Chapter 6: Volume 1 - CH 4

With its high annual precipitation, Japan was a country relatively blessed with water resources. However, the J-nocideGreat Massacre caused the water and sewage service to shut down, making bathing a luxurious custom.

That’s why the existence of shower rooms in Galerie Berith’s armored train was probably the thing that moved Yahiro the most. After all, hot water came out with just a twist of a faucet. It was almost magical.

Even so, the shower booths were narrow and the partitions were thin, probably because there was no space to spare. The conversion going on in the women’s shower room could also be heard clearly through the ceiling vents.

「Wow……Rose-san, your skin is so beautiful……! You also have a slim waist!」

「You too, Iroha. I’m envious of your excellent figure. It’s so splendid……and so……detestable……!」

「……You detest it!?」

Yahiro silently continued to apply the shampoo while listening to the unreserved conversation going on between Iroha and Rose. The body of a Lazarusimmortal only healed wounds that bled to a certain degree, so the hot water gushing out from the showerhead permeated the scratches remaining all over his body.

「What did you do about bathing until now?」

「Aah…… There was a hot spring in our Home, so we didn’t have any trouble bathing.」

At Iroha’s answer, Rose opened her mouth after a short pause and said,

「A hot spring? Inside the 23 wards?」

Yeah. Or rather, the actual reason why we lived at that place was that the hot spring was there.」

「I see. So those amazing things of yours are the effect of Japanese hot springs…… I get it now.」

「Well…… W-Who knows……」

Iroha gave a vague reply to Rose’s strangely serious mutter. It was hard to imagine that this was a conversation between a Spirit Beast tamer and an arms dealer’s executive. While thinking about what that ‘amazing’ referred to, Yahiro finished washing his entire body and reached for the bath towel.

Right after that, the door to the shower room opened and someone came rushing inside.

“Yahiro Yahiro! Is the water temperature okay? Do you know how to use the shower?” 

“Whoa, Giulie!? Why did you come here!?”

The swing door connecting to the shower booth was as high as Yahiro’s shoulders. The short-statured Giulie tiptoed to show her face above that door and said,

“I’ve brought you a change of clothes. While I was at it, I thought I’d do a body check too. Hoho…… This is quite……!”

“Hey, where the hell are you looking!?”

Yahiro unconsciously stiffened under Giulie’s wicked gaze. As he vaguely knew that she had come to ascertain whether he had healed or not, he unnecessarily put his guard up. However, since he had a bath towel wrapped around his waist, there was no need for him to be that nervous.

“You mean it’s fine if I touch it too?”

Saying that, Giulie started touching the muscles of his arms.

“I never said that!”

“Now now, it’s fine, isn’t it?”

「──Yahiro, what are you making Giulie do!?」

「Wait, Rose-san! You can’t enter the men’s bath dressed like that!」

Since Yahiro could hear the conversation going on in the women’s shower room, it was no wonder that his and Giulie’s conversation was also heard by the other side. While listening to Rose’s unusually emotional yell and Iroha’s scream, Yahiro looked up to the ceiling, feeling fed up.

“It was great that we got to use the shower, right?”

While walking down the aisle of the armored train, Iroha said in a cheerful voice.

She was probably troubled by the sweat that covered her before as they had spent an entire night trying to escape without rest. Staring at her own appearance reflected on the observation window, she was in unusually high spirits.

“Well, it was nice that they lent us a change of clothes.”

Next to Iroha, Yahiro said in a curt voice. He was feeling a bit uncomfortable since he had remembered the conversation between her and Rose, and he got strangely conscious of the smell of soap drifting in the aisle.

However, oblivious to his feelings, Iroha closed the distance between them and said,

“Yeah. But, don’t you think this uniform is a bit too revealing.”

“It’s not any different from the outfits you wear during your streams.”

“T-That’s because they are cute……!”

The uniform she was wearing matched that of the twins and had a high degree of exposure around the shoulders and chest.

The twins claimed that it was because it made it easier to move during a fight, but Yahiro suspected that its true purpose was for them to take advantage of their looks and gain an upper hand during negotiations. Iroha’s current appearance was the result of that.

“Well, it looks cool, so why not? It’s summer after all, and it doesn’t really look out of place.”

“You’re right. Yeah. If you think it looks good on me, then I guess it’s fine.”

“I never said that though……”

While being amazed at Iroha’s mysteriously high self-esteem, Yahiro stopped trying to retort any further. The reason being it was true that he thought it looked good on her.

Opening the door connecting two cars of the train, both of them moved to the next car.

The car they entered had been turned into a stylish diner-like free space, something that didn’t suit the rugged armored train. It was a lounge car for taking breaks. The operators who were enjoying themselves with analog games noticed the two of them and went “Oooh”, raising cheers. Yahiro was a bit puzzled by the unexpected welcoming mood.

“Yahiro! Look at you! You look surprisingly lively!”

“Josh…… Wei-san…… So you guys were safe too.”

“Yup. By the way, this Yáo Guāng Xīng, ain’t it amazing? It’s a diesel-electric train with an output of 4,400 horsepower. With this body and armor, it has a maximum speed of 110 kilometers per hour. You see, the essence of this train is the application of the tilting system used by high-speed rail transport to suppress the recoil of the high-caliber artillery. Combined with the newly developed hydraulic brakes, this train is both heavily armored and fast. The beds are cramped, hard, and uncomfortable to sleep on, though.”

Josh started boasting about the armored train like a child in love with railways.

“This train can fight off Spirit Beasts up to Grade Ⅲ. The reason why we were able to get out of the 23 wards with the children was that this train came to get us.”

With a refreshing smile on his face, Wei Yang followed up with Josh’s explanation.

A few railway tracks remained undamaged in the vicinity of the former Tokyo Dome where Iroha and the children’s 『Home』 was. Wei and the others, who had failed in accomplishing the Kushinada capture mission and were surrounded by a swarm of Spirit Beasts, used the armored train and safely evacuated from the 23 wards. The trump card Rose referred to during the wireless transmission was probably this Yáo Guāng Xīng.

“That’s right……the children……! Can I meet them now!?”

Iroha leaned forward with a great force and asked Wei.

While being overwhelmed by her vigor, Wei gave a light-hearted nod and said,

“Those children were in a passenger car that just joined with this train. I think they should be here by now.”

As if proving his words, the door opened and a few small figures came rushing into the lounge car. They were Iroha’s siblings who were living together with her in the 23 wards.

“Mama-oneechan!”

“Iroha-chan!”

“Mamanaaa!”

They all clung to Iroha while calling her name.

“Everyone, I’m glad…… I’m so glad you all are safe……!”

Iroha also hugged the children back and started bawling. Even though she had heard that they were alright, she must have still felt somewhat uneasy until she actually confirmed it with her own eyes.

“Umm…… Ya……Yahiro-san!”

Yahiro, who was staring at the crying Iroha, was slightly surprised when his name was suddenly called. Standing there was a meek-looking girl wearing a sailor uniform, unable to hide her nervousness.

“You’re……the girl from that time……”

“Y-Yes. I’m Sashou Ayaho! Um, thanks for saving me earlier at Home!”

Saying that in a high-pitched and cute voice, the girl deeply bowed. Yahiro had saved her when she was about to be attacked by Spirit Beasts. After thinking for a while, he finally realized that she was thanking him for that time.

“Ah, well…… I’m glad you’re okay.”

Yahiro, who hadn’t experienced someone thanking him for a long time, couldn’t come up with words on the spot. However, at his incoherent reply, the girl who introduced herself as Ayaho smiled bashfully.

But at that moment, Yahiro’s body froze as he felt a gaze filled with strong killing intent on him.

That gaze belonged to Iroha. Yahiro felt the strong meaning behind it saying, I won’t forgive you if you do something insolent to my precious sister. At the same time, that gaze also meant I also won’t forgive you if you make her sad.

What should I do then?, Yahiro thought. While he was grimacing over that, another child showed his face over Ayaho’s shoulders. He was a boy around 10 years old and had a beautiful face that could be mistaken for a girl’s.

“Aya-chan, who is this person? Is he the one that spent the night with Iroha-chan?”

The boy said with a teasing smile on his childish face. Eh. Ayaho’s face turned red as she became speechless.

“Wha…… Kiri! What are you saying……!?”

Iroha got extremely flustered. Watching her behavior, Josh and the others burst out laughing. Nothing happened between us so there’s no need to get flustered, thought Yahiro but he didn’t say it out loud since it would have the reverse effect.

“Hmmm, your looks are passable.”

The girl standing next to Yuki stared at Yahiro as if evaluating him. She looked younger than Ayaho, around the upper grades of elementary school. She seemed to be a beautiful, strong-willed girl.

“Kiri, you shouldn’t tease someone older than you. Rinka, you too. Stop being rude.”

A gentle-looking boy intervened between his siblings out of concern for Yahiro.

“Mama-oneechan, what does spending the night together mean?”

“What does it mean~?”

The other young boys and girls turned their innocent gaze towards Iroha and asked, to which her eyes wandered helplessly. She seemed to be asking for help but Yahiro pretended to not notice it.

As he was ignoring her, he felt a tug on his left arm.

When he looked at who it was, his eyes met with those of a small girl.

A little girl, who looked to be the youngest among Iroha’s siblings, was holding Yahiro’s hands and was staring at him. Her mysterious eyes seemed to suck him in.

“…………”

“I-I’m sorry, Yahiro-san. Runa, let go of Onii-chan.”

Ayaho called out to her sister in a hurry.

“How unusual. It’s rare for Runa to get attached to someone like this.”

“Perhaps he likes little kids?”

The strong-willed girl called Rinka and the young Kiri voiced their thoughts.

Hearing that, Iroha’s eyes opened wide in shock and she said,

“Yahiro, is that true!?”

“Don’t go taking them seriously!”

Yahiro shouted back, feeling fed up.

Not even three minutes had passed since they met up with the children, but he was already as tired as if he had been fighting Spirit Beasts for an hour. His respect for Iroha, who had taken care of the children up until now, increased a little. And then,

“Mamana Iroha.”

Paora, who had entered the lounge car a little late, called out to Iroha.

“Y-Yes!”

At her voice that lacked intonation, Iroha straightened herself, feeling nervous.

However, Paora’s expression was gentle. An opened ammunition box was placed near the tall girl’s feet. Poking out from it was a pure-white furball as big as a medium-sized dog. It was a mysterious creature that couldn’t be identified as a wolf or a small bear──A Spirit Beast.

“Do you know this child……?”

“No……way……”

Iroha fell to her knees on the spot. The white Spirit Beast came flying out from the ammunition box, which was used as a carry bag, and rushed towards her.

“……Don’t tell me, Nuemaru? Are you Nuemaru!?”

