Strike the Blood - Volume 2 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE 

THE NALAKUVERA 

1 

A lone young man ran, threading the spaces between the buildings stretching around the monorail platform. 

He was wearing a Saikai Academy boy’s high school uniform. His hair was short and lightly dyed; he wore closed-type headphones around his neck. 

He was Motoki Yaze, classmate of the Fourth Primogenitor, Kojou Akatsuki. 

“Aw crap, Kojou, you bastard, that’s the place you pick to rampage through?” 

Yaze clicked his tongue in irritation at the sandstorm-like noise that still afflicted his ears. 

Itogami Island’s weather was good that day, with a rare, gentle breeze blowing. However, as he stood on the monorail platform, powerful eddies blew roughly all around him. 

“My ‘soundscape’ is a wreck thanks to you! Those Beast Vassals of yours are nothing but trouble.” 

As Yaze spoke, he fished a number of medicinal pills out of a pocket. They were twin-colored capsules that resembled cold medicine sold over the counter. Tossing them into his mouth, he violently crunched them without even a sip of water. 

Motoki Yaze had a special type of genetic makeup known as “Hyper-Adapter.” He was no demon, but a human born with unusual abilities. A psychic might be a much simpler way to put it. 

The Yaze family was deeply involved in the corporate alliance that founded the Demon Sanctuary, but it was also a family line that cranked out a great many people with special abilities. Motoki, too, was one of those aberrant people. 

Using a type of psychokinesis, Yaze’s sense of hearing was as accurate as a high-precision radar system. It was as if he saw sound with his own eyes. Using his uncanny sense of hearing, Yaze had a monitoring net deployed all over Saikai Academy, allowing him to observe everything within the school. Kojou was one of the people he was monitoring. 

A passive ability reliant only on listening to sound—furthermore, even Yukina, possessing excellent Spirit Sight, could not detect Yaze’s watching. 

But his soundscape had weaknesses, of course. 

Just like how an image from a camera bathed in bright light will be washed out, big, explosive noises destroyed the soundscape. The seismic waves released by Kojou’s Beast Vassal were more than powerful enough to rip his delicate field to shreds. 

It took some seventy-four minutes to re-create the field as it was destroyed. Asagi Aiba’s abduction had coincided with the time his defenses had been down. 

“Going after Asagi with that timing, though…that Gardos bastard ain’t right in the head, either!” Yaze muttered while tossing several more capsules into his mouth. 

It was right after Kojou’s Beast Vassal had released so much demonic energy. Of course Gardos and his men had noticed the existence of the Fourth Primogenitor. However, in that moment, it was equally true that Saikai Academy’s security system had been taken down in the process. Their top priority was the timing for success with the abduction, even at the risk of encountering a primogenitor. 

That took no small amount of courage. 

Yaze was chasing the Black Death Emperor Front car Asagi and the others were being transported in. 

He was on his own two legs pursuing the car running at some sixty kilometers per hour. The ninety-kilometer-per-hour tailwind blowing fiercely all around him made it possible for him to sprint at that speed in bursts. 

The flow and direction of the signal might change, but microphones and speakers fundamentally worked the same way. It was the same for Yaze’s ability. His ability, normally used to passively “listen,” was now creating a disturbance in the movement of the atmosphere; in that moment, Yaze had created a squall of his own volition, freely manipulating the flow of the air. 

Of course, this wasn’t a power a flesh-and-blood human could use without cost. 

The pills Yaze had taken were chemical drugs that boosted his abilities temporarily. The side effects were serious, and overuse would bring a suitably heavy cost. Even so, they were all he could rely on at the moment. 

“Heliport? Are they planning to take them off Itogami Island…?” 

Realizing where the Black Death Emperor Front was heading to, Yaze finally lowered his speed. 

It was a civilian aviation company’s helipad at Island East. Most of its business was aerial photography and sightseeing tours for tourists, but it rented out helicopters as well. 

A helicopter apparently kept on standby lifted off as soon as Asagi and the other tied-up girls were loaded into it. 

If they were heading off the island, even Yaze’s ability wouldn’t be able to follow them farther. But— 

“…Will it reach?” 

Yaze gulped down a large number of pills, covered his ears with his headphones, and closed his eyes. 

He unleashed his ability, feeling as if his nerves were on fire. Yaze’s field of vision suddenly opened wide, giving him a clear picture even tens of kilometers over the ocean. 

Several hundred meters above Yaze’s head, a double of him was created out of the airflow itself. Using atmospheric vibrations to emulate his flesh and nervous system, he transferred his consciousness to it. Yaze named this, his trump card, “Air Loading.” 

Though it used the same principle as astral projection by spiritualists, Air Loading, related but with the advantage of physical form, could convey images just as accurately as the physical eye. 

But as he discovered the destination of the helicopter now far over the ocean, Yaze was deeply perplexed. 

“That’s the Black Death Emperor Front’s hideout…? What’s the meaning of this?!” 

A moment later, Yaze heard a sarcastic voice coming from directly behind his real body. 

“Acoustic control, I presume? Hmm…quite a rare ability; quite different from Druid magic. Perhaps an ability similar to mystics on the continent?” 

“The hell?!” 

The drawback of Yaze’s ability was projecting his consciousness to his double greatly reduced his own body’s awareness. 

He barely managed to respond to the voice, but he still couldn’t locate the speaker. 

Then Yaze sensed a massive surge of magical energy from behind him. 

It had a weighty explosiveness to it that rivaled even Kojou’s Beast Vassals. 

“What the heck’s that power—?!” 

Yaze’s double was enveloped by magic power resembling a ray of light and annihilated. Someone on the ground had shot his concentrated mass of air out of the sky as it flew some several hundred meters aboveground. 

Letting out an anguished moan from the pain of the backlash, Yaze collapsed onto the ground. 

“That’s crazy. Why are you…?!” 

This time he shouted at the sight of the man standing there. 

Standing against the backlighting was a tall man, laughing as he lightly snapped his fingers. 

A giant mass of flame writhed behind his back. 

“Sorry, it’s inconvenient for me if you interfere with them just yet…Don’t worry, you won’t die. Probably.” 

Before the man finished speaking, the flame snake lashed out at the ground beneath Yaze’s feet. The superheated cinder blocks burst apart; pulled down by gravity, they fell in pieces like an avalanche. 

Below was the watery surface of a transport canal that continued to the ocean. Unable to even scream, Yaze was pulled down along with the debris, making a spectacular splash and sinking down into the muddy water. 

2 

Around that time, Kojou and Sayaka were seated beside each other at the emergency stairway behind the school gym, away from prying eyes. At first the atmosphere had been very stormy, but as time passed, that had indeed waned. 

With unexcited expressions on their faces, both gazed up absentmindedly, watching the flow of the clouds, until Sayaka finally made a small yawn. As she did so, Kojou glanced in her direction, watching the side of her face. 

“…Wh-what are you looking at?” 

Sayaka suddenly glared at him, her cheeks reddening. 

“Err. Sorry,” Kojou apologized with an annoyed wave. Sayaka’s lips curled in annoyance at how Kojou was dismissing her like a noisy puppy. 

Similar sour notes had been struck several times over since earlier, thoroughly draining Kojou and Sayaka’s mental energy. 

“Hey. How long do we have to be like this for?” 

“Until Yukina comes back, I’d think?” 

As Sayaka spoke, she clutched a pair of bags she’d placed on top of her knees. One contained the keyboard case that held Sayaka’s sword. The other was the guitar case holding Yukina’s spear. 

“Just to make things clear, I don’t really want to spend even a single moment together with an indecent man like you. What if I get pregnant from breathing the same air as you?” 

“Like that can happen!! Whaddaya think a vampire is?!” 

“I wouldn’t put it past you. You drank my Yukina’s blood—you drank my Yukina’s blood!!” 

With a resentful tone of voice, Sayaka made a subdued groan. Kojou thought, Well, this is depressing, making a deep sigh. 

Thanks to that, Kojou somehow realized for himself that both of them were just being stubborn. 

If he was dealing with someone younger, like Yukina, he’d just smile and let little bits of trouble roll off of him; if it was someone older, like Natsuki—appearances aside—he’d be plenty willing to exercise humility. 

As he was thinking about that, he suddenly met Sayaka’s eyes. She seemed to have been watching Kojou for the whole time he was thinking. Then… 

“Hey.” 

“Hey.” 

After getting along so poorly, both opened their mouths at the same time. Sayaka made an annoyed snort, urging Kojou, “You go first.” Kojou shrugged his shoulders in dismay. 

“Er…I mean, sorry. For stuff.” 

“Huh?” Sayaka’s eyes widened in shock. “Why are you apologizing? It’s creeping me out.” 

“Oh shut up! I mean, I think you were right to say what you said, Kirasaka.” 

