Szilárd left me the keys, so I decided to stay in for a while. The apartment had everything. Even blood reserves.
These days, I could still taste food—but that was about it. Flavor? It stuck. But tasting the flavor stopped short of actual nourishment.
I needed blood. Constantly.
Most of the time, I got it from Suzuka and Haruka.
I stretched out on the couch and turned on the TV.
"The constitutional crisis in our country is deepening," the news anchor said. "After the president refused to nominate Magység leader Gábor LaVey as Prime Minister, the Constitutional Court has dissolved the Parliament.
Early elections, originally scheduled for November, have been moved forward to just two weeks from now.
The decision has stunned political analysts across the country, many of whom argue that organizing elections in such a short timeframe is practically impossible."
…Of course. LaVey playing chess master with the Holy Nail.
Let's face it—those devils can rebuild a city in minutes. Setting up elections in two weeks is a formality.
The EU will bark. Maybe even bite. Supernatural pantheons might poke their noses in.
But here's the problem.
Oblivion isn't the same outfit I ran into in Nagano.
They held their ground in the Székely War. They adapted. And even after Nagano, they already infiltrated the system—quietly.
Their Asian branch sits right where all of this started.
Taking that one down? Doable.
Central Europe?
Hungary?
That's basically their power base.
Even the Pannonia Order chose pragmatism, and they hate LaVey.
Three Factions? They won't move unless they have to. Not when it risks open war.
So yeah.
Alea iacta est.
The die is cast.
LaVey just took Hungary.
Unless I kill him before that election farce happens.
"Bazdmeg," I muttered.
On screen, the outgoing Prime Minister stood outside the Parliament in Budapest, barely holding it together.
"This is not normal political competition," he said, voice flat. "What we are witnessing is a coup."
A short pause.
"LaVey has hijacked the state institutions. We will not accept Hungary's future be bent to serve the ambition of a dangerous radical who offers nothing but irredentist fairytales that would lead our country to ruin."
His jaw tightened.
"I pledge to resist this. By every legal means available."
Another beat.
"And I'm urging every Hungarian watching this—don't hand them the country.
A vote for Fidesz is a vote to stop this madness."
Yeah. The man who captured Hungary's institutions crying about losing them.
As usual, politics are filled with hypocrisy.
The news anchor kept going, like she was twisting the knife deeper into the country's chest.
"Opinion polls place Fidesz at 42%, a sharp drop from the supermajority it once held.
Magység is rising fast to 25%, followed by MSZP at 18%, while Democratic Coalition barely clears the threshold at 6%.
However, figures vary widely between agencies."
Ah, yes. The usual.
Expect those numbers to keep dropping.
The whole thing is rigged in LaVey's favor.
My phone buzzed. I finally bothered to check it.
Haruka: "Oi, snow queen, did you evaporate or something? ️ You ghosted again Where even are you?"
Suzuka: "Kokonoe-kun… please answer when you can. We were starting to worry."
Yeah. We had a group chat—the three of us.
Probably should've named it Kokonoe & his girls, not gonna lie.
But that'd be underselling it.
They're not just some girls I keep around.
They chose to stay. Both of them.
I didn't ask for that.
But I'm not stupid enough to take it lightly either. They never asked me to choose or made it complicated. They just… accepted each other and the fact that I need them both.
I typed back:
Me: "Well, ladies… sorry for disappearing again. But the mess in Hungary doesn't exactly wait for your classes to be over. "
I sent them a few news links about the situation.
Silence followed.
They were reading.
Then my phone rang.
Azazel.
"Yo, Kokonoe," he said the moment I picked up. "Don't tell me you're already neck-deep in that Hungarian mess."
"You guessed it," I replied simply.
The Fallen Angel governor sighed on the other end, like this was just another headache he had no interest in dealing with.
"At this point, I don't even know if you enjoy getting yourself into trouble or if Eastern Europe just keeps dragging you back into it," he said. "Anyway, drop by the clubroom. Everyone's pretty worried."
"Worried? Yeah, lol, they had no reaction whatsoever when I said I was feeling like shit in class," I shot back.
"…Kid," he replied, tone flattening just a bit. "You understand social norms better than most. It's an unwritten rule in Japanese schools—don't disturb the peace unless you have to."
