Krul Tepes

Krul Tepes 「クルル・ツェペシ, Kururu Tsepeshi」 is a third progenitor among the vampires and the former vampire queen of Japan. She is responsible for turning Mikaela Hyakuya into a vampire.

Appearance
Krul has the appearance of a preteen girl. She has long, powder-pink hair, partially done up into two pigtails by black hairpieces that resemble bat wings. In some scenes of the manga, the black headdress is connected by a black headband. She also has what appear to be short black horns at either temple. Like all vampires, she has red eyes, fangs, and pointed ears. But before she turned into a vampire, she had brown eyes.

She wears a short black, frilly style dress with a layer of white ruffles over black ruffles of the skirt. The top has a raindrop shape opening between her breasts, and the straps of the top cross before reaching her neck on either side. The top has an open back with two x-shaped crossing stitches tightening it at her waist. A strip of pink goes down either side at the front of her top and ends at bows above her ruffles. Five golden buttons are distributed evenly going down the top on either side between the pink strips.

She has a white collar of lace parted in the center of her neck that reaches over her collar bones. It is bound by a pink ribbon with a large bow on the right side of her neck. It has a golden oval decoration in the center and a pair of ribbons trailing from it that reach her hips.

She wears detached, loose black sleeves that are puffed up under her shoulders run past her hands, becoming wider toward the end. It has two gold buttons at the cuff. A black ribbon is tied into a bow at the top outermost sides of these sleeves, and its tails reach the length of the sleeves. White lace frills decorate the tops of the sleeves, and longer white frills hang out under the sleeves. The white also peeks out in a slit at the puffy part of the sleeves under either ribbon.

Under these sleeves, she wears a pair of black gloves that are tighter against her skin and reach her knuckles. Each one has a pair of pink stripes running down from her knuckles to the end of the glove. They can only be seen when the loose sleeves over them are slid back.

She wears tall black boots that are initially folded below her knees, but they become unfolded after she attacks Ferid in chapter 5. After unfolding, they reach mid-thigh and have a slit down to either knee. They have tall golden stilettos.

On certain occasions, she may wear a black cloak underneath her skirt. It runs from her waist down to her ankles and is split down the center. The inner lining is pink.

When she first appears, she also wears a military-esque black jacket that trails to her mid-calf. It has shoulder decorations and overly-large cuffs ending in white frills. Each cuff has a line of trimming at either end and has three buttons attached to it.

She is often seen with a one-eyed bat familiar, by the name of Arukanu, upon her shoulder, but its abilities have yet to be displayed. The bat, Arukanu, is about the size of her fist and has a large eye in the center of its face. It has a pair of small horns on top of its head and has a thin devil's tail about twice the length of its body. It has small bat wings and minuscule feet.


 * Anime: In the anime, Krul's hair is more distinctly pink, and the pink details of her ribbons and clothing are darker. Additionally, her heels are often shown as flat boots instead of stilettos. Her hair is sometimes depicted with a third ponytail in the back instead of being down like in the manga.

Personality
Just like all other vampires (except Mikaela), she views the humans as nothing more than livestock. She sees them as foul and endlessly greedy creatures who will do anything for their own personal gain. When Ferid Bathory slaughters the Hyakuya Sect orphans, she carefully hid in Sanguinem and protected as livestock, she becomes enraged because he fatally wounded one of the seraph and allowed another to escape. She never mentions a word about the orphans and displays no interest in them. She saves Mika's life against his will by turning him into a vampire, but this appears to have been done for her own personal interests. He refuses to drink human blood, so she gives her blood to him in exchange for making him dependent on her. Even so, she is the only vampire who shows him kindness, and there are several moments when she hugs him or treats him gently. After developing a close bond with Mika, she shows concern for his family member, Yūichirō Hyakuya. She claims to like both Mika and Yu. However, it is uncertain if this is due to her close relation with Mika and concern for Mika's sake or if this is because she wants to use the seraph for her own purposes. She also appears to trust Mika, and only her and Mika appear to know Krul's true goals. Krul keeps many secrets, including what she knows of the "seraph of the end," and she is deceitful toward the Progenitor Council about her criminal activities.

