Watching the Samurai Spirit before him—its yokai power having surged dramatically—and the Nekomata stepping out from the shadows once more, Kūsuga Ryōsuke couldn't help but show an expression of genuine admiration again.
Whether it was the Samurai Spirit whose strength had suddenly skyrocketed, the Nekomata who had perfectly concealed its presence to launch a sneak attack on him, or the Hook-Needle Woman who had seized the timing flawlessly and coordinated with the others with exquisite precision—Ryōsuke found all of them deeply satisfying.
The Kūsuga clan prided itself on being born for the sword. They even maintained youthful bodies over long periods of time, all so they could better savor the joy of battle.
Because of that, opponents of average caliber never managed to spark even the slightest interest in them.
But the yokai standing before him now had earned Ryōsuke's full recognition through sheer strength—enough that he intended to respond with his clan's strongest sword techniques.
Even so, across the battlefield as a whole, those who could fight the heads of the great exorcist clans to a standstill were still exceedingly rare.
The Samurai Spirit and the others summoned by Ren Kuroda could be set aside for the moment. Thanks to their long-standing trust and familiarity, they were able to coordinate and fight as a cohesive unit.
The so-called local tyrants of the Tokyo area, however, were a different story.
Even when facing powerful human opponents, those yokai were rife with mutual suspicion. When things started to turn against them, their first instinct wasn't to support one another—it was to sell out their allies without hesitation.
As for how that turned out, the outcome was obvious.
They were all A-rank great yokai. Even against the heads of the Thirteen Demon-Slaying Houses, they should have had the ability to resist.
Yet under conditions of distrust and self-preservation, they were picked off one by one and slaughtered.
The yokai faction had already been lacking in top-tier combatants to begin with. With A-rank great yokai falling in succession, the scales of victory naturally began to tilt toward the exorcists.
And the deaths of A-rank yokai weren't even the most dire issue.
The real crisis was the gradual collapse of morale within the yokai ranks.
In any war, what matters most is morale and momentum. Yokai might be ferocious, but they were still living beings. They feared death, and when confronted with enemies they could not defeat, fear took root all the same.
Compared to the Samurai Spirit and his companions—who could fight the Kūsuga clan head evenly—the other A-rank great yokai clearly lacked that level of strength.
On one hand, they didn't possess the Samurai Spirit's unique methods. On the other, they fought entirely on their own, with no coordination whatsoever.
When they saw great yokai of similar rank being brutally slain one after another by the heads of the Thirteen Demon-Slaying Houses, some of the A-rank yokai began to lose their nerve.
They had believed victory was possible—that was why they had joined forces with the Samurai Spirit in the first place. But judging from the current situation, they were clearly no match for Tokyo's exorcists.
As high-level combatants continued to fall around them, the pressure on the yokai faction grew heavier by the moment.
Before long, the first A-rank great yokai deserted the battlefield.
After witnessing a former archrival—someone who had once matched him evenly—being burned to ashes in the hands of the Hokugun clan head, his mind simply snapped.
That yokai had been just as strong as he was—perhaps even stronger. And yet he had been killed so easily.
If that was the case… what chance did he himself have?
Better to live in disgrace than die gloriously.
Once a dominant figure in the Tokyo underworld, that A-rank yokai didn't even bother with his subordinates anymore after witnessing the overwhelming might of the Thirteen Demon-Slaying Houses. He turned and fled without a second thought.
And once the first deserter appeared, it was inevitable that a second would follow. Then a third. Then more.
In warfare, a general being slain isn't necessarily fatal—so long as the tide can be turned. What truly spells disaster is when those in command choose to flee first.
Just imagine it: for soldiers charging bravely on the front lines, what would they think upon seeing their powerful leaders retreat out of fear?
The flight of several great yokai triggered a chain reaction within the yokai faction. Defensive lines that had barely held together moments ago collapsed instantly as deserters multiplied.
"It seems we overestimated these creatures," one exorcist muttered coolly. "No matter how many of them gather, they're still nothing more than a rabble.
"If we simply finish off the remaining yokai, Tokyo should finally return to peace.
"And with this many yokai materials… who knows? This disaster might actually turn into a blessing. Tokyo could become the strongest human stronghold there is."
Yokai were calamities—but they were also resources.
Many parts of a yokai's body could be used as materials for forging spiritual tools and talismans.
As for their blood, human technology had already produced something known as "Yokai Serum."
Though Yokai Serum carried certain risks, there was no denying that it had become a powerful weapon for humanity in resisting yokai.
Those without any innate spiritual talent could gain the power to slay yokai by using it.
For most exorcists, Yokai Serum was also a valuable asset.
