Boom.
In an instant, the air grew still. Tamayo's expression froze, her mind going completely blank.
Yushiro was dead.
He died without being able to use a single technique, without even a chance to unleash his demonic power or Blood Demon Art. Muzan had simply crushed him. He was gone. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Tamayo would never have believed that Muzan could so casually murder Yushiro right in front of her.
"Tamayo..."
At that moment, Muzan's piercing eyes focused on the woman kneeling before him. "Is this the new type of demon you spent three hundred years creating?"
To Muzan, all demons were merely flawed copies of himself. He was the original, the source of the infection. Anyone who turned into a demon from his blood was nothing more than a second-generation copy. With each subsequent generation, the demons grew weaker, losing their power and, more importantly, their free will. Of course, the concentration of his blood mattered—the Twelve Kizuki received a much purer dose, which is why they were so powerful.
But there were exceptions. Nezuko had been infected by his blood, yet her body's unique connection to the blue spider lily allowed her to resist his control. Then there was Yushiro. Through Tamayo's medical genius, Yushiro had become the first true demon to completely break free from Muzan's curse. He was a symbol of hope, a testament to her life's work.
And now, that symbol of hope, the one demon who could have changed everything, had been turned to dust before he ever had a chance to fulfill his purpose.
The sight filled Tamayo with a rage so intense it felt like her body would tear itself apart. Her face twisted into a mask of pure fury.
"Tsukihiko... you... you deserve to die!"
Ever since Muzan had reactivated the cells inside her body, she had been unable to say his true name. The curse prevented her from uttering the five words, 'Kibutsuji Muzan'. She wished with every fiber of her being that she could say them. The curse would kill her instantly, dragging her to hell, but at least she would be free from this world that he was so close to conquering.
But it was a useless wish. Even now, facing the monster who had destroyed her life's work, all she could do was kneel on the ground in humiliation and agony.
"Grrr..."
At that moment, Nezuko, who had been easily knocked aside by Muzan earlier, struggled back to her feet. The tattered pieces of her clothing mended themselves, and her eyes, now fixed on Muzan, burned with an intense killing intent. Her brother, Tanjiro, wasn't here, but Nezuko's instinct was to protect anyone who was kind to her, whether they were human or demon. Yushiro had always been kind to her and Tamayo, and now Muzan had annihilated him without a second thought.
The hatred she felt for Muzan reached its peak, but the memory of his overwhelming power held her back. He had just defeated her with a single, effortless motion. She knew that the huge gap in their strength would make any attempt to fight him a ridiculous, suicidal joke.
"Heh," Muzan chuckled, a cold smile touching his lips. "As expected of someone who has been consuming the blue spider lily since childhood. Your new demonic body is truly remarkable. Any demon would kill to have it."
His words hit Tamayo like a bolt of lightning.
"How... How could you know that?" she whispered, her face pale with shock.
She had prepared an antidote, but she had also prepared a trap. She had tampered with the medicine, but more than that, she had also altered her own body and Nezuko's. Tamayo knew a monster like Muzan would never let them live, even after getting what he wanted. They were all prepared to die, but she refused to let their deaths be meaningless.
Her plan was simple. She predicted that after Muzan consumed the antidote, his arrogance would lead him to devour her and Nezuko to eliminate any loose ends. That was the core of her trap. She had implanted a massive dose of a secondary agent into their bodies. This agent was harmless on its own, but once Muzan consumed them after taking the initial antidote, the two substances would react with each other, creating a deadly, fast-acting poison that would finally destroy him from the inside.
She had been confident in this plan. After a thousand years, Muzan still hadn't figured out the secrets of the blue spider lily, which proved his knowledge of medicine was pathetic. He would never suspect a trap based on complex chemical reactions.
But Tamayo had never expected this. Muzan hadn't killed Yushiro and then immediately turned on them. He hadn't consumed the antidote. He hadn't tried to devour her or Nezuko. He was simply standing there, watching, waiting. This delay was ruining everything. The secondary agent inside their bodies was incredibly potent; it was a poison they could only suppress for a limited time. If Muzan didn't act soon, the trap would kill them before he ever had the chance to fall into it.
"Tamayo," Muzan's playful voice whispered in her ear, "why do you look so worried?"
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