Chapter 110

Displacement, darkness, silence.

The person who had walked in with her before was no longer there; only the five silhouettes standing tall ahead remained.

These five silhouettes unmistakably represented the highest combat power of the present world, and were also the anchor that allowed Tokyo to maintain this stable appearance.

There was just one difference.

Last time Nanjo Rituna came, she had to raise her head to speak; but this time she no longer needed to raise her head.

"Long time no see, Nanjo Minor Officer."

As expected, the Onmyo Assistant in the very center spoke first; he paused, then smiled: "Or perhaps I should address you as Nanjo Major Officer now?"

"We have fully grasped the Arakawa Ward incident 【Red Tide】." The Onmyo Assistant's voice carried a faint hint of respect, "Nanjo Major Officer, to choose to step forward in the face of such a crisis and directly confront one of the Eight Sufferings is no easy feat."

"——We offer our heartfelt thanks and respect for your exorcism of Love Parting and suppression of the Red Tide."

The five silhouettes simultaneously placed a hand over their hearts and bowed slightly to her.

Nanjo Rituna felt no joy nor showed any other expression because of this; she merely shook her head: "No need for more empty words, Source Assistant."

"As it should be." The Onmyo Assistant laughed heartily, "But we are so far removed from Nanjo Major Officer; if we didn't do this, we'd likely be unable to convey our gratitude."

"Then, let us talk about something more practical."

The Onmyo Assistant asked softly: "Has Nanjo Major Officer come this time to discuss rewards for merit, or to seek disaster relief aid for Arakawa Ward?"

"No, neither."

Nanjo Rituna shook her head.

She calmly raised a finger: "Only for one thing——I hope you will not shield those old masters who abandoned their posts without authorization when the Red Tide arose; of course, it would be best if you could hand them over to me."

Astronomy Doctor: "Nanjo, what is the meaning of this?"

"In the face of peril, they disregarded everything and privately abandoned their posts, nearly causing the destruction of Arakawa Ward."

Nanjo Rituna calmly countered: "Doctor Fujiwara, you say what crime this deserves?"

She ignored the Astronomy Doctor's icy gaze, flicked her finger,

"——Death alone."

The Astronomy Doctor declared loudly: "Impossible! This is not merely a matter of Arakawa Ward alone! If we make enemies of the government, the losses incurred will be far more than just this!"

"More likely it will cause the government to favor the Onmyoryo faction……"

But after several seconds, the Astronomy Doctor discovered that, after he finished speaking, those around him rarely offered any agreement.

The Astronomy Doctor pondered a moment, then asked those beside him: "What do you all think?"

Water Clock Doctor yawned: "I actually think Nanjo Major Officer's words are well-founded."

Onmyo Doctor coldly laughed: "Fujiwara, I suspect you're worried that after those government old masters are killed, no one will send you money batch after batch for research anymore."

Calendar Doctor murmured: "I suggest kicking this old brat Fujiwara out of the Five Person Council; every important decision he makes shocking statements, as if he's playing around with us."

The Astronomy Doctor's silhouette twitched and flickered; he fell silent for a long time, then looked toward the center of the Five Person Council——the Onmyo Assistant who had not spoken a word from earlier until now.

This was the last hope——

"The tide has arrived, the Present World rises, a brand new era is about to dawn."

The Onmyo Assistant spoke slowly: "In the coming era, whether Kuge or Buke, Emperor or peerage, dojos with long histories or great clans passed down to this day, none can continue as before, letting everyone live following their own desires."

"Heaven has already changed, Fujiwara."

The Onmyo Assistant turned his head,

"A new era should have the look of a new era; if one continues living clinging to those 'experiences' from ancient times, one will only meet a miserable end."

He sighed faintly: "On account of our friendship, this is my final warning."

With that, the Onmyo Assistant tapped the desk: "Since Nanjo Major Officer has already shown sufficient potential, and she herself holds such an idea, why don't we conduct a pilot reform in Arakawa Ward first?"

He made a decisive ruling: "Then, let us now vote on 'whether to agree to Nanjo Major Officer's request'."

The moment his voice fell, three other voices simultaneously rang out: "Agreed."

Thus the Onmyo Assistant spread his hands toward the Astronomy Doctor with a smile: "Such are the facts, Fujiwara; if you have objections you may act directly."

"Of course, we won't hold back either."

At these words, all four laughed pleasantly, causing the Astronomy Doctor to silently stand up: "Family matters, I'll leave first."

Accompanied by a "Slap" sound, the Astronomy Doctor's silhouette vanished into the darkness.

"Mm, that's settled." The Onmyo Assistant clapped his hands, "Those people related to this matter will return to their original posts today; the rest is up to you, Nanjo Major Officer."

