Strike the Blood - Volume 15 - Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR 

A WAR OF PRIMOGENITORS 

1 

In a cabin near the ship’s hold of the cruise ship Oceanus Grave II , Shio, wrists still bound, peeked out the window. The arrival of night had darkened the harbor, so it was difficult to tell what was going on outside the porthole. 

“It’s gotten quiet. Do you think the duel is over?” murmured Yuiri, dressed in a swimsuit, and with nothing else to keep her warm save a jacket. 

Like Shio, both of Yuiri’s hands were tied behind her back. They had lost to, and were subsequently captured by, Velesh Aradahl back at Blue Elysium. They had been treated more politely at the start, but having ignored instructions and plotted to escape several times, their treatment had devolved to the current situation. 

Incidentally, due to Shio’s particularly obstinate attitude, they had been threatened with having to wear frilly magical-girl cosplay outfits the next time the pair attempted to escape. Hence, Shio and Yuiri were in a situation where they could not casually attempt an escape. 

“I wonder if Kojou Akatsuki lost…,” Shio said in a frail voice. 

She and Yuiri had been informed beforehand that Kojou Akatsuki and Aradahl were to duel over Glenda. Powerful demonic energy had jostled back and forth ceaselessly until moments before, but it had completely come to a halt now. The duel had probably been decided. 

“No way. Kojou is the Fourth Primogenitor, the World’s Mightiest Vampire.” 

Yuiri pouted a bit as she refuted Shio’s words. For some reason, Yuiri had been soft on Kojou Akatsuki since the incident at Kannawa Lake back at New Year’s. 

“But the opponent is the First Primogenitor’s right-hand man. It seems like Kojou Akatsuki doesn’t have a complete command of his vampire powers, either. If he has to follow a duel’s rules, wouldn’t you normally think he’d lose?” Shio rationally pointed out. Then, like she was speaking to herself, she added, “Besides, Kojou Akatsuki’s a bit of a flake. For a primogenitor, he’s not very dependable.” 

“What can you expect? He’s still young. You comparing him to Gajou makes me feel sorry for him.” 

“W…we’re not talking about Gajou right now!” Shio’s voice went shrill. However, Yuiri took Shio’s objection in stride. 

“If Kojou really does lose, what do you think will happen to us?” 

“…I don’t know. Since there’s the Holy Ground Treaty, I don’t think the treatment will be that awful, but it is a fact we attacked the Duke of Severin, so…” 

Having spoken those words, Shio bit her lip. The Lion King Agency had assigned Shio and Yuiri the mission of guarding Glenda, but using that as justification to engage a VIP of the Warlord’s Empire in combat sounded a bit thin. The two were still only apprentice Attack Mages, and they’d failed in that very mission of protecting Glenda. If the Warlord’s Empire blew it up into an international incident, the chances the Lion King Agency would cut them loose were high. 

“So they really will interrogate us—to make us tell them secret information of the Lion King Agency…” 

“Uh, n-nah, I’m sure they wouldn’t. It’s not like we know much secret information to begin with—” 

“Then, human trafficking or something… Selling us to a sex industry of some sort…” 

“Th-that’s stupid. Even nobles of the Warlord’s Empire wouldn’t stoop to something like…” 

Shio hid her own internal worries as she retorted. At present, Shio and Yuiri were not in the custody of the famously well-mannered Aradahl, but the highly notorious Dimitrie Vattler. To be blunt, she had no idea how Vattler meant to treat them once the duel was over and their value as hostages had come to an end. 

“Shio.” 

Noticing the sound of footsteps approaching the cabin, Yuiri spoke in a quiet voice, nodding guardedly to Shio. 

“Get back, Yuiri.” 

Shio approached the cabin door. From that position, was the crew member guarding them to enter, she could instantly attack and take the person hostage, but Yuiri shook her head to dissuade Shio from such thoughts. 

“Shio, don’t! If we resist, this time they’ll put us in cosplay outfits!” 

“It’s better than being sold as slaves!” Shio yelled, more for her own benefit than anyone else’s. Certainly, the day pictures of them in magical-girl cosplay outfits would be distributed to those close to them, she felt she would lose something precious to her as an Attack Mage, but that didn’t mean she could just take being kept captive. 

Thus resolved, Shio girded herself as the cabin door opened right before her eyes. Entering was a silver-haired youth, his confident stride betraying no openings. He was a vampire with a handsome face reminiscent of a cold blade. 

“A-a man…?!” 

Shio was shaken, freezing up at the Demon’s unexpected appearance. Having lived and trained at an all-girls’ boarding school, her case might not have quite been on the same level as her classmate Sayaka, but Shio had a somewhat difficult time dealing with men nonetheless. 

Perhaps astutely sensing Shio’s fear, Yuiri stood up with trembling legs and stood before the young man. 

“Don’t lay one hand on Shio. Do with me what you like, but at least spare Shio—” 

“Y-Yuiri, you idiot!” 

Shio hastily tried to push Yuiri back, resulting in both trying to shield the other. The vampire youth gazed gloomily at the pair, sighing at the sight of them getting worked up on their own. 

“Oh my, Count Jagan…have you done something to these girls?” 

The woman who entered the cabin next looked up at the youth, posing the question with visible amusement. Wearing a blue suit, the beautiful woman gave off the air of having a good head on her shoulders. Her words made Shio and Yuiri realize the silver-haired youth’s identity: Tobias Jagan. He was an Old Guard vampire, aristocrat of the Warlord’s Empire, and said to be Vattler’s confidant. 

“Don’t ask me. They started a ruckus all by themselves.” 

Jagan spoke with a sour tone. His hands gripped a silver long sword and a recurve bow in its folded form. These were Rosen Chevalier Plus and Freikugel Plus—Yuiri’s and Shio’s weapons, supposedly lost during combat with Aradahl. Jagan bluntly placed both atop the cabin’s sofa. 

It was a moment later that the woman in the three-piece suit beckoned with her hand, and a small figure came rushing in. Her steel hair flapped all around as she pressed herself hard against Shio and Yuiri, like a dog embracing its master. 

“Yuiri! Shio!” 

“Glenda?!” 

“You’re all right?” 

“Dah!” 

The small figure was actually Glenda. She was wearing an expensive-looking white dress and a pretty tiara. A joyful smile came over her, with her entire body projecting an expression of happiness. 

“Kojou won? Against the Duke of Severin?” Yuiri asked. 

“Yes. He performed splendidly.” The woman in the suit smiled warmly. 

“I do not recognize that pathetic fighting as victory. Aradahl is too soft,” Jagan said with the tone of a pouting child. Apparently, he was loath to accept Kojou’s victory over Aradahl. 

“Are you letting us go, then?” Shio, confused, sought to make sure. 

The woman in the suit nodded. “Yes. However, before you go, would you care to have dinner with us?” 

“Dinner? Food?” Glenda’s ears perked up as she turned to listen. Her long, steel-colored hair swayed back and forth like a dog’s tail. 

“Yes. And there is someone who wishes to meet with you,” the woman in the suit stated in a highly suggestive manner. Yuiri nodded deeply. 

“Let’s go, Shio.” 

“Yuiri?” 

“There’s no reason for you to deceive us at this point, is there? They could dispose of us at any time if they wanted to.” 

“…You have a point. It would be inexcusable to return to Master empty-handed. We need to get a handle on the situation, at least. I wonder what Kirasaka’s going to say…” 

“Food, food, food…” 

Humming in a pleasant mood, Glenda followed the woman in the suit. Shio and Yuiri picked up their respective divine arms and trailed behind the other two with tension in their steps. 

A sour look remained on Jagan’s face as he joined them. His duty was no doubt to keep an eye on Shio and Yuiri. He seemed determined to stay out of the conversation as much as he could. 

The interior of the ship was broader than Shio and Yuiri had expected. The sight of numerous foreign guests and their heavily armed escorts could be seen in the café and lounge. Shio and Yuiri were unfamiliar with the native attire they wore. They were probably people from non-signatories to the Holy Ground Treaty with little intercourse with Japan. 

The woman in the suit led the pair to an area where the security was especially strict, nearly the most of any part of the vessel. It was a VIP suite. 

As they entered the room, an unadorned, modern-weapons system flew into the corner of Shio’s vision. It was a crimson robot tank fitted with heavy weaponry. 

“Uwaa?!” 

Reacting to the body temperature of those entering the room, the spinning movements of the multi-eyed sensors caused Yuiri and Shio to cling to each other in surprise. For some reason, Glenda seemed accustomed to the sight, barely reacting when she saw the tank. Then, Yuiri looked up at the tank as she let a dazed murmur slip. 

“That tank… It’s like the one back at Kannawa Lake…” 

“Kannawa Lake…?” 

Somehow recovering from her initial surprise, Shio narrowed her brows with a questioning expression. 

Kannawa Lake, deep in the Tangiwa Mountains, was the place where the pair had first encountered Glenda. If the pilot of this robot tank was the same as the one back at that place, it was not something they could pass off as mere coincidence. 

And behind that rounded tank, they heard a young voice from the back of the room that bore little sense of tension. 

“Asagi, please bring more pizza. No onions, thank you.” 

“Lady Empress, I desireth meat. Also, could I troubleth thee to bring a game console cable as well?” 

“Oh, geez, you two are so noisy. When did this become a day care center?” 

Three rather distinctive girls were sitting around the table with a relaxed air. 

One was an elementary school girl with an adorable face wearing a uniform from a famous girls’ school. Another was a small-statured redhead wearing a piloting outfit resembling a regulation school swimsuit. 

And the third was a high school girl with an extravagant hairstyle wearing her school uniform improperly on purpose. 

“Ah, finally. Over here!” 

Noticing Shio and Yuiri entering the room, that high school girl beckoned them over with her hand. Staring at her face, Yuiri blinked several times over. 

“Miss…Asagi Aiba?” 

“Ah? Have we met somewhere?” 

Sitting cross-legged on top of the sofa, the high school girl tilted her head. Shio’s eyes went wide in surprise. 

“Asagi Aiba, you mean that local idol?” 

“I’ve had, ah, enough of that, so… Please forget all about that.” 

Asagi limply hung her head. Apparently, Shio had touched a part of her past she would rather have left untouched. Yuiri immediately tried to follow up, shaking her head. 

“I met you once at Kannawa Lake. You’re in the same class as Kojou, yes?” 

“…Kojou?” 

Asagi narrowed her eyes in wariness. The nonchalant way Yuiri had spoken his given name tugged at her. “Oh well,” she soon said, giving a casual shrug as she motioned the pair toward empty seats. 

Upon the table lay pizza, sweets, bottles of juice, and other treats. The atmosphere felt like an all-girls sleepover. No doubt this ambience was somehow connected to Jagan’s sour mood. 

“But why are you on the Duke of Ardeal’s ship? Aren’t you Kojou Akatsuki’s girlfriend?” Shio soberly asked, facing Asagi. 

“G-girlfriend…?” 

Asagi, nibbling on the corner of a slice of pizza, made a small cough that seemed like a nervous twitch. Shio found the girl’s unsophisticated reaction a little surprising. In contrast to her glamorous appearance, her personality seemed surprisingly pure. 

“Am I wrong? That’s what Kirasaka told me, you see…” 

“I-is that so? So Kirasaka sees me as… Heh, really…” 

Though she somehow maintained her composure, Asagi Aiba seemed rather pleased. In reality, Sayaka had called Asagi one of the girls Kojou Akatsuki had laid his hands upon, but Shio thought better of putting it in those words. 

“Um, Asagi Aiba?” 

