Although this Demon Slayer Corps member did not know about Sukuna, he could still tell that something Insect Hashira Shinobu-sama warned about so seriously was no joke.
After all, she was one of the current Nine Hashira. No matter what happened, he could never assume Shinobu had betrayed the Corps.
He also noticed that Sukuna was wearing a Demon Slayer Corps uniform. That relaxed him somewhat.
Shinobu urged him. "Answer Sukuna-sama's question quickly!"
Hearing her serious prompting, he obediently began to explain. "After receiving the kasugai crow's orders, I arrived here with nine other members. But not long after entering the forest, the team suddenly started killing each other..."
Just as he finished speaking, another Demon Slayer Corps member appeared in the distance. His behaviour very strange.
He was not standing so much as being held up, as if he might collapse at any moment. He was not gripping his Nichirin blade properly. His head hung low as if he were asleep.
The swordsman who had just spoken pointed at that figure and said to Shinobu and Sukuna, "Yes, exactly like that!"
Then more Demon Slayer Corps members appeared one after another in similar states. But instead of killing each other as he had described, they all faced the three with clear hostility.
"Idiot. They're not killing each other. They're being controlled. Can't you see the threads manipulating them?"
Sukuna glanced at the suddenly appearing swordsmen and spoke to the young swordsman in a highly dismissive tone.
The swordsman froze. After Sukuna pointed out this detail, he understood the truth. This was the only way to explain his comrades' strange behavior.
"Alright. Go ahead." Sukuna urged him.
"...?"
Shinobu and the swordsman both paused, not understanding Sukuna's meaning.
Sukuna raised an eyebrow in annoyance and asked the swordsman, "Aren't they your comrades? Now that you know the core of the problem, shouldn't you go save them?"
"But there are so many of them. I can't do it alone. Aren't you here to help?" the swordsman asked in confusion.
Sukuna did not waste words. He grabbed the swordsman by the head and threw him bodily into the fray, answering the question with his actions.
When the swordsman was suddenly thrown, the controlled swordsmen hesitated for a moment. They clearly had not anticipated this development.
But the hesitation was brief. Under the control of the spider threads, they immediately raised their Nichirin blades and attacked the swordsman.
Blood and the swordsman's cries bloomed under the moonlight.
Seeing this, Shinobu's right hand hovered near her Nichirin handle. She hesitated several times, wanting to draw her blade and save the swordsman. In the end, she abandoned the idea.
But she could not help asking, "Did Sukuna-sama not promise not to harm Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen...?"
Sukuna gave an amused expression. "I didn't kill him. I even gave him a crucial hint. Is there a problem?"
"But by himself, he cannot handle this situation..."
"Oh, is that so? Maybe he'll awaken the Mark facing this kind of danger. If he does, a few controlled puppets would be nothing, right?"
Sukuna described his hypothesis lightly, as if awakening the Mark were an easy thing.
Shinobu could only remain silent.
The swordsman, caught off guard, took considerable damage from the controlled puppets. His situation deteriorated further. His injuries practically eliminated any chance of escape.
But that lethal disadvantage also suppressed his panic. Because now, there was no option but to fight.
Unfortunately, he was not a Hashira. Just an ordinary Corps member.
Even though he pushed himself to hundred and twenty percent of his potential in this hopeless situation, he still could not awaken the Mark like Kyojuro Rengoku and Gyomei Himejima had.
Moreover, even a two hundred percent boost could not compensate for his mediocre foundation.
And some of the puppets controlled by the spider threads were not even fully dead. Facing former comrades, the swordsman was restrained.
Sukuna watched the outcome with amusement. The swordsman was eventually gravely wounded and then controlled by the spider threads in the same way. He raised his Nichirin blade toward Sukuna and Shinobu.
Sukuna seriously considered the battle he had just witnessed. In terms of danger level, it had certainly been sufficient. Losing would have meant certain death.
For a swordsman of that caliber, the situation was essentially equivalent to Kyojuro Rengoku and Gyomei Himejima facing Sukuna himself.
And yet, even under these conditions, he could not manifest the Mark. That clearly meant that danger alone was not the only requirement for awakening it.
Seeing the experimental result end in failure, Sukuna lost interest in toying with these puppets. He raised a hand and unleashed a massive slash, bisecting the standing puppets and the surrounding trees alike.
These flesh puppets were not demons. They had no regenerative ability. Sukuna did not even need a second attack.
Standing beside Sukuna, Shinobu witnessed the bloody scene of severed flesh and bone. Even suppressing her emotions as best she could, watching so many Demon Slayer Corps members who could have been saved be killed by Sukuna like this, she could not maintain her usual calm expression.
But Sukuna did not care. He moved quickly toward the mastermind controlling these flesh puppets.
Whether through this body's unique sense of smell or by reverse-tracking the spider threads through his sharp perception, Sukuna had already pinpointed the location.
The Spider Demon mother, still unaware of how severe the problem was, was shocked at the sudden appearance of a demon wearing a Demon Slayer Corps uniform interfering with her.
In her eyes, bisecting so many Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen in an instant along with the surrounding trees was already beyond the level of any swordsman's Breathing technique. And she had not even perceived the attack itself!
She knew very well that if she did not stop these two intruders quickly, Rui would surely tell Father about all of this!
"I have no choice but to use that puppet...!"
Just as the Spider Demon mother muttered to herself, Sukuna appeared before her. His cold Nichirin blade lifted her chin.
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