For Su Mu, abandoning the principles he had held as a human was simply impossible. Every day, he had to endure the constant hunger, forcing down the urge to devour flesh and blood at every moment.
Although he had become a demon, that did not mean he had lost his human principles. He would never eat people, nor would he become a monster that had lost its nature and could no longer suppress its urge to devour flesh and blood.
Sitting alone beneath the eaves, he looked up at the full moon. Only when it gradually sank did Su Mu finally have to rise.
He could no longer stay here. The sun was about to rise.
As the sun rose and its light spread across the earth, even the most powerful demons could only hide in the darkness like sewer rats. Not even the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, could escape that fate, much less an ordinary demon like him.
Without hesitation, he leaped down from beneath the eaves and headed away from town with light, nimble steps.
A forest lay a short distance from town. Beneath the dim night sky, Su Mu hurried through the trees.
After another few minutes, a pitch-black cave appeared ahead. By then, the sun had risen, and its first rays spilled over the distant horizon onto the world.
Su Mu raised his head and looked at the light dispelling the darkness, then stepped into the cave without hesitation.
Sunlight filtered through the forest, banishing every shadow it touched, but it could not penetrate the deeply sheltered cave.
The cave was damp and dark. Su Mu silently made his way deeper into the darkness, but halfway in, he stopped and looked down at his feet.
A thick carpet of bleached bones covered the ground beneath him. They belonged to the elderly, children, men, women... Skulls and bones lay piled quietly along both sides of the cave passage, like takeout containers casually discarded after a meal.
Although he had seen this many times, Su Mu still found it difficult to get used to. Even now, as a demon, he still considered himself human deep down. Seeing his own kind killed for food filled him with an indescribable fury.
"Whew..."
He drew a deep breath, suppressed the impulse rising within him, and silently walked on. Just then, the distinct sound of chewing reached his ears.
Su Mu looked up ahead. A figure crouched with its back to him, eating something.
Seemingly sensing his approach, the crouching figure turned around, revealing a hideously savage face. Scarlet blood lingered at the corners of his mouth.
He still held a thigh bone in his hand. Crimson blood dripped from it, staining the damp ground a dark red.
Clearly, this was a demon.
"Want some?"
The demon raised the thigh bone in his hand, fixing his scarlet gaze on Su Mu.
Su Mu's expression turned grim. Although he had become a demon, he would never become a monster stripped of his humanity.
"Still holding out?"
The demon stood and approached, carrying the thigh bone. "We aren't human anymore. We're different from those frail creatures now. Are you really still going to treat those weak things as your own kind?"
Su Mu merely watched him coldly without a word.
"You remind me of how I was at first. I resisted food like this too, until the first time I couldn't hold back and took a bite. Only then did I understand how delicious it was. Can you imagine tender, juicy flesh bursting in your mouth, that sweet blood flowing down your throat? It's even more wonderful than going to heaven."
"You haven't tried it yet. Once you do, you'll understand what an exquisite pleasure it is. I guarantee that one bite will get you hooked."
The demon with bluish-purple skin stuck out his tongue and licked the corners of his mouth, his face awash with bliss.
Su Mu walked to one side, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes without speaking. Yet the scent of blood from the thigh bone in the demon's hand made every cell in his body tremble, urging him to devour it at once. If he ate it, he would not only taste an unparalleled delicacy, but his body would become more complete as well.
"And this is only ordinary flesh and blood. Rare blood would taste even better."
The demon lowered his voice, longing showing in his eyes. "I've never come across anyone with rare blood. I hear eating just one is worth eating dozens of people."
After saying so much, the demon grew irritated when Su Mu remained seated and unmoved. "What are you even holding on to? Do you still think you're one of those frail humans? Feel your own hunger. The longer you resist, the stronger your craving for flesh and blood will grow, day after day. Even someone with the strongest will can't suppress that craving after becoming a demon."
"Do you know the great Twelve Kizuki? Lord Kokushibo? Lord Akaza? Do you know how strong their wills were when they were human? And what did it matter? Didn't they all end up the same way?"
Su Mu, who had kept his eyes closed, opened them. He looked at the hideous demon before him, at that sinister face in the darkness. After a long moment, he spoke calmly. "So your father, your mother, and your daughter were delicacies too?"
Over the past few days, he had learned a little about the demon's past. Like every other demon, he had once been human. He had initially had a happy family: a lovely child, a devoted wife, and kind parents. But when he became a demon, the taste of blood had shattered it all. He had destroyed everything with his own hands.
"Shut up!"
The words came out in something close to a roar. Furious, the demon flung the thigh bone to the ground and glared viciously at Su Mu. The memories of his human life, which had gradually faded since he became a demon, returned with Su Mu's words. Indescribable pain flooded his entire being in an instant, as though needles were piercing his heart.
The things he had believed completely forgotten were still buried deep in an obscure corner of his heart. Once mentioned, they were like wounds torn open again, bringing unbearable pain.
It took a long while for the demon to recover from his fury. Then he fixed his scarlet eyes on Su Mu. "We're demons now. Even if we used to be human, we're demons now. We're no longer the frail creatures we once were. Now we're noble demons. As demons, we won't die, grow old, or fall ill. From now on, we'll never lose anything again. We're incredibly powerful, and we can do whatever we want. Why do you still care so much about what you used to be?"