Chapter 110: The Death Of A So-called Big Shot Falls Silent Like Rain
Dislocation, darkness, silence.
The people who had entered with her before were no longer there, only the five towering figures ahead remained.
These five figures clearly represented the highest combat power in the Mortal Realm today, and they were also the anchors stabilizing Tokyo’s current stability.
But there was one difference.
Last time Nanjo Emi came, she had to look up to speak, but this time she no longer needed to lift her head.
“Long time no see, Junior Officer Nanjo.”
The Onmyo Assistant in the center spoke first, pausing before smiling, “Or perhaps I should call you Nanjo Great Officer now?”
“We have fully understood the Arakawa Ward incident【Red Tide】.” The Onmyo Assistant’s voice carried a hint of respect, “Nanjō Great Officer, for you to step forward in such a crisis and face one of the Eight Sufferings head-on is truly commendable.”
“—We offer our sincere gratitude and respect for your exorcism of Ai Bieli and containment of the Red Tide.”
The five figures simultaneously placed hands over their hearts and bowed slightly toward her.
Nanjo Emi showed no joy or other expressions because of this; she just shook her head: “Spare me the formalities, Onmyo Assistant.”
“As it should be.” The Onmyo Assistant laughed heartily, “But we are so far from Nanjō Great Officer; without this, we fear our gratitude wouldn’t be conveyed.”
“Then, let’s talk about something more practical.”
The Onmyo Assistant asked softly: “Nanjō Great Officer, have you come this time to discuss merits and rewards, or to seek disaster relief aid for Arakawa Ward?”
“No, neither.”
Nanjo Emi shook her head.
She calmly raised a finger: “Just one thing—hope you all won’t shield those lords who abandoned their posts when the Red Tide rose. Of course, handing them over to me would be best.”
Astronomy Doctor: “Nanjō, what do you intend?”
“In the face of crisis, they disregarded everything and abandoned their posts without permission, nearly causing Arakawa Ward’s destruction.”
Nanjo Emi asked indifferently in return: “Astronomy Doctor, what crime does that warrant?”
Ignoring the Astronomy Doctor’s cold gaze, she flicked her finger,
“—Only death.”
The Astronomy Doctor raised his voice: “Impossible! This isn’t just Arakawa Ward’s affair alone! Falling out with the government would bring far greater losses!”
“It could even make the government lean toward the Onmyo-ryo faction…”
But seconds later, the Astronomy Doctor realized no one around echoed him unusually.
The Astronomy Doctor pondered for a moment before asking beside him: “What do you all think?”
Calendar Doctor yawned: “I think Nanjō Great Officer makes a reasoned case.”
Onmyo Doctor sneered: “Fujiwara, I guess you’re worried that with these government lords killed, no one will keep sending you batches of money for research.”
Calendar Doctor said eerily: “I suggest kicking this old fool Fujiwara out of the Five Person Council. Every major decision, he spouts shocking words, like he’s joking with us.”
The Astronomy Doctor’s figure twitched and flickered; he was silent for a long time before looking toward the Five Person Council’s center—the Onmyo Assistant who hadn’t spoken since earlier.
This was the last hope—
“The Tide has arrived, Eternal World ascends, a brand new era is coming.”
The Onmyo Assistant said slowly: “In the era ahead, neither the public families nor martial families, Emperor nor nobles, ancient dojos nor great clans with long inheritances can continue letting everyone live as they please.”
“The heavens have changed, Fujiwara.”
The Onmyo Assistant turned his head,
“A new era should have a new era’s appearance. Clinging to those ‘experiences’ from ancient times will only lead to a miserable end.”
He sighed slightly: “For our friendship, this is my final advice.”
With that, the Onmyo Assistant tapped the table: “Since Nanjō Great Officer has shown sufficient potential and she herself has this idea, why not make Arakawa Ward the pilot for reform?”
He made the decision: “Then, let’s vote now on ‘whether to approve Nanjō Great Officer’s request.'”
As soon as he spoke, three other voices rang out simultaneously: “Agree.”
The Onmyo Assistant smiled and spread his hands toward the Astronomy Doctor: “That’s the fact, Fujiwara. If you object, feel free to act.”
