Old Sorrows and New Grievances, Settled Together

Sabito gritted his teeth in anger, his gaze towards the Hand Demon filled with fury and sorrow, as if his entire world was collapsing before his eyes.

Those eleven masks, each one represented a life lost, the relics of his senior disciples.

The Hand Demon's smug face disgusted him, and he roared like thunder, "I will kill you! I will ensure you never find peace, not even in the afterlife!"

"You bastard!"

Sabito gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palm. Blood flowed from between his fingers, but he felt no pain.

He finally understood why their master had tried so hard to keep them, fearing he would lose more disciples, unwilling to let his own mistakes cost another life.

Every time a disciple was lost, their master's heart was torn to shreds, but the Final Selection was just that cruel.

Sabito charged at the Hand Demon like a maddened beast, roaring. In an instant, a torrent of ink-green arms surged forth, obscuring the sky.

"Water Breathing, Tenth Form, Flowing Water!"

He spun and twisted like a swimming dragon, each rotation generating waves of wind that pulled the grotesque arms into the vortex, shredding them.

The Nichirin Blade flashed like cold light, carrying a fierce momentum, crashing towards the Hand Demon like a surging, powerful tide.

In a flash, severed limbs and broken arms rained down with the blood, but the Hand Demon's regenerative abilities far surpassed Sabito's expectations; its arms always recovered the moment they were cut.

This guy was different from other demons. It had devoured so many people. If not for its own issues, it would have obtained a Blood Demon Art long ago.

While fighting, the Hand Demon boasted about how it had tortured Urokodaki's disciples, attempting to disrupt Sabito's focus.

"I remember the last little devil, he loved to laugh, so I ripped her mouth open first. Her screams were much better than her laughter, hee hee hee!"

"Shut up!"

"Scum!"

Sabito's rage intensified, causing his breathing to become erratic. The Hand Demon seized the opportunity, launching a punch towards his head.

"Water Breathing, Eighth Form, Waterfall Jar!"

A calm voice sounded as Giyu blocked the attack. His eyes were red with anger over what had happened to his senior disciples, but he had not lost his reason.

Sabito and Giyu, these two close friends, one full of justice and hatred for evil but rather reckless; the other silent and reserved, with a mind as still as water.

Just like the sea, there were storms and sunny days.

"Sabito, calm down, it's trying to provoke you!" Giyu spoke one of his rare, longer sentences. In his heart, Sabito's life was far more important than his own.

But genius has its pride. Sabito, consumed by anger, didn't listen at all and charged forward again.

His reduced rationality led to openings in his footwork. However, with Giyu present, these openings could be completely ignored.

This was Giyu's strength; he could always calmly analyze the situation and coordinate attacks with his teammates.

The two advanced steadily, getting closer to the Hand Demon's main body. Revenge was within reach. Sabito became even more aggressive, widening the distance between himself and Giyu.

Finally, a brief opening appeared in the perfectly coordinated movements of the two. At the same time, two more arms suddenly appeared on the battlefield. The Hand Demon had held back a move, waiting for this exact moment.

Giyu swiftly cut down one of the arms. Just as he prepared to protect Sabito, he heard a sharp crack as his Nichirin Blade broke.

In his desperation, he used his body to block the Hand Demon's attack. Watching his best friend being sent flying, Sabito's mind went blank.

At that moment, Hiruma, with a smile on his face, intervened. He caught Giyu and quickly cut his own palm, squeezing blood into his mouth.

Giyu, on the verge of unconsciousness, tasted the coppery tang of blood. Through his blurry vision, he saw Sabito fighting in the distance and Hiruma feeding him blood.

Hiruma quickly carried Giyu away from the battlefield, his voice filled with trust.

"Sabito, Giyu will be fine. My blood can heal injuries!"

"Old sorrows and new grievances, let's settle them all!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sabito's eyes turned incredibly determined, shining brightly. He slashed down an incoming arm of the Hand Demon and said, "Leave the rest to me!"

"Thank you!"

At this moment, Sabito's mental state had greatly improved and grown. This kind of change was crucial for a swordsman pursuing the way of the sword.

He dodged the Hand Demon's attacks while adjusting his breathing. Finally, that powerful him had returned.

This time, even without his best friend's assistance, he could stand his ground alone.

Hiruma carried Giyu aside. The moment he saved Giyu, a thought had crossed his mind: to cut down the Hand Demon.

But then he thought better of it. It wouldn't be useful, at least not in helping Sabito and Giyu improve.

Giyu's inner turmoil stemmed from his deceased sister and his dead best friend. As long as Sabito didn't die, he wouldn't have this issue.

Lastly, he would just need to give Giyu some motivational speeches to help him overcome the guilt he felt over his sister's death.

As for Sabito, it seemed he had grown.

This time, the two Water Breathing users who walked out of Mount Fujikasane would be in their most perfect state.

Hiruma crossed his arms and leaned against a large tree, quietly enjoying the sight of Sabito taking his revenge, feeling quite pleased.

His role was to help the future Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps grow as much as possible. After all, taking down Muzan was a huge undertaking that he couldn't do alone.

A group assault of justice needed to be carried out against Muzan.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream tore through the night sky. The sound was like sharp claws frantically scratching across a blackboard, causing immense pain.

The Hand Demon was the one making the noise. Having lived for so long, he naturally had a backup plan. He didn't need it, but he couldn't be without it.

The Hand Demon was the most unwilling. He truly wished he'd never have to use this backup plan in his entire life.

He hadn't expected today to be ruined by that red-haired brat. He absolutely hated Hiruma.

As the roar ended, ten pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the forest. Immediately after, ten demons charged out from all around the woods, swarming towards Sabito.

Having ruled Mount Fujikasane for decades, the Hand Demon had naturally subjugated some underlings. The demons that were hunted by Hiruma and the other four were those who refused to submit to the Hand Demon.

It had to be said, if not for being trapped on Mount Fujikasane, the scummy boss would have purged his own ranks automatically. After all, being selfish and self-serving, he wouldn't allow his subordinates to form cliques.

Mount Fujikasane had trapped the Hand Demon, but it had also saved his life.

The ten demons that rushed out blocked Sabito, while the Hand Demon frantically ran towards the forest behind him.

"Damn it!"

"You bastard, stop right there!"

Hiruma, watching from a distance, shook his head helplessly. This Hand Demon was quite cunning, but he couldn't let this guy escape.

Today, it had to die, and it had to die at the hands of Urokodaki's disciple.

I just wanted to get revenge, why did you have to interfere? You're just causing trouble for me, sigh!

He took a step forward, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword. His eyes curved slightly, his tone lazy, and a ferocious glint appeared in his gaze.

The triumphant Hand Demon didn't even forget to glance back. He decided he would lay low for the next few days, and one day he would still tear Urokodaki's disciples to shreds.

Unfortunately, his golden eyes met Hiruma's, which were also a brilliant gold. The latter glared at him, his smile not reaching his eyes, like a nightmare.

"Way Breathing - Thunder Form - Kirin!"

PS: There will be two more chapters tonight. Three chapters in total today.