The violet thunder beast charged like a wild horse breaking free of its reins, ramming itself madly into the falling star. The savage lightning writhing around its body drilled into the massive planetoid like diamond-tipped spears, punching through it again and again, blasting countless fragments loose that rained down toward the ground like a sudden meteor storm.
Watching the star he himself had dragged down from the heavens now on the verge of being completely torn apart, Abe no Seimei froze for a brief moment.
He had to admit it—again and again, he had deliberately forced himself to overestimate Ren Kuroda.
And yet, in the end… he had still underestimated him.
A man who could cut down a star truly existed—and was standing right in front of him.
Even in the era Abe no Seimei had lived through, someone like Ren Kuroda was unheard of. An existence so abnormal that it bordered on heresy.
"I acknowledge your strength," Seimei said slowly, his gaze locked onto Ren Kuroda. "Among all the opponents I've encountered since the day I was born, you are unquestionably the strongest.To sever a star with your blade—such swordsmanship is indeed extraordinary.
"But the cosmos is vast. No matter how powerful an individual may be, before the eternal stars, all personal strength is insignificant… fragile… and small."
His voice grew sharper, more impassioned.
"Just like our lives. As half-demons, our lifespans far exceed those of ordinary humans—but what of it?We wield tremendous power, yet in the end, we still bow before the erosion of time.
"What I seek… is eternity. Eternity like the stars themselves.
"You, right now, are who I once was—struggling before the boundless, eternal night sky. No more than an ant.And the outcome of this battle will prove that I am the one who is right!"
Whether mocking Ren Kuroda's apparent helplessness—or desperately convincing himself—Abe no Seimei's emotions suddenly surged.
"To be able to cleave a star is impressive," he sneered. "But I wonder—where is your limit?You cut down one star… but can you cut down a second?"
As the first small planetoid continued to crumble apart, Seimei suddenly smiled with renewed confidence.
He mobilized his demonic power once more, both hands pulling downward—
And then, a second planetoid, even larger than the first, began tracing the same path through the sky, plunging down toward the barrier space!
"You've got to be kidding… That kind of absurd attack—he can use it twice?!Is that thing really a half-demon?! Are we all going to die here?!"
When Abe no Seimei first dragged the initial star down, every yokai and onmyōji inside the barrier had been swallowed by despair. None of them believed they could survive such an attack.
But when Ren Kuroda actually shattered that star with his own power, shock gave way to a fleeting sense of miraculous relief—like survivors of a calamity who had escaped death by a hair's breadth.
That relief lasted only moments.
Because an even deeper despair followed immediately after.
When the second, larger planetoid began falling along the same trajectory, most people completely gave up.
To them, Ren Kuroda cutting down a single star was already beyond comprehension. The violet thunder beast that had done it now looked clearly exhausted—no longer capable of facing another planetoid of that scale.
And reality proved them right.
After smashing the first star, the thunder beast gradually dissipated, dissolving back into Ren Kuroda's form, his body still crackling faintly with residual electricity.
The interval between the two planetoids was far too short. Ren Kuroda didn't even have time to activate "Swift as Thunder" again before the second star was already crashing straight toward him.
On the ground, the warrior spirits and other yokai of the Kidōin—who had just finished helping the Hagoromo Fox block the first wave of meteor debris—now stared skyward in alarm.
"The Nue has completely lost his way," the Hagoromo Fox said softly. "In his eyes now, there is nothing left but eternal life.As a mother… I've clearly failed him. And I don't even have the power to stop him.
"Perhaps your lord was right all along. The 'family' I believed in was nothing more than my own wishful thinking.That last attack showed no regard for my existence whatsoever. This isn't the Nue I remember… nor the bond I longed for."
Weakened by childbirth, and with most of her demonic power already drained by Abe no Seimei, the Hagoromo Fox was barely holding herself together. Even the earlier meteor shockwaves had required Gashadokuro and Kyōkotsu to shield her—otherwise she wouldn't have survived unscathed.
Once, she had convinced herself that Seimei absorbing her power was necessary for survival.
But now, with this indiscriminate, overwhelming attack, that last shred of self-deception shattered completely.
"From your lord's words earlier, it's clear he has a mother too," she continued faintly. "And the bond he described… that's the kind of family I always dreamed of.
"If there were time… I would truly like to meet that woman he spoke of.
"But given the situation, we'll probably all die here. The Nue's strength is overwhelming—not just his power, but the millennium of accumulated experience and knowledge behind it."
Supported by Gashadokuro, the Hagoromo Fox gazed calmly at the battle in the sky. Surprisingly, she felt no fear of death.
She had died countless times over the past four hundred years, always reincarnating again.
But before, every rebirth had been driven by the Nue.
Now… after being treated this way, she no longer even wished to return.
What hurt more than death itself was the pain of her son's betrayal—and the quiet curiosity she felt toward the "true family" Ren Kuroda had spoken of.
If she had the chance, she truly wanted to meet Ren Kuroda's mother.
In her eyes, he was exceptional.
Even more rare—and enviable—was the way he clearly cherished his mother.
To raise such a child… and to be cherished so deeply in return… it filled the Hagoromo Fox with both envy and longing.
But as things stood, the Nue held absolute advantage. Everyone here would likely perish. She, too, would return to dust with these regrets unresolved.
The Nue had already been born. Her purpose as a mother was fulfilled.
Her heart empty, the Hagoromo Fox prepared to abandon reincarnation entirely—and die here.
Her words, however, instantly enraged the yokai of the Kidōin, especially Cat-Mata and the other die-hard followers of Ren Kuroda.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Lord Ren Kuroda can't possibly lose!Or even now—are you still taking the Nue's side?!
"I don't know why Lord Ren Kuroda ordered us to protect you, but if you keep wavering like this, I'll kill you myself first!"
Though the situation looked dire, many of the Kidōin still believed Ren Kuroda could turn the tables.
Especially the warrior spirits who had followed him across different worlds—they knew exactly what the Hagoromo Fox meant. Abe no Seimei possessed a thousand years of experience and knowledge.
But their lord, Ren Kuroda, was no less terrifying.
He may not have lived as long—but he carried infinite possibilities, and time and time again, he had reversed hopeless situations.
After leaping skyward with Swift as Thunder and shattering the first planetoid, the second, even larger one was already crashing down head-on.
There was no time left to charge another attack.
Ren Kuroda sheathed Shinyo, then extended both arms, bracing himself to catch the descending star barehanded.
With no foothold in midair, his body was quickly forced downward by the immense mass, dragged toward the ground along with the falling planetoid.
The moment his feet finally touched the earth—finally gaining leverage—the descent of the star began to slow.
But even a "small" planetoid, under such acceleration, was no easy thing to stop.
A colossal tremor rippled through the ground. As Ren Kuroda's feet struck the earth, the land beneath him collapsed like pudding, caving in across a massive area.
The weight of the meteor was unimaginable. Combined with its speed, it nearly tore his arms apart.
[Monstrous Strength] roared into overdrive. His demonic power poured out without restraint, like a burst dam.
And then—
A sight that left every yokai and onmyōji—those who had already accepted their deaths—completely stunned.
The planetoid did not annihilate everything on the ground.
Instead, after carving a massive crater into the earth, its descent slowed… and then stopped entirely.
At the very bottom of the planetoid, a lone少年—his body absurdly small compared to the colossal mass above him—stood with both arms raised.
Ren Kuroda had caught the entire star.
First, he cut down a star.
Now, he had caught one with his bare hands.
Abe no Seimei, who could wield the power of the stars, was awe-inspiring—but Ren Kuroda, who repeatedly neutralized falling stars through sheer force, was downright terrifying.