"Even though I don't particularly enjoy hunting prey that can't fight back, you should understand this much—struggling on the brink of death is nothing but a waste of time.To be able to block even a single strike of mine with such paltry strength… I suppose I can grudgingly acknowledge you as the master of that divine weapon."
"Just as I thought—anyone chosen by one of the Three Sacred Treasures is no ordinary little wretch.But even so, you can't change anything. Divine artifacts are still merely tools of the gods, while we are the true deities themselves. Compared to gods, humans aren't even worth calling ants."
Looking at the artificial being Yūto lying on the ground, his entire body soaked in blood after forcibly taking that slash head-on, the Night Blade God's previously indifferent gaze showed a faint trace of admiration.
Admiration aside, however, he had no intention of sparing anyone because of it. Raising the black scythe in his hand, he prepared to unleash a second strike.
As for the others who had just narrowly escaped death, when that suffocating pressure surged toward them once more, bitterness and unwillingness filled their faces.
Especially Kyōka Yamato—after seeing how grievously injured Yūto was, she actually picked up the Kusanagi Sword lying beside him and stepped in front of his fallen body, roaring furiously at the Night Blade God in the sky.
"Maybe to gods, humans are nothing more than ants!But even ants, with their tiny strength, can still shake the heavens if they have unwavering faith!That's what Yūto—the man I love—was trying to tell us just now!"
Her clothes were in disarray, her body battered, but gripping the Kusanagi Sword tightly, Kyōka Yamato stood resolutely in front of Yūto, shielding him as she faced the Night Blade God without the slightest hint of fear.
In that moment, she laid bare the feelings she had buried deep in her heart for so long.
She didn't know whether Yūto, now unconscious, could hear her—but for the sake of protecting someone precious to her, she could face anything without hesitation.
"A maiden in love? Human emotions?"The Night Blade God sneered lightly. "Such tedious, meaningless things.Still, for you to gain the recognition of the Kusanagi Sword as well… that does surprise me somewhat. But as I've already said, with your level of power, you can't change the outcome."
As she watched the scythe rise high once more, Kyōka Yamato raised her guard to the utmost.
Although she had never formally become the Kusanagi Sword's chosen master, she was still one of the exorcists acknowledged by it. Being able to wield the sword was nothing strange.
Whether she could actually withstand the Night Blade God's attack—she had no idea.But she had no other choice.
"What a shame… maybe I should've been honest sooner," she murmured softly."But this isn't so bad either. At least we'll die in the same place."
Looking at Yūto behind her, unconscious from his severe injuries, the usually cool and aloof Kyōka Yamato revealed a rare, gentle smile—then turned her gaze back to the god in the sky, her eyes once more filled with resolve.
On the surface, the Night Blade God spoke with clear disdain toward their futile, dying struggle, yet in truth, he found the two of them rather admirable.
Humans were ants—but every once in a while, a few interesting ones appeared among them.
Unfortunately, as he himself had said, admiration alone changed nothing.
Gripping the long black scythe with both hands, the Night Blade God decided that, for these two humans he found worthy of respect, he would at least grant them a relatively dignified death.
But just as he was about to strike, a sudden alarm blared within him—the instinct of a god screaming danger.
The scythe that had been poised to swing instead snapped into a defensive position.
"CLANG——!"
A heavy, muffled impact rang out as a figure with waist-length crimson hair and a furious expression appeared beside the Night Blade God out of nowhere, slamming a fist straight into the scythe.
Under the overwhelming force of Chaotic Divine Strength, the Night Blade God was blasted straight out of the air, skidding backward across the ground for a long distance before finally stabilizing himself.
"I don't give a damn what kind of god you are. This is my turf, and who lives or dies here is my call.You've been yapping nonstop since the moment you showed up—what, you think being a god makes you hot stuff? From where I'm standing, you don't look like much at all."
That's right—the one who had suddenly appeared was none other than Ren Kuroda himself, who had originally been preparing for a final showdown with Ibaraki-Dōji.
When the Night Blade God revealed himself and laid bare the gods' true intentions, Ibaraki-Dōji had completely lost any desire to continue fighting Ren.
The reason was simple—Ren was his junior. That was beyond any doubt.
To begin with, he had never intended to seriously harm Ren, only to give an unruly younger generation a lesson.
But the Night Blade God's arrival changed everything.
After hearing the god's words, even Ibaraki-Dōji was deeply shaken. He had never imagined that the resurgence of yokai in this world was entirely orchestrated by the gods themselves.
Yokai who treated humans as food—weren't they, in truth, nothing more than tools in the gods' hands as well?
For now, the gods needed yokai to threaten humanity and harvest faith to restore their power.
But once the gods established a new civilization… would yokai still be allowed to exist?
In the end, whether human or yokai, all were nothing more than ants to the gods.When useful, they could serve as tools. When not, they could be discarded at any moment.
After interrupting his battle with Ren, Ibaraki-Dōji urged him to stop being reckless and return with him to the oni clan.
What they had learned today was enough to reshape the entire world's balance.
No one wanted to live as something that could be casually slaughtered by another—yokai were no exception. They, too, refused to remain puppets of the gods.
The proud oni clan was no different. All Ibaraki-Dōji wanted now was to return to the clan as quickly as possible and prepare for the coming storm.
As for Ren, Ibaraki-Dōji had originally planned not to force him back.
But the situation had changed.
No matter what, Ren was a member of the oni clan—by status alone, he was practically their crown prince. There was no way Ibaraki-Dōji could allow him to remain in the Tokyo District any longer.
Moreover, the true strength of the gods was unknown, and Ren's combat power—even among the oni—ranked at the very top. Naturally, Ibaraki-Dōji wanted Ren to return with him.
Yet despite Ibaraki-Dōji's earnest persuasion, Ren stood where he was, unmoving.
Just as Ibaraki-Dōji thought Ren was still weighing his options, Ren suddenly did something he couldn't understand at all.
The figure that had been standing still shattered the ground beneath his feet in the next instant, launching himself straight toward the Night Blade God in the sky!
Why did Ren choose to act?
The reasons were simple.
First—just as he had thought before, in the world of order he intended to create, exorcists were indispensable.
Second—and more importantly—the system had, for once, issued a mission directly in the main world.
Mission Name: Challenger of the GodsMission Requirements: The Night Blade God, who crossed the boundary between worlds, arrogantly looks down upon all beings as a god. Being completely ignored by him fills you with resentment and fury. You decide to show him the power of the Lord of Yokai!Mission Rewards: 10,000 Yokai Reputation Points, Trait Skill BlasphemerMission Failure Penalty: Most living beings in the Tokyo District will be harvested to expand the passage between worlds, allowing more powerful gods to descend upon this world!
Not only had a rare main-world mission been triggered, but it even came with a failure penalty Ren had never seen before.
No matter which angle he considered it from, Ren had no choice but to act.
Setting aside the fact that he didn't want all the exorcists in Tokyo wiped out—and that the mission rewards were extremely generous—
The failure penalty alone was something he absolutely could not accept.
"Most living beings" was far too vague—but one thing was certain.
Ami Tennomori and Ruki Tennomori were definitely included in that category.
And if his mother and sister were at risk—even if the probability were only one percent—Ren wouldn't dare gamble on it.
What's more, if the Night Blade God succeeded, the barrier between the two worlds would grow even thinner, allowing even more gods to descend.
At his current level, Ren knew he wasn't ready to face an unknown number of gods with unknown power.
That was a future he refused to accept.
For all these reasons, Ren chose to strike.
But only after actually exchanging blows did he realize—he might have underestimated these so-called "gods."
That punch had been largely a sneak attack, delivered while the Night Blade God was unprepared, and Ren had used the fully charged Chaotic Divine Strength.
Yet the result was… underwhelming.
Yes, the Night Blade God had been knocked flying—but he hadn't taken any real damage at all.
Instead, the recoil from the scythe left Ren's fist numb and tingling.
"Oh? This is quite unexpected," the Night Blade God said, twirling his scythe as he steadied himself, eyeing Ren with open surprise."A yokai… choosing to save two humans?"
"Don't get the wrong idea," Ren snorted. "I just can't stand that smug, holier-than-thou attitude of yours.The Tokyo District is my territory. Whether it's Oni Kings, gods, or whatever else—you want to mess with this place, shouldn't you at least ask me if I'm okay with it first?"
Ren didn't know how strong the Night Blade God was at his peak.
But the aura he was currently giving off was roughly SSS-minus.
With all buffs activated, Ren's own yokai power was around SS level. The gap looked significant—but if he pushed beyond his limits…
It wasn't impossible to fight back.