CHAPTER 161: Return
Ogami collapsed.
Her knees hit the floor hard, arms trembling as she clutched the bedframe to keep herself upright. Her body had reverted—no longer young, no longer cloaked in the effects of her Séance Technique. The strain had burned it all away. Now only her old, frail form remained.
But her eyes…
Her eyes were wide. Locked.
Fixed on the person lying on the shattered bed.
It wasn't Jiro.
It was Ren Sato.
His chest was rising and falling with ragged intensity. Steam rolled off his shoulders. His body bulged with cursed energy—like Overdrive had reactivated on its own. His shirt was too large, clearly Jiro's. His pants hung loose around his hips. But none of that mattered.
Because the bed beneath him was crushed.
Ren cracked his neck with a sickening pop and stared down at his hand like he was seeing it for the first time.
"Ugh," he muttered, voice hoarse, eyes glinting, "The Project (Re)worked, huh?"
He laughed.
Low.
Quiet.
Almost… insane.
"Hahahahaha..."
Ogami didn't move.
She couldn't.
Her cursed energy was gone—burnt out.
Her technique had pushed itself past what was allowed, and her body was paying the price.
But more than that… she was stunned.
Frozen.
Terrified.
She had done it.
Before she could speak, Ren stood up fully and muttered, "Ugh… he's going to come here, huh? That fucker must have sensed my cursed energy flare. Of course he did."
He flexed his fingers, pushing up the oversized sleeves.
"Ogami. Take Mei Mei and leave. Go as far away as you can."
From the shadows of the closet, Kai2 and Worm leapt out.
They darted straight for Ren—and disappeared into his shadow.
Ren smiled as the floor under him cracked slightly from the pressure of his energy.
Just then—BANG!
Mei Mei slammed the door open, eyes wide, breath catching in her throat.
She stared at Ren like she was seeing a ghost.
"Wait… How are you here?? Aren't you still back there?! Who did you even fight?!"
She rushed forward—but Ogami stepped between them.
"Ugh," Ren cut in, waving his hand, "We talk later. Right now, someone else is coming."
Mei Mei clenched her fists.
"No, we talk now! What the hell do you mean someone's coming here?! Ren, what the hell is up with you and hiding shit—always! What even was this whole mission?! Why were you following Miguel? Was that guy the reason for any of this?! How are you even here?!"
She tried to shove past Ogami.
"And get out of my way, old hag!"
But she didn't get far.
Ren stepped in faster than she could blink.
A wall behind her exploded open, cursed energy tearing it apart like paper.
Ren grabbed Ogami and Mei Mei by their shirts and flung them back—pulling them behind him using a thread of Red Stitch.
Debris flew. Dust clouded the air.
Ren stood at the center of it all.
Silent.
Focused.
He muttered, "He's here... Emperor Sutoku."
His voice dropped.
"Now both of you—this is an order. Leave."
His fists clenched.
"I'm kind of angry right now."
Ogami didn't question him.
She grabbed Mei Mei's arm and turned.
Even Mei Mei, outraged as she was, recognized the tension—the weight in Ren's voice.
And so… she followed.
They disappeared down the hallway in seconds.
And then the air bent.
Reality twisted.
He arrived.
Floating above the destroyed wall like a king.
Emperor Sutoku.
His robes shimmered faintly with cursed energy, his fingers laced behind his back. His black eyes scanned Ren like someone inspecting a relic—something both amusing and beneath him.
"You blocked my blow from such a range?" Sutoku spoke calmly, curiously. "Did you somehow get stronger?"
He tilted his head.
"How did you even come back?"
Ren smiled.
A slow, sharp smile.
And then he laughed.
"Rika," he whispered.
And then—BOOM.
A wave of cursed energy erupted from Ren's body, like a volcanic detonation of raw power. The floor cracked. The walls trembled.
The mansion was no longer a hiding place.
It was a battlefield.
Ren's voice echoed through the ruined space:
"You want to talk?"
He took a step forward.
"After you killed me?"
Another step.
"You are DEAD."
For the first time in months, Ren Sato was truly angry…