Argentum: Next chapter hoorah!

Judan: Final selection chapter… should be interesting.

Argentum: Yep! Time for us to face off against our first demons!

Grel'Slyfer: More battle finally!

Argentum: Yeah…

Judan: Getting them evils vibes up in here.

Grel'Slyfer: But of course!

Judan: Yeah whatever… we hope you enjoy this chapter and again give us advice on how to improve.

Argentum: Hmm… I have no idea what else to say…

Judan: Yeah well if we get reviews while writing up this chapter we'll probably add them in later.

Argentum: Basically we're just trying to fill out space right now?

Judan: Exactly!~

Argentum: Meh fine with me… but let's end this. By that I do mean you.

Judan: Sure… We here at the Dark Guard productions own nothing but OC's and reality building concepts. Everything else belongs to their specific owners. Now without further ado…

Everyone: Here's the story!

Hello= Regular talk

Hello= Thoughts

[Hello]= Radio

(Hello)= Telepathy/Mind reading

Chapter Seventeen: How I met my first demon or… How I met too many demons…

Using a mirror Senjuro had found for me I was busy cutting my hair. Though even I will admit it was a messy attempt at best. Looking myself over, I could see that I had changed a lot over these last sixteen months. My hair was a mix of white and black, my skin was a little tanner than before, and I had grown in size and stature. I would probably have to look down at not just Eris from now on, but Cassandra as well. I was now almost eighteen… an adult back in my original home.

But here I was… in a time of place where getting married at fourteen wasn't completely unheard of. Shaking my head I shook those thoughts from my mind. I had finally mastered what I needed to, and passed all the tests Shinjuro had laid out for me. Finishing up with my hair I looked at my face and sighed. Though I've never really been able to grow facial hair, after so long of simply not caring for my looks. I was sporting some stubble. So I quickly cut that off and looked myself once more in the mirror.

"I don't even recognize myself anymore." I no longer resembled that fifteen year old brat that had constant night terrors. Also while I wasn't exactly a vain person… I could honestly say that I at least looked rather decent. Smiling I put down the mirror while using telekinesis to throw my hair outside into a bush. "Let it decompose naturally I suppose." Chuckling I stood up and headed to the bath. I had digested my dinner and had now cut my hair. A bath was exactly what I needed.

Scrubbing myself down I looked over my body. I was covered in scars, and my hands in particular were roughed up. It made me wonder… just what would I being doing now if I hadn't died? Thinking on it more I started to wonder what my parents were doing. Were they okay? Sad? Or did they also die that day as well?

Staring up at the ceiling as I sat in the tube I let my mind wander. "I suppose it doesn't matter too much anymore. If I manage to learn how Judan is able to travel dimensions, maybe I'll pay a visit to mine. See how everything is doing." I then smiled as I thought of my girls. "Heh… bet my parents would be shocked if introduced my goddess and princess to them. Though mom would probably smother them in affection and ask for grandkids, much like Cassandra now that I think of it…" Shaking my head got out now having cleaned myself up. "Maybe that's why I accepted our relationship so quickly?" Drying off I got dressed in my sleepwear before heading to bed.

Sitting down at my little desk I wrote in my journal. My Japanese so much better than what it once was, and I was able to finish up quickly before writing my weekly letters to my girls. Thinking about the days leading up to today made me chuckle. It made me wonder what their reactions would be, especially when I told them about how Ruka was actually a ghost. Sighing airily I thought about their most recent letters. While Eris and her fellow student Zenitsu were doing great. Continuing to learn and grow under their teacher's guidance. Cassandra and Tanjiro were going through a different challenge.

My princess had told me how Sakonji had stopped training the both of them. Instead telling them that they'll only go to final selection, if and only if they manage to cut a large stone in half. According to her measurements the stones they were shown to cut were massive. Taller than either of them were, she expressed her worries about being able to cut it. So I had decided to offer her the best advice I could.

