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Strike the Blood - Volume 19 - Chapter Pr




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INTRO

The stench of death filled the underground passage. A woman held her silver long sword aloft, piercing the night sky.

It was a young woman in a dark blue suit jacket with a skirt. She had an old-fashioned sort of beauty and a balanced, graceful physique. She possessed an enchanting appearance that perfectly suited a fashion magazine.

Right now, however, her skin was marred by sweat and grime, and even her once neatly arranged hairstyle was all over the place.

The chest of her suit had a large gash in it, and her now-exposed left shoulder was drenched with fresh blood.

Countless pieces of wreckage were scattered in her vicinity, torn apart by a tremendous force. Monitors, digital devices, armor, small arms, and howitzers—all parts once comprising the destroyed robot tanks—were lying in a heap. Casualties lay on top. The bodies were endless.

The elite Attack Mage Unit, the pride of the Island Guard, had been defeated.

This was in Stratum One of Keystone Gate. In other words, she was inside the giant structure that served as Itogami Island’s core.

Well past midnight, there was not a single civilian visible in that passage. As the woman glared ahead, all that she saw were uninvited guests—intruders.

The three of them wore ghoulish masks resembling skulls of demon beasts and white robes. They had destroyed over a dozen robot tanks and wounded numerous Attack Mages. Yet, there was nary a scratch or stain upon their robes.

The wounded woman was the only one left to face the intruders.

The tension in the air did not permit a single moment’s respite. Both sides were ready to kill.

The few surviving armed Guardsmen watched the scene in apprehension.

Putting her ragged breathing in order, she quietly chanted an invocation. The tip of the silver long sword shifted toward the mask of the intruder walking at their fore.

Her form flickered, swaying soundlessly like a mirage.

She sprinted. Then, she leaped forward. Her body, reinforced by way of ritual power, charged at a speed surpassing human limits, her long sword lashing out to cut down her foe.

However, her slashing attack never touched the intruder’s body.

With the unpleasant sounds of flesh ripping and bones snapping from an impact, she was the person knocked through the air.

Unable to even let out a scream, she collided with a wall, fresh blood scattering as she was rendered immobile.

The intruders in the white robes did not spare a glance for the woman lying in a pool of her own blood. To them, they had merely swatted aside an annoying fly.

“No…way…”

“A Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency…taken down just like that…?”

Distress spread among the living Guardsmen.

Top-rank Attack Mages, said to be experts in anti-demon combat, had suffered an utterly one-sided defeat. There was no way for them to deny that. The despairing gap in power between them and the intruders was clear for all to see.

“…”

The intruders walked deeper into the passage, ignoring the Island Guard members who had completely lost the will to fight.

Now that they had defeated the powerful Sword Shaman, there was no one who could halt their advance.

The instant everyone came to that conclusion, silence ruled the world.

“…?!!”

The intruders lifted their masked faces, sensing that something was wrong—just to be sent flying, as if pummeled by some kind of invisible maul. Sounds cut through the air once more.

Even the armed Guardsmen fixated on the intruders had no idea what had happened. There was a gap in the continuity of their conscious minds. It felt jarring, like watching a film that was missing frames. It felt like time that had not existed had been forcibly wedged in. It was strange.

A sad murmur was audible over the ambient noise and whispers in the underground passage. “It appears I was too late.”

The speaker was a young woman dressed in strange attire. She wore a dazzling priestess outfit decorated with gold leaf and gemstones. Her attire was not particularly suited to the field of battle, but the dignified atmosphere it established around her suited her mysteriously well. Biting her lip in apparent lament, her gaze rested upon the Sword Shaman beneath her who had been gravely wounded to the brink of death in her attempt to stop the intruders.

One of the intruders spoke in an amused tone, muffled by the mask. “This attack… Koyomi Shizuka… One of the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency…”

Without any warning, countless flashes of light flew forth and wrapped around their entire bodies. In reality, these flashes were actually silver chains shooting out from thin air.

Space rippled as a tiny figure in an extravagant dress appeared in front of the intruders. It was a witch with youthful, doll-like beauty.

