Demon Slayer: Tanjiro becomes a ghost, Nezuko becomes a pillar!

Chapter 40 Selection Ends

As the sun rose, Midouzi, aided by the light, slowly walked towards the exit.

Looking at the Nichirin Blade in her hand, which was full of nicks and chips, Nezuko felt a little guilty and silently prayed to herself.

Master Urokodaki, I'm so sorry, I broke your Nichirin Blade!

With a touch of heartache, Mizuko sheathed her Nichirin Blade and arrived at the exit, where she was greeted by the long-awaited sunlight.

During the seven days at Fujikasa Mountain, even when sunlight shone through, it was blocked by the dense forest, leaving only dappled patches of light and gloomy darkness throughout.

When the sun shone on her, the warmth of the sunlight dispelled the cold and fatigue on Midouzi's body.

But when Nezuko opened her eyes again, she saw Zenitsu, who was wearing a yellow triangular patterned outfit, sitting slumped on a pillar at the assembly point with a tired and mournful face.

"Hmm? Zenitsu?"

Seeing that Zenitsu was alright, Mizuko quickly ran over.

Zenitsu, who had been dozing off with his eyes closed, was startled when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He jumped up with a scream, scrambling to hide behind a pillar, clinging to it tightly, and crying out.

"Mommy! Help! The ghost isn't afraid of sunlight anymore—!"

Upon hearing this, Midouzi staggered and instinctively turned to draw his sword.

The Nichirin Blade was pulled out with a "whoosh," and Nezuko also cautiously scanned behind her.

But there was nothing behind her; only a gentle breeze stirred up the dust on the ground, swirling and drifting by.

But soon, she tilted her head to the side, and a big question mark floated over her head.

Her eyelids twitched slightly beneath the mask. She stiffly turned her head to look at the yellow hem of her dress peeking out from behind the pillar, and her heart skipped a beat.

[He... he was talking about a ghost that's not afraid of sunlight? Could it be... me?]

Upon realizing this possibility, Nezuko's face darkened beneath the mask. She silently sheathed her Nichirin Blade and crept up behind Zenitsu.

Then, lowering his voice and deliberately drawing out the words in a drawn-out tone, he said in a low, drawn-out voice:

"The ghost is coming!"

"Ah—!!! Mommy—!"

Zenitsu, who was originally huddled behind the pillar trembling, was so frightened by the sound that he jumped up.

Running wildly across the spacious assembly area, the yellow figure dodged left and right, just like a frightened rabbit.

Seeing Zenitsu's disheveled state, Nezuko clutched her stomach and burst into loud "Hahaha!" laughter.

Involuntarily, memories of playing around with Takeo and Shigeru in the same way came to mind.

Now, although she has become a swordsman capable of slaying demons, when faced with Zenitsu, Nezuko unconsciously reverts to her innocent self.

As the clear laughter rang out, Zenitsu's ears twitched, and he stopped in his tracks. He turned his head and opened his eyes to see Nezuko laughing heartily, only to realize that he had already left Fujikasane Mountain, which was full of demons.

The thought of making such a fool of himself in front of Mizuko made Zenitsu's cheeks turn as red as a ripe persimmon.

He scratched his head, slowly moved over to Ni Douzi's side, and stammered as he tried to explain.

"Neidouzi sauce! Um... I... I just..."

"Thank goodness, Zenitsu, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Seeing Zenitsu approach, Mizuko was genuinely happy and interrupted Zenitsu's explanation!

Zenitsu also sensed that Nezuko truly cared about him from the bottom of her heart, and blushed slightly as she spoke.

"I'm so glad you're alright!"

Midouzi gently shook her head and raised her hand to remove the fox mask from her face.

The morning light fell on her face, and a hint of guilt lingered in her gentle eyes as she softly explained what had happened.

"Zenitsu, I'm sorry. I should have waited for you to go into the mountains together. Later, I heard your voice and rushed over, but I was stopped by a very powerful demon. After I dealt with it, I wanted to go find you..."

Halfway through her sentence, Mizuko suddenly noticed that Zenitsu was staring blankly at her, his eyes wide open as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, his mouth slightly agape, and even his breathing slowed down.

Nezuko couldn't help but reach out and gently shake his arm, calling out in confusion, "Zenitsu? Zenitsu? Are you alright?"

[Goddess? Am I dreaming? Midouzi is so beautiful, so cute! So incredibly cute! So incredibly cute!]

Zenitsu's face was abnormally red, and his heart was pounding like thunder, as if it was about to jump out of his heart at any moment!

As Nidouzi watched as Zenitsu's face grew increasingly red, and she could clearly hear his heartbeat, she reached out with concern to touch his forehead.

"Ouch... It's so hot! Zenitsu, do you have a fever?"

"I'm getting a little anxious," Mi Douzi asked.

Zenitsu, however, was completely captivated by Nezuko's beauty and could only blush and shake his head frantically.

"So you've been poisoned?"

Mizuko pressed on, while scrutinizing Zenitsu from head to toe, trying to see if he was injured anywhere!

Zenitsu, his face still flushed, shook his head frantically, screaming inwardly!

[So gentle!!! So cute!!! Midouzi, let's get married! I promise to give you the happiest life, I'll make you eel rice every day!]

"Huh?? Zenitsu? What's wrong with you?!"

Mizuko stepped forward with concern and carefully observed Zenitsu.

Zenitsu, seeing Nezuko approaching him, grabbed Nezuko's hands, his face full of excitement!

"Zenitsu?"

Mizuko was a little worried, but she didn't break free from Zenitsu's hands.

"Nie Douzi, we..."

"Feed? Where are they? Have we passed the selection? Shouldn't we be issued Nichirin Blades by now?"

Just as Zenitsu was excitedly about to express his true feelings, he was interrupted by an angry question.

Nezuko also shifted her gaze from Zenitsu to the newcomer.

It was that purple-clad boy who had undergone a transformation and used his fists to slay evil spirits.

Immediately afterwards, the surviving contestants emerged one after another from Fujikasa Mountain.

Their expressions were filled with exhaustion and relief at surviving the ordeal!

Then, Mizuko also saw the girl in the exquisite kimono slowly walk out.

She was spotless, and her expression still held a faint smile!

Looking at these people, Mi Douzi also looked somewhat forlorn, because among these survivors, she could clearly sense that a portion of them were missing.

Has anyone still died?

Looking at the remaining chosen ones, Mizuko's resolve to slay the evil spirits hardened.

But Zenitsu, on the other side, kept his eyes fixed on Nezuko, as if no one around him was worth a second glance.

Just as the selectors arrived, the two messengers from Ubuyashiki also appeared before everyone with their signature smiles.

"It's a great relief that everyone returned safely."

One of the envoys spoke, his voice filled with genuine regret.

"At the same time, we also extend our deepest condolences to those who tragically lost their lives during the selection process."

After the two envoys finished speaking, they bowed deeply towards the direction of the mountains and forests.

After a long while, they straightened up, their gaze sweeping over the survivors, and made a clear announcement.

"The Fujikasane Mountain Demon Slayer Corps selection for this year has officially concluded!"