Meliodas walked to the front of the room as people began returning to their seats, "is everyone ready to continue now?" he asked with a serious face. Many people frowned, but wanted to know what happened next, "Yes, please continue Meliodas-Sama" All Might replied for the class. The Demon nodded, "alright, let's start then" he said, taking his seat. The next episode began.
The title for the episode appeared: Final Selection.
'There's a reason I won,' Tanjiro narrated. A loose thread is shown, 'because I learned how to detect the Opening Thread' he explained. The screen panned out from the teen's eye, showing the thread coming from the tip of his sword, 'as soon as I pick up the scent, I'm able to see the thread. It guides me," the thread tightened and connected from Tanjiro's sword to Sabito's mask, "it connects my blade to any opening the enemy leaves me. And it tightens as soon as I see it". Tanjiro rushed forwards and slashed at Sabito's mask, "it quickly draws my blade forward, then I strike" the mask split in half, as did the boulder. Tanjiro was left in the empty clearing, staring at the boulder in shock.
"I still don't get it. How'd you manage to cut a boulder with a sword?!" Kaminari exclaimed in confusion. "Hmm, it's a bit too hard to put into words, sorry Kaminari" the red-haired teen replied apologetically. A few people frowned at him, wanting answers, but they decided to let it go, since it was obvious that Tanjiro didn't fully know the reason either.
As Tanjiro stared at the rock in shock, Urokodaki walked up behind him, making the younger swordsman turn to look at him, "Urokodaki" he said softly. The old man stared silently at the boulder for a moment, before he began speaking, "to be honest, I never had any intention of sending you to the Final Selection," he began seriously. Tanjiro blinked in confusion. "Because I didn't want to see anymore children die" Urokodaki explained. The severed rope that had been around it was shown laying on the ground, "I was sure you wouldn't be able to cut through this boulder, but-" the old Demon Slayer gently ruffled Tanjiro's hair, "well done Tanjiro. Truly, remarkable. I'm very, proud" Urokodaki said. Tears began to fill the teens eyes and spill down his cheeks as he heard those words. The Trainer pulled his student in for a hug, "make sure you come back from Final Selection alive. Your Sister and I will be waiting for you" he said, as Tanjiro returned the hug.
"That was the first time in two years anyone had told me that they were proud of me. It felt like all my hard work had finally paid off, even if it was only the beginning" Tanjiro said softly, small tears in his eyes as he sniffed. Nezuko cuddled against him, hoping to comfort her older brother. The older Kamado smiled gratefully, "thanks Nezuko, I'm so lucky to have such a loving family" he said, hugging the young Demon back. Many people in the theatre smiled warmly at the two siblings.
Back at Urokodaki's house, fish were shown to be cooking over the fire, and a Hot Pot bubbled away as well. Tanjiro's eyes lit up as he saw the large meal, "there's so much food, what's the deal?" he asked in confusion. "You finished your training, so we're celebrating," the Trainer replied, scooping up some Hot Pot into a bowl, and handing it to his student, "time to eat, don't be shy" Urokodaki said cheerfully. The burgundy-haired teen smiled gratefully, taking the bowl and chopsticks, "thank you, I'm starving" he replied, beginning to eat. His Master watched him, deep in thought, 'Tanjiro. I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do for you. After today, you will be facing unimaginable hardships. Your training pales in comparison. But at least for tonight, you can rest well, and sleep soundly one last time' he thought, as the boy finished his bowl and held it out, asking for seconds. Urokodaki took the bowl and gave him a second helping.
(Scene change)
After dinner, Tanjiro is seen cutting his long hair with clippers, while the old swordsman folded a blue cloth, patterned like his haori. "Hey, Tanjiro?" Urokodaki began, making his student look up from what he was doing, "uh, yes?" he asked curiously. "What did you think of the Hot Pot?" the older man asked.
"Uh, that's slightly random?" Uraraka asked in confusion. No one else said anything so the recording continued.
"Great!" Tanjiro exclaimed happily, "I haven't feasted like that in a while". "A growing boy with an appetite like yours will get bigger and stronger the bigger his meals are. The same applies to Demons," Urokodaki explained, as the boy frowned. "Remember that. The more humans a Demon has eaten, the more powerful he'll be." The Trainer said. "So if they eat a lot, they'll be tough to defeat?" Tanjiro asked. "That's right," Urokodaki replied as he stood up, "they get stronger, physical traits change, and some learn to use strange spells." The man turned to a cupboard and opened it, pulling out a mask. He turned back to his student, "you'll be able, to tell how many poor Souls they've claimed, once you're sense of smell is even more developed" Urokadaki explained.
