Chapter 149: Kochou Shinobu Arrives in the Red-Light District!
However, no blood flowed from the ice sculpture.
There wasn't even a trace of Ren's corpse.
Douma was stunned.
Suddenly, the distinctive whistle of a train sounded in the distance.
But Douma paid it no attention.
He crouched down and watched the "Ren" inside the ice sculpture slowly dissipate. Then he reached out and grabbed a wisp of the "remains."
He sniffed it.
Douma suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I'm so happy!"
He looked like an idiot who had just discovered some earth-shattering secret.
He shouted loudly,
"So…"
"So, Ren, you're already my companion!"
"No wonder! No wonder! Hahaha!"
"Turns out you're a demon too!"
"Ren!!"
Deep within the forest, Douma's laughter gradually became more and more unrestrained…
Meanwhile.
One kilometer away, Ren had just boarded the train when he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, attracting the attention of the passengers around him.
Ren wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and calmly said,
"Sorry. My blood has been circulating a little too vigorously lately. Spitting some out makes me feel much better."
Passenger: "…"
After saying that, Ren ignored the strange looks around him. He bought a ticket, then found an empty seat and sat down.
He looked exhausted.
A memory suddenly surfaced in Ren's mind.
That's right.
Ren had anticipated Douma's appearance long ago and had already prepared for it!
Dragon Breath, Ninth Form—Dragon Shadow Clone!
A sword technique constructed from an ability resembling a Blood Demon Art!
Ren had discovered a new application for this technique.
He could create a clone identical to himself.
However, creating the clone was extremely difficult, and the clone could only exist for one minute.
The difficulty wasn't a problem.
Ren could solve that by activating the Transparent World.
But the time limit was a major issue.
Although Ren had detected Douma's position beforehand, even if he released the clone in advance, one minute wasn't enough to create sufficient distance between them.
But who could have expected that idiot Douma would simply freeze "Ren" in place?
Now, even if "Ren" wanted to disappear, it couldn't…
Halfway through his journey, Ren was still wondering why Douma had deliberately circled around the train station instead of continuing to pursue him.
Then Ren activated Regression State.
He confirmed that there was no trace of cold air around him, proving that Douma really hadn't followed.
Ren then ran to the station and waited for the train for a full minute…
As a result, his clone only died after he had already boarded the train!
At this point, it was necessary to mention the second function of Dragon Shadow Clone.
Just like shadow clones in certain worlds of shadow, after Ren's clone died, Ren could obtain the clone's relevant memories.
But there was also a side effect.
In other words, he would also suffer all the injuries his clone had suffered.
Fortunately, those injuries were weakened.
Ren made a rough estimate.
The damage was approximately half of the original.
That was acceptable.
At least it wouldn't cost him his life!
Ren closed his eyes.
Hundredfold Tempered Total Concentration Breathing caused the blood within his body to circulate rapidly. After a moment, Ren's body temperature began to rise.
His injuries recovered quickly.
While recovering, Ren began analyzing the memories he had received.
Then he felt disgusted.
Douma…
That guy really was a psychopath!
Now Ren finally understood why Douma hadn't pursued him.
That cheerful young man had apparently already begun confessing his feelings!
He had been mumbling to himself beneath the ice sculpture for quite some time!
Ren felt sick just thinking about it…
However.
To be fair, Douma's strength had far exceeded Ren's expectations.
Although Ren's clone could only exist for one minute, it possessed all of his abilities except for the Transparent World and Regression State.
Even so, the clone had died in a single encounter.
That forced Ren to reassess Douma's strength.
To be honest, Ren had been somewhat overconfident.
He had just killed three Upper Rank demons of the Twelve Kizuki. His record was certainly impressive, but those demons ultimately weren't Muzan's primary forces.
One had to understand that the top three Upper Ranks were Muzan's treasures.
Killing a demon at Hantengu's level ultimately wouldn't truly weaken Muzan.
"Hiss…"
Ren suddenly came back to his senses.
A chill suddenly swept through his entire body.
He stared indifferently out the train window.
For some reason, he suddenly missed Shinobu.
Ren searched through his backpack.
Then he suddenly realized that, in the middle of all this chaos, he had somehow left behind the black stockings and fishnet stockings…
The red-light district.
Lanterns had been lit, illuminating the streets.
The destruction caused by Tengen Uzui earlier had been quietly dealt with, and the red-light district had returned to its former prosperity.
Two new guests had arrived at the entrance.
One was dressed in white, half his chest exposed, his expression fierce.
The other was a petite young woman wearing a brightly colored haori, a smile on her face.
At almost the exact moment Ren left, two Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps arrived here as well—the Wind Hashira and the Insect Hashira.
However, there was one important detail.
The message carried by the Kasugai Crow sent by Hinatsuru had not yet reached Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Therefore, Shinobu had not yet received the news that Ren was returning.
At this point, both sides had completely missed each other.
At the entrance to the red-light district, Shinobu wore a smile that contained a faint hint of menace as she looked at Sanemi Shinazugawa.
"Oh my~ Shinazugawa-san, what brings you to the red-light district?"
"Me?" Sanemi replied righteously. "Of course I'm here to rescue Ren!"
"Really?"
Shinobu's expression became suspicious, and her tone darkened.
"But Shinobu thinks you have another motive."
Shinazugawa: "I…"
Before he could finish, Sanemi choked.
He really did have another motive.
He had awakened his Demon Slayer Mark, but he had discovered that he wasn't nearly as proficient at using it as Ren.
So he had planned to find Ren and shamelessly ask him for guidance again.
But Sanemi remembered that he had hidden this plan very well!
How did Shinobu know?
Sanemi nervously blinked and didn't dare turn his head to look at Shinobu.
Moreover, he clearly remembered that he had been the first person to receive the news.
He had also been the first to set out.
Yet Shinobu had still caught up with him.
It seemed that Shinobu's Butterfly Step really was extraordinary!
And it even looked as though she cared about Ren more than he did!
Seeing Shinobu silently staring at him, Sanemi rubbed his nose.
"I really am here to rescue Ren. I may have lost to him, but I'm not that narrow-minded!"
"Hmph!"
Shinobu revealed a threatening smile.
"I certainly hope so~. Shinazugawa-san is an important person to us at the Butterfly Mansion!"
Sanemi's entire body trembled.
What did this have to do with the Butterfly Mansion again?
He really had come to rescue Ren!
Sanemi was indeed somewhat emotional.
Killing demons was no problem for him.
But dealing with women?
He had the will, but simply not the ability!
It was too difficult!
"All right, Shinazugawa-san."
Shinobu finally turned away and said coldly,
"From now on, you'll follow my orders!"
Sanemi nodded listlessly.
"Yeah."
Shinobu continued,
"Our first stop is Miss Hinatsuru's Kyogoku House, just as Tengen-san's intelligence indicated."
"Let's go!"