Chapter Summaries

Scribe rescued Tanjiro and the others from controlled Demon Slayer Corps members and assigned Murata to lead them as they pressed deeper into Mount Natagumo. Mother Spider learned that three of her puppets had been destroyed, while Scribe confronted a living swordswoman under her control.

• Scribe snapped the Spider Silk controlling three Corps members, but their bodies swelled and exploded after he freed them.
• Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, and Zenitsu insisted on continuing, so Scribe made Murata captain of their temporary squad.
• Mother Spider discovered that three puppets had been destroyed, and Rui warned her to kill the intruders or face their father's anger.
• Mother Spider sent countless strands of Spider Silk into the forest as Scribe's group encountered a controlled young swordswoman and other puppets.
• Scribe told Tanjiro and the others to protect themselves, then caught the controlled swordswoman's wrist to stop her blade.

Scribe and Tanjiro rescued the surviving swordsmen they found, but learned that all the controlled corpses were already dead. Mother Spider sent out a Headless Warrior, and Tanjiro faced it alone while Scribe watched; Tanjiro became trapped between the warrior’s blades and a tree.

• Scribe freed a swordswoman from Spider Silk, then hurried with Tanjiro to rescue another swordswoman, who died from her injuries.
• Scribe and Tanjiro found that all the other controlled swordsmen were corpses, while Mother Spider prepared her Headless Warrior.
• Scribe told Inosuke to stay behind with Nezuko and the others, then took Tanjiro deeper into the forest.
• The Headless Warrior attacked Tanjiro, and Scribe advised him to cut diagonally across its body while remaining out of the fight.
• Spiders trapped Tanjiro with Spider Silk as the Headless Warrior drove him backward toward a tree, and Tanjiro tried to resist the impact.

Tanjiro defeated Mother Spider and granted her a merciful death, learning that several Twelve Kizuki might be on Mount Natagumo. Scribe then organized the group’s next steps, assigning Murata to escort an injured swordswoman off the mountain while hinting that Zenitsu might have a special role.

• Tanjiro defeated the Headless Warrior with Water Breathing techniques, and Scribe praised his strength.
• Scribe blocked Mother Spider’s escape, and Tanjiro decapitated her with Gentle Rain after she accepted her death.
• Before dissolving, Mother Spider warned Tanjiro and Scribe that several Twelve Kizuki were on Mount Natagumo.
• Tanjiro told Inosuke and the others what Mother Spider had said, and Scribe warned that he would handle any additional Twelve Kizuki.
• Scribe rejected Zenitsu’s request to leave and suggested that a demon might be one only Zenitsu could deal with.
• Scribe chose Murata to escort the injured female swordswoman off the mountain, and Murata eagerly accepted.

Scribe led Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke deeper into Mount Natagumo, where the spider family and a second Twelve Kizuki awaited them. After Zenitsu chose to face Spider Brother alone, Scribe returned to help the others, then confronted Kamuna and sent Tanjiro’s group away from the exploding-corpse demon.

• Scribe sent Murata and the injured swordswoman away, then divided Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke into pairs as they searched the mountain.
• Tanjiro was overwhelmed by a foul smell, and Scribe discovered spiders guarding a clearing where humans were being transformed; Spider Brother emerged from a suspended house.
• When Scribe heard that Tanjiro was in danger, Zenitsu chose to stay and fight Spider Brother while Scribe ran back to the others.
• Scribe found Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Inosuke struggling against Spider Sister and Spider Father, then dodged an attack from Kamuna, the Lower Rank Six demon.
• Scribe ordered Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Inosuke to flee, and Spider Father and Spider Sister pursued them.

Scribe confronted Kamuna in the forest, but Kamuna fled after Scribe disrupted his Blood Demon Art. Scribe returned to Zenitsu just as the unconscious swordsman unleashed a lightning-fast attack on Spider Brother.

• Scribe lured Kamuna into an open area and cut apart a marked stump, stopping it from exploding.
• Kamuna grew wary of Scribe and retreated through the forest to seek help from another demon.
• Scribe returned to Zenitsu and saw him clinging to a tree as Spider Brother's human-headed spiders closed in.
• Zenitsu fell unconscious, then rose and drew his Nichirin Blade without waking.
• Zenitsu launched himself at Spider Brother with the First Form.

