Strike the Blood - Volume 22 - Chapter 2.1

CHAPTER TWO

WHEREABOUTS OF THE RINGS

1

It was the ruin of a steel-colored city—

Shahryar Ren toyed with the dagger-shaped sorcerous device in his pocket as he looked up at the starless night sky.

The urban site was Senra, an ancient artificial island floating upon the Great Sea of Nod. Dozens of transport helicopters had landed in an open area on the coast, turning it into a makeshift military base. The soldiers assembled there numbered roughly four hundred, elite special forces made up of personnel hand-picked from private military corporations under MAR’s corporate banner.

Using the functions of Itogami Island’s Keystone Gate, he had opened the gate to Nod and obtained the Legacy of Cain the Sinful God: the Beast Vassal Warheads. They’d repelled the HGTO battle fleet and called forth the Necropolis to seal Itogami Island’s airspace. All of that had gone according to Ren’s plans.

Yet Avrora Florestina, the Fourth Primogenitor who should have been in their custody, had escaped. They still didn’t know her whereabouts. This fact faintly annoyed Ren.

“NAU battle fleet has withdrawn beyond the Beast Vassal Warheads’ effective range. Number of ships remaining: four. Number of survivors: unknown.”

A female soldier assigned to coms spoke in a worked-up tone. With nothing but a tarp drawn over their heads, the fifteen-odd soldiers gathered in the field command post continued analyzing messages and data from the surface.

A makeshift projection screen displayed footage of warships enveloped with flames as they sank. A single Beast Vassal summoned with Beast Vassal Warheads had virtually destroyed the world’s mightiest aircraft carrier strike group, the pride of the NAU.

“Tell the Necropolis pursuit is unnecessary. We require survivors to spread fear of the Beast Vassal Warheads for us.”

Ren moved under the tarp as he spoke with a cool, detached air.

Exterminating the NAU fleet was not MAR’s objective. Driving home the power of the Beast Vassal Warheads into the minds of the world’s people was far more important. The more that humanity understood how foolish it was to defy the Devas, the smoother Ren’s rule would become.

“With this, the HGTO will likely abandon its attack on Itogami Island. How are the three primogenitors moving?”

“The Second Primogenitor Fallgazer has appeared in the Celebes Sea, and the Third Primogenitor Chaos Bride has appeared in the North Pacific Ocean. They have begun dealing with the respective Beast Vassal Warheads.”

“Well, that is hardly a surprise.”

Ren gave the female soldier a satisfied nod in reply. The only things that could stop a Beast Vassal summoned with a Beast Vassal Warhead were the even more powerful Beast Vassals controlled by the three vampire primogenitors. They would scatter across the globe, steeling themselves against the Necropolises to protect the Holy Grounds Treaty Organization signatory nations and their very own Dominions.

In other words, they had no choice but to distance themselves from Itogami Island. The primogenitors didn’t have the luxury of impeding Ren’s plan.

“—The immediate threats seem to have receded, President Ren.”

“Next, we can only pray humanity is not foolish enough to defy us now that they have witnessed the might of the Beast Vassal Warheads.”

Suddenly, a pair of husky male voices interjected, and the image on the screen switched over. The female soldier let out a little yelp as two fantastical male figures floated on the screen.

One was a white-haired elder wearing an over-the-top outfit like a priest from antiquity. The other was a black-haired man wearing a beautiful, ornate robe reminiscent of a noble from the Middle Ages. Both had skin as pale as that of the dead. Sharp canine teeth resembling fangs poked out from the gaps of their lips. It had been centuries since Ren had been acquainted with their faces.

“Duke Kul Zu. Lord Alda Ba. I am grateful that you both responded to my abrupt summons.”

Ren bowed courteously. Both men of noble rank were pureblood descendants of the Devas, few in number in the present era. They were rulers of their own Necropolises allied with Ren.

The two rulers smiled as they watched Ren bow his head.

“It is merely doing our part as Devas. We have beheld for ourselves the might of the Beast Vassal Warheads you provided us.”

“As promised, our own castles shall emerge. My own Ba Castle will appear over the South Pacific, and Duke Kul Zu’s castle shall appear in the North Pacific. None shall approach Itogami Island.”

“Very good. I will hasten the resupply of Beast Vassal Warheads.”

Ren spoke to his two coconspirators. The night before, MAR had transported a total of seven Beast Vassal Warheads from Nod. Ren had divided four, over half of that number, to Kul Zu and Alda Ba as samples. Their end of the deal was to mobilize their Necropolises and drive HGTO military forces back.

