The moment Ren Kuroda saw the newly arrived underworld agents—the black-and-white-robed wardens and the Yaksha—his mind immediately began racing.
With reinforcements now at Enma's side, continuing a head-on fight was clearly no longer an option.
But since a high god like Izanami hadn't directly intervened again, it meant his situation wasn't completely hopeless yet.
If he couldn't win head-on—
Then he could run.
Enma was already injured, and the others likely couldn't match his speed. As long as he quickly located Yamato Kuka and the rest, he could use his teleportation item and get out of here.
There was no need to stubbornly fight to the bitter end.
"Please, wait a moment. The Black Envoy and the Yaksha—they don't mean you any harm."
Just as Ren was about to withdraw, Enma suddenly spoke, stopping him.
"They likely only came here because they received Lady Izanami's orders… and happened to be nearby."
She began explaining what command the administrators of the underworld had just received.
Izanami—also known by her divine name, Izanami-no-Mikoto—was the mother goddess of this land, and the deity of Yomi's impurity.
Despite her exalted status, she was not one to involve herself in day-to-day affairs. Due to the circumstances surrounding Izanagi and the laws that bound her, she remained deep within the innermost reaches of Yomi.
Yet—
She had witnessed the battle between Ren and Enma.
After observing their clash, Izanami had developed a strong interest in Ren.
As the true ruler of Yomi, nothing within this realm could escape her awareness if she chose to look. Through her ability to trace events backward in time, she had already learned why Ren had entered the underworld—and had heard his earlier conversation with Enma.
That was when she began paying attention to this intriguing half-yokai.
And when Ren unleashed the power of the "Evil of This World," delivering what should have been a fatal blow to Enma—
A rare look of excitement had appeared on Izanami's face.
Anyone familiar with her legend knew why she had become the goddess of Yomi.
She hated Izanagi.
He had deceived her.
They had once sworn eternal vows—but in the end, he abandoned her without hesitation.
Because of that, she despised those who were heartless above all else.
But what about Ren?
Why had he descended into Yomi?
Was it not also for the sake of saving the one he loved?
The myth she had lived through with Izanagi—
And the path Ren was now walking—
How eerily similar they were.
At first, Izanami had merely watched, convinced that in the end, Ren would make the same choice Izanagi once had.
In her eyes, men were all the same.
Faithless.
Untrustworthy.
She no longer believed in love—nor in the idea that anyone would willingly descend into the underworld for another.
So when she intervened to save Enma earlier, it wasn't just to preserve her subordinate—
It was also a test.
By releasing her overwhelming pressure, Ren should have clearly felt the insurmountable gap between them.
Faced with certain death—
Would he abandon the one he loved and flee Yomi alone?
The answer—
Was no.
Ren Kuroda was nothing like Izanagi.
Even in the face of death, he had not chosen to escape.
He had chosen to stand and fight.
And because of that—
He had passed Izanami's test.
His character, his resolve—both earned her approval.
But it wasn't just that.
The power Ren possessed also stirred something within her.
A strange sense of familiarity.
That power was none other than the "Evil of This World."
What was Izanami known as?
The Goddess of Yomi's Impurity.
To the gods of the heavens—including Izanagi—she herself was considered a being of filth.
Yomi, as the land of the dead, was naturally filled with the impurities and corruption of the world. Only by cleansing their sins could souls reenter the cycle of reincarnation.
She bore the title of the Goddess of Impurity.
And Ren—
Carried the sins and malice of humanity itself.
Their powers were strikingly similar—almost perfectly aligned.
It was only natural that she would feel a sense of kinship toward him.
What had she done wrong?
Nothing.
She had died giving birth to Kagutsuchi—and from that moment, she had been cast into Yomi, transformed into its goddess.
Branded as impure.
Rejected by both the gods and the one she loved.
She had done nothing to deserve it—
And yet she bore it all.
And Ren…
Izanami could see it clearly.
His fate mirrored hers in an uncanny way.
The "Evil of This World" was not truly his own power.
It was something imposed upon him—
Something he had chosen to bear.
He had passed her test of character.
Their experiences resonated.
Their burdens were alike.
And so, moved by that shared sense of fate—
Izanami found Ren… deeply agreeable.
On top of that, Ren had openly declared to Enma that he would stand against the gods—even that he might one day oppose a deity like Izanagi.
They shared a past.
Now they shared a potential enemy.
And Izanami—
Held a favorable impression of him.
The result was inevitable.
The order Enma and the others had just received was simple:
Ren Kuroda was to be recognized as a member of Yomi.
Not only that—
He was to be appointed as Enma's deputy.
In terms of rank within the underworld, aside from Izanami herself—the ultimate hands-off ruler—Ren would stand third.
A newcomer—
And already the third-highest authority.
Even above the Black Envoy and the Yaksha.
That was precisely why the Black Envoy and the Yaksha had set aside their duties and rushed here.
Partly out of curiosity—
But also because, as seasoned veterans of the workplace, they understood the importance of showing proper respect to a superior.
After all, this new figure had been personally appointed by Lady Izanami herself.
Such treatment—
Was something rarely seen, even in all their years.
They were all oni-kind, albeit of different types.
To reach their current positions, they had endured countless years of hardship and labor.
Of course, if Ren had been appointed by Enma, they might have had some complaints.
But since the decision came from that individual—
They didn't dare voice even the slightest dissatisfaction.
Instead, they had dropped everything to come meet this new superior.
Anyone who could parachute into such a high-ranking position was clearly someone with powerful backing.
And that backing was almost certainly the strongest figure in all of Yomi.
For someone like that—
There was no reason not to curry favor.
Meanwhile, Ren—
Who had been fully prepared to make a tactical retreat—
Now stood there, completely dumbfounded after hearing Enma's explanation.
He had barged into the underworld.
Fought its highest authority head-on.
By all rights, that was no different from storming the place and picking a fight.
And yet—
Not only was he not being punished—
He had just been… promoted?!