"This really isn't anything worth making such a fuss over,"Hand-Washing Oni said dismissively. "Lord Ren is an oni, after all. Isn't it only natural for his alcohol tolerance to be high?"
"And besides,"the Amanojaku chimed in, eyes gleaming as he stared at Ren,"haven't you noticed it yet? Ever since Lord Ren started drinking, the aura around him has begun to change."
Faced with the shocked expression on Nekomata's face, both the Hand-Washing Oni and the Amanojaku looked at her as though she were making a mountain out of a molehill. To oni-kind, anyone who couldn't drink was the truly incomprehensible one.
"Lord Ren is that strong, and he's a high-ranking oni on top of that. Naturally, his drinking capacity would be—"
The Amanojaku had been preparing to unleash a torrent of shameless flattery, playing to his usual strengths, when he suddenly realized something was off.
Ren… had stopped drinking.
And judging from the flushed red of his face, it wasn't hard for anyone present to tell—
The Lord Ren they all assumed possessed a bottomless tolerance for alcohol… had clearly reached his limit.
Just moments ago, his drinking posture had been so bold, so heroic—
And yet after only a few gulps, he already looked completely tipsy.
Give us back our emotions, damn it.
If he couldn't drink much in the first place, then why use such an over-the-top, heroic way of drinking?!
That said, jokes aside—
Whether it was the Amanojaku and the others, or Tsuchigumo himself, everyone could clearly feel it.
After downing a significant amount of alcohol, Ren's presence had changed dramatically.
His aura had grown heavier.Denser.Even his yokai power had surged to an astonishing degree.
Clearly, drinking during combat wasn't just for show.
It wasn't some pointless attempt at looking cool—it was a genuine method of increasing his combat strength.
Although the amount of alcohol he drank was limited, the Endless Sake Gourd was still an SS-rank item, a treasure on par with so-called divine artifacts. The quality of the sake it produced was naturally extraordinary.
As a result—
Ren's yokai power skyrocketed from A-rank straight to S-minus.
And it wasn't just his yokai power.
Thanks to the innate traits of the oni race, under this condition his physical strength and overall attack potency were also significantly enhanced.
An S-rank skill, "Life of the Drunk," paired with an SS-rank artifact, the Endless Sake Gourd—
Ren could only say that the synergy was nothing short of outstanding.
Of course, the downside of intoxication meant his mind was no longer as clear as before.
But what he could feel—
Was the overwhelming power now filling his body.
In simple terms, this was a straight trade of intelligence for raw strength.
As expected of oni-type Fear, Ren mused wryly.It fit their nature perfectly.
In the face of an oni that crushed everything with brute force, things like strategy and intellect were practically unnecessary.
Whatever stood in their way—
They simply charged straight through and shattered it.
With such a Fear to their name, Ren no longer found it strange how Shuten-Dōji had once met his end.
Power was intoxicating.
But lacking constant clarity of mind was a fatal flaw.
That was likely why, despite its absurd strength, "Life of the Drunk" was only rated S-rank.
Since this was his first time using it in actual combat, Ren hadn't properly gauged the balance.
That heroic chugging earlier had certainly looked cool—and even earned him a bit of prestige—
But with his current alcohol tolerance, pulling off that kind of performance was clearly premature.
Ren could tell that this oni Fear didn't require getting completely drunk to activate.
As long as enough alcohol was consumed, the effect would take hold.
Getting utterly wasted would indeed maximize the boost—
But the drawbacks far outweighed the benefits.
Shuten-Dōji himself was the perfect cautionary tale.
As long as he carefully controlled the amount, drank high-quality sake, and stayed lucid—
He could still enhance his combat power while remaining conscious.
Half-drunk but forcibly maintaining his clarity, Ren vanished from his spot in an instant.
When he reappeared—
He was already standing directly in front of Tsuchigumo.
Massive yokai power surged into his right fist, and atop his already amplified strength, Ren activated another oni Fear—
"Mad God's Strength."
Seeing Ren close the distance, Tsuchigumo didn't retreat.
Instead, a feral grin spread across his face as he threw out a punch of his own.
One massive fist.One far smaller one.
Their collision crushed the ground beneath them instantly, the shockwave ripping outward and blowing every onlooker from the Kidoin flying through the air.
The two combatants themselves remained unmoved—
But the outcome was completely different from before.
