Chapter 18: Aftermath
The tense atmosphere suddenly lifted.
Tanjiro had successfully decapitated the Hand Demon, which—in Hakuya's assessment—was entirely predictable.
Hakuya had complete confidence in both Tanjiro's strength and the quality of his own blade. The reason Tanjiro's standard-issue sword had broken earlier was entirely due to the blade's inherent limitations, not any fault in Tanjiro's technique.
If the Hand Demon hadn't devoured so many of its own kind and strengthened itself dramatically, Tanjiro's initial strike would have undoubtedly severed the creature's neck. After all, Tanjiro could slice cleanly through massive boulders during training. Even with the Hand Demon deliberately hardening its neck, that defense would still be far less formidable than solid rock.
The Hand Demon's severed head showed an expression of pure resentment and fury.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! My body is crumbling and vanishing bit by bit. I can't accept this!"
Having received the fatal blow, the Hand Demon's massive body began disintegrating into ash.
After decapitating the demon, Tanjiro's expression suddenly softened, becoming compassionate once more.
The air grew thick with a sorrowful scent, prompting Tanjiro to murmur, "What a sad smell..."
"Please... don't let this person be reborn as a demon in their next life. Please..."
Tanjiro knelt before the disappearing form of the Hand Demon, gently grasping one of the creature's dissolving hands, and prayed sincerely.
As Tanjiro finished his prayer, the Hand Demon's body and head completely vanished from this world, leaving only ash that scattered on the wind.
Hakuya quietly observed Tanjiro praying for the demon's soul. He chose not to comment on Tanjiro's compassionate nature—that was simply who Tanjiro was, and it wasn't something that needed to be changed.
After a brief rest, Hakuya's arms gradually recovered from their strain. He then walked toward Tanjiro, standing before him and offering genuine praise: "Tanjiro, you did well."
"Hakuya-senpai!" Tanjiro looked up at Hakuya and responded, sharing a faint smile.
It seemed that spending so much time training with Hakuya had influenced even Tanjiro's expressions—his smile bore a subtle resemblance to his senior's calm demeanor.
"Your sword, Hakuya-senpai." Tanjiro carefully returned the Nichirin blade to Hakuya.
After receiving his sword back, Hakuya said, "Tanjiro, the Nichirin blade that Master gave you is broken. From now on, just stay somewhere safe while I take care of the rest."
"Hakuya-senpai, are you still going to hunt demons?" Tanjiro asked with concern.
Hakuya nodded. Although Mount Fujikasane's most powerful demon—the Hand Demon—had been eliminated, his mission wasn't yet complete. There were still many demons that had escaped earlier, waiting for Hakuya to track them down.
"Don't worry. Mount Fujikasane's strongest demon has been defeated by you. The remaining lesser ones pose no threat to me," Hakuya reassured him.
"Then I'll wait for you to return safely!" Tanjiro didn't interfere with Hakuya's choice, nor did he insist on accompanying him since his Nichirin blade was broken.
If Tanjiro's sword hadn't been damaged, he might have chosen to join Hakuya in the continued demon hunt.
Without a Nichirin blade, however, Tanjiro—no matter how skilled he was—couldn't harm demons. Even if he followed Hakuya, he would only be a liability rather than an asset.
Soon, Hakuya and Tanjiro separated once more. Hakuya seized the remaining time, following the markers on his system's minimap to continue his cleanup operation.
After parting ways with Hakuya, Tanjiro headed down the mountain toward safety.
Along the way, he stumbled upon Zenitsu, who had been thrown clear of the battle by Hakuya and was still unconscious.
Tanjiro quickly approached Zenitsu and carefully propped him up against a tree.
Looking at the unconscious Zenitsu, Tanjiro chuckled helplessly. This guy certainly had hidden depths.
If it hadn't been for Zenitsu's unexpected transformation during the battle, Tanjiro probably wouldn't have survived until Hakuya's arrival.
"Zenitsu! Wake up! Are you okay?" Tanjiro gently patted Zenitsu's face.
Responding to Tanjiro's call, Zenitsu frowned and slowly opened his eyes.
"Tanjiro... did you save me?" Zenitsu asked groggily, his vision still blurry. After recognizing Tanjiro, he spoke slowly.
Zenitsu felt sharp pain throughout his entire body and had no strength left whatsoever.
"No, it was Hakuya-senpai who saved all of us," Tanjiro replied honestly.
"Really? That's such a relief!" Zenitsu said with a deep sigh.
"Zenitsu, can you walk on your own? We need to leave here quickly and get to a safe place to wait for Hakuya-senpai," Tanjiro asked.
Zenitsu attempted to move, but discovered his body was too exhausted to stand up. He shook his head helplessly and said with his characteristic dramatic flair, "Tanjiro, I can't stand up anymore! Am I going to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair? I'm not even married yet!"
"What are you talking about? You're just exhausted. I'll carry you," Tanjiro said with a resigned smile, already used to Zenitsu's tendency toward dramatic exaggeration.