“However, I am surprised that of the seventeen Deva clans, we are the only ones participating in this conflict.”

The white-haired elder—Kul Zu—spoke to Ren as if making light banter. A tiny smile appeared on Alda Ba’s face as he concurred.

“Just so. Perhaps the others have gone soft, or perhaps they are too afraid…”

“It is likely they do not trust me as of yet.”

Ren’s expression did not change as he spoke quite calmly.

At present, the Necropolises numbered seventeen. In other words, a mere seventeen families were the only ruling class Devas to have survived The Great Cleansing of Old. When Shahryar Ren called upon all of them to ally with him, Kul Zu and Alda Ba were the only ones to respond. The remainder, the vast majority of the Devas, did not believe Ren’s plan would succeed.

“However, this is not a concern. Once it becomes clear I have gained complete control over Nod, the other clans will no doubt be forced to adjust their thinking. If they do not, they will be destroyed by my hand, and that will be that.”

“How dependable. We expect great things from you, O new leader.”

“We shall be off, then.”

The two allies smiled cheerfully and broke off the call. Though the gate was in an opened state, being able to converse with Ren while in Nod without any time lag was difficult even with MAR’s technological prowess. That they had accomplished this with ease showed that the two were truly fit to call themselves descendants of the Devas.

Yet at the same time, the two had conveyed their internal discomfort with Ren.

Both of them feared Ren might try to be the ruler not only of mankind, but even of the Devas themselves. If Ren displayed the slightest opening, the two probably would likely rescind their alliance and turn on MAR in an instant.

“Such an unpalatable bunch, when you are the ones who have gone soft…”

Ren let a brief soliloquy slip from his lips.

A bell-like voice rolling with laughter coursed over the transmitter immediately after. The image switched without prompting, and a young woman wearing a gaudy outfit appeared on-screen.

“I suppose they are…so unpalatable, one would not eat them at a banquet… Just kidding.”

“Ladli…you heard the transmission just now?”

Ren glared with a stern face and slightly cleared his throat as his little sister laughed with delight. Sensing that her older brother was irritated with her, Ladli shrugged her shoulders slightly.

“Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? They did move their Necropolises, as a matter of fact, and a hundred and forty Spartoi are considerable firepower.”

“I know. It demonstrates that they, too, are quite serious about this.”

Ren’s disgruntled expression didn’t change as he nodded.

The Spartoi generated from the fangs of Kreyd the Flame Dragon actually weren’t constructed using MAR technology, but through sorcerous manipulation from the Zu family and biological manipulation in the Ba family’s hands—the two had provided these technologies, outside MAR’s own specialties without restraint, finally reaching the operational phase.

Had they not done so, mass-producing sorcerous troops in such a brief time would have been impossible. Whatever thoughts rested at the bottom of their psyches, their dedication had proven them to be allies for the time being.

“Now then, Brother. How goes the delivery of Beast Vassal Warheads?”

“The work is advancing, but removing the barriers seems to be taking time.”

Ren’s face grimaced unpleasantly. The over six thousand Beast Vassal Warheads sealed in the artificial isle of Senra were protected by special, powerful barriers that were a hard fight for even MAR’s sorcerous engineers to lift. This was why they had transported only a scant seven Beast Vassal Warheads to the surface.

“Is that so? I ask that you please hurry as much as possible, though. If the supply of Beast Vassal Warheads falls behind, I’m the one who will receive an earful from those two.”

Ladli wasted no time beating around the bush. I know, Ren nodded curtly in reply.

Ren was someone who prioritized efficiency and rationality. Normally he didn’t appreciate Ladli’s antics. To be blunt, he found them distinctly unpleasant. To the Devas, beings with near infinite life spans, the instinct to preserve the species ran thin. Naturally, this meant they had little love for close relations.

Ren had appointed Ladli to a crucial post in spite of all this because she possessed great talent. If not, he would never have handed full command rights of MAR forces on the surface to her, little sister or not.

This same Ladli brought her hands together in front of her breasts as if she’d only just remembered something.

“Ahhh, come to mention it, Kojou Akatsuki seems to have obtained the Beast Vassals of The Blood.”

“The Blood’s Beast Vassals, you say…? I see, this is the work of the First Primogenitor’s Blood Servant…”

A single one of Ren’s eyebrows twitched. He recalled that Zana Lashka had been present at the site of the decisive battle between Kojou Akatsuki and The Blood. He was surprised to learn that Zana’s objective was recovering The Blood’s Beast Vassals, but it was far from an impossible feat. After all, The Blood’s black Beast Vassals were special Beast Vassals with properties identical to those of the Fourth Primogenitor’s.

