"Ma'am, I know this is a lot to take in, so let me explain."
Shuya took the glass bottle of Muzan's blood from the demon and crouched down in front of Kie Kamado.
"With the injuries you and your children have right now… you're basically already gone. I think you can feel that, can't you?"
Kie's eyes filled with despair. A single tear slipped down her cheek.
"Hey, don't panic yet—I'm not finished."
Shuya gently shook the bottle in front of her. "See this blood? It's special. Just a tiny sip and even someone on death's door would heal completely—"
Before he could finish, Kie begged, voice breaking, "Please… save my children."
"You're rushing again," Shuya said, cutting her off. He pointed at the controlled demon standing nearby. "Look at that guy over there. If you drink this blood, you'll become exactly like him—a monster. You'll never see sunlight again, and you'll have to eat human flesh to survive. Can you live with that?"
He stayed quiet, letting her decide.
If she said yes, he wouldn't hesitate to share the blood. Saving her and the two boys would create a debt of gratitude so big that Tanjiro could never refuse to teach him Sun Breathing later.
If she refused, that was fine too. He wasn't about to force anyone.
Kie's heart twisted. She hated the monster that had attacked her children with every fiber of her being. Yet the only way to keep her family alive was to become the same kind of monster.
"Mommy…"
From the blood-soaked ground, little Rokuta let out a weak murmur—his final burst of strength before the end.
Kie's tears poured out. Her voice trembled but her eyes were resolute. "Please… save us."
"Understood."
Shuya didn't waste another second. He tilted the bottle over Kie's open mouth and let a small amount of Muzan's blood drip onto her tongue. Just a little—he still needed most of it for experiments, and he remembered from the story that too much at once could mess with a new demon's mind.
He moved to the two boys and gave each of them a small dose as well.
As the blood took effect, color slowly returned to their pale faces. The terrible wounds on Takeo and Rokuta began to close and regenerate at a visible speed. Shuya watched in quiet fascination.
Then the real changes started.
Because the Kamado family was poor, Kie and her sons had always been thin and frail. Now, under the influence of the blood, their bodies swelled with new muscle, veins bulging across their skin like they were using some kind of power-up. Their teeth sharpened into fangs.
In the darkness of the night, six crimson eyes glowed to life.
"Mister… you smell so good," Kie whispered, rising to her feet. Her gaze was pure, starving hunger. "Can I have just one bite…? Just one…"
Behind her, Takeo and Rokuta's eyes burned the same bright red. The three of them staggered forward, instinctively spreading out to surround Shuya from three directions.
Shuya's mouth twitched.
If a beautiful woman had said that to him, it might have been flattering. But Kie Kamado? Up close she looked exactly like what she was—a tired, overworked farm wife in her thirties. Her skin was rough, the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes impossible to miss. She could have passed for forty or fifty.
Still, she had given birth to Nezuko, so maybe she'd been a beauty once. Raising six kids alone after losing her husband had clearly worn her down.
Shuya shook the thought away.
The hunger of a freshly turned demon really was no joke. Tamayo had eaten her own children right after being changed. Nezuko had tried to eat Tanjiro the moment she woke up. Gratitude alone wasn't going to stop this.
He flicked his wrist.
Three silver-white chains materialized in his hand, snaking toward the three new demons like silver serpents.