*Rustle, rustle—*
The sound of footsteps echoed along the mountain path.
Maybe because they had strength in numbers, even Agatsuma Zenitsu, who was usually the most terrified when facing demons, didn't voice any complaints about being scared. He just subtly shuffled closer to Kamado Tanjiro and Uchiha Hikari's positions.
As they moved forward…
Bulma muttered under her breath, "Hikari, don't you think the vibe on this mountain is super creepy? There's no way actual demons are lurking here, right?"
"Yep, there are. And not just any demons—real Twelve Kizuki, too."
Uchiha Hikari replied casually, already plotting her hunting strategy in her mind.
The demon holed up on Spider Mountain, Lower Rank Five Rui, was a peculiar one.
Due to his past life, he had an almost obsessive fixation on family bonds. He liked to "adopt" stray demons who fled to him, playing a twisted game of house. His makeshift "family" could number as many as a dozen at its peak, or at least five or six at its lowest.
For the Demon Slayer Corps, this was a nightmare of an enemy. So far, over a dozen Demon Slayers had gone missing here, and that number was originally set to climb even higher. Hikari's group arrived a few days earlier than in the original storyline. In that timeline, even Tanjiro's team would barely survive this encounter, needing months of recovery afterward.
But…
For Uchiha Hikari, this was good news. After all, a chance to take down this many demons at once didn't come often.
"Tanjiro, picking up any demon scents?"
"Yeah, up ahead, about a kilometer out. It's strong!"
"Zenitsu?"
"…There's a ton of people screaming over there. It sounds brutal. Maybe we should, y'know, head another way?" Agatsuma Zenitsu hugged his shoulders, trembling again.
Gotta hand it to them—Tanjiro's nose and Zenitsu's ears were seriously impressive. In some ways, they were almost on par with the Hyuga clan's Byakugan. Since Hikari hadn't yet mastered using "ki" for wide-range sensing, her ability to track demons was actually a step behind theirs.
"A kilometer… that's close enough. Hop on, Bulma."
Hikari glanced at the blue-haired girl beside her.
"Uh… gimme a sec!"
Bulma pressed a button on her mini-bracelet, shrinking herself instantly. Hikari crouched down, extending a hand to catch the tiny Bulma as she hopped into her palm, then slipped her into the chest pocket of her jacket.
Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke: "???"
Zenitsu finally lost it.
"I don't get it! How does a huge car just *boom* and vanish like that, and now people can shrink?! Hikari-san, Bulma-san, are you *sure* you're human and not, like, some gorgeous yokai from a story who's super good at tricking people?"
"…Chill, you'll get used to it."
Hikari waved him off with a calming gesture, then turned to Tanjiro. "Tanjiro, want me to take Nezuko? It might be a bit safer than keeping her with you."
"Are you going off on your own, Hikari-san?"
Tanjiro glanced at the box on his back, hesitating. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll pass. I want to protect Nezuko with my own strength. I don't want to burden you."
"Fair enough."
Hikari thought for a moment, then added casually, "You've all got those half-Senzu beans I gave you, right? Eat them if things get dicey. If you run into an enemy you can't handle, run. Be careful, and don't die here."
With that…
She formed hand signs.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
*Poof, poof, poof—*
A cloud of smoke burst forth, and four or five Uchiha Hikari clones appeared in the forest. The real Hikari handed out lightsabers and sealing scrolls to each clone. They only had three lightsabers—not enough for everyone—but Hikari had splurged at Konoha's ninja tool shop, so each clone got a sealing scroll, with plenty left in her bag.
Meanwhile…
Tanjiro and the others stared, jaws dropped, at the scene.
Zenitsu grabbed his hair, eyes practically popping out. "Tanjiro, Inosuke, you saw that, right?! It's gotta be a yokai! No way it's not! First shrinking, now cloning?! How can a human do this?!"
"No, it's a god."
Inosuke shook off Zenitsu's grip on his shoulders, correcting him seriously. "Hikari-san and Bulma-san's true identities have to be mountain gods. I heard legends like that when I lived in the forest."
"Pfft—"
Hikari couldn't help but laugh.
To be fair, she and Bulma's antics were pretty wild. Even in the modern world, someone who'd never seen *Dragon Ball* or *Naruto* might think this was some supernatural nonsense, let alone Tanjiro and the others, who lived in a relatively "ancient" era.
Hikari didn't bother explaining much. She waved to Tanjiro's group, then, along with her shadow clones, soared into the sky.
Bukujutsu!
"…"
At this point, Zenitsu gave up complaining. Flying was probably normal for a yokai, right?
Beside him, Tanjiro took a deep breath and drew his blade. "Hikari-san has bigger things to handle. Let's move, too. I smell blood up ahead—someone might be hurt. We need to get there fast!"
…
The mountain breeze swept through.
Hikari's real body rode atop the Somersault Cloud, surrounded by her shadow clones flying high in the sky. Including Bulma, six pairs of eyes scanned every direction, their long hair whipping in the fierce wind.
The closest "Mother" demon to Tanjiro's group was skipped by Hikari. It wouldn't be cool to hog all the action, and since "Mother" wasn't that strong, she'd leave her for Tanjiro and the others to practice on.
Suddenly…
Two figures in white robes with white hair, walking along the mountain path, caught Hikari's attention.
"Spider Family demons."
*Whoosh, whoosh—* Two shadow clones dove downward, while Hikari and the others flew deeper into Spider Mountain.
New targets kept popping up.
One by one, shadow clones peeled off.
Finally, a cluster of stone buildings on a mountain ridge caught Hikari's eye. In the clearing in front of them stood a towering, pitch-black figure with a spider-like face tilted upward, seemingly spotting Hikari in the sky. Its fanged mouth let out a low, beastly growl.
"Bulma, close your eyes and hold on tight."
"We're going down."
Hikari stood up on the Somersault Cloud. Her eyes flashed with the three-tomoe Sharingan as her fingers hit the switch on her protective gear.
*Flash!*
In an instant, a blinding light erupted, like a sun blazing in the sky, bathing the surrounding forest in radiance. High above with no cover, even people kilometers away could see the glowing orb suspended in the night sky through layers of trees.
Then, a dark red light pierced through the glow.
The next moment…
The light source transformed into a shooting star, plummeting straight toward the ridge below!
"Ryusei Seigun!!!"
*(End of Chapter)*