"But..."
Inosuke racked his brain, trying desperately to think of some way he could help Yosuke by staying behind. But no matter how much he thought about it, the truth was clear—if he stayed, he would only become a burden.
"There's nothing to hesitate over, Inosuke. You said it yourself—no matter what it is, you can do it, right? You call yourself the King of the Mountains—and a king never breaks his word. I'm strong, you know. Now go. That's an order from your elder."
Yosuke summoned a demon crow and transferred his memories into it, engraving within the bird's mind all the details of Kibutsuji Muzan's and the Priest Master's abilities.
Then he cast Blood Demon Art: Hidden Eye on Inosuke, hiding his presence completely. Without a moment's delay, Yosuke grabbed him and flung him far into the distance.
Wiping away his tears, Inosuke followed Yosuke's command and ran with all his strength.
Consumed by guilt and frustration, he kept cursing himself as he ran:
"Why am I so weak? What kind of mountain king am I? The enemy's right there in front of me, and all I can do is drag everyone down!"
Meanwhile, back at the Ubuyashiki Estate, Yosuke regarded the mysterious Priest Master with deep wariness. He couldn't comprehend how the Priest Master had known precisely when the System's granted power would end.
With a grave expression, Yosuke demanded, "You know something, don't you?"
The Priest Master's trembling voice carried both agitation and awe.
"I wasn't sure before... but now, I'm certain. There's a unique power dwelling within you. That must be why you survived as an infant—why you became a demon in the first place."
Yosuke fell silent. This might be the only chance he'd ever get to face the Priest Master directly—he had to seize it. Within his heart, he called upon the System once more, offering up another of his hearts in exchange for the power to break through the Word Spirit.
"Blood Breathing—Fourth Form: Asura Blood Domain Heaven!"
Behind Yosuke, a towering, lifelike figure of a woman appeared. Raising his blood-forged blade high, Yosuke mirrored the motion of the colossal feminine avatar, who too lifted her blade of living blood.
Empowered by the System's special enhancement, the giant's swing was blindingly fast—in the blink of an eye, the blade was upon Muzan and the Priest Master.
"Kotodama: Shift!"
The Priest Master instantly teleported out of the attack's range, evading the crimson blade's deadly arc.
Muzan, however, wasn't so fortunate. His Word Spirit was far weaker than the Priest Master's; even though he used Kotodama: Shift as well, his teleportation landed him still within the attack's range.
The blood-forged blade cleaved Kibutsuji Muzan clean in half.
Yet, the enhanced power didn't possess the same sun-like purification that could suppress a demon's regeneration. In mere moments, Muzan's bisected body had already rejoined.
Muzan's expression hardened with rare caution—Yosuke's strength and speed had surpassed him entirely.
"His power is time-limited," the Priest Master said to Muzan coldly. "If you can endure for one minute, he'll lose another heart. This strength of his won't last long."
Yosuke launched relentless attacks, but the Priest Master and Muzan refused to meet him head-on, constantly circling and retreating, forcing him into a battle of attrition.
One minute passed in a flash.
The enhancement faded, and Yosuke lost another heart.
Once a being with five brains and seven hearts, he now had only five brains and five hearts remaining.
The battle fell into a tense stalemate.
Then, within Yosuke's mind, the System's voice resounded once more:
[Mission: Confrontation with Fate! Objective: Rescue Inosuke — Complete. Reward generation in progress. Estimated completion: 60 seconds.]
Seeing the glow of Yosuke's special power vanish, the Priest Master and Muzan exchanged sharp, predatory glances and prepared to strike.
Yosuke had no choice but to offer up yet another heart, invoking the System's power again.
He staked everything—his very existence—on the System's promised but unknown reward.
"Blood Breathing— Crimson Flame Claw Marks! Tempest Flame Blood Blade! Asura Blood Heacen Heaven!"
"Blood Demon Art: Shadow Wolf! Dark Bind! Blood Domain!"
Yosuke's breathing techniques and Blood Demon Arts wove together seamlessly, one after another, in a flurry of synchronized attacks.
"Blood Breathing —Fifth Form: Blood Flash!"
This new form came to Yosuke in a moment of battle-born revelation—a technique reminiscent of Zenitsu's Thunderclap and Flash.
But unlike Zenitsu, who channeled all his strength into his legs for a single burst of speed, Yosuke achieved his velocity through blood itself. Blood Flash compressed all the blood within his body to reduce his mass to the absolute limit, then released it in an explosive surge—producing unparalleled speed and endurance.
In an instant, Yosuke appeared before the Priest Master, blade swinging down.
The Priest Master's eyes widened in shock, clearly unprepared for such speed. There was no time to use Kotodama: Shift, so he hastily invoked Kotodama: Shield in a desperate attempt to block the strike.
But Yosuke's blade—empowered by the System's divine energy—was the natural nemesis of the Word Spirit. The barrier shattered effortlessly, and his blade carved a horrifying wound across the Priest Master's body.
Yet, strangely, no blood flowed from the gash. From beneath the torn flesh shone a brilliant golden light, and within moments, the wound sealed itself.
"I see now..." Yosuke muttered. "Your ability to foresee the future only applies to the powers I've already used. You can't predict the ones I create in the moment. And you... you have no organs. You're neither human nor demon. Even demons have proper organs."
The Priest Master's expression darkened, his former composure gone. He offered no reply.
His regenerative speed, rivaling that of a demon, left Yosuke deeply unsettled.
"System," Yosuke asked grimly, "did my strike just now do nothing?"
[It was effective, Host—but only slightly. The Priest Master is the embodiment of Fate itself. That means you just struck Fate directly. But the damage you can inflict on such an entity is minimal.]
Yosuke's brows knitted. "So... he can't be killed?"
[Even Fate, as a form of life, must possess a weakness.]
The special enhancement faded once more. At that same moment, the System's task completion tone rang out.
[Ding—Item generation complete. Mission reward: Black Coffin.]
[Black Coffin: A one-time-use item. Upon contact with the target, it manifests a dark coffin forged from the power of universal law, sealing the target within.]
The sight of the Black Coffin filled Yosuke with renewed determination. The System had created this item for one purpose—to trap either Kibutsuji Muzan or the Priest Master.
And between the two, Muzan could still be defeated.
But the Priest Master... he was far more dangerous.
That meant the Black Coffin was meant for him.
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