"Yeah, well, I'm used to loud Romanian classrooms that basically trained me to become a dropout," I muttered. "So cheers to that."
Azazel clicked his tongue lightly on the other end, like he was already tired of how the conversation was going.
"I should really stop letting you kids roam around Europe unsupervised…"
There was a brief pause on my end.
"I'm not one of your clueless little students in the ORC," I said flatly. "I've worked as an adult, I've seen more countries than most of them will in their entire lives—even before I got dragged into all this supernatural bullshit.
I respect your authority, Azazel… but I respect my independence more."
Azazel exhaled through the receiver, somewhere between amused and resigned.
"Yeah, yeah," he said. "Noted. Still doesn't change the fact you're all my problem the moment things blow up."
Then, like it was the most normal thing in the world:
"Get back to Kuoh. Your girlfriends are in the clubroom too."
…Yeah.
You've gotta be shitting me.
I groaned, already halfway done with this entire situation, and snapped a magic circle open while still holding the phone.
"Yeah, yeah… I'm coming," I muttered, and hung up.
I kept groaning all the way through the transition. Until I found myself in the Occult Research Clubroom of the Kuoh Academy.
And the whole pack was there.
Rias stood near the desk, arms crossed, eyes locking onto me immediately. Akeno gave her usual calm smile from the side, like she'd already accepted whatever disaster I was bringing in.
Koneko didn't move much—just a small tail flick, acknowledging me.
Kiba gave me a small wave with an awkward smile, while Sona stood composed near the side, glasses catching the light as she observed me like a problem she didn't want to formally document.
Hyoudou leaned forward instantly.
"…Man, you kinda scared everyone back there," he said. "You slammed the desk and just—left."
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I kinda get why, though… You ok, bro?"
Asia looked relieved the moment she saw me.
"Kokonoe-san… are you feeling better?" she asked quietly, already halfway out of her seat. "You looked really unwell earlier…"
I sighed.
"Could've been better, I guess. Thank you for your concern, though, much appreciated."
And then—
Haruka and Suzuka were already there.
Haruka was sitting comfortably on the couch watching me with a mix of bored amusement and slight exasperation.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up," she said lazily. "We were starting to think you got abducted by, like… European bureaucracy or something."
Suzuka sat beside her, hands folded. Her gaze shifted to me with quiet relief.
"You always move ahead of us," she said softly. "I guess… that hasn't changed."
I dropped onto the couch beside them and pulled both of them into my arms like I was claiming them then and there.
Haruka immediately grinned, stretching herself over Suzuka just to cup my cheek dramatically.
"Well, well~ someone missed us," she teased, way too pleased with herself.
Suzuka sighed softly beside me as she leaned her head against my chest, half-warm, half-exasperated.
"…You smell like cigarettes again," she murmured.
"And stress," Haruka added helpfully.
"Those usually come together."
I let my head fall back for a second, staring at the ceiling.
"I met Count Szilárd."
That got their attention properly.
"I'd say he's… more reasonable than most Romanian vampires," I continued with a tired exhale. "At least he understands survival matters more than whatever aristocratic psychosis half of them have going on."
Suzuka frowned slightly.
"That serious?"
"Yeah."
I rubbed my eyes briefly.
"The problem is the game's already rigged. Magység secured the parliament, and they've got enough influence over the Constitutional Court to set elections in two weeks," I said with a heavy sigh.
Silence settled over the room for a moment.
Then Azazel spoke from behind us.
"So what's your move, kid?"
…Right.
That made everyone look at me.
Not expectant.
More like they were psychologically bracing themselves for whatever mad bullshit I was about to spout next.
Honestly, fair enough.
I let out a long sigh.
"Well, first of all, I don't have some genius plan hidden in my ass," I muttered. "And realistically? Getting strong enough to kill LaVey in two weeks ain't happening. What will happen is that you get a terrorist state with supernatural backbone turning civilians into weapons and destabilizing the whole world."
Azazel slouched against the wall, arms crossed, looking more bored than anything.
"You're not wrong, you know," he said. "Most supernatural factions run on the idea that humans stay weak, stupid, and easy to sweep under the rug if shit hits the fan. LaVey's the first moron in ages trying to turn that into an actual industry. That's the kind of mess that kicks off wars even we can't just slap a band-aid on."