He held out the mask, now seen to resemble a fox, which Tanjiro took, "what's this?" he asked curiously. "It is called a Warding Mask. It's been enchanted by a protection spell, to keep you from harm" the older man said. The teen stared at the mask, "now it makes sense" he said.
(Timeskip)
The next morning, Tanjiro put on the blue cloud patterned haori, before going over to Nezuko's room to say goodbye. "Nezuko," he said sadly. The older boy walked over to his sister, kneeling down and taking the sleeping Demon's hand. He held it close to his forehead with both hands, "Nezuko, I promise. I'm going to come back for you" Tanjiro promised.
*Scene change*
Tanjiro now stood outside Urokodaki's house, ready to leave, "no need to worry about your sister, I'll take good care of her for you" the adult promised. "Thanks! For everything!" Tanjiro said gratefully with a smile. He ran off, before turning back to wave goodbye, "guess I'm off! See you later!" Tanjiro called. Urokodaki raised a hand in farewell. As Tanjiro ran off he stopped and turned again, "say hi to Sabito and Makomo!" he called. The old swordsman gasped in shock and stopped waving. "Tanjiro. That's impossible." He muttered, the screen showing the two people in question, "hoe does he know the names of the dead?" he asked in confusion.
"Wait, THE DEAD?!" Mineta cried in fear. "So, they were spirits?" Tokoyami asked solemnly. Tanjiro frowned sadly, "yes, Spirits of Urokodaki's former students who were killed during Final Selection and unable to rest. I really hope they were able to go on to the afterlife after-" he began, only to be shushed by Meliodas, "shhh! They don't know about that yet. Let them watch" the blond Demon interrupted.
(Timeskip)
It was now late at night and a crescent moon was out. Tanjiro was shown walking down a path lined by Wisteria trees. Every one was in full bloom, and seeming to glow under the moonlight.
"Wow! That's beautiful!" Hagakure said in awe. Many people made sounds of agreement. Bakugo scoffed, "whatever, they're just stupid flowers" he muttered.
He looked up at the trees, holding a piece to look at it, 'Wisteria. It's all over the place. I thought it was out of season' he thought with a smile. Tanjiro then continued walking. Soon he began climbing a stone staircase. Upon reaching the top, he saw at least 23 swordsman there for Final Selection. Tanjiro looked around at everyone. Notable among the group were a black-haired girl with pink eyes wearing a pink kimono and a butterfly hairclip holding her hair up, a blond boy wearing a yellow haori who looked beaten up already and a scarred teen with a mohawk. "So many people" Tanjiro muttered, walking passed everyone. "Good evening" two children holding lanterns said. They looked like twins, both with purple eyes, the same Wisteria hair ornament, but on mirrored sides of their hair. The both wore the same purple kimono as well. the only differences were that one had black hair and the other white. The white-haired twin also had a red sash to tie their obi while the black haired one had a blue sash.
Tanjiro looked over at them as they spoke. "tonight, you've come to enter the Demon Slayer Corps Final Selection. Thank you all for being here" they spoke at the same time.
"Damn that's creepy, I've had nightmares about kids like those!" Kaminari shivered. "who are those girls anyway?" the blond and black-haired Hero-in-training asked. "Actually, the black-haired one is a boy, and they're the children of the Demon Slayer Corps Master" Tanjiro explained. "How do you know one is a boy? They both sound the same and look like girls" the electric Quirk user asked, temporarily forgetting his fear. "Easy. Because one smells like a boy and the other one like a girl" the Demon Slayer explained. "Oh, okay, that makes sense" Kaminari nodded in understanding.
"Here on Mount Fujikasane, there are several Demons that were captured alive by Demon Slayer Swordsman" the white-haired girl began, "they are kept here for this event" she said. "The Wisteria blossom's prevent them from leaving. They bloom on this mountain year 'round. And they cover everything from the base to halfway to the top" her brother continued. "But the Wisteria ends here, so Demons abound from this point on. And they're very hungry" the white-haired twin added. "In order to complete Final Selection, you must, survive for seven days beyond the wisteria's protection" the black-haired boy continued. "Now, your trial begins" both said in unison, bowing. Tanjiro frowned in determination, beginning to walk forwards.
*Scene change*
Tanjiro is shown running through the bushes and trees, holding onto his sword. 'Survive. Don't think about anything else' he crouched by a boulder and looked around warily. 'I just have to make it through the night. Once the sun comes up, the Demon's won't be able to do anything. That'll be my chance to rest.' He began running again, 'which means I need to head East. Make my way to where the sunlight will hit first!' he thought. Suddenly a scent alerted him to danger and Tanjiro skid to a stop, preparing to draw his Katana. He looked around warily, 'I smell a Demon. Close by.' He sniffed the air, trying to pinpoint it's location, 'where is it? where's it coming from? I can't seem to pin it down!' he thought.
