Her originally somewhat cute features were distorted by her expanding body, and the stench emanating from her was so thick it almost solidified, making Haruto frown.
This guy's strength... it's practically skyrocketing!
Never mind that she's now been demoted to a Lower Moon Six; the pressure she's exerting now is much greater than when she was Lower Four!
"Oh, you recognized me." Mukago cupped her bloated waist and chuckled self-consciously, "I thought I'd gotten so fat, it would take you a while to recognize me..."
"...Go quickly—no, find a place to hide, not too far from here, but not too close either."
Haruto didn't pay attention to what Mukago was saying. He only saw those ghoul-like creatures wantonly slaughtering villagers, and some insect-headed, human-bodied monsters had hidden in the darkness, disappearing to who knows where.
He turned his head to instruct Yae beside him; the scene before him was somewhat beyond his expectations.
It was clear that those monsters were centered around Mukago, a method of her slaughter—perhaps even a Blood Demon Art.
He didn't know if those monsters would radiate outwards from Mukago, destroying more distant villages and killing villagers.
If any insect-headed, human-bodied monsters escaped to other villages, he would have to ask Sora to help gather surrounding Demon Slayer Corps members to clear them out... The key was to finish the fight quickly, to deal with it swiftly!
The girl obeyed Haruto, holding Jiro and avoiding the strange smell as she fled into the forest.
Haruto drew his nichirin blade, the hilt spinning in his palm, emitting a blue-violet glow.
"But I'm not surprised you recognized me..."
Mukago approached Haruto with a crazed smile: "After all, my transformation into this current state is all thanks to you!
If it weren't for that battle... how would I have become such a monstrosity?
Even though I've become a demon, I'm still a girl who cares about her appearance... Who could accept their figure becoming so distorted?"
...It seems these guys all become much more verbose after turning into demons.
They could just start fighting without a word, but they insist on chattering for ages.
Haruto transformed into a streak of light, cleaving the human-insect monster that was about to devour a villager's head into two.
These human-insect monsters were indeed somewhat different from regular demons.
After being cut down by the nichirin blade, it immediately turned into a puddle of green pus, instead of disintegrating into ash like common demons.
"Run!"
He pushed away the villager, whose legs had turned to jelly from fright, and continued to rescue villagers with his blade.
Haruto was incredibly fast; he weaved through the crowd, quickly clearing a large portion of the monsters before him with swift slashes.
"Hahahahahahaha..." Watching him rush around, Mukago burst into laughter: "Humans, they just love to do useless things! Are 'insects' so easily cleared out?!"
She raised both hands, and countless terrifying, disgusting black insects crawled out from beneath her black skirt, quickly tackling the villagers before them and burrowing into their mouths.
Soon, the appearances of those perfectly healthy villagers underwent drastic changes; their necks extended and lengthened, then retracted;
Their entire heads became insect-like, and they immediately lost their human reason, beginning to frantically attack other villagers.
"Hahahahaha~ If it weren't for you, Mr. Hashira, I wouldn't have known I could unleash such potential!" Mukago laughed maniacally: "After mastering this Blood Demon Art, I led my 'insects' to devour over 30 villages... That's how I got so fat!"
Haruto stopped his charge, his gaze coldly fixed on Mukago.
Such rescue was meaningless now; unless he could kill all the villagers in the village who had been turned into monsters, Mukago would simply turn the rescued villagers into monsters again and again!
Over 30 villages... that would add up to an estimated thousand people... No wonder she had become so fat, so strong! Perhaps she could even be considered the strongest Lower Moon!
If he didn't kill her now, given time, the Upper Moons of the Twelve Kizuki would likely gain an Upper Moon demon capable of large-scale infection and control of humans!
He must... kill her first!
Sora flapped its wings and vanished into the night sky. Haruto made up his mind, no longer hesitating, and flicked his blade, lunging straight for Mukago.
"Breath of the Stars, First Form: Tear of Light!"
The white-haired swordsman's figure flashed before Mukago's eyes—this feeling... this familiar feeling!
It had been etched into her memory for years, keeping her awake at night!
If it weren't for this guy, she wouldn't have suffered such severe injuries;
If it weren't for this guy, she wouldn't have been humiliatingly demoted to Lower Moon Six by Kibutsuji-sama!
For so long, she had been on edge, fearing that one day she would anger Kibutsuji-sama and have her head crushed from a distance!
Just like Kamanue, who died right before him!
A year ago, in her despair, she awakened the Blood Demon Art: Demonic Insect: Parasite. With this Blood Demon Art, she frantically consumed humans.
Because she ate a large number of humans of varied quality, her figure began to distort, and even her nerves became somewhat unstable.
However!
Whether she became ugly or started to go mad, as long as it increased her strength, she didn't care about anything!
And now was her best chance to redeem herself.
Kill this Hashira!
Kill this Hashira who brought her shame!
Use his death to regain Kibutsuji-sama's trust!
Mukago's eyes snapped open, and she smirked as Haruto's blade light was about to strike her.
"Blood Demon Art: Evil Potato Apple!"
A blood-red shield appeared before her, spinning. Haruto immediately retracted his blade, tapping his toe heavily on the shield, his entire body strangely changing direction and flipping behind Mukago.
The fatter Mukago was less nimble and more ponderous than before. Layers of fat bulged beneath her head, making it difficult for Haruto to distinguish where her neck ended and her chest began.
Unexpectedly, Mukago's head immediately rotated 180 degrees backward, and both her hands twisted around as if dislocated, spreading wide: "Blood Demon Art: Gluttonous Seed!"
Countless thick roots shot out from beneath her skirt, even sharper and faster than they were back then!
Haruto let out a cold snort from his nostrils, his long blade swirling around him with dazzling light, severing all those roots.
Aside from that disgusting Blood Demon Art that controlled "insects," it seemed that over the years—
"You haven't improved much!"
"Chop!" A flash of blade light cut across, and Mukago's outstretched left arm was severed at the root, flying off.
The demon's expression froze, then she roared in anger: "No improvement? I've eaten so many people, and you say I haven't improved?! What are you to say that!"
The entire ground began to tremble, and a giant flower disc burst out of the earth, almost instantly spinning, its shooting petals tearing everything around it to shreds!
Houses, carriages, the corpses of dead villagers, roaring demon insects, everything visible to the eye was perforated into a sieve by the petals!
Where was that swordsman! Where was that swordsman!
Had he also been pulverized in such an attack!
Mukago struggled to turn her body, but she only saw... a sky full of starlight.
Those stars were so beautiful, as if right before her eyes.
A star twinkled, and a robe, carried by the breeze, brushed past her neck.
"Breath of the Stars, Seventh Form..."
The swordsman's voice sounded in her ear, his tone becoming gentle.
"Star's Play."
Mukago stumbled back two steps in a daze, then, with a wet thud, shattered into a pile of rotten flesh.