A Demon Appears

"A Demon Appears" (鬼がデタ) is the one hundredth chapter of the Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign manga series, written by Takaya Kagami and illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto.

Synopsis
Asuramaru pursues Mikaela and is not in his world to answer Yu's questions regarding his alliance with Shikama Doji also whether he means to attack Mika. Guren has Mitsuba and Kimizuki help him draw a spell circle for subduing a black demon and Mahiru produces Mika's sword. Krul orders Shinoa to continue to keep the first restrained and does not comment on why her brother would help the first.

Mikaela stabs Asuramaru with a spiked cross but it was an illusion that breaks apart. The real Asuramaru is targeting Mika and the illusionary Yu in their home. With this awareness, Mikaela extends the distance between Asuramaru and the house where Yu and Mika are located and produces gigantic buildings to impede Asuramaru's progress. Mikaela does not lose Asuramaru who enters a tower but the misdirection allows Kiseki-o and Gekkouin to act unhampered. Kiseki-o uses his coffin power to transport Asuramaru to the house and Gekkouin is able to strike Mikaela himself in the arm.

Crashing before Mika and Yu, Asuramaru announces himself as a demon who has come to eat their whole family and rip their poor little hearts to shreds.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:

Summary
Within the dream world, Asuramaru pursues Mikaela and shouts how they are to steal the king's soul. Where Asuramaru should be but is not, Yu calls to him regarding his alliance with Shikama Dōji and whether he means to attack Mika. His repeated attempts to elicit a response from Asuramaru include reminding him that he is one of them then saying that Asuramaru must have his reasons. Even if there are any Yu states he will be mad if Asuramaru touches Mika then shouts if he can hear him yet there is only silence.

With his questions unanswered Yu concludes that Mika is in trouble and that Shinoa was right about Asuramaru. Finding Guren on the rooftop drawing something Kimizuki is there as well who has the knowledge that it is a spell circle being created. Guren calls for them to help him draw the standard parts of the circle necessary for subduing a black demon since it will be done here. Mitsuba and Kimizuki are frustrated at Yu's lack of familiarity with spell circles. A time from Guren teaching a class on spell circles is recollected where Yu was interested only in learning how to exterminate bloodsuckers.

Presently Yoichi matches Yu's crestfallenly frustrated reaction at having not learned the basics back then. They observe as Kimizuki draws the Western quadrant of the spell circle and Mitsuba takes the Eastern quadrant. As intricate markings are inscribed across the patterns making up the spell circle Mahiru feels it is about time and casts some spell tags before pulling Mika's sword out from her chest. This is stabbed into the ground and excites Yu who recognizes Mika's weapon. As Yu is eager to know whether Mika is in there everyone except for Yoichi shouts at him to not get in the way.

Krul drags Shinoa by her clothing. When the latter suggests that there way be an easier way to carry her Krul orders Shinoa not speak and instead focus all her attention on containing the first. Shinoa is giving it her full effort but concerning how long she can hold the first the question is how much longer will the drug last. Krul answers if the first wakes then everything will be lost. Although Krul does not want to entertain questions Shinoa wonders anyway why Asuramaru as Krul's brother that she is here to save would be helping the first. Asking what happened in Krul's past Shinoa would like to know what is going on between Asuramaru and the first.

Asuramaru is very eager to engage Mikaela and spurs him into wanting to kill him then take his desires by way of using multiple large spiked crosses that he summons. Able to evade Mikaela's attacks Asuramaru is sure it will be Mikaela's desires to be eaten and rapidly darts across enough surfaces to appear in front of him. Asuramaru slashes at Mikaela and misses before being impaled through the chest by one of the spiked ends. Asuramaru crackles away and disappears with a scream but Mikaela discerns that this vanquished foe was an illusion.

The real Asuramaru is elsewhere and focusing on Mika and the illusionary Yu with the intent to eat Mikaela's desires that are hiding deep in his heart. With this awareness of what Asuramaru wants to do, Mikaela's response is to protect Mika and Yu. Conveying that he can do anything if it means he can keep what is dear to him safe Mikaela dismisses Asuramaru as nothing then orders him to hold still while he devours him. As Asuramaru sprints to the home in sight Mikaela employs a power to extend the entire neighbourhood with further houses leaving Asuramaru surprised that his destination is farther away. Towering skyscrapers are then raised to block Asuramaru's path entirely.

Mikaela asserts that it is his world to which Asuramaru agrees but questions the huge intricate obstacle created. Asuramaru slices an entry into the building and inside begins bounding up to the upper floors. He questions if Mikaela is sure he is not going to lose track of him in there. Ascending an elevator shaft Asuramaru darts past Mikaela who had blasted a hole above to join him. Mikaela resorts to moving to slice Asuramaru in half, the attempt of which involves horizontally sundering the entire building apart. Mikaela is above Asuramaru who announces he dies here. Grinning, Asuramaru calls upon Kiseki-o who has moved freely along with Gekkouin.