"It's above you, isn't it?" Aizawa asked tiredly.
Tanjiro then looked up, "uh, up their!" he exclaimed. A Demon suddenly leapt down at him from the trees with a crazed laugh, making the teen jump back and out of the way. The Demon's attack caused a huge amount of dirt to rise up, while Tanjiro rolled out of the way, before getting back into a kneeling position, hand already reaching for his sword. A Demon with long dark-blue hair, four horns on his head, a long tongue and jagged blade-like protrusions coming form his forearms crouched on the ground in front of the teen. It cackled and waved his lounge around. "Found you" Tanjiro muttered, but as he did, another Demon, this one looking much more like a human with only his bulging veins, pointed teen, sharp claws and grey skin revealing his true nature, tried to attack him from behind. The 15-year-old managed to block the new Demon's attack with the blade of his sword, causing him to skid backwards from the force.
"Two Demon's already huh? Is that a good or a bad thing, ribbit?" Asui asked with a finger to her chin. "It depends on what you planned to do during Final Selection" Tanjiro explained, "I had hoped to not have to take on any Demons if I didn't have to, since I had no idea how strong they'd be, and if I'd have any chance to beat them. Fighting human opponents 'kind of' is very different from fighting man-eating Demons who want to kill you" the young Demon Slayer explained. "That's a good plan. Since you don't have to worry about protecting anyone, simply running away from the Demons would be the most practical and safest thing to do" Aizawa replied, sipping the coffee that he'd summoned.
"Damn you!" the second Demon growled, the two of them rushing towards each other and beginning to fight over who would get to eat him, "why don't you go find your own snack?!" the blue-haired Demon demanded "this is MY turf!" he yelled. "YOUR turf?! Ah go to hell!" the more human-looking one replied angrily. 'Two already. Can I handle them?' Tanjiro thought, never letting his guard down. "I saw him first!" the horned Demon, revealed to have a diamond-shaped hole in his tongue yelled angrily. "Doesn't matter! I'll be the first to kill him!" the human-looking one replied, leaping at Tanjiro, the other doing the same as well. Tanjiro grit his teeth, holding his sword up in a blocking position above his head. Good thing too, as both his enemies had decided to aim for his head. The Demon Slayer candidate managed to block both attacks, before blocking the human-like Demon's attack first, before deflecting the second one's attack seconds later. However, the brown-haired human-looking Demon kicked Tanjiro in the back, sending him forwards.
Spinning around in mid-air, the 15-year-old teen skid across the ground, managing to keep his footing.
"Come on Tanjiro, you can do it!" Uraraka cheered for the boy, momentarily forgetting that said boy was in the room with them, "thank you very much Uraraka, I appreciate your confidence in me" he replied gratefully with a smile, making the brown-haired girl blush slightly, 'he's pretty cute when he smiles' she thought, before shaking her head, 'what are you doing? You like Deku, besides, Tanjiro-Kun is from another world, and with the time period he's from, might already have a Fiancé. Lucky her. If he does have a Fiancé, then I hope that, after everything he's been through, that Tanjiro-Kun becomes the happiest person in the world' the Gravity User thought to herself, her blush calming as she turned her attention back to the screen.
'You've got this. Calm down and watch closely. Don't forget your training' Tanjiro thought to himself. Meanwhile the two Demons were running at him, starvation clear in their eyes, "I haven't tasted human flesh in forever!" the brown-haired one cried, salivating. The young trainee set his stance, 'Total-Concentration, Water Breathing!' he thought as he sucked in large amounts of air. In the darkness translucent threads appeared, attaching from the tip of his sword to the two Demons necks, 'I smell the thread' Tanjiro thought, his sense of smell picking up the opening thread for the two Demons. As he began to swing his sword, animated water appeared flowing off of it as the teen moved, "Fourth Form," then he sliced off both Demon's heads, "Striking Tide!" he finished as he landed on the ground after his strike. The separate heads and bodies of the enemy Demons feel to the ground, fading away into ash as they did.
Tanjiro panted in relief, watching the remains disintegrate, 'I did it! I killed Demons!' he thought in pride as he stood up from his landing position. He looked down at his hand, 'I'm getting stronger! So my training wasn't for nothing! I did master it!' he thought, clenching his fist and eyes shut as tears of relief and self-pride welled up in them. As the remains of the two Demons fully disappeared, Tanjiro walked over to them, before looking down at his sword, "nothing's left behind when a Demon's killed with this sword. Not even the bones." He muttered, before having a flashback.