“Ah, sorry. By the Duke of Ardeal, you mean Mr. Vattler, right? I made a deal with him.” 

“A deal?” 

“Yes. I cooperate with Mr. Vattler, and Mr. Vattler lends me a hand in return. Our mutual desires align, you see.” 

“R…right…” 

Shio gave a rather vague nod. She didn’t have a clue what to say to the girl. A high school girl who could make a deal with Dimitrie Vattler as his equal—it was something beyond Shio’s comprehension. 

“Don’t tell me, you’re the Priestess of Cain that Tartarus Lapse was after?” 

“Ah… Yeah, that kinda happened, too, didn’t it?” 

Asagi looked up with an annoyed expression. Her reaction made Shio accept things somewhat. If she truly was the Priestess of Cain, dealing with Vattler on equal footing was far from impossible. 

“So what does the Priestess of Cain want with us?” 

“I thought it was better if I took the time to explain…” 

Speaking those words, Asagi surveyed the faces of Yuiri and the others. The two elementary schoolers sat politely on the sofa, quietly listening to Shio and company’s conversation. 

“Heh-heh.” Asagi grinned proudly. “I mean, don’t you want to know the reason people are after Glenda? Incidentally, Glenda’s true nature, too.” 

“Miss Aiba, you know this?” Yuiri asked, leaning forward. 

“Well, I am the Priestess of Cain, you know,” said Asagi as she puffed out her chest. “Also, you can call me Asagi.” 

“Asagi!” 

Glenda, right beside Asagi, smiled amiably toward her. 

“Good girl.” Asagi stroked Glenda’s head. “You trust me?” 

“Dah!” 

“Thank you. All right, Glenda, acknowledge code.” 

As Glenda nodded, Asagi peered into her eyes as she made a mischievous smile. 

Her left hand was holding a pretty pink smartphone. The icon on the screen, resembling a badly sewn teddy bear, made a malicious grin. 

Hearing Asagi’s words, Yuiri paled and rose to her feet. However, before Yuiri could stop her, Asagi had finished reciting the code. 

“49 7265717567374 6173 7375636573736f72. We demand the relic as the rightful inheritors.” 

2 

Kojou awoke atop a soft bed. 

He was in a room in a totally new apartment. Due to the lack of furnishings and private possessions, it gave off a fairly inorganic impression, but the owner of the room seemed to be female. Someone’s dresses were on hangers against the wall, and there was a faint, lingering whiff of perfume. The dresses seemed to actually be maid outfits. 

“You have come to, Kojou? Unexpectedly quick of you.” 

As Kojou lay there, he heard a voice above his head that came off as haughty. Kojou’s hazy vision displayed a doll in an exotic outfit, not even thirty centimeters in height. 

“Nina…?” 

Kojou looked up at the liquid metal life-form once known as the Great Alchemist of Yore, Nina Adelard. The current Nina ought to have been kept at Natsuki Minamiya’s mansion as Kanon Kanase’s pet. 

“This room is?” 

“Astarte’s bedroom. Natsuki brought you back to this building with her. You apparently collapsed from using up your power during the duel with Velesh Aradahl,” Nina said with an exasperated smile. “So immature.” 

Kojou finally grasped that she had technically watched over him until he returned to consciousness. 

“Oh, all right… Asagi… Where did she go with Glenda…?!” 

“If you mean the ship of the Warlord’s Empire’s Master of Serpents, it is moored at Itogami Island’s inlet.” 

“She’s on Vattler’s ship…?” 

Kojou clutched his head in confusion. 

He should have realized it as soon as he’d seen Asagi and Jagan together. Jagan, a confidant of Vattler’s, would never make contact with Asagi without a good reason. Asagi had probably teamed up with Vattler for some reason or other. If so, kidnapping Glenda had to be nothing more than a means to some kind of end— 

“At the moment, the Warlord’s Empire’s Master of Serpents is not making any move of note, but given the nature of the opponent, the Island Guard cannot make any careless moves against him. In the first place, I do not think the Gigafloat Management Corporation is at liberty to pay him much heed.” 

Nina made the assertion with a farsighted tone of voice. Even during the time Kojou had collapsed, the Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military’s armada was approaching Itogami Island. The Gigafloat Management Corporation’s staff had to have their hands full trying to form countermeasures. He didn’t think they would put the Island Guard in motion over a dragon abduction that wasn’t even public knowledge among Itogami City residents. 

“Shit,” Kojou cursed foully as he sat up fast. “Where are my clothes?” 

“Rejoice, for it is I who has mended them by hand. See, right here.” 

Nina pointed to the bedside table. Since Kojou’s clothes had been in tatters from the duel with Aradahl, he would have been grateful to have them repaired by alchemy. However, it was not a Saikai Academy’s schoolboy uniform resting on the table, but a gold-colored tuxedo with a dazzling luster. 

“Um… What the hell is…this?” 

“I am saying, it is your change of clothes. I merely employed my own discretion to make some minor improvements.” 

“You call these improvements?!” shouted Kojou. 

Apparently, Nina had not stopped at merely repairing his clothes, but she had altered the molecular composition of the threads as well. Transmutation was alchemy’s master-level art. 

“This outfit’s gonna make me look like a circus clown! Turn it back, right now!” 

“Goodness, you really do not have any sense of taste… This is so trendy.” 

“You’re the last person I wanna hear the word taste from…” 

Kojou covered his eyes in annoyance. Nina grumbled aloud as she turned the gold, sparkly tuxedo back to ordinary clothes. Someone must have heard the loud exchange, for there was a reserved knock at the door just as Kojou began to put on his clothes. 

After awaiting Kojou’s reply, Yukina opened the door and entered. Appearing next was a homunculus girl with indigo hair—Astarte. 

“…Senpai? Is it all right for you to be on your feet already?” 

Seeing Kojou sitting on the bed, Yukina gave an expression of concern. She was no doubt being considerate not only for his wounds and blood loss, but also the mental shock of having been betrayed by Asagi. 

Realizing he’d caused her a great deal of trouble, Kojou reflected honestly upon his actions. 

“Yeah, sorry. I’m all right already.” 

“You do not look like it…” 

Seeing Kojou put on a strong front and rise to his feet, Yukina let out a tiny sigh. She proceeded to walk in front of Kojou, putting a hand to the collar of his uniform. It was only then that Kojou finally realized that he’d wrongly fastened one of his shirt buttons. That was the fault of getting up in a daze and dressing in a hurry. 

“Try not to make me worry too much, would you?” 

Speaking with a pained smile mixed in, Yukina refastened the buttons of his shirt. Kojou, drawn in by the faint rustle of her bangs, drew his face near. 

“Himeragi…you smell…nice for some reason…” 

“I—I do?!” 

Kojou’s sudden utterance sent tension running through Yukina’s entire body. 

“Goodness,” muttered Nina, and Kojou heard her sigh deeply. 

“Kojou…what do you think you are doing, sniffing the body odor of the girl taking care of you?” 

“Erotic…,” said Astarte in an emotionless murmur. 

“It’s n… It’s not in a weird way; I just thought she smelled kind of sweet…” 

“You’re doing better than I thought,” Yukina said in a sarcastic tone, baring her white teeth at Kojou. She proceeded to meticulously refasten the last of Kojou’s buttons, which he thought was very much like her. 

Kojou silently shook his head, abandoning all thoughts of excuses. 

“Astarte, what time is it?” 

“It is 2356 hours and forty seconds. It will be midnight very shortly.” 

“So I’ve been out for close to five hours…” 

The homunculus girl’s perfectly accurate reply instilled a great deal of nervousness in Kojou. 

The duel with Aradahl had been conducted just after sunset. A fair bit of time had passed since the subsequent kidnapping of Glenda. Whatever Asagi’s and Vattler’s objectives had been, the odds were not low that they had already been achieved. 

“Where’s Natsuki?” 

“Answer: Master’s current location is the living room. Commencing route—” 

Speaking with the tone of a car navigation system, Astarte walked into one of the apartment building’s mazelike corridors. Kojou and Yukina rushed to follow. Finally, they arrived at the living room, where Natsuki was elegantly tilting a teacup all by her lonesome. She did not seem even the slightest bit nervous, looking the same as always. 

“So you have finally awakened, Kojou Akatsuki.” 

Natsuki gently returned the teacup to the table as she haughtily made the statement. 

Kojou sat in front of her even before being prompted. He didn’t want to waste precious time on pleasantries. 

“What’s going on with Nagisa?” 

“She remains inside my barrier. There is no need to worry. Kanon Kanase is with her as well.” 

Natsuki’s expression did not change in the face of Kojou’s impolite question. The Prison Barrier was the alternate dimension constructed inside her dream, for which the price was her eternal sleep. To purely stop Nagisa from wasting away, there was no safer place than inside Natsuki’s time-suspended barrier. However, the fact that the passage of time was halted also meant he could not hope for her to recover in any way. 

“That said, the young Akatsuki sister is in a precarious state, parched of spiritual energy. Leaving her in the barrier too long runs the risk of her being eroded by my dream. I would like to bring her out as quickly as possible.” 

“In other words, we have to find a way to save Nagisa before that happens—” 

Kojou lowered his eyes in anguish. 

Nagisa’s primary caregiver was her mother, Mimori Akatsuki, but in the end, she was a scientist, nothing more. She had no deep knowledge where magic was concerned. Even if she tended to Nagisa, Kojou could not expect effective treatment from her. 

In the first place, the terrifying circumstances—her daughter’s spiritual energy being drained by a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor—were not something he could explain to Mimori, let alone that said Fourth Primogenitor was actually her own biological son. 

“Could we not get in touch with Aiba?” Yukina abruptly changed the topic, seemingly in consideration for the silent Kojou. 

“Unfortunately, no,” said Natsuki with a shake of her head. 

“Yaze doesn’t seem to be responding to texts, either.” 

“Why the hell would Asagi work with Vattler…?” 

Kojou lifted his face to see Natsuki. Natsuki looked back at Kojou with a mystified expression. 

“Try asking yourself that question, Akatsuki.” 

“Huh? I didn’t do anything to Asagi. I didn’t do a single thing to put her in a bad mood…” 

Kojou rebutted Natsuki’s words of blame with complete seriousness. 

Natsuki glared at him in response. 

“Sometimes, a woman is known to alter her tastes and personality to suit the object of her desires. It is only natural to think that Aiba became fed up with you and thought of switching to that Master of Serpents—” 

“How the hell is that a natural thought process?! In the first place, Asagi’s not some maiden-in-love character to begin with, right?!” 

“You’re the only one who thinks so, fool…” 

For once, a look of visible despondence came over Natsuki. As if on cue, everyone present except for Kojou sighed in unison. The heck’s with this atmosphere? thought Kojou, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. 

“Even if it is love, why would Asagi fall for Vattler all of a sudden? There’s bad taste, and then there’s that, okay?” 

“The Warlord’s Empire’s combat maniac and the Fourth Primogenitor—I do not think there is so much distance between the two. Besides, at the very least, he is far handsomer and richer than you.” 

“Oh, shut up!” 

Kojou put his cheek to his palm in a visible sulk. Apparently, it was futile to ask Natsuki about it any further. 

Sure, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that Asagi had fallen for Vattler, but the fact remained that such an act felt very much out of character. Asagi was too shrewd to be fooled by Vattler, let alone be brainwashed by him. It was far more natural to speculate that their relationship was based on mutual interests. If not, Asagi having some reason to kidnap Glenda would become inexplicable. 

“Come to think of it, what’s happening with that Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military thingy?” 

Kojou shifted the topic once more. Natsuki nodded without a word, pressing a switch for the television embedded in the wall. It was a cable channel run by the Gigafloat Management Corporation. 

“As before, the multinational armada is approaching Itogami Island. The corporation’s people are no doubt in a big uproar trying to work out countermeasures. They should be making a public announcement any time now.” 

“Public announcement…?” 

“Rumors have already begun to spread. They have no doubt determined that they cannot hide it any longer. The spread of incomplete information runs the risk of sparking a panic.” 

“But there’s no guarantee telling them the truth won’t cause a panic either?” Kojou retorted. 

“I suppose not,” replied Natsuki, unmoved. “Therefore, they surely intend to guide the course of the chaos. The damage should be minimized that way.” 

“So that’s how it is… Dammit…” 

Kojou grudgingly agreed. The Holy Ground Treaty Organization launching an attack on Itogami Island was not something they had vaguely predicted, but a decision made on the spot—that was the unvarnished truth. And it wasn’t just the Gigafloat Management Corporation that lacked the power to defy that decision, but the Japanese government itself. It was a fundamentally unresolvable issue. At present, all the Corporation could do was seek to minimize the casualties by any amount possible. A public announcement would no doubt be for that purpose. 

In the first place, just how many residents of Itogami Island could flee in the little time remaining? 

“Himeragi, any word from the Lion King Agency?” 

“From Master, nothing… And this is on a scale beyond what a single Sword Shaman can deal with…” 

Yukina hung her head and clenched a fist. The Lion King Agency was meant to deal with terrorism caused by sorcerous criminals. By nature, an international armed conflict was beyond the scope of the Lion King Agency’s jurisdiction by its very nature. 

Kojou wore a serious expression as he stared at Yukina, shaking his head. 

“Nah, that’s not what I mean. If it’s just you, can’t they give you a way to get out, Himeragi? Like, take some sort of special route for government people. Sword Shamans are crucial for the Lion King Agency’s combat strength, right, Himeragi? And you’re not from Itogami Island to begin with…” 

Yukina shot a bewildered look at Kojou as he stated this calmly. 

As someone related to The Cleansing incident, Kojou felt a fair bit of responsibility for Itogami Island’s present situation. Even if the Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military’s attack was unavoidable, he at least wanted to get as many people off the island as he could—and for that sake, his resolve was hardened, even if it meant taking on a multinational fleet. 

All the same, even with the power of the Fourth Primogenitor, it was likely impossible to destroy that vast armada. After all, the Holy Ground Treaty Organization was backed by the genuine vampire primogenitors. The odds of Kojou returning alive were virtually zero. He couldn’t drag Yukina into a reckless battle like that. 

Either way, if Kojou, her observation target, was to die, she’d lose her reason for being on Itogami Island. So before it came to that, he wanted to at least allow her to escape. 

“Kojou…by any chance, are you…an idiot?” Nina gave Kojou a look of pity as she spoke, exasperated from the bottom of her heart. 

Natsuki turned a gaze upon Kojou that was even colder. “I see. Aiba casting you aside makes complete sense.” 

“Concur. Recommend immediate rescindment of statement followed by apology.” Even the ever-emotionless Astarte spoke in a frigid tone. 

The girls’ hostility threw Kojou for a loop. 

“What…? I’m not saying anything weird, dammit. Rather than stay here for the sake of some stupid mission, isn’t it better for Himeragi to go back to the mainland right—?” 

“I—!” 

Instantly, Yukina shouted, flying into a rage as she forcibly interrupted Kojou’s words. In the period that Kojou had known her, it was the first time he had seen her emotions shown so openly. Her incredible force of presence took Kojou aback. 

“Um, huh?” 

“…As I still have the stupid mission of being senpai’s watcher, I shall stay until the very end! The very end, you hear?!” 

Yukina’s explosion of anger was only for a single second. She immediately suppressed her emotions, glaring at Kojou as she spoke. Her tone would not take no for an answer. 

“Uh…but…” 

When Kojou tried to rebut her even so, one glare cowed him into silence. Kojou looked up to the heavens in apparent resignation. It was the next moment that the image on the television screen suddenly changed. 

“So it has begun.” 

Natsuki quietly murmured as she tilted her cup of black tea. 

The scene displayed on-screen was a press conference. A young man wearing a suit was sitting there, surrounded by a number of microphones. It was Kazuma Yaze, city manager of the Gigafloat Management Corporation and older brother of Motoki Yaze, Kojou and Asagi’s classmate. 

“We interrupt this program for an urgent announcement. The Gigafloat Management Corporation is currently conducting a special press conference directed at all residents of Itogami Island—” 

A male announcer with a tense expression faced the camera as he read from a script. 

The image suddenly became jumbled. A digitally created darkroom giving off a cyberspace-like image came to be displayed in the image’s stead. A desk that looked straight out of a news studio was hovering in midair. And sitting at that desk was a girl very familiar to Kojou. 

“A…Asagi?” 

“Aiba…?!” 

Kojou and Yukina said her name simultaneously. Wearing a suit resembling a newscaster’s and highly conspicuous red glasses, Asagi stared at Kojou and the others through the camera on her end. 

“Citizens of Itogami City, good evening. This is Asagi Aiba.” 

Asagi spoke in an intellectual voice she rarely employed. Kojou knew that if one had to pinpoint her true nature, this was it. Asagi had given off exactly this impression of a mature and serious girl the first time Kojou had met her. 

“In place of the Gigafloat Management Corporation and the government of Japan, I would like to make a very important announcement. First, please look at this image—” 

An image floated onto the screen behind Asagi showing the multinational armada of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military. Compared to when Kojou and the others had first seen it, the number of warships had clearly increased. 

“Some of you are likely already aware of this, but six hours prior, the Holy Ground Treaty Organization declared to the Japanese government that it has determined Itogami Island to be a large-scale, destructive, sorcerous device.” 

Viewer comments submitted to a social networking feed were scrolling along the side of the screen. 

At first, the comments were mostly either singing Asagi’s praises or making fun of her before they finally changed to serious ones. They immediately realized that Asagi’s live broadcast was not some kind of elaborate joke. 

“In addition, it stated that twelve hours after its declaration, made at six PM Japan time, the fleet composed of the various nations contributing to the Holy Ground Treaty Organization will execute an attack upon Itogami Island.” 

Suddenly, the viewer reactions were drenched in shock and bewilderment. Heated arguments were arising from all over the Internet. The program Asagi had put together had likely paved the way for a good percentage of them. 

As if to bolster her argument, data spread out behind her with tremendous force. 

“Unfortunately, it is exceedingly difficult to evacuate all of Itogami Island’s residents in the little time that remains. Furthermore, there is no city inside Japan that will take the over twenty thousand demons present on Itogami Island.” 

Asagi then broke off her words. The exceedingly impactful declaration accelerated the pace of the viewer comments scrolling on the screen. Amid that vortex of blame and anger, Asagi smiled beautifully. 

“In the face of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization’s act of heavy-handed tyranny, I hereby propose a war of resistance—” 

“War of resistance…?!” 

Yukina drew in her breath in apparent fright. 

“She wants to fight that armada?! How…?!” 

Kojou exclaimed in a daze. The Gigafloat Management Corporation only possessed the meager combat capability to deal with sorcerous criminals within the island. There was no way it could defy that powerful multinational armada. 

As if to answer this misgiving, a new figure appeared at Asagi’s side. It was a young male vampire, his body clad in a white three-piece suit. The social network comment feed was blanketed with shock once more. 

“This operation is underpinned by an alliance with His Excellency Dimitrie Vattler, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the Warlord’s Empire. Furthermore, starting with the Moscow Empire and the Confederate States of America, twenty-two countries across the globe have pledged their support.” 

A number of lights flashed on a world map displayed on the screen. The red lights indicated the national territories that had announced their support for Vattler. In contrast, the national soil of the Holy Ground Treaty nations was blotted out with black. Thus, the world had been divided into two camps, red and black, with Itogami Island at the center. The neutral nations, displayed in white, felt overwhelmingly few. 

“No one will be forced to participate in this Itogami Island defense operation. Those who wish to evacuate, please escape Itogami Island as swiftly as you can. We will support and assist your safe evacuation to the greatest extent possible.” 

Asagi grinned as she spoke those words. The powerful glint rising into her eyes was one Kojou knew well. 

“However, please rest easy. We possess enough combat capability to resist the Holy Ground Treaty Organization’s tyranny. Please behold: the altar of the Sinful God, protector of Itogami Island—” 

Asagi gently touched the screen of a smartphone she had placed on the desk. 

That instant, an incredible shudder raced through Itogami Island. Raging, violent winds from the four corners of the Earth made the entire artificial isle tremble like a leaf. It was an impact that fundamentally differed from that of an earthquake, a typhoon, or any similar natural disaster. 

If Kojou had to use a metaphor, it was as if an enormous, invisible hand was lifting the entire island onto its palm. No, the contours of the island really were rising above the water’s surface. Aerial footage from unmanned aircraft conveyed the state of affairs in rich detail. 

Emerging from the parting surface of the sea was an unfamiliar, steel-colored rampart. 

The interior of the rampart was clustered with buildings large and small, looking like resplendent palaces and plazas. 

Others still were enormous turrets and gun fixtures. He could see facilities resembling harbors and runways, too. 

The sight resembled an ancient ruin and, at the same time, a near-future spaceship. 

The air warped. Suddenly appearing over the ocean’s surface was an enormous artificial isle dwarfing Itogami Island. 

With Itogami Island at the center, the steel-colored gigafloat swirling around it like a nebula buried the surface of the nighttime sea. 

“It’s the same…the same thing I saw in Nod…” 

Assaulted by a sense of déjà vu, Kojou rose to his feet. 

The sight of that city was familiar to Kojou. Amid the encroachment of Nod, created by a sorcerous device of the Accursed Soul, he’d seen the lingering vestige of that city for only a second—just long enough to carve it into his memories. 

“This is the Legacy of the Sinful God…,” Yukina murmured, almost sighing at the sight on the screen. 

The beautiful yet malevolent scenery of the artificial isle broadcast that it was at once a city and a citadel built for war. The Legacy of the Sinful God was a giant military fortress. 

This was probably the actual weapon used by the armies of Cain, the Sinful God, for the war, and the spell, bearing the name of The Cleansing. Asagi and Vattler, masters of the new Cleansing, had summoned the fortress city once more. 

This, using the power of the dragon girl who was its guardian— 

“Now I get it, Asagi… This is what you needed Glenda for…!” 

The sight of Asagi and Vattler had already vanished from the television screen. All that was being displayed was the scenery of the giant fortress city. 

Somehow, the sight felt nostalgic to Kojou as he simply stared in a daze. 

3 

“And we’re good!” 

Vika, the blond beauty of the Oceanus Girls, switched the microphone off as she spoke. 

They were in a simplified broadcast studio aboard the cruise ship Oceanus Grave II . The live pirate broadcast they’d conducted by hijacking Itogami Island’s broadcast network had just concluded. 

“Great work, everyone. That was dead-on. The response on the net is incredible.” 

The girl, with a blue tablet in hand as she played the role of director, brought Asagi a cold bottle of mineral water. Asagi downed the bottle in a single swig before flopping limply over the desk. 

“Who would have thought idol status would come in handy at a time like this?” 

With their role at an end, she tossed the conspicuous glasses aside, sighing with a complex set of feelings. 

Just a short time ago, Asagi had been pressed into service as a local idol, becoming the symbol of Itogami Island’s restoration. Thanks to that, she’d become incredibly famous, something that had caused Asagi herself no small amount of grief, but it had resulted in that triumph. Surely no one would listen to an ordinary high school girl proposing a war of resistance on the TV. 

