Chapter 159: The Punishment for Provoking a Hashira!
The thunderous roar instantly woke everyone who had been sleeping.
Yet the sound came and went just as quickly.
Before anyone had even recovered from the shock, Ren's large hand was already resting on Zenitsu's shoulder.
Ren smiled faintly, his smile as bright as the sun.
"Don't worry. I won't hurt Nezuko."
His voice gradually faded, and the rumbling thunder vanished with it.
Zenitsu froze.
Had he just seen something?
Why had Dragon Hashira-sama suddenly appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye?
What technique had he used?
His ears certainly hadn't deceived him. That sound had been like a bolt of lightning, and coupled with Dragon Hashira-sama's strange posture…
Zenitsu couldn't help making a bold guess.
Had Dragon Hashira-sama just used Thunder Breathing to teleport over?
In fact, everyone except Zenitsu was equally stunned.
Aside from the panicked passengers, every Demon Slayer present had witnessed the entire scene clearly.
Each of them reacted differently.
Kyojuro was the first.
His bright, sharp eyes widened even further.
Ren's progress since their last parting was simply on another level!
That attack just now had been so fast that even he, the Flame Hashira, had almost failed to keep up.
And Kyojuro couldn't guarantee that he could completely see through Ren's speed.
After all, Ren had only unleashed that burst for 0.1 seconds.
If he could maintain that speed for longer…
Even Kyojuro might not be able to keep up!
Inosuke's eyes were wide with admiration.
There was nothing he could do about it.
He simply admired Ren that much.
Tanjiro, meanwhile, stood there with his mouth hanging open in surprise.
Because he had seen Nezuko not only miss Ren, but also refuse to give up.
She lunged at him again.
Since Ren had dodged, Nezuko initially landed on the seat without touching him.
But the moment she realized that Ren had moved toward Zenitsu, she launched another "attack."
[No! Nezuko!]
This time, Tanjiro was quick enough to react.
He immediately rushed forward to stop her.
But Nezuko suddenly shrank her body, effortlessly slipping through Tanjiro's bent arm!
"No!"
Tanjiro cried out anxiously.
The next moment, he could only watch helplessly as his sister Nezuko threw herself straight into Ren's…
arms!
Nezuko's small body looked almost adorable, but she wore a fierce expression as she vigorously sniffed Ren's scent.
Every now and then, she even showed an extremely happy expression.
Tanjiro: "( p_q)???"
Kyojuro: "╭(°ㅂ°)╮"
Inosuke: "╰(°ㅂ°)╯"
Zenitsu: "(ʘWord ʘ╬)!!!"
Zenitsu immediately jumped to his feet.
"AAAAAAAH! Dragon Hashira, what are you doing?!"
"Put Nezuko down! She's very afraid of Hashira!"
Ren blinked.
Then he turned his head and looked at Nezuko.
Nezuko looked back at him.
One human and one demon stared at each other.
Silence filled the air.
Then, right before Zenitsu's eyes, Nezuko suddenly released the bamboo muzzle from her mouth.
She stuck out her little tongue and gently licked Ren's hand.
Zenitsu:
"(▼皿▼#)!!!"
Zenitsu was about to lose his mind!
He had wanted to become Dragon Hashira's disciple too, but at this moment, the dignity of a "licker" seemed far more important!
And that was exactly why Zenitsu disregarded everything and openly challenged a Hashira!
"Zenitsu, calm down!" Tanjiro hurried over to mediate. "He's Dragon Hashira-sama!"
When Tanjiro said the word "Hashira," he deliberately emphasized it.
He desperately hoped Zenitsu wouldn't cause trouble for Dragon Hashira-sama.
"I can't calm down!" Zenitsu roared. "You saw it too, Tanjiro! Your sister just licked some strange man! How can you tolerate that?!"
As Zenitsu shouted, everyone on the train immediately turned to look at him.
The atmosphere instantly became rather awkward.
"Uh…"
Tanjiro hesitated.
However, he didn't think Nezuko had done anything wrong.
If anything, he thought Zenitsu was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Unlike Zenitsu, Tanjiro would never think that Ren was taking advantage of Nezuko.
Instead, he was worried that Nezuko's saliva might cause trouble for Dragon Hashira-sama…
"It's fine."
Ren could see Tanjiro's concern and stepped forward to reassure him.
He could now roughly guess why Nezuko liked him.
It was probably because of the bloodline he shared with her.
If he wasn't mistaken, Nezuko had likely sensed a similar aura from him. Combined with Sakonji Urokodaki's previous hints, her subconscious had probably identified Ren as family.
He simply didn't know whether she regarded him as an older brother or as a mother…
And the truth was exactly as Ren had expected.
Nezuko gazed at Ren with longing before turning to look at her brother.
In the end, Tanjiro picked her up.
"Nezuko, you can't do that. It's rude."
Tanjiro explained seriously.
Nezuko listened while repeatedly nodding.
She even began to look a little sleepy.
Finally, Ren picked up Nezuko's bamboo muzzle and put it back over her mouth.
What a joke.
Ren absolutely didn't dare let Nezuko drink his blood.
Not only would that make Nezuko break her vow, he also had no idea what kind of changes might occur if she drank his blood!
So Ren refused to let Nezuko drink it.
He kept persuading her until she finally backed down in the face of his insistence.
Nezuko was remarkably cooperative, nodding again and again.
That made Ren even more certain that she had mistaken him for her mother…
The scene soon quieted down.
Eventually, Zenitsu calmed down as well.
In truth, the moment Tanjiro picked up Nezuko, Zenitsu realized that he had made a mistake.
The power of a "licker" rapidly weakened once it was separated from the stimulation provided by his goddess.
After only a short while, Zenitsu regained his senses.
And the moment his rationality returned, he felt as though his entire world had collapsed.
Oh my god!
What had he just done?
He had actually challenged Dragon Hashira-sama!
This was terrible.
He was really finished!
Even if Dragon Hashira-sama didn't kill him now, he would definitely remember this grudge later!
Was his career in the Demon Slayer Corps really going to end here?
Grandpa… Nezuko…
Remember me.
I, Agatsuma Zenitsu, might never be able to fulfill my duty as a filial grandson again.
I might never be able to protect Nezuko again.
Today, Zenitsu might meet a miserable end in this world!
And so, Zenitsu launched into a lengthy internal monologue, even saying farewell one by one to everyone he cared about.
Seeing this, Ren couldn't help laughing.
"Enough. Do I look like some man-eating monster? Why are you so afraid of me?"
Zenitsu's composed shout abruptly stopped.
"Eh? Lord Ren isn't angry?"
"Oh?"
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Then do you want me to be angry?"
"No, no!"
Zenitsu immediately patted his chest.
It seemed he was safe this time.
But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, Ren's voice sounded again.
"Still, openly provoking a Hashira should warrant some punishment, don't you think?"
The moment Zenitsu heard that, his face turned deathly pale.