Anime Multiverse: Building a Pantheon from Scratch

Sharon the Pure? One of the Seven-Star Demon Hunters?

Hearing Kurumi's voice through the earpiece, Luo Shu immediately recalled who she was—the same elite operative from the clandestine Demon Hunters organization, the one who had been set up by the MPD, fought a brutal battle against the warlock of the True Celestial Astronomy, and somehow even managed to escape from Natsuki-chan's grasp.

A high-tier operative—this was bad news.

After that moment of shock, Kurumi's voice returned, trying to sound calm but clearly tense: "Luo Shu, abandon the demonic script and retreat. I'll get Takina to cover you."

She paused, perhaps afraid Luo Shu might act impulsively, then quickly added, "In the Demon Hunters, star-rank reflects both status and power. A Seven-Star Hunter ranks just below the Elders who lead the entire organization. She's a top-level sorceress with her own title—one of the strongest among all the hidden societies. We can't handle someone like her. At least not without a national-level exorcist from the Onmyoji Bureau."

Luo Shu narrowed his eyes at the warning, quickly gauging the distance between himself, the open front door, and Sharon. After a quick mental calculation, he chuckled and asked coldly, "If I drop the script, are you really going to let me walk away?"

He kept his gaze fixed on Sharon.

She was wearing a deep blue nun's habit, with a white-and-blue veil symbolizing purity. From Luo Shu's angle, he could even make out the white tights beneath her skirt. A nun outfit with tights? And the habit had a cheongsam-style slit? What kind of bizarre combination was that?

As Luo Shu mentally complained, the blonde-haired nun—Sharon the Pure—smiled and responded, "You don't have a choice, do you, Officer?"

"If you think the partner of yours hiding behind the corridor can pierce my spiritual armor at this range with a bullet... go ahead and try to escape."

Her tone was laced with casual menace. At the far end of the hallway, Takina Inoue's brow twitched as she remained trained on Sharon. The message was clear—if Luo Shu tried to run, Sharon could end him before they even reacted.

This was a serious problem.

Kurumi's voice returned through the earpiece, more anxious now: "I just used Chief Tachibana's credentials to access the classified archives. Found Sharon's file. That nun outfit of hers is a Grade-3 Abyssal Artifact she seized from the Cross Cult. It can deflect bullets from standard-issue sniper rifles."

Luo Shu and Takina both felt that something was wrong immediately.

If Sharon's outfit really could resist sniper rounds, then their sidearms were useless. But if she had such a massive advantage, why hadn't she simply killed them already?

Something wasn't right.

Luo Shu's body tensed. Relying on his [Super Intuition], he activated his spiritual sight—a kind of intuitive sixth sense that let him view his own "Three Flames."

The ability offered a 360-degree perception—spiritual heat signatures that could expose subtle anomalies.

Flicker. Flicker. Flicker.

Through his spiritual vision, Luo Shu quickly spotted the Three Flames floating over his shoulders and above his head. All three were trembling faintly, swaying erratically.

"Abyssal Artifact?"

His instincts screamed danger. He raised his gun—but not to fire at Sharon.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Luo Shu suddenly fired three shots at the wall beside Takina Inoue, startling her into diving to the ground. She tucked into a roll and bolted out the rear entrance of the villa.

"Oh? You actually noticed?" Sharon raised an eyebrow, intrigued. She seemed genuinely impressed that he'd sensed something was off.

A moment later, gray mist began to flood the hallway. Its reach extended from the front door to the hallway's bend—roughly a 15-meter stretch.

"That's odd... How did you know there was a range limitation?" she asked curiously, raising her hand.

A silver chain slid down her wrist with a distinct clink. At its center was a round orb engraved with an eye-like design. Inside, tiny steel beads rattled quietly as the ornament swayed.

"The Eye of Mist. According to your official classification system, it's a Grade-2 dangerous artifact. Its function is to create an isolated alternate space—cut off from the real world."

Sharon smiled like a hunter enjoying the helpless struggle of her prey. "It takes a while to activate, and the radius is small... but it works wonders for catching targets, wouldn't you agree?"

She didn't seem to care that Takina had escaped. Instead, she looked at Luo Shu with amusement.

"But here's the thing—everyone who knew about this artifact's range has died. So... how did you figure it out, Officer?"

Luo Shu sighed, watching Sharon with exasperation. He removed his now-static earpiece—the signal from Kurumi had been cut off completely.

They were isolated.

Inside an alternate dimension, alone with Sharon, Luo Shu reached a decision. He didn't lower his gun but shifted the artifact—the demonic script—from his right hand to his left. With his right hand, he subtly pointed his ring finger at Sharon.

On that finger, he wore the Heart of the Demon.

That's right. Luo Shu was planning to hypnotize Sharon using the artifact. It was risky, but it might just flip the situation.

But then—

A warm breath grazed his ear.

Someone was behind him.

"I really don't think you should move right now."

A soft voice whispered in his ear as an arm snaked around his neck, locking it in a tight hold.

"Otherwise... I can't guarantee your head's going to stay attached to your body."

Luo Shu instinctively looked back toward where Sharon had been—but she was dissolving into white mist.

Of course. She hadn't just blurted out the full effects of the Eye of Mist. That had all been misdirection. She'd used it to create a doppelgänger and had silently circled behind him.

Now, with her arm tight around his neck, she reached toward the demonic script in his hand.

"You really should've stayed down. Goodbye, unknown officer. I hope you dream sweetly."

As she prepared to crush his neck with deceptive gentleness, Luo Shu suddenly spoke:

"However... I refuse!"

Alarm bells went off in Sharon's head. She immediately tightened her grip, ready to snap his neck—

But Luo Shu shouted a single word in a strange, guttural tongue:

"Exchange!"

It was demon-speak.

Sharon's eyes widened in disbelief.

In the next moment, the demonic script in Luo Shu's hand lit up—deep crimson like coagulated blood, radiating a dark, ominous glow.