Shinobu Kocho

The chapter reveals how the false household came to be. Its members were strangers turned demon who feared the slayers and craved company, so Rui distributed pieces of his own ability among them and reshaped their faces to resemble his. The woman cast as the mother had been turned only recently and still grieved her lost humanity, struggling to keep up the act and drawing Rui's punishment as a result.

Fleeing after Rui's cold dismissal, the Daughter traps Murata in her Acid Cocoon and gloats over the meal to come. Shinobu Kocho appears behind her, calm and pleasant, and easily slips around the demon's silk while the Daughter senses a chilling presence about her, like death standing close.

The history of the Spider Family is laid out: the demons were unrelated, joined Rui for shelter, and received their Blood Demon Arts from him, while any failure or disobedience met harsh discipline. The Daughter captures Murata in an acidic cocoon, then begs Shinobu for mercy, claiming Rui forces her actions.

Shinobu presses for an honest count of the demon's victims, noting the many cocoons she passed on the mountain. She then strikes with Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice, and although her blade is too short to take the head, her wisteria poison floods the demon's body and ends her.

This chapter formally introduces Shinobu Kocho as the Insect Hashira and explains her unique combat approach. Unable to decapitate demons through strength alone, she relies on poison built from wisteria and her knowledge of chemistry. Her courteous tone paired with graphic threats establishes her unsettling character.

The installment covers Episode 20 of the anime and is collected in Volume 5.