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Spider Mountain – The Battle Intensifies
"Humans… you've really pissed me off!" Rui's voice was filled with cold rage. He had never felt this before. For a split second—just a split second—he'd actually thought his neck had been cut.
By humans who aren't even Hashira-level…?
Threads of blood sprouted from Rui's fingers, weaving together until they formed a massive whip of razor-sharp silk. Each strand twisted and writhed like it had a will of its own.
Across from him, Tanjiro and Inosuke gripped their broken Nichirin swords, their bodies flashing through the night like streaks of light.
Rui's eyes darted rapidly, his demon senses tracking every movement. Then, in the blink of an eye, he whipped the blood-red threads straight at Tanjiro's neck. The strike was so fast it tore the earth apart as it passed.
But instead of blood, Rui only cut through an afterimage. Tanjiro's figure shimmered and vanished.
"Hinokami Kagura: Fourth Form – Clear Blue Sky!"
Using a twisting dance of fire, Tanjiro's body moved so fast it created phantom images. Rui's eyes weren't sharp enough to keep up.
By the time Rui realized, Tanjiro was already behind him.
Then—Inosuke lunged from the front, holding one broken sword in one hand and a small purple pouch in the other.
"Sit down and die, you brat!!" Inosuke roared as he hurled the pouch.
The bag burst open mid-air—showering Rui's face with purple dust. The powder seeped into his skin, burning his flesh on contact.
Rui staggered back, his expression twisting in confusion and anger. "Wisteria…?!"
The powder clung to his skin, eating away at it. It was a mixture of wisteria flower pollen and juice, odorless but lethal to demons. An old woman from a safe house had pressed it into Inosuke's hands before they left.
Tanjiro's chance came.
"Hinokami Kagura: First Form – Dance!"
Flames spiraled as his blade sliced toward Rui's neck. The edge bit deep—almost through.
So hard! Tanjiro realized, teeth clenched. He's planted threads inside his own neck to stop a clean cut!
"Blood Demon Art: Threaded Cocoon!" Rui roared, spinning his strongest silk into a vortex and launching it toward Inosuke.
The threads screamed as they tore through the air. Rui didn't even try to counter Tanjiro's strike—he believed the broken blade would never cut him fully.
"You're next!!" Rui's twisted face snapped toward Tanjiro, hatred dripping from every word.
Tanjiro pressed down harder—but pain exploded in his chest. A jagged blade tip pierced through him, attached to Rui's threads.
"How does it feel?" Rui sneered. "To be stabbed by your own sword, Demon Slayer?"
Webs lashed around Tanjiro, binding him tight to a tree. Rui pinned him like prey, unwilling to kill just yet.
"You're strong," Rui said coldly. "I'll admit that. So become a demon. Serve Muzan-sama."
Tanjiro's lips curled into a faint laugh, even as blood dripped down his chin. "A demon…? Never. Because my goal—" His eyes blazed with fury. "—is to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji!"
Rui's eyes narrowed, but before he could reply—
BAM!
His head snapped sideways. The crack of bone echoed through the forest. For an instant, the world spun, and Rui dropped to his knees.
"What…?"
Tanjiro lowered his forehead, veins pulsing. "Iron Head Style," he muttered, breathing hard. "That one's unforgettable."
Rui's rage exploded. "Damn you!! Blood Demon Art: Threaded Cocoon!!"
Threads spun violently, forming another massive cocoon—but just as Rui raised his hand to unleash it, something stopped him.
A pale hand, slender yet powerful, gripped his wrist. Rui froze. The aura was familiar. It was another demon—yet not Muzan's presence.
Tanjiro, nailed to the tree, widened his eyes. That scent. That warmth. He knew it instantly.
"Nezuko…?" he whispered.
From the shadows stepped a taller figure. Her body had matured to that of a young woman, faint horns sprouting from her forehead. Lines of flame-like patterns trailed across her arms and legs. Her eyes glowed fiercely, yet still held their gentle core.
It was Nezuko—his sister, but transformed.
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro called, relief and disbelief in his voice.
Rui's cold glare locked on her. His lips curled, voice sharp as blades.
"Get out of my way."
The night air trembled as the battle shifted once again.
Far away, Giyu Tomioka moved swiftly through the forest, his body flowing with breathing techniques.
He had just finished his mission—rescuing the trapped and poisoned Demon Slayers and slaying a demon with a spider's body and a human head.
It hadn't been easy.
And to make things more complicated, Shinobu Kocho had been placed as the hidden leader of the logistics team.
When Giyu first met her, his impression was simple: troublesome.
Though she carried a gentler air than before, she still reminded him of her late sister, Kanae.
He didn't know what caused that change, but it wasn't a bad thing.
The real problem wasn't her personality—it was her persistence. During one casual conversation, Giyu had let slip an encounter with a strange demon. From then on, Shinobu constantly pressed him for details, asking in that calm-yet-prickly tone about "that demon who saved people" and even mentioning Kanae in the same breath.
Naturally, it annoyed Giyu.
He knew she only wanted information about demons, but her way of clinging to the topic left him restless. Eventually, after Giyu gave her all he knew, Shinobu seemed satisfied. She stopped prying about the demon and instead shifted their conversations toward him.
Troublesome, Giyu thought again.
After reporting briefly to Shinobu about the situation, Giyu realized something troubling: the Crow's latest message mentioned a Lower Rank demon nearby, but he hadn't found it yet. That gnawed at him.
He sharpened his senses with Total Concentration Breathing—there, the strongest demonic aura lay in the direction of Tanjiro and Inosuke.
He didn't even pause to explain to Shinobu. He bolted.
"I misjudged…!" he cursed himself as he ran.
Minutes later, he arrived near the site—but there was no clash of blades, no roar of demons. Only the eerie sight of fallen trees sliced apart by something sharp.
Are we too late? Giyu gripped his sword handle, tension coiled in his body.
But when he finally saw what was happening, his grip loosened in disbelief.
Tanjiro and Inosuke sat slumped against a boulder, blood on their bodies but wounds no longer bleeding. Both were exhausted, gasping for breath, eyes fixed ahead.
There—
A boy with threads dancing from his hands desperately tried to shield himself.
Facing him stood a grown-looking woman who had just kicked him away. The threads snapped, his small body flew, but her leg—though sliced—regenerated instantly.
That woman was Nezuko, her demon form unleashed.
"What… happened here?" Giyu muttered, stunned.
Then a thunderous voice split the air.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
A blinding streak of lightning carved across the forest. In an instant, the boy—Rui—was slammed against a tree, his head severed clean.
"Zenitsu!"
"Yellow-haired guy!!"
Tanjiro and Inosuke cried out together.
Zenitsu, still frozen in his sword stance, wavered. The lightning faded, leaving only silence. Then—
thud!
He collapsed face-first, snoring loudly.
"Zzzzz…"
Rui's wide eyes trembled. Impossible… beheaded… by him?
Shock twisted to sorrow. Memories surged back—his human days, the bonds he longed for but could never regain. Tears slipped down his face.
Tanjiro, despite his pain, stepped forward. He reached out a trembling hand toward the dying Rui and whispered, "Rest in peace… may you find the family you were looking for."
The forest grew quiet. The battle was over.
But far away, unseen by the others, another presence stirred.
A tall figure—calm, unreadable—walked just a few steps behind Rui's fading spirit. Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
His expression was blank, almost wooden, but his presence carried a weight no one could ignore.
And with him was another—conflicted, half-smiling, yet heavy-hearted. The echoes of lives lost, bonds broken, and paths twisted by demons lingered in the night.
To be continued…