Chapter Summaries

Scribe battled Gyokko until awakened demons and Demon Slayers interrupted them, with one swordsman suddenly attacking Scribe. The demons and swordsmen then revealed that they had joined forces, and their eerie behavior left Scribe facing an unexplained group.

• Gyokko used Scale Severing Formation to evade Scribe's attacks, but Scribe forced him into the air and prepared to strike with Sun Breathing.
• Demons burst from the bushes and attacked Scribe, followed by a group of Demon Slayers who claimed Tanjiro and the others were hiding.
• The swordsman leading the Demon Slayers tried to behead Scribe, but Scribe dodged, disarmed him, and restrained him.
• A demon and a Demon Slayer spoke and acted like companions, revealing that the two groups had willingly joined forces.
• The demons and swordsmen spoke in turn with matching expressions and an eerie atmosphere, while Gyokko watched and urged them to make Scribe tremble.

Scribe discovered that Brain Eater Number 005 was controlling the demon slayers and demons through clones, then fought through the bodies it sent against him. After the slaughter, Number 005 turned the demon slayers against Scribe, framing him for killing his comrades.

• Scribe exposed the swordsman as a Brain Eater clone and destroyed the tentacles inside its skull.
• Scribe realized the controlled fighters were being manipulated by a Brain Eater, and Number 005 revealed itself through several bodies.
• Number 005 explained that some bodies held its clones while others were controlled by parts of it, then sent demons to attack Scribe.
• Scribe killed the demons one after another, growing increasingly uneasy about Number 005's intentions.
• Number 005 had the demon slayers accuse Scribe of slaughtering his comrades and violating Corps rules.

Brain Eater and Gyokko framed Scribe by forcing him to fight Demon Slayer swordsmen and then bombing the scene. Scribe rescued survivors, but they believed he had betrayed the Corps and hated him.

• Brain Eater controlled swordsmen to attack Scribe while a female swordsman photographed him, and Scribe killed the attackers without drawing his blade.
• A second group of Demon Slayers arrived and found Scribe among the corpses; Scribe admitted he had killed them but was interrupted by falling explosives.
• Scribe warned the group to take cover as Gyokko’s explosives blasted the forest and set the corpses and trees ablaze.
• Gyokko praised the female swordsman’s plan, but she left after saying they served a mysterious lord.
• Scribe rescued several people from the smoke, but the survivors looked at him with hatred, and the male swordsman wondered why Scribe had turned out this way.

Scribe lost the evidence that could clear him after Brain Eater destroyed the corpses, and the surviving swordsmen accused him of slaughtering their comrades. As the survivors regrouped at dawn, Tanjiro sensed human blood on Scribe and confronted him about the deaths.

• Scribe realized Brain Eater had used gunpowder to destroy the corpses that could have proved the swordsmen were controlled, while a survivor dismissed his explanation and led the others to search the village.
• Kanroji Mitsuri reunited with Tanjiro and the others, who told her the second reinforcement squad had left to investigate something strange.
• Muiichiro returned wounded with Tetsuana Mori and Kotetsu, and asked where Scribe was.
• The second reinforcement squad arrived and its leader claimed he had seen Scribe slaughtering his comrades in the forest.
• Scribe walked toward the group, and Tanjiro smelled human blood on him before asking whether he had killed Demon Slayers.

Scribe left the Demon Slayers after they rejected his account of killing Brain Eater-controlled swordsmen, with Kanroji Mitsuri choosing to stand by him. As they headed for Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals, Brain Eater and Shinri Keito discussed Scribe’s encounter with one of its avatars.

• Scribe admitted killing the swordsmen and said they had been controlled by Brain Eater, but Tanjiro refused to believe him.
• Kanroji Mitsuri defended Scribe and left with him, while the others watched them go and Tanjiro wondered if they had made a mistake.
• Tanjiro fainted after Scribe and Mitsuri departed, and Mitsuri asked where they were going before Scribe mentioned Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals.
• Brain Eater summoned Shinri Keito and told him that one of its avatars had encountered Scribe in an unknown forest village.
• Shinri Keito connected the village to the place he had sent Shinri Kōjin to investigate and asked Brain Eater what Scribe had been doing there.

