Storming the Crimson Tower!

There are three forces rushing toward the Crimson Tower.

One is the Tyrant on a violent rampage.

The man is like a tanned goliath. His weapon is a massive, billhookshaped slab of iron, and he uses it in conjunction with his raw brute strength

to cleave through the ghouls.

Nobody dares get near him. The moment they do, they're bound to be

reduced to mincemeat.

The next force is the Spirit Fox, prancing toward the tower.

She's a foxwoman with bewitching beauty and fur the color of snow. Nine

tails shine in the moonlight. Each of her hands holds an iron-ribbed folding

fan, and she weaves an elegant dance as she slices through ghoul after ghoul.

The moment their eyes are led astray by the alluring skin peeking out

from within her kimono, she brings them to their eternal slumber.

As they massacre their way through the creatures, the two forces crash

into each other.

"Screw you, vixen!"

"What a positively troublesome man you are." The Spirit Fox skillfully

repels the Tyrant's billhook.

When it smashes into the ground, a large cloud of dust flies up.

"Been a while, Spirit Fox." A fiendish smile spreads across Juggernaut's

face.

Yukime sighs in annoyance. "I, personally, would have preferred not to

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see you at all."

"Hey, I'm just here for the bloodsuckers. But I'm happy to put your ass in

the ground, too." Juggernaut brandishes his gigantic weapon like it's a toy.

"Nobody likes a persistent man, you know." Yukime readies her fans in

turn.

But the moment the two of them are about to attack, the final force

converges on their position.

A man wearing a jet-black longcoat silently descends through the night.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he vivisects his three vampiric pursuers.

Seeing the man's agility stuns the Tyrant. His movements are smooth,

explosive, overwhelmingly powerful. Even the Tyrant finds himself forced to

admit the man is strong.

What impresses the Spirit Fox is the way he handles his sword.

She's lived a long time, but she's never seen such beautiful swordplay or

such efficient, economical technique. His sword dance is practically an art, to

the point that it amazes even Yukime.

The two speak in unison.

"Who the hell're you…?"

"And who might this be…?"

The man in black turns to look at them as he shakes the blood clean from

his sword.

"My name is Shadow. I lurk in the darkness and hunt down shadows…"

And with that, the three forces collide.

Each of them tries to stare the others down.

Yukime's eyes are like pools of still water, Juggernaut's are black and

have a falcon-like glint in them, and Shadow's are red, glowing, and

inhuman.

"Shadow…? I feel like I've heard of ya before."

"Rumor has it that there lies a mysterious armed group called the Shadow

Garden outside the city. Its leader goes by the same name, it would seem."

"Oh, so he's that Shadow."

"The rumors were of questionable veracity, but the man has the skills to

support these claims, it seems."

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Their steely gazes bear down on Shadow, but he doesn't seem to mind.

The wind blows, causing Shadow's sword to whistle. Yukime unfurls her

fans, and Juggernaut hoists his billhook up onto his shoulder.

The wordless standoff draws on.

Juggernaut is the first to break the silence. "Are we just gonna keep

staring at each other? Or are we gonna get this death match started?"

"If there is going to be killing, I would like to have Mr. Shadow on my

side. Pray pardon, Mr. Shadow, what say you?" Yukime casts an amorous

glance Shadow's way.

Juggernaut scoffs. "Hey, word to the wise, don't trust that fox. She'd kill

you in your sleep."

"—This is insipid." Despite the gravity of the situation, Shadow turns his

back on the other two without a shred of trepidation. "The Red Moon has

risen, and the rampage has begun… I don't have time to waste playing

around with you people."

"Turnin' your back on me? That takes balls." Juggernaut glares at the

back in question.

"It would seem you have a peculiar insight into this situation. The Red

Moon… I feel as though I've heard that name before…"

"You goin' senile in your old age, Grandma?"

"Quiet. As Mr. Shadow said, I, too, verily believe fighting here would be

a waste of time. I only came hither because I did not want to lose any more of

my people to the ghouls. You're the same, no?"

"You and I ain't got nothin' in common. The Lawless City doesn't need

three towers, so I just figured I'd come and knock one of the spares over,

that's all."

"Your efforts would be better spent on the Blood Queen, no?"

"Screw this, I'm out. I'll kill you next time, hag." Juggernaut glares at

Yukime and Shadow, then leaves.

Yukime watches him go, but stops Shadow before he can follow suit.

"Wait. Truth is, Mr. Shadow, I know who you are. I run the pleasure

houses here, you see."

Shadow looks at Yukime out of the corner of his eye.

"Word has it that a number of my girls owe you their lives. I owe you a

debt, certainly, and I would love a chance to show you my appreciation

sometime, if you'd let me."

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"I don't need your thanks… It wasn't like I was trying to save them."

Shadow's shoes click as he walks away.

"And they were all so thankful, too… What humble man crosses our

path… I will wait as long as it takes, just know that the White Tower's doors

are always open to you."

Yukime bows toward Shadow's back.

"I do think we shall meet anon."

With a coquettish smile, Yukime turns toward the Crimson Tower, and

Shadow vanishes from sight.

The Watchdog is waiting for prey outside the Crimson Tower.

He sits on the ground, cradling his gaunt body with a warped smile stiff

upon his face.

Once, he was the killer—no, the knight—known as the White Demon.

Back in his country, he'd served as a knight captain. With his white hair

fluttering over his white uniform, he'd cast the image of an ideal defender of

the peace.

However, his true nature was that of a bloodthirsty serial killer who

stalked the streets at night. Ever since he was born, he'd taken joy in killing

people. The red blood, the screams, the looks of desperation on their faces…

Killing others made him feel alive.

One day, though, one of his colleagues caught him in the act. In that

moment, he became the White Demon.

In the space of a single night, the White Demon slew his entire knight

order before fleeing. Then, once he escaped, he kept on killing, eventually

making his way to the Lawless City.

He knew no fear. He thought he stood at the very top of the food chain.

However, when he challenged the Crimson Tower, his misconceptions

were shattered. The White Demon had struck fear into countless hearts, but

he was unable to lay so much as a finger on Crimson. He was unilaterally

defeated and ended up having to plea for his life.

Now, he works as a Watchdog.

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The freedom to kill was stolen from him.

Killing had given his life purpose, and he'd lost even that…

Now, an opportunity was finally approaching him.

"Hee-hee…"

When the Red Moon started, most of the vampires had left the tower.

That meant there was no one left to judge him. As long as the Red Moon

continued, he could kill as he pleased.

And so, the White Demon waits for prey. He's the Watchdog no more—

he's the White Demon, and he's waiting for people to slaughter.

Rumor has it that the Dark Knight Association is planning on

assassinating the Blood Queen. As the White Demon waits for his target, he

practically prays that someone will come by.

And then—

Violent footsteps rumble through the streets, and his fervent wish is

granted.

"Hee-hee…hee?"

The White Demon looks up in ecstasy to see a tanned behemoth.

The man's body is covered in thick, veiny muscles, and he's carrying a

billhook longer than he is tall.

The man glares at the White Demon with a stern glint in his eye. He

practically exudes violence. The White Demon is certain of it—this is

Juggernaut the Tyrant, one of the Lawless City's rulers.

"You're in the way. Move."

"Hee…" The White Demon instantly averts his gaze and steps away from

the door.

He knows full well that there are people who are stronger than him, and

he knows he absolutely can't lay a hand on the Lawless City's rulers or their

inner circles. He learned that the hard way—from fighting Crimson.

"Annoying."

The Tyrant stops in front of the door, then swings his colossal billhook

and smashes it to smithereens.

"Hee?!" The White Demon shrinks back to let the Tyrant pass and looks

at the pulverized door.

It had been thick, not to mention reinforced with iron. Even a dark knight

would have had trouble getting through it. The man who obliterated it in a

single blow enters the Crimson Tower.

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The White Demon is terrified at the thought of what might be starting.

Then he hears footsteps from behind.

They're reserved and light, so they clearly belong to a woman. He likes

women. Their flesh is so tender.

A wicked grin spreads across his face as he turns around.

There, he finds a woman so bewitching and fair, she seems almost

unworldly.

Her hair is lustrous and white, and it's adorned with a pair of fox ears.

Two iron fans hang from her kimono's sash.

That's all well and good.

However, the problem is the nine fox tails swaying behind her.

"Hee?!"

There's no mistaking it. The woman is Yukime the Spirit Fox, one of the

Lawless City's other rulers.

"Move."

"Hee-hee!"

The White Demon shuffles to the side before she even finishes her

sentence. She's way, way out of his league. He cowers behind a corner as the

Spirit Fox passes him by and enters the tower, then he looks up.

Is the tower going to survive, now that the Tyrant and the Spirit Fox are

inside? Are those monsters going to have an all-out war?

Then he hears footsteps once more.

Upon hearing them click, the White Demon grins.

The Tyrant and the Spirit Fox are already inside, so there's no way

someone of their caliber can possibly show up.

Sure enough, who he finds is just some guy in black he's never seen

before.

The man's wearing a jet-black longcoat, and his face is covered beneath a

hood and behind a mask.

However, it's impossible to get a read on the man's strength. When

someone is as strong as the White Demon, he can usually tell how powerful

his foe is before the fight even starts. However, he's drawing a complete

blank on the man in the longcoat.

Still, compared with the Tyrant and the Spirit Fox, he's probably an easy

target.

This is the prey I've been waiting for.

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"…Hee-hee!!"

The moment the man in black enters his range, the White Demon strikes.

Got him.

As soon as that thought passes through his head, the White Demon finds

himself looking up at the sky.

"Hee…?"

Unable to tell what's going on, he glances around, only to find that his

bottom half is still standing.

It's been separated from his top half, and it gushes blood as it topples to

the ground.

That's when the White Demon finally realizes he's been cut in two.

"Hee… Hee…"

He assumes the man in black will just head into the Crimson Tower after

having sliced him in twain, but instead, he plants his foot on the outside of

the tower and begins running straight up its side.

"Hee?!"

As the blood pumps out of his body, the White Demon can't believe his

eyes.

But the man in black isn't done yet. Halfway up, he comes to an abrupt

stop, smashes open the wall with his fist, and slips into the hole.

The man is insane.

He's clearly far more dangerous than the other two…

The White Demon now realizes that he's laid a hand on someone he

absolutely wasn't supposed to.

"Hee… Hee…"

The moment before the life fades from his body, he recalls something.

"Wait, isn't that where they keep the treasure?"

Thump, thump, thump. Hearing a low thud, Beta glances up from her book.

When she looks around the spacious library, she sees that one part of the

wall is vibrating in concert with the noise.

Is someone hitting the wall from outside?

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Right as the thought crosses her mind, the wall suddenly gives way, and a

pair of women come tumbling through, accompanied by a fair bit of dirt.

"Ow?!"

"Oof."

The dark-haired girl lands on the ground face-first, and the red-haired girl

collapses on top of her.

"Owww… I wasn't expecting the wall to be so brittle."

When the dark-haired girl looks up with her hands clamped on her nose,

Beta realizes that she knows her. It's Claire Kagenou, her master's sister.

"I told you to be careful…," her attractive redheaded companion notes

emotionlessly.

"If we'd taken it slower, we might not have made it in time. Also, Mary,

would you mind getting off me?"

"Oh, sorry, Claire."

After the redhead does as requested, the two of them stand up and dust off

their clothes.

"By the way, where exactly are we?"

"We should be right under the Crimson Tower, but…"

Beta chooses to answer their questions. "You're in the Crimson Tower's

underground library."

That's when they finally notice her sitting on her chair.

"…Well, they found us fast."

"That's why I told you to be careful…"

"Look, I'm sorry. But it looks like we'd have been found out one way or

the other."

The two of them draw their swords and square off against Beta.

Beta sighs and closes her book.

"Good grief… I never expected someone to come popping out of the wall.

Now, I should get rid of the witnesses…" Beta sneaks a glance at Claire as

she mutters. "But it looks like that isn't an option. Nobody lay a hand on

them."

Although she quietly gives some orders, all appearances suggest that the

three of them are alone.

"I have no intention of fighting you. Would you be so kind as to put away

your sword, Ms. Claire?"

"…! You know me?"

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"You're Claire Kagenou, the winner of the Bushin Festival."

"I guess my name's gotten around. Fair enough. Tell me who you are and

what you want. Once I'm sure you aren't my enemy, we'd be happy to back

down."

"Wait, Claire…"

"We don't have time to be fighting unnecessary battles. She doesn't look

like she's on the Blood Queen's side, and…she looks like a tough opponent."

Claire's gaze sharpens as she speaks.

Beta looks like she's just casually sitting there, but the air about her

suggests she won't go down easily.

"Agreed."

Beta's wearing a black bodysuit and mask, and she certainly doesn't look

like one of the Blood Queen's supporters. If anything, she's probably an

intruder like Claire.

"Who I am and what I want, huh…? Well, you're right. Just like you, I'm

here to invade the Crimson Tower."

"I need more details."

"I'm afraid that would take a while."

"Give me the specifics, but make it concise."

"My, how particular." Beta shrugs. "My name is Beta, and I work for the

Shadow Garden. I came to the Crimson Tower because I have some business

to attend to."

"Is that so. And what exactly is the mysterious Shadow Garden doing

here?"

"Hmm… How much to tell you? There are things I'm allowed to say and

thing I'm not, after all. How about this…? We're conducting research on

possession for certain reasons, and we wanted a blood sample from a

Progenitor."

"On the possession…?!"

"Why do you need a Progenitor's blood…?"

Claire reacts to the possession bit, whereas Mary responds to the mention

of Progenitor's blood.

"Over the course of our research, we arrived at a certain hypothesis.

There's a possibility that the blood of the possessed and the blood of the

Progenitors share the same origin and that the two merely diverged as they

were inherited from parent to child."

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"You dare blaspheme against the Progenitors…?" A harsh look crosses

Mary's eyes, and she tightens her grip on her sword.

"It's only a theory, and we certainly mean no insult to the Progenitors. We

just wanted a sample so we could check for ourselves. I do find one thing

puzzling, though. Why does the thought make you so mad, Ms. Ancient

Vampire Hunter?"

"—?! You know who I am, too, it seems…"

"I've heard rumors."

"I see… Then you know not to get in my way."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."

Mary glares at Beta as she stows her sword. Beta shrugs, then reopens her

book.

"Vampires live long lives, and the quality of their libraries certainly

reflect that. There are all sorts of valuable documents here. Are you satisfied

now, Ms. Claire?" she asks as she goes back to reading.

Claire glances between Mary and Beta, thinking.

"There's one more thing I want to know." She stares straight at Beta, her

expression grave.

Sensing Claire's pointed gaze, Beta looks up. "If it's something I'm

allowed to answer."

"Is there a way to cure the possessed?"

Beta doesn't answer right away. She stares at Claire for a little while,

clearly deep in thought.

"I'm…afraid I can't tell you. However, I will say you personally don't

have anything to worry about."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said." Beta turns the page in her book, clearly not

intending to say any more.

Claire quietly clicks her tongue, then turns around. "Let's go."

Before she and Mary can leave the library, Beta calls out to them.

"Wait. Ms. Claire, would you be willing to tell me why you teamed up

with the Ancient Vampire Hunter to come to the Crimson Tower?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Idle curiosity, nothing more."

Claire frowns as she answers. "The Blood Queen kidnapped Cid, my kid

brother. If I don't hurry, he's going to be used as a human sacrifice."

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"Your younger brother is…?" Beta tilts her head to the side.

"Is that true?!"

Suddenly, a fourth voice calls out in a library occupied by three people.

When they look toward where the voice came from, another woman

stands there seemingly having appeared out of thin air. She's wearing a black

bodysuit, and her face is hidden behind a mask.

"Number 666, restrain yourself."

"But I… I'm sorry…"

Although she looks like she wants to dash off this very moment, Number

666 pulls herself together and steps back with her head hung.

"Is that all? If so, we're leaving." Claire reaches toward the library door.

"One last thing. Is there really no way you can try to re-create the

Haven…?"

Claire turns around. "What does that mean?"

But Beta isn't looking at her. She's staring straight at Mary.

"Hey, wait—"

Mary looks away and wordlessly leaves the library. Claire hurries after

her.

For a little while, the library is quiet again. The only noise is the sound of

pages turning.

"Number 666, I'm disappointed in you," says Beta as she reads.

"My deepest apologies…" Number 666 bows her head in contrition.

"Lambda spoke highly of your skills, and Alpha has great expectations for

you. But this is a mark against you. Also, you two should have stopped her."

"My apologies."

"Sooorry."

Two more women appear behind Number 666.

"This is Number 666's first field exercise. Number 664, as her squad

leader, this is your responsibility."

"Understood…"

"We'll need to be more careful going forward. To be absolutely clear, our

mission is to recover a sample of Progenitor blood for the lab. However,

Master Shadow said he'd handle the Blood Queen, so we have to make sure

we don't act carelessly. Until he arrives, our job is to continue surveying the

materials in the library and collecting anything important. Now, get back to

work."

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"Yes, ma'am."

As ordered, the other three quickly get back to the tasks at hand.

As Mary expected, there are almost no vampires left in the Crimson Tower.

That said, there are still some, and every now and again, the two of them

find themselves under attack.

Claire swings her sword and slices through a vampire's neck. However,

its body still moves.

"Stab them through the heart!"

Following Mary's instructions, Claire impales the headless vampire's

heart. When she does, thin red fissures of light spread from it, and soon

nothing but ashes remain.

Behind Claire, Mary takes down their final foe.

It's thanks to her help that the two of them have made it through all the

attacks unscathed.

Although she has less raw magic at her disposal than Claire, her mastery

with the sword is downright impressive. And more important, she's used to

fighting vampires.

Most vampires rely on their physical strength in battle, and it's easy to

imagine how difficult it would be to go up against an opponent with such

superhuman movements and astounding regenerative skills in a fair fight.

However, Mary seems to practically know what the vampires are going to

do before they do it, and her responses are swift and precise.

Having her help is going to be essential in rescuing Cid. Claire knows that

full well.

Yet even so—she just can't help but say something.

"Are you hiding something from me?" she asks as Mary stares somberly

at the last remaining pile of ash.

"What do you mean, 'something'…?" Mary replies, her face unreadable.

"You were acting strangely back at the library. It was like you were on the

vampires' side. Weren't you here to hunt the Blood Queen?"

"I am."

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"Really? Then I have to ask: How do you know so much about vampires?

I can tell by watching you fight them. You know how they think. You

understand them better than anyone."

"It's because I've dedicated my entire life to hunting down the Blood

Queen…"

"And I'm saying that isn't enough to explain it. What was up with that last

exchange back at the library, then? What's the Haven? What's this about you

re-creating it?"

With each sentence, Claire's tone grows harsher.

However, Mary offers her no answers.

"You can't just play dumb," Claire comments.

"Well, you're no different."

"Huh?"

"You have things you're keeping from me, too. Why is it you're so

obsessed with the possession?"

"I…"

"Everyone knows there's no way to heal it."

"…I suppose not." Claire bites her lip.

"Everyone has their secrets. Don't they?"

"…Maybe we should both just stop asking questions. I'll help you take

down the Blood Queen; you help me save my brother."

"Sounds good to me…"

Neither meets the other's eyes as they resume their ascent.

"Wait."

A little while later, Mary, who's walking ahead, stops in her tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"I can hear someone fighting up ahead."

The two tread silently as they draw closer to the noise. It sounds like

there's a battle taking place on the other side of the door. However, there

aren't any other routes they can take.

"Looks like we don't have a choice…"

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"Try opening it a tiny bit and peeking inside."

Mary gives Claire's suggestion a nod, then peers through the doorway.

Inside, there appears to be a sizable hall. The scarlet moon floats in the

sky outside a large window.

A tanned goliath is holding a vampire by the throat and grinning.

"Y'all are weak…"

The man's massive billhook is stained with blood, and he's surrounded by

ghoul chunks and piles of ash.

"And you're part of the top brass round these parts, too. I recognize your

face. Now, where's Crimson?" The man wrings the vampire's neck as he

asks his question.

"Wh-who can say…?"

"What? You ain't gonna talk?"

"No… I…don't need to…"

The moment the words leave the vampire's mouth, his body transforms

into a cloud of red mist. It's Mistform, an ability that only the strongest

vampires can use.

"Oh?" The tanned man's hand snatches at the empty air, and the red fog

gathers behind him.

The vampire's hand emerges from the mist, and his sharp claws bear

down on the man.

However, the tanned man doesn't so much as look back.

"My instinct's always right…"

He just casually swings his colossal weapon.

A terrifying gust of wind blows all the way to the door, and Mary and

Claire have to frantically push on it to keep it closed.

When they peek back inside, they see the vampire's flesh scattered across

the ground like mincemeat. The chunks quickly turn to ash.

"Who's that guy?" Claire whispers.

He certainly doesn't look like a vampire, but it's hard to see him as an

ally, either.

"He's Juggernaut the Tyrant, one of the Lawless City's three rulers. We

should try to avoid fighting him. That vampire he just killed was the third

strongest among the Blood Queen's inner circle…"

"That guy was the third strongest…?"

Given the absurd gulf in power between him and the Tyrant, it certainly

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didn't looked that way.

"Let's just stay hidden…"

Claire nods, agreeing with Mary's suggestion.

However, the Tyrant calls out from the other side of the door, "My

instinct's always right… Someone's there, ain'tcha?"

"—Gh!"

Suddenly, the door splinters.

As the billhook comes cleaving horizontally through from the other side,

Mary and Claire throw themselves to the ground. The sound of violence

booms out from above them.

"What, two little girls?"

The Tyrant gazes down at the two of them from beyond the smashed door.

"Well, this is bad."

"Looks like we're out of options."

They draw their swords, and the Tyrant laughs.

"Y'all don't look like vampires, but…hey, it's your funeral."

He brings the colossal billhook crashing down.

They each evade the blow by dodging to a different side. The weapon

smashes into the ground, sending rubble flying into the air.

The Tyrant casts a sharp glare at his targets from within the storm of

debris then aims for Claire, the closer of the two.

He takes a massive step forward and, with a swing of his thick arms,

brings his billhook to bear.

However, Claire can see through his movements.

Although the Tyrant is blessed with both speed and power, his peculiar

weapon necessitates sweeping motions. He may be fast, but Claire can read

him like a book.

Sure enough, she blocks his attack with her blade.

That said, the impact from the blow vastly exceeds her expectations. Her

expression twists, and her follow-up is a moment too slow.

A moment is all the Tyrant needs.

"All you swordfolk use the same damn playbook…!"

At some point, he started holding his billhook in one hand.

His other hand, now free, sinks into Claire's face.

"Claire!!"

Mary moves to cover for Claire, but the Tyrant stops her in her tracks with

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a single look. She knows that any wrong moves on her part will mean death.

Although she was blasted away and sent rolling across the ground, Claire

gets up as if nothing happened.

She spits out a mouthful of blood.

"Ow. Now the inside of my mouth is all cut up…" She glares at the

Tyrant.

The Tyrant, in turn, raises one eyebrow and grins. For some reason,

there's a shallow cut across his chest.

"Y'know, that one blow's enough to take most people down for the count.

This ain't your first rodeo, is it?"

"I have a brother, so yeah."

Blood streams from Claire's mouth as she beams a bright-red smile.

The moment the Tyrant punched her, she not only leaned into the blow,

but got a decent slash at his chest, too. She gives her sword a practice swing

as though to test it out, then hawks out another mouthful of blood.

"You're a man of violence, I see. All strength, no skill."

She's putting up a brave front, but she's not nearly as composed as her

words are letting on. The cuts in her mouth are deep and bloody, and her head

is still ringing from the hit.

Trading blows with him was a mistake. His are far heavier than hers.

"You got me. I never learned no technique…'cause I never needed to!"

He charges at Claire.

The Tyrant's power comes from his raw physical strength, his innate

magic, and his insane combat intuition. He has no need for skill. If anything,

it would only slow him down.

Claire goes for another block on the full-force slash.

This time, though, the blow breaks her posture.

Her footing is shaky. The damage to her head still lingers.

"—!!"

The Tyrant isn't one to let an opportunity pass.

He holds his gigantic billhook overhead…

"I told you. My instinct's always right…"

…and swings it hard.

The blow goes wide, swinging past Claire at an alarming speed.

A large spray of blood hits her in the face.

"…Huh?"

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She's unharmed.

When she looks to the side, though, she sees Mary with her stomach rent

open.

It's practically caved in.

Mary coughs up blood as she kneels.

"M-Mary!!"

"All you swordfolk really do use the same damn playbook. She was

waitin' for me to drop my guard the whole time, and I was waitin' for her to

come kill me… Them's the breaks."

The Tyrant flashes an evil smile.

As Mary kneels lifelessly, Claire rushes over to her with tears in her eyes.

"Mary… No! This can't be…"

The wound reaches her organs. It's fatal.

Claire puts her hands on the wound and runs magic through it.

When she does, though, Mary grabs them.

"Cough! Your blood…cough…"

Mary looks at Claire, who is trying to tell her something as she coughs up

blood.

"Mary! You shouldn't move…!"

Mary just grabs Claire's hands tighter as she tries to get her message

across. "Claire…please…let me suck…your blood…"

"Wait, suck…?"

Suddenly, Mary plants her lips on Claire's.

"Hmm-hmph?!" Claire's eyes go wide with shock.

Mary sucks on Claire's lips, slurping up the blood dripping off them.

Her eyes flash red.

"What are you—?!"

Claire tries to pull Mary off her. But Mary isn't there anymore.

"Huh?!"

"Gah!!"

Claire's surprised yelp and the Tyrant's scream of pain come at the same

time. She whirls around to find the Tyrant looking up with his arm sliced to

ribbons.

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"What's up there…? Wait! Mary?!"

Mary is floating in the air. Her eyes are glowing red, and sharp canines

are sticking out of her mouth.

Furthermore, the wound on her chest has completely closed up.

"So that's what's going on… Interesting!" The Tyrant laughs like a

carnivore, and Mary offers him a sad smile.

The Tyrant's billhook and Mary's sword collide.

Their strength is—evenly matched. No, the Tyrant is coming out slightly

ahead.

"You ain't bad…!"

"—!!"

Sparks fly as they battle.

"But I'm better," he snarls.

Then Mary gets blasted away. Debris goes flying in the billhook's wake.

"Mary!!"

She crashes into the wall, then crumples to her knees.

"Rgh… I'm not used…to the blood yet…"

"It's over."

As Claire is distracted by Mary, the Tyrant appears before her and raises

his billhook high.

She can't defend herself in time.

"Cid… Forgive me…"

In her final moments, the only thing Claire thinks of is her brother.

But then—

"…The time of awakening is nigh."

A man wearing a jet-black longcoat swoops in between Claire and the

Tyrant.

"Hey!! The hell's your problem?!"

"…You're in my way." The man blocks the billhook, then launches a

casual upward kick.

Casual as it is, though, it's also unbelievably fast.

The blow sends the Tyrant flying. He smashes through the wall hard,

coughing up blood as he goes.

Unfortunately for him, the wall leads outside.

With nowhere left to stand, he enters a free fall.

As he does, his screams fade into the distance. "SHADOW! YOU

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BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD…!!"

Claire looks up at the figure's back. "You're…Shadow…"

Under normal circumstances, his overwhelming power might have caused

her to put her guard up.

But now, for whatever reason, seeing him sets her heart at ease.

Why is he inspiring such emotions in her, even though they've never met

before? Claire doesn't know.

She can't tear her eyes off him.

"There isn't much time left…"

Suddenly, he vanishes.

"Ah…"

It's like he was never even there.

"Shadow…"

A faint glimmer of loneliness remains in Claire's chest.

"That was Shadow…? Did he save us?" asks Mary as she gets back on her

feet.

"I think so…"

"He took out the Tyrant in just one hit…"

"Mary, are you okay?"

"Probably… Sorry about that, Claire. For sucking your blood out of the

blue."

"Oh, that's water under the bridge, but… Mary, is the thing you were

hiding from me—?"

"Yeah, I'm a vampire…"

"Huh…"

"I'll tell you everything: who I am, my motives, and the truth behind the

Blood Queen…"

And with sadness in her eyes, Mary begins her tale.

Mary was once a follower of Elisabeth the Blood Queen.

This was back in the era when vampires ruled the night. At the time,

Elisabeth held great power, even for a Progenitor.

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Vampires hunted and killed humans practically for sport. Most of them

saw humans as base livestock, and there were even some countries where

they reigned over them wholesale.

For the vampires, it was their golden age.

Elisabeth, however, couldn't stand the idea of hunting more humans than

was necessary.

Because of that, she hunted only the bare minimum she needed to survive,

refusing to take their lives in excess. There was no shortage of vampires who

opposed her methods, so despite her power, her followers numbered few.

Soon, though, the vampires entered their dark age.

The humans began hunting the vampires back, turning the vampires' era

into one of nightmares. The destruction of the vampires' capital sparked the

fire of rebellion, and the vampires' numbers dwindled in the blink of an eye.

At the time, Elisabeth and her followers ruled a small human country.

They plowed the fields right alongside the humans, fought off monsters

together, and protected their borders.

Vampires didn't look down on humans in her lands, nor did humans fear

vampires. The way they maintained that relationship was by not drinking

blood.

Without drinking human blood, vampires can't go on living.

That was the prevailing belief at the time, but by abstaining herself,

Elisabeth disproved this theory.

Progenitors' compulsion to drink blood is dozens of times stronger than

that of normal vampires. The pain she endured must have been unimaginable.

But she successfully went cold turkey through agony comparable to lopping

her own arm off. Upon seeing her resolve, her followers did the same.

Without drinking blood, the vampires gradually lost their powers,

eventually becoming no stronger than humans.

However, there were things that they gained, too.

For one, they gained the power to stay out in the sun. By giving up blood,

they became able to live in the same beautiful, sunlit world as humans.

They also gained tranquility in their hearts. By abstaining from blood and

living their lives basking in the sun's rays, their urge to drink gradually

subsided. Eventually, their dispositions were no different from humans.

Despite all that, Elisabeth the Progenitor's powers were as great as ever.

Her skin would become inflamed when exposed to the light, so she

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couldn't go outside without a thick black parasol. The only reason it didn't

instantly turn her to ash was because most Progenitors had a certain degree of

resistance to sunlight in the first place.

Also, no matter how long she went without blood, her maddening urges

never ceased.

Yet despite her agony, she carried out her life beneath her parasol just the

same as all the others. Eventually, she gathered up her followers and spoke to

them.

"Let us build a Haven here. A land where humans and vampires can live

in peace…"

And by taking in and protecting vampires being pursued by humanity, her

followers' ranks grew.

Of course, the condition for her protection was that they give up blood.

Some of them resented her for this and revolted against her. It was with a

heavy heart that she had to exile them. Some refused to comply, and those

she put down herself.

At some point, all the vampires in the world came under human attack,

and they all gathered under Elisabeth's banner.

Her population expanded, humans and vampires mingled together, and her

land prospered. She used her great powers to defend her lands, so vampire

hunters dared not enter.

The Haven she'd set out to create was a success.

She prayed everyone would be able to continue living in peace.

However, all it took was a single night for the Haven to fall.

It was the night the Red Moon rose in the sky.

Elisabeth's urge to drink grew ever stronger, so she was forced to lock

herself away in her castle.

Back then, Mary was her second-in-command, and Crimson was her third.

The two of them took turns bringing her meals, but when it was

Crimson's turn, tragedy struck.

Crimson mixed human blood into Elisabeth's food.

If she'd been at her best, she might have noticed its scent before she ate it.

Or maybe she would have eaten it but still been able to withstand her urges.

But that was the day of the Red Moon.

She had been without blood for too long, and she wasn't able to stop

herself from going on a rampage. Crimson and his followers rose up in

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unison.

Between the rampaging Elisabeth and Crimson and his men, it took them

only a few hours to slaughter every human in the country.

The vampires had seen humanity as mere livestock. There was no way

they could live side by side with them.

Elisabeth's dream, the Haven, had all been a mere fantasy.

Because Elisabeth's followers had stopped drinking blood, they were

powerless to resist, and they were slain as they fled.

Mary was the sole survivor.

In order to stop Elisabeth, she lapped up the blood of the dead. Then she

pursued Elisabeth and the others all the way out of the country.

Their fervor knew no bounds, and before the day was out, Elisabeth had

destroyed yet another small country and torn its king limb from limb.

Mary hadn't made it in time.

Elisabeth's rampage lasted a full three days, and in that time, she dealt

catastrophic blows to another three countries.

Mary found Elisabeth the night after it was all over.

Elisabeth was weeping as she gazed out on the countries she'd ravaged.

"Please, cast my ashes into the sea so I can never rise again and repeat this

mistake…," she begged, then drove her sword into her own heart.

She should have turned to ash.

But she didn't. Her blade missed the vitals ever so slightly.

Her heart stopped, and her lungs no longer breathed.

It was like she was dead.

Except she wasn't.

If Mary placed human blood in her mouth, she would instantly be

resuscitated.

Alternatively, if she gave the sword a small push, Elisabeth would

instantly turn to ash.

Mary couldn't do either.

She couldn't go against her master's will, but she couldn't bring herself to

kill her, either. Instead, she hid her eternally slumbering queen in a coffin and

vowed to protect her until the end of days.

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"It was a foolish decision. A few years after that, Crimson snatched Queen

Elisabeth away. Because I refused to drink blood, I wasn't powerful enough

to protect her. Now, he's planning on using her again. I don't know how I

could face her if I let the tragedy of a thousand years ago play out once

more…" Mary smiles sadly. "But that's everything. I'm not human. I'm a

vampire. And I'm sorry for keeping that from you…"

"It's fine. I'm no different. See, I might be one of the possessed. A few

years ago, these black bruises appeared on my back, and they just wouldn't

stop spreading. But when I looked in the mirror one day, they were just gone.

Poof. If those black bruises were the mark of the possessed, then eventually,

I'll become a monster… That's why I forced my brother to come here with

me. I wanted to get him into the Knight Order while I still can. But the

moment I looked away, the enemy snatched him… I don't know how I'll be

able to face him if anything happens to him…"

"Ah…"

The two of them are silent for a bit.

"I find it hard to believe that the Haven was really all a fantasy. Can't you

just try again?"

Claire doesn't think Elisabeth was wrong. If she can, she wants to save

her.

Mary shakes her head. "I don't want to make the same mistake again."

"I see… Well, if you're not going to save her, I will. If we kidnap her and

wait for the Red Moon to end, she shouldn't go on a rampage."

"But Claire…why go to such lengths?"

"Once this is over, we can wake her up. Then you two can talk it over."

"But…I'm certain Queen Elisabeth just wants to die." Mary looks down

in thought. All sorts of conflicts are welling up inside her.

"You won't know that till you ask. And it'd be too sad for things to just

end like this. You'd be sad, Elisabeth would be sad, and all those dead people

would be sad…"

Claire looks Mary in the eye and smiles.

Mary's eyes are filled with hesitation. Deep down, she doesn't want

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things to end like this, either.

"Your Haven wasn't just some fantasy. That's what I believe anyway.

Let's try and find an ending that has everyone smiling."

"I'm sorry…for putting such a burden on you." Mary looks back up and

nods.

"Don't worry about it. Now, let's go beat up Crimson and kidnap your

sleeping queen."

"Sounds good. And we'll make sure to save your brother, too."

Claire stops in her tracks. "I'm going to be the one to save Cid. Don't butt

in."

"Uh, okay…"

"You just back me up while I perform my beautiful, gallant rescue."

"…Understood."

With that, the two of them resume their ascent.