Looming above us, perching on the top of a tree, was a grotesque bird-like demon, his face had slick eyes and a yellow beak that extended. As he swooped down towards us, the feathers on his two arms ruffled against the wind.
"Stay back! I'll handle this." , Sanemi pulled out his nichirin blade and took a deep breath in, leaping into the air, scattered leaves swirled forming a whirlwind around him as he launched up.
Wind Breathing: First Form - Dust Whirlwind Cutter
He dashed forward at blinding speed while spinning around, slashes continuously flew out horizontally, creating cyclone of gust that was reminiscent of a tornado, as consecutive slashes chopped the demon in front of him into pieces.
He then landed, cubes of disintegrating flesh followed shortly behind him, raining down from the sky.
"Woah… So that's what using a real breathing style looks like."
"Haha, Kousei you're kidding right, every demon slayer has mastered a breathing style."
"I don't think I mastered a specific breathing style."
"What? Seriously?! So how did your cultivator even allow you to enter the final selection?"
"I never had a cultivator , I went to the final selection my own volition after a kind demon slayer told me about it."
"Stop lying! I saw you use a breathing form when you killed those demons in the final selection!" Sanemi couldn't hold back his frustration any further and yelled.
"Oh! when I saved you right?" I said hitting my fist into my palms, "I came up with that breathing style on my own."
"You didn't save me! And It's not even possible to learn your own breathing style from scratch."
"I'm serious though, I came up with it on my own."
"How about we settle this with a match and prove your supposed skills, instead of listening to your boasting, first let's see if you're even capable." He challenged me, clutching at his blade.
"Woah woah, calm down! However, Sanemi is right, Kousei why don't you come to our dojo? I'm quite curious to see your skills myself."
"Yes! Ahem… I mean, I don't mind."
…
I was led to their training dojo, wooden training swords lined the walls and the scent of blood sweat and tears filled the air.
"Stop dawdling about and pick up a sword! Don't tell me you're scared now that you're here."
"Hmph! I'm not scared, in fact, let's make a wager, I'll stop bothering you if I lose… But if I win — you'll have to teach me your breathing style."
Sanemi's eyebrow twitched.
"Why are you so hesitant?" I said with a smirk.
"Shut up! I accept! Let's just fight already!"
I picked up a wooden training sword and faced the impatient Sanemi. His mean surly face was fiercer than ever.
Masachika stood between us, stiffly raising one arm up. Swinging his arm down he shouted for us to begin.
"Start!"
Woosh!
Like a storm of wind, Sanemi burst towards me with his sword raised to his shoulder.
I stood there welcoming him, right when the blade was nearing my face. Clack!
The sound of clattering wood rung out, I swiftly parried his strike making Sanemi stumble to my side.
The first thing that stood out to me was the sloppiness of his strike, after countless deaths my body has honed its senses and sharpened my striking.
So whilst he may have raw strength and speed, his inexperience is displaying itself in his attacks.
He continued assailing me with countless strikes before he decided to go serious.
Wind Breathing :Second Form - Claws Purifying Wind
Swinging up diagonally above his head, four near instant vertical slashes barraged down on me at once once, resembling fangs clamping down.
I leapt back, narrowly avoiding his assault, before launching my own counter attack.
Utilising the same muscle memory I learned in the water, my body moved with a deft precision, evading through the narrow gaps of his attacks before —
"Gah!"
The tanned wood collided with Sanemis abdomen knocking him down.
I pointed my blade down at his knocked down body.
"It's my win."
Sanemi got up instantly, pushing the sword out of his face with a irritated look etched on his face.
"Uhh Sanemi… are you alright?." Masachika nervously mumbled.
After pausing for a moment, Sanemi turned away and quietly muttered, "You got lucky this time… come here early tommorow," he stated as he calmly walked out.
However, I could see his fist clenched as he slid the door open and walked out, refusing to elaborate on his departing words.
The next day
Wack!
"Are you unable to feel pain?!"
This guy has been beating me none stop, if I even move an inch out of position I get whacked! No wonder he agreed so readily to my request.
I would've been so frustrated if I could feel pain but even so, just because I can't feel pain doesn't mean I'm immune to damage!
"Focus on sharp breaths!"
I stood in a slightly squatted position bracing my upper body.
In order to master wind breathing, you must first understand how wind works. Wind, like water, is fluid but unlike water it's a lot more thin. Due to this property, by nature wind is a lot more chaotic.
So implementing this in my breathing, I have to master the delicate balance of
turbulent yet fluid breathing.
Of course Sanemi didn't tell me this, Masachika was in the midst of his own training, swinging his wooden training sword and couldn't help but be amused watching Sanemi's cruel attempt at teaching. So he intervened and gave me tips.
But now he went off on his own, he's a higher rank than us, so gets more regular missions.
Leaving Sanemi here to continue his tyrannical teaching method.
"Hey Sanemi, I've been squatting here for hours! when are you going to teach me the different forms?"
Instead of answering my question he continued swinging his own sword, too absorbed in his own training to even respond to me.