*Flashback*
"A Demon's weakness is the neck," Urokodaki told his student, as he sheathed his sword after cutting a small log in half with it, "however, a normal sword is useless, even upon the neck" the man explained. "Okay, so how do I kill them?" Tanjiro asked. "With a Demon Slayer's Katana, forged by a special type of steel. That's the only weapon that can kill a Demon" Urokodaki explained, holding his sword out to the boy. "It's called, a Nichirin Sword".
*End flashback*
Back in the present, Tanjiro stared at the blade his Master had given him, before sheathing it. Then, as he faced the small remaining pieces of his former foes, the boy pressed his palms together and bowed his head, "rest in peace" he said, hoping for the once human beings to be given salvation in the afterlife, despite the horrible deeds they had committed as Demons.
"That sword of yours is pretty cool bro, is it the same one you have now?" Kirashima asked curiously with a grin. The 15-year-old turned to his sword, "no, those who pass the Final Selection get to choose an ore to be made into their own personal Katana. This sword has never failed me so far, and I hope it will serve me well in the future too" the burgundy-haired Demon Slayer replied with a smile. (Note: this is right before the Tsuzumi Mansion episode in the anime, so Tanjiro hasn't met Zenitsu or Inosuke yet, and his sword hasn't been broken for the first time)
As the last of the Demon's disappeared, Tanjiro sniffed the air, before recoiling from a horrible stench, pinching his nose, "what the-! What's that awful smell?!" he demanded, before a scream pieced the air as one of his fellow trainee's burst through the bushes, looking behind him with terrified eyes, "what the hell?! I didn't sign up for this!" he cried as he ran. Tanjiro hid behind a tree, peeking out to find what the other teen had found so terrifying, before freezing in horror. Immediately the Kamado hid back behind the tree again, terror on his face as he gasped in shock. Peeking out again when he'd calmed down enough, the Water-Breathing User saw a huge hulking mass moving slowly through the trees. When it moved through a gap big enough to see it, it was seen to be pretty much entirely made up of arms, with a small head with eyes peeking out. 'My God! What is that?!' he thought in horror.
"WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Bakugo yelled, but no one paid any attention to him. They were all too horrified by the giant hulking mass on the screen.
*Scene change*
Back in the forests of Mount Fujikasane, Makomo's voice could be heard, "hey, Sabito?" she began, the view then switching to show the girl's ghost standing in front of the cut boulder, which Sabito was sitting on top of, his mask back in one piece, "you think, Tanjiro can beat him?" the young girl asked. "I don't know. It seems, nothing's ever going to be enough," the pink-haired teen replied. "You saw it for yourself, didn't you?" Sabito asked Makomo, the young girl looking sad at his words.
*Scene change*
The teen in the green haori ran franticly through the trees, terrified, before tripping on a tree root. He sat up, turning to look back at the monster chasing him, "what's this mutated Demon doing here?! Nobody said anything!" he cried. A large green hand slammed down on the forest floor, before another hand was shown, this holding another young teen by the neck, blood coming from his eyes and mouth.
Nezuko's eyes widened in fear for her brother, but also fury as she saw the dead boy the hulking Demon held in one of it's hands. In her mind she saw Takeo in the teen's place, and she snarled furiously, veins bulging on her face. At the sound, many of the teenagers in the room turned to the young Demon, fear lighting in theor eyes as they witnessed the small girl grow into a larger size, rage practically emanating from her. Tanjiro instantly noticed the problem, leaping to his feet and wrapping his arms around his little sister, "Nezuko! Calm down! It's okay!" he called, hoping break through the fury clouding the girl's mind. Aizawa was instantly on his feet, eyes glowing red and hands on his capture weapon, though he had no idea how effective the item would be against a rampaging Demon, "Kamado! Control your sister!" he demanded, as All Might ushered the other students away from the two siblings.
Tanjiro hugged Nezuko tightly in his arms, trying to calm her with his words, but it didn't seem to be working very well, "Nezuko! Nezuko, it's okay!" he called, while all the younger Kamado could think of was: 'human, Takeo, family, must protect, Demon, enemy'. Before the situation could get any worse, Elizabeth appeared in the room once more, while her Husband watched on with a steely look in his eyes. "Nezuko, calm down!" the Goddess called worriedly, flying in front of the girl. Nezuko was briefly stunned out of her fury by the appearance. Elizabeth wasn't human, so she didn't fall under Urokodaki's compulsion, but at the same time, she did look human enough to confuse the young Demon girl. In those few moments of confusion while Nezuko tried to decide what to do, the Goddess locked eyes with her, golden-orange with a three-pointed wheel in both eyes. Nezuko slowly felt her fury slip away, "it's okay, I promise, Tanjiro killed that Demon. You don't have to worry, he protected the other humans from it. So please calm down, okay dear?" Elizabeth asked, her voice soft, but also firm.
