Savoring the flattery, the demoness Kyojutsu beamed as she began to divulge the secrets of her technique.
"My Blood Demon Art is quite unique, young man. You wouldn't believe how it works."
"This entire library... it has long since become my territory. To step foot inside this building is to step directly into the boundaries of my illusion."
"Those sixteen poor souls out there—seventeen, including you—were simply unlucky enough to visit this library during the day. That was your first mistake. Your second was staying here for so long."
"That window of time—the hours you spent reading—was more than enough for me to place you under a subtle, imperceptible hypnosis. During the day, you wouldn't notice a trace of it. But once night falls, when your spirit tires and you drift toward sleep... that is when my control takes hold!"
Horitake felt a moment of sudden clarity.
"I see. The entire library is a trap. Day or night, it doesn't matter; as long as someone stays long enough, you plant the seeds of hypnosis within them. But I still have one question. I was wide awake tonight. I wasn't sleepwalking like the others. So how did you drag me here? How did I fall into your illusion?"
Kyojutsu seemed to relish her role as an instructor, patiently explaining away Horitake's confusion with a patronizing air.
"If you had stayed outside, beyond my walls, I would have had a difficult time forcing you into a deep sleep or trapping you in a phantasm. But you chose to walk back in. It was quite literally a lamb walking into a tiger's den!"
"Everything within these walls belongs to me. Hypnotic suggestions permeate the very air. You were already under a light spell, and though you weren't fully asleep, the moment you stepped inside and I exerted the full force of my Blood Demon Art, you couldn't help but succumb. You fell into the dream I constructed for you instantly."
"Young man, your strength is impressive, but your mental fortitude clearly isn't on the same level. In a fair, head-on fight, I wouldn't stand a chance against you. But once you're on my home turf and under my spell... you can never escape!"
Horitake almost felt like applauding her.
"Using your strengths to target your enemy's weaknesses—leveraging your advantages to avoid a direct confrontation while safely pulling the strings from the shadows. You truly aren't a simple creature. You have power, and more importantly, you have intellect."
"No wonder you didn't show yourself even after I entered the building. You were hiding backstage, putting me to sleep before I could find you. But tell me... the illusion I just experienced... how did you build something so specific?"
As he asked this, a blank notebook and a fountain pen materialized in the demoness's hands. she held them up with a look of immense pride.
"I use my spirit to control and hypnotize, but to construct a world... I must write it."
"You didn't realize it, but I've been on the fifth floor of this library all night. I've been watching all of you through the lens of my domain. After you fell under my spell, I sat at my desk on the top floor and began to write your story with everything I had."
"As long as I have this pen and notebook, whatever I write becomes reality within your mind. I can craft a world so vivid that you will linger in it forever, never wanting to leave, until your very soul eventually fades into nothingness."
Horitake was genuinely surprised by this revelation. "Are you saying that everything I just went through—the conversation with my parents—was just something you were scribbling down in that notebook?"
"Exactly!"
Looking at the demoness's triumphant expression, Horitake began to analyze the situation.
He had to admit, Kyojutsu's Blood Demon Art was quite a formidable combination. Using mental energy to hypnotize and control, then using written narrative to construct inescapable psychological traps.
It was like a degraded version of a Death Note crossed with the illusory Tsukuyomi of the Sharingan. A hybrid of two terrifying concepts, even if it lacked their absolute power.
As the demoness continued to bask in her perceived victory, Horitake continued his blatant intelligence gathering.
"If everything I just went through was an illusion, then I assume this wasteland we're standing on is an illusion as well? If that's the case, what's happening in the real world? What about my body? I hope it hasn't fallen into your clutches yet."
Kyojutsu shook her head with a chuckle.
"You have your own share of power, I'll give you that. Right before I fully submerged you in the dream, you used that lightning of yours to knock everyone on the second floor unconscious. So, for now, your body is still slumped in a chair on the second floor. It isn't in my hands quite yet."
Horitake let out a long, exaggerated sigh of relief. "I see. That's a weight off my mind."
Kyojutsu's laughter grew even more mocking.
"You can relax all you want. Once your spirit is completely extinguished here, your physical body will become nothing more than a hollow, useless shell—less than a vegetable. When that happens, your body will be mine to feast upon at my leisure."
"The strongest warrior of the Demon Slayer Corps—the Sky Pillar who wields the purple lightning—officially brought down by the hands of Kyojutsu, Lower Rank Four! Oh, the credit I'll receive for killing an enemy that even the Upper Ranks couldn't handle... Lord Muzan will be absolutely delighted!"
Horitake nodded along, playing the part of the captive audience.
"Yes, yes... you're absolutely right. If you can destroy my spirit here, I'm as good as dead. However, while you can threaten me, I can also threaten you."
"Your hypnosis and illusions are impressive, but they only target the mind. Your actual combat strength, I'm guessing, is practically zero. All I'd have to do is run up to the fifth floor and cut you down while you're busy writing. Then you'd have no choice but to wait for death."
The scorn in Kyojutsu's laughter was palpable.
"You? Run to the fifth floor and kill me?"
"That is the funniest thing I've heard all night! Your consciousness is trapped here, prisoner in this vast, desolate wasteland of my making. How could you possibly move your body to come after me?"
Horitake's expression remained flat, though a hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
"So, in the end, it all comes down to the illusion. If I break your spell—if I simply wake up from this hypnosis—then the tables are turned instantly. The predator becomes the prey."
Kyojutsu became even more arrogant, her laughter echoing across the barren plains.
"True, true! Your theory is perfect. But how exactly do you plan to escape my world? You can't! It's impossible!"
Horitake's smile widened, deepening into something far more dangerous.
"Are you so sure about that?"
"Don't forget... that elaborate illusion you spent so much effort building for me? I already tore it to pieces once."
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