Muzan's recovery was only delayed, not stopped. Against his terrifying regenerative ability, suppression merely stretched the time from instant recovery to a few seconds.
After Raiden shattered his head, thick flesh kept growing from Muzan's neck. In less than a breath, his jaw had already formed again.
Just as he was about to continue recovering, countless strange objects suddenly appeared in the air around him.
They looked like fleshy seeds. Each one was irregularly round, different in size, and covered with tiny bumps. Their dark red color made them look like the seeds of some twisted plant that did not belong in this world.
Even with his head destroyed moments ago, Muzan's senses were still sharp. The moment those seeds appeared, he recognized the aura behind them. This was clearly a Blood Demon Art.
Was this Raiden's Blood Demon Art?
Muzan already knew Raiden could use one, but this was the first time he had ever seen it. The unfamiliar ability made him uneasy, but he had no time to think.
The next second, the fleshy seeds expanded rapidly. Their surfaces twisted violently, as if something inside them had suddenly awakened.
Then they burst open.
What came out were thick black branches covered in sharp barbs. Each branch hardened instantly, and the dark red color quickly deepened into pitch black. The barbs looked like blades, reflecting a cold light under the night sky.
The branches spread wildly across the ground and through the air, twisting together in an instant and forming a dense forest of thorns.
A sharp sound cut through the silence.
The barbs pierced straight through Muzan's body without hesitation.
They drove deep into his muscles and bones like the fangs of a giant serpent. Blood ran down the thorns and dripped onto the ground with a faint sizzling sound.
Muzan's body was completely restrained.
He sneered.
Trying to bind him with a Blood Demon Art was nothing but a joke. He had fought the Demon Slayer Corps for nearly a thousand years. Did they really think something like this could stop him?
He was already preparing to absorb the power inside the branches and break free completely.
But before he could do anything, someone appeared in front of him without making a sound.
Tamayo.
Her eyes were filled with anger and determination. Before Muzan could react, her arm shot forward and pierced straight through his chest.
Her movement was precise and calculated. This was clearly something she had planned for a long time.
Her hand reached his heart, and blood immediately gushed out, staining her arm.
After centuries, they were finally facing each other again.
Tamayo stared at his head as it slowly regenerated and spoke in a cold voice.
"This thorn Blood Demon Art comes from the innocent man in Asakusa, the one you turned into a demon."
Muzan's head finished recovering. His rose-colored pupils stared at her calmly, completely ignoring what she said.
What he cared about was something else.
How did she get this close to him?
Raiden was one thing. That brat moved at a speed even Muzan found difficult to react to. But Tamayo was not a fighter. How could she approach him so easily?
Then his eyes shifted to the paper talismans covering her body.
He immediately understood.
"So you hid your presence with a Blood Demon Art. No wonder."
His voice was calm, but the contempt in it was obvious.
Even if she got close to him, what could she actually do? The damage she caused would heal instantly. As for her, killing her would be no different from crushing an insect.
Tamayo suddenly smiled.
"Muzan, you absorbed my left hand, didn't you?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly. Her words made him hesitate for a moment, but the absorption had already started. Stopping now would make no difference.
"Do you know what I was holding in that hand?"
His expression changed slightly.
"It was the demon-to-human drug. Can you feel it already?"
Muzan's pupils shrank.
"That's impossible."
Tamayo laughed. The sound was sharp and full of hatred.
"It's already complete. Not only does it turn you human, it also contains a lethal poison. Thank the Demon Slayer Corps for that."
Muzan immediately felt something wrong inside his body. His eyes turned cold, and he raised his hand, preparing to kill her on the spot.
This demon who had escaped from his control had now caused him real trouble. He would not allow her to exist any longer.
But the moment his arm moved, a flash of golden light suddenly split the darkness.
It looked like lightning cutting across the night.
The golden streak left a sharp arc in the air.
A second later, Muzan's arm was cut off cleanly at the shoulder.
The severed limb spun through the air before crashing onto the ground. Blood sprayed across the street like scattered red petals.
Muzan felt the pain instantly. His eyes turned toward the source of the attack.
Raiden stood not far away, his Nichirin blade still glowing with golden light. He tilted his head slightly, looking straight at Muzan with a mocking smile.
He was clearly saying one thing.
I am still here.
If Muzan had been in perfect condition, Raiden might not have been able to fight him directly. But this Muzan had already been weakened by the explosion and now Tamayo's drug was spreading through his body.
Right now, the only thing that made him terrifying was the fact that he could not die.
Seeing Raiden blocking him from a distance, Muzan realized he could not kill Tamayo immediately. Instead, he decided to attack her in another way.
He spoke slowly, every word filled with cruelty.
"You are still clinging to your hatred, Tamayo. How pathetic."
"The one who killed your husband and child was you. You were the one who ate them. At that time, you did not look this sad at all."
"Shut up!"
Tears poured down Tamayo's face.
"If I had known what would happen, I would never have agreed to become a demon. I only wanted to live long enough to watch my child grow up."
Muzan continued coldly, completely ignoring her pain.
"But after that, you killed many people too. And you enjoyed it. Are you going to pretend that never happened?"
Tamayo froze for a moment. Blood-red tears ran down her face.
"That's right. In my despair, I killed many people. That is exactly why I will die here with you."
She took a step forward, her voice trembling but firm.
"Please, Raiden."