Strike the Blood - Volume 20 - Chapter 4.4

4

Shizuri Kasugaya lay in a shallow crater that looked as though it had been punched out of the corridor.

Rubble covered half her body. It was a terrible sight. Her coat was charred all over the place and had become largely shapeless. The school uniform beneath it was in tatters, too.

“Cas!”

Sweeping rubble away with his bare hands, Kojou picked up Shizuri. He violently shook the limp girl, desperately calling into her ear.

“Cas! Hey, Cas! Hang in there!”

“…It’s Shizuri Kasugaya Castiella… Who’s this Cas person…?!”

Furrowing her brow, Shizuri sullenly opened her eyes. In contrast to her cruelly wrecked outfit, Shizuri herself was largely unscathed. She was as shockingly resilient as ever.

“You all right, Cas?”

“But of course… This is the blessing of a paladin of Gisella…?!”

The instant she shook her head and tried to sit up, there was an audible rip that sounded like fabric tearing. Shizuri’s skirt had snagged on some rubble, sending her fastener flying off its hook, whereupon her skirt smoothly fell down without the slightest resistance.

“Aaaaaahhhh,” went the bestial cry Shizuri raised as she crouched down on the spot.

Kojou instantly averted his eye. She glared at him with tears in her own.

“Y-you saw, didn’t you?!”

“Didn’t you do that to yourself?!”

“Uuu…!”

Pouting, she yanked up her skirt and used her sword belt to force it to stay wrapped around her hips. The bottom of her skirt seemed a lot shorter all of a sudden, but given the situation, he pretended not to notice.

“Well, I’m glad you’re all right at least. Doesn’t look like you’re hurt that bad.”

“I am not all right at all. Plus, that sounds pretty indecent coming out of your mouth.”

She sourly retorted, still pressing down on the hem of her skirt.

“What the hell for?!” said Kojou, baring his teeth before scowling suddenly. He noticed that a member of the Order of the End was on the ground very close to them.

Though barely breathing, she was gravely wounded from spectacular slashes all over her body. If she wasn’t a resilient demon, she would have lost her life long before this.

“And her? You did this?”

“No, it wasn’t me.”

When Kojou inquired, bewildered, Shizuri replied with a hardened expression.

“But this ogre…”

“Yes, she’s an acolyte of the Order of the End. She shielded me from an attack from Shahryar Ren—”

“Shahryar Ren…? MAR’s president?”

He stared at her in surprise. Ren, top manager of a conglomerate spanning the globe, was so famous that even Kojou knew his name. The president of MAR had attacked an Order of the End acolyte while she was shielding Shizuri. He had no idea what could have brought that about.

Shizuri, however, did not reply any further as she began administering first aid to the acolyte. Beginner-level healing spells could do little beyond stopping bleeding and regenerating surface wounds, but that was all she could do since she wasn’t a proper healer.

“Did Shahryar Ren also destroy the security pods?”

“Hmm? No, surely not…”

Shizuri was at a loss for words as she examined the wreckage of automated weaponry scattered around them.

From a quick count, about thirty security pods and robot tanks had closed in on her. But since someone had scrapped them, she’d managed to remain largely unscathed.

The scars on the automated weapons bore a strong resemblance to the attacks that had wounded the Order of the End woman. The grand, chaotic marks suggested a giant bladed object had slammed against them.

But Shahryar Ren, president of MAR, had no reason to destroy his own company’s automated weaponry.

The hell’s goin’ on? wondered Kojou, but when he and Shizuri tilted their heads, gunfire rang out in the corridor, followed by the screeching sound of vehicle tires spinning against the floor. Someone fighting the automated weapons.

“Haah, haah—!”

Chasing after a retreating robot tank, a diminutive figure leaped out of the darkness. It was a dreadlocked youth clad in outdated streetwear. On his left wrist, he wore a gold bracelet that looked like a manacle for securing prisoners. Kojou had seen identical things previously.

“Hey you, ya ain’t gettin’ away! Take this—Thunder Ax!”

Face twisted like he was really worked up, the youth swung his right arm high.

That instant, the robot tank’s chassis was smashed apart as if rent by some invisible blade.

“How ’bout that! Sheesh, really makin’ me work my ass off here…!”

