Seraph of the End 5: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen

Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen (Book 5) is the fifth book of the Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen light novel series, which includes Guren's past with Mahiru and his encounter with many characters of the manga sequel, Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign.

It is expected to be published as the first half of the third English omnibus.

Epilogue
Guren and Shinya play Bomberman while elbowing each other. It is now 3:30 a.m., and Mito and Goshi have both fallen asleep. Everyone starts waking up, so Sayuri offers to make them supper.

Prologue
Mahiru approaches Yuichiro in the Hyakuya Sect. It is revealed that his father attacked him with a knife while his mother tried to burn him and then committed suicide by lighting herself on fire.

Yu says that his parents called him a demon, but she says he looks human to her. Remembering everything, Yu begins crying. She asks if he needs to die just because someone told him to.

A researcher walks in, and Yu becomes still and quiet. Mahiru realizes the Hyakuya Sect has been abusing him. She notes that Yu has been marked as an excellent test subject, and Saito was not even punished for being seen when he collected Yu during the fire.

The researcher warns Mahiru that she will be used as experimental material as well if she steps beyond her bounds. She requests a seraph test subject and sees monsters that were former animals. They are the Four Horsemen of John. The researcher directs her to Saito at one of the Hyakuya Orphanages to collect her test subject.

Yu's memory of this conversation will be erased, just like his memory of the experiments.

Mahiru says that no one's life has any value, and she says she lives for romantic love.

Chapter 1
Guren visits Shinoa's apartment, which is large enough for a couple or a small family. He finds her sitting in the dark with a blank expression. He notices there is no refrigerator, and the only things present in the kitchen are canned foods and a microwave.

He tries to bait her to his apartment for good food, but she says he is just following orders to use her. She says his father and subordinates are being held hostage. She reveals that Mahiru told her this. As a matter of fact, Guren is there on Kureto's orders since Mahiru called Shinoa recently.

Shinoa calmly throws a knife at Guren with an exploding tag on it, but he easily catches the blade between his fingers and tears off the talisman with his thumb. Shinoa comments that he is strong. She says Mahiru told her they had sex and teases Guren about it.

Sayuri calls Guren after they undergo more experimentation under the Mikado no Oni. Guren orders them to prepare a good meal for 7:30 p.m. and says he is bringing a guest.

Shinoa's phone begins going off, and she insists the only people who call her are Mahiru, solicitors, and people with the wrong number. Guren eventually answers it.

Mahiru chats with him while Kureto sends Guren messages on his own phone. He struggles to not warn her about Kureto coming after her. She eventually hangs up, stating that Kureto has arrived and is about to start the party.

Guren takes Shinoa with him, and she points out his is only doing this out of guilt.

Meanwhile, Kureto arrives at the harbor with over 500 soldiers after tracing the phone call. Although Mahiru is not their, they find a cell phone with a microphone taped onto it. Kureto reads a message left by Mahiru on the phone. It greets him, says she is planning to go to Kyoto, and then says the phone will blow up ten seconds after he turns on the screen.

Alarmed, he chucks it into an empty area of the warehouse, but it does not explode.

She calls him and openly reveals her location as near the school. He explicitly describes how he will torture Guren if she does not cooperate, but she only laughs. She warns him that using the power of a demon to do something just will only weaken him. She says she is headed to Kyoto, and he hangs up.

Aoi reports they were unable to determine Mahiru's location.

Chapter 2
Mahiru Hiragi hangs up the phone while standing in the front yard of a Hyakuya Orphanage. It is September. She muses over eating saury with Guren. Akane approaches her, and Mahiru introduces herself as Miyuki Yamada.

Akane tries to figure out if she is a good person since Mahiru is here to pick up a four-year-old boy named Juni under the guise of adoption. She plans on using him as testing material for the Seraph of the End. Mahiru does not answer her questions at first, and Akane begins crying.

Akane tells Mahiru that she looks beautiful and gentle but sad.

