The Holy City of Lehysia. The Holy Church's headquarters lay in the middle of the Dark Core Zone.
The metropolis was twice as large as the Mulnite Imperial Capital. Just one glance at its stately architecture, replete with sharp, pointed spires, let one know this was a religious city. And in the heart of this mass of buildings, rising high as if to reach the heavens, stood the Cathedral where the Pope lived. One could see it from any point in the city. A Pope of the past had built it with the explicit aim of producing a "a castle that could touch God," and it was indeed a tall, grand structure.
The Holy City was covered in silver by December. The roofs of the churches strewn about were white with snow, and simply walking through the streets resulted in a gratifying crunch.
"What an amazing place. And it's full of people from the Church," Sakuna remarked with white breath as she walked by my side.
The streets were chock-full of people of different species, and it seemed at least 80 percent of them were related to the Holy Church, just going off appearances. Anyone who wasn't clad in vestments at least wore the religious symbol of a slanted cross struck by an arrow somewhere on their body. It felt like we were conspicuous without it.
"Let's not look around too much. The Holy Knights might be lurking somewhere," said Millicent sharply from my left.
I cast my glance down immediately. "I'm sorry."
"Geez. You need to be more careful."
"I am! I'm so desperate to be careful that I keep writing triangles on my palm and swallowing them, but it doesn't work no matter how many times I do it. Now I'm feeling full…"
"See? This is why they were able to take your maid away from you."
I couldn't say anything back. I simply couldn't keep my thoughts in order when speaking to Millicent.
Petrose and my dad had divided us into groups, like we had done during the Six Nations War. Petrose, Helldeus, Flöte, and Delphyne would stay back in the Imperial Capital to maintain our defenses, while Sakuna, Millicent, and I would infiltrate the Holy City. We weren't launching an all-out attack, though. The full one hundred-man forces of the Fifth and Sixth Units were staying back in the Imperial Capital, while my five hundred guys were to sneak into the Holy City from another route.
The goal wasn't to destroy the Holy City. It was to march into the Cathedral and negotiate with Spica to broker a peaceful agreement. All while getting Vill back.
"Ms. Millicent, shall we survey the Cathedral's surroundings?"
"The Seventh Unit's going to be doing that. We just have to get their intel."
By the way, there wasn't a checkpoint or anything at the entrance to the Holy City. They turned no one away, for that was their philosophy (at least on the surface). Still, Sakuna and I were known internationally, so we needed to be careful. It'd all be over if their army, the Holy Knights, found us. So we were
wearing hoods.
Millicent stopped all of a sudden and pointed at the entrance of a nearby restaurant.
"Caostel Conto should be arriving here. That's where we'll be sharing intel."
"Huh? Really?"
"You haven't been communicating with your subordinates? Are you even doing your job as Crimson Lord? Gosh, what a sheltered, useless vampire you are."
"I'm sorry."
"…Stop apologizing." She frowned and turned around.
I still hadn't gotten the chance to talk face-to-face with her. I wanted to have lunch together and feel her out, but I didn't have the courage to ask her for that. What did she think of me? Did she want to kill me yet again? The hazy feeling in my mind persisted as Millicent confidently stepped into the restaurant. Sakuna and I hesitated for just one second before following her.
We sat at a table deep inside the restaurant to prevent anyone from overhearing us.
My tummy grumbled the moment I sat down. I was so worked up about this whole thing that I hadn't been able to eat breakfast. In the end, no amount of triangles drawn into my palm could fill me up. I couldn't face Spica on an empty stomach, so I grabbed a menu, but the moment I opened it, I despaired at the ruthlessness of reality.
"Sakuna! They don't have omelet rice!"
"Ah… You're right. They don't have the Holy City's famous 'God-purified omelet rice.'"
"Why?! I was so excited for it… I read in a magazine the other day that it made you feel like your mouth was entering the Kingdom of God."
"I think this restaurant's targeting people outside the clergy. None of the dishes seem to have a religious flair to them."
"Do you think they'd get mad at us if we left for another place?"
"Are you stupid? Forget how the staff would feel, that would ruin the whole plan. Don't you get it?" Millicent shot me a thorny glare.
Right. It wasn't realistic to change restaurants if Caostel was supposed to meet us here. But…perhaps due to my empty stomach, I felt the need to oppose her.
Millicent found fault with every little thing I did. Maybe everything she pointed out was true. Maybe I wasn't acting the way a proper commander should. But I couldn't stand her grousing any longer!
And hey, it wasn't efficient for me to flinch at every single thing she did. She was only my coworker. A fellow Crimson Lord. And we'd already argued with our fists, even—we were close enough to not need to be this reserved.
"…You don't get to talk to me like that." I crossed my arms and glared back at her. Her eyebrow twitched. "I'm just saying what came to mind. What's so wrong with that? I simply wanted to eat omelet rice."
"It's a waste of time. And what if people realize who you are from your voice?"
"You say that, but you also wanted a taste of that omelet rice, didn't you?"
"Huh?"
"I remember from when we fought in that underground church six months ago. You said you like omelet rice. Hey, how about we go have some together next time?"
"Keep running your mouth, and I'm gonna break your pinky finger."
"Wh-why are you so quick to resort to violence at every little thing?! You should know I really can kill five hundred vampires using just that same pinky finger! There's no one out there who tried to break it and lived to tell the tale."
"You insolent little—"
"Let's calm down, Ms. Millicent! We shouldn't fight!" Sakuna panicked when she saw Millicent rise from her seat.
She glared at me hard enough to kill somebody. I thought I was dead, for sure.
Upon further reflection, there was no point in provoking her. But it's just that… I felt like it was better for me to put on a bit of a strong front when facing her, instead of my usual timidity.
Millicent clicked her tongue and looked away.
