I wake up feeling relaxed. As it is a Sunday, I do not have to go to school today and can rest in bed as long as I want. Today, I have woken up at 7:30. I've quite a long day ahead of me it seems.
I don't really know why Nanaya-kun decided to bring me along tonight. We have school tomorrow so it seems like a weird decision to me. Maybe he had things to do yesterday? In the end I can only theorise.
After getting myself out of bed, I get ready for the day. Get dressed, washed and have breakfast with my parents.
I then return to my room and start some homework.
My day, up until 10, was quite uneventful. At around ten A.M. I got a text from Aika.
"Meet me at Ahnenerbe in half an hour. Need to discuss something."
I wonder what Aika wanted. It sounded important. It was written as demand and not a request.
It could just be a mistake. It isn't like Aika to make such a mistake but everyone makes those kinds of mistakes. I shrug it off as something unimportant and focus on a more important issue.
"I wonder if Miki-san is going to be there…" I air my thoughts aloud. I still haven't talked to Miki-san since Friday so I haven't apologised yet. If she's coming then there'll likely be conflict if she hasn't gotten over it. I guess I ought to apologise as soon as-
No.
What am I thinking? Why would I apologise when I'm not sorry? I do want to make up with her but I won't back out of this. One of her biggest complaints is that I am a doll who simply does what others say. If I suddenly agree with her, it would only serve to make her more angry. I should live up to what Nanaya-kun says and start being stubborn.
Well, thinking about this may pass the time but it won't complete my homework. I've still got about 12 minutes of free time so I should use that as productively as possible.
The homework is English homework and it isn't too hard thankfully. As long as I go through it carefully and thoughtfully, I'll get most or all of it correct. With that motivating thought, I continue the work.
—
Today is not the nicest day. It is a day of grey skies and cold weather. Thankfully it isn't due to rain until the afternoon, even though it looks like it will right now.
There's a slight breeze that makes the normally somewhat cold air into quite a biting chill. I've equipped myself with a coat and hat to keep myself warm in these chilly times.
I end up reaching Ahnenerbe ahead of schedule. Aika is probably here already but I don't see her on any of the outdoor tables. Although, I don't see anyone on the outdoor tables. Who'd want to be outside in this weather?
I open the doors of the restaurant and head in. The wooden interior greets me with a sense of homeliness, something that this place is known for. Looking around, I see quite a number of people sitting, chatting and eating. There are few spare tables.
Eventually, I catch a glimpse of Aika who sits on a table in one of the corners, away from the windows.
I wave at her with a smile and walk towards the table.
"Hi Aika. How are you doing?"
"Not particularly well. I fear that the worst might've happened last night." She says. A chill runs down my back with those words. It could be anything really. A simple mistake that Aika has decided to exaggerate but…
This is Aika. She's far too deliberate and serious to make this sort of exaggeration and to be honest the possibilities scare me.
To be scared by something so simple as two sentences, no matter how ominous they are…
I guess I'm quite the scaredy cat, aren't I?
"What's happened?" I ask tentatively.
"I'll tell you later. For now, just sit down and relax." Aika smiles like she always does. No. That's wrong. Her smile is not like always. It seems quite forced.
I do as she says. The waitress comes over and we order some drinks for the time being. Aika orders some random soda and I order a hot chocolate. I also take my coat and hat off, hanging them off of the chair I'm sitting on.
We sit opposite each other and say nothing. It's a somewhat awkward silence although I think it's a one-sided feeling.
"They said it'd rain later in the afternoon but it looks like it's going to rain any minute now." Aika sighs, "I guess this is why you don't trust forecasts."
That seems like her attempt to break the ice but there really isn't much to respond with. It could just be that she's complaining to herself again.
"Well, if forecasts were 100% accurate then we'd be able to see the future."
"You're right. It's just… I didn't bring a coat so if it rains then I'll end up getting soaked." Aika complains.
"You should've brought a coat. For someone who's so good at investigations and seeing both the big and small picture you sure are short sighted." It's a strange and contradictory set of traits but I guess no one is perfect.
"Shut it." It seems she doesn't want to admit her faults, however.
After she says that someone approaches our table and Aika waves at them turning around I'm surprised.
A black and grey jacket over a white shirt. A set of black trousers and white trainers. Short and spiky black hair with blue eyes. That is most definitely Nanaya-kun.
I was expecting Miki-san so to see Nanaya-kun is very shocking.
"Ahh… Good morning, Nanaya-kun." I somehow manage to greet him normally. Maybe it's because I've gotten used to talking to him?
"It's nice to see you, Yumizuka. Good morning, Aika." He greets as he sits down on the chair next to me.