The youth’s shoulders rose and fell a bit as he laughed loudly, proud of his victory.

It was then that he narrowed his brows questioningly, only just now noticing Kojou and Shizuri’s presence. Kojou pointed at the youth and unwittingly raised his voice.

“You’re…! That escaped prisoner from a while back…!”

“Ah? Of all people, it’s the Fourth Primogenitor brat? Whatcha come here for at a time like this?”

Keh, the youth went, spitting off to the side as he arrogantly threw questions back at Kojou.

Schtola D was supposedly his name. He was one of the escapees from the Prison Barrier during the Black Bible Incident that had taken place the year before. After losing his fight with Sayaka, he’d returned to the Prison Barrier and should have remained under Natsuki Minamiya’s observation ever since.

“This vulgar man is an acquaintance of yours, Kojou?”

Shizuri continued treating the ogre woman as she grimaced with visible displeasure.

“Nah, not exactly an acquaintance but…”

“Aah?! The hell’s with you? Wanna go at it, you sow?!”

Schtola interrupted Kojou’s awkward rebuttal and shouted angrily at Shizuri.

“S—,” she went, aghast. Though her temple twitched, she managed to keep her anger in check with superhuman effort.

“A-are you the one who came to my aid?”

“Haah? Who the hell are you? All I’m doin’ is trashing everyone gettin’ in my way. Like I give a rat’s ass about you, moron.”

“M-moron…?!”

“Why are you puttering around inside Keystone Gate?”

With Shizuri on the verge of snapping and going berserk, Kojou swiftly butted in to confirm that with him.

Schtola glanced morosely back at Kojou.

“I came to kill that Shahryar bastard’s ass. Got special permission to head out from that annoyin’ Witch of the Void to do it, too.”

“Shahryar? You mean Shahryar Ren, MAR’s president?”

“President? That shitty thievin’ jerk sure got himself a lofty, important-soundin’ title.”

“Thief?”

Kojou asked this with a bewildered look on his face. Schtola nodded in utter disgust.

“Yeah. That Shahryar R dude is a survivor of the Devas just like me.”

“Devas? The descendants of the ancient gods… Are you saying you’re one of them?”

She widened her eyes. Schtola bared his teeth with annoyance.

“What?! Ya got a problem with that?!”

“…What’s a Deva survivor doing trying to kill off another one?”

Annoyed at himself, Kojou continued his line of questioning. The conversation wasn’t progressing much since Schtola and Shizuri were at odds with each other.

“I told ya already—the bastard’s a shitty thief.”

He violently stomped apart a piece of wreckage at his feet.

“Shahryar R is a rebel who came down to the surface after robbin’ the legacy of the Devas. We’ve been chasin’ after him to get it back. I’m the only survivor of the group, but thanks to me killin’ the asses of people gettin’ in my way, I got treated like some criminal at some point.”

“…Legacy of the Devas?”

Schtola’s unexpected revelation piqued Kojou’s interest.

However, Schtola simply clicked his tongue as if to indicate he’d said too much already.

“It’s a nasty sorcerous device made usin’ super high-level spells you primitives couldn’t copy even if you all stood on your heads. And I ain’t sayin’ no more.”

“So even you don’t know?”

Shizuri spat back with half-lidded eyes. “Uu,” groaned Schtola, making it seem like she’d hit the mark.

“Oh shaddap, stupid! Well, fine, I ain’t got time ta deal with you all anyway. I gotta go. Don’t get in my way, Fourth Primogenitor. You stick your nose in and I’ll blow ya both away.”

Threatening them for no real reason, Schtola vanished into the corridor, heading deeper into Keystone Gate. Kojou heaved a sigh, feeling extremely fatigued for some reason.

“Just what’s with that vulgar man…?!”

Shizuri puffed up her cheeks, making her displeasure easy to note.

He gave a strained smile and shrugged.

“But what he said is probably true. No way Natsuki would’ve let him go free otherwise. Plus, I heard a rumor from somewhere that MAR grew so suddenly as a sorcerous enterprise ’cause it was using Deva technology. That explains why the president of MAR and The Blood are connected.”

“The Blood… Yes…so it does.”