As Kojou spoke, he pulled the hood of the parka he was wearing down over his eyes. Talking about this while looking into the other person’s eyes was making him blushy somehow. 

“With the Armed Apostle old man not long ago and with the terrorist business this time, Himeragi’s been involved in troublesome incidents on my account. So I thought, it’s natural that her friend would be upset about it.” 

For some reason, Sayaka tapered her lips with a look of dissatisfaction. 

“Certainly it is your fault, but it couldn’t be helped because it’s Yukina’s mission to watch over you; it’s not like she’s helping you because she wants to. You don’t really need to worry yourself about it.” 

“Ah…well, that may be so, but it’s still true she helped me.” 

Kojou shook his head with a pained smile mixed in. Sayaka was such a contrarian that she’d switched to consoling Kojou midway through her words. Having herself realized that midway, Sayaka made an expression of loathing. 

“You’re certainly an odd vampire… Usually I don’t think one would thank someone watching him. Or maybe you go for that sort of thing?” 

“I’m not thanking anyone for being watched,” Kojou said back in a sullen voice. 

“It’s just, the watching’s a bother, but Himeragi’s a good person.” 

“I thought you were a completely hopeless man, but it seems you’re at least somewhat sentient. I’ll concede that much.” 

Sayaka looked pleased somehow as she spoke. It seemed his complimenting Yukina put her in a good mood. She really does like Yukina, Kojou thought with a smile, so why does she have to look down on me like this? 

“But I can’t give credit for such plain compliments. If you’re going to properly praise Yukina, you need to show more resolve and respect.” 

“…What’s a way to compliment with resolve and respect?” 

“It’s nothing complicated. All you need to do is faithfully describe Yukina as she really is: her fair skin; the soft, golden hair of her cheek; the little mole under her collarbone; those lines from her shoulder blades, just like an angel’s wings, to her oh-so-tight waist to her curvy hips, weaving into that golden rump…!” 

“…That’s all physical appearance, isn’t it?!” Kojou interrupted, unable to bear Sayaka’s starting to ramble on about Yukina’s charms any further. “There’s other things to compliment, too, aren’t there?! And you sound totally obsessed!!” 

“…Besides her appearance?” 

On her guard, Sayaka looked at Kojou. This man is dangerous, indeed… 

“I suppose. Certainly there’s when I quietly slipped into Yukina’s bed and had her lingering scent all around me… Ahh, such bliss…” 

“…Who compliments people on their scent?!” Kojou raised his voice, a sharp headache coming on. “I don’t mean that; talk about her personality, geez! She’s so serious, and she works so hard. She goes a surprising way for other people even though she’s shy, and she’s really strong-willed, but also has some soft spots and weaknesses and stuff…” 

“N…not bad, Kojou Akatsuki.” 

Sayaka looked at Kojou with a dumbfounded expression. 

“To think you could compete with me…” 

“Er, not that I’m trying to compete with you, but…” 

We ain’t exactly on the same page here, thought Kojou, feeling fatigued. 

“I’ll have you know, I’ve been in the bath together with Yukina!” 

“Like I care!! This crazy contrarian stuff’s gettin’ on my nerves!” 

“Oh, shut up! I’ve been with that girl since she was seven years old. I’ve spent a longer time with her than her actual family has, so…” As she spoke, Sayaka thrust her cell phone before Kojou, as if delighting in victory. 

Displayed on the screen was an old photo showing two young girls. 

Their ages were around seven or eight. There was a girl with a strong glint in her eyes and a girl with light chestnut-colored hair. 

Set against a chilly backdrop in the middle of winter, the barefoot girls strongly held each other’s hands, cuddling close together, as if it was the two of them against the whole world. 

Looking at the picture, Kojou suddenly remembered. 

Yukina had said she didn’t remember her own parents. 

It was probably the same for Sayaka. The Lion King Agency gathered up orphans from all over the country, raising them to be young, elite Counter-Demon Attack Mages. Sayaka had said she’d spent more time with Yukina than her real family. But to her, that also meant Yukina had been by her side for an equally long amount of time. 

To Sayaka, having lost one family, had finally gained another one in Yukina after who knows how many months or years. Thinking of it that way, he could completely empathize with the level of love and affection Sayaka had for Yukina. 

“Hmm. That’s certainly cute.” 

Kojou looked over the picture of the girls one more time. Both Yukina and Sayaka had traces of their looks from childhood even now, he thought. They looked a little like super-deformed character mascots in the photo. 

Of course, Sayaka puffed her chest out, full of satisfaction. 

“I said it from the start, didn’t I? My Yukina is an angel.” 

“Er, of course this goes for Himeragi, too, but you were quite pretty back then yourself…” 

“Huh…?!” 

Like a statue, Sayaka’s entire body froze at Kojou’s comment, made without any thought whatsoever. 

Internally, Kojou had no notion that he’d said anything odd in the slightest. Certainly there were issues with her personality, but if she weren’t speaking, she’d no doubt be a beautiful girl. Especially in that childhood photo, she was as adorable as a fairy. If Yukina was an angel back then, Sayaka must surely have been one as well, he thought. 

“Th-that’s…crazy…what are you…” 

However, Kojou’s casual comment had caused an amusing-looking level of panic in Sayaka. She was bright red, as if her pale skin was coming to a boil; both of her shoulders trembled. 

Then… 

“…I really should kill you here and now!” 

“What for?!” 

As Sayaka suddenly drew and raised her sword, Kojou leaped back from her in a hurry. As they did so, for a moment, a powerful beam of light glimmered in the corner of their fields of vision. 

Slightly after the fact, a dull exploding sound echoed through the air. In midair, an orange fireball swelled up, looking like fireworks, breaking apart into black fragments before vanishing. Finally, flame shrouded in ominous black smoke rose from the ground, high into the air. 

“What was that?! It looked like a chopper got shot down…” 

“An accident? Or perhaps…” 

Kojou and Sayaka murmured while standing still in shock. 

To shoot down a helicopter in one shot—that meant a surface-to-air missile or a similar weapon. The only kind of people who’d let something like that loose in an urban area were those one normally called terrorists. 

“Maybe it’s the Black Death Emperor Front?!” 

“That direction… That’s the sub-float extension under construction!” 

Sayaka and Kojou shouted at the same time as both began to rush down the emergency stairs. 

Yukina may have told them to meekly reflect, but if the Black Death Emperor Front was truly running amok, this was no time to loaf around. 

Kojou didn’t think the helicopter crash had anything to do with the Nalakuvera, but the Dead Black Emperor Front was a terrorist group in the first place. He couldn’t reject the possibility they’d begin indiscriminate attacks on the city. He couldn’t ignore this. 

But just as they hurried down to the first floor of the gym, Kojou suddenly stopped. Annoyed, Sayaka tried to throw Kojou, now an obstacle in her path, out of her way. 

“What is it, Kojou Akatsuki? You’re in my way!” 

“What’s this scent…?!” 

“Scent?” 

As if baited by Kojou’s words, Sayaka made a loud sniff. Her expression then changed to one of confusion. She, too, noticed the strange smell drifting inside the school. 

“The smell of blood?!” 

“No…it’s similar, but this isn’t blood…” 

Kojou opened the nearest window and leaped into the school building. The strange smell of almost-but-not-quite blood grew only stronger. Realizing the source of the scent, Kojou sprinted, forcefully opening the clinic room door. 

“…Astarte?!” 

What Kojou saw there was the homunculus girl, lying on her side on the floor, covered in light crimson body fluids. 

“These wounds…gunshots?! What the hell happened?!” 

Sayaka ran over and pulled Astarte’s clothes away to check the condition of her wounds. There were ghastly scars remaining on her body from having been pumped full of lead. 

Though no longer able to move of her own volition, Astarte seemed to have barely retained consciousness. Identifying Kojou by sight, she made a frail exhale mixed with blood. 

“…Report to the Fourth Primogenitor: twenty-five minutes, thirteen seconds prior to present time, a person calling himself Kristof Gardos appeared within school grounds. He has taken Asagi Aiba, Nagisa Akatsuki, and Yukina Himeragi with him.” 

“Wha…?!” 

Kojou was in complete shock at the information Astarte conveyed. 

Certainly, Yukina had said she was bringing Asagi to the clinic room. Nagisa had to have gone with them. But in the clinic room, only the bloodied Astarte remained. There was no sign of Yukina or the others… 

“Their destination is unknown. I apologize… I was unable to protect…them…” 

Astarte’s light blue eyes wavered as she spoke. A large clot of blood spilled out from her throat. She shouldn’t have been speaking in a condition like hers. It was a near miracle that she was alive at all. 

“H-hey, Astarte?! Astarte, stay with me…!” Kojou desperately called out to the homunculus girl. 

To the side, Sayaka began stopping Astarte’s bleeding in earnest. 