Akane starts asking Mahiru about Mahiru's romantic problem. When Mahiru talks about Guren, her expression becomes very gentle, and Akane decides she is a good person.

Mahiru asks Akane if she has a crush on anyway. Akane's face turns red, and she jumps when a boy calls out to her. Mahiru notices an beautiful child with soft blond hair and white skin named Mikaela Shindo. The Hyakuya Sect regards him as an excellent test subject and would never let him go. He is accompanied by a few other children. Mahiru recalls that reports documented him as a leader of sorts for the children. The child named Juni is clinging onto Mika's waist. The orphanage director stands next to Mika while Saito stands behind them.

As Juni cries and says he does not want to leave, Mahiru tells him her family is very normal. He says he does not want a new sister and wants to stay with Mika and Akane. Akane reports to Mika that Mahiru, or rather "Miyuki," is a good person. Mika asks where Mahiru's parents are, and she says they sent her to meet Juni first since they did not want to scare Juni with so many adults.

Mika kneels down to Juni and tells him that Mahiru looks like a warm and gentle person. When Juni keeps crying and screaming, Mika tells him this family will be even better and that he wants the best for him. He says the family at the orphanage will always be Juni's family and friends. Mika calls Juni a strong child, and he stops crying in order to win Mika's praise.

Mahiru notes that the data did not adequately explain Mika's overwhelming leadership ability.

Mika pats Juni's head, and Juni says he will work hard. Juni walks over to Mahiru and holds her hand. After taking a few steps with her, he looks back at Mika, and Mika praises him.

Mika tells Mahiru that Juni likes reading picture books and likes adventure stories like Momotaro. He says Juni is afraid of ghosts but will be brave enough to sleep alone if she tells him he needs to become strong like Momotaro. He says Juni is a hard-working child who would look after other children. Although Juni's parents abused and abandoned him, Juni does not hate them.

Juni begins crying again. Mika says Juni is really smart and asks that Mahiru treat him well and give him some good memories. Mahiru promises to make Juni happy.

She takes Juni out to the orphanage and puts him in the backseat of a small parked car. When the driver of the car turns around, Mahiru breaks his neck. She knocks Juni unconscious and buckles his seatbelt. She moves the dead driver to the passenger's seat and buckles him in as well before sitting in the driver seat. She switches the music to jazz and figures she will just kill anyone who interferes with her after noticing she is driving while wearing a school uniform.

She drives away and enters the Metropolitan Expressway but soon notices cars following her. Vampires attack her. She summons Asura and undoes her seatbelt, cutting her way out of the vehicle as the vampires through a car at her.

Chapter 3
Guren steps out of the apartment with Shinoa at 6:15 p.m. They take a taxi, and the driver complains about being his previous job letting him go and how his two passengers are so fortunate to be born into wealthy families. He complains about the cozy life he believes Guren and Shinoa lead, which makes Guren laugh and makes Shinoa say he is being too talkative. They go onto the Metropolitan Expressway.

They hear a screeching sound, and Shinoa jumps out of the car while Guren drags the driver out with him. A dump truck falls onto the taxi and then falls onto a mother and child. Guren summons Noya and cuts the truck in half to save them.

The civilians begin screaming.

Guren orders Shinoa to return home and gives her 10,000 yen for a taxi. He tells her to get a meal before going back. He says he will stay to observe the situation awhile longer. They tell each other to be careful and then split up.

Guren finds Mahiru surrounded by four vampires in human clothing in the midst of a large-car pileup. She is protecting Juni with Asuramaru and has curses encircling her skin. She appears panicked. The four vampires defeat her and drink her blood until she faints. Although Guren wants to help her, Mahiru tells him not to and mentions the vampire queen of Kyoto before a vampire steps between them.

A vampire approaches Guren and tells him not to block the way. Guren does not interfere since they cannot defeat a vampire even with Noya. A helicopter collects Mahiru, Juni, and the vampires.

Guren looks at Asuramaru on the ground, and Noya tells him not to touch other demons. Asurmaru soon dissipates into the air.

