Chapter 157: I'm Really Not as Amazing as You Think!
"I'm fine. Really."
Ren greeted them casually.
Aside from Tanjiro, the other two stared at him for a long while before finally confirming that it really was him.
"Oh my god! It really is Dragon Hashira-sama!" Zenitsu's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. "Dragon Hashira-sama, how did you escape?!"
"That's right, that's right! Master, how did you escape?!" Inosuke asked from the side.
After chatting for a while, Ren explained everything that had happened to him in detail.
Yet the three youngsters were still completely bewildered. They had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
What was this supposed to mean?
He had single-handedly killed an Upper Rank Five, stolen two pieces of clothing from him, and walked away completely unharmed?
And what about the earlier story of him going alone to an Upper Rank Six's stronghold and killing the Upper Rank Six?
And then there was the matter of fighting an Upper Rank Four and killing Hantengu?
What kind of bizarre topics were these?
Had the Upper Rank demons suddenly become as worthless as cabbages?
How could Ren say these things so casually, without even thinking about it?
In fact, it wasn't strange at all that the three youngsters didn't believe him.
In their eyes, the Twelve Kizuki were terrifyingly powerful demons. They had struggled even against Lower Rank demons, so they couldn't begin to imagine just how powerful an Upper Rank demon truly was.
Just as the three youngsters were filled with confusion, another figure suddenly appeared behind them.
"Ah! You're all here!"
The booming voice rang out.
Ren only had to hear it once to know who had arrived.
The Flame Hashira—Kyojuro Rengoku.
As it happened, he was also aboard the Mugen Train, and he had already received the Demon Slayer Corps' message.
Like the other Hashira, when Kyojuro learned that Ren had escaped safely and killed three Upper Rank demons, the expression on his face had been quite extraordinary.
And when he discovered that Ren was also on the Mugen Train, he became even more delighted.
He had been carrying out a mission during this period, and coincidentally, that mission was to investigate the Mugen Train!
For the past several days, the Flame Hashira had repeatedly ridden the Mugen Train, hoping to find some clue related to demons.
He hadn't discovered a single demon.
Yet Ren had arrived first.
This made the Flame Hashira extremely happy.
Sure enough, he had boarded the train early that morning, hoping that he might run into Ren.
And the result had not disappointed him.
Not only had he met Ren, he had also encountered the three youngsters—three juniors whom he had always thought highly of.
With the Flame Hashira himself providing testimony, the three youngsters finally believed Ren's story.
Within the Demon Slayer Corps, information from the Hashira was given the highest priority. As a result, the Flame Hashira had received the news much earlier than the others.
After Kyojuro's detailed explanation, the three youngsters finally understood what had happened.
As he explained everything, their eyes filled with anticipation and shock, their pupils trembling continuously.
"What?! Mr. Ren really killed an Upper Rank?!"
"Three of them?! Oh, hahahahaha! As expected of the person I admire! He's as incredible as a mountain bandit!"
"If Dragon Hashira-sama is really that powerful, then I definitely won't die, right?! I'm so happy! Sob, sob—!"
The three youngsters' reactions were exactly what Ren had expected.
Still, hearing other people talk about how incredible he was made him feel rather embarrassed.
Ren stared expressionlessly at the Flame Hashira as Kyojuro continued speaking.
His large eyes were practically sparkling. Whenever he became excited, his nostrils flared, and every word he spoke was filled with admiration for Ren.
Please, Kyojuro.
You're the Flame Hashira!
Could you at least maintain some dignity?
Don't lose all composure just because you admire me!
That said, Ren couldn't deny that seeing several people he knew genuinely admire him felt pretty good.
Of course, Ren hadn't forgotten his main objective.
Now that he was here, he would naturally help deal with Akaza and Enmu.
But Ren had another idea as well.
The next moment, his gaze fell upon Zenitsu and Tanjiro, who were looking at him with undisguised admiration.
Water Breathing.
Thunder Breathing.
Two fundamental Breathing Styles.
And Tanjiro also possessed Hinokami Kagura—the Breathing technique derived from Sun Breathing.
Ren felt as though he'd struck the jackpot this time…
But as a Hashira, he obviously couldn't bring himself to openly ask them to teach him.
It didn't matter.
He possessed extraordinary observational ability.
All he had to do was wait until the battle began, observe their movements, and then step in to save them when necessary.
That way, he could train the younger members while also learning two or three Breathing techniques for free.
Why not?
The sun slowly climbed higher into the sky.
The group spent the entire morning sitting aboard the train, chatting.
The main topic was Kyojuro's concern for Ren.
After learning that Ren had been captured, Kyojuro had been furious.
He had even planned to complete his mission immediately and then go rescue Ren.
He never would have imagined that Ren's abilities were so extraordinary.
His own mission hadn't even properly begun. Before he had taken any action at all, Ren had already rescued himself.
Meanwhile, the three youngsters mainly questioned Ren about the Upper Ranks.
After the battle at Natagumo Mountain, Tanjiro and the others had gained a profound understanding of how terrifying the Twelve Kizuki were.
They simply couldn't imagine how Ren had managed to kill three Upper Rank demons.
Ren's heroic deeds had left an indelible impression on their young hearts.
Ren carefully explained concepts such as Daki's "one demon, two bodies," Gyokko's bizarre symbiosis with his pots, and Hantengu's emotional manifestations.
With the exception of Gyokko, those demons could survive even after having their necks severed.
Ren focused particularly on the unique characteristics of each demon before explaining how they could be defeated.
Although those demons were already dead, gaining more knowledge was still extremely beneficial for Tanjiro and the others.
After listening to Ren's explanations, the three youngsters became even more convinced that he really was incredible.
Whenever Ren described something dangerous, they would grow tense.
Then, when they heard how Ren had overcome each situation, their eyes would once again fill with admiration.
Their admiration was completely genuine.
And that made Ren feel somewhat embarrassed.
Kyojuro Rengoku sighed.
"Ren, after hearing you explain everything yourself, I finally understand that the letter described only a fraction of how dangerous your experiences truly were. Just what exactly did you go through to survive?"
Kyojuro had never before been so thoroughly convinced by another person.
The young man standing before him had gone from being completely unknown to becoming famous throughout the Demon Slayer Corps, yet he had always maintained an indomitable will and an untainted character.
No one knew what had happened to him.
And he had no intention of letting anyone know.
Kyojuro understood that Ren had deliberately concealed many details.
His purpose was simply to prevent everyone from worrying.
A spirit like this was exceedingly rare in the world.
For the sake of reassuring his comrades and juniors, Ren had truly endured a great deal.
But Ren only wanted to say one thing.
He really wasn't lying.
He really had only swung his sword a few times, and those Upper Rank demons had simply died.
Especially Gyokko.
Ren had directly met his attack with a heavy punch, then killed him with Wind and Cloud Ascension and Sacred Lotus Step.
I really am not as amazing as you think I am…