After hearing this mysterious person say his name, Charles finally figured out which world he had arrived in.
Twin Star Exorcists. As the name implies, it's a world built around the theme of onmyōji—Japanese exorcists who fight spiritual impurities.
Samurai, ninja, and onmyōji—these are professions that Japan prides itself on, and they show up constantly in Japanese fiction. And for some reason, Japanese creators always assume that people in other countries are obsessed with their cultural archetypes.
In reality, it's thanks to anime and manga that so many people around the world have come to appreciate Japanese culture at all.
And Japanese creators long ago stopped caring whether their depictions reflect the actual culture—they just do whatever entertains the audience.
Twin Star Exorcists is a classic example of this.
Although it uses the term "onmyōji" and includes bits and pieces of real onmyōji lore, at its core it's a standard good-versus-evil story where brave warriors fight monsters.
Cursed energy, spiritual energy, spells, magic—it's all just different names for the same mechanics. Still, there's plenty of things in this world that Charles finds worth studying.
In this world, human negativity gives rise to monsters called Impurities.
These creatures crave exorcist energy, and they drag people who possess it into an alternate realm called Magano, where they devour them to strengthen themselves.
From ancient times to the present, it's been the job of onmyōji to protect humans from Impurities.
But wherever there are those willing to risk their lives to defend others, there are also those who break taboos in the pursuit of power.
The boy in front of Charles—Yuto Ijika—was one of the latter.
Judging from how he looked now, the tragedy known as the Hiinatsuki Incident had probably already taken place.
In that massacre, Yuto had used forbidden techniques to transform all of his fellow exorcist trainees into Impurities.
Had the protagonist, Rokuro Enmadou, not been a special case, he would've been turned into one as well. As it was, being forced to kill his friends broke him completely and made him quit being an onmyōji.
And at the time? Yuto was only twelve years old.
Who would have expected a child from a prestigious family to commit such a horrifying act? No wonder Charles could feel such overwhelming malice coming off him.
Yuto spread his arms wide. "I have a grand plan, and I need the right pieces for it. Sadly, the last ones I had in mind turned out disappointing.
But you… you're different. You're so strong it brings tears to my eyes! So how about it? Join me—"
Before he could finish, Charles's fist slammed into his face, launching him into the air.
"Disgusting. I'll make you cry from pain, not joy!"
Charles didn't care what Yuto had done—just the malice pouring off of him was enough to prove he wasn't a child worth pitying.
So Charles threw that punch without a shred of hesitation.
Yuto stood up from the shattered ground, brushing dust off his cloak.
"My, how hasty. Looks like you're not an easily controlled piece. I'll just have to tame you first."
As he spoke, Yuto's right arm was suddenly wrapped in a layer of dark green energy, forming a shape like a gauntlet.
In the next instant, he was right in front of Charles, swinging that monstrous arm at him.
Yuto was already grinning smugly—but before that grin could even vanish, his face twisted in pain.
Charles's punch landed again, right in the same spot, and this time Yuto was sent flying even farther.
"Don't talk like you're stronger than me, you little punk...!"
Charles stepped forward, and a surge of magic kicked up a gale, blasting the smoke and dust from the air.
"Don't get cocky!"
Yuto sat on the ground, glaring at Charles. It felt to him like some ancient mythological beast loomed behind the boy, roaring in his direction.
"What incredible, mysterious energy…" Instead of being afraid, Yuto's expression turned manic, almost obsessed.
"I want you even more now."
What kind of predatory line was that?! Charles clenched his fists again. He didn't need to think twice—this kind of twisted freak had to be taken out, or he'd definitely become a serious threat.
Suddenly, Yuto's expression shifted, and he let out a disappointed sigh.
"Ugh… troublesome people are arriving. Tch. Just when things were getting fun. Oh well, I'm sure we'll meet again."
Charles snapped, "You think you can escape from me?"
Yuto grinned. "I've figured you out. You're powerful, but you know nothing about onmyōji techniques!"
That was when Charles noticed—somehow, a talisman had appeared in Yuto's hand.
In a flash, Charles reached him and struck his body once more—but Yuto simply disintegrated into a flutter of paper charms.
"Tch! Fast little bastard," Charles muttered.
He'd let Yuto slip away because he was unfamiliar with exorcist spells. Once he learned the ropes, someone like Yuto wouldn't be able to pull that again.
But for now, Charles had a bigger problem: he didn't even know how to leave Magano, much less study its arts.
That's when he caught a strange scent in the air.
It was coming from the talismans scattered around him. The smell clued him in to their purpose right away.
He'd been lured into a trap—now a massive horde of Impurities was closing in on him, too many to count.
Not that it mattered. For Charles, it'd just take some effort to clean them up. Yuto had clearly done this just to annoy him.
Just as Charles was about to get started, a voice rang out—a bit flippant, but not mocking.
"Yo! You in trouble, young man?"
Charles turned to see a man standing atop the ruins.
He was dressed in traditional onmyōji robes, wearing a tall black court cap. Around his neck hung a red prayer necklace with three tassels. Behind thin glasses, his eyes were sharp and unreadable, reflecting a dangerous light.
Before Charles could say anything, the man continued, "You're an unfamiliar face. Who might you be? And how did you end up in Magano?
Oh, and wasn't there someone else here just now? Mind telling me where he went?"
Charles suddenly remembered what Yuto had said—about someone troublesome approaching. No, this man was far more than "troublesome."
He was the current Chief Exorcist, the man who commanded all the onmyōji.
His name was Tsuchimikado Arima, and he was the most powerful exorcist alive.
Even though he'd just rattled off a barrage of questions, he didn't seem the least bit concerned about Charles's answers. He just smiled calmly.
The surrounding Impurities had no idea how dangerous this man was. All they knew was that his body radiated delicious amounts of exorcist energy.
They screeched and swarmed toward him.
Arima narrowed his eyes and muttered softly, "I'm speaking here. You lot are just... noisy."
The moment he finished the sentence, glowing pentagrams appeared on all the surrounding Impurities. In the blink of an eye, they were reduced to ash.
Charles stared at Arima. As expected of the Chief Exorcist—he hadn't even moved. Just releasing his energy had annihilated that entire swarm.
Cursed energy, huh?
Definitely worth a deep dive.
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