“What’s the Holy Ground Treaty nations’ reaction?” Asagi asked Lydianne while she removed her stuffy jacket. 

“Just as Sir Mogwai simulated. At the moment, various nations appear to be biding their time. Should there be actual damage to the multinational fleet, some nations may cometh forward and respond to negotiations, but…” 

“If we overdo it, we’ll just make Itogami Island seem more dangerous. Tough spot to be in, huh.” 

These words spoken, Asagi put her cheek against her palm. 

The multinational armada approaching Itogami Island had been formed ad hoc from national militaries. Their goal was the destruction of Itogami Island, but at the same time, they were extremely fearful of depleting their martial strength. 

No country actually wanted casualties among its own soldiers. If they became aware that Itogami Island’s resistance was fiercer than expected, exposing their soldiers to danger, the general public and opposing politicians in those nations surely would not remain silent. The voices blaming governments for frivolously engaging in military actions would doubtlessly become loud. Using those cracks to sue for peace with them was Asagi’s plan. 

To make that plan a reality, Asagi had to play up Itogami Island’s combat strength as much as possible while keeping the damage to actual living people to an absolute minimum. If a great number of casualties were incurred, it would spur hatred toward Itogami Island, and Asagi feared that this might plunge them into a genuine war. 

To be blunt, it was a dangerous gamble. Even so, there was no other way to save Itogami Island. 

“Mogwai, status of the Legacy?” 

Asagi lifted her face and called out to the smartphone. 

“ Keh-keh-keh-keh ,” went the AI taking the form of a badly sewn teddy bear, laughing with even greater delight than usual. The five supercomputers that controlled Itogami Island had already finished connecting to the Legacy of the Sinful God, working out its various functions along the way. 

“Well, it was left abandoned for thousands of years. I tried getting its self-repair function going, but the demonic energy reactor is empty. Seems like it’ll take a while to charge up, too.” 

“Itogami Island is full of spiritual energy for large-scale sorcerous experiments, right? Can’t you manage somehow?” 

“Complete restoration is off the table, but if it’s a portion of the defense systems, that I can do.” 

“I’ll settle for that. Do it.” 

“Aye, aye.” 

Responding to Asagi’s laid-back order, Mogwai began booting up the Legacy. 

Returning the unresponsive smartphone to her pocket, Asagi went back to her own cabin. Lydianne followed along in her crimson robot tank. She probably meant to serve as Asagi’s escort. 

Yuiri and Shio were waiting in the cabin for Asagi and company. 

Glenda was curled up on the bed, making little snores here and there. Unsurprisingly, Yume looked sleepy as well. Lydianne was probably fine because she was used to being up late at night. 

“Asagi…!” 

“So this artificial isle is the Legacy that Glenda was protecting?” 

Noticing Asagi, Yuiri and Shio rushed over, posing their questions. 

“Well, yeah,” said Asagi as she smiled vaguely. “In the alternate dimension they called Nod, it was, like, a city to protect humanity, a fortress, a shelter, that kind of thing—in modern language, feels like we’d call it Cain’s ark.” 

“Ark…,” Yuiri murmured with a hardened expression. 

“However, instead of animals, ’tis packed with a horde of ancient weapons,” Lydianne teased. Seeing the tense expressions on Yuiri’s and Shio’s faces, Asagi forced a smile as she shook her head. 

“The gist is, this is one part of the magic called The Cleansing. With that world-rewriting power, we reeled in Cain’s entire legacy. This city is Cain’s armory. With the people and the troops all gone, they’ve been pretty lonely holding the fort.” 

Listening to Asagi’s explanation, Yuiri and Shio met each other’s faces in silence. Glancing at the sleeping Glenda, Shio posed a question in a quiet voice. 

“What does it mean…Glenda’s the guardian?” 

“Exactly what it sounds like. The guardian of the route to where the treasure is kept—it’s easier to say that she’s the one who knew the spatial coordinates where Cain’s ark had been sealed inside of Nod. Cain entrusted his own legacy to her.” 

“I see… So that’s why Glenda went into the encroachment of Nod back then…” 

Haltingly, Yuiri mumbled to herself. She seemed to be remembering some past event. 

Shio knit her brows as she put her thoughts in order. 

“Should I take this as Glenda lifting the seal because she acknowledged you as the Priestess of Cain?” 

“Not exactly… It’s Kojou she recognizes, not me.” 

Asagi looked up at the ceiling as she shook her head. Yuiri and Shio blinked in bewilderment. 

“Kojou?” 

“Kojou Akatsuki is the Fourth Primogenitor, right? Isn’t he Cain’s enemy?” 

“But that girl’s really fond of Kojou. Am I wrong?” 

“Mm…” 

“Now that you mention it…” 

Yuiri and Shio crossed their arms as they began mulling over the matter in earnest. However, Asagi had no intention of explaining things to the pair any further. Though she’d established a working hypothesis, Asagi couldn’t possibly be confident as to whether it was really the truth. 

“Either way, Glenda’s duty is over. I don’t mind if you take her and go. What are you gonna do, though? I think it’s a bit difficult to get off Itogami Island at the moment.” 

After lowering her eyes, visibly perplexed, Yuiri stared at Asagi and posed a question. 

“Asagi, you seriously intend to protect this island?” 

“Well, it can’t really be helped, can it? That Holy Ground Treaty Organization bunch is attacking either way. The government can’t protect us, so we have to do it ourselves.” 

“…Why go that far?” 

“Because I was raised here in the Demon Sanctuary, that’s why.” 

With Yuiri looking straight at her, Asagi averted her gaze just slightly as she replied. Then, she gazed at Lydianne and Yume, the primary school duo, and gave a strained smile. 

“Besides, it’s not like I’m doing this alone.” 

“It’s not…like I am doing this for Asagi’s sake, either, you know.” Yume’s cheeks reddened as she murmured with a visible sulk. 

“Such opportunities doth gather this much live combat data cometh not often, so…,” Lydianne replied, invigorated. 

That moment, as Asagi changed clothes, her smartphone vibrated a single time. An oddly humanlike synthetic voice coursed from it. 

“Li’l miss, the enemy fleet’s gone on the move. Two destroyers have separated from the fleet, probably to do forward reconnaissance.” 

“Well, that figures… Yume, Tanker.” 

Nodding at Mogwai’s report, Asagi turned toward the elementary school duo. 

“Yes.” 

“Acknowledged.” 

Yume and Lydianne immediately stood up and nodded. There was no need for detailed instructions. Everything was moving in accordance with their initial plan. 

Clutching her favorite laptop, an impetuous smile came over Asagi as she shouted. 

“You’ll regret trying to lay a hand on our island—let the war begin!” 

From behind the enthused trio, Yuiri and Shio stared, at a loss. 

4 

Natsuki Minamiya’s apartment building, built on Island West’s plateau, was her personal possession. Natsuki’s room was on the highest floor, and one could view the water’s distant horizon from its veranda. 

However, at present, all that filled Kojou and the others’ vision was a vast, artificial isle spreading out in a spiral. Cain’s legacy, manifested by Asagi, covered the surface of the sea. The scenery was at once twisted and malevolent, yet, it gave off a mechanical beauty. 

“As expected of Cain… It is quite magnificent.” 

Standing on Kojou’s shoulder, Nina Adelard let out carefree words of praise, as if all this was someone else’s problem. 

“It’s too damn big… What the hell’s with this artificial island…?” 

Kojou made a fragile rebuttal. The island was truly egregious in size. It had completely enveloped Itogami Island, with an empty urban landscape devoid of people, surrounded by a metallic wall covering all 360 degrees. Even if Kojou ran all day and night, he didn’t feel like he’d completely make it across the island’s circumference. He felt like the might of the world-rewriting Cleansing was being deliberately rubbed in his face. 

“Through trilateration, I have made a simplified estimate of surface area.” 

With a thick range finder in hand, Astarte reported in an unmoved tone of voice. 

“Surface area of the newly emerged artificial isle portions estimated at one hundred and twenty times to one hundred and fifty times that of Itogami Island itself. However, this is a number for reference only, applying solely to the portions exposed above sea level and ignoring the effect of the atmospheric refraction rate.” 

“A hundred and twenty times that of Itogami Island…?” 

“Affirmative. Either estimate is the total area of a small country.” 

“So she just dragged this stupidly big thing out of another dimension…” 

Kojou felt an endless dread that made his shoulders visibly shudder. 

A moment later, he heard a light sound, like that of a small doll falling over. Yukina, realizing something was wrong, immediately turned around, and swiftly leaped into the living room. Kojou reflexively followed her. 

The first thing they saw was a teacup that had tipped over. Droplets of tea coursing onto the table formed a smear upon its white surface resembling a pool of blood, and upon it lay Natsuki Minamiya. 

The small-statured witch was limp with her eyes closed, defenseless in her fallen state. 

“Ms. Minamiya…!” 

Yukina picked Natsuki up. However, no sign of life returned to the side of Natsuki’s refined face. 

“Natsuki? What gives all of a sudden…?” 

“I do not know. However…” 

Yukina touched her fingers to Natsuki’s wrist. She probably meant to take Natsuki’s pulse. However, a fiercely shaken look came over her eyes. There was no response whatsoever from Natsuki’s delicate wrist. 

“She’s dead…?!” 

Yukina murmured the words as if she could not believe them. No way. Kojou, wobbling, fell to his knees. 

Someone violently thrust something small into the back of Kojou’s skull. Bonk , went the small hand striking the top of Yukina’s head. 

“I would prefer you did not kill off your teachers unbidden.” 

Kojou and Yukina heard a haughty yet somehow lisping voice from behind. 

Turning around, Kojou’s eyes were greeted by Natsuki, who was wearing a white one-piece negligee and clutching a pink teddy bear against her. Kojou’s eyes bulged. The other Natsuki wearing an extravagant dress was still in Yukina’s arms. 

“Two…Ms. Minamiyas?” 

“…Don’t tell me, this is Natsuki in the flesh?” 

Kojou murmured in a small voice as he touched his hand to the cheek of the Natsuki clutching the bear. Unwittingly pulling on Natsuki’s cheek, he found it soft, conveying the warmth of her body. 

“Stop speaking about me like I am meat on a rack.” 

The Natsuki in sleepwear violently slapped Kojou’s hand away. 

It was then that Kojou realized the truth behind her emergence. This was the young girl who had formed a pact with a devil, continuing to sleep while trapped in her own dream—that was the true nature of the Witch of the Void. The real Natsuki, who ought to have been in the Prison Barrier, had appeared that moment, awake and in the real world. That was why the doll she used in her stead had ceased to move. 

“An effect of Aiba’s Cleansing. The materialization of Cain’s legacy interfered with spatial control, destroying the seal upon me. The Prison Barrier has emerged into reality.” 

Natsuki clicked her tongue. Kojou grimaced in turn. He recalled having laid eyes upon that prison on the night of a late autumn festival. 

Natsuki Minamiya had sealed a prison, meant to incarcerate criminals deemed dangerous even by Itogami Island standards, inside an alternate dimension of her own personal creation. This was the price she had paid to obtain the power of a Witch. 

However, spatial disturbances created by The Cleansing had destroyed Natsuki’s pocket dimension. As a result, Natsuki had awakened from her dream, and the Prison Barrier had been returned to the real world. 

“…We gonna have a repeat of what happened back during Hollow Eve Festival?” 

Kojou lowered his voice. Recalling how Aya Tokoyogi, the Witch of Notaria, had engineered a prison escape of sorcerous criminals, he did not realize how his expression had hardened. Things were chaotic enough already; the Gigafloat Management Corporation had nothing to spare for dealing with escaped prisoners. 

However, Natsuki continued clutching her bear as she shook her head with a neutral expression. 

“There is no effect on the prison’s functionality. It is not like back then. After all, I, the warden, have not lost my magical power.” 

“—Meaning, those sorcerous criminals ain’t gonna get outside…” 

“The problem is the fact that I have awakened from the dream.” 

As if to pound a nail into Kojou’s relief, Natsuki glared at him without bothering to blink. 

“Huh?” 

“Have you forgotten? Time was stopped for Nagisa Akatsuki only because she was inside my dream.” 

“Ah…!” 

When he understood the meaning of Natsuki’s words, Kojou felt all the blood in his body run cold. 

Natsuki’s barrier was what had bought them time in order to save Nagisa. They’d just managed to keep Nagisa’s condition stable by incarcerating her in a pocket dimension cut off from the real world. 

But that barrier was broken now. Nagisa, still parched of spiritual energy and on the verge of death, had been returned to the real world once more. 

Spiritual energy supplied from Kanon was somehow tethering her to life, but in her unstable condition, that was unlikely to hold for long. They no longer had a second to lose to save Nagisa’s life. 

“You cannot redo the seal upon the Prison Barrier?” Yukina asked, her voice shrill from nervousness. 

“A troublesome sorcerous ritual is required to send it into another dimension. Either way, I cannot employ large-scale spatial-control magic until the effects of The Cleansing subside. Restoring the seal is impossible for the time being.” 

“Can we not at least send only Nagisa and Kano back int—” 

“The cessation of time inside the Prison Barrier is merely a side effect of the curse upon me. I cannot cut unrelated persons off from the flow of time at my own convenience. Unfortunately.” 

Natsuki replied in an emotionless voice. Yukina, at a loss for words, fell silent, for now she understood—even Natsuki, with the power of a witch, could not save Nagisa from her current state. 

“Take us to wherever Nagisa is. Right now!” 

Kojou drew close to the nightwear-clad Natsuki. Still clutching her teddy bear, Natsuki nodded. 

“Understood. Come.” 

5 

Sitting in the captain’s chair of the missile destroyer Crossley , a naval commander sipped on a cup of cold, bitter coffee. 

By rights, his ship was assigned to the North American Union Pacific Fleet, but at present, it was acting as part of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military’s multinational armada. The current location of the Crossley was at sea some 520 kilometers south of Tokyo, on its way to destroy the large-scale destructive sorcerous device known as Itogami Island. 

The crew members on the packed bridge were being worked to death analyzing the information transmitted from patrol aircraft. They’d already confirmed through visual imagery the full contours of the mysterious artificial isle appearing in the sea around Itogami Island. Its coastline had a length exceeding one thousand kilometers—a fortress city on an unfathomable scale. 

“So this is Cain’s legacy—” 

The commander coldly smiled, concealing his internal unrest. 

“I wasn’t enthusiastic about slaughtering five hundred thousand civilians, but this does make it a little easier, doesn’t it, XO?” 

“The enemy’s combat strength is unknown. At the present juncture, I cannot judge whether this constitutes ‘easier.’” 

A white lieutenant commander sitting in the executive officer’s chair replied in a voice that barely sounded human. 

The commander found his well-educated, rationalist XO to be a difficult person to deal with. Tough bastard to like , thought the commander, venting internally. Even a homunculus came off as more human. 

“UAV imagery?” 

The commander asked, lips twitching in annoyance. The XO’s expression remained unsociable as he turned the tablet in his hands the commander’s way. 

“See for yourself.” 

“What…is this?” 

The commander knitted his brows as he gazed at the image displayed by the tablet. On that screen were dancing cartoon characters meant to appeal to children. 

“It is not just this ship’s UAVs. The imagery from patrol aircraft and orbital satellites is all like this. Our tactical data link appears to have been hacked.” 

“Hacked? Is that even possible?” 

“Perhaps, for someone with an absurd amount of skill.” 

The executive officer nodded with a neutral stare. The commander subconsciously bit the nail of his thumb. 

“Can we aim this ship’s main guns at the island directly?” 

“There is still time remaining before the attack is slated to begin, according to the HGTO directive…” 

“They won’t care. It’s not like we’re attacking Itogami Island itself. I’ll leave target selection to you.” 

The commander rudely spat out the words. Even if the tactical network was unusable, that posed no obstacle to human-piloted reconnaissance craft and measurements by eyesight. Surely a little naval gunfire would gain them a great deal of information about the enemy defense system and armor composition. 

“Aye, aye. Turret No. 2, prepare the long-range land-attack projectile. We are expected to support the ground forces, so prioritize destruction of coastal structures.” 

“Turret No. 2, entering fire-control sequence now.” 

One after another, crew members announced their compliance with the XO’s command as the ship instantly went on red alert. 

The Crossley was equipped with a 155 mm single-mounted gun employing shells propelled with the assistance of magic, granting it a firing range in excess of a one-hundred-kilometer radius. The mysterious artificial isle that had appeared in Itogami Island’s environs was already within attack range. 

However, before the gunner had established the target for attack, a communications operator looked back with tension on his face. 

“Emergency message from the Ducane while on patrol. An object is approaching this ship from underwater!” 

“—A submarine?” 

The commander’s hips grew a little lighter. No information had come to him that Itogami Island deployed attack submarines. However, their opponent was Cain’s legacy. Nothing was out of the question. 

“Prepare for anti-submarine combat! Emergency CIWS, hurry!” 

The executive officer rapidly issued commands. Even among destroyers of its generation, the Crossley was a ship granted particularly high-precision anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Through an underwater search system employing magical detection, it had succeeded in virtually nullifying all submarine stealth capabilities. Even if the opponent was Cain’s legacy, its superiority remained undaunted. But— 

“Image on screen!” 

“…What the hell is that?!” 

Looking down at the captain’s chair monitor, the naval commander’s eyes bulged. The mechanical spirit photography characteristic to the pale screen displayed an unfamiliar object. It was an enormous silhouette resembling a gigantic whale—or perhaps a sea serpent. It was moving at a depth of two thousand meters, leisurely swimming at the bottom of the deep sea. No anti-submarine missile could reach such depths. 

“Current position of unknown vessel?” 

“Approximately thirty-five kilometers southwest. Currently approaching this ship at over forty knots. Unknown vessel’s total length is…in excess of four thousand meters…!” 

The sonar operator’s shout sounded like a scream. Fierce unrest spread throughout the bridge. Past or present, no submersible weapon existed that exceeded four thousand meters in length. None, save but one single exception— 

Everyone present knew that weapon’s name. 

It was a sea monster recorded in holy script. It was the World’s Mightiest Living Creature, created by the very gods. 

Trembling, the commander voiced the monster’s name. 

“Leviathan…!” 

6 

A stonework cathedral stood on a tiny artificial island covered in rocks. 

It was this cathedral that was the true Prison Barrier in which Itogami Island’s sorcerous criminals were incarcerated. 

The pocket dimension that Natsuki Minamiya, a preeminent witch, had herself crafted incarcerated this artificial isle whole. Itogami Island’s Prison Barrier was feared as a place from which escape was absolutely impossible. 

However, that very moment, the small artificial isle floated atop the sea, utterly defenseless. 

It was some forty to fifty meters from the shore of Itogami Island proper to that mass of rocks. Connecting the two artificial islands was a floating bridge of simple construction, flickering like mirage with a fickle sway. It served as proof that the space around the Prison Barrier was unstable. 

“Hurry, Akatsuki! Vrooooom! Vrm—vrm—vrm! Screeech!” 

“Don’t yell sound effects when riding on top of someone else’s head!!” 

Kojou angrily shouted at Natsuki, dressed in nightwear, as he ran at full speed. Thanks to the lingering aftereffects of The Cleansing, she was unable to teleport them to the Prison Barrier’s interior. 

With Natsuki reverting to the child she appeared to be, Kojou could not abandon her partway, so he kept her on his back as he crossed the tilting bridge. 

Yukina remained just ahead of the pair as she arrived at the cathedral. Using her silver spear to rend the vestiges of the vanished barrier, she leaped into the room. 

Left alone within that vast room were two girls wearing identical school uniforms. Nagisa Akatsuki rested, unconscious, as Kanon Kanase held her tight. 

Hazily surrounding the pair was a silver glow that resembled faint moonlight. The powerful spiritual energy Kanon was emitting coursed into Nagisa’s body. However, even Kanon’s powerful spiritual energy, well beyond the norm, was insufficient to make Nagisa recover. Keeping Nagisa’s crumbling body intact was taking all its combined strength. 

“Kanase—!” 

“Kano!” 

Kojou and Yukina both raced over to Kanon. Kanon’s silver hair swayed as she turned her head toward them, making a frail, relieved smile. The impression given was of a girl who might vanish the moment you looked away. Her endurance was near its limits. 

“Akatsuki, your wounds are healed… I’m so glad.” 

As Kojou squatted close by, Kanon’s eyes narrowed in visible joy. 

“I’m fine. More importantly, you okay, Kanase? Using power like this for Nagisa’s sake—” 

When Kojou touched Kanon’s hand, it was as cold as ice. The Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor sleeping within Nagisa had probably robbed Kanon of her body temperature. 

“Kano, get some rest. I’ll take over, so—” 

Yukina spoke those words as she touched Nagisa. However, Kanon gently refused. 

“I’m all right… This is the only thing I can do…” 

“But at this rate, Kano, even you will…” 

“I’m all right. We will save Nagisa.” 

As if to shield the motionless Nagisa, Kanon embraced her with both arms. Anguish came over Yukina as she lowered her hand. No doubt Yukina was well aware that she could not take Kanon’s place. 

It wasn’t that Yukina was all that far behind Kanon in terms of spiritual energy strength. It was an issue of compatibility. 

It just so happened that the spiritual power of the Royal Family of Aldegia, specializing in magic of ice and snow, was highly harmonious with the Beast Vassal possessing Nagisa, Alrescha Glacies. Kanon was the only one who could bolster Nagisa’s spiritual energy— 

“Shit… What the hell should I do…?!” 

Kojou pounded a stone wall, feeling backed into a corner. 

For an instant, he considered taking her to a hospital, but Kojou immediately brushed that thought aside. A hospital could not save Nagisa. He’d known that from the beginning. 

Kojou couldn’t use his vampiric abilities, either. The Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor were nigh useless for anything other than indiscriminate destruction. That said, he couldn’t think of any way to save her. 

Even while Kojou vacillated, Nagisa and Kanon grew more depleted still. 

It was then that Kojou and the others noted a presence gently dropping down among them. 

“—Thou mayest rest, priestess of the Valkyries. Thy duty art already fulfilled—” 

Amid that empty cathedral, a songlike voice echoed. Suddenly appearing from Kojou and the others’ blind spot, and touching Kanon’s back, was the girl in the yukata —the vampire with blue eyes that radiated like flames. 

Light faded from Kanon’s eyes. As Kanon fell into a slumber, her body gently collapsed onto the floor. 

As she moved close to the fallen Kanon, Natsuki shot multiple silver chains out of thin air. The silver chains trapped the girl in the yukata ’s limbs. However, the girl did not resist in any way. 

“A witch’s domain constructed in an otherworld… ’Twas quite difficult to find this place.” 

With chains still wrapped around her whole body, the girl smiled faintly as she surveyed the cathedral. 

“Hektos… What are you doing here…?!” 

After gazing up at her in a reverie for a time, Kojou finally posed that question in a raspy voice. He did not know the reason why Hektos had appeared before Kojou and the others a second time. 

It was Hektos who had brought Nagisa to the site of Kojou and Aradahl’s duel. Because of that, Nagisa had summoned a Beast Vassal, thus causing her to drift on the border between life and death. 

But it was also she who had ensured Kanon had gone there with them. Meaning, though she had driven Nagisa into peril, Hektos had simultaneously provided a means to save Nagisa. 

“— ’Tis it not obvious? To save this one.” 

Gazing down at Nagisa, now supported by Yukina, Hektos stated this in a quiet voice. 

Still staring at the girl, Kojou slightly drew in his chin. 

Hektos smiled, still bound by silver chains. 

“Then let us prepare. ’Tis the time of the final Feast—” 

7 

Sergeant Major Spani of the North Atlantic Empire’s Sorcerous Airborne Squad raised his voice and laughed as he listened to the report from the comms operator. The content of the message was that two Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military destroyers had come under attack. 

“Leviathan…?! A living weapon from the Age of the Gods?! That’s the Warlord’s Empire’s Master of Serpents for you. He sure brought out the big guns!” 

Spani shifted his eyes behind him, toward the sea. His squad’s current location was the mysterious artificial isle that had appeared in the environs of Itogami Island. Via high-altitude parachute drops, his squad had reached Cain’s legacy a step ahead of other nations’ landing units. 

“ Bursa and Crossley both unable to sail. Ducane currently in retreat.” 

The comms operator, wearing headphones communicating with an orbital satellite, continued his report. 

“…Well, that figures. So they’re telling us to search for the succubus controlling Leviathan?” 

“A more sensible choice than war against a monster out of myth and legend, I’m sure.” 

“Ha! Damn right it is.” 

Spani carried his beloved machine gun as the corners of his lips curled up in delight. 

They, the North Atlantic Empire’s SAS unit, had been given two orders. The first was to gather information as members of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military. The other was to race ahead of other nations in seizing sorcerous technology possessed by Itogami Island. Capturing a succubus would simultaneously achieve both objectives. 

They would eliminate the threat Leviathan posed to the Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military, and the North Atlantic Empire would obtain the means to control Leviathan. The plan was perfect. 

Spani felt a rush of emotions as he imagined the promotion and medals awaiting his return to his home nation. 

“—Corporal, can you determine the source of the succubus’s mental wave?” 

Spani posed the question to a female soldier wearing a robe. She was a witch specializing in search capabilities. It was thanks to her guidance that they could enter and move around in the mazelike artificial isle without getting lost. 

“North… Roughly two kilometers… Atop a tower…” 

The corporal pointed to a building in the distance. It was a steel-colored tower standing in a ruined city. Spani chuckled. 

“Close. All right, have Finn’s and Coate’s squads circle around left and right. We’ll be taking the front. And keep an eye out for snipers.” 

Once he issued rapid-fire orders to his subordinates, Spani began his own maneuver. The squad under Spani’s command was a mere thirteen people, but all were demons or magic users. Hence, they possessed direct striking power unavailable to any normal special forces unit. Of course, he’d prefer to avoid a head-on confrontation with Dimitrie Vattler or Natsuki Minamiya, the Witch of the Void, but Spani figured he was capable of wiping the floor with a succubus and any Island Guard escorting her. 

However, not even two minutes after they began walking, the somber witch called Spani to a halt. 

“I have located…an incoming…craft.” 

“What?!” 

“Direction, ten o’clock. Range, four hundred—” 

Before the witch had even finished speaking, Spani and the others were assailed by a shower of gunfire—large-caliber machine-gun rounds. 

These meaninglessly shot through the ground at Spani’s and the others’ feet, forming a line. It was as if a dotted line had been punched into the ground to say Entry Prohibited . 

“An anti-demon UFV, is it? You’ve got some interesting stuff here, don’cha?!” 

Spani smirked as he caught sight of his foe. 

It was a gray robot tank that had launched the attack on Spani and the others, an unmanned weapons system intended for anti-demon warfare in urban areas. One might call it a fairly effective weapon in the streets of that ruined city. 

Maybe that would work on sorcerous criminals in a city district. However, such a small craft was far too powerless to be attacking the Sorcerous Airborne Squad, able to fight a heavy tank squadron on equal terms. 

Spani’s subordinates moved to counterattack. The SAS’s primary weapons were 20 mm barrel anti-materiel rifles and 7.62 mm electric shotguns. Employing electrum-tipped bullets, their firepower was sufficient to penetrate the robot tank’s FRP armor with ease. 

Black smoke blew out of the robot tank’s right leg. That instant, the robot tank gave up on combat, beginning to retreat without even a glance at them. A subordinate of Spani’s pumped Gatling-gun bullets into it, wrecking the poor tank. An easy win. Spani hadn’t even needed to bestialize. 

“Hey, now, is that it? This ain’t even gonna slow us down—” 

Spani felt a bit disappointed as he exhaled. 

The next moment, an incredible flash of light raced before their eyes. 

It was a torrent of incandescent light reminiscent of a giant blade. Piercing through the ruined city from a distance of several kilometers away, it carved a deep gully into the artificial ground. It was a laser gun of incredible might. 

“What was that just now…?!” 

Spani’s entire body froze in fear. Even cutting-edge cruisers did not carry optical weapons of such might. And what made Spani even more afraid was that the laser attack had flown in on a path not even minutely different from that of the initial machine-gun fire. That gunfire really had been a warning shot—a warning that any further progress would be greeted with certain death. 

“Sergeant Major… It’s an ancient weapon! It’s Kristof Gardos’s…!” 

He heard a scream over the communicator. Spani slowly lifted his face. Then, he confirmed with his own eyes the sight of That Which Spits Spears of Flame. 

Possessing thick armor over its body, it was a creature somewhere between beast and insect, resembling no weapon system that existed in modern times. In spite of that, it conveyed an aura that was overwhelmingly malevolent. 

“Those are…Nalakuvera…!” 

Spani audibly clenched his teeth. Artificial monsters emerged from the steel-colored ruined urban landscape one after another. 

The Nalakuvera were protecting the succubus. The Legacy of Cain, materialized by Vattler and his cohorts, included an army of Nalakuvera as its defense force. 

“This ain’t no joke! Retreat! All hands, disperse and retreat!!” Spani shouted in anger toward his subordinates. 

With their beams, the creatures dyed the night sky over the ruined city red. 

8 

Kojou held his sleeping little sister as he walked out of the cathedral. 

Yukina was strongly gripping Nagisa’s very cold hand. She was giving Nagisa the spiritual energy required to maintain her vitals. 

However, this was merely an act of desperation, like using a ladle to sprinkle water over a parched desert. The spiritual energy sent over immediately faded, doing nothing to heal Nagisa. It was clear that they were only delaying the inevitable. 

“Hektos…you can save Nagisa?” 

Kojou posed the question toward the back of the girl in the yukata walking ahead of them. 

Natsuki had transported the depleted Kanon to her own home for treatment. The only ones left in the Prison Barrier were the Akatsuki siblings, Yukina, and Hektos. 

“Nay. ’Tis not I who shalt save this one, but thee, Kojou Akatsuki, and thy Blood Concubine.” 

Looking back, the girl in the yukata narrowed her blue eyes as she gazed at Yukina. 

Hektos’s unexpected words brought a perplexed expression over Yukina. 

“What do I need to do…?” 

“Come hither with Nagisa Akatsuki—” 

Stripping off her lacquered clogs, Hektos descended a rock-covered hill. 

Perplexed, Kojou and Yukina followed suit. The Prison Barrier was a small island artificially formed from a mass of rocks. They arrived at the water’s edge in no time. They were greeted by a desolate, sandy beach and a decrepit pier for mooring small boats. Waves from the dark surface of the sea quietly crashed against it. 

“’Tis a pleasant night,” Hektos said as she gazed up at the sky. 

The predawn sky glimmered with stars, and the humid tropical wind rustled her rainbow hair. 

“You can do that Feast thing in a place like this?” Kojou asked in an annoyed tone. 

Hektos turned to him with a smile. Her sharp canine teeth were poking out from between her lips. 

“Indeed. Wherever thou and I art, it shall become the stage for the Feast—” 

“H-Hektos…?!” 

Kojou’s eyes widened in shock. Hektos had put a hand to the belt of her yukata , loosening it without a word of warning. Then, showing not even the slightest hesitation, she stripped off her clothing. 

That instant, Kojou’s eyes were stolen by the sight of the girl’s pale, naked skin beneath the moonlight. 

“You weren’t wearing anything under that yukata …?!” 

“Senpai, this really is not the time,” Yukina asserted, albeit in a level tone. She was just as perplexed as he was. 

Heedless of Kojou and Yukina being rooted to the spot, Hektos turned her back to them with a little twirl. Then, without the slightest pause, she entered the sea. Her confident steps drained the color from Kojou’s face. 

“Is she trying to kill herself…?!” 

The water had already reached Hektos’s hips. Her tiny body swayed as the waves quietly pressed upon her. She seemed amused by this from the bottom of her heart. As she sank into the water, she straightened her slender shoulder blades; her unbound, golden hair swayed on the surface of the sea like a fish’s tail. 

As Kojou stared dumbfounded, Hektos’s body melted and vanished before him. She had submerged into the sea. 

“Senpai!” 

“Got it. Take care of Nagisa—” 

“Okay!” 

Handing Nagisa over to Yukina, Kojou stripped off his parka. He proceeded to leap into the sea to save the sunken Hektos. 

“Hektos! Where are you?!” 

Kojou searched for any sign of Hektos as he violently forced his way through the waves. 

The nighttime sea was dark; he could not see its bottom. When he squinted and really stared, he shuddered as he wondered just how deep she had sunk. Even so, he couldn’t see Hektos anywhere. 

A fair bit of time had passed since Hektos had submerged herself. Was Hektos going to simply vanish…? Just as he felt that fear gripping him, sea spray suddenly assaulted his face. 

“Bwah?!” 

Soaking up the unanticipated assault head-on, Kojou vigorously coughed. The pain of seawater coursing backward deep into his nose brought tears to his eyes. Hektos watched this, at first only poking her nose out of the water. 

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” 

Finding the sight of Kojou thrashing about to be remarkably funny, the girl floated up and burst into laughter. It was the innocent laugh of a little girl. 

Kojou was caught in a daze as he stared at this side of Hektos. He felt a dull pain deep in his chest, remembering a girl who had the very same face. 

“Senpai, are you all right?” Yukina worriedly asked while she carried Nagisa over her shoulder to the withered pier. 

“Somehow, yeah…” 

Kojou pushed up his drenched bangs as he sighed irritably. He was extremely confused, unable to grasp Hektos’s goal. 

The girl was playing in the waves without a care. Arched back, her bare breasts heaved and fell, illuminated by the moon all the while. Mysteriously, the scene did not register as indecent. It was ethereal, like something out of a European painting. 

Finally tiring from swimming, Hektos gently got to her feet. As she stood up, water droplets rolled down her white flesh. 

“Priestess of the sword, take my hand—” 

Approaching the pier, Hektos extended her hand toward Yukina, who stood there with Nagisa still on her back. Yukina accepted Hektos’s exceedingly natural gesture. 

Suddenly, Hektos made a leering grin, forcefully pulling Yukina close. 

“—Hyaaaa?!” 

Artificial facsimile that she was, Hektos was still a vampire. Unable to resist her strength, Yukina lost her balance and fell into the sea. Naturally, the same went for Nagisa. A very large pillar of water rose up, with the three girls intertwined as they floated back to the sea’s surface. 

“Himeragi! Nagisa! Hektos, why, you— What are you thinking?!” 

After confirming that Yukina and Nagisa were safe, Kojou ran at Hektos. As he got close, she wrapped her arms around his neck. His mouth fell open at the sensation of her naked breasts against him, and Hektos watched, observing him with a mischievous smile. 

“Do not stir, Kojou. Lend thine ears to the wind, sense the warmth of the Sea Mother. Thou art king. The whole of the world is thy blood, thy vassal. Strip away thy boorish garments.” 

“Hektos…?” 

“Alrescha Glacies, the twelfth Beast Vassal, rests within this one. Thou knowest this much?” 

“Y-yeah.” 

Hektos’s question drew a nod from Kojou. 

Naturally, Kojou, too, knew the reason behind the abnormality occurring in his little sister’s body. On that day—on the night Kojou shot the Twelfth, Avrora—Nagisa accepted Avrora’s soul, and her Beast Vassal, into herself. The great power as a spirit medium she had possessed since birth had made that possible. 

In the momentary gap between Kojou destroying the previous Fourth Primogenitor and becoming the new one, Nagisa had altered Avrora’s fate. Avrora’s soul, which should have been consumed by Kojou, had been snatched away by Nagisa, saving Avrora from annihilation. 

“Saving the life of Nagisa Akatsuki… ’Tis simple. Thou needst only strip the twelfth Beast Vassal from her.” 

Pulling away from Kojou, Hektos drew closer to Nagisa as the latter floated on the water’s surface. Her white fingertips undid the ribbon of Nagisa’s uniform. Nagisa’s white neck poked out from the uniform’s open collar. Her blue veins stood out against her white, blood-deprived flesh. 

“Now I get it… I just have to take the Beast Vassal that’s possessing her for myself…” 

The exceptionally simple answer made Kojou put a hand over his own eyes. 

From the back of his throat, a dry laugh trickled forth. The entire reason Nagisa was on the brink of death was because she, a mere human, had a “monster” dwelling inside her—a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor. So all he had to do was return it to its rightful place. Kojou, the Fourth Primogenitor, needed only to consume it. 

But it was Nagisa herself who rejected that answer. 

“Kojou…you can’t…” 

The supposedly comatose Nagisa faintly opened her eyes, weakly shaking her head left to right. 

“Nagisa, you’re conscious again…?” 

“If you do that, Miss Avrora will vanish… This time…for good…” 

“However, should Nagisa Akatsuki expire, Dodekatos shalt as well,” Hektos whispered into his ear as Kojou sucked in a breath. 

Staring at the unnaturally pale face of his little sister, Kojou clenched his teeth. If he released the twelfth Beast Vassal, the soul of Avrora that was its seal would dissipate. It was something he’d known from the start. 

“Do I have to…kill Avrora…again…?” 

Kojou’s hands fiercely shook. It was with those hands that Kojou had once shot Avrora. 

And this time, the decision to rob her of her very soul pressed upon him. He knew this was against Nagisa’s wishes, but there was no other way to save her— 

“Nay—” 

As Kojou anguished, Hektos wrapped her tiny hands around his fingers. Lifting his face in surprise, Hektos smiled as she gazed back into his eyes. 

“Dodekatos shall not perish, for she is our hope.” 

“Hope?” 

“Indeed. Accordingly, it is I who must perish—” 

As the perplexed Kojou stared at her, Hektos shifted her gaze before his eyes. It fell upon the sight of Yukina, standing still and drenched. Hektos turned to face her, drawing her face close enough to share each other’s breaths. 

“Priestess of the sword—first companion to the fourth of the primogenitors till the end of time. I entrust my Beast Vassal to thee.” 

“Eh?” 

Yukina’s body went rigid as Hektos wrapped both arms around her. It was the kind of gentle act of affection reserved for one’s child. Then, Hektos drew her lips close to Yukina’s ear. In a faint voice, she whispered something to her. Yukina’s eyes burst open in shock. 

“…!” 

Trembling, Yukina stared at her. Hektos nibbled on Yukina’s right ear. 

“Hektos! What are you planning to do with Himeragi…?!” 

Kojou hurriedly raced over to the pair. Looking back at the nervous Kojou, Hektos smiled with delight. She readily let Yukina go, this time to be embraced by Kojou instead. 

“Fear not. Mine blood and soul now belong to thee.” 

Speaking those words with sweet, upturned eyes, Hektos undid the buttons of Kojou’s uniform. Gently pressing her hand to Kojou’s newly exposed chest, she buried her face into his neck. Kojou grimaced as he shuddered in naked pleasure. She was licking him. 

“H…Hektos…get off! Himeragi’s… Himeragi’s watching, so…” 

“’Tis fine. Allow others to behold our revelry—incidentally, thine little sister as well,” Hektos said suggestively with a glance toward Nagisa. 

The eyes of the supposedly unconscious Nagisa had opened wide once more. Surely it was not Kojou’s imagination that her eyes glowed blue. 

“Awaken, Dodekatos…nay, the Twelfth, Avrora. For if thou dost not, he shalt be mine.” 

Hektos thrust her fangs into Kojou’s neck. With an eager sound, her tongue lapped up the fresh blood that flowed forth. As Nagisa’s eyes beheld this, a glint of powerful emotion resembling jealousy came to rest in her eyes. An icy Siren wavered as it floated in midair—an illusion of Avrora’s Beast Vassal. 

“Very good, Dodekatos…,” Hektos quietly murmured as she continued to touch Kojou’s neck. 

“Hektos…don’t tell me…you’re…!” 

Kojou gasped and looked down at her. He’d realized her intent. 

A powerful hunger and thirst struck him. He felt a powerful urge to drink the blood of the vampire girl in his arms. This, too, was Hektos’s doing. She had sipped Kojou’s blood to awaken his instincts as a vampire. 

“Ask thyself, Kojou Akatsuki. When thou fought Root during the Blazing Feast, why didst Enatos and Pemptos take thy and Dodekatos’s side…?” 

“…?!” 

The question shocked him. 

Certainly, that pair had lent him their aid when Kojou had challenged Root, the genuine Fourth Primogenitor, in combat. The Beast Vassals had defied their host and master, Root, of their own will. 

“Because in Dodekatos, we see our hope.” 

Hektos defenselessly exposed her own neck before Kojou. Drawn toward it, Kojou plunged his fangs into her neck. Her delicate body trembled as she, sounding satisfied, continued her words. 

“Among us dolls, living with our Beast Vassals for an eternity, yearning for our own destruction, only she… Only Dodekatos desireth to live. It is with thee she wishes to live in this world, together—” 

Hektos’s Blood Memory flowed inside Kojou. 

These girls, the twelve Kaleid Bloods, were created as avatars—mere dolls within which to seal the Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor. 

When the seal of a Beast Vassal was released, their avatars of flesh became empty vessels. However, Hektos had never unleashed her own Beast Vassal even once in all that time. Her Beast Vassal remained sealed. 

If Kojou was to consume Hektos’s soul in that state, all that would remain would be a husk. This was her true objective—and her desire. 

“Dodekatos…my beloved, final sister. I bequeath this final flesh of mine to thee—accept it,” Hektos gently called out to Nagisa. 

Then Kojou heard a solemn chant echo forth. 

“—I, Maiden of the Lion, Sword Shaman of the High God, beseech thee.” 

“Himeragi…?!” 

Yukina, standing to his left, raised a hand high as she stared at Nagisa, hovering on the surface of the sea. 

The ring on Yukina’s ring finger glowed crimson. This was the ring sealing the pact between Kojou and Yukina—the sorcerous device crafted from Kojou’s rib. Through the spiritual pathway thus formed, Kojou’s demonic energy coursed into Yukina. 

“Come forth, Beast Vassal Number Six, Minelauva Iris—!” 

Responding to Yukina’s summons, what manifested was a knight clad in iridescent armor—a Valkyrie. Enormous wings of fire spread from her back, and her hand gripped a long sword that radiated golden light. 

The rainbow Valkyrie’s sword of light swept forth, across Nagisa, floating in the water, and the Siren of ice both. 

Minelauva Iris was the Beast Vassal of Severing; its sword of light severed not only matter but also the laws of fate. It severed the phenomenon of Nagisa being possessed by Avrora. The two souls yoked together had been slashed apart. 

Released from Nagisa’s spiritual energy, the twelfth Beast Vassal returned to its proper place—in other words, to a vessel for sealing a Beast Vassal, the body of the sixth Kaleid Blood. 

All signs of the Beast Vassals had vanished. 

The nighttime sea returned to calm once more. 

The rainbow-haired girl within Kojou’s arms made quiet sounds of sleep. What came over her lips was a satisfied smile, taking visible pride in her victory. 

Using her very own body, she had resurrected Avrora. That had been Hektos’s desire. Kojou knew this, for she had entrusted him with her Blood Memory. Her wish had been granted. 

“Hektos…” 

He spoke the name of the girl who was no longer with them. 

As the girl drifted into slumber, the faint twinkle of the predawn sky shone brightly against the side of her face. 

9 

From atop a tower built in a ruined city, Yume Eguchi gazed at the sea. 

A slender, serpentine tail was poking out from the hem of her school uniform’s skirt. Translucent wings woven from demonic energy spread forth from her back. Using the power of Lilith—the World’s Mightiest Succubus—Yume was communicating with Leviathan. 

As she did so, a thin mist rose up directly behind her. 

The mist gradually became denser, transforming into a man wearing a military uniform. His face was unfamiliar. He was an assailant—a vampire of the Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military. 

“I’ve found you, succubus—!” 

As Yume turned around, fear plain on her face, the vampire man trained a rifle on her. He was a special forces soldier dispatched to eliminate the succubus. 

With Leviathan blocking the way at Yume’s beck and call, the HGTO Military armada was unable to close with Itogami Island. The two escort ships engaged in forward reconnaissance had been sent packing with their tails between their legs. After all, Leviathan was a living weapon from the Age of the Gods. At the very least, humanity possessed no weapon that could oppose it in undersea combat. 

Accordingly, the HGTO had issued an order to its soldiers: Eliminate the succubus controlling Leviathan. 

But before the rifle could fire a single round, a huge beast appeared in front of Yume. It was a steel golem about four to five meters tall. 

“Anmauth!” 

Emerging to shield Yume was a young silver-haired man, ordering his golem to attack. 

“Urk…!” 

The vampire soldier summoned his own Beast Vassal as well. This was an imposing bull, its entire body engulfed in flames—a will-o’-the-wisp. However, the steel golem swung a fist downward, pulverizing the head of the bull in a single blow. 

“Tobias Jagan?! Damn you, you lend a lowly succubus your aid—?!” 

The vampire soldier half screamed while shouting abuse at Jagan. Likely, he was a vampire of the Warlord’s Empire, the same as Jagan. As the First Primogenitor was part of the HGTO, Jagan’s actions in opposition to the organization were tantamount to treason against his primogenitor. 

However, Jagan smiled coldly at that soldier with obvious scorn. 

“Stop yapping, you lowly Holy Ground Treaty Organization mutt—!” 

Jagan’s steel golem seized hold of the vampire soldier. It proceeded to crush the soldier’s torso and violently slam him into the ground. 

Even so, the soldier was alive, vampiric undeath at work. That said, he had already lost all strength with which to continue fighting. He changed his form into a grimy mist and began to retreat. 

