Strike the Blood - Volume 15 - Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO 

DUEL AT TWILIGHT 

1 

“Whaaat? A duel?!” 

Sayaka Kirasaka’s exclamation reverberated throughout the building. 

The air was dry and a little dusty. The color-coordinated furniture was antiquated. Old-school dolls and clocks lined the shelves in a disorganized fashion. 

The atmosphere of the run-down antique shop’s second floor resembled that of a foreign café. This was the Lion King Agency’s branch office on Itogami Island, a duty station that handled communications and resupply for Lion King Agency personnel active within the Demon Sanctuary. 

Thanks to the uproar stirred by Aradahl’s flying boat, which forced Saikai Academy to suspend classes for the day, Kojou and Yukina were visiting the antique shop for the first time in a while. Their objective was to report about Yuiri’s and Shio’s current circumstances, and if possible, they hoped to get information on Aradahl and maybe even hammer out countermeasures against him. 

It was an unexpected coincidence that they came face-to-face with Sayaka inside that shop. Apparently, she’d just arrived on Itogami Island on some sort of secret mission. The fact that she was wearing her usual trendy blazer meant she was likely meeting some kind of foreign VIP. 

It was this Sayaka who raised her refined eyebrows high in agitation as she closed the distance with Kojou. 

“What the hell were you thinking, Kojou Akatsuki?! The opponent’s the chairman of the Imperial Assembly of the Warlord’s Empire, you know?!” 

“Uh… Yeah, seems like it.” 

“Seems like it; why, you little…” 

Kojou’s lackadaisical response made Sayaka gawk, her quivering lips betraying her desperation. 

Mounted on her shoulder was a black cat with a refined mane. Glaring at Kojou with golden eyes, the black cat suddenly began to speak with human words. 

“Goodness. A duel with Velesh Aradahl of all people. And over a woman, no less. We have known each other but a short while, Fourth Primogenitor lad. I shall at least pray that your soul might pass on.” 

“Master…!” 

Yukina made a nervous rebuke as the black cat mercilessly fanned the flames of Kojou’s despair. 

The black cat that understood human speech was the magical familiar of Yukina and Sayaka’s master—an elven magician named Yukari Endou. Yukari was using her feline familiar to speak to Kojou and the others from far away on the mainland. This was frighteningly high-level sorcery. However, that aside, seeing Yukina and Sayaka in genuine conversation with a cat always struck Kojou as a comical scene no matter how many times he witnessed it. 

“So you open by saying that I’m gonna get killed…,” Kojou grumbled, grimacing in dismay. 

“Heh-heh,” said the cat with a twitch of her whiskers. “Of course. You’re facing someone who can boast over nine centuries of combat experience, a monster even among monsters. I can hardly imagine a half-witted vampire like you holding your own against such an opponent. Goodness, how foolish. Even dogs and cats know better than to pick a fight with an opponent they cannot defeat.” 

“…I didn’t pick a fight with him at all. He’s the one who challenged me to a duel.” 

Kojou gave a weak rebuttal. He was well aware that he might not have been the one to make the challenge, but he was the one who’d foolishly given in to provocation. 

“I am sorry, Master. I was right there, yet I was unable to stop either of them…” 

Listening to Yukari Endou’s conversation, Yukina dejectedly hung her head. She seemed to genuinely regret not having stopped Kojou from agreeing to the duel. 

“Nothing you gotta apologize for, Himeragi. Glenda was depending on me in the first place, and it would’ve been bad if that Aradahl bastard let loose on school grounds any further.” 

Kojou both stood up for Yukina and added some excuses for himself. 

Looking back on it objectively, he didn’t think there had been any great blame to cast on their decisions at the time. No matter how many words they might exhaust to persuade him, Kojou didn’t think the uptight Aradahl really would have given up on capturing Glenda. The duel with him was unavoidable…even if it was a hopeless battle. 

“Glenda… The dragon hatchling resting at the bottom of Kannawa Lake… The Kuraki lass awoke something truly troublesome, didn’t she? Hmph.” The black cat sourly exhaled. 

“Master, you knew Glenda’s true nature?” Yukina asked quizzically. 

“I knew nothing of her. I have simply heard various rumors about her. As a matter of fact, beings said to be relics of The Cleansing are not as rare as you might believe. Legends of dragons have been left scattered all across the globe. For there to be one more at this late hour is hardly enough for a ruckus this size.” 

“So why is that Aradahl guy after Glenda, then?” 

Kojou furled his brows as he posed the question. This was the same misgiving he’d felt when he first encountered Aradahl. He didn’t understand why a key player of the Warlord’s Empire would be so obsessed with a mere dragon hatchling that he would resort to a method as idiotic as a duel. 

Furthermore, it wasn’t because he saw any value in using Glenda; if anything, it was the exact opposite. Aradahl was trying to capture Glenda so he could dispose of her. 

“I truly do not know,” the elf’s black cat familiar replied with an indifferent tone. 

“One might pass it off as the distaste vampires—particularly those close to the primogenitors—have for relics of The Cleansing, yet, it is quite abnormal for such a major figure to put in a personal appearance. As for the talk of this dragon being dangerous—in the first place, is the girl truly a dragon?” 

“I’d love to ask someone that, but I don’t personally know any other dragons, so…” 

Kojou shook his head in indifference. Whether Glenda truly was a dragon or something else didn’t really matter to him. The Glenda that Kojou knew was a cheerful, outgoing girl with a somewhat eccentric personality. On top of that, he owed her for saving his life when he was on the verge of being annihilated by Nod. He couldn’t just abandon her no matter what the reason might be. 

“Well, either way, it is not something you need to be concerned about.” 

The black cat cut off the conversation coldly. 

“And why’s that?” 

Kojou stared at the animal in dissatisfaction. However, Yukari Endou’s familiar seemed to mock him as she narrowed her eyes. 

“Well, think about it. In half a day’s time, you will have been destroyed by Aradahl, and the dragon girl will have been handed over to the Warlord’s Empire. Two troublesome issues solved for the price of one, something for which the Lion King Agency shall be most grateful.” 

“M-Master! Even if it is to Kojou Akatsuki, there are some things a person simply should not say!” 

Unexpectedly, the one whose cheek nervously twitched as she chided her master was Sayaka. As if to escape her words, the black cat shifted to the top of her head, whereupon Kojou glared at her. 

“And you’re fine with all this? He has Yuiri and Shio hostage, you know.” 

“Be it fair or foul, it is those girls who turned their blades toward Aradahl after he made his identity known and invoked the name of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization. That is a far graver matter,” the cat said, annoyed, letting out a sigh. 

Yuiri and Shio had thus ended up hostile to Aradahl, an envoy of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization, of their own free will. Their position was fundamentally different from Yukina, who had merely come to Kojou’s aid. Worst case, the Lion King Agency itself would be viewed as opposing the organization—that was the delicate situation they were in. 

“Well, I’m sure there is no need to worry about them. Aradahl is a stiflingly formal man, after all. At the very least, he will surely hold them captive under polite conditions until the duel is over.” 

“What’ll happen to Yuiri and Shio if I lose the duel, then?” Kojou asked with a serious expression. 

There was no guarantee that Aradahl would simply let the girls go unconditionally after defeating Kojou. But nor could it be said that his releasing them was a certainty. When that time came, the Lion King Agency would rescue the girls—even if it was a lie, it was what he wanted Yukari to say. 

However, Yukari’s familiar made no such reply. The animal somehow smiled, admiring Kojou. “My, my. You’re quite composed, aren’t you, Fourth Primogenitor lad? If you have time to worry about other people, shouldn’t you be focusing on the things you really want to get done? You should not leave behind any regrets.” 

“You sure like delivering bad omens, don’t you…?” 

“Ngh,” Kojou grumbled, his face contorting. Yukari’s sardonic statements rubbed him the wrong way, but he knew full well that this was no mere sarcasm. 

Even if vampire primogenitors were said to have near-limitless immortality, that didn’t make them invincible. It was possible to neutralize one through petrification or freezing, for instance, and there was also the method of simply destroying the mind. 

And combat between fellow vampires always came with the danger of cannibalism. Through a vampiric act, one could rob the opponent of his very identity—something Kojou had experienced for himself when he obtained the power of the Fourth Primogenitor. 

At any rate, it meant that losing to Aradahl came with a fairly high possibility of Kojou being annihilated. So she was warning him to ensure he had no regrets. 

“Even if you tell me to do whatever I like…” Kojou shrugged. Nothing really comes to mind. 

Despite being told he might vanish from the face of the Earth, Kojou just didn’t think it felt real, nor did he feel much like writing a will. If he greeted his friends to say good-bye, he’d only be exposing them to danger. 

What should I do? 

Feeling a need to seek advice, he turned to Yukina beside him. In that instant, Sayaka’s eyes opened wide in shock, as if she’d just realized something… 

“By things you want to do, you don’t mean— N-no, you mustn’t! If you’re thinking of something lewd with Yukina, you mustn’t, okay?!” 

“Wha…?! What the heck?! I wasn’t thinking of anything like that, geez!” 

Showered in unjust blame, Kojou’s voice went shrill as he launched a retort. “Oh, really?!” yelped Sayaka as she wedged herself between Kojou and Yukina, lobbing a suspicious gaze toward him. And that’s your fantasy , Kojou was about to point out, but when he opened his mouth to do so— 

“Hmph, that might not be a bad idea.” 

It was Yukari’s black cat familiar making that murmur in an oddly overserious tone. 

“Master!!” 

Though Sayaka’s voice made a shout approaching a lament, the black cat distinctly ignored her as she turned and faced Yukina directly. 

“You have only just formed a pact with your lord, and here you are on the brink of possibly losing him. Because you are his Blood Concubine, no one would chastise you for giving him one final little freebie. Am I wrong?” 

“Freebie…you say?” Yukina’s voice went cold. 

“That’s right,” said the black cat with a nod, not forgetting to add, “a very generous one at that.” 

Hearing this exchange, Sayaka stopped moving, as if a lightning bolt had struck her dead on the spot. She had just noticed the presence of a ring on Yukina’s left ring finger. 

