Stella: "@Rei Ao, @Shinoa, did you two run into something again? Vampires?"
Megumi Katou: "Vampires... a kind of monster that drinks human blood, right?"
Mikoto Misaka: "Are vampires even real?"
Rei Ao: "Not sure about other worlds, but your world does indeed have them."
Mikoto Misaka: "??? Wha—?!"
Mikoto Misaka spat out a mouthful of water.
"Onee-sama, what's the matter?"
Kuroko Shirai immediately handed her some tissues.
Once Mikoto finished coughing, she asked Kuroko with a strange look, "Kuroko, are vampires real?"
Kuroko blinked. Then she laughed. "Onee-sama, what are you talking about? This is an age ruled by science."
Mikoto of course understood their world focused on science. But Rei Ao's words made her question that.
Frieren: "What do vampires look like?"
Shiba Miyuki: "I'm curious as well about these legendary creatures."
Miko Yotsuya: "Uh...is nobody scared? At the mere mention of either evil spirits or vampires, I get the shivers. If I could avoid them, I would."
Tohru: "Meh—vampires? They're not worth worrying about."
Rei Ao: "Let me show you."
[Ding! Rei Ao has started a livestream!]
Everyone in the chat hopped into the stream. On screen they saw two men facing each other rather "cordially."
Stella: "Which one's the vampire?"
Saeko Busujima: "Probably the white-haired one—pale skin, red eyes, and pointy ears."
Sui: "Wait, an elf can have those features too... But that black-haired one seems off. His eyes went pitch-black, and something's about to burst from his back. Is he turning into a monster or something?"
Rei Ao: "He really is."
Rei Ao had brought Shinoa to a rooftop to see Yūichirō Hyakuya undergoing a bizarre transformation.
Black matter tore through Yūichirō's clothing, bursting from within.
Ferid, shocked, quickly sprang backward.
They saw Yūichirō wrench free from the rods speared through his limbs into the ground. His clothes were tattered, and he stood up unsteadily.
By now, Yūichirō no longer looked human—his sclera had vanished, leaving only pitch-black eyes with gold irises. And most strikingly, something huge, like a gnarled black branch, jutted upward from his back, dripping with black fluid.
Shinoa asked in surprise, speaking aloud. Her first thought was that maybe a botched demon-gear contract had turned him into a demon. But Yūichirō had no demon gear on him at all.
Rei Ao explained calmly, "That's the Seraph of the End."
"Seraph of the End?!"
At those words, Shinoa's eyes narrowed. From her Shikama Dōji, she'd learned about the forbidden Seraph of the End experiment, a horrifying project that fused a fallen angel with a human body. Which meant Yūichirō Hyakuya was a test subject—the second trumpet, the King of Salt.
At the moment, though, Yūichirō was consumed by rage and vengeance, unable to remain rational. The King of Salt wasn't fully awakened, leaving him a berserk creature for now.
"Heh—looks like that forbidden experiment was a big success," Ferid remarked with no great surprise. He knew quite a lot about the Progenitors' plans, the taboo experiments, and even had schemes of his own. Letting Yūichirō escape back then was part of Ferid's plan. Otherwise, how could a handful of children have fled from him?
Now that he'd confirmed what he wanted, it was time to leave. But—
Suddenly, flames surged up around the wide-open space's perimeter. Almost singed, Ferid recoiled in alarm, feeling a surge of intense danger. Realizing something, he scanned the area—only to discover the entire clearing encircled by a wall of fire.
Now it resembled an arena that had trapped two wild beasts. The one who formed it was Rei Ao.
"Ferid, I'll give you one chance to live: defeat him," Rei Ao announced.
Ferid spotted Rei Ao and Shinoa watching from the side. Narrowing his slender eyes, he demanded, "Who are you?"
"Who I am doesn't matter," Rei Ao said with a faint smile. "What matters is you have no other choice."
Then, nonchalantly, he posted an update to the chat groups:
Rei Ao: "@everyone, come watch a beast fight."
Shizue Izawa: "Beast fight?"
Rei Ao: "Uh-huh. Vampire Progenitor vs. the Seraph of the End."
"I've never met such an arrogant human before," Ferid sneered, incensed at being treated like a mere animal. Rage and killing intent smoldered behind his smiling mask. He stepped toward the wall of flame.
Relying on his vampire power, he confidently tried to walk through. Yet upon contact—
An excruciating soul-searing pain made him yank back his hand, frowning down at it: his right hand's index and middle finger joints had been eaten away, replaced by a scorched wound.
He attempted to heal it, but the normal vampire regeneration did nothing. "What the...?"
This was the first time Ferid showed real emotion. Not only had the fire burned away flesh and bone, but it bizarrely blocked regeneration.
He glared at Rei Ao, alarmed. Rei Ao returned a cold smile: "Friendly tip: it's already locked onto you."
Ferid's pupils shrank to pinpoints. Just then, a violent shock wave burst at him. He scrambled aside, but part of his gentlemanly uniform was ripped away.
It was Yūichirō attacking. A mere punch produced that power. With black eyes devoid of reason—just raw hatred—the single branch-like wing at Yūichirō's back quivered. The next second, he launched like a cannonball at Ferid.
Ferid cursed. He'd wanted to unravel whatever Rei Ao had done, but the rampaging, mindless Yūichirō gave him no time. He now had to deal with this newly unleashed foe who could move freely.
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