Strike the Blood - Volume 6 - Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO 

THE PREMATURE BEREAVEMENT 

1 

A cloud of black smoke wafted over the gas stove, giving off an ominous odor. Within the oil-filled frying pan, an amorphous mass fell apart, its original form unclear. Asagi’s classmate, Yuuho Tanahara, was yelling at the top of her lungs: 

“Asagi, the frying pan! It’s burning! Burning!!” 

“Eh?! Ah?!” 

Asagi rushed to the stove. There she fought a losing battle, cooking chopsticks in hand, as the thing that had once been cooking ingredients jumped around and lit aflame. 

“Daaah?! It’s so hot!” 

Coolly gazing at Asagi’s descent into panic, Yuuho silently turned off the stove’s flame. The fire in the pan finally went out. She took an ice tray out of the fridge and tossed it to Asagi. 

“Here, ice. Cool off, would you?” 

“Ermm… Sorry, Tanahara. Thanks.” 

Asagi, dressed in an apron, remained seated on the floor with slumped shoulders. 

Yuuho was not only a member of the home economics club but also the vice president, even though she was in her first year. Asagi had asked the girl to teach her how to cook. These were supposed to be simple, easy dishes that even a rank amateur couldn’t mess up. So what’s up with all this? 

Yuuho gave her classmate a strained but oddly gentle smile as she spoke. “Goodness. I was wondering what was up when you asked me out of the blue to teach you how to cook… You’re a bigger klutz than I expected.” 

Asagi looked up at her and sullenly replied, “I can’t help it, I’m not used to any of this. And I mean, geez, what’s with this recipe, anyway? I totally did it by the book, didn’t I?! Why’s this stuff in a tablespoon of this and a heap of that? Put it in grams, for God’s sake!” 

“Er, that’s kind of how cooking works… But that’s the clumsy bargaining of a spoiled girl… Mm, you really fit the type, don’t you…?” 

Asagi didn’t realize her eyes were wavering as she played dumb. 

“Wh…what are you talking about?” 

Asagi hadn’t told Yuuho the real reason she asked to be taught how to cook. With Kojou’s little sister heading off on a trip, she wanted to force her way into his apartment and deliver him a home-cooked meal. It was an ambition she was sure was still secret. 

Yet Yuuho replied, “Yeah, Akatsuki sure is a lucky dog, isn’t he?” 

Apparently Yuuho had been onto her from the very beginning. With a practiced hand, she cleaned up the cooking implements strewn everywhere as she handed Asagi a bread bag. 

“Well, let’s give up on the burnt home-cooked stuff and try a sandwich? Even you can handle cutting bread and stuffing some eggs between the slices. If you get beat up any more, it’ll affect your part-time job, too, won’t it?” 

Asagi looked down at her two beat-up hands. She nodded and replied weakly, “Ermm… I’ll do that. Thank you, Tanahara.” 

Thanks to her unfamiliarity with cooking, Asagi’s fingers were all covered in Band-Aids. Certainly, any further damage would make it difficult for her to even type at a keyboard. 

“You’re quite welcome!” Yuuho beamed, when she suddenly looked at Asagi’s reddened ears. 

“Come to think of it, I’ve been wondering this for a while but… Asagi, what happened to your earring?” 

“Earring?” 

Asagi touched her earlobes and suddenly stopped. One of her earrings was missing. Only the left one was in place. 

“Wh-wha—?!” 

“Did you forget to put it on? Today was PE, though… Maybe you dropped it somewhere?” 

Blood drained from Asagi’s face. She lost earrings a lot, and this one wasn’t even an expensive one. But this earring was special. 

“Ah… At the park… When Kojou took me down…” 

“Akatsuki…took you down…?” 

Asagi’s voice went shrill as she backtracked. 

“Eh?! No, no!! I only mean knocked down in a physical sense…” 

But one look by Yuuho at Asagi’s blushing face made her decide she knew better as she began to clap. 

“Congratulations. I’m so glad things are going better than I expected between you two…” 

“I told you, it wasn’t that!!” 

2 

Standing still in front of the antique shop, Kojou asked, “A Lion King Agency branch office…?” 

It was an old-style brick building, the likes of which were rarely seen on Itogami Island. But even though she’d said it was a facility connected to the Lion King Agency, it sure didn’t feel like that. It just looked like a behind-the-times shop dealing in odds and ends. 

But Yukina replied with a firm nod. 

“Yes, there’s no mistake. This is the office handling communication and support for members.” 

“…Office, huh? I mean, it’s a federal agency, of course it’d have that much, but why does the sign say it’s an antique store, then?” 

“Camouflage. Even if it is a government organization, it’s still a special agency.” 

Her explanation carried weight. Certainly, they couldn’t just announce in grandiose fashion, For All Your Espionage and Magical Anti-Terrorism Needs. But if they called it an antique shop, it wouldn’t arouse suspicion even if people walked in and out carrying swords and spears. 

“So it’s a front?” Kojou pressed. 

“Yes. Also, it sells confiscated items and the like to pay for office operating expenses—” 

“So it’s a normal business, too?! And when you say confiscated items, you don’t mean stuff that’s cursed or haunted, do you…?” 

“It’s all right, we exorcise everything beforehand.” 

“Hey!!!” 

“That was a joke.” 

Yukina said it with a dead serious look before breaking into a small, amused smile and an accompanying giggle. Kojou silently frowned. Per usual, he couldn’t tell if the young woman was actually joking. 

But it was apparently true that the antique shop operated without fear of bankruptcy. It didn’t seem like it dealt with any kind of normal clientele, but— 

“Don’t tell me your organization doesn’t have a budget…?” 

“Erm… I wouldn’t know anything about that…” 

Yukina evasively lowered her eyes as she put her hand on the antique shop’s door. The wooden door creaked as it opened, with the air carrying the whiff of dust that you only got from old buildings. 

Simultaneously, a solemn doorbell rang, and a woman’s crisp voice said, “Welcome. What can I do for you today?” 

“…Eh?!” Kojou exclaimed. 

Like an old-fashioned teahouse, there was a young woman standing there to greet them. She was pretty, with a slender physique. She had a long ponytail that was a lighter brown, as if darker hair had sunlight passing through it. Her elegant, beautiful looks, like a cherry blossom in bloom, were very familiar to Kojou. 

“Kirasaka?” 

The employee greatly resembled one Sayaka Kirasaka, who bore the title of Shamanic War Dancer from the Lion King Agency. Indeed, she was the spitting image of the girl, but… 

“No, you’re not… Who are you?” 