So after explaining what had happened to me this week to her I wrote down my advice. "My lovely princess… I wish I was there to help you, show you what I have learned. Train with you to prepare for the final selection. But well I'm here, and since I wasn't shown where Sakonji lives I can't teleport over. I would honestly do that in a heartbeat if I could. But let me give you some advice… calm your mind. Learn how to breathe, fill your lungs with air, and let that air circulate through your body and have it rejuvenate your spirit. Continually train hard and harder still. I myself have just barely finished what I needed to, and I have my cheating eyes to help me along. I know that you can do it if I can. As I said you're the smarter one of the two of us, and don't argue with me on that I'll refuse to listen! Finally be patient with yourself. Learn the forms you are taught, and always practice your breathing. Learn to control the flow of spiritual energy in your body. Even learning how to do it morning, noon, and night. Again I know you can do this and I have full confidence in your abilities. I guess I'll end this letter here, but remember I love you and am constantly rooting for you. With deepest love Michael."

Smiling I let the ink dry for a moment before tying it up, having planned sending it in the morning. Rolling my wrist I went and laid down on my bed, shutting my eyes to get as much sleep as possible. I knew that I was going to need it.

I am the demon line break that eats human flesh! Though honestly humans taste terrible…

The next morning was actually pretty routine. I got up, got dressed, did some early morning warmups just to get my body moving. Went and delivered my letters to the estates Kusugai crow, and then went to breakfast. It was when it was time to eat that things went a bit differently. As always Senjuro was there, that didn't change, but what did change was Shinjuro's presence. He was eating peacefully and Senjuro was eyeing him as if a bomb was about to go off. I couldn't help but chuckle before sitting down next to him.

Ruffling his hair I spoke up. "Well guess this my last breakfast here before becoming a true demon slayer huh?" That seemed to lighten up the mood a bit as the kid knocked my hand off his head.

"I suppose so!" He was smiling now a little excitedly. "I bet you'll rise through the ranks quickly! Maybe even take down some demon kizuki!" At that I raised my hands up as Shinjuro snorted.

"Whoa now! Let's not get crazy! The twelve kizuki are the strongest demons Muzan has at his disposal, so it might be a bit before I'm tough enough to take one down. Let alone even find one." As Senjuro puffed out his cheeks in disappointment Shinjuro came to my defense.

"The gaki's right Senjuro… it's a rare day when someone encounters a kizuki, even a lower moon is rare to find." He then looked at me with a smirk. "Besides… never in a million years would he be able to defeat one. That got me to twitch a bit before countering with my own words.

"I wouldn't go that far… I'm sure I could take one out in time… unlike your old frail self." That got him to glare at me as I simply sent an innocent smile at him. After a moment Shinjuro actually laughed, making Senjuro look as if he thought the world was about to end. Now that kind of face was one I couldn't hold it in for, so I quickly joined in laughing.

Looking at his food Senjuro questioned it. "Did… did someone put something weird in this dish?" The two of us looked at him in amusement before I ruffled his hair again.

"Nope~! I believe we've both had some paradigm shifts in our perspective. Ain't that right?" Shinjuro merely smirked before continuing with his meal. "Heh… couldn't have said that better myself." My teacher merely snorted before we went back to eating. Leaving a shell-shocked Senjuro to his thoughts. Oh you poor soul… while he's still a bit abrasive and even sarcastic. It seems as if you'll have to get used to a new version of your Otou San. Shaking my head in pity I simply finished my meal.

Having finished up we all walked to the entrance of the estate where Shinjuro handed me something. "Here directions to Fujikasane Mountain, the place where the exams are held." Taking it I opened it up only to blink in confusion. At my face he snorted before continuing. "Yeah that buffoon Kyojuro drew the map there. This is why I added in actually decent directions underneath it."

This time I snorted. "Snrk… yeah I had a feeling this cartoon mountain with his smiling mug next to it was his. Thanks for the actual directions." Nodding he gave me a hard look as I put the map into the bag I was given. "Any final pieces of advice?" He shook his head before speaking.

"Sorry but I'm not allowed to say anything. But I do have some instructions for you from Judan." I perked up as he continued. "He said to give the letter along with your sword to the ones in charge. They'll know what to do from that point on. Also don't worry you'll be given a temporary replacement just for the exam." I nodded as he smiled kindly at me and put a hand on my shoulder. "It's funny… when you came here I wanted to be rid of you as soon as I could. Now… now I'm almost sad to see you go. You've brightened this place up a bit, so I can only give you this one last piece of advice… Don't die!" Grinning I nodded my head as he let me go.

That's when Senjuro gave me a hug. "I know you'll do great! But I wish you luck all the same." Hugging the kid back I nodded as I ruffled his hair. "HEY! I keep telling you not to do that!" Smirking as he jumped back I gave my usual comeback.

"But your hair is soo fluffy! Plus I needed to give it one last ruffle as I go." He huffed and turned to the side as I put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey… keep practicing and continue to grow stronger. Remember… keep your head held high and keep your heart ablaze with fiery passion." As Senjuro looked at me with admiration in his eyes I stepped back. "Well time to go. See you both soon! That's a promise!" Turning to Shinjuro one last time I bowed in respect before starting on my way. Only turning to wave at Senjuro as he yelled out to me with a wave of his own.

"I'll make sure the cooks make tons of tasty food for you when you come back! See you later!" Turning straight forward I got out the piece of paper and started following the directions. Looking up my gaze was one of pure determination.

"Yeah… I'll be back…" It was going to be a bit of trip to arrive at my destination. But at the time I simply thought of it as just a small walk towards the next part of my journey. I was prepared as best as I could be, and I wasn't going to fail after all this time working myself half to death. "I will pass!" I then paused for a second before getting the map out again. "Okay… which way am I going again?" If I could make it on time of course. But hey! You got to start somewhere right?

Thankfully despite it taking me a week to arrive, I wasn't even a minute late. I was honestly blown away by the beauty of everything, the wisteria flowers were in full bloom. Giving the entire area a sort of ethereal feeling. Looking around I saw that I wasn't the only one here, I counted at least thirty other would be demon slayers. I also didn't know any of them so I instead looked for the ones in charge. I found them in the form of two familiar looking children.

Walking up to them I questioned them. "Hmm… are you two the ones in charge?" The black haired child looked at me and nodded. "Alright then… I was told you give you a couple of things." Taking out Judan's letter I handed it to the black haired kid, before handing off my sword to the white haired one. "I was told you'd both know what to do with them and have a sword I could borrow." The black haired one nodded before turning around to probably get my loaned sword. As they left I turned to the white haired one. "Have we met? You look awfully familiar." She giggled before shaking her head.

"I do believe you've met our father and mother, along with one of our sisters." My eyes widened as I remembered my meeting with Kagaya. "I would ask that you don't say anything however. If only for safety reasons." Understanding completely I said nothing and only nodded my head.

"Here." Turning I smiled before taking the sword from the black haired child.

"Thanks. Can't exactly do this without a blade." The child simply nodded before going back to observing the others. Taking that as my cue I walked away before sitting against a tree. "Might as well take a nap before we start." I didn't know what we'd be doing, so I thought any extra bit of strength I could get would be beneficial. So closing my eyes I went to sleep. Eventually I was woken up at the sound of a gong. Yawning I stretched out my back while looking skywards. It was now night time meaning a few hours had now passed.

Using the long straight chokoto as leverage, I stood up and turned back to Kagaya's children as they started. Everyone around me after a few moments did the same. As the white haired girl looked around she eventually nodded before speaking.

"Welcome to the final selection exam. It will be starting shortly but firs the rules." That's when her sibling picked up where she left off.

"To pass to you'll need to survive seven nights on the mountaintop, without any outside aid. Candidates who successfully survive the seven nights will then permitted to become official members of the Demon Slayer Corps. The wisteria will keep all the demons on the top of the mountain." As if on a dime their sister spoke up again.

"The mountain is stocked with many demons captured by the corps. They will be hungry and won't hesitate to devour you. With that being said we wish you all luck." That's when both spoke up.

""The final selection exam has now begun." Everyone quickly started rushing in, though a few stayed a little behind walking slower than the others. I was somewhere in-between, but looking around I had decided that if I had the chance to, I'd keep to my promise and help anyone who needed it.

I don't know if I'm the strongest, weakest, or maybe even in the middle. But I will do my best to minimalize the casualties. As I stopped below a tree I used my Lyb'Craeft to see into the dark. Watching for any movement that might be a demon or another examinee. Already I could hear the screams of the dying, a sound I grit my teeth at. It was all too familiar for me. Standing up I decided that in order to help who I could I needed to be on the move.

Of course that's when I saw something moving straight at me. "Finally FOOD!" Though it was my first time seeing one, I knew the grey skinned and horned creature was a demon. The demon however…

"Ichi no kata Shiranui!" Was pathetically weak, and it only took me one blow to remove its head from its shoulder's. As it screamed in agony I watched with morbid fascination as it turned to ash. "So that's how it works…" Shaking my head I swiped my blade down, removing any blood from it. "Alright… better get moving."

I am the demon line break that eats human flesh! Though honestly humans taste terrible…

That first night was filled with me running all over the east side of the mountain. Killing demon after demon after demon, I even saved a few people! And twice at that! Thankfully things slowed down as the sun started to rise. The demons being unable to stand out in the sun. Seeing this as my chance I did what I could to find something to eat. That came in the form of a number of rabbits that had made a burrow. I will admit… I felt terrible about killing them but hey! A guy's got to eat!

Building a fire I cooked all six of them. It wasn't much meat but any little bit of food was going to be important. Eating one of them I set the others up to smoke over the fire. Sighing I sat up against a tree, ready to get some more shut eye. For even though it was quite bright out, the only time anyone was going to get some rest was during the day. So closing my eyes I willed myself to fall asleep. A skill I had developed over my time of training.

Though I honestly wished I had it before I died. Would've made things soo much better when it came to school. That thought made me smile as I fell asleep. The next time I was awake I was instinctually parrying an attack. Blinking I saw one of the contestants. He was off balance and scowling. Raising an eyebrow I decided to question my black haired attacker. "Any reason why you're trying to kill me?" He growled before answering.

"Well… I just thought it'd be easier to leave food out for the demons! Give me a higher chance of survival. So if you wouldn't mind… just die!" As he attacked me again I could only shake my head in disappointment. Here was someone who was supposed to become a protector of humanity. Someone who had probably trained for more than a year to be here, yet the moment things got tough he resorted to murder. It made my skin crawl with disgust.

Now I was lucky to have been trained for surprise attacks when I slept. If I were someone else this guy could've actually killed me. I had quickly decided he wasn't even worth my blade, so instead I flicked my hand and an icicle shot out and pierced his hear. He could only look down in confusion before toppling over dead. Shaking my head I thought about how easy it was to take his life. If I were still the old me I'd probably puking my guts out. Now I had a missing and a genuine purpose to keep me moving forward, as such I didn't even bat an eye.

Not to say I took his death lightly. NO! I still felt bad that I had to kill another human being, but by taking him out I probably had saved someone's lifer. So in the end I quickly made my peace with my actions. Looking his body over I took his belt and his haori, turning them both into a makeshift bag.

Moving over to my rabbits I put them into it before tying it around my back. "Waste not what not I guess." Looking at my would be killer's borrowed nichirin blade, or color changing sword. I sighed before walking up to it. Picking up the weapon I looked at the greenish blade. "Color changing crimson ore indeed." Re-sheathing the sword I stabbed it into the ground. "Though you tried to kill me I still hope you rest in peace." Bowing slightly I walked off, leaving his body to either rot or get eaten. A fitting fate for one who planned to do that to others.

It was still day time so I had planned to try and find any wounded and help them. Whether or not they'd accept my aid was a different story. I personally hoped that I wouldn't be kicked out for doing so. Shaking my head I moved to the side as I felt bloodlust. It was another demon taking advantage of the shade provided by the trees. Sighing I decapitated it with a regular swing, not even letting it get a word out.

"These things are quite persistent." This demon was my thirtieth kill, and I was starting to wonder if maybe I over trained for this. "Heh~. I guess it doesn't matter." Flicking the blood off my blade I continued forward. Soon enough it was night once more, and the demons were even more bloodthirsty. As I fought my way through them I noted that they were now attacking in larger numbers. Bisecting a demon from top to bottom I narrowed my eyes. "They must smell the blood of other demons on me. Only reason they'd be this desperate to kill me." This recent group had five demons working together to kill me.

Thankfully they were still just as pathetic as the others. I was about to keep on the move when I heard a nearby scream. Gritting my teeth I ran at max speed towards the sound. Thankfully I arrived just in time to prevent a demon from eating a light brown haired girl. The demon was bluish in color and had curved blades for arms. Trying to distract it from killing the girl I yelled out my attack.

"Ni no kata Nobori En Ten!" Both of them looked at me as I raced forward, blade covered in flames. However this demon was faster than the others I killed and managed to jump back. Turning to the girl I quickly noted her condition. "Are you injured?" She shook her head despite the cut she had across her cheek. "Alright… I'll take care of this one; just get somewhere a bit safer."

Standing up she bowed her head slightly. "Arigatou!" She then raced off as I turned to my opponent.

"Guessing you're one of the tougher guys up on the mountain?" The demon snickered while licking its right blade arm.

"That's right! Me and the hand demon friend of mine, though he usually stays up north. But to realize my strength! You must be more observant than your peers~!" Narrowing my eyes I used my Lyb'Craeft and was immediately disgusted. "Ooh! What pretty eyes! And so full of hate as well! I'll enjoy eating you! Now come and be my thirtieth victim!" Charging forward it swung its arms at me. I was surprised to see them both extend to try and impale me. Holding my ground I deflected both blades away from my body. "Oh ho ho! You're a strong one!" Narrowing my eyes I felt my flames burn outward.

"Shi no kata Sei En no Uneri!" As I created the swirl of flames in front of me, I heard the demons screams of pain as I both attacked and defended. Getting back into a ready stance I observed my opponent. His arms were cut to pieces and were cauterized to slow down his healing.

"Damn you!" I wasn't exactly prepared for what it did next. Literally biting off its arms it regrew them in seconds. Only this time it had six arms, I was quickly reminded of the axe spider demon I fought well over a year ago now. At the memory I couldn't help but groan as this one boasted. "HAHAHA! No matter how many times you destroy my arms I'll just regrow new ones!" The demon seemed overly prideful of its prowess, and I will admit it was definitely stronger than the spider axe demon. But as it kept ripping off arms in order to acquire more to battle me… I couldn't help but find it dumber.

Now with fifty arms it attacked. The barrage was not as impressive as it sounded or looked like. It was all wild flailing and in-cohesiveness. But it did keep me on my toes a bit as I dodged and deflected every blow. It was only now that I realized just how much faster I had gotten. Of how much my endurance and strength had increased.

I couldn't help but grin at the realization. Heh… if I were to go back home now I would be literally going back as a super human. The demon seemed to misinterpret my grin as a slight against itself. So quickly yelled obscenities at me. Sighing I used the fourth form once again, destroying all of its arms in a single attack. It left the demon baffled as I charged forward with blinding speed. This time I didn't say anything simply thinking of the name of my attack. Ichi no kata Shiranui… with one final swing I decapitated the bladed arm demon.

"No…" As it turned to dust I sighed while cleaning my blade of blood. I had to admit that not many of the candidates would've been able to handle this one. If only going by the ones I had saved at this point.

Shaking my head I sighed. "Though it feels good in a way… I really did over train for this." This demon in front of me brought my kill count up to thirty first. "Ironically just one more than the amount of people this demon devoured. Makes me wonder if they have enough demons stocked up for me? I mean this is a big mountain… so maybe they're just really spread out?" Humming in thought as I walked, I made sure to pay attention to my surroundings. Never knew when something would try and ambush me.

So the night was spent with me once more running across the mountain. Killing demons and saving lives. Though I was pleasantly surprised to have seen some faces of those I've previously helped. It was good to know that I was making a difference. I was however worried… I mean just because I saved them didn't mean they'd survive out on the field. And I could only hope that they trained even harder after all of this. By the end of the second night I had killed over fifty demons. Most of them were pathetically weak… at least to me. Some of them were of the same caliber to the bladed arm demon.

I was beginning to think I might clear the entire mountain at the rate I was going. Setting up camp for the day I tried to find more food, but was unsuccessful. So instead I ate another one of my rabbits and prepared for the third night. As I was setting up camp a few random testees came upon me. They seemed tired and a little beaten up.

Looking at the five of them I waved. "Yo!" A boy with dark brown hair waved at me with a slight smile.

"Hey there… mind if we join ya? We got some food we can share, as long as you don't mind sharing your fire." I simply gestured at the fire as a go ahead. "Thanks man… it has been a tiring two days." As they all got comfortable and started using my fire to cook small birds and animals I got out a rabbit.

"Here… while those cook we can cut off pieces of this." The five nodded gratefully as we shared my smoked rabbit. "So… how are you all holding up? I'm doing pretty well I think, but you five looked a little banged up." This time a girl spoke up with a sigh.

"Well at first we were all separate trying to survive on our own. But we all met last night as a stronger demon was killing off the other candidates. Thankfully the five of us managed to subdue it. But it was touch and go for a moment there." At the nods of agreement I smiled at them.

"Sad to hear about more deaths, but I'm glad to see you all made it out alive. After cooking all this meat though we should get some rest. Won't be any opportunity for that during the night." All of them agreed with my assessment and quickly did as I directed and smoked the meat. Deciding to help out a bit more I got out my other rabbits, and among with the other animals. Carved them up and divided the meat among everyone evenly.

At my generosity the first boy bowed his head in thanks. "Thank you… you didn't have to share your meals but you did. And for that we're grateful." Following his example everyone else bowed their heads in thanks. Now slightly flustered I waved my hands in front of me.

"There is no need to thank me! I was just trying to do my best to help!" At my flustered state the five of them laughed causing me to scowl. "You know… I'm really feeling the gratitude now." That got them to laugh harder, and after a moment I joined them. It was good to have some levity in hard situations. But knowing that we all had a long night ahead we quickly went to sleep. And so started the third night.

I am the demon line break that eats human flesh! Though honestly humans taste terrible…

The third night started with a shriek from some demon deciding to attack us. Thankfully I was there and subdued the demon much to everyone's shock. Smiling at them I waved off their thanks once again, I was sad to see them go however. But we all agreed that they needed the experience, and would work together to at the very least cover each other's weaknesses. So waving goodbye I left in search of more prey. I was starting to get a bit bloodthirsty, as if something inside of me wanted to hunt down more of the demons every night. I am a little ashamed to admit that I gave into these feelings. Killing everything in my way all the way through morning.

My kill count was now over eighty and I had stopped counting. Thankfully I was able to find some more rabbits, and even a few non-poisonous berries. So adding it all to my makeshift bag and eating an entire rabbit I once more went to sleep. The next night was even more of the same, and my kill count was probably above one hundred but I didn't care. I simply wanted to save more people and hunt down more demons. The morning of the fifth day I decided to try and clear my head and got out my stat card. I wasn't all too surprised by my level ups. Or the small increase to my stats.

