Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

Most of the time, he camped in the wilderness. Occasionally, when he passed through some sparsely populated villages, he would choose to rest against a wall where no one was around. Looking at the emaciated townspeople, he would often think about what he had seen and heard on his journey north.

He recalled what he had heard in the study and couldn't help but think that perhaps it was because of the state of the world that so many evil spirits roamed freely.

Wouldn't it be better to kill all the ghosts? Then so many innocent people wouldn't die, and the world would be cleaner...?

No... he thought about it and realized that wasn't entirely true.

Ghosts are indeed hateful, but like wolves eating sheep, it is a hunt between two creatures.

Maybe it's the Demon Slayer Corps, or maybe it's someone else, but one day they will wipe these creatures out completely.

Thinking about those who cooperate with demons, Asuka felt that cannibalism might be even more terrifying, at least he didn't know how to solve it.

A few days later, at dusk, the bird stopped in front of an old tree at a fork in the road.

The wind swept across the cracked field ridges, through the dried-up irrigation ditches, and swirled as it crashed into the old tree.

Two small figures were curled up in the hollow of the tree roots, wrapped in a tattered cotton quilt whose original color was almost unrecognizable.

The older one, about seven or eight years old, was clumsily breaking up half a hard, dry biscuit in his arms and feeding it to the smaller child in his arms.

Feiniao's gaze lingered on that pale face for a moment before she took out a few rice cakes wrapped in oil paper from her bosom.

He took out a portion and ate it, then silently placed the rest on the edge of the tattered quilt.

The older child suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly filled with fear, and instinctively protected the younger one even tighter, like a frightened little animal.

But Asuka didn't say anything; she simply put down the food, turned around, and left.

"Thank...thank you, sir!" came the child's tearful cry from behind, but he did not stop walking.

"Whether it's Rukongai or the human world, neither is a life fit for a human being..." he thought to himself.

Gaaaaaah!

As he continued onward, a dark shadow descended from the sky, howling.

Without needing to look specifically, the birds already knew that the jays had come.

"Immediate order! Emergency order!"

"Team member 78 Asuka! Command transmitted!"

"Southwest, southwest! Mount Natagumo!"

"A multitude of evil spirits are gathering! Investigate immediately!"

"Repeated: Natagumo Mt.! Head there immediately!!"

After delivering the order, the raven didn't leave immediately as usual, but instead said a few more words:

"Flying Bird Team members, more than ten team members have already received this mission. Please be extra careful!"

"I understand, thank you."

Crack!

Having said that, the raven flapped its wings and flew into the sky as a black shadow.

Natagumo Mountain... Asuka knows this place.

Traveling north from Hayama to Sendai, one inevitably passes through the Azuma Range, a continuous mountain range.

Asuka, who knew nothing about the country, studied the map for a long time before setting off and asked Kenichi how to pronounce many place names.

On the western slope of the Azuma Range is Mount Nadagumo.

It is said that many kinds of highly venomous spiders live there year-round, and being bitten by a certain species can even turn a person into a spider...

I never expected it to be a ghost...

He stopped thinking about it and adjusted his direction, heading southwest towards Nata Spider Mountain.

Three days later, after he climbed over a small hill covered with twisted branches and dense forest, his view suddenly opened up.

A gloomy mountain, shrouded in thick fog and shrouded in malevolent haze, appeared before him.

"Is this Mount Natagumo?" He gripped the new sword at his waist, slowly unfolded it, and peered down towards the foot of the mountain.

Cold, bloody, uneasy, fearful.

Although they were still far apart, the different spiritual pressure fluctuations emanating from the mountains indicated that there was more than one person in the mountains at that moment.

Or there may be more than one ghost.

"This oppressive feeling...is more dangerous than the Lower Moon Two. Could it be the Upper Moon?" Asuka was uncertain and even felt a little nervous for the first time.

His battle with Lower Moon Two had already shown him his shortcomings. If he were to face Upper Moon Two now, could he win...?

"Let's take a look first; after all, the mission is just an investigation..."

Asuka took a deep breath and ran towards the gloom of Spider Mountain.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, three noisy figures appeared at the foot of the mountain.

"Wait a minute! I said, can you wait a minute?!"

"What's wrong, Zenitsu? What are you doing squatting here?"

"How terrifying! This mountain is so scary!! Can't you feel it?!"

"What a useless guy! Uokagi Kenpachiro! Let's charge!!"

Chapter 35 The Ghost Moon of Spider Mountain

The decaying leaves and mud underfoot felt like they were stained with blood, sticky and slippery.

The thick, eerie atmosphere in the air made people dizzy and disoriented.

Lingyuzi has been running around in these mountains for three or four days.

Suddenly, an unsettling smell wafted over, causing her to abruptly stop in her tracks.

Looking up, strands of pale white spider silk, almost blending into the thick fog, were silently hanging down from above.

Although it looked light and airy, Lingyu knew that once she got entangled in that thing, she would inevitably suffer cuts and bruises.

"Tsk..."

She spat in annoyance and clumsily jumped back, avoiding the spider webs that entangled her.

These past few days, she's been like a lost moth, wandering around in this perpetually foggy mountain, struggling to avoid the ubiquitous insect nets.

It all stemmed from my own curiosity.

