In the Demon Slayer world...
Muzan Ibi, who had abruptly lost his link to Tongmo, the Upper Moon Two, felt an inexplicable chill run through him. A powerful sense of unease surged within, leaving him unable to calm himself.
Every demon in this world was born from him—from his blood injected into humans!
Under the effect of his Blood Cursed Binding,
He could directly sense each demon's thoughts, location, and even control their actions—even kill them outright using the power of the curse!
Distance might have dulled his senses, but never completely severed the bond.
Losing contact with a demon meant one of two things:
Either they betrayed him, like that traitorous woman Kazue, and broke free,
Or… they were dead!
Upper Moon Two… dead?!
No Upper Moon had ever fallen among the Twelve Kizuki in over a century!
And when he learned through his subordinate demons
That Tongmo had perished after fighting Hana no Kabe—Butterfly Sanae of the Demon Slayer Corps—his already uneasy heart plummeted into chaos.
Immediately, he began summoning the remaining members of the Twelve Kizuki.
The Demon Slayer Corps now possessed the strength to slay Upper Moons!
He absolutely couldn't allow this to continue unchecked!
——————————
Within the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters...
Having rushed back with all due haste, Butterfly Sanae stood before Kagamiyama Kōya, who had gathered the current Rocky Pillar—Hangan Sadamune, Sound Pillar—Uzui Tenyu, Wind Pillar—Shinazugawa Sanemi, and others, recounting her recent experiences.
At just nineteen, Kagamiyama Kōya had yet to develop the composed detachment he would one day gain after facing death itself.
Reverently reaching out to touch the small statue—
The weight that had burdened his body vanished, filling him with indescribable joy!
This pure and gentle power, both holy and warm, seemed to cleanse all impurity.
It was definitely not the work of Blood Demon Arts!
Which meant… everything Butterfly Sanae described was real!
Compared to Hangan Sadamune—who no longer believed in gods, treating prayers merely as mental training—and Uzui Tenyu and Shinazugawa Sanemi, who remained skeptical about divine beings,
He had always believed the gods were real!
Because the curse upon the Kagamiyama clan—an illness preventing anyone from living past thirty—was a punishment sent by the gods themselves, punishing their blood tie to Muzan Ibi!
"Sanae," Kagamiyama Kōya asked, barely suppressing his excitement, "did Lord God grant you a divine vision?"
"No," Sanae replied, cradling the small statue in her hands. "I wanted to spread faith in Lord God and sing His praises, but He refused. He simply told me to use this power well, strive to boost my strength, and also, Priest Miroku said that Lord God favors those with unshakable resolve."
Sanae's eyes held a hint of confusion.
She had received divine power and now had the means to fulfill her dream—but how could she repay Lord God?
"Lord God…" Kagamiyama Kōya's voice trembled slightly. "What kind of power did He give you?"
Hangan Sadamune clasped his hands together, gazing at the statue of You before him.
It wasn't that he doubted Butterfly Sanae.
But...
When he was filled with despair, confusion, fear, and helplessness, not once had the gods ever responded to his prayers!
Do the gods truly exist?
"Hmm... The power of confession, an incomprehensibly profound sword technique, and the seed of Natural Energy—would you like to experience it firsthand, Mr. Hangan?"
Butterfly Sanae slightly glossed over the [Four Breakdowns Per Second] ability.
For Hangan Sadamune, who had saved her and her sister, guided them, and ultimately led them to become members of the Demon Slayer Corps, she always held deep admiration and gratitude.
"Amitabha Buddha, it would truly be an honor to experience it."
Hangan Sadamune uttered a Buddhist chant.
Butterfly Sanae rose to her feet and walked up to him. She placed one hand on his back, shut her eyes tightly, and slowly began transferring a bit of Natural Energy she had absorbed and refined into his body.
Weng~
A powerful energy fluctuation surged outward.
Veins coiled like dragons across his skin. His beard and brows bristled as his aura surged ever higher!
"Khh!"
He let out a stifled groan of pain.
Feeling the terrifying force threatening to tear his body apart at any moment, along with the ripping agony in his muscles and meridians.
His wide eyes revealed both shock and joy!
Such immense power!
Lord God...
Will You finally show mercy to the people who have suffered under demons for a thousand years?
"Huff~ Mr. Sadamune, according to information imparted by Lord God, the world contains seven foundational elements: Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Yin, and Yang. Natural Energy is the unified form of all seven..."
Butterfly Sanae stopped channeling the energy.
Looking at Sadamune, completely soaked in cold sweat and twisting in pain, she softly explained the principle behind this energy.
As per the information inside her mind:
As long as one could endure the baptism of Natural Energy, completely open all the meridians in the body, and circulate the energy along the pathways she has established, those purified would then be able to absorb the energy corresponding to their personal elemental affinity and constitution.
In other words, very soon, Mr. Sadamune would gain Earth-elemental energy!
Combined with Breathing Techniques, plus elemental energy enhancement...
There was no doubt—the entire Demon Slayer Corps would ascend to a new level of strength!
"A-mi-ta-..."
How shall I praise Your holy name?
