"Now that we're demons, why are you still so obsessed with your past identity?"
The words were almost roared out by the demon.
Toji did not answer. He simply sat there cross-legged, slowly closing his eyes.
It wasn't that he was obsessed with who he used to be, nor was it that he truly couldn't accept becoming a demon.
After all, becoming a demon meant possessing an almost endless lifespan, something countless people could only dream of.
Moreover, once someone became a demon, their strength would surpass the limits of the human body. Even the weakest demon had already broken through the physical boundaries of ordinary humans.
Even the weakness of being unable to walk under the sun was not truly unbearable.
What Toji could not accept was the uncontrollable instinct to devour human flesh.
He could clearly feel it.
The longer he endured, the stronger the craving for flesh and blood became.
This desire continued to intensify with time. Even if he could still hold it back through sheer willpower for now, one day that will would inevitably be crushed by the endlessly growing hunger.
Once that happened, he would become a monster completely unable to restrain the urge to devour humans.
A creature that had completely lost its original nature.
That was the real reason he clung so strongly to his past identity.
Looking at the silent Toji, the demon seemed to see its own former self.
When it had first become a demon, it had struggled just as fiercely.
But in the end, the instinctive craving for human flesh only grew stronger and stronger.
All of its resistance had been like a small dam trying to hold back a raging flood.
Under wave after wave of pressure, it eventually collapsed completely.
In this world, no demon could escape that instinct. Not even the First Demon, the progenitor of all demons—Kibutsuji Muzan—was exempt. There was not a single demon in existence that did not crave human flesh.
"One day… you'll become just like me."
Thinking of this, and seeing Toji struggling to hold on in front of him, the demon couldn't help but sneer.
He picked up a femur from the ground and began gnawing on it slowly.
Fresh flesh burst between his teeth.
Once you tasted it even once, you would understand what an incredible delicacy it was. Anyone who had eaten it would become addicted to it.
If Lord Muzan had not placed strict restrictions on demons, he was certain he would hunt countless humans every single day.
Aside from Muzan's restrictions, there were also those detestable Demon Slayers.
They were constantly hunting demons, and once a demon was targeted by them, there would be no peace afterward.
Although the Demon Slayers were merely humans, they used Breathing Techniques to temporarily gain physical abilities comparable to demons. On top of that, they wielded Nichirin Blades capable of killing demons completely.
Of course, what made them especially troublesome was the methods they used.
Their favorite tactic was to locate demons during the daytime and then find a way to expose them to sunlight.
At the mere thought of sunlight, an instinctive sense of disgust and fear rose within the demon.
While devouring the flesh, the demon continued thinking about these matters. From time to time, his gaze drifted toward Toji sitting nearby.
He could clearly sense the overwhelming craving in Toji's body for the flesh he was eating.
Although Toji was forcefully suppressing his demonic instincts, those instincts would only grow stronger with each passing day.
"You won't last much longer."
The demon swallowed a large chunk of flesh and looked at Toji.
"Let me see… can you hold out for one more day? Two days? Or maybe… three days?"
"Hoo…"
Toji suddenly opened his eyes.
His bloodshot gaze stared coldly at the demon across from him.
But soon, his eyes instinctively shifted… and fell upon the femur in the demon's hand.
Gulp.
Gulp.
His throat moved involuntarily.
The aroma of the flesh made nearly every cell in his body tremble, all urging him to devour the meat that released such an irresistible scent, just like the demon in front of him.
Under the pressure of this instinct, even his will seemed to be slowly wavering, as if whispering to him that just one bite would be enough.
Just one bite.
Feeling the overwhelming instinct of his body and the way his resolve was beginning to falter under that desire, Toji's expression grew extremely grim.
His fists clenched tightly.
He knew that if this continued, sooner or later he would become just like the demon before him, a monster completely unable to restrain its urge to devour human flesh.
A monster that had lost its original nature.
No matter what, that was something he could never accept.
But what could he change?
No matter how hard he tried to persist, how could his will alone fight against the instincts of a demon?
For hundreds of years, there had never been a demon capable of resisting such instincts.
If there was one exception…
It was only that single case.
Nezuko Kamado.
Even Nezuko was able to overcome this instinct not only because of her own strong will, but also because of the help she received from the former Water Hashira, Urokodaki Sakonji.
And it wasn't only because of Urokodaki's help.
Toji vaguely remembered a detail mentioned in the anime.
Nezuko might have once consumed the Blue Spider Lily.
The Blue Spider Lily was the very thing Kibutsuji Muzan had searched for over a thousand years without success. It was the key that could remove the final weakness of demons and allow Muzan, who was already close to becoming a perfect being, to become truly flawless.
Because she may have consumed the Blue Spider Lily, Nezuko became different after turning into a demon.
She became the first exception in hundreds of years.
The first demon who did not have to eat human flesh.
But Toji had never consumed a Blue Spider Lily.
No matter how desperately he tried to endure, the instincts of a demon and the craving for human flesh only grew stronger day by day.
He had a faint feeling that…
He might not be able to hold on much longer.
Seeing Toji repeatedly swallowing, a hint of mockery appeared at the corner of the demon's mouth.
"See? I told you that you wouldn't last long."
Toji suddenly stood up.
A smile appeared on the demon's face.
"Heheh. In the end, we're the same kind. Stop treating those weak creatures as if they're still your own kind."
As he spoke, the demon raised the femur in his hand.
But Toji didn't look at the bone the demon was holding, nor did he move toward him.
Instead, he turned around and walked toward the cave entrance.
The demon was momentarily stunned, looking at Toji with confusion. At the same time, curiosity rose in his mind, so he followed behind.
Soon, the demon followed Toji closer and closer to the cave entrance.
The nearer they got to the exit, the more an inexplicable sense of panic began to rise within him.
A suffocating feeling of dread spread through his entire body.
Almost instinctively, the demon stopped in his tracks and stared ahead with eyes full of fear and disgust.
At the cave entrance, sunlight poured down.
The darkness retreated beneath the light, and one could faintly feel the warmth carried within it.
It was the same warm sunlight he had once bathed in when he was still human. But now… For a demon, that gentle sunlight had become the most terrifying thing in the world.