Vampire Hunter "D" -- BB Project

 Vampire Hunter "D"

BB Project

Hideyuki Kikuchi

1.

Heaven and Earth were ablazed. It was like that of Armageddon, a war that has been waged countless times as much as the word has been used. Naturally, it wasn't true.

Thousands of years have passed since the final war came to an end. The men and horses who walked on the crimson earth had but one proof of their existence: Their shadows.

There was one among them--the faint shadow of a rider donned in a traveler's hat and long coat. The man and their horse were like those of the spirit realm, wavering between this world and the other.

The blazing Heaven and Earth were the result of the setting sun.  Just like the grand event of the end of the final war, the fusion fuel and reflector the Nobility's madness shot into the sun made the twilight in the Frontier look more like Hell than it would a scorching heat.

Though the madness failed to achieve the desired result, people remained indoors while the churches rang their bells to exorcise the demons for half an hour until sunset, when the reflector was still active at the centre of the sun where it illuminated the ground. Curse be to those who walked the earth at this time.

"I see it."

A hoarse voice calls out from near the horse's left hip.

This was referring to a small house atop the ground where it met with a towering round plateau just five hundred meters ahead of the horse. It was named locally after the contrasting stone known as Dojia.

This area was an open settlement around five hundred years ago. Fifty families had migrated there to cultivate the land. But the desire for said land had separated the people by tens of kilometers. Only the abandoned houses scattered around here and there were all that was left, harboring the haunting shadow of death which haunted the land ever since.

However long the half-day journey might have been for the cyborg horse, the dark shadow floated in the crimson world like an ominous messenger from a land not of humankind. And the shadow was fittingly beautiful.

Wrapping the reins around the horse barricade, they knocked on the stone door,

"Ah. It seems even the Grim Reaper is promoting handsome men these days."

A voice clearly expressing admiration rang out from inside the house.

"But I'm not here yet. Please go to another home."

"Is this the home of the Vampire Hunter, Jean-Jacques?"

Asked the beautiful shadow.

"That would be me. And you are?"

"----D."

There was a gasp. A moment later,

"I've always wanted to meet you. Rumors are usually heard with the expectation of being only a hundredth of a chance of being true, but this is a million times worse. No matter what sort of Noble you are, you'll get hunted down for being captivated by something."

"I've come as a request from the mayor of Verena."

"Oh?"

There was not a hint of nervousness in their nonchalant voice. It was quite the pose they had.

"Forgive me for asking through the door, but may I ask what you are here for?"

"Over the past three months, there have been five cases of blood-sucking that took place in the town of Verena. The victims were all women. Since your return, all of these events have happened."

"I see. I guess it was a bad time to show up. The bastard had no idea who these people were before. But after 25 years, it seems even they can spot the 'Hunter Disease' now."

With a sigh, the door opens up.

A man in his mid-forties, donned in a cotton shirt and leather pants, steps to the side. A long sword was clutched in their left hand.

"Seems like they ain't itching for a sword fight anytime soon. Well, D, I've heard you would cut down anyone you were requested to kill without a second thought. But I guess that's not the case here."

The man--Jean-Jacques--turned his back on D and led him down to two flights of stairs, where it led to a scarred round table in a bare living room.

"What a careless man."

He said in a husky voice.

"What would you have done had you been suddenly cut up? No matter how many lives you have, it won't be enough. You've managed to survive as a Vampire Hunter and all, haven't you?"

"A strange pet you got there."

Jean-Jacques offered him a wooden chair.

"Well, it's nice to have someone to talk to. In this line of work, humans have no choice but to be alone. And being alone can make you go crazy. Just being a Hunter is enough to make even prostitutes turn their backs on you. Hang on---let's have a drink. Don't be nervous. If you won't drink, I'll pour one for ya."

The man took out an oddly-colored liquor bottle from a tilted cupboard and poured it into one of the glasses. The smell of alcohol was so overwhelming as to fill the room. It was so strong, a light drinker would go dizzy. D heard a sigh from his left hip.

After downing it in one gulp,

"Looks like I got myself a chance to explain myself. First off, I've never left this house once since coming to the town of Verena. Naturally, I have no proof for that. Second, while I indeed have been suffering from the 'Hunter Disease', I've yet to reach the third stage. I suppose we'll see what happens in ten minutes."

The crimson which had dyed the room was now starting to turn dark.

The third stage. It comes with a time of uncontrollable hunger and desire for those who have adopted the Nobility's blood-sucking habits. D's longsword was meant to fulfill the contract at this moment.

Ten minutes have passed at the table.

The crimson world had long since given itself over to darkness. Apart from the occasional sound of a coyote's howling, not even the sound of the wind was there. D raised his left hand. The sound of something splashing could be heard as he pointed his palm towards the table. It was not water, for he could tell by the smell that followed. It was blood.