Nanjo Rituna nodded: "Nanjo is deeply grateful."

Onmyo Assistant: "Then next, let us continue discussing matters concerning the aftermath of the tide……"

……

The long and effective talk finally concluded, which also made Nanjo Rituna sigh inwardly that her original choice to join the Special Affairs Division was truly a good one.

She once more nodded slightly toward the remaining four, and was about to leave.

But just then, the Calendar Doctor suddenly spoke: "Nanjo Major Officer, are you a person of the Nanjo Family?"

Nanjo Rituna's footsteps paused; she did not turn her head, only her voice came from ahead,

"Perhaps."

Then the four watched her open the door alone and walk out of this ordinary single building.

"Ah, that day I really misjudged." The Calendar Doctor sighed, yet his voice was exceptionally cheerful, "But fortunately the remedy was timely."

——Nanjo Rituna walked out of a single building.

"Miss Tokugawa?"

She had not expected the one at the door to be Tokugawa Ririko.

Ririko, her shirt soaked through by rain and blood, spoke: "Nanjo Sister, people need you now."

Nanjo Rituna shifted her gaze, and saw that middle-aged man leaning against the car smoking a cigarette: "I see."

"Not that urgent." Rituna Minami removed her wet white gloves and extended a hand toward Shizuku. "Compared to that, how about visiting the esteemed gentlemen first?"

Visit those officials... at a time like this?

Doubt arose in Tokugawa Ririko's heart, but upon seeing Rituna Minami's pupils, she understood everything.

She saw Rituna Minami counting on her fingers and saying,

"The Ward Chief and Deputy Ward Chief Adults, the three Giin who volunteered to take on this task, the Keisatsu Shocho Adult who entrusted them with the heavy responsibility, and finally the insurance Nikan Rikusa-sama..."

Rituna Minami smiled. "Counting them up, there are quite a few people. Naturally, we considered the defects of human nature, so back then, as long as even one person remained at their post, Plan C could be activated normally."

Rituna Minami shook her head regretfully,

"Unfortunately, even such a simple hope was betrayed."

"So will you come with me, Tokugawa Miss?" She extended her hand toward Tokugawa Ririko. "Before gathering together all those who do not know the truth and therefore fear being hurt."

Uesugi Toru was awakened by the clamorous voices of people in the rain curtain.

"I fell asleep without realizing it—is it because the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth is too abundant?"

Uesugi Toru stood up easily, stretched lazily, and was surprised to discover that the attribute punishment of glaring angrily for twenty-four hours had already passed.

Did that not mean—the First Wave had already arrived?

He picked up the Nanjo Doll from his bosom, circulated Spirit Control Technique, and asked, "Shadow Girl, did anything happen while I was asleep?"

Soon, a displeased voice came from the doll: "Uesugi-kun, you really are not a decent person."

"Earlier you left me alone in some dark, godforsaken place for a long time, and after taking me out you didn't even say two words before issuing a command on your own and falling asleep."

The Nanjo Doll waved its short fists and struck his abdomen: "If you keep ordering me around like this, I'll go back to Love's side."

Although she said that, the Nanjo Doll still spoke in detail: "Everything is proceeding in an orderly fashion, nothing major has happened."

"The Wave arrived as scheduled, and the largest wave brought many, many low-level Yokai, who were then wiped out by everyone who had long been prepared using Kekkai and Yin-Yang Technique..."

"By the way, that Kujo Tsubaki is quite formidable." The Nanjo Doll rubbed her round chin with her small round hands. "I sensed the aura of a Great Demon on her, and while crouching by the Window earlier I also saw the phantom of a Nine-Tailed Fox."

Saying this, the Nanjo Doll let out a sound of surprise,

"A Nine-Tailed Fox is still a Great Demon—could her Shikigami be the legendary Tamamo-no-Mae? But that's impossible, what level of existence is Tamamo-no-Mae..."

Without paying attention to the Nanjo Doll spinning in place thinking, Uesugi Toru glanced at the Attribute Panel and discovered that his Spirit Technique Attribute had actually increased by 3 points.

The prompt was as follows—

【Because the First Wave has arrived, Spirit Qi of heaven and earth has greatly increased, the Spirit Power within your body is affected by this, Spirit Technique Attribute +3.】

Looking at the prompt's description, probably the vast majority of people could obtain this increase in Spirit Technique Attribute.

Splash—

The sound of surging tides echoed in Uesugi Toru's ears, telling him the Wave was still surging, still continuing.

But before that, he should first figure out what was being shouted about below.

Uesugi Toru curiously opened the Window and poked his head out.

