"Don't forget why you came here in the first place. Everyone's here for Spirit Power Crystals.So why do you think I'm obligated to protect you?"
Ren Kuroda's voice was calm, but there was no warmth in it.
"Knowing your own limits is basic common sense. When something is beyond your ability, the smart thing to do is to back off."
Ren had spoken up earlier out of compassion—he couldn't bring himself to stay silent, so he had honestly explained the rough strength of Shokuhatsuki, Haibōzu, and the yokai gathered at the mountain's midsection.
And the effect was immediate.
Many people, sobered by the overwhelming gap in strength, chose to give up.
Spirit Power Crystals were valuable, sure—but no treasure was worth more than one's life.
Of course, not everyone left.
Those who remained, in Ren's eyes, were people whose judgment had already been devoured by greed. If they ended up dead later, that would be a consequence of their own choices.
"You're the hero of the Tokyo sector!" someone suddenly shouted."And we're all people living in Tokyo! Isn't protecting the weak what a hero is supposed to do?"
His tone grew sharper.
"And if it weren't for the divine artifact in your hands, what right does a brat like you have to act so high and mighty?The Three Sacred Treasures belong to the entire nation—using them to protect us is only natural!"
"Exactly!" another chimed in."The moment you became a divine artifact wielder, you got so full of yourself you forgot your own name!You only managed to drive off Hundred Night Oni because of the artifact's power! Give it to me and I could be a hero too, damn it!"
Some of those who stayed were merely greedy.
But others were greedy and possessed a worldview so warped it almost made Ren laugh from sheer disbelief.
He had clearly explained the yokai's strength and earnestly advised those who weren't strong enough to retreat—to avoid pointless sacrifice.
Yet out of nowhere, a group of people with astonishingly twisted logic leapt forward.
Some accused Ren of lying to scare them off so he could monopolize all the Spirit Power Crystals on the mountain.
Others shamelessly demanded that Ren protect them and escort them through the yokai encirclement.
Faced with such brazen entitlement, even Ren's patience finally snapped.
"Protect you on the way up the mountain?" he barked."Who the hell do you think you are? Just because people call me the 'hero of Tokyo' means I'm obligated to protect every single person here?"
His voice rose, sharp and cutting.
"Then let me ask you something first—what the hell have you ever given me?Did I sleep with your wife? Or are you my long-lost son?"
The crowd froze.
"And since when did I ever say I was the hero of Tokyo?" Ren sneered."Sorry, but I don't carry that kind of 'hero complex.'As for the Kusanagi Sword—I didn't choose to hog it. That thing chose me, and no matter how hard you try, it won't let go!"
The sheer vulgarity of Ren's outburst left the crowd stunned, faces cycling between pale and livid.
In the end, whether human or yokai, the essence was the same.
There were beings who could coexist peacefully—and there were absolute pieces of trash.
Some of the people Ren had cursed at finally regained their senses and opened their mouths, clearly ready to return the favor and start insulting the women in Ren's family.
But before they could—
A massive disturbance erupted from the mountain above.
Yes.
After Shokuhatsuki's scouts had returned and reported the strength of the humans gathered here, the yokai had made their decision.
They would attack.
On one hand, after tasting human flesh earlier, the yokai had fully reverted to their true nature. The amount they'd eaten before was far from enough, and now every one of them was ravenous, eyes blazing red with hunger.
On the other hand, the humans gathered here were clearly no match for them.
There was no need for ambushes or tricks anymore.
They could crush them head-on.
After all, keeping subordinates well-fed made for an obedient army.
So after only brief hesitation, Shokuhatsuki, Haibōzu, and the others unanimously chose to launch a direct assault.
Hundreds of yokai surged down the mountain.
The sight was overwhelming.
Before the yokai even attacked, the mere fact of being surrounded by such dense, writhing masses caused dozens of humans to falter in fear.
Some stared at the yokai baring their fangs, drool spilling from their mouths—and regret flooded their hearts.
Regret for ignoring Ren's warning.
Regret for letting greed blind them.
Now, they didn't even have the chance to escape.
"Huh? There seem to be fewer blood meals than reported," Shokuhatsuki mused, tilting his head."Did some rats scurry away early?"
He licked his lips.
"Ah, whatever. A few nobodies escaping doesn't matter. Looks like some even better prey showed up instead."
Because of Ren's warning, nearly half the people had already retreated before the yokai charged down.
So when Shokuhatsuki and the others arrived and saw fewer humans than expected, they were briefly surprised.
But their attention quickly shifted.
To Ren and his group—figures not mentioned in the scouts' report.
On one hand, the spiritual power radiating from Ren's team was clearly the strongest among the humans present.
On the other—
The long, lustrous hair of Yamato Kyoka and Kujō Hinano instantly caught Shokuhatsuki's eye.
"Such beautiful hair," he sighed dreamily."But hair this lovely doesn't deserve to be worn by you.Only someone as beautiful as me should possess hair like this."
His grin widened grotesquely.
"Don't worry, though. When I eat your hair, I'll bite off your heads too. I won't leave you with any regrets."
There was no trash talk.
No negotiations.
The moment the two sides met—
The battle exploded.
Dozens of humans against hundreds of yokai.
The outcome was obvious.
Those who had come to the snow mountain were, on average, at least C+ rank in strength.
But the weakest yokai among Shokuhatsuki's underlings were already C-rank.
Add to that their blood-fueled frenzy, and even in sheer momentum alone, the humans' psychological defenses shattered almost instantly.
Some people tried to beg for mercy.
Their reward was being instantly torn apart and devoured by the swarm.
Against hundreds of yokai, a human body of barely a hundred kilograms wasn't even enough to fill their teeth.
And these yokai—driven mad by hunger—weren't about to stop just because someone pleaded.
Humans here weren't just delicious.
They were power-ups.
Earlier, when they still had the chance to retreat, greed had blinded them.
Now, before even truly fighting, fear dominated them instead.
But it was far too late.
Giving up now meant death.
Yokai showed no mercy.
In their eyes, the people here were nothing more than lumps of flesh that could raise their demonic power.
"This is getting troublesome," Kamishiro Isshin muttered, forcing a laugh."At this rate, we'll burn through our spiritual power pretty quickly.Haha… if I'd known it'd turn out like this, we should've used Kyoka-chan's connections and snuck into the Yamato family's team earlier."
Several talismans flickered between Kamishiro's fingers as a circular formation flared to life beneath everyone's feet.
When yokai slammed into the formation, glowing sigils rose up and repelled them.
But each impact caused the talismans embedded in the formation to burn away at alarming speed, forcing Kamishiro to replenish them without pause.
The suddenness of the attack meant his formation could only protect those standing close to him.
Everyone outside it was left to face the yokai's overwhelming numbers alone.
Even for a master of talismans and formations like Kamishiro Isshin, holding back this many enemies was becoming unbearable.
Prepared talismans could let a spellcaster unleash power far beyond their apparent limits—
But activating formations and controlling talismans still consumed enormous amounts of spiritual power.
And when the enemy vastly outmatched you, that cost multiplied exponentially.
Kamishiro still looked relaxed on the surface, even joking.
But Ren and Kyoka—who knew him well—could tell.
The scruffy middle-aged man was running on pure stubbornness.
The glowing barrier was plastered with yokai, layered thick like a swarm of locusts.
Every strike sent ripples across the barrier like waves on water.
And judging by the rapidly burning talismans and the thinning light, it was obvious—
Kamishiro couldn't hold much longer.
Those inside the formation did everything they could to thin out the yokai pressing in.
But against such overwhelming numbers, it was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
"We need to break through," Yamato Kyoka said sharply."We can't let all the pressure fall on Senior Kamishiro alone, or we'll be wiped out sooner or later."
She drew Onikiri from her waist, chanting Yamato clan incantations to bless everyone before charging forward.
"Gen-style Sword Art — Rending Wound!"
The moment Onikiri left its sheath, Kyoka transformed.
The cool, aloof shrine maiden vanished—
Replaced by a valkyrie of war.
As she swung her blade, multiple razor-sharp arcs of sword energy tore through the yokai clinging to the barrier, shredding them instantly.
Almost at the same time Kyoka dashed out, Ren drew Divine Grace and followed, heading straight for the strongest yokai in the horde.
Meanwhile, Master Hakuba erupted with demonic power, golden Buddhist light flooding the battlefield.
Within that radiant glow, two colossal Vajra Guardians slowly manifested behind him.
Even Kujō Hinano, whose spiritual power was only C-rank, tried to rush out—
Only to be yanked back by Kamishiro, who ordered her to stay inside the formation and provide support.
Kamishiro glanced at the others still cowering within the barrier and spoke dryly:
"My team's already stepped out of the formation to fight to the death.Don't you think it's a little inappropriate for the rest of you to keep hiding here, too scared to move?"