New chapter, incoming! Here is the next installment in DSR!
Before we begin I'd like to address some things I read in the reviews.
First, about Qrow. When he found out about demons, Qrow made a request to the Demon Slayer Corp for an upgrade to his weapon.
Since then, his sword/scythe is coated in the same sunlight-absorbing metal that is used to create Nichirin Swords. Making it an effective weapon for demons AND Grimm.
This is what most Huntsmen and Huntresses do if they find out about demons firsthand. They coat their blades with Nichirin materials.
However, not all Huntsmen use blades (ex: Nora, Yang, Ozpin, etc.). In this case, the user either obtains a Nichirin Sword of their own as a secondary weapon or gets some type of blade compartment added to their weapon.
Hypothetically, Yang could use Nichirin-like blades that shoot out from the top of her gauntlets, sort of like Wolverine or Baraka from Mortal Kombat.
Also, Nora's hammer could mecha-shift into a Nichirin ax or something.
You could also use bullets made of Nichirin material, but I doubt those would have much effect. Although, Wisteria bullets could work.
We've already seen how Kunais coated in Wisteria poison can weaken a demon in the Entertainment District Arc.
I'd also like to address demons and Aura. I already said that they don't in the prologue and the previous chapter.
I wanted to explain it in a future chapter, but I should probably explain it now so there's no confusion.
I considered giving demons Aura and Semblances along with their Blood Demon Arts, but I thought demons were op enough as it was.
The excuse I use in the story is that Muzan's blood corrupts the very soul of a person, which prevents them from using or unlocking Aura.
This corruption is what makes the demons so bloodthirsty, no matter who they were when they were human.
Only those with the purest souls and strong bonds, like Nezuko, can fight off the corruption. But, Nezuko's soul is still tainted by Muzan's blood.
Therefore, it is unlikely that she will have her own Aura or Semblance.
That was the best excuse I could come up with for demons not having Aura. Sorry if it seems like plot convenience, but demons and Grimm are bad enough without Aura.
Finally, the Natagumo Arc will take place before the Fall of Beacon. I plan for it to take place as the final Arc in Volume 2. However, this could change in the future.
Now without further ado, let's-a go!
*I do not own RWBY or Demon Slayer. Both shows/manga and all their characters belong to their respective owners.
"Tanjiro" = Talking
"Tanjiro" = Thinking
Tanjiro - Middle Alignment = POV
"Tanjiro" = Flashback
Crash! - Left Alignment = Sound effect
Water Breathing = Breathing technique/Blood Demon Art
Chapter 7 - Two Kind, Honest Souls
Ruby Rose
"Hmm hm hm hmm hmm."
In a guest-house in Vale, a fifteen-year old Ruby Rose was sitting at a desk in her room, tinkering with a large scythe.
"...The Schnee Dust Company! Delivering Innovation into your life with the wonderful power of Dust!" A radio was playing from her scroll next to the scythe.
"Okay...just adjust this...load the Dust...aaaaaand done!" Ruby lifted her weapon up with a bright smile on her face.
"Ah, you look so cute, Crescent Rose! There's no weapon in the world that compares to your beauty!" Ruby exclaimed lovingly.
Ruby continued to stare at the scythe while the radio continued to play.
"This month, we will be releasing the newest article on the uses Mecha-Shift weapons. Featuring a special segment with advice from a veteran Huntsman about how to communicate with your weapon!"
"The article comes with a mini-guide you can take with you anywhere!"
Thud!
Ruby let both her scythe and body drop onto the desk. She frowned as right cheek lay on the table. "Even with Crescent Rose, I'll never be as good as Yang. At least not at the rate I'm going."
Ruby closed her eyes with visible frustration. "I'm totally failing classes at Signal, every one except Combat Class!"
"I'll never become a Huntress at this rate, how will I ever catch up to you, Yang!?"
"The newest weapons magazine has just dropped! Go to your nearest Dust or weapons store to claim it! Don't miss it!"
"Ah!" Ruby's eyes snapped open and she immediately got ready to leave, taking Crescent Rose with her.
Yang Xiao-Long
Meanwhile, Yang was in her father's room, sitting at the desk with her scroll. Her father, Tai, was there to hear the good news.
Yang stared at the message on her scroll.
Yang Xiao-Long
Congratulations!
Your Application To Attend
Beacon Academy
Has Been Approved!
We Look Forward To Overseeing
Your Future As A Huntress!
Yang could not keep the prideful smile off of her face. "I'm in!"
Tai shared his eldest daughter's pride. "That's great, sweetheart! I'm so proud of you!"
Suddenly, Ruby peeked her head through the door. "I'm heading out. I'll be back soon." She announced abruptly and then left as quickly as she came.
Tai got up from his bed to chase after Ruby. "What? Ruby, do you know how late it is?"
Yang did the same. "Hey, Rubes! I got my Beacon acceptance letter!"
