At that moment, it truly felt like a son-in-law and his father-in-law were destined enemies for life.
Although the Yamato family head had narrowly avoided being torn apart alive by Ibaraki Dōji, he ended up suffering serious internal injuries after being slammed into by a certain infuriating brat.
"You little bastard—! You nearly shattered this old man's bones! Have you never heard of respecting your elders?!"
It might have looked like just a single collision, but judging from the terrifying shockwave produced earlier when Yūdō clashed head-on with Ibaraki Dōji, the impact just now was anything but minor. Even Yūdō himself—had he crashed into anything else while being hurled away—would've inevitably suffered severe internal injuries.
It was probably for that very reason that the Yamato family head, who had clearly had time to dodge, instead chose to take Yūdō head-on.
Just as Yamato Kuka had said before, her father was the textbook definition of sharp tongue, soft heart.
Though heavily injured, the Yamato family head wasn't in immediate danger of death. However, because of the trauma, the blessing-type enhancement spells he had layered over everyone dissipated at that moment. Yūdō and the others felt their combat power instantly drop back to its original level.
The Kagumori family head had been saved—but at the cost of the Yamato family head being gravely wounded. A battle situation that had already been unfavorable now became even more dire.
Watching Kuka and the others desperately holding Ibaraki Dōji back three-on-one, the Yamato family head struggled to his feet, only to cough up a mouthful of blood almost immediately.
While hurriedly treating himself with healing spells, he still called out to Yūdō and the others:
"My injuries aren't fatal. Buy me some time—I'll reapply the enhancement spells as soon as I can."
He didn't regret stepping in to absorb the impact for Yūdō in the slightest. Leaving aside Yūdō's relationship with his daughter—and the fact that Yūdō had just saved his life—even from a purely tactical standpoint, his decision had been the correct one.
As much as he hated to admit it, among those currently fighting Ibaraki Dōji, Yūdō was the core combatant.
If Yūdō were seriously injured and forced out of the fight, the rest of them wouldn't be able to stop Ibaraki Dōji at all.
Right now, losing himself—the support role—was undoubtedly a blow, but it was still far better than losing Yūdō, their main pillar.
"Damn it… if this keeps up, we're all going to be wiped out sooner or later," the Kagumori family head muttered anxiously while continuously casting sealing techniques to keep Ibaraki Dōji wary."Even with the enhancements earlier, we were still being suppressed. Now that they're gone, it's even worse. Kusuga and the others won't last much longer… and it doesn't look like the Jiso or Hikuma families can reinforce us anytime soon."
At this point, the outcome of the battle hinged entirely on Ibaraki Dōji.
If those holding him back fell, then once he plunged into the wider melee, it would be nothing short of a massacre.
And yet, facing the combined assault of Yūdō, Kuka, and Kusuga Ryōsuke, Ibaraki Dōji still fought with the casual ease of someone playing a game.
Without the Yamato family head's spell-based enhancements, the gap between A-rank spiritual power and SS-rank demonic power was simply too vast.
After only a short exchange, Yamato Kuka became the first to falter.
Although Onikiri was Ibaraki Dōji's natural nemesis, sheer disparity in raw power was enough to overwhelm any such disadvantage.
After forcibly tanking a slash from Onikiri, Kuka nearly had her heart ripped out by Ibaraki Dōji's claws.
If not for Yūdō reacting in time—slashing toward Ibaraki Dōji's extended arm and forcing him to withdraw out of caution toward the Kusanagi Sword—Kuka would've been finished on the spot.
With Kuka no longer able to restrain him effectively, Yūdō and Kusuga Ryōsuke found the pressure increasing drastically.
Kusuga managed to hold on thanks to his S-minus-level spiritual power and swordsmanship superior even to Kuka's.
As for the artificial-body Yūdō, he relied on his exceptional sword skills and the amplification provided by the Kusanagi Sword.
More importantly, both Yūdō and Kusuga possessed extremely high-level Mind's Eye abilities—a near-divine instinct granted to true masters of the blade—allowing them to escape danger time and again.
Even so, this balance couldn't last.
Just as the Kagumori family head had observed earlier, Ibaraki Dōji had never been fighting seriously from the start.
He'd been toying with them—like a cat playing with mice—testing their limits.
And now, it seemed he'd grown bored.
His speed and power began escalating rapidly.
Some attacks were ones that Yūdō and Kusuga should've been able to evade perfectly using Mind's Eye—yet at the very last instant, Ibaraki Dōji would alter his trajectory, catching them completely off guard.
