Chapter 72: Tanjiro and Inosuke vs. The Spider Demon Father

Butterfly Sisters

(I accidentally deleted this chapter yesterday, so I have to rewrite it...)

The Spider Demon Mother, seeing the swordsmen break free of her control, used her spider silk to manipulate a headless demon puppet to stop Tanjiro and Inosuke.

Unexpectedly, Tanjiro and Inosuke worked together and destroyed the headless demon puppet.

Then Inosuke surged forward and hurled Tanjiro into the air.

In midair, Tanjiro spotted the Spider Demon Mother and immediately activated his sword technique.

Water Breathing. First Form...

“I’m going to die... my head’s going to be cut off! Think of something... think fast!”

The Spider Demon Mother stared at Tanjiro hurtling toward her, her face filled with terror.

But soon, that terror was replaced by another thought.

She felt that if she died, she would be freed—no longer forced to endure this fear!

As if surrendering, she extended her arms, ready to welcome death.

Midair, Tanjiro smelled the fear and suffering radiating from the Spider Demon Mother—the very scent of her longing for death.

He immediately twisted his blade, changing the technique.

Water Breathing. Fifth Form. Heavenly Drizzle!

The attack descended from above, a flash of blade-light passing through.

The Spider Demon Mother’s severed neck felt no pain—only the gentle patter of rain and the warm caress of sunlight.

Fifth Form is a merciful technique, used only when the opponent willingly offers their neck.

The Spider Demon Mother smiled sweetly.

She never imagined she could die so peacefully.

Her head fell to the ground, and as she met Tanjiro’s gaze, she felt no hatred toward herself.

Only tenderness. Only pity.

Those eyes... as if they could see through everything.

It reminded her of when she was still human—someone had once looked at her with the same gentle gaze.

A girl’s figure surfaced in her mind, but she could no longer recall who she was...

Just as her head was about to vanish, she warned Tanjiro: “There are Twelve Kizuki here... be careful...”

No sooner had she spoken than her tear-streaked head turned to ash, leaving only a white garment behind as proof she had once existed.

“Twelve Kizuki!?” Tanjiro hadn’t expected Twelve Kizuki to exist in Mount Riluoxi!

He remembered what Senjuro had said—researching a drug to restore demons to humans required the blood of Twelve Kizuki.

The blood of Twelve Kizuki is nearly identical to that of Muzan Kibutsuji.

Although he’d heard Zero had already collected much blood—including Lower Moon and Upper Moon demons, and even Muzan’s—

now that Twelve Kizuki were here, even if their rank was unknown,

he should do his part, see if he could collect more of their blood.

That would accelerate Senjuro’s research!

He had collected Kyogai’s blood at the Sound House, but Kyogai had already been stripped of his Twelve Kizuki status—he was merely a former Lower Moon Six.

Having clarified his next course of action, he prepared to rise and search for the Twelve Kizuki.

“Ah! Right, Inosuke...” Tanjiro remembered Inosuke was still there.

During the battle with the headless puppet, Inosuke had been injured—he had to return quickly.

He returned to Inosuke’s side.

Inosuke stood with his hands on his hips and shouted: “Did you take her down?”

“I did! Are you alright, Inosuke?” Tanjiro asked, concerned about Inosuke’s wounds.

“Don’t fuss over me so much! I can do everything you can—and better!”

Inosuke slapped his chest, ignoring the blood oozing from his wounds.

Tanjiro pulled out a cloth, wrapping Inosuke’s wounds as he replied: “Alright, alright, don’t move—I’ll patch you up!”

“Stop! I don’t need it!”

After a brief tussle, the two continued forward.

Inosuke felt an inexplicable warmth toward Tanjiro’s actions, yet also a strange irritation.

Arriving at the edge of a stream, Tanjiro asked: “Inosuke, during our fight earlier, did you hear thunder?”

“Who knows!”

“I want to check the other side.”

“Go wherever you want!”

“Right, so you go down the mountain,” Tanjiro pointed to a path leading downhill: “This way.”