Earlier, Ren had launched a fully charged kick while Tsuchigumo had deliberately held back—
Yet Ren still ended up at a disadvantage.
This time, the bulging veins on Tsuchigumo's arm made it clear—
He wasn't holding back in the slightest.
This was his full strength.
And yet—
The same opponent he had swatted away moments ago, after downing only a few gulps of alcohol, was now matching him blow for blow.
Equally matched.
Ren's body, in comparison to Tsuchigumo's colossal frame, was barely the size of his fingernail.
As neither side yielded, the ground beneath them continued to sink, the collapse spreading outward in widening circles.
At first, it had been a pure contest of strength.
But once both realized that brute force alone wouldn't decide the outcome—
They escalated.
They began to clash with their yokai power.
From Tsuchigumo erupted a towering column of earthy-yellow yokai energy, taking shape as a monstrous spider with a demonic face.
On Ren's side—
Despite his much smaller body, the yokai power he unleashed was no less imposing.
Crimson energy roared skyward, gradually forming into a red-haired, fanged oni god.
The earthen demon-spider thrust its legs like spears, aiming to skewer the crimson oni into a sieve.
The red oni god roared in fury, raising its long blade and slashing downward.
The clash continued.
Their yokai power kept rising—
Until finally, anyone anywhere in Kyoto only needed to look up to see it:
Two colossal pillars of solidified yokai power—one yellow, one red—piercing the heavens.
Across Kyoto, every faction reacted differently.
The Hanakain family, having already completed their arrangements, chose to remain entrenched at the final seal—Nijō Castle.
Whatever chaos unfolded elsewhere was none of their concern.
Yuki-Onna Fox, however, hesitated no longer.
Seeing the two soaring pillars of power, she ultimately decided to investigate personally.
The situation in Kyoto had grown so complex that even she could no longer see through it clearly.
The Hanakain abandoning two major seals on their own initiative.
The sudden interference of unknown yokai forces.
Everything made her extraordinarily cautious.
She knew how critical the final seal was.
And the Hanakain knew it too.
She didn't believe they—or the Nura Clan—would let her succeed so easily.
To ensure a safe delivery and the birth of Nue, she needed every ounce of power she could muster.
Especially Arakuro and Kidōmaru.
After all, during childbirth her strength would be drastically weakened.
And when Nue was born, she would need her Hundred Demons to hold back both the Hanakain and the Nura Clan.
"Young Master,"one of her followers spoke, staring into the distance."That yokai power… one of them definitely belongs to Tsuchigumo."
"And the other one opposing him,"he hesitated,"it feels… eerily familiar. Almost like… that fake teacher of yours."
Those drawn by the clash weren't limited to Yuki-Onna Fox's group.
Having returned from their training in Tōno, Rikuo Nura and his companions were also drawn in.
The Rikuo who returned had regained his confidence, dramatically increased his strength, and—just like his grandfather—had even "recruited" a number of yokai from Tōno.
After all—
What's the point of gaining power if you don't show it off?
Otherwise, how were you any different from a salted fish?
This time, Rikuo hadn't planned to confront his father's former lover, Yuki-Onna Fox.
His target was Tsuchigumo—
The one who had humiliated him.
He intended to test the fruits of his training.
Yet when he returned to Kyoto—
Tsuchigumo was gone.
The monster who had sworn to wait here until Nue was born—
Had vanished without a trace.
Just as Rikuo was agonizing over where to find him—
The two massive surges of yokai power erupted into the sky.
He didn't even need Tsurara to tell him.
He knew both of those auras all too well.
One belonged to Tsuchigumo—the one who had defeated and humiliated him.
The other—
That crimson yokai power was even more unforgettable.
Since awakening as Night Rikuo, he had enjoyed nothing but victory—
Slaying rat demons.Defeating Gyūki.Driving off the Shikoku yokai.
His momentum had been unstoppable.
And yet—
Within the territory of the Nura Clan itself, there was one person who had repeatedly crushed him.
No matter how much stronger he became—
He could only chase that person's back, never catching up.
Every time he thought he could finally show off—
That person would appear and mercilessly shut him down.
Even his grandfather had admitted—
Since Nura Rihan, he had never seen a yokai with greater potential.
Such praise only fueled Rikuo's competitive spirit.
Especially since they shared similar identities.
Proud as he was—
Rikuo Nura refused to accept defeat so easily.