Strike the Blood - Volume 14 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE 

THE SPEAR AND THE ANGEL 

1 

Demons were denizens of darkness. Many of them loved the night, and so the dark hours of the city were no time for rest. It was after midnight, and a large throng of people could still be seen along a road in Itogami’s Island West. 

Along that road, a woman came to a halt. She had wings on her back, and her cheeks were rosy from intoxication. She looked up at the side of a building, upon which the comely face of a teenage girl was being displayed. 

“Ah, it’s Asagi.” 

Different pedestrians in the area turned their gazes to the building’s big screen all at once. A young man sighed a wistful “ohhh” as if he was in love with the girl on the screen. 

“Who’s that? An actress?” 

“No, no. She’s a local idol. A regular resident of Itogami Island.” 

“I’ve seen her before! She was buying waffles at Thetis Mall.” 

“Was she cute?” 

“Suuuper-cute!” 

The easygoing conversations continued as they gazed at the image of the girl. People all across the city fawned over the girl on the screens. 

All at once, their expressions were suddenly clouded with confusion. Abruptly, the image of the girl on the screen became heavily distorted. The girl’s song had cut off at some point. Within the static-filled, monochrome screen, the girl’s lips seemed to tremble as they struggled to form words. 

“…jou… Sa…” 

What came through the speakers was a simple, mechanically synthesized voice, quietly broadcast to every corner of Itogami Island through the countless electronic devices existing within its shores. 

Even the promotional video looked bizarrely glitched. 

As bewildered looks came over the masses, they stood dumbfounded as they listened to the girl’s words. 

“Kojou… Save…” 

Then the screen suddenly went dark. Someone had cut the transmission short. 

All that remained was the darkness of night and the stirring of the crowds. 

2 

The first thing he could see through his hazy vision was a pair of eyes staring down at him in concern. They were deep, serene blue eyes, reminiscent of an immaculate glacier. 

It was a white, sterile space greatly closely resembling a hospital room. Beautiful silver hair swayed under an artificial white light. 

“Akatsuki, are you awake?” 

As Kojou was lying there, he heard a gentle voice close to his ear. Realizing that the girl was familiar, Kojou gasped and sat up. 

“…Kanase?” 

“Are you all right? You are not in pain anywhere?” asked Kanon Kanase. She was wearing a white gown for some reason. The ephemeral scene made him wonder if he was still dreaming. 

The bed upon which he’d been sleeping was the kind found in hospital examination rooms. Somehow, it also felt like a bed used for autopsies. The room’s walls bore no windows, and as he took in his surroundings, he saw a number of unfamiliar medical instruments. 

Kojou then realized that his entire body was wrapped in bandages. 

“Yeah, somehow. Kanon, were you the one who took care of me?” 

“I-it was no trouble,” she quickly replied—unusually fast for her—and blushed. The unnatural way in which she averted her gaze made Kojou subconsciously follow it. 

“Eh? It was?” 

“I am accustomed to caring for cats, and I have taken some in for castration, so…” 

“R-right…” 

It was then that Kojou realized he wasn’t wearing any clothes. The only thing on him was a thin layer of bandages over his entire body. Beyond that, he was naked. Buck naked. 

The clothes Kojou had originally been wearing were bloodstained, thanks to Meiga, and there was no avoiding stripping them off to apply medical treatment. Even if he did have a vampire primogenitor’s body, recovering after having one’s heart completely destroyed would take time. He didn’t care for being compared to a cat, but if anything, the fact that he’d made Kanon see him like that made him feel downright awful. 

“Where is this? Natsuki’s place? Did Natsuki get me out of Stratum Zero?” Kojou asked in order to change the subject. 

Kanon shook her head and said, “No, Akatsuki. Apparently, you and Yukina were found lying on the beach, around the connecting bridge to Island North.” 

“That’s on the opposite side of the tunnel we used, isn’t it…?” Kojou murmured, perplexed. 

Island North meant a minimum of two kilometers removed from Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero. Of course, neither the wounded Kojou nor Yukina had any requisite endurance remaining to travel that far. He didn’t think Lydianne and company had aided them on their end. Someone had brought the unconscious Kojou and Yukina out of Stratum Zero. And apparently, whoever had done so had not captured the two of them but had left them there—and departed without them. 

“It was Big Sis who found the two of you lying there.” 

“Big Sis?” As Kanon continued her explanation, the creases in Kojou’s brow deepened. “Who?” 

“I do not know her, but she said to call her that. She was very pretty.” 

“…The hell?” 

This person is textbook suspicious, thought Kojou, thoroughly beside himself. Furthermore, she sounded rather brazen. Kojou didn’t know many people who would insist that a middle-school girl they were meeting for the first time call them anything like Big Sis. 

Who the heck is she? he pondered, and in the very next moment, without warning, the door behind Kanon violently burst open from a kick. 

“Kojou Akatsukiiiiiii…!!” 

Swinging a long, silver sword, a tall, slender girl came rushing in, yelling in a shrill voice. Her chestnut ponytail was bouncing wildly. 

“Th-the hell…?! Kirasaka?!” 

Kojou looked back, eyes bulging at the sight of Sayaka in a blind rage. Kanon was so surprised that she was too stiff to even raise her voice. 

Heedless of the white-gowned Kanon, Sayaka glared only at Kojou, lying upon the bed. 

“So this is where you were, Kojou Akatsuki! How could you do such a thing to my precious Yukina—?!” 

“Huh…?!” 

Before Kojou could ask Do what? a silver flash of light rent the air. With Kojou lying on the bed, Sayaka thrust her long sword toward him as she shouted more threats. 

“I’ll kill you!” 

“Uwaagh?!” 

Just barely evading the attack, Kojou yelped as he retreated to a nearby a wall. The blade of the long sword in Sayaka’s grip had deeply impaled the bed Kojou had been resting on a moment prior. 

Sayaka split the bed in two, repositioning her sword as she said, “Don’t run, idiot! You’re the worst!” 

“Wait, calm down! What the hell did I do—? Agh!” 

“Ah…?!” 

As Kojou leaped, the bandages slid right off him. Kojou’s naked body was blatantly exposed before the pair’s eyes. Witnessing this from up close, Kanon stiffened, frozen in place. 

For her part, Sayaka was swinging her sword when her eyes widened, her movements coming to a halt. 

“Wha…?! Wh-why are you showing that to me, Pervogenitor?!” 

“It’s your fault for coming out swinging outta nowhere, dammit!!” 

“Shut up! Be quiet! Turn to ash!” 

Sayaka’s face was beet-red as she flailed her sword about. There was no longer any stance or form to it. Kojou shielded Kanon from the indiscriminate swings as he retreated. 

Finally, wheezing and out of breath, Sayaka wobbled and sank to the floor. “I-it’s because you’re like this that Yukina…that Yukina’s life is all messed up…!” 

Still gripping the hilt of her sword, she raised her voice like a child and began crying. 

Dumbfounded, Kojou watched Sayaka as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her actions, which came off as deranged, left him in a state of utter confusion. 

“K-Kirasaka…?” As tears continued to mar Sayaka’s face, Kojou timidly called out to her. “What happened to Himeragi? Where is she?” 

“Akatsuki, Yukina is in the room next door. But you should put these clothes on first—” 

As Sayaka continued to cry, it was Kanon, finally recovered from her shock, who answered in her stead. Her words reminded Kojou of his current state. 

“A-ah. Right. My bad.” 

Pulling up a blanket to hide his body, Kojou accepted the clothes offered to him: boxers sold at a convenience, a brand-new pair of pants, and a shirt, still wrapped in vinyl. 

“A uniform for our school? Did you get this, Kanase?” 

“I am sorry. Your clothes were all shredded, Akatsuki, so…” Kanon bowed her head in spite of having done nothing wrong. “I am sorry for getting them without your permission.” 

“Don’t be,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s a big help. That bastard Meiga Itogami got me pretty good and all…” 

“Meiga Itogami… He’s a fugitive from the Prison Barrier, isn’t he…?” 

Sayaka still had tears welling in her eyes when she murmured, her voice sounding like an echo from the bottom of the Earth. She glared hatefully toward Kojou with unfocused eyes. 

“Yes… He hurt Yukina, didn’t he…? So did you take his head, Kojou Akatsuki?” 

He grimaced. “No, I didn’t take his head. What is this, the Warring States period?” 

