‹Demon Slayer Nezuko› : A Kimetsu no Yaiba Story

Chapter 12: The Battle of the Experienced

"——Damn it!!"

Kihara Junpei swore as he backstepped against a massive figure looming in front of him.

——A massive one-eyed demon was baring its fangs, towering over two meters with its bulky body.

"So.... unlucky.....!!"

He growled as he retreated while readying his Nichirin blade with his right arm, pulling the weight of an unconscious youth with his left arm.

"——to encounter a long-time survivor from the first night....!"

Demons held in captivity inside Mt. Fujikasane were mostly weak and unintelligent, or so Junpei had been told by his Trainer, a retired Corps member and a user of Stone Breathing. This was because most demons would be slain by the participants on every occasion the Final Selection was held, and the surviving demons would hunt each other in a desperate attempt in their state of extreme hunger.

—but on extremely rare cases, some demons could survive multiple years of Final Selection. Such entities gained power and experience by preying on the human participants... thus getting stronger and stronger, becoming more and more difficult to slay every year.

The demon in front of Junpei clearly was a long-time surviver. Along with its massive body, the demon owned a strong combat capability — it was experienced in a battle against human swordsmen.

The Breathing Forms released by Junpei had been blocked skilfully by this demon, despite its massive body suggesting slow movements.

"——Taishi, wake up... damn it...!!"

Junpei shouted at the unconscious boy he was pulling — Sugino Taishi, a black-haired youth with a buzz cut, a boy who had trained with Junpei under the same Trainer. The two of them had joined the Final Selection together...

...only to encounter this monster right away on the first night.

They had immediately engaged the demon, but in the first few minutes, Taishi unluckily received the demon's punch head on. He was thrown into a nearby tree, and having hit his head, lost consciousness.

Now, blood tickled down from his head as he slouched in Junpei's grip.

With its mouth lifted into a wide grin, the demon pulled its right arm back — its muscles bulked up at the same time. It was the same readying motion of the deadly punch that knocked Taishi out.

——Here it comes....!!

".......sorry!"

Junpei growled as he pulled Taishi's clothes and threw his unconscious body to the side. He himself immediately brandished his sword into a readying motion.

The demon's fist flew towards Junpei.

——Stone Breathing, first form!!

——Reverse Landfall!!

A steady and powerful uppercut swing, which utilised the strength and balance of the user's leg muscles.

—Stone Breathing was a rare style which was developed for multiple types of weapons; the current Stone Hashira used a unique weapon, a flail and axe connected by chains. The Breathing Form used by Junpei was a particular style of the Stone branch, developed for a sword user.

Junpei aimed the sword, and timed his technique against the demon's fist right as it approached his body. The blade collided into the demon's fist from below and knocked it up, changing the trajectory of the demon's punch....