Ascend The Multiverse|多元宇宙を昇る [Kny x Black!Reader x Countryhumans]

Twenty Two| 二十二

Where Tanjiro gets two totally normal trainers to help him

A/N: Y'all are lucky this week for getting two updates. Now that the war is over, you and Kokushibou will concentrate on your next task of teaching the main character. English is in Italics.

Spoilers: Koku ain't happy at all but has to suck it up. Enjoy.

Tanjiro was tired.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been one year and a few months since he was given the task of slicing that boulder by Urokodaki-sensei and it was not working out as well as he hoped. Meanwhile, his sister Nezuko was still asleep and showed no signs of waking up.

His trainer Urokodaki kept on telling him that his sister was fine and to focus only on his training. That was ironic since his sister is the main reason why he was even training in the first place.

Ever since he was left to his own devices, the burgundy haired boy took it upon himself to wake up in the early morning and train until late evening. Using the knowledge passed down to him by his senses, he would practice his sword movements and slash some bamboo. His flexibility had improved and he could do back breaking exercises with some ease.

Despite not seeing her again, he couldn't forget the advice he got from the mysterious hooded lady who saved his sister almost two years before. He utilised that same advice by tackling the mountain in different patterns so as to make things more unpredictable for him. The thinning air only served to improve his breathing capacity as he avoided many obstacles, stumbling once in a while.

Every day he would go back to that same boulder which was the only barrier preventing him from going to the Final Selection. Each swing was more aggressive than the last, frustration in every grunt that left his chest. His hands which were once rough from charcoal selling were now blistered and torn from the swords hilt.

Skin peeling. Sweat dripping. Chest tightening. Teeth gritting. Jaw clenching. Breath expelling. Eyes narrowing. Body aching. Knees buckling.

All in the effort to cut through the unforgiving boulder which showed no pity for the poor boy. It didn't care how much he had suffered the loss of his murdered family. It didn't care how many sleepless nights he suffered through as he trained. It didn't care that he was trying to become a demon slayer for the sake of regaining his sister's humanity.

No. That boulder might be immovable and inanimate but it was cruel like life itself. It was either he was strong enough to cut it, or he wasn't.

This had gone on for so long, but his resolve was still strong. So what if Tanjiro couldn't slice through the boulder today? He would just train and try again the following day. So what if Urokodaki-sensei began to lose some hope in him? He would prove that he was a capable warrior. So what if another month went by with no luck? Many more months would follow with potential of success.

All those doubts in the hanafuda wearer's mind had an answer to counter them. All except the most important one to him; What if Nezuko never woke up again?

That question started off as a whisper then a nagging thought as days went by. With each failure to cut the boulder, the question repeated in his head mockingly. It hurt his soul that each day could possibly spell doom for his demon sibling. Then what would happen? Would he still proceed becoming a demon slayer? Would he even want to touch a weapon again if the person he cared for the most died as he failed to cut the rock?

His katana slid off his hand and fell to the snow with a muffled thud. Tanjiro soon followed as he fell on his knees. The boulder looked down on him intimidatingly in the early night. The 20 year old imagined it as a demon who was taunting him for not completing his task.