Three days later, within the courtyard of the Wisteria Family Crest Home.
"Inosuke Hashibira challenges you to a duel, Rayen!"
Inosuke thrust a finger forward and shouted without restraint.
A vein twitched faintly on Raiden's forehead.
"My name is Raiden."
"Got it. Liden, duel me!"
Raiden closed his eyes and inhaled slowly.
Don't get angry. Don't waste effort arguing with an idiot.
During the past three days of rest and recovery, Inosuke had failed to get his name right even once. What made it worse was that none of the names were repeated.
Just as Raiden was about to ignore him entirely, his ears twitched. His gaze shifted toward the outside of the courtyard.
They finally arrived.
While Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Inosuke recovered from their injuries, Raiden had not received a mission. He spent the time refining his breathing and stabilizing his strength through Total Concentration Breathing, Constant.
The improvement was obvious.
He had only recently reached a new level of combat control, yet he could already feel further refinement within reach.
Originally, he planned to push himself further before heading to Mount Natagumo. Now that the Kasugai Crow had arrived, there was no time left.
That was fine.
Training could wait. Experience could not.
Mount Natagumo housed Lower Moon Five, Rui, along with several demons bound to him by a twisted imitation of family.
They were all valuable encounters.
Beyond that, he would soon meet the Water Hashira and the Insect Hashira.
Winning over Tomioka Giyu on first meeting was unlikely. Shinobu Kocho, however, was a different matter. Beneath her gentle exterior was a sharp, discerning mind. A verbal understanding would not be difficult.
"North northeast, north northeast. Your next mission lies to the north northeast!"
The sharp cry of the Kasugai Crow rang out overhead.
"All four of you will go together!"
Raiden looked up at the crow, thoughtful.
Only a mission order?
No additional instructions?
When he used Blood Demon Art, Red Clean Arrow, against Inosuke, he made no attempt to conceal the aura. If the Kasugai Crow could not recognize it, that would be incompetence.
That display had not only been a lesson for Inosuke. It was a test.
A test of Kagaya Ubuyashiki's stance.
This silence could only mean one thing.
Acceptance.
Feigning ignorance would serve no purpose. A human using Blood Demon Art was a reality that could not be erased.
That meant Raiden would not need to restrain himself in front of the Hashira in the future.
The four bid farewell to the Wisteria Family Crest Home and set out toward Mount Natagumo.
Along the way, Inosuke continued shouting about duels, only calming down when they reached the mountain's base.
Raiden glanced at Zenitsu, who looked unusually subdued.
Compared to before, Zenitsu had grown. Being able to consciously use Thunder Breathing First Form to kill the Tongue Demon alone was not something Raiden had expected.
Still, one battle was not enough to undo years of fear.
"Shoichi said you were the strongest person he's ever seen," Raiden said casually.
Zenitsu froze, then looked up blankly. Shoichi was the boy he had protected inside the Drum Mansion.
Before Zenitsu could respond, Tanjiro spoke.
"Raiden, there's the smell of blood ahead."
Tanjiro's tone was instinctive.
Whether it was Raiden's strength or the calm pressure he carried, Tanjiro felt safer following him and naturally deferred to his judgment.
"Alright. Let's move," Raiden replied.
The scent Tanjiro detected belonged to Demon Slayer Corps members already ensnared by the Spider Demon Mother, the one masquerading as Rui's mother.
Within Mount Natagumo, Rui was the greatest threat, but the other Spider Demons were far from insignificant.
The Mother used threads to control humans like puppets.
The Father enhanced his body with monstrous strength and regeneration.
The Elder Brother's poison transformed victims into spiders.
The Sister used spider silk to bind and dissolve her prey within cocoons.
Only the Father lacked reason entirely.
The others were worth dealing with.
Still, Rui remained the priority.
"Help me… please…"
At the intersection near the mountain's base, a wounded Demon Slayer lay on the ground, sobbing in terror.
Tanjiro rushed forward.
The moment he moved, the swordsman's body snapped upright like a marionette.
Before anyone could react, he was yanked backward toward the forest.
Raiden's eyes sharpened.
Trying to drag someone away right in front of him was blatant disrespect.
A crisp metallic sound rang out.
Spider threads shattered mid-air. Tiny spiders fell lifelessly to the ground, severed along with the glowing strands that controlled them.
Only then did Tanjiro and the others react.
Tanjiro immediately rushed to support the fallen swordsman. Zenitsu stood guard nearby.
Inosuke tilted his boar head, staring at Raiden.
He heard the sound of the strike.
But he never saw the blade.
The distance had been nearly a hundred meters.
What kind of speed erased even the trace of a sword?
So he really wasn't serious during their duels.
Damn it.
"There are more… many more inside," the rescued swordsman said, pointing toward the forest with trembling fingers. Fear clung to every word.
"More demons?" Tanjiro asked urgently.
Raiden rubbed his cheek.
He already knew everything inside this mountain. Questioning someone who had never seen Rui was pointless.
Thankfully, the swordsman knew little, and the conversation ended quickly.
After settling him safely at the mountain's base, Raiden led the group into Mount Natagumo.
Not long after entering, Zenitsu pulled a sticky web off his head and scowled.
"These spider webs are the worst."
Inosuke snorted, white breath blasting from his boar mask.
"So annoying."
Raiden, meanwhile, remained untouched.
With heightened hearing, spatial awareness, and his refined perception, no thread escaped his notice.
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