Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine-Chapter 182 - ⟴ The Dual Title of the King

"Huh? Miss Mitejima, are you here to congratulate Inspector General Daiki on defeating the Divine Beast and saving Japan on behalf of the Bureau of Onmyō's Director?"

With a sword at her waist and sea-blue hair cascading like a waterfall, Kasumi stood shocked at the sight of Subaru.

Like the Jujutsu World, Onmyōji had their own ranking system, from Level 4 to National Level 1. National Level 1 Onmyōji were symbols of both rarity and power, with their numbers never exceeding twenty-five!

Among these elite, the top twelve National Level 1 Onmyōji were recognized by Abe no Seimei's Twelve Ancestral Shikigami and had mastered the Mystic Spell Equip. These chosen few became the Twelve Guardians, the cream of all Onmyōji. Their strongest member, Tenma Unomiya, wielded power that far exceeded that of Jujutsu sorcerers.

If she remembered correctly, Subaru held the position of Guardian corresponding to Tenkō, the Heaven Empress — one of the Twelve Ancestral Shikigami!

That one of the Twelve Guardians came to offer congratulations showed just how far Daiki's reputation had spread through Japan's supernatural elite.

"Oh yes! Inspector General has made quite a name for himself! I heard the higher-ups at the Bureau of Onmyō are already quietly referring to Daiki-kun as the Dragon King, while others call him the Demon King."

The display of power had left the Onmyōji in awe.

When Daiki casually lifted a mountain range and moved it through Spatial Transfer techniques to appear in central Tokyo, his imposing presence left everyone wondering just how much power he truly possessed.

His every action commanded attention, from the eruption of power that made Tokyo tremble to the Earth Dragon statue that still stood there with its bloodied mouth.

Subaru glanced at her phone, reading urgent reports from Onmyō agents: the city's destruction was immense, requiring months of rebuilding. Now an enormous Dragon and a giant half-open hand dominated the cityscape!

Though the History Compilation Committee suffered casualties, almost no innocent civilians were harmed. Only a few people sustained minor injuries, mostly from age-related issues during the massive earthquake caused by the power eruption.

The sheer might demonstrated in a single day gave the Prime Minister a headache — how could he explain this to the public? But being clever, he used the recent Spirits and Parasites incidents to his advantage, declaring it a divine descent and a warning to evildoers!

He even decided that the location of the new shrine would be exactly where the Earth Dragon stands!

Among the supernatural organizations, a consensus emerged — between Daiki and Ryōmen Sukuna, the King of Curses, they quickly dismissed the latter's claim to being the "Strongest" of something.

King of what? How could that be, when a single strike from our almighty Strongest Sorcerer of History created an entire lightning field with the Kamutoke?

While Sukuna merely wielded that weapon, Daiki destroyed it with pure power!

Given the current situation, after Daiki's eventual passing, Japan's Onmyō World, Jujutsu World, and Magic World would all honor him posthumously. His honorary titles would begin at least at the King of Curses level, possibly elevating to King of Sorcerers or Humans.

However... Subaru sighed deeply, for people's opinions were divided on the matter, leading to his second title: Demon King!

Sukuna, though a human Jujutsu Sorcerer at his core, earned the title King of Curses through his bloodthirsty nature and senseless killing. Daiki, however, lived by a simpler principle: "Don't bother me".

Some viewed his actions — the indiscriminate massacre of Sorcerers in Kyoto and the city's destruction to eliminate a mere Mage Association — as signs of an uncontrolled force. These people preferred the cruel title of Demon King over the noble Dragon King.

Such critics typically ignored the full story, turning a blind eye to how the previous Inspector General had ordered Daiki's execution out of sheer fear of his growing power, and the Sorcerers took advantage of the opportunity to gain something from it. Those who were uninvolved didn't die.

His abilities were indeed extraordinary, even frightening to many. The Spring of Youth alone, with its power to grant immortality, had to up the Jujutsu World's understanding and could drawn countless followers to his side.

"But... is this really fair?" Ayase, already melancholic, finally spoke up when hearing others call Daiki "Demon King", "He spared all innocent civilians — why label him a Demon?"

Kasumi and Utahime exchanged meaningful glances. While they agreed that the "Demon King" title could harm his future, as representatives of Kyoto Jujutsu High staying in Daiki's residence, they dared not voice their concerns.

Miko and Hana bore their guilt silently — none of this would have happened without their involvement with the God of the Mountain of the Sankō Shrine.

Kirino and Iroha looked alarmed, wanting to silence Ayase before she continued.

Mai and Mei remained stoic — unconcerned with reputation and completely loyal, they would stand by Daiki even if he hurled mountains at Tokyo or razed all of Japan.

After all, he had shown mercy by saving everyone!

In contrast, Ayase's upbringing made her more concerned about reputation and prestige, and she didn't want Daiki to bear such a negative title.

"..."

In the dead silence of the living room, Subaru quietly took a sip of tea.

"While it might affect others, for Daiki-kun... this is nothing to worry about, after all, he is..." She trailed off, but her words clearly piqued everyone's interest, especially Mei and Iroha.

Seizing the moment of distraction, Iroha draped her fair arm around Daiki's neck and brought her cheek close. "Senpai, let's set aside the matter of you teaching shōgi to little girls outside for now. What exactly is your relationship with Miss Mitejima?"

Though her face wore a sweet smile, her tone remained measured, her beautiful eyes gleaming with curiosity.

She could accept the Nakano family seniors' closeness — proximity breeds familiarity, after all. Mei's connection made sense too, given her status as a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer and pillar of the Jujutsu World. As for Mai, well, she could overlook that, considering her prestigious Jujutsu family background.

But why did this Onmyōji get to be so familiar with him too?

Her face clouding with displeasure, Iroha's small hand grew restless. Thanks to Ayase's interference, she hadn't been able to touch Senpai. Had he already forgotten their recent reconciliation?

The thought pained her as she deliberately guided his gaze toward her with gentle fingers, "Can't you... look at me a bit more?"

Her resentful yet endearing expression made even him shiver slightly.

"..."

Noticing his reaction, Iroha quickly stuck out her small pink tongue, her playful expression erasing all traces of her previous displeasure.

She'd worried her charm had faded, but clearly, Senpai was just temporarily blind to it — he'd surely notice eventually.

Daiki's expression darkened as he considered how to handle this behavior, "Prepare to be a virgin every day from now on."

Iroha's face froze — "making" that up once had been outrageous enough, but surely not every day?

"Senpai, I was wrong." She whispered contritely.

Ignoring the interaction between the two, Ayase asked in confusion, "Why? Won't this reputation affect his descendants? If someone wants to harm him, they could easily ignore the Dragon King title and use only the other one."

Subaru raised her eyebrows in surprise — she hadn't expected this girl to think so far ahead, directly considering Daiki's descendants.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

Even Iroha lifted her head at this. Her relationship with Daiki was already established, having hinted at it before. With Ayase's intelligence, she must have noticed these things. Her concern about his descendants was actually concern about her own future children!

Iroha smiled inwardly — truly worthy of being her best friend!

❊❊❊

T/N: If you want more Chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

For just $1 you can access all the extra content, descriptive images, and the smuts (this one has a lot), costs only $2!

That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)

https://www.patreon.com/mrblackwing