Chapter 2 (Catastrophe)

Chapter 2 is the second chapter of the Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen manga.

Synopsis
After Mahiru was pulled away from Guren, ten years later he attends school with Shigure and Sayuri. Students and faculty members alike mistreat him due to his family name, although Shinya says he knows Guren is withholding his actual capabilities. Mito engages in conversation, before they hear from Mahiru in the school entrance ceremony. Meeting Saito in the elevator, Guren receives the offer for them to fight the Hiragi family.

Summary
As they lie together in a field, Mahiru asks Guren when they grow up can they get married, just like now can they always be together. Guren replies it is impossible, he is from a branch family, an Ichinose, where Mahiru is from the main house, a Hiragi. Furthermore, she is the successor. Voices indicate Mahiru has been found, and the Ichinose scum has brought her out. While Mahiru does not want to leave, Guren is left beaten, and she is led away. As Mahiru cries that it is her fault, Guren feels it is his for having no status and power.

Ten years later, Guren attends his first day at school accompanied by Shigure Yukimi and Sayuri Hanayori. Considering First Shibuya High, it was a school for nurturing sorcerers, operated by a prominent religious organization in Japan known as Mikado no Oni. It is also the place where only the selected best of the Japanese followers of the organization are gathered. Ever since the organization was formed 1,200 years ago, the Hiragi had been the reigning house of Mikado no Oni. 500 years ago, the Ichinose split from the Hiragi to form Mikado no Tsuki. In order for the Hiragi to oppress the next Ichinose head with their overwhelming power, he would enter the high school under their ruling while he is still young and make them yield to them. Guren ponders how it seems his father had also passed through this system when he was young.

Having a drinks bottle thrown at his face, Guren laughs it off as other students comment how cowardly can he get. Amongst themselves, they discuss how they will not show their power here, why show their hand to the enemy, and Guren apologizes before asking if Shigure and Sayuri will continue to accompany him for the next three years. At the entrance, Shinya Hiragi is waiting and he waves to Guren. This changes to Shinya producing a spell tag, which zaps itself towards him. Enduring the hit, Guren is knocked back, yet thinks had he carelessly dodged that there was a possibility of his real strength being revealed. Guren's problem is whether he managed to show that he could not react to it well.

In class 1-9, Guren listens to the teacher, Saia Aiuchi hope that everyone has a fruitful school life at the greatest sorcery school in Japan. Shigure is in class 1-2, while Sayuri is in a different class still, 1-1. Reflecting on the malicious treatment started 200 years ago, Guren hears how his class has quite a number of children from the top brass of Mikado no Oni, including the Jujo house, Goshi house, and Sangu house. Furthermore, Saia raises how Shinya from the Hiragi family will be joining them, and it is a great honor. Declining his appointed seat, Shinya takes the one next to Guren and strikes up conversation. Aware that this morning, Guren took his attack on purpose, then hearing that Guren had been taught at home to not defy the Hiragi house, Shinya tells him to stop his lies. Affirming it does not matter, Shinya says both he and Guren hate the Hiragi house. Divulging he is a foster son, Shinya was thinking he and Guren could do lots of interesting things. Since Shinya was a kid, he has been raised in a manner fit to join the Hiragi house, where children lying in blood are envisioned around him, and it is why Shinya hates the Hiragi. Sharing that his betrothed is Mahiru, and checking if Guren is annoyed, Shinya states he is just an adopted son of lowly birth. Irked by the same treatment Guren is getting now, Shinya is thinking of destroying everything. Noticing that Guren has dropped his polite manner of speech, Shinya asks if they are friends now.

It is about time to go to the school entrance ceremony in the school auditorium, yet Guren slaps Shinya's hand away and says not to get too close to him. The selected students are called the seeds of light who might become candidates for top brass within Mikado no Oni in the future. As Guren yawns he is approached by Mito Jujo who has one question. Aware of her house background due to her red hair, Guren considers a legend where a demon was exorcised by the exorcist taking on a curse, and since that day his descendants had red hair. While Guren professes himself to have no knowledge of Mito, she tells herself to not get angry with this lowly rat of the Ichinose house. Wondering about other students here, it includes those who were had accumulated years of very strict training in sorcery since a young age, and those who were brought up in a hierarchical society based on lineages. Guren wonders if he has the capability to kill Mito.

While Mito wonders if Guren and Shinya were discussing her, Guren confirms as much, that Shinya was wondering who the cute girls in class are, and that it is her. The announcer moves on to the greeting message from this year's freshman representative. It is an honor to welcome the daughter of the Hiragi house to this school. Mahiru enters the stage and introduces herself. Thinking back to when they saw one another in the field, Guren compares it to a goddess and a rat crawling on the ground.

Seated on a couch, Guren is joined by Sayuri and Shigure before sending them away. When Sayuri announces her loyalty, Guren speaks that in the box nearby is porn mags, and that is what it means to live together with a guy. Undeterred, curry is being made for dinner where it will take an hour to simmer. Walking the corridors, Guren sees the top 27th floor and notes how three floors in this apartment building have been rented by the Ichinose family. The single unit on the floor above Guren has been modified into a training room. As Guren thinks he needs to practice everyday without showing the Hiragi his true power, the elevator opens to reveal Saito. They are both going up to the 27th floor, and Saito confirms he is with the owner's family. While Guren is looking forward to his acquaintance for the next three years he notes that none of the elevator buttons are pushed. In response to this lack of action, Guren feels it means something that warrants him swinging his sword at Saito.

Armed with long chains, Guren sees Saito as an assassin. With his sword wrapped in a chain, Guren kicks Saito away before casting a spell tag at him. At cutting into Saito's arm he is surprised at a black fog emerging from the wound. Saito finds it scary to think that Guren can cut a human being who just happened to board the same elevator as him without any hesitation, but Guren answers that Saito is not just a human. While Guren manages to cut him apart, Saito is impressed that Guren has not already been rendered motionless by the poison in the smoke. After Guren labels Saito a monster, he replies he is a full-fledged human. Guren states in other words, Saito has been modified into a chimera remodelled combatant through human experimentation. Answering yes, Saito mentions how the Ichinose, the people of Mikado no Tsuki also do something like this. Guren is not sure about the Hiragi but says his house does not do such a thing.

Introducing himself as Kijima Makoto, Saito shares that he is with the Hyakuya Sect. He asks whether Guren wants to destroy the Hiragi and Mikado no Oni with him.

Chapter notes

 * This chapter adapts from:
 * Catastrophe book 1 - prologue, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3 (p. 41-63)
 * Shinya Hīragi, Mito Jūjō, Saia Aiuchi and Saitō are introduced.
 * Shinya sneezing when Guren is telling Mito that he said she was cute may be based on a superstition that one sneezes when someone is talking about them.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance: