Frost Born Soldier

by spasibo

Reincarnated to a show you've watched? The show where you cried I lot of times? But this time you have the power to divert from canon to your own story! Hell Yeah! This is my story as I change the fate of this world, but first I need to save myself.

10. Chapter 8 Final Selection I

The chapter would have some part where I may be wrong. So please be understanding and put it in the review to help me. Thanks! Enjoy the chapter.

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Wow, this is beautiful!"

Giyu exclaimed as he took a look at the wisteria flowers in the surroundings. It is not that special to see a wisteria tree alone or in a group, but seeing many of them in one location would make everyone appreciate the scenery.

Ren and the others have arrived at their destination, where the final selection will take place. The travel between their home and Mount Fujisake is quite long and hard. They sacrificed a whole day just to reach this place. There are also no towns in between, which made their journey uncomfortable due to sleeping on the ground and hunting their own food. The group still persevered, but it can be seen by their faces, or by Giyu's complaint, that they hoped it would be easier. At least the moment they reach the foothold of the mountain, they are greeted by this scenery.

"This is something out of a fairytale!" Makomo said as she turned her head side to side.

"Indeed" Sabito replied, fascinated by the view as well, but more controlled than Giyu, who's running around and collecting the petals that fell.

It was late afternoon when they arrived. The sun is still starting to set, which gives a sweet, serene ambience to the air coupled with the gorgeous scenery. Since they're already at the location and would probably need 20 minutes of walking deeper to reach the mountain, it seems like this is their stop for today.

Ren only smiled at the scenery as he sat down on the ground and rested his body for a while. He was used to travelling around due to their expedition down south. But it was already two years ago, so he could feel that his body had just started to get used to it once again. On the other hand, he was worried about the other three, but the look on their faces indicates that they'll just be alright.

It's been two weeks since their fight against Urokodaki happened. It is also the same day that they passed and were given the blessing to participate in this final selection. That night or early morning, once the adrenaline started to wear off, everyone started to fall asleep, and Ren is no exception. At least in his defense, he managed to tidy himself up and place his bed before sleeping in. Giyu, on the other hand, immediately fell asleep once he sat on a chair. He claims, "I'm just going to take a breather" After a few seconds, snores were heard. There is a discussion on whether to celebrate, but with Giyu out and the rest of them tired and some injured, they decided to postpone it till the afternoon at least.

The week that came after their battle was all about rest and making sure they were still in top condition. Urokodaki made them an exercise specifically for recovery. Nothing new; the same activities, but much more laidback. The usual jogging accompanied by dogs just became normal jogging, and the afternoons were free training. The nighttime activities are more enjoyable. Urokodaki made the four of them stretch and massage each other out, teaching them ways to relax their bodies. This relaxing atmosphere soon turned into an all-out pillow fight between the four of them. It was all because Giyu fell asleep, which prompted Ren to hit him with his pillow. When Giyu woke up due to the sudden impact, he tossed the pillow back at Ren, which hit Sabito. You should already know what happened. Urokodaki arrived expecting that the massage was finished, only to find the whole room disorganized. Their teacher told them in a serious tone about the importance of proper recovery after hitting the three boys in the heads.

During their recovery session, Ren noticed that he couldn't move his neck properly without any pain. The same goes for his chest, which forced him to sit down and watch the others partake in the morning exercise, much to Giyu's dismay. Ren took on a new recovery course guided by Urokodaki himself. It says recovery, but the way his body hurts, think that he would rather run double the amount that Giyu and the others were doing. Another thing is that he was forced to sit out any afternoon exercise for at least a week, which granted him a lot of free time. He used his free time well.

It is a coincidence that at this time, Ren received a reply to his letter. He hurriedly opened it and found that his family was doing well under the management of Mr. Hisashi. His father was appointed as the head of security for the area, using his expertise. Despite being injured so that he couldn't show his former strength, his experience in the industry is still highly desired. Mr. Hisashi has given him a team that he teaches and guides to avoid beasts entering their lands. Her mother, Hinata, has opened up a clinic inside the barn with the support of the company. While her mother does not have any licence or credibility, Mr. Hisashi values their medical knowledge regarding various herbs. In fact, they set up a small garden in which they get their medicine. When it comes to Koori, don't get Ren started on Koori. That girl is making herself famous throughout the community. In her mother's words, Koori has become some sort of idol in this town. Many people trusted her despite her age, and have troubles regarding impromptu visits from boys". While Ren was glad at Koori's achievements, the last sentence does give him some evil thoughts he never knew he had. Koori has made herself famous for helping the company grow much further than before with her bookkeeping abilities and proper management. She also helped her mother in the clinic whenever she had time. It didn't surprised Ren as much, since it isn't weird seeing Koori interested in medicine. In fact, Koori is interested in anything she could learn. While her usual look display organizes and calm demeanor, Ren knew that inside lies a certain hunger for knowledge. Ren fully wished in his heart for Koori to be born in his time instead of him. Koori's talent in out of this time. It may sound biased or unbelievable, but Ren knew and saw how her sister's mind works. If the abundance of knowledge was given to her, he's sure that she could bypass all the knowledge he has in a short amount of time.

Their origins made them unable to rely on doctors for emergencies. After all, a whole day of travel just to treat injuries isn't practical unless they are severe. So, their family began to rely on herbs found in the vicinity and the books left by their ancestors. At the same time that Ren and his father were in charge of labour and food, Koori and her mother took on the roles of chef and doctor.

As he finished reading the letter, Ren found another one in the back. Curious to see what it was, Ren opened the letter and read it.

To my ugly brother, Ren

I have done what you told me to do. Her problems are quite hard to discern. It is not due to my abilities but rather to the lack of information available. However, I have already formulated a result that can be tried. If it worked, we could finish this task and hopefully spread the good news around. As of now, we need to make do with stabilizing the problem. There is a batch of Oregano leaves that will help you on your journey. Remember to chew it first before applying it to the wound. Don't be stupid, and don't be a hero.

Your beautiful and charismatic sister, Koori

Ren was dumbfounded when he finished reading the paper. He chuckled softly as he felt the pack of leaves inside a leather pouch. He opened it, and, as expected, it was the Oregano her sister sent. From the looks of things, it seems like Koori can finish the task he asked of her back then. Well, it's the right choice to leave it to her. It seems like Ren needed to stop by a bookshop before he returned home.

Now, after finishing his personal problems, comes the second problem regarding the final selection. While they show great results in their practice, it is not a surprise to say that the actual fight is much more problematic. After all, one mistake can decide your life. In these fights, not only skills are put to the test, but also how one can hold his nerve and emotions. When it comes to skills, Ren is confident that they are at least one of the best in their age group. However, they lack experience. Something that was shown during the exercise. Ren and Sabito managed to react, but he knew that if Urokodaki were serious, that night Makomo would die on the spot.

As much as nervousness and other emotions can be felt before they start the final selection, Ren felt something more. The fact that he knows their future is a great help to him. He was confident that he didn't change something big enough for the timeline to fluctuate. However, this knowledge can be both a blessing and a curse for Ren. Knowing that this is his only chance to make sure that two of his friends stay alive after the exam gives him the pressure he never experienced. Compared to his situation in his past life, at least no life would be claimed, literally. But in this part of his life, one wrong movement would lead to the loss of Makomo and Sabito. Ren didn't care about the changes that would happen after he saved those two. As long as he saved them, it is fine. He firmly believed that this challenge would serve as a test for him in the future. Whether he would successfully change the future of someone or are the events stuck in stone, the pressure continued to eat him alive, and he couldn't sleep properly in the past few nights. And here they are, in front of the mountain, which could be their graves. The pressure is on.

"Ren, are you alright?" Sabito asked in a worried tone. As he said those words, Makomo and Giyu stopped their enjoyment and looked at Ren.

Sabito walked forward, checking Ren's condition. After finding none, Ren answered.

"What? You find anything?" Ren chuckled and asked playfully. "I'm fine; just a bit nervous, I guess."

"Your face was pale moments ago." Sabito replied. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, 100."

"Alright then." Sabito answered with a worried voice. He still didn't believe that Ren was as fine as he claimed to be, but he believed that he could handle it. If not, they would help him.

As Sabito walked away from Ren, Makomo took the time to compliment Ren.

"I've got to say that this new haori we have fits us well." Makomo exclaimed enthusiastically as she swung around, showing their new look. "And it really fits you right, Ren. If I don't know you, I could mistake you for some sort of model!"

"Please, we got the same things and wore them in the same style. If I looked like that, I'm sure you would too." Ren waved his hands in denial. What Makomo said to him can be returned to her. She looked wonderful in their new kit.

Before they left, Urokodaki gave them a new set of kimonos and a mask with a protective charm. All of us took it with grace and proceeded to wear them. All of us have been given the same kimono that Urokodaki wears. A cloud-patterned Jinbei kimono. The three of them all have the same design; the only difference is the color. Sabito had his signature scar engraved exactly where it was located; Makomo had a slit eye with blue flowers on the side; Giyu had a wide eye that was designed by spiral waves; and Ren had a slit eye and snowflakes adorning all over the mask. While it certainly has the special effect of warding off evil spirits, Ren refused to wear it because it was a nuisance to his vision. He knew one of his strengths lies in his eyesight, and putting something in place that limits it is sort of idiotic. He would do it once he's strong enough, but as of right now, the mask would be put on the side of his waist.

Sabito felt that it was time to go on and continue to walk forward, which the others followed. After a short 20-minute walk, they arrive at their destination. Deep inside the mountain lies a small opening where different people gather. Compared to the entrance, this place has torches surrounding the area, which makes the area bright. Ren looked in front of them and saw different people from all sorts of lives gathered together. Some had nervous faces, some had determined, rough faces, and a few had a look of excitement. Ren was bewildered—who would participate in this life-and-death test with a smile on his face? Ren was brought out of his thoughts when Sabito walked forward deeper into the area where an open space was free.

Due to the abundance of participants for today, probably in the near 30s, Giyu managed to bump into someone hard, which caused him to fall down on his but.

The sound gathered the attention of the group as Sabito looked back and Makomo helped Giyu up.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Giyu apologised with a panicked tone as he took Makomo's help and stood up.

"Huh," the buff guy said before he looked at Giyu up and down with a condescending look. A weakling like you should just go to your mama and cry. There's no place for you here, trash."

Ren looked at Giyu and saw him avoiding the man's glare. He had his fist and teeth clenched, but he held his hand.

Giyu once again proceeded to apologise, but Ren walked forward.

Ren began to walk in the direction of Giyu and the man. As he reached his destination, Ren bodied the guy with such force that the sound produced double the sound of Giyu's fall. The sound attracted not only those in the near vicinity but also all the participants in the area. Curious about the sound, all participants started to make way and saw a big guy with a height of 6 feet flat lying on the ground on his buttocks and some unknown 5 foot 7 guy in front of him. Ren bent his body forward and offered his hand to help.

"Ah, I apologize for my behaviour. I didn't see nor feel you just now." Ren laughed as awkwardly as he could before grabbing the man on his wrist and pulling him up like a farmer pulled his carrots. He started to pat the dust off the man's uniform, then looked him in the eye while smiling. "You should drink more milk, YOUNG MAN. Maybe go back to your mother and ask for some? I heard that breast milk is much better than cow's milk. That would fix your weak muscle."

Numerous people started to control their laughter as they saw the scenario in front of them. It isn't an everyday occurrence when a 6-foot man is lifted up by someone much smaller than him, and the one-sided banter made it even more entertaining.

As voices of controlled laughter were heard, the man couldn't stay still as he quickly pushed Ren aside and proceeded to grab Ren's shirt.

"You bastard!" The man shouted as he stared at Ren. Ren stared back and stared hard enough that the man flinched for a second before he continued his grit. "You're dead meat."

"Wanna try me?" Ren asked in a calm yet murderous voice as he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

The man raised his fist and swung his arm as Ren started to unsheathe his sword before Sabito intervened. He grabbed the man's punch effortlessly and pushed Ren's unsheathed sword back into its scabbard.

"I'm afraid that we've gathered enough attention for today." Sabito said in his calm voice. "While you are the one who started the fight first, I believe that we retaliated hard enough. So, we apologize in hopes we could forget this fight and focus on the exam."

Sabito then looked at Ren and spoke in a commanding voice. "Ren, apologize. What you did is out of line."

Ren wanted to argue but felt the unwavering determination of Sabito, which forced him to back down.

"I apologize." Ren said as he lowered his head just enough for anyone to consider him sincere.

"I hope that you could accept his apology as well as mine." Sabito lowers his head as well.

"Tsk, I don't care." The man simply waved his hand and walked away from them.

Soon the crowd dispersed, and everyone was back to their normal routines. Ren and the others walked towards the open spot left behind and sat down.

"You aren't going to question me on why I made you apologize?" Sabito asked Ren as he continued to look forward.

Ren, with his arms on his chest, looked at Sabito and sighed. "While it's humiliating to apologize in front of that crowd, I trust you enough."

"I'm honored by that trust, but in case you're wondering, I made you apologize simply for the fact that you overreacted. Now, don't get me wrong. His attitude towards Giyu is something that needs to be addressed. I am no stranger to people sizing one up. But your execution is poor. You humiliated him far enough that it may create a problem during the exam. A problem that I don't want to think about."

"What? You think that guy would take revenge during the exam?" Ren asked.

"Yes." Sabito nodded as he looked towards the man standing up. "I know those kinds of men. They are the type of man that wouldn't let any humiliation slip by. They would do anything to get back to their target, either by hook or by crook. We are starting to take an exam, and I would rather just focus on demons as our enemies and not add unnecessary opponents."

Ren looked down at his feet. When he saw Giyu not reacting to the man's action, he felt mad and proceeded to do what he had done. He firmly believes that what he did was right but feels that the way he did it was wrong, just as Sabito stated. While Ren was focused on making sure that Giyu was not humiliated, Sabito was already focused on making sure the four of them returned home. Ren felt bad. He knew that he should focus on survival due to his knowledge of the future, but here he was focused on getting back at someone and possibly lowering their chances even more.

Probably sensing Ren's distress, Sabito spoke again. "However, the almost sincere apology you made lowered the chances for retaliation by a little bit. On a personal note, I am glad that someone stood up for my friend's honor. Thank you, Ren."

Ren felt shy at Sabito's heartfelt gratitude, so he avoided his eyes and looked the other way. However, avoiding Sabito's eyes made him meet Giyu's eyes. On the other side, Giyu is hugging his knees, and Makomo is comforting him.

"Ren, I'm sorry." Giyu apologized as he looked down on the ground. "You wouldn't be in that situation if I just looked at my surroundings."

"A-ah. Its…fine." Ren replied. Ren does not like people who always apologize. Someone who wholeheartedly believed it was their fault and apologized sincerely. In his past life, very few apologized to him with the same sincerity, and when encountering this type of person, Ren was lost. So, instead of trying to comfort him, Ren decided to just be real.

"Listen up, Giyu. Those guys are the ones at fault. You may not have seen it, but he was the one who moved in your way. He orchestrated this whole thing." Feeling that he isn't making any point, Ren just goes directly to his message. "What I'm trying to say is that there are people who would test you and judge you. I'm not saying to be rough as I handle it, but you should not let others have the opportunity to look down on you. Once they looked down at you, you would be stuck by their expectations and would hurt you in the long run. It's better to retaliate than persevere. Even if you lose, those people will have a hard time trying again knowing that you would fight back."

Ren looked at them. Giyu had his head tilted to the side with his face scrunched from thinking about Ren's words, and Makomo had her curled fist in front of her mouth, trying her best to stop laughing.

"Argh!" Ren screamed as he grabbed his hair with both of his hands. "Just don't apologize every time! Have some sort of pride and honor damn it!"

Only by then did Giyu open his mouth in an "Oh!" way. Ren slapped his forehead at this absurdity. Makomo and even Sabito on the side chuckled, which made Ren even more embarrassed.

After a few more laughter exchanges, Giyu looked at Ren and thanked him. "Thank you, Ren!"

There were a few more minutes available before the expected time, so Ren decided to look into the participants and see if there would be someone he knew. He never knew when famous characters would join the final selection, but nonetheless, he had a great expectation of seeing someone new. Looking at the people in front of him, Ren breathed a sigh of hopelessness. Good things aside, there are a few individuals who look tough. Ren doesn't know how accurately he could tell how strong a person is, but judging from his eyes, he could at least anticipate their strength. One individual is the man with whom he nearly got into a fight last time. He is tall and bulky, with his muscles honed to the limit. Scars decorated his body, which may indicate a handful of years of experience in this industry. Another is a pair sitting across the area. While Ren noticed their expertise, what really stood out was the color of their hair. Blonde. While being blonde does not necessarily mean someone is foreign, the look on their faces certainly screams British. Ren guessed that they were probably siblings based on the similarities in their faces. The man exudes an outgoing attitude, while the girl tends to be calmer and more reserved. Ren chuckled as the two reminded him of him and Koori. All the other participants look like ordinary NPCs, if Ren was being harsh enough. They looked like they only passed the minimum requirements, if there were any, to enter the exams. Ren just hopes that these people survive.

Ren soon saw some movements from the entrance as some vines moved lightly enough for no one but Ren to notice.

Ren stood up as he motioned towards the others. He started walking towards the centre, while Giyu and the other two followed with confusion.

As soon as they arrived in the center, an old man revealed himself in the passage behind the wisteria trees. An old man so short that he made Shinobu look tall. A moustache flying towards the far east and west, and his signature grin that made Ren realized the man in front of him.

"You stupid oafs! Gather around!" The old man shouted. Despite his old age, the voice was enough to startle 30 participants and make them hurry towards the center.

Once they reached the center and felt that everyone was ready to listen, the old man coughed twice before speaking.

"Listen here, you brats. I am Kuwajima Jigoro, the proctor of your exam." Jigoro started as he tapped his cane to the ground hard. "On to the topic of the exam, the requirements to pass would be to survive for a whole week in this mountain. The mountain is filled with demons that slayers have captured. It's been a while since they last tasted blood, so for those who were having any hesitations, quit now or risk being a meal for these demons."

Jigoro took a moment to allow someone to quit. After a few minutes with no participants exiting the area, Jigoro soon grinned and continued his speech.

"Alright then, any questions before we start this?" he asked.

One kid raised his hand.

"You! Go on." Jigoro pointed at him, urging him to ask his question.

The kid hesitated for a while. After he gathered his nerves, he asked his question. "You said surviving for a whole week. Um, how about our food and water?"

The group of kids agreed with the question with whispers and nodding heads.

"There are numerous freshwater spots in the mountain that would be sufficient enough to cover you all." Jigoro said as the rest of the group smiled as one of their problems was almost solved. "However, when it comes to food, there are a few trees that have fruits. The wildlife here is almost non-existent due to demons feasting on them. So, when it comes to foods, that's your problem."

The group seemed dissatisfied with the answer, and protests soon began.

"That's bull."

"How do you expect us to kill demons on an empty stomach!"

"This is unfair!"

"Oh, shut up!" Jigoro screamed, which quelled the noise. After the complaints died down, he spoke again. "Life's unfair. If it were fair, you guys wouldn't be here now, would you? You wouldn't always fight demons in favorable conditions. Heck, almost all the fights that slayers fought were always at a disadvantage. Deal with it."

Jigoro's outburst not only silenced the noises, but it also made them shut up. No one dared speak again on the same topic. It's probably because they too feel that what this little geezer told them is true. Still, for those who don't have the necessary skills, they have to adapt or die trying.

Now not only is the demon their problem, but also how they would survive for a week.

The group soon moved on and instead focused on figuring out a way to find food quickly. The demon was the least of their problems. Well, at least they could delay their fight.

While the rest of them were on their own thoughts, Jigoro took the time to ask his question once again.

"Are there any more questions?" he inquired.

"Sir." One man raised his hand, while Jigoro nodded for him to continue. "Is it necessary for us to kill demons? Based on your explanation, killing isn't the main task but rather surviving. I would just want to know that if we manage to survive the night but fail to hunt one demon, would it automatically result in failure?"

Jigoro scratched his chin as he pondered the question. "This is new. I thought that you young folks would be eager to kill demons."

"We would if we didn't have to think about what we would eat for the next seven days." commented someone among the participants.

Jigoro looked at the group, specifically at the man who commented. He could only avoid the stare of the old man.

"Well, regarding your question, I have not been informed of the need to have a kill count in your hands. So, I guess as long as you survive, it would be considered a pass."

With the answer given, everyone murmured to one another. Ren looked around and saw the difference in the looks on their faces compared to the first time. While success is much higher if you focus on surviving, that action would lead to the disapproval of numerous active slayers. After all, if in the exam you already ran away from the demon rather than eliminating the problem immediately, what more if you have someone you need to protect? While the situation would be different, the way your mind works would show that you focus more on your survival than others.

"Is it that easy?" Makomo whispered as she looked around the crowd. "But if they let the demon escape, even if they could eliminate them immediately, then it would be a problem for another."

"Indeed." Sabito nodded solemnly as he checked the expressions of the people around him. "While surviving by running away would make you pass the exam, you would lose the essence and reason for joining the corps."

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Ren whispered back with a tone of vigilance that gathered the attention of his group. "This exam is easy on the paper, but it looks like it is more complicated than it looks."

"I agree." Sabito nodded again. "Anyway, stay focused all the time. If we can kill the demon with no great risk, then we'll go for it. However, the priority is still the safety of the group."

"How is that different from running away?" Giyu asked.

"We judge our chances, fight if we can handle it, then retreat if we can't. It's much more different than running away from a demon at first sight." Ren explained. "The more demons we kill, the fewer problems we'll have."

Everyone nodded as they focused again on the front.

Jigoro waited for the murmurs of the crowd to die before speaking again. Seeing the glint in their eyes, Jigoro already knew the thoughts within their minds, and it was something he was disappointed in.

"Alright, it seems like many people change their minds regarding their approach. I won't blame you. After all, we only have one life, but you may find yourself in a bigger hole because of your choices." Jigoro sighed sadly at the participants. "Well, go on now. Enter the mountain and survive for a week. I see 30 participants here, and I hope I see the same 30 when the 7th morning rises."

As soon as Jigoro gave his blessings, Sabito immediately pressed forward with his group behind him. The others were startled by the confidence they displayed, and a few held their wits and ran inside as well. Soon all the participants entered the mountain, and the final selection officially started.

---

Sabito and his group had a head start on the exams as they continued inside the mountain. However, after some time running, Sabito stopped, took a sharp turn towards the right, and sprinted once again. The three of them were surprised by this action but soon followed Sabito. After a few more minutes, Sabito stopped running and turned back to see Ren and the others stopped in front of him.

"Okay, what was that?" Giyu asked, dumbfounded. "Firstly, you sprinted inside a demon-infested mountain at the start, then you stopped and took a sharp turn out of nowhere."

Makomo only smiled at the way Giyu explained his question, but soon looked at Sabito with a questioning look.

Sabito returned the smile as he explained his reasons. "The area is infested with demons; however, I expect that most of them would be in the middle. We took a sharp turn and headed towards the side of the mountain where it would have fewer demons due to lesser trees."

"And how would fewer trees mean less demons?" Giyu asked with his hands around his waist.

Ren couldn't help but giggle at Giyu's expression.

"What?"

"Alright, alright. Giyu, what Sabito meant was that fewer trees would make it easier for the sun to penetrate the area. Since this is where the sunlight first arrives, naturally demons tend to stay away from it." Makomo explained as she patted Giyu's back.

"So, what's the plan?" Ren asked as he rested his back on a tree.

While Ren relaxed for a bit, Giyu and the others couldn't help but stay vigilant. The moment they are on the mountain, they are already away from a safe spot. Besides, demons are the ones they'll face tonight—not sensei or some wooden dummy, but a demon.

"First of all, I want to ask your opinion on my plan." Sabito said with a sigh as he tried to relax himself. Despite leading the group, he can't say that he isn't affected by the pressure. After all, he was the one who held the lives of his group. One order can either leave them in salvation or death. "I was thinking of trying to hunt down demons and save those that needed help. I know this is an exam, but I wouldn't want anyone to die if I could help it."

An honest-to-goodness person, Ren thought. The man is definitely an example of a justice-oriented person. It is also in this way that during Giyu and Sabito's final selection, no casualty was recorded. All but one.

Ren was not a heartless person. If he could, he would save people. But saving someone else at the risk of his friend dying? No. Ren would rather have a no-name person die than someone close to him. He needs to shut the idea down as fast as possible, but how? With the way these other three were groomed under Urokodaki, they wouldn't stop helping others at the risk of their lives. He needed to argue with them otherwise.

"I'm fine with it." Giyu said in a determined tone. "I mean, if killing demons would help other people and spare them the pain of losing another, then I'm all up for it."

"Yeah, me too. We trained this strength to help one another. If we couldn't save others, then what's the point of starting this path." Makomo agreed with her fist raised.

Looking at the support of his friends, Sabito can't help but show a gentle smile. This is the moment when they will inherit the duties of their beloved teacher. This time it's their turn to help save the lives of others, whether it be ordinary humans or their fellow members. But looking at the other two agreeing with him, he saw Ren looking at the scene with an indifferent expression.

"Ren. What about you?" Sabito asked calmly, which gathered the attention of the other two. "This isn't where the majority speaks. Since this would affect us all, I want to hear your thoughts about this."

Giyu and Makomo stopped their excitement and stared at Ren, waiting for him to speak.

Sabito saw Ren hesitating to speak his words, so he decided to push him more.

"Ren." He said. No other words, just his name. But it proved to be enough, as Ren sighed as he positioned himself in a more comfortable spot.

"You should know that this plan places us at unnecessary risk." Ren started as he stared at Sabito's eyes before switching to Giyu and Makomo.

"Indeed, however, this is our job." Sabito replied. "You should know that helping others is the reason we hold the sword."

"That is true, Sabito. But are you prepared to lose one of us in this risk of yours?" Ren asked with a quiet voice, just enough for the four of them to hear. "What if during our action of saving another, we traded the life of one, and this one is either me, Makomo, or Giyu. How would we explain it to Urokodaki-sensei? You yourself should know the history of the students of sensei."

The atmosphere soon drops, and everyone can't help but hold their voices inside. They never thought about this possibility. Sabito now pondered whether he could risk his friends' lives. He thought that he wouldn't be afraid of dying if it meant saving others, but could he lead his friends to death? What's more, Ren brought up Urokodaki. They knew how much their teacher suffered in every final selection where no students returned to him. He saw how his steadfast and gentle teacher tried to calm down his shaking hands when they were about to leave. Afraid that it may be the last time he could see his students alive. Sabito felt something churning in his stomach, but he forced it down. Ren made a great point about this, and his worries are not unfounded. Thinking without biases and with a clear mind, Sabito realized that this was the first time they would fight against demons. He and Makomo were from the slums, so they didn't encounter any demons at all. For Giyu, the last time he saw a demon was when his sister died. The trauma of seeing the same species that killed his loved ones may have frozen him in place. Without a decent experience, following the plan would put them at a risk that he didn't expect to be that big. Sabito needed to change his plans. He needs to put aside his sense of justice. He's the one holding their lives, and he wouldn't lead them to their deaths over personal motives.

Sabito was about to speak about changing the plan when Giyu stood up and walked in front of Ren.

"Then what is the difference between us and those who run away from demons?" Giyu said in a rising tone. "What? Do we only move if we are 100% sure we could win? Do we just run away?"

"And what? You want to risk our lives?" Ren said calmly, but with a tone that would back down. "What I'm saying is that we bide our time and look for better options before jumping in the fray. It's called retreating, which is almost the same but has a different meaning from running away."

Seeing the rising tension between the two, Makomo and Sabito soon started moving closer, getting ready if one decided to take action.

"Bide our time? Until when? How would you know if a fight does not have any risk at all?" Giyu said, with his tone getting higher. "The moment we grasped the sword in our palm is the moment we took on and understood that a fight would always have a risk. Even under Urokodaki sensei's strength, there is still a chance we could win, and we did it. So how can you say that there would be fights with a 100% chance of winning? Besides, there are times when we need to fight despite the risks."

"I'm not saying we needed a sure chance before we moved. What I am saying is that we needed to raise our chance as high as we could. This is what planning is like and the reason why we won against Urokodaki-sensei. We still don't have enough experience to worry about others safety." Ren clarified, his tone soon rising to match Giyu's."And besides, the fight you are talking about isn't this fight."

"BUT IT IS!" Giyu shouted with his hands spread wide. The three of them looked at Giyu in surprise. "This is our first fight. This fight would set our way and would have a great impact towards our journey. I wouldn't want to be someone who thinks that there is always an option of running away before trying to see if we could handle it. I fight when I need to fight. I'll only think about escaping when I did my best. But Ren, you speak of running even before we could try. Even if we passed this test, we would fail something much more important. The meaning behind what a slayer of demon truly means!"

Ren was about to speak back to Giyu when he saw a sudden shift in the branches of the tree in front of him. He immediately snapped into a fighting position with his knees bent and his hands on his sword. The other three were surprised by Ren's action but soon snapped into position as well.

"How many?" Sabito whispered to Ren. It was a good thing that both Makomo and Sabito walked closer to the two in fear of a fight breaking out. This made them much more compact in their position, making it harder for opponents to suddenly enter their range.

"Saw 2, but it could probably be more." Ren said before he looked at Giyu. "After all, someone shouted so hard that I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of the demons ran towards this place."

Feeling that Ren was indeed right, Giyu only looked forward and apologized in a weak voice.

"Plan?" Ren asked Sabito again as he never left his eyes forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the demon.

"Let's try to fight first, then escape if we can't handle it." Sabito said as he looked at Makomo and Giyu, then nodded.

"I don't like being ganged up and would rather escape till we have a better chance, but..." Ren whispered, then sighed helplessly. "… I just can't leave these guys for themselves."

"Hey idiots, what's the point of hiding? If you want some meat, then come get some!" Ren shouted towards the forest. Not too loud to attract more demons, but just enough for those in the vicinity to hear.

His three friends were surprised and looked at Ren like he had grown a head.

"What the?" Giyu said in surprise.

"Ayaya." Makomo groaned while Sabito only sighed in surrender.

After waiting for a few minutes, five demons appeared in the area. Completely surrounding the four of them. The demons were chuckling to themselves, as if finding the bravery or stupidity of the boy who challenged them laughable.

As they showed their faces, Sabito and Makomo soon realized how humane they looked if you took out the horns appearing on their bodies and their maniacal expressions.

So, this is a demon. They both thought.

While Makomo and Sabito were focused on the appearance of the demon, Giyu, on the other hand, started to palpitate. He was having a hard time trying to control his nerves as his hands kept shaking. He looked at the demon and immediately remembered the scene that he never wanted to see again.

On the night of a supposedly memorable day of happiness and excitement, it soon turned into a nightmare. His sister, who was supposed to get married the next day, soon died in the hands of a demon. Giyu, sitting in fear, can't help but see the scene in which her sister is trying to hold the demon back while shouting at him to run away. He soon found strength in his legs as he hurriedly ran away as her sister instructed. As he continued to run away and asked for help in the nearby village, the sound in his house soon diminished. When he came to the village, no one believed him. By some sort of grace, a swordsman with a weird mask answered his plight, and together, they ran towards their house. But what awaited him there was despair. He saw her sister's soulless eyes as a strange humanoid monster began chewing on her arm. When he saw it, Giyu's world soon turned upside down. They lost their parents at an early age, and now he has lost his sister as well. As the demon noticed their presence, the swordsman made quick work of him before he could even react. With him disintegrating, her sister's body soon fell down inches away from him, and blood soon started to paint his clothes red. The moment Giyu held the cold body of her sister, tears soon fell down his cheeks.

After a few hours of crying, the swordsman suggested they bury her properly so she could leave the land of the living with the respect and honour she deserves. Giyu nodded as he tried to cry again until he lost consciousness. The next moment he woke up, the man explained to him what transpired and the so-called demons that plagued the land. There he knew that there were numerous people who suffered the same fate he experiences and offered a choice to make a difference if he so pursued. Giyu remembered accepting the offer, but he himself at that time simply wanted to run away from the pain and let someone think for him. At least until he gets his bearings and decides what's best for him. He trained and trained and soon got better at it. His new friends were focused on being slayers to help others. Over time, as he stuck with this group, he started to realise and work for their wishes as well. To not let anyone else suffer at the hands of the demon. But he can't say that he moved on from his sister's death. Far from it. Every passing night, he still remembers the scene of how her lively sister was soon murdered by a demon.

The demon jumped forward at the same time. However, such a direct attack is easy to counter. Ren quickly took a defensive stance instead of dodging it completely. They are in a formation, and evading the attack would lead to an opening.

Thinking the same thing, Sabito and Giyu blocked the attack, even if the latter did it messily.

On the other hand, Makomo got ready to attack after Giyu covered her, the same way they had discussed before they left their homes. However, the defence didn't arrive, and Makomo was left waiting as she looked at the approaching demon.

Since Makomo is the type to evade rather than block, it is decided that she would be the sword of the group, while Giyu would be the shield, blocking all the attacks he could, and Ren and Sabito would be a mixture of both, helping in the attack or covering the gaps.

Giyu's late attempt to block his side ultimately exposed Makomo.

While this blunder can easily be covered by Makomo's skills, her lack of experience proves to be a hindrance as she freezes in place, panic taking hold of her body.

As the claws threatened to tear her apart, Sabito moved quickly and grabbed her back, pulling her near him.

Makomo was saved, but this led to another problem. With Makomo out of her place, the formation is broken, leaving Ren fighting against two demons.

The demons soon capitalised on the mistake they made and quickly continued their onslaught.

Seeing that there was no point in keeping the formation, Ren broke free and leapt backwards as he tried to defend against two demons.

Fuck, two at the get-go. Ren cursed as he evaded and tried to counterattack. However, the moment he goes for a counter is the exact moment when the second demon attack came, which forced Ren to go on the defensive.

What the hell is wrong with this demon? I thought that no demon hunts in packs, and they should be fighting for their prey as of now. Why the hell are they working together?

Ren's question was soon answered as one demon shouted to the others.

"It's first come, first served, lads. So, you better hurry up!" said the demon in a shrill voice of delight.

Ren hesitated to leap backward. Anymore, and he would be out of reach for support in case something happened.

"Look at him. I can smell it. Oh, so sweet" the demon said as he continued his attacks.

"I can see it as well. It's quite obvious" the second demon replied.

Ren couldn't understand what they meant. He was too preoccupied to find a way to delay and wait for his friends to finish their fight and help him.

But probably due to how his face reacted, the demon realised this and continued to speak.

"The sight/scent of fear!"

Ren blocked a hit with his sword on his left but soon felt a force coming from his waist as the second demon kicked him. Ren was pushed backwards but managed to stay on his feet and readied his sword.

Fear? Me?

---

"Ren, what happened during your fight against sensei?" Sabito asked as the two of them rested on a long chair.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was struggling to stay conscious at that time, but I could see it" he replied as he looked at Ren. "The look on your face is of someone devoid of emotion."

Sabito looked at Ren's confused face and scratched his cheek. "Like, I can't explain it. You don't look menacing; you don't look excited. Just... someone who doesn't care."

Ren stared at Sabito as he contemplated his friend's thoughts. He felt something. Sabito was onto something he couldn't get a hold of. Whatever it was, he was sure it had something to do with how calm he was.

He was sure whatever state he was in before could help him tremendously. He started experimenting with it, starting from basic practices like one-sided knife blocking all the way to reckless 3 vs. 1. He lost embarrassingly at that time and still couldn't get a second feel once again.

It was when he asked for Urokodaki's help that he realized what that feeling was.

It was a state of absolute calmness. A state in which logic reigns supreme and a mentality in which emotion does not have any say

Ren remembered a theory made by a famous scientist in his past life.

They say humans are the greatest creatures to have walked the planet. It is not due to their physical strength but rather to their intellect. Humans alone have become the strongest predators, sitting at the top of the food chain. However, if there is one thing that limits humanity's potential, it is its emotions. Many times, emotion leads people astray. The emotion called love made the smartest humans bow down. But despite this, humans without emotion cannot be called humans. Without it, there are just… machines.

But what if a person can limit the influence of emotion and stick to rationality? A state where movements are made through logic and careful calculations? If that did happen, then it would be the birth of the greatest yet most destructive person in the world.

During their remaining days, Ren couldn't enter the state again but managed to grab the feeling.

All that's left is to do it.

---

Ren was brought back to his senses as an attack came in from both sides, left and right.

Ren jumped high as he stretched both of his legs, hitting both demons in the face.

"Argh!" the demon screamed as they walked backwards, holding their heads.

"For someone who looks afraid, why the hell won't you stay in place?" one of them shouted.

Afraid?

"Just stay there, and we'll kill you fast" the demon snickered.

Kill… Death…

Hearing no reply, both demons lunged again and continued their relentless attacks. This time, they both decided that playing with their food was enough.

Ah… I see… It was just like that time…

An attack came from above as Ren's body ducked. The second demon came lower, meeting Ren.

Ren extended his sword to intercept, but the demon used his arm to block the attack, sacrificing it, then using his opposite arm to grab Ren's neck.

Yelp! A sharp cry of pain can be heard as Ren stabs his knife into the hide of a wolf.

Ren stood up as he looked at the corpse of the wolf he just killed. Feeling the sweat fall through his forehead, he wiped it off using an arm, only to see fresh blood in it.

Ren used his left hand to ward off the attack, then used the momentum to rotate his body away. A space was created as he closed his eyes for a while.

He looked around him and saw a pack of wolf corpses lying in the snow, bodies full of arrows, as the sound of a footstep made him look in the direction where it came from.

Akira arrived at the scene with a quiver full of arrows and a machete in his hands.

He looked at the bloody face of his son before realizing the number of dead wolves around.

He walked forward and grabbed before hugging his 11-year-old son.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a worried tone, to which Ren just looked at him and replied.

"I'm fine. They're just wolves. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Hearing the hurried sounds of footsteps, Ren opened his eyes to see the two demons in front of him.

He lowered his sword before he raised it up again, just in time to hit both demons, who lined themselves horizontally.

"Frost Breathing, 1st Form, Frozen Arc."

SWISH!

A clean sound of a sword cutting through the demon's neck like it was made of paper resounded in the area as both heads flew away from their bodies.

"W-what the?!" the demon choked in surprise as he saw his headless body fall down. "How in hell did you kill us? Where is the fear?"

Ren looked at them with a stone-cold face as he replied in the same tone.

"I realised there's nothing to fear. After all, there's no difference between you and a wolf."

"A-a wolf? You fucker, come here and let me kill…"

The demon couldn't complete his words as he disintegrated into ashes.

Ren looked at the others, fully immersed in their own fights. As much as he wanted to help, Ren realized something from Giyu's words. It is a fact that their first fight is important, as this would help them in their journey. Helping them now would be detrimental to their growth. These are their demons, figuratively and literally. If they couldn't pass this challenge, then they are simply not yet ready.

But he couldn't just sit there while they risked their lives, would he? No, he'll stay on guard and move before something bad happens.

---

Sabito is having a hard time killing this one demon, and he is sure that if he remembers this in the future, he will cover his face in embarrassment. He was not afraid—far from it. To better explain his situation right now, he was startled, then panicked when he saw Giyu not supporting Makomo, and stressed when he realised that Ren was fighting two of these things at once. These emotions made him unable to move how he wanted to. It's sort of like going for a full-hour run in the morning without any warmup.

The good thing is that, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ren beheading both of the demons. That's one thing off his mind. Another thing is that as the fight continues, he starts moving better, and the sudden shock to his muscles is starting to wear off. All he needs to do is wait, then counterattack afterwards.

"You're weak!" the demon screamed in his face. Are demons this talkative? "Stop running away and let your suffering end faster!"

Sabito looked at the demon without a hint of change in his emotions. Despite this demon's irritating voice, he was well used to it. After all, hearing Giyu complain about things and do something stupid trained his tolerance and patience.

As an attack came, Sabito swayed his body sideways, dodging the attack as he took a step forward.

He swung his sword, aiming for the head.

Seeing the coming attack, the demon used his arm to block the attack.

The two attacks met, and Sabito's sword won the contest as it cut through the arm. However, in his weakened state and the demon's force in the attack, he made it sway off the trajectory, cutting a part of the demon's head.

Oh. It seems like my body is starting to move better. It's a shame I couldn't finish it during that attack. But the next one would be the last.

Before, Sabito could only backpedal to dodge the attack. Now, however, he could sidestep and evade the attack with the lowest movement possible without any risk.

The reason he didn't decide to kill the demon immediately despite having the ability to do so relies on his mentality. Sabito is the type of guy who likes to take things step by step. He wouldn't take a gamble as long as he could help it. Seeing that, despite their first fight and emotions running high, he was confident enough in his friends' strength that they could overcome this challenge.

Before the situation right now, Sabito checked on how the other three were faring. Ren might be fighting against two demons, but he could see that despite them dictating the fight, they couldn't even produce a threat to Ren. The demon on Makomo's side couldn't even enter her personal space. The girl would move out of the way before the demon could even get close. The only reason she didn't finish the demon was probably due to the fact that she wanted to test herself more. Despite the petite girl's tendency to be optimistic, she is also opportunistic, jumping on chances she could take. Giyu, on the other hand, has a face that clearly shows panic and fear, and where he was the most worried out of the three. He knew Ren was finished, and if this was an ordinary fight, he was sure that Ren would jump in and help Giyu already. In spite of their differences in mentality, Sabito knew that if one of them was truly in danger, the other would put down anything that they were doing and run out to help the other. But the fact that he didn't prove that Giyu isn't in any danger as of now. He could even see that Giyu himself was blocking every single attack that the demon threw. He could also see that, despite the conflicting emotions the boy is feeling right now, there is no indication of asking for help. Sabito knew that if Ren entered the fight, it would prove that what Giyu declared was wrong and full of hypocrisy. It stands true for them as well, hence why Ren didn't help any of them.

"Don't you fucking ignore me!" the demon shouted in anger as it lunged again at Sabito.

Sabito, this time, didn't back off from the attack and met it head-on. He pushed his arm forward as his sword hit the demon's neck, separating it from its body.

"Water breathing, 1st form, Water Surface Slash."

---

"Don't run, you coward!" The demon shouted as another attack missed once again. The demon couldn't count the number of attacks he made, but he was sure that the number of attacks he made was the same as the ones he missed.

It was this brat of a little girl just running away in circles. When he saw the group, he first called dibs on this petite girl. Out of four of them, she's the second one that looked weak, and well, she's a girl. Even if her small body wouldn't satisfy his hunger, he was at least still having dinner. However, when the fight started quite well, he couldn't even touch the girl. At first, he thought that it was just because he wasn't being serious. So, when he decided enough was enough, he was still baffled that he couldn't even reach her. He, a demon, someone who plays with other humans before killing them, was being played by this… girl!

But he should calm down. He was smart. Much smarter than these… other four of his kind, who quickly drool at the sight of a human. He decided that if he couldn't reach her, he would make her come at me.

"Little girl, let's stop this cat and mouse and get this over with." He taunted. "We both knew that you couldn't finish me off. After all, if you could, you would have done it ages ago."

This gathered Makomo's attention as she stopped moving and looked at the demon in front of him.

"Um… that isn't the case." Makomo said in a shy tone, scratching her cheeks as she laughed awkwardly.

"Oh, really? Then why don't you prove it?" the demon declared as he spread his arms wide. "I'll tell you what. I'll wait for you to prepare to dish out your strongest attack."

This is perfect, the demon thought to himself. He knew that these people who wandered inside this mountain were newbies who participated in an exam before they entered some sort of organization. Meaning that there are kids who are weak and someone with little to no experience fighting their kind. He just needs to taunt their egos, and all of them will jump to their deaths. As long as he protects his neck, anything can be sacrificed. He smiled as he recalled the time when he managed to kill at least five of them with this tactic. It was a delight to see the look of surprise and despair as their strongest attack couldn't kill him.

Makomo tilted her head to the side. She was contemplating whether this demon was confident or just stupid. Well, it's not like she would complain. She wanted to see how her speed would work against a demon. The only reason she prolongs this fight is that she's trying to apply all her learning from her sensei. She managed to try more than half of what she learned, and it was a great experience. But just enough is enough; she needs to take care of this demon before a sudden mistake happens.

Makomo nodded to the provocation as she sheathed back her sword and placed her foot forward, crunching down before looking at the demon ahead, who still had a confident look on his face.

Ren and Sabito, who watched from the sidelines, could only sigh and share the same thought that ran through their heads.

"What an idiot," they both thought.

"Water breathing, 1st form, Water Surface Slash."

As Makomo lunged forward, the demon soon laughed. What an idiot. She jumped to her death. He looked at the girl who was going to become his dinner when his eyes widened, and his confidence soon broke down. There was a considerable amount of distance between them. So, why is she already in front of me?

The demon never got an answer, as his head was severed before his brain could even register the attack. The attack came so fast that the demon was caught off guard. She was 10 meters away from him, and in just 2 seconds, she crossed the distance.

The demon's head rolled backward as it stopped meters away from the petite girl, who was near the other two humans.

"You clearly got underestimated" said the one who had a scar on his face.

"What kind of idiot lets their opponents prepare their strongest attack?" said the one who defeated two of his kind.

Underestimate? Stupid? This thought resounded in his mind as he quickly turned into ash.

The three of them looked at each other, and seeing that they didn't have any injuries, they looked at the last one fighting.

Giyu was still blocking the attacks that the demon made. He himself, however, made no effort to strike back or even plan to.

"This wouldn't end. Giyu wouldn't attack," Makomo said with a worried tone as she looked at Ren and Sabito for guidance.

"As much as we need to help him, this is his fight. If we helped him, it would only prove that Giyu couldn't stand up to his fears." Sabito said as he continued to watch the stalemate. He grasped his sword tight, urging him to help his friend, but stayed his hand. "For his sake and his future as a slayer, he needs to win this match alone."

"Damn right." Ren said as he crouched and picked up a pebble. He juggled the pebble with one hand while the rest looked at him with curiosity. "But we could help him remember something."

---

Giyu…

Why, why, why?!

Please help me! A d-demon. A demon is attacking my sister!

Why can't he fight? Why couldn't he attack? This demon is not a threat. Even the ninja dogs they trained with offered more challenge. Giyu racked his brain for answers but couldn't find any. No, he knew it already; he just couldn't put his mind to it. He knew that as soon as he saw the demon's face, his body would freeze. The lessons that he had learned flew out of his brain. In fact, if it weren't for his reflexes, which have been pounded by hours of training, he would have died ages ago.

An attack is coming from above; he needs to block and then counterattack.

The attack came, and Giyu blocked it with ease. However, when he was about to attack, he recalled her sister's content face as he ran away to ask for help.

Giyu shivered as he failed to move his arms.

"Hahahahaha! You're scared! I could feel it, I could see it, and I could taste it!" the demon shouted. "Why struggle? Just accept it."

"I-I can't," he replied as he gritted his teeth.

The demon swung his arm, fingers stretching as he scratched Giyu's torso. Giyu managed to take a step backward, which nearly dodged the attack, leaving a mark in his clothes. The attack, however, was shallow, but it didn't stop the blood as it dripped out of his skin.

Giyu hissed in pain but didn't take his eyes away from the demon.

The demon, however, looked at his hand with a little blood in it before licking it. The demon savoured the taste, evident in how he licked his lips.

"I see," the demon said in realisation, which garnered the attention of Giyu. "You had someone important to you that died from a demon, didn't you?"

The demon then walked sideways, which prompted Giyu to follow suit. Both of them walked in a circle, maintaining their distance. However, as Giyu focused on the demon, the demon continued to talk.

"Poor you, you lost someone important. I'm sure you're probably hurting deep inside," the demon said in a faux-hurt tone. "Let me guess, someone sacrificed themselves for you to live. Ah, the survivor's guilt. Why is it that while they suffered and died, you continued to live? It isn't fair for them, is it?"

Giyu widened his eyes in horror.

The image of someone destroying the door... her sister's body jumping in to protect him... him running away as the screams get softer and softer...

Why is it that her great and excellent sister died and not him? He is so useless and doesn't excel in anything. In the years that have gone by, he is still stuck in guilt and sorrow. For sure, if it were her sister, she would have probably helped people.

"There is no way to bring back the dead. Why continue living? You're living a life you stole for them. There is no justice, but I could make it easier for you." The demon snickered as he started moving closer to Giyu. Giyu didn't notice it, or if he did, he didn't make any movement.

Giyu just stood there, paralyzed, as he contemplated what the demon said. Second by second, he finds himself agreeing with the words. Indeed, what right does he have to live when he stole this right from someone else?

"Good, just stand there and let me make it quick. Soon, you will be able to say your sorry once you meet each other."

Meet each other? If my death is the price to meet my sister and apologize to her, then it is a cheap life.

Giyu lowered his blade, no longer in any stance, leaving him wide open.

"I don't care if Giyu wouldn't be a slayer; I wouldn't stand in place while someone kills my friend!" Makomo said as she lowered her sword.

The demon jumped at the uncaring Giyu while Makomo leaped to try and intercept the attack. While the two were seconds away from the paralyzed boy, a pebble soon flew in between them, hitting the tree and making a noticeable dent.

This led the two parties to stop in their tracks as they looked at the one who interrupted them.

"DON'T YOU DARE WASTE YOUR SISTER'S LIFE!" the voice resounded in the area.

All of them looked at where the voice came from. Makomo, expecting it to be Ren based on his attitude, was left speechless when he saw Sabito with his eyes wide open in fury as he pointed his sword towards Giyu. Even Ren was surprised as he looked at Sabito with his mouth agape.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT YOUD BE BETTER OFF DYING EVER AGAIN! IF YOU DO, YOU AND I ARE DONE. WE'LL STOP BEING FRIENDS!"

"YOU'RE WANT TO DIE? THAT'S AN INSULT TO YOUR SISTER. YOU CANT DIE!"

"THE LIFE SHE LOST TO PROTECT YOU? THAT FUTURE SHE LEFT FOR YOU? THEY'RE STILL WITH YOU GIYU!"

All of them could only look in shock as Sabito blurted out the words with so much ferocity and anger that it left him gasping for air after he finished.

Ren had to cover his ear to limit the sudden explosion of his voice.

Makomo looked at Sabito with a smile on her face, a smile full of pride, before focusing on Giyu. She took the opportunity when the demon was startled and placed herself in front of Giyu, dedicated to protecting him.

Giyu himself could only stare at his friend.

Sabito was a calm person and would rarely raise his voice in anger. Aside from their occasional bout, this is the first time that Giyu has heard and felt the pure anger in his voice. His words carried so much weight that they hit Giyu directly where they hurt.

He thinks of himself as useless, but did he ever think that her sister would think of him like that?

Giyu… live…

Giyu remembers the final words her sister said after he started running away.

As Giyu started to run, he took a look at her sister. Tsutako was there, lying on the floor with the demon on top of her. She only smiled, not out of sadness but with assurance and a pleased smile, as she said. "Giyu… live…"

Why did I forget that? Giyu thought to himself. No, he didn't forget about this thing; rather, he chose not to remember those words. Whenever he did, he got so sad that he couldn't do anything but cry. Giyu was so focused on the passing of her sister that he forgot to remember her sister's final wish.

Indeed, there is some truth to what the demon said. That he lives due to another person's sacrifice. Someone important to him lives, but while he lives and the person dies, he has the responsibility to honor that person. It just so happens that her sister's wish for him to live. If he let himself get killed right now, he would only tarnish both her sister's sacrifice and her greatest wish.

Feeling the unanimous agreement of his thoughts and emotions, Giyu steeled his heart as he walked forward, nudging Makomo out of the way, who looked at him with a surprised face. However, seeing the resolute face of Giyu made her smile brightly, and she even gently pushed him forward.

Giyu only nodded at the girl as he stepped forward, meeting the demon eye-to-eye. He brandished his sword, putting it in front of him with two hands gripping its hilt. This time, no hesitation could be seen from the boy, as his body stood up like an iron wall.

The demon felt the shift in emotion from Giyu as he clicked his tongue. If that brat didn't get in his way, he would have eaten him by now. However, the threat and intimidation that Giyu exudes are clearly noticeable as the demon takes his own stance. It isn't much, but it gives the idea that he was done joking around.

It wouldn't matter whether the demon was serious or not. He couldn't kill Giyu when he was at his lowest, and what's more, when he was now sure of what he wanted to do,

The demon lunged forward as Giyu prepared to block the attack. The demon struck directly in the chest as Giyu sidestepped before swinging his blade.

"Water breathing, 4th form, Striking Tide."

Giyu leaped and exited behind the demon as it crumbled into three pieces, separating its neck, torso, and arms.

Giyu looked behind the demon and saw the demon's body in the midst of disintegrating. He sighed heavily as he tried to calm his breathing, only to feel a force behind him. He nearly fell down but managed to hold on. Giyu looked behind him and saw Makomo jumping on his back in joy before dropping back down.

"Great job, Giyu!" she cheered as she jumped up and down with excitement. "For a second, I thought you would give up, but you didn't! I'm so proud of you!"

The blatant praise of the petite girl made Giyu blush as he tried to calm down his energetic friend.

"No, no." he denied embarrassingly. "It is because of you guys that I realized what's important," Giyu said as he put both of his hands in front of him.

Sabito walked in front of him as he put his hands on his shoulder. "You did well," he said proudly, to which Giyu smiled sheepishly.

Ren joined in as the group looked at him. Once he was closed, he hit Giyu on the head, which made him bow down a little.

"You idiot, you're making us worried," Ren said as Giyu looked away, ashamed. "But good job, I guess." Ren followed, which made Giyu look at him back with surprise before smiling in return.

Everyone giggled as they enjoyed a little celebration. While for the three of them, killing a demon may be easy, it is still a necessary first step they needed to take, and seeing how they manage to achieve it perfectly would help condition their minds for the next few days.

Sabit was the first one to calm down as he turned serious. "We need to move immediately. I am ashamed of my conduct; however, my earlier outburst could result in more demons running in our direction."

"How about fighting?" Giyu asked. "I mean, we weren't injured, so we could take them on. Probably."

"Hold your horses. We just fought our first fight. While it didn't affect us physically, it is a great burden mentally," Ren interjected as he pointed at his head.

"Hmm. Yeah. I was pretty stressed out," Giyu admitted before he looked back at Sabito. "So where do we go?"

Sabito thinks for a second before expressing his thoughts. "We should continue forward, but we'll stick to the side of the mountains."

"Agree." Ren nodded. "It is much safer. Imagine if Sabito and Giyu did their stunts in the middle of the mountain. Not only do we attract numerous demons but also the strong ones."

Giyu and Sabito could only look away in embarrassment. It may have seemed like an insult to others, but they knew that Ren was only joking.

Makomo smiled as she looked at the three boys. Like an elder sister looking at her brothers, a proud, almost smug look appeared on her face. Ren now interacts with them comfortably. Sabito is now clear with his intentions and will always speak his mind. Giyu may still be pessimistic, but he is now looking forward to life.

She walked forward, ahead of them, as she looked back and asked. "Are you guys coming? Or are you volunteering to eat my dust?" she said with a puffed-up face.

The three boys looked at each other before smiling.

Giyu cracked his fist, Sabito stretched both of his arms forward, and Ren did side lunges with bones popping as they walked beside her.

"Oh, you're on!"

"A cheap provocation."

"Instead of eating dust, I'll shove those words back in your mouth."

---

Night soon turned to day as the group managed to avoid any fights after their first one. While it was a good thing that they managed to avoid any demons, when the day came, they had other problems to consider.

"Ah… I'm starving." Giyu groaned as he held his belly with both of his hands.

The group is now in a small, open spot on the side of the mountain where they can see rocks surrounding them rather than trees. With limited trees to block the sun, the spot is one of the best places to rest.

While they could rest during the night, this is the only moment where they could relax without thinking about sudden attacks. They are also not completely safe during the day. While demons die in the sun, it wouldn't matter if it couldn't reach them. As long as there is something that blocks the sun, they could travel in the middle of the day. One example is a dense forest or snowy weather. So, finding this exact spot is definitely a godsend.

It's been almost 8 hours since they last ate, and while it is a good idea to bring in food as an emergency before they enter the exam, they forgot to do so as they were enamoured by the scenery before them.

What a funny way to die from hunger, Giyu thought.

He imagined how the news would reach their teacher.

I'm sorry, but your students failed the exam. It is quite strange since it is shown that they died due to starvation, not because of a demon.

While it may be sad for his teacher to hear this news, he wouldn't blame someone if they laughed at him. To be fair, he would too.

Their only saving grace is that at least they have water with them. Each of them had a can full of water when they entered the mountain. Now, his can only hold a third of its content, and this was when he was still trying to save it.

Giyu looked at the others, hoping to get some ideas and try to contribute to the team. He saw Sabito sitting with his hands on his chin. The scar-faced friend had his brows tucked in and sweat running down his forehead.

Yikes! It would be better not to disturb him then.

Giyu soon changed his view and landed on Makomo. The girl was making herself comfortable by gathering a pile of leaves she could take and trying to create a…. makeshift pillow?

Is she sleeping? Giyu thought as the girl rested her head on her newly made pillow.

Another person that he couldn't disturb.

Having two people he couldn't disturb left him with only one person he could talk to.

His eyes landed on Ren, or where he was supposed to be.

Startled by the sudden disappearance of his friend, Giyu's eyes soon darted across the surroundings, trying to find where Ren could be.

Left, right, center. His eyes looked everywhere but saw nothing.

He was so close to warning the others when something fell on his head.

"Ow!" he screamed, not because it hurt but more because of his reaction to being startled.

His words gathered the attention of the other two as Sabito removed his hand from his chin while Makomo turned her head, both looking at Giyu.

Giyu scratched the part where he got hit and looked at the ground to find the culprit.

He found it immediately, with it at his feet.

He grabbed it and surveyed it a few times, spinning it around.

"An… apple?"

Another batch of apples soon fell. Some fell to the ground, but with Giyu's quick reflexes, he managed to catch some of it.

Sabito was surprised by what happened, evidently by how wide his eyes were. He stood up and looked at Giyu while grabbing an apple on the ground.

He looked at it before looking on top of them to see where the fruit came from.

There, they saw Ren on top of a rock formation looking at them from above.

Giyu moved his arms, first pointing at the apple, then at Ren, before making a "what the?" face.

Ren, seemingly able to understand what Giyu meant, replied in his own way.

He first put his hand on his belly, then moved it in a circular motion. Then he tapped his brain with his finger and pointed it to the apple tree right beside him.

Giyu understood it as he and Sabito made an "OH" sound before giving him a thumbs up.

While the tree of them is conversing in a unique way, Makomo, lying in prone, stupefied, couldn't believe what she was seeing. She blinked a few times, even massaging her eyes, to confirm whether she was dreaming or not.

Sadly, she isn't.

---

A few more minutes, and Ren manages to climb down, landing near Giyu, who nearly chokes from being startled.

After they received the fruits from Ren, the others gathered them in one spot. They first decided to wait for Ren; however, seeing that their red-eyed friend had no indication of returning right away, they decided to take the time to eat.

Ren looked at the group before grabbing one from a batch of apples huddled in the middle. He took a bite, then sat right next to Giyu.

"What took you so long?" Giyu spoke in an uneven voice.

"Geez, eat first, then speak." Ren reprimanded him as he took another bite. "After plucking out the entire apple tree, I saw another much bigger tree."

"Okay, go on."

"Of course I climbed it," Ren replied. "I figured that I'd take the opportunity to look at our surroundings and find some source of water."

"Did you find any?" Giyu said as he swallowed his food. "Please tell me you did."

"I found a creek," Ren said as he looked at the others smiling faces… except for someone.

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," he whispered to himself, which Makomo heard.

"You've got to stop being pessimistic, Giyu," Makomo advised as she playfully tapped Giyu's arm. "Try to think positively," she cheered.

"But…"

"I told you so..." Giyu sighed as he smiled coyly at Makomo.

Makomo looked blankly at Ren. Ren stared back as the staring contest started. Ren, however, ended up smiling bit by bit until he could no longer hold his laughter.

"You could just say it outright, you know," Makomo commented, still staring at Ren with the same face, to which Ren continued to laugh.

"I was expecting the two of you to jump into it, to be honest," Ren said as he grinned ear to ear.

"Wait, you expected me to say something?" Giyu asked as he too stared at Ren.

Makomo stopped staring at Ren, and both of them diverted their attention to Giyu.

Ren and Makomo looked at each other before the former spoke in a confident tone.

"When did you not?"

Giyu could only groan and avoid their gaze before turning back again. "Well, continue on," he said, desperate for the conversation to move on.

Ren took another bite, and after a few moments of chewing the apple, he continued.

"As I was saying, there is a creek. It is big enough to last us for a week," Ren said as he paused in between to put food into his mouth. "The problem is that the creek is across the mountain."

"Across... how far do you think?" Sabito said as he made use of the information.

"Quite far, considering we're taking the outer edge, which would make it a lot farther," Ren replied.

"How about going in the middle? I mean, it's much shorter and would save us more time," Giyu suggested.

"True, but it also offers more risks," Ren replied. "Aside from the likeliness to encounter a demon, we should also consider that we're going uphill and then downhill. Climbing uphill takes a lot of stamina, and going downhill is dangerous, both of which need to be done slowly in order to avoid any silly injuries."

"How about we do what we did back at the practice exam?" Makomo spoke as she gathered the attention. "You know, the one we did when we barely passed."

"It's feasible, but I'd rather not." Ren denied her as he raised his hands and showed his fingers. "One is that this mountain is much larger than Mt. Sagiri. A half bigger, I think. Second, we don't know the terrain of the area. For all we know, we could be traversing not a forest but a rocky mountainscape or even a cliff. Third, and probably the most important, is that IF we manage to reach our destination, we would be tired. Oh, and it would cost us the whole morning."

Makomo put on a somber smile as Giyu tilted his head.

"Wouldn't it be fine? I mean, we reached the destination." Giyu asked, confused.

Ren grabbed his forehead, feeling the incoming headache of explaining things just so Giyu could understand. It is a tiresome and honestly annoying task, but it is important for Giyu to understand these things.

Sighing hard so that it could be heard by others, Ren started explaining.

"Yes, we would reach our destination, but we would end up putting us at great risk. If a demon comes at that time, we will have a harder time winning."

Ren felt that Giyu was about to say something, so he quickly interrupted him.

"YES, at the end we would still win if a demon cornered us at that spot. However, will it stay the same as time goes by? We would need to defend ourselves in that spot for 12 hours, and before you asked if we could move so we wouldn't be ambushed, we were already tired. Moving would drain the almost drained endurance we have left. Think of it this way: we would run for the whole morning to reach a water spot, then after running for the whole morning, we would be on guard and fight demons for the whole night."

By the time Ren ended his explanation, Giyu was evading his eyes. Once Ren summarized his reasoning in his last sentences, only Giyu realised how taxing the plan was. Even thinking about it right now makes him tired. So he could only look at Ren, thank him, and then smile sheepishly.

"And besides, I'd rather use this time to gather resources and rest bit by bit," Ren said, to which Giyu nodded. "So, I take it you have a plan cooked up right now?" Ren said as he shifted his eyes to Sabito, who had been quiet all this time.

Sabito was listening and thinking of the best scenario for this problem. What Ren said is completely right, but the problem still persists with how they would move forward. There is a lot of risk going into the stream, and the longer they arrive, the more risk they will have. It is not by all means certain that the creek is the only water source available. There are other ways to gather water as they move forward, but the problem is how. However, if they wanted to last for a week, they needed that creek. If there's one thing he understood about their situation right now, it's that this test is not a race but rather a marathon.

When Ren asked for his input, Sabito already had an idea of how they would move forward. It isn't foolproof, but no plan is ever foolproof. All he needs to do is try to capitalize on every opportunity they have while lowering the possible risks as much as possible.

