Ren quipped a remark before reminding him, "Tanjiro, you step back first!"
"Okay!"
Knowing he could not block this move, Tanjiro did not try to be brave and immediately retreated to the rear.
His gaze toward the Myriad Snake Formation was filled with horror. The visual impact of thousands of venomous snakes was simply too great, even though he wasn't someone who feared snakes.
But seeing this formation, a chill ran through his heart.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Tens of thousands of venomous snakes cut through the air, heading straight for Ren. Ren did not retreat an inch; he wielded his heavy sword, thinking constantly as sharp sword qi soared into the sky.
Often, a single slash would decapitate hundreds of snakes!
However, as Sheya's ultimate move, this Myriad Snake Formation was obviously not that simple. The snakes that had their heads cut off grew tiny new heads and fangs, continuing to tear and bite at Ren.
In no time, the space in front of him, to his left, and to his right was filled with hundreds of snakes, packed so densely that it would trigger anyone's trypophobia!
'This won't work; these snakes will regenerate infinitely. Sure enough, I have to attack the Mad Demon's main body. I can only win by cutting off Sheya's neck. Since that's the case...'
"Water Combat Technique: Water Tornado!"
Ren leaped up with the momentum of a flood dragon exiting the sea, spinning at high speed in mid-air. Like a power drill descending from the heavens, he dove straight down, his sword point aimed directly at Sheya's neck.
During his previous twenty-plus days of training, his greatest gain was not the improvement of his basic attributes, but this Water Combat Technique.
And this was, so far, the only combat technique he had comprehended through training.
In fact, the principle of the Water Combat Technique was very simple: it imitated a deep-sea vortex, attacking through high-speed rotation.
Even without activating his Demon Slayer Mark, he could easily execute this technique. For Ren, who had already mastered the Dragon Dance and the Thunder God Slaying Heaven Slash, learning the Water Combat Technique was just a matter of course.
As Ren continued to spin, sharp sword qi lingered around him like a meat grinder, severing any snakes that dared to approach him and forcibly breaking through Sheya's Myriad Snake Formation.
*Pu!*
Suddenly, Ren accelerated his dive, piercing through Sheya's throat and body with the force of a whirlwind scattering clouds!
At this moment, only a bloody hole the size of a water vat remained in Sheya's torso. He was as dead as one could be, and his body began to turn into ash.
Realizing he had been beheaded, Sheya's expression changed drastically, and he spoke in disbelief, "No! How is this possible? What kind of move is this? How can it be so strong..."
Sheya's face was filled with unwillingness, but Ren couldn't be bothered to answer him. Instead, he asked his own question, "What exactly is a Mad Demon? Did Muzan modify you?"
"Hmph, although I was defeated by you, don't think you can get any information out of me! And... if I hadn't just become a Mad Demon eight days ago, it's hard to say who would have won! Hehehe..."
Sheya gave a bitter laugh. "What a pity! If I had been given another month, I definitely wouldn't have lost. I definitely could have become one of the Twelve Kizuki under that adult..."
Before he could finish speaking, Sheya's head turned to ash, signifying his complete death. However, his words left Ren dumbfounded.
'You're kidding, right? This guy only became a demon eight days ago? His evolution speed is too fast. To transform into a demon with Blood Demon Art in such a short time, and even possess strength not inferior to Kamanue—did he eat a lot of people? Or is this just a characteristic of Mad Demons?'
Ren was very concerned about the term "Mad Demon". Although it was possible Sheya was lying and spouting nonsense, he believed Sheya wouldn't speak without cause.
"Regardless, I should extract his blood and take it to Miss Tamayo for research."
Saying this, Ren took out a syringe and extracted Sheya's blood. At the same time, a beautiful calico cat quickly appeared beside him, staring at him with a pair of large, cute eyes.
This cat was none other than the future Upper Rank One: Chachamaru!
"Take this vial of blood to Miss Tamayo."
Ren rubbed Chachamaru's little head, then placed the syringe into its bag. Finally, he said, "Go, Hakimi!"
As soon as his voice fell, Chachamaru entered a stealth state again and vanished from before Ren.
"The evil demon here has been dealt with. Let's go, Tanjiro!"
"Okay."
With that, the two left the cave following the marks made in advance and walked down the mountain.
After walking out of the cave, Ren called out to Tianyue and instructed, "Tianyue, go report the matter of the Mad Demon to the Master and the others. Although I don't know if that bastard Sheya was lying to me, it's better to believe it exists than to ignore it. Remember, the characteristic of a Mad Demon is an extremely fast increase in strength, and a personality that is more cruel and violent than ordinary demons!"
"I understand!"
Tianyue nodded slightly, then spread his wings and soared, flying toward the Ubuyashiki estate, while Ren and Tanjiro prepared to go home.
After last night's battle, Ren was fine, but Tanjiro was tired and sleepy. Although he hadn't fought much, he had accompanied Ren for six or seven kilometers, so it was normal to feel exhausted.
To take care of Tanjiro, Ren could only find an inn to stay in first and buy some food, planning to set off after Tanjiro had rested well.
In the end, Tanjiro slept from sunrise until the sun set in the west. It wasn't until evening that he slowly woke up. He immediately grabbed his Nichirin Sword and said to Ren, "Brother Ren, I'm awake. Shall we go back?"
"Let's go back tomorrow." Ren looked at the sky with a smile, then gazed at the night view outside the window, saying casually, "You slept for a whole day. It's getting late, let's go back tomorrow."
"But..." Tanjiro scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "But staying in an inn is expensive, right? I don't want you to spend money, Brother."
"It's okay, I'm your brother, why are you being so polite with me? This is just pocket change!" Ren smiled slightly, not caring in the slightest.
He was now the Cloud Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps; he could take as much money as he wanted. Accommodation fees meant nothing to him.
"Since you put it that way, Brother, I won't be polite."
"Hehe, let's go. I'll take you to eat dinner."
Ren pulled Tanjiro up and took him to a roadside food stall to eat a bowl of super luxurious Japanese ramen, adding two eggs, three portions of chashu pork, and a large chicken leg.
However, just as the two were heartily enjoying the delicious food, a sharp cry suddenly rang out.
"Ah!!!"
"Help! There's a monster!"
"Suzune, don't come over, don't come over, I beg you, don't come over..."
Hearing these miserable wails and smelling the scent of blood filling their noses, both of their expressions changed drastically.
"Tanjiro, you keep eating, I'll be right back."
Ren immediately dashed out of the food stall, his speed as fast as an agile cheetah.
In a dim alley, two girls were being attacked by an evil demon. One of them was injured and dripping with blood.