In truth, Ren Kuroda already leaned toward letting his human self claim victory.
A war of this scale erupting had never been part of his design. It wasn't some grand scheme he had carefully orchestrated, as the Samurai Spirit and the Spider Princess had speculated—it was an entirely unforeseen turn of events.
Ren admitted he wasn't a saint, but he had never been someone who slaughtered indiscriminately.
If the yokai of Tokyo were to break through into the city's core—into the shelter zones where civilians were concentrated—what choice would he have then?
From the yokai's perspective, as the so-called Lord of the Hundred Demons, could he truly stop them from attacking humans?
After all, this wasn't like the Oni Courtyard of the Nura World, where the yokai had followed him from their weakest days and obeyed his commands almost unquestioningly.
The yokai of Tokyo, on the other hand, had only acknowledged his position as Lord of the Hundred Demons by circumstance. Their bond went no further than this single battle.
Perhaps one day he could make them truly submit. But not now. At best, they would obey him out of fear of his strength—and even then, resentment would inevitably fester beneath the surface.
Ren didn't want ordinary people in Tokyo to be massacred because of a yokai invasion.
He was a half-demon. Yokai blood flowed through him—but so did human blood.
He exterminated yokai because they committed atrocities.He killed exorcists because they stood on the opposite side.
But harmless yokai and innocent civilians?He had never once considered harming them.
Yet if his human self won this battle, while it would spare Tokyo's civilians from slaughter, everything the Spider Princess and the yokai faction had prepared would effectively collapse.
If Ren, as the Lord of the Hundred Demons, were defeated here, then even if his subordinates said nothing, fully subjugating them afterward would become far more difficult.
As Ren hesitated, struggling with the choice before him, the Spider Princess's voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
"Lord Ren, something's gone wrong. The situation is deteriorating.It seems news of Tokyo's battle has reached neighboring regions. A group of exorcists led by the Tsuchimiya Clan is rapidly heading toward your location.And worse—they're bringing another divine artifact with them."
Unable to take part in the battle directly, the Spider Princess had taken on the roles of liaison, scout, and acting deputy commander.
Before the fighting began, she had deployed countless spiders throughout the battlefield and surrounding areas to monitor changes and detect emergencies as quickly as possible.
Just moments ago, she had discovered a large group of powerful exorcists en route to Ren's position.
They were perceptive enough to notice her surveillance familiars—and casually crushed them.
Though the shared vision from the spiders cut out almost instantly, that fleeting glimpse was enough for her to judge that the incoming force was formidable.
Among them was an object shrouded in silk cloth, radiating an aura so dangerous that even she felt uneasy.
She had already seen the power of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi firsthand. But the aura emanating from this veiled artifact was no weaker.
That meant only one thing—it was another divine artifact.
After obtaining such critical intelligence, she immediately relayed it to Ren, hoping to prevent irreversible consequences.
And upon receiving her report, the hesitation in Ren's heart vanished completely.
With a clash that sent sparks exploding across the blade of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Ren's true body and his artificial human self separated in a single exchange, landing on opposite sides.
Objectively speaking, the artificial body was vastly inferior to the original in terms of physical ability and raw power.
Yet empowered by the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the artificial Ren—whose spiritual energy barely reached A-rank—was able to fight evenly against the original, whose body was gravely injured but still possessed S–rank demonic power.
It was utterly absurd.
Though much of their fight was an act, there was no denying the terrifying strength of a divine artifact.
Whether it had been Karasu Ryosuke before, or his artificial self now, anyone wielding a divine artifact experienced an explosive increase in power.
And according to the Spider Princess's report, the exorcists weren't just bringing reinforcements.
They were bringing another divine artifact.
One Kusanagi had already pushed Ren to his limits. His current condition was far from ideal—and if another artifact entered the battlefield, he doubted he could withstand it.
So after that final exchange, Ren's true body did not press the attack.
Instead, he looked at his human counterpart with an expression of genuine admiration.
"I never imagined that attacking Tokyo alone would meet with this much resistance," he said calmly."To think a divine artifact's master would appear… I'll admit it. In my current state, I can't take Tokyo from you."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But time is on my side. When my wounds have fully healed, I'll return. And if you're still only this strong then… I'll be the one to take your head."
With those words, Ren turned without hesitation and prepared to leave.
"When we meet again," the human Ren replied firmly, "I'll be even stronger. Strong enough to kill you with my own power."
After a round of mutual—no, outright shameless—boasting, the yokai Ren withdrew.
And on the exorcists' side, no one dared to stop him.
Instead, they parted instinctively, opening a path for him to depart.
Although Ren's sudden recognition by the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi had helped the exorcists regain some ground, anyone with eyes could see that the yokai faction still held the advantage.
Now that the enemy was choosing to retreat on his own, stopping him would have been madness.
Moreover, the master of the Kusanagi himself made no move to pursue—an unspoken signal.
Just as the Lord of the Hundred Demons couldn't defeat the Kusanagi's master, the Kusanagi's master likewise lacked confidence in defeating the Lord of the Hundred Demons.
As long as the two remained undecided, the battle would drag on—and casualties would continue to mount.
That, perhaps, was why the Kusanagi's master had silently accepted the ceasefire and allowed Ren to leave.
After all, he was known as the "Redeemer." Someone like him wouldn't want to see more lives lost.
Seeing Ren withdraw, Nekomata and the others—still locked in combat—were confused by his decision.
But in the eyes of his most devoted followers, everything Lord Ren did carried meaning—and was unquestionably correct.
If they couldn't understand it, that simply meant they were too stupid to grasp even a fragment of the vast, ocean-like wisdom possessed by Lord Ren, the Samurai Spirit, and the Spider Princess.
With Ren and Nekomata retreating, the rest of the yokai followed like a receding tide.
Once again, the battlefield split cleanly into two opposing camps.
"I was getting beaten down by those exorcists earlier," a furious voice roared."Now we finally have the upper hand—Tokyo was practically ours! So why the hell are we retreating?!"
Thanks to his earlier heroics and frontline leadership, Ren had won over much of the yokai faction, and most were willing to follow his command.
In their eyes, the Lord of the Hundred Demons was already gravely wounded, yet he had still fought at the forefront to turn the tide. That alone earned their admiration.
Continuing to fight in such a state clearly wasn't sustainable, so they could understand the decision to withdraw.
But no matter where you went, there were always troublemakers.
While most yokai accepted the order, a small group bristled with dissatisfaction, convinced that victory had been within reach if they'd just held on a little longer.
The loudest among them were several A-rank great yokai.
These were former regional bosses of Tokyo—and deserters from the earlier chaos.
They had been lucky. Before the exorcists could finish them off, Ren had arrived, drawing all attention to himself.
This battle made them realize that their earlier flight had utterly shattered their subordinates' trust—and that Ren's presence would permanently replace their former status.
Their plan had been simple: break into Tokyo's core, devour as many humans as possible, boost their demonic power, then flee to other regions to seek refuge under another demon king—or carve out a new future.
As long as they were A-rank great yokai, bowing their heads would always earn them a place somewhere.
What they hadn't expected was this.
The exorcists were on the brink of collapse. Tokyo was almost conquered—
And yet Ren had ordered a retreat.
That was unacceptable.
Convinced that Ren was now so weakened he couldn't even defeat them, these A-rank yokai began shouting that their alliance had only been about resisting Tokyo's exorcists.
No one had ever agreed that Ren alone would decide whether to fight or withdraw.