At this moment, the red-haired Byakuya Oni rampaged straight into the exorcist formation, kicking off a one-man slaughter like an unstoppable hack-and-slash carnage mode.
Both of his clawed hands were already caked with shredded chunks of flesh, while the blood coating his body was so thick it looked as though he had just crawled out of a pool of gore.
The massacre never stopped—but astonishingly, Byakuya Oni's aura showed no sign of weakening. On the contrary, the dense stench of blood only stirred the oni bloodline within him, driving his battle intent higher and higher.
As more and more "Fear" was gathered, his emotions had in fact already stabilized. Yet by the time he fully came to his senses, he realized he was deep inside enemy territory.
Even when he wasn't actively attacking, exorcists were hurling all manner of talismans and spells straight at him.
Unfortunately for them, the gap in strength was simply too vast.
Those Five-Element spells couldn't even scratch his defenses. Combined with the disparity in physical ability, most exorcists didn't even get the chance to flee after casting—Byakuya Oni's claws tore them apart on the spot.
Without exaggeration, nearly thirty percent of all exorcist casualties in the Tokyo District during this battle were directly caused by him alone.
And don't be fooled into thinking thirty percent sounded small.
One had to remember just how massive the scale of this operation was.
The number of exorcists killed by Byakuya Oni alone was already comparable to half the total casualties inflicted by the entire yokai faction combined.
Yet the exorcists were helpless—because they truly had no idea how to stop him.
They had laid countless preparations, set elaborate traps, even devised plans to lure the snake out of hiding and permanently eliminate the oni threat lurking in the snowy mountains.
And yes, their plan had worked perfectly.
The snake had been lured out.
But they hadn't killed it.
Instead, they had enraged it—and now it was biting back with lethal fury.
Just as the exorcist camp was spiraling into indecision, unsure whether to continue fighting or retreat, a brown-haired少年 suddenly barged onto the battlefield, positioning himself squarely in front of the oni who had become the Tokyo exorcists' living nightmare.
The youth had short chestnut hair and a strikingly handsome face, no less impressive than the oni's. His body radiated spiritual power hovering close to A-rank.
Frankly speaking, for someone of his age to possess such a level of spiritual energy already marked him as a once-in-a-generation prodigy.
But in this battle—
And especially in front of this oni—
It still seemed woefully insufficient.
After all, plenty of A-rank exorcists had already tried to stop this monster—and none of them had even lasted a single exchange before being torn apart.
So when the boy stepped forward, everyone instinctively assumed they were about to witness yet another genius perish.
And yet—
To everyone's utter disbelief, the youth actually forced the oni to retreat.
There was no question about it.
The moment this happened, every exorcist—and even most of the yokai—froze in shock.
Because this was the first time since the battle began that the oni had taken a step back.
Even when gravely wounded, even when on the brink of death, that monster had never retreated before.
And yet now, a boy whose spiritual power barely reached A-rank had pushed him back.
"I know that guy… That's Ren Kuroda, the 'Redeemer.' He's said to be the most outstanding genius among the younger generation. When the age of chaos first descended, he was one of the few who had already slain A-rank yokai.
"I just never expected that I thought his fame was only among civilians… but his actual combat strength is this terrifying."
With so many exorcists present, and Ren Kuroda far from being unknown, his identity was quickly recognized.
And not just him—
Many also recognized the sword in his hand.
"That's the divine artifact Kusanagi Sword, right? If the Redeemer can wield it, does that mean he's become the third person to be acknowledged by the artifact?"
The weakened head of the Hozumi family, after incinerating a lesser yokai to ashes, stared at Ren Kuroda with utter disbelief.
Earlier, he had believed Yamato Kuka and the others were engaging in a futile effort.
He never imagined that these youngsters would actually succeed in obtaining the Kusanagi Sword's recognition.
Minamoto Yoriten and Sorasuga Ryosuke were both legendary swordsmen whose reputations preceded them. When Yamato Kuka had proposed trying, the Hozumi head genuinely never believed they could succeed.
"The Kusanagi Sword isn't something so shallow that age determines its judgment," Kamishiro Isshin snorted coldly.
"And Ren Kuroda isn't the third person to be acknowledged. Kuka-chan is the third swordmaster to gain its recognition.
"As for Ren Kuroda… before he even made a choice, the Kusanagi Sword had already noticed him—and was practically ready to acknowledge him as its master."
