[The End of Osamu Ashikaga]: The Pestilent Roots of History

Plunged into an endless night, Moonglow castle was eerily quiet. Yoko and the rest of the girls were left unattended in the castle with enough food and water to last for two months. It didn’t seem to them that Carmilla or Annabel had any concerns about leaving them there with no one to watch them. What was happening in Minavere was infinitely more urgent to them.

As much as the girls wanted to leave, they simply couldn’t. Moonglow and Minavere were the only safe places on the planet for them. Anywhere else, and the girls would simply be waiting to be slaughtered by demons along with the rest of humanity. With no quick way of getting to Minavere, it seemed Osamu’s plan to leave them stranded there was a success.

That night, Shinju took a walk in the flower garden with Tsukiakari. She let Tsukiakari hang onto her shoulder as they walked, each step proving to be a concerted effort. The narrow path of stone tiles they walked on cut a straight line through the flower garden, parting it with blue hydrangeas and daylilies and daffodils and amsonia on the right. Their petals fluttered gently in the breeze, the cold air making Tsukiakari’s breath visible.

“It’s sickening, isn’t it?” Tsukiakari said. “We’re safe here, watching bumblebees fly around the flowers while Osamu destroys the world. Men, women, and children are all being crushed and burned and eaten. None of them have idea why they’re being killed and we can’t do anything to stop it.”

“Yeah.” Shinju said. “Gekko…do you think…”

“What?”

“No, never mind.”

“Come on. You can tell me anything, Shinju.”

“…Do you think Taeko and I are to blame for this?”

“What on earth makes you think that?”

“When I think of what kind of person Osamu was back then, it all seems to make sense. He was such a force of good. He was self-sacrificing, kind, and altruistic. He was a real ‘not all heroes wear capes’ kind of guy. But…his kindness was also deeply unsettling at times. You could almost tell that as good as he was trying to be, his desire to save people came from a dark place.”

“I always believed he was doing it for others.” Tsukiakari said. “I mean, he died alongside me just to prove he was sorry. What other reason would he have to do something like that?”

“The same reason he had when he ventured into the Underworld in search of Mizuhame’s gourd.” Shinju said. “Or when he tried to help us fight Magatori and Himushi. Or when he ate Rousoku’s ashes. A lot of it was out of his control, but there were several times where he involved himself in something he knew would kill him.”

“Yeah, to help all of us when we needed it most. He’s always wanted to help people for as long as I’ve known him. Yoko once told me a story about the first time Osamu had ever seen someone die. It was before the suicide attempt, when his friend, Kenjo, was still alive.

“They were walking around the city after school had let out for the summer. Osamu and Kenjo stood at the crosswalk, waiting for their light when a car sped past the intersection and struck a little girl. They both saw her get hit. The girl was bleeding from the head, so Kenjo rushed in to help her. But Osamu…he was too frightened to do anything. He froze up and couldn’t even call for an ambulance.

“I think that experience lived with him. Isabella tried telling him it wasn’t his fault. He was in shock and no one could blame him for freezing up like that. It’s a perfectly human reaction to seeing something so horrible. At the time, he never stopped blaming himself for it. He was convinced that if he had acted quicker, the girl might’ve lived.

“Somewhere along the way, after witnessing that and grieving Kenjo’s death shortly after, he got it into his head that his life was worthless.”

“And that’s when he tried to end his own life.” Shinju said.

Tsukiakari nodded her head. “Yeah. But then he met Izanami and realized that life is so much more than suffering and death. There was a purpose out there for him and he was determined to go and find it. That’s why he left Kyoto and met Rousoku, then he ended up coming back and helping all of us.”

“So why did someone like that change?” Shinju asked. “He was always willing to sacrifice his own life for others. He was deeply affected by the suffering of other people. So…how does a man like that transform into the greatest mass murderer in human history? How does he make it his mission to end the human race?”

“It was the Shoku Twins, Shinju. They got into his head while he was unwell.”

“But Osamu’s the one that approached them. He was the one that asked to see every instance of human misery history had to offer. It was wrong of them to oblige, I agree with that, but don’t you think it’s odd that someone as sensitive as Osamu would subject himself to an experience as torturous as that? Something inside him broke, Gekko. It feels like you and the others won’t give it any serious thought because you’re terrified of what you mind find out about him.”

“Are you saying Osamu was evil from the start and we just didn’t see it?”

