Anime Multiverse: Building a Pantheon from Scratch

Before the assault on Yakushiji Seihiko—

On the rooftop of a villa in the upscale district, Luo Shu and Takina Inoue lay prone, binoculars in hand, surveying the Yukinoshita residence from above.

Beside him, Takina studied the incoming data on her phone and explained to Luo Shu, "According to the property records submitted by the local management office, the house where the target is hiding belongs to the prestigious Yukinoshita family. Based on the security feed, the head of the Yukinoshita family, her husband, and their two daughters all returned home today."

Just then, Luo Shu, who had been watching the second floor of the villa through binoculars, furrowed his brows and asked curiously, "Yukinoshita family? Are their daughters named Haruno Yukinoshita and Yukino Yukinoshita by any chance?"

Takina paused, then looked down at her tablet to double-check. "Yes, those are the names. Luo Shu-kun, do you know them?"

"I've heard of them," Luo Shu replied offhandedly, then muttered, "But come to think of it, if they're a local political family, don't they have any sorcerers protecting them?"

To this, Takina gave a somewhat complicated expression and answered, "Luo Shu-kun, if even families like the Yukinoshitas had sorcerers, that would mean we've severely failed our jobs."

"To raise a sorcerer, you must have a hereditary-type Abyssal artifact or an awakened item. The collection and distribution of such Abyssal items is strictly regulated." She lowered her voice and continued, "In our country, the rights to these items are divided. Half are controlled by the stationed forces and our SDS. The remaining half is split again—one part by the official Onmyo Bureau, and the other by elite task units from multinational conglomerates in Tokyo. Beyond that, no private individual or family is permitted to possess Abyssal items. Even information about them is classified. Only the sitting cabinet is granted access. Not even prefectural assemblymen—like the head of the Yukinoshita family—are cleared for such intel."

"So this family... is stuck right at that boundary. Not high enough to be allowed knowledge, yet high enough to be targeted." Luo Shu sighed, offering a silent three-second prayer for the Yukinoshitas. It really was a miserable position—too far above ordinary citizens, yet just short of true power.

Shaking his head, Luo Shu let the matter go. After all, he considered himself an ordinary man and saw no reason to pity the local elite.

"Takina, prep the sniper team. Captain Tachibana said the reinforcements are almost here."

In Luo Shu's perception through the wind elements, a fiery aura was rapidly approaching—so intense it almost burned his mental senses. Judging by the speed, it was at least on par with a high-end modified motorcycle.

But that scorching pressure... these reinforcements were definitely strong.

"You mean that 'Young Lady of the Kannagi Clan' you mentioned earlier when you were whispering behind me in the car to the chief?" Takina said calmly. "The one who can help eliminate the target but might destroy the corpse in the process, so it'd be better if we let her take initiative?"

Her matter-of-fact tone made Luo Shu's face twitch slightly.

"In short, once she arrives, you and the Red Team need to be ready to fire at any time. I'll try to herd the target toward her using wind techniques—let her handle the heavy lifting."

He muttered under his breath, "Such a fine blade—it'd be a waste not to use it."

After all, he was destined to be a future god. Why would he ever get into a deathmatch with some backwater demon? Just the thought was absurd.

No, he'd let the reinforcements take the hits while he scooped up the credit. That way he could keep living the simple life of a so-called 'ordinary person.' Honestly, it wasn't a bad deal at all.

Besides, the name Ayano Kannagi reminded Luo Shu of some anime heroine. A flame sorceress from a prominent clan, and a noble young lady to boot… Could it really be that much of a coincidence?

While Luo Shu pondered, everything unfolded exactly as he had predicted.

After the assault—

Amber flames flickered slowly across the asphalt. Ayano Kannagi stared at the scorched remains of the demon's corpse and finally dismissed the heirloom weapon in her hand.

At the same time—

Clap! Clap! Applause rang out.

She turned to look and saw a young man in a black suit with a slightly youthful but handsome face approaching, leading a black-haired girl by his side.

Upon seeing Ayano, Luo Shu beamed warmly and quickly stepped forward to shake her hand.

"Miss Ayano Kannagi, on behalf of the operation team, I thank you for your assistance tonight," he said earnestly. "If it hadn't been for your help, we'd likely have suffered major casualties just to eliminate this demon hiding among humans."

"Sigh, just thinking about the cold, numb expressions of the fallen members' wives and children… I truly can't thank you enough."

"Well, it wasn't that difficult really," Ayano replied modestly, scratching her cheek a little awkwardly. "This guy's threat level was mid-tier at best. Not too much trouble, honestly~"

As the saying goes, one doesn't strike someone with a smiling face. Seeing Luo Shu's seemingly sincere expression and his grief for his comrades' families, Ayano couldn't help but soften. She reached out and shook his hand.

Wait a second… did I forget something?

The moment the handshake ended, Ayano suddenly felt something was off.

This guy's from the SDS, right?

The same SDS that monopolizes first rights to Abyss detection, plunders Abyssal artifacts across Japan, and even makes the Onmyo Bureau grind their teeth in silence?

How did it end up feeling like I was some mercenary he hired as backup?!

Just as her thoughts spiraled, Luo Shu casually remarked, "Without your intervention, Miss Ayano, it really would've been hard to kill that demon."

"If he'd gotten away, who knows how many innocent people in Chiba Prefecture might have become victims? And putting that aside, the traffic lockdowns alone we initiated just to catch him would've caused over 10 billion yen in economic damage."

"I suppose I'll need to file for a commendation from Chiba officials on your behalf. After all, expecting the hero who saved Chiba City to shed blood and tears is unacceptable."

It's not even coming out of my own pocket, Luo Shu grumbled silently. So of course I'm going to say all the nice things.

"No, no, I really didn't come here for a reward…" Ayano's face flushed red at his words, and she began frantically waving her hands.

Why do I suddenly feel like I've been made into some kind of national hero?!

"Even so, Miss Ayano, your contribution is undeniable," Luo Shu replied sincerely. "And besides, taxpayers pay taxes precisely so that the government can protect them."

"By the way, may I ask—have you ever heard the story of Zǐ Gòng redeeming the hostage from across the sea?"

"Zǐ Gòng... oh, right, yes! We learned that in our classical literature class!" Ayano, being a high school student, immediately recalled the tale and understood what Luo Shu meant.

Ah… if I turn down the reward, that will raise the moral standard to a level most people can't achieve...

"I get it now. I'll accept the reward. In any case, thank you very much. I'll take my leave now~"

Ayano quickly bowed and retreated like someone fleeing a battlefield, as if terrified Luo Shu might say something even more embarrassing.

Watching her flee in a panic, Luo Shu remained perfectly calm until her silhouette disappeared down the road. Then he turned toward Takina Inoue and said simply, "All done."

With that, he turned to the elite Red Squad still stationed around the villa and shouted, "Alright, guys! Time to clean up!!"