As for the Demon King's Little Hammer, Ren Kuroda had no desire for it whatsoever.
There was no denying that the weapon's ability was absurdly powerful—strong enough to border on the outrageous. Any yokai slain by the blade would have its power converted directly into the wielder's own.
If enough yokai were killed, then even a lowly minor spirit could, in the shortest possible time, evolve into a full-fledged great yokai.
But overwhelming power always came with a price.
The Demon King's Little Hammer had been formed from the heart of Yamamoto Gorōzaemon, and that alone marked it as something profoundly ominous. Power gained through such means was inherently flawed—no different from artifacts like the Killing Stone. Ren had always treated objects like that with wary distance.
Speaking of Yamamoto Gorōzaemon, most people had probably never even heard of the name.
Yet in truth, he was a Demon King on par with Abe no Seimei himself—his danger and raw power far surpassing even the Kyoto great yokai Hagoromo-Gitsune.
Yamamoto Gorōzaemon had originally been a timber magnate during the Genroku era. After amassing enormous wealth, however, he grew dissatisfied with mere mortal success and began harboring ambitions of ascending to the level of gods and buddhas.
To that end, he began recklessly plundering fear—畏—from across the land. His methods were brutal and excessive, eventually provoking the ire of the Nura Clan of that era.
In the end, he was cut down by the strongest yokai of the time: Nura Rihan.
But even Rihan—the most powerful half-demon of his generation—was unable to erase Yamamoto Gorōzaemon completely.
Before dying, Yamamoto performed the Hyakumonogatari ritual, transforming himself into Hyakumonogatari: The Hundredth Tale, ascending as the Demon King Yamamoto Gorōzaemon.
After his body became yokai, it fragmented into numerous powerful entities. Among them were seven beings collectively known as the Seven Executives of the Hyakumonogatari:
Yamamoto's Mouth — Maruushio
Yamamoto's Ear — Yanagita
Yamamoto's Eye — Ō-Jizō
Yamamoto's Hand — Kyōsai
Yamamoto's Skin — Jusaburō
Yamamoto's Bones — Raiden
Yamamoto's Duodenum — Akui no Nokaze
At the center of it all was Yamamoto's Brain — Yamamoto Gorōzaemon, the true leader of the Hyakumonogatari.
As for the weapon in Tamazuki's hands—the so-called Demon King's Little Hammer—it was also known as Yamamoto's Heart. Though it was called a sword, it was closer to a living yokai in nature.
Those so-called Seven Executives were each merely fragments of Yamamoto Gorōzaemon's body, yet every single one of them was a nightmarish existence to deal with. Among them, Yamamoto's Hand—Kyōsai was even capable of creating yokai outright.
If mere fragments were this powerful, there was no need to elaborate on how terrifying Yamamoto Gorōzaemon himself must have been.
The Demon King's Little Hammer was undeniably strong—but Ren had no interest in carrying around the heart of a legendary final boss. Who knew when it might stab him in the back?
And controlling the weapon was clearly no simple matter. Tamazuki, as he was now, was obvious proof—his mind already dominated by the blade in his hand.
Only a weapon you could command truly counted as a weapon. Tamazuki, on the other hand, had become nothing more than the Little Hammer's puppet.
As more and more yokai fell beneath his feet, the yokai power surging within Tamazuki continued to skyrocket.
Previously, he'd been roughly on par with Nura Rikuo, sitting at a solid B-rank. After slaughtering vast numbers of yokai, his power surged to B+, and there were already clear signs of him pressing against the barrier of A−.
His face was twisted in madness.
He had never experienced power growing this fast—this intoxicating.
At this rate, if he slaughtered all of the Nura Clan's yokai here, then not only would Rikuo be no match for him—even Rikuo's father would fall.
No… as long as the Demon King's Little Hammer had enough "fuel," Tamazuki could become the strongest yokai in history.
Lord of the Hundred Demons?
That title was too small.
Tamazuki would rule all yokai in Japan.
"Young Master, I finally remember now!" Kurotabō shouted, staring at the blade in Tamazuki's hands.
"That sword is the Demon King's Little Hammer! We can't let him keep going—if this continues, no one will be able to stop him!"
As a former executive of the Hyakumonogatari, Kurotabō instantly recognized the weapon that absorbed yokai power. It was Yamamoto's Heart—the Demon King's Little Hammer.
And if Tamazuki was allowed to continue slaughtering, no one would be able to rein him in.
Hearing this, Nura Rikuo finally grasped the gravity of the situation and once again used Mirror Flower, Water Moon to close in on Tamazuki.
At the same time, Kurotabō, Kubinashi, and the others exchanged glances and charged together.
This was no longer about fairness.
Everyone could see how terrifyingly fast Tamazuki's power was increasing. If he kept killing, even the Nura Clan might not be able to suppress him.
As his yokai power surged, even the wounds he'd sustained earlier began healing at a frightening pace.
When Rikuo once again approached using 畏 and swung Mimikirimaru, the attack failed to land any meaningful damage.
Worse still, Tamazuki was no longer unaware of Rikuo's approach. He sensed Rikuo hidden within the fear-filled air and struck first.
The blade sliced through Rikuo's 畏. Just as it was about to deal a fatal blow, Kubinashi arrived in time, blocking it with his silk threads.
Even so, Rikuo staggered back, staring at the torn shoulder of his haori—and the shallow cut beneath it.
Overconfidence had nearly cost him an arm.
As Kubinashi and Kurotabō pulled Rikuo back, Tamazuki glanced at the blood already absorbed into his blade. His manic grin never faded.
With his power skyrocketing, he no longer regarded Rikuo or the Nura Clan as threats.
After absorbing Rikuo's blood, Tamazuki's yokai power completely shattered the limits of B-rank, reaching A−.
It was only a single rank difference—but the gap between B and A was like heaven and earth.
Kurotabō and Aotabō might both be solid B-rank yokai, but before an A-rank great yokai, they were effectively nothing.
With overwhelming power came overwhelming perception. Tamazuki could now ignore most forms of 畏, just as he'd effortlessly pierced through the previously elusive Slippery Monk's techniques.
Rikuo, Kubinashi, Kurotabō, and Aotabō represented the Nura Clan's strongest lineup.
Yet even together, they couldn't take Tamazuki down.
As time dragged on, Rikuo grew increasingly anxious.
Night might be long—but dawn would always come.
With only a quarter yokai blood, Rikuo could maintain his Slippery Monk form only at night. Once day broke, he'd revert to his human form—and then the balance would shatter completely.
What he didn't realize was that Tamazuki was even more furious.
Despite becoming this powerful, he still couldn't crush Rikuo and the others outright.
"My power still isn't enough!"
"The Demon King's Little Hammer needs more fuel!"
Completely controlled by the blade, Tamazuki's mind was filled with nothing but slaughter—grow stronger, then kill Rikuo.
But after his earlier frenzy, even his own subordinates no longer dared approach him.
On the Nura Clan's side, they deliberately kept weaker fighters away—Ice Maiden included—fearing they'd only become fuel for the blade.
Desperate for more power, Tamazuki scanned the battlefield and quickly found his next target, abandoning Rikuo entirely.
He charged straight toward where Kugihime was locked in combat with Kejorō.
Slaughtering small fry was too slow now. Tamazuki had set his sights on stronger prey.
And not just Kejorō—his mind fully consumed by the blade, he no longer cared about debts or favors.
Kugihime would be caught in the attack as well.
"Kino! Watch out! His mind is completely gone!" Rikuo shouted.
They tried to intercept—but Tamazuki was now far faster than any of them. Four-on-one, they could stall him—but if he chose to disengage, none of them could keep up.
Kubinashi's silk threads were torn apart with ease, forcing him to shout Kejorō's name in warning.
As Tamazuki came charging in, eyes bloodshot, intent on wiping them both out, their reactions couldn't have been more different.
Kejorō was terrified.
Kugihime felt only despair.
Now she finally understood what Ren Kuroda had meant earlier.
No wonder he'd said that Inugami dying at Tamazuki's hands might have been the best possible outcome. Compared to her, Inugami had truly been loyal.
In an instant, Tamazuki appeared before them, raising the Demon King's Little Hammer high.
Even with warnings, they couldn't escape—if even Rikuo couldn't catch him, how could they?
Clang—!
A silver arc tore through the air.
But the blade didn't strike Kugihime or Kejorō.
It was stopped—blocked by another sword.
A calm, amused voice followed.
"After being here this long, I've finally run into someone who looks at least a little worthwhile."
"Even if we haven't officially shared a drink yet, this guy counts as my people."
"If I let you cut him down like that… wouldn't that make me a terrible boss?"