At virtually the same time, incredible explosions erupted all over the ruins. These were from Nalakuvera gunnery attacks. The Nalakuvera under Lydianne’s remote control seemed to be driving the vampire soldier’s unit off. 

“You two runts safe?” Jagan asked gruffly, turning toward Yume, who stood rooted to the spot. His choice of words was rude, but he was technically showing concern for them. 

“As expected, most splendid, Count Jagan.” 

Lydianne, piloting her crimson robot tank, called out from a nearby plateau. Even during that time, the Nalakuvera’s attacks continued. This no doubt meant a considerable number of units had been aiming at Yume. 

“I am sorry to make you do all this for my sake.” 

Yume bowed her head to Jagan. 

Oddly, she sensed no fear from having people after her life. That was likely a product of her past experiences. Right after Yume’s power as a succubus awakened, family members and friends had been bathed in it, engendering ugly, repulsive emotions that far outstripped mere bloodlust. 

“Cease the servile phraseology. It vexes me,” Jagan replied. Although he acted sour, his voice felt unexpectedly kind. 

“It is because His Excellency Vattler acknowledges your power as the Witch of the Night that he commanded me to protect you. Though I do feel somewhat deprived facing only bottom-feeders such as the one from a moment ago.” 

“R-right.” 

Yume nodded and broke into a little smile. She knew Jagan was trying to praise her in his own way. 

Yume had people who would protect her now. That was why she wanted to protect them in turn—and to protect the Demon Sanctuary of Itogami Island in which dwelled the people who had aided and accepted her. 

“But do not lower your guard. We are only using Leviathan until the primogenitors come out. If they come out, run immediately. If you don’t, you’ll die. You and Leviathan both.” 

“U-understood, Tobias.” 

“Tobias…?!” 

Jagan’s facial features, sharp as a drawn knife, twitched and slightly wavered at hearing the girl call him by his first name. Reflexively, he opened his mouth to lodge some kind of complaint but turned his face without saying a word. 

Having returned to the top of the tower, Lydianne asked, “ …So Sir Vattler doth truly intend to fight the primogenitors? ” 

“Of course,” came Jagan’s immediate reply. “That’s why His Excellency desired this battle.” 

Yume felt a twinge of unease as she lowered her eyes. Having obtained the knowledge of The Cleansing, Vattler’s power probably rivaled that of the primogenitors. The emergence of power that surpassed the primogenitors’ meant the loss of the global balance underpinned by the three Dominions. 

“ A new age of war ariseth, then? Well, this be not my personal concern but…art thou truly fine with this, Lady Empress? ” Lydianne murmured as if speaking only to herself. 

In the silence, Yume felt like she heard mocking laughter in her ear. 

“Keh-keh…” 

10 

Dragging their tired, sluggish bodies, Kojou and Yukina returned to the sandy shore. 

Kojou laid down Hektos, and Yukina laid Nagisa, upon dry rocks. 

“Kojou…is Miss Avrora…?” 

Nagisa asked in a voice on the verge of vanishing. Even if she’d awoken from her coma, her depleted endurance was yet to return. Even so, warmth had returned to her skin, and her cheeks had grown faintly pink. Freed from Avrora’s possession, she was apparently able to supply herself with spiritual energy. 

“Don’t worry. She’s right here.” 

Kojou put Nagisa’s hand atop the still-sleeping Hektos. Inside Hektos rested Avrora’s soul. Nagisa must have understood this, for she smiled weakly. 

“I see… Sorry, Kojou… It’s my fault she…” 

Her lips quivered. “Sorry.” Her eyes closed once more. 

“Nagisa? Hey…?!” 

Kojou couldn’t help being worried at the sight of his little sister falling unresponsive. Yukina put a hand upon Nagisa’s chest and determined it was rising and falling in an easy rhythm. 

“It is all right. She’s only sleeping. More importantly, senpai, you should put some clothes on her.” 

“R-right…” 

Kojou picked up his parka from where he had left it on some rocks and handed it to Yukina. She gently set it on top of the girl who was once Hektos. Meanwhile, Kojou picked up the clogs that Hektos had kicked off. 

“’Tis not I who shalt save this one,” Hektos had said. But she’d lied. Kojou had done nothing. It was indeed Hektos who had saved Nagisa and Avrora both. As Avrora slept, Kojou placed the clogs beside her, murmuring a small thank-you. 

“Come to think of it, you all right, Himeragi? Summoning a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor and all that…” 

“Miss Hektos loaned me her power. Besides, I am senpai’s Blood Bride, after all…,” Yukina said, touching her left ring finger without realizing it. Then, for some reason, her very own words seemed to make her cheeks redden. 

“Ah, erm, I don’t mean bride as in a wife, but in a pure, magic-related sense…” 

“Yeah, I get it. You don’t need to put any special emphasis on it like that.” 

“ Haaah … I…see. Is that so?” 

When Kojou casually replied, Yukina glared at him with half-lidded eyes as she raised a voice that was suddenly sour. Kojou did not notice this as he gazed at Nagisa’s and Avrora’s sleeping faces with a conflicted expression. 

“For the time being, we’d best get these two to a hospital—” 

“Yes. I am concerned for Kano as well.” 

“That said, no choice but to wait till Natsuki comes back, huh? Himeragi, aren’t you feeling cold wearing that?” 

“No, why would……? Wearing what ?” 

Yukina began to smile and shake her head, but she stopped and suddenly seemed confused. Realizing where Kojou was staring, she gasped and covered her own breasts. Yukina’s seawater-drenched school uniform clung tightly to her skin, making the curves of her body, and the lines of her underwear, highly visible through the fabric. 

“Just where were you looking while you said that?!” 

“Wait a— I’m just worried about you!” 

“Ugh… Fine. I was already well aware senpai was that kind of person.” 

Her cheeks still puffed out in a pout, Yukina circled around Kojou’s back. Then, she drew her body against his back. The touch of her skin against his back made Kojou unwittingly straighten his posture. 

“H-Himeragi?” 

“I thought so. You are rather cold, aren’t you?” 

“Er, I’m not really…” 

“This being the case, I believe warming each other kills two birds with one stone. Also, this way, I will not have senpai’s indecent eyes watching me.” 

“Hey, wait a…” 

Even though Kojou’s lips twisted, he made no further retort; he realized this was Yukina’s way of being considerate toward him. 

Certainly, they had saved Nagisa and Avrora—but only because Hektos had sacrificed herself. Kojou could not save her. That fact tormented him. 

Though, if Hektos saw Kojou like that, she’d probably smile. It wasn’t like she was dead. Hektos’s Blood Memory was inside Kojou. The same went for December and all the other Kaleid Bloods. 

Kojou had to keep on living while bearing their memories on his shoulders. That was the destiny—and the curse—of a vampire primogenitor. 

And a vampire’s Blood Concubine was the one who shared the burden of that curse with him—Yukina’s warmth, conveyed through Kojou’s back, was teaching him this. 

“Y-Yukina…” 

Suddenly, behind Kojou and Yukina, something fell to the ground. 

Now on the sandy beach was a black instrument case. The eyes of the girl who had been carrying it bulged so wide, staring at Kojou and Yukina, it seemed like they might fall out of their sockets. It was a girl with a refined face with her long hair tied up in a ponytail. Her lips quivered in shock as she glared at Kojou. 

“Kojou Akatsuki…! What are you making Yukina do, you Pervogenitor, youuu…?!” 

“K-Kirasaka?” 

“Sayaka? What are you doing here…?!” 

Kojou and Yukina called out the girl’s name in surprise. Even so, seeing the two cuddled together, Sayaka’s mouth could only flap open and closed. She was too angry to speak. 

“Tee-hee… It would seem you are all having an enjoyable evening.” 

A silver-haired girl wearing a ceremonial military uniform smiled past Sayaka’s shoulder. Her eyes, beholding the lying Nagisa and Avrora, glimmered inquisitively. 

“There were, um, various circumstances… Um, how’d you know we were here, La Folia? Weren’t you on Vattler’s ship?” 

“I was searching for you, Kojou. However, first, let us give these girls some rest. Justina, take these two to the Bö?vildr —” 

The silver-haired Aldegian princess ordered her subordinate to collect Nagisa and Avrora. “As you command,” replied the female knight, appearing out of thin air as she picked up both. 

Kojou suddenly realized that there was an enormous armored airship floating silently above their heads. 

With a slender wire wrapped around her, Justina was still carrying the pair of girls as she fluttered, hoisted up to the airship. She seemed less like a ninja than a stage magician. 

“…So what do you want with me, La Folia?” 

Feeling a slight headache, Kojou looked back toward the princess. 

“You know the circumstances under which this island is currently placed, Kojou?” 

For once, La Folia posed her question in a very serious tone. 

“The highlights, yeah. Asagi intends to fight that Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military, right?” 

“Yes. Skirmishes with its vanguard appear to have already begun. Nalakuvera have driven back the landing force, and Leviathan has damaged a number of warships of the multinational armada.” 

“Leviathan… You cannot mean—Yume?” Yukina murmured. 

“Oh…that’s right, Asagi already analyzed the Nalakuvera control commands way back…” 

Kojou clutched his head. Not only had Asagi joined hands with Vattler, she’d even assembled her own combat strength to fight the HGTO Military. 

La Folia mixed a sigh in with her nod. 

“As a result, the Priestess of Cain has prevented the one-sided destruction of Itogami Island at the Holy Ground Treaty Organization’s hands. However, that is not the crux of the problem.” 

“There’s still more…?” 

“For better or worse, the Holy Ground Treaty is a system backed by the martial might of its Three Pillars, the primogenitors. However, here on the current Itogami Island, there is one who has obtained power rivaling the primogenitors via the Memory of The Cleansing.” 

“Vattler…,” Kojou grumbled with a click of his tongue. 

“Correct,” said the silver-haired princess with a smile, spreading both arms wide. It was as if she was dividing the world into halves. “And he has formed an alliance with the Holy Ground Treaty non-signatory nations, securing their support. As a result, the world has been split into two opposing camps with Itogami Island placed at the center.” 

“Are you saying Itogami Island shall be the trigger for a war?” Yukina asked, voice tense. 

La Folia nodded. “Yes, an enormous war on a global scale at that. To avert this, the Holy Ground Treaty Organization has no choice but to field the greatest of its combat strength to destroy Itogami Island—in other words, the three primogenitors.” 

“Oh… Vattler, he…” Sweat slid down Kojou’s back. “He intends to fight the primogenitors?! That’s what he wanted Asagi’s cooperation for…?!” 

“Yes. This is a global war involving all the primogenitors…a war of the primogenitors.” 

Yukina quietly repeated the surreal words. “A war of the primogenitors…” 

“Can’t we make them stop this war?” Kojou asked. 

He closed the distance with La Folia. The silver-haired princess watched him as a beautiful smile appeared on her lips. Somehow, that smiling face of a pureblood schemer felt like something he could depend on. 

“That depends upon your decisions, Kojou. Let us be off.” 

“My…decisions?” 

Kojou blinked, eyes widening as he stared at the princess. La Folia elegantly turned on her heels, bringing her bodyguard, Sayaka, along as she walked off. Kojou and Yukina shared a perplexed glance. 

“La Folia? Er, be off to…where—?” Kojou asked the departing princess. 

La Folia halted her steps, her silver hair fluttering as she looked back at him. 

The water’s horizon began to glimmer, forming a tear between the worlds of light and darkness. 

With that scarlet radiance at her back, La Folia solemnly spoke to Kojou. 

“To the Garden of Whispers—the Holy Ground Treaty Organization’s High Council.”