"Tanjiro, over there."
Raiden tilted his chin slightly, indicating a figure moving cautiously in the distance.
Now that they had entered Mount Natagumo, finding Rui was the priority.
Rui's first appearance happened after Tanjiro encountered the surviving Demon Slayer Corps swordsman, Murata.
Tanjiro followed Raiden's line of sight.
A man in a standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform slowly came into view.
The four approached Murata.
Raiden made no effort to hide his footsteps, yet Murata failed to notice them until they were all close.
Sensing Murata's weakness, Raiden felt a faint regret stir in his chest.
Murata and Sabito had been from the same Final Selection group.
Sabito had eliminated every demon on Mount Fujikasane during that exam.
Aside from Raiden himself and Makomo, who died there, everyone else passed.
Under those conditions, the quality of the surviving swordsmen varied greatly.
Murata was one of the weaker ones.
As Murata nervously explained what had happened since entering Mount Natagumo, Raiden lifted his gaze, observing the faintly shimmering spider threads woven between the trees.
If his memory was correct, Rui would soon appear on those threads, suspended in mid-air.
First, he would test Rui's strength.
Then, he would establish a false bond.
Then, friendship.
The thought stirred a quiet mix of anticipation and tension within him.
This would be his first direct encounter with a member of the Twelve Kizuki.
Until now, his judgment of their strength was based on Kyogai.
Kyogai had been unable to withstand even a single exchange.
Even if Rui was far stronger, there had to be a limit.
Raiden was confident that as long as he controlled the pace, he had several ways to make Rui cooperate.
"Over there! It's here!"
Murata suddenly pointed toward the forest, his voice trembling.
Fear filled his eyes, but despair was beginning to surface as well.
He had endured while waiting for reinforcements, only to find a group of Kanoe-ranked swordsmen, younger than himself.
There was a Twelve Kizuki on this mountain.
What good were a few Kanoe-ranked members?
They would not save him.
They might even become burdens.
Perhaps this was where he would die.
In truth, he should have died long ago. He had survived Final Selection only because of Sabito's protection.
After a moment, Murata exhaled sharply and tightened his grip on his sword.
If he was going to die, he would at least create an opening for these younger members to escape.
The controlled Demon Slayer Corps members closed in.
Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were strong enough to subdue them, but every strike risked harming fellow swordsmen.
That was exactly how the Spider Demon Mother maintained control.
"What… is he doing?"
Murata turned toward Raiden, irritation creeping into his voice.
The other three were actively searching for a solution.
Raiden, however, stood still, eyes fixed on the sky.
Was he spacing out at a time like this?
The situation was already bad enough.
Did they now have to protect an unmoving Kanoe-ranked swordsman too?
Murata's frustration finally spilled over.
"Tanjiro, the demon controlling them isn't here," Raiden said calmly, without lowering his gaze. "Finding it is the key. Let the boar head help you."
"What good is talking?! Help us!"
Murata snapped.
It would have been better if Raiden had said nothing.
Anyone could tell the controlling demon was absent, but how did that solve anything?
His tone was so casual it was almost insulting.
"I'm not called boar head! I'm Inosuke!"
Inosuke shouted, slicing through a thread in irritation.
Murata felt a headache forming.
Was now really the time to argue about names?
"Here."
The word was quiet, almost absent-minded.
Murata froze.
A shadow stretched across the ground.
Slowly, he looked up.
A demon stood suspended in mid-air.
The pressure alone made it hard to breathe.
Murata's mind went blank, then filled with a single thought.
The Twelve Kizuki.
It had appeared.
Tanjiro also froze.
The scent was overwhelming.
The presence of Muzan Kibutsuji was stronger than anything he had ever sensed.
So this was what Tamayo meant.
Could Raiden really handle something like this?
Rui stood upon the spider threads, staring down at Raiden with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
That aura.
It was unmistakable.
Why did a human carry Muzan's presence?
That power was built over centuries.
It made no sense.
Raiden met Rui's gaze, faint disappointment flickering across his expression.
The Ghost King's aura was not as effective as he expected.
Rui was far more composed than Kyogai had been.
Perhaps desperation had made Kyogai crumble so easily.
Otherwise, the title of Twelve Kizuki would mean very little.
"Want to be friends?"
Raiden tilted his head slightly, his neck finally relaxing as he looked at Rui.
Rank differences meant nothing to him.
He would not retreat without testing Rui personally.
"Friends?"
Rui froze.
So did the controlled swordsmen.
Tanjiro stared at Raiden, admiration filling his eyes.
Raiden truly was kind, offering friendship even to demons.
Zenitsu barely reacted. He was already used to this behavior.
"Friends… sounds familiar," Inosuke muttered under his mask.
Murata, meanwhile, felt his thoughts collapse into disbelief.
Was this man insane?
Trying to befriend a demon?
In Murata's eyes, this was nothing more than begging for mercy with extra words.
And strangely enough, the guilt he carried for surviving under Sabito's protection eased slightly.
No matter how he compared himself, he would never stoop this low.
____
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