“Kojou Akatsuki’s objective is getting Dodekatos back, I’m sure. What will you do? He has the Star Beast Vassal prototypes, plus he has the Priestess of Cain on his side, so they’ll be trouble if we leave them be. The Priestess of Cain is a real pain, don’t you know.”

Ladli smiled as she spoke, quite proud of herself. Ren glared at his little sister with emotionless eyes.

“Don’t let Kojou Akatsuki into Nod.”

“Huh? That’s it?”

“That’s what I gave you all that combat strength for.”

Ladli seemed perplexed, but Ren ignored her. Ladli puffed up her cheeks and pouted.

“Why not just give Dodekatos to him? He’s a boy in the springtime of youth, so if you give him the girl he likes, I think he’ll just leave you alone. Probably.”

“Unfortunately, I can do no such thing. Tie him down on the surface until I’m done here. That’s an order.”

“Wait a… Brother…!”

Ignoring Ladli’s attempts to argue, Ren hung up from his end.

Kojou Akatsuki regaining his vampiric powers was outside of Ren’s expectations but not enough to interfere with his plans. He was no threat to Ren so long as he remained on the surface. Even so, he felt a concern, an unpleasantness that he could not quite put into words, almost like something tickling the back of his throat.

Kojou Akatsuki was no more than a mere human, yet temporary or not, he had once called himself the Fourth Primogenitor, and now he had new black Beast Vassals in his hands. Ren was unable to hide his dismay over this unpleasant fact.

“…It would seem you are…having a hard time…Shahryar Ren.”

Ren let out a strained laugh, slowly turning to face the low voice addressing him from a distance.

Standing at the entrance to the tarp structure was a large-statured man wearing a mask with a lizard skull motif. He was not a fellow Deva, nor did he seem to have any human sociability whatsoever, so it felt a bit odd having him show consideration to Ren.

“Ahh, Kreyd, my friend. How does it feel being back in Nod after so long?”

“It feels…nostalgic. But…do not forget. You have yet…to fulfill the pact between us.”

The dragon-man spoke in a flat voice. It was raspy, leaving a portion of his words difficult to make out, because his vocal cords were made differently from those of a human being.

“I am well aware, Guardian of the Corridor. You must understand as well. Dodekatos…no, the Fourth Primogenitor holds the power to open gates to Nod, and gates from Nod as well.”

Ren spoke with a calm tenor. Nod was not at the end of the world. It was the boundary that bordered other worlds. Through that realm, it was possible to reach far-off lands one normally had no way of reaching. The homeland of Kreyd’s fellow dragons was one such far-off land.

“Nod is the single corridor leading to Else, the Eastern Lands. Opening the gate for that corridor requires Avrora Florestina, the Fourth Primogenitor. If you wish to return to your homeland, you should retrieve her first.”

“Where is Avrora Florestina?”

The eyes of the ancient dragon Kreyd glowed behind his mask.

Ren slowly lifted his face upward.

“She is not in this ruined city. That is why searching for her has taken so much time.”

“…The sky…I see! Glenda…I take it?”

Kreyd’s entire body emitted bloodlust resembling a wave of heat as his flesh swelled, doubling in size. Ren looked back at the sturdy dragon-man.

“MAR special forces are heading to recover Avrora now. You could always lend them a hand, though.”

“Understood…”

Kreyd violently stripped off the robe he wore. His flesh, entirely covered in copper scales, progressively changed into the form of an enormous dragon. Ren narrowed his eyes as he watched, dazzled by the sight of Kreyd flapping his magma-colored wings and sailing into the skies.

Daybreak in Nod always came suddenly. At some point, the sky had begun to brighten, and rays of light trickling in from the direction of the sea shone upon the sky.

“These abominable sunrays.”

Ren practically fled the tarp, heading toward his personal resting space installed in one of the transport helicopters.

Nod’s sun was dimmer and smaller than that of the surface world, but its glow was lethal to the Devas all the same. Ren would be forced to spend his time inside a structure shuttered against sunlight until night arrived once more. It was like spending time inside a darkened prison.

“Just a little longer…just a little longer, you filthy humans, and the world will be mine…”

Shahryar Ren’s sleeping place came with a naked girl bound by chains.

She was a sacrifice offered to him by the populace of a Necropolis, one of the pathetic humans artificially grown to serve as a blood supply, food for the Devas. She was a living doll without free will.

Ren bit into the defenseless girl’s neck, drinking her dull-tasting blood plasma, all the while dreaming of the instant when he subjugated the humans, weeping and wailing with fear, and moistened his throat with their warm, raw blood—