3 

Yukina and the others were in a cramped room with the windows covered. 

Originally, it had probably been a warehouse for storing foodstuffs and the like. It was a dreary room, not furnished with even a single chair. The pipes on the ceiling were bare and exposed; the floor was slightly rusted. 

Having been blindfolded when they were brought in, they didn’t know the conditions around them. The room was probably belowground. The gentle rocking of the building that they felt might have simply been from being brought by helicopter. 

“Hey…where do you think this is?” 

Asagi, curled up on top of an empty wooden crate, asked tentatively. 

The look on her face was harder than usual, perhaps because she felt responsible for Yukina and Nagisa being abducted along with her. But that didn’t mean she was in a panic. 

Taking relief in that, Yukina shook her head. 

“I do not know. I believe that the helicopter flew for about ten minutes, so I do not think we could have been brought very far but…” 

Watching that reaction from Yukina, Asagi narrowed her eyes in apparent suspicion. 

“You’re very composed, huh? You’re not scared?” 

“Eh? Ah, er…that is not so, but ah, you’re calm, too, Aiba.” 

“Is that so?” Asagi murmured, looking slightly embarrassed as she glanced at the side of Nagisa’s face as she slept. 

Nagisa was still out cold as she clung to Yukina’s shoulder. Asagi must have thought that Nagisa had fainted from fright at the abduction. 

However, the truth was, as she was falling into a state of panic, Yukina knocked her out with a blow. Though she took no pride in her violent means, it was the only way she could protect Nagisa in that situation. She’d have been in danger of a complete mental breakdown if Yukina had left her alone like that. 

Yukina felt that Nagisa’s fear toward demons was indeed abnormal. It was clearly unnatural for a resident of a Demon Sanctuary. 

“…It’s because I saw Nagisa like that. I felt like, I have to keep it together, see.” 

As if noticing Yukina’s misgivings, Asagi spoke with a strained smile. 

“Do you know why Kojou and his family moved to Itogami Island?” 

“…No.” 

Yukina slowly shook her head. Kojou and his family had relocated to the Demon Sanctuary four years ago. Even the reports of the Lion King Agency did not contain the reason why. This was in spite of all immigrants to the Demon Sanctuary undergoing thorough background checks… 

“I’d like you to keep this just between us.” 

Asagi stood her index finger up against her lips as she lowered her gaze slightly. It was rare for her to display a frank, serious expression. 

“Nagisa almost died once.” 

“Eh?” 

“Four years ago, she got wrapped up in a train incident involving demons. She somehow survived, but they were saying she might never regain consciousness, let alone return to a normal life…” 

Asagi shook her head a little as she spoke. Yukina’s lips quivered in complete astonishment. 

“But Nagisa doesn’t show the slightest sign of…” 

“Yeah. I don’t know the details myself, but she’s apparently getting some kind of special treatment. This is a Demon Sanctuary, after all.” 

Yukina fell silent at Asagi’s explanation. 

The Demon Sanctuary of Itogami Island was a scholarly city. Research was performed on demonic bodies and abilities on a daily basis, leading to the development of new technologies and products. And that research included top-level medical technology: experimental, unapproved medical technology. 

“Her wounds are completely healed, but I expect she gets regular checkups even now; seems like it cost a lot of money, too. I think it has something to do with why, after their parents divorced, their mom doesn’t get back to the house much.” 

Having said so much, Asagi made a large shrug of her shoulders. She seemed embarrassed at having spoken in such an uncharacteristically serious manner. 

“So that might be why Nagisa’s afraid of demons?” 

“You’d have to ask her about that, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it is.” 

Yukina nodded without a word. 

She felt like she understood why Kojou, having gained vampiric powers against his will, was so desperately trying to hide the fact from his little sister. The daily life they currently enjoyed couldn’t possibly continue if Nagisa learned that one of her blood relatives had become a demon himself. 

Seeming concerned as Yukina fell silent, Asagi suddenly spoke in her usual, lighthearted tone of voice. 

“Also, sorry. It’s my fault you’re involved in this.” 

Yukina felt guilty as she shook her head. Asagi didn’t need to feel responsible for the Dead Black Emperor Front’s crimes. If anyone was responsible, it was Yukina for having been unable to protect them. 

“Aiba, are you aware of why they would abduct you?” 

“Nope, dunno.” 

Asagi carelessly spread her arms wide as she sighed. 

“It’s not like I have no clue, though. They did say they have a job for me to do.” 

“A job, you say?” 

Yukina parroted the words back, a blank look on her as she tilted her neck. 

“I keep this secret from school,” Asagi said, sticking her tongue out a little. “I do something like part-time freelance programming, see. Sometimes what’s requested is a lot like illegal hacking. Of course, I’ve never had my arm twisted this much till now.” 

“Part-time…hacking, you say?” 

Yukina was more and more confused. Though Yukina was a nationally qualified Counter-Demon Attack Mage with in-depth knowledge of ritual magic, the drawback of that special education was that her knowledge of other subjects was below that of other girls in middle school. Even though she’d heard the term hacking before, she couldn’t picture the details in any concrete way. 

“It’s a special job using computers. It’s stuff like writing custom programs, invading corporate networks, deciphering passwords…” 

“…Why would the Black Death Emperor Front go out of their way to demand you do such work for them?” 

With the Island Guard in pursuit, the Black Death Emperor Front was taking quite a risk abducting a mere high school girl like this. She couldn’t understand why they wanted a single programmer to the point of courting such danger. 

“I think it’s strange, too. The Black Death Emperor Front’s terrorists who were causing problems in Europe a few years ago, right? I wonder what got their attention on me.” 

Asagi, using her receptionless cell phone in place of a mirror, straightened out her disheveled front locks. As she did so, she indeed looked like nothing more than an ordinary high school girl. Yukina didn’t think she was a person of such unusual ability as to catch Gardos’s eyes. But… 

Suddenly, Gardos threw the door open and entered, speaking in a very soldiery voice. “…It seems you are unaware of your own fame, Miss Aiba.” Asagi sucked in her breath and turned around. 

Behind Gardos, two men stood, wearing urban camouflage military uniforms. They were probably all beast men. 

“At the very least, there is not a single technician in our employ who does not know your name. Of course, not even they thought that the famed Cyber Empress is such a pretty young lady.” 

“Do you think transparent flattery like that is going to put me in a cooperative mood?” 

Asagi spoke as she glared up at the stern Gardos, not backing down. 

The aged officer made a satisfied laugh at her reaction. 

“Forgive my rudeness. I do not mean this as empty flattery, but I highly value your composure and resolute attitude. Not to put down civilians who’d lose their minds in this situation, but I wouldn’t want to entrust important work to them.” 

Gardos looked down at the reactionless, still-asleep Nagisa as he carried on. 

Asagi made a displeased look as she got up. 

“If I’m the only one you want, let these two go home first. Business can come after.” 

“If you absolutely insist, then I will comply with your demands, but…” 

Gardos made a gentle, strained smile. 

“If you earnestly wish for these girls’ safety, I cannot support that decision.” 

“What do you mean by that? I’ll have you know, if you lay even one finger on either of them…” 

“We are an organized band of warriors. There is none among us who would mistreat a civilian like a common ruffian.” 

Gardos’s low, resolute voice echoed, as if trying to dispel Asagi’s doubts. 

Even so, Asagi glared right back into both Gardos’s eyes. 

“What about the homunculus you shot in the clinic room?” 

“She was a tool for combat, the same as we are.” 

Speaking in a completely calm voice, Gardos lowered his eyes as if lamenting Astarte. His respectful tone of voice contrasted with his words, yet through them, one felt his unshakable convictions as a warrior. 

“…I can trust you?” 

“I swear upon our dead comrades and the honor of the Black Death Emperor Front.” 

“Fine, then. I’ll listen to what you have to say at least. Go on, explain.” 

Taking a deep breath, Asagi plopped herself atop the wooden crate. 

“Hmph,” went Gardos, his lips gently curling up in satisfaction as he gave a look to his men. 

His subordinates produced a ring file binding together a fairly thick bundle of documents. It looked like blueprints and a manual for electrical equipment of some kind. 

“Do you recognize this?” 

“—‘Souverän Nine’?! Where’d you get one of these?” 

Asagi let out a shocked voice as she looked over the English-language manual. 

“From someone who sympathizes with our cause. The Austrasian Army was due to purchase it before it was diverted. It is the latest model of the supercomputer series Itogami Island’s Management Corporation uses, is it not?” 

“So what you’re saying is, use this to decipher the command codes for that Nalakuvera ancient weapon thingy?” Asagi murmured in a very blunt tone. 

This time it was Gardos who sucked in his breath. No doubt he never imagined an unrelated person such as Asagi would be aware of the existence of the ancient weapon known as the Nalakuvera. 