Kiseki-o answers that he does see it and as Mikaela launches a cross at Asuramaru he finds a coffin appears behind him. Having caught the tip Asuramaru is pushed backwards into the coffin which has an opening into the house where Mika and Yu are. Before Mikaela can stop Asuramaru his arm is blown off by Gekkouin who has employed the transportation capabilities of Kiseki-o's coffins to appear nearby and flank Mikaela. Approving of overcoming the child of the first Kiseki-o adds that the three of them, having been around far longer, would not be outdone by a newborn. Kiseki-o then erases the coffin and shouts that Mikaela will not be able to quickly follow Asuramaru.

After Asuramaru crashes before Mika and Yu they are both stunned to see him. Grinning, Asuramaru announces himself as a demon who has come to eat their whole family. Mikaela shouts for him to stop and an explosive streak of light fires from a high-rise building as Asuramaru continues to menace Mika and Yu that he will rip their poor little hearts to shreds.

Chapter Notes

 * On the front page chapter cover Mikaela is stood amongst multiple suspension towers. These were seen in Chapter 93, Desire Within Desire around where Mika was in the fielded area of the dream world he is in yet such structures are not featured at all in the story events of this chapter and neither are the railway tracks that Mikaela is stood on in the cover image.
 * Asuramaru did not appear to be able to hear that Yu was speaking to him when he was in the world that Mikaela is in.
 * Yu spoke to Asuramaru on whether he was on Shikama Doji's side and was trying to attack Mika. With no response Yu concluded that Shinoa was right about such claims.
 * Spell circles are introduced and can be created to bind a demon to a weapon in the cursed gear creation process.
 * Guren asks Kimizuki and Mitsuba for assistance where they proceed to create a spell circle with a style for subduing a black demon. For this Mitsuba explains a standard spell circle four is to be made and the creation is to also have Western and Eastern quadrants. Spell tags may be a component as Mahiru produced some.
 * According to Kimizuki a basic spell circle is the first one they learned in class yet neither Yu or Yoichi recall the details and so do not take part in its creation.
 * A flashback scenario shows Yu, Yoichi, Shinoa and Kimizuki in a class that Guren taught.
 * Mika's sword that was last seen in chapter 89, "Vampire's End", is seen again eleven chapters later here. It had been acquired by Mahiru after the fight that she, Guren, and Noya had against Mika and Yu.
 * Mahiru as a demon can store physical weapons within herself and pull them out, namely Mika's vampire sword.
 * In containing the first Shinoa is under the impression a drug is involved. Mahiru was the one who injected a substance into herself before her arrival to where Shinoa was.
 * Shinoa asks Krul for details about her brother Asruamaru and why he would help the first. Krul does not even think about any answers to such questions.
 * Wherever Mikaela was running to he eventually resolved to kill Asuramaru who was chasing him.
 * Asuramaru can create an illusion of himself that can out speed, physically attack and for intents and purposes act as himself before being destroyed. Mikaela did not appear to perceive this was an illusion until it was gone.
 * Rather than fight him directly Asuramaru worked to distract Mikaela whilst in actuality he, Kiseki-o and Gekkouin sought out Mika and the illusionary Yu who were seen as Mikaela's desires.
 * In this world Mikaela is capable of extending the length of an entire neighbourhood as a means of preventing someone from reaching a location. With more than one very large building created as well, rather than illusions they appear to be actual constructs being generated instantaneously along with elaborate interiors within. They are modern fabrications which the newly born Mikaela has a deep knowledge of if they were not summoned from somewhere else.
 * Mikaela uses hand movements to form such constructions and he is capable of using finger motions to draw lines in the air and cut things apart such as an entire tower block.
 * Black demons Asuramaru, Kiseki-o and Gekkouin could gain what they wanted with Mikaela trying to stop them by Asuramaru drawing him into a direct fight to distract him whilst Kiseki-o located the house to transfer Asuramaru to using his coffin transportation ability. Mikaela being fixed on Asuramaru having caught his cross weapon and travelling backwards into the house where Mika and Yu are also allowed Gekkouin to inflict the first physical damage on him.
 * The being that is imitating Yu, and Mika's orphanage family did not seem to have any notion that there were demons in this world and was startled to see Asuramaru. As Yu he holds Mika's arm as Asuramaru delivers his threats.
 * Mika was unaware of what Yu's demon Asuramaru looks like and sees him physically in this chapter.
 * When Asuramaru mentioned aloud of how the young Mika and Yu are Mikaela's deepest darkest desires to consume, facing them he still speaks to Mika and Yu as if they were people. He terrorizes them with statements that he is going to eat their whole family before graphically stating what he will do to them. Asuramaru is indifferent to appearance wise them being Yu, the human who he is contracted to, and Mika his best friend. Rather than abstract concepts representing Mikaela's desires, Mika and the illusionary Yu are sentient beings who react with dread at Asuramaru's presence. Treating them like this rather than the non-feeling desires of someone else that he indicated he saw them as, Asuramaru may have just been ensuring that Mikaela knew of his plan to eat Yu and Mika as desires, then gave this threat to them both not to scare two children but reinforce the display for Mikaela to hear for an unstated purpose.
 * The train tracks seen on the cover image and nowhere else in the chapter are visualized in Chapter 103.

Gallery
Manga panels provide a visual overview of the events of chapter 100 with depictions of the characters, Seraph of the End world and scenarios.