Enmadō Rokurou and Hanano Benio used resonance to shut down the Dragon Black Spot, since in this kind of professional work, Charles's magic wasn't as practical as spell power.

After resolving the Dragon Black Spot issue, the group set out once more.

No further problems arose during the rest of their journey, and even Basara didn't show up again.

At the same time, though, Charles still hadn't managed to catch Anmu; he had only shut down a few Dragon Black Spots along the way.

It had to be said that Anmu was truly good at hiding. Several times Charles had caught his trail, but each time he slipped away.

In this manner, chasing after Anmu, the group finally arrived in Kyoto two months later.

Kyoto was one of the cultural cradles of the island nation and held great significance, rivaling even the capital, Tokyo.

In this world, Kyoto was even more special because it was the headquarters of the Onmyou Bureau.

The RV came to a stop, and Charles patted the door, saying, "We've arrived in Kyoto. Time to get out!"

The door opened, and Koeda was the first to hop out.

"So this is Benio's hometown? It's amazing!"

Compared to the energetic Koeda, Enmadō Rokurou and Hanano Benio, who followed behind, looked somewhat drained.

That was only natural—throughout the journey, aside from shutting down Dragon Black Spots, they had also been the ones purifying the Filth that emerged.

Most importantly, neither of them had taken off the wristbands Charles had given them.

And that wasn't all—when they weren't fighting, the two had to undergo Charles's training, including sparring.

They themselves found it hard to believe they had lasted this long. What kept them going was the obvious improvement in their strength.

Just a few days earlier, the two had worked together to purify a Filth of the True Serpent class. If it had been at the beginning of their journey, even if they'd succeeded, it wouldn't have been nearly as easy.

Fortunately, Charles had promised them a break once they arrived in Kyoto.

After reminding them to be cautious, Charles let them and Koeda explore freely, while he went alone to the Onmyou Bureau headquarters.

Strangely, the headquarters was completely empty.

Charles had spent time at the Onmyou Bureau before, and he was certain something had happened.

At that moment, he saw a man standing at the entrance.

"Mikage? What's going on? Why is there no one at the headquarters?"

Mikage was a close aide of Tsuchimikado Arima and held a high position in the Bureau—high enough that when Arima was absent, he could handle all Bureau affairs on his behalf.

Mikage replied, "We haven't had a chance to inform you. Lord Tsuchimikado has gone missing. All we found in his room was this."

As he spoke, Mikage held up a paper effigy that had been pierced through.

Mikage opened his mouth as if hesitating, then finally said, "Though I don't want to believe it, Lord Tsuchimikado may have met with misfortune."

Charles clicked his tongue and said, "Don't talk nonsense. That guy's not the type to die so easily.

If he had a substitution spell prepared in advance, that means he anticipated the attack. He must have a plan—that's why he hasn't shown up. Instead of worrying about him, we should be thinking about what to do next."

Mikage was momentarily stunned, then said, "You're right. We're currently preparing the Celestial-Yama Ceremony. Now that you've returned, we hope you'll lend us a hand."

Charles raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? The Celestial-Yama Ceremony? Who made that call? Pretty bold!"

After Charles had handed over the intel to the Bureau, Tsuchimikado Arima quickly identified that the problem lay in the destruction of the Pillar of Heaven.

This time, because no one else was present when the three met Koeda, the Bureau still didn't know about Koeda's identity.

Therefore, they could only look for other ways to repair the damaged Pillar of Heaven and the Wasteland Barrier.

The so-called Celestial-Yama Ceremony was an extremely large-scale Onmyou spell that required at least six powerful Onmyouji to perform.

First, five Onmyouji would serve as the vertices of a massive pentagram formation, channeling a vast amount of spell power into the person at the center.

By harnessing this immense energy, the damage to the Pillar of Heaven could be repaired.

However, during the ritual, none of the six Onmyouji could be disturbed. It was obvious that Anmu wouldn't just sit by and watch the Bureau repair the Pillar. Therefore, each participant in the ceremony would need at least one guardian.

In other words, for the Celestial-Yama Ceremony to take place, the Bureau would have to deploy all Twelve Heavenly Generals.

Mikage explained, "This was Lord Tsuchimikado's order before his disappearance. Preparations are nearly complete. The Twelve Heavenly Generals are mostly in position, and we're about to begin the ritual."

Just then, Charles suddenly looked up and said, "That thing wasn't part of your plan, was it?"

Mikage had also noticed the spreading miasma and looked up in shock.

"That's... a real Dragon Black Spot!" Mikage exclaimed.

Charles frowned. This Dragon Black Spot hung high above the Onmyou Bureau headquarters, almost covering the entire complex.

The largest Dragon Black Spot they'd sealed before had a diameter of about ten meters—not even a tenth the size of this one.

The key point was that Charles could sense Anmu's presence.

Mikage added, "Shortly after receiving your report, this Dragon Black Spot appeared once before. That time, we gathered the full power of the Twelve Heavenly Generals to seal it. But right after that, smaller Dragon Black Spots began popping up across the country.

Now, for some reason, it's reappeared!"

Charles raised his hand. "Enough. None of that matters now. What matters is completing the Celestial-Yama Ceremony and putting an end to the Dragon Black Spots.

But things are about to get a whole lot messier—especially now that that parasite is here!"

In Charles's memory, the Onmyou Bureau's Celestial-Yama Ceremony had failed because they were tricked by an illusion created by Anmu.

In the end, Koeda had been forced to return to the Pillar of Heaven to fully repair the Wasteland Barrier.

But that wasn't an outcome Charles could accept. Koeda already had self-awareness—she had a soul of her own.

Even if her consciousness would continue to exist after returning to the Pillar, leaving that child in such a cold, lonely place forever was far too cruel!

Charles would never allow such a thing to happen. That angelic child deserved to experience the beauty of the world.

So this time, Charles not only had to make sure the Celestial-Yama Ceremony succeeded—he also had to eliminate Anmu in advance.

He suspected Anmu had orchestrated this entire situation precisely to harness the massive energy generated by the ceremony. Either way, stopping him could only be a good thing.

As Charles was speaking, a new change occurred.

Countless Filth began falling from the Dragon Black Spot like rain, creating a particularly nightmarish sight.

Charles rolled his shoulders and said, "And here I was thinking I'd finally get some rest in Kyoto. Looks like I'm back on the job!"

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