"Aaaaaah!"
An utterly agonized scream burst from Daki's throat. She clamped both hands over the wound on her neck, curling up on the ground in pain and rolling about without stopping.
No blood flowed from the wound. Instead, an eerie cyan-blue glow rose from it. The glow spread along her blood vessels and throughout her body at a terrifying speed.
Shinobu pulled out her Nichirin Blade and quickly retreated to a safe distance, standing beside Tanjiro as she watched the demon struggling on the ground with icy eyes.
"What's happening? My body... why won't it recover?! What kind of poison is this?!" Daki clawed frantically at her own skin, even gouging out her own flesh in an attempt to dig out the poison.
But that cyan-blue power was overwhelmingly potent. It not only destroyed her cells but also suppressed the demonic instincts within her. Daki discovered to her horror that her proud ability to break down toxins was utterly helpless against this power. The poison seemed alive, devouring her vitality like mad.
"Don't waste your strength." Shinobu flicked her blade lightly, shaking off the remaining blood, her voice carrying a trace of haughty satisfaction. "This isn't ordinary wisteria poison. It's a specially formulated medicine enhanced by that man's power. Trash like you thinks you can break it down? Dream on."
Tanjiro panted heavily. At the sight, half the weight finally lifted from his heart. "Miss Shinobu, thank you so much. If you hadn't stepped in when you did, Nezuko and I probably couldn't have held out much longer."
Shinobu glanced at Tanjiro and nodded slightly. "Don't let your guard down yet. This one isn't quite dead. Who knows where Rokuya has run off to? We'll have to watch out for ourselves."
At the mention of Rokuya, a barely perceptible trace