Fandom Kimetsu No Yaiba; Who...and what we fight for.

[Nenma Takashi]

Sadaka Yushimashi
Looking around at her peers, Sadaka saw many new faces she had yet to encounter before. They each seemed to posses something special, she couldn't explain why she suspected as much. It was simply just a feeling in her chest, what she was sure of is that she very much wanted to befriend all of them. Hopefully she could avoid coming off as weird, or creepy like usual. Sadly seeing the way Akimine's crow reacted to her, she doubted they didn't already have a bad opinion of her. Though she couldn't doubt the crow was incredibly cute, Sadaka herself of course also had a crow, though she wouldn't use cute to describe her at all. Leaving that thought aside, Sadaka paid attention as it was explained they'd be training by playing tag. "How nice I never got to actually play tag with the other kids before. I do hope I can keep up." This truly was a joyous moment for Sadaka, due to how creepy she came off, none of the children in her village would play with her. Her excitement peaked as the older man, who looked to be a westerner made the first move. Despite his speed their teacher wasn't one to be taken off guard. Sadaka had heard of Total Concertation breathing Constant, from her late master and it truly lived up to the hype. Her monster stated those who can use it are in a different league from slayers who simply relied on normal methods.

Knowing this simply brought a smile to the girl's face as she lurked forward. Her arms dangling towards the ground as she took a wide path towards Akimine. Just as the woman turned to wait for them, Sadaka made her move, striking from Akimine's left side. "First form: Haunting Spirit!" Sadaka's right arm moved in to grab hold of the ribbon, but just as it closed in her arm vanished from sight as if invisible. If she could take the ribbon perhaps the other slayers training alongside her would give her some kinda praise, and wish to be her friends. That thought was truly what was pushing Sadaka right in this moment.

 

[kakemha]

< sakura aka >​

She watched as Erwin and the other demon slayers went right for Akimine. And right then the exercise had begun. Akimine had dodged him easily, and went up into the air. Thinking of a different approach, Sakura began to run up into the trees, catching her sensei out of surprise would be her best option. Moving through the woods, through the shadows, was always a strength of hers, since there were forests near her village. She was lucky, with her breathing technique and nimbleness, she was almost on par with a Thunder Breathing user, and they were known to be one of the fastest swordsmen the Corps had. Climbing a tree with ease, she made sure to use Total Concentration Breathing at all times. But she knew this would be very tiring, however she wanted to make the most this exercise and would deal with the consequences later. Jumping from branch to branch, she watched the fight happened, following it but making sure to be quiet and as undetectable as possible. She had an idea, she pretty much had her hands full with the rest of group charging at her.

"Senbi-san" Sakura called out to her crow companion quietly. On command the crow flew to her quietly. and landed on her shoulder. She put her finger to her lips, motioning to him that he should be quiet. "I need you to grab Akimine-san's ribbon when someone is attacking her." She whispered to the crow. Senbi flew off, understanding the command. All she was hoping was that he didn't mess this up. Luckily, she saw Sakada go for Akimine's ribbon. She saw Senbi from the skys and signaled for him to fly down and snatch the ribbon while she would be distracted. All the years of having him as her companion was paying off. She watched as Sakada reached for the ribbon. Senbi flew in, aiming to catch the ribbon in his talons.

 

[qingwa]

tomi tennoji

Goodness, okay. If she doesn't hurry up, she'll end up being part of those who don't get a break. Maybe she'll even be the only one. She dreaded being left out, Lady Sakutsuki incentive was plenty effective on the young girl. Her eyes frantically scanned around her as she ran, and fixed themselves not on her trainer's ribbon, but her face. The flower was familiar enough with exercises like this, the best idea to her was to wait for the Lady to be overwhelmed by the other trainees to strike.

One by one she watched her fellow trainees make their moves, anxiety doubling for each student. But she could not show it, she was put in the familiar position of an object to be admired, stationary and quiet. Except there was no admiring to be done by her fellow slayers, too occupied with their mentor's pink ribbon.

Kott, Yushimashi, Aka. "Watch her..." whispered the former, before getting knocked back. Yeah, sure, she could do that, a glance at her kasugai crow made it clear that he could too. In fact, he could, and did, do a bit more than that. There were no words spoken between them, just quick, unnoticeable glances. A bundle of black feathers threw itself at Sakutsuki Akimine, with no clear intention.

After the crow came the girl herself(uh oh sadaka grab with caution), the primal fear of getting left out catching up to her sooner than planned. As much as she was happy to cooperate with Kott, she found herself running around her mentor. "My name is Tennoji Tomi, Kanoto rank! Sincerest apologies for not introducing myself earlier, I will be under your care!" Tomi cried, the first form of Wind Breathing being a dash forward and an offensive attack, she executed her move similarly, running into her mentor's back in a most unladylike headbutt. ​

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Tag! You're all it!
The Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters; General Barracks
Sakutsuki Akimine

The Kinoe's eyes found Sadaka just as she was almost atop her, though it looked like the young girl who hadn't spoken a word was also on an approach. Good, they were trying to overwhelm her, they had some good instincts for that. As much as she wanted to let them earn the ribbon for that alone...she couldn't. A lax training would make lax slayers, and a lax slayer was naught more than a grave the Master would visit. While it is true Total Concentration of any form increased the physical attributes, it was also known for increasing the mental faculties. Faster thought processing maximized concentration and a hyper form of information processing. She wasn't familiar with Sadaka's form, but that didn't mean she couldn't react to it. Even for her, however, these movements were difficult to follow...did she just dislocate her entire arm for this? In a fluid motion, similar to water shifting, the Kinoe cleanly stepped to the side and back away from Sadaka. Interestingly enough, she still felt fingertips brush against that ribbon, a soft smile on her lips. "I'll have to keep an eye on you, Sadaka-san."

The crows launching towards her were another cause of concern, but she couldn't remain in one place. This was tag, not 'hit me if you can'. Just as the two crows neared their target, Akimine dropped low and to the side again, Senbi and his ally narrowly missing the intending target. Glancing over her shoulder at the girl who identified herself as Tennoji she offered a polite smile as she stood upright again, stepping to the side just as she made her advance and grabbing her by the shoulder, redirecting her headbutt from where she had just been...straight for Sadako. "Your apology is accepted, though perhaps better saved for when you did not have the element of surprise." She reached up to touch at the fabric to ensure it was still in her hair, giving a nod. "Good, keep at it, all of you." Even when she was speaking she was never idle, always flowing and drifting from one place to another to dodge grabbing hands and limbs. As fast as they all were, they were all at a slow enough pace that she could track them...she'd have to fix that. Once again the Kinoe seemed to simply disappear to the untrained eye as she darted away again, straight for the woods that Sakura had taken to hiding within, hand still gripping the hilt of her blade as she sprinted along.

Maxxob Phayne Archdemon Sopranos DipDapTheSlap kakemha qingwa Sopranos Nenma Takashi​

 

[Archdemon]

Name: Tatsuo Mori
Rank: Tsuchinoto
Interaction/Mention: Everyone at this point

​

Tatsuo watched as 4 people charged their new 'Boss' though their success or failure wouldn't impede him. He ran off to the side and went towards the forest. He figured a Kinoe would see him, however their sight can be blocked like any other. A forest would give him better chance to pull off his trick. He decided to start climbing the tree, using their height and foliage to his advantage. He carefully went from tree to tree though not a good as the other girl he knew was here but couldn't see. He kept an eye on the teacher seeing her on the move towards the forest, just like he planned. She had fended off her 4 assailants easily, he wondered how well she will adapt to his trick. Either way, It's time to act.