Without further discussion, Tanjiro hoisted Zenitsu onto his back and began making his way down Mount Fujikasane.
During their descent, Tanjiro encountered the young man with the sprained ankle once more. Between the injury and the considerable force of Hakuya's throw, the young man's movement was severely limited.
And so, the three of them reunited. Seeing that both Tanjiro and Zenitsu had survived, the young man with the sprained ankle knew that Hakuya must have defeated that overwhelming horde of demons.
Remembering that terrifying wave of demons from earlier, the young man still felt lingering fear. Just how strong was Hakuya to have handled such an impossible situation?
"You're all okay! That's wonderful! Um, my name is Murata. I owe my life to you and your senior—thank you!" The young man with the sprained ankle introduced himself as Murata, his voice filled with emotion after narrowly escaping death.
"I'm just glad you weren't seriously hurt, Murata. My name is Kamado Tanjiro, and the one on my back is Agatsuma Zenitsu." Tanjiro introduced himself and Zenitsu in return.
Murata looked at Zenitsu, remembering his incredible transformation during the critical moment, and no longer viewed him as merely a cowardly, crying boy.
Given the dire circumstances at the time, if it hadn't been for Zenitsu's explosive power, the three of them probably wouldn't have survived until Hakuya arrived.
Therefore, all three of them owed their survival to both Tanjiro and Zenitsu's efforts.
"Murata, do you have any older sisters around your age? Can you introduce me to them?" Zenitsu suddenly asked from Tanjiro's back.
Hearing this, Tanjiro and Murata exchanged glances and both smiled bitterly. They understood exactly what Zenitsu was thinking—during their earlier search for Hakuya, he'd kept lamenting that he wasn't married yet and didn't want to die.
Now he'd immediately set his sights on Murata as a potential connection. They really didn't know what to say about it!
"Zenitsu, I'm sorry! My older brother and I are the only two children in my family. My brother's name is Murata Shinichi, and he passed Final Selection and joined the Demon Slayer Corps a few years ago," Murata explained, also taking the opportunity to mention his brother.
"Your brother is really amazing! He actually passed this test! If it weren't for Tanjiro and Hakuya-senpai, I definitely would have died here," Zenitsu sighed dramatically.
Upon hearing this, both Tanjiro and Murata thought Zenitsu was being deliberately modest—or perhaps genuinely had no memory of his own actions. Both of them had witnessed Zenitsu's true strength firsthand. By rough estimate, more than ten demons had died at Zenitsu's hands alone.
With such an impressive record, to claim he would have died without Hakuya and Tanjiro seemed like false modesty—or perhaps he genuinely didn't remember what happened while unconscious.
If it hadn't been for Hakuya's aggressive demon hunting drawing all the creatures together, the demons on Mount Fujikasane would never have gathered in such overwhelming numbers. Under normal circumstances, with the strength Zenitsu had displayed while unconscious, he would have had no problem surviving seven days on Mount Fujikasane.
Both Tanjiro and Murata suspected that Zenitsu either didn't remember his own actions or was deliberately downplaying his abilities, so they chose not to expose him.
"By the way, Tanjiro, where is Hakuya-senpai?" Zenitsu asked, only now noticing that Hakuya wasn't with them.
Hearing this question, Murata also realized Hakuya's absence and became curious about what the powerful swordsman was doing.
"Hakuya-senpai has continued hunting demons. Based on his actions last night, I believe he's planning to eliminate every single demon on Mount Fujikasane," Tanjiro answered honestly, not hiding anything from Zenitsu and Murata.
Upon hearing this, Murata felt genuine awe toward Hakuya. Just how deep was Hakuya's grudge against demons to pursue them so relentlessly?
It had to be said—when you possessed overwhelming strength, you could act however you wanted.
Shortly after, the three arrived at a section of forest marked with Hakuya's water ripple carvings. This designated safe zone was where Tanjiro and the others chose to stop and rest.
With the death of the Hand Demon, Hakuya had become an absolute nightmare for Mount Fujikasane's demon population. The surviving demons completely stopped hunting participants, instead choosing to hide and wait until Final Selection ended so they could finally be rid of this terrifying threat.
Thus, the remaining nights became essentially a game of hide-and-seek between Hakuya and the terrified demons.
Fortunately, Hakuya had his system's minimap with location markers, making finding the hidden demons much easier than it would otherwise be.
However, compared to the first night, his efficiency was significantly lower, as the demons were now hiding in the most secluded, remote, and scattered locations they could find.
Over the next several days, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Murata reunited with the main group of participants. After days of recuperation, the young men's spirits and complexions had improved considerably.
Having not encountered any demons in recent days, the psychological shadow cast over them had faded significantly.
Seeing Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Murata appear before them once again, these participants showed genuine surprise.
Those who had been staying in the safe zone had heard about Tanjiro's desperate situation from the first group who escaped. When Tanjiro and his companions didn't return that night, everyone had assumed they'd perished. No one expected them to return alive and well.
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