CHAPTER THREE

DECISIONS

1

A tall man in a tuxedo came to greet Yuiri Haba.

He was a foreigner with a deeply chiseled face, black hair, and black eyes—a handsome young man, like you’d see in a painting.

“Young ladies, the meal has been prepared.”

“Ah…th-thanks…”

Huddled atop a luxurious sofa, Yuiri bowed her head with a strained smile on her face.

Yuiri and Glenda were in a room in a high-end hotel neighboring Itogami Central Airport. Fallgazer had rented out an entire wing of the hotel to use as a base.

It was the morning after they’d fought the Second Primogenitor and had acted as decoys so that Shio and Avrora might escape. Actually, a better description was that they’d done nothing but run around while the Second Primogenitor’s horde of Beast Vassals gave chase.

In the end, Yuiri and Glenda had surrendered once the Second Primogenitor backed them against a cliff face, after which they’d been brought to that building. They had been confined there ever since.

Surprisingly, however, they weren’t being treated nearly as badly as they had anticipated.

Naturally, Yuiri’s smartphone had been confiscated, and they were forbidden from all other outside contact, but that was it. They hadn’t split Glenda away from Yuiri, nor had they inspected their personal belongings, let alone interrogate them. On top of that, they’d brought in a skilled ritual spell doctor to fix Yuiri’s sprain, with treatment of her stiff shoulders and roughed-up skin thrown in for free. It was enough to make Yuiri, a commoner, even more worried that there was some ulterior motive behind taking things that far.

“Meal? Yuiri, meal?”

Back in girl form, Glenda was jumping around and playing with her friend.

Glenda was wearing a no-slip one-piece dress. It was quite an outfit, with snap buttons on her shoulder straps and back so that it wouldn’t tear even if she transformed into a dragon. Yuiri and Shio had commissioned a tailor-made dress for her.

“I shall guide you, young ladies. Please, come this way.”

“Ah, yes… S-sorry.”

Bewildered by the unfamiliar little rich girl treatment, Yuiri brought Glenda along as she followed behind the young man in the tuxedo. The long corridor in the five-star hotel left her spirits as heavy as if she were being led up the stairs to the gallows.

It was a little late for supper, but that was according to human sensitivities. Considering that vampires were nocturnal, this could very well be considered the start of their day. Either way, Yuiri and Glenda were captives, so they had no right to refuse.

“Wow…”

When they arrived at the banquet hall, Yuiri unwittingly let out a sigh of admiration.

Atop extravagant tableware, countless candles flickered in the night. The beautiful nighttime spectacle of this top-flight restaurant had dazzling ornamentation reminiscent of an imperial palace.

However, what shook her even more than this was that the Second Primogenitor’s subordinates were acting as servants.

Actors on the silver screen couldn’t even compare to how handsome the men were. Similarly, the women wearing highly revealing outfits were beauties for the ages. In addition to those two groups, there were also stern-faced elderly gentlemen. All had gathered around to serve the Second Primogenitor, Aswadguhl Aziz, who calmly sat upon a magnificent chair resembling a royal throne. It was a dazzling, surreal place that seemed straight out of an opera stage. Yuiri was stunned speechless.

“How are your…wounds?”

The Second Primogenitor made a beautiful, charming smile as she asked Yuiri that.

“Y…yes. They are all right now.”

Sitting right across from her at a handsome servant’s invitation, Yuiri spoke those words with a stiff expression. The meal had already been placed on the table, with each dish topped by a silver lid.

The Second Primogenitor curled her red lips up into a smile.

“I see. That is…good… I engaged in rather roughshod means… Yes?”

“No…ah… We were the ones to enter your territory without permission after all…”

“Tee-hee, you should eat before your meal is cold… It is food from this nation, so I believe it will suit your…palate.”

“Ah, yes…”

Yuiri replied absentmindedly. How had she, no more than an ordinary novice Attack Mage, wound up being served dinner by no less than a vampire primogenitor? No matter how she mulled it over, she couldn’t make sense of it.

A servant removed the lid covering the meal.

That instant, a deeply stimulating, familiar aroma pricked her nostrils. Dahh, she went, her expression brightening. A dish near and dear to her heart had been placed right in front of her.

“This Japanese food greatly resembles a dish in my own…Dynasty… We call it…curry…”

“I—I see… Now that you mention it…”

Yuiri shoved down and hid her confusion as she nodded. Heaped upon the plate was curry rice. Not the sort that came only from high-end establishments, mind you; it was clearly prepackaged curry the general public could find anywhere.

“Curry—!”

Gripping her pure silver spoon, Glenda happily began to dig in. When Yuiri glanced over, a satisfied expression came upon the Second Primogenitor as she brought the exact same curry to her lips. Yuiri really couldn’t wrap her head around the minds of the wealthy, vampires or no.

“Um…Second Primogenitor…would it be all right if I asked you a question?”

Yuiri gingerly posed an inquiry to Aswad as she added some specially made spice to heat things up, wondering if even that was quite enough.

“What, I wonder…?”

Aswad tilted a wrist as she prompted back.

Yuiri inhaled sharply.

“Are you the genuine Malik—the genuine Fallgazer? Er, in other words, we had heard you were a man, so…”

“A man…or…a woman… Is it really necessary to obsess with such triviali…ties?”

The girlish Second Primogenitor brushed back her long purple hair, staring at Yuiri with a skeptical expression.

“…Eh?! Ah…ahhh…”

Even though the unexpected reply threw her off, Yuiri accepted it on a deep level. In other words, the Second Primogenitor, Aswadguhl Aziz, was that kind of person.

“Moon is moon… Flower is flower… Gemstone is gemstone… Yes…all possess beauty. Can this not all just…be? Anyone who would not accept any of these tenants is but a…fool.”

“I—I suppose you’re right…”

She’d have easily accepted if anyone else told her that, let alone by the Second Primogenitor. After all, he—or perhaps she—possessed beauty that passed beyond the boundaries of actual gender.

Aswad frostily narrowed her beautiful eyes.

“Accordingly, within the range of my eyesight, there is no need for anything that is not…beautiful. Neither the retainers of the Warlord, who are without the slightest hint of aesthetics, nor the blood kin of the Chaos Bride, who reek of beasts…”

“…?!”

Yuiri’s expression stiffened at the hostility the primogenitor didn’t even realize she was exuding.

Gazing back at her, Aswad smiled kindly.

“But with the Fourth Primogenitor of this age, I have slight…confidence…at the very least, his taste in companions is not…poor.”

“Companions…er, umm?! Do you mean us?!”

Yuiri pointed at her own cleavage in bewilderment.

Aswad made a bewitching smile as if she saw through everything.

“Both of you have felt the lips of the Fourth Primogenitor upon you…yes?”

“That’s…umm…

“Yes,” whispered Yuiri in a tiny voice. Kojou had partaken of more than a bit of blood from her and Glenda respectively. One time when Itogami Island had been in crisis, the other time to stop the encroachment of Nod. Both instances had been una—

“You are fortunate…then… You have arrived in time for the banquet…”

Gazing with delight at Yuiri’s embarrassment, Aswad murmured like so.

“Banquet…?”

“…Dah?”

Yuiri and Glenda glanced at each other. Neither had a clue what the term meant.

“The Blazing Banquet…the snatching of memories by the Fourth Primogenitor, and a mass outbreak of pseudo-vampirization syndrome, you…see…”

“Snatching of…memories?!”

Yuiri almost dropped her spoon at the Second Primogenitor’s casual explanation.

She had learned of an event with the same name from reading the files on Kojou Akatsuki. However, even she didn’t know its exact details. Besides, the records kept by the Lion King Agency were vague in and of themselves. The fact that the true nature of the Blazing Banquet was actually a pseudo-vampirization syndrome was news to her ears.

An outbreak of pseudo-vampirization syndrome turning vast numbers of people into demons overnight was one of the sorcerous disasters the Lion King Agency feared most. Normally, however, it would be impossible for a single vampire to trigger such a thing. Yes, if the source of the spread were an ordinary vampire—

“Why would…Kojou do such a thing…?!”

“The Twelfth, Avrora.”

Aswad answered bluntly.

Yuiri widened her eyes in abject shock. Dodekatos—Avrora Florestina—had been brought to the island by none other than Glenda and herself.

“Currently, the Fourth Primogenitor lacks the twelfth Beast Vassal… Yes…this loss must be compensated for somehow… For instance, through consuming a vast quantity of demonic energy rivaling that of a primogenitor’s Beast…Vassal…”

“Is there…any way to stop that?”

Yuiri’s voice wavered as she asked.

Aswad smiled elegantly and stared at the girl as if she was testing her.

“There…is… It is very simple. All will be well if Dodekatos’s seal is…shattered.”

“No…! If that happens, Avrora will…”

“The choice is…yours…”

Aswad chuckled as she coldly rebuffed Yuiri.

“Save the people of Itogami Island or save Avrora… That’s what you’re saying?”

Yuiri glared at Aswad, the blood drained from her face.

The purple-haired Second Primogenitor quietly shook her head.

“No…is it not, rather…whether the Fourth Primogenitor slays Dodekatos…or you…slay her…?”

“Me…kill Avrora…?”

She stared at her hands, stunned.

“If Dodekatos escapes my domain and arrives at the Fourth Primogenitor’s side, her seal shall be broken one way or…another…”

“So to kill her…before that happens…”

“Consuming her would work as well…but that would be boring…yes?”

Aswad let her white fangs protrude slightly from her lips.

Yuiri said nothing in response. Glenda gazed at her speechless friend with concern.

“Young lady, we return to you that which you yielded to us.”

Yuiri hung her head as the handsome young retainer of the Second Primogenitor presented something to her.

A silver long sword stored inside an instrument case.

