Strike the Blood - Volume 20 - Chapter 4.2

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“—Snowdrift Wolf!”

A silver flash sliced apart the frigid mist surrounding the blond girl.

Avrora looked on in surprise as Yukina leaped into the raging, demonic energy–infused whirlwind, intent on shielding the girl. Yukina looked back at the vampire and smiled for the briefest of moments.

Protecting Avrora was outside of the bounds of Yukina’s mission. Eliminating her was the surest way to stop the Blazing Banquet.

So long as Avrora’s seal remained unbroken, the Blazing Banquet could not be contained. Perhaps all Yukina was doing was forcing the decision onto Kojou.

But that was something Kojou should choose for himself. If The Blood whisked away Avrora, the Blazing Banquet would happen whether he wanted it to or not—and there was no way she could let that happen.

“Move aside, Yukina Himeragi. I have no desire to harm you.”

The Blood watched Yukina guard Avrora as he spoke that warning.

He aspired to hoist up the Fourth Primogenitor as a symbol of fear incarnate. And since she was Kojou’s Blood Servant, The Blood needed her power to realize his ambitions. As far as he was concerned, she had no value beyond that. If she ignored his warning and defied him, he would have no reason to hold back.

“Yukina…!”

Avrora called out to her. Heed me not and run was her message.

“It’s all right. I will bring you with me to Akatsuki-senpai!”

Yukina shook her head without hesitation, rejecting her appeals.

“Quit it, li’l Himeragi…!”

The whirlwind buffeted Yaze as he shouted in desperation. Yuiri was on the ground, injured. The only thing Shio could accomplish was staying put so that she didn’t get blown away. Only Yukina, protected by the Divine Oscillation Effect of Snowdrift Wolf, was exempt from the effects of The Blood’s Beast Vassal.

“So that’s how it’s going to be. How disappointing.”

Sighing slightly, The Blood raised his right hand.

Something looked off about him to Yukina. But before she could deduce what that was, his Beast Vassal raised a neigh.

The pitch-black bicorn slammed one of its enormous hooves downward toward her.

In response, she thrust her silver spear forward, receiving the hoof head-on.

It was a mass of demonic energy enveloped by raging winds. Its might was on par with the Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor, the World’s Mightiest Vampire.

Even if you had demonic energy–nullifying properties of the Schneewaltzer, this creature wasn’t the sort of opponent you could take head-on.

But the wellspring of spiritual power coursing through Yukina beyond human limitations willed that possibility into being.

Wings of light spread from her back as she repelled the bicorn’s enormous frame.

“The abilities of Faux-Angel, hmm?”

The Blood let out a murmur of admiration. All excess confidence had vanished from his voice. In fact, it was tinged with a blatant nervousness unfit for a vampire who boasted an inexhaustible supply of demonic energy.

But when it came to having little room for error, Yukina was the one backed into a corner.

Even tapping into spiritual energy beyond her limits, the best she could achieve was parity with a single one of The Blood’s Beast Vassals. And as the prototype of the Fourth Primogenitor, The Blood had twelve at his beck and call.

“Come forth, Primus Succinum!”

His expression contorted with pain as he summoned a second Beast Vassal.

Pitch-black magma gushed out from the artificial soil, changing into the form of a giant minotaur.

“Khh!”

Yukina’s eyes wavered with despair. The minotaur swung its giant ax at the immobilized girl.

Seeing this, Avrora rushed forward, her entire body enveloped with a white mist once more. She was releasing the Beast Vassal within her body.

Just then, she halted at the sound of an incredible roar behind her.

It was a roar like beautiful, subtle music, or perhaps a roar like countless humans screaming.

“—Most Brilliant Flaming Horse, Illustrious Kirin, He Who Governs Heavenly Thunder, pierce these evil spirits with thy wrath…!”

A girl chanted a prayer in a serene voice.

Then the glow of giant magic circles spread above Yukina and the others’ heads.

These circles multiplied in overlapping layers as if to form the barrel of a cannon. High-density ritual energy beams burst out from them with incredible force. The roar of whistling arrows had formed a spell for an ultra-large-scale cursed cannonball.

