Chapter 77 – Natagumo Mountain (5)
The girl in white froze, her entire body trembling.
So fast…!
She hadn't even seen him move. One moment, her silken threads surged forward; the next, a blade of winter cold was at her throat.
Yukishiro had dropped to one knee, his breath calm as frost. His Nichirin Blade pressed lightly against her neck, the chill seeping into her veins.
From the outside, it looked almost like an embrace, his face hovering close to her ear, but his voice left no illusion.
"Don't move," he murmured, cold enough to pierce bone. "Or I'll cut your neck right now."
"I… I won't move," the girl stammered. Blood bubbled faintly at her lips, her words broken by the steel through her throat. "Please… please don't kill me."
Her body betrayed her, however—shaking violently, as though every instinct screamed that her end had come.
Yukishiro's eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
"I… I'm Rui's sister," she whispered, voice faltering.
"Rui?" His tone sharpened.
"Yes… yes, my brother—no! He's not my real brother!" Her eyes darted wildly, desperate, pleading.
"I was forced into it! He… he's the Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki."
The words struck Yukishiro like thunder.
"The Twelve… Kizuki?" He almost thought he'd misheard. But her trembling nod confirmed it.
His pulse quickened. He hadn't expected this.
Not here. Not on this mountain. The Twelve Kizuki—the demons closest to Muzan himself, bearers of his power. If Rui truly was among them, then the massacre of Demon Slayers here made sense. Only such a foe could have carved such devastation.
For a moment, Yukishiro's stoicism cracked.
Beneath his calm mask, his breath grew rough, emotions storming in his chest.
The Twelve Kizuki… If I can find him—if he's here—
Could he know something? Could he have seen her?
"Where can I find him?" Yukishiro's voice cut sharp, urgent.
The girl flinched.
Her lips parted. "He's… he's…"
But she faltered. Fear twisted her features. She knew Rui's strength. These two in front of her were formidable, yes, but compared to Rui? They would be slaughtered. If he discovered her betrayal, her fate would be worse than death.
Her eyes flickered. In that instant, she decided.
"He's… by the river," she whispered.
Yukishiro's gaze drilled into her. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"No—no! How could I lie? I wouldn't dare."
His blade pressed deeper for a moment, enough to draw a drop of blood. Then he spoke with finality:
"It doesn't matter. It's enough to know the Twelve Kizuki are here."
Her eyes widened. "W-wait, you said—"
His wrist flicked. The blade sang.
Her head left her shoulders, soaring upward in stunned silence.
"Didn't you… say you wouldn't kill me…?"
The words broke from her lips as disbelief etched her fading face.
But Yukishiro's voice never wavered. I never said that.
With a final clang, the Nichirin Blade slid back into its sheath. Yukishiro rose, his expression cold as ice, and without a backward glance, sprinted into the forest. His direction was clear: toward the river.
…
Mitsune stood frozen, breath caught in her throat.
She had seen Yukishiro ruthless before, but this? To kill so coldly after a plea for mercy? He hadn't even spared her a word.
He had simply left, vanishing into the woods.
Her heart clenched. He's angry… I pushed him too far this time.
The cocoon near the fallen demon stirred. With the girl's death, the silk bindings slackened. From within, Murata struggled free, gasping for air, his body slick with acid burns. He ripped the clinging threads away, panting, his chest bare where fabric had melted.
When he looked up and saw the demon's body collapsing into ash—and Mitsune standing there—his face lit with relief.
"You… you killed her?"
His voice shook, equal parts disbelief and gratitude. "Thank you! If it weren't for you, I'd have melted into a puddle of blood by now."
Mitsune blinked, startled. She turned her gaze toward him, her mind racing.
Yukishiro… Did he leave because he sensed this man's danger? He abandoned the corpses because they were beyond saving, but this one… he was still alive. Was that it?
Her lips parted in silent realization.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe… I misunderstood him completely.
Guilt pressed heavy on her chest. She had accused him of cruelty, of heartlessness. But perhaps he had been right all along. Saving the living took precedence.
The dead… nothing could be done for them.
She forced a small smile at Murata, nodding faintly, though her heart remained conflicted. Then, without another word, she darted into the trees, chasing after Yukishiro.
Murata watched her go, the pink of her haori vanishing into the dark. Relief swelled in him. Twice now in one night, he had escaped death. First Tanjiro, now this girl. He glanced at the rank marking on her uniform. Mizunoto.
He exhaled a shaky laugh. Since when are Mizunoto this strong?
…
Elsewhere, in another part of the forest, Zenitsu staggered beneath the heavy boughs.
"Tanjiro? Nezuko?" His voice cracked as he shouted, though no answer came. He scratched at his hair, nearly tearing it out.
"Why did I have to get separated?!"
The woods pressed around him, endless, unfamiliar. Each tree looked like the last. He had lost the path completely.
After wandering aimlessly, he stumbled into a clearing bathed in silver moonlight.
And there he saw it.
A wooden house suspended in the air, hanging like a grotesque ornament, threads of spider silk anchoring it to the treetops.
Zenitsu's jaw dropped. "W-what the…?"
A noise drew his gaze. From the house, something crawled out—a monstrous figure. A human head atop the bloated body of a spider.
The demon's eyes squinted with joy. "Hehehe… prey wandered in on its own."
Zenitsu's knees nearly gave way. "N-no way…"
But exhaustion pressed down on him. His legs ached. He collapsed against a tree trunk, sliding to the ground
He muttered weakly, "Tanjiro… Nezuko… where are you?"
The forest gave no answer.
Then—pain lanced his hand. "Ow!" He jerked it upward. A tiny wound bled on the back of his hand, barely larger than a bean. A fist-sized spider scuttled away into the underbrush.
Zenitsu's eyes bulged. "S-spiders again?!" He snatched up a stone and flung it wildly. "Tanjiro, I've been bitten! Come save me!"
His voice echoed through the forest, desperate, trembling. He knew Tanjiro wasn't here. He knew no one was. But shouting gave him courage. If he didn't, his fear would consume him whole.
A voice slithered from behind a tree. "Hey… I'm here to save you."
Zenitsu's heart leapt. "Tanjiro?!"
He turned, hope lighting his face—
Only to see a nightmare.
A grotesque human head peered at him from behind the trunk, its body hidden. When it stepped into the moonlight, the horror revealed itself a spider's body supporting that twisted human face.
Zenitsu screamed, scrambling backward, his hair standing on end.
The demon grinned. "Hehehe… no one who enters this mountain leaves alive. The Tanjiro you mentioned? My family probably ate him already.
And you—" drool slid from its mouth "—you're next."
Zenitsu's words tumbled over each other in panic. "A… a demon!"
"Stop him," the creature ordered.
The forest erupted. Dozens of monstrosities leapt from the shadows—each with a spider's body and a human head leering with grotesque grins.
Zenitsu bolted, shrieking, "Don't chase me, don't chase me! Tanjiro, save meeee!"
He ran blindly, eyes squeezed shut, limbs flailing. But after only a few steps, dizziness struck. His vision blurred. His legs wobbled.
"What… what's happening? Why… do I feel so weak…?"
Behind him, the spider demon laughed, voice dripping with cruelty. "Hehehe… coward. Look at your hand."
Zenitsu's gaze dropped to the bite wound. The skin around it was darkening, the venom spreading.
...
Join my P@treon for advance chapters and special content!
[email protected]/Victor_Hale