"Lady Hagoromo Fox—watch out!"
Hagoromo Fox was already facing several formidable enemies on her own, leaving her with no spare attention to guard her back. More importantly, she likely never imagined that the "Nue"—the being she had nurtured with her very heart and soul—would turn around and attack her.
The moment those lethal tentacles stretched toward her, Gashadokuro and Kyōkotsu, who were still engaged in battle, shouted warnings without hesitation.
Even Rikuo Nura and the others—her opponents—instinctively stopped their attacks out of sheer moral impulse when they saw the tentacles lunging for Hagoromo Fox's back.
Perhaps it was because Rikuo had always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity from her, but when he looked at Hagoromo Fox now, his gaze carried an unmistakable trace of sympathy.
From what his grandfather had told him, Rikuo understood that whether four hundred years ago or now, Hagoromo Fox's sole purpose had always been the same—to give birth to the child she carried.
And yet everything she had done for that goal had led to this outcome.
When vast demonic power was needed, the first thing her beloved "Nue" thought of… was attacking the mother who had given birth to him.
Rikuo and the others had halted. Gashadokuro and Kyōkotsu had warned her.
But as countless tentacles surged toward her, Hagoromo Fox's heart sank into quiet desolation—while her expression remained eerily calm.
In truth, evading those tentacles would have been effortless for her even now.
Yet instead of dodging, Hagoromo Fox slowly spread her arms, as if abandoning all resistance, allowing the tentacles to coil around her body.
It had been said before—As a yōkai, Hagoromo Fox was undeniably cruel.But as a mother, she was unquestionably great.
Facing the attack from the "Nue," the pain in her heart as a mother was immeasurable. And yet, for the sake of fulfilling her child's wishes, she willingly chose to make that sacrifice.
Tentacles wrapped tightly around Hagoromo Fox, and the yōki within her body began to be siphoned away at a rate visible to the naked eye.
She clearly had the power to break free.
But she did not struggle at all.
If this was what her child needed—then even if she was being used, she would never harbor resentment.
However, Hagoromo Fox's willingness to give herself up did not mean everyone else was willing to accept this outcome.
Even Rikuo and the others understood now that the truly dangerous existence was not Hagoromo Fox—but the "Nue" that was about to be fully born.
The Nue's emergence was already all but inevitable. And from the yōki and malevolent aura it radiated, it was obvious that the Nue was far more dangerous than Hagoromo Fox herself.
To prevent the situation from spiraling completely out of control, there was no way they would allow the Nue to continue growing unchecked.
As the tentacles devoured Hagoromo Fox's yōki like a leviathan swallowing the sea, her once S-rank demonic power visibly plummeted.
S-rank… S-minus… and soon, it fell to A-plus.
At this rate, it wouldn't take more than a few minutes for Hagoromo Fox to meet the same fate as the first yōkai who had been caught—drained into a withered husk.
Just as Rikuo, guided by that inexplicable warmth he felt from her, prepared to act and save Hagoromo Fox—
He realized that someone else had moved faster than him.
A cerulean slash, curved like a crescent moon, tore across the ground. It expanded against the wind and cleaved through every tentacle in its path.
And at the very instant the utterly weakened Hagoromo Fox fell from the sky, she was caught by a waiting figure.
There was no need to ask.
The one who severed the tentacles and rescued her was, of course, Tenjoin Yūdō—the absurdly handsome one.
Let's be clear: whether the Nue absorbed Hagoromo Fox's yōki or not wasn't what Yūdō truly cared about.
The important part was this—Hagoromo Fox could not die.
The second condition of his mission was to change her fate of being cast into Hell by Abe no Seimei. If she died here, that mission would be dead on arrival.
So to be absolutely clear:Yūdō saving her had nothing to do with coveting her body.
Sure, maybe he was a shameless rogue at heart—but this was entirely for the mission.Yes. Entirely. For. The. Mission.
"Hey. You've already done more than enough for him," Yūdō said flatly."Family bonds aren't as simple as you think. One-sided devotion like this never ends well.
Sure, as a mother, giving without expecting anything in return is natural—but have you ever stopped to ask yourself… whether he truly sees you as his mother?"
Hagoromo Fox looked utterly confused.