“No, far from it. I believe with all my heart that Osamu was a good person with a kind soul. But looking back, he’s had this fatal flaw that I can’t quite put my finger on. Based off what you just told me, something’s been wrong with him ever since the day he watched that little girl die. You and the girls believe he came back a fixed man. I’m telling you that he didn’t. Whatever was wrong with him then only got worse by the time he returned to Kyoto. That’s what we didn’t see, Gekko.”

The shadows of the night covered Tsukiakari’s face like a raven veil. Her eyes darkened and the lids enclosing them narrowed as though she were about to close them and weep. Whether Shinju’s supposition was right or wrong, Tsukiakari couldn’t deny that she simply never thought of Osamu’s mental state in that way, that the problem might’ve gotten worse instead of better.

Even if they stumbled upon the answer to all their questions about Osamu, the fact remained that they could do nothing to stop him now. Osamu’s mind was focused entirely on the defense of his nation against global forces. The barrier around the city radiated a lurid red upon the white, frozen landscape of Siberia. It was like every inch of snow and frost was crystallized from liquid blood rather than water.

Daily life had come to an end in Yakutsk. The streets were devoid of ordinary citizens, leaving only soldiers and machine gun nests around every corner. Snipers and their accompanying spotters stood on nearly every tall rooftop. The people living in the outer limits of the city had all been relocated to designated shelters, huddling in grocery stores, schools, and auditoriums.

Silent terror afflicted the whole of Minavere as the people listened out for the sounds of rockets or the distant thunder of artillery volleys. The only thing protecting them from certain death was the scarlet barrier the Shoku Twins put up. Osamu, Hima, Taeko, and Anya remained stationed at the Scarlet Senate building while the other lords took up different positions around the other limits of the city to assist the Minavere National Guard.

Borya and Ulrich were given a different task. After issuing the order to reposition the Eastern Military District around Minavere, the two lords were sent out on motor sledges to scout for the Russian force. The beautiful, yet unforgiving landscape of Eastern Siberia bore the visage of a blood-soaked hellscape.

The barrier protecting Minavere shined like a red sunrise in the distance. Its veil of scarlet light blanketed the land, complimented by the blood-red aurora borealis shimmering in the raven sky. Borya and Ulrich rode past snowy hillocks and a sparse spread of dead trees, the branches coated with frost.

“Hold here!” Ulrich said, braking.

Borya moved his goggles up to his forehead and looked through his binoculars. “Holy shit…”

Borya saw countless armored personnel carriers, multiple rocket launcher systems, supply trucks, and infantry fighting vehicles stopped in the Siberian tundra, nestled in the valley between two distant mountains.

“There’s tens of thousands of them.” Borya said.

The distant roar of jet engines tearing through the sky made Borya put down his binoculars. Ulrich pointed towards two pairs of flickering lights in the night sky racing over their heads and towards Minavere.

“Looks like they’re scouting ahead.” Ulrich said. “The question is; what will they do after they see the barrier?”

“It looks like they’ll be ready to attack within the hour. Whatever they decide, we’ll want to be in the barrier once it happens. Let’s head back. I’ll radio the king.”

Osamu stood alone on the roof of the senate building as the harsh, Siberian winds blew in his face, tugging at creaky street signs and dead tree branches below. He waited for news from Borya and Ulrich, flinching when a burst of static came blaring through his handheld radio.

“Lord Osamu! Come in!” Borya shouted.

Osamu held the radio to his ear and answered. “I’m here, Borya. What’s it looking like out there?”

“Terrible! The Russians came with a massive force! They’ve got transport vehicles, IFV’s, and rocket artillery too. There’s at least forty or fifty-thousand troops out there and they’ve already got birds in the air!”

“How long do we have?”

“Not long! Engagement is imminent! I think they’re gonna try and bombard our forces outside the city!”

“Hurry and get back to the city.”

“You don’t have to tell us twice! We’re already on the way there!”

Osamu switched channels and radioed Lord Katya. “Katya, come in.”

“I’m here, my lord.” Katya answered.

“Borya and Ulrich are on their way back to the city. It’s exactly as we feared. The Russians have a large force to our southwest. We need our AA units ready for an engagement.”

“Understood! I’ll get everyone ready right now.”

Osamu sighed as he folded his hair behind his ears. His nerves felt like fireworks sending sparks throughout his body. In Fukuoka, he had the element of surprise on his side. The world didn’t know what they were truly up against in that battle. Now Osamu would have to play defense against a larger force and no demons nearby to help him.

The roof access door filled the air with a grating creak as Hima barged through. “Osamu! I heard Borya’s report! They’re here?”

