Although the main story had already begun, nothing major was happening at this stage, so Charles took the opportunity to enjoy daily life while continuing his study of jutsu.
His progress with jutsu had been quite smooth. He had already learned most of the principles and rules behind controlling jūryoku (spell power) and spellcasting. Except for high-level techniques like Binding God Spells, which still required further training, Charles was confident he could now rival any formally trained onmyōji in the basics.
Lately, he was studying more esoteric spells and rituals unique to onmyōji traditions.
Of course, Charles had no intention of actually using these spells in combat—he was merely absorbing their knowledge to fuel his own [Mystery] upgrades.
On one hand, many of these spells had limited use in actual battle. On the other, much of their essence involved borrowing power from higher beings.
And Charles had always been averse to borrowing power—especially from god-tier figures who might very well end up being the final boss.
He sat under the eaves, reading through a scroll word by word.
Just then, Ryōgo Nagitsuji approached with Atsushi Egatsuka and Shinnosuke Kunizaki.
All three wore silver combat robes—clearly dressed for a mission.
Despite sharing the same name, these modern kariginu looked far different from the traditional robes, with a strange sci-fi aesthetic.
But despite their appearance, these uniforms were quite sturdy. Low-level Impurities couldn't even penetrate them.
They also had high compatibility with enchantments, making it easy to affix spells.
Charles greeted them. "Heading out? Did some Impurities show up?"
Nagitsuji nodded. "That's right. Lately, Impurities have been appearing more and more often. By the way, Charles—would you like to join us in the Impurity Realm?"
Charles put away his scroll. "I suppose it's time to stretch my legs. Let's take a look. Oh, and what about that little Adashino girl? Not coming?"
Nagitsuji replied, "Miss Adashino is transferring to Rokuro's school today, so she's busy and can't join us."
Charles nodded. "All right, let's head out."
Nagitsuji's comment reminded him—while things still seemed quiet, Yuto Ijika and the Basara known as Anmu had already begun their plans.
At the center of those plans was Narukami Town. Because of their setup, large numbers of Impurities were gathering in the portion of the Impurity Realm that corresponded to that area.
Charles hadn't forgotten how Yuto had disgusted him when he first arrived in this world.
It was highly likely Yuto would be showing up again soon. The sooner he was dealt with, the better.
They got in Nagitsuji's car and headed to the reported location of the Impurities.
Stepping out of the car, Charles looked around and immediately spotted a Ferris wheel and roller coaster tracks nearby.
It seemed they were close to an amusement park—one of the busiest places for foot traffic.
The fact that the Impurities had been detected meant they could pierce through the Impurity Realm at any time and harm civilians in the real world. Nagitsuji and the others understood that well. They immediately took out a gate-opening talisman and opened the way to the Impurity Realm.
Charles stepped through the glowing portal into the decaying world.
The moment they entered, the three onmyōji activated their enchantments.
Talisman scripts floated in the air. They pierced the talismans with their weapons, which immediately enlarged and became combat-ready.
Charles glanced at their weapons—they were wielding greatswords or long spears. Fairly standard.
But the high-ranking onmyōji used enchantments that were anything but normal—each more bizarre than the last, with nothing resembling traditional onmyōji style. Yes, Charles was talking about the Twelve Guardians.
Compared to them, Seigen Arata's gauntlets were relatively normal. Shimon Ikaruga's tech-looking broadsword was still acceptable.
But then there was that sly woman whose battle gear practically demanded a voiceover saying "Times have changed." Some of them even piloted mechs—utterly ridiculous.
These weren't onmyōji; they were more like futuristic warriors.
Nagitsuji's team quickly dispatched the surrounding low-level Impurities. But before they could catch their breath, more Impurities appeared—larger, more numerous, surrounding them.
The three stood back-to-back, watching the growing horde with wry smiles. For them, this level of Impurity concentration meant a tough battle ahead.
Charles stepped forward. "Leave the rest to me. I just happen to have a few techniques I'd like to test."
Instead of using a talisman, Charles bent down and picked up a handful of small stones.
In this world, onmyōji had jūryoku within them, but it couldn't be projected outward without talismans as a conduit.
There were rare exceptions—people born with the ability to project jūryoku freely, like Tenma Unomiya of the current Twelve Guardians.
But for Charles, externalizing magical power was basic.
"Draconic Roar Blast—By the decree of this spell, manifest now!"
Charles hadn't just learned jutsu—he had reshaped them into forms that suited him.
The Splitting Sky Blast, for example, had been transformed into something uniquely his: the Draconic Roar Blast.
The stones in his hand floated up. Red sigils appeared on their surfaces as his mana wrapped around them, each one forming a miniature dragon head. Then they shot forward like tiny meteors.
The draconic projectiles tore through the first row of Impurities, pierced vital points of the next, and spread rapidly.
Red pentagrams appeared all over the Impurities' bodies—and then, they turned to ash.
The horde that had given Nagitsuji's group so much trouble was wiped out in an instant.
"Amazing…" Egatsuka murmured, jaw hanging open.
Nagitsuji also spoke in awe. "No wonder Lord Tsuchimikado Arima praises him—Charles is truly powerful."
Charles waved a hand. "No need to flatter me. We're not done yet."
The others snapped back to attention and raised their weapons again as more Impurities approached.
"Such a nuisance," Charles muttered, pulling out a talisman. "But this gives me a good chance to test this."
If he was going to be in this world, then he needed to master its strongest techniques—like the Binding God Spells used by the Twelve Guardians.
Binding God Spells were the highest form of enchantment, usable only by those who inherited the power of Abe no Seimei's twelve familiars.
Even if Charles could obtain the Guardians' talismans, he had no intention of using powers that came from Abe no Seimei's familiars.
Still, he very much wanted the power of the Binding God Spells. So the only option was to develop his own.
He believed the draconic power from Igneel within him was at least equal in level to any of Seimei's familiars. As long as he could understand the underlying mechanism, there was no reason he couldn't make it work.
After much effort, Charles had finally created a prototype version of the Binding God Spell. But it had one major issue—the activation time was far too long to be practical in combat.
That meant he needed to create a custom talisman for it.
The one in his hand was the first prototype. With time, and enough iteration, he was sure he could create one perfectly suited for himself.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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