'How can his movements be so fast?'
The Spider Demon Mother, wearing a loose white Kimono, looked on in shock.
She was not an ignorant demon; she had naturally encountered Demon Slayers before.
She had originally thought a foolish swordsman had wandered into the mountains, and fearing punishment, she naturally wanted to deal with him quickly.
That swordsman clearly seemed full of openings, yet his strength was unexpectedly great.
An ominous feeling arose in her heart.
"Are you looking for me?"
Not far away, Kiyokawa Izumi's figure appeared, his expression perfectly calm.
'So fast!'
As Kiyokawa Izumi walked slowly toward her, his right hand was already on the hilt of his blade.
'Dark Breathing: Total Concentration!'
'First Form: Dark Crow's Shadow!'
The dark silver blade seemed swallowed by darkness; it didn't stir the surrounding air as it swung, nor did it make a sound.
"Any last words?"
As he spoke, Kiyokawa Izumi had already sheathed his blade.
On her pale neck, the cut was clean and smooth.
Her not-unattractive head tumbled toward the ground, accompanied by dozens of thin but hard threads.
"Was I underestimated a bit too much? What gave you the illusion that I was weak?"
Kiyokawa Izumi suddenly turned and spoke leisurely toward the shadows.
"If you really wanted to save her, you should have been a bit more serious."
Although Kiyokawa Izumi's movement speed wasn't fast, his sword swings were; his slashes were not something that could be blocked casually.
"Are you what they call a Hashira?"
A demon also wearing a white Kimono, small in stature and looking like a young boy, appeared before Kiyokawa Izumi.
He had long white hair, and red dots like cinnabar marked his pale face.
His left eye, engraved with the characters for lower five, was hidden by his hanging hair.
"Something like that."
Kiyokawa Izumi said casually.
Beside the two, the Spider Mother's body dissipated like ash.
Her final expression was actually one of relief.
Yes, she was not a real mother; her true form was just a young demon, and she had no blood relation to Rui.
Out of fear of Demon Slayers, she had no choice but to attach herself to Rui, playing a house-like family game.
The reason they had the same hair color and similar appearances was purely because they had drunk the blood shared by Rui.
In this fake family, she might have been the one who performed the worst, so she was often punished.
At the moment of being slain, she actually felt a sense of ease.
'Can this swordsman who suddenly appeared really win? His opponent is a Lower Rank...'
With this question in mind, the remaining small part of her face quickly dissipated.
"A Hashira?"
Rui whispered softly, "No matter who you are, harming my family is not allowed!"
Although he said this, no expression of anger appeared on his face. His fingers, hidden under his sleeves, moved slightly, and translucent threads shot out—thin as hair, yet possessing the hardness of steel.
Just by casually swinging his blade, Kiyokawa Izumi easily cut through these taut, straight threads.
He could sense a powerful aura from this small, thin body.
But there was no sense of pressure like he had imagined.
Nor was it a life-and-death struggle between equals.
It felt different from his first battle against the lower rank six.
That sense of tension had constantly lingered in his heart because he didn't know the opponent's specific abilities.
The ranking was indeed correct.
Rui really was only at the level of the lower five.
Perhaps it was because he had given away too much of his blood.
Just as Kiyokawa Izumi applied slight pressure to his feet, an attack suddenly came from the shadows behind him.
A large number of white threads intended to wrap around him.
But the speed was too slow, and the demon hiding behind him didn't understand the concept of concealing its presence. Whether it was the sound of footsteps or the noise from using a Blood Demon Art, it was all very obvious to Kiyokawa Izumi's ears.
Shifting his body slightly, his nichirin blade swept through silently, and the seemingly soft white threads were directly cut into multiple segments.
An angry roar rang out as an exceptionally burly male demon suddenly leaped in front of him, the muddy ground sinking deeply under his feet.
His arms were thick and powerful, with muscles clearly bulging.
He raised his right hand, clenched it into a tight fist, and swung it forcefully at Kiyokawa Izumi.
The power in this punch seemed capable of turning him into a pulp.
"That's it, take him down!"
A female demon's voice came from the depths of the shadows.
Although they were only a fake family, they were unexpectedly united when encountering a Demon Slayer.
"Don't..."
Rui's pupils suddenly constricted as he subconsciously gave a warning.
No sooner had he spoken than the blurred nichirin blade slashed out silently, and the massive Spider Demon Father was instantly cut into several pieces.
'Second Form: Flash of Interspace - Multi-Recital!'
Arms, legs, and neck were struck almost simultaneously by slashes coming from different directions.
He clearly still had a second stage, clearly could have made his speed faster, his strength greater, and his body harder.
But he no longer had the chance to use it.
A large amount of blood gushed from the dismembered body, his ugly head hit the ground with a distinct thud, and his torso began to turn into ash bit by bit.
"How can this be..."
The Spider Demon Sister watched in disbelief.
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Okay... there's only a little bit left for the extra chapter.