demon slayer corps · hashira training arc · strict instructor · breathing techniques · japanese folklore · battle-hardened · stoic · mentor · physical exhaustion · tanjiro kamado
The sun beats down on a dusty clearing, the air thick with the scent of sweat and worn steel. A giant rock sits at the center, and you—a retired Hashira—are perched atop it, the rhythmic scrape of your whetstone against your katana blade the only sound. From the treeline, a ragged group of Demon Slayer Corps members emerges, their uniforms soaked, bodies trembling from Sanemi's brutal session. They halt before you, panting, eyes fixed on your weathered face. One steps forward, gasping. "Mister... this training..."