“Of course, we won’t hold back either.”
At these words, the four laughed pleasantly, making the Astronomy Doctor silently stand: “Clan matters call; I’ll take my leave first.”
With a “snap,” the Astronomy Doctor’s figure vanished into the darkness.
“Yes, just like that.” The Onmyo Assistant clapped, “Those involved will return to their posts today; handle the rest yourself, Nanjō Great Officer.”
Nanjo Emi nodded: “Nanjō is deeply grateful.”
Onmyo Assistant: “Then, let’s continue discussing matters after the Tide…”
……
The long and effective conversation finally ended, making Nanjo Emi inwardly sigh that joining the Special Affairs Office had truly been a good choice.
She nodded slightly to the remaining four and was about to leave.
But then, Calendar Doctor suddenly spoke: “Nanjō Great Officer, are you from the Nanjō Family?”
Nanjo Emi’s steps halted; she didn’t turn, only her voice came from ahead,
“Maybe.”
Then the four watched her open the door alone and exit the unremarkable single-family home.
“Oh dear, I did misjudge that day.” Calendar Doctor sighed, his voice unusually pleasant, “But fortunately, we corrected it in time.”
—Nanjō Emi exited the single-family home.
“Miss Tokugawa?”
She hadn’t expected Tokugawa Ririko to be outside the door.
Lili Zi, whose shirt was soaked by rain and blood, spoke: “Sister Nanjo, people need you now.”
Nanjo Emi shifted her gaze to the middle-aged man leaning against the car smoking: “I see.”
“It’s not that urgent.” Nanjo Emi removed her wet white gloves and extended a hand to Lili Zi, “More importantly, want to visit those honorable lords with me first?”
Visit those officials… at a time like this?
Doubt rose in Lili Zi’s heart, but seeing Nanjo Emi’s eyes made everything clear.
She saw Nanjo Emi counting on her fingers,
“The ward chief and deputy ward chief, the three councilors who volunteered for the task, the police station chief who entrusted them with heavy responsibility, and finally the second lieutenant Your Excellency as the last safeguard…”
Nanjo Emi smiled: “Counting them up, there are quite a few. We naturally considered human flaws, so as long as even one stayed at their post, Plan C could activate normally.”
Nanjo Emi shook her head regretfully,
“Unfortunately, even this simple hope was betrayed.”
“So, coming along, Miss Tokugawa?” She extended her hand to Tokugawa Ririko, “Before gathering all the uninformed, fearful, injured people together.”
……
Shangshan Che was woken by the clamor of voices in the rain curtain.
“I fell asleep without realizing; is it because the spiritual power between heaven and earth is too abundant?”
Shangshan Che stood easily, stretched, and was surprised to find the Wrathful Gaze’s 24-hour attribute penalty had passed.
Doesn’t that mean—the First Wave had arrived?
He picked up the Nanjo Doll from his chest, circulated Spirit Control Technique, and asked: “Shadow Woman, anything happen while I slept?”
Soon, a sullen voice came from the doll: “Shangshan Jun, you’re really unfair.”
“You left me alone in some dark place for ages before, and after taking me out, barely two words before you issued a command and slept again.”
The Nanjo Doll swung its short fist to thump his abdomen: “Keep bossing me around, and I’ll go back to little Emi.”
Though saying that, the Nanjo Doll detailed: “Everything proceeded as planned; no major incidents.”
“The Tide arrived on schedule; the biggest wave sent up many low-level demons, then everyone prepared with barriers and Onmyōdō wiped them out…”
“Right, that Kujo Tsubaki is impressive.” The Nanjo Doll rubbed its round chin with small round hands, “I sensed Great Demon aura on her; earlier by the window, I saw a Nine-Tailed Fox phantom.”
At this point, the Nanjo Doll exclaimed,
“Nine-Tailed Fox or Great Demon—could her shikigami be the legendary Tamamo? But impossible; what level of existence is Tamamo…”
Ignoring the Nanjo Doll circling in thought, Shangshan Che glanced at his attribute panel and found Spiritual Arts Attribute up another 3 points.