Then, because he's Azazel, he immediately killed the vibe.
"Also, kid? Maybe don't start open with 'I'm gonna nuke him into oblivion' in a diplomatic meeting."
I blinked.
"It got the point across."
"Yeah," he sighed. "That's the fucking problem."
I crossed my arms, a bitter laugh slipping through.
"Problem?," I laughed. "Yeah. How problematic, a loser who's powerless to act on his threats. Roses are red and the sky is blue."
The room stayed quiet for a few seconds after my little moment. Mostly because nobody seemed sure whether I was joking anymore.
…Fair.
I wasn't.
"Look," I muttered. "Realistically? We already lost the political game."
Azazel stopped smirking at that.
"LaVey's already inside the system. Parliament, courts, media, supernatural networks—hell, probably parts of the military too." I exhaled quietly. "And even if it hasn't infiltrated the military, he's got Oblivion. That's like comparing Hezbollah to the Lebanese army."
Nobody interrupted me.
"So at this point…" I paused, searching for the least horrible way to phrase it. "The only realistic option is letting him take power—then sabotaging him from the inside before Hungary becomes too dangerous to stop."
The words landed heavily.
But… I was realistic. There's no way I could actually beat LaVey in the state I was in.
I'm not a suicidal prick about to rush in to my death.
Sona's expression darkened behind her glasses. Rias looked visibly unsettled now, while Kiba stared at the ground like he already understood exactly what kind of path that implied.
Azazel just looked at me for a moment.
"…Kid," he said slowly, "you realize how insane that sounds, right?"
I shrugged.
"Yeah. But I'm Eastern European. We call that a Tuesday."
Nobody laughed.
Figures.
I leaned back into the couch, exhaustion creeping into my bones again.
"The Three Factions are probably gonna stay out of it," I continued flatly. "The moment official involvement happens, this escalates into international supernatural conflict. LaVey wants that."
Then I glanced sideways, to my company. It didn't bring me any joy saying it, but some things were necessary.
"And you two stay here."
Haruka blinked once.
Then immediately narrowed her eyes.
"…Excuse you?"
Suzuka lifted her head from my chest slowly.
"Kokonoe-kun, you don't get to make that decision alone," she said softly.
That tone alone already told me I was about to lose this argument. But this is my fight. It doesn't involve them.
"This started in Nagano," I said. "But Hungary's different. Shit's gonna turn ugly fast, can't have you dying for a country you're not bound to."
Haruka stared at me like I'd just said the dumbest thing ever.
"Oh? No shit, genius. You think we don't know that? We were there too, dumbass. We promised we'd crush Oblivion together. We promised we'd avenge Nagano. Did you forget already?"
Then, her voice dropped into something sweeter, gaze sharpening like a yandere. "You're not leaving me behind, Kokonoe-kun. Not happening~"
Suzuka's gaze didn't leave mine.
"This is not only your fight anymore, Kokonoe-kun," she said quietly. "Aika-chan died there."
…Right.
There it is.
"And Paris happened because of Oblivion too. So don't sit there and act like this has nothing to do with us."
I opened my mouth.
Haruka cut me off instantly.
"And honestly? You saying 'stay here' after everything we went through together is kinda insulting."
"Haruka—"
"No." She frowned at me properly now. "You don't get to go full self-sacrificial Balkan dictator on us and expect us to just wave goodbye like good little girls."
"…That's a very specific insult."
"Because you're a very specific headache."
Suzuka let out the faintest sigh beside me.
"We're coming with you," she said simply. "Whether you like it or not."
You've got to be fucking kidding me. I'm doing this for you most of all. Did you already forget what happened in Brașov?
How badly you got hurt? How the fuck do you think that made me feel?
I clenched my jaw, but before I could answer, Rias finally spoke.
"I can't intervene directly without my brother's approval," she said, her voice carrying clear frustration. "The Underworld is prioritizing caution right now. And Onii-sama doesn't want to risk open escalation unless LaVey directly attacks the Three Factions first."
…Yeah. Sounds about right for Sirzechs.