“No way… Concubine… You don’t mean…” 

Her gaze wandering about, Sayaka stretched a hand to an instrument case standing against the wall. Then, with a half-instinctual motion, she drew the silver long sword within, pointing its tip toward Kojou. 

“K…Kojou Akatsuki! How long have you been enjoying such a depraved relationship with Yukina—?!” 

“Whoa?!” 

Kojou just barely managed to evade the tip of the sword thrust at him with bloodlust evident. As Kojou’s face stiffened in shock, Sayaka glared back at him with teary eyes. 

“Why did you dodge it?! You made Yukina a vampire’s vassal—!” 

“Idiot, you’re wrong! Himeragi and I don’t have that kind of relationship at—” 

“Shut up!! You did something to Yukina behind my back, didn’t you?!” 

“I’m telling you: I didn’t… Okay… It’s not that I didn’t do anything…but…” 

Kojou’s retort was halting and awkward. 

Yukina becoming Kojou’s nominal partner was to protect her from angelification, a side effect of wielding Snowdrift Wolf. It had been an unavoidable choice to save a debilitated Yukina from fading away entirely. 

All that said, Yukina had been granted Snowdrift Wolf so she could monitor Kojou, and most of her uses of that spear were directly connected to Kojou personally. He couldn’t exactly call himself disconnected from her circumstances. 

“How dare you… How dare you lay a hand on my Yukina… You repeatedly forced her into depraved acts against her will, didn’t you, Pervogenitor?!” 

“Whaddaya mean, repeatedly?! What the hell are you imagining…?!” 

As Sayaka swung her sword around, Kojou caught her arms, somehow bringing her under control. 

The pair proceeded to get entwined with each other as they collided against the shop’s interior wall. It looked like Kojou was pinning the resisting Sayaka to the wall against her will. Sayaka was tall for a girl, so she wasn’t much shorter than Kojou. As Kojou ended up staring at a misty-eyed Sayaka at point-blank range, he was struck by an irrational sense of guilt. 

“Please calm down, Sayaka. Also, senpai, how long do you intend to stay close to her like that?” 

Yukina gazed coldly at the two of them, practically entangled with each other, as she let out a sigh. 

Yukari’s black cat familiar hopped off Sayaka’s head, landing neatly in Yukina’s arms. Yukina peered into the feline’s pupils as she posed a question in a very serious tone. 

“Essentially, if senpai beats the Duke of Severin, there is no issue, yes? Then it is unnecessary for senpai to worry about regrets or for me to give him any kind of generous freebie—” 

“I don’t remember demanding a freebie from Himeragi, y’know…!” Kojou exclaimed. 

And whaddaya mean by freebie anyway? 

Sayaka, still forced up against Kojou, indignantly thrashed her body around. She did not seem to appreciate that she was pressing her bountiful breasts against Kojou’s chest in the process. However, if he carelessly put any distance between them, she seemed ready to suddenly come slicing at him again, so Kojou couldn’t move away from her at that moment in time. 

“As I have been saying, that is wholly unreasonable. That young lad cannot win against Aradahl.” 

“Well, that sure is putting it bluntly…” 

Kojou no longer had any mental energy left with which to argue. The black cat turned an indifferent eye on him as he sulked. 

“The Fourth Primogenitor is said to be the World’s Mightiest Vampire for one reason: The Beast Vassals that serve him are ridiculously powerful. They were created to sweep the armies of Cain the Sinful God aside, so they are, without exaggeration, the World’s Mightiest Beast Vassals.” 

“Yeah…” 

Come to think of it… Kojou remembered that Aradahl had said something similar. He’d acknowledged the might of Kojou’s Beast Vassals. But he had dismissed them regardless. 

“The issue is that you cannot fully control them. No matter how high spec the race car, in the hands of an amateur, even a tofu delivery truck would leave it in the dust. That’s simply natural, yes?” 

“…Tofu?” 

The example raised by Yukari’s familiar caused Yukina to blink back confusion. With Sayaka finally calm, Kojou pulled away from her, turning his face toward the black cat Yukina cradled in her arms. 

“Control the Beast Vassals, huh… If I could do that, I could go up against Aradahl, then?” 

“Theoretically speaking, yes.” 

Even if that is impossible in reality was the undertone to the black cat’s words. In point of fact, it was difficult to imagine Kojou’s combat capabilities undergoing a dramatic increase during the not-even-half-a-day’s worth of time remaining. 

However, Kojou ignored that and continued his line of thought. “Then, what do I need to do to control the Beast Vassals?” 

“Unfortunately, even I do not know the answer to that. One should ask a vampire about vampire things.” 

The cat’s reply was blunt. Unsurprisingly, Kojou clutched his head. 

“Ask a vampire… Easier said than done…” 

“In terms of vampires on Itogami Island potentially able to stand against the Duke of Severin… I cannot think of anyone save the Duke of Ardeal, but…” 

Sayaka murmured this, as if seeing right through to Kojou’s underlying concern. Her anger had not completely subsided, but she seemed to have abandoned slicing Kojou to ribbons for the moment, at least. 

“By Duke of Ardeal, you mean Vattler…” 

Just remembering Dimitrie Vattler’s snobbishly smiling face brought a look of plain distaste over Kojou. Certainly, among the aristocrats of the Warlord’s Empire known to Kojou, he was a powerful vampire in a different league. A man appraised as the closest thing to a primogenitor himself probably could stand up to Aradahl, but… 

“I don’t think he’s gonna just teach me how to use my Beast Vassals with no benefit to him…” 

“Well, get on your hands and knees and beg. In case you weren’t aware, your life is on the line.” 

“I mean, technically or not, he is a vampire of the Warlord’s Empire, so if anything, wouldn’t he be on Aradahl’s side? And even if he did teach me something, is it all right for me to just believe what he says?” 

“Well, there’s no other vampire who is equal or superior to the Duke of Severin around here, so you don’t have a choice!” Sayaka squared her shoulders in anger as she glared at Kojou. 

Her opinion was a sensible one, but even so, he couldn’t think of relying on Vattler as being much of a plan. 

That man, a renowned combat maniac, normally made no effort to hide his bloodlust toward Kojou. He was dangerous enough that, one false move, and he might say he would slay him by his own hand before Kojou was slain by Aradahl instead. 

In the end, it came down to whether to bow his head to Vattler and brave the danger anyway or to fight on his own— 

Kojou anguished over the two extreme choices. 

“No…” 

Yukina’s clear voice severed that indecision in half. Kojou and company stared at her in surprise. Yukina, confirming her own thought, nodded. 

“There is another… A powerful vampire that seems likely to lend senpai his strength…” 

“Himeragi?” Kojou said in bewilderment. “Who do you mean?” 

But Yukina didn’t reply. Then, with an oddly serious expression, she gave the antique clock hanging inside the shop a glance. The clock’s needle showed that it was a little past noon. 

“Senpai.” 

“Y-yeah…?” 

The tenor of Yukina’s voice, serious even by her standards, made Kojou straighten his back. Yukina stared fixedly at Kojou, and finally, her mind made up, she told him… 

“Let’s go get some ramen.” 

2 

The shop was quietly open for business in a back alley in Island West. 

It wasn’t a trendy shop by any stretch of the imagination. Its storefront was an old-fashioned mix of bright and dark colors, and the interior of the shop had bar-style counter seating with only four seats. Because the shop was so small, four patrons brought it to full capacity. 

However, it was quietly known as a shop of hidden renown among those dwelling on Itogami Island versed in the ways of ramen. Pacific Dipped Noodles was the shop’s name. 

“No matter how you slice it, I don’t think we can simply find him just like that…” 

Not quite on board, Kojou grumbled as he peered into the dim shop’s interior when he felt a little dizzy, placing his hand against a wall. 

With an oddly bold demeanor, a foreign-born boy appearing to be twelve or thirteen was at the counter, rearranging his seat. He had beautiful black hair, olive skin, and a mysterious dignity that did not suit his youthful external appearance—this was Prince Iblisveil Aziz of the Fallen Dynasty, the Dominion of the Middle East, ruled by the Second Primogenitor, Fallgazer. He was precisely the individual whom Kojou and Yukina had gone to that shop in search of. 

“Why the hell are you stuffing your face with ramen again?!” 

Kojou slumped his shoulders as he commented on the irrationality of it all. Stronger than elation that he had bumped into the person he sought was the sense that he’d been had. We don’t know his whereabouts was the biggest concern Kojou and Yukina had. The prince’s lodgings were a diplomatic secret, and even failing that, it was next to impossible to pursue a high-level vampire who could freely move around in mist form. 

The single lead they had was that Iblisveil was a ramen aficionado. It was from this that Yukina proposed to search famous shops on the island for him. A sketchy plan indeed. 

And as it worked out, they’d located Iblisveil with ease. 

Kojou felt unable to make peace with that fact. He was struck by the overwhelming urge to poke fun, like Wait, you’re a prince, and you eat ramen every day? Well, technically, it was dipped noodles, not ramen, but still… 

“Do you always barge in on other people’s meals and cause some sort of uproar? Honestly, how rude of you, Kojou Akatsuki.” 

Iblisveil looked back at Kojou with a skeptical expression and calmly delivered his reply. His exceedingly correct and proper assertion made Kojou go “Sorry” and bow his head. 

“Yeah, my bad. I seriously didn’t expect to bump into you, so I got thrown for a loop, see.” 

“Hmm.” 

Bringing the dipped noodles to his lips, Iblisveil savored the taste as he raised an eyebrow. 

This golden-eyed boy was the vampire Yukina had meant—one possessing strength on par with Aradahl. He, a prince of the Fallen Dynasty, was not only well versed in the employment of Beast Vassals, but he was also unrelated to Aradahl; he was a neutral party. That didn’t make him an ally of Kojou’s, either, but seeking advice from him was at least worth a try. 

“Well, fine. To coldly refuse a guest and drive him away would bring the Dynasty into disrepute—first, have a seat, Fourth Primogenitor and servant girl thereof. Pardon me, please give my guests the same thing I’m having.” 

Iblisveil spoke in a high-handed manner as he pointed to the seats near him, which just happened to be empty. As Kojou watched, the stout, stern-faced shopkeeper nodded, not speaking a single complaint. That was no doubt the work of the charisma the boy had possessed since birth. Kojou and Yukina politely indulged in Iblisveil’s goodwill. Besides, the scent of soup wafting around the shop reminded Kojou that he was hungry. 

Sitting down on an antiquated chair, Kojou brought a cup of cold water to his lips. 

“Come to think, it would seem that you are to engage Velesh Aradahl in a duel.” 

Iblisveil spoke these words without any change in his expression. Taken by surprise, Kojou immediately began to choke on his water. 

“Why do you of all people know about that—?!” 

“Because I received an invitation to the event not too long ago.” 

Iblisveil took an extravagantly ornamented, wax-sealed scroll out of the sleeve of his outer garment. The back of the sealed scroll had a flying dragon and a tank drawn on it, the crest of the Warlord’s Empire. 

“A letter of invitation…?” 

“The work of the Warlord Empire’s Master of Serpents, most likely. No doubt the scoundrel has some ulterior motive, but it certainly is a match of compelling interest, all the more because it is a battle over the Dragon of the Swamp.” 

“Vattler… That jerk… He’s gonna fool around even with something like this…?!” 

Kojou clutched his head and flopped forward onto the table. He could take from the fact that a letter of invitation had reached Iblisveil that rumors of the duel between Kojou and Aradahl had already spread far and wide. 

Sitting at Kojou’s side, a hard expression came over Yukina as well. She did not understand why Vattler would spread such rumors. 

Iblisveil watched Kojou with amusement. He smiled. “So grasping that you cannot win against Aradahl as you are now, you’ve come to me for training, Fourth Primogenitor?” 

“Yep.” 

Kojou nodded with a pained expression. He proceeded to bow his head deeply. 

“I know it’s very selfish of me to say this, but I’m asking you anyway. Please teach me a way to beat Aradahl. Glenda’s life is on the line.” 

“My… What shall I do? Having you owe me a favor is not unappealing, but is that really worth purchasing Aradahl’s displeasure in turn?” 

“…At the very least, it’ll make for a more exciting duel.” 

“Hmm?” 

A faint trace of curiosity came to life in Iblisveil’s golden eyes. It was the reaction Kojou had expected. 

He’d had an instant flash of inspiration the moment he saw the letter of invitation from Vattler. 

Iblisveil was an unaging, undying vampire. Though he had the appearance of a boy, he had already lived several centuries. The greatest enemy of their kind was boredom . Having already tasted to exhaustion most of the pleasures the world had to offer, living began to feel like a chore. 

To the Old Guard vampires, there was but one pleasure remaining to them—putting their lives on the line in mortal combat. 

Even if he was not recognized as someone as battle-obsessed as Vattler, Iblisveil surely hungered for blood and combat all the same. A man like that could not fail to hold interest in a duel between Kojou and Aradahl. 

“As I am now, I don’t stand a chance against Aradahl. I’ll probably lose in one second, and then the duel will be over.” 

“And you think that if I lend you a hand, you can win against Aradahl?” 

“I don’t know that for sure, but I think it’ll be a better show than it is right now, at least,” Kojou said, holding Iblisveil’s stare. 

He felt like he might waver from the powerful glint in the prince of the Fallen Dynasty’s gaze, but even so, he did not avert his eyes. 

Though nonplussed by the bizarre air hovering over the table, a young server brought Kojou’s and Yukina’s noodles. Iblisveil’s expression abruptly eased. The strained air around them relaxed. 

“I do not understand.” 

Iblisveil murmured this as he audibly sipped his dipped noodles. 

“Huh?” Kojou replied in bewilderment. 

Iblisveil stuffed his cheeks with an entire boiled egg as he looked back at Kojou. 

“Surely you have neither a reason nor a goal for which to take the Dragon of the Swamp into your hands. And yet, why are you trying to fight Aradahl to this extent? He is likely an opponent even I cannot defeat with ease.” 

“That doesn’t mean I can just shut up and watch. Not when the other guy’s trying to kill Glenda.” 

“Knowing full well that the Dragon of the Swamp is a dangerous being?” 

“That’s—” 

Kojou began to speak, but he shook his head instead. He knew neither Glenda’s true nature nor the reason why Aradahl viewed her as dangerous. And he didn’t particularly want to know. That was because Kojou’s decision had nothing to do with anything like that. 

“Nah… I suppose you’re right. It’s just as you said, Prince.” 

“Mmm?” 

“You’re right. I’ve got no reason to save her. I tried to help her because that’s what I wanted to do—that’s all.” 

“And for that reason alone, a death match with Aradahl is unavoidable?” 

Iblisveil drew attention to that point. Kojou mixed in a pained smile as he shrugged. 

“Not that I planned on actually killing him, mind you.” 

“I see. It seems I have harbored something of a misunderstanding about you… You are a far more arrogant man than I appreciated, Kojou Akatsuki.” 

Iblisveil smiled with a brilliant expression, both seeming beside himself and somehow admiring him for it. 

“Whaaa—?” retorted Kojou in dismay. He could not comprehend why he was being spoken ill of in that manner. 

“Have you realized, Kojou Akatsuki? Without even a reason or an objective, you act in accordance with your desires, deciding even whether your foe lives or dies by your discretion alone—that is a way of thinking permitted only to those of absolute might, a privilege of royalty itself. Perhaps you truly are an instrument worthy of being a primogenitor. That, or you are a truly incorrigible fool.” 

The weight of Iblisveil’s opinion stunned Kojou into silence. He still felt like he was being made fun of to some extent, but the prince’s mood did not seem poor. Whatever he was trying to get at, Kojou’s reply seemed to have left him satisfied. 

“In deference to your foolishness, I will grant you a single piece of advice.” Still grasping his chopsticks, Iblisveil solemnly opened his mouth. “It is not I whom you should be asking for advice—” 

“…Huh?” 

Kojou gaped at Iblisveil, somehow feeling disappointed. He’d called it advice, but in the end, wasn’t that pretty much the same as saying nothing at all? 

“That’s…it?” 

“If you come to realize who you should really be asking, Aradahl will be no match for your blade,” Iblisveil said. “And if you cannot, you are done either way.” He sipped his delicious-looking noodle soup. 

In a daze, Kojou watched him. The advice from the prince of the Fallen Dynasty was at once a simple yet frighteningly difficult riddle. However, Kojou didn’t think he was lying. 

Kojou could stand up to Aradahl. Someone could teach him how. However, that person wasn’t Iblisveil—that was what Iblisveil meant. 

“Once, I lost to a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor,” Iblisveil began, almost like he was talking to himself. 

“Huh?” 

Kojou gasped and lifted his face. He realized that this was some kind of crucial hint. A Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor had defeated Iblisveil, who was probably on par with Aradahl— 

“Accordingly, I feared the resurrection of Root.” 

“Yeah,” went Kojou with a nod. 

The real Fourth Primogenitor, Root Avrora, who had once wielded that awesome might as a god-killing weapon— 

Kojou had fought her on the verge of her complete resurrection and stolen the power of the Fourth Primogenitor in the process. The source of her power was her right to rule the Beast Vassals. 

However, Iblisveil laughed derisively, seeming to mock Kojou. 

His sharp white fangs poked out from the corners of his lips. 

“Yet, I do not fear you in the slightest. You should think about why that is.” 

3 

Nagisa Akatsuki and Kanon Kanase were carrying their respective beloved eco-bags as they left the store. 

Inside the bags were eggs, flour, sugar, and salt in modest quantities, apricot jam, and various kinds of chocolate—ingredients for chocolate cake. Since there just happened to be a school break, this gave Nagisa the time to make handmade chocolates for Kojou. 

“She…broke his heart? Akatsuki’s?” 

With glossy-blue eyes reminiscent of glaciers, Kanon blinked heavily. She was just hearing about the shocking scene Nagisa had witnessed at Thetis Mall the day before. Gossiping about other people’s love lives wasn’t something Nagisa especially liked to do, but she’d judged that if it was with Kanon, then it was fine. 

Kanon was an acquaintance of Kojou’s, after all, and she wasn’t the sort to circulate things said in confidence. Besides, her help was indispensable for making cake for Kojou’s sake. 

“Mmm… I’m not sure he’s heartbroken or if he just feels abandoned… Well, it’s largely him reaping what he sowed, mind you,” Nagisa said, conflicted, her brows knit in spite of her smile. 

The fact that Asagi Aiba had been in the company of a boy other than Kojou was actually much more of a shock to Nagisa than anyone else. Faced with the impact of that, she could bluntly say that a giant flying boat nearly grazing the campus rooftop as it barreled forward, and the lightning strike uproar that occurred immediately after, were completely trivial in comparison. 

To Nagisa, who’d spent nearly half her middle school years in a hospital room, Asagi was a precious friend of the same gender. Often, she felt like a biological older sister. The fact that Asagi took a liking to Kojou was plain as day to everyone but Asagi herself, but that made Nagisa adore her all the more. 

“In the first place, it’s strange for a girl like Asagi to not have a boyfriend after all this time. Goodness, this is because Kojou was too slow to make a move!” 

Nagisa tapered her lips in a pout as they waited for the traffic light at an intersection to change. 

She wasn’t about to blame Asagi for her change of heart. She just thought it was rather sad. However, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed at Kojou on several levels for making Asagi come to that decision. 

Though, Nagisa had seen the sight of Kojou nervous with her very own eyes. 

Even if it was a matter of what goes around comes around, she did feel sorry for him. So she thought that the least she could do was offer him chocolate as a present in Asagi’s stead. 

“So that’s the story. Sorry, Kano, asking you to use your kitchen all of a sudden. But I mean, I can’t just whip up a present for Kojou at my place…” 

“Not at all; I am quite all right with it. I meant to make some sweets either way.” 

Kanon shook her head and gently smiled. As usual, she had a beautiful appearance that was just plain unfair. Nagisa understood immediately why she was often called the Saint of Middle School. Having that Kanon give you Valentine’s Day sweets might well be a huge deal in and of itself. 

“Wha—?! Really? For who? Who are they for?” 

Nagisa stared at Kanon with a twinkle in her eyes. Even if she wasn’t a fan of irresponsibly spreading rumors, romantic tales told by the girl concerned were another matter entirely. Nagisa asked with her interest visibly piqued, but Kanon looked back at her with the same calm expression as usual. 

