The mansion's door was painted with a wisteria motif, the crest of the Ubuyashiki family and also the mark of a Demon Slayer Corps outpost.
In the courtyard, Charles and Stella were sparring.
Stella was an Awakened majin, essentially already a being of mana. In other words, Stella herself was equivalent to a swordsman with a Mark awakened.
The Breathing Styles had very limited effect on her; what helped her greatly were sword forms that could marshal natural mana.
What Charles was doing was accompanying Stella in battle to hone the forms she had adjusted for herself.
The Corps swordsmen's forms were too purpose-built, every move aimed at an opponent's neck. For Charles and Stella, their swordplay needed to be tuned into a form with broader applicability.
With their inherent armaments in phantasmal form preventing injury, the two fought in earnest, making Tanjiro watch with his heart in his throat.
The Kamado family passed down Sun Breathing under the name Hinokami Kagura not out of secrecy.
When Sumiyoshi Kamado watched Yoriichi Tsugikuni perform the forms, he didn't know the name "Sun Breathing"; he only felt that Yoriichi, brandishing his blade, was like a god within the flames.
A kagura dedicated to the god of flame was, in Sumiyoshi's mind, the name most fitting for that sword art.
And at this moment, Charles and Stella gave Tanjiro the same feeling.
Flames flowed with each of their moves, blooming even more brilliantly as their blades clashed.
Wreathed in fire, the pair truly looked like dancing fire sprites.
But the beauty also signified danger. Only those who faced them could feel the formidable power contained in each technique.
After nearly an entire morning of exchanges, the two, their stamina bars nicked, finally stopped to rest.
While they were drinking tea, a kasugai crow alighted.
"Natagumo Mountain's position has been confirmed. Demons verified. Please depart at once!"
Watching the crow repeat itself, Charles couldn't help but wonder how the Corps had trained such remarkable creatures.
Kasugai crows possessed extraordinary intelligence and memory, able to understand orders and intel and deliver them to specific targets.
That wasn't something homing instinct alone could achieve.
Most crucially, the ability wasn't exclusive to crows; in the original story, Zenitsu's partner was a sparrow. Aside from being unable to speak, it had the same capabilities.
Hence Charles's curiosity about what method could cultivate such capable assistants.
Curious or not, it was time to move.
Tanjiro's growth had begun to slow. What he needed next was a battle that pressed him—perhaps even a brush with death.
Hunting an Upper Rank would be the worst kind of forced growth; the best targets were naturally the weaker Lower Ranks among the Twelve Kizuki.
And as it happened, Charles knew where one Lower Rank was. He knew the place name, though not the exact location.
So he had the crow send a message asking for the location of Natagumo Mountain, where Lower Rank Five, Rui, had gathered several demons.
The Corps worked quickly; in under half a day they confirmed the demon threat. The kasugai crow would guide the party to Natagumo Mountain.
After casually slaying a demon on the way, the group finally reached Natagumo Mountain.
A blood-red sunset seemed to stain part of the forest, while the rest lay in pitch darkness, the whole mountain exuding an ominous air.
Bold on the strength of their skill, they entered the woods as if on an outing. Though it was evening outside, the forest was already completely dark.
That environment made it easy for demons to move. No wonder that family of demons had made it their nest.
Tanjiro's nostrils flared. "Mr. Charles, the scent of demons is everywhere."
After special training of his sense of smell, Charles would only have been disappointed if Tanjiro hadn't noticed the anomaly.
The moment he stepped among the trees, Charles saw that something was strung between the ground and the woods.
Like a spider's great web, anyone stepping into the area would alert the demon lurking somewhere in the forest.
If Charles remembered right, the family of demons on Natagumo Mountain all had spider-like Blood Demon Arts.
And the one who had laid the web should be the Mother Spider Demon.
Charles said, "Since we've found it, let's track it to the source."
Tanjiro nodded and rushed off, moving nimbly through the forest.
Charles reached back and caught a strand of spider silk that quested toward him; fire flashed in his hand, and it burned to ash.
There was no need to get angry over a slight from a demon about to be slain. Charles said to Stella, "There are two more demons a bit farther out. We'll each take one, then rejoin Tanjiro."
Stella nodded in assent, and the two moved at once.
Charles slipped through the woods and stopped before a clearing. The stench was so pungent he sealed his sense of smell with mana, then looked with disgust at the small cabin dangling by several spider strands.
Besides the cabin, other things hung on the web—on closer look, a crowd of people with hair fallen out and limbs atrophied.
A crawling sound reached his ears as a swarm of spiders with human heads surrounded him.
The Brother Spider Demon's Blood Demon Art was a special toxin that warped a victim's body, eventually turning them into monsters like these.
Charles was already too late. The mutations in these people were too far along; whether they could be cured depended on luck. Even if they recovered, they would suffer serious sequelae.
The cause of it all was the Brother Spider Demon, descending on a strand above.
He too had a human head and spider body, but his size was several times that of the toxin-transformed victims.
"Hehehehe! More visitors. No swords? I thought it'd be another Demon Slayer swordsman!
What a pity. Compared to those Corps bastards, ordinary people struggle too little. Takes so much fun out of it!"
Several sparks of fire flared at Charles's side. On closer look, they were tiny spiders igniting where they touched.
The Brother Spider Demon spread poison not only by spitting venom but also by spawning small spiders whose bites would poison a victim.
But the instant these Blood Demon Art constructs touched Charles's mana, they turned to ash.
Charles sighed. "Even among demons, you're especially disgusting."
The Brother Spider Demon bared a feral look and roared, "What did you say, you mere human!"
Charles had no patience for his barking. In the next instant, the Brother Spider Demon felt the scene in his vision suddenly slide backward.
He only realized he'd been blown away when he slammed into the underside of the cabin, pain lancing through his body.
Then he became a ball of fire. The cabin went up with him. After a dozen seconds of screams, his body began to fracture and crumble to ash.
Charles lifted several victims hanging from the silk and set them on the ground.
With the Brother Spider Demon gone, they were freed from the control as well. Charles sprinkled antidote over them to provide temporary relief.
Further detox would require long-term treatment, which he would leave to the Corps.
Having done what he could, Charles headed in Tanjiro's direction.
Things were getting lively over there; it was time to take a look.
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