The Ogai clan.
It first gained recognition through The Eternal Paradise Faith, but that was merely the prelude to the rise of this clan of commoner origins.
Following the death of the sect leader Ogai Mori, his son married his distant "cousin" from the Ubuyashiki clan.
This act sealed the alliance between the sectarian clan and the noble family dating back to the Heian era.
Thus, the Ogai clan officially entered Japanese nobility through this union.
All descendants of Doma inherited a decent political influence, owing to their direct ties to the Ubuyashiki clan.
Beyond this aspect, they possessed colossal wealth, the fruit of Doma and Kaguya's expertise in marketing and economic strategy.
That's why Akaza hadn't been able to destroy the main monastery as easily as anticipated.
The Ogai clan simply had far too many resources.
Even Muzan was surprised, after witnessing the power of the shadows through Akaza's eyes.
The ancestor of demons deeply despised humans, and it was also for this reason that he had raged against Upper Moon Three after his victory over Kyojuro Rengoku.
Akaza had dared to boast about defeating an insect.
From Muzan's perspective, it was only natural for a demon to overcome a human. The reverse merely proved the demon was weak and unworthy.
This worldview prevented him from acting like Doma, who didn't hesitate to supply resources to humans and shamelessly exploit their potential.
"I already knew Doma was 'playing' with humans, but this…" murmured Muzan, frowning as he watched Mugen regulate his breathing and ready his kukri knives.
The king of demons was already preparing to purge the Kizuki of their weak elements.
Muzan anticipated several bloody battles, hoping to strengthen his organization while eliminating any future risks.
Unfortunately, the preparations took a bit of time. That's why he glanced over at Akaza's side.
'Doma… you hid such a man from me?' analyzed the demon king, his plum-pink eyes scrutinizing Mugen through Akaza.
The silhouette of the young Gyutaro overlapped almost perfectly with Mugen's, in Muzan's perception.
'If he holds out a little longer, I'll have Akaza bring him to me,' decided the demonic sovereign, as the fight was about to resume.
…
The delinquent's combat stance perfectly countered Akaza's Soryu style at that moment.
The face usually mocking and teasing now wore a serious expression, as he attentively observed his surroundings.
The Shadow.
They were his colleagues, friends, and brothers, but all had suffered severe injuries.
Their fate was unknown.
"Indeed, you're different from all that trash," muttered Akaza, seeing in Mugen's eyes the burning desire to fight and win.
"Whenever you're ready, you bastard…" replied Mugen in an indifferent tone, gripping his kukri with bloodied hands.
But behind his mocking tone and calm smile, Mugen wasn't as composed as he appeared.
The mind of the former reformatory inmate was racing at full speed, scouring his memory for a solution.
Finally, he found a tiny clue.
'It's doable… but forgive me,' he thought, deciding to follow Doma's advice.
"You're taking the initiative? Doesn't bother me, MUGEN!!"
Immediately after Mugen's assault, Akaza unleashed his demonic blood art.
"Blood Demon Art: Destructive Death — Compass Needle Technique!!!"
"Water Breathing: Fourth Form — Striking Tide!!"
The two techniques collided in a deafening crash as their users charged at each other.
Akaza's strikes were precise, powerful, relentless. Mugen knew this from experience: each blow from the demon could pulverize a monastery pillar or carve a crater into stone.
The worst part, however, wasn't that.
Mugen had realized his opponent could read his intentions.
Akaza deflected every slash of the water style and aimed straight for vital points.
If I used another style, I'd already be dead, thought Mugen, before sliding across the ground, exploiting an imbalance to execute the Second Form and slice cleanly across Akaza's back.
Water Breathing.
Mugen had chosen it, even though it suited his kukri poorly.
Why?
Because it made him feel free.
This style prioritized versatility in defense and attack, while maintaining unmatched fluidity.
That fluidity made all the difference: it allowed Mugen to divert Akaza's shockwaves and reduce the strain on his blades against the demon's colossal strength.
"MORE! MORE!!" roared Akaza, swept up in the excitement of battle, without even noticing his own positioning.
Suddenly, Mugen vanished from Akaza's field of vision due to a projectile.
The demon didn't have time to identify the "object," as Mugen had literally kicked him mid-fight.
Thus, in the frenzy of their exchanges, Akaza failed to notice the maneuver.
A deep gash then opened across his neck.
"Tch… I missed," growled Mugen after executing the First Form of water breathing: Water Surface Slash.
"You're trying to act nonchalant, but I can see the disgust in your eyes," retorted Akaza, ignoring the distraction and already regenerating his wound.
A dull thud echoed.
The body of a Shadow member was hurled backward, a gaping hole opening in his chest.
Mugen had used an unconscious man as a tool, hoping to land a fatal blow on Akaza.
Unfortunately, he had underestimated the instincts of a demon honed by centuries of combat.
