As for Ren Kuroda, when he looked at the few A-rank great yokai jumping back and forth in front of him like clowns, a sneer spread across his face.
"Did you actually understand a single word we just said? I said we—"
Seeing the disdain on Ren's face, one of the A-rank great yokai tried to rely on their numerical advantage, attempting to suppress him with sheer momentum.
But before he could finish his sentence, a head flew into the air.
The yokai's expression froze in sheer astonishment, as if even at the moment of death he couldn't comprehend why Ren would suddenly attack him—didn't he fear provoking everyone's wrath?
"I never forced you to retreat with me," Ren said calmly. "Anyone who wants to stay can do whatever they like. I'm just not going to accompany you.And yes, this is exactly what happens to those who try to use 'racial righteousness' to pressure me into staying.A bunch of cowards who fled the battlefield earlier, and now you think you're qualified to lecture me? How laughable."
With a casual flick of his hand, an A-rank great yokai—someone who could have ruled an entire region—was slaughtered just like that.
Ren's actions proved one thing beyond doubt: even in his current weakened state, killing them was still as easy as slaughtering chickens.
The brutal death instantly cooled the heads of the remaining troublemakers. They fell silent, already thinking that once they left Tokyo, they would need to quickly find another demon king to defect to.
But before they could even decide which demon lord to seek refuge under, Ren's next words plunged them straight into despair.
"When I said retreat, I meant my Hundred Demons were retreating.As for the rest of you—if you're determined to keep fighting, then I can only wish you good fortune in battle.I'm sure the exorcists of Tokyo would be more than happy to accept you as opponents."
At first glance, his words sounded reasonable. But on closer thought, it became clear that the retreat applied only to the yokai under Ren's command.
The reason the Tokyo exorcists had allowed them to withdraw was because they feared Ren's power and the overall threat posed by the yokai. Continuing the fight would only lead to more casualties.
But now, from Ren's words, it was obvious—even to the exorcists—that the yokai faction was splintering.
They weren't thrilled about being used as someone else's weapon, but isolated A-rank great yokai were hard to come by. And with the exorcists holding the numerical advantage, this was a once-in-a-lifetime, zero-risk opportunity.
"Wait! Are you seriously abandoning us? We fought hard earlier too!""I get it—we won't oppose the retreat anymore. Let us leave with you!"
Seeing that Ren and his group were really about to leave—and had no intention of taking them along—the loudest A-rank great yokai finally panicked.
Leaving them behind to face the Tokyo exorcists head-on was no different from sending them to their deaths.
Their original plan had been to use numbers and pressure to force Ren to stay and keep fighting. Who could have imagined he wouldn't care in the slightest—and would instead leave them to die?
"You were the ones who refused to retreat and insisted on fighting to the death," Ren replied coldly. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?And since when did you start thinking we were on the same side? If anyone abandoned anyone, wasn't it you who fled first?"
With that, Ren had no intention of wasting more words on them. He turned and walked away.
The mutual flattery was done. The posturing was finished. If he didn't leave now and another wave of exorcists arrived carrying yet another divine artifact, then he really would be acting himself straight into death.
The remaining A-rank great yokai watched Ren's group retreat, then glanced at the exorcists glaring at them from behind. Desperate, they tried shamelessly to blend into the retreating ranks.
But before they could reach the main group, Mizuki and Shuna, standing among the crowd, raised their hands in unison.
A transparent barrier instantly rose, cutting the A-rank yokai off completely.
Before they could even curse, an overwhelming sense of danger surged from behind them.
In the next instant, they saw a handsome young man charging toward them—wielding the legendary divine artifact, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
—
The massive battle between exorcists and yokai—one that engulfed all of Tokyo and even affected neighboring regions—finally came to an end after a full day and night.
Strictly speaking, there was no absolute victor.
But overall, it was the exorcists who emerged on top.
Though they failed to defeat the terrifying oni-clan monster outright, they had successfully defended Tokyo.