“Rosen Chevalier Plus…”

Yuiri was still ferociously in chaos as she robotically accepted the weapon.

Next, the retainer placed her smartphone on top of the table.

On the screen of the smartphone, supposedly unusable within the Second Primogenitor’s domain, was a map of Itogami City’s interior. There were two dots on the map. One was Yuiri’s current position. The other was Shio’s coordinates.

And Avrora was likely by Shio’s side.

“Yuiri…?”

Yuiri bit her lip as Glenda called out to her.

She subconsciously averted her eyes from Glenda; her pure gaze was too much to handle.

“The meal was…marvelous… Curry really should be…spicy, yes?”

Finishing her meal, the Second Primogenitor smirked with satisfaction.

Yuiri maintained her silence as she stared at the two blinking dots on the map.

2

“You’re late! What time do you two think it is right now?!”

When Kojou and Yukina returned to the lab, they found Shizuri waiting for them, her temple twitching and her visage as ferocious as an angry deity’s. With her coat over her uniform and her sword belt over that, she was in hair-trigger combat mode. Perhaps she’d equipped herself in haste from noticing Kojou’s brawl with the group of gigas earlier.

“…You woke up, Cas?”

“I can’t sleep soundly through such spectacular demonic energy being tossed about…!”

Shizuri glared at Kojou with reproach. Her expression said it all; there was no way she was backing down until he gave her a detailed account of what had happened. Giving up on returning to his room, Kojou headed toward the lab’s interior lounge.

Kanon was in the lounge as well, preparing tea for everyone. Nina Adelard was sitting on the table and had changed into a white doll’s outfit. Beside her was a black cat with golden eyes.

“You have quite haggard faces for a pair who dressed up for a nighttime stroll.”

Looking up at Kojou and Yukina, the black cat pointed this out with a sarcastic tone.

“Master?”

“Professor Kitty… So you’re here, too, huh?”

Yukina’s expression hardened at the sudden appearance of her mentor. Kojou lethargically lowered his shoulders. The black cat was really the familiar of Yukari Endou, an elven Attack Mage and Yukina’s teacher. Recalling that he hadn’t seen her around earlier, he couldn’t help but wonder what she’d been up to.

“A stroll…?”

Kanon asked that while pouring a small, steaming teapot, as if wondering, At this time of night?

“Hoh-hoh,” went Nina, her lips curling up with glee.

“Were you going stargazing? ‘Behold, that is Arcturus, that is Spica, and that is Denebola.’ ‘My, how pretty.’ ‘Not prettier than you.’ ‘Oh, senpai.’ …Or something of the sort?”

“…What’s with the cringey dialogue?”

Kojou shot back with a grimace. Implicit in that criticism was, Where the hell did you come up with all that? But for some reason, Nina ignored that and proudly puffed out her breasts.

“I saw it in a TV drama recently. I’m quite trendy, you see.”

“Abbess, that is marvelous.”

Kanon brought her hands together in front of her chest, eyes glimmering. Oh yes, oh yes, proclaimed Nina’s nod. He couldn’t deal with the two of them saying that stuff with straight faces.

Fearing there was no pithy comeback to be found, he slumped down with a sigh.

“Nothin’ like that. The First Primogenitor came over to pay me a little visit—that’s all.”

“The…?!”

Shizuri gawked, spitting out the tea in her mouth in the process.

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

The black cat exhaled gravely. Shizuri closed the distance with Yukari.

“Wh-what do you mean by this…?!”

“The source of the Fourth Primogenitor lad’s vampiric urges. Good timing. Both of you, come with me.”

Slowly rising up, the black cat nimbly leaped down from the table.

Perplexed, Yukina and Kojou followed her along.

Apparently, Yukari had realized the possibility of another Blazing Banquet just from hearing the First Primogenitor had contacted him. It was the “good timing” part that left Kojou and Yukina perplexed.

Yukari gave no explanation whatsoever as she continued onward, slipping through a dark corridor as she headed deeper into the lab.

They were now in a section devoted to treating and examining the wounded, which both Kojou and Yukina had visited previously. This was the place Yukina had been examined when she had been progressing toward Faux-Angelification.

“Master? Where are…?”

Yukina asked this in a guarded tone of voice. However, the black cat did not glance back as it continued onward. Shizuri had followed along as if it was the natural thing to do, but she dejectedly took her leave when Yukari glared at her.

Finally, the black cat stopped in front of a door midway down the corridor. It was a small room, and the lights were off.

“A…patient room?”

Yukina murmured this as she looked up at the nameplate hanging from the door.

Without acknowledging her, the black cat motioned twice with her tail. She was apparently telling them to open the door.

“Who’s in here?”

Kojou harbored distinct concern as he opened the door.

He was immediately hit with the antiseptic odor particular to hospitals.

The room was dimly illuminated by night-lights. In place of a window was a large monitor displaying images of tropical fish swimming in an aquarium.

Backlit by the monitor, a young woman sitting in a wheelchair greeted Kojou and Yukina.

The glare didn’t afford him a good look at her face, but she probably was around the same age as them. Unlike them, however, she was a painful, heart-wrenching sight; her entire body was covered by bandages, and a gypsum cast held her neck in place.

“It has been some time, Fourth Primogenitor. And you have served as his watcher with distinction, Yukina Himeragi.”

Drip tubes swaying as she lifted her gaze, the girl greeted them in fleeting tones.

“That voice…! You’re the one from when we were fighting Natsuki…”

“Lady…Koyomi Shizuka?!”

Kojou reflexively went on guard, while Yukina hastily straightened her posture.

“There’s no need for formalities. This is an emergency…enough to make me like this.”

The girl in the wheelchair—Koyomi Shizuka—smiled at her own expense and exhaled.

Koyomi Shizuka, also known as Paper Noise, was one of the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency—

Kojou had fought her just once.

To be honest, it scarcely deserved to be called a fight. Koyomi had sent Kojou, Yukina, and Kiriha Kisaki of the Bureau of Astrology packing in an instant. The trio hadn’t even been able to land a finger on her.

But now that same woman was holed up in a lab bearing grievous wounds. Someone had managed to breach Koyomi’s ability, which Kojou had thought invincible, and harm her to this extent.

“The Order of the End got you?”

He asked this in a hoarse voice. Koyomi Shizuka seemed to nod with her eyes.

“Fool that I am, I underestimated the breadth of the enemy’s might. I never imagined that a dragon would lend The Blood his aid—”

“Dragon… That bastard, huh…!”

Kojou recalled the man in the mask he’d engaged in battle the night before—a giant dragon covered in bronze scales. It wasn’t so strange for her to have lost to an enormous monster like that.

“You’ve encountered him as well?”

Koyomi spoke gently. Kojou nodded with a grim expression.

“He shrugged off a direct hit from one of my Beast Vassals.”

“Dragons, after all, are at the pinnacle of Demonkind in a different sense than vampires. An ancient dragon that has lived several millennia might well rival a vampire primogenitor in pure individual combat capability—”

“Did you call us here to warn us about that?”

“No. There’s something much more crucial that I need to convey to you in your current state. I don’t know whether you’ll consider it good news, though.”

Koyomi sighed. Kojou and Yukina turned to each other. They both had bad feelings about this.

“What do you mean?”

“The Twelfth, Avrora, has arrived on Itogami Island.”

“Wh…?!”

Yukina let out a tiny gasp. Kojou shook his head with an expression of disbelief.

“Why would she be…?!”

“You’re aware that she was in the custody of MAR in one of their medical facilities while she was in a coma, yes?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Mimori Akatsuki awakened her and escaped before entrusting her to a few Lion King Agency Attack Mages.”

She continued explaining calmly. “Ugh,” said Kojou in a low groan.

“…Left with her? You mean she escaped with Avrora without company permission?”

“I don’t know what her objective is.”

Koyomi Shizuka lowered her eyes as she sat in the wheelchair.

“However, MAR is participating in the management of the Electoral War as a conglomerate. Perhaps Mimori had clued into this. She could have been aware that the Electoral War might trigger the Blazing Banquet.”

“Did she bust Avrora out to…make me consume her…?”

Kojou closed the distance with Koyomi, his anger plain. She looked back at him coldly.

“Not for you. For the good of the Fourth Primogenitor.”

Her statement silenced him. Mimori didn’t know that the Fourth Primogenitor was really Kojou.

“But…at the end of the day, that’s the same damned thing!”

“You said that Miss Avrora was entrusted to Attack Mages from the Lion King Agency, right?”

Seeing that Kojou was indignant, Yukina interrupted him in an attempt to soothe him.

“Someone besides us has come to Itogami Island?”

“Yes,” readily admitted Koyomi.

“Yuiri Haba and Shio Hikawa were visiting Blue Elysium during their time off.”

“Blue Elysium…? I see… So they came to see Glenda…!” murmured Kojou, suppressing his irritation.

Since Yuiri was the first human being she’d met since awakening in the present era, Glenda was extremely fond of her. He had no doubt Yuiri and Shio had come to the Demon Sanctuary to meet their dragon friend and had ended up getting entangled in the Electoral War.

“Then Miss Avrora would be with Yuiri and company, right?”

Yukina’s statement held an echo of relief. It was sad that Yuiri and Shio’s vacation had been ruined, but she and Kojou should have been grateful about gaining more allies they could count on.

For some reason, however, the black cat sitting on Koyomi Shizuka’s lap released a painfully leaden breath.

“That’s why I’ve called you here, Yukina Himeragi.”

Koyomi seemed to have set her mind on something as she quietly interjected.

“This morning, immediately after landing in Island East, the Second Primogenitor, Fallgazer, launched a surprise attack against Yuiri Haba.”

“The Second Primogenitor…?!”

