"Kibutsuji Muzan!"
The name echoed in the tense silence. As soon as Tsukihiko spoke it, Chinami, the leader of the Priest Clan, locked her eyes on him. There he was—the being her clan had accidentally created centuries ago. He was a truly unique existence. Despite all their efforts and countless experiments over the years, they had never been able to create a second Muzan Kibutsuji.
His unique demonic physique had made him the king of all demons, giving him control over every evil spirit in the world. If the Priest Clan could wield such an incredible power, they would be unstoppable. What a wonderful thought that was. But it was a shame that even now, after making so many preparations to capture him, they had still not succeeded.
…
"It's really them… the Priest Clan. And that must be their leader, right?"
"I've heard the rumors. The Priest Clan supports the Ubuyashiki family. They're supposed to be one of the ancient Onmyoji clans from the old days."
"This means we might actually be saved!"
After a moment of shocked silence, the faces of Shinobu Kocho, Mitsuri Kanroji, and Giyomei Himejima lit up with hope. Even though Kagaya Ubuyashiki and his wife, Amane, were kneeling before the Priest Clan's leader, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps remained standing.
In a way, the Ubuyashiki family served the Priest Clan, and the Demon Slayer Corps served the Ubuyashiki family. But in reality, the slayers' loyalty had always been to Oyakata-sama alone, not to some distant clan they had never met. For someone like Tanjiro, who always followed his heart, his only real loyalty was to the mission of slaying demons. If the Demon Slayer Corps had been led by the government instead of the Ubuyashiki, he would have followed them just the same, as long as the goal was to protect people.
Still, the sudden appearance of these powerful figures at such a critical moment gave them an unexpected sense of relief. But no one could be sure what their true intentions were.
…
"Ubuyashiki, are you going to keep kneeling?"
Before the leader of the Priest Clan could speak, Tsukihiko's cold voice cut through the air from his ice throne.
"It seems that even now, you want to rely on the Priest Clan. You're clinging to a hope that was never real."
As Tsukihiko spoke, he waved his hand. Countless rays of light shot into the air and formed a series of images, like a projection. The images showed scene after scene of the Priest Clan's leader and her followers secretly spying on the Ubuyashiki estate. Then, their voices filled the air, exposing every detail of their plot.
"The so-called Ubuyashiki family is nothing more than a dog we raised."
"Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and his entire clan… From this day on, they will be completely wiped out."
"Tools are all the same. Once they lose their value, they become useless."
The cold, cruel words of the Priest Clan echoed in the air. For Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Amane, it was like being drenched in the coldest winter rain.
"No… No… this can't be real…"
The atmosphere became heavy and twisted. A heartbroken roar erupted from Kagaya. A cracking sound filled the air as if every bone in his body was trembling under the immense emotional strain. His face twisted with sharp, unbearable agony.
…
"What… what is going on?!"
"Damn it! Kibutsuji Muzan has been monitoring us this whole time? When did he even start…?"
"It doesn't matter when he started! What matters is that we've been exposed!"
At the same time, the faces of Chinami and the six Guardian Priests with her turned ice-cold. Their plan had been simple: sit back and watch the fight from the shadows. They were only supposed to appear after Kagaya Ubuyashiki's value had been completely used up. They never expected Tsukihiko to know where they were hiding, forcing them to reveal themselves early.
Even worse, they never imagined that he had been watching them ever since they left their home. Tsukihiko had absorbed Priest Jubei, whose bloodline was considered exceptional even within the Priest Clan. Combined with his own unique mix of human and demon blood, Tsukihiko had achieved a perfect fusion of human, demon, and god. Since the Priest Clan's bloodline all came from the same source, it wasn't difficult for him to secretly monitor them.
But more importantly, the Priest Clan had always been arrogant. They never saw anyone else as a threat. In their eyes, Kibutsuji Muzan was just a creature they had accidentally made. Since they could create him, they believed they could easily destroy him. They never expected that their arrogance would lead them into such a humiliating situation.
…
"This… It was all a lie? How… How could this happen!?"
"So the Priest Clan… Are they the real devils? They're the ones who created Kibutsuji Muzan in the first place!"
"What's even more terrifying is that they've been using Oyakata-sama all these years… He was just a pawn to them."
At the same time, Shinobu, Mitsuri, and Giyomei looked at Kagaya Ubuyashiki with an indescribable feeling. Their leader's mind was clearly on the verge of collapsing. This was the man who they believed hated demons with all his heart, the man who treated every member of the Demon Slayer Corps like his own child. In a single moment, he seemed to have aged a hundred years. The last bit of strength and life left his body in an instant.
An overwhelming sense of death surrounded Kagaya. Tsukihiko's cruel move had completely destroyed his will to live. It wasn't just his will to live; at that moment, he felt as if he had lost everything. He had become a clown, a laughingstock for everyone to see.
Life was worse than death.
Perhaps only those words could describe the suffocating feeling in Kagaya's heart. So many years of waiting, of hoping, of working, of enduring… and in the end, it all led to this.
He was filled with resentment.
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