“Natra Cinereus! Al-Meissa Mercury!”
Kojou summoned all the Beast Vassals at his command to keep the Wiseman boxed in. The lightning lion neutralized the heavy particle beam cannon, while the bicorn and the shelled beast nullified the golden body’s physical attacks.
However, that was nowhere near enough to defeat him.
Only the two-headed dragon could do that, annihilating the golden life-form and overcoming its infinite multiplication by consuming it and the very space it occupied. But the Wiseman’s body had grown too large for the dragon to remove an effective chunk.
The amorphous creature freely transformed its golden body to flee from the two-headed dragon’s maws. It was understandable; even Kojou couldn’t conceive of what kind of damage would occur if it simply wolfed down the entire area’s space. The ferry being sucked into a fracture in space might be the least of it.
“Ka…ka-ka… Why do you defy me, O Imperfect One…? Why do you reject becoming part of my perfect world?”
Using alchemy to extract precious metals from the seawater, the Wiseman’s power increased to infinity. At this rate, he might very well swallow the entire world, erasing all existence other than himself. He’d probably spared the ferry because he still wanted to use Kanon and others as raw resources.
The Wiseman, able to fight four Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor on equal terms, looked very much up to the term God. Even so, Kojou’s will to fight did not waver. Indeed, the enormous demonic energy emitted by Kojou only seemed to increase.
“I told ya already. You ain’t perfect,” Kojou laughed scornfully, taunting the golden giant. “Just like ya said, I’m imperfect. So if even I can beat you, you’re even less than imperfect!”
The Wiseman’s eyeballs turned and glared at Kojou all at once. Perhaps he’d only recognized the possibility just then. His exaggerated reaction suggested as much:
“Impossible… My perfection contains no such contradiction…!”
His nakedly enraged voice filled the air.
Kojou bluntly dismissed the tawdry pride for what it was. “What’s your perfection worth if you’ve gotta wipe out everyone inconvenient to you to keep it safe?”
“Ka-ka… Silence!! I, the perfect being, command thee to be silent!!”
Kojou had nothing more to say. Instead, he simply raised his right arm toward the enraged golden Titan. Fresh blood gushed out of his arm, bathing it in a pale blue light of explosive magical force.
“I, Kojou Akatsuki, heir to the Kaleid Blood, release thee from thy bonds—”
Emerging from within the beam was a new Beast Vassal, its body transparent like flowing water. Its upper half was a beautiful woman; its lower, a snake. Countless serpents ran down its form like hair.
It was a pale Undine—a sea monster.
“C’mon over, Beast Vassal Number Eleven, Sadalmelik Albus—!”
The water spirit’s great serpentine body accelerated into an explosive torrent. Her talons, equipped with sharp claws, grabbed hold of the Wiseman’s head on both sides, dragging him headfirst into the sea.
The Fourth Primogenitor’s eleventh Beast Vassal was a Beast Vassal of water. The titanic volume of ocean water around them was her very own flesh and blood. Even Wiseman’s freely manipulable liquid-metal body could not escape the sea monster. Then—
“Ka-ka-ka…ka…ka… Impossible…! I am… My perfect body, it’s vanishing!!”
His body was dissolving, like a piece of metal bathed in a powerful acid—
But it wasn’t because Kojou’s Beast Vassal was destroying his foe—quite the opposite. His body, born from alchemy, was reverting to its original metallic form. Bit by bit, it was returning to the sea and land from whence it came, like an unborn infant reabsorbed by its mother’s womb—
“This is—regeneration—?!” Yukina exclaimed, as she gazed at the creature sinking into the sea. “A Beast Vassal invoking vampiric restoration, to restore—?!”
The eleventh Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor, Sadalmelik Albus, was the Beast Vassal of regeneration and restoration. It could “heal” any being, returning it to its previous condition.
Watching the incredible sight from nearby, Yukina’s entire body shivered as the full force struck her.