Yukina widened her eyes in shock. Koyomi Shizuka did not wait for her shock to subside as she continued her words.

“At present, we have no idea where Yuiri Haba and the dragon girl are located. That leads us to conclude that they’ve been captured by Fallen Dynasty forces.”

“Just those two…?”

Kojou calmly double-checked. If Yuiri and Glenda were off the grid, he took that as meaning the other two girls were safe and sound. Nor did “Paper Noise” refute his assumption.

“Shio Hikawa and Avrora Florestina are currently fugitives in Island East. Although they are currently safe, it surely won’t be easy for them to escape the Fallen Dynasty’s envelopment with their power alone.”

“Got it. So if we go and save ’em now, it’s fine, right?”

Kojou suggested this in a flash. Yukina hastily countered him.

“No, senpai, you can’t.”

“Why not?!”

“First of all, calm down, Fourth Primogenitor boy. It is as Yukina says.”

Curled up on Koyomi Shizuka’s lap, the black cat admonished Kojou with a strong tone of voice.

“Even you, Professor Kitty…?! But why…?”

“Are you really going to fight the Second Primogenitor with your body in such a liminal state? Are you planning to have your Beast Vassals run amok in record time so you can kick off a fun little banquet for everyone?”

“Why you…!”

Kojou’s words caught in his throat as he ruefully clenched his fist.

Since all the primogenitors were on the same island, his Beast Vassals were on yellow alert. If he engaged the Second Primogenitor in actual combat on top of that, they’d probably go berserk immediately, just like Yukari had said. Even though Avrora had awakened and fallen into peril, Kojou was in no condition to go rescue her.

“It’s all right.”

As if to give courage to her anxious friend, Yukina spoke that declaration loud and clear.

“Himeragi?”

“I’ll go to Miss Avrora. Isn’t that right, Master?”

She locked her gaze on the black cat as she directed her question toward her. Yukari hesitated from what seemed like internal conflict for an instant before giving a painful nod.

“Hey, wait up. I can’t let Yukina go all by herself, even if I’m like thi…”

“No, it’s better if I go alone. That way, I’ll be able to infiltrate Island East without the Second Primogenitor noticing, and we won’t have to worry about you running amok.”

Yukina firmly rejected Kojou’s pessimism.

“If there’s anything to worry about, it’s whether you’ll lay a hand upon one of the other girls while she leaves you behind.”

The black cat cracked irresponsible frivolities. “Oh, shaddap,” growled Kojou, twisting his lips.

“You need not be concerned for Yukina Himeragi, Fourth Primogenitor. As a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency, my top priority is halting the large-scale sorcerous disaster known as the Blazing Banquet.”

Koyomi Shizuka spoke in a businesslike tone that made it difficult to read her emotions.

“But…!”

“Besides, have you perchance forgotten? She wields a Schneewaltzer, one of our secret weapons—a purifying spear that can destroy even a primogenitor.”

Kojou sighed deeply as one of the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency glared at him.

What Shizuka had just said was equivalent to ordering Yukina to destroy the Second Primogenitor should it prove necessary. Though exceedingly reckless, it was undeniable that no human being other than Yukina wielding Snowdrift Wolf could make it happen. She was the only one with a shot at saving Shio and Avrora.

“Got it… I’m counting on you, Himeragi.”

Kojou spoke with a tone tinged with chagrin.

“Yes. Leave it to me. Do you know Hikawa’s current location?”

Nodding enthusiastically, Yukina turned to face the black cat once more.

Thanks to the Electoral War, Yukina and company couldn’t use Shio’s smartphone GPS data. Plus, it would be difficult for Shio and Avrora to convey their whereabouts to everyone while on the lam.

The only other option was to use a remote viewing via ritual spell or a large number of shikigami to seek them out, but Yukina was ill versed in complex ritual spells. She was a close-range anti-demon combat specialist, a Sword Shaman, through and through.

“No need to worry about that. Once you arrive in Island East, a certain individual will serve as your guide.”

Koyomi Shizuka’s statement was rather evasive. It felt less like she was trying to cause drama and more like conveying the person’s name would make her blush. The information this individual had provided was probably what had allowed Yukari and Koyomi to grasp Shio’s location in the first place.

The next moment, Shizuka moved her wheelchair forward just a little, taking Yukina’s right hand as she stood still.

“…Lady Shizuka?” Yukina asked back in surprise. The wounded woman, head of the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency, continued to grasp Yukina’s hand, her eyes closed as if in prayer.

“Yukina Himeragi, please do not forget. Peer not into the future. Slice it open with thine own hands.”

“Y-yes.”

Flustered by the words of encouragement flooding toward her, Yukina nodded deeply, her expression tense. Finally, the woman pulled back from her hand, whereupon Yukina bowed to her.

“Himeragi.”

When Yukina moved to leave the patient room and head off to Shio and Avrora, Kojou called her to a halt without thinking.

The taut look on her profile had made him sense an unusual, disquieting aura about her.

“I am heading out, senpai… Sorry.”

Looking back, she awkwardly smiled before setting off into a sprint as if to flee the scene.

He watched as she left, feeling worried for no tangible reason.

3

“‘Sorry’ she says… What’s up with her?”

Back in Koyomi’s room, Kojou tilted his head as he recalled Yukina’s parting words. He wondered if leaving him behind to meet Avrora alone was weighing on her mind.

“That was cowardly of me, was it not? In the end, I pushed a crucial decision onto her.”

Sitting in her wheelchair, Koyomi Shizuka murmured, seemingly to herself.

The black cat on her lap made a very human-looking shake of her head.

“Well, we can lament all we like, but there was no other choice. All we can do is to do our part.”

“Isn’t the Lion King Agency not allowed to interfere in the Electoral War or something?”

Kojou prompted back, suspicious as he recalled something Yukari had told him previously.

The Japanese government had adopted a stance of noninterference regarding Itogami Island’s internal unrest. As a special government department, the Lion King Agency was thus unable to send fresh reinforcements to Itogami Island.

“I suppose not…provided the Electoral War is a conflict truly confined to Itogami Island’s borders, that is.”

Yukari spoke with a tone laden with implication.

“What do you mean?”

When Kojou pressed for more, the black cat simply replied with “Let’s see,” narrowing her eyes as if smiling.

“We understand The Blood’s objective quite well. Created as a Fourth Primogenitor prototype, he seeks to christen the Fourth Primogenitor as a symbol of fear—absurd as it may be, the logic tracks. And well, given their tedium, you can see why the other primogenitors got on board with this foolish scheme, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“But what about the MAR corporation? They were one of the major financial backers for the construction of Itogami Island. One wouldn’t imagine they would go to all this trouble to start the Blazing Banquet since it would be such a disaster for them. Am I mistaken?”

“So…MAR and The Blood have different goals?”

Yukari’s assertion shocked Kojou so much that he forgot to blink as he lapsed into thought.

“At this stage, it’s mere supposition without any tangible basis. But don’t you think it’s worth looking into?”

The black cat made an amused sound with her throat. Koyomi Shizuka calmly picked up where Yukari left off.

“If the multinational conglomerate MAR is controlling the Electoral War from behind the scenes, they’re clearly infringing upon Itogami Island’s autonomy as recognized by the government of Japan. This serves as an ample basis for the Lion King Agency, an anti-sorcerous terrorism organization, to act.”

“That’s how it is. Just don’t expect too much of us.”

The black cat on Koyomi’s lap closed her eyes. When next they opened, Yukari’s familiar had returned to an ordinary feline. Yukari had severed her connection with the animal.

Then, perhaps freed from tension by Yukari’s parting, Koyomi Shizuka suddenly went limp and slumped forward.

“You all right…? Maybe I should call someone over…”

Kojou rushed over to lend her a hand.

At present, Koyomi Shizuka was gravely wounded and required absolute rest. Despite that, she’d still forced herself to meet him and Yukina to convey the information about Avrora.

“I am sorry. I shall sleep awhile.”

At this, Koyomi Shizuka closed her eyes, still seated in her wheelchair.

The nurse call rang, and multiple staff members hurried into the patient room.

“Please don’t forget this, Kojou Akatsuki.”

Koyomi Shizuka frailly called to him as he tried to leave out of consideration for her.

“I gave Yukina the order. Therefore, please…”

Unable to continue her statement until the very end, she fell asleep, depleted of strength.

The nurses sent him away, and Kojou stood, still bewildered, in the dimly lit corridor and sighed.

Apparently, the date had changed over without him realizing it. In short order, it would be twenty-four hours since he and the others had returned to Itogami Island. The Electoral War would commence on the morning of its fifth day.

Though the Electoral War dragging out grated on his nerves, there was nothing he could about it now.

Frustrated, he stormed down the corridor before he saw Kanon running over from the waiting room. For once, the unflaggingly calm girl betrayed a hint of nervousness on her face.

“Kanase?”

“Akatsuki! Um, have you seen Shizuri?”

Clutching Nina against her chest, Kanon asked this as if clinging to his every word.

“Nah, I haven’t seen her… What’s up with Cas?”

When he answered, Kanon bit her lip for a moment, as though hesitating.

“She’s gone.”

“Gone?”

Knitting his brows, he looked back at the corridor.

Now that she mentioned it, the lab interior was oddly quiet. He would have expected Shizuri to ask him about this and that straightaway after waiting for their meeting to finish.

“Don’t tell me she went off after Yukina?”

Kojou pontificated with a frown. In one sense, not allowing Yukina to head into the Second Primogenitor’s domain all by herself—tagging along whether she liked it or not—was a very Cas-like thing to do.

“I don’t know…but the fact she asked about the route to Keystone Gate before she vanished has me somewhat concerned.”

“Keystone Gate…?”

He tried to wrap his head around Kanon’s unexpected eyewitness testimony.