Hold on. Next to me!? T-that's a little too close Nanaya-kun. People might think that we're l-l-lovers. Argh! Pull yourself together, Satsuki! You can't just keep getting embarrassed like this so easily. You're going to be spending time with Nanaya-kun alone later. This is nothing. Calm down. Calm down.
I quickly stifle the blush and embarrassment that I know Aika saw since she has a stupid smirk on her face.
"Nice to see you, Nanaya-kun. Now that you're both here, we can finally begin this discussion." Aika says.
"What about Miki-san? Is she not coming?" I ask.
Aika takes a deep breath and then says something unimaginable, "That's the thing, Yumizuka. Miki hasn't been seen at all today. She came home last night but, when her Aunt came to wake her up in the morning, she was gone. Her Aunt thinks she ran away but…"
"She went out to search for the killer at night, didn't she?" I say knowing the answer I wish I was wrong about.
"Most likely. Yesterday we talked about how she wanted to proceed but I never thought that she was this determined. I know that she cares for her Aunt a lot and I doubt that she'd just run away like that. The killer must've gotten to her."
Such a thing…
Why has such a horrible thing happened!? Tears begin to well in my eyes. I may not have been particularly close with her but I still considered her a friend.
I know that I shouldn't cry in public but I can't stop myself. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve to die like that. Torn apart and eaten. Miki-san couldn't have been able to resist either. I picture it vividly and it scares me.
"S-she's… d-d…" I can't bring myself to say that word. That one word. If I say that word aloud then that'll truly mean that she's gone.
I feel someone put their hand on my shoulder. It's warm and comforting but even then… I can't stop the tears. Eventually, before I truly break down, someone pulls me up and takes me to the bathroom.
Once I reach a place of solitude it all comes out. Feelings of sorrow, of regret. This is the first time I've ever lost someone in my life and it feels… surreal. Surreal and awful.
I hate this. I hate it so much. Why? Why did she have to die? Why did that demon kill her? I don't want to be here. I don't want to be anywhere. I know…
I know that this horrible world I'm currently in is reality. That's why I want to sleep. I want to dream a nice dream, free of death and despair. I want to go home and just stay in bed, in my own little world and never leave it.
It's too sad being here. It's too horrible being here. Simply being awake feels like some sort of cruel punishment. She didn't deserve it. Aika doesn't deserve this. Her Aunt doesn't deserve this. I deserve this. I, with my own two hands…
No. Nanaya-kun said it wasn't my fault. He was the one who was supposed to kill the demon so it's his fault.
But that's not fair. If I hadn't been there then he'd have surely killed the demon. Miki-san would be alive and we wouldn't be here. To put the blame on Nanaya-kun like that…
I truly am the worst. I'm a horrible piece of shit, a disgusting excuse of a human being. It's all my fault!
"If I hadn't been there… If I had tried harder to stop her! She wouldn't… She wouldn't have…!"
Someone hugs me and whispers comforting words into my ears. They tell me that it isn't my fault. That I've done nothing wrong but they don't know…
I've always been, from the very beginning, an awful person.
Ahh…
What a horrible, horrible reality this is.
I wish that yesterday was my last day because then I could've lived a life without pain.
A life devoid of this sorrow and guilt.
—
In the end, Yumizuka Satsuki was picked up by her parents and went home. Chloe Aika and Nanaya Shiki had remained at Ahnenerbe, not having spoken a word to each other since Satsuki's breakdown.
They both sat opposite on the same table they'd previously sat in.
Chloe felt that she had no need to say anything else on the matter but she did realise that Shiki had wanted to say something to her and, thus, stayed at that table with him.
Shiki had said nothing in quite a few minutes however and she was beginning to think she had misjudged his intentions. It was either that or he was merely unable to think of a way to start the conversation.
Regardless of the reason, Chloe realised that Shiki would not start the conversation and that it was up to her to break the ice.
"Thanks, Nanaya-kun."
"For what?"
"Helping her. Even if it wasn't much, you still helped Yumizuka out when you comforted her and called her parents for us." Chloe said earnestly.
"It wasn't that big a deal. Anyone would've helped a friend. I was just doing what I could." He shrugged it off as nothing.
"You haven't known each other that long and you already think of her as a friend? You two have sure gotten close." The girl teased.
"Well… I guess I thought it was weird that she started approaching me all of a sudden but… she's very kind and wears her feelings on her sleeves. It's hard to dislike such a nice person." Shiki had completely missed the fact that Chloe had tried to tease him, instead giving her his honest opinion of her.
Of course, he was certainly wrong about something there. Satsuki was not the sort of person who wore her feelings on her sleeves. She wore her emotions on her sleeves. A small but large difference.
You could tell whether Satsuki was happy, sad or embarrassed but you could never tell why she was. Her opinions, her reasoning, she kept all of that to herself, even if it never seemed like it. She had a crush on Shiki but had never once vocalised it to another person.
Truth be told, Chloe had only realised it because of her natural talents at figuring out what people thought. Shiki had been oblivious to that side of her. This was proof that, as much as the two were fond of each other, neither actually knew the depths of the other.
Any affection between them could hardly be called love. Not when they were practically strangers who'd only started talking to each other since that night.
Chloe did not point this out to Shiki. It was not her place to say such a thing, she felt. She believed that this was something that Shiki Nanaya had to figure out on her own.
"And because of that…" Shiki then brought up his next point, the reason he'd wanted to stay at Ahnenerbe in the first place, "I think you were a bad friend, Aika-san. You did comfort her and helped her out immensely but why? Why did you even take her out into public and talk to her about this in the first place?"
"I thought she'd be able to take it."
"Of course she wouldn't have. You just told her that her friend has most likely died! What were you thinking!?"
"Miki and Yumizuka were never close. Miki liked Yumizuka but there were several aspects that always kept the two at arms length. I thought that, because of that, Yumizuka would never feel terribly sad over this."
"Of course she would. She's too kind to not feel sad over the death of someone she cares for. That's why I…"
"Yes. Of course. I know that. I knew that the moment she started crying. I knew that you'd speak to me about this. I was wrong and for that… I need to apologise. I've hurt her feelings in public of all places and I hate myself for it. You're right. I never should've told her here."
Shiki then stood up and said farewell. Before he could leave, Chloe said one last thing to him.
"Listen, Nanaya-kun. You've been involved with the killer. I know that you're hunting him. I followed you and Yumizuka when you went to the rooftop together."
"I know."
"I just want to say, avenge all of the victims he's claimed and don't die."
"Don't worry. I won't die. If I did I'd make Yumizuka cry and I'll definitely, definitely kill Tohno. For all the lives he's ended." With that proclamation, Shiki Nanaya left Ahnenerbe.
—
Time.
Time?
What is time?
How long is time?
Sometimes time passes really quickly and sometimes it passes really slowly. I wonder why that is?
Ever since I've gotten home, time has been passing slowly. It still is passing slowly. Is this what eternity feels like? Every minute feels like an hour and every single second feels even longer than that.
I wish it would move. I don't want time to stop. I want it to move faster. Why can't it move faster? I can't bear being in the present anymore. That's why I want time to move faster.
I think…
A long time ago, there was another killer. I don't remember the details but I know that they existed. Back then, people must've lost others.
I wonder if they felt the same way as I do?
I wonder if they wanted time to move away from the present and into the future?
I wonder if they wanted time to move away from the present and into the past?
They probably felt one of those. This is what everyone feels when they lose someone, right? I wonder who has lost someone?
Aika doesn't seem like she's lost someone. She's always happy, always cheerful. She is quiet but that's because she thinks a lot. She doesn't waste her energy like Miki-san.
Nanaya-kun seems like he has. I don't know what it is about him but I think he has. There's just something that tells me that. That's all I know.
He just seems like a person who's felt a lot of pain.
—
I wonder why we even exist? Is there a God? Is there some kind of omnipotent, omniscient being that permeates the universe and orchestrates every single action and thought in the whole universe?
If so…
Then why…?
Why is this world filled with so many horrible things?
People who can't connect to others.
They live a lonely existence.
They live a life that they can't find meaning in and eventually end that life.
According to christianity, such an action is a sin but if God controls all then how could it be a sin?
If a sin is an action against God then sin couldn't possibly exist.
That is it.
That is the only answer.
That is why there is pain in this world.
That is why there is death, hunger, disease, greed, jealousy, murder, self-loathing, rape, thirst, loneliness, depression, hatred, genocide, betrayal, insanity, prejudice, war—
All of that is what God wants. All of this is entertainment for Him. What other reason could there be?
If a God does indeed exist…
I think that they are a very cruel being.
—
No one said that parenting would be easy. In fact, they always said that it was quite hard.
Satsuki is, by all accounts, a good person. She is kind, always helps others and does what she is told to do very well. Both myself and my darling are very proud of her.
They said parenting is hard and they aren't wrong but with Satsuki it was never a battle. We love her very much. She's had a good childhood and has lived a good life.
Now though…
One of her friends from school has died. There's no reports yet but Aika says it's likely and that girl's as intelligent as they get. She'd never say something like that without a good reason to believe so.
Satsuki isn't taking it well. I can't think of what to do.
I didn't have the easiest childhood but I came out of it strong in the end. I thought that, because of that, I could help her when the time came but…
No matter what I do it doesn't seem to help. I know that she won't just get over it instantly because I gave her a hug but it still hurts. Knowing that I can't really ease her pain like this hurts.
All I can do is let her sort herself out on her own and it hurts.
It's been 5 hours since she came back and she hasn't gone out of her bedroom since.
