Inosuke Hashibira had located the demon's hiding place.
The only Demon Slayer who hadn't been taken over chose to stay behind, alone, to hold off the controlled corps members.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro Kamado and Inosuke set off in search of the demon itself.
Along the way, they brushed against many silk threads, some faintly shimmering in the dim light.
They soon came across a female Demon Slayer—her voice trembling as she spoke.
『Female Demon Slayer』: Don't… don't come any closer.
『Female Demon Slayer』: Please… bring a higher-ranked swordsman. If not, everyone will be slaughtered!
Her body was tangled in over a dozen threads, and the ground around her was littered with corpses—her comrades, all slain by her own hands under the demon's control.
『Female Demon Slayer』: Please… just go!
Tears streamed down her face as she screamed.
Before Tanjiro could respond, her body stiffened
and she lunged forward, swinging her Nichirin Blade wildly at him.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Tanjiro parried each strike, steady and composed, quickly taking the upper hand.
But before they could restrain her, two other Demon Slayers—who had been lying motionless on the ground—suddenly stood back up.
Tanjiro and Inosuke had refused to kill them earlier.
Instead, they'd used the demon's own threads to hang them from tree branches, preventing further attacks.
That clever trick, however, lasted only moments.
The next instant, those slayers' necks twisted sharply
snapped clean by the same threads that bound them.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: ...
Tanjiro stared at the lifeless bodies, his face expressionless.
Then he slowly turned toward another nearby slayer.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Let's go.
『Hashibira Inosuke』: Yeah…
The two pressed on toward the demon's lair.
As they advanced, the wind shifted direction
and Tanjiro's keen nose finally picked up something.
Two distinct scents.
That meant there wasn't just one demon nearby.
One of them… was extremely close.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Inosuke!
『Hashibira Inosuke』: I saw it first! Don't you dare steal my kill!
With a roar, Inosuke lunged forward, both blades drawn, slashing at the shadow ahead
Only to realize—
『Hashibira Inosuke』: Huh?! No head?!
His twin blades clashed against the opponent's weapon with a loud metallic ring.
The sheer force sent a shock up his arms.
『Hashibira Inosuke』: This guy… has no head?!
Not far away stood the figure—towering over two meters tall, its fingers shaped like sharpened blades.
But the most horrifying part—
was the absence of a head.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Not good… without a head, there's no weak point.
『Hashibira Inosuke』: Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!
Every demon's weakness was its head.
But this one—this abomination—had none.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Calm down. Aim from the base of the neck down to the left waist.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: It's a large area, and the flesh looks tough—
but we can still cut through it.
Inosuke grinned fiercely.
『Hashibira Inosuke』: Fine by me!
He charged in again, blades flashing.
But the headless demon was fast
and worse, the thread-controlling demon hidden in the shadows kept interfering.
Within moments, Inosuke had taken several cuts.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Inosuke!
Tanjiro darted in, intercepting a slash and severing the threads mid-air.
The two fought in perfect sync
first slicing off the demon's limbs, then finishing it off together.
After the battle, Inosuke grabbed Tanjiro and hurled him high into the air.
『Hashibira Inosuke』: Go finish that thread freak off!
From above, Tanjiro spotted her—the demon manipulating the threads.
He gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly and dove straight down.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Water Breathing, First Form—Water Surface Slash!
Mid-fall, he noticed something strange.
The demon… wasn't resisting.
Her posture changed—submissive, almost accepting.
Tanjiro's eyes softened.
He flipped his blade—its dull edge facing forward.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Water Breathing, Fifth Form—Blessed Rain After the Drought.
A thin stream of shimmering water flowed along the blade.
It sliced through the air in a graceful arc, like gentle rain.
In that fleeting moment—
the demon felt her body enveloped by warmth, as if rain were caressing her skin.
There was no pain, no fear—only peace.
『Thread Demon (Mother)』: …So gentle…
She looked up and saw Tanjiro's kind eyes
eyes that reminded her of someone from long ago, when she had still been human.
Someone who once looked at her the same way.
But she could no longer remember their name.
Nor what became of them.
With her final breath, she smiled faintly.
『Thread Demon (Mother)』: There's… a member of the Twelve Kizuki here… be careful.
Her body dissolved into dust.
"The Twelve Kizuki…"
Tanjiro's expression hardened.
The true Upper Moons were somewhere on this very mountain.
…
Elsewhere, Zenitsu Agatsuma had encountered another demon.
Though he managed to slay it, the venom spreading through his body left him paralyzed.
All he could do was lie there, using his breathing to slow the poison's advance.
…
Meanwhile, Tanjiro and Inosuke faced yet another pair of demons
a giant one, and a smaller figure beside it.
The larger demon's head was shaped like that of a monstrous spider.
Its grotesque form made both slayers freeze for an instant.
『Spider-Head Demon』: Don't come near my family!
The spider-headed demon roared and swung a massive fist toward Inosuke.
He leapt back, narrowly dodging the blow
but the demon charged again, faster this time.
『Hashibira Inosuke』: Damn it!
He was mid-air—no room to dodge.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Water Breathing, Second Form—Water Wheel!
Tanjiro appeared beside him, slashing at the demon's arm in a spinning motion.
But even that powerful strike barely left a mark.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Its arm's too hard!
The two continued fighting fiercely, but the enemy's sheer strength was overwhelming.
A heavy blow sent Tanjiro flying, leaving Inosuke alone against the towering monster.
When Tanjiro hit the ground, he found himself facing two more demons
one was the same who had retreated earlier,
and the other—the eerie figure who had stood atop the threads in midair.
The moment their eyes met, Tanjiro felt crushing pressure
as though the air itself had thickened.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: …So strong.
He wanted to rush back to aid Inosuke,
but this demon's presence held him in place.
Their blades clashed—and in just a few exchanges, Tanjiro was already covered in wounds.
Then, as he tried to sever another thread
Crack!
His Nichirin Blade snapped in two.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: My sword… broke?!
He stared in disbelief.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: Impossible…!
That same blade had struck down countless demons without a scratch.
Yet now—it shattered just from hitting a thread.
Another line whipped toward him
he barely rolled aside in time.
Dodging alone wouldn't win this battle.
And running was never an option for him.
But then—
two threads crossed midair, weaving into a deadly web that shot straight toward him.
『Kamado Tanjiro』: This is bad!
He gritted his teeth, bracing himself for impact.