Thinking about finally being able to thoroughly hunt and kill demons, Hangan Sadamune couldn't help shedding tears of emotion and instinctively began chanting Amitabha.
Halfway through, he suddenly realized something was off.
"I'm not entirely sure, but Lord God doesn't seem to place importance on such things. What I do know is that Lord God is the Sovereign of Primordial Origin, a deity of dimensions. Wherever the divine light shines, all unjust fates will be overturned."
Butterfly Sanae tilted her head sideways, speaking the information granted alongside the 'Demon God Agent' contract.
"Overturning unjust fate? What a merciful and magnanimous existence."
Tears flowed down Hangan Sadamune's face.
He followed the Buddhist teachings, believing in this life and the next, believing in karma and its retribution, accepting that all misfortunes stemmed from sins committed in previous lives. He accepted his own sins, seeking redemption for past lives and virtue for the next.
This was the first time he had heard a god speak of defying an unjust fate.
Lord God~ Do you still need a divine attendant?
I have plenty of experience!
"Mr. Tenyu, Mr. Sanemi, you've both seen part of the process already. It can be... quite painful."
Butterfly Sanae turned to Uzui Tenyu and Shinazugawa Sanemi, who stood beside her, clearly growing impatient.
"The radiant power of a god shining like dazzling stars—I shall be the sharp blade that cleaves through the darkness, no matter how painful the process!"
Sound Pillar Uzui Tenyu lost no time, immediately sitting cross-legged on the veranda floor,
waiting for Sanae to begin the purification ritual using Natural Energy.
"Sanae, earlier you referred to the power granted by the gods as 'confession'—was that meant for us? Or for the demons?"
Shinazugawa Sanemi's fierce expression betrayed a glimmer of barely restrained ruthlessness.
That harshness wasn't aimed at Sanae; rather, his own experiences told him one thing.
Demons are not to be trusted, nor can they ever be forgiven!
"Mr. Sanemi, actually, my description wasn't entirely accurate. That power is more of a mental attack—it won't kill directly, but it may still be... extremely unpleasant... for both humans and demons."
Butterfly Sanae pursed her lips, struggling to find the right words.
"Let me try it!"
Upon hearing it wouldn't be fatal, Shinazugawa immediately offered himself for the trial.
Five minutes later.
"Sadamune, could Genya possibly be your long-lost son? I've never seen anyone with tear glands as strong as yours..."
Sound Pillar Uzui Tenyu grimaced in pain.
Unlike Rock Pillar Hangan Sadamune, he didn't have a body as strong as Rock Pillar Hangan Sadamune's. Enduring the purification from Natural Energy nearly cost him half his life!
Most of his muscles were shredded, and waves of unbearable pain radiated from his internal organs.
And in this condition, he still had to endure Shinazugawa's completely unimpressive, utterly unbearable crying!
Lord Koyasu~
Please, take him away! I don't think I can hold on much longer...
"Moshi moshi~ Onee-san! Onee-san!"
Butterfly Shinobu whispered cautiously from outside Lord Kagamiyama's courtyard wall, softly calling for her older sister.
Her large purple eyes gleamed with anticipation and longing.
"Shinobu? Come in."
Lord Kagamiyama Kōya smiled warmly and motioned for her to come inside.
Before the meeting began, Butterfly Shinobu had already come looking for them. That she waited this long before calling out was already surprising.
"Greetings, Lord Kagamiyama."
Fourteen-year-old Butterfly Shinobu hurried into the courtyard and respectfully bowed to Lord Kagamiyama.
She then cast a mischievous glance toward Shinazugawa Sanemi, who was still sobbing loudly and pounding the ground with his fists.
Familiar with the Butterfly House, she had no intention of showing him any mercy.
Spotting her sister watching, she quickly ran up, leaned close, and whispered excitedly.
"Onee-san! I've made up my mind! I want to become a shrine maiden—just like you!"
"A shrine maiden must devote her entire being to Lord God~, serving with unwavering dedication. They must never involve themselves in romance or marriage. Does Shinobu plan to remain unmarried forever?"
Butterfly Sanae's soft smile returned as she reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her younger sister's ear.
[Bug Breathing] was especially skilled at detecting the faintest sounds.
Earlier, Shinobu had been standing outside the wall, and given her personality, how could she possibly resist eavesdropping while in her Bug Breathing state?
"...Is Lord God~ handsome?"
After a moment's thought, Shinobu tilted her head slightly and softly asked.
Thump—
"That kind of question is so disrespectful!"
Sanae flicked her sister's forehead playfully.
She didn't even need to guess to know what Shinobu was thinking—If she couldn't marry someone else, then why not just marry Lord God~ directly if He was good-looking?
Even if she became a shrine maiden someday, such a disrespectful thought was still unacceptable!
"Hmph~"
Shinobu puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction and gave a soft discontented hum, while continuously glancing toward the statue of You hanging on her older sister's chest.
Trying hard to figure out what Lord God~ looked like from the statue of You.
Sister was being so unreasonable!
She hadn't even said it outright, just asked about His appearance, so why was that disrespectful?!
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