At Stratum Zero of Keystone Gate, with all those sacrifices made, Kojou had still been unable to defeat Meiga. He searched his hazy memories and could faintly recall someone stopping the Beast Vassal that Kojou had unleashed just before it could burn Meiga to cinders. 

It had been an enormous mass of demonic energy rivaling even Kojou’s Beast Vassals. All sight of Meiga vanished during the momentary gap when the lightning lion’s movements were sealed. It was a being controlling demonic energy on par with the Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor—that being had impeded Kojou’s attack and had saved Meiga’s life. Kojou and Yukina being brought out of Stratum Zero and left on the beach was probably this person’s doing, too. 

“More importantly, is Himeragi safe?” Kojou asked Kanon once he finished dressing, shaking his head at the situation. The identity of the interloper tugged at his mind, but there were more pressing matters. 

“Yukina is safe, but…” Kanon kept staring at Kojou as she swallowed the words she was about to say. 

A moment later, someone entered the room, walking over the remnants of the kicked-down door as if there was nothing strange about it at all. 

She was a beautiful elf with light-green hair. Beneath a white cloak, the woman was wearing a white priestess-like outfit that came with a custom, no-slip skirt. Riding upon her shoulder was a beautiful black cat with golden eyes. 

When Kojou looked over at her in surprise, she mischievously narrowed her eyes. 

“Mm-hmm. So you have awoken, Kojou Akatsuki. How is your physical condition?” 

“You’re…Professor Kitty?! Oh, so you’re the one who found us…” Kojou sighed when he realized the true identity of the self-addressed Big Sis mentioned by Kanon. 

Now that he thought about it, of course it had been the Lion King Agency’s Yukari Endou—the woman chasing after Yukina—who had been the first to find them as they were lying on the beach. He could also accept her being brazen enough to call herself Big Sis. 

“I have heard most of the circumstances from Yukina. It seems my bumbling disciples have caused you quite a bit of trouble.” 

Yukari looked from the destroyed bed to the crying Sayaka and bowed her head. 

Kojou, getting an inkling that her unexpectedly admirable conduct was really a way to deflect questions, twisted his lips as he said, “Ah, nah… It wasn’t really any trouble but… I mean, what is this situation? Where the heck am I?” 

Suddenly, a middle-aged man with a shady visage appeared behind Yukari, replying, “This is my laboratory, Fourth Primogenitor.” 

It was a face Kojou recognized, but his presence was even less expected than Yukari’s. 

“You’re…Kanase’s dad…?” Kojou murmured, sounding and appearing utterly dim-witted. 

He belatedly glanced at Kanon, whose cheeks were red as she lowered her eyes, conflicted. This shady-looking man, Kensei Kanase, was the former court sorcerous engineer for the kingdom of Aldegia as well as Kanon’s adoptive father. 

“I pulled a few strings and hired this man to examine Yukina. Thanks to that, I have created a debt to the Aldegian princess that I had not desired to create,” Yukari explained, seeing through Kojou’s confusion. 

“Examine Himeragi?” Kojou’s expression turned grave. He didn’t know and didn’t care to whom Yukari had created that debt, but that she was so set on having Kensei Kanase’s help bothered him. 

Yukari gave a nod rich with implication. “That’s right. At present, this man is the world’s leading expert on Faux-Angel.” 

“Faux-Angel… What?” 

The unexpected phrase threw Kojou for a loop. 

Faux-Angel was a sorcerous ritual passed down in the magically advanced kingdom of Aldegia. It was the forbidden, secret art of spiritually evolving a human being to create an artificial angel. Once upon a time, Kensei Kanase had used that ritual on Kanon, his own daughter. 

“Wait a—‘Examine,’ you said… What does Faux-Angel have to do with Himeragi…?!” 

As Kojou’s lips trembled, Yukari gazed at him rather coolly as she pointed out, “It would seem that something is on your mind, Fourth Primogenitor.” 

Kojou averted his eyes and clenched his fist. He recalled the pure-white beam that Yukina had unleashed at the height of the battle with Meiga Itogami. The bizarre symbols etched in the air, the vast spiritual energy surpassing human limitations—they greatly resembled the power that Kanon had once controlled when she became a Faux-Angel. The purging light had been called spiritual essence at the time. 

“Himeragi…broke Meiga Itogami’s encroachment of Nod… Was that the power of Faux-Angel?” 

“The encroachment of Nod…you say? So that man has mastered Fangzahn to such an extent…” Yukari sighed like she admired him. In response, Kojou shot her a reproachful glare. 

“He said his spear was a discontinued weapon from the Lion King Agency.” 

“Yes. Fangzahn is a divine armament developed by the Lion King Agency. It and the Schneewaltzer are like siblings. However, the black one is a failure.” 

“What’s Meiga Itogami doing with a thing like that?” 

When Yukari made her statement like it had nothing to do with her, Kojou’s dismay was evident as he replied with another question. Having seen Fangzahn’s might for himself, he couldn’t simply accept it being referred to as a failure. 

However, Yukari smiled boldly, seemingly testing Kojou. “I believe you already have a hunch.” 

“…Meiga Itogami is involved with the Lion King Agency.” 

Pained by the thought, Kojou spat out the words. Yukari quietly nodded in affirmation. 

“Correct. He was an Attack Mage dropout hired by the Lion King Agency as a magical researcher—a developer of new divine armaments. However, that applies to when he was an ordinary human being.” 

“Meaning, before he became a jiangshi?” 

Resting his body against the broken bed, Kojou sullenly crossed his arms. 

As a person, Meiga Itogami came off as the soft, intellectual type. Kojou could accept his real identity being that of a researcher. Compared to Yukina, a proper Attack Mage, Meiga’s skills in weapon techniques weren’t any better than that of a regular martial artist. What made him frightening was the immortality of his jiangshi body as well as Fangzahn’s abilities. 

“I do not know the finer details, only that the man died once in an accident during a Fangzahn experiment. When he appeared before the Lion King Agency once more several years later, his body was as it is now. As for whose doing it was, well, I have my guess.” Yukari snorted in irritation. 

“Who?” Kojou spontaneously pressed. 

“Senra Itogami—Meiga’s grandfather.” 

The name made Kojou hold his breath. 

Senra Itogami—it was a name known by every resident of the island. He had been famous worldwide as an authority on sorcerous construction. He was also the person who designed Itogami Island. Certainly, a man like him could have recovered his grandson Meiga’s corpse and revived him as a jiangshi… 

“I heard there was quite a bit of controversy over how to treat Meiga upon his return. But in the end, the Lion King Agency accepted Meiga Itogami’s return to the organization. After all, his revival as a jiangshi did not mean his prior memories had been lost, and his genius for divine armament development was quite impressive, you see.” 

“So you hired a human being who ought to have been dead as a researcher?” 

“If the Lion King Agency didn’t hire demons, I wouldn’t be with them, would I?” 

The elven Yukari received Kojou’s reproachful-sounding words with an unconcerned laugh. 

If they had exceptional abilities, they’d use demons like Yukari or minors like Yukina and others. That was the Lion King Agency’s way. Special government agency or no, he supposed they couldn’t deal with large-scale sorcerous disasters unless they were willing to let the ends justify the means. 

“Of course, that doesn’t mean the terms of employment are the same as for a human being. Meiga was obligated to undergo regular medical checks and counseling, and an observer was assigned to him.” 

“An observer…?” 

That piece of information shook Kojou. He was trying to reconcile his past encounters with Meiga with his own current situation. 

After a brief pause, Yukari replied, “Touka Fujisaka, Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency—wielder of the ancient divine armament once dubbed Snowdrift Wolf.” 

“The first…Snowdrift Wolf, then…?” 

Kojou could hardly choke the question out. Even Sayaka, still sitting on the floor, opened her tear-drenched eyes wide in surprise. There was a divine armament before Yukina’s Schneewaltzer known as Snowdrift Wolf—apparently, that was news even to Sayaka. 

“Touka…? What happened to her?” 

“She is no longer with us. She was most recently dispatched on an emergency mission befitting a Sword Shaman. We never saw her again. It was immediately afterward that Meiga Itogami fell to become a sorcerous criminal. Before Natsuki Minamiya captured him and threw him into the Prison Barrier, he killed thirteen Attack Mages of the Lion King Agency.” 

“Because this Touka woman died, huh?” Kojou let out a heavy, pained sigh. 

Yukari casually shook her head and said, “Though it was not such a simple tale, it became the version on the surface—that Touka Fujisaka was mortally wounded fighting a group of shamans all by herself, dying in the process.” 

“‘…On the surface—? So there’s more to her story…?” 

When Kojou inquired further, Yukari smiled thinly. “Yes. The truth is slightly different. Surely, Touka dying in the line of duty is not enough for Meiga to hate the Lion King Agency so?” 

“Yeah… I guess not,” Kojou agreed. 

If Touka Fujisaka was slain by sorcerous criminals, Meiga’s anger would logically have been directed at the perpetrators. As a reason to become a sorcerous criminal himself, murdering his Lion King Agency cohorts—it just didn’t match up. 

But that only held up if the Lion King Agency was telling the truth. 

“Touka did not die—she evolved.” 

“Evolved…?” 

Yukari’s words, ignoring the prior chain of events, instilled a vague uneasiness within Kojou. 

“A side effect of Snowdrift Wolf: artificial spiritual evolution leading to a shift into a higher-dimensional being… In other words, angelification.” 

With Kojou and the others at a loss for words, Yukari surveyed their expressions before making a particularly blunt statement. 

“Touka became a Faux-Angel…just as Yukina is becoming one now.” 

3 

Meiga Itogami awakened atop moist, magically produced soil. It was commonly known as graveyard soil. 

The rumor that cursed soil granted vampires power was merely an old wives’ tale—but as one of the four great elements, its effectiveness as a sorcerous catalyst was real. Thanks to this, the majority of the wounds Meiga had suffered in his battle with Kojou Akatsuki had already healed. However, it was not Meiga who had provided the soil. 

Meiga slowly sat up, surveying the area without a word. 

He was on the deck of an enormous cruise ship. 

Someone had filled a pool normally reserved for guest use with the catalyst soil. Furthermore, they had also erected a simple barrier around the pool—a barrier that increased the base regeneration speed of undead flesh. The owner of this setup apparently knew the intricacies of the undead well. Without fanfare, Meiga’s black spear had been placed at the side of the pool. 

“I see you are in high spirits, Meiga Itogami. How do you feel upon your awakening…?” 

As Meiga rose to his feet, he heard a beautiful voice mixed with laugher coming from above. 

A young man was standing at the edge of the upper deck. His elegant blond hair danced in the moonlight. 

It was a vampire wearing a pure-white three-piece suit. In his hand rested a glass containing a deep-red liquid. 

“I see. So it was you who intercepted the Fourth Primogenitor’s Beast Vassal at Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero… Dimitrie Vattler, Duke of Ardeal.” 

Meiga, brushing soil off his entire body, strained to produce a smile as he sighed. 

Meiga’s martial artist uniform was singed, and he had lost his beloved pair of glasses. Still, having been attacked by a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor, escaping with no more than that level of damage was nigh miraculous. 

Seizing the momentary opportunity when Fangzahn had been neutralized, Kojou Akatsuki’s summoned lightning lion had attacked—and what had saved Meiga from that attack was an enormous serpentine Beast Vassal with bladed scales covering its entire body. 

If it was a Beast Vassal from Dimitrie Vattler, known as the vampire closest to a Primogenitor himself, even resisting a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor was no great mystery. And so, Vattler had brought Meiga, rendered immobile, out of Stratum Zero. 

“I’m sorry, but I took the liberty of giving you a corpse’s arm to replace the one that the Fourth Primogenitor destroyed. I judged that a jiangshi’s regenerative ability could not repair it, you see,” Vattler said, tossing him a carefree smile. 

“No… I thank you for being so considerate.” 

Meiga courteously bowed his head. A jiangshi, a warped thing to begin with, did not have regenerative ability on par with an Old Guard vampire. He might have been immortal in name, but if his flesh was destroyed, that would be the end for him. There was no way to regenerate lost limbs save stealing the missing components from other corpses and sewing them together. Vattler’s reasoning was spot-on. 

“However, do allow me to ask. Why did you save me? If you are aware of Stratum Zero’s existence, you have realized our true objective, haven’t you?” Meiga inquired suspiciously. 

“The return of The Cleansing, yes? I look forward to it,” Vattler replied without missing a beat. 

Meiga narrowed his eyes in slight annoyance. 

“If the project succeeds, humanity shall gain the means with which to eradicate all demons from this world—even you, and the vampire primogenitors, won’t be able to avoid destruction.” 

“Then I want to see The Cleansing revived all the more.” 

Vattler’s smile was exquisite. Meiga sardonically raised the corners of his own lips. 

“Even if your whim results in the extermination of all demons?” 

“But of course,” said Vattler, ferociously baring his fangs. A somber darkness swayed within his beautiful eyes. “Perhaps you didn’t know… The so-called Old Guard vampires, we’re all bored stiff of this whole eternal life business.” 

Quietly tilting his glass, Vattler trickled the deep-red liquid down his throat. The ghastly aura rising from his entire body was such that even Meiga, whose body purportedly lacked any warmth, shuddered from the chill he felt in his spine. 

“The world facing its demise would be the greatest of amusements remaining to us—wouldn’t you agree, Meiga Itogami?” 

“Then I shall strive to live up to your expectations, Your Excellency. It is the least I can do to repay you for saving this false life.” 

Picking up the black spear at his feet, Meiga made a single, very deep bow. 

Vattler raised one eyebrow. Somehow, his expression registered regret that his conversation with Meiga had come to an end. 

“Going already?” the vampire asked. 

“Yes. There is something left that I must do before becoming an enemy to your kind…” 

Meiga traced a teleportation magic circle in midair. 

Vattler made no attempt to stop him. Watching as the black-clothed young man seemed to fade away, he made an exaggerated, pitying shake of his head. 

“Revenge against the Lion King Agency…? Such a hollow thing. If it is combat you seek, you should make combat itself your objective…a far purer thing. Do you not think so, Tobias, Kira?” 

Vattler murmured to himself as silver mist swayed and hovered behind him. That mist finally increased in density, transforming into the forms of two young men. Tobias Jagan and Kira Lebedev—these were nobles of Europe’s Warlord’s Empire, members of the militant vampire faction and Vattler’s close confidants. 

However, the eyes with which they gazed at their leader were brimming with an air of unconcealable concern. 

“—Are you truly fine with allowing that man to go, Your Excellency?” Tobias asked. The sharp features of his handsome face were reminiscent of a cold blade as he glared bitterly at Itogami Island, illuminated by the moonlight. 

Vattler looked back at him with an unexpectedly calm and collected expression. 

“But of course. Not only dead, but a pathetic puppet controlled according to Senra Itogami’s schemes—an actor suitable for an island of trash constructed of scrap metal and magic. Besides, the power of the Cleansers is said to be able to destroy even a primogenitor. A rather deeply interesting ensemble, is it not? If such a thing is true, I would very much want to obtain it myself.” 

“…That is why you are our esteemed leader.” 

Vattler’s words could be taken as rebellion against the primogenitors. Tobias just made a pained smile of resignation in response. 

Kira touched his right hand to his chest, reverentially lowering his eyes. “We are the same. We only feel alive in the middle of conflict. Even if half the world is reduced to ash, we shall accompany Your Excellency in your sport until the very end.” 

“This is nothing so grandiose, merely a sideshow before the banquet.” 

Vattler raised his glass up to the moonlight, swirling the red liquid as a sinister smile played over his lips. 

“Now, my beloved Fourth Primogenitor. The time is nigh. This twisted land, that pitiful doll, and the fake angel shall all be your playthings.” 

4 

The first thing Kojou felt was not surprise, but suspicion. Was everyone playing some kind of elaborate practical joke on him? He could not help feeling wary. 

The bewilderment filling him, half of which was an effort to escape from reality, finally turned into rage. 

“Himeragi’s becoming a Faux-Angel… What the hell do you mean by that?!” 

Kojou closed the distance with Yukari, violently grasping her shirt. Seeing this, Sayaka’s expression stiffened in fear, but Yukari made no special effort to resist him, coolly looking up at him instead. 

“You have seen it, too, have you not? Yukina using the Faux-Angel power to save you…” 

“Ugh…” 

“There must have been some indication beforehand, though asking a non-Attack Mage such as yourself to notice them would be quite unreasonable. That girl surely advanced along the road to angelification as she drew on spiritual energy beyond her limits.” 

Yukari betrayed no emotion in the casual tone with which she continued her explanation. 

Kojou, largely having been brushed off, pulled his hand away from Yukari’s collar and said, “What happened—to the ritual?” 

“Ritual?” asked Yukari, knitting her brows, unsure of what he was asking. 

“Didn’t it take a big sloppy ritual involving candidates killing one another to make a Faux-Angel?!” Kojou shouted, his voice going raw. It made Kanon shudder. 

The plan to mass-produce Faux-Angels as executed by Kensei Kanase involved a number of girls engaging in mortal combat, even inflicting heavy damage on Itogami Island’s urban areas. The candidates participating in that combat included Kanon herself—Kensei’s daughter. 

It was he who replied to Kojou’s misgivings: 

“That was because forcing the human body to become an angel requires a vast quantity of high-power spiritual cores.” Displaying neither pride nor remorse toward his own crime, he solemnly stated the facts, continuing, “It takes the spiritual core circuits of seven people, enhanced to the highest limit of what the human body can endure—and by transplanting all of them into a single human body, a complete Faux-Angel is finally born.” 

“Then what gives with Himeragi?! There’s no way she’s stolen even a single person’s spiritual core in all this time!” 

Kensei wordlessly nodded, then proceeded to rebut him. “But…she had the Schneewaltzer.” 

“Himeragi’s…spear…?” 

“The Divine Oscillation Effect created by the Schneewaltzer is one and the same as the divine essence controlled by a Faux-Angel. One might call her weapon, which draws upon her spiritual energy and converts it to divine essence, a mock spiritual core—and an exceptionally high-output spiritual energy circuit at that. Of course it would have an effect upon her body.” 

“That’s the side effect of Snowdrift Wolf—?” 

Kojou’s expression twisted in anger as he glared at Yukari once more. 

Snowdrift Wolf and a Faux-Angel each controlled the very same power—Kojou knew that for himself. After all, he’d seen Yukina’s spear and the attacks of Kanon as a Faux-Angel offset each other multiple times, up close and personal. 

“What the hell’s with that?! Are you just fooling around?! Why did you Lion King Agency people give Himeragi that spear to use?! Dammit—!” 

“Only a precious few compatible people can employ Snowdrift Wolf. The reason an inexperienced Sword Shaman like Yukina was selected to be your observer was because she possessed exceptionally high compatibility with that spear,” Yukari answered. 

She closed her eyes before continuing. She shook her head, as if anguished slightly. “But thanks to that, the girl’s angelification has advanced far faster than the Lion King Agency expected. The current incident came as a complete surprise, even to us.” 

“…What’s gonna happen to Himeragi?” Kojou asked, holding back his frustration. Blaming Yukari and the others was meaningless at that point. Even Kojou understood this, but that didn’t mean he could completely divorce himself from his feelings. 

Kensei explained in Yukari’s place: 

“If in a state without the spear active, her Faux-Angel awakening rate will be between Stage Two and Stage Three—a level that poses no hindrance to everyday life.” 

Kojou let out a sigh of relief. He couldn’t comprehend what was meant by those stages, but when he thought of Kanon’s prior angelification, it didn’t seem to be any great problem. 

“It’s not like Himeragi’s going to just vanish all of a sudden, right?” 

“The possibility is extremely low,” replied Kensei in a manner very much like a sorcerous engineer. 

“However, should she employ the Schneewaltzer—her awakening rate shall surpass Stage Five. It is easiest if I say that it would be like when you engaged Kanon in combat. If she expends a large amount of spiritual energy in that state, angelification shall likely accelerate all at once.” 

“Wha…?” 

The color drained from Kojou’s cheeks. Sayaka, perhaps having expected Kensei’s answer, remained unresponsive as she listened to the discussion. 

Yukari made a weary-looking smile and shook her head. “It would no doubt be best if she stayed far from ritual spells that amplify spiritual power, such as the Spirit Archery that I employ, to say nothing of divine armaments such as Der Freischötz and the Ricercare. It is simply out of the question.” 

“Wait a… Then Himeragi…” 

“She will never recover…as a Sword Shaman, at least.” 

Yukari’s declaration was blunt. Kojou bit his lip. Yet, he had the odd sense of things falling into place. He could understand why Sayaka had lost her cool to that extent and why her anger had been so intense. 

From dawn to dusk, Yukina had undergone rigorous training from a young age for the sole purpose of becoming a Sword Shaman. Now her power as a Sword Shaman had been taken from her. Kojou could vaguely imagine just how cruel such a thing was. So, too, could he understand how to Sayaka, who grew up together with Yukina, it felt like half her body had been ripped away. 

“It is nothing that need pain your thoughts, Fourth Primogenitor. This is my responsibility as her master.” 

Yukari made a frail, self-deprecating smile. She stroked the back of the cat she held close to her. 

“Does Himeragi know about—?” Kojou began to ask when Yukari, albeit a little conflicted, interrupted him, drawing her shoulders inward. 

“That girl shall hear it from my lips when she awakens. Therefore, Fourth Primogenitor—may I ask you to retire for now? Yukina would not wish for you to see her in a depressed state.” 

“You’re saying to leave Himeragi here and go home?” He shot a cold stare Yukari’s way. 

“The Schneewaltzers are the Lion King Agency’s secret weapons, you see. By rights, they are not things to be spoken of to outsiders. Me relaying this classified information to you was to serve as an act of good faith.” 

Then Yukari shot Sayaka, fresh from bawling her eyes out, a sullen glare as she declared, “I will assign Sayaka to you until the next observer has been decided. Play nice, won’t you?” 

Sayaka’s head shot up in surprise as she quietly murmured, “Huh? Me?” Kojou grumbled a “Seriously?” as he stared down at her. After all, she had tried to kill him just a short while ago. 

Sayaka’s and Kojou’s gazes pulled toward each other, and when they met, they sighed simultaneously. 

““Give me a break,”” the deflated pair groaned as Kanon anxiously watched the sides of their faces. 

5 

Kensei Kanase’s laboratory had been located in the lowest underground stratum of Island North. The place most closely resembled a prison cut off from the outside world. As the mastermind behind the Faux-Angel incident, he was under strict watch as a sorcerous criminal to this day. 

At the entrance to the lab, Sayaka flashed her Attack Mage license to the guards. As she did so, she dragged Kojou along with her while leaving the isolated district. 

From there, not a word was exchanged between the pair until they returned to the surface. She’d tried to kill him. He’d seen her crying face. Both found the situation too awkward for words. 

That is, until they left the underground road, and Sayaka murmured, “Ever since…” 

At some point, night had apparently given way to dawn. The needlessly intense tropical belt’s early morning sun brightly illuminated the buildings of the district. 

“Ever since I met Yukina for the first time, I’ve thought of her as an angel. She was cute, serious, kind, pretty… I never dreamed she’d turn into a real angel.” 

Sayaka laughed in a dry voice. Perhaps that was her way of trying to make peace, but put bluntly, Kojou wasn’t laughing. It was painful to see Sayaka forcing herself to put up a strong front. 

“Not like Himeragi’s much of an angel, y’know,” he retorted, sounding like a sulking child. 

Over the course of the last half year, Kojou had been with Yukina on a near-daily basis, but he’d never felt anything from her that could be considered even remotely angelic. 

“She broods, she does all this reckless stuff, she’s scared of planes, she likes mayonnaise way too much, and she’s obsessed with this weird cat mascot…” 

“That’s what’s cute about her… Yukina really must be an angel.” 

When Kojou levied his complaints without hesitation, Sayaka blatantly ignored him as she delivered that absentminded comeback. That doting behavior was just like her. Kojou genuinely admired Sayaka’s unwavering love. 

“Man, nothin’ phases you when you’ve got Yukina on the brain. I kinda respect that.” 

“N-not that I particularly want respect coming from you—ah, more importantly, Kojou Akatsuki, don’t you think things through at all? If Yukina stops being a Sword Shaman, you might never meet her again for all you know.” 

“Wouldn’t that be convenient from your point of view…?” Kojou pointed out with an air of annoyance. 

Don’t get close to my Yukina! was the sort of complaint Sayaka normally leveled to such an extent that having her suddenly act worried about him made it hard to react. 

Perhaps aware of that inconsistency, Sayaka said, her voice high-pitched from a bit of nervousness, “Eh? Ah……well, that’s true, but—I mean, my Yukina’s purity mustn’t be sullied by you any further!” 

“I haven’t sullied it! And don’t say easy-to-misunderstand stuff like that so loud!” Kojou shouted, conscious of nearby gazes. It was early in the morning on Island North, which had rows of corporate and university laboratories. The sidewalks for people heading to work and school did have a few pedestrians. Even so, Kojou and Sayaka stood out in the area because of their high school outfits. 

“Anyway, Himeragi’s just an ordinary human being, so living life with normal happiness is a hell of a lot better than turning into a Faux-Angel and vanishing—or some stupid thing like that,” Kojou murmured, almost as if saying it for his own benefit. If it meant Yukina wouldn’t vanish, he’d decided that never seeing her again would be worth it. In the first place, Kojou and Yukina were not technically friends. They were merely a vampire that was a target for observation and a watcher dispatched by the government to observe him. 

Sayaka, staring at Kojou as he tried to accept reality in that fashion, haltingly asked, “What is normal happiness?” 

“Huh?” 

“We were groomed to become Attack Mages ever since we were little kids. At this point, even if you told me to live a normal, happy life, I would have no idea what to do with myself.” 

“It’s not like she’ll be kicked out of the Lion King Agency just ’cause she can’t continue as a Sword Shaman, right?” Kojou asked. Still, he couldn’t shake his unease. 

Yukina was a serious person with a good head on her shoulders. Even if she couldn’t be combat personnel, there had to be any number of jobs she could do. Plus, there was no way the Lion King Agency would let go of a girl with enough spiritual power to turn her into a Faux-Angel. 

“Well, that’s true, but…” 

Sayaka paused awkwardly. Then she turned straight to Kojou with a serious expression and stated, “There was a do-it-yourself spiritual energy testing kit in Yukina’s room.” 

“Spiritual energy testing kit?” 

“She knew beforehand that…in the near future, she wouldn’t be able to be a Sword Shaman anymore…,” Sayaka murmured. 

Kojou felt like his heart had skipped a beat. He, too, had realized Yukina had been in an odd state for a while. And yet, Kojou had not thought deeply about why that was. 

“Why’d she keep quiet to me about it? She actually knew why Professor Kitty wanted to meet with her, didn’t she?” 

“No doubt she ran because she knew. She wanted to save Asagi Aiba before being sent back to High God Forest.” 

“Even though she might vanish as a result of that? Why would she…?” 

Kojou recalled the exchange he’d had with Yukina on the way to Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero. She’d said there was nothing wrong with her body—Yukina had been dead set on going with Kojou, even though she was obviously lying about her state. He didn’t understand the reason why. Surely she had no reason to save Asagi if it meant risking her own annihilation. 

However, Sayaka seemed to understand how Yukina felt. She turned to Kojou with a gaze that had just a hint of envy in it. “To her, that is normal happiness—” 

Suddenly, Sayaka gasped and came back to her senses. With Kojou standing still in bewilderment, she stomped on his foot with complete abandon. 

“Forget I said anything! And die, you idiot!” 

“The hell are you suddenly getting pissed off for?!” Kojou screeched, teary-eyed from having the heel of a shoe stomping the top of his foot. 

Perhaps satisfied at seeing Kojou in such a pathetic state, Sayaka sunnily straightened her back. Blatantly thrusting out her chest, she spoke in a condescending manner. 

“Well, for all those reasons, I’m going to help you rescue Asagi Aiba.” 

“You are, Kirasaka…?” 

Seeing the surprise on Kojou’s face, Sayaka hurriedly averted her gaze. “N-not for your or Asagi Aiba’s sakes, but for Yukina!” 

“Oh, uh, well, that’s a huge help and all…” 

Taking in the real reason for Sayaka’s sudden offer of cooperation, Kojou let out a sigh of befuddlement. It was then that a tiny figure rushed closer, heading in the pair’s direction. 

It was a girl wearing a very finely made elementary school uniform. Its defining feature was the adorable beret she wore over her red hair. Running through a crosswalk, the girl made a big wave of her hand toward Kojou and Sayaka as she called out: 

“Sir Boyfriend! Sir Boyfriend, is it not?!” 

For some reason, she spoke in an exaggerated tone, like something out of a period drama. 

“Who?” Sayaka grumbled as she glared at Kojou. You’ve even laid your hands on little girls…? spoke her suspicious gaze. 

“…Who are you?” asked Kojou, wariness on his face as he stared at the girl. 

“It is I, Lydianne Didier! Sir Boyfriend, art thou suffering from amnesia?” she asked, lifting her head indignantly. 

That was when the girl and Kojou’s memories finally gelled. When he’d first made her acquaintance, she had been dressed in some funky outfit; he didn’t recognize her in proper clothing. 

“Ah…you, huh? That’s right, you’re in elementary school, aren’t you?” 

“Indeed. I dost attend Tensou Academy’s elementary school.” 

Lydianne was a bit proud of herself as she displayed her uniform from the famed school. 

When he thought about it, he hadn’t spoken to the girl since they’d infiltrated Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero. Judging from the nervous way she had come running, maybe she’d been searching for him ever since she lost contact with him after his fight with Meiga. 

“Sorry. There’s no way I could have gotten in touch since that bastard Meiga Itogami busted up my smartphone. I must’ve made you worry.” 

“’Tis nothing, ’tis nothing,” Lydianne casually replied as Kojou deeply bowed his head. Then, she abruptly locked eyes on Sayaka, standing at his side, when she asked, “Oh my? Thou art Lady Shamanic War Dancer, art thou not?” 

“What, you know her?” said Kojou, checking with Sayaka without thinking. 

“We met…a while back. This is the first time I’ve seen her outside of that tank… Wait, you mean you talk like that normally…?” 

“Indeed. A warrior speaketh not with a forked tongue.” 

Sayaka’s exasperation was met with an unapologetic reply. One, you’re not a warrior. Two, you’re using that line wrong, Kojou thought in a half-hearted jab. 

“What about Iblisveil?” Kojou asked, getting back to the matter at hand. 

“That young liege took his leave last night, having secured my safety.” 

Lydianne touched the watch on her wrist with her hand as she spoke thusly. 

That instant, a tank the size of a car swayed as it emerged behind her back. Apparently, it had been using ritual spell camouflage to remain out of sight. The basic silhouette was the same, but there were minor design differences between it and the machine that had been destroyed the night before. 

“So a spare tank got you here, huh?” 

Do you normally bring a tank around with you like that? Kojou grimaced with a heavy sigh. Seeing that she had obtained a new tank, Iblisveil must have decided Lydianne required no further protection. 

“May I introduce you to Hizamaru II. ’Tis the drills equipped for close combat that art this machine’s pride and joy.” 

Lydianne proudly pointed to the drills that had been attached to the tank’s forelegs. To be blunt, Kojou wasn’t sure how effective the odd design would be in actual combat. 

“O-okay. I think it looks cool. But that’s just me… Er, more importantly, Lydianne, what gives with Stratum Zero? There wasn’t a single girl there, let alone Asagi.” 

“My investigation was insufficient. There is no excuse.” 

Kojou’s forced change of topic made Lydianne bow her head immediately. The information that Asagi was confined in that place had indeed been inadequate. 

“However, I can plainly state that I have solved the mystery of Stratum Zero. Stratum Zero is no mere floor of Keystone Gate. In truth, this place doth be a hidden submarine base.” 

“Submarine base…?” 

Kojou’s expression went blank as he stood still. 

Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero: a chamber referring neither to the surface nor underground. No, it was the point where the artificial isle was zero meters above sea level—the same height as the surface of the sea. 

The mysterious chamber was ringed by a stout wall that could resist water pressure. Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero was a place where repair and resupply could be conducted on a submarine, thus fulfilling the conditions to be a base. 

“Then you’re saying Asagi Aiba’s location is—” 

With Kojou gawking, Sayaka questioned Lydianne in his place. 

Lydianne gravely nodded, shifting her gaze toward her own feet. 

“Indeed. In truth, the C within which Lady Empress is confined is the submarine housed within Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero. In other words, Lady Empress’s current location dost be the bottom of the sea underneath Itogami Island—at a point four hundred meters deep.” 

6 

The yellowish-brown soup filling the porcelain bowl gave off a particular aroma. With a ladle, she carefully skimmed that soup, gently pouring it into her mouth so she could taste it. 

“Mmm, delicious…!!” Letting the soup roll over her tongue, Asagi Aiba murmured to herself, quite content. 

She wore her school uniform cutely askew and had fallen in love with an extravagant hairstyle. It was trendy high school chic fashion that had nothing to do with her role as a local idol. 

“Menya Itogami’s thick seafood soup really is the best. The meat’s so fresh and extra spicy, too…” 

Her audible slurping of this ramen did not impart a vulgar image because she was the product of fine upbringing, unaware of her behavior. Neatly polishing off the noodles and toppings, she drank the last of the soup to the final drop and said “What a feast,” bringing her hands together. 

That instant, the ramen bowl in front of Asagi transformed into glittering particles and vanished. 

In its place, the latest issue of a fashion magazine appeared in her hands. Summoning her favorite sofa and cushions out of thin air, Asagi rested upon it in a slovenly posture. 

“Mm, this skirt from Best Answers is kinda cute. The panties here aren’t bad, either, but that color is a problem. Could pick a safe monotone one, or even an animal print… Hey, Mogwai. What do you think?” 

Waving her bare feet about, Asagi called out to her partner AI. However, the sarcastic voice she would normally be hearing made no reply. 

“…Mogwai?” 

Asagi stopped flipping through the magazine as her face abruptly turned serious. She slowly rose to her feet. 

That instant, the magazine, the sofa, and the cushions vanished from Asagi’s sight. The only things remaining were the eternal darkness that spread on and on, and binary data that blinked in and out like countless stars. 

This world where only light and darkness existed was a virtual reality created from the five supercomputers that controlled Itogami Island and Asagi’s own mind—in other words, cyberspace. 

However, unlike normal cyberspace, this world was imbued with a distinctly magical nature. 

By installing the information preserved in Cain’s Coffin into Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero, the island’s internal computer network acquired the functionality of a magical barrier. And now that this Cyber Barrier had pulled the flesh and blood of its current administrator, Asagi, inside of it, she was shut inside that barrier. 

Because her physical body had been made into one of the parts maintaining that Cyber Barrier, Asagi could not leave. As far as physics went, she was in the same condition as Natsuki Minamiya, who had been absorbed into the Prison Barrier. In other words, this Cyber Barrier was a dream created from Asagi’s mind. It was a dangerous dream, one imprisoning Asagi’s physical body and even able to affect the real world. 

Natsuki was able to remotely control a clone of herself created by magic and freely move it around, even in the real world. However, Asagi could not do anything similar. The most she could manage was to wedge herself into real-world networks and seek Kojou’s aid. 

On the other side of the coin, Asagi could act freely inside the Cyber Barrier like some kind of god. She could bring any food or magazine to herself that she pleased. Creating her favorite pieces of furniture was trivial. All she had to do was imagine it, and she could change her makeup, clothes, and hairstyle as she pleased, but that was pretty much it. 

“Aaah. Figures, but I’m just sick of this. Having everything go according to my thoughts is way more boring than I expected— Hey, that goes the same for you, doesn’t it?” 

Speaking aloud, Asagi slowly surveyed the area. Then she called out into the darkness seemingly devoid of any other life. 

After a momentary lag, apparently from bewilderment, a young girl’s voice reverberated. It was a raspy voice mixed with static, like from an old vinyl record. 

“So clever, Cyber Empress—you have already mastered the sandbox, it would seem.” 

Particles of light coalesced, and another girl appeared. 

It was a beautiful girl Asagi did not know. She had lustrous black hair, but her race and nationality were unclear; she looked like she could be from any country, from any era—she was simply mysterious. 

“Oh, cut that out. Even you’re gonna call me by that embarrassing nickname? Ugh…” 

Asagi inquired with the sort of tone you used when asking an old friend. The girl’s lips trembled. Apparently, she had intended to smile. 

“Then please cease to address me as High Priestess. That would make us even.” 

“I don’t exactly mind if you just call me by my actual name…” 

Asagi twisted her lips. The black-haired girl stared expressionlessly at her with large eyes. 

“You already understand all this, do you not, Asagi Aiba?” 

“Since I’ve been shown the contents of the Coffin, well, yeah.” 

Asagi smiled listlessly as her shoulders sank. The information inside the Coffin really meant the memory of Cain, the Sinful God. Accordingly, Asagi was not afraid of the black-haired girl. Asagi already knew—the reason she could intrude into the Cyber Prison where no one other than herself could presumably exist. So, too, did she know the girl’s true identity. 

“Are you fine knowing the truth of this world?” the black-haired girl inquired, seemingly scolding Asagi for being able to smile. Asagi stuck her tongue out a bit and said: 

“Hey, I’ve been living in this world since the day I was born. Telling me to worry about it now is kinda pointless. I was raised in a Demon Sanctuary, after all.” 

“Even knowing one exists, who would use that Demon Sanctuary in an attempt to destroy the world?” 

“Got a point there,” said Asagi, making a show of sinking into thought for a moment. “That does kind of get under my skin.” 

“Then would you care to make a deal with me?” 

Moving only her lips, the black-haired girl gave a thin smile. 

“A deal?” 

“I have the ability to liberate you from this place…from this world of eternal solitude.” 

“You mean put yourself here in my place,” said Asagi, exhaling in visible displeasure. “So? What do you want out of it, High Priestess?” 

“This curse…” 

The girl’s reply was quick. Her long black hair swayed as it floated up within the abyss. 

“This eternal, accursed stigma for wielding the Sinful God’s power—” 

“Um, okay then…” Asagi shook her head in exasperation. 

In a sense, it was the reply she had expected. That was what disappointed her. 

“Unfortunately, no deal, High Priestess,” she declared. 

“Why? Do you not wish to return to the outside world?” 

“That’s certainly an attractive offer, but what meaning does revenge have if you don’t enact it yourself?” Asagi waved her index finger in a theatrical tut-tut gesture. “Besides, do you know the saying—a cursed person falls into two pits? If you obsess over something like a stupid curse, it’ll only bring you misfortune.” 

“Misfortune…you say?” the black-haired girl murmured before releasing a long, quiet sigh. 

The girl was wearing a crude robe resembling bandages wrapped over her entire body. She pulled at them, unraveling them, and they fell to her feet. Her nude body stood exposed within the darkness. 

“Does a greater misfortune than this appearance exist?” 

“High Priestess… You…!” 

She had a beautiful physique, perfectly symmetrical. However, her body was riddled with deep cavities that looked like puncture wounds; her body seemed as if it had been torn asunder and then forcibly reassembled. 

“I pity you, abominable priestess of the Sinful God. I shall paint the colors of my eternal resentment and lament upon you. Know the curse of my blood!” 

Darkness trickled from the black-haired girl and dyed the inside of the Cyber Barrier pitch-black. The effect looked much like a computer network being infected by a virus. 

Asagi’s body, hovering in the Cyber Barrier, was encroached upon and swallowed by the darkness—then vanished. 

All that was left was a laughing voice—the crazed laughter of a girl lusting for revenge. 

7 

After checking to make sure the silver spear was still inside, Yukina clicked the fastener of her guitar case shut. 

She was in a small lab room outfitted as a hospital room, and she was alone. Falsely claiming that she was not feeling well, she had chased Kensei Kanase and the others out of the room. 

As Yukina wore a hospital gown, silver-colored butterflies were resting upon her hair. These were shikigami butterflies Yukina had created with a ritual spell. With them, she had overheard the entire conversation. 

Including Meiga Itogami’s past and her own angelification… 

“Yukina.” 

Surveying the area, seemingly to evade prying eyes, Kanon entered the room. She was clutching Yukina’s neatly folded school uniform to her chest. 

“I…washed your uniform. Also, these—they’re mine, but you can use them if you don’t mind.” 

Kanon handed her a fresh pair of underwear and shoes. It was somewhat embarrassing, but in that moment, Yukina could not be more grateful for her consideration. Having been repeatedly exposed to sea breezes, rain, and constant combat with Yukari and Meiga, Yukina’s own underwear was in tatters. 

“Sorry for all the trouble…” 

Yukina thanked Kanon as she changed into the new garments. 

