Taboo Krul

"Taboo Krul" (禁忌のクルル) is the twenty-second chapter of the Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign manga series, written by Takaya Kagami and illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto.

Synopsis
Mika suffers from his thirst in Sanguinem and attacks Krul for her blood. He then apologizes and asks for a greater supply.

During the Progenitor Council meeting on a previous day, Ferid reports on the events at Shinjuku. Krul states she completely eliminated the Hyakuya sect along with all of their orphans. At the end of the meeting, the Council asks who Mika is and why he is present, but Ferid dances around the question.

In the present, Krul strikes at Ferid, but he brings up his blackmail against her. He leaves after touching Mika's butt.

Mika asks Krul about the information revealed at the meeting, but she reminds him who owns him and whispers her plan in his ear. Krul gives Mika orders to get "lost" on the battlefield, and he says he will save Yu from both the humans and vampires.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:
 * Saitō
 * Yūichirō Hyakuya (Flashback)
 * Mikaela Hyakuya
 * Ferid Bathory
 * Dai
 * Dai's Friend
 * Krul Tepes
 * Lest Karr

Summary
On December 25, 2012, a man (Saitō) drags an 8-year-old Yūichirō Amane to the Hyakuya orphanage. He mentions that Yu's parents hated him so much, they tried to kill him, and Yu's previous home went up in flames. Yu rejects the idea of a new family as Mika watches from a window.

In the present, Mika suffers from his thirst on the streets of Sanguinem as children play nearby. Ferid appears, stating that Mika ages because he has yet to drink human blood. Ferid states that Mika is just barely at the age he finds most beautiful, and he suggests stopping Mika's growth at its best spot and drinking blood from one of the children. He grabs a child named Dai and makes him bleed, but Mika tells Ferid to let him go. He states that drinking directly from a human is against vampire law. Ferid laughs and drops the child unceremoniously. Dai's friend glares at the pair of vampires, and the two children run away. Ferid asks Mika why he puts so much effort into not drinking human blood. He asks if Mika hopes to become human again one day, and Mika answers by telling him to get lost. Ferid then asks if Mika is afraid Yu would hate him for drinking human blood, and Mika does not respond.

Desperate for blood, Mika enters Krul's castle attacks her as she was filling a vial for him. As he bites her neck, she hugs him, teasing him for being such a handful. Mika pushes her away when he comes to his senses, and he apologizes for losing control. He asks for a greater supply. Krul then asks for Mika's report on the battle in Shinjuku, but he first demands an explanation of a meeting that recently took place.

A meeting with the Progenitor Council occurs earlier that week. Ferid reports on the Shinjuku battle, and he rambles about horrible humans before displaying a video of Yu's transformation. Ferid states the humans are on the verge of weaponizing the "Seraph of the End," but a Fourth Progenitor states that Krul already destroyed the Hyakuya sect in Japan. Krul confirms that she killed off both the entire Hyakuya sect and every single orphan who bore the "seraph" gene. Ferid glances at Mika, pretending this was his first time hearing this.

Third Progenitor Lest Karr states he recently killed off a group of spellcasters experimenting on the seraph in Europe. He accuses Krul of failure and is more than willing to take her place as the vampire ruler of Japan. Although Lest Karr is two centuries younger than Krul and they are both third progenitors, he states he is stronger than her.

The Council finishes their meeting by agreeing to kill every human of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. They then ask who the child standing behind Ferid is, and Ferid deflects the question by saying that the young vampire is his favorite servant, whom he cannot bear to part with. One Council member scolds him while another states Ferid has always been eccentric. Ferid says he is always very serious about everything and smiles at Krul, which irritates her further.

After the meeting, Krul demands to know why Ferid brought Mika and asked if he is attempting to dethrone her. She swings at him and threatens to kill him immediately, but Ferid hides behind Mika and states that Krul can no longer kill him. Krul would be the first suspect, and Ferid states he may have information on his secrets sent to the Progenitor Council upon his death. He teases her, saying they are partners in crime since they both broke vampire law by keeping the seraph children secret. If one tattles on the other, then both of them will be punished. Ferid even states that he would be punished more since he let Yu escape. After patting Mika's bottom, much to Mika's displeasure, Ferid finally exits the chamber.

In the present, Mika asks Krul why she would do something as risky as saving those orphans and jeopardizing her position. She tells him that he doesn't need to know her reasoning and reminds him that he is weak. Mika can neither defy nor disobey her since he is dependent on her blood. Mika's death means abandoning Yu to his fate to be experimented on and used by humans. Mika says that he cannot follow her, but she insists that she isn't as bad as he thinks and that she likes both Yu and Mika. Krul saved the children from dying at the orphanage. She calls herself Mika's savior, surrogate parent, and owner.

Seeing that Mika refuses to believe her, Krul whispers to him why she spared their lives and why she needs the "Seraph of the End."

The information stuns Mika while Krul sets about to beginning the Vampire-Human War and eliminating all of the humans in Japan. She gives Mika orders to get "lost" during the battle, hide from vampires and humans alike, and find Yu. Mika decides to obey these orders without further question.

Gallery
Manga panels provide a visual overview of the events of chapter 22 with depictions of the characters, Seraph of the End world and scenarios.

Overall

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