The man-robed man looked down coldly at the two demons who had fallen.

"It's all guys who don't even have the value to kill, but if you leave it unchecked, you'll perish on this island sooner or later. But at the very least, it can be used as a bait for the 'fingertips of roses'. Astarout, give them mercy. ”

The blue-haired girl spoke expressionlessly.

Realizing the meaning of her words, the vampire man let out a cry of grief.

"No, don't...... Stop, ......! ”

The girl glanced at the man with her pale blue pupils. Her eyes were filled with boredom, and her lips quivered.

"—Orders and Promises"

The giant wrist that glowed gray and white wriggled like a malicious beast.

The man's screams echoed.

……

The forest in the middle of summer –

The burning bonfire illuminates the shrine grounds in the middle of the night. The light moonlight shines into the main hall. The cold air makes you forget the concept of the seasons, perhaps because of the influence of the shrine barrier.

The previously noisy insect sounds are now almost inaudible.

The girl sat wordlessly in the center of the empty hall.

She is still childish, but she has a beautiful face.

The slender and thin figure does not give people an illusory sense of blushing, but reflects the tenacity of a girl who has been honed for a long time. Perhaps it was the stern tightening of her lips and the strong light in her eyes that made people think of this.

The girl wears the uniform of a private middle school in Kansai.

The school is a famous school in the Shinto department, but few people know that this school is actually a subordinate organization of the Lion King organization.

There were already 3 first visitors in the main hall.

The bamboo curtain made it impossible to see their postures, but the girl already knew their true identities in advance.

They are the Lion King elders, known as the 'Three Saints'.

Either one of them was a highest-ranking psionic or a magician, but the quiet aura around them barely felt any oppression. Maybe that's even more terrifying.

The girl subconsciously pinched the cuffs of her uniform, and then—

"Report your name!"

A voice came from the opposite side of the bamboo curtain. The tone is serious but not cold, a female voice that is younger than expected, with a certain smile.

"My name is Hime, Himeki Yukina"

The girl replied after a momentary pause. The nervousness made her voice tremble slightly, and the woman on the other side of the bamboo curtain didn't mind continuing to ask.

"Age?"

"In 4 months, I will be 15 years old"

"Really... Yukina Hime, training started seven years ago. As soon as you turn 7th anniversary... On a snowy night, you were taken to the trap alone, do you remember that day? ”

The woman on the other side of the bamboo curtain suddenly asked as if she were talking to herself. Yukina's spine was cold, this shouldn't have been investigated in advance, was it read Yukina's memory? This overwhelming super-sensing cognitive ability completely does not pay attention to the mental barrier that Yukina has opened.

"I can't remember... Only vague memories remain."

Yukina shook her head gently, this sentence was not true, the other party should have noticed it, but the woman didn't say anything and continued to ask.

"The results are very good, Yuantang praised you"

"Thank you very much"

"I've worked with Yuantang a few times, she's a very good demon attacker, and you have the same habits of mental defense barriers. What else did you learn from Yuantang? ”

"All spells, witchcraft, illusions, and exorcisms"

"What about magic? Yuantang should be an expert in this area."

"I have learned roughly from the continental department, and I have only learned the basic theory of Western magic."

"What about the combat experience with the demons?"

"If you have simulated a battle, you have been trained twice in the cultivation of all of them, but you haven't done actual combat yet."

"What about martial arts?"

"Sort of, I'll use it."

"Really? That's good."

Poof—The woman on the other side of the bamboo curtain seemed to be laughing.

“——！”

At this moment, Yukina, who felt the explosive expansion of the murderous aura, jumped up.

She stepped on the planked floor, using her inertia to turn backwards for a week before hitting the ground. This is not a brain-thinking action, but a knee-jerk reaction to perceive danger.

The blade that pierced the air swung down, striking at the place where Yukina had been sitting at the last moment.

Even if Yukina's movements are a little slower, there is no doubt that she will lose her life. It's a real slash.

Two huge armored warriors dissolved from the darkness.

The samurai holding a crude sword has no face, and with a bow on the left and right, it is a samurai with four arms.

They don't have entities, but Shikigami constructed using spells. I'm afraid it was a good deed done by one of the three people behind the bamboo curtain. But before understanding this, Yukina fought back.

"Let's play"

He chanted a short spell in his mouth and concentrated the mana in his palm, passing through Shikigami's armor and hitting it directly inside.

The armor dissipated in an instant, leaving only the sword he was holding just now.

Yukina grabbed the sword in the air that was used as a catalyst for the creation of the gods. And use this captured sword to defend against the attack of the second armor warrior. After the opponent has released the bow and arrow, he swept with one blow and two swords, and eliminated the second armor warrior.

"It's... What is the meaning? ”

A little out of breath, Yukina pointed the knife at the bamboo curtain.

She doesn't plan to fight Shikigami anymore, and if the battle is prolonged, there is no chance of victory for Yukina, who is at a disadvantage in strength. Even if the other party is an elder of the Lion King's mechanism, if they want to continue to spoof, they have to attack the sorcerer directly, Yukina judged.

The other party of the bamboo curtain sounded a clapping sound as if waiting for this time.

