On Mt. Natagumo, the Demon family had already changed under Wang Xu's rule. This year, he kept only four of the Spider Demons.
The Papa possessed the Blood Demon Art of Enhanced Strength.
The Mama controlled bodies with her Blood Demon Art of Puppet Manipulation.
The Older Sister wielded Dissolving Cocoon.
The Older Brother carried the deadly Poisonous Phlegm.
Every other Demon had been slaughtered by Wang Xu, dismissed as useless and weak.
From the moment he transmigrated and fully replaced Rui, Wang Xu held absolute control over the mountain. Killing the Spider family had been as easy as breathing. Yet even with such cruelty at his fingertips, there was still one being he feared: Kibutsuji Muzan.
Muzan could erase any Demon with a passing thought.
But as time passed, Wang Xu realized that something was different. It might have been caused by his transmigration itself, yet he had slipped free from Muzan's invisible chains. He could not explain the sensation, but it was unmistakably real.
As Rui, his demon body did not stagnate. It continued to grow, sharpen, and evolve every time he trained or perfected his Blood Demon Art.
He had not left Mt. Natagumo for an entire year.
But he still needed to eat humans.
At first, it horrified him. Then he tasted flesh.
And he could never turn back.
After only a few meals, the twisted, dark corner of his heart took over. The taste, the strength, the surge of power. He came to crave it.
He became a Demon not only in body, but in soul.
His peaceful life could have remained unchanged forever, until a few days ago, when Demon Slayer Corps members infiltrated Mt. Natagumo.
Then came the arrival of the Child of Destiny, Tanjiro Kamado.
That was when Wang Xu felt it.
If he devoured Tanjiro, and the important characters tied to his story, he could become stronger than ever.
And his greatest desire of all was to devour Kibutsuji Muzan and become the true strongest Demon.
He also sought a way to conquer sunlight itself.
In this, his ambition mirrored Lucien Graves, though the two had never met.
Like Lucien, Wang Xu retained knowledge of the original plot.
But unlike Lucien, he had no system, no interface, no mechanic granting him power or guidance. His only advantage was a warped, enhanced intuition.
A sixth sense.
As sharp and potent as Observation Haki from the Pirate World, allowing him to perceive, predict, and sense everything within his domain.
Ripples flowed out from his body, covering the entire Mt. Natagumo, and a map formed in his mind.
Papa was locked in combat with Inosuke.
Mama was forcing Demon Slayer Corps members to battle each other, and Tanjiro was on his way toward her.
Older Brother was about to clash with Zenitsu.
Older Sister had yet to make her move.
Every living creature on Mt. Natagumo was under his gaze.
One hour earlier…
Inside the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, a Kasugai Crow burst into the meeting hall.
"A Twelve Kizuki has appeared on Mt. Natagumo, requesting immediate reinforcements."
The report froze the nearly finished meeting.
"Mitsuri, Shinobu Kocho, The two of you should go," Oyakata-sama instructed gently.
"Yes."
Mitsuri Kanroji and Shinobu Kocho both rose.
Lucien followed after Mitsuri, serving as her Tsuguko.
Outside, Kanao waited silently for her master, Shinobu.
In the original timeline, Shinobu and Giyu Tomioka handled this mission together. This time, Giyu was replaced by Mitsuri, a shift caused by Lucien's presence.
Even without intending to, transmigrators altered the flow of fate.
Earlier, Oyakata-sama had offered Lucien a position among the Hashira, but Lucien refused politely. He had other priorities, and joining now would complicate the timeline more than necessary.
Shinobu and Kanao departed swiftly.
Mitsuri and Lucien followed, moving even faster.
Every second they gained meant a possible life saved. Corps members were dying by the minute.
"Found her."
On the mountain, Tanjiro leaped through thick webs and trees until he spotted the Demon manipulating corps members like puppets. She stood silently on a rock, long white hair fluttering.
Spider Mama.
Flustered, she panicked when Tanjiro approached.
"Water Breathing, Fifth Form, Blessed Rain After the Drought."
Tanjiro moved softly, gently, like a river current seeking the end of a drought. All he needed was a clean strike, and the Spider Mama would fall.
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
His sword snapped like fragile glass.
A thread had appeared in front of him so suddenly that he barely avoided being sliced in half.
Rolling across the dirt, Tanjiro gripped the broken blade tightly, eyes widening as he looked up at the figure standing above Mama.
Cold. Handsome. Floating.
No… standing on threads.
Tanjiro recognized him instantly.
A Twelve Kizuki.
Sweat chilled his palms. He hadn't sensed the Demon's movement at all.
"I am so sorry," Spider Mama whispered in terror, bowing instantly when Wang Xu appeared. She trembled violently.
Wang Xu ignored her. Like Rui, he held the same cruelty, but without Rui's delusional obsession with family bonds. He had kept the Demons only as tools, convenient for hunting humans.
His plum-colored eyes swept across Mama, and he vanished from sight.
Tanjiro startled, stepping back.
He had seen only an afterimage.
Then he felt it—emptiness on his shoulder.
Nezuko's box was gone.
Wang Xu stood five meters away, holding it casually.
He intended to eat Nezuko.
His sixth sense told him that consuming her would grant him sunlight adaptation instantly, bypassing centuries of Demon evolution. He had already removed the weakness of decapitation by Nichirin Blade earlier this year.
This was the difference between him and Lucien.
Wang Xu's sixth sense gave him certainty.
Lucien, in contrast, was patient.
He needed Nezuko to naturally adapt to sunlight before he risked anything, because he could not guarantee the result.
"Snap…"
The box shattered.
Nezuko burst out, her long hair flowing, her pink kimono fluttering as she lunged. Claws flashed as she raked at Wang Xu's neck before springing back beside Tanjiro.
Adorable, but furious.
"Nezuko, are you alright?"
Tanjiro breathed heavily, gripping his broken blade.
Nezuko shook her head once, sharp nails glimmering. Her eyes remained fixed on Wang Xu, filled with instinctive hostility. She felt his strength immediately.
Behind them, Spider Mama continued kneeling, frozen by fear, waiting for Wang Xu's next whim.