Chapter 38

## Real and Fake

**Real and Fake** (本 (ほん) 物 (もの) と偽 (にせ) 物 (もの) , *Honmono to nisemono*?) is the thirty-eighth chapter of Koyoharu Gotoge's Kimetsu no Yaiba.

## Summary

After defeating Father of the Spider Family, Giyu is confronted by the Demon Slayer he saved. Seeing he has killed a Twelve Kizuki demon, Inosuke demands that Giyu fight him so that he can defeat him and rise up through the ranks. The uninterested Hashira simply tells him to go back to training, angering Inosuke; Giyu adds that Father was nothing close to a Twelve Kizuki while unbundling some rope. Inosuke quickly retorts his statement and claims he was right about not believing the demon was of the Twelve Kizuki, only to suddenly find himself tied up in a tree. Stunned by his speed, he tries to call out to Giyu, who only tells him to stay out of battle if he doesn't recognize his own injuries.

As he tries to dodge the thread that sliced his sword in two, Tanjiro sustains a long cut along his face. Shocked to see that the threads are even stronger than Father's body, he apologizes to Sakonji and Haganezuka. Rui then manipulates more to surround the Demon Slayer and close around him, as Tanjiro struggles to move away, remarking that the threads seem to be alive. Before he can get hit, Nezuko appears in front of him and takes the brunt of the attack, enduring numerous cuts throughout her body.

Tanjiro looks on in horror as Nezuko bleeds from her wounds, and he quickly carries her away to safety. Seeing her sudden appearance from the box, Daughter surmises that she is a demon. As Tanjiro apologizes to her for getting herself injured, Rui begins to tremble and points to Nezuko, asking if they are siblings. Tanjiro angrily answers that it doesn't matter while examining the severity of her injuries. As the demon rationalizes that he has witnessed siblings protecting one another, much to Daughter's worry, he declares Nezuko's act as a bond between family and something now he wants for himself.

Sensing his sudden change in demeanor, Daughter tries to claim that she is his sister and begs him not to abandon her. Suddenly, Rui lashes out and fires several threads from his fingers, slicing the demon to pieces along with several distant trees. He angrily claims that none of his family had ever fulfilled their roles as the dismembered Daughter states that even he recognized her as a sister at some point. When she asks for a chance to make up for her mistakes, Rui tells her to kill the remaining Demon Slayers on the mountain, willing to forgive her if she does. Daughter picks up her head and runs away.

   Now left alone with Tanjiro and Nezuko, Rui begins to strike a deal with the siblings. He informs the two of how their bond had made him shiver, but despite the fact that it might break his heart, he would still have to kill them. Rui then goes on to inform them that the only way that he will spare them would be if Tanjiro handed Nezuko over to him. Enraged by his audacity, Tanjiro holds Nezuko tightly and angrily proclaims that he will never hand her over, claiming that she has her own feelings and free will to choose. Rui responds to his claims by stating that he will use fear to forcefully form a bond with her, which infuriates Tanjiro even more.

Tanjiro angrily yells that he will never hand Nezuko over to him and that he will cut off Rui's head before she is taken from him. Realizing that Tanjiro will not give up easily, Rui claims that he has no choice but kill him and take Nezuko by force. He acknowledges his fighting spirit and pulls his hair to the side to hauntingly reveal that he is Lower Five of the Twelve Kizuki.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Giyu Tomioka
* Inosuke Hashibira
* Tanjiro Kamado
* Rui
* Sakonji Urokodaki (Vision)
* Haganezuka (Vision)
* Nezuko Kamado
* Spider Demon (Daughter)

## Events

* Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado vs Rui.
* Nezuko protects Tanjiro from an attack by Rui.
* Rui realizes the bond between the siblings is something he had longed for.
* When Tanjiro refuses to give Nezuko to him, Rui reveals that he is Lower Five of the Twelve Kizuki.