A Clap of Thunder (Demon Slayer X Male Reader)

Chapter 15: A Burden Lifted

"Y/N, you have mastered all of the breathing forms." Jigoro Kawajima placed his head on yours. "You've done well, my boy. I declare you ready for Final Selection."

"Master. Thank you." You smile at him. "But, I have a problem."

"Problem? What kind of problem?"

"I feel like Thunder Breathing can be expanded further than just six forms." You look down. "I don't know, it's just too little."

"Do you want to make a Seventh Form?"

"No, I want to make an Eighth."

"Eighth? Do you have a Seventh in mind?"

"I'm leaving that up to Zenitsu."

Jigoro then widened his eyes.

"Zenitsu will make a Seventh Form! I'll make the Eighth!" You smile widely.
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"Sensei..." You think and close your eyes. "I'm finally getting to put this to use."

Once you opened your eyes, everything in the world was now slow. Douma's wide smirk grew ever so slightly wider, only by millimeters at a time. You were able to walk around, as you envisioned the lightning surrounded your body.

The Buddha's hands only moved downwards to grab an empty spot. You look at them than look up at Douma. Jumping onto the arms of the ice golem, you slowly ran towards Douma, and you unsheathed your blade.

Once face to face with him, you place your blade behind your back and swing forward, your envisioned lightning cutting through Douma's neck and slicing it off.

"Shinobu, now you can be at ease."
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"Why are we running away?!" Inosuke yelled.

"Y/N made an Eighth Form of Thunder Breathing!" Zenitsu explained. "We shouldn't be nearby! We'll only get in his way and he moves so fast that he could accidentally confuse us as an enemy if we're close by!"

"I see! So the guy's really powerful!" Inosuke yelled.

"Zenitsu! Are we out of reach?"

"Yeah! We're good!" Zenitsu halted and all of them turn back to see you still breathing in, before launching the Eighth Form.

"How fast is he really!? I want to know!" Inosuke raised his fist.

"Don't blink then." Zenitsu said. "Or you'll miss it."
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"Gah!"

"Tengen-sama, please don't move so much." Hinatsuru catered to Tengen's wounds.

"That little bitch..." Tengen muttered. "He thinks he can-agh! Go and almost kill me...and then run away?"

"Your eye..." Hinatsuru looked at Tengen's eye which was now impaled by a stalagmite.

"Yeah, I can't see with it anymore. I think my days are done..." Tengen said.
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"It's pitiful, isn't it, Upper Two?" You ask the slowly moving head of Douma's, holding it in your hand, now separated from its shoulder. "All your effort you've made to become a Kizuki, living for centuries, and to die to a 'pitiful human'."

Douma still hadn't felt the pain or the beheading in the real world just yet, making you chuckle.

"Soon, after I release the form, the pain Shinobu and I will finally be repaid back, with compound interest."
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"What the-?!" Douma saw himself decaptitated as his body plopped to the floor. "This pain...it hurts!"

Douma looked up to see you above him, you were looking into the sky and smiling, tears shedding from your eyes.

"How is it possible for a demon to feel pain?!" He cried out to you. "How did you-?!"

"I pity you, Douma."

"Pity me-agh!" Douma winced at the immense pain he felt, even with his demon regeneration, which wasn't working well, only numbed minimal amounts of the pain.

"For once in your life you actually felt pain." You said.

" 'For once in your life?!', how dare you assume-!"

"I felt it. Your 'voice'." You interrupted him. "It felt empty. Like a shallow hole that couldn't be filled."

"I blame you for killing Kanae, I blame you for giving me a pain to my heart that can't be refilled." You look down on him, Douma's regeneration only helping with the ash now crumbling away at his head and body. "But I blame you most of all for hurting Shinobu."

"Shinobu? Was it that girl who stood aside?" Douma asked.

You didn't answer, but to Douma it was more than enough for an answer, and he felt satisfied.

"Pain. It's truly a glorious thing. It can twist you in different ways. To the point of never feeling it again or to be completely consumed by it. I never got to feel emotion. So...thank you, Thunder Hashira. For letting me feel once again."

Douma's head finally disintegrated, and his body did as well. You look up as the ashy scent fell to the floor instead of going up.

Then, your heart rate increased and you struggled for air.

"Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!"

Your breathing grew unstable, with each time you exhaled, your lungs compressed harder, making you finally collapse.
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"Oh come on!!!" Inosuke yelled. "I missed it!"

"Well...that's just too bad, Inosuke..." Tanjiro said. "Maybe next time..."

"The repercussions are kicking in!" Zenitsu yelled and they ran towards you. "We'd better hurry!"
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"Sorry, Kamado..." You groan to him. "I think I nicked your blade."

"No, it was me. I nicked it earlier in battle." Tanjiro smiled.

"Even with a nicked blade, he killed a Upper Rank?" Inosuke thought. "He's crazy..."

"Wait...where's the other one?" You ask.

With that statement, Gyutaro then emerged from below, visible sword slashes on his chest and he was furious, holding both of his Kāma in the air.

"Don't mess with me, fuckers!!!"

End of Chapter