～ Part 2 ～
“I thought that there’s no chance this would happen, but preys have come. It’s quite worthwhile to keep the dog alive.”
“A very courteous manner of talking you have there.” [Notes]
Nekomiya purposely didn’t break her usual pace and replied.
In this darkness, she couldn’t use shadow as the means of communication to request reinforcement from Kyousuke and the others who were outside. However, there were any number of methods other than that. Pus.h.i.+ng through Saruwatari and Karasuma, Nekomiya came out in front, she used her tail to lightly hit the two boys’ legs. The two didn’t notice Nekomiya’s aim instantly. A puzzled aura was transmitted from them.
“Did you learn that manner of talking when managing the company? Toki.”
When she purposely got talkative, the man suddenly stopped moving.
As expected, this man was Toki. And if she looked at those red eyes, she would notice that he was a vampire. The conjectures they made until now seemed mostly correct.
“I already know the gist about you. I guess you intended to hide it skillfully, but the message Inugami left behind was found instantly. It has been conveyed to the chieftain as well. The missing case that has been repeating recently is your work as well?”
While fluently talking, she urged Saruwatari and the others by hitting them with her tail. Notice, notice already!
“However, setting aside this room, the making of the part above ground isn’t too well made. The ventilation is bad.”
“You’re a smooth talker huh.”
Toki, with an amazed voice, muttered.
“I’m aiming to be a stage actress you see. Ad lib is my specialty. It’s unfortunate that the only one to hear it is you though.”
Several beats after that, she felt a sensation like wind blowing softly.
They noticed! It’s transmitted! Nekomiya tightly clenched her fist, no, paw?
Supposing one could visualize magic power, they would be able to see waves of magic power that the spirit of wind made, heading outside the stairs. It manipulated the vibration in the air, carrying the conversation here up the stairs. Sometime ago, Saruwatari and Karasuma granted directionality to their voice to call Nekomiya, that was the same method as this.
“I didn’t think that you would even make a room in the bas.e.m.e.nt.”
“Well, there are some necessities. I have many things I can’t let the other islanders see, you see.”
“Considering all that, you made the entrant at a very easy to understand place huh. Like the corner of the living room.”
The vampire Toki, for a little while, was going along with Nekomiya’s story. Was it because he looked down on them, or conversely being vigilant against ambushes?
“Let’s finish the chitchat soon.”
However, after exchange several more conversations, Toki abruptly said so.
“Really, what are you going to do about us?”
“Seal your movement, have you sleep for a while. I’ll be have you become presents to the King together with the Queen’s person.”
“Queen you say…?”
Taken aback, Nekomiya muttered.
“No way, you guys, Akai…”
“Yes, we plan to take her back from you guys. No matter how I look, you guys seem to be mediocre species, but it would still make for an extra present.”
It was something they all but expected, but it really did hit the mark. The vampire slowly approached while putting black lightning on both hands. Kagoi who had confidence as the most durable one among them, came straight out in front and s.h.i.+elded Nekomiya. Toki’s vigilance seemed to be gradually fading. He probably thought that they had no means to request reinforcement from outside.
“Wa–wait. Please wait…”
Nekomiya, giving out a scared voice, entreated.
“If, if you’re going to take Akai, then there’s no need to insist on us, right? As you said, we’re not such rare species. Even if you overlook…”
“That won’t do. There’s also the possibility you may pull a hit upon reaching Phase 2, you see.”
Toki grinned, in this place, probably only Nekomiya could clearly see that grinning face of his.
“Nekomiya, Run…”
Kagoi said with a voice full of tension.
“This place, I will do some…!”
“Ahh–, Kagoi! Don’t…”
Saying so, Kagoi charged at Toki, Nekomiya tried to restrain him, but she was too late. He grappled with Toki directly from the front, however, his arm was disappointedly twisted. He raised a little anguished voice. Then, the black lightning cladding on Toki’s arms radiated toward Kagoi.
“Gah, gaaa!!”
“Kagoi!”
Even Kagoi’s robust stone skin seemed insufficient to protect himself from pain. Nekomiya tightly ground her teeth.
“A gargoyle with quite a camaraderie, however…”
Unhesitatingly trampling on Kagoi’s back, Toki said.
“You, have wasted his feelings. If you just left the dog there and ran up the stairs, one of you might have been able to escape, and yet…”
That muttered voice was perfectly oozing with conceit. He was perfectly under the impression that this side already had no way to do anything.
