After the battle with the Shikoku yokai, the sphere of influence belonging to Gyōto-in formally withdrew from the territory controlled by the Nura Clan, relocating instead to a nearby stretch of land that ostensibly belonged to no one.
Calling it "unclaimed" wasn't entirely accurate.
Originally, there had been a yokai force occupying the area—but the so-called local boss only possessed strength at around C+ rank.
When Nekomata and the other Gyōto-in executives casually released their yokai pressure and looked ready to swarm him all at once, the poor guy practically pissed himself on the spot and immediately dropped to his knees before Ren Kuroda, kowtowing without the slightest hesitation.
That yokai's name was Amanojaku—a C+–rank troublemaker who had long holed up in this backwater region, living a relatively obedient life.
He enjoyed pulling pranks, sure, but because of the nearby presence of the Nura Clan, he'd never dared go too far.
The territory he controlled was remote, underdeveloped, and sparsely populated—so much so that none of the nearby big shots had any interest in it.
Because of that, Amanojaku and his handful of underlings had actually lived quite comfortably here for many years.
What he never could've imagined was that one day, this "birds-don't-even-poop-here" little patch of land would catch the eye of powerful great yokai.
That evening, just as dusk settled in, Amanojaku was preparing—like always—to take his underlings down the mountain to a nearby town to scrounge up some easy gains.
But halfway down the mountain, he suddenly heard a voice commenting that this place seemed pretty nice… and that they were thinking of settling down here.
Hearing Ren's voice—clear as day, yet with no one in sight—Amanojaku flew into an instant rage.
At first, he assumed it was some suicidal humans who didn't know whose mountain this was.
Settle here?
Did they think Lord Amanojaku was made of clay?!
Fuming, Amanojaku gathered his subordinates and stormed toward the source of the voice, fully intending to not only pull a few pranks—but spill some blood and teach those humans a lesson.
Then he froze.
Because the moment he got closer, he felt it.
A massive surge of dense yokai aura filled the air.
What had arrived on his mountain weren't humans at all—
It was a large group of yokai.
And worse, Amanojaku keenly sensed that several of those auras weren't any weaker than his own.
All that earlier bravado drained from him in an instant.
Amanojaku had ruled this area for so long not just because the surrounding big shots looked down on this land—but because he knew how to read the situation.
It wasn't that Lord Amanojaku was a coward.
It was that the enemy was numerous.
Sure, he might be able to take on ten alone—but as an experienced boss, he wasn't about to let his underlings die for nothing.
So he decided on a strategic retreat.
After all, these guys probably wouldn't stay long. Maybe they were just passing through—like those "Shikoku yokai" before them.
This place was a wasteland. Any yokai with real power wouldn't normally settle here.
Unfortunately for him, just as Amanojaku was preparing to withdraw with his men and lay low somewhere else until these newcomers left—
A Nekomata and a hulking brute blocked his path.
Amanojaku could sense Gyōto-in's yokai aura, and naturally, they had also noticed him long before he got close.
The massive figure standing in his way was none other than Tear-Washing Oni.
Ever since rescuing Hooked Needle Woman from Tamazuki's grasp, Tear-Washing Oni and the others had become utterly loyal to Ren.
And after witnessing Ren's battle with Inugami Gyōbu-danuki, that loyalty had only deepened into absolute devotion.
Only now did they truly understand—
Compared to Tamazuki, whom they had once served, Ren didn't just possess greater talent and strength.
He also had something Tamazuki never did:
Charisma.
Despite being an A-rank great yokai—someone who could even clash head-on with a legendary elder like Inugami Gyōbu-danuki—Ren carried no arrogance at all.
To the Hyakki Yagyō under his command, he treated them not as expendable tools, but as family and comrades.
That atmosphere made even newcomers like Hooked Needle Woman feel at ease.
Back when they were part of the "Seven Walkers," serving Tamazuki, the only thing surrounding them had been fear.
But Ren's way of leading made them feel relaxed—safe.
And it confirmed what they already knew:
Choosing to follow this man instead of returning to Shikoku with Inugami Gyōbu-danuki had been the right decision.
Among the three who defected, if loyalty were ranked, Hooked Needle Woman—whom Ren had personally saved—would unquestionably be first.
Second was Tear-Washing Oni, who now practically worshiped Ren.
Strictly speaking, despite the "oni" in his name, Tear-Washing Oni wasn't truly related to the Oni Clan.
But that didn't stop him from admiring Ren—a genuine oni-blooded powerhouse with terrifying physical strength.
Especially after Ren taught him some practical strength-control techniques used by the Oni Clan, Tear-Washing Oni's devotion skyrocketed, nearly rivaling that of Nekomata herself.
"Lord Ren," Tear-Washing Oni said, pointing ahead,
"he's the yokai who controlled this region. When the Seven Walkers passed through before, he even hosted us."
When Tamazuki and the Seven Walkers had entered the Kantō region earlier, they had passed through this very area. So the moment Tear-Washing Oni saw Amanojaku, he recognized him as the local boss.
"You—! It's you guys…!" Amanojaku blurted out.
"You went and picked a fight with the Nura Clan and still came back alive?!"
Tear-Washing Oni recognized Amanojaku—and Amanojaku naturally recognized the hulking Shikoku yokai who'd passed through days earlier.
What shocked him was that these Shikoku yokai had stirred trouble on Nura Clan territory… and survived.
Could it be true that the Nura Clan had really fallen this far?
"No, wait…" Amanojaku muttered, scanning the group.
"Some faces are missing. And the leader before—wasn't his name… Tama…zuki?"
He spotted familiar figures like Hooked Needle Woman and Cliffside Monk—but the leader this time clearly wasn't the same person.
"Cut the crap," Tear-Washing Oni snapped, smacking Amanojaku square on the head.
"Tamazuki is history. This here—Lord Ren—is the true master!
"He's taken a liking to your land. By yokai rules, you either scram on your own—or fight us for it and lose."
Mentioning Tamazuki was the one thing Amanojaku shouldn't have done.
For Tear-Washing Oni and the others, that name had become taboo.
They'd nearly died for that man—only to learn he'd planned to sacrifice them to a cursed blade.
Thinking back on it now just made them furious at their own stupidity.
Amanojaku and his subordinates froze for a moment, then looked toward the so-called "Lord Ren."
Compared to the towering, aura-heavy yokai around him, Ren looked… ordinary.
Handsome, sure—but otherwise unremarkable.
And yet—
A yokai like Tear-Washing Oni, whose strength rivaled his own, looked at this young man with pure admiration.
A few days ago, Tear-Washing Oni had followed someone called "Lord Tamazuki" through here too.
But the look in his eyes back then was nothing like this.
He'd obeyed Tamazuki out of fear.
This was different.
Amanojaku wasn't just good at reading the room—he was smart.
After hesitating for a brief moment, he made his decision.
He dropped to his knees and bowed deeply toward Ren, bringing his underlings with him, begging to be accepted as subordinates.
Territory disputes among yokai were common—completely normal.
Whoever had the bigger fist got the land.
Even if Ren took his territory, Amanojaku wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
Fight to the death to defend it?
Don't be stupid.
Sure, he was C+ rank—but the other side had at least ten at that level.
And behind them was a black sea of nearly a thousand yokai.
Fight that with what—his skull?
And Amanojaku wasn't naive enough to believe that someone commanding this many yokai could possibly be an ordinary human.
In short, fighting meant certain death.
Running away meant not knowing where to go.
So after seeing Tear-Washing Oni's reverent gaze, Amanojaku finally chose the simplest solution—
If you can't beat them, join them.
Though Amanojaku's former territory was a sparsely populated mountain forest, suddenly hosting nearly a thousand yokai meant they didn't even have enough places to sleep.
But materials weren't an issue.
They had manpower—tons of it.
No supplies? Fine. They'd gather everything on-site.
Stone and timber were everywhere in the mountains.
And as yokai, they didn't even need tools.
Smashing rock with bare hands. Cutting down trees in a single stroke.
Child's play.
Ren merely provided a blueprint.
A group of absurdly capable yokai finished constructing a grand, antique-style mansion in just a few days.
Nekomata handled material cutting.
Tear-Washing Oni did transport.
Cliffside Monk managed water systems.
Hooked Needle Woman handled fastening and pinning.
Others tilled soil, wove materials, and filled in wherever needed.
Watching the massive residence rise at a visibly ridiculous speed, Ren—who was supervising—could only stare in stunned silence.
Honestly…
Yokai physiques were just unfair.
If they ever failed in the yokai world and entered human society to start a construction company, they'd make a killing.
This was professional synergy at its finest.
Cliffside Monk building swimming pools.
Tear-Washing Oni hauling materials.
Seriously—
This was way too perfect.
..
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