“For everyone who normally takes care of me, and after that, pet-safe sweets for all the cats I’m taking care of, and of course to you and your big brother, Nagisa.” 

“Really? Yeah, he’ll be happy to get chocolates from you, Kano. But I see… Kano treats Kojou the same as a cat, huh…” 

For a single second, Nagisa had renewed hope for her big brother and his freshly broken heart, but it did not seem she could place such high hopes upon Kanon’s shoulders. Of course, with Kanon being so deeply afflicted with a love of cats to begin with, perhaps being the same as a cat in her eyes was reason for hope in itself. 

The signal to cross lit up, and Nagisa and Kanon walked forward. Their destination was Natsuki Minamiya’s apartment building, where Kanon was staying. She’d previously heard from Kanon about the presence there of an island kitchen worthy of a high-class mansion. She was in high spirits at being told she could make use of it that day. 

“Ah…” 

Nagisa came to a halt midway through the intersection. She noticed a girl standing on the sidewalk on the other side. 

The girl was small—around Nagisa’s height—and she wore a yukata . Thanks to her clothing, the impression she gave off was much different, but Nagisa could not possibly mistake her characteristic features for anyone else’s. 

Mysterious blond hair that seemed to change color depending on how it was exposed to light and gleaming blue eyes that shone like flames— 

“Nagisa?” 

Kanon looked back at Nagisa with a questioning expression. The traffic light had already begun blinking. Nagisa gasped, came back to her senses, and hurried to finish crossing the intersection. 

“Sorry, Kano. Hey, wait a sec!” 

Without stopping, Nagisa proceeded to head toward the girl in the yukata . 

Amid the noon sun bearing down, the blond girl watched Nagisa approach. 

“December! You’re December, right?! I’m so glad, I was getting worried when I didn’t hear from you after the terrorist incident not too long ago.” 

“December…?” 

The blond-haired girl echoed Nagisa, who was racing over with such force she seemed to fly through the air. 

“I see, the tenth month… That is what Dekatos called herself…” 

“Huh?” 

The girl’s indifferent reply felt like a cold brush-off to Nagisa. When she looked closely, the girl’s face looked exactly like December’s. However, this girl was so tense. The December that Nagisa knew possessed a far friendlier, more sociable air. 

“Ah… Could I actually have…mistaken you for someone else?” 

Nagisa straightened her back as she timidly posed the question. The girl in the yukata generously shook her head. 

“Thou art without fault, for she and I were both born from an identical source.” 

“Um… So I guess that makes you sisters, kind of?” 

Though the girl’s archaic phrasing threw her off, Nagisa felt like she’d somehow grasped her meaning. 

The girl in the yukata nodded. 

“Thou art not mistaken. Thou aided my little sister in her time of need, Nagisa Akatsuki.” 

“No, no, not at all. December was the one taking all kinds of care of me… Er, huh? Why do you know my name?” 

“’Tis not only her thou hath saved. ’Tis thee who hath linked thyself to my little sister’s life, for which ten thousand thanks art not sufficient.” 

“R-right…” 

After having come that far, Nagisa still could not comprehend the girl. It was not an issue of the complexity of her Japanese; she had no idea what the girl was speaking of to begin with. 

However, the girl paid no heed to Nagisa’s confusion and, without warning, offered her right hand. 

“Come with me, Nagisa Akatsuki. Accept the truth thou hath lost.” 

“Huh…” 

Invited by the girl in the yukata , Nagisa moved to take her hand. She could not grasp the meaning behind the girl’s words. However, the girl’s invitation had Charm behind it that made it difficult to refuse. 

The fingertips Nagisa had subconsciously reached out with moved to graze the yukata girl’s fingertips— 

“Nagisa, don’t!” 

It was Kanon’s voice that stopped her without a single moment to spare. Nagisa, who was approaching the yukata girl without realizing it, was halted by Kanon from behind. 

Seeing Kanon do so, the girl in the yukata quietly said, “Oh my,” a corner of her lips rising as if her interest had been piqued. 

In contrast, Kanon was staring at the girl with blatant suspicion. Though Kanon seemed quite meek at first glance, the fact was, when it came to protecting other people, she had an obstinate side that did not shirk at sacrificing herself. Even under the gaze of this girl from parts unknown, she seemed to have no intention of letting go of Nagisa’s hand. And then— 

“Your Highness!” 

The leaves and branches of an ornamental roadside tree shook above Nagisa’s and Kanon’s heads. A slender silhouette leaped down from them, landing with lithe movements reminiscent of a panther. It was a young woman with close-cropped silver hair. She wore a mysterious outfit with white fabric and gold thread embroidery that seemed to straddle some invisible line between a knight’s ceremonial attire and a ninja outfit. 

“Are you safe, Your Highness? Please fall back—” 

The ninja girl drew a sword and, shielding Kanon and Nagisa, turned its blade toward the girl in the yukata . 

“Miss Justina, wait. You must not attack her!” Kanon hurriedly moved to hold her back. 

“Huh?! But this person is…!” 

Clear bewilderment came over the silver-haired woman Kanon had called Justina. 

Apparently, she was the person the kingdom of Aldegia had assigned to be Kanon’s covert bodyguard. She’d no doubt leaped out in such a rush because she discerned that Kanon was in danger. 

To a certain extent, Nagisa, too, had heard the information that Kanon was Aldegian royalty. Though she was a bit surprised by the fact, her willingness to accept it was stronger. After all, the floaty detached-from-the-world atmosphere Kanon gave off suited the title of princess very well, and from Nagisa’s point of view, there wasn’t much difference between a saint and a princess. Even so, the fact that the ninja-outfitted bodyguard had been there caught her by surprise. 

“Kano… What was I doing just now…?” 

Nagisa’s voice trembled as she looked down at her outstretched right hand. 

Nagisa didn’t really understand why she was obeying the words of someone she didn’t even know. But when she watched the girl, mysterious emotions came bubbling to the surface. It was something bizarre—like a mix of fear and affection. 

“This spiritual energy… Thou art of the Royal Family of Aldegia, then? What is thy name?” the yukata -clad girl asked, staring at Kanon propping Nagisa up. 

“I am Kanon Kanase. And you are?” Kanon calmly replied, faltering in no way. 

“Hmph,” said the girl, a smile appearing on her lips. “My name is Hektos—the sixth Kaleid Blood.” 

“What?!” Justina exclaimed. She was a knight of the kingdom of Aldegia, which, bordering the Warlord’s Empire, was on the front lines of disputes with Demonkind. They knew more than anyone the menace vampires posed. 

Furthermore, if Nagisa’s memory was correct, Kaleid Blood was the name of the most dangerous of all, of the World’s Mightiest Vampires— 

Accordingly, it was small wonder that Justina assumed an attack stance, but— 

“Ngh?!” 

Suddenly, the long sword the female knight poised went flying from her hand as if swatted aside. 

After a slight delay, the crack of a gunshot reverberated. Someone had sent Justina’s sword, and only her sword, flying off with accurate sniping from some removed location. 

Nagisa and Kanon could only stare with bewilderment as Justina instantly drew a spare short sword from behind. 

From behind them, the pair heard the throaty chorus of a high-class car engine and the tension-free voices of various girls. 

“Oh, Hektooos!” 

“It is time. If we do not return now—” 

A crimson, open-top convertible pulled over and stopped at the curb of the intersection right next to Nagisa and Kanon. 

Sitting in the driver’s seat was a foreign girl wearing an all-white dress. A girl wearing a pitch-black dress was standing up on the passenger side with an assault rifle raised. Somehow, both of the girls brimmed with class as if they were royalty. From the pair’s words, they seemed to have come to pick up Hektos. 

Nodding as if she understood completely, the girl in the yukata walked forward. However, she immediately came to a halt. Then, she extended a hand, as if inviting Nagisa and Kanon both. 

“Accompany me, Nagisa Akatsuki and priestess of the kingdom of the Valkyries. Kojou Akatsuki awaits thee.” 

“Kojou…?” 

Nagisa stared at Hektos in surprise. She did not know why Kojou’s name had come out of her mouth. But for some reason, she believed Hektos’s words. Mysteriously, Nagisa, who supposedly suffered from demonophobia, felt no fear from her specifically. 

“Indeed. Together with thy truth—” 

Staring at Nagisa, Hektos offered her a desolate smile. 

Gripping her bags against her chest, Nagisa gazed into Kanon’s eyes in silence. 

4 

Asagi Aiba was getting off a bus at a stop on a desolate beach. 

As the sea breeze whipped her hair around, she checked her smartphone’s map to confirm she had arrived at her destination. 

She was heading toward an abandoned, rusted warehouse just ahead, the sort that felt like a place the mafia would be doing drug deals. 

However, Asagi showed no particular sign of being afraid as she strode into the warehouse. She stopped just after entering the dimly lit building, surveying the area as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, when she heard a voice overhead. 

“Lady Empress, so thou art hither—” 

Asagi looked in the direction of the voice. Two girls sitting at the top of a steel stairway waved to Asagi as they competed in a smartphone game. They were wearing white sailor-themed dresses and school-mandated berets. The girls wore the uniforms of a renowned elementary school. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Tanker.” 

Asagi waved toward the owner of the voice that had just addressed her. 

One of the girls said, “’Tis nothing, ’tis nothing,” in a voice straight out of a period drama. This was the extremely skilled hacker bearing the alias of Tanker—Lydianne Didier. 

“You are fourteen minutes late, Miss Asagi. It is not good to be fickle with time.” 

The speaker had a tone reminiscent of a disgruntled kitten. She was a young girl with a rather adult face. Asagi had come to know the girl on Blue Elysium two months earlier—her name was Yume Eguchi. 

Her sassiness hasn’t changed a bit, either , thought Asagi, smiling and taking the high road as she let it slide. 

“That’s why I said sorry, geez. A high school girl is all kinds of busy, unlike you elementary school babies.” 

“Is that so? That is most terrible. Makeup must take so long to apply—” 

“Wh-who’s wearing makeup?! I’ll have you know my face is practically bare!” Asagi retorted. 

Yume had blatantly and publicly declared that she would marry Kojou when she was older, and for that reason, she was oddly antagonistic toward Asagi. Truly, she regarded Asagi as her rival. Furthermore, Yume was quite a beautiful girl, which made Asagi unable to handle the matter with a particularly calm heart. 

“…It’s not very mature to get ticked off at a kid, li’l miss.” 

As if to tease Asagi for that fact, a synthetic voice, albeit oddly humanlike, coursed out from Asagi’s smartphone. 

This was the avatar of the five supercomputers that controlled Itogami Island’s urban functions—the support AI dubbed Mogwai. 

“Oh, shut up!” Asagi angrily shouted at her own smartphone. 

“I am not a kid!” yelled Yume at virtually the same time. 

Perhaps viewing Asagi’s and Yume’s anger as the sweet fruits of his labors, Mogwai let out a sardonic “ Keh-keh ” before falling silent. Asagi sighed and said, “Good grief,” before stuffing her smartphone in her pocket. 

“Well anyway… You two know each other, right?” 

“Indeed. We’re in the same club,” Lydianne replied with pride. 

The uniforms the two were wearing belonged to the elementary school of the highly reputable Tensou Academy, well-known within Itogami City. An all-girls school with the entire student body staying in the campus dorms struck Asagi as a troublesome environment, but from the looks of Yume and Lydianne, they were having a good, trouble-free life. 

“Really? What club are you in? A period drama lover’s society?” Asagi asked, a little surprised. 

Why period dramas? Yume’s narrowed brows said. 

“A handicrafts club,” Lydianne replied. 

“Ah, somehow, that’s incredibly…normal.” 

“More importantly, Lady Empress—” 

Lydianne suddenly changed her tenor. Asagi nodded and pulled her smartphone out once more. The girls were not meeting at a shady abandoned warehouse to chitchat. 

“Yes, yes, let’s get down to business. Here’s the posture control software and the visual analysis algorithm. Also, there were some glaring bugs in your company’s preinstalled OS, so I’m sending you a patch to fix the bugs, too.” 

“…I have no words. I humbly accept your assistance.” 

Spreading out her notepad PC, Lydianne spoke formal words of thanks as she watched the file transfer. 

The programs that Asagi had whipped up in one night were pieces of control software for next-generation industrial robots. Compared to the products currently in use, their capabilities were a couple of steps above the rest, and the resulting corporate profits would be in the tens of billions of yen at minimum. Asagi was trading that software to Lydianne’s very own family’s Didier Heavy Industries for something of commensurate value. 

“So the thing that I asked for?” 

“It hath already been delivered.” 

Speaking these words, Lydianne typed on her PC keyboard. After a moment, the vrmm of machinery booting up echoed from the back of the ostensibly empty warehouse. 

With a mirage-like shimmer, a horde of Micro Robot Tanks, each about the size of a compact car, appeared from the darkness—at least thirty of them. Over half of the enormous warehouse was chock-full of military weapons resembling land turtles, built for urban warfare. 

“Ritual spell camouflage, huh? Not bad.” Asagi smiled in satisfaction. 

To have been concealed so well that even Asagi could not sense them when they were right before her eyes—she deeply understood the excellence of the tanks Lydianne had provided. Lydianne had something of a proud expression as she gazed at them. 

“Unmanned Legged Tank Number Four, aka Hoemaru. Although the machines are one generation old, they have all been modernized and overhauled to perfection.” 

“With all of this, I could take over Keystone Gate with one arm tied behind my back.” 

“Were it against the Island Guard alone, you could with half this military strength and have room to spare. Naturally, ’twould be far more difficult against witches and vampire primogenitors.” 

“That’s fine. I’ll manage somehow.” 

Subconsciously toying with her smartphone, Asagi spoke those words with calm. She was saying, if the opponents were witches and primogenitors, she would defeat them if necessary, too. 

“However, Lady Empress… Calling this level of land force together, and even Miss Yume, just what is it that you intendeth to bring about?” 

“What am I—? Er, isn’t it obvious?” 

Asagi blushed a little as she smiled, spreading both arms wide. What did you need three dozen robot tanks and the World’s Mightiest Succubus for? It did not even require thought, for there was only one answer. 

“War.” 

Asagi’s voice reverberated through the warehouse on the beach. 

From the smartphone in Asagi’s hand, someone laughed sardonically. 

“Keh-keh…” 

5 

Enshrouded by a dark mist, Velesh Aradahl stepped onto the ship’s deck. 

It belonged to a large cruise ship on the extreme end of the scale for personal ownership. The ship was named the Oceanus Grave II , owned by the Duke of Ardeal, Dimitrie Vattler. 

“Vattler—!” 

With a large voice backed by demonic energy, Aradahl called out this man’s name. In his hand, he gripped an extravagant sealed scroll bearing the crest of a flying dragon and a tank. The sealed scroll, half crushed in his grip, amply reflected Aradahl’s state of mind at the time. 

“Come out, Vattler. I know you’re here. Or would you prefer to sink to the bottom of the Pacific along with your ship?” 

Aradahl’s pronouncement was more than mere talk. The proof lay in the incredible demonic energy pulsing from his entire body. He possessed the power to sink a ship of that scale on his own; Aradahl’s Beast Vassals were more potent still. If he carelessly unleashed the power of his Beast Vassals, the hull would be rent apart in a single blow. 

And so— 

Though unlikely to have been fearful of such an outcome, Vattler revealed himself surprisingly readily. 

The handsome vampire wearing an all-white, three-piece suit did not employ the power of transformation into mist; instead, he leisurely descended the stairs from the upper deck. Regarding Aradahl, who was shaking with rage, he seemed to be forcing back a smile. 

“What’s the matter, Aradahl? This roughshod visit does not suit you.” 

“Silence, Master of Serpents. State your intentions.” 

Aradahl thrust forward the crushed scroll. Letters of invitation announcing Aradahl’s duel with Kojou Akatsuki were addressed to VIPs of various nations. By happenstance, Aradahl had learned of the letters’ existence, and thus he hurriedly made his way over, angrily shouting along the way. 

“You don’t fancy them? For something made on such short notice, I think they turned out rather well.” Vattler’s voice rang out proudly, daring to provoke Aradahl even further. 

The black-haired vampire’s expression twisted into anger. Unable to withstand the demonic energy flowing from Aradahl, the sealed cylinder ruptured. 

“Don’t play games with me! How do you know of my duel with Kojou Akatsuki?” 

“My… Which of us is playing games here, Aradahl?” 

A slightly strained smile came over Vattler as he made that quiet statement. Aradahl felt a twinge of bewilderment. 

“What?” 

“You are not the only one who desires to fight Kojou Akatsuki. All this time, I have been looking forward to the day I fight him to the death, waiting on this island for him to mature,” Vattler lamented with an exaggerated, theatrical gesture. 

Aradahl knew that his words were not wholly dishonest. 

To immortal vampires, the time spent anticipating an unripe foe’s growth was no chore. And Vattler, who loved conflict more than anyone, was not one to shirk at any sacrifice if it meant being able to fight a powerful opponent. 

Thus, he had remained in the Far East Demon Sanctuary a world away from his homeland, waiting for the incomplete Fourth Primogenitor’s rightful power to return. That was very much Vattler’s way of doing things. 

“And it is such precious prey that you are poaching from me. At the very least, I believe that grants me the right to observe your duel with Kojou up close… Am I mistaken?” Vattler smiled dangerously as he stared at Aradahl, who did not avert his eyes. 

“I am not dueling Kojou Akatsuki for my own amusement. The duel is nothing more than a means to seize the Dragon of the Swamp currently under his protection.” 

“It is the same thing, Aradahl—the very same thing.” An antagonistic air hovered as Vattler slowly shook his head. “For the chairman of the Imperial Assembly of the Warlord’s Empire to duel the Fourth Primogenitor makes this a de facto international conflict. I am not saying that the repercussions will reverberate throughout the world, but I believe it surely should be conducted in public, under the eyes of those who should rightfully attend. I must consider the national welfare of the Empire, after all.” 

“To think the words national welfare would come out of your mouth. What a foul joke,” Aradahl spat. “In the first place, it was one of your confidants that lent his aid to the Dragon of the Swamp’s escape, Vattler— If not for Kira Lebedev, Kojou Akatsuki would have never intervened in this affair.” 

“I am terribly dismayed there was a misunderstanding, Aradahl, but at that point in time, my men and I had not been informed of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization’s view that the Dragon of the Swamp should be disposed of. I believe that the fault where that point is concerned…rests with you.” 

Vattler, in contrast to his usual grandiloquence, remained calm. Aradahl scowled. 

“If I had ordered you to capture the Dragon of the Swamp, I do not think it would have ended with simply this.” 

“That is not true. During this last half year, I have attempted to be quite prudent by my standards.” 

“You have a lot of nerve saying that after spreading these ridiculous letters of invitation around.” 

“It was a golden opportunity, and I thought I’d be generous for an old friend. Ah, it would seem my guest has just arrived.” 

“What…?” 

When Vattler looked behind him, Aradahl’s gaze followed suit. Appearing just then, with a Japanese girl appearing to be an agent of the Lion King Agency attending her, was a beautiful woman with long silver hair, resembling foreign royalty. 

She had pale skin and blue eyes reminiscent of a pristine glacier. On her beautiful face, extolled as the Second Coming of Freya herself, a teasing smile appeared. 

“I pray you are in good spirits, Your Excellency, Chairman Aradahl. I am grateful that you have invited me to Japan.” 

Grasping the short skirt that went with her military ceremonial outfit, she bowed in grand fashion. Thanks to the environment she was raised in from birth and the royal blood that coursed through her veins, her conduct left no openings whatsoever. 

“Princess La Folia Rihavein…?” Aradahl said, recovering from his initial surprise. 

La Folia Rihavein was the crown princess of the kingdom of Aldegia. She had passionate fans not just in her own nation of Aldegia in northern Europe, but all around the world. 

She breathed elegance, and she was widely praised for her deep prudence and benevolence in matters of policy. Only a tiny fraction of her political opponents knew the deeper truth: She was a shrewd, iron-willed businesswoman. 

“Why are you…?” 

La Folia replied to Aradahl’s question with a grin. 

“Kojou is a gentleman destined to be my future partner. It is only natural that I watch his duel to its conclusion. Of course, Your Excellency, I pray for your good fortune in battle as well. Please be gentle with him.” 

“Surely you jest, Princess.” Aradahl grimaced at La Folia’s statement, uncertain whether it was a joke or meant seriously. 

A highly regimented man such as Aradahl found slippery opponents like La Folia to be rather difficult to deal with. Fundamentally, she was cut from the same cloth as Vattler. If he had to put his finger on it, she was a hard, logical realist, the type that was not picky about choosing the means by which to achieve her ends. 

“It would seem that, aside from myself, the attendees are surprisingly numerous. Yes, from the Five Dynasties, even people from the Confederate States of America—” 

“People from Holy Ground Treaty non-signatory nations…?” 

The words La Folia had so nonchalantly stated wiped Aradahl’s expression from his face. He did not want to show the girl in front of him that he was unnerved. 

The Holy Ground Treaty enshrined peaceful coexistence between humankind and Demonkind, but by no means had every nation ratified it. For various historical and religious reasons, or simple territorial disputes, many nations considered demons enemies even to the present day. 

Representatives of such Holy Ground Treaty non-signatory nations had been invited to the Demon Sanctuary of Itogami Island. Aradahl could not read Vattler’s true intent in doing so. 

“Vattler…what the hell are you thinking?” 

“I want as many people as possible to witness your duel.” Vattler was invigorated. His eyes fell to an analog watch on his left wrist. “Furthermore, the betting odds currently have you at six to four, far more competitive than one would think. That’s the fame of the Fourth Primogenitor title for you.” 

“Damn you, you’re running a betting ring for our duel?” Aradahl growled, his anger plain. 

Having made a spectacle of Aradahl and Kojou’s duel all on his own, Vattler intended to use gambling to make a profit from it as well. 

For the Fourth Primogenitor to duel the chairman of the Imperial Assembly of the Warlord’s Empire meant a deadly duel between fellow demons. Naturally, the non-signatories to the Holy Ground Treaty would gladly come and enjoy the show. 

“I expect a beautiful show, Aradahl. Well, I’m sure you of all people would never put on a pathetic display.” 

“My apologies, but it will not be the delightful battle you expect, Vattler.” Barely managing to suppress his emotions, Aradahl spoke in a low voice. “The duel will be over in an instant. I have already gauged Kojou Akatsuki’s might. He is not qualified to call himself the Fourth Primogenitor. It is because you know this full well that you have not laid a hand upon him, yes?” 

“Heh-heh… Good for you, Aradahl. I’m sure your words will have a large impact on the betting odds.” 

Showing no sign of remorse, Vattler offered a cheerful smile. By that point, Aradahl was too angry for words. 

Watching this with obvious amusement, La Folia posed a question in a soft voice. 

“Then, Your Excellency, would you allow me to place a wager as well?” 

“Are you saying that you will bet on Kojou Akatsuki’s victory, Princess?” 

Aradahl turned a sharp look La Folia’s way. The silver-haired princess made a lovely smile. 

“Yes. Should he win, Your Excellency, there is a wish I would like you to grant.” 

“A wish, you say?” 

La Folia nodded. “I wish for you to withdraw the words you have just spoken in a public forum, Your Excellency. In other words, recognize Kojou as a proper primogenitor and invite him to the Garden of Whispers—that is what I desire.” 

Aradahl carefully chose his words as he replied, “That is… Though it may be your wish, those are not terms I can easily accept.” The Fourth Primogenitor was not acknowledged to actually exist. It was the offsetting by the mutual rivalries of the three Dominions ruled by the three primogenitors that upheld the global military balance. 

The emergence of a fourth primogenitor would easily cause that balance to crumble. The Fourth Primogenitor was a dangerous being, its very existence potentially the trigger for a great conflict. 

“That is why I have proposed a wager.” La Folia giggled as she continued to smile. 

“Then, should I be victorious over Kojou Akatsuki, you would need to pay compensation of commensurate value with that wish.” Aradahl grinned, slightly teasing her. 

However, the princess’s expression remained unchanged. 

“Yes. I understand that, of course.” 

“Then what do you intend to wager?” 

“My chastity.” 

“Wait a— Princess…?!” 

The eyes of the Attack Mage guarding the princess opened so wide that they seemed likely to pop out. It was a girl with a ponytail wearing a black instrument case on her back. 

“That’s insane… You would offer me the Blood Memory of the Royal Family of Aldegia? To a vampire of the Warlord’s Empire?” 

Aradahl was just as shocked. At present, relations were peaceful, but Aldegia and the Warlord’s Empire, sharing a border, had been in regular and repeated conflicts. It was a princess of that very Aldegia who had stated she would offer Aradahl her royal blood. That was virtually the same as wagering the nation itself. 

“I believe I have already stated that Kojou is destined to be my partner. I have no misgivings whatsoever to entrust my own fate to his victory.” 

La Folia shook her head without hesitation. Aradahl exhaled briefly. It was a hearty sigh at the incredible gall with which the young princess was so calmly wagering her own nation’s future. 

However, the girl was forgetting that, in the end, the only ones standing at the place of the duel were Aradahl and Kojou Akatsuki. Furthermore, there was nothing that could make Kojou Akatsuki victorious over Aradahl. 

“You have made…a foolish decision.” 

“May I take your words as acceptance of our wager?” 

“Yes, I accept.” 

Looking back at the princess, willful to the bitter end, Aradahl felt a slight twinge of pity. 

La Folia was likely in love with Kojou Akatsuki. Thanks to that, she innocently believed his victory was assured; that was a fatal miscalculation. Aradahl, of course, bore no duty to take her consideration for Kojou Akatsuki into account. 

“I shall eagerly anticipate the outcome of the battle, Your Excellency. May your exploits be bold.” 

The silver-haired princess bowed once more with a dancer’s grace. 

Aradahl watched in silence as she departed, the Attack Mage following close behind. 

Vattler wore a devilish grin all the while. 

6 

It was dusk when Kojou and Yukina arrived at the agreed-upon breakwater, right before sunset. 

They’d traveled the island end to end right up to the last possible minute, searching for a way to win against Aradahl. Though they sought the aid of Nina Adelard, the self-titled Great Alchemist of Yore, and Kensei Kanase, former court sorcerous engineer of Aldegia, neither knew of methods to control Beast Vassals, inherently outside their specialties, so they had failed to learn anything, save how frightening Aradahl was. As a result, Kojou was facing the duel without any effective countermeasure prepared. And then— 

“…” 

Just when they arrived at the breakwater at dusk, Kojou and Yukina stopped in bewilderment. 

Seaward from the tip of Island North, a concrete structure stretched forth. There was a container terminal for freighters next to it. 

The breakwater was conspicuously dreary, with nothing but a large-scale gantry crane and piles of containers to be seen, which made the extravagant ship coming in seem particularly out of place. 

The beautiful hull was ornamented with colored streamers and the flags of numerous nations, lit up by countless LED lights. Banners hanging down from the deck flapped in the wind, reading A D UEL . R EJOICE !, B ATTLE FOR THE A GES , K OJOU A KATSUKI VS V ELESH A RADAHL and other wholly irresponsible pieces of text. 

“What the hell is this…?!” 

“ Oceanus Grave II… Why is the Duke of Ardeal’s ship here…?” 

The stagecraft far gaudier than their wildest expectations left Kojou and Yukina rooted to the spot in shock. 

Of course, Aradahl had surely desired no such thing. Kojou didn’t think a hard-ass like him would be happy with a stupid uproar like this. The odds that, just like those letters of invitation, this was the work of Vattler were particularly heavy. 

What is he pulling all this for? thought Kojou in confusion, gazing at the deck of the Oceanus Grave II , when he suddenly realized why. On the deck of that extravagant ship was a slew of unfamiliar guests. 

Their numbers had to be two—maybe three hundred in total. Their species and gender differed, but the sight of foreigners in oddly lavish clothing stood out to Kojou. The sight of them with stout bodyguards on both flanks, binoculars in one hand, made them look like royalty invited to watch a horse race. 

“Vattler… Don’t tell me you…” 

That bastard. Kojou gnashed his teeth. The guest passengers on the Oceanus Grave II were no doubt there at Vattler’s invitation, assembled from every corner of the globe to witness Kojou and Aradahl’s lethal combat. He and Kojou had been completely turned into showpieces. 

His faint hope of resolving the matter through dialogue vanished then and there. 

Given Aradahl’s position, there was no longer any prospect of him responding to Kojou’s attempts to negotiate. If he abandoned his duel with Kojou, he would be scorned for his timidness by the enormous gallery that had assembled. 

If he wanted to rescue Glenda, emerging victorious from the duel looked to be his only option. If Vattler’s desire was to ensure that Kojou and Aradahl fought, he had succeeded in his objective with flying colors. 

“Fourth Primogenitor darling…” 

As if to further fan the flames of Kojou’s anger toward Vattler, someone called out to him out of the blue. The speaker was standing on the gangway of the Oceanus Grave II . With a wave, she called “Over here!” to Kojou and Yukina. 

The girl was wearing a red outfit that resembled a swimsuit. She opened a large parasol that looked looked like it was meant for a ring girl as she rushed over to Kojou’s side. She was one of the five Oceanus Girls, the blond beauty named Vika. 

“It has been quite some time, Fourth Primogenitor. Please, come with me. All the guests are waiting.” 

She took one of Kojou’s arms in both of her own and led him aboard the Oceanus Grave II . 

“Guests?” he asked, confused. “Who are you talking about?” 

Vika pressed her ample bust against Kojou’s upper arm. Watching this, Yukina’s eyes immediately went cold. 

“Wait a sec; what are the Oceanus Girls doing here anyway? And uh, what’s with that outfit?” 

“Well, I’m a ring girl, you see!” she said with a bright smile. 

“Ring girl?” 

“For duels and any combat, you need to have beautiful, exquisite women nearby, don’t you? I mean, this is like a worldwide-wrestling-title match. Does this outfit please you…?” 

“Er, pleased or not, it’s not like I came for a wrestling match, you know…” 

“It is practically the same thing. The whole world is watching.” 

Craaap , thought Kojou, shoulders sinking. No matter how hard he tried, he didn’t feel like she was registering anything he said. Giving up on further attempts to resist, he politely let the girl lead him along. 