“It would seem we need to raise our appraisal of you by several notches. Outstanding.” 

“So you’re the ones who sent me that boring puzzle yesterday, am I right?” Asagi asked while scowling her face in displeasure. Gardos nodded solemnly. 

“We sent the same e-mail to over a hundred and fifty hackers, but only eight among them were able to decipher what you call a ‘boring puzzle.’ Among them, only you produced the correct answer without any errors. Furthermore, you completed it in less than three hours, an astonishingly short time.” 

“A lot was going on that day. I wanted an escape from reality.” 

Speaking to herself in a pout, Asagi glanced sideways at Yukina for some reason. Yukina blinked her eyes with a bewildered feeling, averting her eyes out of some vague sense of guilt. 

Gardos paid no heed as he continued to speak. 

“Our objectives are the immediate destruction of that accursed Holy Ground Treaty and the obliteration of the First Primogenitor, betrayer of all demonkind. The power of the Nalakuvera is necessary for the realization of our goals.” 

“There’s no way I’d cooperate after hearing that, is there? If you succeed with a plan like that, worst case, it’d plunge the whole world into war!” Asagi shouted as she slammed the manual onto the floor. A laugh rolled off of Gardos’s lips. 

“That is the world we yearn for…but certainly, this conflicts very much with your values. Yet even so…no, because it is so, I trust that you will cooperate with us.” 

“Huh? What are you saying? There’s no way I’d…” 

“Do you know what this is?” 

As Gardos spoke, one of his men took out a thin tablet PC. 

The screen displayed a strangely long line of text. Though it looked like a spell, it didn’t fall under any of the magic rituals Yukina was aware of. But she did not think it was any meaningless sentence. 

It seemed to be a complicated formula broken down into a form that humans could pronounce. Asagi gazed upon it with a sour look. 

“The puzzle I deciphered…the command codes for the ancient weapon, huh? But isn’t it just one piece of a larger puzzle?” 

“That is correct. There were a total of fifty-four stone tablets excavated along with the Nalakuvera. This was but a single one among them. But you remember what was on this one, don’t you?” 

“You can’t…mean that…” 

Hearing Gardos’s words, Asagi’s face turned pale. 

The terrorist from the Warlord’s Empire looked very pleased as he made a glacial smile. 

“That’s right. That stone tablet’s title is ‘The First Words’—the Nalakuvera’s start-up command.” 

4 

His back resting against the wall of the clinic room, Kojou trembled. Even though he’d been calling Asagi and the others by cell phone, all he got was a voice message saying they were outside school grounds. 

Apparently the report was right—they really had been abducted by the Black Death Emperor Front. 

But Kojou couldn’t understand the reason why. Certainly, Yukina was after the Dead Black Emperor Front, but that was no reason to abduct her. All the more with Asagi and Nagisa, who shouldn’t be related to the Black Death Emperor Front in even the slightest way… 

“Wait…” 

There was one thing, and only one, that tied the girls together. Kojou ground his teeth as he remembered. 

The Nalakuvera. Kojou had asked Asagi to look into the smuggled ancient weapon, but for some reason, she seemed to already know the name. Also, she’d been drawn to the stone tablet that showed how to control the Nalakuvera. 

Kojou was well aware of Asagi’s skill as a password cracker. If the Black Death Emperor Front figured they could use her skills to decipher the stone tablet… 

“Kojou Akatsuki, haven’t they dispatched an ambulance yet—?!” 

Sayaka’s urgent voice interrupted Kojou’s train of thought. 

She was in the middle of giving the gravely wounded Astarte first aid. 

“They dispatched an ambulance, but looks like it’s not gonna arrive right away.” 

“Why not?!” 

“Dunno. But I figure it has something to do with that helicopter crash. Maybe they’re running short, maybe the road’s blocked?” 

“I see…so that’s it…” 

Sayaka bit her lip in apparent anguish. 

“She won’t hold on at this rate. If I don’t stop the fluid leakage at least…” 

“Stop the bleeding you mean? But…” 

Kojou pulled back on the verge of saying, Can you even do that? 

Astarte’s gunshot wounds were on a level that would have instantly killed a normal person. Even with a powerful man-made Beast Vassal dwelling within her body, Astarte was not a homunculus tuned for combat. Her physical durability was likely on par with a normal person’s. 

“It’s all right. I’ll take care of it. You bring over antiseptic and bandages.” 

Saying those words in a tone that thrust aside all doubt, Sayaka took something out from the cuff of her uniform. It was a metallic needle about fifteen centimeters long, so thin that the naked eye could barely make it out. 

“Nervous system mapping is Type One—Standard Humanoid. This should work…” 

As Sayaka murmured under her breath, she plunged the needle into Astarte’s back. 

“Kirasaka?!” 

“Don’t worry. It’s like acupuncture. It’s putting her into a coma and maintaining her vitals at a bare minimum. This should stop the bleeding and minimize cellular and brain damage.” 

“…Acupuncture…you can do that?” 

Kojou looked at Sayaka’s delicate fingertips in bewilderment. Certainly she was the only one he could rely on in this situation, but… 

Then, Sayaka made a hearty laugh, seemingly meant for her as much as for him. 

“I told you, Lion King Agency Shamanic War Dancers are specialists in curses and assassination, right? It’s my mission to control whether someone lives or dies. I absolutely won’t let a girl who helped Yukina die right before my eyes!” 

A frighteningly serious expression came over Sayaka’s face as she spoke. 

Kojou’s eyes were stolen by the sight of her. He felt that Sayaka, as she continued to treat Astarte’s fresh bleeding, was somehow sublime, even beautiful. Shamanic War Dancer—in other words, a dancing priestess. No doubt that just like Yukina, she was a spiritualist through whom the voices of the gods reverberated, seeing and knowing all. 

“…I have a suggestion, Fourth Primogenitor…” 

The powerless homunculus girl, still on the floor, called out to Kojou in a voice that threatened to disappear. Kojou brought his ear close to her lips. 

“Astarte?” 

“Master is…currently…en route to the Black Dead Emperor Front’s hiding place…to apprehend them…I believe Asagi Aiba and the others abducted by Kristof Gardos were headed to that same Black Death Emperor Front’s hideout…” 

“…So Asagi and the rest might be being held right where Natsuki’s going?” 

“Affirmative.” 

Having conveyed all the information she needed to, an expression of relief came over Astarte as she closed her eyes. She then lost consciousness completely. She entered a deep, deathlike sleep. However… 

“She’s probably going to be all right. Hospitals in a Demon Sanctuary should have homunculus tuning vats, and girls like her don’t have to worry about organ rejection.” 

Sayaka spoke while slumping down to the floor. A satisfied smile came over her lips. 

“I see. You really saved the day, Kirasaka. Thanks for coming.” 

As Kojou exhaled in relief, he offered his hand to Sayaka. She took his hand and got up. 

“Er, yeah. Thanks… Er, not that I was doing this for you, of course!” 

Suddenly regaining her senses, Sayaka violently shook free of Kojou’s hand. 

“That hurt. The heck’s up with you?” 

“Nothing at all. Go die already…sheesh.” 

Spitting her words behind her, Sayaka headed toward the clinic room’s lavatory, washing off her bloodstained hands. 

In the meantime, Kojou tried using his cell phone one more time. It was a call to Natsuki’s number. But… 

“…Figures there’s no signal! Shit, even if Natsuki knows where the terrorist hideout is, if I don’t know where she is, it doesn’t mean a thing!” 

As the cell call refused to connect, Kojou promptly gave up, making an exasperated sigh. 

If Natsuki was heading toward the Black Death Emperor Front hideout like Astarte said, there had to be combat taking place. There was a high probability Asagi and the others would be caught up in the fighting. He had to hook up with Natsuki and tell her about the abduction before that happened. 

But Kojou had no way of figuring out where Natsuki was at the moment… 

“Kojou Akatsuki. The homunculus said her master was heading to apprehend the Black Death Emperor Front, yes?” 

Sayaka returned from washing the artificial plasma off her, stripping off her stained summer sweater as she spoke. 

“Yeah.” 

“Then there will be fierce combat.” 

“I know. That’s why I’m so nervous.” Kojou replied with irritation. Sayaka looked at Kojou like he was a complete idiot. She spoke as if she was a famous sleuth teasing a clueless detective. 

“So. Question: Where is there fierce combat taking place on this island, right now?” 

“Ah…” 

Where was a fierce battle taking place, like a helicopter being hit by a surface-to-air missile and crashing? 

Kojou clapped his hands together as he recalled the location. 

5 

Itogami Island was fundamentally made up of four Gigafloats—East, West, South, North—but the island also had numerous smaller extension units all around it. 

They fulfilled various functions, such as floating crude oil depositories, dry docks for repairing ships, or even serve as a giant Dumpster for the storing of nonflammable waste. The buildings on Itogami Island’s Sub-float No. 13 constituted one such landfill facility. 

