January 30th, 2004

Red. All he could see was red.

It was the night of graduation. Families would visit the school to see their children receive their certificates and move on to the next grade. Graduation was supposed to be a celebration of mental growth, but that growth was ultimately cut short.

Naru stood in the middle of the gymnasium. At one moment, he was onstage, ready to receive his certificate; the next, the room was completely red with blood from all the people who had been killed. There was so much of it that it was enough to make him sick.

It was a day he would never forget.

Later, as the paramedics were carrying bodies out of the school, Atsuna, Naru's mother, came rushing towards the crime scene. As she was about to cross the yellow tape, security came to stop her.

Security Guard: "I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't cross through here."

Atsuna: "Where is my son?"

Security Guard: "I-I don't know. What does he look like?"

Atsuna: "Well, he- Naru!"

She spotted Naru sitting on a stool beside an ambulance with a blanket wrapped around him. She tried to run over to him but was stopped by the security guard.

Security Guard: "Hold it, you can't come through here!"

Atsuna held up her hand and created a ball of red fire in her palm.

Atsuna: "If you keep me from my son, there's going to be another body added to this massacre!"

The guard immediately backed away, and Atsuna ran off.

Security Guard: "I'm so fired!"

Atsuna ran up to Naru and hugged him, while Naru looked blank. He wasn't crying, he wasn't shaking; he just sat there, staring off into the distance.

Atsuna: "Naru! Look at me, honey! What happened?"

Naru: "...the drums….they wouldn't stop….."

Atsuna's eyes widened in terror as Naru told her something truly horrible.

Atsuna: "Dear god…it's already happening!"

Present day.

Taro: "Naru!"

Naru: "Hmm?"

Taro: "We were talking about our plans to invade Tokubetsu."

Naru: "R-Right. Sorry, my mind must have been…somewhere else."

Taro could tell that Naru was thinking about what had happened there five years ago. He knew Naru had some traumatic experiences at that place, and he was worried it might trigger Naru's PTSD.

Taro: "Listen, Naru, you don't have to go there."

Artoria: "That's right, if that place troubles you so much, you're more than welcome to stay. I am more than capable of fighting these dead apostles on my own."

Naru: "...No, I'll go."

Taro: "Are you sure?"

Naru: "Yes. The Elementary Massacre is a reminder of the reality that the people of Sekoyoma live in. Every day, people are killed for some twisted bastard's enjoyment while everyone else watches like sheep! It is why I fight in the first place, so something like the Elementary Massacre doesn't happen again! So yes…I'm going."

Artoria: "Hmm. You sure have a talent for making inspirational speeches. Perhaps you could rule Camelot."

Rei: "I'm coming to!"

Naru: "Rei? Are you sure?"

Rei: "Totally, bro! Wherever you go, I go!"

Naru: "My man!"

The two shared a fist bump while Yui got up from her seat.

Yui: "I might as well go to. These dead apostles are much tougher than humans, so you're going to need all the help you can get. Come on, Zero."

Zero stood up from his spot in the corner.

Taro: "Alright, I guess the entire team is going! I'll stay here and watch over HQ. The rest of you head towards the school, and bring down the Silver Tongue!"

Later, the group arrived at the front of Tokubetsu Elementary School. The place was in ruins. The windows were broken, the paint was peeling off, and all the plants were dead. The skies were cloudy, casting a shadow over the school and making the place look more bleak than it already was.

Naru stared at the building. The memories of that day resurfaced in his mind. The blood, the dead bodies covering the floor, it all came rushing back to him. This didn't go unnoticed, as Brook looked at Naru, who was staring off into space.

Brook: "Naru? Are you okay?"

Naru: "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

Brook: "...Ok…if you say so."

As much of an idiot as she was, she could tell Naru was lying. Both he and Rei were fidgeting with their hands as they walked towards the place. They felt uncomfortable about all this. To lighten up the mood, Brook decided to spark up some conversation.

Brook: "So Naru, what can you tell us about this 'Silver Tongue'?"

Naru: "To be honest, not much. All I know is that they are made up of dead apostles. What about you, Rei? Do you know anything?"

Rei: "Let's see…well, from what I know, the Silver Tongue is the third largest gang in Sekoyoma. They're not as big as the Oe Cult, but they make up for it due to having dead apostles as its members, and trust me when I say you don't want to encounter them."

Brook: "Why not?"

Well, for one thing, they're immortal, so you won't be able to kill one without a holy weapon. Second, they're strong. They are classified as 'Rank VII' by the church, whatever that means."

Yui: "It means they're the strongest of their kind."

Rei: "Yeah, whatever. Another thing you should know about is their leader, Chirocul Desmodus, or as he is called around the streets, 'The Spiral.'"