“Der Freischötz ritual artillery attack…! Kirasaka?!”

Shio’s eyes glimmered as she looked overhead.

Standing on the roof of the half-wrecked warehouse was Sayaka Kirasaka, clutching a silver recurve bow.

The Der Freischötz was a Lion King Agency area-suppression weapon. Its instant ritual energy rivaled a large-scale ceremonial spell in strength.

The ritual spell artillery attack produced an abnormal reaction even in The Blood’s Beast Vassals as it washed over them. They dissolved into a bloody mist before vanishing into thin air.

It happened suddenly, as if their demonic energy had run dry.

“I made it in time! Looks like you’re all right, Yukina!”

Sayaka’s ponytail flapped around as she leaped down to the ground. Now that The Blood’s Beast Vassals had disappeared, the whirlwind that had been blowing abated.

“Kirasaka…how did you get to Itogami Island? Aren’t the airports completely…?”

Setting her happiness at their reunion aside, Yukina asked this to Sayaka skeptically.

For some reason, the other girl grimaced as if she was remembering something rather unpleasant.

“Er, let’s talk about that later… More importantly, where’s the host for those Beast Vassals from earlier? He’s The Blood, right?”

Sayaka nocked a new cursed arrow as she surveyed the area with a serious look on her face.

“You attacked without even knowing the enemy’s face?”

Shio, wobbling as she rose to her feet, shifted an exasperated gaze toward Sayaka.

Sayaka sullenly pursed her lips.

“I looked into him that much at least…but isn’t he a little on the scrawny side?”

“Scrawny? I mean I guess he looks like a boy, but…”

Glaring at the boy with the flaxen hair as she said this, Shio suddenly gasped.

“…?!”

Yukina and Avrora simultaneously drew in their breaths.

Even cloaked in the darkness, The Blood was clearly two degrees smaller than before.

His breathing was labored, and he had dropped to a knee on the ground.

His now oversized tailcoat slid down his shoulder. Droplets of sweat gushing from his forehead trickled down his cheeks. His body was spewing a pitch-black mist with a shhhuuu. He was indiscriminately leaking demonic energy.

“The Blood is…getting younger…?”

Yukina understood just why she’d felt something was off about him.

When she had first encountered The Blood, he had appeared to be roughly the same age as her. But when they’d met again at the start of the Electoral War, he’d seemed younger than that. And now he was younger still, continuing to regress in age.

“Could it be a consequence of summoning the Beast Vassals…?”

Yukina murmured this, realizing the source of his abnormality.

Even though he possessed power on par with the Fourth Primogenitor, The Blood—Kaleid Blood Number Zero—had been deemed a failed prototype. His current state explained why.

Unable to withstand the vast “negative life force” of a vampire primogenitor, his body was continuing to revert in age. He was not unaging and undying. In place of getting old, he was turning younger and surely would completely vanish someday. That was why he had abandoned becoming a king himself and had entrusted that role to Kojou.

“You…saw…!”

Heaving agonized breaths, The Blood glared at Yukina and the others.

He was out of time. The more he fought, the more power he lost, and the weaker he became. If Kojou learned of this, The Blood would have no chance of achieving victory.

To continue the Electoral War, he only had one option remaining—exterminating everyone present to keep his secret under wraps.

“Kreyd!”

The Blood called out the name of the acolyte on standby behind him—the man wearing a lizard skull–motif mask.

He nodded silently and charged at Yukina and company with incredible force.

“Why you!!”

Sayaka rose to face off against him. Transforming her silver recurve bow to a sword, she slipped into cutting range. Yukina’s expression froze over as she saw this. Sayaka was still unaware of his true nature.

“No, Sayaka! That acolyte is…!”

“Huh…?!”

Just before colliding with the masked man, Sayaka widened her eyes in shock as magma-like flames enveloped his entire body.

The skull mask split apart. The man’s robe burned away in a single instant. His already large frame swelled up to several times that size, transforming into the form of an enormous dragon.

“I…I heard nothing about a dragon…!”

