Meanwhile, on the other side—
Ren Kuroda and the others were not idly waiting around for the Hagoromo Fox to come knocking. Before she could arrive, they welcomed another unexpected guest.
This visitor was also a gigantic yokai.
He had a wild mane of crimson hair, a face as ferocious as a demon's, and four thick, muscular arms—one of which held an enormous smoking pipe.
If Rikuo Nura had been present, he would have shouted the name the instant he saw him:
"Earth Spider!"
The Earth Spider was not one of the Hagoromo Fox's Hundred Demons, but he was still one of the great yokai sealed four hundred years ago by Keikain Hidemoto in one of the Eight Seals.
His strength was so overwhelming that Hidemoto himself had once described him as "a yokai you must never encounter." He was also the same great demon who, not long ago, had beaten Rikuo Nura so badly that the young heir had nearly lost all confidence in himself.
Even after Rikuo later mastered Demon Cloak and borrowed the power of the Snow Woman, Tsurara—manifested as the technique Crimson Plum Blossoms Beneath Snow—he had only managed to sever one of the Earth Spider's arms.
The Earth Spider was different from most yokai.
Having lived for far too long, he had lost interest in almost everything. The only thing that still brought him pleasure was challenging powerful opponents.
Abe no Seimei had yet to be revived, and within the entirety of Kyoto, he couldn't find a single worthy foe. Even the once-famous Nura Clan seemed, to him, nothing more than empty reputation—hardly enough to stir his blood, let alone satisfy him.
He had originally thought that, until Abe no Seimei's resurrection, he would have to endure a long stretch of boredom.
But not long ago, he suddenly sensed something.
In one region of Kyoto, an immense surge of yokai power had erupted without warning.
It didn't belong to the Hagoromo Fox, nor did it belong to that so-called Slick-Headed Ghost. But one thing the Earth Spider was certain of—the owner of that power was incredibly strong.
Strong enough to make his blood boil with excitement.
Following the residual yokai aura lingering in the air, the Earth Spider set out in search of the opponent he deemed worthy of battle.
As for who that opponent was, there was no need to say it aloud.
Naturally, it was Ren Kuroda—the one who had fought Kintarōmaru and the others earlier.
Because the previous battlefield hadn't been far from where the Earth Spider was, the moment he sensed that aura spreading through the air, he clamped his pipe between his teeth and rushed over at once.
As a yokai once labeled by Keikain Hidemoto as "absolutely not to be encountered," the Earth Spider was unquestionably stronger than Kintarōmaru. His yokai power had reached a solid, unquestionable S-rank.
However, by the time he arrived at Ren Kuroda's location, the battle there had already ended, leaving behind nothing but shattered terrain and traces of violent combat.
Still, after finally encountering someone who had caught his interest, the Earth Spider had no intention of giving up.
Following the lingering yokai aura for an entire day, he ultimately tracked it back to the location of the Kidōin.
Ren Kuroda could conceal his own aura, but most of the yokai within the Kidōin could not. And since they were waiting for the Hagoromo Fox to arrive, they hadn't bothered suppressing their presence in the first place.
What none of them had expected was that before the Hagoromo Fox appeared—
The Earth Spider would arrive first.
"Well, well, this is interesting," the Earth Spider said, taking a long puff from his massive pipe before slowly exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. "Just recently, I ran into an interesting half-yokai… and today, I've found another one who excites me just as much."
His gaze swept over the group.
"So it's you, huh? The one who released that aura yesterday. Even though your human presence is stronger now, my instincts are telling me—you're the same one. The strong one."
His eyes passed over the samurai spirit, the nekomata, and the others without pause, before finally settling on Ren Kuroda, who stood surrounded at the center.
"So?" the Earth Spider grinned. "How about it—want to fight me? No, scratch that. You don't really have a choice."
"Because whether you agree or not, I'm not leaving today."
Without waiting for Ren Kuroda to respond, the Earth Spider swung one of his massive arms and slammed his fist straight toward him.
Almost at the same instant the punch fell, a surge of overwhelming crimson yokai power erupted upward, solidifying like a tangible force as it stopped the descending fist in its tracks.
At the same time, Ren Kuroda shattered the ground beneath his feet and launched himself forward like a streak of aurora light, delivering a flying kick straight at the Earth Spider.
With explosive yokai power and incredible acceleration combined, that kick—if it landed cleanly—would have dealt devastating damage even to Aragokotsu.