“—Sorry about this, but I can’t go any farther. The police have sealed the road.” 

The taxi driver stopped the car before they reached a sub-float connected to the coastline. 

The passengers in back, Kojou and Sayaka, leaned forward and looked over the scene before them. 

A fan-shaped piece of land with a radius of some five kilometers jutted out into the sea. 

It was a wide, flat, empty space suggesting a landfill still under construction. The only identifiable difference with a landfill was the presence of thick steel plates covering the entire surface. 

Certainly, there was a yellow-and-black barricade placed on the bridge connecting to the sub-float. Kojou could see patrol cars with red lights flashing, too. 

“This is just a rumor I heard from other taxi drivers, but I hear they found internationally wanted terrorists up ahead. Hey, you heard that noise just now? That’s gunfire. I know that sound pretty well from my time in the Shimabara Civil Conflict Zone before I got this job.” 

As the driver spoke, he shrugged his shoulders as they heard intermittent crackling sounds through the windows. 

Sayaka murmured, “Ah, I see,” and nodded appropriately. 

“Understood. Thank you. We’ll get off here.” 

“Sure. That’ll be eight hundred and ninety yen.” 

The cabbie made no special effort to stop Kojou and Sayaka, casually demanding only his fee. 

They were a pair of male and female high schoolers smelling distinctly of blood, carrying a suspicious musical instrument case with them. It wasn’t surprising he wouldn’t want to be involved, but… 

“You heard him, Kojou Akatsuki. Pay the man.” 

“The heck?! You get money from the Lion King Agency, too, don’t you?! Just call it an expense.” 

“I don’t have my wallet on me. You’re a primogenitor, you can pay that much. Oh, and die already.” 

“Like I’ll just die! Don’t call a taxi if you don’t have a wallet!!” 

Complaining all the while, Kojou was forced to pay the cab fare. For Kojou, living on a high schooler’s meager budget, even this fee was a lot of money. 

Thanks to this extravagance, they’d greatly shortened up their travel time. After leaving school, it’d taken them about fifteen minutes to get this far. The wreckage of the crashed helicopter was still burning at the farthest tip of the broad sub-float. And even now, a gunfight continued within the white smoke hanging over the area. 

“It really is a war out there, geez…” 

Kojou groaned with irritation and frustration while listening to the ceaseless gunfire. 

The under-construction sub-float had cranes and watchtowers standing around like decrepit trees. The largest watchtower among them was a cylindrical building about five stories tall. 

A number of thickly armored trucks had that watchtower surrounded. 

Island Guard mechanized troops sheltered in the shadows of the armored trucks as they blind-fired small arms. Each time they did so, return fire came from the watchtower side; the fierce firefight had descended into a complete stalemate. 

There was armored truck wreckage strewn all around the watchtower; the casualties were not small in number. It was a war of attrition, like wading through a swamp. It didn’t feel like anything civilians like Kojou and Sayaka should be poking their faces into. 

“Looks like the terrorists are defending that place,” said Sayaka, coolly assessing the combat situation. 

“Defending? In a place like that?” 

Kojou shifted his gaze to her with a doubtful look. 

There was nothing for the Black Death Emperor Front to gain from defending a place where they could expect no support from allies and had limited weapons and ammunition. He didn’t think Gardos, who’d gone to a military academy, would choose such a foolish strategy. 

But Sayaka pointed to the still-burning helicopter wreckage. 

“I wonder if they weren’t planning to use that to escape. But the Island Guard shot the helicopter down, so they’ve lost the means to run.” 

“So they have no choice but to do this, you’re saying.” 

Kojou made an “mmm” through his nose. Sayaka’s explanation made sense on the surface, he thought. Criminals on the lam tended to hole up in any building close at hand. 

But though he couldn’t put it cleanly into words, Kojou still had a strange unease inside of him. 

“Landing a chopper in plain sight like this is practically begging people to shoot it down, isn’t it…?” 

“Eh?” 

“Er, nothing. Anyway, if the Black Death Emperor Front has nowhere to run, it’s possible they’d use Himeragi and the others as hostages?” 

“H-hostages…” 

That moment, Sayaka’s small face flushed with an agitated sound coming from her. That’s not good, Kojou thought, clicking his tongue. Thanks to Kojou’s carelessly tossed word, Sayaka had completely lost her cool. 

Without hesitation, Sayaka drew her sword out of the keyboard case she was carrying. 

“Yukina…I have to…I have to go save her…” 

“Calm down, Kirasaka! The Island Guard has the entrance sealed off. If we go barging in, they’ll arrest us in no time!” 

Kojou pinned Sayaka’s arms from behind while shouting into her ear. 

Sayaka struggled with both arms and legs. 

“I-I understand that, geez! Can’t you do something?!” 

“Whaddaya mean, something?” 

“Spells, spells. Charm the policemen with an evil eye, transform into mist to slip past them, fly in the sky, stuff like that.” 

“I don’t have any superhuman skills like that!” 

“Huh?! You’re a vampire primogenitor, aren’t you?” 

Sayaka looked back in shock at Kojou’s entirely frank confession. 

“I told you, I was a normal human being until just lately!” 

“Beast Vassals?! Don’t you have any abilities you can use from the Fourth Primogenitor’s twelve Beast Vassals?” 

She gave Kojou such an expectant look that he was hesitant to reply, as if intimidated by it. 

“No, I’ve…only got one Beast Vassal that’ll listen to me properly right now. That live wire finally recognized me as its master when I sucked on Himeragi’s blood a little while back.” 

“What…?!” 

Strength surged into the left hand that held Sayaka’s sword. 

“You mean that’s what Duke Ardeal meant when he said spirit medium…?! So Yukina let you suck her blood so that the Beast Vassal wouldn’t go berserk? Then what was the Beast Vassal you used on the rooftop back there…?” 

“I didn’t use it. One of ’em tried to come out all on its own.” 

“On its own…?” 

Dejected, Sayaka staggered back as if having a dizzy spell. 

Finally, as if deciding on something, she knitted her beautiful eyebrows and glared at the policemen blocking her path. 

“I understand quite well that I can’t rely on you. I’ll have to do this myself…” 

“Wait, wait! What do you think you’re doing?!” 

Kojou rushed to block Sayaka’s path as a bloodcurdling expression came across her face. 

“It’s all right, I won’t be a klutz and leave evidence.” 

“I’m not talking about that! Aw, crap. The important thing is we just have to get to the sub-float over there, right?!” 

“…What do you intend to do?” 

As Kojou rephrased the situation, Sayaka shot him an uneasy look. 

Kojou put the guitar case containing the spear over his back and briskly circled Sayaka’s flank. 

“Sorry, don’t move for a sec, ’kay?” 

“Eh? What are y…yaah?!” 

Sayaka’s whole body virtually froze at her shock from being lifted up into a bridal carry. 

In the meantime, Kojou made a small bite into his own lip. He used the taste of blood swirling in his mouth as the trigger to unleash his vampiric strength. Clutching Sayaka all the while, he ran toward the sub-float. 

The only thing the police had sealed off was the bridge connecting the sub-float to the island. In other words, they could get across from anywhere, as long as they didn’t use the bridge. 

The distance between it and Itogami Island proper was about eight meters. Even a normal human being could leap that distance with a running start…if he was an Olympic track and field athlete. 

With the aid of a vampire’s strength, he should have had ability to spare even with some added baggage…or so he thought. 

“…Whoa?! Huh, that was closer than I figured.” 

Landing just over the edge of the sub-float’s cliff, Kojou made a ragged exhale. One step short and any misstep would have put them in danger of falling right into the sea. 

Perhaps it was indeed difficult to make such a leap while carrying another person, even with the strength of a vampire. Or perhaps Sayaka was heavier than she looked… Just as Kojou had that rude thought… 

“Wh-wh-wh…what do you think you’re doing?!” 

Sayaka suddenly went wild in Kojou’s arms. 

“We got across, didn’t we? Didn’t have to hurt any policemen, either…” 

“This doesn’t count! This doesn’t count, you hear me?!” 

Sayaka pounded Kojou’s head while saying seemingly meaningless words. It really must have gotten to her; the punches were far more timid than one would expect from a Counter-Demon Attack Mage. 

“What the heck are you talkin’ about? And don’t move around like that, we’ll fall into the ocean!” 

“Shut up, be quiet! Burn to ash!” 

“Ow?! Hey, you, quit with the sword, that ain’t funny!” 

For some reason, Sayaka had tears in her eyes as she swung her sword. Kojou instantly dodged it, but fell down then and there with Sayaka still in his arms, ending up pinning Sayaka to the ground. 

With Sayaka not ceasing her attacks even then, Kojou somehow managed to pin both of her arms down. 