It was only her outward appearance that was identical. The aura around her was not that of the Sayaka Kojou knew, whatsoever. There was no way that Sayaka would look at Kojou and have a polite, proprietary smile come over her face. 

It was Yukina who answered Kojou’s question. “This is Master Shike’s shikigami. I believe she modeled it after Sayaka.” 

Yukina, however, seemed bewildered by the employee’s appearance, too. 

“No way that’s a shikigami. I mean, she looks just like Kirasaka…” Kojou gazed at the face of the fake Sayaka in amazement. He’d seen Yukina’s and Sayaka’s shikigami a number of times to date; they were at the level of nicely done paper crafts, but no more than that. But the Sayaka in front of them was on a whole other level. You could look at her from close up and not think of her as anything but a living, breathing human being. He could sense the beating of her heart, the warmth of her flesh, and even the scent of her hair hovering around her. 

“And yet, you could tell at a glance that it wasn’t Sayaka, couldn’t you?” 

Yukina’s tone was conversational, if a bit mystified, yet the subtext seemed to be reproachful somehow. Maybe that was just Kojou’s guilt talking; after all, he’d drunk Sayaka’s blood a second time when Yukina’s back was turned. 

Kojou quickly made an excuse to gloss over the guilt in his heart. 

“Well, ah, the Sayaka I know is, you know, more of an idiot, stuff like that…” 

Certainly, the charming, smiling, fake Sayaka was beautiful, but he didn’t like the complete absence of a personality. He thought that the girl was far more attractive when she was shouting and wearing her emotions on her sleeve like…like usual. 

“Plus,” Kojou continued, “the real Kirasaka would fly into a violent rage if she saw me looking at her with that outfit on. She’d yell that she’d claw my eyeballs out or something.” 

“…That might well be so.” Yukina sighed in sympathy, something heavy apparently on her mind. 

He imagined that the Sayaka replica was technically wearing a store uniform. It had a short, flaring skirt and a heavy dose of cleavage. The tight waist actually made the swell of her breasts even more prominent. It was less the outfit for an antique-shop employee and more the sort of thing a waitresses wore at a maid café. For all he knew, perhaps maids and antique shops were a surprisingly good fit. 

“So what’s she wearing that outfit for, anyway? Drawing in customers?” 

“No… There’s not really any point to that with an aversion ward up.” Yukina tilted her head as she spoke. Then, suddenly, she gave Kojou a frigid glare. “More importantly, you’ve been staring excessively at her chest since earlier. Your gaze is so indecent!” 

“Wha—?! No way, I’m just wondering why the heck she’s wearing a getup like this, okay?!” Kojou refuted desperately. 

It’s not that he’d meant to stare, but the way the outfit vividly accentuated her bust had apparently drawn in his gaze without him realizing. 

Yukina stared at Kojou with a merciless, unemotional look. 

“It’s creepier that you weren’t even trying to look. It’s criminal, in fact.” 

“I wasn’t giving her that indecent a look! And it’s not even Kirasaka, she’s not even human, you know?” 

Yukina covered her own chest as she suddenly said, “Do you really like the pillow types that much?” 

Kojou coughed, hard. “N…no one said anything about that, okay?!” 

“But you do like them, don’t you?” 

“Well, I might…like them a little, but…” Kojou’s reply seemed to vanish into the ether. Yukina pursed her lips with a sullen sound. 

The very next moment, a new female voice could be heard in the shop. The tone was boundlessly unenthusiastic, yet seemed as clear and beautiful as the sound of two gemstones touching. 

“—Quite a ruckus you’re making. What is with you?” 

Upon noticing the voice, Yukina swiftly bent down on one knee and lowered her head. 

“Master…!” 

There was no one standing where Yukina spoke—only a single black cat sitting on a raised dancing platform. The cat had a beautifully smooth coat, and its eyes held a golden glint. Its slender collar had cat’s-eye stones of the same color embedded in it. 

Yukina reverentially greeted the cat. “It has been some time, Master. Yukina Himeragi, reporting.” 

The cat’s eyes narrowed teasingly. “It has been a while, Yukina. It’s not often that you’re annoyed to the point of raising your voice like that.” 

“My humble apologies. I was careless.” 

“Not at all, I speak in praise.” 

The cat made a small, human-like cackle as it raised a front paw. Apparently, this meant that excessively formal greetings were unnecessary here. 

“What of the spear?” the cat asked. 

“It’s right here.” 

Yukina offered Snowdrift Wolf to the Sayaka replica, who in turn carried it to the black cat. 

Kojou seized the chance to ask Yukina in a whisper, “‘Master’…? A cat?” 

Yukina seemed quite tense as she whispered back into Kojou’s ear, “It’s a familiar. Master is no doubt at High God Forest even now.” 

“High God Forest?” Kojou hissed back in shock. “Isn’t that in Kansai?! Seriously…?! How far is that from here, even?!” 

The shortest route from Itogami Island to Honshu was around three hundred kilometers. The institution named High God Forest where Yukina and Sayaka had trained was several hundred kilometers farther still. Kojou had heard that physical distance was little barrier to a skilled sorcerer, but even so, he didn’t think a practitioner with half-baked skill could have pulled off such a feat. 

“So it’s the person who’s controlling the cat and the Sayaka look-alike that’s your real master, then?” he asked, putting the pieces together. 

“Yes. Her name is Yukari Endou.” 

“She’s a big shot?” 

Kojou’s insolence made Yukina stiffen as she nodded. “To a fair extent, yes.” 

Yukina was a girl who’d stood up to a foreign princess and an aristocrat from the Warlord’s Empire without the slightest timidity. For her to show this level of reverence, her mentor was either a serious big shot or a whimsical despot—or perhaps both. Apparently, she was a troublesome opponent any way you sliced it. 

But no matter how high and mighty she was, Kojou couldn’t think of her as anything but a cat. 

The cat stared down at Yukina’s spear as she spoke quite bluntly. 

“I shall accept Snowdrift Wolf, for the time being. Your techniques are crude, but your blade skills are…all right. However, it concerns me that you are over-reliant on Spirit Sight. I have taught you, have I not? A Sword Shaman is a sword yet not a sword, a shaman yet not a shaman—only an amateur sees the future and then gets swept away by it.” 

“Yes, Master.” 

Yukina listened meekly and gratefully to the cat’s lecture. No doubt it was a deep, serious matter to both, but it was a surreal scene for a third party to gaze upon. 

That said, this Yukari Endou person apparently possessed a vast wealth of combat experience. She’d read the tendencies and flaws in her disciple from the scratches on her weapon and had given appropriate advice. 

