen generally would not approach the forest. The woods were too dark, making it easy for Demons to ambush them.
At this hour, the only people from this batch still in the forest were probably those few.
"Hiruma!"
"Obanai!"
"What a coincidence!"
Sabito had noticed Hiruma and Obanai as well. He smiled and waved. Giyu sat by the fire, warming himself, and merely glanced at them.
"Want some whole roasted pig?" Hiruma tossed down the wild Peppa Pig and asked with a bright smile. Since he could not find the Hand Demon, he could only stick close to its hunting targets.
With Sabito's strength, cutting down the Hand Demon would be as easy as chopping vegetables.
According to how the story had originally gone, Sabito encountered the Hand Demon only after killing every Demon on the mountain. By then, he was badly worn down, and even his blade had chipped. It would have been strange if he had survived.
But this time was different.
He was not the only one hunting Demons all over the mountain.
In the end, the grudge of the Water Hashira lineage still had to be avenged by someone from the Water Breathing lineage.
"I'll help you prepare it!"
"Yeah!"
Hiruma and Sabito carried the pig to the water's edge, leaving only the expressionless Giyu and the bandaged Obanai by the campfire.
Obanai made no attempt to hide the contempt and disgust on his face. He hated Giyu Tomioka's pathetic look of, "I'm so miserable, come pity me."
If not for Hiruma and Sabito, he really wanted to beat Giyu up.
"Do you want some water?" Giyu remembered his senior sister's instructions: he had to smile and help others.
Unfortunately, Giyu's smile looked completely forced, like someone who thought you owed him money.
Obanai crossed his arms, turned his head away, and said in an extremely resistant tone,
"I don't need any. Stay away from me. Hmph!"
Giyu tilted his head and stared blankly at the waterskin. His senior sister had been wrong. This person did not like seeing others smile.
A while later, the pig was roasting over the fire. The four sat around it, with Hiruma and Sabito doing all the work to keep the mood lively.
Another day of missing his big brother. When it came to creating a cheerful atmosphere, no one could compare to Kyojuro.
Speak of his big brother, and his big brother arrived.
"Hahaha! Sure enough, it's you lot. I was wondering who would dare light a fire beside the forest in the middle of the night!"
Kyojuro burst out of the woods, but he had brought gifts with him—ten whole Demons.
"Little brat, nowhere left to run now, huh?"
"I'm gonna rip off one of his arms! Hehehe!"
"Eat him!"
The four roasting the pig around the fire immediately lit up. Behind their big brother was a mass of Demons—their hunting targets.
"So this human brat has helpers!"
"Brothers, don't be afraid! There are only five of them. We have the advantage!"
The ten Demons formed a semicircle around the five, but Hiruma was still sprinkling seasoning over the meat, with no time to spare for them.
"Snake Breathing: Fifth Form: Coiling Serpent!"
"Water Breathing: First Form: Surface Slash!"
"Water Breathing: Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
"Flame Breathing: Fifth Form - Flame Tiger!"
In an instant, flashes of blades filled the air. The four youths charged into the Demons' encirclement like raging floods and savage beasts.
There was no fear on their faces, only excitement and killing intent. Well, except for one expressionless guy.
On one side were the miserable screams of Demons; on the other, Hiruma hummed a little tune. It was not that he did not want to fight—he simply never got the chance.
After a while, the mangled remains of Demons scattered across the ground turned to ash. Sabito stretched and sighed.
"What a pity. One got away!"
"Wow!"
"There's roasted pig! I want to eat a whole elbow!" Kyojuro sheathed his sword, little stars gleaming in his eyes as he drooled and charged toward Hiruma.
Two days later, during the day, inside a cave deep in the forest.
Five Demons surrounded a horned Demon. The scene looked like earnest students seeking knowledge from their teacher.
The horned Demon said earnestly, "Everyone, there are five human swordsmen this time. Whatever you do, do not provoke them. Otherwise, you will definitely, absolutely die!!!"
"Those guys are lunatics!"
"There's a blond one, one with a scar on his face, one with a snake around his neck, one who looks extremely punchable, and one smiling pervert with dark red hair."
As he spoke, the horned Demon remembered the terrifying scene by the stream two days ago.
Ten Demons had surrounded five humans, only to be slaughtered one-sidedly by four of them. It had been a slaughter without the slightest suspense.
At that moment, a Demon's scream came from outside the cave. The sound alone was enough to make them suffocate.
"Kill me!"
"Please, kill me already!"
"I don't want to eat poison anymore!"
"Kill me!"
"Kill me now!"
In the end, the Demon's pleading turned into desperate roars.
Mount Fujikasane's current situation was that Nighttime Demon Slayers chased Demons around and cut them down, while Daytime Demon Slayers searched everywhere for Demons hiding away.
Whether it was day or night, the Demons knew no peace.
In just two days, over seventy percent of the Demons on Mount Fujikasane had died. Less than thirty percent remained, and even at night, they did not dare go out to hunt.
This Final Selection was a nightmare for the Demons—a nightmare they could not wake from.
The only thing they could do was pray that those insane humans would leave as soon as possible.
Before you continue