Editing BlazBlue:Calamity Trigger Part 1 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

As evening gave way to night, darkness enveloped the surroundings. The rain that had fallen continuously the day before had stopped in the early hours of the morning, but the dark clouds covering the sky remained, blocking the light from above even after half a day had passed.

At the usual time, the streetlights attached to the poles illuminated the city of Kagutsuchi more brilliantly than usual, reflecting on the remnants of the rain that still lingered on the ground. Many would call it beautiful. But to Ragna, who had been hiding in a warehouse’s corner and healing his exhaustion through sleep, it was just a damp, dreary cityscape that left him unmoved.

As he stretched his stiff body from his hard bed, Ragna walked through the back alleys of the city, which was now completely dark. He didn't know what this area, with its port managed by the NOL, was called in Kagutsuchi. However, the orderly streets and the sophisticated design of the public facilities seemed to silently proclaim that they were under the direct jurisdiction of the Control Organization, and each thing he saw made him feel increasingly irritated and disgusted.

His expression hardened naturally, and his presence faded. When he saw a figure in an NOL uniform passing by on a side street connecting the main street and the alley, he turned into a darker alley to avoid being seen and let out an exasperated sigh.

Ragna hated the Novus Orbis Librarium.

No, it wasn't hatred. It was resentment. For many years now, Ragna had lived with an unwavering resentment towards the NOL.

Although he had been claiming the plausible reason that he was destroying cauldrons all over the world because the Boundary connected to the cauldrons was dangerous, the truth was that he was driven by his resentment and various other negative emotions towards the NOL.

While he didn't feel guilty about humiliating the guards who challenged him with blind loyalty, he wouldn't lie if he said he didn't feel a slight sense of satisfaction when the branches, which flaunted their prosperity, were destroyed in a miserable way.

However, the absurd thing was that no matter how many times he repeated such acts, Ragna's feelings didn't darken... and the things that the detestable organization had taken from him weren't returned.

And that, in turn, became a great source of frustration for Ragna, driving him to wield his sword.

(Even I think I'm doing something pointless.)

And if he were asked what else he would do, there was nothing more he could do. It would be fun to raid the headquarters, but he planned to do that after he had destroyed all the other cauldrons.

Ahead, he could see the NOL branch, which stood out white against the night's cloudy sky. Once he passed this point, his destination would not be far.

(If I arrive too early, a crowd of onlookers will gather, and that’ll just be a hassle...  I could have slept for another hour.) He muttered to himself and reached up to his neck, cracking it.

Suddenly, his feet stopped. 

With his neck still cracked, Ragna's gaze, filled with a slight sense of caution, fixed on the end of the road. In the very back of the quiet, dark alley, where streetlights were sparsely placed as if no one would ever pass through, stood a strange pair, looking at him. One was short, and the other was clearly taller than Ragna. A child and a woman.

But what was strange was that the tall woman's arms were unusually long, and she was in an unnatural posture with her arms hanging limply. And the shorter one, a boy wearing a hat like a silk hat, had an aura about him that was strangely dangerous for his age.

"Sorry, but can I pass through there?" Ragna asked, his voice deliberately calm, without any sign of tension. A strange, unsettling energy mingled with the air that had been purified by the seithr air purifiers. Ragna could feel it on his skin as he spoke.

In the white light, the boy bowed politely.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Carl Clover. And this is my older sister." He said, introducing himself politely with a friendly smile. He was a boy with a well-groomed appearance that suggested a wealthy upbringing. He had soft golden hair and bright blue eyes that seemed intelligent. The large round glasses on his fair-skinned face accentuated his youthful appearance.

However, the figure that Carl introduced as his sister was hardly similar to him. It was hard to believe they were related. It was clearly not human.

A metallic, female-shaped doll. That was the closest description for what Carl called his “sister”.

"Your sister? You mean..." Ragna frowned.

"Yes, I know." As if choosing his words carefully, Carl replied without the slightest change in his smile. "It’s complicated. As you can see, she's not in a human body right now, but my sister is definitely inside."

"Inside." The way Carl said it so casually sounded incredibly creepy to Ragna. And indeed, he had a feeling he was going to get a creepy answer, so he decided not to ask for more details. Though, to be honest, he wasn't that interested in the first place.

Ignoring Ragna's reaction, which was marked by disgust, Carl continued in a mature tone. "You are... Ragna the Bloodedge, right? The bounty hunter with the highest bounty in history that the NOL is looking for, commonly known as 'The Grim Reaper'."

The words, rattled off so smoothly, were a list of information that was far too dangerous for a boy of his age to utter. But knowing that meant his identity was limited.

"You're not a bounty hunter, are you?"

Even though the wanted poster was circulating throughout the city, it wasn't natural for a young boy to be aware of such details, especially if he was smiling while knowing he was talking to the wanted criminal.

Ragna lowered his waist slightly and naturally assumed a stance ready to draw his sword. Understanding the meaning of his gesture, Carl lowered his eyebrows and smiled wryly.

"Don't misunderstand me. We are indeed bounty hunters, but we didn't approach you just because we wanted the reward."

"Then what do you want? You're not here for small talk. I'm about to get busy, so I don't want to get involved in anything extra." Ragna glared at the pursuing boy, raising one eyebrow.

He was an uncomfortable person to be around. He looked like a polite young master who lived in this upper-class neighborhood, but the blue eyes behind his round glasses were unreadable. Right behind the boy, the tall, self-supporting doll, with a simple face like a mask, stared fixedly at Ragna. The silence of the expressionless face carried a cold sense of intimidation, making Ragna even more uncomfortable.

Carl lowered his eyebrows apologetically, but without hesitation, he stated directly, contrary to his hesitant expression.

"What I want is the grimoire you have." 

"...A grimoire?" A growl of caution sounded in Ragna's throat.

Carl nodded slightly. "The Azure Grimoire. You have it, don't you?"

Ragna had heard rumors that it was the most powerful grimoire. Was this boy also looking for him because of those rumors?

Ragna clenched his right hand into a tight fist. Carl didn't seem to realize that his right arm was the grimoire itself, and he paid no attention to Ragna’s subtle movements.

If this had been a normal child's playful banter, and if the strange doll hadn't been silently following behind him, he might have reacted differently. But since that wasn't the case, Ragna bared his teeth like fangs and said in a threatening voice.

"What if I do?"

"Give it to me." The boy said.

"Huh?"

"I said, give it to me. I really need that grimoire." Carl said, extending his hand as if he were certain Ragna would give it to him.

"Hey, listen..." Ragna scratched his head in irritation. "Are you stupid? Do you think I'm just going to hand over anything to a complete stranger who suddenly asks for it? If you want something, at least ask for something more childish." His exasperation was stronger than his anger, and he let out a heavy sigh. He couldn't deal with this. He had limited time, and he wasn't going to waste it on a child's nonsense.

"Forget it. Get out of the way." If he was going to force his way through, he might as well take a detour to the main street. Ragna tried to pass by Carl. His heavy red coat flapped, and his arm reached out to push aside Carl's small shoulder. Just before his gloved fingers touched the boy's purple cloak, there was a sound of air tearing apart.

"What!?" A sense of foreboding surged through him. Ragna quickly jumped backward. His feet slipped slightly on the wet ground as he landed. He supported himself with his hands and looked up.

The long arm of the doll that had been standing behind Carl was stuck in the ground where Ragna had just been standing. Realizing that it had missed its prey, the doll awkwardly pulled its arm out. A huge claw, lined up with the others, gleamed dully.

"Oh, he dodged it, sister." The boy sighed lightly, as if disappointed. His large blue eyes, seen through his round glasses, no longer hid his true nature. There was a naive killing intent in them. It was a pure, straightforward intent to kill, without any desire or malice.

Carl turned his small body towards Ragna and spread his arms as if to brace himself. In response, his sister also assumed a stance, clearly indicating her intention to fight. Without withdrawing his killing intent, Carl smiled as he had before.

"Ragna-san. Please, one more time. Give me the Azure Grimoire. Or else... I'll kill you." Carl's arm swept through the air. Then, the doll lunged forward like a spring-loaded mechanism. Its long arm stretched out straight towards Ragna. 

The lined-up claws were thick enough to crush a person's face with a single blow. And yet, the sharp wound on the ground where it had pierced earlier clearly showed that it was sharper than a blunt instrument.

Ragna quickly turned sideways to avoid the attack. The doll's arm pierced the air where Ragna had been, its length exceeding the distance it had traveled. As if realizing it had missed, the doll turned its head around to face him.

"What the hell is that thing!" Despite the obviously unnatural and dangerous atmosphere, when the doll turned towards him, Ragna instinctively felt a chill run down his spine. A doll that could move on its own and attack was incredibly creepy.

Ragna drew his sword from his waist and swung it upward diagonally at the doll. A dull sound of metal clashing echoed through the back alley. The sword strike was blocked by the doll's arm and deflected upwards. The other arm moved to take advantage of the opening.

"Damn it!" The impact of the heavy metal echoed. He forcibly pulled back his deflected sword and blocked the doll's claw, which was trying to pierce his torso, with the vertically held blade. "It's so heavy..."

Unlike the strength of human muscles, the doll's arm did not weaken with each breath, and instead, it pressed down on the sword as if trying to pierce it completely.

[[File:BB_CT1_169.jpg|frameless|right]]

If he kept this up, he’d eventually lose to her strength and become a stain on the wall.

"Raaaah!" Ragna roared and, with all his might, let go of the hilt with his right arm. His outstretched arm grabbed the doll's neck, which was as thin as any normal woman's. He pulled the doll's body forward forcefully. Kicking away its unsteady feet, he used the momentum to slam its body onto the ground.

Ragna's arm, which he had forcefully thrown, also had a weight that seemed inhuman. The doll, thrown violently, was embedded in the sturdy floor that supported the city, creating a deep crack.

"Sister, come back!" Carl called out loudly. As if pulled by an invisible thread, the doll returned from Ragna to Carl in its distorted posture. There, the doll regained its balance.

Ragna, who had been about to swing his sword for a follow-up attack, returned his blade to its original position and lowered his stance. Watching this, Carl smiled. In the boy's dangerous eyes, still filled with killing intent, there was a glimmer as if he had found something wonderful.

"That power... Aha, I see. It's your arm." With an insightfulness that was uncharacteristic of a child, he looked at Ragna's right arm. "That's the Azure Grimoire!"

This time, both the doll and Carl rushed towards Ragna. The doll closed the distance first. As it came before Ragna, it spun around and swung its arms like a crusher.

A streetlight caught in the sweep was broken in half and flew off, scattering sparks. He deflected the incoming arm with his sword and twisted his body to avoid it. The doll's blow was heavy, but its movements were not particularly agile.

He dodged the gust of wind. A small figure jumped out from under his feet, and Ragna reflexively kicked it away.

"Ouch!" Ragna's movements slowed for a moment at the child's sudden cry. But it wasn't enough to give him an opening. He kicked off the ground and retreated behind the broken streetlight.

Carl, who had been knocked against the building by Ragna's kick, was trying to pick himself up while holding his hat, which was about to fall off.

"Tch..." Ragna clicked his tongue in annoyance. This was troublesome. "I don't have time to toy with a kid. Go home before you get seriously hurt." He spoke loudly and firmly, and thrust his sword into the ground as a warning. The tip of the sword split the ground, creating a long, thin crack.

But the warning had no effect. Carl brushed off the dust that soiled his clothes and looked at Ragna with eyes that showed no sign of losing his fighting spirit.
"If you don't want to kill a child, give me the grimoire. I'll get it even if I die."

"You're talking nonsense... Damn it!" Ragna exclaimed, roughly scratching his head. He was irritated. He wasn’t good at explaining things to others in words. That was for church sisters, not someone like him. What he could do was simple.

Ragna gripped the hilt of the sword he had thrust into the ground. Baring his teeth like fangs, he glared at Carl with a fierce intent to strike.

"If you don't understand when I tell you, I'll make you understand!" No sooner had he said it than Ragna pulled the buried tip of the sword and swung it upward. Along with the pressure of the sword, a dark, shadowy wave was released. It was a blade of darkness.

The sinister black, which appeared from Ragna's right arm, swelled in one breath, taking the shape of a beast's fang, and tore through the air towards Carl.

"Shit!" Carl's expression contorted for a moment as the darkness instantly covered his vision. Just before the darkness enveloped the small body, the doll suddenly lunged in from the side and caught the shadow with its large hands.

"Sister!!" A voice more painful than before came from Carl's throat as the darkness, making a sound like it was sucking out a soul, gushed out from between the sharp claws and spread to engulf the doll. The darkness stretched wider, its fangs biting into the doll's hard skin. The black jaw seemed ready to shatter the doll's arm and slam both it and Carl into the wall behind them... at least it should have.

