The Spider Mother's longing for sunlight and food shattered the last remnants of her restraint.
This stunningly beautiful and voluptuous woman, upon realizing she might finally taste normal food and feel the sun on her skin, even rose to her feet with a flicker of excitement, clutching Ren Kuroda's arm tightly.
"My lord… I will become your subordinate—no, even your servant—and I will have no regrets. I only ask that you keep your promise… let me eat normal food and feel the warm sunlight once more."
Only those who had truly been turned into demons could understand how precious sunlight and a simple meal could be. Take Tamayo, for example. After being transformed by Muzan Kibutsuji, she had devoted countless years to studying ways to free herself from his curse and return to human life.
Immortality, granted by demonic transformation, was not always desired. Most humans wished for a normal life, however fleeting. The Spider Mother was one of them. Even suspecting that Ren might be deceiving her, she clung to the faint hope that his words could be true.
Her heart, previously broken by fear and subjugation, now seized on the slim chance of regaining a fragment of her humanity.
Ren, of course, had not anticipated just how persuasive the promise of sunlight and food could be. The Spider Mother's fear of him evaporated entirely, replaced with a desperate, almost childlike trust.
Her arms sank into him, and even Ren felt a fleeting stir of desire. She truly was astonishing, and her physical attributes could have made her a remarkable "mother" in any traditional sense—though in this case, it was entirely irrelevant to the situation at hand.
"I think you misunderstood me earlier," Ren said, his voice calm yet precise. "I do not have the power to restore you to your original human form. I can only help you resist sunlight and eat normal food. Returning you to full humanity… that is beyond even me."
The Spider Mother paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing her expression. But even so, she clung to hope. She was willing to fight under Ren's command, to become his subordinate. Survival, after all, demanded submission.
Even if she could never be fully human again, the ability to taste food and feel the sun was a gift far beyond her reach before. There was no choice—fight or die, submit or perish. In every world and era, the law of the jungle remained unchanged.
Ren was offering her what no other demon could: a chance to reclaim a small piece of her lost life. She had no reason to refuse.
Demons were all once human. Most had no true desire to consume their former kin unless hunger forced them. Some devoured others to grow stronger, but the Spider Mother was not that kind.
Hearing her acceptance without hesitation, Ren leaned in slightly and produced a handful of deep purple crystals from his robes.
Had the other Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps been present, they would recognize these instantly: the coveted inferior demonic energy crystals.
Ren had always claimed he possessed none, but now he revealed a substantial handful. Each crystal might cost ten reputation points, yet he had accumulated enough through the Corps' system to afford this lavish display.
His reasoning was simple: these crystals had resisted Muzan Kibutsuji's curses on Ubuyashiki Kagaya, so they might similarly suppress the curse afflicting the Spider Mother. After all, both curses stemmed from the same source, and the crystals had two functions: amplify demonic power in those who already had it, and forcibly alter the bodies of those without, turning them into demons.
Previously, Ubuyashiki Kagaya's fragile human body could barely withstand the effect. But the Spider Mother's demonic body, already robust and immortal, could likely endure the infusion of many crystals, achieving stability without destruction.
These were Ren's speculations, of course—the outcome would reveal itself in practice.
From the beginning, Ren's plan had been to subdue the Spider Mother using a large quantity of inferior demonic energy crystals. The system had tasked him with subduing multiple types of demons, but never specified that they must exist in the same world.
Could he create new types of demons and subdue them? If so, the risk would be lower, and the system's rewards could be harvested more efficiently.
Presenting the crystals, Ren calmly explained the possible side effects. A partner needed full disclosure, or resentment might arise.
But the Spider Mother didn't care about side effects. She reached out her delicate fingers and seized the crystals from his hand.
Prepared for death, she embraced the gamble. Even if the odds were only one percent, she would try. Loyalty demanded it—disobeying a master's first command was unforgivable.
The purple crystal gleamed in her palm, and without a second thought, she placed the entire thing in her mouth.
Ren, who had prepared the Killing Stone as a safety measure, was momentarily rendered speechless.