Demon Slayer: My breathing technique went awry after Nezuko pushed me down.

He's the strongest passerby king, with an immortal aura comparable to Tanjiro's 'road pillar' Murata.

Murata, already drenched in sweat, turned around abruptly upon hearing the voice: "Who!?"

When he saw Shirakawa Yu and Nezuko behind him, he was taken aback at first, then asked without thinking, "Are you reinforcements? You're not another Rank 3 swordsman, are you?"

What a wonderful "again"!

Clearly, Murata has already met Tanjiro and the others.

At this moment, he requested to stay behind to cover the retreat.

"Well, who exactly taught you to distinguish people by ranks?" Bai Chuanyu, a Gui-rank swordsman, shook his head helplessly.

Before Murata could respond to his words—

Shirakawa Yu has already drawn his sword.

The figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

The next second, he appeared behind the manipulated team members, and a flash of light appeared.

"Shhhhh!"

The fine spider silk snapped instantly.

Immediately afterwards, he kicked each of the newly freed team members several times, sending them flying in front of Murata.

Watching the team members pile up like a human pyramid, they let out muffled groans.

Murata's mouth dropped open in shock: "..."

Looking up at Shirakawa Yu, who had already sheathed his sword and was standing there with a smile, Murata's mind was a little blank.

What just happened?

I worked myself to death typing all this out!

That's...that's it?

"What, do you still look down on Rank Gui swordsmen?" Bai Chuanyu asked with a smile.

Murata swallowed hard, shaking his head vigorously: "No, no, no... I wouldn't dare!"

Tanjiro and the others are like this, and this person is like that too.

He had begun to suspect that the hierarchy had been re-established.

Is it now arranged in reverse order?

Gui is higher than A?

Shirakawa Yu nodded in satisfaction. "My name is Shirakawa Yu, Tanjiro's senior apprentice. Has Tanjiro already ventured deep into the forest?"

Murata quickly nodded: "Yes! Tanjiro and his companions have gone to deal with the source of the demon!"

Shirakawa Yu nodded and took Nezuko's hand again.

He pointed to the pile of spiders stacked on top of each other. "I've already cleaned the spiders off them. You don't need to do anything else, just watch over them and make sure the little spiders don't get close."

Seemingly because Shirakawa Yu's aura was too strong, Murata immediately stood at attention, "Yes, sir!"

After he finished speaking, I realized, wait a minute, shouldn't I be the senior?

Being so obedient, isn't that beneath you?

But when he came to his senses, Shirakawa Yu and Nezuko had already disappeared from his sight.

Murata stood there, scratched his head, and looked at his companions on the ground who were groaning in pain.

"...Who was that person just now...?"

"and many more!"

Murata, belatedly realizing what was happening, suddenly widened his eyes.

Something's not right with those two people!

One eye was clearly unusual, and the other girl... looked like... a ghost!?

Impossible, impossible!

I must be so tired that my eyes are blurry!

......

In the forest, Shirakawa Yu and Nezuko set off again, but this time, he changed from walking to running.

Shirakawa Yu was somewhat curious about this strongest passerby, the one with the aura of incredible luck.

But not now.

At this moment, time is of the essence.

I wonder how long Zenitsu has been squatting outside.

According to the normal plot progression, Tanjiro should have just run into Murata when Zenitsu went into the mountains.

But without Nezuko's stimulation, Zenitsu didn't rush to run into the mountains this time. Instead, he just squatted by the roadside and muttered to himself.

This led Shirakawa Yu to believe that Tanjiro and the others had also just entered the mountains.

It wasn't until he saw Murata fighting alone that he realized Tanjiro and the other guy had been searching for the source for a while.

At this moment, what he was worried about was not Tanjiro, who had gone deep into the mountains.

Instead...

Young mom!

He rushed to Spider Mountain, not because he was a step late and it affected the white-haired housewife/little girl he liked...

Turn to ashes!

Chapter 55 A pig? Inosuke!

Knowing that time was of the essence, Shirakawa Yu made no delays along the way.

Following the footprints, he soon heard the sounds of fighting again.

This time, the voice contained Tanjiro's familiar low growl.

Shirakawa Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he should have made it in time.

Tanjiro hasn't turned his 'little mom' into a 'mom's head' yet.

Just as he stepped out of the woods, about to give Tanjiro a surprise appearance, a loud, excited shout exploded in front of him.

"Whoa~ There are two more here!"

A pig... no! It's Inosuke!

With its head bowed, and those two large, intelligent eyes shining through, it charged at him like a wild boar.

"Taninosuke! I saved more people than you this time!!!"

Inosuke charged forward, howling as he went, his hooves... no, his feet kicking up dust as he charged, his momentum fierce.

Not far away, Tanjiro was fighting a swordsman whose arm was twisted into a pretzel and who was still attacking desperately.

Upon hearing the voice, he first instinctively showed a helpless yet doting expression.

"Yes, yes, yes~ You're better than me—"

He turned his head halfway through his sentence and saw Tanjiro, whose target Inosuke was charging at. His expression changed drastically, and his voice rose eight octaves.

"Wait! Stop right now, Inosuke!!!"

However, Inosuke, that reckless fellow, only became more excited when he heard Tanjiro's anxious attempts to stop him.

(づ。????。)づ: Haha! Tanjiro is definitely afraid of being outdone by me!

Watch me charge forward like a pig!

He chuckled and, eyeing Shirakawa Yu who was 'entangled in spider silk,' opened his arms, intending to perform a standard 'rescue technique.'

He scooped her up in his arms and hung her on a nearby tree! Perfect!

Shirakawa Yu stood still, not even letting go of Nezuko's hand, only raising an eyebrow slightly.

Then... blinked.

A flash of golden light appeared deep within his pupils.

As Inosuke charged forward, goosebumps instantly rose on his limbs!

A beastly instinct is screaming for help!

Without a second thought, he twisted his body halfway through his charge, leaping backward in an attempt to dodge the invisible object that alerted him.

But the next second...

"Aaaaaaahh ...

Inosuke remained frozen in mid-air, in a pose reminiscent of Jesus' crucifixion.

He twisted and turned frantically, but could not break free from the invisible restraints.

"What's that clinging to me?! It's disgusting!! Let me go! Kid, is this your doing?! Put me down right now! Let's duel!!!"

Shirakawa Yu then looked up at him with a smile, "A duel? Are you sure?"

At this moment, Tanjiro had already forced the swordsman with the twisted arm aside with a Water Breathing technique, and rushed over, looking both annoyed and helpless.

"Senior brother! What brings you here!? And why did you bring Nezuko with you!?" He said, glancing nervously at Nezuko.

Seeing his younger sister standing obediently beside Bai Chuanyu, her clothes clean and unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Senior... Senior Brother!?" Inosuke, who was in mid-air, suddenly stopped struggling. His boar head mask tilted, and his two unfocused boar eyes 'aimed' at Tanjiro.

"Kentaro, you have a senior brother?"

Tanjiro's forehead veins bulged out in a cross shape: "Tanjiro! And didn't I tell you before that I have a senior apprentice!?"

Inosuke was taken aback for a moment, then said confidently, "I haven't forgotten!"

Tanjiro: "Then why don't you—"