Imperial Demon Army Hospital.
Yuichiro woke up from his coma and threw a straight punch immediately.
"What did you do to Mika?!"
"Ah!"
Yuichiro looked around blankly; Luke was nowhere to be seen, and Shihō Kimizuki was sitting on the ground clutching his nose.
Shihō Kimizuki stood up furiously, ignoring his bleeding nose, and grabbed Yuichiro by the collar, hoisting him up.
"You bastard, what's your problem? You want to fight?"
Yuichiro was still a bit dazed and ignored Shihō Kimizuki's anger. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned his head and looked left and right.
"Where is asuramaru?"
Shihō Kimizuki plugged his bleeding nostrils with a tissue.
"asuramaru? Wasn't it taken by that white-haired Vampire?"
Yuichiro froze in place. After a moment, he clutched his head and wailed.
"Ah! That bastard actually took asuramaru! Damn it, how am I supposed to kill Vampires without asuramaru!"
Kimizuki knew Yuichiro's wish was to rescue his family from the Vampires, so he didn't kick him while he was down.
Yuichiro suddenly looked up and stared at Kimizuki.
"What?"
Kimizuki felt uncomfortable under Yuichiro's gaze.
Yuichiro got off the hospital bed, pressed down on Kimizuki's shoulders, glanced at the twin blades at Kimizuki's waist, and then stared intently into Kimizuki's eyes.
"Give me your blades, Kimizuki!"
"Huh? In your dreams!"
Kimizuki quickly backed up several steps while shielding Ghost Box King behind him, watching Yuichiro warily for fear he might try to snatch it.
Seeing Kimizuki's strong reaction, Yuichiro didn't mention it again. It made sense; Kimizuki also needed his cursed gear to accumulate military merits for his sister's treatment.
"Sigh, forget it. I'll go find that idiot Guren and have him give me another one!"
Hearing Yuichiro mention Guren, Kimizuki's face showed a pained and complex expression as he lowered his head.
Yuichiro noticed Kimizuki's awkwardness, his brow furrowing slightly, and he couldn't help but ask.
"Hey, what's with that look? Did something happen?"
After a moment of hesitation, Kimizuki chose to answer truthfully.
"As soon as we got out, we informed the Imperial Demon Army Headquarters of the situation. Headquarters sent Lieutenant General Kureto and Lieutenant Colonel Guren to deal with those two Vampires, and they even brought an Imperial Demon Army Experimental Failure."
Yuichiro was a bit excited and said as a matter of course.
"Oh! So did Guren and that Lieutenant General whatever-his-name-is defeat the two Vampires? Is my asuramaru back then?"
"A total defeat!"
"What?!"
Kimizuki looked up solemnly and said through gritted teeth.
"Lieutenant Colonel Guren was killed in this battle. He was killed by those damned Vampires using the Experimental Failure!"
How could Yuichiro accept such news? Although he had his doubts, Guren had always been family to him. How could he be dead!
"No... impossible! That idiot Guren is so strong, how could he be killed? Kimizuki, you must be lying to me, right? You want to make me sad so you can laugh at me, right? Guren is still alive, right?"
Kimizuki frowned. He hadn't expected Guren's death to impact Yuichiro so heavily, but he couldn't let Yuichiro get lost in it.
Kimizuki punched Yuichiro directly in the face.
"Wake up! Lieutenant Colonel Guren is dead! How can you act like a member of the Imperial Demon Army like this?"
"You bastard!"
Not to be outdone, Yuichiro started brawling with Kimizuki.
Just then, a figure rushed into the hospital room and landed two heavy punches on their heads.
"You are comrades, not enemies! This is a hospital; don't disturb the other wounded soldiers!"
Mitsuba lectured them with the air of a senior.
Kimizuki was very defiant.
"Someone who can't face reality isn't my comrade!"
Yuichiro almost roared.
"Shut up! There's no way Guren is dead!"
Mitsuba's expression also turned grim. She sighed and said to Yuichiro.
"Yu, Lieutenant Colonel Guren indeed sacrificed himself. We saw it with our own eyes..."