"You sure haven't changed. You still piss me off."
"I—I have too changed. Now I can go to bed and wake up early."
"See? Same way of thinking. You call yourself a scholar, yet you have the brains of a five-year-old."
"What?! I'm fifteen, I'll have you know!"
"Ms. Komari, calm down! Despite what she says, Ms. Millicent respects you. You were all she talked about when we ran into each other the other day…"
"Huh? Really?"
"Sakuna Memoir. One more word, and you're dead."
"Eek!" Sakuna cried. Even she was afraid of her. But unlike me, she kept trying to be friendly. "U-um, you see, she became a Crimson Lord to atone for what she did. She may act this way around you, but I think she feels sorry deep down… W-wah! Forget I said anything, I'm sorry!" Sakuna flinched at her
glare.
Dumbfounded, I stared at Millicent. Sakuna was good at figuring out how people felt, so she was probably right. Millicent's position as Crimson Lord was proof that the Empress recognized her, for starters. Maybe she had changed, if only slightly.
"What are you staring at?"
"…You're not still a terrorist, are you?"
"No, duh. People change, okay?" She scowled. "I decided to live for my own sake. I'm going to take Inverse Moon down and reinstate House Bluenight. So I'm just working as a Crimson Lord for the time being. I feel no duty to the Mulnite Empire."
"So you don't mind me or Vill anymore?"
"I do. You messed up my life. But, well…" She took a sip of her drink and looked down. "I do feel bad about what I did. So yeah, I'm atoning, in part."
"Huh…?"
I felt a wind blow in my chest. What did she just say? It was like the haze enveloping my heart had just been cleared away. I was too stunned to talk, but I opened my mouth anyway.
"Uh, um… Then…"
"What?"
"You don't want any more revenge?"
"I am going to kill you one day. Be prepared."
Oh, for… How deep-seated can her grudge be?
On the other hand, I felt no resentment toward Millicent. I'd already made my peace with what had happened last spring. The Seventh Unit had given her a good beating already, and now she'd gone all the way to the Holy City to serve Mulnite. I wasn't sure how Vill would react, but at the very least, I didn't want to see her as my sworn enemy forever.
Just then, I noticed some people approach.
"Good to see you're okay, Commander."
Caostel and Bellius had no intention of hiding their identities. The latter was managing the survey, so I didn't really know how the plan was supposed to go. It did make sense that Millicent would be mad at me because of this.
Caostel gave Millicent a weird look.
"Ah!" I exclaimed. "D-don't worry, guys! She's not a terrorist anymore! I understand you want to beat her up badly, but she's on our side now…"
"Rest assured. We know the circumstances."
"Huh?"
"In any case, we have intel to share. Let's hold our strategy meeting and decide the steps to butcher and disembowel the loathsome Pope. We'll start by telling you what we saw and heard about the situation at the Cathedral."
I was impressed; maybe they had grown up, too. I was sure my troops would have tried pummeling Millicent the moment they laid eyes on her.
Then Bellius and Caostel took a knee with soldier-like motion. I mean, they were soldiers, after all.
Oh, guys, there's no need for that. Just sit down.
"The full five hundred-man force of the Seventh Unit scattered throughout the Holy City to gather intel. After obtaining the results of our survey, we've come to the conclusion that we can blow up the Cathedral with an expected success rate of two hundred percent."
"Uh… Where do I even start?"
"I think we start by blowing up the Cathedral."
"That's not what I meant! What did you guys even investigate?!"
"Caostel, stop confusing the Commander." Bellius sighed, then took over reporting the situation. "We surveyed the Cathedral's security setup. The full forces of the Pope's army, the Holy Knights, are stationed throughout the city. There's about three thousand of them. While there isn't a special barrier around the Cathedral like there is around the Mulnite Imperial Palace, we believe charging in head-on might prove difficult."
"Wait, you're saying the opposite thing Caostel said. What's the meaning of this?" Millicent asked.
"Please use your brain a little, Commander Bluenight," Caostel replied haughtily. I don't think any of you guys have ever done that. "We simply have to cause a disturbance in the city. Once a riot gets going, the Holy Knights will have to get on the move to suppress it, since they also serve as the police. Then we can poke a hole in the Cathedral's security, like taking candy from a baby."
The logic was sound enough, but would it really be that easy?
"After making our opening, we go into the Cathedral, blow it up, and emerge victorious. The false God will be driven away, and the Holy City will be ushered into a new age of enlightenment: the era of Commander Terakomari Gandesblood."
"No need to go that far… Commander, our objective is to pressure Julius VI into stopping the attacks on the Mulnite Empire, along with taking back Lieutenant Villhaze."
"Y-yeah… Bellius is right," I said.
"Thank you. I also have another report to make… Flöte Mascarail's subordinate, Captain Bachelard, informed us that the religious uprisings at the Imperial Capital are growing in intensity."
"Huh…? What do you mean?"
"The Holy City must have additional military forces outside the Holy Knights, which they sent to the Imperial Capital. The Mulnite police and the army are fighting back, but they say it's already resembling a civil war."
Sakuna gasped. My jaw dropped.
The riots weren't over. Was this also happening under Spica's orders? If so, then it seemed the Holy Church now saw the Mulnite Empire as an outright enemy.
"Interesting. So you're saying Mulnite might fall if we don't come to an agreement with the Pope," Millicent said.
"How is that interesting?! How am I supposed to go home if Mulnite falls?!"
"Ms. Komari, this is an unprecedented crisis…"
"Ugh… I know. I'll do something about it… Like cheer you on as hard as I can…"
"The Seventh Unit's bloodthirst and morale will be through the roof with your cheers to back us up, Commander! Anyhow, first we need to put Operation Snowball Fight in action."
"Operation what now?"