Shizuri had only just moved to Itogami Island, so she had a poor lay of the land. It made sense for her to ask for directions to the Keystone Gate. The problem was, why would she be interested in that now of all times?

“Anything else? Did she mention anything other than that?”

“Other than…that…ah…!”

Kanon gave an audible gasp. Perhaps she’d realized something. She looked at Nina, who was sitting in her arms.

Indeed, went Nina, nodding back to her.

“She said something like, ‘There can’t be a banquet if the Electoral War ends tonight!’”

“Hmph,” added Nina, turning her breasts away as she declared this in a haughty tone. Apparently, she was trying to imitate Shizuri. Surprisingly, she wasn’t half bad at it.

“Why the hell does she know about the banquet?”

Blood drained from Kojou’s entire body. If Shizuri knew he might trigger the Blazing Banquet, she would absolutely try to stop it, even if she had to get reckless.

“Wait, don’t tell me she overheard me talking with Ki Juranbarada…and then…!”

Maybe, just like Yukina rushing out when she’d noticed Kojou’s Beast Vassals running amok, Shizuri had rushed out of the lab next, only to eavesdrop on Kojou and Ki’s conversation.

But she’d hidden that from both him and Yukina.

And if Shizuri of all people was pretending not to know something, her goal was probably to—

“Akatsuki…?”

He went blue in the face. Kanon directed a look of concern at him.

Giving into his nerves, Kojou slammed his fist against a wall.

“I’ve gotta stop Cas… She’s planning to take out The Blood all by herself!”

“Mm…how rash of her.”

That even got Nina down. Kanon was speechless.

Kojou exhaled shakily.

“Nina, take care of Kanase and Astarte for me. I’m sorry.”

“Where are you planning on running off to?”

“I’m gonna bring back Cas!”

With that, Kojou set off with long strides.

Now that he thought about it, learning Shizuri was heading for Keystone Gate had been a stroke of good fortune. With his vampiric physical abilities at full tilt, he might still be able to bring her back before she got there.

The problem was how long his Beast Vassals would play nice.

“When your body’s running wild?”

As if she’d read his thoughts, Nina called out to him from behind. Kanon, too, was chasing after him in a little run as he headed outside the lab.

“I’ve gotta bring her back! I don’t have a choice!”

Kojou retorted dismissively, turning back to them. Nina, however, calmly received his rebuttal.

“Indeed. But setting that aside, there’s something odd flying this way.”

With that, she gazed upward, feigning ignorance.

“…Huh?”

This caused Kojou to lift his head as well.

The predawn night sky peered through the hole in the ceiling that Kojou had created while fighting the day before. It was gray, with nary a trace of starlight remaining.

An ear-piercing noise like the buzzing of bees blared from overhead. They were hearing the exhaust sounds from aviation turboshaft engines.

“The heck? Helicopters…?”

An ominous feeling came over Kojou as he narrowed his eyes at the sight of the aircraft flying through Itogami Island’s sky.

There were five helicopters in total. They all belonged to MAR, just like the one Kojou and Kanon had encountered the previous morning.

Oddly, they were engaging in tight turns and rapid descents, as though they were jostling with one another. From time to time, dazzling sparks showed in the vicinity of their torsos—muzzle flashes from machine-gun barrels.

“MAR choppers doing air-to-air combat against one another?”

The unexpected sight grabbed Kojou’s attention.

More accurately, it wasn’t so much air-to-air combat as a one-sided pursuit. One craft seemed to be fleeing from the others as the four chased after it, unleashing a hail of bullets.

The helicopter being chased was firing back, but the difference in firepower was overwhelming. And unlike its pursuers, the craft being chased was out of ammo.

At this rate, it’ll get pummeled to oblivion. The instant that morose thought entered Kojou’s head, the craft on the run unleashed a single silver light. With a roar, the radiance drew a giant magic circle in midair.

Then the magic circle generated a miasma—a cursed mist that destroyed electronic devices and threw people into chaos. Kojou knew the nature of this attack.

“That magic circle…?! Kirasaka?!”

He made out a girl wielding a silver bow inside the helicopter on the run. The MAR helicopter unit was after Sayaka Kirasaka, Shamanic War Dancer of the Lion King Agency.

“Nina!”

“Indeed. Close your eyes for a moment, Kanon.”

From Kanon’s arms, Nina seemed to instantly pick up on what he’d been thinking.

Two of the aircraft enveloped by Sayaka’s ritual spell artillery attack pulled away, abandoning the chase. However, the other two stubbornly continued their pursuit of Sayaka’s vehicle.

Nina pointed a finger gun toward the enemy helicopter.

After carefully taking aim, she instantly released an incredible torrent of light from her fingertip.

She’d fired a heavy metallic particle gun employing alchemy—a charged particle-beam cannon attack.

The shell of charged particles rocketed at sublight speeds to blast through one of the helicopters, causing it to decelerate. Nina followed up with a second beam attack and gunned the remaining vehicle down.

“Wasn’t that a little overkill just now…?”

Kojou asked Nina reproachfully, gazing at the helicopters bursting in flames as they lost altitude.

“Do not be concerned. I shot through the power unit only. Even if their generators halt, I’ve heard that something called autorotation shall allow them to land safely.”

“You know that much about ’em, huh?”

“I saw it on an overseas drama on cable TV.”

“…Well, fine.”

For a second there, he’d been in danger of respecting Nina for exhibiting a surprising amount of knowledge; he rectified that as he murmured and shrugged. Whatever the case, the fact remained that she’d succeeded in driving off the pursuing helicopters.

“Kirasaka and whoever should be safe for the time being, right?”

Kojou looked up at the helicopter Sayaka was aboard as he sighed with relief.

“Aa…”

Just then, Kanon shouted in surprise.

Black smoke suddenly spewed from the helicopter Sayaka was aboard, whereupon it seemed to lose speed, swaying as it lowered its altitude. Riddled by the pursuers’ ferocious attacks, her craft had already been driven past its limits.

The aircraft left an almost comedic bang behind as it vanished from their sights.

“Huh. It crashed.”

Nina murmured indifferently.

4

Slipping through the tangled levels of Island North’s subterranean district, they caught sight of Keystone Gate. Like a giant wedge thrust into the ground, it had been constructed as an inverted pyramid. This literal keystone connected four gigafloats: east, west, south, and north. That was the true nature of the odd structure.

At twelve stories high, it was Itogami Island’s tallest structure. The facility served as a mixed corporate and private space and held local government offices, hotels, retail stores, restaurants, etc.

An enormous crack ran along the exterior of this futuristic structure, almost as if someone had split it with an invisible ax.

When the curtain had first lifted to herald the Electoral War, The Blood had used his sword Beast Vassal to wreak this destruction so as to bolster his claim of being the true Fourth Primogenitor. Since then, the Keystone Gate had become his personal castle. In other words, it was likely The Blood was still there.

“Ah, there it is, Shizurin. Heeeey, Shizurin!”

A small-statured girl with pointy bestial ears stood before the bridge leading to Keystone Gate. Her chestnut curls swayed as she warmly waved a hand toward Shizuri.

Beside her stood a teenage boy with a graceful face that practically shouted “honors student.” An assault rifle stock was poking out of the fishing rod case he carried on his back.

“Yuno, Rui, thanks for coming. I’m sorry for making such an unreasonable request.”

Shizuri bowed her head to Yuno Amase and Rui Miyazumi—her old teammates from the Kasugaya Team from Attack Mage High back at Onrai Island.

Naturally, she didn’t think she could charge into Keystone Gate and defeat The Blood all by herself. But she also couldn’t come up with anyone fond enough of trouble to go along with her on such a reckless operation—none, save for her most dependable friends.

“If Squad Leader orders it, a degree of unreasonable suits us just fine.”

Rui began preparing his weapons as he replied. The fur of Yuno’s fluffy ears swayed as she donned her gauntlets.

“You wanna send The Blood packing six ways from Sunday and end the Electoral War for Kojikoji, right?”

“Er, well, um…that’s the long and short of it…”

Yuno’s shockingly easygoing attitude about this left Shizuri bewildered. Her friend was speaking in the same lighthearted tone she used when out shopping at the local convenience store.

“Even if we can’t defeat The Blood, we should be able to bring the Electoral War to a close if we can take over the Gigafloat Management Corporation computer room they’re occupying.”

Rui made this comment as he looked up at Keystone Gate, far quieter than it used to be.

Up close, the inverted pyramid structure was much larger than Shizuri had expected it to be. The structure was both an independent gigafloat of its own and the control device that managed the entirety of Itogami Island.

The concentrated artificial isle administration facility stretched some forty strata under the surface of the sea and was equipped with five supercomputers dubbed the Five Elements, which controlled all of the Island’s infrastructure as well as the demon registration bracelets. The Order of the End had been able to kick off the Electoral War because it had them under its control.

In other words, they could bring the conflict to an end simply by taking back the Five Elements.

“The problem is, why has everyone left Keystone Gate alone when they also know that, right?”

Picking up where Rui’s words left off, Yuno, their designated recon girl, said this conspicuously to herself as she charged toward the structure. Shizuri followed after her, with Rui taking up the rear. They’d used this formation countless times back at Attack Mage High.

Infiltrating the Keystone Gate was a simple affair since its shutters had been destroyed in the battle between the Order of the End and the Island Guard.

However, their vanguard, Yuno, came to a halt after barely a few strides into the edifice.

They were in a broad entrance hall, which led to a shopping mall lined with high-end boutiques.

But instead of the aroma of perfume, what hit their noses was the dense scent of blood.

The walls and the floor were pockmarked with countless bullet holes, and remains of polycarbonate shields and robot tanks were strewn all over, telltale signs of a clash between the Order of the End and the ruler candidates who’d invaded the Keystone Gate. Naturally, there were no corpses to be found, but the place reeked of death regardless.