“…What are you two doing?” 

Suddenly, a mass of frills suddenly appeared before Kojou and Sayaka’s eyes, seemingly walking out of thin air. 

She had an expensive-looking parasol and an overly adorned black dress; Kojou knew only one person who would wear an outfit like that amid Itogami Island’s never-ending summer. 

“Natsuki? Weren’t you taking on the terrorists?” 

“I have to let the Island Guard people get the glory some of the time. It seems the assault team has the Black Death Emperor Front survivors on their heels, so they don’t need the help.” Natsuki replied while giving the continuing firefight at the watchtower a long look. So the Black Death Emperor Front was holed up inside there, just as Kojou and Sayaka had deduced. 

“So, why is this mouth calling me Natsuki?” 

“Ow, ow, ow, stop that…” 

Natsuki twisted the unresisting Kojou’s cheek, hard. Kojou’s arms were unavailable, busy as they were keeping Sayaka pinned down. 

“It isn’t the time for this…Himeragi and the others have been kidnapped and might be host—” 

Even so, Kojou spoke in a desperate tone, as if to convey the gravity of the matter. 

It was the next moment that the fierce sound of gunfire abruptly ceased. 

Kojou and the others lifted their head at the strange silence that had suddenly descended. 

Roaaaaaaaaar— 

A great roar, like a bomb detonating, rang in the ears of the people there. 

As the roar echoed in midair over the sub-float, the ground shook violently, as if during an earthquake. 

The origin point of the roaring sound was the watchtower the Black Death Emperor Front had been holed up in. The steel-frame tower was enveloped in flames; the Island Guard personnel surrounding the watchtower put their heads down to avoid the flying debris. 

“The heck was that explosion?! Is this from the Island Guard’s assault, too?” 

The flame-enveloped watchtower continued to break apart. Kojou was in shock as he gazed at the seemingly unreal sight. 

Natsuki continued to hold Kojou’s twisted cheek as she shook her head. 

“No…suicide, perhaps?” 

“Suicide…?” 

A group of bestialized terrorists seemed to have escaped the smoke-wrapped watchtower. But many of them were caught in the tower’s collapse. If they were responsible for the explosion, certainly the sight looked like nothing other than suicide, but… 

“What’s…this presence…?!” 

Sayaka thrust away the bent-over Kojou and leaped to her feet. 

She was looking at the base of the destroyed watchtower. There was something gigantic moving out of the huge pile of debris falling all over the place. 

Titanic magical energy gushed out from the depths of the earth. The aura felt very dense, strangely artificial, and somehow bizarrely twisted. 

“Hmm, I’m not really sure, but this might be…bad?” 

Kojou and the others, overwhelmed by the bizarre sight, heard a sarcastic laugh from behind them. 

As Kojou turned, he saw a handsome blond young man wearing a white three-piece suit… 

“Vattler?! Why are you here, too?!” 

“What are you doing here?!” 

Looking back at the grinning Dimitrie Vattler, Kojou and Sayaka raised their voices simultaneously. 

Natsuki raised an eyebrow with displeasure as well. 

“What do you want, Master of Serpents?” 

“My, my, let’s leave the long talk for later. You might want to have your unit pull back first. At any rate, Gardos is not here. The group left a simple decoy.” 

As Vattler pulled his sunglasses slightly ajar, his beautiful blue eyes narrowed teasingly. 

Natsuki’s beautiful cherubic face twisted as she glared at him. 

“Decoy? What do they gain by gathering the Island Guard to a place like this?” 

“Of course, it is necessary for their objective, a test of their newly obtained weapon. Surely you have not forgotten what the Black Death Emperor Front brought to this island?” 

“…The weapon?!” 

That instant, a frigid expression came over Natsuki. 

The doubts that had been swirling in the back of Kojou’s mind suddenly came into sharp relief. 

A standoff with no hope of victory; a helicopter shot down, just like that—perhaps the Black Death Emperor Front’s objective was to draw the Island Guard’s mechanized force members so that they could be destroyed. 

Which meant, what was hidden in the hollow cavity under the sub-float was… 

“—The Nalakuvera?!” 

As if responding to Kojou’s call, a giant silhouette scattered the debris as it emerged. 

Then Kojou saw a crimson beam of light sweeping across the ground. The beam ripped the armored trucks apart with ease, as if they were made out of flimsy paper. They exploded with ferocious flames, pieces scattering in all directions. 

6 

Kristof Gardos watched the explosion in real time via a live feed over the network. He turned to a military radio microphone and inquired in a voice filled with satisfaction. 

“Status report, Grigore.” 

“This is Grigore. Bingo, Lieutenant Colonel. The guinea pig is on the move.” 

His subordinate, riding aboard the Nalakuvera, shouted in a tone of voice tinged with excitement. 

Called a weapon of the gods, the true nature of the Nalakuvera was a sentient, mechanical beast. 

Once activated, it would act on its own judgment to autonomously attack and annihilate all who opposed it. 

A controller could issue it commands, but the Nalakuvera’s controller had to use special verbal command codes to do so. Only those who could decipher the words of the gods could make the weapon of the gods obey them. 

“Can you continue combat?” 

“This is a child’s play. All I’m doing is sitting back and watching. I don’t know how long the island can hold up to the pounding, though.” 

Once he spoke, Grigore made a ferocious laugh. 

Either way, the only command code they possessed was “The First Words” Asagi had deciphered. With the Nalakuvera now in motion, no mortal could stop it. 

“Roger that, Grigore.” 

Gardos cut the transmission and slowly turned in Asagi’s direction. 

Asagi had a seemingly tranquil look on her face as she looked at the image displayed on her tablet PC. 

Every time the Nalakuvera unleashed its beam, the resulting giant explosion shook the sub-float. Armored trucks were burning. Island Guard personnel were running for their lives. This tragedy had come as a result of the command code Asagi had analyzed. Surely that fact had affected her deeply. 

“…So that’s how it is. Do you still have any questions?” 

Gardos asked as he gazed at the expressionless Asagi and the others. 

As Asagi remained silent, Yukina asked in her place. 

“Why?” 

“…Why?” 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I believe I already explained our objectives?” 

“No, that is not what I mean; rather, why is the Duke of Ardeal cooperating with you?” 

Gardos raised his eyebrow a little. His gray eyes registered a faint bit of surprise. 

“I see. I did not recognize you due to the different outfit, but you were the one accompanying the Fourth Primogenitor that night.” 

“This is inside the Oceanus Grave, isn’t it?” 

Yukina let out a light sigh as she nodded. 

Yukina, too, had been late in realizing: the large, old man with a scar on his forehead; the look of intelligence that did not match the ghoulish oppressive sensation; Vattler’s steward, serving as a waiter on the night Vattler had invited Kojou… 

The man they’d been searching for had been right under their noses from the start. 

“So the reason the people of the Island Guard couldn’t find the Black Death Emperor Front’s hideout was because it was inside a ship protected by diplomatic immunity…isn’t it?” 

“There seems to be no point hiding it now.” 

Gardos made a curt murmur, apparently ordering his men to open the windows. 

They opened the shutter-sealed windows…revealing the vast surface of the ocean, glittering in the sunlight. They saw the artificial silhouette of Itogami Island floating on the horizon. 

Yukina and the others had to be ten kilometers or so off the coast. 

“Inside…a ship…” Asagi weakly raised her voice, narrowing her eyes at the dazzling rays of the sun. 

“This is the personal cruiser of Duke Ardeal of the Warlord’s Empire,” Gardos explained rather casually. The visit of a noble from the Warlord’s Empire had even been broadcast to the general public. As the handsome Vattler was a hot topic on talk shows, even Asagi had to have heard of him. 

“So, why?” 

Yukina asked the same question again. 

“The Black Death Emperor Front is a beast-man supremacist organization. You and Duke Ardeal, a noble of the Warlord’s Empire, should be enemies, all the more so because he was the mastermind behind the assassination of your leader, the Black Death Emperor…” 

“Yes. That is why even the Demon Sanctuary’s security forces never suspected this ship.” 

Gardos was expressionless, stating it without any special sense of triumph. 

“About half of this ship’s crew are survivors of the Black Death Emperor Front. But appearances aside, Vattler is nobility. He’d never bother to look into the backgrounds of the people crewing his own ship. He leaves that responsibility to the ship’s crew management company, in other words…” 

Yukina scowled her eyebrows in displeasure. 

“Surely you’re not asserting Duke Ardeal knew nothing of this. What benefit does all this bring to him?” 

“Though I do not deign to know the thinking of an unaging vampire, I imagine it’s probably boredom.” 

“…Boredom?” 

“Yes. That is why he wishes to fight the Nalakuvera, the weapon of the gods that might be able to defeat even a primogenitor: a splendid playmate for a vampire with too much time on his hands. Should the Fourth Primogenitor battle the Nalakuvera first, he can enjoy the view. However, it turns out, he certainly won’t be bored.” 