Tatsuo braced his body on the side of the tree branch he was on attempting to use it to enhance his move. He breathed in using his concentrated breathing and called for his seventh form of Dragon, Flight of the Dragon. He flung himself at great speed towards his teacher, however he purposefully missed. It didn't matter if she dodged completely, as he dug his blade into the ground released his breath and tried to breath again. Immediately his lungs felt like they were going to burst, his blood and heart pumped to capacity and groaned under the stress of breathing as he just did. This was the worst pain Tatsuo has ever felt before in his life, yet this wouldn't be enough to stop him. He used all his might to twist his body similar to a dragon doing a barrel roll mid flight, as he wretched his blade from the ground flinging a large cloud of dirt towards Akimine.

Even if he never spoke a word to anyone else, if they were around then this was the moment they needed to strike. After all he gave them the way to grab the ribbon. Tatsuo landed on one foot then the other, his blade poised to strike. He was still reeling from the pain, in fact he was still in pain still breathing the way he started. His toughness is the only reason he is still standing, it's the only reason he completed the move. His body was screaming at him, burning as if he was set ablaze. It was almost as if he went into his eighth form. He never imagined his body would groan and creek from such stress and pain, just shows he needs to get better. If he can't deal with this, how is he going to deal with killing his sister?

 

[kakemha]

< sakura aka >​

Sakura watched as she saw two people ran in the direction of the forest, Akimine, with her hand on the hilt of her blade. And she saw Tatsuo climb the trees and move through the forest. She wondered why he had did this, no one she knew in the group had or looked like they had experience in moving through the forest. Paying close attention to Tatsuo's movements, she still followed Akimine through the forest. She, in all honesty, didn't have a plan in mind. Senbi can't help her anymore since she had already used him. The use of Total Concentration Breathing was starting to get to her. Her lungs hurt like hell, she didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. Sure she was fast and could dodge attacks easily, but her frame and stature was pretty fragile, she was never raised to be a fighter. But something caught her eye, Tatsuo. He was going to make a move towards Akimine. What was he going to do? Fighting in the forest was always a disadvantage to people who weren't familiar with them. So what was he thinking? She watched intently from a branch near them. Her eyes widened slightly, he missed his strike, purposely. He could've easily went for Akimine if he wanted, but he didn't.

But right then she realized that his intention wasn't to strike, it was to distract. She watched as he created a large dust cloud in his wake, he was creating an opportunity for other slayers to grab the ribbon. She might as well take it, she didn't have a plan in mind and charging her sensei head on was suicide to her. Breathing in, she knew what attack she could use. Her fifth form would use consecutive attacks what weave on each other, in one of those weaves she could snatch the ribbon. "Fifth-Form: Peonies of Futility" She said quietly, and went for the dust cloud for the attack. As the form was still in effect, she reached out to grab the ribbon from her hair. At this point, she was praying to the gods that she could grab that ribbon. Her entire body hurt, she couldn't keep this up for much longer. She felt like falling, like fainting. 'Gods let me get this ribbon.' She thought was she reached for the ribbon. Hoping her attack was fast enough so that she was still distracted from the dust cloud, she had jumped in right after Tatsuo created it.

 

[Maxxob]

CODE / ARKNIGHT

Erwin Kott

Location: The Demon Slayer Corps HQ

Of wargames and pink ribbons

“Scheisse!!” - the man let the curse escape his mouth, when the thrust with the handle of his sword missed the ( ManofManyRoles ) Kinoe completely. When the outside of her foot hit his right hand, which was making its way to her bow, he felt not only his arm, but actually his whole upper body forced to the right. Even though he already knew that those who were demon slayers were in a total different level, he was surprised with the both the strength and speed that petite woman had. If he had not seen with his very eyes, he would never have believed those skills levels were possible to be attained. That sure was a strange land, outside everything he had experienced before. But that wasn’t the time to dilly-dally, as several others started to make their move. The ( qingwa ) brunette girl apparently heed his advice, charging the teacher after she had dodged his own attack. It was a pity her attack was dodged and then redirected to another girl, with ( Nenma Takashi long-black hair and a true chilling visage to most.

It was time to press onto her, the bow had to be in one of their hands. He repositioned himself, his eyes still hunting for the blue-haired woman. Erwin crouched down, once again, their distances had increased greatly. At that moment, she was much further than the first time he had used his first form, and now was entering the nearby forest. If he wanted to keep himself in the game, he had no other choice but to act immediately. Because of their distance, he had no other choice but to use Total Concentration Breathing, as just his normal breathing would never allow him to close the distance. While he trained as much as he could how to use it, Erwin certainly didn’t have an excellent mastery of it. The incoming pain that he would feel already came to his mind, however, as a soldier, he did his duty regardless of everything else.

The air slowly left his lungs, before being taken in again. A crack of lightning began to sparkle around his leathery boots and then, in an instant, once again, he disappeared. As he displaced forward with increase speed, leaving a huge trail of dust and mark of his boots on the ground, he managed to close in about ⅓ of the way. Before stopping, he concentrated, keeping his eyes on his target. He took a second deep breath, with was accompanied by excruciating pain in his lungs, feeling they were being forcefully expanded from the inside. He had never experienced it, but he was sure that would be how it feels to inhaling mustard gas. His lungs burned, and the feeling was shared to his legs as well, almost as if hot iron were being stuck in them. A pained expression on his face, cold sweat started dripping from the sides of his head because of it. He forced all the strength he had into his legs and, without stopping the previously ‘dash’, his used his first form again.

This time, it was different. A thunder-like sound, as if the nearby forest had struck by it, roared the air. A thin, but even greater, cloud of dust left during his movement. Footprints of his boots left in a pretty long line, towards the forest. When the thunderous rush let Kott into the forest, he watched the scene play in front of his very eyes, knowing he had to devise a quick, decisive plan. Otherwise, all his effort up to that point would be in vain. In front of him, there was a huge dust. In the air, the ( Archdemon ) indisciplined long-haired man was making an aerial barrel roll. Was he trying to force Sakutsuki into the dust cloud? Or maybe that was a make-shift smoke screen for an attack? Whatever be the case, the ( kakemha ) pink-haired girl was making her play, using practically lightning-fast grabs to get the ribbon. And that was his window of opportunity.

Forcing his breathing once more, this time, with black-spots already showing up in his vision, his legs threatening to give in, he shot himself in the air towards their tutor. During his lightning-fast movement, his body brushed against a few green leaves on the branches of some trees, that were basically scorched upon contact. As a last ditch attempt before he had to stop, even for a few seconds, he attacked after reaching her, using both of his hands in this attack - “Second Form: Rice Spirit!” - his hands shot towards the ribbon, five times, there looked more like they were done in a single moment. Lightning involved his arms with each movement, tiny sparkles moving in every direction.

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Tag! You're all it!.. Or are you?
The Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters; General Barracks Woods
Sakutsuki Akimine

Rushing forward into the forest, her eyes scanned the tree branches and the forest grounds as one, eyes locking on Tatsuo as he practically flew towards her. Not quite at her, just in her direction based on the angle of his flight, but close enough that she stepped wide just as a precaution to avoid him should he try to lash out during his flight to grab her bow. Spinning around to keep her eyes on the potential threat, they were just as quickly shut as she realized her mistake in facing him. Dirt stung and burned her eyes, the dirt cloud obscuring her vision. Blinking several times to ease the discomfort she noticed Sakura in her peripheral, quickly weaving inside of the cloud. They were adapting, quickly at that. So there was a Breath of Flower user here, and a Breath she didn't recognize...this was fine, she simply had to get out of this dust cloud.

