"Unfortunately, this body of mine is already old and withered. If only I had more years of life left to burn… then I could become even stronger.
As a member of the Kagari family, let me burn away everything I have left and illuminate the future of the Kagari clan.Body, life, even my final soul—let it all become fuel!Yokai… open your eyes and witness it well. To incinerate oneself in order to eradicate all evil—this is the creed of the Kagari family!"
A surging inferno roared skyward. Almost the instant the Kagari elder let out his furious bellow, a colossal vortex of flame erupted outward, sweeping across the surroundings.
If someone were standing at the foot of the mountain at that moment, they would surely be able to see it as well—the summit of the snowy peak ablaze, its flames dyeing nearly half the sky crimson.
As the temperature skyrocketed, vast swathes of accumulated snow began to melt. And in the very instant that terrifying aura erupted, the four yokai who had been surrounding and assaulting the Kagari elder—Tesugi-onna and the others—were blown back by the storm of fire.
After burning away his life, the Kagari elder finally chose to burn even his soul.
And in that very moment, the shackles of A-rank shattered completely.
His spiritual power reached S-rank.
Not S-minus—he leaped past it entirely, ascending straight to full S-rank power.
For exorcists—existences that already stood outside the natural order—running out of lifespan did not always mean true death. After all, this world was filled with countless spells and forbidden techniques, including some that could even revive the dead.
But if an exorcist burned away their very soul…
That was absolute, irreversible death.
The annihilation of the soul meant no reincarnation, no resurrection by any means whatsoever.
And with his soul as fuel, the boost to the Kagari elder's spiritual power was naturally monstrous—this was the result of a total, all-or-nothing gamble.
An S-rank exorcist, with inexhaustible spiritual power and no fear of death, was in terms of sheer danger already comparable to certain S-plus yokai.
Facing an opponent of this level, Tesugi-onna and the others were clearly no longer enough. If they forced the fight, they might very well be killed in an instant.
That left only one option.
Yuto had to step in personally.
Just as he had said before—he regarded the hundred yokai under his command as family. And he would never allow his family to face the risk of being slaughtered.
At this point, the Kagari elder's facial features and even his body were no longer visible. Wrapped entirely in raging flames, only a vague humanoid silhouette could be discerned.
"Even after my spiritual power has risen to this level… I still can't see through the yokai power you're concealing?"The elder let out a faint, self-mocking chuckle."I'd hoped that in the final moments of my life, I could perish together with an S-rank great yokai. But now it seems… that was wishful thinking."
There were generally only two possibilities when one could not perceive an opponent's concealed power.
The first was that the opponent's concealment technique was exceptionally refined—often seen in yokai that specialized in hiding themselves.
The second was simpler and far more terrifying: the opponent's power exceeded one's own, making it impossible to perceive at all.
No matter how one looked at Yuto's form, his race was clearly some variety of oni. And oni were not particularly known for concealment techniques.
Which meant the second possibility was far more likely.
In other words—even with his spiritual power now at S-rank, the yokai power of the being before him was still greater.
Standing in front of him was at the very least an S-plus–rank great yokai.
"Come," Yuto said calmly. "You're the strongest human I've encountered so far. In your current state, you're qualified to fight me. Let me see just how firm your resolve truly is."
From the beginning, Yuto had merely been watching with mild interest. His strength had grown far too quickly, and opponents capable of truly intriguing him had become increasingly rare.
But the Kagari elder before him—just as Yuto said—was the strongest human he had ever seen.
Though the man's power was entirely piled up through forbidden techniques, Yuto had to admit it: from him, he felt a long-lost thrill.
Even if exchanging words could delay time, now that he had already burned even his soul, the Kagari elder wanted to experience it for himself—
Just how strong was a true S-rank great yokai?
In almost the same instant, the Kagari elder launched the attack, charging toward Yuto. His entire body was engulfed in roaring flames, and even a simple movement caused the surrounding air to distort with intense heat.
His speed was so extreme that the air itself was stripped of oxygen in his wake, leaving behind only a fleeting afterimage of blazing fire.
