The newly joined yokai didn't possess any particularly exotic abilities, but his sheer, terrifying physical strength alone was enough to make the Honomura Clan's elder click his tongue in shock.
He had seen it with his own eyes just moments ago—how that fist, as large as a sandbag, had effortlessly punched straight through his flame barrier and smashed into the ground, leaving behind a massive crater.
To be honest, if he hadn't dodged in time, his fate right now would have been anything but pleasant.
Aside from a small number of exorcists who deliberately trained their bodies, most relied primarily on Five-Element spells. As for defense, it usually amounted to little more than layered protective techniques.
If that punch had landed squarely, the Honomura elder was certain that the flimsy Golden Armor Mantra on his body would have been nothing more than a bad joke.
While simultaneously fending off the combined assault of the Hand-Washing Specter and the Samurai Spirit, the elder kept one eye on the overall battlefield.
As far as the Onmyo Bureau's exorcists were concerned, all he felt was deep, bitter disappointment.
Each of them possessed decent spiritual power, yet the strength they displayed was inferior even to Honomura Yuuichi—a rising star of the Honomura Clan whose spiritual power was only C-plus.
It suddenly made perfect sense why these people, despite having B-rank spiritual power, had never made it onto the "Exorcist Rankings."
Originally, given their numbers, if that oni-like yokai hadn't entered the fray, they would've had at least a fifty percent chance of escaping alive.
But these greenhouse flowers from the Onmyo Bureau had power without the skills or mindset to match, and that alone kept dragging their survival odds lower and lower.
He was still holding off two A-rank great yokai by himself—but as the Onmyo Bureau's people continued to fall one after another, it was only a matter of time before he'd be facing three… or even four at once.
"That Snow Woman over there—make them stop!" someone shouted desperately."Don't you care about those Snow Children at all?! Before we came here, we left companions behind to watch them. If we don't return, then just wait to collect their bodies!"
The Nekomata's figure darted rapidly through the crowd, the snow beneath her feet posing no hindrance whatsoever.
She had no interest in so-called strong opponents. All she did was faithfully execute every order given by Ren Kuroda.
If Lord Ren told her to kill every exorcist present, then she would complete the task as quickly as possible—and afterward, obediently accept the reward of him patting her head.
It was precisely this merciless slaughter that finally shattered the remaining Onmyo Bureau members' morale completely.
And when faced with the threat of death, they suddenly remembered their final lifeline.
Since these yokai had come to help the Snow Woman, it meant they were either allied—or deeply connected.
And since the Snow Woman cared so much about those Snow Children, she would surely make these yokai stop.
After all, the Sesshōseki was already in their hands. Whether the Snow Woman lived or died no longer mattered. All they wanted now was to make it down the mountain alive.
They needed to report everything that had happened here to their respective organizations—because in a place they knew nothing about, a terrifying new yokai faction had risen.
Four A-rank great yokai as subordinates… no, five if the Snow Woman was included. And on top of that, their leader's true strength was still unknown.
That lineup alone was already enough to rival the modern era's Three Great Yokai Powers.
"I don't know who you are," one of them shouted toward Ren Kuroda, "but please—make them stop! After that, I'll agree to any condition you name!Whether it's joining your faction or working my life away for you—anything! Just please don't kill them all!"
Just as the Onmyo Bureau had predicted, the moment she heard the words Snow Children, the Snow Woman—who had been standing quietly behind Ren Kuroda—lost her composure.
She rushed forward and grabbed the sleeve of his robe, her voice trembling as she pleaded with him.
As for Ren Kuroda and the others' identities, the Snow Woman herself was utterly confused.
Since awakening, she had never once left the snow mountain. Forget knowing other yokai—she could count on one hand the number she had ever even seen.
Why Ren Kuroda and the others had come to save her, she didn't know. But right now, her own safety mattered far less than the children.
"I already told you," Ren Kuroda said calmly, "all the Hundred Demons under my command are my family. And I never force my family to do things they don't want to do.Helping you today was nothing more than a whim. I won't force you to become one of my Hundred Demons.As for the Snow Children you mentioned—you can rest easy. Before coming here, I already dealt with every loose end. Those kids are perfectly safe."
Aside from the two sentences he'd spoken at the very beginning, Ren Kuroda had remained silent the entire time.
Yet the invisible pressure he radiated had made the Snow Woman afraid to approach him.
