After all, defeating a vampire’s Beast Vassal required nullifying the demonic energy like a Schneewaltzer, or smashing it with greater demonic power, as the Third Primogenitor had once done—
Jagan ordered Wadjet to attack. The gauntlets purportedly under Mathis’s control turned on their owner all at once. There was no time to turn the sorcerous device off. Before he could, every weapon bore down upon him, piercing deeply into his flesh.
“Not yet, vampire—!”
Jagan, certain of his foe’s demise, sensed his control of Wadjet weaken momentarily. Right then, Mathis, on the verge of death, leaped for Jagan. Countless gauntlets materialized once more, restraining every inch of the vampire’s body. Then:
“Bouiller, now!”
Before Mathis’s lips even moved to say Do it, the sorcerous devices in Bouiller’s shoulders unleashed their incandescent shimmer. Simultaneously, the explosives in Mathis’s own body exploded.
Incredible flames and blast winds enveloped Jagan. “We did it,” Bouiller murmured, breathing raggedly.
However, the flames that ought to have burned the vampire to cinders swirled before Jagan’s eyes, changing form to a giant bird of prey. Jagan smiled cruelly from the other side of the fire.
“Ensen, is it? The Flaming Fan. You possess a rare sorcerous device. Your teamwork was not bad, either. But…too weak.”
The flaming bird of prey transformed into a ray and leaped. A great pillar of fire burst up, centered on the place where Bouiller stood. With a great blast, the flames spread, reducing the surrounding area to ash.
Jagan dissipated his Beast Vassal, but the flames raged on. However, he did not see Bouiller’s corpse anywhere. All that remained were slightly melted fragments from his shattered sorcerous devices—
Bouiller had fled.
“So much time and trouble… Ah, well…”
Even as he muttered in annoyance, Jagan suddenly looked overhead. There, a giant silver shelled beast was materializing—a Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor.
Kojou Akatsuki had likely turned the temple’s outer wall to mist, annihilating it, and had made his way to the sacrifice chamber.
“Tch,” went Jagan, roughly clicking his tongue as he stepped forward.
He had no intention of lending Kojou Akatsuki a hand. Merely breathing the same air as that man disgusted him. This was not, in any way, a shared battle; he simply didn’t care for his prey being stolen. That was all.
Jagan headed into the temple telling himself that, seemingly for his own benefit.
7
The area around the temple had already begun rocking ferociously.
Celesta having descended from the altar was not the sole cause. Disturbances had arisen both inside and outside Zazalamagiu’s barrier. The outer shell consuming the physical world had been damaged, and its supply of magical energy from the outside had been severed. And the temple itself, constructed from the dark god’s magical energy, was being destroyed.
There was only one person capable of such reckless deeds—the Fourth Primogenitor, Kojou Akatsuki.
However, that realization brought no relief to Yukina’s face, for the woman in the fur-trimmed coat was still quietly gazing at the two girls.
“Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency, you called yourself. Hand over Celesta Ciate. I do not desire to kill any more civilians than I have to…”
Angelica Hermida calmly held her right arm high.
She, too, had surely sensed the disturbance outside the temple. However, there was no change in the female soldier’s expression. She was confident that she could control and overcome whatever that disturbance was.
“What do you intend to do with Celesta…?” Yukina asked, poising her spear.
Her polished senses as a Sword Shaman told her that the foe before her eyes was dangerous. If she let up, she’d be crushed by her opponent’s overwhelming pressure.
This was a human soldier unlike any demon—and different from any foe Yukina had yet faced. Yukina’s spear could not completely fend off Angelica’s attacks. For that matter, she even wondered if Angelica had shown off her full power up to that point.
Even so, Yukina could not retreat. She was the only one who could protect Celesta then and there.
“In answering your question, what are your demands?” the female soldier inquired. “We would collect her and transport her to the Chaos Zone. Surely these are desirable terms for you?”
