**"Cripple me? And then make Hagoromo Gitsune-sama personally come and apologize to you?Just you worthless small fry—are you even worthy of saying that?
Looks like you got used to being kings in some backwater, so now you think you can run your mouths here.But this is Kyoto. And I am Arakuro—one of Hagoromo Gitsune-sama's commanders!"**
Hearing Ren Kuroda's words—arrogant to an almost insulting degree—Arakuro instantly flew into a rage. He didn't want to hear another word of nonsense. The skeletal fingers of his right hand clenched into a fist, and he smashed it straight toward Ren's position.
Because of Arakuro's massive frame, even his fist alone was nearly the size of Ren's entire body.
BOOM—!
The enormous knuckle-bones crashed down, triggering a localized quake as the ground buckled violently. As an A+–rank yokai combined with such a colossal body, Arakuro didn't need any special abilities—under normal circumstances, a single slap from him could easily kill a B-rank or higher yokai.
That so-called leader of Kidōin hadn't even tried to dodge. Even if Ren was only slightly weaker than himself, Arakuro refused to believe he could escape unharmed.
Yet sometimes reality had a way of shattering expectations.
From within the dust cloud kicked up by the impact, a calm, utterly unruffled voice slowly emerged.
"Judging strength by the amount of yokai power someone shows is indeed a straightforward method.But for a yokai who's lived as long as you have… shouldn't you know that what's visible on the surface doesn't always determine the final outcome?"
As the dust settled, Ren Kuroda's figure was revealed.
The ground beneath his feet was fractured with spiderweb-like cracks from the sheer force of the blow—but Ren himself was completely unscathed.
What had stopped Arakuro's furious strike was Ren's raised arm.
Compared to Arakuro's massive limb, Ren's arm looked like a thin wooden stick. Yet that slender arm had caught the blow squarely, unmoving—without bending even a fraction.
Arakuro's hollow face showed a flicker of surprise as he realized his attack had been blocked. Just as he was about to speak, Ren's next move turned that surprise into pure shock.
Still holding Arakuro's giant finger-bones with one hand, Ren suddenly brought his other arm up, locking both arms around them. He dipped his body slightly—then his muscles surged.
In the next instant, Arakuro felt a terrifying pulling force rip through his arm.
The force was so overwhelming that even his enormous frame felt powerless. A heartbeat later, the gigantic skeleton was yanked clean off the ground.
Since awakening as a yokai and becoming one of Hagoromo Gitsune's commanders, Arakuro had never once imagined a day where he'd be grabbed like a toy—lifted into the air and spun around like a windmill.
No—this was something he had never even conceived of.
What made it even more horrifying was that the one swinging him around like a plaything was a human-sized figure whose yokai power was visibly inferior to his own.
After who knew how many rotations, Arakuro was finally hurled away like a piece of oversized trash, slamming into the ground and leaving behind a massive skeleton-shaped imprint.
Before the dizziness even faded, Ren shattered the ground beneath his feet with a sharp kick. His body launched forward like a cannonball, blasting straight toward Arakuro again.
He had said he would cripple him—so he meant it.
Arakuro was nothing but bones already, making the definition of "crippled" somewhat ambiguous.
So Ren decided to break those bones.
Ren rocketed forward with clear intent—this time aiming to snap several of Arakuro's ribs. But just as he closed in at full speed, a powerful sense of danger flared from his side.
That killing intent came from Kidōmaru, who had been standing by until now.
Earlier, Kidōmaru had also believed that Arakuro alone was more than enough to deal with someone at Ren's level. But it quickly became clear why Ōjizō had urged them to pay attention to Kidōin.
Even if Arakuro had underestimated his opponent, he was still a veteran commander who had fought beside Hagoromo Gitsune for centuries—yet in a blink of an eye, he'd been completely suppressed… even beaten senseless.
Kidōmaru could no longer afford to just watch.
If Arakuro were killed here, he'd have no way to explain himself to Hagoromo Gitsune.
