"Damn it—are we really just going to stand here and watch it get away? Rinana, can't you use Shadow-Shift Talisman or something?"
Staring at the Wheel Monk now reduced to a single red dot in the distance, Isaburō's face twisted with frustration. Another teammate had been gravely injured by the Wheel Monk—and worse, they'd let it escape again.
They'd come prepared this time specifically to counter the Wheel Monk's mobility. What Isaburō and the others hadn't anticipated was just how decisively it would retreat.
Last time, the creature had clearly toyed with them, only choosing to withdraw after deciding the fight wasn't worth the trouble.
But this time, it had barely been surrounded before fleeing outright—without even giving them the chance to use their prepared countermeasures.
And the speed and raw power it displayed this time were noticeably greater than during their previous encounter.
"The Shadow-Shift Talisman can teleport me to a designated location," Jingū Rinana explained, "but it requires chanting and time to activate.And I highly doubt the Wheel Monk would just stand there and wait for me. By the time I finished teleporting to its current position, it would already be far away again.Besides, even though Shadow-Shift isn't a particularly advanced technique, my spiritual power limits how far I can send myself."
As she spoke, Rinana unconsciously turned her gaze toward Ren Kuroda standing nearby.
If there was anyone present who could realistically use Shadow-Shift to catch the Wheel Monk, it would be him. Ren's spiritual power surpassed hers by an entire tier—or more.
And after witnessing the battle just now, Isaburō and the others were already convinced that Ren was no ordinary exorcist. He had to be an elite heir from one of the great families—someone who undoubtedly possessed hidden trump cards.
"With my spiritual power, using Shadow-Shift over that distance wouldn't be a problem," Ren said calmly."But that spell and I… don't get along. I've sworn not to use it unless it's absolutely necessary.As for the Wheel Monk—don't worry. It's not getting away."
Truthfully, Ren had developed something of a psychological scar when it came to Shadow-Shift.
Back when he first learned the technique—a highly practical teleportation spell—he'd loved it. He'd even trained obsessively to master it.
But after just two uses, his enthusiasm was permanently extinguished.
The first time, he'd teleported straight into Yamato Kuuka's bathroom.
The second time… into the Yamato family's bathhouse—nearly getting an unobstructed view of Yamato Miku.
After those experiences, Ren now had a deep-seated trauma associated with the spell.
Sure, this was a highway. Bathrooms shouldn't exist here.
But what if something went horribly wrong?
No—given Ren's immense spiritual reserves, even teleporting straight back into the Yamato household from here wasn't outside the realm of possibility…
To avoid being torn limb from limb by the Yamato family head and Kuuka, Ren decided it was safer to seal that spell away for now.
As for the Wheel Monk?
He genuinely didn't consider it a threat.
Seriously—when it came to racing, who had Ren Kuroda ever been afraid of?
With speed like that, it still had the nerve to mock him as an "Akina downhill legend"?
Rinana had been about to ask whether Ren had some even more convenient teleportation technique up his sleeve.
But before she could open her mouth—
Ren vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from their side.
A crater—neither large nor small—was left behind where he'd been standing. Before Rinana and the others could even react, a violent shockwave slammed into them, knocking them flat on the ground.
With a single step that shattered the air itself, Ren launched forward—his body blasting off at a speed that surpassed the limits of the Third Cosmic Velocity.
Isaburō and the others couldn't even catch a glimpse of his afterimage.
"…The monster serum he's using might already be beyond B-rank," someone muttered in disbelief."I've never seen anything above B-rank personally, but my instincts are screaming at me—no B-rank entity should have physical specs this absurd!"
Once the Wheel Monk started running, even B-rank entities struggled to catch it.
But the speed Ren had just unleashed was on an entirely different level—far beyond the Wheel Monk's.
Several kilometers away, the Wheel Monk finally began to slow its sprint.
In its mind, there was no way those humans could catch up.
It was time to find new prey.
Though it hated to admit it, the Wheel Monk had to acknowledge one thing—the man wielding the blade earlier was absolutely not someone to mess with.
It had seen countless storms in its long existence, but when it met that young man's gaze earlier, all it saw was the unknown.