“That is not—”
“It is possible. That is why I am here.”
Angelica replied with the bare minimum of words required. Her blunt tone of voice announced the end of the unexpected negotiation.
“I will count to five. Vanish from my sight within that time. Otherwise, you will die. Five…four…”
“Plain Girl…!”
Celesta shouted from behind Yukina. Leave me here and run, her grief-stricken voice seemed to say, but Yukina would have none of it.
Thanks to the crevice delving into the floor, she could not shield Celesta. In that situation, she had but one way to protect Celesta—attacking Angelica first.
Yukina kicked off the floor, leaping with all her might. However, Angelica easily evaded the mighty charge.
“…three…two…”
Angelica emotionlessly continued counting down. She was upholding the little time she had given to Yukina. In other words, if that time limit was exceeded, she would attack without mercy.
“…one… A pity.”
Angelica murmured without even a single change in her expression. However, the female soldier did not swing her right arm downward.
Before she could attack, the exterior temple wall burst apart with incredible force.
The vast demonic energy scattered in every direction and the silver mist filling up her field of vision made Yukina gasp and look over her shoulder. And there, amid the obviously excessive destruction, stood a young man surrounded by mist, wearing a bloodstained parka and a languid expression.
“Sorry for making you wait, Himeragi…!”
Kojou Akatsuki’s eyes shone crimson as he made a ferocious, fang-bared smile.
For a brief time, Yukina gazed at him in abject shock. Behind Kojou, the Beast Vassals he had called out were destroying the ruin to the fullest extent possible. It was without purpose or restraint, destruction for destruction’s sake. He’s overdoing it, she thought.
Certainly, this would prevent the dark god from materializing or consuming the real world, but one false move might well make the accumulated dragon line energy go berserk. This is why, thought Yukina. This is why I can’t take my eyes off this boy for a single moment.
“How’s Celesta?!”
“Safe! However, later when we get back, I will be lecturing you, senpai—”
The indignant expression on Yukina as she spoke those words suddenly froze over in fear. Through a gap in the enshrouding mists, she saw Angelica Hermida lower her right hand.
The silver mist parted as she unleashed her invisible slash. The unseen giant blade was aimed at Kojou Akatsuki, standing there defenseless.
“Senpai—!”
Yukina let out a brief shriek.
The invisible blade split the floor of giant inlaid stones, severing Kojou’s body apart across his shoulder—or so anyone would have thought. But in that moment, a beautiful, gemstone-like glimmer arose directly in front of him, making a high-pitched, earsplitting ting!
The invisible blade touched that light, and immediately after, fresh blood scattered with incredible force.
Yukina’s eyes opened wide, seemingly unable to process the sight before her.
“What…?”
It was Angelica Hermida who spewed blood and fell.
Kojou continued standing in place, unharmed.
“…the…hell?!”
With her coat and her torso sliced apart, Angelica tumbled to the temple floor with a thud.
Kojou had done nothing. The invisible blade the female soldier had unleashed had
bounced right back at her. Angelica Hermida had fallen to her very own attack.
“…Does this…end it, I wonder…?”
From the tone with which Kojou murmured, even he was at a loss.
Angelica, reinforced with machinery, was still alive, although her body had been sliced in half at the waist. She didn’t even seem to be in pain. But she probably couldn’t continue fighting like that.
In her shape, she could not stop Kojou and the others.
The fight was over. There was no longer any reason to stay inside that world. They’d take Celesta and get out. They could figure out how to stop the energy from running wild afterward.
With such thoughts, Kojou stepped forward, but suddenly—
He heard a voice quietly laugh. It came from Angelica Hermida.
“It’s not over… It’s not over yet, Fourth Primogenitor. Don’t underestimate my unit. A mere demon won’t—”
Kojou looked back at the female soldier, shocked by her defiant words. At some point, a new figure had come to stand beside the fallen, gravely wounded Angelica—a large-framed soldier with mechanized eyes.
