Family Or Prisoner?
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Winds, Waves, And Chains! Our heroes are up against the most fearsome remaining members of the spider family in this chapter and you already know that even with a little backup it's not going to be a walk in the park. But what is a walk in the park is stopping by my Pat reon and making a small donation to see some news, scene samples, and even a couple exclusives! You don't even have to be a patron now, just a small donation of $3 dollars will allow you to buy and view my most recent posts! Now then I believe that's everything and with no guest review questions to answer, on to the story!
Nighttime: Mt. Natagumo
'Finally,' John thought as he made his way back towards Mary, Jonathan and the others, 'after two years of training and several days of searching, we've finally got a lead.' It didn't take him long to arrive back in the area he'd been thrown from. "John," his wife greeted him with a hug, "glad to see you're okay. I wasn't sure what to think when Inosuke tossed you up like that."
"I was letting him defeat that demon," the boar fighter put his hands on his hips, "you did defeat her, right?"
"Yeah, she's gone," the former hunter nodded, "but there's something I need to tell all of you."
"More good news, I'll bet," Susamaru remarked while Jonathan hummed in acknowledgement.
"It's good and bad news," John clarified, "there's a Kizuki on this mountain."
"Are you shitting me?!" The Temari Demon practically yelled, "No wonder this place has been a slaughterhouse, the rank and file don't stand a chance against something like that."
"Does that mean the demon you killed was just part of the Kizuki's Blood Demon Art?" Mary questioned.
"No, the mother spider was a separate demon altogether," he corrected, "that's the only thing I can think of that explains her behavior."
"What about her behavior gave it away?" His wife asked.
"Who cares whether or not it was a demon or this bloody demon whatever art," Inosuke interrupted, "we need to go find it and take its head!" The dual wielder started running then.
"Hey, don't just take off on your own!" Susamaru called in annoyance as they all ran after him, "that's how you nearly got diced last time!"
"I guess we'll have to run and talk," Mary did her best to shrug as they moved along.
"Well the gist of it is, right before I cut off the mother's head, she surrendered completely," John explained, "it was as if she was begging for death. I doubt she had a sudden attack of conscience after killing so many and Lady Tamayo said demons don't normally gather together in groups. But what if that demon was being forced to stay on this mountain by the other demon?"
"It's not completely out there," the swordswoman admitted, "the only way Muzan would allow any demons to group together is if he was certain they wouldn't turn on him. Or maybe, if they're grouped together on this mountain, it might mean we're closer to Muzan's lair than we thought!"
"If that's the case then the demon or demons guarding it will be the most lethal of all next to Muzan," John mused, "whatever the case, it's confirmed there's a Kizuki here and even if we don't find Kibutsuji there's still a chance to get a blood sample. But we're going to need to be extra careful."
"As long as we stick together, we should be fine," the lady slayer smiled confidently. Her husband couldn't help but return the smile as they continued on until coming out into a clearing with a river crossing. It was here that Inosuke suddenly came to a halt.
"What is it," Susamaru asked, looking around for any sort of trouble that might try popping up.
"I thought I felt thunder for a moment," he noted.
"Thunder, I don't see any thunder clouds," the Temari Demon noted, "are you picking it up with your special sense?"
"Yeah, there was a weird vibe in the air for a moment," Inosuke confirmed, "but there's also something else." He suddenly looked over as everyone noticed movement on the other side of the small river they'd arrived at. It turned out his feeling was because of another female demon who looked like a younger version of the mother spider from earlier but with shorter hair tied up with green jewelry and a large blue sash tied around her waist with a large bow on the back. "There's another one! Let's tear it to shreds!"
The boar fighter ran across the river using some large stones as a path. "Wait, it could be a trap," Mary warned. But it was already too late.
"Father now!" The spider girl called.
"Who're you calling," Inosuke stopped and looked up as a large shadow appeared above him, "Uh oh." The shadow belonged to a tall demon who dropped down from above. Just as he was about to bring his fists down on the dual wielder, Jonathan moved in and tackled him out of the way. The giant of a demon slammed into the ground then, the impact of his fists spraying water and mud alike in all directions.
