Seraph of the End 5: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen

Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen (Volume 5) is the fifth volume of the Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen light novel series, which includes Guren's past with Mahiru and his encounter with many characters of the manga sequel, Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign.

It is expected to be published as the first half of the third English omnibus.

Epilogue
Guren and Shinya play Bomberman while elbowing each other. It is now 3:30 a.m., and Mito and Goshi have both fallen asleep. Everyone starts waking up, so Sayuri offers to make them supper.

Prologue
Mahiru approaches Yuichiro in the Hyakuya Sect. It is revealed that his father attacked him with a knife while his mother tried to burn him and then committed suicide by lighting herself on fire.

Yu says that his parents called him a demon, but she says he looks human to her. Remembering everything, Yu begins crying. She asks if he needs to die just because someone told him to.

A researcher walks in, and Yu becomes still and quiet. Mahiru realizes the Hyakuya Sect has been abusing him. She notes that Yu has been marked as an excellent test subject, and Saito was not even punished for being seen when he collected Yu during the fire.

The researcher warns Mahiru that she will be used as experimental material as well if she steps beyond her bounds. She requests a seraph test subject and sees monsters that were former animals. They are the Four Horsemen of John. The researcher directs her to Saito at one of the Hyakuya Orphanages to collect her test subject.

Yu's memory of this conversation will be erased, just like his memory of the experiments.

Mahiru says that no one's life has any value, and she says she lives for romantic love.

Chapter 1
Guren visits Shinoa's apartment, which is large enough for a couple or a small family. He finds her sitting in the dark with a blank expression. He notices there is no refrigerator, and the only things present in the kitchen are canned foods and a microwave.

He tries to bait her to his apartment for good food, but she says he is just following orders to use her. She says his father and subordinates are being held hostage. She reveals that Mahiru told her this. As a matter of fact, Guren is there on Kureto's orders since Mahiru called Shinoa recently.

Shinoa calmly throws a knife at Guren with an exploding tag on it, but he easily catches the blade between his fingers and tears off the talisman with his thumb. Shinoa comments that he is strong. She says Mahiru told her they had sex and teases Guren about it.

Sayuri calls Guren after they undergo more experimentation under the Mikado no Oni. Guren orders them to prepare a good meal for 7:30 p.m. and says he is bringing a guest.

Shinoa's phone begins going off, and she insists the only people who call her are Mahiru, solicitors, and people with the wrong number. Guren eventually answers it.

Mahiru chats with him while Kureto sends Guren messages on his own phone. He struggles to not warn her about Kureto coming after her. She eventually hangs up, stating that Kureto has arrived and is about to start the party.

Guren takes Shinoa with him, and she points out his is only doing this out of guilt.

Meanwhile, Kureto arrives at the harbor with over 500 soldiers after tracing the phone call. Although Mahiru is not their, they find a cell phone with a microphone taped onto it. Kureto reads a message left by Mahiru on the phone. It greets him, says she is planning to go to Kyoto, and then says the phone will blow up ten seconds after he turns on the screen.

Alarmed, he chucks it into an empty area of the warehouse, but it does not explode.

She calls him and openly reveals her location as near the school. He explicitly describes how he will torture Guren if she does not cooperate, but she only laughs. She warns him that using the power of a demon to do something just will only weaken him. She says she is headed to Kyoto, and he hangs up.

Aoi reports they were unable to determine Mahiru's location.

Chapter 2
Mahiru Hiragi hangs up the phone while standing in the front yard of a Hyakuya Orphanage. It is September. She muses over eating saury with Guren. Akane approaches her, and Mahiru introduces herself as Miyuki Yamada.

Akane tries to figure out if she is a good person since Mahiru is here to pick up a four-year-old boy named Juni under the guise of adoption. She plans on using him as testing material for the Seraph of the End. Mahiru does not answer her questions at first, and Akane begins crying.

Akane tells Mahiru that she looks beautiful and gentle but sad.

Akane starts asking Mahiru about Mahiru's romantic problem. When Mahiru talks about Guren, her expression becomes very gentle, and Akane decides she is a good person.

Mahiru asks Akane if she has a crush on anyway. Akane's face turns red, and she jumps when a boy calls out to her. Mahiru notices an beautiful child with soft blond hair and white skin named Mikaela Shindo. The Hyakuya Sect regards him as an excellent test subject and would never let him go. He is accompanied by a few other children. Mahiru recalls that reports documented him as a leader of sorts for the children. The child named Juni is clinging onto Mika's waist. The orphanage director stands next to Mika while Saito stands behind them.

As Juni cries and says he does not want to leave, Mahiru tells him her family is very normal. He says he does not want a new sister and wants to stay with Mika and Akane. Akane reports to Mika that Mahiru, or rather "Miyuki," is a good person. Mika asks where Mahiru's parents are, and she says they sent her to meet Juni first since they did not want to scare Juni with so many adults.

Mika kneels down to Juni and tells him that Mahiru looks like a warm and gentle person. When Juni keeps crying and screaming, Mika tells him this family will be even better and that he wants the best for him. He says the family at the orphanage will always be Juni's family and friends. Mika calls Juni a strong child, and he stops crying in order to win Mika's praise.

Mahiru notes that the data did not adequately explain Mika's overwhelming leadership ability.

Mika pats Juni's head, and Juni says he will work hard. Juni walks over to Mahiru and holds her hand. After taking a few steps with her, he looks back at Mika, and Mika praises him.

Mika tells Mahiru that Juni likes reading picture books and likes adventure stories like Momotaro. He says Juni is afraid of ghosts but will be brave enough to sleep alone if she tells him he needs to become strong like Momotaro. He says Juni is a hard-working child who would look after other children. Although Juni's parents abused and abandoned him, Juni does not hate them.

