Chapter 38

Real and Fake (と) is the thirty-eighth chapter of Koyoharu Gotōge's Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Summary
After having been saved from the Father Spider Demon by the Water Hashira, Inosuke stares at him with admiration and even challenges him to a duel. Giyu coldly refutes his challenge and tells him to go back to training, he even indirectly insults him for not knowing that the Demon wasn't one of the Twelve Kizuki. Inosuke becomes infuriated by Giyu's comments and tries to shift the blame onto Tanjiro, but he unknowingly ends up tied to a tree and abandoned by Giyu.

Following the previous chapter, Tanjiro's blade has just been cut by Rui's threads but before he sustains major injuries, he dodges out of the way. He begins to recollect his thoughts and apologizes to Sakonji and Hotaru for his inexperience which led to his blade breaking. As he continues to evade Rui's attacks, Tanjiro eventually gets caught up and prepares to brace for the attack, but is miraculously saved when Nezuko sacrifices herself and gets slashed by the threads.

Tanjiro looks on in horror as Nezuko bleeds from her wounds, and he quickly carries her away to safety. As he carries her into the woods, the Older Sister Spider Demon glances over at Rui and witnesses his face burn with envy, he stares at Tanjiro and Nezuko's interaction and proclaims that he wants their "true family bond". The Older Sister Demon begs Rui to not abandon her, but this angers him to the point where he slashes all the trees behind him and decapitates her. Rui glares at her head, claiming that she never fulfilled her roles as his sister and tells her to kill the demon slayers lurking on the mountain to prove her worth. The Older Sister Demon then grabs her head and hurriedly runs off to kill the demon slayers on the mountain.

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'll 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 to kill him and take Nezuko by force. He acknowledges his fighting spirit and pulls his hair to the side to hauntingly reveal that he was the member of the Twelve Kizuki.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Giyu Tomioka
 * Inosuke Hashibira
 * Tanjiro Kamado
 * Rui
 * Sakonji Urokodaki
 * Hotaru Haganezuka
 * Nezuko Kamado
 * Older Sister Spider Demon

Events

 * Rui reveals that he is one of the Twelve Kizuki.

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