"You humans are truly despicable, using such tricks to lure me out," Futakuchi-onna hissed, her gaze flicking from Yamato Kuka to the hall, now brightly lit as if by daylight. Her expression radiated disdain. "I had no desire to provoke you—but if you're courting death, then I will indulge you."
She recognized the uniforms the humans wore. She had encountered similar ones before. At that time, she had merely been searching for food and had no intention of fighting, yet they had sensed her presence and attacked immediately. The result had been predictable: the core members of their squads were slaughtered. Ordinary uniformed members, she had let them escape.
But she hadn't expected this. Wave after wave of humans swarmed her like locusts, each attack only to be followed by another. This time, Futakuchi-onna would not hold back. The actions of this countermeasures team had truly enraged her.
Surrounded, outnumbered—yet she showed no panic. In her view, of all the humans before her, only the woman wielding the long sword posed a real threat. The rest were mere weaklings, easily disposable once the sword-wielding human was dealt with.
Ren Kuroda, for now, was dismissed by Futakuchi-onna as a minor foe. She could not perceive his concealed demonic power, so in her eyes, he was just another weakling.
The battle was imminent. But instead of waiting for the yokai to strike, Yamato Kuka moved first.
High-level swordsmanship relies heavily on precise footwork, and Kuka's mastery was no exception. Before unleashing the powerful external slashes she was known for, she crouched slightly, upper body leaning forward, her right hand resting naturally on the hilt of Onikiri.
The instant her left foot stepped forward, her aura shifted dramatically. That small step was enough. By the time anyone realized what had happened, Kuka had already closed the distance and appeared in front of Futakuchi-onna. Almost simultaneously, the silver blade of Onikiri shot forward, leaving a dazzling streak in the air.
"Genji Swordsmanship Style: Tenshin!"
The essence of this style was approaching at speeds comparable to the Instantaneous Movement Technique, striking the opponent before they even understood what had happened. To an outside observer, it might look like a simple draw slash, but in Kuka's hands, speed and precision transformed even a basic strike into a lethal technique.
The blade hovered inches from Futakuchi-onna's neck. Death was immediate and real. Any attempt to block it with arms would be futile.
At that moment, Futakuchi-onna's long hair suddenly lifted, forming two enormous arms, infused with demonic power, aimed to pin the sword and disarm Kuka.
Yet even with her B-level demonic energy, Futakuchi-onna's hair could not withstand Onikiri, which Kuka had herself infused with spiritual power. Though capable of tearing through steel, her hair could not match the legendary sword in Kuka's hands.
Onikiri was no ordinary blade—it was rated A by the system, even surpassing Yuuto's Oni-Kuji and rivaling his Nichirin Blade. The sword had famously severed the arm of the demon king Ibaraki-dōji, a being far stronger than Futakuchi-onna herself. Cutting through her hair was child's play by comparison.
The two hair-formed arms were severed, and Futakuchi-onna narrowly avoided the lethal strike. Her scattered hair framed the space between her and Kuka, who stood confidently with her sword.
For the first time, Futakuchi-onna's contempt gave way to respect. This human was unlike any exorcist she had faced before. Outnumbered humans might be many, but none matched Kuka's strength or spiritual power.
"In terms of raw power, you may be slightly stronger than me," Futakuchi-onna acknowledged, "but battles are influenced by many factors. If you wish to survive, I suggest you show me your true strength."
Kuka wasn't surprised by the dodge—she had expected it. This was her first time facing a B-rank yokai alone since her breakthrough in spiritual power. Had her opponent fallen to a single strike, it would have been disappointing.
Without pause, Kuka charged again. This time, she wielded her sword in one hand while drawing a handful of talismans from her robes in the other, chanting incantations.
Kuka's Onmyojutsu was unconventional—she had learned little in the way of offensive spells, focusing instead on amplification and support. As a shrine maiden, she already possessed natural "blessing" powers. Combined with physical enhancement spells, her buffs were near maximum. Offensive spells were unnecessary; her sword was the strongest offensive spell she could wield.