"Stay away from my family," the demon roared as everyone finally got a good view of him. The one called father was perhaps the most muscular demon they'd ever encountered, standing easily eight to ten feet tall with dark grey skin that possessed the same red dotted lines as the other spider demons so far. He wore blue baggy pants held on by a blue belt as his only clothing, but the most terrifying thing about him was his face. He possessed the most spider-like visage yet with eight beady green eyes and large mandible-like teeth in addition to his already fearsome toothy maw.
His presence was so overpowering that for a moment no one moved until he reared his fist back. "STAY AWAY!" Jonathan and Inosuke both leapt out of the way as the force of his blow hit hard enough to crater the ground even with the water slowing his fist. The father spider moved forward surprisingly quickly for his size after that, cocking his fist back with a punch aimed at the boar fighter while he was still in midair. But just as he was about to land a blow, two Temari slammed into the side of his head.
The demon turned more out of surprise than actual pain as John leapt in then. "Breath of Water Second Form: Water Wheel!" The slayer somersaulted in midair and brought his blade down on the beast who blocked it with his right forearm. The weapon succeeded in digging partially into the father spider's arm but went no further. "Oh shit."
The monster snarled before rearing back a fist to throw at him but was stopped by Inosuke slamming both of his blades down on their opponent's other arm. "What's with this thick skin," the dual wielder noted. The father spider roared angrily before flinging them both away. Fortunately, this maneuver left him vulnerable to Mary's next attack.
"Breath of Wind First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!" The horizontal cyclone slammed into the hulking figure's chest, causing him to take a step back but no more. "Not good." The lady slayer moved out of the way just in time to avoid another strike from their enemy before six Temari pummeled him in quick succession.
"You're not the only one with a little muscle around her, snaggletooth," Susamaru declared.
"Don't make me repeat myself," the father spider stomped forward, "stay away from my family!" The demon girl was just fast enough to get out of the way of the first two blows but stumbled from the impact of the second, leaving her open to a third punch.
"Hey! Eyes over here ugly!" Inosuke came leaping in with both blades poised but was knocked back into the water by a swing of their opponent's arm. Jonathan moved in next and attacked low, hitting the side of the Father Spider's left leg with a double kick. This caused him to wobble slightly as Mary and John both came in with an attack. But the monster recovered far too quickly and grabbed Jonathan before he could escape, throwing him into his mother before batting the father away with a swing of his other arm.
Susamaru battered him with more Temari attacks but this only succeeded in enraging the demon as he charged. "Shit," the demon girl turned and ran while twisting her arms on occasion to throw more Temari at the beast, "I think we're going to need a better plan than trying to hammer away at him. Anyone got a stronger technique?!"
"I got one that might work," John called as the group recovered and chased after the two demons, "it should be able to stop that guy's movements." He spoke that last part so that only those nearby would be able to hear him.
"Not like we didn't just get some practice with a large body earlier," Mary remarked as they increased their pace, "Jonathan, you're up first!" The demon boy grunted in acknowledgement before producing the chains he used earlier to save Ozaki from his hands. They wrapped around the demon's left ankle as he dug his heels into the riverbed. Thanks to the demon possessing such great strength, however, he was still pulled along, doing his best not to be yanked over.
"Breath of Water Fourth Form: Striking Tide!" John called out.
"Breath of Wind Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!" Mary added her own attack to the mix. The techniques were aimed at the tendons behind his legs and the demon's back. Even with his large frame and tough skin, taking two hits while already unstable was more than enough to knock the demon over and into the water. "Hold him down!"
"Yep, we're doing this again," Susamaru grunted while seizing one of the father spider's arms. Jonathan quickly wrapped his ankles together with his chains as he and John both held the monster's legs. Inosuke rushed in and jammed both of his blades into the demon's remaining arm as everyone struggled to hold the monster in place.
"Keep him down, I'm gonna hit 'em with the strongest form I've got," Mary called while standing on the demon's back. She took a stance then, focusing completely on her breathing and the technique she was about to perform.
"What the," despite trying to keep the thrashing creature down, Inosuke still noticed the change in the air thanks to his enhanced sense of touch. 'What's going on, it's as if the air around her just changed,' he observed. The lady slayer leapt into the air then and swung her blade.
"Breath of Wind Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash!" She rotated in the air, generating torrents of wind all aimed for the demon's neck. But before she could reach her target, the beast summoned up his strength and flung everyone off of him, including Jonathan who lost concentration on the chains, causing them to disappear. Mary succeeded in cutting the demon's back but wasn't quick enough in freeing her sword. By the time she did and tried to jump away, their opponent was already rearing back to throw a devastating uppercut.
