Abe no Seimei had ultimately been outmaneuvered by his own descendant. Despite his formidable power, he could no longer execute any of his plans under these circumstances.

Meanwhile, the Twin Stars had successfully rescued the Twelve Heavenly Generals, who had had their spell power drained by the Pillar of Heaven.

Everyone gathered on the platform, watching as Seimei was restrained by spell-bound chains.

Tenma Kiyotsune sighed. "I never thought the final enemy would end up being the founder of the Onmyou Bureau. What kind of over-the-top plot is this?"

Tsuchimikado Arima grinned playfully. "Doesn't matter who the enemy is—an onmyouji's duty never changes!"

Kiyotsune sighed again. "You're not wrong… but damn, you're really hard to kill. Next time, show up earlier, will you?"

Arima replied, "I had no choice, you know. So how about forgiving me this once?"

Subaru Mikado interjected, "None of that matters now. The real question is what we do with our esteemed founder. And with the Pillar of Heaven—surely we can't just leave it standing there."

Arima's expression turned serious. "I've already decided on that. I'll need the Twelve Heavenly Generals to help me perform the Taizan Fukun Ritual."

The Taizan Fukun Ritual—one of the most secretive and powerful ceremonies among all onmyouji rites. It invokes the most mysterious of deities, Taizan Fukun, and uses a life as an offering. It is even capable of resurrecting the dead.

This was a power rooted in the very laws of the world—even Abe no Seimei could not resist it.

Arima intended to use Abe no Seimei himself, the most powerful onmyouji, as the sacrifice to bring a final end to this incident.

The Twelve Generals exchanged glances, then silently moved into position, beginning preparations for the ultimate ritual.

As the thirteen chanted in unison, layers of luminous runes lit up across the platform. Even the Pillar of Heaven began to glow in resonance with the spell's power.

Seimei remained silent throughout—until the ritual reached completion and his body was being lifted into the sky by the pentagram.

"So this is your choice," he finally spoke. "You would rather remain mired in this endless battle against filth… even though there could be a better world."

Arima replied like he was bidding farewell to an ancestor. "Yes. We will continue to fight—even if it means tragedy and pain. Because even that is better than living in a world without sorrow, but also without hope. And someday, we will find a way to eradicate the filth completely. Because the humans you dismissed have always held infinite potential."

"Potential… huh?" Seimei managed to utter that final line before being pulled into the pentagram.

A much larger star formation appeared beneath the Pillar of Heaven, and the towering tree slowly sank into the ground—leaving no trace behind.

Staring at the ruined buildings that had once been the Onmyou Bureau headquarters, Arima couldn't help but sigh. "This is going to be a headache… I can't even imagine how long it'll take to rebuild. Still, from now on… we'll have plenty of time."

The crisis was over. The Dark Ones, Yukito Ishikagami, and Abe no Seimei were all gone. For now, there were no looming threats. Everyone could finally rest.

Charles knew it was time for him to leave this world. But instead of moving on to a new one, he decided to return to a world he had visited before.

His first stop: the world of Chivalry of a Failed Knight.

Having reconnected with his original purpose, Charles longed to see those close to him again.

And he hadn't forgotten—he had a girlfriend. His heroine had been out of the picture for far too long.

Previously, in his rush for power, Charles had been moving too quickly. He had neglected many things. Now, he wanted to revisit them all.

He activated his World Magic and traveled to that familiar world once more.

Charles had an excellent memory and clearly recalled everything that had happened before he left Hagun Academy.

On the eve of the annual Seven Star Sword Art Festival, he had defeated the invading Akatsuki Academy.

Then things escalated to the absurd: the head of Akatsuki Academy, a literal terrorist, turned out to be Japan's own cabinet minister, Bakuya Tsukikage.

Tsukikage had openly declared war against the international mage-knight education system, using the outcome of the festival as a wager to wrest back Japan's rights to train magic knights.

But according to the intel Charles had gathered, there might be more to it than that.

Because he was technically an exchange student from Shinryuuji Temple, Charles had been excluded from the Seven Star Sword Art Festival.

Of course, that was just a pretext. Charles had already defeated everyone in Akatsuki Academy and even fought the world's strongest swordswoman, Edelweiss, to a draw.

Tsukikage couldn't risk letting Charles enter the tournament and disrupt his plans.

Charles hadn't cared much about the Seven Star Sword King title anyway. And with his mind focused on returning to the Fairy Tail world, he'd agreed to step aside.

Later, due to the evolution of his World Magic—fueled by absorbing magicka and traveling between worlds—he gained the ability to regulate time flow across dimensions.

So when Charles returned to this world, he found that the Seven Star Sword Art Festival had just begun.

Ikki Kurogane, Stella, and the other contestants had already departed for the competition venue in Osaka.

After collecting his belongings from his dorm at Hagun Academy, Charles made his way to the principal's office.

Seated across from Kurogane Kurono's desk, Charles scanned a file on her notepad.

Kurono leaned back in her chair and asked, "I won't ask where you've been lately—but what brings you back this time?"

Charles set down the file and replied, "What else? I'm here to cheer on Stella and the others in the tournament."

Kurono raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Just that?"

Charles chuckled. "What else would it be? You know where I stand—I've got no interest in getting dragged into a dispute between Japan and the Mage-Knight Alliance."

Kurono nodded. "Probably for the best. If the Allied Nations got involved, things would get really messy."

Charles sighed. "Exactly. I hate these kinds of political messes—way too complicated.

"By the way, have you heard anything about Edelweiss?"

Kurono gave him a look. "What, planning to fight her again?"

Charles answered without hesitation. "Of course. I lost last time. Now I want to see if I can beat the world's strongest."

Kurono shook her head. "Much as I'd love to see you take down the 'Wings of Unity,' unfortunately, no one can track her movements unless she allows it. Ever since your duel, she's vanished. No word from Edelberg either."

Charles stood up. "We'll meet again. For now, I'm heading to the tournament."

Kurono glanced at the clock. "There are no trains running at this hour. Why don't you come with me tomorrow?"

Charles waved it off. "No need to trouble yourself. I've got my own way."

------------------

Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!

Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter

You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.

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)

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]