The ancient stone chamber immediately became so quiet one could hear a pin drop. The temperature inside seemed to fall several degrees compared to before.
"What did you do?! Why did my necromancy stop working?"
The pitch-black beast man lost his earlier composure. No longer as arrogant as he had been moments before, he shouted his question at Ciel like a monkey—or a dog—whose tail had been stepped on.
Ciel was not frightened by his booming voice or burly frame. Her gaze was cold and sharp as a blade, piercing straight into him.
"Improper death will not be permitted. The dead shall not be allowed to disturb the lives of those upon the earth. You heretic who toys wantonly with the bodies of the dead—turning a blind eye to your actions would be disloyalty to the Lord. Even if you kneel and beg for mercy now, I will not let you go! Accept my judgment!"
"Tch! A member of the West European Church's clergy, are you? So what? A frail human thinks she can defeat a noble beast man?!"
With no idea where his lofty sense of superiority came from, the pitch-black beast man used Divine Bestialization once more. In the blink of an eye, he became a vicious, terrifying giant wolf of a divine beast.
"Do you see it?! This perfect, beautiful body! We are descendants of demon wolves born after swallowing the hearts of giants. That is why beast men are the highest-ranking demons! Experience the power of the strongest race on earth!"
"...Don't you think there's a contradiction in what you just said? If your race was born by swallowing the hearts of giants, doesn't that mean giants were a higher-ranking race than you? On what grounds are you calling your own race the strongest on land?"
The black giant beast's roar came to an abrupt halt.
He did not answer Ciel's question. For a long time, he only stared at her in silence. Perhaps he was thinking as hard as he could, trying to come up with a convincing answer.
After quite some time, the pitch-black beast man opened his mouth again.
"Die!"
"You just gave up on thinking, didn't you?"
Come to think of it, the beast man race had never really seemed connected to the word "wisdom." They had always seemed to represent simple minds and strong limbs.
Perhaps asking this pitch-black beast man to use his brain and think about such a complicated question really was too much for him.
Astonishing magical power gradually gathered inside the pitch-black beast man. Through Divine Bestialization, he could breathe out blazing flames of tremendous destructive force like a dragon. He intended to use this attack to break through the magical power barrier covering Ciel's body and annihilate her completely.
If magical power of this level were released all at once, leaving aside whether it could injure Ciel, Kojou Akatsuki and Nagisa Akatsuki nearby would certainly not survive. The stone chamber itself might even collapse from the blast.
Just before her opponent unleashed his attack, Ciel suddenly threw Black Keys in all directions.
The instant they pierced the ground, the magecraft formulas engraved on the Black Keys activated, and an enormous barrier enveloped Ciel and the pitch-black beast man.
At the same time, Hazaroff, transformed into a divine beast, roared and fully released the high-intensity magical power he had gathered, spewing a maximum-scale blast of ferocious flame from his mouth.
The black flames surged within the barrier like an explosion. In the blink of an eye, they covered every area inside, continuously pounding against the barrier walls.
Those compressed hellflames of magical power could destroy even a vampire's Beast Vassal in a single blow. And because Ciel's barrier cut off space, trapping all the flames inside to protect the two children outside, the force of that attack was greatly amplified instead.
"Damn it... That hurts..."
Hazaroff's pained roar came from within the sea of fire.
Naturally, the flame breath confined inside the barrier had injured him as well.
"Were you trying to use my own attack to take me down with you? As expected of a lowly human. All you have are cheap little tricks... But unfortunately for you, your hopes were in vain. As a divine beast, my flesh is comparable to a dragon's! An attack like this can't kill me!"
Though battered by the impact of the flames and covered in wounds, Hazaroff still let out a triumphant laugh, as if he were the one who had laughed last.
Ciel felt it was necessary to pour cold water over his head at this point. His laughter was honestly somewhat noisy.
The girl's figure slowly emerged amid the roiling black flames, while the fire serpents melting the ground failed to so much as scorch the hem of her clothes.
"Would you please use your brain and think carefully? If I wanted to use your attack to kill you, why would I lock myself inside the barrier too? I could have just sealed you in alone, couldn't I?"
His self-important assumption left Ciel a little stunned.
This beast man really is hopelessly stupid...