She's barely said anything and she hasn't eaten or drank anything either.
I hope that she gets better soon.
I can't bear the thought of my little girl being in pain any longer.
—
Ahh…
Time.
Now is the time?
9:00
If there's anytime to start heading out it's now.
I have to go out tonight…
I must go out and patrol the streets with Nanaya-kun. If I don't, I won't be redeemed. I could never hope to be redeemed.
I get dressed and head out without my parents noticing.
The streets seem red.
For some reason that is my first impression of this night.
Empty…
Lonely…
Tonight seems like a night of death. The very air seems to have halted centuries ago. It's thick enough to suffocate on.
What is this? Why does this death permeate the night? Is something here? Is that demon here? No. No no no. I don't want this. I don't want to be out here anymore. I know. I just know that the demon is somewhere around here on the streets. It feels like an alien world. Dead, dead and cold. In a place of nothing but inanimate objects, I alone stand out as fresh meat to be consumed.
Yet I walk on. My stubborn feet refuse to move back. They don't let me return home. They force me to keep walking on down these dark streets in this night where the moon is hidden. All light comes solely from the streets lights.
And beneath one of them…
Stands a figure.
A black and grey jacket over a white shirt. Black trousers and white trainers. Blue eyes and black hair. The difference from earlier is the guitar case he has slung over his shoulder.
With the sight of Nanaya-kun, life returns to the town. The air flows once more and the red colour fades. I haven't even been out here long and yet I've already run into him.
Was he waiting for me? I'm only a minute away from my house so he must've come here to wait for me.
"So you're still going to patrol with me?" He asks. I nod in response as I walk up next to him. He throws a strange look at me and then begins to walk away from my house. I follow him.
For a second, I swear I see a shadow dart across the night sky.
"Tonight we'll be walking through the suburbs and the southern side of the business district." Nanaya-kun tells me.
It doesn't seem like he knows where the demon is, "Nanaya-kun?"
"Hmm, what is it?"
"Do you know where the demon stays?"
"No. I only know which areas he hunts in. I don't know where he actually lives." Ahh. So he doesn't know where the demon is.
"Apparently he lives in the industrial district. Inui-kun told Miki-san that a white haired guy had been moved in and killed anyone who entered." I assure you, Miki-san. Your contributions will not be in vain. In just a few days, Nanaya-kun will have defeated the killer.
"Certainly, that makes sense. Why didn't I think of that? If you were a killer who hunted people on the streets at night then naturally you'd make your home somewhere where few people went into so you could remain hidden." Nanaya-kun sighs to himself.
"Well, what do you know about the killer?" I ask him, hoping to gather anything I can that might allow me to help.
"He has white hair, wears blue clothes and has red eyes. I don't know what his abilities are but given that he began killing again the night after we met it's safe to say that he has strong regenerative powers. I cut his neck, wrists and stabbed him in the stomach a few times and he still regenerated from all of that."
T-that's…
"How could you ever hope to defeat something that can heal from fatal wounds like that!?" I exclaim. Can Nanaya-kun actually defeat this guy?
"I could probably kill him if I stab the brain. Even if he can regenerate brain damage, the signals that flow through his head will still be disrupted. If I can stab him in the brain, he'll get amnesia, supposing he can even recover from a wound like that."
Oh. That makes sense. If you destroy the brain then the electric signals that carry and control information such as memories, feelings and other vital functions will be disrupted. It's why people with head injuries may forget things that they otherwise would've remembered. If you ever face someone with regenerative abilities, your best bet would be to go for the head.
"Well, at least there might be a way to take him down." I say, glad that there is some hope to stopping this killer.
"It still won't be easy. As he's a demon, he's got enhanced physical strength and senses. He's strong enough to take out a group of trained soldiers like they're nothing. Demon hunters have always been assassins for that reason. Their superior strength means nothing if you kill them before they can use it."
"So you're going to try and stab his brain before he can even notice you?" I ask.
"Yes. That's my plan. If I end up facing him directly, run straight home and forget about me. At that point I'll only be able to hold him off so you can survive. There's likely no way I could defeat him unless I'm ready to tear my own muscles apart. Even then…" He trails off.
Tear his own muscles apart? What the hell could he do that strains he body that much? He seems quite healthy and fit despite his rather thin appearance so his muscles must be in good shape. I wonder what it is?
Despite my curiosities, I decide it would be better not to ask. I get the feeling that, if the killer is around, he might be able to hear us and so it would be better to not get Nanaya-kun to reveal his trump card.
We continue walking in silence. We cover the streets, playgrounds and alleyways of the suburbs with good pace and watchful eyes.
Nanaya-kun tells me that he'll be able to tell when the demon is near by because he'll stink of blood. If he lives in the industrial district then he wouldn't be able to wash himself so the stench of blood would follow him wherever he went.
