Seo, freed from the crushing sense of suffocation, was hurled onto the snow. He lay there gasping for air, gulping it down in great, ragged breaths as he stared at the yokai who had closed the distance in a single instant. His face was filled with disbelief.
It had only been a split second, but in that brief moment when the other party made his move, a portion of his demonic power had inevitably leaked out.
And from that fleeting surge alone, Seo could tell—
This being was not A-rank.
As one of the Onmyo Bureau's senior operatives, Seo believed that while he couldn't defeat A-rank yokai, he had seen more than enough of them. Yet the demonic power and aura that had spilled out just now made one thing painfully clear to him: this was no mere A-rank existence.
"Heh… what, you don't even think I'm worth killing anymore?"
In the instant his throat had been seized, Seo had never felt death loom so close. Just as he was certain he was about to die, the other party had tossed him aside like a piece of trash, leaving behind those words instead.
What choice did he have now?
Charge back in and fight to the death to avenge his comrades?
Don't make him laugh.
Forget this monster whose strength far surpassed A-rank—against even a single one of that man's subordinates in a one-on-one fight, Seo had no chance of winning.
The Sesshōseki had been taken back. Everyone he'd brought into the mountains had been wiped out. If he died here too, then no one outside would ever know what had truly happened on this snow mountain.
Driven by the temptation of the Sesshōseki, the Onmyo Bureau would surely send another team in the future—but they would have no idea just how terrifying the being lurking here truly was.
After hesitating only briefly, Seo made his decision.
Born into a prestigious family, he felt deep shame at being spared by a yokai. In truth, he would have preferred to die in battle.
But to prevent more ignorant people from wandering into the snow mountain and throwing their lives away, Seo chose to swallow his pride, accept the monster's mercy, and leave the mountain alone.
That oni-like being's demonic power had reached at least S-rank. Judging from his traits, he was almost certainly connected to the oni race.
He might even be one of the oni currently entrenched in Hokkaido.
And if that were true—if the oni race possessed S-rank monsters beyond just their leader and two vice-commanders—then this was information that had to be brought back alive.
"I'll use the clan's secret art next—even if it costs me my life," the Honomura Clan's elder said grimly. "The two of you must, no matter what, get Honomura Yuuichi out of here alive.He is the hope of the Honomura Clan. A child with the potential to surpass even the former clan head. For the future of our clan, he cannot die here."
The demonic power Ren Kuroda had released wasn't sensed by Seo alone.
The Honomura Clan's elder felt it as well.
And as the only person present with A-rank spiritual power, he was even more certain—
This oni was an S-rank yokai.
And not an ordinary S-minus either. Possibly a true S-rank… or even S-plus.
As one of the Thirteen Demon-Slaying Clans, the Honomura Clan had taken part in frontline skirmishes during the early days of the chaotic era.
As the clan's second elder, he had personally witnessed just how absurdly powerful S-rank yokai truly were.
To put it bluntly, once a being reached S-rank, it was no longer on the same level as A-rank at all—it was a complete transformation.
If humanity hadn't inherited a number of divine artifacts and forbidden techniques from history, they would have had virtually no way to resist S-rank yokai when they appeared.
It was precisely because of this that the Honomura elder made his decision.
The Onmyo Bureau's people were already dead. The reason this monster had spared Seo was simple—he needed a survivor to spread word of his overwhelming power.
And one survivor was enough.
Which meant that the rest of them would likely share the same fate as those who had already entered the mountain—buried here forever.
Earlier, the Honomura elder had still harbored a sliver of hope. If Ren Kuroda were merely A-plus rank, then perhaps, by recklessly using forbidden techniques, he could still carve out a path for Yuuichi and the others to escape.
But the moment Ren Kuroda's demonic power leaked out, that last shred of hope vanished.
Against an A-plus, he could gamble.
Against an S-rank—even the weakest S-minus—with their level of strength, there wasn't the slightest chance of survival.
"I won't run away and abandon everyone!" Honomura Yuuichi shouted fiercely after hearing the elder's words."I just made up my mind to become a true exorcist, and now you're telling me to throw my clansmen aside and flee? If that's the choice, then I'd rather die fighting here!"
