As for why the oni god had ultimately been dragged back into the Rashomon Gate—
That was a restriction Ren Kuroda had placed on himself.
He still couldn't fully control the power of the "Evil of This World." What he had just done was already pushing the absolute limit. If he allowed the oni god to rampage any further, then Ren himself would be devoured by that very evil.
And once that happened, the chains binding the Rashomon Gate would be completely shattered.
What would follow after that… no one could say.
The consciousness of the "Evil of This World" had been born during Ren's previous battle, when he had lost control and fallen into darkness against the war god Yagiri.
Back then, that consciousness had been like a newborn child—driven purely by instinct. It had sensed Ren's fear toward Amanoin Miya, judged her to be a threat, and instinctively chose to retreat to avoid danger.
But now—
The "Evil of This World" had grown.
It was no longer that ignorant, instinct-driven entity.
Even when faced with an opponent it clearly couldn't defeat, it still wanted to clash head-on.
Of course, as a manifestation of humanity's collective negative emotions, the "Evil of This World" was, in a sense, immortal—as long as humanity continued to exist.
But Ren Kuroda was not.
And the reason that entity sought out such suicidal confrontations…
Was likely because it wanted to use the enemy's strength to kill Ren—
And thereby free itself from its final restraint.
Ren had used this ability once before, in another world.
But at that time, he hadn't drawn upon the power of the "Evil of This World." The oni god that appeared then had looked imposing, but in truth it lacked consciousness—and posed no real threat.
Now, however—
With the power of that evil infused within it—
The difference in strength was like heaven and earth.
As the Rashomon Gate forcefully dragged the oni god—formed from that malignant consciousness—back inside, Ren's body instantly reached its limit.
Combined with the earlier damage to his soul, he could no longer maintain his "Half-Demonization" or "Drunken Berserker" states.
His body reverted completely to normal.
The bounded domain, already on the verge of collapse, lost the support of his power and shattered like a broken mirror—fragmenting into countless particles of light that dissolved into the air.
What unsettled Ren even more was this—
Even after his domain was destroyed, he still couldn't perceive the full form of the being that had intervened.
Because even now, within the space of Yomi itself, all he could see…
Was that single, massive hand.
As though it extended from the void itself.
After rescuing Enma, the hand withdrew just as quickly, slipping back into nothingness.
Dropping to one knee, his body weakened to the extreme, Ren's expression turned grim.
Forget his current condition—even if he were at full strength, even if he pushed himself beyond his limits…
He still wouldn't stand a chance against that entity.
Only a single hand had been revealed.
But from its shape—and the sleeve that draped over it—
It was clearly female.
A female entity…
In Yomi…
With power on that level…
Ren didn't even need to think too hard to guess her identity.
He had long since accepted that he would one day stand against the gods.
But not like this.
Not yet.
If he was going to challenge a high-difficulty dungeon, at least give him time to gear up and grind some experience first.
The elites hadn't even appeared yet—
And now the final boss had already shown up.
How was he supposed to fight that?
If he used the spatial marker he had left outside, there was a chance he could escape.
But then what about Yamato Kuka and the others?
Just as Ren found himself at a complete loss, unable to decide—
The massive hand in the sky withdrew once more.
The swirling vortex that had accompanied it twisted violently for a moment—
Then vanished completely.
As if it had never existed at all.
Staring at the empty sky, Ren froze for a brief moment—
Then let out a quiet, relieved chuckle.
Whether it was because the entity couldn't be bothered to kill him…
Or because some rule prevented her from acting further within Yomi…
It didn't matter.
As long as she didn't personally intervene—
Then the situation hadn't completely spiraled out of control.
That's right—
His soul was damaged, and he likely wouldn't be able to use abilities like "Half-Demonization" anytime soon.
But Enma wasn't in good shape either.
Her domain—manifested as the Palace of Enma—had been cleaved apart by the oni god. Her condition might even be worse than his.
If it came down to a battle of attrition—
Ren still had a solid chance of winning.
Just as he prepared to finish Enma off and then rush to find Kuka and the others—
A cold wind howled through the air.
Ren's senses sharpened instantly.
Behind Enma—
Several new presences had appeared.
The atmosphere grew heavier, more suffocating, as the chill deepened. Gradually, three figures emerged into clear view.
One wore a pitch-black robe, a large scythe resting in his hand.
Opposite him stood another, dressed entirely in white, holding a stack of talismans.
The third—
Had a blue, demonic face with protruding fangs, horns jutting from its head, and a vicious glare in its eyes. It wielded a long-handled trident, and impaled upon its prongs was a writhing evil spirit—which it casually tore apart with its teeth, as though savoring a meal.
A brutal creature, through and through.
In terms of sheer aura, these three were weaker than Enma—
But none of them were opponents to take lightly.
If Ren were at full strength, it would be manageable.
But in his current state…
Facing these three, on top of an injured Enma—
His odds were far from promising.
The ones in black and white robes were clearly the Wuchang—underworld attendants originating from ancient Taoist traditions. In the yokai folklore of this realm, they were known as the Black Envoy and White Envoy.
As for the blue-faced, fanged creature wielding a trident—
That was a Yaksha.
Originating from Buddhist lore rooted in Indian mythology, Yaksha were fearsome beings—monstrous in appearance, yet incredibly powerful.
Some had human bodies with beast heads—oxen, horses—and wings that allowed them to soar through the sky.
Others burned with green flames for hair, towering like living torches. Their eyes could appear in bizarre places—on their foreheads, their chins—shaped like triangles or crescents.
There were many kinds of Yaksha—
But they all shared one defining trait:
They were terrifying to behold.
So grotesque that even a child would stop crying at the sight of them.
That was why, in folklore, adults would warn disobedient children—
"If you don't behave and go to sleep, the Yaksha will come and take you away."
The vast underworld of Yomi could never be managed by Enma alone.
And the figures now standing before Ren—
The Wuchang and the Yaksha—
Were clearly the enforcers and messengers of the underworld.