“That’s…” 

Yukina felt a surge of bewilderment and anger at Vattler’s deviant thought process. For a temporary relief from tedium, he’d go as far as using and sheltering terrorists after his own life. It wasn’t the conduct of a sane man. 

As if agreeing with Yukina’s thoughts, an expression of loathing came over Gardos’s face. 

“We do not have such poor tastes. But the Black Death Emperor Front requires the power to defeat a primogenitor either way. Vattler, said to be the man closest to a primogenitor in might, is an excellent opponent to test the Nalakuvera’s power against. We both want this battle to take place; in this instance, our interests completely coincide.” 

“…You’ve resurrected that monster for a trivial reason like that? All of Itogami Island could be destroyed…!” 

“If tens of thousands of the humans who built this cage they call a ‘Demon Sanctuary’ and their tame, hand-fed demon pets are killed, we will feel not one shred of guilt.” 

Gardos spoke in a tone devoid of emotion. 

“Of course, we do not desire meaningless slaughter. Our primary objective is the destruction of our target, Vattler. We will minimize the damage to the city as much as possible…if we can completely control the Nalakuvera, that is.” 

“Meaning, hand over the deciphered command codes if you don’t want Itogami Island turned to ash?” 

Having kept silent all this time, Asagi shot a venomous look at Gardos. 

The corners of Gardos’s lips turned up in a smile. 

The Nalakuvera had already been activated. The only way to stop the indiscriminate destruction was for Asagi to decipher the command codes, knowing full well that the Black Death Emperor Front would be able to use the Nalakuvera as it wished as a direct consequence. 

“That’s low. You really are a terrorist.” 

“The Souverän Nine is inside. All the necessary data has been made available; it has full network access, so use it however you like.” 

“I don’t have a choice either way. Fine, then. But this is going to cost you dearly.” 

Without paying the slightest attention to Asagi’s abusive language, Gardos headed out of the room, taking his men with him. 

Finally, he looked back at Asagi for just a moment. 

“It is not that I doubt your skill, but you should hurry as much as possible. It will be inconvenient for both of us should the island sink before we get those command codes.” 

“I’m doing this for me, not for you…!” 

As Asagi shouted, drenched in loathing, she violently kicked open the room’s inner door. 

It was a cold room for the preservation of fresh fish. However, the spartan room contained neither fish nor fresh meat, but rather, rack-mounted high-performance computing servers—in other words, a supercomputer. With wild abandon, Asagi stormed into the air-chilled room being used to keep the circuits from running too hot. That moment, a voice came to her from an unexpected direction. 

“…Do not be impatient, young woman.” 

A clear, cool voice flowed from the lips of Nagisa, who should have been soundly asleep. 

Asagi turned around, drawn in by the somehow odd reverberation of the voice. 

Nagisa’s tied-up hair was now loose, flowing down almost all the way to her hips. Her eyes, with her irises opened wide, projected no emotion, like the surface of a calm pool of water. Her lips formed a smile all by themselves. 

“Do not permit your mind to be troubled. With that contraption’s capabilities, it shall not take you very long to decipher a single document from a long-dead civilization.” 

“Nagisa, is that you…?” 

Bewildered, Asagi called out to Nagisa, who felt like a completely different person than her usual self. 

Yukina shook her head with a look of surprise. 

“No, it is not… This condition is…divine possession? Or a spirit…?” 

“Ho-ho, I see. So you, too, are a shrine maiden, Sword Shaman of the Lion King.” 

Nagisa made a smile of apparent pleasure as she spoke. Deeply disturbed, Yukina stared at her, as if trying to assess the situation. 

“Then, you must understand as well. Even without your concern, that boy shall buy you time—time for that young woman to move forward with her plan.” 

“Who…are you…?!” Yukina sharply narrowed her eyes as she asked in return. However, Nagisa did not respond in any way. Without another word, her eyelids gently closed, collapsing like a marionette whose strings had been cut. 

“What was that? Who was that?” 

Yukina held her tongue and shook her head at Asagi’s questions. 

Even Yukina could not explain Nagisa’s abnormal behavior. She had clearly witnessed something greater than a human being taking the girl over. Perhaps it was divine possession; could also have been a latent personality buried deep within Nagisa’s psyche. Perhaps it had something to do with the injuries she’d sustained that had never been written in the Lion King Agency’s report…but at any rate, this wasn’t the time or place to look into it. 

Yukina slapped her cheeks and rose, as if forcing her emotions to switch gears. 

“Aiba. May I borrow your cell phone?” 

“Sure, but what are you planning?” 

Asagi tossed her light pink smartphone to Yukina. She’d be able to get a cell signal now that the ship was getting close to Itogami Island. 

“Sorry. I had a bad premonition, so I’m a little uneasy…” 

Slowed down because she was using an unfamiliar cell phone, Yukina dialed a phone number she’d memorized. 

The mysterious personality that’d possessed Nagisa had jogged her memory. 

Yes, Kojou Akatsuki was probably trying to halt the Nalakuvera’s onslaught. 

Even if he didn’t personally wish for it to be so, him being him, it was highly likely he’d be wrapped up in it anyhow. 

Without Kojou being aware of it, the all-too-overwhelming power of the Fourth Primogenitor had distorted fate, drawing him to the field of battle. The teenage boy was truly a trouble magnet; one couldn’t take their eyes off him for a second. 

But that was probably the very reason he’d protect that city. 

However, that certainty made Yukina all the more uneasy. The Nalakuvera was a weapon brought back to life to fight primogenitors. On his own, as his power stood now, Kojou might not be able to defeat the ancient weapon. 

He needed power. It was a situation Yukina hadn’t wanted to think about, but there was something she needed to tell Kojou Akatsuki before a truly worst-case situation presented itself. 

“You’d think Sayaka would be the last person to end up entangled with senpai, but…” 

As Yukina murmured, she put the cell phone to her ear. As the call connected, she heard Kojou’s voice. 

7 

Gazing at the crimson beams scattered about, Vattler clapped in acclamation. He looked like he was truly enjoying himself. 

“So that is the Nalakuvera’s ‘flame-spitting lance’? Well, well, quite some power to it, yes?” 

Depressed at the sight of Vattler, Kojou kicked the ground in frustration. 

“Ah, shit. The heck are you doing here? What about your precious ship?!” 

“Ahh, that. Actually, the Oceanus Grave has been hijacked.” 

Vattler said it in an aloof tone. Kojou’s mouth dropped open. 

“Hijacked?!” 

“Yes, yes. So, I came here fleeing for my life, you see.” 

Liar! Kojou shouted inside his mind. As if mere terrorists could hijack a ship from him. 

If it was true, there was only one possibility he could think of: Vattler had merrily handed his ship over to the Black Death Emperor Front of his own volition. 

“I see. So Gardos and his men were brought to Itogami Island on your ship…” 

Natsuki thrust a black folding fan toward Vattler as if wielding a knife. 

A transparently fake look of melancholy came over his face. 

“No, really. I was quite surprised. To think that terrorists were mixed in with the crew of my own ship…” 

“So you intend to play the good victim? Well, you’ve been that kind of man since way back.” 

Natsuki made a very deep exhale, abandoning pushing the matter any further. 

“It’s really quite embarrassing,” said Vattler with a laugh. “Ah, come to mention it, I picked this up on the way as I was fleeing.” 

Like old rags, he made a small toss, discarding something at his feet. 

A schoolboy wearing a high school uniform made a squishy sound as he rolled. He looked like he’d drowned in the ocean; his face couldn’t be identified due to the seaweed covering his whole body. 

But Kojou recognized the short, spiky hair and the headphones down around his neck. 

“Y-Yaze?!” 

“Ah, could this be an acquaintance of yours?” 

Vattler smiled in apparent pleasure as he watched Kojou’s shocked reaction. 

Yaze was out cold, but he didn’t seem in any mortal danger. Thanks to having lost consciousness before falling into the ocean, he didn’t seem to have swallowed any seawater. 

What the heck’s he been up to, Kojou wondered, feeling fatigued as he shook his head. 

“Now, then. Well, you can rest easy. I will take responsibility and destroy the Nalakuvera.” Vattler took the opportunity to make a declaration in a lively voice. 

“Rest easy my ass!! You wanted to rumble against that thing from the beginning, didn’t you?!” Kojou roared as he finally realized what Vattler was up to. 

It was a moment later when Kojou’s cell phone rang in response to an incoming call. 

“Aw, shit. Who is it at a time like th—” 

Complaining all the while, Kojou took out his cell phone, sucking in his breath when he saw the caller ID displayed. 

“Asagi?!” 

“…It’s me, senpai.” 

After Kojou shouted forcefully, his ear detected a dissatisfied-sounding sigh from Yukina. 