To others, the Kagari elder likely looked like nothing more than a streak of blazing light hurtling forward.
But to Yuto—who possessed the Mind's Eye—every movement was broken down into hundreds of distinct frames.
"BOOOOOOM—!"
Before Tesugi-onna and the others could even react, a deafening sonic boom erupted from the spot where Yuto stood. A violent shockwave burst outward, sweeping across the battlefield.
A massive storm, laced with scattered flames, expanded in all directions. The ground trembled violently, then began to crack apart.
Only after stabilizing themselves and waiting for the storm to subside did Nekomata and the others finally see what had happened.
At the center of the devastation, both figures stood with fists raised—locked together in a head-on collision.
"Just one exchanged punch caused shockwaves like this… The scale of this battle already exceeds Lord Yuto's fight with Inugami Gyōbu Tanuki," Tesugi-onna muttered in shock."Humans truly are terrifying. That old man struggled even to deal with us earlier, yet now he can stand toe-to-toe with Lord Yuto. Even if this is a last stand fueled by death… humans really are not to be underestimated."
Among them all, Tesugi-onna's expression was the most astonished. No one understood better than her just how overwhelming their lord's strength was.
That human elder had previously avoided direct clashes with her—yet now he dared to trade punches with a master of monstrous strength like Yuto. That so-called secret art was utterly absurd.
"What do you mean 'toe-to-toe'?" Nekomata snapped, clearly irritated."Where did you put those eyes of yours, you big lump? That old man charged in with momentum, while Lord Yuto was only defending. And even after taking the punch head-on, Lord Yuto didn't take a single step back! If Lord Yuto had attacked instead, that old geezer would've been sent flying in one hit!"
Nekomata's words were admittedly a bit of shameless praise—but reality quickly proved her right.
At the instant their fists collided, the flames covering the Kagari elder's arm tried to use it as a medium to spread onto Yuto's body.
But almost immediately, a pitch-black aura erupted from Yuto, swallowing every trace of the invading flames whole.
And after blocking the punch with a fist, Yuto's other hand moved—closing around the hilt of the blade at his back.
In that instant, a piercing sense of danger exploded within the Kagari elder's heart. Years of battle experience screamed at him to escape—now.
The greater the warrior, the more they trusted their instincts.
And the facts proved his intuition correct.
Almost the moment the Kagari elder twisted his body aside, a dazzling blade of light—like a pure, radiant full moon—slashed past him.
An earth-shaking roar followed.
The elder stared in disbelief.
The very peak of the snow mountain… had been severed by that single slash.
This was a mountain, not pudding or jelly. Year-round ice and snow coated the rock, making it far harder than ordinary stone.
Yet under that strike, it had been cut apart like tofu.
Watching the summit collapse as cleanly as a bamboo stalk, the Kagari elder looked again at the blade in Yuto's hand—his expression now filled with dread.
He was confident in his martial skill, but a swordsman capable of cleaving a mountain in one strike was unquestionably a master of the blade.
To engage such a swordsman in close combat was nothing short of suicide.
At present, his only real advantages were his inexhaustible spiritual power and the ability to cast spells instantly.
And so, the Kagari elder swiftly changed tactics.
All manner of fire-based spells were unleashed in rapid succession, hurled relentlessly toward Yuto.
From their brief exchange, the elder had already realized that Yuto's yokai power, physique, and combat skill were all likely top-tier even among S-rank yokai.
His own power, however, was temporary.
Defeating Yuto was impossible—but by fighting this way, he could buy more time.
Time for Kagari Yūichi and the others to escape.
Fire spells detonated across the snow mountain without pause. The steadily rising temperature caused the surrounding glaciers to melt rapidly.
And as flames vaporized snow and ice, thick white mist rose into the air, shrouding the battlefield like a dreamscape.
But just as everyone began to grow irritated by the obscuring fog—
Sudden darkness swallowed their vision.
An eerie, malevolent presence began spreading from all directions.
And then—
A synchronized sound of footsteps echoed slowly through the gloom…