Demon Slayer: A New Enemy

Chapter 25

Timeskip

2 months later..

Tanjiro is at the mountains where, Gyomei once lived and where he previously trained with him. There, Akaza is seen in the waterfall, sitting down with the full weight of the fall splashing him. He waits for him to finish his session. 

"Even after you're cured, you still cling on to your determination of getting stronger." Tanjiro gave him a slight frown but not before Nezuko arrives, along with Zenitsu. 

"Oni-chan!" Tanjiro turned around to see his sister and his friend approaching him. "Hey guys. What are you doing here?" He asked. 

"Ohh, Tanjiro, you're here. And you Nezuko and the yellow blonde dude." Akaza gets out of the waterfall and hugs the warm boulder nearby. The three were slightly flinched by his voice. "What brings you here?" He asked the three. 

"I only came here alone to do some training. But my sister and Zenitsu came on their own." He chuckled, much to Akaza's slight annoyance.

"I heard you came face to face with the Demon King. What was his power?" Akaza asked. Tanjiro explained his whole fight with the Demon King, on he was able to create a new breathing technique based on blood. The ability to manipulate blood into a deadly form that almost surpassed his Dance of the Fire God. This slightly spooked him but at the same time felt frustrated. 

"So he's a demon who can use breaths, like the old man Kokushibo does today with his Moon Breathing." Akaza clenched his fists and punched the ground in frustration. "Even with my new Breathing Form, even you didn't stand a chance against him." 

"Yet, no demon attacks from the Servants weren't reported, except to some other lowly demons whom the other slayer are dealing with right now." Zenitsu added. 

After their conversation, they went to train. Zenitsu aims to complete the Rock training that he didn't complete back when they were training with Himejima Gyomei. Tanjiro accompanies him in pushing the boulder. Zenitsu got frustrated when he couldn't do it, until Tanjiro spoke to him about "Repetitive actions." 

The yellow haired boy then immediately realized what it is and applied it to training. He used his moments with Nezuko and his friends to fuel his desires, and with that he was able to push the rock. Tanjiro amazed that his friend was able to do the rock training and joins him. Zenitsu was able to push the rock at around a distance of  30 meters, before he tuckered out. 

Akaza came in and gave them some water. "In my hundred years of martial arts, I haven't seen this kind of training in my days. Must be hard to lift a whole ton of boulder." He chuckled at the sight of this and this made the blonde annoyed. 

Tanjiro's left arm is slightly getting wrinkly, which worries his sister and his friend. Not to mention that the mark on his forehead got bigger and is almost reached his left eye. "Have you developed your mark yet, Zenitsu?" He asked. 

"Not yet. Ohh, and good news, I'm able to unlock the other forms of my Thunder Breathing during my training session with Tomioka-san." This excites Tanjiro and Nezuko. "That's amazing. I heard your fight against your partner and former Upper Moon 6, Kaigaku. His demon art allows him to increase power in the other forms of Thunder breathing." To which he nodded. 

The three of them went to a wide open space and he unsheathed his blade. With that, Zenitsu goes full concentration. "Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!" He unleashes 5 arching slashes in an instant, followed by a crackle of thunder. 

Then he proceeds to inhale a large amount of air. "Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!" He releases a powerful ranged slash upwards and hits a falling leaf, instantly reducing it to nothing. 

Akaza was also impressed by the new techniques that he clapped his hands, also followed by Tanjiro and Nezuko as the blonde boy sheathed his blade, finishing the demonstration. "I can only do the second and fifth form of the thunder breathing, and the rest is still locked away." 

"Well you now have a variety of quick attacks that we can use to fight demons someday." Akaza applauded. Nezuko gave him a hug to which he blushes immediately, "Let's all work together to finish off this battle." 

"YESS, NEZUKO-CHAN!" His shouting instantly annoyed the tattooed man and went to his shack. Tanjiro laughed at this sight. Knowing that his friend has unlocked more power, he can do the same with his own power.