He struggled violently, but the two clan members beside him forcibly grabbed hold of him and began dragging him backward.
Just as the Nekomata and the Shore Cliff Imp prepared to give chase, the Honomura elder—who had been standing his ground—suddenly erupted with an overwhelming surge of spiritual power.
Crimson spiritual energy shot skyward like a massive pillar. Within that blazing column, the elder's hair lifted as if defying gravity itself.
His once shriveled skin seemed to regain vitality in an instant, becoming firm and full again. As his power exploded outward, his upper garments were incinerated by orange flames, revealing a broad, muscular chest.
A man who should have been nearing seventy began to visibly grow younger before their eyes, rejuvenating at an astonishing speed.
At the same time, his spiritual power surged upward—rising from barely A-rank to A-plus… and then approaching the threshold of S-minus.
An A-minus opponent wouldn't have drawn much of Ren Kuroda's attention.
But the secret art this man was using sparked his curiosity.
He had seen something similar before—when Kurahashi Tomoko, the head of the Onmyoji Academy, had used a forbidden technique that caused rapid aging.
But this Honomura elder was the opposite.
In a matter of moments, his body had returned to its absolute prime.
Moments earlier, he'd been fighting the Hand-Washing Specter and the Samurai Spirit two-on-one, firmly on the defensive. Now, after activating the secret art, a single casual hand-blade slash through the air unleashed a wave of scorching heat that forced both yokai back.
In the same instant he drove them away, his body transformed into a streak of blazing flame and intercepted the Nekomata and the Shore Cliff Imp, who had been about to pursue Yuuichi.
The water blades and claw arcs unleashed by the two yokai collided head-on with a flaming shock punch from the elder—exploding violently in midair.
And after dismantling their attack, the Honomura elder moved faster than either of them expected, appearing before the Nekomata and the Shore Cliff Imp in the blink of an eye. Another searing flame-charged punch smashed straight toward their faces.
The Nekomata barely managed to evade it with her agile movements.
The Shore Cliff Imp wasn't so lucky.
Lacking her speed, he could only conjure a curtain of water in front of himself in a desperate attempt to block the blow.
But unlike before—when his water had been evenly matched against the elder's flames—this time it stood no chance.
The elder's fire instantly evaporated the water screen. Though the punch had lost some of its force, it still struck the Shore Cliff Imp squarely in the face, sending him flying dozens of meters across the snow.
Fortunately, just as the Honomura elder was about to press the attack, the Hand-Washing Specter and the Samurai Spirit rushed in again, barely managing to suppress his explosive momentum.
Under normal circumstances, even an A-plus exorcist wouldn't be able to so easily overpower multiple A-minus yokai.
But the Honomura elder was no longer a "normal" A-rank exorcist.
The Honomura Clan's forbidden art burned one's life itself using a special flame technique—the more life force consumed, the greater the power gained.
From the start, he had never planned to leave this place alive.
He was burning everything he had to ensure Yuuichi's escape.
The flames enveloping his body were literal life-fire. They would not be extinguished easily—and when they finally did go out, it would mark his death.
Wrapped in blazing fire and fueled by a suicidal resolve, the Honomura elder's combat power skyrocketed. Against all odds, he managed to hold off all four A-rank yokai at once—and even maintain the upper hand.
The clan's forbidden technique didn't just raise spiritual power. During the life-burning state, his spiritual energy was effectively "limitless," and most fire-based spells could be cast instantly, without incantation.
With his back against the wall and an endless supply of power, his reckless, self-destructive fighting style truly suppressed the four yokai.
Even so, the Honomura elder didn't relax for a single moment.
He knew that merely holding back these four A-rank yokai wasn't enough.
If the strongest oni made his move, the balance would collapse instantly—and even in this state, the elder wouldn't be able to delay him for long.
After several minutes of stalemate, the elder's worst fear came true.
The oni who had been watching from the sidelines… finally began to move.
Not much time had passed since Yuuichi and the others fled.
He couldn't allow that oni to pursue them.
So now—no matter the cost—
He had to buy them more time.