Lower Rank Five's Death / Nezuko's Danger

In the Original Work, the brother and sister faced a desperate situation in this battle. Nezuko, covered in wounds, awakened her Blood Demon Art, while Tanjiro unleashed the Dance of the Fire God Hinokami, yet still failed to kill her. In the end, they were only able to win thanks to Giyu Tomioka's arrival to provide support.

Tanjiro didn't think Kurotama could easily handle such a powerful opponent.

"It really is... beautiful."

The blood-stained threads glowed with a scarlet light; if an ordinary person were touched by them, they would be instantly sliced into countless pieces... Kurotama dared not be careless and focused her attention. In Yatsufusa, Hachifusa swung her arm with an unbelievable slash, instantly tearing a large gap in the spider silk in front of her.

Clang—

The Yatsufusa slashed down and collided violently with the net wall that the opponent had gathered with all their might, producing a metallic humming sound.

Kurotama did not stop moving. After being blocked, she leaned back lightly and dodged a spider web that was shot toward her forehead.

Even when exhausted, their minds remain highly focused; if one attack fails, another will follow immediately.

Countless threads, like whips, clashed against the Kurotama sword blade with a series of clanging sounds.

Chapter 129 The Death of Lower Rank Five

The battle between the two sides was extremely fierce.

Just as Lei's mental state reached its limit, Kurotama's power suddenly increased. He slashed through the blood-red spider webs with a single stroke, then rushed to Lei's side and severed his arm.

"Is this all you've got?"

The girl's voice rang in his ears, and Lei subconsciously turned his head, but did not see her.

After a snap of the fingers, a second stab was made from behind, piercing through his abdomen.

The octopus-resistant properties of the Yatsufusa increased with each stab, and the sharp blade effortlessly sliced through the hard body.

Even so, the other side was still able to launch a counterattack.

"Blood Demon Art, Killing Eye Cage!"

The crimson threads surged, a move originally intended to target enemies, but now it enveloped both sides.

Relying on his excellent recovery ability, Lei unleashed a powerful ultimate move on Kurotama.

The rapidly spinning silk threads formed a huge cage around them, with each strand of spider silk moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

"Draw Slash".

Kurotama doesn't have any powerful special skills; she only knows the simplest moves.

As the blade sliced through the air, the sturdy Killing Eye Cage was utterly severed. The blade's edge shot out, and a strong wind pressure could be felt even from a distance of more than ten meters.

"Ahhh!" The female ghost "Sister," who had been watching from a distance, stood up in terror, trying to run away. But the energy from Kurotama's slash had already reached her, the powerful force slicing her forehead vertically in two.

"How weak."

It wasn't that she didn't sympathize with others, but rather that the Demon Sister herself wasn't exactly a good person. A large number of people imprisoned by her in the nearby mountains were all confined inside a sphere and then liquefied alive by disgusting acid.

Kurotama wouldn't hesitate for a second when dealing with someone like that.

The weapon slashed more than twenty times in succession, and the female ghost was almost killed alive by Yatsufusa. Rui himself, unable to withstand the attack, collapsed to the ground.

"It seems... he's dead."

Tanjiro was startled by the violent scene.

But the next moment, something even more terrifying happened.

Lei, who had already lost his life, actually stood up again, covered in blood.

Kurotama raised the knife in her hand, and the other person was manipulated like a puppet, taking a few steps forward before the injury gradually disappeared.

Less than 20 seconds later, Lei was standing unharmed in his sight.

Nezuko nervously shielded Tanjiro behind her.

Kurotama glanced back at them and said calmly, "Don't worry about it. My weapon can control the people I kill. Currently, Upper Rank Five has nothing to do with Muzan anymore."

As if to prove her point, Kurotama made a thought, and the Spider Demon in front of her knelt down and crawled towards her.

Tanjiro: "..."

"You can control ghosts?"

Just then, a new voice came from afar.

Kurotama glanced back and saw that the newcomer was none other than the Water Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps — Giyu Tomioka.

As one of the few individuals capable of rivaling the Upper Rank, this seemingly unremarkable man possesses the strength to completely overwhelm the Lower Rank. In his very first appearance in the anime, he easily defeated Rui.

However, this does not mean that Kurotama is inferior to him. After all, her sword currently has little effect on restraining demons and can probably only be used to deal with some young demons who have not been born for long.