Osamu nodded. “Yeah.”

“We can’t stretch our forces thin.” Hima said. “We should keep them in a perimeter around the city while we go and intercept those rocket systems ourselves. Can’t be much more difficult than what we did in Fukuoka, right? It feels like I’ve already gotten more powerful since then, too.”

“Just that little bit of Inari’s blood must be doing wonders. I was wondering why your aura changed colors.” Osamu said. “Still, Fukuoka wasn’t exactly easy. We nearly died back there, and this is a much larger force than the one we dealt with before. We should bring the Shoku Twins with us.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll go get them.”

Hima turned heel and ran back inside to fetch the twins. Playing risky games to stop Johan paid off for him in the end, but Osamu knew it would be stupid to try and test his luck against the might of the Russian military. The weight of this battle and what its result would mean for Minavere and the rest of the world weighed upon his shoulders as if he was Atlas carrying the earth itself.

He chuckled softly as he began to wonder if he was in over his head. It seemed ridiculous that one man could topple the entire world with the help of a small city full of people, and yet he was so close to achieving it. He was so close to being the man that ended the world and obliterated everyone who stood in his way.

He escaped from Kyoto, won the battle of Fukuoka, brought ruin to Japan, and spread his demonic forces out across the world. If he could just withstand the might of Russia, he could then focus his efforts on counteracting the world’s nuclear arsenal. Humanity would be left utterly defenseless.

When Hima returned with Akatsuki and Omagatoki by her side, Osamu straightened his back and took a deep breath. He had to win this battle.

“Hima let us know you need help.” Akatsuki said. “I think it’s a good idea. Sis and I will be able to do some serious damage to the enemy.”

“Will you two be all right?” Osamu asked. “You already expended a lot of energy to put the barrier up.”

“Nah, Sis and I still have plenty left in the tank!” Omagatoki said, reeling her arm.

“Okay then. If things start getting hairy out there, I want you to fall back to the city immediately.” Osamu said. “Hima, before we go, I want to send a message. Would you mind?”

Hima nodded and grabbed Osamu’s hand. Just as they did in Fukuoka, Hima and Osamu sent forth lunar projections of themselves into every shelter in the city, including the assembly hall of the Scarlet Senate. The sudden appearance of translucent, red phantoms all across the city spooked the citizens at first, but everyone calmed down as the blood-red light took the shape of their king and queen.

“People of Minavere, hear me now!” Osamu said with a bold and authoritative voice. “The Russians are here. They’ve come to annihilate us all and wipe your race off the face of this earth. Hima and I will not let that happen.

“For years, some of you have followed in the footsteps of Sorin and Sommerism. You accepted that this world was rife with suffering and living in it was meaningless. No…you were made to believe your very lives were meaningless, that you were worth less than other living things in this world. Well, now the end you sought has come for you. It will take your life and the lives of everyone you know and love.

“Do you still want it? Do you truly wish to follow Johan in lockstep on a Sommerist suicide march? Have you decided your children’s lives are meaningless too? If so, then now is the time to venture beyond the barrier and let them kill you. But if even a small part of you wants to survive this, then listen to it.

“Don’t let the self-destructive dogma of a dead man govern your life. No living thing on this planet wants to fade into oblivion. You were born into the same world as them. You breathe the same air, eat the same food, and drink the same water. For all your differences, you share so many of the same loves; a love of family, country, and self.

“You have a right to exist in this world, and Sorin was right, so does humanity. But it is because we all have the right to exist that we cannot all exist. No one can live in peace when conflicting cultures and ideologies exist together. Neither you nor humanity can fulfill your purpose while the other exists. That is the truth of this world.

“The Sommerists would have you surrender and let your entire race fade away. I reject them entirely. I say that you fight. Don’t go floating down the river of time!”

The blood-red projections of Minavere’s king and queen faded away, leaving the people to make their own decisions. The civilians crowded in one of Yakutsk’s supermarkets fell into silent contemplation. Many of them had wives and children to protect, feed, and keep warm as Russia threatened to crater the only home they had in this world.

“To hell with him,” a gray-haired woman shouted, standing up in the middle of the water aisle. “He’s the one that dragged us all into this war! Why do we have to die here alongside him?”

“She’s right,” a young man in a gray, fur coat and ushanka said. “He took refuge here knowing he was a global target. He put us all in danger!”

Her forehead wrinkled with vexation, a blonde, teenage girl stood in Osamu’s defense. “Are you people insane? Sorin lied to us all! He and the Russians strong-armed Carmilla into helping with their war, then used the controversy to prop up your precious Sommerist party! Johan and Sorin were the ones that exposed us to the state!”