Ruby was at the door that led outside the guest house to the streets of Vale. "Oh, that's great, sis! Sorry, but I have some shopping to do! Be back soon, promise!"
And with that, Ruby left, leaving her older sister and father behind.
Yang's excitement was replaced by increasing worry...
Tai scratched the back of his head. "Jeez...I swear, that kid is gonna drive me nuts when you're not here to reign her in."
He then noticed Yang's concerned look and put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Don't worry, Yang. She'll be fine, she's not the same little kid you used to take care of all the time."
"I know, but..." Yang sighed. "How can you not worry about her? I just can't be sure she'll be okay when I'm gone."
"After all, when she gets carried away, she just can't see what's going on around her."
Roman Torchwick
The night was young, the fractured moon shone beautifully in the dark sky. It was truly the perfect night…For a robbery.
This had become pretty routine for Roman and his thugs. Go to a Dust store, threaten the shop owner, take all the Dust, and skedaddle.
Every robbery went off without a hitch. The Huntsmen didn't even bother with them and the police were always one step behind.
Torchwick walked through the streets of Vale as he set his eyes on his next target. A small shop named "From Dust Till Dawn."
As they walked, the civilians immediately stepped out of the way in fear. They all knew exactly who Roman Torchwick was, and they had every right to fear him.
He and his goons walked through the door to the Dust shop. At the counter was an old man who paled upon looking at Torchwick, it truly was nice to be recognized. The counter itself was a glass case showcasing all kinds of Dust crystals.
There were also some tubes used to dispense Dust next to them. Torchwick took the lit cigarette he had in its mouth and sprinkled the ashes onto the counter.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" He asked the shop owner as one of his men pointed a gun at him.
"Please!" The old man pleaded, "Just take my Lien and leave!"
"Shh shh shh shh shh." Torchwick shushed the man with a disarming smile. "Calm down, we're not here for your money."
Torchwick then looked at his men with a serious look. "Grab the Dust." He ordered. His men obeyed as they took out a case with canisters inside.
Two of the men took them out of the case and connected them to the Dust tubes, the canisters were filled up in no time.
Another one of the henchmen put another case in front of the shop owner. "Crystals, now." The thug ordered. The old man got the message and started placing Dust crystals into the case.
Another easy robbery, Roman couldn't believe how easy this was. It had gotten to a point where it was no longer fun.
But Roman didn't notice that one of his henchmen was walking towards something in the back of the store.
Ruby
"I can't believe it! Patch never gets these magazines on release date. That's Vale for ya."
Ruby was just minding her own business, reading the latest weapons magazine while listening to music. Then, all of a sudden, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around as her hood fell off. She saw a man in a black suit and red tie. He also had red glasses and a black fedora.
The man pointed to his ear, gesturing for her to take off her headphones. Ruby takes them off, still keeping the music playing. "Yes?" She asks.
"I said, put your hands in the air. Now!" The man ordered, waving around a red sword. He had an accent that was similar to how people spoke in those old detective movies she and her dad used to watch.
"Are you…robbing me?" The young girl asked.
"Yes!" The man confirmed.
"Ohhhh…" Ruby said as she squinted her eyes.
Torchwick
As Roman watched the shop owner supplying the Dust crystals, he heard someone shout. "Hyah!" The voice was followed by one of his henchmen being launched into the wall of the store.
Another goon came by and looked at his boss. Torchwick nodded his head towards the disturbance, giving him permission to check it out.
"Freeze!" Roman heard the thug yell out before being launched as well. This time, the man went right out the window.
The henchman was followed by a red blur of what seemed to be...roses?
"A Semblance?" Roman thought with wide eyes.
She was wearing a black long-sleeved blouse with a red trim on the sleeves, a high collar, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and matching skirt with red lining.
She also wore black stockings and black combat boots which had red laces, red trims around the top, and red soles.
She also had a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by two braces, a large silver buckle on her black belt (which also had a pocket and rows of bullets), and red headphones playing rock music.
She landed outside the store in a crouched position, turned away from the robbers. She slowly got up and turned around.
As she did so, a contraption she was holding unfolded and transformed into a giant scythe. She rested it on her shoulder
Her weapon was red with black trims, matching the girl's color scheme. The blade was curved into a crescent shape.
The scythe blade also had two small, double-pronged, jagged blades next to where the crescent began. When the girl turned her head, her face was visible.
She was fair-skinned, had black neck-length hair with red tips, and silver eyes. Roman knew there was no way she was a Huntress, she was way too young.
It's just another brat playing the hero, but he's make sure that she would regret it. The girl spun the scythe around and slammed the tip of the blade into the ground as she turned off the loud music from her headphones.
"What a poser…" Torchwick thought.
"Isn't it past your curfew, kid?" He asked with a smirk. "I don't think it's safe for cute little girls like you to be out this late."
Roman thought that the girl might've been a Huntress or a Beacon Academy student, but she seemed far too young to be either.
