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Shout out to that one reader who spammed my DM for updates regarding this story
You do that again, I'll find your personal address and rape your dog
And then your cat, if you have one
_____________
I looked at the unblemished winter sky. Snow gently drifted down to the glazed ground of our training area, caking it in a pristine white blanket
My form shivered slightly at the accompanying chill. Some of my sweats perspired during training was now frozen into droplets of ice that hang from my nose
It was a winter day when I tasked both Sabito and Makomo with the usual breathing exercise. Mainly the action of maintaining high physical activities when put under low temperature to strengthen their lung
The chance that they would contract some random lung diseases are high. But since when have insurmountable odds stacked against your resident Shonen characters affect them?
It's not like any characters in Kimetsu no Yaiba died in Canon or anything, except a select few...but most certainly they do not concern me
...
...I hope Murphy didn't hear that
Having finished our training, both the children rest their sword upon my signal, and we went inside the house for some much-needed comfort. The door opened, welcoming us with warmth
The fire crackled as I put more firewood underneath it. Up above, whistling sound began reaching my ears, followed by the faint sound of bubbling water
It was peaceful days like these that I almost forgot I was put in a world of demon and other kind of fucked up monsters to survive
"Sabito, tend the fire for me"
"Yes, nii-san"
"Makomo. Get the dishes"
"Yes, nii-san"
The initial hassle of training these children were offset by their usefulness in mundane life. I put them to hell and back, and in return I have free servants who would tend to my chores. It was a win-win in my book
For reasons connected to some bullshit from Japanese culture, they have taken to calling me Nii-san, which means "Supreme Lieutenant Cookie of the Rainbowdash Army" in their native language
...Or something like that. I don't know. Speaking weeaboo's language is not my specialty
"I believe you have grasped the basics regarding Water Breathing Style?"
As Makumo hastily brought back the bowls, I brought out the soup using the wooden ladle and poured it into their utensils. Smoke billowed out into the air as I closed the lid on the stove
"We've been training the basics for weeks now" Sabito rolled his eyes. He blew at the steaming hot soup "Don't you think it's time for us to move on to the more advanced stuffs? Like, the rest of the Breath style aside from the three you taught us?"
"I'm afraid that's impossible"
"Why?" The little girl joined in. She looked at me with wondrous curiosity in her eyes
I began to feel nervous under his and Makumo's combined stare. Unconsciously, sweats gathered near my palm where they can't see it
Yes, it is true that for the last few months I've been having them practicing the three forms of Water Breathing Style, like Water Surface Slash, Water Wheel, and Flowing Dance in an effort to introduce them to swordsmanship
But the mentioned problem here is that I've been doing so for months. That's a long time to go over what is supposed to be the fundamentals to a Breath Style
And the reason why...and the reason why is...
"Here, take this scroll. Teach Sabito and Makomo the first three breath form when I am gone" He paused for a moment "I should be returning in a week top, so do take your time doing so"
It's been somewhat less than half a year and I've already ran out of things to teach these small kids. Contrary to the man's "a week", I found myself sweating bullet at the lack of new material for them
There's no way out of this, is there? Even if I get all honest with then, it would prove me an incompetent teacher
So, maybe it's best if I just...roll with it, you know?
Clearing my throat, I fixed the two children before me with a stern look. Their posture straightened per force of habit as I assumed my lecturing stance
"You are asking me about why I have yet to further your training" I began
"It is because the two of you have not grasped the basic yet"
"What?!" Sabito, clearly not expecting such a blunt answer, shot up from his seat. The soup sloshed wildly in his hand. "But you said we are improving! Isn't it time we get to learn the other Breath forms?"
"I said there are certain improvements in your style, but not to the degree I would find acceptable for higher evaluation" I calmly pointed out, eyes flicking at the girl beside us
"Makomo, if you'll please?" The girl nodded, her grip on his shirt tightened
"Sit down, Sabito. Nii-san isn't done speaking yet"
The scarred child hesitantly acquised when her hand did not leave his shirt. He sat down with great reluctance. Still, those golden, vicious orbs still stared at me, demanding an explanation
"Firstly, in terms of skill level, where would you rank yourself on a scale of below average, average, and above average, in regards of your age group?"
"Above average" / "Maybe average?"
Two separate replies sounded out.
