The voice belonged to the Divine Lord, the matriarch of the ancient and mysterious Shinto priestess clan. For centuries, her clan had remained hidden from the world, their existence known only to the highest echelons of power and faith. The Ubuyashiki family, cursed for a thousand years due to their blood relation to Muzan Kibutsuji, had always looked to the Divine Priests as their saviors. They could not possibly know that the very clan they revered was the secret architect of their unending nightmare.
At the sound of the Divine Lord's voice, a surge of desperate hope filled Kagaya Ubuyashiki. He trembled, not from his illness, but from overwhelming excitement.
"They're here, Amane! She's finally here!" he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "With the Divine Priests on our side, Muzan's reign is over. No matter how clever he is, he cannot escape this!"
In his foresight, Kagaya had seen a great catastrophe approaching, the most terrifying trial his family had faced in a millennium. But within that darkness, he had also seen a tiny, almost imperceptible glimmer of hope. He believed that if he could grasp that hope, he could not only destroy Muzan but also finally break the thousand-year curse on his bloodline. He had never known where that hope would come from, but now, he was certain. It had to be the Divine Priests clan.
The air itself seemed to vibrate as a figure enveloped in a soft, holy light descended from the heavens. Words could not capture her serene grace or divine presence. As she appeared, six other priests in wide, fluttering robes materialized around her, silent and imposing guardians.
"Patriarch of the Ubuyashiki clan, Kagaya Ubuyashiki," Amane announced, her voice filled with reverence.
"And his wife, Amane."
"We greet you, Divine Lord."
With Amane's gentle support, Kagaya used every last bit of his strength to rise to his feet and offer a deep, respectful bow. In his mind, the arrival of the Divine Lord was the arrival of their strongest ally. With only six Hashira left and their backs against the wall, they had been forced into this desperate mission in Yoshiwara by pressure from the government. But Kagaya's true hope had never rested solely on his beloved Demon Slayers. It rested on the power of this clan—a power he believed could do what no swordsman ever could. If they had the ability to suppress Muzan's curse, surely they had the power to destroy him.
"I am aware of all that has transpired," the Divine Lord's voice echoed, seeming to come from everywhere at once. It was beautiful, yet held an unnerving lack of warmth. "Ubuyashiki Kagaya. I have come to ask you a question. Do you possess the courage to sacrifice yourself for the sake of your cause?"
Her words, though spoken gently, sent an involuntary chill through the air. The temperature seemed to drop, and a cold wind swept through the ancestral home, causing both Kagaya and Amane to shiver. A profound silence fell as Kagaya considered the question.
After a long moment, he answered, his voice steady and clear. "Of course."
He knew there was no other choice. Muzan's schemes had pushed the Demon Slayer Corps and the Ubuyashiki family to the very edge of annihilation. This was their only path forward. With his own children and heirs having already died, the family line was destined to end with him anyway.
"Very well," the Divine Lord said.
The moment Kagaya's agreement was spoken, a brilliant ray of pure white light shot from the staff in her hand. It struck Kagaya in the chest, and a vast, overwhelming power surged through him. He gasped as it flooded every inch of his body, from his limbs down to his very bones. An unimaginable change began to take place within him. It felt as if every cell in his body was being torn apart and remade anew.
"My lord!" Amane cried out, her purple eyes wide with a mixture of terror and disbelief. She could feel the transformation happening before her. The weak, dying man who had been like a flickering candle in the wind was being reforged. The curse marks on his face began to recede, and the life and color returned to his skin. More than that, she could feel a terrifying, surging power building within him, a power that no human should possess.
Boom!
As Kagaya slowly clenched his fists, the air around them cracked like thunder.
From the sky, the Divine Lord's voice spoke again, cold and final. "This is the culmination of your clan's thousand years of destiny, condensed into a power that will surpass all human limits. It will last for three days."
She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in. "After three days, your body and spirit will be completely exhausted. The power that sustains you will vanish, and you will fade away. Cherish these last moments of the Ubuyashiki clan."
With that, her figure and those of her six guardians vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving only the silent night behind.
For a moment, there was only the sound of Amane's quiet sobbing. Kagaya turned to her, his eyes now clear and full of a strength she hadn't seen in years. He gently reached out and wiped the tears from her face.
"Amane, don't cry," he said, his voice soft but firm. "We have already lost so much. At this point, we have nothing left to lose."
He stretched out his arm and spread his fingers. From the deepest part of the ancestral home, a flash of steel answered his call. The ancient Nichirin Blade, an heirloom passed down through generations of the Ubuyashiki family, flew through the air and slapped perfectly into his waiting hand. As his fingers closed around the hilt, he felt the immense power within him connect with the ancient blade. For the first time in his life, the gentle Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who could only cheer his slayers on from his sickbed, was filled with an unprecedented killing intent.
"Warm the wine, Amane," he said, his eyes fixed on the horizon in the direction of the final battle. "Wait for my return."
Before the words had even finished leaving his lips, his figure vanished, moving with a speed that the human eye could not follow.
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse