Hunter [47]: Hinokami Kagura

"This demon's skin is too tough; the Nichirin Blade can't cut through it!"

Tanjiro and Inosuke had never faced such a difficult opponent. In previous battles with demons, they only needed to seize an opportunity and decapitate them. But this demon, they couldn't even break its skin!

"Such a sweet scent..."

"This feeling... brother Inosuke, don't be reckless!"

Toko shouted as she saw Inosuke charging in again.

"What? Don't worry... I'm the strongest! How could I be afraid? Die...!" Inosuke had just rushed to Spider Father's side when he found himself unable to move.

"It's the demon's threads!"

Tanjiro and Toko quickly moved forward, with one blocking Spider Father and the other cutting the threads.

As soon as Toko cut the threads to free Inosuke, Tanjiro was punched by Spider Father, flying past them and crashing into a large tree.

"Are you okay, Kamatani Kentaro?"

Inosuke asked without turning his head.

"It's Kamado Tanjiro!"

"Brother Tanjiro is fine!"

Toko didn't turn her head either. Facing such a demon, it was dangerous to look away.

"What should we do now?"

Inosuke habitually asked as he believed Toko would come up with a plan.

"We can do this..."

Toko retreated to the back to avoid dragging them down and spoke to both of them.

"What do you mean?"

Inosuke couldn't understand at all.

"Let's give it a try, Inosuke, watch closely!"

Tanjiro charged at Spider Father as Inosuke did earlier. He carefully watched for Spider Mother's threads but allowed some to stick to him.

"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"

With some threads attached to him, Tanjiro deftly dodged Spider Father's large fists, moving around him. The threads wrapped around Spider Father, binding him tightly.

"I'll do it too! If you can do it, I can too, Forehead Taro!"

Inosuke instantly understood, copying Tanjiro's method and wrapping the threads around Spider Father.

"Now!"

The two of them, with Spider Father tightly bound, slashed at his neck from both sides.

To their disappointment, neither of them could cut through his skin.

Spider Father tensed his muscles, breaking the seemingly tight threads instantly.

Although Spider Father was strong and tough, they barely managed to dodge his attacks. However, the demon controlling the threads was restricting their movements, and soon they would have nowhere to run.

"The demon controlling the threads is too troublesome... Brother Inosuke, you've sensed its location, right? You're strong, throw Brother Tanjiro over there.

Brother Tanjiro, you should go kill that demon first, and we'll hold off on this one. Hurry, I can't hold on much longer!"

Toko guessed that the demon controlling the threads had not shown itself because it wasn't strong. Tanjiro should be able to deal with it quickly.

"Got it! You two, hang in there!"

Tanjiro knew this was the best choice and didn't hesitate.

"Hahaha, that's right! I'm the strongest!"

Inosuke, having already located the demon, laughed and threw Tanjiro towards it.

Toko's face was serious; without Tanjiro's combat power, she and Inosuke would be in even more danger, possibly dying there.

...

"The stench is gone, and that commotion must be Zenitsu. I want to kill him. But I can't have both..."

A figure in the shadows looked in a certain direction, muttering.

"Who is that girl who isn't a contractor? Is she a character spawned because I schemed against the protagonist? There's only one chance..." The figure in the shadows was Old King. He found his plan mostly successful but hadn't severely injured Tanjiro.

Though dissatisfied, he couldn't waste time dealing with Inosuke. He continued to move towards Tanjiro as a shadow.

Spider Mother was indeed easy to kill!

As Tanjiro approached from above, she chose not to resist, seeking release. Tanjiro killed her with the Fifth Form.

From her dying advice, Tanjiro learned that there was a Twelve Kizuki demon in Natagumo Mountain. He immediately thought of the powerful demon Inosuke and Toko were facing and quickened his pace to return.

"You seem to have killed my family. Are you ready to die?"

Lower Rank Five, Rui, appeared in front of Tanjiro, speaking coldly.

"Family? From you, I can only smell fear, hatred, and disgust! You can't even call that family! Your fake bonds..."

Tanjiro shouted in anger.

"Fake..."

Rui's face twisted with rage as he stared at Tanjiro.

"I will torment you until your flesh and blood are mutilated, then I will smash you into pieces... If you take back what you just said, maybe I'll change my mind."

Rui weaved his web with his hands, looking at Tanjiro as he spoke.

"What I said is nothing but the truth!"