“I guess some people didn’t leave it alone after all. They took their shots at taking the place. But the Order of the End sent them packing—every last one.”

Rui spoke in a sober tone of voice.

Biting her lip, Shizuri gripped the hilt of her long sword.

The ruler candidates had invaded with enough forces to do all this damage, and the Order of the End had repelled them anyway. At that moment, she realized just how reckless it was for the three of them to try and defeat The Blood on their own. Then—

“Shizurin, get down!”

Yuno, who’d been on lookout, suddenly turned back and shouted this at Shizuri.

“Eh…?!”

Yuno hadn’t intended to throw her friend for a loop, but Shizuri was shaken enough that her concentration had lapsed. Since she couldn’t respond immediately, Rui practically tossed her aside to get her behind cover.

The next moment, countless bullets riddled the spot where she’d been standing.

It was AI-controlled machine-gun fire. Military security pods all over the interior of the shopping mall poked their heads out to and fro. Dispatching the ruler candidates must have been their doing.

“What in the world?! What’s the Order of the End doing with modern weaponry?!”

“I see. Now things are a little clearer.”

Evading gunfire himself, Rui let slip a giggle.

“What, what? What’s clear?”

Still flat on the ground, Yuno seemed amused as she posed the question.

“The mastermind behind this incident. Looks like MAR is lying about being neutral.”

“Mm? MAR’s the mastermind behind this?”

“Those military security pods are brand-new MAR products. They probably haven’t even hit global arms marketplaces yet.”

“Ahaaa—”

I see, went Yuno, nodding with deep appreciation. It was obviously impossible for anyone other than MAR, the manufacturer, to send a product into actual combat before it had gone up for sale. This proved that they were actively involved occupying Keystone Gate, rather than merely cooperating in the management of the Electoral War.

“So, all the food we’ve been so grateful for has come directly from the masterminds?!”

Shizuri violently punched the wreckage of a tank, forgetting that she was using it in the stead of a shield.

Beside herself, Yuno smiled painfully.

“Shizurin, you just loved that MAR instant ramen, didn’t you?”

“H-how could you not?! They had cream cheese toppings no other brand had, which went together really well with the wasabi mayo… Of course they were delicious!”

“O-oh really…”

“At any rate, nothing will be solved by hiding here. The more time that passes, the greater our disadvantage grows!”

“I suppose so. Let’s do the usual, then?”

Seeing that Shizuri had finally recovered from inner turmoil, Rui calmly made a proposal.

From just that, the three of them understood their roles. Even if their experiences had been virtual, they were a veteran team that had overcome harsh live combat scenarios time and time again. There were no communication concerns here.

“Let’s goooo!”

Yuno kicked off the ground and shot into the air in an overwhelming leap that made full use of her beast-person explosiveness. The security pods’ targeting couldn’t keep up with that level of verticality.

Toyed with by Yuno’s movements, their foes’ attacks became sporadic.

Threading through that momentary needle, Rui hurled a ritual spell grenade. Light and miasma scattered about to bring the machines to a halt. And then:

“—Hauras!”

Leaping out from behind the wreckage, Shizuri lashed out with her crimson long sword. She unleashed her demonic energy to infuse the blade all at once, channeling her power into a single, hulking blade of pure havoc.

The torrent of explosive demonic energy raced through the shopping mall passage and instantly pulverized a dozen security pods. Since she didn’t need to hold back against machines, she could be as savage as possible. Her huge burst of energy also engulfed a high-end boutique and left it in tatters, but she pretended she hadn’t seen that.

“And that’s that.”

Sheathing her long sword in its scabbard, Shizuri lifted her chin with pride.

Rui and Yuno didn’t even glance her way as they gazed at the remains of the security pods.

“…It’s strange.”

“What is?”

Rui’s curt statement puzzled Shizuri.

“There’s no sign of enemy reinforcements coming. I don’t think you could keep Keystone Gate occupied with numbers like these.”

“Can’t you chalk it up to MAR being stingy with expenses?”

“Wouldn’t that be nice.”

Rui smiled gently, vaguely brushing off her friend. Shizuri sullenly pursed her lips.

“At the very least, the Order of the End is most definitely running dry on numbers. Ms. Minamiya told me that sealing of the Prison Barrier renders them unable to summon more of their comrades.”

“If the Witch of the Void said that, it’s probably true, huh? You’d think that’d make them concentrate what they do have here even more but…”

Hmm, went Rui, touching a hand to his chin as he sank into thought.

Suddenly, his expression stiffened. Shizuri drew her blade and went on guard once more.

A strange sound echoed through the entirety of the hall. An odd vibration was shaking the structure.

“Shizurin!”

Yuno warned in a sharp voice.

The floor at Shizuri’s feet tore open at almost the exact same time.

Emerging from the split and smashed concrete floor was a grotesque shape reminiscent of a great serpent. Reaching some seven to eight meters in length, the long and thin creature assaulted her with a precise, whiplike snap.

“Why you!”

She intercepted the bizarrely precise incoming assault with her long sword.

The creature that resembled a huge serpent was actually a tentacle covered with translucent, viscous liquid.

Her undulating blade glowed crimson as she cleanly severed the tentacle in half. It continued writhing fiercely on the ground after it fell to the floor.

“Wh-what in the world…is this…?!”

Her face twitching in shock, she slowly backed away.

Shizuri’s Hauras was a demonic blade that increased its own might by stealing demonic energy from the opponents it slashed. Her sword reacting like this meant that this was no ordinary creature but a beast infused with demonic energy of its own.

“Hey…doesn’t this tentacle feel kinda familiar?”

It was Yuno who noticed this, grimacing with disgust.

“It couldn’t be…!”

Shizuri made a low groan.

That next instant, giant demon beasts exploded out from the rubble near the root of the tentacle.

The creatures were particularly fiendish in appearance; they were like a cross between a ferocious reptile and a carnivorous insect. They had thick, armor-like hides and countless tentacles. Amid the darkness gleamed six sets of eyes—

Shizuri knew these monsters well.

“Why are Unknowns wandering around the interior of Keystone Gate—?!”

Her shriek echoed through the dark building’s interior.

But the sound of falling rubble erased her voice. None answered her question.

5

The tallest strata of Island North—

Sayaka Kirasaka gazed at the sea before daybreak from the branches of a roadside tree standing along an ocean cliff. But she was staring at it…upside down.

Her parachute had snagged in the branches of the tree, leaving her suspended in midair, swaying slowly as if she were a pendulum. Just before the helicopter she’d been on crashed, her co-occupants had basically shoved her out, whereupon she’d floated down via parachute, somehow reaching land in the process.

“Uu…no one told me I’d have to do parachute drops two days in a row…”

Mumbling that with a haggard expression, Sayaka undid the harness of her parachute. There wasn’t even a two-meter distance to the ground, so she wouldn’t have to use a physical-reinforcement ritual spell to drop down.

The instant she righted herself and loosened her shoulder belts, however, she lost her balance and became immobilized at an unexpected angle. Hand bound behind her head, she was now hanging upside down from a branch by her left leg—she looked like a pathetic rabbit caught in a snare.

“…Wait, no way…?! My leg’s caught in the cord, and I can’t pull it loose! What in the world is this?!”

Sayaka desperately wriggled to escape her inverted, suspended state, but in the end, all she managed to do was to make the parachute cords constrict even tighter.

When she’d lost her balance, the instrument case with her long sword inside had plummeted to the ground. And since both her hands were ensnared, she couldn’t use any spell tablets to summon a shikigami.

A youthful, eye-catching girl in self-bondage was hanging upside down on a roadside before dawn—if anyone saw her, they’d definitely suspect she had some kind of weird fetish.

What should I do? she wondered, at a total loss before she heard the footsteps of someone approaching.

“Kirasaka, are you all right?!”

“K-Kojou Akatsuki…?”

She swiveled her head around at his familiar voice.

Running over with his breath a little short and, for some reason, his hair dyed blond, was Kojou Akatsuki. It was difficult to say that the hair, resembling that of some delinquent punk from the far reaches of civilization, suited him, but now really wasn’t the time or place to bring that up.

He must have spotted her during the crash and came after her.

“Thank goodness! Save me, Kojou Akatsuki… Ah, wait, don’t! No don’t come! Don’t look!”

Remembering her current predicament, Sayaka panicked.

After all, the pull of gravity had flipped up her skirt to completely expose her butt and thighs. Her abdomen was almost entirely on display up to her belly button. She flailed around her right leg, her one free limb, in an attempt to at least conceal her panties somehow, but it was all for naught.

“Which is it…? Anyway, is it really all right to thrash around in a place like that…?”

“Huh?!”

His rather realistic take abruptly brought her back to reality.

Just then, Sayaka heard a craaaack from above. The branch of the roadside tree supporting her had broken.

“A-aaaaaaah!!”

Struck with the sensation of being suspended in midair, Sayaka let out a fervent scream. Her limbs were bound, so she would have no way to break her fall.

“Whoa there?!”

As Sayaka shut her eyes in preparation for impact, Kojou caught her from right underneath the tree. The force of her fall proved too much for him, however, so they both wound up tumbling onto the ground in a tangle.

Sayaka, who’d ended up nearly pressing her nether regions against his face, hastily leaped back and pushed down her skirt.

“Ow, ow, ow…wait…!! D-did you see?!”

“Er…well, yeah. But that’s not really what matters at the moment, right?”

Rubbing where he’d bumped his head on the ground, Kojou sat up and sighed.

Sayaka reddened as her eyes filled with tears.

“S-something that sensitive…?! Not important?!”

“Just explain yourself already. What were you doing falling out of the sky…?”

