BlazBlue:Spiral Shift - Hyokujin no Eiyu Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Human of the Kisaragi Family / Distorted recognition
Part 1
Should it be called a wasteland or a ruin?
It was just a place that had fallen apart.
The dry land, with deep lacerations running through it, was cluttered with scattered debris. From the extent of the damage and the apparent robustness of the rubble, it was clear that there had been a structure of some size here.
But not anymore. At least not on the ground, which was cracked, unnaturally raised, and burnt in many places.
Everything that used to be here exploded and blew away in an accident four years ago. And... as at his feet, it turned into an atrocious group of rubble.
“...It's awful."
Looking at the area from the top of the largest rubble, he -Jin-Kisaragi- muttered bitterly.
He was a well-featured young man with silky blond hair and bright green eyes. His lifted eyes gave a sense of calmness and intelligence, but now there was a deep melancholy in them.
He had heard a lot about this place many times, mostly in his classes at the military academy he attended until last year.
This place is Ibukido.
Four years ago, a research facility located here was destroyed in an explosion of unknown cause. The accident, which engulfed a wide area, was so horrific that only one girl was recorded to have survived.
And with that accident, the civil war intensified.
The Ikaruga Civil War. It's a civil war that has been going on for four years and is still going on.
Sighing bitterly, Jin jumped quietly from the top of the rubble to the ground. A cloud of dust danced under his boots, and his blue jacket fluttered loudly.
He was wearing the uniform of a guard of the "Novus Orbis Librarium" to which he belongs. Jin is a member of the 4th Division of the Novus Orbis Librarium, commonly known as the Librarium.
Originally, he came to this land — to Ikaruga’s territory, including Ibukido, to fight in a war.
Of course, it was the Ikaruga Civil War. In spite of the warm-hearted measures taken to grant them special autonomy while still under the control of the Librarium, the rebellious Ikaruga Federation, which suddenly betrayed the Librarium and started a civil war, must be suppressed.
But before that, Jin left the battlefield and came to this place alone...
(I felt... like I was being called...)
To someone. Something. He didn't hear a clear voice or receive a physical message, but he couldn't help but feel that way.
He had to come here.
This place must mean something very important to him.
He thought there must be a reason why he felt this way and thought he would understand it when visiting it, but he was wrong.
“...At least it doesn't look like that they are the ones who called me."
Jin's mutterings were mixed in with the thirsty cloud of dust and washed away.
Jin's bright green eyes suddenly sharpened as he slid his gaze to follow the destination of the wind. The area around him was simply quiet, but he had already noticed that there were countless signs lurking within.
In the shadows of the rubble jutting out of the ground, in the shallow cliff-like terrain created by the cracking of the earth, and in the fissures running deep. Soldiers holding weapons lied dormant.
There were about thirty of them. Everyone was tense and paying attention to the direction of Jin, but for some reason or other, they didn't seem to be attacking even when Jin turned his back on them.
Jin wondered if they are soldiers of the Ikaruga Federation, but this is a long way from the battlefield. It was just a coincidence that he had stopped by here.
Does this mean that even such a sudden decision has been leaked to the outside world? If so, there is a possibility that a serious information leak has occurred.
With this in mind, Jin's nerves were on edge.
A heavy thud occurred, and the pile of rubble collapsed.
As if he had been hit by a bullet, Jin turned around and reached for the sword in its blue scabbard that he carried. He lowered himself and prepared to pull it out at any time.
Another piece of rubble fell out from under his gaze and a thick, red arm grew out from underneath it.
Then came the head, followed by a thick, broad, and strong body.
The thing that came out from under the rubble was like a puppet. If it had to be classified by gender, it would be a man, but the figure was a little too large to be human.
He was tall enough to look up at, with a stout body that would have been impossible for Jin's arms to carry, like a boulder.
His skin color was red, as was apparent from the log-like arms that were stretched out from the tight clothing and the head, which is the only part that felt human.
A huge man with red skin. His appearance was widely known within the Librarium. He was a cyborg soldier who belongs to an organization called Sector Seven, which has been active in resisting the Librarium for many years. Also known as…
"The Red Devil of Sector Seven, isn’t it?"
Jin, who put himself on guard, looked at the red-skinned man who appeared in front of him.
The man did not confirm or deny. He just stared at Jin and pushed up his sunglasses, which were small for the size of his face, with his fat thick fingers.
"You didn’t run nor hide, instead brazenly stood your place. Are you so confident in your skills or are you just a fool who doesn't know how to fight?"
"Answer the question."
The discourteous insult was unpleasant but unconcerned, Jin glared sharply at his opponent.