Five more minutes passed.

D stared at a point in the darkness.

There, a red light was shone. It wasn't just any kind of red. It was a red that humans can never create, yet a red all humans knew of.

It was the eyes of a Noble.

A tired voice echoed from slightly below.

"Not yet, D."

It said.

"No. That's enough."

D's ruthless voice was directed towards the man with the Nobility's eyes.

"Were you corrupted at the third stage, you would have attacked me the instant you smelled my blood. You haven't even shown your fangs."

There was a moment that happened from where Jean-Jacques was seated. It was the touch of his teeth.

"My apologies for the trouble."

D turned around in the darkness.

"Wait."

When he heard Jean-Jacques' voice, he stopped in his tracks. He sensed killing intent from him.

"You came all this way here. Why not bring something for the mayor? Even if it's just a misunderstanding, I'm sure they'll appreciate it if you took my head."

D silently placed his hand on the stone door. His task was over. He had no concerns for Jean-Jacques' intentions.

"The strongest Vampire Hunter, D--I've always wanted to cross blades with you, but never would I have imagined you coming to me like this."

A flash of light, faster than the voice could be heard, came forth.

The impact of the blow reached his hand as he turned around to deflect it, causing a hoarse cry and a groan on his cheek.

D knocked aside two blows to his right and ran straight towards Jean-Jacques' chest.

The technique he had entrusted to his blade was a thrust--however, just before it could draw a straight line across Jean-Jacques' chest, it curved around his shoulder and behind his back.

The sound of steel clashing against one another stirred in the darkness once more. The two men faced one another in the pitch blackness.

D had yet to unravel the mystery.

Jean-Jacques' sword had a length of approximately 1.5 meters--at the time of the first blow, they were three meters apart.  Given the angle, the blade had struck D from the base of his neck on his right from the upper left, deflected, then bounced right back up from the bottom right--or so it seemed. But the moment they clashed, he attacked in spite of Jean-Jacques' weapon only being a mere flick of his right hand.

The third shot from behind, where there should have been no enemy, was nothing short of a miracle.

"As expected of you, D."

He exclaimed in admiration.

"You've now drawn it."

D's words, cold yet beautiful and chilling, responded.

"Of course."

Jean-Jacques blocked the shot, and the two moved at the same time. D was the left, and Jean-Jacques was on the right.

A bullet from a gunpower rifle pierced through the polymer-glass window and flew by the two men, hitting the walls and cabinet.

Outside the window, some fifty meters away, D's eyes peered out as though it were midday at the men wielding gunpower rifles.

"Bandits?"

Asked Jean-Jacques. A lone house didn't mean there would be peace. A band of thugs wandering in the wilderness would mercilessly bare their fangs.

"---The timing couldn't have been any more perfect than this. It seems your employer cheated on you, D."

The window's glass shattered. It was a furious barrage that seemed to be made up for the missed first shot. Due to their large caliber, the gunfire was huge. The moment the sound died down like a gasp, D's right hand flashed.

Without a moment's hesitation, the three men on horseback leaned back, clutching their faces. The frantic cyborg horses began to run amok, with their masters, whose feet were stuck in the mishap, going with them as they fell.

"Whoa. This is..."

Jean-Jacques groaned out.

He had seen the wooden needles in D's hand, but to pierce a man's forehead from almost fifty meters away was borderline a superhuman feat. And it was nighttime. The men's accuracy was due to the bulky night-vision goggles covering the top half of their faces and the telephoto lenses on their gunpowder rifles.

The remaining six horses began circling around the house. The plan to trap the two men and fire grenades from their launchers went as follows.

In under two seconds, thick flaming arrows, trailing a line of flames, were sucked into the stone house, sending scorching flames and an explosive wind that raged across heaven and earth.

"We did it!"

One of them shouted, halting their horse.

"They didn't get out. Even for a Dhampir, they wouldn't be able to survive 7,000-degree flames."

"We'll see about that."

A deep, masculine voice cuts through the bandit's chest in twine. That was the signal. Two shadows blew through the galloping horses like the wind, leaping towards the men on their saddles. They resembled the demonic horses that infest these lands.

The ten of them---outlaws who were well-armed and trained on the bloody Frontier---had their bodies left under the moon in under five seconds.

"I left one behind."

One of the shadows standing on the ground, Jean-Jacques, turned to his right. He didn't hold a wooden stake in his hand. The bandits had zero clue that an escape route had been dug up under the house.

"Help me..."

The remaining man groaned on the ground. He fell back, falling on his ass.

"Who hired you?"

D asked. Though beautiful it was, it was the voice of the Grim Reaper.

