Justice is Blind |『 Female OC 』• Kimetsu no Yaiba

Act 12: In the Heart of Natagumo

The forest of Mount Natagumo stretched endlessly before Shirayuki and Ayuna, its trees like sentinels to the unknown horrors lurking within. The mist hung low, wrapping around the trunks and branches in ghostly fingers. Every step they took was met with the soft crunch of leaves underfoot, which added to the countless amounts of movement from the spiders around them.

Shirayuki paused, her head tilted slightly as if listening to a melody only she could hear. "The air is heavy here," she murmured, her voice a hushed whisper against the backdrop of the forest's eerie atmosphere. Ayuna nodded, her eyes scanning the dense foliage, a sense of unease prickling at the back of her neck.

Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword, a silent promise to whatever lay ahead. "And those spider webs are getting on my nerves," she said, shaking her hand to get rid of them.

As they delved deeper, the path beneath their feet became littered with broken twigs and disturbed earth. "The smell of blood..." realised Ayuna as she crouched near a tree. "This means we're getting closer," she said before standing up and looking toward Shirayuki.

However, she paused when she saw the expression on the white-haired girl. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Did you hear that?" Shirayuki wondered as she stepped past Ayuna. "No...?" Ayuna replied, following her.

Trying to focus on her hearing, Ayuna furrowed her brows and looked at Shirayuki. "What am I supposed to hear?" she asked as Shirayuki paused and raised her head. "It's like threads are being pulled..." explained Shirayuki, making Ayuna narrow her eyes.

"Threads?" she asked before feeling movements on her arms and seeing three tiny spiders. Shaking her arm, Ayuna's eyes widened when she realised. "It's the spiders," she said as Shirayuki turned to her. "Remember what that Kage guy said? That they started fighting each other?" she asked, making Shirayuki nod.

"Well, maybe those spiders are creating the threads you hear, and this is why everything is happening," she guessed, which made Shirayuki gape. "You are smarter than you sound," she said, which made Ayuna glare at her. "What is that supposed to mean!?" she growled before huffing in annoyance.

"Plus, it wasn't that hard to figure out," she continued, seeing a smile on Shirayuki's face. "Don't smile at me," she said as the white-haired girl tilted her head, still smiling. However, a sound nearby brought the two attention before they ran in said direction.

In front of them were multiple slayers with broken limbs standing and walking toward them. "That is sickening," grimaced Ayuna before taking out one of her swords. "We can't kill them," reminded Shirayuki, which made Ayuna scoff. "You think I don't know that?" she asked before running toward the slayers.

Dodging to her left, Ayuna glanced at the slayer, seeing threads linked to his body. 'Seems like I was right,' she thought before swinging and cutting the threads holding the slayer, making him fall.

Then, she turned toward the approaching slayers and saw them move slowly with unnatural movements. 'But there are so many of them here,' she realised, getting into a stance. 'We can't lose time here forever,' she thought, preparing to jump into the fray again.

"Ice Breathing Second Form:..." she heard behind her, making Ayuna pause before feeling a gush of wind running past her. "Frozen Trail," said Shirayuki, dashing and cutting the rest of the threads.