“But that means…”
The sea monster was restoring it, but not to heal. It was as if time was being rolled back to what it had been before—before it had been born as a living thing. Time flowed backward, from stout castle walls to earthworks, from dense cities to barren grasslands, from advanced culture to before prehistory—
The word restore was nowhere near sufficient to describe it. This was the destructive power to return all to the nothingness from whence it came.
In her own way, this beautiful sea monster, too, was a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor—the living incarnation of calamity.
Finally reduced to nothing more than a skull, the Wiseman exclaimed: “Ka…ka-ka…! I understand…! I understand now…”
And then the golden skull itself dissolved into the pale blue water and vanished.
“That power…exists to fight…ka…”
Unable to utter a final word, his voice dissipated amidst the froth.
All that remained was the surface of the sea and a gentle breeze.
6
With the fight over, Kojou bent forward toward the hull of the wrecked ferry. Yukina approached him, spear in hand and steps heavy.
In spite of the immense toll the battle with the Wiseman had taken, the frozen sea surface remained intact. With a search-and-rescue ship no doubt soon to arrive, Yukina didn’t think those aboard the ferry remained in any danger.
They’d probably blame the ferry’s “accident” on a collision with an out-of-season iceberg. Those aboard who were unaware of the circumstances would no doubt accept that explanation. After all, there wasn’t a single person who’d believe it was the work of a single Beast Vassal.
Yukina pondered the identity of the one that had possessed Nagisa; however, the new Beast Vassal Kojou had tamed concerned her as well. Surely that power to cure was what had saved Kojou from being turned to metal. If she could regenerate others to the point of rolling back time itself, repairing Kojou’s transmuted body must have been child’s play.
The Beast Vassal of ice had known that from the start. That was why she’d awakened the sea monster.
But Yukina had no means with which to confirm “her” identity.
Besides, she had other things that came first.
“Senpai.”
When Yukina called out to Kojou, he raised his languid-looking face. Somehow, he looked like he was groping in the dark; using that much power must have made even him exhausted.
“You okay, Himeragi?”
She pressed a hand to where he’d bitten her on the neck as she spoke. “I’m all right. The wound has already closed, so it’s fine.”
Kojou seemed relieved as his gaze drifted off—and then, he slowly sank down on the spot.
“…Senpai?!” Yukina rushed to his side. “Are you all right? Don’t tell me it’s aftereffects from being transmuted…?!”
“Ah, no, no. I’m just short on sleep.” Kojou waved his hand, annoyed, and closed his eyes. He really did seem exhausted.
“Haven’t slept properly since yesterday. Fine if I take a little nap here?”
“Well, that’s a relief…somewhat.” Yukina gave a small sigh and cradled his head over her knees. It was a picture-perfect lap pillow position. One could also say she was cradling his head in her hands.
“…Uh?”
Perhaps Kojou sensed that Yukina’s behavior was somehow improper, because he suddenly looked up in concern.
But Yukina grinned back at him. “It’s fine. Also, I happen to be very interested in what happened last night, especially how you got to know Nina Adelard and why she looks just like Aiba.”
“Uhh?!”
Sweat trickled down Kojou’s brow as he averted his eyes. Y
ukina seemed to take that as confirmation of her suspicion he’d done something behind her back.
Yukina imagined he’d been trying to be considerate, by not making her worry during her time off. She was glad for the sentiment, but the problem was that, as a result, the chaos had only grown.
In addition, he just didn’t get it: No matter what the reason, Kojou doing things behind Yukina’s back hurt her. In the first place, it wasn’t possible for her not to worry about him, no matter the physical distance between them.
Kojou practically shouted as he forced a change in subject: “Er, that’s… Oh yeah, what happened to Nina—?!”
The reply came from practically right beside them:
“I’m right here. You did well, Kojou. And you as well, Yukina.”
Though Nina sounded in unexpectedly high spirits, she was still being carried around by Kanon even then. Kanon had used an inspection ladder to climb down from the tenuous ferry, and a tiny humanoid silhouette was riding on top of the chest of her uniform. The Nina that puffed her chest out as she spoke couldn’t have been more than thirty centimeters tall, no bigger than a fairy. Kojou had never seen the woman’s beautiful Asian face before, but he somehow felt like vestiges of Asagi’s appearance still remained.
