Chapter 19: He Lived Another Day
As she spoke, she slowly approached.
With every step she took, the demon's pupils contracted a bit more.
This demon was specifically assigned to her by the Corps for drug testing.
During this period, he had experienced hellish torture.
From the initial full-body ulceration to the subsequent dissolution of internal organs, and then to Spiritual derangement...
Every time, this woman would smile and inject him with liquids of various colors,
then stand aside with a notebook to record his painful reactions in detail,
asking him questions as she wrote.
"Does it hurt here?"
"Is it itchy there?"
For a demon, death was a luxury, and living was an endless punishment.
"Kill me... please... just kill me!!!"
The demon finally broke down, tears and snot streaming down his face; before this petite woman,
all his dignity and ferocity had vanished without a trace.
He didn't dare curse her, because the last time he had called her a "stinking bitch,"
he was injected with a poison that amplified pain tenfold, and he wailed for three days and three nights before stopping.
Now, he only sought a quick death.
"Kill me... I can't take it anymore... kill me quickly..."
The demon begged, his head repeatedly hitting the wall behind him with dull thuds.
"Ara, how could I do that?"
The smile on Kocho Shinobu's face deepened, her eyes curving into crescents, looking incredibly innocent.
"Mr. Demon, what silly things are you saying?
We went through a lot of trouble to capture you.
Your physical structure is very interesting, and your reaction to toxins is very valuable as a reference.
You are precious material that exists for my research; how could you die so easily?"
"Besides, killing is not good.
If we could get along well with demons, that would be my dream."
Coming from her mouth, these words carried a suffocating sense of irony.
She was clearly speaking the most saintly words, yet the movements of her hands were colder than any butcher's.
Kocho Shinobu extended a finger, gently pressing it against her lips in a shushing gesture.
"Shh—be a little quieter.
If you keep being noisy, my hand might shake and I might accidentally miss the vein, which would hurt even more."
This threat was more effective than any torture.
The demon instantly shut his mouth, though his body continued to twitch uncontrollably,
but he gritted his teeth tightly, not daring to make another sound,
only able to stare despairingly at the syringe in Kocho Shinobu's hand with bloodshot eyes.
"Good boy."
Kocho Shinobu nodded in satisfaction.
She raised the syringe and gently pushed the plunger, discharging a small drop of purple medicinal liquid.
That drop of liquid fell to the floor, instantly producing a puff of white smoke and a sizzling sound.
The demon looked at the smoking floor, every muscle in his body tensing up.
"This formula was specially prepared by me targeting the motor nerves of demons."
Kocho Shinobu explained patiently, as if giving a lecture to a student, even though her audience didn't want to listen,
"Theoretically, it can instantly block your nerve conduction, making you unable to move.
But I also added a bit of wisteria poison concentrate, so... the process might feel a little'spicy'."
When she said the word "spicy", she emphasized her tone, and the smile in her eyes became somewhat mischievous.
"Alright, we're going to start now.
It might hurt a little, so bear with it."
Kocho Shinobu wasted no more words.
She stepped forward, her left hand instantly shooting out to firmly pin down the demon's thick arm,
and with her right hand holding the syringe, she plunged it in without hesitation!
Puchi!
The thick needle pierced the demon's grayish-blue skin and sank deep into his muscle.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
The moment the needle entered, the demon let out a shrill scream.
It wasn't just the pain of a needle prick; it felt more like magma was being forcibly injected into his veins.
The wisteria poison surged wildly along his blood. Wherever it passed, the demon's veins bulged,
appearing a strange purplish-black, as if purple poisonous snakes were slithering under his skin.
"Don't move, or the needle will break inside."
Kocho Shinobu's voice remained steady, her hand pinning the demon's struggling arm as firmly as an iron clamp.
The demon's strength was great, but bound by layers of chains and weakened by long-term torture,
he simply couldn't break free from Kocho Shinobu's control.
The demon's eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and his body twitched violently as if electrocuted.
The iron chains were pulled taut, letting out groans of being overburdened.
As the liquid was pushed in, the demon's struggling became increasingly violent,
his nails clawing deep marks into the wall, dripping with blood.
"Almost there, almost there... just a little bit left."
Kocho Shinobu stared intently at the demon's reaction, a fanatical light flickering in her eyes.
Not only did she lack the slightest pity, she even felt a hint of excitement because of the demon's intense reaction.
The more violent the reaction, the stronger the drug's efficacy.
Finally, the last drop of liquid was pushed in.
Kocho Shinobu quickly pulled out the needle with a crisp and neat movement.
She casually tossed the empty tube onto the floor, which shattered with a sharp crack, glass shards flying everywhere.
She took two steps back, crossed her arms, and began timing.
"One."
The demon's screams came to an abrupt halt.
It wasn't because the pain had disappeared, but because his vocal cords were paralyzed.
The demon discovered in horror that his body seemed to have lost control.
His limbs, which had been struggling violently, instantly stiffened, frozen in a distorted posture.
He wanted to open his mouth to shout, but found that his jaw could no longer close;
he wanted to move his eyes, but found that his field of vision was also fixed.
"It's working!"
Kocho Shinobu's eyes lit up as she leaned in to observe the demon's pupils.
The pupils were dilated and did not react to light.
Muscle stiffness was extremely high, and motor ability was completely lost.
"Stiff all over, unable to speak, even the regeneration ability seems to be suppressed..."
Kocho Shinobu evaluated silently in her heart.
