Just as Ren Kuroda finished obliterating the Wheel Monk with White Lightning, a sudden sound of applause echoed through the silent night.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The crisp, deliberate clapping rang unnervingly clear on the empty highway.
Ren, whose focus had loosened slightly after the kill, snapped into full alert the instant the sound reached his ears.
The Wheel Monk had been weak. Because of that, Ren hadn't treated the fight with much seriousness—and that momentary relaxation had nearly cost him.
Even so, the fact that someone could approach this close without triggering his awareness at all told him one thing immediately:
Whoever had just arrived was no ordinary enemy.
From the far end of the pitch-black roadway, a towering figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
The newcomer was tall and imposing, with wild, waist-length white hair that radiated a feral intensity. Two oni horns rose from his head—one long, one short. His right arm, exposed beneath a short cloak, ended in crimson claws gleaming like forged blades. His entire left arm, however, remained concealed beneath a broad mantle, its shape indistinct.
After only a single glance, Ren could already tell—
This was a demon of the oni clan.
As for the enemy's exact strength, Ren couldn't judge it precisely. The demon had perfectly concealed both his aura and yokai energy.
But one thing was absolutely certain.
This opponent was dangerous.
Just standing there, the oni made every pore on Ren's body scream warnings at him.
The last time Ren had felt this level of threat—
Was when Abe no Seimei had successfully resurrected within the Slippery-Headed Yokai's domain.
"Oh? Not just an exorcist," the oni said lazily, his lips curling upward. "But a skilled swordsman as well.What luck. You're exactly the kind of prey I like best."
He rolled his neck slightly, as if loosening up.
"Can't blame you for being unlucky. I came all the way from Hokkaido—if I don't eat a proper meal, I won't have the strength to keep working."
There was no doubt about it.
The demon standing before Ren was the Oni King who had traveled south from Hokkaido—
Ibaraki Dōji.
His sudden appearance was driven by two simple reasons: interest… and hunger.
And once he realized Ren was not only an exorcist but also a master of the blade, his satisfaction only grew. Swordsmen were his favorite prey.
Ibaraki Dōji's legend was infamous.
Disguised as a beautiful woman, he had once lured the Heian-era general Watanabe no Tsuna into an ambush. Expecting an easy feast, Ibaraki instead had his disguise exposed, leading to a fierce battle.
In the end, he was defeated and had one of his arms severed.
That severed limb became the origin of the blade's new name—Onikiri, the "Demon Cutter," the very sword now wielded by Yamato Kuuka.
Of course, neither Ibaraki Dōji nor Shuten Dōji had been anywhere near their current power during the Heian era.
Back then, yokai had only just begun to rise.
After centuries of legends, fear, and myth—awe had accumulated to its peak. Combined with the modern age's resurgence of yokai dominance, even if Watanabe no Tsuna were to be reborn today, he wouldn't last more than a few exchanges against the current Ibaraki Dōji.
Ibaraki Dōji was notoriously obsessive.
After losing his arm, he had continued disguising himself and repeatedly visiting Tsuna's estate.
And though he now possessed enough power to regenerate the limb entirely, he chose not to.
Instead, he had a prosthetic forged by oni craftsmen.
After years of being nurtured with yokai energy, that artificial arm had become stronger than the original ever was.
Because of that lingering grudge—and his fixation on Tsuna—Ibaraki Dōji had developed a particular fondness for blade-wielders.
Someone like Ren—both an exorcist and a swordsman—was nothing short of a delicacy.
As for why Ibaraki had hidden his presence until now, the reason was simple.
Tokyo wasn't oni territory.
Though he was a powerful outsider, the Tokyo District still housed numerous exorcist families—and the mysterious Hyakuya Oni, both entrenched local forces.
Until he located Hyakuya Oni and confirmed its identity, Ibaraki had no intention of causing a major disturbance.
After all, Tokyo held no shortage of divine artifacts.
And as a lone oni king, being careless here could very well lead to his death.
So why reveal himself now?
Partly because Ren had genuinely caught his interest.
And partly because Ibaraki was confident—
Killing Ren wouldn't require much effort at all.
Exposing just a fraction of his power shouldn't draw the attention of Tokyo's local exorcist factions.
Ren's effortless elimination of the Wheel Monk was impressive, sure—but in Ibaraki Dōji's eyes?
It was nothing special.
Neither of them felt the need for further conversation.
For Ibaraki, even that brief praise was already generous.
As for Ren, he was focused on a single question—
What kind of oni was this… and why had he come to Tokyo?
"—Ding!"
In the next instant, sparks exploded through the darkness like fireworks.
Ibaraki Dōji vanished from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he was already directly in front of Ren—his clawed right hand tearing downward in a vicious arc.
At the same moment, Ren sensed lethal danger and reacted without hesitation.
Shin'yū, the divine blade at his waist, was drawn in a flash as he raised it to block.
Claw met steel.
A teeth-grinding screech tore through the night as a shower of sparks erupted between them.
Ibaraki Dōji hadn't used a single drop of yokai energy.
This was pure oni strength—combined with the overwhelming physicality of an SS-class yokai—aimed at achieving total, instantaneous domination.
And the result?
Without entering Half-Demon Form, without activating Blade Spirit Release, and without using Drunken Rampage—
Ren was crushed.
With a shrill crack, Ren was sent flying.
His body slammed into the ground and skidded backward for a long distance, his boots carving two deep trenches into the asphalt as he desperately tried to bleed off the momentum.
When he finally stopped, Ren felt it immediately.
The arm holding his sword was completely numb.
For a split second, he had nearly lost his grip entirely.
Ren was stunned.
Facing such an overwhelming attack, he had activated the oni racial awe—
"Chaotic Strength of Gods and Demons."
Even in his normal state, the boost from that ability should have been enough to let him compete with an enemy a full tier above him.
Yet in that clash—
He hadn't just failed to gain the upper hand.
He hadn't even broken even.
He'd been outright overpowered.
Which meant only one thing.
Either his opponent was vastly stronger than Ren in his current state—
Or this oni was a pure power-type monster.
…Or worse.
Both.
Ren was shaken.
But Ibaraki Dōji was just as surprised.
Yes, Ren had been crushed—but not in the way Ibaraki expected.
The outcome he envisioned was simple: shattered blade, dead body.
Instead, Ren was merely driven back—scratched up, but far from mortally wounded.
His sword hadn't even broken.
Even without using yokai energy, Ibaraki Dōji was a genuine SS–class entity, backed by the innate brute force of the oni race.
That strike should have torn an A-class great yokai to pieces.
Yet Ren—still fully human in form—had taken it head-on and survived.
That alone was shocking.
And while Ren's concealment of his aura had been flawless, the moment he activated Chaotic Strength of Gods and Demons, Ibaraki sensed it.
Because that ability—
Was an oni racial awe.
And not a common one.
It was an ability that only high-ranking oni could awaken.
Yet the one using it now was unmistakably human.
Which meant—
"Well, this is unexpected," Ibaraki Dōji said slowly, eyes gleaming with intrigue."To think the first interesting thing I'd encounter in Tokyo… would be a half-demon."
His gaze sharpened.
"And even more unbelievable—The yokai blood flowing through you belongs to the same clan as mine."
Realizing that Ren carried oni blood, Ibaraki did not attack again.
Instead, he studied Ren with growing interest.
Chaotic Strength of Gods and Demons was not just any racial awe. Even among high-ranking oni, few could awaken it.
Yet here was a mere half-demon—someone with diluted blood—wielding it naturally.
That made Ren… fascinating.
A half-oni who could fight like this was far too valuable to kill.
Even if he was only half-blooded, the other half still belonged to the oni clan.
"You are my kin," Ibaraki said calmly. "So why degrade yourself by siding with humans?You know as well as I do—the world now belongs to yokai."
"Half-demon or not, oni blood runs through your veins.You should be standing with us."
"I am not shallow," he continued. "Half-bloods may be shunned by some races, but as long as you prove your worth, I will entrust you with responsibility."
Ibaraki turned away slightly.
"I'll be leaving Tokyo once I finish my business here. Before that, I'll return for you."
His voice hardened.
"When that time comes, give me your answer.This is the age of yokai—and I will not tolerate anyone who carries oni blood yet willingly kneels before humans."
The night fell silent once more.