Acting quickly, Jonathan jumped in between them with his arms crossed and blocked the blow. Unfortunately, the impact was so powerful it sent him flying back into his mother with enough momentum that both she and her child were sent sailing into the air and far back into the forest. "MARY! JONATHAN!" The swordsman yelled as he tried to run after them.
"Don't worry about us," she called down while still in midair, "we'll be fine, focus on killing that thing, it has to be the Kizuki we're looking for!" The two of them went out of sight then, disappearing among the trees.
"Damn, we need a new plan," John turned just in time to see the father spider readying another attack, "and we better think up one fast."
With Mary and Jonathan
"Hang on," Mary grabbed ahold of her son while they were both still in midair, "I'm gonna try and slow us down!" It was difficult to do one-handed but she was able to think of one form that might work. "Breath of Wind Third Form: Clear Storm Wind Tree!" She unleashed a whirlwind of slashes as best she could in her current position and sliced through several branches, the force of the wind from her blows slowing their descent before hitting the ground and rolling.
During this time, she held her son close and also tried to keep a grip on her sword for the next few seconds until they finally stopped rolling. "Ow," she hissed a little once she was sure they stopped moving, "sliding like that stings a little. Are you alright, Jonathan?" The answer she received was the sound of cracking before he got up, revealing his broken arms mending themselves back into their proper shape. "I guess that's a very gross yes."
Her son simply made a playful snort before helping her up off the ground. "Alright, let's start making our way back towards-AAAAAHHH!" The two of them snapped their heads in the direction of the noise, recognizing it as a girl screaming in pain. "I'm begging you! Please stop!"
Mary glanced back in the other direction for a moment before deciding to head towards the noise. 'If that's the demon boy who appeared earlier,' the swordswoman reasoned, 'it'd be best to take him out now so that he doesn't team up with the father spider.' She also couldn't deny the possibility that her own motherly instinct might've driven some of her actions as she followed the sound of the crying girl. It took only a minute and what she found made her both confused and angry as she and Jonathan crouched behind a bush.
It was the girl demon from earlier, the one who'd called out to the father spider. She was on her knees in front of the boy spider they'd encountered after entering the forest. She was crying and her hands were covering her face, no doubt where she'd been injured if the blood on the ground was any indication. "What are you looking at," the boy demon asked in annoyance, having noticed their presence, "this isn't a play happening right now."
"Then what is happening right now," Mary stood up to her full height, "I thought you, her, and the other demons were working together."
"Don't mistake us for some infantile group who banded together in order to hunt better," the spider boy corrected, "We are much closer than that. We're a family that is connected by a powerful bond. What's happening right now is between me and my sister, if you choose to interfere, I'll carve you up."
"So what," the lady slayer scoffed, "you expect me to believe you're just gonna let me walk away? And besides, even if you were I couldn't. I'm a mother after all so I know that what you call a bond is nothing more than your own delusion. The mother we slew was so terrified she welcomed death and that girl you call your sister is in pain right now because of you. Not a single member of your so-called family actually wants to be here, they're your prisoners!"
"You," the demon boy growled, "how dare you." He was interrupted from speaking further by a new arrival.
"How about that," it was, amazingly, another slayer with a shaggy bowl cut, "a demon that's a manageable size. Even I can handle a kid, so I may as well take a chance." He readied his blade.
"Wait, just listen for a second," Mary held up her hand in warning, "this demon-."
"Don't move in on my prey," the slayer shot back, "the more demons I kill means the higher up the ladder I climb and the more money I'll get from on high. Even with most of my unit wiped out, I should still be able to claim a prize for slaying this demon once I descend the mountain!"
"You idiot! No-," the words had barely left her mouth before the demon boy moved his hands and a large web formed. It passed through the slayer effortlessly, cutting him to pieces in an instant. 'Shit, I knew this was no ordinary demon. He shredded that guy in the blink of an eye!' Mary quickly surmised that it was the same type of webs the spider boy had been standing on when they first encountered him.
"Now then, what was it you just said," he turned his attention back to Mary, "repeat to me that slander you dared to direct towards our bond."
