Chapter 112 - Bloodline Evolution, Foolish Otōto, This Is the Iron Fist of Love!
"Looks like your pride doesn't amount to much, Oyakata."
Renji sheathed his blade, his gaze indifferent. He had hoped Oyakata's counterattack might give him some pressure.
The battle with the Four Heavenly Kings had already bored him.
He thought maybe Oyakata would be more fun—but who would've thought Oyakata couldn't even withstand a single move?
He was starting to grasp how to use spatial power.
With the Divine Tree merged into Kagenami, combining it with Kamui might produce some strange effects.
Maybe in the near future, once he fully comprehended this technique, he wouldn't even need Kamui to slice through space!
"How… how could I be killed by a brat like you?"
Oyakata felt something was blocking his recovery. His prized regenerative power meant nothing here.
He felt his entire being eroded—bit by bit, he was being consumed.
The next moment, his body was cleaved in two.
He tried to restore himself, but no matter what, the wound refused to heal.
"Old relic, it's time you crossed the River of the Dead. The future belongs to us!"
Renji turned to face the remaining panther yōkai, raising Kagenami and pointing toward them.
"Everyone, give me some face. This war is over. Continuing will only lead to meaningless deaths. If anyone still wants to fight, then I'll be your opponent!"
The moment the words fell, the movements of the yōkai halted.
At the same time, Sesshōmaru grew anxious.
This was the moment to wipe out the entire panther clan and eliminate future trouble.
Why was Renji choosing to hold back?
But behind him, Inu no Taisho heard Renji's words and couldn't help but show a trace of satisfaction on his face.
Indeed, Renji was more mature than he had expected.
"You brat, you think—ugh…"
Oyakata hadn't even finished speaking when the rift left by the spatial slash suddenly swallowed him whole.
To be defeated like this by that brat…
He couldn't help but feel lost.
He had imagined losing to Inu no Taisho—someone who'd always been his equal. That would be acceptable.
But losing to Renji?
To be slain in one blow by Inu no Taisho's son?
He couldn't accept it.
Yet in the end, he had no choice. With endless hatred, his body was devoured by the spatial fissure.
"Big sister, what should we do now?"
Oyakata was dead. Their opponents still retained nearly all their fighting strength. Akiuran and the others felt conflicted.
Should they continue, or retreat?
But if they retreated now, how could the panther clan ever challenge the Inu yōkai again?
With Oyakata's death, the war was basically over. They had lost their chance to compete for dominance.
Still, could they really just walk away?
Now, Oyakata was gone. Renji's display of power had shattered the morale of many panther yōkai.
They knew—they couldn't beat him.
"The war is over."
Fuyōran stared deeply at Renji, committing his face to memory.
This time, they lost.
But next time, she swore she would win.
Renji's overwhelming victory also shattered an illusion in Fuyōran's heart.
So Oyakata wasn't invincible.
He was defeated by someone far younger.
If Renji could do it, could she one day grow strong enough to do the same?
Unlike the anime, Oyakata's body was now completely gone. The panther clan wouldn't be able to resurrect him, even if they wanted to.
In the anime, Oyakata had died fighting Inu no Taisho and managed to injure him before falling. So after Inu no Taisho's death, the panther clan wanted to revive Oyakata to restore their greatness.
But now, things were totally different.
First, Oyakata's body couldn't be found.
Second, the one who defeated him wasn't Inu no Taisho—it was Renji.
[Ding! Storyline changed: Panther Clan altered. Reward: 1 lottery draw.]
A storyline change?
Renji's eyes flashed with confusion. Was it because Oyakata's body was missing? Or something else?
Draw the lottery.
[Ding! Lottery activated. Congratulations! Reward obtained: Bloodline Evolution (1x).]
Bloodline evolution?
[Would you like to use it now?]
"Not now."
Renji declined.
The battlefield wasn't the place to undergo some unknown transformation.
Who knew what kind of weird side effects it might have?
He planned to deal with the present situation first.
Still, the panther clan had definitely contributed.
He was quite satisfied with this draw—and even found the panther clan a bit more likable now.
"We surrender. Please release the panther clan and our subordinate tribes!"
Fuyōran looked at Renji and spoke her terms.
They conceded.
The battle had to end here.
Renji had already said it—fighting further would be meaningless. If they kept going, the panther clan would suffer more than the Inu yōkai.
"Fine. Send representatives later to negotiate."
"Negotiate?"
"That's right. You think you can just slink away after losing? You think you can start a war whenever you like, and end it whenever you like?"
As Renji spoke, the Inu yōkai's morale soared.
Yeah!
They weren't just going to let them walk away.
This war was started by the panther clan!
The panther clan's faces turned grim at Renji's words. But anyone could see—if they kept fighting, they would be the ones to die.
They had no choice.
This war had to end.
Renji was right: since they were the ones who started it, they had to pay the price.
"I'll come find you to negotiate later."
Fuyōran stepped forward. As the current spokesperson of the panther clan, she had no choice but to stand tall.
"Alright. You may go."
"Huh?"
Fuyōran's eyes widened in disbelief. Renji was just letting them leave?
Even Sesshōmaru, off to the side, was stunned.
What!?
He was actually letting them go?
Not even leaving anyone behind to keep watch?
What if they just ran away? Then what?
"You really trust us to just walk away like this?"
Fuyōran couldn't believe what she was hearing. She honestly thought she misheard.
Did he hit his head or something?
