Revealing his true identity would only bring trouble to Amami Tenkōin and Ryuki. His own life was already far from peaceful—there was no way he would allow his family to be dragged into danger as well.
If Ibaraki Dōji were to learn of Amami and Ryuki's existence, he would undoubtedly come knocking himself, and that was the last thing Ren Kuroda wanted to see.
To protect Amami and Ryuki more thoroughly, Ren had gone to extreme lengths—creating alternate identities, fabricating personas such as the "Hero" and the "Master of Divine Artifacts." At the same time, under the identity of Hyakki, he had risen to become the yokai leader of Tokyo District. The original purpose behind all of this was simple: to ensure that Amami and Ryuki could completely avoid threats from both humans and yokai, and live their lives in peace.
If Ibaraki Dōji were to discover their existence, everything Ren had carefully arranged would collapse in an instant.
Amami and Ryuki would inevitably be dragged into all kinds of trouble simply because of their connection to the oni clan.
And as for Shuten Dōji, the man who might very well be his so-called "father by convenience," Ren didn't feel even the slightest bit of goodwill toward him. If anything, he wished he could kill him with his own hands.
If not for Ren's reincarnation into this world, Amami's frail physical condition would never have allowed her to live this long in the first place.
Ryuki, too, had always been isolated and rejected because of her abnormal nature. Ren couldn't even imagine what would become of that seemingly strong yet inwardly fragile little sister if Amami were gone.
So forget Ibaraki Dōji—Even if Shuten Dōji himself were standing here, Ren had no intention of holding back in the slightest.
"As for how that oni wound came to be—if you insist on an answer, then fine, I'll tell you," Ren said coldly."The original owner? I killed him. And that blade is simply my spoil of war."
Crack. Crack.
Even though Ibaraki Dōji knew Ren's words couldn't possibly be true, the moment he heard Shuten Dōji had supposedly been killed by Ren, his emotions still slipped out of control.
After all, they had been close companions for centuries. Ibaraki Dōji had always regarded Shuten Dōji as his dearest friend. Hearing Ren speak of him so lightly was something he simply couldn't tolerate.
Thick, dark-purple yokai energy surged violently from his body. Even the ground beneath his feet seemed unable to bear the pressure, fracturing inch by inch.
Feeling the oppressive air warped by Ibaraki Dōji's aura, Ren had to admit—there was a reason this man was known as an Oni King.
And against an opponent like this, there was no room for mercy.
With one hand reaching into the void, Ren swiftly pulled out an enormous gourd of sake.
The moment he yanked out the wooden stopper, an intoxicating fragrance spread in all directions. Holding the gourd in one hand, Ren tilted his head back and began drinking deeply.
The rich liquor slid down his throat and ignited within him like gasoline meeting flame. In an instant, the yokai energy surging through Ren's body boiled over.
As if answering Ibaraki Dōji's challenge, a crimson aura erupted around Ren at the same time—wrapping his entire body and surging skyward in direct opposition to the deep-purple energy before him.
With 『Drunkard's Frenzy』 running at full throttle, Ren's yokai power continued to climb.
From barely reaching SS− rank, it surged relentlessly—until it stabilized at a solid, undeniable SS rank.
Though it was still just a hair weaker than Ibaraki Dōji's power, which was on the verge of breaking into SS+, the gap between them had narrowed to near parity.
At the same time, this was the absolute limit Ren could reach while still maintaining clarity of mind.
As for Ibaraki Dōji, his initial fury—sparked by the perceived insult to his dear friend—began to shift the moment he saw Ren pull out the massive sake gourd.
Feeling that familiar awe, and glimpsing the faint silhouette of someone laughing arrogantly at the heavens within Ren's figure, Ibaraki Dōji's anger slowly transformed into wild, uncontrollable joy.
If it were just a resemblance in appearance, that alone wouldn't prove anything.
But such a distinctive awe—in Ibaraki Dōji's memory, only one person had ever wielded it.
"Hyakki," Ibaraki Dōji said excitedly, "there must be some misunderstanding between us. Perhaps you don't know this yet, but given the relationship between us, there's no reason for us to fight."
"You might not believe this," he continued earnestly, "but if we go by seniority, you should be calling me uncle—"
Before he could finish, Ren finally snapped.
With a single stomp, he shattered the ground beneath his foot. A deep crater formed instantly, and the earth trembled faintly from the impact.
As he passed by his artificial body, Ren casually yanked Shinyo from where it was embedded in the ground.
"My old oni-slaying blade broke earlier," Ren said grimly. "I happen to be lacking a decent weapon right now. I just saved your life—borrowing your sword for a bit isn't too much to ask, is it?"
