"I was favored by Muzan because of my medical skills and brought to his side as an attendant, so I was fortunate to be there that day..." Tamayo said, her eyes filled with reminiscence, as if her mind had returned to that time. "I'll never forget it. On that day, the person I called despair incarnate—someone I thought I could never take revenge against—was cut down with a single effortless strike after encountering Yoriichi Tsugikuni!
Even Muzan Kibutsuji was stunned.
His speed, strength, and reflexes are far beyond ordinary humans, even members of the Demon Slayer Corps who'd practiced breathing techniques to their absolute limits. In front of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he was like an infant. His proud self-healing ability couldn't recover for ages under Yoriichi's crimson blade!
If Yoriichi hadn't wanted to question Muzan no matter what, that terrifying demon would have ended right then and there.
But it was precisely Yoriichi's questioning that gave Muzan a chance to escape.
Using Yoriichi's momentary distraction, Muzan self-destructed his body into more than 1,800 pieces and fled in different directions.
Although Yoriichi did his best to kill him, he only managed to destroy more than 1,500 fragments. The remaining 300 pieces escaped.
Muzan relied on those remaining fragments to hide in the darkness and regenerate. He didn't dare show himself again until after Yoriichi died. And I successfully developed a drug to break free from his control during his recovery from that devastating trauma."
Ding! You got 300 prayer points!
Ding! You got 3,000 prayer points!
Happy had fallen into stunned silence.
Tony's mouth hung slightly open.
Although he'd learned from Tamayo that "demons" possessed power and longevity surpassing humans, aside from witnessing Tamayo's healing abilities, he didn't really understand how much demons exceeded human capabilities.
He knew they were strong, but had no concrete concept.
Therefore, at first, he hadn't thought much about "demons" or the "Demon Slayer Corps" that hunted them.
Because he was Iron Man.
Just exceeding the level of ordinary humans? In his eyes, that was nothing special—it wouldn't provoke much reaction at all.
It wasn't until he'd heard that Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the founder of Sun Breathing, and that later practitioners were unable to replicate his power, that a vague concept formed.
Because he'd only recently seen Quinn use Sun Breathing, and with just one move, Quinn had displayed speed surpassing the human optic nerve and destructive power equivalent to a large grenade.
And this kind of power was still far from comparable to Yoriichi Tsugikuni's...
Although he still couldn't fully imagine how powerful Yoriichi was, he at least had a rough impression.
So as the story reached its climax—the moment where over 1,500 fragments were instantly cut down by Yoriichi—his emotions fluctuated and shifted, producing various feelings.
This was the charm of storytelling.
People might not care about ants on the sidewalk, but if someone made ants the protagonists of a thrilling story, people would watch and empathize.
Compared to Tony, demons and the Demon Slayer Corps might not be the difference between ants and people, but they definitely wouldn't reach the level of causing much reaction.
At most, after initial surprise upon seeing them, he'd observe with a scientist's curiosity and analyze.
As for someone on Ancient One's level... She'd lived for hundreds of years, wandering through endless dimensions and multiverses. What kind of things, what kind of creatures hadn't she seen?
If Muzan and the others hadn't been summoned to cross over, Ancient One wouldn't even spare them a glance.
But even someone like Ancient One couldn't help letting out a soft sigh after hearing the story of how Muzan killed his doctor out of suspicion, causing him to miss becoming a perfect being.
...
"Mr. Stark, I've finished explaining everything. Do you still have questions?" Seeing Tony lost in thought and unable to recover for a long time, Tamayo couldn't help asking.
Tony snapped back to reality.
He first glanced at Quinn meaningfully, then turned to look at the woman before him. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Final question—after I become a demon, will I be under your control?"
Although he still had many doubts, all those doubts might become meaningless under this single question.
Perhaps the other party had wanted to control him from the very beginning, and everything she'd told him was a fabricated story.
Perhaps he'd fallen into their trap from the start.
Obviously, after hearing Tony's question, everyone else guessed what he was thinking...
"Is this real?"
Happy looked at Tamayo in disbelief, hope flickering in his eyes.
He hoped it was fake, hoped this wasn't some elaborate hoax designed to trap Tony... Whether it was this fantastical experience satisfying his online fantasy hobby, or his feelings for Tony, he hoped his "terminally ill" boss could get help—that was all.
Facing Happy's questioning, Quinn just smiled lightly and said nothing.
He was the intermediary who'd brought Tony to the doctor, which made him equally suspicious. Whatever he said now would only arouse more suspicion, so he simply stayed quiet.
As for Tamayo, she stared at Tony and saw the determination in the man's eyes to pursue this to the very end.
If she couldn't give him a satisfactory answer here, this matter obviously wouldn't end peacefully.
Of course!
Who in this world could tolerate someone secretly setting them up?
Especially when that person was one of the world's richest billionaires, a genius scientist, and a superhero—even if he was already dying.
To ensure the people around him could live in peace after his death, he'd eliminate all threats.
"...That's correct!"
After pondering for a while, Tamayo slowly nodded in acknowledgment.
"After using my blood to transform into a demon, I can control your life and death at will, and even read the thoughts in your mind at close range. This is the same ability Muzan has over the demons he creates, but the effect is stronger."
"...I see!"
Tony let out a long breath, his tone somewhat strained.
But he quickly adjusted his composure and looked at Tamayo resolutely. "For the sake of your honesty, I'll treat this as the price of treatment rather than a trap you set. Then, let's just call it even!"
After speaking, he turned and walked toward the exit.
"Wait a moment!"
Hearing the shout behind him, Tony stopped, but he didn't look back—just waited for her next words.
"I've already developed a drug to sever this connection, so..."
"Sorry, I can't trust you!"
Tony said bluntly and walked straight out of the clinic.
Happy bowed apologetically to Tamayo and followed.
Quinn, on the other hand, smiled lightly and headed out as well.
This outcome was already expected.
With Tony's personality, it was impossible for him to become a demon.
Even without the control aspect, before transforming into a demon, he'd definitely want to learn more about what demons actually were. And once he had a concrete understanding of what kind of creature a "demon" was, he'd also choose to refuse.
Because he was Tony Stark, a superhero.