Vampire Mikaela

"Vampire Mikaela" is the fifth chapter of the Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign manga series, written by Takaya Kagami and illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto.

Summary
While Yu is working to earn his demon weapon, the streets of Sannomiya, Kobe are filled with shrieks of terror, as the populace are being terrorized by Horsemen of John. A young girl trips and falls, with one Horseman hovering over her. Seconds away from death, a young vampire vaults between them, his sword drawn and puncturing his own hand with thorny vines. With a single sweep of his blade, the beast is completely obliterated.

The people rise up and cheer, feeling relief that they will finally enjoy the protection of vampires just like the people of Osaka. However, a vampire named Lacus Welt corrects the humans, informing them that they're little more than livestock that the vampires own by virtue of their power.

The vampires then direct their taunts at Mika, whom merely gives them the brush-off with a cold indifference. What does prompt a reaction from Mikaela, though, was the young maiden he saved. He hadn't really caught much of a look at her during the commotion, but she appeared to be in her young teens and quite pretty. Smiling, she offered her throat to him, happy to oblige him with a taste of her blood for valiantly saving her life.

Memories of four years ago flood Mika's mind, and he recalls lying on the cobblestone, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of his brothers and sisters of the orphanage. Vampires that came to assist Lord Ferid surround him. As they are about to finish him, a small girl calls them all off with a single word, and makes her way through the crowd. She immediately claims ownership of poor Mikaela, and they obediently obliged her, addressing her as 'Your Majesty.' This is Queen Krul Tepes.

She then addresses Ferid Bathory, demanding an explanation for the dozens of children bleeding out all over the place. Although he was playing dead, he sat up, apparently unfazed by being shot through the head. Ferid attempts to charm the Queen, though she makes it clear that she is not naive enough to believe Ferid's words. They then begin arguing, with Ferid demanding an explanation as to why she was keeping Seraphs in her care when she was specifically supposed to have hunted them to local extinction four years ago. The moment he brings up the subject of sharing this with the Progenitor Council, Krul beats him soundly and detains him with her boot against his neck. She asks him if he would repeat that. He then begs her forgiveness and promises not to mention a word of this to the Council, and she spares his life.

Ferid prances off once Krul dismisses him, and she then turns her attention to the dying Mika. She offers him eternal life, and he rejects her offer. The Queen smirks, punctures her lip with her fang, and bridges her lips fully to his, forcing her blood down his throat. He cries out in pain as the transformation comes over him and his humanity is no more.

The next day, after the incident in Sannomiya, Mika attends an assembly of vampire nobles in Sanguinem. The announcer and Krul describe the threat, known as the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, stationed in Tokyo. This army, on top of stealing territory from vampires and killing vampire compatriots, also delves into forbidden arts and is experimenting with the "Seraph of the End." The Queen declares war on the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. Within his heart, Mika resolves to himself that somehow, he will rescue Yu from this war, unaware that his own friend and orphanage brother is clawing his way to the front lines.

Back at the army headquarters, Guren Ichinose falls asleep during a war council meeting held by the top brass. Other high-ranking officers are present with several holding the name Hīragi, including their leader, General Tenri Hīragi. Guren openly snubs everybody in attendance, and basically struts out and treats the whole meeting like it was a waste of time. He then runs into an irate Yūichirō, browbeating him for an explanation as to why he'd vanished for ten days without hooking him up with some Cursed Gear first. He decides to grant Yu the Cursed Gear the following day. Guren knocks the snot out of Yu for kicking a superior officer, and his mood improves.

Chapter notes

 * Though Mika is not completely human, he's not exactly a vampire either. In the four years since Krul sired him, he has still grown up and maintains the appearance of a young man in his late teens. It appears that his transformation into a vampire is not yet complete.


 * Vampire weapons are curiously similar to Cursed Gear used by humans, though at the same time different. They seem programmed to respond to commands given by their wielders, which makes the hilt sprout thorny vines that puncture the wielder's hand, actually feeding on the vampire's blood and turning the blade a shade of vermilion.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:

Gallery
Manga panels provide a visual overview of the events of Chapter 5 with depictions of the characters, Seraph of the End world and scenarios.