Yukina watched Sayaka from behind with a look of concern for a single moment, but quickly nodded to herself and ran off, heading onto the ship enveloped by flames.
CHAPTER FOUR
EROSION OF DARKNESS
1
Mimori Akatsuki made an amused “mhmm” as she looked around the familiar sight of her guesthouse living room.
There was a half-eaten, formerly frozen pizza on the table; the room’s lights were still on; and someone had forgotten to turn off the TV. She supposed something urgent had arisen, resulting in them rushing out in great haste. Apparently, the son Mimori had raised, Kojou Akatsuki, was living a life quite full of hardships.
She’d expected as much ever since his little sister had gotten wrapped up in a big demon-instigated incident some four years prior, or perhaps it was when, shortly after, he’d met her.
The young girl with rainbow-colored hair like billowing flames and eyes like fire.
“My, my…”
Mimori took out the freshly bought ice cream stick from the freezer and munched on it as she left the room.
Nagisa was sleeping peacefully in the bedroom. She was in a deep sleep like she’d been given a sleeping pill or perhaps a dose of a sleeping curse. But there was no need to worry about her; there weren’t many beings on earth that could harm the girl.
She was more concerned about the background of the two girls Kojou had brought with him.
But before worrying about them, she had someone who required her attention then and there.
Mimori used a corridor usually meant for research personnel only and headed toward the lab.
Magna Ataraxia Research Incorporated, or MAR, was a conglomerate formed of multiple sorcerous product manufacturers with global reach. It was an industrial giant that made everything from pills for the common cold to military fighter jets. Even the laboratory it had built in Itogami City was big enough to have nearly a thousand researchers working there.
However, being the opening day of the Hollow Eve Festival, there was no human presence visible inside the building. Their guards for the facility weren’t even human; instead, it employed robots using sorcerous circuitry and shikigami. They were excellent workers that never slacked off or let anything slip—unlike humans.
On the other hand, the blunt reality was that a skilled Attack Mage or witch could wipe the floor with them…even a witch who’d lost her Guardian and had sustained nearly fatal injuries.
“My, my…”
Mimori Akatsuki’s smile turned strained at the sight of the unlocked, half-open door to the medical office.
There was no sign of the patient within.
On top of the bed were electrodes and IV lines that had been yanked out, alongside scattered bits of ritual scrolls. The floor had fresh blood spatter and stains on it. You’d think a wounded beast had just made its escape.
“Oh, Yuu…”
For once, Mimori looked serious as she sighed. She fished a behind-the-times cell phone out of a wrinkled pocket and began to call the police.
Based on the state of the room, the escaped patient hadn’t gotten very far yet. Surely immediate pursuit would bring her back with ease.
“Oh my…?”
But the moment before the call connected, an ominous sound, like a thunderclap, echoed through the air; the lab’s lights went dark. It resembled a small earthquake, but this was a Demon Sanctuary on a man-made island; it didn’t have earthquakes.
The phone signal went dead, cutting the call. The shikigami on patrol stopped in their tracks, too. Apparently, something had just thrown a giant monkey wrench into the magical infrastructure supporting Itogami Island.
“The Black Bible… I see. So that’s what it is, Yuu…”
Mimori gently touched the bed, as if she was taking in the warmth the girl had left behind.
A second impact rocked the man-made ground.
2
Upon leaving the cabin, Kojou saw the deck in flames and an armored man carrying a fantastically large sword.
“Vattler’s been…beaten…?!”
The young aristocrat who should have been dealing with the man’s attack lay buried under a pile of rubble. Kojou was at a loss for words as he watched the unbelievable sight. The thought that the combat-loving vampire could actually lose had never occurred to him for even a millisecond. He didn’t have any idea how to respond.
“Who the heck is that?!” Kojou finally exclaimed.
“Bruté Dumblegraff…a mercenary formerly employed by the Western European Church, kyun!” said the backup.
In one sense, it was quite incredible that the backup’s frivolous tone did not falter, even in this situation.
