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It is the month of January in the Taisho era, a brand new year for you. Currently standing at thirteen years old you are considered to have lived a blessed life so far. In this age, much like many in the past, there are notorious rumors regarding the likes of demons. The public has yet to prove the existence of such creatures but these urban legends spread wild throughout the entirety of Japan. One, in particular, is that nobody should be outside when it is dark for that's when the demons seemingly attack. With mysterious disappearances and unforeseen circumstances that can only be documented as supernatural, it is no wonder why the urban legend has spread like wildfire throughout the eras.

With each era, these rumors worsen and become more credible. In addition to these rumors is another revolving around a secret task force set out to eliminate these demons. They are dubbed champions of the people despite not being an officially recognized military. One has to wonder if such an imperial task force actually does exist? Regardless, these individuals are told in foretells to comfort little children who are scared of the urban legends relating to demons. Naturally, when you were young you believed in such a notion, but as you become older you started to be more skeptical on the matter and have not seen them.

For now, this is the start of your story. What happens beyond nobody knows, but whatever comes your way you’ll face it with an iron resolve and steadfast determination. As Byakuren Shimizu, shrine maiden in training and local busybody.
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>>4051370

Sunday morning, the start of a brand new week cycle. Like yesterday, it was a smooth winter day, although far more clouded than usual as the Sun was mostly blocked out by the snow clouds. Still, similar to yesterday there was very little snow, therefore, making it easy for one to travel from place to place with no issues. Perfect for you who lives deeply rooted in the forest grounds, once again due to the traditionalist lifestyle of the shrine guardians including the hermits, monks, priests, shamans, Mikos/Gekis and any other profession relating to the art of shamanism and Buddhism/Taoism. Keeping themselves isolated from society allows them to be exceptionally close to both nature and the spiritual side in peace and harmony. To which, to this day you were a maverick to all things sacred in the Shamanic arts as your grandma Gurren made painfully aware for your disinterest in staying within the tradition. Something that you have gotten used to at this point.

Nevertheless, you uncharacteristically rose from your comfy futon bed immediately. It was quite a peculiar act to see you up and at em without having someone else wake you up. A normal morning for you was sleeping uncharismatically like a lazy tanuki hibernating through the winter season. So for you to break out of character patterns and be fully aware and awake was quite upsetting. The fact you were so energized made it all the more creepy and unnerving. Was this some sort of sign from above as a reactive response for your prayer to your family’s safety during that blood-red moon. Or you could just be overthinking it and the hot springs water just did their job a little too well. Normally that is what you would’ve come down to as a woman more in touch with her common sense and rationality. Even so, you constantly carry a sinking suspicion that something was not right.

Upon going through the motions of your morning ritual, which included taking a bath, eating a hefty breakfast and other stereotypical stuff for a teenage girl of thirteen years. Once that was taken care of did you begin to make the necessary steps to prepare for departure. Keeping a close eye investigating your current belongings including the money you received selling out all of those sacred goods your family made for the townsfolk. It would only take you roughly fifteen to twenty minutes making sure that everything into place. You even went as far as to double-check if not triple check as you didn’t have any time to go back to the inn if you forgot something. Getting home fast as possible with no stops was your priority and you were gunho about making that a reality. Only once reassured that you have everything in order did you begin to finish tidying up your hotel room. Leaving it just how you found it in squeaky clean order, you exited out of the room and head downstairs into the main hall.
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>>4051372

Spending just enough time to say goodbye and show gratitude to Sayako and her staff you head out into the outside world. Followed up by walking in a steady jog you easily outmaneuver the crowd as you navigate yourself out of the city of Kurume. Making it to the entrance gate in record time you take one final look back to the busy city of Kurume. In retrospect, you only spent a single day in the city even after having already completed your objective. Normally you would’ve at least stayed for a few more days before ultimately returning home and typically getting an earful from your nagging grandmother. Once again to anyone who knew Byakuren Shimizu, this was quite the unusual course of action from the lovable and spunky maiden. That familiar feeling of dread was moving you forward as paranoia begins to take center stage. You just needed to return home and confirmed that everyone was safe and it would be over.

Unfortunately, it seems your woman’s intuition and spiritual awareness was right on the mark to be worried as you make your way up the hill and through the path back home. You who were born with exceptionally sharp eyes like that of an eagle, though an owl was more accurate on average could easily map out your surroundings without issue. Combined with a photographic memory and the reflexes capable of fully taking advantage of this, you were a bit of a copycat. With keen observation skills and an innovative mind, it was only natural with your level of perception that it dived into being blessed with amazing foresight. Again you merely brushed it off with something more scientific than calling it a divine power like the villagers did with your father’s fortune-telling skills or your mother’s insightful foresight. Still, out of the four children you carried the strongest eyes as your eldest sister was more talented to be worthy of being called a natural-born prodigy. It was the only thing that gave you any leverage above your sister who you lived in her shadows to this very day,

With your special eyes and sharp memory like an elephant’s, it was child’s play for you to take a proper shortcut as you make your way down the path and straight towards your destination. Normally it would take just about half a day for you to return home. However, you were exceptionally paranoid as the worrisome feelings continue to fester deep inside. So you did everything in your power to cut the trip to only a couple of hours or less. Of course, you were quite fortunate to have eaten a big breakfast for the trip, otherwise, by the end of it, you would be notoriously tired. Even with proper breathing from years of Qigong and the physical conditioning you obtained from your training into being a proper Miko, such a trip at that speed would leave you a little winded. Just the after-effects of having a once frail constitution.
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>>4051374

Your diligence and perseverance ultimately reward you by allowing you to arrive at your destination in just less than two hours. Having done so with little to no breaks, you felt like you just competed in a marathon and just barely managed to take the gold. But even after making it back home in record time, that feeling of dread continues to seep inside. As you travel through the forest grounds that house your house, a worrisome sight catches your eyes. So much in fact that you begin to act delirious over what your eyesight was showing you. Out in the distance, there was the sight of a blood trail leading towards your house. Even with a large amount of snow, you can see the sight of death lingering in the area. What made it worse was the fact you swear you saw the doors torn away. But as you look closer...there was someone stepping out of the house.

>What do you do?

>Run towards that person to confront them with the hopes that it was one of your family members
>Keep quiet and find somewhere to hide and observe them from a distance
>Run in another direction and check the house from another point once it was safe
>Calm down and carefully think your options before coming to a conclusion (leave it to the gm)
>Other [write-in]
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>>4051375

Author's Note: Sorry for the two month abscene, in between researching and being swamped by the holidays and responsibilities, I also wanted to give the manga series enough time to plan out some important events in our story. But now I can say with absolute confidence that we can continue in peace. Sorry for the wait and I thank you for your understaning and future cooperation.

Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Demon+Slayer
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>>4051375
>Keep quiet and find somewhere to hide and observe them from a distance
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>>4051375
>Keep quiet and find somewhere to hide and observe them from a distance
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>>4051375
>Keep quiet and find somewhere to hide and observe them from a distance
Glad you're back.
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>>4051375
>>Calm down and carefully think your options before coming to a conclusion (leave it to the gm)
>>
>Stand ready to fight , staring at the silhouette , analyzing its movement.
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>>4051513
>>4051580
>>4051586

Alright, had some things to take care of but let's get back to the swing of things.

Rolling isn't necessary for this but in the future, we're going with a DC check based around either d10 or 20, alternatively, we can go with the d100 system. Whichever you guys prefer.
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>>4052190

Before you could rattle your brain about the sight your body proceeded to act upon survival. Quickly you move as quickly yet quietly as possible into one of the trees that were still in full bloom. Luckily they were common in this area thus alerting suspicion as a potential hiding spot. With your current momentum, it was rather easy to scale up one of the large, sturdy trees and make it high into its branches in one fluid motion. Once again you have to thank your grandma for training you so thoroughly to manage pulling off such quick wit and fast footwork. Otherwise, it’ll be more accurate to say that you would be frozen completely by indecisiveness and fear. By the time your mind registered its surroundings, you were already nestled deep within the large tree’s branches, using the leaves as the perfect cover for hiding in plain sight. As if you need another reason to be compared with a tanuki or owl. But given the circumstance, you were willing to let that one slide. That is if you were to be ever so lucky to survive this rather dreadful encounter.

Making sure to control your breathing and keeping your wits about, you focus everything into being completely quiet. Hiding your presence was almost second nature through all those times avoiding your grandma during those games of tag in the woods as training. Though in your case it was mostly to avoid having to train by the tyrannical Miko. Nevertheless, those times of hiding and seak have honed you into performing swimmingly at the act of stealth. At times like these, you begin to wonder if you were fated to become a kunoichi instead of a Miko. Scanning the area swiftly and diligently, your amber eyes shift back towards looking at the silhouette that was coming out of the house. Rarely giving yourself the time to blink, you keep a close eye on the strange figure, not letting them out of your sights for anything. Judging from the silhouette you could tell automatically that it was an adult male. Examining it for just a few seconds longer imprinted the image of your father as you instructively compare the mysterious silhouette with your dear parental figure. Much to your dismay, the two didn’t match up as the figure was somewhat shorter than your father and arguably more lanky in leanness. Thus you begin to think that someone else has come into your house.
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>>4052416

Was it one of the other shamans looking to do some shaman related business? Another traveler looking to receive some sort of divine fortune telling about the weather or how their day was going to be? Or...was it someone from your father’s past coming to pay a visit. The possibilities continue to pile up the more you start to think and analyze the situation. Even so, your instincts were telling you to avoid that mysterious man at all costs. There was just something about the figure that gives off the dark vibe. A vibe quite like that sensation of death that you were picking up with your acute senses prior. Of course, this was merely a hunch based on limited information in such a short time. Now you weren’t the type to be pessimistic as you were a girl with a strong buoyant personality and steadfast outlook who looks at the brighter things, however, you weren’t nearly filled with boundless optimism, unlike your older sister. Being a realist was more fitting to your style. In any case, your hypothesis born from intuition generally didn’t let you down, especially when you need it most. Thus, you continue to remain ever silent in the trees as you observe the mysterious man. From what you can tell it was a Bishōnen looking man who was especially handsome in an otherworldly sort of way.

Curly black hair, plum red eyes like the shade of a blood moon you reflected upon prior, and pale white skin most common with someone who didn’t step into the sunlight often. It was clear to you that this mysterious individual was a young man clearly in his late twenties, and yet he holds some sort of regal formalness to his presence. Judging from his attire composed of a black haori coat, a white business suit, matching white tie, long-sleeved dress shirt, pants, and dress shoes, completing the outfit with a white fedora. You can tell from where you stood that this mysterious male was someone who favors extravagance considering the choice of his clothing. Was he someone from the main cites like Kyoto? Perhaps even the imperial capital city of Tokyo? It was hard to tell as there were too many variables and way too little time to theorize. Right now you commit yourself to not let your mind wander and trail off into one of your overthinking fits as this wasn’t the time for that. All you can do now was continue observing and analyzing his ever motions.
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>>4052420

To your careful and keen observation, you were able to spot the mysterious man from all sides upon watching him standing in the white snow. The mysterious man was oozing with charisma as the feeling of being under the presence of an extraordinary person deepens. If the paranoia wasn’t making you so tense you would find the strange to be rather dashing in his smooth charms. Looking closely at him you saw nothing out of the ordinary, at least through the first glance. However, looking closely you notice that his fingernails were a shade of red. At first, it didn’t look all that unusual considering you met flamboyant people including males who paint their names to be more stylish and exuberant. And yet, the more you stare at those nails did you start to put the pieces together and come to an unfortunate conclusion. The red hue on those nails...that was the same color and texture...as blood. Upon coming to that conclusion you begin to go pale as your bones start to rattle and your body begins to shake tremendously out of fear.

Picking up on the strange feeling that kept him at place despite finishing his objection, the mysterious man simply lifts his finger. Viens start to appear around the index finger, throbbing constantly as the muscles contract and tenses themselves around the nail area. The bloodred nails start to shimmer rather ominously. In a blink of an eye, it changed from the blood-red shade to its standard cool, blue hue. Worst yet it spiked up from its flattish state into a sharp, jagged crescent moon, resembling a beast’s claws or fangs. Pointing the fingernail directly towards a tree, the mysterious man fires the keratin at blinding speeds. Acting akin to a bullet, it manages to come within seconds of hitting you directly at your chest.

>How do you proceed

>Endure the blow and keep quiet as you pretend to play dead
>Risk exposure by dodging the attack and moving to another hiding spot
>Grab the sturdy, tree branch and dive into fighting form as you dash towards the mysterious man to counterattack
>Other [write-in]
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>>4052422

For the future, here's how you can keep up with updates as to when I'll start https://discord.gg/6Z4bzmt
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>>4052422
>Endure the blow and keep quiet as you pretend to play dead
Nah we can't fight someone with finger bullets
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>>4052422
>Endure the blow and keep quiet as you pretend to play dead
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>>4052456
Sounds legit, supporting
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>>4052456
>>4052480
>>4052510

Alright then, it looks like we're going for playing possum. So give me a d20 roll, DC is 13
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Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4052920
>>
Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>4052920
Fuck
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Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4052920
>>
Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>4052920
Hopefully no crits with 1d20
>>
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>>4053042

Oh my goodness, but riddle me this on what makes you wish for such a thing ?
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>>4053159
On a d20 it happens too often.
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>>4053169

Fair enough, still documenting results based on the roll with highest being the best and lowest being the worst even without crits.
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>>4052920

Despite your notoriously sharp eyesight, you would come across just a hair’s breathe of almost completely unnoticing the impending attack that was traveling towards your destination. Honestly, you have roughly less than twenty seconds to observe and react to the traveling fingernail. Most of your mental state wasn’t even aware of the unfortunate tragedy that was to come. With how casual he came off as and how quick the transition was, it almost appeared like a simple magic trick. Dodging it at this point was next to impossible and only would confirm the mysterious man’s suspicion of someone being in that tree. And attacking him in a counterattack fashion was more or less inviting your impending death considering you didn’t have any weapons. Nor could compete with a man who somehow shot a bullet out of his fingernails at you. Really your only option was to withstand the blow and endure it to the best of your ability. Anything else would be just wishful thinking as your mind quickly comes to a conclusion.

Instinctively you tilted your body by just a couple of degrees to lower the chance of receiving a fatal wound. Although it wasn’t much, it most certainly assured you of achieving just that as the fingernail pierces through your snow-white haori coat, short-skirted white kimono robes and even through your sleeveless form-fitting turtleneck. In a single motion, it went from your outer outfit layers right down to your breast, specifically the cleavage area as it manages to slide through your mounts as it travels down its path. Much like the thick fabric of your clothing your own natural skin and flesh tissues were soon penetrated by the fingernail in a smooth fashion. At the rate it was going it would all but seem imminent that he was going to hit your heart through the sternum. The pectoral muscles were the only thing keeping the fingernail from reaching through the opening in the ribcage and striking deep at your heart after breaking your sternum. In response to the impending threat, you instinctively flexes your muscles, contracting the fingernail upon contact with your muscle tissues. Through strenuous effort and muscle control, your body manages to block and catch the invading fingernail, effectively stopping it in its tracks. The blunt force and friction burn still remain as it stings like hell.
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>>4053328

However, it didn’t change the fact that it was a rather dangerous ordeal that left you feeling an intense burning, aggravating sensation around your chest. Blood started to spill from your lips due to the internal bleeding made from the fingernail bullet. Sharp pain pulsates through your body, spreading everywhere in shocking intervals. Honestly, the pain you were currently feeling was quite possibly the worst thing that you have ever felt in your entire life so far. Had you not reacted subconsciously the way you did the damage would’ve been a lot worse. With the best-case scenario being only lightly injured and having trouble breathing for a long while and death at the worst possible scenario? The pain was almost enough to make you scream as you blink in confusion at the fact you were stricken by the mysterious young man. What was keeping you from acting upon such response was your strength of will stubbornly suppressing those desires. Screaming at this stage would only alert you would-be assailant and bring more misfortune upon you. Therefore, you endure to the best of your ability, keeping the fingernail in place while refraining from moving. The urge to cry was especially strong but not a single drop would come out due to fear.

Putting the agonizing pain aside you acted upon an old survival trick you recall several woodland creatures reenacted for survival. That trick being ‘playing possum’. By pretending to be motionless and lifeless, it gives off the false impression that the target was slain and their souls departed to the afterlife. While in actuality the target is fully alive and aware of their surroundings even in their current state. Depending on the animal resulted in a different chain of events, but usually, the attacker generally goes off uninterested and leaving the user to live to fight another day. Taking that philosophy into account you made it your best interest to remove all trace of your presence from the mysterious assailant. You weren’t sure how but something you did must have alerted him of your current location. Or he was just a paranoid man and was just shooting randomly in case something was in the tree. In the back of your head, you prayed that you would never have the chance to find out and wanted to survive above all else. Turning your misfortune into opportunity, you took a silent gasp, gathering the maximum amount of air you can and holding your breath to remove any tellings.
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>>4053331

Dead silence was a truly torturous factor for you as you endured ever excruciating second of your endeavor by hiding in plain sight. Every millisecond felt like an eternity for you as the mysterious man looks at the area where he struck the tree. You could practically feel his fearsome gaze staring intently as you continue to lie motionless, holding back the urge to blink with cold, unmoving eyes. If you weren’t so good at eye based competition including staring contest chances are you would’ve flinched up and blinked out of fright. Quite possibly alerting the mysterious man of your presence and ruining your hard work. It wasn’t an easy task erasing your presence and clearing your mind. The gods must have truly been your side to have given you the means to do so through your training to become a Miko. Although, given the overall circumstances, that was most debatable. Nevertheless, your diligent perseverance was rewarded as the mysterious man trails off from the path, has seemingly confirmed that whatever he hit is either non-existent or already dead.

Only after waiting until he was completely out of sight and long gone did you finally broke the silence yet again with a violent cough of blood. Upturned eyes were rendered dull and empty as the light in them slowly fades. While not at the stage of death, you most certainly wasn’t feeling all that energetic after that quick brush with death. Silently but steadily you let out routine, fast pace breathing, almost reaching hyperventilation levels. The tears were finally pouring out as was the blood flowing from your lips, your muscles finally stopped clinching the fingernail as it remains stuck in your chest cavity. To which it has seemingly started to disintegrate now that it was no longer held together by your muscles. Before you had time to relax, another pulsation starts to rupture inside your body, causing you to clench your chest tightly as you begin to pant and drool uncontrollably. Without any warning, you were showing strong symptoms of having a fever.

>How do you proceed?

>Remember your breathing exercise and instinctively start applying them while calming down
>Pull yourself together and check your house for any clues relating to your family
>Force yourself to follow the mysterious man while keeping your distance at all time
>Pass out and let your body deal with whatever is happening to you
>Other [write-win]
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>>4053333
>Remember your breathing exercise and instinctively start applying them while calming down
Nice numbers
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>>4053333
>>Pull yourself together and check your house for any clues relating to your family
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>>4053333
>Pull yourself together and check your house for any clues relating to your family
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>>4053333
>Pull yourself together and check your house for any clues relating to your family
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>>4053496
>>4053724
>>4053832

Just a second ago you were perfectly fine, well aside from the crippling fear that nearly took complete hold of you. Still, it’s rather baffling to be breaking down like this from just a single encounter. Just who was that mysterious guy and what exactly did he want? Most important of all, what exactly did he do to you? It was clear to you that he wasn’t normal, especially if he was to turn parts of his own body into a weapon. But the memory and presence of that mysterious man wouldn’t ever leave your eidetic memory as you burn every last detail of him into the archives. There were so many questions currently running through your mind as you kneel down and start to tighten your hand around your chest. Still feeling that intense burning sensation coursing through your body at every waking moment. At this point, you were getting ever closer to hyperventilating from the panic and fear that you were bottling up as you struggle to keep it together. Whatever was happening to you would have to wait as you needed to move as quickly and efficiently as possible. There was no time to be lazing around.

Pushing yourself upwards through the sheer force of your will manages to regain your center of balance. Now postered in an upward position, you quickly lung yourself to the right, letting gravity takes it course as you fall off from the tree. Timing it just right you kick the tree during mid-fall in order to serve as a spring for you to bounce off of and propel you towards the direction you seek to travel in. Followed by a quickly timed tumble, you manage to safely land on the ground without causing any additional injuries. Perfect was an understatement when considering your current condition to have still managed to pull off such fancy footwork. Clearly living in the wilderness for so long and undergoing your grandma’s crazy preparation from hell was truly earning its keep on you. Nevertheless, you pick yourself back off from the ground and start to pick up momentum as you begin to run towards your house. Given the hostility from what you felt during that near-death experience, it was clear that something horrible may have happened.
>>
>>4054236

By all accounts, you should trust your survival instincts and let it take over to direct you to run away for dear life. But your deep love for your family overpowered both those survival instincts and common sense as you pressed forward. Almost tumbling midway during your run, you manage to make your way back towards your house. What was waiting for you was not something for the light of heart as you step inside to check it out? Bloodstains currently painting the wall in graphic fashion as the scent of blood lingers throughout the house. Scratch marks imprinted on the walls and floors along with with disoriented furniture shows sign that there was a clear struggle going on as you continue to navigate through your house. Paranoia and fear continue to circulate through your body as they were getting worse by the second. But even if it was to the point of running away from reality, you continue to hold on to the disillusioned hope that your family was alright.

However, upon making it to the living you were met with a cold and cruel taste of reality. Lying against the wall was your father Kenki Shimizu as a trail of blood seeps out, painting both the wall and floor right next to him. To your left was the twins Emiko and Keiju, also lying against the floor seemingly motionless and unresponsive. The entire living room was trashed as it looks like someone threw one hell of a tantrum. To make matters worse you didn’t see your sister Sakura anywhere. On that note, you fight with the growing fear inside and pull just enough strength to move forward and start checking on your family. Perhaps just like you they were merely playing possum and making themselves appear dead to avoid further confrontation with that mysterious man. Making your way first towards your father you quickly examine his body. Going through the necessary steps to check his pulse, you were meet with a rather disheartening sight.
>>
>>4054238

Numerous fractures and deep lacerations as the blood continue to gush right out of him in a slow but steady stream. Looking more akin to a butchered animal, you could tell first hand that there was a long and hard-fought struggle between your father and the mysterious man as evidence of the current shape of your living room and the damages throughout the halls. Now checking upon his pulse you were left with a grim realization. There no pulse or any sign of life coming from your father. Although it was recently, perhaps even just by a couple of hours, you can tell first hand that….your father was already...dead. The color of your peach-colored skin turns pale upon the realization as tears start to pour deeply from your eyes. Looking at your younger siblings a similar thought quickly run down through your mind as fear was keeping you from checking on the condition of them. But deep down you got the sinking suspicion that like your father, both your little brother and sister were sharing the same fate as your father.

For the first time in your life...you felt something that you never truly experience in your life. Hatred...A hatred so strong that it was pushing your mind to snap and fragment into pieces from the horrible experience and realization that you were no longer going to be able to spend any more time with your family...ever again.

>How do you proceed?

>Look for any sort of weapon in your house and chase after the mysterious man
>Search throughout the resident and try to find your older sister Sakura
>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju
>Try to treat your wound to the best of your ability before breaking down and crying over your lost
>????
>Other [write-in]
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>>4054240
>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju
>>
>>4054240
>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju
>>
>>4054240
>>Search throughout the resident and try to find your older sister Sakura
>>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju
>>
>>4054240
>>Search throughout the resident and try to find your older sister Sakura
>>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju
>>
>>4054240
>Search throughout the resident and try to find your older sister Sakura
>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju
>>
>>4054558
>>4054962
>>4055082
>>4054265
>>4054343

Sorry for the wait, but it looks like we're doing both for max suffering. Writing Now
>>
>>4055112

Surrounded with the lifeless bodies pushed you down a dark path like no other. Despair was kicking in as your mind was psychologically breaking apart. The overwhelming pain, the constant stress of uncertainty, the looming strain of loss, and the rampant rage that threatening to consume you from inside. It was a miracle on itself that you didn’t shatter at the first sign of seeing your family’s bodies. But even all that willpower couldn’t completely withstand the immense heartbreak you were feeling over the loss of your father. For just a flashing moment your eyes start to lose their color and become empty. A rising stream of sorrow and hatred swells fiercely inside as you compensate for being completely alone. What ultimately snaps you out of your panic attack was the sight of your mother and the rest of your family. Seeing her brought you back to reality, allowing you to regain your senses/

Filled with courage and inner strength, you turn your eyes back to Emiko and Keiju. With a loud gulp, you slowly hunch over to their bodies. Focusing your eyes as hard as you can, you begin to notice something that you missed in your stressful episode. It was faint but there was some warmth in both Emiko and Keiju’s bodies. Placing your ear upon Emiko’s chest, you begin to hear a heartbeat from the lifeless child. Again, it was rather faint just like her heat signature but there was still a heartbeat. However, the rhythm was rather erratic and unusual as it doesn’t move in the conditional way that a regular human’s heartbeat is supposed to go. The constant fluctuations were making you rather unnerved as you continue to listen to the sound. Pulling yourself off from Emiko you then make your way to preforming the same act on to Keiju. Much like his twin sister, Keiju was showing the same traits as Emiko, much to your horror.

But as much as this was quite the worrisome endeavor, you couldn’t help but feel tremendously relieved by the sudden revelation. It didn’t matter how unusually unorthodox it was, it didn’t change the fact that both of your younger siblings were still alive. Fastening the two twins safely into the modest wooden basket, you follow suit by securing them safely with a thick blanket which allowed a steady oxygen flow. Once the two of them were fully secured and at peace, you quickly rise back to your feet. A shart joint of pain rushes through your body. Breathing was still notoriously harder than it should be normal, and the blood was still leaking from your mouth due to all those internal injuries currently the main cause of your bleeding. Of course, you force yourself to power through it, no matter how much your lungs were hurting or how much the burning sensation and stinging jolts continuing to pulsate through your body.
>>
>>4055210

There was still something that you need to do before you can finally collapse. If Emiko and Keiju were able to hold out and survive despite the odds, then there was a possible chance that your elder sister Sakura was also alive somewhere. Taking one final look towards your father, you force yourself to make a rather bittersweet smile to him. Raising your hand around him before transitioning to hugging the corpse. “..I’m sorry dad. I’m sorry that I didn’t come sooner and hopefully help you. But...I know you wouldn’t want me to beat myself over something like this and instead focus on my siblings. So...please wait a little longer okay? I’ll...promise to bury you and….keep my promise about thinking real hard about what I want to do for now on. So please, pass on to me your courage and diligence before moving on to the afterlife to be with mom again. ..I love you.” You reply, hugging your father tightly as you sob silently for a full minute.

After finishing your tearful goodbye you pull yourself forward and start to trek through your house. Keeping a close eye to your current stamina levels, you transition to reserve as much energy as possible through power walking. While not at jogging speeds, you were moving quite fast for someone in your current predicament, practically ignoring the added weight of your siblings that should be weighing you down. Searching through every single room took a moderate amount of time as each room was left mostly unscathed. There were no signs of your sister being in any of the rooms that you checked as you thoroughly explore the entirety of your house. Once you came to a dead-end upon reaching the final room, you took a moment to catch your breath. There was no time to let yourself get depressed and fall back into despair. You needed to be strong for your younger siblings and keep fighting no matter what. Closing your eyes and thinking real closely, your mind quickly formulates the next likely place that Sakura would be located.
>>
>>4055211

Marching out of the house you make your way through the bushes and turn the corner in a fluid motion. Afterward, you steadily travel upwards through the path towards the Suitengū shrine. Surely if she was to be anywhere outside of your house then that would be the first place you’d check for Sakura. Continuing with your power walk you slowly but surely make the trip with little to no concerns. The constant pains you were feeling and your growing fever were symptoms that you stubbornly adapted to as they were becoming bearable to you. Still, it didn’t change the fact that you weren’t in the best of condition and chances are you need to treat your wounds properly. Death by blood loss was highly unlikely given the wound made inside your chest, but that didn’t mean you were completely out of the woodworks yet. Even so, you stubbornly priorities your family’s safety over yours. A clear sign just how empathic and kind-hearted you truly are with such selflessness. Whether if that was a good thing or not remains to be seen.

Eventually, after making it to the staircase and plowing straight towards the top you finally reached your destination. Unlike previously inside the house, you kept yourself from taking a break. The adrenaline coursing through you was the only thing that was keeping you up and active. At this stage you feel like that if you were to stop down and rest, chances are you wouldn’t have the strength to pull yourself back up. Thus, you continue your steady motions as you make your way towards the Suitengū shrine. Upon arrival, you nearly bust the door open in frantic hysteria. In your view, there were signs of a struggle as blood was smeared across the wall. But unlike the trail where you ultimately found your father’s body, there wasn’t a sign of your sister’s presence anywhere. Once again you were met with another dead end as another consultation starts to hit you hard in the chest. Nearly forcing you to drop to your knees as you clench your chest.

If your sister wasn’t here then where could she be? Thinking about what could have happened to here was making you lose concertation and dangerously relapsing into a state of unyielding rage. Your mental state was reaching its limit as the thoughts keep flooding in. At the same time, your eyes start to glow from amber to a scarlet shade, pupils slitting like that of a berserk animal. You were breaking apart and it was happening at a dangerous rate.

>How do you proceed?

>Let go of everything and become empty like the wind to retain rational thought
>Become as fierce as fire and finally lash out at this unfair predicament while refusing to give up
>Surpress your emotions and ignore all distractions as you become unmoving like the mountains
>Acknowledge the pain your heart and cry while retaining your gentle nature like the forest
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4055212
>Acknowledge the pain your heart and cry while retaining your gentle nature like the forest
Demon family blues
>>
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>>4055212
>Become as fierce as fire and finally lash out at this unfair predicament while refusing to give up

>become demon
>TFW no family to resist eating
>Vengeance.jpg

In battle, I wanna be an apparation of burning vengeance, and there is a bunch of art for it.

Assuming we are going demon. We -are- going demon, right?
>>
>>4055212
>>Acknowledge the pain your heart and cry while retaining your gentle nature like the forest
>>
>>4055263

Considering we took a fingernail bullet to the chest by Mr "lace all my attacks with blood so i can weaponize demonification" it wouldn't be all that surprising. But if we do become on we maybe like nezuko since we did got a nat 20 to endure it. Anyway supporting.
>>
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>>4055288
I think BO3 is traditional?

BO3 we got 19. Still absolutely great, but not a crit.

>Considering we took a fingernail bullet to the chest

MC has all symptoms of currently undergoing final stages of demonic transformation - Breathing training and good rolls might have allowed her to skip past dying like a bitch from demon cancer straight into badass demon samurai territory.

At least I think so.

>Like Nezuko

Prolly more like Tamayo, I think. Nezuko's mental issues are very non-standard.

Also different circumstances. Where Nezuko's priorities were not eating her brother and not eatin anyone in general first, second and last.

Ours are hopefully to pick up a sword, and go on a a burning murderous road trip looking for other demons to murder until we get gut enough to strike at Muzan.

It is going to be great.
>>
>>4055212
>>Become as fierce as fire and finally lash out at this unfair predicament while refusing to give up
>>
>>Acknowledge the pain in your heart and cry while retaining your gentle nature like the forest
>>
>>4055239
>>4055263
>>4055275
>>4055470
>>4055525

Looks like we're doing both while the fire aspect takes seniority. I can dig it. So let's do some rolling, DC is 10.

>>4055338

I'm more of a depend on the situation kind of person. BO3 is standard for a lot of questions I have other factors kicking in. So If I see additional rolls in a short spree of time, or I find myself going off schedule and taking longer than intended to post for example, then I'll most likely incorporate it into passibility out of fairness.

Either way, you did real good avoiding dying like a bitch to Muzan's Smooth Criminal lethal bullets. Now let's see how your humanity takes into account against demonificatiion .
>>
>>4055542
Tell me how to roll.
>>
Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>4055542

>>4055549
dice+1d20 in the options field.
>>
Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>4055338
Watch me fail at this simple task.
>>
Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>4055542
Humanity wins!
>>
Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4055542
>>
Looks like Byakuren remains mostly human in mindset, if ,understandably, pretty furious.

Cool. Mix of anger and tears is pretty nice too.

...Wait. Are kids going to turn too? Sspawning demons like that is what Muzan does.
>>
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>>4055554
>>4055561

Good job my dudes. Your humanity is unyielding and ever-presence as you avoid becoming a complete monster like so many others. Now you're only a filthy Half-Demon/maverick demon-like Nezuko and current Tamayo. Inuyasha route here we go.

Badass Samurai away. Genya give you strength.
>>
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>>4055569

>>Someone remembers Muzan's unfortunate tactics of causing maxium suffering.

>>4055239

Puts it into words right here.
>>
>>4055579
Oh lawl. Demon family. IDK if Tamayo is going to be uber jelly or uber sad.

Though if they lose their humanity Byakuren will probably be forced to kill them. After all this, to lose them again - that would be something, alright.
>>
>Sister not here
What are the chances she's been taking to be one of the Moons?
>>
>>4055601
Muzan probably just ate her. He is a callous and impatient motherfucker at his core.
>>
>>4055606
But then we can't be forced to put her down for max suffering.
>>
>>4055542

Despite your best efforts, you were starting to fall apart. Time after time again you were met with a rather cruel response to your struggles for any silver lining of hope. Having your elder sister missing was the final straw to your already overly stressed back. The foundation was falling apart as your mind, body and spirit were breaking, the heart showing cracks metaphorically at the deep scars this precedent was leaving. It’s obvious that this was having quite the negative effect as not even fully grown adults can completely adjust to such a cruel tragedy. So how was a mere thirteen-year girl was expected to supposed to keep her wits about? Even though your twin siblings still show signs of life, it was so faint that it wouldn’t be all that surprising if they went up and croak at a moment’s notice. The very aspect of that possibility being a reality was enough to drive you deep into the pits of despair and sorrow. And from that very pit came another sensation...the burning inferno of rage, fueled by your escalating hatred.

