In truth, even after the incident with the Shikoku yokai had ended—and even after personally witnessing Ren Kuroda's battle against Inugami Gyōbu-danuki—Rikuo Nura had never once given up on the idea of catching up to Ren.
They were both half-demons.Their ages were roughly the same.And as for bloodline—
Even though Rikuo possessed only a quarter yokai blood, the lineage of the Nura Clan's slippery demon was not inferior to any other yokai bloodline in existence.
What's more, as the young master of the Nura Clan, he had enjoyed countless advantages from the moment he was born—advantages Ren never had.
So why should he admit defeat?
"There's no way I could ever forget that aura," Rikuo muttered, staring at the crimson pillar of yokai power piercing the sky."That's Ren Kuroda, without a doubt. I just didn't expect him to wade into Kyoto's mess as well… and to actually clash with Tsuchigumo."
"And judging by that fight," he continued, eyes narrowing,"it looks like he's grown even stronger since the Shikoku incident. The yokai power he's releasing now is on an entirely different level from when he fought Gyōbu-danuki."
Gazing at the red column of power in the heavens, Rikuo couldn't help but feel a surge of complicated emotions.
If he hadn't first been brutally awakened by Tsuchigumo…If he hadn't gone on that journey to Tōno…If he hadn't finally mastered his father's signature technique…
Then the gap between himself and Ren would likely still be just as vast and unreachable as ever.
But this time—
Rikuo clenched the Mimikirimaru in his hand.
Behind him stood Tsurara, Aotabō, and the rest of the Nura Clan's core retainers—along with the Kamaitachi yokai like Chūtaro, whom he had "borrowed" from Tōno.
His expression hardened with resolve.
"Ren has grown stronger," Rikuo admitted quietly."But he's not the only one who's changed. I've grown too."
"The two guys who defeated me before are gathered in the same place right now. That kind of coincidence doesn't happen every day."
"Tsuchigumo aside… I remember Ren saying that if I could defeat him, he'd willingly become one of my Hundred Demons."
Rikuo's lips curled into a confident smile.
"So… will I finally get what I want this time?"
With that, his figure leapt forward gracefully, and the yokai behind him followed in unison, charging toward the battlefield where the twin torrents of yokai power had erupted.
Ren Kuroda might now possess enough power to fight Tsuchigumo head-on—
But so what?
Rikuo had returned this time already believing he could defeat Tsuchigumo.
And if Ren was now on the same level as Tsuchigumo—
Then Rikuo believed he could defeat Ren as well.
True, his own yokai power was still only A-rank.
Compared to Tsuchigumo or Ren, the gap was obvious.
But after learning the true meaning of "the Path of the Hundred Demons" from Gyūki, Rikuo finally understood—
Individual strength alone was never true strength.
His father, a half-demon like himself, had surpassed even his legendary grandfather precisely because he had forged deeper bonds with his Hundred Demons.
Now, Rikuo understood that truth as well.
As the Lord of a Hundred Demons, the strength of his companions was his strength.
And while the Nura Clan and Yuki-Onna Fox both rushed toward the battlefield—
The battle between Ren Kuroda and Tsuchigumo had already reached its most intense phase.
Tsuchigumo's face was alight with exhilaration.
He hadn't expected that so soon after breaking free from his seal, he would encounter an opponent this satisfying.
"Interesting," Tsuchigumo laughed loudly."So drinking sake to enhance your strength—that's your Fear, is it? Or is it the effect of the alcohol itself?"
"But none of that matters," he snarled, eyes blazing."You're still holding back, aren't you? Show me more! Fight me with everything you've got!"
Their yokai powers were still locked in perfect balance—
But one thing must not be forgotten.
Unlike Ren, who still bore a mostly human form, Tsuchigumo had four arms.
Seeing that brute force alone wasn't enough to overwhelm Ren, Tsuchigumo immediately went all out.
One arm remained locked in a direct clash with Ren's fist—
But he still had three more.
"———!"
Another massive arm lashed out like a bolt of lightning—
Only to be stopped dead by a long blade, unable to advance even an inch.
But Tsuchigumo had anticipated this.
He calmly shoved the giant smoking pipe into his back, then brought his remaining two arms together, fingers interlocking—
And unleashed a devastating hammer blow straight toward Ren's head.