The young girl put on an innocent smile. "Yeah well, I just came here to kick butt and read weapon magazines. And I've already finished all the magazines." She said while acting cool, much to Torchwick's annoyance.
"Okaaaay..." Torchwick looked at his henchmen who were standing around like idiots. "Get her!" He ordered like he shouldn't have to ask, which he didn't!
The men ran at the girl with their red swords as she held herself on top of her scythe and spun her body around to dodge a swing from one of the men, who was kicked when her legs came back around.
The blade of the scythe came out of the ground as she launched herself away. When she landed, her back was turned to the other two men running at her.
She pointed to the top of the scythe behind her, pulled some sort of trigger as the sound of a rifle shot came out of the weapon. It seemed that her scythe was also a gun.
The brat then suddenly spun around at rapid speeds and launched one of the men into the air, knocking away the brain dead henchman
As her rotation slowed down, she brought down the flat end of the scythe down onto another thug, knocking him out cold.
That's when one of Roman's men did the smart thing and shot at the girl. But Red, which was how Torchwick would refer to her from now on, used her scythe to shoot behind her as she was propelled forward by recoil.
She then shot herself forward toward the gunman and swept at his legs, knocking him off his feet and leaving him in the air.
In less than a second, Red stuck the scythe blade in the ground again and stopped her momentum. She then used the inertia to swing around until she faced the man in the air.
She took the scythe out of the ground and smacked him with the flat of her weapon. The man fell right in front of the unimpressed Torchwick.
"You were worth every cent, truly you were." Torchwick said sarcastically, addressing the henchmen who were easily taken down by a little girl.
Speaking of, Torchwick was getting sick of the constant twirling of the girl's scythe. "Hey, Little Red Riding Hood. Give it a rest already, this isn't an elementary school talent show."
"Come on, thief!" Said the scythe-wielder with a cocky smirk. "Aren't you gonna fight me yourself, unless you're scared of a 'cute little girl' like me."
The famous criminal scowled at Red, he refused to be mocked by some wannabe Huntress. Alas, he did not have time to wail on the girl.
"Well, Red, I'll admit that you've got guts going up against moi and the skills to make up for your foolishness. I think we can all agree that it's been an eventful evening." Torchwick started talking to the young girl as he dropped his cigarette and crushed it with his cane.
"And as much as I'd love to play with you," He continued as he pointed the end of his cane at the young caped crusader, "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."
Ruby
Ruby had a bad feeling when the criminal in front of her pointed a cane at her. Her worries were confirmed when an aiming reticle popped up from the bottom, revealing a gaping hole which fired an unknown projectile.
Before it could reach her, Ruby leaped into the air to avoid it. She was able to see the large amount of fire that came from the projectile.
Ruby landed and looked around, the guy with the bowler hat and cane was nowhere to be found. But she looked behind her to see the man climbing up a latter on a large building.
Ruby looked at the shop owner who had just stumbled out. Luckily, he didn't seem hurt. "You okay if I go after him?" She asked the old man, earning a nod in response.
Torchwick
Roman finally made it up the ladder before hearing a high pitched voice shout, "Hey!" Torchwick didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Persistent…" He muttered before an airship hovered over the building he was on. The door on the side of the ship opened up. It looked like his ride was here.
While Red was distracted, Torchwick climbed onto the ship. He looked back at the girl in the red hood and flashed a victorious grin.
"End of the line, Red!" He yelled out before throwing a red fire dust crystal near the girl's feet. Torchwick then took his cane and fired another shot at the red crystal.
The result was a giant explosion, Roman doubted that even that speedy brat could get out of the way in time. Her Aura was probably weak, too.
Confident that he had taken out his childish foe, Torchwick let out a triumphant laugh. However, his celebration was cut short.
The smoke cleared to reveal a strange purple glyph acting as a shield. As it faded away, it revealed a woman.
She had light-blonde hair tied up in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. She had bright green eyes behind ovular glasses.
She wore a white long-sleeved, pleated top with a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flared in pleats at the wrist.
She also had on a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black fading into brown stockings. Her boots were black with bronze heels.
The woman had a cape that was purple on the inside by black on the outside, it had a design that Roman couldn't really make out.
Upon closer inspection, one could spot teal earrings and a teal pendant on the woman's collar.
In her hand was a black riding crop. She was most likely a Huntress.
She looked a lot older and mature than Red who was safe behind her (good for her…), and she definitely seemed powerful.
This time, Roman was right to judge a book by its cover. The Huntress pushed her glasses up with her finger and swung her riding crop.
She launched a bunch of small projectiles covered in purple light at the ship. As each one hits mark one at a time, the ship shook and tilted back and forth.
Torchwick was struggling to keep his balance and decided it was time to bring out the big guns. He went up to the cockpit and addressed his "partner in crime."
"We got a Huntress!" He informed the woman piloting the ship as she got up from her seat. She walked towards the back of the ship as Roman took over pilot duty.
