Demon Slayer: Tanjiro becomes a ghost, Nezuko becomes a pillar!

Chapter 85: Wu Lei at the end of the string

Tanjiro was violently thrown away, even though his demonic body was far superior to that of a human.

However, they could not withstand such a violent impact, and several tree trunks broke one after another.

Each blow sent shivers down his spine, and he endured the excruciating pain, curling up in agony before plunging the Blazing Sun Wheel Blade into the ground just before landing.

The blade scraped against the gravel, leaving a blinding skid mark several meters long, and it barely managed to steady itself amidst a shower of sparks.

The moment he regained his footing, his demonic body instantly returned to normal.

[Oh no, it's too far! Inosuke, you have to hold on!]

But as soon as he took a step, his nose suddenly caught a chilling aura that was several times stronger than that of the spider demon.

Even Tanjiro, who was a demon, felt a sense of dread.

Tanjiro's grip on his sword tightened involuntarily. He stopped abruptly, his brow furrowed, and he slowly looked toward the source of the aura.

Deep in the shadows of the forest, a slender figure stood silently, exuding a deadly aura. Though seemingly frail, it plunged the entire forest into deathly silence.

The boy was dressed in a plain-colored kimono, his snow-white hair falling to his shoulders, his skin as pale as paper, devoid of any color, only his pair of scarlet eyes were filled with extreme indifference and violence.

The three characters "下弦五" (Xia Xian Wu) below his left eye were particularly glaring.

[Last string... Wu! 】

Tanjiro was shocked when he saw it clearly!

Then they saw that the fingertips of Lower Moon Five were wrapped with almost transparent fine threads, the other end of which was tightly wrapped around a female ghost.

The female ghost had already lost her hands and feet, her limbs hanging limply in a twisted position, her body covered with bloodstains of varying depths.

"A sister should protect her brother."

As the fifth quarter moon waned, Lei lightly twirled the silk thread with his fingertips, his tone flat and devoid of any emotion.

But each tightening only made Spider Sister's wounds tear even more badly.

He had long sensed Tanjiro's presence and also perceived the battle between the Spider Demon and Inosuke.

He simply ignored them, seeing Tanjiro and the Spider Demon as nothing more than ants.

Only his "disobedient" older sister was worth his time and energy.

[An older sister should unconditionally protect her younger brother; that's the most basic bond. She can't even do that, so she doesn't deserve to be my family. Since she can't do that, then torture her until she understands. Mom's gone, Dad's holding on, how can she, as the older sister, hide behind him? She's utterly useless.]

"Please... I'm tired... please... please stop torturing me..."

Spider Sister was barely breathing, her voice broken and fragmented, tears mixed with blood streaming down her cheeks, her eyes filled with desperate pleading.

"It hurts...it really hurts...I'll protect you...I'll stand in front of you...please untie me...please..."

Her pleas were so humble, yet they did not sway Lei in the slightest.

He could only watch helplessly as the threads tore at his flesh, barely surviving in excruciating pain.

At this moment, Lei's nose twitched slightly, accurately catching the complete dissipation of the spider mother's aura, and the indifference in his eyes was tinged with impatience and hostility.

His gaze toward Spider Sister grew even colder, his tone as sharp as a knife, each word piercing the heart.

"Dad risked his life to protect us, Mom is gone, and enemies are everywhere, yet all you do is hide. I'm your brother, your sister, shouldn't you be doing everything in your power to protect me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he tightened the silk threads abruptly. The sound of bones cracking echoed from Spider Sister's wrists and ankles, crisp yet piercing. The pain caused her to convulse all over, and only a hoarse groan escaped her throat. She couldn't even utter a complete plea for mercy.

All I could do was look at Lei with wet, desperate eyes, my body trembling uncontrollably.

This scene pierced Tanjiro's heart.

How could they be so cruel... Even a ghost shouldn't treat family members like this.

Tanjiro gripped his Blazing Blade tightly, strode forward, and demanded an explanation in a stern voice.

"She's your sister! How could you treat your family like this!"

Tired, he didn't even lift his eyelids, still twisting the threads, completely ignoring Tanjiro's presence. His tone was cold and twisted, every word revealing his obsession.

"The bond between people is about the strong protecting the weak, and an older sister protecting her younger brother. It's only natural. If you can't do that, you don't deserve to be a family member."

"That's not family affection!"

Tanjiro's eyes were bloodshot, and the image of Nezuko protecting him flashed through his mind, as did the trust in his younger siblings even in dire straits. His voice was firm and fiery, filled with an undeniable determination.

"Family members protect each other and never demand sacrifice! You're just using family ties to satisfy your own desires; you don't understand family at all!"

These words accurately exposed the deep-seated obsession and vulnerability hidden in Lei's heart.

【Don't understand? How could I not understand! All I want is a family that will never be apart from me. What right does he, an outsider, have to judge me!】

Lei finally turned his head slowly, his scarlet eyes fixed on Tanjiro, his eyes filled with ferocity and irritation, the anger that had been blocked and had no way to refute it all turned into killing intent.

"You dare judge me? Stop talking nonsense, go to hell!"

With a slight movement, the silk threads at his fingertips instantly taut like sharp blades, about to strike Tanjiro with a sharp whistling sound.

But the moment he saw Tanjiro's face clearly, his movements suddenly froze, and a look of surprise flashed in his scarlet eyes.

[It's him! The face that Lord Muzan specifically told me to remember when he summoned me alone in the Infinity Castle!]

In that ever-changing, infinite city.

Muzan's suffocating aura instilled fear in the Lower Moons.

Until the very end, he was left behind alone.

Muzan stepped forward, patted the tired man's head, and said slowly.

"Tired, after all these years, have you finally found it?"

Lei bowed his head and said respectfully, "I found it!"

Muzan raised the corners of his mouth when he heard Lei's words.

"Is that kind of fake family affection really what you want?"

Upon hearing Muzan's words, Rai's pupils dilated, and he looked up at Muzan with a start.

Muzan didn't answer, but instead plunged the hand that was stroking Rui's head into Rui's head.

"For so many years, I have indulged you in recruiting demons and never asked you to do anything. And you have indeed helped me eliminate many demon hunters. But now... I want you to kill the demon who betrayed me."

Lei was in so much pain that he dared not move. He could feel Muzan infusing his blood into him.

"Tired? Kill him, and I'll give you true family!"

Muzan leaned close to Rui's ear and whispered those words like a demon.

But in his tired eyes, ecstasy and longing emerged.

After returning from the Infinity Castle, he never expected to encounter the demon who betrayed Lord Muzan here.

[Red hair, flame-like demon markings, sun-shaped earrings—it's him, the demon that Lord Muzan wants to kill.]

Lei looked at Tanjiro with immense excitement, ignoring even her dismembered sister, and stared intently at Tanjiro.

"For the sake of Lord Muzan wanting your life, let me hear your so-called 'family affection'!"