If demons truly could be awakened through emotion, then what belief had the Demon Slayer Corps been fighting under for all these years?
Those demons they had mercilessly beheaded—many of them had once possessed the chance to recover their reason.
Shinobu's entire worldview nearly collapsed.
The struggling demon suddenly surged forward toward Yaehachi, but Yuko yanked him back at once. She tore off her cloak, ripped it into long strips, and bound him tightly.
The demon was still in a state of starvation, and regeneration had drained much of his strength—he wouldn't be breaking free anytime soon.
And besides, wasn't everyone here watching him?
Yuko turned to Yaehachi and explained, "He still can't maintain his sanity for long periods. We can only restrain him for now."
How could Yaehachi possibly complain about that?
Suddenly, the sound of fluttering wings came from the treetops above.
Yuko looked up to see a kasugai crow perched on a branch, a small purple scarf tied around its neck.
Shinobu exclaimed in surprise, "That's the Master's kasugai crow."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Yuko."
"I am the messenger of Ubuyashiki Kagaya."
"Y–You too…" Yuko felt a chill run down her back. What was with this crow's voice?
For some reason, she felt an immense sense of pressure.
"Your request has already been relayed to me by Mr. Tomioka. The Demon Slayer Corps is honored to welcome you."
The kasugai crow turned its head.
"Mr. Tomioka, Miss Kocho—please bring this demon back to the Demon Slayer Corps as well."
The two froze for a moment, then nodded in unison.
Within the Corps, there was no one who did not revere their Master.
His will was the will of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The crow flapped its wings and departed. Shinobu looked at Yuko with a complicated expression.
"Let's head back."
…
One of the Demon Slayer Corps' strongholds.
Because of the massacre once carried out by Kibutsuji Muzan, the Ubuyashiki family's headquarters had since become elusive and ever-shifting—so much so that even the Hashira could not determine its true location.
And since Muzan possessed the ability to sense the location of demons, it took considerable effort just to arrange a secure place for Yaehachi's father.
The demon was placed in a remote room, his limbs restrained, the area sealed off with wisteria flowers.
After instructing Yaehachi to regularly call out to her father, Yuko followed Shinobu to meet Ubuyashiki.
Once Yuko was brought in, Shinobu withdrew at Ubuyashiki's signal.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ubuyashiki Kagaya."
The young man, his face marred with terrifying scars, introduced himself with a gentle smile.
The strange markings on his face were a curse the Ubuyashiki family had been unable to erase for a thousand years.
Yuko had known of this since the Warring States period.
The curse came from the heavens—because the tragic existence known as "demons," whose origin was the Demon King Kibutsuji Muzan, had come from the Ubuyashiki bloodline.
It dated back as far as the Heian era.
Since then, every male child born to the Ubuyashiki family had been plagued with illness and died young, rarely living past their early twenties. The women had to remarry and change their surnames to escape the curse.
In Yuko's eyes, this so-called curse was complete nonsense.
Purely the heavens having a lapse of judgment.
The Ubuyashiki family had never enjoyed any benefit from Muzan's existence—yet they were forced to bear a millennium of suffering.
Just because their clan once produced a scoundrel?
Executing entire bloodlines in feudal times was one thing—but for the heavens to do the same? What kind of third-rate god would possess such a barren way of thinking, capable only of tormenting others?
"I am Kagaya's wife, Ubuyashiki Amane."
Beside him, a woman with snow-white hair inclined her head gently.
Yuko removed her straw hat and untied the white cloth covering her face.
"I am Tsugikuni Yuko—the younger sister of the swordsman who created the First Breathing."
Upon seeing the markings on Yuko's face, Amane froze for a brief moment.
Then, after hearing Yuko's words—
…
The atmosphere instantly fell into silence.
Both of them: She means a descendant, right?
"I am a demon."
The two of them looked up at the blazing sun overhead.
…
The silence deepened.
Yuko's wine-red long hair instantly turned white as grotesque demon horns burst from her head.
Amane almost instinctively stepped in front of her husband.
Sensing his wife's reaction, Kagaya asked, "What is it, Amane?"
Because of the curse, his vision had already deteriorated greatly.
Amane did not reply right away. She stared at Yuko in disbelief.
In broad daylight? How was that possible?
Yuko retracted her aura, and within moments, returned to normal.
Seeing that she had no hostile intent, Amane finally steadied her racing heart.
"She… Miss Yuko just now… transformed into a demon."
Though Kagaya had already sensed something unusual from his wife's reaction, hearing it confirmed still filled him with shock.
"She has overcome sunlight."
"And… she is no longer under Muzan's control."
Speaking with intelligent people truly was easy. Kagaya quickly understood and accepted Yuko's condition.
Yuko gave Amane a gentle, reassuring nod and explained, "I am the younger sister of Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the swordsman who founded the First Breathing, from the Warring States period…"
She briefly described the circumstances of how she became a demon.
Even Kagaya was left momentarily stunned after hearing her story.
After the slaughter carried out by Muzan and Kokushibo, the knowledge passed down within the Ubuyashiki family had become pitifully scarce.
Only after hearing these secrets could one truly understand the origin of the Breathing Techniques.
"Before my brother died, we made a promise to kill Muzan. So… I have appeared here."
"To bring strength to the Demon Slayer Corps in its battle against Muzan."
Yuko let out a long breath. She had held these words in for hundreds of years—speaking them aloud made her feel significantly lighter.
Kagaya quickly digested everything and asked solemnly, "Why did Miss Yuko choose this era?"
The lifespan of demons was endless. Though most Demon Slayers joined with the resolve to kill Muzan, the truth was—even Kagaya himself did not dare claim that Muzan could be ended in his own generation.
So why had Miss Yuko, who had never contacted the Corps before, now appeared before him?
"Sun Breathing exists in this era. A swordsman capable of mastering Sun Breathing also exists here."
"…The First Breathing?" Kagaya was visibly moved.
"And the Hashira of this era are all very strong. I believe they have the potential to kill Muzan."
After all, that was how it happened in the anime.
The Taishō-era Nine Hashira, hailed as rivals to the original generation.
In Yuko's view, the overwhelming strength of the original Hashira owed much to Yoriichi.
Kagaya smiled faintly. "Those children… I am very proud of them."
"Then, on their behalf, I welcome you, Miss Yuko."
After greeting Kagaya, Yuko accepted his invitation to stay temporarily at the compound.
When she stepped outside, a petite figure stood leaning against a nearby wall—Shinobu had not yet left.
With a faint smile, Shinobu stepped forward and asked, "Miss Yuko, do you have a moment?"
"I do…"
Shinobu's eyes shimmered with light. "I would like to properly thank you for saving my elder sister two years ago. Please honor me with a visit to the Butterfly Estate."
Yuko hesitated briefly, then nodded lightly.