Tanjiro nodded silently, not pressing the issue any further.
After the first boy spoke up, others followed, each giving the same reason—they were too injured to go. In the end, only a few young men, still healthy and courageous, chose to join Tanjiro in searching for Shin Arashi.
With his team assembled, Tanjiro turned his attention to another concern: the only girl who had entered the Final Selection.
He searched the gathered crowd again and again, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Wasn't she with these people?
Where could she have gone?
Did something happen to her?
Didn't Senior Shin save her, too?
A surge of worry rose in Tanjiro's heart. He couldn't help but feel uneasy about her safety.
To increase their chances of finding Shin Arashi quickly, the small group took only a brief rest before heading back out. They used the relative safety of daylight to move through Mt. Fujikasane.
Meanwhile, deep underground—through a hidden cavern system beneath the mountain—every surviving demon had gathered in a dark, sprawling cave. Though pitch black to humans, demons could see just fine in the dark.
A hulking, grotesque demon lumbered into the center of the chamber. It was massive, its body covered in twisted muscles—and worse, its torso was covered in arms. Dozens of them. Small, large, even childlike.
This was the infamous Hand Demon.
"What's going on?" the demon asked, voice low and menacing. "Why are you all gathered in my den today?"
Its presence left no doubt—it was the strongest demon on Mt. Fujikasane.
One of the lesser demons stepped forward nervously. "Master Hand Demon, a terrifying human appeared among the Demon Slayer Corps candidates last night. Many of our kin were slaughtered by him."
"That's right! He's far too strong for us to handle. We came to ask for your help!"
"Please, Lord Hand Demon!"
"Please take revenge for us, Lord Hand Demon!"
One by one, the demons pleaded with the Hand Demon to intervene.
The demon sneered in response. "Pathetic. You bring shame to all demons! You can't even handle a single boy?"
He glared around the chamber. "What, is he some kind of monster? Couldn't you just gang up on him and kill him?"
Silence.
None of the demons dared respond. In front of the Hand Demon's overwhelming strength, they didn't have the courage to talk back. Relationships between demons were built on power, not loyalty. At any moment, the Hand Demon could lash out and devour any one of them.
After a tense moment, the Hand Demon narrowed its eyes and muttered, "Wait... was the boy wearing a fox-like mask?"
"Yes!" one of the demons quickly replied. "That boy who killed so many of us—he wore a fox mask, just like the ones from that mountain!"
At that, the Hand Demon's eyes twisted into a snarl of hatred. Its voice grew low and furious.
"So, he is his disciple. That rotten old man Urokodaki. Damn that senile immortal...!"
His massive hands clenched into fists.
Everyone else in the chamber took a step back.
The air had shifted.
The Hand Demon wasn't just angry—he wanted blood.