All right, I’ll call the black cat Professor Kitty as proper respect, Kojou silently decided while this was going on. 

Having finished its appraisal of Snowdrift Wolf, the black cat looked down at Yukina and curtly declared, “Very well. The spear is in my hands. From this moment forward, you are relieved as Watcher of the Fourth Primogenitor. It is good for you to have fun like a normal brat once in a while.” 

However, Yukina continued to silently gaze at her Master. Several times, her lips quivered as if she wanted to say something, finally gathering herself as she said, “…I must object, Master. Even if it is only for a few days, I remain concerned as to what might happen to senpai…er, the Fourth Primogenitor if I take my eyes off him. Could you permit me to continue my duties as Watcher?” 

“Oh-ho…” 

The cat cackled in amusement and smiled. Ever a serious child, Yukina probably would never have voiced opposition to her Master’s words in the past. The cat continued, “So this boy is the Fourth Primogenitor?” 

Who’s a “boy”? thought Kojou, frowning as he replied, “Looks like I am, technically.” 

Even if it was Yukina’s mentor, he just couldn’t bring himself to be deferential to a cat. 

The cat didn’t seem to especially mind, however. It continued speaking, in a very frank tone. “Sorry to call you over like this. I did want to meet and speak with you once, so that I could grant you some small measure of thanks.” 

“Thanks?” 

The cat’s mouth grinned widely. “For saving Avrora.” 

At that moment, Kojou felt like every drop of blood in his veins was flowing the wrong way. He remembered a small silhouette with the crimson sky behind her. She had hair so scarlet, it seemed enveloped by flames, and incandescent eyes. It felt vaguely like remembering a nightmare—until Kojou felt ferocious pain in his skull. 

His breathing was fierce and ragged as he stalked closer to the cat. “You…know about her…?!” 

Dizziness assailed Kojou next, and Yukina hurried to prop him up. The cat, gazing with amusement at how the two were pressed together, continued, “I do not know enough that it would make a story to tell. I merely had a slight connection to the matter. All the same, that Sleeping Princess was a tragic child. That is why I thank you for saving her. You need not be impatient, for you too will remember in time… Though I must say, winning over not only Avrora, but straitlaced Yukina, you are quite crafty for someone who looks like such a dimwit. Yes, indeed…” 

“H-he has not won me over!” Yukina shrieked. 

Kojou spontaneously added his own invective: “You mangy stray…” 

He banished the girl’s image from his memory too late. Sweat unpleasantly drenched his entire body, but at least the headache had abated just a little. 

“While I do not think you are brave enough to commit wicked deeds in the span of three or four days, I do have regard for my adorable pupil. I shall put a bell on your neck for the time being. If there is an acting watcher present, Yukina will have a bit more peace of mind, yes?” 

The cat raised its right paw. The shikigami wearing a maid outfit had stepped down from the platform and approached Kojou and Yukina that very moment. 

Kojou’s unease was written all over his face as he asked, “A bell…? Wait, you don’t mean you’re gonna have the Kirasaka look-alike cover for Yukina?” 

The cat nodded, as if this were obvious. 

“A familiar face is far more convenient, yes? I spent such tender loving care making her, so go ahead and take her out for a stroll. You can feel up her breasts, too. I won’t tell the real Kirasaka.” 

“Like hell I will! And what happened to Kirasaka, anyway?! If anyone’s gonna sub in, why not the real thing?!” 

“Sayaka is doing her penance. After all, she used Lustrous Scale for her personal use while off-duty, exhausting precious enchanted arrows in the process. Even if it is a slap on the wrist, she will remain at headquarters for a while, writing letters of apology or the like.” 

“…Penance?” 

I was wondering why I hadn’t seen her for a while. So that’s what happened. 

Kojou felt a pang of guilt toward Sayaka. After all, the whole reason she’d used her Lion King Agency weapons was to save him (and others) from an incident he’d gotten her into. 

“I understand why your shikigami looks like Kirasaka, then, but what’s with the maid outfit?” 

The cat replied rather proudly. “Isn’t it obvious? A humiliation game for subordinates doing their penance. It works wonders, I tell you.” 

When Yukina heard the words humiliation game, her shoulders trembled as if she was shivering. Oh, I see, thought Kojou, understanding now. She was so scared of her mentor because the lady had a personality like that. 

The cat continued, “If you don’t like the maid outfit, how about some other kind of uniform? I take requests.” 

“Um, requests…?” 

“Or would you prefer I send a different Sword Shaman from High God Forest? Come to mention it, there are two spry girls who just graduated this year. One has a big bosom and the other small. Which do you prefer, Fourth Primogenitor?” 

“…Eh?!” 

You’re asking that here and now?! Kojou shuddered. He spared a glance, but Yukina was already glaring at him from the side. He could tell that making the wrong move here would lead to very bad things later on. However, he didn’t know what the proper answer should be. 

There was a long, awkward silence as Kojou wiped the sweat from his brow. 

What broke the silence was a sound from Kojou’s cell phone. 

The name displayed on the lit-up LCD screen was ASAGI AIBA. 

3 

The alchemist—Kou Amatsuka—stood inside a small, half-ruined convent. 

Within the chapel, the air smelled of smoke from a gunfight but only in faint traces. All around Amatsuka were countless cases of ammunition alongside carelessly abandoned submachine guns. The weapons were Island Guard standard-issue. However, there was no sign of the guardsmen that had borne them—only of pitilessly abandoned metallic sculptures bearing their resemblance. 

Transmutation: a secret technique of high-end alchemy that allowed Amatsuka to transform living beings into metal with a mere touch. In spite of their powerful anti-spell gear, the members of the Island Guard were no exception. 

Amatsuka, on his own, had slaughtered the Island Guard “Guardians” protecting the abbey. 

“Hmm.” 

Having eliminated the obstacles in his path, Amatsuka toyed with his beloved cane as he gazed at an engraving embedded within one wall of the abbey. It was a metal relief, a large work of art some two or three tatami sheets thick. 

The shape engraved on it was quite abstract, which made it difficult to understand what was being displayed. But in a sudden moment of clarity, he saw a lone woman take form. She was beautiful, with exotic features, in the bloom of her youth. For a moment, Amatsuka was seized by fondness as he gazed upon the relief. 

The tranquility of the moment was broken when echoing footsteps signaled men barging in. Behind him entered three, carelessly trampling inside the building. 

Amatsuka gracefully looked behind him, smiling. “Greetings, Senmu. Your arrival is earlier than I expected.” 

The bald, middle-aged man nodded. “We are already past the promised hour… How long do you intend to make me wait, Amatsuka?” 

The man named Senmu was not even a hundred and seventy centimeters in height, yet his combination of muscle mass and fat made his presence feel overwhelming, even stifling. He had the look of a shrewd, cutthroat businessman. 

Amatsuka replied airily, “Ah-ha-ha, sorry about that. But even without the Island Guard riffraff, there was still the ward Kensei Kanase put up. Lifting a spell like that is not something you want to rush.” 

Senmu seemed accustomed to Amatsuka’s extremely disrespectful demeanor, satisfying himself with a single, irritated snort. He shifted his eyes toward the relief and broke out in coarse laughter. 

“Very well. At any rate, this is the real Wiseman’s Blood, is it?” 

How rude. Amatsuka’s face twisted in distaste as he shook his head. 

“Do you really think I could mistake the legacy left by my Master?” 

Senmu ignored the look as he walked closer to the artwork. “It looks like an ordinary carving, though…” 

“That’s because it remains asleep,” the alchemist said, taking up a serious demeanor. “In this state, it is a mere mass of metal. Kensei Kanase chose well. Certainly, this stands out far less than crude attempts to hide it altogether. But…” 

He dipped a hand under his coat and brought out a transparent, round, crimson jewel. It was the gemstone he had plundered from Kensei Kanase’s lab. 

Amatsuka walked over to the wall and gave the surface a light brush of his fingers. In that instant, the metal underwent a dramatic change. 

“See? It has awakened.” 

The surface shuddered and rippled as something like a tentacle shot out and wrapped around his hand, trying to pull the gemstone into itself. It looked like an amoeba reviving from a catatonic state—an amoeba made of glistening, lustrous metal that was as scarlet as blood. 

Senmu scrutinized the gemstone in Amatsuka’s hand. “I see… So that’s the Hard Core?” 

“Yes. It’s the magical catalyst created to control the highly self-propagating, amalgamated, liquid-metal life-form—Wiseman’s Blood.” 

Amatsuka pulled the gemstone away from the carving before it was completely submerged. The crimson amoeba thrashed around in dismay several times before reverting to the solid metal relief once more. But it was now crystal clear to all present that this was no mere engraving. 

It was highly likely that Kensei Kanase had shaped it into the form of a relief to disguise that it was actually a crimson liquid, a metallic life-form with a will of its own. 

Of course, this was no product of the natural world. Only alchemy, the secret art of rearranging the composition of matter, could produce something amorphous, eternal, and immutable, giving birth to a life contrary to all laws of nature— 

If someone could transfer his own soul into such a medium, it would constitute the birth of a truly immortal, un-aging human being. It was the scarlet jewel known as the Hard Core that was the control unit able to make such a miracle possible. 

“With one’s consciousness transferred to the Hard Core, the one merging with the Spirit Blood retains his or her own will. By replacing flesh and blood with quicksilver, a nigh-eternal ‘life’ is thus obtained. What my Master arrived at was the pinnacle of alchemy.” 

Senmu looked like he might begin to drool at any moment as he touched the surface of the relief. In his eyes was a near-bottomless lust for power and vengeance. 

“Immortality—and enough magical power to rival a vampiric Primogenitor—comes included. The perfect life-form… With power like that, I’d have the people at headquarters that kicked me off the board and sent me to this backwater kneeling at my feet. I’d have the family that owns it by the throat—” 

“That does sound rather amusing. Here you go.” 

Amatsuka, speaking as if it didn’t concern him, handed Senmu the Hard Core. 

As the man’s eyes filled with suspicion, he discovered the sphere was heavier than it appeared. No doubt he thought the gift odd, all the more so because the Wiseman’s Blood was one of the ideals that all alchemists pursued. To the present day, only the Great Alchemist of Yore, Nina Adelard, had succeeded in its creation— 

Surely this Amatsuka was not so generous a person as to hand over the jewel that some called the Pinnacle of Alchemy without a very good reason. 

So Senmu asked, “This Hard Core… It’s a memento from your master, yes? You honestly don’t mind giving it to me?” 

“Of course not. A man must uphold his promises.” 

Yet that was Amatsuka’s reply, spoken with a proud smile. And opening only the collar of his coat, he exposed a portion of his own chest, displaying the bizarre and frightening body beneath. 

His right side didn’t look human in any way. It was sickly, partially consumed by the lustrous, shining metal, half-eaten by the Wiseman’s Blood—the same liquid-metal life-form that composed the carving in the wall. 

In place of a heart, a strange stone was embedded in the center of his chest. It greatly resembled the Hard Core, but the stone’s color was an impure black. It seemed warped and cracked; apparently, Amatsuka could maintain a human form thanks to that black stone. 

“Even if I look like this, I’m still grateful to you. After all, you were the one that saved me when I should have died five years ago, Senmu. Thanks to that, I was able to build the Dummy Core—” 

“Hmph. Good attitude, Amatsuka.” 

Senmu nodded, satisfied, as he lovingly caressed the crimson jewel. 

He was an employee of a machinery manufacturer fairly well-known in Japan, though that was not his true title. An internal company scandal resulted in his being stripped of his position and downsized into a worthless post. And upon meeting Amatsuka, he decided he would use the Wiseman’s Blood for his own revenge. 

“Don’t worry,” the man added. “Your loyalty shall be richly rewarded. Soon I will have the entire corporation in my grasp!” 

“I expect no less, Senmu. It’s a good call for both of us.” 

His concerns spoken, Amatsuka moved away from the wall. With a silent wave of his cane, the two bodyguards with Senmu backed off. Now Senmu was the only one left standing before the relief. 

“Hmm… I see now. This gap here?” 

Senmu pushed the Hard Core into a crack roughly in the center of the relief. The change that resulted was instantaneous and dramatic: The copper-colored relief transformed into a crimson liquid that spilled down the wall. Vast amounts poured into the cramped chapel, making it look like the altar was being drenched in blood. 

Then, the quicksilver covering different surfaces transformed into a huge, crimson drop of water that wriggled like it was alive. It rushed to Senmu, possessor of the Hard Core, and began swirling its way up from his feet to cover more and more of his body. 

Surrounded by the ghoulish Wiseman’s Blood, Senmu laughed in delight. 

“Oh, look at it move. Behold, this glossy blood! It’s like the finest wine, is it not, Amatsuka!” 

Even then, the crimson fluid continued to engulf his body, already consuming his entire chest. 

But his bodyguards looked terrified. 

“Senmu!” 

“It’s dangerous, please move back!” 

However, the man glared at them and spat, vividly irritated, “What are you talking about? This is the main event!” 

“Senmu!” 

“Fwa-ha-ha… I feel it… I understand. So this is my body melting away—!” 

He was abandoning his inferior human flesh to gain an immortal body of metal. The gargantuan magical energy flowing into him gave him an overwhelming sense of delight and omnipotence. 

But his assimilation by the Wiseman’s Blood stopped midway, in a manner he had never expected. One part of the liquid metal rose up, and a new human silhouette formed within the fluid. 

“Nn?!” 

The crimson liquid was taking the shape of a young woman. She appeared to be eighteen or nineteen years old, and her face largely resembled a statue of a foreign beauty. 

The corners of Amatsuka’s lips curled up in delight. “My, oh my…” 

It was clear from his face he had been waiting for her to appear. 

Senmu laughed sharply. “Oh, so this is the Great Alchemist, Nina Adelard!” he shouted. 

There was no sign that he was perturbed by the sudden emergence of this obstacle. 

The Wiseman’s Blood and the Hard Core were both creations of the Great Alchemist of Yore, Nina Adelard. It was natural to expect that the awakening of the Wiseman’s Blood would be accompanied by the awakening of its proper mistress. 

Amatsuka gave the bodyguards a cool gaze as he explained, “Her consciousness, preserved by the Hard Core, has been awakened. If this continues, Nina Adelard will regain her body and revive in full. In other words, no one can obtain the Wiseman’s Blood until she is eliminated.” 

The beautiful woman born within the metal had already taken a nearly perfect human form. Glossy black hair flowed down her back as crimson droplets scattered, revealing her rich, brown flesh. 

For his part, Senmu’s expression changed to anguish. 

“Gaah…?!” 

The man’s body, having once nearly taken control of Wiseman’s Blood, was losing its physical integrity and breaking down. Now that its proper owner, Nina Adelard, had appeared, it had begun purging itself of the foreign object. Already losing his physical coherence, Senmu desperately pleaded for aid. 

“My body is…being devoured… Amatsuka! Do something, Amatsuka!” 

The alchemist smiled coldly and gave a single wave of the cane in his left hand. From somewhere came a crunching sound, like teeth biting down. 

“Do not be concerned. It will be over soon—” 

Senmu’s throat let out a scream before Amatsuka even finished speaking. 

The man’s back, barely maintaining its original shape, recoiled as the liquid metal encroached farther. Black gemstones appeared all over his flesh—they were Dummy Cores that Amatsuka had constructed. The alchemist had explained that they were necessary to control the Wiseman’s Blood, and so had embedded them into Senmu’s body. However, Amatsuka’s true objective was nothing as small as control of the metal itself. 

“I have been waiting for this moment, Master…for the moment you awakened the Wiseman’s Blood. Without your Hard Core, the Spirit Blood would remain mere scrap metal. However, once merged with the Wiseman’s Blood, you are immutable. Therefore, to steal the Spirit Blood, I must destroy you from within while you are not yet in a completely awakened state…like this.” 

Amatsuka made a high-pitched laugh as the Dummy Cores in Senmu’s body split asunder, releasing the rituals engraved within. A deep black ichor flowed into the crimson liquid metal like poison pouring into a pond. The Dummy Cores, running amok, ripped Senmu’s body apart. 

“Aaaaargh, Amatsuka! You bastard—?!” 

The bodyguards rushed to try to save their boss, but they, too, were consumed by the liquid metal and dissolved. 

Only a portion of Senmu’s upper torso remained as he asked weakly, “Why, Amatsuka…? Why did you betray me…? Did you want to monopolize the Spirit Blood for yourself?!” 

Amatsuka laughed mockingly. “That’s not it at all, Senmu. Quite the opposite.” 

Finally, the corruption of the Dummy Cores absorbed Nina Adelard’s nearly awakened body as well. Every corner of her beautiful body blackened, cracked, and broke into tiny pieces. 

“I am truly grateful to you, Senmu, so I shall grant you your desire. Your body shall live on forever as part of the Spirit Blood—!” 

Amatsuka laughed like a guiltless adolescent as he turned his back on what was once Senmu. 

Behind him, the jet-black Wiseman’s Blood ominously wailed and began to violently thrash around like a wounded beast. 

4 

The evening sun’s rays shone upon the road, which climbed to the top of the gentle hill. Next to it, Asagi continued walking up the urethane chip–covered footpath as she touched her beloved smartphone to her ear. Through the receiver, she heard Kojou’s voice, unusually tense. 

“—Asagi? Oh, great timing. You really bailed me out. Er… So, did something happen?” 

“Oh, yeah. Sorry to bug you all of a sudden.” 

Asagi was a little thrown off by just how polite Kojou was being. He made it sound like her phone call had given him the excuse he needed to dodge some kind of life-or-death crisis… 

Well that’s all fine, thought Asagi as she regained her senses. “I wanted to ask for a favor… Ah, did you get home by any chance?” 

For a moment, there was an unnatural pause. It seemed Kojou was wondering whether or not it was a good idea to answer. 

“Nah, I’m still out and about. I’m at a shop in West District Six.” 

“District Six… That’s the love hotel district?!” 

Asagi’s cheek twitched. Of course she knew about the place; everyone living on Itogami Island knew about Island West District Six, even elementary school children. Not that Asagi had set foot in the place herself, of course— 

“Don’t tell me you…?!” 

“I am not!! I’m at an antique shop! It’s run by some acquaintance of Himeragi’s.” 

Asagi tilted her head. “There’s an antique shop in that area…?” she asked, mostly to herself. 

It didn’t sound like Kojou was lying. In fact, she thought she heard a cat meowing and someone speaking behind him. “Well, I don’t know what’s up with that, but it sounds like you’re not exactly busy over there?” she finished. 

“Not really. So what’s the favor?” 

Kojou’s question was a carefree one. Meanwhile, Asagi cleared her throat. Hers wasn’t exactly the kind of thing she wanted to tell him… 

“Hey, do you remember the earrings you got me for my birthday?” 

“Ah…yeah, the blue ones you made me buy for you.” 

“They’re not blue, they’re turquoise!!” Asagi replied sullenly. There was meaning behind the color. 

“So what about them?” 

Asagi strained to keep her voice cheerful as she confessed, “Sorry. Looks like I dropped one, ah-ha-ha-ha… It was probably when you wrestled me down in the park during lunch break—” 

“Eh?!” 

She felt like Kojou had frozen on the other end of the call. She added, “I’m looking for it right now, but I’m not sure I can find it on my own. I thought maybe you could lend me a hand looking for it before it gets dark?” 

“Y-you idiot—!” 

“Hah?!” 

This time, Kojou’s shout over the phone made Asagi stiffen. She hadn’t expected Kojou to get angry about that part. 

“What’s the big deal?!” she snapped back. I mean, it’s my fault for losing it, but you don’t have to put it like that—” 

“Not that!! Never mind the damned earring!” 

“Ah…?” 

Snap! Kojou’s rude remark was the last straw for Asagi. “Don’t tell me never mind! That’s the one I had you buy for me—I mean, anyway, it’s special!!” 

“I’m saying, the Island Guard guys are guarding the place! It’s dangerous around that convent! Get away from there before you get in trouble, now!” 

“Eh?” 

Asagi was thrown by how seriously bent out of shape Kojou sounded. Apparently, the earring wasn’t what had him so nervous. He wasn’t angry at her—he was worried about her. But wasn’t that overreacting just a bit? 

“…You don’t need to be so serious about it,” she replied. “It’s all right, it’s not like I’m skipping class this time. Besides, the Island Guard being there makes it safer, right?” 

“Just get away from there! I’ll buy you jewelry later! As much as you want!!” 

Kojou pleaded with her. 

The words were clearly spoken in haste, but Asagi was not one to let such an opportunity slip by her. “…Really?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Not just earrings, but, like, a r-ring, too? It doesn’t have to be expensive…” 

“I’ll get anything you want, so just—” 

Asagi, sensing what was coming, pulled the smartphone away from her ear as Kojou yelled, “—Go home ASAP!” 

“Yes, yes. I understand. I’ll just do one last pass and head home.” 

“Go back now!!” Kojou bellowed from the bottom of his gut. 

Yes, yes, Asagi soothed, letting the words go in one ear and out the other. She didn’t know what had him so worked up, but having him worry about her was far from unpleasant. He’d even promised to buy her a ring; that made her inclined to cut her search for the earring short like she’d promised. 

It was the very next moment that a roar accompanied the ground shaking. 

For a second, Asagi’s body floated in the air, making her roll onto the footpath like she’d been tossed aside. The bag over her shoulder went flying, with the contents scattering around her. 

“Asagi?! What was that sound—?!” 

Apparently Kojou had heard it, too. His question sounded like he’d just gone pale. 

But Asagi could not answer. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand what had happened. It was that she lacked the words to explain it. 

The abbey was collapsing, and in its place emerged an amorphous, wriggling, jet-black fluid resembling a single-celled organism. It was neither metal nor flesh, nor did it even possess a shape—how did one describe such a creature? 

“I don’t…know… What…is that thing…?! It’s like…blood…? A quicksilver…woman?!” 

Asagi bit back the pain in her body and staggered to her feet. As she did, the pitch-black liquid-body continued making bizarre sounds as it changed into a variety of shapes. 

It took a shape evoking pathetic life-forms that had tried to evolve but failed. It was a fish out of water, a bird fallen to the ground, a grotesque beast, and a human being, all at once. If there existed such a thing as a chimera with a mix of multiple life-forms’ DNA, perhaps it would resemble that. 

Furthermore, the monster continued to grow in size. It fused indiscriminately with matter all around it to increase its own mass. If it had been the size of a compact car at first, it had already swelled to the size of a small truck. 

As Asagi stood there, she heard a voice. You must run, it announced with pep. 

“—Huh?” 

A young man stood on the hill, looking down at Asagi. He wore gaudy red-and-white clothes like those of a stage magician. His laugh sounded innocent, but his eyes were so cold they made her shudder. 

“Oh no,” he mocked. “I’ve been spotted. Oh well… You’ll be gone in but a moment.” 

The pitch-black monster roared. Its amorphous body seemed to unravel in thin, ribbon-like bands. By the time Asagi realized that these were not ribbons, but tentacles resembling giant, razor-sharp blades, it was too late. 

“Ah?” 

Asagi’s body floated into the air, freed from the shackles of gravity. Rather belatedly, she heard the sound of the air cracking. 

The tentacle that the black monster unleashed had mowed down Asagi’s body like the sickle of the Grim Reaper. 

No doubt the real target of the monster’s attack was the young man in the white coat. Asagi had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the youth had mowed down the monster’s tentacle with his own right hand, resulting in the massive severed limb striking Asagi, an innocent bystander, in the chest. And so, she fell. 

Rolling faceup onto the ground, Asagi murmured in a daze, “No…way…” 

She didn’t feel any pain. Instead, she gazed in wonder at the sight of the evening sky—and how her own fresh blood matched its color. It was like watching beautiful rubies rain down around her. 

“So it escaped,” the young man in the white coat murmured. “That could have gone better… Oh well.” 

The pitch-black monster had already vanished from sight. Perhaps it had been frightened off by his counterattack? The young man departed as well, showing not the slightest interest in the girl on the hill, fallen and drenched in blood. 

Asagi laughed sickly as, with the last of her strength, she wrung out the words: 

“Sorry, Kojou… Looks like…I messed up…” 

The smartphone was no longer in Asagi’s hands, and so her words never reached him. She desperately reached out, but all that her fingertips touched was a fragment of a coldly glittering red stone… 

5 

The sun had nearly reached the western horizon by the time Kojou entered the deserted park. 

He remembered getting on the monorail, but after that it was all a blur. He’d simply kept running and running until he arrived. He’d tried calling Asagi over and over during that time, but she hadn’t picked up. 

Kojou would soon become painfully aware of the reason why. 

“What…is this…?” 

The first thing he noticed was the change in the abbey. 

The entrance to the chapel had been completely wrecked, with debris strewn all over the place. It looked like some giant monster had emerged from the inside, destroying everything on its way out of the building. 

Also, there was no sign of the Island Guard members policing the property. Instead, there were only metal sculptures strewn about, lying sideways on the floor. 

Kojou implicitly understood this to be the work of the alchemist. But he had no business with Amatsuka that moment. There was only one person he was looking for. 

“Where’s Asagi…?” 

Kojou was assailed by unease and despair as he desperately searched for any sign of his friend. Having known her for years, he was confident he could instantly pick her out of a large crowd, yet now he could sense no sign of her in an empty greenspace. 

“Asagi! Asagi, where are you…?!” 

Maybe Amatsuka took her with him? Kojou wondered. That was the worst scenario he could think of, and if that was the case, he’d do whatever it took to find the alchemist and get Asagi back. 

Yes. He’d be able to get her back. After all, there wasn’t even a single reason why he’d kill Asagi, so— 

“Asa…gi…” 

But Kojou had known the truth from the start. His abominable vampiric powers had told him as much. 

