Chapter 385: Just 80 Away from 30,000—Can Everyone Make an Alt Account Real Quick?
"Man-eating demons, huh? It must have been tough dealing with those kinds of monsters."
Mom Snake and Mitsuki sat side by side on the grassy lawn. Mom Snake looked at Mitsuki with a gentle smile. The two of them truly resembled a mother and son chatting idly.
"It wasn't too bad. I used to be on my own, but recently I met a companion—his name's Boruto... Right! I need to get back and help him. Mom Snake, do you have any way you can help me?"
Perhaps because of lingering feelings, Mitsuki still couldn't bring himself to say the word "Mom."
"Even if you go back, there's probably not much you can do."
"But still..."
Mom Snake wasn't wrong, but Mitsuki couldn't help wanting to argue.
"The truth is, Mitsuki, you do have power."
"I have power?"
Mitsuki stared at Mom Snake, utterly confused.
"Yes—power." Orochimaru paused for a moment before continuing, "The power to become a demon. You see, the demons that appeared in the Land of Iron were all created by me. So when I cloned you, I added just a touch of demonic power as well."
As Orochimaru spoke slowly, Mitsuki's crimson single eye opened wide before her.
These demons—rational yet man-eating—were created by Orochimaru through a combination of RC cells from the Umbrella Organization and the Hulk Virus. Though weak at first, they had an immense potential for growth, evolving through continued consumption of human flesh.
"No... Mom Snake, you're joking, right...?"
Mitsuki forced an uneasy smile.
But Orochimaru shook her head. "No, I'm not."
"I'm not a demon... I'm not a demon..."
For someone who had spent his life hunting demons, Mitsuki couldn't accept the possibility that he himself was one. If it were true—what did that make everything he'd done up until now?
As a clone, Mitsuki had never had a goal or even thoughts of his own. Until one day, when he happened to rescue a sixteen-year-old girl from the clutches of a demon who only preyed on girls under twenty. After receiving the gratitude of the girl and her family, he finally found his purpose in life:
To kill demons.
To create a world without them.
"You really seem to be rejecting the idea of becoming a demon."
Mom Snake suddenly stepped forward and pinned Mitsuki to the ground.
"Mom Snake..."
Lying beneath Orochimaru, Mitsuki looked up at her.
"There's nothing wrong with becoming a demon." Orochimaru leaned down, whispering softly into his ear. Her unique scent filled Mitsuki's nose. "If you become one, won't you be able to help your companions even more?"
"Boruto!"
Mitsuki's eyes regained their light.
Somehow, the white flowers blooming on the lawn began to turn blood red, one after another.
"But before you can fully awaken your demonic power, you need a trigger. And that trigger... is human flesh."
Orochimaru continued.
"No, I can't!"
He didn't care if he became a demon. As long as he could help Boruto and protect humanity, he could accept that. But eating humans? That was something he could never do. If he did, how would he be any different from the demons?
Watching Mitsuki struggle, Orochimaru's expression gradually turned to disgust. She then braced herself against Mitsuki and stared into his crimson eye. "You can't? But your body has already become a demon. Deep down, don't you crave human flesh?"
To repair his injured body, consuming vast amounts of meat was inevitable.
"If you don't decide soon, your companion is going to die."
Orochimaru continued her temptation.
"No... I won't eat you!"
"...Another failure, huh."
Orochimaru's face suddenly turned cold as she looked down at Mitsuki.
"Failure...? What do you mean..." Mitsuki asked, as Orochimaru, still straddling him, suddenly reached out and began choking him. "Mom Snake... what are you doing..."
The pain from the strangulation twisted Mitsuki's face into a grimace.
"By failure, I mean—everything you've experienced so far was orchestrated by me. Whether it was the demon who hunted girls, or the ones in the temple, or the current incident at the Insect Manor—they were all part of my plan. All meant to awaken the demon blood inside you."
"Then... Boruto... is he also...?"
"No, he's not. He was just an accident."
Hearing Orochimaru's answer, Mitsuki let out an inexplicable sigh of relief.
"Well then, the great villain responsible for creating demons is right in front of you. You, who've sworn to slay them—don't you want to kill me?" Orochimaru tightened her grip. "No helping it, then. I'll just kill you and start the experiment over. But to prevent any unexpected variables, I'll have to kill everyone you've had contact with too."
"Everyone I've had contact with..." Mitsuki gripped the hand at his throat. "Boruto..."
"That's right. Your companion—Boruto—has to die too. The most annoying thing in an experiment is an unexpected element. It throws off the results."
"Boruto..."
Mitsuki had never imagined that his life could drag others down with it.
I can't...
Unable to breathe, Mitsuki's strength gradually faded. Orochimaru's face blurred before him, swallowed by darkness. Mitsuki closed his eyes.
What... is that...
In the darkness, a sudden light appeared. Mitsuki's consciousness drifted toward it.
Beside a campfire sat another Mitsuki.
"You are...?"
"Mitsuki. I guess I'm your original self."
The original Mitsuki looked at the clone and smiled.
"..."
It was awkward. The clone looked flustered—it was, after all, a fake meeting the real deal.
"I can feel your inner turmoil," the original said, shifting aside to make room. "I've been through the same thing. I was once human too. Later, I became a demon."
"Why...?"
"Because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to protect the things I wanted to protect. I'm sure you have something like that too—something you'd protect even if it meant losing everything."
The original Mitsuki smiled at his clone.
"Something I'd protect even at the cost of everything..."
Without realizing it, the clone thought of Boruto.
"Looks like you already have it."
The original said with a nod.
"Um... can I ask what you wanted to protect? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"It's not exactly a secret. In fact, I'm pretty sure we both want to protect the same thing," the original Mitsuki replied. "What I wanted to protect... was Boruto."
"I see..."
"Alright, you'd better get going. And don't forget—protect Boruto with everything you've got."
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