The prompt was like this—
【Due to the First Wave’s arrival, spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged greatly; your body’s spiritual power was affected, Spiritual Arts Attribute +3.】
From the prompt’s description, probably most people gained this Spiritual Arts Attribute increase.
Splash—
The sound of surging tides echoed in Shangshan Che’s ears, informing him the Tide was still rising and continuing.
But first, figure out what the commotion below was about.
Shangshan Che curiously opened the window and poked his head out.
Then he saw a crowd denser than raindrops, endless at a glance.
People gathered, somewhat restless, voices chaotic.
Even from here looking down, Shangshan Che could clearly sense their unease and panic,
“Gathering so many people now; is that really okay?”
As he looked for who came up with this bad idea, a massive barrier with a pentagram rose from the ground, silencing the endless crowd.
“—As you all see, this world has become different from before.”
Nanjo Emi’s words transmitted flawlessly through the barrier to everyone’s ears: “Disasters, monsters, visions coloring differently, omnipresent tide sounds. I think everyone has the same doubt now.”
“—What happened?”
Without hesitation, Nanjo Emi formed a hand seal.
Masterful Spirit Control Technique operated, gathering spiritual energy from a kilometer radius in an instant, forming eight massive, dazzling characters spanning dozens of meters across the dim sky.
—Eternal World Ascends—
—World Revival—
This scene beyond normal common sense made the quieted crowd boil again.
But this time unlike before, no panic, no unease, just shock that humans could do this.
Many searched for hidden LED lights or projections via special means, but found nothing.
“As you see, the ascending Eternal World brought countless terrifying demons, inflicting unforgettable pain on Arakawa Ward.”
“But World Revival brought more than just demons.”
Nanjo Emi waved, dispersing the eight characters in the sky with a boom; violent spiritual power swept outward, tearing open the gloomy sky, then turning into a refreshing breeze near the crowd, invigorating everyone’s spirit.
“Please look up, everyone.”
People looked up, then saw.
East: Dead demons piled like mountains, atop which barriers shone like stars.
South: A massive Nine-Tailed Fox phantom towered over a steel-and-concrete building, smiling and nodding at them.
West: In boundless ruins, Onmyoji in Special Affairs Office uniforms stood with shikigami, receiving countless gazes.
Finally north: Nanjo Emi.
Under everyone’s gaze, she slowly floated to mid-air, eliciting gasps from the crowd: “Eternal World ascends, Tide arrives—bringing not just demons and destruction, but also hope, the spread of the supernatural, and new possibilities.”
Nanjo Emi took a deep breath; with another Tide wave surging, she gently shattered the barrier before “Four-Star, Ghost God.”
No dramatic breakthrough; rather, it felt natural, as expected.
“In the future, perhaps each of you can become contract shikigami, Five Elements-controlling Onmyoji, and do things like me—nothing special.”
Everyone hearing Nanjo Emi’s voice involuntarily looked up, eyes locked on the mid-air figure.
Not due to beauty, aura, or other traits, but inexplicably drawn.
“Hearing my one-sided words, you may still doubt, thinking ‘what does this have to do with me earning this pittance monthly,’ so—”
Nanjo Emi clapped; Lili Zi, long prepared, dragged up seven well-dressed big shots, bound tightly, whom they usually only saw on TV.
The oil-slicked lords recently in offices told “all is well,” now writhed and mumbled.
The crowd stirred again, saying “what’s this” or “I recognize so-and-so.”
“They are the culprits behind Arakawa Ward’s massive chaos.”
Nanjo Emi coldly and briefly introduced how these seven immediately abandoned Arakawa Ward, inciting the crowd’s fury.
“But what’s the use?”
Someone in the crowd suddenly said: “Even if they bow and apologize, resign—can’t bring back my wife and daughter who died because of this.”
Nanjo Emi lowered her gaze and unhesitatingly chopped with her hand.
The big shots’ muffled roars cut off; rain and blood splashed on stone bricks, flowing casually into sewers.
Nearby cameras, long waiting, flashed, faithfully recording the moment.
The new era’s curtain thus froze.
End of month, begging monthly votes meow!
Tomorrow is the last chapter of volume one! Super big finale chapter!
February prepping burst updates meow, so beg subscriptions and auto-subscriptions!
