Cling to the strong! Survive at all costs!
Murata had made up his mind. He was going to cling to these "monsters" around him—if not to soar through the ranks, then at least to make it out of this cursed mountain alive.
Meanwhile, Chika and Tanjiro were dealing with the puppets entangled in spider silk. They had already cut the threads once, but mere seconds later, new ones reattached. Chika's blade flashed again—another clean sever.
"There's a demon manipulating the threads," Chika said coldly. "We'll have to kill the source. Split up. Clean up this area fast."
"Got it! You be careful too, Sister!"
With that, the siblings divided their forces—each taking a different direction to handle the threat as quickly as possible.
When it looked like they were about to separate completely, Inosuke and Zenitsu panicked.
"Don't think you're leaving us behind!"
After a bit of chaotic shouting, Zenitsu ended up following Tanjiro, while Inosuke bounded after Chika. The four scattered into pairs, leaving Murata standing alone and utterly lost.
He wanted to follow—but they were gone before he even blinked.
Murata gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly, shivering as he scanned the forest. The rustling leaves felt like whispers, every shadow a blade waiting to strike.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu pushed through the forest, Tanjiro's nose twitching like a hunting hound's. His preternatural sense of smell locked onto the scent of the demon controlling the threads.
"Found it!"
"F-found it? Where?!" Zenitsu squeaked.
Tanjiro kicked off a trunk, springing from branch to branch, his movements fluid as water. In a heartbeat, he appeared before a pale, spider-like woman perched high on a tree branch.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide."
A single clean swing—no flourish, no drama. Her head hit the ground before she even realized she'd been attacked.
With her death, the webs controlling the other Demon Slayers slackened and broke. One after another, the puppets collapsed into the dirt, faces kissing the earth with muffled thuds.
Elsewhere, Inosuke had been about to strike down one of the entranced Slayers when, without warning, the man crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Hey! I didn't even hit him yet!"
Chika's eyes narrowed slightly. "Looks like Tanjiro finished his target."
She scanned the forest around them, her tone calm but edged with intent. "Then we'll move faster. There's still one more I need to find—the Lower Moon demon, Rui."
The true master of this mountain. Though ranked only Fifth among the Lower Moons, Rui's power was exceptional—his growth potential immense. Even Muzan himself had taken an interest. Given time, Rui might have risen to rival the top of the Lower Moons.
Chika intended to use him as a test. To see where she now stood.
Speak of the devil.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a razor-thin thread slashed through the air toward her. Her body reacted instantly—tilting just enough for the strand to whistle past her cheek.
A soft voice drifted from above.
"Don't interfere with our family's peace. But seeing your level… Mother probably can't kill you. I'll have to handle this myself."
Rui descended slowly, his bare feet balanced on taut, glimmering threads that crisscrossed the air beneath him.
Inosuke stared up, eyes wide. "What kind of show-off walks on strings?!"
He launched himself skyward, twin blades raised—only to freeze midair as threads lashed from every direction, trapping his limbs like a fly in a web.
"Who are you?" Rui asked coldly.
He flicked his hand. Bang!
Inosuke went flying, tumbling across the ground for thirty, forty meters before skidding to a stop. His chest heaved with pain.
So strong!
Behind his boar mask, his eyes widened. He had fought many demons since leaving the mountains—but none exuded this kind of pressure.
Big Sis…!
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up, trembling but still standing. Rui's brows furrowed slightly, surprised. That blow should have shattered ribs and left him paralyzed.
Before he could ponder further, Chika drew her Nichirin Blade.
A gleam of clear, ocean-blue light ran down the steel.
Rui's gaze locked onto it—fascinated. He'd seen countless Water Breathing swords, but none that shone quite like this.
"Beautiful," he murmured. "A perfect addition to my collection."
He raised his hands. Silken threads coiled around his palms, tightening like steel wires.
Chika inhaled slowly. Her breathing steadied—controlled, rhythmic. She wasn't switching to Hinokami Kagura this time. She would fight him with Water Breathing.
Rui smirked, utterly confident. To him, all Demon Slayers were weak—fragile toys that broke with a tug of his strings.
Chika's foot touched the ground lightly.
Rui mirrored her movement, threads snapping toward her from all directions.
But instead of leaping back as expected, Chika did something strange—she stayed still. Her eyes closed.
From the side, Inosuke's muffled voice rang out in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing?! Open your eyes!"
Was she giving up?
No.
Chika was testing something. She wanted to see if Rui's threads—sharp and lethal—could push her body past its limits. To awaken that elusive state she'd been chasing for so long—the Transparent World.
All right, she thought. Let's begin the experiment.
The threads whistled through the air, a storm of silver death, closing in fast.
Chika stood unmoving—calm, centered—ready to meet them head-on.