A night as dark as pitch, without a single point of light. The dense forest was submerged in deep darkness that seemed to swallow even the moonlight.
Every time the moisture-laden wind blew, the leaves wept desolately, and between them, a fishy blood scent and rotten stench stabbed at the nose.
Walking up that gloomy forest path was Akira and his group.
By Akira's side, Kanae and Shinobu, and Kanao followed silently. Kanao walked with her usual quiet eyes that showed no emotion, gazing only at Akira's back.
And following behind them, the demon, Mukago.
"Ugh... I really hate the atmosphere here. It's damp and feels bad."
She grumbled while fastening her collar with thick fur. Originally timid by nature, she was thoroughly intimidated by the sticky spider webs draped over the entire forest and the ominous demonic aura.
However, the presence of Akira walking ahead gave an absolute sense of relief greater than any fear.
Above the sky, Nobunaga was conducting reconnaissance, fluttering her red cloak.
"Hmm, there are swarms of rat-like creatures. Master! There are a bunch of annoying things ahead!"
As soon as Nobunaga shouted, bizarre movements were detected in the darkness.
Clatter, clatter.
Demon Slayer Corps members with oddly bent joints walked out from the shadows of the forest. They were already corpses with life activities ceased, but were forced to move by the spider webs connected to their backs.
Their eyes were whitely rolled back, and no painful groans even flowed from their mouths.
Kanae and Shinobu frowned and stopped, and in the instant Kanao's hand naturally moved toward her sword hilt.
Pat!
As if there was no need for Kanao to draw her sword, Mukago darted forward like an arrow.
"There's no need for Master and the young ladies to get involved! I'll handle these small fry!"
Mukago, who was once Lower Moon Six.
Since becoming Akira's servant, she had grown dramatically by receiving high-quality meals and power from him, even though she was the weakest Lower Moon.
Now her strength was incomparable to her past self, having become a monster approaching Lower Moon Two.
Mukago's hand sliced through the air. Her sharp claws cut the spider webs in an instant, and the moving corpses collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut.
The corps members with cut strings fell to the ground like broken puppets. They were corpses that had long since stopped breathing.
"Hmph, daring to block Master's path."
A fishy smile hung on Mukago's lips after quickly disposing of the corpses. The instinctive hunger as a demon tickled her stomach.
Seeing the fresh(?) corpses sprawled before her, an unbearable appetite surged.
"Hehe... it's been so long since I last fed."
Mukago picked up one corpse and opened her mouth wide. But soon, as if she realized something was amiss, she hesitated and glanced at Akira's expression.
"Um, uh... Master? These guys, they seem already dead... can I dispose of them?"
Akira looked down at the corpses with an expressionless face. They were pitiful victims, but already in an irreversible state.
"Do as you please. They're empty shells anyway."
"Thank you! I'll eat well!"
As soon as Akira's permission was given, Mukago began greedily devouring the corpses as if possessed.
Watching this scene, Shinobu's eyebrow twitched, and Kanae quietly put her hands together and turned her head. Kanao remained expressionless, but a bit more strength entered her hand gripping the sword.
As if expecting their reactions, Akira waited without any restraint until Mukago finished her meal.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, the Spider Mother covered her mouth in terror.
"Eek...! My puppets, in an instant...!"
She trembled and pulled out her trump card.
"Stop them! Go tear those bastards apart right now!"
As she desperately moved her fingers, a giant shadow appeared from the darkness of the forest.
Thud, thud, thud.
A heavy vibration shaking the ground. Pushing through the trees, what appeared was a giant humanoid monster.
But bizarrely, it had no head.
The body of the once Spider Uncle, who had his head cut off as punishment from Rui. With no head, it couldn't even let out a roar.
Only emitting murderous intent in overwhelming silence, without rough breathing or monstrous screams, it charged forward.
A silent killing machine. That evoked even greater fear.
"Hmph, just a big puppet!"
Mukago, full of power after her meal, sneered. To her now, a mere puppet with only brute strength was no threat.
The headless giant slammed down a heavy fist, but Mukago lightly twisted her body to avoid it.
Crash!
As the fist embedded in the ground, dust rose. She didn't miss that gap and climbed up the giant's arm.
"Since the Lower Moon days, Master has changed, so I'll show you my power on a different level! Farewell, headless ghost!"
A chilling cold air swirled around her leg.
Thwack!
Mukago's kick struck the neck section where the head should be. Simultaneously, she tore the thick bundle of threads connected to its back with her claws.
Crash!
The giant with cut strings fell to the ground like a massive lump of meat without making a sound. Mukago mercilessly stomped on the fallen creature's limbs, crushing them so it couldn't even regenerate.
"Found it! 2 o'clock direction, up in the tree!"
Nobunaga's voice came from the sky.
Mukago didn't hesitate and leaped out. Without a moment to catch her breath, she jumped into the tree and grabbed the scruff of the Spider Mother, who was trying to flee in terror.
"Kyaaah! Sp, spare me!"
Thrown to the ground, the Spider Mother trembled and prostrated at Akira's feet.
"R, Rui made me do it... please, just spare my life...!"
As Akira expressionlessly raised his hand, Mukago urgently intervened.
"M, Master! Wait a moment!"
"Why?"
Mukago hesitated and spoke up.
"Um... this one, instead of killing her, can I keep her with me?"
Akira raised his eyebrows as if surprised.
"Keep her?"
"Yes, that is... I've gained some seniority now, and wouldn't it be nice to have a subordinate or two? At the mansion, I'm always treated as the youngest... This one's thread ability seems useful too, and I'll educate her well to use her for Master! Okay? Please!"
Mukago sent a pleading look for her escape from being the youngest.
If you think about it, she was an upper-tier Lower Moon, originally the 12th rank among all demons excluding Muzan who is rank 0. Such a she has been under Akira, not suffering, eating humans, living in a good environment, and doing well.
But still the lowest rank. That point was always dissatisfying and regrettable, but since Ubume is also a demon and a senior, and stronger than her. As for her, there was no way to do anything.
And now, there was a solution.
Akira pondered for a moment and then chuckled. Since Mukago was quite reliable in handling tasks, it wasn't bad to reward her.
"Fine. But you're responsible for managing her. If she causes trouble, it's on you."
"Thank you, Master! Hey, you hear that? You're my subordinate now! Know your honor!"
Mukago puffed up her chest and patted the Spider Mother's back.
Akira approached the Spider Mother and made a wound on his hand to draw blood.
"Open your mouth. If you want to live, drink this."
The Spider Mother, trembling with fear, drank Akira's blood to survive.
It was not mere blood. It was the blood of contract, combining Tamamo's sorcery and Akira's unique constitution, severing Muzan's curse and establishing a new master-servant relationship.
The Spider Mother instinctively sensed that the blood was dangerous, but had no power to refuse. She drank Akira's blood with trembling lips.
"Guh...! Aaah!"
As the blood entered her body, she writhed in terrible pain. It felt as if every cell in her body was twisting and reconstructing.
The fear of Muzan and Rui that dominated her mind faded, replaced by absolute obedience to Akira.
After a while, the pain subsided, and changes appeared in her body. Her bloodless skin gained vitality, and her unstable demonic aura stabilized, feeling much stronger than before.
She was completely reborn as a new being.
"Master... thank you for giving me a new life..."
The Spider Mother, no, now she who became Akira's subordinate, bowed her head deeply.
The Spider Mother bowed her head in emotion. Mukago was excited, saying "Good, good! You're now my subordinate No.1!" and jumped around.
At that moment.
Sizzle~!
Something flew from the branches above. It was a purple spitball emitting a sticky and poisonous smell.
Kanao was startled, but Shinobu and Kanae did not move. Because Mukago in front of them was already moving.
"How dare you!"
As Mukago spread her arms, the hem of her fur-trimmed kimono fluttered. Then, the surrounding air instantly chilled rapidly, and white breath burst out.
"Blood Demon Art: White Snow Fortress!"
The cold air emanating from her collar instantly froze the space before her, forming a solid ice wall. The flying poison liquid touched the ice wall and sizzled~ as it froze, then plopped to the ground.
"Hehehe! Not bad? Blocking my poison!"
From the tree above, a hideous demon with a spider head on a human body, the Spider Brother, hung upside down and laughed.
"Ah, really ugly. Ruins my appetite."
Mukago made a disgusted expression and shook her hand.
"Daring to cause trouble before Master and my subordinate? I'll freeze you solid and shatter you, you bug."
Mukago stretched her hand forward. Small orbs tinged with red light formed at her fingertips. They looked like red berries (Mukago), but contained compressed cold and explosive energy.
"Blood Demon Art: Scattering Ice Bombs!"
As she swung her hand, dozens of red orbs rushed toward the Spider Brother like shotgun pellets.
"This petty thing!"
The Spider Brother tried to evade, but Mukago's grown strength reached Lower Moon Two level. That speed was not something a lowly demon like Spider Brother could avoid.
Boom!
The moment the orbs touched the Spider Brother's body, they exploded. Not flames, but cold that tore flesh and sharp ice fragments scattered in all directions.
"Kyaah! What is this! My body, my body won't move!"
With the explosion, the Spider Brother's body instantly began to freeze white with frost. It was Mukago's Blood Demon Art containing the harsh cold of the northern regions.
"It's over."
Mukago clenched her fist. Then, the Spider Brother, completely frozen to the bone. The frozen Spider Brother's body couldn't support its weight and fell from the tree.
Crash!
The Spider Brother that fell to the ground shattered into pieces like glass. A perfect death without even a chance to regenerate.
It was the end of a lowly demon who couldn't even imagine the opponent was a Lower Moon-level demon, unaware of the gap in strength.
"Hmph, nothing much."
Mukago snorted and brushed off the ice powder on her clothes.
"Ooh...! Mukago-sama, you're amazing!"
The Spider Mother, no, Subordinate No.1, clapped with sparkling eyes. Mukago rubbed under her nose as if embarrassed, but the smile on her lips was undeniable.
Akira glanced at the shattered remains of the Spider Brother and turned his head.
"Eating such small fry wouldn't even fill my stomach. Let's go, to Rui."
The group moved their steps again. The forest entrance and mid-slope were cleared.
Now remaining are the Spider Sister and Spider Father, or since it's a time before the original story, there might be other family members. But anyway, they have no business with them.
What he intends to take is the Spider Father, who seems usable as a gatekeeper.
And only the true ruler of this mountain, Lower Moon Five Rui.
"Master~ can I kill the next one? Let me shoot too!"
"Except for Spider Father or Rui."
Nobunaga was itching to do something, and Akira decided to leave the next opponent to her.
"Hey, are there other female demons besides you?"
"Uh, there's one demon in the sister role."
"Ooh, having one more is a windfall! Master likes women, right? I'll make her my subordinate too. It's good to have a familiar face, isn't it?"
"Mukago?"
"Eek!? I, I misspoke, Master!"
Akira had a lot to say about Mukago's comment that he likes women, but since Shinobu and Kanae were smiling slyly and watching, he just kept quiet.
"Sigh, do as you like."
"Th, thank you! Yay!"
Anyway, Mukago was lucky today.