The instant those pupils locked onto her, Ivy ceased to exist.
She simply shut off. As if someone had found the switch inside her head and flipped it down. Her muscles locked up, her breathing cut out, and even the saliva that had filled her mouth from Marcus's scent evaporated in an instant, replaced by something dry and acid that tasted like pure terror.
Rui crushed her.
"Mom…" he murmured sweetly. "You're back."
At the sound of his voice, Ivy began trembling uncontrollably. From her hands to her shoulders, from her shoulders to her legs, and her nails dug deep into Marcus's shoulder without her realizing it.
But he did.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered to her, setting her down on the ground but keeping one hand on her shoulder. "You're mine now. He can't touch you."
Ivy raised her head and saw his serene face, without fear…
'Yes…'
'Whether I survive or not…'
'At least before I die… someone was kind to me…'
She breathed deep, and though her legs still trembled, at least… she stayed on her feet.
"…"
Rui's gaze slid from her to the two accompanying her.
"Slayers…" He tilted his head. "Two slayers traveling with two demons. Now that's something I haven't seen before."
Tanjiro had already drawn his sword. He stared hard at Rui, at the strips of skin still dangling from his fingers, and from there to Daughter, still on her knees with her face in her hands.
His doubts and his inner struggle vanished in that instant.
Now he understood… What Marcus had said. What Marcus had seen from the very beginning.
THE ONE TO BLAME WAS THIS DEMON!
He was the one holding this twisted family together with terror… The real killer was right here.
"…Senpai," he murmured, ice cold. "I'm going to kill him."
"Glad to hear you say that. Fair warning though—it's not gonna be easy."
"You said it yourself." His eyes burned. "I need experience too."
"…"
Marcus looked up at the sky. The moon was still high, but it wouldn't last forever. "Time's limited… Same as always, ten minutes. If you haven't taken him out in ten minutes, I step in."
He turned his gaze back to Rui. "Lower Moon Five is perfect for you to practice on."
'Practice?'
Rui arched his eyebrows.
'Was he offering him up as a training dummy?'
Disbelief curled his lips.
"…You're interesting, human. I'm going to rip your tongue out and turn you into a specimen for my collection."
But Marcus wasn't even looking at him anymore. He'd crouched down next to Ivy, who was still standing but rigid, eyes locked on Rui, on maximum alert.
"I already told you. He can't hurt you." He held her gaze until something in Ivy's eyes gave way by a millimeter. "Now let's go find that girl. That way we leave the dangerous experiments to her."
Ivy looked at him without understanding. Then she blinked and nodded firmly, pressing her lips around the bamboo.
Satisfied, Marcus stood up. "Tanjiro, I'm leaving this to you and Nezuko."
"Nezuko!?"
Tanjiro nearly broke his neck. "What are you saying?! She can't—!"
"The way you are right now, you can't beat a Lower Moon, and a fight where you get slaughtered from start to finish is useless as training."
"But Nezuk—"
"Don't underestimate her."
Marcus stroked Nezuko's head—she was still in his arms. "She's a lot stronger now than you think."
Swish
A flash of pink, and Nezuko was already standing beside Tanjiro.
She looked at her brother, then at Rui, and then inflated her body, transforming into the full-sized Nezuko, ready to attack.
"…"
Rui was already losing his patience.
"Are you seriously discussing how to hunt my family… right in front of me?"
"Play with my little bro for a bit first." Marcus smiled at him. "Once I'm done with my thing, I'm coming for you."
Rui's eyes narrowed.
Marcus moved.
Swish…
But he didn't launch himself at Rui, or at anyone—he simply drew one of his swords.
"Desire Breathing, Fourth Form: Mist…"
As the words left his lips, a pink haze, so dense it swallowed the light, slowly enveloped his body.
And the instant his silhouette merged completely into a pink glow…
Puff
He burst into mist.
It shot out in every direction, draping a hazy veil over the clearing.
And Marcus had vanished. In his place, dozens of illusory "Marcuses" surrounded Rui.
Under the effect of the haze, the figures flickered like mirages—appearing, fading, but always there.
Rui narrowed his eyes.
Clones? Illusions?
"Hmph. They're nothing but tri—"
Swish…
But before he could finish, every Marcus drew their sword at the same time. Sound and all.
!
Rui's expression finally changed.
If they only fooled his sight, he could keep his composure. But if they fooled his hearing too…
Were they real clones?
IMPOSSIBLE! What kind of sword technique was this!?
Just as he was still trying to figure out which ones were real…
A breeze swept through the clearing, stirring the haze, and all ten-plus Marcuses launched at him simultaneously!
Some leapt to deliver slashes from above, others crouched and swept horizontally, others charged in a straight line, others traced wide arcs.
But they were all aimed at the same place.
Rui!
Faced with such a scene, he didn't dare get cocky and extended both hands. Producing a web of threads that unfurled around him like a spider's web.
The filaments spun and sliced the air with a sharp whistle, covering everything within a thirty-foot radius.
He didn't need to know which were real and which weren't. If he cut everything that moved, the problem solved itself.
Even so, the figures reacted. They leapt, ducked, pulled back, with a fluidity that didn't seem like mere mirages.
But five weren't fast enough—the threads pierced through them and they burst into that same pink mist.
The remaining seven stayed intact, and without the slightest hesitation, surged forward with renewed speed.
Rui's brow furrowed.
He'd killed many Slayers, and most of them hadn't earned a second glance. Ordinary types who only knew how to swing a sword and pray for luck.
But the one in front of him was different… he was strange.
He wasn't overwhelming him with strength or flooding him with speed. What he was doing was something more twisted.
It was the kind of trick he'd expect from a Demon with a decent Blood Art, not from a human.
And faced with the silhouettes rushing toward him, he stopped holding back.
The threads multiplied. They sprouted from the ground, rained down from above, from every direction, weaving a three-dimensional cage that closed around the figures like a mouth full of teeth.
There was no human or inhuman way to dodge that.
Puff Puff Puff Puff
There was no sound of flesh being severed—only bursts, like balloons popping.
The figures dissolved into mist, which spread outward.
…That's it?
Rui stood motionless, hands still extended and eyes fixed on the center of the mist.
Waiting…
Waiting for Marcus's real body to appear at any moment, staggering through the smoke with half his organs out of place.
Or better yet, he'd already be sprawled on the ground with a vacant stare and his mouth hanging open, like all the rest.
The mist thinned out. The edges of the clearing sharpened again, the moonlight returned.
…But there was no corpse, no blood, and no Marcus either. Only Tanjiro and Nezuko, ready and on guard.
!
Something froze inside Rui's chest and he whipped his head around.
…Empty.
His "Sister" had vanished.
A vein swelled on his forehead.
Then a second, and a third… He finally understood!
No wonder the real body wasn't among those silhouettes…
From the very beginning, the human's target wasn't him—it was his "Sister"!
"Bas… tard…"
Turning slowly, his eyes locked onto Tanjiro and Nezuko with a bone-chilling bloodlust.
"…You're going to die."
______
Things are about to get explosive. Hand over your Power Stones if you want the next chapter ASAP. 💎💎💎
See you in the next one!🫵
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