Like a phantom, Hata no Kokoro appeared at Koizumi's side and supported him. The blood-red eyes had completely returned to black, and Hata no Kokoro could clearly hear his ragged breathing.
Obviously, Koizumi's earlier attack had consumed far too much strength, but that was only natural. After all, it had been a Noble Phantasm.
"Are you all right, Master...?" Worry flickered in Hata no Kokoro's eyes, though she was not wearing a mask.
Hata no Kokoro could express emotions in her own words now. That was also a change Koizumi had hoped to see.
Though Koizumi had never said it aloud, Hata no Kokoro seemed to have noticed that he did not want her to keep using masks to express her feelings.
"I'm fine. More importantly, I succeeded. I can gradually control the young lady's power now, but..."
But there were still parts he could not control. When he had used his Noble Phantasm earlier, the power had gone a little berserk.
And the vampire's nature constantly stimulated him, making Koizumi feel as though he was no longer himself.
Still, that was normal. He was dealing with a vampire, after all...
And Koizumi believed that if he kept using this power, he would one day gain complete control over it.
That way, when he acted alongside the young lady in the future, he would be able to help her.
Just thinking about it made Koizumi feel excited.
"Master." Hata no Kokoro's voice pulled Koizumi back to his senses, and only then did he remember that she was still beside him.
Koizumi took a deep breath and focused his gaze on Hata no Kokoro, his eyes filled with a question.
"Hata no Kokoro, can you help me train?"
Koizumi no longer wanted to waste time searching for Danger Beasts. Fighting Hata no Kokoro would let him experience his growth in the best possible way. As his opponent, she could better sense his power and offer him advice.
Besides, night was approaching. This was his second day in this Singularity, and Koizumi did not want to waste even a moment. After all, he still had to correct the Singularity afterward.
Hearing that, Hata no Kokoro silently nodded. Magical energy surged from her hands, then transformed into a guandao.
Meanwhile, Koizumi smoothly condensed Gungnir, its spearhead pointed directly at Hata no Kokoro.
Training (Part 2)
The pink spear danced continuously, its cold gleam razor-sharp. Though it might not have been Odin's divine spear, its might was real. Every swing shook the air, while the blood-red spiritual energy grew scorching hot alongside the blood bursting from Koizumi's body.
Koizumi did not hold back. The battle before them could hardly be called training.
He barely cared whether he would be injured or how heavy his attacks might be. He simply attacked with everything he had.
It was only training. There was no need to be this crazy, yet Koizumi was exactly that kind of person.
Thanks to a vampire's powerful vitality, Koizumi's wounds healed rapidly. Moreover, the sky had begun to darken, and as if sensing the coming night, the vampire blood within him began to boil.
"Master, you're pushing yourself too hard..." Hata no Kokoro's attacks did not weaken in the slightest. She had not wanted to injure Koizumi, but he insisted that she treat him like a genuine opponent.
The fact that she had not accidentally cut Koizumi to death already meant Hata no Kokoro was holding back.
If Hata no Kokoro had not known that her Master was a very serious person, she would have thought he had masochistic tendencies. Otherwise, why would he ignore so many wounds and keep fighting her?
Still, Hata no Kokoro greatly admired Koizumi. An ordinary person would have been unable to continue after suffering so many injuries, yet her Master persevered, constantly surpassing himself. She could also feel the immense changes in him.
For example, his grasp of power grew more practiced, and his timing in using techniques improved more and more. In short, he was progressing at an astonishing speed. He had reached this level in less than half a day, which deserved praise.
"I have to push myself!" Koizumi's spear swings grew ever faster, as if he were sprinting toward his limit.
Blood-red spiritual energy shook the atmosphere and tore apart the surrounding earth. Every collision between Koizumi and Hata no Kokoro created a violent shockwave, with turbulent air spreading outward from the two of them.
Just as Koizumi had said, he had no choice but to push himself. He understood one thing clearly: he was merely an ordinary person without any power. Long-lived beings like Remilia did not need to worry about time because their lifespans were so long. But Koizumi was different. Setting aside the fact that he was only human, he was already at a tremendous disadvantage in terms of physical constitution compared to them and his current enemies. On top of that, he simply did not have enough time.
He had to resolve the Singularity, but battle was inevitable within it, and the enemies were far stronger than he had imagined. This was no longer a matter of growing by fighting enemies within the Singularity. Even if he wanted to choose opponents to help him grow, they had to be about as strong as him, or only slightly stronger. Yet it was obvious that he could not handle Saber, Archer, the young lady's sister Flandre, or even Seryu's Teigu, Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires.
If the situation in the Imperial Capital had been reversed, with him fighting Koro while Reimu and Hata no Kokoro dealt with Ouka and the others, he would probably have died. Giant Koro was simply not something he could deal with.
The power he had erupted with back then had only lasted an instant. A burst lasting only an instant could never kill Koro.
Because Koizumi understood all this, he had to give it everything he had. Since his vampire constitution meant he would not die for now, then he would train himself to death. Besides, it was not as if he did not know his body's limits. Since he had not reached them yet, he would keep training. As long as his recovery ability remained active, he did not need to care about the wounds on his body.
Like a phantom, Koizumi appeared at Hata no Kokoro's left, intending to win through speed.
But Hata no Kokoro was not slow either. Her guandao collided with Gungnir.
Koizumi stomped his rear foot down and began drawing on all the strength in his body. The sky had darkened now, and the vampire blood in his body was boiling. Night—was the vampire's stage.
His pair of blood-red eyes glimmered with an ominous light as the vampire's consciousness assaulted Koizumi's mind.
Koizumi had indeed controlled Remilia's power, but that had only been during the day. In daylight, vampire power was not at its peak. Affected by the sun, even if Koizumi controlled it, he could only wield part of the vampire's power.
Now that night had fallen, this was the power a vampire was supposed to possess. A bloodthirsty consciousness attempted to seize Koizumi's body, and the arrogance unique to vampires radiated from him. It was the majesty belonging only to the Queen of the Night.
Remilia truly possessed that majesty as well. The reason it seemed diminished was probably because she had too many cute traits. Those traits completely obscured her dignity. And if Remilia were much colder and more ruthless, she might seem even more majestic than she did now. But as a good older sister and an excellent mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Remilia could not be cold and heartless. Thus, that imposing side of her rarely showed itself.
Sensing that something was wrong with Koizumi, Hata no Kokoro frowned tightly and put on a Hannya mask.
It was the emotion known as rage.
"A consciousness that does not belong to Master! Vampire! Leave Master's body!"
At that moment, Hata no Kokoro released all her power. At the same time, the vampire noticed that the power it used for defense had begun to weaken. Was that caused by her power?
Rank A Emotion Contagion—this was Hata no Kokoro's Personal Skill, capable of producing different abilities depending on the emotion.
And now, Hata no Kokoro was furious because her Master's consciousness was still being invaded by the vampire!
The next moment, Hata no Kokoro's guandao slashed furiously at the vampire before her.
The guandao tore through space, as though it had compressed the air itself. The instant it swung out, it created a violent sonic boom, making the vampire realize that her strength had become far greater than before.
Almost at the same time—
"How embarrassing. To actually be controlled by a vampire's consciousness... As my retainer, he truly is still unqualified." Watching the scene within the gap, Remilia revealed a mocking smile, her red lips parting slightly.
"Don't underestimate our Master, you know. And besides... little bat, do you really think he's been controlled by the vampire? Watch carefully!" Yakumo Yukari smiled faintly and glanced at Remilia.
Remilia crossed her arms and turned away as though she had no interest at all.
Slowly, Remilia's feet began to dissipate into particles of light, continuing upward until her head...
"Leaving already? How boring..." Yakumo Yukari curled her lips.
Then Yakumo Yukari turned her gaze back toward the gap, and the scene within did not exceed her expectations.
Koizumi was directly split in half by Hata no Kokoro's slash. With a boom, his body transformed entirely into countless tiny crimson bats.
The swarm of crimson bats flew low across the ground and gathered together. The next moment, they condensed into a figure.
Koizumi clutched his head and breathed lightly. His pair of blood-red eyes had returned to normal.
Invitation
"Master!" Hata no Kokoro ran to Koizumi's side and slowly helped him up. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine... Should I say that vampires are truly something else?" Koizumi could not help but smile bitterly.
Or perhaps he had underestimated vampire power. During his fight with Hata no Kokoro, he had gradually become unable to control his consciousness, even viewing her as someone who had to be killed. If his control over his power had not improved greatly, allowing him to restrain it during the day, he might have made an irreversible mistake.
Perhaps Hata no Kokoro would not think too much of it, but Koizumi would never forgive himself.
Hata no Kokoro was his comrade and his family. How could he hurt her?
It seemed he would have to be more careful when training at night. Vampire power reached its peak at night, but he could not control that peak state. That only meant he was still not mature enough.
"Looks like I still need much more training." Koizumi sighed and spoke slowly.
"But... I have to stay by Master's side. Otherwise, if Master's power goes berserk, no one will be able to restrain it."
Hata no Kokoro understood this well. If no one accompanied Koizumi, serious problems would arise should his power go berserk and become impossible to suppress. An even worse possibility was that Master might be increasingly eroded by the vampire's consciousness, eventually becoming a bloodthirsty, frenzied vampire. Then they would have no choice but to deal with Master.
This was a terrible possibility Hata no Kokoro did not want to see happen, no matter what.
Though she had known her Master for less than three days in total, their relationship could already be called friendship. Well... though Hata no Kokoro might not understand what friendship was.
"A whole day has passed just like that, but today wasn't entirely without gains."
A bitter smile appeared on Koizumi's lips. So much had happened in a single day.
First, they had been driven from the Imperial Capital in the morning. Then they had searched outside for a base, and finally spent the afternoon training. For the first time, Koizumi discovered that a day could be so long. People said time was like water in a sponge—squeeze it, and there would always be some. Now it seemed that saying was right.