A few days ago, she met her embarrassing senior, Lulu, in the countryside of Fukushima.

Seeing that uncle who always acted like an adult being beaten up like a stray dog, Lingyu felt a little schadenfreude.

As for the other party's warning, it sounded more like a lecture from an old man with a relapse of his old ailment—probably taking advantage of her being a newcomer to the industry and hiding some good stuff...

Please, we're all ghosts who've been around for less than a hundred years, why are you pretending to be Abe no Seimei?

In addition, Lu Lu had specifically mentioned that this Lower Moon Five was favored by Lord Mu Chan, which made her somewhat jealous.

"So what if I'm a lower-ranking soldier? I'm a lower-ranking soldier!"

And so, she came.

However, her lightheartedness and arrogance were quickly shattered by a little boy wearing a white kimono and with strange long white hair.

"Are you... lost?"

He appeared abruptly in the misty air, sitting on a thick spider silk, gently swinging his legs.

A deathly pale face, empty, lifeless eyes, and bloodless lips.

Lingyu had to admit that she felt a lot of pressure the moment the little boy appeared.

Compared to Lu Lu, this guy's aura is much stronger!

Who is he?

"I say, did you get lost here, you lower moon demon?" he spoke again, his voice even carrying a childlike innocence, but his tone was truly chilling.

Lingyuzi paused for a moment, and although uneasy, she still raised her head and tried her best to maintain her dignity as a ghost month figure.

"What...you're kidding me! I'm the Fourth Moon of the Lower Moon! How could I get lost?"

"I...I was just taking a walk, I won't bother you..."

She tried to get out of the boy's sight, but was stopped in place by a web made of spider silk:

"Lower Moon Four... are you very strong?"

The little boy brushed aside his long bangs, revealing blue eyes that looked like glass beads.

[Part 5]

As expected! It's the waning crescent moon of the Ghost Moon—exhausting!

Seeing the other person's cold gaze, Ling Yuzi spoke somewhat hesitantly: "Of course! I...I'm much better than a brat like you!"

Lei nodded, and said in a light tone, "That's great...would you like to become my family?"

"Daddy protects Mommy, Mommy protects the children, and sister protects brother... Since you're so amazing, why don't you be my older sister?"

Huh? Family? Sister?

The last time Lingyuzi heard this term was decades ago, when she was a young lady from a wealthy family.

However, those stupid guys don't deserve to be her family at all. Only a strong and handsome man like Lord Muzan is the kind of family that Zero wants to have.

But then again, what does this kid mean...? Does he want to be friends with me? Or what?

He does seem quite formidable, and... he's favored by Lord Musan. Maybe if I get closer to him, I can get some benefits too?

At the very least, Lingyuzi wanted to know why he was valued by the adults.

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment, but still agreed. "Being family during both Ghost Months doesn't sound bad, does it?"

Lei's empty eyes seemed to light up for a moment, but quickly disappeared.

"Great..." He lightly jumped down from the spider web and landed in front of Lingyu. "Let's play a game, sister..."

"A game?" Lingyuzi was taken aback again.

"Yeah, hide-and-seek." Lei nodded, a chilling anticipation creeping onto his pale face. "You hide, I'll find you... and if I catch you..."

He tugged at the spider silk in his hand, and the ominous aura emanating from it sent a chill down Ling Yuzi's spine.

"...I will peel off your face and make you look like me, sister."

Lingyu's heart skipped a beat; she realized she might have really wronged Senior Lulu...

But before she could think it through or refuse, the weary figure had already strangely blurred, like a wisp of mist being blown away, leaving only that light, fleeting sentence echoing in the woods:

"The game has started, big sister. Hide well..."

From that moment on, the nightmare began.

Lingyu initially held a slight scorn, thinking that how difficult could a kid's game be?

He activated his Blood Demon Art, causing vines to sprout beneath his feet, propelling him swiftly through the forest as he tried to escape the area.

Her abilities include manipulating and activating plants, and releasing toxins that are either deadly or beneficial to herself. Her body is far stronger than that of ordinary ghosts.

However, no matter how fast she ran, no matter which direction she chose, the forest had become a huge, endlessly looping corridor from which she could not leave no matter how hard she tried.

The ubiquitous spider web traps are extremely sharp; even the slightest touch could sever her skin, which is in the Ghost Month!

She could only rely on her ghostly physical abilities and her perception of plants to narrowly dodge through the increasingly dense spiderweb maze, ending up in a sorry state.

Is this kid really Lower Moon Five? Why is he so strong?

"Sister...where are you?"

A childlike, innocent call, tinged with an eeriness, drifted from the depths of the mist, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes in front, sometimes behind, as if right beside one's ear, yet as if far away on the horizon, sending a chill down Lingyuzi's spine.

However, it's unclear whether it was divine intervention or divine intervention that brought good fortune.

Since yesterday, many human signs have been gradually appearing in this mountain.

Are they a demon slayer squad? Or just ordinary hunters going into the mountains? Lingyu didn't know, but it certainly relieved a lot of pressure for her.

She could feel that her attention was being diverted due to exhaustion, and the spider webs were starting to swarm her less densely.

Perhaps compared to dealing with intruders, making things difficult for myself during Ghost Month is really unnecessary...