"But," Rias continued firmly, her blue eyes locking onto mine, "that doesn't mean I'll just sit back and do nothing. I can provide logistical support—transportation, safehouses, secure communication lines. Anything within my authority as a High-class Devil."
Akeno smiled elegantly beside her, one finger lightly touching her cheek.
"Ara ara~ Hungary is quite noisy these days, isn't it? I can help gather information."
Kiba gave a calm, polite nod.
"If you need swords at your side, I'll assist however I can."
Xenovia crossed her arms, looking straightforward as ever.
"If it comes down to battle, I'll fight with everything I have."
Irina immediately raised her hand with energetic enthusiasm.
"I'll help too! Leave it to me!"
Asia looked anxious but still nodded with quiet determination.
"I… I'll do my best as well…"
Gasper peeked out from behind his box, voice small and hesitant.
"I-I can provide support from the rear…"
Sona adjusted her glasses with a composed motion, her expression serious and analytical.
"You're approaching this far too emotionally," she stated matter-of-factly.
I blinked.
"…Excuse me?"
"You're framing this as a solo infiltration mission," she continued, voice steady and precise. "But LaVey is constructing a political apparatus, not just a military force. If you're going to act, you need proper intelligence networks, counter-propaganda measures, secure routes, redundancies, and detailed contingency plans."
She pushed her glasses up slightly.
"Improvising against a state-level organization is a fast way to get yourself killed."
I stared at her for a second.
"…You know, President, that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
Sona sighed through her nose.
"That was not a compliment."
"Still counts."
Then Hyoudou leaned forward awkwardly from the other side of the room.
"…Man," he muttered, scratching his cheek, "I don't really get all the political crap."
Yeah. Of course you don't.
"But if you're seriously planning to walk into enemy territory by yourself…" He frowned. "That's seriously stupid, dude."
I stared at him flatly.
"Wow. Very insightful."
"I'm serious!" Hyoudou protested, raising his voice a bit. "Every time you try to handle everything alone, you come back half-dead! We're your friends, you know? So obviously we're gonna help!"
Silence fell over the room.
A small shift beside me. Koneko moved closer before I noticed.
"…I agree with Ise-senpai," she said quietly, her voice almost monotone. Her small hand caught the sleeve of my uniform. "You live with us now. So don't act like you're alone."
…Damn it. That one actually landed.
Azazel watched the whole scene with a lazy grin before sighing.
"You hearing this, kid?" he drawled, sounding amused. "For once, everyone in this room is making sense except you. Just give it up already."
I let my head fall back against the couch and groaned.
God, this is exhausting.
Memories from way back flashed through my head — Mom trying to talk sense into Dad, and him brushing her off with a beer in his hand, insulting her for even trying. I clenched my teeth and rubbed my face hard, forcing the image away.
Fuck.
"…Fine. We'll do it your way. Happy now?"
"A little," Suzuka admitted softly.
And right as I said that—
My phone rang.
A Hungarian number.
Bencze.
The second I picked up, his voice came through sharp and out of breath.
"Mihály. Hol vagy?"
I shot up to my feet, standing straight.
"…Kuoh. What happened?"
"The castle is under attack."
The entire room went dead silent.
Bencze kept going, voice tight and urgent.
"Oblivion found us. You fought them before. Szilárd knows it. I know it. We need you here."
I sighed.
"I'm coming," I said, missing no beat.
"Good. Don't take too long."
The line went dead.
They kept staring at me, all of them. What was I even supposed to say?
"Yeah, I'm totally a fan of going in circles from Japan to Europe," I said, sighing heavily. "The vampire castle in Gyor is being attacked by Oblivion."
Silence hit the room.
Sona adjusted her glasses, eyes narrowing.
"So LaVey moved faster than expected," she muttered.
"Or they were already in position before the government fell," Azazel said, clicking his tongue under his breath.
Hyoudou blinked.
"Wait, hold on—castle? Like, actual vampire castle?"
"Citadel," I corrected automatically. "Hungarian vampires modernized. Only Romanians still roleplay Castlevania."
"…That explains nothing," he muttered.
Kiba's expression lost some of its usual calm.
"If they're attacking now," he said carefully, "then this isn't political pressure anymore."
"No," I replied flatly. "It's consolidation."