So that's what we both look out for. The smell of blood.
After about an hour and a half of careful searching, doubling back through some areas and exploring others for the first time, we come up with nothing. It is clear that the killer is not in the suburbs tonight.
So, we move on to the business district.
"Will we even find him?" I ask my partner.
"I'm not sure. As I've said, I've only found him once. He'll definitely be out tonight but it's likely we'll miss him. It's a big town, after all. We've got almost an entire city's worth of space to cover each night."
Right. It would be more likely that we miss him than find him. The only way we could actually find him any kind of high chance would be if we searched the industrial district but I imagine that Nanaya-kun doesn't want to take me into the hear of enem—
What? What is this smell? Is this…? It can't be!?
"Yumizuka. Stay behind me and keep a look out." He orders. I meekly obey.
This smell is definitely the smell of blood.
The two of us walk across the street we are on, following the foul odour that makes me want to throw up.
It's coming from that alleyway ahead of us. We walk towards it with slow and cautious footsteps. Strange sounds can be heard from the alleyway. The sounds of something soft and squishy being torn and the sound of something hard being cracked and crushed.
We reach the back alley entrance and I see something I wish I didn't see. Something that I, Yumizuka Satsuki, will never forget.
A broken down machine.
A torn apart marionette.
The now deceased body of what was once the living, desecrated and defiled like worthless rubbish.
The chest has been torn open, the ribcage poking out from the cavity in the torso. Two of the ribs have been snapped off and impaled into the corpse's eyes.
Blood leaks from the eyes like some kind of awful bastardization of the deceased's sorrow. A permanent look of agony is on their face. Their mouth has been propped open with one of their fingers making it look as if they are permanently screaming.
One arm is missing and the right hand has no fingers. Organs lay strewn across the alley, as if they were thrown about haphazardly while the demon was tearing their chest open.
The person's blood covers an immensely large surface of the alley, an entire area big enough to carry an elevator's worth of people has been coated in a pool of blood.
Blood.
Red blood that still slowly grows as more leaks from the almost unrecognisable dead body.
A figure emerges from the bloodshed.
They stand up, covered in red.
They have shoulder length white hair and red eyes. They wear a blue leather jacket, jeans and boots. They wear nothing else on their upper body aside from the jacket. The look in their eyes is quite insane.
I immediately throw up. I cannot stomach this.
This isn't real. It can't be real. Why should it be real? It's too horrible to be real. Something like this can't be real. It's just a horrible dream. A disgusting nightmare I will soon wake from so please let me wake up before I can see anymore.
"It's you again. Who the fuck are you anyway? Why do you keep getting in my way!?" The demon says to Nanaya-kun. To be honest, I don't think the killer has even noticed me. I'm glad. After all I could not even react to anything he might try to do to me.
All I can think about is how that fate befell one of my friends. It's cruel. Far too cruel.
"I'm Nanaya. That should be enough for you, SHIKI."
"Nanaya…" The demon's, SHIKI's, eyes widen in realisation and he bursts out laughing, "Of course! Of course! I thought father had killed all of you but I guess one remained. Of course you'd want to kill me. Not just me but all of the Tohno's, right? The old man, the relatives and her. Well I won't let you touch her, Nanaya!" With that declaration, the fight begins.
Tohno SHIKI dashes towards Shiki with inhuman speeds, crossing a 5 metre gap in less than a second.
Shiki, having already taken his wakizashi out before entering the alley, uses the bladed weapon to block the demon's claws. He's pushed back almost a metre by that single blow. His muscles already groan in complaint from blocking that strike.
He knows with that one attack that he cannot afford to block another two. If he does, the muscles in his arms will be shredded and he will no longer be able to move them.
"Get out of here Yumizuka!" Shiki yells towards Satsuki with the brief gap the attack provided. The girl does not respond and instead sits there unmoving.
'Shit…!' the young assassin thinks as he successfully parries SHIKI's second attack.
He's on the losing end here. There's no way he could hope to defeat his opponent in a straight duel unless he uses one of his advanced Nanaya techniques at precisely the right time.
That is what Shiki Nanaya is banking on. It's his only hope of survival in this situation.
When he'd previously fought a wounded SHIKI, he quickly understood that his knife was not the ideal weapon for a straight fight. The knife was an excellent assassination weapon but it is ill-suited for a face-to-face battle.
SHIKI was able to almost overwhelm Shiki's defences the previous time as he had to get into his opponent's range and could not properly parry an attack.
His short katana is a perfect solution. Still light and small enough to carry around without suspicions but long enough to keep SHIKI at range and parry his attacks.
SHIKI's first two attacks were simple but effective.
A straight jab with the right hand followed by a clawing left hook. The third strike is another simple attack. It's an uppercut aimed to dig into his foe's chest and tear it open. An undeniably brutal strategy that would've worked on any other foe.