The former replied with confidence. The latter, not so much. Yet still, the two of them stared ahead toward me with great conviction in their combat prowess
I only smiled at this, amused as to such overconfidence exuded from these delusional youths. To be so young and brash is both a blessing and a curse, it seems
"Wrong"
My answer caused their eyes to widen
"The correct answer is trash. You're both equally terrible at the art of Water Breathing" I breathed out, ignoring the quiet 'How dare you' coming from Sabito "Your skill as it is does not even hold a measure to a trained soldier"
What if a special force US marine were to bust down the door right now and spray at them with his tactical M4 carbine?
What if a Blackhawk have possession of our coordinate and carpet bomb the house we're in?
What if we were ambushed by an M16 Vulcan firing their 20mm rounds at a pace of 6,000 RPM?
Such deadly possibilities make it worth to consider the validity of their strength
If you can't deflect bullets midair, your chance of surviving on the battlefield is zero. Demons are more dangerous than Taliban fighters, and that's a fact
"But we have training! You basically drilled physical exercises into our heads and forced us to practice it daily months ago!"
"Swinging your stick repeatedly for some time does not automatically make you a skilled swordsman" I interrupted calmly "It only makes you a competent one. Similarly, knowing all the skills needed for a certain Breath Style does not equate to you being a master at it yourself"
They were still not convinced, I thought, staring at those defiant expressions on the youngster's faces
"Then prove it" Sabito challenged "Prove that we are no match for you. What can you do that we can't"
My hand blurred forward
There was a crisp clang I set down the wooden bowl in front of them, causing the children to jump in shock
It was an action that caused unease to creep across the children's face. So sudden is my movement that they did not react when I pushed the ware forward
"This bowl of soup is evil"
"What--"
"This bowl of soup is EVIL!"
Silence reigned under the pressure of my Killing Intent. Crushing all resistance in its path
I exhaled and smiled
"Now, evil is a subjective terms rarely used to describe inanimate objects" I began "For the sake of the argument, let's assume this ware has it's own conscience. I want you to imagine the most despicable things to have graced humankind, and then redirect that thought toward this"
Their eyes followed the gesture of my hand toward the unassuming object, mixed with momentary confusion and resignation
"All the most heinous, insidious plot ever to exist. Think of your worst experience. Multiply it by tenfold. The bowl is the most vile of them all. The bowl is evil, and so is the soup. They are both EVIL!"
My bellow echoed across the empty chamber
Just for that split second of madness, I have enough time to contemplate about my life choices, and send my appreciation to all those times doing RP on the Internet
I saw the confusion faded in their eyes as both children began contemplating the hypothetical scenario
"Alright, so how will you go to deal with this Evil?"
"I will strike it down with my sword!" Sabito amswered while imitating the familiar Breathing stance with his chopstick
A muscle-head
"I will attempt to talk to it" Makomo added with slight hesitation "If I can sympathize with it, surely the bowl will lean of the right way and desist all Evil"
A girl with Talk no Jutsu
Both are viable plan. In fact, the approach reflects the two choices in dealing with your everyday hardship present in the two children in front of me, which is the reason why I had presented them with this test
While Sabito is the straightforward type, Makomo show a hint of subtlety in her approach. Both choices are ultimately made with the same intention and goal
But, as a certain crackhead once said, just because you're correct doesn't mean you're right. There's no real answer to this question
When a question doesn't have a right answer, the best answer is not to answer at all
"What will you do, Nii-san?"
I leaned back at the question sent my way
"Nothing"
"Nothing?"
"The bowl is evil, but it's a bowl" I shrugged "Why should I care about confronting a bowl over a simple moral dilemma? That's just stupid"
"..." Both kids had their mouth agape. I gently closed them, so as not to let a stray fly inside
"You still don't have a proper understanding of your purpose. That's the entire point of the training I gave you" I said to the two in front of me
Memories of the demon I killed crossed my mind
The way he screamed when I crushed his balls is a vivid memory I want to get rid of
"Tell me. When you swing your sword, whom do you imagine as your target"
The demon would be the obvious answer. However, everyone have their own demon, twisted by their own hatred and resentment
When we are battling demon, it is also a battle against the darkness inside each of us
The soup is the inner devil that resides in each and every human, and the bowl is our battle against it
"Think about your resolve. Ask yourself. If you go with it, would you be able to shoulder the burden of guilt?"
