The swamp demon spoke, his voice trembling with uncertainty as he suppressed his rage. "You... was that attack just now your doing? Why is a demon like you hanging around with humans...?"
Sukuna let out a disdainful chuckle. Yet again, the creatures of this world kept mistaking him for a demon.
The next second, his figure vanished from the demon's sight. By the time the demon registered what was happening, his vision was already spinning wildly.
Then came a thunderous crash. The massive impact of his back slamming into the ground forced a spray of blood from his mouth.
Sukuna had grabbed him by the crown of his head and hurled him straight out of his Blood Demon Art swamp.
The sheer physical force of that casual blow split open the demon's half-healed wounds, nearly reducing him back into a pile of cubes.
"You...!?"
Before he could finish, Sukuna stomped down hard on his chest, caving it in completely and shattering every rib. The surge of blood flooding up his throat choked off his words.
Sukuna frowned deeply as he looked down at the demon, his expression one of utter disappointment.
Ridiculous as it was, Kazumi watched this brutal scene unfold and found himself feeling a strange pang of pity for the naked demon.
He realized how absurd that feeling was. This was the monster who had been terrorizing his Village.
In truth, even Shinobu experienced this bizarre sensation for the first time. This wasn't even a one-sided fight... no, calling it a fight would be generous. Sukuna was simply toying with him. And he probably wasn't even trying.
It all happened so fast that the demon could not even think. He did not have the presence of mind to use his Blood Demon Art and sink back into the earth.
All he could manage, through the agony, was to reach both hands toward Sukuna's foot in a instinctive gesture of resistance.
But before he could touch Sukuna's leg, two invisible slashes severed both his arms cleanly at the shoulders.
Sukuna turned to Shinobu for confirmation. "You said earlier that these demons were born from that guy's blood. That means he should have information on that Muzan, right?"
"That is correct, but..."
The Demon Slayer Corps had always tried to extract information about Muzan from demons. But for certain reasons, it had never gone smoothly. Just as she started to explain, Sukuna had already begun his interrogation.
"You hear that? Tell me where this Muzan who turned you is right now."
As he asked, Sukuna stomped straight through the demon's chest.
The demon coughed up a mixture of blood and his insides. Through this close contact, he finally understood one thing clearly. The creature tormenting him was not using a Blood Demon Art. He was not even a demon at all!
Realization hit him. He abandoned any attempt to regenerate and focused entirely on using his Blood Demon Art to escape.
Sukuna's cold reminder rang in his ears. "How pathetic. You really think you can get away?"
The demon fell silent. His movements halted. He realized that the earlier attack from underground had come from this very being. Even if he used his Blood Demon Art, there seemed to be no way to avoid Sukuna's strikes.
"I'll ask again. Tell me everything you know about Muzan!"
If Sukuna had not been genuinely curious about Muzan, he would never have bothered keeping this demon alive this long.
A lone demon this weak could neither entertain him nor satisfy his desire for slaughter.
As the demon heard Sukuna's demand, he could not help recalling the overwhelming power of Muzan from when he had been turned.
And the warning Muzan had given him, gripping his neck and holding him high overhead. The words still echoed in his ears.
"Don't tell anyone."
"Don't mention me to anyone."
"I am always watching you."
"The moment you speak, I will know..."
Those memories made the demon's body tremble uncontrollably. He cried out in terror.
"I absolutely can't say..."
"I absolutely can't say..."
"I absolutely can't say it!"
Sukuna saw it clearly in an instant. The fear was written all over the demon's face.
But he did not understand. Muzan was nowhere near this place. Why was the demon so terrified? Surely he knew that failing to talk would mean death at Sukuna's hands.
Sukuna grabbed the demon by the mouth and lifted him clean off the ground, unknowingly recreating what Muzan had done to him in the past. Even while controlling his strength, he nearly crushed the demon's jaw. The faint sound of cracking bone echoed.
Sukuna's voice was ice-cold as he demanded, "You seem more afraid of that guy. So I'm being looked down on..."
His words barely finished before cleave silently activated, destroying everything below the demon's neck. Then Sukuna tossed his head aside. It rolled to the edge of a building's shadow, right next to the fading rays of the setting sun.
The demon's sideways gaze fell on the setting sun. He understood his situation perfectly. If he did not answer Sukuna's questions honestly, he would die. Immediately. Right now.
With his body once again shredded, there was no chance of piecing himself back together for a quick recovery. Escape was no longer an option.
Sukuna's foot came down again, this time on his ear. He said nothing, only using his toes to slowly push the demon's head closer to the sunset.
The demon's long hair was the first to touch the light. It reacted violently, like a lit fuse.
"Aaaaaaagh!"
In that instant, the visceral sensation of imminent death overwhelmed the fear of Muzan in the demon's mind.
"Stop! I'll tell you about that... lord..."
But the moment those words left his mouth, the demon regretted them. He felt the blood of that lord roiling inside him.
Then a thick arm burst from his mouth. It was covered in odd scars.
Even Sukuna was momentarily stunned. He had not expected this. Regardless of the feeling or the presence, this arm was clearly different from the demon. It did not feel like the demon's power at all.
The arm shot toward the demon's own head with blinding speed.
But with a thunderous crack, Sukuna stomped it into a bloody pulp against the ground.
"Ridiculous. What can a single arm do against me?"
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