"Kid—protect Kyōka properly. Don't let her get hurt even a little. As for the matter between you two… I might just agree to it."
After Kūsuga Ryōsuke's earnest mediation, the Yamato family head finally left—albeit unwillingly.
And just before departing, he tossed out a line that left Ren Kuroda utterly dumbfounded.
The moment those words were spoken, Ren clearly saw Yamato Kyōka, standing beside him, instantly flush bright red from head to toe.
As for Ren himself, he was completely speechless.
He nearly blurted out, Why are you blushing?! Say something! Explain to your dad that this was all a misunderstanding from the start!
Combined with what the Yamato family head had just said, and recalling how Yamato Miku had suddenly shown up at his place not long ago, Ren couldn't help but feel that things were spiraling in a very bad direction…
This had clearly been agreed upon as acting.
So why did it feel like, the longer this "act" went on, the closer it came to becoming reality?
—
More and more teams gathered at the Great Snow Mountain.
Though the environment had suddenly turned brutally hostile, the raging blizzard clearly wasn't enough to deter the exorcists determined to climb the mountain.
At the mountain's midsection, Shokuhatsuki, the Ash Monk, and their group were there for Yokai Power Crystals.
Those ascending from below were after Spiritual Power Crystals.
On both sides, greed was something no one could truly escape.
What Ren and Spider Princess hadn't anticipated, however, was that even they themselves had underestimated today's "cast."
The Great Snow Mountain's stage didn't belong solely to Shokuhatsuki and the Tokyo District's exorcist forces.
From another direction entirely, a figure cloaked head to toe in black slowly made his way toward the snow mountain.
No yokai power.
No spiritual power.
And yet—an overwhelming sense of danger clung to him like a shadow.
If Ren had been present, he would have recognized the figure instantly.
It was the mysterious oni he had encountered days earlier while subjugating Rinnyūdō.
Ibaraki Dōji.
After entering the Tokyo District, Ibaraki Dōji had deliberately concealed his presence to avoid drawing attention from local powers.
On one hand, having entered the district alone, he didn't wish to provoke the exorcist factions unless absolutely necessary.
On the other hand, if word spread that he had left Hokkaidō, it would spell major trouble for the oni clan.
After all, the enemies entrenched in Hokkaidō weren't just humans.
The two other top-tier yokai factions—the Tengu Clan and the Hannya Forces—were watching the oni with hungry eyes.
As one of the oni clan's primary combatants, his absence alone could invite dangerous ambitions from rival powers.
Yet despite knowing the risks, Ibaraki Dōji had no choice.
If the so-called "Hundred-Night Demon" truly was the person he was searching for, then sending anyone else would be pointless.
Anyone who tried to persuade that being would likely be killed on the spot.
If there was even a chance of bringing him back to the oni clan… it had to be done personally.
Over the past few days, Ibaraki Dōji had been gathering information on the "Hundred-Night Demon," but the intelligence he obtained was frustratingly scarce.
The reason was simple—even the exorcists native to the Tokyo District had no idea where the Hundred-Night Demon had gone after the great war.
So for an outsider like him, it was even harder.
After killing several unlucky exorcists along the way, Ibaraki Dōji finally obtained a crucial piece of information.
The place where the "Hundred-Night Demon" had first appeared… was this very Great Snow Mountain.
And the yokai said to reside here—the Snow Maiden—was rumored to be one of the Hundred-Night Demon's top lieutenants.
What was a death zone for others posed no threat to Ibaraki Dōji.
And so, seeking the truth, he stepped onto the Great Snow Mountain.
—
Meanwhile, on the other side—
The blizzard raging across the mountain failed to slow the ascent in the slightest.
The smooth progress only made people wonder—
Had the Hundred-Night Demon already abandoned this place?
After all, nearly the entire fighting strength of the Tokyo District had mobilized.
Even a monster like the Hundred-Night Demon wasn't invincible.
Considering the severe injuries he had suffered before, it wasn't impossible that he had fled in advance upon hearing the news.
Because the journey was almost too smooth, many began to lower their guard.
Some even picked up their pace, eager to reach the summit as quickly as possible.
After all, whether there were any Spiritual Power Crystals at the summit was still uncertain.
But if there were, the quantity would definitely be limited.
The number of people here for those crystals was enormous.
Even if the summit held a decent amount, it would still be a case of too many mouths for too little food.
Which meant—
Whoever reached the summit first would gain more crystals—and better ones.
"A bunch of idiots," one exorcist clan head sneered."Do they really think a demon king as cunning as the Hundred-Night Demon would let us take what we want so easily, even if he abandoned this base?"
"But fine. Let them act as cannon fodder."
"Only then will they understand just how terrifying the Hundred-Night Demon truly is."
Watching those already consumed by greed accelerate their climb, many exorcist family heads wore mocking expressions.
They quietly signaled their clans to stay put and observe.
The ones rushing ahead were mostly serum soldiers and teams formed by major financial conglomerates.
These people had largely not participated in the great war.
They had no real understanding of how insidious and ruthless the Hundred-Night Demon was.
The surge in serum soldiers was a direct result of that war—but back when it broke out, most of these people had still been hiding in shelters as ordinary civilians.
The exorcist families were different.
They were survivors of that war.
They knew exactly how vicious—and how deceptive—the Hundred-Night Demon could be.
To protect the secret of Spiritual Power Crystals, he had even revealed a power he'd kept hidden for years.
Now, even if injuries forced him to avoid direct confrontation, no one believed he would simply hand over such a treasure without resistance.
And reality quickly proved those seasoned families right.
The lower half of the mountain had indeed been smooth sailing.
But before long, shouts, clashes, and the sounds of brutal combat echoed from the mountain's midsection.
At the same time, a massive surge of yokai aura spread outward—blanketing nearly half the snow mountain.
That overwhelming, concentrated presence sent a clear message to everyone climbing above:
There were yokai on this mountain.
And not just a few.