“You have my thanks. Your efforts have finally liberated me from a two-hundred-and-seventy-year-old burden.”
“Nina… You’re…”
“Indeed. Pay no mind, the remaining Spirit Blood simply couldn’t maintain a humanoid form beyond this size. It will not prove any great hindrance to my life.”
As she spoke, Nina patted the crimson jewel that remained embedded in her chest.
Well, it sure beats livin’ as a blob of liquid metal, Kojou considered, staring.
“So what, you plan on going with Kanase then?”
Kanon’s eyes turned into half-moons as she nodded in delight. “Yes, I’ll speak to Ms. Minamiya about giving her a good, loving home.”
The girl was really into raising small animals. I am not a pet, huffed the Great Alchemist of Yore, crossing her arms with a puff of her cheeks.
It was then that Nagisa emerged from the break in the hull and shouted, “Ehh?!”
Her hair was still worn loose, but Yukina didn’t sense the frigid aura of the Beast Vassal that had possessed her. She was back to her usual, boisterous self.
“What is this?! Kojou?! What is Kojou doing here?! What happened to the ship?! You don’t mean we really hit an iceberg?! And Yukina as a lap pillow?!!”
“Nagisa…?!”
Yukina stood up in great haste. Apparently Nagisa really didn’t remember anything during the time she had been possessed. His head rudely ejected from its resting place, Kojou’s ears rang from the bang he sustained.
Nagisa looked up at the sky as she spoke. “Wow, what’s that, an airship?! It’s huuuuge!”
Indeed, there was a giant, armored airship floating close to sea level. Apparently, the Aldegian Knights had come to render assistance.
Kojou clutched the back of his head as he muttered, “Sorry, Himeragi, it’s a shame, havin’ this happen on your time off and all.”
Yukina mixed a smile in with her nod. “Yes. However, this has only confirmed my suspicions.”
This said, she firmly clenched her small fist.
Yukina’s words, filled with determination, brought a look of unease over Kojou.
“Apparently, senpai, whenever I take my eyes off you for even the shortest time, you immediately stick your neck into danger and act very friendly with girls you don’t know.”
“Er, wait. Isn’t that logic really messed up?!”
How’d it turn into that? Kojou objected, vigorously shaking his head.
However, Yukina’s forthright eyes gave Kojou a look that brooked no argument. “Upon reflection, I must observe you even more strictly from now on.”
After hearing the declaration, the vampire weakly looked up at the sky.
“…Gimme a break…”
The sigh of the Fourth Primogenitor, the World’s Mightiest Vampire, trailed onto the sea breeze, and vanished.
OUTRO
“Mhmm…”
Exhaling as if she was singing, the woman in the white coat raised the stethoscope.
Though she was well into her thirties, she was a woman for whom the word cute fit her cherubic face more than beautiful. But she had really big breasts.
Her long hair was disheveled, the white coat she wore all wrinkled. Though she was reserved, she projected the aura of a very slothful adult.
“Okaaay! Take a deep breath. Yes, yes, just like that.”
She put the stethoscope to Asagi’s chest as she spoke. Mm, mm, she said with an exaggerated nod, proceeding to look down the girl’s throat and examine her tongue. Finally, she ran her hands over Asagi’s entire body, groping her in the name of taking her vitals.
“No particular health proooblems. You seem to be growing quite nicely. Eighty-three, fifty-seven, eighty-two…”
“Eh?!”
Asagi twitched and froze at the accurate guess of her measurements. You can’t let down your guard around this chick, she thought, hastily covering her breasts with a towel.
They were not in a hospital, but rather, the Akatsuki residence’s living room.
The woman in the white coat was Mimori Akatsuki, Kojou and Nagisa’s mother. To Asagi, she was a familiar face going way back.
And Mimori was also an elite researcher at a lab for MAR—Magna Atraxia Research, a giant conglomerate. Not only did she hold a proper medical license; she was also one of the natural psychics known as Hyper-Adapters. She was a so-called “medical psychometer.”