The giant man sighed and nodded with a slight movement as he stared back at the cold gaze.
“...You're right. It seems you know who you are dealing with. Are you a new recruit? If you run away, I will overlook it. Don't take your life for granted."
The red devil talked as if he cared, then abruptly cut off his words.
The sunglasses he wore were opaque, so it was hard to see what he was looking at underneath them, but his gaze was clearly focused on the sword Jin was holding.
“This is ...... no way."
The deep voice of the red devil threateningly darkened. This was enough for Jin to understand what the cyborg had sensed.
He knew. He knew what kind of sword Jin was holding.
It was in an unadorned ice-blue scabbard.
“A Nox Nyctores…”
Jin sniffed curtly at the low muttered words of the red devil.
Nox Nyctores (Arch-Enemy).
About a hundred years ago, there was a plague that threatened to destroy the entire human race. Its name was "The Black Beast".
The Nox Nyctores (Arch-Enemies) were legendary weapons that were developed to fight and exorcise the evil, and they succeeded in defeating it.
Jin's sword is one of them. It is the Nox Nyctores "Mucro Algesco: Yukianesa".
The monologue of the red devil was not a question. Therefore, Jin did not answer.
Instead of answering, the air around Jin cooled down. The presence of Yukianesa, which manipulates ice and cold air, quietly dominated the place.
“Let's hear your name. Recruit."
It was a modest movement, but the red devil readied himself for battle.
The edge of Jin's mouth lifted slightly.
"Jin=Kisaragi."
That one word sparked the fight.
They moved almost simultaneously. Jin, however, was clearly more nimble. He kicked the earth hard, stepped forward deeply and at the same time swung his sword swiftly.
The sword in the scabbard sharply tore the sky. The pale blue scabbard split the red demon's forehead with such force that it seemed as if the blade was right there, at least it should have done that, but sparks scattered about just before it did.
“What!?”
He may not have been able to catch up with Jin in terms of speed, but he probably knew what he was going to do. With the stiff arm he had lifted and the metal parts attached to it, the red devil had narrowly escaped Jin's blow.
Jin let out a frustrated voice and jumped back. However, his body was suddenly pulled forward strongly.
It was the red devil who pulled him. The discharge from the device on his arm caught Jin like a lump of iron attracted by a powerful magnet.
As soon as the red devil raised his arm, Jin, who was caught in the discharge, was easily lifted into the air. In a single breath, from that high position, he was slammed into the dry ground.
"Ugh..."
Jin moaned lowly as he was hit in the back without a shred of mercy.
A fist immediately followed, raining down like a rock, but he wasn't going to take it that quietly. Jin quickly rolled backward and pulled himself up.
The red devil's fist cracked the ground, grazing his fluttering blonde hair.
It was a tremendous force. If he had been hit properly, the bones of Jin's entire body would have been shattered.
Without a moment’s delay, Jin ducked under the red arm that looked like a big tree as it was brandished at him, then approached the red devil’s chest, this time he slashed up from a low position and struck with his scabbard.
A dull response. The tip of the scabbard stroke the jaw of the red devil. Then, the silver hilt chased after the red devil, who turned away. With a single strike of the handle against his temple, the red devil's head shook greatly.
However, he couldn’t push back the red devil’s legs even for one step.
With the momentum of his wavering body pulling back, the red devil tackled him with his strong body.
Jin jumped. He used the red devil's shoulder as a springboard to escape to the other side. A sense of pressure loomed on his back.
Reflexively, Jin swung his sword.
As he looked back, the blow luckily collided head-on with the red devil's fist.
The impact was numbing to Jin's arm.
It may have caused some damage to his opponent as well. The red devil's face twisted into a grim expression.
Jin rushed in and continued to attack. The red devil's power was immeasurable. That’s why Jin should not give him time to attack.
However, the red devil, despite being on the defensive, did not allow a decisive blow. Each time Jin's sword and the red devil's metal parts collided, a high-pitched metallic sound echoed loudly.
None of the soldiers who had surrounded them made any move. They couldn't move. If they got involved untactfully, they would die. That was the level of the battle that was unfolding in front of them.
In the midst of the repeated slashes, the red demon unexpectedly moved. However, it was not a counterattack. He was holding his other hand to his ear and muttering to himself as he took in the constant stream of attacks.
“The preparations? ...then now, please.”
That was what Jin heard him say.
As if to interrupt his low, grating soliloquy. He drove in a remarkable strike, and using the recoil from the hit, Jin leaped backward, then he put his gloved hands on the hilt of his Yukianesa.
“You have a lot of time on your hands. Who are you talking to?"
