Chapter 148: Is Ren Dead?
"You found me?"
Ren carved a path through the ice with his flaming blade, burning away all the ice crystals in front of him as he muttered to himself.
He suddenly raised his head and looked around.
Fortunately, no enemy appeared.
But Ren had definitely heard Douma's voice just now...
Whoosh!
The cold air in the sky dispersed, and a terrifying mist of blood shot into the air.
A moment later, a rabbit frozen inside an ice sculpture split into two, then fell piece by piece to the ground.
Douma blinked and stared at the rabbit, muttering,
"Huh? Why is it a rabbit?"
He raised his head and sensed the surroundings again, only to discover that the distance between himself and his target had widened once more.
Douma pursed his lips and suddenly exhaled a stream of cold air.
"Blood Demon Art: Crystal Doll!"
As his voice fell, the sky, which had been filled with icy radiance, transformed into countless crystals.
Suddenly, two clones identical to Douma appeared on the scene!
Douma's Blood Demon Art could create ice-crystal clones. Essentially, they were substitutes.
They could use the Blood Demon Arts Douma had used before, so their strength was not to be underestimated.
Furthermore, Douma could produce these clones in large numbers.
As long as he had sufficient energy, he was essentially equivalent to an entire army.
"Go, my companions. Capture the target."
Douma nodded.
The clones immediately rushed in every direction, tracking Ren according to changes in the density of Douma's own Blood Demon Arts—Lotus Vines of Frost and Freezing Clouds.
Soon, they determined a direction.
"I probably have another few hundred meters before I can leave the forest."
Following the moonlit path through the woods, Ren continued forward.
After walking along the winding path for another kilometer, he finally saw its end again.
A train station.
As long as he boarded the train, Ren could leave this place.
Fighting Douma right now would be unwise.
Yesterday, Ren had already confirmed that only two Upper Rank demons had launched an attack.
Douma had never appeared.
Now that Douma had shown himself, Ren could no longer guarantee that Muzan wouldn't send another Upper Rank demon to intercept him.
If he fought here, even if he managed to defeat Douma, the red-light district behind him would become Douma's refuge.
Moreover, there was an even more important reason.
Ren wanted to leave Douma alive.
He wanted to return to the Butterfly Mansion and, together with its two Hashira—the Insect Hashira and the Dragon Hashira—personally hunt down and kill this demon!
Ren raised his head and began using Regression State to calculate the train's arrival time.
Just as he moved his feet, a commotion suddenly came from within the forest.
"I found you!"
Amid the mottled shadows of the trees, a Douma clone with white oak-colored hair walked out of the darkness, an iron fan in his hand.
He cried out excitedly, as though he had discovered his prey.
"Haha! Little Ren, let's play together!"
Suddenly, another voice came from directly in front of Ren.
Whoosh!
A pair of pupils shimmering with rainbow-colored light appeared in his field of vision.
Another clone, condensed entirely from Douma's ice crystals, burst forth.
Ren was caught between enemies on both sides.
He suddenly drew his sword!
"Blood Demon Art: Cold White Princess!"
At the critical moment, a third voice suddenly rang out.
This time, the attack came from behind Ren!
The moment Ren heard the name of the technique, his pupils immediately contracted.
Blood Demon Art: White Princess of Frost.
This Blood Demon Art was primarily used to restrict an enemy's movements.
The White Princess it created could spray white mist from its mouth, producing an effect similar to freezing fog without requiring Douma to act personally.
The instant Ren drew his sword, Douma's cold air had already swept toward him!
With the temperature plummeting and Ren's limbs becoming frozen stiff, his slash failed to produce even a spark.
The dense cold air corroded Ren's body, instantly freezing him into an ice sculpture!
This was the first time Ren had failed a reaction-speed test.
It also indirectly demonstrated the true strength of an Upper Rank Two!
Among the Upper Ranks, the difference in strength between each individual was like a natural barrier.
Ren had lost!
Douma closed his iron fan and once again revealed his signature smile.
"Oh my, Ren, my friend. What's wrong with you? I've always considered you a friend."
Douma wore an innocent smile.
"I really liked that blue Spider Lily you painted before. I even thought about asking you to paint one for me."
"Who could have expected this?"
"It's all my fault. It's all my fault. I was simply too violent!"
Douma suddenly began crying again.
"Why are you all so weak? I had no idea how aggrieved Hantengu and Daki-sama must have felt when they died! Waaaaah—!"
At this moment, Douma was like a performer, vividly expressing his emotions.
It seemed as though he was mocking Ren's earlier ridicule.
Yet he didn't realize that his behavior was actually proving, in an indirect way, that as a demon, he lacked human emotions.
However, Douma genuinely did like Ren.
That part was not a lie.
Because Ren was the first person who had taught him what an emotion called anger was!
Douma found it incredibly fascinating.
Although he didn't particularly enjoy the sensation of anger, he could genuinely experience various emotions because of it.
Thus, Douma's interest in Ren rose once again.
"Hey! Ren, why don't you become a demon?"
"Wouldn't we become companions then?"
Douma thought he had come up with a wonderful idea.
He looked at Ren excitedly, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed.
Didn't his lord want that Blue Spider Lily?
If Ren became a demon, his lord would not only obtain information about the Blue Spider Lily, but would also gain a close friend!
Although Douma didn't know why his lord hadn't turned Ren into a demon, he didn't care!
How could his lord possibly be more important than his friend?
Like an excited child, Douma ran over to Ren and poked the ice sculpture in front of him.
"Ren, once you become a demon, we'll be best friends!"
"If we're best friends, then we'll have to stay together forever!"
"I can share my food with you. I have lots of beautiful, fair-skinned girls there. I'm sure you'll like them."
"What do you think?"
"Ren, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Don't you like talking?"
"Or is it that you don't consider me a friend at all?"
Douma stared at the extraordinarily handsome face inside the ice sculpture.
Because Ren had been frozen into an ice sculpture, he could not hear Douma's words.
He had already lost all sensation and was completely unconscious.
But the expression on his face remained clearly visible.
At this moment, the expression on Ren's face could only be described as disdain.
His eyes stared straight at Douma.
The corners of his lips were slightly raised, carrying a hint of a cold smile, as though he were rejecting every single word Douma had spoken.
"Is that so..."
Douma's eyes dimmed.
He seemed to believe that Ren didn't consider him a friend.
Once again, he experienced the emotions known as anger and fury.
What an unpleasant feeling.
Douma calmly raised both hands.
Then he slammed them down against the ice sculpture.
Bang!
The ice sculpture shattered.