The thought of being separated from your family, the thought of being isolated and alone, all of those worrisome feelings and lingering thoughts of paranoia was suffocating you. This tremendous amount of guilt and sorrow, it was just too much to bear. It was simply unfair as your mind couldn’t find any reason for such a cruel fate to happen to your family. A kind and earnest family that did its hardest working diligently for the sake of others. To give them peace of mind and security in these tough times throughout the centuries with your generation continuing the task. They were good, honest people who did no act of malice or ill-will half as cruel as the amount warranted to be punished by karma, especially by this existent. The more you thought about it, the more your entire tragic situation became ludicrously unfair. It was to the point of being unfathomable as something begins to fester deep inside of you.
>>
>>4055748

The fingernail that was lodged deep inside of your chest has completely mutated and disintegrated. Using your heart as the focal point, it subtly spread throughout the entire body as there was no spot left untouched. Using your hysteria and activeness against you, it easily contaminates the entire bloodstream as it took to the next stage in your corruption. Those painful convulsions and constant throbbing contractions were caused by your body constantly struggling in the background at what was becoming of you. Hence why you who was typically healthy as an ox thanks to your parents’ actions that lead to the divine intervention was getting an intense fever, especially at a time like this. The constant threat of hyperventilation was the body’s way of fighting this unforeseen ordeal. And while you managed to avoid the worst-case scenario of the alienating aliment breaking your body apart until it’s fully disintegrated. It didn’t change the fact that undergoing the destruction and creation in between your active motions was only the beginning….towards your rebirth... as a demon.

Eyes now scarlet red, they begin to glow ominously as they were a vivid representation of the burning hatred inside of you. Your canine teeth start to elongate, becoming more like a vicious animal as you have more in common with that unfortunate comparison to a tanuki than previously. Although, in this case with how barbarous you appear, it was more accurate to call you a mad dog or a newly awaken wolf escaping from the domesticating lifestyle and returning to the primal fury. Your fingernails and toenails follow suit and elongate into claws. Your black leggings feeling rather tighter than usual for form-fitting clothes as your upper attire was undergoing the same suffocating feeling. Speaking of feelings, that burning sensation was running rampant as another tight contraction around your chest took place. These convulsions were becoming more frequent, like some sort of otherworldly heartbeat befitting for a demon. Blood veins start to form around the body as your pupils slit themselves, resembling an enraged animal who was pushed to their breaking point.
>>
>>4055754

You continue to drool uncontrollably as your body temperature skyrockets. The drool mixed with your blood dripped off from your full lips, hitting the ground as it starts to burn it with its high acidity and temperature. Your blood boils from within while your body breaks into hyperventilation. Fast, shallow breaths followed by erratic movements and unusual actions. Your body was performing a wide assortment of different tasks as its transition to trembling. All while your mind was fighting desperately at snapping apart and becoming psychologically broken. But even so, it was still in some way conscious of what was happening to the body. Not that it was going to make a difference as you feel your entire being consumed by hatred. Tears start to pour from your eyes as a sign of your kind, gentle heart crumbling. But this was not the usual watery substance as blood was pouring from the eyes. The sclera, turning into the same hue as those tears running constantly down your cheeks.

It was at this point a voice was starting to ring inside your head. A bone-chilling tone that was neither sweet nor soothing as it was full of ice. The voice starts off being incoherent mumbling but over time it starts to become clearer and audible with each passing second. Judging from the sounds it was clear the intention of the voice was driving you to give in to the templatizing presence currently enveloping you. Listening to its beacon call it was giving you the directive to go berserk, feast on humans and embrace your inner darkness. Sweet whispers ran across your ears, attempting to corrupt you from all corners of your heart and turn you into a dark, twisted variation of your general personality. You weren’t sure how but you were able to identify this pre-recording message as the same man who you saw previously. The man is known as Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of all demons. Wrestling against these constant messages drove you to the point of insanity as you kneel outside the shrine and let out a vicious scream. Filled with agonizing sorrow and despair with a growing hint of rage.

“This isn’t fair…. This isn’t fair... THIS ISN’T FAIR, DAMN IT!” You scream, slamming your fist deeply against the ground, causing a series of cracks to form around the hard bedrock as you make a sizable dent from your outrage. At this point, you were at your limit at holding back your emotions. Everything was coming together as the pieces start to align. But the motive remains ever a mystery as it only infuriates you further.
>>
>>4055774

“What did my family and I ever do to a scumbag like that! What gives him the right to kill my father, hurt my brother and sister, and take my big sis Sakura from me! Damn it!” Once again slamming your fist deep into the ground, you begin throwing one hell of a tantrum over all of it. Though considering how much of your emotion you kept bottled up, it was bound to happen that you start to lash out against your surroundings. Each slam across the ground only formed bigger cracks as the dent began growing at an alarming rate.
With one more slam, you kneel your head, gripping your balled up fists to the point of breaking the skin and bleeding profoundly. You start to mutter you yourself to drown out the constant voice egging you on to become the very worst you can be.“I won’t accept it.” Silently muttering those words rather ominously, you slowly start to rise back up to your feet. Blood vessel starts to appear around your eyes, morphing those round mounds into something much sharper and fierce as your burning hatred was reaching its zenith. “...I will not...accept any of this!!”

“Won’t forgive….won’t forgive. I’ll never forgive you! ...Muzan Kibutsuji!” You scream, your sweet and innocent voice starting to distort, becoming more vicious and unrelenting in its chaotically erratic shift intones. You were becoming more vengeful and overflowing with the burning passion that was driving you to seek retribution for all of this. “Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth and dive into the deepest of hell...I will find you!”

“No matter where you go, you're not getting away! I’ll make you pay! I’ll make you suffer for a thousand for the pain you inflicted upon me! Muzan Kibutsuji! I will never forgive you no matter what!” The distorted voice becoming more haunting and ominous with each word you spat out. If someone was to hand you a mirror you would possibly be shocked at how demonic your vicious nature was warping you. An onryō or wrathful spirit would have more in common with the current you than your once humane nature. As you grit your razor-sharp teeth in frustration, another voice starts to ring into your head.
>>
>>4055798

Although the voice was quick like a flickering flame, it was far more soothing and gentle than the constant bombardment of the callous Muzan. It was a familiar voice from someone you haven’t heard in a long time. In addition to this voice, it carries the sound of your father and siblings. Even your grandma Gurren was intertwined in the voice as the imagery of your family manifests around you. Feeling enveloped with such warmth and kindness manages to sooth and tranquilize your tortured existence. The bloody tears start to disappear as real, genuine tears start to pour out from your eyes. The bloody sclera fading as your demonic features were receding as a result of your humanity coming back to the surface. Remembering your family and your father’s final words gave you the strength and courage to reel yourself back from your vengeful outburst and keep yourself from losing something truly important.

“..Mom….Dad...Sakura...Keiju...Emiko...Grandma Guren...thank you.” You smile, scrunching up your face as you start to break down and sob. No longer filled with the burning hatred and relentless desire to viciously rip apart the one who did this to you and your family, you finally gave grief the closure that it was longing for. In between your crying fit, your senses start to pick something up. In the back of your head lies an image, the image of your sister Sakura being carried by a mysterious samurai with raven black hair tied in a ponytail. You couldn’t make out his face but the image of your sister gave you renowned hope as you saw her safe.

“How Foolish. There are only two paths for you, stubborn child. Either give up your futile struggle and fully become a demon or give up living and join your family in the afterlife. There is no salvation for disobedient children.” The voice of Muzan spoke coldly, urging you to return to the vengeful state that you previously took.
>>
>>4055825

Hearing that voice ringing in your head didn’t trigger that previous state of malice and burning vengeance. Instead, you remain composed as the only thing you felt was to pity the voice “..Who decided that?”You mutter, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. Slowly place your left hand against your chest, the memory of your family further imprints itself deep into your heart as your humanity fully returns to the surface. The flames of passion and the cool serenity of the forest, including the soothing river converse together to paint such beautiful scenery. It represented the balance between the two forces currently raging war over dominance.

“ My fate to either become a bloodthirsty monster or die. To hell with that!! Such a cruel and unjust destiny isn’t what my father nor any of my loved ones would desire. If that’s to be my fate, then I’ll crush such a horrible future and keep fighting till the very end. I will weather through this storm and see tomorrow with my siblings! Bet on it!” You yell, stubbornly defying the voice to the end as it somehow disappears along with traces of red energy.

With a warm smile forming on your face, you feel yourself becoming at ease as your vision starts to blur. Appearing a fully human side from sharpening nails and teeth, you start to struggle keeping yourself awake. What you did just now took a remarkable amount of strength, a strength that ultimately saps you of your remaining stamina. Everything was beginning to start spinning as you feel yourself coming closer towards unconsciousness. All while this was taking place, you start to hear a voice crying out to you. A gentle if not overly enthusiastic tone as you turn your eyes to meet with them. A man with bright yellow hair, red streaks as the image of the rising sun was the first thing that comes to mind upon seeing him. For some reason, you feel safe. But a lingering thought now invades your mind. Emiko and Reiju.

>What do you do?

>Pass out and trust the mysterious man to take care of you and your family
>Force yourself to stay awake and confront the man while being defensive of your siblings
>Try to move and run away as fast and far as possible
>Keep quiet and focus your breathing as you listen to the mysterious man
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4055834
>Pass out and trust the mysterious man to take care of you and your family
>>
>>4055834

Time for best boy to make his appearance.
>>
>>4055542
>>4055834
>>Force yourself to stay awake and confront the man while being defensive of your siblings
>>
>>4055834
>Force yourself to stay awake and confront the man while being defensive of your siblings
>>
>>4055834
>Pass out and trust the mysterious man to take care of you and your family
>>
>>4055834
>Force yourself to stay awake and confront the man while being defensive of your siblings

>trusting a stranger with our remaining family
>>
>>4055860
>>4055877
>>4055998

Alright, seem like we're going with distrustful skeptism. Which considering what has happen so far, Byakuren is justifed in being crabby.

Give me a d20 roll if you please, the DC is 10
>>
Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4056090
>>
Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>4056090
>>
Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4056090
>>
Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>4056090
>>
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>>4056092
>>
>>4056091
>>4056092
>>4056095

Man, your love for your family/general luck is astounding. First, it lets you survive certain death, become a half-demon and now get some fresh gains. Bravo. Byakuren is truly blessed by the gods. Because her family was the offering.
>>
>>4056106

One more thing before I get back to writing.

Author’s Note: Since this series revolves around the supernatural and karmic divinity as well as being ambiguous with its “mystical martial art empowered by breathing” you’ll be seeing some overlaps with Jojo’s Hamon in this quest. Warning you now before things get bizarre, also sorry not sorry for that pun.
>>
>>4056129

Although you were tremendously tired, having been pushed way past your physical, mental and even spiritual limits, those thoughts continue to run on repeat in your mind. Had it been any other day before the tragedy you would’ve strongly considered if not willingly pass out and leave the safety of you and your family in the hands of a stranger judging by his good vibes. However, you were rather skeptical and defensive, especially to any strange individuals. Like with Muzan, you didn’t have any idea what this person was capable of. Not to mention even in your blurry state your eyes caught the silhouette of a sword. All the more reason to refuse to go into that gentle slumber and pass out. You already lost one family member and have a missing sibling, you sure as hell wasn’t going to lose any more. Motivated by your everlasting compassion and love for your family, you find yourself drawing forth your Miko training.

Instinctively you begin to take a deep breath, maximizing the amount of oxygen that was flowing into your lungs and traveling into your bloodstream. Channeling the fresh forest oxygen and circulating it throughout your body starts to have positive effects upon you. Slowly you begin to feel newfound strength swelling up inside of you. Every single fiber of your cells harnessing the sun’s glorious radiance, amplifying the biological energy that resides inside of you. As a result, your body cultivates the oxygen, converting it into fuel and drawing all manner of the cell’s power to trigger a rejuvenating effect upon your body. Within moments you were reaching a state of optimization as you feel the radiant energy coursing through your entire body. It was just a simple breathing trick taught by your family as apart of one of the many methods of the Qigong style breathing you implore in your Kagura dances. This one, in particular, was aimed at improving stamina and honing endurance. But something strange begins to happen.
>>
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>>4056305

Normally what was intended to bring forth stability and reinvigorate swiftly transition into bring bountiful amounts of stamina and accelerating your natural healing ability. The wound on your chest was not only closing upon itself but any indication that you were shot there was dissipating. As well as the internal injuries you, unfortunately, suffered as backlash for enduring that underhanded sneak attack. Whether if it was innate aptitude, the result of your family’s strenuously rigorous training, especially your grandma’s training from hell influencing your physical conditioning, or even the mysterious power coursing through you it was unclear. Not that it really matters since the end result was more important than the method. With each breath you took under your family’s qigong training, you feel yourself reviving as even your breathing rhythm was stabilizing. Those lingering fits of painful convulsion and burning sensation seemingly have disappeared as well did your fever. But you were still hotter than normal.

With your body fully energized and restored back to full health, you feel yourself returning to top condition. Even so, you start to take things carefully and slowly take things into perspective. Adjusting your amber eyes although more reddish than normal, you took the tie to observe this mysterious person carefully as he was close in your personal space. He was clearly someone in his late teens as not even your elder sister who was fifteen came close. You roughly estimate around from sixteen to eighteen years old. And yet already you feel the aura of a veteran captain oozing out from this very enthusiastic gentleman. Hansome aside you can tell with your exceptionally sharp eyes that from his muscle details he was notoriously muscular and well defined underneath his military uniform. The only unusual thing about him was his hair color and golden eyes. Strangely they were rather sharp despite being round, making you think of an owl as you continue to stare into those deep eyes.
>>
>>4056313

“Oh good, you can hear me after all. I wasn’t sure if you would take to my advice or not about controlling your breathing. After all, you look like quite the mess before and carry the scent of blood. But judging from what I can tell the wounds on you was inflicted by someone else.” The mysterious man spoke, showing a rather eccentric side to his enthusiasm. Another strange person came to your presence, but compared to the first he was far warmer. “To be honest, I thought you were going to pass out and I’ll have to carry you to safety.”

Seeing you only staring at with a monotone expression, the mysterious man blinks for a blink before making a surprising look on his face. “Ah! Where are my manners? My name is Kyojuro Rengoku, it’s an honor to meet you.” Kyojuro spoke, offering his hand to help you up from the ground while doubling as a handshake. It took you only a few more silent blinks before you finally break out of your shell and greet him properly.

“Aha...Sorry. I’m just not in the mood right now to leave either of my twin siblings Emiko and Keiju alone right now with a stranger.” You half-heartedly smile as you take his hand and lift yourself. Smoothly transitioning into a proper handshake afterward. “My name is Byakuren Shimizu. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Ah! A Shimizu you say. That reminds me of the time that I ran with Lady Guren during my trip to Tokyo in the Suitengū Shrine. She was very informative and quite resourceful. I wouldn’t have finished my mission in record time if it wasn’t for her and the Kawakami clan’s help.”

“Wait you know my grandma and my relatives the Kawakami clan?” You blink, genuinely shocked at this sudden realization as you listen closely to his tale.

Kyojuro nods, keeping rather authentic if not overly enthusiastic smile “Correct. They have been helping me and several of the pillars during their stay in Tokyo whenever they can. So as appreciation, after my mission around Kurome, I was planning on visiting these lands and offer my thanks to Lady Guren. “

“But...judging from the situation. It seems that I’m unfortunately too late. I’m deeply sorry.”

“I know you must be in shock over what has happened, it’s perfectly understandable if you ever feel like screaming at the top of your lungs in frustration and sorrow. But I’m going to need you to temper your passionate flames and tell me what exactly happened and who could have done this? If I know what the demonic assailant looks like, I’ll have a good chance at tracking them down and getting retribution for your misfortune.”

>How do you proceed?

>Cooperate with him while asking for his assistance in finding a doctor for your twin siblings
>Be skeptical and ask him some questions [write-in what you want to know]
>Take notice of his sword and prepare for combat as you won’t be tricked twice
>Run away as far and as fast as you can
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4056316
>>Cooperate with him while asking for his assistance in finding a doctor for your twin siblings
>>Take notice of his sword and prepare for combat as you won’t be tricked twice
>>
>>4056316

For the record what you did just now was very comparable if not your family's specialized version of the Total Breathing Concertation art. There's more to your heritage than meets your eye but for now, the makings of a demon slayer run deep inside of you thanks to your strong foundation.
>>
>>4056316
>>Cooperate with him while asking for his assistance in finding a doctor for your twin siblings
Obviously don't let your guard down.
>>
>>4056321
+1
Battle Priestess soon
>>
>>4056316
>>Cooperate with him while asking for his assistance in finding a doctor for your twin siblings
>>
>>4056321
This is good, has my full support
>>
>>4056305
Rengoku seems to be ignoring the fact that Byakuren got claws and demon teeth for now. Wonder for how long it'll last. No chance he failed to notice.
>>
>>4056321
>>4056333
>>4056361
>>4056344
>>4056330

Alright, it seems like we're going cooperative but still skeptical and defensive. Truly Byakuren is a siblingcon, just like Tanjiro.

>>4056776

That's actually going to get touch on the next update. but considering there's Demon Slayers who consume demons to temporally gain their powers, it's not something he hasn't seen before.
>>
>>4056776
There is also a bunch of blood on her face and traces of a gunshot wound equivalent on her torso.
>>
>>4057119

Just who exactly was this person? Here you stood currently covered in blood, though most of it’s from your own body, the gaping gunshot wound at your chest although closed for now remains, and the abnormal changes were done to your body. Aside from your lengthened canines and nails, you appear more or less human, but that didn’t change the growing suspicion that something changed inside of you. You just weren’t sure what exactly has happened given the circumstance but it was clear that something did happen. Nevertheless, you continue to keep your attention closely at the strange Kyojuro. Naturally, you didn’t surprise that he was showing genuine concern for a stranger’s well being. It was apart of the human nature to show compassion and sympathy as one empathizes with another. In spite of that, it wasn’t always a guaranteed thing as like with the changing tide, a person’s nature was always everflowing with erratic rhythm and never truly just like another’s. Therefore, you kept up your guard as you couldn’t let yourself be deceived.

Narrowing your stare at Kyojuro, you give yourself a moment before speaking. There was a clear difference between being cautious and just being misanthropic. If you were going to make any process towards helping your sibling then you needed to be cooperative. “Yes, you’re right about that. I’ll tell you everything that I know about this event. But just for the record I only came just a few hours ago tops. But in that window of time, I managed to meet the person who may have done this.”

After listening closely to your story, making sure to leave out no detail in its abridged version, Kyojuro makes a captivating expression, engrossing himself into the tale. “A pale-skinned man who looks about around in his late twenties. Dressed in an extravagant white business suit with matching fedora over his curly black hair. Plum red eyes with vertical pupils much like a cat’s, all while being notoriously sharp and almond-shaped. Sharp blue nails to which he fired one at you in the chest thinking that you may have been some sort of animal or stalker. I think I’m starting to get a decent enough picture of the assailant.”

You nod at Kyojuro, keeping your eyes around your surroundings and being alert. “If I have time I can sketch his appearance perfectly. To balance out my photographic memory I can have a seemingly endless archive in my mind to house the information and recall it at a moment’s notice in addition to adaptive muscle memory and reflexes to keep up with my amazing deductive and information processing ability. And the eyesight necessary to handle the level of perception and observation needed.”
>>
>>4057526

“I see. A personal drawing would be far better than to go by than just the word of mouth. And judging from your tone, you’re rather confident in your artistic skills to pull off a near photo-realistic with your level of precision am I correct?” Kyojuro asks.

“Yes. That’s why my family rarely uses stuff like cameras when I’m around. Though I’d think its more the superstition that if it takes a photograph of you then you lose your soul that made them hesitant in using one.” You answer, briefly pointing to the left-wing of your humble home where the camera was located. “Really I just think dad was humoring Gurren who was adamant against owning such a thing. But it was because of that we were able to make some fond memories with mom before she passed away. So it can’t be all that bad.” You chuckle, briefly reminiscing on such a wholesome moment as it made you feel rather melancholy/ A bittersweet sweet smile forms at the fact that such memories with the whole family were impossible now.

“I can tell first hand you must have truly loved your family with the way you talk fondly about them. So I know that this must be hard on you. Heck, it’s amazing that you’re managing to keep your wits and not breakdown completely. You’re pretty strong, especially for your age.”

Tilting your head from Kyojuro, you start to tightly grip your hands. “..I’m not strong at all. I did nearly snapped upon reaching my breaking point. The only thing that kept my psychology from shattering was my family. My father is no more, but my twin siblings Emiko and Reiju are still alive. Their pulse is faint and there’s still warmth in them, so I need to take them to a doctor as soon as possible. So if you know where to find one it’ll be much appreciated.”

“You know normally people would priorities themselves first before worrying about others. You can’t exactly save anyone if your not in the right condition to help them. Both physically and mentally. Heck, I’d say even spiritually counts into the equation. And from the looks of it, you’re notoriously worn out.” As Kyojuro reaches his hand out to brush off the blood on your face, you start to back away from the swordsman. In your constant taking in the surroundings, you notice that there was an orange flame-like hilt and guard on his left side. Although in its sheath you can tell first-hand he was carrying a katana. That was already setting off some serious flags as his unconditional concerns further your skepticism.

“And why...should I trust you, Mr. Rengoku?” You bluntly answer, narrowing your eyes into a glare as you keep your distance from Kyojuro.
>>
>>4057539

“I know what I’m saying is quite rude and uncharacteristic of me. But considering my brush with that mysterious man who, I’m not sure how but I learned his name is Muzan Kibutsuji. I’m rather rethinking my policy when it comes to strangers….especially those carrying swords around you!” Hearing your violent outcry Kyojuro continues to remain composed to avoid making you all the more agitated. That is until he hears the name Muzan Kibutsuji that his well-crafted poker face starts to crumble. His eccentric smile slowly fades from his face as he takes a more serious, hard-boiled expression.


“...So, you did encounter a demon after all. And not just any demon but the progenitor of all Demons. Well, if we’re being honest, I was already suspecting you to show signs of demonfication but it was merely a hypothesis. I need to actually see your wounds just to be sure. Even so, the rhythmic patterns of your breathing prior, they were more than simple breathing exercises. So it got me thinking that perhaps, in your way, achieve Total Breathing Control. And if that’s the case, then the possibility of you resisting and ultimately neutralizing the conversion process. With how you appear currently, I also consider the possibility of you being one of those rare mavericks who pose the potential to temporally obtain the attributes and characteristics of a demon when exposed to some article of their living cells.” Kyojuro explains, having a somber look in his eyes. There was a hint of sympathy but duty was taking priority as he feels that you deserve to know what you were getting into.

“However, even with all those variables, there’s still the risk of transforming into a demon, especially if Muzan’s blood is coursing through your body. For breath users, especially talented ones it takes roughly a couple of days to a week at best before they transform into a demon. Also, only Muzan and his twelve moons can directly convert someone into a demon. Otherwise, the usual cause of demonfication is having one’s wounds exposed to their blood, generally by a very strong demon. Some are resistant to demon blood, usually, people who are capable of infusing the demon attributes inside themselves, or those who hold one of the rarest blood types Marechi, otherwise called intoxicating blood. It’s not unusual nor uncommon for these factors to intertwine with one another. However, it’s not always necessary or guaranteed as many exceptions to the rules have appeared throughout the secret history. “
>>
>>4057560

“But if what you say is true and Muzan was the one who struck you down. Then by all accounts, you should have already been nearing the final stage of becoming a demon, if not already transformed. Yet here you stand mostly human. Until I can get someone to examine your condition and blood, I can’t be sure of’ the cause for this strange phenomenon. Still, I can tell it in your eyes that you’re not going to simply come with me and let yourself get examined. To be honest, I wouldn’t blame you if fear was pushing yourself to think about self-preservation. But that’s not it. What you’re worried about, perhaps even trying to keep yourself from reaching that same conclusion. ...Is the possibility of your twin siblings becoming demons.” Kyojuro spoke, dropping all manner of softness as he was rather stern about telling this truth to you. Hearing it first-hand causes your face to twist into a rather worrisome if not vexing frown.

“The color of your face shows that I hit the mark. And while I can try to tell you that I mean you no harm nor will lay a finger on your remaining family. It doesn’t change the fact that you won’t trust me and come with me for help. No amount of words will convince someone if they keep their heart tightly shut and fortified around thick walls..” With that Kyojuro rises to his feet, pulling his hand on the katana as he draws it from its hoster. Seeing the weapon in hand made you tremble, but not out of fear but desperation. You arch your arms back, sinking your foot to the ground in preparation at what’s to come.

“Therefore, it’s easier if we communicate through combat. Although my profession is a demon slayer, I have my fair share of combating with people. So I know first hand that it’s possible to come to an understanding through fisticuffs. Though, I’d still employer to drop your hostility and fears and trust me when I say I won’t let you or your family fall into despair. That’s why I’m here as a hashira.” Kyojuro spoke passionately, tossing his prized possession to the side, choosing to fight barehanded much to your shock and confusion. “But if you want proof of my conviction, then I’ll show you first hand the red flames of Rengoku. So set your heart ablaze, Byakuren Shimizu. I’ll burn all of your doubts, sorrow, and other negative emotions shackling you down. Straight to the bone.”

>What do you do?

>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
>Focus on running away instead, prioritizing escape above all else.
>Try to bring out your burning rage and attack like a beast while using your surroundings
>Refuse to fight but acknowledge your own stubbornness and growing hostility as you swallow your pride and ask Kyojuro’s help and guidance.
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4057572
>>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
Let there be Hotbloodedness.
>>
>>4057572
>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
Gotta see if he can protect our siblings.
>>
>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat

Yeah sure. Punching people to communicate via shounen wavelength is good civilization.

I do not think that breathing and demon transformation process quite works like that in source material, but eh.
>>
>>4057572
Man, I like the quest but you spend way too much time explaining things both in the narration and through dialogue in excruciating detail when it doesn't have to.

>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
>>
>>4057572
>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
I didnt know how to word it but >>4058001 is right. There's a lot that's overexplained multiple times and in close proximity
>>
>>4057614

Truthfully you need psychological therapy in addition to medical treatment but this is shounen, communication through one's actions e.g fist fighting is just as good for empathy.

Also, the whole temporally transforming into demons by eating their cells and the whole conversion for a demon slayer to a demon is tremendously vague and never really gets thoroughly touched on. It's going with the whole "It's demon mumbo jumbo, I don't gotta explain shit" which is upsetting but what can you do. Here I'm at least trying to give some sensibility as to why one can transform but resist fully becoming a demon due to being a maverick and eating demons. That said, I also take suggestions at any time.

>>4058001
>>4058049

My apologies, I'm running with the asumption that a lot of people don't know Demon Slayer lore or the things I change to better fit the story narrative won't be simple to breakdown so I sometime end up putting too much in my explaination when I should K.I.S.S [Keep it simple stupid.] But thanks for letting me know. I appreciate any and all feedback.
>>
>>4057588
>>4057590
>>4057614
>>4058001
>>4058049

Anyway since we going by the old fashion hot-blooded bonding moment, let's start with the rolls.

give me a d20+1 please. DC is 12
>>
Rolled 9 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058231
>>
Rolled 19 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058231
>>
>>4058249
our bullshit luck continues!
>>
Rolled 14 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058231
>>
>>4058249

I'm getting the sinking suspicion Byakuren is only just now finding her true calling to life. That "Battle Priestess * theory isn't so far off after all though Sōhei may be more accurate.
>>
>>4058301
If we're going through with this, we have to go the full nine yards.

I'm imagining we get a hold of a bow and some arrows.
>>
>>4058308

Inuyasha'ing with the sword, and Kikyo'ing [Or Kagome if you prefer] with a bow. Truly the Battle Priestess lifestyle.
>>
>>4058333
That, or go with a whole arsenal of weapons.

I wouldn't mind a naginata, or kanabo. Although walking into towns and cities dressed for a one woman war would draw some attention.
>>
>>4058365

The Demon Slaying Corps is an organization but not one publically acknowledged by the government for obvious reasons. So regular folks will rightfully be concerned.

On that note, for the record. What kind of sword do you guys wanna shoot for? I already have a good idea of what to give you but I also like hearing suggestions.
>>
>>4058374
Honestly, it kind of depends on how we'll be fighting
and our physical capabilities.

We could go for larger swords like an Odachi if we plan using our strength to our advantage, or perhaps smaller blades for a more subtle approach.
>>
>>4058374
I'm down for whatever you have in mind. No real preference on my part.
>>
>>4058374
Odachi for big fucks, regular katana for the smaller guys.
>>
>>4058365
>kanabo

If we wanna go sadistic, we could just use that just to make our enemies wish that we used our sword to decapitate them as we smash them to pulp.
>>
>>4058374
I trust whatever you've picked. The Manji approach could be cool though.
>>
>>4058231

“Fine, I’ll take apart in your suggestion. Honestly, I’m surprised at how well it jibes with me.” You smile, reaching for your basket and slowly unhooking the straps around your shoulders. Carefully you set the container down and kneel towards it.

Although you want to leave encouraging words to your siblings, your instincts were running on overdrive as you went into overprotective big sister mode. If he didn’t put together that Keiju and Emiko were currently residing in your basket then you weren’t going to give him a decisive answer. So cautiously but comfortably you place your hand on the basket. The feeling of warmth and sibling love seeps into the basket, comforting the twins like a soft, thick blanket. There was some serious truth in Kyojuro’s words as you contemplate the possibility. You alone was an abnormality in accordance with Kyojuro’s explanation and hypothesis. Just what would you do if your siblings turn into demons? And worst of all, what if they’re no longer your beloved Emiko and Keiju? These thoughts made you suffer greater levels of anxiety. In spite of your deeply rooted concerns, you merely rise back up and start to walk to the other side of the open field.

“Let’s do this.” You bark, slamming your fist together to excite the body and bring forth strength.

“Mhmm, that’s quite the fighting spirit you have, Ms. Shimizu. That’s just what I expect from a member of Lady Guren’s ménage. Excellent! Now take your stance and we’ll get started.” Kyojuro spoke, acknowledging your vigorous spirit as he sees the image of a strong flame burning around you. As a result, he goes to match you head-on with the same hot-blooded passion upon setting his heart and soul ablaze.

Almost immediately the two of you briefly set the rules of the bout. Unlike a traditional sparing match where one would have a referee and exchange a series of rounds based on hitting a person’s certain spots as the means to rack up points, this was much more barbaric. Essentially it was a no holds barred match as the only stipulation was no killing or acts that could cripple someone. In order to win, one was making the other yield and say “I give up.” There was no time limit and the entire horizon was the arena. From these terms alone you get the sinking suspicion that there was more to it than a mere knuckle-busting brawl. More importantly, you saw first hand how honorable the eccentric Kyojuro can really be. All the more reason why you feel the urge to fight as you grin wildly. Perhaps this act of showmanship has awakened your hidden warrior spirit. Upon reaching opposite sides towards one another, the two of you quickly transition into fighting position. For you, you follow up with your stance by hopping back and forth to keep your body pumping.
>>
>>4058605

Kyojuro looks carefully at your form as he begins to take a traditional kung fu stance. For him he was closely resembling the tiger style, abet his variation of it as there were hints of karate in his form. Hmm, that stance resembles boxing, specifically the Shaolin Wushu variant or T'ai Chi Ch'uan. No, if this is Lady Gurren we’re talking about, she must have incorporated various martial arts practices that best fit with their foundation to make a rather fluid and versatile art form much like their Kagura dances. Her poster alone is an excellent example of that. Most terrifying is the fact despite her state of mind, she has an excellent form. A balanced stance with no discernible advantage preference to one style form, but the trade-off is that it covers any possible weak spots. I may need to take this bout more seriously less I want to be tasting the payment.

Watching for even the slightest movement, your eyes intently survey over Kyojuro’s body language and expressions. Looking for the slightest detail, your keen observation generally gave you the edge via foresight. No matter how subtle those shifts are, so long as you can read them then you can effectively stay ahead of your adversaries and make counterattacks. Much to your disappointment over your analysis, there’s very little if any weaknesses in the swordsman’s stance. Although it’s clear he’s more proficient with the blade than barehanded martial combat, it seems like there was no loss in efficiency by this transition. Even so, you were highly confident in your martial prowess. There was a reason why you were allowed to travel down to the villages by yourself despite the dangers. Whatever tricks or ploys he incorporates into this fight, you’ll meet them head-on and overcome them with unrelenting strength.

Upon the sound of a leaf dropping to the floor, the two of you quickly transition into combat. Taking the first step in this sparring battle, you sprint forward with incredible speed. For a brief second, it would appear that you suddenly disappeared from the naked eye. In actuality, you merely timed your movements with Kyojuro’s, waiting for that moment he blinks to speed up accordingly. Instinctively, your breathing was in perfect synch with your motions, virtually leaving no openings in your actions. Quickly closing the gap between both combatants, you aim for a straight left hook strike towards Kyojuro’s face. To which he merely counteracts by turning his body, sliding the fist off his cheek and minimizing the brute force in your blow. Taking advantage of your momentum, Kyojuro went for an uppercut punch. Allowing it to hit directly to your jaw was notoriously bad as it’ll negatively impact your equilibrium among other negative side effects. Seeing the attack coming at you, you respond by blocking the blow with your forehead instead.
>>
>>4058627

Watching as his well-timed strike being blocked by an unusually sturdy headbutt brought sparkles to Kyojuro’s eyes as you two hold your ground. “Ohoooooooo! Magnificent! Byakuren Shimizu!” Kyojuro cries in enthusiastic approval.

“Grrah!” You mutter, gritting your teeth as you try to overpower the older man. Strangely you weren’t sure why but you feel yourself being better than you normally are. All manner of your physical conditioning has jumped to the next stage as you begin disputing signs of herculean strength.