“That's none of your business.”
The red devil replied to Jin's blade-cold question without moving his expression in the slightest. He then puts his fingertips to his ear and turned his attention to it for a moment.
Jin aimed for that moment.
"Certainly not."
That was the end.
Declared Jin, as he tried to pull out his Nox Nyctores: “Mucro Algesco: Yukianesa”.
But before he could, he saw the red devil nodding lightly towards the empty space.
"Yeah, no problem. Just do it."
The words, which he could hear much more clearly than before, were obviously directed at someone else.
Jin gasped. It was a communication.
He pulled the handle and ran the scabbard over the blade, but the red devil was in the lead. Without a minute's hesitation, he raised his fist overhead and the red devil slammed it down at his feet.
The ground shattered and burst open with the cloud of dust that whirled up became a screen that momentarily obscured the figure of the red devil. As he was hit head-on by the blowing dust, Jin couldn't help but protect himself with both arms.
"Wait, red devil!"
He was going to run. He understood just that.
But when Jin swung his sword through the dust, the red-skinned giant was already gone.
Part 2
Through the large window, the orange sunlight of the dusk streamed into the room.
The walls were white, and painted with several gold symbols that looked like wings spread out. The floor was a deep blue, covered with a red carpet and intertwined with golden thread embroidery.
The room was clean and tidy, without a speck of dust.
At the back of the room, Jin-Kisaragi was standing in front of a large desk.
This was a room in the Yabiko branch of the Novus Orbis Librarium.
The Yabiko branch was located in the territory of the Ikaruga Federation, which is currently in the midst of a civil war, but it still functions as a branch of the Librarium, and because of its security, it has become the general command center for the civil war zone.
Although it was originally a large branch, it was smaller in scale and had fewer guards than the headquarters of the Librarium. However, morale was high and above all, the branch was very well organized. On top of that, despite the chaos of the civil war, it was managed in a very rational manner.
Colonel Kagura=Mutski was in charge of this branch.
As for the Ikaruga Civil War, He was the commander-in-chief of the Librarium Guard Battalion, and like Jin, he was a member of the Duodecim. He was also the current head of the Mutsuki family, the first of the Duodecim families. Moreover, he was the man who sat in a chair at the back of the room in front of Jin’s eyes with his arms folded and a sullen look on his face
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“Good grief... As soon as you came here, you did something this flashy.”
He shook his head in dismay and sighed loudly.
Black hair, deep purple eyes, a fearless face and a somewhat frivolous atmosphere. That was the impression of this man at first glance.
However, underneath the rough clothes he wore, the robustness of his body could be seen and his crossed arms were much tighter than they appeared. It was a body that had been built through actual battles, which could not have been acquired through training in a well-organized environment, much less by living as frivolously as he appeared.
Jin looked back at Kagura with an almost irreverent calmness as he stood between him and a large office desk with a red ornamental cloth hanging from it.
"I didn't mean to cause a scene. I was just stopping by and happened to run into the red devil."
“That's what problem is what I'm saying."
It was not Kagura, but a slender young man standing beside him, who replied to Jin's words with a stinging tone.
While Kagura's collar was wide open, this one had it tightly closed up to the topmost clasp, giving him a serious and sturdy look. His fine black hair, which suited his thin face, and his gray-black eyes, which were only mildly colored, created a neutral impression.
His name was Hibiki=Kohaku. He was often underestimated for his appearance due to his boyish voice, but over the past few years, he has been supporting, disciplining, and scolding Kagura, who tends to have a disorderly personal life together his skills have certainly gained recognition from those around him.
Hibiki's narrow eyebrows furrowed in discomfort as he continued to advise Jin.
"Lieutenant Kisaragi. Your actions have been nothing short of rash. We are in the middle of a civil war and you have been assigned to a war zone. One person's selfish act may cause an unexpected situation, and someone may lose their life because of it. I ask you to understand that very well."
"...I know that much."
"You don't understand!"
Hibiki’s words flamed Jin’s answer with a flat denial.
Jin looked at Hibiki, somewhat annoyed. Crossing his gaze, Kagura rose from his chair and walked over to the desk.
"Ah, don't get so worked up, Hibiki."
"But, Lord Kagura!"
"...Just for now."
Kagura waved his hand briefly at Hibiki, whose eye corners were lifted to ease the strength of his voice and then turned to Jin. Immediately after, Kagura's expression disappeared for a moment to which his fist struck Jin on the cheek.
There was no mercy in the dull sound.
Jin's head was shaken by the impact, but he kept frowning at the same angle without change. The edge of his lips was cut and something red oozed.
Hibiki looked slightly upset.