“I’ll have you know I wasn’t falling from the sky because I wanted to…ah!”

Sayaka paled as she swiftly lifted her head. She shifted her gaze toward the sea once more.

“Mother?! Mother and that man are…?!”

“…Mother?”

He turned back to the panicked girl, his expression like that of someone hoisting up a fox. He wondered if her mother had come to visit Itogami Island or something.

“Your parents! They were on that transport craft earlier!”

“With Kirasaka? How the hell did things wind up like that…?”

“That would end up a fairly long explanation but…”

Sayaka hemmed and hawed. Perhaps the fact of the matter was that she didn’t exactly understand how this situation had come about herself.

What Kojou had vaguely picked up along the way was that his mother had defied MAR when she’d ensured Avrora’s escape from the Demon Beast Park on Blue Elysium.

He didn’t know where Mimori Akatsuki had gone since. But if MAR had captured her, and Sayaka had subsequently rescued her, that would explain why those helicopters were after them.

That aside, the question still remained as to exactly who was piloting the aircraft they’d been on. And what’s up with how wishy-washy she’s being? pondered Kojou when, suddenly, a mix of voice and static coursed out from Sayaka’s back.

“…Hey, Sayaka, you hearin’ this?”

“Gajou Akatsuki?! You’re all right?!”

Plucking off a transceiver attached to the parachute harness, Sayaka snarled back as though she were biting him.

Kojou frowned at hearing his father’s name on her lips.

It certainly wouldn’t have surprised him if his dad of all people could fly a chopper, and he had the motivation to rescue Mimori. Why Gajou and Sayaka had been together was definitely a mystery, but she didn’t seem to have much of a handle on that part, either.

“Somehow…we crash-landed on the water, so it’s gonna take a little while to get back to Itogami Island, but hey, unless sharks come out, we should be just fine.”

“I’m so hungry—I wanna eat ice cream—”

He heard Gajou’s and Mimori’s carefree voices against the sound of waves in the background. Their helicopter had fallen into the sea, but they seemed safe for the moment at least.

An expression of relief came over Sayaka as she confirmed this. And then…

“How dare you shove me out the door like that…!”

“Hey, I put a parachute on you, didn’t I?”

Sayaka lashed out at him resentfully, only for Gajou to respond as though he’d done her a favor.

“That’s not the point?! How could you treat me like that after twisting my arm into helping you rescue Mother?!”

“Anyway, it seems like we’re all safe for the time being. That’s all. If you see my idiot son, tell him I said hi… Whoa, oh crap, we’re sinking!”

“Ice cr—…”

Static drowned out their voices until they finally cut out entirely. Tossing away the completely silent transceiver, Sayaka hung her head.

“Hah…really, what in the world…?”

“Ahhh…yeah. I get the gist of it. You’ve had it rough, too, huh?”

“I most certainly have…”

When Kojou turned a gaze of pity toward her, Sayaka looked back with a bundle of conflicting emotions on her face.

Then, as if abruptly realizing something, she widened her eyes and looked all around.

“Come to think of it, where’s Yukina? She’s not with you?”

“She’s in the Second Primogenitor’s domain right now. She went to save Shio and stuff.”

“To save Shio Hikawa…?! You’re saying she went to meet Avrora Florestina?!”

Her eyes widened as she closed the distance with him. Her sheer aggression threw him off.

“Yeah, that’s right… You sure figured that out fast, huh?”

“Why didn’t you stop her?!”

“Stop her? Professor Kitty’s the one who sent her, you know?”

“That’s the problem!!”

Sayaka grabbed hold of Kojou’s collar, violently shaking him to-and-fro. Her lips twitched and trembled, and she looked as though she’d been backed against a wall.

“Master is going to have Yukina kill Avrora Florestina!!”

“…Huh? Kill her… Why would she…?”

Kojou stared back at her, bewildered. The leap was so huge that he couldn’t keep up with it.

Suddenly, Yukina’s parting words came to mind.

“I am sorry,” she had told him.

“No way…to stop the Blazing Banquet…?”

All warmth vanished from Kojou’s voice.

If Avrora’s body, the very seal itself, were to vanish, the twelfth Beast Vassal slumbering within her would be freed. Then the freed Beast Vassal would go to join Kojou, its proper host and master. After all, the twelfth Beast Vassal, Alrescha Glacies, had been torn away from the Fourth Primogenitor.

With the twelfth Beast Vassal incorporated into him, Kojou would become a complete Fourth Primogenitor, and the Blazing Banquet would be averted. That was Yukina’s mission. She was heading to eliminate Avrora in order to put an end to the banquet.

That was why Koyomi Shizuka had given Yukina that order in front of him.

So that Kojou would know the Lion King Agency had decided to take out Avrora. So that he would know Yukina bore no responsibility. So that he wouldn’t hate her for it.

“Are you aware? Of what’s happening inside your own body…?”

Sayaka turned to him in surprise. He nodded sadly.

“Did Mom…? Did my mother seriously spring Avrora in order to stop this? To make me consume her…?!”

“Consume? You, consume Avrora Florestina…?”

Sayaka blinked, eyes wide open as she stared at him.

Kojou couldn’t hide his bewilderment at her unexpected reaction.

“It’s not that? This is what Ki Juranbarada told me. Wipe out Avrora or watch Itogami Island get destroyed in the inevitable banquet—make your choice.”

“And Yukina and the others bought it, huh…”

Sayaka gnawed on a fingernail, murmuring.

“You’re saying he was lying through his teeth?”

“No, it’s not a lie. But it’s not the whole truth, either. There’s one other way to stop the Blazing Banquet.”

“Huh…?”

He grasped both her shoulders and pulled her close. He was staring straight into her eyes; her cheeks reddened.

“Do Shio and the others know that?”

“I—I don’t think they know. Your mother said she’d kept it a secret, see.”

“Why would she do that?!”

“She had her reasons. If they’d known, Shio Hikawa and company would have probably hesitated to bring Avrora to the island. That’s why.”

Faltering, Sayaka tried to stand up for her mother. Kojou frowned slightly.

“It’s that bad a way?”

“Anyway, we need to catch up to Yukina.”

Finally recovering from her inner turmoil, Sayaka straightened up, her expression taut.

“Yukina’s headed to Island East, then?”

“Yeah. But are you okay with this, Kirasaka? Isn’t this going against the Lion King Agency’s ord—”

“I don’t know what’s right or wrong here, either!”

Sayaka shouted frailly, as if reassuring herself more than him.

Even if the Lion King Agency had put her up to it, Yukina would surely agonize over killing Avrora, a completely innocent girl. Sayaka couldn’t sanction that.

“Anyway, I hate Yukina being unhappy more than anything! If it’s going to be like that, I’d rather depend on someone like you…!”

“Depend on…me?”

What does she mean? thought Kojou, slack-jawed.

But his statement was drowned out by an incredible roar that came from out of the blue.

It was an unpleasant, high-pitched wave of noise, like a howl from a giant speaker placed right next to your ear. The resonance caused windows to shatter around Itogami Island.

“What’s that sound?!”

“It’s coming from the direction of the Keystone Gate…!”

Covering their ears, they shifted their gaze to the structure. An unforeseen circumstance had arisen right where Shizuri was heading.

“Cas’s work? But this sound… That’s the Unknowns’ resonant destruction?!”

“Unknowns…?!”

Kojou’s utterance made Sayaka’s expression frost over.

Of course, she also knew about the Unknowns that had appeared on Itogami Island not so long ago. Their vile nature, absorbing demonic energy to evolve at a tumultuous pace, had become the subject of fierce debate among demon beast researchers across the globe.

In truth, the Unknowns were artificial life-forms that researchers at MAR had created. The giant conglomerate was the link between the monsters and the Electoral War.

“Cas…!”

He waved a clenched fist, glaring at the Keystone Gate all the while.

Yukina was heading to the Second Primogenitor’s domain to kill Avrora. And on top of that, there was no doubt in his mind that Shizuri was falling into peril that very moment—

Asking himself which one to go after, Kojou froze, unable to find an answer.

As he did, the roar of resonant destruction echoed once more, violently shaking Itogami Island.

And yet, all Kojou did was stand in bewilderment.

6

The roar reached Island East as well.

“Uu…a crazed noise that invites ruin…!”

Hiding herself in the corner of an abandoned warehouse, Avrora covered her ears and made a tearful grimace.

Shio, too, plugged her ears while peering at Keystone Gate through a warehouse window.

The enormous inverted pyramid–style structure sat there quietly, like a giant tombstone But there was no mistaking that something was going on inside.

“That sound… I know that sound.”

A grave look crossed Shio’s face.

It was the vibration from the resonant destruction employed as an embedded weapon by the creatures known as Unknown IX-4—creatures Shio and Yuiri had encountered on a prior visit to Itogami Island.

“Why did Unknowns appear at Keystone Gate?!”

“…Come to think of it, the puppeteers behind the last Unknowns—behind the Gaminodon Incident—were engineers working for an MAR subsidiary, right?”

Motoki Yaze twisted his lips into a sarcastic smile.

Unknown IX-4 had been provisionally dubbed “Gaminodon.” Its full scientific name was Proitogaminodon Magus Nipponix.

There was no guarantee the demon beast that had appeared at Keystone Gate was a Gaminodon, but considering the situation, he figured it was highly likely this was a closely related variant.

“MAR…?!”

Shio looked back at Yaze in surprise.

Up to that point, MAR had acted as a neutral third party, rescuing the injured and paying for damages incurred during the Electoral War. It also managed the provision of food and goods, so many citizens of Itogami City must have felt a debt of gratitude to it. But if that same corporation was participating in the occupation of Keystone Gate, the premise would be turned on its head.

“It’s not so strange, is it? On the surface they might be giving humanitarian aid, but we knew from the start they were in cahoots with the Order of the End.”