Jumping back from clash you follow up with a series of fast pace punches, giving you the illusional appearance of a dancing valkyrie or warrior goddess. Naturally, Kyojuro switches to defensive maneuvers in order to block each one of those fast pitched punches. Mixing up your repetitive motions you sneak in a couple of kicks in between as you keep perfect rhythm. This constant switch up causes Kyojuro to be stuck guarding himself and protecting his vitals from your onslaught. Despite the size difference and age, you were mustering phantasm amount of innate ability and prowess. It was like fighting a fully grown man with your escalating strength. At the same time, something begins to trigger inside of you. Newfound battle instincts and combat prowess were manifesting and developing at an alarming rate. Utilizing the self-defense martial teachings of your father and your grandma, you was sharping yourself into a prime contender. All while your body was responding to your growing fighting spirit. Another metamorphosis was already starting.

Almost sensing your change, Kyojuro suddenly stops his movement...and begins to take a deep breath.

>How do you proceed?

>Continue to take the offensive and overpower Kyojuro through brute force and unrelenting ferocity.
>Play to your strength and continue to exchange blows while reading rhythm to memorize his fighting patterns
>Put some distance between the two of you and switch to fortifying your defenses
>Trust your instincts and act accordingly in response to Kyojuro
>other [write-in]
>>
>>4058635
>>Trust your instincts and act accordingly in response to Kyojuro
>>
>>4058635
>>Trust your instincts and act accordingly in response to Kyojuro
>>
>>4058635

Trust in your instincts and act accordingly to Kyojuro.

Lets one up Zenitsu by honing those instincts and pulling our form of Ultra Instincts
>>
>>4058639
>>4058652
>>4058689

Alright, you know the drill. Give me a 1d20+1, the DC is 13
>>
Rolled 7 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058729
>>
Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>4058729
>>
Rolled 15 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058729

Come on lady luck
>>
Rolled 20 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>
>>4058750

Get Hyped everyone. We Ka ka ka ka kachi daze now.
>>
Once we get the opportunity, we should try and figure out how much damage we can tolerate. Last thing we need is for us to find out we can't take gunshot wounds.
>>
>>4058308
>>4058365
>>4058393
>>4058404
>>4058427
>>4058456
>>4058439

Thanks for the feedback. I have a proper understanding of where to take your martial path accordingly for weapons. To the ones who guessed Odachi/Nodachi for brute strength and Bow for range, you get a cookie. We're gonna be Benkei-ese alongside our now Tomoe Gozen inspiration.
>>
>>4058333
If our blood demon art is fire related, might as well take prime inspiration from the source and use it to shoot exploding inferno arrows.

Melee is a must though. If Byakuren develops genuine superhuman strength, I’d prefer our weapon to reflect and highlight that in every fight we are in.

Kanabo actually sounds pretty good. A lot of fun combat opportunities, nice contrast with Byakuren’s first-glance prim proper impression that would the viewer go “aha” when she starts getting serious in combat and revealing more visibly demonic abilities.
>>
>>4058777
Fuck I am late. Oh well.
>>4058773
Well, we already spent some time walking around after essentially being shot, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Nevermind that demonic influence + breathing provides actual combat relevant regeneration.

Demon+breathing abilities was top tier combo in source material.
>>
>>4058777
>>4058781
Maybe something gimmicky like a sword that sheathes inside a Kanabo?
>>
>>4058781
>>4058788

Nah you're not late. There's always time to add more feedback/suggestions. What you gave just now is highly valuable. And sure to further influence Byakuren's combat potential as a Hanyō [Half-Demon]
>>
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>>4058793

Earns my approval right there. Works dangerously well with the fact you gonna get a nodachi blade.
>>
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>>4058793
Sword inside a blunt weapon?
>>
>>4058802
>>4058793
As long as we can dual wield them. Gotta love STRENGTH builds.
>>
>>4058803
Kirkmace, essentially?

I am ok with that.
>>
>>4058729

From this distance, you can tell that something was happening inside of Kyojuro body. His blood circulation was accelerating along with his heart rate. Soon his body temperature began to rise, spiking to a higher state than his already impressive base state. A combination of expanding the lung capacity to bring forth lots of oxygen and exciting the blood flow, both the bones and muscle scurry suddenly heat up at an alarming rate. Thus resulting in an explosive jump in power as your eyes analyze the procedure to the smallest detail. In light of your examination, Kyojuro starts to take another step, instantly closing the distance between the two of you. Just like what you did to him, Kyojuro reenacts the same move, beat for beat. That is until when he comes just millimeters from hitting you, to which you responded by attempting to block his incoming punch that you notice there was a crucial difference. With a twist of his foot, Kyojuro disappears from your sight yet again upon making contact. What you saw was actually a feint in, this case taking the form of a deceptive mirage.

As you block the fakeout attack, Kyojuro takes full advantage of the opening as the point of the interval was now visible. Before you had the time to react, Kyojuro successfully leaves about eight consecutive punches at each different direction around your torso. In spite of this, not a single one of these fast-paced bullet punches strike you at your injury. Nevertheless, each one of these punches was strong enough to break through solid bedrock. The force alone sent numerous shockwaves through your body, rattling even the bones as painful jolts spread out. The pain was enough to force you to vomit out salvia alongside some drops of blood. Withstanding each one of those punches left you feeling winded as you constantly take fast, shallow breaths. Worse yet was the feeling of nausea, causing everything to spin upon losing your equilibrium. It was only a small series of punches and already you were coming close to throwing in the towel. Just who was Kyojuro Rengoku.
>>
>>4058951

As you stumble from the impact and concussive force vibrating inside, Kyojuro arches his hands back, building up power as he pulls his body back as well. Reeling himself as far as possible while maintaining his footing, Kyojuro snaps right back at dangerous speeds. Once again the feeling of helplessness brushes around you upon seeing all of this one, fluid motion. Thrusting his palms with all of his current strength, Kyojuro finishes off his concussive attacks by ponding against your chest. Acting on rubber band physics, you were hit with an even stronger blow than prior as your body trembles from the constant shocks of kinetic energy. Yet again you feel the urge to vomit as you start to cough rapidly from the lingering effects. It was rather impressive to say your stubbornness kept you from reeling back and stumbling behind onto the ground. Even so, that technique did a number on your body as not only further the disorienting effect lingering inside but also debilitating your natural defenses.

“Sorry about that. Guess I went a little too far with that attack. Still, I got the feeling if I continue to hold back my punches...I’ll end up regretting it.” Kyojuro apologies, watching you slowly falling towards the ground. Even without his weapon, he demonstrates beautifully and thoroughly the talents one came to expect from a Hasina. Turning his back from you in the belief the battle was over, he focuses his attention on picking up his prized possession.

As Kyojuro begins walking away, you merely slam your foot back against the ground, stopping yourself from collapsing onto the ground. Without words, you still left the impression towards Kyojuro that the fight was just getting started. The pain you were feeling was incredible but it was far from enough to bring you down. All thanks to quick, instinctual thinking. In between each of those punches and twin palm strikes, your body instinctively braced itself for each of the blow, cushioning the impact and force through your body’s muscles and body fat. Effectively tanking the attacks and holding your ground, you stand defiantly against Kyojuro. That said, each one of those attacks still carries an incredible amount of strength. There was simply too much for your body in its current state to properly buffer and disburse elsewhere.
>>
>>4058952

Despite holding back, it still feels like he was overwhelming you. Can a human being really produce such destructive power? In any case, you were forced to acknowledge the vast gap between the Hashima and yourself. It didn’t matter how comparable your physical prowess was if his experience gave him the ultimate edge in this fight. But so what? You’re Byakuren Shimizu. Whenever you put your mind on something there was nothing that can stop you. So why should today be any different? Therefore, you begin to just go with the flow and trust your instincts. Thinking of a plan wasn’t going to get you anywhere and you definitely didn’t want to lose. Responding to your strong desire for victory, your body starts to turn its trembling into excitement. Leaving Kyojuro to turn back and quietly observe the resonating sound of your revved up heartbeat.

Drifting your mind to a state of serenity, you quickly rehabilitate yourself to regain your lost stamina. Relying once again on your family’s breathing techniques to stabilize yourself, you took the added knowledge of watching Kyojuro and incorporate it into your style subconsciously. Kicking away all manner of tiredness and disorientation, your breathing smoothly transitions from the haggard state to a controlled, relaxed state. Gritting your teeth in between each breath, blood vessels start to form around your body. The rapidly rumbling sound coming to your heartbeat loudly roars in harmony with your crackling bones and muscle. Blood starts boiling as small sparks resembling flickers of flames were now forming around you. Power begins to swell up inside of you as your muscles contract and expand. Almost akin to bulking up your body starts to rapidly improve in light of the growing threat. All while your mind starts to shift into a cognitive state, reaching a state of null-mind known as Mushin.
>>
>>4058953

With your mind now vacant your body runs completely on instinct, using its freed up actions to further augment and develop your physical conditioning while tapping into your full potential. Letting out a calm growl from your teeth, you clench your hand tightly before turning your eyes set on to Kyojuro. Choosing to fight neither as a human nor a demon but something else entirely. As if your body was rushing to fully balance the two forces as it triggers an unforeseen evolution. Cultivating and stockpiling power at an alarming rate without even devouring an ounce of human blood no less.


>What do you do next?

>Let yourself follow the rhythm around you and adjust to Kyojuro’s patterns as you slowly begin to take control of the overall flow of the battle
>Whether through Kyojuro attacks, preserving your strength and further enticing your growth until you see an opening
>Push yourself further to draw out more power faster and start to take charge via overpowering Kyojuro
>Commit yourself to evade and redirecting his attacks while deceiving him with feints to psychologically attack Kyojuro
>Gamble it by hastily pushing yourself to the next level and use ????
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4058955
>Commit yourself to evade and redirecting his attacks while deceiving him with feints to psychologically attack Kyojuro
>>
>>4058955
Gamble it by hastily pushing yourself to the next level and use ????

Is this supposed to be "Critfish for next breathing/demonic milestone" option?

I am kind of tempted.
>>
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>>4058955

Current State at the moment. Tranquil Demon.

>>4058968

Can't say anything until it wins. But a gamble is a gamble.
>>
>>4058968

You know why not, supporting. Yolo.
>>
>>4058975
Alright then, yolo it is.

>Gamble it by hastily pushing yourself to the next level and use ????
>>
>>4058966
>>4058987

Supporting both
>>
>>4058955
>>Gamble it by hastily pushing yourself to the next level and use ????

FUcking yolo time. Our luck hasn't failed us yet.
>>
>>4058979
>>4058987
>>4059078
>>4059696

Yolo it is then. You know the drill,+2 this time for your streak. As for the DC, it's going to be 16.
>>
Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094
>>
Rolled 11 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094
>>
Rolled 9 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094
Nat 20 here we go
>>
Rolled 6 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094
>>
Rolled 20 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094
>>
>>4060094

Although your mind was vacant, everything was coming crystal clear to you. The sense of being aware of your surroundings while still sleeping burns deeply into your mind, body, and soul. Therefore, you were aware that even as you are right now the vast gap between you and Kyojuro Rengoku was far too massive for you to overcome. With a new power you just recently got a handle on, with the teachings of your family’s secret arts that you naturally assume weren’t meant for combat and the current conditioning from previously pushing yourself past your limits to tame the demonic influence inside of you. The odds just keep on declining from your favor. In spite of this, your strong desire to protect your siblings and to become stronger to avenge your father burns ever so brightly in your heart. Even if it meant to take upon the same power from the man who massacres your peaceful life, you were willing to do so without hesitation. The only difference is, you aimed to make such power into your own and take a different path.


Responding to your desire, your body starts to push itself further and greatly accelerate the development process further. As a byproduct, you feel your true strength coming to the surface in a warm, soothing sensation. Such a wondrous feeling constantly converse to envelop your body, bursting with a rush of power like the current of a raging stream. In the past thirteen years of you not once felt as spectacular then as you do right now. Right now you feel completely in the zone, no longer held back by any physical or mental limits that the mind places upon the body. What a truly magnificent feeling to behold. Stimulation of intense quality and quantity rushes through, exciting the body further and push it to new heights. Optimizing at an alarming rate, your body speeds itself through a constant series of modifications, adapting and altering itself to transition to the next stage. The boundaries between your human blood and your newly demon blood start to intertwine and circulate fluidly.

At this stage, it was rather highly unlikely that you would be able to return to being a regular human. Or at least through your efforts anyway. The amount of accumulating demonic essence was radiating constantly through you, practically overflowing in energy and strength. Down to the tiniest part of your cellular structure, every part of you basks in the demonic power, tasting it and storing it right down to the cells. By the seconds it was becoming more attuned with your physiology. Previously through your strength of well you were able to retain your humanity and maintain your sense of self. Here your body was fully incorporating every aspect of the demonic essence into itself while miraculously retaining its original structure. Such remodeling at the short timeframe was simply unheard of. Yet here you stood breaking the boundaries between man and demon before smoothly integrating them in harmony, like yin and yang.
>>
>>4061191

Responding to your desire, your body starts to push itself further and greatly accelerate the development process further. As a byproduct, you feel your true strength coming to the surface in a warm, soothing sensation. Such a wondrous feeling constantly converse to envelop your body, bursting with a rush of power like the current of a raging stream. In the past thirteen years of you not once felt as absolutely spectacular then as you do right now. Right now you feel completely in the zone, no longer held back by any physical or mental limits that the mind places upon the body. What a truly magnificent feeling to behold. Stimulation of intense quality and quantity rushes through, exciting the body further and push it to new heights. Optimizing at an alarming rate, your body speeds itself through a constant series of modifications, adapting and altering itself to transition to the next stage. The boundaries between your human blood and your newly demon blood start to intertwine and circulate fluidly.

At this stage, it was rather highly unlikely that you would be able to return back to being a regular human. Or at least through your own efforts anyway. The amount of accumulating demonic essence was radiating constantly through you, practically overflowing in energy and strength. Down to the tiniest part of your cellular structure, every part of you basks in the demonic power, tasting it and storing it right down to the cells. By the seconds it was becoming more attuned with your physiology. Previously through your strength of will you were able to retain your humanity and maintain your sense of self. Here your body was fully incorporating every aspect of the demonic essence into itself while miraculously retaining its original structure. Such remodeling at the short time frame was simply unheard of. Yet here you stood breaking the boundaries between man and demon before smoothly integrating them to achieve another path.

Simultaneously, the unruly demonic blood that was forced upon you was finally stabilizing. It was becoming more consistent and controlled, blending with your makeup to truly become apart of you. There were many things that the demon blood was prioritizing in this unforeseen metamorphosis. However, in this case, the highest one at the moment was achieving full optimization into a proper vessel to house its escalating power. Luckily enough, at the rate it was going there was no impending danger to your humanity. For now, it seems that the impending threat of transforming into a full demon non-existent. Alongside that, the demonic power that was wildly out of control starts to become more focused, equally distributing itself throughout the body and harmonizing accordingly. Bit by bit it was becoming less of a forced “gift” by Muzan Kibutsuji and more a natural resident. Therefore, it was more accurate to refer to you as a human nor a demon, but a true Hanyō, otherwise known as a half-demon.
>>
>>4061206

Whether if you knew it or not, the path that you were about to take was going to be quite the hard road to walk upon. In any case, the red sparks start to intensify as they crackle against the air. Your skin and flesh began pulsating, vibrating both the blood vessels and muscles as it gradually spreads throughout the body. In perfect rhythm to your breathing and heartbeat, the oscillation process attunes itself to the high frequency generating. Along with this, the body temperature starts to rise abnormally as you were returning to the feverish state while being perfectly healthy. In a sense, your entire body currently acts as one giant heart, exciting the flesh further and improving the escalating speeds of your development. A mixture of vibration and thermal energy, although faint it was the clear sign of something greater manifesting. You weren’t sure what it was, but in your mind, you feel like a new art form was opening its path to you. It didn’t only stop there as an addition to establishing the innate ability to have each and every part of your body thinking and moving in independent motion, new directives start to implement themselves.

Secrets according to how to function and act in this new hybrid physiology intertwine with the innate attitude to fully implement and optimize these newly established attributes and characteristics. Following up on this, your body quickly undergoes to retrigger a series of impulses to reprogram itself swiftly. Forcibly breaking down and reconstructing your body at a drastic rate, you find yourself going through intense refinement. In a blink of an eye, your physique and stature start to swell furiously. In light of your rapidly growing body, more of your demonic strength start to flow throughout the body. A single moment was enough to transform you from a mere active thirteen-year girl to someone in your late teens or early adulthood. This kind of tactic was deeply rooted in the shape-shifting capabilities of demons as they can freely control their form. Something as changing one’s body age to shift to their physical prime was child’s play for a demon. However, for a half-demon like yourself, the fact you were able to start implementing the supernatural powers of a demon while retaining your humanity was simply unreal. Even those who consume demons to temporally obtain the powers of a demon aren’t completely safe from the corrupting effect.
>>
>>4061227

Kyojuro meanwhile keeps his mouth shut, watching curiously at your metamorphosis. He could see first hand the changes that were undergoing through your body. As a demon slayer, Kyojuro was exceptionally perceptive and well versed in a lot of things, especially those relating to demons. But even someone like him couldn’t exactly believe what he was currently seeing. There was no sense of bloodlust or corruptive demonic presence resonating inside of you. Your abnormal transformation was more akin to that of a primal beast no different than a wild, untamed animal. While at the same time your aura was relaxed and quiet calm. There were clear signs of a serene state of mind but on the level that you’re achieving, it was more accurate to compare it to Mushin. How could such a person have the ferocity of a demon while retaining the rationality and gentleness of a human? Such an unusual paradox almost made the blond man laugh, to which he ended up doing in a loud and proud manner. You on the other hand just quietly growl and focus on finishing the stabilization.

The changes that you were undergoing signaled a new possibility on to the Hashima. Possibilities that was well worth taking a gamble as he starts to smile. “You’re truly a fascinating person, Byakuren Shimizu.”

“Not once did I meet a person capable of conquering the demonic influence to this extent. And I was already impressed with your level of resistance to the demonification process. But to not only achieve such a feat but turn that barbarous and fearsome power into a gentle and quiet nature. You’re progressing into a brilliant flame, Byakuren Shimizu. Though if you ask me, there’s still much for you to learn if you can only achieve this while being unconscious.” Kyojuro chimes in, continuing his enthusiastic charm as he continues to observe the now one hundred and eighty centimeters half-demon.

“For now, let’s see how far you can go before your body passes out from the overabundant use of energy.”

>How do you proceed?

>Keep your balance and observe Kyojuro rhythm as you focus evasion and using feints to confuse him
>Channel your superhuman prowess accordingly and frequently mix between overpowering brute force and fluid finesse
>Harness your demonic essence and try to tap into this strangely unknown art for attack/evasion.
>Uttlize your shapeshifting capabilities and throw Kyojuro off his game as you take charge
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4061247
>>Channel your superhuman prowess accordingly and frequently mix between overpowering brute force and fluid finesse

Can't wait to see how we'll do with formal training.
>>
>>4061247
>>Channel your superhuman prowess accordingly and frequently mix between overpowering brute force and fluid finesse
>>
For those who want to know what your good fortune has ultimately afforded you so far since being infected.

>Resistance to Mind Control and Curses [Including Muzan]
>Enhanced/Inhumane Physical Condition [Close to Peak Physical Condition before becoming half demon]
>Autonomous Motion [Autopliot and Body Supremacy when unconscious/autopilot mode]]
>Total Concertation Breathing [Currently Instinctively]
>Altered/Abnormal Hanyō Physiology [Comparable to Mitsuri’s unique condition]
>Extrasensory Perception [Currently at beginning stage]
>Fast Regeneration & Recovery Ability
>Enhanced Tolerance/Resistance & Resilience: [Including Pain]
>Malleable Anatomy [Automatic/Unconscious Shapeshifting & Size Manipulation]
>Power Restoration & Growth
>Potential for Blood Demon Arts
> Potential for Blood Bewitchment due to Marechi (Intoxication Blood)
>Potential for Enhanced Breathing Techniques/Merging Demonic Power with Breath Style
>Potential for Demonic Transformation
>Absorption + Cellular Manipulation [Beginning level but capable of function as a living black hole and storage]
>>
>>4061273

PS: Do note due to lack of practice/training you don't exactly know consciously what you're capable of. And due to your constant rapid growth, there will be some ramifications and side-effects after your bout is done.
>>
>>4061247
>Keep your balance and observe Kyojuro rhythm as you focus evasion and using feints to confuse him
>>
Did you count that nat20 or it was a result of 17?

Kind of tempted to use this streak to try to tap into our blood demon art, but... We kind of decided to fight in a honorable barehanded duel. Feels off.
>>
>>4061302

I counted the nat 20 due to procrastination but the 17 was more than enough to pass the shapeshifting and get a better attunement to your demonic energy. The 20 just finalized the last step to fully becoming Inuyasha.

Tanukis and dogs are basically related.
>>
>>4061306
I wouldn't say that we're Inuyasha just yet.

We still need to scream the names of our loved ones numerous times while they scream our name.
>>
>>4061306
Cool. Probably should limit it to B05 regardless of the time gap, though; I saw pretty popular quest during /tg/ era use increased crit focus/Conditional BOwhatever with great success to maintain hype and momentum, but going beyond that might be a bit much.

>stuff we unlocked

Byakuren's potential is pretty brutal. I wonder if we are going to get formal training from Rengoku.

Personal priority would be pulling our Devil Trigger and Demon art. Horns are cool, and so is fire.

>Channel your superhuman prowess accordingly and frequently mix between overpowering brute force and fluid finesse

Just shounen it.
>>
>>4061319

Yeah, I can do something like that provided you explain further on the increased crit focus/Conditional BOwhatever.

As for formal training with Rengoku, come on. You think he's going to leave a newly inexperienced half-demon by herself ? Especially with Byakuren's Potential, that's just asking for trouble.
>>
>>4061319
>>4061322
I'm kind of excited to see whether we'll get some travelling companions (read: Battle Buddies/Meat Shields)
>>
>>4061339

I have plans to have you be accompanied by others during your travels much like the canon. May change up the pairings from time to time to keep things fresh.
>>
>>4061322
It was literal years ago, so forgive me if I misremembering stuff, but Cosgrove's Bleach Quest, and Ogre Civs Quest, which was pretty popular for their time, basically always gave priority to crits, often neglecting B03 in favour of a crit rolled by 4th or 5th poster.

It naturally increased how common crits were, and QMs used these to make cool shit happen and maintain hype and momentum in-quest.

It really wasn't a complicated system, but it worked wonderfully to create that impression of a wild ride with no brakes.

>As for formal training with Rengoku, come on.

Nice. Cool pillars deserve good heirs. Hopefully we can synthesize Breath of Flames with Byakuren's currently nameless breathing style.
>>
>>4061348

Yeah, that's fair enough, I'm also including crit failures like 1s to the equation to balance it out. Anyway, this will help me considerably so thank you for letting me know.

>Hopefully we can synthesize Breath of Flames with Byakuren's currently nameless breathing style.

The possibility is always there along with learning the true nature of Byakuren's nameless style as its deeply plot-related.

So the only thing I can give is a hint. It's deeply rooted to the Suiten-gū and the Kagura ritual for the Suitengū Spring Festival and late in the summer the Water Festival
>>
>>4061252
>>4061319
>>4061266

You know the drill. But doing what >>4061348
>>4061319 suggested. So roll away.
>>
Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>4061364
Time to see the fireworks.
>>
>>4061359
>Hint

Yeah, my power levels are too weak. Unless somebody else can figure it out, we'll just have to work for it in-story, I think.
>>4061339
Might meet other chargen characters. Or some of the pillars; if we are roughly at the start of Kimetsu's timeline, some of the younger pillars might not even be pillars right now.

With foundational Breathing skills already present and her other special advantages, she could undergo Demon Slayer exam pretty soon if we want to; we could get an opportunity to mingle and grow together with generation of slayers that preceded Tanjirou.
>>
Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>4061364
Grit those teeth.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4061364

>>4061371
Provided they are willing to accept us for our new nature.
>>
>>4061374
Welp, I guess we overstrained ourselves.

Itsfine.jpg, we already impressed Rengoku and got some pretty swell gains out of all this.
>>
>>4061371

Given that Suitengu means palace of the watery sky I can only assume its something governing the same effect. Simply it being water is too simple.
>>
>>4061364

Witnesses my power
>>
Rolled 16 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4061378

Messed up
>>
We still got some rolls left btw.

>>4061377
The name of the breath is probably related to something celestial, I think. That is all that I really got. Breath of the Sky?
>>
>>4061374

Unless the last one is a nat 20, we're getting an anti-climatic finish.

>>4061376

Considering how fast you were gaining for as long as you were, it's inevitable. At least you won Rengoku over to protect you and your family while you take a dirt nap.
>>
>>4061374

I'm partly hoping that we'll get a nickname that starts off as an insult, but gets turned into something to fear/inspire.
>>
Anyone else feels like rolling?
>>
>>4061388
>>4061374

Well there's always "Mutt" or "bitch" if you want to be blunt but there's also "Orge " "Hannya(Jealous She-demon)" "Yamauba (Mountain ogress)" "Aka Manto (Red Cloak)" "Ubagabi (Old Firey Hag)" and "Hone-onna (Skeleton Spector)"
>>
>>4061385

A good guess. First thing I thought of is a correlation to the moon. Since it controls the tides and flow. Also floating in the sky to give it a heavenly glow
>>
Rolled 7 (1d20)

Well, to move things along. Feel free to disregard if you feel that every roll must be made by a separate user.
>>4061398
Some of these could work pretty well depending on how things develop.
>>
>>4061364

I know this seems a little unorthodox but I'm going to need another roll to see how long it'll take for you to wake up. I don't wanna break up the action by requiring another roll after K.Oing yourself
>>
Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>
Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>4061423
>>
>>4061423

Taking a moment to feel the changes that your bigger, more developed form carries, a confident grin spread throughout your face. No longer did you feel the soul-crushing doubt that you previously carried. Now, you were assured with brand new confidence towards your newfound strength. With this body, the gap between you and Kyojuro Rengoku was surely a thing of the past. Heck, with your innate ability and natural talents the chances of defeating Kyojuro are actually looking very feasible. The only thing left was to put the hypothesis into theory and turn it into a reality. With another deep breath, you begin to channel your monstrous physical prowess, drawing forth one hundred percent of your muscle strength and cellular energy. The flickering sparks recede into your body, returning to the source as you control your output. Stomping your foot deep against the ground, creating large cracks in the process, you brace yourself for your counterattack.

A combination of brute force and fancy finesse to overpower Kyojuro. Just as quickly as it came, the surging power coursing through you flickers out immediately. Without any sort of warning, you were left to feel the aftereffects of “setting yourself ablaze” as you find yourself suddenly dropping to your knees. Previously you felt on the pinnacle of your full potential with the greatest exhilarating rush, but that quickly came crashing down upon feeling the immediate after-effects of your powered-up form. After pushing yourself beyond your limits and continuously escalating your power in addition to accelerating your body’s development, it was no wonder why you suddenly broke down. This was an obvious sign to be aware of your limits and do not hastily overestimate yourself through overexertion. As you knee shamefully on the ground, tremendous waves of different painful sensations start to hit you from all sides.

From muscle spasms to bodily convulsions, there was a wide array of different jolts to further your agonizing suffering. It was enough to force out a rather loud, if not demonic roar as the sparks briefly turn into a pitch-black hue with a dark shade of purple for highlights. These flickers brought with them electrical shocks, triggering additional stress to your already overly strain body and bodily pains. Various lactations and internal hemorrhages suddenly throughout the body. Another possible act of retribution from over-exceeding your limits and hastily burning through your body’s stamina to force its evolution. No one can deny that the benefits you achieved from your continuous boon are anything less than spectacularly extraordinary. Yet was it really worth it? To rush through your development like this based on your strong emotions always carries some form of price.
>>
>>4061458

From the looks of it, the payment was quite steep as you collapse on you back and start to writhe through the ground from the intense pain. The symptoms only continue to pile up as blood vessels extreme muscle contractions as you feel the heavy toll on your body. The damage inflicted on those areas was clearly due to the increased muscle mass and blood pressure. Compare to your demonic transformation process, this was only the second-worst pain that you felt in your entire life. The bullet shot from Muzan was dropped down to the third place. Reduced to a bawling mess you intensely drool as the burning acidic spit made its return. Your body temperature quickly running amuck as it reached past the point of safety. Before long you feel yourself forcibly shutting down from the intense pain and breakdown, rendering this autopilot mode unconscious.

“Spoke too soon. You hit your limit pulling a stunt like that. Guess that’s what it means to hastily flicker your burning soul by only living in the moment and bursts into burnout. “ Kyojuro remarks, walking over to check your condition with a worrisome smile. Much to his relief, it seems that you weren’t in danger of losing your life. But the extreme stress and numerous injuries both externally and internally ensured the Hashira that you were going to be out cold for a long while. Kyojuro could only sigh in response as he starts to lift you off from the ground once it was safe to touch your unconscious body.

Looking back at you just for a brief moment was enough to bring forth a warm, caring smile on his face. “But don’t worry Byakuren, I’ll take proper care of you along with your siblings! So rest easy for now.” Kyojuro promises, moving over to pick up his sword before carrying the barrel with him. If you were conscious right now you’d be impressed with how much raw strength the hashira was carrying to pull this off unaffected by the combined weight.

What would seem like an eternity would finally come to an end. The blacken void that robbed you of all manner of senses quickly dissipates. In its place was the chirping sounds of a Japanese bush warbler. It’s frequent chirping rings deeply in your ears, leaving you to feel like your head was splitting. Almost like you were suffering a massive migrate from an all-night of drinking. Either way, you force open your amber eyes open, strangely feeling that they were somewhat redder than you last remember. Scanning around the room, you briefly notice that you were lying on a large futon bed. It was rather comfy and cozy, giving you the impression that someone tucked you in flawlessly. Of course, it didn’t take you long to realize the fact that you were in a rather dark room, a new place that wasn’t like your house or the inn you slept during your trip into the city.
>>
>>4061474

Before you had the time to look around and ponder where exactly you are a door starts to open. From the other side of the door, you see Kyojuro Rengoku coming in with a bucket in hand. You didn’t need a good look to tell that was to tend to your fever. Of which you didn’t have anymore upon waking up from your long slumber. Now seeing you sitting in an upright position, Kyojuro’s golden eyes start to glitter intensely with a wide smile. “Aha! Good morning Byakuren Shimizu. Long time no see. I’m sure you must have forgotten, but my name is Kyojur-” Before Kyojuro could finish, you quickly shot him a warm, happy smile as you expose your fangs while closing your eyes. He was taken a bit off guard by how cute you look, like a lovable fluffy white dog. Though Tanuki was more accurate.

“Kyojuro Rengoku. Why wouldn’t I remember you? It was only yesterday that we met and had a one on one earnest brawl.” You remark, tilting your head with mild confusion. “I mean...it is yesterday right?”

“Well actually no it’s not. You see after carrying you and your siblings somewhere safe to treat your wounds. You were unconscious for quite a long while. I can only assume because of your current state that since you don’t need human blood to sustain yourself, you most likely put yourself in a deep coma to rejuvenate your body, repair all of your wounds, and properly finish your transition into a half-demon. “Kyojuro explains, remembering to keep his voice down as evidence by your headache. His words quickly sink in but it took a while before the true weight of his words came to resonate with your heart.

“Yeah...that’s right. I’m a half-demon now. To be honest...I thought it was merely just a bad dream. But this is reality isn’t it?” You ask, tilting your head as you make a sorrowful smile. You feel yourself on the verge of tears, especially after spending your time in a dream living your life comfortably with your family.

“...Yes, this is reality.” Kyojuro answers truthfully, seeing first hand it was far crueler to deceive you and keep you from the truth for even a second longer. He really was a sweet and gentle swordsman, despite his enthusiastic if not exuberant nature. “I’m sorry. I know this is hard considering what you lost, but you mustn’t waver and lose hope. Nor keep yourself isolated from the world. Even if you stop and coward in your tracks, it won’t stop the flow of time. Like an endless stream, it keeps going no matter what hardship it faces. Therefore, I ask you...How do you want to head to the future?”
>>
>>4061476

>What do you do?

>Ask Kyojuro some time to think about it and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Reiju first
>Let yourself cry and grief over your lost before vowing to find your older sister Sakura and stop the chain that makes such tragedies
>Embrace your darker emotions and admit you want to get revenge on Muzan for what he has done
>Dodge the question by asking some questions like how long you were asleep [write-in any questions you have]
>Other [write-in]
>>
>Ask Kyojuro some time to think about it and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Reiju first
>Embrace your darker emotions and admit you want to get revenge on Muzan for what he has done.

These, combined if possible. Byakuren willpowered through so much stuff due to love for her family so not asking about her siblings first thing first feels a bit wrong.

That said, she also was screaming Muzan’s name in hatred while crying tears of blood fairly recently, so I think that secondary motivation of “Hates Muzan’s guts” does naturally aligns with stuff that happened so far.

As for Sakura, we have all in-story reasons to think that she is probably dead or eaten. Let Byakuren think that, too. Set up a cool reunion and fight with her demonic sister in future.
>>
>>4061498

I support this 100% but I also think we should ask for help learning how to better use our power
>>
>>4061482
>Ask Kyojuro some time to think about it and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Reiju first
>vow to find your older sister Sakura and stop the chain that makes such tragedies
>admit you want to get revenge on Muzan for what he has done
>>4061498
We saw a vision of her being carried away though. Even if we didn't it make more sense to believe she's alive because Byakuren wants her to be.
>>
>>4061482
>Ask Kyojuro some time to think about it and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Reiju first
>Let yourself cry and grief over your lost before vowing to find your older sister Sakura and stop the chain that makes such tragedies
She can cry in rage as well as grief here too. Like she's still angry but her human side is making her let go and cleanse herself of those emotions rather than be consumed by revenge.

Honestly it's much more tragic to desperately search for her sister despite everyone telling you she's dead, finally finding her against all odds...and bring forced to put her down.
>>
You all have a point, but I am kind of leery of voting for almost everything at the same time.

I'll retain my vote, but I'll vote to ask questions and look for her in the future. Let this be just our immediate reaction.
>>
>>4061482
>>4061590
Support. Byakuren has fought hard to keep what's left of her humanity. Getting too obsessed about vengeance is a slippery slope at this point.
>>
>>4061498
>>4061555
>>4061578
>>4061590
>>4061687
>>4061628

Looks like we're going with conflicted Byakuren who still priorities knowing what happened to her siblings first before struggling between how she feels.
>>
>>4062368

“...When I sleeping I had a wondrous dream. A dream where I was back home with my family. My mother Sayuri, my Father Kenki, my eldest sister Sakura, my twin younger siblings Keiju and Emiko, and my grandma Guren. All of us happily together as we live life to the fullest. I became a kabuki dancer, putting my Miko skills to good use traveling the lands bring smiles to others with my dancing skills and artistic talents. ..I grew up, became my own person rather than living in the shadows of my sister, settle down, had a family of my own, grew old and died peacefully surrounded by my loved ones. It was a truly wonderful life.” As you start explaining, you advert your eyes away from Kyojuro, choosing to look down at the ground. Subtly your facial expression transition into a more sorrowful smile as small droplets of tears reside against your eyelashes.

“But...deep down I knew it. Somewhere in my heart, I knew what I was experiencing was merely a dream. An illusional world brought to life by sorrowful disillusions to hide me away from the truth. Even if it was a sweet lie to me, I...I wanted for the longest time to stay within that world. To be surrounded by the caring embrace of my family. To laugh with them, to grieve with them, to talk with them, to do all sorts of things like a proper family generally does. The more I yearned to be with them, the more the dream became real to me. At some point...it became my reality.” You sniffled, clenching your hands into your thighs, making a broken expression while retaining your smile.

“If I stayed in that world, I wouldn’t feel this immense guilt of leaving my family to go to the city. I wouldn’t feel the shame of putting my desires over my family’s duties and yearn to see the world instead of being cooped up in my family’s shrine. I wouldn’t...feel the immense jealousy I’ve been festering about my elder sister and being disgusted over having such dark feelings. The similar feelings I’ve had with my grandma acknowledging her over me despite how hard I worked for so long. I didn’t want to feel any of that and just be happy. .Spending an eternity there was all I could’ve ever wanted. And yet…someday the dream has to come to an end...”

Reminiscing every bit of your dream was tearing you apart piece by piece. All the more highlighting that such a sweet, happy life that was essentially perfect to you couldn’t possibly be real. “Even if I wanted to stay in that world forever. Deep down I know, from the bottom of my heart, I can’t live in delusion and remain comatose. Emiko and Keiju need their big sister to be strong. And even if...the worst-case scenario happens and I’m alone. I…” You feel yourself on the verge of crying. Yet through your will, you kept yourself from letting the tears come out, wiping the small droplets in your eye and forcing yourself into a cheerful closed-eyed smile.
>>
>>4062676

“..I still have to face reality. The reality that my family is gone, that I became a half-demon, and that I’m all alone in this world. Life is like the sky, it’s always moving, always changing without a moment’s notice. It shifts through the different weathers and moves on. Some days certain weather patterns like snow will take for several days to weeks, and others it’ll nothing but clear skies. There are also times where said patterns don’t appear for a long time. Clear skies also don’t stay for a long time. Even the sun cannot shine forever. It has to return to wherever it came, to bring forth the night sky and the darkness it brings. Still, no matter what happens in life, no matter what events both good or bad forthcome, there’s always light beyond the end of the horizon, illuminating the space and keeping the darkness in gentle harmony. Again...like the moon.”

“So..I have to be strong and keep moving forward. Therefore...it’s okay if I take some time...and say goodbye.” You remark, turning back to Kyojuro. Just in time to be taken by surprise by the teenager’s action as he hugs you. Shocked and bewilderment quickly brushes across your face as you blink furiously in worry.

“Let it out Byakuren. You don’t need to bottle up those emotions, nor have to say goodbye to your family. They may be gone but the memories of them, the experiences you crafted, even the lingering essence that defined them and tell the world they were apart of it remains. So, to me you never really have to say goodbye….cause even in death they’re always with you, supporting you until the very end. Laugh, cry, show all kinds of emotions, good or bad. That’s the first step of overcoming sorrow and reigniting the flames of passion.” Kyojuro softly spoke, keeping his usual characteristics tempered as he shows a more serious, wise side that was just as compassionate as his normal self.

“Never think of yourself being alone, and never left yourself become alone. Although you’re a half-demon, in my eyes you’re still a genuine run of the mill human. So no matter what, don’t let yourself become detached from the world and lose your humanity. I know it might be easier to relinquish all that demons would deem weak and unnecessary and just transition into becoming a true demon. But it’s that weakness and faults that make our existence all the more beautiful and precious. There’s no such thing as a perfect being, nor should we ever strive for one. It’s our imperfections that make us shine, and we shouldn’t discard them. Byakuren, your emotions, your love for your family is what pushed you to where you are, so never forget that. ” Kyojuro smiles, breaking from the hug slightly to look at you face to face. Embracing such warmth and kindness was enough to break you out of your empty husk and start fully letting your emotions out.
>>
>>4062687

Tears would start to pour from your eyes as the pupils start to slit themselves, looking more like a berserk animal than the usual cat-like gaze. Followed by gritting your teeth against your lips to the point of bleeding, you feel tremendous rage surging up from inside. “Then, I’ll be honest with myself. I’m not okay. In fact, I’m tremendously pissed off in addition to being heartbroken and filled with grief and sorrow. How could such a person do this?! My family’s ancestry for countless centuries has been helping people and living an earnest, honest life with no negativity ramification to anyone. My family has specifically been following that tradition. So tell me, why did we deserve to die! What did we do to that man to earn such wicked malice! I don’t understand any of this! And the more I don’t understand, the more I want to tear Muzan apart and make him suffer. Just as much...no. A thousand times worse than I’ve or anyone else has suffered from this man. ” You voice cracks, distorting itself ever so slightly as a sign of the demonic influence talking as your hatred skyrockets.

Seeing you fostering so much hatred and rage almost made Kyojuro speechless. It was quite the contrast compared to the usual softspoken and proper primness that you normally carry. The sweet and cheerful Byakuren Shimizu was replaced with a noticeably darker incarnation as empathy quickly turned to into a dangerous display of emotions of sorrow, grief, hatred, and anger. The relaxed features that made you pass off as a regular human quickly start to fade. In its place, you begin to look more like a proper demon despite only being a half-demon with your vicious demonic features coming to the light. Tears were pouring out of your eyes, but that was starting to disappear as blood start to take its place. In spite of all of this, Kyojuro can only see the wounded, scared and grieving teenage girl crying over her family and suffocating herself with regrets. Slowly he moves to place his hand upon your head, putting you against his chest while comforting you out of your vengeful filled rant.
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>>4062712

“I can’t really say what exactly Muzan is planning since for countless centuries he’s been good at hiding his tracks and avoiding the Demon Slayer corps. He never does anything without an ulterior motive, but he can be excessively cruel and petty for the smallest of reasons. He’s just that callous of a man. See Ms. Shimizu, a demon’s diet contest primarily of human beings. It’s how they keep up their strength and recover effectively. They are installed with murderous instincts to kill and devour every human being around them. The more a demon eats of humans, the stronger they’ll become. I can only assume Muzan, the progenitor of all Demon did this deliberately. Be it to represent his own twisted nature or fuel some other unknown objective. Either way, no amount of reasoning or understanding of his actions and motives will justify your family’s fate. That much I do know.”

“Horrible..simply detestable.” You whisper, clinging your hands tightly against Kyojuro’s robe. Feeling split between your human half and your demon half on what on you should be feeling and acting.

“Mr. Rengoku, tell me. Tell me how do I deal with this pain. This burning desire for vengeance against Muzan Kibutsuji that runs through me, straight to the marrow of my bones. The intense hatred I feel coursing through my soul. I never thought in my life a person could feel this way. I hate it. I hate this despicable feeling I have right now!“ You reply, suddenly shoving your head against Kyojuro’s chest as you tighten your grip against his outfit. Your body starts trembling out of the fear you were having with yourself. The fear of losing something precious that you feel like you’ll never be able to get back if you continue down this path. “..Help me.”

Kyojuro only went to stroke your snow-white hair, brushing those silky locks as shades of silver glisten through the darkness. His face remains to have a comforting smile as he consoles you properly. “It’s okay. It’s human nature to feel such things even in this state. The fact you show signs of clearly disliking feeling such dark, negative feelings shows that you’re a truly sweet and kindhearted girl. It pains my heart seeing such a gentle soul being warped by such injustice. What you need to do is find the path that you want to take. A path that you won’t come to regret as you wrestle through these feelings and come to terms with your true self. In my profession, I have seen it many times people joining out of some form of vengeance or negative desire to act out their own form of justice. It’s not evil to have your own desires regardless of how dark or negative they are, it’s what you do with them. So the only one who can truly answer your question..is you.”
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>>4062739

Hearing those words straight from Kyojuro’s heart, you start sniffling as you bring yourself cry. The demonic influence once again receding back into the darkness upon you shedding your darker emotions. Letting it all out through a long, continuous crying session was all that your humanity can think of to balance the dual forces inside of you. Kyojuro meanwhile commits himself to stay with you, letting your grief as long as possible to get it out of your system. The bloody tears from your eyes disappear, returning to the same watery substance that humans normally expel during such times of sadness. Within moments you return to your usual appearance as you bawl your eyes out and let out incoherent sounds. All of your feelings leaking out, cleansing yourself to the best of your ability to avoid being consumed by them. But it was only a temporary solution as those darker emotions continue to remain upon going into dormancy. There was a lot that you need to settle with yourself, but for now, you think back to your remaining family members.

Finally feeling refreshed from your long crying session, you start to whip your eyes only for Kyojuro to give you a handkerchief to cleanse yourself properly. To which you happily accept and do so. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep myself from falling down the path of revenge and ultimately be consumed by these vengeful flames. But, I do know that no matter what I want to stop Muzan Kibutsuji. Nobody should have to go through what I am enduring. All the tragedies link to him, all of them are unforgivable and need to be stopped. Otherwise, the cycle of hatred and suffering will continue unabated with no ending in sight.”

“So, I’m going to fight to bring forth tomorrow. I don’t know how effective I’ll be or what I need to do to make that happen. But I do know I don’t want to live the rest of my life isolated and dreaming of a world that doesn’t exist.” You say, giving a more determined look upon your face as you slowly rise from the ground. As you reflect upon your choice, a whisper from your mother’s voice echoes a certain phrase in your heart as you begin to repeat it out loud. “Consume the darkness, illuminate the night, and return it to dawn...Those are the words that my mother taught me for the mantra of our Kagura dance. Although as we speak I don’t fully understand what it’s true meaning is, but for now, I keep it close to my heart as I find the answers of how I want to proceed towards tomorrow.”

“But for now, I’d just want to check up on my siblings. I rather not rush into anything yet and give myself time to think about it properly. My top priority is my younger brother and sister. I have to protect them at all costs. And...despite what fears I may have on what may have happened to them...I have to move forward and face them.
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>>4062787

“That’s a wonderful answer, Ms. Shimizu. “ Kyojuro smiles proudly, ruffling up your hair with a cheerful approval at your choice. “We’ll sort out all the complications later. For now, just focus on finding your path. I’ll help you out reforging your fiery soul and polishing it into a truly brilliant flame, like the sun.”

“Thank you, I truly appreciate it. Still, you can just call me Byakuren Mr. Rengoku. It feels rather weird having someone as eccentric as you being so formal all the time. Besides, we had a hotblooded brawl as you would put it. So we’re already past the stage of strangers, if not acquaintances.”

“Sounds good, in that case just call me Kyojuro. You more than earn the right and I want to keep an equal footing between us. How else will be able to truly understand each other otherwise?”

“Say, that reminds me...how long have I been asleep exactly. I assumed it was a couple of days if not a few weeks.” You ask, lightly scratching your head at the realization that you were sleeping for quite a while. You feel positively famished and could eat an entire house out of food.

“Hmm, I’d say about three months. So you essentially slept through the entirety of the winter season, like a worn-out tanuki. “ As Kyojure explains, you briefly fought the urge to collapse onto the ground out of shock and pass out accordingly. Your facial expression shows first hand just how surprised you are with your exaggerated “Ehh?!” Just how exactly did you manage to do something like that?!
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>>4062837

Questions that you pushed aside your mind alongside the growing hunger upon realization. Right now you merely force yourself to focus back on the task at hand. You being asleep for three months only made you that much worried about your siblings. Just what were they doing during this time? Were they properly attended to? Did they avoid becoming a demon like you or was the worst-case scenario a close reality? So many questions ramble through your brain that you instinctively punch yourself in your face to keep yourself focused. Hearing a loud crack from your fist, you realize one other thing that you didn’t take into account as Kyojuro finds himself shocked by your impulsive action. ...You have no control over your newfound strength as you broke your nose. Nevertheless, you toughing it out and brush Kyojuro’s worries to enter the room where Emiko and Keiju were currently located. What you saw in front of you was quite an unexpected sight.

An androgynous figure, just about the same age as you if not one-year younger was currently lying against the bed. Medium length lavender hair with several strands tied into a stylish half-up-half-down bun. Wearing a rather extravagant yet practical kimono, giving the impression that this person looks like a ninja with their soft, feminine features. Before you have the chance to examine them further, the mysterious person starts to rise from their long slumber. Rubbing their eyes like a cat and letting out a yawn nyah for a yawn. Turning to meet you eye to eye, you see them giving a rather warm cat-like smile.

>Instictively hug the mysterious person and show them with affection
>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are
>Grind your hand against the wall and just give a pissed off glare at Kyojuro for deceiving you
>Collasp on to the floor and pass out again
>Other [write-in]
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>>4062844
>>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are
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>>4062844
>Ask them who they are and where your siblings are
Fusion?
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>>4062844
>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are
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>>4062844
>>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are
>>
>>4062844
>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are
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>>4062850
>>4062877
>>4062907
>>4063030
>>4063620

You make a rather confusing deadpan expression on your face, amber eyes completely dulled out and doll-like in response. Seeing such a cute and adorable androgynous figure made you almost self-conscious with your innate features. There was obvious since you are a girl with your growing body but in terms of cute factor and feminine charms, this mysterious person blew you out of the water. While not to the extent of the heavens and earth, there was most certainly a wide gap between the two of you. Putting that aside from their child-like innocence and simplicity only made you all the more confused. Worst yet was the feeling that you strangely know them. To which was impossible since you didn’t know anyone in your life who carries these features. But most concerning of all was the strange sensation you were picking up. A sign from your instincts that this person was abnormal. Unfortunately at the moment, you couldn’t tell what with your malnourished and groggy state.

“Say Kyojuro….” You mutter, the shadows covering your distraught expression as you begin hunching over to the Hashira rather eerily.

“Yes, Byakuren.” Kyojuro blinks, unaware of the growing anxiety around you as it takes shape into a pissed off aura.

“You’re not messing with me when I asked to see my siblings right?” You smiled, blood vessels forming around your forehead as you grasp your hand into a fist. Upon seeing that Kyojuro instantly flashes back to a certain short-statured woman with black hair that fades into purple highlights and matching purple eyes. Instinctively his face sweats ever so slightly at the visual image of the rising deva standing behind you in intimidation.

“Aha, I forgot one important detail to tell you during our conversation. But its rather strange, I thought since you being a half-demon you can tell first hand who this person was. Hmm, maybe you’re not at one hundred percent after all.” Kyojuro remarks, putting his hand on his chin in confusion. He was genuinely pondering the mystery while keeping his mind distracted from the growing anger emitting from your body. The smile on your face deepens, almost taking up the entirety of your lower mouth.
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>>4063837

Thinking about his words closely and staring at him, you can tell he was being genuine about this. This was enough to keep you from acting upon your maternal instincts to protect your siblings and impending rage coming to the same conclusion of smacking Kyojuro through the wall. “..Kyojuro. I’m really happy you didn’t assume that I was simply an idiot.” You smile sincerely, putting your free hand against your other’s forearm, keeping it contain as more blood vessels forms. “I’ll only ask again, where exactly is my siblings Emiko and Keiju.”

“..Byaku-nee.” A voice broke out, disrupting the conversation that you and Kyojuro were having. The voice was different but there was something about it that was deeply familiar to you. It was enough to snap you out of your aggression and return you to normal in an instant. Your mind starts to reminisce back to your siblings while turning to meet the source of the voice.

“Wait...hold on. “ You studdered briefly upon speaking. The memories of your siblings rushing violently through your mind as you stared at the mysterious purple-haired pre-teen. The more you look at them the more you begin feeling a sharp wave of uncertainty. “What exactly did you just say right now?”

“Byaku-nee!!” The mysterious person quickly lung themselves out of the bed, wrapping their arms around your abdomen and upper hips. Despite their cute and lithe figure, they were holding monstrous strength and muscle power as you deduce from their hug. This discovery quickly put you into shame with your developing herculean strength by comparison. Quickly that went away upon feeling that familiar presence yet again. Once you saw your younger brother Keiju and twin sister Emiko side by side with the mysterious person it all start to click to you. You weren’t sure how it happened but deep down you knew that this person was exactly who you were looking for.

“...This presence and warmth. There’s no doubt about it….” Tears start to pour out of your eyes, shifting your face into a genuine, heartwarming smile. Slowly you raise your arm to pet the mysterious person, returning the hug as your heartthrobs for joy. Sensing this, the mysterious figure could only make a warm smile, also shedding tears over the reunion. “...Jeeze Keiju and Emiko, what exactly did you do to yourself to end up like this” You muttered.

“Byaku-nee~” The mysterious figure embraces you closely, not letting go as the two of you share a heartwarming reunion. Kyojuro can only look at the sight with an approving smile as he folds his arms. Further confirming his suspicion that there was nothing to worry about with the two of you. Despite being more akin to demons, the two of you still retain your humanity in some form. Though comparison to you, this mysterious person carried the characteristics and presence of a full demon despite feeling traces of both Emiko and Keiju through this fusion.
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>>4063862

“...This presence and warmth. There’s no doubt about it….” Tears start to pour out of your eyes, shifting your face into a genuine, heartwarming smile. Slowly you raise your arm to pet the mysterious person, returning the hug as your heartthrobs for joy. Sensing this, the mysterious figure could only make a warm smile, also shedding tears over the reunion. “...Jeeze Keiju and Emiko, what exactly did you do to yourself to end up like this” You muttered.

“Byaku-nee~” The mysterious figure embraces you closely, not letting go as the two of you share a heartwarming reunion. Kyojuro can only look at the sight with an approving smile as he folds his arms. Further confirming his suspicion that there was nothing to worry about with the two of you. Despite being more akin to demons, the two of you still retain your humanity in some form. Though comparison to you, this mysterious person carried the characteristics and presence of a full demon despite feeling traces of both Emiko and Keiju through this fusion. Meanwhile, the mysterious person only spoke your nickname, seemingly imitating the same response only a toddler would make. This was causing room for alarm as you couldn’t get them to say any other words.

“I think I may have an answer but first I need you to answer a question for me Byakuren.” Kyojuro charms, placing his hand on your shoulder in reassurance. Effectively calming you down as you silently nod to Kyojuro, accepting his request without hesitation. “Hmm. Byakuren, your family’s teachings. When do you start to learn them exactly?”

“Well, it differs from person to person but the earliest is usually around close to seven years old. My twin siblings who are nine years only know the basics and spend their time improving on the fundamentals. The advanced techniques are supposed to come during their tenth birthday. “ You explain, briefly turning from your fused siblings before looking at Kyojuro. “My sister started when she was only five and I barely made it at the age of six. Grandma Gurren wanted to do the same for my twins but mom kept it to seven as she wanted to spend her final year with them.”

“I see, that explains a lot actually.” Kyojuro nods, listening closely to your explanation as judging from his enthusiastic smile it looks like he just hit a breakthrough.

“..Implying?” You ask, taking a slightly serious look on your face despite still smiling at your siblings.
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>>4063873

“Well if they haven’t reached the advanced stage of their breathing technique, much less master it then halting off the demonification is next to impossible for them especially with their child-like bodies. Much like a poison circulation is key in how the corruption spreads. Even if they share the same kind of blood or overall resistance, if they don’t have the finesse with their breathing technique like you do then it’s all but hopeless for them.” As Kyojuro explains, the color in your face turns pale as a dreadful look appears. Much to your paranoia that you desperately push to the deepest depths of your mind, the second to worst-case scenario happened. Both of your siblings are currently full-fledged demons.

“Damn it! How could this have happened! I thought that only I got corrupted….that it was just good fortune that Muzan mistakingly left them for dead out of trying to clean up his tracks through a survivor.” You cry, tensing up in frustration at your siblings’ unfortunate fate. Not only were they currently fused but they are now demons, meaning that their simple nature was a result of their demonification and their old self was buried underneath.

Sensing your growing anxiety, Kyojuro lightly bonks you on your head, knocking you out of your impending panic attack. “I’m not finished Byakuren. Despite the situation being hopeless, something in them must have to spark them to rise to the challenge and refuse to submit to Muzan’s blood. Even if they were becoming demons, they’ll find some way to survive and maintain their identity. Thus triggering an abnormal change in them which causes them to merge and create this fused entity. Given that they’re twins, it’s not outside of the realm of possibility as evident to what demons are capable of.”

“...What exactly can demons do?” You ask, lightly rubbing your head as you start to feel more hopeful after almost losing yourself to despair.
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>>4063881

“The common traits are their supernatural physical prowess and their virtual immortality as they can’t die from conventional means like us humans. In addition to that, they are capable of shapeshifting, controlling every aspect of the body to achieve body manipulating/modifying feats, size manipulation, a supernatural sixth sense that lets them perceive the world outside the five senses although those senses are greatly enhanced as well tremendous regenerative capabilities, autonomous motion and control to every aspect of their ability regardless if attached or not, and the ability to recover and grow indefinitely through eating humans. That’s not all that a demon is capable of but let’s not dwell on such matters for now. Now I want to highlight a specific ability that all demons have the potential to use….absorption and cellular manipulation.” Kyojuro explains, once again surprising you at how knowledgeable and proper he can be. He must have clearly been brought up on a rather strict, rigorous training program. Briefly, you got flashes of your grandma’s training from hell as you make a rather ill-look on your face over the trauma.

“See demons generally have sovereignty over every aspect of their body, with the strongest demons far exceeding what the standard demon is capable of. This power exceeds right down to their cellular makeup, allowing them to further alter and modify their bodies accordingly as its the source of their abilities. Most use this to help their shapeshifting capability, eating habits or strengthing their bodies’ performance for better optimization, but smarter and more clever demons have managed to weaponize these aspects. Thus letting them capable of fully absorbing, assimilate and dissolve organic and inorganic objects far greater than what a regular demon has shown to do as it scales with one’s strength much like the rest of their abilities.”

“So what you’re saying is to adapt to becoming a demon and better their chance of survival...Emiko and Keiju fused together to make this demon and better prioritize what they need to better their survival.” You reply, slowly taking deep breaths to calm yourself down and purge the negative emotions seeping inside of your heart. Still, you gave a somber, bittersweet smile at your fused siblings, petting their head as they remain oblivious to what was being told.
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>>4063896

“Correct, while any demon is capable of altering others with usually the stronger one having the greater effect on the lesser demon, their compatibility is limited by their finesse and overall control. Those who generally have genetic ties with one another prior to becoming demons typically have a perfect synchronization rate with each other almost instantly. So right now, your brother and sister are currently sharing one body. Though don’t get discouraged, if they are capable of fusing with one another then surely the reverse is possible once they better attune to their demonic powers.” Kyojuro encourages you, raising his voice to the booming effect that made your ears constantly ring and your heart shoot out in panic. Despite startling you it was having a pronounced effect at renewing your hopes as you look at your siblings.

“You’re right...The fact they’re still here at all is reassuring. I shouldn’t be greedy...” You mutter, softly smiling at them and taking one more hug from them before letting them go. Turning your head to Kyojuro, you instinctively take a slightly defensive guard just in case. “I’m confused. If they’re demons then why haven’t you tried to slay them?”

“Well, a promise is a promise. That said after you passed out from your wounds, the basket exploded violently revealing this merged entity. At first, I thought the worst has happened and they fully became a murderous demon, thus committed to bare the sin of breaking my promise to avoid having you to suffer further and put your siblings to rest. But to my discovery and shock, they merely only stood to protect you. Thus I began thinking that...even contained in that basket, they were fully aware of their surroundings and sense your presence. Your very essence and strong affectional bonds with your siblings must have served as a key and influenced this transformation. Honestly, the Shimizu family are quite a bunch of mavericks compared to typical demon behavior.” Kyojuro laughs, brushing off your concerns as he genuinely praises you and your siblings for doing the impossible and retaining some form of your humanity.

“Thank you Kyojuro. But….I really wish you wouldn’t refer to us in such a manner. It makes us sound like deviants.” You smile again, feeling at ease after looking at your siblings. To hear them speed up their development and merge into this new form out of their desire to protect and be with you really made you all the more grateful to have your remaining family members. You think back to Sakura as you were left in a state of uncertainty. Although you received a vision of her being alive, you weren’t able to confirm whether or not it was a delusional dream. Even so, it was the only piece you have and you wanted to hold on to the belief that she was still alive.
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>>4063905

“Still, I’m glad they haven’t shown any inkling of consuming human flesh and/or blood. So I can only hypothesize that they, much like yourself seem to draw from a different source to replenish and restore their bodies. Making you guys no different than plants in correlation to self-sufficiency. “ Kyojuro looks out to the side, walking away just a bit before double-checking that there was no sunlight down the hall of this expansive dojo.

“But unlike plants, demons are generally incapable of going out into the sunlight. For you see the sun is a major weakness to demons, along with anything containing Wisteria and special minerals like specialized purified salt. So you have to make sure your siblings avoid these things at all costs. As for you, I’m not sure how effective they’ll be considering your a half-demon but I strongly doubt you’ll be completely immune to them. So be careful as well.” Kyojuro turns, taking a serious tone while still comforting both you and your siblings.

>What do you do now?

>Write-in

(Getting ready for a time skip.)
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>>4063919
>familiarize ourself with our siblings' new form
Just get to know them in case there's anything different
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>>4063919

Hmm...I guess it's time for a huge training montage after thanking him for all he's done for us so far.
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>>4063919
Supporting >>4063937

And maybe try to figure out how to refer to them.
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>>4063937
>>4064011

Supporting but we should also consider what we should be focusing on in the timeskip like >>4063939 is pushing for. I think personally we should learn Rengoku's breathing style and other means to fight. Improving our demon powers is good but what if like Inuyasha with the new moon, the sunlight revert us back to a regular human or at least greatly hamper our abilities. We should be prepared just in case while learning all we can about ourselves, our siblings and the demon corps
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>>4064037
If that's the case, if it comes down to it, we may need a proper trainer. Also maybe some new clothes that incorporates the uniform and our old shrine maiden outfit because looking cool is half the battle.
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>>4064037
Well if we intend to let Emiko/Keiju fight we should teach them everything we learned from grandma.
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>>4064046

Gotta incorporate our heritage along with our work life. Also all the more reason to have Rengoku train us. He's clearly good at being our mentor figure.


>>4064056

I agree with this. We may learn how to use our demon powers through them. But also our grandma teaching may help them even as a demon
>>
If we do manage getting a huge sword first, we should probably try to wrap it all up in cloth so as to not scare people. Could explain it away as being a shrine offering as larger swords were often used as such.

Using and making a bow and sacred arrows could be a bit dangerous for us to handle since we're still half demon.
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>>4064056
Yeah, support helping the kids to advance their breathing skills. Not continuing their education is just negligence.

I think we should learn what we can from Rengoku, but we sort of have our own Unnamed Breathing method that is apparently pretty potent; we should not neglect it. Best case scenario, they are compatible.
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>>4063919
Anyway, as for more specific "right now" stuff that was requested, we definitively should confirm to Rengoku that we'd like to go out and start hunting demons and training to beat Muzan. Training montage time.

Request mentorship, weapons and a way to locate demons to hunt.

Fluff-wise, we need to take a moment to use our breathing to recover from any leftover grogginess from three months long coma, see if we can eat normal food, test how badly sun/anti-demon grass affect us...
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>>4064122

Do you think we can spread it out in between learning Flame breathing and demon training? Also what should we focus on that? We got a lot to branch into but I'm not sure what fits for priority
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>>4064146
Breathing combat styles are not that rigid, and Byakuren's own education is incomplete.

Use Breathing Byakuren had been learning for her entire life as a foundation, then crib everything compatible from Flame Breathing in order to fill in the holes and transform what Byakuren already knows into a viable combat style.

We'll probably end up with a somewhat mixed style that is going to be strongly influenced by Flame Breathing, which is fine. Putting your own individualized spin on your Breathing Style/just doing that works for you particular is the thing that all cool demon slayers are doing.

Probably equal priority to Breathing and Demonic abilities, I think.

As far as specifics of demon ability training goes, figuring out our own Blood Demon art is probably a priority? The faster we figure out what it is and start properly integrating it into Byakuren's combat style, the better. Best to start early with that stuff in order to get maximum synergy with our weapon combat style.
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>>4064193
Though I kind of wonder if maybe we should just focus on Breathing for now to maximize trainer bonuses from Rengoku.

We'll almost certainly going to meet Tamayo in the future, who has great insight into how demons work; we could rapidly advance our own demonic body transformation abilities and Blood Demon Art ability with her help, I think.
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>>4064215

Think that's good. Focus on just the basic with our demon powers and prioritize breathing and weapon training.
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>>4064250

On that note what should we prioritize for weapons training. I wanna say sportsmanship is a no brainer but going all master of weapons may take a while especially with resources so maybe cwe start small with swords and archery
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>>4064287
Swordmanship as a core sounds good. Or whatever is going to be our primary srs bsns combat style - there was some talk about using a kanabo or/and a kirkmace gimmick.

I'd like to pick up archery eventually, but unless we unlock our blood demon art like, immediately, it probably needs to wait.

Baseline archery is sort of not really viable on its own - we need Blood Demon Art to reinforce the bow (or outright make one with spooky demonic powers) to keep up with combat speed of not-trash demons and empower the arrows if we want them to deal meaningful damage.

Thankfully, considering character inspiration, we'll probably get an ability that could make it work.
>>
>>4064339

No problem with this. The kanbako idea doesn't really need extensive practice since it relying mainly on brute force and will probably be influenced by our sportsmanship.

We should compile what we have before deciding what else we need or stick what we have as foundation afterwards
>>
>>4064339
We could always use archery as a more of a support ability instead rather than a way to directly fight, especially if we make special arrows out of sacred, anti-demon materials, or coating tips with special wisteria stuff (ensure to handle with care lest we end up hurting ourselves).
>>
>>4063937
>>4063939
>>4064011
>>4064037
>>4064056
>>4064046
>>4064087
>>4064122
>>4064142
>>4064193
>>4064215
>>4064250
>>4064339
>>4064287
>>4064390
>>4064492

Alright, looks like you guys got a good grasp on what you want to learn. So roll me two d20s. First one is for teaching your siblings, second is how you do. DC is both 12
>>
Rolled 18, 6 = 24 (2d20)

>>4064753
>>
Rolled 10, 19 = 29 (2d20)

>>4064753
>>
Rolled 5, 15 = 20 (2d20)

>>4064753
>>
Rolled 11, 2 = 13 (2d20)

>>4064753
>>
Rolled 18, 3 = 21 (2d20)

>>4064753
>>
My only concern about our sword choice is the sheer length of it being a potential disadvantage in very close quarters, or places where there isn't much room to make swings.
>>
>>4064753

After exchanging a touching moment you went through the rest of the day in typical fashion. Before you did anything you made extensive studies and observations to your new biology. As a half-demon, you discovered that you can still sustain yourself with regular food, much to your tearful delight. On the flip side due to your new biology, you were left with a rather voracious appetite Earning the nickname “Miko of Gluttony” and “Human blackhole” you manage to put a rather comedically tremendous amount of food down your gullet with no signs of gaining weight. Your heightened tastebuds made the grub all the more delectable but you were compelled to eat until you got your fill. In this case, filling yourself to the brim with food. This level of voluminous consumption made you realize just how much your body burns through energy as it was through an absurd level. Therefore, your body developed and adapted similar characteristics akin to a plant, including the ability to photosynthesize through gathering energy around your surroundings.

Yet even with that, you were still left with a nigh-insatiable appetite with a near-bottomless stomach. So while it was possible to go an entire week or two without eating anything as your human and demon half can self-sustain themselves thanks to this abnormal physiology, at some point you’ll need to replenish your strength to keep yourself at prime condition. Those two options being eating akin to a whole team of heavyweight sumo wrestlers or sleep for three to four days straight. A side effect of this overabundant management of energy was the fact you no longer needed to perform bodily needs like using the bathroom. All the resources you devoured were converted into pure energy and nourishment as nothing was left unutilized. It almost made up to the ravenous hunger pains you had to endure whenever you were hungry. Almost. After finally getting your fill, you spent the remainder of the time using breathing to leftover grogginess from three months-long comae.
>>
>>4065511

Once you felt fully up to it, you took your time to test your physical body, mainly how those weaknesses affected you. Slowly but cautiously you stick your hand out of open space towards the outside while huddling the rest of your body into the shade. At first, all you felt was a tingling sensation but exposing your skin bit by bit did you eventually learn just how inconvenient the sunlight was to you. Direct sunlight noticeably weighted your body down considerably as you feel your demonic side being forcibly suppressed. The familiar feeling of grogginess creeps over to your skin, leaving you constantly winded and out of breath. Spending the entire day in direct sunlight straight left you with sunburn while only half the day you broke out into hives. With proper nourishment and/or rest they eventually went away in reasonable times, but this left quite the predicament. In open daylight, you were notoriously weaker and your fluidity became sluggish with every motion.


Compared to the worst-case scenario has to feel like you’re wearing a full plated suit of armor while submerged in water was certainly livable. But it was clear you were at more to a disadvantage in broad daylight than even the most average of people in physical and mental capabilities. Shaking yourself out of this glump you want to try wisteria. Like the sun, just being around its presence made you feel weak and woozy in close proximity. Touching it, however, made your skin quickly break into hives but it was still manageable as you can at least do stuff with it without collapsing in long periods. Eating it was perhaps the dumbest thing you ever have done in your entire life. Just one consumption was enough to make you terribly ill. For the next two days, you were bedridden by the wisteria as you reflect on your foolishness. Neither of these weaknesses alone was enough to drastically affect you, but it was clear in the hands of a skilled warrior it’ll be more than enough to finish the current you off. Therefore you commit to eventually building up a resistance.
>>
>>4065514

From your playtime with your siblings, you manage to learn quite a lot about them in a short amount of time. For starters, it seems that they don’t exactly know what they’re names are in this state. Sure they respond to Emiko and Keiju well enough, but they weren’t able to really give you a name that they decided for this new entity. Understandably given what they have to prioritize and how quickly the transformation was. Still, you felt really bad only referring them to one sibling’s name and calling them both would only bring confusion. Thinking real hard about this you decided to give them the name Keimiko to refer to both siblings equally. To which they were happy at the name choice. Of course, Kyojuro gave a suggestion to call them Keimi for short since it flows better. You couldn’t disagree with his sound logic. Naming aside you took notice of every little thing that Keimi did during your time together with your younger demon twins. From how they walk to things like speech and responsiveness to everyday activities. It seems that Keimi was no different than a literal toddler.

Although Keimi was currently incapable of talking in complete sentences and/or conversing in deep conversation, it didn’t stop them from being able to understand and perceive what others were saying. Not only that but the words they did manage to say were precise and straight to the point despite being mainly simple. Aside from that, Keimi would naturally mimic the voice of someone else, right down to their patterns when repeating what they say. As for body languages they were very expressive and capable of conveying their feelings and opinions more thoroughly. Unfortunately, like with speaking what they ended up conversing was mostly simplistic stuff, though there was a gap between speaking and using bodily languages and signs. Most noteworthy is the fact that Keimi was able to remember how to read and write. So with three different methods of communicating, you felt comfortable knowing that on the off chance the two of you get separated that Keimi can communicate with others. Not that you’ll let such a thing happen.
>>
>>4065518

Overall it was comparable to call them a sentient beast as while they’re smarter than the sum of their parts, it seems they still hold a child-like innocence and naivety. They seem to be easily distracted when their instincts aren’t taking direct control and can sometimes misread things. Nevertheless, they were still your siblings right down to the core, even if they’re currently demonized. But that didn’t shake away the awkward feelings you have about the predicament. Normally demons lose most if not all of their memories of their lives as humans, with some exceptions. And while the personality exists, it is normally a twisted, corruptive version of themselves. Something so horrible made you positively sick to your stomach, only furthering your hatred of Muzan. But thankfully Keimi didn’t share any of the symptoms as their human aspect still there, just buried deep inside.

Still, what was most concerning was the fact that Keimi required a notorious amount of sleep. Unlike you who at least need to sleep for ten to twelve hours normally or hibernate for several days when running dangerously low on energy and power, it seems Keimi requires days if not weeks of sleeping. In retrospect, it made perfect sense since unlike you who can eat and survive on regular food thanks to your human half, such nourishments don’t fill Keimi up despite being able to eat. But rather than eat humans to replenish themselves, it appears they only need to sleep. So really the theory of Keimi being close to a plant wasn’t as farfetched as you originally thought. That said, this made you feel rather lonely at times whenever you had to watch your sibling take long sleeping periods. There must be an important reason for such a necessity but for now, you couldn’t piece together what your twin siblings were doing.

Refusing to let yourself get depressed over such matters, you made yourself commit your time to improve and push away such unwanting feelings. Soon enough, you began your training under Kyojuro Rengoku. Before you can actually go and achieve your objectives you needed proper training and guidance. Kyojuro makes it apparent through a simple game such as rock-throwing that there was a problem with your performance. Like a newly hatched bird just getting the grip of flying, you were having a notoriously hard time keeping your abnormal physical prowess in check. Even the simplest of things was quite the strenuous task with your herculean strength. As you are right now, everything might as well be made out of translucent paper. This was rather problematic considering in addition to lack of control was dangerous, it also means you were wasting precious stamina which was exceptionally important. Burning out through your demonic reserves left you feeling notoriously groggy and struggling to remain awake.
>>
>>4065522

In a battle that was more or less a death sentence since none of your enemies were going to wait for you to take a power nap and recover your strength. Therefore controlling your newfound abilities and learning how to fight while conserving strength was the top priority. When it came time for training you were met with a strange chain of events. Again to your surprise, you were left in a state of bewilderment at how effective the enthusiastic man was at teaching and guiding others. Then again, considering the intense passions to virtually anything, especially to things he put his full attention to, it was honestly no wonder why he’s perfect for the job of Hasima and mentor. That said, you still wished your mentor would know the meaning of restraint and moderation. Half-demon or not, there was a limit to how much one can push themselves before collapsing from fatigue. Even if he could sense how much you were bothered by not being as active and fluid as you once was during broad daylight.

First thing first, you began under training to adapt to the sun’s rays and bringing out at least somewhere around forty to fifty percent of your base physical capabilities. Alongside this endeavor was breathing training and eventually weapons training during the day. Normally this should be a piece of cake as you been training in breathing since you were five after watching your sister Sakura do it for the first time. Unfortunately, the effects of the sun made even something as simple as breathing a real pain in your ass. Nevertheless, you continue to battle the burning sensation in your lungs and make progress through relearning the basics.

At night you find yourself undergoing demonic training with your powers. From learning how to control your power output to preforming the basic demon abilities you thoroughly put yourself through the wringer trying to grasp your demonic powers. Without anyone to teach you how to be a demon you weren’t sure if you were wasting time and effort through brute-forcing your way along with trial and error. Still, for a self-taught demon, you ended up progressing far better than what you should be achieving. Things like controlling your bodily functions, shifting your size and mass, and countless other basic abilities that are attributed to demons you quickly picked up and developed. While only scraping just the basics on things like shapeshifting and absorptions, you did manage however to branch out considerably in utility. In time you start developing the ability to control your hardness, shifting from being as soft as rubber to as hard as ebonite. You felt if you continue to really push yourself you could reach graphene in time.
>>
>>4065597

Nevertheless, all of the demonic applications you learned primarily resolved around your physical body. Understandable as further demon knowledge wasn’t known to you, especially through your rebellion against Muzan’s influence. Along with developing the means to control your softness/hardness, you also learned how to vibrate your body through your heartbeat to further enhance yourself, as well as grasp the basics of influencing your body temperature. Most of all were the ability of absorption as not only did you achieve what Kyojuro explained but you took it one step further by incorporating whatever you absorbed into yourself. A feat that originally manifests by accident as you unintentionally merged with a running stream of water during your attempts at cooling your body down from recklessly overheating yourself. Upon returning to normal, tattoos start to form around your chest and abdomen. Only after additional practices did you learn that you can assimilate and store matter into your body and not just mimicry their properties and characteristics. A very handy feat.

As for your endeavors in the daylight you soon reached the level of control and fitness to start undergoing the teaching of the breathing fundamentals of the demon-slaying corps. Through careful explanation, you start to learn the ins and outs of Breath Style and work your way up into learning the Breath of Flames style. Having relearned the fundamentals of your family’s breathing methods, you didn’t have much trouble if any adapting to Kyojuro’s personal style. You weren’t sure if it was compatibility or just the fact Kyojuro was that good of a teacher that you ended up harmonizing quickly with the breath style. Though only at the rudimentary form, you were still able to incorporate the art onto your own teachings. Upon combining the two styles, you find yourself wielding what appears to azure-colored flames. Drastically different from the typical orange flames that most practitioners use, you were suddenly met with praise from Kyojuro for reaching a similar plateau with himself through his hot red flames.

At your current level, this was for the best as you couldn’t properly use the full extent of the Breath of Flames in the current amount of time you have, much less with these azure flames. Not to mention there was the strain of using both breathing techniques to produce this unique rendition of the Breath of Flames. Nevertheless, you couldn’t help but feel giddy at the strenth you accumulated as you undergo the basics of swordsmanship.
>>
>>4065624
>you find yourself wielding what appears to azure-colored flames

Real fire, or illusions of fire?
>>
>>4065637

Demon slayer is ambiguous with it's breathing style for humans as demon stuff its mainly real with illusionary effects being deliberate in messing with the senses and perception. But I'm treating this AU as akin to Jojo the breathing styles manifesting as mystic martial arts due to the bio-energy/life essence channeling inside of humans and the energy they absorb from the sun.

So yes, real blue flames.
>>
>>4065643
Nice.
>>
>>4065643

In between your self-training, you found time to check up on your sibling Keimi whenever you can. Borrowing a trick from your grandma, you start implanting information through the sleeping demon by whispering in the ear. In addition, you wrote down the knowledge of your family’s teachings, especially grandma’s variation into a diary. You weren’t sure how but even during slumber Keimi was fully aware of their surroundings. Not only that but they were absorbing the information fed to them at a remarkable rate as evidence during night training you and Keimi practiced what you told them. Almost instantly they manage to pull off each and every lesson you did with flying colors. You weren’t sure if it was the fact that having two minds gave them much higher mental capabilities or becoming demons awakened their innate talents. Either way, you only ended up showering them with praise as you continued teaching.

Achieving what you ultimately gained in these past six months in between sleeping and resting was truly a feat worthy of praise. Praise that you got over showered by your mentor as you currently stand outside the sunlight only feeling somewhat hampered compared to the start of your training. There was much more room for growth and improvement but right now you finally have a strong foundation to work off of. Unfortunately, your continuous training with Kyojuro would have to take a regretful pause. It couldn’t be helped as Kyojuro was quite the busy man. As the Flame Hashima, it was his duty to slay demons whenever he is called, especially when its a strong demon. That and you needed to undergo guidance from an official trainer to be allowed to take the Final Selection exams. Out of fairness, Kyojuro couldn’t interfere with which you understood completely and thank him for his guidance.

Once you said your goodbyes to Kyojuro, both you and Keimi traveled off towards your destination. Keimi was safely put in a sturdy and thick wooden box to protect them from the sunlight during daytime travels. This also doubled as a safe spot for Keimi to continue resting and accumulating strength. Currently, you were traveling on foot in the forest. The path you were taking was a straight path from Akizuki castle to Aso Shrine in Mount Aso. According to your mentor Kyojuro there lies a single person living in the shrine. It was his personal master and former trainer Jingō Akizuki, the harbinger of war, the vermillion empress of the Tengus. Of course, the alias was actually a ploy on both how her name could be spelled like her ancestor Jingū, though as Kyojuro mentions she prefers being called Ringo-sama since its much cuter. A contrast to what the image of a tengu would imply especially on the rank of an empress.
>>
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>>4065673

As you asked more about the relationship you learn first hand that Kyojuro and Jingō were taught by Kyojuro’s father Shinjuro Rengoku, the former flame pillar. For unknown reasons, Kyojuro’s father went up and quit being the flame pillar. Ultimately stopping his training for Kyojuro thus pushing him to learn the rest from the archives and to better hone his skills by undergoing training with the trainer and eventually earning acceptance into the demon slayer corps. Despite hearing the story, you could sense there was some sadness in Kyojuro’s expression in spite of his cheerful and energetic demeanor. There was something more than what Kyojuro told you in correlation to his father. But you refrained from asking about it, for now, known first hand the troubles of dealing with another family member.

As you eventually made your away across the riverbank and on your way to the front of mount Aso, you begin to pick up a strange presence. Elsewhere in the distance, a mysterious stranger obscured by a farmer’s hat was currently gazing through the horizon. Closely locking eyes at your presence, they suddenly disappear without a trace.

>How do you proceed?

>Continue to the Aso Shrine with Keimi on schedule.
>Keep an eye around your surroundings and wait patiently in a defensive stance
>Take the initiative and try to find what is giving off this bloodlust
>Look for a place to hide and wait for nightfall to continue
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4065679
>>Continue to the Aso Shrine with Keimi on schedule.
>>
>>4065679
>Keep an eye around your surroundings and wait patiently in a defensive stance
>>
>>4065679
>Keep an eye around your surroundings and wait patiently in a defensive stance
>>
>>4065679

Sorry for the long dump of words, I wanted to capture as much progression as possible while marking down what you achieved with your 18 and 19 rolls respectively.

For a quick rundown

>Hardness/Softness Manipulation [Currently Self-Applied only]
>Sonic Stimulation/Manipulation [[Currently Self-Applied only, know the basics of Molecular Oscillation and Cellular Acceleration]
>Journeyman level Swordsmanship and Archery
>Journeyman level of Flame Breathing
>Capable of combining Flame Breathing with your Family's Breathing technique, producing Azure Flames as a byproduct [rundimentary form]
>Can fight around 40% of your full strength in the sun and control 100% of your based strength on most circumstances
>Can replicate and mimicry inorganic matter through assimilation

This including what you obtained previously now being common knowledge to you, though unconscious fighting will still make them stronger. As for Blood-related arts, you still haven't grasped the basics of it yet.

As for Keimi, they effectively know everything you're currently capable of but are much better at the demonic abilities than you due to obvious reasons. Breathing arts is still an experimental process for them that they can't fully stabilize quite like you at the moment.
>>
>>4065707

Also custom made weapons are a work in progress as they need time to be fashioned. So you'll have to wait for your custom made Nichirin Bow, Nodachi, and Kanabo. But you do have regular nodachi to practice with.
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>>4065716

Also forgot

>Basic of Body Temperature manipulation.
>Slight Increase in physical attributes

>>4064046 Also I do have plans on how to incorporate your uniform with your heritage as a Miko. But that won't be until the next time skip and after the exams.
>>
>>4065735
Cute!
>>
>>4065679
>Keep an eye around your surroundings and wait patiently in a defensive stance
>>
>>4065701
>>4065704
>>4065786

Alright, give me a roll. DC is 14
>>
Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4065789
Plz don’t get stabbed
>>
>>4065800
Fuck
>>
>>4065800

Okay, you clearly reached an unfortunate outcome. But to avoid having to double down on breaking the action, give me another roll the dc is 16
>>
Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>4065815
Welp.
>>
Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>4065815
>>
Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>4065815
>>
Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>4065815
>>
Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4065815
>>
>>4065928

Well shit, i just doomed us
>>
>>4065930
Maybe we should just stick to Bo3 from now on. Or add more modifiers on dice.

If we survive.
>>
Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>4065815
>>
>>4065930
I guess our training starts right the goddamn now.

Could always be worse. Everyone in the Corps could always treat us with mistrust and fear.
>>
>>4066586

Or wind pillar's case, aggressive hatred like bakugo
>>
>>4065930
>>4065966

So do what I been doing with the latter based on your fortune/experience/growth/enhancements in the story.

Anyway it's fine, it's not like your going to die from this encounter. But >>4066586 is right, its training time and you left a rather poor first impression on Ringo.
>>
>>4065815
>>4065789

The trip from your current location to the Aso shrine wasn’t that much farther, causing you to mentally sigh to yourself. While you were known to be able to make long trecks through large terrain at a reasonable pace, it was especially strenuous at this time of year. During your training with Kyojuro, you were made painfully aware of your relationship with the sun as a half-demon. Therefore, the summer heat was especially tiring to travel under. It was just the tail end of summer as fall was about to begin. But that didn’t change the fact the lingering effects of summer was still in the air. Thus, you feel rather lethargic and light-headed, barely avoiding the signs of a heat stroke. Considering how it normally supposes to go for demonic beings, you couldn’t complain.

Thanks to training the most intense feeling of the sunlight only brought forth heat exhausting. Something that while took longer to recover due to your demonic half, it was at least tolerable. As well as being able to be decently active and fight at an average human level was certainly better than previously where just five minutes in the sun took so much out of you. That said, you made sure to take breaks in the shade to recover yourself and keep hydrated. The last thing you wanted was to be unable to operate to the best of your abilities when you need it most. Ever two to three hours you take an hour break in the shade before returning back to the blazing sun. It also helped that your Flame Breathing training was helping build up a resistance to heat and flames. Sunlight was another story but every little bit helps.

During your last break, you begin to recall that due to training you ended up missing an important event. Part of you was really upset at the fact that you didn’t partake in the Suitengū Spring Festival. For obvious reasons, you knew that there was some part of you still hesitant in involving yourself with your family’s activities. Not to mention the buzz that most likely has spread throughout the city of Kurume about your clan’s unfortunate passing. You don’t know why you didn’t say goodbye your fellow villagers. The most you did was kept your promise to your father and buried him with Kyojuro’s help and say a last prayer to him. Perhaps it was anxiety and fear that was keeping you from returning home. Considering your new state as a half-demon, it’s only natural you start to become a little self-conscious about your appearance or how others perceive you.
>>
>>4067541

Even so, you felt a constant sense of defeat for choosing to ignore your duties. Funny how just a couple of months ago you were putting them off to play in the city and have a social life. There was no use in crying over spilled milk. You have more important things to do than take part in the spring and/or water festival. The path of a demon slayer is what you have chosen for yourself along with your siblings’ fused form Keimi. There was no turning back, much less thinking about returning to a normal life. Committing yourself to stop Muzan, finding your eldest sister Sakura and finding a way to return your siblings to normal, there was no time for regrets or doubts. You need to be strong, to be focused and be someone that your siblings can lean on in times of need. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

Speaking of that you begin to shift your eyes around upon returning to the open forest. Always keep your eyes around your surroundings and be in the constant guard was one of the many lessons that your father taught you whenever you went out hunting with him. It wasn’t only him as your grandma also pushed you to be more aware and sharpen your foresight. Even Kyojuro addresses the values of having sharp intuition and Dairokkan otherwise called Sixth Sense. Hence as part of your training, you were often put into dark caves and the wilderness to help developed such skills. So with your thirteen years of hardship, you were rather confident in your ability to feel out another’s presence.

So much you didn’t notice a mysterious pink-haired assailant, covered by her farmer’s hat and tengu mask. Although from a closer angle it looks more like an oni than a tengu. Not that you were given the chance as this mysterious person manage to freely enter your sphere of influence. And to do it so easily too despite going through all the stuff to make yourself alert. No, perhaps you being overly alert ended up having a negative effect and hampered your usual skills and talents. Either way, the mysterious masked figure passes you by, right hand against their weapon. Before you knew it, you find yourself kneeling to the ground. You didn’t sense any sign of an attack, much less hear the attack. All that you know was that you were hit with tremendous pain before blacking out.
>>
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>>4067550

“How pitiful. You’re a natural-born idiot in addition to being full of openings .” The masked assailant spoke, slowly taking off her mask to reveal a beautiful, mature if not stern woman. From first glanced the petite and fair-skinned hue brought forth a rather feminine charm to her, though there was a certain wild, untamed ferociously oozing from her crimson eyes.

Finding yourself in the familiar sense of darkness your mind drifts into slumber. Giving you time to recover from the sunlight as you were out cold. There was no way that you were getting out of this. Eventually, you finally come out of the sweet slumber of darkness. Slowly opening your eyes you would find yourself currently lying against a wooden floor. The structure of the area immediately clicks to you as you recognize it as the shrine. Rushing upwards to get a closer look a sharp jolt of pain hits you in your abdomen, forcing you to hunch over and wince from the pain. Even with your half-demon recovery powers that blow to your stomach was enough to come close to seriously damaging your ribs. Nevertheless, you kept your eyes to pay attention to your surroundings and map where you are. To which you saw a rather unusual sight in the distance on this clear, night sky.

Standing out in the distance was that same pink-haired swordswoman. Meeting her first hand you were met with quite the sight for sore eyes. A beautiful and well-rounded woman with a robust body that gave the impression that you were under the presence of an oni or cavewoman. Most noticeably outside the obvious was the black eyepatch on the right of her eye and the seemingly missing left arm. The aura she gave off immediately told you that she was some sort of veteran swordswoman who more than seen her fair share of battles. But judging from her savage ferocity she must have been a one-woman army. Looking at her closely, the mysterious masked woman finally turns to you, stepping her foot on the large pillar and rests her hand on her Tachi longsword.

“Finally up I see. For a moment I thought you were going to sleep through this full moon night as well. And that would be quite troublesome.” The mysterious swordswoman spoke, giving a slightly condescending tone as she addresses you. As you look at her, you start to realize that your basket was gone. That was enough to make you narrow your eyes and submit to anger.

“Who the hell are you?! And where is my sibling Keimi?! I thought Samurais and Ronins follow the code of Bushido.” You bark, rising up to your feet while holding on to your nodachi.
>>
>>4067618

“Bushido eh? Wow, you’re really quite naive.” The mysterious swordswoman remark, letting out a sigh before pushing her sword out a bit. “In a battle to the death, you can’t expect your enemies to follow such old concepts. Especially when fighting demons! I thought you knew even that you clumsy half-demon.”

“Don’t act surprised. Demons have their own kind of scent, so for someone who only came out half-assed, your scent will naturally carry fragmentations mixed with your human half. That said if you want to find out where your sibling is then you’re going to have to fight me. Or are you upset that you no longer have an excuse to hide behind?” The mysterious woman taunts, implying first hand what you were going to say about being sneak attacked, especially in broad daylight.

Gritting your teeth and exposing more of your demonic traits, you kneel down and contract your leg muscles. Upon building enough raw strength, you quickly lung forward to try and strike the mysterious person. Focusing your breathing closely you try to manifest the Breath of Flame style to further argument your strikes. A non-lethal horizontal chop followed by a swift threat of hovering your sword above the back of her neck was the ideal method through the use of battojutsu. For someone who only knows the basics of swordsmanship, this was the best course of action. However, the mysterious woman remains stationary despite you coming at her. Seeing her not bat a single eye at your attack positively infuriates you. But you kept your blade steady getting ready for the attack.

In a blinding flash, you find yourself standing on the opposite side of the shrine entrance, reaching the edge of the staircase with your nodachi blade drawn out. Feeling that you connected with your attack you turn to see the mysterious woman remaining still on her spot. The only difference was her Tachi blade was somehow out in the open. When exactly did she draw it? As you dash forward to follow up with your game plan, you were met with the woman seemingly putting her Tachi back into the black sheath. Not letting yourself get distracted you aim your nodachi blade true and lung forward towards her blindspot. Before you took another step, a powerful slash wound suddenly forms across your abdomen along with tremendous force. Within a blink of an eye, you find yourself engulfed by a vivid sea of flames, forcing you to drop to the ground writhing in pain.

“..Breath of Flames, First Style. Shiranui.” The mysterious woman mutters, timing the explosive force of her attack to the ringing sound of her Taichi blade’s guard with the sheath. Looking down at you, she slowly removes her mask and gives a rather detested stare with her face morphing to a rather pissed expression. “So you can only manage this extent of the Breath of Flames? You really are a hopeless child. You make the red sword of Kyojuro Rengoku weep.”
>>
>>4067622

Hearing the name of your mentor being muttered made your eyes widen as you finally put out the flame and reduced to regenerating from the deep lactation against your chest. “...Are you…”

“Honestly, getting stuck with a half-wit is not exactly what a retired pillar and Cultivator like yours truly should be doing with her life. I could be having drinks right about now in Aso’s hot springs instead.” The mysterious woman mutters as she finally hops off from the rock and lands in front of you. Her crimson eye stares coldly at you, hovering a truly intense feeling of aggression as the orangish-red flames circulate around her. “Jingo Akizuki is my name, and unfortunately for you. I have no intention of accepting someone of your caliber as my student. “

“My attack was only meant to bring a swift defeat and make you come to terms with how inexperienced you truly are. Yet, this is the second time I defeated you with one blow. And both times you ended up making the same mistakes, not learning from your past experiences. Someone of that level has no right to be a swordsman, nor apart of the demon slayer corps. An unstable maverick like you would only be rushing to their death and bring down everyone else around them. Honestly, I don’t know what Kyojuro was thinking filling your head with such delusions. A far cry from the person he told me in the letter about.”

>How do you proceed?

>Rise up to your feet for the sake of your sibling Keimi and your Aniki Kyojuro and fight with your sword
>Relinquish fighting like a human and rely on fighting like a demon [write-out what you want to use]
>Admit your defeat but try to plead with Jingo to give you one more chance to prove yourself
>Accept her answer and only ask her where your sibling Keimi is
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4067622
>rather detested stare with her face morphing to a rather pissed expression

Well, Urokodai thought that Tanjirou was fucking hopeless at first, so I guess we are following that tradition.

Still. Ouch. That is double nat 1 for you.
>>
>>4067635
>Rise up to your feet for the sake of your sibling Keimi and your Aniki Kyojuro and fight with your sword
>Admit your defeat but try to plead with Jingo to give you one more chance to prove yourself

One of these two. Probably the first. Although it was luck of the dice at first, we kind of established that Byakuren fights at 120% when fighting for her family, so that is the best chance of reversal.

Just owning up to the fact we fucked up might not be a bad choice, though.
>>
>>4067637

If she wasn't holding back AND fighting someone with regenerative powers, that attack would've sliced poor Byakuren in half and burn the corpse in a single swing.

So rightfully she's royally pissed at meeting the person Kyojuro talked so fondly and proudly being at such a level. Almost as if the flame pillar was pulling a prank on her. But she's not laughing.
>>
>>4067635
>>Rise up to your feet for the sake of your sibling Keimi and your Aniki Kyojuro and fight with your sword
>>
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>>4067645

Also a visual comparison of Jingo/Ringo's current mood.
>>
>>4067635
>>Rise up to your feet for the sake of your sibling Keimi and your Aniki Kyojuro and fight with your sword
>>
>>4067635
>>Rise up to your feet for the sake of your sibling Keimi and your Aniki Kyojuro and fight with your sword
>>
>>4067637
>>4067641
>>4067646
>>4067878
>>4068456

Alright, looks like we got our options. Writing soon. Now this is optional and you don't need to roll, but just in case you do the dc is 13. You get a +2

>>4067641

Even if it was luck, I pretty much accepted Byakuren fights at her best if not surpasses her limits far easier when she's fighting for her family. The field of people may expand later on but right now you get additional boosts when doing so.
>>
Rolled 6 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4068753
>>
Rolled 18 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4068753
>>
Rolled 9 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4068753
>>
Rolled 7 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4068753
>>
Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4068753
>>
Rolled 1 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4068753
>>
>>4068908
OH COME ON
>>
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>>4068790
>>4068908

You're lucky that even I think three Nat 1s in a row is far too cruel to deal with. So I'll give you a choice.

>Keep the nat 18 and continue as normal
>Get a Nat 20 equivalent boost/upgrade but suffer a nat 1 aftermath after this ordeal/trial is over.
>Try your luck again and reroll
>>
>>4068929
>Get a Nat 20 equivalent boost/upgrade but suffer a nat 1 aftermath after this ordeal/trial is over
>>
>>4068929

>Get a Nat 20 equivalent boosts/upgrade but suffer a Nat 1 aftermath after this ordeal/trial is over
>>
>>4068929
>>Keep the nat 18 and continue as normal
>>
>>4068929
>>Get a Nat 20 equivalent boost/upgrade but suffer a nat 1 aftermath after this ordeal/trial is over.

I'm justifying this as we're still inexperienced in actual fighting.
>>
>>4068991

I would've also accepted "Nobody insults Aniki and gets away with it" along with you desperately wanting your sibling Keimi back.
>>
>>4068929
After this ordeal we are going to train.

Fuck getting a nat1 on training rolls.

>Keep the nat 18 and continue as normal
>>
>>4068929
>Keep the nat 18 and continue as normal
>>
>>4068929

Author's notes: Because things ended up in a tie before I came close to a stopping point. I have concluded. I'm using the Nat 20 option for the training arc afterward and sticking with the 18 for this encounter.

On that note, the power growth concept works akin to that of Zenkai in dragon ball. In adversity, your body will rise to stockpile greater power and/or adapt to the impending situation. Much like Nezuko's varation in canon and to an extent how actual demons adapt and evolve. You did well to improve your Power Growth and Recovery through the strength of will.

Still, don't get conceited as you got to work hard to keep your gains and there's a limit to how fast one can develop without succumbing to negative side-effects as evidence with your short bout with Kyojuro Rengoku. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
>>
>>4069719
>>4068929

“How long are you going to lie there and lick your wounds? Don’t think your regeneration and recovery abilities will give you a sturdy safety net to fall under. A demon can only be killed by sunlight, special weapons made out scarlet crimson ore and iron sand, specialized substances used in Harae such as their version of purified salt and water, and wisteria made products. Through normal means, it is impossible for demons to kill each other due to their regenerative properties. Despite these stalemates, stronger and/or more cunning demons have found ways around this. That said since you don’t carry their level of regeneration to be considered virtually immortal, you really shouldn’t become overly reliant on it.” Jingo explains, tapping her finger against her hilt in aggravation at seeing your pitiful display.

“If you got nothing to say then get out of my sight. As for your sibling, I’ll do your family mercy and put an end to her life. “ Jingo coldly remarks, slowly turning herself from you having deemed you as a worthless cause in her mind.

Hearing the trainer talking about murdering your sister made you slam your fist deep into the ground. Gritting your demonic teeth tightly, you exert enough force to cause a large tremor if only brief. “You can’t do that! My siblings haven’t killed anyone! You can’t just take their lives away. So stop it!” You scream, causing blood gushes to form around your abdomen as you soon wince from the pain while your body continues to regenerate.

Stopping only slightly out of noticing your inhuman strength rising out of necessity for your sibling, Jingo continues to keep her back turn from you. “Stupid child! Answer me this then. What do you intend to do when your sibling has eaten a human being?!”

Being put on the spot by Jingo caused your face to turn pale and lose that stubborn defiance you once had. Reduced to the point of stumbling, you advert your gaze from looking at Jingo’s strong, unwavering back towards the ground. To you, she was like an unbreakable mountain while you’re a mere anthill as the difference was just too great. Even so, you needed to think of something to say. Anything that could help win you over with the instructor and save Keimi simultaneously. Before you could think any further, a swift boot slams deep into your skull. The force was enough to send you to the ground, forcing you to kneel to Jingo as she grinds her foot deep into your skull. Her already pissed off face further warping into absolute disdain.
>>
>>4069721

“Think for yourself! Don’t let yourself become indecisive and dull your abilities. Never stumble or get lost in thought when facing a crisis. You’re no different than a toddler if you can’t piece together such simple logic.” Jingo shouts, digging her feet in as the crater that house your face deepens through the tough bedrock. Only after making her point across did she finally remove her foot from your skull.

“Do you know why you’re stumbling right now? Why you can’t even answer a simple question or block my attacks? Your resolve is too weak. Even with your keen eyes, if you don’t have the mental fortitude for steadfast determination, steeled strength, and iron resolve, then even the strongest of abilities or skills will falter and become fragile to the point of breaking apart from the brittleness. Doubt is the fastest way of losing strength and becoming weak. Remember this well you halfwit. “ As Jingo spoke, she finally turns to meet you eye to eye. You saw first hand just how unbelievably pissed off she currently was. Not that her constantly growing aggression wasn’t a clear sign of that.

“ If your sibling eats a human then you put them down and give them a quick death before committing Seppuku afterward. Generally the cutting of your abdomen method known as harakiri. That is what it means to walk the path alongside a demon. “

“Don’t screw with me! My siblings Keimi would never do such a thing. Don’t act as if every demon is the same!” You yell angerly, rising back up from the ground to object to her assumptions. To which you swiftly received a hard stomp to the face, coming close to breaking your nose.

“Which of us is screwing around? Be quiet foolish halfwit, I’m not finished.” Jingo replies, grinding her foot into your face to leave a black footprint upon removing her foot. It was at this point you were getting the picture that it was smart to keep your manners even in this situation. “ If you want to avoid such an outcome then you must absolutely make sure it never comes to fruition. No matter what the cost, taking an innocent human life is the one thing your sibling cannot do. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” You shout, taking great care of straightening out your face.

“Very well, you aren’t so hopeless after all. Now then, tell me precisely why are you so indecisive that you couldn’t fight at full force as if you and your sibling’s life depended on it? Or do I need to spell it out for you again?”
>>
>>4069726

Quickly shaking your head to Jingo, you take a proper Japanese sitting position and start to reflect deeply upon your self. “When it comes down to it, I’m essentially known as a good for nothing half-wit who manages to screw up even the simplest of things. I don’t particularly need you to tell me all my faults. All my life I been doing that precisely without any provocative. From grandma Gurren’s training to whenever I’m involved in my family’s business, I’ve always been harboring feelings of inadequacy and lack of innate aptitude. Especially when compared to my sister Sakura. Might as well call me the black sheep of the Shimizu family, if you want the embodiment of a self-defeatist person that’s me.” You narrow your eyes, making a melancholy smile as you finally broke out of your cheerful if not sassy demeanor.

Briefly closing your eyes you were met with countless memories of the past. And the lingering feelings of jealousy that you always desperately pushed inside in the depths of your heart. “I know first hand of all of my flaws and deficiencies. Honestly, I talked about wanting to see the world and be free from my family’s responsibilities. But it was just a half-baked truth. The full reason why I wanted desperately to become self-independent and explore the land was just so I don’t have to face my own inabilities anymore! I’m not like my sister Sakura where everything comes easy to her. Even my siblings have a better aptitude for my family’s talents than me. All I can do is stubbornly persevere and diligently work at it until I finally brute force my way through. That’s how I’ve always done everything. And even then I’m so stupid that it takes a while before my mind truly commits it to memory.”

“Really, it’s as you said. I’m clumsy, blockheaded, impulsive, reckless, scatterbrained, sassy, easily spaced out on the smallest things, and naive! For ever positive there is about me, there’s like a ton of flaws I have that I masked by being cheerful and easy-going if not sometimes overly optimistic and positive. Yes….I always thought to myself what would Sakura do in this situation. Leading me to overthink things to avoid my own naivety and dim-wittedness. I’m such a stupid half-wit, incapable of being hardboiled like my sister or refined geniality that brought forth tranquility like my mom. I’m not serene and wise like my father. It’s a miracle that I’m even primly proper, soft-spoken and polite.” You mutter, opening your eyes as you nearly laughed at your own patheticness.
>>
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>>4069730

“Despite having strong ambitions like wanting to save my siblings by returning them to humans, finding my elder sister Sakura, and lastly hunting down Muzan to put a stop his callous nature, I’m inexperienced and sloppy. Two times throughout my trip here you could’ve killed me and do it so easily too. Even before I obtained my regenerative and recovery powers, I just weather through things with my sturdy body, relying on my resilience to survive. It’s been both my boon and bane. Heck, that’s precisely why I ended up as a half-demon. ...Always doing things half-assed and forcing my way through without concern for myself.” Slowly setting your left knee onto the ground, you pick yourself up and resume standing, this time keeping your back turned from Jingo.

“If it was just me, then I’ll be willing to swallow my pride and own up to my mistakes without hesitation. The fact I already acknowledge both of those incidences as my loss says a lot about my character. As well as I might be insecure to the point of being sometimes indecisive but I’m not a deceitful person. Honestly to the point of being blunt when needed is how I choose to live. That’s why I can honestly acknowledge my faults and roll with the punches in every sense. Still..even a half-wit like myself has her limits to what she can tolerate!” Gripping your hands tightly, your body starts to tense up as you revert back to looking more demonic in response to your growing rage. Not for yourself but for those that the instructor was insulting.


“So don’t you dare talk bad about Aniki!!” You scream, turning to fully meeting Jingo’s crimson eyes with your amber ones.

Placing your left hand against your chest you begin speaking from the heart. Giving the impression of your kind-hearted and gentle nature despite letting your anger flow, exciting the demon half into action. “Despite myself being a half-demon traveling with their demon sibling he never once badmouth me or Keimi. Not only did give me somewhere to stay but he always took great care in helping me. Even when there was nothing to gain from it, he enthusiastically put his all into guiding me and giving assistance whenever I asked immediately. Honestly, if it wasn’t for him, I truly do not know what would’ve happened to me or Keimi. In a way, he’s’ the one who set me on the right path. So I owe everything, even my own life to Kyojuro Rengoku. “

Quickly placing your hand back onto your Nodachi blade, you start to take a fighting stance.“Therefore, I won’t shame him any further! Nor will I tolerate anyone who mocks and belittle my savior! “
>>
>>4069736

“That said, I still want to prove to you that even someone like me can become a powerful yet gentle person like Aniki and give me one more chance. But so what?! You kidnapped my sibling, you disrespected Aniki, and you’re intruding on my path to save my elder sister! On terms of priority, I want to fight for the honor and pride of my mentor alongside my sibling Keimi. So even if you don’t acknowledge me and even come at me with the intent to kill, I won’t betray the trust and believe all those who helped me get to where I am. For their sake, I won’t ever back down or give up no matter what. I will defeat you, Jingo Akizuki!” Upon saying that you tightly gripped your sword, controlling your breathing and steadily applying everything you know so far into your stance. In comparison to earlier, Jingo now saw a proper swordswoman as you carry a balanced stance.

Picking her tachi sword from the sash, Jingo quickly spins the sheathed weapon around her neck. In a flamboyant display, she demonstrates remarkable levels of control and finesses as the weapon dances gracefully around her neck in perfect rhythm and harmony. Even so, you kept up your guard and ready yourself with a more focused mind. Watching you closely learn from your mistakes made Jingo merely whistle in response. The aggression on her face slightly lessens as there were less visible blood vessels around her cheeks. Still, that wildly savage aggression was still on high alert as she spins the weapon even faster.

“Oho...so the half-wit does have a spine after all. To be honest, it’s rather unsightly to use bait such as your sibling to draw out your latent potential and make you fight seriously. Don’t ever think your opponents will be as lenient as I and alter the situation to force you to a higher plateau. You either rise to the challenge and be at your best at all times, or you die. That’s the reality of combat. So don’t go getting conceited when you haven’t once been able to follow my moves, much less dodge the basics of battojutsu!” Stopping on a dime, Jingo quickly charges forward with her sword in preparation for a basic Battojutsu strike. In light of this, you were able to better follow the phantom-like movements and react accordingly. With a loud crash followed by countless sparks, you find yourself managing to block Jingo’s attack with your blade.

“...Don’t make me repeat myself. For their sake, I’ll surpass my limits to make my declaration a reality.” Putting your muscles into the standoff, you abruptly push the older woman off with near monstrous strength as you create a strong shockwave of air. The amber eyes of before now turning into a shade of crimson as they glow radiantly on the full moon night.
>>
>>4069741

Catching herself in mid-descend Jingo properly lands on the ground without a scratch. Afterward, she steps on her sheath in order to fling it into the air before catching it properly into the sash. “That’s right. Now you’re sounding more like a proper swordswoman, you halfwit. You started with an average score and quickly transition into the negatives. But with that speech just there...my opinion of you has changed if ever so slightly.” Although briefly, a smile was starting to form on the instructor’s face.

“Come at me, Byakuren Shimizu. If you want your sibling back and to achieve your objective, then you’re going to have to overcome the obstacle in front of you.” Jingo demands, taking a stance of her own as flames start to dance around her body.

>How do you proceed?

>Stick to the offense as you mix between brute force and finesse to overpower Jingo
>Carefully observe her movements and focus on parrying her attacks
>Stick to defense and endure her blows until you see an opening
>Get creative and use the friction of the swords to set your sword ablaze and force Jingo back.
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4069745

also, add

>Use your speed to keep yourself always moving, throw feints and afterimages to deceive her.
>>
>>4069745
>Use your speed to keep yourself always moving, throw feints and afterimages to deceive her.
>>
>>4069745
>Carefully observe her movements and focus on parrying her attacks
>>
>>4069745
>Stick to defense and endure her blows until you see an opening

Between regeneration and sheer demonic toughness, these sort of tactics are actually pretty good for Byakuren.

Though, defensive tactics do not precisely sit well with me after that speech.
>>
>>4069745
>>Use your speed to keep yourself always moving, throw feints and afterimages to deceive her.
After a speech like that, it's time to be aggressive. Anything else feels like a let down to me.
>>
>>4069745
>Use your speed to keep yourself always moving, throw feints and afterimages to deceive her.
>>
>>4070256
>>4070457
>>4069778

Alright, give me a d20 roll, +2, the DC is 13
>>
Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4070466
Time to see some fireworks.
>>
Rolled 2 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4070466
>>
Rolled 13 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4070466
>>
>>4070466

Although you declared such a boastful proclamation if not also brazenly given your defiant tone, in reality, you didn’t have a clue on how to tackle Jingō Akizuki. Despite her seemingly missing arm and eye, she still manages to swiftly and soundly defeat you with a simple, singular motion. And she did it fluidly and flawlessly like it was the same as breathing for her. That just goes to show the obvious gap level between you and the former pillar. Yet you feel that there was something more to it than that which only leads to a puzzling look on your face. It wasn’t long until you were fully perplexed by the mystery before snapping yourself out of it. There was no time to get distracted and overthink the situation. That was a problem deeply rooted in your insecurity, subconsciously trying to be more like your elder sister Sakura instead of being Byakuren Shimizu. Having that fact thrown at you certainly stung, but it also brought an opportunity for a new beginning.

Spreading your left foot forward to preform the okuri-ashi you make the necessary preparations to ready your footwork while simultaneously securing a strong foundation. Jingō, on the other hand, remained stationary, seemingly not taking a single stance at all. Was she mocking you once again by not giving her very best? No, it’ll be stupid to assume such arrogant acts of conceitedness. Despite her crabby attitude, Jingō carried the refined presence and aura of a genuine veteran swordswoman. The more you stare at it, the more her qualifications as a cultivator became crystal clear. Therefore, you needed to play it straight and hold your ground. Rely solely on your innate aptitude in resilence, both further enhanced in toughness and recovery by your demonic half. Enduring just long enough to see an opening to strike. But was that really the right way to tackle this?

Truthfully, you couldn’t bear to plant your foot down and willingly let yourself tank blows like a punching bag until an opening came. No, what was currently motivating you to demand a more direct and aggressive means of strategy. That said, you knew first hand just recklessly charging in was foolishly stupid, especially considering who you were facing. But so what? If that was how it’ll be then it was up to you to adapt and change the outcome. Adapt and change….thinking on these two words, an idea swiftly comes to mind. Lowering your nodachi sword and crowing down, you took upon yourself to quickly set into a battojutsu pose.

“You foolishly nitwit! How many times much I beat it into your bones the value of learning from your past mistakes to avoid repeating them!” As Jingō respectfully vents in frustration over your shortcoming, you quickly shift your foot ever so slightly. Putting enough force to cause a small crater on the ground, you suddenly disappear from Jingō’s impending strike.
>>
>>4071969

“..What?” Jingō blinks caught off guard by the sudden disappearing act. Meanwhile, you start to cycle around the pink-haired swordswoman, using your inhuman speed to quickly make a sharp turn and attack from behind. Gripping your sword tightly, you waited until the final second to unsheath the Nodachi and use the friction of the sheath and the speed of the sword drawing to deliver a powerful horizontal slash with the blunt side of the weapon.

“Predictable,” Jingō mutters, pulling off a swift one hundred and eighty-degree turn just in the knick of time. With a precise, fluid swing Jingō briskly cuts through your abdomen, leaving a rather deep wound against your gut. Causing you to silently gasp out in pain from the powerful blow. Until suddenly your appearance starts to distort, revealing itself to be a mere mirage.

Narrowing her remaining scarlet eye, Jingō flips her sword against her back, catching the impending battojutsu styled thrust coming at her from her blind spot. Curving the path through the use of her tachi blade, Jingō easily parries your attack despite the split-second response. As to be expected by a veteran but you certainly was putting the pressure upon her. Following up with your attack you transition into throwing a series of different stabs and thrusts rapidly at Jingō. Mixing in some feints into the attack you were having Jingō focus solely on defense as you aggressively hammer to her. Different from usual you were beginning to throw away the habit of overthinking your every move, focusing solely on just the moment and anticipating the next in fluid transition. Jingō, unfortunately, feels herself being pushed back as she takes a step back from your pack tactics. Leaving herself seemingly disorientated in the process, an opening.


>How do you proceed?

>Charge in and use the same technique Jingō used to knock you out
>Aim to disarm her sword through a powerful attack
>Get in close with your sword but deceive Jingō with another feint followed by a headbutt
>Pull back and multiply your afterimages to attack Jingō from multiple angles
>Stop in your tracks and switch to guarding
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4071971
Whatever wins - blue fire please. It is like, our single cool visual gimmick.
>>
>>4071971
>Aim to disarm her sword through a powerful attack

As a half-demon with superhuman strength, this is what we are good at. Use our hybrid breath while at that, this is our chance to impress.

We prolly going to fail, but some failures are more or less expected. Just performing adequately is sufficient.
>>
>>4071971
>Aim to disarm her sword through a powerful attack
Nothing like a strength build.
>>
>>4071971
>Pull back and multiply your afterimages to attack Jingō from multiple angles
>>
>>4071971
>>Aim to disarm her sword through a powerful attack
>>
>>4072099
>>4072347
>>4072419

Alright you know the drill, same roll and dc as last time. ACtually, make it 2d20s instead of 1, just for your hybrid breathing oerfirnabce,
>>
Rolled 2, 11 = 13 (2d20)

>>4072748
>>
Rolled 1, 9 = 10 (2d20)

>>4072748
>>
>>4072751
Goddammit.
>>
>>4072751

Alright, here are your options.

>Accept the Nat 1 and proceed as normal
>Get a Nat 20 equivalent boost/upgrade but suffer a nat 1 aftermath
>Try your luck again and reroll
>>
>>4072770

>Try your luck again and reroll
>>
Rolled 19, 11 = 30 (2d20)

>>4072770
I'll just reroll.
>>
>>4072770
>>Try your luck again and reroll
>>
>>4072770
>Try your luck again and reroll
>>
>>4072772
>>4072782
>>4072831

Alright looks like we're going for rerolling. Although it was pre-emptive, I'm still willing to count the 19 roll if things don't fare better. So start the rerolling.
>>
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Rolled 18, 7 = 25 (2d20)

>>4072838
>>
Rolled 16, 11 = 27 (2d20)

>>4072838
>>
Rolled 11, 4 = 15 (2d20)

>>4072838
>>
Rolled 11, 2 = 13 (2d20)

>>4072838
>>
getting crit fails off rolling 1s in a 2d10 is even worse than 1d20. That's straight up 2 chances at a crit fail at twice the odds.
>>
>>4073924

It's a case on case thing since normally unless the task is too complex/strenuous I tend to let you slide with doing multiple actions within one roll. And considering how new you are to hybrid breathing and how tough it is, it's only fair I split the work instead of further increasing the DC to a much higher number.
>>
>>4074057

Also, some information while you wait for the next in story post.

Been getting a lot of information from this recent interview as well as recent chapters. In any case, I figure for future foreshadowing/easier to reference I'd post the upper moons. Several of the lower moons will have their moment in the sun in preparation for the main threats
Reborn 12 upper moons

Kokushibo
Doma
Akaza
Nakime
Hantengu
Gyokko
Raika
Gyutaro/Daki
Tonma
Danzo
Ouka
Orochimasa

Muzan's opinion of the Upper Moons
>Kokushibo: Business partner.
>Douma: Doesn't really like him.
>Akaza: A favorite since he is loyal and serious.
>Hantengu: Ordinary. He's annoying sometimes but tolerable.
>Gyokko: His favorite. Gyokko's pots are rather beautiful. They sell for a high price.
>Gyuutaro: A favorite. Muzan highly values his circumstance and greedy personality.
>Daki: Not a smart child but still has her usage.
>Nakime: A favorite since her ability is useful.
>Raika: A total brat but knows how to get the job done. Highly useful
>Tonma: Whimiscal troublemaker but exceptional efficient in doing her job and causing chaos. Potential favorite despite a total wildcard.
>Danzo: Silent and straightforward. Like Akaza a favorite due to his duty-bound nature, possibly a workaholic.
>Orochimasa: Excessively talkative but innovative and manipulative.
>Ouka: Dependable and reclusive. A complete maverick among demons. Highly expects great things from them later.

Will post their number rankings at a later date, though some will change from canon for story narrative
>>
>>4072838

The Kyūkyūden Jōkohō or Nine Palace Purifying Breathing Methods was your family’s specialized varation of breathing techniques. Taking the knowledge from certain techniques such as Qigong, Taoist Breathing, and many others, the Shimizu cultivated as much breathing knowledge as possible before refining it into their special art. A system of codified practices and traditions for multi-purpose usage in everyday life. Alongside their precious Kagura Dances, this breathing method went hand and hand with their sacred duties. Aside from the basics, there was a grand total of nine different acts of breathing which produced different results. While your mother taught you the basics and the Kagura Dances, it was your grandma who pushed you to the level of being able to use them to the point of being fully integrated with your core being.

Hence subconsciously you utilized one of the breath methods to deal with a certain situation or obstacle. An example of this is how you used it to make up for your shortcomings with breath style of the Flames to produce Azure colored flames. Despite not mastering the Kyūkyūden Jōkohō you were able to at least perform it whenever you need it most. It was during your six months of training with Kyojuro Rengoku that you started to slowly grasp the similarities between Kyūkyūden Jōkohō and Total Concertation Breathing. It begins dawning upon you on the relationship between the Shimizu family and the Demon Slayer Corps. But the true ramifications and implications would have to wait for another time. Right now you focused on the basics of what you can do.

Following the principle of Total Breathing Control mixed with using the Kyūkyūden Jōkohō, you begin sucking up the air, making a loud hissing sound and gritting your teeth. Holding your blade with proper grip etiquette befitting a swordsman your body temperature starts to slowly rise. Inhaling just the right amount of oxygen, accelerating the blood circulation alongside your heart rate, your bones, and muscles scurry in the rising heat temperature. Exciting your body results in challenging further strength than you normally exerts in addition to reinforcing your body. Still, even Total Breathing Concertation alongside with the basics of Kyūkyūden Jōkohō was quite the strenuous task. If you were a human pulling this off, your current ability would’ve made the process far too taxing to reliably pull it off more than thrice a day. In short bursts too.
>>
>>4074838

Then again, you weren’t completely human now. Even as a half-demon your enhanced resilience and durability gave you the level of sturdiness to withstand the strain of using both breathing methods simultaneously. Still, with all the training you did, it was miraculous that you made a substantial leap to be able to consciously pull this off on a moments notice. With nearly perfect control and finesse, the flames around your sword that symbolize the Breath of the Flames smoothly transition into those whitish blue flames that Kyojuro boldly dubbed the “Azure Flames of the Afterlife” or “Onibi(Demon Flames)”. Not for a lack of trying but it was very hard to take such a chuunibyou naming scheme seriously. Right now, instead of holding back laughter you only channel the same passionate eccentrics of your mentor to rouse yourself.

All while this takes place you continued to build up momentum for your next attack. Even if by the off chance of it being a trap, you were going to take it head-on, aiming to claim victory from the jaws of defeat. Twisting your body forward, you take a sudden leap towards Jingo, holding your sword in a downward strike. Unfortunately due to what you spent time training on, you weren’t able to actually learn the nine sword techniques of the Breath of Flame style. Kyojuro only focused on teaching you the basics and improving upon them as evidence of your hybrid breathing style. A regular breath of the Flames manifestation may have been enough to warrant praise, but you wanted to completely dazzle Jingo in addition to seriously beating her. If this, the current strongest move in your arsenal couldn’t do it then nothing will.

“Take this! This is mine and Aniki’s fruits of conviction!” You shout, closing the gap between you and Jingo with fast footwork. Arching your back at the farthest point you start to swing your sword towards Jingo. In response to this, Jingo shifts her sword in preparation for a cross-counter strike. Truthfully that was exactly what you were waiting for as you shift your rhythm, moving your arm in diversion towards the sword. Aiming to disarm the sword out her hand, you put your inhuman strength fully into the blow of the attack.
>>
>>4074856

Clashing with Jingo’s sword results in a violent flash as the two shades of orange and blue flames dances in harmony. In a blinding flash, the entire shrine illuminates from the resonating twin radiance. The sounds of clashing steel continue to ring repetitively throughout the area, causing what animals to be around to flee to safety. Such brightness was your bane due to your hypersensitive eyes. Thus you instinctively closed your eyes to protect yourself from being stunned, keeping your hands tightly gripping to where you believe you had your sword. An attack as strong as yours would’ve surely resulted in Jingo’s sword snapping in too from the brute force and intense fiction. As you come to slowly open your eyes, you find yourself stunned by the truth.

“Oho...Blue Flames. So you can do it when you try?” Jingo muses, closely observing the dancing azure flames as they burn brightly in a cool, graceful illuminance. Oddly giving it a supernatural kind of feel linked with the dearly departed, befitting of your Miko background. That said, Jingo keeps herself firm after successfully parrying the attack and neutralizing the attack. More surprisingly was the fact she was currently holding to your sword with her teeth. Giving her a more feral appearance despite taking perfectly if not something husky. “That said, you’re still much too green. What exactly would you have done if I took advantage of your brute strength and broke your sword instead?”

“__” You paused, gritting your teeth and making an angry yet abashed look on your face. To think that not only was your best attack stopped in its tracks but Jingo using the moment to apply her own form of the Hadome or Blade Halt to catch your sword and disarm you simultaneously. As much as you hate admitting it, but Jingo was a true genuine swordmaster.

>How do you proceed?

>Swallow your pride and acknowledge your defeat with dignity
>Ball out but swear to Jingo that you’ll keep at it until you win and try to find your sibling
>Take back your sword by headbutting Jingo with all your might
>Completely throw away your honor as a swordswoman and use your demon abilities [write-out any in particular]
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4074858
>>Take back your sword by headbutting Jingo with all your might
>>
>>4074858
>Take back your sword by headbutting Jingo with all your might
the only acceptable option
>>
>>4074905
>>4074960

Make your roll, 1d20+2 DC is 14
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>>4074858
>Take back your sword by headbutting Jingo with all your might
>>
Rolled 18 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4075005
>>
Rolled 8 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4075005
Rolling
>>
Rolled 5 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4075005
Plz good critz
>>
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>>4075005

If nothing else Jingō was giving you quite the amount of battle experience in this escalating battle. Paradoxically it didn’t matter in the slightest if Jingō was taking it seriously or not. The fact that she was handling everything you throw at her as a mere child’s play shows just how little your half-demon attributes factor in this battle. That said, it seems like you were rubbing off on the cultivator. Her facial expression, for instance, didn’t carry the same detesting glare as she was only pissed but even that was starting to gradually lessen. You weren’t sure if this was a sign that she was starting to warm up to you or not. Not that it matters as your teenage hormones and adrenaline made you too upset to take the easy way out. Stubbornness was one of your most defining traits and you weren’t going to stop now, especially when so much is at stake.

Briefly thinking about what options currently in your arsenal your eyes dart up to your broad forehead. Even when you were human you were unusually sturdy, especially around your head. It was comparable to that of bedrock when going through the physical conditioning training portion with the iron shirt and palm method. Now you were confident that more akin to solid iron given your demonic toughness, abet you never actually test it yet. Even so, better late than never as evidence of the fact you were currently without a weapon and being put on the spot. And a direct hand to hand battle you were at a disadvantage in terms of experience. So a surprise attack was your best bet. With your plan now set in motion, you take another breath to reinvigorate yourself.

Refusing to directly answer Jingō’s question, you quickly throw a punch at her. Expectingly she goes to try and deflect the punch with her free hand, following up with a knee thrust towards your abdomen. Using the simultaneously two-pronged attacks to your advantage you place your left hand against the knee and use your right to grab at Jingō’s remaining wrist. Timing it just right you quickly caught Jingō in a deadlock, stopping her movement in her tracks. Not letting this chance slip up your lung forward, rising to meet Jingō face to face. Using the force and momentum of your lung combined with reeling your head back, you swiftly deliver a powerful headbutt against Jingō. The force was enough to drop the nodachi hilt in her mouth, freeing the sword in the process. Staggering just a bit from the impact of the blow, Jingō glares intensely at you.

“Something like that! I always was told overthinking things was a terrible habit of mine. So I’ll let my instincts guide my actions and speak for me.” You grin, reaching for the Nodachi to set you back in order.
>>
>>4075091

Just moments after you reached for the sword you were met with a sharp grab by Jingō, pulling tightly against your white hakamashita kimono, ruffling the blue hakama pants in the process. “You cheeky half-wit! Don’t get cocky!” Jingō screams, repeating the same stunt you pulled off by slamming her skull full force against yours. Hitting her reinforced head was quite painful as she clearly has decades worth of training and conditioning to give her such a sturdy body. Now having your head smacked directly by Jingō causes you to stumble back from the force of the blow.

“Ow-I meant it didn’t hurt one bit.” You brag, hiding the teardrops from your eyes as you stubbornly refuse to show any weakness, no matter how obvious it was.

Jingō just sighs at you, putting her sword back down to pinch her eyebrows and rubs her temples. “It’s faint but there’s no doubt that what you’ve done right now is the Zanzōgi or Afterimage Technique. But in your case, it’s only rudimentary as rather than using a varying cadence of steps to produce the deceptive echos, you’re achieving the same end result via explosive bursts of speed through pure raw leg power. It’s noticeably quicker but puts a much greater strain on the leg muscles to achieve. You’re relying once again upon your demon half to compensate. Putting that aside, each time you do it, subconsciously you’re getting better at it. And for the first time, it was certainly much more than what I expect a half-wit of your caliber to pull off. However..” As she says this her scarlet starts to narrow, giving quite a stern stare in place of sheer animosity.

“The Zanzōgi is only truly effective if you can mask your presence and keep it hidden. Otherwise, it’s no different than a magician’s parlor trick. You won’t be able to disorient and deceive this eye of mine with such half-assed ancient footwork. As well as your current level in sleight of hand. No matter how well the deception is, if the enemy can follow its movements or sense your presence, then all you’re doing is wasting precious stamina. The stamina that you can’t afford to waste, you half-wit.” Jingō
>>
>>4075093

(Jingō shouts, going once again into lecture mode as she sternly prods at you figurative while you grin and bear it.

“Not to mention you have zero control over your aura. And I can already tell from your breathing that using Flame Breathing along with whatever breathing method you have simultaneously is quite strenuous. Don’t believe yourself to be on par with demons who can’t be killed by conventional means. Your resilience doesn’t make you anywhere near that range. “ Jingō rants before ultimately turning her head. You took this time to gather your breath, preparing to bring back your Azure flames in an instant. “That aside, you’re showing a better performance than your previous attempts, Byakuren Shimizu. You actually landed a hit on me.” Jingō smiles, oddly shaking you at her current mode. Strangely she wasn’t being contemptuous or standoffish like previously.


>Continue the fight and try your hardest to win [write-in any tactics you want to suggest]
>Take this as a small victory and humbly asks for your sibling
>Try to use Jingō’s acknowledgment to accept you and give you the right to the final selection exam next season
>Evade Jingō and try to recover your stamina elsewhere and think of a plan.
>Other [write-in]
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>>4075095
>Take this as a small victory and humbly asks for your sibling
Family first, or maybe REVENGE
>>
>>4075095
>>Take this as a small victory and humbly asks for your sibling
>>
>>4075095
>Evade Jingō and try to recover your stamina elsewhere and think of a plan.
>>
>>4075095
>Evade Jingō and try to recover your stamina elsewhere and think of a plan.
>>
>>4075095
>>Evade Jingō and try to recover your stamina elsewhere and think of a plan.
>>
>>4075093
We really should use density manip more on those occasions when we are brawling with people.
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>>4075749
>>4075750
>>4075772

The Joestar secret family approach then. Nice. Now let's see how your evading skills are so give me a d20+2, DC is 14
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Rolled 18 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4075991
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Rolled 12 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4075991
>>
Rolled 1 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4075991
>>
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>>4076036
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>>4076036

Two kids are going to die tonight. But all joking aside, I have something in mind for this world. So to speed up the action, I'm going to need you to give me another d20 roll.
>>
Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4076056
>>
Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>4076056
>>
Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>4076056
>>
Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>4076056
>>
I swear ever since we started this encounter, we've been doing pretty poorly
>>
>>4076735

Possibly but establishing yourself as someone who brings out their true strength when it matters most/when protecting your loved ones and developing in the face of adversity only to be held back by overextension or lack of stamina is a good character build. It's a glass cannon with loads of potential.

That said finding the first visual reference for your demon evolution tree was a real pain. Currently an Oni/Orge so Yamauba may be more fitting than I originally gave credit for a demeaning nickname. ]/spoiler]
>>
>>4076056
>>4075991

“And there’s more where that’s coming from if you don’t surrender and tell me where my sibling is.” You bark, trying your best effort to intimidate Jingo while building on your growing confidence. In essence, you already won by managing to land a hit on the skilled master despite your vast differences. At the same time, it wasn’t a total victory like you truly desire. A technical win especially couldn’t satisfy the growing impulses brewing inside.

“To act so brazen despite your condition. You really are a glutton for punishment, Byakuren Shimizu. Do you think you can break your limits without ramification? Do you think you’ll just bounce back and overpower the body with your mind, thus achieving full optimization? Maybe it’s the demon half of you that’s making you so dimwitted and gunho but you should know your limitation and treat your body better.” Jingo sternly glares at you, lecturing you about the importance of taking care of your body. Words that while you understood you couldn’t bring yourself to follow them given the gravity of the situation.

“Shut up! What I do with my body is no concern with you. If I don’t fight to save my siblings and those around me...then who will!” You scream, tightly gripping the sword as the Azure flames spiral violently out of control like a raging wildfire.

Narrowing her eyes before ultimately closing them, Jingo’s tone suddenly shifts as she touches her sword. “Seems you really do half a death wish you numbskull. “ Slowly opening up her scarlet eyes, her pupils start to slit themselves like an angry beast. The air around her starts to get heavier in conjunction with her pressure weighting down the ground. She was serious. “Very well, this time I won’t be using the blunt side of my sword to strike you down.”

Although you were putting up a nice poker face with your bold statement, truthfully you were feeling the overflowing intent coming from Jingo. This level of seriousness was absolutely abnormal even for her despite only knowing her for about an hour. If you even blink carelessly your life would quickly come to an abrupt end without you even noticing it. That was just an example of the terrifying atmosphere that came from Jingo’s combination of battle aura and swordswoman spirit. Even without her directly saying it, you felt the intense killing intent coming from the seasoned master. She truly intends to follow up with her threat and kill you on the spot. All the more reason you needed to be extensively careful and practice caution. Thus, there was only one thing that you can do in response to feeling such thickly dense pressure, capable of forcing you to break out in an uncontrollable cold sweat.
>>
>>4077084

Slapping your legs together and bracing yourself accordingly you quickly start to move towards another direction from Jingo. Leaving the cultivator in shock you suddenly ran away from the shrine and dive directly into the forest. In spite of this, Jingo merely chose to stay stationary and start to countdown, giving you the mercy of a headstart, no matter how short it really was. There was no point in reflecting upon how shameful of the act of turning your back from your adversary and running away. There was no time for the code of Bushido, not when dealing with someone who you feel won’t hesitate to slay you in a heartbeat. It wasn’t like you were giving up fighting Jingo, much less win against her, but it was clear you needed to control the flow of battle. And what better way to do so than use the environments. She might know the wood like the back of her hand, but you too was someone who was raised in the wilderness.

On that note misfortune would some come your way as you trek through the forest. Putting as much force as possible into every step, you ameliorate your poor situation through a sudden burst of speed. Achieving extreme speeds akin to the four hundred meter world record, you continuously push yourself to the maximum to build up a wide enough gap between you and Jingo as you continue to extend the distance. And yet even now you continue to feel the constant threat lingering in the horizon. Trying to stick to the plan you continue to push yourself, unaware that your body was finally beginning to break down.

With a loud rip, your leg muscles start to rip and tear upon themselves abruptly. Without any shred of warning, you feel the fibers splitting followed by an intense jolt of pain. You almost screamed from the pain, only keeping yourself from doing so by biting your lips. Applying enough force to break the skin, blood starts seeping out from your lips. Muscle convulsions with joint dislocations brought forth another wave of sensation worthy of being on your top five greatest pains in your entire life. It was only through the strength of will that you kept yourself stationary to avoid damaging your legs further. But now you were left at a bigger problem as you hastily try to regenerate your legs and bounce back from this predicament.
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>>4077091

True to your paranoia Jingo was hot on your trail while not making a single sound. Her light footwork combined with refined finesse brought for stupendous motion and speed. Moving at immense speeds, Jingo simultaneously achieves an acceleration motion while retaining the same level of maneuverability needed to perform striking motions fluidly and efficiently without any waste in stamina or effort. A speed to which once again manages to fully bypass your sharp eyes, although unlike before there were signs of you getting better at reading such lightning-fast movements. While you weren’t able to see the attack, briefly you saw Jingo sheathing her sword back into place. At that point you feel yourself tensing up to the point of freezing, knowing what’s to come upon seeing Jingo standing in front of you. A familiar feeling brushes across you as your body finally starts to acknowledge and perceive the swift attack from behind. Although, it was far greater than last time.

“Breath of Flames, First Style. Shiranui.” Jingo mutters, clapping her tachi sword’s guard against the hilt right on the timing of the flames suddenly engulfing your entire body. A deep slash wound against the back, a hair short of hitting any vitals or leaving any crippling effects, but an efficient one at taking away your power and lower body support. Worse yet was the intense flames burning vigorously against your body. Even with your demonic resilience, it didn’t do any good at quelling the flames as you flop violently against the ground from the intense pain.

“How disappointing, and even after I told you about knowing your limits. Here you are currently burning away as you writhe in immense pain from overextension. Twisting and turning as the flames use your body fat and oils as fuel. Although I failed to deliver a killing blow, that attack just now should be more than enough to put you down and force your body into shutdown from overextending yourself to minimize the damage. That or you once again find folly in abusing your regenerative powers and burn what little strength you have left. “ Jingo sighs, shaking her head at the sorry state that you were currently in. Even at some miracle, you were able to recover fast enough you weren’t in any shape to continue this battle.
>>
>>4077099


With her sword put back into its proper place, Jingo drops her serious swordswoman presence and returns to being a strict but fair cultivator. “On that note, like with the Zanzōgi, it’s rather impressive that you achieve the rudimentary form of the Shinsoku aka Godspeed. Once again you used solely on pure leg power rather than proper control of your footwork. For a half-demon, you’re rather impressive in comparison to the average run of the mill demons and your potential is absurd. However...like with the previous technique, you fail to take into account the excessive strain moving at such extreme speeds without alleviating the strain by switching between slow and fast motions or stopping your pace gradually to give the leg muscles the rest they needed. But even if you did that, in the condition your body it is it’s only inevitable that you’ll still breakdown...abet not to this extent.”

“You have been piling up quite the amount of stress from using techniques that you’re clearly inexperienced in using. Using a hybrid breathing art that your body can’t maintain in long periods, wielding a sword as big as the nodachi without the proper training to alleviating the strain of carrying such a weapon even as a half-demon, speeding up your body’s recovery rate at your level to fully restore yourself multiple time, and drawing out your max strength constantly if not surpassing it. All this in mind with your current stamina levels, it’s only a miracle you haven’t collapsed sooner. I think I’m finally understanding why in Kyojuro’s report you suddenly collapsed and went into a three-month coma.” Jingo comments, leaving you unable to respond as even without the intense pain you were currently enduring her words carried some serious truth. Bringing you to a state of realization as you shamefully slam your fist against the ground. Your vision starting to become blurry once the fire settles.

