"So that's the half-demon the young master was talking about?In that case… the Old Rat Group must be his enemies too. That's perfect—we can help the young master get his revenge later."
After Aotabo's explanation, Kurotabo and the others finally understood.
So that was why their young master had been staring at that boy. It turned out he was the one who had woken—no, crushed—their young master earlier tonight.
"I don't think they're working with the Old Rat Group. Judging by the situation, they seem to be at a stalemate," Kurotabo said, narrowing his eyes."But what I find strange is this—aren't you saying the girl beside the one who defeated our young master is an onmyoji? And the thing she's riding… that's a shikigami, right?""If that man is really the same as our young master—a half-demon—then why is he mixed up with onmyoji?"
Once it was confirmed that Ren Kuroda was the one who had defeated Nura Rikuo, the Nura Clan's attention naturally shifted toward Ren and his group.
And standing right beside Ren, Yura inevitably drew their eyes as well.
No matter how they looked at it, the massive wolf she was riding and the weapon in her hands were both steeped in unmistakable shikigami aura. There was no doubt—she was an onmyoji.
Which raised an unsettling question.
Why would a yokai—no, even a half-yokai—be standing side by side with an onmyoji?
What shocked the Nura Clan even more was what Yura said next.
The issue with the Rat Demon Clan wasn't even resolved yet, and now an entire horde of yokai had appeared out of nowhere. Yura instinctively tensed, her expression turning wary.
She could clearly sense that these newly arrived yokai were on an entirely different level from the Old Rat Group.
The demonic pressure rolling off them made even Tanrō—the Greedy Wolf—uneasy, and their numbers far exceeded those of the rat demons from before.
"B-Brother… what should we do?" Yura asked softly."Another huge group of yokai has arrived, and this time they seem much stronger."
Witnessing the Hyakki Yagyō—the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—Yura couldn't help but feel a surge of complicated emotion: awe, admiration, and a quiet sense of shock.
Kanto really is just as the rumors say…
As the land ruled by the Lord of Yokai, demons truly walked openly here.
She had only come out tonight to scout the area, yet she had already encountered so many powerful yokai. This was the first time Yura had ever faced such numbers.
But as a member of the Keikain family, her pride wouldn't allow her to turn and flee.
Judging from how calmly her senior had handled the situation earlier, he was clearly far more experienced than she was when it came to dealing with yokai.
So Yura looked toward Ren and silently decided to follow his lead.
"Uh… well, please don't call me 'brother.' It feels kind of weird," Ren said awkwardly."Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Ren Kuroda. As you can see, I'm an onmyoji. You can call me Kuroda—or just Ren."
Hearing Yura call him "brother" again—and noticing the increasingly strange looks on Nura Rikuo and the others—Ren hurriedly corrected her, his expression darkening.
Being called "brother" by a beautiful girl wasn't exactly unpleasant. But first, they were complete strangers. And second—if Ren remembered correctly—this girl supposedly had a brother with a terrifying sister complex.
For his own safety, Ren decided it was best not to accept that title.
Besides, if his true identity were exposed in the future, and the main branch of the Keikain clan found out that their genius prodigy had been calling a half-demon her "big brother"…
That would probably end in bloodshed.
What Ren didn't know was that the moment he corrected Yura and introduced himself, the expressions of the Nura Clan members became even stranger.
Among them, the most dramatic reactions came from Nura Rikuo, Aotabo, and Hyōri.
Their expressions were uncannily identical.
They were all looking at Ren with undisguised contempt.
In their eyes, Ren was blatantly deceiving an innocent girl.
Ren Kuroda—an onmyoji?
If someone else said it, maybe they'd believe it.
But after personally witnessing Ren's overwhelming demonic power, Nura Rikuo and the others would sooner believe that Nurarihyon hated visiting other people's homes, or that Yuki-onna was afraid of the cold, than believe Ren was an onmyoji.
It was absurd.
A being with demonic power rivaling that of a Great Demon… claiming to be an onmyoji?
That had to be a joke.
"Little girl," Ren said seriously, as if completely unaware of the Nura Clan's reactions."Since we've chosen the path of onmyoji, encountering yokai is inevitable.""No matter how strong the enemy is—or how strong we are—maintaining a calm mindset is essential.""If you're afraid before the battle even begins, it'll affect everything you do afterward."
Watching Ren earnestly lecture the onmyoji girl beside him, Nura Rikuo's expression twisted with disdain.
To him, Ren—the shameless impostor—was blatantly toying with the girl.
Although onmyoji and yokai were sworn enemies, the Nura Clan was one of the rare yokai factions that didn't harbor hatred toward humans. They generally wouldn't attack onmyoji unless provoked.
"Yes! Thank you for your guidance, Kuroda-senpai," Yura said brightly, eyes shining with admiration."So… should we eliminate all the yokai here?"
Hearing Ren's words, Yura—who had previously worn a blank expression—now looked at him with open respect, feeling ashamed of her earlier panic.
She was praised as a genius within the Keikain family, yet the sudden appearance of so many yokai had shaken her composure.
In contrast, her senior Ren had remained calm and unflustered even while surrounded by monsters.
A true role model…
"Their motives aren't clear," Ren replied calmly."Let's deal with the rat yokai who tried to harm us first.""If the situation turns unfavorable, retreating isn't shameful.""Staying alive is the prerequisite to saving others."
Watching the onmyoji girl all but worship Ren—and seeing his own spotlight stolen yet again—Nura Rikuo finally snapped.
"You bastard! You're not an onmyoji at all—!"
Just as Rikuo was about to expose Ren's shameless lie—
Something utterly unbelievable happened.
Ren ignored everyone else entirely and charged straight toward the previously neglected leader of the Old Rat Group.
To Nura Rikuo's shock, Ren pulled out a fistful of talismans.
His hands blurred as he formed rapid seals, and the talismans floated into the air without wind, guided by his movements.
"Tianpeng—Tiantian—Tiandong—Tianfu—Tianqin—Tianxin—Tianzhu—Tianren—Tianying!""Qingyang is Heaven! Zhuoyin is Earth!""I beseech the guardian gods—slay and destroy evil!""Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"
The speed of his hand seals was dazzling. The incantation itself sounded incomprehensible to ordinary ears.
As Ren poured out his spiritual power, the talismans orbiting him began to glow intensely.
The light grew brighter and brighter—until they transformed into blazing meteors.
Arranged in a precise stellar pattern, they streaked through the air and slammed into the Old Rat Group's leader one after another!
The rat demon leader, already furious from being ignored, had restrained himself only because the sudden arrival of the Nura Clan was overwhelmingly oppressive.
Two onmyoji were already more than enough trouble. If he angered the Nura Clan as well, death would be inevitable.
He could roughly guess why the Nura Clan had appeared—but with the onmyoji, the greatest enemies of yokai, now present, he saw a slim chance of survival.
The Nura Clan had never liked the Old Rat Group anyway.
If the onmyoji and the Nura Clan clashed, his own group might escape—or even profit from the chaos.
It was a good plan.
But he never imagined that the damned onmyoji would completely ignore the Nura Clan and attack him instead!
Even if you pick on the weak—were they, the Old Rat Group, really the weak ones?!
Facing the meteor-like talismans hurtling toward him, the rat demon leader roared and slashed out with his claws.
But just as his claws were about to make contact—
Ren, crouched low, suddenly changed his hand seals.
"Bind! Bind! Immovable restraint!""Divine decree descends—so be it!"
A Yin–Yang magic circle flared beneath the rat demon's feet once more.
The instant he saw it, his heart sank.
Just as before, glowing chains erupted from the circle, wrapping tightly around his limbs.
This time, Ren had poured in even more spiritual power.
The chains were thicker, heavier—completely unbreakable in the short term.
All the rat demon leader could do was stare in horror as the blazing talismans, arranged like a falling star formation, smashed directly into his body.
This Yin–Yang technique was the strongest Ren had mastered—one of the advanced spells taught by the Onmyoji Academy.
The family that had shared it wasn't exactly altruistic.
While powerful, the technique was notoriously complex, consumed enormous amounts of spiritual energy, and required extremely expensive talismans.
That was why few onmyoji ever chose to learn it.
But unlike the heirs of prestigious families with their own secret arts, Ren Kuroda had been a complete nobody.
He'd had no other choice.
For him, being able to learn an advanced Yin–Yang technique at all was already a blessing.