Sayaka could not stop his charge. The difference in mass was simply too great. All she could do was defend herself from the incandescent breath he scattered with a pseudo-spatial severing bulwark.

His tail, enveloped by bronze scales, swept sideways to assail Yukina and the others.

Snowdrift Wolf was powerless against physical attacks that didn’t depend on magical energy. Even with Physical Enchantment firing on all cylinders, Yukina could do nothing but evade it.

As Avrora cowered, unable to even speak, the dragon stretched an enormous forepaw out and grasped her.

“Miss Avrora?!”

The creature spread its enormous wings and soared into the air.

Now that he’d taken her hostage, Sayaka couldn’t use her ritual spell artillery attack. Meanwhile, Yukina and the others could raise neither hand nor foot against him.

“How unfortunate. To think that the Fourth Primogenitor’s Blood Servant would come to such an end…”

The Blood murmured, coldly glaring upon their desperation.

Yukina watched aghast as he raised his right hand to summon a Beast Vassal.

“Yukina?”

When she stopped moving, Sayaka glanced back at her with a questioning look. Her friend, however, said nothing in reply. She had frozen in place as if turned to stone, fear clouding her eyes.

Lion King Agency Sword Shamans peered an instant into the future as they fought.

Reading the opponent’s actions in advance, she evaded fatal blows and selected the most favorable outcome. That was why Yukina could stand toe-to-toe with demons despite her physical inferiority.

But now that foresight had filled her with despair.

In a single second, The Blood would unleash every one of the Beast Vassals at his disposal. Then Yukina’s future was severed. No matter what action she took, she would not be able to defend herself against his attack. Sayaka, Shio, Yuiri, Yaze—everyone else would fall alongside her. There was no way to alter this fate. Every branching path Yukina could select resulted in a Bad End.

Yet just before despair swallowed her heart, Yukina thought she heard someone’s voice.

Peer not into the future. Slice it open with thine own hands—

She recalled Koyomi Shizuka’s words. All the futures Yukina glimpsed held only despair. She could not choose any branch to avoid that.

Therefore, she had to create her own future, one that should not exist—

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!”

Don’t rely too much on Spirit Sight. The teachings of Yukari Endou came rushing back to her.

Peer into a future that does not exist. Move within a future that does not exist. The only fundamental difference was its nonexistence. If she could recognize it, then surely she could manifest it.

It was like cramming a nonexistent page into a closed book. She was forcing a phantom moment into the continual flow of time.

She would defeat The Blood before he launched his assault. Such was the privilege of an absolute initiative attack—

“Wha…?”

The Blood stared at his severed right arm, dumbfounded.

A noise echoed like the world itself had cracked as time reverted to normal.

The vast demonic energy spewing out of The Blood to summon his Beast Vassals vanished like an illusion. Snowdrift Wolf’s demonic energy–nullifying capabilities had erased his demonic energy.

“Yukina Himeragi…what have you done…?!”

The Blood looked back at Yukina, who’d appeared behind him as if she’d teleported.

Silver spear still raised, she stood unmoving, as though she’d done nothing at all. The time during which she’d struck him did not exist. All that there was to show for it were the results.

“Yukii…”

“That ability… Don’t tell me that’s…Lady Shizuka’s…”

Yuiri and Shio stared at Yukina incredulously. As members of the Lion King Agency, they knew she’d worked miracles.

“‘Paper Noise’…!”

Sayaka’s voice trembled with shock. This seemed to trigger The Blood’s scream.

“Khh…aaaaaaaah…!”

A pale light like a flame was spreading from his shoulder. Snowdrift Wolf’s Divine Oscillation Effect was eroding his vampiric body.

“Kreyd! Take Sister and go—!”

The Blood shouted his command to the dragon circling above. Even if he was gravely wounded, he could still fulfill his objectives by whisking Avrora away. But…

“Thou shalt…not…!”

Accompanying a low, gravelly voice, a silver light burst from the earth.

This luminescence wrapped around the dragon’s neck, causing his huge form to stagger midflight. An armor-clad swordsman flew toward him. In his right hand, he gripped a two-handed blade of incredible size.

