After defeating the Spider Demon Mother, Tanjirou and Inosuke left the forest and arrived at a small river.
The two walked upstream along the riverbank, still searching for the source of the strange presence covering Natagumo Mountain.
"Tanjirou..."
Inosuke suddenly stopped.
Tanjirou looked over.
Blood was flowing from several wounds on Inosuke's shoulder and waist.
"Inosuke, you should go down the mountain first."
"Hmph! Why should I listen to you?"
Inosuke crossed his arms.
"Besides, what happened just now already annoyed me enough."
"But we worked together and defeated that demon."
Tanjirou pointed at his injuries.
"Your wounds are serious. You need treatment."
"Nonsense!"
Inosuke turned away.
"I wasn't injured at all!"
Before Tanjirou could respond—
BOOM!
A loud sound came from the forest.
Both of them immediately turned toward the source.
"What was that?"
"Thunder?"
Tanjirou sniffed the air.
There was no rain.
No storm.
Only the disgusting smell of demons remained.
Besides, the moon was shining brightly tonight.
There was no way thunder had appeared suddenly.
Then—
A massive figure burst out from the forest.
Without warning, it swung its enormous fist toward them.
At first, Tanjirou thought it was a wild animal.
Something like a bear.
But when the creature landed, his expression changed.
It wasn't an animal.
It was a demon.
A terrifying one.
The demon stood over two meters tall.
Its body was covered with black markings, while its head resembled a spider.
Its appearance was horrifying.
Tanjirou's eyes widened.
The white-haired woman from before wasn't the only demon on this mountain.
There were more.
And this one was much stronger.
The Spider Demon Father let out a roar.
His eyes locked onto Inosuke.
He charged.
Inosuke was standing on a large stone in the middle of the river.
Seeing the incoming attack, he immediately understood.
He couldn't block it.
The difference in strength was too great.
He jumped backward.
But—
BOOM!
The demon's fist smashed into the stone.
The huge rock shattered instantly.
Although Inosuke avoided the direct attack, the flying pieces of stone and water still struck him.
"Gah!"
He raised his arms to protect himself.
The Spider Demon Father didn't give him a chance to recover.
He roared and attacked again.
If that punch landed directly...
Inosuke would be seriously injured.
"Water Breathing..."
"Second Form: Water Wheel!"
At the critical moment, Tanjirou rushed forward.
His body spun through the air.
The Nichirin Blade created a circular wave-like motion as it struck toward the demon's arm.
The blade cut into the flesh.
But Tanjirou's expression changed.
It didn't cut through.
The demon's body was far too tough.
The blade only managed to sink a short distance into his arm.
However, it was enough.
The attack was interrupted.
Inosuke was saved.
But the Spider Demon Father immediately turned his attention toward Tanjirou.
His massive fist swung toward him.
At such a close distance, Tanjirou couldn't dodge.
"Inosuke!"
Inosuke gritted his teeth.
Seeing Tanjirou in danger, he ignored his own injuries and attacked.
His twin blades slashed toward the demon's arm.
The two Demon Slayers attacked from both sides.
But even together—
They still couldn't cut through him.
"This guy's body..."
Inosuke gritted his teeth.
"It's too hard!"
The Spider Demon Father roared.
With a powerful swing, he sent both of them flying.
Tanjirou crashed onto the riverbank.
Inosuke was thrown into the water.
The difference in strength was obvious.
They couldn't win.
The two immediately began retreating upstream.
However, the Spider Demon Father seemed especially interested in Inosuke.
Perhaps because of his strange boar mask, he focused on him and chased after him relentlessly.
The demon was not only strong.
He was fast.
The distance between them continued shrinking.
If this continued, Inosuke would be caught.
Tanjirou looked around.
Then his eyes landed on a large tree beside the river.
An idea formed.
"Water Breathing..."
"Second Form: Water Wheel!"
With a powerful slash, Tanjirou cut through the tree.
The enormous tree collapsed.
CRASH!
It struck the Spider Demon Father from behind and buried him beneath the water.
Inosuke stopped.
Seeing the demon temporarily trapped, he let out a breath of relief.
Then he looked toward Tanjirou.
Something about him had changed.
Tanjirou stood on the remaining tree stump.
His eyes were focused.
His expression was serious.
He was preparing to end this.
He gripped his sword with both hands.
His breathing changed.
The air around him seemed to move toward him.
Even Inosuke noticed.
"What is he doing?"
Tanjirou gathered his strength.
Then he jumped.
"Water Breathing..."
"Tenth Form..."
"Constant Flux!"
His body twisted.
The Nichirin Blade drew a perfect arc.
Like a flowing water dragon, it descended toward the demon trapped beneath the river.
But then—
The water exploded.
The Spider Demon Father broke free.
He sensed the danger.
Before Tanjirou could reach him, the demon grabbed a nearby tree.
Then he swung it.
A giant tree trunk moved toward Tanjirou.
His body was still in mid-air.
He couldn't dodge.
The Nichirin Blade struck the tree.
But his attack was stopped.
And then—
The tree hit him directly.
BOOM!
Tanjirou felt an overwhelming force.
A power far beyond anything he had experienced before.
His body was thrown away.
"Inosuke..."
Inosuke's eyes widened.
"Tanjirou!"
He wanted to help.
But he was too far away.
Tanjirou flew through the air and disappeared into the forest.
---
As he fell, Tanjirou immediately adjusted his breathing.
He used the movement of Water Wheel to reduce the impact.
His body spun as he descended.
It wasn't enough to completely avoid injury.
But it reduced the damage.
After rolling across the ground for several meters, he finally crashed into a tree.
Pain spread through his body.
But he was alive.
Tanjirou immediately stood.
He needed to return.
He needed to help Inosuke.
Then—
Someone appeared from the darkness.
A small figure.
A boy.
White hair.
Pale skin.
White clothing.
Tanjirou froze.
He looked similar to the Spider Demon family.
But something was different.
The smell.
The boy's scent was far stronger.
Much more terrifying.
The boy's eyes were cold.
Emotionless.
And inside his yellow iris were words that made Tanjirou's heart stop.
Lower Rank Five.
Only now did Tanjirou understand.
The Spider Demon Father wasn't a member of the Twelve Kizuki.
He was only a powerful demon pretending to be part of a family.
The true enemy...
Was standing right in front of him.
Rui.
Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki.
---
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