Chapter 162: Ren's Dream
[He's asleep!]
This time, one of the men blurted it out first.
He was afraid that someone else would steal the credit again, so he spoke faster than anyone else.
Hearing this, Enmu burst into laughter.
So Ren wasn't actually that frightening after all.
Hadn't he obediently fallen under the influence of his Blood Demon Art?
As long as Ren was affected by his Blood Demon Art, then in Enmu's eyes, even the strongest demon slayer was no different from a helpless mouse.
[Go and kill those Demon Slayer Corps members,]Enmu said expressionlessly.
[But we can't beat those Demon Slayers,]one of them said timidly, clearly worried about his own safety.
Seeing this, Enmu spoke softly.
"That's fine. All you need to do is enter their dreams and find their dream cores. Once you destroy those, you can kill them."
Enmu then explained every method for killing the Demon Slayers to the four humans.
They were skeptical at first, but in the end, their desire to enter the dreams won out, and they chose to believe him.
Enmu reminded them again.
"But you'll have to wait a little longer."
"Why?"
"Sensitive Demon Slayers may be awakened by killing intent or the scent of a demon."
Enmu pulled several seemingly ordinary ropes from his pocket and calmly explained, "These are the spiritual ropes. Later, you can use them to enter the Demon Slayers' dreams."
After the four humans took the ropes, Enmu added, "Remember, when you approach the ropes, don't get too close to their bodies. Understand?"
[I can't leave the front of the train right now. I'm a demon, after all. That guy named Ren will definitely notice me. So this time, you'll have to act for me.]
"Until everything is ready, you must behave yourselves, understood? Only then will you be able to have pleasant dreams."
The four nodded together.
"We understand."
The four humans departed.
Enmu's strange smile returned.
"Then, Ren… let me see exactly what kind of strength you possess."
Whoosh—
The long train thundered through the darkness, tearing across the black night sky as it continued mercilessly forward.
Inside the carriages, everyone quietly closed their eyes.
The four humans controlled by Enmu cautiously approached different Demon Slayers.
Not one of them went near Ren.
Enmu had told them that the man named Ren was extremely powerful, so for the moment, none of them dared provoke him.
They planned to deal with Ren after eliminating the other four.
At this moment, Ren's eyes were tightly closed, his brow relaxed. He looked completely at ease.
Unlike everyone else, the four humans couldn't shake the feeling that Ren was pretending to sleep.
Inside Ren's dream—
The sun shone brilliantly overhead, hanging high above the mountains.
And at this moment, Ren had already entered the Butterfly Mansion.
Far away, on the summit of a mountain, Enmu's figure slowly emerged from a wisp of white smoke.
He glanced at the sun overhead and frowned.
"It's daytime. Looks like this guy doesn't particularly like the night."
Enmu sighed and began searching for Ren's location.
Ren's dream looked similar to most of the dreams Enmu had encountered.
A small hill.
A little house.
And a harmonious family.
Most dreams were more or less the same. Enmu had accumulated considerable experience in this area.
However, when he saw Ren's dream, he visibly froze.
[What is this?]
Enmu stared at the scene in confusion.
Ren was wearing a white coat and a monocle with a square frame. He sat in front of the Butterfly Mansion, loudly calling out to the long line of patients waiting before him.
"Next!"
The [long line] slowly moved forward, and soon another patient arrived in front of Ren.
Ren tirelessly treated each person, while satisfied smiles appeared on the patients' faces.
Before long, Enmu saw a young girl wearing a brightly colored haori run out.
Her eyes sparkled.
A gentle smile adorned her face, making her look incredibly adorable.
Shinobu Kocho carried a cup of hot tea over to Ren and handed it to him.
Ren accepted the tea, took a sip, and continued diagnosing the illnesses of the [long line] of patients before him.
Enmu scratched his head.
Although he had never seen Ren dressed like this before, he could more or less determine that Ren was probably a doctor.
He must be.
This was the first time Enmu had ever seen someone dream of becoming a renowned doctor.
So he continued observing for a while.
Before long, Ren finished diagnosing the patients in front of him.
Ren then headed toward the backyard.
Enmu followed him.
At some point, Ren drew his Nichirin sword and began training.
Ren displayed all of his techniques for Enmu to see.
All of his Breathing techniques.
Every one of his moves.
Even the difficult movements that were exceptionally effective.
He demonstrated them one after another.
The more Enmu watched, the more frightened he became.
No wonder.
Enmu thought to himself.
Just the speed and power of Ren's attacks already seemed capable of matching an Upper Rank demon.
No wonder he could kill Upper Rank demons.
Fortunately, Enmu had trapped him within the dream.
That meant he held the initiative.
However, Enmu still couldn't understand what Ren's dream actually represented.
Enmu's Blood Demon Art caused a person's dream to evolve according to the things they treasured most.
Yet Ren had initially been treating patients, and now he was training.
What exactly did he care about?
At first, Enmu had assumed that Ren simply loved treating patients, which was why he continued doing so even in his dreams.
But why had he suddenly started training?
Enmu couldn't understand it.
However, based on Enmu's previous experience, most Demon Slayers' dreams were actually connected to their families.
After all, many of those Demon Slayers had joined the Corps because their families had been slaughtered by demons.
So the situation seemed obvious.
That girl wearing the brightly colored haori must be Ren's weakness.
According to the dream Enmu had created, the dreamscape wasn't an infinitely large space.
It was circular, with the dreamer at its center.
Although the scenery within the dream continued to expand outward, the extended portions remained concealed.
Beyond the dream was the subconscious realm.
That was where the dream core existed.
As long as the dream core was destroyed, the dream itself would collapse.
And the dreamer would become incapacitated.
Enmu believed he had discovered Ren's weakness.
He immediately wanted to alter Ren's dream.
His method was simple.
Increase the frequency with which the girl in the pink haori appeared, then have her seduce Ren.
That way, Ren would become completely immersed in the dream and unable to extricate himself.
Even when his dream core was destroyed, he wouldn't notice Enmu.
Yes.
Even now, Enmu remained extremely cautious.
Ever since he had heard that Ren had killed an Upper Rank demon, he had constantly mocked Ren with his words.
But he had always kept something in reserve.
And this precaution had proven that he had made the right choice.