Inside the shelters, Tokyo's residents erupted into thunderous cheers as they watched the invading yokai retreat like a receding tide.
This scene didn't play out in just one shelter—it happened in nearly every shelter across the Tokyo region.
Earlier, as civilians watched the exorcists falter through projection systems, many had feared Tokyo would fall, and that they would become nothing more than food for monsters.
No one expected the battle to twist and turn again and again—yet in the end, the exorcists had driven the yokai back.
As a result, many previously unknown exorcists became household names overnight. And those who were already famous only grew more renowned.
Among the Five Clan Heads who had orchestrated the initial plan and first grievously wounded Hyakki Yagyō, their achievements spoke for themselves.Karasu Ryosuke, being the strongest and contributing the most on the battlefield, gained the greatest fame.
Then there was Yamato Kyoka, who earned the Kusanagi's recognition and slew two A-rank great yokai in succession.Kamishiro Isshin, who—with only B-rank spiritual power—held back an A-rank great yokai using barrier talismans.Master Hakuba Wataru, who relied on formidable divine protection techniques to briefly fight evenly against Tenarai Oni, a commander of the yokai faction.And the rising supernova known as the "Blazing Calamity," Hokun Yūichi.
All of them rose to prominence through this battle.
But if one name eclipsed all others—
It was undoubtedly Ren Kuroda, the "Redeemer."
If the others merely became known to most people, then Ren's fame echoed throughout all of Tokyo—and even spread to surrounding regions.
Tokyo's survival hinged on this young man, not yet twenty years old, more than anyone else.
Had he not stepped forward at the critical moment to block the terrifying Hyakki Yagyō, the exorcists would have remained on the back foot, slowly devoured by the yokai.
Of course, Ren's soaring reputation wasn't due solely to that last stand.
The greater shock was that the divine artifact Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi had acknowledged him as its master.
Even the Tsuchimiya Clan and the other reinforcements who arrived later were stunned.
In their eyes, the title "First Exorcist to Be Chosen by a Divine Artifact" was even more extraordinary than repelling an S+-rank oni.
Japan possessed many divine artifacts passed down through history. In recent times, countless outstanding exorcists had attempted to earn their recognition.
Yet only a handful had ever been acknowledged—let alone accepted as masters.
Some had even begun to suspect that divine artifacts could only be mastered under impossibly strict, hidden conditions.
So when the Tsuchimiya family head and the others arrived, listened to Hokun's account, and looked at the refined, handsome youth before them, their jaws practically hit the ground.
When Kamishiro Isshin added that it wasn't Ren who chose the Kusanagi—but that the Kusanagi had chosen Ren—their shock only deepened.
They scrutinized him closely, searching for what could make such a proud divine artifact bow its head.
The commotion grew so great that even the priests from Atsuta Shrine, where the Kusanagi had been enshrined, arrived on the scene.
Clad in ceremonial vestments, they treated Ren with profound reverence and declared that Atsuta Shrine would follow his lead from that day forward.
By now, Ren's background was no secret.
He hailed from a fallen minor exorcist family—one that had been wiped out long ago.
Ordinarily, someone like that would never have caught the attention of elite exorcists.
Yet this so-called nobody had risen step by step through sheer effort—until his name was known to all.
At the dawn of the chaos, he saved countless survivors and earned the title "Redeemer."Later, he slew the A-rank yokai Kamaitachi, climbing onto the prestigious exorcist rankings.Now, he had turned the tide against an S+-rank oni, saved all of Tokyo, and become the master of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
And Ren Kuroda wasn't even twenty years old.
At that age, most exorcist heirs were still studying at onmyō academies.
Calling Ren's life "cheat-enabled" wouldn't be an exaggeration in the slightest.
Though he remained, in name, the orphaned survivor of a minor exorcist clan, with the status of a divine artifact's master—and the full backing of Atsuta Shrine—reviving the Kuroda family was only the beginning.
He could elevate it to heights it had never reached before.