Although most exorcist families still felt uneasy about cooperating with yokai, the times had changed.
Faced with a far greater enemy, survival left them with only one option—
They had to make use of every ounce of strength available to them.
If the Hundred-Night Oni were to become the Supreme Commander of the Human Grand Alliance, opposition within the Alliance would be inevitable. After all, he was a yokai. Placing a yokai at the head of humanity would be far too outrageous.
But Tennōin Masami was different.
Her identity was human—born of a legitimate exorcist lineage.
Even if there were complaints, appointing her as Supreme Commander would be far easier to justify.
And if doing so brought the Hundred-Night Oni into their ranks as well?
That was a bargain too good to ignore.
As for the "Hundred-Night Oni" himself, the Yamato family, along with the Non-Natural Countermeasures Division and several Tokyo-based factions, stepped forward to vouch for him. They testified that he was unlike other yokai—someone who could be reasoned with.
Why?
Because of what Ren Kuroda had done while operating under the alias "The Redeemer."
Frankly speaking, none of it resembled the behavior of a typical yokai.
Since the truth about Ren and Tennōin Masami had come to light, his identity was no longer a secret.
He wasn't a pure-blooded yokai.
Like his younger sister Ruri, he was a half-demon.
And if he was half-demon, then human blood flowed through him.
He possessed humanity.
Looking back, many concluded that the times Ren had deliberately held back in battle were likely due to that human side—his unwillingness to slaughter indiscriminately.
Combine that with everything he had done while living as a human—
Saving civilians.
Rescuing clan heads on multiple occasions.
Protecting Tokyo even when he had no obligation to do so—
And the conclusion became clear.
Ren Kuroda's humanity outweighed his demonic nature.
As for why he had turned out that way?
The clan heads unanimously credited Tennōin Masami's upbringing.
And with that thought, many found themselves feeling an unexpected sense of admiration for the woman.
The Yamato family head's logic was sound.
The advantages were undeniable.
Reluctantly, but almost unanimously, the proposal was accepted.
There was only one problem left.
How were they supposed to convince Tennōin Masami to accept?
They could plan and scheme all they liked—
But if she refused, it was all meaningless.
"My wife and daughter are acquainted with Tennōin Masami," the Yamato family head added calmly. "We should be able to open a dialogue. Given her sense of righteousness, I believe she will not refuse."
—
While the Human Grand Alliance hurriedly finalized its structure and shifted into wartime preparations—
Tennōin Masami herself had absolutely no idea that she had already been internally nominated as humanity's Supreme Commander.
To be fair, most of the Yamato head's analysis had been correct.
If Masami became Supreme Commander, Ren would unquestionably stand at her side without hesitation.
But there was one fatal miscalculation.
Tennōin Masami was not some grand, selfless hero.
On the contrary—
She was a little petty.
A little timid.
And extremely good at holding grudges.
The reason she had dragged Ren and Ruri around to apologize after the Tokyo incident wasn't because she was broad-minded.
It was because she was afraid other people were just as petty and vindictive as she was.
Masami's philosophy was simple:
If the sky falls, let the tall ones hold it up.
And under no circumstances would those "tall ones" be her or her children.
Even if her son was technically taller than most people—
She would never allow him to shoulder that burden.
It was a very traditional, very motherly way of thinking.
And painfully realistic.
In fact, the "noble and righteous woman" whom the Yamato family head so admired—
Was currently barking orders at everyone in the house to pack their belongings.
They were preparing to run.
That's right.
Ever since returning home that day, Masami had felt deeply uneasy.
She had a strong premonition that trouble would soon come knocking.
After careful consideration and a family meeting—
Which she won by an overwhelming one-vote-to-many margin—
She declared they would move.
For the Tennōin family, moving houses had practically become routine over the years.
They had done it countless times.
It was just that this time, they had lived here longer than usual, so there was more stuff to pack.
But that wasn't a problem.
After all—
There were more hands in the household now.
And so Masami shed her usual gentle demeanor and transformed into a sharp, commanding general.
The great demons and demon kings who could dominate entire regions—
Were now reduced to glorified movers under her direction.
As for where they would move after leaving Tokyo?