There, Nekomiya suddenly smiled for the first time. To completely deceived a veteran vampire in the eleventh hour, my dream to become an actress may not be so far away, is it?
“……?”
Toki stared at Nekomiya with quizzical gaze.
“What’s wrong…?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Only, they were in time.”
Immediately following, the ceiling was smashed down, one shadow flew out along with the sunlight.
“”Stream kiiickkkk!!””
Together with the roaring sound of the cave-in, Kyousuke and Rin’s voice was perfectly in chorus. The kick with their whole body bursted into the nape of the black armor wearing p.a.w.n.
When they started hearing Nekomiya’s conversation from the direction of the residence, Kyousuke instantly sensed that it was a reinforcement signal. The conversation with an unfamiliar man clearly reached them as if pa.s.sing through a speaker or something. He vaguely understood it as manipulating the air vibration by using the power of wind spirit.
Which meant shadow magic had become unusable due to some circ.u.mstances. From the fact that even the location had been properly reported in that conversation, he was convinced. Cladding Rin, Kyousuke started running, he broke through the wall and intrude inside, too impatient to find the stairs, he punched through the bedrock from the living room toward the bas.e.m.e.nt.
And now, in the Stream Cross state, he was confronting a p.a.w.n who appeared to be Toki.
“I’ve made you wait.”
The one who said that wasn’t Kyousuke, it was Rin who tried to forcibly give out a low and austere voice.
“Can you stand, Kagoi?”
“Ahh, I’m saved…”
Raising up Kagoi who had been trampled on the floor, Kyousuke asked. Kagoi seemed to be in pain a little, but he somehow nodded.
Other than Kagoi, there were Nekomiya, Saruwatari, Karasuma, and then Inugami. Everyone was here. Inugami was stark naked, wearing only her birthday suit, to make matter worse, her hands and legs were connected to chains, but still, safe is safe. How harsh a time she had been through, he didn’t know, but the recompense for that would start from now.
“Guu, no, no way, the skeleton, and the slime…”
Toki who had eaten a kick in the face and was blown away, stood up along with an anguished voice. [Rants]
While glaring at him, Kyousuke slowly took a Jeet Kune Do stance.
“It’s not skeleton. It’s Utsurogi Kyousuke-kun.”
Rin said in a clear voice.
“It’s not slime. It’s Himemizu Rin.”
Kyousuke also went along with it.
“Utsurogi…!”
Inugami whose look was a little haggard, shouted in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
“There are 6 vampires including that guy…! Were there not the remaining 5…!?”
“We didn’t see them.”
Nekomiya answered instead of Kyousuke.
At the same time, Kyousuke recalled Nekomiya and Toki’s conversation that he had heard sometime ago. These guys were talking about recapturing Akai’s person. Then, there was the possibility that the remaining 5 who weren’t here had already headed for the heavy cruiser branch school, which meant….
“Understood.”
Kyousuke clearly nodded.
“Let’s settle this quickly and go to aid the branch school.”
The instant he said so, he felt it in his rib, the heart that wasn’t suppose exist throbbed.
That was the signal to end the standby. The heart that wasn’t supposed to exist. The heart of nihility. The heart of emptiness. There, the back-up soul smoothly came in. The sensation that the throbbing was gradually getting faster, stronger, was by no means a delusion. Soon, a gust of wind started blowing out of nowhere, it wrapped up Kyousuke and Rin.
“Let’s go, Rin!”
“Yup! Let’s do it, Kyousuke-kun!”
The empty vessel was being filled to the brim. Soon, power started to endlessly overflow from the filled vessel.
“”UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo–!!””
Before long, the overflowing power became a shout leaking out from his throat. An unrivaled flesh was being composed. The two people’s mind and body became one at the smallest unit. At that point, Toki, who finally sensed what was about to happen in front of his eyes, put black lightning in his right hand and attacked.
“Haah!”
Brus.h.i.+ng away the wind cladding his body with his right hand, Kyousuke counter attacked Toki’s fist with one hand.
“Guoo…!?”
Toki screamed and was blown off again. His body vigorously slammed against the wall.
“That is…!”
“Yes, this…!”
The voice of Nekomiya who witnessed it for the first time was full of surprise. Kyousuke powerfully responded.
“This, is Extreme Cross!!”
