Attack!
That was the first thing Ciel realized.
She was being attacked by some entity.
However, if it could be called an attack, the [darkness] was far too massive. The part visible to Ciel's eyes alone spanned over a hundred meters. Its actual size was likely much larger.
With its enormous scale, it felt less like an attack and more like a simple forward movement.
Would someone care about the ants beneath their feet as they walked?
Obviously not, and this colossal [darkness] was no different.
Quickly calming herself from the shock of the attack, Ciel looked at Naoki, who was holding her. Just moments ago, when she was nearly crushed, Naoki had swiftly bound her with chains and pulled her back into his embrace.
"I was saved by you again, Naoki. I owe you one."
"So that's two now. Have you thought about how to repay me?" Naoki gave a slight smile. "But forget that for now—it seems we have one… no, two important guests arriving."
Carrying Ciel into the air, the true form of the [darkness] became clear to both of them.
It was a gigantic beast.
Over two hundred meters long, it could probably cover an entire street if it appeared in a city. Its form resembled both a black dog and a whale. Its black body was adorned with ornaments resembling church architecture, and its head was covered with numerous animal statues.
Demon—if one had to describe this massive creature, that word would fit perfectly. Though it wasn't a true demon, its appearance matched the image of a great demon humans might imagine.
Or perhaps, when humans saw this colossal beast, the first thing that would come to mind was [demon].
"Daemon of the Right Leg—King of the Land."
Naoki named the giant terrestrial beast.
"Its presence here means he has arrived, right?"
"Merem Solomon."
"——!"
The name from Naoki's lips made Ciel's brow twitch.
She knew the name Merem Solomon—or rather, it would be stranger if she didn't. After all, the person represented by that name was, like her, a specialized demon hunter under the Burial Agency. He was also, like the Forest of Einnashe, one of the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors.
Incidentally, he was a senior Ciel greatly disliked.
"Why is Merem here?"
"Probably to [retrieve]." Naoki said after a brief pause. "The Seventh Holy Scripture in your hands is a Church treasure. There's no way they'd let something like that stay outside. This might sound a bit like a conspiracy theory, but the Church may have planned this from the start."
After ensuring Ciel died in battle against the Forest of Einnashe, they would reclaim the Seventh Holy Scripture.
If Ciel didn't die, they'd deliver the final blow and take it.
After all, Ciel, who had lost her value, was no longer needed by the Burial Agency.
As Naoki finished speaking, an elderly-looking priest emerged from among the animal statues on the head of the Right Leg Demon. Whether he overheard Naoki and Ciel's conversation or not, he opened his mouth and smiled. "Quite surprising. I thought you were already dying, Ciel."
Daemon of the Left Arm—King of Rats.
Like the King of the Land, he was a special entity serving as Merem Solomon's hands and feet.
"Merem Solomon… as a fellow Burial Agency member, why are you attacking me? Give me an explanation."
Ciel asked firmly.
Though she already had some answers, if possible—
"Haven't you already figured it out? The gentleman beside you explained it quite clearly, didn't he?"
At this point, the old priest turned to Naoki and bowed deeply with respect. "Greetings, Mr. Natsukawa Naoki. I represent my master to extend greetings and respect to you."
"You know me."
"After all, you are the person closest to the Princess over the past 800 years. And now, you've become an existence akin to the Princess. My master is delighted—overjoyed, even—that the Princess has a friend for the first time. Likewise, he is deeply grateful that you've been her friend and taken good care of her all this time."
Merem was thanking him?
This was somewhat surprising to Naoki. Though he knew Merem had a connection with Arcueid, he hadn't expected to be noticed by him as well.
"No need for thanks. I've been helped by Arcueid plenty of times too. You could say, without her, I might've died three or four times already. I should be the one thanking her."
"You're too humble." the priest nodded with a smile. "If I may be so bold, could you hand over the person in your arms? As you suspected, we're here to retrieve her and the Seventh Holy Scripture. This is an internal Church matter. Please understand."
An internal Church matter?
Naoki sneered. "Hmm, hmm, I understand, I get your point. After all, everyone has their own position, right? I'm not one to make things difficult for others."
"Thank you very much, sir. Then—"
"But I'd like you to explain that kick aimed to crush Ciel earlier." Naoki said, slightly tightening his grip on Ciel's waist. "Don't tell me it was an accident, or I might [accidentally] do some unpleasant things myself."
The priest's expression stiffened slightly. "Sir… my master and I respect you. If possible, we don't wish to be your enemy."
"I don't want that either. So I'm just asking for an explanation. Explaining your actions—nothing wrong with that, right? Or can you not explain?"
"It's only natural, since you did it on purpose. Whatever."
The air around Naoki began to stir. Though standing atop the head of a giant beast nearly a hundred meters away, the King of Rats could feel the fierce wind approaching. A storm was coming. The King of Rats had that feeling.
"Do you really have to be our enemy, sir?"
"I don't mind." Naoki shrugged. "That question—you should ask Ciel. What will you do, Ciel?"
After a brief silence, Ciel sighed softly. "Answer me… was this an order from Narbareck? Merem Solomon, has the Church and the Burial Agency truly discarded and erased my name?"
"I'm truly sorry, Ciel. I'm so sorry."
The King of Rats' response made everything clear to Ciel. Taking a deep breath, she threw the bag in her hand toward the King of Rats. "This is what you're after, right? I'll return it to the Church. That should—"
"No can do." the King of Rats' regretful voice left Ciel's heart empty. "The order I received was to [retrieve the Seventh Holy Scripture and Ciel's body—if it's there]. Though you've lost your immortality, your body still has regenerative abilities. The Church is quite interested in that… After I've said this, you both understand, don't you?"
"That's exactly something the Church would do." Ciel sighed.
The Church had targeted her immortality multiple times. She had known for a long time that if Narbareck hadn't placed her in the Burial Agency, she would've become a test subject for the Church, forced to undergo various experiments.
If she couldn't die, any experiment could be conducted on her.
"Then, I—"
*BUZZ!*
Just as Ciel was about to say something, the space itself let out a rumbling sound, as if it couldn't bear it. As though being squeezed by something, the surrounding space distorted severely. An unmatched pressure followed.
The expressions of Ciel and the King of Rats froze instantly. The massive King of the Land also stood motionless, like a statue.
And the cause of their change, the reason the space became abnormal, was singular.
"Go back and tell the Church this."
A cold voice drifted from above.
"Behave, or I won't mind dropping this thing on the Vatican."
Bathed in the red moonlight, Naoki, with a red moon floating above his head, declared this with an emotionless expression.