"Snowball Fight. We duel to the death, with snowballs."
"Is that supposed to be a plan?!"
"I think we should make the riot as fun and bloody as we can. The Seventh Unit will be holding a snowball fight tournament where anything goes. Buildings will collapse in collateral damage, so that should be enough to plunge the whole city into chaos."
"Are you sure we aren't the terrorists here? And wait, why is the first thing you come up with in-fighting? Why not have a barbecue contest in an off-limits zone or something?"
Just then, an explosion in the distance shook me to the bone. I heard screams, too.
Everyone looked out the window. Followers of the Holy Church were running in a panic every which way. I had a real sinking feeling about this, but I still asked for confirmation about what had just happened anyway.
"…Um, Caostel, that explosion didn't have anything to do with us, did it?"
"Oh, that must've been Mellaconcey. Guess he's going all out."
"…"
Everyone reacted differently. Bellius sighed slightly. Sakuna escaped reality. "This water's so tasty, hm?" she muttered after taking a sip. Millicent froze, her eyes wide open.
The next moment, the doors to the restaurant flew open.
People of various races, all of them wearing armor, barged in.
That's gotta be the Holy Knights. The man at the front (likely a Warblade) of the group took one look at us and yelled:
"Terakomari Gandesblood! You will repent for rebelling against God by forfeiting your life!"
Wait, how did they find us? As I raised an eyebrow, Millicent pulled my arm. She pointed at the Holy Knights and muttered something.
"Light Spell: Magic Grenade."
"Wait, Millicent!"
But it was too late.
A lump of mana shot from her finger at imperceptible speed and set off a huge explosion the moment it touched the enemy. People went flying. Screams rang out. I fell onto my butt, only to be pulled back to my feet a second later.
"Let's go, Terakomari! They knew what we were planning all along!" Millicent shouted.
"What?! But we were perfectly hidden!"
"We have to retreat either way. Sakuna Memoir! Snap out of it!"
"Y-yes! Sorry!" Sakuna squeaked.
"No, wait! I haven't had lunch yet!"
"This's no time for lunch!!"
Millicent used her magic to blow up a window. Pieces of glass flew all over the place, and I shrieked and shrank back helplessly. Millicent pulled me out of the place.
***
"Her Highness is worried about you," Luna Tryphon Cross said flatly.
They were in the Cathedral's underground prison, which the Holy Church had once used to capture and torture heretics and apostates.
By the time the Dark Core resurrected Villhaze, it was already too late. She couldn't escape in handcuffs.
The Sapphire man was working on something at a shelf full of chemicals by the wall. His back was wide open, and yet, she couldn't attack. They had injected her with anesthetics, or something of the sort, that prevented her from moving.
"The Empress ordered you to infiltrate the Holy City, remember?"
"…I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your fate was sealed from that very moment. It wasn't Karen Helvetius who gave you that order. It was my collaborator, Fuyao Meteorite."
"…"
She had a feeling that might've been the case.
As Villhaze thought back on her meeting with the Empress, more and more inconsistencies came up. She hadn't doubted the woman she was speaking to was the real deal at that time, even though the "Empress" had used her teacup with the wrong hand. Her speech had also been unusually casual for a moment there. There were too many details that didn't line up with her usual self. Villhaze had been set up.
"Why are you doing this? What's the value in killing a single maid?"
"There would be no value in killing you." Tryphon turned around, a small needle in hand. "There are two reasons why we needed you out of the picture. One was to diminish Terakomari Gandesblood's strength. We knew that vampire would lose her mind without you."
"How vile! How dare you use our bond, deeper than a bottomless pit…"
"You're overselling yourself. But that's all well and good."
"And our relationship only goes on from there. I'll have you know that Lady Komari…" Villhaze hesitated for a second. "…Lady Komari is coming to the Holy City for me. I was surprised to see timid little her yell at me like that…" She grinned just from recalling the moment.
But at the same time, she felt remorseful. How was she to face Terakomari after she had failed at her task and gotten captured by the enemy?
Tryphon, on the other hand, wore an artificial smile.
"That's all part of our plan. I was always angling to get her out of the Imperial Capital."
"Wha…?"
"She could stop any riots or attacks we threw at her if she stayed there, you see. We needed you to lure her out here."
"I don't understand. What is going on in the Imperial Capital?"
"We've been sending believers from Inverse Moon there since August. Their mission is to destroy the Empire from the inside. It must be a sea of flames about now."
Villhaze gritted her teeth.
She wasn't sure how much stock she could put into what Tryphon said, but going off his demeanor, it was obvious that things weren't in the Mulnite Empire's favor. She doubted it had actually been turned into a sea of flames, but she could easily picture the Church's forces laying waste to the capital as they spoke.
"…So is that your second reason for capturing me? Leading Lady Komari away from the Imperial Capital?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, that's not what I meant. I suppose there was a third reason, then. And this third one is something I'm personally interested in."
Tryphon walked up to her, eerie needle in hand.
"By the way, Villhaze, do you believe in God?"
"I believe only in Lady Komari."
"I figured as much. Her Highness holds a similar belief. By which I only mean she doesn't have faith in God, of course. Why else would she be called the Wicked God Slayer?"
The Wicked God Slayer. Yes, the leader of Inverse Moon's alias. Villhaze had no idea they called this person Her Highness internally, though. Nor that she was a woman.
"Outside the context of the Holy Church, people tend to use the word God to refer to the Dark Core. And Her Highness's aim is to destroy it—obtain something beyond in doing so."
"Why so vague? Do you not know what she's after, Mister Top Brass?"
"Her Highness is quite chatty about trivial matters, but very secretive about what's important. I believe the organization's slogan, Life is meant to be in the shadow of death, is only a front. So yes, I am looking for what she truly wants."
"Why not ask her? And then you tell me. That would make for good spoils of war."
"You're a funny woman. But no, she won't answer me. Which is why I must find out incidentally," he said as he slowly drew the needle nearer to Villhaze.
That was no syringe. The object in his hand looked more dreadful, like a tool meant to gouge human skin and flesh. Villhaze's voice trembled as she asked him about it.
"What is that?"
"It's a tool for viewing memories, developed by our head of tech. Now that we've lost the Wheels of Asterism, we've no choice but to rely on this. Odilon's caused nothing but problems."
"P-pervert. Why do you want to peep at this frail maiden's memories?"
"There are two kinds of people. The normal, and the abnormal. This is something I believe only I've noticed, but the latter cause a slight shift in spatial coordinates when activating Core Implosion."
"What are you talking about? Take that thing away from me right now."
"I know of three abnormals: Her Highness, one of my collaborators, and you. I believe you three are hiding something. Her Highness won't say a word about this, and my collaborator, Fuyao Meteorite, doesn't seem to know anything. So I've no choice but to experiment on you."
"Listen…"
"Don't worry. It'll all be over soon."
Tryphon brought the needle close and stabbed her mercilessly in the shoulder.
Villhaze screamed out in pain. And then the nightmare began.
***
I felt the stares the moment we went outside. Each and every one of the passersby were glaring at us. I immediately realized how they'd caught on to our identities. The citizens all acted as Julius VI's eyes and ears.
"Tsk! We have no choice, let's go to the Cathedral!"
"What?! What about the plan?!"
"The plan's ruined already! We gotta move or they'll crush us!" Millicent yelled as she bore a hole through someone's brow with Magic Bullet.
Did you have to do that?! She did have to, as a matter of fact. The citizenry were coming at us with steel pipes and saws in hand, shrieking like crazy.
"God's judgment on the heretics!"
"Death to the heathens!"
"Waaah?!" I screamed as Millicent pulled me around.
"Die, demons! …Gweh!" A man came to punch us from the side, but he was struck in the face with a block of ice.
I turned around to find Sakuna holding her staff high, shooting spell after spell. I didn't even have the time to say thanks. The swarms of believers wouldn't stop coming. Somehow, all one hundred thousand of the Holy City's residents were against us now.
"Caostel! Where's the rest of the Seventh Unit?!"
"They're in a different area, holding the snowball tournament."
"Are they stupid?!"
"They really got into it. Half of them are dead already."
"AAAAARGH!!" I clutched my hair.
I couldn't count on those morons for anything. Were they ever gonna do their actual jobs? They could throw all the snowballs they wanted once we got back to Mulnite!
"Ms. Komari! Watch out ahead!" Sakuna yelled.
"Huh?" I turned back around.
Knives were spinning in the air, flying straight toward me.
It's over. I hope I get to go to heaven. I began praying to God, when Millicent yelled at me.
"Don't close your eyes, idiot!"
Then I saw her throw a Magic Stone.
A gigantic, rumbling explosion went off an instant later. The Magic Stone contained an explosive spell.
Right before the gray gust enveloped us, Millicent pushed me away. I fell down helplessly and rolled on the snow. Just as I started to worry about transforming into a snowvampire, I crashed into a wall.
"Ms. Komari! Are you all right?!"
"U-ugh…" I gritted my teeth as Sakuna helped me get up. I had no time to waste on tears. "Wh-what about you, Sakuna? And Millicent?"
I knew the blue girl had pushed me out of the way to safety, but what about her? I looked around for her and found her holding off enemies on all sides of her with Magic Bullets and a knife. I sighed in momentary relief, but we had to do something to get out of this situation.
"D-damn it! What now?! They keep coming, like ants from their nest!"
"I don't think it would be possible to attack the Cathedral like this… Perhaps we should retrea—"
"There she is!" "Terakomari Gandesblood!" "Savor your divine punishment!" Loads of believers ran at us, waving weapons in hand, before Sakuna could get back on her feet.
I was at a loss. I didn't even know which way the Cathedral was.
Just then, countless daggers plunged into the ground around me. I yelped and fell onto my butt. Before I knew it, an armored group of people burst onto the scene. And they were no regular believers—it was the Holy Knights we'd ran into at the restaurant.
"It's time for you to pay, heretic vampires. For the sin of defacing the Holy City and insulting God."
"Wh-why are you doing this?!" I shouted as I shakily got off the ground. I couldn't help myself; they were being way too violent. "The Mulnite Empire isn't against the Holy Church! I admit I was disrespectful to Spica…but we haven't done anything else!"
"So you say, but your subordinates are destroying our Holy City."
"…" I didn't have a rebuttal for that.
The Warblade Holy Knight sneered.
"This is an order from Her Holiness. We must purify the barbaric state desecrating God."
"C-cut it out! I won't let you lay a finger on the people of Mulnite!"
"Useless. The Holy Church has already turned the Imperial Capital into a sea of flames. And the maid you came here for…was already executed days ago."
"Wha…?"
"Though she revived through the Dark Core. She's now in our underground prison, undergoing torture at the hands of Captain Tryphon Cross. It's only a matter of time until she gives into the pain and converts."
I felt all the blood leave my body.
Was Vill okay? No, she couldn't possibly be. She was all by herself, smack dab in the middle of enemy territory. Was she suffering all because of me coming to the Holy City? What was Spica thinking? How were they torturing her? And who's this Tryphon guy?
I couldn't understand. Despair piled up inside me like a mountain of ash.
The Holy Knights and the rest of the believers drew closer and closer.
Then I felt a mana reaction right at my side. Sakuna was holding her staff aloft.
"I won't let you. I will protect…"
"Void Magic: Fourth-Dimensional Blade."
"…Huh?"
Blood spattered across my cheeks.
