Chapter 50: Freelancer

Words: 2,163

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"You're all comrades, a new family whose members you must protect until your last breath. Now, about your first mission... first, head to Harajuku, find the vampire territory there, where they hunt humans and keep them in captivity, kill them, free the prisoners, and then head to Shinjuku."

Lieutenant Colonel Guren explained their first assignment to them.

"Whatever you say."

Shinoa replied with her usual smirk playing on her lips.

"What the... hrgh."

Mitsuba Sangū protested, not liking that Shinoa was in command and that she had to obey her.

"Mii-chan, you're breaking my heart with your outrage..."

Shinoa said she was somewhat happy to see the golden-haired girl raging.

"See!"

Mitsuba glanced at Guren, but he just waved his hand dismissively as if to say, "Just go and carry out the mission already."

The squad didn't take long to head to the mission site.

The place here was... depressing.

The ruined city was empty of color, but it showed how people used to live before the apocalypse and what it had become now.

"I haven't been beyond the walls for a long time... since the moment I was saved by the Imperial Army."

Yoichi Saotome spoke with his cursed weapon being an unactivated folding bow.

"Shihō, Yuichiro, didn't you patrol the area before attending regular school?"

"That's right."

Yuichiro nodded, and the new squad member heard a snort immediately.

"What?"

"Don't act like a hero."

She looked at the squad with a crooked smile.

"You killed a few Horsemen in the area with the magical wall, and now you think you can handle everything? Just a step half a mile away from the wall, you might encounter real Horsemen, who are a hundred times stronger! It's a whole different level!"

Mitsuba exclaimed while pointing her finger at the slightly bewildered Yuichiro.

"One wrong step, and you're dead! Don't mess up the formation! And if you don't want to die, watch your backs, you bastards. "

Mitsuba turned away from them and stepped ahead.

"Isn't she cute?"

Shinoa chuckled.

"It takes so much responsibility for the lives of newcomers..."

Shinoa sang a little.

"Shut up!"

Mitsuba said it with irritation.

"Did you see that? Cutie, right?"

Shinoa cheerfully responded.

"Are you talking about us?"

Shiho glanced at her.

"Nope."

Shinoa replied cheerfully while looking back at the Chat.

Hermione Granger: It really is an apocalypse... the whole city in ruins.

Rias Gremory: It's like reading a horror manga...

Erina Nakiri: I agree... If even the city building is destroyed, then all the restaurants, cafes... I couldn't live in a world like that because there wouldn't even be food supplies!

"Everyone's talking about something else, and you're talking about food again."

Shinoa chuckled while drawing her squad's attention once again.

"What? Can't a woman have a conversation with herself?"

Shinoa replied as if nothing had happened.

"You often look around as if you're waiting for something."

Shiho remarked.

"Really? You think vampires?"

Yuichiro immediately tensed while placing his hand on the handle of his cursed weapon.

"No, dummy, I'm just waiting for a friend."

"A f-friend?"

Yoichi didn't understand.

"Uh-huh."

Shinoa nodded.

Hermione Granger: Don't you think you're raising unnecessary suspicions within your squad? How will you explain Tony's arrival?

Winter Schnee: I recommend coming up with a logical and simple story about how you know him to be prepared for questioning. It's easy to get caught up in lies so try to add as few as possible. Just tell the truth and leave out some details.

Rias Gremory: Well, you're the general's right hand... which is to be expected. I suppose you're used to such a place like a ruined city?

Winter Schnee: Yes, Grimms often destroy villages far from populated areas. But I haven't encountered a virus that kills most of the population. Moreover, our population sizes are too different. It would simply kill everyone left.

"Ky-a!"

A child's scream was heard, and the entire squad immediately froze and turned toward the cry.

 There, a little girl was running, and behind her...

"Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

Yoichi whispered, and Yuichiro was about to rush forward to protect the girl, but Mitsuba caught him by the arm.

"Stay put, idiot! Keep formation. It's a vampire trap."

Mitsuba said it immediately, and the pain in her face proved it.

