"Gate of Magano, open—by the ancient law, obey my command!"
Reciting the incantation, Tsuchimikado Arima tossed out a talisman. The torii emblem on the talisman lit up and formed a glowing gateway.
Charles followed Arima through the portal and finally returned to a normal world.
They reappeared inside a shrine. Arima turned around to face Charles and said, "Alright then, let's talk about you."
Charles replied calmly, "My name is Charles. As for my identity... if I told you I'm from another world, would you believe me?"
In the past, Charles would've struggled to come up with a plausible cover story after arriving in a new world. But now, he could be direct.
At least in worlds where the power ceiling wasn't absurdly high, Charles's own strength gave him the confidence to speak freely. Of course, if the world was particularly dangerous, he still knew when to be cautious.
Arima smiled. "Of course I'd believe you. After all, no one in this world has power like yours."
Charles raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"
Arima's tone turned just a bit more serious. "Whether it's Western mana or the qi used in that large neighboring country, their essence is the same as our onmyōji cursed energy. The difference lies only in how they're used.
But your power—it's fundamentally different from ours. So the only explanation is that you're from another world. I never expected I'd meet someone like you. What incredible luck!
So then, otherworldly traveler—what brings you to our land?"
Charles met Arima's gaze. "There's something I have to accomplish. For that, I need knowledge and power. I didn't plan to come here, but now that I'm here, I want to study onmyōji cursed techniques."
Arima narrowed his eyes with a smile. "Such a pure motive! No problem at all."
Charles didn't celebrate just yet. "Then... what's the price?"
Arima burst out laughing. "As the leader of all onmyōji, I'm glad you understand my position. But don't worry—it's nothing unreasonable. Lately, the Impurities have been appearing more frequently, and we're short-staffed."
Charles nodded coolly. "I understand. Until I leave this world, I'll take on the duties of an onmyōji."
Arima clapped a hand on Charles's shoulder. "Then we have a deal! What a relief—another strong ally. I'm so happy, I think we should celebrate with a drink! By the way, Charles, how old are you? Are you even legal to drink...?"
Charles recalled that Arima was always a bit flippant, but wasn't he being a little too chatty now?
Regardless, with Arima's approval, Charles was brought to the headquarters of the Onmyō Union, where he officially began studying cursed techniques.
In this country, all onmyōji belonged to one organization—the Onmyō Union.
The Union's structure was simple: a central headquarters, regional branches, and scattered bureaus known as onmyō dormitories.
The headquarters was overseen by the Onmyō Head—Arima—and the twelve strongest onmyōji known as the Twelve Heavenly Generals. They coordinated all Union activities and handled large-scale emergencies.
The dormitories served as local outposts, with most stationed in cities to combat Impurities. A few had special purposes, like the Hiinatsuki Dormitory, where candidates were trained, or other facilities focused on research, intelligence, and healing.
Naturally, Arima brought Charles to headquarters, where the most powerful onmyōji and the most complete collection of cursed knowledge resided.
Even though he'd read up beforehand, Charles was still surprised by how little this world's onmyōji resembled what he thought "onmyōji" meant.
By Charles's understanding, onmyōji should be manipulating the five elements, performing divination, and summoning spirits.
But here, it was all about how to use cursed energy. Every aspect—from talisman creation to the casting of spells—centered on that single energy source.
Charles wasn't sure if it was due to his world-traveling magic protection, or just the fact that magic and cursed energy were both supernatural forces—but his magic worked just fine for channeling jutsu.
Among the traits that defined a powerful onmyōji, the most important was strong cursed energy. Next was mastery over its control. Only then came skill with the actual techniques.
For Charles, the only thing he lacked was the last one—and after focused study, he quickly filled that gap.
Now he sat at a desk, a tiny paper doll grinding ink beside him. Charles held a brush and was writing on a rectangular slip of paper.
A voice chirped next to him: "That's some beautiful charm-work. Not a single drop of cursed energy wasted. I can't believe you're already drawing high-grade talismans.
I heard you borrowed the cursed gear archives yesterday—don't tell me you've already learned how to use cursed gear. You're such an infuriating genius!
The other onmyōji who worked with you said you took out a large Impurity using the most basic jutsu. He's a huge fan of yours now!
You already had power beyond the Twelve Heavenly Generals, and now you've got jutsu too? You must be even stronger now.
Hey! Charles! Don't pretend I'm not here!"
Arima sat beside him, rambling on non-stop like some kind of mental endurance trial.
Charles's forehead twitched as a blot of ink ruined his talisman with an ugly black stroke. That one was trashed.
Putting down his brush, Charles muttered, "Aren't you a little too free for the leader of all onmyōji?"
Arima smiled like someone who'd just pulled off a prank. "I finished my work already. That's why I'm here—to bond with you!"
A vein popped on Charles's forehead. You finished your work, so you came to pester me? What kind of garbage logic is that?
And did Arima seriously think saying that with a straight face wouldn't make karma bite him in the ass? This guy spent his days wandering around and dumping everything on his subordinates. What work have you ever done?
Charles barely held himself back from punching Arima in the face. "Forget it. I'd rather not get dragged into whatever schemes you're cooking up."
Compared to someone like Arima, with eight hundred hidden agendas, Charles much preferred people who were straightforward and sincere.
Arima immediately put on a wounded look. "Charles, you've got me all wrong. That's why I came—to deepen our understanding!"
Charles sighed. "So, what do you want this time?"
Arima instantly dropped the act. His gaze turned serious.
"As expected from you, Charles. Right to the point.
Something big is coming—something that'll affect every onmyōji. I know this is our world's business, but... may I ask for your help?"
Charles sighed again. "Helping out was the condition for learning jutsu, so… just say it straight next time."
This was why Charles hated dealing with people who schemed too much.
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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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