Then he saw a dense, endless crowd of people, denser than raindrops.

People gathered together, slightly agitated, their voices extremely chaotic.

Even though Uesugi Toru stood here looking down, he could clearly feel the people's anxiety and panic,

"Gathering so many people at this time, is there really no problem?"

He was about to find out who came up with this foolish idea when he saw a huge Kekkai with swirling Five Elements rise from the ground, silencing the endless crowd.

"—As you all can see, this world has become different from before."

Rituna Minami's words, without any loss, flew swiftly into every person's ear along with the Kekkai: "Disasters, monsters, visions whose colors gradually change, the omnipresent sound of the Wave. I think everyone now holds the same doubt in their hearts."

"—What happened?"

Without any hesitation, Rituna Minami pinched the Hoko.

The Spirit Control Technique at the realm of Xingcheng Chengjing operated, causing Spirit Qi within a radius of one thousand meters to gather in an instant, forming eight dazzling large characters stretching across dozens of meters on the dim Sky.

—Present World Rising—

—Heaven and Earth Revival—

This scene surpassing any Ordinary Person's common sense caused the originally quiet crowd to boil again.

But this time it was different from before—no panic, no anxiety, only shock that humans could actually do such a thing.

Many people searched for LED Lamps or projectors hidden by special means, but found nothing.

"As you all can see, the rising Present World brought countless terrifying Yokai and brought Arakawa Ward unforgettable pain."

"But at the same time, what Heaven and Earth Revival brought was not only Yokai."

Rituna Minami waved her hand, and the eight characters on the Sky boomed apart, violent Spirit Power sweeping toward all directions, tearing open the gloomy Sky, yet just as it was about to approach the crowd it turned into a gentle breeze on the face, refreshing everyone's Spirit.

"Please, everyone, raise your heads."

People raised their heads, and then they saw.

In the East, slain Yokai piled up like mountains, and above them shone Kekkai like stars without end.

In the South, a huge phantom of a Nine-Tailed Fox stood atop a building forged of steel and concrete, smiling and nodding at them.

In the West, amidst boundless Ruins, Onmyoji and Shikigami wearing Special Affairs Bureau Uniforms stood together, receiving the gazes of countless people.

Finally, in the North, Rituna Minami.

She slowly flew into midair under everyone's gaze, causing another burst of exclamations from the crowd: "Present World Rising, Wave Coming—what they brought was not only Yokai and destruction, but also hope, the popularization of the Supernatural, and entirely new possibilities."

Rituna Minami took a deep breath, and with the arrival of another Wave, she gently shattered the Guankai lying before the one named "Yonsei Kishin."

There was no intense Breakthrough movement; instead it was like water flowing into a channel, arriving as scheduled.

"In the future, perhaps each of you could become a Keiyaku Shikigami, an Onmyoji controlling the Five Elements, and do things like I do—this is nothing major."

Anyone who could hear Rituna Minami's voice couldn't help but raise their heads, their gazes tightly captured by the figure in midair.

Not because of so-called beauty, aura, or any other trait, but for some unknown reason, his gaze was inexplicably drawn to her.

"Even listening to my one-sided account, perhaps everyone still harbors doubts in their hearts, wondering what 'this' has to do with 'me earning so little pay in one month,' so—"

Rituna Minami clapped her hands, and Shizuku, who had long been waiting, dragged up one after another seven big figures, all bound with five-flower binding, impeccably dressed, people who could usually only be seen on television.

Not long ago still sitting in the Office, the aging gentlemen with oily faces who had been notified "everything is fine" now had no choice but to twist their bodies, crying out wu wu.

The Crowd erupted in another commotion, all saying things like "What is this doing?" and "I know so-and-so."

"They are the culprits who caused such a great disturbance in Arakawa Ward."

Rituna Minami again coldly used brief language to introduce to the people the behavior of these seven people abandoning Arakawa Ward at the first opportunity, then incited the crowd to fury.

"But what use is that?"

In the Crowd, someone suddenly spoke: "Even if they bow in apology and resign from office, it cannot bring back my wife and children who died because of this."

Rituna Minami lowered her gaze, and without hesitation brought down her Hand fan.

The big figures' muffled roars stopped abruptly, rain and blood splashed together onto the stone floorboards, flowing at random into the sewers.

The cameras around had long been waiting for a long time, flashing lights, faithfully recording this moment.

The curtain of the New Era was thus fixed.

End of month begging for monthly tickets miao!

Tomorrow is the last chapter of Volume One! Let's have a super big chapter ending!

February is preparing to explode with more chapters, so please beg for subscriptions and Automatic Subscriptions!

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