“Eh?! Himeragi?” 

A sudden, unexpected assault threw Kojou off-balance. 

“Yukina, are you all right?! Where are you now?!” 

Sayaka pressed her face against Kojou’s ear as she shouted. 

Unsurprisingly, she was quick off the starting block where Yukina was concerned. On the other hand, she apparently hadn’t noticed that she was in an extremely intimate position against Kojou. Sayaka’s breaths were tickling his cheek. 

“I’m all right,” Yukina replied in her usual, overly serious tone of voice. 

“Right now we’re inside the Oceanus Grave. At present, neither Aiba nor Nagisa have been harmed.” 

“I see. For the time being, it’s a lot safer over there than here with us.” 

Kojou was so relieved that it drained him, and he allowed his thoughts to slip, self-derision and all. 

“So you are indeed close to the Nalakuvera.” 

“Y-yeah.” 

“Sticking your nose into another dangerous place on your own…you really should realize what a dangerous person you are, senpai. Did something happen between you and Sayaka?” 

“Er, well, never mind that, we never thought they’d bring that thing out…” 

“W-we heard that you and the others had been kidnapped, and I was worried…” 

Scolded by the clearly unhappy Yukina, Kojou and Sayaka continued making painful-sounding excuses. 

But Yukina cut them off midway. 

“But it’s good that you did. Senpai, please slow the Nalakuvera down so that it does not approach the city itself.” 

“…Slow it down?” 

“Yes. Right now, Aiba is deciphering the Nalakuvera’s command codes. When she is finished, the current indiscriminate rampage can be stopped, you see.” 

“Asagi’s…… I see, so that’s what it is…” 

Kojou made a solemn nod. 

He didn’t know the fine details, but he had a pretty good idea what situation Yukina and the others were in. 

As Kojou had expected, the Black Death Emperor Front was using Asagi to decipher the ancient weapon’s command codes. Asagi was searching for the commands to stop the rampage; in other words, the terrorists couldn’t control the Nalakuvera, either. 

“…Slowing it down is plenty. Please do not try too hard to destroy it and increase the devastation further. Now, Sayaka…” 

“What? If there’s something I can do, say it!” 

As Yukina called her name, Sayaka’s voice leaped out as she kept her ear pressed to the phone. 

But Yukina brushed her off with a chilly voice. 

“Please move back a little. I want to speak with Akatsuki-senpai alone.” 

“Eh? Ehh?!” 

Looking like she was about to break into tears, Sayaka reeled backward, squatting and hugging her knees then and there. Kojou felt some sympathy for her as he shook his head at the sight. 

“…Speak about what, Himeragi?” 

“There’s no time so I’ll be brief.” 

Yukina audibly cleared her throat. She started over, asking her question in an urgent tone. 

“Senpai, do you think a second Beast Vassal might be necessary?” 

“Second Beast Vassal?” Kojou swallowed as Yukina’s question got right to the point. 

Taming a Beast Vassal required blood, just like when Kojou had sucked on Yukina’s blood to bring Regulus Aurum under his control—blood of a quality high enough to satisfy the Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor. 

Kojou’s voice went shrill as he imagined what would be required to obtain it. 

“N-no, I don’t think so. I haven’t thought about that for one moment!” 

“I see. If that is so, good and well, but actually…” 

Yukina continued, “About Sayaka,” lowering her voice to a whisper. 

“…Eh?!” 

When Kojou finished listening to Yukina, he bit his lip in silence for a while. For brief, fragmentary information to have shut Kojou up like that meant it was quite outside his expectations. 

Her back still curled, Sayaka looked up at Kojou in silence, resentment in her eyes. 

Kojou, having somehow regained his composure, shook his head as if getting the cobwebs out. 

“Got it. Leave it to me. I’ll slow it down one way or another.” 

“Understood. Be careful, senpai.” 

With that, the call ended. Kojou looked toward the destroyed watchtower as he thrust the phone into a pocket. 

The Nalakuvera, still buried in rubble, wasn’t moving. It had no doubt destroyed the Island Guard’s mechanized platoon to dispose of the most pressing threat before it. 

But that did not mean in any way that the crisis had passed. 

Something like an eyeball on the Nalakuvera’s head continued ceaselessly scanning the area. It was gathering information on what targets it should move to eliminate. At the slightest provocation, the Nalakuvera would resume combat; there was little doubt that this time, it would put Itogami Island to the torch. 

“How’s the Island Guard retreat going?” 

Vattler smoothly made an instant reply to Kojou’s question. “They just made it outside the sub-float. The number of casualties is less than I expected.” 

Why are you answering that? Kojou thought, glaring at him. If he was observing the entire area, he surely knew exactly when combat would begin anew. But… 

“Got it. I’ll take it on, then. The captured girls are in your hands, Natsuki.” 

Without asking anyone’s opinion, Kojou so declared. 

Natsuki twisted her elegant parasol, glaring at Kojou with a sour look. Perhaps she was angry at his arbitrary declaration; perhaps she simply didn’t like the way Kojou casually spoke her given name. But—for once—she voiced no complaint whatsoever. That must have meant she was tentatively on board. 

“Do you not think stealing someone else’s prey is poor manners, Kojou Akatsuki?” 

For his part, Vattler made that mild objection. However, Kojou wasn’t taking the bait. 

“If you’re gonna talk about manners, coming onto another guy’s turf and doing as you please is pretty rude. Stay out of this until I’m down for the count, Dimitrie Vattler.” 

The young noble nodded and relented surprisingly easily. Then… 

“Then, I shall give you, ruler of this land, a present to display proper respect, so that you can fight without hesitation…Manashi! Uhatsura!” 

“Wha—?!” 

Kojou was at a loss for words as Vattler released a wave of enormous magical energy. 

Two snakes surpassing ten meters in length appeared behind the youthful aristocrat’s back. The first was a black snake that looked like a raging sea; the other was a blue snake, like the surface of a pool frozen solid. These were the Beast Vassals of Vattler, the Master of Serpents. Furthermore, he was using two simultaneously. The two intertwined together in midair, changing shape to become a single giant dragon. 

“Fusing two Beast Vassals together?! So that’s Vattler’s special ability…!” 

Kojou spoke in a hard voice at the sight of the Beast Vassal, which resembled a raging waterspout. 

Yukina had said it once. For Vattler, a noble of a younger generation, to have defeated a higher-ranking Wiseman, he must possess some kind of special power. 

This was likely the key to unlocking that secret. Kojou had never before heard of the existence of a vampire who could fuse two Beast Vassals into a single, more powerful Beast Vassal. 

But the truth was, the fused Beast Vassal Vattler had called forth was giving off magical energy on par with Kojou’s Regulus Aurum. This constituted ample proof Vattler really did possess power near that of a primogenitor. 

“Well, like this, I think.” 

Vattler made a satisfied-seeming murmur as his raging ultramarine dragon descended. 

It then destroyed every single anchor connecting Sub-float No.13 to Itogami Island proper. These anchors, made out of concrete blocks and metal wires and weighing several hundred tons each, were shattered into little pieces like glass; as a consequence of those explosions, the sub-float slowly began to float freely over the ocean. 

“You cut the sub-float off from the Itogami Island mainland…?!” 

Kojou looked up as he realized what Vattler was aiming for. The young aristocrat leered back. 

“This way, you can use your power however you like without concern for damage to the city. Do ensure that you amuse me.” 

“R-right…” 

For a moment, Kojou hesitated as to whether to give token words of thanks, but he immediately put that thought aside. He realized that the Beast Vassal’s attack just then had done considerable damage to Itogami Island’s mainland as well. Kojou was absolutely certain that the man’s talk of damage to the city was just an excuse for him to throw his weight around. 

“The Nalakuvera’s on the move, Kojou Akatsuki!” 

Kojou hastily looked back as Sayaka’s urgent voice reached his ears. 

The Nalakuvera knocked away the debris and girders around it, its entire body finally on display. 

It was a six-legged tank some seven or eight meters tall. Taken as a whole, it looked something like a giant ant wearing the shell of a lobster. There were two small arms that resembled feelers connected to the elongated, elliptical head. 

The armor’s texture seemed like clay or bronze, indeed giving it an “ancient weapon” look. 

“Hmmm. It seems to have gone active from judging my Beast Vassal to be a threat. I see, so it is indeed running on a self-defense program alone…” 

“So, you’re the reason it started moving?!” 

Kojou glared and shouted as Vattler murmured in a detached manner. 

The Nalakuvera’s crimson eye glared at both of them, firing a beam of light. 

“Kojou Akatsuki!” Sayaka shouted while poising her sword. 

“Aw, shit! So this is how it’s gonna be!” 

As blast winds bathed Kojou’s entire body, he ran off to put a stop to the ancient weapon’s rampage.