When the group reached the main residence, Hinaki knocked on the door. From within came a voice so gentle and serene that it eased the heart at once.
"Please, come in."
Sliding the door open, they saw a man in a white kimono, seated calmly at the table. From the bridge of his nose upward, his face was covered with terrible scars, and his eyes held no light.
"Welcome home, Ancestor Yosuke."
That simple phrase—welcome home—struck Yosuke like a blade. His nose stung, and a wave of emotion washed over him. How long had it been since he last heard those words? A hundred years? Two hundred?
His voice trembled despite himself.
"You… you still acknowledge me as one of the Ubuyashiki clan? Even though I'm a demon—the very cause of all this suffering?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled softly, his presence filled with warmth.
"But none of this was your doing. The one responsible is Muzan Kibutsuji. If not for Ancestor Yosuke's aid, the casualties of the Demon Slayer Corps would have been far greater."
Even as Demon King, Yosuke could sense it—Kagaya's life force was weak, like a candle in its final moments, ready to flicker out at any time.
"Kagaya… your body…"
Kagaya gently stroked Hinaki's head.
"I do not have long left. But heaven watches over humanity. In both Yoriichi and Ancestor Yosuke, I see hope. My only wish is that, in my generation, this long night will end—that my descendants may one day live in an age without demons."
Tears welled in Hinaki's eyes.
"Father, that day will surely come—it must come!"
Yoriichi, too, bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the floor before his lord.
"Master, I swear to give my all—to cut down every last demon."
Kagaya turned his sightless eyes toward Yosuke.
"Ancestor Yosuke, I have already sent Kasugai Crows to summon the Hashira. Tomorrow, a council will be held to discuss our campaign against Muzan Kibutsuji."
The night was already late. Kagaya, frail as he was, could not stay up long. After offering a quiet apology, he was escorted back to his chambers by Hinoka to rest.
Yosuke was given a guest room within the estate.
As a demon who slept by day and lived by night, he felt no drowsiness. Instead, he sat upon the rooftop, gazing vacantly at the moon above.
"Is something troubling you?" Tamayo's voice came from behind.
Yosuke's tone was heavy with sorrow.
"Tamayo… because of my birth and Muzan's, the bloodline of the Ubuyashiki family was cursed. Almost none live past the age of twenty-five.
"Twenty-five years… for me, it passes in the blink of an eye. But for them, it's an entire lifetime. The weight of this sin… is mine to bear."
Tamayo sat beside him, lifting her gaze to the same moon.
"But Kagaya himself told you—it is not your fault. Since the moment of your birth, you have never harmed a single human. On the contrary, you have saved countless lives.
"Yosuke, you are not Muzan. He erased his humanity, cruel and heartless, treating humans as livestock.
"But you… you are different. You are kind, gentle. You show compassion to all life. At your core, you are still human."
Yosuke stretched out his hand, covering the moon with his palm as if trying to grasp it.
"Every time I watch life fade away before me, I wonder—what is the essence of life? Yet even after all these years, I still cannot find the answer. Immortality brings no joy—only endless confusion.
"The longer I live, the more I question—what am I? Human? Or demon? Everyone insists the curse is not my fault, but I know the truth. That's nothing but a comforting lie. The beginning of all this… was my birth alongside Muzan. Everything I do now is penance. That is the fact, is it not?"
Tamayo looked at his lost, weary expression, and her heart ached. She could never truly understand the burden he carried, but she felt the weight of it nonetheless.
She gently guided his head onto her lap and covered his eyes with her hands.
"Yosuke… you're tired. Rest a while. Sleep, and when you wake, it will be a new day."
For the first time in centuries, Yosuke felt sleepiness wash over him. His eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted into slumber.
Tamayo gazed down at his exhausted face, whispering to herself.
"Once Muzan is slain, everything will change. I will devote myself to creating a medicine that can turn demons back into humans. When that day comes… we will live together as ordinary people."
The next night fell.
When Yosuke opened his eyes, he found himself lying in the guest room. Tamayo sat nearby in a chair, quietly reading a medical text.
"Eh? I… I actually fell asleep?" Yosuke muttered in disbelief. Ever since becoming a demon, he had never once slept—until now.
Tamayo smiled gently.
"Even for a demon, rest is necessary now and then. A mind kept taut for too long will only fray, don't you think?"
As she spoke, Hinaki's voice called from outside the door.
"Yosuke-sama, Lady Tamayo—the Hashira have arrived at the Ubuyashiki estate. Father requests your presence at once to discuss a matter of great importance."
Guided by Hinaki, Yosuke and Tamayo made their way through the night toward the main residence.
Inside, alongside Kagaya, six figures knelt in formal seiza.
Kagaya began the introductions.
"Yoriichi, of course, Ancestor Yosuke is already familiar with. Allow me to present the others—the five Hashira."
One by one, Yosuke was introduced.
A man with bright golden hair, wearing an orange long coat over a mesh-gray undershirt, wielder of the Breath of Thunder—Sakaya Raihui (OC).
Another with long yellow hair tipped in crimson, thick black brows, and sharp, fiery eyes. A scion of a demon-hunting family, master of the Breath of Flame—Rengoku Shinzuka Shō (OC).
The sole woman among them, with long black hair, dressed in a kimono, her face lit with a gentle smile. She wielded the Breath of Water—Tokimoto Eriko (OC).
A man with a fearsome, scarred face, glaring daggers at Yosuke, exuding menace. He wielded the Breath of Wind—Kamiji Kento (OC).
The last was a broad-shouldered, powerfully built man. Even beneath loose robes, his massive muscles could not be hidden, radiating a sense of safety. He wielded the Breath of Stone—Shimazawa Daigo (OC).
Together with Yoriichi, master of the primordial Breath of the Sun, these six represented the pinnacle of the Demon Slayer Corps' strength. They were humanity's mightiest champions—the Hashira.
Yosuke studied them quietly, musing to himself. So, no Breath of Serpents or Breath of Love yet?
But when he considered the timeline more carefully, it made sense.
From Yoriichi's Breath of the Sun had so far branched only five foundational styles: Water, Flame, Stone, Wind, and Thunder.
In the future, the Breath of Flowers would emerge as a derivative of Water. The Breath of Love, as a derivative of Flame.
For now, however, only the first-generation branches of the Sun's breath existed. The further derivations had yet to be discovered.
PS: Access advance chapters at