Catching the Spirit Beast in her arms, Iroha shouted. The Spirit Beast wagged its bushy tail in agreement. Yahiro watched that with furrowed brows. Looking closer, he could find slight traces of that giant lightning beast in this furball.

“By Nuemaru……are you talking about the Spirit Beast from that time?”

“That’s right. Though……he’s now tiny……”

It was Paora that answered Yahiro’s question.

The lightning beast had taken RMS’s shelling head-on and appeared to have died, but it seems like it reconstructed itself using the scattered flesh and survived. It was weird for a Lazarusimmortal like Yahiro to say, but the creatures known as Spirit Beasts were beings that existed outside of common sense.

“I’m so glad……you’re alive…… Yahiro, look…… Nuemaru is aliveee……!”

“I get it…… I get it so don’t cry……! Or rather, stop clinging to me……!”

Without a care for their surroundings, Iroha started sobbing like a child and clung to Yahiro. He had no choice but to watch in resignation as his new uniform got sticky with tears and snot.

Ayaho stared at both of them in shock. The other children too looked at them with deep interest, and Josh, for some reason, had also started crying and was wiping his tears.

Rose, who had entered the lounge car at such bad timing, looked at Yahiro with a cold gaze and said,

“So you made her cry again, Yahiro?”

“What do you mean by again!? I didn’t do anything!?”

Yahiro desperately tried to object to Rose’s false and rash accusation.

“Now now, let’s leave that aside and eat something. I’m starving, you see.”

Giulie, who was the last one to appear in that chaotic atmosphere, said in her usual leisurely attitude.

Her words made Yahiro and Iroha look at each other. It had been nearly an entire day since he had a decent meal, aside from the few snacks and preserved food procured from the ruined convenience store. Iroha should also be in the same situation. As soon as they became aware of that, they started feeling really hungry.

“I’ll explain it to you while we eat. I’m sure you’re curious about it. The dragon, I mean.”

Giulie said while smirking.

Yahiro and Iroha had no choice but to nod.

The Berith twins invited Yahiro and Iroha to an open, glass-covered observation deck that didn’t match the armored train.

Four people’s worth of food had been prepared on top of a table in the center of the deck.

The ingredients themselves looked nothing luxurious. However, Yahiro and Iroha went speechless as soon as they saw the dishes.

“Yahiro, is that……”

“That’s definitely……Japanese food.”

Yahiro gave his affirmation to the baffled Iroha.

Yakizakana, Dashimaki tamagoyaki, and miso soup along with triangular rice balls wrapped in crispy nori. There was also Konbu Tsukudani and two slices of Takuan── The dishes lined up on the lacquered tray were unmistakably Japanese breakfast.

“You see, our head chef Shin-san has mastered cuisines from all over the world.”

Giulie said with a triumphant look while staring happily at the surprised Yahiro and Iroha.

“That’s because I had been living in Japan before the J-nocideGreat Massacre.”

Saying that, an Asian man in a chef coat brought cups filled with Japanese tea.

Majority of the people of foreign nationalities living in Japan before the J-nocideGreat Massacre lost their lives when it began. On the other hand, a lot of people also managed to barely escape to other countries. The head chef Shin, employed by the Beriths, was probably one of them.

“It’s……delicious……”

Taking a bite of a rice ball, Iroha said in a teary voice.

“I’m glad to hear that. We have plenty so please enjoy yourselves.”

Saying that, the head chef smiled in satisfaction and bowed.

After waiting for him to leave, Yahiro turned toward the twins.

“You guys are treating us quite well, huh?”

“Of course. It’s our duty as your vassals, My Lord.”

Rose replied with a composed face and sipped the miso soup.

With her mouth filled with rice balls, Giulie reached out to the edge of the table and said, “Ah, pass me the shoyu, My Lord.”

“Like I said, what’s with this ‘My Lord’ thing?”

“Are you two fooling around?”, Yahiro asked with a frown.

“I think we’ve told you it’s about the dragon-slaying hero.”

Rose met his angry gaze with a cool expression.

Is that supposed to be sarcasm? Yahiro’s mouth twitched as he felt unpleasant.

“I haven’t killed the dragon.”

“We know. That’s why please do so. Kill all of the dragons, I mean.”

Rose replied with an unchanging expression.

Her nonchalant words made Yahiro raise an eyebrow.

“All of……the dragons?”

Rose assented to his question with a nod.

“On the day J-nocideGreat Massacre began, more than one dragon was confirmed to be present in the skies above Japan.”

“Eh……?”

“It’s estimated that a total of eight dragons made an appearance that day. 『SuperbiaEarth Dragon』──Narusawa Sui is only one of them.”

“I’ve never heard such a thing……”

With a trembling voice, Yahiro stared into Rose’s eyes.

He had witnessed only a single dragon that day. It was the rainbow-colored one summoned by Sui.

Yahiro didn’t know about the existence of other dragons. He had never heard of them. The possibility of 『dragons』 other than Sui being involved in the J-nocide never occurred to him.

“That’s natural since it was being concealed.”

She replied with a cold attitude as if to say, Don’t make me tell you such an obvious thing.

“All the eye-witnesses died after all. There might be some exceptions like you, though.”

Giulie shrugged with the tail of a grilled fish in her mouth.

Yahiro stared at the two of them without saying anything.

There was more than just one dragon──He remembered hearing the same thing just recently.

Iroha had also said those words in his dream.

Right after she declared that, her body was covered by flames, reviving both Yahiro and her, who were on the brink of death.

“What exactly are dragons?”

Iroha softly muttered. Her voice felt feeble and unreliable, as if it were from a different person than her usual self.

“That question is the same as if you ask, ‘What is god?’”

Rose let out a quiet sigh. Blinking in confusion, Iroha asked,

“……God?”

“Since ancient times, many gods and dragons were one and the same. For example, Quetzalcoatl and Nüwa, the creator gods. Or existences like Ananta or Jörmungandr, who were the world itself…… Dragons bring forth a new world, and then are killed by heroes── They are beings destined to have that ending.”

“Beings that are killed by……heroes?”

Iroha hugged her shoulders as her voice trembled with fear.

That’s right, Rose nodded in response and slightly raised the corner of her lips.

“Therefore, dragons no longer exist in this world. If the dragons who were supposed to have perished appeared in this world, then they would be Maroudo[1]──visitors that came from a different world.”

Rose turned a meaningful look towards Yahiro.

“That’s why they must be killed by the hands of the new hero we will create.”

“──Is that why you told me of Sui’s whereabouts?”

Yahiro sighed unhappily while chewing on a rice ball.

Rose had told him to kill the dragons.

It made sense for her to inform him of Sui’s whereabouts to get that wish of hers fulfilled.

The information that there were dragons other than Sui had definitely surprised Yahiro, but conversely speaking, that was the only unexpected part. It didn’t change what he had to do.

“Wait. How are the dragon and Sui-san related?”

Iroha forcibly interrupted Yahiro’s question and asked. After thinking for a moment, Rose seemed to prioritize giving her a reply first. Taking a sip from the teacup she was holding with both her hands, she opened her mouth.

“Dragons need a vessel in order to manifest in this world.”

“A……vessel?”

“Saying a sacrificial priestess would be easier to understand.”

Iroha gave an understanding nod at her explanation. A female that not only just served the gods but was more of a primitive existence that also served as an offering to them── That was what Rose meant by a vessel.

“Take the maidens abducted by the evil dragon Balaur for example. Or the nameless Libyan princess. Priestesses that are treated as sacrifices often make an appearance in dragon legends all over the world.”

The blue-haired girl took her time explaining.

Yahiro slightly frowned as he remembered the twins referring to Iroha as Kushinada. Kushinadahime was the name of a girl from Izumo who was also going to be offered as a sacrifice to a dragon.

“Looking at it from a different perspective, the dragons could be seen as beings summoned by the priestesses. It means that dragons first appear in human form. Just like you──Mamana Iroha.”

Rose coldly stared at Iroha, making her gasp.

“M……Me?”, she asked in a choked voice.

“It wasn’t as if you were unaware, right? Did you think a normal human being could order the Spirit Beasts around?”

“Well……that’s……”

Iroha’s gaze wandered around, feeling troubled. In a way, it was an obvious reaction. Even Yahiro would’ve acted the same way if someone suddenly called him a dragon.

But somewhere in his mind, he was also convinced.

Just by being at Iroha’s side, Yahiro’s body, which had fallen into the sleep of death due to excessive bloodshed and exhaustion, recovered at an unprecedented rate. When he directly bathed in her blood, even his ability as a Lazarus dramatically improved, and he displayed an unusual strength.

That strange phenomenon was explainable if Iroha was the same as Sui.

It explained why the body of Lazarusimmortal Yahiro got after bathing in the blood of a dragon priestess had gained more strength. It was because he had bathed in the blood of a similar dragon priestess──

However, that wasn’t Iroha’s fault. She had no reason to bear the responsibility for that. There was a clear difference between her and Sui, and Yahiro was aware of that fact.

“Our contract was supposed to end after I retrieved Iroha, right?”

Finishing his meal, Yahiro clasped his hands together and looked at the Berith twins.

The job Yahiro undertook in the beginning was to guide Galerie Berith to Kushinada’s dwelling. It had gradually turned into something troublesome as to escape the 23 wards with Iroha, but Yahiro didn’t remember signing up for anything more.

Rose nodded and narrowed her eyes mischievously.

“It seems like……there’s no need for the reward anymore.”

“Raimat International is holding Sui captive, right?”

“That’s right. She is currently in the former JGSDF base located in Saitama──which is now the headquarters of Raimat’s Japanese branch. We’ll arrive there in approximately two hours.”

“──!!? Is this train heading towards Raimat’s base?”

Yahiro’s eyes widened in shock. It seemed like after annihilating RMS’s main force, Galerie Berith’s armored train was heading for Raimat’s base of operations without a break.

“We did have to take a long detour since going through the 23 wards would’ve been dangerous even for us.”

Rose muttered uninterestingly.

“So your objective is to crush Raimat?”

Yahiro scowled at her.

As the private military company affiliated with Raimat had been annihilated, its military strength had drastically declined. The twins seemed to have planned a surprise attack before they got the chance to recover. There was nothing wrong with that strategy itself. 

However, Yahiro’s objective was not the destruction of Raimat, but to kill his sister who had changed into a dragon. He felt unpleasant for being used to crush Galerie’s business rival.

As if to dispel his doubts, Rose shook her head with a smile.

“Certainly not. Those people aren’t even worth that effort.”

Yahiro felt a chill seeing the bottomless emptiness in her eyes.

There was no lie in her words. For Rose, Raimat International was like a stone lying on the road that just happened to get in her way, which was why she would kick it away. Yahiro now understood that.

“Yahiro, don’t you wanna kill Sui-chan?”

Giulie stared at him with an amused smile.

“That girl is a vessel for a dragon, and we want you to kill the dragon. Don’t you think fate brought us together?”

“What kinda fate is that……!”

Yahiro shot back angrily. However, even if he reflexively denied it, he had no choice but to accept the fact that their interests were aligned. He needed Galerie Berith’s cooperation to reach Sui, who had been captured by Raimat.

“If not, will you be satisfied if we call this negotiating?”

Rose calmly rephrased her words. Yahiro was confused at her sudden proposal.

“Negotiating?”

“That’s correct. Galerie Berith will offer Narusawa Yahiro and Mamana Iroha all the support they need. In exchange, we will have you two kill the dragons── Think of it as the sponsorship deals athletes get.”

“W……Wait a sec, what do you mean!? Isn’t this completely wrong!?”

Iroha cut into the conversation in a fluster.

“Or rather, didn’t you just nonchalantly include my name too!?”

“……Is there any problem?”

“Of course! More like, there are nothing but problems! Yahiro, you too! Why are you talking about killing your sister as if it’s a matter of course!?”

Iroha glared at Yahiro.

Yahiro turned away from her and looked out of the window. He then spat out as if muttering to himself.

“I can’t ignore Sui. I’ll kill her, whether or not it’s what these people want.”

“Like I said, why!?”

“Because she is the one that caused the J-nocideGreat Massacre.”

“──!!?”

Iroha was taken aback and stopped moving.

J-nocideGreat Massacre was neither a natural disaster nor an accident. Narusawa Sui had wished for a massacre. For that purpose, she had turned the capital city of Tokyo into ruins and killed all the Japanese.

“Can you still forgive her? If we let her go, she’ll repeat the same thing again and again.”

“What happened……? Why does Sui-san resent this world……?”

Iroha stared straight at Yahiro without blinking.

Yahiro didn’t give a reply. “It would’ve been better if that were the case,” he just muttered quietly.

“I’ll be the one to kill Sui.”

Turning to face the Berith twins again, he resolutely declared.

“It doesn’t concern Iroha. So leave her out of this.”

“Wowww……Yahiro, you’re so kind~……”

Giulie whistled and cheered like a grade-schooler, making Iroha blush.

Yahiro’s face also turned red and he glared at the orange-haired girl.

“That’s not it! She would just get in my way!”

“We also don’t want to involve Iroha-chan, but if we don’t, she’ll get killed. You see, Raimat is not the only one after priestesses of the dragons.”

Giulie lightly shared some precious information without breaking her cheerful expression.

Worrying about the shocked Iroha, Yahiro’s mouth twisted in irritation.

“What would someone gain by killing her?”

“Since time immemorial, many dragon slayers acquired the dragon’s treasure by carrying out that great feat.”

“……Treasure?”

Is it like the drop items of an RPG? he thought with an awkward smile.

However, as if not understanding the reason why he was smiling, Rose slightly tilted her head.

“That’s right. It is the proof of a dragon slayer──The 『Regaliasymbolic treasure』. Think of it like the golden ring stolen by the hero Sigurd, or the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi obtained by Susanoo no Mikoto.”

“So is that treasure the true objective of Galerie Berith?”

Yahiro thought that he understood their motive.

Leaving aside the golden ring, even Yahiro knew that the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi was a sacred treasure handed down in the imperial family since ancient times. It was easy to guess that they possessed tremendous value as works of art. There was no way that the girls, who called themselves art dealersgalerie, would let go of such valuable items.

Killing the dragons and obtaining the Regaliatreasures──If that was the true objective of Galerie Berith, he felt like he understood why they were willing to lend him a hand.

Rose didn’t deny his conjecture.

“I don’t care if you take it that way. Even if it’s called a treasure, it’s not something tangible.”

“Eh?”

Yahiro was slightly taken aback by her words. The logic of obtaining something without a form didn’t ring any bells for him.

As if to clear his doubts, Rose pointed out towards the window of the running train──in the direction of the 23 wards.

“For example, it is speculated that the giant hole in the center of the 23 wards, from which Spirit Beasts gush out, was created by Narusawa Sui’s Regalia──【Hollow】”

“……So that’s……what a Regalia is……”

A chill ran down Yahiro’s spine.

All the doubts he harbored were cleared as if pieces of a puzzle coming together.

He now understood why countries from across the globe were sending large numbers of armed forces into the Japanese archipelago, which was uninhabited due to the J-nocideGreat Massacre, or why a large number of private military companies were scrambling to get their hands on Iroha.

If the dragon’s treasure was a weapon that held enough power to easily destroy a country, then their actions were inevitable.

The reason why Giulie had declared that Iroha’s life would be targeted was now obvious.

She was a Japanese survivor who could freely wield a dragon’s authority. There was no way humanity would leave such an existence unchecked.

It would be good if they got her hands on her first. If not, they would have no choice but to kill her before any other power obtains her── All of them were probably thinking this.

That’s the reason why the Berith twins had told Yahiro that they want him to kill all the dragons.

“You said that there were eight dragons, right?”

Yahiro asked with a dry voice.

The girl with orange highlights nibbled on a dried pickled plum and closed her eyes due to the sourness.

“Yeah. But it’s not like the appearance of all dragons has been confirmed, though.”

“Sui is the only one I’ll kill. I don’t care about the rest.”

“That’s fine. For now, at least.”

Giulie laughed happily with tears in the corners of her eyes.

“The contract is established then. Now, let’s seal it with a pinky promise.”

“……Why that?”

Looking at Giulie who held out the pinky finger of her right hand, Yahiro was a bit taken aback.

“Huh?” she exclaimed while tilting her head curiously. “Isn’t this what the Japanese do during a deal?” 

“No…… Well, you’re not……wrong?”

Overwhelmed by her momentum, the confused Yahiro intertwined his pinky finger with hers.

Iroha stared at the scene with a complicated expression.

“What about you, Mamana Iroha?”

Looking at her, Rose asked.

With her large eyes wavering, Iroha nodded once as if she had made up her mind, and agreed to the contract while facing the girls who had the name of the demon Berith.

“──What do you mean you can’t cooperate?”

Inside the tactical operations center of Raimat’s Japanese branch, Hector Raimat raised his voice facing the communications monitor that had a rough resolution.

Displayed on the monitor was the head of the Japanese branch of D9s, a major military corporation. The Count was currently negotiating with D9s for borrowing operatorscombatants from its private military division.

“I mean exactly what I said, Count. Our troops have been sent out to Sendai city to exterminate Spirit Beasts, so we don’t have enough forces to spare for the protection of your corporation. However, if you can wait for about two weeks, calling additional operators from our home country is possible.”

The branch head of D9s explained in a businesslike tone. His words were courteous, but it was plain to see that he had no intention to do so at all. He was politely trying to refuse the Count’s request.

“Raimat will shoulder the penalty for abandoning the mission, so can’t you send the troops you dispatched to the former Sendai city over to us right now?”

Suppressing the anger welling up inside of him, the Count continued.

D9s was a corporation made up of nine different international military companies. It had a large amount of personnel, especially in the private military division, making its military force rival that of superpowers.

Naturally, it wasn’t as if Raimat International was lacking compared to them in financial strength. However, the size of the companies didn’t matter in this situation.

Dispatched to the 23 wards, RMS’s main force was annihilated. It had been crushed by Galerie Berith. As a result, Raimat’s military force was more lacking than ever.

If they were attacked by other private military companies, the current Raimat wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight. They had to replenish their forces before that happened. Securing more operators was a matter of the highest priority.

The reason why they reached out to D9s was that they had been counting on D9s’ abundant military strength.

However──

“I’m afraid you’ll have to pardon us for that, Count. The Canadian army, which is ruling over the Miyagi area, is a valuable client of ours.”

The branch head of D9s turned down the Count’s offer.

His superficial argument was quite reasonable, and the Count had no idea how to refute it. The branch head then made a broad smile, which seemed deliberate, and further added.

“Even without relying on us, I recall Raimat International had its own unique private military division in the first place. It was RMS……I presume. Can’t you call back the main force you dispatched to the 23 wards? Well, that’s assuming there are any left──”

“You……!”

The Count boiled with rage.

D9s knew about the annihilation of RMS’s main force.

Moreover, they refused to cooperate with them. In other words, they had given up on Raimat and had taken the side of Galerie Berith.

“Well then, Count. I’ll excuse myself now. Send my regards to the twins of the Berith house.”

Leaving behind that cutting remark, D9s’ branch head cut the communication.

The Count just stood there for a while, unable to utter anything due to the humiliation.

“This means Galerie Berith……had already laid the groundwork……!”

Finally understanding the situation he was in, the Count tightened the grip on his cane.

Ranga Patna, QueenslandQ DefensiveD ServiceS, and also D9s──All the private military companies situated in the Kanto region had refused the Count’s appeal for cooperation. Galerie Berith had plotted beforehand to isolate Raimat.

Before they knew it, their plan of using the other private military companies had backfired, and Raimat was now backed into a corner. The Count could no longer hide his irritation.

“──What about the reinforcements from RMS?”

“We have requested the home country to dispatch two battalions. However, securing personnel and the means of transport is taking time, so it would take them four days to arrive at the minimum──”

“So that means we have to hold out with the remaining force till then…… La Hire…… You incompetent bastard!”

The Count clicked his tongue at his secretary’s report.

All of this happened because Firman La Hire fell for the Berith twins’ schemes and lost the main force of RMS. The Fafnir soldiers entrusted to him by the Count had also been annihilated, and he had also failed to secure Kushinada, their objective.

As a private military company, Galerie Berith’s military strength was nothing major.

Although having a select few elites might sound good, the truth was that they didn’t have much personnel and were making up for it with the quality of their operatorscombatants.

However, as of now, Raimat didn’t have sufficient forces to oppose them. RMS’s headquarters was located in Europe so it was physically impossible to call in reinforcements in half a day or so.

In contrast, Galerie Berith’s movement was fast. It probably wouldn’t even take them two hours to launch an attack on this base.

To make matters worse, they had the Lazarusimmortal with them. As long as that annoying Japanese accompanied them, stopping their invasion with the help of Fafnir soldiers wouldn’t be possible.

The Count started seriously considering the option to abandon this base and escape.

Losing the facilities of this base would be a hard blow, but with time, they could recover their strength. It would also be possible to strike back at Galerie Berith.

The important thing was the operational data of Fafnir soldiers and the priestess of the dragon, which was the raw ingredient for the F-med. As long as he had those with him, the rest could be taken care of with money.

Naturally, Gunzheit wouldn’t allow him to transport the priestess of the dragon as he pleased. However, in the worst case, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill the auditor Auguste Nathan dispatched by them──

The Count’s dangerous thoughts were interrupted by a sudden call.

“You seem troubled, Count.”

“……!!?”

The Count turned around in a panic.

A tall, black man in a suit was standing next to the Count without him noticing.

It was Auguste Nathan, the man who should’ve been in the research facility.

“Sir Nathan? What’s the meaning of this? This place was supposed to be off-limits for unauthorized persons──”

“I heard that the Fafnir soldier unit under Major La Hire’s command was annihilated. Also, the fire dragon 『Avaritia』 awakened and bestowed the regalia 【Blaze】 on the Berith house’s Lazarusimmortal.”

Ignoring the Count’s question, Nathan stated.

The intimidating air floating from his tall stature made the Count feel a vague sense of fear.

“Why……do you know that?”

“All Fafnir soldiers are her kin. There’s nothing strange in her sensing their condition, is there?”

Nathan gave an indifferent reply as if it were nothing special.

However, the Count shuddered, noticing the figure of the girl standing behind Nathan.

She was a girl with pure white hair that seemed to have lost its pigmentation.

She was supposed to be fifteen years old, but she looked much younger. Her arms and legs were thin and lacked muscles due to her long sleep. Dressed in a gorgeous gothic dress reminiscent of a western doll, she looked like a beautiful ghost wandering around a desolated old castle.

“Brynhildr…… So you had woken up, Narusawa Sui……!?”

The Count turned a frightful gaze towards her.

The girl──Sui remained silent, coldly glaring at her surroundings with her large eyes.

The staff present in the tactical operations center didn’t know her identity. However, they could all instinctively sense that she was an existence different from them. Like a pitiful prey that had encountered a giant predator, all of them stiffened and held their breaths.

“You’re lacking military force, right? Then you should be grateful. She is willing to help out.”

Nathan declared in a dignified tone.

Right after that, a huge impact shook the ground.

The space itself creaked and a violent storm blew. All the glass windows of the tactical operations center shattered, and a jet-black void, which seemed to swallow up light itself, could be seen outside.

“The regalia……【Hollow】……!”

The Count groaned.

Multiple holes, each with a diameter of around a dozen meters, were drilled into the ground of Raimat’s Japanese branch.

The inside of the holes was shrouded in darkness and couldn’t be seen. However, things started crawling out from the bottom of those holes. They were grotesque monsters that defied the biological rules of existing living creatures──Spirit Beasts.

“Do you intend on turning this place into a nest of Spirit Beasts, Auguste Nathan!?”

The Count shouted, forgetting his fears.

The existence of Spirit Beasts would certainly hinder the invasion of Galerie Berith.

However, the beasts wouldn’t just assault the invaders coming from the outside. If anything, the Count’s subordinates would be the first to be attacked.

“Stop shouting, Count. You’re in the presence of a dragon.”

Nathan arrogantly declared that and held something out to the Count. It was a liquid drug in a cylindrical syringe, much like the F-med. However, it wasn’t deep crimson but was almost colorless.

“What is this?”

“Something you were so eagerly waiting for. Unlike the imitation F-med, this is the genuine 『Dragon Blood』.”

Nathan replied to the confused Count.

Widening his eyes, the Count took the liquid drug with trembling hands. His joy could be seen in his eyes.

“The Ichor of immortality…… Can I also turn into a Lazarusimmortal with this?”

“As long as you have the qualifications, that is.”

Next to Nathan who gave a cold reply, the white-haired girl smiled faintly.

It was a beautiful and cold smile, enough to freeze all who witnessed it.

The girl then started walking without uttering a word, and the tall, black man followed her like a loyal knight that served her.

Right before leaving the room, Nathan turned around to look at the Count and warned him in an indifferent voice.

“Make your decision quickly, Count. You don’t have time left.”

With his head outside the hatch of the armored train, Josh was the first to notice the anomaly.

Raimat’s huge Japanese branch, which was built on the former site of JSDF’s military garrison and was equipped with a solid defense system, was burning, covered in black flames.

“What the hell is going on over there!?”

Keeping the binoculars pressed to his face, he raised a confused voice.

The reason behind that disturbance was clear even from a distance. It was Spirit Beasts that caused it.

Numbering more than dozens, they had appeared all over Raimat’s base and were wreaking havoc without discrimination.

“You’re telling me that’s Raimat’s Japanese branch!? Ain’t it just a den of Spirit Beasts!”

“This is quite something. It’s on par with……no, more than the 23 wards.”

Wei Yan’s expression turned grim as he looked at the video sent by the reconnaissance drone.

Yahiro silently nodded at Wei’s words. Although he was used to the 23 wards, it was his first time seeing such a large horde of Spirit Beasts crowding together. It was as if he was looking at 『PloutonionGate to the Underworld』, the origin of Spirit Beasts.

“The earth dragon 『Superbia’s』 regalia 【Hollow】…… Narusawa Sui seems to have awakened.” 

Rose, who had changed into her uniform and had armed herself, muttered with her usual lack of expression.

“You mean……Sui caused all this?”

Yahiro was surprised at what the blue-haired girl said.

Knowing that Yahiro was coming to her, Sui had released Spirit Beasts all over the place. She would definitely do something like that. It was her way of welcoming him.

“Rose…… What should we do……with the survivors?”

Paora asked in a low voice.

A lot of Raimat employees had already lost their lives after being attacked by the Spirit Beasts strutting around the base. Even now, many employees were still trying to escape from their assault.

Should we save them or leave them to die; that was the meaning behind Paora’s question to her superiors, the twins.

“Paora, take your squad and bring those who surrender back to the Yáo Guāng Xīng. Of course, don’t forget to disarm them. And Wei, you along with your squad will stay here and defend the Yáo Guāng Xīng. In any case, don’t let the Spirit Beasts get close to the tracks.”

“Roger……”

“Understood, Giulie.”

“After all, lives must be cherished,” said the orange-haired girl as she grinned while Paora and Wei gave a nod.

The tracks on which the armored train was running were less than 500 meters away from Raimat’s base. The Spirit Beasts would come rushing into the train as soon as they start engaging. Although it was unexpected, leaving behind a squad to protect the Yáo Guāng Xīng was an appropriate decision.

“Then I guess we’ll be the Princess and the Young Lady’s attendants.”

Hoisting his favorite light machine gun on his shoulder, Josh looked at Yahiro and smiled.

It seemed like for them, the twins joining the raid was a fact not even worth mentioning. And for Yahiro, being treated as one of those girls’ attendants was something he didn’t approve of. He couldn’t help but feel like he had made a wrong choice somewhere.

“What about you, Iroha?”

Ignoring Yahiro’s dissatisfaction, Rose turned to face Iroha and asked.

“This is……what a dragon’s power is capable of……? Sui-san did this?”

Looking at the video sent by the reconnaissance drone, Iroha muttered in a daze.

Destroyed facilities, people running for their lives, and Spirit Beasts indiscriminately attacking anything which moved, including their own kind.

That was without a doubt a scene straight out of hell. If the twins’ explanation was true, then it meant that a single girl—Narusawa Sui—had brought about that disastrous scene.

“I’ll also come with you.”

Postponing the decision of whether it would be alright to cooperate with Galerie Berith, Iroha declared in a resolute voice.

“Iroha.”

Yahiro couldn’t help but interject. A real battlefield awaited outside the armored train. Although Iroha was called the priestess of the dragon, she had lived her life having nothing to do with fights between humans. It wasn’t a sight the girl should see.

“If I come along, it might be possible to reduce the number of people that are being attacked by Spirit Beasts!”

However, Iroha responded without faltering, which caused Yahiro unable to argue back and fall silent.

He had witnessed her power to control Spirit Beasts multiple times in the unexplored region. If that supernatural ability of hers could be used here as well, it would make it possible to calm down a part of the Spirit Beasts rampaging in the base.

Galerie Berith no longer had the leeway to ignore such a valuable asset.

“Both Giulie and I will guard Iroha. You don’t have a problem with that, right Yahiro?”

“Suit yourselves.”

Yahiro listlessly shrugged in response to Rose’s question.

Soon after that, the steel tracks creaked as the armored train came to a stop as the vehicle transport car detached from the train. Two wheeled armored carriers burst out of the car and landed on the ground.

The door of the personnel carriers opened and Yahiro, along with the others, jumped out.

Enveloped in black smokes, Raimat’s base was just a stone’s throw away.

“──Stop. Be a good boy and don’t go that way.”

Stretching her empty hands out, Iroha called out to the Spirit Beast.

It was an unfamiliar Spirit Beast that could be called a crocodile in the shape of a borzoi, presumably belonging to the upper part of Grade Ⅱ. In front of its huge body which could be compared to that of a buffalo, Iroha’s figure seemed really helpless.

However, the Spirit Beast was the one to yield after receiving Iroha’s gaze.

“You shouldn’t attack people, understand? Stay here and protect that train.”

Complying with Iroha’s command, the Spirit Beast turned around and threatened the other Spirit Beasts, driving them away.

“That was awesome, Iroha. Guess the power of the 『Dragon Priestess』 was the real deal.”

Josh, who was on standby with his gun ready, ran up to Iroha while singing her praises.

Although he had witnessed her riding the lightning beast during their encounter at Home, this was his first time actually seeing her tame a Spirit Beast. Nevertheless, instead of fearing her, he got excited like a child, and was shouting “That was so awesome”.

“I don’t know much about it, but it sure is.”

Iroha wiped the sweat off her cheeks while nodding.

“But compared to others I’ve encountered, the ones here are a little scary. My voice doesn’t reach them unless I get really close. It seems like they are frightened and irritated, and I feel bad for them.”

“That’s because they are being controlled by a dragon similar to you.”

Rose’s short reply made Iroha gasp in surprise.

The Spirit Beasts in this base were beings summoned from the PloutonionGate to the Underworld by Sui. Even if she hadn’t directly given them an order, the Spirit Beasts were still strongly affected by their summoner’s will.

The irritation and fear were perhaps the feelings those Spirit Beasts held towards Sui.

“At any rate, I’m thankful that we can move forward without any Spirit Beasts getting in the way.”

Smiling innocently, Giulie hugged the anxious Iroha as if to cheer her up.

You are reading story The Hollow Regalia at novel35.com

“You’re right,” said Josh with his team nodding in agreement. Not a single Galerie operator was injured due to Iroha winning over each and every Spirit Beast they encountered.

On the other hand, Raimat’s guards had suffered severe damage due to Spirit Beasts coming out of the base they were protecting. As a result, Yahiro and the others managed to reach the base without having to fight them.

“Giulie, capture those from Raimat that are still alive.”

“For interrogation, right? Okay, leave it to me.”

The older twin readily obliged, kicked down the glass door, and barged into the lobby of the headquarters.

As the building’s security system was still active, the intruder intercepting sentry guns reacted to her. However, before they could aim and fire, Rose used her assault rifle to destroy and neutralize all sentry guns.

In the meantime, Giulie subdued all the guards present in the lobby. Since the guards had armed themselves with all sorts of weapons to prevent the entry of Spirit Beasts, they were quite literally helpless against the light and quick Giulie who had rushed in barehanded.

“Josh, have your team split up into two groups and keep a watch on the surroundings. As for Yahiro──”

Replacing the magazine of her rifle with practiced hands, Rose whispered to Yahiro.

“Take care of Iroha.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, but after glancing at Iroha, he understood Rose’s intention.

Iroha looked deeply fatigued. Her expression was stiff and she was short of breath.

It could’ve been due to the stress of being in the middle of a battlefield, or else the price of forcibly bringing countless Spirit Beasts under her control. However, something else seemed to be wearing her down.

And that something was most likely Sui’s existence.

If this place was Sui’s territory, then Iroha was an outsider who had stepped into it. Perhaps her instincts as a dragon were making her fear the presence of another dragon.

“I have to go and check on Narusawa Sui’s whereabouts, so I’ll leave Iroha to you.”

“Hey, Rose──”

Leaving those words behind, Rose also went inside the building. She planned to interrogate the captured guards and get some information out of them.

The reason why she left Iroha outside was probably done out of concern for not letting her witness the scene of interrogation. Making Yahiro look after her was also to keep him away from the interrogation.

It wasn’t as if Yahiro didn’t understand where Rose was coming from, but for him, it was just an unwelcome favor. Even though she left Iroha to him, Yahiro didn’t know what he should do.

“Uhh…… Iroha, are you okay?”

Yahiro awkwardly called out to Iroha, who was leaning on the armored vehicle, seeming exhausted.

Feeling a little surprised, Iroha raised her face and forced a smile.

“Thanks, Yahiro. I’m fine. But, is it okay if I lean on you a bit?”

Saying that, Iroha got closer to Yahiro and placed her head on his shoulder.

Realizing that her skin was oddly hot, Yahiro was perplexed.

And then he understood the real reason behind her exhaustion.

Yahiro, and perhaps even Rose, had misunderstood something.

Iroha wasn’t frightened or anything. It was the opposite. A fierce power was swirling inside her. And it was eagerly trying to run wild even now.

Iroha was suppressing it through sheer force of will It was so that her dragon doesn’t rampage──

Nevertheless, perhaps coming into contact with Yahiro had some sort of effect, as Iroha relaxed a bit, feeling relieved. As a result, the two of them were cuddled close together in the middle of the battlefield.

“I had a dream.”

With her eyes closed, Iroha muttered as if talking to herself.

“A dream?”

“A dream of a world somewhere far away, a world that had perished. Memories of me before I became me.”

“…………”

Yahiro silently urged her to continue. It was hard to believe that Iroha’s sudden remembrance of her dream in this situation was meaningless.

“I was probably the last remaining person in that world, and when there was no other way but to perish together with the world, a dragon appeared in front of me…… No wait, I myself was the dragon…… Sorry, but it’s kinda hard to explain.”

“Well, that’s how memories of a dream are.”

“Ahaha…… You’re right……”

Iroha made a wry smile at Yahiro’s awkward attempt at encouragement.

“And you see, I met dragons in that dream. Dragons other than myself. There were eight in total, including me. Or should I say, eight heads?”

She had met Sui in a dream── Yahiro remembered her saying the same thing before.

“I don’t know why, but at that time, I realized right away that they too were the last survivors of their own worlds.”

Iroha’s body, which was touching Yahiro’s, shrank as if she were frightened.

The last survivor of a ruined world. An overwhelming eternal solitude. Yahiro had already realized that it scared Iroha to a strange extent.

“Dragons bring forth a new world── I remember Rose-san saying that before. It’s possible that we have been given a chance to do things over. The world that once ended up getting destroyed, there’s a chance we might be able to remake it once again……!”

Her quiet monologue had now turned into a feeble cry.

“However, if there are eight dragons but only a single world──the other dragons would become a hindrance. If there are others that possess similar powers, I won’t be able to create the world I desire!”

“Is that why dragons are killing each other?”

“Yeah, maybe……”

Iroha put her trembling arms around Yahiro’s shoulder. Getting her breaths under control, she somehow managed to continue speaking.

“But I don’t agree with that. Destroying this world using a dragon’s power, then turning it into a world they want…… I don’t wanna accept that.”

“Is that so……”

Yahiro gently placed his hand on the anguished Iroha’s head, just like he used to do for his little sister in a distant past he could no longer recall.

“Then, isn’t it fine like that?”

“Huh?”

Yahiro’s reply, which could be taken as an irresponsible one, caused Iroha to let out a discouraged voice.

However, he continued without care.

“That’s just what happened in a dream, right? Then there is nothing wrong with you doing whatever you want.”

“Well, you’re not wrong but……”

“If the other dragons get in the way of that, I’ll at least stay by your side and protect you.”

Averting his eyes from Iroha who was staring at him from a close distance, Yahiro brusquely muttered.

From the corner of his eye, he could see her eyes go wide as saucers.

“Yahiro……!”

“However, that’s──”

“After we stop Sui-san, right? I know that. After all, I can’t let this go on……!”

Iroha bit her lips and slowly looked around.

The battle around the base was coming to a conclusion. A part of Raimat’s staff managed to escape outside the base, while the rest were preyed upon by the Spirit Beasts. On the other hand, many Spirit Beasts also died due to the desperate struggle put on by the guards and the armored train’s bombardment. Numerous corpses were lying around the base, and the stench of spilled blood was strong.

It was Sui’s malice that brought forth this scene.

And Iroha was feeling responsible for not being able to stop her as a fellow dragon priestess──

“Iroha.”

“Eh……?”

Suddenly grabbing Iroha’s shoulders, Yahiro pushed her away.

Since she had entrusted all her weight to him, Iroha lost balance and stumbled. When she raised her eyebrows while complaining and glared at Yahiro, her expression froze.

Breaking through a window on the 3rd floor of the headquarters, something had jumped down.

Falling from a height of over ten meters, that grotesque figure landed on its feet. It was a humanoid monster with its entire body covered in crimson scales──the characteristics of a dragon.

“A Fafnir soldier!?”

“So they showed themselves……”

While Iroha had her eyes open wide in horror, Yahiro quietly drew the Katana he was carrying.

Brandishing his fiendish claws, the dragonman glared at Iroha and roared.

Meanwhile, new Fafnir soldiers started appearing one after another.

The scraps of cloth covering their bodies weren’t from the uniforms of operatorscombatants but were the remains of the suits that common employees wore. Raimat’s employees had used the F-med to put up a fight against the Spirit Beasts that had appeared out of the blue.

There was no sign of human intelligence left in their fiercely shining eyes. Unlike the operatorscombatants that were accustomed to battle, it seemed like the F-med made normal people lose their reason and go berserk.

“Go and hide, Iroha!”

Yahiro held up his katana without taking a particular stance.

It was the named katana he had received from Rose──『Kuyou Masakane』. Although the katana’s mountings had broken during the fight with RMS, they were remade using a 3D printer inside the armored train. As a result, it now had a futuristic exterior, unbefitting a Japanese sword. But for Yahiro, the looks didn’t matter as long as he could slash his opponents with it.

“……So fast!?”

Witnessing the speed of the Fafnir soldiers that rushed in to attack without warning, Yahiro’s face turned grim. Although they had used the same improved Mod-3, compared to Firman, these Fafnir soldiers were showcasing bizarre agility. Even if Yahiro hadn’t actually measured it, their physical strength amplification too seemed to have gone up.

However, that didn’t mean the efficiency of the F-med had improved.

One of the Fafnir soldiers hit the armored car, which could handle even a shot from an anti-material rifle, and caused a huge dent in it. However, his right arm was crushed due to the backlash. Unable to endure their own movements, the knees and ankles of the Fafnir soldiers were repeating a cycle of breaking and regenerating.

“This is, Sui’s doing……!”

Realizing the cause of the Fafnir soldiers’ abnormality, Yahiro ground his teeth.

Supposing the F-med was made using Sui’s blood, it wouldn’t be strange for the Fafnir soldiers that had used it to be affected by her. Just like with the Spirit Beasts summoned by her, her influence, which had spread all around the base, was amplifying the aggressiveness of the Fafnir soldiers.

“……Tch!”

Feeling extremely frustrated, Yahiro slashed deeply into the legs of the Fafnir soldiers.

Although they had been strengthened, the Fafnir soldier’s regeneration ability hadn’t increased. They would stop moving if they received an injury that reached the bones. However, it also meant that there was no other way to incapacitate them without killing. In front of the large number of Fafnir soldiers that came attacking, Yahiro was forced to fight while avoiding their vitals and was driven to a corner.

Is there no other choice but to use Lazarus’ blood and kill them?

For an instant, such doubts crossed his mind. However, he shook off those thoughts.

Unlike the ones he encountered in the 23 wards, these people were non-combatants.

Turning them into Fafnir soldiers and having them killed by him──He realized that it was what Sui wanted.

“Yahiro, step back──!”

Hearing Giulie’s voice in the middle of the melee, Yahiro chose to believe in it and jumped backward.

Right after that, a silver, glittery veil spread in front of his eyes.

It was actually a cast net made up of thin steel wires, reminiscent of spider silk. Giulie had managed to stop the horde of Fafnir soldiers by firing that net, which had been compressed to the size of a hand grenade.

“This prototype was developed to capture Spirit Beasts, but it seems like it works on these people as well.”

Rose, who had returned from the building, said in an impassive voice.

The anti-Spirit Beast steel wires didn’t break even with the physical strength possessed by the Fafnir soldiers. In fact, the more they struggled, the more they got entangled, restricting their movements further.

The few that had managed to escape from the net had their legs shot down by Galerie’s operatorscombatants. It seemed like the Fafnir soldiers that had appeared inside the building were dealt with in a similar fashion.

“Are you done with the interrogation?”

Yahiro lowered his katana and asked Rose.

“No. It was no longer necessary.”

Saying that, Rose shifted her gaze to a different direction.

A person Yahiro didn’t recognize was standing on the other side of the trapped Fafnir soldiers. He was a tall, black man, wearing a high-class suit. He had an intellectual air about him, and the strong sense of intimidation he exuded made Yahiro put his guard up. A chill, unlike any other he felt before, ran down his spine.

“As expected, this is what these impromptu Fafnir soldiers can do after all. Although, I hoped they would at least make Narusawa Yahiro use his regalia.”

The man muttered in a calm but strangely well-projected voice.

The operatorscombatants of Galerie Berith all turned their guns toward that man. However, he didn’t show a sign of worry and continued to stare calmly at Yahiro and Iroha.

“Neisan Oogusu[2]…… What does Gunzheit’s agent want with us?”

Giulie called out to the man in an unusually displeased voice.

Yahiro felt a sense of discomfort at the way she pronounced that man’s name.

“Neisan?”

“──My parents became Japanese citizens before I was born. So even if I look like this, I am a full-fledged Japanese, that is, if the country known as Japan still exists.” 

The man called Nathan gave a surprisingly frank reply to clear Yahiro’s doubts, which caused him to be slightly taken aback.

With that kind of appearance, Nathan could have easily falsified his nationality. However, even if the tragic J-nocideGreat Massacre had passed, he was openly calling himself Japanese. While Yahiro respected that action, he couldn’t help but doubt that Nathan had some hidden motive behind that.

“Since when did Gunzheit start backing a particular corporation?”

Rose questioned Nathan in a strong tone. But rather than laying her anger bare, her attitude was more like a referee that was reprimanding an opponent that broke the rules.

“It’s a fact that Gunzheit doesn’t have any hostilities against Galerie Berith. Making use of Raimat was her plan, not ours.”

Nathan moved his gaze to the side.

Only then did Yahiro and the others notice the existence of a girl standing beside Nathan.

She was wearing a showy gothic dress that seemed out of place on this battlefield reeking of blood.

Her skin and hair were white as if they had lost pigmentation. Only her lips were bright red as if dyed vermillion. Her arms and legs were abnormally thin, giving her an unrealistic, fairy-like air.

Fringed with long eyelashes, her eyes were as clear as the calm surface of a lake, showing no emotions.

“Oogusu-niisama was just accompanying me in my selfish actions as my guard. You see, I really wanted to greet you all──”

Raising the hem of her skirt, the girl bowed elegantly, as if dancing.

Yahiro glared at the girl and his hand shook as he gripped his sword.

“Su……i……!”

A beastly roar escaped from the back of his throat.

Looking at Yahiro, the girl narrowed her eyes, feeling amused.

“Good day to you, Nii-sama. I’m glad to see you are still alive.”

With a voice as clear as a bell, Narusawa Sui made a beautiful and lovely smile, enough to melt those who saw it.

“Or, were you just unable to die? Like that day, four years ago──”

“SUIIIIIIIIIII!!”

Yahiro could no longer suppress his killing intent. Laying his anger bare, he kicked the ground and raised his dimly shining katana overhead.

In response to his rampaging emotions, a cracked, deep crimson armor covered his entire body. It was as if the invisible dragon’s blood dripping off his body suddenly became visible.

Simultaneously with the armor’s appearance, Yahiro’s physical abilities also rose sharply. It was a state in which the full potential of the human body was drawn out, disregarding the damage to the body. Even Josh and the others, who were seasoned operatorscombatants themselves, were astonished by Yahiro’s transformation.

However, Sui took Yahiro’s bloodlust head-on without a change in her elegant smile.

Nathan stepped out in front to hide Sui’s figure. His left arm was covered in crystals that had a metallic luster. Seeing that, Yahiro’s expression distorted.

“What!?”

His swing had been stopped by the barehanded man.

An invisible shield, which seemed like a thick wall, had formed in front of Nathan. Receiving an impact as if the power of his own attack was rebounded, Yahiro was sent flying to the back.

“Is that the extent of 【Blaze】……no, you still haven’t used up your regalia?”

With a blank expression, Nathan muttered uninterestedly while watching Yahiro as he unsteadily landed. His tone was calm as if he were an observer watching over an unusual physical phenomenon.

“That appearance…… Are you……”

Yahiro groaned while glaring at Nathan’s left arm, which was covered in a gore clad that had a white color, just like Sui’s hair.

“If you thought you were the only Lazarusimmortal, that’s the vice known as pride, Narusawa Yahiro.”

Nathan slammed the invisible wall against Yahiro, who tried attacking again.

The armor covering Yahiro’s body broke and fresh blood scattered. He tumbled over, exposing his defenseless figure.

However, Nathan didn’t follow up with an attack. His objective was only to guard Sui. His words that he didn’t wish for any hostilities were true.

But that didn’t mean Yahiro and the others would just sit back and accept it.

“Josh!”

“On it!”

Josh responded to Giulie’s sharp voice, and the operatorscombatants of Galerie Berith all pulled the trigger simultaneously. The anti-Spirit Beast high-caliber bullets discharged in full auto, rushed towards the defenseless Sui. But right before they reached her, they were obstructed by Nathan’s invisible wall.

“What the hell is that? What’s happening, milady? Should I blow it up with a grenade?”

“It won’t work, Josh. You can’t break it even with a tank gun. Since that’s the authority to block PloutonionGate to the Underworld, 『Chibiki no Iwa』──A practical application of the regalia 【Hollow】.”

Rose replied to Josh’s question.

“Hah…… So that’s a regalia! It’s even more absurd than the rumors said!”

Josh, whose light machine gun had run out of bullets, shrugged as if giving up.

According to Japanese myths, the god Izanagi had used Chibiki no Iwa to block Yomotsu Hirasaka, the pathway to the underworld. The wall Nathan used was crowned that name, and it had become a solid barrier that separated Sui from the outside world.

Yahiro couldn’t kill her even if she was right in front of him. That fact made him feel a blinding rage and irritation.

As if to ridicule him, Sui pointed her slender finger at the ground.

Immediately after that, the earth creaked.

The ground between Yahiro and the others’ feet shimmered like a haze and transformed into a foreign existence.

It had turned into a giant void filled with a jet-black lake that reflected no light.

To be precise, instead of a lake, it gave an impression of being closer to the miasma that flowed out of the bodies of Spirit Beasts.

A substance that didn’t exist in this world. It was as if nothingness itself had materialized. Yahiro and the others hurriedly jumped away from the void that encompassed all that──the new PloutonionGate to the Underworld.

The Fafnir soldiers that were trapped in the net made of steel wires got swallowed up by the void along with their screams.

As if to replace them, two Spirit Beasts appeared from the surface of the jet-black lake. One of them was a giant two-headed dog whose height crossed two meters, while the other was a pterosaur with a torso resembling that of a buffalo.

“Yahiro! Look after Iroha!”

While calling out to Yahiro, Giulie ran in front of the Spirit Beasts. A silvery steel wire came out from the tip of the gloves she was wearing. She freely controlled the movements of the steel wire like a professional gymnast as it danced in the air, and coiled it around the buffalo-headed pterosaur, restricting its movements.

In the meantime, Rose switched her weapon to an anti-material rifle she took out from the armored vehicle.

She laid down on her stomach holding the large sniper rifle which matched her height, and shot straight into the head of the Spirit Beast that had its movements restricted by her sister.

“UUOOOOOOOOOO!!”

On the other hand, Josh and his team had pinned down the two-headed dog through concentrated fire. It was probably the best course of action to take against the fierce beast that had suddenly appeared from below their feet.

However, that didn’t mean the void which spilled those Spirit Beasts out was shut. Before the two Spirit Beasts were completely neutralized, several new ones appeared at the same time.

Being summoned by Sui, their target was the defenseless Iroha, who was standing still in shock.

“Iroha……!!”

Grinding his teeth in regret, Yahiro turned away from Nathan. He abandoned trying to attack Sui, and instead, frantically rushed over to Iroha.

Watching him go, Sui’s expression turned into that of boredom.

But in the next moment, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

The Spirit Beasts that tried to attack Iroha had stopped moving and fell to their knees on the spot.

“Stop this, Sui-san!”

Now docile, the Spirit Beasts followed Iroha like retainers as she approached Sui.

“Why are you doing such a thing!? Why are you summoning Spirit Beasts and trying to destroy the world──!?”

Sui silently stared at Iroha as she desperately appealed.

Rather than being intrigued by the person in front of her, her expression was that of looking at a strange and mysterious insect.

And then she clasped her hands in front of her chest as if realizing something and started giggling.

“Aah…… You, I thought I had seen your face somewhere, but you’re that streamer. What was the name? Aeiou? No, was it Waon?”

“You know Waon?”

Iroha blinked in shock. In this situation where bullets were flying around, she never thought the topic of her streams would come up.

Seeing her surprise, Sui looked even more amused.

“Let me answer your question. Shouldn’t you also know about it? Don’t you get hateful comments whenever you stream boring videos?”

“Eh……?”

Iroha was perplexed at that unexpected question.

Sui continued while smiling innocently like a saint.

“Isn’t it fun to trample on things people hold dear? Those who think they are in a safe place, I’ll make them understand true malice. I’ll show them that peace, freedom, love, and goodwill are all meaningless.”

The white-haired girl in a gothic dress narrowed her eyes as if entranced.

“What are you……saying……?”

Iroha looked at Sui, feeling dumbfounded.

Stop it, muttered Yahiro in his mind. That conversation shouldn’t continue any longer. He shouldn’t let Iroha hear Sui’s words.

But even after knowing that, Yahiro couldn’t let out a voice.

The bloodlust released by Nathan from the back was restraining his entire body. Nathan’s attack would probably come flying the moment he turned his attention away.

That was because Nathan’s aim was to let Sui do as she pleased──

He wished for the conversation between the dragon priestesses to go on.

“Who helped the Japanese when the J-nocideGreat Massacre began? How many do you think doubted that their leaders might be wrong?”

Sui asked Iroha, who was still silent.

“No such people existed. Believing that they were on the side of justice, they looked at the Japanese with contempt, hurt them, and kept destroying and destroying and destroying till it was all irreversible!”

“Is that……why you caused the J-nocideGreat Massacre? Just to prove that……?”

Iroha turned pale at Sui’s words and glared at her.

The Spirit Beasts summoned by Sui were instilled with hostility and aggression against humans. What if that same influence extended to humans as well? What if she was able to plant murderous impulse toward the Japanese in all those who saw the dragon──

J-nocideGreat Massacre was the answer to that.

The malice of just a single girl had killed all the people of a country.

“Once they learn that their justice was wrong, what kind of excuses will they make? Will they regret being swept with the flow and taking part in the slaughter? Will they repent? Will they hide the truth and pretend like nothing happened? Or will they continue to say that they were in the right? But you see, such a thing is unforgivable. That’s because we’re the really really pitiful victims.”

Sui raised her voice and burst out laughing.

Her beautiful laugh didn’t have any hint of madness. But that’s what made it twisted and dreadful.

“From now on, it’s time for revenge. I’ll make the people of the entire world know the fear of their own destruction.”

“I won’t let you do that……!”

Sui’s laughter was cut off by Iroha’s shout.

In the next instant, Yahiro’s vision was dyed with a pale flash.

Hot winds slammed against his cheeks. Flames with heat comparable to magma spouted from the depths of the earth and started swirling around Iroha.

Those flames turned into pillars of fire that rose to a height exceeding that of Raimat’s headquarters.

The pillars turned into a flash of scorching heat and rained down on the earth.

The torrent of flames headed for the void created by Sui. It instantly burned the jet-black lake and the void filled with emptiness till nothing was left.

Yahiro blankly stared at the scene, while both Giulie and Rose slightly smiled.

Nathan’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes looked somewhat satisfied.

“My 『Hollow』 got purified……?”

Sui blinked in surprise.

Iroha’s flames were still burning, but the void made by Sui had vanished without a trace. The phenomenon brought forth by Sui’s powers had been overwritten.

“I see…… So that’s the authority of 『fire』, huh…… Ahaha, as expected, you’re quite interesting.”

Looking at Iroha who had collapsed after using up all her strength, Sui started laughing.

Unlike the vacant ones before, she had an innocent smile befitting her age. She looked like a little child that had found a partner to play with.

A strange presence surrounded Sui, to which Yahiro immediately braced himself.

She gently extended her left hand to cause another disaster.

However, that hand was quietly stopped by Nathan.

“It’s time, Sui.”

“……Are they here already?”

As if sulking, Sui pouted her lips.

Nathan silently nodded and turned his gaze slightly upwards.

“This sound……! Is that a helicopter?!”

Josh reacted to the loud sound coming from overhead and quickly looked up.

A gray military helicopter was trying to land close by. Yahiro realized that Nathan had called it to take Sui out of here.

“Yáo Guāng Xīng! Shoot it down!”

Giulie shouted into the wireless transceiver.

The distance between the helicopter and the armored train, which was on standby on the tracks, was just under a kilometer. It was easily in the range of the autocannons. However, right before the shells fired by the armored train hit the helicopter, they were all repelled as if they had hit an invisible wall.

“This is a regalia, Narusawa Yahiro. Stealing the authority of dragons, which cannot be controlled by living humans, and killing the dragons──that’s the duty of us Lazarusimmortals.”

Remember that, said Nathan.

Protected by the invisible barrier, the military helicopter boldly landed on the ground. The armored train ceased its bombardment, fearing that their allies might get hurt. Even Rose’s sniper shot, which was aimed at Sui rather than the helicopter, was stopped by a new wall created by Nathan.

Easily picking up Sui’s light body with his right arm, he stepped on the ramp of the helicopter.

“SUI!!”

Yahiro readied his katana and glared at his little sister.

He tried to recall the feeling of when he defeated Firman.

Iroha’s flames had purified the PloutonionGate to the Underworld called forth by Sui. He thought it would be okay as long as he did the same thing. If that barrier was Nathan’s regalia, then Yahiro striking it with his own would cause the both of them to cancel each other out.

However, he couldn’t move even after knowing that. The situation here was different, unlike the fight with RMS where he was absorbed in protecting Iroha.  He didn’t know how to trigger his regalia.

“Stop it, Nii-sama. Your precious comrades will get killed if you don’t stop being so persistent.”

Seeing through Yahiro’s impatience, Sui laughed as she got on the helicopter.

In the middle of the loud sound of the helicopter’s engine, those words clearly reached Yahiro’s ears.

Satisfied to see Yahiro feel shaken, Sui turned her gaze towards Iroha.” 

“Try not to get killed by the others before we meet again, Waon-chan.”

Bye-bye, she said.

Now that both Nathan and Sui were inside, the helicopter quickly started ascending.

Overwhelmed by a sense of defeat, Yahiro could only watch it as it flew off.

The sister he had been searching for for the past four years was within an arm’s reach. And yet, he was unable to kill her. Because of his failure, Sui would probably kill a lot more people in the future.

Just like how Raimat’s Japanese branch, that held her captive, had turned into a sacrifice──

With no way to vent out his anger and sense of powerlessness, Yahiro slowly lowered his katana.

Right after that, Giulie’s scream, accompanied by the sound of gunshots, rang from behind him.

Your precious comrades will get killed──

The words left behind by Sui crossed Yahiro’s mind.

Driven by uneasiness, he looked back and was dumbstruck at the scene.

Chaos was overflowing from the lobby of Raimat’s headquarters.

Spirit Beasts hadn’t caused it. Neither did the Fafnir soldiers. Instead, what Yahiro saw was a monster in the guise of a mass of moving rotten flesh that looked big enough to fill an elementary school’s swimming pool.

“Eeek, so gross! Josh, do something!”

“It’s not working, princess! No matter how much we shoot that thing, it’s not having any effect!”

Replying in a panic to Giulie, who was trying to escape that monster, Josh and his team fired blindly at it.

However, the giant mass of rotten flesh brushed aside the direct hits and began to crawl out of the building. It was unknown whether that thing could even feel pain or not. On top of that, whip-like tentacles burst out of the rotten flesh. One of them took Josh by surprise and wrapped itself around his legs.

“Guh!?”

Having his leg pulled with unbelievable force, Josh fell over. He immediately tried to counterattack but bullets weren’t enough to stop the mass of rotten flesh.

“Josh!!”

Leaping in front of the monster, Yahiro swung his katana and sliced off the tentacle that had captured Josh. Released from the tentacle right before being taken into the mass of rotten flesh, Josh rolled on the ground and let out a strange voice.

“Thanks for the save, Yahiro.”

Josh made a disgusted face and kicked aside the piece of tentacle still wrapped around his legs. Yahiro retreated with him, clearing away the tentacles that relentlessly came after them.

“What the hell is that thing anyway?”

“No idea. It suddenly appeared from the back of the building and swallowed up many Raimat employees.”

“Swallowed up……?”

Yahiro asked back with a shudder.

Eventually, the monster managed to crawl out of the lobby and revealed the entirety of its ugly figure.

Although it was hard to believe, the mass of rotten flesh had the shape of a human being.

A bulging, ten-meter tall Noppera-bō[3] which crawled on the ground── That was the monster’s real form.

There were also traces of various other creatures on the surface of its body.

The limbs of a beast, the wings of a bat, and a human face staring at the empty sky with vacant eyes. Buried under the mass of rotten flesh, they continued to writhe erratically. That abominable sight seemed like a sacrilege against all life.

“It’s absorbing the Spirit Beasts……”

Still lying on the ground, Iroha muttered in a trembling voice.

The monster was gradually moving towards her. But rather than being instinctively drawn to her, its movements were that of someone with a distinct will. Even after being reduced to a mass of rotten flesh, it still retained its fixation to obtain Iroha.

“Is that also Sui’s doing?”

Yahiro asked the twin sisters who had returned to protect Iroha.

Giulie frowned and shook her head.

“No, that’s a human who failed to become a Lazarusimmortal.”

“……That thing’s a human? Really?”

“That’s a mere shadow of a human who irreverently bathed in the 『Spirit Fluid』 of a dragon to obtain an immortal body. Am I wrong, Count?”

The last bit of Rose’s reply was directed at the mass of rotten flesh.

As if to answer that question, a face emerged from the giant head of the monster. Seeing that, Yahiro was assailed by an awful nauseous feeling. That was because he recognized that face.

「DEFINITELY NOOOOT, SIGNORINAAA BERITHHHH! AAAAND CIAOOOO! LADIES AND GENTELMENNNN OF GALERIEEEE BERITHHHH!」

The monster let out a thunderous scream.

It was the Count’s voice.

The chairman of Raimat International, Hector Raimat── The monster in front of them was the body of the Count. He was the core of the rotten flesh that continued to multiply.

“That’s……a Lazarusimmortal……?”

Yahiro was struck by an intense feeling of aggravation.

The Count’s current state was probably similar to the Fafnir soldiers who overdosed on the F-med and went berserk. However, the 『Spirit Fluid』 he bathed in was far stronger compared to F-med, enough to keep his multiplying flesh functioning.

At the same time, it also meant that Yahiro’s blood wouldn’t be able to defeat him.

If it were Spirit Beasts or Fafnir soldiers, they wouldn’t be able to withstand the reaction from the dragon’s blood and would self-destruct. However, the Count’s body was already rampaging and he was inching closer to self-destruction.

As he had bathed in the dragon’s blood of higher purity, Yahiro’s blood would probably not have an effect on him. That’s because even though he no longer retained his human appearance, he too, was a Lazarusimmortal──

「INDEED! INDEED! INDEEEEED! IT FEELS GREAAAAT…… THIS IMMORTAL BODYYYY……I FINALLY OBTAINED IIIIIIT!」

The mass of rotten flesh—that was once the Count—trembled with joy.

「WITNESSSS THIS POWEEEEER! EVEN THE SPIRIT BEASTSSSS ARE JUST FOOD TO MEEEEE! I NO LONGER HAVE TO FEAR OLD AGE, SICKNESS OR DEATHHHH! THIS POWEEEEER! THIS OVERWHELMING POWEEEEER!」

The tentacles extending out from the Count’s body indiscriminately attacked anything that moved.

In order to maintain his multiplying body, he was greedily devouring everything, whether it was humans or Spirit Beasts. The Count had taken care of the majority of Spirit Beasts that had appeared around the base.

“I really wanna leave that guy behind and run away.”

Giulie said in a careless tone.

That’s not a bad plan, thought Yahiro. Since the Japanese had died out, all that was left around the base now was just ruins. There wouldn’t be any civilian casualties even if they were to leave the Count alone.

And since the creatures the Count could devour were finite, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his multiplying body, even if he was a Lazarusimmortal. He would eventually self-destruct if left alone. There was no reason for Galerie Berith to risk their lives to deal with him.

However, Rose sighed and rejected that plan.

“If we did that, any trace of Narusawa Sui left in this base would be devoured by the Count.”

“Traces……?”

“The data concerning the experiments she was involved with, or any clues related to her escape destination. We’ll end up losing all that.”

Are you still okay with that? asked the blue-haired girl.

“Did Sui and that man turn the Count into a monster because they had anticipated this……!?”

Yahiro let out a low groan. His sister’s unfathomable malice made him dizzy. They had no choice but to kill that monster in order to pursue Sui. And if they avoided the fight, the clues necessary to follow her would be lost. Either way, Yahiro, and the others would suffer. Sui had made use of the Count’s desire to make this happen.

「DON’T WORRYYYYY! I’LL EQUALLY DEVOUR, VIOLATE YOU AAAALLLL!」

More tentacles sprouted out from the Count’s body. A part of his multiplying body flooded into the headquarters. He was planning to devour the employees still hiding inside the building. If this went on, the Count would eventually erase all traces of Sui, just as Rose had predicted.

“What should we do?”

While intercepting the incoming tentacles, Yahiro looked back at the twin sisters and asked.

The Count’s height had already crossed 15 meters and was still continuing to increase. It would just be a matter of time till the entire base was swallowed up by him. They didn’t have the leeway to take their time thinking of a plan.

