Infinite: Start as a ghost

"Really?" Zenitsu shook his head. "Impossible. They're so strong, how could I possibly be like them?"

"You'll see when you keep fighting," Jiang Jiu said with a smile.

Zenitsu looked at Kang Gyu suspiciously, but he was indeed a little bolder.

"Okay, fine, I... believe you." Zenitsu said he believed her, but his tone was full of doubt.

Jiang Jiu said, "We need to be careful now. We've already encountered the human-headed spider demon and the little spider demon. I believe the monster controlling them isn't far from us. Let's deal with it first."

"Huh?" Zenitsu said timidly, "Isn't that a bad idea? Why go if you know it's dangerous?"

Jiang Jiu glanced at him: "With me here, what danger could there be?"

Then, Jiang Jiu said something that filled him with despair: "You have to deal with the remaining ghosts on your own. I won't help you unless it's absolutely necessary."

Chapter 53 Zenitsu's Changes

Zenitsu was very reluctant to continue walking and was dragged along by Kang Ji-sang.

"No, no, please let me go!" Zenitsu cried.

"Hey, watch your lines," Jiang Jiu said unhappily. "If someone else heard you say that, they'd think I was making advances on some young lady."

"Waaaaah."

"Uh……"

"Here we go again, watch out." Jiang Jiu pushed him forward: "If you dare to run away, I'll stop you."

A group of spider-headed demons, at least a dozen in number, appeared ahead.

"No! Help me!" Zenitsu didn't take Jiang Jiu's words seriously and turned to run away.

But how could he possibly escape Jiang Jiu's grasp? He tried to escape several times, but was caught every time.

"Hey, if you don't fight back, they're going to climb all over you," Jiang Jiu teased.

"Aaaaaah, I'll fight you to the death!" In utter despair, Zenitsu finally unleashed his power once more: "Thunder Breathing, First Form, Thunderclap Flash, Six-Hit Combo!"

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, a part of his continuous attack was actually aimed at Jiang Jiu.

Of course, Jiang Jiu didn't take this level of attack seriously and easily dodged it.

All the spider demons with human heads were split in two, and the smoke dissipated into nothingness.

"You little rascal, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Jiang Jiu said with a laugh.

"Stop nagging! Don't make me do this kind of thing anymore, it's really terrifying!" Zenitsu said mournfully.

Jiang Jiu sighed: "If you don't find a way to become stronger, how will you protect Nezuko and Tanjiro in the future?"

Zenitsu remained silent, unsure how to respond.

He wanted to protect his companions and live up to his master's expectations, but he was also terrified.

Jiang Jiu's solution was simple: make him keep killing ghosts, which would gradually reduce his fear.

He's quite capable, but his cowardice holds him back from his abilities.

As Zenitsu was constantly being pulled forward, his performance did indeed improve little by little.

At least when he encountered the little spider monster and the human-headed spider demon, his movements became more and more fluid, and the effects of fear became less and less.

After a while, the two saw a huge cocoon on their heads.

"What is this?" Zenitsu asked.

Jiang Jiu pretended not to know: "I don't know..."

Then, with a "calm expression," he said, "Judging by its size, there might be a person inside. Go and break it open to see."

Zenitsu nodded, then took a deep breath: "Thunder Breathing, First Form, Thunderclap Flash..."

The cocoon broke open, and a figure fell out from the middle.

"Hey, how are you?" Jiang Jiu asked, shaking his head. The man's body was almost completely rotten, and spider legs were starting to grow from under his head.

"Kill...kill...kill...me." The man murmured softly, clearly having run out of strength.

Zenitsu, who was standing to the side, felt like throwing up.

After he finished vomiting, Jiang Jiu said to him, "Kill him and free him from this burden."

"No!" Zenitsu cried out. "How could I possibly harm a fellow Demon Slayer?"

Jiang Jiu pointed to his neck and said, "Take a closer look at his head."

Zenitsu looked closely, then exclaimed incredulously, "This...this...this?"

"That's right. The spider-headed creatures you killed before were probably all members of the Demon Slayer Corps in disguise."

“He’s beyond saving,” Jiang Jiu said.

"Do it, help him find release. You don't want him to die with regrets, do you? You don't want him to die as a ghost, do you?"

Zenitsu was in a terrible dilemma, frantically choosing between killing and not killing, unable to make a decision.

"Kill him. It was his request, his last stand as a human being, and his last pride as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"If you don't kill him, you're letting him down."

Zenitsu gritted his teeth and said, "I understand."

With immense sorrow, Zenitsu ended the lives of the Demon Slayer Corps members, and his heart became a little stronger.

The two continued walking, and the cocoons on their heads gradually increased.

Zenitsu destroyed the cocoons one by one, and none of the cocoons inside could be restored to their original state; they had all mutated by at least 70%.

Zenitsu killed one Demon Slayer Corps member after another with tears in his eyes, his heart growing stronger little by little.

Anger was gradually brewing.

Once he overcame his fear, anger followed.

With each person he killed, his rage intensified.

After killing the last visible member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Zenitsu's eyes were filled with calm.

A violent storm lurks beneath this seemingly calm surface.

Another group of spider demons with human heads appeared. This time, before Jiang Jiu could speak, Zenitsu immediately used several quick slashes to eliminate them.

After slaying the headless spider demon, a small wooden hut came into view.

The small wooden house was hanging in mid-air, clearly suspended by spider silk.

At that moment, a bright light flashed in the sky, followed by a loud bang.

"Huh? The signal firecracker went off?" The two looked up.

The bright light and the sound of firecrackers also alerted those inside the cabin.

"What's going on?" A giant spider emerged from the small wooden house.

Jiang Jiu said, "Oh, the mastermind behind it all has finally appeared?"

Zenitsu said in a deep voice, "Go to Tanjiro's side quickly. I'll take care of this demon. I want to send him to hell with my own hands."

The storm that had been brewing beneath the calm surface finally began to erupt.

Chapter 54 Meeting Murata Again

"Alright, it's up to you now. Be careful not to get poisoned," Jiang Jiu instructed.

Zenitsu nodded silently.

He wasn't poisoned, and he also overcame his fear, so Jiang Jiu could be considered to have accomplished his plan.

"Ding... Congratulations, host, for completing the hidden mission: Life Mentor."

"Ding... Reward: 10 attribute points and 10 skill points."

"Hey, you completed the mission again?" Jiang Jiu was pleasantly surprised, but then looked distressed: "I have more than forty skill points, but they're completely useless now."

"Sometimes I've maxed out all the skills I know. Sigh, sometimes being too rich can be a problem."

Look at this, is this even human language?

He was no longer worried about Zenitsu at all.

The spider brother is very weak; besides spitting venom, he can only spin silk and control human-headed spiders and some small venomous spiders.

In the heat of battle, the little poisonous spiders were of no use whatsoever.

The spider-headed creatures cleared out three batches along the way, and also dealt with some scattered individuals.

Now only five spider heads remain to harass Zenitsu, but they are not doing much good.

Under these circumstances, the gap between the spider brother and Zenitsu is enormous.

Leaving Sun-il behind, Kang-gyu ran alone towards the location of the signal explosion.

As I was running, I suddenly noticed a figure ahead of me.

"Murata," Jiang Jiu called out.

"Mr. Oni." Murata was overjoyed: "You've come too."

Murata then looked somewhat dejected: "Besides me, everyone else in the Demon Slayer Corps..."

"That's why we're here, don't be discouraged," Jiang Jiu comforted him.

"By the way, Tanjiro and Inosuke have gone to fight demons. We just received a signal ahead, let's hurry over there."

“Okay,” Jiang Jiu said.

He took a closer look at Murata and found that only a few places on his body were dirty, but he was not injured.

"Your strength has improved again after a few months," Jiang Jiu praised.

"Yes, I visited Mr. Kuwajima in Momoyama and learned the Breathing of Thunder from him."

"You little rascal, be careful not to bite off more than you can chew," Jiang Jiu said.