It was one of Angelica’s subordinates, the one she’d called Bouiller.
“—Major. Sorry I’m late.”
With those words, he crouched at Angelica’s side. He had considerable wounds all over his body; the sorcerous devices embedded in both shoulders had been destroyed as well. It was to him that the female soldier looked up, asking:
“Only you, Bouiller?”
“Yes. Boland and Mathis were taken down by Tobias Jagan—” Bouiller shook his head slightly.
For a single, brief moment, Angelica closed her eyes, seemingly to mourn her fallen men. Then, the next instant, she smiled beautifully as she reached out with her right hand.
“Is that so? Then, I shall take you, Bouiller—”
“So that our nation may stand forever.”
He nodded, satisfied, as he took Angelica’s hand. Then, he kissed the back of her hand, like a knight swearing fealty to his liege.
Kojou and the others watched the strange, highly out-of-place gesture in silence. And it was Jagan, running into the temple, who broke that silence.
“Stop that woman, Kojou Akatsuki!”
“Huh?!”
Jagan’s lips twisted in their haste, but Kojou could not immediately comprehend his words. Angelica Hermida was on the brink of death, and all her subordinate had done was touch her right hand. He didn’t know what Jagan was so afraid of.
“Angelica Hermida’s right arm uses the Embrace of the Queen!”
Jagan shouted in Kojou’s direction as he summoned his own Beast Vassal. He unleashed his incandescent raptor toward the subordinate standing astride the fallen Angelica. But…
“Gah…?!”
Fresh blood scattered about, and it was Jagan who fell, his torso deeply slashed. The enemy had assailed him just before he could make his own Beast Vassal attack.
“—Jagan?!”
With Kojou rooted to the spot, Jagan, unable to endure the slash, dropped to his knees before Kojou’s eyes.
The invisible blade had left a wound as if from a giant ax. The technique belonged to Angelica, purportedly fallen and gravely wounded.
“And that was the Left Hand of Decapitation…Tobias Jagan.”
The incandescent bird of prey Jagan had summoned dissipated.
A tall, bizarre figure stood on the other side of the lingering flames. The humanoid’s head was that of a beautiful woman. However, beneath both her arms was another set of arms and a stout, male torso. Angelica had fused with the body of her own subordinate to replace her sliced-off lower body.
“What—? She stole her own teammate’s body…!”
Kojou exclaimed as he noticed the change in the female soldier’s appearance.
Apparently, the sorcerous device embedded in her right arm embraced the other party’s flesh, with the effect of taking his flesh into her own. Angelica had consumed her subordinate, turning him into a part of her.
“My right hand turns everything I desire into a part of my flesh. Zenforce is a unit established solely for my sake. My subordinates’ flesh and blood are nothing more than spare parts for me. I kill friend and foe alike—hence, why I am Bloodstained Angelica.”
Angelica spoke without emotion. She was neither bragging nor pitying herself—she was simply explaining to instill fear into Kojou and the others. In her mind, even robbing the flesh of her loyal subordinates was just part of the process required to carry out her mission.
The machines embedded in Angelica’s body wriggled around like independent living creatures. Circuits were switching over as she connected to the artificial organs inside her subordinate’s body. The sorcerous device for fusion was no simple thing. Only Sorcerous Troopers, their entire bodies converted to machines, could pull off such an extreme feat.
“Why you…!”
Kojou bared his fangs, horrified at the exceedingly bizarre state of the pair. He strongly clenched his fist and launched a punch at the now-grotesque female soldier.
Angelica, seemingly knowing from the start what Kojou would do, raised her left hand high. Suddenly, Kojou realized what she was after. Now that he was bent on attacking, he couldn’t use that strange reflect ability—
The sorcerous device embedded in her left arm activated, forming an invisible blade.
“—Senpai!”
But before she could swing the blade downward, Yukina wedged herself between Kojou and Angelica. She thrust her silver spear forward like an arrow, impaling the female soldier’s left wrist.
