The Battle

The royal family’s airship, the HMS Virgina, thought untouchable, was under heavy assault.

The escort ships tried to engage the Black Griffin, but they were overwhelmed. Some were destroyed; others were forced to land.

Either way, the HMS Virgina was all alone and exposed.

***

Cannon fire roared from both sides as the two ships shook from the ferocity of the explosions.

Armour was dented and shaved away.

Bodies flew inside the walls of the HMS Virgina as chaos descended.

“Yes, this is it, this is what I wanted to see,” Rose remarked, embracing the chaos and fighting. “The smell of the gunpower, the roaring fires!

Doesn’t it just get your blood pumping, Lucien, Samantha?”

“Yes, Onee-sama! May I have the honour of leading the vanguard?”

“Not this time. That goes to Risa who-”

Demonic-looking cables shot out of the sides of the Black Griffin, sinking themselves deep into the sides of the HMS Virgina, rooting themselves strongly in the airship’s frame.

Then, came the Automatons and Risa, running along the tops of the cables and into the airship itself. More Automatons flew out of the Black Griffin behind Rose and started smashing through the windows on various levels of the HMS Virgina, ensuring the Pentagram’s forces were on every floor.

“Lucien, go on ahead.”

“You sure, Boss?”

Rose stood to one side and gestured with her arm towards the enemy airship. “Enjoy yourself as much as you like, however you like.”

Lucien was a little hesitant, but he charged onwards.

“Onee-sama, what about me?”

“You may go and see your thrall and the others, but don’t forget your orders this time, okay?”

***

“Status report!”

“Sir, multiple hull breaches and dozens of intruders on multiple levels!”

“Cameras are dying on every floor! The enemy is intentionally aiming for all of our surveillance equipment!”

“Sir, we just received report from the lower decks that the cargo hold has been seized by enemy forces! The sergeant on the floor is attempting to organise a counterattack!”

“Hostiles spotted heading for the dormitories!”

“Hostiles-!”

“General emergency! All hands, battle stations and engage with maximum firepower! Protect the royal family, keep the ship flying and eliminate all hostiles with extreme prejudice!”

***

“Dammit!”

“You can’t connect?”

Chairman Kingsley shook his head. “I can, but there’s way too many people using the emergency and general channels. John, can you-?”

The detective shook his head. “Signals that attempt to connect to numbers outside of the airship immediately disconnect. It’s pretty clear the enemy wants a fight, but they don’t want anyone else to interfere.”

“…Do you think the people on the escort ships are okay?”

Alice gently held Charlotte’s hand. “Don’t worry. I’m sure they’re okay.” Then, sternly, she turned to the others. “If…If it’s Madam Rose that’s coming, I don’t think we can stop her.”

“What about the rest of the Pentagram?”

“It doesn’t matter. If Samantha’s here, I’ll kill her. Anyone else who wants to come with, do-”

“All of you go with Emilia,” Chairman Kingsley ordered. “She’s far too powerful of an opponent for one or two of-Wait, where’s Peter?”

“Peter?!” Arc clicked his tongue. “He’s gone chasing after Lucien I bet.”

“I-I hope he’ll be okay,” Reiss whispered.

“Either way, he’s not our priority right now, the royals are,” John Moriarty reminded them. “That and this arsehole of course.”

“I have a name you know,” Stephan joked.

“Who’s going to stay behind and guard him?”

“I’d suggest moving to deal with the incoming threats rather than guard me.”

Arc punched him in the teeth. “I say we just kill you and be done with it.”

Stephan laughed as a small river of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. “Don’t worry. I’ll die today whether you or someone else on this airship tries to kill me.”

“Your highnesses, stay close to me. The rest of you, use your own initiative. Find Samantha or defend this airship, helping everyone you can. Just don’t die,” Chairman Kingsley commanded. “Good luck and…don’t die.”

***

The airship was engulfed in chaos.

Bodies and blood thrown everywhere, littered with the remains of the airship’s walls and destroyed automatons.

Peter helped where he could, but there was fire and fighting everywhere.

It would be impossible to help everyone.

Is this what the Boss was trying to teach me?

Peter remembered how after rescuing him and Matilda, Lucien had remarked that Peter was one of the lucky ones, and not everyone got his kind of happy ending.

So, he taught Peter how to fight and how to train others to fight.

But he didn’t have the Justice Brigade with him, and he’d run out of Stephan’s prison cell without so much as a word to the others, because he knew that Lucien would be here.

His master, the person Peter looked up to more than anyone else in the world, Lucien.

The criminal.

The murderer.

The gang leader.

The loyal member of the Pentagram.

Even in the face of overwhelming evidence and knowing that he would easily run into his old Master in this battle, Peter didn’t want to believe it.

“Yo, Peter.”

He found Lucien surrounded by unconscious soldiers, all bruised and bloodied, and then, and only then, did Peter finally accept the truth before his eyes.

“See? I didn’t kill them, did I?” Lucien dropped the two soldiers he was holding. “I’m not like Samantha.”

“…You are, Master, in some ways though, right?”

Lucien grunted. “Well, I can’t deny that.”

“If-! If you…If you’re-”

“Don’t bother asking.” Lucien wiped his bloodied fists clean and then cracked his neck. “It’s been a long time since we last properly had a brawl. Show me how far you’ve come, Peter!”

…You already know I can’t win.

If I did, you’d remove your jacket, like you told me you would whenever you got serious.

“…It seems I’m just a kid in your eyes Master, so allow me to prove to you just how much I’ve grown!”

Lucien grinned, shifted into a defensive stance and then beckoned Peter to attack him.

Peter obliged.

He charged forward and started trying to deduce the best angle to attack from.

However.

His guard’s way too strong! But-!

Peter tried anyway.

He threw a far-right hook at Lucien’s face which was a feint for the actual punch from his left. Lucien didn’t even move and perfectly dodged the left punch, before elbowing Peter hard in the face, nearly breaking his nose and sending the boy flying backwards.

Peter made an awkward roll and recovery, checked himself for injuries, and then went back in for the attack.

He threw a combo of three punches with both fists, and then a kick at Lucien’s knees. Lucien blocked the punches, jumped above the kick and then launched a flying knee into Peter’s chest.

Peter coughed up blood and collapsed onto his knees, just as Lucien landed a spinning kick into Peter’s cheek.

Bones broke as Peter once more flew across the room.

He slammed against the wall hard, collapsed and didn’t get back up.

He tried to force himself onto his feet, but Peter couldn’t do it.

“…You are still a kid,” Lucien coldly reminded him just before Peter lost consciousness.

***

The Royal Quarters hadn’t been damaged but there were many wounded knights and soldiers defending it.

“Get the wounded inside and get whatever medical personnel remain inside to treat them!” The queen ordered.

“But, your majesty, what-?”

“No questions, no buts! Just do it! It doesn’t matter what happens to our quarters as long as we can save more lives. Now, hurry up!”

Spurred on by Queen Elisebeth’s passion, her soldiers moved quickly to meet her expectations.

“Chairman Kingsley, thank you for bringing me this far, but-”

“Not going to happen,” he interrupted her. “Don’t worry, the kids and your men can handle themselves.”

“But-!”

“Your majesty, if you are wounded, captured or killed here, the whole country will panic. For everyone, including those out there fighting hard to keep you safe, please stay here and let me protect you.”

***

Stephan waited patiently for his executioner to arrive.

He knew who Rose would send.

It wouldn’t be a machine, that wasn’t her style.

She wouldn’t come herself, because she would want Alice and the others to find her.

Samantha wouldn’t do it because it wouldn’t interest her.

Lucien would do it if ordered, but Rose had other plans for him.

Leaving but one choice.

The sounds of flesh being sliced and the lack of a fight by the guards told him he was right.

“Not even the Queen’s finest could stop you.” He shrugged and slowly looked at her. “What else to expect from the boss’s second.”

“Did you do it?” Risa asked.

“…What are you-?”

“You talked, didn’t you?”

“Why ask when you know the answer?”

“…You shouldn’t have.”

“I should have, and much sooner than this.”

“You who did enough awful things to make it into Tartarus.”

“I had been reflecting a lot in there, and even more once outside,” Stephan mused calmly even as the airship shook, and battle ragged elsewhere. “You know who Rose really is, everything she’s done, and everything she still intends to do. Pandora’s Box will destroy everything we know and love, yet you and they still-”

“You said it yourself; no one can defy her,” Risa stated coldly.

Stephan blinked, then laughed. “Right, of course. Even someone as powerful as you are scared stiff by Rose. Hey, Risa, could you answer one question for me?”

“…What?”

“How does it feel knowing someone far weaker than you had the guts to do something you’re scared of?”

Risa tore Stephan in two.

But he still smiled as his torso fell.

She’d answered his question.

***

“Follow me,” Emilia had confidently declared as they moved through the airship.

As Samantha’s kin, she could vaguely sense the presence of her Master if she was close enough to her.

That, and the stench of blood was strongest in one particular part of the ship.

The observation deck.

An open-top garden, restaurant and swimming area, the observation deck was less its namesake and closer to a luxury resort.

It was a particular source of joy and relaxation for Queen Elisebeth in particular who had spent a painstaking number of hours designing and nurturing it.

However, Samantha and the Black Griffin’s cannons had ruined it.

Blackened scorch marks.

Blood splatters and pools of freshly spilt blood.

Fires slowly starting to rise in the corners of the deck.

In the centre of it all, sucking the last few drops of blood from a soldier, was Samantha, the last and most evil of all vampires.

She flung the corpse behind her on top of a big pile, just in time to dodge Emilia’s initial attack with her silver scythe.

“It’s been a while, my cute pet~”

“You-!”

“Sit.”

Emilia was forced onto her knees, again.

“Miss Emilia?!” Reiss drew his katana. “Let her go!”

“Why would I do that? She doesn’t want to be released, do you, Emilia? Say it.”

“I…I don’t…want…” Emilia tried to bite her tongue but the compulsion to follow Samantha’s orders were too strong. “I don’t want…to be…let-”

Arc’s magic flew at Samantha, hitting her square in the face, allowing Emilia to retreat.

However.

“Wow, were you even trying?” The vampire giggled. “Oh, right, of course you were. It was still useless though~”

Arc snorted. “If that’s meant to hurt my feelings, then you clearly don’t know the kind of crap I’ve gone through in my life.”

“…Was that meant to be a brag? To a vampire whose lived for centuries?”

Reiss, Alice and Charlotte emerged from behind him.

“Ah, everyone’s here!” The vampire laughed. “It’s been a while since we last saw each other, right? Or has it just been a few days? Hmm, I forget.”

“Silver doesn’t appear to work all that much on you, interesting.”

“As expected of the detective, you catch on quick. It still hurts my pet though.”

Emilia clicked her tongue and readied her scythe. “Who are you calling pet?!”

“Sit.”

Emilia was forced onto the ground again.

“Hmm, I was told that I could go all out and a bit crazy tonight, but…looking at you guys now, I think I might accidentally kill you if I do, so I’ll refrain from fighting you.”

“…You think we’ll just accept that?” Reiss asked.

“No, but you can’t hurt me, none of you can. Well, maybe Alice could.”

Alice stepped to the front of the group, her sword in hand. “Samantha, I want to ask you something and I want you to tell me the truth as it is. Don’t lie to me or try to deceive me.”

Samantha smiled. “Sure. What is it?”

She knows exactly what I want to ask. Alice’s free hand clenched into a fist. “Then, tell me the truth. Is the Rose that I know and love the same as your Master?”

“Hmm, that’s a good question…one you should probably ask her, right, Onee-sama?”

“Well done, Samantha.”

The voice came from right behind Alice.

No one heard her, saw her or sensed her appear.

One moment, she hadn’t existed in that place.

In the next, she was there.

Without even moving, she knocked all but Alice onto their backs and then appeared before Samantha.

“…D-Did I do good, Onee-sama?”

Rose laughed in an all too familiar, nostalgic and painful way. “You did great.” Rose began stroking Samantha’s hair. “You restrained yourself as much as possible and gave me the greatest possible entrance. I’m very proud of you.”

“…It’s been some time, Lady Rose.”

Alice’s old mentor, her saviour, her love, turned and bowed elegantly to her, just like she had during her social debut dance.

“It’s been a long time, young lady.”

“…It really was you.”

Rose laughed as she stood upright. “Could it possibly have been anyone else?”

“…Why…Why are you…No…why did you save me, that day?”

“Ah, that,” Rose said a little disinterestedly. “I imagine John or Reiss or Arc, maybe even little Charlotte over there, might have told you some lie about how I saved your life because it would tell the Reincarnators about my existence.”

“Reincarnators?!” Emilia and Alice both exclaimed at once.

Rose, seeing their reactions, smirked and began to laugh beneath her mask. “Ah, now I see. They never told you what that word meant. Well, as much as I’d love to be the one to tell you all about the truth of this world, I’ll leave that honour to them. Not that they know everything either.”

Why did she switch to Japanese for that moment only? John wondered.

“I had three main reasons for saving your life. The first is because you are not someone who deserved to die like that. The second is because you are more important to this world than even you realise. The third, and this was the smallest of the three reasons, was to alert any other potential Reincarnators of my existence.

“That’s why I sunk Tartarus.

“That’s why I slaughtered the Silent Sect.

“That’s why I created the Pentagram.

“All for this moment.” Rose extended her arms to the sides. “For this stage. For this moment where you would shine.”

“Where she would shine?” John repeated.

“But why?! Why would you kill all those people?! Why-?!”

“Because this world is wrong, all so very, very wrong.” Rose’s calm, detached voice greatly disturbed all those gathered. “All I’m doing is setting things right. Pandora’s Box will help me achieve that.”

“You keep giving us lots of hints, but you hide behind your mask like a coward,” John said loudly as he managed to get back up onto his feet. “You’re really trying to play the role of the ultimate villain, but honestly it all just sounds like some bad theatre kid’s idea of a villain. Just because you got reborn with all this power doesn’t mean you get to destroy this world for the fun of it.”

“Oh? Who ever said that’s what I was trying to do?”

“The original scenario-!”

“You also speak to me as if you yourself haven’t tried changing this world, John Moriarty.”

“…All I did was help people.”

Rose laughed. “I helped people too, lest you forget.”

“You-!”

“Don’t bother, John.” Arc rose next, followed by Reiss. “She’s clearly not going to listen to a damn thing you say, just like that arsehole Stephan.”

“Well, it’s hard for a corpse to speak.”

“…What?”

“Ah, Risa’s probably already torn his head off or worse, knowing her. Oh well.” Rose drew her rapier very, very slowly. “I’ve said my piece. Samantha, stand back and just make sure that no one interferes. Ideally, non-lethally this time.”

“Okay~!”

Once the vampire had withdrawn, Rose turned back to face Reiss, Arc, Alice, John, Emilia and Charlotte. “Shall we begin the last dance of the prologue?” She giggled. “Would you like to lead, or should I?”