Haruka exhaled sharply through her nose, already standing.
"Well. Guess we're doing this."
Suzuka rose more quietly beside her.
"…When do we leave?"
I stared at both of them for a second, then grabbed their shoulders as softly as I could, yanking them forward.
"Now," I said with a groan, already regretting my life choices as I spawned a teleportation cycle, still holding onto them.
I turned to look at my clubmates for the last time.
"If you want to come help, you could. We sorta need every hand we could get. My own aid of the ORC and Student Council's future operations might depend on it. We could either help each other where it matters, or we can go our separate ways."
With that, the three of us disappeared into the cycle.
____________________________________________________________________________
[Gyor, Hungary]
Great, I haven't been here in a couple of hours. By the time we made it back, the sun was already long gone. Győr was burning.
Szilárd had made one thing very clear to me before: the area around the Bishop's Castle was packed with vampires. The Bishop's Castle—once a Christian stronghold—had long since become the center of vampire authority in Hungary.
Pannonia Order's own headquarters.
Outside that district, though, things were still mostly normal. Panelház blocks, residential streets, the outer neighborhoods — humans were still the vast majority there.
And here's the fun part: this is LaVey's hometown.
So yeah, I can totally see why the moment he became a devil, "purging" the city of vampires turned into one of his personal obsessions.
And to some extent… I get it.
In Romania, vampires really are a plague. A literal bloodsucking one, leeching off one of the most brainwashed populations in Eastern Europe.
But we're not in Romania.
The former Burnt City stretched out below us under the night sky, reeking of smoke, dust, and burning concrete. The Rába River kept flowing toward the Danube like the place wasn't being torn apart.
Above the rooftops, the fighting had already spilled into the air. Devils with artificial demonic power and Oblivion insignias swarmed the sky, while Hungarian vampires met them head-on. Magic and blood clashing over Győr.
Haruka stared up at the burning skyline for a moment.
"…Well," she deadpanned. "This city looks completely fucked."
Suzuka's eyes lingered on the smoke drifting above the castle district.
"…It feels worse than Nagano," she said quietly.
Honestly, Brasov was already worse than Nagano. And yeah, the bar just keeps getting higher.
Before I could say anything, Bencze appeared in front of me. He wasn't alone — a girl around his age stood next to him. Dark brown hair, sharp greenish-hazel eyes, features that Hungarians somehow keep rolling genetically like it's a national trait.
Nah, no fawning over other guys' women.
Nah. Not checking out another guy's girl.
Bencze glanced at Haruka and Suzuka, raised an eyebrow, then looked back at me.
Yeah. We both just sized up each other's women. Classic European shit.
"You came onto a full warzone, tesó. "LaVey already controls Budapest, but Győr is his real home turf. And he wants it bad."
"Then, we gotta make sure he doesn't get it," I sighed, already tired of this shit.
I summoned Nelu with a flick of my hand. The massive Freezing Archaeopteryx let out a piercing cry and shot into the night sky. I didn't mount him — not yet. Instead, I ordered him to rain blizzards down on Oblivion's advancing lines from above while I wrapped myself in thick mist, Icecalibur already forming in my grip.
Beside me, Haruka grinned wildly, her blue hair turning white as the temperature around her dropped.
"Time to play~" she purred, eyes glowing with violent excitement. She laughed a little, borderline psychotic, before her hand shot forward, detonating a violent blizzard that flash-froze a whole squad of Oblivion devils mid-air. Their bodies shattered like glass against the rooftops.
I felt a chill going down my spine. Good thing she's on my side.
Then, Suzuka stepped forward gracefully, long sleeves fluttering as the air itself bent to her will. She took a breath and let out a blast of sharp wind that tore through the enemy lines like blades, taking off limbs and slamming devils into the surrounding buildings.
Bencze flashed his fangs, his eyes glowing red. "Let's go, teso," he said. He lunged forward in a blur, his claws out, shredding two devils in a spray of blood. His girlfriend kept pace right next to him like a moving shadow. She disappeared into mist, before re-emerging behind the enemy to rip out a throat.
The real fight was just getting started.
And somewhere in the distance, above the burning rooftops of Győr, I could already feel something far worse watching us.