"It's not slander if it's the truth," Mary took a fighting stance, trying not to shake as she felt the air seem to grow heavy with the demon's rage, "and I'll explain it to you as many times as it takes until you get it through your thick skull. What you have is a delusion, a forgery you call a bond! You don't know the first thing about family!" The swordswoman took a steadying breath then, realizing more and more that this would not be an easy battle to win.
With John and the Others
'This is going swimmingly,' John peeked out from the tree he was hiding behind, 'I'd hoped that moving into the trees where that big guy had less room to maneuver would give us an edge, but we still haven't been able to find an opening.' "Psst, John," Susamaru called from a couple trees over, "can you hear me?"
"Yeah," he called back as loudly as he dared while straining his ears to hear exactly where the demon was, "what is it?"
"This might sound crazy, but I think I've got an idea," the Temari Demon announced.
"Really, what sort of idea," the former hunter had to admit he was the slightest bit curious.
"Well the whole limiting his movement thing isn't working," Susamaru pointed out, "but if we confuse him, then there should be an opening we can exploit."
"How are we gonna do that," Inosuke questioned from his own hiding spot. Unfortunately, it was about this time the father spider came stomping into their area.
"Just watch what I do and follow my lead," the demon girl urged before summoning a couple of her Temari. The monster had yet to spot them and she used this opportunity to throw the handballs at a couple of the trees behind him. He turned around at the noise, his eight eyes scanning the area for them. The Temari bounced around more and landed in some bushes which the father spider immediately charged towards and destroyed with his fist.
"I think I see what you're going for," John stepped out into the open, "let's give it a shot."
"Hoped you'd say that," Susamaru summoned the rest of her Temari as Inosuke also stepped out. The demon took notice of them then and stalked towards the duo, a low growl rumbling from his throat.
"On three," the older slayer instructed as the beast picked up speed and brought his fist down towards them. "THREE!" They both yelled before breaking in opposite directions, dodging the fist as it tore into the ground. Susamaru went to work then and threw all six of her Temari, the lethal spheres bouncing off of all the nearby trees before one hit the Father Spider in the face. He looked towards where the attack had come, only to feel pain from a cut as John slashed at his leg.
The former hunter moved quickly, racing back into the tighter confines of the trees and bushes as more Temari pummeled the demon's blind spots. As he turned to face the attacks, Inosuke slashed him across the back before moving out of sight once again. The beast snarled in frustration as he threw a punch which shattered the tree he'd jumped behind, only to be rewarded with more Temari slamming into his face. Inosuke and John again slashed him across the back of his legs before retreating once more.
They repeated this process over and over with changes in the timing of when and where they would strike, causing the monster of a demon to get angrier and angrier. Eventually, he chased them to one of the more massive trees in the forest, thrashing about in every direction due to being hit from every angle by the Temari. Because of this, he didn't think of what would happen when he slammed his fist into this particular tree once Inosuke hid behind it. As soon as he did, John came in and slashed the backs of his knees as deep as he could.
It may have only slowed the demon down for a moment, but that was all that was needed as Susamaru jumped up and slammed both feet down on the tree, causing it to fall faster. The father spider didn't have a chance to get out of the way before it landed on him and pinned the beast to the ground. "Now hold the tree down," John ordered while readying his stance, "I just need one good shot." Susamaru and Inosuke did just that, or at least did their best too as the snarling demon tried to rise.
'Alright, here goes,' the older slayer took in a deeper breath than usual for Total Concentration Breathing, 'this is the strongest form of the Breath of the Water, but it still needs to hit.' He leapt up into the air then. "Breath of Water Tenth Form: Constant Flux!" He brought the blade down like a giant water serpent striking at its foe. The dual wielder and demon girl had little doubt that if the technique connected they would be victorious.
But therein lied the problem. Just as John began his descent, the father spider pushed with all of his might, taking advantage of his opponent's momentary awe and flung both them and the tree off of himself. The beast turned and swung his arm then, his hardened flesh meeting nichirin steel. But unlike the other times when a blade had clashed against his forearm, this time John's blade cut clean through, severing the demon's hand.
The father spider roared out in surprise and pain as he retreated a few steps back, looking at his now stump of a hand. "Dammit, missed," John cursed as they all regrouped. The demon looked back and forth between them and his severed appendage, seeming to be debating something. 'Interesting,' the former hunter noted, 'if it was Susamaru she would've healed the wound already. Did this demon's development of such strength sap the speed of his regenerative abilities?'
