It was the last day of the Final Selection, and the first rays of sunlight had begun to appear over the horizon.
One by one, the surviving candidates began emerging from the forest of Mount Fujikasane.
Of the thirty-seven candidates who had entered the mountain seven days ago, thirteen had successfully completed the Final Selection. Another sixteen had also survived, but instead chose to follow a different path within the Corps, becoming part of the support staff as Kakushi or assisting at the Butterfly Mansion. The remaining eight had unfortunately lost their lives.
Despite the casualties, these results were considered among the most successful Final Selections the Demon Slayer Corps had seen in years. They had even surpassed the results of the previous year, when Kagerou himself had participated.
Kagaya couldn't help but feel relieved and genuinely pleased.
And once again, he silently thanked his best friend, Kagerou, for eliminating the Hand Demon before this year's selection.
The Hand Demon had been responsible for claiming countless lives during previous Final Selections. With it gone, the candidates had been spared one of the most dangerous demons lurking within Mount Fujikasane.
To Kagaya, every additional survivor meant another potential swordsman for the Corps.
Every survivor was another person who could grow stronger, protect others, and eventually become a valuable asset in the fight against Muzan.
He hoped that these results would continue to improve year after year.
Kagaya glanced toward his best friend.
Kagerou's eyes had never once left the entrance to the mountain.
He wasn't paying attention to the other survivors.
He wasn't interested in the results.
He was waiting.
Waiting for two particular people.
And Kagaya knew exactly who they were.
Kagerou was waiting for his little brothers.
Most of the surviving candidates had already emerged. Then, several minutes later, the final group appeared
There were five of them.
Four boys and one girl.
All five were exhausted, their clothes torn and stained with blood. Some carried fresh wounds, while others could barely hide their fatigue after seven days of fighting for their lives.
Seeing that everyone had finally gathered, Kagaya was about to step forward and announce his presence.
But before he could do so...
Kagerou moved first.
He slowly stood up and began walking toward the survivors.
The moment they noticed him, their attention immediately shifted.
Whispers spread through the gathering.
"Is that him?"
"The Smoke Hashira..."
"Rengoku Kagerou..."
"He's really young..."
"He's the one who killed a Lower Moon, right?"
Kagerou had become quite famous within the Demon Slayer Corps.
Even before he officially became a Demon Slayer, rumors of his extraordinary abilities had already spread throughout the Corps. Some had even referred to him as an "Untitled Hashira", someone who possessed strength comparable to a Hashira despite having yet to officially hold the title. (Mostly Kakushi)
After becoming a Hashira, his reputation had only grown.
He had become the youngest Hashira in the Corps and one of the fastest swordsmen to ever reach the rank. Most importantly, he had accomplished something that very few Demon Slayers could claim.
He had killed one of the Twelve Kizuki.
To the newly graduated survivors standing before him, Kagerou wasn't simply another Hashira.
He was an example.
A goal.
A legend they hoped to one day surpass. (:v)
And now, that very legend was walking toward them.
Their admiration was impossible to hide.
Most of the survivors straightened instinctively as Kagerou approached, their eyes following his every movement.
However, two boys standing near the back of the group looked considerably less impressed.
In fact...
They looked terrified.
One had fiery reddish-gold hair and familiar Rengoku features.
The other had black hair and a distinctive white snake coiled around his shoulders.
They were none other than Kyojuro Rengoku and Obanai Iguro.
And unlike everyone else gathered there... They knew exactly what was coming.
---
- A while ago.
Kyojuro and Sabito walked together, engaged in a lively conversation about the previous four days of the Final Selection, the four days the five of them had spent fighting side by side.
Kyojuro spoke enthusiastically about their battles, occasionally laughing as he recalled some of the more difficult encounters. Sabito listened and responded with his usual easygoing smile, occasionally adding his own thoughts about the demons they had faced.
A short distance behind them walked Shinobu.