Zenitsu killed Spider Brother but collapsed from poison, and Scribe joined Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Nezuko as they trapped Spider Father beneath falling trees. Scribe confronted Spider Sister, who denied knowing anything and claimed she had been forced to join the demons.

• Zenitsu dodged Spider Brother's poisonous spit, beheaded him with Thunder Breathing, and watched Scribe destroy his head with a stone.
• Scribe caught the poisoned Zenitsu, confirmed Spider Brother was dead, and carried the unconscious boy toward Tanjiro and the others.
• Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Nezuko struggled to damage Spider Father while Spider Sister supported him with her Spider Silk.
• Scribe advised Tanjiro and Nezuko to cut down nearby trees, and the falling trees pinned Spider Father in the stream.
• Scribe blocked Spider Sister's escape and asked her for information, but she dropped to her knees and claimed she had been dragged there and had never eaten anyone.
• Spider Sister denied that Scribe knew her true background and claimed the other demons had insulted and threatened her.

Scribe exposed Spider Sister’s lies, discovered her victims, and killed her despite her plea to be spared. Spider Father broke free and evolved, then attacked Scribe, who moved in close after cutting apart his thrown trees.

• Spider Sister admitted she had eaten seven people and revealed that two outsiders had recently visited Mount Natagumo.
• Spider Sister attacked Scribe with corrosive Spider Silk, but he burned through it and found her feeding ground.
• Scribe beheaded Spider Sister, and she died believing she had made the wrong choice.
• Spider Father escaped the trees pinning him down, molted into a stronger form, and hurled trees at Tanjiro and the others.
• Scribe cut the trees into fragments and vanished from Spider Father’s punch; Spider Father’s vision then went dark.

Scribe killed Spider Father, treated Inosuke’s injuries, and led Tanjiro and Nezuko deeper into Mount Natagumo, where they met Rui. As Rui demanded Nezuko, an arrogant Demon Slayer swordsman attacked him and was suddenly struck down.

• Scribe killed Spider Father, treated Inosuke’s wounds with herbs, and told him to carry the unconscious Zenitsu out of the forest.
• Scribe, Tanjiro, and Nezuko continued deeper into Mount Natagumo and encountered Rui, Lower Rank Five.
• Rui confirmed Scribe had killed his spider family and offered to spare Tanjiro and Scribe if Tanjiro handed Nezuko over.
• Tanjiro refused Rui’s offer and denounced his imitation of family bonds, while Scribe blocked Rui’s crushing aura.
• A Demon Slayer swordsman ignored Tanjiro and Nezuko’s warnings, attacked Rui, and was suddenly overcome by pain.

Scribe protected Tanjiro from Rui and fought back as Rui revealed he was Lower Rank Five. Elsewhere, Koyuki and Kamuna planned to wait until the battle ended so they could exploit whoever survived.

• Rui killed the male swordsman and demanded that Tanjiro hand Nezuko over, but Tanjiro refused and charged him.
• Rui broke Tanjiro's Nichirin Blade with Spider Silk, but Scribe cut the silk and pulled Tanjiro out of danger before punching Rui and shattering his head.
• Koyuki reassured Kamuna that Scribe was probably not a Hashira, then planned to wait for Rui's battle to end and claim Mount Natagumo and any surviving Demon Slayers.
• Rui regenerated his head and envied Tanjiro and Nezuko's bond, while Tanjiro condemned Rui's idea of treating Nezuko as something to possess.
• Rui revealed that he was Lower Rank Five and threatened to kill Tanjiro and Nezuko, but Scribe mocked his confidence and asked whether Muzan had given it to him.

Rui attacked Scribe, Tanjiro, and Nezuko after hearing Scribe disparage Muzan, but Tanjiro used the Dance of the Fire God to cut through Rui’s threads. As Tanjiro pressed his attack, Nezuko intervened to slow Rui’s counterattack, giving Tanjiro an opening.

• Rui recalled how Muzan had turned him into a demon and helped him forget his parents’ deaths, then declared that Scribe and the others would die.
• Rui unleashed his Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Cage, sending webs of deadly spider threads toward Scribe, Tanjiro, and Nezuko.
• Scribe urged Tanjiro to use Sun Breathing, and Tanjiro cut through Rui’s threads with the Dance of the Fire God: Dance.
• Tanjiro spotted a shifting Thread of Voids and swung at Rui’s neck despite the strain on his body.
• Rui fired threads at Tanjiro, but Nezuko used Water Breathing: Tenth Form: Flowing Dragon to slow them and give Tanjiro time to react.