Juni begins crying again. Mika says Juni is really smart and asks that Mahiru treat him well and give him some good memories. Mahiru promises to make Juni happy.

She takes Juni out to the orphanage and puts him in the backseat of a small parked car. When the driver of the car turns around, Mahiru breaks his neck. She knocks Juni unconscious and buckles his seatbelt. She moves the dead driver to the passenger's seat and buckles him in as well before sitting in the driver seat. She switches the music to jazz and figures she will just kill anyone who interferes with her after noticing she is driving while wearing a school uniform.

She drives away and enters the Metropolitan Expressway but soon notices cars following her. Vampires attack her. She summons Asura and undoes her seatbelt, cutting her way out of the vehicle as the vampires through a car at her.

Chapter 3
Guren steps out of the apartment with Shinoa at 6:15 p.m. They take a taxi, and the driver complains about being his previous job letting him go and how his two passengers are so fortunate to be born into wealthy families. He complains about the cozy life he believes Guren and Shinoa lead, which makes Guren laugh and makes Shinoa say he is being too talkative. They go onto the Metropolitan Expressway.

They hear a screeching sound, and Shinoa jumps out of the car while Guren drags the driver out with him. A dump truck falls onto the taxi and then falls onto a mother and child. Guren summons Noya and cuts the truck in half to save them.

The civilians begin screaming.

Guren orders Shinoa to return home and gives her 10,000 yen for a taxi. He tells her to get a meal before going back. He says he will stay to observe the situation awhile longer. They tell each other to be careful and then split up.

Guren finds Mahiru surrounded by four vampires in human clothing in the midst of a large-car pileup. She is protecting Juni with Asuramaru and has curses encircling her skin. She appears panicked. The four vampires defeat her and drink her blood until she faints. Although Guren wants to help her, Mahiru tells him not to and mentions the vampire queen of Kyoto before a vampire steps between them.

A vampire approaches Guren and tells him not to block the way. Guren does not interfere since they cannot defeat a vampire even with Noya. A helicopter collects Mahiru, Juni, and the vampires.

Guren looks at Asuramaru on the ground, and Noya tells him not to touch other demons. Asurmaru soon dissipates into the air.

Police sirens sound, and Kureto calls Guren. Guren reports being at the scene but says it was over when he arrived. He notices that all of the CCTVs have been destroyed and the witnesses killed. He suspects Mahiru did that on purpose. Guren says he is going home for dinner. He leaves, and Mikado no Oni soldiers disguised as police officers let him through.

Chapter 4
Guren left Shinoa behind to keep her safe, and his group returns to his apartment to plan their next move. Guren reveals some documents Mahiru left him about the Seraph of the End.

Kureto rings the doorbell and orders Guren to kill Mahiru within forty-eight hours or else he will kill Guren's father and the rest of the Mikado no Tsuki. Kureto calls Aoi and tells her that Guren has betrayed them and cut him down. He order's Sakae's death. He is lying in order to deceive Mahiru, and Aoi is in on it.

Guren and his group escape to the roof and steal Kureto's helicopter. They head to Kyoto.

Chapter 5
At 5:30 a.m., the helicopter crash lands in the mountains of Kyoto. It takes them a few hours to descend.

The boys have a peeing contest. Although Guren mocks them for it, he's the most enthusiastic.

They pull out a map and compass and plan to buy civilian clothes more suitable to their situation than skirts and court shoes. They plan on taking the shortest route since they figure the supposed vampire settlement will prevent the Mikado no Oni and Hyakuya Sect from hunting them down so easily in their territory.

When planning their battle formation, Mito scolds Guren about not listening in class, but he quickly corrects her by saying he already mastered all of the academic courses set by the Hiragi House and had no need to listen. He decides on a Tenka Battle Formation, which is also known as the Moon Demon Company. It consists of a team of five with two vanguards and a rearguard in front with a pair of rearguard supports in the back. The vanguards would focus on close-combat while the rearguards used middle- and long-range attacks. It is the same defensive battle formation used while fighting the monster at Ueno. He is concerned that they have little experience using cursed gear in battle. He adjusts the formation to have Guren and Shinya as the vanguards with Goshi and the girls as four rearguards.

They group comes across a truck, and they discover that each of them has been trained to hot-wire vehicles. Goshi starts up the car immediately, impressing Mito with his skill. Guren and Shinya notice that the owner left the key in the ignition, but Mito does not notice and keeps praising Goshi's skill.

Guren naps while the others keep a lookout since they say it is impossible to sleep in the loud and shaking truck.

Guren faces Noya. Noya's voice is fuzzy thanks to Kureto's demon-suppressing talismans, but he still tries to tempt Guren with power. They chat, and Noya reveals that demons are born from passionate desires. As such, they appear in the forms when they were most innocent and pure, when they felt like everything was possible. Guren says this is around twelve.

(Currently waiting on parts 2 and 3.)

Guren sleeps for seven hours while chatting with Noya.

Guren and Shinya return to a love hotel and change into civilian clothes. Goshi and the girls are already dressed. Goshi is asleep with porn blaring on the television.

A vampire suddenly appears, but they kill her. Asuramaru's sword materializes in the room.

Meanwhile, Mahiru is tied to a cross and is being tortured in Sanguinem. Krul asks her if she is ready to talk and reveals that it is now December 20th. Mahiru summons Shikami Doji and breaks free. Krul asks her about Asura Tepes, but Mahiru only laughs.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance: