After flipping through two pages of the newspaper, a piece of news caught Aoyama Ren's attention.
The article reported that a wealthy businessman in town, who had been on the verge of death, had suddenly recovered.
He publicly claimed to have discovered a miracle medicine capable of curing any disease.
"A miracle medicine… heh. Now that's interesting."
Aoyama chuckled softly.
Aside from his own Regeneration Potion, he had never heard Shinobu mention any other medicine with such miraculous effects.
At the bottom of the article was an announcement:
Tomorrow evening, the wealthy man would host a grand banquet, inviting the town's upper-class elites.
Aoyama 's smile widened.
This might turn out to be something very interesting.
He took Nezuko to stay at a relatively luxurious hotel.
Since they had decided to attend the banquet, appearances mattered.
They couldn't show up looking shabby.
He paid someone to deliver a suit and a formal dress.
Aoyama changed into a well-fitted suit.
Then he picked out an outfit for Nezuko.
She wore a light pink pleated dress that fell slightly below the knees.
White stockings covered her legs.
Her long hair was simply tied up with a ribbon bow.
On her feet were small black shoes that matched the dress.
When the hotel staff finished helping her dress and opened the door, Aoyama stepped into the room.
Nezuko stood with her back to the door.
Slowly, she turned around.
The moment she saw Aoyama , her eyes reddened slightly with tears.
She ran forward and buried herself in his arms as if she had been wronged.
The woman who helped dress Nezuko covered her mouth and giggled.
Confused, Aoyama looked down at Nezuko.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't you like these clothes?"
"If you don't want to wear them, we'll change back. I'll change my suit too."
If Nezuko didn't want to wear the dress, he would change out of the suit as well.
And if anyone dared to laugh at them at the banquet—
He'd slap them into questioning their life choices.
The woman lowered her hand from her mouth and explained.
"Mr. Aoyama , you misunderstood."
"I thought the young lady had changed into her new clothes, so I took away her old ones. But she didn't seem willing to part with them."
Aoyama led Nezuko forward and took her original clothes back from the woman.
"It's fine now. You may leave."
Once her clothes were returned, Nezuko immediately smiled again.
The next evening, a hired chauffeur drove them to the banquet.
As for the invitation—
Aoyama had spent some money during the day to obtain a convincing fake one.
When they arrived at the wealthy man's grand Western-style mansion, the banquet hall was already filled with high-society guests.
The moment Aoyama entered, he clearly smelled the scent of demons.
But the scent was different from the one he had detected in the street the night before.
It appeared and disappeared intermittently.
He carefully observed everyone in the hall.
Everyone looked perfectly normal.
Nothing seemed suspicious.
Suddenly—
The demonic aura intensified.
Aoyama turned around and grabbed the butler who had just passed behind him.
The demonic scent was clearly coming from him.
"Sir, how may I help you?" the butler asked politely.
Aoyama raised an eyebrow.
"Of course."
"Help me find a demon."
"He's wearing the same clothes as you… and looks exactly like you."
"Isn't that a coincidence?"
The butler violently shook off Aoyama 's hand, knocking over a tray of wine glasses as he fled.
Before the guests could even react, Aoyama immediately gave chase.
Trying to escape under his nose?
Ridiculous.
They chased all the way into the garden behind the mansion.
Aoyama leaped forward and landed directly in front of the fleeing demon.
"Aren't you supposed to help me?"
"Why are you running?"
He asked mockingly.
Behind the demon, Nezuko had also chased out and blocked the retreat.
Rip—
The demon's clothes tore apart as its body mutated.
Extra limbs burst from its torso.
Its mouth split open to the ears, revealing rows of sharp fangs.
"Hehehe…"
"You're a demon slayer, right?"
"I'm already sick of eating demon slayers."
Aoyama rubbed his ear irritably.
Then he drew his Nichirin blade.
A flash of steel.
The next moment, he was already behind the demon.
His blade dripped with fresh blood.
"Ding!"
"Host has slain a demon."
"Reward: Leg Strength +5, Summoning Scroll Spirit Power +1."
Aoyama sheathed his sword and took Nezuko's hand as they walked back toward the banquet hall.
The demon behind them hadn't even had time to react.
Its head had already fallen.
When Aoyama and Nezuko returned to the hall, a man now stood at the main podium.
Aoyama hadn't seen him earlier.
But an intense demonic aura radiated from him.
It was the same aura he had sensed from the car the previous night.
And—
Within that aura…
Aoyama detected something even more terrifying.
The presence of Muzan Kibutsuji.
His heart jolted violently.
He quickly looked away from the man.
If Muzan was truly here—
What form was he hiding in?
A man?
A woman?
Or even a child?
"Everyone, please step closer."
"I'd like to explain the effects of this miraculous medicine."
Aoyama had no interest in the man's speech.
A demon selling medicine to humans?
What kind of absurd joke was that?
His eyes swept across the crowd, searching for Muzan's trace.
At that moment—
A woman carrying a tray of wine glasses walked past him.
Aoyama suddenly grabbed her wrist.
His gaze locked onto the wine.
There was Muzan's blood inside.
Fury flashed across his face.
He slapped the wine from her hand and shouted loudly:
"DON'T DRINK THE WINE!"
"There's something wrong with it!!!"
The man on the podium stopped speaking and turned to look at him.
A strange smile spread across his face.
"Too late."
Aoyama realized it immediately.
He was already too late.
While he had been outside killing the demon disguised as the butler, Muzan's blood had already been mixed into the wine.
Some guests had already drunk it.
A woman who looked perfectly normal a moment ago suddenly twisted violently.
Her body began contorting unnaturally.
Muzan's cells inside her body were devouring her normal cells.
One after another, people in the hall began experiencing the same transformation.
Some were still unaffected.
They had escaped the fate of becoming demons.
But now they faced another nightmare—
Being devoured by the newly born demons.
Aoyama drew his sword and immediately beheaded the woman beside him who was still convulsing.
Then he turned to Nezuko.
"Nezuko."
"I'm counting on you."
"Protect the normal people for now."
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