Another purple beam flew over the ship and turned into a giant dark cloud, thunder could be heard as lightning surrounded the cloud.
"The hell?" Torchwick thought out loud before sharp icicles started raining down on the ship, forcing it to tilt towards the cloud.
Torchwick struggled to regain control as he moved his head out of the way before a stray icicle pierced the head of his seat.
Ruby
The fifteen-year old girl stared at the woman in front of her in awe. A real life Huntress in the flesh! This was hands down one of the best days of Ruby's life!
She not only got to kick some butt, but she also got to meet one of the people she looked up to since she was a little girl. She had to get an autograph!
"Focus, Ruby! Fight now, Autograph later!" Ruby told herself, putting her focus back on the bad guy's ship. She saw someone stepping in the ship's doorway.
Ruby could only make out a red mini-dress with a black trim at the bottom, dark high-heeled shoes, and a jeweled anklet on her right leg.
The rest of the woman's body was covered in shadow except for a single glowing eye on the right side of her face, but Ruby then saw a yellow glow around the woman's torso.
The stranger's left hand was covered in flames and shot fire at the Huntress, who easily blocked it with her weapon.
The fireball split into…glass? The unknown attacker lifted her left arm up as the glass flowed beneath the Huntress's feet.
The blonde immediately jumped out of the way as a pillar of fire erupted from the glass. The Huntress did a backflip as she landed safely onto the ground.
Not wasting any time, she raised her riding crop (which looked SO COOL in Ruby's opinion) and the debris from the blast stopped falling and began attracting to each other.
The debris combined to form a spear like shape, which the Huntress launched at the other woman who intercepted the spear with three more fireballs.
The debris separated only to come together again in spear form and continued in its path of destruction. This time, it was aimed towards the cockpit.
It looked like the pilot noticed however cause the ship was titled quickly, making the spear bounce off of the ship's metal armor.
The Huntress immediately responded to this by waving her weapon around, which caused the debris spear to separate into three smaller lines that flew around the ship.
The fire lady in the ship struggled to keep her balance thanks to all the shaking from the debris attacks. But the woman's body started glowing again, that probably wasn't a good sign.
The woman crossed her arms and threw them back out, releasing a giant fire shockwave that took out the pieces of concrete surrounding the ship.
The ship turned away as it began to leave, Ruby wondered why the Huntress next to her wasn't doing anything.
The young girl decided to take matters into her own hands and switched her scythe into its rifle mode.
She fired five consecutive shots at the fire lady, who blocked each shot with her hand using Aura. She then waved her hand as the ground beneath Ruby and the blonde Huntress started to glow like before.
Before Ruby could react, she felt an unknown force push her out of harm's way. She fell onto the ground before seeing the Huntress land next to her.
Ruby got up in time to see the hatch of the ship's door close as the ship flew away, so much for saving the day.
Luckily, no one was hurt, so that was good to know. Right then, Ruby just wanted to go home and eat some well deserved cookies. But first…
"You're a Huntress." Ruby stated, gaining the woman's attention. Ruby looked up at her with bright eyes and a large grin, holding her balled up hands to her face.
"Can I have your autograph!" She squealed, earning a cold stare from the Huntress. That was probably a no on the autograph.
Tanjiro Kamado
It had been six months since Tanjiro met Sabito and Makomo, a year since Urokodaki left Tanjiro to cut the boulder, and two years since he and Nezuko arrived at Mt. Sagiri.
Tanjiro and Sabito stood before each other once again while Makomo watched from the sidelines. Behind the Faunus in the fox mask stood the boulder. Tanjiro challenged Sabito to another duel.
This time, however, Sabito would be using a real sword. "It took you six months, but you finally look like you belong." Sabito stated, addressing Tanjiro's appearance.
Tanjiro's outfit was the same one he's worn for the past two years, but it was obvious that he wasn't the weak thirteen-year old boy he was back then.
His signature haori was beat up and slightly tattered at the ends, the rest of his clothes didn't look much better.
The most notable change was his black, burgundy tipped hair which had grown down all the way to his shoulders.
"Today is the day I win!" Tanjiro announced with confidence. Both boys had their swords drawn and faced each other.
A head-to-head fight like this was simple. Whoever's stronger and faster will come out on top. Tanjiro inhaled slowly, puffing his chest out.
One second, the two young swordsmen stared at each other. The next, both of them leaped towards each other faster than the average human eye could see.
Before meeting in the middle of the field, both boys unleashed their first attack.
Sabito raised his sword above his head while Tanjiro held his sword in his right hand and put the blade next to his neck.
Sabito brought his blade down as Tanjiro swung his sword horizontally with maximum strength.
Total Concentration, Water Breathing: Eighth Form - Waterfall Basin
Total Concentration, Water Breathing: First Form - Water Surface Slash
The swords clashed as the boys met in midair, the power from both strikes creating a small shockwave.