I was about to open my mouth to complain again when—
"Caw! Caw! Mission! Head Northeast! Abandoned house inside outskirts of town! Rumours of demon!"
I jumped out of the breathing stance instantly and picked up my nichirin blade.
"Thank you crow! I love you!" I said with joy as I hugged the crow.
The crow began pecking at my forehead instead of reciprocating the feeling...
"Caw! Don't ever say that again! Caw!"
"AAh! Ok I get it!"
I waved the crow off my head, "Sanemi! are you coming along?"
"Tsk! Stop messing around! And how many times do I have to tell you to stop addressing me like we're familiar!"
…
We arrived to the outskirt of the town, and stared at the sturdy walled off gate that scaled the entrance.
Sanemi crouched down like he was about to jump over the gate.
"Wait! We can't enter just like that." I quickly shouted, stopping Sanemi with a hand on his shoulder.
"If you hadn't taken so long talking to those strangers we would've killed the demon by now!"
"That was necessary information."
On the way here, I asked local residents about the backstory regarding this house.
Apparently it belonged to the son of a former Samurai's.
The son was a notorious scumbag and walked around in Samurai armour, still stuck in the past. He developed this delusion when his father died in a rebellion against the government well over twenty years ago.
However that was in the past.
Now recently, people have been going missing near his estate and there has also been no sign of him.
The Meiji restoration marked a significant turning point, many laws passed during this time which aimed to westernise the country.
Due to this, the government had practically eliminated the special rights and privileges of the samurai, taking away their positions of power in the military, stripping their right to wear a sword in public and taking away their rights to get away with crimes.
Naturally there was backlash by the samurai against these changes and against the government itself. Their worries about their finances and privilege finally burst, resulting in a rebellion. Samurai led forces faced off against western style armed forces and failed miserably.
Anyways, that was the reason I stopped Sanemi.
"Were you not listening to what they were saying? The guy that lives here is a lunatic."
"Tch, like I care! I'm going in."
The red wooden gate opened with a creak, revealing the neglected front garden with an algae filled pond and untrimmed grass, swaying with the gentlest of breeze.
Bristling past the wilted cherry blossom tree, we walked through to the ominous path at the entrance.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
"Stop wasting time."
Sanemi slid open the door and walked ahead.
The first thing that stood out was dark interior, water seeped through the gaps between the wooden panels of the ceiling, causing an eerie dripping.
In the central main room, the noise of our steps dampened from the tatami straw mats lining the floor.
As we continued further, we began searching the rooms, each one divided off the main one by sliding doors.
Eventually we reached the main living quarter, the room was mostly unadorned, except for one thing in particular.
What looked like armour stand, hosting a full set of dark blue samurai armour with red accents, stood in the centre of the room.
Clink!
"Uhh… why did it just move?"
"Get out of my way! It's a demon!" Sanemi yelled as he sprinted past me and swung his sword.
Clang!
The sound of metal on metal reverberated and the demon responded with a prompt kick at Sanemi.
He blocked with crossed arms and slid back a few metres.
A pair of crimson eyes flashed out from the darkness of the helmet.
"Why are there filthy commoners encroaching my residence!"
Sanemi didn't give him any time to babble, he darted towards him again.
Wind Breathing Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash
Leaping into the air, he slammed down forming circular torrents of wind slicing the plated armour.
However the demons veins bulged out from under, undulating freakishly causing the metal plating to flutter, absorbing the shock of each attack.
"We have to use pierce attacks! His blood demon art strengthens the plating on his armour!"
"What?! You think I don't know that you dumbass!"
"Didn't look like it…" I muttered under my breath.
I swooped in directly after, jousting the tip of my blade at the helmet.
My legs moved like a gale thanks to the changes in my breathing form but the demon angled his head slightly down at the last moment, chipping the tip of the blade.
Sorry Haganezuka!
Sparks flew as my blade struck the helmet, causing it to slip off.
I stepped in close, my leg planted on the ground and I swung up diagonally, smearing the green blade across , however, not even a mark was left on the armour.
He clawed at me, gashing across my chest, causing me to slightly stumble back.
And as he jumped back, his true face was revealed.
"What a scrawny demon." I couldn't help but mutter out loud.
"You dare insult me, you'll pay for your insolence!"
The top of his head was shaved with a lock of hair tied at the back, his spiked teeth jutted out from his mouth as he spoke.
He quickly crawled up the ceiling, pouncing down onto Sanemi with his hand in the form of a blade.
But that was a mistake for him.
His nails lacerated Sanemi's arm but not without a cost.
Swish!
Turning in the air, Sanemi swung his blade upwards with a flawless incision in the seam of the plated legs, amputating it in a flash, as the demon faceplanted the floor.
"Grah! You dirty peasants!"
I didn't give him a chance to recover and I dashed at him with my blade.
He growled and blitzed towards me, clawing his hands at the tatami fibres to launch himself, the combination of defence and sturdy armour definitely was daunting but with a clean and precise cut, his head lopped clean off.
"Phew… that was tougher than I thought."
"I could've handled that demon on my own." Sanemi muttered.