Aug"..."
Giyu Tomioka did not speak.
His lowered eyes and tightly sealed lips conveyed a sense of sternness.
His pure black hair fluttered in the night sky.
Kochou Shinobu was used to it.
Gathering her thoughts, she looked straight ahead, pondering how to deal with the demons of Mt. Natagumo.
If they had devoured many humans, what kind of death should be given to them?
Oh my~
If demons and humans could coexist peacefully, that would be wonderful…
Unfortunately, it was but a delusion.
…
"Bakudo Number One: Sai!"
In the forest.
Spider Mother abruptly stopped in her tracks.
Her limbs felt as if they were bound, and she lunged forward, instantly crashing into a large tree.
Boom.
Leaves and branches flew everywhere, and her breathing became ragged.
Ignoring her fear, she tried her best to prop herself up with her hands, hoping to get up and continue to flee.
However, her hands and ankles were beyond her control.
This caused Spider Mother's body to tremble even more!
An incomprehensible ability.
She was a demon!
Why couldn't she even crawl!
Dare not speak aloud, for fear of startling the heavenly beings.
She struggled to crawl, as humble as a caterpillar.
Bang.
At this moment, accompanied by the scattering of mud, Tsugikuni Yoriichi appeared before her.
His red eyes, like a blood moon, emitted an unspeakable oppressive force.
Spider Mother's throat convulsed, making it difficult to breathe.
For the first time in her life, she was so close to death.
Even when she was turned into a demon by Rui, howling all night, she had never experienced such astonishing pain.
It felt as if her soul was being sliced into countless fragments by a sharp blade.
In a short while.
Memories from deep within her bloodline began to surface one by one before her eyes.
Bamboo forest…
Scorching Blade…
Haze…
Nichirin…
Wait…
Whose memory was this?
Just as she was about to "see" more clearly…
Tsugikuni Yoriichi's unperturbed voice rang out, breaking the surrounding silence:
"Kibutsuji Muzan… where is he?"
"Answer me."
"Demon."
Who?
Spider Mother regained her senses.
Muzan-sama?
This demon slayer… no, this fellow, who looked more like a demon than a demon, actually wanted to find Muzan-sama?!
Her white pupils trembled slightly, and her breathing gradually froze, feeling utterly absurd.
How could she possibly know where Muzan-sama was?
Even Rui, as a Lower Rank demon, hadn't seen Muzan-sama in a long time…
This question was like asking an ordinary soldier how to assassinate a general…
"I…"
Spider Mother suppressed her breathing, tentatively speaking, trying to gain some chance of survival for herself.
However, before she could finish, Tsugikuni Yoriichi captured the emotions revealed in her eyes and understood everything:
"You don't know…"
"Very well."
"As a demon, your fate is sealed."
"Be on your way."
Her sins were too profound, and Yoriichi gave her no room for argument.
Whoosh!
An invisible flash of a blade swept across the night sky like the wind, and Spider Mother's head was severed instantly.
The pupils in her eyes froze at that moment.
Even after being decapitated, her head rolled to the ground.
She hadn't even seen when Yoriichi had drawn his blade…
Only one thought managed to flash through her mind.
—So fast!
…
"So fast!"
Not far away, in the dim forest.
Spider Sister, who had secretly followed Spider Mother, witnessed her "mother" being instantly killed.
The shock in her eyes was beyond words.
Her pale hands covered her mouth, trying her best not to make a sound, and her petite body trembled slightly under the chilling killing intent.
How could such a powerful demon slayer appear on this mountain?
Was he a Hashira?
No!
Even a Hashira couldn't fly!
This was knowledge she had learned when she was human!
An instinctive feeling told her that she had to leave this place as quickly as possible.
Although when she saw Tsugikuni Yoriichi's profile, she always had a strange sense of déjà vu.
But at this critical moment, any déjà vu was less important than a sense of security.
Rustle rustle~
She carefully shuffled her feet, slowly backing away, thinking that the demon slayer hadn't noticed her…
However, just as she took one step back.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi's gaze suddenly turned to her.
As if piercing through countless branches and leaves, his gaze was like a knife, his aura like ice, stinging her mind.
She felt her heart skip a beat.
Then, all her limbs were severed.
"Eh!?"
Falling to the ground like a doll, Spider Sister's underdeveloped brain immediately stopped functioning.
The full moon in the sky reflected in her eyes, and pain flooded her mind like a tide, accompanied by the sound of footsteps on the ground, she couldn't comprehend what was happening.
She struggled to look around.
Her arms were gushing blood, making a "hissing" sound, and the cross-sections were as smooth as a mirror, revealing distinct muscle and bone textures…
The part below her waist had vanished without a trace.
The injuries weren't severe, but… they couldn't regenerate.
At the same time, a burning pain, as if being scorched by the sun, spread from the wounds.
It was visible that the severed parts were gradually turning into ash…
This scene was as terrifying to her as Muzan seeing Yoriichi.
Her thoughts stopped for a moment, and then fear instantly turned into a surging tsunami, washing over her mind.
—Am I going to die?
No!!
Rustle…
Fallen leaves were crushed, and Yoriichi stepped forward, his gaze lowered, interrupting her thoughts:
"Tell me Muzan's location, demon."
Although the demon before him looked very young, demons could not be judged by their appearance.
In Yoriichi's estimation, she had devoured at least fifty humans.
That was twice as many as Spider Mother.
Therefore, there was no need to hold back.
Spider Sister was in immense pain due to her condition.
Facing Yoriichi's question, knowing this was her only chance to survive, she spoke without hesitation: "I don't know! But I can take you to Rui!"
"He's a Lower Rank, he knows!"
In a critical moment, betrayal was unavoidable.
During the decades she had been a demon, the reason she was able to maintain her position as a sister and not be dealt with by Rui was her ability to adapt to circumstances.
Betraying Rui…
She might die.
Not betraying…
She glanced at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, her heart filled with horror—she would die!
"Lower Rank?"
Seeing Spider Sister's attempt to stall for time, Yoriichi gripped his sword hilt, lowered his gaze, and said calmly:
"There's no need."
"Since you can take me to him, it means he's also in this forest…"
"Why should I spare you?"
"I will not spare any human-eating demon, just as you demons will not spare any human…"
"Since you have nothing else to say."
"Then farewell."
"I hope in your next life."
"You can be reborn as a good person."
"Goodbye."
That indifferent tone was like the final judgment from hell.
The moment Yoriichi's words fell, Spider Sister's head was also thrown high into the air.
The spurting blood bloomed like a red spider lily in the night.
A look of unwillingness was permanently fixed on her face.
Yoriichi paid it no mind, and after absorbing a certain amount of reishi, he continued towards the place with the densest demon aura.