"Didn't they say that ever since that Hundred-Night Demon attacked this area, there haven't been any real powerhouses left around here?""So why the hell did someone that strong show up in a place like this?"
The Wheel Monk grinned smugly.
"Good thing I ran fast. So what if you're strong? You're still eating my exhaust fumes now."
It had no interest in joining any demon factions. Serving under others was beneath it—better to lie low, grow stronger, and rise on its own.
In the past, it hadn't dared venture near the Tokyo District. Too many exorcist families were stationed there.
But after the massive conflict that erupted not long ago, those families were still recuperating.
The truly powerful exorcists weren't making moves, and the weak ones weren't a threat.
These past few weeks had been paradise.
Yet just now, the Wheel Monk had clearly sensed that the young swordsman wasn't ordinary.
Lingering in this area any longer would be foolish.
It was time to relocate.
"Impressive," a voice suddenly said beside it."I deliberately kept my spiritual output at C-rank, and you still noticed.A monster's intuition, huh?"
The Wheel Monk froze.
"Your instincts were right. To you, I am dangerous.But you were wrong about one thing—shaking me off that easily was never an option."
The sudden voice nearly scared the Wheel Monk out of its mind.
In its wildest dreams, it had never imagined that the very man it feared had actually caught up.
Without the slightest hesitation, it forced its already slowing speed back to maximum and veered sharply in another direction.
But despair flooded its heart.
The young man it dreaded was right there—keeping pace effortlessly, running alongside it with calm, steady strides.
The Wheel Monk was pushing itself at two hundred percent—yet the man beside it was clearly holding back.
"My lord! I'm just a C-rank minor yokai!" the Wheel Monk cried desperately."It's not worth someone of your stature personally hunting me down!I'm willing to submit! I'll become your shikigami—just spare my life!"
In the face of death, the Wheel Monk made its decision instantly.
It wasn't genuine submission—of course not.
It wouldn't even deign to join a yokai faction. How could it willingly become an exorcist's dog?
But survival came first.
When an exorcist formed a shikigami contract, their guard would be completely down—mind and spirit alike.
If it seized that moment, it could still turn the tables.
It was a C-rank yokai, after all. Becoming such a shikigami was a tempting prize—surely this exorcist wouldn't refuse.
"You've killed quite a few people in this area, haven't you?" Ren asked calmly."Of course, yokai attacking humans is nothing unusual.But due to certain… special circumstances, you'll have to die here."
Ren showed no mercy.
The Wheel Monk's acting was painfully transparent—and this extermination wasn't his mission alone.
Besides, this thing was clearly rotten to the core.
No reason to hold back.
"I'm a C-rank yokai!" the Wheel Monk screamed, panic creeping in."Doesn't a shikigami of this level tempt you at all?!"
As Ren raised his right hand, spiritual energy gathering at his fingertips, the Wheel Monk let out a furious roar and counterattacked.
If surrender wasn't an option—
Then it would fight to the bitter end.
The orange flames burning around its body instantly shifted to a ghostly blue as its yokai power erupted.
Its aura surged from C-rank—
To C+.
A seasoned, slippery survivor, the Wheel Monk had always known the importance of hiding one's true strength.
It had possessed C+ power all along—on the verge of breaking through into B-rank territory.
Yet it always presented itself as merely C-rank, preparing for moments exactly like this.
"Didn't expect that, kid?! I'm practically a B-rank great yokai! If I go all out now—"
Its face was filled with pride as it prepared to boast further.
But before it could finish—
A streak of white lightning erupted from Ren's index finger and pierced straight through its forehead.
Its expression froze.
"Whether you're C-rank or C+," Ren said flatly,"there's basically no difference to me.You overestimated yourself—and underestimated me."
He hadn't used any higher-level kidō—only Bakudō No. 4: White Lightning.
He wanted to preserve the Wheel Monk's corpse as intact as possible.
The Wheel Monk never heard those final words.
Even in death, it likely never understood why—after unleashing its full power—it had still been instantly annihilated.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Well done," a voice echoed from the darkness."To run into such a capable exorcist the very night I arrive in the Tokyo District…Looks like I get a little midnight snack after all."