"You've got guts, not running even after seeing me."
"But now it's too late to run. Beg for mercy."
"If you beg, I might let you go. After all, my main target is that old man—you know, he gave me quite a hard time."
Kawanishi spoke in a low, menacing voice, deliberately trying to provoke Tanjiro into fleeing while slipping in some information.
Facing Kawanishi's enormous axe, taller than himself, Tanjiro felt a chill run through him.
But his gaze remained firm; not a trace of fear wavered in his heart.
In a determined voice, Tanjiro declared, "This time, I won't beg or cry."
"I won't fear battle against demons!"
After his encounter with Giyu Tomioka, where he had once knelt and begged for Nezuko's life only to be taught otherwise through Tomioka's actions, Tanjiro had learned: weakness and begging would not inspire mercy.
When facing a ruthless demon, one must never show weakness.
Besides, his master Urokodaki was still behind him—not injured, only too exhausted to move.
The blood staining the ground belonged to the demon, and Kawanishi's own words revealed that Urokodaki had dealt him serious damage. Tanjiro realized there was still hope.
His only chance was to stall for time.
And with the demon standing between him and his master, Tanjiro needed to get past him—to stand between Kawanishi and Urokodaki.
He had no choice but to attack first; if he waited for the demon to strike Urokodaki, it would be too late.
"Water Breathing!"
Whoosh—
Tanjiro inhaled deeply, channeling the breath through his limbs and strengthening his body.
Especially his legs, where the surging air filled his muscles, urging him to spring into action.
Gripping a handful of dirt and stones from the ground, Tanjiro hurled them directly at Kawanishi.
At the same moment, he launched himself forward, stamping hard on the ground to propel himself toward his opponent.
The cloud of dust blocked Kawanishi's vision.
Remaining still, Kawanishi swept his massive axe horizontally, knocking away the flying dirt and dispersing the blinding dust.
Suddenly, Tanjiro appeared in his field of vision, having closed the distance.
Kawanishi instantly reacted, forming a claw with his iron hand and reaching for Tanjiro's neck, intending to seize him at once.
But Tanjiro moved fast—he pressed down on Kawanishi's iron arm with both hands, using the leverage to spring upward, aiming his hard forehead directly at Kawanishi's face.
Kawanishi, confident in his demon's durability, leaned forward to meet the headbutt head-on.
Bang!
Kawanishi stumbled back several steps, clutching his head and hissing, "Sss—"
That hurts! That hurts! That hurts… Is his head made of iron?!
He had never realized before just how hard his little brother's head was.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro used the recoil to retreat and distance himself from Kawanishi.
Kawanishi rubbed his forehead and looked toward Tanjiro.
In Tanjiro's hands now was Urokodaki's Nichirin Blade—he had snatched it while retreating.
Tanjiro had also positioned himself directly in front of Urokodaki, facing Kawanishi with his back to his master.
Panting heavily, Tanjiro asked, "Master, how long until you can fight again?"
Urokodaki, silently observing, was rather pleased with Tanjiro's response.
He and Kawanishi had staged this scene to test Tanjiro's combat judgment and reactions when faced with overwhelming odds.
And Tanjiro's performance was excellent. Facing a demon that had defeated his master, Tanjiro immediately realized he was no match in strength—but he didn't flee. He chose to fight.
For a demon slayer, one must never show weakness before a demon. It's acceptable to retreat when necessary, but when there is someone to protect, the swordsman must stake his life to safeguard others.
That is the core belief of the Demon Slayer Corps:
Our own lives may be lost, but we will protect those we love at all costs.
In terms of battlefield judgment, Tanjiro immediately saw the only path to survival: buy time.
Urokodaki's clothing was intact, and the blood on the ground was Kawanishi's.
Combined with Kawanishi's lines, they had created the illusion that Urokodaki had injured the demon but was simply too old and exhausted to finish the job.
Tanjiro made the correct call—stall for time—and executed it flawlessly.
Urokodaki felt gratified.
Back when he received his disciple Giyu Tomioka's letter describing how Tanjiro had fought him, he was already deeply impressed.
This boy is a natural swordsman.
Even if he never reaches the level of a Hashira, he could still become a first-rate swordsman—an upper-tier swordsman at minimum.
And that's considering Urokodaki's Water Breathing wasn't even perfectly suited for Tanjiro's natural abilities.
Yet Urokodaki couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.
He had pondered this many times: none of the existing breathing techniques perfectly matched Tanjiro's physique, limiting his true potential.
Urokodaki spoke in a deep voice: "Ten minutes. Hold out for ten minutes."
Ten minutes…
Tanjiro's body screamed in fatigue. The prolonged use of Water Breathing made his lungs feel as though they were being sliced by knives.
I want to collapse right now, but I must endure!
Every night after training, Tanjiro would stumble back inside and collapse instantly into a deep sleep.
The mountain traps had long since drained him of all strength.
But now, no matter how exhausted, he would squeeze out every drop of energy and continue fighting without hesitation.
Even as this demon filled him with immense dread—his giant axe surely meant instant death if struck—
I simply must not let him touch me!
Stepping forward with his left leg, Tanjiro shifted his stance low and unbalanced, leaning slightly.
Watching closely, Urokodaki immediately recognized the stance Tanjiro was adopting.
He sighed internally: Tanjiro… you're doing so well.
But that Final Selection… even Sabito and Makomo fell there.
And you're not yet on their level… I don't want you to throw your life away.
Among Urokodaki's past disciples, Sabito and Makomo had been the strongest—yet both died on Mount Fujikasane.
The first time, Sabito died, and Giyu—who accompanied him—had fainted throughout the entire trial, unaware of what had happened.
Back then, Giyu was so weak that Urokodaki almost suffered a stroke from frustration.
The boy knew nothing, having survived purely by luck while unconscious.
It was Sabito's death that pushed Giyu to change, transforming from a timid, weak child into today's cold and stoic Water Hashira.
He had fought desperately to grow stronger, constantly taking missions and honing his skills in bloody battles.
But Giyu… when will you break free from the chains of the past and become your true self?
You're carrying far too much exhaustion.
As for the Final Selection, only Giyu among his disciples had ever walked out alive…
Why must this trial claim so many lives?
(End of Chapter)