Another metallic roar like crashing thunder resounded through the moonlit forest. A few minutes had gone by since these deafening noises first began, but then they stopped as suddenly as they had started. A chorus of creaks and groans took over as the trees around Ginka fell to the ground, sending the mountain of black sand on the forest floor flying in every direction.
The floating grains of sand formed a dark fog. Ginka focused her exoforce to search for the enemy, but nothing caught her attention. With no enemies remaining, the battle was over. She started to put her silver spear away when she heard someone clapping beyond the fog.
“Splendid work. Just as I have come to expect from our beacon of hope.”
A tall man in a long coat emerged. A smile crossed his pale face as he nodded with a look of deep admiration.
“If you were watching, then you should have lent me a hand,” said Ginka.
“Me, help you? What an amusing joke.” The man’s laughter made his shoulders shake unnaturally. “I’m a support hunter, so my reserve and output of exoforce pale in comparison to yours. You are the strongest vampire hunter, after all. My interference would have been a burden to you.”
I suppose he’s not wrong. He’s a scout specializing in exoforce-powered searches. As noncombat personnel, there’s a good chance he would perish if he gets involved in a fight between me and a vampire. His job, and his best course of action, is to watch from afar.
“Let us return to base. There are no more vampires here.”
Once again, he’s not wrong. It would be best to return to their allies now that the battle was over. Even if no vampires were nearby, they still lurked elsewhere in the mountains. Hunters didn’t have time to waste standing around.
Ginka started to dismiss her spear again, but she stopped herself. “There is a question I’ve wanted to ask you for some time now, and this seems like a fine opportunity to do so.”
The man tilted his head. “A question? Whatever might that be...?”
“Why are you a hunter?”
“What do you mean by that?” the man asked with an amused smile.
Ginka narrowed her eyes. “All hunters have a reason for doing this job. Some, like me, carry on the will of their predecessor. Some seek revenge for family or friends. There are even those who do so under orders from national agencies. In the past, you said you felt a sense of duty to protect humanity.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I wish to ask if that is true.”
The man pressed his lips together, but his face remained smooth and undisturbed. “The power to determine the truth of a statement using eye movements and facial expressions... That is one of the incredible abilities you have obtained using exoforce, is it not?” He praised Ginka while keeping an eye on the shining spear in her hand, as if confirming her ability to attack at any moment. Then, with a cynical smile, he added, “Were you aware of the fact that I worked in Silicon Valley before becoming a hunter?”
“Yes.”
“And that the CEO of my corporation was a vampire?”
“Indeed...” Ginka nodded heavily.
The man smiled again. “When the CEO’s identity was revealed, I thanked this world for its gifts... Because the hunters saved my life, of course, but also because monsters truly exist.”
Ginka’s exoforce flared up. Vampire hunters were human—no matter how much you tried to shape and restrain them with reason and logic, some would still feel sympathy for vampires or even admire them. If that was the case with this man, she would need to deal with him immediately.
Despite the menacing pressure coming from Ginka, the man calmly continued. “This world consists of good and bad people. Some people devote themselves to helping others or even improving things for all of mankind, while others live solely to look down on others... Vampires are different, though. They are unable to suppress their natural impulses to drink blood and kill. We can speak with them, but we can never understand one another. For mankind, vampires are an absolute evil. Would you agree with my assessment?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“From humanity’s point of view, exterminating vampires is the correct course of action. And doing that feels wonderful. I would not trade the pleasure of wielding my strength in the name of justice for anything.” The man’s grayish eyes looked on fondly. “My goal is to live my life as an ally of absolute justice... I know it is a twisted desire, but I cannot do anything about that.”
He killed vampires for pleasure. That motive would be difficult to accept for hunters driven by a sense of duty or a need for vengeance, and he seemed to know that his desire was abnormal. He must have anticipated criticism from other hunters and thus misrepresented his “twisted desire” as a mission to protect humanity.
Ginka sighed. “So that is your reason for becoming a hunter?”
“Yes. You can tell if I’m lying, can’t you?”
Eye movements, expressions, muscle twitches, the flow of exoforce... By observing all of that, Ginka confirmed that the man had told the truth.
In one smooth motion, she dismissed her spear. “Carry on as you please.”
His motive is truly ridiculous, but it does not change the fact that he is humanity’s ally and an enemy to vampires. There is no point in punishing him. Ginka had heard rumors of a large-scale operation in a few months, which would surely require the combined strength of every vampire hunter. This was no time for fighting allies.
“I am grateful to hear you say so, our beacon of hope,” said the man.
“Can you stop calling me that?”
“Why would I? Having mastered combat and exoforce, you are the strongest vampire hunter. If you are not our beacon of hope, then I cannot even imagine who or what I would believe in.” The man punctuated his words with a polite bow.
Ginka knew trying to convince him otherwise would be pointless and sighed again.
The two of them conducted one more search before returning to base. As they moved through the forest, a single thought came to Ginka.
He says defeating vampires is justice, and he lives for that, so what will he do once we eradicate all of them?
But she soon left that vague question behind her like the trees she could no longer see.