At that moment, the Horseman broke the ground with a tail swipe and threw the girl a few meters forward while opening its mouth.

"What the hell with the formation! What kind of vampire exterminator are you if you can't even save a child?"

Yuichiro said, pulling his hand from Mitsuba's grip.

"Even if I have to become bait, I'll save her. I'm sick to death of feeling guilty for always abandoning people in trouble!"

Hyakuya shouted confidently and rushed towards the Horseman while stopping its claw strike just as it was about to crush the girl.

"Why would a Horseman obey vampires if this is a trap?"

Shiho didn't understand while rushing to help his comrade, especially since Mitsuba had also run to Yuichiro.

Shinoa didn't stop him, but she clearly felt that they were being watched from the roof of a nearby high-rise building.

"They don't obey. They simply don't care about the vampires. It's easy for them to kill people, and they enjoy it. It's like they're punishing us."

Shinoa said while activating her cursed weapon that she immediately growled discontentedly, as if the demon inside her didn't like something...

Perhaps it was because he couldn't influence Shinoa, who had already let someone into her heart.

This made it easy for the demon to control her sometimes, but he couldn't anymore after she took that potion.

"Idiot!"

Mitsuba yelled, and with her demonic weapon, she tore off the Horseman's claw and then sharply looked up.

"Vampires!"

She yelled and moved out of the way just as a vampire landed there and broke the ground. He seemed to be planning to land on the girl.

There were two other vampires right next to him.

"Vampires lure people in this way."

Mitsuba said.

"Stupid humans."

One of the vampires arrogantly smirked while looking at them.

"Stupid vampires."

The vampires were shocked when they heard a voice behind them.

One of the vampires who had spoken recently noticed the joyful smile on Shinoa's face before feeling an iron grip on his neck and then darkness...

...

[Anthony's POV]

"Hmm, that was quite a conversation."

I said as I picked up the vampire's body with his head crushed from hitting and my hand pressing his head on the ground.

The vampire's blood had a dark shade and clearly wasn't red like a human's, but that was to be expected.

As for my feelings about killing... well, I didn't feel very good after Lex's death, but this... maybe the conversation on the Spirit Arena really helped.

I know I have to do it and I don't feel guilty about it.

"Scum!"

The second vampire shouted furiously and was about to rush at me when he suddenly felt emptiness... because my hand pierced him through.

Frankly, I didn't expect this. I thought they'd be stronger, and I hit a bit harder, but I pierced his chest through.

The vampire was clearly still alive perhaps even he would have healed, but I didn't let him, and I ripped off his head with a swipe of my hand.

"Hmm, weak."

I looked at the vampire's body falling down and again felt almost nothing except for a certain disgust...

The first one had already died and turned to ashes after that. Then I felt my medallion heating up.

But this one doesn't seem to be in a hurry to turn to ashes...

The third vampire was a woman who looked at me with a mixture of anger and fear.

She gripped her sword, but a dark-haired guy lunged at her that she clearly didn't expect.

He managed to pierce her with his weapon, and then some tattoos appeared on his face.

"Give me strength, Asuramaru!"

He exclaimed, and dark energy rose from the weapon and tore the vampire woman to pieces.

She quickly turned into ashes, and I could feel the medallion replenish again.

"Not bad."

I gave him a thumbs-up, still standing next to the body of the second vampire who hadn't turned to ash.

"Who are you⁈"

Mitsuba shouted, pointing her weapon at me.

"Administrator-kun!"

After Mitsuba shouted, Shinoa's shout was immediately heard, and she jumped on me like a koala while wrapping her legs around me and rubbing her face against my chest.

"What the..."

Yuichiro commented while lowering his sword and looking at Shinoa who was hugging the tall guy who appeared out of nowhere.

"Umm, d-do you know him?"

Yoichi asked.

"No."

Shiho shook his head and adjusted his glasses with his finger, but he was still ready to draw his swords.

"Hey! What the hell? Who is he? Answer, Shinoa Hiragi!"

Mitsuba exclaimed realizing that Shinoa was ignoring her.

"Hey, Shinoa, your squad is worried over there."

I said this while glancing at Shinoa.

"Mitsuba, don't be jealous."

She glanced mischievously at Mitsuba.

"Wh-what? I'm not jealous!"

Mitsuba stomped her foot.

"Argh, irresponsible! Who the hell are you hugging? And why is the Horseman..."

She looked back and saw... the Horseman's body pierced by stone spikes. The Horseman was slowly disappearing...

"He's my friend, so don't worry."

Shinoa decided to explain what was happening and jumped off me.

"Well, how do you like my body?"

Shinoa winked at me.

"Of course, I'm not as mature as my sister was..."

Shinoa's hands went to her own chest.

"But they'll grow."

"W-what should we do?"

Yoichi asked while raising his hand with some effort.

"Hmm, kill vampires, carry out our task."

Yuichiro replied and approached me.

"Shinoa knows him, and besides, he kills vampires. That's enough for me. I'm Yuichiro Hyakuya."

Yuichiro introduced himself to me.

"Anthony Luthor, you can just call me Tony. This one isn't turning to dust for some reason."

I looked again at the beheaded body.

"He can still regenerate if you put his head back on."

Shinoa said this while standing very close to me.

"I'll take care of it..."

Yuichiro replied eagerly.

"Stupid, we need to get out of here. We're behind enemy lines, and who knows how many vampires could come?"

Mitsuba said, who was still staring at me intently.

"Well, I would agree if it weren't for Tony-kun."

Shinoa hugged my hand with a cute smile.

"So we're safe. We've seen how easily he dealt with the vampires, right?"

"Um, Tony-kun, right? Which squad are you from?"

Yoichi who had already approached and asked while holding the hand of the same little girl.

"He's a freelance vampire hunter."

Shinoa immediately said.

"A-a freelancer?"

Yuichiro was surprised.

"Does that exist? Cool!"

Yuichiro looked at me with some respect and... envy that I kill vampires.

"I haven't heard anything like that."

Shiho said.

"But he's strong. I'm Shiho Kimizuki."

Shiho nodded at me.

"Ezylana."

I said while looking at the vampire's body and closed my eyes from the surge of information.

"Is he a foreigner?"

Saotome asked quietly from Shinoa, and she nodded.

"W-what are you doing?!"

Mitsuba protested again when I nudged the vampire's head with my foot towards its body.

"Idiot?!"

She swung her weapon to pierce the lying vampire.

"Ezeerf."

I said while glancing at the girl who froze in a strange pose.

"What's that?"

Hakuya tilted his head.

"W-what's happening to my body?!"

Mitsuba exclaimed.

"Hehe."

Shinoa smirked and approached her to poke her cheek.

"Tony-kun, what do you want from the vampire?"

"Don't ignore me!"

"I'll experiment, and if you're busy, you can go."

I watched as the head slowly regrew onto the body, and the hole in the chest had already completely healed.

"I'll catch up with you later... By the way, you're here to kill vampires, right?"

"Yes, their lair should be around here somewhere."

Shinoa nodded and hopped over to me.

"It's over there, I sense a similar signature, nine vampires."

I pointed in the right direction, then glanced at the frozen Mitsuba again and canceled the spell, which caused her to stagger and fall on her backside.

"Can you sense them? Is it... is it a skill of your cursed weapon?"

Shiho asked somewhat uncertainly.

"You could say that I'm a man of many talents."

At that moment, the vampire's body twitched, and he tried to move away, but my foot pressed him firmly to the ground, creating a small hole beneath his body.

"Not so fast, you poorly prey, I'm not done with you yet. You're quite an interesting little creature..."

I lifted him by the throat.

He tried to hit me with his hands, but my aura blocked his blows, so he couldn't do anything at all trying to harm me somehow.

"Hehe, it's exciting..."

Shinoa whispered quietly, and only the chat members watching everything through her broadcast could hear her well.

...

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