"What the..." It was Ragna who widened his eyes in astonishment. 

The doll's hands, which had so carelessly met the released darkness, had crushed it like a ball of paint. The remnants of the darkness, like charred embers, were swept away as the doll sprinted forward. The doll swung its heavy fist, and Ragna barely managed to avoid it by leaping to the left. But perhaps due to the shock of seeing his previous strike so easily crushed, his reaction was a moment too slow. The doll’s claw grazed Ragna’s side, leaving a shallow wound.

"Ugh! Aaaah!" As he drew his sword and landed in a defensive stance, Ragna involuntarily let out a muffled scream at the burning pain. He pressed his hand against the bleeding cheek. "What the hell is that thing!?"

The wound was shallow—just a graze, barely enough to make blood ooze out. And yet, for a moment, it felt as though his flesh had been torn apart.

The doll continued to thrust its arms forward. It was strange. The boy, Carl, was human, and this doll was nothing more than an artifact. Yet, he felt a killing intent from this doll that even surpassed the boy's.

He deflected the first blow of the claw and dodged the second by retreating.

(No, it's more like a sense of duty...)

Or perhaps a compulsion to destroy. To tear, to shatter, to destroy. That was all it seemed to do.

He saw Carl start to move again at the edge of his vision. Ragna clicked his tongue. He had managed to react in time before, but as a bounty hunter, even a child would be able to fight to some extent. He could probably defeat him one-on-one, but it was annoying to have to deal with the doll as well.

He had a big job to do. He wanted to avoid any more wear and tear.

“Dammit, this is a pain!” With a hiss, Ragna lowered his body to avoid the doll's arm, which was aimed straight at his head. He kicked off the ground and ran straight towards Carl.

Noticing Ragna's sudden approach, Carl braced himself and swung his arm. A large, hand-like mechanism, seemingly hidden somewhere, popped out and intercepted Ragna's slash. Immediately, the doll turned around. Carl took out another device and swung it. Ragna cut down the light blow with a forceful strike. There was a high-pitched metallic clang. The sound echoed, and Carl's hand followed suit. 

Without a moment's hesitation, Ragna turned and plunged his lowered blade into the boy's side. Carl's body folded at the hard boot. Before he could get into a proper stance, Ragna reached out and grabbed Carl's neck, just as he had done with the doll, and slammed him against the wall instead of throwing him. 

"Gah!" A choked sound escaped the boy's mouth. Immediately, Ragna turned his sword towards the rear. He blocked a blow from the doll that had come running to save its master. 

"Don't mess around. I won’t kill you if you don’t do anything unnecessary." Ragna said in a low, calm voice, despite his hostile actions. Whether the doll understood the words or if Carl had manipulated it, the doll stopped with its arm raised and then let it hang limply in front of its body. 

After confirming this with the corner of his eye, Ragna turned back to the captured Carl. "Listen. I don't know who told you what, but my grimoire... it doesn't grant any miracles." 

“Ugh... n-no... that’s a lie...” With his back pressed firmly against the cold wall and his body slightly raised from the ground, Carl looked up at Ragna with a pained expression. "The Azure Grimoire is connected to 'Azure', to the Gate of Sheol... The Azure Grimoire should be able to access the other side of the gate and make anything possible!" 

"Ugh..." Just when Ragna almost felt pity for the boy's foolish expectations, Carl jumped up and kicked him. At the same time, the doll, which had moved without warning from the scene, thrust forward. Ragna, who had instinctively blocked the kick, had to lean forward to avoid having his neck cut by the doll's claw. The doll's arm, which had thrust forward, passed over Ragna's head and caught Carl, pulling him close. 

Once again, Ragna found himself facing both Carl and the doll. But Carl, who was injured, was held in the doll's arms and bit his lip in frustration. 

"...I can't beat you now if I confront you head-on. I'll take my leave for today." 

Obeying Carl's words, the doll stepped back, its cold, feminine chest cradling the boy's small frame. 

"But I won't give up. I will definitely get the Azure Grimoire!" Carl declared, his gaze unwavering, not showing any signs of weakness. It wasn't fear of pursuit; he was asserting his unwavering, resolute will. “Let’s go, sister.”

Without nodding, the doll kept its gaze fixed on Ragna, and with a sudden, mechanical movement, it departed from the scene.


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