Demon Slayer:Multiverse crossover

Time, like water, flows silently through the corners of life, unnoticed until it's gone. In the blink of an eye, a month had already passed.

By June, the weather had grown unbearably hot. The air was thick, cicadas had begun their endless chorus on campus, and the heat made everyone irritable and restless.

The grade competition was just around the corner.

---

"He Guang, are you sure you'll make it into the top ten this time?"

It was lunchtime. James and Shido Kazuhiro sat under the shade of a tree, enjoying the homemade heart-shaped bento prepared by Mochizuki. The carefully drawn heart inside made it clear how much effort she had put into it.

"Well… I'm not sure," Shido admitted with a sheepish smile. "Everyone's been training hard. I'm expecting a real fight this time."

Over the past month, both Shido and He Guang had reduced their part-time work hours and devoted themselves to swordsmanship training. Although James occasionally offered guidance, how much they improved ultimately depended on their own understanding and hard work.

"Just do your best," James said calmly.

Simple, but wise advice. Do your best—and leave the rest to fate.

"James-san will be fine, right? I'll be cheering for you from the sidelines."

The boys chuckled as they talked about the upcoming competition, a lighthearted tone covering their shared anxiety. It was the same nervous energy felt before a final exam—tension disguised as small talk.

When it came to rankings, every student harbored their own ambitions and grudges. No one wanted to see others surpass them.

Well, almost no one. For some, like James, the gap between him and the rest was so vast that most students simply regarded him as a god—someone in a league of his own. Competing with him never even crossed their minds.

---

That afternoon, in the practical class, Mr. Yuanshan handed out several documents detailing the upcoming competition's rules.

"The rules remain unchanged!" he said firmly. "But I hope you will be different this time!"

After a brief pause, he added with passion, "This competition is more important than any before. Especially for those of you with real ability—I want you to show the courage to fight for something greater!"

Everyone in the room knew who he was talking about: James and Shido Kazuhiro, the two strongest students in Class 1.

"Yes, sir!" the class responded in unison.

James glanced at the papers in his hand, reading through the detailed rules.

All Category A students were required to participate. Unless they had a special exemption, failure to compete would automatically place them at the bottom of the rankings.

The competition was divided into three stages:

1. Point-based preliminary rounds

2. Elimination rounds

3. Final ranking battles

In the point rounds, a student would earn 1 point for every opponent defeated. Once a participant had accumulated enough points, they could advance to the knockout stage.

If someone failed to collect enough points, their ranking would be based on their final point total. In cases where students had equal points, a tiebreaker match would determine who advanced.

In the knockout round, opponents were randomly assigned. Winning meant immediate advancement; losing meant elimination. This continued until only 32 students remained.

However, the rules allowed for a twist: defeated students could challenge the remaining 32. If they won, they would take the challenger's spot. If they lost, they'd be placed at the bottom of the elimination rankings.

From there, the final 32 would battle it out for ranking in a standard tournament format:

32 → 16 → 8 → 4 → 2 → Champion

James nodded. The structure was strict but fair. It also gave underdogs a fighting chance—those who had bad luck early on could still claw their way back. In short, it all boiled down to four words:

Survival of the fittest.

He flipped to the second document that Mr. Yuanshan had discreetly handed him. This one was marked "Confidential: Kanto Competition."

This joint tournament included six eastern counties of Sekigahara Prefecture, including their own Tianshui County. It would be held after the Shensakura Unified Examination.

Each school would send top-performing students. Those who won at the Kanto level could be directly admitted to Tokyo Prefectural High School as special students—the number one high school in the entire Shensakura nation.

That alone made the competition intense. But what followed was even more serious.

Tianshui County No. 1 Private Junior High School had been granted 32 seats to participate in the Kanto Tournament.

County Junior High was allowed a similar number.

Other schools in the county would have varying quotas depending on their past performance.

The file also included detailed information on rival schools, prominent students, and competitors who required special attention.

---

"James-san, are you done reading?" Shido and He Guang walked over to him.

"I'm done," James replied, folding the documents.

"This is the first time I've heard about the Kanto Tournament," Shido muttered, his eyes wide. "If I make it there and get into Tokyo Prefectural High, it'd change my life completely."

James gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. "One step at a time," he said, as if reading Shido's mind.

Shido nodded, realizing that now wasn't the time to dream too far ahead. First, they had to focus on the grade competition and the Shensakura Unified Exam.

"I'll do my best!" he said with renewed determination.

James silently agreed. Though he was confident in his abilities, he wasn't eager to go to Tokyo alone. The thought of starting over without any familiar faces was a little... lonely.

Time ticked on.

And now—

The competition was finally beginning.

---

On a clear, cloudless day, the stadium buzzed with excitement.

The immense venue—Hall 10, second only in size to the central arena—was packed with nearly 10,000 students, all young, vibrant, and beautiful in their youth.

The noise was deafening.

The tiered seats surrounded the central platform. On the main podium sat more than a dozen figures—teachers of exceptional skill, as well as the principal, vice-principals, and top school administrators.

Mr. Yuanshan sat among the teachers' section beneath the stage.

Suddenly—

"Quiet!"

A calm yet powerful voice echoed across the entire stadium.

A white-haired man in reading glasses slowly rose to his feet. He looked unassuming at first glance, but a sharp gleam in his eyes made it impossible to underestimate him.

This was Vice-Principal Shinji Nitta, a second-level expert.

He hadn't spoken loudly, yet his voice reached every corner of the venue, silencing the crowd instantly. It was a demonstration of immense presence and power.

"I now declare the Tianshui County No. 1 Private Junior High School Grade Competition officially open!"

A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Contestants, please enter!"

Over 3,000 students marched out from the lower gates and filled the center of the massive arena.

"Next, I will explain the rules and precautions."

Vice-Principal Nitta spoke in a steady, commanding tone, going over each important detail clearly and concisely.

"Remember: Stop when you've reached your limit!"

The warning was clear. Injuries and even disabilities weren't necessarily forbidden—just death. In this supernatural world, advanced healing meant serious damage wasn't the end of the world.

As James stood in the middle of the massive crowd, feeling the eyes of tens of thousands upon him, a strange sense of thrill surged through his chest.

This—

This was the stage of the strong.

---

"Now, please receive your battle wristbands," an announcer said.

Staff members began distributing a watch-like device to each student. It had a small LCD screen and immediately began scanning.

> "Scanning... Scan successful!"

"James – Data entry in progress..."

"Entry successful. Matching..."

"Match successful!"

A digital voice chirped from the device:

> "James, your match today will be held in Hall 1. Estimated start time: 9:30 AM.

Please arrive on time. Late arrival will be considered a forfeit."

> "Note: Start time may change dynamically. Please monitor your device for updates."

On the top left corner of the screen, it read:

Progress: Points Stage

Top right corner:

Current Points: 0

The competition... had officially begun.

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

pàtreøn (Gk31)