"On the surface, we are at a great disadvantage, but the Kannagi clan is our final trump card," Kagaya Ubuyashiki thought, a sliver of hope piercing through the gloom. "Even if the current head of the clan does not act himself, the fact that a successor like Jubei has emerged shows they have not abandoned us."
His expression grew incredibly solemn as he considered the larger crisis. "More importantly, the Ubuyashiki family and the Demon Slayer Corps are now being targeted by factions all across Japan."
For centuries, their organization had operated in the shadows, focusing solely on their sacred duty of slaying demons. They rarely interacted with the mundane forces of the world. But that was only on the surface. Where there are people, there is conflict, and to survive, one needs alliances. The Ubuyashiki family's ability to fund the Demon Slayer Corps and support the hidden Swordsmith Village was not just due to their own deep foundations; it was built on a network of cooperation with other powerful groups.
Now, that network was crumbling. The recent, coordinated demon attacks and high-profile assassinations had been skillfully blamed on the Corps. One by one, their collaborators had severed all ties. No matter how powerful an organization was, few had the courage to openly defy the will of the government.
Suddenly, the Demon Slayer Corps had become that defiant organization. With their vast wealth and a private army of swordsmen, whispers of treason had begun to circulate. What did they truly want? To slay demons? After so many years, demons still plagued the land. Was it because the demons were too powerful, or was the Corps simply incompetent? Or, a more sinister thought had taken root in the minds of many: perhaps they were deliberately preserving their enemy to maintain their own power and influence.
It was a question with no easy answer, a calculation no one could clearly make. More importantly, in the midst of the current chaos, no one had the time or desire to seek the truth.
In Kagaya's mind, however, the path was perfectly clear. The tangled web of politics, fear, and betrayal all led back to a single source.
Muzan Kibutsuji.
Only by eradicating the progenitor of all demons could these conflicts be resolved. Only then would the truth come to light. But achieving that goal now seemed further away than ever. All Kagaya could do was call for reinforcements and place his trust in the experts of the Kannagi clan to fulfill their ancient purpose.
At the same time, the six remaining Hashira, split into three groups of two, moved like phantoms through the night. They raced toward the last known routes of the three trains, their minds set on a single goal. This wasn't just about completing a mission; it was about tearing down Muzan Kibutsuji's scheme before it could reach its conclusion. No matter how clever his plan was, if they could stop it here, his ambitions would be thwarted.
Three of their comrades were on those trains. Even if they were walking into a trap, they had to break through.
Click. Clack. Click.
The sound of dozens of rifle bolts sliding into place shattered the night's silence. Gyomei Himejima and Kyojuro Rengoku skidded to a halt. From the shadows of the forest around them, figures emerged, surrounding them completely.
"Who are you!?" Rengoku's voice boomed, full of righteous fire. "To stand in our way at such a critical moment! Do you have any idea what you are doing?"
The scene made the faces of both Hashira turn cold. This mission was a race against time. Every second wasted was a second their friends fell deeper into danger.
"Heh. The Demon Slayer Corps, I presume?" a voice sneered from the darkness. A man in the uniform of a government law enforcement officer stepped into the moonlight, his face set in a grim line. "You are now officially wanted criminals. What awaits you is prison. Immediately put down your Nichirin Blades!"
As he spoke, a series of rifle muzzles were aimed directly at Gyomei and Rengoku. An extreme sense of danger washed over them. They were warriors of incredible strength, but they could feel the immense, impersonal power held within those modern firearms. They had chosen a remote, hidden route specifically to avoid detection. To be ambushed here could only mean one thing.
A traitor had to be within the Demon Slayer Corps.
"We're going!" Gyomei said, his voice a low rumble.
He and Rengoku exchanged a single, knowing glance. In the next instant, they charged, their bodies exploding forward with incredible speed. Past experience had taught them a simple lesson: to wait for death was to guarantee it. Their only chance at survival was to fight.
The same scene was playing out across the region. The other two pairs—Shinobu Kocho and Mitsuri Kanroji, Tengen Uzui and Muichiro Tokito—had all been caught in identical ambushes by government officers. They were surrounded, outgunned, and facing a foe they had never been trained to fight. Against the firearms introduced from the West, their masterful swordsmanship was being pushed to its limit. After all, a blade was a blade, but a body was still made of flesh and blood.
In a conference hall in Tokyo, Prime Minister Kame Taro and his closest confidantes stood around a large map spread across a table.
"I must say, the Ubuyashiki family is playing a dangerous game this time, targeting public trains," one of the ministers commented, shaking his head. "I think they are asking for their own destruction."
"They have been cultivating that private army and hoarding wealth for years," another added. "They clearly have ulterior motives."
"Fortunately for us, the family itself is cursed," a third said with a grim smile. "Their heirs have always been short-lived."
This ambush was their design, a carefully planned "method of containment." The reports of demon activity on the trains, followed by news of Demon Slayers committing frenzied massacres, had given them the perfect justification to finally move against the shadowy Ubuyashiki clan. To bring them down, they would first remove their claws—the Demon Slayer Corps. Then, they would dismantle their pillars of support, and finally, they would deliver the decisive blow.
"At this point, whether the Ubuyashiki family has truly made a deal with demons or not no longer matters," Prime Minister Kame Taro said, his square face calm and resolved. "For us, the social stability and order of Japan are what is most important."
Thump. Gurgle. THUD.
Suddenly, the sounds of a struggle erupted from just outside the conference hall doors—the wet impact of fists on flesh, a choked-off scream, and the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor.
"What was that? Assassins!"
The Prime Minister's calm expression shattered, his face paling with shock.
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