After being subdued in that split second, Hozumi Yūichi felt not only an overwhelming sense of near-death terror, but also profound shock.
Sure, the opponent's sudden counterattack had caught him off guard—but no matter what, he was still a ranked exorcist on the Exorcist Rankings.
Even if his position was barely scraping the bottom of the list, and even if there was admittedly some luck involved, the Hozumi family was still one of the Thirteen Demon-Slaying Houses, ranked ninth among them. By Yūichi's own estimation, his strength was far from weak.
Even among the younger generation of exorcists as a whole, there shouldn't have been many people with better talent than him.
Unlike those pampered prodigies raised like flowers in greenhouses, Hozumi Yūichi might be arrogant by nature, but he had personally slain multiple C-rank yokai on his own.
And yet—even someone like him had just been completely suppressed in an instant, without even having time to react.
For a brief moment, Yūichi had even wondered if his luck was truly that terrible—had he somehow picked a fight with a clan head–level monster?
But the moment he heard the name spoken by the hooded man, and then lifted his head to glimpse the face beneath the cap, the shock on Yūichi's face instantly transformed into raw excitement.
If one were to ask what defined Hozumi Yūichi at his current age—aside from his love of showing off—then without question, it was idol worship.
Of course, as a talented and capable exorcist himself, he was far from shallow enough to idolize pop stars or celebrities.
Among exorcists, the people Yūichi admired were naturally the top-ranked powerhouses on the Exorcist Rankings.
That said, even admiration had its limits. As someone confident in his own talent, Yūichi had always believed that among his peers, his strength and potential were second to none.
That was, until the day he noticed a new name suddenly appear on the rankings—someone only slightly older than himself.
That was when his curiosity was ignited, and he began digging into that person's background.
Ranked 135th—the man known as "The Redeemer."
Even on a list with a thousand slots, that was an exceptionally high position.
Sure, Yūichi himself had just barely made it onto the rankings—but he was clinging to the tail end, and might be pushed off again in a matter of days.
That was precisely why he'd been so desperate to show off. He didn't know how long he could stay on the list, and with his flashy personality, he wanted as many people as possible to know that he'd made it onto the rankings at least once.
After all, yokai were running rampant across the world, and the Exorcist Rankings were updated weekly.
They attracted countless exorcists hungry for fame, and because of the fierce competition, the lower ranks changed constantly—new names replacing old ones almost every week.
Yet no matter how turbulent the rankings became, the top three hundred positions were practically immovable.
Unless someone in that tier died during a mission, it was nearly impossible for them to fall off the list.
At first, when Yūichi learned about Ren Kuroda, he hadn't taken him seriously.
The surname "Kuroda" wasn't associated with any well-known exorcist family, and someone that young—how could he possibly rank alongside veteran powerhouses?
Convinced that Ren Kuroda must have lucked his way into that position by stealing credit from others, Yūichi had grown unwilling to accept it—and began investigating him.
And that was when he was truly shaken.
Ren Kuroda hailed from a fallen minor exorcist family. When his family collapsed, he was still too young to inherit their curse techniques, and he was now the last surviving male of that lineage.
Yet despite lacking any inherited arts, Ren Kuroda had awakened spiritual power on his own and forged his own path.
During an accidental Calamity Yokai Incident, he revealed his strength, and even before the chaos fully erupted, he had single-handedly slain a rat yokai with power comparable to a B-rank threat.
It was because of that feat that he caught the attention of the Non-Natural Countermeasures Division, and was recruited.
After the fall of order, this young man repeatedly completed rescue objectives that normally required entire teams—entirely on his own.
It was no exaggeration to say that at least forty percent of the civilian survivors in the Tokyo area owed their lives to him.
Moreover, during those rescue operations, the number of B-rank yokai that had died by his hand exceeded what one could count on two hands.
And during the recapture of Shibuya, he had single-handedly defeated and slain the A-rank yokai Kamakaze Weasel, completely turning the tide of battle and laying the foundation for reclaiming lost territory.
