Chapter 73: This is My Escape Route!
"You've watched the play long enough, haven't you?"
Once all the patients had cleared the room, the "Miracle Doctor" dropped her facade. She rose slowly, her gaze piercing through the window toward the three figures standing in the moonlight.
"Should I thank you? If you had stormed in earlier, all that food might have gone to waste."
The cloak that covered her body and half her head slid off, revealing the form of a young girl... or rather, a demon. She had soft, snow-white hair and wore a blood-red kimono. On her feet were white socks and wooden geta.
She looked small and frail, like a sickly noble daughter confined to her room. But a pair of inhuman horns protruded from her forehead, and her violet-gray pupils were engraved with dark ink:
[LOWER FIVE]
"But gratitude aside..."
She tilted her head, her voice carrying a deceptive, childlike innocence.
"Could I trouble you all to die once?"
She walked to the window and placed her delicate hands against the thick brick wall. With a light push, the wall exploded outward, creating a massive hole for her to step through.
"As a reward for your patience, I shall allow you to state your names. The previous samurai gentlemen didn't even finish their introductions before they became fertilizer for my vines."
Her tone was dripping with condescension, as if she were granting them a great honor.
The Storm Hashira and Natsuya exchanged a look.
A Lower Moon, huh...
Igarashi noticed Natsuya's expression. Why does my Junior look... disappointed? Is he actually hoping to run into an Upper Moon?
Shinobu, however, felt her breathing tighten as she saw the rank in the demon's eyes. This was her first time facing a member of the Twelve Kizuki. Forget winning—she wasn't even sure if her carefully brewed Wisteria toxins would work on an Elite.
If they're all demons, the poison should work... right?
Seeing their silence, the demon, Mukago, saw her smile fade. "If you have nothing to say, then please..."
She tapped her wooden clog against the ground.
The earth erupted.
Several thorny vines as thick as giant pythons burst from the soil, whistling through the air as they lashed out at the trio.
"Become part of the nourishment!"
The attack was savage. Even the thinnest vine was as thick as an adult man's arm. One hit would turn an ordinary Slayer into a pile of broken bones.
But these three were not ordinary.
Shinobu moved like a light-footed butterfly, performing a backflip to evade a vine. With a flick of her wrist, her Nichirin Sword traced a dazzling flower-pattern in the air.
[Insect Breathing]
[Butterfly Dance: Caprice]
It was a series of simple thrusts. They didn't even leave deep marks on the vines. She struck and retreated, then struck again—four or five times in rapid succession. Aside from the speed, the attack seemed to lack raw power.
But the vines suddenly began to twitch erratically before falling limp and rotting into the dirt.
Concentrated Wisteria extract. Even a Blood Demon Art construct wasn't immune.
Shinobu quietly massaged her numb wrist. Such power! Even a glancing blow nearly broke my guard.
Faced with the incoming vines, Natsuya didn't blink. "So she's Mukago..."
He drew Master Kang the Third.
[Thunder Breathing]
[Second Form: Rice Spirit]
Lightning flickered, detonating within the sanatorium grounds. The vines rushing toward him were reduced to severed segments in a heartbeat.
Igarashi, meanwhile, was even more effortless. He moved with a leisurely "walk in the park" stride, shifting inches to the left and right. Every vine missed him completely. Not even the hem of his haori was touched.
Natsuya took a mental note. His "Cheap Senior" was clearly far stronger than this Lower Moon. Though their total Power Levels were close, the demon's stats were heavily weighted toward [Body], while Igarashi had a massive lead in [Tech].
Based on Natsuya's experience, when stats were in the same ballpark, the Slayer's refined martial logic usually resulted in an overwhelming advantage. Unless there was a massive stat-gap, the human "Build" was more optimized for 1v1 combat.
Mukago's smile faltered. She clapped her hands in mock praise.
"Ho? You have some skill. Better than the last bunch."
"But haven't you noticed? From the moment you stepped into this sanatorium, you've been breathing in my 'gift'."
She sounded like a little girl sharing a secret, her voice full of mischievous pride.
Why was she chatting with the Slayers? Aside from her absolute confidence, she was stalling for her Blood Demon Art to take root.
"My Blood Demon Art scatters invisible spores," she explained slowly. "You know what a mountain yam is? A little contact just makes the skin itch. But if you inhale too many..."
"They take root in your lungs. They sprout in your veins. And finally, they bloom right out of your skin."
"You'll become my favorite little potted plants..."
She waited for the look of horror to cross their faces.
Instead...
"A-CHOO!"
Natsuya couldn't help it. He let out a thunderous sneeze.
He looked at the demon as if facing a mortal enemy. "It's already working?! Curse your Blood Demon Art!"
Mukago: "..."
(No, I'm pretty sure my spores don't cause sneezing.)
"You big dummy, her spores don't cause hay fever," Shinobu muttered, looking at her partner with exasperation. "Besides, didn't we all inject the inhibitor already?"
Natsuya froze, then regained his composure. "No, her spores definitely triggered my allergies. It's a biological attack."
Hearing their casual bickering, Mukago realized something was wrong.
"Inhibitor?" she whispered.
What was that? She tried to accelerate the germination of her spores, but she felt no resonance. The seeds she had planted inside them were... dead.
What? How?! Did these people line their lungs with Nichirin steel?!
Noticing Mukago's panicked expression, Shinobu smiled. It was a smile even sweeter than the demon's, but it held zero warmth.
"Are you talking about those cute little spores?"
"We injected ourselves with a serum before coming here. Thanks to the samples from your previous victims, I'm already quite familiar with your 'pathogen,' Miss Miracle Doctor."
She tilted her head, looking at the demon with clinical pity.
"But I suppose a 'Doctor' like you wouldn't understand the science, would you? You don't exactly look like the type who went to school."
Natsuya raised an eyebrow. That tone... she sounds exactly like Kanae roasting Uzui.
Confirmed. They're definitely related.
Mukago's "Sweet Little Girl" mask shattered. The rage of being mocked made her face distort into something hideous.
"...YOU DIE!!"
She vanished from her spot. Her burst speed was far beyond any common demon—faster even than most Kinoe-rank Slayers. Her target was the smallest member of the group: Shinobu.
The attack was so fast Shinobu's pupils shrank; her body could barely track the motion. But she didn't panic. She knew that the "Block of Wood" and the "Storm" beside her were faster.
She was right.
Natsuya saw the trajectory clearly and shifted his weight. As for Igarashi? He was already standing in front of Shinobu, his blade halfway out of its scabbard, looking like he was simply waiting for the demon to run into it.
HOWEVER!
Mukago skidded to a violent halt halfway through her charge. She didn't stop to evade Igarashi or Natsuya's blades.
Her eyes were locked onto Igarashi's uniform—specifically, the way his haori flared, revealing a very specific button.
A Golden button.
That man is a HASHIRA?!
Absolute terror instantly crushed her rage. Without a single word, without even a parting threat, Mukago released a massive cloud of spore-dust. Simultaneously, dozens of thick, dark-purple vines erupted from the ground, lashing out frantically at the trio.
But she wasn't trying to kill them.
In the next second, using the dust and the vines as a smoke screen, Mukago turned on her heel and bolted toward the forest at maximum velocity.
RUN RUN RUN!
She didn't hesitate. She didn't try to trade blows.
I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I was being so low-key! I only ate a few low-level kids! Why the hell is there a HASHIRA here?!
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