"We go for the creek," Sabito said as the others looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "However, instead of wasting our stamina, we take things slow. I also agree with Ren that it is better to use this time to gather resources and rest up."

"Okay, how slow are you talking about?" Ren asked.

"I'm thinking of a 3-hour jog at our normal pace that has a 5-minute break in between. After that, we go for an hour and a half of free time. I personally want to divide it by rest and gathering resources, whichever is more needed. At 3 in the afternoon, I think we should rest for an hour before we enter our second night."

Ren looked at Sabito, as if digesting the plan and looking for any mistakes. Finding none, he looked at the others.

"All in favor?" he asked as he raised his hand.

"Aye!" Makomo cheered as they raised her hand while Giyu said it in a normal tone.

Enjoying the only girl in their group's enthusiasm, Sabito nodded and proceeded to stand up and grab his sword.

"Then, let's go," he said as he looked at the others. "We're burning daylight here."

---

"How long do you think it would take to reach that creek?" Giyu said as he increased his pace to match Ren's pace.

They have already covered a considerable amount of distance. Granted, the destination is still far away, but it is still good progress.

Ren looked forward as he watched Sabito lead the way with Makomo just beside him. There is a bit of space between the two groups. It's easy to see, but hard to hear each other in a normal tone.

Ren pondered Giyu's question as he turned his gaze upward. Estimating the height of the sun, he determined that it was probably near 9 in the morning.

"I can't say, but I think we'll get there in the morning," Ren replied as Giyu frowned.

"Wouldn't it be too late? I only had half a bottle," Giyu said in a low voice. "I don't think it would last till the next morning. It'll probably be gone by evening."

Ren ignored Giyu as he noticed a different environment to his right.

"Ren, how many more do you have?" Giyu continued, oblivious to Ren's ignorance. "Can we ask Sabito to change plans?"

Ren continued to ignore him as he squinted his eyes, trying to discern if what he saw was exactly what he needed.

"Hey, Ren? Come on, at least talk to me. A conversation would be great to pass the time," Giyu said, this time grabbing Ren's shoulder and pulling him lightly repeatedly. "How about this? We ask to increase our pace so that we can arrive earlier? There is a lower chance that demons would attack us in daylight, so might as well make use of it, huh? Just like sensei said, "You must capitalize on every opportunity.""

Ren widened his eyes and spoke in a happy tone. "Nice one!" he said as he increased his pace and left Giyu.

Giyu was shocked by Ren's reaction before he laughed sheepishly as he patted his head on its back. His eyes are closed, and a smile that reaches from ear to ear is seen.

"Aw, you don't need to react that way. It's just an idea. Let's talk with Sabito and ask for his opinion," Giyu said cheerfully as he opened his eyes and looked at Ren. However, confusion took place as he saw Ren, far from him and seemingly running away in a different direction than Sabito and Makomo.

"W-wait... what?" he said in surprise as he left his mouth hanging, asking what was happening.

Ren left Giyu the moment he was sure of what he saw. To be honest, he heard Giyu speaking but decided not to listen as he was focused on something else.

As he arrived at the bottom of a cliff, Ren focused on its aspects, specifically the clearing between two massive rocks.

"Sabito!" he shouted without looking, focused on the scene in front of him. "Come here quick!"

Hearing the sudden shout of his friend, Sabito and Makomo stopped and quickly approached him, with Giyu lagging behind.

"What's wrong?" Sabito asked, looking at Ren.

Ren stood straight up as he looked at the other three. "Look here," he said, pointing at the space between the rocks. "Water."

Sabito looked at it and saw that water was indeed there, flowing downward as it arrived in the stagnant pool right next to their feet.

Ren stepped away from the spot as he walked around the area with heavy steps, as if he were testing the hardness of the ground.

"A bit soft," he whispered. "It's moist."

Ren looked around and saw nests perched on a tree. He looked down and saw different insects crawling on the ground. He also noticed the small yet thick trees in the area.

"This is great," Ren said as he looked at the others confused faces.

"Sabito, how much time is left before we rest?" he asked.

"It's only 10 minutes before we are scheduled for an hour and a half of rest."

"Let's make it earlier."

"Sure, but why?" Sabito asked. He asked more out of curiosity.

"This is a place where the environment thrives," Ren explained. "Look around the area and you could see different wildlife. Bird nests in the trees and different insects on the ground. There is flowing water in the spaces of a rock, which created a small puddle on the ground. The ground absorbs the water, making the soil moist, which creates a perfect place for plants to grow, added to a proper shade, which means that sunlight penetrates the area."

"Meaning?" Makomo asked, still waiting for Ren.

"It means that there are numerous resources we could use," Ren answered.

"Alright, but how?" Sabito asked. "I admit that I am not that proficient in this kind of thing. I may have grown up in a mountain, but this is different. Back at home, there are many foods that you could collect or hunt."

"First, we collect the water."

"Finally," Giyu said as he took his canteen out and was about to dip it in the puddle before Ren stopped him.

"Wait! Not that!" Ren shouted at Giyu, to which the other stopped. "That's stagnant water. There may be many bacteria in it."

Giyu widened his eyes as he quickly pulled his canteen back, thankful for Ren's interference.

Ren walked past Giyu as he took out his own container. He placed it just above the puddle where the water fell. He waited for a while before the water flowed out. He took a sip and tasted it.

The others looked at him, waiting for confirmation.

"It looks like clean, flowing water; there is no odour; sunlight can penetrate it; by experience, this should be clean water," Ren said as he stopped Giyu again from putting his container at the flow of water. "But still, let's wait for at least 30 minutes before fully committing to it. We can never be too sure."

"Ah, Ren? You said that, but what if you're wrong?" Makomo asked worriedly.

"Then I'll get a stomachache or an infection," Ren replied bluntly. "Anyway, if it really happens, at least it's just me who's incapacitated and not all of us."

Makomo only frowned and stared at Ren. Normally she would go against it, but she knew that there are risks that they need to take, and Ren took it with the best possible scenario.

"So, we wait for half an hour?" Giyu asked.

"Yes, but we do something while waiting for it," Sabito added. "Ren, any ideas?"

"I have one," Ren replied as he walked towards the thin wood, unsheathed his sword, and cut it on the bottom. "Can you guys help me collect these types of wood? Then after that, strip its bark from its stem."

"Okay… what are we doing?" Giyu asked.

"We're about to make something."

---

Giyu and the others managed to gather enough trees to meet Ren's specific request. After gathering enough wood, they proceeded to remove its bark from its stem. While the rest were focused on their parts, Ren took the skin off the trees and stripped it again, this time removing the fibrous inner bark from the rough outer bark. After stripping it, he stripped the inner bark again, creating thin strips. He picked out two thin strips, aligned them together, held the top part with one hand, and used the other hand to twist the strips across one another, braiding them. He continued these steps again and again until he managed to create a 3-meter makeshift rope. Afterwards, Ren proceeded to create a wide, flat surface the size of a fist in the middle of the rope. It took them 30 minutes just to finish one, although Ren did it without prior experience, making the time longer due to numerous trials and errors.

Ren quickly stooped up as he exercised his knees. Sitting for half an hour really kills your lower back. He stretched the rope, testing its durability. Satisfied with his creation, he moved forward ahead of the others, who watched him with focus, curious about what he had created.

Ren grabbed a small rock on the ground and placed it in the middle of the rope, where the flat surface is located. He grabbed the two ends of the rope as he carefully rotated his arm, making the rope spin. As he gained momentum, the speed of the rope soon increased, and when Ren felt he was ready, he let go of one end of the rope, making the rock catapult out of its place and hitting the trees with such a strong force that it created a mark.

Giyu and Sabito stood up immediately from their seats, shocked at the display.

Did he just create a weapon? They asked themselves.

Ren looked at them and grinned. Sabito and Makomo smiled, while Giyu frowned before he jumped forward, hugging Ren.

"How did you do that?" he asked in excitement.

"Please, I live on a freaking mountain. Of course, I'll have some ideas on how to make these things," Ren said while he pushed Giyu away.

Giyu took a step back and said, "Show off."

Makomo intervened before Ren could reply to Giyu.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" she asked while Sabito borrowed the makeshift slingshot and inspected it. "We pretty much have a lot of unskinned wood in here. It would be a shame if we just left it."

"I thought of it already, but first let's gather some water. It's been more than half an hour already, and it's safe to say that I don't feel anything wrong," Ren answered as he walked back to the rock formation. As he arrived there, he noticed a can placed between two small stones where the water drips. The stones made sure that the can would stay in place.

Makomo followed Ren and saw him looking at the canteen. "Oh, Sabito did that while you were busy. We mixed our waters in a single canteen to make space for the others. Then we put the empty ones while we were waiting so we wouldn't waste water."

"Smart." Ren gives his praise as he takes the canteen and switches it to his. "But what would you do if the water wasn't safe?"

Makomo smiled and laughed as she replied. "Well, we could still use it for something else. For what exactly? I don't know, hahaha."

Ren only smiled in return. Non-drinkable water offers limited help in their situation, aside from dosing campfires. But it's better to be ready, and a good thing is that the water proves to be safe. At least they wouldn't have to worry about what to drink until they reached the creek.

"Okay now, can someone gather the wood we just unskinned? You can use the excess rope to bind it together. We'll use it to our next stop," Ren asked as he took the sling back from Sabito.

Sabito nodded as he proceeded to grab a bunch of wood and bind it together, just like Ren asked. Makomo followed as well. Giyu crouched down as he looked at the canteen, checking if it was finished before he asked Ren what his next plan was.

Ren raised his sling and looked at Sabito. "Sabito, can I hunt for food? I'll be back within 30 minutes."

"Okay, just make sure to be back before we leave," Sabito replied.

"You alone? Are you sure?" Giyu asked as he stood up and walked towards Ren before he was stopped. "I can-"

"It's fine; having another person would make it harder. Animals… tend to be sensitive," Ren replied as he waved his hands and exited the area.

Giyu sighed but still stayed still. Realizing that he had nothing to do, he sat down near Sabito and Makomo and helped in gathering the woods—not like it was much, to be honest.

"Don't let it get to you, Giyu. Ren is used to working alone." Makomo comforted him, and Giyu could only sigh again.

"Ren was a hunter. He's used to these things. It is much better for him to do what he needed to do," Sabito added as he smiled at Giyu. "To be honest, I am surprised that he would take the time to ask for permission for all of this. If he wanted to, he could just go on and tell us what we needed to do."

Giyu tilted his head at Sabito's words before he spoke. "And... you'll allow it?"

"Yeah. I mean, there is no official title that was given to who would be the leader in this group. Ren is much more knowledgeable in these things than me, so if it's something that would help us in the long run, then I won't stop him," Sabito replied.

Makomo giggled, which attracted their attention.

"I think it's more of Ren respecting you, Sabito," she said as she continued tying up the rope. "Ren may be knowledgeable, but he still respects your decision for the group. At the end, Ren wanted everyone to grow, and dictating everything we need to do would be counterproductive. After all, there would be times that we would be in different places alone."

Both of the boys nodded as they understood what their red-eyed friend's goal was, until Giyu snapped his head and looked at Makomo questionably.

"How do you know Ren that much?"

"We've been together for two years, you know. It's even more surprising if you haven't gotten a clue about him in that time."

---

It has been quite a while since they started travelling again, and he have to say, they covered quite a lot of ground. A lot better than what Ren expected. It was nearing sunset, probably another hour or so, when Sabito decided that it was time to rest first and prepare before we ventured into the night. Everyone agreed easily, and with an open spot available, soon all of them started busying themselves. Sabito and Ren started creating a campfire with the wood they gathered in the morning. With a little help from a flint, which they found while travelling, a fire was lit quite easily. All that's left is to continue feeding it leaves and wood to keep it burning.

While Ren and Sabito were busy with their own things, Giyu and Makomo made themselves comfortable. Finding a great spot close to the fire, but not too close, as they prepare to rest. It was what they planned before they arrived. Originally, the plan was to have at least an hour or so dedicated to resting before the sun set. However, fully resting before the sun sets is still dangerous. So Sabito created a plan so that two of them would rest first while the other two stood guard. Not just stand guard but arrange their food. Since Ren was the one who hunted their food, he automatically volunteered to sleep later on. Makomo argued about joining Ren, claiming that she is the one most proficient in housework, which is true. Sabito, however, refused her, as they needed someone who knew this later on when it was their turn to sleep. Just hearing about the reason behind his refusal, Ren felt that while it made sense, it really was not a great reason. With Sabito's refusal, Makomo could only nod, albeit hesitantly, before she and Giyu rested up.

With the two already asleep, Ren and Sabito quickly get to work. Sabito was in charge of making sure that the makeshift utensils they made were clean enough while also keeping the fire burning. Ren, on the other hand, started dissecting the animals he hunted. It wasn't that big and glamorous, but it was enough to stuff their stomachs.