A dagger plunged through Sakuna's right wrist. She dropped her staff, and her dripping blood dyed the snow red.
"A-aaaah…"
"There is no concept of distance for God. Since time immemorial, the Holy Knights of Lehysia have specialized in fourth-dimensional Void Magic. And we here are the strongest troop in history, trained by Captain Cross himself. Don't think you're powerful enough to go up against us, you barbaric commanders."
Sakuna collapsed and convulsed atop the snow.
Everything clicked immediately—the dagger must have been coated with poison.
The Holy Knights approached, sword in hand. I held up Sakuna and tried to run away, but I was too weak to carry her and tripped. Covered in snow, I looked around. Where had my subordinates gone? It didn't take long to find them: Bellius and Caostel were far away, fighting off hordes of believers. They had no time to lend us a hand.
That was fine. I'd rather everyone care for themselves than focus on protecting me.
"Terakomari! Use your Core Implosion already!" Millicent screamed as she killed foe after foe.
Core Implosion. The power Vill so insisted I actually possessed.
I had seen the golden plains in the papers. I knew the Eastern Capital of the Heavenly Paradise had turned into wildlands. But if I had the power to make that a reality, then I wouldn't be in this predicament.
I still couldn't believe it.
I was a sorry excuse of a vampire. Always had been.
I could do nothing but watch in silence as the Mulnite Empire teetered in the brink of collapse. Just sit in place and see my allies get attacked. Even though I'd just learned that Vill was being tortured, I didn't have the power to break through the villains before me to go get her.
What could I possibly do?
Then Sakuna reached out to me, her hand quivering.
"Ms…Komari… My blood…"
"Huh…?"
"Drink my blood…then you'll be able…"
My eyes were glued to the liquid dripping from her fingers.
Right. I lost my memories whenever I drank blood. Vill had warned me not to drink the stuff without precaution. She said doing so would activate my Core Implosion.
But that couldn't possibly be…
"Pray to God as you expire!" A Holy Knight yelled as they attacked us.
There was no time to lose doubting myself.
I looked at the red blood. My most loathed drink.
Sakuna shivered. Then I lost my patience and put my mouth around her index finger.
The world immediately went blank.
★
She was out of painkillers.
Villhaze resisted the hellish agony with faint breath. The Sapphire man buried the sharp needle deeper into her shoulder, but that wasn't enough for him. He stabbed her again in the neck. Then the abdomen. Then the fingertips and the thighs, without rest.
"Strange. I can't extract your memories." Tryphon shrugged in defeat.
Her pooling blood soaked the floor of the prison. She was crying and convulsing from the pain. Why did she have to go through this? Because the terrorists had tricked her, of course. Because she'd tried infiltrating the Holy City for the sake of the Mulnite Empire and her master. And it had all blown up in her face. Pathetic.
"You're missing your earliest memories. The most important ones. Just like Fuyao," Tryphon said as he stared at the tip of the needle in disappointment.
She didn't care about how the tool worked. She had to come up with a way out of this hell, but nothing sprang to mind. The pain was impossible to think through.
"The data we got on you says you were born downtown in the Imperial Capital. Is that wrong?"
"I…" Villhaze spoke, hoping to get the enemy to drop his guard. "I wasn't born there. A Crimson Lord took me in when I was little. I think I was abandoned."
"So you don't remember. That's not good." Tryphon sighed and sat down in a chair.
He calmly crossed his legs and gazed at the ceiling. Villhaze wanted nothing more than to throw a kunai between his brows right now, but she could only grit her teeth and ask:
"What do you want? Why are you going to these lengths?"
"Inverse Moon hopes to take Mulnite's Dark Core in this operation."
"…That's not happening. The Crimson Lords and Her Majesty… Lady Komari won't let you."
"We took measures to ensure that the Crimson Lords, Her Majesty, and Lady Komari can't act," Tryphon said as he tossed the needle behind him. "Your struggle will be for nothing. We've arranged everything in our favor."
"The terrorists don't stand a chance against Lady Komari. Your arrangements will be for nothing."
"My, you sure trust Terakomari Gandesblood a lot."
"Of course I do. She has a strong spirit that will never extinguish, no matter the…"
Tryphon then put on a wicked smile.
"Aren't you putting too much on the shoulders of a teenage girl?"
Villhaze couldn't understand what he was saying. She only felt the blood running down her cheek.
"I see everyone praise her in the papers. They call her a slaughter champion, a hero, a savior, the Vampire Princess who will carry the fate of the globe… Since the Crimson Match this year, Terakomari Gandesblood's every action has influenced the direction of the world. And every single nation, starting with the Mulnite Empire, is trying to take advantage of this."
"We're not taking advantage of her. She deserves the praise."
"So you say. But how does she feel about that? I haven't met Terakomari, so pardon the speculation, but going off what she's said in interviews, I see she's not content with the way things are now. The most obvious example of this is her call to turn the entire world into omelet rice. You're her aide, so you must know. Does she ever say she doesn't want to go to work?"
Villhaze was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected him to come at her from that angle.
"Bull's-eye, eh? So Terakomari Gandesblood's being forced to act as the Empire's star. Against her wishes. She didn't want to fight in the Six Nations War or the Heavenly Ball, and yet, the extreme circumstances, or rather, radical public consensus, forced her onto the battlefield. You are one sinful woman. Are you aware of the pressure you are placing on her?"
"I…"
"People should all be equal. The world has no need for the rich or the poor. It is a fool's errand to place value on people according to their skills. I think Terakomari Gandesblood wants to live a normal, uneventful life, like any other teenage girl. Yet the people in her life won't let her do that. They force her to fight. Don't you find it pitiful?"
"…"
"The same thing is happening this time, too. You completely fell for our trap, and now she needs to risk her life invading the Holy City to get you back. I'm sure that she's frustrated with the situation deep down. And I imagine she's especially fed up with you."