Slowly, very slowly, the snarl in Nezuko's throat died down, the veins on her face receded and the Demon girl relaxed. "Nezuko, are you okay!?" Tanjiro demanded, hugging his little sister closer. Nezuko noticed that her big brother was hugging her, and hugged him back, 'Big Brother' she thought, relaxing completely in his arms. Slowly, the tension in the room dissipated, but Aizawa was still wary. And utterly bewildered. The black and orange-haired girl hadn't shown any signs of being hostile before, not to that extent anyway. So what the HELL had just happened?! He intended to get some answers. "Kamado, care to tell us what that was all about?" he asked stiffly. Still hugging his sister close, Tanjiro looked up at the adult, "Alright, I'll tell you" he replied, moving to sit down with Nezuko in his arms. The Pro Hero didn't take his eyes off of the siblings once, though they never lashed out. The Demon girl slowly shrunk back into the size of a toddler again, and Tanjiro sighed slightly.
Once they were settled again, Aizawa reiterated his impatience, "well?" he asked. "It's to do with my Master. During the two years I was training on Mount Sagiri, he was implanting Nezuko with the desire to protect all humans from Demons, by making her see them as members of our family. I assume she saw the form of one of our brothers over that dead young man, and it infuriated her. I sincerely apologise for the disturbance, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again" Tanjiro turned to face Aizawa and bowed his head in apology. The Erasure Hero narrowed his eyes, "you'll make sure it won't happen again? How exactly?" he demanded to know. All Tanjiro could do was keep his head bowed and pray that the adult would forgive Nezuko. "Because both Tanjiro and my Husband and I will be watching her. If she starts to lose control again like just now, Meliodas will restrain her if needed and I will calm her. Is that good enough for you Mr Aizawa?" Elizabeth asked, unwavering conviction in her now once more blue eyes. After an intense staring contest, the man broke gazes with the Goddess, sighing exhaustedly, "alright, fine. I'll leave it to you. Just keep her under control so she doesn't hurt anyone" Aizawa replied, turning back to the screen and rubbing his eyes tiredly. Elizabeth nodded, "of course, I promise nothing bad will happen from now on" she replied seriously. After a moment more of tense glances thrown around by the students, the screen again started to play.
The massive grotesque Demon moved forwards slowly but unerringly. All Tanjiro could do was watch from behind his tree and pray that it wouldn't find him. The Demon lifted the dead teenager above it's head, before moving some of it's arms and revealing a massive, gaping maw, darkness inside the abyss. The other teen on the ground trembled with terror, paralysed. Slowly the Hand Demon lowered his prey into his mouth, beginning to chew. Tanjiro could do nothing but watch in mounting horror, 'swallowed up whole!' he thought.
Nezuko shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see someone who she felt was her younger sibling get eaten, shuddering at the noises the Demon on-screen made when eating the corpse. Tanjiro held his sister close, whispering soothing words into her ear while rocking the young Demon in his arms like he used to do when she was a baby and would cry. "it's okay Nezuko. I promise, I will stop that Demon, no matter what" he promised softly. Eventually the black and orange-haired girl calmed and they continued to watch the screen.
After he finished eating the dead human, the Hand Demon began to grow even bigger and more monsterous. The surviving Demon Slayer candidate screamed and began to run away. But the Demon shot out several of it's hands, one of which latched onto the fleeing teens ankle, pulling him back towards itself as it's prey screamed.
"Oh my-" Momo couldn't even finish her sentence. Many of the Hero's-in-training had to look away from the screen at this, wondering how everything that Tanjiro had seen to this point hadn't driven him mad.
Tanjiro could only watch in horror, trembling, before he gripped the handle of his sword tight, stilling the shudders, 'stay strong!' he thought, legs shaking. He fought through it though, 'save him, save him, save him!' he thought, trembling suddenly stopping, 'you're not powerless anymore!' he thought, remembering all the training he'd done up 'till that point. 'Move it!' he thought fiercely, leaping out from behind the tree and towards the hulking Demon, sword already in position for a technique, 'Water Breathing, Second Form!' he thought, breathing in the right way to activate the move, 'Water wheel!' he continued, spinning vertically and slicing the Demon's hand off, releasing the teenager from it's grasp. Tanjiro managed to land on his feet and spun around to face his new opponent as it's arm bled where it had been cut.
The unnamed applicant landed on the ground with a grunt, while Tanjiro rushed to stand protectively in front of him.
The room exploded into cheers and applause as Tanjiro saved the applicant. "You did it Tanjiro! You saved someone!" Ashido cheered happily. The burgundy-haired Demon Slayer blushed slightly, "thank you for that, but it wasn't over yet unfortunately" the scarred-teen replied. That made everyone quiet down and turn that attention back to the screen again.
