Tanjiro and Nezuko were completely overwhelmed by Rui's spider-thread manipulation.
Rui, the Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki, hung above the battlefield like a puppet master, his threads controlling the terrain with surgical precision.
Even Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura-inspired swordsmanship was being suppressed, his movements increasingly restricted by the invisible web tightening around him.
Nezuko, despite her awakened physical strength and Blood Demon Art–enhanced kicks, struggled to close the distance against threads that sliced through trees and ground alike.
Meanwhile, Inosuke and Zenitsu were similarly stalled on a separate part of the battlefield by Rui's spider "family."
The spider demon operating above them Rui's so-called "older brother" remained suspended on threads, launching smaller spiders and silk volleys from above.
Inosuke clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Quit hiding up there! Come down and fight like a real demon!"
Zenitsu, trembling behind him, whispered, "Why do all the strong ones fly… this is unfair…"
Small spiders dropped like rain, forcing constant evasive movement rather than allowing a direct approach.
Inosuke slashed through them violently, carving paths through the swarm.
"This demon is annoying! No honor at all!"
But Rui's "brother" was not cowardly he was simply terrified.
Facing multiple Demon Slayers at once, including marked-level pressure from nearby engagements, survival instinct alone kept him airborne.
Even then, fear coiled in his chest.
If he descended, he would die instantly.
Inosuke suddenly grabbed Zenitsu by the collar.
"Hey, yellow sparrow! Do that lightning thing again!"
"I can't! I can't do it on command!" Zenitsu cried, tears forming.
Inosuke clicked his tongue and tossed him aside.
"Useless…"
Then he scanned the terrain, eyes locking onto a massive rock half-buried in the earth.
"That'll do."
He planted his feet, lowered his stance, and inhaled sharply.
Beast Breathing surged through his muscles, veins bulging beneath his arms.
"Beast Breathing… Full Focus!"
With a roar, Inosuke heaved the boulder upward and hurled it with monstrous force.
The stone cut through the air like a cannonball.
Rui's "brother" widened his eyes in disbelief.
A human throwing something that large impossible.
The boulder struck him directly, crushing through his defenses and slamming him from the threads.
He fell violently, crashing into the forest floor below.
But he was not yet dead Upper Rank-level regeneration was not present, but demon regeneration still held.
He began crawling, attempting to retreat upward again.
Inosuke dropped to one knee, exhausted.
"Zenitsu… now! Cut his head off!"
Zenitsu tried to move but fear locked his body in place as the demon's gaze snapped toward him.
The spider demon snarled and advanced.
Zenitsu froze.
Inosuke grit his teeth.
"Damn it… move!"
But then
Zenitsu's breathing changed.
His panic did not disappear, but it condensed into something sharper, heavier.
His stance stabilized.
Muscles tightened.
His grip on the Nichirin Blade locked.
Thunder Breathing.
First Form
"Thunderclap and Flash."
A flash of lightning erupted across the forest floor.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six consecutive bursts of speed tore through the battlefield in a straight-line execution.
The spider demon's head separated cleanly before he could even process movement.
Silence returned.
Zenitsu collapsed immediately afterward, unconscious.
Inosuke caught him mid-fall, bracing the impact with his shoulder.
"Tch… useless sparrow… but not bad."
On the other side of the battlefield, Tanjiro and Nezuko were in far worse condition.
Rui's threads had already shattered Tanjiro's blade structure, leaving him with a broken Nichirin fragment.
Nezuko had been suspended mid-air by threads binding her limbs, her regeneration slowly resisting the cuts but not yet breaking free.
Rui tilted his head calmly.
"You are weak… but you feel like family."
Tanjiro, bleeding and exhausted, tightened his grip on the broken blade.
"I won't let you hurt Nezuko!"
He surged forward with everything he had left.
Hinokami Kagura
A desperate, incomplete form erupted from his body, mixing water breathing fundamentals with flame-like motion.
But Rui's threads intercepted him instantly, twisting his movement mid-air.
Tanjiro was slammed downward.
Nezuko struggled violently against her bindings, letting out a muffled growl.
Rui raised his hand to finish them.
Then
A sudden pressure changed the air.
A presence descended into the battlefield.
Cold.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Rui's threads instinctively tightened.
Tanjiro's eyes widened.
That scent
He had felt it once before.
The air split as a figure stepped forward without sound.
The Upper Rank One demon, Kokushibo, stood at the edge of the battlefield.
His presence alone caused the forest to feel narrower, suffocating, distorted.
Rui froze mid-motion.
"…Something changed."
Kokushibo's hand rested calmly on his blade.
"Lower Rank Five… this is what you struggle against?"
Tanjiro's breath hitched.
The battle had just escalated beyond anything he could comprehend.
And somewhere far away, the true nightmare of Mount Natagumo had finally begun to reveal itself.
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