“Summoning a Beast Vassal takes a sacrifice to serve as its icon, but human and normal demon bodies can’t take the strain of having a Beast Vassal dwelling in them. That doesn’t mean you can sacrifice the precious few Devas instead. So you Devas built the vessels for Beast Vassals we call vampires, girls without memories or even names, just numbers—”
Kojou’s cheeks twitched and tensed. Even the Kaleid Bloods in which the Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitors dwelled were referred to by simple numbers. Small wonder the fire-and-forget Beast Vassal Warheads hadn’t even been given names.
These girls were factory-produced, had a Beast Vassal stuffed into them, and were then encased inside a gemstone. They’d remained in dreamless sleep for millennia as nothing more but terrifying, abominable weapons of mass destruction.
“Also, the Devas were afraid, because the Beast Vassal Warheads were simply too powerful. It was clear that unrestricted release of them would destroy even the Devas themselves.”
Asagi let her words trail off. Ren crossed his legs in apparent boredom.
“Yes, therefore, the Devas brought all the Beast Vassal Warheads in Nod under the administration of the royal family. In other words, all the Beast Vassal Warheads in Nod belong to the Devas. All that remained was for us, the proper and natural successors, to regain the Legacy of the Devas.”
“I figured that’s how you’d put it.”
Giggle, chuckled Asagi, smiling with amusement.
“That’s not what Cain thought, though. During The Great Cleansing—when humankind and demonkind challenged the Devas to battle—Cain closed the gate to Nod and refused to bring out the Beast Vassal Warheads. He was a Deva, yet he was a betrayer doing harm to the Devas… That’s why he was slandered as the Sinful God.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
A hideous scowl formed on Ren’s face. Perhaps he was remembering anew the anger and hatred against Cain nurtured for thousands of years.
Asagi calmly took the brunt of Ren’s hostile gaze head-on. She did not reply to Ren’s question.
The braziers behind Kojou and company swayed, and a fresh figure appeared from them.
“Lady Ladli.”
A man entirely covered in cloth bent one knee atop his cylindrical pillar as he addressed Ladli. Ren grimaced, displeased with the interruption. Ladli turned around and looked at her subordinate.
“What is the matter? We are receiving guests.”
“Emergency message from Arnica Quad.”
Ladli’s subordinate reported in a hard voice brimming with apprehension.
Ladli extended her right hand in a beckoning motion, taking the sheet of paper offered by her subordinate. Her eyes bulged with surprise when she perused the contents of the message written upon it.
“It seems the HGTO military is attacking our MAR headquarters once more.”
Ladli spoke with a perplexed air. The Holy Grounds Treaty Organization had to comprehend the might of the Beast Vassal Warheads by that point, so their trying to invade MAR’s HQ a second time came as some surprise.
Then she shot Kojou a measured look.
“The main force is the airship battle fleet of the Kingdom of Aldegia’s Knights of the Second Coming—the flagship is La Folia Rihavein’s Böðvildr, it seems? Aldegia is a nation allied to Itogami City-State, is it not?”
“…Princess La Folia has?”
Yukina spoke in a voice too tiny for anyone else to hear her.
Certainly, the Kingdom of Aldegia was part of the HGTO, so it was little mystery why it was launching an attack on MAR, the HGTO’s foe, but such an act was reckless to the extreme. An HGTO military battle fleet trying to attack MAR Inc. proper had already been struck and virtually destroyed by a Beast Vassal Warhead. There was no guarantee the Aldegian airship battle fleet La Folia was flying aboard would not share the same fate.
“…Your point?”
For his part, Kojou replied in an unemotional voice.
Oh my, said Ladli, warily narrowing her eyes. She maintained a grinning expression even so.
“This places us in something of a bind. We are forced to counterattack against the HGTO military in order to defend ourselves, but at this rate, poor Princess La Folia will be caught in the middle.”
“That so? Well, it can’t be helped.”
Kojou calmly brushed off Ladli’s warning and the threat implied within.
“Senpai…!”
Yukina raised her voice, unable to endure Kojou’s stony indifference. The situation was not like when she’d faced Kojou’s black Beast Vassals on Itogami Island. Even La Folia had no chance against a Beast Vassal Warhead releasing demonic energy without any restraint. Kojou’s statement was tantamount to saying he’d stand back and watch her die.
“You’re sure about this? Truly? The princess is one of your companion candidates, is she not?”
Ladli checked to make sure, seemingly at a loss. Kojou’s demeanor was unchanged even so.
“As ruler of Itogami Island, my negotiations with you come first. That’s only natural, right?”
“…I thought you would give up the ghost before your princess became a ghost.”
Ladli sighed casually. Then she shifted her gaze to the subordinate beneath her.
“Send word to Lord Alda Ba. I request that he annihilates the HGTO military.”
Understood, said the silent nod of Ladli’s subordinate as he vanished from sight. The braziers shining upon him vanished as well, leaving only the faint sounds of receding footsteps.
“Annihilate, huh? You guys can actually pull it off?”
Kojou mused aloud in a casual fashion. Ladli took no special offense as she gazed at Kojou with deep interest.
The next moment, the interior of the Necropolis bustled with activity.
Numerous people, enough that Kojou had to wonder where they’d been hiding, appeared around Kojou and the others one after the next. These were operators serving under Ladli.
Various screens hovered before them in midair, projecting vivid holographic images.
The screens displayed a metropolis’s nighttime cityscape. It was a real-time image of different parts of Tokyo taken from high above Tokyo Bay.
“Castle Zu has reached Tokyo Bay airspace. Materializing now.”
“Beast Vassal Warhead safety released. Beginning firing sequence.”
The operators reported the situation one after the other.
Shahryar Ren leaned forward in his seat, listening to the reports with unmistakable delight.
Kojou’s expression was completely unchanged. The same went for Asagi, Yaze, and Shizuri, too.
“Senpai, are you really fine with this?! Senpai!”
Yukina was being held back by Shizuri’s arm as she desperately pleaded with Kojou. The only one able to stop the firing of the Beast Vassal Warhead then and there was Kojou. Kojou could sell Itogami Island’s territorial rights to Shahryar Ren. There was no other way to save the ordinary people in Tokyo.
“Castle Ba launching Beast Vassal Warhead! Also, Castle Zu entering countdown! Three, two, one…fire.”
As if to mock Yukina’s apprehension, the operator reported with a neutral expression.
Kojou didn’t budge until the very end.
“Japan’s storied capital, vanishing in a single instant? Well, shoot. Just kidding.”
Ladli let out a disinterested cough. Somehow, her voice sounded a bit wistful.