When Ren Kuroda suddenly blurted out those words, everyone in the Kidōin erupted with excitement. To them, it felt like their lord had finally seen the light.
Honestly speaking, the Kidōin now had manpower, had strength, and had momentum. Ren himself was already powerful enough to clash head-on with old monsters like Inugami Gyōbu Tanuki, while executives such as the Samurai Spirit were no weaker than the cadres of the Nura Clan. So why had they been forced to lie low in this backwater place all this time?
Before, they'd believed their lord was simply compassionate toward the weak, unwilling to drag them into bloody yokai conflicts. Because of that, many of the lesser yokai in the Kidōin had secretly trained day and night.
Their goal was simple—to one day be useful, to fight on behalf of the benevolent Lord Ren when he finally chose to march across the land.
Yet they waited and waited, and still no order ever came to seize territory or challenge rival forces. Disappointment began to creep in. Some even wondered whether their lord simply wasn't interested in the title of "Lord of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."
And then—just now—he'd suddenly ordered them to gather their forces and prepare to head for Kyoto, the city where yokai had once flourished in unmatched glory.
There was no doubt about it.The yokai of the Kidōin, who had been waiting for this moment for so long, were instantly fired up.
So that was it. Their lord wasn't lacking ambition—he'd just been holding back, waiting to unleash a single earth-shattering move.
Indeed, with the Kidōin's current strength and reputation, going after minor regional yokai groups would've been embarrassingly small-time. If they were going to act, it had to be big.
The third-generation head of the Nura Clan might be weak—painfully so—but since he seemed to be on decent terms with their lord, it wasn't surprising that Ren had no intention of targeting him.
Once the Nura Clan of Kantō was excluded, the strongest remaining force was naturally the remnants of Hagoromo Gitsune's faction in Kyoto.
After all, she had once been a Lord of the Hundred Demons, and Kyoto—known as the capital of yokai—was home to creatures far more famous and dangerous than those elsewhere.
"Lord Ren," the Samurai Spirit said, "this trip to Kyoto… are we planning to assist the Nura Clan?The feud between the Nura Clan and Hagoromo Gitsune spans centuries, and I've heard her forces in Kyoto have indeed begun to stir again."
As the Kidōin's intelligence specialist, the Samurai Spirit was well informed. He knew about recent events in Kyoto—how two onmyōji from the Hanakaiin Clan had arrived in Kantō not long ago and even attacked the Nura Clan's third head.
Simply put, Hanakaiin Ryūji and Magamiru had come east not only to retrieve Hanakaiin Yura, but also to warn the Nura Clan that Hagoromo Gitsune had revived once more.
Even the Hanakaiin Clan, which had stood firm in Kyoto for generations, felt powerless against an enemy of Hagoromo Gitsune's caliber.
Though cooperating with yokai was an unpalatable idea for an onmyōji family, compared to the relatively benign Nura Clan, the Hanakaiin believed Hagoromo Gitsune to be the true existential threat.
After all, four hundred years ago, it had been the joint effort of the Nura Clan and the Hanakaiin Clan that stopped her ambitions—and even then, both Hanakaiin Hidemoto and Nurarihyon had paid a heavy price.
Since they shared a mortal enemy, it was better to stand together than be picked off one by one. That was the Hanakaiin Clan's current stance.
And compared to four centuries ago, the Hanakaiin Clan today no longer possessed a leader of Hidemoto's caliber.Likewise, the Nura Clan's third head was leagues behind Nurarihyon.
The crisis Kyoto now faced was far grimmer than it had been four hundred years ago.
"No," Ren said calmly. "This time, we're not going to help the Nura Clan.We're going to help Hagoromo Gitsune.
"I've heard that Nue—the half-demon she's about to give birth to—is extremely powerful. Coincidentally, I'm also a half-demon. I want to measure myself against him."
He paused, then continued evenly,
"This trip to Kyoto isn't about conquering the city. I'm sorry if that's what you were hoping for.I won't force anyone to come. Those who wish to follow me may do so. Those who don't are free to stay behind—I won't blame anyone. This is my own personal decision."
For a brief moment after his words fell, the Kidōin fell silent.
Then the place exploded into noise.
Rather than annoying him, the commotion filled Ren with an unexpected warmth.
Because most of the shouting wasn't dissent—it was wholehearted support.
"Perfect! I've hated those Nura Clan guys for ages!""That so-called young master is nothing compared to Lord Ren, yet he struts around like he owns the world!"
"Exactly! With the Kidōin backing her, Hagoromo Gitsune must be grinning even in her sleep!"
