For Soma, he ultimately could not abandon the bottom line he once held as a human. So for him now, every single day meant enduring constant hunger, forcibly suppressing the urge to devour flesh at every moment.
Though he had become a demon, that did not mean he had lost his human principles—nor would he ever eat people, nor become a monster who completely lost control and surrendered to bloodlust.
…
Sitting alone beneath the eaves, he looked up at the full moon in the sky. Only when the moon gradually sank did Soma finally stand up.
He could no longer remain here.
Because the sun was about to rise.
As the sun climbed and its rays spread across the land, no matter how powerful a demon might be, it could only hide in darkness like a sewer rat. Even the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, could not avoid this—let alone an ordinary demon like him.
Without hesitation, he leapt down from the eaves and lightly made his way toward the direction away from the town.
Not far from the town lay a forest. Under the hazy night, Soma moved swiftly through the trees.
After several minutes, a dark cave appeared ahead. By then, the sun had risen, and the first ray of sunlight pierced through the distant horizon, falling upon the world.
Soma looked up at the light that dispelled the darkness—then stepped into the cave without hesitation.
Sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, driving away all shadows. But within the depths of the cave, the light could not reach.
The cave was damp and pitch-black. Soma walked silently into the darkness. But halfway in, he stopped, staring quietly at the ground beneath his feet.
The floor was carpeted with thick layers of white bones—of the elderly, of children, of men and women… Skulls and skeletal remains lay scattered along both sides of the cave path like discarded packaging tossed aside after a meal.
Although he had seen this many times, Soma still found it hard to get used to. Even though he had become a demon, deep down he still saw himself as human. Seeing his own kind slaughtered as food stirred an indescribable anger within him.
"Phew..."
He took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of emotion, and continued forward. The clear sound of chewing reached his ears.
Soma looked ahead.
A figure with its back to him was crouched down, eating something.
Sensing movement, the crouching figure turned its head. Its face was hideous and twisted, with crimson blood staining the corners of its mouth.
In its hand, it held a human thigh bone. Dark red blood dripped from it onto the damp ground, dyeing it an even deeper shade.
Clearly, it was a demon.
"Want some?"
The demon raised the thigh bone in its hand, its scarlet eyes fixed on Soma.
Soma's face darkened. Though he had become a demon, he would never become a mindless monster stripped of all humanity.
"Still enduring it?"
The demon stood up and approached him, dragging the thigh bone along. "We're no longer human. We're different from those weak creatures now. Are you really still going to treat those fragile things as your own kind?"
Soma merely stared at it coldly, saying nothing.
"You remind me of how I was at the beginning. Back then, I was disgusted by this kind of food too. But the first time I couldn't hold back and took a bite, I finally understood just how delicious it is. Can you imagine tender, juicy flesh bursting in your mouth? That sweet blood flowing down your throat? It's an experience even more wonderful than ascending to heaven."
"You just haven't tried it yet. Once you do, you'll know what true delicacy is. I guarantee it—just one bite, and you'll be addicted."
The bluish-purple–skinned demon stuck out his tongue and licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face filled with intoxicated delight.
Soma walked to the side and sat cross-legged, closing his eyes without speaking. Yet the scent of blood coming from the thigh bone in the demon's hand made every cell in his body tremble, urging him to devour it. If he just swallowed it, he would not only taste unparalleled deliciousness—his body would also grow stronger and more complete.
"This is just ordinary flesh. If it were rare blood, it would taste even better."
The demon spoke in a low voice, longing in his eyes. "Up to now, I haven't encountered a single rare-blood human. I've heard that eating just one is equivalent to devouring dozens of ordinary people."
After saying so much and seeing that Soma remained unmoved, the demon grew irritated.
"What exactly are you holding onto? Do you still think you're one of those weak humans? Feel your own craving. The more you resist, the stronger the hunger for flesh will become with each passing day. No matter how strong someone's will was as a human, once they become a demon, they can't suppress this desire."
"Do you know the Twelve Kizuki? Do you know Lord Kokushibo? Do you know Lord Akaza? Do you know how strong their willpower was when they were human? And yet what happened in the end? Wasn't the outcome the same?"
At that moment, Soma—who had kept his eyes closed—opened them. He looked at the hideous demon before him, at that sinister face illuminated in the darkness. After a long pause, he spoke calmly:
"So your father, your mother, your daughter… are they also the 'delicacies' you're talking about?"
Over the past few days, Soma had come to understand some of this demon's past. Just like all demons who were once human, this one had once had a happy family—a lovely child, a virtuous wife, kind parents. But when he became a demon, everything had been destroyed by the scent of blood. He had personally torn it all apart.
"Shut up."
The demon roared almost hysterically, hurling the thigh bone to the ground. He glared at Soma viciously. The memories of being human—memories he had gradually tried to forget after becoming a demon—surged back at Soma's words. An indescribable pain spread through his entire being, as if his heart were being stabbed by countless needles.
The things he thought he had completely forgotten were still buried deep inside. Once mentioned, they were like wounds torn open again—painful beyond endurance.
After a long while, the demon finally calmed down from his rage. With blood-red eyes fixed on Soma, he said:
"We're demons now. Even if we were human before, we're demons now. We're no longer those weak creatures we once were. We are noble demons. As demons, we won't die, won't age, won't get sick. From now on, we won't lose anything ever again. We're incredibly powerful. We can do whatever we want. So why do you still cling to your past identity?"