Police sirens sound, and Kureto calls Guren. Guren reports being at the scene but says it was over when he arrived. He notices that all of the CCTVs have been destroyed and the witnesses killed. He suspects Mahiru did that on purpose. Guren says he is going home for dinner. He leaves, and Mikado no Oni soldiers disguised as police officers let him through.

Chapter 4
It is the night before September 29th. Shigure approaches Guren and asks to know what is bothering him. He decides to reveal his father's situation to Sayuri and Shigure. Sakae calls him and apologizes for being weak until Guren begins shouting at Kureto, and Kureto ends the call. Guren throws his phone at the TV and cracks the TV screen. Guren tells Sayuri and Shigure that he has to kill Mahiru within forty-eight hours or else his father will be executed.

Mito, Goshi, and Shinya visit. They heard Guren's yelling. Shinya warns Guren that he cannot save Mahiru. They discuss how they can kill Mahiru. Guren shows his friends the documents he took from Mahiru's apartment. They list the children involved in the Seraph of the End experiment and prophesize the destruction of the world. Guren says Mahiru was taken by vampires on the Metropolitan Expressway and mentioned the vampire queen in Kyoto. Shinya asks if vampires have a monarchy since they have very little information on vampires.

Shinya tells Guren he shared that information too late.

Guren recalls Mikaela Shindo and Saito in the Shibuya branch of the Hyakuya Orphanage. Guren mentions them and says that Mahiru told him not to get close to the orphanage. He wonders if Saito betrayed the Hyakuya Sect to work with Mahiru. He recalls Yuichiro Amane. The group is aware they are being completely manipulated by Mahiru.

Kureto enters Guren's apartment. He calls Aoi, screaming that Guren has betrayed them and orders Sakae's death. Noya urges Guren to kill off everyone there, so that he has no more weaknesses.

Kureto reveals he is trying to manipulate Mahiru. He gives them wards to loosen the seals on their demons. Kureto recommends listening to classical music and marches to keep the demons calm, but Guren says he only has jazz.

Kureto has Guren injure him. Using Kureto as a hostage, they flee to a helicopter on the roof. Guren fights Kureto briefly, and Sayuri flies the helicopter while they journey to Kyoto to find Mahiru.

Chapter 5
At 5:30 a.m., the helicopter crash-lands in the mountains of Kyoto. It takes them a few hours to descend.

The boys have a peeing contest. Although Guren mocks them for it, he's the most enthusiastic.

They pull out a map and compass and plan to buy civilian clothes more suitable to their situation than skirts and court shoes. They plan on taking the shortest route since they figure the supposed vampire settlement will prevent the Mikado no Oni and Hyakuya Sect from hunting them down so easily in their territory.

When planning their battle formation, Mito scolds Guren about not listening in class, but he quickly corrects her by saying he already mastered all of the academic courses set by the Hiragi House and had no need to listen. He decides on a Tenka Battle Formation, which is also known as the Moon Demon Company. It consists of a team of five with two vanguards and a rearguard in front with a pair of rearguard supports in the back. The vanguards would focus on close-combat while the rearguards used middle- and long-range attacks. It is the same defensive battle formation used while fighting the monster at Ueno. He is concerned that they have little experience using cursed gear in battle. He adjusts the formation to have Guren and Shinya as the vanguards with Goshi and the girls as four rearguards.

They group comes across a truck, and they discover that each of them has been trained to hot-wire vehicles. Goshi starts up the car immediately, impressing Mito with his skill. Guren and Shinya notice that the owner left the key in the ignition, but Mito does not notice and keeps praising Goshi's skill.

Guren naps while the others keep a lookout since they say it is impossible to sleep in the loud and shaking truck.

Guren faces Noya. Noya's voice is fuzzy thanks to Kureto's demon-suppressing talismans, but he still tries to tempt Guren with power. They chat, and Noya reveals that demons are born from passionate desires. As such, they appear in the forms when they were most innocent and pure, when they felt like everything was possible. Guren says this is around twelve.