The large bronze dragon shot flames right at the swordsman. No matter how stout his armor, surely he could not endure their scorching heat.

“It’s…futile!”

The swordsman, however, slipped past the blaze and swung his huge sword. His weapon, more mass of metal than blade, easily rent the resilient scales covering the dragon’s hide, causing it to roar in agony.

With its left wing severed up to half its base, the creature plummeted to the sky just like that. Avrora shot out of his hand on impact, then rolled across the ground, unconscious.

The man in full body armor landed before readying his sword once again.

Yukina knew his identity.

“You’re…one of the escapees from the Prison Barrier…!”

“Bruté Dumblegraff…! Why is one of the Georgius…?!”

The Blood glared hatefully at the man as he exclaimed. Naturally, even he hadn’t anticipated an interloper quite like this.

The man in armor—Dumblegraff—spared a glance for neither Avrora nor The Blood as he approached the fallen beast.

“I care not for thee… My only desire is to annihilate all dragons…!”

Raising his huge sword high, the man smashed it into the beast’s flank.

Bruté Dumblegraff, a descendant of the Georgius—the dragon slayers—was a former mercenary and one-time employee of the Western European Church. He had enhanced his body solely through heretical rituals. His hatred for dragons was so extreme that he’d destroyed a number of cities through excessive combat, which eventually placed him in the ranks of the most notorious criminals. Thanks to Natsuki Minamiya, he was at last incarcerated in the Prison Barrier.

And now that very same Dumblegraff had appeared in the real world to challenge an acolyte of the Order of the End to battle. They could think of only one person behind this.

“Well played, Witch of the Void…!”

The Blood audibly clenched his teeth in irritation.

Dumblegraff lived solely for slaying dragons. He wasn’t someone you could trust or leave to his own devices, but so long as Yukina and the others faced one of his sworn enemies, he was unmistakably a dependable ally.

The Order of the End had a dragon among their ranks. Realizing this, Natsuki had no doubt deliberately released Dumblegraff from the Prison Barrier. Since his focus was on defeating dragons, his interests had aligned with their own.

“How…pitiful, ‘Kenon.’”

The Blood grimaced in humiliation as they heard a laughing, scornful voice from behind him.

Shrouded in crimson mist, a small individual in an elegant dress appeared.

They had long purple hair, a shapely face, and white skin. And their body was enveloped in demonic energy that rivaled The Blood’s.

“Fallgazer…Aswadguhl Aziz…”

The vampire boy backed away as though afraid.

Yukina and the others were fighting inside the Second Primogenitor’s domain. That prolonged combat might cause him to make an appearance was hardly unexpected.

No, it was probably the other way around.

The Second Primogenitor had been lying in wait for The Blood. And he’d used Avrora to bait The Blood out of hiding.

“I was certain that if the Twelfth was backed into a corner, you would reveal…yourself.”

Aswadguhl’s long pure-white fangs poked out of his smile.

If Avrora fell into peril, The Blood would invariably come to save her. He couldn’t allow the vampire girl to release her Beast Vassal and stop the Blazing Banquet.

The Second Primogenitor knew this. That was why he’d let Shio and Avrora go on purpose and had chased them all around. And why he’d lit a fire under Yuiri to make her try to kill Avrora.

All of it was his stratagem to flush The Blood out of hiding.

“I find an easy end to the Electoral War inconvenient, so I had planned to overlook you…but I have changed my…mind. Kenon—in the end, you’re a defective product, a failure unable to endure your own negative life force… Am I wrong? That is most…unsightly.”

Looking down upon The Blood as he continued regressing to a little boy, the Second Primogenitor smiled cruelly. Cowed by his bloodlust, The Blood stretched his left hand forth.

“Kuh—Primus Aurum!”

“Are you fine with that? Even with that body you summon a Beast…Vassal?”

A smile like a flower in bloom came over Aswadguhl’s lips. A mist of fresh blood emanated from his body and transformed into enormous beasts.

“Re…vive, Battalion of Death…!”

