"Eh?" Shinazugawa Genya looked at the red hair tips in front of him, somewhat lost in thought, as if he hadn't expected Mizuki to do such a thing.
As a Demon Devourer without the talent for Breathing Technique, Genya's methods of improving his abilities were very limited. At least regarding the activation of the Demon Slayer Mark, Mizuki believed it would be difficult for him to achieve through personal effort.
Not to mention abilities like Transparent World, which heavily rely on martial arts talent.
The ways for Genya to become stronger were basically limited to one.
That was eating demons.
Or devouring demon cells.
Whether it was hair or organs, any body tissue would do. It could allow him to gain some of that demon's abilities.
Simply put, he would gain a weakened version of that demon's abilities.
The more demon cells he devoured, the stronger he would become.
But with the final battle approaching, there was no place for him to find so many strong demons to devour.
Moreover, if he devoured too much, it might lead to some irreversible Demonization phenomena in his body.
This was the conclusion Kochou Shinobu reached after studying his body.
So even when eating demons, Shinazugawa Genya still exercised a certain degree of restraint. He didn't eat the entire demon bit by bit like a demon eating a human.
Instead, he would choose a portion of the body tissue to devour.
Furthermore, the decisive battle with Kibutsuji Muzan was already approaching.
As long as he defeated him, there would be no need to devour demons anymore.
"Let me state this beforehand, although I could give you an arm directly, the thought of someone eating my arm makes me sick, so hair is better."
Shinazugawa Genya was struck speechless by Mizuki before he even had a chance to be moved.
Was she humiliating him?
A vein popped on Shinazugawa Genya's cheek.
Mizuki calmly explained, "Don't worry, my hair has always been very smooth. There's no oil or dandruff, and there shouldn't be any strange smell either."
"I think it'll probably taste like strawberries or something."
Shinazugawa Genya's mind went blank for a second, directly stunned for three seconds, and he loudly retorted, "That makes it even more disgusting, okay?!"
"Besides, it's not like I haven't swallowed it before. Where did you get strawberry flavor from?!"
Mizuki replied expressionlessly, "It is now."
...
He looked at Mizuki speechlessly and took the hair from her hand.
This strand of long hair was less than what he usually devoured in terms of body tissue, but he wondered if it would get stuck in his throat.
Seeing him accept it, Mizuki lowered her eyelids.
Actually, as early as the Swordsmith Village, Mizuki had regretted not giving him her hair sooner.
If she had given her hair to Genya earlier, perhaps they could have kept the demon named Hantengu.
She didn't think this method of increasing strength was dishonorable, nor did she think it was unfair.
As long as it helped in slaying Muzan, any means were worthwhile.
There was no fairness to speak of with demons.
Genya, after eating her hair, might even surpass Shinobu in combat strength for a short period.
Shinazugawa Genya didn't hesitate much and wanted to try the power of Mizuki's hair, so he immediately put it into his mouth.
"Wait a moment." Mizuki quickly stopped him, seeing that he was about to swallow it all at once.
"Hmm?"
Mizuki frowned, "I suggest you swallow it little by little, to avoid causing irreversible effects on your body."
Because she was really strong now.
Shinazugawa Genya really wanted to say that he had eaten it before and it hadn't been that serious, but after thinking about it, he still didn't refuse Mizuki's good intentions.
Although this woman loved to tease people, she was very reliable when it came to serious matters.
"Like this?" Shinazugawa Genya picked out a single strand of red long hair.
"Mm."
Shinazugawa Genya's mouth twitched. He kneaded the strand of long hair and swallowed it in one gulp.
Tanjirou asked with concern and curiosity, "How do you feel?"
Forget about devouring demons... he didn't even feel like he swallowed anything, okay?!
It was like inhaling a mouthful of air.
Shinazugawa Genya's face darkened. Just as he was about to say that Mizuki was making a fuss over nothing, his expression suddenly changed.
A sudden pain shot through his abdomen, his pupils instantly constricted to pinpricks, and he fell weakly to the ground. Within a few breaths, dense beads of sweat the size of soybeans streamed down his cheeks.
"Hey, Genya, are you all right..." Tanjirou quickly squatted down to help him, but seeing Genya's expression, his words suddenly caught in his throat.
Genya's dark eyes suddenly turned golden.
That was a sign of Genya's Demonization, but unlike before, his eyes actually began to split, like a drop of water splitting into two.
Eyes just like Young Miss Mizuki's.
Tanjirou was shocked.
Shinazugawa Genya had no time to pay attention to Tanjirou at this moment, gasping for breath, his saliva rapidly secreting.
So powerful... he could feel something incredible happening inside his body.
This was completely different from his previous experiences of devouring demons.
A pain he had never felt before.
He hoped it would make him stronger, otherwise the price of becoming stronger was too great.
It felt just like cramping.
Kochou Shinobu rubbed her chin, muttering, "Is it because the energy in Mizuki's cells is too astonishing?"
"Hair originally doesn't have active cells..."
Mizuki, on the other hand, felt a bit strange. She looked at Shinazugawa Genya with a peculiar expression. Her hair... didn't seem to have been digested by Genya.
After a long period of pain, Shinazugawa Genya exhaled roughly, propping himself up with his arms and getting off the ground.
"The aftereffect is really..." He didn't finish his sentence before his body uncontrollably flopped back down.
"Woof?" Before Shinazugawa Genya could even question it, his mouth uncontrollably barked out a sound.
Kanao blinked, not understanding but sensing something profound.
Kochou Shinobu tilted her head, deep in thought.
Shinazugawa Genya was utterly shocked.
Tanjirou was stunned speechless.
Mizuki was also surprised: "Eh? Is it actually possible to do something like this?"
Genya's ability to eat demons was thanks to his unique digestive organs.
However, Mizuki could clearly sense that her hair had not been digested.
Instead, it was more like it had become parasitic within his body.
This wasn't Mizuki's own intention, but rather the instinctive choice of the hair that had left her body.
Mizuki subconsciously tried to control it, and unexpectedly, it actually succeeded.
Shinazugawa Genya, regaining control of his body, suddenly sprang up from the ground, his body trembling like a sieve, and his eyes full of anger as he looked at Mizuki.
Shinazugawa Genya said word by word, "I knew you, woman, had ulterior motives."
"Curiosity, purely out of curiosity." Mizuki broke into a sweat and said apologetically, "Sorry, sorry, I really didn't mean to."
"I only just found out myself."
Shinazugawa Genya ground his teeth, making a grating sound.
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