Kokushibou expressionlessly released his grip.
Mizuki collapsed to the ground, struggling to support her neck, her face contorted in agony. Veins protruded on her forehead and neck, and her eyes were bloodshot.
Something had been injected into her body through Michikatsu's fingers.
At this moment, Mizuki felt a restless agitation throughout her body, as if her blood was boiling—an indescribable sensation.
Kokushibou slowly walked towards Namiko, who was crawling towards the door, and said indifferently, "The stronger a person is, the longer it takes for them to transform into a demon. You'll just have to stay here obediently for the next few days."
It had taken him a full three days to transform into a demon, and Mizuki's talent was no less than his.
Noticing the movement behind her, Namiko looked back in terror, letting out whimpering cries. She pushed harder with her elbows and knees, looking utterly disheveled.
Kokushibou, with no emotion in his eyes, dragged her back.
"Ah!" Namiko twisted in fright.
Kokushibou casually threw her to the ground, broke a branch from the demon blade in his hand, and pinned Namiko's limbs to the ground by stepping on her hands and feet.
"Ah~"
Namiko's screams were incessant.
Mizuki watched this scene with crimson eyes: "Michikatsu…"
From the words squeezed through Mizuki's clenched teeth, Kokushibou uncharacteristically detected a hint of anger.
He was surprisingly in a good mood.
"You bastard!"
Allowing Mizuki to curse, Kokushibou ignored her and left directly.
Mizuki lay on the ground in pain. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster, as if something inside her was changing.
It was a transformation at a microscopic level.
Namiko's pained groans reached her ears. Mizuki subconsciously glanced over, feeling that Namiko's current state was incredibly tempting.
It wasn't until saliva dripped onto the floor that Mizuki suddenly realized what was happening.
She averted her head, desperately trying to control the turmoil within her. Her fingers dug savagely into the ground as she struggled to call out, "Namiko… get up…"
She finally understood why Michikatsu had done this: his goal was for her to personally devour Namiko after transforming into a demon.
Even without Mizuki's call, Namiko, witnessing the changes in Mizuki's body, was terrified and desperately tried to pull out the blade stuck in her hand.
But the tendons in her hands and feet had been severed, leaving her unable to exert any strength. She could only watch helplessly as blood drained from her body.
It would be dawn soon… Mizuki gritted her teeth, wanting to crawl out the door, but the effects on her body made such a luxury impossible. Muzan's cells were remodeling her body.
Mizuki curled into a ball, shoving her hand into her mouth, desperately trying to hold onto her true self.
Her hand was bloody from her biting, yet her consciousness was slowly fading… She didn't know how much time had passed.
When Mizuki suddenly awoke, the moon was full outside. The hazy moonlight streamed through the doorway, illuminating the room.
Mizuki gasped for air, looking down at her hands.
Her once snow-white fingernails were now black, as if she had a manicure, and her bitten, bloody hands were smooth as soap under the moonlight.
She had become a demon.
But she seemed to… still possess her independent will.
After a moment of daze, Mizuki touched her cheek with a hint of panic. Thankfully, her nose was still a nose, and her eyes were still eyes; she hadn't become distorted like Michikatsu.
Immediately after, her somewhat recovered brain urged her to look at Namiko.
Namiko was covered in blood, lying motionless on the ground. The blood flowing from her hands and feet had congealed. Her disheveled appearance allowed Mizuki to imagine her desperate struggles.
Saliva involuntarily secreted in Mizuki's mouth, and her eyes stared intently at Namiko's body.
Namiko was not dead; a demon's perception was terrifyingly strong. Mizuki could even hear her faint heartbeat.
Drip, drip… It was as if a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast had been laid before a hungry person; her saliva wouldn't stop flowing.
But she could also clearly feel that she could control this urge.
Mizuki feared becoming a demon not just because demons ate people.
It was also because her will would be distorted after becoming a demon, and because of the Demon King's mind-reading ability.
If Muzan were to read her mind, he would overcome sunlight prematurely and become truly invincible.
Mizuki turned her head away from her, her rationality slowly returning, and her saliva stopped overflowing.
Could she overcome this impulse because she was special?
Was it because she didn't belong to this world?
Or was it because of the blue spider lily?
She had only seen it… It was wild vegetables!
Mizuki suddenly realized.
She and Yoriichi had once been guests at Tankichi's home. Tankichi's family had entertained them with wild vegetables for several days. Were those blue spider lilies?
Mizuki fell into deep thought.
Nezuko could overcome the urge to eat humans, thanks to Tanjirou's desperate cries, but the blue spider lily was the most crucial condition.
Otherwise, why would only she overcome it?
"Muzan…" Mizuki uttered a little awkwardly.
She remembered that Muzan's blood contained a curse that would cause demons who spoke his name to die from the curse.
After waiting for a moment, nothing unexpected happened.
She could clearly perceive her current state; she was not under Muzan's control.
Did this mean she had become the second demon, after Tamayo, to successfully break free from Muzan's control?
Mizuki breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.
Because she had seen more than once discussions about the Demon Slayer Corps defeating Muzan purely through plot armor.
If Muzan had truly heard her thoughts, he would have been invincible before the plot even began.
After understanding her condition, Mizuki quickly crawled towards Namiko.
Saliva was unconsciously secreting, and all her senses told her that the food in front of her was incredibly delicious.
Mizuki suppressed her inner desires and carefully pulled out the blades from Namiko's hands and feet.
"Hm~" Namiko groaned unconsciously, her brows tightly furrowed.
She had been tortured by Kokushibou until she was unrecognizable, but at least she had survived.
This wouldn't do; she needed to take her to a doctor quickly.
Almost the instant this thought arose, Mizuki's mind cleared, and she immediately understood her Blood Demon Art.
It was like an innate talent, recalled inadvertently.
Her Blood Demon Art… could save people!
Mizuki picked up the demon blade she had thrown aside, cut her own wrist, and smeared the fresh blood onto Namiko's injured areas.
Namiko's wounds healed at a visible rate, just like a demon regenerating a severed limb.
Mizuki's eyes lit up.
This ability!
It's too useful!