When Knight Commander Foken first heard that someone had gotten into a fight with Taguchi Shogo and the other two, the first name that crossed his mind was Ren Kuroda.
After all, there weren't many true powerhouses in Falmuth. Anyone capable of clashing head-on with those three and not immediately being crushed had to be someone of the same caliber.
"But didn't you say earlier that only one person entered the city?" Razan asked, frowning."Then what's with all the people standing beside him now?"
Ren Kuroda and Spider Princess both possessed the ability to conceal their presence. Hand-Washing Oni and the Samurai Spirit, however, did not.
Because of that, the intensity of the aura they were giving off was perfectly clear to Razan.
It wasn't overwhelming enough to shock him outright—but there was no mistaking it. These were not ordinary beings.
"Old man! Why are you just standing there?! Hurry up and save me!""And send more people! Wipe these bastards out completely!"
Seeing his "saviors" arrive, Taguchi Shogo—lying on the ground with a swollen, battered face—immediately stopped begging for mercy and began shouting instead.
"Shut up," Razan snapped, his irritation flaring instantly."You lot getting away with your usual nonsense is one thing, but I distinctly remember warning you before. This world is full of powerful people. Arrogance like yours will get you killed someday."
Razan was furious.
He and Foken had been discussing how to build goodwill with Ren Kuroda—how to slowly maneuver things to eventually gain access to his body and abilities.
And now these three idiots had gone and completely pissed him off.
"This young man," Razan said, turning his gaze to Ren,"this is the capital of the Kingdom of Falmuth—Maris. I understand these three very well."
"You've already vented your anger enough. If you're willing to stop here and release Taguchi Shogo and Mizutani Kisei, then we can still keep this from becoming irreversible."
Razan despised the three reincarnators. They caused trouble, acted without restraint, and were unbearably self-important.
But the unique abilities they possessed were something he coveted deeply.
Letting them die here—losing any chance to obtain those powers—was something he was extremely reluctant to accept.
Moreover, Ren Kuroda was standing here, in Maris, the capital of Falmuth.
Behind them stood not only an entire kingdom, but an army of fifty thousand soldiers.
Razan's words were half persuasion, half threat.
Judging by the fact that Ren and his companions had defeated the three reincarnators, Razan acknowledged their strength.
But just like Tachibana Kyoya, Razan didn't believe that a handful of people could stand against fifty thousand troops.
Not to mention himself—Archmage Razan—and the Empire's strongest knight commander, Foken.
Neither of them was someone to take lightly.
"Yes," Foken added calmly, stepping forward."Ren Kuroda, this never needed to escalate to a matter of life and death."
"If you're willing to release Taguchi Shogo and the others, you'll remain an honored guest of Falmuth.If you wish, I can even help you obtain a noble title directly from His Majesty."
After hearing the full story from the guards, Foken also chose to intervene.
Ren Kuroda chuckled softly.
"So this is how Falmuth does things," he said."Whichever side has more people automatically assumes it's going to win."
"Those three thought the same way earlier. And now… so do you."
He shook his head, amusement fading into something colder.
"Honestly, there wasn't much of a grudge to begin with. At first, I only planned to teach them a lesson."
"But the moment they tried to kill me, this stopped being a small matter."
"If someone wants you dead—would you really let them keep breathing in this world?"
With that, Ren Kuroda casually lifted Taguchi Shogo off the ground.
Right in front of Foken and Razan—
He crushed the man's head as easily as squeezing a ripe watermelon.
Blood and bone splattered across the street.
"Trash like that is nothing but wasted air," Ren said flatly."And given their spiteful personalities, even if I spared them, they wouldn't feel gratitude."
"So why keep unstable liabilities around at all?"
Razan's eyes nearly split open with fury.
Watching Taguchi Shogo die right in front of him, his gaze burned into Ren with undisguised rage.
He hadn't cared about their lives.
But the chance to obtain their unique abilities—
That loss made his heart ache.
He was Archmage Razan—renowned even beyond the borders of Falmuth.
Ren Kuroda's blatant disregard for him felt no different from a direct provocation.
Unfortunately for Razan, Ren didn't care in the slightest.
After all, Razan wasn't some red-haired pirate who ate a "Face-Face Fruit."
He didn't deserve special treatment.
"Very well," Razan said, his voice trembling with fury."Very well! You've succeeded in angering me."