Like most vampires, she is proud. As a third progenitor and the queen of Japan, she has reason to be and the power to back it up. When Third Progenitor Lest Karr challenges her position as the ruler of Japan, she becomes angry and claims she never fails, ever. She is temperamental when challenged and does not hesitate to remind her challenger of his/her place. However, Ferid Bathory blackmails her to keep her temper in check and to prevent her from killing him where he stands.

She is the only character in the series shown so far who appears to enjoy being bitten.

History
Krul's past is largely unknown. In the Catastrophe light novels, she seeks her older brother, Asura Tepes, and encounters Mahiru Hīragi in the process. Mahiru informs her about the Apocalypse which is to come and gives her information on the seraph of the end.

Thanks to this, Krul steps into action with her army the moment the humans release the virus and make it sweep through Japan. She also collects children from one of the Hyakuya Sect's orphanages, and two of them are seraphs. She sends them to Sanguinem, the same city she resides in and rules from.

Book 5
Mahiru enters the freeway after picking up one of the Hyakuya orphans but is attacked by vampires. She fights them, but they cause a large car pile-up. The vampires capture Mahiru and take her to Kyoto.

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 Dōji, 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 December 20th.

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 brother, 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.

Book 6
By the beginning of this volume, Krul has turned Mahiru into a vampire.

Prologue
Krul Tepes first appears in chapter 1. In 2012, the Apocalypse Virus afflicts the adults of Tokyo, and she invades Tokyo with her army the moment that happens. The Progenitor Council gave her orders to exterminate the Hyakuya Sect and all of their orphans with the seraph gene, but she disobeys and lies, telling them she completed the task. She takes the orphans from the Hyakuya Orphanage in Tokyo to Kyoto and into the underground vampire third capital, Sanguinem. She raises them there as livestock, including a pair of seraph children named Yūichirō and Mikaela. The children attempt to escape in 2016 when they obtain a map from Ferid. Thanks to this, Yūichirō escapes. However, Ferid fatally harms Mikaela and slaughters the remaining non-seraph children. Krul arrives to the carnage in time to prevent the other vampires from finishing off Mika, and she tells them that he belongs to her. She dips a finger into the pool of blood surrounding him and licks it. She demands an explanation from Ferid and states no one would believe a human child could seriously injure a seventh progenitor. She accuses him of deliberately letting her seraphs escape. He then threatens to take this issue to the Progenitor Council, stating that meddling with the curse of the seraphs is against vampire law. Flames rise up from her body. She responds by beating the hell out of him, ripping off his right arm, and stomping her boot onto his chest and neck. He apologizes, and she shows him mercy. She sends him away, but he waves his dismembered arm at her and promises to return. Mika is dying. She offers eternal life to him, and he refuses. She smirks, biting her lip to make it bleed, and kisses him, forcing him to ingest her blood. He screams with pain and horror as his human life ends and his vampire life begins.

Later, Mika wears clean livestock clothes, and his right arm has been reattached. They are in her chambers while she sits on her throne. Someone brings in an unconscious human child and drops him on the floor between them. Mika is in pain from his thirst, feverish while sweating and gasping. She tells him to drink the blood of that human and become a true vampire. Mika refuses, saying he would rather die than become a vampire. She sympathizes with him, warning him that he will become a senseless, raving demon without the blood. As he refuses again, she slices open her own wrist, offering her own blood to Mika. She says he may drink her blood instead and points out that it is not from a human. Overcome by his thirst, he gives in and cries while drinking her blood. She says he will never be able to leave her and will be her dog for all time. When he finishes, she hugs him. Over the next four years, she informs Mika that the humans running that orphanage were using the children as guinea pigs in their experiments, and these experiments could destroy the world. She teaches him that she saved the orphans from that fate and does not mention that she was actually ordered to kill them. She and Ferid tell Mika that the humans are once again experimenting on Yu and using him.

