Mitsuko had already chased them into the woods.
However, the Snake Demon was nowhere to be found.
However, the unique fishy stench of the Snake Demon permeating the air indicates that the Snake Demon is lurking in the shadows, waiting for its chance to strike.
"Blood Demon Art: Black Mist Labyrinth!"
Just as Mitsuko was about to let the black mist permeate the forest in order to find the Snake Demon's trail through it...
The Snake Demon suddenly pounced down from the treetop, opening its mouth as wide as possible, its sharp fangs gleaming coldly, as if it wanted to swallow Mitsuko whole.
Mitsuko was forced to interrupt his Blood Demon Art and dodged, causing the Snake Demon to miss its target.
The Snake Demon suddenly twisted its body, its tail whipping towards Mitsuko.
Mitsuko crossed his arms to protect his chest, but he was still sent flying by the Snake Demon's tail.
Mitsuko only stopped after crashing into two trees and breaking them.
Thinking that he had the situation under control, the Snake Demon mocked, "You half-human, half-demon being, your strength is nothing special. I really can't understand what you're thinking. Demons are perfect beings, while humans are the most fragile beings. You actually chose to retain your human parts. This only increases your weaknesses."
Mitsuko ignored the Snake Demon and silently stood up from the ground.
"What? Are you so scared by my attack that you can't even speak? I wonder what you, a half-human, half-demon, taste like. Maybe you're tastier than a human? If I devour a little of you, that lord shouldn't blame me, right?"
The Snake Demon used two fingers of her right hand to gently stroke her lips seductively, her eyes filled with greed as she looked at Mitsuko.
Mitsuko held his right palm out to the sky.
"Blood Demon Art: Black Mist Skylight - Tornado!"
A cloud of black mist surged into the sky, forming a fog cloud.
The fog clouds swirled continuously, forming a fog tornado.
Mitsuko is located at the center of the mist tornado, and the mist tornado moves with Mitsuko as Mitsuko moves.
"Blood Demon Art: Venomous Serpent Liquid!"
Unlike the Snake Demon's Blood Demon Art: Corrosive Poison, this time the Snake Demon spewed out a transparent slurry. The venom was so potent that even plants that hadn't come into contact with it withered instantly.
And this venom is the most potent toxin of the Snake Demon.
The Snake Demon thought that as long as it mixed the venom into the mist tornado where Mitsuko was, although it wouldn't kill Mitsuko, who had the constitution of a demon, just a little bit of it would be enough to completely render Mitsuko unable to move.
Once we capture Mitsuko, we can go to Muzan Kibutsuji to claim credit and obtain more Demon King blood. Then we won't have to stay in this small place, Hachijo Island. We can go to the towns on the mainland, develop one Iguro family after another, and have them sacrifice infants to feed him.
Perhaps even the legendary Twelve Kizuki could earn a place among them.
That's a demon army directly controlled by Muzan Kibutsuji, and only the twelve most powerful demons can enter it; it's every demon's dream.
The Snake Demon is already looking forward to a wonderful future.
Just as the Snake Demon thought victory was assured and was fantasizing about a wonderful future, Mitsuko's voice came from within the mist tornado.
"Expand!"
The mist tornado expanded its range instantly. Compared to the constantly rotating mist tornado on the outside, the space around Mitsuko in the center was very calm.
The transparent venom sprayed by the Snake Demon couldn't get close to Mitsuko at all; it was all trapped inside the mist tornado.
The sudden expansion of the mist tornado caught the Snake Demon off guard.
The lower half of the Snake Demon's body had been engulfed in the mist tornado.
Just as the Snake Demon was about to break free from the mist tornado's pull, it suddenly felt a sharp pain in its snake tail.
Mitsuko plunged the Nichirin Blade into the Snake Demon's tail, piercing through to the ground and fixing the Snake Demon's body in place, preventing it from escaping the suction of the mist tornado.
As the mist tornado dissipated, the whip behind him was already aimed at the Snake Demon's body.
The Snake Demon's tail was held in place by the Nichirin Blade. If it were to be pierced by that inexplicably terrifying whip, the Snake Demon felt that it would likely be in grave danger.
"Blood Demon Art: Venomous Serpent Liquid!"
The Snake Demon spat venom at Mitsuko again, but a cloud of black mist appeared around Mitsuko once more, absorbing the venom into the mist.
The Snake Demon's pupils suddenly contracted, and at this moment, the Snake Demon finally came to its senses. It turned out that Mitsuko had only been testing its abilities from beginning to end.
Now that he had thoroughly tested the Snake Demon's abilities, Mitsuko was ready to make his move.
Just as Mitsuko's whip was about to pierce it, the Snake Demon's face hardened, and it made a decision.
Mitsuko's whip successfully pierced the Snake Demon's body, but Mitsuko's brows suddenly furrowed.
The sensation of the whip piercing the Snake Demon's body was wrong.
Mitsuko used the bone spikes of his whip to cut open the Snake Demon's body and discovered that it was just the skin of the Snake Demon's upper body, while the lower half of the snake body had been discarded by the Snake Demon.
Mitsuko pulled out the Nichirin Blade that was stuck in the Snake Demon's tail, kicked the Snake Demon's lower body aside, and found that there was a hole in the ground.
The Snake Demon, lurking underground, wore a face full of resentment as its lower body rapidly regenerated.
"It hurts so much! Damn it! If I hadn't forcibly abandoned my lower body and shed my skin, I probably would have died there. Why is a half-human, half-demon creature stronger than a pure demon like me?!"
The Snake Demon did not choose to flee, but instead headed towards the palace of the Iguro family.
The Snake Demon returned to the palace for Obanai Iguro.
It would be such a waste if food that has been raised for twelve years escaped without ever being enjoyed.
Driven by extreme greed, the Snake Demon returned to the palace with a glimmer of hope, intending to eat Obanai Iguro before escaping Hachijo Island.
In the prison cell.
Obanai Iguro's hands were worn raw and bleeding from her efforts to escape from the prison.
Fortunately, perseverance paid off. Obanai Iguro successfully broke through the fence, escaped from the prison with Kaburamaru, and disappeared into the woods outside the palace.
The Snake Demon returned to the palace.
When the Snake Demon returned, the women of the Iguro family thought he had won, so they presented him with the infant they had prepared beforehand.
Of course, the Snake Demon couldn't tell them that it had lost, and it immediately prepared to run away.
In the eyes of the Snake Demon, the Iguro family was nothing more than a tool to please it; whether they lived or died was completely unimportant.
The Snake Demon accepted all the offerings offered, swallowing them whole as if they were dates.
After they finished eating, the Snake Demon said to them, "Go to the cell right now and bring Obanai Iguro over. I want to enjoy him immediately!"
The women of the Iguro family dared not be negligent. The Snake Demon's request was a blessing to them, and all they had to do was fulfill it.
However, the women of the Iguro family were dumbfounded when they arrived at the prison.
Obanai Iguro has disappeared!
It was as if everything went black before everyone's eyes.
The Snake Demon waited a full twelve years to enjoy Obanai Iguro.
Obanai Iguro's importance to the Snake Demon is self-evident.
Now that Obanai Iguro has disappeared, it can be described as a devastating blow to the Iguro family.
The Snake Demon is in a hurry to get Obanai Iguro, so it's definitely too late to go find her now.
In order to survive, the women of the Iguro family took all the babies out of the cell.
They planned to sacrifice all these babies to the Snake Demon in order to appease its wrath.