Tanjiro felt that the stench in the forest had dissipated significantly, and his sense of smell was starting to become useful again.

"Water Breathing: First Form - Water Surface Slash!"

Tanjiro drew his sword and charged at Rui, leaping up and slashing horizontally. Rui merely moved his fingers, and the spider silk blocked Tanjiro's Nichirin Blade, meeting the edge.

"Cut... it?"

Tanjiro couldn't believe that a single thread could be tough enough to cut through his Nichirin Blade.

Before he could think, several threads already lashed out at him. Unable to completely dodge them, Tanjiro's shoulder and cheek were both cut by the threads.

"If I can't cut through these threads, then I need to find a way to avoid them and break through to the inside of his attack range."

Tanjiro forced himself to calm down, thinking of a strategy amidst the disadvantage.

Although he came up with a method, Rui's threads were as agile as if they had a life of their own, making it impossible for Tanjiro to break through and get close.

Seeing that Tanjiro couldn't avoid Rui's threads and was about to be cut into pieces, Nezuko, from inside the box, came out and shielded Tanjiro from the attack.

"Nezuko!"

Tanjiro hurriedly hid behind a tree in the forest, taking Nezuko, whose arm was nearly severed by the threads, with him.

Logically, Rui should have followed up his attack. But demons often have obsessions, or rather, they're somewhat deranged! Rui's obsession... uh, his madness was about family.

Seeing Nezuko, now a demon, rushing forward to protect her brother, this scene struck Rui deeply, leaving him momentarily stunned and his raised hand trembling.

"This is the real... bond between family members... I want it!"

Rui demanded Nezuko from Tanjiro.

Naturally, Tanjiro firmly refused. Rui took Nezuko hostage and launched a full assault, putting Tanjiro under immense pressure.

"Yes! Just like that... switch to the Hinokami Kagura breathing technique, the moment after decapitation will be the best chance!"

Neither party noticed a shadow silently observing the battle.

"Water Breathing: Tenth Form - Constant Flux!"

Holding his broken Nichirin Blade, Tanjiro performed his sword technique. Constant Flux is a sword technique that mimics a dragon soaring through the sky, with each strike involving a spin, and the power of the slashes increasing with each rotation.

"Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Cage!"

The incoming threads turned blood-red due to the Blood Demon Art. In Tanjiro's perception, the aura also changed. He knew that with his current spinning momentum, he couldn't cut through these threads.

In his despair, memories from Tanjiro's subconscious surfaced like bubbles. Gradually, these fragments reappeared before his eyes, and he needed to find the solution to his current predicament from these pieces.

"Breath... Tanjiro. Adjust your breathing..."

The voice of his father, Tanjuro Kamado, seemed to echo in his ears, drawing him into a memory.

His father, despite his frail body, danced the Hinokami Kagura all night long in the cold winter. It was an unimaginable feat, yet it happened right before his eyes.

The dancing Hinokami Kagura gradually transformed in Tanjiro's eyes, with each move etched into his mind...

"Hinokami Kagura: Dance!"

Tanjiro's broken blade, which originally had the feeling of constant flux, now radiated the warmth and heat of flames. Instantly, a surge of power cut through the threads in front of him.

At this moment, Tanjiro couldn't stop. The side effects of forcibly switching sword techniques surged through him, and if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to swing his sword again. He cut through thread after thread, and the opening thread belonging to Lower Rank Five, Rui, appeared before Tanjiro.

Rui immediately tightened the hard threads to cut towards Tanjiro, intending to force him back. But this was Tanjiro's last chance, and he charged towards Rui with the resolve to die together.

"Blood Demon Art: Exploding Blood!"

Nezuko, sensing her brother's life was in danger, heard their mother's call and unleashed her latent potential, awakening her Blood Demon Art.

Rui's tightening threads instantly burned, turning into purplish-red flames. Tanjiro's broken blade sliced through Rui's neck, with Nezuko's blood dripping onto the blade, briefly turning it into a bright red blade.

The trajectory of Tanjiro's swing created a beautiful scene of purplish-red flames, and Rui's head fell to the ground!

Seeing this, Tanjiro collapsed to the ground, unable to support his body any longer, his whole body in pain.

"The Water Hashira must still be with Inosuke... It's now or never!"

The shadow, which was Old King, trembled and suddenly pounced on the powerless Tanjiro on the ground.

"Become my reward!"