Shinri Keito learned that Scribe was a respected Demon Slayer and heard Brain Eater’s plan to isolate and hunt him. Meanwhile, Scribe brought Kanroji Mitsuri to Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals’ headquarters, where she met Koinatsu.

• Shinri Keito learned from Brain Eater that Scribe was a respected Demon Slayer and worried that he might unite the Demon Slayers against the Shinri Family.
• Brain Eater told Shinri Keito how it had framed Scribe and destroyed evidence, then outlined further steps in its plan, which it named “Operation: Hunt Scribe.”
• After Shinri Keito left, Brain Eater contacted Number 008 and gave it an assignment.
• Scribe and Kanroji Mitsuri arrived at Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals’ headquarters, and Mitsuri hesitated because she thought she might meet Scribe’s wife.
• Scribe reassured Mitsuri and introduced her to Koinatsu, who quickly became friendly with her.

Scribe returned to Tamayo after Tanjiro drove him away from the Demon Slayer Corps, recalling a similar expulsion from long ago. He told his gathered companions about the recent events and Brain Eater Demon’s suspicious actions, leaving them questioning how the demon intended to spread the photographs.

• Scribe found Tamayo reading and told her he was disappointed because Tanjiro had driven him away, bringing back memories of his earlier expulsion with Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
• Gyutaro, Koume, Yushiro, and Koinatsu gathered to greet Scribe, and he invited them inside to explain what had happened.
• Scribe recounted his encounter with Brain Eater Demon, the events in Swordsmith Village, and his suspicions about Dichai.
• Gyutaro smashed a table and offered to kill Tanjiro, but Yushiro restrained him and Koume reminded him that Scribe could handle Tanjiro himself.
• Koinatsu and Koume pointed out that Brain Eater Demon’s actions seemed designed to frame Scribe rather than hunt humans, prompting the group to wonder how he could distribute the photographs.

Scribe and Tamayo left the village to visit the graves of his wife and child. They arrived at the overgrown ruins of a house, where three small graves stood.

• Scribe concluded that Brain Eater had worked with a human aristocrat to spread the photographs, and Tamayo warned that Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals faced danger from the powerful families.
• Scribe decided that everything would continue as usual but instructed Gyutaro to refuse all visitors.
• Yushiro announced that his demonification research had reduced the process time by at least one-third, while Koume questioned its success rate.
• Scribe asked Tamayo to visit the graves with him, and she agreed; he left Yushiro to continue his research and departed with Tamayo the following night.
• Scribe and Tamayo traveled together and reached an overgrown site with three small graves, where Scribe could make out the words “Wife” and “Child” on two worn stones.

Scribe visited Tsugikuni Yoriichi’s grave and reflected on being expelled from the Demon Slayer Corps again, while Tamayo comforted him and agreed to cut ties with the Corps. Kagaya learned of Scribe’s departure and blamed himself, while Ayu gathered intelligence about Swordsmith Village from his surviving scouts.

• Scribe spoke to Tsugikuni Yoriichi’s gravestone about his expulsion, his family, and his student Hakuji, while Tamayo listened.
• Tamayo said she would have Koume and the others sever contact with the Demon Slayer Corps, and she and Scribe left the grave before dawn.
• Ubuyashiki Kagaya learned that Tanjiro’s actions had driven Scribe away and broke down, lamenting that the past had repeated itself.
• Ayu welcomed four scarred survivors from Swordsmith Village and heard their reports about the Demon Slayers, demons, and Breathing Techniques.
• Ayu questioned the second scout when his account closely matched the first man’s report.

Ayu learned that Scribe was connected to the Red-light District incident and killed four informants to conceal what they knew. He suspected Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals had hidden ties to the affair and summoned Shinri Keito, while Scribe and Tamayo returned to the company.

• Ayu questioned four men and learned the names of surviving Demon Slayers and demons, including Tanjiro, Genya Shinazugawa, and Kanroji Mitsuri.
• The fourth man identified Scribe and described him, prompting Ayu to connect Scribe to the Red-light District incident.
• Ayu shot the four men and told his butler they had tried to blackmail and attack him, then ordered them given a proper burial.
• Ayu reflected on Scribe's links to Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals, Hyakuya Ryufu, and Shinri Keito, then summoned Shinri Keito.
• Scribe and Tamayo returned to Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals and confirmed nothing had happened while they were away.