"I don't know. We were just passing by. Really, it is!"

A bugle-like device fell from under their feet.

"It's a listening device. They must have attacked you after you found out I wasn't made a Noble, D."

The man lets out a shriek.

"I don't know! I---"

As if to protect himself from the two approaching Grim Reapers, the man raised something from his back in his right hand.

A dazzling light coming off from the candle they were holding enveloped the three of them.

Without a sound, two shadows fell to their knees: D, and Jean-Jacques.

"Serves you right! You know this, right? It's the Time Bewitching Incense!"

- - - - - - - - -

2.

The light and aroma of the magical medicine, the Time Bewitching Incense, could make night into day wherever it reaches. Such a sudden change can be quite painful even for a Dhampir capable of being in the day and night. Jean-Jacques, suffering from "Hunter's Disease"--also known as the "Nobility Disease", was not exempt from this.

"You've made a lot of trouble for me."

The man licked his lips and got up on his feet. Without lowering his grip on the candle, he approached the cyborg horse, checked his distance, and pulled out a stake-shooter from his rifle case.

"I don't mind you killing off my comrades. It gives me a bigger share to take. You have my thanks, so I'll grant you a silent death."

The gun, already loaded up, aimed at D's chest first. His hand on the trigger was jerked back--and in an instant, a thin shadow of an arrow appeared from the man's right temple to just below his left ear. A moment later, the sound of a steel bowstring was heard.

To start with, the man lets go of the scent in his hand, and collapses atop of it. D and Jean-Jacques rose up to their feet, and stared upon their savior. The radiance of that magical aroma was lost under the man.

A smile graced her face underneath short red-hair, yet she could not help to hide her nervousness. She surely had to know who these two were.

The men's eyes were fixed onto the same thing. It was a golden badge that rested slightly above the left side of her ample chest, glistening in the flames. They were a sheriff.

Female sheriffs weren't exactly uncommon in the Frontiers, yet their sudden appearance was enough to catch the two men's eyes.

"Seems like the 'Time Bewitching Incense' was a blind spot for you."

She holstered her spear gun and approached the cyborg horse, giving it a light kick to its flank.

"---I'm Vanessa, a sheriff of Verena. A pleasure to meet you, D and Jean-Jacques."

"I remember you."

Said Jean-Jacques with a wry smile.

"Oh?"

"I was drinking in a bar, and you had threatened me to leave town right away."

"My apologies for that."

Vanessa said in a daze. In truth, she didn't understand much of her conversation with Jean-Jacques. She was partially in a daze, in part due to the beauty of the other male.

"How do you know my name?"

D asked.

"---You have a nice voice. I learned of it from my father."

"Your father?"

A hoarse voice asked.

"The mayor."

Replied Vanessa, then she turned her eyes over to the corpses scattered across the ground.

"I didn't come here to do anything to you. I was merely curious about why those guys chased after you as soon as you left town."

"Well, we don't know who their client is now either."

Jean-Jacques's tone brought about a dangerous glint in the beautiful woman's eyes.

"Is that your way of saying thanks for me saving your life?"

"We'll get back to town as soon as we bury the bodies."

Jean-Jacques pretended to not understand her.

"I'll need to prove your innocence to father. Please help me with this."

In the Frontier, mutual aid took precedence over everything else. Even if you were a high-ranking official from the Capital, you must bury the dead and recite a prayer after.

The Funeral took place in under ten minutes. D and Jean-Jacques' physical might were beyond the sheriff's comprehension. Vanessa could only stare in amazement at the grave being dug deeper and deeper, and the amount of dirt being piled into it with each stroke of the shovel.

After finishing her job, that of a prayer, the three immediately set off. Jean-Jacques' cyborg horse had been blown away alongside his home, so he took to using the bandit's cyborg steed.

Vanessa had insisted on waiting until morning, but the two ignored her and kept on going with their horses. For a man infected with the Hunter's Disease and a Dhampir Hunter, traveling at night was more comfortable than traveling in the day.

"Hold on a minute."

Women on the Frontier tend to make decisions very quickly, nor would they joke about it.

"We can converse while walking."

Jean-Jacques said without even turning around.

"I want proof that you aren't in on this. I need proof that neither of you aren't Victims of the Nobility."

Even mild cases of Nobilitification can react to the Time Bewitching Incense. Not to mention the victims. Though their suffering was equal, the individual's situation and the impact on others were like heaven and earth. As a sheriff, Vanessa's methods were beyond reproach.

"He's a sensible man."

Said D.

"Do you not believe my word?"

"It's my job to be suspicious of everyone."

Vanessa proclaims, pushing aside her fear.

"I'll check again, and we'll do it my way."

