บท 106: Training arc
[3rd POV]
The sun shone brilliantly in the sky, casting a green glow on the vegetation. On this day, the Demon Slayer headquarters was bustling with activities as servants moved around from one place to another.
All of the Hashiras, except Shinobu Kocho and Seiji Shigan, were gathered in a meeting. They all stood in front of the main building, their presence worthy of the finest warriors humanity could offer.
They had just received rather shocking news so there was silence. Until a voice exploded and broke the serenity.
"Upper Moon 6?! What the HELL!!!" Sanemi screamed with veins popping all over his face.
"He just got out from the hospital!! How did he manage to slay another Upper Moon!!"
Every Hashira present looked at Sanemi with varying degrees of amusement. In truth, they also had a reaction to the news and Sanemi freaking out was a good distraction.
"Apparently, Seiji encountered them while he was on a date with his fiance Mitsuri. We knew there was a strong demon lurking in that area but didn't know it was an Upper Moon," Lady Amane, who had come to deliver the news in place of Ubuyashiki said with a measured tone.
"Did he come back to report?" Giyu asked, his face unreadable to everyone other than Seiji.
"No, his Kasugai crow came back in his stead and reported the news. He himself seemed to be preoccupied with other important things 'I am finding the final puzzle,' or so he describes what he is doing,"
"Although he said he was coming back in a few days," she added.
If one looked closely, you could see that Giyu was disappointed. He was someone who missed his friends, well, in his case a friend, as Seiji was really the only one he was close with.
But the last part put a microscopic smile on his face.
"I see. That means he was not injured much during the fight like last time, I'm glad," Giyu said with a satisfied nod. Even though he couldn't see him, the knowledge that Seiji was okay put him at ease.
It was rarely mentioned but for someone who was used to losing the people he cared for, the safety of a friend meant much.
Well, that includes almost everyone in the Demon Slayer Corp really. They were just a bunch of broken people trying to fix the world because they didn't know how to fix themselves.
Everyone had lost people they loved.
"Why is he the only one who gets lucky damn it!! I am the one with special blood, Upper Moons should flock around me instead!" Sanemi said with gritted teeth.
It might look like he was being petty and too competitive with Seiji. But deep down, he was frustrated that demons were targeting Seiji. Sanemi didn't want him to bear the burden alone.
If there was anyone who deserved the burden, it should be him. The boy who killed his own mother.
'So why do you keep going after Seiji!! Come to me!' Sanemi thought to himself.
Rengoku nodded once, twice, and acknowledged the fire burning in Sanemi's heart. Although Sanemi was bad at expressing himself, he understood Sanemi's feelings.
"I think it's better this way. It's much safer that the strongest among us was the one who encountered them, if not there may have been causality and we may even lose a Hashira," Giyu said.
The others also seemed to agree with that statement but that was only the logical part of them. Another part of them was not satisfied either.
"Your words hold truth. But it is also frustrating for me, as someone who is the oldest amongst the Hashira. I'd rather risk my life fighting an Upper Moon too, instead of leaving everything to young Seiji," Gyomi said, his hands bulging as he prayed.
"Indeed, Seiji is the strongest of us but first and foremost, he is our friend. We can't let him do everything on his own, we have to catch up!!" Rengoku declared with a raised fist.
Everyone agreed with that statement. They shared the same title and duty, therefore they couldn't let Seiji do everything himself. Otherwise, how would they dare rub shoulders with him?
Seiji had now set a standard that they had to meet. His mere existence in this world was causing changes.
It was like being at the peak of a mountain. The Hashiras were at that peak, they didn't know how else to climb higher, so they stagnated.
But then Seiji came in, climbing even higher and reaching higher peaks which they didn't know were possible.
With that example, they now had a higher goal to strive for. Sometimes, it was not just a strong enemy that force you to grow, but also a strong ally.
"My husband proposed a new arrangement, where everyone will have the chance to learn from each other. That way, you can help one another in growing stronger," Lady Amane said.
"You will all be partnered with another Hashira in your missions and your goal will be to push each other to new heights. I understand your competitive nature to grow stronger but you also have a bigger reason to do so."
Every gaze hardened at that and they knew what it was.
"Demons." Lady Amane said, "They are getting more active and higher-rank demons are also increasing in number. With the movement of the twelve kizukis, humanity needs you all to be stronger than ever. This generation is now officially the most dangerous one, "
Every heart burned with new intensity.
In the canon timeline, it would've taken the attack on the swordsmith village and the looming threat of the demon king for the Hashrias to start a new training. But this time, due to the influence of Seiji, it was already here.
As demons sharpen their claws in the dead of the night, the demon slayers also sharpen their swords.
The final battle was on the horizon.
..
..
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[3rd POV]
(Training ground of the Demon Slayer Headquarters)
A flash of violent green, a rope of calm blue, and then a chain of bright yellow.
These colours clashed amid the giant cloud of dust that came alive due to the ongoing battle. The incredible forces of nature battled for dominance.
The winds were not winds, they were blades that sliced everything in the atmosphere. You could hear the bizarre sound of a river flowing and crashing on the battlefield.
A constant shockwave spread through the surroundings. One would feel their skin burning with each wave of the air, there was an explosive roar at the centre of chaos.
*BOOOOOM!!*
Giyu was violently sent out from the smoke like a ragdoll and a blur of green and yellow followed right after.
Giyu planted his feet on the ground and used his momentum to slide across the ground as if it were liquid. He easily changes direction with incredible mobility. The green blur that was on his tail exploded in his previous location as Giyu dodged, one second late and it would've hit him.
But Giyu had a serene expression on his face as if he was just hit by a gentle breeze. He adjusted the way he held his sword and clashed against the yellow blur that came instantly.
Steel ground against steel and produced a bright spark. Giyu's hand shook as he barely stopped the intensity behind every swing of Rengoku's sword.
"Hey, do you think maybe we shouldn't use our real swords?" Giyu asked.
"I don't know, either way, I won't hurt you!!" Rengoku beamed a smile and contrasting to his smile, he put more force behind his sword, causing Giyu's arm to shudder under the weight.
"Dumbass, if we used wooden swords we won't be able to go all out." the smoke cleared up and the green blur was revealed to be Sanemi.
"And how can we get stronger without even going all out?" Sanemi finished with a broad smile on his face.
Giyu pivoted on his heels and redirected the linear force pressing on him to the side. Rengoku fell forward due to momentum but with a quick spin of his sword which was blocked again by Giyu, he repositioned himself.
"Actually, we can practice our techniques instead of trying to kill each other," Giyu said.
"Oh, and how has that been going for you? Can you claim to be stronger than me?" Sanemi asked with a growl to which Giyu could not answer.
Because he was not stronger than Sanemi.
"And I am not trying to kill you," Sanemi added, or more like ordered him to acknowledge that fact. Giyu still remained silent.
Because he was doubtful of that claim.
"Stop nerding over techniques, we need to sharpen our battle instincts. That's the only way we can grow stronger," Sanmei said.
Amongst the Hashiras, Gyomei and Tengen had already teamed up and went out for missions. Shinobu was a medic so she was exempted from the training programme.
That left Sanemi, Giyu and Rengoku. It was an odd number so they couldn't pair up, they needed Seiji.
And since Seiji was absent, the three decided to spend a day or two sparring against each other while they waited for his return. They even slept in the Demon Slayer headquarters last night.
"Enough chit-chat, why don't you two come together at me?" Sanemi said while flashing a smile that should belong to a demon instead of a demon slayer.
"If that's what you want, comrade," Rengoku was the first one to respond and he matched Sanemi's smile with his own heroic grin.
Although he did not say it, he was extremely fired up training with the two swordsmen whom he still looked upon as superior to him. He was going to take advantage of this sparring session to the fullest.
With a blur of speed and scorching force, he exploded towards Sanemi. The Wind Hashira never dropped his smile and welcomed Rengoku with a hurricane made to dismember body parts.
"I still think we should use wooden swords..." Giyu muttered to himself while looking at the ongoing battle. It looked dangerous.
"...."
*BOOM*
*CLASH!!*
SHING!! SHING!!
KREEEH!!
"Why don't you try harder newbie!!"
"Of course, my passionate comrade!!"
*BOOOOOM!!*
"You are pissing me off!!"
"I see, but it seems to be working. The flame in your heart is blazing brighter and brighter!!"
*BOOOOOM!!!*
'I think that's just his anger Sengoku,' Giyu continued watching the battle with flat eyes.
'They are really going at it,' he thought to himself.
In the end, he decided to drop all guards and join in. They seemed to be having fun and for once, he wanted to join.
Maybe this was what they called hanging out with friends.
"Water Breathing : Eleventh Form," Giyu muttered to himself and as soon as those words fell, the world stilled.
Rengoku and Sanemi immediately stopped their clash and turned towards Giyu, or at least to the place where they thought Giyu was.
He was not there anymore.
What abruptly shifted their attention to Giyu was not a sense of danger. The sudden explosion of someone's bloodlust and presence could be scary, like Seiji's. But what was even scarier was the complete erasure of it.
Yes.
Giyu had suddenly gone completely out of their sense and that shook them completely.
"Dead Calm," Giyu appeared in front of them.
There he was, in front of them. But Sanemi and Rengoku could not move. Their mind and body refused to believe in the existence of Giyu at that moment.
Even when they saw the danger, their body refused to acknowledge it.
Giyu continued his attack, slow and steady. In the chaotic battle, there was calm and that was the most dangerous thing.
It seemed the fight was going to be over until Sanemi's body suddenly exploded into action. His arms whipped, faster than sound and blocked Giyu's sword.
He forced his body - which was trained only to react when necessary - to react to what his body deemed to be nothing.
*BOOOM!!*
"Finally decided to get serious huh? You sure are dangerous," Sanemi said as they pushed against each other.
Rengoku was blasted away by the shockwave a few meters away and he watched everything with wide, focused eyes. He was learning, rapidly at that.
"You are the one who said to give you everything," Giyu said, "So here you go,"
The Water Hashria disappeared again, leaving Sanemi to react to nothing. This time, he reacted to the wrong nothing by slashing at his right side, but Giyu appeared on his left side.
Right then, a blur of yellow crashed against Giyu and sent him flying away. It was Rengoku. His eyes were wide and shone bright, there was also a wide smile on his face.
There was no need to exchange words, Sanem and Rengoku blitz at Giyu together.
The sparring session continued after that, growing more and more intense with each second.
The Hashrias all had incredible endure so fighting for an hour was nothing to them. But after the hour mark, something suddenly changed again.
This time, the change was more drastic than when Giyu first revealed his eleventh form.
A new colour appeared on the battlefield.
A blur of purple.
..
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[IMAGES]
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