Humanity After the Fall

"Humanity After the Fall" (破滅後のニンゲン) is the second chapter of the Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign manga series, written by Takaya Kagami and illustrated by Yamato Yamamoto.

Synopsis
Four years later, Yūichirō Hyakuya remembers his time with his orphanage family. He is to spend time in school for not co-operating with squad members. Shinoa Hīragi is tasked by Guren Ichinose to help Yu make comrades with others.

Yu does defend a boy named Yoichi Saotome from bullies before they hear that a vampire has escaped captivity on the school premises.

Yu and Yoichi fight the vampire long enough for Guren and his squad to arrive and destroy it before it can kill anyone.

Being knocked unconscious accidentally Yu continues to be haunted by nightmares of his deceased family as he is accepted into the Moon Demon Company.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance:
 * Mikaela Hyakuya (Flashback)
 * Yūichirō Hyakuya (Flashback)
 * Ferid Bathory (Flashback)
 * Second Shibuya High School Teacher
 * Shinoa Hīragi
 * Guren Ichinose (Flashback)
 * Shigure Yukimi (Flashback)
 * Yoichi Saotome
 * Satoshi Yamanaka
 * Noin Teta
 * Female student
 * Norito Goshi
 * Akane Hyakuya (Dream)

Summary
Four more years passed after that horrible night, and young Yu continues to have nightmares about the murder of his family.

He has become a foot soldier in the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. Every bit as brash and hot-headed as he was when he was twelve, the young man is ambushed in the streets of Shibuya by a Four Horseman of John, a mysterious monstrosity that appeared after the world ended. There are countless numbers of these Horsemen roaming the night, but Yu simply brandishes his sword and cleaves the fiend in half.

The next day, Yu is put on suspension for disobeying orders in the middle of a fight. During class, he is tapped by a girl named Shinoa Hīragi, a surveillance officer sent by the Army to keep an eye on Yu and try to curb his delinquent tendencies. She informs him that unless he starts making friends and demonstrates that he is capable of listening to others such as by working as a team, not ignoring orders, etc., his suspension from the Army will be extended. Though Shinoa is Guren's proxy, it would appear that the impish girl derives most of her entertainment from making mischief, as Yu suddenly stumbles into one messy situation after another by Shinoa's design.

Yu soon meets with a timid young boy named Yoichi, whom is targeted by bullies in his class. Yu does decide to look after the boy, even after he himself is struck by the bullies. He comes to find out that Yoichi is trying to befriend the bullies because he thought it might help him get into the Imperial Demon Army.

The next thing they know, the room their class was in explodes, and they learn that a vampire that had been kept in captivity has suddenly escaped. Yu at once makes a beeline for his classroom, and when arriving, encounters the vampire, Noin Teta, as she had just begun feeding on a student. Noin seemed to only be a child, but it made her no less dangerous. Yu draws his sword and dashes at Noin, their fight raging all over the ruined classroom. Thanks to Yoichi restraining Noin, Yu managed to cut her arm off, but ends up being pushed out the window with Noin falling upon him.

Right as Noin was about to finish him, Guren cuts her down from behind in a single stroke. He commends Yu for protecting his school friends being accidentally being knocked unconscious by Yoichi who was relieved to see he was alright.

Yu awakes some time later in a hospital bed, with Yoichi and Shinoa sitting at his bedside, with the good news that he had officially been accepted as part of the task force responsible for hunting vampires: the Moon Demon Company.

Chapter notes

 * A Horseman of the Apocalypse is introduced, encountered by Yu and two JIDA soldiers in Shibuya.
 * The JIDA, Yoichi Saotome, Shinoa Hīragi are introduced.
 * Yoichi wanted to join the Moon Demon Company in order to get revenge on the vampires who killed his sister.
 * The school has a laboratory where vampires are captured and experimented with. One of them escaped and is destroyed by a cursed gear weapon.

Gallery
Manga panels provide a visual overview of the events of chapter 2 with depictions of the characters, Seraph of the End world and scenarios.