BlazBlue – Phase 0 Chapter 2

———Log 3

Lately, Relius has been doing stuff on his own.

I knew that he was a man who did everything based on his own convenience for all this time. But recently, my inquiry for an explanation has not yet received any outright answer.

Perhaps, it's because of the snake man from the other day.

...I have an unpleasant feeling. Still, I can't keep dwelling on it if I don't want to be a failure of a scientist.

What on earth is that green haired man trying to create? To begin with, what sort of a man is he?

Based on the given doc.u.ments, it seems the Original Unit was supposedly retrieved from the Alucard family.

But, to say that the Original Unit will be provided itself in the first place is truly bizarre.

Even then, the moment it was brought up from the first division, the government immediately concealed its existence.

Is he one of the government's officials?

Once Relius becomes engrossed to his research, he is oblivious to concerning factors that should be recognized.

If there is to be an unexpected occurrence, I should come up with some sort of a countermeasure.

Part 1

By the time they had finished searching for a vacant lodging, rented some rooms, and settled down, night came down upon the seaside port city.

They got their dinner after rushing to a nearly closed bakery. Finished with dinner, Mitsuyoshi left to gather intelligence. Meanwhile, Celica returned to her room to sleep early.

While Ragna was waiting for Mitsuyoshi's return in a room beside Celica's, his thoughts wandered to the view outside the window.

The hotel didn't have any food service. Although it was close to the harbor, he could not see the sea due to the room's position. What he could see were cramped rows of square buildings and the surrounding streets which were only illuminated by nothing but the occasional tiny street lamp.

Although the scenery was only separated by a single layer of thin gla.s.s, it seemed so awfully far.

Perhaps he never had any knowledge about this city. It was not only what he could see, but he also didn't have any memory of how the atmosphere felt like.

An unknown self within an unknown land. It was very uncertain and vague. He felt a bit tired thinking about it.

No, what he could not remember was not only this city. Perhaps the world was foreign, too. If what Celica and Mitsuyoshi said were true, then the Black Beast would still be present, although it should had been destroyed a hundred years ago according to his memory.

"...Hm?"

Suddenly, he noticed a figure from outside the window. Ragna lifted his head after he'd rested it on his hand.

A back hidden by black mantle. Light brown hair tied up near the roots. It was Celica.

It wasn't the time for a young girl to be walking around alone. Ragna hurriedly stood up while furrowing his eyebrows.

"Sheesh. That girl keeps getting my hands full!"

If he let that hopeless person who had no sense of direction wander aimlessly in the city at night, she undoubtedly would not return back.

Ragna unconsciously clicked his tongue while s.n.a.t.c.hing his sword. Then, he rushed out of the room.

He stepped out and felt just what someone would expect from a seaside port city. The wind blowing westward felt damp. There was a smell of salt in it.

Rushing out from the small room, Ragna hurriedly checked around. Celica was nowhere to be found. If he was not mistaken, Celica got out of her room and was supposedly taking the path towards the seash.o.r.e.

Ragna turned his head to various directions while running along the paved streets. The stones covering all over the streets were jagged and hard, making it difficult to thread on.

Leaving the thin path to a gentle hill road, the view of the dark sea spread before his eye. His field of vision expanded simultaneously as the sea breeze whirled up and blew against Ragna. It made his white hair flutter violently.

An unknown scenery. But it wasn't clear whether if it was because he lost his memory or he never knew about it in the first place. It made the sorrow within his heart expand.

This wasn't the time to get sentimental. Ragna slid his hair that was obstructing the view and looked around his surroundings, searching for that careless girl.

There.

On the promenade protruding to the sea. Its floor tiles were lined up to imitate bricks. There was a short staircase with a semi-circular platform on its end. Two old fashioned benches were encircled within silver railings.

A familiar person was leaning on the simple vertical railing as the sea breeze played around with the figure's lengthy hair.

"...Hey."

Stepping down from the short staircase, Ragna stood next to Celica.

Celica turned around and made her ponytail swing.

"Wah! You scared me."

"Don't go wandering around by yourself. You'll get lost again."

"No way, I shouldn't get lost again. The hotel is just over there."

"If it wasn't coming from you, I'd believe it without a doubt."

Celica pointed somewhere, but it wasn't where the hotel was located. Ragna dejectedly dropped his shoulders as a response.

While glancing at Celica who still had not yet moved from the spot she was found, Ragna leaned his back to the railing and shifted his weight to it.

It was such a peaceful place. There wasn't any stores or any people around.

On the opposite side of the promenade, he could sometimes see a figure pa.s.sing by. But this place felt like it was in a different dimension compared to that side.

The sea wind was refreshing. If you just stood there, you would lose track of time.

"...What are you doing in a place like this?"

Ragna asked a question. Celica returned her gaze to the sea as she smiled.

"I was wondering if I could see j.a.pan from here."

"j.a.pan?"

Ragna also turned his sight to the sea.

Rather than sea, what he could see was unfolding darkness.

The ground lamps' reflections on the water were glimmering and flickering. As if following the lines of light, his gaze shifted to the distant horizon.

The line separating sky and sea was quite blurry.

"You can see it from here?"

"Don’t know. I was thinking it'd be nice if I could."

"Ahaha," Celica let out a small laugh. From the beginning, she knew she wouldn't be able see it. However, j.a.pan, the place where her father might be, was very close to the port town. She realized that much.

But as a person who lost his memory, Ragna hardly understood that feeling.

"...Your father has been missing for more than six years, right?"

The Black Beast manifested in j.a.pan. As a result, a nuclear strike had to be done to defeat it. Before the bombing had begun, Celica's father was already missing.

Ragna frowned.

"Sorry to say this, but... you sure he's alive?"

How much was the chance for him to survive if he was in j.a.pan at that time?

"If you go, you might end up regretting it."

"Umm..."

Celica gave neither affirmation nor denial as an answer. She rested her arms on the railing. Then, she put her chin on top of her arms and stared at the horizon.

"...In my family, there's only my father and sister left."

Celica spoke. Her words were mixed with the night wind's whisper.

"When I was a child, Mother died of sickness. After that, Father, being a scientist, would always be holed up in his lab to do complicated research. Onee-chan and I enrolled in some place called the Mage's Guild. Since she's a brilliant student, somehow, she got chosen to become a part of the Ten Sages."

"Ten Saints?"

"Err. It's a group of ten extraordinary people, specially selected from within the Mage's Guild."

"I don't really get it, but they sound amazing."

Ragna said casually, making Celica's face brighten up.

"You got that right. They're really amazing!"

She seemed to be really proud of her sister. She was so simple minded and Ragna couldn't help but chuckle.

In high spirits, Celica took in a deep breath of the sea breeze.

"As for Father, he won many awards and gave lectures at many universities. He's a truly great scholar. When I was a child, I used to believe that Father was the most hardworking person in the world. I feel unworthy of having those wonderful persons as my family. ...Well, the relationship between them isn't exactly on best terms."

"Is that so?"

"Yup. Especially Onee-chan. She reaaaaally hates Father. I don't know the reason, but she seems to dislike it when I talk about him."

Although she said it cheerfully, there was sadness as salty as the sea deep within Celica's voice. However, it didn't make her voice waver. Their conflict didn't even bother her.

"Even then, both of them are irreplaceable and important family to me."

Celica gently turned her face to Ragna. Looking straight at her big eyes, Ragna was spontaneously taken aback.

While Ragna was still confused, Celica, with the expression of a dreaming child, continued.

"Many months ago, the UN rescue team relayed news that they had found survivors in j.a.pan. Unable to leave j.a.pan before the nuclear strike, they had to live in ruins for six years. Although some areas were still considered hazardous, j.a.pan has recently been reopened to the public."

Even in the darkness, Ragna could see a pure hope shining within Celica's eyes.

"I believed my father was dead for a long time. But after I heard the news, I started wondering if he had survived. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Soon, I couldn't just wait patiently anymore."

"That's how you came to be here?"

She didn't have any definite clue or a ground-breaking method to find her father. With such condition, Celica kept aiming to go to j.a.pan without hesitation. She was either that determined or just a simply doing it blindly. Ragna believed she was the former.

"Your sister doesn't worry about you?"

His admiration turned to a bitter smile as Ragna asked her. Celica shrugged and smiled mischievously.

"She probably does. She'll probably horribly scold me when I get back."

"But you'll still search for your old man, right?"

"Of course."

Celica didn't hesitate at all. She was the type that wouldn't waver once a decision had been made.

Celica straightened herself after leaning on the railing. She lifted her chin and gazed on the horizon. She seemed to be staring at j.a.pan itself, which was on the other side.

"After all, he's my family. When you don’t know what happened, wouldn't you worry? When I realized he might be alive, shouldn't I be searching for him?"

For some reason, Celica's serious tone got stuck on Ragna's chest.

Celica's gentle eyes didn't have the slightest worry in them. She boldly stared at Ragna.

She was just worried. That was her only reason to act... Ragna couldn't help but feel envious.

Celica smiled without a single worry.

"I love Onee-chan and Father very much."

Again. Ragna once again did his habit to press his temples.

Ragna had seen someone like this before. Someone smiled like this. When was it? And like what Celica did to her sister, he had once been called brother by...

"Ow..."

It felt like his head's contents were squeezing and causing him great pain. Ragna's face warped. Celica's expression changed and then she touched Ragna's head with the back of her hand.

"Are you okay? Shouldn't you rest, Ragna?"

"...I'm fine. It's not my body that's actually bad."

It's just when he tried to remember things, immediately he got hit by head-splitting pain.

Softly nursing him, Celica brushed Ragna's hair. Her fingertips were shining and felt slightly warm. It was only a little bit, but the painful headache was subsiding.

Being treated like a little kid for his injury. Ragna felt rather awkward.

"Really... it'd be gone after a while. You don't have to use magic for a thing like this."

"Don't worry. I'm doing this because I want to. Besides, it's free. 'Kay?" Celica said with a smile. It also made Ragna laugh a little.

"Said no one but you. This isn't the problem of free or not. Normally, mages won't recklessly use magic that easily, right?"

"Really? Since I'm able to use magic, wouldn't it better if I make use of it?"

Seeing Celica tilted her head to the side while touching a cheek with her fingertip, Ragna couldn't keep his cool. A conversation with her would clear any hatred and let your face loosen up.

His headache was completely gone.

"You're such a weirdo."

"Eeeeeh? I don't want to hear that from Ragna."

"Is that so? Compared to your non-existent sense of direction and overoptimism, my memory loss is awfully trivial."

"That's absolutely wrong. After all, this is the first time I meet an amnesiac person."

"Well then, surely you've met someone as directionally impaired as you?"

"I have a normal sense of direction."

"Huh!?"

Ragna spontaneously raised his voice in disbelief.

It must have been amusing since Celica giggled. Her gentle smile comforted Ragna.

A freezing breeze blew from the sea. Turning to face it, Celica took another glance at the sea.

"...We should get back soon."

"Yeah, you're right. If we catch a cold and end up missing the boat for tomorrow, everything will be for nothing."

"Yup."

With still a bit of regret, Celica nodded.

Not wanting to force her, Ragna started to walk. His hard shoes tapped on the tiles' surface. Soon after, Celica's small footsteps followed him from behind.

After a while, Celica closed the short distance to Ragna and arrived beside him.

Compared to Ragna, the girl was a bit shorter and looked delicate. She often let her guard down and had too many openings. Her soft, thin arms didn't have the capability to fight, let alone the strength to wield a weapon.

For a girl like that to keep up her pace with Ragna was truly a wonder. Truly, a wonder indeed.

Part 2

Before anyone knew it, the night had gone completely dark. There were even less people walking around the avenue compared to when Ragna came there. The number of houses with lights on was decreasing one by one.

The clouds made it so numerous stars couldn't be viewed. Under such a night sky, Ragna and Celica continued tracing the dark street back to their hotel.

The straight road branched to many side streets along the way. At the end of it, a bustling main street could be seen. The lights there were flickering.

Ragna swiftly shifted his gaze toward those lights by chance. At the same time, something unusual cut across his sight.

"...!?"

His breath became shorter. Ragna reflexively halted his feet and turned around. At the end of the road, there were many bright street lights standing side by side.

Now, right in the middle of them, there was a person. He got a hunch that he knew the person's face.

No, saying it was just a hunch would imply that the details were vague. When he gazed at that person, even if it was for less than a second, he certainly saw them.

Beautiful golden hair tied up to two parts. Two big ribbons served as a hair decoration. A young girl wearing a black dress...

"Wh—H-Hey, Ragna!?"

Before he knew it, Ragna broke into a run. He could hear Celica's voice from behind, but he couldn't afford to turn around.

That girl definitely had something to do with his memory. It was just like the first time he saw Mitsuyoshi. He felt something similar as when he noticed the resemblance on Mitsuyoshi that made him recall Jubei.

Moving toward the main street, Ragna searched for the little figure he had lost sight of. On the other side of the crowd. He saw a small shadow walking away to a mild curve.

"Hey, wait! Rabbit!!"

Ragna yelled as he jumped to the crowd.

Instantly, it felt like all kinds of sound had vanished.

At the end of the rough old street, the figure Ragna was chasing before had stopped. Her long blond hair swung as she turned around. Ragna stared at her deep-red eyes which were similar to a white rabbit's.

Rachel Alucard.

That name was engraved within Ragna's brain, as if it was burned in.

That's right. He remembered. She was the magic user Ragna had seen long before he saw Celica's healing magic. An old acquaintance. The girl used teleport suddenly near him, hurled insults and sarcasm to irritate him, and then leave abruptly.

Nonetheless, she had lived far longer than Ragna. She might look innocent, but she was actually a vampire.

If it was her, then she must have known. Who he really was. Why he was in a place like this. Why his was memory gone. What he should do to get his memory back.

However, Ragna felt uncomfortable at the same time.

(Is she really... that rabbit?)

Something was different. The Rachel from his memory. The black-dressed girl who was facing him from a part of the port city. They were not identical. That cheeky vampire he knew was more arrogant and bewitching.

"Ah... W-Wait! I freaking said wait, you d.a.m.n rabbit!"

The girl who was standing on the end of the road suddenly slipped from his sight. That time, she continued walking, leaving Ragna behind.

Ragna hurriedly chased after her. Pushing through the drunken crowds, he collided with a man who was on the way home from work.

However, when he arrived at the spot where the Rachel from before stood, his feet stopped.

She was not there. The other party just walked leisurely, yet he was running at full speed. While he was not fast enough to chase her, the speed difference wasn't that big enough to lose sight of her.

"Tch... She teleported."

If that really was Rachel, it was not strange for her to vanish just like that. For better or worse, the fact that she disappeared served as further proof that the girl from before was indeed Rachel Alucard.

"Why the h.e.l.l is she here...?"

Furthermore, to think back upon, she seemed to be unusually young. Rachel had always looked like a 12-year-old. But that girl seemed to be even younger.

"s.h.i.t. The h.e.l.l's going on here!?"

His mind was filled with murmurs. Frankly, it was really unpleasant.

He considered running around the whole town to look for her, but he immediately brushed it off. If she was truly Rachel, then she wouldn't be in a place where Ragna could easily reach. If she was not Rachel, then searching for her would be meaningless.

As if he was being played around, Ragna got annoyed. However, there was nothing more he could do. Ragna trampled an empty can which was rolling on the roadside in his irritation. Then, he returned to the path where he came from.

He felt as if the moon behind those dark clouds was ridiculing him.

Part 3

The next morning. The sky was a bit dark, but there were few clouds left and the weather was clear.

Anch.o.r.ed neatly on one corner of a port, the ship departed right on time and had arrived on the east archipelago carrying the few pa.s.sengers it brought.

j.a.pan. Once, it held a great number of large cities, while it also had peaceful rural areas. There were mountains stretching out and forests covering them. Countless rivers were flowing alongside the archipelago. ...Now, most of them had been transformed to scorched earth. The grounds had been burned. The mountains had been leveled. The rivers had run dry. The vegetation withered.

It was like the portrait of despair itself.

"Hang on a sec. I got somethin' to tell 'im."

After they were getting down to the harbor, Mitsuyoshi called out a nearby soldier and left with him somewhere.

A while had pa.s.sed and Mitsuyoshi returned. The person with him was no longer a petty soldier; instead he looked like someone with authority. Along with them, a truck was slowly coming in close from behind.

"The fella's gonna get us around this vicinity."

Mitsuyoshi nonchalantly introduced the person beside him as the one in charge of the naval base, all while wagging his tail.

"Mi-Mitsuyoshi-san, just who are you...?"

Currently, the ruins of a country formerly called j.a.pan were in the United Nations' control. Every men stationed within the site were members of the United Nations' forces.

Despite being dumbfounded by the extremely efficient method of procuring transportation, Celica asked the question to Mitsuyoshi.

Mitsuyoshi, unusually showing off by exhibiting a smirk, answered.

"Well, I can't tell ye that one."

Currently, Ragna's group was heading eastward from the western part while being inside the back tray of the UN force's truck. They could feel the shaking as they got across the devastated lands of j.a.pan.

The big scale of shakings they felt when inside the back tray was awfully unpleasant. However, seeing the scenery around them felt much worse.

"This is... j.a.pan?"

Grimacing, Ragna muttered while looking at the depressing scenery.

Once, people lived in this island. It was a large country. Looking at the sight before him, it was hard to imagine that such a thing could happen.

"The old j.a.pan and the current one are completely different."

Next to Ragna, Celica whispered.

The truck seemed to have run over something as the shaking was really hard.

"Long ago, it was more like a normal country. But six years ago, a lot of nuclear missiles were fired in order to defeat the Black Beast..."

"Nuclear missiles?"

A word unknown to Ragna. Celica wondered on how she should explain it.

"Hmm. I guess... It's a weapon with an extremely hot blast that burns away anything."

It burned cities, forests, and grounds, but not its objective, the Black Beast.

"Everything was flattened. Many terrains were sinking. Now, both the water and soils were contaminated with radioactive and chemical substances. It became a place no one could live in."

Furthermore, the area where the missiles were dropped had its air polluted with high concentration of radioactivity around the vicinity. If there weren't any of radioactive masks and suits, or magic which serves the same purpose, then just breathing would be a matter of life and death.

Ragna wasn't sure if the true cause of this disastrous scene he saw was the Black Beast or those nuclear missiles. While looking at the scenery unfolding before him, Ragna unconsciously sighed.

"With things looking like this, I'd say both the Black Beast and man's weapons are the same s.h.i.t. ...At the very least, I want to fight as a human being."

"...You're right. It'd be nice if it were possible."

Celica changed her posture to squatting position as she had been sitting uncomfortably inside the truck's back tray. Her b.u.t.t was sore from getting hit each time the truck shook. Then again, the truck was the most comfortable ride that could be prepared back at the naval base.

"In the end, the country called j.a.pan was lost just like that. The annihilation of j.a.pan is what some people called it... But I'm not that fond with the term."

"Why?"

"Because the land itself is still there. If all the waste can be cleaned up, then the beautiful land and fresh air may be able to return once more. And then, a clean rain will pour down and pure water can gather. Once the pretty gra.s.s grows, small bugs will appear. In just a hundred years, won't j.a.pan be able to revive once again?"

"Quite a dream ye got there, young lady."

The one who interrupted was Mitsuyoshi, who had been silent until now. Unlike a cat, he tried to look cool by leaning against the canopy of the truck's back tray, all while having his short legs crossed.

Even after hearing his sarcasm, it only made Celica's eyes sparkle more as she smiled.

"But don't you feel it'd be wonderful?"

Celica replied while the truck carrying them continued to travel along the parched ground of the wasteland. Before, it was such a large and s.p.a.cious road along a river. Now, one could only find road fragments and remains of a burnt traffic sign if the eyes were strained. That was the actual state of the remnants of that area.

"Actually, j.a.pan was the birthplace of my father. Father and Mother met in j.a.pan and their marriage also took place here."

That was why she didn't want the country to just disappear, no matter what its condition was. Celica's eyes flickered as they were filled with those important moments.

Mitsuyoshi smiled bitterly as the edge of his mouth got slightly warped.

"...j.a.pan is my hometown too, y'know? Though it may be hard, if its future will be like Celica said, that certainly ain't a bad thing."

"Right?" said Celica with a smile.

Ragna leaned on his favorite large sword while staring toward the scenery from inside the back tray.

j.a.pan... A place so obliterated no one could set their foot inside.

Although the place where he went to was under control by that army, the fact that means of transportation were still maintained was regardless weird.

After getting down from the truck, Ragna's group walked toward a vast collapsed city within the wasteland. Six years ago, a number of people were living their ordinary lives here.

But now, there were broken pieces from a highway hidden beneath the sand. Rows of houses were blown to ruins. Many steel bars from buildings were able to narrowly avoid destruction. They were planted diagonally on the wasteland as if they were growing upward.

Ragna thought about something when he first stepped into j.a.pan and thought it again while he was walking through the ruins. It looked awful.

If this was the aftereffect from the nuclear weapon that Celica had told him, then it was very powerful and brutal. Only death would await those people six years ago. But if this was caused by the Black Beast instead, then the being was just that terrifying.

By the time those nuclear missiles launched, the entire city's inhabitants were already evacuated. Since there was no army or government around, only the three of them were within this abandoned building. It was absolutely quiet there.

On this vicinity, the radioactivity was thin. But just to be safe, some masks had been distributed, although the protective suits were deemed unnecessary.

"...It's here."

Mitsuyoshi instructed the group to stop at an outskirt of the abandoned building.

Compared to the surrounding buildings, it could be guessed that it was a research facility which had a quite s.p.a.cious area. The construction itself was partially destroyed and there were burn marks all over it.

That was where Celica's father once had worked.

"I... When I was a child, I went here once. But now, this building looks completely different."

Looking up at the black stained building, Celica seemed sad as she muttered.

Many cities were destroyed. j.a.pan was destroyed. Even when she had heard that news, the impact felt different compared to when she saw it with her own eyes.

"Father..."

As expected, Celica's voice had uneasiness in it.

Mitsuyoshi walked over pieces of a smashed gla.s.s door toward the research facility and called out to them.

"Celica, Ragna. Both of ye come with me. We'll look fer Shuuichirou Ayatsuki's lab."

Once her father's name was mentioned, Celica suddenly jerked her head. It seemed she was reminded of something terrible she didn't want to think about. Ragna tapped on her trembling shoulder.

"You came here to look for him, right?"

For that very reason, she slipped from her sister's sight and arrived here.

Celica put her hands on her chest and slowly took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Yup. Let's go!"

With a firm nod, she went after Mitsuyoshi.

Part 4

After getting rid of the crumbling door, Ragna peeked inside a men's toilet he had pa.s.sed by.

"Shuuichirou-saaaaan. You theeeere?"

No response. Rather, it was highly unlikely for a person to be inside. The ceiling had collapsed, meaning if there was someone there, they would have been crushed.

Ragna quickly withdrew his head.

The leading sampling research laboratory in the west. That was what this place once known as.

On the backside of the L-shaped main building, there was a separate building used to conduct technical researches. All the time, studies covering various types of divisions were performed there.

But that was also a story from six years ago. Before the Black Beast's appearance, the research facility seemed to be such a place that had many researchers going back and forth. Now, it was dark since the electricity had been cut off. Only eerie silence was there.

(Well... I'd hate it if this place were noisy.)

Ragna took a quick glance to survey the area. He accidentally saw things that should have been kept hidden. When he thought about it for some more, a shiver ran down his spine.

Amidst the collapsed walls and peeled-off tiles in a corridor, Mitsuyoshi led the group forward. Ragna was at the very back of the group.

Celica was the one who was showing the route. Though, Ragna and Mitsuyoshi only had a half-expectation to her. They were looking for their destination just going by Celica's faint memories, like "it's not underground" and "along the way there's a small courtyard."

Crossing over a river of broken gla.s.s, they pushed aside a ruined door which was blocking the corridor. They went deeper and deeper.

Along the way, they opened any door they had noticed. They examined if the room had people or traces of them inside. Still, they could find nothing.

They walked for a little while in the silence of the ruined corridor and exited from a gla.s.s door to a courtyard. It was the place where Celica had gone to, led by her father.

Just as they were about to cross a pa.s.sage to get to a different building, it happened.

"...!?"

As for who was the person who actually gasped, each of them felt that they were the one.

All vegetation in the garden had withered. They had no vigor left based on the appearance as they were rotting. As if blocking the pa.s.sage to an entrance of the other building, something like a lump of black mist was squirming.

"Wh... What the h.e.l.l is that thing...?"

In front of Ragna, who just spoke, Mitsuyoshi drew his sword. Imitating him, Ragna also gripped his sword.

It seemed to have claws, but not fangs. It didn't have a stable form, yet would somehow make someone tremble just by looking at it.

It was like looking into a bottomless pit. Just by being in the same place, one was easily forced to imagine that he would be swallowed, crushed, and erased without a trace by the shapeless darkness.

As anyone would expect, that thing seemed to have some sort of consciousness. As if noticing the presence of Ragna's group, it began to vibrate before growing large like a giant wave.

"Tsk. Dodge, Ragna!"

Mitsuyoshi shouted in a sharp voice.

Ragna moved as if he was repelled.

The arm that was holding his sword was now embracing Celica's back, before Ragna forcibly jumped.

Immediately, a huge wave of black mist struck the place where his feet were at. The impact made the surrounding air tremble with intensity while a deep sound like an explosion rang.

Ragna fell onto the ground and landed on his back. He could feel that Celica, who was within his grasp, stiffen. He pushed her behind him and a.s.sumed a protective stance.

Instantly, the mist turned its figure around, although the front side was unrecognizable. The sound gave the feel of rough sands being stirred.

The convulsing black mist gathered similar black spray from the surrounding atmosphere by absorbing them. It grew more and more. In the end, it exceeded Ragna's height. Moreover, the mist was so dense and became a thick darkness.

Before, the mist lump's appearance had become what one would call a ma.s.s of shadow.

(A ma.s.s of...shadow...?)

As he described its appearance, Ragna had an ominous feeling.

"Ragna. That thing... Could it be...?"

Her voice stiffened with disbelief. Celica took a step back out of fear. She probably thought the same words as Ragna did.

The shadow had already grown twice the size of Ragna's height.

A sensation of plain fear could be felt just by looking at it. Not only the fear was visible, but the creeping-up presence made Ragna's skin get gooseb.u.mps.

This is dangerous. That was his thought.

The overwhelming giant ma.s.s of shadow spread out its main part. Just like a serpent trying to swallow small eggs, its crooked neck aimed at Ragna and Celica all at once.

"Run! This thing is...!"

Ragna was hesitating whether if he should resist the overwhelming pressure or if he should escape. Meanwhile, Mitsuyoshi's small figure leapt out in front of him.

Along with a high jump, he cut a horizontal straight line at the shadow's ma.s.sive mouth.

With a single somersault, he landed in front of Ragna. From within his back, heavy tension was drifting out.

The shadow that should had been sliced seemed faint and wavered in the air. Eventually, it returned to its original shape as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, Mitsuyoshi! The h.e.l.l is that thing!?"

Protecting Celica with his back, Ragna was slowly withdrawing while he asked a question.

Slightly separating his sight from the ma.s.s of shadow, Mitsuyoshi replied clearly.

"This presence. This stench... It's the Black Beast!"

There was an obvious hostility in Mitsuyoshi's words. Simultaneously, the ma.s.s of shadow gushed out black mist to its surroundings. More mist came from the dried-up cracks on the ground silently and surrounded the serpent ma.s.s of shadow. Its black-colored large build became more and more large.

"This is the Black Beast...?"

Celica's voice was trembling.

"But why is it here? There's no one or anything left here!"

The Black Beast had only one purpose: destroying. Living beings and soulless objects were an equal for it.

Just before, it was just a silent research facility. Now, it was filled with the sinister presence of the shadow.

Mitsuyoshi lowered his body without lowering his guard. He pointed the tip of his sword to the shadow monster, preparing for another attack.

"Dunno. We can't know what's inside that monster's head. What's important is the fact that it's in front of us now."

"Still, what bad luck."

Mitsuyoshi's ears twitched at Ragna's bitter statement. A slight smile tugged at his lips.

"Bad luck, eh...? Guess people do see it differently."

"Ah? What do you mean?"

"Ragna. Ye just think 'bout guardin' Celica. I'll take on this fella!"

As he quickly said that, Mitsuyoshi leaped.

The shadow composedly wriggled its giant body to attack Mitsuyoshi.

The shadow silently bent its enormous body, meaning to attack, and swooped down on Mitsuyoshi.

Mitsuyoshi did a series of severe slashing strikes using his sword and large claws in response.

"He beat it!?"

"Nah... It isn't that easy."

Hiding behind Ragna, Celica clapped joyfully. However, Ragna grimaced and continued to protect her.

Sliced into two, the black shadow dispersed into mist as if relieving the strain on it. Then immediately, like iron sands gathered by a magnet, it regained its form without a single wound visible.

Lagging behind, Mitsuyoshi landed back on where he was earlier.

He quickly attained his stance back. Behind him, Ragna raised his voice.

"Wait! Nothing's gonna work on it! We should retreat for now and..."

"Retreat? Gimme a break!"

Mitsuyoshi unusually answered with a shout. With his white and dark-brown fur colored back, he stubbornly refused to face Ragna.

It was not clear whether he was going to continue those strong words or not. However, feeling that Mitsuyoshi was going to snap at any time, Ragna's throat tightened.

Looking at the beastkin who resembled his master, Ragna could see that Mitsuyoshi's shoulders were slightly trembling.

"...j.a.pan's my birthplace, my clan's hometown. Fer my brethren an' all who fell victim to it, I shall challenge it, an' kill it! Though it's unexpected that I've finally met my clan's foe... I can't just turn back when it's right theeeeeeeeere!"

With a roar of wrath, Mitsuyoshi's fur ruffled.

There was an unfathomable strength inside the hand that gripped his sword.

That was why Ragna thought Mitsuyoshi should be stopped. But faster than anything Ragna could do, Mitsuyoshi jumped as swift as the wind.

The slashing attack was like flashes of light. It was const.i.tuted of the fangs and claws of a cat man who was willing to lose his life.

The anger in his voice was the roar of the brave souls that were once his comrades.

The strength he possessed came from the smiles of their souls.

...That was what Mitsuyoshi believed.

Soaring high, Mitsuyoshi's sword howled. The blade sliced a cross into the ma.s.s of shadow.

From the cutting point, the shadow monster started to disperse. It had to be completely blown away before it could reform itself. Mitsuyoshi drew back his arm to unleash another slash.

However.

"Move!"

Ragna shouted.

Mitsuyoshi's eyes opened wide.

The black mist that should have reformed as another ma.s.s of shadow betrayed that expectation. Its entire self scattered as mist and simultaneously enveloped Mitsuyoshi.

"UWAAAAAAAAAH!"

As if being crushed by a gigantic opened hand, Mitsuyoshi's body was swallowed by the shrieking mist.

The mist had rebuilt its enormous body and started to condense rapidly. In the midair of the decaying courtyard, it drew even more black mist around the atmosphere and became a shadow-colored orb.

There was an earth-shattering sound. It sounded like a swarm of insects beating their wings. Like a heavy downpour of a rain. Like something being deflected again and again.

"No, don't... Give Mitsuyoshi-san back!"

Pushing aside Celica who rushed out suddenly, Ragna ran. He couldn't guess what was inside that bizarre orb.

Twisting his upper body, he swung his large sword at the black ma.s.s. But before the sword make a contact, the shadow squirmed. Something like a whip knocked Ragna away.

"Wha...!?"

The impact was unexpectedly heavy. His breathing along with consciousness were blown off.

Ragna came to his senses after he landed hard on the ground. Adding to the injury, the sword was knocked from his hand and rolled on the ground. Celica ran over from the opposite side, teary eyed.

"Ouch..."

Ragna dragged his weary body and lifted his face. That orb's size was still increasing. It spread an unpleasant noise and squirmed.

Just looking at it had made him feel hopeless. Anxiety swelled out inside his mind; the orb could burst at any moment.

However, those endless thoughts came to an abrupt end.

Celica had dashed out from Ragna's side. She was stretching her hand toward the orb which had captured Mitsuyoshi. Ragna opened his mouth to stop her. Just as the words were about to leave his throat, the black ma.s.s suddenly stopped squirming. At the same time, the jarring noise was also stopped.

Then as if it had reached its limit, the ma.s.s lost its gathering power and, like an exploding water balloon, fell down to ground as mist.

The mist got absorbed by the ground, just like water. Then it vanished, without a trace.

After a while, all that was left behind was only Mitsuyoshi, covered in wounds.

Part 5

"What the h.e.l.l just happened...?"

Within the rotting courtyard inside the research facility, Ragna was sitting on hard ground and muttered, dumbfounded.

His mind could not calmly comprehend what had happened. Just what was that black mist? What was the Black Beast?

He noticed that his back was completely drenched with cold sweat.

While tumbling, Celica ran. She knelt beside the collapsed Mitsuyoshi, who was not even twitching. She held her hands above his chest.

Falling behind, Ragna also went to Mitsuyoshi's side.

"Mitsuyoshi-san! Please, hang in there!"

Celica's cheeks were stained by dirt and tears while she called him out again and again. Her delicate hands were covered with faint light as she used her healing magic continuously.

Mitsuyoshi's whole body was shredded. His fur was stained with an unpleasant color.

The right side of his face was especially bad. It was dyed with something thick and colored dark red.

On closer look, it was clear that it was caused by a deep wound in his right eye. With his current condition, there wouldn't be light reflected in his right eye anymore.

Celica kept using her magic intensely.

However, it looked like the wounds within his body weren't healing at all. Tears were flowing from Celica's eyes.

