"Let go you bastard!"
Crunch!
His hand tightened with a vice grip, bursting my leg.
My body tumbled and rolled on the ground as my leg spurted out, gushing blood like a waterfall.
"Haha! Get him!"
I tried to get up, propping my arms on the ground but a horde of the spider minions piled up onto of me, stabbing relentlessly and injecting me with their poison.
There was no pain but each site of injection was throbbing and my strength rapidly slipping away.
"Kukuku. Don't worry, you'll make an excellent slave"
I could faintly make those words out as my eyes began to close.
…
Huh? Where am I? Did I not die?!
When I came to, I realised that I was still alive somehow , my body hung up with on the web.
I looked around with my eyes noticing the various other poisoned individuals slowly transforming.
I struggled to escape but I quickly realised that although I had retained my consciousnes, I had no control of my body.
My eyes continued wander but froze when I looked down—
What the hell! Is my body is turning into one of those disgusting spiders!
Why can't I return?!
Is it because I need to completely die to activate return by death?
Time passed by and my mental decline went along with it, losing all sense of reason and eventually leading to me becoming a mindless zombie.
My body had completely transformed and I was released from the webbing, crawling around, following orders like a slave.
I spent weeks in this form, until it eventually a pair of demon slayers made their way up to Mount Natagumo.
"What did you do with Kousei?!" Masachika yelled in frustration.
"Hehe… you mean that kid who came here a few months ago? Don't worry he became one of my lovely spiders."
"You bastard!" Sanemi roared as he lunged towards the spider demon.
"Get him!"
With the order of the demon my body uncontrollably launched at Masachika.
but I was instantly skewered by his blade.
My body fell to the ground watching the demon who commanded me get slain by Sanemi.
*
I snapped back into consciousness, my eyes widened and my body trembled.
No way.
The memories of my death flooded into my brain, I could feel a phantom pain of losing four extra limbs and my knees buckled as though I had forgotten how to walk.
I can't believe it… I seriously became a brain-dead spider for all that time. I had no control or awareness during that time, it was like my brain reverted to that of a infant.
But now that I've returned to being human again; regaining my cognitive function, I can actually make sense of the memories.
So Sanemi and Masachika come here a few weeks later if I lose?
My Kasugai crow must've reported my battle with the demon.
"Haha, your face looks terrified, don't worry, you'll soon turn into one of these spiders, there's nothing to be afraid of."
I looked up at the dangling Spider demon, latched onto the shack by his dragline silk.
"I see, so I returned to the moment before we started fighting huh?"
"What are you babbling about human?"
When I looked at his foul face, weeks worth of unpleasant memories as a spider resurfaced and I instantly began boiling with rage.
"This bastard seriously turned me into one of those disgusting spiders." I mumbled, gritting my teeth and clenching the handle of my blade.
Boom!
Like last time, I launched upwards, drawing my blade. Armed with the fact that I now know he's going to spray venom, I preemptively stormed up a cyclone of slicing air.
Wind Breathing Third Form: Clear Storm Wind Tree
My attack repelled all of the spider minions jumping at me along with the freshly spewed out venom globs.
I twisted to the side and fluidly ran along a wire.
Traversing along these webbings feel so natural to me, not only that I feel like my mobility has changed also. It's like I absorbed the dynamic movement of a spider subconsciously.
I slinged off the webbing soaring forward, without the spider minions slowing down my assault, I reached the neck of the demon faster than last time .
As the edge of my blade neared his neck, he made a futile cry of desperation.
"Father! He—"
Shk!
His father crashed down with a boom, unfortunately for him — it was a beat too late, as my blade already sunk into his neck.
The spider demons neck decapitated, rolling on the floor as it disintegrated away.
"Raah! You killed! My Family!
The fathers gruff voice bellowed while flaring the fangs of his spider head along with the eight eyes accompanying it.
His muscles bulged with fury as both of his arm slammed towards me.
I promptly evaded the attack, jumping up into the air while tucking in my knees.
Recalling the sturdiness of his body, I realised I have to chip away at his neck to slice it off.
So with a sharp breath, I flicked my arm outwards, allowing the centripetal force to move me mid-air.
Wind Breathing First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
My body spun like an unwinding coil, whipping out streaks of green as multiple lacerating strikes landed one after the another, tearing flesh with consecutive slash.
However before my blade completely severed his neck, he crouched down and crawled away to a nearby tree on all fours.
"Where the hell are you going! Get back here right now!"
He climbed up to a high branch and before I could reach him, he started twitching and contorting.
His skin flaked off, splattering mucus on ground and his back distended as a much larger figure emerged.
His massive frame towered over me, as his white hair fluttered and numerous eyes locked on.
"Oh shit…"
Boom!
His fist pummelled down, forming a large crater into the ground.
I dodged, landing on the unstable ground and began to create distance between us.