If Kimizuki's truth was merely hard to accept, Mitsuba's confirmation caused Yuichiro's spirit to completely collapse.
"Ah!!!"
Yuichiro knelt on the ground and wailed.
"Um... anyone want a drink?"
Yoichi stood at the door of the hospital room. Judging by the tear marks on his face, he had also cried over Guren's death.
Shinoa Hiragi stood silently behind Yoichi, her thoughts unknown... Nagoya, Ichinose Guren's hometown.
Shinya Hiiragi and Goshi Norito walked out of the bathhouse wrapped in towels.
Goshi Norito scratched his head and made a joke with a smile.
"Seriously, why didn't they make it a mixed bath?"
Shinya Hiiragi narrowed his eyes and smiled without answering the question, then shouted inside.
"Hurry up!"
"Coming! You're so loud, stop rushing me."
A man walked out of the bath, drying his head with a towel. Who else could it be but Guren?
As the three walked out, they happened to run into the three women—Jujo Mika, Sayuri Hanayori, and Yukimi Shigure—coming out of the women's bath.
Goshi Norito looked over the three women's slender and graceful figures with an appreciative gaze and couldn't help but nod.
"Today is truly my lucky day."
Jujo Mika glared at Goshi Norito, while Sayuri Hanayori gave a polite smile. Only Yukimi Shigure kept a straight face and spoke sharply.
"Do you mean being the first one defeated by that Vampire?"
Goshi Norito looked embarrassed and quickly tried to argue back.
"I just underestimated him! That guy is freakishly strong! He had such a cute face, but he was brutal. Luckily Shinya helped me out, or I'd be dead today. I haven't even had a girlfriend yet!"
Everyone rolled their eyes in unison but didn't say much. It was no secret that Goshi Norito liked women, but he could also tell when to be serious.
"Speaking of which..."
Shinya Hiiragi had been watching Guren and suddenly spoke up.
"It's truly amazing. I saw Guren completely engulfed in that monster's flames, yet he's already fully healed."
The others also turned their gaze toward Guren. They had been unconscious at the time and didn't know the details; they only knew that when they woke up, Guren was covered in burns, his clothes were incinerated, and he was barely clinging to life.
Afterward, his skin visibly peeled and renewed, his life signs gradually recovered, and now his body showed no injuries at all.
Most absurdly, the hair that had been completely burnt off grew back within a few breaths right before everyone's eyes.
Guren didn't know how to answer. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Don't ask too many questions. Just trust me."
Shinya Hiiragi frowned. He hated it when Guren kept things from him; he felt like Guren always treated him like an outsider.
But there was nothing he could do if Guren wouldn't talk, so Shinya Hiiragi turned to leave.
"I'm heading back first."
Seeing this, the others were sensible enough not to press Guren and all mentioned they were going to hitch a ride with Shinya Hiiragi back to Headquarters.
Sayuri Hanayori and Yukimi Shigure also had matters to attend to in Shibuya.
Guren didn't stay long either, instructing them before they left.
"For now, don't tell Hiiragi Kureto that I'm still alive. I want to relax for a bit."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Shinya Hiiragi drove away from Guren's hometown.
Not until the taillights were out of sight did Guren sigh. He raised his hand, and with a thought, a ball of fire appeared in his palm, yet his hand remained completely unharmed.
Guren turned back into the house and walked toward the basement alone.
After undoing over a dozen layers of seals, Guren entered a room.
A Cursed Formation was carved into the floor of the room.
Guren tinkered with it according to his memory. The patterns of the Cursed Formation flashed, and a boy bound by countless chains appeared before him.
The boy had a pair of wings on his back and held a Trumpet in his hand.
The boy sensed someone's arrival and felt Guren's aura. It felt somewhat familiar, but after sensing it more deeply, his expression turned to anger. He suddenly went into a frenzy, trying to break free from the chains.
"You are desecrating an angel! You fake!"
Hiiragi Mahiru drifted out from the blade and draped her arms around Guren's neck.
"How rude. No matter what, it's my masterpiece, yet you call it a fake."
You will get 30 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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