Seven People in a Week
Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen are capable of persistently hunting demons even in harsh combat situations, fearless of pain and death.
Their unwavering will is evident, and the origin of this will is mostly due to deep-seated hatred towards demons. Nine out of ten Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen are survivors of demon attacks.
This type of Demon Slayer Corps swordsman is driven by hatred, with their animosity towards demons surpassing their natural fear of death.
Besides this, there is another type of swordsman, like the Flame Pillar who comes from a lineage of demon-slayers, or people like Kurozawa who were adopted and raised by trainers from a young age. They initially have no hatred for demons, but as they grow older and their familiar comrades die at the hands of demons, hatred naturally begins to grow.
Ultimately, the steadfast will of Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen is almost entirely derived from hatred, with only a very small number driven by aspirations for the well-being of the world.
And Kocho Kanae is one of that very small number.
Her parents were attacked and killed by demons, and she and her sister were fortunate to be rescued. But Kanae, due to her inherent nature, let go of her hatred and chose to forgive the demons. In her view, demons attacking humans are simply driven by instinct. If this instinct could be controlled, perhaps humans and demons could coexist harmoniously.
When it comes to dealing with demons, Kanae has her own set of standards.
But regarding human affairs, Kanae had never given it any thought.
Her long-held belief was that a swordsman's Nichirin Blade is solely for slaying demons and must never be turned against their own kind. This is also why Kanae completely couldn't understand Kurozawa's reason for wiping out the entire Iguro Family.
But now, hearing Kurozawa's question, Kanae was momentarily caught in a dilemma.
"To stop it, I can only kill human believers."
"If I don't stop it, more human believers will sacrifice themselves because of this strange faith."
No matter how extensive her experience in dealing with demons was, she had never encountered a scenario like this.
Seeing Kanae unable to speak for a long time, Kurozawa urged, "Think, Kanae, think carefully. They are all humans, but on one side there are a few people, and on the other side there are many."
"Will you do nothing and let the majority die in vain, or will you take action and swing your blade to save them?"
Kurozawa was actually being tricky. His question was essentially the classic trolley problem from his previous life, just with slightly different circumstances. It was a normal reaction for Kanae to be unable to decide in the face of such a classic problem.
However, for Kurozawa, this kind of problem required basically no thought. He would definitely grab his blade and charge in directly.
Kanae hesitated repeatedly, and finally, under Kurozawa's lingering gaze, she softly said, "Perhaps I will break the rules of the Demon Slayer Corps... but after that, I will willingly accept the punishment."
"No matter how I choose, I don't want to see that outcome. But if it must be so, I will choose the lives of the majority. That is an unquestionable matter."
"I just hope I never have to make such a choice." She had her principles, but in special circumstances, she had the courage to break them.
Kurozawa nodded and, seeing that Kanae was still thinking, said nothing more.
If he faced a dilemma where the difficulty was such that he couldn't choose, Kurozawa might resort to something like rolling dice to make a random decision.
Time slowly passed, and soon it was past six in the evening.
In the summer, the sun still hadn't set, but the sky had visibly darkened considerably. It would likely be seven o'clock or later before it was completely dark.
Creak The door was pushed open, and the middle-aged man returned.
Inside the room, Kurozawa and Kanae simultaneously opened their slightly closed eyes. Both of them were using Breathing Techniques to temper their bodies. It had to be said, people who could reach this level wouldn't miss even the slightest opportunity for an increase in strength.
"When does the Sacred Selection start?" As the sun gradually dimmed, Kurozawa could already sense faint, almost imperceptible fluctuations of demonic Fighting Spirit. They were very subtle and couldn't be clearly distinguished, but he could vaguely sense them.
When the sky got darker and the sun hid behind the curtain, the fluctuations of demonic Fighting Spirit would be completely revealed to Kurozawa's senses.
"Soon, soon. I've already spoken to the people over there."
"Kanae can enter the Prayer Plaza, after all, she also believes in our divine religion."
The middle-aged man had gone out precisely so Kanae could participate in the Sacred Selection.
In the middle-aged man's view, Kanae's appearance and temperament were unlike anyone he had ever seen. The women who had been chosen for the Sacred Selection in the past were not as outstanding as Kanae. It was highly likely she would be chosen, and if he helped her, the possibility of being guided to the Paradise Divine Realm after death would be greater. Helping Kanae was helping himself, which was why he put in so much effort.
"Then, do I need to prepare anything for the Sacred Selection?" Kanae asked.
The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "No need. On this day, any eligible woman within the Prayer Plaza is automatically considered a participant in the Sacred Selection."
"There are far fewer women than men in our Lotus Town, about five thousand of them now. About half are of suitable age, so among the two thousand or so, the Cult Leader will choose seven to become Saintesses. After these Saintesses successively enter the Divine Realm, a new round of Sacred Selection will begin at the same time next week."
The population of Lotus Town was not small, nearly thirty thousand, far exceeding the population of typical mountain towns.
But among these thirty thousand people, there were only these five thousand-plus women... And seven were chosen each week. It was clear that Doma would eat one every day. Over time, the disproportionate number of men and women here would make sense.
Kurozawa looked at the middle-aged man: "From what you're saying, men can't enter the Prayer Plaza?"
The middle-aged man nodded: "You can usually go, but tonight only women are allowed inside. We can just watch from the periphery."
"Every time the Cult Leader conducts the Sacred Selection, it's like a miracle. You'll understand when you see it."
Kurozawa smiled faintly: "A miracle? That's something to look forward to."
He wanted to see how Doma would display a miracle, but no matter what, it would definitely be some kind of Blood Demon Art disguised as something divine.
He suppressed his own Fighting Spirit fluctuations, so Doma wouldn't be able to detect him with his abilities. No matter how strong Doma was, he didn't understand Fighting Spirit.
However, he still had to wait for Kanae to make the first move. He would secretly look for an opportunity to strike a heavy blow on Doma. Kanae, with her Higan Suzume Eye activated, would definitely not be killed instantly and would be capable of engaging Doma for a while.
"Let's go now. Because there are so many people, it will take some time to enter the Prayer Plaza one by one."
The middle-aged man walked out the door and gestured for Kurozawa and Kanae to follow.
At this moment, there were already many people on the streets of Lotus Town, both men and women, hurrying towards a certain direction. The men's faces showed excitement, and the women's faces were filled with anticipation.
Walking onto the street, the middle-aged man pointed in the direction of the crowd: "The Prayer Plaza is in the center of our Lotus Town, over there."
After that, the three of them mingled with the crowd and walked towards the Prayer Plaza together.
Kurozawa walked beside Kanae, a look of solemnity flashing across his eyes.
Up until now, everything had gone smoothly.
But the unease in Kurozawa's heart began to grow stronger. His Fighting Spirit perception told him that something bad was going to happen next.
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