Scribe received an invitation from the Shinri Family and decided to visit alone to investigate their ties to Shinri Masato and the demons. On the way, he rescued two Demon Slayer Corps members who seemed unaware of the Corps’ claims about him, leaving him puzzled about what they had been told.

• Gyutaro told Scribe that Shinobu and Kanae had visited while he was away, and Koume reminded him about an invitation from the Shinri Family.
• Scribe read Shinri Kōjin’s invitation and decided to visit the Shinri Family estate, while Tamayo chose to stay behind and Gyutaro was not allowed to accompany him.
• Koinatsu told Scribe that Asatsuru was doing well and planned to visit the dojo, and Scribe asked Koinatsu to go with her.
• Scribe told Tamayo that he expected the visit to reveal information about Shinri Masato and the Shinri Family’s knowledge of demons, then left the next morning.
• On his way to the Shinri Family, Scribe killed a demon and rescued two Demon Slayer Corps members, who were surprised to see him and appeared unaware of the accusations against him.

Scribe arrived at the Shinri Family estate after wondering why Brain Eater had not revealed the photographs. The estate’s rigid, rule-bound procedures left him suspicious as an attendant led him deeper inside.

• Scribe continued wondering whether Yaozai or someone cooperating with Brain Eater had delayed the photographs reaching the Demon Slayer Corps.
• Scribe reached the Shinri Family town, where an elderly man praised the family and guided him to its estate.
• Gatekeeper Number Five checked Scribe’s invitation through a formal procedure and escorted him inside.
• Gatekeeper Number Five explained the guards’ numbered identities, strict shifts, and supervision, which made Scribe suspect the family treated them like machines.
• Scribe waited in a designated room, then an attendant verified his identity and led him farther into the estate.

Shinri Keito arrived to find Shinri Ichijou enthusiastically telling Mister Scribe forbidden stories about past Shinri clan heads. Ichijou began revealing another secret about Shinri Chū, leaving Keito alarmed as the family’s hidden history spilled out.

• Mister Scribe asked Kōjin and Ichijou about past Shinri clan heads, including Shinri Masato.
• Keito spoke with the Brain Eater, who questioned why Keito had invited Mister Scribe and ordered a clone to contact Doma with a way to ruin him.
• Keito prepared himself and entered the reception room, where Ichijou was animatedly telling Mister Scribe about Shinri Moku’s strange habit of eating trees.
• Keito realized Ichijou had exposed secrets the Shinri Family had tried to bury, but Ichijou grabbed Mister Scribe’s hand and began revealing another secret about Shinri Chū.

Scribe charmed Shinri Keito by sharing his interest in the Shinri Family’s history, while Guangren wondered why that history was suppressed. At the Eternal Paradise Cult, a woman revealed herself to be a demon as she approached Doma with an offer.

• Keito stopped Jing from continuing his history lecture and welcomed Scribe, then struck up a friendly conversation with him.
• Jing explained his love of history to Guangren, who recalled Keito forbidding him from studying the family’s past and wondered what it concealed.
• Keito and Scribe praised each other and arranged for Scribe to stay the night at the Shinri Family residence.
• A woman visited Doma at the Eternal Paradise Cult and revealed a mark on her forehead.
• The woman opened her skull, and Doma realized she was a demon.

Number 009, a Brain Eater using a woman's body, approached Doma to propose joining forces against Scribe. Doma agreed to the plan, then lured Number 009 into a room of vases containing the heads of women he had eaten.

• Doma revealed that he knew Scribe and became interested when Number 009 proposed a plan against him.
• Number 009 explained the plan involving Swordsmith Village, the swordsmiths, Demon Slayers, and Scribe, and Doma agreed to cooperate.
• The cold Doma had unleashed damaged the woman's body, so Number 009 asked him for a replacement.
• Doma led Number 009 to a room of vases and revealed that they held the heads of girls he had eaten.
• Doma asked whether Number 009 could fill his hunger, and Number 009 realized Doma had lured it into a trap.

The brain eater’s contact with Doma ended when Doma attacked his clone, while Gyokko told Muzan about the brain eater’s scheme against Scribe. Muzan sent a letter to Shinri Keito, and Scribe grew suspicious of the Shinri Family after sensing a demon nearby.