Tanjiro beheaded Rui, but Rui revealed that he had severed his own head and resumed fighting. Scribe defeated him, and Tanjiro’s compassion led Rui to remember the warmth he once shared with his parents.

• Tanjiro collapsed after beheading Rui, and Scribe realized Rui had cut off his own head to fake his death.
• Rui reattached his head and trapped Tanjiro and Nezuko in his Blood Demon Art, but Scribe cut through the threads.
• Rui unleashed Thread Rotation, and Scribe burned through the attack before genuinely beheading him.
• Scribe held Rui’s head and pointed out Tanjiro shielding Nezuko, while Tanjiro reached out to Rui and sensed his sorrow.
• Rui felt Tanjiro’s warmth and remembered sitting in the sun with his parents holding his hand.

After Rui died, Scribe sent the injured Tanjiro and Nezuko away and waited for the other demons on Mount Natagumo. Koyuki and Kamuna arrived to confront him, unaware that Scribe was waiting for them.

• Rui realized he had been wrong about his family, apologized in his heart, and died after Scribe comforted him; Scribe received the third Soul Reincarnation Artifact.
• Koyuki sensed Rui's death and set out to find his killer, while Kamuna followed her and agreed to target the others.
• Scribe treated Tanjiro and Nezuko, knocked Tanjiro unconscious when he tried to stay and fight, and sent Nezuko to leave with him.
• Scribe waited alone for the demons to approach, and Koyuki and Kamuna spotted him from a distant tree.

Scribe confronted Lower Rank Four Koyuki and Kamuna, who attacked him together after he exposed Koyuki’s hidden Blood Demon Art. Koyuki then betrayed Kamuna, using her vines as armor as she fled while Scribe watched.

• Koyuki questioned Scribe about Rui, and Scribe revealed that Kamuna was hiding behind him by tossing a stone into the bushes.
• Koyuki claimed she and Kamuna wanted to live peacefully, but Scribe accused her of preparing an attack and exposed her blood-controlled vine beneath the ground.
• Koyuki and Kamuna attacked Scribe with vines, rocks, and tree trunks, but Scribe sliced every attack apart with his Nichirin Blade.
• Koyuki urged Kamuna to fight Scribe with her, then redirected her vines to protect herself and fled, leaving Kamuna behind.

Scribe killed Kamuna after Koyuki abandoned him, then caught and killed Koyuki when she tried to bargain for her life. After sensing Rui’s death, Muzan realized something had happened.

• Koyuki fled and left Kamuna to face Scribe, who killed Kamuna by splitting his strongest attack and body with one slash.
• Koyuki sensed that her plan might have failed, but Scribe caught up with her before she could escape Mount Natagumo.
• Koyuki begged Scribe to spare her and promised to help humans, but he told her to kill herself and refused to let her go.
• Koyuki attacked Scribe in anger, and he beheaded her with one slash.
• Scribe reflected that he had killed Rui, Kamuna, and Koyuki in one day, while Muzan sensed Rui’s death from afar.

After Scribe killed three Lower Rank demons at Mount Natagumo, Muzan recognized him and decided to spare the remaining Lower Ranks while seeking ways to strengthen them. Scribe brought Nezuko to the Hashira Meeting, where the Hashira and Ubuyashiki Kagaya’s family had gathered.

• Muzan sensed Rui, Kamuna, and Koyuki’s deaths and recognized Scribe as the Demon Slayer who had killed them.
• Scribe found Nezuko, Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, Murata, and the Kakushi outside Mount Natagumo as the wounded received treatment.
• Murata told Scribe about the Hashira Meeting, and Scribe agreed to attend as someone involved in the incident.
• Scribe left the injured Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu at the Butterfly Mansion, then took Nezuko to the Ubuyashiki courtyard.
• Ubuyashiki Kagaya, his family, and the ten Hashira assembled for the meeting, and one of them asked whether Scribe had survived Mount Natagumo.

At the Hashira meeting, Nezuko described the events at Mount Natagumo, and Scribe revealed he had killed three Lower Ranks there. Tanjiro arrived worried that Scribe would be punished, then learned what had happened after he and Nezuko left.

