Although the female sword shrine maiden who had just pulled it free possessed swordsmanship talent and resolve in no way inferior to Sorasuga Ryosuke before her,
once the Kusanagi Sword had glimpsed a better choice, it naturally wished to be held by the one most suited to it.
The boy's transcendent, almost otherworldly aura, his impressive mastery of the sword, and the faint yet unmistakable presence of someone destined to stand above others—every one of these qualities deeply attracted the Kusanagi Sword.
And so, before everyone's stunned eyes, the Kusanagi Sword actually broke free from Yamato Kuka's grip and flew straight toward Ren Kuroda.
That single scene left everyone present completely dumbfounded.
What shocked the others was this: Yamato Kuka had clearly pulled out the Kusanagi Sword, which meant she had already earned its recognition. So why would the sword behave like this afterward?
As for Ren Kuroda, what shocked him was something else entirely—
This so-called "Three Sacred Treasures"… it wasn't seriously that absurdly powerful, was it? Had it really discovered that he and the oni he had grievously wounded earlier were actually the same person?
Logically speaking, Ren Kuroda had absolute confidence in his current disguise.
His body was an artificial human body. Inside it was only spiritual power—there wasn't the slightest trace of yokai aura. Compared to his true body, the only thing they shared was a fragment of the same soul.
In his current state, even if he stood in front of an SSS-rank super expert, there was no way they would notice anything amiss.
Could it be that the so-called "Three Sacred Treasures" were truly this outrageous?
What Ren Kuroda didn't know was that it was precisely because of the artificial body's pristine, transcendent constitution that it was attracting the Kusanagi Sword so strongly.
On top of that, the influence of the Demon King seed within his true body caused this artificial version of Ren Kuroda to exude a faint yet undeniable aura of superiority over others.
Watching the Kusanagi Sword fly toward him, Ren Kuroda instantly raised his guard to the highest level.
But very quickly, he realized that the sword carried no hostility toward him. Instead, as if appraising him, it began to circle around him in midair.
After maintaining this strange behavior for several laps around Ren Kuroda, the Kusanagi Sword suddenly erupted with a brilliant light—and then began rubbing itself against him, almost like it was acting spoiled.
The Kusanagi Sword was delighted.
But some other existence was very much not.
At the moment the Kusanagi Sword was behaving like an affectionate child around Ren Kuroda, the Nichirin Blade behind his back—Shin'yū—suddenly leapt from its sheath of its own accord.
At the same time, it unleashed a powerful aura, clearly warning the "third party" Kusanagi Sword to rein itself in.
The Kusanagi Sword possessed self-awareness as a divine artifact—
but Shin'yū, whose blade spirit had already awakened, was no different.
In terms of rank, perhaps the Kusanagi Sword's current SS-level gave it the upper hand. Combined with its immense fame throughout history, it was unquestionably a top-tier divine weapon.
But Ren Kuroda's Shin'yū was no slouch either.
Though Shin'yū was currently only S-rank, it possessed room for growth. Because of that, even when facing one of the so-called Three Sacred Treasures, Shin'yū showed not the slightest hint of fear.
Its autonomous unsheathing and aura release were nothing short of a direct provocation—clearly declaring that Ren Kuroda was already taken, and that the Kusanagi Sword should know its place and stop getting ideas.
Granted, the Kusanagi Sword had set its sights on Ren Kuroda's artificial body, not his true self.
But Shin'yū was undeniably possessive.
In her eyes, even if the current Ren Kuroda wasn't the original body, if his true body was the legal wife, then this Ren Kuroda was still her lover.
Getting cuckolded? Absolutely not—Shin'yū would never tolerate that.
Just an outdated "Three Sacred Treasure," and it still dared to compete with her for a man?
Once she fully awakened and reached SS-rank herself, what would a so-called divine artifact amount to then?
Sensing Shin'yū's provocation, the Kusanagi Sword immediately felt its dignity as one of the Three Sacred Treasures being challenged.
It, too, released its aura, clearly intent on showing Shin'yū who the real boss was.
And just like that, a sword and a blade—both possessing self-awareness—began openly clashing with one another, while everyone else could only stand by as helpless spectators.
Yamato Kuka earning the Kusanagi Sword's recognition earlier had already shocked Kamishiro Isshin and the others.
But what they never expected was that the Kusanagi Sword would now set its sights on Ren Kuroda—and even attempt to acknowledge him as its master.
That's right.
In the eyes of everyone present, the Kusanagi Sword's behavior was unmistakably the act of recognizing a master—and judging by its demeanor, it was extremely satisfied with Ren Kuroda.
After all, even when Minamoto Yoriten and Sorasuga Ryosuke had earned the sword's recognition, no one had ever heard of the Kusanagi Sword behaving like this.
But now, upon seeing Ren Kuroda, it was no exaggeration to say the sword was practically throwing itself at him.
