The Spider Demon Mother sat in the middle of her webbed domain, her pale hands trembling as she tried to keep her composure. The forest was eerily quiet now—no sound of her puppets, no rustling of threads being pulled. Only silence. The tension was unbearable.
Her dull green eyes darted across the broken strands of web around her. The shimmering connections she had spent hours weaving were severed, her control collapsing bit by bit.
"They got me…" she muttered, her voice faint and shaky. "Even though that doll was my fastest and strongest… They defeated it."
Her fingers dug into her palms as she remembered Rui's cold, merciless eyes. The memory made her shiver. "It's Rui's fault… for coming to me with those threats. That's why I panicked. He'll kill me… he'll—"
She stopped, her voice dying in her throat as a sharp chill ran through the air. The oppressive presence washed over her like an invisible wave, heavy enough to make her breath hitch.
Then, a voice echoed softly through the mist. Calm, deep, and absolute.
"So this is where you are."
Her head snapped up. From the shadows between the trees, I stepped forward, my eyes faintly glowing in the dim light. The mist seemed to part around me as I approached, each step measured and slow. Yuri Alpha walked beside me, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her blade.
The Spider Demon Mother's breath caught in her throat. Every instinct screamed danger. This wasn't a Demon Slayer—no uniform, no scent of human bloodlust or righteousness. The power radiating from me was wrong, unnatural, and overwhelming.
"You…" she stammered. "You're not human…"
I didn't bother to answer. I raised my hand slightly, and before she could even take a breath to scream, a surge of purple energy flickered across my fingers. A single pulse of Power Stone energy burst outward—silent, clean, final.
The impact never even made a sound. One moment she was there; the next, her body began to disintegrate into glowing ash, scattering like mist in the wind.
Her lips trembled as she whispered, "It… it doesn't hurt…" before fading completely.
Silence followed. Only the faint crackle of residual energy lingered in the air.
And then—the sound of branches snapping. A shadow dropped from the canopy above.
Tanjiro Kamado landed gracefully on the ground, his Nichirin Blade drawn and gleaming faintly in the moonlight. His eyes, wide and alert, immediately locked onto me.
I could tell he was young—still carrying that naïve spark of idealism. His breathing was steady, but I could hear the faint hitch in it, the instinctive fear trying to claw at his resolve.
Without hesitation, he pointed his sword directly at me. "Remove your control from all the Demon Slayer members here!" he shouted.
For a moment, I blinked, and then a small, amused smile curved my lips. "Control?" I repeated, voice low.
He didn't waver. "Don't play dumb! The puppets you're controlling—I've seen them! You're the one behind it, aren't you?"
A chuckle escaped me, quiet at first, then growing into a deep laugh that echoed across the clearing. "You're… mistaken, boy. I'm not controlling anyone."
I tilted my head toward the spot where the Spider Demon Mother's ashes were still dispersing. "I just killed the one responsible for it."
Tanjiro's expression shifted from anger to confusion. He looked around, nose twitching slightly as he sniffed the air—his breathing pattern changing as he focused. Then his eyes widened slightly.
"No… you're telling the truth." He took a cautious step back, still keeping his blade raised. "Her scent… it's fading. But you…" He frowned, his expression sharpening. "You smell… wrong. Not like a human, not like a demon either. Something else."
I didn't respond. I simply met his gaze, calm and unbothered. The young Slayer's instincts were sharp; I'd give him that.
Yuri took a small step forward, ready to act, but I raised a hand to stop her.
"There's no need," I said softly. My tone made Tanjiro tense—his grip on the sword tightening instinctively.
"Relax, boy," I continued. "I'm not here to harm humans. Quite the opposite, actually."
He didn't lower his weapon. "Then what are you doing here? You killed a demon, but you… don't feel like someone who's on our side."
A faint smirk tugged at my lips. "Perhaps," I said, "that's because I'm not on anyone's side. What's your name?"
"Tanjiro Kamado. What's yours?"
"Alastor."
"Tell your corps to be careful," I said. "There are worse things in these woods tonight than the spider demons."
~~~