Everyone knew that while exorcists excelled at wielding Five Elements spells, their human bodies were simply too fragile when facing yokai.
Yokai Serum could strengthen the human body to rival that of a yokai—perfectly compensating for an exorcist's greatest weakness.
Some orthodox exorcists couldn't accept having such a "tainted" substance inside their bodies. Others, however, argued that times had changed, and that adaptation was necessary.
Yokai were now the ones favored by heaven and earth. If humans clung stubbornly to outdated rules, defeat was inevitable.
And unlike ordinary people, exorcists had far more methods to resist the side effects of yokai-induced corruption.
In the past, the Yokai Serum available on the market had been low-grade—cheap products meant for civilians. Naturally, exorcists had looked down on such things.
But tonight's battle was different.
A considerable number of A-rank great yokai had died here.
If those could be refined into Yokai Serum, it would undoubtedly become another opportunity for the exorcists to grow stronger.
As for the A-rank yokai who abandoned their hundred demons and attempted to flee the battlefield…
Did they really think they could escape Tokyo?
The answer was obvious.
As mentioned before, the exorcist faction had already begun viewing them as stepping stones to greater strength. Lesser yokai could run if they wished—but these A-rank great yokai? There was no way they'd be allowed to leave.
If they hadn't fled, they might still have had a chance to resist.
Now that they'd exposed their backs to the enemy?
They would only die faster.
"It seems you—and those over there fighting the Jisō clan—are truly different from the rest," Kūsuga Ryōsuke said calmly. "Even with the battle collapsing like this, your fighting spirit remains unwavering.
"Is it simply your nature? Or do you still have some hidden card—something that makes you believe this fight can still be overturned?"
As he spoke, Ryōsuke continued to swing his blade at a speed beyond human sight, suppressing the Samurai Spirit while simultaneously keeping his guard up against the Nekomata, who could strike from any angle at any moment.
Despite the dire circumstances, Ryōsuke still had the leisure to converse with the Samurai Spirit—clear proof that his strength surpassed that of the Jisō clan head fighting nearby.
The Jisō clan head was just as unlucky in his choice of opponent.
Like Ryōsuke, he had run into trouble—facing the trio of the Hand-Washing Ogre, Shion, and Shuna.
The Jisō clan specialized in bodily reinforcement, but his luck was atrocious. The opponents he'd chosen happened to be cut from the same cloth.
The Hand-Washing Ogre was already a powerhouse among the yokai of the Inland Sea region. After receiving guidance from Ren Kuroda, his strength had skyrocketed even further.
Shion, though slender in appearance, had inherited Ren Kuroda's "Monstrous Strength and Chaos" skill. She was just as much a power-type fighter—each swing of her massive cleaver shaking the earth and reshaping the terrain.
As for Shuna, she hadn't joined the melee directly. Instead, she provided support with a variety of spells, creating openings for the other two.
One moment you're locked in a contest of strength with the Hand-Washing Ogre—then the next, a two-meter-long blade comes crashing down from above.
Can you really handle that?
To be honest, if not for the Jisō clan head being bolstered by numerous spells and barriers—his combat power nearly reaching S-minus rank—this wouldn't be him exterminating yokai.
It would be the yokai exterminating him.
Unlike Ryōsuke, the Jisō clan head lacked the overwhelming strength needed to completely suppress his opponents. But even so, defeating the Hand-Washing Ogre and the others was no easy task.
As time passed, the overall battle situation grew increasingly unfavorable for the yokai faction.
With A-rank yokai either fleeing or being slain, their high-end combat power plummeted. Meanwhile, many of the exorcists' elites were freed up to reinforce other fronts.
Even the Samurai Spirit and his companions—who had previously held their own against the Kūsuga and Jisō clan heads—found the balance shattered when several clan elders joined the fight.
"A female demon… using human Five Elements spells?" someone exclaimed in disbelief. "What in the world is going on?"
With the arrival of reinforcements, the first casualty soon appeared—
Shuna.
Compared to the others, she was the least suited for direct combat. Before, the three of them had been fighting the Jisō clan head together. But with enemy reinforcements arriving, the situation shifted into one-on-one exchanges—or even being outnumbered.
As a support-type fighter, Shuna quickly became the first to be wounded.
And from the shadows, Ren Kuroda—who had been concealing his presence and watching this battlefield from the very beginning—could no longer remain still the instant he saw Shuna injured.
In a flash, he vanished from his spot.
"Spider Princess," Ren Kuroda said coldly, his voice firm with resolve, "no matter what you say this time, I'm done waiting.
"Standing by while my family is hurt and choosing to watch from the sidelines—
"That's not my style."