"You will learn the consequences of provoking a mage who stands at the pinnacle of humanity—and one who holds power within a kingdom!"
"Foken! Mobilize all guards immediately! Inform His Majesty at once!""Declare that enemy assassins have infiltrated the city! Seal Maris completely!"
As Razan's rage exploded outward, so did his immense magical energy.
That day, Maris became anything but peaceful.
Large numbers of guards began flooding toward the commercial district for reasons no one could immediately understand.
Civilians attempting to approach were forcibly driven away.Even the nobles were left utterly confused, unable to comprehend why such a massive mobilization had occurred.
No one could have imagined that all of this—
Stemmed from something as small as an ordinary civilian mother and daughter.
Soon, an ocean of soldiers surrounded the entire area.
The merchants who had been watching earlier were long gone. With the military involved, being mistaken for an accomplice would have been disastrous.
The mother from the fruit stand nearly fainted on the spot when she saw countless soldiers encircling them.
The little girl in her arms could only cling to her mother, sobbing uncontrollably.
She didn't understand what she had done wrong.
She had only grabbed the big sister who ate their fruit without paying.
Why were all these scary soldier uncles bullying them?
"Don't be afraid," Ren Kuroda said gently, kneeling down."This situation happened partly because of me. Big brother promises I'll protect you."
Seeing the child crying, Ren felt his chest tighten.
He quickly pulled out a handful of gold coins—earned earlier from selling monster corpses—and stuffed them into the little girl's arms.
"This is compensation for the stall I accidentally broke."
The glittering gold instantly stole the girl's attention.
Their family made a living selling fruit—the largest denomination she had ever seen was a silver coin.
Gold coins were something she'd never even imagined.
She stared at them in awe, completely forgetting to cry, and excitedly asked her mother whether this money could buy lots of candy and pretty clothes.
Not wanting her own despair to frighten her daughter, the woman forced a smile and nodded.
"Thank you, big brother," the girl said brightly."You're different from those bad people. Nini likes you."
Ren smiled warmly.
Then he turned toward the sea of soldiers, raised the arm bearing his engraved emblem, and grinned.
"Didn't expect the first time I used this skill… to be in a situation like this."
As Ren's magical energy surged outward—
Razan's expression darkened.
As a mage, he could feel it clearly.
Ren Kuroda's magical output was far greater than his own.
And what terrified him even more—
Was realizing that Ren wasn't releasing his power just to show off.
He was preparing to cast magic.
Seven enormous magic circles lit up in front of Ren, arranged neatly in a row.
The combined radiance was so intense it left onlookers momentarily blinded.
"Old man! He's using summoning magic!" Tachibana Kyoya shouted desperately."The monsters beside him were summoned the same way! Stop his casting now!"
Kyoya panicked.
He knew those magic circles far too well.
They were the very things that had allowed Ren to summon monsters powerful enough to utterly crush them.
And now—
Seven of them.
If each summon was as strong as the previous ones…
Even with numbers on their side, this would be a bloodbath.
Razan didn't need Kyoya's warning.
With his level of magical expertise, he knew exactly what Ren was casting.
But interrupt it?
Interrupt what, exactly?!
There was no chanting.No buildup.No casting delay whatsoever.
How was he supposed to stop that?!
Such absurd summoning magic—ignoring both quantity limits and casting requirements—
The only explanation Razan could think of—
Was a reincarnator's unique skill.
As the seven magic circles flared, dazzling light erupted—
And seven figures of varying shapes slowly stepped forth.
"Nekomata, Hook-Haired Woman, Cliff Imp, Samurai Effigy, Amanojaku, Wall Warden, and Yamabiko—We answer the summons of Lord Ren Kuroda!"
All seven yokai knelt on one knee before Ren, just like Spider Princess and the others before them.
Among the newly summoned yokai, all but the Wall Warden hailed from the same world as the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
One figure stood out in particular—
A one-eyed yokai dressed in tiger-skin clothing, gripping a massive wooden club.
This was Yamabito, a new member who had joined Ren before he left that world.
Yamabito were said to be kind-hearted mountain yokai—walking upright, possessing tremendous strength, and willing to work for anyone who offered them rice balls as payment.
This particular Yamabito had originally lived on the mountain that later became Ren's base of operations.
The reason he joined?
Shockingly simple.
He didn't want to go hungry anymore.
A rare beacon of purity among yokai.