Seraph of the End 6: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen

Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen (Book 6) is the sixth book 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. A drama CD was bundled with it on its release.

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

Prologue
The prologue opens up with Guren and Mahiru's first meeting when they were five years old. Since Guren is covered with wounds from training, she asks if he is being bullied. She introduces herself as a forest fairy, but Guren points out they are in the mountains. Although it is 1 a.m., Mahiru says she will return the following night. They continue having late-night rendezvous and meeting up, chatting about the future and things they like. She motivates Guren to become stronger so he can be with her, despite the fact he is already considered to be extraordinarily talented.

She says cake is her favorite food. One day, Guren asks his father for pocket money to buy cake, and Sakae only gives him some after Guren says he will not be the one eating it. Guren is on a nutritional diet, so cake is not permitted and he has never eaten cake before.

He buys both a strawberry shortcake and a chocolate cake for Mahiru.

The Mikado no Oni search the Ichinose house looking for Mahiru, and Guren learns of the relationship between the Hīragi and Ichinose houses for the first time.

He and Mahiru share the cakes later that night. She escapes before some Mikado no Oni soldiers and Sakae arrive looking for Mahiru. They beat Guren, but he lies and says he did not meet with anyone. Even when Sakae asks him privately later, Guren denies lying. Sakae tells him that is fine and to do what he feels is the right choice.

A few days later, Mahiru begins appearing during the afternoon break instead of late at night. They continue chatting. She explains she approached Guren initially because the Hīragi family forced her mother to a dead end before killing her. Tenri Hīragi does not even want to look at her, so she decided to do something the Hīragi would despise the most: associate with the Ichinose. However, she says she accidentally fell in love instead. She tells him she loves him.

They continue meeting and discussing marriage.

However, they are abruptly separated. Ten years pass by. Now, she is being possessed and must be killed by September 30th or else Guren's family and subordinates will be executed.

Chapter 1
On October 2nd, Guren meets with his father for the final time. Sakae appears to have aged, but he denies being interrogated. Guren tells Sakae that Sakae did not drag him down, and Sakae tells Guren that it is not his fault that Sakae will be executed. Sakae pats Guren on the head and tousles his hair. Guren begins crying.

Since Guren captured a vampire and acquired Asuramaru, which would be highly useful for their research, Kureto initially adjourned the execution date of Sakae and the Ichinose's subordinates. However, Tenri Hīragi and the heads of the other nine houses overturned this decision. They wanted to prevent the Ichinose house from gaining to much power.

Sakae smiles, and Guren asks why he is always smiling. He says he is always happy, but Guren calls him a liar. Sakae claims that Guren will live on and become the head. He says no one will protest this, and that makes him happy.

Sakae tells Guren to continue doing what he feels is right.

Soldiers intrude and tell them it is time to execute Sakae. He hugs Guren tightly and tells him farewell. The troops shackle him and take him out of the prison. As Guren watches him leave, he shouts that he was happy being born as Sakae's child.

Eventually, Kureto approaches Guren and tells him the execution is over. He says he opposed the execution, but his father made the final decision. Kureto reminds Guren that he is Kureto's subordinate and does not belong to Tenri Hīragi.

Guren approaches the execution grounds and notices cameras before finding his father's decapitated corpse. Guren ignores Noya's temptation. He answers a phone call from Shinya, who tells him they will clean up the scene. Guren tells him there is no need and asks them to come play a game with him later.

Standing straight, Guren walks into the grounds and hides his emotions. He then cradle's Sakae's head and then carries it with the body using Noya's strength. The onlookers watch silently.

And thus, Guren becomes the head of the Ichinose family.

Chapter 2
Sakae's body is returned to Aichi, and his head is reattached prior to his burial. Guren dresses in his father's ceremonial kimono and greets the nine other family heads. Shinya, Goshi, and Mito also sneak in using their cursed gear to disable the alarms.

The Mikado no Oni is now using the cursed gear, and there are rumors saying they have injected the demon's poison into people on the streets.

In an attempt to cheer Guren up, Goshi brings Guren a porn mag and even manages to convince Mito that it is okay. Guren ignores him. When Guren asks if their houses allowed them to come, the Mito and Goshi side-step the question but say they are on holiday.

Shinya brings a brand-new game over to Guren.

They play games until 2 a.m., and Mito manages to trump everyone in the wrestling game. After playing so late, they fall asleep and all rest in the same room.

Noya chats inside Guren's heart, mentioning the demon already there and Guren's desire to not lose and to gain everything possible. He says he likes Guren the best and will be very happy if he becomes a demon. He says he must thank Mahiru.

