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Part 2 

---Ancient Vampire Citadel, Throne room of the Elliptical paths. 

“---Ah….Ugh….AAaahh……!” 

With a violent jerk of the body, Leticia regained her consciousness. Hot steamy sweat covered her body and her skin looked hot and flushed as a heavy sense of weariness took root in her body. 

Shaking her golden hair that shone brightly with its own light, Leticia regarded her surroundings through her hazy consciousness. 

“Haah… Haah…Where am I?” 

The room that had no windows to illuminate it was steeped in shadows and there was only the smell unique to structures constructed out of stone masonry that stimulated her nasal cavities. 

And it would seem that this was a place that she knew quite well for the smell in the room was very nostalgic. 

Turning her head to give the room a sweep with her eyes, Leticia only realised where she was after making out the sparking crystals above her head. 

“Elip…Elliptical Throne Room? How did I end up……” 

“Ah, Leticia. You’ve awakened?” 

Leticia hurriedly looked around her surroundings once more before making out the figures of Yō, Jack and Garol-dono standing beside her. 

“Yō… Jack……! Eh?...... Even Garol’s here---” 

“Oh, Leticia, it sure reminds me of the old times when I see you. It’s been twenty years since the last time we met right?” 

Garol flashed a wide smile that showed his healthy looking set of pearly white teeth. Though on her first look Leticia might not have understood the reason of Garol’s presence in this place, a look at the chains holding her down to the throne seemed to have surmised everything she needed to know about the situation she was in. 

“I see……I’ve become a Demon Lord once more, haven’t I…” 

Leticia muttered with a melancholic look on her face as she could now relate to the reason for the feeling of having been battered up and the soreness she now felt on her body. 

That sort of battering……it would mean that someone has already defeated my shadow? 

But who could that be---Although the question had just formed in her mind, Leticia immediately arrived at the answer. Or to be precise, who could it be other than that person? Having reached that conclusion, Leticia couldn’t resist a slight smile even though she was in that sort of predicament. 

“Come to think of it, it sure was shocking at that time when Canaria-san had said something like ‘I’ve defeated [Demon Lord Draculea]!’. I actually thought that she had you under her contract already……” 

Garol’s words were hesitant before trailing away, leaving his sentence hanging and unfinished. Leticia had also bent her head as her expression grew dark. 

The reason for Garol’s in-depth knowledge about the happenings concerning the Vampires was all thanks to Canaria’s explanation after having saved Leticia from the Citadel. 

Leticia shifted on the throne as she gazed up at the ceiling--- 

“Due to various matters at that time, Canaria chose to let me escape this Game through the meeting of the conditions that would cause the Game to enter a [unlimited hold for the game] instead of clearing it." 

“Oh so that’s how it is… Then, what about Canaria-san’s whereabouts? Did she also disappear without a trace three years ago?” 

“Ah……Mhm Yeah. But you should know that sort of person must be enjoying herself somewhere no matter where she goes right?” 

“Well, I guess that’s quite true as well.” Garol gave a hearty laugh at that. 

Seeing his cheerful face, Leticia’s expression was more melancholic than before. 

“Oh……right, Garol, what are you doing here?” 

“Of course it’s to solve this Game of yours that I’ve come to this place right, Yō Ojou-chan?” 

Hearing Garol call her name, Yō who was feeling and looking around the throne looked up at them. 

“Nn. But we’ve only managed to solve the third clearing condition.” 

Yō went back to inspecting the throne after saying that. The floorings had already been inspected and what’s left was to carefully inspect the walls of the stone room. It wasn’t long after that the sound of something sinking into a depression was heard. 

“Found it! Jack! Which direction did it come from?” 

“Hm, I think that should be from the direction of Virgo.” 

“Thank you, please bring the fragment for Virgo over here and as long as we use this point as the reference for the other twelve sectors……” 

*Kazhak* came the sound as the piece slid into place into the depression. Leticia who didn’t know of such a mechanism in her own Castle had also widened her eyes in surprise. 

“Yō……isn’t that the item that we place inside the shrines? What are you doing with……?” 

“Hm? Leticia doesn’t know about the contents of the Game?” Yō gazed back at Leticia in surprise. 

Leticia’s heart almost leapt out of her mouth but with things the way it is…she grudgingly conceded at the point that there wasn’t a point to keep it a secret anymore. 

“Actually about this game……it’s something that I’ve asked others to construct for me and the contents of the game are totally different from the original game that had the [Authority of Host Master].” 

“Is that so? Then the mechanisms in this room really isn’t related to the Game after all.” Yō said while pushing in another piece of zodiac fragment before pausing to look back at Leticia.[46] 

“Leticia, This Floating Citadel is originally a satellite---No. Hm… is a Castle that continuously revolves around the World right?” 

The abruptness of the question caught Leticia off guard and her heart skipped a beat in surprise. 

“Nn, yes. That’s because my race did not want to create trouble for the Phylogenetic Tree of the world and decided to observe from afar. For acts of Vampirism were also a cause for mutation in the other races.” 

“Is that so? Then it would be an observatory satellite……Hm and that’s the thing that I can’t figure out.” 

*Kazhak* The sound of the third fragment clicking into place echoed in the room. 

“What I’m slotting into place currently should be the objects that allow the Vampire Citadel to fly in its actual orbit, which is also the answer obtained through the solving of the second clearing condition……the fragments of the [Celestial globe].” 

At the same time that Leticia drew her breath sharply in surprise, the sound of the fourth fragment clicking into place echoed in the room. 

 

---Let’s have a look at the third clearing condition of [SUN SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT in VAMPIRE KING]. 

Firstly taking the words of [SUN SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT in VAMPIRE KING] to apply to the idea of being in synch with the Sun’s orbit, we can follow up that thought with linking up ‘The circle of animals’ to the ‘Zodiacs’. 

And from there, we can continue to grasp the meaning of ‘The broken constellations’, and the division of the Heavenly bodies by the [Twelve Zodiacs]. 

But if the line of thoughts were to end just there, one would end up with a strange phrase of ‘Presenting the Twelve Zodiacs’ which made little sense if we looked at it logically. 

Since the clearing condition was to ‘Present the (broken fragments of the constellations)’, then the phrase of ‘broken fragments of the constellations’ should be a subtle way of hinting that it is a tangible object that can be presented to the throne. 

 

As Yō inserted the tenth fragment, she beamed with pride as she puffed her petite chest. 

“I then applied the same riddle solving method of [The PIED PIPER of HAMELIN] for this game. Just like the ‘false legend’ and ‘true legend’, something that can be ‘shattered’ and ‘raised up’. And when talking about the object of ‘the broken fragments of the constellations’ that can be ‘broken, presented’ and relating to the constellations---one can only arrive at the answer that it’s this Celestial globe.” 

“Oh…my goodness, is that true…?!” Leticia gave her heart-felt exclamation upon hearing that. For she did not expect that Yō who had been distressed before the start of the Game to be able to solve the Gift Game hosted by her. 

“That’s really impressive……! You really make me see you in a new light, Yō! No, my master!” 

“That…that way of addressing me doesn’t feel right with me, so please do not call me that……and the reason for me being able to solve this riddle is all thanks to Garol-san, Jack and the others who have chipped in their help. And most importantly, I had followed Izayoi’s lead having seen him in the process of solving of the riddle in [The PIED PIPER of HAMELIN].” 

“That’s not something you should be modest about! Learning from your comrade’s achievements to pave the way to yours, that’s the most ideal way for the Community to progress!” Leticia was in a rare fervour as she showered praises on Yō. 

Yō who always had a lonely shadow about her to be able cooperate with others to solve a Game and acknowledge having learnt from her comrade’s previous success... 

As the oldest member of the Community, there was nothing that could be more heart-warming than that. 

(I’d only thought of them as just some problem children all this time…… but it seems that they are still growing and developing in their own ways……) 

And as Leticia continued to stare at Yō, she leaned back on her throne seeming to have shed her burden from her shoulders as she felt comforted at the thought that the impression which she had on the first meeting with them wasn’t wrong after all. For as long as these three were around, she could safely leave the Community to them. Leticia tilted her head up as she let out a long breath. 

Seeming to be embarrassed by the praises, Yō scratched her head before reaching out with the twelfth fragment. 

“And this is the last piece.” 

“Yahoho! With that, the game will be cleared!” 

Yō nodded her head as she slotted the fragment into the mechanism in the wall. With a sound of *Kazhak* that echoed in the room, it clicked into place before silence greeted them--- 

“……” 

“……” 

“……?” 

But, nothing happened. 

“……………………………………….eh?” 

Yō’s face was pale as blood seemed to drain out of it. Could it be that the reasoning that she had confidently came up with……is incorrect? That’s surely a possibility that she didn’t want to entertain. And just as everyone were tilting their heads and looking at each other in puzzlement, Leticia suddenly broke the silence--- 

“…It’s starting.” 

“Eh?” 

“The Game has resumed! Take the opportunity while I’m still able to hold back the huge dragon to completely clear the winning condition! Otherwise I ……might cause [Underwood]……!” 

 

“---GYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaEEE 

EEEEEEEEEEEYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” 

 

The sound of a dragon’s screech reverberated throughout the Ancient Citadel and lightning forked the skies overcast with thunderclouds, lighting up the room’s interior. 

The huge dragon that had almost destroyed [Underwood] a few days ago had made its reappearance. 

Kirino who had been waiting in the cloisters was out of breath as she ran into the room with terror written all over her face. 

“Every…Everyone! The screech just now…could it be…..” 

“The …the game has really resumed?” 

“But why did it resume? Isn’t it still in the midst of ceasefire? Could it be that the Host has overstepped her……” 

Yō froze up at those words and the others had also held their breaths as they seemed to have reached the same conclusion. 

“……Could it be……that because of my actions of trying to clear the game……that the ceasefire has been forcefully terminated…..? All because of my mistake in reasoning that the dragon has……” 

“No! Yō’s not wrong! It’s precisely because it was the correct answer that the game has resumed!” 

“Eh?” Yō looked at Leticia with a frantic expression. Leticia was similarly shaken but her eyes were still calm as she spoke in a steady voice to try to influence Yō to be calm and rational: 

“Yō, look at me. Your conjecture is surely in the right direction and that’s why the Game has resumed…… Do you get it? It’s because the Game is almost cleared that the ceasefire has come to an end.” 

“Uu…? Eh? But what does that mean?” 

“In other words, you still lack something that would lead you to clear the game completely.” 

Leticia had calmly informed Yō that she was just a step away from clearing the game and Yō had also realised that this wasn’t the time for her to feel depressed as she slapped her cheeks to refocus her thoughts. 

“……Garol-san, may I have another look at the Geass Roll? I might have missed out something just now.” 

“Okay, here.” 

Answering in a short and crisp manner, Garol immediately took out the goatskin parchment. 


 

<<GIFT GAME NAME: “SUN SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT in VAMPIRE KING”>> 

Winning conditions of the Participant: 

*Gather the broken fragments of the constellations, and bring the Circle of Animals to present to the throne. 

*Following the proper procedure and using the Circle of Animals that have been restored to the throne as a guide, strike the heart of the revolutionist who is bounded in chains. 

 “Do you get it?” 

“……” 

No I don’t. Yō silently answered in her heart but she did not dare to say those words. 

The howl of the dragon outside the Citadel intermingled with the peal of thunder and the combined noise shook the entire Ancient Citadel. Although it’s said to be restrained by Leticia, the dragon would still descend to the lands below soon enough. And it was crucial to find the answer quickly, even if it were just a minute or second earlier. Garol’s sturdy arms gripped Yō’s shoulders to encourage her. 

“Don’t worry, calm down and you will eventually solve the riddle. Ojou-chan has the talent to understand the workings of this Game. I can swear that it’s true. So don’t give up now!” 

“Uu……” 

Yō was clenching her teeth so hard that a layer of enamel would have been almost worn off by the force. For if this were to continue, she would be causing harm to her friends on the ground. 

And that fear, pressure and responsibility were weighing upon her. 

By the time that she regained her control, Yō noticed that her hands were sweaty and starting to tremble. 

---I don’t get it……! 

Where did I go wrong? The reasoning of ‘The Circle of Animals’, ‘the broken fragments of the constellations’ and regarding the ‘present to the throne’. 

“Could it be that up till there everything was right? Or was it a small part that was wrong? But if a small portion is wrong, it would mean that all the connected thoughts would crumble and in other words, if everything was right there’s still something more and what could that something be? If I can’t find it quickly, everyone would be in danger and……!” 

“Calm down, Kasukabe Yō! You being like this…… Can you still be called Kasukabe Koumei’s daughter?!” 

“--- ……eh?” 

 

In that moment. 

Yō’s brain momentarily blanked out. 

 

The interpretation of the Game, the current situation, the dragon and everything had been tossed to the back of her mind and her brain was completely a blank sheet of white. 

“……Garol-san?” 

“Yes, I did know your father quite well and I’m not the only one here who knows him well….. am I right, Leticia?” 

Garol turned his head to regard Leticia keenly. 

On the contrary, her expression was that of having received a blow from the news. 

“Kou…Koumei….? You mean that Kasukabe [Shaomei]…that Koumei?” 

“……Is that so? Leticia only knows of the name that he used while he was a sculptor?” 

Garol looked a little sad as he stared at Yō’s eyes as he supported her by the shoulders while chiding: 

“Yō Ojou-chan. Your father was an amazing person. I’ve already lost count on the number of times that he has saved me. And it’s not only me for the person who rescued [Underwood] from the Demon Lord ten years ago is none other than your father.” 

“…..Uso. You must be lying……” 

“I’m not lying! Okay if you have any doubts about my words, you can come to my house to see the portrait of him that hangs in my hall! Your father is a wandering sculptor who likes to wear tattered clothes, laconic and clumsy. When meeting an awkward situation, he would talk in a whisper and is a person who has a perfect and envious stature and appearance of a really handsome man……!” 

Garol described his friend fondly with mixed feelings. 

“And most importantly…… he’s a man who uses his power for his comrades!” 

---“Yō must also treasure her friends”. Her father’s words flashed in her mind. 

“As his daughter, Ojou-chan should not be unable to clear this sort of low standard Game! You will be able to clear this game and save everyone! Kasukabe, find your confidence and bring it out!” 

Garol shook Yō’s shoulders while shouting for her to get a grip of herself. And as his words got through to Yō, she took a deep breath. 

---That was the first. The first time that someone had ever described her father in such a fond way for no one in her former world had ever done so before. And hence she had many questions that sprung to mind for Garol. 

About her father, she wanted to ask for more details on him, wanted to talk and be proud of him. 

But if she wanted to boast of her father----if she wanted to help her comrades, this wasn’t the time for that sort of conversation. 

Lifting her head to look at the skies, she looked to the Geass Roll once more. 

 

<<GIFT GAME NAME: “SUN SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT in VAMPIRE KING”>> 

Winning conditions of the Participant: 

3.*Gather the broken fragments of the constellations, and bring the Circle of Animals to present to the throne. 

Following the proper procedure and using the Circle of Animals that have been restored to the throne as a guide, strike the heart of the revolutionist who is bounded in chains. 

 “……how is it?” 

Yō who was keenly focused in her thoughts did not hear Garol’s question. 

For she was slowly chewing and digesting each and every word in her mind by repeating them a hundred, no , a thousand fold. 

The scrambling of the word sequences, changing the perspective to look at the matter and to link up all the words to form a proper--- 

“---Following the proper procedure …… the Circle of Animals?” 

“……yes?” 

“Proper, Circle of Animals……yes that’s right. It refers to the ‘correct sequence of the zodiacs’!”[47] 

Yō stood up abruptly. 

“And since there’s a ‘correct sequence of the zodiacs’……that also means that ‘there’s a mistake in the original’…… and linking it with the other three clearing conditions…… ‘Zodiac’ or should I say the ‘Twelve zodiacs’…… No, maybe it’s the celestial divisions itself that has been mistaken!” 

Yō retrieved the [Fragments of the Celestial Globe] from the wall to inspect the edges to see if they fit nicely as she placed the fragments of Aeries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio together--- 

“Yō Ojou-chan. How…How is it? “ 

“…… It’s as I thought. The fragments of Scorpio and Sagittarius cannot be fitted together. The number of constellations along the elliptical path of the Sun isn’t twelve but thirteen……” 

The Twelve celestial divisions of the Zodiac had existed since the ancient times. And since this Ancient Citadel served a role of being an observatory satellite, the Vampires should have been able to obtain a more in-depth knowledge of astrology. 

Leticia looked up sharply upon hearing those words. 

Could that be…… The thing referred to as the [The Thirteen Sun]? 

Yō quickly picked up the remaining fragments that were brought by Kirino to piece them together but none of them were fragments that would close the gap between the two constellations. It was a fragment that hasn’t been found. 

Yō stood up and quickly gave orders to the rest. 

“Everyone, get moving and search for the constellation between Scorpio and Sagittarius! If the Outer wall is really constructed with the Celestial globe in mind, then it should lie somewhere in the middle of those two sectors. The last constellation will surely lie there---!” 

“---No it ends here, little girl!” the voice interrupted Yō’s words. 

The windows darkened with the shadow of the enemy before they were violently shattered by the enemy’s entrance. 

Jack who stood guard in the corner immediately assumed a fighting posture by bringing out his lanterns that blazed with the Purgatory flames. 

“It’s my miscalculation……Kasukabe Ojou-chan! Please get away from here!” 

To have allowed the enemy to get this close without sensing the presence, Jack lamented over his inattentiveness summoning the Purgatory Flames from three of his lanterns. Although this was the last reserves of his power, but Jack had immediately recognised that the enemy was a formidable one and had decided to throw all the Purgatory Flames towards the enemy. 

“That’s barely warm enough! You inferior demon!” 

With just a slight waver in the silhouette of the enemy in the flames that crashed towards him in a wave, all the flames were snuffed out accompanied by a ferocious roar of rage. 

“Wha…What?!” Jack spluttered in surprise. 

But the thick strong talons of the enemy got hold of the pumpkin head and shook it before flinging towards the stairs leading to the cloisters. 

“Ja… Jack-san!” 

“Kirino! Don’t! Just run now!” 

Yō was now feeling the pricks of cold sweat as she shouted to Kirino. 

Kirino who felt her legs go jelly sat down before the doorway and being the closest to see the enemy’s full appearance, she gasped in a trembling voice: 

“Black…Black Gryphon?” 

Kirino’s face had paled and sweat had formed on the surface of her forehead. And hovering above her was the Gryphon that was completely black from the feathers of the Eagle’s head to the fur of the Lion’s body. 

But the most impressionable part of him would still be the [Genome Tree] that was carved before his chest and the huge dragon’s horn sprouting from the middle of his forehead. 

Garol had also paled though he stared angrily at the enemy. 

“Gra…Graiya…. You are still alive?!” 

“Well, well, it’s been some time since we last met isn’t it, Garol-dono. Ever since my departure after the ascension ceremony, we haven’t had the chance to meet right?...... but I don’t have the time to converse leisurely today!” 

Graiya spoke loudly to intimidate his audience while flapping his black wings to generate strong wind currents. Garol who had been caught up by one of the gusts had been slammed into the wall behind him and had slid down haplessly. 

“Wuoh!” 

“Let’s say that I will spare you for the last looking on the account of our old times’ sake. But currently, I’ve an important person to take care of first.” 

The Black Gryphon spared another glance towards Garol before darting his eyes back to Kasukabe jubilantly. 

“It sure is a fortunate and happy occasion, Koumei’s daughter. To actually be able to solve the answer of the Game’s riddle to this extent, it sure is expected of you…… I can’t thank the fate of the stars enough for this!” 

“……wha…What?” 

“My name is Graiya Greif! And you who holds the bloodline of the one who managed to defeat my older brother Draco Greif! Let’s put the pride of our bloodlines to the bet and have another rematch---!” 

The black Gryphon gave a majestic roar before charging towards Yō. Yō who narrowly dodged the attack called to the others: 

“Go and search for the thirteenth constellation! This person is only targeting me!” 

“Bu…But, Yō Ojou-chan!” 

“Go now!” 

Yō shouted her last request to them before whipping up a whirlwind to take the fight outside as she noticed that it would be bad to have it in that confined space with the other’s around her. And Graiya had also pursued after her relentlessly. 

The whirlwinds of the Gryphon coupled with the flames of the Dragon Horn. The power of the two had swirled into a vortex that summoned a storm of flames and winds that tossed Yō into the air. 

Yō who managed to regain her footing immediately recognised the difference in power levels. 

Really….Really strong! 

She feared that this might just be the strongest of the opponents whom she had faced till date. 

In that sort of foreboding and fear, Kasukabe Yō had drawn the curtains for the last battle. 

And [SUN SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT in VAMPIRE KING] had entered its final stages. 



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