"Fine. It should only take a minute or two."

Jean-Jacques shrugged, but D didn't take note of it.

"I've already checked. If you wish, you can do so after I'm done."

"You can't enter the town, D. Not even the Governor of the Capital can get in."

"Makes sense."

Jean-Jacques whispered.

"The officials would easily give in if you could convince them of your reasoning. Just please wait a moment."

D quickly took Jean-Jacques' reins--

"Let's go."

And says that.

Jean-Jacques' merely shrugged.

Vanessa's gun rose up---and paused.

An iron arrow was loaded up and aimed right at D's heart. The female sheriff's face was deeply tense, a sign of determination.

However, the trigger was never pulled.

A wagon appeared right behind the sheriff--coming from the direction she came from. The wagon came to a halt next to Vanessa, and out came a man.

"I'm from the village of Lot. Sheriff...something terrible happened after you passed through the village...they followed after me like crazy."

He was a portly man in his mid-forties.

"You have to come now...and save the village. They...suddenly attacked the village...I don't know where they're hiding...but I managed to escape them... Please, you have to help me."

"This is getting quite tricky for you, Miss Sheriff."

Jean-Jacques said mockingly.

"We do not have time to be bothered with this. Or unless you want us to abandon the other towns?"

"That's not going to happen."

Vanessa holsters her weapon and stares at the man of the wagon.

"I'll be right there. I'm taking these two with me."

Jean-Jacques gave D a sideways glance,

"No."

D replied.

"Why's that?"

"My task is to take him to the town of Verena."

Anything else would be unnecessary. We don't have time to bother with this, is what D said.

"Mutual aid is the code in the 'Frontier'. How could you make a response like that?"

"We won't have time if we go and rescue them."

D's reply made Vanessa's expression change.

"What a man---Even the Nobility is no match for him. His name will surely be known. I'll be fine on my own."

Vanessa's voice quickly trails off.

The man in the wagon had his left hand against his neck.

"You...it can't be..."

"I was bitten by a dark bird on the way here...I can't believe it...is it one of their own..."

The man shook his head as though he was trying to sway something from getting in.

"Hey, you guys."

The man called out. His non-demeaning tone made Jean-Jacques and D turn around.

"I won't force you to ask for this, but if you have a little time...could you help me? I had to be the first to rush over here, and there was something I planned to do, but..."

The man's mouth opens wide. His canines, white even in the dark of night, have now become fangs.

With three pairs of eyes on him, the man reached into the driver's seat with his right hand. It was a triple-barreled crossbow painted in black.

Vanessa's right hand reaches for her weapon.

"It's alright---I'm not going to do anything."

"Hey!?"

The man shifts his crossbow to his opposite grip, placing the arrowheads towards his chest.

Before Jean-Jacques could finish shouting, the man stumbled. The arrows had pierced his spine.

The man leaned back, then desperately tried to turn his head. His body had begun to collapse.

"...please."

His voice rose up to the heavens.

"The one...from my...village..."

The man collapsed. Silence fell upon the three of them.

"Let's go."

D said.

"Where to?"

"The town of Verena."

Jean-Jacques shrugged, and Vanessa spat out with a frown.

"Coward."

That moment, a hoarse voice came about from D's left hip.

"It'll be a hassle bringing her back to town, but wouldn't it be alright having her work in another town...she does make for a rational and courageous sheriff."

"What did you say!?"

She glared angrily at D, yet something was amiss on his face. It wasn't something D would have said.

"Let's go."

D urged Jean-Jacques onto the saddle.

"---Take back what you just said!"

He replies to the woman who stood with her head held high in a hoarse voice,

"You've heard me."

And kicks the horse on its belly.

- - - - - - - -

3.

The Frontiers' darkness repels even its sole enemy: Sunlight. When residents of towns and villages retreated into their homes and shut their doors and windows as darkness falls, it wasn't just the fear of monsters or evil spirits. The space itself was far more frightening than anything lurking in the darkness. Even hunters, known for their boldness, dared not to travel at night. Thus, these three were different from that.

The reins were as smooth as day. Even the cyborg horses, who were even more afraid of the dark and the evil spirits that lurk within them than humans, rode on ahead.

"Aren't we lagging behind, miss?"

Jean-Jacques called out to Vanessa, who was at the back of the group. Even the most powerful people of the Frontier had no choice, but to follow these two at night.

"Thanks to you, we're well off. Do all Hunters have good night vision?"

"We're special. Well, I'm sick. But he's a natural elite. Oh, let's change directions here."

Jean-Jacques stops his horse and calls out to D.

"We'll get to the man's village if we head straight here. Weren't you just passing by?"

"Come on."

D's voice held no emotion.