Her eyes watered in aggravation at the dirt in the air, the thunder growing closer causing her to snap her head to look towards the source of the noise...for all the good it did her, she couldn't see through this dust. She leapt backwards as she weaved through Sakura's last strike, out of the dust cloud and into open air, blinking heavily in an effort to clear her eyes as she coughed slightly. Too late, just as soon as she was out of the cloud, Erwin had launched right through the cloud to reach her. Weave...dodge, bob, weave...it was the fifth grab from the westerner that did it, a small smile on her lips as her hair came undone and framed her face. In the germans hand was the pink ribbon, cherry blossom toned eyes focusing on him. "Well done, to all of you...I'd say that twenty minutes is a well-earned reward." Akimine slowly extended her hand, palm upturned. "May I please have that back, however?" She tilted her head to the side, just as her own crow came soaring by to land atop it, forcing him to divert. "Twenty minutes! Your twenty minutes begins now!" the Kasugai cried as it flew through the forest and back towards the barracks. "Take twenty minutes! Center yourself and prepare for the next round! Take twenty minutes!"

The Kinoe glanced at the three faces around her, rubbing her eyes with the back of her free hand. "Well done, Tatsuo. You gave your teammates an opening to achieve victory." Despite the encouraging words and gentle tone she had, the victory was perhaps bitter sweet. Already their lungs were pained and their limbs hurt...and this training would be until sun-down. And it was still early morning. Could they all keep this up, until the evening?

Maxxob Phayne Archdemon Sopranos DipDapTheSlap kakemha qingwa Sopranos Nenma Takashi​

 

[Nenma Takashi]

Sadaka Yushimashi
Sadaka didn't expect her attack to work, after all the difference in skill was clear from the first move made. Though she was happy to see, she was able to at least touch the ribbon before Akimine blitz her. Something else that brought a smile to Sadaka's face was the fact she was joined in her attack by a rather beautiful girl. The admiration Sadaka felt for the girl, made Sadaka think about what would happen if she dodged the girl as she had been redirected towards her. It was would be awfully terrible if the poor girl ended up scraping her face up, as such Sadaka who considered herself not much to look at would make the heroic choice. She opened her arms out wide allowing the girl to headbutt straight into her. Just as impact occured and Sadaka began to move backwards from the force, she let out a chilling exhale, much like the final breath one let's out before dying. "Second form: Grudge!" The two flew backwards Sadaka using the momentum of the impact to propel the beautiful girl off herself and up into the air, so that she could land more gracefully on her feet.

Sadaka was content with slamming onto her back, that is until last minute she recalled the punishment for being put on one's back. In order to avoid the punishment and get her well earned rest, Sadaka had to act fast. As such her hands shot upwards and then behind so as to brace herself on the ground. Now preforming a bridge with her body Sadaka's bangs fell in such a way that they now fully revealed her soulless, dull eyes. She looked towards the woman to check if she was okay. "Kekekeke I hope you are unharmed." Sadaka then eerily rose up from her position as if she was rising from her early grave. Imeditally she brought a hand to her stomach pushing against the spot where the beautiful woman had headbutted, unsure if she was actually injuried she could only assume she wasn't too badly hurt. Especially since she had used her second form in order to minimize the damage. From within the forest Sadaka could hear a crow shouting about how they could now take a short break. She then again turned to the woman with her twisted grin, her head tilting to the side slightly. "I guess they got her."

Mention: qingwa

 

[qingwa]

tomi tennoji
Nenma Takashi

Closer, closer, closer. Tomi braced herself for an impact that never came, or more, an impact that came later than anticipated. She'd been running for way too long now, what's up with that? Just like that, BAM! She had crashed into another slayer, Yushimashi, another one roughly around her age, but neither made contact with the ground shortly after. Instead, Tomi felt herself fly backwards, into the air, was it Yushimashi who did this? Her eyes fixed on the girl as she landed. What a pale complexion... Tomi found every trait that made a woman beautiful in her, but in excess. Her mannerisms were strange, too. Interesting girl.

"Agh! Sorry, sorry, sorry!" She fretted, extending a hand to the ghostly girl. "Are you okay?"

From behind was the caw of a kasugai crow, 'Twenty minutes? Of what? Of... OH.' so, they did it? "I guess they got her." ...Huh, so her anguish about being the only one left training, while everyone else took their break, was more irrational than she thought. Huh. 'This is awful.' ​

 

[DipDapTheSlap]

Enjirou Rikitsuki

One after one, and then all together like a series of coincidences aligning, the group made their advances. As quickly as it had begun, it was finished. He hadn't even seen how it happened in the end. The dust cloud which had obscured the final moments of the game rose upward and dissipated into the blue sky. His thoughts went with it, back to a time when he was early in his training.

...

"Does it ever end?" Enjirou threw himself into the dirt on his back, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Never." His master's face hovered resolutely above him, wide and obstinate-eyed. "It ends when you die."

"We've been going for hours, any longer and I really will," he protested.

"Then do it," his master ordered, "and save me the trouble."

...

A long sigh escaped him. Bull-Eye was right. He'd made it to Kanoe by sheer luck. The occasional effort required to slay a demon or two wasn't enough to constitute serious training. And now here he was at the Slayer HQ going through the motions again. That is, watching others go through the motions. This time he had a group of Slayers he could reliably count on to carry him to victory. He could practically hear Bull-Eye having a conniption at that. Oh well, it's like she ( ManofManyRoles ) explained: we're not one or the other, but two sides of the same coin. Sometimes it's best to rely on the strength of the team than try it on your own.

Enjirou ignored his master's lingering influence and jogged at an easy pace towards the group with an expressive grin. "Damn, that was quick! I gotta say, I was worried when Akimine-san kept brushing off everyone's attacks like nothing, but everyone really came together like a machine. I can't believe you all were able to snatch that ribbon away from a true Kinoe." He mimed the actions as he sang their praises, jumping from a crouch to a half-leap and spin to a rapid-fire series of jabs in imitation of the game. "Man, I wish I could watch that on repeat!"

 

[kakemha]

< sakura aka >​

Although she hadn't gotten it, Sakura was grateful that someone did get it. "Nice job, Erwin-san! ( Maxxob ) You're even faster than me, Thunder Breathing, I'm guessing" Sakura praised the man who did get the ribbon. She could finally rest, but god her lungs hurt like hell, and her limbs were shaking if anyone looked close enough. This would make it hard for her move, this would be great. There was one more thing that she wanted to do before she absolutely collapsed. She made her way over to Tatsuo. "Thank you, Tatsuo-san! ( Archdemon ) That dust cloud really helped!" She thanked him sweetly, smiling at the end. If anyone looked at the two side by side, their difference in size was laughable, he towered over her. At that point, her body could barely take it anymore. She ended up losing her balance and accidentally tripped and fell onto her backside. 'Gods help me.' She thought to herself. She honestly didn't want to move, she would be fine there. But getting out of the forest would be better. "I don't understand how you all can still walk." She said, mostly towards Tatsuo and Erwin. Granted they were older than her, it still amazed her how they were still standing. She tried to get up, but would end up losing her balance once again. But instead of falling again, she just fell against the trunk of a tree. She now saw how getting back without any help would be an entirely new problem she would have to deal with.

