Lei finally snapped out of it. Looking down at Lucas, he spoke coldly and clearly:
"I don't need friends."
"No, you do need them," Lucas replied with a grin.
The next moment, he vanished from his spot.
A bright arc of electricity suddenly lit up the dark forest.
A crescent-shaped flash of lightning tore through the night, heading straight for Lei.
Lei's pupils shrank in shock—so fast! That speed was unreal!
Before he could react, a sharp, needle-like pain pricked at his neck.
The lightning was merely a distraction. The real threat had already arrived.
Instinctively, Lei controlled the silk threads around his body, forming a protective barrier.
Clang!
A heavy metallic sound rang out through the dense forest.
Then came a flurry of clashes—fierce, relentless, like a thunderstorm of steel. The sheer speed of Lucas's strikes forced Lei to back away step by step.
Down below, Murata stood frozen, mouth agape, his throat moving nervously.
But what filled his ears wasn't the usual sound of combat—it was a deep buzzing, like something vibrating at an incredible speed.
What was he seeing?
A swordsman of mere Gui rank… suppressing one of the Twelve Demon Moons?
No, that couldn't be.
This person couldn't possibly be just a Gui-level warrior—not with attacks like that. Even in the Demon Slayer Corps, warriors with such overwhelming speed were rare.
A newcomer? Is this a joke?
Murata suddenly remembered how he had shouted at Lucas earlier, even assuming the worst of him. A wave of embarrassment flushed his face.
He realized now—Lucas hadn't been in a daze.
He'd simply been waiting for a worthy opponent.
The Twelve Demon Moons… were that opponent.
---
Meanwhile, Lei, overwhelmed by the electric surge flashing through his spider silk, grew increasingly agitated.
I am one of the Twelve Demon Moons, personally chosen by Lord Muzan!
How can a mere human stand above me like this?
"Blood Demon Art: Killing Eye Cage!"
The spider silk around Lei burst outward. From every direction, thick webs shot forward, converging on Lucas in an attempt to trap him.
The threads formed a thick, black cocoon that slowly devoured the surrounding light.
The forest dimmed. The electric glow faded.
Lei's expression remained cold and unreadable.
He hadn't expected to capture Lucas entirely with this technique—but he did want to reverse the flow of battle.
He knew that Lucas was fast—fast enough to dodge most attacks, even these webs.
But now, Lucas had allowed himself to be trapped so easily?
Something's wrong.
Just as the final threads seemed to smother the last trace of lightning, a golden flash burst through a gap in the cage.
A brilliant beam of light—like the first sunlight after a storm—pierced through the dense webs.
It headed straight for Lei.
"Damn it!"
Lei cursed under his breath and hastily summoned more silk to shield himself.
The webbing enveloped him once more. He had lost his chance. And with someone like Lucas, that was dangerous.
He won't give me a second chance.
"No… he's not in front of me."
The moment Lei had that thought, a voice sounded from behind him—low and mocking:
"Did you really think I was that predictable?"
Lucas was never trying to cut through the threads directly. He had no need to. His speed was unmatched, and in battle, unpredictability was his true strength.
The Sun Blade in Lucas's hand surged with electric energy, glowing brightly in the gloom of the forest.
As he swung the sword downward, lightning merged with steel, creating a deafening roar.
BOOM!
The blade sliced toward Lei's neck.
Just as it touched his skin, the sword halted—like it had struck solid stone.
Lucas frowned.
"What a stiff neck," he muttered, seeing only a faint scratch where the sword had landed.
The spider silk protecting Lei was already tough, but now it had grown even stronger.
Still, compared to Lei himself, that silk was nothing.
Killing him won't be easy.
But that's how friendships are made.
Lucas's smile widened.
"So, what do you think? Ready to consider what I said?"
Lei's face darkened. The words false bonds struck a nerve.
"You dare mock me? You deserve to die!"
"Blood Demon Art: Engraving Prison!"
Lei waved his arms, summoning a vast, nearly invisible spider web that shot toward Lucas's face.
Clang!
Lucas tried to slash through it, but the threads—soaked in blood—were stronger than before. His blade met them like steel striking reinforced iron.
Unable to cut through, Lucas dodged to the side.
But Lei wasn't about to let him escape.
With a wave of his hands, Lei directed spider threads not only at Lucas, but toward the other Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen nearby.
The ghost-controlled silk was invisible unless you focused carefully. Even with a dozen threads in hand, they'd barely catch the eye.
And now, the forest around Lucas was full of them.
Every direction he looked—white silk gleamed faintly.
It was as if a massive spider was closing in on its prey.
---
"Lucas!!"
Zenitsu's panicked voice rang out.
He saw Lucas being gradually wrapped by the invisible webs.
This wasn't like the silk controlling the other Demon Slayer swordsmen.
That silk simply puppeteered their movements.
But the one binding Lucas…
It cut through stone, trees—anything. No matter how hard or thick the obstacle, nothing could stop it.
If Lucas couldn't get out of this—
Could he survive?
Zenitsu's heart pounded.
He gripped his sword tightly and began repeating the First Form of Thunder Breathing in his mind, over and over.
The enemy numbers had dropped slightly, but a few possessed Demon Slayer swordsmen were still attacking.
Every time Zenitsu tried to focus, they came at him again.
His breathing rhythm kept getting broken.
Frustration boiled inside him.
"Get out of my way!"
Zenitsu no longer held back.
Rather than carefully slicing the spider threads, he now struck the controlled swordsmen with the back of his blade, knocking them away.
He glanced at Lucas, who was being swallowed by more and more silk.
If I don't do something—he's going to die.
Suddenly, a hiss—like steam escaping—caught Tanjiro's attention.
He turned toward Zenitsu, surprised.
"What's going on with him…?"
Zenitsu's face was pale, his entire body trembling.
But in his eyes…
There was lightning.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...
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