As the Hand Demon's arm suddenly stopped bleeding, he studied his new meal, before noticing Tanjiro's mask. "Well look at that. It's another one of those sweet little foxes" he said in joy, grinning maliciously, shown by the way his eyes moved. "Another?" Tanjiro muttered in confusion. The stump where the Demon's arm had healed suddenly formed three more arms, "say fox cub, the year, are we still in Meiji?" he asked. The Kamado was momentarily confused and his sword lowered slightly from it's position, "uh, it's the Taisho period" he replied, watching his opponent warily. "Taisho?" the Demon asked, looking up as if contemplating the words. Suddenly he gasped and his eyes widened, showing bloodshot veins in them. Without warning the massive Demon began screaming in a fury, pounding the ground with his fists and tearing at his own skin with his many hands, "already!? We have passed into a new period?! Again! And I'm still stuck inside this Wisteria prison!" he screamed, Tanjiro and the other participant watching on in silent shock.
"Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick!" Uraraka exclaimed, as Momo, who was sitting beside her used her Quirk to create a bucket for her. "Are you alright Miss?" Tanjiro asked worriedly as the brown-haired teen vomited into the bucket, "why would it even do that?!" Uraraka demanded instead of answering after she'd finished. "He was angry. And he didn't see a problem with it since he would just heal again." Tanjiro explained to the girl. Most people turned their head away from the screen at the sight.
"Unforgivable! Unforgivable!" the Hand Demon twitched in a barely restrained rage, "damn you Urokodaki! Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" he screamed. Tanjiro, trying his best to stay calm and level-headed asked the most burning question on his mind right then: "you know Urokodaki?" he asked, still ready for an attack. The Hand Demon, somewhat calmed from his madness decided to answer his new meal as a courtesy, "of course I do, Urokodaki's the one who captured me and brought me here! But that was 47 years ago now. Back when he was still hunting Demon's like me, the Edo Period, during the Keio Era" he explained. "No way, Edo Period?" Tanjiro asked in shock.
"Why is that so shocking?" All Might asked curiously. Tanjiro just gestured to the screen.
"You lie! No Demon can ever live that long in here! Besides, all these Demons have only eaten two or three humans!" the teen Tanjiro had saved yelled in denial, "they die during Final Selection! In fact, they even eat their own kind!" he cried.
"Oh, that's why" the retired Pro nodded in understanding. "But that doesn't make any sense! if Demons can eat other Demons, why do they need to eat humans?!" Jiro demanded. "Just because they can eat other Demons, doesn't mean that it's good for them. We can eat raw meat, doesn't mean that it won't make us severely sick afterwards" Recovery Girl explained. Tanjiro nodded at the old Nurse/Hero's reply. The musician frowned in understanding.
"And yet I've managed to survive here all this time. Trapped in this flowery cage, I've managed to devour at least fifty of you brats" the Demon replied. "Fifty people?!" Tanjiro gasped in shock. The Demon held up his hands, counting up to 13 on his fingers, before pointing at the teenager, "that means you're number 14" he said. 'What are you talking about?!" the burgundy-haired boy demanded warily. The Hand Demon laughed behind three of his hands, "that's how many of Urokodaki's students I've eaten!" he replied, before laughing again, "I promised myself I'd kill every single one of them!"
"Fucking bastard!" Bakugo roared in fury. "This thing is a monster" All Might whispered, also enraged. Tanjiro looked down. Despite hating that Demon for what he'd done in the past, when he was dying, his final thoughts and feeling had come through. He had probably just been a little boy who was turned into a Demon and unfortunately hadn't been able to stop himself from eating his older brother. Unlike Nezuko, who had at least tried to fight back against her hunger while unrestrained. He really hoped that poor boy had found his older brother in the afterlife and been able to apologise to him. And Tanjiro also hoped that his brother had forgiven him.
All Tanjiro could do was listen, shaking in silent horror, "the ones who stood out to me the most were those two-" the screen the backs of Sabito and Makomo as the Demon spoke, "ah yes, the boy's hair was an unusual shade of pink, a scar by his mouth, he was the most powerful of the lot. The other one was a girl who wore a flowery kimono. Small, not much power, but awfully agile." Tanjiro's eyes widened in shocked horror, 'so they were dead? Killed by this Demon?! But I was with them!' he thought, confused.