Yet it was because of that that the armored man noticed Sana and spoke to her in a low voice that almost sounded rusty from disuse.
“I have found you…Witch of the Void!”
Entrusting Sana to Asagi, Kojou prepared to stand off against the armored man. Yet all the potential adversary did was watch with a slight narrowing of his eyes. Those were eyes that warned, Get in my way, and I shall cut you down without mercy.
Kojou tossed out rather casually, “That armor’s a lot like what Old Man Eustach had. You an Armed Apostle, too?”
He wanted any intel he could get on his enemy; it didn’t matter how. The armored augmentation suit that Rudolf Eustach, Lotharingian Armed Apostle, had worn not only enhanced his physical might, but also was equipped with special anti-demon gear he’d called Alcazava. That power potentially put him on equal footing with the likes of Vattler.
However, the man named Dumblegraff shook his head with indifference.
“Armed Apostle…exorcists of the church? Though not unrelated, ’tis different.”
Kojou sighed but wasn’t particularly down about it.
“Figures. Old Man Eustach didn’t have as much fun as you seem to be havin’.”
Even though he was in front of Asagi, Kojou had already hardened his resolve. He’d summon a Beast Vassal. Only by using the powers of a vampire could Kojou protect the girls now.
The problem was that he didn’t know his opponent’s capabilities. Plus, Kojou’s chest wound still hadn’t healed at all. Whether he could control a Beast Vassal in that condition was an open question—
“Uhatsura!”
A surge of demonic energy made the air itself shudder; the giant Beast Vassal was taking physical form.
The creature that emerged from the void was a blue, glittering snake. However, it was not Kojou that had summoned it. It was under the control of the vampire nobleman also known as the Master of Serpents.
“Vattler?!” Kojou shouted in surprise.
The wounded vampire burst out of the rubble that had buried him with a feat of astounding strength and rose to his feet.
“…Sorry, Kojou. Could you please not rob me of the playmate I’ve craved for so long?”
His entire body was drenched in blood; his coat, originally pure white, was a mess. However, his aloof, snobbish manner of speaking was 100 percent intact.
Vattler’s Beast Vassal roared; the deck under the armored man’s feet ruptured.
Cracks in space itself erupted, dragging the enemy in. This was the ability of Vattler’s blue serpent. As befitting the Beast Vassal of an Old Guard vampire, its power was mighty beyond belief.
But the man in plated armor laid his eyes upon the serpent Beast Vassal and swung down his giant sword. It was a robust slice accompanied by a fierce flash of light. That was all it took for Vattler’s Beast Vassal to be rent to pieces, crying in its death throes as it vanished.
Kojou shuddered as he beheld the sight.
“A flesh-and-blood human being…cutting down a Beast Vassal?!”
As a fellow vampire, Kojou understood full well the might of Vattler’s Beast Vassal. The fact that such a beast had been felled was a rude shock.
However, Vattler himself accepted the result rather calmly. His calm suggested he knew from the beginning what the result w
ould be.
“…He is a descendant of the House of Georgius—dragon slayers, in other words. They dwell in the shadow of the Western European Church, exorcists specializing in combat alone, hired by heretics—and great criminals that have destroyed numerous cities as collateral damage in their battles with dragons. They are rare and powerful enemies… Perfect, this is just perfect!” Vattler squealed, as if unable to contain the joy welling up from deep inside his flesh.
The armored man looked upon him and curled his lips in distaste. He, too, had noticed Vattler was off his rocker. “Pathetic, accursed vampire.”
Vattler simply summoned two new Beast Vassals in response.
One was a great, glittering, golden serpent; the other, a massive jet-black one. Yet even though they were Beast Vassals, their nature had much in common with dragons; furthermore, their attacks were at a decisive disadvantage against a mercenary with the Dragon Killer attribute. The super high-pressure water blades the Beast Vassals unleashed were unable to leave a single mark on the man’s flesh; in turn, the man’s giant sword butchered the Beast Vassals with one blow to each.
“So this is the immortal body of Georgius…!” Vattler remarked.
“Indeed. My armor exists not to protect my body, but to present the impression that I can withstand battle. It serves no other purpose.”
The man didn’t have a single scratch on him in spite of taking direct hits from Vattler’s attacks.
Bathed in the blood of dragons, his flesh had been made as hard as steel, granting him an immortal body that could not be harmed by any weapon. He had obtained that which only heroes that had slain dragons had earned the right to—
“…Batsunanda!”
Vattler summoned yet another Beast Vassal. This one was a giant serpent with malicious blades in its skin, which turned its entire body into a weapon.
“It is futile, Vattler. Your Vassals are no match for my Ascalon, no matter how large they might be.”
The knight lifted his great sword once more. However, Vattler laughed delightedly as he gazed upon him.
“I wonder?”
“Mm…?”
“Surely you, a member of the Georgius clan, are aware of why dragon slayers are extolled as heroes?”
Both of Vattler’s eyes, narrowed in amusement, emitted a malevolent crimson glow. With his entire body drenched in blood, his great fangs poked out of his open mouth as he smiled wickedly.
“If the Georgius are truly the strongest, then dispatching dragons is no great feat for them—yet the warriors who challenge dragons to battle are extolled as heroes. That is because dispatching dragons is difficult for them in spite of that power. In other words, many Georgius have lost their lives in the course of challenging dragons.”
Something like a dreadful shimmer rose from the man’s entire body as he asked:
“Do you wish to put that to the test, Vattler?”
“But of course.”
The nobleman smiled luridly and unleashed his attack. Countless lances, resembling pillars of ice, emerged around the Beast Vassal, surrounding it. The jagged-looking lances shot toward the knight as if they were bullets. The man swung his great sword to cut them down—
But Vattler’s indiscriminate attack also caught the Oceanus Grave II in its destructive path. Even some distance away, the countless fragments poured down mercilessly upon Kojou and the others.
“That was close! That bastard Vattler, he’s completely reckless…!”
Asagi was shrieking and clutching Sana as she tried to avoid the hailstorm of debris.
“K-Kojou, what are we gonna do here?!”
The vampire bodily shielded both girls as he desperately cast a look around the deck.
“We’re gonna make a run for it. At this rate, we’re gonna go down with the ship…”
“Run? Run where…?!”
Kojou was at a loss due to lack of familiarity with the ship’s layout. But he found an aristocrat of small stature wearing a silver tuxedo beckoning to him.
“—Over here, Master Kojou.”
Kojou breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized the gentle, handsome looks.
“Kira, huh?”
“Yes. If you are disembarking, please use the aft deck. This way.”
Kojou and the rest followed after him. “Thanks. But is it all right lettin’ Vattler do whatever the heck he wants here?” Kojou asked.
If Vattler kept up fighting like this, the ship would sink for sure. If that was the case, Kira ought to be abandoning ship just like Kojou and the others.
Of course, Kira and the rest would be more than a little inconvenienced by the ship’s sinking, but…
“Well, ah, he’s always like this, so as his comrades, we follow his lead, you see.”
Kira’s smile was strained as he spoke, shifting his gaze toward the top of the bridge. There stood a young, handsome aristocrat—Jagan. He’d summoned multiple Beast Vassals, apparently to guard against the by-products of Vattler’s duel, which reached all the way into the city at this point.
Looking closer, Kojou saw that a number of other vampires were deployed around the edges of the harbor. He didn’t think Vattler had any consideration for the trouble he caused others, so they’d probably set out on their own.
“However, since the safety of the city is our first priority, we cannot spare anyone to escort you. After all, if Duke Ardeal is serious, he could destroy Itogami City in several minutes.”
“Got it. We’ll watch out for our own necks somehow.”
Kira respectfully lowered his head in a display of gratitude. “You have my thanks.”
Kojou felt exactly the same way. No doubt, given his personality, working close by Vattler’s side meant nonstop anxiety for him.
