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"Huff... huff..."
Her chest heaving violently, Mitsuba opened her eyes wide, breathing rapidly, her mind filled with countless questions.
What was that just now?
Where did that happen? Was it an illusion?
However, Michikatsu's similar reaction beside her proved that everything she felt just now was definitely not an illusion.
But if it wasn't an illusion, then what could it be...
"It was Yoriichi."
Quickly adjusting his breathing, Michikatsu took a deep breath and explained in a deep voice:
"That fiery red figure in the vision just now—that must have been Yoriichi."
Michikatsu wouldn't mistake it.
No matter who he might mistake, he would absolutely never mistake this figure he longed for day and night, even unable to forget in his dreams.
The red-hot swordsman in the vision and those flames filling the sky were Yoriichi and his Sun Breathing.
Only Michikatsu couldn't understand—why did this vision suddenly appear in their minds?
"No, Elder Brother, that wasn't a vision..."
Suddenly noticing that her connection with Muzan deep in her soul had been severed, Mitsuba instantly understood everything and hurriedly said:
"That was something that just happened! Lord Muzan... encountered Elder Brother Yoriichi!"
"..."
"Monster... that monster..."
In an uninhabited mountain forest, Muzan, who had barely escaped from Yoriichi's hands by suddenly self-destructing, had now barely restored his human form and was staggering along the mountain path.
At this moment, his head was full of white hair, his body naked except for a pair of shorts, and the places on his body cut by Yoriichi's Nichirin Blade were covered with ugly scars that couldn't heal.
"So hot... Damn it! What the hell is with that monster's blade? Why can't these burns heal no matter what?!"
"Hey! Who's there?!"
Cursing, a villager's shout suddenly came from the distance. Muzan's whole body shuddered, and he immediately shut his mouth and hid in a patch of grass beside him.
What sound? Who was shouting just now?
Could it be that monster-like man chasing after him?!
Damn it! He no longer had the strength to self-destruct again!
Not even daring to breathe loudly, Muzan carefully poked his head out from the grass, confirmed no one was around after looking around, then tiptoed out and ran hundreds of meters along the mountain path in one breath!
At this moment, Muzan was so weak, pitiful, and helpless.
"Bastard! How could there be such a monster-like person in this world?!"
In his mind, the scene of being crazily slashed by Yoriichi kept surfacing. That long-unfelt touch of death, which he hadn't experienced for several hundred years, once again tightly wrapped around Muzan's entire body.
In this instant, the feeling of vulnerability and helplessness from when he was human seemed to return to Muzan's body, making him feel as if every cell in his body was trembling.
That wasn't a human!
That man definitely wasn't a human!
He was a monster!
A monster even more monstrous than himself!
He didn't want to encounter him again...
He wanted to hide, to hide for a hundred years... No! Two hundred years!
He didn't want to encounter that monster again. He wanted to keep hiding! Until that monster completely died!
"Lord Muzan!"
"Eek?!"
Startled by this sudden shout, Muzan was about to find a place to hide when he recognized the owner of this voice.
"Mitsuba?"
The ones who came were Mitsuba and Michikatsu, who had searched all the way from the temple.
After learning from Michikatsu the general area where Yoriichi was executing his mission, the sibling pair chased the residual traces of Muzan's aura nearby all the way here.
After confirming Muzan's location, Michikatsu exchanged a glance with Mitsuba, then quickly turned and left.
"Mitsuba, I..."
Seeing Mitsuba suddenly appear before him, Muzan was about to say something when Mitsuba directly interrupted him.
"Lord Muzan, please hold on. I'll treat you immediately."
The formation activated, her pupils transforming into the shape of mandala flowers. Mitsuba immediately saw through Muzan's entire body.
The Muzan who originally should have had no threads of causality on his body was now covered with numerous threads of causality as thick as fingers.
They were like broken spider silk, tightly coiling around his entire body along those burn scars.
But unlike normal threads of causality, on these broken threads of causality, Mitsuba couldn't see any "past" or "future"—their only purpose was—
To give Muzan burns that would never heal.
