Strike the Blood - Volume 15 - Chapter Pr

INTRO 

Numerous gloomy voices bounced around a chamber. 

This place was known as the Garden of Whispers. 

At the center of the chamber was a round, scarlet table. Twelve seats were arranged around it, though three were vacant. “Kings”—leaders of various nations—sat in the remaining nine. Emperors, presidents, chancellors, chairmen—the nine were international leaders, selected from the countries participating in the Holy Ground Treaty. Silver masks concealed their faces, and sorcery altered their voices, so no one could identify who was whispering. 

“It would seem Akishige Yaze has been overthrown,” a masked “King” whispered. 

“Indeed,” another masked King replied, “In Itogami Island—the Far East Demon Sanctuary?” 

“Surely this poses no special concern. We expected his plan would eventually collapse. If anything, should we not view Tartarus Lapse’s actions as fortuitous?” 

“This makes nine Beast Vassals that serve Kojou Akatsuki. However, there is one upon which he has maintained a complete seal.” 

“An incomplete mockery of a primogenitor, nothing more. Now that the Root’s memory is lost, the current Fourth Primogenitor is just a single, powerful vampire who poses no threat to us.” 

“Agreed. The danger of the Fourth Primogenitor is not at a level requiring countermeasures.” 

“Certainly, the one we should be wary of is Magna Ataraxia Research. Its influence over the Demon Sanctuary has grown commensurate with Akishige Yaze’s fall from power, to the extent that we can no longer ignore them.” 

“We need merely inflict pain… A punishment suitable for a dog that does not know its place.” 

“Damn profiteers and their lust for money. It would be best if they heeded our admonition, but…” 

“Then you do not mind leaving the Priestess of Cain to her own devices?” 

“For now, that is our only option. So long as the altar called Itogami Island exists, any hope of harm befalling her will be futile. If we were resigned to the loss of a Demon Sanctuary, that would be another matter—” 

“Unacceptable. The island still has its uses.” 

“Then, we postpone dealing with the girl. Let all treaty participants be advised that unnecessary contact with her is to be—” 

“—Objection.” 

Suddenly, a new voice echoed, and the many whispering voices turned silent. 

Though the masks concealed the Kings’ faces, their agitation was plain. 

Abruptly, they realized that the three supposedly vacant seats at the round table…had been filled. 

These three Kings, having never once shown themselves since the formation of the Holy Ground Treaty, had appeared at that late hour. These three were standing members that, in the Garden of Whispers, had been granted special veto rights. In other words, these were the Lords of the Dominions. 

“The situation has changed. The Master of Serpents from the Warlord’s Empire has obtained knowledge of The Cleansing,” solemnly stated one King. 

In an instant, the silence turned to commotion. 

These were the three kings whose very existence was often doubted—the vampire primogenitors. Everyone at that round table understood the purpose of their arrival. 

“Sooner or later, that man will surely make use of the Legacy. If so, this would pose a grave threat to us all.” 

“Accordingly, we shall accede to your request and launch a military expedition.” 

“Its orders shall be: Destroy the Far East Demon Sanctuary…” 

Amid the gloom, the conference came to an end. 

The kings removed their silver masks, leaving the Garden of Whispers behind them. 

The only things left at that scarlet table were twelve masks, which would say nothing. 

The group’s decision—Itogami Island must be destroyed. 

A girl looked out at the sea. 

She had hair the color of honey and suntanned skin like someone from a southern nation. She was in her midteens. Her exquisite olive skin was complemented by a vivid priestess outfit from a foreign nation, which suited her well. 

Adorning her bountiful breasts was a golden necklace encrusted with jade. Engraved into it was the image of a leopard’s skull. This was the emblem of the Dominion that governed Central America, the Chaos Zone. 

That she bore this emblem marked her as a subject, and the Third Primogenitor—the Chaos Bride—as her liege. 

Her name was Celesta Ciate. 

Previously, the girl had been called the Bride of the Dark God who brought calamity unto the world and acted as his avatar. The Dark God had already been annihilated, but Celesta’s priestess power to control dragon lines still remained. Harboring an interest in that power, the Chaos Bride, on a whim, at some point pinned upon Celesta the title of Lady of the Court of the Chaos Zone. Yet, she was Lady of the Court in name only; her actual duty was to be the friend and playmate of a Third Primogenitor with far too much time on her hands. 

It was this Celesta who gazed at the sea at dusk. The last vestiges of sunlight dyed the horizon the color of fresh blood. The dark surface of the sea mingled with the night sky, shrouding the world in darkness. 

The coastal breeze rustled her hair. 

She was standing on the top deck of an enormous ship. 

Its total length was 280 meters, with a loaded displacement of fifty thousand metric tons. Equipped with four large-scale spiritual reactors, this was the amphibious landing ship Soufrière —and she stood on its aft flight deck. 

The destination of Soufrière , flagship of the Chaos Zone’s Pacific Fleet, was Japan. More specifically, it was the Demon Sanctuary, located some 330 kilometers south of Tokyo Metropolis. 

To Celesta, the artificial isle dubbed Itogami Island held precious memories. That was likely why the Chaos Bride had named Celesta as one of the subordinates to accompany her there. 

However, Celesta turned a hardened expression toward the land she so loved. After all, the Soufrière had been set into motion to bring about Itogami Island’s destruction. 

“Lord Vattler… Why…?” 

Celesta posed the question over the horizon. 

Her murmur was erased by the roar of turboprop engines reverberating overhead. 

Known popularly as the air fleet, a horde of huge airships passed over the Soufrière ’s airspace. Their destination was Itogami Island as well. 

There were a total of seven flying warships comprising the air fleet. The surface ship armada accompanying the Soufrière included destroyers and cruisers, fifteen in total. Furthermore, a pair of spiritual reactor–powered attack submarines had been assigned to support the fleet. It was an overabundance of military might, sufficient to wipe a small country off the map in a single night. 

Even for the Chaos Zone, it should have been impossible to assemble such a vast fleet on its own. The same surely went for the Warlord’s Empire and the Fallen Dynasty. 

Then, what was the truth behind that fleet? One that, by rights, should not have existed—? 

It was the name under which the fleet sailed—the Holy Ground Treaty Organization Military—that provided the answer. In truth, the armada belonged to the multinational military alliance originating from the Holy Ground Treaty. Assembled from nations around the globe, it was the mightiest military force in the world. 

Fighting that fleet was tantamount to making the entire world your enemy. Certainly, there were none who could withstand its strength. Not even the World’s Mightiest Vampire. 

“Kojou Akatsuki…” 

Murmuring the name of her friend, Celesta bit her lip hard. 

Her voice did not reach the boy.