Guren wakes up and steps outside under the moon, overwhelmed with a desire for revenge. (Note: It is unclear if he sees the demonic form of himself looking up at the moon or if he just feels very small himself.)

The funeral continues for two more days, and Makoto Narumi and Shusaku Iwasaki, whose families serve the Ichinose in Nagoya, approach Guren. Narumi cries and asks about their humiliating treatment. Guren tells him this is temporary. He says to follow him, and he will let them see what a proper future looks like. Shigure and Sayuri's fathers are relieved that Guren has not changed after living in Shibuya.

Guren leaves with Shinya, Mito, Goshi, Shigure, and Sayuri to return to Tokyo and attend a meeting of the higher-ups. Mito brings cards for poker.

Chapter 3
Guren reports to the Hīragi headquarters, but he is forced to wait an hour before being summoned. Tenri Hīragi orders Guren to kneel before him and says he forced Sakae to dance naked. Tenri brings up how Guren deceived Seishirō in volume 1 but says it is Seishirō's fault for being deceived. He says he does not care for weaklings, so it would not have mattered if Seishirō died. Tenri scolds Guren for the look in his eyes. Tenri then stomps on Guren's head until it bleeds. He eventually acknowledges him as the head of the Ichinose house and tells him to put in his best effort to maintain his subservient existence. The other heads laugh at him. Guren realizes Mahiru grew up in a place like this. He dismisses Guren.

Guren leaves, and Kureto is waiting outside for him. He joins up with Guren and asks him what happened and gives him a handkerchief to wipe away the blood. Guren ignores him. When Kureto offers to take him back to his apartment, Guren asks him what kind of strange wind is blowing today.

Guren wonders if Kureto despised his birth like Mahiru. He walks home on his own.

Shigure and Sayuri panic at the blood

Guren then walks in on Saitō lounging on his sofa. When Guren moves to attack him, Saitō brings Guren's aides to his attention. Sayuri and Shigure are bound in chains and unconscious in the corridor. Despite Saitō's threats, Guren cuts the chains on them and summons Noya. Saitō attacks him with chains, and they fight.

Guren tries to figure out who Saitō is. Saitō says he is an assassin from the Hyakuya Sect, but Guren says he betrayed them. Guren asks about Mikaela Shindo and Yuichiro Amane, which changes Saitō's expression.

The Seraph of the End is a sorcery weapon capable of mass destruction. It exceeds the cursed gear and can even bring about an Apocalypse. Guren recalls Mahiru's notes and prophecy. Saitō reveals that Seraph of the End is not a bioweapon but is actually punishment from the gods. Saitō says the arrogant and idiotic humans want to weaponize it and not use it in better ways. Saitō admits he has a better way of using it and invites Guren to join him and Mahiru.

Guren wonders what he has to sacrifice in order to become strong.

Curse marks appear on Guren's skin as he maximizes Noya's strength and requests that Saitō bring out his cursed gear as well. Saitō says he actually came empty-handed and says he could defeat Guren with his bare hands. Guren keeps attacking him but cannot hit Saitō at all. Saitō's movements are on a completely different level from when they fought before. Eventually, Saitō tricks Guren into cutting off Shigure's left arm.

Guren is on the verge of losing control, and Saitō presents both Sayuri and Shigure as meat shields.

Guren compares Saitō's ability's to Ferid's. Saitō says he is a human, but then contact lenses fall from his eyes and reveal red irises. He also has fangs. When Guren asks if he is a vampire, Saitō denies it and says he was a human thousands of years ago. For the third time, he requests Guren to join him.

Saitō reveals he was a second progenitor hundreds of years ago.

Saitō teases him a little and then warns him that he will regret not moving forward today. He says Guren greedily craves everything, so he will lose many things. When Guren asks if Saitō made Mahiro go mad, he says that she was crazy from the start. He says Mahiru only wants Guren and lives to build a future with him.

Guren puts Shigure's arm back at the cut and carries her to her pink room. He places her on the bed and puts the cursed gear weapon Shigure is contracted to on her chest to advance her healing. Guren tries to wake her up but is worried she will die from blood loss before the arm will completely reattach.

Guren calls Kureto, who orders Guren to take her to the lab. He sends a helicopter.

When Shinya calls, Guren says Shigure accidentally cut off her arm while attempting to chop up a radish. When Sayuri calls, Guren orders her to clean up the room coated in Shigure's blood.

Guren informs Kureto about Saitō. Kureto says he will investigate Saitō, and he reveals they have learned quite a bit of information thanks to Asuramaru. They successfully reattach Shigure's arm.