Under such immense pressure, retreat was impossible.
In a yokai power clash like this, yielding even slightly would result in the opponent's power crashing down like a broken dam.
The combined strike tore through the air like a falling meteor.
BOOM———!
A deafening explosion echoed.
The already-sunken ground beneath them collapsed even further, as though struck by thousands of tons of force.
No—This attack didn't just damage the terrain.
It altered the landscape.
The earth shook violently, and under the crushing pressure of displaced rock, jagged stone spikes burst from the ground like spears.
It was at this moment that both Yuki-Onna Fox and the Nura Clan arrived.
Staring at the devastated battlefield and the aftershocks still rippling through the ground, even they were visibly shaken.
Yuki-Onna Fox, seasoned as she was, quickly regained her composure—
But even she was surprised that the suddenly emerged leader of the Kidōin had pushed Tsuchigumo to this extent.
Rikuo, on the other hand, felt a chill run down his spine.
Only now, witnessing the sheer destructive power of Tsuchigumo's attack, did he realize—
He might have been overly optimistic before.
Had Tsuchigumo really used his full strength when they fought last time?
"Young Master," Tsurara said nervously,"that Ren Kuroda guy… he wasn't just killed by that attack, was he?"
"And the group that arrived at the same time as us—" she added, glancing sideways,"their yokai aura feels just as dangerous. What should we do?"
Tsurara still carried psychological scars from their previous encounter with Tsuchigumo.
They had nearly died back then.
And now, aside from Tsuchigumo, this other faction radiated an equally threatening presence.
The moment they arrived, Kubinashi and Kurotabō had already noticed Yuki-Onna Fox's group.
As former retainers of Nura Rihan, they naturally recognized Yamabuki Otome.
They also knew the truth—
That the former mistress had become Yuki-Onna Fox's vessel and had assassinated the Nura Clan's Second Head.
In reality, Kubinashi and Kurotabō were far stronger than they usually let on.
After all, they had repeatedly helped Rihan destroy Yuki-Onna Fox's reincarnations.
They only restrained themselves to allow Rikuo to grow.
In contrast—
Tsurara really was weak.
And so airheaded that she could trip on flat ground without warning.
For this mission to defeat Tsuchigumo, Kubinashi and Kurotabō had been completely at ease.
Even if something went wrong, with their hidden strength, ensuring Rikuo's safe retreat wouldn't be difficult.
But what they hadn't expected—
Was that Yuki-Onna Fox herself would appear.
Compared to Tsuchigumo, she was even more dangerous.
And unlike Tsuchigumo, she wasn't alone.
None of her subordinates were pushovers.
Originally, the plan had been to let Rikuo treat Tsuchigumo as an "experience pack."
Now?
They might end up becoming the experience packs themselves.
Yuki-Onna Fox and the Nura Clan were mortal enemies.
There was no chance she'd show mercy.
Which meant—
They were now facing two top-tier threats at the same time.
What should've been a normal-difficulty dungeon had instantly turned into an abyss-level nightmare.
And when Kubinashi and Kurotabō saw their young master still wearing a confident smile—
They nearly cursed out loud.
After mastering Demon Cloak, Rikuo's bad habit of overconfidence had returned in full force.
His eyes were still fixed solely on Tsuchigumo—
Completely ignoring the far more troublesome threat standing nearby.
And Yuki-Onna Fox too—Instead of breaking the Hanakain seals, what was she doing here?!
At the center of the battlefield, Tsuchigumo merely glanced at the arriving factions before turning back indifferently.
He had no interest in factional conflicts.
All he wanted was to finish this battle with Ren.
That massive attack earlier had looked devastating—
And everyone else assumed Ren had either died or been crippled.
But Tsuchigumo knew better.
The impact hadn't felt right.
That hadn't been the sensation of flesh.
At the last moment, the half-demon brat had used something to block the attack.
What exactly it was, Tsuchigumo didn't know.
But he knew one thing—
Ren wasn't heavily injured.
And he still had plenty of fight left.
Just then—
A violent tremor surged from beneath the ground, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.
"I knew that guy wouldn't die so easily," Rikuo said calmly, feeling the tremor beneath his feet.
The cracked ground, now webbed with spider-like fissures, split open further—
As massive arcs of purple lightning burst from below, tearing through the earth and rampaging outward.