Doom & Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Xover

Chapter 7 (MODIFIED)

He heard rustling near him, he turned to see Zenitsu rolling around on his bed while snoring. Tanjiro quickly wiped his tears away and reassured himself that he has to stay strong no matter what. He has to get back to full strength so he can repay the Hellwalker.

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It was early in the morning and both Urokodaki and the Slayer were ready to go. They were outside the shed preparing for that day's training session. Urokodaki had something to explain to the Slayer: "Before we begin teaching you water breathing, we must first go through the basics of breathing. It's something every creature does but they do it incorrectly. They don't utilize their breaths to the fullest and tap into their body's latent potential. The most that people understand about breathing is to take deep breaths whenever you're exhausted or stressed. It's partially the same principle, but there's more to it than just that."

The older man motioned for the Slayer to follow him up the mountain. As they hiked, Urokodaki continued with his explanation, "Everyone has their own unique breathing forms, it's not as simple as simply learning from an individual. If it were that simple, a swordsman can simply learn every form of breathing and call it a day. We each have a limit, not a physical limit: but a spiritual limit. You see, each person's breathing forms are dictated by the person's spirit. For example, swordsmen with a calm and focused heart tend to specialize in water-related breathing techniques; On the other hand, a person who is burning with passion and ambition would be considered for fire-related techniques. Don't get me wrong, it's entirely possible to learn multiple techniques. However, you can only go as far as your spirit allows, and that takes mental and physical discipline."

It didn't take long for them to reach the snowy part of the mountain. As they ascended, the air grew increasingly thin as they marched along and the mountain became steeper. After several, long minutes of hiking: they reached the peak of the mountain. They could see for dozens of miles from where they were at. Sakonji finished his explanation as he informed the Slayer, "However, to be able to do ANY breathing techniques: we must open up our spiritual gate by mastering the basics of breathing. Being atop this mountain has caused the air to be extremely thin. This is overwhelming for the average person, but an experienced Demon Slayer will acclimate to these conditions with ease. These intense conditions will force an individual to confront their spiritual gate and how you open it will dictate what breathing form you will specialize in. I leave the rest to you, Hellwalker."

Urokodaki walked away far enough to be out of plain sight. The Slayer took off his helmet, his warm face being met with the freezing air of the mountain. It was cold and harsh. He can handle it, he's been through worse. Whether it be traversing through the flames of Hell, hopping around the asteroids surrounding Mars, or surviving the freezing cold of Cultist Base, he will make it like he always has..

The Slayer closed his mind off to the world as he shut his eyes. He focused on taking in deep breaths as the cold air passed through his lungs. Nothing, he felt nothing except for his rage. What spiritual gate was he supposed to meet? Why was nothing happening? He needed to focus, he had to concentrate on his spiritual gate and unlock it. He continued with his deep breaths, concealing his everlasting rage to complete this task. This cycle repeated for minutes on end as he channeled his breathing, he began to forget about the outside world as he focused inwards, into his core. It was odd, but he soon lost feeling and entered a meditative trance.

He opened his eyes and he stood in front of a tall, magnificent gate. There was nothing else but darkness surrounding him. So this was the spiritual gate. The only thing left was to open it. He propped himself in front of the door and pushed against it with all of his might but it didn't budge. He took a step back before shoulder-charging into the door, it still didn't budge. He looked around, attempting to see if he could locate any contraptions that could be used to open the door. Nothing, it was a simple gate. He tried pushing against it one more but but it was a futile effort.