This was the effect she wanted.
To make the demon completely lose its combat power and be at her mercy.
"Two."
The demon still maintained that stiff posture, with only the physiological tears flowing from the corners of his eyes proving he was still alive.
He could feel his body being as heavy as a mountain, and even breathing became incredibly difficult.
"Three."
Just then, a sudden change occurred.
The demon's originally stiff fingers suddenly twitched slightly.
Immediately after, the stiffness binding the demon's body receded as quickly as a ebbing tide.
The demon took a sharp, deep breath, letting out a wheezing sound like a broken bellows,
and then his whole body went limp, hanging on the chains and panting heavily.
"Huff... huff..."
His body could move.
Though it still hurt and he was still weak, he could move.
Kocho Shinobu's originally bright eyes instantly dimmed.
"Only... three seconds?"
She looked at the demon slumped on the ground, the excitement in her heart vanishing, replaced by a deep sense of frustration.
She had worked hard to refine it for three days and three nights, using the highest concentration of wisteria poison,
combined with various nerve-paralyzing drugs,
and yet on such a low-level demon, it could only last for a mere three seconds?
What could be done in three seconds?
For a top swordsman, three seconds might be enough to deliver several strikes.
But for someone like her who lacked strength, although three seconds was an opportunity, the margin for error was too low.
Moreover, this was just an ordinary demon.
"What if it were a Lower Rank... or even an Upper Rank?"
Kocho Shinobu's expression became somewhat somber.
The stronger the demon, the stronger its ability to decompose toxins.
If even this kind of small fry could only be controlled for three seconds,
then when facing those true monsters,
this poison might not even be able to cause a moment of stiffness.
"It's still not enough..."
Kocho Shinobu sighed softly, her eyes drooping sadly.
She looked at her palms, a sense of powerlessness rising in her heart.
Why?
Why are my hands so small?
Why is my strength so weak?
If I had a strong body like Mr. Himejima,
if I had fiery sword techniques like Mr. Rengoku,
I wouldn't need to rack my brains like this to research poisons,
nor would I need to be here facing a low-level demon to find a chance of victory through these means.
I could swing my blade.
I could cut off their heads.
But I can't.
I can't even cut off the neck of this shackled demon.
It seems it needs to be even more poisonous.
It needs to be even more lethal.
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat heavy for a moment.
Although the demon had regained his ability to move, he didn't even dare to breathe loudly as he watched the contemplative Kocho Shinobu.
He was afraid that this female devil would take out her frustration on him because of the failed experiment and give him an even harsher injection.
Just as Kocho Shinobu was in a low point of self-doubt, a crisp bird song came from outside the window.
She looked up at the small patch of blue sky outside the transom.
"Calculating the time, Sister should be finishing her mission and coming back soon, right?"
Thinking of her sister, Kocho Shinobu's originally gloomy expression softened instantly.
Kanae.
She was not only her sister but also her spiritual pillar.
Sister was always so gentle and so strong.
Every time she saw her sister's smile, all her fatigue and hostility would vanish.
"I can't let Sister see me with such a long face."
Kocho Shinobu took a deep breath, patted her cheeks, and put on that perfect smile again.
Corners of the mouth up.
Eyes curved.
Sister liked seeing her smile most.
Sister always said that girls are more cute when they smile more.
Although she felt in her heart that there was no need to smile at creatures like demons,
for her sister's sake, she was willing to work hard to play the part of a "gentle, good child."
"Since it failed this time, I'll just keep improving it next time.
Anyway... there's plenty of material."
She glanced at the demon cowering in the corner, the killing intent in her eyes having receded significantly.
"Well then, Mr. Demon, let's call it a day."
Kocho Shinobu turned around and waved her hand with her back to the demon.
"Congratulations, you lived another day.
Have a good rest, take care of your body, and I'll see you next time."
With that, she pushed open the door and strode out.
Bang.
The iron door closed heavily.
As the footsteps gradually faded away, darkness once again enveloped the cell.
The demon locked in the corner, hearing those tapping sounds completely vanish,
finally felt his nerves, which had been stretched to the limit, relax as if snapping.
"Ha... ha..."
He breathed the turbid air in large gulps. Although his whole body was in severe pain and the toxins still remaining in his body made him feel nauseous,
he felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
She's gone.
That female devil is finally gone.
He lived another day.
The demon slumped on the cold stone floor, a turbid tear sliding from the corner of his eye,
both from physical pain and from extreme fear of that smiling woman.
In this dark room, more than death,
that figure wearing the butterfly-patterned haori was the true nightmare.
Outside the door, Kocho Shinobu was walking quickly down the corridor.
"What should I prepare for Sister to eat? How about ginger pork? It's Sister's favorite."
She hummed a light tune, having already put the earlier experimental failure out of her mind,
replaced by the joy of soon seeing her sister.
...
This was Kocho Shinobu.
On one side, a ruthless poisoner, treating demons as coldly as autumn leaves swept by the wind;
on the other side, a little girl attached to her sister, hiding the softest warmth in her heart.
In this courtyard where wisteria flowers bloomed,
she was like a rose with thorns—beautiful, dangerous, yet forced to sharpen herself to the extreme
to protect the precious beauty in her heart.
The wind blew, and wisteria petals fell like rain,
masking the faint scent of blood coming from the prison deep within,
and also masking the heavy obsession in the young girl's heart.
Everything for the extermination of demons.
Everything for her sister.