Beyond his terrifying speed, Ibaraki Dōji also began to display the monstrous strength inherent to the oni race.
Even when they managed to block certain blows, the sheer force transmitted through their blades was enough to severely injure them in an instant.
"So this is the level of the so-called master of a divine artifact?" Ibaraki Dōji sneered."Your swordsmanship is passable—but nowhere near as impressive as I expected. I'm starting to wonder whether the Hyakuya Oni you repelled was even the one I'm looking for."If that really was him, he shouldn't have been defeated by power at this level—unless he deliberately held back."
Five against one. Support, control, three heavy hitters—and yet, they were still defeated.
Ibaraki Dōji slowly walked toward Yūdō, disappointment clear on his face.
Yūdō's performance as the wielder of a divine artifact made him question his earlier assumptions.
If Hyakuya Oni was truly only on par with this divine artifact wielder, then there was no way he could be the Shuten Dōji Ibaraki sought.
His old friend might be troublesome in personality and painfully lacking in brains—but in terms of sheer power, Shuten Dōji was flawless. He couldn't possibly be this weak.
"Well, whatever. I'll verify Hyakuya Oni's identity myself later," Ibaraki Dōji said casually."As for you, divine artifact wielder—since you managed to last until the end, I'll grant you a reward. I'll kill you with my own hands and make you part of my arm."
Ibaraki Dōji's demonic arm could absorb the souls of slain opponents, turning them into nourishment for his own power.
Others might be spared depending on his mood—but he had no intention of letting the wielder of the Kusanagi Sword live.
Not to mention what it meant to be the first person acknowledged by a divine artifact—the threat posed by a divine artifact wielder alone was immense.
Throughout the fight, Ibaraki Dōji had treated it as a game. Yet among the five opponents, only two had truly given him a sense of danger.
One was the Kagumori family head, whose sealing arts could restrain him regardless of raw power.
The other was Yūdō, wielder of the Kusanagi Sword.
As for Kuka—despite Onikiri's legendary status as his bane—her immaturity as a wielder meant Ibaraki Dōji never took her seriously.
But Yūdō was different.
Despite having spiritual power on par with Kuka's, he was the last one standing.
And for reasons even Ibaraki Dōji couldn't fully explain, despite being confident he could completely overwhelm Yūdō, he felt an inexplicable sense of danger from him.
Unable to identify the source of that unease, Ibaraki Dōji ultimately attributed it to Yūdō's potential as a divine artifact wielder.
If someone with only A-rank spiritual power could already fight like this, how terrifying would he become once he grew stronger?
For the future of the oni race, eliminating such a potential threat early was the correct choice.
Others could be spared.
But Amanoin Yūdō had to die.
Seeing Yūdō kneeling on one knee, Ibaraki Dōji drew the vast majority of his demonic power into his arm. With a single decisive strike, he broke through the Kusanagi Sword's protective divine aura and reached straight for Yūdō's heart.
Hidden within the howling wind and snow, Yuki-onna and Tsuchigumo could no longer restrain themselves and prepared to intervene—even at the risk of exposing themselves.
They knew how important the identity of "Amanoin Yūdō" was to Lord Yūdō. And that body—one he had paid an enormous price to create—couldn't be allowed to be destroyed.
Just as Tsuchigumo and Yuki-onna were about to act—just as Ibaraki Dōji's demonic arm was about to strike—
Ibaraki Dōji suddenly sensed something and looked up toward the sky.
In the very next instant, a figure streaked downward like a falling meteor, hurtling straight toward their position.
Sensing mortal danger, Ibaraki Dōji made a split-second decision—redirecting the demonic arm meant for the artificial-body Yūdō, clenching it into a fist, and punching straight toward the heavens.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
At the same moment, the meteor-like figure hurled a clawed fist down toward Ibaraki Dōji.
Two clawed fists collided midair.
The shockwave that erupted sent a violent tremor through the surroundings, making everyone nearby feel as though the earth itself were shaking—so intense it seemed the entire Great Snow Mountain was trembling.
As their fists met, both combatants unleashed their demonic power simultaneously. Deep crimson and dark violet auras surged outward, taking the shape of colossal oni avatars roaring furiously at one another.
The ground split apart.
The devastating shockwave blasted Yūdō's artificial body away at point-blank range, and even the surrounding exorcists and yokai were forced to halt their battles under the overwhelming pressure.
The commotion caused by this clash far surpassed anything that had occurred before.
Yet despite someone intervening to block Ibaraki Dōji—
Not a single human present felt even the slightest sense of relief.