Chapter 70: Targeted by the Demon King!
Enjoy~~~
The air in the Ubuyashiki Mansion was calm as usual, but today it was filled with a strange sense of comfort and peace that had been absent for years. On the wooden veranda overlooking the beautiful garden, where cherry blossoms fell slowly like pink snow, two people sat around a low wooden table, at the center of which lay an old shogi board (roughly Japanese chess).
The first was Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
Anyone seeing him now would not believe he was the same man whose face and body had been consumed by illness just a month ago. The bandages that had covered half his face were gone, his skin had returned to its natural vitality, and the frailty that once weighed down every movement and breath had disappeared. His eyes, which had been lifeless due to blindness, had regained their shine, and his usual gentle smile now radiated genuine happiness and vigor.
The second was Yukihara Ren.
He wore the standard black Demon Slayer uniform, over it the unique haori that had become his trademark: pitch black fading at the bottom into realistic, moving crimson flames, symbolizing his new position as the Sun Hashira. He sat in an extremely relaxed posture, resting his arm on his knee, his emerald eyes observing the shogi pieces with apparent boredom that concealed a mind calculating a thousand moves ahead.
Tak.
Kagaya placed the Silver General with graceful movement, cornering Ren's King.
"Check," Kagaya said calmly, his eyes smiling. "It seems you're in trouble, Ren."
Ren showed no reaction. He did not even blink. Slowly, he extended his hand and moved the Knight in one smooth motion, breaking the encirclement while attacking at the same time.
Tak.
"Do not rush your judgment, sir," Ren replied with a faint smile. "The game is not over yet."
The match continued at a fast and astonishing pace. Neither of them paused to think for more than a second. The pieces moved as if they had minds of their own, in a complex strategic dance understood only by geniuses.
"By the way, Ren…" Kagaya broke the silence while moving the Lance. "I received more good news this morning. It seems the medicine you developed with Lady Tamayo to cure Kamado Nezuko has been completed… Did it truly succeed?"
Ren's hand stopped briefly in midair while holding the Bishop. He studied the board with a mysterious look, then a genuine and warm smile—rare for him—appeared on his lips.
"Hm…" He placed the piece decisively. "I thought the news had already reached you, sir. Yes, it succeeded."
Ren recalled the events of last week.
…
The sun was setting, dyeing the sky red-orange. Ren and Tanjiro returned from a long and exhausting reconnaissance mission that yielded no trace of demons.
"No sign of them…" Tanjiro sighed in frustration as he walked beside Ren. "Even your extraordinary tracking skills, Ren-senpai, didn't detect anything?"
"No," Ren replied while frowning at the minimap in his system. "Something is strange. It's as if they vanished."
When they reached the Butterfly Mansion gate, they heard a familiar and irritating scream.
"Nezuko-chan! Wait! It's me! Your future husband!"
Tanjiro froze. "Zenitsu?"
They entered the courtyard to witness a surreal scene.
Nezuko, who had been a silent, gagged demon for years, was now running in the garden, her black hair flowing behind her, laughing a clear and completely human laugh. She wore a simple pink kimono, and her pink eyes shone with life and intelligence.
Behind her, Zenitsu ran while shouting hysterical declarations of love, his eyes overflowing with tears (and mucus).
"N-Nezuko?" Tanjiro whispered, and the bag on his back filled with luggage fell to the ground with a dull sound.
"Hey, those are gifts for Eri-chan (Ren's little sister)… what a terrible bag carrier you are," Ren sighed in annoyance, grumbling as he remembered Hakuji whom he had left with Sakurai and Zenichiro under Urokodaki's supervision.
"How did I leave that perfect bag carrier behind… damn it," Ren muttered.
Nezuko stopped suddenly upon hearing his voice. She turned, and when she saw Tanjiro, her eyes widened with joy.
"Oni… chan!"
She spoke the words clearly, though slightly hoarse from lack of use.
Tanjiro burst into tears and ran to her, embracing her tightly as if afraid she were an illusion that would disappear. "Nezuko! You're back! You're back!"
Ren watched the scene with a calm smile, leaning against the gate. "So Tamayo's medicine succeeded… good."
But the emotional moment did not last long.
"Aaaaah! Nezuko-chan! Group hug!" Zenitsu shouted and tried to jump on them.
Boom!
A swift and precise kick from Ren sent Zenitsu flying into a tree, screaming in comedic pain.
"Don't ruin the moment, annoying blond," Ren said coldly, dusting off his foot.