"Or do you want to stay behind as a hostage? Or are you saying your panther clan plans to surrender all your territory and be branded traitors in the yōkai realm?"
Renji wasn't worried about the panther clan not coming back.
A postwar negotiation might actually benefit them. But if they fled like cowards, then he wouldn't bother with them at all. People who only think about running will always run when things get tough—no point in recruiting followers like that.
Betray me and I toss you away like a million yen. Stick with me, and I'll make you worth a billion. You hear the applause?
"I understand. Tomorrow, we'll meet with the Inu yōkai for negotiations."
Fuyōran nodded. She knew she couldn't throw everything away, so negotiating was necessary.
With terms set, both sides led their people away.
"Why did you let the panther clan go? If you just wiped them out now, there'd be no need for negotiations. Isn't that just releasing a tiger back into the mountains? You're raising a future enemy."
From Sesshōmaru's view, the panther clan wasn't a threat right now.
But an enemy should be eliminated at the root—not left alive.
Inu no Taisho said nothing. He just watched Renji with interest, clearly curious about his reasoning too.
"My foolish otōto… can't you see the deeper meaning behind my actions?"
"What?" Sesshōmaru asked instinctively, then growled, "Can you stop calling me foolish otōto!?"
He was frustrated—but also curious. Renji's strength far outclassed his own, and if there was something to learn, he wanted to understand it.
It was a little embarrassing, but to grow stronger, Sesshōmaru was willing. He just needed some mental prep.
"If all we wanted was to protect Inu no Shiro, then yes—wiping them out would be clean and final. But if we aim to unify the yōkai realm, then we have to let them go."
"Continuing to kill would only cost more lives on both sides. If they know they're going to die, they'll fight to the bitter end."
Renji explained plainly—it all depended on what Sesshōmaru wanted to do.
Sesshōmaru fell into thought, while Inu no Taisho nodded in approval. Looks like leaving Inu no Shiro to Renji might be the right move after all.
"But wouldn't killing them now remove a future threat? I get what you're trying to do—you want them to join us—but they still hate us. There's always a risk they'll betray us later!"
Sesshōmaru understood Renji's logic, but he believed his own method would bring lasting peace.
If the panther clan were gone, that would be one less thing to worry about.
"Then let's say we kill the panther clan. What happens when the next yōkai tribe opposes us? They'll all choose to fight to the death, knowing they'll be exterminated. That's unsustainable."
"But if the panther clan joins us—even as former enemies—it shows the other yōkai tribes that we don't always destroy those who oppose us. That makes future campaigns much easier."
Kill or spare—it was a matter of strategy.
If Renji wanted to wipe out most of the yōkai clans like a warlord, then sure—today's panther clan would be gone.
But that wasn't his plan.
He was building a yōkai alliance. If there were no yōkai left in it, what kind of alliance would that be?
So he chose to spare them. As long as they obeyed, there was no problem. If they betrayed him—just crush them with force.
After all, even without yōkai, humans still existed. Wherever intelligent beings gather, conflict never ends.
Inu no Taisho nodded and added, "That's right, Sesshōmaru. Sometimes, things don't have to be done so absolutely."
Sesshōmaru seemed to gain a bit of insight. Maybe Renji was right. Maybe he had been too extreme.
Wait—
What was he thinking!?
Sesshōmaru shook it off. He had his own path to walk, not someone else's.
"By the way… are your techniques something I could learn?"
Sesshōmaru asked casually.
Renji smiled inwardly.
There it is.
He'd been wondering when Sesshōmaru would finally ask. Turns out, the guy had been holding it in all this time—until he couldn't anymore.
"My foolish little brother, once you understand what love truly means… you'll learn it. That technique… is called 'Endless Love!'"
"…?"
Inu no Taisho turned his head toward Renji. Understand love?
Why didn't he understand it?
Was he lacking something?
And… was that even a real move?
"Heh. Then I'll never need it."
Sesshōmaru quickened his pace. He knew if he stayed longer, Renji would just keep teasing him.
"Wait! You really don't want to see what 'Endless Love' looks like? The Iron Fist of Love hurts a lot, you know. Are you sure you don't want to learn?"
Renji swung his fist for emphasis. This was no joke—this was the Iron Fist of Love!
Sesshōmaru really just left?
He actually did…
Renji shook his head. For once, he had no words.
He'd really wanted Sesshōmaru to feel that loving fist…
Damn you, foolish otōto!
Next time, I'll make sure you understand what the Iron Fist of Love truly is!
"Renji, I'll leave the negotiations to you."
Watching Sesshōmaru's back, Inu no Taisho chuckled, then turned to Renji.
He had decided to hand over the negotiation task.
"Why me? Aren't you going to be there?"
Renji was surprised. Shouldn't Inu no Taisho handle this?
"You're right—I'm an old relic. I don't think I'll be staying in Inu no Shiro much longer. Maybe after this, I'll leave. Inu no Shiro will be in your hands."
"Besides, you're the same age as Fuyōran. You two will probably have more to talk about."
Inu no Taisho had already decided—it was time to hand things over to the next generation.
And he also had to give an answer to Ling Yue Xianji.
"I understand."
Renji nodded thoughtfully.
So he had changed Inu no Taisho's fate, hadn't he?
The one who was originally meant to die fighting Ryūkotsusei no longer seemed destined for that path.
Or maybe it would be Ryūkotsusei who came seeking him?
As Inu no Taisho's silhouette faded into the distance, Renji murmured in his heart:
'Bloodline enhancement.'
(End of Chapter)
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