Reincarnation as Lower Rank Five in Demon Slayer

Chapter 171 Makomo's Growth

On the first night of the trial, the three men with knives in the woods carefully observed their surroundings, always on guard against evil spirits that might jump out from the shadows.

Among them, Yi Yong's heart was pounding incredibly fast, as if it had a motor inside it, beating non-stop from the moment he entered the trial, without ever getting tired.

In contrast, the Jade Rabbit was completely oblivious to the darkness surrounding it and the ghostly cries from afar. Its breathing was steady and smooth, its steps were strong and powerful, and its muscles were poised to unleash their full potential.

Makomo, aside from being just as nervous as Giyu at the beginning, has calmed down considerably, and her aura is gradually solidifying. The hand holding her Nichirin Blade is no longer trembling as it was when she first entered.

Suddenly, a ferocious demon with gleaming eyes leaped out of the bushes beside the three of them, drooling as it charged toward Makomo. Its eyes were filled with an endless thirst for human flesh.

Because the demon appeared so suddenly, Giyuu was so frightened that his body stiffened, and he completely forgot the Water Breathing Technique that he knew.

Sabito, who was standing nearby, immediately reacted, inhaling and circulating his breath, and swung his sword to slash at the demon's hands.

At the same time, Makomo was startled by the demon with a mouthful of sharp teeth that suddenly appeared in front of her, but her body moved at that moment. Her hand holding the sword swung out instinctively, and in an instant, Makomo's Nichirin Blade slid across the demon's neck.

The movements were executed flawlessly, as if they had been practiced hundreds of times. Indeed, Makomo, whose talent was not much less than Sabito's, had deeply ingrained the sword-swinging motion into his arm muscles through two months of arduous training in splitting rocks.

With two sharp cracking sounds, one after the other, the demon's arm and neck, which had attacked Makomo, were instantly severed. As it lunged at Makomo, it burned and turned to ashes, dissipating into the air without leaving a trace.

She succeeded! She chopped off the demon's neck.

Makomo breathed heavily, unable to believe that she had just managed to sever the demon's neck in an instant—a feat she never dared to imagine.

Sabito, who was the first to cut off the demon's hands, was overjoyed to see the one-armed demon beheaded by Makomo. After slowly sheathing his Nichirin Blade, he immediately gave Makomo a sunny and warm smile.

"Makomo, congratulations on successfully killing a demon."

"No...no, it's all because Sabito cut off the demon's hands that attacked me that I succeeded."

"But you were the one who cut off the ghost's neck. The evil spirit died by your blade; I was just doing a small favor."

Sabito replied modestly, showing no concern whatsoever about being the first to sever the demon's attacking arm.

Hearing Sabito's praise, Makomo blushed and suddenly thought Sabito looked really cool.

"By the way, Yiyong, are you alright?"

Remembering that Giyuu was still standing nearby, Sabito immediately inquired about his condition.

"No...it's okay."

Noticing the concerned gaze directed at him, Giyu silently lowered his head and replied in a low voice. He hadn't been able to react in time to the demon's sudden attack, and now he felt utterly ashamed.

He was actually less useful than Makomo, a girl. As expected, he really had no talent as a demon slayer, but he was very unwilling to accept it.

Even though he's come this far, and this isn't the first time he's encountered a ghost, why is he still afraid of ghosts?

Yiyong, oh Yiyong! Didn't you swear to prevent the tragedy that happened to you from happening to other innocent people?

At this moment, Yiyong kept blaming himself, remaining silent. His entire being exuded an aura of "keep away."

Seeing that Giyuu was once again falling into self-doubt, Sabito frowned and slapped Giyuu across the face.

The crisp sound echoed between Giyuu's face and Sabito's palm. Makomo, who was standing to the side, was instantly confused. Why did Sabito suddenly slap Giyuu's face? Aren't they friends?

Makomo's question was quickly answered in Sabito's next words to Giyu.

"Yiyong! At a time like this, why are you still doubting yourself?"

"Don't you know there are many evil spirits in this trial forest? We could be killed at any moment if we're not careful. Cheer up! Didn't we agree to pass the trial together?"

Sabito spread his arms and grabbed Giyuu's shoulders, shouting loudly.

The encouraging words reached Yi Yong's ears, breaking his dejected state and stirring up ripples within him.

Inspired by Sarutobi, Yiyong's heart gradually became more resilient.

"I understand, Sabito. I will do my best. Let me deal with the demons we encounter next."

Giyu spoke firmly to Sabito and Makomo. He had decided that no matter what, he would overcome his fear of demons.

"Okay, I'll leave the rest to you, Yiyong."

Seeing the determination in Giyu's eyes, Sabito readily agreed.

"Since Qian Tu has agreed, I have no objections."

After personally slaying the demon, Makomo, whose aura had changed drastically, also agreed with Sabito's words.

Over the next few days of trials, the three of them successfully slayed demons and arrived at the final night of the trial. Once this night was over, they would all become swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps.

As he himself said, Giyu successfully overcame his fear of demons and killed many evil spirits in a few days.

Sabito is even more formidable, not only slaying evil spirits but also constantly saving other contestants. It could be said that Sabito killed the majority of the demons in the trials.