Seeing the expression on Charles's face, Igneel understood that he had finally realized the truth. His voice grew solemn: "Charles, do you know how Acnologia became the Black Dragon?

It wasn't because he bathed in too much dragon blood—it was because he completely abandoned the kind heart he once had as a human."

Charles lowered his head. He had once said that Yuto Ijika became an Impurity the moment he discarded his humanity, but he had never applied that same reasoning to himself.

Igneel continued, "Your other form of magic is quite special—it keeps the Dragon Seed from taking root in your body and transforming you physically.

But if your heart turns into that of a dragon, then one day, you'll become the next Acnologia.

Charles, you've grown strong—but you've also grown arrogant. Your pursuit of power has blinded you to many things.

Of course, part of this is my failure as a father—I placed too heavy a burden on you. I'm sorry, Charles. But now… find your way back to the heart you had at the beginning."

Charles fell silent, replaying memories from his journey.

Back in the world of Black Clover, he still got angry at the atrocities committed by the Eye of the Midnight Sun. But now, he had grown distant and indifferent.

Especially after losing to Acnologia, Charles became desperate for power. Unknowingly, he had started walking the path of a villain.

Raising his head, he looked at Igneel with unshakable resolve. "I understand now. Igneel, don't worry—I'll never forget why I fight.

And thank you—for guiding me when I was lost. And for always protecting me. Really… thank you, Dad."

As he spoke, his soul began to rise, ready to return to his real body.

Igneel bared his white fangs in a grin. "I'm proud of your growth, truly. Also—take care of Natsu for me."

With those final words, Igneel's body began to fade, and Charles opened his eyes in the real world.

The malice still clung to him like maggots on a corpse, trying to pierce the defenses of his soul. But Charles was no longer the same.

Earlier, the malice had gotten to him not because his defense was weak—but because his heart had flaws.

Now, those flaws were gone.

A dragon's flame is not just a flame of power—it's the fire of emotion, of will. The instant it surged from Charles's body, the malevolent energy was incinerated into ash.

Igneel's remaining magical power hadn't vanished. It became part of Charles's strength.

An even more intense flame burst out, causing the dark space around him to tremble violently.

Then—before him—a hairline crack appeared.

Something had gone wrong in the dimension imprisoning him. Charles didn't know the exact cause, but there was no way he'd let this chance slip by.

"Igneel, lend me your strength one more time!"

Charles reared back his fist, the flames compressing on it.

"Flame Dragon King's Crushing Fist!"

He punched the crack—and it shattered like a mirror, breaking open the entire pocket dimension.

Stepping through, Charles looked around at the wasteland of the Impurity Realm and pulled out a Gate Talisman.

Returning to the real world, he raced toward the Seika Dormitory.

…

Rokuro Enmadō and Benio Adashino rushed back to the dorm as soon as they received the message.

The moment they entered, they saw Charles sitting on the sofa.

Charles greeted them casually: "Yo, you're here! Feels like I just saw you two—but for you, it's probably been… what, two years?"

That's right. Charles had only been trapped for less than ten minutes—but outside, two whole years had passed.

He had known the time flow in the pocket dimension was different—but he hadn't expected this much of a difference.

And in those two years, he had heard from Sonji Otohime what had happened.

After Charles was sealed, Rokuro and Benio had, for the first time, achieved Resonance—and temporarily repelled Yuto Ijika.

With the arrival of the Twelve Guardians—Subaru Mikazuki, Ruru, and Seigen Arata—Yuto and Dark Void were forced to retreat.

But Yuto quickly returned to target Rokuro again. Due to Yuto and Dark Void's actions—and Charles's sealing—the Twelve Guardians were recalled to Onmyō Headquarters.

Even with Resonance, Rokuro and Benio still couldn't defeat Yuto.

What saved them… was Kamui. From him, Benio also received her corrupted legs—transformed by Impurity power.

Yuto, who had already lost an arm to Charles, sustained more damage in battle and drained much of his jūryoku. He was ultimately driven into a chasm by the two of them and hadn't reappeared since.

Rokuro scratched his head. He couldn't help but feel that Charles had changed. He was no longer distant or hard to approach—he'd become warmer and more open.

Charles smiled. "I heard about your deal with that Arima guy. Not bad at all!"

He was referring to the promise made after the battle with Yuto: Arima had demanded they immediately marry and produce the Divine Child.

But Rokuro had stepped up and declared that the burden of eradicating all Impurities shouldn't fall on a child's shoulders—that he would end it himself.

Moved by his resolve, Arima had made a deal: they would be given two years to grow stronger. If they failed to prove they could finish the job, they would have to marry and conceive the Divine Child.

And now, that two-year deadline was approaching. Rokuro and Benio were soon to start high school.

It also marked the beginning of the main climax of the story.

Charles suddenly remembered the space-time crack he saw during his escape. That timing coincided with a branch of Ame-no-Mihashira falling—a branch that would become the girl Kochi.

It was likely this event caused the rupture in Seimei's prison space, giving Charles the chance to escape.

But that was only part of it. The Ame-no-Mihashira was the lynchpin stabilizing the Impurity Realm's barriers. If it was breaking down, then the Impurity Realm's connection to the real world would grow stronger.

Which meant—more opportunities for Dark Void and his kind to wreak havoc.

Thinking about the chaos that Dark Void's future actions would bring, Charles knew he could no longer remain idle.

Rokuro flushed with embarrassment after hearing Charles's praise but still said, "That's just how I really feel. And I'll make it happen, no matter what."

Charles smiled. "Good spirit. But… you're not ready yet. And before you, I will end this."

Rokuro blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Charles stood up. "Just what I said. Old man Sonji, get in touch with Arima. Tell him I need to speak with him.

Oh, and tell him to notify the Twelve Guardians and the higher-ups in the Onmyōji hierarchy. They all need to hear this."

He then turned to Rokuro and Benio. "While we wait for them to get ready, show me how much you've grown in these past two years."

With that, Charles led the way toward the training grounds.

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

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