“Crimson-sama, the sacrifice has been prepared.”

“Is that so……”

Crimson turns his eyes, which had been looking down upon Outlaw City, up towards the moon hanging in the dark sky. His handsome face is framed by flowing wine-red hair.

“The Red Moon…… is not yet……”

The moon is stained deep red. However, it is not yet enough. The most opportune time is still a little ways off.

“How is the suppression of the city coming along?”

“The suppression began according to plan. However……”

“However?”

Crimson turns around to look straight at the subordinate who seems to be struggling for words.

The man continues even while visibly unnerved by his gaze.

“However…… there are certain areas where we are meeting much more resistance than we had expected.”

“The Magic Swordsmen Guild?”

“No, the Guild is not a problem at all. There are three people putting up significant resistance. One of them is Yukime the Enchantress, another is Juggernaut the Tyrant.”

“Those two……”

Crimson scowls while looking back down upon Outlaw City. The ghouls are steadily expanding their influence, but there are three currents trying to stand in their way.

Yukime the Enchantress, the monarch who reigns from the White Tower. Juggernaut the Tyrant, who reigns from the Black Tower. These two have always been a pain in his side. He doesn’t want to admit it, but in terms of personal fighting strength, Crimson himself is a notch below the two of them.

However, that is only until today.

The Red Moon has begun. The moment his queen is revived, even those two will sink within the sea of blood.

“Kukuku…… let them be. They won’t reach here anyways. The moment our Queen of Blood is revived shall be the moment of our victory……”

While smirking, Crimson walks towards the coffin sitting in the center of the room.

“Our beloved queen…… very soon, the world shall be ours once again……”

He gently strokes the coffin, before suddenly coming to a start.

“Wait, you said there are three. Who’s the third?”

Crimson only knows of two powers that possess the strength to resist their kin when bolstered by the Red Moon.

“A-, about that, we actually are not clear yet. However, he has already wiped out a very significant number of ghouls, as well as all the vampires that we sent as reinforcements.”

“What did you say……?”

“Apparently his name is Shadow. It is our assessment that he is the largest threat among all three……”

“Shadow……”

Crimson knits his brows together while muttering that name.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

There are three currents flowing towards the Red Tower.

First is the frenzied ‘Tyrant.’

This man is a hulk of a man with swarthy skin.

Swinging around a lump of metal in the shape of a gigantic nata hatchet, he is bisecting ghouls with brute strength.

Not a single person can approach him, as they would be reduced to minced meat the moment they do so.

Another is the dancing ‘Enchantress.’

She is a foxkin with silver hair and bewitching beauty.

Her unusual nine tails glimmers under the moonlight.

She appears to be dancing with a pair of metal-ribbed fans while slicing ghouls to pieces.

The moment their eyes are stolen by the flash of luscious skin under her kimono is their last, right before they are sent off to a trip that they will never again wake from.

After massacring large numbers of ghouls, these two currents happen to intersect.

“Drop dead, you whore!”

“What a truly troublesome man you are as always.”

Tyrant’s giant nata is skillfully parried by Enchantress.

The giant nata slams into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

“It’s been a while, Enchantress.”

Juggernaut the Tyrant sneers with a fiendish face.

“I didn’t want to have to see your face again.”

Yukime the Enchantress sighs disgustedly.

“As an aside to finishing off those blood-sucking bats, how about you die too?”

Juggernaut lightly brandishes his giant nata.

“I dislike insistent men……”

Yukime brings her metal-ribbed fans up.

But the moment right before the two are about to spring into action, the last current joins them.

A man wearing a jet-black longcoat silently descends from the night sky.

Then the three ghouls that were following him are diced up in an instant.

Tyrant is astonished at the man’s bearing.

The smoothness of his movements, that instantaneous power, and that overwhelming strength hidden underneath the surface. It is at a level where even Tyrant has no choice but to give his acknowledgement.

Enchantress is in admiration at the man’s swordsmanship.

The beauty in his sword, the perfection of his techniques that has been rid of all excess. Despite how long she has lived, it is her first time seeing anything like it. That which can even be called a sword dance at the highest level of art leaves Enchantress sighing deeply in wonder.

“You bastard, who are you……”

“This gentleman, who might you be……”

The two voiced their queries at the same time.

The man in jet-black turns around, then flicks his sword to rid it of the blood on its surface.

“Mine name is Shadow. I am he who lurks within shadows and hunts shadows……”

Thus met the three currents.