The figure that appeared before Tsuchigumo was a refined and elegant woman.
She wore a perfectly arranged kimono, her posture dignified and graceful—but there was something about her attire that felt… out of time, as though she didn't belong to this modern era at all.
And in truth, she was someone Tsuchigumo recognized.
Not only her—if Ren Kuroda and Yamato Kyoka had been present, they would have recognized her as well.
Or rather… recognized this yokai.
"Futakuchi-onna…? What are you doing here?" Tsuchigumo frowned, her eyes narrowing as she took in the woman's condition. "And those injuries—what happened to you? With your level of power, there aren't many beings in this world capable of hurting you like that."
The one who had appeared before them was none other than the Futakuchi-onna Ren and Kyoka had once encountered in the Chiba region.
Back then, Ren and Kyoka had been dispatched as members of the Special Countermeasures Unit to deal with a yokai incident—and the culprit they encountered was this very woman.
At the time, Ren had even tried to recruit her.
But his strength—and perhaps his presence—hadn't been enough then. The Futakuchi-onna neither accepted nor outright refused.
Back then, she had been powerful enough to defeat Kyoka, and in terms of yokai energy, she had been on par with Tsuchigumo.
In those early days when spiritual energy had only just begun to recover, she had already been considered a rare high-level yokai.
Now, after all this time, although she hadn't benefited from the energy crystals Ren distributed to his subordinates—meaning she had fallen behind Tsuchigumo—she was still undeniably an S+ class yokai.
At that level, she could easily dominate an entire region.
And yet—
The Futakuchi-onna before them now was in a miserable state.
Her steps were unsteady. Her aura fluctuated wildly. Large portions of her kimono had been burned away, exposing pale skin beneath—skin that was scorched and blistered.
"…Is she someone you know?" Amamiya Ayami asked gently, noticing Tsuchigumo's reaction. Seeing the woman's condition, her expression softened with concern. "She looks badly hurt. Let's help her back to the camp."
From Ayami's perspective, anyone Tsuchigumo reacted to like that must be an acquaintance—perhaps even a friend.
But while the Futakuchi-onna was clearly startled to see Tsuchigumo here, the moment she regained her senses, she immediately waved her hand in refusal.
"No… don't—don't worry about me," she said urgently. "You need to leave. Now. Get out of here while you still can."
Though they had only crossed paths a few times, she had no intention of dragging others into her troubles.
Because the enemy pursuing her…
Was truly dangerous.
She could tell at a glance that Tsuchigumo was now stronger than she was.
But the woman beside her—Ayami—was just an ordinary human.
The moment she heard that warning, Tsuchigumo didn't hesitate.
She moved immediately to take Ayami and leave.
It wasn't that she was heartless, abandoning the Futakuchi-onna without a second thought.
It was simply that, in her eyes, they were nothing more than acquaintances—barely even friends.
And right now, Amamiya Ayami's safety came first.
Even if the Futakuchi-onna had been a friend, Tsuchigumo would still have made the same choice.
Because in her world, Ren came first.
And the people Ren cared about… came second.
Entrusted with protecting Ayami, Tsuchigumo would fulfill that duty no matter what.
Besides—
If someone had pushed an S+ class yokai like the Futakuchi-onna to this state, then at minimum, that enemy was on Tsuchigumo's level… if not stronger.
If she were alone, she wouldn't have minded helping—and perhaps even recruiting the woman under Ren's banner.
But now?
She couldn't guarantee she could both protect Ayami and fight such an opponent at the same time.
However—
Just as Tsuchigumo scooped Ayami into her arms to retreat—
Flames suddenly erupted throughout the forest.
In an instant, fire spread in a perfect circle around them, forming a blazing barrier that trapped them inside.
The flames roared violently, rising several meters high to form a wall of fire.
Tsuchigumo assessed it instantly.
If she forced her way through, she might only suffer minor injuries.
But Ayami…?
Even a fraction of that heat would reduce her to ashes.
Glancing at the flames—then at the burn wounds covering the Futakuchi-onna—Tsuchigumo understood immediately.
This… is her pursuer.
And even if she had intended to avoid getting involved—
They were already caught in it.
"I was wondering why a yokai like you would run all the way out here into the middle of nowhere," a voice echoed lazily through the flames. "So you had companions after all."
The wall of fire rippled.
A figure stepped through it, emerging slowly before them.
"Hmm… and not a weak one either," the voice continued. "But if you think someone like her can save you… that's rather naïve."
"Even an 'Oni King'-class yokai like her… is no match for this god."
The one who appeared—
Was a small, doll-like girl.
She had bright orange hair styled like flickering flames, and most absurd of all… a lit wick protruded from her head, burning steadily like a candle flame.
At first glance, she looked almost cute—like something out of a fantasy illustration.
But there was no mistaking it.
She wasn't human.
And she wasn't a yokai either—there was no trace of yokai energy about her.
Combined with the way she referred to herself as a "god"…
Her identity was obvious.
A god who had descended into the mortal world.
"The God of Candlelight," Tsuchigumo murmured under her breath.
A lower-ranking deity of the divine realm—but among lower gods, one with considerable renown.
In ancient times, before electricity, before light bulbs—
Humanity had relied on candles and oil lamps to push back the darkness.
And from those countless flickering flames… this god had been born.
Her existence had once been essential to human life at night.
People feared the dark.
And candlelight brought illumination—brought comfort.
When people felt helpless, they would pray before the flame.
And from that faith… the God of Candlelight had come into being.
Had the world not changed, she might have continued to grow stronger, eventually ascending to the ranks of a mid-tier deity.
But with the advent of electricity—
With light bulbs replacing candles—
Her status had plummeted.
She had been forgotten.
And so…
She had come to resent humanity.
In the long nights of the past, it had been her light that drove away the darkness.
Her flame that guided their steps.
And yet, once they found something more convenient, they cast her aside without a second thought.
As for why the Futakuchi-onna had drawn the wrath of such a god—
It all began with a group of human traffickers.
In recent times, with the establishment of exorcist academies and the increasing accessibility of onmyoji arts, children with spiritual talent had become extremely valuable.
And where there was value…
There were those willing to risk everything.
Human traffickers had begun targeting such children, selling them at high prices.
And as for what kind of yokai the Futakuchi-onna was—
Anyone even slightly familiar with yokai folklore would already know…