The demon's hooked claws, carrying a lethal chill, lunged for the boy's tattered chest! A look of despair crossed the boy's face as he tried to pull back his heavy axes, but he was too slow—he couldn't outrun the demon's reach.
Just as the claws were about to pierce his flesh—
"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form—Distant Thunder!"
A clear shout cut through the air. A golden flash like a bolt of lightning shot from the shadows. Its target wasn't the demon's head, but its extended arm!
However, this demon was no rookie. It sensed the threat and retracted its claws with unnatural speed, crossing them in front of its chest to block the strike.
Tch! Fast reflexes. I won't headbutt you, then. Standard-issue blades aren't meant for clashing.
The moment before impact, Tatsuya's eyes flashed, and the condensed thrust of the Fourth Form transformed!
"Can you keep up with my speed? Third Form: Thunder Swarm!"
Tatsuya's forward momentum halted abruptly. The linear "Distant Thunder" shattered into a hundred rapid, stinging slashes from multiple directions!
"What the hell?!" The demon shrieked. Its defense, which relied on its long arms, was useless against this unpredictable, high-frequency assault.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
In the blink of an eye, the demon's deformed arms were sliced into several segments. Black blood sprayed everywhere. The shock of having its limbs pulverized left the demon wide open and frozen in terror.
"I guess I'm just a little bit faster," Tatsuya's voice rang in its ear.
One last trail of condensed golden light swept upward with effortless grace! The demon's head flew high into the air, its face frozen in shock, before turning to ash.
The battle had ended in a few heartbeats. Tatsuya sheathed his blade, the sparks around him fading. He turned to the scarred boy, who was kneeling in the dirt, gasping for air.
"You okay, Mr. Stone Scar?" Tatsuya asked with a grin, rummaging through his medkit. "Those big axes of yours are terrifying, but that flea-demon was just a bad matchup. Stone Breathing... quite an eye-opener." He nodded at the boy's sword, showing genuine respect without a hint of mockery.
The boy panted, looking at Tatsuya's pristine haori and then at his own mangled arm. He flushed slightly with embarrassment. "...I'm still far off. Thank you... your speed is insane."
"Heh, just a little trick I picked up."
Tatsuya helped patch him up and cleared a few scavengers attracted by the blood. They found a safe crevice to wait out the night.
The next morning, the two of them leaned against the stone walls of their temporary shelter. "Hey, Lightning Boy..." the boy, whose name was Guijima Takeshi, said roughly. "I owe you my life."
"We're colleagues! I'm Izumo Tatsuya. Honestly, I'm impressed you survived that many hits from that thing!" Tatsuya laughed, then grew serious. "But Takeshi, we have to split up now."
"Why? Isn't it safer in a pair?"
"Safe, but inefficient. We need to scout the terrain, the demons, and the water sources. Two people together cut our scouting range in half." Tatsuya pointed to Takeshi's bandaged arm. "Besides, you need to rest. Dragging you around the mountain will only reopen your wounds. Stay hidden, recover your strength, and wait out the day. That's the best move."
Takeshi looked at his useless arm and nodded reluctantly. "You're right. Damn... losing to a flea-demon. Embarrassing!" He stared at Tatsuya. "Don't die, Lightning Boy... Tatsuya. After this, I'm buying you a drink!"
"Haha, it's a promise! And I'll buy you a Taiyaki! Take care, Takeshi!"
Tatsuya moved through the forest like the wind. He didn't avoid areas smelling of blood; his sharp perception was like a radar. He wasn't just surviving; he was hunting.
During his search, he ran into a group of examinees heading down the mountain—broken, terrified, and wounded. "Giving up already?" Tatsuya asked them, not with mockery, but to gather intel.
"I can't... I saw my senior get torn apart!" one boy sobbed.
"We just want to live..." a girl whispered, her sword lost.
Tch, Tatsuya thought. Character is everything. This path isn't for everyone.
He noticed their bandages were professional and neat. "You had help?"
"Two people in fox masks," the boy said with gratitude. "If not for them, we'd be dead. The pink-haired one... he was incredible. He saved me from a fanged demon and told me to find a safe place."
"And the one in the red haori," the girl added. "He was cold and told me I was 'in the way,' but he helped too."
Fox masks, pink hair, red haori... definitely Urokodaki's disciples, Tatsuya thought. Saving people all night takes a massive toll on stamina.
The supplies were likely given away to others; Tatsuya hoped their provisions would hold out, especially non-renewable resources like their Nichirin Swords.
Tatsuya's expression grew grim. Those two friends from Mount Sagiri were undoubtedly top-tier combatants and potentially reliable allies. If they ran into trouble due to exhaustion, lack of supplies, or a broken blade... it would be a massive loss in every sense.
He looked deep into the mountain forest, his mind made up.
I have to find them.
"It's better to watch each other's backs. When they're at their limit, it'll be my turn as a 'Thunder Hashira in-training' to step up!" A smile, mixing anticipation and drive, curled the corner of Tatsuya's mouth. "Besides... I want to see what the legendary Water Breathing looks like. Everyone says Urokodaki's disciples are extraordinary. Seeing is believing!"
Without further delay, Tatsuya bid farewell to those descending the mountain and headed toward higher ground. He set aside his mapping for now; the priority was tracking those two fox-masked boys.
He found the general direction based on the descriptions given by the survivors. Neatly severed vines and scattered fragments of bandages became his guide.
The demons remained dormant during the day, leaving the mountain exceptionally quiet. Tatsuya occasionally entered the state of Silent Listening, taking out a few weak demons who tried to ambush him.
His efforts finally paid off. Just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, he found valuable clues at the edge of a relatively open clearing near a stream.
He found flattened ground where people had rested, a small pile of extinguished campfire ash—still faintly warm to the touch—and scattered oil-paper wrappings and an empty medicine vial.
"This is it..." Tatsuya knelt, rubbing the ash between his fingers. "They left recently." Anxiety flared in his heart. "Their supplies are gone. Food and medicine are empty. I have to find them, fast."
The sun had set. Night fell. The second night of the Final Selection had begun.