3rd Person's POV

The next day in the late afternoon, Tanjiro and Y/N walk up the steps that lead them to a place where the Final Selection gathers at. While admiring the view of the wisteria trees around them, Y/N somehow feels... weird... as if his gut wants to tell him something. He repositions the mask from the side of his head to the front to cover his face. Tanjiro looks at him confused by the sudden move from him.

"Believe me, Tanjiro. When you trust your nose, I trust my gut. Alright?" he said to which they ended up laughing about it.

Reaching the top, they saw other swordsmen and swordswomen that will also join for the Final Selection. Most look at the newly arrived but mostly on Y/N because of his height. 

'That's a lot of people' Tanjiro commented in his head, while walking by with Y/N following behind him.

Y/N walked past some interesting people, like a man with a long katana on his back, a muscular man of average height with lightly tanned skin. He also carries three swords along with him, bundled up with a green haramaki over his right hip, allowing him to easily draw them with his left hand.

'By the looks of him, he might be in a wrong place to gather' he thought. "Excuse me, are you also here for the Final Selection?" he asks, the curiosity getting the better of him.

"Hm? Final Selection? I thought this is the shortcut to the Grand Line?" he said confused as hell.

"Well, it's not. I don't even know what Grand Line you're talking about" he told him to which the swordsman grumbles and lefts through the way where everyone enters the small open area.

As Y/N continues on, he noticed other interesting people near him.

Then a short, young man with a permanently angered appearance. He also possessed a large, jagged scar that ran over his right cheekbone from his ear and to over his nose.

Next, a young boy of average height with fair skin. He has short, yellow hair of varying lengths, cutting off squarely at the ends where it fades to a darker orange color, that falls in front of his face in uneven bangs.

Y/N's POV

I saw Tanjiro getting far ahead of me, and started jogging to catch up to him as I passed by other people. Until... I saw someone that resembles... I quickly stopped in my tracks and turn around to face her to correct myself if what I saw is true.

'Kanao...' I thought in shock, not knowing that my mouth is hanging open.

She grew up as a beautiful girl, wearing a pink kimono. She's short with large, gentle eyes of a dark lilac color that are framed by thick eyelashes. She has thin black hair, worn tied into a ponytail on the right side of her head and fastened by a pink and green butterfly ornament that reminds me of Kanae. I made sure that my mask is covering my face, luckily for me it is and she also staring down to the ground. I follow her gaze to see a butterfly.

"Hey, you alright?" Tanjiro snaps me out of it to which I turn around ignoring him and start walking away. While walking ahead, I turn my head a little to see her gaze now in my direction.

I yelp under my mask and quickly look away.

'Sorry, Kanao. I'm still too ashamed to face you now.' I thought, my lips quivering in sadness.

3rd Person's POV

"Are you alright? What's wrong?" Tanjiro asks finally catching up with Y/N.

"It's nothing" he tries to avoid it by lying

"You're lying..."

"God, I hate your nose" Y/N whisper under his mask, not loud enough for Tanjiro to hear.

"Did you know someone back there? Did you do something wrong to that person?" he asks away with that kind and worried look on his face which made Y/N annoyed.

"I don't wanna talk about it. I'll tell you when I feel like it, alright" he said, as he looks away being secretive about it.

During their conversation, the sun settled down over the horizon, turning the orange-red sky to dark night sky. As two small kids, probably twins, as they came up to the front gate. The only difference between them is by their hair color, black while the other is white.

"Thank you all for joining the Final Selection tonight. Demons held captive on this mountain. They are unable to leave" says the black-haired twin.

"Because the mountain foot to halfway up, is a lot of demon-repelling wisterias that bloom all year round." continued by the white-haired twin.

"However, from here on out, they are no more wisteria. Only demons. If you can survive here for 7 days-"

"Then you pass the final selection. Now let the Final Selection begin." the white-haired twin finished.

"Damn that creeps me out. Just how they said the same sentence like as if they're two persons but one mind" Y/N said, a bit overreacting but it creeps him out.

All of the examinees of the Final Selection runs through. Y/N noticed Kanao sprint past him, he looks on to her in worry for her safety or if she would even pass the Final Selection.

"Tanjiro, remember what we talked about earlier about the plan?" he asks, clutching the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"Yes!" he answers, ready to head in.

They both run through the entrance of the forest.

-=-

"Finally! Our food has arrived!"

"Great! I've never eaten flesh for a year!"

Demons from behind the shadows of the forest began to move in to surround and take down the unlucky ones. Some tried to fight back but their fear is getting the better of them.

"Oh my, a fresh one!" a demon from the tree commented, delighted as she lowers and pulls up an examinee by the neck before biting down on it. Another examinee took out.

===

"We need to stick together, alright?!" an examinee ordered to a small group that they just formed along the way. The small group consisting of 7 examinees form a circle as 4 demons surround them.

"Hey! Go find your own food! This is mine!" shouted the demon

"Fuck no! They're on my turf! They're mine!" another shouted back

This leads the 2 demons to fight each other but didn't last long as another demon stops the fight.

"How about we have a competition. Those who eat the most win!" the bigger demon says as they then laugh maniacally while the small group of examinees stares in horror as the 4 demons work together closing in on them.

===

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" an examinee repeated cursing under his breath while moving through the shadows.

He hears the blood-curdling screams of his fellow examinees echoes around him. He sneaks through the woods until he heard a branch breaking which made him freeze in the spot. He looks around him to find nothing but still hears the screams of his comrades.

"The fuck is that?" he whispers to himself before putting it aside and continuing to sneak his way to the end of the Final Selection... 

However, what he didn't see is the demon hiding behind the tree he just looked at. As it smiles gleefully, wanted to play with his food for a while longer.

===

"Get off me! NOoooooO!" A female examinee screams, as a demon pins her down on the ground.

"Get off her!" another examinee came and sliced the demon's head off, saving the girl.

"T-Thank you!" she says as she stands up with her sword ready. The guy, after receiving a compliment from a girl, got cocky and grins before another demon pounces him from out of nowhere.

"Shit! Kill it! Help me!" he called out to the girl while he holds off the demon at bay with his sword.

The girl stood there with shock, ignoring the calls of her savior, she ran away. Leaving behind a wide-eyed boy to fend for himself to his death.

===

(Author-kun: Don't judge me. I just like writing 18+ content, alright? And this probably sums up what mostly happened during every Final Selection)

===

No matter what the examinees do, may it be with only their impressive sword skill or only breathing styles, they won't make it to the end. They need to use their head to think during drastic situations, swordsmanship skills, and breathing styles.

Y/N noticed multiple demons blocking his path, he took a stance and breathes before unleashing-

"Flame Breathing - Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation" he decapitates multiple enemies at once along the way. Decapitated demons screech as it felt their wounds burns till they turn to nothing.

"Above!" Tanjirou calls out from above, as he decapitated the demon mid-air with, "Water Breathing - Second Form: Water Wheel" then he landed beside Y/N.

"Thanks for the lookout, Tanjiro." he says with a smile but still facing his opponent, an 8 feet tall demon with a bear head with fur on its back.

Tanjiro needs to take a breath before performing another form, but for Y/N, "Flame Breathing - First Form: Unknowing Fire" he doesn't need to as his body reached the limits during his training under Urokodaki, as he dashes forward and sliced off the demon's right leg.

It loses its balance and falls to its side on the ground. It tried to get up when Tanjiro appears over him, "Water Breathing - First Form: Water Surface Slash" as his blade slashes the demon's head off with ease.

"We need to move. We have a long way to reach the end." Y/N says as he sheathed his sword after knowing the area they're in is now clear.

"Understood!" Tanjiro agrees.

-=-

On the 4th night, Y/N and Tanjiro ran through the woods with their guard up. Y/N's gut started tingling (I'm holding my laughter in, guys) as he unsheathes his sword and halts. Tanjiro stops beside him, his sword now ready.

"You smell anything?" Y/N asks

Tanjiro sniffs the air around them but finds nothing, he shook his head as Y/N kept looking around for a moment. He jumps up and landed on a thick branch of a tree, gaining the advantage to look below him.

"What's wrong-"

"Keep your guard up! Something isn't right!" he shouted from above. This gave Tanjiro to focus and held his sword ready for anything.

Y/N still feels that something isn't right, and if he ignores it, they might end up dead next. 10 seconds later, he looks down and scan the ground, then he saw it.

"Tanjiro! Get away!" he warns, Tanjiro jumps away in time as the ground in front of them rises to reveal a demon hiding underneath it.

 "Damn it! I thought both of you would be foolish enough to proceed further. No matter, I can just do it the old way" the demon says as it has spikes all over its body.

"Water Breathing - Fourth Form: Striking Tide, Turbulent" Tanjiro charges and unleashes consecutive strikes and slashes onto the demon's spikes but the demon swat him to the side.

Y/N jumps off from the tree and changes his stance mid-air to perform the form he'll use, "Flame Breathing - Third Form: Blazing Universe" but the demon moves away, only managing to slice its left arm off.

He landed on the ground and raised his sword to block the demon's kick, which sends him a few feet away. Tanjiro after getting up switches with him and charges for a final attack on the demon as its body slowly regenerates.

He saw the string that is connected to the demon after getting close enough for his sword to made contact with the demon, "Water Breathing - First Form: Water Surface Slash" he slashed the demon's head off, killing it.

As every night passed, their strength is spent on killing demons. What made it worse is that they can't stay in one location for long or else they might get surrounded or outnumbered. Also rationing the food and water they have for it to reach till the 7th day.

-=-

The 5th night came, Y/N leads the way and Tanjiro follows behind him guarding their flanks. Tanjiro caught a scent of rotting that made him want to puke.

"Uwaaah! Run!" an examinee ran out from the bushes in front of them, with a look of pure fear on his face. "Why is there such a huge demon?! I didn't sign up for this!" he shouted while trying to get away from something.

Until a big hand came out of the bushes and grabs the fleeing examinee by the leg. Pulling him up in the air. Tanjiro unsheathed his sword while repeating the same words in his head, 'Save him, save him, save him!' as he dashes forward.

"Water Breathing - Second Form: Water Wheel" saves the examinee by slicing the arm that holds him up. Standing in front of the cowering examinee with himself.

"That is one ugly demon" Y/N speaks out his mind, as the demon with a body made of hands came out of the shadows with killing intent.

"Oh my. Two little foxes came to the Final Selection? Goodie!" the hand demon said, releasing an evil snicker.

Y/N, with his sword already unsheathed, stands ready but kept his distance. Analyzing the demon that stood in front of him, this is different than the demons they killed along the way.

-=-

Author-kun: Surprise! Yes, a cliffhanger. I think... Sorry not sorry, loyal reader! Ehe~ Bye now~

Oh, and don't forget to comment what you think about this chapter! I always love to interact with you guys!