After a single night had passed since the incident on the snowy mountain, news of what had transpired there finally began to spread. And once the information reached the ears of the major exorcist families and organizations, there was no doubt about it—every one of them was shaken to the core.
No one had expected that something of this magnitude would occur on the snow mountain overnight. The exorcists who had gone there could be said to have faced a fate where survival itself was a miracle—calling it "nine deaths and one life" would not have been an exaggeration.
Previously, everyone had known that the snow mountain was dangerous. Every expedition sent there had suffered casualties. But compared to the temptation of the "Killing Stone," those losses had still fallen within an acceptable range.
This time, however, nearly a hundred exorcists had ventured deep into the mountain. Aside from the Special Countermeasures Division, which returned completely unscathed, only Seo from the Onmyo Agency and three members of the Hokuragi family managed to escape alive.
Everyone else had been buried forever beneath the snow.
And these were not some insignificant cannon fodder. These were core combatants—exorcists whose spiritual power generally exceeded C-rank.
With a lineup like that, taking down one or two A-rank yokai factions should have been well within reach.
Yet instead, they had all fallen on that snow mountain.
For humanity, which was already at a disadvantage, this was nothing short of a devastating blow.
What caused even more headaches for the higher-ups was the intelligence brought back by Seo, the sole survivor from the Onmyo Agency.
The Snow Woman yokai on the mountain was not an isolated existence at all—but part of an unknown S-rank yokai faction.
After hearing Seo's full account, the human leadership made a swift decision. Without hesitation, they classified Ren Kuroda and the yokai that had appeared around him as an S-rank yokai faction.
Ren's individual combat power aside, four A-minus–rank yokai combined with an A-rank Snow Woman already far exceeded the strength of an ordinary A-rank faction.
And no one believed that a mysterious demon race capable of making so many A-rank yokai willingly submit could itself be merely A-rank.
The far more likely answer was that the leader was at least A-plus rank—if not outright S-rank.
Subsequent intelligence coming from the Hokuragi family only reinforced this conclusion.
The few Hokuragi clansmen who had returned alive from the mountain reported that after Seo had been released, the family's Second Elder had burned his own life and soul in order to buy time for their escape, activating a forbidden clan technique that caused his spiritual power to surge explosively.
Given the Second Elder's original level, once life and soul were both sacrificed, his combat power would have reached at least S-rank.
What everyone was dying to know now was this—
After staking everything on that final gamble, had the Hokuragi Second Elder, wielding S-rank power, succeeded in killing that mysterious demon?
Unfortunately, when faced with an S-rank yokai faction, neither the exorcist organizations nor the great families dared to investigate further. No one had the courage to venture into the snow mountain again.
This stalemate persisted for several days.
But eventually, seeing that the mountain's summit remained eerily silent, the Hokuragi family could no longer endure the uncertainty.
The elderly clan head personally led several powerful members of the family, bringing along their clan's sacred spiritual tools, and chose to ascend the mountain himself.
Regardless of the outcome—whether the Second Elder had prevailed or the yokai had emerged victorious—the Hokuragi clan head believed it was his duty to retrieve the Second Elder's remains.
This time, they went up with resolve.
Not only did they bring their most precious spiritual artifacts, but the remaining elders of the clan accompanied them as well.
Even if the yokai truly possessed S-plus–rank power, with a force like this, retreating safely should still have been possible.
With the Snow Woman gone, the snow mountain was no longer perpetually shrouded in falling snow. Along the way, the Hokuragi group encountered almost no resistance.
Before long, they arrived at the site where Ren Kuroda had once fought the Hokuragi Second Elder.
The exposed rocky terrain where massive amounts of snow had melted away, the mountain peak that had been cleaved cleanly in two, and the enormous, horrifying crater gouged into the ground—
Even without witnessing the battle firsthand, the exaggerated scars left behind were enough for the Hokuragi members to imagine just how ferocious the fight had been.
"The fire-element spiritual energy is strongest at the center of this crater… and the Second Elder's aura still lingers here.It seems that even after burning his life and soul, the Second Elder failed to gain the upper hand against that yokai… and was forced to this extent in the end."
Everyone present was among the most senior members of the Hokuragi family, intimately familiar with their clan's curses and techniques.
After only a brief examination, they realized that in his final moments, the Second Elder had ignited his remaining spiritual power and self-detonated.
As for retrieving a body—that was utterly impossible.
