Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Inside the Imperial Palace, a barrage of attacks from the Onmyoji slammed into the blood-red shadow. A wave of powerful energy rippled out from the figure, but a terrifying counter-force from its body repelled every single spell. The next moment, the shadow dissipated, revealing his true appearance to everyone. It was the current Crown Prince of the Japanese Imperial Family: Showa.
However, since he had already killed Emperor Taisho, and there was no one else in the Imperial Family with such a pure bloodline, it was no exaggeration to call him Emperor Showa.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Instantly, the three boxes in his hands erupted with a light so brilliant it was impossible to look at directly. The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Yata no Kagami, and the Yasakani no Magatama—the three most sacred and mysterious treasures of Japan—had appeared all at once, and they were under Emperor Showa's control. On the surface, he appeared human, but in reality, he was nothing more than a puppet controlled by Tsukihiko.
This, too, was part of Tsukihiko's meticulous plan. He knew that the essence of his soul did not originate from this world. If he tried to wield these divine artifacts himself, he would likely suffer a severe backlash from their sacred power. It was the same reason he had avoided a direct, one-on-one duel with Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He refused to introduce any variables that could disrupt his plans. Yoriichi's power was vastly different when facing Muzan compared to anyone else, and a direct confrontation was an unnecessary risk.
Similarly, the Imperial Family's sacred treasures were bound by the legacy and restrictions of their unique bloodline. If a problem occurred while he was wielding them, he couldn't rely on the Twelve Kizuki or the newly turned Kagaya Ubuyashiki to fix the situation. There were too many things that could go wrong. More importantly, Tsukihiko never intended to get his own hands dirty in such struggles. His ultimate goal, from the very beginning, was self-preservation.
Reflecting on it, from the Demon Slayer Corps selection at Fujikasane Mountain to this final battle, the number of people Tsukihiko had personally killed could be counted on one hand. The first was the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa—the boy was far too arrogant, and Tsukihiko needed to make an example of him. As for Sakonji Urokodaki and the others who took their own lives during the Mugen Train incident, he felt their deaths had nothing to do with him. Priest Jubei had actively sought death, and Tsukihiko had only devoured him after he was riddled with bullets.
He hadn't even made a move during the battle in the Red-Light District, aside from testing which of the princes could withstand his blood. At the Ubuyashiki estate, Tamayo's death was not his fault, but a result of her own miscalculations. Still, he had to admit she was a formidable woman to have matched wits with him. He had also, as an afterthought, dealt with her annoying subordinate, Yushiro. Even the final extermination of Yoriichi Tsugikuni had only happened after Yoriichi had exhausted himself fighting Kokushibo and the other demons. Even if Tsukihiko hadn't intervened, the swordsman would have died anyway.
Excluding those few, he had killed very few people himself. He preferred to enhance his own strength for emergencies while diligently developing the power of his subordinates.
But now, it was finally time for him to act personally.
"Divine Master!"
"That's… that's Muzan Kibutsuji!"
"Damn it, they appeared together!"
"Did the Divine Master fail to stop him? Or did she only manage to delay him…?"
The sudden appearance of Tsukihiko and Chinami sent a shockwave through the priests and Onmyoji in the hall. Although the Priest Clan had warned them that Emperor Showa was being controlled by Muzan, the Onmyoji of the Imperial Family had refused to believe it. To them, as long as they could control the Emperor, the future of Japan's divine authority would remain in their hands. They feared that the Priest Clan was using the crisis to seize power for themselves. If that happened, the history of the Imperial Family and the Onmyoji would be rewritten—a future they could not accept.
It was this internal conflict that gave Emperor Showa the opening he needed to secure the three sacred treasures and completely unseal their power.
"Divine Master, what do we do now!?" one of the Priest Clan elders asked, turning to Chinami. In their eyes, even just holding Muzan back was a victory, but it was no longer enough. The consequences of Muzan gaining control of the sacred treasures were unimaginable.
"I understand," Chinami replied. Her eyes flashed with a terrifying light. "Muzan Kibutsuji, it seems we've reached a point where some secrets can no longer be hidden."
A chilling smile spread across her face. "The truth is, our Priest Clan was once a branch of the Japanese Imperial Family. We may be a collateral line, but the sacred treasures have always been tied to the imperial bloodline!"
Her smile grew colder. "If I'm not mistaken, Emperor Showa's body has already been tainted by your demon blood. That means even if he can control the treasures with what's left of his imperial blood, his connection can't possibly compare to the pure bloodline of our Priest Clan!"
With that declaration, she charged toward Emperor Showa. A thin trickle of fresh blood dripped from her wrist, and the air around it began to tremble.
Boom!
The next moment, a surge of uncontrollable power erupted from the three sacred treasures of the Japanese Imperial Family.
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