Chapter 127: One Upper Moon? Three Upper Moons!
At this moment, everything finally became clear.
It turned out that Gyokko had hidden the truth, which was why he had ended up in a fate even more miserable than death itself!
"What are you thinking about, Daki?"
Douma turned toward her with a smile.
"How could Lord Gyokko possibly have been capable of painting something like this? This painting was made by that man named Ren."
Ren?
Daki was stunned.
No wonder Muzan had been so desperate to capture Ren.
It was all because of that Blue Spider Lily!
Now Daki finally understood why Muzan had been so furious when Ren escaped that he had killed Upper Ranks Four, Five, and Six.
Ren's value was greater than that of all the Upper Ranks combined!
Suddenly, a broad hand landed on Daki's shoulder.
The pressure radiating from that palm instantly seeped through her clothes.
Gyutaro wanted to rush out and protect his sister, but even he was pinned down by that hand, unable to move.
"Things are bad. Lord Muzan has given me a death sentence. If I can't find this painting, I'll be in serious trouble. Fortunately, I have it now."
The voice sounded like a devil's lullaby in Daki's ears.
Although the tone was gentle, the intent behind it was utterly merciless.
Douma leaned closer to her ear.
"So, Daki, have you completed your mission?"
"...Understood."
Daki lowered her head deeply.
"Understood. We'll leave once night falls."
"That's good."
Douma smiled before turning around and ignoring the two demons completely.
Night gradually descended.
After Daki and Hantengu left, Douma picked up the painting and couldn't help staring at the Blue Spider Lily depicted on it.
When Ren had painted it, he had fallen into deep thought...
"You should have run away as soon as you heard the sound of the zither!"
At the Kyogoku House in the Entertainment District, several people were quietly gathered inside Hinatsuru's room, going over the battle from earlier.
Outside the window, the sun sank below the horizon and the full moon rose into the sky.
Without realizing it, an entire day had passed.
Ren and the three kunoichi had done nothing that day except listen to Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru discuss the events endlessly.
"I really never expected us to encounter an Upper Rank demon in the Entertainment District—and even run into the Dragon Hashira!"
Even after talking about it for the entire day, Suma couldn't help recalling the thrilling battle from the previous night.
They had even discovered another Upper Rank demon!
At that moment, Hinatsuru opened the door with four cups of hot tea in her hands.
She walked over to Ren and handed him one.
"I'm truly sorry, Dragon Hashira. You had already left, yet you went to all the trouble of coming back to save us."
There was genuine sincerity in Hinatsuru's voice.
If Ren hadn't returned in time, Suma really would have been finished.
"It's fine."
Ren's expression remained calm.
"I just happened to notice that you were in danger, so I acted on impulse and helped."
"But, Dragon Hashira, you're incredible!"
After finishing her tea, Suma cleared her throat before speaking.
"When I was flying through the air earlier, all I heard was a whoosh, and then I was saved. You're just as fast as Lord Tengen!"
Makio nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. I thought Suma was going to die on the spot, but fortunately, bad people tend to live for a thousand years, so she didn't die."
"Dragon Hashira, you saved us. We have no idea how we could ever repay you."
Hinatsuru took some gold ornaments from the wardrobe and held them out to Ren.
"These are all my possessions."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Ren frowned.
"I'm an upright demon slayer. Please don't test me with something like this!"
"That's not what I meant."
Hinatsuru realized that Ren had misunderstood her.
"These are just our thanks to the Dragon Hashira. We..."
"Enough."
Ren pushed the gold away.
"Stop throwing money at me. Half of the Butterfly Mansion belongs to me. Do you really think I'm short of money?"
No matter how hard Hinatsuru tried to give it to him, Ren refused to accept it.
In the end, Ren could only say helplessly,
"Wouldn't it be better for you to keep the money? You'll definitely need it when you eventually leave, won't you? Why do you keep trying to give it to me? Do I really look that poor?"
"No."
This time, Makio stood up.
"We don't plan on going back."
"Not going back?"
Ren was stunned.
"You plan to stay here? Since you've discovered an Upper Rank demon in the Entertainment District, you should report it to the Demon Slayer Corps and leave as soon as possible."
To his surprise, Hinatsuru and the other two shook their heads.
Even Suma, who was usually the most timid of the three, spoke firmly.
"We're members of the Demon Slayer Corps too. If we leave, then who will continue monitoring the Upper Rank demons?"
Makio nodded.
"Now that we've discovered the presence of an Upper Rank demon here, there's even less reason for us to leave."
Hinatsuru continued,
"This is a mission Lord Tengen entrusted to us. We absolutely cannot abandon it before the mission is complete."
Finally, the three women spoke together.
"Even if we might lose our lives because of this, it's our responsibility. We have to hold out until the Sound Hashira arrives and eliminate the threat posed by those Upper Rank demons before they can cause even more casualties!"
Looking at the faces of the three kunoichi, Ren was deeply moved.
To be honest, he had returned to save Hinatsuru simply because he had a certain connection with her and the Sound Hashira.
He couldn't bear to watch Hinatsuru be killed by Daki.
But he hadn't expected that, after experiencing such a dangerous situation, they would still willingly choose to stay.
That was completely beyond Ren's expectations.
But then again...
Hadn't the Demon Slayer Corps always been like this?
Ren hesitated.
He remained silent.
Hinatsuru and the other two exchanged sorrowful glances.
"Do you want to die?"
Suma suddenly burst into tears.
"Waaah! Who would want to die when they could stay alive?!"
Makio smiled.
"You crybaby. Go ahead and cry. Cry until you've shed every last tear. You might never hear yourself crying again after this."
Hinatsuru looked at the two of them.
"Having the two of you by my side is my blessing. If something happens to us, then in our next lives, I want to be Lord Tengen's wife again!"
The three women wore tragic expressions.
Ren suddenly felt uncomfortable.
UzuI Tengen... that bastard.
He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but after hearing Hinatsuru's astonishing declaration, Ren couldn't help feeling a little envious of the man.
Three wives.
All three were kunoichi.
Fair skin, beautiful faces, long legs, black stockings, fishnet stockings, and bare legs.
UzuI Tengen was probably the most pleasure-loving Hashira in the entire Demon Slayer Corps...
"Enough, enough."
Ren sternly interrupted them.
"What are you monitoring them for? Just kill them all!"
Suma looked at him blankly.
"But we can't do that..."
Ren tilted his head and couldn't help smiling.
"It's simple. I'll take care of them for you. After that, you just need to have your husband teach me some ninjutsu!"
The three women were completely stunned.
It took them a full two minutes to recover.
Oh, right!
The person standing before them was the Dragon Hashira!
This was the ruthless man who had single-handedly killed an Upper Rank.
Why had they become so anxious and sentimental?
Hinatsuru spoke with some concern.
"But, Dragon Hashira, your injuries..."
Do I look injured to you?
Ren's expression became serious.
"There is one more thing I need to correct."
"There isn't just one Upper Rank here."
"There are three."