The emotion known as pity gradually entered Ciel's gaze as she looked at the pitch-black beast man.
Hazaroff did not fly into a rage at Ciel's offensive look. Right now, he was staring fixedly at her, his expression one of inner shock. Ciel could even read the question in his face: Are you really human?
"Why? Why didn't my breath work on you?!"
In the next second, the pitch-black beast man voiced the doubt in his heart.
"That's nothing to be surprised about, is it? Having a sturdy body is basically my only strong point."
Ciel answered unconcernedly, though her older sister, Natsuki Minamiya, always made strange faces and commented that her body was strong enough to be called monstrous.
Naturally, such an understated answer could not possibly satisfy him.
"Don't screw with me! A mere human... A mere human...!"
As if unwilling to admit defeat in terms of physical strength, he roared and charged over, cleaving through the waves of flame and swinging claws that flashed with cold light.
A divine beast's claw strike would probably tear even an armored vehicle apart like paper.
Ciel stood perfectly still where she was, like someone scared stiff, staring blankly as that claw came down.
The collision lasted only an instant. There was no contest. Victory and defeat were displayed before everyone's eyes in the most direct and striking way possible.
The flashing cold light, and the beast man's claws along with it, shattered instantly like eggs striking stone.
And what shattered with them was Hazaroff's pride and worldview.
"Hah!"
Ciel leaped up, rising above the pitch-black beast man's head.
Like someone disciplining a bad dog that would not listen, the girl shouted.
"Sit!"
Her fist looked delicate and fair. Her arm looked slender too.
However, from the beast man's perspective, the word "death" was clearly stamped upon that fist.
BOOM!
Hard fur. High-density magical power. Everything Hazaroff took pride in was smashed through as easily as rotten wood.
The blast of air exploding outward blew away the surging black flames on the ground.
Hazaroff's head was driven deep into the floor by Ciel's punch. Since he had already lost consciousness, his body also released Divine Bestialization and returned to its original appearance.
Under normal circumstances, beast men did not look all that different from humans, but they could partially transform into beasts. Only a very small number of high-ranking beast men could use Divine Bestialization.
Ciel had controlled her strength and had not punched him to death. If she hit too hard, Natsuki-oneechan would scold her again.
This guy still had value for interrogation.
The mastermind had been dealt with, so there was no need to maintain the barrier any longer. Ciel retrieved all four Black Keys stuck in the ground.
Then she walked toward Kojou and Nagisa, who had both been terrified.
"I'm glad to see you're both still alive, little ones. I hope you aren't hurt."
A kind smile appeared on Ciel's face.
To soothe frightened children, a smile that made them feel close to you was indispensable. This was experience she had gained over many years of dealing with children.
Kojou's pupils focused. As if awakened by Ciel's words, his expression changed clearly.
First shock, then nervousness—but it quickly shifted into gratitude and excitement.
"That was amazing! Airport big sister, you were incredible just now! So incredible you almost didn't seem human... Ah, no, that's not what I meant. I'm not saying you don't look human, big sister. I just wanted to say you were really amazing, like..."
"All right, all right. I know what you mean. No need to rush. Take a deep breath. Be careful not to catch cold. It's rather chilly here, and it wouldn't be good if you came down with a fever. Children have an especially hard time when they get fevers."
At this point, should Kojou be called unfiltered, or did his mouth simply move faster than his brain?
But Ciel did not think there was anything wrong with his reaction. He had almost died just now, after all. Liana had died right in front of them, riddled with bullets, and Kojou, a child who had only just graduated elementary school, could still remain conscious. That alone was already admirable.
Was that what one would expect of the original protagonist? At the very least, his temperament and willpower passed the test.
Thinking back to the original plot, when it came to the anime Strike the Blood... Ciel really wanted to complain.
That anime had always only covered the story after the male lead became the Fourth Primogenitor. Back then, she had kept watching to the very end precisely because she wanted to know how the male lead became the Fourth Primogenitor. In the end, after finishing the entire anime, she discovered that it never covered that part at all. She could only read it in the novel.
But the Strike the Blood novel was nowhere to be found online. It seemed like every site had taken it down, which had made her want to give up looking for it more than once.
In the original plot, Kojou was not only a brave siscon, but also very clever.
In order to protect his younger sister from Hazaroff, he deliberately stood in front of Avrora, letting the bullets pierce his body and spill his blood onto her.