Outside of the battle, one would see a blade covered in water holding back a small waterfall.
Tanjiro knew that the breathing techniques used by Demon Slayers often create transparent illusions, making each form more intimidating.
The two duelists pushed their blades off of each other, forcing both of them to be pushed back themselves.
As Sabito landed, he got into a more relaxed stance. Tanjiro let loose as well but still kept his guard up assuming his opponent was doing the same.
"Sabito's movements are so calculated," Tanjiro said in his head, "I have to focus, or our attacks are just gonna keep deflecting each other."
"Tanjiro Kamado…" Sabito began, "You were once a pitiful child, but look at you now. You've finally learned the proper breathing techniques."
"You've swung your sword thousands of times, even when your arms were screaming in pain." Sabito continued as Makomo nodded in agreement.
"No matter how many times I knocked you down, you got back up and challenged me again." Sabito held up his sword and pointed the tip at Tanjiro.
"That shows true strength. The fact that I face you today with a real sword proves it." He stated.
"We end this tonight," The fox boy announced, "Summon every ounce of determination you can muster. I will not be holding back, and neither should you."
Both boys got back into their fighting stances. "Now, come at me!" Sabito commanded as the fight continued.
Tanjiro and Sabito charged at each other once again. Sabito struck first with a quick jab, which Tanjiro dodged by sidestepping from the attack to Sabito's left.
Using the momentum, Tanjiro made a two-handed horizontal slash to Sabito's. But, Sabito was already recovering from his whiffed attack.
He spun around with great speed, turning his blade upside-down, and blocked Tanjiro's attack before it could connect.
They then both jumped back before charging at each other again. This time, Sabito rolled around Tanjiro to dodge a left diagonal slash.
Tanjiro looked back to see Faunus get up behind him, already preparing to strike. He began to swing his sword from the left, aiming for Tanjiro's shoulder.
However, Tanjiro used the momentum from his previous attack to quickly turn around to face Sabito.
He fiercely twisted his upper and lower body as his sword was swung around him with a large amount of force.
Water Breathing: Sixth Form - Whirlpool
The force from Tanjiro's twist pushed back Sabito's attack and even Sabito himself. The fox boy recovered as Tanjiro charged at him once again.
Sabito brought his sword up to meet Tanjiro's as they clashed once more. After a short stalemate, the two swordsmen pulled their swords back.
They then traded multiple slashes, swords clanging against each other. Each swing from either fighter was quick and accurate.
Both swords were nearly blurs as Tanjiro and Sabito both let out rapid flurries of attacks, each one being blocked by the other.
This went on for a bit, before Sabito suddenly leaped backwards as he assumed a new stance.
"I'm impressed, Tanjiro!" Sabito announced, "You've come a long way, but you'll need to do better than that if you want to reach Final Selection."
Water Breathing: Third Form - Flowing Dance
Sabito moved forward in an elegant yet fast manner. Tanjiro could see afterimages as Sabito moved closer. Tanjiro was familiar with this form and responded with another.
Water Breathing: Fourth Form - Striking Tide
Sabito danced around Tanjiro in a flowing pattern, slicing at him multiple times.
But, Tanjiro blocked every attack by twisting his body and sword in a flowing motion to parry each strike.
"I'm doing it! I'm actually keeping up with him!" Tanjiro thought as he continued to block Sabito's assault.
"You can do this, Tanjiro! Just focus!Remember what Mr. Urokodaki taught you!" Tanjiro told himself as Sabito jumped back again.
"Not bad! But let's see if you can block this!" Sabito said as he unleashed another move.
Water Breathing: Ninth Form - Splashing Water Flow
Sabito moved in a circle around Tanjiro at incredible speeds, giving the illusion of water rising around the fifteen-year old.
Tanjiro knew what was coming and looked up to see Sabito above him, about to deliver a downward horizontal slash.
Tanjiro raised his sword above his head, barely managed to parry the attack. He pushed Sabito back into the air. Tanjiro leaped after him without a second thought.
Water Breathing: Second Form - Water Wheel
As soon as Tanjiro got close to Sabito, he spun his entire body vertically in a circle. After building enough momentum, he brought his sword down on Sabito.
Even though the fox boy blocked the attack, the force still managed to knock him out of the air. Sabito rolled on his back after falling to the ground.
Tanjiro landed in front of him, keeping his guard up. "Did-did I do it?" He asked himself as Sabito picked himself up.
"It seems I underestimated you, you've become quite strong." Sabito said, wiping the dirt off of his haori. "But don't think you've won yet."
Tanjiro got ready, prepared for the worst…Or so he thought. As soon as Sabito said those words, his body started to glow.
The Faunus had a light orange glow around his entire body. "Wait, is that what I think it is?" A stunned Tanjiro wondered, before Sabito charged at him again.
Tanjiro was snapped out of his thoughts as he quickly leapt back and barely dodged a swipe from Sabito. Wait…was it just him or did Sabito move faster than usual?
