The Strongest Sorcerer, Chapter 42: The Divorced Middle-Aged Man and the ‘Forever 18’ Boy

Holding the protective charm that radiated warmth in her palm, Umaru froze.

Her mind drifted back to a memory from a year ago when Gojo Satoru handed it to her.

“Here you go, Umaru-chan. This is a charm your big brother made just for you! Huh? What do you mean it’s tacky? Alright, alright, just wear it, okay? No matter where you go—whether it’s shopping or school—make sure to always carry this with you. If you ever find yourself in danger, it’ll protect you! Hehe!”

Protect me…

Umaru raised her head and looked at the barrier that now enveloped everyone. Her eyes were filled with confusion.

Her brother… was definitely not an ordinary person.

“Little girl, this charm of yours…”

A female Onmyoji, supported by another, walked over to Umaru, her expression a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

There was no doubt—the wave of cursed energy had emanated from that charm. The barrier was also created by it.

But judging by the girl’s expression, it was clear she didn’t know the charm’s true power.

Umaru pressed her lips together and shook her head, replying softly, “I don’t know why this happened either.”

Though she had begun to suspect her brother might be an Onmyoji, she didn’t reveal that the charm had been given to her by him.

The female Onmyoji didn’t press further. She simply nodded.

At thirty years old, she could tell Umaru wasn’t lying. But she also knew that Umaru likely knew who had given her the charm.

Still, what good would knowing that do? Was she supposed to interrogate her?

Even setting aside the possibility that someone incredibly powerful stood behind this girl, the fact remained that this barrier had saved all their lives.

As the grotesque Kegare clawed futilely at the barrier outside, fear still lingered in everyone’s hearts—but at least they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Sitting on the ground, all eyes turned toward Umaru.

Or rather, the charm in her hand.

“Umaru, this charm… isn’t it…”

Ebina Nana ran over, her wine-red eyes fixed on the charm. Her words trailed off, hesitant to continue.

As Umaru’s close friend, she naturally knew who had given her the charm.

But no one could have expected the charm to have such power.

Umaru, noticing Ebina’s unspoken thoughts, shook her head blankly, her expression as confused as her friend’s. It was as if to say, I don’t know why it works like this either.

“Did your brother give you this charm, Umaru?”

Masuzu Natsukawa leaned in close, whispering in Umaru’s ear.

Startled, Umaru pulled back, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Masuzu, how did you know?”

“Just a wild guess. I didn’t expect it to be true. Hehe, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Masuzu smiled mischievously, sticking out her tongue playfully as she reassured Umaru in a soft voice.

So, Umaru’s brother… Gojo Satoru… my soon-to-be homeroom teacher… He’s becoming more and more interesting~.

“ROAR—”

The continuous roars of the Kegare sent chills down everyone’s spines, breaking the fragile calm that had started to settle.

Outside the barrier, countless Kegare were trying every possible method to shatter the “protective dome.”

Umaru and her friends watched nervously as the creatures slammed and clawed at the barrier.

Some of the ordinary people knelt down, clasping their hands together in desperate prayer to Amaterasu.

The Onmyoji, however, remained composed. They focused on tending to their injured comrades, knowing that based on the barrier’s immense cursed energy, even a true snake-level Kegare wouldn’t be able to breach it.

All they needed to do was wait for reinforcements—other Onmyoji or perhaps even Exorcists.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The Kegare outside suddenly fell silent.

Their furious roars stopped, and they began to retreat.

Despite their lack of intelligence, the creatures formed two lines, clearing a path in the middle.

‘Thud… Thud—’

Heavy footsteps echoed through the air.

A colossal Kegare, standing over fifty meters tall, emerged from the hazy miasma.

Its body was clad in red Sengoku-era samurai armor, adorned with numerous glowing talismans.

“That… that’s…”

“That monster is so huge! Could it be the king of these creatures?”

“Maybe. I mean, the other monsters all made way for it. And look—it’s the only one wearing samurai armor.”

“Do you think this barrier will hold…?”

“If you don’t have anything helpful to say, just shut up.”

Nervous whispers spread among the ordinary people.

The Onmyoji, meanwhile, stopped what they were doing and turned pale.

Even from a distance, they could feel the suffocating presence of this overwhelming cursed energy.

There was no doubt—this was a true snake-level Kegare. And not just any true snake—it was one at the very peak of its kind.

Tension filled the air as everyone braced for the worst.

Then, suddenly…

Two unfamiliar voices echoed through the silence.

“Oh~ A Sengoku samurai, huh? Pretty cool. Makes me wanna strip that armor off and try it on myself. But it’s way too big for me. Still, I could totally cosplay as a Sengoku warrior—haha!”

“You… Hey, Gojo boy, are you seriously not paying attention to the fact that this Kegare is about to complete its cursed energy jump?”

“A cursed energy jump? A Basara? Eh, it’s just an ant to me."

“Ugh, I knew I couldn’t get along with you.”

“Of course not. You’re a divorced middle-aged man, and I’m forever 18. There’s no way we’d see eye to eye. Bleh~.”

“…You’re seriously asking for a beating.”

“Mm~ But you can’t beat me.”

“You—”

“You can’t beat me.”

“…”

The absurd exchange left everyone speechless, black lines forming on their foreheads.

But amidst the confusion, two girls froze.

Umaru and Ebina Nana.

They recognized one of the voices immediately.

It was unmistakable.

“Isn’t that… my Oniichan?” whispered Umaru.

“Isn’t that… Satoru-san?” thought Ebina.