That alone left Kamishiro Isshin and the others stunned.
What rendered them speechless, however, was the fact that the person involved—Ren Kuroda himself—looked utterly uninterested in the Three Sacred Treasure's enthusiastic attempt to recognize him.
This was the Three Sacred Treasures, for crying out loud!
Countless exorcists couldn't even dream of using it—and now it was主动认主, throwing itself at someone, only to be snubbed?!
Of course, in their eyes, Ren Kuroda's indifference toward the Kusanagi Sword probably had something to do with his attitude toward his other blade.
In truth, they had never imagined that the katana Ren Kuroda carried on his back was itself a spirit weapon with self-awareness.
Previously, they had assumed it was merely a high-quality spiritual weapon.
Now, it was clear they had drastically underestimated its level.
When a spiritual weapon developed its own consciousness, it meant it possessed the qualifications to become a divine artifact.
For an object to gain self-awareness was no easy matter. Even the surviving divine artifacts of today had only developed consciousness after centuries of worship.
Judging from the aura Shin'yū had just released, its level of sentience was already remarkably high.
Kamishiro Isshin and the others didn't know how Ren Kuroda had caused his blade to awaken such a level of spirit—
but from the sacred aura radiating from it, Shin'yū was undeniably an extraordinary weapon.
Born from humanity's hope and gratitude, Shin'yū represented the power of protection. From an exorcist's perspective, this was an exceptionally radiant force—with enormous potential.
On one side stood the famed, high-ranking Kusanagi Sword, one of the Three Sacred Treasures.
On the other was Shin'yū, a weapon that had grown alongside its wielder and possessed limitless potential.
Even for others, this choice would have been painfully difficult.
Weapons with self-awareness all possessed pride. Naturally, they didn't want to share their master.
If it were a weapon and a piece of armor, that would be one thing—the user could wield both.
But here, it was a sword and a blade—both weapons.
Choosing one meant shelving the other.
And as conscious weapons, neither wanted to be the one left behind. Mutual rejection was only natural.
Objectively speaking, if Kamishiro Isshin or Huojun Yuuichi were the ones choosing, they would likely pick the Kusanagi Sword without hesitation.
No matter how great Shin'yū's potential was, that was a matter for the future.
The Kusanagi Sword, on the other hand, was already overwhelmingly powerful right now.
Throughout the nation's history, many divine artifacts had survived—but no one had ever heard of an exorcist becoming the true master of one.
If Ren Kuroda became the Kusanagi Sword's master, his fame would explode overnight.
After all, he would be the first exorcist to ever have a divine artifact acknowledge him as its master.
Unfortunately, Ren Kuroda was not Kamishiro Isshin or the others.
Between the Kusanagi Sword and Shin'yū, he hesitated only briefly before decisively choosing Shin'yū.
Sometimes, stronger isn't better.
Only what suits you best truly is.
Besides, Ren Kuroda knew his own situation better than anyone.
His foundation wasn't exactly clean.
If he really let the Kusanagi Sword acknowledge him as its master, and one day that self-aware divine artifact discovered that its master was actually a Yokai King—
Wouldn't that be a guaranteed backstab?
Moreover, Ren Kuroda genuinely believed that the immense potential contained within Shin'yū was in no way inferior to a so-called divine artifact.
In fact, surpassing divine artifacts one day wasn't impossible at all.
Compared to the others, Yamato Kuka felt no surprise whatsoever at Ren Kuroda's choice.
Even if Onikiri wasn't as powerful as Shin'yū, if she were forced to choose right now, she would still pick Onikiri over the Kusanagi Sword.
For those who devoted their lives to the sword, the blade in their hands was a partner bound to them in life and death.
The strongest was not necessarily the best—only the one that suited them most.
Her desire to borrow the Kusanagi Sword's power this time was purely to save the entire Tokyo District.
As for whom the sword ultimately chose as its master, Yamato Kuka couldn't have cared less.
"Ren Kuroda," she finally spoke up, unable to hold back any longer as Shin'yū and the Kusanagi Sword continued their silent standoff."Could you… talk to the Kusanagi Sword? Let the matter of acknowledging a master wait for later, and just have it lend us its power for now."
"We don't have time to waste anymore. If this keeps up, the Tokyo District really will fall."
As time slipped by, the pressure on the exorcist side had grown heavier and heavier, their defensive line continuously pushed back.
Once the yokai broke into the shelter zones, it would spell absolute catastrophe for the entire Tokyo District.
Earlier, they had worried that merely earning the Kusanagi Sword's recognition wouldn't allow them to unleash its full power—making it impossible to defeat that monstrously powerful oni.
But now, seeing how satisfied the Kusanagi Sword seemed with Ren Kuroda—
Couldn't they negotiate with it?
Let this Three Sacred Treasure acknowledge Ren Kuroda as its master temporarily, finish this battle first—
and worry about everything else afterward?
..
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