She couldn't refute what he'd said.
Komari was kind. No matter how much Villhaze pestered her, she would always forgive her with a sigh in the end. And Tryphon was right; Komari was always talking about how she wanted to hole up in her room.
Villhaze had thought there could be nothing better than Komari leaving her shut-in life behind to become a vampire for the ages. And so she forced her to go outside every day. She showed her how fun an eventful life could be. But that might've been only a bother to her. Maybe Komari actually hated her maid, even
if she didn't say it out loud (though, sometimes, she did say things to that effect).
A black haze clouded her thoughts.
Did Komari actually hate her? No, she'd said she would take her back. But if that had been a front? A bluff for the people watching around her? What if she only spoke so decisively after being pushed around by the members of the Seventh Unit?
"…But anyway, I don't really care."
Tryphon was right in front of Villhaze by the time she came to her senses again, and he had an even thicker needle in hand.
"I found Cornelius's enhanced model. Let's see if this can get your lost memories back."
"A-aaah…"
"It's going to hurt a bit, but bear with it."
She could do nothing. Just thinking about how the master she loved might feel set her trembling in pain. Tryphon's cold stare pierced her eyes. He brought the flesh-gouging needle nearer and, just as she tensed up to prepare for another round of agony, she felt a huge torrent of mana.
"My." Tryphon glanced up at the ceiling. "The Blood Curse? Looks like we've got a little problem."
Villhaze relaxed. She was saved.
But that was a presumptuous conclusion to reach.
After all, Komari didn't want to fight. She must have been forced to activate Core Implosion.
***
A silver mana blizzard whipped up, blowing the Holy Knights away like paper dolls and caking the snow-covered ground with ice. At the eye of the storm stood a vampire, her hair silver and her icy glare trained on the Cathedral.
Millicent Bluenight planted herself down as she gazed at the view.
It was the same brutal force she'd faced that spring. No, in fact, the look in Komari's eyes was even deadlier than it had been back then. Her experiences had made her even stronger. Could Millicent ever hope to take her on someday?
"Th-there it is! Core Implosion!"
"Do not falter! We have the power of God on our side!"
The believers raised their arms and charged against Terakomari.
She didn't bat an eyelid.
"You're in the way," she said before waving her right hand.
The next moment, a violent mana explosion erupted. The believers and Holy Knights shrieked as they either froze over or were blown away by the snowstorm. And that wasn't the end of it.
"Wh-what in the…?! How're we supposed to fight her?!"
The Warblade tried to run away, but an icicle penetrated his skull, spattering bright-red blood all over.
The bodies piled up in a matter of seconds. The believers who witnessed the fates of those who'd challenged the silver vampire princess scattered to the winds.
Terakomari paid no heed to their retreat and rose gently into the skies with levitation magic. Spells flying from every which way hit her head-on before puffing away without any effect. No damage.
"This can't be…"
"Our spells aren't working?! …Gweh!"
Terakomari blasted icicles at the Holy Knights crawling on the ground. Millicent had heard of this form. When Komari ingested Sapphire blood, the Blood Curse gave her a body as hard as steel. The Holy Knights lacked magic sufficiently powerful enough to injure Terakomari Gandesblood as she was now.
"Terakomari! What're you planning on doing now?!"
Millicent's question went unanswered. A giant magic circle appeared at Komari's back.
The mana levels were outrageous—a presage of Effulgent magic.
"Komarin!" "Komarin!" Cheers came out of nowhere.
Millicent turned and saw that the Seventh Unit had halted their snowball fight.
"Give 'em judgment, Commander!"
"Wipe them out, Commander!" "Show the Pope who's boss!" "I'm getting all fired up!!"
Mana and cold gathered at the vampire girl's fingertips as people in the vicinity screamed and prayed to God as they fled. There was only one thing in her eyes: the Cathedral. The headquarters of the Holy Church, where Pope Julius VI resided.
"Terakomari! Hold back a little…!"
"Perish," she muttered.
Then the world turned white.
Terakomari shot a wave of energy so frigid that the air around it creaked as it pushed forward. People prostrated themselves as though in the presence of God.
Millicent stared in wonder at the magical light beam tearing through the skies. It was like witnessing the end of the world.
The spell pierced the cathedral with a bang, and an earthquake followed. She'd torn a hole through a structure representing hundreds of years of the Holy City of Lehysia's history.
"Wha…?"
Her spell must have hit a load-bearing support. No longer able to support itsown weight, the Cathedral let out a seismic roar as it crumbled.
The citizens shrieked. The savage members of the Seventh Unit clapped their hands.
Such was the power of God's Ice Spear, an Effulgent Ice Spell.
A legendary incantation plucked from the pages of myth. Millicent was at a loss for words. As for Sakuna Memoir, she had already blacked out on the spot.
Terakomari gazed at the mountain of rubble that was once the Cathedral and muttered:
"Wait for me, Vill."
Don't you think that might've killed her? Millicent refrained from putting the thought into words.
Terakomari spurted mana as she took off toward the Cathedral.
***
A cacophonous shock wave shook the underground prison. It was followed by the deafening sound of collapse. There was no need to confirm what had just happened—Komari must have hit the Cathedral with Core Implosion.
"Sounds like the building is down. Core Implosion does not disappoint." Tryphon grinned in wonder.
Villhaze felt a mix of hope and anxiety.
Komari could easily slay this man now that she had unleashed her power. However, she felt bad about pushing the girl to use Core Implosion just to be saved.
She wouldn't normally have thought like this. Perhaps the torture had even worn down her morale.
"Why the long face, dear? What's got you in such low spirits?"
"…What's got you in such high spirits? You can't take on Lady Komari."
"Hmm. Yes, it makes sense you'd think that."
The next moment, the ceiling above them creaked. Soul-chilling icy air crept in through the gaps.
"She's fast," Tryphon whispered just before the ceiling crumbled altogether.
Bright, silver mana illuminated the darkness of the subterranean chamber.
Villhaze thought she was witnessing an angel descending from Heaven.
With the snow came a pale vampire—her beloved Crimson Lord, Terakomari Gandesblood.
Villhaze nearly passed out before the overwhelming mana.
Komari landed softly and raised her right hand at Tryphon.
"It's over for you. I'm taking back what's mine."
"Don't move." Tryphon held a dagger to Villhaze.
Villhaze clicked her tongue. His trite plan couldn't possibly work. Komari could easily take care of him with Core Implosion.
But much to her surprise, Komari faltered.
Powerful mana was emanating from her body, but she hesitated to shoot any of it at him.
"L-Lady Komari! Don't worry about me! Take him out, now!" Villhaze shouted.
"Seems the girl still has some sense in her. Yes, this is a Divine Instrument. My Core Implosion—Treason's Spirit Gate—can teleport any substance at will. Move one finger, and she's dead. I'll send this knife into her brain."
"…"
"Dispel your power if you don't want to lose your maid."
The silver mana grew weaker and weaker.
And then Villhaze understood.
Core Implosion reflected the user's spirit, so agitation would curtail Komari's power.
The Blood Curse had unparalleled strength in combat, but it had no effect against psychological attacks.
Tryphon's hostage gambit had succeeded.
All because he'd manipulated Komari's feelings for her maid.
That made Villhaze supremely happy—and helplessly sad.
Soon, Komari's hostility quelled. She lowered her arm. The strength left her eyes.
Eventually, the Blood Curse faded.
The blizzard subsided. The temperature began to warm.
Light came back to Komari's eyes. She rose her head softly, as though she was waking up from a dream, and looked around with worry.
"…Huh? Wh-what am I…?"
Villhaze screamed her name as Tryphon threw himself at her with furious momentum.
***
The world went blank the moment I drank Sakuna's blood.
My memories of everything from there were hazy. I think I was dreaming—flying in the air and shooting a white beam. It had to be a vision.
But even in my dream, I still burned with a desire to take back Vill. I didn't want to let Spica do as she pleased. That was the only thing on my mind as I raced toward her…but then I woke up in these dark ruins.
Snow was falling.
Everything around me was covered in rubble.
"…Huh? Wh-what am I…?"
I looked around and found something shocking.
Vill. She was being held prisoner, covered in blood.
"Vi…" I couldn't finish saying her name.
I felt a blow to my stomach. I couldn't even scream as I was blown away and crashed into the wall. What was going on? The punch was so powerful it numbed the pain. Dumbfounded, I looked straight ahead.
"Nice meeting you, Terakomari Gandesblood. My name is Tryphon Cross. I'm the captain of Lehysia's Holy Knights, and a Luna of Inverse Moon."
"Wh-wha…?"
"At last, we've cracked your Blood Curse. Don't worry, I won't kill you with a Divine Instrument. You can be of great use to us."
He grabbed me by the collar and pulled me up.
It was then that the pain hit. Tears fell from my eyes.
Why do I have to go through this? The question solved itself immediately—everything was for Vill. She was crumpled in agony by the wall, covered in wounds and bleeding out.
It was obvious who was to blame—the man before my eyes. He'd even introduced himself as a member of Inverse Moon!
"Y-you! What did you do to Vill?!"
"I only drilled her a bit. But what are you getting so worked up about? Mulnite's Dark Core is still in effect here. What's the problem?"
"You don't see an issue?! How could you do something so terrible?!"
"For my ideals." Tryphon smiled. "Let me tell you them, as a parting gift. Inverse Moon wishes for a peaceful world without strife. This world of ours is filled with war, and the reason is clear: People are not equal. This is why I am rising up to spark global revolution that will bring everyone equity."
"Wh-what're you going on about…?"
"But there are forces that don't agree with my beliefs. The Mulnite Empire chief among them. So I must take away your Dark Core and use it to destroy any other nation that refuses to obey Inverse Moon."
I couldn't wrap my head around a single word coming out of this guy's mouth. But I understood one thing: he was evil. A hypocrite touting world peace while bringing harm to others. Anger, along with a desire to stop him, bubbled deep within my soul.
Suddenly, Tryphon gave me a look of pity.
"You must be hurting, Terakomari Gandesblood."
"Huh…?"
"I don't think you like the pain. I, too, would rather not take lives unnecessarily. Why don't you give in?"
I couldn't understand what he was getting at. Tryphon strangled me as he continued.
"Give yourself some peace. What's it to you if the Mulnite Empire falls? I don't even have to kill Villhaze if you don't want to. What's the need for you to go through so much pain? Come under Inverse Moon's wing and lead a life of tranquility. That's the wise move here. I mean, c'mon…you don't really want to be a Crimson Lord, do you?"
"...…"
His invitation was heart-meltingly sweet.
I did not want to be a Crimson Lord, as a matter of fact. I wasn't cut out for such a violent job. I was utterly lacking in magical and physical skills. A useless vampire like me was better off hunkering down to write some novels. And I was going to get published soon thanks to Karla.
Yeah. What was the point in fighting?
I had been getting swept away by the circumstances since day one, and I was always on the verge of death because of this. But if I was firm in my desire to coop myself up, then there would be no need for me to shed blood.
Getting blown up for ignoring my duties as a Crimson Lord? Being overthrown by my troops? Who cared! I could've just asked Daddy or the Empress to let me off the hook, and they probably would've done something about it. They always indulged me in the end.
