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Strike the Blood - Volume 19 - Chapter 4.3




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3

The impact from the explosion was conveyed to the lowest strata of the artificial isle. Irregular beats, almost sounding like they were coming from percussion instruments, were likely gunshots from automatic small arms. The armed Guardsmen on security detail were fighting the assailants.

Kensei Kanase glanced overhead. “It would seem the acolytes of the Order of the End have come here as well.” He took a sip of his cold coffee.

His demeanor, unchanged, left Kojou nervously shouting. “This is no time to be calm! Astarte’s in the middle of treatment. If they nail this building’s power supply, that’ll be really freaking bad! Professor Kitty, where’s the exit?!”

“Follow me.”

The black cat motioned with her chin and walked off. Just before following out of the room, Kojou looked back at the homunculus girl sleeping inside the vat.

“Kanase, Nina, take care of Astarte!”

“Yes, Akatsuki!”

“Leave it to me.”

After checking to ensure Kanon and Nina had nodded, Kojou exited the lab for real this time.

Running up the emergency stairs of bulwarks solid enough to be found in a prison, he finally arrived at the lab’s front lobby to find it in quite a state. The glass doors had been shattered into fine pieces, and bullet holes pockmarked the walls. The air was filled with the choking scent of blood, and wounded armed Guardsmen lay amid the rubble.

Emerging from the center of the lobby was an Order of the End acolyte wearing a sheep skull mask. The acolyte under it was probably a sorcerer. The armed Guardsmen’s gunfire had no effect upon the powerful defensive barrier protecting the acolyte.

Then, the acolyte traced a huge magic circle in front of its own eyes.

It was a gun barrel shaped like a tuning fork woven from magical energy. Even someone as ill-versed in magical theory as Kojou instinctively understood that this was the prelude to a powerful magical attack.

“This is bad! C’mon over, Mesarthim Adamas!”

The completed magic circle released a beam of light about the same time Kojou’s Beast Vassal manifested. Countless diamond crystals blocked the acolyte’s cannon attack from the front, bouncing it back toward the acolyte that had cast it.

“…?!”

Enveloped by the blazing beam, the acolyte vanished without even being able to raise a scream.

However, the overly powerful counterattack of Kojou’s Beast Vassal did not end there. The crystals shot out in reaction to the cannon attack proceeded to half destroy the lab’s outer wall, boring holes in the ceiling of the artificial isle underground district.

The chain reaction of damage spread even to surrounding unrelated buildings, causing flames to gush up here and there within the district. The surviving armed Guardsmen had dumbfounded expressions as they gazed at the ridiculous spectacle. The silent, reproachful gazes from the people whose lives Kojou had purportedly saved were downright painful.

The black cat mounted on Kojou’s shoulder sighed. Yukari was at her wit’s end. “Just what will happen if you destroy the building, Fourth Primogenitor boy?”

“It’s not like I’m trying to do that!”

As if attracted by this, fresh acolytes of the Order of the End approached Kojou. Kojou’s expression was marred by unease. Kojou’s Beast Vassals weren’t suited for urban combat. They were far too powerful for pinpoint attacks against human-sized targets.

“Goodness. Don’t move a muscle.” The black cat shook her head and quietly raised a paw.

Twelve spheres appeared in front of her, each changing into a tapered arrow. These were arrows of light spun from pure spiritual energy. Spirit Archery was the specialty of the elf named Yukari Endou.

Releasing the twelve arrows of light without a sound, these precisely impaled the masks of twelve acolytes. Their masks lost, the acolytes’ contours became vague before they vanished, swallowed by the void.

“This kitty’s really strong…”

Kojou curled his tongue in shock at Yukari’s overwhelming fighting strength. Just the fact she was remotely controlling a familiar from the Japanese mainland was surprising enough; sending Order of the End acolytes packing in that state outstripped anyone’s notion of common sense. Now he truly understood why Yukina was afraid of her master.

Yukari watched the mask fragments fall to the ground, going hmph through her nose. “It is indeed just as I thought.”

“What is?”

“These masks, which are in terrible taste, by the way, are magical devices. They exist as an anchor of sorts to keep them tethered to this world.”

“…They’re an anchor?” Kojou didn’t quite follow, but he got the gist; it was a magical catalyst of some sort.

“They are not people of this era. Acolytes from the Order of the End imprisoned in bygone eras are being summoned from the Prison Barrier by force. That is where this huge army comes from.”

“Acolytes from other eras…? Wait, I can see almost a thousand people, y’know?! And that’s just what’s on screen!” Kojou picked up a cracked mask, grimacing with doubts on his face. “Did Natsuki capture all of them?”

“It was not the work of Natsuki Minamiya alone. Since long ago, there have been enough otherworldly prisons dotting the globe to boggle the mind.”

Kojou never would have expected that.

“And,” Yukari continued, “they are all connected at the deepest parts of their foundations. The Order of the End whisked away Natsuki Minamiya to open that door. It is a feat no normal demon or sorcerer could accomplish. There is probably a witch among the enemy. An administrator of a prison just like the Witch of the Void—”

“So the point is, smash the masks and that’s that?”