Though they were minimal changes to my physical stats, the boost to my mental ones were very much welcomed. I was also pleased to see that I broke the level one hundred cap. Though I did sigh at seeing that Judan was correct, and I was no longer getting stat points. From now on I'd only get stat increases from training and from my perks. I was suddenly super appreciative of my dragon blooded perks. Even if I still had no idea how I got them. Putting my card away I slapped my cheeks before starting to run again. There were more demons to hunt down after all, and I wanted my fill on that.

Things went this way until the last night… the seventh night. That's when things had gotten a little interesting. I must've killed more than one hundred and thirty at that point. Making me feel a little bit guilty, seeing how the corps would need to refill those numbers before the next final selection. Made me wonder if they would be able to do that in the next six months… suffice it to say after the fifth night things had slowed down.

My levels had slowly stopped coming in and my lust for the hunt was just about sated. I was beginning to feel as if I had killed almost all the demons on the mountain. I even tried to hunt down that one hand demon the blade demon mentioned. However it was either smart and hid, or we simply never ran into each other. Whatever the case I unfortunately never found the blasted thing.

As I thought on where it might've been hiding felt many eyes on me. Stopping I looked around trying to spot what was watching me. That was until I felt something coming at my side and side stepped away. Decapitating the demon as it flew by me, as it turned to dust I heard a loud shout.

"GET HIM!" Looking around I saw an enormous horde of demons descend upon me. I was actually surprised, as it turned out a lot of demons decided to band together to kill me. "Kill the burning swordsman!" They even gave me my own little nickname. For some reason I felt a ping at the back of my head, but waved it off as I fought back.

"Shichi no kata Enjo Nejire!" Using the seventh form's twisting flames I gave myself some breathing room. Those demons unlucky enough to get caught up in the flames were instantly burned. As they screamed I wasted no time in cutting off their heads. That got the others to back off and watch me warily. Using my Lyb'Craeft I could see that there were still eighteen of them left. I couldn't help but grin at this situation. "You know… you may have me surrounded, but! If I'm honest, all of you simply saved me the time of hunting all of you down!" Breathing deeply I decided to terminate them all. "Ku no kata Rengoku!"

Was it over kill? Oh most definitely~! Was it satisfying to the nth degree? Also most definitely~! So with my flames turning into a dragon I charged forward. Hacking and slashing, while burning a majority of the demons straight to ash, I finished them all in blinding speed. No doubt everyone on the mountain would see my attack, and feel a slight increase in temperature. But even I noticed that my attacks were producing my heat than before. Curious I finished off the last demon before observing my surroundings.

After making sure the coast was clear I got out my card. I was surprised to see a new addition to it. A brand new skill, it was a skill called the burning swordsman. It was a nifty little thing that increased all "heat" damage as it was called by twenty percent.

"Huh… guess killing all those demons gave me something good after all." By now I had also noticed that my thirst for blood was gone. "Maybe… maybe my instincts were telling me about this. Good of a reason as any as to why I went terminator on these guys." Shaking my head I cleaned my borrowed blade before looking at the sky, though I frowned when I noticed that it was now burnt. Much like my own sword, makes me wonder if I'm too rough on these things.

As light seemed to trickle through the trees I turned my head, I could see the beginning of day starting to break from the east. Guess it's a good of a time as any to head back. I walked only a couple of steps before pausing. "Uh… where am I supposed to go?"

It took me about an hour of running max speed before finally finding my way back. As I huffed and puffed from the exercise I looked around. The sun had risen and I could see plenty of candidates start to trickle in. While I was happy to see some familiar faces, such as the girl I saved from the bladed arm demon, and also the quintet from the second day. I was sad to see that out of the thirty original examinees, there were now only twenty two.

Probably would've been less without me. Shaking my head I walked over the group I shared a fire with. "Yo! Glad to see you five doing alright." Seeing me they smiled and we started chatting before we heard a gong. Turning around I saw that once again Kagaya's kids were taking charge. Well it's good practice for the future, especially if they're supposed to lead the corps one day. As us survivors walked up and formed a line in front of them. The white haired girl spoke up.

"It is good to see such a large number of candidates survived this year." Her sibling than spoke up while looking directly at me.

