"Lord Ren, are you alright?! That damned human old man actually dared to injure you! Wasn't he just trying to stall us so the remaining humans could escape?If you let me chase them now, I should still be able to catch up—let me go kill them all!"
Seeing Ren Kuroda injured, Nekomata was without a doubt the angriest of them all. Her sharp claws extended instinctively as she turned, clearly intending to pursue the Higun family members who had already fled.
"Forget it," Ren said, stopping her."Chasing down those few survivors now wouldn't mean much. Besides… as an opponent, I have to admit—their resolve was admirable.This injury is my own fault for being careless, and it's not as bad as it looks. It's mostly just exhaustion from overusing my demonic power."
Calling Nekomata back, Ren adjusted his breathing and forced himself upright.
And truthfully, just as he said, although his condition looked dire, the real issue was excessive depletion of demonic energy.
As for the collapse of the Reality Domain, and the oni within it, Ren wasn't particularly worried either.
'The Evil of This World' was absurdly resilient—otherwise, it wouldn't have remained an incurable blight throughout the Moonlit World for so long.
Even if the Higun elder's self-detonation had indeed wiped out the oni inside the Domain, as long as humanity's negative emotions continued to exist, those oni would eventually regenerate.
That said, since the entire Reality Domain itself had collapsed this time, even with an endless power supply, Ren wouldn't be able to deploy it again anytime soon.
Put simply, the Higun elder's final all-in gamble hadn't taken anyone down with him.
His will was commendable—but in the end, the explosion amounted to… nothing.
"Um… although I still don't know your name," the snow-white beauty said softly,"thank you very much for helping us this time."
Because of his depleted demonic power, Ren had been forcibly ejected from his Half-Demon Form, returning to his usual appearance. Seeing him like this, Yukihime finally became completely certain—this was the same human she had encountered before.
She didn't know why he had chosen to help her.
But one thing she was absolutely sure of—he had helped her.
And without him, the Snow Children would have almost certainly met a tragic fate.
"And… I sincerely apologize for doubting your intentions earlier. Although I once said the snow mountain would never join any faction, Yukihime is willing—"
"There's no need to force yourself," Ren interrupted gently, raising a hand."I only helped on a whim, nothing more. And like I said before, I won't ever force the Hundred Yokai under my command to do anything they don't want to do.After what happened today, those people outside should already know there's an S-rank great yokai stationed on this mountain. Given how dire the current situation is, they won't dare to attack again so recklessly."
Yukihime hadn't even finished speaking before Ren cut her off. He already knew what she was about to say.
His decision to help really had been a momentary impulse—along with the feeling that her circumstances reminded him of his own past.
What he didn't expect, however, was that instead of backing down, Yukihime became even more emotional.
She even puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
…Was this what people called "gap moe"?
The icy, aloof Snow Woman suddenly making such an expressive face completely caught Ren off guard.
"Choosing to join your faction isn't just because you helped us," Yukihime said firmly."Your actions genuinely moved me. You saved the Snow Children, yet never once tried to use them to coerce me.And from the way the Hundred Yokai under your command treat you, I can tell—you are a benevolent and kind lord."
"Moreover, this incident made me realize something important.In an age of chaos like this, without absolute strength, staying uninvolved is nothing but a fantasy.I know my own power isn't enough to protect those I cherish. That's why I wish to seek your protection.In exchange, Yukihime will offer you her absolute loyalty."
Previously, Yukihime had adhered to a simple belief: If others don't provoke me, I won't provoke them.
Reality, however, had proven just how naïve that mindset was.
In a struggle between factions like this, true neutrality was impossible without overwhelming power.
This time, the snow mountain had survived thanks to Ren's intervention—but what about next time? And the time after that?
Could she truly protect the Snow Children forever on her own?
"In that case," Ren said after a brief pause,"I'll accept your allegiance. But there's one thing I should make clear first.Don't expect too much from me. Unlike other great yokai, I don't have much interest in becoming the true Lord of the Hundred Yokai.In fact, I'm pretty passive. Most of the time, I won't actively provoke other yokai.Even knowing that… are you still willing to follow me?"
