chsdbacks Chapter 109 The Demon Mikako Appears
Chapter 109 The Demon Mikako Appears
The frigid air seemed to freeze, and the entrance to the passage was filled with a thick stench of blood and an indescribable chill emanating from the abyss.
The deathly silence left by the brief, one-sided slaughter was now broken by a soft yet venomous voice:
"surprise?"
The voice, hollow and inhuman, echoed in the empty space, sending chills down one's spine. Then, the voice rang out again, its tone filled with a mocking and cruel glint:
"Shouldn't you be terrified to meet me?"
Before the words were finished, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the passageway.
She was a young woman dressed in a traditional kimono, with a beautiful face, but her face was painted with strange and distorted scarlet and black patterns, making her look eerie and terrifying.
Her skin appeared unnaturally pale in the dim light, as if it had never been exposed to sunlight.
What's most striking is her long, glossy black hair, which cascades down her shoulders like a waterfall, its luster flowing and subtly revealing a metallic texture—it was this seemingly smooth hair that had just acted like a living, poisonous whip, instantly shattering Jasmine's resistance and binding her tightly.
The demon Mikako has appeared.
Her appearance was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, instantly provoking a completely different reaction.
The five men who had previously been aggressive towards Lin Bei and Madam Rose, and who had taken advantage of Jasmine's misfortune, now resembled hyenas seeing their master, their faces instantly filled with fawning obsequiousness and extreme fear. They rushed forward, groveling and groveling, wishing they could prostrate themselves on the ground and kiss her toes.
"grown ups!"
"You've finally arrived!"
"Welcome, Lady Mikako!"
"My lord, look! It's that man and woman! Lin Bei and Madam Rose!" one of them pointed at Lin Bei and Madam Rose, his voice shrill and distorted with excitement and fear.
"But... but Lin Bei's strength is somewhat... somewhat beyond our expectations. Many hunters... have fallen at his hands." His voice grew softer and softer, trembling with guilt.
"Yes, sir," another quickly added, trying to salvage the situation, "but since you've come in person, there's absolutely no problem! With just a little effort from you, we're confident Lin Bei and Madam Rose will have no chance of escape!"
"And that bitch Jasmine!" The third man hurriedly pointed to Jasmine, who was slumped on the ground, pale as a ghost, his tone filled with vicious hatred. "She actually betrayed you! She tried to let Lin Bei and Madam Rose escape! Luckily, we discovered it in time and stopped her!"
"That's right! My lord, such a traitor must not be let off lightly! Please execute Jasmine immediately as a warning to others, so that everyone knows the consequences of betraying you!"
"Yes! Kill her!"
In an instant, the five people were talking at once, their voices overlapping, filling the air with nauseating flattery and the ugly spectacle of eagerness to absolve themselves, claim credit, and trample on their companions. Their eyes gleamed with fear of power and a desperate yearning for their own wretched existence, completely ignoring Jasmine's despairing gaze.
As for Jasmine, the moment Mikako stepped out of the passage, it was as if all the bones in her body had been removed, and even her soul had been frozen.
An overwhelming fear, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed all her senses and thoughts.
She collapsed to the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably, her teeth chattering, her throat feeling as if it were being choked by an invisible hand, unable to utter even a whimper. She could only stare wide-eyed at the being that had brought her endless nightmares, watching her five former colleagues now perform a vile display of loyalty before her like clowns.
However, despite the five men's excessive attentiveness, Mikako's face, covered with strange patterns, showed no pleasure whatsoever.
Her gaze was like unyielding ice, sweeping over the five people with undisguised disgust and contempt. Her voice was even colder than before, carrying a chilling intent that pierced to the bone, striking each of them squarely in the heart:
"Inferior, vile humans..." Every word she uttered was like a poisoned icicle.
"Do you think that because I'm down there... I can't see anything? I can't hear anything?"
The fawning expressions on the five people's faces froze instantly, the color draining away rapidly, turning them deathly pale.
"I know everything that has happened here, from the beginning until now." Mikako's gaze was like a tangible blade, scraping across the five trembling bodies.
"You five are nothing but five turtles cowering in a corner, insects that dare to swagger in front of the weak! Have you taken even the slightest bit of what I entrusted to you to heart? Have you truly carried it out?"
Her gaze swept over Jasmine, whose face was ashen, and her tone carried a barely perceptible, almost cruel, element of "justice":
"As for Jasmine... although she foolishly betrayed me, at least... she did something. She took action, even if that action was a foolish betrayal. And you..."
