Human World

"Human World" (人間のセカイ) is the sixteenth chapter of the Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign manga series, written by Takaya Kagami and illustrated Yamato Yamamoto.

Synopsis
One week after the vampire attack on Shinjuku, Yu is trying to learn how to turn Mika back into a human. He believes Ferid turned Mika into a vampire.

Yu is summoned to the Shinjuku Central Army Headquarters First Office, which is run by the Hīragi, whom everyone describes as scary. Yu encounters Guren, who reminds Yu that he owes him. Mitsuba is being considered for promotion.

Yu enters a chamber and kills a starving vampire prisoner lying in wait. His interview with Lieutenant General Kureto Hīragi begins.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:
 * Yūichirō Hyakuya
 * Mikaela Hyakuya (Flashback)
 * Shinoa Hīragi
 * Ferid Bathory (Flashback)
 * Crowley Eusford (Flashback)
 * Guren Ichinose
 * Mitsuba Sangū
 * Kureto Hīragi
 * Shinya Hīragi
 * Aoi Sangū

Summary
One week after the vampire attack in the second capital of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, also known as Shinjuku, Yu is researching vampires in the Spellcraft Research Library. He complains about the difficulty he has reading Kanji characters and says that he learned nothing growing up in a vampire city. Shinoa appears, reminding him that he is supposed to remain in bed to rest.

Yu is still not aware that the experiments done on him were what put him into a coma rather than the battle itself.

Yu admits that he wants to learn how to turn Mika back into a human. Although Shinoa does not know how to turn a vampire back into a human, she shares the knowledge she has. Vampires hate increasing their numbers, so they only turn a human into a vampire very rarely. Only nobles have permission to do this. The strength of a vampire is mostly determined by age, but the power of the vampire's direct master also has a great influence. Since Mika is so strong, they believe that he was chosen by a very high-ranking vampire noble, and Yu suspects it was Ferid Bathory, the same vampire who killed their family. Although Yu is thrilled that Mika is alive, he nonetheless loathes blood-suckers.

Shinoa comments on Yu's recent change in personality and mentions that he is more mature than before. She asks if this is because he has a different reason to live now.

Yu is summoned to the Shinjuku Central Army Headquarters First Office, which is only available for use by the highest-ranking officers. Shinoa suspects the Hīragi Family, the leaders of the army, are the ones calling him. Four of the ruling families under the Hīragi that are shown are Jūjō, Goshi, Sangū, and Ichinose. Yu calls Shinoa out on her surname, and she warns him that her family is frightening.

As Yu heads to the First Office, he encounters Guren. He asks Yu if he is wagging his tail for the main family like a good mutt. Guren reminds Yu that he saved him, taught Yu how to live here, and taught him how to use a sword. He tells Yu to pay him back if Yu feels he needs to, then goes on to say that Yu is living because of him, that he his, belongs to his faction, and to not wag his tail under Hīragi.

Yu tells him that he does not care about his stupid politics, and will never abandon or betray his friends ever again, so Guren should quit worrying. Guren says that he is not Yu's friend but rather his superior, savior, surrogate dad, and practically a god to him. Guren says Yu can call him "papa," but Yu declines.

Mitsuba exits the First Office. Despite not doing anything on the battlefield, she is being considered for promotion because she is a Sangū. She is upset, but Yu calms her down. He says she should keep getting promoted so he can get Mika back. He believes the vampires are holding Mika hostage. Mitsuba warns him that she has been ordered to keep watch on a teammate with suspected vampire ties because he is a danger and liability. Yu tells her he trusts her, and she warns him that the Hīragi are scary people.

Yu asks why everyone keeps saying that and enters the office.

A starving, imprisoned vampire with broken chains jumps at Yu, and Yu kills him without hesitation. Lieutenant General Kureto Hīragi says it was a test to weed out traitors. He claims this makes at least one verifiable occasion with reliable witnesses where Yu killed an unarmed vampire without hesitation, but he says it is only one occasion.

Gallery
Manga panels provide a visual overview of the events of chapter 16 with depictions of the characters, Seraph of the End world and scenarios.

Overall

 * Story by Chapter