There was a faint scent mixed into the air. It was a scent he had been so close to that he hadn’t noticed it before: the scent of sweet, lovely blood. 

The scent of Asagi’s blood. 

“You’re…kidding me… Hey… Why is this…?” 

A girl in a school uniform as scarlet as dusk was lying in a pool of blood to match. 

The uniform had been dolled up right to the edge of what was allowed by school regulations and her hair was styled in a cheery, elegant way. With her eyes closed, when seen from the side like this, her real, serious personality shone through on her face. 

She was truly beautiful, though she always carried a smarmy smirk. Even so, he wouldn’t see that smile again. 

For Asagi Aiba…was dead. 

“Hey… Don’t mess with me here… You wouldn’t end up like this, right?” 

One of her things strewn on the ground was a cookbook she’d borrowed from the library. Several of her fingertips were atypically covered in Band-Aids. Even Kojou wasn’t dense enough to miss what she was doing with such uncharacteristic injuries. 

Yet there was nothing more that Kojou could do for her. Not anymore. 

Kojou was still standing there, dumbfounded, when Yukina called out to him. 

“Senpai!” 

She’d no doubt been chasing after him since the station. 

She sounded out of breath. But when she noticed Asagi lying lifeless, Yukina’s face went pale. 

“Asagi…?! Oh my God…” 

Her firm voice was shaking. Even though she was a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency, she was just an apprentice. She probably had little to no experience seeing people close to her pass away. 

Kojou belatedly muttered, “It’s…my fault…” 

Yukina looked up at him in surprise. “What?” 

“It’s just like you told me… I got an innocent person involved because I brought her here without thinking…!” 

“That’s…not…” 

Yukina tried to refute him on the spot but swallowed her words when she saw Kojou’s eyes. His face was twisted in rage, his eyes glowing a crimson hue. The incredible surge of magical energy dispersing around him was making the man-made ground tremble beneath them. 

His Beast Vassals were awakening—the beasts summoned from another world that dwelled in the blood of the Fourth Primogenitor, the World’s Mightiest Vampire, and served him. They were responding to Kojou’s anger, attempting to rampage beyond his control. 

Yukina desperately rushed over to her classmate. “Please, hold on, senpai! Senpai—!” 

But the explosive release of magical energy blocked her path. She couldn’t even stay standing, let alone go to his side. 

Only Snowdrift Wolf could have opposed that outflow of magical energy. However, it no longer rested in her hands, having been sealed away. 

The berserk magical energy further intensified, producing thunderbolts and shock waves in its wake. Yukina, assailed by the surge, ended up being saved by the Sayaka look-alike. 

She appeared out of thin air, deployed a powerful defensive ward, and became Yukina’s shield, protecting her from what would have been fatal blows. 

She was a creature of super-high-level magic wrought by Yukari Endou, her master and sorcerous genius of the Lion King Agency—yet protecting Yukina took up all her strength. Yukari herself, far away in High God Forest, had no way of stopping Kojou’s rampage. 

The foundation of the man-made island trembled and cried out ominously as the cracks beneath Kojou’s feet continued to spread, no doubt from the power of his Beast Vassals, as yet unseen. If Kojou’s demonic power continued to rage unabated like this, Itogami Island’s destruction would only be a matter of time. 

“Senpai, please, calm down! Get ahold of yourself! Do you want to let Nagisa die, too?!” 

Her voice shouldn’t have reached him, but Kojou, lost to anger, suddenly responded to her. Light returned to his eyes; the thunder and lightning broke off a moment later, the wind calming in its wake. 

Kojou wobbled as he murmured brokenly, “Nagi…sa…” 

He fell to the ground as Yukina rushed over to him. With a shock, Kojou realized Yukina was bleeding from her forehead—he’d hurt her. 

“Himeragi…you’re…” 

“It’s okay. Master’s shikigami shielded me, so I’m all right…” 

As Yukina spoke she looked over her shoulder, where the look-alike shikigami turned into countless white sheets of paper before their eyes. The ritual scrolls had run out of the energy with which they’d been imbued. 

Tears flowed ceaselessly from Yukina’s eyes as she whispered, “I’m all right… I’ll always be at your side, senpai… So please, get ahold of yourself. Do it for Aiba! Don’t let her tragedy be why you lose control and cause the end of everything…” 

Her tears calmed Kojou a little. 

Yet again, she had saved him. And she spoke the truth: He couldn’t lose himself here. There were still things he had to do for Asagi’s sake. 

There had to be things left for him to do. Since he’d let Asagi die— 

“Huh. I thought there was a little missing. So it fell down somewhere over here…?” 

A cold, airy voice floated over to him, as if mocking Kojou’s resolve. It came from a young male alchemist wearing a white coat. He wasn’t wearing his characteristic checkered hat or carrying his cane, but Kojou wouldn’t mistake the face anywhere. It was Kou Amatsuka. 

Amatsuka, appearing from the shade of a few decorative trees along the road, leisurely walked toward Kojou and Yukina. 

“I was right to double back. To think it would hide itself like this…” 

However, his words were directed not to either of them, but to himself. Amatsuka completely ignored Kojou, who was facing him with open hostility. Instead, he had eyes only for the blood-drenched Asagi. He seemed intent on taking her corpse. 

“Stop right there, alchemist—!” Kojou moved in front of his fallen friend, blocking off the alchemist’s path. It was then that Amatsuka finally seemed to notice Kojou and Yukina’s existence. He silently shifted his gaze over them, exhaling in obvious tedium. 

Kojou, barely suppressing the bloodlust in his tone, offered, “I’ll ask this once. Are you the one who killed Asagi?” 

But Amatsuka only narrowed his eyes inquisitively. “And who is ‘Asagi’? Which one of the corpses lying around here is she?” 

“Why, you…” 

A high-frequency buzz enveloped Kojou’s right fist. The magical power leaking out was the same as a Beast Vassal’s, but it wasn’t out of control—Kojou was using his vampiric power of his own free will. 

He could control this. He’d show everyone, so that Asagi’s death would not be in vain…so that he wouldn’t let anyone else die on his watch. 

The alchemist sighed. “Get out of my way, Fourth Primogenitor—” 

He raised his right arm without so much as a warning. His fingertips flowed into the shape of a whip, which he quickly used to attack. That much, Kojou had expected. But Amatsuka had not unleashed a single attack: His arm split off at the elbow into dozens of streams, each one attacking from a different angle, like autonomous snakes. 

Even a vampire’s reaction speed was insufficient to evade them all. And what’s more, Amatsuka wielded the power of transmutation—the secret alchemical technique that could render an immortal vampire powerless in a single moment. 

