Once Tanjiro was hurled away, the riverside fell silent, save for the roar of the current and the faint rustle of trees.
Inosuke stood alone.
His gaze fixed on the hulking figure across the water—the Spider Father. The demon's monstrous arms twitched, ready to strike at any moment.
For the first time, a strange feeling knotted inside Inosuke's chest. Fear.
The brief clash had been enough to tell him—this thing was stronger. Stronger than him, stronger than almost anything he had fought before.
Should I run?
The thought stabbed him, unwelcome. But then, Tanjiro's parting words echoed through his mind.
"Inosuke, don't die before I come back."
Inosuke grit his teeth. His pride, his hunger to prove himself, drowned out the fear. He snarled beneath the boar mask.
"Hmph! I'll show you which is harder—your arms, or my blades!"
He surged forward, water splashing beneath his feet, two serrated swords flashing under the moonlight. This time, he shifted his grip—one blade held ready, the other angled to strike against it.
At five meters, he leapt from the current, descending upon the Spider Father. The demon raised a massive arm to block, just as Inosuke had predicted. His right blade dug into the thick flesh—but again, the cut went only an inch deep, trapped by the monster's immense muscles.
Inosuke grinned savagely. "Perfect."
He raised his other sword and brought it crashing down on the embedded blade.
Clang!
The steel rang out, driving the first blade deeper.
He struck again, and again, each impact forcing the sword further into the demon's arm. Blood gushed in black torrents, splattering the stones.
Finally—with a tearing rip—the arm severed, flying loose.
The Spider Father bellowed, reeling back, clutching the stump.
Inosuke landed lightly, chest heaving. Triumph flooded him.
See that, Tanjiro? I don't need help to take him down!
The demon staggered, then abruptly turned and fled into the woods, its heavy steps shaking the ground.
"Running away? Don't think you can escape from me!" Inosuke roared, bounding after it.
He followed the blood trail through the trees until he reached a clearing. The silence here was heavy, moonlight painting the ground silver.
No demon in sight.
Inosuke narrowed his eyes, then closed them, stretching his senses.
Beast Breathing… Spatial Awareness.
The world shifted in his mind's eye.
He felt it—hidden above.
Inosuke pointed both blades toward the canopy. "I see you, coward!"
The Spider Father stirred, slowly rising from where it crouched in a fork of the tree. Its growl reverberated through the clearing.
But then Inosuke froze.
Under the pale moonlight, the demon gripped its own flesh—and began tearing. Black strips of skin fell like discarded husks.
Shedding its skin?
The sight made even Inosuke falter.
By the time the grotesque ritual ended, the monster stood reborn.
Its flesh gleamed dark and glossy. The severed arm was whole once more, barbs sprouting along its limbs. Its aura pressed outward like a suffocating storm.
It leapt down before Inosuke, roaring, the sound shaking the forest.
The beast's punch came so fast that even Inosuke's sharp instincts faltered. He raised his arms, but the impact was like a mountain falling.
CRACK!
Pain exploded. His body hurtled backward, slamming through branches until he crashed against a tree. Agony seared his arms and chest, the weight of the blow still crushing him long after.
His vision blurred. Darkness lapped at the edges. For a moment, Inosuke almost blacked out.
But stubbornness kept him clinging to consciousness. I won't… lose…
He staggered up, coughing, spitting blood under the boar mask. His blades lay in the dirt; he snatched them up with trembling hands.
He could run. The thought whispered again. Run, before it ends here.
But Tanjiro's words cut through the haze. If he fled, Tanjiro might search for him, only to walk straight into this monster.
No. He couldn't leave.
"If he says he'll come, then… he'll come," Inosuke muttered, forcing his legs to stand. "Until then, I'll fight!"
The Spider Father lunged, swinging down another colossal fist.
Inosuke sprang, landing on the arm itself, using it as a foothold. He twisted over the demon's head, both blades crossing.
"Beast Breathing, Third Fang—Devour!"
His swords raked against the thick neck, pulling in opposite directions like tearing jaws. Sparks burst as steel scraped against impossibly tough flesh.
But horror sank in—his blades wouldn't cut. The neck felt harder than stone.
A sharp crack echoed. Then another.
Both Nichirin blades snapped, jagged stubs all that remained.
Inosuke's stomach dropped. No… my swords—!
The demon's retaliation came instantly. A fist slammed into his chest.
"GAAHHH!"
Blood burst from his mouth as he flew, body crashing against another tree before tumbling into the dirt. His chest burned, each breath wet with copper.
He lay gasping, stars spinning in his vision.
His arms twitched weakly. The monster loomed above, casting its shadow over him.
The Spider Father leapt, both fists raised high, descending like an avalanche.
Inosuke stared upward, despair gnawing for the first time. This… is it…
But then—
The demon froze mid-air. Its posture twisted, shifting abruptly from attack to defense. Its head snapped toward the treeline, as if sensing another threat.
It landed heavily a short distance away, retreating into the shadows with surprising agility.
Inosuke blinked, dazed. "What… just happened?"
Then he saw it.
A figure stepped from the woods, bathed in moonlight. Snow-white garments of the Demon Slayer Corps, a uniform gleaming with the emblem stitched upon the chest.
A fellow slayer.
Relief, strange and uncharacteristic, washed over Inosuke. His battered body slumped against a tree, chest heaving.
The newcomer's face came into focus.
It was Yukishiro.
Following the instructions of the white-clad girl, he had come to this river in search of Rui, the Lower Moon. But instead, he arrived to find a monstrous demon bearing down upon a fallen comrade.
Without hesitation, he drew his blade. His stance was calm, controlled, his voice low.
"Breathing of Time—Seventh Form: Broken Time Rain."
The blade sang as it cut through the night. A ripple of force struck outward, disrupting the Spider Father's attack and forcing the beast to leap back.
Inosuke's eyes widened beneath the boar mask. His battered chest burned, his arms screamed in pain—but his heart thumped with wild relief.
He's one of us.
The tide of battle had shifted.
...
Join my P@treon for advance chapters and special content!
[email protected]/Victor_Hale