The sorcerous device in Angelica’s left wrist shattered, releasing a shock wave like a discharge of static energy. The invisible blade dissipated. She could no longer use the sorcerous device she had called the Left Hand of Decapitation.
Seeing this, the female soldier smiled, satisfied for some reason.
“I foresaw that you would move in that way, Sword Shaman.”
Angelica yanked out the spear, not caring that it mangled her left wrist in the process.
Yukina’s expression stiffened. She realized that Angelica’s objective had been to draw her away from Celesta.
Using the legs she had stolen from her subordinate, Angelica leaped with tremendous acceleration.
Celesta was on the other end. As Celesta stood still, petrified with fear, Angelica violently embraced her: the bride of Zazalamagiu, with her right arm—
“This is the true power of the Embrace of the Queen—the pride of the CSA.”
Angelica’s right arm emitted a glow, the light swallowing Celesta whole—
8
An ominous sound filled the world.
The earth shook— No, the dimension Kojou and the others were inside was rumbling.
The vast ruin had begun to vanish. The stonework temple, existing so vividly before, suddenly became insubstantial, shuddering and vanishing with barely a whimper.
“Angelica Hermida…”
However, in that moment, Kojou’s mind was too preoccupied to care.
Before Kojou’s and Yukina’s eyes, Angelica’s form changed once more.
Her skin lost all color, and was now dyed black—literally—like the dark of night. Her body lost its humanoid contours, expanding as it changed shape. She transformed into something like a giant bird, and at the same time, like a serpent. She might have even become the chick of some foul beast, freshly hatched from its malevolent egg. The only vestiges of her humanity were three arms, now covered in obsidian scales.
The black scales coating her entire body were covered in golden magical runes resembling subtle electrical circuitry.
Celesta was at the center of the circuit. With her four limbs buried in the monster’s brow, she was frozen like a statue, her eyes remaining open in terror.
“What have you…done to Celesta…?!”
Kojou’s entire body shook with anger and despair. Angelica Hermida had used the Embrace of the Queen to bring Celesta i
nto her. She’d obtained the icon of the dark god. Whatever she might look like, Angelica had succeeded in her mission.
With Kojou rooted where he stood, he heard a woman’s voice behind him, one with a small lisp. It was Natsuki’s voice.
“So she’s fused with the bride of Zazalamagiu—”
Carrying a lacy, extravagant parasol, Natsuki looked up at the transformed female soldier with what seemed like pity.
“I see… You reproduced the sorcerous device inscribed in the Temple of Ciate and transplanted it inside your body, haven’t you, Bloodstained Angelica?”
“Transplanted…the sorcerous device…?”
Blood drained from Kojou’s face as he realized the meaning of Natsuki’s words.
The dark god had not materialized in spite of Celesta summoning the egg. That was because the Temple of Ciate, the sorcerous device for materializing the dark god, did not exist on Itogami Island.
Hence, the dark god’s egg had constructed that other-dimensional world, going as far as to eat away at Itogami Island to magically reproduce the ruin. Kojou and the others had destroyed the false ruin to prevent the dark god’s materialization. That should have worked.
But if the inside of Angelica Hermida’s body was equipped with a real sorcerous device the same as the Temple of Ciate, then—
The grotesque monster told the tale in Angelica Hermida’s voice:
“The Temple of Ciate was a magical device constructed with technology from over a thousand years ago. Using current sorcerous technology, such size is not necessary for the device. It is possible to embed the entire thing into a single body—mine, in the form of an integrated chip the size of a one-centimeter square.”
In so doing, she expressed her complete control over the power of the dark god. Having taken Celesta, the bride, into herself, the artificial god was under her dominion.
“Recovery of the sacrifice was successful. There were casualties, but that was expected. There is no problem in executing the mission,” the grotesque monster declared in a mechanical tone bereft of intonation.
Bride of the Dark God Page 19