He had never expected so much to happen in one day. Koizumi found it unbelievable.
Meanwhile, Leone, who had been searching for Koizumi and the other two, found some traces.
Though Koizumi and the others were wanted criminals in the eyes of the Imperial Capital's general, General Bude would not leave the capital unless absolutely necessary. He was the guardian deity of the Imperial Capital. The Empire had two generals, Esdeath and Budou, both ranked first within the Empire. Esdeath fought abroad, while Budou remained stationed in the Imperial Capital because Esdeath was outside. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never leave easily.
If he left the Imperial Capital simply to pursue three wanted criminals, only for it to be a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain, the loss would outweigh the gain. Furthermore, the shrine maiden who had blocked his attack earlier was far from simple. Capturing her might require considerable effort, so Budou did not choose to pursue them.
Because of that, Night Raid had been given the opportunity to search for them.
Although this place was not far from the Imperial Capital, as long as they did not enter it, even Akame did not need to worry about the wanted posters.
And with night already upon them, few people would choose to enter the Imperial Capital so late.
Meanwhile, Leone had activated her Teigu, Beast King's Transformation: Lion King, and caught an unusual scent. It was the scent of that shrine maiden from before, though the scent of that foolish boy she had tricked and the masked girl was extremely faint. Leone could barely smell them.
"Looks like that shrine maiden is nearby, but she seems to be alone. Could she have gotten separated from those two?"
Leone frowned as she considered it. If the shrine maiden was alone, perhaps she could use the excuse of helping her find her friends to bring her into Night Raid.
With that thought, Leone headed toward the source of the scent.
At the same time, Reimu, who lay miserably on the grass, suddenly opened her eyes wide and hurriedly sat up.
Through her senses, someone was approaching this place, and they were moving quickly.
She did not sense hostility or killing intent, but there was no doubt that they were coming toward her.
Slowly, Reimu stood up. At some point, her exorcism rod had appeared in her hand.
At the same time, an impatient look surfaced on Reimu's face. Reimu had always enjoyed taking it easy, so how could she possibly like someone disturbing her rare peaceful day? Since she did not want anyone to disturb her tranquility, it was only natural that she felt annoyed.
"Hmph!" Reimu snorted and immediately threw out countless talismans.
The talismans shot toward the darkness ahead. The sky had darkened, and the surrounding area was full of trees. It had already been a place sunlight could not reach, and at night, the thin moonlight could barely penetrate it. To be safe, Reimu naturally attacked first. It would be troublesome if the other side seized the initiative.
As for whether it could be Koizumi, it definitely was not. Because of their contract, Reimu could sense Koizumi's presence.
"Hey, hey, hey! Isn't it a little unreasonable to attack without even saying a word?!!!!!!"
Leone was instantly speechless. She dodged like a wild beast, and though the talismans' energy swept over her, the recovery ability granted by her Teigu allowed her to recover quickly.
Leone dodged aside and revealed herself.
"You are?" Confusion flashed through Reimu's eyes. She seemed to have seen this person before.
This was the person who had kept watching her shop in the Imperial Capital. Reimu had thought Leone was merely a bystander, but apparently that was not the case. Leone's appearance was practically beast-like.
"Wait, don't attack yet! I'm not here to capture you. I'm an assassin from Night Raid, and I came this time hoping you would join us." Leone quickly got to the point.
She was truly afraid that if she spoke even a second too slowly, Reimu would suddenly fire those balls of light at her.
Judging from how battered that biological Teigu had been after taking the attack head-on, its power was no joke.
Leone did not want to experience that feeling herself. No matter how strong her recovery ability was, that did not mean she could be so reckless.
"Huh?" Reimu's mouth twitched. So she had just come to invite her into an assassin organization.
"Not interested. You can leave now!"
The Shrine Maiden Who Sold Herself (Part 1)
"Not interested. You can leave now!"
Reimu waved her hand, a helpless expression appearing on her face. She hated trouble the most, so how could she possibly take the initiative to involve herself with some assassin organization? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?
"Uh..."
Leone apparently had not expected to be rejected so quickly, and she stood there blankly for a moment.
But Leone soon refused to give up and continued trying to persuade Hakurei Reimu.
"Come to think of it, weren't there two people with you? Where are they? If you can't find them, Night Raid can help!" Leone said with a warm big-sister smile.
Reimu glanced slightly at a certain unusually conspicuous and protruding part of Leone's body, and veins instantly bulged on her forehead.
If she had initially refused merely because it sounded troublesome, now she refused because she was unhappy. As for the reason... heh... did that even need to be said?
Reimu's slightly strange gaze made it obvious why she was unhappy.
Sure enough, the war of breasts could never be reconciled.
Reimu looked at Leone with utter disdain. How could she not understand what Leone was thinking?
Leone merely wanted to use the excuse of helping Reimu find people to pull her into the organization. Was Reimu really that stupid?
Before you continue