 

[Phayne]

Mentions: Basically everyone // Interacts: Erwin Maxxob

A cold wind would unceremoniously wash over Renji as a new arrival came; the voice of a man accompanying her appearing to be concerned about her causing a scene. Her voice held a twang of icyness to it, as if the heat had been drawn away from her breath, leaving behind a frigid coldness. Sadaka as she introduced herself held quite the unique presence compared to the others. Whilst the majority of people radiated some level of heat, she instead felt quite cold, almost unnatural. Although, that could have merely been Renji's mind playing tricks of him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unlike a few of the others here to partake in training, Renji had remained rather calm and patient in his approach to the game of tag. The swordsman despite the irony in it had decided to take the 'wait and see' approach to this exercise. Mistakes were more often to be made by others in the beginning and it was through those mistakes that Renji had decided to learn from, to grow from and to take advantage of. On top of that, with his particular limitations, it simply wasn't as feasible nor beneficial for him to rush into the game all guns blazing, only to end up looking like a fool swinging his sword around blindly. Composing himself with a deep breath, Renji would begin to observe the unseen information naturally given off by everyone else, such as their rate of breathing; their subconscious movements and their natural habits. For him, this game was also a means of learning about his fellow demon slayers, to gauge the intricacies of their battle style and how best he'd be able to work with, if not use them to his advantage.

It didn't take long before a smirk appeared across his face; the hair on his body also beginning to rise and with every passing second. A sizzling taste was soon upon the air, its static like flavouring beginning to tickle his lips as he silently listened to the growing crescendo of energy. Like the diminishing calm before the storm, Renji was well aware that something was about to pop off and the storm would soon follow in its stead; his instincts proven to be accurate as the sound of thunder like crackling reverberated all around them. Deafening in its arrival and swift in its delivery, Renji attempted to follow the movement of the foreigner, his head swivelling to where Akimine stood as he sensed the battle hardened spirit of Erwin. In that one precise movement, the foreigner had revealed quite a bit to Renji; such as his resolve to strike first; his attempt to outwit and his clear abundance of battle experience required to trust himself to succeed with a frontal assault much less engage an opponent that was quite obviously far more superior in terms of strength. That being said, Renji was confident that Akimine would be wary of such tactics.

Alas, Renji's assumption was proven correct as he heard the faint sound of Akimine's movements; the graceful tact in which she had managed to dodge a stark constrast to the aggressively straightforward approach of Erwin. Not a single waste movement from either of them, yet that refined elegance displayed by the Kinoe had just gone to show the wide disparity between the two individuals presently engaged in combat. Was that the strength of total breathing constant? Renji had to wonder as he focused his senses towards the fleeting Kinoe. On the surface her breathing didn't seem to be all that different to that of Erwins, yet that familiarity that Renji could sense did appear to hide something far more abundant beneath. What it was, he could not tell or grasp just yet.

Though the opportunity to discover it would still be available to him. Without even allowing Akimine the time to breath after finally turning around, the newest arrival to their group would pounce on the opportunity presented. A peculiar technique from what it sounded like and one that did piqued Renji's interest quite a bit. Truly, she was a woman of mystery and her unique technique accompanied by the somewhat off putting yet mysterious aura she seemed to radiate upon her arrival only added to the need to know more. It was during this exchange that Renji noticed the disappearance of a presence nearby; the feeling of knowing that someone was nearby and them suddenly not being there causing him to glance around; as if by some divine miracle god would return his vision in that moment and he could 'see' what had gone missing. Alas, he'd have to wait and see what would happen next.

His attention would soon be drawn back to where Akimine stood, the lady whom had yet to introduce herself thus far having finally found the resolve to introduce herself to the group. Though it would be more accurate to say that she had only introduced herself to Akimine and while her voice was indeed loud enough to draw Renji's attention, her movement despite how brutish in execution it was had the feeling of being carried by the wind. That being said, rather than attacking with the silence present in the wind and surprising Akimine, it seemed like she was attempting to harness the swirling chaos of a twister and overpower her instead.

'Interesting..' murmured Renji, Fingers tapping away at the hilt of his blade, Renji could begin to hear Akimine's voice; the serenity behind her words despite her overpowering dominance showing just how vast her strength was. Like a still ocean, waiting for the right time to cause a tsunami. Again, she'd refrain from attacking and instead create distance once more.

Finally beginning to make his own move; a slow paced walk though rather then heading towards the barracks, he instead followed behind the ruffian; the distinct odour of his earlier cigarette being enough of a scent trail for Renji to follow, whilst still keeping a distance away from him to not be noticed. A strategy that would pay its dividends in due time.

With the others entering the forest; Renji with his senses honed in on Tatsuo had awaited for the other slayer to make his move. All things considering thus far, Renji highly doubted that Tatsuo's strategy would require finesse and delicacy; instead the man gave off a much more rough and brazen aura; as if he was the type to rely more on strength and power to sort out his problems. Renji would even go as far to say that Tatsuo would resort to savage means if required, such was the fierce and tempered energy he seemed to radiate. Ears listening out for Tatsuo's breathing, Renji was quick to smile as he heard the man begin his attack; the corresponding second attempt to breath and the resulting protest from within his body causing Renji to smile even wider. The man was truly a wild beast in his approach, no second thought towards the harm he could have done to himself and only focused on the goal at hand, which seemed to be the dust cloud. Had he missed by accident and adapted? Or was that all pre-planned?, Renji couldn't much tell yet he could not deny the effectiveness of it either.

Amidst that chaos, the red haired slayer did pick up the faint voice of another; yet he could not tell from where it had come from. He had assumed it to be only himself and Tatsuo whom had entered the forest thus he was admittedly taken by surprise that another slayer had managed to set up an ambush; though thinking about it he did eventually realize that this must have been the presence he had lost track off earlier.

Distracted, Renji would only notice the arrival of Erwin by the sound of incoming thunder cackling through the woods and the familiar presence of static growing in the air. With the current assailants on Akimine numbering 6 now, Renji was curious to see how she'd escape this; much less he was curious to discover just how she was performing the total breathing constant whilst maintaining her dominance over the 6 attackers. Closer and closer the storm came; the scent of scorched tree's beginning to permeate the forest as the fast approaching raijin closed the distance between himself and the others. It seemed that the fight was about to reach its climax and within seconds it ended.

The ending had been quite hard for Renji to follow; his senses strained to their limit as he tried to keep up with the actions of everyone; the sound of their movements and the sound of their breathing. It was only when they were all gathered that Renji would begin to notice the distinct difference between everyone else and Akimine; though as it stood it was more of a hunch at this point.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Appearing out from the dense foliage of the forest, Renji would soon begin to approach the gathered group of his fellow slayers, a wry smile on his face as he tapped away at the hilt of his blade. The rest of them seemed completely exhausted from that game of tag. Whereas Renji was still feeling quite fine.

"Well done". muttered Renji, his head facing the direction of where Erwin was. "That thunder breathing of yours is quite impressive... I've heard the rumours from a few of the survivors of Mount Natagumo whom witnessed a slayer trained in your arts; but hearing it up close and personal has quite a forceful impact" stated Renji, though his tone did seem to hint at an ulterior motive behind his praise.
​

 

[Nenma Takashi]

Sadaka Yushimashi
It would appear Sadaka had been successful in her mission to ensure the safety of the woman's beautiful face. To add icing to the cake the woman even offered her hand to Sadaka, which filled the girl with a warm feeling she had longed since forgotten. Her hand shooting out with blinding speeds, one would be forgiven to assume she too used thunder breathing. Her pale and frankly cold hands grasped onto the beautiful woman's like they were attempting to absorb the heat she held. Upon processing the question of 'Are you okay?' Sadaka gave the girl a puzzled expression as she pondered. "I think so, I mean I am still standing, and I don't smell any blood on me. So I'm guessing I'm not hurt at all." Sadaka stared down at the girl's far more delicate and lady-like hands. Giving them a light squeeze a few times, she imagined they must've of been very soft. Though she wasn't sure judging purely off of looks. Meeting the eyes of the woman she smiled and reintroduced herself. "I'm Sadaka but you should call me Sa-chan, since we're friends now!"

Of course they were friends now, she had heroically protected the woman's beauty, as well as fought alongside her in this brutal game of tag. Not to mention the girl would not offer such beautiful hands to a stranger, thus she too must view them as friends, perhaps even best friends. The thought of having just acquired a best friend caused Sadaka to begin letting out her eerie laugh once more. "Kekekeke a friend, I made a friend." As she reveled in her newly acquired friend, Sadaka's head suddenly lurched forward and began to face the ground. Judging by the speed and sudden movement, Sadaka was sure that something had just slammed into the back of her head. Turning her head slowly to look at what had hit her, she was face to face with a rather beaten up crow. It was missing an eye and was littered in scars, these very scars were clearly earned in scraps it had gotten into over food or proving it's strength against other crows.

"Caw! Moron you've held the poor girl's hands long enough let go!" The crow's voice was surprisingly deep for what one would expect from a simple bird. This feathered brute was none other than Sadaka's crow, a rather blunt crow who Sadaka had got after he assumed her a corpse during the final selection and tried to pluck out her eyes. Sadaka shot up a hand with that very same ghostly speed and grabbed hold of the crow with both hands. "Kosho you came back finally, I was wondering where you had flown off to after my last fight. Did you come here to check up on me?" She cooed at the crow, petting it's head tenderly Kosho pecked a few times at her hands, but of course this did not deter the girl. So he merely accepted his fate and allowed her to pet him.
qingwa

 

[Archdemon]

Name: Tatsuo Mori
Rank: Tsuchinoto
Interaction/Mentions: Maxxob Phayne kakemha DipDapTheSlap ManofManyRoles Nenma Takashi qingwa
(typing this on phone)
​

Tatsuo sheathed his sword as soon as he saw Erwin with the ribbon. He still attempted to maintain his breathing however tthe adrenaline was kicking in so his body wasn't feeling quite painful. Even if it hurt like nothing else, he could still keep going. If he was being honest, it allowed him to focus even more since it kept him alert. His allies looked a bit worse for wear as now everyone else who was left behind by the game soon caught up.

Tatsuo walked up to Erwin and put a hand on his shoulder. "Good job on seeing the opening I gave you. Very quick thinking." That was all Tatsuo had to say. Everyone else came to congratulate Erwin, of those that were there, except the girl with pink hair. She thanked him for what he did and then suddenly collapsed twice, on the ground and on the tree. Exasperated on how he was still standing. "Just tougher than most people. Still good job for reacting to my distraction, not many make quick decisions like that" Was all he bothered to say as he picked her up bridal style and headed back to the barracks.

He didn't say anything to the new arrivals and kept silent as he walked back. When he arrived he gently placed Sakura on the floor leaning against a wooden wall. Compared to him she was dainty and frail, so she should take this opportunity to rest up, she'll need it. Tatsuo wasn't going to take a break or ask questions to his Teach. Instead he was going to prepare his body and maintain his breathing.

He started stretching before he dropped down to the floor and began doing push-ups. Trying his best to maintain total concentration. He eventually swaps to different exercises during this training montage moment. He noticed the other two who had attacked akimine during the beginning were talking and the crow of one slamming into the girl with the creepy Visage. He wasn't really paying attention to the conversation they were having. He returned his focus back on his exercise.

 

[Maxxob]

CODE / ARKNIGHT

Erwin Kott

Location: The Demon Slayer Corps HQ

Of wargames and pink ribbons

His arms attacked the ribbon in a flash-like succession. With each movement towards it, splitting shot from his shoulders to the tip of his fingers. It was like a jolt that kept repeating it itself. On his very last attack, the tips of his fingers got a strong hold on one of the ends of the pink ribbon. When his skin touched the ribbon, he felt a sweet scent.

The awe-striking sea of pink leaves permeated a good portion of the mountain. Making his way up a flight of stairs, he couldn’t help, but take in their sweet fragrance. He had never seen those back in the fatherland, nor did he in the Chinese battlefield. His curiosity was picked by those, wondering why someone had chosen to grow them in such an odd place. When finished climbing those steps, what he saw surprised him greatly. Quite a few children, no one older than 16, all of them with swords by their side. The look on their faces were pretty grave, some even no different from the soldiers he led during the war. What came next would shape who he was at that moment…

When he got to the ground, he looked at his gripping hand. There it was: a pink ribbon. It took him a few moments to take in what that actually meant. His head turned towards the direction of a questioning voice, asking if they could have the rosy item back. His arm extended towards the ( ManofManyRoles ) blue-haired woman, bringing the desired item. She would easily see his spasming muscles, his hand trembled involuntarily. Letting go of the ribbon, his left hand quickly grabbed his sword, still in the scabbard, forcing it on the ground to act as a way of supporting himself. His legs were threatening to give in. With great difficulty, his right hand made to his hat, taking it off. His hair was dishevelled from the sudden movement.

He was silent, like a corpse. Using every single ‘trick’ in his book, he was managing to pull through. It had been a few hours since the trial had begun, and his careful scouting was paying off. Never rushing in blindly, stopping and listening at every chance he got. Sometimes, he heard other candidates: angry, fierce yelling before attacks; desperate, life clinging screaming; begging, shrieks of death. Sometimes, he heard the demons: hateful, cocky teasing; hungry, famished hissing; moist, wet chewing. During the announcement of what they had to do, he felt himself a bit of a fool, the only grown up amidst a bunch of kids. In the middle of the panic and chaos that slaughterhouse created, his own maturity was shown to be his greatest tool.

“Thank you, ( kakemha ) Sakura-san, but this was a team effort. You played a pivotal part in this, as did ( Archdemon ) Tatsuo-san and the others as well, pushing the Kinoe to the perfect spot” - he did his best to hide his painful expression, but it was futile. The hand holding his hat move in front of his mouth, with the upper side of the hat turned towards it. He coughed and coughed. Not even 1 hour of training had passed, and he was already in such state - “Mein Gott, give me strength…” - he almost fell over when the long-haired man’s hand was placed over his own shoulder, his sword was forced into the ground to keep his footing - “Such an opportunity should never be wasted…” His breathing slowed, after quite a bit of time, while his whole body felt like it was on fire. He threw his hat back on his head and regained his composure, stretching his back and forcing his body to move - “I…. I am not sure if you can call this walking…”

Using his sheathed sword as a cane, he started making his way out of the woods, as he was sure the tattooed man would be chivalrous enough to help her out. Furthermore, he looked like he was in a better shape than both of them. Coming out of the wood, he found the ( Phayne ) red-haired man turned towards where the group made their deciding moves and the ( DipDapTheSlap ) blue-haired man, coming towards them and mimicking the moves done during the practice. In his head, Erwin knew that the former had some sort of way to perceive whatever was going on around him, because he surely wasn’t using his vision, was that part of some special training, he wondered, or was the man truly blind? Regardless of the case, either he had the same rank as the German or a superior one, he had to have passed the trial, which impressed him, greatly. Meanwhile, the presence of the latter caught him by surprise: had he arrived when Kott was preparing his first attack? He had no remembrance of looking at his face - “Dankë. It wasn’t a one man’s effort, though. Mmmm? You mean Kuwajima-sensei’s first pupil? Agatsuma-kun? Heh.... he is indeed impressive. Not sure if I would be around anymore if he wasn’t” - he thanked the praises from both man and responded to the red-haired man's comment.

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Break Time! (One more go around, and back to training!)
The Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters; General Barracks
Sakutsuki Akimine

A new voice, albeit one she had heard earlier, interjected promptly after she had expressed the desire for her ribbon to be returned, which it was. Fixing her hair and tying it once again, she looked over the young man...he still hadn't given his name. "Why do you simply desire to watch, when you could participate? That is why you're here after all. You can learn much by watching...but there is greater still to be seen if you do it first hand." She glanced over the group, hand slowly withdrawing from the hilt of her blade. "You all show promise...but you are still very rough around the edges. Your minds are willing, but your bodies protest, even now. I want you all to think of this training as life or death. Because when you are facing a demon, they will not allow you to catch your breath, or nurse a wound. They will kill you at the slightest opening, you must overcome your bodies protests. It is not easy, but it can be done."

Where the rest of the group looked already exhausted, Akimine didn't look the slightest bit winded, looking perfectly fine as she had begun. A few more blinks of the eyes to ensure they were cleared of the dirt that had stung and obscured her vision, focus landing on Renji. Had he taken the path of the observer as well? "Greetings, Renji-san. Won't you walk with us, we'll be heading back to the barracks." It seemed Tatsuo was already thinking that way, having grabbed the collapsed Sakura and starting back with her. Glancing at Erwin, struggling to stand as he was, a hand gently gripped his forearm. Despite the height difference, and surely the muscle difference, it was an interesting experience. Slender fingers and a small hand, delicate as a flower, and yet equally firm. In one smooth motion she shifted, forcing him to rest his body weight against her as she started to half walk, half drag, him back to the barracks. Certainly, he was heavier than her, and yet she moved as if she was carrying her crow rather than escorting a full-grown man. "You all did well, cooperating as a single mind. You were given no chance to plan, and yet you all saw the opening presented to yourself and took it. Well done, all of you."

Emerging from the woods with Erwin over her shoulder, she glanced at Sadaka and Tomi, giving a small nod. "We're gathering over here, near the barracks. Take your rest while you can. The first exercise is the easiest. You will not break, nor will you rest, outside of these moments you capture the ribbon, so please savor it where you can." Once she reached the side of the building she propped Erwin up against it, stepping back and glancing at Renji, supposing he followed and offering a slight incline of the head before stepping back to look over them all, eyes lingering on Tatsuo. "I am certain your muscles ache and your lungs scream with pain...but you must push through it. I will only push you to the breaking point, but I will not break you in these trainings. With that said...when your allies grow weaker, others must be able to persevere so that they can draw from the strength you present. Be a united front, at all times...whether you fight alone, or fight together. Now then..." Reaching into her uniform she pulled forth a small collection of nori-wrapped onigiri, offering one to each person. "Take a moment to eat while you can. There is no knowing when your next break will be, after all."

​

Maxxob Phayne Nenma Takashi Sopranos Archdemon DipDapTheSlap kakemha qingwa

 

[qingwa]

tomi tennoji
Nenma Takashi

"Oh my, um, it's nice to meet you, ah," Tomi was surprised at how cold this girl's hands were, she headbutted this girl and she says it doesn't hurt, "...Sa-chan." it sounded so unnatural when she said it, but who was she to ignore Yushimashi's wishes? Hiding one's uncomfortableness was essential for a woman in this era, after all. 'What a laugh, and what a crow...' she mused to herself. Yushimashi and Kosho were a strange pair indeed. Was Tomi to avoid this girl? Or were these gut feelings of hers irrational?

Thoughts were interrupted when she was called over to the barracks, "Again, I apologize for striking you like that. Please, call me Tomi."

The young girl made her way to the barracks. It was a good thing she didn't pull anything during the first round, using Total Concentration Breathing for that long would have killed her. Not literally. Tomi sat down with the group to enjoy the onigiri she'd received from Lady Sakutsuki. Twenty minutes like these would likely get more and more novel as they trained, it was best if she savored it.

A crow perched himself on her free arm when she extended it for him, "I am sorry, Tororo. Are you hurt?" the crow closed his eyes in response. "That's a relief." Said she, breaking off a piece of the riceball and giving it to him. Tororo flew into the trees shortly after, he likes to eat in private.​

 

[kakemha]

< sakura aka >​

She wasn't expecting this. Sakura thought she was going to have to struggle back to the barracks, she thought when she got back she would collapse and stubble all over again. Yet she was taken by surprise that Tatsuo picked her up, bridal style, and carried back to the barracks. She let out a surprised gasp, "Ah, thank you, once again Tatsuo-san." That was all she could say, she was all out of strength to protest or move at this point. She would also make sure to thank Akimine and Erwin for their praises. It was nice to be praised instead or ridiculed or berated, like she was in her old village. He didn't talk on their way back to the barracks, she thought it was because he wanted to conserve energy. She could feel her body feel better over time, it felt like her muscles finally relaxed. He had finally set her down, against a wooden wall. It felt really nice sitting properly, she then looked over to see Tatsuo when carrying her to exercising, immediately. She probably weighed nothing to him, she was pretty light to most people, but she was honestly amazed he was still exercising, most people would rest. Right then, Senbi flew down and undid the ribbon in her hair. He always did this, he would take her ribbon after training and return it to her when it would start again. All her cherry blossom hair flowed down her back and some landed in front of her shoulders. She saw most of the people who were a part of their little team attack, were still fine, oh how it would be nice to be them.

She was broken out of her thought though, when Akimine ( ManofManyRoles ) started handing out onigiri to the group. "Thank you sensei! Ah, I'll take Tatsuo-san's and give it to him myself. He looks a bit too focused to be disturbed, honestly." She told Akimine, taking both onigiri. She placed one on her lap for the time being, and the other she would break off a small bit. She took the small bit and gave it to Senbi, he absolutely loved onigri. She took the rest of the onigiri in her hand. As she stood up with the onigiri from her lap in her other hand, she made her way over to Tatsuo ( Archdemon ). She could walk once again, that was good. "You should take a break, Tatsuo-san." She said to him, holding out the onigiri for him to take. "It's amazing how you can keep going! I could learn from you in that regard, I'm weak in comparison." She told him, she didn't mean to say that last part out loud however. She was meant to keep that part in her head, and yet her mouth betrayed her.

 

[Maxxob]

CODE / ARKNIGHT

Erwin Kott

Location: The Demon Slayer Corps HQ

Of wargames and pink ribbons

The German was surprised by the sudden help by the experienced ( ManofManyRoles ) Kinoe. He truly believed he would need to get back to the barracks with a limp, not really minding it if it was the case: in war, survival is your own responsibility. Maybe a few years back he would have outright refused the help, for the sake of his own honour, but he didn’t dream of doing so in this case as there was still much training to be done, and he needed to get back as soon as possible to recover himself. With her slender fingers gripping around his forearm, he felt his weight basically disappear from his legs, making it so much easier for him to go back to the HQ.


