Chapter Seventeen: An Upper Moon?!
『RYON』
Enjoy~~~
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The night of storms and tears passed painfully slowly, and morning finally arrived at the Ubuyashiki estate.
Golden rays of sunlight slipped through the paper doors (shoji), announcing the start of a new day. The air was clean and cold, carrying the refreshing chill of early morning that usually brimmed with vitality.
In the large guest room, all the Hashira had already left. Rengoku departed on an urgent mission with his usual loud enthusiasm, Sanemi left muttering in anger, and even Giyu had gone to pray beneath a waterfall.
All that remained was a small lump wrapped beneath a futon in the corner of the room.
Yukihara Ren was sleeping deeply—or so it seemed. In truth, his body was utterly exhausted from the forced "mental training" he had endured all night through Yoriichi's memories, not to mention the involuntary crying fit that had left his face in disarray.
The door opened slowly and quietly, and Shinobu Kocho entered. Her steps were light like a butterfly, her usual smile resting on her face.
"My, my… is the spoiled child still sleeping?" Shinobu whispered as she approached the futon. "The Master is waiting, and this lazy one is drowning in dreams."
Shinobu looked at Ren's face. For a moment, her mocking smile vanished.
His face was slightly swollen, faint red circles surrounding his eyes. He looked like someone who had fought a losing battle against his sorrows all night. His eyelashes were still slightly damp, and his childish features appeared painfully innocent, stripped of the mask of arrogance and coldness he always wore.
"It looks like he… was crying?" Shinobu murmured in surprise, feeling an unexpected stab of pity in her heart. "Was he scared? Or does he miss his home? In the end… he's just a ten-year-old child."
She reached out to wake him gently, but before her hand touched his shoulder, Ren's eyes snapped open.
Shinobu froze.
In a fraction of a second, the atmosphere around Ren changed. The innocent look vanished, the image of the sorrowful child disappeared, replaced by that lazy, cunning expression that always irritated her. The transformation was terrifyingly fast, as if a heavy iron door had slammed shut over his soul.
"Ara, ara…" Ren said in a slightly hoarse voice, lazily rubbing his swollen eyes. "Shinobu-san? Sneaking into men's rooms early in the morning? I didn't know you had such perverted hobbies."
A vein bulged on Shinobu's forehead, and her pity evaporated instantly.
"Perverted?" Shinobu said with a terrifying smile and closed eyes. "I was worried because you hadn't woken up, you lazy Hashira. The Master wants us. By the way, your face looks like a stuffed pancake—were you crying because you wet the bed?"
Ren stood up and yawned, skillfully ignoring her remark. "Crying? No, these are just side effects of deep meditation on how annoying you are. And my swollen eyes are proof that I was fighting nightmares where you chase me with a giant syringe."
"You really are…" Shinobu ground her teeth, then sighed. "Hurry up. Oyakata-sama is waiting. You have five minutes."
She left the room, closing the door a little harder than necessary.
Once she was gone, Ren exhaled slowly. He touched his swollen cheeks and looked at his reflection in the window glass.
"Damn Yoriichi and his emotions," Ren muttered as he poured cold water from a brass pitcher onto his face to reduce the swelling. "I need to be more careful. I can't let anyone see me weak. Weakness in this world means death."
He put on his Hashira uniform, fixed his black hair, and fastened his crimson sword at his waist. When he stepped outside, Yukihara Ren—the arrogant "Storm Hashira"—had fully returned.
…
In the reception hall, Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat calmly, his wife Amane beside him.
Ren bowed respectfully. "You summoned me, Oyakata-sama?"
"Good morning, Ren," Kagaya said in his soothing voice. "I apologize for waking you after such a full day, but there is an urgent matter."
Ren raised his head. "Demons?"
"Yes," Kagaya nodded. "I have received reports from Kasugai Crows about strange activity in the northern region, specifically Mount Komotori. There are rumors of a large number of travelers disappearing, and there is a possibility… that this place is a gathering site for demons."
Ren frowned slightly. "A gathering? That's strange."
"Exactly," Kagaya agreed. "Demons do not usually work in groups unless there is a direct order from Kibutsuji Muzan. That is why I want you to investigate."
Ren thought quickly. Muzan? Allowing a gathering? That control-obsessed coward didn't trust his subordinates enough to let them cluster together. Unless he was planning something catastrophic… or he didn't know about it? No, that was impossible.
"Since this mission requires infiltration and careful tracking," Kagaya continued, "you will not go with Shinobu this time. I have asked Uzui Tengen to accompany you."
"The God of Festivals?" Ren muttered quietly.