Twisting her lips with displeasure, Natsuki Minamiya said, “So these are the intruders from the report. To think someone would come to beat down Keystone Gate through the front entrance. You’ve really taken the Gigafloat Management Corporation too lightly.”

Her silver, magic energy–imbued chains were entwined around the intruders multiple times over, completely preventing them from moving.

“Astarte, what’s the situation?” Natsuki asked the girl attending her from behind.

Astarte was a homunculus with indigo-colored hair wearing a maid outfit that for some reason had a wide-open back.

“Report: Bulwark at Gate Stratum Two Entrance D has been breached,” Astarte replied in a calm and composed tone. “Defense system silent. Island Guard Attack Mage Company depletion rate is sixty-four percent. Total number of intruders is three. No entries in the Sorcerous Criminal Database. Objective of attack is unknown.”

“Intruders with enough power to wreck the Island Guard with ease, and we don’t know their identities or their objective?”

Natsuki furrowed her brows in consternation. She found the lack of knowledge of the intruders’ identities unexpected.

With an established information network and the advances of demonic research, it was a day and age when data on sorcerous criminals could be shared instantly across the world. Setting aside small fry posing little threat, it was normally impossible for beings wielding such might as to defeat a Sword Shaman to remain unknown. If she had to cite exceptions, they would be the Avrora Series of Kaleid Bloods sealed across the course of centuries, or special cases like Kojou Akatsuki, a normal human who had been vampirized later in life.

“Well, fine. We can take our time checking that out post-capture.”

Koyomi cut in, her voice hard. “…No. It would not seem they are such simple foes.”

“What?” Natsuki turned to her in suspicion.

Directly after, a dull metallic sound reverberated through the underground passage. The silver chains sealing the intruders’ movements had lost their radiance, shattering with all the brittleness of candy canes.

“Laeding, chains forged by the gods… How were they severed?”

Natsuki’s voice was tinged with surprise. The chains she wielded as a weapon were forged by the ancient superhumans known as the Devas. They constituted a powerful sorcerous device created to capture monsters back in the Age of the Gods. They could not be easily destroyed short of smashing them with a sorcerous device of equal or greater quality. Even the physical might of a beast person using divine bestialization could not rend them by brute force alone.

The faces of the Island Guard members twitched at the sight of the intruders regaining their freedom. Natsuki turned to them and shouted, “Take any injured still breathing and retreat! Astarte and I will do the rest!”

“B-but…!” cried a squad leader in a shrill, gloom-filled voice.

They knew that even if they stayed, they would only slow Natsuki down. Even so, they could not make the decision to abandon Natsuki and the others and flee. That would be an act of betrayal toward the comrades who had died in the line of duty.

“Don’t worry, I’ll hand you all the credit. This is my day off, after all… Or are you worried that I can’t handle it?” Natsuki smiled at him.

He shook his head, his face pale from fright. “N-not at all…”

To the members of the Island Guard, the Demonslayer and Witch of the Void was an object of awe and terror. In a certain sense, defying Natsuki’s orders and earning her ire was a far more terrifying prospect than fighting the intruders.

“…Good fortune in battle.” The squad leader bowed respectfully, with the other members following suit. They no doubt realized that Natsuki’s cold brush-off was sending them away from the field of battle for their own sake.

“Would you mind if I accompanied you?” Koyomi asked, somber. She watched the guard members begin their retreat.

Natsuki was cold and dismissive. “Do as you like.”

She had dismissed Island Guard because they still didn’t know the enemy’s identity. She was fearful of the Guardsmen being caught up if the intruders launched a large-scale attack.

However, she didn’t have to worry about that with Koyomi, who would likely manage on her own, and Natsuki had no duty of care toward her to begin with. To Federal Attack Mages like Natsuki, the Lion King Agency, similarly charged with countermeasures against sorcerous criminals, was akin to a business rival.

“What do you think the objective of this raid could be?” Koyomi calmly asked as she watched the intruders leisurely rise to their feet.


