Chapter 265 - 265: Seraph of the End Starts!
Another World
On the school rooftop, a black-haired boy was standing off against Hiiragi Shinoa.
The black-haired boy was Yūichirō Hyakuya, Shinoa's surveillance target. This was the first time he had approached Shinoa of his own accord.
"You...have been watching me?"
Yūichirō's gaze was frigid.
Shinoa had been monitoring him all along—he wasn't surprised that he'd noticed.
Shinoa produced her Imperial Demon Army ID.
"Yes, I'm from the Imperial Demon Army. I was assigned to keep an eye on you."
Though lately, she hadn't really been paying much attention to the mission. Her focus had shifted to strengthening herself.
"Imperial Demon Army..."
Yūichirō's expression flickered with emotion.
He'd always wanted to join the Imperial Demon Army—only by enlisting could he personally fight vampires and avenge his 'family!'
He held a deep hatred for vampires, one etched into his very bones.
His real name: Yūichirō Amane.
In childhood, his parents sold him for money to the "Hyakuya Sect" as a test subject for the "Seraph of the End" experiments. His parents' insanity and the brutality of human experimentation inflicted severe trauma on Yūichirō. To ensure the smooth progress of the experiment, the Hyakuya Sect repeatedly tampered with his memories, leaving him outwardly unbroken but stripped of any real will to live.
On Christmas Eve, he was sent by Saito to Hyakuya Orphanage, renamed Hyakuya Yūichirō, and greeted by "Mikaela." After some "small incident," he quickly fit in, accepting the orphanage kids as his new family.
However, that relatively nice life didn't last. The cataclysmic virus broke out. Some paramilitary troops surfaced on the surface to gather human children. All the orphans at Hyakuya Orphanage were taken away to the vampires' underground city, Sanguinem, where they spent four years as blood donors.
One day, Mikaela—whose blood was highly favored by the vampire noble Ferid Bathory—stole a map of the underground city. All the Hyakuya orphans tried to escape Sanguinem using that map. But it turned out to be a trap orchestrated by Ferid! Hyakuya Akane, Hyakuya Chihiro, and the others were all slaughtered.
Yūichirō nearly died, but thanks to Mikaela sacrificing himself, Yūichirō escaped the underground city and was taken in by the Japanese Imperial Demon Army.
He joined the fight, determined to get revenge on the vampires who'd murdered his "family." But Guren (an influential figure in the army) wouldn't allow him into the Imperial Demon Army.
Shinoa raised an eyebrow.
"You want to join the Imperial Demon Army?"
"Of course. I want to kill those damn vampires!"
Yūichirō's eyes flashed with fierce hatred.
"The Vampire Extermination Unit's training has already begun," Shinoa said suddenly.
"Huh?"
Yūichirō blinked. "It started already? Then I—"
"Too bad. You don't qualify."
Shinoa lifted a hand; suddenly, a scythe materialized—her Cursed Gear, "Shikama Dōji."
"???"
Yūichirō stared in confusion. He was astonished that Shinoa had simply produced a scythe from thin air. Magic? He didn't have the mental room to care about that, though; he just demanded:
"Why am I disqualified? Even if I just serve as cannon fodder, as long as I can kill vampires—"
Shinoa gave a cold laugh.
"Even though I'm not exactly fond of the Imperial Demon Army right now, they're still undeniably an elite force of humanity. A mere human can't even wound a vampire, let alone kill one."
"... ..."
Yūichirō's face darkened. It was true—the vampires were terrifying monsters, and normal means couldn't kill them.
"So how does the Imperial Demon Army exterminate vampires, then?"
Shinoa pointed to what was in her hand. "The answer's right here."
"That blackish-green scythe?"
From Yūichirō's perspective, it didn't look especially remarkable except for how abruptly it appeared.
"This is Cursed Gear, also called a 'Demon Weapon.' Vampires have incredible regenerative power, so only demon weapons can inflict real damage or kill them."
She casually explained, her tone icy:
"Without a demon weapon, you don't even qualify as cannon fodder—you'd just be a vampire's blood bag."
"!!!"
Yūichirō's eyes lit up, staring intently at her scythe.
"So, if I get my hands on Cursed Gear, I can join the Imperial Demon Army, right?"
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"Huh?"
Shinoa frowned. She sensed his gaze turning sharp and greedy. Yūichirō dashed right at her, reaching for her Cursed Gear.
"If I can just take it!"
He tried to snatch Shinoa's demon weapon. But Shinoa vanished before his eyes in a manner he couldn't begin to track.
"How reckless."
Her voice came from behind him.
Yūichirō's pupils shrank. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of black—and then Boom!! In the next instant, he was sent flying, crashing hard against the rooftop wall.
"Guh!!"
He coughed up blood violently, energy immediately fading. Shinoa withdrew the scythe she'd used to swipe at him. In a cold tone, she continued:
"Cursed Gear is forged by binding and sealing a demon god inside a weapon through demon magic. It's the only method humans have to fight—or kill—vampires. Because there's a demon inside, only a person who meets certain conditions can form a contract to use it. It's meaningless to try and snatch someone else's Cursed Gear."
Shinoa walked up to him, looking down at the pained Yūichirō with a frosty stare.
"Harsh conditions yield powerful strength—and serious risks. The wielder has to form a contract with the demon that dwells in their weapon, granting power beyond that of a normal human—seven times more, at least. But if you don't have enough mental fortitude, you could become a demon yourself."
"... ..."
This was the first time Yūichirō had heard of such a bizarre object. It explained why Shinoa's speed and strength were off the charts—he hadn't stood a chance. Clutching his chest and panting, he asked in a low voice, "Then where can I get Cursed Gear?"
Shinoa wondered whether to tell him, in line with her superiors' instructions. She hesitated.
All of a sudden—
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!"
A piercing scream echoed through the school grounds, unleashing a frantic commotion.
~~~
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