Sabito jumped towards his opponent, Tanjiro doing the same. Sabito brought his sword over his head, Tanjiro got a sense of deja-vu.
"He's going to use the eighth form again." Tanjiro thought, preparing to counter again with the first form. But then, something happened that shocked Tanjiro.
The orange light around Sabito became an ocean blue color, but that wasn't what shocked Tanjiro.
He thought it was his imagination or the illusion from the technique, but he swore that water was rising from the ground and enveloping Sabito's sword.
It wasn't the fake illusionary water he was used to seeing, it was real water. But that's impossible, isn't it? Tanjiro was starting to lose control of his breathing.
"Snap out of it! Now's not the time!" Tanjiro yelled in his head as he got his breathing back under control and unleashed his attack.
Water Breathing: First Form - Water Surface Slash
Water continued to rise to Sabito's sword before it started crashing down along with Sabito's blade.
Total Concentration, Aura Enhanced Water Breathing: Eighth Form - Destructive Waterfall Basin
Blades clashed once again, except this exchange didn't end in a stalemate.
Tanjiro blocked the sword, but couldn't do anything about the massive wall of water coming down on him. Where did that even come from!?
As the water crashed into Tanjiro's body, he was sent crashing to the ground. It felt like he was just hit by…a waterfall.
Tanjiro realized he was soaking wet. Was that water real after all? "How is that possi-" Tanjiro couldn't finish his thoughts as he felt a kick to the right of his rib cage.
Sabito kicked Tanjiro into the air using tremendous force. Tanjiro's whole right side was in great pain as a shockwave covered his torso. "Why did that hurt so much!?"
Tanjiro had been kicked by Sabito before, it was his way of keeping Tanjiro on guard. But his kicks never hurt this badly, even when it hit the ribcage.
"That glow around his body. It's his Aura, isn't it?" Tanjiro realized. It was the only possible explanation.
Tanjiro learned many things about Aura from Mr. Urokodaki. He knew that Aura could be used to defend oneself, but could also be used to enhance your offensive capabilities.
As Tanjiro learned more about Aura, he also learned more about Semblances. Semblance was the projection of Aura in a more tangible form.
Basically, it was a special ability unique to that one person. Whenever Tanjiro asked if Demon Slayers had Semblances, Urokodaki blew him off.
He would tell the boy to be patient and that all would be revealed one day. Now he was experiencing it firsthand.
Tanjiro managed to twist his body in midair and land on his feet. Despite the pain, he got his breathing under control again.
But, Sabito charged at Tanjiro at a nearly blinding speed. Tanjiro, seeing no opportunity to dodge, raised his sword to block the next attack.
Sabito did a small jump as his body began to spin at rapid speeds. Once again, water rose from the ground and enveloped Sabito's sword.
As the Faunus continued building momentum, the water formed a circular shape around him, following the motion of his sword.
Aura Enhanced Water Breathing: Second Form - Rapid Water Wheel
As Sabito sped towards his foe, Tanjiro knew there was only one way to avoid getting hit.
Dodging a move that fast was out of the question, and using brute force wouldn't work either. He had to use the form that was created for situations like this.
But there was a high chance he would miss his target, and a higher chance that Sabito would overpower the attack. But, it was Tanjiro's only shot.
He quickly took his sword in his right hand and turned his wrist outward as he moved his arm back. He held out his left hand to steady himself.
"Focus…Focus…" Tanjiro reminded himself. Sabito became closer and closer by the millisecond. As soon as Sabito got in range "Now!"
Tanjiro turned his wrist back around and thrusted his blade, twisting his entire body with it. He aimed for Sabito's sword.
It was on its thin side, making it nearly impossible to hit with a stab attack. This is why this move was such a gamble.
Tanjiro made sure his sword was on its flat side to slightly increase his chances.
Water Breathing: Seventh Form - Drop Ripple Thrust
The end of Tanjiro's sword connected with the sharp side of Sabito's. Tanjiro's arm was immediately crying out in pain from the pressure.
Sabito was using his Aura and the water around his sword to strengthen his attack, and it was working.
Tanjiro managed to slow down Sabito's momentum as the water wheel fell apart. But, Sabito then immediately twisted his body in midair and kicked Tanjiro in the face.
Tanjiro was sent flying into a tree, he groaned in pain as his back was damaged by the wood. He dropped his sword and fell to the ground.
"You still lack a strong resolve!" Tanjiro heard Sabito speaking to him, "Do you want Urokodaki's time and effort to be for nothing!?
"Get up! Move your legs, don't stop now!" Sabito ordered.
"If you call yourself a man, you'll get up right now! Are you gonna lay there and die the moment things go wrong!?"
"What did I say to you when we met!? There's nowhere else to go but forward!" While Sabito was talking, Tanjiro tried his hardest to get up and fight.
"Get up! Grab your sword, and face me again!" He ordered as Tanjiro struggled to remain conscious. He looked at the boulder behind Sabito.