It was Yukina who had forcefully asked a reluctant Kanon to smuggle in Snowdrift Wolf and a change of clothes. She knew that her request was a selfish one, but Yukina had been certain from the start that Kanon would aid in her escape. If Kanon’s and Yukina’s positions were reversed, Kanon would surely make the same decision—and Yukina knew that. 

She would save Kojou, even if it was at the cost of her own existence. That was Yukina’s decision. 

“I’m the one who’s— Sorry. You’re the one who saved me when I was turning into a Faux-Angel, Yukina, yet…” 

Kanon clasped her hands together before her chest, about to break into tears. 

Now that it was Yukina who was turning into a Faux-Angel, Kanon was powerless to save her—such was her lament. 

“Kano, you have nothing to apologize for. Besides, it was Akatsuki-senpai who saved you back then. No, not just then, he’s always—” 

Yukina shook her head with a pained, gentle smile. 

In the span of half a year since Yukina had begun observing him, Kojou had always been saving someone. Sometimes it was the people of Itogami Island, sometimes his little sister and classmates of hers, sometimes Kanon, and sometimes even Yukina herself— 

Possessing the power of the World’s Mightiest Vampire, he was always using it for someone else. 

That was why Yukina had to save him now. 

Why? She didn’t need to even think about the reason. Yukina was his observer. 

“Let me ask but one thing of you,” Kanon said when Yukina had finished changing clothes and hoisted her guitar case over her back. 

“Hmm?” 

Yukina turned to her in surprise; she thought it was very unlike Kanon to voice a request at a time like this. 

Kanon took Yukina’s hand and whispered, “Come back to us, Yukina.” 

Without a word, Yukina looked back at the tears gathering in Kanon’s eyes. She could not lie to Kanon. She could make no promises. Therefore, Yukina tried her hardest to think of something to say, settling upon but one word. 

“Thanks.” 

Immediately afterward, Yukina Himeragi headed out of the laboratory. 

However isolated from the outside world Kensei Kanase’s lab might be, it was not guarded well enough to stop a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency—let alone Yukina, who wielded a Schneewaltzer that could rend any barrier. 

With a sulky expression, Yukari Endou, chin resting on her palm, watched through a monitor as Yukina disabled the security and made her escape with ease. 

With a somber expression, Kensei called out to her as he sipped on his coffee. “Are you fine with letting her go like this?” 

“This is what she’s decided. She can do as she pleases,” Yukari scoffed. Her light-green eyes remained half-shut. 

However, behind her sulky voice, a soft smile came over her lips. 

“We elves live so long that we might as well have no lifespan at all, but the hearts of many of us are already dead, with bodies left to their own devices like ancient corpses. Between our way of living and that girl’s chosen path, who’s to say who is happier— What is so funny?” 

Noticing the pained smile coming over Kensei, Yukari lifted her head in obvious displeasure. 

Kensei’s expression returned to its original sullenness. “It’s nothing important,” he said. “I remembered what the Fourth Primogenitor said to me previously. Namely—do not decide on your own what happiness is for your daughter nor force it upon her.” 

“That boy really speaks however he pleases. He does not know how hard things are for those who live as long as we do. Tch,” Yukari grumbled bitterly. 

The black cat familiar atop her lap made a purr that seemed like a laugh. “Damn you, Fourth Primogenitor,” she murmured, distinctly irritated. “If anything happens to my adorable disciple, I shall see to it that he suffers a fate far worse than death.” 

“Agreed. In preparation for if that man might make my daughter cry, I completed a vile anti-primogenitor curse. Are you interested?” 

Kensei spoke in a completely sober tone. She could not judge whether he meant it. 

Yukari burst out with visible delight, “Oh, by all means, show me. When it comes to the suffering of immortal nuisances, I believe I can offer a few words of useful advice.” 

“I see. I imagine that shall be quite informative.” The former court sorcerous engineer of the kingdom of Aldegia gave a weighty nod. 

“Ha-ha,” Yukari laughed. Afterward, she slowly opened her right hand. In her palm was a tiny silver ring. 

“If possible, I had hoped to avoid using this…” 

The whisper Yukari wove like a prayer silently melted away in the darkness below the artificial isle. 

8 

Clad in an extravagant dress, the witch’s raw displeasure was palpable. 

She was a small-statured federal Attack Mage with a childlike face—Natsuki Minamiya, the Witch of the Void. 

“Calling me over with a single phone call like I’m some pizza delivery service… You really think you’re hot stuff, huh, Ponytail of the Lion King Agency? And you, Kojou Akatsuki—” 

“Ah… Um… Th-that’s… Wait a— Cut that…” 

Looking ready to break into tears, Sayaka desperately resisted being dragged along by her ponytail. 

They were in front of an event venue near the back entrance to Keystone Gate. Since Sayaka had erected a person-repelling barrier, there was no sight of pedestrians in the surrounding area. Directly below the venue was the chamber known as Stratum Zero. If Lydianne’s deduction was correct, Asagi was confined in a submarine submerged in the sea farther below. 

“Hold on, Natsuki. You have every right to be angry, but the circumstances here— Ow!” 

When Kojou opened his mouth to cover for Sayaka, he suddenly reeled backward, letting out a cry. He had sustained a ferocious blow to the forehead from the tip of the fan Natsuki held in her hand. 

“Don’t call your homeroom teacher by her first name…especially now, when I’m in a particularly sour mood.” 

“Strict corporal punishment is totally messed up in this day and age… Dammit…” 

As Natsuki gave him a pitying look, Kojou glared back with teary eyes, shaking his head a bit. 

Natsuki snorted as she finally released Sayaka. 

“As for why you’ve summoned me here, does it have to do with the little girl who has the airs of an entertainer?” 

“Yeah… It’s not so much that she’s tryin’ to perform. It’s that she’s not the real Asagi…” 

“A forgery created with CGI? Sounds about right.” 

“Wait, you noticed?” 

Natsuki’s calm reply astonished Kojou. 

“The genuine Asagi is more charming than this, after all.” 

Natsuki made the chilly statement as she gazed at a poster of Asagi plastered over the side of a building. Her tone was as haughty as usual, but somehow, Kojou sensed affection for her pupil in her voice. 

“Lady Instructor, dost thou know the location of the genuine Lady Empress?” 

Poking only her head out of the robot tank, Lydianne addressed Natsuki. The fact that she’d called Natsuki instructor reflected the formal side of her typically eccentric personality. Having seen Kojou get smacked in the forehead, she had apparently learned from his mistakes. 

Natsuki must not have minded it, for her gaze went from cruel to gentle as she shifted it Lydianne’s way and said, “Keystone Gate’s Stratum Zero—Cain’s Coffin, yes?” 

“You knew about it?” Kojou asked, surprised. 

“Of course. I am her homeroom teacher.” Natsuki proudly raised her chin. “And the present location of the Coffin?” 

“The bottom of the sea directly below Itogami Island—a depth of some four hundred meters. Currently, I hath dispatched an underwater drone to determineth a more exact location, but…” Lydianne glanced at her cockpit instruments. 

Natsuki, unamused, twisted her lips and said, “And? Are you telling me to bring her out?” 

“I couldn’t think of anyone else I could ask. It ain’t a depth people can dive to.” Kojou frowned in chagrin. 

“Indeed,” said Lydianne in agreement, adding, “I hath heard that Sir Boyfriend doth not know how to swim…” 

“Even if I could, you can’t normally dive four hundred meters down, sheesh!” he retorted, angry without realizing it. “I thought of a way to use my Beast Vassals in a worst-case scenario, but that doesn’t exactly sound like bringing Asagi back safe and sound. Though, with Natsuki’s teleports—” 

Natsuki gazed at Kojou and the others with the unmoved eyes of a doll as they continued their attempts at persuading her. Then she made a very deep sigh, as if genuinely disappointed. 

“Goodness. I had heard Shamanic War Dancers of the Lion King Agency were experts in curses and assassinations—clearly the rumors were exaggerated.” 

“H-huh?!” 

Sayaka’s eyes snapped wide at the insult levied at her title with pinpoint accuracy. Natsuki shot her an expression of contempt as she continued. 

“Did you seriously think that with something as crucial as the Coffin, the device at the core of reviving the Sinful God, they would neglect to deploy a magic repulsion barrier…?” 

“I—I see… A barrier…!” 

Sayaka gasped and covered her mouth. She was a Shamanic War Dancer of the Lion King Agency, yet, she’d let something as basic as that slip her notice. Small wonder Natsuki had treated her like an idiot. 

“Meaning you can’t teleport inside the sub, then?” Kojou let out a groan, his voice catching. 

Natsuki nodded without fanfare and clarified, “Not only teleports. Every manner of scrying magic is also a lost cause. Water considerably dampens magical energy to begin with. From the surface, it is impossible to confirm that Aiba is even inside the submarine.” 

“So that’s why you’ve let Asagi be, Natsuki? You couldn’t save her even if you tried?” Kojou murmured, coming to accept the situation on his own. 

Most likely, Natsuki was worried about Asagi, her student. She, too, desired to save her somehow. However, with Asagi confined beneath the waves, she was out of Natsuki’s reach. Ashamed of her own powerlessness, the Witch of the Void had surely shed tears where none could see—imagining things that far, Kojou sympathized with Natsuki. 

Although, Natsuki seemed to take Kojou’s baseless conclusion as a slight to her self-respect. What? her glare at Kojou challenged. 

“To whom are you speaking? If I was inclined, I would have brought Asagi out long ago.” 

“Er, you don’t need to be all proud and stuff—” 

“It isn’t pride!” pointedly retorted Natsuki. “Even if I had to hurl Astarte into the sea, the barrier of the Coffin is nothing to me!” 

“What kind of devil are you…?! You’re freaking me out. I’m gettin’ chills just thinking about it!” 

The Beast Vassal of the special homunculus named Astarte could nullify physical attacks and possessed the ability to destroy magical barriers. Certainly, she might be able to resist water pressure at a depth of four hundred meters, and she could probably destroy the submarine’s barrier, too. 

That said, the thought of taking a powerless-looking homunculus girl in the flesh and hurling her to the bottom of the sea was kind of— 

With a shudder, Kojou reconfirmed just how frightening Natsuki could be. 

Natsuki returned to a quiet tone of voice as she spoke. 

“Besides, even without going through the trouble of such crude methods, the Coffin will return to Keystone Gate. That is what Stratum Zero is for.” 

Stratum Zero was a submarine base. The thick metal floor was probably an airlock. The part below was directly connected to the sea, and from it, one could enter the submarine directly. Not a single resident of Itogami Island even knew it existed. And therefore, even if Itogami Island incurred such damage that it collapsed, the submarine—Cain’s Coffin—could take refuge at the bottom of the sea, safe and sound. 

“Are you saying that the submarine will come back to take supplies?” Kojou inquired. 

However high spec a submarine, it could not remain submerged forever. It had to require regular replenishment of fuel, food, and air. 

But Natsuki bluntly shook her head. 

“No. Rather, because the preparations are in order.” 

“Preparations?” 

For what? Kojou knit his brows. 

“Oho,” went Natsuki, smiling as she shifted her gaze to behind him. “Preparation for The Cleansing. Is that not right—Hell Wolf?” 

“—?!” 

Kojou lowered his posture in surprise. Sayaka reflexively drew her sword. Lydianne closed her tank’s hatch, shifting to an alert posture. 

Breaking Sayaka’s person-repelling barrier, a black-clothed young man appeared. 

In his left hand, he gripped a bizarre black spear with tips at both ends. This was the former researcher of the Lion King Agency, escapee from the Prison Barrier, and jiangshi—Meiga Itogami. 

“Fourth Primogenitor, where is the Sword Shaman?” 

Somehow, the words spilling from Meiga’s mouth surprised Kojou. After all, he had displayed little interest in Yukina up to that point. 

“Himeragi, you mean…?” 

Kojou replied, wary due to the strange aura he was picking up from Meiga. The man’s current state was clearly different from when they had fought the night before. 

Thanks to having lost his glasses in combat, the hollow eyes characteristic of a jiangshi were all too clear. His black clothing remained charred from where he’d sustained the attack from Kojou’s Beast Vassal. Nor, at that moment, did Kojou sense any power in the spear Meiga held in his left hand. 

Those were not the only changes in Meiga, though. Kojou couldn’t put his finger on it, but even so, he knew one thing: Meiga had undergone a fundamental change. 

“…Yes, her. Yukina Himeragi.” 

If anything, Meiga said Yukina’s name with a gentle expression. 

So he really was displaying a bizarre obsession with Yukina. The fight the night before was probably the trigger for that. Yukina had displayed a fraction of a Faux-Angel’s power—irritating Meiga in the process. 

“She won’t be fighting anymore. You’re never gonna see her again,” Kojou declared almost in a growl. 

Whatever Meiga’s objective, Kojou could not let him and Yukina come into contact with each other. Before that could possibly happen, he had to defeat Meiga then and there— 

Sayaka was probably thinking the same thing. Transforming her silver longsword into a recurve bow, she notched a ritual arrow. This was the true form of Der Freischötz, the Lion King Agency’s prototype area-suppression weapon. She no doubt meant to squish Meiga flat with a maximum-power attack out of the blue. 

“An escapee from the Prison Barrier—I remember him. I just have to capture that man, right?” 

Sayaka aimed her ritual arrow at Meiga. Not only could it serve as the catalyst for the giant shock wave from Der Freischötz that generated large-scale ritual spells, it boasted overwhelming might that could completely flatten its target. Even if Meiga’s black spear nullified the ritual spell, it surely could not block the shock wave itself. 

“Former Lion King Agency researcher, jiangshi, or whatever, whoever lays even one finger on my Yukina, I’ll curse to death, slice to death, shoot to death, chop into pieces, and burn to ash!” 

With a tone that somehow felt unhinged, Sayaka muttered her complaints. Meiga stared at her with wide eyes. 

“So she ran…before being annihilated by the shift to a higher-dimensional being…” 

Meiga’s teeth made an audible grinding noise. A faint, flickering radiance floated upward from his entire body. In truth, this radiance was from the lines of strange symbols blotting out Meiga’s own flesh. 

“Did you think I would accept such a thing…?!” 

Meiga bellowed, his emotions laid bare. That instant, Itogami Island—no, the world itself—trembled. The luminescence enveloping Meiga’s entire body increased, spreading over the land of the artificial isle. 

“Ngh?!” 

As Kojou and company stood dumbfounded amid the unanticipated phenomenon, Lydianne let out a high-pitched sound. With a nervous voice, she reported over the robot tank’s trembling exterior speakers: 

“Sir Boyfriend, Stratum Zero has begun to fill with water! Also, there be unfamiliar data over the netw… What is…this volume of traffic…?!” 

“Meiga Itogami, don’t tell me you’re—?!” 

The fan in Natsuki’s hand flashed forward, and golden chains shot out from the void. 

“C’mon over, Al-Nasl Minium—!” 

Kojou moved in tandem. He instantly summoned his Beast Vassal, forgetting all about collateral damage to the surrounding area. 

“Lustrous Scale!” 

Sayaka unleashed her ritual arrow a second later. 

The countless chains shooting out like bullets, the shock wave created by the ritual arrow, and the blast winds enveloping the bicorn’s hooves—each assaulted the place where Meiga stood. 

The concentrated volley was an overkill of destructive power, seemingly excavating the ground in its wake. It was not an attack on a scale a jiangshi’s body could endure. But… 

“No way…!” 

“You’ve gotta…be kidding me…?!” 

Sayaka and Kojou both murmured in astonishment. Natsuki clicked her tongue. 

Meiga Itogami—no, the being that had once been Meiga, stood there, unharmed. 

Kojou’s and the others’ attacks had not reached his flesh. Rather than being blocked, they had been completely nullified. It was as if their attacks against him had never existed to begin with. 

Meiga Itogami’s being was enveloped by faint particles of light that began to erode Itogami Island itself. 

It was a type of phenomenon Kojou and the others had never seen before. It was neither attack magic, nor ritual magic, and certainly not a normal physical phenomenon. It differed from the encroachment of Nod. 

But with everything that touched that radiance, something fundamental…changed. 

It was just like a supernatural being, albeit the same shape as before, that was neither part of the living nor the dead— 

“If she shall not appear on her own, I shall drag her out of hiding—even if I must alter the world itself to do so!” 

Meiga Itogami, transformed into a supernatural being, made his declaration in a voice full of madness. 

The words served to state that the despair had begun.