"You can go on ahead or wait if you wish. I'm going to the village."

Jean-Jacques fixed his eyes on the darkness. Seems he was able to see the nearly three-meter-tall outer wall. D's horse came to a stop.

Jean-Jacques went and said,

"It's kill or be killed then. That man risked his life and soul, entrusting the village to us. We can't just leave him there."

"But it's just one man there."

Vanessa said sarcastically. But before she could finish,

"Would you like to hire me then, sheriff?"

D asked.

Vanessa, though confused, went,

"A thousand dollars---for exactly one hour."

"Good."

The female sheriff nodded her head firmly.

"However, I require you to follow my instructions during this time."

"No."

"Hey."

"Just go along with it, Sheriff."

Jean-Jacques suggested.

"We'll be going into a den of evils from here on out. They're a formidable bunch that have received the kiss of the Nobility. Quite frankly, you and I aren't enough."

Vanessa's expression changed to one of anger, and she fell silent.

She immediately responded with "yes."

"A thousand dollars. Pay me when you return to Verena. Will that be alright?"

"Guess it can't be avoided. But I need you to write me a note."

"Why?"

"I have no guarantee you'll be able to return."

This time, an iron silence fell upon the group.

The large door of the outer wall remained open. Silence had fallen over the village as the man had fled.

"How good is that nose of yours, Sheriff?"

Jean-Jacques asked while strolling down the street leading to the center of the square.

"Yes. I don't smell any blood."

"Everyone must have been sucked in."

"But why was the village attacked?"

"If I have to guess, perhaps the enemy's target wasn't the village."

"What?"

"They came after you to get rid of me and D."

"---Who?"

"I don't know. But I assume it'd be something inconvenient if I were to return."

"Is it not pointless for the assassins after you to attack another village?"

"Perhaps...maybe they were too optimistic."

"Huh?"

"When the assassins came to this village and encountered the villagers, they felt the hot blood coursing beneath their skin. That's when their instincts as Noble's caused them to unleash their fangs."

"So are they are victims of the Nobility?"

"It's hard to say."

"Then where are these people? Who are they?"

"I don't know. Too many unknowns here."

After that, Jean-Jacques remained silent.

Instead, he sat around D's waist while walking ahead.

"He says he doesn't know, yet he said you were being followed. I could have said it's my imagination, but I'm certain of it. He knows something."

"Who do you suppose sent the Noble impersonator?"

D asked.

"Logically, only the mayor would be someone to think of. But then there would have been no point in hiring you. They would have just sent in assassins after you from the start. Hehe. Seem's we got another X out there, someone we can't even imagine. Now how could we ask them about their identity?"

A light cuts through the darkness. It was merely the glitter of stars reflected off of the blade, but the shadow that leapt at D from the front not only cut vertically before their very eyes, but crashes into the ground. It was a human. A Villager. But their eyes which was rapidly losing their luster now had a red light emitting from them, and their two fangs resembled nothing less than those of a carnivorous beast.

"Here they come."

As though hearing Jean-Jacques' voice was a signal, humanoid darkness descended one after another from all sides of the street, nay, from above.

The wind roars. The sounds of flesh and bone being severed continued on. Blades and sky met the enemy. 

An inhuman cry rang out, hitting the ground and bouncing right back up.

"Can you see it, sheriff?"

Jean-Jacques called out.

"It's hard to see."

Vanessa's honest answer was very clear.

"In that case---how about a light?"

A small flame was lit. Anyone can tell it was a match.

It then turned into a tongue of flames.

In one swoop, it engulfed the shadows that leapt at them, causing them to crash down to the ground in a beastly roar.

Something had slipped out of Jean-Jacques' mouth. The strong smell of alcohol filled the air.

It must have been the extract of his favorite drink, or rather, the essence of alcohol.

Jean-Jacques waved his right hand, and it soared into the air, creating a burst of flames five or six meters to the right.

Several people jumped back, the shadows behind them having retreated.

"Seems we got ourselves a greeting from all sides."

Vanessa groaned.

The street where the three were on was filled with villagers. It was men and women of all ages--those who were in peasant clothing, blacksmiths wielding hammers, combatants carrying combat spears--

"What should we do?"

Jean-Jacques asked.

"There's no other why."

D didn't reply. It meant he was in agreement with Vanessa. 

Then, a gunshot rang out.

Vanessa's body collapsed, and D's left hand flashed.

Screams rang out from where the gunfire and smoke had left off, and flames erupted into the air. Naturally, no one could have seen the flying wooden stakes.

"I'll leave the woman to you."

D said.

Flames from the road had lit up the black expanse. The villagers fled, perhaps as a result of D soaring into the air with his coat flashing.

Ten minutes later, D returned.