Judging by the force of the explosion, nothing could have survived within the blast radius.
What shocked them most was that the yokai the Second Elder had faced was so terrifying that it had forced him not only to burn his life and soul, but ultimately to leave nothing behind—not even his body.
"It seems the intelligence that brat from the Onmyo Agency brought back severely underestimated that yokai.After burning his life and soul, the Second Elder's power had reached at least S-rank—and he was still driven to self-destruction.Most importantly… judging from the blood left on the ground and the footprints in the snow, the enemy didn't even die."
"To endure a point-blank S-rank spiritual self-detonation and survive—apparently without suffering fatal injuries.That's no S-rank yokai. Even if it used some kind of artifact to mitigate the blast, surviving something like that means it cannot be S-rank at all.It's far more likely… that it's an SS-rank existence."
Failing to recover the Second Elder's remains already weighed heavily on the Hokuragi clan head's heart.
But after assessing the battlefield and estimating the enemy's true strength, his expression grew even grimmer.
At their age and status, personal loss was no longer their only concern.
When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact?
Tokyo District was humanity's final stronghold.
And now, an SS-rank yokai had appeared within its borders.
That was earth-shattering news.
True, unlike other regions, Tokyo District housed the largest concentration of exorcist families, and its defensive power surpassed that of anywhere else.
But those families and organizations were far from united. They constantly schemed against one another over利益 and influence.
The fact that this mysterious SS-rank demon race had lain low for so long proved one thing—it was not some mindless beast that relied solely on brute force.
The enemy lurked in the shadows.
Meanwhile, the exorcist families stood exposed in the open, fragmented by their own competing interests.
If that yokai understood how to manipulate human hearts—or sow discord from the shadows—the future of Tokyo District was truly unthinkable.
"Once we return, we must convene the other families and have a serious discussion.If that entity truly is SS-rank, then the threat it poses is no longer a matter for a single clan.It is a crisis for all of Tokyo District. If we continue to ignore it, disaster is inevitable."
"Moreover, judging from the traces left behind, while the Second Elder's self-detonation failed to kill the enemy, it clearly inflicted significant injuries.If we wish to eliminate this hidden danger, now is the best opportunity.Once it fully recovers, an SS-rank great demon will not be something even our combined families can easily hunt down."
After conducting a final sweep of the snow mountain and confirming that the enemy had indeed departed, with no further findings, the Hokuragi group chose to descend.
Once they came down the mountain, they were immediately surrounded by people who had been waiting anxiously at its base.
Clearly, everyone was deeply concerned about what had happened above—but after the previous catastrophe, few were willing to risk their lives by going up themselves.
Now that the Hokuragi family had returned, and appeared unscathed, curiosity overwhelmed caution.
They crowded forward to ask what had happened.
"The yokai on the snow mountain have already left—including the Snow Woman.But I also bring grave news.Based on the battle traces we discovered, the mysterious demon race that appeared there may not be an S-rank great yokai at all… but an SS-rank demon king."
The Hokuragi family did not attempt to conceal this information.
There was no point.
If such a being truly harbored hostile intentions toward Tokyo District, the Hokuragi family alone would never be able to withstand it.
Yet after hearing the clan head's words, the crowd froze for a moment—then erupted into loud laughter.
They felt the Hokuragi clan head was being absurdly exaggerated.
They admitted the mysterious demon was powerful—powerful enough to slaughter nearly a hundred exorcists.
But according to the Onmyo Agency, the enemy was at most S-rank.
SS-rank? That was simply too ridiculous.
An SS-rank yokai—did he even understand what that meant?
Among the many demon kings that had appeared in the modern era, those who truly reached SS-rank could be counted on one hand.
To casually declare the enemy SS-rank—as if such beings were cabbages you could find anywhere—was laughable.
"The yokai have already withdrawn from the snow mountain, and the battlefield remains intact.If you don't believe me, you're welcome to go up and see for yourselves.
"As for me, I must take my leave.If a yokai of this level is not guarded against, then one day even Tokyo District may fall—and when that happens, humanity will truly have no future left."
Ignoring the doubts and ridicule around him, the Hokuragi clan head refused to waste words.
He turned and departed with his clansmen in haste.
Because if that demon ever chose to return for revenge, the Hokuragi family would be the first target—
After all, it was their Second Elder who had forced it to suffer "serious injuries" through self-destruction.