Iguro Obanai roared in fury, his voice shaking with righteous anger.
"You stubborn fools! Have you no humanity left in you?"
The village chief replied coldly, without a shred of remorse.
"What's wrong with wanting a better life? If we don't offer children from other lands to the Serpent God, we'll have to sacrifice our own. We only did what we had to in order to survive!"
Kanroji Mitsuri pleaded earnestly, her voice trembling with sorrow.
"But sacrificing innocent children in exchange for fine clothes and comfort—that's wrong! Your lives weren't gifts from that serpent demon! You built your livelihoods with your own hands, didn't you? You've been deceived! The serpent demon brought you nothing but endless suffering!"
Her heartfelt words fell on deaf ears. The villagers of Hachijō Island remained unmoved—unyielding in their madness, still intent on killing Yōsuke and his companions to offer them as sacrifices.
Obanai's patience snapped. Without another word, he drew his Nichirin Blade, ready to drive back the ignorant mob by force.
But Yōsuke raised his hand, stopping him.
"Even if you drive them off now," Yōsuke said calmly, "once we leave, they'll just kidnap more children from elsewhere. The tragedy will repeat itself."
Obanai's brows furrowed in frustration.
"Then what do we do?!"
Yōsuke's crimson eyes narrowed, sweeping coldly over the villagers surrounding them.
"For fools like these, reason is useless. The only language they understand… is fear."
In an instant, Yōsuke transformed into his Demon King form. His jet-black hair turned blood-red, vast crimson wings of blood unfurled from his back, and liquid blood flowed around him like living serpents. He slowly rose into the air, a terrifying aura bursting forth in all directions.
Under the crushing weight of his presence, the villagers collapsed to the ground one after another, trembling as they stared up at him like mortals before a wrathful god—or a devil.
Yōsuke's voice was cold and echoing, filled with authority.
"I'll give you one chance—one and only one. The serpent demon is dead. It will never return. From this moment forward, if you harm another innocent soul, no matter where you hide, I will find you—and tear you to pieces.
If you understand me… then leave. Now."
The sheer terror in his voice shattered their will. A few of the more cowardly villagers fled first, and once the spell of fear was broken, most of the crowd followed in panic, scattering into the darkness. Only a few stubborn ones remained, clutching their torches with trembling hands.
The village chief, now stripped of his earlier arrogance, fell to his knees, weeping as he pleaded.
"Please… let us keep the children! Without the Serpent God's protection, Hachijō Island will fall into ruin! We need Him! Please, I beg of you!"
Yōsuke's gaze turned glacial, his voice colder than ice.
"You are in no position to bargain. I will be watching this place. Don't think that once I'm gone, you can do as you please.
Defy me… and Hachijō Island will cease to exist. Remember that."
He raised his hand, and in the next instant, the entire Iguro estate behind him collapsed—stone walls crumbling into dust, reduced to nothing but rubble.
Seeing that all hope was lost, the remaining villagers finally dispersed, despair etched across their faces.
Yōsuke slowly withdrew from his Demon King form, his blood-red hair fading back to black.
As he watched the frightened villagers flee into the distance, there was not a trace of pity or mercy in his eyes.
"These people are beyond reasoning," he said quietly. "Only fear can brand the truth deep enough into their souls to make them remember."
Obanai clenched his teeth, fury burning in his chest.
"The tragedy of the Iguro clan… it's spread across the entire island now. Damn it!"
Yōsuke placed a hand on Obanai's shoulder.
"That's human nature. You can't place all the blame on the Iguro clan or the serpent demon. Greed makes people forget fear… but fear can suppress greed, too.
Maybe my threat will hold them back for now—but when greed outweighs fear again… tragedy will return."
Obanai and Mitsuri nodded grimly. Together, they led the rescued children away from Hachijō Island, beginning the long journey home.
Meanwhile, Yōsuke remained behind, lost in thought about the mysterious words 'the place of origin.'
A sudden realization struck him. His eyes widened.
"System—open."
System Interface:
Host: Ubuyashiki Yōsuke
Constitution: Primordial Origin Demon
Abilities: Super Regeneration, Five Brains & Seven Hearts, Blood Bestowal, Blood Poison, Form Manipulation — Blood Wings (not a Blood Demon Art; an innate extension ability).
Blood Demon Arts:
Shadow Wolf, Hidden Eye, Blood Domain, Dark Binding, Blood Body Replacement, Blood Clone, Five Sense Severance.
Breath of Blood Techniques:
First Form — Crimson Decay
Second Form —Crimson Flame Claw Marks
Third Form — Tempest Flame Blood blades
Fourth Form — Asura Blood Heaven Domain
These were all the powers acknowledged by the system—Yōsuke's greatest weapons in his destined confrontation with Kibutsuji Muzan.
But one detail caught his attention:
Constitution: Primordial Origin Demon
"Primordial origin… Could it be that place?!"
Driven by this revelation, Yōsuke spread his blood-red wings and soared into the sky, vanishing into the horizon.
For three nights, he flew without rest, until he reached a vast field of ruins.
This was once the Ubuyashiki clan's mansion—the very place where he had been born.
It was here that the first two demons in history had been created. Even after a thousand years, no one dared to live near this cursed ground.
Yōsuke's thoughts raced.
"Could this… be the place of origin he spoke of?"
He gazed upon the ruins—now overgrown with weeds and moss, broken stones covered in the green of time. A heavy ache stirred within his chest.
He walked to where his parents' room had once been and began clearing away the rubble. When he was done, nothing remained—no furniture, no trace of life—only stone and soil, long since merged together through decay.
Then, suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
"So, you've come… Ubuyashiki Yōsuke."
Yōsuke froze. When he'd arrived, he hadn't sensed a single presence.
He spun around—and there stood a man.
He had pale hair, crimson eyes, a vertical mark between his brows, a priest's staff in hand, and a unique sigil etched on the back of his right hand.
His appearance was exactly as described in the book Obanai had found in the Iguro estate—the image of the Shrine Priest.
Yōsuke spoke cautiously.
"Are you… the Shrine Priest?"
The man nodded.
"I am."
Yōsuke's mind overflowed with questions—but standing face-to-face with the man, he didn't know where to begin.
The priest smiled faintly.
"You're wondering why I, a member of the Shrine Priest clan, look so different from Amane Ubuyashiki, aren't you?"
Yōsuke nodded.
"That's because the moment Amane joined the Ubuyashiki family, she ceased to be one of the Shrine Priest clan. All the traits of our lineage were reclaimed from her."
Yōsuke finally voiced the question that had long haunted him.
"Kokushibō, Kamado Tanjiro, Nezuko… do they carry the blood of the Shrine Priest clan as well?"
The priest's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Indeed. The blood of our clan flows within them."
Yōsuke's heart trembled with shock.
"Why? What is your purpose?"
The Shrine Priest lowered his gaze, his voice calm but heavy with meaning.
"Because the mission of the Shrine Priest clan… is to set all things back onto their rightful path."