“In any case, you’re done. There’s nothing left you can show me. Nor that you should continue as I’ll give you back your sibling. Half-demon or not, you’re still human. Never forget that.” Jingo remarks, turning from you as she stares at the moon. “I’ll give you a brief history listen as consolation for putting up a good fight. The Shinsoku has another name because it follows the same breathing methods that ultimately became the Breath of Thunder. Its true name is Breath of the Kami. A Miko like yourself should know precisely what that term holds in importance...if you don’t kill yourself trying to still fight that is.”
>>
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>>4077103

After hearing her words, you start to feel the light in your eyes starting to fade. True to her words, your body was going through shutdown in order to preserve yourself and recover safely. But all you can think about was the overwhelming frustration over losing yet again. All that time and effort rendered pointless. Your mind starts to flashback to your elder sister Sakura, thinking that if she was in your shoes she would've succeeded without trouble. She would have saved your fused sibling Keimi, impressed Jingo alongside keeping Kyojuro’s pride intact and achieve a total victory. What did you achieve through your struggles? Nothing but the bitterness of failure and impotency. Nothing you did matter, not even being as a half-demon. It was all the same in the end. Finding yourself crying bitter tears upon coming close to passing out, a voice starts to ring inside your mind.

“Just what exactly are you doing you cur?!” The mysterious voice spoke, carrying gruffed and tough tomboyish tone that dances on the brink of husky wildness. With how boorish her tone was you immediately pictured the rambunctious figure being some sort of barbarous female. A description befitting an Oni.

“Everything you do ranges from mildly annoying to downright infuriating. Honestly, you’re a complete embarrassment to demons everywhere. You refuse to embrace your inner darkness and accept transforming into a full-fledged demon, instead choosing to continue this willowy maiden existence, refusing to eat humans to gain strength to reach your full potential, and choosing to hold us back with your half-assed resolve and sloppy nature. You make your innate aptitude, especially towards fighting weep.”The abrasive woman spoke, drilling deep into your head your shortcomings one by one in an infuriating attitude.

“All those pale in comparison to the last thing you did that truly test my patience. Not even Buddha himself could withstand such sacrilege and not get angry. Watching you running away like a coward was the final straw that ultimately broke the dam. I can tolerate a lot of things from your rampant idiocy but I’ll be damned if we become a defeated beast and run with our tails behind our legs. And look where we are now. Close to death’s door because somebody couldn’t get their act together and fight like a demon! And for what! Family? Friends? Your humanity? What utter rubbish! You didn’t give a damn about any of that! Al you cared about was your precious freedom and running away from your mediocrity!” As the irritating woman shouts she let out a fierce howl, shaking you down to the core as your body starts vibrating uncontrollably. Steam was starting to form as azure flames then ignite into a tangible form from your haggard breathing.
>>
>>4077126

“So get back up and fight! Keep fighting! Never stop! Continue to the very end! If you die then that’s just how weak you really are. And I’ll take over anyway. So get your butt off the ground and rise, you pitiful human!” The mysterious voice continues to echo deep in your subconscious on repeat. The tone gets louder and more vicious as you hear drums accompanying the violent beat. The silhouette of the figure becoming more clear in your mind. The first thing you notice was the light purple hair, obscuring her sharp, rough facial features. Appearing as a hulking bombshell giant, honed to the level of the refinery to achieve a toned physique capable to be a one-woman army. Befitting for this irritable battle maniac, her vicious appearance radiance a level of savagery befitting of the wilderness you endured under your grandma’s training.

Unable to say a word, your heart merely responded to the lashing to the best of your ability. An act that made the mysterious mental image only exaggerate a sound of strong disapproval in response. “Huh! Is that all? You’re blaming it on your body. Goes without saying that a pathetic dolt of human blood can’t compete with a demon and bring out their full potential. Had you been able to do so you wouldn’t need such shoddy tricks instead of raw power and strength to render even the most learned techniques outmoded. That is strength absolute. If I wasn’t held back by your weakness, I’ll be closer to achieving that universal truth. Truly worthless. Nevertheless, if the weakness of body and mind are at fault, then I’ll overcome it and evolve again.”

Upon saying those words a sharp pulse starts to resonate through your body. Twisting and bending your arms in ways only Chinese contortionists could pull off, your body violently squirm back to life. The wounds inflicted upon your body rapidly starts to regenerate, achieving faster speeds than you were previously capable of. Blood vessels form throughout the body, rapidly pumping more blood. All for the simple purpose of cultivating greater than previously, surpassing the relative strength that currently serves as your body stockpiled raw power skyrockets. Your size and mass start to grow in response to the swelling anger overflowing inside of you. Those red sparks begin to form around you, turning into a shade of vermillion to the rising blood temperature and bioenergy spikes. Claws and teeth elongated further to proper demon stats as your eyes open up with an ominous scarlet tint.
>>
>>4077146

Humans have two limits upon them, the stamina limit and the life limit. When people approach their stamina limit, they find it painful to move. Even if they were to forget the pain and ignore their wounds, and act solely due to strong emotions, especially a fit of anger so powerful it causes blood to drip from their eyes. Next came the life limit to serve as the emergency breaks. Naturally, when people pass the life limit they’ll end up dying as a result. In order to extend this limit, even for just a second to achieve the abnormal including fighting with demons, people strive continuously for months and months on end to the point of spitting blood out. If people were to win and achieve their goals through strong emotions and resolve, especially that of anger then demons, for example, wouldn’t exist. But you were different as evidence by your dual blood of human and demon.

Even if were to break you mentally and physically, your demon half would push you continuously with those eternal emotions. Violent anger coursing through you, flowing eternally in circulation to a perfect loop. Until the task was achieved such as making the flesh of your enemy disappear into the world, concepts such as quitting was not an option. Even if that means...losing more of yourself in the process. Crackling your hand violently as it makes an eerie popping sound, you stood back up to your feet yet again. Ignoring all manner of fatigue, your body fully rejuvenated itself in record time. Like it or not, you were back to fighting form.

“..Blood Demon Art…” You uttered, sounding more like the demonic influence as it distorts from your original tone. Your right hand cultivating the surging power as a crimson flame starts to emerge. On your left, a blue flame starts to form, no different from the Azure Flames as the air starts to crackle. However, noticing that you were essentially burning through your life energy, your mind slowly snaps out of your berserker’s rage by an unforeseen force. Still, it was long enough to regain your senses.

>How do you respond?

>Forcibly shut your demon side off and pass out to fully recover from this ordeal
>Let your awakened Demonic influence continue as planned to further learn how to fight like a demon
>Restrain yourself with your breathing and memorize this feeling and what you were about to do.
>Try to tame your awakened demonic influence and fully subject it to your will.
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4077156
>Forcibly shut your demon side off and pass out to fully recover from this ordeal

Let's not burn out too quickly.
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>>4077156
>Try to tame your awakened demonic influence and fully subject it to your will.
>>
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>>4077156
>>Forcibly shut your demon side off and pass out to fully recover from this ordeal
>>
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So any particular favourite horn types?
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>>4077385
I'm a bit partial to asymmetrical ones.
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>>4077156
>>Try to tame your awakened demonic influence and fully subject it to your will.

We can't roll like shit forever.
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>>4077459
Don't invoke the wrath of Dice gods, please.
>>
>>4077156
>>Try to tame your awakened demonic influence and fully subject it to your will.
>>
>>4077178
>>4077459
>>4077819

Looks like we're going madwoman here. You know the drill, 1d20+2
>>
Rolled 3 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4077987
For family.
>>
Rolled 3 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4077987
>>
>>4077996
>>4078008
And once again the curse of the Glass Cannon build strikes.
>>
>>4077996
>>4078008

To speed things up those who haven't roll can still roll. Those who have but did poorly/want to gamble can pick from one of these three choices.

>Keep the roll but gain something in exchange.
>Get a Nat 20 equivalent boost/upgrade but suffer a nat 1 aftermath
>Try your luck again and reroll
>>
Rolled 3 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4077987
Rolling
>>
>>4077996
>>4078008
>>4078027
Yeah, three 3s.... wonder if that's a sign?

>>4078026
>>Keep the roll but gain something in exchange.
Fuck it.
>>
Rolled 14 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4077987
>>
>>4078026
>Try your luck again and reroll
Rage against the heavens!
>>
We really have to find a way to avoid our recovery comas. Last thing we need is for us and our siblings/s to end up sleeping after an intense fight where anyone can do anything to us.
>>
>>4078050
>>4078036

Seem like compromise is going to be needed. So make your reroll but regardless of the roll, something in exchange will be given.
>>
Rolled 5 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4078356
>>
Rolled 5 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4078356
To hell we go.
>>
Rolled 14 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4078356
>>
>>4078089
Maybe the issue will be resolved if/when we find party members that can tolerate our existence.
>>
>>4078042
>>4078422

Just barely reaching the mark twice deserves a special membrane. As well as getting
>>4078366
>>4078372

and >>4077996 >>4078008 >>4078027 in a row.

So good news-bad news. Good news, you got your demon side in check, bad news...your demon side evolved. Now it's a Kijin.
>>
>>4078818

And Lastly while incomplete, you do know the name of your Blood Demon Art style.

Also, the blood demon art's name is San'andomūn (Sun and Moon/Crossing through the sun and Moon) alternate name Renka-Moun. Any other information in regards to it is currently unknown. But there have been hints on its nature throughout this journey so far.
>>
>>4078818
>>4078356
>>4078026
>>4077987

Hands stained with both a vermillion flame and an azure flame, the temperature from your body and sphere of influence skyrockets the air crackles violently. San'andomūn (Crossing Through Sun and Moon), that was the impending name that was flooding your mind as we speak. Although its effects and overall ability was currently obscured from your mind, it was something that was tremendously powerful. The shaking of your skin, the rattling of your bones, the boiling of your blood and the scurrying of your muscles were a key sign of it. Every part of you was trembling in some form or another. As if your haste for growth and drawing more power than you could feasibly muster to fully manifest the art was a bad sign. A sign that your body knew to be truly dangerous and life-threatening. For what can be more dangerous than burning one’s very own source of life alway for power.

To demons who hold immortality, they can afford to be as reckless and impatient as possible. But what about a half-demon? Could you afford the same extremes of luxury despite being half-human? Not wanting to find out you try to wrestle control back from the mysterious demonic entity to which you decided to call Shakuren. Now wasn’t the time for that but still, it was rather rude to associate your demon self as “That woman”. You who treasure the keepsake of your name from your mother and father can understand the value of having a name. As well as the pains of not knowing a name or even having one at all. The pains of being a “nobody” and not being “anyone”. Nevertheless, you still refused to let yourself lose yourself as you desperately fight for control. You defeated this entity once and became a half-demon, you can do it again.

In response to your relentless struggles, Shakuren merely tightens her grip against your heart. Tightly squeezing it with her monstrous strength far exceeding your already remarkable strength. By doing so she generates a tremendously dense and thick pressure that smothers you to the point of suffocating. Resulting in pushing you back to the very depths of your subconscious. Unlike previously when it was in its infancy, it seems that the demonic influence that Shakuren represents has become far stronger than what you dealt with since that day. You weren’t dealing with a simple Oni, the weakest form of a Yōkai inspired demons. No, what was taking its place was now a Kijin or rather a true one in fact. For Kinjin carries the meaning of oni and human, thus a half Oni half human-like creature. But, it also carries another meaning, which is known as the fierce/demon god.
>>
>>4079113

As a result, your outward appearance continued to change as you were becoming more demon-like by the second. Similar to last time your mass grew to that of a late teenager, however it didn’t stop there as you shot up to a strapping young woman in her early twenties. Pack to the brim with excessive raw power, thus adopting a toned muscular physique capable of acting like some sort of shock-absorbent beefy enough to contain all of it inside with no repercussion or negative side effects. It wasn’t long till you started to resemble a proper Kijin as you emerged forward as a walking juggernaut of destruction. The dual colored flames that symbolize a certain power rushing away to awaken itself quickly disbursed from your impending meddling. Refusing to let the energy go to waste, it was quickly absorbed back into the body and converted as fuel to speed up your demonic transformation.

Essentially shifting into some form of combat mode to better utilize the demonic power coursing through you. It’s overflowing, far more potent than the usual dormant power you drew out in small bursts. Red streaks start to encode half of your silvery-white strands of hair. Everything around you starts to deafen and dim itself in response to the over-taxation of your physical form. The limit you carry was far more than what a typical human can normally achieve but there was still a limit. And excessively burning through your very essence to continuously accelerate the body to adapt alongside the rapidly growing raw power inside. All to fuel the bloodthirsty desire of greater strength befitting of a battle maniac. Really all of this was far too much for a thirteen-year girl to handle. As you feel everything returning to darkness in this bottomless void deep inside your heart, a voice suddenly rings in your head. It was that same outside influence.

Byakuren, always remember. Proceed through life with a cool head and a warm heart. Do that and you’ll never lose yourself even at your darkest hour. Those were the last words you heard from the outside influence. Unable to see it closely, you were somehow able to tell who exactly it was that gave you such sage advice. It seems even after death, the bonds between you and your family remain ever firm and strong. Following the voice was the hand pushing against your body. Keiju, Emiko, Sakura, Kenki, and Guren all start to flow into your heart, sending a wave of encouragement through you as they continue to support you. As brief as a flickering flame, the warm tranquility you were feeling gave you strength just moments before falling back to darkness.
>>
>>4079115

“I will...Father. And thank you….for always being by my side. All of you.” Closing your eyes alongside making a deep, gracious smile you began to pick yourself up from falling further into the bottomless void. With newfound resolve, you spring into action by jumping on the abundances of air particles currently in a fluid current like they were solid platforms. Jumping from platform to platform you trek your way back into your mind. Giving Shakuren one hell of a wake-up call as your heart suddenly pulsates, your body soon pulsating afterward.

Gripping her chest from the sudden burst of heartburn, the Kijin pants abruptly while narrowing her eyes at what was causing it. “What the hell are you doing you pathetic excuse for a swordswoman.”Shakuren barks, growling like a wild animal as she refuses to kneel. The right side of her face, starting with the bloody red sclera suddenly fading, returning to its white tint as the glowing iris on your scarlet eyes recedes.

“Taking back my heart. Along with my mind, body, and soul. I won’t let you have your way!” You yell back at the demonic influence, speaking through the right side of your face as your control was spreading throughout the right side of your body. Size and mass aside, it was quickly transitioning back to your typical half-demon appearance. If not a bit more human than normal.

Further irritated by your pointless struggling, Shakuren grits her teeth in infuriating fashion. “You stubborn fool! You’ll win if you just leave it to me! So stop interfering you, weakling!” As she argues she goes to grab your right arm, trying to overpower you with her overwhelming strength. The fact she was struggling continues to upset and infuriate the demonic influence, but unlike before it couldn’t convert that unrelenting rage into power. Possibly due to your interference.

Resiting her grip you continue resisting Shakuren’s relentless attempts at dominating your spirit and began to push her back both mentally and physically. “I don’t need your help! So quit interfering!”

Winching from her control slipping away as the two of you achieve a deadlock stalemate with one another, Shakuren glares immensely at you, eye for an eye. “You’re the one that’s interfering. What possibly can a weak human being do at a time like this? You’re far too weak to handle my real power! You keep us from our true potential! And yet time after time again you keep getting in my way! Why! Why! Why!!” Shakuren screams, repeating herself viciously as she was genuinely unable to understand while throwing such a childish tantrum. Only nine and a half months in and it was still a relatively new incarnation of your current existence.
>>
>>4079140

“Because this is my life. I won’t let my existence be controlled or let my path be dictated by anyone else. So you can howl and scream until the end of time. You’re not relinquishing sovereignty from me!” You declare, pushing up the conquest to the next level as you start invading Shakuren’s sections of control, taking them away bit by bit.

“What gives you the strength to suppress me! To try and go against your instincts and refuse to give in to temptation! Are you really THAT afraid of becoming a demon! To no longer fake this semblance of identity and deny your true self any further! We can accomplish our goes and do so much if you just learn to let go!”

“Because I’m still human enough to be stubborn. And I happen to prefer keeping my humanity rather than relinquish it to become a full demon. So get used to it and go back to sleep.” With that loud outburst, the majority of your body quickly reverted the demonic transformation, leaving you currently standing in the body of a young, full-figured adult as Shakuren was pushed back straight into your eye.

“Damn you, Byakuren Shimizu!” Shakuren curses, feeling the last bit of herself receding. Letting out one last loud roar, Shakuren dissipates back into the depts of your heart as you fully take back control. The effort enough brought you down to your knees as you currently cough violently. Unable to stop yourself coughing, you begin to feel the immense strain put on your body from Shakuren’s rampage. Your lungs were on fire thus making it hurt to breathe, your heart racing out of control, body temperature at a feverish high, blood pressure was at concerning levels as your senses start to lessen. Noticeably higher concertation of “that man’s” blood now courses inside of you, it was taking all of your remaining strength to quell it. In the meanwhile, watching all of this take place Jingo stands ominously above you.


>How do you proceed?

>Swallow your pride and accept your loss along with asking Jingo for further guidance as her student.
>Pull yourself back together and get back into fighting form
>Apologize for the inconvenience and try to hide to power down and recover via sleeping
>Try to contact Keimi telepathically and call for back up
>Other [write-in]
>>
>>4079142

End result of essentially burning through six years of your life and greatly accelerating your demonic transformation throughout the battle. Now you're currently stuck with an adult body less you learn the ways of shapeshifting. Naturally, boons will be given once calculated but this came with incredible risk. Learning your Blood Demon Art and improving yourself as a demon may be easier now than doing it by fumbling around self-taught. But you got a crabby roommate to deal with.
>>
>>4079142
>>Pull yourself back together and get back into fighting form
>>
>>4079150

The formerly Oni now Kijin Shakuren. Appearance is not final as she'll metamorph and evolve the more your demon half develops.

Also, start thinking/ about how you want to spend your next training arc and suggest it cause the jump is going to be big.
>>
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>>4079150
>Your face when you realize that retarded boneheaded girl is muuuch younger than she looks
>Oh gods she is not retarded. She is an actual child.
>>
>>4079142
Not affirming our determination to continue fighting is a bad move unless we literally can't move anymore. Not after shounen-powered speech about determination to our inner demons.

Hopefully adult body is a power up.

>Pull yourself back together and get back into fighting form
>>
>>4079188

It is indeed a power-up. Wouldn't be enough to justify burning exactly six years off your life despite all the other things you obtained from pushing past your current limits/fighting against the die.

Also not having to account for you sleeping on training duty grants max gains.
>>
>>4079142
>Pull yourself back together and get back into fighting form
>>
>>4079155
>>4079188
>>4079230

Alright then make your roll, you get a +3 instead of +2 for this.
>>
Rolled 18 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4079239
Diiiice don't fail us now
>>
Rolled 8 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4079239
>>
Rolled 19 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4079239
>>
>>4079188
If we're unable to shapeshift back into what we originally looked like, it would definitely make for some interesting social interactions considering that we started off barely as a teenager physically and mentally.
>>
>>4079629

If you ever have seen the spider mountain arc, you'll know first hand how hard it is maintaining shapeshifting into something outside your original/true form
>>
>>4079239

Just by looking at her piercing gaze you could still sense that relentless swordswoman spirit she carried from earlier. Unlike before there was a greater sense of hostility coming from the vibes you were picking up. Considering for a moment you lost yourself to your demonic influence and underwent another metamorphosis to better handle your accumulating stockpiles of power, it was practically inevitable that your fate was to become a full-fledged demon. Yet here you stood, currently still a half-demon and the same nitwit from before. The only difference was the clumsy and perky pre-teenager has fully bloomed into a vivacious if not a zestful and passionate young woman. A curvaceous and well-toned body to match bouncy personally, well rounded in every aspect as it was hard to imagine the two imagery being the same person. Not even you are able to truly grasp at this time what your reckless actions have brought upon you.

Jingō’s eyes, however, weren’t looking at your outward appearance but looking deep into your core. Seeing first hand the courageously firey spirit that almost went out was now burning brightly like wildfire. Almost like she got to see first glance that unyielding spirit overcoming the odds and changing her destiny to continue defying her cruel fate. Of course, there was a serious brush of agitation over what you ended up doing. Somehow she could see it in your body that you burned through a fair amount of your lifeforce with your stunt. While she wasn’t completely sure what six years worth has gone into, but between that incomplete but highly powerful blood demon art, your demonic evolution, the establishment of a “combat mode” and other currently unseen developments inside, it was clear that the steep cost you paid was for something truly dangerous. Hence Jingō switches from her wisecracking hardass demeanor to a more stoic and serious side befitting her.

Sensing her swordswoman spirit circulating in a wild dance, you struggle to pick yourself back up. Despite the pain that you were currently suffering from, you know deep in your heart that you can’t throw in the towel yet. There was no guarantee that Jingō would keep her promise and give you back Keimi. Especially after seeing you transform and becoming more than just the sum of your parts. For all you know in her eyes she saw you as a dangerous entity that should be put down for the good of innocent people.No, no matter what reason she has or even your own didn’t matter. None of it really matters as you arch yourself back up on two feet. A wide grin starts to form on your face, the exhilarating thrill that currently courses through your body brought forth further excitement and adrenaline. It was gross to admit it, but somewhere down the line...you were beginning to enjoy fighting. Perhaps the apple doesn’t fall far from the apple tree.
>>
>>4080426

“Even after all that you still want to fight? There’s not a word out there in this world that can truly describe how much a stubborn bonehead you are.”Jingō’ asks, keeping her hand against her tachi sword. At the slightest hint of malice intention, she was ready to decapitate you with respect for the half-demon and prevention of further corruption. Still, the person in front of her wasn’t carrying the overabundant rage that overflows from her body along with her demonic energy.

“Maybe so don’t look down on it. My pertinacious nature is the basis for my tenancy in every sense of the word. Otherwise, how else would’ve I had managed to beat Muzan Kibutsuji at his own game. If being stubborn and refusing to give up despite everything makes me a blockhead. Then I’ll happily continue being the half-demon halfwit until the very end. I refuse to crumble and become compliant with the unfairness of this world or the acts of others. Not when I can still do something about it.” You smile boldly while still panting. Your facial expression while softened and more relaxed was still resembling that of a demon with your sharp, almond-shaped eyes, slit pupil and elongated canines.


Grabbing your right shoulder you real yourself back, slowly adjusting to your worn-out body. You weren’t at the stage of passing out but there was a far greater disadvantage than previously. “...Until I can save my sibling and put a stop to that man’s evil ambitions, I won’t ever let myself waver or give up. Not to the corrupted demons, not to the humans who choose to walk the path of evil, and not even to the darkness lingering in my heart. No matter who tries to stand in my way and take me down, I won’t ever let them bring me down. Keep getting back up, over and over, no matter how many times it takes. So with that….do you still think I have a half-assed resolve? In my opinion, your resolve is weaker than mine. You can’t beat me like that….” You taunt Jingō’, showing a mix of cheekiness and brazen foolhardiness, far different from your typical prim proper and modest behavior.

“Don’t push your luck. Even an idiot who’s happily lucky has their limits to how much fortune will smile upon them.” Jingō coldly remarks.
>>
>>4080449

“Aniki once told me that my inner flame is like a newborn star. Small and fragile but shining ever so brightly with such vigorous radiance. I too want to believe in that analogy. So my journey has only just begun and I’m going to keep shining brightly. So just watch Jingō Akizuki, cause my inner flame is as bright as the sun itself.” Gripping our hand tightly your body starts to pulsate alongside causing a radiating aura around your skin. Causing it to glimmer as you begin to feel a second wind about to come.

“Very well. There won’t be a third intervention so prepare yourself.” Jingō pulls out her tachi sword, letting off an illuminating glow as her swordswoman spirit intertwines with her breath of the flames style. An intense heat surges from Jingō, signifying you that she was in fact serious about acting on her previous threats.

Pushed back into a corner you start to hear a voice ringing in your head. This time it was someone you know perfectly. “Don’t lose, Byaku-nee.”

“Yeah, I know Keimi.” You smile, rubbing your nose watching the dancing flames in front of you getting excited like wildfire. Yur other hand reaching for your nodachi sword, arming yourself appropriately as you take combat stance.

After the speech you made and constant defiance over your impending defeat it would be disgraceful to let yourself quit now. No matter how painful it is, no matter how tired you become, no matter how hopeless it is, you have to move forward. Keep going through the darkness till you reach the light at the end of the tunnel, cutting off any despair that may latch upon you. Even if you lose, even if you fail, there was no choice but to keep living. After all, no matter how beaten and weary you are, there was something you have to protect. Thus you begin to use the basics of Kyūkyūden Jōkohō to stabilize your breathing and rejuvenate yourself to be able to use Total Concertation Breathing. Respond to your strong, noble will the glowing aura starts to resonate deeper with your body. Attuning your spirit and mind to your newfound body, you begin to trigger something inside.
>>
>>4080494

After the speech you made and constant defiance over your impending defeat it would be disgraceful to let yourself quit now. No matter how painful it is, no matter how tired you become, no matter how hopeless it is, you have to move forward. Keep going through the darkness till you reach the light at the end of the tunnel, cutting off any despair that may latch upon you. Even if you lose, even if you fail, there was no choice but to keep living. After all, no matter how beaten and weary you are, there was something you have to protect. Thus you begin to use the basics of Kyūkyūden Jōkohō to stabilize your breathing and rejuvenate yourself to be able to use Total Concertation Breathing. Respond to your strong, noble will the glowing aura starts to resonate deeper with your body. Attuning your spirit and mind to your newfound body, you begin to trigger something inside.


Feeling yourself starting to recover faster than intended you continue proper breathing to further assist your body. Gripping your hand tightly and firmly planting your feet against the ground, you take a brief moment to close your eyes and reflect on everyone who helped you reach this point and keep your humanity. “Fight with me Keimi, Aniki! Everyone!” You smile brightly, reaffirming your resolve as azure flames start to manifest around your sword. “Okay, everyone! Let’s do it!”

Cycling around you was a surging flame now dancing vividly from the once flickering light it gave. Each passing moment that Shakuren’s influenced over your body was burning like a bright flame throughout your body and mind. Quickly you find yourself adapting to the chances done accordingly, attuning yourself as waves of strength circulate intensely throughout your body. The aura emitting from you shining brighter and pulsating at greater wavelengths. The constant feeling of fatigue was disappearing as your very being imprints itself on to your new body. Making it more natural to you as steadily becoming no different than your original form. In record time you feel yourself fully synchronized with your current state, capable of bringing out the full potential of your new form while retaining your sense of self accordingly. With a cheerful laugh, you start to circulate between the azure and vermillion flames emitting itself through strong, frequent sparks and pulses of energy.

“Keimi! Aniki! This light, it’s... shining, from both of you and me.”Pausing briefly upon your astute observation, you set your eyes back to Jingo, eyes radiating the spark as they glow intensely. Power was overflowing inside but still fully contained and controlled. “This light is ours, yours and mine!”

>How do you proceed?

>Write-in
>>
>>4080517
I'm probably going to have to go with focusing all of our power on a single strike.
>>
>>4080549
Yeah, this works.
>>
>>4080549
Sure thing.

Let's stack as many buffs as we can onto our finisher move.
>>
Also, how many "charisma" points did we just get by turning into an adult?
>>
>>4080549
>>4080652
>>4080901

Alright going with the simple shonen approach. I can accept that.

Same as before, give me a d20+3 roll.

>>4080989

Let me put it this way. As a 13-year-old you were a 7, as an adult you're a 10-11 on a 10 score scale.
>>
Rolled 19 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4081372
>>
Rolled 2 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4081372
>>
Rolled 16 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>4081372
>>
>>4081372
As if we couldn't stand out even more as a white haired 13-year old half-demon girl with a huge sword; we're now a white haired 20-year old half-demon woman with the mind of a 13 year old, a huge sword as well as being smoking hot.
>>
>>4082197
I mean, there's always the box we have to wear to carry our younger siblings.

But still, Selection exam would probably have us stand out like a sore thumb.
>>
>>4081372

Standing your ground you take into fighting stance. Given how many times the cultivator managed to bring you down with a single strike, so easily in fact it was some miracle that you were still standing. Recklessness pushed you to rush through your development and endeavors to reach this current heightened state. The true gravity of the situation was currently under your radar as well as the tragic irony. Nevertheless, there was no turning back as you weren’t someone who breaks their promises. An abundant amount of power was coursing through your body. Like previously with your showdown with Kyojuro you never felt this good in your entire life. In fact, you were to argue that the quality and quantity of it was noticeably greater than previously. Thus you begin to take heed at your impending situation.

Even now you didn’t have a full understanding of the true potential of the inhuman prowess you currently wield. In addition, there was the growing demonic influence coursing through you, often leaving you in the dark about how one should fight like a demon. As well as the fact due to your lazing around you haven’t exactly mastered your family’s secret arts. At first, you merely thought of them as shrine traditions that while captivated you when you was younger became a somewhat endearing but still bothersome chore for you. Mostly out of the hidden resentment you have for your elder sister Sakura, hence your nonchalant attitude and lack of true, back-breaking effort in truly developing them and becoming one with your family’s art. After all, it was just a cold reminder of the cage you felt yourself entombed in as you got older. And that’s not even beginning to count your lack of knowledge on the full extent of the Breath of Fire Style.

Really Jingo’s assessment of you was spot on given how unrefined and sloppy you are. Only through dumb luck and sheer force of will was keeping you from stumbling into losing your humanity. Truly unbecoming a traditional Miko. Not an ounce of grace and finesse like your mother and Sakura. Compared to brilliant shrine maiden that’s your mother and your sister who’s carrying her legacy as a prodigy and legitimate successor, you were more akin to a dropout. While not without talent or ability, at best you just amount to being just average. A certain plainness that often masked by mimicking others and copying their repertoire in near-perfect rhythm. Heck one can argue if your innate ability and natural talent currently actually came from your own or was somehow influenced and amplified by your demonic half out of survival. Judging from your current gains, it was hard arguing the latter not being true.
>>
>>4083068

From Grandma Gurren to Kyojuro, the emphasis of the fundamentals was beaten thoroughly via repetitive action. Sure there was a purpose to that the current you couldn’t understand, yet you couldn’t help but yearning to dive into the advance arts in your subconscious race to be more like your elder sister. But despite your clumsy efforts, there was a genuine shade of diligence and perseverance in your hard work. No matter how many times you got discouraged, doubted yourself, vent in frustration in response to being upset, struggled in futility constantly, or even came close to quitting and giving up by running away. No matter how hopeless it seems, you never truly gave up. Through all your hardships, training, competition, everything you experience wasn’t wasted. All the knowledge and experiences you accumulated served to push you forward and make you who you are today.

If you didn’t do well at it then you put it off and try again tomorrow. Stubbornness and tenacity are among the traits that best describe you, for better or worse. If Sakura was a natural prodigy, then you were a genius when it came to hard work and adapting against adversity. Therefore, you decide to close your eyes and shift your sword into battojutsu stance, the other form of kenjutsu that you learned from Kyojuro. In essence, it was perhaps your best move in this situation. The San'andomūn was far too much to handle even in its incomplete and unstable form. Relying on brute force was foolish as evident by Jingo’s harsh lectures. Putting your body through hell already, tanking the blows or exerting yourself any further with illusionary moves through raw effort was equally off the table. And pride was mainly keeping you from using your demonic abilities, but it seems Jingo’s advice of manging your resources was sinking in. Left with no other option, you decide to put everything into your next strike.

All you chose to do was to put faith into yourself, believing with all your might that your body, mind, and soul will not let your efforts betray you. Taking another deep breath, you start channeling your ki or essence, focusing it into a singular point while containing it. Exciting your body to its highest point your muscles start contracting and expanding, drawing out more power alongside reinforcing your body to withstand and cushion the aftereffects accordingly. Keeping your eyes close, you continue your meditative state through another aspect of Kyūkyūden Jōkohō. As your ki stabilizes and refines itself properly, the azure flames start to suddenly respond to your will. Previously dancing in wild fashion, the azure flames began to flow directly into your sword, condensing itself to the highest point. Breathing in rhythm in conjunction you manage a successful containment of your radiating aura. Harnessing it to bolster your physical attributes, you feel yourself having to endure the intense, continuous concertation and pressure.
>>
>>4083075

Jingo briefly stares at you, taking a good look at how the excessive energy leaking out and running rampant inside your body was starting to become more focused and under control. Making a subtle smile on her face, Jingo merely keeps silent to avoid disrupting the half-wit’s concertation. It was far from perfect but she was now seeing a proper demon slayer in the works. In response to your choice of attack, Jingo adopts the same manner of battojutsu. Once again choosing to use the first kenjutsu technique of the Breath of Flame style, she sets herself into position. It was highly unnecessary to use Shiranui with battojutsu as it was a fluidly multipurpose technique. So long as one moves in motion with the strike, typically in a straight line at high speeds, it will always come through. The orangish aura starts to darken ever so slightly upon being compressed and contained inside her. As the two focused their intent on a single blow, the air around the area starts to become empty and cold. Much like the eye of the storm, one strike will decide it all.

Timing with perfect rhythm to one another, both you and Jingo lung forward, swords gripping tightly at your weapon. Eyes locked directly on the motion of her sword, you knew she was going to answer your attack with the first style of the breath of flames art. After seeing the technique, abet barely enough time you began understanding how it works. No, because you felt the technique first hand on multiple occasions that your muscle memory kicked in and helped accelerate your perceptions. Understanding the technique more closely, you start to feel thankful both to your hypersensitive eyes and inhuman resilience. Without those, even in a training bout, you’d doubt you’ll last long enough to decode the secret in time. But with that knowledge, you push yourself to meet Shingo’s Shiranui...with one of your own.

Easer said than done considering that this was your first time. But refusing to let that stop you, you once again mixed your experiences together with the Flame Breath style. Mixing the two arts together, cultivating it and refine it simultaneously the artform begins to take form inside your mind. Gripping your sword tightly, waiting for that split second before the two of you came into range, you finally make your move. Drawing the sword with all your strength, you lock eyes with Jingo as the opening thread of interval seemingly appears in your eyes.

