Chapter 163: The Black-Stockinged Shinobi
"I never imagined Ren would fall into my hands. As long as you die in the beautiful dream I created for you, I'll be able to ascend to Upper Rank!"
Enmu clasped his hands together, revealing a sinister smile.
Then the power of the dream gradually intensified.
Before long, the figure of [Shinobu Kocho] in the dream became clear once again.
The figure of a young girl slowly appeared behind the house.
Throughout the process, Enmu watched closely.
Using Ren's consciousness, it constructed [Shinobu Kocho], creating the most logical version of Shinobu in Ren's eyes.
Only then could it earn the trust of the person participating in the dream.
Enmu had encountered several former Hashira to varying degrees in the past.
But it had never been able to kill them through nightmares, because their convictions were extremely firm. They could essentially find the flaws within the dream and escape.
But now, everything had changed.
Enmu believed that things were completely different this time.
Now, its dream was incredibly realistic, born from the deepest and most sincere desires within a person's heart!
In the eyes of the dreamer, characters or objects created through the dreamer's own subconscious were the most real things imaginable!
In the next instant, Enmu used this ability to summon [Shinobu Kocho].
But…
The moment Enmu saw [Shinobu Kocho]—
It froze.
[Shinobu Kocho] was still wearing her brightly colored haori, but her legs were covered in smooth, glossy black stockings.
Her slender, shapely legs were outlined by the black stockings, their contours faintly visible beneath the fabric.
Although Shinobu usually didn't "like to show off," that didn't mean she had nothing worth showing off!
The moment this outfit appeared, Ren, who had been training in the courtyard, immediately got a nosebleed…
At this moment, Ren was practicing in the courtyard.
He knew perfectly well that he was dreaming.
But when he suddenly saw Shinobu appear wearing black stockings, he began to question everything again…
Damn it, was this dream really this realistic?
While practicing his sword earlier, he had suddenly remembered that he still had the black stockings, fishnet stockings, and other things in his backpack that he hadn't thrown away.
He had been on the train, and Inosuke, who had been sitting beside him, was an incredibly reckless guy.
What if Inosuke suddenly opened his backpack?
Wouldn't Ren have no way to explain himself?
Just as he was thinking about it, Shinobu appeared wearing black stockings…
Something wasn't right!
Although Ren really, really wanted to…
Oh, no!
Ren wasn't that kind of person!
Shinobu approached while carrying a cup of hot tea, walking on her long, well-proportioned legs.
Ren's gaze was involuntarily drawn toward her…
Ren had to admit that this dream was indeed exciting.
No wonder everyone in the original story had wanted to enter this dream.
Only after entering did he realize that he wasn't doing it to escape reality.
He wanted to see…
the world on the other side.
Enmu was overjoyed when it saw that Ren had indeed fallen into its trap.
Seeing Ren's extremely shocked expression, Enmu felt that its gamble had paid off.
This was the first time it had ever seen a Hashira so thoroughly controlled by a scene it had created for such a long period of time!
And so, Enmu began working tirelessly!
Beside the courtyard of Butterfly Estate, Shinobu's face was filled with a smile.
She wore a haori over her upper body and black stockings below, carrying a cup of hot tea as she elegantly walked toward Ren.
As she approached, she waved at him, and a crisp laugh escaped her red lips.
"Big Brother Ren~"
Ren: "!!!"
No!
Absolutely not!
Ren was completely dumbfounded.
Was this really Shinobu?
This dream was way too distorted!
When Shinobu reached Ren, she actually embraced him.
She raised her head, her watery eyes staring directly at Ren.
"Big Brother Ren~ Why aren't you paying attention to me?"
Ren swallowed hard.
"I… I'm just not used to it."
Shinobu's cheeks flushed.
Like a shy little girl, she lowered her head and gently bit her lip.
"You're not used to Shinobu wearing black stockings?"
"No."
"Then you like them, right?"
[Yes… and no.]
Ren closed his eyes, not daring to look at Shinobu's legs, and deliberately tilted his head upward.
Seeing this, Shinobu pouted and spoke with an aggrieved expression.
"Does Big Brother Ren not like Shinobu? Why won't you look at Shinobu?"
Ren paused for two seconds.
Although he knew that the person in front of him was his dream lover, he still couldn't bear to ignore the girl.
So he cleared his throat and said,
"How could that be? Shinobu wearing a shinobi outfit? I've really never seen you like this before."
Then Ren stroked Shinobu's head and said affectionately,
"Shinobu is the most beautiful."
[Really?]
Shinobu happily smiled, then buried her entire head against Ren's chest.
Ren felt the girl's unique warmth spread across his chest.
A strange tingling sensation surged through him, as though his chest were about to be burned.
So this was the power of Upper Rank One of the Lower Ranks?
Ren finally understood Enmu's ability.
It was truly terrifying!
[Activate Transparent World!]
[A transparent world unfolds before your eyes!]
[I'm sorry, Shinobu. You look beautiful today, but I can't appreciate it.]
Ren thought this to himself.
Then the world within his eyes began turning transparent.
Slowly, Shinobu's body lost its color, and a diagram of the human body's internal structure appeared before Ren's eyes.
Ren didn't want to forcibly escape the dream the way Tanjiro had.
Looking at Shinobu in her current state, he simply couldn't bear to treat her that way.
Not even in a dream.
"Dragon Breath, Fifth Form—Rising Wind, Surging Clouds."
"Dragon Breath, Ninth Form—Dragon Shadow Clone."
Ren whispered softly.
Then his true body slipped free from Shinobu's embrace.
Ren chose the gentlest possible method of leaving.
Suddenly, a wispy white mist appeared.
Far away, Enmu, which had been searching for Ren's spiritual core, suddenly couldn't see anything anymore.
"How strange."
Enmu was searching for Ren's spiritual core as it muttered under its breath.
Why did it suddenly feel as though Ren's presence had disappeared?
However, Enmu wasn't particularly worried.
After all, it had already reached the edge of Ren's dream.
As Enmu's sharp claws tore through the surroundings, large sections of scenery began peeling away like blocks of melted paint.
A magnificent sky city, shrouded in clouds and mist, suddenly appeared before Enmu's eyes.
Enmu couldn't help widening its eyes.
Was this where Ren's spiritual core was located?
To be honest, Enmu had never seen such a [magnificent] spiritual core before.
It had seen underwater worlds, seas of fire, hills, and forests.
But it had never seen anyone construct a sky city.
Enmu stepped into Ren's dream city.
The moment it took a single step inside, it froze.
It was enormous!
A magnificent and majestic sky city stood alone high above the heavens.
Looking downward, there was no end in sight.
It was even difficult to see the horizon.
Clouds surrounded the city on all sides.
Vast stretches of white clouds floated everywhere.
The surroundings had originally been completely silent.
But the moment Enmu stepped inside—
A violent gale suddenly erupted!