“...Why should I go down? Are you crazy?”

“But your wounds are serious, Inosuke.”

“I’m not injured!”

“Huh!?”

Rustling...

As they argued, a sound came from across the stream.

They looked closely—it was a female spider demon.

Seeing them, the female spider demon immediately turned and fled.

Inosuke, regardless of the danger ahead, charged after her!

The female spider demon, as Inosuke chased her, screamed: “Dad!”

Inosuke: “Who the hell is your dad!?”

BOOM!

A massive black figure descended from above, landing in the middle of the stream, blocking their path!

Inosuke, having chased only a short distance, had no choice but to stop.

Seeing the demon before them, a crushing pressure settled over both of them.

It was a demon with a human body and a spider demon’s face!

Its build was massive, bare-chested, standing at least two meters tall!

He was the father the female spider demon had called out to—the Spider Demon Father.

“Do not... approach... my family!!”

He swung a fist, shattering the stepping stones in the stream and sending up a spray of water.

Facing the sudden assault of the Spider Demon Father, Tanjiro decided to strike first!

Water Breathing. Second Form. Water Wheel!

He swung his Nichirin Blade at the Spider Demon Father’s arm—but it only severed a third of the limb before stopping, unable to cut deeper!

Instantly, the Spider Demon Father swung his other arm toward Tanjiro’s body!

At that critical moment, Inosuke slashed with both blades, saving Tanjiro’s life!

“Damn it! How the hell are his arms so hard!? I can’t cut through them!”

SWISH! SWISH!

The Spider Demon Father whipped his arms, flinging both of them away!

Then, as Tanjiro landed, he charged forward!

His immense strength sent Tanjiro crashing back onto the shore.

“Try this!”

Inosuke seized the moment the Spider Demon Father was unprepared and attacked from behind!

But the Spider Demon Father merely swung his arm backward, sending Inosuke flying into the stream.

“Damn! Just swinging his arm has this much power! Pure brute force won’t work!”

ROAR!

The Spider Demon Father roared and charged after Inosuke again.

Seeing this, Inosuke abandoned offense and sprinted backward.

On the shore, Tanjiro followed their movements, waiting for the right moment to strike a thick tree trunk with his technique.

Water Breathing. Second Form. Modified. Horizontal Water Wheel!

BOOM!

The tree trunk split and fell directly onto the Spider Demon Father behind Inosuke, pinning him down, immobilizing him.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Inosuke stared behind him, confused.

“Inosuke, are you alright!?”

Inosuke looked at Tanjiro and saw him standing atop the broken stump.

“Did you do that? That’s impressive... damn it...”

But then, Inosuke sensed a change in Tanjiro’s aura.

As if he was about to unleash a devastating technique!

“While the demon’s pinned, it looks like we can cut off his head!”

Full concentration. Water Breathing…

Huh~

Swinging the Nichirin Blade, he charged toward the Spider Demon Father pinned beneath the tree trunk in the stream.

Tenth Form: Life Flow!

This is the final and strongest technique of Water Breathing—the more rotations, the greater its power.

Roar!

Yet at that moment, the Spider Demon Father unleashed unprecedented strength, lifting the tree trunk crushing him.

Tanjiro had no time to react; his Nichirin Blade struck the tree trunk.

Crack!

The Spider Demon Father gripped the trunk and swept it sideways, sending Tanjiro flying into the air toward another mountain peak!

“Kenshiro, danger!”

“Damn it! I, Izo! Don’t you die before I get back! That thing is one of the Twelve Kizuki! Don’t you dare die!”

Tanjiro’s voice echoed around him, tightening Izo’s heart like a fist.

Thud! Thud!

The Spider Demon Father stomped heavily toward Izo, raised his arm, and attacked again!

“Shit!”

…………

On the other side, Zero advanced in a straight line.

Along the way, he rescued several injured swordsmen.

He bandaged their wounds, secured them, and left them to the “Hidden.”

“Izo, don’t you dare die…”

The echoing sound in the mountains made Zero pause, puzzled.

Though indistinct, the voice felt familiar.