Unlike death, life is a fickle thing that could be blown off like a candle
Just like this soup in front of me. One sip and it will go away, as transitory as a raindrop in a desert
"When you have found your purpose, I'll teach you the rest of the seven Breathing forms. That...is my promise as your senior brother"
And so I finished speaking, soon returning to my meal with a quiet air of grace
The children's eyes glazed over. They bowed down their head, as if recently being imparted with a rare touch of wisdom from an esteemed saint
The single, tiny droplet of sweat running down my face went unnoticed by them
Please return home quickly, Sakonji
I don't think I can keep on bullshitting these kids for long
____________
The two children have stopped asking questions about my repetitive training course, much to my surprise
Sprouting a bunch of deep, philosophical bollocks so they will stop questioning me turns out to be better than I imagined
I...am surprisingly good at these kind of things aren't I?
Nevertheless, while I was teaching Sabito and Makomo about swordplay, I myself have been training extensively to catch up with the timeline
If I'm not mistaken, I would be turning seven this year. Once four more years have passed I would be at the minimum age to participate in the Final Selection, after which I'll become a full-fledged demon slayer
But I want to advance further than that.
I need to collect a lot of souls if I want to grow stronger
And to collect souls, I need to kill demon. As it is I am stuck here practicing swordsmanship day by day, further weakening myself to the standard of human. You need to cut meat with a blade before you can determine whether it's a good blade or not
Perhaps I have been desiring to kill some more demons since then
Ding!
Killing Intent (D) has reached a boundary
Evolving into Killing Intent (C)
Your presence cause others severe discomfort. For those of the weakminded, the fear can cause them to be temporarily incapacitated
- Enemies are staggered for 60% longer
- When exposed to this skill for longer than 5 seconds, weaker targets suffer damage penalty
I looked down at the trembling animal held in my hand
"I'm sorry, little one"
With a small, subdued crack, I snapped the bunny's neck in a perfect 180. From the limply hanging head, its lifeless eyes now seemingly staring into the deepest depth of my soul
...if I even have one that is
The ethereal flash of the crescent blade cleaved through its soul like butter, scattering it across the air like wisps of smoke as my scythe savor in the taste of its prey
"Hm. No EXP. maybe the level difference was too substantial?" I frowned in confusion
Reaping the thing's soul earn me absolutely nothing
Sighing, I threw the rabbit over my shoulder for some stray animals to eat on
"wonder if only a demon's soul will suffice now"
Apparently there's a limit to when your harvest against harmless opponent result in diminishing return. This is the stage where bigger games are required, such as bears, deers, demons, and the likes
The EXP gained from Souls is based on the complexity of the life form from which they came from. Just last week I have to give up on killing ants because they no longer give me anything, so now I have no choice but to switch target
A few human or large animal souls will theoretically advance me to the next level. But to hunt one of them would mean I'll have to go to the other side of the mountain, which takes quite a long time to reach, and it's quite dangerous with all those scary demon roaming around as well
Hm...looks like I'll need to prepare some more
_________________
One week later, Sakonji returned
I stared at the hunched figure sitting by the fire. He was soaked by the snow and is now clutching a cup of tea in his hand, slightly shaking from the cold from the journey.
"With how long you were gone, I thought you were definitely dead or something"
"Foolish student of mine" Shaking his head ruefully, the old man admonished me "People only die if they are killed"
"Foolish old man" I replied back with a grin "Just because you are right doesn't mean you're correct"
Doth not cite the deep magic to me, demon slayer. I was there when it was written!
Sabito and Makomo looked back and forth between their nii-san and the old man dishing it out with amazement. It's amazing how the boy was able to come up with such illuminating facts on the spot
Before long, the conversation drowned out as the room's attention shifted to its newest occupant who was staring blankly at them
Tomioka Giyuu expressed no emotion as their gaze landed on him
"And who is this....emo?"
"He's Giyuu. From this day onward, he's going to train under your care"
"No" I growl
"Yes!" The children joyfully exclaimed
I facepalmed
"So the reason why you were gone for almost half a year was because of this kid?"
"Something like that" Sakonji replied "The Thunder Pillar and I have some official business to take care of in the North. Namely, the patrol there caught sight of a Demon Moon and require our assistance in tracking them down"
That got my attention. I peered at the stoic boy surrounded by Sabito and Makomo in curiosity
Demon Moon, hm? Speaking of which, their souls should make for a hefty meal. Perhaps if I can reap Muzan's essence and every demon under him...
I shoom my head to get rid of the stray thought
"And you stumble upon him" I dryly continued "Your Hero of Justice complex kicked in and you decided to adopt this poor poor child into your own home so that he don't have to feel lonely"
"..."
