An Exchange with Tamayo

In the village, still bearing the scars of war with embers crackling amidst the ruins and smoke rising into the sky, two figures sat on a blood-stained boulder in the village square, beside a mountain of corpses.

"So, you were turned into a demon by your own older brother?" one asked, sitting on the rock with Yuko. Tamayo took small bites from an arm taken from a villager on the ground.

Her eating was incredibly elegant.

"Mhm, I will definitely not let him get away with it," Yuko said, her fingers clenching unconsciously, her gaze terrifyingly dark.

Tamayo continued to eat, observing the person beside her casually.

The characteristic red pupils were quite mysterious.

Mr. Yoriichi and the current Upper Rank One's sister, truly a case of 'like father, like son' (or rather, 'like brother, like sister')?

The talent in this family was terrifyingly strong. If Miss Yuko had been there that day, perhaps Muzan wouldn't have had a chance to escape.

A bloody arm was suddenly offered to her, carrying a faint smell of burning, making one feel nauseous.

But the worms in Yuko's stomach stirred restlessly.

She hadn't eaten in many years.

"Do you want some?"

Yuko licked her lips, "No, thank you."

Tamayo glanced at her sideways, her lips pursed slightly, "Miss Yuko, you haven't eaten a human before, have you?"

"Mhm."

Tamayo's expression shifted. Although she had suspected it, hearing the definitive answer from Yuko still surprised her.

She couldn't comprehend how one could overcome such hunger, a feeling far worse than a normal person starving for two or three days.

Especially during the initial period after transformation, there were almost no thoughts other than eating humans.

Tamayo's gaze deepened, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and turned her head, asking, "Miss Yuko, what are your plans now?"

"Wait."

"Wait?" Tamayo sounded a bit confused.

Yuko's eyelids drooped slightly, "With our current strength, we can't kill Muzan."

At least, not until the Pillars of the Taisho era, who were said to rival the Pillars of the Sengoku era, appeared.

After Yoriichi's death, Muzan began his actions, ruthlessly hunting down swordsmen who knew the Sun Breathing with Kokushibo.

Many Pillars' families were slaughtered, almost wiping out the lineage of the contemporary Pillars.

This was also why Yuko knew about it, even without contacting the Demon Slayer Corps.

Cases of entire families being brutally murdered were not uncommon.

Even if they didn't master the Sun Breathing, as people aware of it, Kibutsuji Muzan would absolutely not allow them to exist as long as there was any possibility of this breathing style being passed down.

The shadow Yoriichi left on him back then was too deep.

After the first generation of Pillars died due to the Markings, and Yoriichi left, the Demon Slayer Corps had already begun to decline.

There wasn't a single swordsman who could master the Markings, Transparent World, or Scarlet Blade.

Ultimately, the Pillars of the Sengoku era being able to master these techniques was inseparable from Yoriichi.

After Yoriichi left, their loss was inevitable.

These 'weak Pillars' combined couldn't even take down Kokushibo alone, let alone Muzan.

The Demon Slayer Corps was severely weakened and declined from then on.

If not for the concealment and intelligence work of the Hidden Unit, they might have been completely wiped out.

Even the so-called Taisho Nine Pillars, who mastered the Markings, Transparent World, and even the Scarlet Blade, could only be called plot devices by netizens after suffering more than half their casualties.

One could imagine how powerful Muzan was.

Yoriichi and Muzan's power were too far apart. Now that Yoriichi was gone, the power gap between demons and humans was simply immeasurable.

With the current personnel and strength, they were in no condition to fight Muzan.

Tamayo, listening to Yuko speak, pondered for a moment. She recalled the scene of Muzan instantly splitting into thousands of meat fragments and nodded heavily.

At the very least... they needed to restrict that splitting ability...

Otherwise, even if they could defeat Muzan, they wouldn't be able to kill him completely.

And Muzan had already overcome the weakness of his neck; perhaps only sunlight could kill him.

Tamayo asked again, "Miss Yuko, do you plan to cooperate with the Demon Slayer Corps?"

"Mhm."

After all, those who held a grudge against Muzan would gather at the Demon Slayer Corps.

The swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps were either from family lineages or were an avenger's alliance whose families were destroyed by Muzan.

A hint of worry flickered in Tamayo's eyes, and she gave a wry smile, "But with our identities, will they really accept us?"

Yuko wasn't worried about this, "They will."

Even if it's not possible now, it will be in the future.

Yuko's firm reply made Tamayo pause slightly, the corners of her lips curving upwards.

"Miss Yuko is truly as reliable as Mr. Yoriichi."

"This is the first time I've met a swordsman who let a demon go."

Yuko smiled, "That's because Miss Tamayo hasn't harmed anyone, right?"

Tamayo's eyelids drooped slightly, and she shook her head, "No, I've killed many people."

"I wouldn't have any complaints even if I were beheaded; a true demon."

"Unlike Miss Yuko..."

Yuko's expression faltered. She didn't really know Tamayo's past. When Tanjiro met her, she and Yushiro had been surviving on human blood.

Although Tamayo still retained a trace of human scent, it could be felt that she hadn't subjectively killed anyone.

She had merely used human corpses to sustain herself.

Yuko was silent for a moment, then said, "Can you tell me about it? I believe someone like Miss Tamayo must have had her reasons."

Otherwise, Yoriichi wouldn't have let such a man-eating demon go.

The desire to confide was an essential part of emotional beings.

Everyone wanted to share their joys, sorrows, or grievances with others.

Tamayo looked up at the sky. The stars were bright, like a pair of divine eyes, watching the suffering on the ground with no emotion.

She slowly recounted her past.

As a human, Tamayo suffered from an incurable disease that medicine couldn't treat. To see her child grow up, she searched for any possible cure.

"When my body grew weaker day by day and I fell into despair, that man appeared..." Tamayo said, her hands unconsciously clenching, veins bulging on the back of her hands.

"He told me that if I drank his blood, my illness would be cured..."

Deceived by Kibutsuji Muzan, she was turned into a demon and, in a state of uncontrollable frenzy, killed her husband and child.

It was not hard to imagine the torment Tamayo experienced when she regained her senses.

"After that, I gave up on myself and killed many innocent people," Tamayo said, closing her eyes with grief. "Muzan kept me by his side to find a way to overcome the sun. Only after Mr. Yoriichi defeated Muzan was I able to escape his control."

Mentioning overcoming the sun, Yuko thought of the Blue Spider Lily in front of Uta's grave. Perhaps Tamayo could research it.

With that thought, she spoke, "Regarding overcoming the sun..."

"Hmm?" Tamayo looked over in confusion.

Yuko turned her head, their eyes meeting. "Actually, I've already achieved it."

"Eh?"