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

Chapter 97 Fusion of Water and Fire

A cold sweat broke out on Ni Douzi's back, and his hands and feet tensed instantly.

She was so engrossed in her breathing exercises that she didn't even notice the ghost behind her.

Tanjiro was so exhausted that his twin swords were pinned to the spot, veins bulging on his arms. His blood-red eyes suddenly contracted when he saw that Nezuko was in danger but he couldn't get there in time.

Tanjiro tried to resist, but the silken blade of the Nichirin Blade was as hard as steel, pressing down on it so that it could not move an inch.

He could only watch helplessly as the spider silk wrapped around the bean, his heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by a giant hand.

Spider Sister looked at the Beans so close to her, a cruel smile already curling at the corners of her mouth, her mind screaming wildly.

[Die! If you die, he won't hold a grudge against me anymore, and I can continue being his sister, and I can live on!]

But the spider silk that was about to wrap around Mi Douzi's neck seemed to be imprisoned by an invisible barrier, no matter how she tried to move it.

The spider silk remained motionless, and that familiar oppressive force emanated from the end of the silk, instantly freezing the blood in her body.

When Midouzi felt the spider silk behind him stop, he immediately staggered back a few steps, then grabbed the broken half of the knife and held it horizontally in front of him.

For a moment, both Tanjiro and Nezuko had deep doubts in their eyes.

Only the owner of that spider silk, Sister Spider, trembled uncontrollably.

She stiffly turned her neck, looking toward the source of the oppressive force.

Rui continued to relentlessly suppress Tanjiro with his twin swords, the blades sizzling and burning against the Nichirin Blade.

But his head slowly turned to the side, his scarlet eyes devoid of any warmth, only filled with an unyielding gloom.

That gaze fell on Spider Sister, as cold as ice, instantly making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

"tired?"

Spider Sister's voice trembled so badly that she almost collapsed to the ground, her knees buckled, and she even had to breathe carefully.

She could clearly feel the surging ferocity emanating from Lei's body; it was the rage unique to the controller, a power capable of easily crushing her into ashes.

"Who gave you permission to touch her!"

His voice was chillingly cold, carrying an unquestionable question. His spider silk armor glowed with an eerie red light due to his anger, and the blood-red spider web on his back tightened slightly, even increasing the force used to suppress Tanjiro.

"Tired, weren't you going to kill them? I was just helping you..."

Spider Sister hurriedly tried to explain, her words incoherent, her eyes filled with fear.

These ghosts were all transformed by Lei, and he had absolute control over them. He could manipulate their spider silk at will and even reclaim the abilities he had given them at any time. Her life was nothing more than a matter of Lei's fingertips.

"That's my business."

Tired, he interrupted her, his tone revealing undisguised disgust.

"Father, Mother, and my brother are all dead. If you still want to prove that you have any value in staying by my side, then stop those intruding demon hunters and protect me."

"I can! I can!"

Spider Sister felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and scrambled away into the depths of the forest without daring to look back.

She ran desperately, wanting to get as far away from exhaustion as possible, to get as far away from this life-or-death battle as possible. She would do anything to survive.

The forest fell into a brief silence, broken only by the hissing sound of blades clashing and the slightly heavy breathing of the three.

Neneko gripped the broken sword, turned to look at Rui, her eyes filled with confusion—why would this demon, who was determined to turn them into "family," stop the spider sister's attack?

Tanjiro felt the pressure ease slightly, turned to look at Nezuko, and saw that although her clothes were disheveled, she was unharmed. His heart finally settled down. He looked at her tired and gloomy profile, hesitated for a moment, and whispered.

"Thanks."

This thank you wasn't about approval, it was simply gratitude—gratitude that he saved Midouzi.

His body stiffened abruptly from exhaustion, the force of his twin blades suddenly faltered, and a flicker of disorientation flashed in his scarlet eyes, as if struck by the unexpected "thank you."

A strange emotion welled up from the bottom of my heart, warm and unfamiliar, like a tenderness buried deep in my memory.

But as soon as this emotion surfaced, it was fiercely suppressed by Muzan's words in his mind, and vanished without a trace in an instant.

"snort."

Lei snorted coldly, his eyes once again filled with icy killing intent, and he suddenly increased the force in his hand, pressing Tanjiro's Nichirin Blade down even further.

"Compared to those good-for-nothings, you are the family I truly acknowledge. If you are to die, it can only be by my hand."

Lei sneered, his twin spider silk blades crossed to parry, while the blood web behind him transformed into a shield. The spider silk collided with the flames, producing a piercing burning sound.

His figure moved like a ghost through the sparks, his twin swords unleashing two dark red blades that aimed directly at Tanjiro's waist. Each move was ruthless and showed no mercy.

The two clashed once again, their red and gold and dark red lights intertwining, the crisp sound of blades clashing, the sizzling of flames burning, and the sharp sound of spider silk tearing through the air all intertwined.

Meanwhile, watching her brother being exhausted and entangled, the cold sweat on his back already dried by the wind, Midouzi gripped the broken half of the knife in her hand and forced herself to calm down.

The near-death experience made her realize that only by becoming stronger and finding a breathing method that suits her could she truly help her brother instead of becoming a burden to him.

No matter why he tries to stop me, right now, I will protect my brother!

She gripped the broken half of the knife in her hand, her mind racing as she reviewed the sudden realization she had just had.

[Water Breathing steadys my breath, Kagura Dance fuels my explosive power... Stabilize yourself first, then strike!]

She took a deep breath, adjusting her breathing to the rhythm of water breathing, slowly soothing the burning pain in her lungs.

She then tried to incorporate the fiery energy of Kagura's dance into it, but the two energies clashed and surged within her body, causing a sharp pain in her chest and nearly making her cough up blood. However, she gritted her teeth and refused to give up.

Slower still, let the rhythm of the Water Breathing deepen, let the explosion of the Kagura Dance subside a little more...

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ni Douzi's forehead, and his fingertips trembled slightly as he exerted force.

At this moment, Tanjiro was driven to the brink of despair.

Exhausted, the twin spider silk blades suddenly split into dozens of thin spider silk blades, which coiled around his vital points like venomous snakes.

The blood web behind him suddenly contracted, transforming into a huge spider silk cage that trapped him inside.

These spider silk blades carry the same potent venom as the spider brother; once cut, they will instantly paralyze the entire body.

Tanjiro swung his Nichirin Blade with all his might, and crimson and gold flames exploded around him.

However, the spider silk blades were too numerous and dense, and his arms and calves were still cut several times, which gradually slowed his movements and made his wrists, which were holding the knife, go numb.

Rui instantly lunged forward at Tanjiro, a cruel smile on his lips, and slashed at Tanjiro's neck with his twin spider silk swords.

The next second, a wave of water carrying flames slashed towards his head, the only part of his body not covered by spider silk armor.

"What?!"