Having obtained the system-generated item, "Black Coffin," the once unfavorable situation was instantly reversed.
However, Yosuke's strength had been greatly weakened—after all, he had already lost three of his hearts.
Activating the Black Coffin through contact with the Priest Master seemed simple, yet it was anything but easy. Muzan Kibutsuji aside, even the Priest Master's Kotodama (Word Spirit) abilities demanded the sacrifice of a heart in exchange for a breakthrough in power.
[System Notification]
"Host, you have four hearts remaining. You may only gain special supplementary power by sacrificing a heart this one last time.
If the ratio between the number of brains and hearts in your body exceeds a 50% difference, your bodily functions will completely collapse."
"So, five brains and three hearts—that's my limit, huh? …That's enough. Use it, System!"
[System]
"Power activation successful. Remaining time: 60 seconds. Please monitor usage carefully."
The Priest Master noticed the change in Yosuke's gaze and felt a surge of unease.
"Muzan Kibutsuji! He's once again trading a heart for power—help me block him! It looks like he's about to use his trump card!"
Muzan snorted coldly.
"I am not your subordinate! Do not command me!"
There was no time to waste—Yosuke moved first.
"Blood Breathing, Fifth Form: Blood Flash!"
In an instant, Yosuke appeared before the Priest Master, slashing at the energy barrier surrounding him.
Having anticipated this, the Priest Master shattered his barrier and immediately activated Kotodama: Shift, escaping Yosuke's range.
Muzan's attacks followed in rapid succession.
"Black Blood Bramble!"
Black thorns erupted across the entire Ubuyashiki estate.
Yosuke darted and twisted, narrowly evading the thorny ground.
"Kotodama: Force!"
"Kotodama: Strike!"
The Priest Master unleashed a heavy gravitational field upon Yosuke, greatly restricting his movement, while Muzan coordinated with invisible attacks aimed directly at Yosuke's vital points.
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Doppelgänger!"
Yosuke created a clone of blood as a decoy, while his true body withdrew, escaping the gravitational pull and once again charging toward the Priest Master.
The Priest Master used Kotodama: Shift again, teleporting next to Muzan.
Catching Yosuke off guard, Muzan unleashed a massive shockwave, blasting him across the room.
With teleportation at his disposal, the Priest Master was difficult to pin down—but Yosuke had noticed a flaw in Kotodama: Shift.
If the Priest Master used Shift multiple times within a short period, its effective range would be halved each time.
That meant if the first teleport covered 100 meters, then within five seconds, the next would only reach 50 meters, and so on.
To confirm this theory, Yosuke ignored Muzan's attacks and charged once more at the Priest Master, forcing him to use his ability again.
Several of Muzan's tentacle-whips pierced through Yosuke's body, but he pressed forward regardless.
The Priest Master, unnerved by Yosuke's reckless advance, once more chose to activate Kotodama: Shift for his own safety.
This time—the distance was only 25 meters.
Seeing the proof of his theory, Yosuke felt a rush of excitement.
If the Priest Master used Shift once more, the range would halve again—to 12.5 meters, well within the area of Yosuke's wide-range techniques.
The Priest Master realized Yosuke's intent and shouted,
"Muzan Kibutsuji! Stop Ubuyashiki Yosuke from reaching me—at all costs!"
Even Muzan sensed something was wrong. Normally, he should have been Yosuke's primary target, yet Yosuke's focus remained solely on the Priest Master. Muzan didn't dare let the Priest Master fall—if the Priest Master perished, who knew what might happen to the fragment of his soul within Muzan's body?
The five seconds elapsed in an instant—Yosuke had to seize this opportunity.
"Blood Breathing, Fifth Form: Blood Flash!"
He lunged toward the Priest Master's new position—and as expected, the Priest Master activated Kotodama: Shift once again to evade.
Muzan's attacks struck at the same time.
Yosuke couldn't afford to dodge, allowing Muzan's whips to pierce him as he swung his blade.
"Blood Breathing, Fourth Form: Shura Blood Domain Heaven!"
Predicting where the Priest Master would appear, Yosuke unleashed a massive slash.
Just as he anticipated, the Priest Master materialized directly in its path—the colossal blood blade swept across the battlefield, cleaving the Priest Master clean in half.
While the Priest Master's body began rapidly regenerating, Yosuke used Blood Flash again, closing the distance.
Now truly panicked, the Priest Master shouted,
"Stop him, now!"
Muzan's arms transformed into ten-meter-long, whip-like blades, slashing at incredible speed toward Yosuke.
Yosuke had no time to evade; the whips struck, cleaving half his body away.
Meanwhile, the Priest Master's regeneration neared completion—and Yosuke's system-enhanced power was down to three seconds.
Seeing the Priest Master so close, Yosuke pushed forward with everything he had.
The system's countdown echoed in his mind.
He shattered the Priest Master's energy barrier.
"Two!"
He forced his way closer still.
"One—!"
The power gained through his heart's sacrifice dissipated. Yosuke now stood just an arm's length away from the Priest Master.
Frustration filled his heart.
"Is this… the end?"
"No! There's still a chance!"
Twisting his half-destroyed body, Yosuke turned the bleeding wound toward the Priest Master, flinging his own blood at him.
The moment Yosuke's blood touched the Priest Master, he roared—
"Black Coffin!"
Above the Priest Master, a point of absolute darkness formed, rapidly expanding—a gravitational pull surged forth, dragging the Priest Master toward it.
"Kotodama: Force!"
The Priest Master layered gravity upon himself to resist the pull, while Muzan extended all his blood whips to anchor and drag him back.
Through their combined effort, they actually began to resist the singularity's pull, gradually freeing the Priest Master from its grasp.
Just as he was about to escape the darkness, Yosuke severed the whips binding the Priest Master.
"Binding Art: Blood Fetters!"
Ropes of blood coiled around the Priest Master, and Yosuke, with all his remaining strength, pulled him back toward the darkness.
Without Muzan's aid, the Priest Master was once again drawn upward—his feet left the ground, and he was sucked into the black void.
Realizing he could no longer resist, in the final instant before being consumed, the Priest Master seized Yosuke's body.
Too drained to struggle, Yosuke was dragged in with him.
The point of darkness that had devoured them began to transform—shifting, expanding, reshaping itself into a jet-black coffin that stood solemnly upon the ground.