Today, the yokai world of Kyoto was in turmoil.
Because a major figure had suddenly appeared.
Outside the shrine's barrier, a large number of Kyoto's yokai had already gathered. As for ordinary tourists and visiting worshippers, they had long since been driven away by the power of the barrier, completely unaware of what was unfolding.
At the forefront of the yokai crowd stood a fox-eared girl named Kuzunoha, her gaze fixed on the massive barrier surrounding the shrine, her face filled with worry.
From the moment Ren Kuroda had arrived—without concealing his aura in the slightest—the supreme commander of Kyoto's yokai, Yasaka, who resided within the barrier, had already sensed his presence.
To Yasaka, Ren's deliberate release of such overwhelming demonic energy was nothing short of a provocation.
After the great war of the gods long ago, an agreement had been established among all factions in this world: no wanton slaughter of ordinary humans, and no reckless destruction of the world itself.
Kyoto was yokai territory, and with her, the supreme commander, stationed here, someone arriving while openly radiating such immense power—there was no way Yasaka would believe they came in peace.
Thus, she had no choice.
On one hand, she pulled Ren into the barrier to prevent him from harming innocent bystanders.
On the other, she sent her daughter Kuzunoha to summon Kyoto's yokai forces.
She didn't know whether Ren was friend or foe, nor what his purpose was.
But one thing she understood clearly—
He was strong.
So strong that even she, the commander of Kyoto's yokai, could not guarantee victory against him.
—
Inside the barrier, Ren and Yasaka were still talking.
No direct conflict had broken out.
In fact, Ren was doing his best to convince her that he meant no harm, while Yasaka, though clearly suspicious, restrained herself.
After all, if the two of them truly fought seriously… Kyoto itself might not survive the aftermath.
"If I really had hostile intentions," Ren said calmly, "I could have hidden my aura and approached you quietly from the start. There'd be no need to show up like this, out in the open."
"And that little fox who just left—she's your daughter or younger sister, right? I didn't harm her. That alone should be enough to prove my sincerity."
He paused slightly, then added with a faint edge to his voice—
"And there's one more thing."
"If I really wanted to fight… a barrier like this wouldn't be able to stop me."
As if to prove his point, Ren's hand moved in a blur to the hilt of his divine blade.
Before Yasaka could even react—
A flash of steel sliced through the air, grazing past the tips of her hair.
Crack—!
A sharp, unmistakable sound rang out.
The shrine barrier, which Yasaka had painstakingly constructed, shattered like glass under a single strike.
Crack… crack… crack…!
The sound of the barrier breaking echoed both inside and outside simultaneously.
Outside, Kuzunoha—who had been standing guard with most of Kyoto's yokai—watched in alarm as the barrier collapsed, immediately preparing to rush forward.
Seeing the "princess" of Kyoto's yokai charge ahead, the rest of the yokai naturally grabbed their weapons, ready to swarm in.
"Stop!"
Yasaka's sharp voice rang out before anyone could move further, halting not only the yokai, but even her own daughter.
"This was a misunderstanding. He is my guest. Do not act disrespectfully."
—
If Yasaka had merely been cautious of Ren before, now her attitude had shifted into something far more serious.
Her barrier had been destroyed by a single casual strike.
That alone meant his strength was likely even greater than she had initially estimated.
Combined with the fact that he hadn't attempted a sneak attack, nor harmed Kuzunoha despite having the chance—
It was reasonable to conclude that he truly didn't harbor ill intent.
"It seems you finally understand, Miss Fox," Ren said, lowering his hand. "I revealed my aura not to provoke you, but simply to make sure someone like you would notice me."
"And I truly mean no harm. I only came to learn about this world—its power structure, and information about its strongest individuals."
—
Soon after dismissing the gathered yokai, Yasaka formally received Ren within the shrine.
From their conversation, she gradually came to understand why Ren acted as he did—and why he seemed completely ignorant of the current state of the world.
According to Ren, he was an ancient great yokai from a distant era.
However, because he was a half-demon, he had been rejected by both humans and yokai alike.
As a result, he had been schemed against—sealed away within a vessel by powerful humans in collaboration with the yokai commander of that time.
Over the passage of countless years, as time changed and the world transformed, the seal had weakened.
That was how he had finally managed to escape.
However, due to the effects of the sealing, he had lost much of his memory—he didn't even know how long he had been sealed, nor what era he now found himself in.
Of course…
Every word of that story was complete nonsense.
Ren had made it all up on the spot.
Until he fully understood this world, he had no intention of casually revealing that he was a traveler from another dimension.
The story wasn't perfect—there were plenty of holes in it.
And yet, Yasaka showed no sign of suspicion.
Because to her, it made sense.
With the level of power Ren had displayed, it was impossible that he would be ignorant of even the most basic knowledge about this world.
And as Kyoto's yokai commander, if someone as powerful as him had existed in her era, there was no way she wouldn't have heard of him.
That left only one possibility—
Ren had been sealed long before her time.
Kuzunoha, the small fox-eared girl, was already teary-eyed after hearing Ren's story.
In her mind, he was simply too pitiful.
Locked away in a confined space for hundreds—no, thousands—of years…
She couldn't even stand being grounded by her mother for a single day without feeling like her world was ending.
And yet this handsome "big brother" in front of her had endured such isolation for so long without losing his sanity.
It was nothing short of amazing.
"As for the people who sealed me back then…" Ren said lightly, as though speaking of something long past, "they're probably nothing but bones by now."
"And I'm not the kind of person who would stoop so low as to take revenge on their descendants."
"All I want now is to live peacefully."
"But I don't know whether this world still has the same taboos as before."
"So when I sensed demonic energy here, I took the liberty of visiting in this manner."
He looked at Yasaka.
"So, Miss Fox—could you tell me what this world is like now?"
—
Hearing his words, Yasaka's expression grew solemn.
There was even a trace of admiration in her gaze.
To think she had suspected such a noble and upright being of ill intent…
The thought alone filled her with shame.
"Please, call me Yasaka," she said respectfully. "Whether in terms of strength or seniority, you are my predecessor."
"If there is anything you wish to know about the current world…"
"I will explain it to you—little by little."