When a person is alone, especially at night, it's easy to overthink.
Mizuki was just like that.
Realizing her thoughts were wandering, Mizuki shook her head in time, stopping her mind from over-processing.
"Hoo..." Mizuki let out a long breath.
Forget it, no more soaking.
Any more and her head would start to feel dizzy.
Mizuki stretched lazily, her graceful figure fully revealed in the silver moonlight.
"Shall we go back?" Mizuki stroked Nezuko, who was nodding off beside her.
After Shinobu left, the task of looking after Nezuko naturally fell to her.
Nezuko, with her dot-like eyes, nodded blankly.
Mizuki wiped her body clean, changed into a yukata herself, and led Nezuko down the mountain.
White moonlight shone on the stone steps, reflecting tiny speckles of light.
The surroundings were silent, even the birds and beasts had fallen asleep.
After the last lesson, Zenitsu didn't dare to mess around recklessly anymore.
Moreover, the daily training volume was quite large, so even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have the energy.
Mizuki held Nezuko's small hand, and from a distance, she saw a Swordsmith Village resident wearing a fire man mask standing at the bottom of the mountain steps.
In front of him, there was also a huge pot.
The villager was looking at the pot with curiosity: "Oh, who put a pot here? It's dangerous."
It was right at the bottom of the steps; it wouldn't be good if someone accidentally tripped over it.
Just as he was about to reach out to move the porcelain pot, light footsteps came from afar.
The villager instinctively stopped and looked up.
"...Lady Mizuki?"
The Swordsmith Village wasn't big, and news spread quickly. In the few days Mizuki had been there, even if the villagers hadn't seen her, they should have heard her name.
Mizuki ignored him, gently released Nezuko's hand, and casually instructed: "Stand here and don't move."
"Understand?"
Nezuko nodded.
The corner of Mizuki's mouth curved into a smile, which instantly vanished as she turned her head.
A demon.
As expected, they've extended their reach here.
That wasn't just a premonition after all.
Mizuki walked calmly towards the porcelain pot, and the villager instinctively took two steps back.
He couldn't help but ask: "Lady Mizuki, did you put this here?"
Mizuki looked down at the dark mouth of the pot and replied indifferently: "No, I'm not interested in pots."
As she spoke, she reached her hand towards the mouth of the pot.
"Then who put it here? Or should we move it..." Before the villager could finish speaking, the patterned pot body shook twice quickly.
Swish!!
A pool of black water, like ink, emerged from the pot's mouth like a living creature, abruptly grabbing Mizuki's slender wrist.
"Eek!" The villager was startled by the sudden scene and fell to the ground, pushing himself back with his hands.
Disgusting.
Mizuki's eyelid twitched, followed by a huge pulling force from her hand... After a moment of stillness, the black water entwined around Mizuki's wrist stirred restlessly, and the force increased.
However, this force was nothing to Mizuki, who was already prepared.
Mizuki even had time to glance at the villager, confirming he had retreated to a safe enough distance.
The black water's pulling force was at its maximum, but she was still completely at ease.
On Mizuki's slender arm, fine blue veins protruded. Using the black water wrapped around her wrist, Mizuki suddenly exerted force, pulling out the demon hidden in the pot.
...
Upper Rank Five, Gyokko, who still hadn't received a promotion or raise from his boss months after Akaza's death.
Gyokko.
Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead, Gyokko's face filled with astonishment.
It was as if he hadn't quite figured out what had happened.
He had heard someone approaching from afar and had successfully sensed someone getting close.
But when he tried to prey on his target, he found he couldn't pull the prey at all.
Now, it seemed he was being pulled out by the prey instead.
Is such immense power truly possible for a human?
As this question arose in his mind, Gyokko also got a clear look at the appearance of the person in front of him.
The moment he saw that face, the image of a certain swordsman suddenly flashed through his mind.
Immediately after, the face of Upper Rank One, the monster at the pinnacle of the Twelve Demon Moons, naturally appeared in his thoughts.
Although Kokushibou's face was covered with eyeballs, anyone who saw these two would connect them.
This woman... this woman is!!!
Gyokko's forehead broke out in a dense cold sweat.
Why is this woman here?
What is a demon like her doing in the Swordsmith Village? She can't possibly be asking someone to forge a Nichirin Blade, can she?
Gyokko admitted he was a little scared.
Although this was his first time seeing Mizuki, Mizuki already had the record of slaying Akaza.
And she was also that monster's younger sister.
While Gyokko was breaking out in a cold sweat, Mizuki's brows furrowed slightly as she looked at him.
"So ugly..."
For an artist, beauty and ugliness are the most important words. Gyokko instantly snapped back to attention and loudly questioned:
"What's ugly about my pot?!"
Veins even protruded on his forehead, looking utterly enraged.
"Pot? That kind of thing doesn't matter, I'm talking about your appearance." Mizuki tilted her head. This guy, he was so nervous just now, why did he suddenly explode?
"It's a bit disgusting."
The demons she had encountered before, including Kokushibou, were a bit ugly, but at least they still looked somewhat normal.
But this... this thing in front of her... Mizuki found it hard to describe him with normal vocabulary.
His two eyes were replaced by two mouths, his mouth was replaced by an eyeball, and his robust body was paired with arms as delicate as a baby's.
No, Mizuki felt disgusted even using the word 'arms' to describe them.
Arms like centipede legs extended from his ears all the way down his body.
In short, this was an extremely sanity-draining monstrosity.
Who wouldn't find it disgusting?
And upon hearing Mizuki's words, the anger in Gyokko's heart suddenly cooled.
What? As long as she wasn't slandering his art, it was fine.
But this woman was really rude, saying his pot didn't matter at all.
Mizuki's tightly furrowed brows did not relax; her Nichirin Blade was still being forged.
There was no way to kill this guy.
As for her devouring the demon?
Even if Mizuki truly had that resolve, she couldn't bring herself to eat such an incredibly ugly creature.
She felt that Genya would be the same.
Swish!
A chilling light flashed, and Mizuki cut Gyokko's body in half with one strike.
Gyokko's severed body turned into two puddles of black water, and the porcelain pot instantly vanished in Mizuki's eyes.
Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not speed, nor the cancellation of a Blood Demon Art.
Is it a spatial ability?
Blood Demon Art is a tricky thing; even Muzan cannot control its awakening.
This is also one of the reasons Muzan does not allow demons to form factions.
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