During this time, Mika becomes known as one of Krul's pets. Although vampires suspect she may be his sire, no one besides those involved know anything for certain.

Second Shibuya High Arc
In 2020, she and Mika have a close relationship. When Mika arrives to hear the war declaration in Sanguinem, Krul smiles when she sees him and jumps up to talk, replacing her speaker and present the rest of the speech herself. She announces war against the Japanese Imperial Demon Army in order to save their world. The cruel and greedy humans actively commit the crimes of killing vampires, stealing vampire territory, and delving into forbidden magics.

Shinjuku Arc
She sends Ferid to command the attack on Shinjuku, and she gives Mika ten days' worth of her blood so that he can look for Yū. During the battle, the human experimentation transforms Yū into an insensible monster, and he injures Mika badly enough that he cannot heal from his wound on his own and requires curse detoxification. After he receives treatment and gets dressed, she summons him to the Royal Audience Chamber. When they meet, he promises her he will save Yū.

Post-Shinjuku Arc
In chapter 22, she attends a meeting of the Progenitor Council. As the commander of the battle at Shinjuku, Ferid brings Mika with him to the meeting and reports on the battle. He shows video footage of Yū's transformation, and the progenitors quickly recognize it as one of the "seraph of the end." Ferid confirms their fears. A fourth progenitor points out that Krul foiled that plan by exterminating Japan's Hyakuya Sect eight years ago, killing them and all of their seraph guinea pigs. Ferid pretends he knows nothing about this. Third Progenitor Lest Karr threatens Krul with a heavy burden of responsibility for her failure and the mismanagement of Japan. She says she never fails, ever. She orders him to be quiet and asks if he is picking a fight with her. He claims he would be happy to rule Japan in her place. She calls him a child, and he states he is only 200 years younger than her and even points out he is stronger than her as well.

Her plan is to kill all the humans of the JIDA, and the Progenitor Council gives her the go-ahead. At the end of the meeting, one of the progenitors asks who the child behind Ferid is, which makes Krul uncomfortable. Ferid calls him his most favorite servant, whom he cannot bear to be apart from. One progenitor begins to yell at him since even Ferid is not of a high enough rank to attend these meetings under normal circumstances, and he brought a lesser vampire with him as well. Another progenitor calms him and states that Ferid has always been eccentric. After the meeting, she asks Ferid if he is trying to dethrone her and asks why she brought Mika there. She swings her arm at him, leaving a deep fissure in the floor nearby. She threatens to kill him, and he hides behind Mika. He insists she can no longer kill him and has not been able to awhile since certain information about her meddling in the seraph of the end may be sent to the Progenitor Council on his death. She glares at him, which he says is adorable and makes his heart flutter. Since he would be in even more trouble than her for letting Yū escape and they share the same secret, he suggests they are partners in crime. He tells her to take his hand and submit to him before playing it off as a joke, patting Mika's butt, and living. He says he hopes they will be the best of friends next time they meet. Later on, she fills a test tube with her blood for Mika. Already crazed with thirst, he attacks her, lifting her up and biting her neck to drink her blood. The tube shatters on the ground, spilling her blood. Consumed with his thirst and satisfaction, he blushes and is consumed in his drinking. She hugs him, calling him a handful and indulging him anyway. Once Mika returns to his senses, he pushes her away from him. Embarrassed, he apologizes and then sheepishly asks for a slightly bigger stock of her blood. She teases him for already breaking a vial and orders him to report on Shinjuku. He asks her for an explanation of the council meeting first. He asks her why she let the orphans live at such risk to herself. At first, she tells him he does not need to know. He gets upset, and they argue. She entwines her fingers with his and squeezes his hand with her claws, forcing him to the ground as he struggles against her strength. She reminds him that he is dependent on her blood and asks how he could possibly defy her. If Mika would rather die, then will he abandon Yū to those foul humans? When he says he cannot follow her anymore, she insists she is not that terrible and likes both him and Yū. She tells him to trust her. She says they would have died in that orphanage years ago if she did not intervene. She is his savior, surrogate parent, and owner. Since Mika wants to know why she spared their lives so much, she concedes and appeases him by whispering her plan in his ear, surprising him. When he asks if she is serious, she says that is a good question but now she has an army to deploy. She gives Mika orders to get lost during the war, hide from both vampires and humans, and find Yū. He says he understands.

