It didn't take long for Ren Kuroda to learn from Yasaka, the supreme commander of Kyoto's yokai, that this world was exactly as complicated as he had suspected.
The relationships between the various factions alone were incredibly tangled—and no matter which side you looked at, none of them were easy to deal with.
This world was home to angels, fallen angels, devils, dragons, gods from countless mythologies… and, of course, yokai like Yasaka and her kind.
In the past, conflicts between these factions had been constant. Skirmishes every few days, major battles every few weeks—it wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
However, many years ago, a full-scale war broke out between the three major factions: angels, fallen angels, and devils.
The result had been devastating.
All sides suffered catastrophic losses, and the devil faction in particular had it worst—their Seven Great Demon Kings were completely wiped out.
The scale and intensity of that war had been so extreme that even the legendary "Two Heavenly Dragons," who had wandered into the battlefield, were dragged into the chaos.
The Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig, and the White Dragon Emperor, Albion—both were slain by the combined forces of the three factions and ultimately forged into Sacred Gears.
That alone spoke volumes about how brutal the conflict had been.
The "Two Heavenly Dragons" were second only to the Dragon Gods and the True Red Dragon God Emperor among dragonkind—existences whose power rivaled, or even surpassed, that of gods and devils.
And yet, even beings of that caliber had been destroyed once they were caught in the crossfire of the three-way war.
It was precisely because of that devastating conflict that the devils, angels, and fallen angels eventually declared a ceasefire.
They established agreements that strictly prohibited extreme actions in the human world—anything that might reignite another large-scale war.
In simple terms, that war had scared all three factions into restraint.
After all, this world contained far more than just those three powers.
None of them wanted to continue fighting endlessly, only to see their entire faction eventually wiped out.
—
After spending nearly half a day at the shrine, Ren finally gained a general understanding of the current state of the world from Yasaka.
At the same time, he realized that not only was this world's power ceiling high…
It was far beyond what he had originally imagined.
During her explanations, Ren occasionally interrupted to ask about things that concerned him.
For example—just how powerful were beings like "Seraphs" or "Demon Kings"?
What about the gods of other mythologies, or the so-called "Two Heavenly Dragons"?
Faced with these questions, Yasaka could only smile awkwardly.
Because while Kyoto's yokai faction was indeed one of the many forces in this world, the truth was…
Compared to the gods, devils, dragons, and angels, they were not exactly top-tier.
At best, they could be considered second- or third-rate.
Even Yasaka herself—regarded as the strongest yokai in Kyoto in the past several thousand years—possessed abilities such as manipulating the flow of spiritual energy and controlling the weather over Kyoto.
If she unleashed her full power and returned to her true form, she could even contend with dragons of the "Five Dragon Kings" class.
But compared to beings like the "Two Heavenly Dragons" or the chief gods of various mythologies…
She was still clearly a step behind.
The "Five Dragon Kings" were dragons slightly weaker than the Two Heavenly Dragons, but even so, they possessed power comparable to ordinary gods and devils.
As for the Two Heavenly Dragons themselves, their strength surpassed that of typical divine or demonic beings—roughly on par with the "chief deity" level found across different mythologies.
After comparing Yasaka's strength to his own, Ren quickly gained a clearer understanding of where he likely stood in this world.
—
Not long after, Ren brought up the real purpose of his visit.
He wanted to come into contact with the three factions that had once waged that great war.
Since Kyoto was yokai territory, members of those factions rarely appeared here.
"If you're interested in devils and angels, Ren-dono," Yasaka said, handing him a piece of paper, "then you may want to visit this place."
"We yokai maintain a fair amount of intelligence on the human world. According to my subordinates, there have been frequent signs of devil activity in this region."
"Additionally, reliable reports suggest that the reaction of a Sacred Gear has recently appeared nearby."
Angels had Heaven. Devils had the Underworld. Fallen angels had their own domain.
But yokai had no separate realm to call their own.
Because of that, they were far more deeply rooted in the human world—and naturally possessed more comprehensive intelligence about it.
At the same time, they were also the faction that least wanted another large-scale war to break out.
To prevent potential conflict between Ren and the three factions, Yasaka even wrote him a letter of introduction in her capacity as Kyoto's yokai commander.
And to give Ren a sufficiently credible identity…
She boldly stated in the letter that he was her long-lost sworn elder brother.
Holding the letter, Ren glanced at the line identifying him as the elder brother of Kyoto's yokai commander, his expression turning slightly odd.
"My apologies, Ren-dono," Yasaka said with a faint smile. "With strength like yours, appearing suddenly in the human world is bound to draw attention from all factions."
"I thought that having such an identity might make your movements a bit more… convenient."
Ren shook his head with a light chuckle.
"It's fine. At least I'm the elder brother, not the younger one, right? Being known as the older brother of Kyoto's yokai commander isn't exactly a bad deal."
In truth, Ren understood Yasaka's intentions.
On one hand, she genuinely didn't want him clashing with the three factions.
On the other… she was also subtly trying to draw him into the yokai faction.
But Ren didn't mind.
Given his nature, he was bound to be categorized as part of the yokai side sooner or later anyway.
And besides, Yasaka had spent half the day explaining the intricacies of this world to him. Refusing even a small gesture of goodwill would have been rather ungrateful.
"In that case… I'm truly relieved, Ren—nii-sama."
Yasaka's tone shifted instantly, climbing the ladder the moment he accepted the letter without objection.
"And if possible… there's actually something else I'd like to ask of you, dear brother."
Part of it was genuine emotion.
Ren's earlier story—about being rejected and betrayed because of his half-demon nature—had clearly moved her.
If that was the case, then she and Kuzunoha could become his new family.
In Yasaka's eyes, someone so broad-minded and forgiving couldn't possibly be a bad person—nor someone who deserved such a fate.
The other reason was far more pragmatic.
Ren was incredibly strong.
In fact, Yasaka suspected that he might already be on par with the Two Heavenly Dragons—or even the chief gods of mythology.
Having such a powerful "elder brother" would be a tremendous advantage—not just for her and Kuzunoha, but for all of Kyoto's yokai.
Meanwhile, Ren couldn't help but rub the bridge of his nose awkwardly.
Being called "big brother" by a mature, elegant woman who clearly looked older than him…
Yeah.
That definitely felt a little weird.