DS Chapter 111: Ren's Artwork,
The Vanishing Pot!
"Exactly!"
Ren continued brainwashing Gyokko.
"Because you've been in a bloodthirsty state for so long, your works have become so monotonous and dull."
Gyokko fell into thought.
"Then should I avoid eating beef like you?"
Ren shook his head.
"You don't eat human flesh. You're a demon, so naturally, you don't eat other kinds of meat either."
A conflicted expression appeared on Gyokko's face, as though he had fallen into a dilemma.
Ren knew he was only one step away from success.
As long as he could trap Gyokko with this so-called concept of an "artist," he would gain the upper hand.
He could also use this opportunity to recover his strength and escape as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded above the basement.
The faint rustling grew closer and closer until it reached the basement.
Then a door creaked open.
"Creak~"
"Lord Gyokko, your superior has sent someone with a message."
At the entrance to the basement, a faint beam of moonlight spilled inside.
A small demon stood beneath it.
Ren narrowed his eyes.
It seemed to be nighttime now.
There were probably demons constantly moving around outside.
He simply didn't know where this place was.
Judging from the little demon's tone, it seemed that someone above Gyokko was coming.
Hantengu?
It didn't matter.
Ren turned toward Gyokko.
"Gyokko, unlock my chains. I'll teach you how to paint right now."
"Really?"
Gyokko looked at Ren suspiciously.
But after considering that Ren was heavily poisoned and that he genuinely wanted to see what Ren was capable of, he unlocked the chains binding him.
Ren stretched his slightly stiff limbs before finding his Nichirin Sword on the shelf.
He picked it up.
Gyokko didn't seem to have any intention of stopping him.
That's right.
According to what the other side had said, there were other people here besides Upper Rank Five, Gyokko.
That was also why Gyokko was so fearless.
Ren's gaze locked onto the little demon at the doorway.
It was the gaze of a predator staring at its prey.
The little demon was frightened by Ren's terrifying eyes and immediately tried to flee the basement.
But how could Ren give it such an opportunity?
He shouted and instantly drew his Nichirin Sword.
"Let me show you what I'm capable of!"
A flash of sword light swept past.
The little demon's neck was cleanly severed by Ren!
Gyokko narrowed his eyes but didn't immediately take action.
It was only a little demon.
If it died, then it died.
But his instincts told him that Ren must have a reason for doing this.
And sure enough, the next moment proved him right.
Ren raised the Nichirin Sword in his hand and viciously brought it down upon the little demon's fallen head.
Slash—
Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!
Ren began an intricate carving process.
After all, demons couldn't feel pain, so he could devote himself completely to his creation.
At this moment, the demon's head before him no longer seemed like merely a demon's head.
And the sword in his hand was no longer merely a Nichirin Sword used to kill demons.
A blade as the brush.
Blood as the ink.
A demon as the medium.
This was a perfect sculpture.
Before long, a delicately carved pot shaped like a demon's head was completed.
The pot bore a striking resemblance to Gyokko's own vessels, perhaps seventy or eighty percent similar.
The blood splattered across its surface was still slowly fading, giving the piece a strangely beautiful sense of gradual decay.
Everyone knew that when a demon's head was severed by a Nichirin Sword, both its head and body would rapidly disintegrate.
Ren had taken advantage of precisely this characteristic.
He had created a piece of art that reached perfection in the very process of disappearing.
Ren walked up to Gyokko and handed him the little demon's head.
Gyokko's hands trembled as he accepted it.
His eyes were unfocused, his face filled with shock.
Demons were creatures with powerful regenerative abilities.
Yet Ren's actions had directly deprived this demon of any chance to regenerate.
Furthermore, after severing its head, Ren had used an extremely short amount of time to create a pot.
Then, by combining it with the demon's post-mortem disintegration, he had created a type of artwork Gyokko had never even heard of!
An artwork that was slowly fading away.
A vanishing pot!
A divine technique!
This was simply divine!
This Demon Slayer was a genius!
Forget his attitude from earlier.
At this moment, Gyokko completely believed that Ren was an artistic master.
Gyokko carefully placed the gradually fading demon head on the main display shelf, treating it as though it were a priceless treasure.
Then he solemnly turned around, excitement written all over his face.
"Wait here! I'll get you something to eat right now!"
With that, Gyokko crawled into a flower pot and rolled away!
Before leaving, he didn't forget to set up his Blood Demon Art.
He still retained at least a little common sense.
However, Ren had no intention of leaving.
First, the poison in his body still needed time to break down.
Second, he wasn't certain how many enemies were nearby.
The only thing he was certain of was that Ren could now obtain information from Gyokko.
As one of the Twelve Kizuki's intelligence officers, Gyokko might be able to save him a great deal of trouble if Ren could get information out of him.
Before long, Gyokko returned with several steamed buns.
Ren saw no bloodstains on either the buns or Gyokko.
That meant Gyokko hadn't killed anyone.
And more importantly, he had actually taken Ren's words to heart.
"Did you eat anyone?"
Ren still asked, just to be safe.
"No!"
Gyokko chuckled.
"Is it because you're worried that eating humans will affect my state of mind while creating art?"
"Before I create an artistic masterpiece, I won't eat human flesh!"
Ren breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
"You're a fast learner."
"With your current level of enlightenment, you'll definitely be able to create a perfect work of art within seven days!"
"Really?"
Gyokko's voice carried a hint of anticipation.
"Can I really create something like the work you just made within seven days?"
"Of course!"
Ren nodded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Within seven days, I'll definitely turn you into a work of art as valuable as this little demon's head!"
"Really?!"
Gyokko excitedly shook his body, grinning so widely that he could barely close his mouth.
Ren nodded.
"Really."
He wasn't lying to Gyokko.
Because in seven days, his wounds would have healed.
At that time, wouldn't it be easy to cut off Gyokko's head with a sword and turn him into a flower pot?
The human and the demon had reached an agreement.
It seemed that both of them had already seen exactly what they wanted to see within those seven days.
Perfect!
And so, Ren and Gyokko began their artistic exchange.
This proved that whether human or demon, whenever someone became completely absorbed in doing something, time always passed quickly.
During this period, Muzan also observed the situation through his shared vision.
He discovered that Gyokko was learning sketching from Ren.
And what he was drawing was a beautiful flower!
The Blue Spider Lily!
Muzan knew immediately that it had to be the Blue Spider Lily!
He had never expected Gyokko to become so serious about it.
Muzan had originally assumed that Gyokko was merely fooling around with his ridiculous art again.
It seemed he had misjudged him!
Thus, the regretful Muzan wore a solemn expression.
Every so often, he summoned Gyokko to bestow rewards upon him.
Yet he remained completely unaware that his employee was slacking off...
Meanwhile, Muzan himself began researching medicinal formulas so that the moment the Blue Spider Lily was found, he could consume it immediately and become the ultimate life-form—an existence capable of surpassing Yoriichi Tsugikuni!