7 Vol. III Demon Slayer: Floating Comment

"What is that smell? It's... like bugs... but worse. It's getting stronger."

Tanjiro nudged Genya awake. The spiky-haired boy jolted upright and instinctively grabbed the double-barreled shotgun resting on the table.

"It smells like… a demon," he muttered.

The insect-like scent was overwhelming, but beneath it, Tanjiro could easily detect the foul stench unique to demons.

Genya quietly slid the door open. The midnight stillness of Mount Sagiri seemed unchanged, save for the faint chirping of insects hiding in the grass.

They glanced toward the foot of the mountain, where Urokodaki's small cabin stood with its door slightly ajar. The master wasn't inside—he was likely off restoring the traps scattered across the mountain.

Tanjiro gripped his sword tightly, his palms damp with sweat.

Genya stepped out cautiously, scanning the surroundings.

"Strange. Nothing seems off."

He circled the cabin a few times, but no sign of a demon appeared.

"The smell hasn't disappeared," Tanjiro said, his brow furrowed. "Could it really just be... bugs?"

It was odd. With Urokodaki, a former Water Hashira, and Haruto, the current Star Hashira, stationed here, demons rarely dared to approach Mount Sagiri.

Rubbing his eyes, Tanjiro turned back toward the cabin. "Maybe it's just—"

The moment he stepped inside, a sickening blend of insect scent and rotting stench hit him like a wall. A grotesque, enlarged insect-like mouth lunged straight for his head.

"Gah!"

Genya reacted instantly, grabbing Tanjiro by the collar and yanking him back outside. The monstrous jaws snapped shut inches away from their target.

The shadowy figure retreated into the cabin, then leaped onto the rafters, emitting a shrill, clicking sound: "Krrreeee!"

Moonlight revealed the creature in full, sending shivers down Genya's spine.

It was a demon, humanoid yet insect-like. From the neck down, it resembled a human woman, though barely clothed. Her elongated neck was covered in wrinkled folds, reminding Genya of a retractable spring.

Her face still bore faint traces of human features, but her pupils were clouded white. On her forehead, two flexible antennae twitched and turned with eerie precision.

The most terrifying part, though, was her mouth—a massive, jagged maw that dominated half her face, filled with razor-sharp teeth. Tanjiro's stomach churned. That mouth had nearly taken his head off moments earlier.

"If she bites your neck with that..." Tanjiro shuddered at the thought. Not even the most skilled mortician could piece it back together.

Without visible kanji in her eyes, it was unclear if she belonged to the Twelve Kizuki. But Genya could tell: her presence didn't match the overwhelming aura of Lower Moon Three, whom Shinobu had once slain.

"Krrreeee…"

The demon's mouth quivered as she spat toxic venom toward them.

Tanjiro shoved Genya aside, and the two split up, seeking cover.

With both their mentors absent, they were on their own.

Genya was the first to strike, firing two shots from his shotgun. One bullet tore through her head, taking out half an eye, while the other hit her spring-like neck—but disappeared as if swallowed whole.

"What the hell is this thing?!" Genya exclaimed, firing two more rounds in quick succession.

One shot missed, but the other struck an antenna, producing a sharp metallic clang.

The demon seemed enraged now, letting out a grating, high-pitched shriek before lunging at Genya, chest bared and claws extended.

"Clang!"

Tanjiro's blade intercepted, slashing toward her neck. But her spring-like neck twisted unnaturally, deflecting the blade and snapping back with enough force to send Tanjiro stumbling.

"Damn it!" he grunted, barely holding onto his sword.

Her neck wasn't just too tough—it was too flexible, like a slippery eel in a pond.

Tanjiro clenched his teeth, dodging another spray of venom.

What were they supposed to do against this thing?

...

Meanwhile, Haruto and Yae were following dog, Jiro, through the dense forest.

"This dog seems young," Haruto remarked.

"I used to have a great hunting dog named Taro," she said wistfully, her voice tinged with sadness.

"But… hunters can't survive without a dog. You need one to make it in the mountains."

Haruto glanced at her, sensing the weight of her words. He guessed her beloved Taro had likely fallen victim to her demonized father.

"If it gets dangerous up ahead," Haruto said without looking back, "take Jiro and go home. You know as well as I do—a hunting rifle won't do much against a demon."

Yae bit her lip, recalling the rifle's ineffectiveness when she'd fired it at her father. Even a shot strong enough to blow half a wolf's head off had done nothing to slow him down.

"Understood," she murmured. "If there's a demon, I'll retreat."

Haruto nodded, guiding Jiro to ignore the strange scents and focus solely on the foul stench ahead.

They descended a mountain path, the smell of rot and blood thickening with each step.

Haruto's expression grew grim. The oppressive aura of demon energy was unmistakable.

"They're up ahead."

He sprinted downhill, Yae trailing behind him, teeth clenched as sweat poured down her face.

Finally, they arrived.

In the moonlit village, a swarm of insect-like demons was wreaking havoc, devouring everything in sight. Their energy seemed to flow into their antennae, then toward a grotesquely large figure looming at the village's edge.

The enormous demon was obscenely fat, with a body wider than ten men combined. Perched atop the mound of flesh was a small, white-haired head that struck Haruto as eerily familiar.

Sensing their arrival, the head turned, its bloated face lighting up with a twisted grin.

"Well, if it isn't you..."

Bathed in moonlight, Haruto saw the kanji engraved in the demon's crimson eyes.

"Lower Six."

Once Lower Moon Four, now demoted to Lower Six.

Mukago.