Chapter 40: ACT.9 "CONFRONTATION"

"Guh—!"

Sion's cry was accompanied by a release of magical energy. She forcibly removed the Etherlite that must have been piercing her body.

Then, she leaped backward.

However, she was too late, and both her arms were severed by the Etherlite. The detached arms and blood splattered, staining Shiki's room.

"Shit!"

Before Satsuki could even process her apology, Sion's second strike rushed in. Since her arms were gone, she twisted her body to evade a sharp kick, but—it was no good!

"Gah!?"

She took the next blow square on...! It was a heavy straight punch, unbelievably forceful coming from her slender frame.

Her bones groaned—no, her ribs were broken. Air was forcibly expelled from her lungs, and her consciousness faded. It hurts!

"Satsuki!"

Immediately after the series of events ended, Shiki stood up. But, he probably wouldn't be able to help me,

"Tohno Shiki, you stay right there."

"Wha—What are you talking about, Sion! Besides—I... I can't move!?"

As expected, it was impossible. Without a Magic Circuit, Shiki’s body could be easily manipulated by the Etherlite. And I, on the other hand, am already damaged and it’s morning, which is the weakness of vampires.

The situation is extremely dire.

"Yumizuka Satsuki. You should die here. Your very existence strengthens the TATARI, turning it into an uncontrollable entity. Conversely, if you die, the chances of victory against the TATARI will improve by at least 3 percent."

She spoke the words in a voice so detached that it was hard to believe she was the same person who was just having a 'love-comedy' moment earlier. No, but still...

"...What is so amusing, Yumizuka Satsuki?"

Ah, I shouldn't. The situation is so funny that a smile is unintentionally on my face. With both my arms gone, I'm quite cheerful, if I do say so myself.

"Nah, ahahaha, I just thought you were exactly the kind of person I imagined."

"—Unpleasant, isn't it? Do you think you've seen through my thoughts? Do you assume you know everything just because I'm a 'character'?"

Sion seems to be in a foul mood. She’s glaring at me with an incredibly intense expression.

Hmm, it seems better to be honest here. Petty attempts to deceive her wouldn't work on someone as intelligent as her anyway.

"Well, that's part of it. But I knew that even if the chances of victory increased by 3 percent, you must secretly understand that you 'can never absolutely defeat the TATARI', so you are the kind of person who would still say such a thing, you see."

"...Be silent."

Sion Eltnam Atlasia is a magus who values theory, but at the same time, she is an emotional person who is obsessed with the TATARI, and her internal state is contradictory.

A 'normal magus' would be delighted to become a vampire, as research is not impossible even then—in fact, they could secure more research time than humans with their short lifespans, just like Emiya Kiritsugu's father did.

"I don't know how much of my mind you've looked into, but you must understand that this action is pointless anyway. You must know that if you kill me, you’ll be targeted by Arcueid-san and Ciel-senpai."

"....................."

If she murders me on the spot, the two of them will definitely view Sion as a threat. Depending on the situation, they might try to eliminate Sion before the TATARI, seeing her as an easier enemy.

If she’s read Shiki’s memories and thoughts, she should be able to imagine that those two—a True Ancestor Princess and a Burial Agency killer, who would ordinarily never join forces—are actually quite close, and harming their acquaintance won't end well.

So why did this happen?

"Hesitation? Or confusion? Or perhaps you're in a state of chaos where you don't know what's what? Well, this act could be called lashing out, in a way."

"Be silent!"

A flash from Sion's Etherlite. However, unlike before, the movement was wide, allowing me to easily dodge it.

"You're not calm. It really is lashing out, isn't it?"

"Shut your mouth! What do you know?! The anguish of being forcibly confronted with the contradictions you harbored! And the suffering of wandering with the vampire's impulse, the hunger and thirst that is eroding your body!"

A scream. It was an outburst of the emotions she had accumulated over several years.

Perhaps because the negative emotions exploded so grandly, she couldn't control her vampire power, and her violet eyes have now changed to the same blood-red color of a vampire's blood as mine.

"Well, it’s true, I don't know. Even if I knew beforehand, it's someone else's matter after all."

It's not a lie. In reality, I hadn't expected Sion to become so enraged. Even the knowledge I had of her beforehand was merely knowledge on paper.

I'm feeling that intensely now.

"But, I can understand that suffering. Because I've experienced it, the vampire’s impulse."

I still remember it. The unstoppable desire to suck human blood. The deficient sense of logic that sees people not as humans but as blood bags. The joy of becoming an inhabitant of the two-dimensional world known as a vampire was overshadowed by the terror I felt toward myself.

"So we can understand each other and reach an understanding from now on. Even if this TATARI incident has worsened beyond Sion's expectations, if we cooperate, we can at least repel the TATARI, even if we can't completely exterminate it. I’m sure of it."

"Nonsense..."

"Yeah, well. I know it’s nonsense, of course, when I say it. But, as things stand, I don't think we have a chance of winning from the start, do you?"

"....................."

Sion fell silent. She seemed to vaguely understand that her actions were ultimately nothing more than an emotional outburst, despite her various justifications.

I wonder if she's running one of her signature calculations. Her gaze is directed not at me or Shiki, but at an empty space.

"...The combat ability of Tohno Shiki that I knew beforehand. And even with you and your knowledge, the win rate against the TATARI doesn't change much."

Then, Sion quietly opened her mouth.

"However, the factor of diverging possibilities was extremely varied. Specifically, reproducing the 'Crimson Moon' with the True Ancestor Princess's hand is the key, and there is no other way to completely defeat the TATARI. It is vital to form a cooperative relationship with the Princess. Therefore, the conclusion is that we must form a cooperative relationship with the Princess through the outsider standing before me, Yumizuka Satsuki."

"Wow, I'm only needed to cooperate with Arcueid-san? That stings. I wanted to form a friendly back-alley alliance here too, sneak into the pool at night, and play in a pyramid."

"Unfortunately, I have no intention of socializing with you. Furthermore, the reason the version of me that took that possibility was able to form a friendly relationship with Yumizuka Satsuki was likely because Yumizuka Satsuki was a complete civilian who knew nothing of magecraft, despite being an extremely powerful vampire. I will treat you—who inherited Roa's knowledge and is half an inhabitant of the world of magecraft—as a magus."

My joke was met with a cold, cemented reaction.

Treating me as a magus, huh. Well, I suppose that can't be helped. The reason Satsuki Yumizuka and Sion got along so well in the [Original] was because Satsuki still retained a civilian's sensibility despite being an incredibly powerful vampire.

But...

"So, we can cooperate as magus?"

"That is correct. I propose we sign a contract to defeat the TATARI, as magus."

Even if we can't cooperate as friends, cooperating as magi is possible.

I have thoughts about having my arms suddenly cut off and almost being killed. But Sion's cooperation is also necessary to defeat the TATARI.

So, the answer is—

In a flash, Black Keys smashed through the window and flew into the room. The thrown blades, retaining unbelievable force, spectacularly destroyed the room.

"Tch...!"

One strike hit Sion, sending her flying. She burst through the door and was thrown out into the hallway. Only one person wields something like a Black Key.

"Are you all right, Tohno-kun! Yumizuka-san!!"

It's Ciel-senpai.