Mimori smiled in obvious delight as she put the stethoscope away. “Tee-hee, I must say I’m surprised, though. I come back home for once and who do I find sleeping in Kojou’s bed? Oh, Asagi…”
Asagi narrowed her shoulders as she cringed. Even at that moment, Asagi didn’t actually remember why she had been sleeping in a place like that.
Actually, while Asagi was out cold, Natsuki Minamiya had pushed Kojou to bring her home, but little did she know that Kojou had taken that to mean bringing her to Kojou’s home.
Asagi put a finger to her own temple as she spoke in a faltering tone, “I’m sorry, my memory kind of breaks off right around yesterday evening—”
That was part of why Mimori had examined her, but as far as her behavior indicated, there was nothing particularly wrong with Asagi’s body.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Kojou properly takes responsibility.”
“Er, no, um, it’s really not like that…”
She’s got this sooo wrong, lamented Asagi, uneasily shaking her head.
“Ahh, it really takes me back. Why, when I was your age, I had Kojou right here in my belly…”
Asagi, of course, raised her voice in surprise.
“Ehh, is that so?!”
She’d always thought Mimori was young for a mother of two; so that’s how it was. The simplest explanation carried the day.
Mhmm, mused Mimori as she walked toward the kitchen. “Want some lunch, Asagi?”
Asagi bobbed her head in agreement and thanks. She had no reason to hurry back home; it was late enough in the morning that she’d be written up for skipping class anyway. If she stayed put, Kojou would be getting back home soon enough. She had a pile of things she wanted to grill him about.
As Asagi’s thoughts drifted to such things, she belatedly set eyes on some documents strewn over the floor; they’d apparently fallen out of Mimori’s medical bag. Without fanfare, Asagi picked them up and put them in order. Apparently it was some kind of patient report from the lab.
The project name listed at the top of the report was SLEEPING BEAUTY.
A color copy of a blurry photo displayed a girl lying inside a medical capsule.
She had rainbow-colored hair that resembled a vortex of flames—
“Aa…!”
—That was when she suddenly heard Mimo
ri’s cry from the kitchen. Asagi stuffed the report back in the bag and hurried over to check on Mimori. “Wh-what happened?”
Asagi beheld the sight of Mimori slumped onto the floor, in front of the fridge. She looked up at Asagi with a forlorn expression born of a pitiless world.
“This is so cruel, Asagi. I’m starving here, and there’s no frozen pizza in the fridge…!”
“Ah, ah…”
Asagi scratched her face with a mildly conflicted look. She recalled that Kojou had complained that frozen pizza was the only dish in Mimori’s repertoire. She’d thought he had to be exaggerating. To think it was the gospel truth…
“…Asagi, are you any good at cooking?”
Mimori looked up at Asagi with eyes like those of an abandoned puppy.
Asagi thought about it a little: This was a pretty good chance to earn some brownie points with Kojou’s mom. Perhaps this was the time to demonstrate the fruits of her intensive training.
Asagi smiled triumphantly and reached for a nearby apron.
“Leave it to me!”
Evening was fast approaching when Kojou and the others made it back to the apartment complex.
Due to limited capacity, the armored airship had only taken actual wounded aboard, so in the end, Kojou and the others were picked up by an old-fashioned fishing boat for a leisurely return to Itogami Island.
The one saving grace was they were allowed to eat the fresh fish the ship had caught. Maybe it’s a pretty small thing, but as rewards for saving the world go, could be worse, Kojou thought.
Nagisa slumped against the wall of the elevator and heaved a great sigh. “I’m really worn out for some reason. The field trip’s suspended, and the coat I saved up for is no good… But they said they’d compensate for the luggage at least.”
Her voice was as energetic as usual, but the volume of words was just a little lower than normal. Knowing the field trip was canceled apparently got her down.
“Geez, with that big an accident, it’s real lucky no one died. It was one step away from a huge disaster.”
Strike the Blood, Vol. 6 (light novel): Return of the Alchemist Page 20