“You guys have it rough, too.”
Kira gave him a pleasant, bashful smile. “Not at all, I’m pleased to be of some use.”
They arrived at the aft deck, where the gangplank awaited.
“Thanks. See ya later.” Kojou extended his right hand in thanks. Kira’s cheeks turned red as he shook Kojou’s hand. The unexpectedly soft and warm feeling surprised Kojou a little. As he and Kira ended the shake, Kojou stared at his hand in bewilderment.
Seeing Kojou like that, Asagi glared at him suspiciously.
“Kojou…you really don’t swing that way?”
“Eh? Whaddaya mean?”
A dubious expression came over Kojou, unable to process just what exactly he was being accused of.
Even now, Vattler continued his duel with the sorcerer aboard the ship. A number of thunder-like explosions resounded, fiercely rocking the massive yacht in the process. The light given off by the raging flames dyed the night sky red.
We should go while the goin’s good, thought Kojou as he picked up Sana and rushed down the gangplank. Welcoming them on the pier was a girl in a nurse outfit, wielding a silver spear.
“Are you all right, senpai?”
“Eh? Himeragi—?!” Unexpectedly finding Yukina lying in wait there was not something that set him at ease.
Kojou was extremely grateful to have linked up with Yukina for purposes of protecting Sana.
The problem was the fact that Asagi was there, too. It’d be nigh impossible to come up with a logical explanation as to why Yukina was walking around with a spear without revealing that she was really a Sword Shaman for the Lion King Agency.
But Asagi did not direct her suspicions toward the spear that Yukina carried.
Instead, Asagi looked at Yukina’s outfit and skeptically raised her eyebrows.
“…Why are you wearing that?”
Apparently, Asagi felt more threatened by Yukina’s silly white outfit than by her spear.
The “nurse” was a bit thrown off by this as well.
“Eh, this is…ah, Mimori had me wear this…”
“Mimori, you mean Kojou’s mom?”
Asagi looked even more on her guard as she snapped Kojou a glare. It was a look that backed Kojou into a cor
ner with the implicit question: And when did you introduce Yukina to your mother…?
For some reason, Kojou felt like running for the hills as he averted his eyes. But it was then that he saw something that made him freeze.
Overhead, a crane that had become collateral damage of Vattler’s duel had been destroyed. Pieces of it were currently scattering as they plummeted toward Kojou and the others. It was a huge crane, nearly fifteen meters tall, used for moving around shipping containers.
“Crap! Both of you, get down!”
Kojou flattened Asagi and the others onto the ground underneath him. Even Yukina’s magic-nullifying spear was no match for the collapsing monolith. However, there was no time to escape its fall path, either.
His only choice was to summon a Beast Vassal and blow it away—but could he do it in time?
Kojou bit his lip in despair.
And yet, right before his eyes, the falling crane was hit from the side with a blast so massive it altered its course. The steel structure snapped and splintered into twisted pieces. The blow far exceeded the level of a man-portable weapon; it was in the league of a direct hit from a tank’s cannon.
“Eh?!”
Fragments of pulverized metal rained down around them—
Until a mass of metal rushed over and shielded them at the last moment.
It was a red vehicle Kojou had never seen, with crimson armor covering its entire body.
The closest thing to which Kojou could compare its silhouette was a turtle. It had a huge, round body resting on four fat, stubby legs; apparently, it could rotate 360 degrees without any problems. And where a head ought to have been, there was a large-caliber cannon installed.
This was a Micro Robot Tank, a prototype anti-demonic weapon for urban warfare.
They heard a bizarre voice come from it, one reminiscent of an old samurai movie.
“Ha-ha-ha. That was quite a close call, empress.”
The tank’s carapace opened; a girl who looked around twelve years old emerged. She was a foreign girl, with red hair that looked like it was on fire; she also wore a pilot suit from head to toe, but with a sports jersey over it that had handwritten letters reading DIDIER.
Fiesta for the Observers Page 15