"Is that everyone?"

Jean-Jacques asked.

"Four of them have escaped. They've got nowhere else to flee to but the village. We'll wait until dawn."

Having said that, D tossed the objects hanging from his left hand onto Jean-Jacques' feet.

They were human heads, two of them.

Although they've already begun to decompose, they still retain some of their former appearance.

"These two are the ones who attacked the village. Recognize any of them?"

"No."

Jean-Jacques shook his head. Vanessa, who was leaning against a tree beside him, let out a cry of surprise. Her right shoulder was bandaged up. Her clothes were soaked in her blood.

"You know any of them?"

However, the female sheriff quickly replied no to Jean-Jacques' question.

"You've really mistaken."

Without asking any further, D asked for any proof of the men's identities. Jean-Jacques turned to Vanessa, eagerly wanting to change the subject, and,

"She's gravely injured."

He said. It was a gunshot wound.

"The first aid has done well. All that's left is on her. However, it would be wise to leave her be and get a doctor from Verena."

"You have to be kidding! I can't stay here for even another minute. I'll come with you!"

Vanessa cried out in a loud voice.

Then, with a slight spasm, Vanessa fainted.

"The wound is in the shoulder, but the bullet was coated with an anti-monster poison. It's five times more effective on humans. The question is how long it'll last?"

D's left hand was placed over her pale face.

"It'll take around a whole day. But it'll be dangerous if she doesn't see a doctor in the next half day."

The hunter wasn't amazed at hearing the diagnosis from the hoarse voice coming from his hand.

"In that case, that gives us some leeway. From here to Verena, it's only a three-hour trip. Still, we can't just abandon this village."

Jean-Jacques looked around. The corpses that filled the street had already begun to give off the stench of death.

"Even if we burn them up, it won't be of any four if those four that escaped are simply hiding out somewhere. It'll be dawn in less than half an hour. Once they're asleep, we can go search for them and kill them off together."

Following his speech in a very businessman-like tone, Jean-Jacques looked around at his feet and sighs.

They were unable to fulfill the wishes of the surviving villagers. Even though it was too late, the bitterness was too heavy a sediment, settling deep in his heart. Such was the fate of a Hunter.

All of a sudden, D spoke up.

"Let's go."

"Huh?"

"Also, we can't take the sheriff with us. Leave her be."

"Hold on."

"Get on."

"Alright."

Though reluctant, Jean-Jacques gets up onto his saddle and leaves the unconscious Vanessa. The two rode their horses towards the gate without a glance behind them, soon after vanishing out of sight.

Less than a minute later, the faint sounds of batting wings spread out high above Vanessa and descended in a gentle arc. It had two beating wings.

To anyone with a sharp vision, it would have looked like an owl with bat wings or a bat with an owl's body. Though what made it not matter regardless was the two fangs peeking out from their mouth.

In treating her wounds, Vanessa had her shirt pulled halfway down over her chest. Two birds---at least two more of them, repeatedly circled two meters above them, but suddenly began their descent at last where the birds pressed themselves against the white chest and neck gasping for air.

What was going to happen next? The outcome had been made clear by the fate of the men who fled.

But just when those malicious fangs were about to pierce soft skin, a wooden needle pierced the bird's neck, and an invisible blade severed the other birds bodies lengthwise.

Needless to say, the two mounted warriors who waited in the back of the room have appeared.

The two approached Vanessa, pinched the dead birds wings, and examined them closely.

"I figured there would have been survivors, but these strange creatures---these are modified bats and owls. They're the ones who attacked that man in the wagon."

The voice pointed out.

"Any ideas?"

They asked Jean-Jacques.

"Well..."

The warm voice said in a soothing tone.

"It's obvious you and this woman are pretending to feign ignorance. That's fine. We'll find out when we return to the town of Verena. Ah, the eastern sky is turning white. I can see it's becoming tomorrow regardless of the world."

- - - - - - - - -

4.

Three hours later, they had disposed of the four survivors, who were hiding out in a cemetery in a shelter on the outskirts, and left the village. The hideout was isolated like an enclave, protected by sturdy iron doors and stone walls. Vanessa was loaded up onto a sled used to transport sick people from the village warehouse.

By the afternoon, they had arrived in Verena and went straight to the doctor's.

As they were being loaded up into the operating room, the sheriff woke up and insists on going with them to the mayor.

"Quiet. You need to stay in bed."

Having said that, Jean-Jacques left the hospital,

"She's a spirit girl. No doubt she'll be coming after us."

"You look happy."

D muttered.

"Huh?"

"You were looking dead there until we got to the doctor. I had thought someone had sucked your blood without you knowing."

"Don't toy with me like that. More importantly, I'm going to teach that bastard of a mayor a lesson."