Voices like these echoed nonstop through the ranks. Not a single yokai voiced opposition. Not one suggested staying behind.
That was what moved Ren the most.
He knew very well that many members of the Kidōin had decent relations with the Nura Clan. Yet now, when his decision placed them on opposing sides, they still chose him without hesitation.
Meanwhile, in Kyoto, Hagoromo Gitsune had already broken through multiple layers of seals. Her power was steadily returning, and more and more of her former Hundred Demons were gathering at her side.
Four hundred years ago, Hanakaiin Hidemoto had sealed Hagoromo Gitsune's power at eight locations:
Nijō Castle, Shōkoku-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Saihō-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Ryōan-ji, Katsura Imperial Villa, and Fushimi Inari Taisha.
After the seal at Nijō Castle was destroyed—and the great yokai Aragokuro was released—Hagoromo Gitsune's forces advanced almost unchecked.
Back then, Hidemoto had dispersed her power among the eight seals. Each seal not only bound part of her strength, but also imprisoned a powerful great yokai.
Most of these were elite cadres who had once followed Hagoromo Gitsune. A smaller portion were independent great yokai that had terrorized entire regions in their own right.
If Hagoromo Gitsune wished to give birth to Nue in her optimal state, she had to break all of the seals and restore her power to its peak.
After learning of his family's long-standing feud with Hagoromo Gitsune from his grandfather, Nura Rikuo had resolutely led Aotabō and the others to Kyoto.
Unfortunately, the third head of the Nura Clan—now the Supreme Commander of Kantō yokai—didn't even get a glimpse of Hagoromo Gitsune before running straight into Tsuchigumo, who had only just been unsealed.
Tsuchigumo was a legendary great yokai, famed for his love of challenging the strong. He had never built a faction nor joined any organization.
But that didn't mean he was weak.
While he couldn't quite compare to monsters like Nurarihyon or Hagoromo Gitsune, he wasn't far off.
A rookie like Nura Rikuo, leading a group of dramatic "actors," stood no chance.
They were wiped out completely—and then mocked for it.
Tsuchigumo didn't just beat them senseless; he openly sneered that Nura Rikuo was far too weak to even be worth killing, telling him to train for a few hundred years before daring to challenge him again.
Talk about salt in the wound.
This crushing defeat plunged Nura Rikuo into a period of deep self-doubt—until his training in Tōno and his encounter with Gyūki, where he finally came to understand the meaning of the karma of the Hundred Demons.
The Kidōin, lacking any luxurious flying vessel like a treasure ship, arrived in Kyoto relatively late.
By the time they reached the city, Hagoromo Gitsune had already broken five of the eight seals, leaving only Nijō Castle, Shōkoku-ji, and Kinkaku-ji intact.
The Hanakaiin Clan was already stretched to its limit, scrambling to respond to the rapid collapse of the seals. They had originally hoped the Nura Clan might provide some assistance.
Instead, the current third head had disgraced himself—leading the clan's elites only to be annihilated by Tsuchigumo before even encountering Hagoromo Gitsune.
Under such dire circumstances, the sudden appearance of another yokai force in Kyoto naturally drew everyone's attention.
Aside from the Nura Clan, the Hanakaiin didn't believe any other yokai faction would be friendly to humans—and certainly didn't assume they'd come with good intentions.
Likewise, Hagoromo Gitsune's forces became instantly wary upon learning that the Kidōin had entered Kyoto.
Kyoto had always been Hagoromo Gitsune's domain. The arrival of another powerful yokai faction at such a critical moment made it impossible not to suspect ulterior motives.
In the past, Hagoromo Gitsune wouldn't have given such a force a second thought.
But now, with the remaining seals still standing and Nue yet to be born, she had no desire to invite unnecessary complications.
Between the obstructive Hanakaiin Clan and the ever-watchful veterans of the Nura Clan, she was already under immense pressure. She had no spare energy to deal with yet another formidable faction.
"This yokai force appears to be called the Kidōin," Kyōchibō said, stepping forward."They've risen rapidly in recent times. From what this old monk knows, they seem to be on fairly good terms with the Nura Clan.
"And their leader… reportedly possesses strength comparable to Inugami Gyōbu Tanuki, the lord of Shikoku's Eighty-Eight Demon Night Parade."
Having received earlier intelligence from Yojaku, Kyōchibō clearly knew far more about Ren and the Kidōin than most.
"If they've truly come to aid the Nura Clan," he concluded gravely,"then breaking the remaining three seals may not go as smoothly as before—for Lady Hagoromo Gitsune."