Even the strongest of normal humans could only ever hope to block three strikes from a demon as strong as SHIKI. The third strike will be the deciding strike. It'll either break their guard right then or leave them open for a final, fatal attack.
Tohno SHIKI may be insane but his fighting mind is not to be underestimated. He knows limits and the limits of normal people.
One thing that SHIKI hasn't accounted for is that his opponent would parry his attacks.
Shiki had successfully parried the second claw strike and is now in the perfect position to dodge the vertical third attack. The Nanaya had grown powerful and infamous due to their techniques that pushed the human body to their absolute limit. Their most powerful techniques could tear their own bodies apart from the strain of execution.
Shiki had trained with his basics his whole life and can easily employ the lightning speed for which his family had been known for. The only downside is his endurance.
He can not fight for more than a couple minutes without fainting from anaemia. He's on a time limit in several factors of this fight. All in all, he cannot keep up with SHIKI for long. That's why he must finish this in his first strike!
Shiki's body disappears in a blur as he quickly dodges to SHIKI's right, avoiding the otherwise fatal attack. The young assassin also drops low to avoid enemy detection. His flexible body is perfect for twisting and turning around his opponents like a human spider. The application of his Nanaya techniques are masterful and he truly is the heir to the prodigy of his family, Nanaya Kiri.
He gauges the distance between himself and his opponent's neck. Cutting off the blood supply to the neck would quickly dull his opponent and allow him to pierce the brain in the second attack.
This is his one chance to finish his opponent so he had to be precise. From his low angle, only a small portion of the neck is actually visible. There's only a small gap in which he can stab through SHIKI's neck.
Nanaya Shiki's body tenses as he begins to swing his sword towards the demon however…
That sword does not get the chance to spill his enemy's blood.
SHIKI immediately begun to turn around the second he saw Shiki disappear and launches a swipe at him with his left arm. Noticing this instantly, the human swiftly leaps away from the demon whilst swinging his blade at the opponents right shoulder.
That wasn't a large enough opening after all. Even still, the young assassin made sure to at least wound SHIKI while he could. Even a slight hindrance means everything in this battle for survival.
Both Shikis stand at a close yet cautious distance, just out of strike range. Red and blue glare at each other, one with hatred and one with annoyance.
Shiki's body is already beginning to feel the strain of pulling so many fast manoeuvres. His opponent, on the other hand, has not had to strain himself that much. The only point was when he'd realised his enemy had dodged his attack and had to quickly defend himself.
SHIKI has a very clear upper hand in this fight. He will not be so foolish as to make another opening like that again. Shiki knows that he has to force that opening out of him.
Taking the initiative, Nanaya crouches down and leaps to the side, clinging to the wall like some sort of insect. He then jumps to the other alley wall opposite him. Finally, he bends his legs and pushes himself off of the wall and towards SHIKI who stands ready to intercept the other Shiki.
To SHIKI, his opponent's strategy seems clear. Jump about to confuse him and make him strike the wrong place so that his back would be exposed. Thus, the Tohno chose to stand still so that he could easily anticipate any attack.
Shiki's actual strategy is quite different.
As he shot towards SHIKI, he employs one of the Nanaya's more recent developments in terms of skill. Magecraft had been introduced to the family about 3 generations back. It was not highly used and only basic spells such as reinforcement were used by the family. They were not particularly good at the art either.
Nanaya Shiki was never able to learn much magecraft and was unable to learn reinforcement. What he did learn, though, was a gravity distortion spell. It quickly became treasured by the Nanaya family who saw it as an ingenious way to expand upon their Flash Run techniques.
"Ochiru…" As Shiki descends towards SHIKI, he whispers that one word. This is the sole magecraft to which Nanaya Shiki is proficient in.
Flash Run — FastFall
As soon as Shiki finishes his one word aria, his body begins to drop straight to the ground as if he'd fallen vertically. SHIKI had guarded his upper body as he expected an attack from the air but the sudden decent has caught him off guard!
This is Shiki's strategy and it went off without a hitch.
Knowing that he could never strike SHIKI's neck from this angle, he instead chooses to take out his legs.
The demon began to jump back as soon as he noticed that Shiki had fallen vertically but one of his legs is slower than the other and ends up being cut into quite deeply by Nanaya Shiki.
The boy presses the attack, dashing towards the off balance SHIKI and swinging three slashes almost simultaneously. The Nanaya technique called Flash Sheath — EightFold Thrust was designed on one simple premise, "A demon is fast but even they cannot defend against multiple simultaneous attacks."
With that basis, EightFold Thrust was developed and honed across generations as a central Nanaya technique.
The three slashes are preformed at lightning speeds, taking only a third of second total.
"!?"
