"Demons survive by devouring humans."
On the dark and empty street, Tamayo finally spoke, saying in a low voice to Mitsuba behind her:
"Mitsuba, I know you endured much pain when you were human, but this doesn't mean that becoming a demon is the right choice.
Our naturally opposing stance with humans destined that they will forever fear us. You will never be able to obtain true emotional needs from them.
Once your identity is exposed, all the friends you once considered or even loved ones will immediately try to distance themselves from you, or even eliminate you.
Eternal hunger, difficult-to-restrain violent impulses—these things will also constantly accompany us, eroding our will.
Perhaps you won't feel this yet, but in the long time to come, they will one day devour your sanity, reducing you to a monster controlled only by desire..."
"This is you, Miss Tamayo, not me."
Patiently listening until Tamayo finished speaking, Mitsuba then opened her mouth:
"This is what happened to you, and also the future you fear.
I cannot understand, Miss Tamayo—why do you copy your experiences onto me and arbitrarily assume that I will also become like you?"
Saying this, a smile still remained on Mitsuba's face. Her body once again pressed against Tamayo's back, her left arm wrapping around to Tamayo's front, five fingers lightly pinching her throat.
"What I become, what I want to become—this is completely decided by myself. I no longer need anyone to decide my future for me. Do you understand this?"
Her tone becoming cold and low, the fingers pinching Tamayo's throat gradually applying force, Mitsuba—eyes showing blood-red color—tilted her head and coldly looked at her, saying word by word:
"Miss Tamayo, if the situation tonight happens again, I guarantee I will personally break your neck and throw your pretty head under the sun to properly sunbathe. Do you hear me clearly?"
The night was silent and still. The threat of death approached unprecedentedly close. The terrifying pressure from Mitsuba made Tamayo's heartbeat involuntarily quicken, her breathing also becoming rapid.
Yes, Tamayo was nervous, and afraid.
But she wasn't afraid of death—she was only afraid of dying before Muzan.
"Just joking, don't be nervous."
However, just as Tamayo hadn't yet figured out how to respond, Mitsuba suddenly smiled and released her throat.
She stepped back slightly, both hands lightly resting on Tamayo's shoulders, using that consistently gentle tone to softly laugh:
"Rest assured, no matter what Miss Tamayo wants to do to me, as long as Lord Muzan decides to keep you, I absolutely will not harm you..."
As her words fell, Mitsuba leaned her head in slightly closer, whispering by Tamayo's ear:
"I guarantee."
In just a few short breaths, emotions flipped continuously—sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, sometimes cold—making her difficult to fathom, completely unpredictable, just like a cunning fox.
Tsugikuni Mitsuba, so this is your true nature?
Recalling the scene when she first saw Mitsuba at that restaurant one or two years ago, then thinking back to Mitsuba's series of emotional changes from just now until now.
Tamayo only felt a chill down her spine, her back seeming to be soaked with sweat... if demons could sweat.
She suddenly completely understood why that Muzan—with his extremely malicious character and contemptuous attitude toward everyone—would suddenly show such care for the young girl behind her.
Tsugikuni Mitsuba and Kibutsuji Muzan... between these two people, whether in experience or personality, there indeed existed many similarities.
"Ah, right, I remember Lord Muzan left early to search for intelligence about the Blue Spider Lily?"
Not caring about Tamayo's reaction, Mitsuba suddenly asked.
The Blue Spider Lily—according to Lord Muzan, this was the final key missing on the path of demons' self-evolution.
As long as they could obtain it, completing this final piece of the puzzle, demons could complete their ultimate evolution.
At that time, they would no longer fear sunlight, nor would they need to survive by devouring humans.
Of course, Mitsuba had never seen this flower, nor could she use her Blood Demon Art to help Muzan find it.
After all, the ability of "Karmic Flower Plucking" required first having the corresponding "cause" before it could derive its corresponding "effect."
A person who from birth to death had never seen the Blue Spider Lily and had no connection to it—no matter how much Mitsuba used her Blood Demon Art, she couldn't make him go find the Blue Spider Lily.
"Mm."
Tamayo lightly nodded, which counted as a response.
These past years, Muzan had invested almost all his time into searching for that supposedly existent Blue Spider Lily.
Not only searching personally, creating demons to search, but even trying every possible method to use humans to help him search... although the final results were all fruitless.
Regarding this, Tamayo also expressed her most sincere blessings to Muzan—
May you, you beast, never find it!
"When leaving, did Lord Muzan leave me any orders?"
Mitsuba continued asking.
Taking a deep breath to calm her emotions, Tamayo said in a calm tone:
"No, he only told you to properly familiarize yourself with your new body..."
"Thank you."
Expressing gratitude for Tamayo's message, Mitsuba looked up at the night sky above, thinking seriously.
Saying to familiarize with her new body was actually directly giving her vacation, meaning she could go wherever she wanted to wander.
Lord Muzan truly understood her, knowing that she had been cooped up in this small town for twenty years and now definitely wanted to go out and see everywhere.
Only, where should she go first?
"What exactly is your Blood Demon Art?"
Looking at Mitsuba who had fallen into contemplation, Tamayo finally couldn't help but open her mouth to ask.
"Hm?"
"Those abilities you showed earlier—were they all real?"
Facing Mitsuba's puzzled gaze, Tamayo repeated again.
Having witnessed from beginning to end how Mitsuba killed those two demon hunters, until now she still felt extremely shocked by the effects of Mitsuba's Blood Demon Art.
Shocked to the point that she even once suspected whether everything that just happened was actually fake.
Could everything actually be an illusion created by Mitsuba using some kind of illusion technique?
After all, demons who could develop Blood Demon Arts were already rare in this world, not to mention a Blood Demon Art as powerful and heaven-defying as Mitsuba's. Even Tamayo, who had followed Muzan for many years, was seeing it for the first time.
If it was really as Mitsuba said just now—that she could indeed arbitrarily modify anyone's karma and fate in this world—then wouldn't she, wouldn't she even be able to kill Muzan?!
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