"Let's go home." Kamijou said. Unable to get past the flowing gold, Kamijou could only make a detour through the four buildings and return to Himegami. "I beat that guy called Aureolus. I didn't kill him but he's done. He can't fight, he's wounded and his heart's broken."
So, go home.
There was nothing left to protect. The students that took part in the Gregorian Chant could not be saved and he ended up dueling the alchemist. There lacked any reason for Kamijou to remain there. He himself desired to escape that battlefield filled with death and return home.
He wanted to go home and he wanted to have dinner with Index. It would be alright so long as he escaped Misawa Cram School.
If I could just see her, I could return to the normal world. Before I'm stuck here, before I get used to a world of murder and death… If I can't go back it's over. He realized blankly and ever so clearly.
A devil appeared in Kamijou's fragile heart.
First, according to Stiyl, Index had to have her memory wiped every year.
Second, according to Stiyl, Index found a new partner every year.
Finally, according to Stiyl, Index was completely ignorant.
Easily imaginable, the Index who smiled years past was not the Index that Kamijou knew. There were too many around Index that needed her.
He had not explicitly said it, but Stiyl did imply it when he had said "this does not mean we have given up and are leaving her to you."
"…" A sudden feeling of grogginess forced Kamijou to support himself with his hand. He felt that if he treated that child just like any other person, he would be unable to return to his ordinary life.
…Such an ugly and possessive thought.
In such critical circumstances, thoughts of self defeat could easily become self-sacrifice or other suicidal actions. Kamijou took a deep breath and calmed himself, forcing himself not to think in such a way. He had realized that if such thoughts continued, his mind would have crumbled.
Anyways… I'd better get Himegami out of here. Kamijou sighed with a thought.
"That Aureolus Izzard was a fake." Himegami Aisa said matter-of-factly.
"What?"
"He was just a clone. I've seen the real one before so I can tell. The real one wouldn't kill so indiscriminately."
Each word she spoke etched into Kamijou's thoughts. It was true. Analyzing carefully, something was wrong. The alchemist had certainly used Misawa Cram School as a fortress but had for some reason self-destructed the students with the Gregorian Chant? If it were the case, would he not have broken his disguise?
Even with such analysis, Kamijou was unwilling to believe reality. He could not calmly think because what remained of his sanity was the fact that he would finally go home. He could not simply accept that he had to step back into the battlefield.
"Hold on! Hold it right there…! What do you mean? I just beat Aureolus Izzard!"
"Like I said, he was a fake." She responded quickly. "The real body has many needles to stab with. The ones without needles are definitely fake, not to mention the real one isn't that weak."
Kamijou could not admit to it and neither did he want to. His thoughts were focused on going home and he was wholly unwilling to accept another enemy's existence.
"The real one is only interested in what he wants. I don't think he'd stop you if you went home." Himegami's calming tone finally soothed Kamijou's rampaging mood. However, something she said seemed strange.
"Hold on. You're coming with me aren't you? Since he wants you, why would he let us go?"
"Why?"
"Why, what?"
"The question isn't 'why can't he let us go'. It's 'why should I go with you?'"
"What?" Kamijou, confused, could say little more. Even if they defeated all enemies, Himegami did not intend to escape from Misawa Cram.
"Don't be mistaken. I'm here of my own accord. I don't plan to escape from here. On the contrary, my goal can only be achieved here. Without that alchemist, it's possible it might never be fulfilled." Rather than sound lost, Himegami may have even sounded like Aureolus' friend.
What's going on? There are psychological cases where imprisoned or monitored hostages have felt mysterious sympathy for criminals. Is Himegami like that?
"No matter what your aims, the guy doesn't consider you an ally, right? And if you are one, why are you imprisoned here?"
"I was imprisoned before he took command of Misawa Cram." She said with resolve. "Do you really want to know how I was treated here? Do you want to know why there are so many secret rooms? I don't think you could handle the truth."
"..."
"Ever since the alchemist came, the secret rooms were never used again. I'm just staying here. I don't feel the need to go outside. If I did randomly go out, I'd attract 'them.'"
Kamijou remembered what Stiyl had told him prior to their invasion. Though it seemed like an ordinary building, it possessed a perfectly disguised barrier.
Deep Blood: a legend of even the magic world. A girl was said to possess the ability to instantly kill vampires. Perhaps…
"What do you mean? Don't tell me you hide here to avoid conflicts with them?"
"…My blood has the power to attract them with a sweet scent and also kill them. Lure them, kill them. I'm like a carnivorous plant: colorful and deadly. Such is my nature."
Kamijou's eyes widened. Even when Stiyl simply mentioned vampires, he was filled with fear and disgust and now, he knew Himegami Aisa truly had the powerful ability to kill vampires. However, Himegami's words sounded lonely. It was as if she were standing in the cold rain.
"Do you know what vampires are like?" Kamijou could not possibly answer. All he could think of were evil vampires in fiction who attacked humans. In fact, the term vampire itself seemed unrealistic.
"I don't."
"They're no different from us. They cry, smile, get angry, get happy, laugh for others, and act for others. All of these people—without exception—are killed." Himegami replied with words that only those who had seen Hell could say. She sounded like her heart bled. Her happy memories had been shattered.
"Academy City researches powers. I thought I could come here to analyze the secrets of my powers. If I knew its source I could get rid of it. However, I couldn't find a way to be rid of it." Himegami said. "I don't want to kill anyone. I'd decided that I'd rather kill myself than kill other people."
Such was the reason that the girl titled Deep Blood agonized alone.
"But that…"
"Please don't try to convince me otherwise. It's not so bad. Aureolus said that he could create a simply boundary that takes the appearance of clothes, called the Walking Church. If I put it on, I can go outside without the fear of luring 'them.'"
"..."
"I have my goals and Aureolus has his. We need each other to fulfill them. So, it's okay. Aureolus will fulfill his end of the bargain and keep me safe. I'll explain it to Aureolus for you if you want to leave this battlefield." Kamijou could not consent. He did not understand the burden she bore. He did not know how to save her. He did not know what to do.
"Tell me something." He asked because he did not know. "If you don't want to attract vampires, why were you eating outside when we first met?"
"Simple. Aureolus needs me because he wants a vampire. If I stay inside this boundary, I can't attract one."
"Isn't that the opposite of what you want? Don't you want to stop hurting vampires? If you do, why would you accept that ord—"
"Yes. But, Aureolus promised me he wouldn't hurt it after he captured one. He just wants their help."
"…What? I thought you had worked hard just to escape Misawa Cram."
"Even if I had intended to escape, why are you here?"
"I'm here to save you of course. Do I need any other reason?"
Himegami's eyes widened at his argument. It was like she had gotten a birthday present even she had forgotten what day it was. "Unbelievable. But don't worry, I wasn't imprisoned. You can relax and go home, no problem." She smiled. "Aureolus said he wants to save someone and can't do it by himself. That's why he needs a vampire and also why I agreed to help. This's the first time I agreed to use this power to save, not kill."
"..."
Were her words true? Even if Himegami were not lying, it was unknown whether Aureolus was noble. After all, Aureolus was a murderer and mastermind who had created that battlefield of carnage. Her words contradicted the situation.
And, even if Aureolus Izzard was as she said…
"...This won't do."
"?"
"If in fact Aureolus Izzard is as you say, that he isn't a monster, that he's still barely human, you can't let him keep doing these terrible things. Though I think people can be saved when they fall, if Aureolus continues like this, he'll reach a point of no return."
She remained silent. In truth, she had already realized. Aureolus' desires had begun to diverge from reality. Simply looking at the battlefield itself showed that the truth differed substantially from "not hurting anyone."
"On exactly what basis do you refute my ideas?" said a male voice that interrupted Kamijou.
A mysterious ringing permeated their conversation, forcing both silent. It was like a whisper to the ear, though the owner of the voice had transferred the vibrations not through air but through something metaphysical.
The footsteps clacked behind Himegami in a corridor 30 meters away.
No one should have been there. No one should have been there. But, in the blink of an eye, Kamijou witnessed a man appear before him. Surely there were no places to hide. Not to mention, the man had never hid.
"You…" Kamijou began to distrust his very own eyes.
The man that suddenly appeared was the Aureolus Izzard that Kamijou had beaten down. His limbs were intact and he had not a single scratch.
Did he use some special power to heal? Kamijou considered it but deemed it illogical. Regardless of physical healing, one's personality would remain constant. Like a twin brother with a completely different persona, the person before him was identical but possessed a wholly different atmosphere.
Not to mention the pressure… He was thirty meters away but Kamijou felt an overwhelming sensation as if the enemy had already stabbed his ribs.
Despair. The only suitable description of that man was power.
Dangerous! His instinct warned him. This person is dangerous! He's someone that definitely can't be beaten while in this building.
Because of the warning, Kamijou took a step forward to protect Himegami. From the beginning, sacrificing someone to save himself was never an option.
"Calm down. Don't interfere. I will go there now."
Before Kamijou could take even a step forward, Aureolus Izzard had covered the entire 30 meter distance between them.
"What…?"
With Aureolus' sudden appearance, Kamijou's mind froze with incomprehension. Rather than fast, he had appeared out of nowhere like a scene change in movies.
"Naturally, you're wondering what happened. However, I have no obligation to answer." The alchemist said with calm.
"Himegami's blood is very important so I can't hand her over. I'm here to reclaim her."
The word "reclaim" swirled in Kamijou's confused mind. "You bastard!"
How could he run away? He had to close the two meter distance between them and rescue the imprisoned Himegami from the mastermind Aureolus. He rushed forward.
"In any case… You," The alchemist calmly began. "shall not touch me."
The change was drastic.
Initially, nothing changed, which was the source of the strangeness. Kamijou had rushed at Aureolus with maximum force. However, the distance did not lessen, as if he were chasing the setting sun on the horizon. Run and run and run but the two meters did not disappear.
Like a corridor expanding into infinity, Aureolus and Himegami seemed to retreat from him. With a sense of anxiousness, Kamijou remembered the existence of Imagine Breaker in his right hand. Any supernatural power would be negated, even one of God's miracles.
But how exactly am I supposed to use this effectively!?
"Tell me exactly," said Aureolus emotionlessly. "Why I can't turn back?"
Kamijou, chilled, stopped. He dared not approach the alchemist, his body warning him of the danger of approaching. Aureolus stared at Kamijou without feeling like a toy insect staring with pins.
Without warning, Aureolus procured from his white suit a thin needle as thin as hair that smelled faintly of antiseptic. Aureolus stabbed the needle into his neck as if to hypnotize himself.
Kamijou backed away from this declaration of Kamijou's death. However, Aureolus removed then needle and tossed it aside. "Unfortunately, you're an uninteresting boy."
Then, Kamijou shockingly realized that, regardless of his efforts, he could not retreat from Aureolus. In a mysterious predicament, Kamijou could move neither forward nor backward. His heart nearly burst with his inability to act as Aureolus silently reached his hand to grab something far away from Kamijou's heart, as if to dig it out. "Diss—" began the stern alchemist.
"Hold on a minute!" Himegami had suddenly appeared between them and interrupted the alchemist. Kamijou was amazed that Himegami had dared to actually stand between them to protect him from the true alchemist with overwhelming power.
Idiot…! Don't!
Kamijou hurriedly reached a hand out to push her away but could not move approach even a single centimeter. Like a child confronting an assailer with a machine gun, Kamijou trembled from the fear danger.
Then, Kamijou remembered her title: Deep Blood.
Her legendary, mysterious power killed the vampires that even Stiyl so feared. With her power, as the strongest ace, they could perhaps turn around the situation.
Don't tell me… Please tell me she has a chance. If she doesn't… she shouldn't be doing this…
Aureolus glanced at the thinking Kamijou with disinterest. He seemed to lack a regard for his trump, Deep Blood. "Obviously, at this point, you might harbor a sense of hope, which is expected. However, Deep Blood is no match for me." Aureolus said coldly. "Naturally, you might wonder how the name Deep Blood came to be. Hm. Yes. She certainly has the power to kill vampires… but have you ever wondered, considering it's so powerful, why it's limited to vampires? Why don't they call her Overkill Annihilator?"
…Don't tell me… With his final hope snatched, Kamijou's thought processes simplified.
"Essentially, Deep Blood is an ability exclusively effective on vampires. The truth is none so extravagant. It's simply a unique type of blood. Her sweet-smelling blood lures vampires to her and when they consume but a drop of her blood, they disintegrate. The terrifying thing is the fact that it lures each and every vampire. They drink her blood knowing they will die. It's only effective against Cain's descendants, vampires; not humans." Aureolus elaborated as he obtained another needle, stabbing this one as well into his neck. What was its effect? The rather emotionless alchemist seemed somewhat excited. "Hm? Are you going to retort by attacking me? How are you any different from me? In the end, you're just like me. You need Deep Blood."
His words carved their way into Kamijou's heart. Kamijou knew the despair but he also wanted to struggle until the willpower in his heart disappeared.
"That's not true. This person didn't know the definition of Deep Blood or even what vampires are like. He came here to save a stranger he met this morning. We haven't even been formally introduced but he wouldn't leave me behind." The person who said this to Aureolus was Himegami, not Kamijou. She widely spread her arms, becoming a shield and warding away the verbal attacks. "Aureolus Izzard, what is it that you want?"
Himegami's words caused Aureolus' eyebrows to twitch. "Are you going to get ordinary people, neither magicians nor alchemists, involved and kill them so regularly? Is this going to satisfy you? Is this your goal?"
"…"
"If it's such a meaningless objective, then I shall quit. I know I can't defeat you, but I have the right to decide whether to bite my own tongue and end my life." Her eyes never broke the honest expression of patience. It was almost difficult to discern who the king of the fortress was.
Once again, he pulled out a needle and stabbed his neck. "Essentially, we don't have time to waste on such things." He said with casualness. "There're too many things to deal with. Dealing with Index is much more troublesome than the intruder. It's simple to defeat others but it's not something I handle well."
Aureolus' nonchalant words had nearly caused Kamijou to stop breathing. Hold on. Hold on. Index? Don't tell me… she came here?!
The infinite distance between them prevented Kamijou from grabbing Aureolus and changing the dire situation. The hand that the alchemist had lowered was raised again and Himegami, with a defiant look, stepped toward Aureolus.
"Don't worry, I won't kill him." He said easily as he removed the needle. "Young man: as for what happened here…"
Damn it! What kind of sick joke is this!? I can't back away now!
The alchemist, apparently seeing through Kamijou's heart, smiled. "…Forget everything."