Meanwhile, the female demon standing like a shadow behind Rui froze. She wore a white kimono similar to his, and her face was just as pale and delicate.
She keenly caught the unfamiliar wavering and longing in Rui's eyes.
An immense fear of imminent abandonment seized her heart in an instant.
"No... don't!"
The female demon screamed in terror and threw herself at Rui, heedless of everything. "Don't abandon your big sister! Rui! Did I do something wrong?"
"I've always worked so hard to play the part of your family! Please, don't abandon me!"
That scream struck Rui's most sensitive nerve.
"Get away! Shut up!"
Rui abruptly snapped out of his brief daze, then was consumed by the fury of having his inner weakness exposed. He violently flicked his hand.
Bzzzt-!
Swish-!
Several vicious strands of [Thread Prison] erupted in an instant, aimed not at Tanjiro and his sister, but at the "big sister" rushing toward him from behind.
The threads sliced through the female demon's body without resistance, instantly cutting her slender waist, arms, and thighs into several pieces.
At the same time, the aftershock of that terrifying cutting force swept across the surroundings. Several enormous trees, each so thick it took several people to encircle them, were severed at the waist as though by an invisible giant blade.
"Aaagh!"
The female demon's head rolled onto the muddy ground, the rest of her body scattered everywhere.
As a demon, she would not die from this, but the fear of being abandoned and killed instantly sent tears pouring from her eyes.
She looked at the enraged Rui, her eyes filled with utter terror and abject pleading. "I... I've fulfilled my duties as your big sister, haven't I? Rui... please... don't abandon me..."
Though her voice shook uncontrollably, Rui did not even look at his sister's head on the ground.
He raised a hand and pointed toward where Tanjiro and his sister were hiding, his voice icy. "Now! Go kill those Demon Slayer Corps members immediately! Bring that female demon to me! Then... perhaps I can still consider forgiving you!"
A spark of hope instantly flared in the eyes of the female demon's severed head. As long as she would not be abandoned, she would do anything.
Her scattered body parts immediately writhed back together. She picked up her head with both hands, pressed it onto her neck, and staggered toward Tanjiro and Nezuko behind the fallen trees.
Her body had just passed over a patch of low bushes-
Bam!!!
A tremendous, muffled crash rang out, like a heavy object striking the ground.
An irresistible, terrifying force slammed into her back like a mountain.
"Urgh-!"
The female demon could not even scream. Her vision simply went black as an unimaginable force instantly flattened her entire body and slammed her into the solid ground.
Dirt and gravel flew, and a shallow, human-shaped crater formed in an instant.
A black-booted foot rested firmly on her spine, its toe grinding down with an almost lazy air.
The immense force nearly broke her newly reassembled body apart again, her bones groaning under the unbearable strain.
A male voice thick with exhaustion and extreme impatience struck down from above her head like an icicle:
"Where do you think you're going?"
Kirishima Bupai leaned forward slightly, his sunglasses reflecting the cold moonlight.
Though she could not see his eyes, the chill in his voice made the female demon feel as though she had plunged into an ice cellar. "Who are you trying to kill? Hm? You're all so damn noisy!"
He slowly raised his head. His gaze, like two tangible swords, pierced through the drifting dust and pinned Rui, who stood in the center of the clearing, stunned by this abrupt turn of events.
Kirishima Bupai stretched luxuriously, his bones giving a series of soft cracks. His tone brimmed with the irritation of someone whose pleasant dreams had been interrupted:
"And you-"
He extended a finger toward the grim-faced Rui in the distance, his voice suddenly rising.
His sleepy voice carried the displeasure of a street thug. "What the fuck are you yelling so loudly for?! Can't a guy get some peace and quiet?!"
"Don't you know disturbing people in the middle of the night is inconsiderate? Some of us have to get up early for work tomorrow!"
Rui watched Kirishima Bupai, who had suddenly appeared and pinned his "big sister" beneath his foot in such a humiliating manner...
He looked at that conspicuous white-and-gold cloak and those sunglasses, then at the careless expression on his face, as though he had stepped on a bag of garbage rather than a demon...
The fury of being utterly belittled and provoked instantly overwhelmed his reason.
But he forcibly suppressed his anger, his gaze still locked on Tanjiro, who held Nezuko behind the fallen trees.
His yearning voice carried a twisted persistence and enticement. "You..."
He pointed at Tanjiro, then at Kirishima Bupai, who was standing on his "big sister." "And you! As long as you hand that female demon over to me! I can guarantee that both of you will leave this mountain safely! Otherwise..."
Rui's voice suddenly turned incredibly sinister, and an even more terrifying demonic aura emanated from his body.
Countless sharp threads visible to the naked eye danced wildly around him, slicing through the air with piercing shrieks. "...I'll turn every last one of you into fertilizer for this mountain!"
"Huh?" Kirishima Bupai gave a short snort, as though he had heard an utterly absurd joke.
He lowered his head and roughly grabbed the long white hair of the female demon beneath his foot.
As though lifting a chick, he yanked her bloodied, filthy head out of the crater, forcing her tear-streaked, fear-twisted face toward his.
An exceedingly kindly smile appeared on Kirishima Bupai's face, yet it threatened to freeze every drop of blood in the female demon's body.
He leaned close to her ear, his voice as soft as a lover's whisper, yet laden with bone-chilling killing intent. "Hey, dear big sister..."
With a cold smile, he spoke with biting sarcasm. "Your dear little brother... seems rather rude, doesn't he?"
After speaking, he glanced at the murderous Rui in the distance. "And he seems... to have gone astray. He's quite sick, isn't he?"
Kirishima Bupai's thumb brushed seemingly casually across the female demon's fragile neck, sending an icy shudder through her. "As his big sister, aren't you going to discipline him properly? Hmm?"
That final, slightly rising hum rang in the female demon's ears like a death knell.
She could clearly feel the terrifying strength in the fingers gripping her hair, enough to crush her skull with ease.
And... and that gaze coming from behind those sunglasses, like the stare of an abyss.
So... so terrifying...! This... this... guy...!
No, I can't fight back... I'll... I'll die...
That was not the look of someone watching prey. He was looking at a piece of garbage he could discard at any moment!
Struggle? Resist? Cry? Beg for mercy? Every thought was instantly crushed beneath utter terror!
She was so frightened that even her teeth chattered... she could swear she had never seen anyone so terrifying in eight lifetimes...
In her extreme terror, all she could manage was a faint whimper from deep in her throat, like the plaintive cry of a young animal.
Tears poured out silently. Her body was as stiff as stone, and she dared not struggle in the slightest.
Seeing the female demon frightened completely out of her wits, Kirishima Bupai seemed to lose interest in toying with her.
He released her, letting her slide limply back to the ground, then leisurely began rolling his neck and straightening the collar of his magnificent white-and-gold cloak.
Every movement exuded an infuriating leisure and utter disregard for everyone else.
Once he had finished, he raised his head toward Rui, whose face was livid and whose demonic aura churned in the distance.
"Ahem..."
Clearing his throat, Kirishima Bupai shouted in an extremely loud, extremely clear tone, full of provocation and command. "Hey! You noisy little spider over there..."
As he spoke, he pointed at the female demon lying in a trembling heap at his feet. "Don't want your big sister anymore? Then I'll take her!"
Before you continue