Chapter 184: Back to the Butterfly Mansion
After that, Muzan could no longer sense Akaza's presence.
Muzan's expression turned cold.
Another one.
Another one!
Another demon had broken free of his control!
Akaza had actually managed to escape Muzan's control through his own power!
Muzan's expression became extremely sinister. Ever since he had encountered Ren, it seemed that his bad luck had only gotten worse.
Seeing her master fly into a rage, Nakime quietly took two steps backward.
Then, accompanied by a deru~, Nakime immediately moved up to the second floor.
The spot where she had been standing was almost instantly reduced to dust!
Nakime: "..."
Sure enough, her instincts had been right.
Whenever Muzan went berserk, he lost his rationality and killed anyone who happened to stand in his way...
The next moment, Nakime suddenly saw Muzan throw his head back and laugh.
It was laughter born entirely from rage.
"Hahahahaha!"
Under the influence of his overwhelming emotions, Muzan's face twisted into a terrifying expression. The blood vessels in his eyes burst, while the veins across his face bulged grotesquely.
A dense network of blood vessels throbbed and ruptured beneath his skin, making Muzan look utterly horrifying.
Muzan knew that he had lost more than just Akaza.
Because before Akaza's death, he had also witnessed the memories that had resurfaced within him.
Koyuki...?!
Muzan sneered.
"Akaza... that sentimental idiot. Does he think he can make a fool of me?"
"He broke through the Supreme Realm, yet chose to betray me!"
"He's not worthy of being Upper Rank Three! He actually betrayed me!"
Under normal circumstances, even if Akaza had broken through the Supreme Realm, as long as he still wished to serve Muzan, the number in his eye would not have disappeared.
And if that number remained, Akaza naturally could not escape Muzan's curse.
Who would have thought?
Who could have possibly thought it?
One of his subordinates had actually betrayed him because of love!
In the end, everything had been for nothing!
Muzan suddenly turned toward Nakime.
"Summon Douma and Kokushibo!"
"Deru~"
"Deru~"
Morning arrived, and the sun rose early.
Ren had already arrived at the entrance of the Butterfly Mansion.
On the way, he had continued muttering to himself about Akaza.
At first, Ren hadn't been worried.
But after realizing what Akaza was actually thinking, he immediately became concerned.
Akaza wasn't as clever as Ren had imagined.
He could only hope that when the time came, Akaza would act cautiously.
Ren silently returned home, thinking about all this.
The first thing he did was check the belongings he had brought with him.
After confirming that the backpack hadn't been brought back, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the dream Ren had just experienced told him that he really liked the gifts Hinatsuru and the others had given him, Ren still knew where to draw the line.
If Shinobu ever found out that he actually liked that sort of thing, there was a good chance she'd beat him flat on the ground.
Knock, knock, knock—
Ren knocked on the door of the Butterfly Mansion.
Very quickly, Kiyo ran over to open it.
"Coming, coming!"
The little girl bounced along energetically, her voice full of vitality. Ren could tell at once that she was in an excellent mood.
Creak.
A pair of small eyes peeked through the crack in the door, cautiously examining the person outside.
Her gaze moved upward.
Then higher.
And higher still.
Ren's handsome face finally entered Kiyo's field of vision in all its fresh, elegant glory.
Lord Ren!
Although Ren had grown considerably taller and broader, his natural charm and handsome appearance had been there from the beginning.
Besides, everyone in the Butterfly Mansion had been eagerly waiting for Ren to return.
If they couldn't recognize him now, that would be the truly strange part!
Everyone, come quickly! Lord Ren is back!
Ren blinked.
It was difficult to imagine how a girl as small as Kiyo could shout so loudly.
Very quickly, Kiyo became a human loudspeaker.
The entire Butterfly Mansion suddenly began shaking for no apparent reason...
"Mr. Ren!"
"Lord Ren!!"
"Ren!"
Calls of "Ren!" rose one after another.
A cloud of dust suddenly rose at the entrance of the Butterfly Mansion.
A huge crowd poured out of the estate, pushing and shoving one another as they came.
They shouted Ren's name in unison, rushing toward him on all fours with expressions of utter frenzy.
Ren was stunned.
Because the scene before his eyes looked exactly like a zombie apocalypse.
And he was the only piece of meat in front of the zombies!
"My God, is the Butterfly Mansion this busy today? Why are there so many people?!"
At that moment, Kiyo also realized what was happening.
She slapped her forehead.
"Oh no! I forgot! We have a lot of patients coming in for follow-up examinations today!"
Under Ren's gaze, Kiyo quickly explained.
"After word spread that Lord Ren was about to return, lots of female Demon Slayers who were supposedly 'sick' started coming here for treatment every day!"
The corner of Ren's mouth twitched.
Were all these people his fans?
Or, more accurately, fans of his appearance?
Perhaps even Ren himself didn't realize just how famous he had become.
He had slain four Upper Rank demons.
That was practically unbelievable.
Calling him the Demon Slayer Corps' one and only true god was hardly an exaggeration.
Ever since the Demon Slayer Corps had been founded, there had been very few people capable of killing Upper Rank demons.
But Ren had done it.
Four of them!
On top of that, Ren possessed exceptional medical skills, good looks, and an overwhelming personal charm.
All of these things added up.
Now, practically the entire Demon Slayer Corps had become Ren's fans.
Some female members had even openly declared that they would never marry anyone other than Ren in this lifetime!
For a time, Ren's popularity had become unmatched.
The moment the news of Ren's return spread, every member without a mission rushed to the Butterfly Mansion!
All for today!
Seeing this scene, even Ren, who had killed four Upper Rank demons, found himself completely helpless.
The packed crowd.
The passionate and frenzied Demon Slayer Corps members.
Their expressions were even more frightening than some of the demons Ren had encountered.
With this many girls rushing toward you, what were you supposed to do?
Ren could only turn around and run.
However, just as Ren was about to make his move, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.
"Big Sister Kanao!"
Recognizing the newcomer, Kiyo blinked excitedly.
[Shh!]
Kanao placed a finger against her lips, signaling for her to be quiet.
Then she looked at Ren with eyes filled with affection.
"Ren, I'll take you away."
Ren nodded decisively.
"Okay!"
He knew Kanao must have known a shortcut.
Escaping with Kanao would definitely be easier.
That way, he could avoid this horde of crazed fans.
So Ren agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Kanao took a deep breath, stepped forward, and gently took Ren's hand.
She whispered softly, "Come with me... come with me."
Ren nodded.
"Okay."
The girl led Ren away at a brisk pace.
Now, only a crowd of bewildered fans remained behind.
"Who was that?! I saw someone get there first!"
"That's right! Lord Ren was just here! He must have been kidnapped by some A-rank teammate!"
Indignation swept through the crowd.
Some of the girls were so angry that their chests trembled slightly.
They had almost succeeded!
They had almost touched Lord Ren!
"Aaaaaaaah!!"
The girls were practically driven mad with frustration.
But in the end, there was nothing they could do.
Dejected, they could only lower their heads and return to the Butterfly Mansion.