Mikako paused, her icy gaze refocusing on the five as if looking at a pile of nauseating garbage: "What use are you five insects, besides wagging your tails, begging for mercy, turning against each other, and kicking someone when they're down...?"
The chilling intent in his words, like the biting wind of the Arctic, instantly froze the blood of the five men.
They felt a bone-chilling cold rush from their feet to their heads, as if they were in an ice cave.
Despite being filled with fear, grievance, and resentment, and despite their desire to argue that "we have been trying to delay" and "we have been fighting desperately," no one dared to utter a single sound under Mikako's inhuman, murderous pressure.
The agonizing screams and mangled remains of their companions, torn apart and devoured by demons in the underground chamber, were etched vividly into their minds like the most terrifying nightmare. Resist? That meant immediate, excruciating death.
The five men fell silent, trembling like leaves, hoping that this capricious demon would temporarily ignore their existence and turn his attention to Lin Bei.
When Mikako's cold gaze finally shifted from them to the composed Lin Bei not far away, and she took a step forward, the five people's nerves, which had been stretched to the limit, suddenly relaxed, and a feeling of exhaustion from surviving a disaster welled up in their hearts—they thought they had escaped a calamity by sheer luck.
However, how could lowly humans possibly fathom the thoughts of evil spirits?
Just as the five people's tense nerves relaxed, and before they could fully exhale—
A sudden change has occurred!
Mikako's long, smooth, jet-black hair, which cascaded over her shoulders, suddenly sprang up without warning! As if imbued with a violent life force, it instantly transformed into five ferocious black pythons!
Every single hair seemed to come alive, shimmering with a cold, metallic sheen, and with a piercing shriek that tore through the air, it precisely lunged at the five traitors who thought they were safe!
"ah--!"
"Wh...what?!"
"Lady Mikako! What are you doing?!"
A gasp of surprise and a scream of terror erupted simultaneously! The relief on the faces of the five people was instantly replaced by extreme horror.
They tried to struggle, to escape, but their bodies were frozen in place, as if nailed by an invisible fear; they couldn't even lift a finger. The black python was too fast! Faster than human reaction time could possibly be!
"Spare me! Lady Mikako! I know I was wrong! Please forgive me!"
"No! Don't kill me! I'll do anything for you! Please!"
"My lord! Give me another chance! Ah—!!"
The shadow of death completely enveloped them, and immense fear drained the last bit of strength from their bodies.
They could only watch helplessly as the black "python," composed of countless strands of tough hair and exuding a strong stench of blood, coiled around their necks, waists, and limbs like the deadliest noose! The cold, slippery hair, carrying the aura of death, dug tightly into their flesh!
Faced with the five people's heart-wrenching, tearful pleas for mercy, Mikako didn't even spare a glance.
Her expression was as cold as a statue, her eyes fixed intently on Lin Bei in front of her, as if what was unfolding behind her was nothing more than an insignificant farce.
"Snap! Snap!"
A sickeningly loud sound of bones cracking suddenly rang out!
Then came the muffled "plop" sound of flesh being forcibly torn apart and blood vessels being squeezed open!
The five hair-like pythons suddenly contracted to their maximum size, their immense power instantly twisting the five human bodies into unbelievable angles! At the same time, the python's "head," made of hair, suddenly opened, revealing not a snake's mouth, but countless frantically writhing, sharp vortexes of hair like tiny fangs, which fiercely "bite" into their prey!
"Ughh ...
A piercing scream, inhuman and agonizing, erupted instantly, filled with indescribable pain and despair! The sounds of bones breaking, internal organs being crushed, and flesh being frantically torn and burrowed into by countless strands of hair intertwined with this dying wail, forming a hellish symphony of death!
Thick blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the ground red and also the frantically writhing black hair!
This horrific scene lasted only three or four seconds. The heart-wrenching screams ceased abruptly, as if a neck had been snapped. The only sounds left in the space were the chilling crunching and chewing sounds, and the rustling of hair rubbing together.
The five figures had completely disappeared, swallowed up by the thick, writhing, greedy black hair.
The enormous mass of hair enveloping them now resembled the digestive organ of a living, terrifying monster, rising and falling, contracting and expanding eerily and rhythmically in the air.
Faintly, Lin Bei, Lady Rose, and Jiro Ashina, who were watching from the sidelines, could even hear extremely faint, intermittent curses, pleas, and screams from the depths of the dense hair, as if they came from another world and were filled with endless resentment and pain. It was as if the remaining consciousness of the five people was enduring eternal torment in the purgatory formed by the hair.
