As I ran towards the large temple in the distance, I looked down at the oversized scabbard swaying at my waist.
"Finally, a nichirin blade."
I entered through the gate and traversed through the vast courtyard. Eventually making it to the temple, in the heart of the compound was a crimson five storied pagoda.
Pink blossom petals drifted down, gently landing on the large pond which captured the orange shimmer of the setting sun.
Noise began to die down and I noticed people around me beginning to scurry away.
I saw them talk amongst each other and quickly pack their things and leave in a rush.
"They must've heard the rumours of the disappearances."
I waited calmly, holding the hilt of my new katana.
Eventually it became dark and after waiting a while, I realised nothing was happening, so I began to patrol around the area.
Lanterns lit my path until I decided to ventured out.
When I went behind the temple I found a cobbled staircase leading to a cemetery.
I knew something was off about it.
An alluring music emanated from behind the gravestones.
Every pluck released a soothing tone that enticed me. I found my legs naturally moving me to the source of the sound.
When I made it up the stairs, what greeted me was a woman, long black hair veiled her eyes and in front of her was a koto, a zither instrument which lies horizontal and has thirteen long strings.
She wore a kimono that hid her frail bones and her gaunt cheeks were ghostly white.
She was kneeling down, elegantly pulling on the silk strings.
"Hoho… it seems my music has brought me another guest."
She chuckled, whilst covering her mouth with pristine manners.
"Boy… do you think my music sounds good?"
"I don't care how it sounds."
Her fingers paused momentarily and her brows twitched.
It seems she has a complex about her music…
"So you don't like my music?! You're just like all the others!"
She suddenly resumed strumming at the koto, a symphony of noise flooded the air.
When the music played, the world tilted and my stomach churned, I could feel my legs tremble under my own weight. Like the feeling you get when you spin around for too long.
"Is she disorientating me?"
I slightly bent my knees down, pulling the blade a few millimetres out of its sheath, as a soft orange hue of the distant lantern lights reflected off the nichirin steel.
Pushing off the ground with all my force, I ran towards her with my hands to my clutched to the handle.
Thud!
But before I could reach her, it felt as though the distancing between us grew vast, the ground stretched beneath me and then… I fell forward. I thought I could brute force my way through the dizziness.
"Hoho, what a foolish child."
As she mocked me, I saw her finger hook on a silk string.
Twang!
With a harsh snap, the string tore and began to softly sway in the air.
The loose string started to meander in all directions, giving the impression of an uncombed mane.
Whilst I was still on the ground, the string burst towards me.
I swiftly turned my body, simultaneously swishing the katana at the white threads.
I weaved through her relentless attacks, the single string regenerated each time it was cut.
I leapt back and she once again resumed her music.
I promptly identified that the music was the cause of my imbalance so I covered my ears. And although I regained my footing , I now couldn't use my sword due to my hands blocking my ears.
I sprinted towards her nevertheless and as I inched closer, she began speeding up the tempo of the music, I could feel the vibrations pass through my palms.
Although her blood demon art was once again taking effect, it didn't phase me as much before due to the muffled noise only slightly messing up my sense of direction.
But once I reached within striking distance of her, another silk thread snapped once again.
Now two strings streaked through the air.
And this time I couldn't evade.
The combination of being disoriented and the close proximity of the attack didn't give me enough space to dodge.
The strings intricately spiralled around my body and a grim smirk crawled up the demons face.
Her hands rapidly moved, tracing the silk that attached firmly onto me.
And when she pulled back, the vibrations resonated sharply, coursing through my body.
My body went numb and I became stun locked.
I couldn't breathe any longer and I coughed out blood, the threads also went taut, rupturing my skin and joints as my body contorted.
I could hear the dripping of my blood slowly fade and feel my head involuntary slouch down.
"Oh, normally they scream with pain. But you're a strange one kid. Now then, if you don't admit my music is beautiful, I'll continue to tighten the strings"
"Oh my, it seems I may have gone overboard… I really wanted to hear your opinion about my performance."
*
"I'll give you an answer it's trash!— Wait what?! Oh… Im here again."
I looked at her veiled eyes and sickly complexion, her frail fingers rested on the koto.
So… this is my reset point now.
"Boy… do you think my music sounds good?"
"…"
"So you don't want to answer my question?! I'll show you the true beauty of my music!"
Before she begun strumming the strings, I covered my ears and sprinted towards her.
Like last time, she tore off a string and launched it towards me.
The hum of the strings travelled through the air but thanks to my ability to improve my flaws with each death, it was far easier to dodge. And as I approached, I saw her about to launch the second string.
The memory of what played out last time flashed in my mind and I instinctively leaped back.
The plucked string shot out and drilled into where I stood last, the grave stone which it pierced through crumbled.
"You're stronger than you look but I'll still make you admit my music is good."
I noticed that she has a major flaw, once she used a string to attack, it dwindles the amount of strings she can use to play her melody, lowering the effectiveness of her blood demon art.
So if I can make her use all the strings for an attack, it will give me my opportunity.
I focused my breath, lunging up into the air in an attempt to close the distance.
But as I was in the middle of the air, the third string whipped out, causing lacerations on my legs.
I miscalculated the speed of her attack and paid dearly for it.
And when I landed, the last thing I saw was the shimmer of white between my eyes, before my world turned to a familiar black.
…
*
Sigh… This is now my twentieth attempt at fighting her, I've managed to close the distance several times but with each extra string released, the difficulty to dodge exponentially increases.
"Boy… do you think my music sounds go—"
Before she asked her question I leapt forwards streaking my blade through the air.
I found my swordsmanship has increased a lot with each death, so when I struck my blade at her direction she had a fraction of a second to react.
Her hands rushed to rip off the cords of the koto releasing a harsh screech.
I knew the exact path of her attacks, so I evaded them with fluid motion and began to rapidly close the distance.
In a panic, she begun to play her music but with my hands glued to my ears, I continued my relentless pressure.
Eventually she tore off the strings one after another and it got to the point where she could no longer play any more music.
This was the furthest I got in my last death but now my body is evading each attack before I could even process it.
A barrage of silk shot out, spurred on by her growing unease.
"Argh! Just die already! How are you evading all these attacks?!"
Unfortunately for her however, nothing landed.
With my final step, I finally gapped the distance between us, the ground cracked beneath my feet, her mouth trembled as the edge of the katana slashed through her neck.
And with a damp thud her head landed to the floor rolling across.
"… I'm sorry, my music wasn't good enough."
She whispered out those final words before she disintegrated.
…
Pop!
"Finally! I've managed to destroy the gourd!"
It's been around a week since that battle and I'm finally back home. All I've been doing these past few days is blowing air into this damn gourd and today it finally tore open.
The final selection is in ten months and I really need to ramp up my training.
In order to get to Mount Fujisakane, it will take around half a month of pure running, so that leaves me with nine months of training. I would like to believe that I'm strong enough to pass the seven day trial but knowing my luck, I can never be too uncertain.
There's a bitter feeling in my mouth, after putting in all this effort, I realised that simply dying multiple times had yielded me more growth than any amount of effort I've put in from my training alone.
I'll continue nonetheless. I really wished I could've found a mentor before the final selection to teach me a breathing style. But once I'm in the demon slaying corps, I should manage to find someone to train me.
Nine months later
The seasons passed in a blink of an eye, it felt like yesterday that I had killed the koto demon.
Trees began to shed their leaves and the rice I planted was starting to ripen.
Thanks to my constant breathing, my recovery has boosted significantly and I have gained a lot of mass in response to my heavy training routine.
When I first decided to plough the fields with my bare hands I was getting strange looks from everyone.
Even Toji and his wife came to check up on me but I assured them I was alright.
And due to my intense training which also included wielding and swinging my new katana daily. I decided I was ready for the final selection.
I looked down at the pond with a sigh, my green hair was beginning to get long and unkempt, reaching my shoulders. I simply tied it off and prepared to leave.
I put on clean well-fitting clothes and set off, after giving one last bow to my parents grave.
I ran at a blistering pace, catching the attention of many travellers.
I rarely took breaks only the occasional nap and also purchase of food from street vendors.
Eventually after a month of constant running, I reached the mountain, lavender wisteria flowers drooped down and their herbal scent clung to my clothes as I brushed by.
I walked up the staircase slowly, looking up at the fading light coming from the crescent moon, shrouded by the misty sky.
"This is it. I'm finally here."
When I made it to the top of the staircase, wooden pillars encircled the examinees.
It seems I may have arrived slightly late. I scanned around the vicinity and there was a lot of people, everyone was of a similar age to me, many had scarred faces with the wear and tear expected of people trying to become demon slayers.
But one scarred participant caught my eye.
My eyes instantly widened when I realised who it was.
He had a mean scowl and pale white hair that was unruly, his face had a gnarly scar that was still fresh and his body was covered in healing gashes.
When he noticed my gaze linger for a few seconds too long, he furrowed his brows and snapped his head back at me giving me a threatening stare.
That was Shinazugawa Sanemi! The future Wind Hashira.
"I don't know if I'll manage to ever befriend that guy."
I quickly averted my gaze, continuing to walk ahead.
But it wasn't long before someone else entered my line of sights, with a white butterfly haori her long black hair was adorned with two butterfly hair pins. She had a gentle yet determined look in her violet eyes.
That's Kanae Kocho right? I had no idea they performed the final selection together.
So it seems I'm in the same generation as the Hashiras from the original series.
Shortly after reminiscing over familiar characters. A beautiful woman spoke out. She had a dead stare and white hair — Amane Ubayashiki.