Chapter 70

And under the admonition of the black and white lolis, some of the people present ultimately chose to leave.

But more people ultimately chose to stay. After all, they were all in the prime of their youth, and with so many eyes watching, wouldn't it be very embarrassing to leave just like that?

After waiting for several minutes, the two doll-like lolis, seeing that no one else was leaving, announced the start of the assessment.

The previous reminder was given only because the lord, Ubuyashiki Yoshaya, was kind-hearted and did not want these young men and women to meet their end without knowing anything.

But since they chose to stay, they should be given sufficient respect, after all, it was their own choice.

At this moment, in a corner of Fujikomurayama, two figures stood side by side under a wisteria tree. One of the figures was none other than Yudai, who had caused a great commotion in the previous session.

"Yudai, I didn't expect you to come and watch this year's entry assessment. I noticed you were closely watching that red-haired boy earlier. Do you have high hopes for him?"

Rengoku Kyoshirou, looking at Yudai who was focused on Tanjirou, asked with a curious expression.

After all, he had known Yudai for some time, and while Yudai's personality wasn't as cold as Tomioka Giyu's, there didn't seem to be many things that could make him care, apart from swordsmanship.

So at this moment, he was also very curious about the boy Yudai was paying attention to.

"I believe that in this year's Demon Slayer Corps assessment, that boy will be the one with the best performance."

Over this period, even with the Demon Slayer Corps' intelligence capabilities and Yudai's own efforts, he still couldn't find the "Twelve Kizuki."

As the deadline for the mission approached, Yudai felt that he should follow the steps of the "Child of the World" to find what he was looking for.

In any world, the Child of the World is a crucial figure in driving the plot. What might be a needle in a haystack for others is, for the "main character," a series of villains who willingly offer their heads and experience.

Although Yudai had only a basic understanding of Demon Slayer, he was almost certain that Tanjirou was the main character.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to have such high hopes for that boy. But I have a different opinion.

In this year's Demon Slayer Corps assessment, the Bug Pillar's adopted daughter, Shinobu, is also participating, right? She has always admired you. Are you sure you won't support her?

And the younger brother of the Wind Pillar, that trembling boy over there, is also the inheritor of one of the Five Great Origin Breathing Techniques, the Thunder Breathing. The level of the candidates this year far exceeds previous years. Are you sure the boy you mentioned can pass?"

Compared to Tanjirou, Kyoshirou actually had higher hopes for Shinobu. Although she was a girl, she had grown up under the influence of the Bug Pillar, giving her a much higher starting point than others.

"Let's wait and see. Let's go to the top of the mountain first. If everything goes as expected, the few people we mentioned should all pass the entry assessment."

In Fujikomurayama, the young men and women initially entered the mountain with high spirits. But when the roar of demons echoed through the forest, most of them panicked instantly.

As the two black and white lolis had said, the demons in Fujikomurayama had been replenished, and their plan to take advantage of the chaos was now in vain.

The demons in Fujikomurayama, who had been brought here for unknown reasons, were already irritated. Now, seeing a group of novice demon slayers enter their territory, they were overjoyed.

They might not be able to defeat the Pillars who had captured them, but to them, these novice demon slayers were like lambs.

They had thought they would have to endure a hard life, but unexpectedly, a feast was delivered to their doorstep after just a few days.

Their desire for fresh food, combined with their hatred for the Demon Slayer Corps, led the demons in Fujikomurayama to quickly move through the forest, looking for their prey.

Those who were targeted, if they were strong enough, might be able to escape from the demons, but the weaker ones undoubtedly became their meals.

Those who could slay the attacking demons were few and far between, not even enough to count on one hand.

However, the few people Yudai and Kyoshirou had their eyes on were all among them.

Tanjirou, holding the Nichirin Blade, used the Water Breathing technique, which, though still somewhat clumsy, was more than enough to deal with these ordinary demons.

The Water Breathing technique, being one of the Five Great Origin Breathing Techniques, was not without reason. Tanjirou's own good physical condition, combined with the versatile offensive and defensive moves, allowed him to dominate in Fujikomurayama, where ordinary demons were no match for him.

However, like most main characters, Tanjirou had a "savior" attribute. When he saw others in danger, his character wouldn't allow him to stand by and do nothing.

Originally, with Tanjirou's strength, passing the assessment quickly would not have been a problem.

But because of his efforts to save others, the previously unstoppable Tanjirou finally encountered his first formidable demon.

The demon in front of Tanjirou was huge, walking on all fours, and more notably, it had long hair on its back that took up almost half of its body.

The long hair floated in the air, writhing like water snakes.

When Tanjirou saw the long hair of the demon, which was hanging with bodies that seemed to have been drained of blood, he instantly fell into a rage.

A demon's strength is related to the number of humans it has devoured, and some demons develop unique abilities called "Blood Demon Arts."

The long-haired demon in front of Tanjirou was clearly a special demon with "Blood Demon Arts," and from its size, it had devoured a significant number of humans!

The long-haired demon had initially planned to toy with the boy in front of it, but when its pride, its long hair, was suddenly cut by the arriving Tanjirou, it instantly fell into a rage and changed its target, deciding to kill the red-haired boy first.

"Water Breathing, First Form: Surface Slash!"

A large amount of long hair shot at Tanjirou like spears. Despite appearing soft, the hair, when twisted together, formed spiral spears that easily pierced the rocky ground.