Demon Slayer : Breath of The Forest

Sabito had been relentlessly slaying demons.

His Nichirin Blade had already been worn down excessively. The necks of demons were not as supple as those of humans—many were as hard as steel.

But Sabito never imagined his Nichirin Blade would break at a moment so close to victory.

With a slash aimed at the Hand Demon hardened neck, the result was the jagged, broken blade being violently flung away leaving Sabito with only the hilt and a remnant of the blade less than five centimeters long.

"What!?"

"What!?"

Sabito and the Hand Demon froze almost simultaneously, but soon, the terror on the Hand Demon face was completely replaced by maniacal laughter.

Without a second thought, it threw a heavy punch at Sabito, who was still dazed.

Facing the oncoming fist, Sabito instinctively raised his Nichirin Blade to defend himself—but what could a mere five-centimeter remnant block?

Thud!

The dull sound of a fist striking flesh rang clearly in everyone ears.

Under the Hand Demon punch, Sabito was directly hit in the chest, his body sent flying backward before crashing violently into a large tree.

Crack!

The immense impact even caused the sturdy tree to split slightly!

A mouthful of blood sprayed uncontrollably from his lips and half of his fox mask shattered, revealing the scarred side of Sabito face.

His vision began to blur and the pain in his chest felt like it was drilling into his heart—broken.

His ribs must have fractured in multiple places.

The excruciating pain nearly robbed Sabito of all mobility.

Seeing Sabito incapacitated, the Hand Demon couldn't help but let out a spine-chilling cackle.

"Kekeke! What a shame, brat. You were so close to cutting off my neck. Who would've thought? Truly fate will! Urokodaki, I'll gladly take your disciple as my prize—this is your retribution! Hahahaha!"

"Ugh!!! (Sabito!)" Giyu eyes widened, blood vessels even tearing at the corners.

Seeing his dear friend wounded yet unable to do anything filled him with unbearable frustration.

He struggled desperately, but there was no breaking free from the Hand Demon grip.

All he could do was watch helplessly as the Hand Demon drew closer to Sabito.

By now, Sabito vision was growing increasingly hazy.

In his daze, he seemed to see Urokodaki wearing his tengu mask—watching as his master slew the demon that had killed his father, then carried the trembling, terrified boy from his ruined home back to Mount Sagiri.

He saw Urokodaki-sensei tending to him with care, saw himself training under his guidance alongside his fellow disciples, saw himself comforting Giyu in the mountains, saw his master concerned words before their departure...

Sabito saw so much.

But the figure that finally appeared before him was that young Hashira clad in a blue-green battle robe.

That young Hashira seemed to say something to him 'With great power comes great responsibility!'

"No... I can't die yet! I promised... I'd get everyone—get Giyu—through the Final Selection!!"

Swish!

Sabito silver-purple eyes suddenly blazed to life and the blurred world before him snapped back into focus.

Instinctively, his hand reached into his pocket.

With his last ounce of strength, Sabito took out the oil-paper package given by the Forest Hashira.

At this moment, all other thoughts had vanished from his mind—he only wanted to regain his power and destroy the Demon!

Crunch!

Sabito took a huge bite, swallowing the oil paper along with its contents.

An overwhelmingly sweet taste instantly flooded his mouth, so intense that it was impossible to discern what he was eating.

If his tongue could scream, it would have been shrieking for help.

But along with the lethal dose of sweetness, something else was hidden deep within the oil paper—a single crisp blade of grass.

The moment the grass was chewed—hummm!—an invisible ripple seemed to surge through Sabito body.

An immense, unseen vitality rapidly flowed from his mouth to every part of him, while a violent force also began to ravage his body.

"AHHHH!!"

The clash of vitality and the unknown power collided inside Sabito, forcing a scream from his lips.

For a brief instant, his eyes flickered with hues of emerald green and blood-red.

"No! No! Impossible! What is this!? It can't be! Why do I sense that bastard presence!?" The Hand Demon massive body trembled violently.

The overwhelming vitality and the familiar, savage force instantly dragged its memories back to that day years ago when it had been utterly crushed by that brat.

"NO!!"

BOOM!!

Sabito scorching-hot body abruptly halted.

His right eye, now a blood-red glare, locked onto a direction, while his left eye blazed with emerald-green light.

***

"Forest Breathing, Eighth Form: Whispering Forest Eye!"

Within the Whispering Forest Eye, a surge of vitality erupted, paired with the familiar sensation of Raging blood.

"Someone ate my dorayaki!" Shinichi declared with certainty.

A single blade of grass and a drop of blood—that was what Shinichi had hidden inside the dorayaki.

It was meant to save lives, but it also ravaged the body.

Without a second thought, Shinichi dashed toward the source of the erupting vitality.

***

Having swallowed the dorayaki, Sabito had already lost consciousness.

In his dazed state, his vision was filled with a sea of crimson and a violently destructive force tore through his body.

The pain was excruciating, yet at the same time, a soothing warmth enveloped him preventing him from being completely consumed by agony.

His last memory was kneeling on a blood-soaked battlefield, clutching the twisted remains of a sword hilt.

Giyu and Murata were sprinting toward him and in the distance, another figure seemed to be rushing over as well.

"Thank goodness... everyone's... safe...?"

With that, darkness swallowed Sabito vision and he fell completely unconscious.

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a vast blue sky—and then Giyu ashen face.

"G-Giyu?"

The faint whisper snapped Giyu out of his despair.

Stunned, he looked down in disbelief.

"Sabito!!"

For the first time, a boy cried harder than any girl ever could.

But Sabito awakening instantly drew a crowd of swordsmen around him.

This is the entrance of Fujikasane Mountain.

It's already the eighth day and the Final Selection has come to an end. No one died during this selection.

Nearly all the swordsmen looked at Sabito with gratitude in their eyes.

They owed their success in the Final Selection to this young boy who had single-handedly ensured everyone survival.

"That's great, Sabito! You're finally awake! I thought—" Murata, his face filled with excitement, was abruptly yanked aside before he could finish speaking.

Annoyed, Murata was about to protest when he turned and saw a pair of heterochromatic eyes staring back at him.

"Shinichi-sama?"

A murmur spread through the crowd as the swordsmen quickly made way upon realizing Shinichi had arrived.

Shinichi looked down at Sabito, who lay weakly on the ground, the shattered remains of his fox mask resting beside his arm.

"So, you're Sabito? You killed many Demons and led so many through the Final Selection. Do you feel proud of yourself? Like some kind of savior?" Shinichi asked calmly.

Sabito tried to sit up to answer, but the pain was unbearable—even the slightest movement felt like his body might fall apart.

With the help of Giyu, he managed to lift his head slightly.

"N-no, Hashira-sama. I only did as my master taught. You once said it yourself—with great power comes great responsibility."

Hearing this, Shinichi paused, studying the still-youthful face of the boy.

Finally, he uttered words that left everyone present in shock.

"Sabito, you have failed the Final Selection. You are disqualified."

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