Nagoya Arc
She orders Mika to deploy to Nagoya along with other vampires, and he helps collect surviving humans on the surface of Kansai as a gift to them. She also sends a missive to the vampires in Nagoya, ordering them to take part in destroying the JIDA in Tokyo. She also plans to visit Nagoya in person.

In chapter 35, she flies with Ferid Bathory to Crowley Eusford's domain. Ferid teases her, calling her "Krullie dear" and mentions that this area is already under attack by the humans, earning him a hard glare from the ruler of Sanguinem.

Krul finally arrives in chapter 38, gazing impassively at Guren who is bound and kneeling before her. She watches as an unnamed noble mocks him, to which he responds by spitting at him. The enraged vampire viciously strikes him, which sends him flying, though Krul looks decidedly unimpressed.

However, her expression becomes startled as a malevolent aura erupts from him, his blade unsheathing itself and decapitating the noble before him. She watches as he rises to his feet, his binds broken as the apparition of Mahiru appears above him.

Krul mocks his triumphant expression, and Guren draws his sword on Krul.

Guren says he is going to conduct an experiment on the Seraph of the End at Nagoya Airport and demands that Krul assists him. Krul recognizes him as a messenger from Mahiru.

Krul swats Guren away from her and sends him flying. She asks if he is a messenger sent by Mahiru Hīragi. He says Mahiru is dead and he could not save her. Krul asks who he is, but Guren only laughs in response. She says this was not part of the deal and reveals she made a bargain with Mahiru before the world collapsed. She says she cannot help Guren if he is not Mahiru. He taunts her to kill him but says she cannot. He says she has betrayed the vampires too deeply to turn back and now must make certain that the Seraph of the End experiment succeeds today. Annoyed, she kicks him. He laughs and tells her to keep up the act. Krul then shouts that the human spoke and informs the other vampires that the murderous humans are regrouping at Nagoya Airport. She orders the vampires to set out immediately.

Later on the battlefield when they are confronted by the sight of Yu losing control of his Seraph, Krul orders for Mika to retrieve Yu and for them to escape together. She is then confronted by Crowley Eusford, who tries to attack her from behind, but she is able to fend him off with ease. In her arrogance however, Ferid appears from behind and comments that her pretty neck is open; then promptly bites into her shoulder. She tries to make a deal with Ferid for him to tell her his plans, but to no avail. She mouths for Mika to flee before falling unconscious as Ferid drinks a considerable amount of her blood. He presents her unconscious body to the rest of the vampires, declaring her betrayal by being involved with the Seraph of the End project, then taking control from her. Ultimately, she is dethroned and removed from power as Queen of Japan.

Post-Nagoya Arc
Ferid makes a summons to the Progenitor Council and when the videos begins, Krul is seen tied to her throne, unconscious and beaten.

Ferid announces that Krul was in league with the humans and the Seraph of the End experiment. He states the experiment actually succeeded. He specifically calls Crowley his "close ally" when stating that the two of them risked their lives to apprehend the traitorous Krul.

She reappears in chapter 49, where she wakes up in Ferid's mansion in Osaka bay. She is immured within a wall in as she thirsts for blood.

She mumbles Ferid's name and then shouts for him. She yells for him to kill her if that was what he intended. The thirst hurts her, and she resentfully sticks her tongue out to try and catch some of the blood dripping down in front of her.

Saito appears and comments on how pathetic she has become. Krul does not recognize him at first, and he says she should know him quite well. She recognizes him as "the one who always tagged along behind the first progenitor."

In a flashback from 1000 years ago, Krul watches her older brother Ashera Tepes cling to the 1st progenitor.