Artoria: "The Spiral? That is quite an odd name. Why is he called that?"

Rei: "No one knows. No one who has encountered him has lived to tell the tale. One theory is he is called that because of his vein extractor."

Yui: "Vein extractor? Oh! Do you mean his drill-shaped tongue that he uses to twist out people's magic circuits?"

Rei: "Yeah! That one!"

Naru: "Wait, so he extracts people's magic circuits with his tongue? That sounds like a terrible way to die! I heard it's about as painful as getting your nerves ripped out!"

As they were talking about Chirocul and how weird his tongue was, they were interrupted by the sound of a police cruiser approaching.

Brook: "Hey…why are the police here?"

Naru: "Don't worry, she's with us."

The cruiser pulled over, and Asuka got out of the car while a police dog got out of the backseat.

Rei: "Onee-chan! What kept you?"

Asuka: "What do you mean? It only took me ten minutes to get here."

Rei: "And my time is VERY valuable!"

Brook: "Onee-chan? Is this police officer your sister?"

Rei: "Yes!"

Asuka: "No, he just calls me that. Also, who are you?"

Brook: "My name is Brook Hackerman, 'The Knuckleduster!' I'm the newest member of the Infinite Path!"

Naru: "Temporary member, if I might add."

Asuka: "I-I see…well, nice to meet you, Brook! My name is Asuka Usaswa, 'The Blade.' I'm a member of the Sekoyoma police department and a double-agent for Taro. Oh, and this is my police dog, Cosmos."

Cosmos: "Woof!"

Brook: "Aww! He's so cute! Can I pet him?"

Asuka: "Um…sure."

Brook: "Thanks! Who's a good boy? You are! You are!"

Cosmos: "Woof! Woof!"

Naru: "W-Well, moving that aside, this blonde chick I have next to me is Saber. She's a servant, if you couldn't tell."

Artoria: "Nice to meet you, Urasawa-san."

Asuka: "..."

Asuka stared at Artoria with wide eyes.

Artoria: "Um, miss? Are you okay?"

Asuka: "...ka….ka…"

Artoria: "Ka?"

Asuka: "KAWAI!"

Artoria: "Eh!?"

Asuka ran up to Artoria and gave her a big hug, practically squeezing her. Artoria, meanwhile, had a huge blush on her face as she was completely caught off guard by this woman's actions.

Artoria: "M-Miss? W-What are you doing?"

Asuka: "A little blonde knight in full armor! So cute!"

Artoria: "U-Unhand me! This is an abuse of your power!"

Asuka: "I'm going to take you home, feed you a delicious meal, and hug you and squeeze you all day!"

Artoria: "Master, help! She won't let me go! Hey! Put that camera away and help me, you bastard!"

Naru: "Nope!"

Artoria: "Damn thee master! Once I get out of here, I will- mmph!"

She didn't get to finish as her head was now buried in Asuka's cleavage."

Asuka: "Can I keep her! Pleeeaaase!"

Naru: "I don't mind."

Yui: "Asuka, now's not the time to indulge in your knight fetish."

Asuka: "O-Oh! Right! Sorry about that."

She let go of Artoria, who immediately got as far away as possible."

Artoria: "That woman is dangerous!"

Yui: "Alright, moving that aside, here's the plan."

Yui took out a piece of paper.

Yui: "These are the Silver Tongue's main fighters."

Silver Tongue Members:

Chirocul Desmodus: The Spiral

Gorgos Chlamydos: The Dread

Gama Phrynosoma: The Tears

Murfera Simplicidentata: The Rat King

Giovani Aquarius: The Flood

Yui: "We will split up into teams of two or three and take out their main fighters one by one. Once we do that, all seven of us will converge on Chirocul and take him out. Since we're going up against dead apostles, Taro has permitted us to use lethal force."

Rei: "Finally! I've been waiting to crack some heads!"

Naru: "Right, Rei and I will be one team…"

Yui: "...and Zero is coming with me."

Artoria: "Since I am a servant, I will be going alone."

Asuka: "Right! That leaves Brook in my- hey? Where is she anyway?"

Cosmos: "Bark! Bark! Bark!"

Brook: "Help! The dog doesn't like me!"

Brook was running around in circles, being chased by Cosmos.

Naru: "You idiot! What did you do?"

Brook: "I just wanted him to shake!"

Asuka: "I…will be going in there with just my police dog. Since Brook seems to have made enemies with him, she will be joining Yui and Zero.

Yui: "Are you sure you'll be able to handle yourself? These dead apostles are much stronger than your typical criminal."

Asuka unsheathed the katana she had strapped to her waist.

Asuka: "All I need is this, and my determination. Cosmos! Come!"