“Please kill that thing.”

Rose said while staring at Yahiro. Her overly simple plan puzzled him.

“Me? Shouldn’t you be asking Iroha to do that?”

“Using a dragon’s powers is synonymous with summoning it. If worse comes to worst, we would be seeing a repeat of the J-nocideGreat Massacre.”

Rose’s words silenced Yahiro.

The figure of the dragon he had seen four years ago flashed through his mind. If Iroha used her powers as a dragon priestess, it would be the same as summoning the dragon itself. And there was no guarantee that the summoned dragon would obey her. It could consume the personality of Iroha who served as a sacrifice and unleash its powers without limit. Yahiro could easily imagine such a future.

“However, if the Count has really become a Lazarusimmortal, then he would regenerate even if a single piece of flesh remained. I can’t think of any other way to destroy that monster other than burning it to ashes. And that’s impossible for me.”

“There’s no need to burn that entire thing down.”

Giulie threw irresponsible words at Yahiro, who had calmly evaluated his capabilities.

“You see, all you have to do is destroy the Count’s soul, that is, something like the core of his existence.”

“And where is that ‘soul’ you’re talking about?”

“How would I know? Shouldn’t you have a clue, being a similar Lazarusimmortal?”

Yahiro clicked his tongue at Giulie’s half-hearted advice that relied too much on her intuition, saying, “How useless.”

Even so, some part of it still worried him. A Lazarusimmortal was able to regenerate even if the body was sliced into small pieces. Then there must be something that acts as a core for that regeneration.

Was it the brain? The heart? Or else, something like a soul actually existed──

“You think that it’s possible to destroy the Count using Iroha’s powers, right?”

Rose asked in a composed voice that seemed out of place.

“A-Ah, well…… Isn’t it so?”

There was no doubt that Iroha’s flames—that had purified Sui’s PloutonionGate to the Underworld—would be able to burn the current Count to ashes. The monster that was created using a dragon’s power would be killed using a similar dragon’s power.

“If that’s the case, then you can also do the same thing. A dragon priestess can bestow her authority—the dragon slaying regalia—upon a hero.”

Rose declared without hesitation.

The girls that are chosen as sacrifices for a dragon could bestow upon a dragon slaying hero the power to destroy dragons. It was a motif that had been repeated multiple times in mythologies. It was said that the princess of Libya had thrown away her girdle to stop the movements of the dragon, while Kushinadahime had turned into a comb to accompany Susanoo in his battles.

Of course, those were all myths. Just fairy-tales. However, in a world where dragons existed and Lazarusimmortal roamed around, Yahiro wondered how much of a difference there was between fairy tales and reality.

“But why does it have to be me? Aren’t there other people more suited to be heroes?”

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible. A dragon can only bestow the regalia upon──”

Saying that, Rose paused and brought her lips close to Yahiro’s cheeks.

She whispered into his ears in a small voice.

“────────with, after all.”

“Eh……?”

Yahiro’s eyes widened in surprise.

The usually expressionless Rose raised the corners of her lips and made a devilish smile.

Glaring at her, Yahiro showed signs of indignation and embarrassment, but also resignation and understanding.

He now knew that everything had been orchestrated by the twins and that he was unwittingly made a part of their evil scheme.

“So that’s what’s going on…… You guys planned for this right from the beginning……”

“While I’d rather have you be thankful, if you have any complaints, I’ll listen to them as much as you like later. But you understand, don’t you, Yahiro? Iroha is not the one to blame.”

“You guys are definitely going to hell.”

Feeling resentful, Yahiro squeezed out a curse. Giulie stuck out her tongue as if she was caught playing a prank as opposed to Rose, who for some reason, seemed a bit delighted and said,

“Then that means we’ll be heading for the same place as you.”

“Shut it!”

“Yahiro, what’s wrong? Is everything okay!? You know this is not a time to be fighting, right!?”

Perhaps unable to see Yahiro and Rose argue any longer, Iroha stood up unsteadily and intervened in a panic. Yahiro stared at her face with a complicated expression.

“Wh-What?”

“It’s nothing, so don’t get too close. I’ll definitely do something about that monster.”

“Ah…… O-Okay. Got it.”

Overwhelmed by Yahiro’s motivation, Iroha nodded in reflex.

Seeing the trust she held towards him in her eyes, Yahiro looked away from her, feeling guilty.

And so, he once again faced the Count.

Or to be precise, the thingmonster that was once the Count──

†

Contrary to his large and sluggish appearance, Count Hector Raimat’s thoughts were as clear as never before. His aged body was now brimming with vitality, and his fear of death was now a thing of the past.

What drove him now was an overwhelming sense of omnipotence and a thirst for evolution.

Since time immemorial, there were folklores that were as popular, if not more so, than the heroic tales of dragon slaying.

And those were stories of a human becoming a dragon.

It was said that the dragon Fafnir, which was killed by the hero Sigurd, was originally a human that transformed into a wyrm to protect the cursed gold.

The Count knew that he himself was turning into an existence that was similar to them.

He had still barely retained his human shape. Even though he had absorbed multiple Spirit Beasts, and his body had grown large enough to swallow the armored vehicles, the Count’s silhouette was still that of a human being.

But since his transformation was caused by a dragon’s ichorspirit fluid, his body would eventually turn into a dragon’s. The bizarre multiplication of his cells was just a preliminary step. It was nothing other than the state of a caterpillar before it transformed into a butterfly.

The Count wouldn’t regret losing his human form.

He had spent a long life working as a merchant of death, amassing plenty of riches and authority. He was aware that he had tasted all the pleasures he could living as a human. And when his fear of death overcame his longing for pleasure, the Count’s desire changed to transforming into an existence that surpassed humans.

And now the Count had finally obtained this body.

The body of a dragon that transcended the limits of life.

He had no interest in regalia, which could only bring destruction.

All this time, he was only after the dragon’s ichor, which could be summoned by a dragon’s 『vessel』──the priestesses chosen as sacrifice.

However, when he actually obtained the ichor and started transforming into a wyrm, the Count remembered. Immortals that could kill the dragons. He remembered that dragon slayers existed──

It’s not enough. I’m still not a true Lazarusimmortal.

He had no choice but to acquire the regalia──the treasure of a dragon that should be protected.

The moment the Count realized this, a glint of light flashed in the corner of his vision.

The monster screamed at the intense pain of his flesh burning──at the fear of death he should have forgotten.

†

“YAAAAAAAAA!! This is not working at all──!”

Swinging the katana which was shining scarlet, Yahiro spat out.

The supposedly immortal body of a Lazarus was complaining of an intense pain that foreboded mortal danger. It was the effect of the deep crimson flames covering Yahiro’s entire body.

A deep scar remained on the Count’s large body—which continued to crawl unsightly—as if a high-temperature burner had been pressed against it. It was the mark from Yahiro’s regalia, which the Berith twins had named 【Blaze】.

He had managed to use his regalia. However, it wasn’t powerful enough. He also didn’t know where the so-called soul of the Count lay.

On top of it, the recoil was more severe than he had expected. It seemed like the dragon’s borrowed authority was beyond a Lazarusimmortal’ capacity. Yahiro’s body was screaming in pain just after a single use. He didn’t think he would be able to keep on using his regalia.

「REGALIA! REGALIA! REGALIAAAAA! HAND IT OVEEEEER! IT’S MINEEEEE!」

Turning his large, wounded body, the Count approached Yahiro.

“──!!?”

Yahiro’s knees gave out right when he tried to avoid the tentacles.

Not in a time like this, he cursed. That was the sign of the sleep of death. It was the recoil from using his regalia. As his strength had suddenly left his body, Yahiro wouldn’t be able to avoid the Count’s onslaught.

“Like I’d let youuu!!”

The tentacles were destroyed one after another by the bullets fired by Josh and the others. Giulie used her steel wire to limit the movement of the mass of rotten flesh, while Rose’s anti-material rifle pierced countless holes in the Count’s face.

However, it was plain to see that those attacks were nothing more than stopgap measures.

They were only successful in gaining a few more seconds till Yahiro was swallowed up by the Count.

And what happened in those few seconds threw Yahiro into a state of panic. Iroha had rushed in unarmed and had clung to him.

“Yahiro!!”

“Iroha!? What are you doing at a time like this──!?”

Forcibly moving his body that had lost all strength, Yahiro tried to push Iroha away.

However, for some reason, she looked into his eyes and said with a reassuring smile.

“Remember what happened that time!”

“……!!”

In that instant, memories of that time—when he first used his regalia under the morning sky that glowed red as if burning—surfaced in the back of his mind.

Yahiro remembered seeing a vision of Iroha holding a flame sword and he had received it from her.

At that time, too, Iroha was sticking so close to Yahiro that their skins were completely in contact.

“Don’t worry! I’m right here by your side!”

Yahiro’s entire body was filled with strength as if those words were the trigger.

The weariness brought on by the sleep of death also vanished and an immense heat—enough to burn his body—flowed out from the inside.

Right after that, the Count’s huge body descended like an avalanche and swallowed both of them.

In order to assimilate with the two of them and gain control over the regalia, the torrent of rotten flesh and wild desire surrounded them both. However, that was exactly what Yahiro was after.

Since he didn’t know the location of the Count’s soul, it would be fine for the Count to get close himself.

If he wished to assimilate with him and turn into a single being, the Count would have no choice but to come in contact with Yahiro. The naked desire of the Count could be traced back to his 『soul』.

“Incinerate, 【Blaze】──”

The flame sword held by Yahiro bisected the soul that had become muddy with desire, together with the descending rotten flesh.

The body of the wyrmfail dragon burst open as if exploded and got engulfed in purifying flames.

Pieces of rotten flesh that were leftover crumbled, releasing miasma.

The hastily made hilt of Yahiro’s katana cracked while scattering fragments.

The incessant sound of gunfire finally stopped, and the base was enveloped in a brief moment of silence.

Catching Iroha who was about to collapse due to exhaustion, Yahiro silently looked up at the sky.

The helicopter carrying Sui could no longer be seen. He didn’t even know which direction it flew off in.

Illuminated by the lingering flames, the sky was red. It would soon be time for the sun to set.

The wind blew, making Iroha’s hair sway.

The cries of cicadas could be heard from a place far away.

Riding the wind, summer clouds slowly emerged from the western horizon.

There was no dragon in those skies.

For now, at least.

[1] An alternate reading for the word Marebito, which means ‘visitors that come from afar’ or more commonly ‘lost ones’ or ‘wanderers’.

[2] The name here was written in kanji (寧ねい山さん大おお樟ぐす) unlike the usual katakana (オーギュスト・ネイサン).

[3] The Noppera-bō, or faceless ghost, is a Japanese yōkai that looks like a human but has no face. (Source)

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