Jean-Jacques clasped his fingers together and clicked them threateningly.

The mayor had welcomed them at the community center at the town center.

Staring at the face of an old-sullen dog, D told them Jean-Jacques had not yet reached the third stage of "Hunter Disease", also known as "Noble Disease". 

"---Does this mean the perpetrator of the five vampire incidents could be someone else?"

The mayor let out a snarl befitting his face.

"That's right."

"But the timing of them is all too much of a coincidence. All of these happened after he returned. That I don't understand. And whatever happened to your left hand, D? That must be from fighting him. In other words, it's proof he's an enemy of the Nobility, the Vampire Hunter's enemy."

"On our way to town, we were attacked by bandits and victims of the Nobility. Jean-Jacques has nothing to do with it."

"..."

"Sooner or later, the identities of the two men who were bitten will be revealed. The vampiric birds they used were hybrid creatures."

"...So it's all fake, then?"

"Enough with the farce, McNeil."

Jean-Jacques, who had been silent, suddenly interjects.

"I've told you the day I returned that I had nothing to do with this. Why don't you believe me?"

The mayor pulls out a handkerchief from his inside jacket pocket and wipes the sweat off his forehead.

"Thirty years ago, I left town, entrusting my wife and daughter to you. I contracted the 'Hunter Disease', which was incurable at the time. At that time, I handed over all of the documents related to the Nobility, requesting that they be of use in relation to the Nobility. I also recall there being some information among them on the Sacred Ancestor. I had read a little into it before handing them over to you. It goes on about whether Human and Noble DNA can interbreed. I stopped after because I couldn't comprehend it. But then you still continued with that research, didn't you? Were the two who turned that entire village into vampires your doings?"

"---I...don't know what you're going on about..."

The mayor's voice got caught in his throat, turning into a low rumble of thunder.

"Vanessa had told me before we went to the hospital. Those two were servants of the family. It took you twenty years to make it happen. Didn't it, McNeil? You were able to create Humans with DNA that granted them immortality without their blood being taken by the Nobility. However, also inherited something else from that DNA. That of a constant thirst for blood. That resulted in those five vampire cases. You must have panicked. Then when I got back, you had an idea on how to solve your issue. You decided to pin the blame on me and had D go after me, knowing he was the only one who could kill me. Yet, you had to have considered the possibility that he would find out I wasn't the culprit. Even so, you thought you would be able to hide from D, let alone me, from those bandits and false Nobles. It's you who's suffering from the 'Nobility Disease'!"

The mayor clenched his handkerchief. A rumbling sound akin to bellowing erupted from between those thick lips.

"What evidence do you have of that? You two are teaming up to make such false accusations..."

"I'm home."

A hoarse voice greeted from the doorway. The mayor turned in that direction, but as his gaze dropped from the floor, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of something flying into D's left hand.

The hoarse voice kept continuing on.

"...If you have a host who treats others poorly, you'll end up getting them overworked. Ah, my shoulders are stiff...well, it is what it is. Here, I got what you need."

It was then that the mayor saw what was in D's left hand. Sure enough, the previously unseen wrist pointed towards him. A wave-like pattern ran across its surface, then it formed a small mouth that spat out a test tube filled with red liquid onto the mayor's desk.

The mayor stood there in shock,

"This is the 'Intermediate Blood' I found in your workshop. It's a mix between Human and Noble DNA. Failures of them, that is. I also happened to come upon some Pseudo-Nobles slumbering in the basement. Servants of yours, I take it? Now that I think about it, there was a recruitment ad in another town's square on their bulletin board. So you rid yourself of the ones who failed and kept only the good ones? Judging by the state of the facility, it's been about twenty years. How many hundreds of people have you killed?"

"You monster."

The mayor's hand reached for the bell on the table. His wrist fell to the floor when, following a flash of light that startled him, looked up and felt something off.

"Oh, he's bleeding. Guess that's as far as he can get as a Dhampir."

In response to Jean-Jacques' honest admiration,

"We can't take the mayor covered in blood. Let's take him to the laboratory."

D coldly ordered. His beautiful features turned towards the direction of the door.

Who entered was Vanessa, her upper body and right shoulder covered in bandages. Her pale face told them she had just escaped from the hospital.

"I heard it from outside. Mayor...just what are you doing..."

The female sheriff, however, stood in a matter of protecting her father, who had just lost his right wrist.

"You can leave things here with me. You two leave town."

"Are you also in on covering this up?"

Jean-Jacques asked worriedly.

"It's my job as the sheriff to protect the town's honor. Will you forget about all of this? You'll have my thanks in the town hall."

"No. We'll deal with them ourselves. We'll wait until night falls when those failed Pseudo-Nobles roam the streets. You think the mayor will be able to handle that?"