"So that's what happened? And why Sabito and Makomo were ghosts?" Kirashima asked, clenching his fists. Suddenly Mineta began radiating Killing Intent, "that monster. He, h-he-" the small purple teenager began shaking, before he looked up, his eyes bloodshot, "HE KILLED SUCH A CUTE GIRL?! HE DESERVES TO DIE! DIE! DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!DIE!-" he screeched, before spasms' seemed to overcome the purple boy, which soon knocked him unconscious. Jiro was shown with her Jack in the Pervert's head, which she then unplugged. After a moment of silence, she sat back down, "you're welcome" she said without prompting. Now that the incessant screeching was gone, the screen resumed.
The Hand Demon pointed at him, "your mask, that's what gives you away as one of Urokodaki's brats." The screen showed the different masks the swordsman had made, "easy to spot the texture of the masks he's carved. They always match the style of the Tengu mask he wears." It then went back to Tanjiro and the Demon, "he calls them "Warding Masks" right? Except, that's how I pick out who to eat!" the Demon explained in delight. Tanjiro was slowly losing his composure, becoming more and more enraged as the monster spoke, breathing getting shallower, "they're all inside my belly, it's as if he's guided them to their deaths!" the Hand Demon laughed again, "when I told the girl, she started crying and fell into a rage! He he ha ha! But it wasn't long before she lost all control of her movement!" the screen showed Makomo's silhouetted body getting torn apart. "I ripped her limb from limb and feasted!" he continued, jubilant.
Many people kept their eyes closed, their imaginations only showing all to well what had happened to Makomo. Nezuko was struggling not to lose control again, whimpering behind her gag and trembling. Meanwhile Tanjiro was breathing heavily, 'I already avenged them. That Demon is dead. Calm down!' he thought desperately, anger beginning to overwhelm him when he saw the whited-out image on the screen.
Tanjiro lifted his head at that, eyes full of fury. The 15-year-old flew forwards, sword held at the ready. The monstrous Demon shot out his hands at the Water-Breathing user, but surprisingly, Tanjiro managed to cut all the arms with his blade. He screamed as he moved to attack again.
*Scene change*
Sabito was then shown in the forest, "calm down Tanjiro, your breathing is uneven. Stay focused, forget about us" he urged.
*Scene change*
Back with Tanjiro, the Hand Demon shot another fist out, hitting Tanjiro from the side and sending him bouncing once against the ground, before his back hit the trunk of a tree. The 15-year-old fell to the ground on his back, his forehead where his scar was was now bleeding profusely as his mask cracked and shattered.
Nezuko whined, gripping onto her Big Brother in fear. "Shh, it's okay Nezuko. I told you that Shigeru saved me, well, this is when" Tanjiro whispered softly, stroking his little sister's hair gently.
As Tanjiro lay unconscious on the forest floor, the boy he had previously saved watched the Hand Demon move towards him. He turned away, 'you're on your own buddy, I'm getting out of here!' the young man thought.
"What! He can't just leave you there! Isn't he trying to become a Demon Slayer too?!" Sero exclaimed, incensed. Many other people voiced their opinions. But the two siblings stayed silent. Aizawa then decided to step in, "alright, that's enough! Everyone sit down and shut up!" he yelled, eyes glowing red. Everyone was back in their seats in a flash. Once the Teacher was looking back at the screen, it resumed playing.
The Hand Demon watched the unconscious teen, before laughing again, "there goes another one of Urokodaki's brats. Eheeheeheeheehee." He looked up, "I wonder, how will he feel when another one of his children doesn't make it back home? Oh, I wish I could see the look on his face! Eheeheehee ha ha ha! I bet it's going to be priceless!" the Demon said as he stretched one of his hands out towards Tanjiro, "if only I could be there!" Darkness was shown, with a young voice yelling frantically: "Tanjiro! Tanjiro!" It was shown to be Shigeru, staring down at his big brother's face, "Tanjiro!' he cried, waking the older boy up with a gasp.
Nezuko's eyes widened at the scene, 'it really was Shigeru! He saved Big Brother!' she thought happily. Many other people's eyes widened in amazement. "So the Spirit of your younger brother saved you? Amazing!" Iida cried enthusiastically. "I wasn't sure the first time, but it seems like Spirits really do exist in your world Tanjiro" Tokoyami said. Many people turned to look at the bird-headed teen in confusion, "what do you mean you weren't sure about Spirits? Even if we say the dream about Tanjiro's family as Spirits was just due to his pain and stress-addled mind, we found out that Sabito and Makomo were definitely Spirits only a few minutes ago!" Yaozorozu replied incredulously. Tokoyami coughed and closed his eyes but didn't say anything more. The screen continued.