“Fighting in an eye-catching way like this… Normally, you’d think it was a diversion, but these intruders are…”

“Yes. They are too strong for that,” Koyomi agreed.

“In the first place, a diversionary operation is meaningless where Keystone Gate is concerned. The main blocks are under the water’s surface, so the invasion routes are limited in number.”

Natsuki’s demeanor was plainly sour. “…They’re breaking down the front door to take the shortest route to their destination, but what value does raiding Keystone Gate have anymore?”

In the past, Keystone Gate was where the holy relic dubbed the Right Hand of the Saint was being kept. It was a nigh miraculous magical catalyst powerful enough to enable large-scale sorcery. In recent days, however, it had been returned to the kingdom of Lotharingia, its rightful possessor. There was nothing worth stealing left behind to justify a raid on Keystone Gate.

“If so, the objective might be assassination, terrorism…or perhaps a declaration of war?” Natsuki clicked her tongue.

There were many people who hated Demon Sanctuaries, symbols of the Holy Ground Treaty enshrining the peaceful coexistence of demons and humankind. Itogami Island, the only Demon Sanctuary in the Far East, had often come under attack from such sorts.

Therefore, these intruders belonging to an extremist terrorist group would not have felt especially surprising.

But then why were they attacking now?

“This is an effect of the Fourth Primogenitor’s absence,” Koyomi concluded.

Kojou Akatsuki, the Fourth Primogenitor and the World’s Mightiest Vampire, was indeed absent. He had taken advantage of Golden Week to visit the Northern European kingdom of Aldegia.

Of course this was top secret information, but many people were already aware. After all, Kojou had gotten involved in an international conflict, kicking up an uproar resulting in the sinking of a flying battleship.

None of that amused Natsuki. “My staying on standby during the holidays wasn’t for nothing, then.”

“So it would appear.” Koyomi sighed with a smile.

It had been easy to anticipate that sorcerous criminals lurking on Itogami Island would use an absence of the Fourth Primogenitor as an opportunity to strike. That was why the Lion King Agency had dispatched one of its precious Sword Shamans to guard Keystone Gate earlier and why Koyomi had been on standby as reserve firepower.

“How unpleasant it is to be underestimated merely due to the Fourth Primogenitor’s absence. I also have something to return in full to them for harming my subordinate.” Koyomi shot the intruders an aggressive glare.

Aware of her hostility, the intruders prepared for battle. Unfortunately for them, Koyomi’s attack was already over.

The world was enveloped in momentary silence, and by the time sound returned once more, one of the intruders was lying on the ground.

Countless thin, whiplike blades impaled the flesh of one of the people in the white robes.

The shallow cuts had actually been inflicted by the silver long sword that had suddenly appeared in Koyomi’s hands. This had been used by her Sword Shaman subordinate earlier. The long sword’s blade had melted like quicksilver and changed shape into blades tens of meters in length, sewing the intruder to the ground.

“A blade made out of ritual-reactive metal… Is that the Lion King Agency’s new model?” Natsuki asked.

“Surely restraint is unnecessary against an opponent able to defeat our Sword Shamans.” Koyomi gripped the divine armament dubbed the Heidenröslein.

Developed to neutralize even a vampire primogenitor, it was one of the Lion King Agency’s forbidden weapons, sealed due to its power. Using such a powerful divine armament without hesitation was an expression of Koyomi’s anger at her subordinate Sword Shaman having been injured.

“Hee…hee…hee-hee-hee…!”

A voice trickled out from beneath the foe’s lizard skull–motif mask.

It was a creepy, sneering laugh. Scorn trickled out from the figure’s comrades.

“Quite interesting… A most intriguing weapon… However…”

“What?!”

Koyomi’s eyes snapped wide in surprise at the blades of the Heidenröslein suddenly flying through the air, no longer keeping the opponent pinned.

White steam gushed out from gaps in the robe, melting the ritual-reactive metal blade as if it were heated wax.

Once more, Koyomi executed “Paper Noise”—her ability that guaranteed her to attack first.