The first slash, aimed for the neck, is guarded by SHIKI's claws. The second slash skims his left shoulder and the third slices deep into the demon's uninjured thigh. The beast collapses to his knees as he shouts,
"Don't fuck with me!"
As he shouted, he swung his arms at Shiki with incredible strength but it was still not fast enough to catch his nimble hunter.
The Nanaya heir had already anticipated a counter attack and has leapt back about a metre away from his prey's effective range. He immediately dashes forwards and applies another one of the Flash Run techniques.
Moon In The Water.
While, on the outside, it looks like he dashes across the ground towards SHIKI he actually leaps upwards and descends towards the demon.
Anger. Confusion. Frustration.
These emotions cloud Tohno SHIKI's mind and he uses all his body weight to swing at the mirage of Shiki closing in.
When he realises that his foe is above him, it is already far too late.
Nanaya Shiki pierces SHIKI's heart with his sword and the demon collapses to the ground in a heap.
—
It was a battle that had progressed without my knowing. Truth be told, it was finished in less than a minute.
When I'd regained consciousness, that demon, SHIKI, was defending himself against Nanaya-kun. He'd managed to slash incredibly quickly! Three slashes in less than a second!
He's amazing! He said that he wouldn't have been able to take on SHIKI unless he caught him off guard but Nanaya-kun wasn't even injured. It was a one-sided battle.
After those slashes, Nanaya-kun jumped back and then dashed in again. Or at least, that's what it looked like at first. Mid-way through the dash, he disappeared and had actually jumped upwards to strike SHIKI from above! He couldn't defend himself against the deception and had his heart pierced.
Nanaya-kun now stands victorious over the corpse of the killer.
I can't even say anything. How could I? What was I supposed to say in a situation like this? It's too much. Far too much. I still can't process any of it. What had happened? Had it really happened? The corpse, the killer, the battle. Did any of that stuff actually happen or is it just some kind of horrible nightmare?
All I can say for sure is that this is definitely reality. This is a reality that I, Yumizuka Satsuki, must face.
"Are… you okay… Yumizuka?" Nanaya-kun pants out to me. It seems like all of that excessive movement was a large strain on him. I hope he's okay.
Although I can't answer his question. I can't say that I'm alright but I'm not in any condition to know if there's anything wrong either. I'm currently just alive. That's all I really know. The state of my mind, the state of my body… neither are things that I know of.
"No… of course you aren't okay. What you saw is something that nobody sh— !?"
Nanaya-kun and I both gasp in shock.
How? How!?
How is he still alive!?
That monster, SHIKI, jumps up off of the ground and swings at Nanaya-kun. He jumps onto a wall to avoid the attack but that monster still chases him with a second swing.
At last, Nanaya-kun leaps off of the wall and jumps back until he's just in front of me.
4 metres now separate Nanaya-kun and I from SHIKI. He's wounded and bleeding all over and in a condition that no living thing should survive from and yet he not only stands but managed to attack Nanaya-kun with the same speed as before. Nanaya-kun was right.
A monster like this…
Cannot be killed by human hands.
"What's wrong… killer!? …Scared!?" The beast growls with his face contorted into agony.
"Run. Run far away, Yumizuka. Now! Run!" Nanaya-kun shouts as that monster leaps towards him with lightning speeds.
"You aren't escaping, Nanaya!" SHIKI shouts as the second round commences.
SHIKI's swings his claws at insane speeds. The kind of speeds you'd expect from a martial arts expert who'd trained all their life. Nanaya-kun meets him blade for claw with equal speeds.
Every slash that the demon preforms is parried by Nanaya-kun. Whereas SHIKI uses brute force, the demon hunter uses skill. A battle of opposites is an appropriate term.
They are evenly matched in ability.
No, that's wrong. In terms of ability, Nanaya-kun outclasses that demon for sure but the deciding factor in this battle is not ability.
It is endurance.
While SHIKI was panting earlier, those were pants of pain, of frustration. He is extremely angry at Nanaya-kun and that fuels every swing of his claws. He has expended little of his stamina in this fight and has more than enough fuel to continue for a full hour.
Nanaya-kun was exhausted from under a minute of battle against this demon. He can't last much longer. While he was able to get the upper hand last time due to clever manoeuvring, that is not the case this time. SHIKI will not let Nanaya-kun out of his sight at all and attacks from various angles in quick succession.
In other words…
Nanaya-kun is forced to confront the demon head-on.
Slash!
One of SHIKI's claws finally breaks through Nanaya-kun's guard and cuts into his left shoulder. The white-haired beast grins in satisfaction and doesn't waste a second in sending out a follow up strike.
That strike is too slow though.
Nanaya-kun hadn't actually taken that hit because SHIKI's relentless assault had broken through his guard. He had lowered his guard to deliver a risky attack!
