Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 135: Really Bad Compatibility

The wine jar in front of him reminded Lin Guang of what had happened, the drunkenness, the battle. The only good news was that he never slept again after that.

"Little Rinkou drank a lot last time so he didn't have to sleep, right? If he drinks more, maybe he'll become even more powerful. After all, this is rare blood."

The wine jar was placed in front of him. Douma tore off the lid and the rich aroma rushed into his nostrils. It was difficult for Rinko to resist this bewitching smell, but to be honest, he was not hungry.

It was hard to explain what was going on. Perhaps it was because he had been in Infinite City for too long and had become accustomed to relying on endurance or training to make himself stronger, or perhaps it was simply because he was too hungry, or perhaps even simpler, he was simply not hungry yet.

"Not hungry."

But the simplest reason is also the most untenable.

"If I remember correctly, little Rinko hasn't eaten for a long time. How come you're not hungry? Is it because you've eaten too much human garbage that your brain has also been damaged? Do you need my help?"

With a light smile, Douma stretched out his hand towards him. Rinkou did not speak or move, and did not even raise his eyes as the hand gradually stretched out. In the blink of an eye, the approaching palm was intercepted before it touched the head, and the Nichirin sword pierced his outstretched hand. The boy held the Nichirin sword and stabbed forward with his other hand on the bottom, so that the sword guard blocked the downward force.

"I think my head is alright."

As expected, the so-called help was not really intended to help him. The force of the downward pressure proved that this was not a caress, or even just a pat. It was obvious that he was preparing to smash his head to pieces.

Douma was just trying to make fun of him again, maybe even planning to give him a free meal, like Akaza did.

"That's too much! I was trying to help, but Rinko-chan was so mean to me."

No, it's not the same. Akaza didn't deliberately ask for extra food, but Douma really wanted to eat his.

The muscles in his palms were tensed, and the bones were stuck on the blade that was sinking into the flesh. Rinkou finally raised his eyes and looked at Douma, seemingly not caring about the hand that was very close to him and was forced to stop.

After a brief stalemate, it was Douma who took action. He tried to pull back the Nichirin sword together with it, but Rinkou was not ready to give him the sword. The hand that was pressing on the bottom turned to grasp the handle. Without any warning, both hands exerted force together. There was a teeth-grinding sound of the blade rubbing against the bone. The injury aggravated by the rotation of the blade splattered with blood, and even the boy's face was not spared.

"Is that considered harsh? Then wouldn't I be the same as Yama Luo to Bantian Gou and the others? After all, I once chopped off that old man's neck. Do you want to try it?"

There was no expression on the boy's face, and no emotion could be heard in his tone. Douma even found it difficult to tell whether this was a joke or a sincere request, but judging by the blade twisting from time to time in his hand, he felt that the latter was more likely.

"That's too much. I'm not a Hantengu. If my neck is cut off, I will die. Are you going to kill me, little Rinko?"

Douma's actions were decisive. As he spoke, the hand suddenly relaxed its strength and pulled its palm out in the opposite direction of the blade. Blood splattered again and the cracked wound healed quickly. This time, the hand grasped the blade, holding it tightly, not caring about the blood sliding down the blade.

"I think...it's not impossible."

Rinko remained calm. When he looked up at Douma's deliberately wide eyes, he spoke lightly. It was not a good feeling to have someone else control the life and death of the blade. It was the same reason why he had deliberately avoided using the Nichirin Sword before. There were not many intact Nichirin Swords in his hand, and Douma's current posture might break the sword at any time.

"If you let go, we'll talk about it."

So he carefully took a half step back. Douma was surprised by his concession and glanced at him twice. He didn't know what bad idea was in his head, but in the end he let go of his hand and watched Rinko shake off the blood on the Nichirin Sword, and then put the sword back into the small pot hanging on his wrist.

"Hey, what little treasures did Rinko-chan pack in there?"

Rinko raised his eyes and noticed Douma's outstretched hand. He looked at the small pot he was pointing at, thought for a moment, and then shook his head.

"I don't remember completely. After all, I've been carrying it for a long time... Maybe not much, maybe a lot. I remember some of it, but I don't remember some of it."

As Lin Guang said this, he shook the small pot casually. The small pot did not take up much space in his hand and had almost no presence. Even if there were a lot of things stuffed in it, it did not make him feel any extra burden.

Just like his first impression of the jade pot, it was hard to say, but the pot was well made.

"Then can you show me?"

"No."

Lin Guang refused decisively. He didn't remember everything in the box, but he remembered that there were some relatively valuable things inside. Most of them were gifts from others, or gifts that were intended for others, as well as some gifts that couldn't be given away...

No matter which one it is, Douma has no reason to cherish it.

"Hey - it's okay if you show it to me -"

"Then it doesn't matter if I don't show it to you."

"Rinko-chan——don't be so heartless——"

----

----

In the end, Douma was unable to see what was in the pot, and Rinko did not reach out to the pot.

Lin Guang didn't know why he wasn't hungry. He could smell the sweetness, just like before. This proved that his nose was not broken, and his brain was not broken. So he could only suspect that his stomach was broken and he had forgotten what hunger felt like, so he was unwilling to eat.

But that's not important, what's important is what happened after that.

Just like when he was with Akaza, Douma also took him to find a demon hunter to try, but just like when he was with Akaza, facing an upper-rank demon of Douma's level, Rinko did not need to take action, and Douma did not really need his help. Those crystal princes could completely offset his effect.

"It seems the good news is that you are indeed very strong." And the even better news is that you are so strong that you don't need my help at all.

Lingguang squatted on the tree, watching the battle that was sure to win. He didn't say the last sentence.

Unlike his happiness, Douma still looked a little sad even after receiving praise, but his sadness was not the kind of trouble that Rinko knew. It was just a fake act of pretending to be wronged and trying to attract other people's attention, like acting like a spoiled child.

Lin Guang knew the purpose of this disguise. In the past, he would probably pretend not to see it, but he was in a good mood now, so he was willing to say a few more words.

"It's just that we have a bad compatibility. It's the same with Akaza and I. It's normal. It's just a pity. What a shame. It seems I have to try to find another upper rank."

That being said, although Rinko believed that the first three Upper Moons were already strong enough that they probably didn't need his help before they met the Pillars, he felt that even if he really met a stronger swordsman, he wouldn't really want to cooperate with Douma.

As for Douma, if the smile on Rinko's face hadn't been so bright, Douma might have really believed that regret.