"Is he really the third-generation successor of the Nura Clan—the so-called great Yokai Lord of Kantō?He doesn't look like anything special at all. Just an ordinary human brat. What gives him the right to be compared to Lord Ren Kuroda?"
Compared to Kiyotsugu and the others—who could only be watched but not touched—Nura Rikuo's presence clearly attracted far more attention from the yokai lurking inside the old school building.
In the past, they might not even have bothered looking twice at someone with a status as lofty as the "young master of the Nura Clan." After all, the gap between them was simply too great. He was someone far beyond their reach, a figure they could never hope to challenge in their lifetime.
But now, things were different.
Now, they followed a lord who was both benevolent and overwhelmingly powerful.
As yokai under Ren Kuroda's command—and with the current successor of the Nura Clan proving to be nothing more than a useless disappointment—ideas naturally began to form.
Everyone understood one simple truth: a lord's glory is reflected through his followers.Since they had chosen Ren Kuroda as their master, they naturally hoped he would rise to the very top.
What's more, the yokai beneath Ren's banner firmly believed that his charisma, resolve, and raw strength far surpassed those of the third-generation successor of the Nura Clan standing before them.
Among yokai, the law of the jungle reigned supreme.
The Nura Clan's current reputation had been forged through countless battles.And now, Ren Kuroda's Oni Combat Academy was also steadily growing stronger—its executives only slightly inferior to the elite of the Nura Clan.
So why couldn't they challenge for the title of Lord of All Yokai?
With that thought, the expressions of the yokai observing Nura Rikuo from the shadows subtly but completely changed.
He was the third-generation successor of the Nura Clan—and a total failure at that.
If they killed him here, wouldn't the Nura Clan be left without a successor?And wouldn't that give Lord Ren Kuroda a perfect opportunity to contend for the supreme position?
"Do you intend to disobey Lord Ren Kuroda's orders?"
A cold, dangerous gaze swept across the group.
A petite girl stepped forward—long black hair cascading down her back, cat ears twitching atop her head, and a forked cat tail swaying slowly behind her.
Her voice was calm, but the threat behind it was unmistakable.
"Don't be so stiff, Nekomata," another yokai replied. "Don't you think Lord Ren Kuroda has far more of the aura of a Hundred-Demons Lord than this third-generation successor of the Nura Clan?"
"Lord Ren Kuroda is naturally the greatest existence," the cat demon replied without hesitation, her eyes shining with unwavering devotion."Even compared to the so-called Supreme Commander of Yokai, Nurarihyon."
Her expression hardened.
"But Lord Ren Kuroda has already made it clear—we are not allowed to attack humans indiscriminately. If you disobey his orders… I won't show any mercy."
The nekomata girl was a die-hard follower of Ren Kuroda, and she voiced her admiration openly and without restraint.
Admiration, however, did not mean indulgence.
She would never allow the others to act recklessly.
Seeing her unyielding stance, the surrounding yokai all wore troubled expressions.
Everyone knew that their lord favored the cat demon—and that she was the strongest among them.
If she truly intended to stop them, none of the others could oppose her.
"Lord Ren Kuroda did say we can't attack humans indiscriminately," one of them said slowly."But that Nura Rikuo isn't an ordinary human. He has yokai blood flowing through his veins."
"Besides, we're not talking about killing him. Just testing him a little.Let's see what makes this so-called Nura Clan successor worthy of being compared to Lord Ren Kuroda."
After some persuasion, the cat demon finally relented.
She would never disobey Ren Kuroda's orders—but as the others pointed out, the target was not a true "innocent human."
And more than anyone else, as the very first yokai in this world to follow Ren Kuroda—saved personally by him—the cat demon harbored the deepest admiration and loyalty toward her lord.
Which was precisely why, when she looked at Nura Rikuo, she felt the greatest dissatisfaction of all.
Rikuo, walking side by side with Kana, sensed something wrong from the very beginning.
At first, it was just waves of demonic energy brushing against his back, sending chills crawling up his spine.
But soon, the sensation changed.
The cold presence vanished—replaced instead by naked hostility and a crushing sense of danger.
At that moment, Rikuo felt genuine panic.
Although he was nominally the third-generation successor to the position of Supreme Commander of Yokai, only he knew how limited his actual abilities were.
Back home, the yokai of the Nura Clan deferred to him because of his status as "young master."
Out here, that privilege meant nothing.
From the sheer volume of demonic energy surrounding him, Rikuo knew there were many yokai present—far more than he could handle.
If he were alone, escape might still be possible.
But Kana was with him.
If he fled, how could Kana—an ordinary human—possibly survive?
Yet almost immediately, Rikuo realized his fears were unfounded.
The yokai under Ren Kuroda's command had absolutely no interest in Kana at all.
In fact, worried that she might be accidentally injured during the upcoming confrontation—and thereby violate their lord's orders—they went so far as to remove her from the battlefield entirely.
Just as Rikuo opened his mouth to speak, a bound spirit suddenly appeared behind Kana and gently covered her eyes.
"Kana—!"
Hearing Rikuo's voice and about to turn around, Kana was abruptly plunged into complete darkness.
Before she could even cry out, the solid floor beneath her feet began to ripple like water, rising and pushing her forward.
When her vision finally returned, she found herself lying outside the old school building.
"Kana! Kana—are you alright?!"
Rikuo shouted desperately as he watched his childhood friend vanish into the darkness.
Everything had happened too fast—far too fast for him to react.
Terrified that Kana might be hurt, Rikuo didn't hesitate for even a second and rushed after her.
But the moment he moved forward, a group of monsters appeared before him, blocking his path.
There were warriors shaped like terracotta statues, girls with cat ears and tails, and even lanterns with eyes and grinning mouths.
A bizarre, grotesque lineup.
Judging from their features alone, these were unmistakably yokai.
An ordinary person would have been paralyzed with fear at the sight—but Rikuo, the grandson of the Supreme Commander Nurarihyon, had grown up surrounded by monsters.
To him, this scene was nothing unusual at all.
And yet, the weight of the killing intent filling the air made one thing painfully clear—
This was no friendly encounter.