Muzan's words were spoken with extreme arrogance.
And the strange abilities he displayed at this moment were similarly confirming his inhuman identity.
The Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan...
So the Demon King that Brother Yoriichi wanted to kill was the man before her right now?!
The intense facts assaulted Mitsuba's brain. Before she could say anything, she saw Muzan continue speaking:
"Mitsuba, since you firmly believe in the existence of deities, firmly believe that death is your final destiny.
Then, I will deliberately break this so-called fate upon you. I will grant you a large amount of my blood, giving you the opportunity to transform into a demon.
After tonight, not only will you not die, but you will also regain a healthy, powerful body, and that virtually infinite lifespan that you can squander as you please!
I want to see just how those gods and buddhas you speak of will take your life from my hands from now on!"
As his words fell, Muzan looked at Mitsuba before him, and in those blood-red eyes, a rare trace of nostalgia surfaced.
"To be honest, little girl, I like you very much. Every time I see you, you remind me of who I once was.
At that time, I was just like you are now—physically weak, seriously ill, constantly hovering at the edge of death, never knowing when I would truly die, and therefore living in fear every single day..."
The nostalgia in his eyes deepening, Muzan's tone became increasingly gentle.
"I would always think back then—why me? Why did it have to be me?
Why couldn't it be someone else? Why did I have to suffer this unjust fate?
If there truly are gods in this world, then I think They must have arranged the same destiny for both of us.
Little Mitsuba, we are actually the same kind of people. The only difference is that I was fortunate enough to obtain the ability to change my life and break through that predetermined fate.
And now, I have decided to give you this opportunity as well. I will grant you the ability to change your own destiny."
Half-kneeling before Mitsuba, Muzan's hand gently stroked through the long hair atop her head. He looked down at her like this, his tone extremely soft.
"But Mitsuba, I respect your choice."
"I can first clearly tell you that after you transform into a demon, you will never again be able to see sunlight. You will forever live under the darkness of night.
You will also no longer be able to consume normal food. On your menu, there will only remain one option—humans.
If you feel you cannot accept these things and are unwilling to become a demon, I will not force you."
Behind Muzan, Tamayo widened her eyes, watching this scene before her in disbelieving silence.
And Mitsuba slowly lowered her head.
Muzan's words were continuously echoing in her mind.
Become a demon?
Become a demon...
Mitsuba seriously contemplated this choice in her mind.
Then she was surprised to discover that she actually felt no strong resistance in her heart toward the result of transforming into a demon?
Undoubtedly, standing from the human standpoint, the mere fact that they devour humans was enough to judge demons as absolutely evil beings.
But Mitsuba didn't possess this sense of good and evil.
Because good and evil cannot be used to govern a country.
Growing up in the Tsugikuni family and now serving as the lord of a country, she had already set aside those concepts of good, evil, and morality when she first accepted the heavy responsibility of family head.
The only thing that could make Mitsuba feel some resistance toward becoming a demon was her two brothers.
Once she became a demon, she would undoubtedly stand in opposition to her two brothers.
This would not do...
Because before Mother passed away, she had said that maintaining good relations with her two brothers was her responsibility as a younger sister...
How could she herself walk to the opposite side of her two brothers?
But, but...
Why...
Did she have to live according to Mother's requirements...?
Why couldn't she live according to her own wishes?
In her mind, Butterfly's figure and Muzan's words alternately flashed by. Mitsuba's breathing gradually became rapid, her fingers slowly clenching tight.
Hadn't she done enough for her two brothers and for the Tsugikuni family all these years?
She had already given her entire brief life away.
Wasn't this enough to repay Mother for the grace of giving birth to her?
No, it was already enough.
Mother did give birth to her, but she also left her a disease-ridden body that caused her endless suffering.
The Tsugikuni family did raise her, but she had similarly given almost everything to the family all these years.
And those two brothers—to satisfy their willful behavior, she had been silently bearing responsibilities that should have belonged to them all these years.
Tsugikuni Mitsuba owed no one anymore, right?
Tsugikuni Mitsuba already had no reason to continue sacrificing herself for these past matters anymore, right?
Since this was the case, why not try to live for herself?
Why not try to grasp fate in her own hands and become her own god?
Her thoughts becoming increasingly clear, the heaving of her chest also became increasingly intense.
Having already reached an answer in her heart, Mitsuba slowly raised her head and looked at Muzan who was still patiently waiting before her. She spoke word by word, with incomparable determination:
"Lord Muzan, I want... to decide my own destiny."
"..."
"How's the situation on your end?"
"Didn't discover anything abnormal."
Late at night, on the streets of the city, two figures flashed by quickly, meeting on a rooftop.
Both were male. They wore matching black uniforms with the character "滅" printed on the back, with Nichirin Blades hanging horizontally at their waists—clearly both were swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps.
This was a prosperous town located near Kyoto, ruled by a family called the Tsugikuni. It was said the family head was a young woman.
Tsugikuni?
This actually shared the same surname as those two powerful Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps. Who knew if there was any familial relationship between them...
Of course, the Demon Slayer Corps had not come for the Tsugikuni family.
The two had come here because the Demon Slayer Corps had previously received intelligence that during last night's fireworks festival, a mysterious disappearance of people had occurred in this town, suspected to be related to demons eating humans.
They had come to investigate the truth of this matter and incidentally eliminate this potentially existing demon.
Although up until now, the two had not discovered any useful intelligence...
"Strange, where's Yamada? Where exactly did he run off to?"
Waiting long without the third member of their squad arriving, the expressions of the two on the rooftop were somewhat anxious.
That's right—tonight's investigation did not involve only the two of them, but a three-person squad of swordsmen.
After entering the city, to improve search efficiency, the three had unanimously decided to first split up and act separately, then return here to meet and decide the next step after finding useful clues.
Then, one person disappeared.
As experienced Class A swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, the two were not unclear about what this meant.
However, the city was so quiet, and the two had not heard any sounds of fighting earlier. Could a powerful Class A swordsman really be killed by a demon so silently without a sound?
Could Yamada have just temporarily discovered something abnormal, and therefore been delayed a bit longer?
Just as the two on the rooftop were still harboring wishful thinking, from the street below, a laughing female voice suddenly came, accompanied by rustling sounds...
"Owls are truly a very magical creature..."