"Hahahahaha, it's a good judgment, Yukina Hime. Well done"

The man's contented laughter came, low and deep.

This was followed by a voice unknown to both age and gender.

"Not good at curses and divination, but a talent who excels in vision and swordsmanship... It is exactly as the report says, the typical sword witch. First of all, I can say that I am qualified."

"Qualified.......?"

The voices of the elders on the other side of the bamboo curtain made Yukina frown in confusion.

"That's right. Originally, you still need 4 months of cultivation to get the qualification of Sword Witch. But things have changed - sit down, Himeki Yukina"

The original female voice said. Yukina unhappily followed her words and returned to her sitting position, sighing and putting the knife aside.

"Okay, let's get to the point"

"Yes"

"That's a good answer, first of all."

As he said this, a butterfly emerged from the crack in the bamboo curtain.

The butterfly silently flapped its wings and landed in front of Yukina, and then turned into a photograph.

The photo shows a boy in a high school uniform. The expression is cold, and there is a natural kingly aura on his body, which makes people feel extremely unfathomable, as if someone secretly photographed it. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he stared at the direction of the photo with a warning look.

"What is this picture?"

"His name is Xiao Gucheng, you know?"

"No"

Yukina shook her head honestly. In fact, it was the first time she had seen this face. In fact, her answer had already been thought of from the beginning, and the woman continued to ask without feeling.

"What do you think about him?"

"Huh?"

The sudden question puzzled Yukina.

"I can't properly grasp it from a photo, he should be an expert in martial arts, he doesn't look like he has some special curse, but it's clear that he has sensed the aura of the photographer. But this person seems to me to be more than simple, as if he is more like a peerless master. ”

"No, that's not what I mean, I'm asking you what you think of him, that is, is he your favorite type?"

"Huh? What the? ”

"For example, if you look good or bad, do you like it or something?"

"That's... Is this teasing me? ”

Yukina asked rhetorically in a very unhappy tone. I don't know what the elders really mean, but their inappropriate question made her feel malice, so she involuntarily reached out to the Taidao placed on the floor.

In the face of Yukina's reaction, the woman on the other side of the bamboo curtain let out a sigh of loss.

"So have you ever heard of the term 'Fourth True Ancestor', Himeki Yukina?"

The more abrupt question made Yukina take a slight breath. As long as it is a decent attacker, they will be silent for a moment almost when they hear the name.

"Do you mean the night of the flames? The Fourth True Ancestor who harnessed the 12 Dependent Beasts—"

"That's right. There are no kindred people, the only lonely, strongest vampire"

The woman's calm voice echoed through the hall.

The Fourth True Ancestor, the Night Uncle of the Flame Light -

It's impossible for anyone related to the demon race not to know this name.

If you want to say why, it's because this is the title of the strongest vampire in the world.

This is not self-appointed, at least as the world knows. And even hostile enemies don't bother to deny it. The Fourth True Ancestor is such an existence.

"But I heard that the Fourth True Ancestor doesn't actually exist, it's just an urban legend."

For Yukina's words, I felt that the woman shook her head.

True Ancestor, the Emperor of the Darkbloods, is the most ancient and powerful 'primordial vampire'. They led thousands of armies of their own kind, and established the self-governing Night Empire on each of the three continents.

"Indeed, there are only three recognized true ancestors at present. The 'Forgotten War King' who rules Europe, the 'Pupil of Destruction', the leader of the alliance in Western Asia, and the 'Queen of Chaos' who rules North and South America—in contrast, the Fourth True Ancestor has no territory because he has no blood of his own."

"Exactly. But this is not enough to explain the claim that the Fourth True Ancestor does not exist. ”

Then the woman's words were said in the man's rough tone. And then the voice of another elder also—

"Do you remember the bombing in Kyoto this spring?"

“…… Ay? ”

"Four years ago, the train accident in Rome, the disappearance of cities in China, and the explosion of the undersea tunnel in Manhattan. Further afield, the fire in Sydney was the same. ”

"Could it be that ... Did these all do it to the Fourth True Ancestor? ”

Yukina's expression was a little spasmodic. The elders casually said that these were large-scale and vicious terrorist incidents that caused a large number of casualties. In either case, it was reported that the prisoner was unknown. However, if this really has something to do with the True Ancestor, then just this level of damage can be called lucky.

"Evidence of all circumstances points to the existence of the Fourth True Ancestor"

The original woman said this to Yukina, who was blushing.

"They are bound to come at a turning point in history, bringing carnage and destruction to the world. But the problem is not only that, the existence of the Fourth True Ancestor has disturbed the order of the world, do you know the reason for this? ”

"Yes"

Yukina nodded affirmatively.

Vampires with the racial characteristics of vampirism and high intellectual literacy are not usually hostile to humans. Most of them like to integrate into human society, and have so far carefully avoided acts that are hostile to the human race.

Moreover, governments of various countries have made treaties with the True Ancestors to prohibit indiscriminate blood smoking, and on the surface peaceful coexistence has been achieved. However, this is actually the relationship between the three night empires in an extremely delicate balance before it can be established. (Markne)