People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

Tanjiro seemed to have discovered a blind spot: he, Zenitsu, and Inosuke had accepted Yosuke's guidance and training as naturally as if it were a natural progression, without undergoing any tests.

"Huh? Mr. Yosuke, what about our test?"

Yosuke smiled and said, "Your test has long been completed."

After Tanjiro and the others finished their meal and left to rest, Renyuki muttered to herself, "I don't know why, but I just can't bring myself to like that kid."

Xiaomei, as if they shared the same opinion, said, "So you feel the same way, Sister Lianxue! And just now, when Lord Yangjie asked him if he could give up Thunder Breathing, he answered without even thinking."

Renyuki nodded: "That's true. No one would like Zenitsu's senior brother for resorting to any means to become stronger."

Yosuke suddenly asked, "What was your first impression of Zenitsu?"

"You lecherous brat!"

"Cowardly and weak."

Lianxue and Xiaomei blurted it out.

"So what now?"

"A kind-hearted and good child," Lianxue and Xiaomei said at the same time once again.

Yosuke smiled and explained, "That's right. Actually, my first impression of Zenitsu was the same as yours, but Zenitsu's kindness is obvious."

Although it is often said that one cannot judge a book by its cover, first impressions are sometimes very important because at that time no external factors influence the judgment. Inada Kaigaku, on the other hand, gives me the impression that he is the complete opposite of Zenitsu, a selfish and egoistic individual.

So rather than giving Kaigaku a chance, it's more accurate to say I'm giving Zenitsu a chance to see Kaigaku for who he really is.

Of course, it's also possible that I'm blind. If Inatama Kaigaku can break down my prejudices, what's wrong with me personally guiding his training?

The next day.

Yosuke selected one of the Demon Slayer Corps' demon-slaying missions as a test for Kaigaku.

Kaigaku frowned as he looked at the mission notice. Half of the population of a small village had already perished. A demon of this level must be extremely powerful, and it would generally take a team of more than ten members from the Demon Slayer Corps to kill it.

Kaigaku suspected that Yosuke had chosen a demon from the Twelve Demon Months as a test.

Yosuke seemed to see through Kaigaku's thoughts and said calmly, "Don't worry, it's just an ordinary demon. If you can't even kill a demon of this level, then even if you accept my guidance, you won't become stronger."

Upon hearing what Yosuke said, Kaigaku had no further objections, put away the mission assignment, and headed to the mission location alone.

After Kaigaku left, Tanjiro and the other two leaned curiously against the door outside, peering inside.

As soon as Yosuke opened the door, Tanjiro and the other two lost their footing and fell into the room, giving Yosuke an embarrassed, silly grin.

Yosuke raised an eyebrow: "You also want to know the result of this test?"

Tanjiro and the other two nodded frantically.

Even if Tanjiro and the other two didn't come, Yosuke would still take them with him at night.

As night fell, Yosuke, carrying Zenitsu and Inosuke in his hands and Tanjiro on his back, spread his blood-red wings and flew into the sky.

"Wow! This is my first time flying!" Inosuke, who was being carried, was very restless, looking around anxiously.

"Mr. Yosuke, fly slower, I feel like I'm going to throw up!" Tanjiro, standing behind him, looked ashen-faced and looked like he was about to vomit.

Zenitsu, who possesses extreme speed, did not feel any discomfort. However, he, who should have been making a ruckus, was now extremely quiet, his mind filled with thoughts of Kaigaku.

Upon arriving at their destination, Yosuke, Tanjiro, and the other two hid in the shadows and observed Kaigaku.

Kaigaku walked through the village, his Nichirin Blade already drawn and held in his hand, wary of his surroundings.

Suddenly a gust of cold wind blew up, and a dark figure suddenly darted out from the ruins behind Kaigaku, rushing towards him at lightning speed.

"Thunder Breathing? Second Form? Inari Soul!"

Kaigaku turned around and, in the instant he activated his breathing technique, unleashed a lightning-shaped five-hit combo.

The shadowy figure was instantly repelled and blasted back into the ruins.

Under the moonlight, the true form of the shadowy figure was revealed: a demon covered in bone spurs.

Chapter 86 Shame

The demon roared at Kaigaku, then sprang to the ground on all fours, arching its back, and countless bone spikes shot toward Kaigaku.

"Thunder Breathing? Third Form? Gathering Mosquitoes into Thunder!"

Kaigaku spins rapidly in place, leaving behind wave-like lightning trails that knock down the bone spikes one by one.

"So weak?" Kaigaku's lips curled into a smile. He had thought the demons here were powerful, but he found that they were no match for him at all.

"It's over! Become the stepping stone for me to become stronger! Thunder Breathing? Fourth Form? Far Thunder!"

After lightning erupted from Kaigaku's body, he charged forward at lightning speed, approaching the distant demon and unleashing a high-speed slash with his Nichirin Blade.

In the blink of an eye, the evil spirit was completely dismembered, turned into ashes, and vanished.

However, just when Kaigaku thought everything was settled, two more demons appeared from the front and back, surrounding him.

"So that's how it is. The reason it could kill nearly half the village's population was because there was more than one demon. However, with demons of this strength, no matter how many come, it won't make a difference! Thunder Breathing? Fifth Form? Heat World Thunder!"

Kaigaku unleashed a lightning bolt imbued with intense heat, striking the two demons that had attacked him from both sides.

The moment the lightning struck, dust billowed up everywhere.

Kaigaku, who thought he had completely slain the demon, was about to turn and leave, but he stopped in his tracks, looking on incredulously.

It turns out that the evil spirit struck by lightning did not die. Although its body was severely burned, it recovered completely in the next moment.