My friend's leg shoots into his opponent's stomach with a master's speed and precision.
The blow winds SHIKI and allows Nanaya-kun to get the spacing he needs to regain control of the battle. It was a gamble but one that seems to have paid off. The issue is that wound. Nanaya-kun will almost certainly be handicapped by that wound. His left arm will now be unable to move as quickly and the pain will be a constant distraction.
I grit my teeth in frustration.
Is there nothing I can do!?
There isn't. All I can do is watch this all unfold. That's all I can do for Nanaya-kun, my friend. That's why I can't run. I can't just leave him alone, even if I can't do anything to help.
The least I can do to pay for my sins is watch this battle.
Nanaya-kun leaps up onto one of the walls near SHIKI and aims two fast swings at his neck. Neither of the two slashes makes a proper connection and only scratches the skin off of the demon's shoulder and wrist.
Nanaya-kun then falls with incredible speeds and slashes at SHIKI's neck from below!
How did he even do that!?
It feels like time stops as the deciding moment of the battle comes to fruition.
SHIKI's left arm is raised in front of his neck in a position to guard an attack from above. His right arm is poised to strike where Nanaya-kun used to be. The monster's face is surprised and his red eyes looks down below at the crouching figure of his hunter.
Nanaya-kun's eyes are cold, merciless and utterly devoid of emotion like some kind of machine. His wakizashi is gripped in his hands and is centimetres away from SHIKI's neck. His entire crouching body has leaned into making this one, final strike connect.
In the end, it all played out instantly.
Nanaya-kun's sword never cuts into SHIKI's neck as the former is kicked away by the latter.
No! That can't be right!
Nanaya-kun was supposed to cut SHIKI's neck and then pierce his brain like we talked about. This wasn't supposed to happen!
How is this fair!?
The boy in question rolls across the ground several times until he comes to a stop a couple metres away from the demon in blue.
"That's enough, killer!" SHIKI growls as he presses his hand onto his chest. He then pulls that from the wound where Nanaya-kun had stabbed his heart.
That is a large, red sword that the demon now holds in two hands.
"Die."
Nanaya-kun sits up with one hand pressed against his chest where he was kicked and another hand on his, now drawn, knife.
SHIKI bends his legs and pushes himself off of the ground with immense force. He zooms across the air with his blade raised high above his head, ready to cut his enemy in half once and for all!
Nanaya-kun grits his teeth and then says,
"Choubi Hassen —"
Once again, time seems to slow down.
SHIKI's face suddenly untenses and softens into a confused and surprised expression.
That's because, the figure of Nanaya Shiki-kun suddenly disappears from view.
Then it happens.
Nanaya-kun had dashed past SHIKI in the blink of an eye and delivered a winning blow.
SHIKI's defenceless right side opens up with a massive spray of blood. The demon howls in agony from his sudden wound.
"Mujou no Fukusu!"
Both Shikis fall to the ground clutching their sides.
"Y-you…! Fuck!" SHIKI growls in pain as he begins to run away. I don't care about that right now though.
All I'm concerned about is the state Nanaya-kun is in.
"Nanaya-kun! Are you okay!?" I finally get up from where I'd been sitting since I began throwing up at the battle's start.
He's on the ground, growling in pain. His hand grips his side tightly and he claws at the ground with his other hand.
Shit, shit, shit, shit!
What do I do!? I should call the ambulance! That's all I can do. If he isn't treated then something awful might happen.
I pull out my phone and call 119.
"It's okay, Nanaya-kun. It'll be okay. I've called an ambulance, they'll help you so hang in there, please!" I cry as I try to comfort him.
I can't take it. I can't take it anymore! All of this is too much. I've seen so much death today. I don't want to see anymore. Especially not Nanaya-kun so God, please!
Don't let Nanaya Shiki-kun die!
—
I had a lot of fun writing that chapter.
Look at that. I've delivered on the earliest day of my schedule and managed to write almost 8,000 words.
SHIKI's design here was inspired by mixing Lio Shirazumi and Roa's design's together. The exposed abs are, of course, very much from Roa while the leather jacket and boots were taken from Lio.
Other than that, SHIKI's design is drawn from his original visual novel design so it's just him wearing different clothes.
SHIKI is a villain that I've always thought of being really cool in concept but a bit lacking in execution and so I'm going to try and present a more threatening and complex version of the real eldest Tohno.
Moments like his battle against Shiki in the Tohno mansion forest in the Akiha route's conclusion and that scene where the two talk in the Kohaku route are stand out moments of the VN more and really show what could've been with this guy.
I hope the remake does a better job with SHIKI like it did with Roa.
Well, that's enough SHIKI fanboying for one Author's note.
I hope you all have a good day/night.
Bye.
Oh and with the Author's note included, this chapter totals 815 words making it the longest chapter yet.