Kamishiro Isshin had long been displeased with the Hozumi family's dismissive attitude toward them. But given the man's seniority and status, he'd held his tongue.
Now, seeing the old man's stunned expression, he didn't hold back at all and went straight into full sarcasm mode.
Serves you right for looking down on us earlier—now you're completely dumbfounded.
Sure, Kamishiro Isshin himself hadn't earned the Kusanagi Sword's recognition—but that was because he wasn't even a swordsman.
Meanwhile, among their group, one person had earned the sword's recognition—
And another was so outrageous that the divine artifact had tried to acknowledge him on its own initiative.
Upon hearing Kamishiro Isshin's words, the Hozumi head didn't even have time to feel offended—
He was completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information contained in them.
The divine artifact Kusanagi Sword…
Acknowledged a master?
If this weren't the middle of a battlefield, the entire exorcist world would already be in an uproar.
Since the upheaval of heaven and earth, not only had yokai entered a golden age, but exorcist families were also flourishing like never before.
Yet even after all this time, the Hozumi head had never once heard of an exorcist becoming the master of a divine artifact.
If what Kamishiro Isshin said was true, then the boy before them was without question a figure destined to be recorded in history.
The first person, since the onset of chaos, to have a divine artifact acknowledge him as master.
And if he succeeded in defeating—or even killing—that oni—
Then he would be the hero who saved the entire Tokyo District.
Unparalleled talent. Divine weapon acknowledging its master. Slaying humanity's greatest enemy. Becoming a savior.
This was practically a template for a life-winning protagonist.
To any exorcist watching, there was nothing left but envy—pure, unfiltered envy.
After all, people lived their lives for fame and fortune.
The Hozumi head could already foresee it: if Ren Kuroda survived this battle, his name would echo across every corner of the country.
"Everyone," the Hozumi head shouted, his voice carrying across the battlefield,"the moment for our counterattack has arrived! The young man fighting Byakuya Oni is the master of the divine artifact Kusanagi Sword. This battle is not lost yet!"
With the other heads of the Thirteen Demon-Slaying Houses either unconscious or too severely wounded to command, the responsibility naturally fell to the most senior among them.
As his voice rang across the battlefield, the exorcists—who had been barely holding on—froze for a moment before bursting into wild elation.
Earlier, crushed by the oni's overwhelming strength, the Tokyo exorcists had nearly lost all hope.
Yet they couldn't retreat.
Behind them lay the entire Tokyo District.
If yokai breached the core zones, the civilians sheltering there would become nothing more than food.
And even if they fled the district, it wouldn't matter—losing one of humanity's largest remaining strongholds would brand them with eternal disgrace. No other region would ever accept them.
But now—
Hearing the Hozumi head's declaration and seeing Ren Kuroda wield the Kusanagi Sword, matching Byakuya Oni blow for blow—
Hope reignited instantly.
Emotions were contagious.
When the first exorcist, once suppressed by a yokai, suddenly roared back and killed his opponent, the Tokyo exorcists sounded the horn of counterattack once more.
Meanwhile, at the very center of the battlefield—
Under countless gazes—
The man and the oni locked in combat both felt nothing but helplessness.
Because damn it—
Whether it was Ren Kuroda the Redeemer or Byakuya Oni, they were both him.
And yet events had unfolded in such a ridiculous way.
Both "Ren Kuroda" and "Byakuya Oni" had become the spiritual pillars of their respective factions—
And were now effectively putting on a one-man stage play, fighting themselves.
How the hell was this supposed to end?
Was he really expected to kill himself to decide a victor?
After gaining the Kusanagi Sword's recognition, Ren Kuroda's human side had been more or less shoved onto the battlefield.
Compared to Yamato Kuka, who had merely earned the sword's recognition, Ren Kuroda—whom the sword had attempted to acknowledge as master—clearly had a higher compatibility and a better chance of victory.
The Countermeasure Group's reasoning was flawless.
And Ren Kuroda couldn't find a single excuse to refuse.
Unless he came clean right then and there, all he could do was grit his teeth and charge forward.
And thus, an utterly absurd scene unfolded—
The artificial body of Ren Kuroda was now fighting his own true body.
What made it even worse was that both sides were burdened with enormous expectations.
Even Ren Kuroda himself started to get a headache—
Just which identity was he supposed to let win?