"I'm not being angry, Urokodaki-san. I anything, I'm glad you'd taken him in"
I allowed a smile on my face, feeling his suspicion on me
The Water Breathing trio in Canon has been completed. Now all they need to do is train themselves to the limit under Sakonji's guidance and fulfill their own plotline
Consequently, that means I myself am now free of my own duty
"After much contemplation I think I probably want to be a demon slayer. Probably"
_______________
Sakonji had excused himself out of the shed, as was I. Leaving behind the warmth of the shelter, we stood across each other beneath the evening sky, a clearing filled with snow the only thing separating between us
"You want to be a Demon Slayer" Slowly, he breathed out "That...was to be expected, but I don't think you know what our profession entails"
"You slay demon"
"Yes, that is what the term demon slayer comes from, but I'm not talking about that"
"For one, do you know that our wage are pretty abysmal?" A droplet of sweat rolled down my back as those eyes stared at me behind the creepy mask "Barely enough for you to get the required amount of nourishment a human need"
...Oh hell no...one of my greatest fear, economic instability
"W-well, it doesn't matter" Not like I need food and drink and sleep anyway, because I'm pretty much immortal in the human eye "As long as it is for the greater good, I can accept it"
Greater good = Greater EXP gain. Such an equation was omitted from leaking out.I'm sure there won't be any consequences
Apparently Sakonji accepted it at face value, seeing how he tilted his head in acknowledgement at me
"Then I suppose we shall find out here"
Before i knew it, a sword flew through the air toward me, caught by my hand. Across from me Sakonji took out his own wooden blade
"You against me. Let's see how far you manage to advance in my absence, young one"
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow "Does that mean that I can go all out?"
"I don't see a reason for you not to"
That was all the confirmation I needed. The blade in my hand rose in an overhead stance as I shfited my foot backward, mirroring the pillar's posture
Statistically speaking, the disparity of strength between us would put me at a disadvantage
Not only am I lacking the decade of experience from him, the Pillar standing before me is someone who have practiced all ten of the water rbeathing forms and mastered them to the limit, and me...well, my three form is not enough a contender against Sakonji
But if there's anything I can use against him, it is the fact that he does not know how much I've improved in that time
A 10 year old kid against a half-dead old man
Our battle will be legendary
A long gust of wind breezed by between us. As if spoken like a silent signal, we moved at the same time. I slashed up at the same time his sword descended down on me
The snow exploded outward as our blades impacted agains the other, grounding painfully against each other. We broke away from our opponent and stabilized our foothold for another clash
"Water Breathing, first form--" Water Surface Slash
"Water breathing, second form--" Water Wheel
Two simultaneous movement clashed, blowing up snow from their point of impact. I pushed him back and charged with a quick cut across his face to which the pillar easily evaded. He spun around and made a counter at my overextension
The attack arced through the air, deflected by a bare inch through the use of a sideway slash from me. I brought it up for a following slash that was parried by his guard. The force from my strike was able to push the old man back enough to buy some distance to which I used to prepare my next counter against his attack
Three more strikes followed in rapid succession, three resounding clangs indicate they were all deflected. I dashed forward through his guard and made for a stab that tore through his clothes, exposing the old man's hardened nipple--
OH GOD MY FUCKING EYES
A cry of pain tore through my throat as I was knocked down by the blunt edge of his blade. My sword managed to knock away four strikes before a foot slammed into my stomach and render me unable to fight on
I looked up
And standing atop of me is Sakonji, with his upper clothing torn to shred and exposing the two nibs on either side of his chest. The two nipples are gazing down at me sinisterly
"You've certainly gotten stronger" He started "I expect nothing less from you, (Y/n)"
Please cover your nipple...
"However, the journey ahead arduous and trying. The path of a Demon Slayer is open for you as long as you are willing to fight for it. To that I think you'll still need a few more years of training before you can be qualified for the Final Selection"
Why is your nipple getting harder...
"Let this be a valuable lesson for you. Humility and confidence in one's sword. To be able to know and understand your own ability is a crucial factor in becoming one with the sword. It's not easy as you would think"
Silence
...
"(Y/n)?"
The boy gazed at him with a broken look in his eyes
"Old man. Please wear a bra next time"
____________
Sakonji's shriveled up nipple and mental trauma aside, I'm sure this conversation with him just cement my decision to get involved with Canon
For the next three years I'll dedicate my training to learn the rest of the Water Breathing style before entering the final selection and become a full fledge Demon Slayer
Not only will I have the chance to change Canon for the better, I can use the Corp's intel network to locate powerful demons and reap their souks, thus empowering myself in the process. It's a win-win!
A win-win, I tell you. What's the worst thing that could happen?
____________
*sigh*
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