Chapter Sixty-Three: The Husband Is the Demon King?
Note: There might be some errors in the names, such as Ren and Rena, but I'm trying to improve and proofread the chapter before publishing it, so I hope you'll forgive me for this.
(Note: The chapters are written in advance, so if you want to help me build the events of the next arc, tell me all your ideas in the comments… so I can plan them beforehand.)
Enjoy~~~
Under the glow of paper lanterns decorating the bustling city streets, the night pulsed with life. The laughter of passersby and wandering food vendors created a symphony of human warmth. Amid this noise, one person walked as if separated from reality by an invisible layer of glass.
Tsugikuni Ren—or "Ron," who now bore the title of "Demon King" upon his shoulders—strolled forward in a pure white kimono and a black haori fluttering with the night breeze.
His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and his emerald eyes scanned the faces with boredom, as if watching a play repeated for the thousandth time. His Nichirin sword rested inside the "storage." There was no need to cause panic among these people.
[Fortunately, you succeeded in suppressing the bloodlust. Otherwise, this street would now be an open buffet.]
Rena's voice rang in his head, cold and mechanical, as she floated beside him like a digital ghost only he could see.
Ron did not bother to look at her, but his left eyebrow twitched with nervous irritation as he replied telepathically:
"Didn't you say there was no danger? Didn't you promise I would never become a disgusting demon drooling over humans? What is this feeling boiling in my stomach right now… did you deceive me, you damned system?!"
[Of course not. The plan was perfect. But a certain idiot failed to follow the scenario and, instead of extracting only the power, decided to absorb the Demon King's entire existence to become a perfect vessel for it… Do you remember who that idiot was?]
"….."
Damn it. I only wanted to absorb Muzan's full power so it would multiply once I obtained the 'Perfect Demon King' dose. And now I'm affected by his damned memories… damn my life.
Ron exhaled deeply in frustration. In that insane moment, he had not been thinking clearly. If the original "Ren" had not intervened at the last second to suppress Muzan's consciousness, Ron would have completely lost himself and become nothing more than a new puppet of Kibutsuji.
Ron suddenly stopped and looked at his pale palms. His eyes were dull, devoid of their usual vitality.
"I didn't expect Muzan's memories to be this toxic… his emotions, his hatred, his fear of death… they're all seeping into me."
Rena remained silent, watching him. She knew Ron had been acting strangely lately. His greatest sin was not greed for power, but allowing those memories to merge with him instead of destroying them. That chaotic mixture now placed him on the edge of the abyss, thinking absurd and bleak thoughts unlike himself.
You want the vast centuries-long experience of the Demon King… fine. This is what you deserve.
[By the way…] Rena said suddenly, cutting through his gloomy thoughts. [That dramatic speech you gave Tamayo… you do realize it will cause a disaster, right?]
Ron froze. "A disaster?"
[I mean your threat to exterminate humanity. Did you forget who your family is?]
Ron's face paled slightly. His plan had been simple: complete the dose, store it, then allow Yoriichi and Michikatsu to kill him under sunlight so he could be freed from this immortal body and return to the original. A dramatic plan to end the story.
But now, remembering what he had told Tamayo and hearing Rena's sarcasm, he felt intense embarrassment.
"Mother…" Ron whispered in genuine fear. "Okaa-sama… if she hears that I ran off to become a Demon King and threaten the world… she won't come personally, right…"
Ron imagined his mother saying with a terrifying smile: 'Do not return here, my son, or I will make you wish you were truly a demon.'
He felt pity for his two brothers, who would now have to face her anger. He sincerely hoped they would not realize he had been rambling, and that Tamayo would not regain consciousness and understand his words had been theatrical nonsense.
[You're overthinking it,] Rena said, descending to pat his head like a small child. [Your acting was perfect. So perfect that you embarrassed yourself for centuries to come.]
Ron sighed and continued walking, silently praying that his family would be forgiving this time.
…
Inside the Tsugikuni family estate, the atmosphere was heavy and suffocating.
Yoriichi and Michikatsu sat formally in seiza, their eyes closed as if in deep meditation, while Tamayo—still trembling from shock—explained in detail to their mother, "Aki," what had happened.
"…And that is everything I saw, my lady. His eyes were terrifying, and he said he would devour humanity… he did not seem conscious at that time… so I came to warn you."
Tamayo finished speaking, expecting the brothers to shout, gather an army, or begin crying (huh?).
Instead, Michikatsu opened his left eye and looked at Yoriichi. Yoriichi opened his right eye and looked at his brother. They exchanged a silent, calm nod and thought the same sentence simultaneously:
"Ren is messing around again."
They had lived with that "small disaster" their entire lives. They had seen him kill a demon without moving while smiling. They had seen him invade demon dens at the age of eight and return as if he had gone out to buy sweets. To them, "Demon King" was merely another strange title added to their brother's list.
"Michikatsu… Yoriichi…"
Suddenly, their mother Aki opened her eyes. It was not the gaze of a worried mother. It was cold, calm, and so terrifying that Michikatsu—the swordsman who feared no death—swallowed with difficulty.
"Mother…" Michikatsu tried to speak with a tense smile. "Do not worry… Ren… he is just going through a late teenage phase… or perhaps he lost control slightly… we will go and drag him back by the ear and—"
"Only a few days remain…" Aki interrupted in a low voice, pressing her paper fan until bamboo cracking could be heard. "A few days until his official engagement ceremony. I prepared everything… the girl is waiting… and now he decides to play the villain and run away?"
Aki rose slowly, her aura overwhelming even that of the strongest swordsmen in history.
"Mother…" Yoriichi also stood, his usual serious expression present but his voice carrying resignation. "We cannot bring him back by force if he is using those strange abilities… however, if we manage to catch him, we will rely on you to bring him back to his senses."
"Bring him back to his senses?" Aki smiled in a way that made Tamayo step back in horror. "I will raise him again from the beginning."
Michikatsu immediately leaped toward the door as if fleeing an execution ground. "Yoriichi! Move! Before Mother decides to go personally!"
Yoriichi glanced once more at his mother, sighed helplessly, and said, "Mother… I feel we will be the ones beaten in the end… but very well."
In an instant, the brothers vanished at incredible speed, setting out on a mission to "rescue" their foolish brother from his own stupidity—and from their mother's wrath.
Aki remained standing, breathing in restrained anger.
"That little brat…" she muttered, recalling Ren's innocent face when he had told her days earlier: 'Of course, Mother! I will return soon and we will hold a wonderful engagement ceremony. No, let us marry immediately, I am very excited!'
"He deceives me with that angelic smile, then runs away to become a Demon King? I will teach him a lesson he will not forget even in his next life."
Aki suddenly turned to find Tamayo still sitting on the floor, mouth open in shock, her eyes shifting between the door the two monsters had exited through and the mother who seemed more dangerous than all of them.
The situation was as comedic as it was insane. These people were treating the "end of humanity" as if it were a teenager skipping school.
Tamayo tried to stand and quietly withdraw; a migraine was tearing through her head. But suddenly Aki was in front of her, gripping her shoulders firmly and forcing her to sit again.
"You…" Aki narrowed her eyes, examining Tamayo from head to toe. "Are you my son's lover?"
"W-what?!" Tamayo gasped.
"You are beautiful…" Aki continued her analysis in a frighteningly practical tone. "How old are you? No matter. Although I insist he marry the girl I chose from the Ubuyashiki clan, it is fine if he marries two, correct? Ren can handle that."
Tamayo fell completely silent. Her mind stopped functioning.
Is this woman truly human? How did she give birth to these monsters?
And more importantly… is she planning to marry her to the new Demon King?
Tamayo looked at the ceiling in despair.
"Damn it… this family is insane at the same level as their strength."
---
End of Chapter 63.
It was supposed to be a dramatic chapter… but it became an unrealistic comedic one. Anyway, tell me your ideas. I am still planning this arc.