Whoosh!
The moment Kagaya Ubuyashiki vanished, an unnatural and profound silence fell over the entire ancestral home. In the vast, empty courtyard, only his wife, Amane, remained, still kneeling on the cool stone path. Everything had happened so quickly, so fast that she hadn't even had a chance to react.
She had only just begun to stand when Kagaya spoke his final words, but by then, it was too late. The courtyard, the home she had shared with him for so many years, suddenly felt desolate and empty. Everyone was gone. She was the only one left.
In that deafening silence, a flood of memories crashed over her. The past replayed in her mind, each moment as vivid and clear as if it were happening all over again. She remembered him as a rosy-cheeked youth, then as a young man whose face was already beginning to show the strain of his duty. Finally, she saw the image of the man he had become, his body gradually consumed by the family's terrible curse. Amane had witnessed the fragments of Kagaya Ubuyashiki's life. It wasn't a long life, but it was one filled with purpose and profound meaning.
And now, all of that had been sacrificed in a single, desperate act. To gather all his remaining life force, along with the thousand-year destiny of the Ubuyashiki clan, and channel it into a burst of power that would last for a mere three days. This was the ultimate power of the Divine Lord of the Shrine Maiden clan. But could Kagaya truly achieve victory with a method that cost him his very life?
Amane turned and knelt properly once more. With trembling hands, she poured a cup of tea, the liquid shimmering as tears streamed from her deep purple eyes.
"I will wait for you," she whispered to the empty air. "I'll be right here, waiting for you to come home."
…
At that very moment, far from the Ubuyashiki estate, the Divine Lord and his followers were moving swiftly in the opposite direction. The Shrine Maiden clan had finally emerged from the shadows to resolve the chaos that Muzan Kibutsuji had unleashed upon the world. To achieve their goal, they needed to use the two 'blades' at their disposal: the Ubuyashiki family and the Demon Slayer Corps.
Now that the Demon Slayer Corps was already fighting in the Yoshiwara Pleasure District, only one blade remained to be used—Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
The Shrine Maiden clan, who had once transformed a dying Muzan into the world's first demon, certainly had the power to cure the Ubuyashiki curse. However, doing so offered them no benefit. Their true goal was to extract every last bit of value from Kagaya Ubuyashiki's life.
A more critical problem had emerged. After the Infinity Castle was split apart, Muzan Kibutsuji's presence was scattered all across Japan. Tens of thousands of demons were now running rampant through the nation, from the cities of Tokyo and Osaka to the northern island of Hokkaido. In this chaotic situation, even the Divine Lord could not locate Muzan using the bloodline tracking that Shrine Maiden Jubei had once relied upon.
Their new plan was simple: lure the snake out of its hole. If Muzan Kibutsuji could use the Japanese Crown Prince to push the Demon Slayer Corps to the brink, then they would use Kagaya Ubuyashiki to draw out the Demon King himself. With his life force drained and converted into three days of extreme power, Kagaya had become the perfect bait. What Shrine Maiden Jubei could no longer accomplish was, in the Divine Lord's eyes, a simple matter of strategy.
"Everything is proceeding according to plan," the Divine Lord's voice echoed on the wind. "Remember, after this, the Ubuyashiki clan will be extinct."
…
Meanwhile, within the twisting corridors of the Infinity Castle, Muzan watched the events unfold.
"Heh… As expected of the Shrine Maiden clan," a cold sneer appeared on Tsukihiko's face. "Orchestrating a demon-slaying play where they direct all the actors. This is quite an impressive move."
From the moment he had eliminated Shrine Maiden Jubei, Tsukihiko knew that the clan could no longer remain hidden. The entire country was in turmoil. The government was unstable, military forces were difficult to mobilize, and demon attacks were causing chaos in every prefecture. The main railway lines connecting the country's most prosperous regions had been destroyed. Even the Imperial Family was hesitant to act, especially with the Crown Prince missing. The Onmyoji of the Shinto faith dared not make a move.
For the Shrine Maiden clan, controlling events from the shadows was no longer possible. Now that they were forced to act openly, their plans and their trump cards would soon be revealed to him. An enemy in the dark is terrifying, but once they step into the light, everything becomes much simpler.
"However," Tsukihiko mused, a cruel smile spreading across his face, "I wonder what level of strength the current Kagaya Ubuyashiki has reached."
The thought of Kagaya, a man so weakened by his curse that he could barely stand, now wielding a sword was an unexpected and amusing surprise. It was a shame, really, that this newfound power would only last for three short days. After that, everything that belonged to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and the entire Ubuyashiki family, would vanish from the world forever. The family that had played such a significant role in Japan's thousand-year war against demons was about to take its final curtain call.
…
Back in the Yoshiwara Pleasure District, the Demon Slayer Corps was fighting for its life.
Of the six Hashira dispatched to the area, two—the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, and the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji—had been intercepted the moment they entered the district. The remaining four had immediately split into two groups, rushing in different directions to find the source of the demonic presence.
They were still completely unaware of what had happened at their master's home. They fought on, believing they were securing the future of the Ubuyashiki family and the Demon Slayer Corps. They all understood that if they failed here, everything they had ever fought for would be lost.
"What's going on?"
In a dark, narrow alley, the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, and the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, came to a sudden stop.
"We left markers all over the place," Tengen said, his voice laced with frustration. "But somehow… we've ended up right back where we started."
They had entered the district with a map provided by Ubuyashiki, following what should have been the most direct route. But the Yoshiwara they found was not the one on their map. The entire layout seemed to have changed in a matter of hours. The map was now useless, and they were trapped in a disorienting maze, as if caught in a "ghost wall," walking in circles no matter which path they took.
Suddenly, a woman's voice drifted down from the rooftops above them.
"Well, well… Are you two Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps?"
They looked up to see a figure whose hair draped down like silken ribbons.
"Since you've come to my pleasure district," she purred, her voice dripping with amusement, "then you must be prepared to walk the path to the underworld."
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