Then he turned to find Inosuke dragging poor Aoi by the collar behind him while shouting, "Where's the food?! I'm hungry!"
"Aoi-san!" Tanjiro shouted.
Ren sighed, grabbed Inosuke by the leg, and threw him beside Zenitsu. "You too… respect the moment."
…
"She has fully returned to being human," Ren said to Kagaya while moving the Gold General. "She now lives in the Butterfly Mansion, helping Kocho-san and the girls… and my family, of course. My mother 'Yumi' and my sister 'Eri' take care of her as if she were family. She's relearning speech and walking as a human at astonishing speed."
Kagaya smiled with overwhelming happiness. "That is wonderful news. Perhaps the medicine can be used against demons to weaken them. This is a greater step toward defeating Muzan."
Then Kagaya's tone grew more serious. He placed a piece on the board and looked at Ren deeply.
"So… did you find any trace of Muzan or the Upper Moons?"
Ren fell silent. He frowned slightly and stared at the shogi board with intense focus as if seeing the world map upon it.
Kagaya sensed the shift in Ren's aura. The air around him grew heavy and cold. Kagaya felt concern. "Ren? Is something wrong?"
Ren suddenly lifted his head, his eyes shining with a strange glint.
"Kagaya-sama…" Ren said seriously.
"Yes?" Kagaya leaned forward.
"When… when did I become a genius at shogi?"
Kagaya's jaw dropped.
"….."
He stared at him in silence for several seconds, then sighed deeply and shook his head with a helpless smile. "Are you certain, my son, that you are our last hope? Sometimes I doubt your sanity."
Ren laughed, and this time genuine seriousness returned.
"I found no trace," Ren said in a low voice. "Even with my 'special abilities' of detection, no sign of them. The Upper Moons, Muzan… all vanished as if the earth swallowed them."
Ren moved a piece lazily, ending the match in his favor. "Checkmate."
Kagaya looked at the board in defeat, then at Ren. "Does that mean they are planning something major?"
"Definitely." Ren stood and walked to the veranda, looking at the sky covered in gray clouds. "Muzan is not the type to retreat. He only hides to plan."
"Why are you so certain?" Kagaya asked, feeling worry seep into his heart.
Ren turned with a confident and mocking smile. "Because Muzan, despite his power, is a cowardly and arrogant being. He only felt true fear from one person in his life: Yoriichi Tsugikuni. And since Yoriichi died centuries ago, Muzan believes he is the sole king."
Ren continued, clasping his hands behind his back. "Even if I killed Doma and Akaza… to Muzan, these are mere setbacks. He does not acknowledge defeat. He sees us as 'annoying insects' that evolved slightly."
"But…" Ren narrowed his eyes. "This time is different. Muzan is not planning to attack the Corps."
"What do you mean?"
Ren pointed at himself with his thumb.
"He is planning to move against me… and me alone."
Kagaya froze. "Against you? Why?"
"Because…" Ren smiled in a cunning and sinister way. "…I possess something he desperately wants. Something that will make him forget his fear and risk everything."
"What is it?" Kagaya stood in shock.
"Proof," Ren said mysteriously. "Proof that leads him to the 'perfect immortality' he seeks. The Blue Spider Lily."
Kagaya gasped. "You… you know its location?!"
"I do," Ren nodded. "And I have left him 'breadcrumbs' to follow. I am luring him, sir. I want him to come to me. I want him to think he is the hunter, while he is the prey."
Kagaya felt both terror and admiration. This boy… he was playing with fire—no, with the devil himself.
"This is extremely dangerous, Ren! To make yourself bait for Muzan and the Upper Moons together?!"
"Do not worry," Ren said as he put on his shoes. "I am not alone. I have a plan."
"Where are you going now?" Kagaya asked.
"To the Swordsmith Village," Ren answered simply, as if going on a stroll. "My Nichirin blade was slightly damaged. I need it repaired, and I want a stronger one. Perhaps… I will learn how to forge one myself."
"….."
Kagaya stared at him in disbelief. "Muzan is lying in wait for you, and you want to learn blacksmithing?"
"Manual skills are always useful," Ren winked, then jumped from the veranda and disappeared into the garden, leaving Kagaya to sigh and mutter:
"My God… protect this mad child. He is our only hope—and our greatest headache."
…
End of Chapter 70.
I tried to betray you and write another novel, but I failed. However, I managed to write another chapter of this one... Yes, this novel is definitely cursed and controls me. Or one of you does.