"Though we all know there is one among us who killed far more than his fair share of demons." Everyone looked at me with either amusement, or jealousy. At their stares I coughed into my fist as the kid continued. "Despite all of that we will now present you with three things that will help you greatly." Clapping his hands eighteen Kusugai crows flew from the trees and landed on our shoulders. I couldn't help but scratch mine under its chin, electing a small purr like sound from the large bird. Smiling I couldn't help but tune out the children's explanation of the demon slayer ranks.

But I started to pay attention as they walked over to a cloth covered table. "You will now choose an ore to forge your sword from. Choose wisely because this will greatly affect your blade." Removing the cloth we all could see a number of lumps of steel. Walking forward with my Lyb'Craeft activated, I cheated to see which one was the best. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were all rather decent in quality. However one stood out to me the most. It was a slightly larger clump of steel, but something just called out to me.

Taking it I walked over the children. "Now what?" With a nod the white haired girl produced a brush and an open bottle.

"Hold your right hand out." Doing as told the girl seemed to brush something onto it. "Whenever you wish to know your rank simply hold your hand out and speak the password of your choosing. The first time you do so the password will be engraved into it, and you will have to speak that password from then on. Once you do so your rank will be displayed for you." Nodding in understanding I turned to the black haired child as they spoke.

"Now please give us your sword and steel. We will send you your new sword in fifteen days from now." As I did as they directed the child smiled. "Thank you… you may now leave." They then whispered to me. "Oh and by the way… just on the down low… we weren't kidding when we said you over did it." Their sister giggled before also whispering to me.

"You have just created a problem for the next final selection. Hope you're happy~." Laughing sheepishly I simply nodded before saying goodbye and leaving.

Sorry about this girls… Tanjiro… and yes even you Zenitsu. I decided to leave out my exploits in my next letter. Didn't need any of them to realize I may have made things more difficult for them. I was just trying to help! Shaking my head I said goodbye to my new friends before leaving for the flame estate. My Kusugai crow gave a caw before leaving off to somewhere. However I just figured it was off to get my first orders. As for me… I can't wait to take a bath and get changed into clean clothes. My outfit was covered in dirt and blood. But despite all that I couldn't help but smile before raising a fist to the sun. "I DID IT!"

With a shout of joy I started running. My heart set ablaze with my accomplishment. I had just taken my first step into the real part of my journey in this world. And I was determined to reach the top… saving as many lives as I could on the way up. I did make a promise after all… and I was determined to keep it. Smirking I started running at top speed, my excitement too much for me. At that point in time if any normal person were to look at the road, they'd see a large plume of dust. Hearing the sounds of what seemed a madman's laughter. In hindsight I probably shouldn't have done that… for rumors of some crazed devil would circulate for years. However that's another story entirely.

I am the demon line break that eats human flesh! Though honestly humans taste terrible…

Argentum: Whoo! Yes another chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Grel'Slyfer: And before anyone says anything about not encountering the hand demon on the mountain we'll tell you this… it's a mountain and like how Sabito didn't encounter it until after killing all the demons. There was a chance that he just simply wouldn't meet it.

Argentum: Yep! Besides my goal was a little different from Sabito's, as well as the methods used.

Judan: Yep he simply went after what he could see and hear. Based on what we know Sabito went everywhere and slaughtered everything. Never stopping and never showing any quarter.

Kiriya: It was honestly still a impressive showing nonetheless. And I can't wait to see the consequences of what happened.

Argentum: Yeah… well as they say every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Judan: In fact… if you wish to see some sort of chapter special about what happened. Feel free to leave a review and ask for it. We'd be more than happy to write up a small chapter.

Grel'Slyfer: Yes it would be a delightful little scenario.

Argentum: Yeah… whelp that about wraps things up. So as the guest mind sending us off Kiriya?

Kiriya: I have no qualms in doing so. Now then this has been a Dark Guard production now signing off.

Everyone: Goodbye!