Heh, the gods' little trick.
In just an instant, Mitsuba understood the origin of these broken threads of causality.
Since demons had no threads of causality, the gods who could never directly punish Muzan used Elder Brother Yoriichi... used this Child of God's blade to coil these threads of causality on his body, achieving the purpose of cursing him.
Under normal circumstances, the burns brought by these threads of causality would forever scorch Muzan's body and continuously consume his strength.
But fortunately, Muzan had Mitsuba. Mitsuba's unique Blood Demon Art could completely remove these threads of causality for him.
Unlike normal threads of causality, since the threads of causality on Muzan's body were all broken and didn't have direct connection with the gods in heaven.
Therefore, as long as Mitsuba activated her formation to remove them, even the gods couldn't restore them.
"Lord Muzan, please wait a moment. I'll be done soon..."
The mandala flower in her hand continuously turned. In Mitsuba's vision, as she constantly activated her Blood Demon Art, the threads of causality coiling around Muzan's body also began to dissolve bit by bit.
And from Muzan's perspective, although he couldn't see these threads of causality, he could clearly feel that those burn scars on his body that originally couldn't heal no matter what were now being rapidly repaired.
Feeling the burning sensation on his body gradually disappearing, the weak, pitiful, and helpless Muzan at this moment, gazing at Mitsuba who was seriously treating him before him, suddenly felt a little... tears welling up in his eyes.
Mitsuba, you are so powerful...
"Huff..."
Not giving Muzan too much time to brew his emotions, Mitsuba, who had quickly cleared the threads of causality from Muzan's body, retracted her formation and let out a long breath.
Only then did she look up at the quite disheveled Muzan before her, her face showing a smile:
"It's done, Lord Muzan. I think your body should no longer feel that burning sensation now."
Compared to the causal changes with Ubuyashiki earlier, this time removing the threads of causality from Muzan's body didn't consume too much of Mitsuba's stamina.
This was normal. After all, they were just some broken rootless duckweeds. Having lost the direct blessing of the gods' power, before Mitsuba, this usurper who stole the gods' authority, naturally they could be modified however she wished.
Looking at the smiling Mitsuba before him, Muzan suddenly choked up.
At his most downcast moment, the first ones to arrive were actually Mitsuba, whom he had transformed last, and her elder brother?
Clearly already free from his control, not only did they not think of taking the chance to escape and hide, but instead were the first to find a way to come to his side to protect him?
Mitsuba, I indeed didn't misjudge you back then!
"Mitsuba... I... you..."
Muzan seemed to want to express his gratitude, but having not spoken similar words to anyone for several hundred years, at this moment, he couldn't organize a suitable sentence in his mouth.
Like a lost "child" finally meeting his long-lost "mother," Muzan, whose heart had collapsed from being slashed by Yoriichi, at this moment only opened those moist eyes wide, tightly gazing at Mitsuba before him.
Until Michikatsu returned carrying several Demon Hunters.
"Lord Muzan, I've brought food for you."
"Whimper... whimper!"
Casually throwing those few Demon Hunters with bound hands and feet and cloth stuffed in their mouths onto the ground, Michikatsu knelt on one knee and bowed his head to Muzan, who had jumped to hide behind Mitsuba in fright.
That's right—his departure just now was to find food for the weakened Muzan.
Unlike humans, demons couldn't recover lost stamina through rest or sleep. Their only way to replenish stamina was by devouring humans.
Among these, the stronger the human, the more stamina they could naturally replenish.
Michikatsu initially wanted to catch a few villagers nearby to make do, but shortly after walking out, he unexpectedly ran into a Demon Hunter squad executing a mission in this area, so he conveniently bound them and brought them back.
After all, compared to ordinary villagers, powerful Demon Hunters could naturally replenish much more stamina...
Glancing down at those few Demon Hunters still struggling at her feet, Mitsuba turned to look at Muzan, who was frightened by Michikatsu's face and hiding behind her, and said with a smile:
"Lord Muzan, please recover your stamina first. We can talk about other matters later."