“…Who’s fighting the Unknowns?”

Shio asked this with a tone of disgust.

“Who knows… It’d be great if Kojou didn’t get caught up in it, though.”

Yaze casually shrugged. At this, Avrora lifted her face in fright.

“Kojou…!”

“Ahhh, sorry. I’m sure he’s all right.”

Yaze swiftly amended his statement.

Shio giggled as she watched him. Motoki Yaze acted like a sarcastic, detached observer, but apparently, he still didn’t want to worry pure and innocent Avrora.

“Hang tight a little longer, okay? Breaking through the Second Primogenitor’s perimeter is still a no-go right now.”

Crouching to put himself eye to eye with her, Yaze smiled as if conflicted.

Shio listened in on them, suspicious. Despite his flaky tone of voice, she sensed an odd degree of certainty behind his shaky demeanor. It seemed like he had some kind of plan to get Avrora out of there.

“Will things really change if we stay put?”

Shio glared at Yaze as she posed the question. He gave her a little grin to try and placate her.

“Li’l Himeragi’s coming this way. She’s crossing the canal right now.”

“Yukina Himeragi is…?”

Shio blinked hard.

Yukina and her Schneewaltzer were without a doubt the most reliable reinforcements one could depend on in this situation. After all, the Sword Shaman had been dispatched to the island to destroy a primogenitor if necessary.

Yaze, however, couldn’t have had phone or Internet access while he was inside the Second Primogenitor’s domain. Yet he’d still been able to convey his own whereabouts to Yukina. Shio didn’t have the foggiest idea how.

“…That’s it; take a left at the next intersection. After that, you’ll see an overpass; go under that, ’kay? There’s an abandoned warehouse past that, B Wing Number Two…”

Yaze donned his over-the-ear headphones, murmuring to himself from time to time. Shio, however, did not feel any ritual energy rising from his body. This only confused her more and more.

“Who are you, Motoki Yaze? Even if you’re really involved with the Gigafloat Management Corporation, how are you in touch with Yukina Himeragi?”

“That answer gets into privacy territory, so can you please let it slide? Well, it’s a bunch of things.”

“What kind of reply is that…?! Can I really trust that Yukina Himeragi is coming?”

Shio was irritated as she chewed over Yaze’s reply, a little too conveniently vague.

Yaze made a pained smile as he shook his head, shifting his gaze beyond the window.

“She’s here. That’s a Sword Shaman for the Lion King Agency for you. Damn fast.”

“Eh…?”

Shio instantly moved to shield Avrora as she peered outside.

She made out the sight of a girl gripping a silver spear floating in midair against the predawn sky for a brief moment.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, she was beelining via the shortest possible route. She was like a supple, ferocious feline beast.

Finally, she landed noiselessly in front of the warehouse where Shio and the others were.

As if someone’s voice was guiding her there, she confidently strode over to Shio and the others.

“Yukina Himeragi! You really came!”

Shio poked out her head from the wall she’d been hiding behind and waved at her.

Yukina smiled slightly, acknowledging Shio through that action. It was a very sad smile.

The silver spear she gripped made a heavy, metallic sound as it changed form. The metal shaft slid to its full length, and the sheathed secondary blades deployed left and right. It was shifting to combat mode.

“…Yukina…Himeragi…?”

Watching Yukina as she slowly approached, Shio narrowed her eyes in alarm.

“Are you alone? Is Kojou Akatsuki all right? How did you know we were here?”

“Hikawa, wait a sec. Something’s not right with her.”

When Shio moved toward Yukina, Yaze grasped her shoulder from behind to stop her. The thin smile had disappeared from his lips, replaced by a sharpness in his eyes.

“Hikawa, I’m sorry. Please hand Miss Avrora over to me.”

Halted, Yukina glanced at Avrora behind Shio’s back. Shio shuddered from the chill she felt from Yukina’s gaze, frigid and betraying no emotion whatsoever.

“Miss Avrora… No, the twelfth Kaleid Blood…you can hear me, yes?”

When Yukina calmly spoke to her, Avrora’s shoulders twitched and trembled.

Her voice had conveyed neither hostility nor anger—only clear lethal intent.

“Please come with me if you wish to save Kojou Akatsuki.”

Yukina quietly continued speaking.

Her face was rather lovely, which made her visible lack of emotion all the more frightening. It was enough to make one think she resembled something other than a human—a beautiful weapon, perhaps.

As if trying to flee from that fright, Shio slammed her perplexed thoughts into Yaze.

“What is the meaning of this, Motoki Yaze?! Is Himeragi being controlled by someone?!”

“Nah, that ain’t possible. The one who sent her here is Koyomi Shizuka, one of the Three Saints of the Lion King Agency.”

Yaze was half-miffed as he made that retort. He didn’t know why Yukina would be after Avrora, either.

“Lady Shizuka’s order…?”

Shio murmured in a daze. She’d just realized that it was possible the Lion King Agency had ordered Yukina to kill Avrora. If Koyomi Shizuka had commanded the assassination, then Yukina was blameless.

Yukina, however, shook her head as if to refute Shio’s doubts.

“You’re mistaken, Hikawa. I have come of my own will.”

“Please explain this, Yukina Himeragi.”

Shio dropped the instrument case on her back.

Her Freikugel Plus was an area-suppression weapon. It was useless in close combat. It would be better not to be weighed down just in case things with Yukina came down to a fight.

Even as she realized the other girl had made that judgment, Yukina’s expression did not falter.

“I’ll do that after as much as you like. So please, step aside.”

“No. I won’t.”

Shio quietly steadied her breathing as she spoke. During the time they’d spent hiding in the warehouse, she’d recovered a fair bit of spiritual energy. She certainly couldn’t say she was in tip-top shape, but it was plenty to take on Yukina alone.

Besides, her pride as Yukina’s senior in the Lion King Agency was on the line.

“Motoki Yaze, take Avrora and run! Reverberate!”

Shio activated all the spell tablets she’d distributed throughout the warehouse beforehand. Shikigami taking the form of birds of prey bore down on her opponent from all directions.

“Snowdrift Wolf!”

Yukina twirled with her silver spear. Her magical energy–nullifying lance was the mortal enemy of all shikigami. The barest touch sliced the familiars apart like they were nothing and reverted them back to spell tablets once more.

But Shio had expected as much.

“Morning Star/Saikyou!”

Sliding into Yukina’s blind spot while the shikigami drew her attention, Shio launched a kick in tandem with a physical-enhancement spell. She was using the art of the Eight Divine Generals—the Lion King Agency’s silent assassination martial art. This was the Shamanic War Dancers’ trump card; its details were even hidden from the Sword Shamans in their own organization.

But Yukina made no effort to evade Shio’s attack.

“—Flaming Thunder!”

“Wha…?!”

An explosive shock wave pounded Shio like an invisible hammer. Yukina had shot the pulse out in all directions like bullets after gathering the high-purity spiritual energy within her.

Only Yukina’s ridiculously large reserve of ritual energy could make such a reckless counterattack possible.

“You idiot… Resorting to something that crazy…!”

Slamming into the container behind her, Shio groaned powerlessly as she slowly slid down and collapsed.

Right after unleashing that ritual energy, Yukina’s body became completely, utterly defenseless. Had her timing been off even a single split second, she very well could have died from Shio’s kick landing squarely.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think I could win against you any other way, Hikawa.”

She looked down at Shio with a neutral expression as she spoke.

Her emotionless, machine-like eyes sent chills down Shio’s spine.

Now that she thought about it, Yukina had seemed a lot more human since meeting Kojou Akatsuki. Clumsy as it was, she showed her emotions and often acted as if she were a completely normal girl.

But the girl in front of her was different. This was the Yukina Himeragi that Shio knew from back during training at High God Forest. This was Yukari Endou’s prodigy, admired and feared by her fellow Attack Mage candidates. When she’d been chosen to be the watcher of the Fourth Primogenitor, everyone had accepted it. Even the Fourth Primogenitor would surely perish at her hand—

This Yukina Himeragi, like a blade polished to a fine edge, shifted her gaze toward the cowering Avrora.

“Sheesh…well, doesn’t this suck.”

Crunch, went the pill capsules between his teeth as Motoki Yaze stepped before Yukina.

Shio gawked as she watched. She didn’t think Yaze would be able to do much against a girl who even a fellow Attack Mage couldn’t hold a candle to.

“Upperclassman Yaze…?”

Yukina must have been as perplexed as Shio. Her eyes swayed ever so slightly from bewilderment.

Yaze, however, just smiled impetuously, spreading his arms wide as if to hide Avrora behind him.

That instant, a gale swirled up out of nowhere and blew Yukina away.

“What are you gonna do, li’l Himeragi? Your spear can’t nullify my power.”

Yaze warned her in a provocative tone of voice. Seeing that made everything click for Shio. This was Motoki Yaze’s true nature—a Hyper Adapter who could freely manipulate the air. He’d used that ability to make his voice reach Yukina and lead her to the warehouse.

Although his ability wasn’t too strong in and of itself, between generating invisible blades using air pressure, destroying cellular structures through use of a vacuum, and so forth, it gave him many avenues to kill as the situation demanded. On top of that, because it didn’t use ritual energy, there was no way to predict its attacks.

“………”

However, Yaze’s unexpected ability only shook Yukina for a brief moment.

She took out some metallic spell tablets, which changed into a quartet of wolves. These swiftly scattered to surround Yaze from four sides.

Yaze’s composure gradually faded. The nature of his ability to control air rendered him unable to strike in multiple directions at once. Beyond that, his air pressure moves were unlikely to have much effect against inorganic matter. Defeating metallic shikigami would be a long shot.

He had only one option left: defeating Yukina, the caster, before her familiars attacked.