The moment Shinyo settled into his hand, Ren felt a deep, almost spiritual connection—something he had never once felt with the artificial body.
The divine artifact Kusanagi was powerful, no doubt about it.But the blade that truly suited him… was still Shinyo, the one that had been with him the longest.
With Shinyo in hand, Ren charged straight at Ibaraki Dōji without the slightest hesitation. Before he even reached his opponent, he swung his blade, releasing a slash infused with overflowing yokai energy.
At SS rank, even a casual slash from Ren carried power comparable to a full-force 『Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain』 in his normal state.
Seeing the massive, blood-red crescent-shaped slash flying toward him, Ibaraki Dōji didn't dare underestimate it. He raised his sinister oni arm and clenched his hand in midair.
Despite the fact that his physical arm was still far from the incoming attack, the yokai energy he unleashed formed a gigantic purple oni claw in the air—
—and crushed Ren's red slash to pieces.
Ibaraki Dōji was just about to say something more when he suddenly saw Ren's figure burst forward from the point where the crimson slash and purple claw had annihilated each other.
Clang——!
Shinyo's blade collided head-on with Ibaraki Dōji's oni arm at close range. The shockwave blasted the snow beneath Ibaraki Dōji's feet into the air, and his body sank slightly under the overwhelming force.
"Listen to me," Ibaraki Dōji said hurriedly. "I didn't come to Tokyo District to seize territory. Shuten Dōji was my closest friend—by all rights, you should be calling me uncle—"
Looking at Ren, Ibaraki Dōji wore an expression of gentle satisfaction that only an elder could have.
The next instant, his handsome face twisted violently as it was struck by a brutal blow.
His entire body was sent flying at a speed that seemed to surpass the third cosmic velocity, smashing straight through an entire snow-covered mountain.
"Damn it, are you done yet?!" Ren roared. "You just keep trying to take advantage of me!"
"Uncle my ass! Don't give me that crap! I don't care if you're Shuten Dōji's best friend—hell, even if you are Shuten Dōji himself, I'll still beat the crap out of you!"
"No—actually, if you didn't know Shuten Dōji, I might've gone a little easier on you."
"But since you're claiming to be his close friend? Sorry about that. I've got no choice but to beat you half to death!"
"For years I've wanted to find that bastard and kill him myself, but I never could. Now I finally run into someone who knows him—don't you dare die before I've vented all my anger on you!"
From the moment both Ren and Ibaraki Dōji unleashed their terrifying yokai energy to the instant they clashed, it might have felt like a long time had passed—
—but in reality, it all happened within just a few minutes.
The surrounding yokai and exorcists, who had only just recovered from the avalanche, hadn't even figured out what was going on when two SS-rank monsters suddenly started fighting.
Both were yokai. Both were even of the oni clan.
Yet Hyakki's hostility toward Ibaraki Dōji was so intense it surpassed even the hatred he showed toward human exorcists.
Among those most utterly bewildered were Hair-Eating Oni and the other yokai.
From Ibaraki Dōji's earlier words and actions, it was clear that his relationship with Hyakki should have been quite good—so why did Hyakki treat him like a mortal enemy?
At the same time, confusion quickly gave way to relief.
Because if Ibaraki Dōji hadn't shown up, then after their earlier actions—which were practically no different from betrayal—the one they would have had to face directly would have been Hyakki.
Their earlier suspicions were confirmed: Hyakki hadn't died. He hadn't even been seriously injured.
He had come back stronger.
Realizing the gravity of their situation, Hair-Eating Oni and the others were seized by deep, gnawing terror.
If Ibaraki Dōji won, they might still have a slim chance at survival.
But if Hyakki won…
No—Ibaraki Dōji couldn't possibly lose.
He was a legendary Oni King, said to rival great monsters like Shuten Dōji himself. There were countless tales about his strength.
Hyakki, on the other hand, was just an obscure yokai with little fame to his name—how could he possibly compare?
Compared to the trembling yokai, the human exorcists were just as shocked, but as they watched Hyakki and Ibaraki Dōji battle, a sense of relief crept in.
Neither of those beings was something they could hope to stop.
They didn't know what grudge existed between the two, or why it had escalated into a fight—but for Tokyo District as a whole, this was the best possible outcome.
Both were threats. Whoever won or lost, the exorcists would gladly accept it.
If they could wound each other badly—better yet, both fall—that would be a cause for celebration.
Ibaraki Dōji and Hyakki fighting was a good thing.
If those two had truly been allies, and both had designs on Tokyo District, then even if the entire district's forces were mobilized, there would have been no way to stop them.
No—Even one of them would have been nearly impossible.
When Hyakki had been in poor condition before, they had already struggled desperately just to hold him back.
Now that he had returned even stronger… it didn't bear thinking about.