Yet faced with Ren Kuroda's ferocious attack, the Earth Spider remained utterly calm, raising one of his four arms to block.
The instant Ren Kuroda's right foot collided with the massive palm, a thunderous shockwave tore through the surroundings.
But the clash didn't last long.
After absorbing the impact, the Earth Spider merely slid back a single step. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he swatted Ren Kuroda away as if brushing off a fly.
Ren Kuroda had been using Chaotic Divine Strength during that kick.
And yet—this was the first time he had ever found himself at a disadvantage in a contest of raw power.
An attack strong enough to heavily injure Aragokotsu couldn't even deal a proper wound to the Earth Spider. Worse still, he was the one being overpowered.
Sent flying, Ren Kuroda twisted in midair and landed solidly on both feet. Even so, the sheer momentum carved two deep trenches into the ground beneath him.
As for the Earth Spider, he looked down at his own palm, flexed his slightly numb arm, and smiled in satisfaction.
When he looked back at Ren Kuroda, the boredom that had once lingered on his demon-like face was gone—replaced entirely by burning battle intent.
"My instincts were right after all," he said. "You're strong. Far more promising than that slick-headed ghost I ran into before."
"If I remember correctly," he continued, grinning wider, "half-yokai can take both human and yokai forms, right? Come on—show me your yokai form. Fight me at full power."
"After that little test just now, you should understand it too. With the level of yokai power and fear you're showing in this state, you're no match for me."
Just an A-rank aura had been enough to numb his arm.
Now, the Earth Spider was eagerly anticipating what would happen if Ren Kuroda fully transformed and unleashed the power he had sensed yesterday. Just how strong would he become?
"So this is the Earth Spider—the 'absolutely forbidden encounter,' huh?" Ren Kuroda thought calmly. "In my normal state, I could at least hold my own against someone like Kintarōmaru."
"But if he hadn't held back just now… I'd probably already be seriously injured."
"He wants to fight me at my strongest," Ren Kuroda realized. "A pure battle maniac, huh. But that's fine."
"With strength like his, he's the perfect test subject for the power I just obtained."
As Ren Kuroda slowly walked toward him—without transforming—the Earth Spider's expression darkened with visible displeasure.
Just as Ren Kuroda suspected, the Earth Spider had indeed held back during their clash, much like he had when fighting Rikuo Nura. Against opponents he found interesting, he didn't kill them outright.
Of course, he had spared Rikuo only because he believed the boy still had room to grow—he wasn't worth killing yet.
As for Ren Kuroda, the Earth Spider's restraint came from a different reason entirely.
He didn't want to injure him before he had revealed his true strength.
But now, after being sent flying with a single slap, Ren Kuroda still hadn't transformed.
To the Earth Spider, that felt downright disrespectful.
If this had been a day earlier, facing someone of the Earth Spider's caliber, Ren Kuroda would have had only two options: Half-Demonization, or relying on the power of his blade spirit.
But after yesterday's draw, nothing about his appearance had changed—yet he had gained new power.
And the Earth Spider was the perfect opponent to test it on.
As Ren Kuroda advanced step by step, he reached into empty space and pulled out a massive crimson gourd.
The Endless Wine Gourd stood as tall as a grown man. Its red surface shimmered with countless obscure, unreadable runes.
Pop——!
With a crisp sound as the wooden stopper came free, a rich, intoxicating aroma of alcohol burst into the air.
The scent spread instantly, like invisible hands tugging at the hearts of every yokai present.
Most yokai loved alcohol. Even yokai leaders would traditionally drink ceremonial sake when accepting subordinates.
Back when the Kidōin was first established, Ren Kuroda had skipped that ritual—partly because his goal had been purely practical, and partly because he felt unworthy of the sincere loyalty the nekomata and the others offered him.
The gourd's fragrance filled the surroundings as Ren Kuroda lifted it with one hand.
Under everyone's gaze, he tilted his head back and began to drink—straight from the gourd.
His bold, unrestrained drinking instantly ignited admiration among most of the yokai present.
This was how a yokai should drink.
Cups and bowls were far too dainty. A true man—no, a true leader of a hundred demons—should drink like this.
"I… I had no idea Lord Ren Kuroda liked alcohol," the nekomata murmured, eyes wide with curiosity. "And his tolerance is incredible…"
She had known Ren Kuroda longer than almost anyone in the Kidōin, yet she had never once seen him drink before.
And now, in the middle of a battle, he suddenly pulled out a giant gourd and started chugging?
Just what kind of move was this supposed to be?