Krul comments that Saito has changed a lot. Saito asks if it has really been that long since he quit being a second progenitor and says he changed his name to Saito, which sounds Japanese. She asks if he ordered Ferid to capture her, but he denies it and comments about the difference in power between her and Ferid. He says Ferid must have tried really hard to capture her.

Saito glances at the human limbs hanging from the ceiling and comments that Ferid has been an eccentric one since the day they first met. Angry, Krul demands to know if he did this and what he is plotting, but Saito denies any connection to Ferid at all. He says he discarded Ferid a long time ago because he was unable to live up to Saito's expectations. He then comments that this is no different than what the first progenitor did to them since he was only interested in Ashera Tepes, Krul's brother, and ignored and discarded the rest of the vampires.

Returning to the flashback, she cries out and begs the first progenitor not to take her brother away to be turned into a demon. When Krul pleads, Ashera says he must go for their future.

Krul asks if Saito is also after the first progenitor and says that all vampires despise him to some degree. Saito says that is a good question and that all vampires go through a rebellious phase at some point. He asks if Ferid has said anything about him, and Krul calls him Saito's lackey. Saito says a fleet of ships from Russia have arrived with Urd Geales and a few nobility.

Natural Abilities
Being a vampire, she is far stronger than a human. Also, by being a third progenitor of the vampires, she is stronger than those of a lower station, which is apparent when she easily defeats Ferid, who is a seventh progenitor. However, she is supposedly weaker than a younger Third Progenitor Lest Karr, though this has yet to be proven. The swing of her arm can easily destroy a room. As a vampire, she has immortality, immense strength, and rapid regeneration.

As a vampire and a noble, she also has the ability and permission to turn a human into a vampire. She is the only vampire shown so far who uses this ability. Vampires typically detest increasing their numbers.

Trivia

 * Her surname comes from Vlad Ţepeş, who is more commonly known as Vlad the Impaler, the real-life inspiration for the character Count Dracula.
 * Mika is commonly known as her favorite among the vampires in Sanguinem.
 * The second anime opening shows Krul acting like she is biting into an apple, but vampires cannot ingest anything other than blood. This is most likely a reference to the Tree of Knowledge in the biblical tale of Adam Eve.
 * Aoi Yūki, Krul's Japanese voice actor, also voiced Mina Tepes in Dance in the Vampire Bund. Both characters are similar in many ways:
 * Both were Queen of Vampires.
 * Both have the same surnames of "Tepes".
 * Both have the appearance of a small petite girl with pigtails.
 * Both show favoritism or liking to a teenage boy.
 * In the popularity poll, Krul earned 6th place at 1,275 points.
 * In her human years, Krul had brown eyes.

Quotes: Vampire Reign

 * "Why thank you. I see you haven't lost your detestable smirk either."--Krul to Ferid Bathory, Chapter 5, "Vampire Mikaela"
 * "Ha. Love? The only thing you love is my power."--Krul to Ferid, Chapter 5, "Vampire Mikaela"
 * "Well? You are a seventh progenitor, yet a mere human boy managed to shoot you? You must be joking. Who would believe that?"--Krul to Ferid, Chapter 5, "Vampire Mikaela"
 * "You deliberately allowed them to escape. They were my seraphs. But now one is gone... and one lies dying."--Krul to Ferid, Chapter 5, "Vampire Mikaela"
 * "Ha ha. I see. You don't wish to live? However, you have no choice. You will drink my blood... and cease being human."--Krul to Mikaela Hyakuya, Chapter 5, "Vampire Mikaela"
 * "And so, we have resolved to destroy the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. This is War! Waged for the sake of the world's stability. To protect our world, we must kill them! We will wipe out all the greedy humans!"--Krul's speech to many vampires, Chapter 5, "Vampire Mikaela"
 * "Mika. Drink the blood of this human. Then, the last of your mortal biology will cease working. You will gain an ageless body and more power than a human could ever know. You will become a true vampire. You will be one of us."--Krul to Mika, Chapter 11, "Queen's Contract"
 * "Aha ha. So you say. But can you resist. Your entire body must ache right now. You must thirst so badly you can barely stand it. Don't deny it. Let your desire take control."--Krul to Mika, Chapter 11, "Queen's Contract"
 * "Then... you could drink my blood. Mine is not human. Ha ha... Yes... Drink my blood. Drink it, and you will never be able to leave me. You will be my dog for all time. Mikaela Hyakuya."--Krul to Mika, Chapter 11, "Queen's Contract"
 * "Aah... I see. You were that thirsty? Sheesh. You are such a handful, aren't you?"--Krul to Mika when he attacks her, Chapter 22, "Taboo Krul"
 * "Eight years ago, I eliminated the entire Hyakuya Sect. Every last one of the guinea pigs in the Hyakuya Orphanage who bore the 'seraph' gene, I killed with my own hands."--Krul to the Progenitor Council, Chapter 22, "Taboo Krul"
 * "I do not fail. Ever."--Krul to the Progenitor Council, Chapter 22, "Taboo Krul"
 * "Then what? What could you possibly do to defy me? I can easily extinguish a life as puny as yours. Beyond that, you are dependent on my blood. How could you possibly defy me? Are you going to say you'd rather die than be my tool? What would happen to Yu, who's being used by those foul humans? Will you abandon him? The countries who've experimented with the seraph of the end are one thing... but human foulness is not limited to any locale or group. Will you abandon Yu to his fate?"--Krul to Mika, Chapter 22, "Taboo Krul"
 * "Goodness, how selfish. Didn't I already tell you that you can't defy me? And besides, I am not that terrible. I like both you and your friend Yu. Believe it. If it weren't for me, both of you would have died years ago in that orphanage. I am your savior, your surrogate parent, your owner. If you really want to know, then I will tell you why I spared your lives. And why I need the 'seraph of the end.'"--Krul to Mika when he says he can no longer follow her, Chapter 22, "Taboo Krul"
 * "A very good question. Well then, now that I have finished appeasing my self-centered little son, I suppose I shall be about my orders from the council. It is time we deployed our true army to massacre all the humans in Japan. Let the Vampire-Human War begin. You, Mika, will conveniently get 'lost' in all that fuss. Hide from both humans and vampires, and use that opportunity to find Yu... and go find your family member. Understood?"--Krul to Mika, Chapter 22, "Taboo Krul"
 * "Hah! What is with that triumphant look? Do you truly think that display of power was enough to impress me?" --Krul to Guren after he kills his interrogator, Chapter 38, "The Namanari Awakens."
 * "Ah, I see. You... are a messenger from Mahiru Hiragi, correct?" --Krul to Guren, Chapter 38, "The Namanari Awakens"
 * "Answer me, Human. Are you a messenger from Mahiru Hiragi?"--Krul to Guren, Chapter 39, "The Beginning of the Plan"
 * "This was not part of the deal. Before the catastrophe eight years ago, I made a bargain with Mahiru Hīragi. If you are not her, I cannot help you--"--Krul to Guren, Chapter 39, "The Beginning of the Plan"
 * "Mika. Have you obtained Yu? ...He is hurt, but he will heal once he drinks my blood. Come, it is time we left."--Krul to Mika, Chapter 40, "Trumpet of the Apocalypse"
 * "Mika! Do not allow the humans to steal Yu! Go get him and the three of us shall leave!"--Krul to Mika, Chapter 41, "Arrogant Love"
 * "Crowley Eusford. You are much too slow."--Krul scolding Crowley, Chapter 41, "Arrogant Love"
 * "Ghah...! Nngh... w-wait. Ferid Bathory... W-we can make a deal... Tell me what you want, and I'll--"--Krul after Ferid bites her by surprise, Chapter 41, "Arrogant Love"
 * "No!! Please!! Don't take my brother away from me!!"--To the first progenitor in a flashback of 1,000 years prior, Chapter 49, "Progenitor's Memory"
 * "Are you after the first progenitor as well? He was the one who turned us into blood-sucking, undying monsters. We all despise him to some degree."--To Saito, Chapter 49, "Progenitor's Memory"