Noya tempts Guren with power, desire, and knowledge. He says he was first a human, then a vampire, and now a demon. If Guren takes his hand, he promises to give Guren Mahiru's secrets. Guren recalls the fun times he had with his friends and resists Noya's temptation. When Guren refuses, Noya threatens to give Guren what Mahiru left to him.

Guren wakes up on the truck with Shinya watching over him. He slept for seven hours, but no one wanted to wake him because he was talking with his demon. Goshi and Shinya have been taking shifts looking after him.

They enter the love hotel where the others are resting, and a pair of students in sailor uniforms mistake Guren and Shinya for a couple. They find Goshi listening to porn while sleeping. Before Guren turns it off, Mito rushes in and scolds them for their impurity. Goshi wakes up, and the other girls arrive. Guren puts on the news and changes into civilian clothes.

Suddenly, Asuramaru drops down in front of him, but Shinya quickly knocks it away before Guren comes into contact with it. Asuramaru unsheathes, screeching loudly as it lodges itself into the ceiling. Guren tells his friends that this is Mahiru's sword and says he did not realize he had it.

A vampire breaks in through the window and tells them not to move. Guren summons Noya and performs a more powerful attack than he has ever performed before. She catches his sword in her mouth.

Guren orders the squad to use a retreating formation with him as the sacrifice instead, but Shigure and Sayuri attack the vampire instead of retreating. The vampire catches their weapons and comments that they are quick. She mentions that Lady Krul Tepes told her about humans creating second-rate weapons. They struggle against her, and Guren meets with Noya. He orders Noya to become his friend, which makes him blush from such overt craving. In exchange for feeding Noya with desire, Noya agrees to give Guren power.

Even so, this power is not enough against a vampire.

Mito appears in front of Guren and is stabbed in the chest. She coughs up blood from a fatal wound. Looking back at him, an expressionless Mito tells Guren they're using the Tenka Formation. Guren realizes this is not Mito but rather one of Goshi's illusions.

Using the illusions, Guren cuts the vampire in the neck. The vampire is unable to defend herself in time because Shigure placed talismans on her sword and detonated them. Shinya appears from behind, cutting off her sword arm, and Mito sends the arm flying into the hallway. They continue fighting, and the vampire wonders why her wound will not heal. She turns to escape through the window but is stopped by an illusion of a wall. While she is distracted, Shinya cuts off her feet. Guren stabs her through the chest.

The vampire expresses fear for the first time. Guren announces that they are finally a step ahead of Mahiru and says they will get information from this vampire.

In the bowels of Sanguinem, Mahiru thinks about Guren. Krul appears and asks if she really understands the current situation. Vampires have her chained to a pillar resembling a cross and have been forcing her to drink water whenever she appears like she is going to die.

Time passes by, and Krul appears before Mahiru again. Mahiru asks what month it is. Krul says she can kill her now, but Mahiru says she will never have what she desires that way. Krul says she refuses to trade with humans. In response, Mahiru summons Shikama Doji, which is the demon extracted from Shinoa's body. She uses the scythe to cut her restraints.

Mahiru says she could leave anytime she wanted but preferred to show her sincerity. Krul asks her what she wants. Mahiru asks the date, and Krul says it is the 2nd of December.

Initially, Mahiru sent the vampires to follow Asuramaru's screeching and collect Guren. However, Guren did the unimaginable: he killed a vampire. Mahiru feels very happy that her dear tortoise is now running.

Mahiru begins smiling genuinely, and Krul asks her why. When she says she is thinking of the man she loves, Krul looks at her as if she is ill.

Krul asks her if she knows where her relative, Asura Tepes, is. In response, Mahiru sings a tune about the oncoming Apocalypse. She says humans will make a lethal mistake and destroy the world once more. She says idiotic humans want to blow the trumpet of the Apocalypse on Christmas day. Afterward, humans will cry out desperately for their lives. Krul calls her an idiotic human, and Mahiru smiles.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance: