Seeing the excitement written all over Yuki-onna's face—and hearing the words she had just spoken—Ayami Tenkami could only stare in stunned confusion.
She hadn't even fully processed who this woman in front of her was, let alone why she was suddenly so enthusiastic.
Completely at a loss, Ayami instinctively turned to Ren Kuroda for help.
Ren, catching the look in his mother's eyes, let out a quiet sigh and stepped in to explain.
"Like she said… she's technically one of the Hundred Demons under my command.
"But if you feel troubled, Mom, you can absolutely refuse her. The only thing I promised her was that she'd get to meet you once."
Truthfully, Ren was quite in favor of Yuki-onna following Ayami.
After what had happened today, the world order would inevitably shift again before long.
The enemies they would face would no longer be limited to humans or yokai—
But the so-called gods.
Now that his identity had been exposed, Ayami—an ordinary human—had become a potential weak point.
If Yuki-onna was willing to stay by Ayami's side voluntarily, that was practically a blessing Ren couldn't have hoped for more.
Of course—
Whether to accept or refuse was entirely up to Ayami.
As for Ayami herself, the idea of a stranger suddenly shadowing her day and night naturally made her uneasy.
But after hearing Yuki-onna's story—and learning that she had played a crucial role in helping Ren escape his corrupted state—
Ayami agreed without much hesitation.
At first, Tsuchigumo-hime's displeasure was written plainly across her face.
Another powerful female yokai had appeared out of nowhere.
Not only did this one have an overwhelming background, she was stronger than Tsuchigumo-hime herself.
And most importantly—
She was a bona fide fox spirit.
However, after a brief interaction, Tsuchigumo-hime's mood brightened considerably.
Because she quickly realized that this "Yuki-onna" seemed primarily interested in Lady Ayami, not Ren.
And if Yuki-onna assumed the role of Ayami's personal guardian—
Then Tsuchigumo-hime could free herself from that responsibility and continue serving as Lord Ren's exclusive maid.
To Ren's family, Yuki-onna's sudden appearance and decision to follow Ayami was just a small episode.
But to the stunned onlookers around them—
It was yet another thunderclap.
One of Japan's Three Great Yokai Kings.
Tamamo-no-Mae—the White-Faced Golden Nine-Tailed Fox.
An SS-minus-class monster.
And she had just openly pledged herself as a mere attendant.
This only further reinforced the exorcists' earlier assumptions.
There was no way that woman named Ayami Tenkami was an ordinary human.
Hadn't even Tamamo-no-Mae lowered her head willingly?
After the Tenkami family departed, Kuka Yamato originally intended to chase after them—Ren still owed her an explanation.
But her father stopped her.
Putting aside Ren's newly revealed identity and the delicate situation that came with it—
They had far more urgent matters to address.
According to Yagami's own words, the gods' primary target was not the yokai—
But humanity.
And among humanity, the only ones capable of mounting even a modest resistance were the ancient exorcist families.
This expedition to the snow mountain had become one of the worst disasters in Tokyo's exorcist history.
Their elites had suffered grievous losses.
And they had learned information they most desperately wished were false.
Upon returning, the families agreed they would jointly disclose everything they had learned.
A new summit would be convened.
And this time, it would not be limited to the Tokyo district.
It would extend nationwide—
Perhaps even worldwide.
Because the gods' target was all of humanity.
There was no reason such a burden should fall solely upon their shoulders.
And even if it did—
They lacked the strength to bear it alone.
In the face of catastrophe, no one could remain untouched.
If exorcist families from other regions still imagined they could stay out of it—
They were fools.
After setting a time for their next meeting, the families gathered their remaining members, carried away their fallen, and departed one by one.
One noteworthy discovery—
While searching beneath the avalanche debris, some families found fragments of what they had originally come here for:
Spiritual Energy Crystals.
Though the number was small, it proved that the auction house had not fabricated the story.
The snow mountain truly had contained such crystals.
Yet holding those fragments in their hands, the clan heads could only sigh heavily.