Kojou, who’d lost track of what she was saying, double-checked what he had to do then and there. The various acolytes of the Order of the End were powerful foes, but if smashing their masks was enough, that made things a lot easier.

“That may drive them off temporarily,” the cat said, squashing his hopes. “However, should they acquire new masks, they shall return again and again. It is not a lasting solution.”

“Then what should I do?!”

“They are using a route to the current Prison Barrier in order to summon these ghosts from the past. You need to merely close that route.”

“That’s why I’m asking you what I should—”


Kojou cut himself off with a gasp. He was staring overhead.

Kojou had previously seen a spectacle similar to the swaying space covering the sky. It was the same sight as back when the giant fortress known as the Prison Barrier had escaped from Natsuki Minamiya’s control, appearing off Itogami Island.

“…I see. All I need to do is get Natsuki back.”

“It amounts to that, yes.” The black cat made an exaggerated nod. “Normally, it is quite a chore merely to reach an otherworldly prison, but conveniently for you, the door is currently thrown wide open. If you have a sorcerer employing spatial control, flying into it is not a difficult prospect. What say you, Kensei Kanase?”

The former palace sorcerous engineer, arriving at the top of the stairs that very moment, was gloomy. “Good grief… You say it like it is so easy, Yukari Endou.”

It wasn’t so much that he’d come to check on them as that he’d realized it, too: His spatial control magic was indispensable if this perilous situation was to be set straight.

“Thanks to the door being jammed open, the Prison Barrier is in a rather unstable state. I can go through the trouble of getting you inside, but I cannot promise I can safely bring you back,” Kensei warned.

Kojou shrugged in silence. He sure didn’t like the idea of going to a frightening place like an otherworldly prison, but it wasn’t the time to say something like that.

“Were it possible, I would like to accompany you, but unfortunately, this body is a familiar being remotely controlled,” Yukari said with concern. “I leave this in your hands, Fourth Primogenitor boy.”

Even with Yukari’s power, the interior of the Prison Barrier was beyond the effective range for controlling her familiar.

Well, I can’t argue with that, thought Kojou with a nod.

“Please stay here and protect Kanase and the others,” he said. “I’ll manage somehow. Basically, I’ve gotta send that Order of the End witch flying, right?”

“Well, I imagine that sort of thing is your strong suit.” The black cat looked pleased. He wasn’t really sure if she was praising or belittling him.

Kojou slapped his cheeks to psych himself up and spoke to Kensei. “Do it, Pops.”

Kensei let out a weighty breath. “You have no business calling me your father.”

“Er… I mean…”

“Legally speaking, neither you nor Kanon are old enough to marry yet.”

“…Huh? What? What are you talkin’ about?”

Kensei’s somehow profound-sounding words confused Kojou.

Heedless of Kojou’s reaction, Kensei maintained a stoic look as he traced a magic circle on the ground.

He was opening a teleportation gate.

After he completed the detailed magic circle in the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery swayed. In Kojou’s vision, this overlapped with a familiar-looking fortress as if it was some kind of illusion.

“Thou shalt not—!”

“What?!”

Suddenly, right on the verge of the teleportation spell activating completely, Kojou was struck by an impact from the side.

A huge fireball rained down on the laboratory lobby, causing a tremendous explosion.

Bathed in the blast wind at point-blank range, Kensei’s body was sent flying.

The magic circle around Kojou vanished, thus canceling the teleportation. The ferociously unpleasant feeling similar to car sickness drove Kojou onto his knees, whereupon he was assaulted by a new explosive impact that seemed deliberately sent after him.

In truth, this was an attack by Order of the End acolytes.

Only two acolytes had appeared. He recognized the masks they wore.

One mask had a motif like a reptilian demon beast; the other was patterned after the skull of a bull. They were from the initial acolytes who had attacked Kojou and company on the sub-float—part of The Blood’s inner circle.

“Kensei Kanase!”

The black cat tried to rush over to where the wounded sorcerous engineer had fallen. But before the cat could, a beautiful blond boy stood before him.

The sight of him made Kojou doubt his own eyes. The boy who was supposedly the last boss of the Electoral War was standing before Kojou’s very eyes. He’d brought a mere two acolytes with him.

The boy kept his eyelids closed as he spoke with a gentle tone of voice. “If possible, I would have preferred not to meet you like this again, but it cannot be helped. I cannot allow you to release Natsuki Minamiya yet.”

His aura was serene, with no malice evident whatsoever. However, he was the mastermind who’d plotted this war, wrapping Itogami Island in a vortex of conflict.

“The Blooood!!”

Standing up, Kojou surrounded his entire body with a crimson mist imbued with demonic energy.

All troublesome thoughts of strategy vanished from Kojou’s head. For The Blood, ever elusive, to show up in person was unexpectedly good fortune.

If Kojou could defeat him here, the Electoral War would be over. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

“Professor Kitty, take care of Kanase’s dad!”

Kojou charged toward the boy, who awaited him with a handsome smile. The Blood thrust his right hand out. Incredible demonic energy swirled within the palm of his hand.

They were a scant few meters apart. Both simultaneously summoned their Beast Vassals at point-blank range.

The clash of enormous demonic energies made the very air crack.

The impact shook the ground of the artificial isle, and countless tornadoes blew surrounding buildings away.



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