"Senior Lin Guang!"
Lin Guang smiled at Tanjiro and Inosuke as they ran toward him.
"You've taken care of everything over there, right?"
Tanjiro nodded happily. "Yes! Once Senior Lin Guang defeated the demon, all those threads disappeared. We rescued every Corps member who was still alive!"
"Why is it so much colder here? I hate this feeling!" Inosuke said, shrinking his neck into his shoulders.
Tanjiro explained, "It's because Senior Lin Guang uses Ice Breathing. After every battle, the temperature around him drops a lot. You'll get used to it, Inosuke."
Lin Guang said, "Tanjiro, the demon I killed said there's a member of the Twelve Kizuki on this mountain."
At the mention of the Twelve Kizuki, Tanjiro froze, then his expression turned grave.
The Twelve Kizuki! A real member of the Twelve Kizuki is on this mountain! If I can get their blood, the medicine to turn Nezuko back into a human can be made sooner.
Noticing the change in Tanjiro's expression, Inosuke asked, "The Twelve Kizuki? What's that?"
Lin Guang explained, "The Twelve Kizuki serve directly under the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji. You could say they're the twelve strongest demons aside from the Demon King himself."
Inosuke nodded, only half understanding, then waved his swords. "Who cares about the Twelve Kizuki? I'll just cut them all down!"
Lin Guang smiled without saying anything more, then left.
Tanjiro and Inosuke followed behind Lin Guang.
Before long, they reached a riverbank. Across the river stood a little girl demon wearing a kimono with a spiderweb pattern.
Despite the demon's appearance, Lin Guang showed no intention of attacking.
Inosuke shouted at her, "I'll cut you in half, you ugly demon!"
The little girl demon turned to flee. Seeing her run, Inosuke stepped onto a rock jutting out of the water to chase her.
"Wait right there! Don't run!"
The little girl demon suddenly turned her head and shouted, "Father!"
Inosuke, who had run into the water, was startled by her sudden shout. "Who are you calling Father?"
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over Inosuke. He stopped and saw a demon with a spider's face leap out.
Tanjiro shouted in concern, "Inosuke!"
Inosuke retreated onto a rock, dodging the Spider-Faced Demon's attack.
Then the Spider-Faced Demon appeared right in front of him.
"Stay away from my family!"
With those words, the Spider-Faced Demon slammed a fist toward Inosuke.
Inosuke hastily dodged. The Spider-Faced Demon's fist shattered the rock beneath his feet, sending up a huge splash.
Watching this, the little girl demon said without a trace of emotion, "I'll leave this to you, Father."
Then she disappeared into the woods.
The Spider-Faced Demon caught up with the fleeing Inosuke and swung a fist.
At that critical moment, Tanjiro appeared.
"Water Breathing! Second Form! Water Wheel!"
Tanjiro's black Nichirin Blade struck the Spider-Faced Demon's arm, but could not sever it.
The Spider-Faced Demon thrust his left fist at Tanjiro, but Inosuke blocked it with his swords.
Then the Spider-Faced Demon roared, throwing Tanjiro and Inosuke back.
Tanjiro and Inosuke landed beside Lin Guang. Inosuke couldn't help exclaiming, "He's so tough!"
Keeping his eyes fixed on the Spider-Faced Demon, Tanjiro asked gravely, "Senior Lin Guang, this must be a member of the Twelve Kizuki, right?"
Lin Guang shook his head. "This demon isn't one of the Twelve Kizuki. They have characters engraved in their eyes. He doesn't."
Tanjiro looked at Lin Guang in shock. "No way! Senior Lin Guang! He's this strong, and he isn't even one of the Twelve Kizuki? Then how strong must the real ones be?"
Lin Guang turned away. "Didn't you already use Hinokami Kagura before? If you work together with Inosuke, you should have no trouble dealing with this demon."
"I'm going after that demon. She must be heading to the member of the Twelve Kizuki. Once you've dealt with him, follow me. I'll leave markers."
"Understood, Senior Lin Guang!" Tanjiro answered, then charged straight at the Spider-Faced Demon.
Inosuke swung both his swords at the Spider-Faced Demon as well.
Seeing Tanjiro and Inosuke keep the Spider-Faced Demon occupied, Lin Guang leaped straight into the woods.
Lin Guang continued tracking the little girl demon through the woods.
Suddenly, Lin Guang heard a scream.
A smile curled at the corners of Lin Guang's mouth.
"Found you!"
Lin Guang wrapped himself in the Frost Haori and slowly approached the source of the sound.
After only a few steps, Lin Guang spotted the little girl demon who had fled earlier, along with Rui, whom he had encountered twice before.
"Ah! Please, stop! Ah! Sob..."
The little girl demon covered her face and sobbed. Her tears mingled with blood, dripping steadily onto the ground.
Suddenly, Rui's voice rang out.
"What are you looking at? This isn't a show."
Hearing that, Lin Guang stopped hiding and slowly stepped out.
"So you could sense me. It seems I underestimated you," Lin Guang said.
"Mother couldn't finish you off, and she even let you come here. She really isn't a very good mother," Rui said unhappily.
"To think that a member of the Twelve Kizuki would enjoy playing house. You've never truly cared about this fake family, have you?" As he spoke, Lin Guang placed his hand on the Nichirin Blade at his waist, ready for a sudden attack from Rui.
Rui toyed with the spiderweb in his hands. The instant he heard Lin Guang's words, he gritted his teeth and glared at him.
"You..."
Just then, someone in a Demon Slayer Corps uniform emerged with an arrogant look on his face.
"Oh! Here's one that's just right. Even I can kill a little demon like this."
"Hey!"
Lin Guang was about to warn him, but the man snapped, "Stand back! I want to get ahead without risking my neck! Once I rise through the ranks, the higher-ups will pay me more."
"My squad was almost completely wiped out, but all I have to do is kill a decent demon, and I can leave this mountain!"
With that, the arrogant Demon Slayer Corps member charged at Rui.
Seeing that he was determined to get himself killed, Lin Guang no longer tried to stop him.
In an instant, the boy charging at Rui was sliced by spiderwebs into chunks of flesh of all sizes.
His face dark, Rui slowly said, "Hey! What did you just say?"
Rui turned and fixed his eyes on Lin Guang, repeating each word distinctly. "What! Did you! Just say!"
An immense oppressive force swept toward Lin Guang. Even though his body had been strengthened by various potions, he still felt a little pressure-though only a little.
Rui's fury had reached its peak. The slightest provocation would make it erupt.
"You! Say what you just said one more time! Hey! Say it!"
Lin Guang slowly drew his white Nichirin Blade, meeting Rui's gaze without backing down.
"Gladly. I'll say it as many times as you want! Your family and your bonds are all fake!"
Before you continue