From the very beginning, she had never been able to understand this oni before her—nor his true intentions.
He had helped her at first. Then suddenly turned against her. And now he had saved her.
He seemed to have no fixed allegiance at all, acting purely on his own whims—completely impossible to read.
"The Nue needs my help," Hagoromo Fox replied quietly."And as his mother, protecting him is my duty. As long as it helps him—even if I die here, so what?"
Her yōki had already fallen to A-plus.Once an overwhelmingly powerful yōkai hundreds of years ago, she was now weaker than even the aged Nurarihyon.
And yet, she felt no regret.
Deep down, she still believed that the Nue's actions were forced—that he had no other choice.
Surrounded by powerful enemies, even if he was born successfully, survival would be difficult. Absorbing her yōki, as his mother, was surely just a desperate necessity.
But just as Hagoromo Fox clung to that belief—
A sharp, burning pain exploded across her pale cheek.
There was no mystery why.
Yūdō had slapped her.
"I only intended to change your fate at the moment the Nue was born," Yūdō said coldly."Whether you lived or died afterward was none of my concern.
But what you just said… really pissed me off.
Do you even understand what real family is?
Does being a mother mean protecting your child for your entire life? How is that any different from blind indulgence?
Family has never been about one-way sacrifice. That kind of bond isn't real at all.
Just as a mother protects her child, a child who grows strong should also protect their mother.
I don't know what kind of monster the Nue is—but I, Tenjoin Yūdō, no matter how far I fall, would never raise a hand against my own mother—and I'd never let her die before me!"
Hagoromo Fox was completely stunned.
As a former Hundred Demons' Lord with an extraordinary origin, this was the first time in her life she had ever been slapped.
She covered her reddened cheek, staring at Yūdō in utter bewilderment.
She genuinely didn't understand—What exactly had she said that could anger a man who seemed indifferent to everything?
"Bakudō #63 — Chain Binding Lock!"
To prevent Hagoromo Fox from doing anything reckless again, Yūdō extended a single finger.
Blazing chains burst forth from it, wrapping around her in an instant—binding her tightly like a giant rice dumpling.
With her yōki reduced to A-plus, she stood no chance of breaking free from Yūdō's kidō.
After tying her up, Yūdō thought for a moment—then casually tossed her toward Gashadokuro.
When it came to loyalty toward Hagoromo Fox, no one surpassed him.
Once that was done, Yūdō turned his gaze back to the massive flesh cocoon at the center of the battlefield.
A fierce grin spread across his face.
The real show was finally about to begin.
Although the Nue's absorption of Hagoromo Fox's yōki had been interrupted, it had already gathered a tremendous amount beforehand.
While its state still fell short of perfection, Abe no Seimei believed that annihilating everyone present would pose no problem at all.
Even before breaking free from the giant egg, Seimei had already decided the order in which he would kill.
Originally, the Slippery Monk and the Keikain family were at the top of that list—having obstructed his plans for centuries.
But ever since Hagoromo Fox gave birth, one person's threat level had skyrocketed in Seimei's mind, rapidly surpassing both of them.
If not for that person, he would have fully revived long ago and slaughtered everything in his path with peak strength.
Because of that constant interference, his resurrection had been delayed again and again. Even now, his power had fallen short of expectations.
So Seimei had already made up his mind—
Everyone else could be ignored for now. Even if they escaped, it didn't matter.
But Tenjoin Yūdō—
If he didn't kill him, Seimei's hatred would never be satisfied.
"O ruler of the heavens! Mask of flesh and blood, myriad forms, feathered wings—bearer of the name of man!Scorching heat and conflict, crossing the seas, surging southward—step forward!Hadō #31 — Red Flame Cannon!"
Before Abe no Seimei could even break free from the giant egg and make a dramatic entrance—
That handsome bastard had already struck first.
With a fully chanted Hadō #31, amplified by Yūdō's overwhelming yōki, a crimson fireball rapidly expanded to nearly a meter in radius. Skimming low across the ground, it slammed directly into the massive cocoon at the center of the battlefield.
Scarlet flames engulfed everything, charring the surface of the giant egg black.
And at the same time—
A dazzling light burst forth from within, as if something inside was about to tear its way out of the shell.