Rui, also known as "Lower Rank Five, the Spider Demon"...
Among all six Lower Rank Demon Moons, Rui was the only one Muzan Kibutsuji paid special attention to, allowing him to develop a "family" and regarding him as a "son".
People always feel sympathy for those who share similar tragic experiences. Rui and Muzan Kibutsuji both had fragile lives; one's original form had [Cancer], the other's [Leukemia]. Both were once bedridden, unable to live or even care for themselves like normal people. Perhaps it was because of this "shared" past that Muzan Kibutsuji personally sought out Rui, turned him into a demon, and while granting him a new life, indirectly severed his only bond...
Because they couldn't accept the fact that their son had become a demon who had to eat humans to survive... Rui was forced to kill his own parents.
That day, his father had intended to end Rui's life with his own hands, taking the blame for his sin of eating humans and dying alongside him...
That day, his mother lay in a pool of blood, apologizing to him with her dying breath for not being able to give him a healthy body. In a daze, Rui realized just how important his so-called family was to him. And so... the demons of Natagumo Mountain came to be, forced under his control to play house with him...
Unfortunately, some things, once done, are destined to be irreversible.
Roy killed the "Spider Sister (Older)" with one stroke, slaughtered the "Spider Sister (Younger)" with two, sent Rui's "parents" off with a third and fourth, and pierced his "Older Brother's" heart with a fifth. But when he looked back, he suddenly realized... Rui himself, the main body, was nowhere to be seen.
[Notification: "Life Energy" +11+12+11+13+15...]
[Monster Encyclopedia... Recorded... [Spider Demon Family: D-Rank Creature]]
[Constitution: 187→321]
[Innate Blood Demon Art... [Spider Thread Manipulation]... [Spider Poison]... [Epidermal Hardening]... extracted...]
Note 1: [Spider Thread Manipulation]: The host can use "Nen threads" pulled into a "spider silk" form to manipulate others according to their commands.
Note 2: [Spider Poison]: The host can inject toxins into their "Nen" to "spider-fy" others.
Note 3: [Epidermal Hardening]: The host can concentrate "Nen" on the skin to harden the epidermis, enhancing defense.
The panel's notification sounds accompanied several streams of information pouring into Roy's mind. The young man carefully savored them. [Spider Thread Manipulation] and [Epidermal Hardening] were essentially just "Nen shape transformation" and [Ken].
Opening the panel again... indeed, it fell under [Nen Shape Transformation +10].
The [Spider Poison], however, could be quite useful for "interrogation," "torture," or "catching an enemy off guard."
Roy pressed his right thumb against his middle finger and flicked. A "Nen thread" shot out with a "swoosh." With a thought, he coated it with [Spider Poison] and hit a tall cypress tree nearby. To the naked eye...
The cypress tree was corroded by the powerful toxin. White patches appeared on its bark, and when the wind blew, its leaves and branches fell. It withered and died in the blink of an eye.
It even took an "Eye Demon" that had been peeking from the tree with it. With a miserable shriek, "Ahhh," it plummeted to the ground, its body instantly spider-fied, before exploding with a "bang"!
Green blood splattered out, spreading to Roy's feet.
The young man said expressionlessly, "Was it a good show?"
The sun-and-mountain earrings dangled as he glanced casually, looking far off in a specific direction.
Infinity Castle.
In a pool of blood, Muzan Kibutsuji, disguised as a brothel madam, had personally disposed of Lower Ranks Two, Three, Four, and Six. After helping "Lower Rank One, Enmu" successfully evolve... he keenly sensed Rui's abnormality.
The "spider boy" kept his head down, shoulders trembling, trying hard not to lose his composure in front of his "master." His blood-red eyes were surrounded by bulging blue veins. He had learned, in that instant, that his nest and his family had been wiped out.
'It's that swordsman...' The "Eye Demon" was killed. Before it died, Muzan Kibutsuji once again saw those Hanafuda earrings, and the young man's indifferent gaze stabbed into his heart like a knife, causing him to break out in an uncontrollable cold sweat.
His face was dark as he struggled to maintain his composure. He reached out and patted Rui's shoulder. "Are you angry? Go... Go with Enmu and kill that swordsman for me."
"Yes." Enmu and Rui kowtowed. With a strum of her biwa, Nakime sent them out of the Infinity Castle.
After the two left, Muzan Kibutsuji stood stunned in place for a long, long time, then softly called, "Akaza, you know what to do."
"Kill."
A young man dressed as a martial artist—wearing a smart purplish-red short shirt, white shorts, and a green belt, with red hair and golden eyes—knelt on one knee. He uttered only that single word. As Nakime strummed her biwa, opening another passage, he vanished in a flash, chasing after Enmu and Rui out of the Infinity Castle.
"Dispatching one Upper Rank and two Lower Ranks... that should be enough..." The murmur echoed through the disorienting Infinity Castle. Nakime immediately closed the castle. Muzan Kibutsuji clutched his chest, only then feeling a slight sense of security.
"Caw! Kamado Eiichiro, a letter from Giyu Tomioka!"
"Caw! Kamado Eiichiro, a letter from Giyu Tomioka!"
Outside Natagumo Mountain, Roy had just finished clearing out the spider demons, harvesting a wave of "Life Energy" and preparing to go back and allocate his points. He suddenly heard a crow's caw and held out his arm, letting the crow land with a letter in its beak. He recognized it at a glance...
It was the "messenger" mystery crow belonging to his senior, Giyu Tomioka.
The young man had a vague guess what it was about. He opened the letter and looked. The small piece of paper tersely stated two sentences, just Giyu Tomioka's style...
"Eiichiro, the Master summons you. A Hashira meeting will be held at noon the day after tomorrow. Your presence is required to discuss..."
"Matters of the Upper Ranks' movements!"
'The storm is coming...' Roy keenly sensed a murderous atmosphere.
He gently pinched the paper, infusing it with a trace of [Scorching True Intent], and burned it to ash. He glanced up at the sky. The night was receding, the red sun was about to rise, and a corner of the sky was painted with crimson clouds. Perfect for a demon's funeral.
He said flatly, "Alright."
"Caw!" The crow, having received its reply, spread its wings and flew away, dropping a single black feather that drifted down onto the young man.
He leaned on his Asauchi, watching the sunrise just like that. A moment later... he left the world of Demon Slayer and returned to the Hunter world.
The familiar sensation of falling washed over him...
Hunter World, Republic of Padokea, Zoldyck family estate, Kukuroo Mountain.
He had napped for two hours, and the effect was immediate. When Roy opened his eyes and rolled out of bed, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. His depleted Nen had almost completely recovered.
He hadn't forgotten his grandfather Zeno's instructions. Before heading out in the afternoon to pay respects to Zigg, he pulled open a drawer, took out the book "Chronicles of the West Continent," and prepared to study it. The very first sentence on the title page made him freeze...
[We are merely cockroaches despised by the gods. We cannot be eaten, and we are disgusting to look at, so we were simply banished to the lower world.]