After Gyomei Himejima finished speaking, a deep, unnerving silence settled over the hall. The Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps were not just powerful warriors; they were brilliant strategists and masters of their craft. With just a few words from the Stone Hashira, the horrifying scope of Muzan Kibutsuji's ambition clicked into place for everyone.
It was an unbearable thought, but it was undoubtedly true. From the very first attack on Mount Sagiri and Fujikasane Mountain, Muzan had likely been planning for this exact outcome. Every move was calculated, every incident a stepping stone.
Terrifying. It was simply terrifying.
In that moment, everyone from Kagaya Ubuyashiki to the assembled Hashira felt like puppets on a string, their every action manipulated by Tsukihiko. The entire Mugen Train incident had been triggered by their desperate search for the captured Sakonji Urokodaki. But now, looking back, it was obvious. Muzan had captured Urokodaki, so it must have been Muzan who leaked his location. The Mugen Train was never a rescue mission; it was an execution chamber designed for them.
Worse still, Muzan had accomplished all of this without a single member of the Twelve Kizuki making an appearance. This suggested that his true focus was elsewhere, and that he could now afford to nearly wipe out the nine Hashira with a secondary plan. This wasn't just a change in tactics. Muzan Kibutsuji had completely transformed into something far more dangerous than the Demon King they thought they knew.
"That is indeed the case," Kagaya Ubuyashiki's calm voice cut through the tension. "For years, our war with the demons has been relentless, and our hunt for Muzan has never stopped. We gathered a massive amount of intelligence on him, on his habits and his limitations. But now," he paused, his unseen gaze sweeping over them, "all of that intelligence is useless."
"We must be careful in everything we do from this point forward," he warned, his tone grave. "The enemy we now face is a Demon King who has completed his transformation."
At that very moment, deep within the winding corridors of the Infinity Castle, Tsukihiko's eyes snapped open. He had finished assimilating the priest. An immense, ferocious power surged through him, an aura so vast it felt like it could swallow the heavens and the earth.
Just as he had suspected, Priest Jubei's true power was not in his incantations but in his bloodline. The ancient energy contained within that blood was something beyond words. Even if Jubei had wanted to trade the secrets of his power for his life, he couldn't have. The Priest Clan had surely created a way to prevent their sacred knowledge from being spoken aloud. But they could never have predicted that someone like Tsukihiko would simply devour the bloodline itself, absorbing and fusing with its power directly.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
He could feel a new heartbeat within his own, a powerful and serene rhythm that filled his entire being.
It's just as I thought, Tsukihiko mused, a slow, cruel smile spreading across his face. The Priest Clan… they are the ones who created the first demon, Kibutsuji Muzan.
The clan had always been a mystery, but now their role was clear. And now, it no longer mattered.
"The next phase of the plan can begin," he said to the empty space around him. "The Cabinet is mine. Next, I will move against Ubuyashiki… and the Imperial Family."
He pictured Emperor Taisho, the man known in Japanese history as the "Telescope Emperor." His reign was about to come to a swift and permanent end.
Meanwhile, in a remote, mountainous region of Japan, a divine palace materialized from thin air, appearing like a ghostly mirage in the valley where Priest Jubei had met his end. A powerful energy pulsed from the structure, making the air hum and causing the surrounding landscape to shimmer as if it were a heavenly realm.
Inside the palace, streaks of light shot through the main hall, coalescing into humanoid figures.
"Priest Jubei has failed," a voice spoke, completely devoid of emotion, like a distant, unfeeling god. "Not only did he fail, but his Priest Bloodline was stolen."
The bloodline was the entire foundation of the Priest Clan. It was the source of their power, the very essence of their being. It was with this power that they had secretly guided the course of Japan's history for centuries. The Ubuyashiki family, the Demon Slayer Corps, and even Muzan Kibutsuji himself—they were all originally just tools, puppets chosen by the clan to act as their agents in the world.
But they had never imagined that their own creation would break free from their control and turn on them. By devouring Jubei, Muzan had stolen the very source of their power. Now, all of their sacred arts and incantations would be useless against him.
"Ubuyashiki and the Demon Slayer Corps have also suffered heavy losses," another voice added. "The head of the family, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, does not have long to live. The Corps, an organization with a thousand-year legacy, has been crippled, its reputation destroyed."
"Furthermore," the voice continued, dropping its next words like stones into a silent pond, "according to our latest intelligence, control of the Japanese Government—the entire Cabinet—has changed hands."
If the previous news had been troubling, this was a cataclysm. The words "Cabinet has changed hands" echoed through the hall like a thunderclap, sending a wave of shock through the assembled priests. In the current Taisho Era, Japan was a constitutional monarchy. Whoever controlled the Cabinet controlled the nation. Whoever controlled the Cabinet controlled the Emperor.
If the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, was now in control of the government, then the future of Japan was headed toward a darkness that not even the Priest Clan could imagine.
"This time, I will take action personally."
A majestic female voice suddenly filled the air, radiating absolute authority. "Where are the Protectors?"
The moment she spoke, six figures radiating terrifying power appeared in the hall. They knelt as one, their heads bowed. "We are here!"
"Follow me to battle," the Divine Master commanded, her voice ringing with cold fury. "We will set things right."
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