The beautiful blond woman led Kojou and Yukina to a lounge bar inside the ship. It was a spacious room furnished with lavish seats, with a player piano providing pleasant, relaxing music in the background. 

“Kojou Akatsuki!” 

Without warning, someone called out his name, intruding upon the elegance of the room. 

Violently kicking a table aside as she approached was a highly stylish girl with a ponytail—Sayaka Kirasaka, who they had parted ways with back at the Lion King Agency branch office. There was no give in the eyes with which she glared at Kojou. They made him feel well and truly backed into a corner. 

“Er, Kirasaka? I thought you were on a mission for the Lion King Agen…?” 

“I am!! I’m here as Princess La Folia’s bodyguard!” 

“La Folia…? Wait, even she’s here…?” 

Kojou subconsciously brought his palm to his face. The scheming princess of the kingdom of Aldegia was a difficult person for Kojou to deal with. She was probably one of Vattler’s cordially invited guests. 

It seemed that Sayaka had been given the mission of guarding that very same princess. Since the princess coming to Itogami Island had not been publicly divulged, it was doubtlessly a top secret mission. Although, Sayaka had likely never imagined that the princess was coming to spectate Kojou’s duel. 

“More importantly, you met Prince Iblisveil, right?!” Sayaka nervously prodded. 

“Y-yeah,” he said with a nod. 

Well, kind of. 

He certainly had met the prince of the Fallen Dynasty and had even been treated to noodles in the process. 

“Victory—you actually have a chance at victory, right?!” 

“Er, that’s… I don’t have a clue what to make of what he told me.” 

“Whaaaat?!” 

Blowing up into a rage all on her own, Sayaka began forcefully wringing Kojou’s neck. Kojou gasped for breath. 

“What are you all ticked off for?!” 

“Shut up; I’m not ticked off, idiot! Because of you, the princess… The princess’s chastity…” 

“Huh? Her chastity…?” 

Kojou was thrown into even further chaos. As far as he knew, he hadn’t done a single thing to La Folia. In the first place, he hadn’t known until that very moment in time that she had come to the island to begin with. 

“I made a wager with Chairman Aradahl. A wager on whether he or Kojou would be triumphant—” 

Gazing with amusement at how Kojou was lost at sea, La Folia herself replied. Surprised, Kojou looked at the princess, reunited with her after quite some time. 

“Wager…? La Folia, what did you do…?” 

“Chairman Aradahl forced me into a corner, so I…offered my chastity. It took all of my efforts to make him agree to the terms should he lose to Kojou. And if Kojou should lose, Chairman Aradahl may do with my body as he pleases.” 

Sullenly casting her eyes downward as she told the tale, La Folia immediately lifted her face, a fleeting smile coming over it as if trying to say Don’t worry about me. Anyone not familiar with La Folia’s true nature would surely have their hearts stolen by her heroism, a hundred times out of a hundred. 

However, in contrast, Kojou’s wariness was plain to see as he drew his face close to Sayaka, still right beside him. 

“…How much of what she’s saying is true?” 

“Aside from the part at the end, she’s not telling the whole truth. The princess is the one who made the bet to begin with.” 

“…Wait, then the betting part is for real? By offering her own chastity, she means—” 

“This problem doesn’t only concern you, Princess. A small nation like the kingdom of Aldegia on the front lines of international conflict is able to resist the Warlord’s Empire because the priestess power in the royal family is so strong…” 

“Yeah… The spiritual engines and the pseudo–Holy Swords…” 

Kojou had witnessed the knights of Aldegia, including La Folia herself, using swords shrouded in divine essence several times over. The pseudo–Holy Swords were able to inflict fatal damage on demons, making them powerful weapons rivaling the divine armaments of the Lion King Agency. 

“But if Chairman Aradahl obtains the Royal Family of Aldegia’s Blood Memory, it will become possible for the Warlord’s Empire to manufacture spiritual engines, too. Right now, things are calm without territorial conflicts, but the next time a war starts up, worst case, the entire kingdom might be destroyed—” 

“I wagered,” La Folia interrupted, “because I believe in Kojou’s victory. If you win, there is no problem whatsoever.” Her declaration was firm. 

The sheer weight of her baseless faith in him overwhelmed Kojou. 

“Wait, isn’t this weird?! Why’d you go raising the stakes behind my back anyway?!” 

“Please, be at ease. Now that my body has become the potential spoils of the victor, obtaining victory is the same as obtaining the rights to it.” 

“But even if you say that to me, there’s no guarantee I’m going to win against—” 

“In the name of La Folia Rihavein, I command thee— Win, Kojou.” 

As her blue eyes stared straight into Kojou’s own, La Folia spoke with a tone that permitted no argument. The majestic solemnity she was giving off left Kojou at a complete loss for words. 

La Folia proceeded to undo her own necktie and unbutton her shirt. Her slender neck and ample cleavage gradually became exposed. 

Then, she provocatively gazed at Kojou with upturned eyes. 

“Do this, and my body shall be yours. Or are you unsatisfied with me?” 

“Like I was saying, that’s not… Wait, why are you stripping?!” 

“Princess, please, exercise prudence! Princess!! We’re leaving now!!” 

Quickly wedging herself into the conversation, Sayaka desperately worked to put La Folia’s clothes back in order. If anyone was to see them like this, an international incident would be unavoidable, something Sayaka was desperately working to avert. 

For her part, a deeply suggestive smile came over La Folia as she narrowed her eyes. 

“It will be all right. The blessing of the Valkyries is with you.” 

“Y-yeah…” Kojou nodded without really understanding why. La Folia saw this for herself as Sayaka ended up dragging her out of the lounge. She didn’t neglect to blow a kiss his way at the very end. The sense of tension from just earlier had been thoroughly and utterly shattered. 

When the girls were no longer in view, Kojou put both hands on the nearest table and limply exhaled. He felt like his endurance had been heavily depleted before the duel had even begun. He even felt doubtful as to whether La Folia had been trying to ensure his victory. And then… 

“—To be ogling girls at a time like this, you must be very confident in your chances, Kojou Akatsuki.” 

Right before that frail Kojou’s eyes, two small-statured figures appeared as the air rippled without warning. 

It was Natsuki Minamiya, wearing a frilly black dress, and Glenda, wearing a white one. They looked very much like a witch and a princess from some kind of fairy tale. 

“Natsuki and…Glenda? What are you doing in those outfits?” 

“This girl is the spoils of the duel. Dressing her up to a fair extent is a necessity.” 

Natsuki lifted her chin with pride. She must have been the one to put Glenda in that outfit. As for Glenda herself, she seemed unable to calm down in the unfamiliar dress. 

Though, it couldn’t have been only the outfit making Glenda better behaved than usual. Yuiri and Shio having been taken hostage was no doubt weighing heavily on her mind. 

“From that face, it seems your doubts have not been dispelled.” 

Seeing the clouded look on Kojou’s face, Natsuki posed the question as if to tease him. 

“Like I was gonna find a way to win with only half a day to prepare.” 

“Your words are quite amusing. You are the World’s Mightiest Vampire, are you not?” 

“Right now, being called that just sounds like sarcasm.” 

Natsuki shook her head, exasperated and disappointed at his throwaway answer. 

“Kojou…” 

Seeing Kojou look so defeated, Glenda called out to him in a troubled voice. Kojou gently stroked her cheek to comfort her. 

“I get it. Don’t worry. I’ll manage somehow.” 

“Dah…!” 

Finding relief in Kojou’s defiant, smiling face, Glenda nodded as if by reflex. 

“We are heading to the deck. The Master of Serpents is waiting, after all—” 

Natsuki opened a teleport gate in midair. Taking Glenda with her into the gate, Natsuki glanced back, her black hair fluttering in the moment just before they vanished. 

“Do not be led astray, Kojou Akatsuki… You are not alone.” 

“…Huh?” 

Before he could ask what she meant, Natsuki vanished from sight. The gentle words, so unlike Natsuki, made Kojou even more uneasy than before. 

“What are you going to do, senpai?” 

Seeing a rather delicate expression come over Kojou, Yukina looked up at him with a questioning air. Thanks to Natsuki and Glenda’s departure, she and Kojou were the only ones left in the lounge. Even the self-styled ring girl who’d led them there had vanished at some point. Perhaps she thought that was a wise thing to do. 

“Nah… I’m just… To think the day would come when Natsuki tried to make me feel better…” 

When he said that, Kojou’s head seemed to split wide open. 

“You are not alone,” she had said. From the subtext, her meaning was surely We are here with you. It was like some trendy line from the lyrics of a song in a commercial. 

“I suppose it means the situation is that dire,” Yukina said, dead serious. Kojou was not the only one left uneasy by Natsuki’s demeanor. 

“Well, I’ve had you and others always helping me out up to this point, Himeragi. Kind of late to say this, but…thanks for everything.” 

Forcing away a blush, Kojou stared straight at Yukina with earnest eyes. 

“Wh-what are you…all of a sudden…?!” 

“Although, a lot of times, I did think it was depressing to have you glued to me all the time…” 

“D…depressing…?!” 

“Sorry, but if something happens to me, please take care of Glenda. Also, find something good to say to Nagisa, would ya? Like, I had to travel far away, or I drowned at sea, something appropriate.” 

“—You mustn’t!” 

With a sharp voice, Yukina interrupted Kojou’s words. They sounded like a last request. The unexpectedly strong rejection made Kojou nervous. He didn’t understand why Yukina was suddenly angry. 

“H-Himeragi?” 

“Senpai, you have to make it back. Glenda, La Folia, Yuiri, and Shio cannot be saved without you, senpai!” 

Yukina’s fingers grabbed hold of Kojou’s collar. Her pupils, so close to him that he felt overwhelmed, reflected his face. 

“Uh, I understand that, but…” 

“Do you intend to abandon me as well?” 

As Kojou attempted to talk his way out the situation, Yukina thrust her left hand right before his eyes. The silver ring on her left ring finger was emitting a faint glow. 

“You made me your partner, so please, take responsibility. Senpai, you absolutely must come back. You must come back to me—,” Yukina insisted in a most delicate voice. From the sight of her, Kojou finally realized it. Yukina had been holding her feelings inside all that time. 