"What you're saying makes sense. Anyway, these ghosts will disappear when the sun comes out tomorrow, so why not make good use of their fighting power?"

"Your behavior is probably hard for a normal person to accept."

"No, a change of mindset is all it takes. You know, having one more combatant can sometimes save a life."

Although he instinctively felt some resistance, Tomioka had to admit that Kurotama's words did make some sense.

After storing Upper Rank Five inside his weapon, Kurotama stretched and happened to see a petite figure rushing over from a distance.

"Oh my, I didn't expect you all to be here." Shinobu Kocho appeared on the scene, but before her smile could fully open, she froze slightly when she saw Kurotama.

"Who are you..."

"Hello, Insect Hashira Miss." Kurotama waved to her.

"Hello."

Shinobu Kocho was surprised to see the girl who had stood next to the shop owner that day. In the darkness, Kurotama, dressed in a black Sailor Uniform, looked mysterious. Looking across the entire Demon Slayer Corps, it was truly difficult to find another individual at such a young age who possessed the strength of a Pillar. After all, Shinobu Kocho herself was only eighteen, while Kurotama looked noticeably younger. Her physique was also remarkably well-preserved; the skin on her waist and arms was as white as moonlight, showing absolutely no signs of training.

A girl who can combine talent and beauty is truly amazing.

Giyu Tomioka noticed the two girls meeting his gaze and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. Because of his own experiences, he had always been very withdrawn in the Demon Slayer Corps, usually silent and rarely interacting with the other Pillars.

Just as he was hesitating whether to ask, Shinobu Kocho's gaze naturally fell on Nezuko.

"Oh my, what's that you're protecting? If I'm not mistaken, it should be a ghost, right?"

With a smile, Shinobu Kocho said these words and charged at Nezuko almost without waiting for a reply.

Bite!

Tomioka's sword blocked the way, protecting Nezuko and Tanjiro behind him.

"What are you doing, Mr. Tomioka? You yourself said you don't want to get along with demons, so why are you stopping me?"

Shinobu Kocho's tone gradually turned cold. Despite her kind appearance and gentle voice, she actually hated demons more than anyone else.

Nezuko was inexplicably furious that Tanjiro and Giyu Tomioka were protecting her so openly and legitimately.

He made another move, but was stopped once again by Giyu Tomioka.

After their Nichirin Blade clashed several times in mid-air, Shinobu Kocho retreated to a safe position.

"As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, how dare you protect a demon?"

Giyu Tomioka's expression turned grave. He glanced back at the brother and sister behind him and said, "Tanjiro, take your sister and leave. I'll take care of things here."

Upon hearing the prompt, Tanjiro didn't think twice and immediately picked up Nezuko and ran off into the distance.

Shinobu Kocho wanted to give chase, but Giyu Tomioka blocked her once again.

"Are you serious, Mr. Tomioka? For a Pillar to do something like this... But I don't want to waste any more time with you. Goodbye then..."

Shinobu Kocho lightly leaped onto the tree, preparing to catch up with her target, but at that moment, Kurotama suddenly blocked her way.

"You are facing a demon that has basically escaped Muzan's control and will never eat people again."

———Divider Line———

P. S.: I just happen to be quite busy these past two days.

Chapter 130 Nezuko's Danger

"You won't eat people? How can you guarantee that?" Shinobu Kocho looked at the girl in front of her in surprise. She knew that if Kurotama was determined to stop her, she would have no chance of catching up with Nezuko.

The difference in strength between the two sides can be described as qualitative.

"That's the truth. I know Nezuko's situation perfectly well. She might hold the key to defeating Muzan. If you kill her, it'll cause a lot of trouble in the future. And..." Kurotama's lips curled up, "If nothing unexpected happens, the crow will be here soon with news."

What news?

"Of course, we are asking you to bring Tanjiro and Nezuko back to headquarters. This is your leader's order."

"...

For some reason, it felt a bit absurd, but recalling how Su Lin could reveal Shinobu Kocho's secret without batting an eye, she couldn't help but believe Kurotama's words.

After all, everyone in that shop had a very mysterious air about them.

However, this obviously could not dispel her aversion to ghosts.

"Even so, I hope you won't stop me. Killing demons is the duty of the Demon Slayer Corps. I don't want to end up like that annoying guy who breaks the rules of the Corps without permission." After saying that, Shinobu Kocho glanced at Giyu Tomioka with a slightly provocative look.