Whether or not the theory had any ground, one thing was for certain; the father spider was now much less keen on facing the three of them. Case in point, his sudden turning and running away from the trio. "Hey, you can't just go running away on us!" Inosuke declared while chasing after the spider demon with his other two comrades close behind, "get back here and face me dammit!"
"He's talking like he's the one who wounded it," Susamaru deadpanned as they continued to run.
"I saw Jod do it," the boar fighter called back, "anything he can do, I can do. If he can cut off a limb then so can I!"
"Just remember to stick together," he reminded, "there's no telling what sort of tricks this thing has up its sleeves, especially if what we're facing is a Kizuki."
Back With Mary and Jonathan
Mary and Jonathan dodged and deflected the attacks from the spider boy. Thanks to seeing the threads used before, the duo knew what to look for when their opponent was about to strike. That being said, even with both of them fighting, they were completely on the defensive. Whenever Mary or Jonathan would get close, the spider boy would produce more threads and strike at multiple points at once, forcing them to either back away or block the attacks.
And blocking the attacks wasn't always successful. Mary already had a few scratches on her face from her last couple of failed blocks. Jonathan wasn't doing much better. The few wounds he'd received had healed but he'd no doubt used up a lot of energy wielding his chain Blood Demon Art from earlier. "Just so you know," the spider boy announced, "I don't intend to kill you quickly, but rather cut you slowly to shreds piece by piece."
"No kidding, I hadn't noticed," Mary couldn't help but snark a little.
"However," he continued as if he didn't hear here, "if you take back what you said a moment ago, I'll make your death mercifully quick."
"Up yours," the lady slayer snorted defiantly, "what I said was the truth and I won't take it back. You're the one who needs to reevaluate right and wrong here!" The demon narrowed his eyes at her while readying his threads for another attack. Jonathan and Mary took their own stances while the spider girl looked on in shock. 'What kind of people are these,' she tried to make sense of the whole situation, 'why are my enemies defending me, why are a demon and a slayer working together?'
It was all kinds of ironic and contradictory. Running from the Demon Slayers is how she wound up at her 'brother's' doorstep in the first place. He'd promised her safety so long as she fulfilled her role as the eldest sister. Problem was, he himself didn't quite seem to know what their roles entailed and thus he punished them whenever they acted outside of whatever confines he'd set for them.
The woman had seen through it all in an instant. She and the other spider demons, they weren't a family, just prisoners. And now the demon girl was looking on at this battle, wondering just who she should side with.
With John and the Others
"Where did you go you damn demon!" Inosuke yelled as the group continued to pursue the Father Spider in a now complete reversal of the situation which had been happening before.
"Can't you track him down with that Spatial Awareness trick you used earlier," Susamaru asked. The boar fighter nearly tripped over himself upon realizing that she was right and came to a complete halt.
"Of course I can track him down with it!" He turned and pointed one of his swords at the Temari Demon, "I just thought you two would be faster and that we would've caught up to him already!"
"Don't try throwing the blame," John chided, "just go ahead and see if it'll work." Inosuke grumbled at being ordered around but shifted his stance and held the blades of both of his weapons up next to either side of his head. For once he was forced to be quiet, or rather forced to not yell as he let out a continuous grunting, signaling he was concentrating. Then, his head shot up as he pointed his sword at their prey.
"Up there!" The dual wielder declared before the trio quickly moved around to the other side of the tree. Sure enough, they located the father spider several feet in the air, somehow managing to find a branch large enough to support his undoubtedly massive weight. "You dumb piece of crap! How high did you climb?!"
"Not high enough to be out of Temari range," Susamaru materialized one of her signature orbs in her hand, "get yourself ready, John, I'll bring him down."
"Wait," the Breath of Water user held a hand up, "something's not right." Indeed, the demon's body was trembling and he seemed to be straining with every movement.
"Don't worry about that," Inosuke snorted, "he's just trembling at the sight of his executioners, especially me. So hurry up and bring him down, Subumarcu, it's my turn to try taking that demon's he-." The boar boy was interrupted by a loud snarl from the father spider as his body suddenly began to steam. His muscles bulged and enlarged with skin peeling off of his frame.
"He's… shedding his skin," John's eyes widened in shock. Even the monster's face fell off to reveal a far more terrifying visage with needle-sharp teeth, a row of ten eyes, pointy protrusions on his head and jagged spikes running down both of his arms. The beast jumped down then, his landing cracking the ground as he growled at them, drool dripping off of his new fangs. No one needed to be told that this new form was more powerful than the last, they could all feel it.