"The BB Project."

Vanessa started.

"BB--Blue Blood. That's another name for the Nobility."

"So you know of it?"

"I've lived here for twenty years, but I wasn't able to get the details... Mayor, I'm placing you under arrest."

"Don't be ridiculous. I am your father. If anyone's going to be captured, it should be them. I'm doing things for the sake of our town's peace. I hope you know that."

"Mayor..."

"Silence! How can you understand my noble purpose? Anyone who stands in my way..."

He extended his left hand towards the bell. D could not block them off, for they were in Vanessa's shadow.

"Father!?"

The sheriff turned just as she got a dagger, used for self-defense, plunged deeply into her chest.

Towards the girl with eyes widened,

"I'm sorry to say this, but that's your father!"

The wristless arm points to Jean-Jacques.

"Vanessa...you can't be..."

"Your eyes are very similar."

The mayor lets out a hearty laugh.

"Did you not get it? At last, you now know each other as father and daughter."

"You..."

A wave of anger surged towards the mayor, then suddenly shifted directions.

A guard wielding a long spear came bursting through from the hallway.

D's eyes caught sight of their crimson eyes and fangs from their mouth.

"Behold. A vampire that walks in the sunlight. This is the result of twenty years of research. Take a look, Vanessa. This is what I wanted to give to you, but it's too late. This is the end of your finite life."

The guards rolled towards Jean-Jacques and D, brandishing their spears.

D steps forward. While pointing his left hand at Vanessa, something flashed in his right hand.

That black hand gave birth to light.

The guards' spears had pierced only air on either side without the man seemingly having to dodge, and their heads flew into the air before they could pull back.

D had pierced everyone of their hearts before their heads could even touch the ground, and ran towards the door.

The mayor, hand on the doorknob, was frozen still as he stared at the slash to his neck.

"You still weren't ready, were you?"

D whispered. The way this beautiful young man spoke was terrifying.

"Indeed...I thought...after I had succeeded..."

"Are all of the staff of this center vampires?"

"...Yes..."

"Then I will tell you what hell is like later."

Steel dug deep into the flesh on their throat. A red line came running out of it.

"You're trying to kill me? Stop...the Human-Nobility hybridization...it's possible...I'm the only one...who can create new Humans...no, a new species. Just...let me go to my lab..."

"There's nothing left of it."

The voice was familiar, yet the mayor had no time to question it.

"I lit the gas when I left there. Take a look outside the window. That is the end result of your operation."

The mayor's face, swollen with despair and fear, was stained in the shadow of hellish pain and death.

Pulling out the blade he had pierced the nape, D turns around to face Jean-Jacques.

He called out to the man leaning over Vanessa's face,

"Stop."

D called out.

The other Vampire Hunter turned around. White fangs peeked out from his mouth.

"This is the third stage, D."

He said quietly.

"I've forced my way through. This is the only way to save my daughter."

"You intend to take over the BB Project?"

"Don't get in my way."

Twin crimson flames lit up the air.

D ignored the presence of blades cutting into him from both sides.

His left shoulder was split, and the red-hot blades danced around in his lungs.

He merely extended his right hand. Jean-Jacques gripped the blade with his bare hand. All five fingers had fallen off.

It appears the blow had pierced his heart through his lungs, and blood bubbled from Jean-Jacques' mouth.

"Even on the third stage...if pierced in the heart...you will perish...it seems God rejected the BB Project...to the very end..."

Then, he collapsed on top of his daughter. White fingers gently stroked his hair.

"It's alright...father."

 D waited until the hand stopped moving, then looked towards the door.

A great many presences have gathered up. They were the center's staff.

Even in broad daylight, each of them had red eyes and white bared from the lips of the same color.

D stumbled right as he took his first step. He swallowed the blood that spurted from his coughing mouth.

"Should I escape through the window...augh!?"

Quickly releasing his left hand that clenched the area where his nerves and tendons had been severed, D heads over to the door.

Neither blade nor spear came his way.

The dark corpses of a man and woman lay in the doorway, already beginning to decompose.

"It was a failure all the way to the very end."

Said the hoarse voice. It sounded amused, or perhaps even bored.

"This is what happens when the lab's machinery ceases to be. It all just becomes human ingenuity."

 The 20-year BB Project has come to be nothing. All that lay before D was death.

"What should we do?"

Without even answering the hoarse voice's question, D kept on walking.

The young woman's face was crushed beneath his feet. She was a young girl, almost too young to be called a woman.

Without even so much as looking beneath his feet, he trampled over the corpse and resumed walking. The corpse's face and figure were so beautiful, it made the hair on his body stand on end.

(Fin)