"He is a former shinobi, and his experience in reconnaissance and investigation in mountainous terrain is unparalleled," Kagaya smiled. "I am counting on you both."
…
Two days passed since their departure.
The journey was a series of contrasts. Uzui Tengen, the Sound Hashira, ran at tremendous speed, leaping between trees with flashy acrobatic movements, his colorful cloak fluttering behind him.
In contrast, Ren ran behind him with an expression of boredom, conserving his movements as much as possible.
"Oi! You brat!" Tengen shouted as he landed on a massive tree branch and looked back. "Can't you run in a flashier way? You move like you're going to buy vegetables! Where's the spirit of youth? Where's the explosion?!"
Ren stopped on the neighboring branch, showing no sign of fatigue. "Uzui-san, running in a 'look at me, I'm here' style is the fastest way to die in the ninja world, isn't it? I thought you were a shinobi."
Tengen laughed loudly. "Ha! I'm a retired shinobi who chose the path of flamboyance! Stealth is for boring people! We're Hashira—we should announce our presence with a bang!"
"You announce your presence, and I'll do the killing while they're looking at you," Ren replied coldly.
"Tch, unfun kid," Tengen muttered, though he was internally impressed by Ren's ability to keep up with his speed without any visible effort.
On the third day, they arrived at their destination.
Mount Komotori towered above them, covered in dense forests. At its peak, shrouded in mist, stood a strange structure—an old, abandoned tower resembling ancient Buddhist temples, yet eroded and surrounded by a heavy, black aura.
The two stood at the base of the path leading to the tower.
"We're here," Tengen said, placing his hand on the hilts of his twin swords. "The stench here is disgusting. There must be a demon party inside. Perfect! I'll blow open the entrance and cut off all their heads in a flashy way!"
Tengen stepped forward, ready to charge.
"Stop."
Ren's voice was sharp and serious enough to make Tengen halt instinctively.
Tengen turned to see Ren standing with his eyes closed, his face slightly pale.
"What is it? Did you get scared?" Tengen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uzui-san… don't take a single step forward," Ren whispered, his voice carrying a cold warning. "We need reinforcements. Now."
"Reinforcements?" Tengen frowned. "You and me are here! We're Hashira! Even if there are twenty demons, we can crush them."
"Not twenty…" Ren opened his eyes, and they gleamed with a look Tengen had never seen before. "There are at least a hundred demons inside that tower."
"A hundred?!" Tengen's eyes widened. "How do you know? And a hundred demons in one place? That's insane! Muzan wouldn't allow that!"
Inside Ren's mind, the system's mini-map was screaming red.
Red dots filled the tower, moving and clustering. A hundred? Perhaps one hundred and twenty.
How? Ren thought at lightning speed. Why would Muzan allow such a gathering? Had he lost control? Or was this a trap? Such a massive number in a confined space meant only one thing… a massacre.
But Ren wasn't afraid of a hundred ordinary demons. Hashira could handle large numbers if they were careful.
The problem wasn't the number.
As Ren scanned the map to confirm, his blood froze in his veins.
Amid the sea of small red dots, there was one dark red point… extremely dark, pulsing larger than the rest. A sinister golden aura surrounded it on the system interface.
[Alert: High-level demonic energy detected.]
[Alert: Upper Moon.]
A chill ran through Ren's fingertips. He knew who it was. In this place, with that aura… it could only be "him."
"Ren?" Tengen called, beginning to feel uneasy at Ren's long silence. "Oi, talk to me! A hundred demons is a lot, but it's not impossible. If we make a flashy plan—"
"Uzui-san," Ren interrupted softly, taking a slow step back. "Forget the hundred demons."
Ren looked up at the top of the tower, where he felt unseen gazes upon them.
"There is a monster among them… a monster we cannot defeat."
"What do you mean?" Tengen narrowed his eyes.
"An Upper Moon," Ren said, the words heavy like stone.
Tengen's expression instantly shifted from carelessness to complete seriousness. "An Upper Moon? Are you sure? Which number? If it's the Sixth or Fifth, we can—"
"No…" Ren shook his head, cold sweat gathering on his forehead. "It's worse. The aura I feel… it's deeper and colder than anything I've ever faced."
Ren looked at Tengen with terrifying seriousness.
"Even if it were you and me… and we brought Rengoku with us… we still wouldn't be able to kill him. This demon is on a completely different level."
"Who the hell is it?" Tengen asked in a low voice.
"It's the Upper Moon Two…" Ren whispered, recalling the multicolored eyes and the fake smile from the anime.
"Doma!"
Saying this, Ren and Tengen retreated and hid, observing and waiting for reinforcements.
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I feel like I might stop the novel… I barely see any comments 😔