With the miserable death of Hantengu, his strongest clone, Zohakuten, also ceased all movement. Shortly after, he gradually turned into ash, completely dissipating from the world.
"Tengen, Mitsuri, are you two alright?" Ren asked, looking at the two of them as they panted in exhaustion.
"Heh... hehe, don't worry, Ren, we're fine!"
Mitsuri gasped for air, a faint smile hanging on the corners of her mouth as she raised her hand and gave Ren a thumbs-up. At this moment, blood was trickling down her legs. This was an injury sustained earlier from Zohakuten's Blood Demon Art. Although the wounds looked frightening, fortunately, they were only minor; with ten days to a half-month of rest, she would fully recover.
"Haha, if Mitsuri is fine, there's no way I'm in trouble. The Blood Demon Art of Upper Moon Two had very little lethality against me!"
Uzui Tengen laughed heartily and then praised, "Speaking of which, Ren, that strike you used to kill Upper Moon One just now was incredible. It was simply too flamboyant!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"Hehe, that was just a technique I thought of in a moment of desperation. It's not worth mentioning."
Ren smiled modestly and then continued, "Once we report the battle situation here to Oyakata-sama, we should leave quickly. The police near the Entertainment District will be arriving soon."
"Haha, Oyakata-sama will definitely be overjoyed when he hears we killed four Upper Moons this time, and even defeated that insufferable Upper Moon One!"
"Indeed."
After speaking, Ren let out a whistle. Soon, a pitch-black Kasugai Crow descended from the sky and landed on his shoulder. It was his crow, Tianyue.
"Little Tianyue, please report the situation here to Oyakata-sama. Tell him we defeated Upper Moon Six, Upper Moon Four, and... Upper Moon One!"
"As you command!"
Upon hearing the good news, even the usually aloof Tianyue had a hint of excitement in her voice. She immediately spread her wings and soared toward the Ubuyashiki Estate.
After Tianyue left, Ren supported Mitsuri and took her to the Butterfly Mansion for treatment. Looking at the smiling Mitsuri beside him, Ren's lips twitched slightly as he muttered to himself.
'If Obanai saw me and Mitsuri in such close contact, he would definitely be angry. Though, even if he is angry, he'll just have to deal with it.'
...
A week later, after learning of Ren's achievements during this trip, Ubuyashiki Kagaya immediately convened a Hashira Meeting. Ren, Uzui Tengen, and the other Hashira gathered at the Ubuyashiki Estate. There were only nine Hashira present because Mitsuri was still recovering at the Butterfly Mansion and could not attend.
Once everyone had arrived, the Hashira Meeting officially began. With a smile on his face, Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke first.
"Since everyone is here, let us begin the meeting. First, in Ren and Tengen's recent mission, they successfully slew four Upper Moon Berserk Demons!"
"Oh?"
"Is that so! Hmm! That is simply wonderful!"
Hearing Ubuyashiki Kagaya's words, there wasn't much surprise on the faces of the others; they seemed to have grown accustomed to such things. Since Ren joined the Demon Slayer Corps, they had witnessed far too many miracles. First, he killed Upper Moon Three Akaza and forced Doma to retreat, then he managed to kill Upper Moon Five in a one-on-three situation. Now, with the support of Uzui Tengen and Kanroji Mitsuri, taking down four Upper Moon Berserk Demons did not seem difficult to comprehend.
"Oyakata-sama..."
The Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei, spoke solemnly. "Now that Upper Moon One, as well as Upper Moons Three, Four, Five, and Six have been slain, only Upper Moon Two remains."
"!!!"
At the mention of 'Upper Moon Two,' Kocho Shinobu's eyes instantly narrowed. She unconsciously clenched her fists, and a trace of subtle indignation surfaced on her face.
"I'm afraid it's more than just that," Uzui Tengen said. "During the battle with the Berserk Demons this time, I saw with my own eyes that Upper Moon One and the others appeared suddenly out of a brilliantly lit castle. Furthermore, as Upper Moon Four was dying, he shouted the names Nakime and Infinity Castle. I think that grand, brightly lit castle must be the Infinity Castle—it has to be the headquarters of the Berserk Demons! As for Nakime, she is likely the Berserk Demon who manipulates the Infinity Castle. To control a castle of that scale, this Nakime might also be an Upper Moon. We just don't know which rank she holds."
"In other words, there are at least two Upper Moons left. Is that correct?" Obanai added.
Upon hearing this, Sanemi scratched his head and spoke with an indifferent expression, "So what? It's just two Upper Moons. They shouldn't be that hard to deal with!"
"I really envy your brain for being able to think of this so simply and easily..."
"You bastard! Tomioka, are you looking for a fight? Believe it or not, I'll send you flying!"
"Sanemi, Giyu, stop arguing!" Ubuyashiki Kagaya waved his hand helplessly, signaling the two to quiet down. He felt quite helpless regarding their relationship.
"Ren and the others killing four Upper Moon Berserk Demons is a good thing, but we have also learned some bad news from this encounter..."
At this point, Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked meaningfully at Ren and then explained.
"From the mouth of Upper Moon Six, Daki, we learned one thing: Ren's blood is a great tonic for Berserk Demons. Not only can it make them stronger, it might even help them overcome the sun! And now, Muzan has already obtained a portion of Ren's blood..."
"What!!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone turned their heads to look at Ren, their faces filled with disbelief. Sanemi, in particular, asked hurriedly.
"Ren, are you a Marechi too? To be able to make Berserk Demons stronger... without a doubt, it must be the rarest of the rare blood types."
"I suppose so."
Ren nodded, admitting the point, and then added, "But don't blame me for keeping it from you. I only found out recently myself that my blood was actually so valuable."
"Though if you think about it... it's quite normal for a guy like you to have rare blood, considering your strength is so abnormal," Uzui Tengen laughed. "But being able to let Berserk Demons overcome the sun, that isn't very flamboyant..."
"Oyakata-sama," Himejima Gyomei said, "since Muzan has already obtained Ren's blood, does that mean Muzan has now overcome the sun and become even stronger?"
"..."
At those words, everyone fell into a collective silence. If Muzan truly overcame the sun, who would be able to kill him?
However, Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled upon hearing this and offered comfort. "Everyone, do not worry too much. According to the intelligence I have received, Berserk Demons all over the country have begun to disappear. If Muzan had truly overcome his weakness to sunlight, there would be no reason for those demons to go into hiding. Therefore, the situation is not that dire yet. Muzan may have become stronger, but he definitely cannot walk under the sun just yet!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]