"See? That's why you're not the leader of the Shadow yet. Tch… reduced to using your comrades as cannon fodder," growled Rin as she joined Mugen in Doma's main quarters.
"Hehee, you're back? How'd you wake up so fast?" tossed Mugen with a snicker, even as a thin cold sweat trickled down his temple.
When Akaza had attacked the monastery, Mugen had drugged Rin before having her evacuated.
Stupid? No.
The young man was simply applying one of the three pieces of advice Doma had given him for facing an opponent of this level.
The first: flight.
Doma had explained that users of Total Concentration: Constant weren't true adversaries, but merely skilled humans capable of facing an Upper Moon.
As for victory? Doma had been very clear: no Hashira could defeat an Upper Moon alone, unless they were a true anomaly.
At the time, Doma was alluding to Kokushibo's descendant. Unfortunately, Mugen didn't know that yet.
The second piece of advice Doma had given Mugen was a shameful but necessary act:
"Use every means to win—whether it's your weapons, your life… or even your loved ones."
Those words had been spoken sincerely, but they had deeply marked Mugen.
And today, facing Akaza, he finally understood their meaning.
The gap between them was simply colossal.
As for Doma's third and final piece of advice?
"Become a demon, and I'll try to sort out your situation later."
So yes, Mugen had indeed drugged Rin—not out of cruelty, but out of caution.
He was simply applying the first piece of advice.
"A woman? I don't like fighting—" Akaza didn't finish his sentence before Rin's forearm slammed violently into the demon's throat and sent him crashing through a wall.
"Shut your trap, can't you see we're talking?" she said, as the electric aura of her thunder style emanated from her.
It was the first movement of thunder breathing, which Rin had modified for her pugilist fighting style.
Lariat.
(Image)
"R-Rin-san… I didn't drug you because I wanted to… it's Doma who…" Mugen instinctively tried to explain, but he was cut off.
"Can he carry your excuse? Because I'm done with this misogynist… you're dead!" she said, her golden eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.
'Damn, how did Doma manage to tame this woman?' he thought, watching Rin, brass knuckles on her Nichirin, striding toward the demon without the slightest fear.
Unconsciously, he recalled Doma's words about Rin: 'she's the strongest of this era.'
Normally, he should be glad to have reinforcements, but Mugen found himself rooting for Akaza in his heart.
The former delinquent didn't want to end up in the clutches of a healthy Rin.
….
"Brunhilde, you're not seriously going to ignore what's written in that letter?" Göll watched the paper her sister was burning over a candle.
"I never said I don't believe the demon of fate," she replied, then paused briefly before adding.
"I just don't trust him enough to entrust my sisters into his hands." She explained this after destroying Doma's message.
The hand Doma had sent contained two things Brunhilde was to receive from Heimdall: a letter and one of Doma's fans.
[Dear Brunhilde, I won't lie, I really like your silhouette and your voluptuous body.
I'd love to eat you in both senses… cough… sorry for veering off the main topic of this message, but I couldn't resist the little voice in my head.
Anyway: if you don't want Thrud to die with Raiden and Tesla to perish with Göndul, you should give them a bit of my blood.
They'll inherit part of my powers, but I'll have their lives in exchange.
Isn't that a great deal? An eternity with me rather than the nothingness of Niflhel ~
Your sisters are lucky… cough anyway, I'm digressing a bit. So please think it over carefully.
Signed, Doma, the demon of fate.
P.S.: if you can get the autographs of three great sages рівні on the fan I'm leaving, that'd be cool.]
"I understand your mistrust, Brunhilde. After all, that man stole your sister…" began Heracles, noticing the heavy atmosphere in the Valkyrie leader's box.
"However, I don't believe he'll harm your sisters. Especially, you saw it, didn't you? He changed fate with Jack and mine," explained Heracles in a patient tone.
"On that point, Heracles is right. Doma is a true gentleman," added Jack, taking a cup of tea.
"It would be regrettable to mix your personal feelings into affairs, my dear lady," he said, glancing at Brunhilde's neutral expression.
No emotion remained hidden from Jack, and Brunhilde knew it well.
She might appear indifferent, but Jack easily perceived the anger she felt toward this demon who had appeared out of nowhere… and vanished just as suddenly.
"Sigh… I'll discuss it with Nostradamus. If he confirms that he can indeed influence his visions, then I'll consider entrusting him with humanity's future," she said in a heavy tone.
Doma was no longer there, but the universe of Valkyrja Apocalypse was taking an unexpected turn.
Author's note: Come on, admit you thought Mugen was gonna die in the future, lol.
It's been a while since I wrote a chapter without Doma himself. But hey, gotta show that the world is undergoing changes because of him.
Little info: I don't like writing this kind of chapter, because they're unpopular… and also because I really love writing Doma.
Another bit of info: there's a bonus chapter for 2,000 stones — good luck!