Masami hadn't decided yet.
But over the years, she had diligently "borrowed" a significant portion of Ren's salary from the Countermeasures Division.
They had savings.
No matter where they relocated, she could afford a decent home.
Ren and Ruri both opposed the move.
Ren believed that under the current circumstances, relocating wouldn't change anything. Besides, he had poured an absurd amount of effort into reinforcing the current house with layered barriers and defensive formations.
Ruri objected because she had finally made friends at her new school.
She didn't want to leave so soon.
Unfortunately, whenever Masami made up her mind about something like this—
She was immovable.
She didn't know how powerful "gods" truly were.
But she did know that exorcists were a massive headache.
Now that Ren and Ruri's half-demon identities had been exposed—
And Ren had stirred up a storm of unprecedented scale—
Masami was convinced this place was no longer safe.
Her wish had always been simple:
That her children grow up healthy.
That was all.
But clearly, that wish was drifting further out of reach.
If staying meant being dragged deeper into chaos, then leaving was the only option.
Even if it meant returning to their old, financially strained lifestyle—
Masami didn't care.
As long as her children were safe.
—
During the moving preparations, Ren was placed under five days of house arrest.
It was supposed to be a month.
But Masami couldn't bear to punish her son that severely, so the sentence was gradually reduced.
As for the humiliating "family discipline"—
Ren did not escape it.
In fact, worried that his enhanced physique might hurt Masami's hands, Ren voluntarily dropped all his defenses.
He even had Spider Princess cast several weakening debuffs on him beforehand.
When he was younger, being bent over and spanked was one thing.
But now?
He was the Lord of a Hundred Demons.
A Demon King-class existence.
Master of divine artifacts.
And yet—
He was still being disciplined like a naughty child.
No matter how many grand titles he held, in Tennōin Masami's eyes—
He was just her son.
And a mother disciplining her child was perfectly natural.
Ren tried to argue.
"I'm really durable now," he insisted. "You could at least switch to another method. Stabbing me with a knife would honestly hurt less. I've got regeneration."
Masami stared at him as if he had lost his mind.
She treasured her children more than life itself.
Spanking was already the harshest method she could bring herself to use.
Using blades? Leaving scars?
Absolutely not.
One slap after another landed on Ren's backside.
The physical damage was negligible.
The emotional damage, however, was catastrophic.
When he was little, at least only Ruri had witnessed these punishments.
Now—
Spider Princess.
Snow Princess.
And several other yokai elites stood nearby, openly spectating.
Not only did they fail to intervene—
They were thoroughly entertained.
Spider Princess covered her mouth, shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter.
Snow Princess's eyes sparkled mischievously.
They had never realized that their dignified, domineering Lord Ren could look so… adorable.
As for Hagoromo Otome—
Her reaction was even more intense.
Her eyes gleamed as if she had discovered the secrets of the universe.
To her, what Masami was doing was clearly a form of maternal education.
Perhaps, she mused, her own failure to properly educate Nue had led to his rebellion.
Now she stood there like a diligent student, notebook in hand.
Taking notes.
With illustrations.
If one looked closely, they would discover that her notes were absurdly detailed.
The angle of each strike.
The frequency.
The force.
Even the rhythm.
Eventually, either from fatigue or from feeling the burning intensity of Hagoromo Otome's stare, Masami paused.
She glanced sideways at her.
"How about you try, Otome?" Masami said casually. "Didn't you say you were a failed mother? Ren's grown up now. His skin's thicker. I've been hitting him forever and he hasn't even made a sound. My strength must be too weak.
"You don't need to hold back. Give him a proper lesson."
Ren froze.
His face went pale.
He immediately let out a series of exaggerated, painfully fake yelps.
"Ah! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
Masami shot him a look of pure disdain.
Oh, now it hurts?
When I was hitting you just now, you didn't make a peep.
You think I'm an idiot?
In truth, Ren had wanted to cry out earlier to gain sympathy.
But he had hesitated.
After all, he was supposed to be the lord of the yokai present.
If he screamed in front of them, what would that do to his dignity?
Unfortunately—
His moment of pride had cost him dearly.
Because now—
Hagoromo Otome was stepping forward.
..
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