Inserting time that ought not to have existed along with that silence, the effect of her attack suddenly appeared, as if a page in a book had been ripped out and discarded, but the result was the same. Even though Koyomi’s attack struck, the intruder’s body was unharmed. The dissolved blade of the Heidenröslein accomplished nothing, save flying and splitting apart.

“Gah…!”

Without warning, the intruder then closed the gap between it and Koyomi, grasping hold of her slender neck. He proceeded to suspend her in midair with one hand. The bladeless Heidenröslein fell to the floor.

Despite having the powerful ability to manipulate time, Koyomi’s flesh and blood was that of the frail girl she seemed. In terms of raw strength, she couldn’t possibly trade blows with a demonic intruder.

“Astarte, support Paper Noise!”

“Understood. Execute: Rhododactylos,” the homunculus promptly responded.

She summoned the humanoid artificial Beast Vassal implanted within her body and launched a punch at the intruder grasping Koyomi.

Astarte’s Beast Vassal, Rhododactylos, had two extremely powerful characteristics: the nullification of all physical attacks and the reflection of demonic energy. No matter the true nature of the intruder’s bizarre defensive strength, it would not work against Astarte and her Beast Vassal—or that’s what Natsuki and Astarte believed.

A new figure was standing before Astarte’s eyes, wearing a mask with a bull skull motif. They were gripping a dagger with a strange shape in their right hand. The curved weapon had a transparent blade that resembled a gentle ripple.

The intruder sliced the rainbow-glimmering humanoid Beast Vassal. It was so plain that a Beast Vassal with nullification abilities did not need to bother evading.

However, the instant the transparent blade swung down, a slender line was carved into the chest of the armor-like Beast Vassal enshrouding Astarte. It was a straight red line, like a string pulled taut.

“Astarte!” Natsuki’s expression froze over.

The rainbow-colored Beast Vassal swayed and vanished, and a bloodied Astarte fell to the ground.

Staring at her battered body, the intruder with the bull mask slowly lowered the bloody curved blade. The one with the lizard mask continued wringing Koyomi’s neck even after she had lost consciousness.

“Tch…!”

The space surrounding Natsuki flickered. Her weaponized silver chains shot out, attempting to entwine the intruders once more.

Yet, her attack did not activate. Natsuki suddenly realized that a slippery, serpentine sensation was coiling around her own arms and legs.

These were tentacles covered with dense, magically infused slime.

The third foe had spewed out countless black tentacles from beneath their robe, holding Natsuki in place. The demonic energy of the tentacles was interfering with her magic, preventing her from using her spatial control abilities.

A muffled, laughing voice echoed from under their skull-motif mask. “I have you…Witch of the Void.”

There were far more tentacles protruding from under the robe than seemed possible for the size of the attacker. Natsuki assumed the black tentacles were summoned from a different dimension much like her silver chains.

Natsuki’s delicate body creaked, but she kept her tone composed. “A spatial control ability even greater than mine… More than Rheingold…? Who are you…?”

“We are the Order of the End,” the figure in the human skull mask said triumphantly.

Tentacles wrapped all around Natsuki’s body, leaving it unclear whether the intruder’s voice was even reaching her.

“Since ancient times, we have served the true Fourth Primogenitor.”

The black tentacles vanished, reabsorbed within the pure-white robe, just as suddenly as they had appeared.

And now Natsuki was gone as well.

There was a squishy sound of something heavy being thrown. The person in the lizard mask had cast aside the unconscious Koyomi Shizuka.

The figure with the curved blade had already vanished down the underground passage, not even pausing to glance at the exploits of the other two, who then followed behind in their comrade’s footsteps.

“Master…”

The heavily wounded homunculus girl tried to stand up to chase after the abducted Natsuki. But she wobbled and collapsed upon the floor midway, her strength visibly exhausted. Her own bleeding left her entire body cold and drenched.

“Mas…ter…”

Astarte’s murmur echoed weakly in the underground passage.

Her consciousness sank into depths of darkness.



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