Cosmos stopped chasing Brook and went to Asuka's side. Brook, meanwhile, went over to Yui and Zero.

Brook: "I guess I'm partnering with you guys! Zero, is it! We never got to speak to each other. Nice to meet you!"

Zero: "..."

Brook: "Um…Zero? Aren't you going to say something?"

Yui: "Forgive him. Zero here is a homunculus, and his creators never taught him how to speak."

Brook: "Really? So like, he can't say anything?"

Yui: "Correct. He doesn't make any sort of vocalizations. He is completely mute. It is because of this that 'The Boss' has given him the street title, 'The Silence.'"

Brook: "That's kinda mean to do to someone who's mute. Does he have any way of communicating?"

Yui: "Yes. Recently, I've been teaching him sign language to make communication with him easier."

Brook: "Nice! Anyways, this conversation has been going on much longer than I anticipated! Let's go!"

Everyone: "Right!"

The four groups went in separate directions, unaware of a small rat that had been watching them the entire time.

The rat ran towards the school, jumped through a window, and went into an air vent. It traveled through the air duct, weaving its way through the various corridors, heading lower and lower.

Finally, it reached the school basement. This used to be a place where the school stored various equipment and documents, but now it was a vampire's lair with bones of previous meals covering the floor.

In the back of the room, stood Chirocul Desmodus, one of the five gang lords and leader of the Silver Tongue. He was over two meters (over six feet) tall and wore a white fur coat blended in with his pale skin. He also wore a white shirt and white pants, and he had white hair on top of his head, making him look completely drained of color, except his eyes and lips, which were a bright red.

The rat finally made it down to the basement and hopped onto Chirocul's shoulder.

Chirocul: "Murfera, I was just about to call you. What do you have to report?"

The rat's eyes glowed as a voice came from within it.

Murfera: "The Infinite Path has arrived and brought their servant with them!"

Chirocul: "Servant? Ah, so the rumors were true."

Murfera: "I guess so."

Chirocul: "Well then, the best thing we can do is prepare for their arrival. Bring in the prisoner!"

Two ghouls entered the basement, dragging a man by his arms. It was a cultist that managed to survive Artoria's onslaught by playing dead. However, he was quickly caught by two ghouls who were patrolling the area at the time.

They threw him to the ground in front of Chirocul.

Chirocul: "Greetings, man of the Oe Cult! If you're wondering why you're unable to run away, it's because we chopped your legs off. Now, I'm going to be straight with you: you're going to die, and there's nothing you can do to bribe your way out of me killing you. However, you can still do something for me before you go. Tell me about Saber, and I will make your death swift and painless."

The cultist was scared. He didn't know what to do. This…thing was telling him that his fate was inevitable. He was going to die.

Chirocul: "So, what's it going to be? Quick and easy, or slow and painful?"

Cultist: "W-Well, if I'm going to die anyway, I might as well make it quick. The servant is King Arthur, but they're a girl called 'Altria' or something like that."

Chirocul: "King Arthur? That's very interesting. Tell me more."

Cultist: "S-She is very strong, and she relies on her mana burst to power herself up."

Chirocul: "And…how do you think she does that?"

Cultist: "I-I don't know! M-Maybe, she has some sort of m-magic core or something?"

Chirocul grinned, showing his mouth filled with metal teeth.

Chirocul: "That's all I needed to hear."

A drill-shaped tongue shot out of his mouth and pierced the cultist through the chest. It turned around inside him, twisting his circuits up like a fork in a bowl of noodles. Chirocul pulled his tongue out of his chest, with the man's circuits wrapped around the tip. He swallowed the green ball of circuits before turning his attention to the now circuit-less cultist.

Chirocul: "Mmmmm, not bad. You have some nice quality circuits. I can already imagine how the dragon core of that saber will taste."

Cultist: "Y-you s-said it would be p-p-painless!"

Chirocul: "I said your DEATH would be painless. I wasn't trying to kill you there."

His tongue shot out again and this time pierced the cultist through the skull, killing him instantly. His body dropped to the ground with a 'thud' as Chirocul retracted his tongue.

Chirocul: "See? Was that so hard?"

He turned around and sat on a stool in the corner. The rat looked at him with something resembling curiosity.

Murfera: "So, your goal is the servant's dragon core?"

Chirocul: "Yes. Assemble my warriors and take care of the rest of the Infinite Path and lead Saber over to me."

Murfera: "Right away, sir!"

The rat scurried its way back up the air ducts towards the surface. Chirocul touched his metal teeth with his hand before scowling in rage.

Chirocul: "How dare she do that to me! I must have that dragon core! Once I have it, revenge on the True Ancestor Princess will be mine!"