She understood that as well. The issue was whether peering into the future would actually let her evade Yaze’s invisible attacks—this was a gamble for her.

The atmosphere between the pair facing off grew so strained that one could scarcely breathe. But then, an unexpected individual broke the tension. Slipping past Yaze’s flank, a girl with golden hair approached Yukina.

“Eh? Hey, Av-baby…?! Don’t! Stay put!”

Forgetting that he was in the middle of combat, Yaze tried to stop the vampire girl.

Yukina, too, seemed to scarcely believe her eyes as her target for elimination drew near.

Looking straight back at the surprised Sword Shaman, Avrora pleasantly smiled.

It wasn’t her usual fearful expression. It was a defenseless smile, the kind you only showed to a trusted friend.

“Yuki…na…”

Avrora spoke her pursuer’s name; a name she shouldn’t have known.

Yukina and Yaze both stiffened as if struck by an electric jolt.

Then the pair remembered. From the time she had been destroyed by Kojou one year earlier until being revived in the body borrowed from Hektos, Avrora’s soul had been possessing Nagisa Akatsuki. She and Nagisa had shared memories.

“Y…Yukina Himeragi…is thy treacherous act in service to Kojou?”

Puffing up her chest and striving to maintain all the dignity she could, Avrora asked the other girl that question. Her tone of voice had returned to that of her usual self, but it was crystal clear that she had inherited memories from Nagisa.

She closed in on the bewildered Yukina and touched the tip of Snowdrift Wolf, thrust toward her, with her own chest.

“Then I permit thee. With this purging spear, usurp mine soul.”

“…?!!”

Yukina’s hand trembled around her lance. Avrora closed her eyes and waited for her to strike.

“Don’t, Av-baby!”

“Himeragi…stop…!”

Yaze and Shio shouted. But even if they’d tried to stop Yukina, the range between her and Avrora was too close. All it would take for her to destroy Avrora was the slightest thrust of her spear.

And yet, Yukina did not move. She kept still, as though frozen solid. Her voice trembled.

“Why…?”

Yukina watched Avrora submit with moist eyes that seemed on the verge of tears. Poking out of the collar area of the vampire’s coat was a Saikai Academy middle school uniform.

Itogami Island was a Demon Sanctuary, where even the World’s Mightiest Vampire could attend school like any normal person. It was easy to imagine that Avrora Florestina was wearing that uniform because of how deeply she yearned to spend her days like that.

This threw Yukina astray. After all, she was trying to kill Avrora to protect Kojou Akatsuki’s everyday life.

“Even…if I don’t destroy you…Akatsuki-senpai will continue to suffer all alone…”

Strength left her hands. The silver spear clattered to the floor.

Speechless, Shio stared at Yukina.

That island really had changed her underclassman. Perhaps this was a change one shouldn’t have hoped for in an Attack Mage. But as a person, as a friend, Shio was fond of her.

“Thou need not be concerned, Priestess of the Sword. I have already been destroyed once.”

Picking up the lance, Avrora held it out to Yukina. Her blue eyes spoke loud and clear: If she had to be eliminated to save Kojou Akatsuki, then Yukina should destroy Avrora without hesitation.

The Sword Shaman frailly shook her head. The next instant, she snatched the spear out of Avrora’s hand. The pale glow of the Divine Oscillation Effect enveloped the spear as Yukina swung it about.

“—?!!”

“Himeragi!”

Yaze and Shio sharply inhaled. But they had no time to stop Yukina as she thrust the lance forward.

It sheared off several strands of Avrora’s blond hair and sent them dancing into the sky.

The spear nearly grazed her slender neck, running right past it. Then two metallic objects collided, sending a high-pitched sound echoing throughout the warehouse.

Yukina’s lance had blocked a silver long sword swinging down at Avrora from behind.

This was the Lion King Agency’s Rosen Chevalier Plus—

It was this divine armament, swung to rend Avrora asunder, which Yukina had fended off.

“Why did you stop me, Yukii?”

The long sword’s wielder glared at Yukina with a reproachful look. She was a serious-looking girl with a crisp, tidy atmosphere about her. But in that moment, the gentle impression she normally gave off had vanished.

“…Yuiri?!”

Shio exclaimed, baffled at the sudden interloper. Despite just witnessing it with her own two eyes, she couldn’t believe the girl had just tried to do Avrora in.

“I’m glad you’re safe, Yuiri! But why…?!”

“Sorry, Shio.”

Keeping her back to Shio, she spoke like a girl on the edge of a cliff.

“Don’t get in my way, either, Yukii. If you do, an outbreak will destroy the island.”

“Outbreak…?!”

Shouting so hard she practically spat blood, Shio descended into utter confusion.

“What do you mean by that? Explain!”

“I see…the Blazing Banquet…”

Yaze’s face twitched as he made a low groan. Undiluted fear hovered in his eyes.

“The Blazing Banquet? Why would the ceremonial ritual to awaken the Fourth Primogenitor happen now of all times…?”

Shio asked back, dumbfounded. With Kojou Akatsuki already claiming the role of the Fourth Primogenitor, she couldn’t see why the ritual to revive the Fourth Primogenitor would activate.

Yaze, however, shook his head with an anguished look.

“Right now, Kojou’s an incomplete Fourth Primogenitor. He’s one short of the Beast Vassals he needs to return to his proper form.”

“…Then Yukina Himeragi attempted to kill Avrora to make Kojou Akatsuki a complete Fourth Primogenitor, and therefore prevent an outbreak…?”

Shio stared at Yukina in surprise. If those were the stakes, then she could certainly understand why Yukina had suddenly attempted something so wicked. Small wonder that Koyomi Shizuka had ordered her to eliminate Avrora.

And now, Yuiri was trying to kill Avrora for the exact same reason.

Shio no longer knew what to do. The same probably went for Yukina.

“Back off, Yukii. Or do you want to make Kojou kill her instead?”

Yuiri posed that barbed question to Yukina, as though goading her hesitance.

“That’s…!”

It was plain as day that Yuiri had shaken her.

Taking advantage of that opening, Yuiri struck.

“—Mist!”

Yuiri’s form became vague and hazy as it splintered apart in a body-splitting attack, a mixture of illusion and high-speed movement. This was the secret technique she’d inherited from her master.

Normally a boon, Yukina’s Spirit Sight had now become the very thing preventing her from defending against the blow. The production of countless clones resulted in a quantity of branching futures far greater than what she could process, which left her immobilized.

“Nn…!”

Sustaining Yuiri’s mighty body ram, the small-statured Yukina could not help but go flying. Even Shio spontaneously covered her eyes at the tragic sight.

“That girl has a cute face, but man, she’s brutal…”

Yaze murmured that scathing critique. He wasn’t referring to the body-splitting technique that had overwhelmed Yukina; he was talking about how Yuiri had invoked Kojou’s name beforehand. The latter was the target of his assertion.

“If she didn’t do that, there’s no way she could put Yukina Himeragi out of commission.”

“She didn’t have much of a choice,” responded Shio in Yuiri’s defense.

If two Sword Shamans with superhuman combat capabilities clashed head-on, it was highly probable that one would sustain grave wounds from which she would never recover. Yuiri had opted to shake her opponent mentally to avoid that.

It was a choice that was very much like her, kinder to her junior than anyone.

And it was out of that very kindness Yuiri would slay Avrora by her own hand.

“Sorry, Avrora.”

She slowly raised her blade high.

The vampire made no move to flee. Offering a fleeting smile, she closed her eyes, awaiting the downswing of Yuiri’s weapon.

Her attacker bit her lip hard enough to make blood ooze out and strengthened her grip on her sword; the next instant, a girlie, high-pitched voice reverberated throughout the abandoned warehouse.

“—Primus Minium!”

Suddenly, a pitch-black whirlwind blew Yuiri away, sword and all. Its momentum proceeded to destroy the abandoned warehouse building itself. Containers were flung up and broken apart one after another, and the walls and ceiling were pulverized in an instant. The move was incredibly destructive; it was as though cannon shells had poured down into the building.

“Wha—?!”

“Yuiri!”

Yaze and Shio exclaimed as they rolled onto the floor.

The wind showered Yuiri head-on before she collapsed, bleeding from the head.

Staring down at her was a pitch-black bicorn flickering like a mirage. A Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor—no, of The Blood.

“Unfortunately, I cannot permit you to harm her.”

A boy dressed in a tailcoat stood where the main entrance to the warehouse had once been.

By his side was a large man wearing a mask patterned after a reptilian skull—member of the Order of the End.

“The Blood…”

Collapsed, Yukina lifted her wobbly head as she invoked his name.

“The Blood…?! That kid’s really him?!”

Shio’s eyes widened in shock as she poised her silver recurve bow.

The instigator of the Electoral War and the mastermind of the Order of the End was standing right before their eyes. But even if they understood that in their heads, they couldn’t help but feel like something was off upon actually encountering him in person. They were staring at The Blood’s true form, a young boy strongly resembling Avrora.

“I have come for you, Sister.”

The boy spoke reverentially as he extended a hand toward the girl.

Avrora was the only one standing normally amid the warehouse being ravaged by the whirlwind. Only the air around her was calm; it was as if she was enveloped by an invisible wall. The Blood was protecting her.

“Now, Sister. Come.”

The Blood repeated himself to hurry her along.

But Avrora didn’t budge. All she did was give a tiny shake of her head as if to defy him.

“Sister, please.”

Apparently at the end of his rope, The Blood raised a stronger voice.

“Uu, uuu…”

Avrora gingerly backed away. A white mist started to envelop her body.

The frigid miasma seemed to be freezing her over. Demonic energy was leaking out from Avrora’s body.

Transparent snow crystals danced in the wind, gently melting in the dawn sky.