Tsuchimikado Arima looked at Charles with that all-too-familiar expression of "Come on, aren't you going to ask me why I let the Impurity go?"
But Charles simply gave him a glance, took out a Gate Talisman to the Impurity Realm, and prepared to leave.
Arima quickly called out, "Charles, aren't you going to ask me why I stopped your fight?"
Charles looked back. "Cleansing Impurities is an onmyōji's job. If even the head of the onmyōji wants to let one go, what opinion could I possibly have?"
With that, Charles walked through the gate and returned to the real world.
Arima followed and said, "I saw your fight, you know. Very impressive—developing a Binding God Spell all on your own!"
Charles stopped and looked at him. "You've got something to say? If not, get back to HQ and do your job."
Arima raised his hands in mock surrender. "Cold as ever! But yes, I do need your help."
Noting Arima's rare serious tone, Charles asked, "What's going on?"
Arima nodded. "After you reported the presence of the Corrupted, we did a sweep. Turns out there are more cases. Seigen is out hunting for signs of Yuto Ijika. I've got a feeling he's coming to Narukami Town. So keep your eyes open."
Charles nodded. "That bastard and I have a score to settle. If he shows up, I'll deal with him."
Truth be told, this might've been part of the butterfly effect caused by Charles.
In the original timeline, Yuto should've already appeared before Rokuro and Benio by now, triggering their resolve to grow stronger together.
But now, perhaps due to Charles's clash with him in the Impurity Realm, Yuto had yet to show himself.
Still, Charles was certain he wouldn't stay hidden forever. The next time he appeared, Charles would be ready to make sure he didn't get away again.
"You're really dependable! I'll be counting on you," Arima said, clapping Charles on the shoulder.
Charles casually brushed his hand away and returned to his room.
But no sooner had he gotten rid of Arima than another troublesome guest arrived.
The next morning, when Charles entered the common area of the Spark Dorm, he found a luxurious European-style sofa that definitely hadn't been there yesterday.
Sitting elegantly with a cup of tea in hand was a woman in a white formal gown.
Beside her stood a bizarre figure in oversized hunting robes that covered their entire body. Their hair was styled like fox ears, and their face was hidden beneath a white cloth.
From a small bag, this person pulled out crustless bread and fed it into the cloth—after which an emoticon of bliss appeared on it.
Despite her regal and graceful demeanor, Charles knew exactly how devious this woman really was.
"Well, if it isn't you two—Roku, and Mitsushima Subaru. Shouldn't you be babysitting those two kids right now? What are you doing here?"
Charles made no effort to hide his disdain, but the woman seemed entirely unfazed, setting her teacup down slowly.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me," Subaru said with a smile.
She was none other than Tenka, the "Heavenly Queen" among the Twelve Guardians, and the one Arima had assigned to oversee Rokuro and Benio.
The strange figure next to her was also a member of the Twelve Guardians—Tōda, the "Coiled Serpent."
The two often operated together, forming one of the strongest pairs among the Twelve. She was the most powerful female onmyōji, and he was essentially a walking weapon—second only to the strongest of them all.
Charles declined the crust of bread Tōda offered and said, "Who would be happy to see you?"
Subaru remained unbothered. "I heard you encountered a Basara. I came to hear about it."
"If it's about that, we'd like to hear it too."
A voice rang out from the entryway. Charles turned and saw a man with massive dark circles under his eyes, accompanied by a red-haired youth carrying a sword case.
Charles smacked his forehead. "What is this, a Twelve Guardians conference?"
The newcomers were Byakko, Seigen Amawaka, and Suzaku, Shimon Ikaruga.
Shimon spoke up. "I came to investigate disturbances in Narukami Town. I ran into Seigen, so we came together."
Seigen waved his hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter. Let's focus on the Basara you encountered. A Basara appearing here is no small thing."
Charles began, "The one I met is named Kamui. He's a straightforward guy—completely obsessed with fighting strong opponents. He came to Narukami Town after hearing about the Twin Stars."
Seigen frowned. "So even the Impurities know? That's trouble."
He immediately realized the implications. The Twin Star exorcists were destined to give birth to the Divine Child, who would purge all Impurities.
Low-level Impurities were mindless, but the higher-ranked Basara were fully capable of rational thought.
If any of them decided to stop the Divine Child's birth, Rokuro and Benio would be obvious targets.
Charles, however, didn't seem too worried. The Basara may have logic, but they acted on their own whims. Aside from Kamui, none had made direct moves against the main characters so early in the timeline.
Besides, Arima's top priority was protecting those two. Even if something happened, backup would arrive immediately.
Subaru looked at Charles and asked, "What about that Basara himself? Is he strong?"
Charles hesitated. How to explain it? Kamui had been fairly low-ranked originally—but then, during their fight, he suddenly powered up.
After a moment, Charles replied, "Let's put it this way—Kamui is very strong now. Among the Twelve Guardians, only Rukumiya could be absolutely certain of defeating him."
Everyone's expression shifted.
Charles was referring to Kijin—Tenma Rukumiya, the number one Guardian.
Tenma once bluntly claimed that it would take the combined power of the other eleven Guardians just to match him. No one had ever denied that statement. His strength was absolute.
So if Charles was saying only Tenma could beat Kamui, that meant Kamui was now dangerously powerful.
Seeing their grim faces, Charles added, "Relax. I think Kamui's only interested in me now. He won't make any other moves until he defeats me.
"Besides, all of you showing up like this—I doubt it's just because a Basara appeared, right?"
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