"...

Tomioka looked somewhat annoyed and didn't say a word. Kurotama simply shrugged. "If you insist on going, you'd better be prepared to face me."

"Then I understand."

Shinobu Kocho showed her no mercy, immediately leaping forward and stabbing at Kurotama in the tree.

Bite!

Sparks flew as the blades grazed each other, and an extraordinary force jolted her arm back, forcing Shinobu Kocho back to the ground, while Kurotama remained unmoved.

"Your strength is truly astonishing." Shinobu Kocho exclaimed in surprise, her speed increasing as she launched a rapid attack on Kurotama from all directions, moving like an elegant butterfly.

The air crackled with the clash of weapons, sparks flying as blades met. Giyu Tomioka realized that no matter how hard Shinobu Kocho tried, she couldn't break through Kurotama's defenses. Basically, no matter which direction Shinobu attacked from, the mysterious black-haired, black-clad girl could always get there first, effortlessly blocking her path.

"Oh dear, little sister, you're very capable, but dressing like this isn't a good idea. That unpopular guy down there can see under your skirt with just a slight tilt of his head."

Shinobu Kocho's reminder made Kurotama fall silent. In fact, if the question hadn't been raised, Giyu Tomioka wouldn't have paid attention to that area either. But now that Shinobu Kocho spoke, Kurome's gaze unconsciously drifted in that direction.

Fortunately, he only glanced at it briefly before turning his head away decisively, and very gentlemanly did not continue looking.

"Your psychological tactics failed. Mr. Tomioka is a very polite gentleman and would never have such filthy thoughts. Besides, even if I let him see, he wouldn't be able to, because he's wearing black stockings under his skirt." Kurotama revealed a set of pearly white teeth, with an expression of complete indifference.

For some reason, the conversation gradually veered in an indescribable direction. Below, Giyu Tomioka looked utterly helpless, but there was nothing he could do.

Rather, it's more accurate to say he was on Kurotama's side. That day, Tanjiro's entire family was killed by demons, and he was alone in the snow, carrying his sister, now a demon, running through the mountains. This tragic scene, though over a year had passed, remained vivid in his mind. He was deeply moved by Tanjiro's spirit, and after confirming Nezuko's safety, he introduced her to the trainer "Sakoji Urokodaki Sakonji," Tanjiro's later mentor, for certain reasons.

Tanjiro learned Water Breathing from Urokodaki, passed the difficult test, and joined the Demon Slayer Corps.

Most members of the Demon Slayer Corps harbor deep hatred for demons, and they all joined for their own reasons, making it extremely difficult for them to accept Nezuko's existence. He wouldn't have dared to stop Shinobu Kocho's actions if he hadn't been certain Nezuko was truly alright.

The fierce battle raged for three minutes, and Shinobu Kocho Shinobu Kocho exhausted all her methods, was completely at a loss. At that moment, Kurotama seemed to remember something and said directly to the two, "By the way, if nothing unexpected happens, Tanjiro might be intercepted halfway. I need to go check."

After saying that, she took a step, turned around, and began to leap rapidly between the trees.

Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka followed closely behind. After a few minutes of movement, Tanjiro and Nezuko, who were fleeing, came into view. Contrary to expectations, the two were now confronting another person.

She was a young woman with long black hair and a classical air about her.

"Kanao".

As expected, this guy appeared here just like in the anime.

Just as Kurotama was about to step forward, a few strange crows suddenly cawing in the silent night sky.

"Gah~ Gah~ Pass on the order! Pass on the order!"

The sound instantly spread throughout the entire venue and was heard by everyone at the same time.

"Headquarters has issued an order to capture Tanjiro and Nezuko! I repeat, capture Tanjiro and Nezuko and bring them back to Headquarters!"

Everyone looked up and, sure enough, saw a crow flying and talking.

Following closely behind the crow, there was another, different sound.

"Tanjiro, wearing a checkered jacket, with a scar on his forehead. Nezuko, the demon girl biting a bamboo stick. Take them back, take them back! Gaa~ Gaa~"

Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka both stopped and sheathed their swords.

"Nezuko, isn't that the name of that demon?"

Kurotama also stopped and turned around, saying, "Speaking of which, I'm also going to the Demon Slayer Corps to become one of you."

"What?" Giyu Tomioka was slightly surprised.

"Aren't you welcoming me?"