Avrora was part of the Fourth Primogenitor. She was a vampire. Kojou's blood awakened her, and she acted to protect him and his younger sister, Nagisa.
Ciel raised her head and looked toward the small figure sleeping inside the solid ice.
It was a girl of about the same height as Nagisa.
Her skin was pure white and translucent, and her childish features were so refined they seemed inhuman. Her pale blonde hair reflected rainbow light.
She called to mind a fairy sealed in transparent amber, yet at the same time, one could feel something sinister from her.
She was Avrora. Avrora Florestina...
Because the way she slept made one think of Sleeping Beauty, the girl had been given that name.
As an aside, in the original work, the person who gave her that name was Kojou. That was the special treatment of being the male lead. The last person who had enjoyed the same treatment was Shido Itsuka, who came up with Yatogami Tohka's name.
Brilliant long golden hair, and a vampire Primogenitor at that...
Ciel suddenly thought of a certain very irritating blonde vampire.
"...Nagisa? Nagisa! Wake up, Nagisa! We're already saved! Don't scare me, Nagisa!"
The sudden shout interrupted Ciel's thoughts. She saw Kojou frantically calling the name of the younger sister in his arms.
Nagisa was nestled against him. Liana's death right in front of her had terrified her severely. The negative emotional information hidden within her soul had surged into her body, and after screaming aloud, the fragile-minded girl had fainted.
Her complexion was terrible. Her brows were deeply knitted, as if she were trapped in a horrifying nightmare, or like a patient suffering from a serious illness.
Moreover, no matter how Kojou called her name, she would not wake. The longer Kojou looked, the more anxious he became.
"Airport big sister! You must have a way, right? Please, save Nagisa! As long as you can save her, I'll do anything! I'm begging you!"
Even when so many gun muzzles were aimed at him, he had been able to stay calm and search for a way out. But at this moment, Kojou was utterly helpless. The only thing he could do was cast a pleading gaze toward Ciel, the only living person left besides himself and his sister.
At this moment, Ciel was his final hope.
Kojou, whose mind had been stolen by worry and who had lost all composure, did not notice that when Ciel looked at Nagisa, her gaze gradually began to turn cold.
Toward Nagisa, whom she had just saved...
She felt killing intent.
Nagisa had become like this because her spirit medium constitution had drawn a soul on par with the Devas into her body.
A soul that had slept for who knew how many years would, in order to fully awaken, greedily devour Nagisa's life force and spiritual power without restraint.
It would place an enormous burden on Nagisa until she, as the host, died.
That soul was named "Root."
It was an artificial "cursed soul" created by the Devas so that the Fourth Primogenitor, their strongest weapon, would not slip from their control.
The true Fourth Primogenitor had been destroyed for rebelling against the Devas, and his body had been divided into twelve parts. One could say that the soul known as "Root" was now the Fourth Primogenitor.
Killing vampires, killing Primogenitors who would endanger the world, was Ciel's duty as an Executor.
Killing Nagisa here, together with the soul of "Root" inside her...
That thought remained in Ciel's mind for only half a second.
That would indeed be the simplest and most efficient solution. But doing so would betray her true heart and run completely counter to her own wish.
"In any case, first let me perform a ritual to soothe her soul and replenish her life force. That should resolve the immediate crisis, at least..."
That was what Ciel said, and that was what she did.
Unexpected things always happened so suddenly.
When Ciel placed her hand on Nagisa's forehead, intending to first check the condition inside her body...
"...?"
Still half-crouched, Ciel showed a stunned expression.
At that moment, Natsuki Minamiya also entered the ruin.
When she first appeared, her face carried a touch of concern and worry. Her gaze swept over the unconscious beast man, then over the bewildered Kojou, until finally she saw Ciel. Only then did she seem to relax, letting out a heavy breath. After that, the worry from before transformed into an equal measure of reproach and dissatisfaction.
"I've been waiting for you up there forever, and you refused to come out. Did you fall asleep in here? If nothing happened, you could at least have reported that you were safe!"
---
T/N: for the beastman just think of a werewolf from skyrim but more humanish? yeah and its not RACIST ITS LITERALLY JUST BLACKAAS FUCK FUR!!!!!!!
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