Training - Mission from the Demon Slayer Corps!

15th day, 2nd Stage

Tournament of Worth

Huff! Huff! Huff!

Kai panted, running on a mountainous train and carrying the package on his back.

Afro's Tachi, in his left hand, was dripping with blood, and Murasame looked bloodthirsty enough to make the stones bleed.

A demonic, beastly snarl reached Kai's ears, making him look over his shoulder.

A demon with a wolf-like head was biting the air, green saliva glistening on its teeth under the pale moonlight.

Behind the wolf demon, a second demon with a white spider-like body and a contorted human's head was laughing maniacally, his eyes planted on Kai's tail like that of a bloodhound.

The demons were gaining speed.

Another careful observation made it feel like it was Kai who was slowing down.

The wolf-headed demon was naturally faster than the spider one, and its beastly snarls became more hideous as it closed the distance between itself and the prey.

30 meters… 25 meters…

20 meters…

Kai's ragged breathing seemed lost in the wind, every next step leaving behind a deeper impression on the solid ground.

In his mind, the savageness of the demon was already taking shape.

15 meters…

He could even sense the sharpness of the demon's teeth now, its smell hitting his nose like a bitter, rotten fruit.

10 meters…

And the wolf demon pounced, the rocky earth cracking under its thickened feet.

Hissss!

Kai's clenched teeth opened a little, and a soul-piercing hissing noise escaped his throat, the air misting around him.

Every cell in Kai's body thrummed with joy. In sheer pleasure, his muscles, tendons, and bones roared, his lungs pumping the abundant oxygen in him like several pumps.

3 meters…

Kai vanished. There was no sound, no snap, and no pop.

 It was as though Kai was just running up the mountain slope, and suddenly he became the wind, melting into the chilly gusts coming down from the snowy peak.

Steel screeched against bones, the swords blurring blue in the moonlit night.

The pouncing demon landed on the ground, its head rolling upwards in the air.

Blood showered in its surroundings, and only when the head had reached the highest point of its arc did Kai appear, his body surrounded by a thin mist seeping out of his clenched teeth.

The demon with a spider-like body and human head screeched, seeing its companion getting beheaded.

Kai had landed between them, closing the gap with the spider demon.

The spider demon spat out a steel-like web. Kai crouched, turning around simultaneously.

The entire jet of web went over his head, and Kai kicked the ground, hoping to behead the spider demon as well.

However, just as he put his weight on his toes, a spasm ran down his body, making him shake like a leaf.

His lungs felt like two shriveled sacks of meat, emptied and vacuumed out of the tiniest ounce of air.

Even the weight distribution of his muscles shifted, making him lose balance. His hands didn't feel like hands, and his legs felt like pieces of clothes, sewn to his waist.

The swords that were like his arms a moment ago now weighed a ton each, making him kneel with sweat drenching his back.

No! Kai roared inwardly, the voice abandoning his throat. I failed. I failed once again.

Around a week had passed since Kai's request of Shinobu to teach him the Total Concentration Breathing Art of the Demon Slayers.

On that day, a crow had come with a mission for the Insect Hashira, commanding her to take the demon Kai to the Entertainment District.

Shinobu had told Kai that the Flame Hashira must have reported their situation to the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, and they could take this mission as a test of gaining his approval.

But she had also told him it didn't mean no other Hashira would come after them.

It wasn't in Rengoku's nature to announce his fight and Shinobu's rebellious actions to the other Demon Slayers. So, before this new mission's completion, there was a high chance of being attacked by other Hashiras, if found.

In light of that, they had left the hut by the river that very day, keeping themselves to the river bank.

 Shinobu had started Kai's training too, teaching him the basic principles of Breathing Styles.

Yet, the most troublesome thing was the constant pursuit and attacks of the demons.

It was fine in the day, with plenty of sunlight now and then. But at night, one of them had to stay awake, keeping their guards up every second.

Even then, the sheer speed with which Kai understood and implemented Breathing Style had astounded the Insect Hashira.

She had even bought several earthen gourds of various sizes, making Kai breathe into them. The objective was to make the gourds explode with breath only. This was a training for lungs and endurance, and according to the Insect Hashira, it could take months or a year to go through it.

Kai had even made the largest gourd explode just this morning, shocking the living breath out of Shinobu.

In these seven days, it hadn't looked like Kai was learning a breathing art.

Rather, it had more felt like he was devouring the principles and hardships.

Every time the Insect Hashira taught Kai a meditation style and way to breathe, and gave him a task to do, one could have seen a mighty will on his face to transcend heaven itself. It was as though his life depended on those things.

Well, his life did depend on them.

Yet, no matter how much Kai practiced, and no matter how much he improvised, he couldn't find a breathing style that suited him.

Every time he tried, the breathing style let him use its prowess for a few seconds before rendering him useless.

The backlash had been so great that Kai had found himself on the brink of suffocation after every use.

Such was the case now.

Seeing that Kai had dropped to the ground, the spider demon laughed psychotically and crawled towards him like a bullet.

Kai lifted his head, and his eyes reflected two pincer-like legs advancing towards his head.

Suddenly, the pale surroundings livened up, a distinct buzz taking over the terrain.

Something fell from the crescent moon behind Kai like an angel, the cries of insects deafening the ears.

No. It was not something, but someone.

Insect Breathing - Butterfly Dance…

Insect Hashira fell from the sky, passing Kai and the spider demon, and landed beyond them.

The moment her feet touched the ground, the spider demon's entire body shuddered, half a dozen stab wounds appearing on its white body.

Blood bloomed like red lilies and the demon fell, its spider legs buckling under its weight.

… Caprice!

Kai sighed in relief.

Just when his shoulders had relaxed, a heart-palpating howl reverberated behind him.

The beheaded wolf demon had reattached its head, and thick fur had covered its human body now, its nails extending to become daggers.

With an unimaginable speed, it pounced on Kai's back.

Boom!

Out of nowhere, the door of the wooden box threw open, and a little girl jumped out, her figure enlarging, gaining both height and weight.

**************

AN: Now you can access 15 Chapters of Chaos and Order ahead of Webnovel on Patre0n (including up to 60 montly chapters). If you would like to access the exclusive content, while simultaneously supporting the fanfic, then do consider becoming a Patron

Bonus Chapter Deal - 70 Power Stones per day: +1 Bonus Chapter