The Second Primogenitor summoned a Beast Vassal composed of dozens of huge, carnivorous dinosaurs, each surpassing ten meters in total length. They all bared their fangs as they assaulted The Blood’s Beast Vassal.

The Beast Vassal of the Second Primogenitor, Aswadguhl Aziz, was actually a single horde of deceased spirits. The malice of the beasts known as dinosaurs, destroyed long, long ago, now constituted a single Beast Vassal.

“Aah…aaaaaaaaaaah!!”

The Blood screamed in agony.

The horde of ravenous carnivorous dinosaurs chewed apart the pitch-black, lightning-shrouded lion. To repair its flesh, the pitch-black lion needed to absorb demonic energy from its host.

The Blood’s weakened body could not withstand that depletion of demonic energy. His lethal age regression accelerated instantly.

“—Come forth, Primus Cinereus!”

Backed against the wall, The Blood summoned a second Beast Vassal.

But this wasn’t for resisting the Second Primogenitor. The pitch-black shelled beast spewed mist over The Blood, letting him vanish from sight. He must have conspired to flee after realizing that he couldn’t defeat Aswadguhl.

“Shit…Aerodyne!”

Yaze manipulated the air to whip up a sudden gust of wind and blow away the black miasma. Perhaps because the Beast Vassal’s host had vanished, he managed to sweep it away with relative ease.

But now The Blood was gone. And so was someone else—

“Avrora…?! Avrora, where are you?!”

Shio looked around inside the wrecked warehouse, shouting.

She’d tried to evacuate Avrora’s unconscious body to safety. But all of the sudden, she vanished within Shio’s very arms. The Blood had taken her away.

“Unfortunately…he has es…caped.”

Brushing his purple hair back, Aswadguhl spoke tediously.

The dragon slayer was still locked in combat with his target. But Aswadguhl couldn’t have cared less about that. Since The Blood had escaped, their battle no longer held any meaning to him. The same went for Yukina and her group.

“But it is all…right. ‘Kenon’ no longer has anywhere to…run. The rest, tee-hee…let us leave that to the Fourth Primogenitor.”

“To Akatsuki-senpai…?”

Aswadguhl’s suggestive comment made Yukina’s expression harden. He knew something about Kojou’s actions.

“What’s the meaning of this, Yukina Himeragi? Where’s Kojou Akatsuki right now?”

Perplexed, Shio asked this of Yukina.

It was Sayaka who answered.

“Kojou Akatsuki went to Keystone Gate.”

“What did you say…?!”

Shio glared at Sayaka in shock.

“Why didn’t you stop him? Right now…Kojou’s body is…!”

Yuiri closed the distance to Sayaka with teary eyes.

She had gone as far as to try and kill Avrora in order to stop the Blazing Banquet from activating. If Kojou fought the acolytes of the Order of the End occupying Keystone Gate, however, the chances of the Blazing Banquet activating rose tremendously.

“Nah, I get it… Li’l Kasugaya is at Keystone Gate, huh? And Kojou went there to save her?”

Yaze checked with Sayaka in a composed tone of voice.

Sayaka gave him a wordless nod. To save Shizuri, who’d come into contact with Unknowns, Kojou entrusted saving Avrora to Sayaka while he headed for Keystone Gate.

“Kasugaya…? Shizuri Kasugaya?! Don’t tell me she’s trying to end the Electoral War?!”

Shio exclaimed, bewildered.

The only way to prevent the Blazing Banquet without killing Avrora was to force the Electoral War to a swift end.

Shizuri had entered Keystone Gate in order to do that in a way none had thought possible. Hence why Kojou couldn’t simply abandon her.

And by a twist of fate, The Blood was fleeing toward Keystone Gate with the other key to ending the Electoral War—the Twelfth, Avrora—in tow.

Now it was beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Electoral War would be settled at Keystone Gate.

Yes. No matter how it concluded—

“Senpai…!”

Clenching her silver spear, Yukina shifted her gaze toward the inverted pyramid.

The giant structure serving as the nucleus of Itogami Island stood silently against the darkness.