Kojou froze in the face of the unavoidable attack. 

But Amatsuka was the one who was blown back: Yukina leaped in from a blind spot on his side and pounded him with a ferocious high kick. 

“Roaring Thunder—!” 

The young man’s thin frame was launched into the air by the Sword Shaman’s power-infused blow, enough to bring a stout beast man to his knees. The moment Kojou saw that, he, too, leaped off the ground. 

“It’s over, Amatsuka!!” 

Kojou’s right fist, surrounded by wild wind, thrust right through Amatsuka’s body. 

He hadn’t held back at all. A mere human body couldn’t withstand a punch from full vampiric strength, let alone one augmented by the power of a Beast Vassal. The likely result was that he would be blown apart without a trace. Despite that, Kojou didn’t hold back. He couldn’t. 

It wasn’t because Amatsuka had killed Asagi. It was that Kojou somehow understood from his demonic instincts that if he didn’t defeat Amatsuka with one blow, Yukina would be the next to die. 

The alchemist’s body, bent into an unnatural shape, slammed into the footpath, gouging out the paved surface. 

Even few demons could withstand that level of damage. 

And yet, Amatsuka endured. 

Kojou and Yukina watched as the alchemist slowly picked himself up. His chin had been shattered by Yukina’s kick; his torso had been caved in by Kojou’s punch. His spine appeared to be broken. No human should have been able to stand in that condition. 

But Amatsuka wasn’t human. 

He looked at his own skin, from the collar of his ripped coat on down. 

“You two are such horrible people… I can’t maintain my proper form like this, can I…” 

His skin was metal, covered in what looked like black rust. The onyx stone embedded in place of his heart had broken apart, crumbling down to his feet. Perhaps that had triggered the sudden warping of his contours. 

His human shape collapsed, replaced by pitch-black ooze. He was now an amorphous mass of liquid metal. 

Kojou stared at the creature that had been Amatsuka until a moment before. “What the heck is this guy…?” 

“Don’t tell me…it’s Wiseman’s Blood…?” Yukina asked, horrified. 

Kojou did a double take. Wiseman’s Blood was an immutable body with inexhaustible magical energy, the flesh of the perfect “God” that alchemists sought. 

“—Senpai!” 

Kojou was standing there, half-lost in disbelief, when Yukina sent him flying with a blow to his side. The next moment, a black beam rushed to the place Kojou had just been standing. The asphalt of the footpath was blown apart without a sound, deeply gouging the ground as if an earthquake had cracked it open. 

It must have been an attack from Amatsuka, but it had materialized so fast he couldn’t understand what had happened. If not for Yukina’s Spirit Sight, gazing just an instant into the future, both would have been annihilated without a trace. Apparently, Amatsuka could no longer use transmutation now that he’d lost his human form, but instead, he’d gained a monstrous level of offensive power. 

If the fight stretched on, Kojou and Yukina had little chance of winning. 

Yukina looked back. “Senpai! He’s already—” 

“Got it!” 

Kojou nodded without hesitation. Amatsuka was now no longer an alchemist nor demon, nor even a person; he was a misshapen monster incapable of sentient thought. Kojou couldn’t even imagine how many people would die should he be allowed to live. 

Kojou figured, as someone granted the stupidly huge power of the World’s Mightiest Vampire, he had a duty to wipe out a creature like this… 

He raised his arms high as blood gushed out of them. 

“C’mon over, Al-Meissa Mercury!!” 

The blood shimmered like a mirage and changed into the form of a giant Beast Vassal. This was the third of the twelve summoned beasts that served the Fourth Primogenitor, dwelling in his own blood—a two-headed serpentine dragon covered in quicksilver scales. 

The pitch-black ooze that had once been Amatsuka roared. 

“Oo…oo… Oooooo…” 

Giant tentacles stretched out, trying to impale the twin-headed dragon’s body. But the silver beast let it do no such thing; its snake-like body flowed like a river, opening its cavernous maw to swallow the attack whole. It was determined not to leave a single trace of the attack behind. 

The third Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor was a Dimension Eater, able to consume any space and the dimension itself with it, erasing it from the world. 

“Oooooooooooooo…!” 

Even an amalgamated, self-propagating, immutable, regenerating body was powerless before the two-headed dragon’s attack. The black ooze, now certain of its own defeat, tried to split itself apart and flee. However, 

“—Devour it, Al-Meissa Mercury!!” 

The two giant heads descended, swallowing up all the pieces of the liquid body and annihilating them. 

All that remained was the wrecked public park and the shattered pieces of a black jewel. 

It took Kojou some effort to dispel the summoning, since the two-headed serpent seemed dismayed at not having gotten to rampage enough. Letting out a long sigh, Kojou looked down at the shattered gemstone that had been part of Amatsuka. 

“Is it…over now…?” 

Kojou stood still in the twilight as Yukina gazed without a word. 

The misshapen alchemist was no more. But that was not the result Kojou had sought. In the end, they still had no idea what Amatsuka had been after. 

However, she didn’t think Kojou even wanted to know. Knowing would not bring Asagi’s life back. Asagi had been killed, and was now gone forev— 

That was when they heard a familiar voice. 

“Ko…jou…?” 

Kojou and Yukina, standing in silence, whipped their heads around. Atop the footpath, with debris scattered everywhere, a schoolgirl with gorgeous looks awkwardly rose to her feet. 

“Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow… Whoa?! What the heck happened?!” 

Asagi looked down at the sight of her ripped uniform and two bloodstained arms and let out a pathetic shriek. Meanwhile, Kojou and Yukina were in complete shock at this display of frivolity. 

She shouldn’t have even been alive. He hadn’t needed to check for a pulse or breathing. He’d found her in a pool of blood, her body deeply sliced up. There was no way an ordinary person, a non-vampire, could come back from that condition… 

“Asagi… It’s you…?” Kojou nervously asked. 

Asagi, looking up to see the doubt on Kojou’s face, seemed somewhat amused as she smiled. She had that completely unsexy smirk on her face. 

“Who else do I look like? Er, wait, what the heck?!” 

As she stood up, Asagi finally noticed the horrid sight around her. 

Kojou could understand where she was coming from. The convent’s collapsed edifice, the wrecked park, the gouged-out footpath… She’d probably never believe that she had been part of that harrowing spectacle just moments before. 

An involuntary smile came over Kojou’s face as he murmured flatly, “What the heck’s going on around here…?” 

When Yukina noticed the look on his face, relief came over hers, too. 

As Kojou raised his voice in laughter, a blood-drenched Asagi stared at him, mystified.