Unlike the two boys in front of her, however, she was completely lost in thought. During the seven days of the Final Selection, Shinobu had come to realize something that had been bothering her.
She had mastered the standard forms of Flower Breathing without much difficulty. When she had practiced them with her big sister, Kanae, there had never been any real problems.
But fighting demons was different.
When she actually had to use Flower Breathing against an enemy, she found herself struggling.
Her movements felt stiff.
Her swordsmanship lacked the fluidity she had seen in Kanae's techniques.
And most importantly... She simply didn't have enough power behind her strikes.
At first, Shinobu had been reluctant to accept that perhaps Flower Breathing wasn't suited to her.
Maybe she simply needed more training.
Maybe she needed more experience.
But after watching her fight during the Final Selection, Giyu had pointed it out to her.
He told her honestly that her movements looked stiff during battle and that there wasn't enough strength behind her katana strikes.
The other three boys had agreed with him.
Even Kyojuro, despite his usual enthusiasm, had admitted that Shinobu seemed to be forcing herself to use a fighting style that didn't naturally suit her.
That had given Shinobu a lot to think about.
Perhaps she really wasn't suited to Flower Breathing.
She would have to talk to Kanae about it once she returned home.
And perhaps... Although Shinobu wasn't particularly enthusiastic about admitting it... She might even ask her older brother, Kagerou, for his opinion.
Finally, walking several steps behind Shinobu were Obanai and Giyu.
The five of them continued climbing the stairs toward the gathering area. But before they reached their destination, Obanai suddenly quickened his pace.
He caught up with Kyojuro and walked beside him.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then, lowering his voice so the others wouldn't hear, he whispered,
"Kyojuro... by now, Nii-san must have returned from his mission"
Kyojuro's smile immediately became a little less confident.
Obanai continued.
"And he must have found out that we secretly participated in the Final Selection. What should we do?"
Kyojuro's body stiffened.
The events of the past seven days had kept the thought far from his mind. But now that the Final Selection was over... He finally remembered.
They had secretly entered the Final Selection.
They had done so without telling Kagerou.
The only people who knew were their younger brother, Senjuro, and their future sister-in-law, Kanae.
They hadn't even told their father.
Kyojuro had known better than to do that.
After all, he knew perfectly well about the agreement between their father and Kagerou regarding when they would be allowed to participate.
For the first time since entering Mount Fujikasane, fear appeared on Kyojuro's face.
He slowly turned toward Obanai.
"...What should we do, Obanai?"
"..."
"..."
For several seconds, the two boys simply stared at each other.
Then Obanai let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"...We're screwed, aren't we?"
"…I believe so," Kyojuro said, followed by a nervous laugh. "Aha-ahaha~" Then, suddenly, an idea occurred to him. "... Should we go back?"
Obanai blinked.
"Back where? Home?" He stared at Kyojuro. "…Kyojuro, you…"
But Kyojuro merely shook his head before glancing back toward Mount Fujikasane. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to Obanai.
"I mean, return to the forest and continue the Final Selection"
Obanai's eyes widened.
"You cannot possibly be serious"
"I'm merely considering our options"
"That's not an option! The Final Selection has already ended!"
"Then you would rather face Kage-nii?" Kyojuro's smile became increasingly nervous. "Knowing him, he's probably already there... waiting for us"
Obanai froze.
His eyes widened.
For a split second, he actually considered Kyojuro's suggestion.
Maybe returning to the forest really was the better option.
That thought alone was horrifying.
But the fact that he was seriously considering spending another seven days fighting demons rather than facing Kagerou was even more horrifying.
Obanai slowly looked toward the gathering area.
Then toward Kyojuro.
Then back toward the forest.
"...I hate to admit it"
Kyojuro raised an eyebrow.
"But?"
Obanai sighed.
"...The demons were easier"
Kyojuro's expression went blank.
Then he nodded solemnly.
"Indeed"
The two boys continued climbing the stairs.
Neither said another word.