It was a clear day, even if the heavy ordnance that kept hitting the nearby buildings made clouds of concrete and bricks fill the air. The heavy pounding, again and again, had certainly damaged his hearing. The smell of gunpowder filled the air to the brim. The sounds of the rifles being fired simply didn’t stop, each moment coming from a different spot in the fortress, made out of sandbags and metal, as the soldiers kept firing, taking cover and cycling their rifles. The only noise that was constant from a given location was the sharp, piercing sound of the machine gun, echoing in several bursts. Binoculars being held by his right hand against his face, while the left one held a phone-like receiver coming out of a squared-metallic box that sat upon a table, Erwin shouted coordinates to the operator, commanding the imperial artillery barrage. Time and time again, the targets he spotted, in a few moments, turned into a brownish-crimson cloud.


“Thank you for the help, I really appreciate it” - he gave the woman a nod as he slowly sat down against the building, finally relaxing with the sea-weed wrapped snack in his hands. He took a generous bite of the snack, chewing silently for quite a bit of time, before swallowing it down. With each bite on the snack, he felt his body getting better, not really going back to how it was prior to the training, but in a condition he would have no problem moving around and getting back to the second round. When he finished eating his onigiri, he looked around the barracks, watching the colleagues he could see from where he rested. For the foreseeable future, they would need to trust and depend on each other with their lives. But could the German really trust them? One thing was him relying on the dependable infantry man, who swore their allegiance to the Empire and the Kaiser. Could he place the same trust in that diverse group? It didn't look that there was much of a choice, he simply had to.

 

[DipDapTheSlap]

Enjirou Rikitsuki

Akimine-san ( ManofManyRoles ) hadn't missed a beat. With only the pain of a dislodged eyelash to tally against her, she had given them a run for their money. She'd asked him in that effortless voice: Why watch, when you could participate? He flicked his eyes back to the others who had chosen the passive route as well. The red-haired Slayer ( Phayne ) hadn't seemed to do so out of astonishment as Enjirou had, but rather measured reason. This wasn't someone who was carefully gaining advantage and experience through observation. The other Slayer, the one who seemed to know Akimine-san already ( Sopranos ), was more of a mystery. His age indicated he had to have more experience than the rest of them, perhaps even on par with their tutor. Maybe for higher-ranks the more effective route was to let the inexperienced Slayers learn and parse them for weaknesses.

"Well, ah, I think it's alright for now to appreciate the skill of everyone else here. I mean, how often do we get chances like this to go all out without the threat of dying? Besides, it seems like that first round kinda wiped everyone out - it'll be better if we have a fresh bunch of us for the second round. I'm pretty sure that's like, a tactic or something..." He scratched the back of his neck, attempting to appeal to the knowledge of his superiors.

Despite having met only earlier that day, the Slayers were working and talking as if they had known each other much longer. It seemed Enjirou wasn't the only one with adaptability. Even the ghostly girl ( Nenma Takashi ) was making friends with one of the lady Slayers ( qingwa ) who had been there from the start. Though fatigue visibly weighed on those who had participated, they pressed on to the barracks. The military Slayer ( Maxxob ) made his way with the assistance of his scabbard as a cane, the remnants of his efforts quivering in every limb.

That Kott guy did it, Enjirou decided. He's a freakin' Mizunoto and he did it. He felt something like energy stirring within him. Even more so when he saw the rigorous motions of the Slayer whose tactics had allowed Kott the opportunity to snatch the ribbon unabated.

Is he seriously working out after all that? Not only does he get ikemen points for carrying that girl ( kakemha ) like a damn princess, now he's showing off. He could hear the protests of the man's ( Archdemon ) joints and muscles, but the Slayer continued anyway. What a beast.

A melodic cooing caught his attention and brought it away from gawking at the other Slayers. With the victory of the training, their birds were beginning to show up and join in the joviality. Caws from the Kasugai littered the air, but among them was one sound that drifted through. The rhythmic, rolling coos of Enjirou's bird were a melodic sweep through the raucous noise. He held out his palms flat. The black bird circled them, pecked at them twice, bobbing its head in silent judgement. Its beady eyes belied its benign nature. The bird ignored him to jab at the ground.

"Ah, that's alright Karasu, you'll hop up when you're ready."

Enjirou squatted at the edge of the barracks and accepted the onigiri (Where was she keeping those?) despite having (not) earned it through the achievement of others. He raised it to his mouth, then hesitated. Slowly he brought it back down and caressed an edge of the nori between two fingers contemplatively. Bull-Eye's voice bored into him like a drill.

Lazy. Waste. Undue.

He grumbled quietly. The onigiri sat beside him, untouched except by Karasu's greedy beak.

"Eat up, little lady. You deserve it."

 

[ManofManyRoles]

Tag! You're all it, again!
The Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters; Barracks
Sakutsuki Akimine

Twenty minutes may sound like a decent sum of time to any given person, this is true. But when every muscle in your body screams in protest, and your lungs burn and your heart aches, twenty minutes is a frightfully small amount of time. Hardly enough to ease the pains or let your heart and lungs truly recover after an intensive exercise like the Slayers were being subjected to. "Twenty minutes have passed! Twenty minutes have passed!" Akimine glanced up for but a brief moment as Yasu flew by, shouting the update as it travelled around the barracks ground like a living alarm system. "So it has. Your break is up. I hope you've savored your moment of chance and your opportunity to eat, there is no guarantee it will come again anytime soon. I hope to see you all participate, after all, that's why you're here." The Kinoe took a smooth step backward, hand resting at the hilt of her blade as she gave a nod to gathered Slayers once again. "Tag. You're all it." In but the blink of an eye, the Kinoe had dashed away, now several dozen yards away at the other end of the barracks. However, rather than simply standing and waiting for them, she dashed again, the process repeating three times, each time more distance gained and only stopping so the students had a chance to process where she had gone. Much like when one is fishing, you had to let the 'opponent' see the bobber, otherwise, you would pull nothing in each time.

Maxxob Phayne Nenma Takashi Sopranos Archdemon DipDapTheSlap kakemha qingwa​

 

[Maxxob]

CODE / ARKNIGHT

Erwin Kott

Location: The Demon Slayer Corps HQ

No rest for the wicked

Finishing the snack he was thankful for getting, Erwin laid fully against the wall of the building, his head tilted backwards slightly. While the sun was pretty vivid, he was thankful his hat was long enough as to create a decent shade and protect his eyes from it. Looking at the clear sky, his mind was emptied from thoughts and, for a moment, he simply existed: no purpose, no objective, no order to fulfil or mission to complete. The gentle wind blew softly against his face, the medals, fixed by their ribbons, clashed against each other, ever so slightly, generating low metallic sounds. His breathing was controlled, steady, taking the air into his nostrils and letting the oxygen fill his lungs. Bit by bit, he let it escape from his mouth, without rush. His ears picked up on the sound of the flying alarm, notifying the slayers that their moment of rest was over. Their break had lasted no more than a blink of an eye and, while the German was still tired, he knew better than to complain or protest: a soldier does as they are told.

With the scabbard being gripped by his left hand, his right one sought support on the dirt-covered ground. As his hand position against the earth, to act as a lever and push him upwards, before doing so, he ended up rubbing it. His fingers, spread out, took in the consistence, how dry and how firm most of that battleground was - “It would be perfect for bayonet or cavalry charges” - his mind began to reminisce. Finally, fixing his hand in a particular spot, elbows flexing to give him a much-needed impulse, both arms were able to push his body back to standing position. Then again, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise: the war veteran was not only tall, but had a considerable amount of muscles. So much so, that the sleeves of his uniform clung tightly against every bit of his arm, showing in detail his musculature. Back on standing position, his right hand hit again against his waist, slightly, removing the dirt from it.