The air was heavier than before and now it was Inosuke and Susamaru who were trembling and John was truthfully not far behind them. 'He'll pulverize us in an instant if we're not careful,' the swordsman took a steadying breath, 'we need to come up with a new plan and we need to do it now.' But that was only part of the problem. Glancing over, he noticed Inosuke letting his arms hang down at his sides, barely holding onto his swords.
'No, don't tell me he's given up,' the slayer grit his teeth. It was already bad enough that their opponent had gotten stronger, but if they just threw in the towel now there would be no way they could win. "Inosuke," John called but stopped once he noticed his comrade's grip on his weapons had tightened once more.
"No, no way," he started off speaking quietly but with a steadily rising volume to his voice, "I'm not gonna lose, I'm not gonna lose!" He took a fighting stance once again. "I'm Inosuke Hashibira of the Demon Slayer Corps! Give me your worst you damn dirt bag!" John couldn't help the smile that came to his face, happy that his comrade managed to force down the fear which had been sapping his will.
The smile quickly dropped, however, when the father spider moved. His blow was lightning fast and sent the boar fighter rocketing away where he bounced off of one, two, then three trees before hitting the base of a fourth. "Shit," Susamaru moved to throw her Temari but was ironically punted like a kickball hard enough that she shattered the tree she impacted against.
"Not good," John stepped back just in time to dodge the beast's next punch, feeling the air pressure of the blow as it threatened to stagger him. He dodged the next one and attempted to counterattack but took a blow in the chest that sent him rag-dolling across the ground. His momentum was stopped by a boulder that caused him to cry out in pain when he slammed into it. The former hunter coughed a few times as he tried to get to his feet but by that point the demon was already looming over him again.
As he was about to bring a hammer fist down on the man, however, six Temari connected with his back. John wasn't sure how much they actually hurt the beast but they were enough to divert his attention as the father spider looked over towards Susamaru, who was still healing some of the wounds she just received. "It'll take more than that to put me down, dickhead," she snarled before attacking again. But the spider demon was ready this time and punched her Temari back at her in rapid succession, forcing the girl to catch all of them. She dug her heels in as the momentum pushed her back several feet, the orbs still spinning in her hands for a moment before stopping.
"Ah, fuck," she dropped the handballs, revealing her own hands with torn but quickly healing skin, "So that's what that feels like." Susamaru didn't get the chance to say much else as the father spider jetted over towards her with his fist reared back.
"Take this you damn monster!" Inosuke dropped down head first from above, "Beast Breathing Fang Three: Devour!" He swung both of his swords in a cross-slash against the back of the demon's neck with all his might. But instead of the sound of his blades slicing flesh, he was rewarded with the gut-wrenching sound of snapping steel. "Oh shit, they broke-GAAAAAAHHH!"
The Father Spider whirled around and slammed his fist into his gut before he even reached the ground, sending him into another tree. He reached down then and picked up the boar fighter by the head while the Temari Demon tackled his leg and tried unbalancing him. But if the demon noticed he didn't acknowledge her as he began crushing the dual wielder's head. By this point John had recovered and came in with his own attack that the father spider blocked with his other arm.
"Stay away from my family," he snarled while blocking the slayer's blows and crushing Inosuke's head. "Never come near them again!"
"I," the boar fighter coughed as the pressure on his head continued to increase, "I refuse to die. Breath of the Beast First Fang: Pierce!" He jammed the remains of his two blades into the monster's neck and managed to actually penetrate the creature's skin. But this only succeeded in infuriating the monster who grabbed the blades and pulled them out of his neck before slamming his fist into John on his next attack.
A sickening crack was heard as the blow broke a couple ribs, causing the former hunter to yell in pain as he was again sent rolling across the ground. "John," Susamaru exclaimed in horror before feeling the demon's grip on her back. The beast pulled with all of his might and was rewarded with the squelching sound of the Temari Demon's arms coming off before tossing her away. The father spider returned his attention to Inosuke then and continued to crush his head.