"If you can cut this boulder in two, I'll allow you to enter Final Selection." Mr. Urokodaki's words echoed in the boy's head.
"The boulder…" Tanjiro repeated in his head, "If I want to cut the boulder, I have to beat Sabito."
Tanjiro tried to reach for his sword. It seemed so close, yet so far. "But no matter how many times we fight…" Tanjiro's arm collapses before it could reach his sword.
Tanjiro slowly closed his eyes in defeat. "Why…? Where did I go wrong?" He asked himself. "How did things turn out this way?"
Tanjiro found himself in a dark mindscape, ripples coming from his beaten body.
"I was just living my life, day by day…Doing honest work with my family. We were poor, but we still had a nice meal in town once in a while." Tanjiro saw nothing but darkness as despair overtook him.
"We…were so happy…Until that fateful day, where everything changed. My mom and siblings were all slaughtered." The memory of seeing his family's dead bodies went through his head.
"The one night I didn't come home, they were all murdered by a demon. It's my fault…It's my fault that they all suffered. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."
…
…
…
…
"But you're suffering too, aren't you Tanjiro?" Tanjiro suddenly heard a voice and instantly realized who it belonged to. Another ripple in the floor met Tanjiro's own.
Nezuko had appeared in Tanjiro's mindscape, her appearance matching how she looked before becoming a demon. She crouched in front of her brother and spoke to him again.
"Get up. You don't have to suffer alone. I'm here too." Nezuko said with her sweet, beautiful voice. Tanjiro nearly forgot what his own sister even sounded like.
"We can overcome this sadness, together." Nezuko shined a bright smile as she looked at Tanjiro. "Don't you think, big brother?"
Tanjiro's eyelids snapped open, his fists tightened. "That's right. I can't forget that we still have each other." Tanjiro told himself.
He removed his head from the ground and stared at his blade. "Nezuko…That night, your humanity was taken away from you." Tanjiro started crawling towards his sword.
"But you still managed to hang on to one important thing. Your own life!" Tanjiro reached out once again with his right hand.
"Sabito's right…I have to keep going forward…There's nowhere else to go!" Tanjiro grabbed his sword and began to rise up.
"I'll find a way to make Nezuko human again, and I will avenge my family! I decided that the moment I picked up this sword!" Tanjiro felt his strength return to him.
No…He felt stronger. "Now! Fight, Tanjiro!" Tanjiro shouted out in his thoughts, as he got back into his stance and faced Sabito.
However, Tanjiro failed to notice the shining green light covering his body. This light was the source of his newfound strength.
"It's about time…" Sabito said as he unsheathed his sword. "You've finally become a true man, Tanjiro Kamado."
Sabito and Tanjiro faced each other, their blades pointing forward. Sabito was still covered by his Aura. But, Tanjiro didn't falter.
"If I gave up now, Nezuko would never go back to normal. Besides, Mr. Urokodaki has done so much for me. And I can't let Makomo's training go to waste!"
"Today's the day." Tanjiro stared at Sabito with determination. "I will defeat you!"
"Let's go!" Tanjiro shouted out before Tanjiro dashed forward, Sabito doing the same.
Sabito raised his sword above his head, his orange-colored Aura intensifying and blade pointed behind him.
Tanjiro placed his sword above his right shoulder, leaving less room for an opening but also lowering his attack potency.
Tanjiro felt his strength and speed skyrocket, still not noticing the light around him. He sniffed the air and he unleashed his secret technique.
He saw a thin, white thread in his mind. One end of the thread connected to his sword, the other end connected to Sabito's mask.
As the two fighters got closer, the imaginary thread tightened all of a sudden.
"There it is!" Tanjiro thought, "The Opening Thread!"
Thanks to all of his training, Tanjiro learned how to fully utilize his advanced sense of smell.
By picking up the scent of his opponent, Tanjiro was able to envision a thread that guided his sword to its target.
Once the enemy had an opening, the thread would tighten. This was a signal for Tanjiro to strike.
Before Sabito could attack, Tanjiro brought his blade down. In the blink of an eye, he cut Sabito's mask in half. The slash created a large gust of wind, the battle was over.
The mask was split in half, both pieces hung around Sabito's neck as they were held by a small rope connecting them.
For the first time, Tanjiro saw Sabito's face. His eyes were lavender, with horizontal white bars for pupils. Not to mention, they were surprisingly kind.
His face had a large scar similar to the one on his mask which ran from the right corner of his mouth to his right ear.
Sabito smiled at Tanjiro. He looked happy, but also sad. It was a smile of relief. Sabito then pointed his finger at him, and moved it down a little.
Tanjiro understood that he wanted him to look down, that's exactly what he did. Tanjiro gasped at the sight of his glowing hands.
Tanjiro looked to see that his entire body was covered in a green light which was slowly fading. He noticed that his sword was also covered in the glow.