Shizuri murmured quietly. Like the Fourth Primogenitor, The Blood was an artificially constructed vampire. The people from Devas had built him.

If Shahryar Ren was a descendant of those ancient superhumans, it wouldn’t be strange for him to know The Blood’s true identity. But they still didn’t know what Shahryar Ren was trying to use him to achieve.

Was it better to chase after Schtola and check that out, or was heading back with Shizuri in tow the right call? As Kojou asked himself this, they suddenly heard a strange voice from overhead.

It was a demon beast’s howl that resembled the shout of a high-pitched girl.

“Daaah!”

From the rift in Keystone Gate’s ceiling fluttered down a steel dragon, flapping its giant wings. Shizuri’s eyes bulged as she beheld the sight.

“…D-dragon…?!”

“Hold on, Cas! That’s—”

Kojou stopped Shizuri as she reached her hand toward her sword. Two familiar girls were riding on the creature’s back. Realizing this, she stopped moving.

“Senpai!”

“Kojou Akatsuki! You’re still alive?!”

“Himeragi! Kirasaka…!”

Yukina and Sayaka got off the dragon’s back as it landed. Seeing that no one else had been riding it, Kojou clenched a fist with worry.

“And Avrora…?!”

“She was taken. By…The Blood…”

Sayaka lowered her eyes as she weakly answered his question. Surprised, he drew in his breath.

“Wha…?!”

“I’m sorry, senpai. I…”

“Y-you’re wrong, Kojou Akatsuki! Yukina did nothing wrong!! She tried to protect Avrora Florestina! But—”

When Yukina tried to speak with a voice like that of a child about to break into tears, Sayaka hastily put Yukina behind her back to shield her.

“Dah!!”

That’s right, the steel-colored dragon’s head shake seemed to say.

“Sorry, my mind is all jumbled up.”

Kojou pressed his palms against his temples and closed his eyes. Apparently, The Blood had abducted Avrora in the Second Primogenitor’s domain, and Yukina had gone to kill Avrora, then failed to protect the girl. The situation was so overwhelming that it was hard for him to process what he was hearing.

“Point being, Avrora’s with The Blood?”

“Yes. According to the Second Primogenitor, he’s returning to the Keystone Gate.”

Yukina stared at the steps at the end of the corridor as she spoke.

The Keystone Gate’s underground structures reached forty strata beneath the surface of the sea, but to get there, they would need to pass through the lobby portion they were in currently.

In other words, if The Blood was there, he was in Keystone Gate’s aboveground portions. If they went up those stairs, they’d reach him sooner or later.

“Big help it ain’t more complicated than that. I’ll get Avrora back and end the Electoral War—two birds with one stone.”

Kojou strongly declared this. The more time passed without him doing anything, the higher the chances the Blazing Banquet would occur. Even if it was pretty dangerous, defeating The Blood and ending the Electoral War was the logical choice to make.

“Kojou…!”

Even as she continued treating the ogre, Shizuri looked up at him with visible concern. He smiled cheerfully to her.

“Cas, you take that person and go back ahead of us. I’m sure Kanase’s old man can manage somehow. Glenda, take care of Cas, ’kay?”

“Dah!”

Kojou’s request left the dragon happily swaying her enormous tail.

Shizuri had depleted her stamina fighting MAR and the Order of the End’s acolyte. She must have understood that she could battle no longer. For once, she accepted Kojou’s one-sided proposal without a word of complaint. But—

“Kojou!”

“Eh?”

When she suddenly called him to a halt, he turned around, defenseless. Shizuri approached without a sound and swiftly brought her face close to his. Her soft lips overlapped with his own.

Unable to comprehend what was happening, Kojou froze in place.

“C…Cas…?”

“Aah… Ah…”

Despite initiating the kiss, Shizuri was now red-faced and squirming. She’d probably originally intended to give him a light peck on the cheek. But since she wasn’t used to kissing, she must have thoroughly missed her target.

Still, she puffed up her chest with a confident air, pretending like she’d planned it that way from the start.

“You have received the blessing of a paladin of Gisella! Be grateful!”

“R-right…”

Staring at her as she practically turned tail and fled, he let out a weary sigh.

Yukina’s and Sayaka’s eyes were glacial and emotionless as they stared at the side of Kojou’s face.