Solar Blade

Fox Mask

Tanjiro and [Name] sparred. Except they were now brandishing real swords. Urokodaki told them that these swords were called Nichirin blades. Nichirin was a metal that absorbed the sunlight, the one thing that could kill a demon. It was very hard to make, and the swordsmiths who created them went through a lot of hardship and effort to make them.

They had also learned something called breathing techniques. Urokodaki was a master of something called Water Breathing. They were also being taught 'Total Concentration Breathing'. 10 Water Breathing techniques would be taught to them. Now, they were quite proficient in their skills.

He watched as [Name] sent a strong attack into his blade. Tanjiro's feet slid backwards as he felt the force in [Name]'s strike. It seemed that they were naturally good at this. He countered by pushing his blade back against [Name]'s one. Urokodaki whistled sharply, causing them to pull their swords back. They turned to him, before listening to him speak.

"You two have been training with me for 2 years now. You have both shown me that you are capable of going through Final Selection. But first, you have one final test," Urokodaki says.

"One final test?" Tanjiro asks.

"Yes, follow me,"

𐙚˙⋆.˚

Urokodaki led them to a clearing. Inside were two large boulders. What was this for? [Name] sheathed their sword as they walked toward the boulders. Urokodaki let the two wander around the two massive boulders before continuing.

"You two have shown much prowess with your skills. But now, you must prove it to me by cutting a boulder in half. The one on the left is Tanjiro's and the one on the right is [Name]'s. Now, I leave you to get the boulders," Urokodaki says before disappearing.

Immediately, [Name] tried to slash through the rock, but as soon as it hit the surface, they felt their bones rattle. This rock was about two metres wide and tall. It was decorated with a single ribbon, draped around it. Tanjiro and [Name] slashed and slashed their boulders. However, all techniques that they used proved to be futile.

"Tanjiro, we must be doing something wrong. Bring that journal you've been writing. We'll read it over," [Name] spoke, sheathing their weapon.

Tanjiro ran back to the house and got the small journal that he had written in. He quickly returned to [Name] before thoroughly reading every entry. They were doing everything that Urokodaki had taught them, but they weren't getting anywhere. [Name] and Tanjiro continued to try and slash at the stone. Finally, [Name] dropped their blade, finally showing signs of tiring.

"I'm going for a walk. You can keep trying if you want to," [Name] spoke.

They sheathed their blade before running into the trees. How would they cut this boulder? It seemed as if they would never be able to do it. They continued to do laps around the mountain, the sword bobbing by their side. Urokodaki must've left something out. Wasn't he a master at this? He should've taught it perfectly fine, and the training that should've trained them up musn't have been fully complete. That was the only thought that came to [Name].

𐙚˙⋆.˚

Tanjiro continued to slash. [Name] was going for quite the long walk. Were they okay? He'd have to check later. But for now, he swore that he wouldn't give up. Tanjiro continued this practise with [Name] for days. They would constantly disappear for a walk, and Tanjiro would keep throwing his sword at the boulder. Today, he was finding it especially hard.

He rammed his head against the rock, "I'll never do this! If [Name] can't do it, what hope is there for me?"

"Shut up!" a voice calls.

[Name]? No, this voice sounds different. He looked up to see someone sitting upon his shoulder. They wore quite a distinct haori, with a geometric pattern on it. Where had he seen that pattern before? He gasped as it came to him. The same pattern was on one half of Tomioka's haori. Was this also a demon slayer?

"A man shouldn't cry, it's unseemly," he spoke.

Who was this? When did they arrive? How didn't Tanjiro hear him? On his head was a mask. A white one, carved in the shape of a fox's head. It was much like Urokodaki's tengu mask. The boy jumped from the stone, holding a wooden sword.

"You should suffer silently," the boy spoke, "...if you're a proper man, that is."

𐙚˙⋆.˚

[Name] continued to walk around the mountain. How long had they walked for? They held their sword ahead of them, practising their slashes as they ran. They felt smooth and calm as they ran through the trees, sword in hand. However, they felt their heart jolt as the sword snagged onto something, before slipping out of their hands. [Name] looked at their empty hands. They quickly went back to the spot where they dropped their sword. They saw that the handle was sticking out of a bush. They grabbed it but realised that it was stuck in something, so they pulled it with all of their might.

The sword came free, but they landed on their butt. They held the blade up to their nose, seeing it. It felt much stranger now, as if it was colder and lighter. Were they going crazy from running in circles? Probably. They sheathed the blade, feeling the scabbard go cold. What had happened to their blade?

A/N

Hehe, this certainly isn't part of the KNY plot. Well, the part with Tanjiro is, but [Name]? Nope, I came up with that when I should've been asleep. At this point, I have no idea where this'll go (or do I?). Also, I must say . I really hate episode 3 of KNY. It's so boring, and I can't really write it interestingly. So, imma just keep going with both [Name] and Tanjiro's parts. Or else these next few chapters are going to bore EVERYONE. 

Taisho Era Secret: Urokodaki gave [Name] a weaker blade, but still they show more prowess