"Is that... frogs?" Sabito asked, looking at the things Ren pulled out of his pouch. "Is that... a bird? And its eggs?"

Ren looked at Sabito before going back to dissecting them. "Yes, they are. Why?"

Sabito stopped staring while throwing a piece of wood into the fire. "Nothing, just surprised."

"How so? Didn't you guys eat these things once in your lives?" Ren asked as he cut the inside of the frog and carefully removed its organs.

"True, but... I just couldn't believe you did it personally."

"You need to do everything you need to do if you want to survive," Ren replied as he moved on to the next animal. "In my hometown, far north, all you could see was wood, snow, or mountains. You wouldn't be able to see this lush forest there. Obviously, the area is not suitable for long-term living, and I don't know why we stayed there stubbornly, but there you need to make use of everything you could get your hands on."

Ren finished removing the organs of the animals. He then proceeds to insert the wooden stick inside the animals and place it just outside the campfire.

"That includes eating worms and insects."

"You had a hard time back then, huh?" Sabito said as he smiled somberly.

"Yeah, but I have my family, and despite the harshness of the environment, we still manage to make it warm and comfortable," Ren replied as he smiled.

"I... I am an orphan; I'm sure you already knew that," Sabito said as he pushed the wood deeper inside the fire with a stick. "I was adopted by Urokodaki-sensei when I lost my family."

Ren stared at Sabito, obviously interested in his backstory. The anime didn't tell anything about their past aside from the fact that the Urokodaki adopted both Sabito and Makomo. In the anime as well, it was supposedly stated that Makomo and Sabito never met each other alive. They only saw each other when both returned to Mt. Sagiri as ghosts.

"Is it from a demon?" Ren asked.

"Probably. It happened when I was eight. We were poor, so both of my parents needed to take jobs just so they could sustain our family. It happened so randomly. Both of them exited our house and never returned. I wandered the street for months trying to survive as well as gathering information about where they could be and what happened. It was just on death's door due to starvation when Urokodaki-sensei found me and offered me his hand."

Despite the words that Sabito said, he couldn't help but smile at the end, remembering Urokodaki's hand outstretched.

Ren was about to ask the reason why he was so sure that his parents didn't abandon him and just run away but chose not to. It was an insensitive comment that could raise doubts in his friend's mind.

Either by Ren's face or his intuition, Sabito smiled and beat Ren around the bush. "You were about to ask if my parents didn't just abandon me, weren't you?"

Ren looked away, not meeting Sabito's eyes, as he grumbled to himself about how the hell Sabito knew what he was thinking.

"I was not," Ren replied in a low tone, obviously caught off guard.

Sabito laughed at what he saw. "I thought of it way before sensei adopted me. To be honest, the thought did put me in a sorry state," Sabito said as he snickered. "But it's all in the past. Urokodaki adopted me and gave me a home."

Ren looked at the smiling kid in front of him and was amazed at how these people can overcome difficulties and continue forward. It looks good on him. That smile. A smile that the anime failed to protect, but this time, he would not fail to protect him.

Sabito saw Ren's smile after he finished his sentence. And while the smile can be anything, this time he was sure of what kind of smile he saw on Ren's face. A smile of pride and resolution.

"It seems that Makomo was right… you really are a kind person…"

"Sorry, what was that?" Ren said, as he couldn't hear what Sabito just said.

Sabito smiled back at Ren. "Oh, it's nothing. More importantly, shouldn't you turn the food now? We wouldn't want them to be burned on one side while raw on the other, do we?"

Ren looked at the food he had placed and was surprised at how right Sabito was. Ren quickly turned the food over. "That was close. Thanks!"

A couple of minutes more, and the food is ready. Ren took one stick and handed it to Sabito, who accepted it hesitantly. Unknown as to how he would eat the frog, Sabito looked at Ren for guidance.

Ren, who was busy with his food, just chewed it like he was eating barbecue. Sabito waited for Ren to finish his food, and when he did, Ren looked normal.

"Well, how was it?" Sabito asked curiously.

"Not good. Having salt would do wonders, but beggars can't be choosers. Still, it has some nutritional value at least," Ren said as he took another bite.

Sabito looked at the frog again and was about to eat it before he stopped once again. "Are you sure it's not poisonous?" he asked with seriousness.

Ren looked at Sabito, dumbfounded. "Seriously? You asked that question AFTER I ate one? What's the use of reminding someone to check on something after they already did it?" Ren complained but still continued to eat the frog. He was starving, to be honest. "To answer your question, no. It is not poisonous. I ate too many frogs in this life to know one or another. If you don't want it, then eat the bird, but you'll have to wait a few more minutes, and it is much smaller compared to a frog."

Sabito looked at the frog and the bird. The difference between the two is obvious. The frog is at least double the size of the bird. He dropped the frog and put it back towards the fire.

"If you're thinking of eating the bird so that Giyu and Makomo could have more, then don't. I made sure to gather food so that everyone can have something to eat equally. It isn't much to make us full, but it gets the job done of having something to keep us going," Ren said before Sabito could grab the stick with the bird in it. "Honestly, you're too good to a fault."

Sabito looked at Ren, then smiled at how thoughtful his friend could be. Ren looked at it dubiously, which made Sabito laugh as he took a bite out of the bird.

"I was actually more interested in bird meat than frog meat, to be honest," Sabito lied. He was about to exchange it, as Ren had stated. But if Ren said that they had enough to go around, then there are no problems.

Ren opened his mouth in astonishment before he closed it and took another bite. "Shit."

"Language," Sabito reminded him while he enjoyed the bird as much as he could.

"Oh please. Don't be like Giyu. I had enough on my plate trying to get him off me cursing. I don't need another language police."

Sabito smiled as he looked at his friend. It had already been two years since he became acquainted with the black-haired, red-eyed kid in front of him, but he remembers their first meeting like it was yesterday.

Recalling their meeting, Sabito had a thought.

"I remember when we first met," Sabito said as he opened a new discussion. Ren looked at him intently as the peach-haired friend of his suddenly smiled—no, grinned. "You were quite formal. "Greetings, Sabito. My name is Kitazawa Ren; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."" Sabito said in a faux voice, imitating Ren.

Ren blushed hard at the mention as he quickly tried to form a sentence to deny such claims. "I-I, I did not say it like that!" he shouted in disbelief.

"Did you? I clearly remember afterwards that Makomo was quite enthusiastic and Giyu was nervous about how they would treat someone who may come from aristocracy," Sabito added as his smile grew wider. He was clearly enjoying teasing his friend, who normally acts reserved and composed. "But still, who would have thought that the man who was formal and proper would tend to become someone who openly cursed? My image of you was shattered."

Ren looked at Sabito with his reddish face. He would not take it lying down and continue to soak up all the tease that his friend throws at him.

Ren grinned before he spoke openly. "Well, maybe the reason why your first impression is quite different from how I act towards you all is because I simply trust that you wouldn't judge me by my etiquette."

Ren said it as a matter of fact, but after he spoke those words, his face continued to get redder and redder.

THAT WAS SO EMBARASSING! Ren screamed in his thoughts as his words soon played again and again in his head.

Sabito looked at the self-destructing face of his friend, trying to battle his inner demons. As Ren was focused on trying to forget what he just said, Sabito showed his sincere smile at his friend, who was oblivious to it. Sabito was glad that Ren was comfortable enough for him to relax in their presence.

With Ren's movements, Makomo soon woke up and walked towards the fire.

"Morning," she yawned as she rubbed her eyes. She looked at Ren, who was making a face she couldn't understand. Inner fighting? But with whom? She was worried about him as he changed his view towards Sabito, who was smiling at the scenario.

A joke? Makomo wondered, which lowered her worries a bit, but deciding to be sure, he asked Ren if he was alright.

Ren, being suddenly asked by someone, looked at his side and said Makomo close at him, worried.

"I'm fine!" he stated as he quickly got off his seat and took the place where Makomo used to sleep. "I'll rest now. The food is ready. Wake me up if you're done!" he said as he quickly turned his back against them and forced himself to sleep.

Makomo and Sabito could only watch what happened. It was weird because it was the first time they saw Ren that embarrassed, which made it quite enjoyable, at least for Sabito.

Makomo turned her head towards Sabito and smiled like a mother knows the stupid things that a father and son did.

"You better not bully him too much," she said as she looked at Sabito.

"Yes, ma'am," Sabito replied, still smiling and staring at Ren's back as he enjoyed what just happened.

---

Half an hour has passed, and the sun is already halfway set.

"Ren, wake up. It's time already."

Ren turned around and found Giyu shaking him carefully. Ren had already noticed the boy's intentions early on. Probably because he couldn't sleep properly, as he remembers his conversation with Sabito and the embarrassment he felt.

Ren stood up from his sleep and proceeded to fix their belongings. Makomo had already put out the fire, while Giyu helped tidy up their things. Sabito, who was already wide awake, is looking around, absentminded. Knowing the mannerisms of his peach-haired friend, Ren knew that it was just him thinking about how they would continue forward. After all, they still have quite a lot of ground to cover.

Ren was about to go and take a leak when he noticed something was amiss. He took a double take as he surveyed the area, hoping to find something but finding nothing. He was thinking that it was probably his mind playing a trick on himself. Feeling paranoid, Ren continued doing his business when he once again felt something.

Feeling it once is questionable. But a second time? Something is wrong. Like a chill creeping into my skin.

Ren's gut is telling him something, and it is not only that but also his body and his experience telling him something is wrong.

Ren stopped what he was doing and quickly grabbed his sword and got into his stance. His sword is sheathed but is ready to be brought out. His sense is all-time high.

Naturally, Makomo and the others soon find it weird what Ren is doing. He suddenly returned and immediately stood in the middle in a stance ready for battle. But seeing the look on Ren's face, do they realise that something forced their friend to up his guard? They started looking for something as they slowly grabbed their katanas. They did not know what was happening, but they trusted their friend.

Ren remembered what he felt. In this life, he often made his enemies feel this feeling, but there would be times when he felt it as well. The feeling of someone watching your every move looking and waiting for you to show any signs of weakness they can exploit. Ren grinned, not with excitement but with nervousness. This time, he was the prey.

Silence filled the area as the four of them had their guards up. After a minute of nothing happening, Sabito started moving slowly towards Ren, who was in the middle. Makomo and Giyu quickly noticed and understood what their leader was trying to do. As of now, Ren was the one who knew something was amiss. Therefore, it would be better for them to let him dictate their movements.

They moved slowly but carefully, ready to pounce on anything that showed up. Giyu himself, despite his early blunders and panic, was composed. This time, he would not show his weakness.

"Oh, it looks like someone is motivated."

Giyu widened his eyes and felt an attack coming from behind. He couldn't see what kind of attack it was or the direction it would take. In this place, Giyu couldn't counter. Feeling helpless at the situation, Giyu jumped forward, then turned his back to face the person behind him. He raised his sword in time just as its hand swiped horizontally.

Giyu managed to protect his chest due to the sword in between. However, it could not be the same as his forearm, which was scratched by something sharp. Giyu winced in pain but nonetheless continued his momentum and pushed himself backwards towards his friends.

The now-confirmed demon widened his eyes for a bit. Surprised at what the kid displayed. He was expecting him to be cut down and made to bleed out, crying. But not only was he alive, but he also managed to minimise the injury he received.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" The demon laughed as he grabbed his head in amazement. "You guys are the best!"

Ren and Sabito continued to look at the demon in front of them, not taking their eyes off him. Makomo, on the other hand, looked at Giyu's injury.

Giyu had his right forearm bleeding. The injury itself resembled a scratch you would receive from a bear. Luckily, it was not that deep, thanks to Giyu's skills and, most likely, luck.

"You guys are different!" The demon said as he started walking towards them slowly, as if enjoying the moment. "I just knew it! Seeing you guys killing those demons I've sent easily. No, no, scratch that, oops, no pun intended, you guys demolished them. Well, despite that kid's embarrassing panic early on, he managed to contain himself. As for you three, you guys just played at them at all. You really are something."

Ren was listening to his monologue when he noticed something strange. "Sent? You were the one who sent those demons to us?"

"Quite so. I mean, shouting in the middle of a demon-infested area isn't a smart idea. All I did was direct these hungry demons on your way, then they just ran forward."

Ren never thought that meeting a demon would be more of a coincidence. The demon had the ability to control other demons, either by blood demon art or by coercion, something that Ren needed to take note of. Aside from that, based on how he spoke, it is safe to say that he was present during that time and thus had information about them.

"What do we do?" Ren whispered. They knew that escape was an option. However, it would be ideal to deal with him at this moment while they still have some strength. They have rested for a bit and have food in their stomachs.

"Can we take him?" Makomo asked, looking at Ren and Sabito.

"He's dangerous, but I can't say if we couldn't handle him if we worked together," Ren replied.

"How are you, Giyu?" Sabito asked, to which Giyu only nodded in reply. It is not that the kid is scared. It is more likely that he was so focused on the demon that he decided to keep the conversation short.