Whether the crystals had been bait set by the Hundred-Night Oni—
Whether they had been lures from Ren Kuroda—
Or whether they had genuinely formed within the Great Snow Mountain—
None of it mattered now.
Ren and Yagami's battle had caused the entire mountain to collapse and sink.
Even if countless crystals had once existed there—
They were lost forever.
After scouring the entire area, all the exorcist families combined had found barely over a dozen crystals.
For the number of clans present, that amount wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.
Compared to their losses—
It was laughable.
But in the end, it had been their own greed that brought them here.
There was no one else to blame.
And so, with no dignity left to salvage, they retreated in defeat.
—
High above, on an elevated ridge, a battered figure watched the exorcists leave.
It was Ibaraki-dōji.
Compared to the departing humans, however, his gaze lingered far longer in another direction.
On Ren and his family.
The moment Yagami had retreated and Ren had fallen fully into corruption, Ibaraki-dōji had withdrawn from the battlefield.
He carried the burden of leading the oni clan.
He could not die here.
And there had been nothing he could do to help Ren's condition anyway.
Yet everything that followed—
The people who appeared one after another—
Left him stunned.
He had never imagined his old friend, Shuten-dōji, had left behind more than one descendant.
That girl named Ruri—
Her talent and potential were no less astonishing than the Hundred-Night Oni's.
And then there was Ayami Tenkami.
Ibaraki-dōji could not see through her at all.
Like the exorcists, he found it impossible to believe she was ordinary.
After all—
She had driven back that black substance, which had even troubled a god, with mere words.
And later—
Even Tamamo-no-Mae had openly declared her desire to follow her.
How could such a person be normal?
Besides—
Shuten-dōji was one of the Three Great Yokai Kings.
If he were to choose a partner, would he truly pick an ordinary woman at random?
No—
Judging by the overwhelming talent displayed by Ren and Ruri—
Ayami could not possibly be mundane.
How else could she give birth to such monsters?
Watching their retreating backs, Ibaraki-dōji felt the urge to approach them.
To acknowledge kinship.
To ask about Shuten-dōji's whereabouts.
But recalling Ren's previous attitude toward him—
And considering the current gap in their strength—
He faltered.
Even in his current weakened state, Ren and Tamamo-no-Mae alone would be enough to overwhelm him.
Not to mention Ayami Tenkami, whose depths he could not fathom.
Finding Shuten-dōji would have to wait.
As for the gods' conspiracy—
He needed to return to Hokkaido immediately and prepare for the upheaval to come.
—
The turmoil subsided.
Tokyo grew quiet once more.
Looking up at the now-clear sky, the residents of the district let out collective sighs of relief.
What they didn't know—
Was that this was merely the calm before the storm.
The tempest to come would be fiercer.
More devastating.
As for the gods' plan to purge humanity and establish a new civilization—
Neither the exorcist factions nor the government chose to conceal it.
It was broadcast publicly as breaking news.
After all—
If the gods were now enemies,
There was no reason to continue allowing ordinary citizens to supply them with faith.
That would be tantamount to aiding the enemy.
Soon after, emergency legislation was passed.
Shrines across the country were sealed.
Civilians were prohibited from visiting or offering worship.
Even those who had endured what felt like an apocalypse struggled to accept the revelation.
Their true enemy—
Was the gods themselves.
And the yokai?
Merely tools used to harvest faith.
When yokai once ravaged the land, people had prayed desperately for divine salvation.
Never imagining—
It had all been orchestrated by those very gods.
How were they supposed to accept that?
Reactions varied.
Some were furious.
Some were lost.
Others insisted it was all a conspiracy fabricated by those in power.
When shrines were closed, certain zealots organized themselves and clashed with security forces guarding the sites.
They believed—
The gods only intended to purge those who disrespected them.
If they prayed devoutly enough—
Surely the merciful gods would forgive them.
And disturbingly—
Such believers were not few.
During the era of yokai chaos, humanity had clung to faith as their final refuge.
For many, the gods were their last spiritual anchor.
To suddenly be told—
That those very gods were the architects of their suffering—
Was something they simply could not accept.