Smearing her blood across Namiko's wounds, Yuko watched as the injuries healed rapidly. Namiko's breathing gradually steadied.
Yuko, however, began to look faint and weak.
She had only just transformed and desperately needed to feed. Not only had she eaten nothing—she had given away her own blood and flesh.
Namiko's breathing grew even calmer. With a soft groan, she slowly opened her eyes.
Yuko's face lit up. "Namiko, you—"
Before she could finish, Namiko—seeing Yuko clearly under the moonlight—watched the confusion on her face twist instantly into terror.
"Ah!" Namiko screamed and kicked Yuko away with all four limbs.
Yuko hurriedly explained, "Calm down! I still have my—"
She didn't get to finish. Namiko scrambled out of the room in a panic and fled.
Yuko stared blankly as the girl ran past the doorway. Her outstretched hand slowly lowered.
After a long moment, she sighed.
She couldn't blame Namiko. People of this era could never understand her.
Michikatsu had already proven that.
To be honest, Yuko feared demons not because they ate humans.
She feared losing her own will. She feared Muzan seeing her thoughts.
If she had become a ghoul instead, she wouldn't have been afraid—ghouls could at least control their own minds. Demons could not.
But now that she knew she was free of Muzan's control, she could finally accept her current state.
So what if she had become a demon?
As long as she didn't eat people or commit evil deeds, she could still be a good demon, right?
Besides, she could regrow limbs and survive decapitation. That actually sounded pretty amazing.
Yuko amused herself with such thoughts as she pushed herself up and walked toward the doorway.
Moonlight poured into the courtyard, carrying a bleak sort of beauty.
Stepping outside, her head suddenly jerked backward as something caught on the top of the doorway. She almost toppled over.
Steadying herself, Yuko touched her head—and found two long horns.
Those had been what struck the upper frame of the door.
She had checked earlier to make sure her face hadn't changed, yet now she had things growing out of her head.
How was she supposed to face people like this?
Yuko silently complained. If she remembered right, Nezuko could change her body's size—so maybe she could control this too.
She felt for the horns and focused.
Sure enough, under her effort, the long horns slowly shrank back.
Thank goodness.
Yuko exhaled in relief.
She checked her body to make sure nothing else had changed, then stepped fully out of the house.
Lifting her head, she gazed at the cold moon overhead and inhaled deeply.
What was this feeling?
It was like walking through a narrow passageway and suddenly stepping into open light.
Ever since her lung injury, she had never felt so light and free.
Just then, a chill wind passed through, carrying a scent into her nose.
The smell of… blood.
Just outside the gate.
"Snow Breathing, Fifth Form: Snow Step."
Yuko's figure vanished in a streak of white light.
The breathing technique flowed effortlessly—none of the usual strain remained.
She had never felt so wonderful.
It was like being reborn.
Outside the gate lay several Demon Slayer swordsmen, collapsed in broken heaps across the mountain path.
Their bodies were mangled almost beyond recognition.
Yuko's mouth began to water again.
These were likely the reinforcements Namiko had called, but Kokushibo hadn't left immediately and ended up encountering them.
Suppressing her hunger, Yuko gathered their corpses and buried them nearby.
As she turned to leave, she suddenly froze.
She was free of Muzan's control—meaning Muzan could no longer sense her.
Michikatsu might return to check on things. She should hide and wait for the chance to kill him.
Yuko returned to the house and found several pieces of clothing—likely belonging to the samurai's wife and daughter. They were still new.
She removed her own clothes and left them in the yard, creating the scene of someone destroyed by sunlight.
That would explain why Muzan couldn't sense her.
After tossing the clothes by the doorway, she noticed her broken Nichirin blade lying nearby.
Her trusted companion in so many battles now gleamed coldly under the moonlight, sending a chill down her spine.
No wonder Michikatsu abandoned his Nichirin blade after turning into a demon.
Even a so-called Red Blade only carried its special effect against demons. Against humans, it made little difference—either way, people were fragile creatures, dead in a single strike.
Michikatsu's unique demon blade was formed from his own flesh. By that logic, she should be able to create one too.
But she was too weak now. If she separated flesh from her body again, she might become the first demon to die from exhaustion.
Finishing her preparations, Yuko slipped away from the estate under the moonlight.
She needed to find something to eat.
…
Not long after she left, Michikatsu and a squad of Demon Slayers arrived one after another.
Kokushibo looked coldly at the human-shaped clothing placed before the doorway—the remains left only when a demon's body disintegrated from the inside.
Sunlight…
He had suspected as much when Muzan reported losing all sense of Yuko.
She managed this through sheer will?
Or…
He glanced toward the inner room. The woman who should have been devoured was nowhere to be seen.
With his keen sense for demonic scents, he knew Yuko had not eaten her. She had somehow escaped.
Kokushibo's expression shifted darkly. After a moment, he drew his blade without warning. A burst of Moon Breathing obliterated Yuko's discarded clothes and the house behind them in a single strike.
…
"T-This… this is Miss Yuko's blade. There's no mistake!"
One swordsman who had trained under Yuko recognized the broken Nichirin sword.
A companion beside him whispered sadly, "Then… does that mean Miss Yuko…"
"Don't talk nonsense!" another barked, cutting him off. "Yuko awakened both her Mark and Transparent World. How could she die here?"
"But…" another member stared despairingly at the utterly ruined house, its walls carved with massive claw-like slashes.
No human swordsmanship could cause that.
If a demon with such power had been here… even Miss Yuko…
…
By the time Yuko descended the mountain and reached a nearby town, dawn's pale light had already begun creeping across the sky.
Had she eaten the Blue Spider Lily?
Could she withstand the sun now?
Yuko wondered—but didn't dare try it.
Instead, she used some money taken from the samurai's house to stay at a local inn, hiding from sunlight.
The innkeeper brought food. Yuko took two small bites, but food she normally disliked now felt even more tasteless—like chewing wax.
To her, even the server delivering the meal smelled far more appetizing.
There was barely any nourishment in the food. It did nothing to restore her strength.
Only after becoming a demon did Yuko finally understand what it meant to suffer hunger that couldn't kill her—but felt like it might.
---
Currently at chapter 141 for advance chapters
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08