He started walking forth, with utmost confidence, following his sensei’s silky-smooth voice. His movement came to a halt within a good distance of the ( ManofManyRoles ) blue-haired Kinoe. Listening to what she said, he steeled himself for the possibility he would not rest until the day was over. It didn’t matter, he had done forced marches while on foot before, and it wouldn’t be that training that would undo the German. His body was already in the needed position, his stance was low, legs slightly flexed. He felt the muscles on the back of it protest a bit, asking for a lighter treatment. That wish, however, he could not grant, for they ought to be pushed up to the last single muscle fibre. His breathing was very quiet, as the oxygen slowly entered his body. His eyes were fixed in the woman in front of him. Her small, delicate mouth moved, and he stared at every single movement they made. As soon as she uttered her last word, both of her lips coming together, she disappeared away, to the other side of the training grounds, but didn’t do so alone.

Almost as if glued to her, the static filled the air, the rumbling of a ferocious thunder, announcing a storm that would never come, resounded once more. Erwin was nowhere to be seen between his peers, but simply a few inches of her. He was so close, that she could hear his breathing and feel his heavy, oak scent. Without any ceremony, the empty hand shot towards her bow, finding nothing, but empty air: the majestic woman was simply not there anymore. Has she ever existed, or had she been in his imagination the whole time? His eyes darted around, moving through the background, his brain discarded everything that didn’t remember her shape and ignoring it entirely. After four seconds, his gaze was locked unto the ribbon-wearing Kinoe once again. This time, she had moved ever further than the first time. Knowing that there wasn’t anything other option, the man repeated the process, the sound of his first form ripping the air and making all of those who knew aware: there was a Thunder Breath user nearby.

The demon slayer exerted himself, pushing his first form and, as if cutting space itself, rushed towards her position, this time with a different plan. With a spin of his sheathed sword, he slammed the scabbard at the end of his mad pursuit. Instead of hitting her, the ground suffered its impact, the ground dented inwards, a cloud of dust rose from where the man stood. Once again: she wasn’t there. A wise man said that doing the exact thing, expecting different results, was an act of the insane. As such, Erwin stopped, collecting his thoughts. He had tried twice to approach her, to not avail. The problem certainly wasn’t that he wasn’t being able to close their distance, but the fact that, even with his extreme speed, he might as well not be moving for the woman. That wasn’t an exercise that would be won by pure brawn, or in this case, speed. Just as the last round had been won by tactics, so would this one. He stopped and gathered his thoughts on what to do to next, his gaze shifting to colleagues, while droplets of pained sweat slowly descended on the back of his head.

 

[kakemha]

< sakura aka >​

The onigiri was really good, Senbi finished his share, as did Sakura. As she finished her share, she untied the black ribbon from Senbi's talon and tied her hair back in a ponytail. Though she was feeling better, everything still hurt quite a bit. She was lost in thought, wondering what her tactic would be for the next round. They had won using teamwork last time, so she thought that would be the best option for get close to Akimine ( ManofManyRoles ). Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to plan or ask the other slayers on their opinions when she saw Yasu fly around announcing that their 20 minute rest time was over. 'Over already?' was all Sakura thought to herself, she body was still in immense pain, but she had to push through, the faster they grab the ribbon. Before any of them could make a move, Akimine was already running away. with immense speed. Sakura was amazed and surprised nonetheless. Before long, she saw Erwin ( Maxxob ) run after her, rumbling thunder could be heard in his wake. Well, no use sitting around, with that Sakura ran, at about the same speed as Erwin, but not as fast. If only she had something cool happen she started to run like Erwin. She followed him, maybe she could provide support. She was honestly quite surprised with herself, she was able to to keep up with Erwin with her body aching and him having a head start, for the most part. Unfortunately, she say Erwin miss Akimine two times, she was just incredibly fast, faster than a Thunder Breathing user. He stopped running, she stopped right beside him. " Erwin-san. would you like to team up?" She asked him, panting slightly and wiping some sweat off her chin "It looks like our best option at the moment. We are the two fastest people of the group, and although this chase won't rely on speed alone, it will give us a slight advantage" She reasoned with him. Sakura turned to him as said, "I may not be a Thunder Breathing user, but I can keep up with you. What do you say?" All she could do now was wait for his reply.

 

[Maxxob]

Spoiler: Skill check

Trying to identify, precisely, how further is Akimine is increasing with each dash:
Base difficulty - 9, mod [Experience as artillery officer -2], mod [Advanced visual calculus due to his studies during military college -2]
Final difficulty - 5 -> Number of rolls (Time active during the war in years + Time spent in training in years] = 4

CODE / ARKNIGHT

Erwin Kott

Location: The Demon Slayer Corps HQ

A plan to make Schlieffen proud

As he chased ( ManofManyRoles ) Akimine down, the man could hear a second set of footsteps, trailing right behind him, at practically the same speed. When he stopped, for the second time, he heard the voice of the person shadowing him. The feminine voice came to no surprise for the man, already guessing who she was. Turning a bit to his left side, the foreigner saw that, indeed, it was the pink-haired slayer: ( kakemha ) Sakura. The girl had shown extreme speed, that came naturally for her, up to that point and, had he been delayed for even a millisecond in the previous exercise, she would have been the one to conquer the pink ribbon. His total focus that he kept on their teacher was broken, his attention now focused on the girl beside him.

He nodded at her suggestion of teaming up, thinking it would only make sense - “Of course, Sakura-san. It will be impossible for any of us, by ourselves, to get the ribbon of her. She simply is in a totally different level” - he commented, his gaze shifting between her and their instructor, now being pretty far from where both of them stood. He smiled, when she commented about her ability to keep up, as he had not really doubted she was capable of doing so for a single instance. Did she lack confidence in her own abilities, or was that merely the wide, deep chasm of their own life experiences? He was interested in seeing exactly how much she would develop herself - “Watching her movements, she isn’t really keeping a straight path or has a specified direction to move to. Our best chance is to try to anticipate where she moves to and try to cut her off, from what I observed”

The man’s right hand moved to his own hat, grabbing it by its edge and taking it off his head. Holding it upside down, his free, left hand, moved towards the three medals that were in his chest. Grabbing them from their ribbons, he removed each one from his uniform. While doing so, they brushed against each other, making a distinct metallic sound. The muscular slayer deposited them inside his hat, then, in a swift motion, he threw it on the ground, quite a few ways from him. His hat landed upside down and his trap was set. Now, there was just a question of time to know if it would be useful, or it would be simply a waste of time.

“Last time, Akimine-sama was forced to focus on someone else, Tatsuo-san in this case. That gave us the much-needed opening to snatch her ribbon. I would say she has enough experience to expect something like that again and will be difficult to pull the same ‘trick’ twice” - indeed, the man was sure that they had to come up with a new plan to deal with her. During his time observing the woman’s movement, Erwin had noticed something: how much she was increasing with each dash she performed. He was able to calculate that, with each one of them, the distance she travelled was increasing by a precise amount - “Each time she moves, the distance she is covering is being increased by 15 meters (about 49.2126 feet). I think that, with such information, we will be able to cut her off at some point” - when he talked about his discoveries, he clearly moved his hand over his mouth, letting out nothing more than a whisper, just loud enough for Sakura to hear it.

Keeping up the secrecy, he continued - “The gist of my plan is that either one of us force her to move, and the other one will try to cut her off. Since both of us share practically the same speed, it doesn’t really matter who ‘pulls the trigger’. However, I do need to know how good your spatial awareness is” - he asks, appearing to be truly curious about that - “What are your thoughts about my idea?”