“That voice… Tanjiro? Judging by the direction, it must be over there…”

Instantly, he gripped his Nichirin Scythe and sprinted toward the sound.

When he reached a dense forest and prepared to advance, he saw Izo, wearing a boar mask, battling a massive, pitch-black demon.

The situation was dire—Izo was covered in wounds, drenched in blood, with several fractures at his joints.

Even his two swords, already chipped, had snapped and were lodged in the Spider Demon Father’s throat.

At that moment, the Spider Demon Father clamped his hand around Izo’s head, muscles tensing to crush it.

Pfft!!

A streak of crimson light flashed—his arm was severed.

With a roar of agony, he staggered back, blood gushing from the severed limb.

The wound burned as if scorched—unable to regenerate!

Izo collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

Blood trickled from the boar mask, dripping onto the earth.

In those fleeting moments, he felt death approaching—and a woman’s figure surfaced in his mind.

“You must live well, Izo!”

“Who… was that person?”

He didn’t understand why such an image appeared in his memory.

Yet from that woman, he felt sorrow, despair—and… kinship!

“Hey, kid, you alright?”

Hearing his name called, Izo looked up and saw a man with black-and-white wings behind him, long white hair flowing in the wind.

In his left hand, he held a Nichirin Scythe, its blade glowing red.

“Who… cough… is this guy? So strong… cough… why… do I feel such a dangerous aura from him…?”

Izo’s body trembled instinctively—his lifelong survival reflex from living in the mountains.

“You can still move? Good. Leave the rest to me!”

“Aaaah!!” The Spider Demon Father roared and charged forward with his remaining arm.

Zero stood before Izo. As the demon’s attack descended, he spun his Nichirin Scythe in an instant.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

In the blink of an eye, the Spider Demon Father was sliced into pieces, falling to the ground and slowly turning to ash.

“Incredible!!!” Izo cried out.

He scrambled to his feet, staring at Zero. “Hey, black-and-white bird wings, I’m challenging you to a duel!”

!?

Black-and-white bird wings!?

What does that even mean?

Zero was speechless. He turned and stared silently at Izo, who wore a dazed, fanboy-like expression.

Meeting those crimson eyes, Izo felt as if he stood before a mountain of corpses and seas of blood—his trembling intensified.

Fighting back his terror, he shouted: “I-I… I’m gonna fight you! You… you defeated a Twelve Kizuki, so if I beat you… I’ll be… the strongest… the strongest!!”

“Twelve Kizuki? What are you talking about? This thing’s weak—it’s not even a high-grade demon.”

Still, Zero found Izo’s trembling legs amusing.

This kid was oddly entertaining.

“Hah?! I-I know he’s not a Twelve Kizuki! Kenshiro told me!”

Zero shook his head, uninterested, and turned to leave.

But Izo wouldn’t let him go—he had to defeat Zero to prove he was stronger.

Ignoring his wounds, he trailed after him relentlessly.

Zero grew impatient. He considered knocking Izo out and leaving him for the “Hidden” to handle.

Just then, he encountered Tomioka Giyu.

“Zero.”

“Igyu? Perfect. Take this wild boar.”

Tomioka Giyu glanced at Izo. “Hmm.”

Zero walked on without looking back.

“Hey! Bird wings, don’t run! Fight me!”

Before he’d taken three steps, his vision blurred—and his feet left the ground.

Tomioka Giyu had produced a long rope in an instant and bound him, hanging him from a tree.

He clapped his hands and walked away without a glance.

“W-what just happened? Why am I tied up? This guy’s also so strong!”

Watching Tomioka Giyu’s retreating figure, he yelled: “Hey! Your haori split in two! Stop! Put me down!!”

“Someone who can’t even tell his own injuries shouldn’t be fighting.”

“Hah?! I can’t hear you! You speak too softly and walk too fast! I told you to stop and untie me! Hey!!”

But Tomioka Giyu had already vanished in Zero’s direction—he couldn’t hear a word.

“You stand right there! Hey! Hey!! Hey!!!”

…………