Chapter 34

At the base of Nada Spider Mountain.

— Am I... hated? — Zenitsu pondered, looking at the wounded resting nearby. — Even though the older brother, who wanted to take Nezuko from me, asked me to watch the wounded, if they convince me, I might go with them.

Suddenly, Zenitsu imagined Tanjiro carrying a wooden box with Nezuko and entering Nada Spider Mountain.

— Ah! That guy! Taking Nezuko! — Zenitsu jumped to his feet and dashed toward the mountain, as if possessed. — Why are you taking my beloved Nezuko?! Tanjiro is unbearable! I know! This man wants to take my Nezuko! What a cruel heart! Unforgivable!

The wounded, observing Zenitsu going crazy and racing toward Nada Spider Mountain, were bewildered.

Meanwhile, inside Nada Spider Mountain.

A group of people in the Demon Slayers Corps uniform held their swords at the ready and grimly watched Xander and the others.

Xander, skillfully dodging a strike from one of the people, drew his sword with a white sunlit edge and flung it into the air behind the attacker's back.

A few transparent silk threads snapped, and the person, losing control, collapsed to the ground.

"Tanjiro! Inosuke! These people are being controlled by silk threads, just like the ones I saved!" shouted Xander to Tanjiro and Inosuke.

Hearing Xander's words, Tanjiro and Inosuke dodged the attacks from these people and cut all the threads controlling them. The people, deprived of control, fell unconscious.

But in the next second, they got back on their feet again.

"Senior Xander, there has been a strange smell lingering for some time. My nose isn't working, and I can't locate the demon," said Tanjiro. "I can't locate the demon either," Xander nodded.

It wasn't that he didn't have a way; he simply didn't want to display the power of the Frozen Fruit, and the scope of its effect was too large. He didn't need to reveal his abilities to handle demons that were not among the Twelve Moon Demons.

Seeing that Xander had no solution, Tanjiro turned to Inosuke: "Inosuke! Do you have any abilities to find the demon's location? If you can, please help me!"

"We will help these manipulated people, Inosuke, you…"

Suddenly, a boy with white hair and a kimono patterned like a spiderweb appeared in the air.

"Do not disturb our family's peaceful life," the white-haired boy said. "Mom will immediately kill those like you"

Upon seeing the boy, Xander realized that he was facing Rui, the fifth of the Lower Twelve Moon Demons.

Xander concealed himself, and the frosty feather fabric covered part of his breath.

"Icy Breath! Form IV! Trace-Free Icy Spike! Shear!"

With a crash, Xander vanished in an instant. A flash of cold light illuminated the space, and Xander appeared next to Rui, driving his blade into him.

Rui only noticed the sudden attack when Xander was close. Rui's reaction was a bit delayed, but he still managed to dodge to the side, avoiding a fatal blow.

Seeing that his sword with the white sun edge only grazed Rui's clothing, Xander felt a slight regret.

Rui simply frowned, glanced at Xander, and left.

Inosuke initially wanted to slice Rui in half, but his perception was far beyond that of ordinary people. Even though Xander deliberately masked his breath with the frosty feather fabric, Inosuke still sensed a hint of Xander's intent and made no move to warn the enemy.

Seeing Rui leaving, Inosuke also felt a slight regret.

"Why did that guy even appear?" Inosuke wondered.

"That guy is not the demon controlling the silk threads. Inosuke, you should first find the demon controlling the silk threads," said Xander.

Inosuke dodged an attack from one of the controlled people and cut the silk thread binding them with one swift strike.

"I know!" Inosuke nodded.

Then he plunged his two swords into the ground and spread his arms apart.

"Breath of the Beast! Seventh Form! Spatial Awareness!"

Inosuke's muscles trembled furiously, and he quickly pinpointed the demon's location.

"Found it!"

"Where is it?" Xander asked.

"Oh! I sense a very strong and powerful aura there!" Inosuke said, pointing in a specific direction.

Seeing that Inosuke had located the demon, Tanjiro couldn't contain his admiration: "Really? You're amazing, Inosuke!"

Upon hearing Tanjiro's praise, Inosuke relaxed briefly.

But the sudden flash of a sword brought him back to his senses, and he quickly dodged the attack.

"Damn it! We can't move forward until we find a way to deal with these guys!" Inosuke exclaimed.

At that moment, Xander suddenly said:

"Leave one person here. The actions of the controlled people here are simple, just watch the silk threads."

Tanjiro pushed one of the people away and said:

"Inosuke and Mr. Murata, go with Xander, and here..."

Suddenly, Murata seemed to explode like a tiny universe, stopping several controlled demons.

"Leave this to me! You all move forward!"

Inosuke didn't understand what Murata was doing and grumbled:

"You already wet yourself, what are you even talking about?"

Even the good-natured Murata got angry when he heard Inosuke's words.

"Who wet themselves?! You wild boar! I'm not talking to you! Shut up!"

"Though I let you see my awkward side, I'm also a swordsman of the Demon Slayers Corps! I'll find a way to solve this problem. Wait for me!"

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you." Xander nodded and ran in the direction Inosuke had pointed.

"Thank you very much! "Let's go, Inosuke!" Tanjiro also thanked him and pulled Inosuke to follow Xander.

As Xander and the group moved deeper into the mountain, more silk threads appeared around them.

"Damn! What's with this annoying thread?!" Inosuke swung his arms, trying to swat them away.

At that moment, another person blocked their path.

"No! Don't come any closer! Who will bring the higher-ups here? Otherwise, I'll kill everyone! Please," cried a girl swordsman, trapped by the silk threads, choking on her tears.

Seeing this scene, Xander frowned slightly and quietly said:

"I'll leave this to you, okay?"

Tanjiro nodded and whispered:

"No problem, Xander."

Then Xander's figure melted into the shadows.

The girl under control, seeing Xander disappear, thought he went to find a high-level swordsman and calmed down.

Meanwhile, deeper into the mountain, Nada Spider sat on a rock. She was a plump demon girl, with white hair cascading down her back like a waterfall and scattered over the stone.

"Oh? You went to ask for help? But can you defeat them? The closer you get to me, the thicker and stronger the threads will become, and the more powerful the puppet will be."

Suddenly, a child's voice rang out.

"Mom."

Upon hearing this voice, the demon girl did not become happy; instead, she was frightened.

"Did you win?"

The voice belonged to the Lower King, the Fifth Moon, whom they had encountered earlier.

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