Death Carries a Cane (Passi di danza su una lama di rasoio)

Ren!

I need to talk to you—

What's wrong, Ayase-san?

Rea-senpai.

Have you seen Ren?

No.

Why?

It just feels like he's avoiding me...

This morning, he left without talking to me.

Did you have a fight?

Or any other reason?

Actually, nothing I can think of.

Lately, my memories have been all fuzzy.

What?

That makes zero sense.

That's what I wanted to talk to him about,

but I can't find him!

Jeez!

Where did you go, Ren?!

You look like you're in pain.

Are you avoiding Ayase-san?

Well, that is the right move.

Right now, you're dangerous.

Shut up.

If you don't need anything, leave.

Otherwise...

Or you'll what?

Kill me?

But you can't do that yet.

You can't even shake me off now, can you?

If you want to try,

come here once more, tonight.

I'll teach you all kinds of things.

About how to use this.

Spider

And that's how it happened...

The stage is finally set.

But actually, that is all that's happened.

I believe there are still things to worry about.

Specifically...

The war Lord Heydrich seeks must not be half-hearted.

That's what you want to say, isn't it?

The death of lesser beings will not take you to Valhalla.

The enemy must be strong, a symbol of our glory.

Yes.

And so, let us take one more step,

for the benefit of Lord Heydrich.

As our master's stand-in,

I order you all...

Sometimes, war involves strengthening the enemy.

And that is the situation.

I've been ordered to make you a little more useful.

Some were opposed to it,

but I was not.

So I was given the job.

We are the same age, too.

Which means that I can be kindest to you.

What?

I'm not as old as the others.

I think we'll find we have much in common.

Yeah, right...

Didn't you say you're after a war?

Yes, but currently, things are like this.

Don't be so jumpy around me.

If you want to fight soon,

get stronger.

Got it?

First, let us start with the very basics.

Who are we?

I said this before,

but it all started with one mage.

Karl Krafft. Mercurius.

During World War II,

soldiers and criminals gained power, with his help.

Including him, thirteen in all.

The Longinus Dreizehn Orden black round table.

That is who we are.

But several of us are dead or gone,

so some have been replaced, and some seats are unfilled.

I took the place of the fifth about a decade ago.

Just like the others, I have a wish that I want to come true.

Did anyone tell you about that?

Yeah, but not the details.

Then I won't tell you, either.

It's private.

I can tell you that, basically, we're a bunch of losers.

We were a bizarre group, to begin with.

So if we want our wishes granted,

we must make it happen in a bizarre way.

And that's a war?

Yes, and a war needs an opponent, doesn't it?

Krafft...

He is the second most important of us,

and he says he will prepare the right opponent in the right place, at the right time.

We are to fight him, defeat him, and make our dreams come true.

In other words, we are supposed to defeat you!

That makes no sense.

What the hell are you talking about?

I have no idea who you people are.

Or who this Mercurius guy is.

But right now, the situation is that everyone is after you.

If you dislike it, complain to Krafft.

All the veterans dislike him.

I've heard he's pretty nasty.

No, not just him.

Since the last great war, several among the higher ranks have disappeared.

Krafft is one of them.

So I don't know much about them,

but I've heard they're all monsters.

And that, if the war proceeds, they will return.

In other words,

the guys at the bottom of the totem pole must satisfy the important ones?

Yes.

Otherwise, my wish won't come true.

The magic that Krafft gave us allows us to contract

with a special weapon to gain its power.

These weapons are called relics.

Most of them are actually cursed.

So they eat human souls,

which makes us stronger and harder to kill.

If we kill a hundred, we gain the lives of a hundred,

and can do a hundred times more than a human can.

That is why you couldn't lay a finger on Bey.

Obviously, kicking and punching have no effect,

but neither do bombs or guns.

He has killed so many and become so strong.

Now, you are just like him, too.

You have a weapon that turns souls into power.

But you are still a beginner.

Since it's a spell,

the more experienced you are with it, the more you can do.

Creation Formation Activity

The lowest level is activity.

Then, formation.

Then, creation.

Creation

And the highest level has never been reached,

so we don't know what it is.

Formation Activity

But right now, you are at the activity level.

At that stage,

with a thought, you can activate your relic's capabilities.

For example, a blade can fire invisible slashes.

That may sound convenient, but this stage is unstable.

Since you haven't mastered your relic,

the power is low, but it's easy to lose control.

Thus, at a minimum, you need to reach the formation level.

There, you can give your relic physical form and turn it into a weapon.

If you cannot do it, you won't stand a chance, Fujii-kun.

And so, try for that first.

I will teach you the basics.

I finally caught you!

Where the hell have you been?!

Listen, I don't know what happened,

but lately, you've been weird.

You sealed the hole in the room.

I mean, I know I might have done some things I shouldn't have...

But unless you tell me, I won't know what's going on!

Have I done something to make you avoid me?

Oh, my!

What's wrong, you two?