He finally unlocked his Aura, all of that training wasn't for nothing after all.
"Tanjiro," Tanjiro turned to look at Makomo who had just spoken, "You did just great. Never forget this moment."
Makomo gave Tanjiro a warm smile as her body faded into the fog surrounding the area. "Keep winning for us, Tanjiro. Win the next one too." Makomo said before disappearing into thin air.
Tanjiro looked in front of him and saw that Sabito was also gone. But Tanjiro's attention was occupied by something else.
He gasped again. He was sure that what he cut through was Sabito's mask.
But as the fog cleared, it revealed that Tanjiro was standing in front of the boulder. Except, the boulder was completely sliced clean in half. The rope around it, which was also cut in half, laid on the ground.
He did it. After an entire year, Tanjiro finally cut through the boulder. Thanks to Urokodaki, thanks to Sabito, thanks to Makomo, and thanks to Nezuko.
Their support, training, and motivation all paid off in the end and molded Tanjiro into the person he was now.
Tanjiro suddenly heard footsteps and turned around to see Urokodaki walking up to the boulder. "Mr. Urokodaki…" Tanjiro said, looking at the man.
Urokodaki stopped in front of the boulder and took in the sight and the two of them stood in silence for a bit.
"To be honest," The masked man began, "I had no intention of sending you to the Final Selection, that is why I never unlocked your Aura."
Tanjiro was shocked to hear this, he never expected Mr. Urokodaki to do such a thing. His own teacher set him up to fail?
"I meant what I said when I talked about not relying on Aura. But the truth is, it is impossible to slice a boulder this large without Aura Enhanced Total Concentration."
Tanjiro was silent, he knew there had to be a reason. His patience paid off as Mr. Urokodaki spoke again.
"The reason I did this is that I didn't want to see any more children die, but that is no excuse. I'm sorry." Urokodaki apologized.
"I was certain that you wouldn't be able to unlock your Aura nor cut through the boulder. But, it seems I underestimated you." Urokodaki said.
The teacher then turned towards Tanjiro and patted his head. "Well done, Tanjiro. You truly are remarkable. I am very proud."
Tears of joy started to fall from Tanjiro's eyes. He could smell the scent of sadness from Urokodaki when he mentioned his reason for keeping him there.
Tanjiro was too sympathetic to hold a grudge and instantly forgave his teacher. Tanjiro ran into his arms as the two shared a loving embrace.
"Make sure you make it back home, my boy." Urokodaki said while Tanjiro cried into his shoulder. "Your sister and I will be waiting for you."
And I'll leave it there for now. What did you think of this chapter? I had a lot of fun writing it.
Sorry if it was a little long, I didn't feel like splitting it up again. I just really like going into details.
And how about that fight between Tanjiro and Sabito. In my head, I imagined this super cool fight that showcased most of the Water Breathing Forms.
I had a lot of fun throwing obstacles in Tanjiro's way and coming up with the best form to counter them with.
Of course, there's a difference between idea and execution. This was my first original fight scene, I hope you guys liked it.
This was also the debut of AETCB (Aura Enhanced Total Concentration Breathing) as well as the Water Breather Semblance.
If you have any questions of how AETCB works or what Semblance I'll give other Demon Slayers, I'll be happy to answer them.
For now, see you next time!
Preview
*Play Demon Slayer Preview Music*
*Cut to the DSR manga cover flipping open with Ruby and Tanjiro jumping out of the panels*
Ruby: Wow ! ! ! That was so awesome!
Ruby had a child-like sparkle in her eyes which grew twice its size.
Ruby: It looked pretty bad for a second, but you pulled through and won. I wished I could say the same for myself.
Ruby pumped her fist in the air, but then looked down with her hands behind her back.
Tanjiro: Don't say that, Ruby. You did great.
Tanjiro smiled at Ruby as he tried to cheer her up.
Ruby: I don't think that Huntress would agree. Oh man, now I'll never get that autograph!
Ruby looked down nervously before putting her hands on her head rubbing her hair vigorously.
Tanjiro patted her on the back.
Tanjiro: There, there.
*Cut to Tanjiro's face*
Tanjiro: Now it's time for a Taisho Era Secret.
Tanjiro leaned in.
Tanjiro: I heard that Ruby used to talk to her weapon, Crescent Rose, when she was little. It had gotten so bad that her sister, father, and uncle had an intervention.
*Cut back to Ruby and Tanjiro*
Ruby: You jerks just don't understand the beautiful bond between a girl and her scythe!
Ruby flailed her arms around.
Tanjiro: Whoa! Ruby, calm down! I didn't mean to make fun of you, I'm sorry!
Tanjiro had a panicked look on his face while holding his hands out in defense.
Tanjiro: Next time, Chapter 8: Leaving the Nest.
Ruby: See ya later!
Ruby waved goodbye as the screen cut to the kanji saying-
To Be Continued
*Music ends*