• Nezuko recounted what happened at Mount Natagumo, and Shinobu Butterfly and Kanae Butterfly confirmed the survivors were receiving treatment.
• Scribe revealed that he had killed Rui, Lower Rank Five, Kamuna, Lower Rank Six, and Koyuki, Lower Rank Four.
• The Hashira reacted with disbelief, and Sanemi punched Tengen Uzui when Tengen asked him to prove the meeting was real.
• Tanjiro burst into the courtyard, and Sanemi knocked him down and dragged him before the others.
• Tanjiro asked Ubuyashiki Kagaya not to punish Scribe, then learned that Scribe had killed three Lower Ranks after Tanjiro and Nezuko left.
• Scribe began explaining what had happened after the siblings departed.

After the Hashira meeting, Scribe brought Tanjiro and Nezuko to the Butterfly Mansion, where Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke recovered from their injuries. Shinobu asked Scribe to lead their rehabilitation, and he announced that training would begin the next morning.

• Yaozai adjourned the Hashira meeting after Scribe recounted his hunt for the Twelve Kizuki and the Corps completed its usual inquiries.
• Scribe brought Tanjiro and Nezuko to the Butterfly Mansion, ordered Tanjiro to stay in bed, and reunited with Kanzaki Aoi.
• Tanjiro asked about Zenitsu and Inosuke, and Kanzaki Aoi confirmed they were still receiving treatment before both arrived at the mansion.
• Scribe made Zenitsu drink his bitter medicine, while Inosuke lamented his weakness as the four patients began recuperating.
• Murata and Anna visited with food, which Kanzaki Aoi screened and Scribe enjoyed while the patients recovered.
• Shinobu Butterfly asked Scribe to lead rehabilitation training, and he told Tanjiro and the others it would begin the next morning.

Scribe began recovery training for Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Inosuke, putting them through painful stretching and reaction exercises. He introduced Weighted Demon Tag as their final training session.

• Scribe brought Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Inosuke to recovery training, and they returned exhausted without explaining the exercises to Zenitsu.
• Zenitsu arrived for his first training session, mistook Aoi and the other girls for his trainers, and dragged Tanjiro and Inosuke outside to question them.
• Scribe clarified that he would lead the training and began by binding and stretching Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Inosuke with rope.
• Scribe made the three dodge swings from a wooden club within a confined area, and Zenitsu endured the first turn with a club as thick as a thigh.
• Scribe announced Weighted Demon Tag as the final recovery training session.

Mister Scribe pushed Tanjiro through rehabilitation and began teaching him Total Concentration Breathing, explaining that mastering it continuously was a step toward Hashira strength. After fifteen days of running improved Tanjiro’s lung capacity enough to burst the small gourd, Mister Scribe prepared to start the next stage of training.

• Zenitsu lost rock-paper-scissors and became the first demon in Mister Scribe’s training game.
• Zenitsu and Inosuke stopped attending rehabilitation, while Tanjiro and Nezuko continued training with Kiyou, Sumi, and Nahō.
• Mister Scribe told Tanjiro that he had to maintain Total Concentration Breathing at all times and explained that the Hashira and Kanao Tsuyuri could already do so.
• Mister Scribe showed Tanjiro a massive gourd and assigned him long-distance running to strengthen his lungs.
• After fifteen days of running, Tanjiro could burst the small gourd, so Mister Scribe said it was time for the next step.

Tanjiro and Nezuko completed their Total Concentration Breathing training, and Inosuke and Zenitsu followed after being provoked by Mister Scribe. When the swordsmiths arrived with new Nichirin Blades, Haganezuka attacked Tanjiro over his broken sword, while Inosuke took his new twin blades outside, prompting Mister Scribe to warn Tanjiro to stop Tetsuana Mori.

• Tanjiro and Nezuko finished their breathing training, and Inosuke and Zenitsu completed theirs after Mister Scribe challenged them.
• Mister Scribe gave the group a day off because their new Nichirin Blades had arrived.
• Haganezuka charged at Tanjiro with a kitchen knife over the sword Tanjiro had broken, and Tanjiro fended him off with a shield until Haganezuka tired.
• Tetsuana Mori gave Inosuke his new twin blades, which gleamed bluish-gray when Inosuke took them.
• Inosuke walked outside with the blades, and Mister Scribe told Tanjiro to hurry out and stop Tetsuana Mori.