Enmadō Rokurou and the others were deeply worried about Amanowaka Seigen and the rest, so they quickly changed into their ceremonial hunting robes and packed plenty of spirit talismans.

Given how urgent the situation was, leisurely making their way to Kyoto was out of the question. So Charles brought out his newest shikigami.

After all, Fahr was one of the Four Root Elementals—it wasn't fair to keep using her as a mount.

Inspired by Hanano Benio's shikigami, Kōfun—who could possess tools and was incredibly versatile—Charles created something similar. He didn't expect to replicate a shikigami like Kōfun, who had developed its own soul and was practically a living being; all he needed was a functional mount.

But the result exceeded Charles's expectations.

The bird-shaped shikigami, Chōmei, was a special entity born from Charles's own magic.

To Charles's surprise, Chōmei had sentience. It wasn't a dead object like the paper shikigami he had previously created… though, admittedly, it wasn't exactly the sharpest creature.

As a mount, Chōmei lacked self-awareness. It immediately tried to compete with Fahr for the position of Charles's top servant—and was easily crushed. From then on, it became Fahr's loyal flunky.

Charles couldn't help but wonder: Why would a bird—this particular bird—emerge from his magical essence?

Still, Chōmei was surprisingly competent as a steed.

In just five or six minutes, it carried the group from Tokyo to Kyoto. They could clearly see the towering Pillar of Heaven rising among the mountains.

Before they could get any closer, the Pillar responded. Crystalline leaves launched into the air, shooting toward Chōmei like throwing knives.

Though created as a mount, and admittedly weaker than Fahr, Chōmei was far from helpless.

Like a phoenix bathed in flames, Chōmei flapped its wings and let out a sharp cry.

The crystalline leaves ignited mid-air as they neared, blooming into fiery flowers. The closer they got, the faster they burned—disintegrating into ash before they could even touch Chōmei.

Charles patted its back, signaling it to stop advancing. Then he turned to the others. "Looks like Yukito's already noticed us. I'll go distract him. You guys take the chance to rescue the Twelve Heavenly Generals."

Rokurou stepped forward. "No. Yukito must be defeated by our own hands...!"

Charles replied, "I get how you feel. But maybe consider how others are feeling too."

Rokurou paused, then turned to look at Chika Ootomi.

Though she didn't show it, he could sense her deep concern for Amanowaka Seigen.

And it wasn't just Chika—Rokurou himself was also worried about his master's fate.

He clenched his teeth. "Understood."

Charles said, "Enter the Wasteland from beneath the tree. Follow the roots—you should find the Twelve Heavenly Generals there.

"My guess is, though they've fallen into a trap, their lives aren't in danger. Still, they won't be able to fight, having had their spell power drained.

"Get them out of here. Leave the rest to me."

Rokurou and Benio still looked a little reluctant. They had always believed it was their destiny—and duty—to defeat Ishikagami Yukito.

But Charles gave them no time to hesitate. Chōmei descended, unleashing flames to clear the Filth-covered ground and dropped the three of them off.

Then, it soared back into the sky, diving straight into the crown of the Pillar of Heaven.

Dodging branches with ease, Chōmei brought Charles to the tree's core.

Its mission complete, Chōmei reverted to a red paper bird and returned to Charles's hand. Charles descended from the sky, landing on a platform inscribed with a Taiji diagram.

Yukito turned to him, smiling. "So it's you. I thought it would be Roku-kun coming to find me."

Charles said coldly, "He's got other things to do. That leaves me, the idle one, to handle you."

Charles had intentionally kept Rokurou from fighting Yukito.

Abe no Seimei's true form remained sealed within the Pillar. To awaken, it required both the power of the Starbreaker King and Hanano Benio's yang energy.

The Starbreaker King was also a key part of Abe no Seimei's plan.

Mikage had contacted Charles specifically to ensure Rokurou would be brought to Kyoto.

While Charles wasn't afraid of Abe's resurrection, who would want to invite trouble?

Still, Charles knew that even if he hadn't brought Rokurou, someone else would've. Abe wouldn't leave anything to chance—and Mikage might not even be in Kyoto right now.

So instead, Charles kept Rokurou close and, at the decisive moment, steered him away from the fight.

Yukito shook his head. "You really are terrifying, Charles-san. But I'm not the same person I was before.

"I now possess the power of darkness—the strength of the Basara—and the light—the spell power of the Twelve Heavenly Generals. Even the great Abe no Seimei's spellcraft is mine now.

"So come on, hand over your power from the other world. That way, I'll become something even greater than the Starbreaker King."

As he spoke, glowing runes spread across his body. Yukito transformed into a being of pure energy.

The arm he had lost trying to bind Charles regenerated, and immense spell power surged forth.

Charles eyed the no-longer-human Yukito and parsed meaning from his words.

So… Yukito had learned quite a bit from Abe—he even knew about the Starbreaker King and Charles's origins.

And now, he truly was worth a little more of Charles's effort.

Yukito had combined the highest-quality yin and yang forces. One could now call him a pseudo-Starbreaker King.

But unlike the original Starbreaker, who was meant to be a tool, Yukito's power was for battle.

"Dragon King Martial Form!"

Without another word, Charles activated his battle mode.

He crossed his arms and slammed them together, sending shockwaves that shook the branches of the Pillar.

Yukito's eyes widened in shock. Even after pushing himself past his limits, he still couldn't suppress Charles.

Both men stepped back—then threw punches at the same time.

Their fists clashed three times before the shockwaves forced them apart. But Yukito's arm was now twisted, his fingers bent at impossible angles.

Charles hadn't overpowered him with brute strength. It was technique—suppression by skill—that led to this.

During the exchange, Charles had employed the technique of Cicada's Cry, directing the shockwaves inward and destroying the internal structure of Yukito's arm.

Yukito glanced at his mangled limb and pumped in a massive amount of spell energy to restore it.

"Let's continue, shall we?" he said, a twisted smile spreading across his face.

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

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