Tanjiro managed to dodge the Hand Demon's attack by rolling backwards out of the way, but it was by a hair. The Demon was shocked, "what's this? he can still move? That means I can have some fun!" he cried, shooting out multiple hands at the young Kamado. Tanjiro managed to cut off three of them, before dodging a fourth that slammed into the ground where he'd just been standing. The Hand Demon pulled back his cut limbs before regenerating them and using them to attack again. The burgundy-haired boy ran away from the hands, 'damn! I can't just cut his arms off, they regrow too fast!' he thought, watching his enemy over his shoulder. "That's not going to be enough for you to beat me little fox! But then again, not even that pink-haired brat could cut off my head!"
The scene switched to show Sabito, his mask on the side of his face, attacking the Demon with his sword, only for it to snap against the hard skin of his opponent. Sabito stared at the broken blade in shock, before the Hand Demon reached out and crushed his head. This action was shown with a red background, while Sabito was nothing but a white silhouette, but it still showed the moment when the Demon crushed his head.
Nezuko growled, but tried to control herself this time. She wished that she could have been there to help her brother!
Tanjiro growled at the information, stopping and cutting off the hand that had been headed for him. 'There's no way I can just let him go!' he thought furiously, grip on the handle of his sword tightening. 'I won't let another life be sacrificed! No more! I'll take him down!' he thought in determination, before shooting forwards to attack again. As each of the Demons hands came close, Tanjiro cut them off with his blade.
"Go Tanjiro go!" Kirashima cheered, "you're so manly bro!" most of the students were cheering now, making the target of their praise flush darkly in embarrassment. However he still smiled gratefully at everyone who believed in him. Nezuko took his hand, and as he looked down at his little sister, he saw her smiling at him through her gag. Tanjiro smiled back.
The scene focused on Tanjiro running, him being spotlighted. He sniffed the air, 'wait a second, underground!' he realised, jumping before his enemy could grab him. As he jumped, multiple arms exploded out of the ground, reaching up to grab him. However, Tanjiro was too high for the Demon to reach. Evidently, his opponent hadn't expected that either, "he- he jumped!" he muttered in shock, "damn it, how did he know?" the Hand Demon growled. He then fused his hands together again and shot them out at Tanjiro, "no matter, he won't be able to dodge an attack in mid-air!" he cried, as Tanjiro gasped when he saw the massive hand aiming right for his head.
"MMPH!" Nezuko cried fearfully, but Tanjiro's hug calmed her. She shut her eyes, breathing heavily.
*Scene change*
Makomo looked down sadly, "do you think he's going to beat Tanjiro too?" she asked. 'His neck is thick, can it be cut?" she wondered. Sabito still sat on the cut boulder, "I can't say weather he'll win or lose today. However, one fact is irrefutable either way. Tanjiro," the scene showed the boulder in it's entirety again, "cut through this boulder. The toughest and largest boulder of them all." The young ghost replied hopefully.
*Scene change*
With a look of steely determination in his eyes, Tanjiro headbutted the Demon's arm, successfully dodging the grab for his head.
"Yeah!" the room erupted into cheers once again, everyone hoping for the Demon Slayer to finally end that Demon!
"He deflected it!" the Hand Demon cried, really beginning to panic as his enemy landed on his out-stretched arm and ran down it's length with a yell. More arms formed for the Demons large one and headed straight for Tanjiro, but he was ready this time. 'Total Concentration, Water Breathing:' he thought, sucking in a large amount of air through the corner of his mouth. He then cut off every arm aimed for him, before jumping right to where the Demon's head was. 'I let him get too close' the Hand Demon thought, but he wasn't worried, 'not to worry, my neck is tough, he can't cut through it!' 'First Form!' Tanjiro continued. 'As soon as he fails, I'm going to grab his head and crush it! just like I did to the other one!' the Demon decided, stretching his hand out. However, the opening thread connected to the side of it's head.
Tanjiro's sword was drawn towards it, as the effects showed water coming from the blade. The 15-year-old cried out in determination, before, with a singe solid swing, he cut the Demons head from his body.
This time the cheers and applause were explosive. Iida managed to speak over everyone else, "I normally wouldn't condone revenge, but in this case, it was well worth it! Well done Kamado!" he praised, clapping. Tanjiro bowed his head. What would he think of his furious drive for revenge against Muzan then? He squeezed his eyes shut before looking up again. No, don't think about that now. Focus on the present. After everyone had calmed down enough, the viewing continued.
The Hand Demon gasped in shock as he did. 'Water Surface Slash!' Tanjiro cried silently. The screen then turned dark.
Their was silence for a moment, before All Might spoke up, "well, that was-" he paused to try and find the right words, "eventful. And I think we can all agree that we should take a break for now. As for me, I'm quite hungry again, is their anymore food?" the former Pro Hero asked. So their break started, many people talking or thinking about what they'd seen during the 'episode' as they went.
To Be Continued