“Not to mention those two senators that were caught talking Russian authorities by the SSK.” a timid, blue eyed man chimed. “I think expelling the humans was going too far, but it’s clear that Johan and his senators are the traitors here. They sold us out knowing how many people would get killed in the process.”

“There is no question that Sorin was a fraud,” chimed a bald, elderly man. “But that doesn’t mean that Sommerism has been invalidated or outmoded. Vampiric existence is the source of such immense suffering in the world.”

“So what are you saying?” the teenage girl asked with a biting tone. “We should just lie down and die?”

“What is the alternative?” the old man rebutted. “We continue bringing children into a world that wants us dead? Look at what’s happening out there! It doesn’t matter that Johan betrayed us or Osamu led us into this war. This was always going to happen. This place was never going to last forever. There is no place for us in this world.”

Clutching her crying, four-year old son to her breast, a young, brown-haired mother spoke out. “You’re not wrong. The difference is you Sommerists accepted that like it was fate. You did nothing to change it. Our king and queen are out there fighting to change it. They’re making this world safe for us and our children!”

“By wiping out all of humanity?” the gray-haired woman scoffed. “What about them and their children? This war started all the way in Japan! They didn’t have anything to do with this, but Osamu is going to kill them all anyway!”

“That’s because he’s right,” said the timid man. “We all have a right to exist. That’s why we cannot all exist. As long as humanity exists, our race will never be safe. As long as we exist, humanity will always live in fear.”

“I don’t personally support the genocide, but I don’t see any other way to solve this.” the teenage girl said. “We have just as much of a right to exist as they do, but they never saw it that way. I mean, I recognize that Lord Dracula went too far. His reaction to humanity’s cruelty towards vampires was out of proportion. But still…that was centuries ago. The people here now don’t deserve to have their lives wiped away because of that.”

Everyone sat down in silence as the scarlet hue of the barrier shined through the skylights in the supermarket ceiling. Parents hugged their crying children and grappled with the issue in utter quietude. The more it was argued amongst themselves, the more it seemed the issues that culminated in the Third Great Holy War were so far removed from their lives and who they were as people.

While some of them lived long enough to remember swearing loyalty to vampires, years of isolation in Yakutsk had brought forth generations of vampires they had nothing to do with the old kingdom. Whether the vampiric people had a responsibility to lie down and die at the hands of humans or deserved to enjoy lives untethered by the wrongs of history was a decision each person had to make.

While Minavere grappled with the question of its own existence, Osamu, Hima, the Shoku Twins, and the vampiric lords had already made their choice. Fading away from the world was unacceptable proposition. If the matter could only be settled with the extermination of one side, they would fight tooth and nail to make sure it was humanity that was wiped away.

All of humanity and all of vampire kind held its breath. Manami watched everything unfold from the windows of Suite 1313, the conference room drowned in a dark, red shade.

“What will you do now, Osamu?” Manami asked.

Her narrowed eyes suddenly widened as a brilliant flash of red light blinked in the distance. A massive, moonlight dragon took off from the roof of the Scarlet Senate building, flying right through the barrier. In that moment, Manami knew she was witnessing Osamu’s stance on the entire issue. He would continue fighting like a man possessed.

Hima’s moonlight dragon let out a roar that shook the very mountains of Siberia, ripping through the air like a sonic blade. It was nearly twice as big as what Hima was able to produce in Fukuoka just days prior. Its head was able to carry herself, Osamu, and the Shoku Twins within its protective, crimson aura and still have plenty of room to spare.

The Scarlet Senate building trembled as the dragon’s roar ripped through the air, filling the assembly hall with the panicked shouts and hollers of the senators. All but Johan looked to the ceiling, catching just a glimpse of the massive dragon floating above the protected city.

“My god…” one of the senators remarked, short of breath. “He’s really going to fight them?”

“This battle may very well decide the fate of both vampires and humanity.” said another senator I wonder…which side will prevail? Will it be Osamu? Or the world?”

With nearly all of westward Siberia in view, Hima looked out at the Russian force positioned outside Minavere. Seeing the massive, moonlight dragon emerge from the barrier, the Russian infantry fell back while the rocket systems and artillery prepared to fire. The fighter jets flying in the distance repositioned themselves to engage Hima.

“This world is finished.” Hima growled, her eyes set on the Russian artillery. “We’ll crush every single one of you!”