• Doma attacked the brain eater’s Unit 009 after expressing interest in eating him, and the brain eater accepted the clone’s loss as part of his plan.
• Gyokko told Muzan that the brain eater had framed Scribe and taken photographs, and Muzan learned the demon called himself the brain eater.
• Muzan wrote a letter for Shinri Keito and ordered it delivered to the Shinri Family, with any reply brought back to him.
• At the Shinri Family, Hikaru escorted Scribe to his room, where Scribe suspected the nearby servants were monitoring him.
• Scribe reflected on Shinri Keito’s evasiveness about the family’s history and suspected the Shinri Family concealed something about Shinri Masato.
• Scribe sensed a faint trace of a demon’s aura somewhere within the Shinri Family.

Scribe investigated the demonic aura in the Shinri estate and suspected that a tainted object had appeared in the reception room after he left. Shinri Keito tried to conceal his plans and ordered guards to watch Scribe, but Scribe slipped away while they checked his room.

• Shinri Keito found Muzan's letter asking him to carry out the plan targeting Scribe, then burned it and wrote an obedient reply.
• Scribe reasoned that the faint demonic aura came from an object that appeared in the reception room after he left, and spent the night trying to identify it.
• The next morning, Shinri Kōjin said Keito was sick, and Scribe toured the estate while suspecting the excuse was false.
• Scribe learned the location of Keito's private laboratory, then heard Keito order two servants to keep him from leaving his room.
• After Keito and the guards left, Scribe prepared himself and vanished as a gust of wind; the guards returned and saw what looked like him asleep beneath the covers.

The Scribe infiltrated Shinri Keito’s laboratory and found Rokuro and Byakuya in the form of demons whose brains had been replaced by Brain Eater clones. Pretending to be clone No. 009, he gained their trust so he could learn more about Brain Eater.

• The Scribe used a pillow dummy to fool his watchers and slipped into Shinri Keito’s laboratory through a window.
• The Scribe searched the laboratory and discovered Rokuro and Byakuya lying motionless beneath sheets, their skulls missing and writhing flesh in place of their brains.
• Rokuro and Byakuya regenerated their skulls, woke up, and showed no memory of the Scribe or their past.
• The Scribe recognized the flesh masses as Brain Eater clones when the demons identified themselves as Nos. 016 and 017.
• The Scribe claimed to be Brain Eater No. 009, and Rokuro and Byakuya accepted him as their big brother.

Scribe discovered that Brain Eater’s newborn clones did not know where its main body was, killed them, and escaped the Shinri Family estate. After he left, Shinri Keito revealed photographs of Scribe killing humans and planned to use them against him.

• Scribe questioned the Rokuro and Byakuya clones, then realized they had exposed him and attacked.
• Scribe severed the clones’ limbs, killed Byakuya, and tricked Rokuro into confirming that Brain Eater had never told its clones where it was.
• Scribe killed Rokuro and the Brain Eater inside him, returned to his room, and pretended to sleep when Shinri Family staff came to check on him.
• Scribe left the estate the next morning, while Shinri Keito claimed he was still searching for the thief.
• Shinri Keito took photographs from a paper bag showing Scribe killing humans and said they would make it easy to bring him down.

Shinri Keito spread doctored photographs and fabricated stories to ruin Scribe's reputation, while Scribe and Tamayo suspected the Shinri Family and waited for the next move. At a Hashira meeting, the Corps discussed the missing young swordsmiths and reports that someone was following its members.

• Shinri Keito ordered his butler to leak photographs anonymously, and newspapers published false stories accusing Scribe and Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals of murder.
• The Shinri Family secretly fueled the rumors, causing crowds to gather outside Tsukishiki Pharmaceuticals and former partners, including the Hyakuya Family, to end their cooperation.
• Scribe told Tamayo that the Shinri Family had spread the photographs and wondered why the Emperor's faction had not responded; Tamayo suggested they could leave if necessary.
• Yaozai convened the Hashira and other witnesses to discuss the swordsmiths taken by an Upper Rank demon, and Kanae Butterfly reported that surviving swordsmiths confirmed the abduction.
• Tengen Uzui volunteered to rescue the missing swordsmiths, but Obanai Iguro pointed out that the Corps first needed to locate them and confirm they were alive.
• Yaozai raised reports that someone had been following Demon Slayer Corps members who lived outside headquarters.