"It's that boar-headed idiot's fault! Now I'm completely lost!" Zenitsu sniffled, spinning in place as every direction looked exactly the same. "He chased me until I couldn't tell which way was which—and I missed my chance to stay next to Nezuko-chan… Damn it… I seriously want to cry."
"And why am I the only one left behind?! I hate this. I don't want to wander around alone in a place this creepy!"
"And what's wrong with this forest anyway?! Why are there spiders everywhere?! That awful rustling sound—ugh! I know they're just living their lives and it's not their fault, but they're still disgusting!"
"…Maybe I should just go back the way I came. I just want to be with everyone."
He sniffed again—but then his expression changed. He whipped around, irritation flaring.
"And it's been making that noise for a while now! Whoever you are, cut it out—"
"EEEEEEK—!!! What is THAT?!"
Something hung upside down from a branch overhead.
A spider.
With a human face.
Its pale, vacant eyes stared at him without blinking.
"A… a spider with a human face?"
For the first time since entering the forest, Zenitsu felt genuine despair claw at his chest.
This wasn't just scary.
This was wrong.
The spider began descending slowly along its thread.
It hit the ground.
And started crawling toward him.
Whatever fragile grip Zenitsu still had on his composure snapped.
He didn't even check which way he was facing—he just turned and bolted, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Nooooo—!!! What is this?! I've never seen anything like this in my life! Don't come any closer—!!! Stay back—!!! NOOOOO—!!!"
His thoughts short-circuited.
He ran harder than he ever had before, instinctively slipping into his Breathing without even realizing it. Branches whipped past him as he plunged deeper into the forest, shouting nonsense that barely formed words.
But he'd already burned through too much stamina being chased earlier. Before his lungs gave out completely, instinct forced him to stop.
[I ran that far… It must've lost me, right? Where am I? I need to find the way back.]
He bent over, gasping. The air reeked of something rotten.
When he finally looked up—
It was worse.
[What's that…? A house? Why is it floating? And that thing hanging there—is that a person? No… a spider? No—it's a person turning into a spider. Why? How is that even possible?]
"Hehe~ A Demon Slayer, is it?"
Zenitsu jerked his head toward the floating house. He couldn't make out the demon's shape clearly, but he heard it—that voice. That unmistakable tone only demons carried.
Strangely… it wasn't the voice that made his blood run cold. Compared to certain terrifying individuals within the Demon Slayer Corps, this one didn't even rank among the scariest presences he'd encountered.
What truly froze him was the sound behind him.
A faint rustling.
Then another.
Then many.
Slowly, he turned.
Human-faced spiders were crawling out from every direction, closing in.
There was a brief, stunned silence—
—and then Zenitsu shrieked and scrambled up the nearest tree, clinging to the bark like his life depended on it. Right now, the crawling swarm below was far more horrifying than the unseen demon in the air.
"What's wrong? How did someone this pathetic become a swordsman?"
Zenitsu forced himself to glance back at the floating house.
His pupils shrank.
His fingers shook.
"S-so big… That's not just a spider… That's a demon, isn't it?"
"Hehe… You're lucky. You made it this far without being poisoned."
The voice dripped with cruel amusement.
"But that luck's run out. There's nowhere left to flee."
Zenitsu looked down.
The swarm was gathering at the base of the tree.
The warmth drained from his limbs, replaced by a creeping cold.
[This is bad… I need to run. I should run. I'm not built for something like this.]
He swallowed hard.
[Like this, I can't even grip my sword properly. If I run… Grandpa wouldn't yell at me. At worst, Kaigaku would laugh—]
He tensed, about to leap to another branch—
And stopped.
[No. I can't run. If I do, people will whisper about Grandpa. He's already suffered enough because of Kaigaku. I can't make it worse.
But… I can't do this either. I'm not built for this. I'm too scared. I can't even keep my grip steady. I'm exhausted. If I stay, I'll die. I know I will.
So maybe I should run. I just want to see Grandpa again… I want to go home alive.
He only has me left. If I survive, that's what matters… right?
…Right?]
"Hehe~ What's wrong? Too frightened to move? And you call yourself a swordsman?"
The demon's jeering voice droned on, but Zenitsu barely registered it.
His eyes were locked on the human-faced spiders climbing steadily toward him.
His whole body trembled.
[This is a nightmare. It has to be. No way something like this is real. Someone—please—tell me I'm dreaming.
If I wake up, I'll train properly. I'll work harder than anyone. I swear.
And if I wake up on Nezuko-chan's lap… that would be even better.
I'll fight for her. I'll—]
Suddenly, fangs snapped where his hand had been.
Zenitsu jerked sideways, barely avoiding them, and landed on another branch. Gasping, he raised both hands and slapped himself hard across the face.
"Pull yourself together, Zenitsu! Don't shame Grandpa! You have to fight!"
"Hehe… Trying to encourage yourself?"
The spider demon's grin widened.
"It won't help. Once the venom enters your body, it's over. See these spiders? That's what you'll become."
"Shut up! Just shut up! I don't want to hear it!"
The demon only laughed.
"First your limbs will go numb. Then they'll ache. You'll feel dizzy… sick. After that, the pain begins. Your bones will warp. Your body will shrink. And before you know it, you'll be crawling at my feet."
A soft, delighted chuckle.
"It only takes thirty minutes. And you're already exhausted, aren't you? How long do you think you can keep dodging? The moment one of them touches you…"
He let the sentence hang.
"…it's over."
[So that's it… Not even one mistake allowed?]
Zenitsu's throat tightened. Each breath scraped painfully through his chest.
[No. I don't want that. After everything… am I really going to end up like those grotesque things? That can't be how this ends. It can't be.]
Then—
A faint rustle above him.
Instinct made him look up.
A pair of pale, lifeless eyes stared down.
Something inside him—held taut since the moment he saw the first spider—finally snapped.
His vision went white.
Zenitsu's eyes rolled back.
And he fell.