"I'm sure you guys are ready." The demon spoke, inspecting each one of them before he smiled wickedly. "Please entertain me."

"He's coming!" Sabito shouted as the demon soon lunged forward right in front of Ren, who was ready for the attack.

The demon swings its arm diagonally, opting for the same attack that injured Giyu. Ren, on the other hand, goes for a low sidestep as he unsheathes his sword.

Based on the actions that both sides took, Ren stepped in the direction where the attack would land. But Ren continued his play undisturbed at the closing strike.

Before the strike could hit him, Giyu appeared in front of them and put his sword down, meeting the strike and stopping it in its tracks. Afterwards, Giyu raised his sword beneath the hand of the demon, creating a gap in its defence, something that Ren immediately capitalized on. Now, free from danger thanks to Giyu, Ren finished unsheathing his sword as he went for an ascending diagonal strike, aiming for the torso all the way to the neck of the demon.

The demon only smiled at this as he used his other hand, clenched it, and sent it towards Ren. The strike isn't a fast one; however, it doesn't matter as the distance between them is close.

Ren, realizing the danger in that strike, bent his entire upper body to the side, evading the attack but quickly losing his balance. Other people would try to catch their fall; Ren, however, made quick use of the momentum to dodge the attack and counterattack at the same time. Ren changed his target. Instead of the torso, he decided to go towards the arm, which he cut cleanly and perfectly. He cut the arms completely while making sure that his sword wouldn't reach Giyu. As the attack ended, Ren fell on his back, looking up towards the demon.

Seeing the opportunity, Giyu continued his momentum. Instead of just raising the demon's hand, he continued his strike as it circled in front of him, knocking the hand away. Then, after landing the attack on the other side, Giyu raised his sword again, this time with a horizontal strike, aiming to cut the demon's neck.

"Water breathing, First form, Water Surfa- ughh"

As Giyu was about to execute his form, he felt a force in his abdomen as he cried out in pain.

The demon used his foot to kick Giyu, using him as a foothold, before pushing himself away from the two.

However, as the demon escaped Giyu and Ren, Sabito and Makomo soon appeared behind him.

The demon was caught off guard by how fast these people moved and synched their actions to one another.

With Makomo to his left and Sabito on his right, a normal demon would soon find himself disintegrating in the next second.

Unfortunately, for these kids, he was not so normal. With a click of his tongue, the demon put his remaining arm in front of his neck.

"Blood demon art: Bone Parade."

Makomo was aiming for his neck, while Sabito would aim for his leg to limit his movements. She was in the middle of swinging her sword when the demon said something that made her eyes widen. Blood demon art The said art made demons much harder to fight against. Urokodaki had mentioned it prior to their journey and took great time to explain to them how serious this demon art is.

She was waiting for something to happen, and something did happen. Bones soon burst through the demon's skin, covering its entire body like a porcupine. It is a grotesque sight, but Makomo's focus is more on the sharp end of the demon surging towards her.

It took her all to turn her head to the side as the bone struck her chin, drawing blood. Feeling more to come, she took the moment to push herself out of the situation by grabbing the bone as a foothold. It is a good thing that she was light; otherwise, it would take a second longer.

Landing right in front of Ren and Giyu, Makomo soon takes her eyes off the demon to find Sabito. The peach-haired friend of hers soon emerges behind the demon, blood dripping through his body as numerous bones can be seen sticking to itself. It is a relief that his injuries, despite being bloody, managed to avoid key areas.

Makomo soon turned her focus back on the demon who used blood demon art. She knew that down the road they would fight against someone of his kind, but she least expected it to be on a final exam that mostly inexperienced slayers take. If the demon slayer organisation purposely ignored such existence, then she was disappointed at it.

Morals aside, they need to find a way to defeat this demon. After all, it is only the second night. If they got heavily injured here, then their chances of surviving for a week would be harder.

---

Ren was baffled by the events that occurred. He never expected someone of this caliber to live on this mountain. He had his mind focused on the thousand-handed demon, and a new one arrived in front of them. What's more, the blood demon art that the demon uses is the exact same thing that the guy in Naruto has. Something with the name Kiki-something-ish. The bones aren't exactly tough, if Sabito could cut them. The problem is that it would be tricky to enter into that kind of defense. Another good thing is that the demon still hasn't regenerated his arm. The arm that Ren cut earlier still flails beside him. It seems that only high-ranking demons can regenerate limbs from nothing, while normal demons need to reattach them themselves in order to heal.

"You guys are something else." The demon spoke, but instead of the joy from before, his voice had a tone of venom in it. "I didn't expect you would force me to use my specialty. This time, I'll make sure you die tonight."

Ren suppressed his laughter at his words, something that the demon noticed.

"What the hell are you laughing about, brat?" he shouted in anger.

Ren took the time before replying, seemingly deciding whether to answer.

"For someone who acts so high and mighty, you certainly get kicked hard by a bunch of kids," Ren said with pure mockery. The demon gritted his teeth in anger, but Ren paid no mind as he focused on the bones sticking out of the demon.

With further analysis, Ren concluded that while the demon's bones may be hard to break, they didn't extend all the way to its tip. But still, jumping inside without any plan would be idiotic, especially since it just showed that it can extend and protect itself.

Sighing at the problem at hand, Ren walked ahead of Giyu, surprising the others.

"Ren?" Giyu asked, removing his gaze from the demon.

"I'll be at the front; just support me as usual."

"Nope. Just checking out what this demon can do. I'm sure it would help Sabito."

Ren looked at the demon in front of him as he lowered his sword in his usual fashion.

Deep breaths.

He walks slowly.

This is just another hunt.

Ren opens his eyes and looks at the demon.

Just a wolf I need to kill.

With that, Ren lunged.

Ren immediately closed the gap between the two as the demon held his ground, teeth clenching as he prepared for the incoming attack.

Ren started by swinging his sword upward, which the demon evaded by bending its body. Ren quickly manipulated his swing using his wrist as the sword quickly changed direction, now going for a horizontal strike towards its neck.

Since the demon dodged sideways by bending its body, it positioned itself to meet the second phase of the blade head-on.

"Frost breathing, First form, Frozen Arc"

The demon knew it was coming but found it difficult to dodge the attack. He had the wrong momentum, and in a second, the blade would meet his neck.

"Tsk"

Ren noticed the change in atmosphere as the demon soon activated its blood demon art.

Bones soon ruptured the demon's body as it emerged with spiky tips aiming to impale Ren's body.

Ren immediately jumped as he avoided most of the bones hitting him. Landing near Makomo and Giyu, Ren looked at his body and saw that it hit his leg, arms, and the side of his torso. A minor injury, only because of his quick instinct.

Ren was even more perplexed as the demon made the bones larger than what he had seen before. It reached out a meter before it stopped and shrank back.

It's a good thing I held back in the strike, or else the force would make me unable to move.

As it shrinks back, the demon soon appears once again on sight, but this time with a different expression.

Panic.

It seems that with Ren's sudden attack, the demon panicked and unconsciously summoned large bones to defend.

With the demon looking at Ren with wide eyes, still recalling his near-death experience. The demon touched its neck. As it felt that the neck was still intact, the demon soon felt relieved. He looked again at Ren, this time with such madness that he could feel his veins popping. He can't wait to kill this kid in front of him. He can't wait to hear the kid's crying voice. Who the hell does he think he is? The demon is the strongest in this mountain, and he has killed a lot of humans that have entered his territory. This kid may be different, but all that waits for them is the same thing that happened when he met another one of their kind. Death. Oh, he was sure he would give it to them. He was so taken off guard by the sudden attack that he panicked a bit. He'll give the kid that, at least. Maybe he could start by killing his friends. The cries would be so much better. The demon moved his eyes around the area. Now, who should he start with? The peach-haired kid in his back, the weak boy who he managed to injure, or the small girl—wait, where the hell is the girl!

The demon widened his eyes for the umpteenth time as he swore the small girl was just behind those two boys seconds ago.

The demon soon felt his instinct kick in as he crouched, not before feeling something being sliced off him. He looked up and saw the girl jump past him as their eyes met.

When the hell did she get there? The demon screamed to himself.

As the demon was focused on the girl, he felt that a shadow was in front of him. He looked back up and saw Ren holding his sword just in front of his shoulder.

"Frost breathing…"

The demon raised his hands as he aimed to counterattack using his blood demon art.

Giyu soon appeared behind Ren as he raised his lowered sword upward.

"Water breathing, Second form, Water wheel!"

Before the bones exited his body, the demon soon saw his forearm sliced as it fell to the ground.

Having his supposed defence cut off literally by Giyu, the demon soon changed his stance as he put strength to his feet.

"Water breathing, First form, Water Surface Slash!"

Before he could jump out of the way, the demon felt weak in his leg. He could see the scene where his legs were separated from his body.

Sabito came from behind to unleash his attack. He only needed to incapacitate the demon, and he was sure that Ren would finish the job.

With both legs and one of his arms cut off, the demon soon covered his face with his bones, hoping to strengthen his neck. He was confident that he could survive the attack; after all, no other slayer managed to cut his neck when he covered it.

If any other slayers were to cut him in that state, the demon would surely win. However, he was unfortunate to face someone who learned both breathing techniques.

"... 8th Form, Falling Snow Halo."

The sword soon fell as it penetrated the bones, cutting the face of the demon in half. In fact, the strength of the attack was so strong that it cut all the way to its stomach. If you look at it, the demon's upper body is separated. If there had been no bones obstructing the way earlier, Ren could have cleaved the entire body in half.

Despite the excellent feat that Ren did, the problem still remains, as the demon's neck was still intact.

Ren quickly tried to remove his sword from the body but found it hard. The body is now regenerating, with bones covering its separated body. Broken ribs are starting to fix themselves as two separate sides are starting to turn into one. The speed of regeneration is slow, but the problem persists: it is regenerating.

This kid is a monster! The demon shouted in his mind. His eyes were wide open as fear soon etched itself in his face. He was confident that he could defend himself, but the kid cut through him like paper. Panic soon took hold of his body as he started squirming around, trying to move away from the predator in front of him. He was wrong; in front of this kid, he was only a small insect.

I need to run! I need to run! I need to run! Anywhere but here. I don't care about anything but my life. No! No! No! Nooo –

SWISH!

A quick sound of a sword swing was heard as the demon's head soon flew in the air. There, he could see the amount of damage he had received. Before he landed on the ground, the demon met Ren's eyes, staring at him. A pair of cold, emotionless eyes stared right at him.

No…

The demon thought for a while as his body soon turned into ash. He was sure that he would never forget that look. The look that scared him all the way through his core

Makomo sheathed her sword back into its scabbard as she looked back at the already dissolving body of the demon. She was glad that she managed to stay on her toes and continue looking for an opening that she could use. Ren used too much force in the attack; the attack came down straight instead of diagonally, leaving the neck intact, and with how Ren took a moment to stare at the place where the demon died, she was sure that he knew his mistakes.

Makomo looked at her friends and was glad that despite the sudden arrival of a blood demon art user, their team didn't suffer major injuries. All of them have suffered some sort of damage, but thankfully, nothing major.

This is going to be a long week. Makomo said to herself as she looked at the evening skies.

---

Hello everyone! Spasibo here.

Before I start, I'm kind of dissatisfied with this chapter. It's probably just me, but yeah. I think I could execute certain scenes properly, or there are things that I added that negatively affected the chapter. I don't know; it's probably just me being anxious.

How was the story? This chapter focused more on the mentality aspect of the three. I needed to show you what Giyu, specifically, and the others perspectives are when facing a demon. Giyu himself suffered trauma when he lost her sister. Therefore, it is only natural to have some fear when seeing the same thing that murdered his family. I hope I did a great job of portraying his panic and thoughts and how he could rise above them with the help of his friends. Sabito and Makomo's background in their lives before Urokodaki was not mentioned officially. I took that opportunity to integrate my own version. I hope it isn't too weird and contradictory to their characters. Of course, I couldn't just leave like that, so I decided to add another fight at the end. I hope you guys enjoy the fight scenes.

I'm thinking about whether to add additional OCs to the story. While additional OCs would freshen the plot, it may come back to haunt me since they may steal the time meant for the already existing characters in the story. So, a review would be helpful.

Personally, I researched a lot in this chapter. I don't want you guys to read the final selection, which focuses more on killing demons. Their goal is to survive, not kill. So, I took the time to add how they would survive. I researched YouTube and Google on how to survive on a mountain (lol). I'm not an expert, but I hope I made it at least understandable.

I hope you read my announcement. It talks about the future of the story. To be honest, I wanted to raise the pace of the story. I wanted to write about the parts that I enjoyed, but with responsibilities now entering my life, it becomes harder to do so. Nonetheless, I wouldn't abandon this fic. The lack of reviews is kind of hard. I have a hard time knowing if what I'm doing is right or wrong; did you enjoy it or not? So, reviews would greatly help me.

The next chapter would be something you knew about.

See you soon!