Having just experienced war, embers crackled in the ruined village. Under a pall of black smoke, two figures sat on a bloodstained boulder beside a mountain of corpses in the village square.
"So, you were turned into a demon by your own older brother?" Tamayo asked, sitting on the stone next to Mizuki, nibbling delicately on an arm she had retrieved from a villager on the ground.
Her eating manner was extremely elegant.
"Yes, and I will definitely not let him go," Mizuki said, her fingers unconsciously clenching, her gaze terrifyingly deep.
While consuming her meal, Tamayo observed the person beside her, subtly but intently.
The characteristic pair of Crimson Pupils looked very mysterious.
Mr. Yoriichi and the sister of the current Upper Rank One—it seems like birds of a feather truly flock together, doesn't it?
The talents of this family are terrifyingly strong. If Miss Mizuki had been there that day, would Muzan have had no chance to escape?
Suddenly, a bloody arm was offered to her side, mixed with a faint smell of burning, making the sight nauseating.
Yet, the Tapeworm in Mizuki's stomach began to stir restlessly.
She had not eaten for many years.
"Do you want some?"
Mizuki licked her lips: "No, thank you."
Tamayo glanced sideways, her lips pursed slightly: "Miss Mizuki hasn't eaten people, right?"
"Mhm."
Tamayo's expression shifted slightly. Although she had already suspected it, hearing the definitive answer from Mizuki still surprised her greatly.
She couldn't understand how one could possibly overcome that kind of hunger, a feeling far more agonizing than a normal person starving for two or three days.
Especially during the period immediately following transformation, there were virtually no thoughts other than eating humans.
Tamayo's gaze deepened slightly. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, turned her head, and asked, "What are your plans next, Miss Mizuki?"
"Wait."
"Wait?" Tamayo seemed slightly confused.
Mizuki lowered her eyelids slightly: "With our current strength, we have no way to kill Muzan."
At the very least, they had to wait for the Taisho Nine Hashira to appear, who were said to rival the Hashira of the Sengoku Period.
After Yoriichi's death, Muzan began his campaign, acting decisively alongside Kokushibou to hunt down and exterminate all swordsmen who knew Sun Breathing.
Many families of the Hashira were slaughtered, almost wiping out the lineage of the contemporary Hashira.
This was why Mizuki knew about this matter even without contacting the Demon Slayer Corps.
Cases where entire families were tragically wiped out were not uncommon.
Even if they hadn't mastered Sun Breathing, as long as they were privy to its knowledge, Muzan would absolutely not allow them to exist if there was even a slight chance this Breathing Technique could be passed down.
The trauma Yoriichi inflicted on him back then was too deep.
Following the deaths of the initial Hashira due to the Demon Slayer Mark, and Yoriichi's departure, the Demon Slayer Corps had actually begun its decline.
There wasn't a single swordsman capable of mastering the Demon Slayer Mark, See-Through World, or the scarlet blade.
Ultimately, the Hashira of the Sengoku Period were able to master these techniques only because of Yoriichi.
After Yoriichi left, it was inevitable that these skills would be lost.
These 'Weak Hashira' combined wouldn't be enough for Kokushibou to cut down, let alone having Muzan involved.
The Demon Slayer Corps suffered a devastating blow and subsequently declined.
If not for the effective concealment and intelligence work of the Kakushi Squad, they might have been wiped out entirely.
Even the so-called Taisho Nine Hashira, who mastered the Demon Slayer Mark, See-Through World, and even the scarlet blade, were called "Plot Kills" by netizens because they suffered over fifty percent casualties.
One can imagine how powerful Muzan truly is.
Yoriichi and Muzan's powers were too detached from the norm. Now that Yoriichi is gone, the combat power of demons and humans is fundamentally disproportionate.
Given the current Hand and strength, they simply do not possess the conditions necessary to fight Muzan.
Tamayo, listening to Mizuki, sank into contemplation. She recalled the scene of Muzan instantaneously splitting into thousands of pieces of flesh, and nodded emphatically.
At the very least... that ability to split must be restricted... otherwise, even if they could defeat Muzan, they wouldn't be able to kill him completely.
Moreover, Muzan has already overcome the weakness of his neck; probably only sunlight can kill him.
Tamayo asked again: "Is Miss Mizuki planning to cooperate with the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Mhm."
After all, everyone who harbors hatred for Muzan gathers in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, besides those from family legacies, are essentially an Avengers Alliance composed of people whose families were destroyed by Muzan.
A hint of worry appeared in Tamayo's eyes, and she gave a wry smile: "But given who we are, can they truly accept us?"
Mizuki wasn't worried about this. "They will."
Even if not now, it will certainly be possible in the future.
Mizuki's firm reply made Tamayo pause slightly, and the corner of her mouth curved into an arc.
"Miss Mizuki is truly as reliable as Mr. Yoriichi."
"This is the first time I've met a swordsman who would let a demon go."
Mizuki smiled: "That's because Miss Tamayo hasn't harmed anyone, right?"
Tamayo lowered her eyelids and shook her head: "No, I have killed many people."
"I am a demon in the truest sense, one who deserves to be decapitated without complaint."
"Unlike Miss Mizuki..."
Mizuki's expression froze slightly. She truly didn't know Tamayo's past. When Tanjirou met her, she and Yushiro had been surviving solely on human blood.
Although Tamayo still retained traces of human presence on her now, Mizuki could sense that she had not subjectively killed anyone.
She merely used human corpses to sustain her life.
Mizuki was silent for a moment, then said: "Can you tell me about it? I believe a person like Miss Tamayo must have her own hardships."
Otherwise, Yoriichi would never have let such a man-eating demon go.
The desire to confide is an indispensable element for emotional beings.
Everyone wants to share their inner happiness, pain, or grievances with others.
Tamayo looked up at the sky. The stars were bright, like the emotionless eyes of gods staring down at the suffering on the ground.
She slowly began recounting her past.
When Tamayo was human, she suffered from a terminal illness that medicine could not cure. In order to see her child grow up, she did everything she could to find a cure.
"When my body grew weaker day by day and I fell into despair, that man appeared..." As Tamayo spoke this, her Hands unconsciously clenched, and veins popped up on the back of her Hands.
"He told me that by drinking his blood, I could cure my illness..."
Deceived by Muzan, she became a demon and, in an uncontrollable state, personally slaughtered her own husband and child.
It is not hard to imagine the agony Tamayo suffered upon regaining her sanity.
"After that, I recklessly killed many innocent people." Tamayo closed her eyes in sorrow. "Muzan forced me to stay by his side while searching for a way to overcome sunlight. It wasn't until Mr. Yoriichi defeated Muzan that I was able to break free from his control."
Mentioning overcoming sunlight, Mizuki thought of the blue spider lily in front of Shi's Grave, which Tamayo might be able to research.
Thinking of this, she spoke: "Regarding overcoming sunlight..."
"Hmm?" Tamayo looked at her in confusion.
Mizuki turned her head, meeting her gaze: "Actually, I've already achieved it."
..."Eh?"
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