So just as Ren moved to press his advantage, Kidōmaru finally stepped in.
In terms of raw power, Kidōmaru was actually stronger than Arakuro. A thousand years ago, he had followed Abe no Seimei himself. He was a leader among the oni, his yokai power reaching the S– tier.
"Sword Art: Plumwood Branch!"
A blue, high-speed slash tore through the air. As it flew toward Ren, it split and extended like the branches of a blooming plum tree, engulfing his path.
Almost instantly, Ren shifted targets—his fist smashing straight into the incoming blade light.
A violent shockwave exploded outward. The two clashed midair and were blown apart, each retreating dozens of meters.
Ren had blocked the blade barehanded. His arm was now slashed open, blood dripping freely from the sword aura's wounds.
Kidōmaru, too, slid back before stopping, his expression calm as ever.
But the slight tremor in his arm—and the faint ringing of his long blade—made it clear that he hadn't taken that punch lightly.
Now he understood.
There was a reason Ren could swing Arakuro around like a toy. That kind of monstrous strength was something Kidōmaru had never encountered before.
Kidōmaru specialized in high-speed slashes. His "fear" enhanced acceleration, and when speed reached its limit, it carried terrifying mass.
Even so, in that exchange, he'd only managed a draw.
Ren's arm was injured—but it was nothing more than superficial.
"Right… I almost forgot," Ren muttered, watching blood seep from his knuckles as he turned to Kidōmaru."There's still another one. And you look like the real problem."
Ren reached behind his back and slowly drew the Nichirin Blade.
Because his oni arm was damaged, he had brought Shin'yū with him. In his original world, he still had the divine blade Kusanagi—but here, Shin'yū was more than enough.
Due to Tenjoin Ren's fame, Shin'yū was well known as his blade. Using it openly as a yokai in the main world would've been risky.
But this was the world of the Nurarihyon—here, no one would recognize it.
"You didn't deliberately reveal your race," Kidōmaru said slowly, "but the aura you give off feels… familiar.You're an oni as well, aren't you?"
Seeing Ren draw his blade, Kidōmaru was briefly taken aback. He hadn't expected someone with such raw strength and close-combat skill to also wield refined swordsmanship.
More than that, as the leader of the oni, Kidōmaru could sense an unmistakably similar presence radiating from Ren.
"Does it matter whether I'm an oni?" Ren replied coldly."What matters is this—I never go back on my word.
I said I'd cripple you. So I will cripple you.
One of you or two of you—the outcome won't change."
With those words, Ren's body burst forward like a gale. In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Kidōmaru.
"Arrogant," Kidōmaru snapped."Do you think I'm a fool like Arakuro? I'll admit—your strength is impressive.
But the gap between our yokai power and our 'fear' is absolute.
For the sake of our shared oni blood, I'll give you one last chance. Stand down now, and not only will I let this go—I'll even introduce you to Hagoromo Gitsune."
Ren didn't stop.
Using Swift as the Wind, he continued exchanging slashes with Kidōmaru, his attacks only growing sharper.
"I did intend to help Hagoromo Gitsune," Ren said calmly amid the clash."My goal was the same as Tsuchigumo's, and I was worried you wouldn't be able to handle the Hōzen'in clan or the Nura Clan.
But now? Going to her myself feels beneath me.
So I've decided—I'll make her come to me."
His technique Swift as the Wind—Breaking the Army was shattered by Kidōmaru's high-speed slash.
When Kidōmaru looked at Ren again, killing intent burned in his eyes.
"Stubborn fool. You gain a little strength and think the sky is the limit. Tsuchigumo at least earned his reputation long ago.
But you? What are you supposed to be?
With your level, you dare speak of challenging that lord? Even I could cut you down right here!"
Earlier, Kidōmaru had felt a flicker of admiration—perhaps even pity—because Ren might have been of the same race.
But the moment he realized Ren's true target was Abe no Seimei, that thought vanished completely.
In Kidōmaru's eyes, Ren Kuroda had crossed from confidence into unforgivable arrogance.
..
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