The spectral giant behind Ren towered like a wrathful deity—skin a cold, unnatural blue, fangs bared, hair blazing like fire. Its massive, unclothed body radiated a primordial ferocity, and it held a sword mirroring Ren's own. Its gaze was stern, imperious, and utterly devoid of mercy as it advanced step for step with the half-oni.
But the moment Ren reached striking distance, the phantom dissolved into thin air—like a mirage torn apart by wind—leaving the Rat Demon King doubting whether he had truly seen it at all.
"What's the point of blabbering about this now?" Ren exhaled slowly, eyes half-lidded but burning with red threads of madness. "If you already know I'm a half-demon, then you should also know the choice is mine—whether I walk as a demon or as a human.
"And judging from what you pulled earlier… you definitely meant to kill me. Don't you think it's a little late to pretend otherwise?
"What's wrong? Too many of your little minions died, and now that you're the only one left standing… you getting cold feet?"
Only now did Ren finally face the creature that had been commanding the rat horde.
It was a rat demon—yes—but monstrously larger than its kin. The common rat demons were roughly the size of hunting dogs, with the biggest barely reaching the size of a young calf.But this one…The titan before Ren was as massive as a double-decker city bus.
How it had been hiding in the district all this time was a mystery in itself. Even though Ukiyo-chō had become sparsely populated, it was still unbelievable that a monster this vast—and a whole nest of lesser demons—had escaped the eyes of the police, the public, and other yokai.
"Calling me a coward?" the Rat Demon King spat, baring its yellowed fangs. "You? A mere half-demon? You're not even worth fearing. The only reason I held back is because we're both monsters—and because stirring up trouble with the oni lineage is a luxury I can't afford."
In truth, the Rat Demon King absolutely was a coward. Ren's sudden recovery of demon power—and the terrifying phantom looming behind him—had shaken it to its core.
"You don't need to worry about giving me face," Ren said flatly. "You've already seen where I stand. Half-demon or not, I'm not joining the likes of you.
"As for the oni clan—don't flatter yourself. I don't have anyone backing me. I'm a discarded half-breed who hasn't even met another oni in my life."
Ren grinned, a wild, razor-sharp expression dripping with bloodlust.
"And besides… it's been a while since I've met a calamity-class demon like you. Isn't survival of the fittest the law of demons? Then let's test it. Let's see who walks away and who becomes someone else's meal.
"You gonna kill me and use me to evolve? Or will I kill you and turn you into the foundation for my own growth?"
He lifted his demon blade—Oni-Bane—resting one palm along its spine. The hungry smile widening on his face made the Rat Demon King's fur bristle.
Being a half-demon meant Ren didn't choose the oni instincts in his blood… but every night, under its influence, his emotions grew wilder. More violent. More impulsive.And after slaughtering so many lesser rat demons without pause, the oni's bloodthirst had fully awakened. There was no room left for retreat.
The Rat Demon King stared into Ren's bloodshot eyes, then at the demon sword in his hand—a weapon no ordinary demon could afford. Ren claimed to be a discarded pawn of the oni line, but the Rat Demon King didn't believe a word.
A half-oni whelp capable of wielding a high-grade demon blade…A half-oni who had manifested a ghost-god-like apparition moments earlier…
This wasn't a pawn.This was a prince.
Retreat was no longer possible. His earlier attempt to pull back had already been rejected outright. He had no choice but to fight.And truthfully, in raw demon power, the Rat Demon King did surpass Ren. His hesitation earlier had come purely from instinctive fear.
That phantom still haunted him.
Suddenly—A massive tail whipped out from the darkness like a steel cable, tearing through brick and concrete walls as if they were nothing but wet paper.
Clang!
A sharp metallic crash exploded across the night.
Ren caught the tail strike on his raised sword, but the blow still hurled him backward. He dug twin trenches into the concrete with his heels as he skidded across the ground, his arms trembling from the force.
Even with his monstrous strength—he had been pushed back.
His arm throbbed numb, and facing the giant's hulking form, Ren realized the Rat Demon King wasn't relying on bluff alone.
Seeing Ren forced back, the Rat Demon King's confidence surged. With stunning speed for a creature of its size, it lunged forward.Before Ren could fully regain his footing, a massive shadow blurred past him. The Rat Demon King rammed into him like a runaway truck. Ren's body was sent spinning through the air again.
Rat demons were among the weakest yokai—no innate powers, no special traits. Even the Rat Demon King was not naturally gifted.
Aside from the standard "night vision" and "supernose" every rat demon possessed, the Rat Demon King had only a small handful of special abilities:
Its summon swarm ability had already been used—and Ren had wiped out the entire horde—so calling for reinforcements was impossible for the foreseeable future.
It also possessed the typical demonic intimidation skill, but intimidation was useless against Ren, whose demon power was at least equal and whose quality far surpassed a vermin-type monster.
But what set the Rat Demon King apart was its combination of sheer size and unusual speed.
Size alone would've made it a lumbering target…But speed combined with mass made it a nightmare.
Even without supernatural tricks, the Rat Demon King's raw strength and agility could overwhelm most demons easily.
Watching Ren get tossed through rubble once again, the King's face twisted into a disturbingly human smirk. Confidence returned in full.
Its earlier hesitation had come entirely from that haunting phantom. But now, after seeing Ren knocked aside repeatedly, the Rat Demon King began to believe that vision had been nothing more than a hallucination.
If Ren were truly someone terrifying, how could he be thrown around so easily?
Now, the Rat Demon King no longer wished to flee. Confidence restored, its thoughts sharpened.
Ren Kuroda's overwhelming killing intent had rattled him at first—but in terms of actual demon power, he was stronger.In terms of physique, no half-oni could possibly compare to the bulk of a calamity-class rat demon.And when it came to fighting at night, in tight, shadow-filled terrain—rat demons reigned supreme. They were creatures born to stalk darkness.
With the battlefield, the timing, and the environment all on his side, watching Ren climb out from the shattered concrete once more, bleeding but unbowed…
The Rat Demon King felt victory was already his—and that nothing could possibly go wrong.