“Breath of Fire’s First Style..” Jingo mutters, drawing her sword completely and transitioning into a horizontal slash, glowing intensely from the orange flames. “Shiranui!”
>>
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“Breath of Fire’s First Style...Modified! “ You shout, meeting the attack head-on by using the sheath to take the full brunt of the attack. Blocking it by just the skin of its teeth, the sheath manages to cushion the blow in conjunction with utilizing your brute force to snap itself back into place. Enduring the friction and forming orange wildfire dancing vibrantly against you, you forcibly push back the attack with equal force, neutralizing it in its tracks. Meanwhile, Jingo’s sword was pushed back, arching her arm back as she was exposed. With your weapon back into place, you took the opening gave to you and aimed for the thread of interval. “Shiranui Gekkōteru (Unknown Fire of Sunlight)!”

In a blinding flash, your quickened sword strike manifests a powerful vertical slash although curved by the angle of your strike, making up for the weaknesses of your nodachi blade. The force of your strike combined with the friction of the sheath and sword erupted a true sea of azure flames around the blade. Like the light descending from the sky, concentrated beams of compressed azure flames shot out in a clash with Jingo. In just a split second Jingo managed to curve her body to turn her tachi sword back into place and whither the blow. Still, the force of your attack and the overall power pushed Jingo into the defensive as she finds herself struggling against your roaring flames. Glancing her eyes upon your technique, she finds herself analyzing the art in record time. What is this?! Sunlight?! No...this sensation isn’t exactly the same. It’s something similar but different. A reflection of the morning sun. As she thinks to herself, Jingo starts to briefly flashback.

Standing in a ruined castle currently on fire, a much younger Jingo was in the heat of battle. Battered and beaten, she continued to stand defiantly while holding her Vermillion Nichirin blade, with both hands. Her right eye was closed from the dripping of blood from the side of her forehead. On the other side of the sea of flames, there was another standing on the other side. A man who was obscured by the crimson flames, but enough features was enough to tell he was a man in his mid-twenties. However, he carries with him an aura that transcends generation. His silhouette was that of a noble samurai with a long, spikey black hair kept in a ponytail. In his right hand was a singular sword, a Shichishitō or seven-branched sword in fact. The only thing visible was his piercing hawk gaze, staring deeply at Jingo’s bleeding body, right down to the soul.
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>>4083079

“..I’m disappointed. Even with all that valor and passion, you weren’t able to use that breathing style. How unsightly, Jingo Akizuki. I suppose despite your exceptional talents, greatly surpassing your limits, and even surviving through such a barbaric means of gaining power, it just wasn’t in your potential to reach the same plateau as that man. My most hated adversary.” The mysterious samurai spoke, quickly taking a battojutsu stance. “That may be, I’ll give you a respectful end to this entertaining battle, with my strongest technique. Farewell, Jingo Akizuki.”

Met with a blinding flash, Jingo’s left eye widens deeply at returning to the physical realm. As if time had slowed down, the chain of events starts running deep inside of her mind and heart. Distraught followed by anxiety fills the cultivator, breaking her out of her train of thought and focus.Why….was I think about that person of all places just now?Jingo grits her teeth, showing deep frustration at remembering such a humiliating experience. As her eye darts around she would begin to realize that she lost her tachi sword. Despite her best efforts and blocking the blow, her sword was still ended up knocked out of her hand, landing gracefully on a large boulder. Effectively leaving Jingo disarmed, she was forced to re-evaluate what just happened. damn it...I lost focus for a split second. Jingo stares closely, looking at the nodachi blade now pointed at her neck, you standing on the other side of the strike seemingly imposing on the full moon.

>How do you proceed?

>Finally pass out and give yourself a much-needed rest after everything
>Keep yourself awake long enough to show gratitude to Jingo while acknowledging your shortcomings before asking her to be her student
>Take pride in disarming Jingo and try to tease her into acknowledging you
>Give into being a little bit petty and punch Jingo for all the trouble she caused you
>Other [write-in]
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>>4083080
> With or without her, we'll be training to slay demons. Will she teach us, or will we be forced to train ourself?
>Another three months coma would be ruinous, try to mutigate the damage. Try to get some food into yourself at least before collapsing. Recovery-focused breathing might help too.
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>>4083234
Between flat neutral option, pointlessly self-demeaning humility option, stupidly cocky and outright retarded options, I vote to show our determination and at least try to prepare for the incoming crash. We -really- don't have time to burn on another fucking coma.
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>>4083241

You just burnt 6 years of your life to become an adult and achieve a more cost-effective body. You're not gonna go into another coma, much less a three month one.

That said, you start planning what you want to train since the timeskip is coming.
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>>4083259
Same as before, most likely, except try to get demonic training with our inner hollow.

Sorry, inner demon.

Nonetheless, the same rationale for maximizing training bonuses stands.
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>>4083080
>>With or wthout her, we'll be training to slay demons. Will she teach us, or will we be forced to train ourself?
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>>4083080
>With or wthout her, we'll be training to slay demons. Will she teach us, or will we be forced to train ourself?
>>
>>4083080
>>4083080
>Finally pass out and give yourself a much-needed rest after everything

Also maybe get some better fitting clothes during the time skip.
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>>4083272

Demon, Hollow, it's all the same dark spirit/inner darkness mumbo jumbo.

>>4083234
>>4083650
>>4083707
>>4083749

Least I know what you'll be doing. No need to roll since I'm using the nat 20 setup for your training Montague, but I do want to know how much time you put into training.

>Get by with just six months of intense training and rush in to take the final selection.
>Go the full year of training pushing through your limits learning all you can
>Go for balanced and stick with just a year and a half in training
>Be extra careful and stick to two years.
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>>4083964
>Go the full year of training pushing through your limits learning all you can

I think we're in a hurry due to the whole losing 6 years of our life.
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>>4083964
>>Go the full year of training pushing through your limits learning all you can
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>>4083964
>>Go the full year of training pushing through your limits learning all you can

Gotta get used to our body's new proportions and centre of gravity
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>Continue refining your mixed breathing art into a viable and higher effective form of combat
>Further improve on our Total Concertation Breathing skills to better handle the full extent of our family's breathing art.
>Polish your swordsmanship and learn more advanced techniques/application
>Learn the nine sword techniques of the Breath of Flame style
>Refine the Kyūkyūden Jōkohō and fully learn its nine breathing techniques
>Improve Unconcious Combat/Autonomous Motion as a failsafe for when you go into sleep mode
>Improve Battle Sense & Fighting ability
>Further Conditioning your body and hone your natural abilities
>Refine your footwork and try to learn more about the Shingoku and its applications including silent motion
>Learn how to Dual Wield/Become Ambidextrous as you undergo further weapon training
>Try to grasp as much of San'andomūn as you possibly can
>Further improve attuning yourself to your demonic essence, learn to apply it to boost your capabilities while keeping control
>Find out the ins and out of your "Combat Mode" as you start developing it
>Improve and branch out with your self-body skills [density control, sonic control, absorption, body temperature control, etc]
>Hone our Extrasensory Perception to the next level
>Work on our shape/form altering techniques [Shapeshifting, Size Control, cellar manipulation, etc]
>Purposely experiment with our regeneration and recovery ability to see if we can improve it further
>Learn how to fight like a demon from Shakuren while establishing what kind of relationships you want to have with your inner demon

Might be missing some things but I assume based on previous training and opinion that this is what you want to achieve with breathing and demon arts taking priority right?
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>>4084261
Sounds about right.
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Also for the future, unless you specifically ask for it or have nothing else to do [ex being bedridden with serious injuries] all training will be off-screened. I may ask a roll from time to time to see how far you're improving outside of battle. But other then that, it'll keep things straight-lined and more in accordance with the actual canon.
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The last thing, optional but you can roll for Keimi through this year-long time skip. For their demonic progression and overall development.

PS: Should also bring this up since I was focused on mapping out your training. Due to your rapid gains and the fact your blood is Marechi, demons are going to treat you like catnip. So don't be surprised if you end up like Guts and being a demonic lightning rod for demons.
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Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>4084498
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Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>4084498

I'm more concerned about any potential travel companions that decide to hang around us.
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Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>4084498
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>>4084504

They'll come don't worry. In fact, the final selection exam will be the perfect chance to make some friends/traveling companions.
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>>4083964
>>4084498

On the other side of the confrontation lies you currently holding your nodachi blade just inches from Jingo’s neck. This was obviously wasn’t an attempt on the cultivator’s life but in a duel when one has a sword pressed against their nick it was a clear sign that one has been defeated. Less they were willing to do something foolish and tarnish the life that was spared. Truthfully it was rather fortunate that you managed to catch Jingo off-guard and simultaneously pull off the first Breath of Flame’s sword technique and modified at that. Had she fully blocked, redirect or even counter that attack, chances are you would meet with a swift defeat for the fourth time. And considering your track record with those attempts, it was better off not forcing yourself to push your luck and once again surpass your limits or draw more demonic power.

There were many words you could have said to Jingo. You could’ve humbled yourself with some insightful words, insulted her, use your new position to bargain with the cultivator, make another one of your passionate speeches, or just simply get her to admit that you won. When it came down to it, it didn’t really matter what you said. Deep down you knew that you proved yourself accordingly despite the odds. If by the off chance that Jingo still refused to acknowledge and ultimately deny you access into the final selection, then so be it. With or without her you were going to continue walking down this path. To take vengeance upon Muzan, you’ll continue to train diligently to slay demons, even if it was through self-training. Knowing far more now than what you did previously, you were highly confident in keeping silent and letting your actions speak louder than your words.

Seeing the booming confidence radiating through your slitted cat-like eyes, still brimming with a dim glow, Jingo simply closes her scarlet eyes. Upon seeing that you slowly pull the nodachi from Jingo’s neck and clavicle, setting the sword into its Koshirae sheath. Just feeling the blue case alerted you how much punishment the scabbard took. Just one more strong swing would’ve split the koshirae in two. All in all, you were feeling pretty good at overcoming adversity and managing to get that decisive victory. Or at least as much of a victory you could get, especially with the sacrifice you made. Whether if it was the right choice couldn’t be answered, but you weren’t going to let yourself get discouraged and waver. Instead, you kept your eyes focusing on Jingo as she walks over to reach out for her tachi sword. After putting it back into the crimson koshirae, Jingo takes a brief pause upon reflection.
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>>4084869

“That was quite the unsightly battle. Not a hint of grace or finesse. The way you fight is no different than a meathead. Such a rugged, crude and straightforward style is highly the opposite of traditional samurais. But..” Even as Jingo harshly and sternly criticizes your current way of fighting, her tone was much softer than previously. There weren’t any signs of anger in her body language nor her words. No longer the unapproachable veteran, she now carries a more warming charm. “I can’t say it’s not without potential or substance. Like an unpolished stone, underneath you’re a genuine diamond in the rough. “

“Back then on both accounts, you lacked the motivation to reach your full potential. I can tell it in your eyes you’ve always been an indolent child when doing things you’re not personally invested in. The fact I went through all of this to bring out your true strength is evidence of that. Again, not many demons or even at worst-case scenario other humans will be so lenient. If their adversary is incapable of fighting at their best, they’ll take full advantage of it every step of the way. Those who want you dead especially. So don’t lecture someone about the ways of Bushido if you’re not strong enough to overcome any situation regardless of how unfair or disadvantageous it is for you. “ Jingo lectures, still keeping some lingering feelings about your performance like a tough but fair hardass. You couldn’t refute her words. On multiple occasion you find yourself rising to top form when your loved ones were in danger. So you only look away slightly, feeling somewhat conflicted.

Turning to meet you face to face, Jingo exposes a much softer and nurturing side. “Never forget this lesson Byakuren Shimizu. Harness your own power, don’t let others draw it out for you.”

“I won’t forget this lesson, Ms. Akizuki. I’ll take your teaching to heart and train diligently to tackle the Final Selections. I’ll become a demon slayer, continue to get stronger and defeat the demons. “ You declare, placing your hand above your chest and returning to your usual prim and respectable self. If not still being abet brash.
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>>4084871

That warm expression shifts to a more peeved glare, forming a half-smile as a blood vessel forms on the side of her face. All that confidence ended up souring what was otherwise a touching mood. “Oh? I don’t recall saying that I’ve accepted you as my student, much less allow you passage to the Final Selections. You got a lot of nerve for a cheeky little brat to think you’re ready. And don’t even think you can just cost on your demonic half to get you through, all of our selective areas are made to contain and restrain demons. So a half-demon like yourself will be in quite the disadvantageous spot. That’s why for the next two to three years you’ll be worked through the bone with hellish training and discipline to whip you into a true swordswoman. Only after you survive the conditioning and properly retain the knowledge given will I start to acknowledge you as a genuine half-boiled student. “Jingo declares, using her other hand to firmly grasp your skull. Even as a half-demon you feel like she was going to crush you like chestnuts.

“Refusal isn’t an option and if you think of trying to run away, I’ll personally hunt you down and inflict upon you countless ways of torture and precise acts of violence ...that you’ll be begging for death by the halfway mark,” Jingo states, slowly tightening her grip and keeping an intense glare in her eye. “Do I make myself clear halfwit?”

“Perfectly! But I’ll complete the training in a year. After what just happened I can’t afford to spend more time carelessly. Between my three month coma, and now burning through seven years of my life has taught me how much ruinous my actions left me. So I’m taking the first step to rectify it and mitigate the damage already done.” You argue, clenching your hands against Jingo’s arm in attempts to get her mountain bear-like vice grip from your skull. Despite looking like a full-fledged adult, you were still the same old Byakuren.

“Oho...you really have quite the bad habit. Very well, I’ll take you on in your declaration. By the time I’m through you won’t even have the energy to go into a coma.” Jingo muses, dragging you by the hair back into her hideout where Keimi was located. To which they were sleeping comfortably in a soft and fluffy futon in a dark room. You were in for quite the training from hell.

>What do you do for the next year?

>Write-in

(Going to be covering the training in a new thread and the final selection. So I want to give enough time for people to plan out their year appropriately.)
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>>4084874
How detailed you want the plan?
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>>4085032

As detailed as you want to go. The more information to work off the better.
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>>4084874
Well aside from the usual swordfighting, breathing training that we've been doing so far, maybe a little simple unarmed combat to cover our bases since we don't have much time. Also, make sure to keep our demon brother/sister busy with their training.

And maybe start to consider archery as something to add to our arsenal.
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>>4085197
If we can bully our inner hollow into providing training for our demonic abilities, add that on top of all this, I suppose.
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>>4084874
Try to befriend[/spoiler[ our demon self.
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>>4085673
We definitely need to figure out if this is a separate entity from us, or something that's just the embodiment of everything negative about us.
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Setting this up for timeline comparison for canon characters after the time skip. (Note this is an AU story so some events have changed or haven't happened yet)

Current Period (3 Years Before the Main Cannon Story)

Shimizu Family

Byakuren Shimizu - 15 Years old
Sakura Shimizu - 18 Years old
Keiju Shimizu - 11 Years old
Emiko Shimizu - 11 Years old
Kenki Shimizu - 42 Years old [deceased for two years]
Sayuri Shimizu - 34 Years old [deceased for nine years]
Guren Shimizu - 71 Years old

The Pillars

Kyojuro Rengoku - 18 Years old
Kanae Kocho - 18 Years old
Sanemi Shinazugawa - 18 Years old
Obanai Iguro - 18 Years old
Sabito Urokodaki - 18 Years old
Tengen Uzui - 20 Years Old
Gyomei Himejima - 24 Years Old

Noteworthy Demon Slayers

Giyu Tomioka - 17 Years Old
Shinobu Kocho - 17 Years Old
Mitsuri Kanroji - 16 Years Old
Muichiro Tokito - 12 Years Old
Murata - 16 Years Old

Demon Slayer Recruits

Aoi Kanzaki - 15 Years Old
Makomo Urokodaki - 15 Years Old

Noteworthy Children

Kanao Tsuyuri - 13 Years Old
Genya Shinazugawa - 13 Years Old
Zenitsu Agatsuma - 13 Years Old
Tanjiro Kamado - 12 Years Old
Inosuke Hashibira - 12 Years Old
Nezuko Kamado - 11 Years Old
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VbdzZA8mEkYWXs9UJH17lobl5NxtQl7xKedhPuWrkN8/edit?usp=sharing Byakuren's Profile WIP. Testing out a new style. Also if you got any suggestions for what Byakuren should have, how she should be, or any miscellaneous things feel free to comment.
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>>4085418
>>4085673
>>4086365

Decided that I'm actually going to have you roll to see how well you can convince your inner demon to help you with your demonic abilities.

So give me a d20 roll. This will be the last one for the thread before I post the next post in the new one.
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Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>4088861
Dice
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Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>4088861
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Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>4088861
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Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4088861
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>>4089104
For fuck sake, I am not even mad. This is my third nat 1. I just going to stop rolling now, this shit is ridiculous.
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Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>4088861
Well, lets see if I can fix it
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Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>4088861
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>>4088861
>>4085197
>>4084498
>>4084261
>>4084874

[Changed my mind. Posting the training potion here cause fuck it ended up being long.]

After the initial shock of your desperate battle with Jingō Akizuki worn off, you took it upon yourself to properly mitigate any and all damages your reckless behavior inadvertently caused. Another long period coma-like last time would be ruinous especially given your declaration of completing Jingō’s boot camp from hell. Thus, you took it upon yourself to recovering as best to your ability until you return to fighting form. From constantly eating nonstop to utilizing the recovery-focused breathing, you did all sorts of methods to help curb what would otherwise be a long comatose session. Normally the voracious appetite which you came to fully adapt to has spun out of control to monstrous degrees. At this stage, it was nigh-insatiable considering you continue to force yourself to shave off the sleeping effects through consumption. But even then, you stuck solely to animals and plant life to appeal your ravenous gluttony.

As you came to slowly realize, a demon’s body while having biologically similarities to humans is far more advanced in development and composition by comparison. Nothing short of self-sustainability and self-sufficiency, a demon’s body can survive indefinitely without any without needing any kind of fuel or sustenance. All but completely removing the physical needs and bodily necessities, demons have managed to maintain optimal both physical and mental faculties as well as their health. The sole exception when they expend excessive amounts of energy over long periods of time. But even then, the murderous instinct to kill and devour humans isn’t strictly related to a biological need, but a subconscious desire for greater strength and stockpiled energy. Still, it helps keep the body at top physical condition and optimization to indulge in blood from time to time. Again, it’s mostly to keep the demonic cravings in check.

As a half-demon, you find yourself achieving the same overall benefits albeit lessened than what a full demon could achieve. At best it only greatly reduces those needs provided your demonic half retained enough strength to sustain the body’s needs. Even then, it still required you taking naps to replenish the lost energy and retain full optimization. Nevertheless, being capable of acting without sleep gave you the luxury of further mitigating your impending issue. For seven days and nights, you continued to accumulate nourishment and recover at alarming rates. Having a bottomless stomach and hyperactive metabolism more or less assured you without any adverse effects no matter how much you consumed. Still, it was only through the strength of will that you managed to push back your instinctive desire to slumber in a comatose state and adopt an alternative to replenishing your strength.
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>>4092903

For weren’t certain how or when but at some point your body began developing a form of photosynthesis to help assist with restoration and recovery. Although currently, it was only with energy sources outside of direct sunlight such as moonlight. In the end, your stubborn defiance rewarded you by avoiding falling into a coma unwillingly. However, until your body fully recovered from losing six years of your life as fuel to further your demonic evolution and strengthening the physical body to keep up, you were left having to keep up such high maintenance to remain active. Notwithstanding the consequences, you remain ever firm and diligent towards maximizing Jingo’s hellish training, maximizing every second in preparation for the final selection exam. One might say your overabundance in training was most certainly going to bite you in the butt sooner or later. In your defense, you did lose nearly seven years of your life for power, and while unsure of your longevity you still strongly refuse to waste any additional time.

Over the course of an entire year since you began you underwent your grueling training regimens. From grueling bodybuilding exercises, intense spiritual meditation, Jingo thoroughly honed every aspect you carried to the best of your current aptitude. Personally, Jingo desired an additional two to three years worth of training to thoroughly craft you into a near-perfect demon slayer, with the remaining years into adulthood on your own and eventually reaching utmost perfection like countless masters such as herself. Unfortunately, your adamant stubbornness ke[t you from budging and taking Jingo’s “advice” to heart. Therefore, Jingo merely compromises through thoroughly beating as much as she can into you in just a single year. It wouldn’t be anywhere near enough time to learn the final secrets she currently carries, but with her efforts, she guns for making anything less than a top tier demon to be child’s play for you.
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>>4092905

Much to your dismay, you found out first hand that Jingo was quite similar to your grandma. Like Guren she was a harsh teacher with grueling, but beneficial, training methods. Of course, to make up for the decades of wisdom and experience that Guren has, Jingo was far more...unorthodox and primal in applying her rigorous training upon you. From weighing you down with boulders, submerging you underwater for better breathing control and movement in a iron corset & suffocation mask, running through a anti-demon booby-trapped mountain in broad daylight, striking at your blindspots with one hit knockout attacks, tossing you off waterfalls and huge cliffs/pits, enduring harsh conditions attributed from your environment including hiking the active volcano Mount Aso, shooting with artillery, balancing on a field of spikes, finger stands through harsh environmental climates/conditions, wrestling large animals, remaining motionless with a pitful of poisonous snakes, meditating on a bonfire, and many other life-threatening experiences that made you feel oddly nostalgic to your grandma’s teachings.

In all honesty, if it wasn’t for undergoing a similar although more tamed for a child throughout your life and your half-demon physiology, you were almost positively sure you’ve would have died numerous times. What made it truly horrifying was the fact that Jingo did all of her personal conditional methods during the day. It didn’t take a scientist or someone who practices divination to foretell what Jingo was doing. Putting through hellishly life-threatening experiences would not only force your body to adapt and strive against the ordeal, but also make your mind become resourceful and intuitive even without evolving. She was serious about bringing out your very best at all times. Even so, she recommended if not force you to take breaks and good rests to avoid detrimentally affecting your health and gains. Jingo pushed for maximizing all aspects of training, thus ruinous behavior was intolerable.

While you underwent the training from hell during the day, at night you were left to your own devices. Unsurprisingly Jingo doesn’t offer any assistance and/or insight into your demonic training. All her efforts were straightening your clumsy fighting style and strengthening your human half. So at most, she ofter to knock you out if you ever lose yourself to your demonic influence. Sure the sun probably would’ve done the same but the damages and would be far more strenuous and ruinous to your body. Not to mention you didn’t have anyone around who can teach you the ways on how to be a demon. Well, that wasn’t completely true as there was just one person you know. The entity who embodies your demonic half known as Shakuren. Even now she lies dormant inside of your heart, wait in the wake for the next opportunity. Nevertheless, you practice caution when it came to night training and teaching your sibling Keimi.
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>>4092906

Unlike you, it seems Keimi chose to remain deeply rooted in their priority of sleeping soundly without concern. Again you assumed the only reason that your demonic twins would do such a thing was to accumulate and stockpile power for future needs among other necessities. After all, they didn’t drink an ounce of blood nor push their biology to such degrees like yourself to fight off the slumber aftereffect. But unlike before they were in a much deeper slumber, only responding when immediate danger was upon either of you. Still, being around them certainly gave way to sharing some fruits of your efforts such as photosynthesis upon making direct contact with them. All you can do was to once again converse your knowledge on to your sibling through hypnopedia (hypnotic suggestion & sleep learning). If nothing else you continued to owe a major debt to your grandma for installing such skills into your core.

Starting off with what you know so far you went for experimenting with your demonic abilities. Nothing too strenuous as you went for improving what you have in shape & form altering and self-body manipulating skills. They weren’t anything special as even the weakest of demon can perform such tricks without issue, what mattered was their performance and proficiency. Therefore you stick to starting small, practicing carefully and making sure to watch your demonic energy. The last thing you wanted was to mitigate your hard efforts and pass out thus triggering the comatose state. Beginning with the basics you try to channel your demonic power, influencing your body and better attuning to it. Upon eventual success, you start branching out and start amplifying your physical capabilities before jumping to the next agenda.

Gradually you begin getting a better hand at your body manipulation skills, slowly transitioning into the more challenging aspects as you pace yourself accordingly. Before long you were able to do feats such as fully shapeshifting your form, assimilating/integrating & storing inanimate matter inside your body, freely fluctuating your size and mass, controlling your body temperature, implanting commands to your subconscious as stimuli, and many other valuable tricky applications. Almost like a child with a new toy you spent your time casually experimenting on what you can do. Stretching and contracting your limbs, improving on your natural hardness, vibrating your body at faster frequencies, and attempts of improving your restoration abilities. For a self-taught half-demon, you were developing at a relatively fair rate that was worthy of praise. But there was just one thing you really wanted. Returning back to your original form.
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>>4092907


After waiting until you got better at shapeshifting did you finally try your hand at reshaping your body back to its previous state. It took a few trices but you ultimately achieved your goal as you return being a thirteen-year girl. Only after returning to your original appearance did something unfortunate happened a few minutes later. Without warning, you accidentally stumble back into your current adult form once you lost focus from the relief of returning to how you once were. A mixture of your young age as a half-demon and lack of concertation seems to be the cause of the deactivation. From this blunder, you come to understand that conscious effort is required to maintain your demonic abilities. Especially the ones that alter and/or manipulate your physical characteristics, as such emotions like being frightened or startled. A steady focused mind a clear conscience was ideal in fully controlling these demonic abilities and using them to the fullest for long periods.

It only now it dawns upon the true weight of your sacrifice. Right now you were stuck in the body of a twenty-year-old with a well-balanced front of a very muscular yet voluptuous build. Noticeably it was less bulky than Shakuren and to a lesser degree Jingo’s well-toned physique, but still boasted strong toned muscles for a lean powerhouse. Even during the night time, you found it at times how hard it is to move like you used to. Now having to adjust to your proportions and center of gravity certainly made Jingo’s hellish boot camp a real nightmare, but even something like performing your body altering skills was notoriously harder now. It didn’t matter how much you try making the moves as cost-effective possible if your mind wavers then it’s just as good as unknowingly wasting excessive energy.

Forced to deal with the gravity of your predicament, you try to make the best of it by fully attuning yourself to your new default form. Easier said than done as you start realizing just how much-untapped potential your new state carries. In addition to not consciously knowing how to activate your “combat mode”, you also didn’t know how to trigger your own personal blood demon’s art. The San'andomūn was something entirely new as it used a sizable portion of your lifeforce to forcibly manifest through rush development. And even then you interrupted your demonic influence Shakuren from fully using the technique. Therefore, you yourself have no way of utilizing the power even after memorizing the feel of using vermillion flames and azure flames simultaneously. Forcing yourself to try manifesting it for yourself, only to be met with failure time after time again.
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>>4092908


Try as you might you weren’t able to tap into enough of your demonic power to recreate the same conditions to manifest San'andomūn. Worst yet you soon find yourself incapable of triggering the combat mode that you partook in your bout with Jingo. Again it comes off no surprise considering you were only fully conscious once the ferocious power receded inside of you. Really there was only one person that hold the secrets to tapping into those powers and reaching your true potential when it came to your demonic abilities. Unfortunately whatever that mysterious entity was has gone inactive. No amount of meditation or attempts at communication seems to reach the entity. Bad enough that she showed up out of nowhere, making you often question exactly what she is, but now you couldn’t even reach her. Thus putting you into an unwelcoming predicament.

Disappointed at this course of events you instead went back to what you can do. Only after three months of physical conditioning, refining the basics and battle sense improvement did you find yourself getting some weapon training improvement into your routine. Having learn the basics of swordsmanship from Kyojuro speed things up considerably for Jingo. Allowing her to instead drill more advanced techniques once she saw you physically able enough to handle them. Techniques such as the Zanzōgi, Shinsoku, Hirazuki, Sandanzuki, Hakusuki, Modoshigiri, Mushōken, Shirahadori, Zantetsu, Tsubame Gaeshi, Hyōshikū, Ryūsei Kentaibu, and Shinto Gōrenzan among other important samurai practices. All of which you learned at a reasonably remarkable rate, earning a bit of praise from Jingo. Your battojutsu alongside Nōtōjutsu and Tōjutsu were taken to the next level, furthering your skills as a swordswoman in preparation for the next step.

As for your archery skills, you took well utilizing your hypersensitive sight to hit at moving targets with deadly precision regardless of distance. In no time flat, you manage shooting multiple arrows while running without any loss inaccuracy. Alongside with your weapon training was the Naginata practice. Mainly done to help you better utilize your nodachi, you strangely took well to wielding the polearm quite efficiently. Like with the bow art Kyūjutsu, the art of Naginatajutsu and by proxy Bōjutsu was thoroughly taught to you. And like before you manage to learn and refine the basics in record time. Although both your archery and polearm fighting can use some additional finetuning, you still priorities learning all you can with Kenjutsu.
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>>4092910

When it came to breathing you found yourself excelling at it at a lightning-fast pace. For instance, through rigorous training improving your full focused breathing, you achieved a self-controlling method akin to biofeedback known as Jiseiryū. Through it, you find yourself able to have near-complete, precise control of the movements and functions of all aspects correlating to the human body. Feats such as stopping your blood flow, adjust or improve body functions, suppress stimuli/receptors, focused application to further strengthen a specific function or aspect, and many more. Even without the demonic influence, through the improved total controlled breathing, you exhibit physical abilities far above the average human, such as superhuman strength, speed, agility, accuracy, and coordination. In addition, you greatly improved how long you can maintain it and how quickly it can be performed without losing fluidity and effectiveness. That said, all of your skills in the art was still at the level you need constant concertation and focus to maintain.

Nevertheless, your continuous training with full focused breathing in conjunction with your own teachings in breathing techniques such as qigong eventually paid your way onto mastery of the art. Not only that but the physical condition finally put you on the level of performing the advance aspects of your family’s specialized breathing method, the Kyūkyūden Jōkohō. Through careful refinement of the basic applications, you steadily recall the breathing techniques associated with the art form. Eight of them each connected to the Taoism symbol of the eight directions/symbols. Heaven, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Thunder, Mountain and Lake. Each one of them correlated with the technique’s inspiration. But as you come to practices you realize just how much physical strain the moves put in exchange for their specialized utility and greater potency. Still, with your life long training, it was enough to get them to passable standards. But as you reflect upon having to do more training in the future, you start to sometimes wonder about the name. Why was it called nine when you only know eight breathing forms?
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>>4092913

A thought that quickly went out of left field thanks to the hellish training keeping you preoccupied. In between training swordsmanship, breathing applications, archery skills, and other assortments of a valuable array of talents necessary for a Demon Slayer to have, you still took the time to improve on your unarmed combat. Putting your inhuman physical condition to good use you underwent learning the basics to better cover your bases. While not extraordinarily skilled, your high amounts of raw power and unusual flexibility more than made up for it. With your grandma’s inspiration from Baguazhang, Bajiquan, Piguaquan, Zuiquan, Nèijīng, Nèijīng, Fa Jin and Tai Chi alongside the Akizuki’s incorporation of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū and its ancestor, the Shinkage-ryū, left your bases all but completely covered. All that remains serving as the deciding factor was your skills and how well you can adapt/rise in adversity. So diligently you trained as much as you can afford to give in unarmed combat.

Six months later you find yourself transitioning to the next stage of your training. After enforcing inhuman physical conditioning and refining the basics did you finally start learning the advanced moves. Specifically, Jingo began teaching you the full extent of the Breath of Flame Style and its nine secret techniques. Each breathing style has its own assortment of different techniques with the lowest being six and the highest being ten. But that’s only for prerequisites for setting up the foundation needed for one to make their own special breath technique. As evident as Jingo showed you her Tenth Breath of Flames sword technique, Janenhinote or Flames of Depravity. A technique that can only be fully utilized once mastery of the nine Breath of Flame sword techniques has been achieved. Even so, this served its purpose in teaching you a valuable lesson about Breathing Style and how they represent freedom and ingenuity.

After showing you the nine techniques, Jingo reframed from teaching you anything else. Instead, for the next six months, she only came at you with the intent to kill. Using the nine techniques she demonstrated, you were forced to adapt and learn each and every one of them through combat. She did not give any hints as to how they were formed or how they were executed. Once again Jingo stuck to fighting you only during the day. From the break of dawn to the end of the setting sunset, you were in a constant battle with the cultivator. On the other hand, you were getting used to fighting in broad daylight. Before long you reach the same level of fighting standard as a regular Demon Slayer member. Although it was at the lowest acceptable level, it wasn’t any less impressive as you gradually catch up to Jingo. Bit by bit you were learning each of the techniques during the spar. Pulling them off in record time one by one. Until finally at the four-month mark, you manage to start tackling the tenth Breath of Flames technique.
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>>4092914

Upon seeing this Jingo finally stopped using a regular tachi but her customized nichirin blade. A pitch-black tachi blade with some flame-like red highlights although faint. The blade was more or less as black as darkness itself. Jingo dubbed the sword Dōjigiri, based on the legend of Shuten Doji being slain by the very same sword. Accompanying the sword was pitch-black flames while reeking of alcohol was highly explosive and the compressed flames only added to their ferocity. Getting cut first hand with a Nichirin Blade forced you to realize a dangerous truth. The weapons are capable of nullifying your demonic influence and tampering your abilities. Although Jingo refrained from maiming and dissecting your body, the damages she inflicted weren’t any less excruciating as you endure the onslaught. Be it day or night it didn’t matter when you fought her, the results generally ended the same. You, lying on the ground defeated and burning from the pitch-black flames. Nobody would say you didn’t bring this upon yourself.

By the end of the one-year boot camp from hell, you finally managed a solid win against Jingo. You weren’t sure exactly how but enduring enough of those black flames and steadily chipping at the same spot over and over through your bouts finally bared fruit. Through a downward swing, you manage to snap Jingo’s prized sword in two and leave a scratch on her body. Although you passed out from the exhaustion caused by the black flames, Jingo was brought to fully acknowledging you as her dimwitted student. Keeping to her promise Jingo gave you full permission to take the final selection upon repairing her weapon through unseen methods that currently allude you.

Regardless, you find yourself taking pride in finally achieving your goal and making substantial growth in comparison to how you were last year. With just one month before your fifteenth birthday, you ready yourself to travel to the final selection.

>To be continued



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