"But... everyone's value is indeed different!"
Muichiro replied.
Teiichi taught him, and after listening to him, he indeed felt that it made a lot of sense.
If only one can be saved, it's either the Swordsmith Village or a villager from the Swordsmith Village.
Isn't it obvious which one is more valuable?
Aoi Kanzaki said angrily, "Then I might just be an ordinary team member in the future, while among the other people who participated in the trial, there might be some who can become Pillars this time. Wouldn't saving them be more valuable?"
Upon hearing Aoi Kanzaki's words, Muichiro lowered his head and thought about it seriously before nodding.
"Yes, you have a point!"
Seeing that Muichiro had nodded in agreement but showed no intention of leaving, Aoi Kanzaki said, "Then you should go and protect them!"
Muichiro replied, "But I don't know which of them can become a Pillar! And if they can become Pillars, they probably wouldn't need my protection! So I'll just focus on protecting you!"
Hearing Muichiro's words, Aoi Kanzaki couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
"But the Final Selection is to see if the team members are strong enough. If you keep following me and protecting me, I won't even know if I'm strong enough to become a formal team member."
Upon hearing this, Muichiro pondered for a moment, then said, "If we encounter any demons later, you can go up and fight them. If you can't beat them, then I'll go up and fight them!"
After saying this, fearing that Aoi Kanzaki wouldn't believe him, Muichiro added:
"Don't worry, Master said that although I might not be strong enough right now, as long as it's just about Mount Fujikasane, no demon should be able to defeat me!"
Aoi Kanzaki still believed Muichiro's words.
During this time, she came to a profound realization of what a monster truly is.
Despite having cultivated for less than a month and being slower than me in everything else, Muichiro completed the Total Concentration the Constant a few days faster than me.
I had only barely managed to Total Concentration Breathing two days before the Mount Fujikasane Trial.
After developing his own Mist Breathing, Muichiro's progress in cultivating the Breathing Style accelerated rapidly, and he mastered the Total Concentration - Constant in just a few days.
Seeing that Muichiro she said, Aoi Kanzaki had no choice but to give up.
Although she had been trying to persuade Muichiro to leave, Aoi Kanzaki couldn't help but feel a sense of relief now that she knew Muichiro wouldn't leave.
Thank goodness I don't have to face ghosts alone anymore!
Time passed slowly, and several days and nights had gone by in the blink of an eye.
The two had a few close calls these past few days.
Of course, it was Aoi Kanzaki who was shocked.
Despite having encountered ghosts several times and having killed many of them.
But every time she encounters a ghost, Aoi Kanzaki still can't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
At this moment, the two were walking silently through the woods, neither of them speaking.
At first, Aoi Kanzaki felt a little awkward, but she quickly got used to it.
After all, there's also Kanao at home, who's even more difficult to communicate with.
The footsteps beside me stopped.
Aoi Kanzaki looked at Muichiro with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong?"
Muichiro pointed in one direction, "There's some noise over there."
Upon hearing Muichiro's words, Aoi Kanzaki felt a surge of tension.
However, after encouraging himself, he still walked in the direction that Muichiro pointed out.
After walking for a while, a figure with its back to the two gradually appeared in front of them.
It was a tall, muscular figure, with prominent muscles all over his body.
Even when crouching on the ground, Aoi Kanzaki didn't appear to be much shorter than him.
At this moment, the figure was tearing chunks of flesh from the corpse lying on the ground in front of it.
Then it was lifted into the air, and fresh blood dripped from the chunks of flesh.
The ghost's head was raised high, then its fingers loosened, and flesh and blood fell straight down.
The sound of chewing came from the direction of the ghost.
Aoi Kanzaki's gaze fell on the Nichirin Blade beside the corpse, and she couldn't help but catch her breath.
Although she knew that dying during the Final Selection was normal, this was the first time she had witnessed it with her own eyes in recent days.
As if hearing the noise behind him, the figure slowly stood up and turned around.
"Hehehe... Two more little guys have arrived? One isn't enough for me!"
The demon grinned maliciously, then its gaze fell on Aoi Kanzaki.
"There's another female swordsman? That's great! Female swordsmen have more tender flesh!"
The blunt words sent a chill down Aoi Kanzaki's spine.
Looking at the two-meter-tall, muscular demon before him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
This ghost... I probably can't beat it, right?
With these thoughts in mind, Aoi Kanzaki's gaze involuntarily shifted to Muichiro beside her.
Muichiro was also quietly watching him.
Aoi Kanzaki has seen that look in her eyes many times these past few days; it's a clear signal that she's being asked to go first.
Gritting her teeth, Aoi Kanzaki stepped forward to face the demon head-on.
"Hehehe... Letting a girl come up alone, that's really not manly!"
The demon grinned maliciously, its gaze sweeping over Muichiro.
"Oh, wait, you're so young! You're already a swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps at such a young age? It seems the Demon Slayer Corps is getting worse and worse!"
Muichiro ignored the demon's words, keeping his eyes fixed on the battlefield, ensuring that Aoi Kanzaki and the demon remained within his sight.
Seeing that Muichiro did not reply, the demon turned its gaze to Aoi Kanzaki.
After carefully examining Aoi Kanzaki, the demon grinned a sinister smile.
"Little girl, are you really okay? Your body is shaking!"
Hearing the demon's words, Aoi Kanzaki finally reacted, her gaze fixed on the slightly trembling arm in front of her.
Even wielding Nichirin Blade couldn't give her a sense of security when facing the demon before her.
The demon's height of over two meters and its prominent muscles clearly indicated that it was not in the same league as the one she had encountered a few days ago.
Before Aoi Kanzaki could think any further, the demon had already arrived.
With each step the demon took, a series of heavy thuds echoed.
The moving demon was like a towering tower, and the pressure rushed towards her like a flood, causing Aoi Kanzaki to gasp for breath.
Whoosh!
A loud whooshing sound rang out.
The enormous fist magnified in Aoi Kanzaki's pupils, and Aoi Kanzaki stood motionless, seemingly having forgotten how to resist.
Am I going to die?
Aoi Kanzaki couldn't help but think.
A sudden pull came from behind, pulling Aoi Kanzaki away.
Then.
boom!
A tremendous sound rang out from where Aoi Kanzaki had just been standing.
" Mist Breathing - Fourth Form: Horizontal Slash!"
Before the demon could adjust its posture, a light voice floated across the battlefield.
A thin mist had risen into the air sometime earlier.
The next moment.
Whoosh--!
The Nichirin Blade flashed a cold light as it swiftly sliced through the air.
The slash was as smooth as flowing water, encountering no obstruction, and the enormous head was tossed high into the air.
Ignoring the head falling to the ground behind him, Muichiro walked back to Aoi Kanzaki and looked at Aoi Kanzaki calmly.
"That ghost was just strong, not fast. You should have been able to beat it."