"Rui," she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling with dread.
In that moment, all of her confidence shattered. The strings she had so carefully manipulated now felt fragile in her hands. The control she prided herself on was slipping away, replaced by the overwhelming fear of disappointing him.
"Yes, I will win," she stammered, trying to regain her composure, her voice shaky but forced. She couldn't afford to show weakness, not in front of Rui. He was always watching, always expecting more from her. The pressure to live up to his expectations was suffocating, and failure wasn't an option. Not when he was involved.
But Rui wasn't satisfied. His voice, though still soft, carried a chilling edge. "If you don't," he said slowly, each word sinking into her like a weight dragging her down, "I will tell Father."
Her blood ran cold. The mere mention of Father sent a wave of terror through her body. The threat was subtle, but it was enough to send her into a spiral of panic. She couldn't fail. If she did, it wouldn't just be Rui's disappointment she would face—it would be Father's wrath.
"No... No!" she thought frantically, her fingers tightening around the threads. Her breathing became shallow, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to suppress the growing fear.
"I won't fail," she said, louder this time, as if saying it aloud would make it true. "I can't fail."
But deep down, the doubt was already creeping in. She could feel the slayers getting closer, cutting through her webs with frightening precision. They were strong—stronger than she had anticipated. And now, with Rui's cold gaze fixed on her, her resolve was crumbling.
Her body trembled as she pulled harder on the threads, trying to strengthen her dolls, trying to regain control. "Fight harder," she whispered through gritted teeth. "You must stop them. You must stop them now!"
•••
Tanjiro
Tanjiro's mind raced as he saw the Demon Slayer woman's movements become unnaturally fast. Her screams echoed through the forest, a painful cry that pierced his heart.
The webs controlling her were forcing her to move in ways that a human body shouldn't be able to, twisting and bending her limbs in horrifying ways.
"Ahhhhh!" she screamed again, her voice filled with agony.
Tanjiro's eyes widened in alarm. He needed to stop her without hurting her, but how? His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden realization—the web. The demon was controlling her with those threads.
His eyes darted around, scanning the surroundings until they landed on the trees. The threads had to be anchored somewhere. And if the demon was making her follow him, maybe he could use that to his advantage.
"I've got it!" Tanjiro thought, determination flaring within him.
Without wasting a moment, Tanjiro darted toward a nearby tree, weaving between the trunks as fast as he could. He could hear the controlled woman behind him, her footsteps growing louder as she followed his movements exactly, mimicking him. The webs were forcing her to chase him, just as he'd hoped.
Inosuke, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, tilted his head in confusion, gripping his blades tighter. "What are you doing?" he called out, his voice filled with impatience. "Stop playing around! I'll handle this!"
"Wait!" Tanjiro called back, glancing over his shoulder. "There's a way to stop her without hurting her! Trust me!"
Inosuke grunted, clearly frustrated, but Tanjiro didn't have time to explain. He ran in a circle around the tree, weaving in and out, moving as quickly as possible to create a pattern.
The woman followed him, her body moving at an unnatural speed, her face twisted in pain as the webs forced her to follow every step he took.
Tanjiro's heart raced. "Just a little more…" he thought, focusing on the threads. He had to trap the webs around the tree, like a tangle that would restrict her movements.
If he could get the threads wrapped around the branches and trunks, it might slow down the demon's control over her.
He made one final leap, jumping between two trees and ducking low to avoid the woman's outstretched arms as she lunged after him. Her body jerked, the webs caught in the branches above her. She stumbled, her movements growing more erratic as the threads began to tighten and tangle around the trees.
"It's working!" Tanjiro realized.
The woman's screams quieted slightly as her body slowed, the webs pulling tighter and tighter, wrapping around the tree limbs and halting her movement. She stood frozen, unable to move as the threads that once controlled her were now tangled in the forest itself.
Inosuke blinked, watching in surprise as the woman stopped. "Huh... You trapped her," he muttered, his tone slightly impressed, though he'd never admit it outright.
Tanjiro took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I didn't want to hurt her," he explained, turning back to Inosuke. "She's still alive, but those webs... we need to find the demon responsible for this."
•••
"You trapped my doll. Do you think I care?" The spider demon mother murmurs from the forest.
"Since they are no longer useful, let's kill them."
•••
And in front of Tanjiro, the girl he just saved died by having her neck twisted.
Seeing that Tanjiro kneels in front of the girls for a moment, then gets up and without even looking back, he said.
"Let's go. We have demons to slay."
~~~
bonus Chapter for 130 power stone.
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