"The Demon Slayer Corps? They're really lucky. Compared to ordinary humans, the flesh and blood of the Demon Slayer Corps is the most nutritious." The demon with two horns on its head looked at Kaigaku with drooling eyes.

“Now that the Twelve Demon Moons are missing a seat, maybe if we devour a large number of humans from the Demon Slayer Corps, we can become a Lower Moon, or even an Upper Moon!” another one-horned demon said greedily.

Two demons charged at Kaigaku at the same time. Kaigaku swung his sword to defend himself, but faced with the combined attack of the two demons, he was blasted away by the enormous force.

Kaigaku got up from the ground and faced two powerful demons. Although he could effectively damage the demons, Kaigaku began to weigh the pros and cons and had already given up.

The two demons charged at Kaigaku once again.

"Breathing of Thunder? Land Form: Lightning Strike!"

Kaigaku unleashed countless lightning-like slashes in all directions from his own center. In an instant, deep, charred wounds appeared on the bodies of the two demons, but unfortunately, he failed to sever their heads.

Faced with the relentless battle between the two demons, Kaigaku completely disregarded any notion of trials and, having made up his mind, turned and fled.

"Run away, run away! The more you run, the more excited we get!" The two demons let out a chilling laugh and began to chase after Kaigaku.

Seeing his senior brother being chased by demons, Zenitsu wanted to intervene, but Yosuke stopped him, saying, "Do you think your senior brother is no match for those two demons?"

Zenitsu anxiously watched Kaigaku fleeing in the area, without answering Yosuke's question.

“Those two evil spirits, Kaigaku could actually kill them if he wanted to.”

Zenitsu stared at Yosuke in astonishment. They were already chasing after him, how could he possibly kill the demon?

“Look closely at the wounds on the demon’s body.”

Zenitsu looked at the demon and discovered that the wounds on the demon's body from being struck by Kaigaku's lightning bolts had not yet healed.

In other words, as Yosuke said, as long as Kaigaku fights the demon head-on, it may be difficult, but Kaigaku will be the one to win.

Zenitsu couldn't understand why Kaigaku, who was capable of being killed, would still need to flee.

"Your senior brother, Inatama Kaigaku, didn't believe in his own strength. When he faced two demons and couldn't overwhelm them with absolute power, he had already given up because he was afraid of dying. The test is not over yet, and now is not the time to interfere."

Zenitsu's anxious heart gradually calmed down, and he trusted Yosuke's judgment.

Kaigaku continued to flee, choosing not to resist.

As Kaigaku fled, he continued to curse, "That damned Ubuyashiki Yosuke! How could anyone possibly complete a mission like this by himself? He must be looking down on me, that's why he's deliberately making things difficult for me!"

Suddenly, a child emerged from the ruins ahead of Kaigaku's escape route.

Kaigaku showed no intention of slowing down. With a fierce expression, he picked up the child just as he was about to hit him and threw him at the demon.

Tanjiro and his two companions were immediately shocked, never expecting that Inatama Kaigaku, a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, would use a child as a shield.

"Thunder Breathing? First Form? Thunderclap Flash!"

Just as the child was about to fall into the hands of the demon, a thunderous sound that tore through the air was heard, followed by a flash of lightning. Zenitsu successfully rescued the child, preventing him from being devoured by the demon.

Kaigaku was shocked and didn't expect Zenitsu to be here.

The demon rushed towards Zenitsu, who shielded the child behind him, exhaling a puff of white breath.

"Breathing of Thunder? First Form: Thunderclap Flash? Eight-Strike Combo!"

Zenitsu moved swiftly, each step he took seeming as if lightning had struck nearby.

Before the evil spirit could react, it felt a sharp pain in its neck, then its eyes widened in disbelief as it turned to ashes.

Kaigaku stared in disbelief: "What...what kind of speed is this?!"

After slaying the demon, Zenitsu, with a grim expression, questioned Kaigaku: "Why did you use a child as a shield?!"

Zenitsu, who was usually timid, suddenly became very tough and questioned himself, which made Kaigaku extremely angry.

"Damn it! What kind of look is that?! Since this brat is going to be killed anyway, I might as well buy him some time."

Zenitsu was utterly disappointed in his fellow disciple: "You don't deserve to be a member of the Demon Slayer Corps! Apologize, apologize to this child!"

Veins bulged on Kaigaku's forehead as he roared angrily, "What right do you have to criticize me? You're dreaming if you expect me to apologize or repent!"

At this moment, Tanjiro and Inosuke also appeared beside Zenitsu.

Kaigaku's face turned ashen. Since Zenitsu and the others had arrived, it meant that Yosuke had also come. If what had just happened had been seen, not only would he not be able to pass the test, but if word got back to the Demon Slayer Corps, he would be stripped of his membership.

However, before Tanjiro and Inosuke appeared, Yosuke had already told them not to reveal his presence.

Yosuke wanted to see how Kaigaku would defend himself.

"Mr. Yosuke did not come here."

Kaigaku breathed a sigh of relief, and his bluish-black face returned to its normal color.

Tanjiro then added, "But Zenitsu is right, you should apologize to this child!"

Kaigaku still didn't think he had done anything wrong: "I didn't do anything wrong! I don't need to apologize to anyone!"

"You're absolutely unreasonable!" With that, Inosuke prepared to rush up and beat up Kaigaku.

Zenitsu stopped Inosuke, raised his Nichirin Blade, pointed it at Kaigaku, and said with unwavering determination, "You must apologize! Even if I have to force you! Because this is not only about you and me, but also about Master! You have already disgraced Master!"