They had survived seven days of the Final Selection.
They had fought demons.
They had survived injuries, exhaustion, and battles.
But now... They had to face the real final boss.
Their big brother.
Kagerou Rengoku.
---
- Back to the present.
Kyojuro and Obanai stood side by side.
Walking toward them in steady, deliberate steps was none other than their big brother himself.
Shinobu, Giyu, and Sabito had already sensed that something was wrong when they noticed Kyojuro and Obanai whispering to each other earlier.
But now, seeing Kagerou, the Smoke Hashira himself, and the older brother of both boys, approaching them, they wisely decided to take a small step away from Kyojuro and Obanai.
They noticed.
But Obanai said nothing, while Kyojuro swallowed nervously.
"…Obanai, s-stay calm. We'll face this together, okay?"
His eyes remained fixed on Kagerou, who continued approaching them, one step at a time.
Kyojuro desperately hoped that, at this moment, the other survivors would crowd around Kagerou.
Maybe they would ask him questions.
Maybe they would congratulate him.
Maybe they would do anything that could buy the two of them a little more time.
But no.
The other survivors instinctively moved aside as Kagerou approached, creating a clear path for him.
It was almost like Moses parting the Red Sea.
Kyojuro's eyes widened.
Apparently, even the other survivors could sense that something was wrong.
"…Obanai?"
There was no answer.
Kyojuro slowly turned his head.
Obanai was gone.
"..."
Kyojuro blinked.
He looked toward Shinobu.
Then Giyu.
Then Sabito.
All three of them were looking at another direction.
Kyojuro followed their gazes.
And there he was.
Obanai.
Already several meters away.
Running.
Kyojuro's eyes widened in disbelief.
"..."
For a moment, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Then he looked back toward Kagerou.
Only a few steps remained between them.
Kyojuro made his decision.
He turned around and immediately ran.
"OBANAI!"
His voice echoed across the gathering area.
"YOU TRAITOR!!'
He sprinted after him.
"H-HEY! WAIT!"
Obanai didn't slow down.
"WAIT FOR ME!!!"
Seeing his two little brothers suddenly run away, Kagerou stopped for half a second.
His expression went completely blank.
Then his eye twitched.
"...You two." The next moment, Kagerou took off after them. "YOU TWO!!"
His voice shook the entire gathering area.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!!"
"..."
"..."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Everything had happened so quickly that nobody knew how to react.
Shinobu stood there with her mouth slightly open.
Giyu simply stared in the direction the three had disappeared.
Sabito blinked several times.
The other survivors looked at one another in complete confusion.
Even Kagaya, who had been patiently waiting to make his appearance, was left utterly dumbfounded.
He had expected to welcome the survivors and formally conclude the Final Selection.
He had not expected to witness the Smoke Hashira chasing two newly graduated Demon Slayers like that.
Kagaya slowly closed his eyes.
'...This family will be the end of me'
Then another thought occurred to him.
Neither Kyojuro nor Obanai had even chosen their Nichirin ore yet.
Just like their big brother had once done.
Kagaya let out a quiet sigh and shook his head.
"...What should I do about you, Kage-kun?" Despite his tired words, a smile slowly appeared on his face. "Well... it seems there's never a dull day when the Rengokus are involved, huh?"
------
#A/N: This chapter took longer to write than I expected because of the whole "fastest Demon Slayer to ever reach the rank of Hashira" thing.
I actually had to reread my own story just to make sure about it… from when Kagerou completed his Final Selection all the way up to the latest chapter.
So, according to my timeline, Kagerou only took about a month and a half to become a Hashira. I'm counting from the moment he completed the Final Selection, to when he defeated Tsukikage, and finally to when he was officially appointed as a Hashira.
I also came across some posts on Reddit discussing whether Gyomei became a Hashira within two months, like Muichiro, simply because the two of them appear at the same time in one particular scene from the anime.
Well… even if that's the case, my Kagerou is still faster. Hahaha!