Most yokai who pledged themselves to a leader hoped their lord would be ambitious—someone aiming to compete for the title of Hundred Yokai Lord, which in turn gave their subordinates prestige.
Take Spider Princess, for example—every one of Ren's lazy, laid-back decisions somehow got interpreted in her mind as deep, far-reaching schemes.
The Hundred Yokai under a lord weren't just subordinates—they were companions, family.
To avoid conflicts in the future, Ren felt it was necessary to make his rather unambitious personality clear from the start.
Yet to his surprise, upon hearing that Ren had no desire to compete with other great yokai and only wished to survive peacefully in this chaotic era, Yukihime's eyes lit up even more.
Other yokai might sigh at such an "unmotivated" lord.
But Yukihime wouldn't.
Because she hated fighting too.
What she wanted—just like Ren—was nothing more than a calm, peaceful life amid the chaos.
"Yes," Yukihime said without hesitation."Yukihime is willing to join the Hundred Yokai under your command… and follow you forever."
As she spoke, she dropped to one knee, reaffirming her resolve.
"Then welcome," Ren said with a smile."Snow Woman—no, Yukihime. Welcome to my family.As for my name… it's Ren Kuroda."
On a deserted rural road, several figures walked together—forming a strangely eye-catching group.
At the front was a handsome young man with chestnut-colored hair, dressed casually, his features strikingly refined.
Behind him walked a breathtakingly beautiful girl with long white hair, wearing a pure white kimono.
And trailing after her were several small girls, faces full of curiosity, bouncing around cheerfully.
At a glance, the scene looked like a ridiculously good-looking young couple taking their children on a countryside outing.
Before the age of chaos, seeing such a group in the suburbs wouldn't have seemed strange at all.
But this was no longer the old world.
Although the Tokyo District was now humanity's main refuge, the sparsely populated outskirts were extremely dangerous.
Unaligned yokai often lurked in such places, hunting isolated humans.
Over time, the roads outside the city became deserted—after all, no one wanted the thrill of monsters leaping out of the bushes to attack them.
Yet the man and woman walking through this dangerous area showed no concern whatsoever, as if they really were just enjoying a leisurely stroll.
"You're really sure you want to come home with me instead of staying on the snow mountain?" Ren asked."From what I know, while Snow Women and Snow Children can live elsewhere, the snow mountain should be the most comfortable environment for you."
This peculiar traveling party was, of course, Ren and Yukihime.
Nekomata and the others had already returned to their own world due to their contract-based summons.
When Ren returned Yukihime's Killing Stone, and even offered his own to her before leaving the mountain, she had unexpectedly refused.
According to her, she'd never been particularly interested in Killing Stones to begin with. She'd only sought one to gain the power needed to protect the Snow Children.
Now that she had found a far stronger source of protection, why cling to such a thing?
"Didn't you say we're family now?" Yukihime replied softly."Family naturally lives together.And while the snow mountain is nice, the constant intrusion of humans has become exhausting.Besides… these children have always been curious about the world beyond the mountain, so…"
"Alright, alright, I get it," Ren sighed."After what happened, leaving you there alone wouldn't be appropriate anyway.Your strength isn't the issue—but these Snow Children would be easy leverage for others."
Looking at the little girls blinking up at him with wide, innocent eyes, Ren let out a long sigh.
What he was really struggling with now… was how to explain this to Yami when they got home.
First Spider Princess. Now Yukihime.
Despite being an official employee of the Supernatural Countermeasures Division, he somehow kept bringing yokai home.
His villa had once been quite spacious—but with the growing number of residents, rooms were already starting to run out.
Spider Princess. Wall Monk. Four Red Oni. Ren, his younger sister, and his mother.
Now add Yukihime and three Snow Children.
The once-large villa suddenly felt… cramped.
And with more and more yokai living there, even though Ren had set up numerous formations to conceal demonic energy, he couldn't help but worry—
One day, would his house be mistaken for a yokai headquarters… and get purged entirely?