She had to be quietly suffering from her worries about sending Kojou off to a duel all by himself—and her own powerlessness in being unable to give him a plan for victory. Yukina had desperately concealed her anguish during the time Kojou had walked all across the island in search of advice that could help him win. She did this so that her own unease might not infect Kojou as well. 

“Freebie…” 

As he grasped Yukina’s trembling hand, Kojou gave her a laid-back smile. 

“Yes?” 

Eyes wide, Yukina blinked. That Yukina could not conceal her own worries was because, having come that far, Kojou’s own apprehension had made her air them out loud. Now it’s my turn , he thought. It was exactly the juncture where he ought to bluff to ease Yukina’s worries a little bit. 

“If I come back safe and sound, I at least want one good freebie out of you, Himeragi.” 

Kojou brought his lips close to Yukina’s ear, whispering. Her shoulders trembled as if she had been tickled. “Goodness,” she uttered with a sigh. Bathed in the rays of the evening sun through the ship’s windows, her cheeks were dyed thoroughly red. 

“Understood. Please do whatever you like.” 

Yukina spoke in a somewhat blunt voice. However, she made no move to shake off Kojou’s hand. Her cheeks still red, she snuggled close to Kojou, staring out the window. 

The surface of the sunset sea grew darker, like a blot of ink widening over it. Only the water’s horizon glistened red like fire. The sky’s scarlet gradient resembled the color of fresh blood. Night would fall at any moment. 

“Sunset, it would seem.” 

She was quiet. 

Kojou nodded. “Yeah. Guess I’d better go—” His voice lacked fighting spirit. “Just like goin’ out for a stroll.” 

Yukina looked up at him and nodded. Then the pair began to walk out together. It was unclear who had started walking first. 

It was twilight—the witching hour. The time of demons had come. 

7 

A sea breeze was passing through. Aradahl was already standing on top of the breakwater. He was alone, upholding his end of the bargain for a one-on-one match. 

Seeing this, Kojou stepped down onto the breakwater as well. Even as a worried look came over Yukina, she remained atop the gangway. 

“So you’ve come, Kojou Akatsuki.” 

With the sleeves of his black coat flapping in the wind, Aradahl murmured in a solemn tone. 

Somehow, he looked annoyed, likely due to the spectators gathered on Vattler’s ship. Even he hadn’t anticipated that his proposal for a duel would turn them into an exotic sideshow like this. 

“It would seem that you have brought the Dragon of the Swamp as promised.” 

Aradahl looked at the topside of the Oceanus Grave II as he spoke. 

In her white dress, Glenda was standing in the most visible spot at the center of the deck. Because she was a precious, young dragon, the eyes of the crowd were upon her, but no one approached her. They were fearful of Natsuki, standing right at Glenda’s side. 

“The two hostages?” 

Kojou asked as he similarly surveyed the topside of the ship. He could not see Yuiri and Shio anywhere on the main deck. 

“Surely it is not the girls’ desire to be exposed to prying eyes. I have placed them with the princesses in Vattler’s custody. If you doubt me, I do not mind should you wish to confirm for yourself.” 

“Nah,” Kojou said, shaking his head at the black-haired vampire’s reply. He didn’t think Aradahl would lie about that. Either way, unless and until Kojou defeated him, he could not rescue Yuiri or Shio. 

“Looks like you’re not much of a fan of this dumb spectator event, either.” 

“Things were blown out of proportion thanks to my kinsman’s foolishness. I apologize in that regard.” Aradahl’s brow creased in visible anguish. 

“If you’re gonna apologize about that, I’d be grateful if you just gave up on Glenda for good, y’know…,” Kojou offered hopefully. 

Aradahl shook his head with a neutral expression. “That I cannot do. Though, if you claim you will dispose of that dragon in my stead, it would be another matter.” 

“If I was gonna do that, I wouldn’t be doing something as embarrassing as having a formal duel in the first place.” Kojou sighed. He had resigned himself to the fact that the fight with Aradahl was inevitable. “Come to think of it, where’s Vattler? You didn’t make him your second?” 

“For me, the risk posed by having that fool stand as my witness would be far too great.” 

Aradahl spat out his words as if he’d crushed a bitter bug between his teeth. Kojou nearly broke into a laugh, but it seemed Aradahl had not in any way meant that as a joke. 

“But thanks to him, no time has been squandered calling over other witnesses. The prince of the Fallen Dynasty, the princess of Aldegia—surely you are not dissatisfied to have them see this through.” 

“Well, I suppose not.” 

Kojou politely acknowledged his words. He didn’t think Aradahl would pull any kind of underhanded trick to begin with. He was more worried about what suspicious actions Vattler might pull. However, even that man would probably have to behave while under the public’s eye. 

Only one problem remained: whether Kojou could win against Aradahl. In the end, it all came down to that. 

“What about the signal to start the duel? Is someone gonna ring a gong or something?” Kojou asked calmly. 

His whole body was tense, as if brimming with static electricity. It reminded him of how he felt before a game back when he was in the basketball club. This was a kind of anxiety Kojou hadn’t felt in quite some time. But this was no sporting event. There was no room amid the tension to be enjoying things: Glenda, Yuiri, Shio, and Kojou himself all had their destinies on the line. 

“I will leave that to you. Launch any attack you wish,” replied Aradahl. 

At a glance, he appeared to be wide open. No doubt it was intended less a display of composure than a concession for having requested the duel in the first place. He was an uptight vampire to the bitter end. 

That said, Kojou was under no obligation to follow suit. 

“Oh, you’re sooo considerate. I’m grateful. I’ll go with this, then.” 

Kojou wore a sinister grin as he retrieved a single coin from his pocket. He waited for Aradahl to nod, flicking it high into the air with his thumb. 

Anyone who’d ever seen a country western film knew the drill: You drew your gun the instant the flicked coin fell to the ground. Aradahl surely intended to do just that. 

But Kojou had no recollection of saying the duel began when the coin hit the ground— 

Just before the coin, dancing in the sky, reached its zenith, Kojou vanished from Aradahl’s field of view. Even if the opponent didn’t completely lose sight of him, his reaction speed had definitely dulled. Not letting that instant go to waste, Kojou kicked off from the ground. 

Aradahl noticed Kojou’s motion, but it was too late. Kojou, his center of balance low, had already crept into his flank. 

“?!” 

The dark-haired vampire looked alarmed. That was because no demonic energy was flowing from Kojou’s body. That was why Aradahl, on guard against the Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor, reacted late to that one move. 

“Gu…oah…!” 

Wide open from shock, Aradahl’s pupils wavered, appearing to have lost their focus. The swing of Kojou’s powerhouse left hook had apparently grazed the tip of Aradahl’s chin. 

If he couldn’t defeat Aradahl with a Beast Vassal, then he just needed to not use a Beast Vassal—after much hesitation, this was the conclusion Kojou had reached. Vampires had such vast amounts of demonic energy that attacks not reliant upon that energy were a blind spot in fights between one another. Immortal body or not, if you shook a vampire’s brain enough, it would surely take a suitable amount of time to recover. At the very least, enough time to create a momentary opportunity for another attack— 

“—C’mon over, Beast Vassal Number Two, Cor-Tauri Succinum!” 

With Aradahl’s movements halted, Kojou unleashed a Beast Vassal right at him. However, the attack was not unleashed on the surface, but beneath it. The Fourth Primogenitor’s second Beast Vassal was a minotaur with a body of magma. Its attack became an incandescent stake, stabbing up from under Itogami Island’s artificial earth to completely envelop Aradahl. 

The torrent of magma erupting like a spire mercilessly rent the vast breakwater asunder, changing the very landscape. “Ohhh!” stirred the spectators of the Oceanus Grave II in a show of praise. 

Feeling like sports spectators, several had made their armed escorts carry cameras, turning them into commemorative photographers for the occasion. It was like they were confusing the destruction wrought by Kojou’s Beast Vassal with some kind of great natural spectacle. 

Naturally, Kojou had no time for such enjoyment. He grimaced as he searched for Aradahl’s whereabouts from within the hot, glimmering magma flying apart. 

The terms of the duel were to fight until the opponent was rendered incapable of combat. Naturally, he’d lose sleep if his opponent died. Kojou also didn’t really bear any ill will toward Aradahl. If he could cool and harden the magma, trapping Aradahl inside, that would be best for Kojou’s peace of mind. But— 

“I guess things aren’t gonna be that easy, huh…!” 

Kojou’s cheeks twisted in unease. The stake of magma rent apart, and appearing from within a shimmer was a vampire silhouette shrouded by a vortex of demonic energy. 

“What has it been, centuries…? It has been so long since I have been robbed of consciousness for even a second…” 

A low voice devoid of emotion echoed amid the burning wind. The exceptionally clinical tone of voice made Kojou shudder as he felt a chill. 

Finally, Aradahl revealed himself, his entire body clad in pitch-black armor. 

Formed of countless, sharp-edged blades, it was a huge suit of full plate armor. The silhouette made Aradahl look like some evil ogre, as if his very body had been transformed into a monster made of steel. 

“Armor…?! No… You’re wearing your own Beast Vassal?!” Kojou exclaimed as he realized the true nature of the pitch-black armor. 

It was just like Astarte’s Rhododactylos, a symbiotic type of Beast Vassal that fused with its host. Encasing his entire body in that Beast Vassal was how Aradahl was able to endure the magma that could burn even a vampire’s body to ashes. 

“Using a coin to divert my line of sight… A surprise attack employing flesh and blood rather than demonic energy… Then an attack from the blind spot beneath my feet. First, allow me to say that your strategy was splendid. I acknowledge that I underestimated you.” 

Still equipping his armor, Aradahl summoned a new Beast Vassal, Ghoula, the black short swords he summoned during their last encounter. 

Kojou gawked at the sheer number of them. There were hundreds—no—thousands, perhaps. The pitch-black Beast Vassal horde was large enough to blot out out the entire twilight sky. Like starving piranhas, the swarm of Intelligent Weapons turned the tips of their blades toward Kojou as one. 

“Accordingly, I shall defeat you with all my power, Kojou Akatsuki. Farewell.” 

There was no time to form a plan. 

Kojou’s entire body, impaled by the blades, was helplessly sent flying.