Hearing Tenjōin Yūto's blatantly arrogant words, Aotabō bristled and was about to retort—but Ren Kuroda raised a hand, stopping him.
Now that he knew Kana Iori was unharmed, Ren no longer felt panicked despite being surrounded by hostile yokai.
Because even if things truly escalated, just as Yūto had said, Ren was confident that he could use his Fear to escape—taking Hyōrei and Aotabō with him.
However, instead of leaving immediately, Ren fixed his gaze on Yūto.
Slowly, he raised Miyagirimaru, leveling the blade straight at him.
"They all keep saying you're a hundred times better than me in every way," Ren said calmly."I strongly disagree."
"So how about this—let's settle it properly."
"If you win, this misunderstanding ends here, and the Nura Clan won't use it as an excuse to trouble you."
"But if I happen to win, Tenjōin Yūto—then I want you to become one of my new Hyakki."
For a brief moment, Yūto's expression stiffened.
Then, slowly, a meaningful smile curved his lips.
Behind him, however, the nekomata and the other yokai instantly exploded in rage.
They had never believed Ren was superior to Yūto to begin with—and now this so-called third-generation heir was boldly declaring his intent to defeat their lord and recruit him?
It was an unforgivable insult.
"Lord Yūto, there's no need to entertain his nonsense!""Letting them leave was already merciful enough!""If they don't know what's good for them, then let's kill them all!""At worst, we'll fight the Nura Clan afterward!""Everything we have was given to us by Lord Yūto!""Even if we die, we have no regrets!"
As the demons surged with killing intent, Ren remained composed.
He had no interest in wasting energy on the rabble.
His crimson eyes stayed locked firmly on Yūto, waiting for his response.
"…You seem quite confident in your strength," Yūto said at last."Very well."
"Let's do as you suggest. A one-on-one duel."
"I'm also curious to see whether the Fear of the legendary Nurarihyon truly lives up to its reputation."
When Yūto accepted, the nekomata and the surrounding yokai glared at Ren with intense resentment—but an order was an order. Reluctantly, they withdrew.
Yūto and Ren—now fully in his yokai form—stood opposite one another as the surrounding demons cleared a wide circle.
Both sides watched with absolute confidence.
The yokai of the Oni-Touin had rarely seen Yūto fight directly, but they had personally experienced the suffocating pressure of his demonic presence.
As for Hyōrei and Aotabō, though they had only witnessed Ren's transformed state a handful of times, they understood better than anyone just how terrifying Nurarihyon's Fear truly was.
In a one-on-one duel, that power was practically cheating.
It was precisely this Fear that had allowed Nurarihyon to stand above all other yokai.
The battle began.
Ren struck first.
Before the eyes of hundreds of demons, his figure dissolved into the air like ink spreading across parchment.
"There he goes again—using that despicable trick!""And he dares call himself the heir of the Lord of a Hundred Demons?""He only knows how to sneak attack!""Why doesn't he face Lord Yūto head-on?!"
The yokai immediately jeered.
As subordinates of Yūto, they naturally took his side. Seeing Ren employ his Fear again only fueled their disdain.
"You idiots know nothing," Hyōrei snapped coldly."That's the Nurarihyon's Fear. This is a fair duel—what's wrong with our young master using his own power?"
Aotabō nodded grimly in agreement.
But the two of them were hopelessly outnumbered. There was no way they could argue against eight hundred demons.
Yūto, meanwhile, showed no panic at all.
Calmly, he drew his Nichirin Blade.
"Clang—!"
Steel rang sharply through the air.
Miyagirimaru, which had appeared behind Yūto in an instant, was effortlessly intercepted by his blade.
Ren once again showed a perfectly timed look of surprise.
…This was getting irritating.
Over the years, he had revealed himself only a handful of times.
Today, he finally made a proper appearance—and both of his attacks had been blocked.
The nekomata had relied on wild, animalistic intuition.
But Yūto?
What was his secret?
Was it the same—some form of danger perception?
And yet, even now, Ren still couldn't discern what kind of yokai Yūto truly was.
On the surface, Yūto was indistinguishable from an ordinary human.
There was no detectable yokai aura at all.
Human?
Impossible.
Eight hundred yokai—even if not an overwhelming number—were still far too many to swear loyalty to a mere human.
And many of them were powerful.
Cautious now, Ren chose not to press the attack.
His strike had failed—and so he dispersed once more, like ink flowing away from a painting, widening the distance between himself and Yūto.
The nekomata alone had already demonstrated remarkable strength.
For her to revere Yūto so absolutely…
Yūto's power had to be far greater.
Ren had proposed this duel himself.
Losing here would be unbearably humiliating.
Watching Ren retreat, Yūto—who had been preparing a counterattack—let out a soft, wry chuckle.
"So this is what the Nurarihyon calls Fear," he said."As rumored… it really is slippery."
"But there's something you need to understand."
"In battles between yokai, the deciding factor is ultimately the strength of demonic power."
"No matter how refined your Fear is—so long as my yokai power exceeds yours…"
"I can see through every illusion."
"A flower in the mirror? A moon reflected on water?" Yūto continued coolly."Then I'll shatter the mirror—and drain the water dry."
Ren, who had already used Flower in the Mirror, Moon in the Water to reposition himself for his next strike, hadn't yet grasped Yūto's meaning—
When suddenly—
Yūto's gaze snapped directly to Ren's location.
And in the next instant, his figure moved like a raging gale—
Closing the distance in a blink.