When she finally heard those words, shock spread across her face. Even her usually emotionless expression cracked, her lips parting slightly in disbelief.
From that short exchange, she finally understood who this oni-like yokai before her truly was.
Not long ago, a young human man had said the exact same things to her.
And now, in her eyes, that human face gradually overlapped with the man standing before her.
When the two images completely merged—and she realized they were one and the same—her expression turned utterly incredulous.
The contrast was simply too great.
Whether it was his appearance or the aura he carried, the difference was worlds apart.
Back when he was human, the demonic power and aura he had unleashed had already reached A-plus rank. So in this form… just how strong was he now?
Stronger. Without question.
Before, standing in front of him, the Snow Woman had only felt that she couldn't defeat him.
Now, standing before him, she felt as though she were gazing into a bottomless abyss.
Not the despair of losing a fight—but the crushing hopelessness that came simply from sensing his presence.
How laughable her past self seemed now.
She had thought her concessions were already enormous. Even if she couldn't defeat him, she believed he couldn't truly do anything to her.
But now it was clear how naive she had been.
With power like this—and subordinates like these—killing her would be as easy as crushing an insect, even here on the snow mountain.
Absolute power overturned every supposed advantage.
The Sesshōseki probably really was nothing more than an optional trinket to him.
"I told you before," Ren Kuroda continued evenly, "if you truly want to protect what you cherish, then don't hand your power over to others so easily.All that does is reduce your bargaining chips—and encourage them to act without restraint.If it weren't for us today, a yokai like you wouldn't survive long in this world. And the things you treasure—those Snow Children—likely wouldn't have lived through today either."
Originally, Ren Kuroda and Kamishiro Issei's group had already been preparing to leave the snow mountain.
But the battle between the Snow Woman and the Onmyo Bureau quickly drew their attention—the spiritual fluctuations alone were impossible to ignore.
That said, since they'd come with the intention of "phoning it in," the distant sounds of battle hadn't concerned the task force much.
Moreover, the Snow Woman's illusionary abilities had left a strong impression on Kamishiro Issei and the others. Risking their lives to dive back into the mountain out of sheer altruism wasn't something they were saintly enough to do.
After all, people die for money, birds die for food. Anyone who chose to steal the Sesshōseki should've been prepared to pay the price.
After leaving the mountain and parting ways with Kamishiro Issei, Ren Kuroda's curiosity got the better of him.
He wanted to know what the Snow Woman was protecting—something she valued even more than the Sesshōseki.
So he turned back.
After learning the truth—that what she cherished were a few delicately carved, jade-like Snow Children—Ren Kuroda found himself sympathizing with her.
If he were being honest, he felt she was very much like him.
Both of them only wanted to protect their family and live quietly—yet trouble kept finding them.
The difference was that the Snow Woman kept compromising.
Ren Kuroda, to survive in this world, had chosen a different path—he chose to grow stronger.
Because he now understood something clearly.
Only absolute power could truly protect one's family.
And if anyone dared threaten his family—
He would crush their skull underfoot.
For all those reasons combined—and because the Onmyo Bureau's methods genuinely disgusted him—Ren Kuroda ultimately decided to lend the Snow Woman a hand.
As companions continued to fall at a terrifying pace, Seo, the Onmyo Bureau's field leader, finally showed a look of grim resolve.
According to their plan, both the Snow Woman and the Sesshōseki should have been secured without issue. To ensure success, they had even paid a steep price to enlist the Honomura Clan's cooperation.
Yet the unexpected had happened.
And now, they were on the verge of total annihilation.
Seeing no escape, Seo tore open a special talisman, preparing to transmit the hard-earned Sesshōseki—along with all the intelligence gathered on the snow mountain—back to headquarters.
But the moment the formation lit up, a lethal sense of danger enveloped him.
The next instant, his neck was seized, and he was lifted clean off the ground with one hand.
In his oni-transformed state, Ren Kuroda effortlessly took the Sesshōseki from Seo's grasp and examined it with mild interest.
"Trying to send information out?" Ren Kuroda said lightly. "There's really no need to go through all that trouble.Everyone else is pretty much dead already—and judging by your behavior, you seem to be the leader. So I'll let you live and go back to report."
His grip tightened just enough to make the message sink in.
"Tell the humans this—this snow mountain is under my protection.And my name is Byakuya Oni.
"As for the Sesshōseki—it was never yours to begin with. So now, it's simply returning to its rightful owner."