'Is,' the boar fighter could feel everything going black as the pain around his skull became more and more unbearable, 'Is this really it?' Images began playing across his mind, his entire life up to this point. He saw a dragon fly on his finger, one of his earliest memories, he saw the boars who raised him, the mountain he called home, the slayer who'd told him of the Corps. Then he saw John, Mary, Jonathan, Zenitsu, and even Susamaru.
Blood poured out of his mouth next, a sure sign that the end was approaching. That's when one final image appeared before him, but the strange thing about this one was he didn't know who they were. All he could see was that it was a woman with a mane of dark hair and blood stains on her green kimono. "Who," Inosuke coughed out, "who are you?"
That's when something strange happened. The iron crushing grip on his head suddenly released and he was dropped to the ground. The dual wielder realized why when he noticed that the giant arm which had been holding him was completely severed?! "What," Inosuke caught sight of someone then, a young man with a haori that was red on one side and checkered green and yellow on the other. "Did he…. Did he really cut through him?"
"T-Tomioka," John called out while standing up and holding his side.
"John," he glanced over at him, "just making sure, is that demon over there the new one you recruited?"
"Yeah, Susamaru's a friend," he grunted, "you can probably guess about the other one." And the other one was pissed. The Father Spider regrew his arm in two seconds, another improvement in his new form, and charged forward with all of his might this time, tearing up the ground with the force of his run.
"Understood," Tomioka turned towards his opponent with no seeming concern, "Breath of Water Fourth Form: Striking Tide." His movement was a blur then, he carved up the demon's body like a flowing river before landing behind him. The surprised beast stopped in shock, realizing the true extent of the damage only now that it was too late. Case in point, how the monster came flying apart with even his head severed.
"You've gotten better over the last two years," John remarked at the impressive display, "I still can barely follow you."
"Being a hashira does not exempt me from improving my technique," he responded while sheathing his sword, "and unlike before I was able to arrive in time."
"W-What," Inosuke stuttered, managing to get to his feet while pointing shakily at the new arrival, "what's going on here? How… how do you know this guy?"
"Didn't I tell you how Mary and I learned about the Demon Slayer Corps," John asked while sheathing his sword, wincing a bit at the pain, "this is Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira. He's the one who discovered us after Jonathan got turned into a demon and sent us to Urokodaki sensei. Come over and say hi, Susamaru."
"Hey," she poked her head out from behind a tree, her arms now grown back and returned to her normal two, "How's it going?"
"Don't be like that, he's not going to hurt you," John promised.
"You sure," she asked, "I get the idea I wouldn't even feel it if he just lobbed my head off the moment I got within blade length."
"Fine, you can stand behind me then if it makes you feel any better," the former hunter offered. This worked to get her to come out from behind the tree but she still kept her eyes on the hashira the whole time she was standing behind John.
"You really do possess a curious talent," Giyu remarked, "I can probably count with the fingers on one hand the number of slayers who successfully befriended one demon, let alone two."
"You can thank my son for this one," he indicated the Temari Demon, "Jonathan had so much fun fighting her in a life or death battle that he begged us to adopt her."
"I still have not signed anything, just for the record," Susamaru commented.
"But she is free of Muzan's curse, also courtesy of our son," he continued, "something about his blood seems able to mutate demons to the point that they're free from his influence."
"Speaking of which," Tomioka looked around, "where are your wife and son?" A look of realization crossed everyone's faces then as they all let out a resounding 'SHIT!'. The group quickly got a move on after that.
Back With Mary and Jonathan
The conditions, while still not favorable, were improving. Mary and Jonathan had started to find the patterns in the demon's attacks and were able to dodge them more effectively. 'This is good,' the lady slayer thought as she began closing the distance, 'if I can effectively dodge his attacks then I can get in close.' And that's exactly what she did, moving within striking range for one of her favored techniques. "Breath of Wind Fourth Form," she cut towards the demon, "Claws Purifying Wind!"
The demon boy reacted with his threads and they met the four slashes head on. The result, however, was less favorable. As Mary's blade met the thread, it snapped and the thread continued towards her, ready to take the slayer's head.
And so the spider family dwindles, but that doesn't mean the remaining ones won't still be fearsome. Mary and Jonathan are going to have their work cut out for them trying to survive the youngest sibling of the family. But that's for next chapter, so in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters! And if you've got the time, swing by my Pat reon and see what neat stuff that's coming up in the future! Last thing, stop in next time as Mary digs deep in order to face her most fearsome opponent yet! 'Til then.