None of this information was fabricated.
Yūichi had personally verified it with relevant individuals.
Whether it was the survivors Ren had saved, or the Countermeasures Division members who had fought in Shibuya, every single one reacted the same way upon hearing his name—gratitude, and solemn respect.
Such reactions couldn't be faked.
Only genuine gratitude could produce expressions like those.
And after witnessing those faces himself, Hozumi Yūichi felt a deep yearning rise from the bottom of his heart.
He wanted to become someone like The Redeemer—someone who, when others spoke his name, made them smile with sincere respect.
Ren Kuroda's story was nothing short of inspirational. Calling him the protagonist of a novel wouldn't have felt out of place at all.
From that moment on, Ren became one of Yūichi's personal idols.
They were close in age—yet Ren had already left him far behind.
Powerful, compassionate, immensely talented, and yet never once complacent in his training.
In short, despite never having met him in person, Ren Kuroda's image grew more and more perfect in Yūichi's imagination.
And as a young man, Yūichi naturally wanted his idol to be flawless.
That admiration gradually warped into full-blown fanaticism.
So when the hooded man calmly introduced himself as Ren Kuroda, Yūichi froze for a split second—
Then erupted with uncontrollable joy.
After barely making it onto the rankings through sheer luck, Yūichi had once considered seeking Ren out.
Partly out of curiosity toward the idol he'd long admired, wanting to see whether the man truly lived up to the legends.
And partly because he wanted to prove something—to himself, and to Ren.
Unfortunately, Ren Kuroda's whereabouts were infamously elusive.
Not only Yūichi—even Ren's own Countermeasures Division colleagues admitted that if he disappeared, there was no way to find him. All they could do was wait for him to reappear on his own.
And so, despite desperately wanting to meet him, Yūichi had never gotten the chance.
Yet now—his idol had appeared right in front of him.
How could he not be thrilled?
"Y-You're really… The Redeemer, Ren Ku—"
Almost by pure reflex, Yūichi nearly shouted Ren's name aloud, only barely managing to clap a hand over his own mouth in time.
Between his earlier showy behavior and his identity, Yūichi had already drawn plenty of attention from passersby.
And the moment he'd blurted that title, the surrounding crowd clearly noticed.
"Did he just say 'The Redeemer'?"
"No way. Someone that big wouldn't just be walking around here, right? But if it's really him, I have to get an autograph. My wife and daughters are huge fans. If I bring one home, my allowance this month might finally go up."
"It really could be him. Didn't you see how he subdued 'Wildflame' in an instant? And I've got posters of The Redeemer at home—the silhouette looks exactly the same!"
As more and more people began gathering, Ren immediately felt a headache coming on.
After his last experience getting mobbed together with Yamato Mika, he had zero interest in going through that again.
So in the blink of an eye, he grabbed Hozumi Yūichi—
And vanished from everyone's sight.
When they reappeared, the two were standing atop a nearby building.
"That was way too close," Ren muttered, peering down at the crowd below with lingering dread. "Sometimes I really think people's enthusiasm is scarier than yokai."
He'd grown up living quietly with his mother and younger sister, always keeping a low profile.
Social interaction had never been his strong suit—and this level of passion always overwhelmed him.
"Why run?" Yūichi asked, looking genuinely confused as he watched Ren finally relax. "They love you. Seeing their idol right in front of them, only to miss the chance—they'll be pretty disappointed, won't they?"
He truly didn't understand.
Exorcists risked their lives to climb the rankings—wasn't fame and status the whole point?
"Well… everyone wants different things," Ren replied with a small sigh. "And honestly, I feel kind of ashamed of that title, 'The Redeemer.'
"I didn't save people to earn their gratitude. So when they thank me like that… I don't really deserve it."
He wasn't lying.
Back when he'd been rescuing people, much of it had been driven by his desire to farm reputation points.
Which was exactly why, now faced with their heartfelt gratitude, Ren couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.
..
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