I shouldn't have fought from the very start, if pain was the only thing that awaited me…
"Yes. You can live however you want. You can stay in your room, in the peace and quiet, away from the pain and suffering."
Tryphon held a needle, like an icepick, in his left hand.
That means he's gonna kill me if I don't obey.
My belly hurt. Blood spurted out from my mouth. I didn't want to feel this pain any longer. I'd be better off shutting myself away, no matter how hard a tantrum I had to throw.
But just as my spirit was breaking, I saw Vill out of the corner of my eye.
She must've been half-unconscious, but she muttered something to me anyway.
"Lady Komari, please run…"
I was shocked.
Her frail voice shook my soul.
I was powerless. I had no way to escape from Tryphon. That much should've been obvious.
Her plea was as useless as a prayer to God. Which helped me understand just how strongly Vill was worried for me, from the bottom of her heart.
I felt something warm in my soul.
"So, what's your answer? Will you surrender to Inverse Moon?"
"No."
I answered him so clearly that even I was astonished.
Tryphon raised an eyebrow. I looked at the terrorist straight in the eye and yelled.
"No! I don't want to shut myself in! Cooping yourself up outside of holidays means admitting defeat! Even if you put the whole world on its head, I'm not backing out this time! I won't let you guys get away with what you're doing! The Mulnite Empire will not lose!"
"Why hold on so stubbornly? You've already lost."
"Because…" I swallowed. "Because Vill's crying! Because you hurt everyone! I'm not gonna let you keep this up!"
"I see. Then I must kill you at once."
Vill shrieked. I glared at the enemy, trying to stop myself from trembling. I had no regrets. I could never raise the white flag to these people. Criminals who hurt others without a second thought.
Tryphon raised his needle. He must've judged magic wasn't necessary.
I'm not giving in, even if you kill me! I gritted my teeth in anticipation, when suddenly, I heard a gunshot.
"Gah?!"
The man was thrown to the side. He rolled across the snow dusting the prison floor until he landed facedown. Blood oozed from the side of his head. Fighting through a coughing fit, I raised my eyes. I was saved.
"What're you doing, Terakomari? Save your provocations for when you have any chance at winning."
"Millicent…!!"
The blue vampire pointed her finger at Tryphon. Then she slid right down into the prison, a terrifying look on her face, and ran up to Vill to break her shackles with Magic Bullets. The liberated maid widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Why…are you here?"
"No talking. Let's go." She lent Villhaze a shoulder.
Then I heard Tryphon wriggle in the corner of the room. He got to his feet with a wry smile. He didn't look the least bit in pain despite having taken a magic bullet to the head. Then I remembered—Sapphires had durable bodies.
"…I let down my guard after taking care of the Blood Curse. I wasn't expecting reinforcements. If it isn't Kakumei Amatsu's vampire."
"Good-bye, Tryphon Cross."
Millicent threw a Magic Stone, and suddenly, a puff of white smoke covered the whole area.
I couldn't keep up with what was going on, but I had to get ready to make a break for it. Before I could steel myself completely, I nearly tripped—someone had pulled me by the arm.
"Let's go, Terakomari! We don't stand a chance against him!"
"Huh? Uh, but then what're we…?"
"Retreat and regroup! Give your men the command!"
Millicent made her way through the smoke.
I followed her orders like a machine. I took a Correspondence Crystal from my pocket and poured in some mana. Tryphon wasn't going after us. He said he had the power to teleport anything, but maybe he couldn't use it if he couldn't see the target?
Wait… Why do I know about his Core Implosion?
That didn't make any sense, but there was one thing I did understand: Millicent was here to save us. Regardless, I had to think about escaping first.
I heard Caostel's voice come from the crystal.
"Commander! What's the matter?"
"W-we have to retreat for the moment! We got Vill! Let's ditch the Holy City!"
I gave the command as tears ran down my cheeks. Maybe I was happy to have barely gotten away.
I ran through the snow as Millicent pulled me along.
***
Tryphon, Luna of Inverse Moon, stood there in silence.
The smokescreen from the Magic Stone cleared up little by little, gradually exposing the ruined prison chamber, now useless without its walls and ceiling.
The Cathedral itself could no longer serve as the Holy Church's base of operations. In place of its high towers were piles of rubble.
"…My turn to go after them." Tryphon sighed before taking a step forward.
He couldn't have imagined his plan going awry like this. Millicent Bluenight was an unforeseen interference, but what truly surprised him was his own lack of foresight.
"Wait, Tryphon!" Someone called him.
He turned around. A golden vampire was sitting cross-legged atop the rubble.
"What is the meaning of this? The Cathedral is ruined. It's like that candy castle I smashed when I was little!"
"My utmost apologies. I hadn't expected Millicent Bluenight to show up."
He immediately regretted giving that excuse.
"Don't worry about it." The Wicked God Slayer smiled innocently. "Ignorance is no sin. But it is unsightly."
"…"
Her Highness was as magnanimous as the sun but as cruel as the moon. He had no idea what could be going through her mind right now.
He had to follow Terakomari Gandesblood straight away. He tried calling one of his Holy Knights but found that his Correspondence Crystal was glowing already. Tryphon poured in some mana to answer the call.
"Lord Tryphon! Glad to know you're still kicking!"
"Fuyao? What do you want?"
"Hmm? What's with that growl in your voice? Are you in a bad mood? Did you fail to kill Terakomari Gandesblood?! Geez, you've really done it now!"
Tryphon scoffed internally. That vixen never let go of a chance to try and rile people up.
"Yes, I failed. And now I'm on my way to reclaim my honor."
"Well, have I got some very good news for you."
Fuyao spoke loudly. He could easily picture the wicked grin on her face.
"The Imperial Capital is on the brink of collapse. The conquest will be over within the day! Now, please bring Her Highness here. We're almost ready to crown the new Empress."