As the distance shortened, I suddenly turned back, adjusting my body and repeating the same airborne spin.
Wind Breathing First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
However to my dismay, his fist flashed towards me at an imperceptible speed.
My body went limp, ricocheting off the ground and crashing into the tree behind me, lodging me in splintered wood.
I coughed out blood and struggled to escape the tree trunk. And when I looked up I realised I had no time, the demon was stomping towards me.
I tightened my grip on the handle and with the most precise slash I could muster, I swung at his neck.
My blade dug in partially and sliced his flesh but then it happened — a sharp crack echoed in the emptiness of the forest, followed by the ring of the oscillating blade as it completely snapped off.
"You! Killed! My! Family!"
He grabbed both my arms, sandwiching me in his palms before biting at my head.
I witnessed my own spinal cord tear off before my vision went completely dark.
*
"Raah! You killed! My Family!"
Returning moments after killing the first demon, I knew I had no time to falter.
The "Father" was enraged, preparing to attack, so I swiftly lunged towards him.
I have to kill him now before he sheds his skin.
My ability in performing wind breathing forms was scrutinised under the memories recieved via the ability to return by death.
I could remember vividly, every mistake in my breathing, muscle contraction and timing. It all came to light from the memories I recieved.
Wind Breathing First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
Mimicking a tornado, my body spiralled with the tip of my blade flinging flesh with each slice, butchering his neck.
The demon gave one last cry of desperation before ultimately succumbing to the ember that consumed his decapitated head.
I sheathed my blade with a clink and continued venturing up the forest.
The further I went, the thicker the foliage became, my eyes squinted trying to avoid the countless spiders that was littered along the trail.
Suddenly, a large headless figure pounced at me from the bushes.
His arms were that of an insect, with two claws in the shape of a scythe.
Like a marionette puppet, threads glimmered in the moonlight, all latched onto his body.
I rushed forward, he didn't have a head so I aimed to slice diagonally.
Right as I began to swing the sword, my body halted, suspended mid air, restrained by the silk of numerous spiders crawling around my body.
Taking advantage of this opportunity the headless demon rapidly approached me, I frantically spun my body with all the strength I could muster.
Countless threads snapped under the edge of my blade as I broke free.
In the blink of a eye the two razor appendages of the demon pincered against my body multiple times, grazing against my skin.
My complexion became pale as blood drained out from the abrasions on my body but I stayed determined and countiued my assault.
Although my injuries made my legs worn out and fatigued, I managed to gap the distance.
Swirling through the air, I Iashed my katana into his shoulder.
The blade grinded against his tough skin and bones as it carved his insides, cutting from the torso to the waist, disintegrating the corpse.
My gaze followed the source of the thread, it lead further down the mountain.
trekking through the forest, I followed the trail of silk.
But just like before my body suddenly halted in place,a strong forced tugged on my arm, billowing my sleeve as my arm outstretched.
I quickly sliced the connection and looked at the source.
A childlike voice echoed out in the large forest.
"Mother, you're role is to protect the children, don't fail like father. Otherwise I'll have to punish you myself."
"Don't worry Rui! Mother will definitely protect you!"
He stood on a taut string, his white hair covered his left eye.
A breeze brushed his hair aside, revealing the kanji for six emboldened on his iris.
Just as I remembered! It's Rui, although it seems he is only lower six right now.
Rui balanced on the thin silk almost as though he was floating, then he looked down at me.
"Strange… he doesn't look too strong, yet he managed to kill brother and father. Mother, hurry up and kill him."
"Don't worry, I'll get it over with quick."
Rui left along with his "sister", it was just me and the mother demon now.
She sat on a boulder half buried in the ground, raised her hands which pulsated, shooting countless silk lines out from her fingertips.
"The closer you get the stronger to my strings, the more powerful I get!"
Wind Breathing Second Form: Claws Purifying Wind
Four simultaneous strike stream down, unleashing gusts of razor sharp wind.
Repelled and cut by the strong gusts, her silk lines became slack.
She was nothing without her strings, so when I made it within striking range, her arms layed down in surrender.
When I swung the final blow, instead of looking frightened, she seemed relieved, just like in the anime, only death could free her misery.
I cleanly decapitated her head.
"Now then, only two left to go"
…
I followed the direction Rui went earlier, I could hear shrieks of pain coming from the distance.
"Please brother! I don't want to fight him!"
"How dare you disobey me! Your job is to protect your family"
"Aaah!"
Silk wires diced her head off and he eventually turned to look at me.
"Look how you ruined my family… "
"Uhh, you created a pretty dysfunctional family."
"What did you say?!"
Taunting him was a mistake, I had vastly overestimated myself after my past few victories. Within a split second, he blurred ahead of me with his fingers splayed at his hips and the gleaming silk wires pulled taut.
The world spiralled before stopping at my feet as I stared at my own body slump over.
"Don't ever mock my family!"
*