"Why... Why...?"

Again and again. But the result was the same. Mitsuyoshi remained motionless.

Even though Ragna stood beside him, he couldn't do anything. He put his hand on the nape of Mitsuyoshi's neck to check his pulse. Yet the pulse rate seemed dreadful.

The overflowing tears from Celica's cheeks gathered at her chin before falling drop by drop.

"Mitsuyoshi-san...!"

"...It's useless."

A cold voice was heard.

Ragna grabbed his sword and put himself on guard. Celica protected the motionless Mitsuyoshi with her back. The two of them turned to the voice.

There shouldn't be anyone else beside the three of them, yet there was someone else within the courtyard. A young child was standing alone beside a tree which was snapped by the ma.s.s of shadow.

The age seemed to be less than ten. That child might have been six-years-old.

The child was a young girl with long golden hair tied in two parts. She wore a black dress with a big ribbon that stood out on her chest. There was an elegance on her posture although she was very young. The decaying research facility didn't suit her at all.

"W-What do you mean by useless...?"

Celica asked timidly. There was an intimidating air around the girl which made her hard to oppose. And yet the young girl looked like she would fall down if she was poked.

The girl's cold red eyes gazed at Mitsuyoshi who was behind Celica.

"Those wounds cannot be healed by merely applying healing magic. It's futile no matter how many times you do it."

"That can't be..."

Celica turned to Mitsuyoshi. Enduring too many emotions, her eyes vision blurred.

Glancing at the current Celica, the girl seemed to lose interest and averted her eyes. Next, she looked at Ragna.

"How unsightly."

Against those faint words, Ragna raised the corner of his eye.

"I knew it... You're Rachel, aren't you!?"

Although her appearance was younger, he recognized that brutal phrase since it had struck him countless times. If he could recall things clearly once again, there would be no room for doubt.

But Rachel only looked at Ragna with her cold gaze.

"Don't call me in such familiar manner. It's unpleasant to hear it."

"What did you say...?"

"Do you wish to save that beastkin?"

At little Rachel's interruption, Ragna swallowed back the insults he was about to speak.

"You can save him!?"

"If I couldn't, then I certainly wouldn't have said those words. Am I wrong?"

The girl walked like she was gliding. There was wind with the fragrance of flowers blowing around her. After she seemed to have landed gently, she stood on the opposite side of Ragna and Celica, with Mitsuyoshi in the middle.

As if she was hugging Mitsuyoshi, Celica looked at the small visitor and called out to her.

"If you can save Mitsuyoshi-san, then do it! Please!"

"...How about you?"

Rachel stared at Ragna again.

"Ah? Me?"

"Don’t you wish to save him?"

"Of course I want to. If you really know a way, then hurry up and tell it already!"

He wanted Mitsuyoshi to receive treatment as soon as possible. It made Rachel's composed manner of talking irritate him.

Baring canines that looked almost like beast fangs, Ragna retorted to almost snarling. Rachel slightly frowned. Displeasure went across her big pupils.

"If so, do you not have a more fitting att.i.tude for such request?"

"Tch. Don't make me do annoying things..."

He was mad. But now wasn't the moment for releasing his anger and losing time as the result. It was because he couldn't accurately measure just how severe Mitsuyoshi's condition was.

"...I beg you. Please save Mitsuyoshi."

Humiliation was all over his distorted face as he lowered his head to little Rachel.

Rachel looked at him expressionlessly. Her eyebrows were only a little bit raised. A little while pa.s.sed.

"Very well. Since you've said that much, I'll bring you along."

Although the appearance was somewhat younger, her annoying personality was indeed the same as the Rachel Alucard he remembered. The upset Ragna grit his teeth, holding himself back from flinging insults.

"But... where will you take us to? And how? The military truck won't be here until evening."

As she wiped her eyes, Celica asked the girl.

Ragna suddenly remembered. He knew where Rachel was going to take them, and her means to do it.

Rachel's face looked disinterested. Without giving a glance to Celica, she took a step forward. From the long sleeve, her pale finger flicked at the air.

"My residence, of course."

The method of transportation lay beneath Rachel's feet. Black lines were running on the degraded ground. With her on the center, a crest of rose was traced. From there, rose colored lights were erected like pillars.

"It can't be... Is this teleportation!?"

Celica shouted in disbelief.

Moving through airs.p.a.ce was what teleportation was. Fixing the coordinates to move to a point was extremely difficult that even her admired sister couldn't master it. Yet the girl before her eyes was doing it without hesitation.

Leaving aside Celica's surprise, the rose colored lights continued preparing for the transition.

As if inviting them, their bodies began to float.

Confused, Celica hugged Mitsuyoshi's body tightly.

While inside the rose colored lights, Ragna stole a glance to Rachel. The existence of that girl had started to unravel his memories one after another.

That was why he started to think. Where was this place? Why did he end up here...?

One second later, Ragna and Celica, as well as Mitsuyoshi, were led by Rachel's magic and vanished from the abandoned research facility.