Looking at the warm sunlight pouring in from the cave entrance, the demon seemed to be staring at the most terrifying thing in the world. Almost instinctively, he retreated step by step until he was deeper inside the cave. Only after confirming that not even a trace of that sunlight would touch him did he finally let out a slight sigh of relief.
It was only then that he realized Soma had not stopped walking. He was still heading toward the cave entrance—almost close enough to touch the warm sunlight streaming in.
"If you're touched by sunlight, you'll die."
The demon's voice trembled with fear.
Soma paused slightly. He could feel the instinctive terror rising from within his body. An inexplicable pounding filled his heart—a sensation like standing face-to-face with death.
For humans, sunlight was the most ordinary thing in the world. But for Soma now, as a demon, it felt like the most horrifying force imaginable.
Just as a demon's craving for human flesh was carved deep into its instincts, so too was the fear of sunlight. In fact, as he drew closer to the light, the craving for flesh that had constantly plagued him vanished at that very moment. What remained was only fear—fear of the sunlight before him. His body screamed at him over and over again to retreat, to stay away from that warm glow.
Soma stood still, gazing at the sunlight spilling into the cave. What had once been commonplace for him as a human was now something forever out of reach.
He could feel boundless fear filling his heart.
Yet at this moment, a faint smile of relief appeared on his face.
Because the relentless craving for flesh that had haunted him every waking second… was gone.
He knew the desire had not truly disappeared. It had merely been suppressed by something stronger—the instinctive terror of sunlight. It was the fear of death itself.
To Soma, death was terrifying as well. But at least now, he had gained a moment of respite. The unyielding tension of constantly fighting his craving had loosened slightly—like a violin string stretched to its breaking point finally being allowed to slacken.
He could feel every cell in his body trembling in fear of the sunlight. His body screamed at him to retreat into the depths of the cave's darkness. Even so, he slowly stepped closer to where the light poured in, inch by inch.
Though his instincts resisted desperately, he still extended his hand—slowly, steadily—toward the sunlight.
"Madman… you're insane…"
The demon behind him cried out in shock, staring at Soma as if he were the true monster.
As his fingers neared the warm light, the fear of death almost completely overwhelmed him. Yet, trembling, he finally stretched his fingers into the sunlight.
Under its rays, his fingers began to dissolve like snow beneath a blazing sun—gradually, little by little, vanishing from the world.
Soma stood there quietly, watching his fingers disappear bit by bit. Only then did he withdraw his hand and step back into the cave's darkness.
Not until he was completely enveloped in shadow again did the instinctive trembling of his body begin to subside.
"You've lost your mind! Aren't you afraid of dying?"
The demon beside him stared at Soma as if he were looking at a monster. To bathe in sunlight was something no demon would even dare imagine. Not even the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, dared expose himself to the sun.
Soma ignored the demon and lowered his head to examine the fingers that had been dissolved by the sunlight. Under normal circumstances, such an injury would have healed almost instantly, new flesh regenerating quickly. But now, although there was still a faint sensation of regeneration, the healing speed was dozens of times slower than before.
"It seems sunlight doesn't just destroy a demon's body… it also greatly slows the recovery of any area it touches," Soma murmured to himself as he observed his hand.
"You really are insane. You put your fingers in sunlight just to test that? You've completely lost it. Even being cut by the Demon Slayer Corps' Nichirin Blades isn't as terrifying as facing direct sunlight."
The demon looked at him as if he were a freak. It had seen many demons before, but never one as reckless as this.
Demons could not exist under sunlight—this was common knowledge among them, an instinct etched into their very being. No demon dared attempt such a thing. Even Muzan Kibutsuji himself did not dare stand beneath the sun.
In this world, no demon could bathe in sunlight.
"We are creatures of darkness. No demon can survive under the sun," the demon said quietly.
"No demon can survive under the sun…?" Soma muttered.
"That's right. Don't entertain such delusions. This is our flaw as demons."
The demon's voice carried a trace of unwillingness. After all, when they were human, basking in sunlight had been the most ordinary thing. Yet after becoming demons, it was forever out of reach.
Soma simply stared at his injured fingers in silence.
To the demons of this world, they were like rats in a sewer—forever hiding in darkness. Even Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of demons, could not overcome this flaw.
But if Soma remembered correctly, Nezuko—who later became a demon—eventually overcame this weakness. She became the first demon able to walk in sunlight.
And the reason she overcame that flaw was because she had consumed the Blue Spider Lily.
The Blue Spider Lily…
Soma repeated the name silently in his heart. This was the object Muzan had sought for over a thousand years without success. Soma felt that he must obtain it. Whether it was the uncontrollable craving for human flesh or the fact that demons could only skulk in darkness like sewer rats—both were things he could not accept.
From what he remembered, Muzan had failed to find the Blue Spider Lily for centuries because it only bloomed during the daytime.
How could demons—unable to walk in sunlight and forced to hide in darkness—ever search for a flower that bloomed only under the sun?
But for Soma, knowing this information meant it wasn't impossible.
If he remembered correctly, the Blue Spider Lily grew near the place where Tanjiro Kamado once lived.