A moment later, all the wriggling and sounds completely disappeared. Mikako's black hair receded like a tide, quickly spreading out, regaining its smoothness, and cascading back into place, as if the terrifying scene had never happened.
On the ground, only five piles of clothes, soaked in blood, tattered, and filthy, lay silently on the cold ground like discarded garbage.
Meanwhile, the ends of Mikako's jet-black hair now had an eerie, striking, vivid crimson color, as if it had just been dyed. The crimson area seemed to be growing and spreading slightly, as if silently announcing the "results" of the bloody feast just now.
Five living people were devoured completely in full view of everyone, leaving not a trace of bone or a drop of blood.
This is true ruthlessness—eating people without spitting out the bones! The ultimate cruelty of completely erasing life!
At this moment, Mikako, who had created all this horror, had walked leisurely to a spot just two meters away from Lin Bei and stopped. Her gaze passed over Lin Bei, and she looked at her prey with great interest. The strange patterns on her face appeared even more eerie in the dim light.
Having witnessed the hellish process of being devoured, Lady Rose felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and her stomach churned violently.
Her face was ashen, her body trembling uncontrollably. She instinctively took two steps back, almost hiding her entire body behind Lin Bei's tall figure, her hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes as if it were her only lifeline.
She had seen demons, but never such a thorough, inhuman, and manipulative annihilation.
Jiro Ashina, facing such a terrifying existence for the first time, felt an unprecedented life-or-death crisis!
His hair stood on end, and every muscle was taut to the limit! The instinct for survival swept over every cell and nerve ending of his body like a tsunami!
His heart pounded wildly in his chest, his blood surged and roared in his veins, and only one voice screamed in his mind: "Run! Run! You'll die! You'll definitely die!" This fear, which came from the very source of life, was a thousand times stronger than when he faced the cultivated eye-and-ear ghosts in the underground base!
Just standing in front of Mikako, he felt as if he were standing naked on the edge of a bottomless cliff, about to be shattered to pieces at any moment!
However, faced with this extreme fear that was almost overwhelming his reason, Ashina Jiro clenched his teeth so tightly that blood even seeped from his gums!
He took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the instinctive urge that almost made him turn around and run away!
He can't back down!
His pride as a warrior, and his gratitude to Lin Bei for saving his life, became the last backbone supporting him as he stood! With a clang, he drew the long sword from his waist without hesitation!
The blade gleamed coldly, gripped tightly in both hands, held horizontally before him, its tip pointing with unwavering resolve at the inhuman, terrifying being—Mikako! His knuckles were white from the excessive force, trembling slightly; his muscles ached as if pierced by countless steel needles; his nerves were taut as if they might snap at any moment, yet he did not retreat an inch!
A kind of tragic flame burned in his eyes!
As for Jasmine, the moment she witnessed Mikako easily devour the five traitors like crushing insects, the beliefs that had long sustained her in betrayal, killing, and enduring fear shattered completely like fragile glass! She finally understood, thoroughly and painfully understood!
Eternal youth! Immortality! Becoming a noble member of the demon race! It's all a lie! Utter lies!
Mikako, that evil spirit, has been deceiving them from the very beginning! She's treated them all like disposable tools! The promised future is nothing but bait; once she's achieved her goal, or once she feels they've lost their value like now, she'll ruthlessly discard them like trash!
The moment she understood all of this, a tremendous sense of absurdity and despair overwhelmed Jasmine like a tsunami. She first shuddered violently, and then a hysterical outburst erupted from her!
"Hahaha...hahahaha..."
She first let out a sharp, manic, hollow laugh, the sound echoing in the silent space, filled with endless sorrow and mockery.
As she laughed, large tears, like beads from a broken string, uncontrollably streamed from her wide eyes, streaming down her dusty and blood-stained cheeks.
"Hahaha...you wicked devil! You complete and utter liar!"
She laughed and cried at the same time, her voice hoarse and broken, "So...so we were all just pawns! Pathetic pawns on your chessboard, at your mercy!"
"So you've been deceiving us from the very beginning! Toying with us!" She pounded the ground, her nails drawing blood from the rough surface. "Everything we did! All the betrayal! All the killing! All the fear and anticipation... it was all for nothing! All in vain! All a joke! Hahaha..."
She raised her head, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Mikako, her face a mixture of tears and a twisted smile, looking like a madwoman.