When Guren heads home, Seishirō attacks him with a group of ten soldiers, but Guren is simply relieved it is not a vampire. Seishirō orders Guren to kneel down, but Guren refuses. Seishirō picks a fight, and Guren finishes it. Shinya prevents Guren from landing the final blow. Shinya convinces Seishirō to leave Guren alone.

The usual group meets at Guren's apartment, sans Shigure, who is still being treated. Guren tells them what happened. Then, they eat curry and play more games. Mito owns them at Bomberman once again, and Guren marvels that she has surpassed the skills of a human.

Chapter 4
On December 2nd, Mahiru steps into Kyoto as a vampire sired by Krul Tepes. As a vampire, her vision and other senses are immensely improved, but her thirst for human blood makes her disregard those wonderful sensations. Saitō gives her a ring (armband?) he says will protect her from the sunlight. She attacks him with Shikama Dōji, but he is far too powerful for her. She reveals that he is the one who recommended Mahiru become a vampire, but he still refused to sire her. Saitō's objective appears to be the completion of the Seraph of the End, but even Mahiru knows no more than that. The other vampires would exterminate anyone involved with the Seraph of the End the moment they discovered it.

Once he leaves, she tears the ring and decides to research it and make one for herself to avoid being manipulated by Saitō.

Mahiru longs for Guren's blood. She knocks out a human woman and drinks her blood. She cannot restrain her thirst, and the woman dies. Each time she drinks blood, her pleasure from it increases. She notes that blood tastes different depending on the human's age and sex, and it turns bad once the human dies. She returns to Tokyo.

On December 10th, the high school students are using demons, and one goes berserk. Kureto sends Guren, Shinya, Goshi, Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure in to kill him, and Guren is the first to arrive. He comes across a classroom with twenty-seven corpses, and a girl missing an arm and leg comes out, chased by a boy with black eyes and curse markings all over his skin. Guren knocks him out instead of killing him.

Mahiru appears, applauding Guren's strength. She admits this is her doing and does not care about the victims. She asks about the experimentation on Asuramaru. Humans must undergo surgery in order to meet qualifications to use a Black Demon, but the current success rate is less than 20%. Most people die. Although Kureto, Shinya, and Guren had successful surgeries, Goshi, Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure did not even meet the basic criteria to have the surgery done.

Guren says he wants to protect both her and his friends. He asks her to surrender, so they can extract the demon from her. Guren has Noya possess him, and they fight. He now knows the strength of the demons and believes he can defeat Mahiru, but he has yet to realize she is now a vampire. The rest of the group arrives and fights her. Mahiru feigns surrender before passing Shikama Dōji to Guren. She instructs him to give it to Shinoa to protect her after the Apocalypse begins.

Guren notices a weak, red light gleaming in Mahiru's eyes too late. She beats him down and drinks his blood.

After telling Guren she loves him, she leaves.

On December 11th, Mito confesses her feelings to Guren, but he rejects her. They remain companions.

On December 12th, Kureto leads a group of 200 soldiers to destroy one of the Hyakuya Sect's research facilities. However, the vampires destroy them first. Lucal Wesker intercepts them with a group of vampires. He lets them go on a whim because he only drinks the blood of children and Kureto was wise enough to not attack.

Over the next ten days, the Hyakuya Sect is reportedly annihilated.

On December 23rd, Guren investigates the abandoned Hyakuya Orphanage in Shibuya, where Mikaela Shindo is supposed to reside. Although the reports say the children have been killed, it shows signs of recent habitation. He finds Mikaela's diary. Mika has shockingly nice handwriting for a child. The diary is last dated for December 8th and mentions moving to a new place. Guren reports this to Kureto, and Kureto says the information came from the Nii and Kuki family families, meaning they have become traitors.

Mahiru and the Nii family head arrive in front of Kureto with an army.

At 1 p.m., Guren takes Shikama Dōji to meet with Shinoa. The traitorous faction attacks them, but Guren kills them quickly and incidentally drenches Shinoa in their blood. Shinoa loses consciousness as soon as she touches Shikama Dōji, but Guren manages to escape with her.

Goshi calls Guren and reports that Guren's apartment was set on fire by the traitors. Their phone call is interrupted. Guren steals a motorcycle and escapes, but a van chases and crashes into him. Traitorous soldiers face him, but Shinya attacks with Byakkomaru while pulling up on another motorcycle. Goshi arrives in a stolen minivan with the rest of their squad and picks them up. He says policemen are still chasing them. They ask Guren what they should do about the end of the world.

Guren calls Mahiru and says he will betray the Hīragi and join her. She laughs.

Characters
List of characters in order of appearance: