A rugged half-naked boy wearing a boar mask grumbled, "Damn spiders," as he struggled to clean his clothes from the sticky cobwebs.
Inosuke had entered the mountains with his friend, Gonpachiro Kamaboko, after receiving a mission from the Kasugai Crow. Their troubles began when they encountered a swarm of small white spiders that launched an attack on them.
Although they managed to fend off the spiders, they ended up covered in cobwebs, which particularly annoyed Inosuke since a lot of it clung to his favorite—and only—mask.
As if that wasn't enough, they soon faced a demon that had the body of a spider and the head of a human. During their battle, they were ambushed by smaller spiders that also had human heads.
To Inosuke's and Kentaro's horror, these were former demon slayers who had been transformed into monsters. This revelation unsettled even the hot-headed Inosuke.
Now, separated from Tanpachiro Kamono, he wandered aimlessly, hoping to find his way back or perhaps encounter a demon to slay—or even a stream to wash off the sticky mess.
His luck changed when he stumbled upon a stream, which brought him joy, but that wasn't all he found. In the distance, he spotted a massive demon engaged in a battle with someone. Though he couldn't see the details, the intensity of the fight made his heart race with excitement.
Watching the clash fueled his adrenaline, and he thought, if this fight was so thrilling, wouldn't it be even better to jump in?
As the demon leaped back, wounded with a cut on its arm and leg, Inosuke made his decision. He unsheathed his twin serrated Nichirin blades and shouted, "Don't forget about me, dirtbags! Here I come!"
With a battle cry, Inosuke charged into the fray, aiming to decapitate the demon from behind. However, the demon swiftly turned and blocked his strike with its other arm, catching him off guard.
"So tough!" he exclaimed, straining with all his strength, but the demon retaliated with a powerful backhand, sending him sprawling.
Coughing and trying to regain his composure, he stood up, ready to press on with his attack, only to witness the demon's headless body crumbling to ash.
'H-he's strong! I couldn't scratch his skin. but he killed in one attack!' Inosuke was astonished by this display of strength and felt an undeniable urge to be have it.
But as he looked closer at the slayer, he noticed his striking features: blue eyes with dark blue sclera and sharp teeth. It almost resembled a...
"Huh, you a demon?"
This caught the attention of the now-suspected demon, who paused weight in his response. "Nah, it's just a mask I wear. You know, to scare off demons?"
Inosuke squinted at him, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha! That makes total sense! I'm Inosuke, lord of the mountain!" he proclaimed.
The slayer's actions were completely logical; he also dons a mask to instill fear in demons and assert his dominance. Besides, why would a demon fight and kill other demons? That just doesn't make any sense!
"Riiiight, I'm just gonna leave," he said after a brief silence, turning to walk away.
"Hah?! Hey! Don't walk away from me! I'm not done yet!" Inosuke quickly dashed in front of him, blocking his path.
"You took that thing down pretty fast, so..." He brandished his twin blades and pointed them at the slayer. "Fight me!"
"Eh? why?"
"Because you're my rival!"
The slayer stared at Inosuke as if he had just sprouted a second head, bewildered by this wild hobo declaring war against him.
After a moment of thought, the slayer smiled. "You know what? You're right. What kind of man would I be if I turned down my rival's challenge?" He grinned. "But before we fight, there's a record you need to beat."
He turned and pointed at the water. "Since you're my rival, that mean you want to be better than me, yeah? I can catch about 10 frogs in under 10 minutes; that's my record. If you want to fight me, you'll have to beat that."
Inosuke stared at him for a moment before lifting his head high."10 frogs in 10 minutes?! I can do better than that, just watch how i beat your pathetic record into the dirt!"
He then sprinted toward the water, eager to outdo his rival, completely unaware that his "rival" booked it the moment he turned his back.