"You never intended for us to become ghosts, did you?! You were just using us! Using us and then eating us! Just like you ate those five idiots! We...we're so pathetic! Pathetic and stupid! Pathetic and stupid to the extreme! Ahahahahaha..."
Jasmine was crying and laughing at the same time, tears streaming down her face. She was clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown, using her last bit of strength to protest this cruel truth.
Looking at her frantic and disheveled state, Mikako felt no pity, only indifference as if she were looking at an ant and a deep-seated contempt.
She didn't even bother to hide it, letting out a clear and short sneer, a laugh filled with contempt for the insignificant emotions of humankind.
"Pathetic humans..." Her voice was like ice rubbing against ice.
"You're right. From the very beginning, I never intended to turn you lowly beings into noble ghosts."
She slightly raised her chin, with an air of superior, almost divine arrogance: "As for your question about deception?"
She shook her head slightly, as if she had heard an utterly absurd accusation.
"No, I did not deceive you. Those delusions about transformation are nothing but wishful thinking on the part of you fools."
Her gaze swept over Jasmine as if she were looking at a speck of dust: "You pathetic and insignificant humans don't even have the right to be deceived by me. All I ever promised was 'blessing'."
Mikako's lips curled into a cruel and cold smile:
"It is yourselves who foolishly interpreted 'blessing' as turning into ghosts. Don't you even consider that you lowly and weak ants have no right to obtain eternal life and youth? To be among the noble ghosts?"
She paused, watching as the last glimmer of light in Jasmine's eyes completely extinguished, before slowly speaking in a tone of condescension:
"As for the 'blessing' I mentioned... to make you incompetent and greedy trash become the blood and flesh of me—the noble demon race—to nourish my power... isn't this a... supreme 'gift' and 'blessing' for your short and meaningless lives?"
This is the final value of your existence; you should be grateful beyond words.
This cruel and chilling truth, like a final death knell, shattered Jasmine's last remaining consciousness. She collapsed completely, her eyes glazed over, leaving only an empty despair.
Lin Bei, who had been observing coldly and remaining silent, had a knowing glint in his eyes after hearing Jiazi's undisguised declaration.
He finally understood completely why the hunters of the Rose House had betrayed him and why they had colluded with the evil spirits.
It turns out that they were after that illusory immortality and youth, but in the end they ended up being used as food.
He glanced at Jasmine, who lay lifeless on the ground like a rag doll, his eyes showing little sympathy, only indifference to greed and folly.
Then, he turned his calm yet sharp gaze back to the terrifying demon, Mikako, who was right in front of him.
Lin Bei's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, each word steady and deliberate, piercing through the lingering stench of blood and fear in the space, reaching the ears of everyone present who was still conscious:
"It seems you've been quite fooled by this evil spirit."
His tone carried an all-knowing calmness, and even a barely perceptible sigh.
"However..." Lin Bei changed the subject, his voice still steady, "This cannot be entirely attributed to your stupidity."
He was stating a perfectly ordinary truth: "Fear of death is human nature. The pursuit of immortality is also human nature. There is nothing wrong with that."
His gaze swept over Jasmine again, finally settling on Mikako, his eyes becoming sharp and penetrating:
"But... your choice to obtain these things by becoming such human-eating, darkness-lurking 'demons' is utterly foolish."
Lin Bei's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of authority, as if he were revealing a fundamental law about the world of demons:
"You may not know this, but among the demons, only the source of the demon race, the supreme demon king, Muzan Kibutsuji, truly possesses the 'power' to transform ordinary humans into demons."
"Later, Muzan distributed his blood among twelve people, turning them into demons and giving them the name 'Twelve Demon Moons'."
"Furthermore, he bestowed this 'power of transformation' upon these twelve powerful demons."
"So," Lin Bei said firmly, his gaze fixed on Mikako as if it were a physical object.
"The only beings capable of actively transforming ordinary humans into demons are Muzan Kibutsuji himself and his Twelve Demon Moons!"
"Besides that, the vast majority of demons in the world were either transformed by Muzan himself or were passively transformed by extremely accidental contact with blood containing Muzan's power."
He looked at Jasmine, a hint of anger at her lack of ambition in his eyes: "So, instead of placing your slim hopes on it..."
"It would be better to join forces to kill it and extract the blood of Muzan from its body."
"Then, by consuming Muzan's blood, there might be an even greater chance of turning into a demon."
"But even if you become ghosts..."
"He's nothing more than a pathetic puppet whose life and death are entrusted to the Demon King Muzan."