"The Forbidden Zone (Part 1)" "Found it! Found it!" Leaving the rooftop, Aoki aimlessly strolled the school hallway when he heard a hurried
"The Forbidden Zone (Part 1)"
"Found it! Found it!"
Leaving the rooftop, Aoki aimlessly strolled the school hallway when he heard a hurried voice. Turning, he saw two students he'd never met before.
If Yūichirō Hyakuya were present, he'd recognize them as two of the three students who'd bullied Yoichi Saotome.
However, they lacked their previous arrogance.
"Aoki-senpai! Aoki-senpai! I'm Yamanaka, Yamanaka Satoshi, the one you saved from the vampire! Do you remember me?"
One of them, identifying himself as Yamanaka Satoshi, approached Aoki.
"Senpai?" Aoki was puzzled by Yamanaka Satoshi's apparent admiration. "Have I met you before?"
"What?! No way! Senpai, you saw us yesterday! We were in that classroom when you dealt with the vampire!" Yamanaka Satoshi's voice rose in urgency.
Aoki finally remembered.
Besides Yūichirō Hyakuya and the girl he'd saved, there had been others in the classroom. But he hadn't paid them any mind; saving them had been incidental, so he hadn't memorized their faces.
"If you're here to thank me, don't bother.
Saving you was incidental." Waving them off, Aoki turned to leave.
Yamanaka Satoshi stopped him, pleading, "Senpai, we're here to thank you, and also… our friend, Yūji… he went into the Forbidden Zone and never came back. We've searched everywhere."
"Forbidden Zone?" Aoki was intrigued by this unmentioned, mysterious place.
"Yes, the Forbidden Zone. We tried asking Yoichi Saotome for help; we heard he joined the vampire extermination unit, but he ran away when he saw us. So, we came to you, Senpai, since you also joined."
"Aha, the Forbidden Zone. You trespassed into a Level 1 restricted military area, didn't you?" Shinoa Hīragi arrived, seemingly familiar with the Forbidden Zone.
Yamanaka Satoshi and the other student looked ashamed.
The Forbidden Zone was a restricted military area, strictly off-limits to civilians. They'd broken the rules, deserving imprisonment.
"Um…" Yamanaka Satoshi started to explain, but Shinoa Hīragi cut him off.
"I don't want explanations. You went in out of curiosity, right? Anyone who enters faces severe punishment. You know that, right? Your friend was likely captured by the military and might face execution."
"Give it up. I won't help you or take you to the Forbidden Zone," Shinoa Hīragi said, turning to Aoki. "But if someone wants to see it, I can make an exception."
The Forbidden Zone was located deep beneath a school building, under military jurisdiction, strictly off-limits to civilians. It was a training ground for vampire extermination unit members. Untrained individuals risked having their minds consumed by demons.
Shinoa Hīragi led Aoki to the building's basement, leaving Yamanaka Satoshi and the other student behind due to the Forbidden Zone's extreme danger.
As they walked, Shinoa Hīragi explained.
"The Forbidden Zone is this school's underground shrine—though 'shrine' is just a name.
They say there were huge caverns built under Shibuya to prevent flooding. The vampire extermination unit uses it as a training ground.
Or rather, the entire school is a training ground."
"They raise demons underground and recruit those who can handle the demonic energy without losing control.
In other words, this school exists for massive human experimentation. In this era, do you really think this is a normal school?"
"Only those recruited by the vampire extermination unit or chosen by demons can go further."
Shinoa Hīragi brought Aoki to an iron door covered in numerous talismans, seemingly suppressing something.
"As for Yūji, we didn't send him in. He's probably been mind-controlled by a demon.
The result? He's become a mindless, bloodthirsty ghoul, far worse than a vampire.
This requires rigorous training, especially mental training."
"You have Cursed Gear, but you seem to lack understanding. I'll let you witness its true horror. As the only known human weapon capable of killing vampires, Cursed Gear isn't as simple as it seems."
Aoki hadn't really listened; this information wasn't necessary for him.
"So, you mean entering the Forbidden Zone and not being mind-controlled by a demon means you're safe, right?" Aoki walked towards the door. Before he touched the handle, it opened on its own.
Ignoring the door's automatic opening, Aoki entered the Forbidden Zone without hesitation.
"Hey! You just walked in!" Shinoa Hīragi quickly followed. The Forbidden Zone was no joke; even those with Cursed Gear weren't entirely safe.
Inside, Aoki found the place eerily terrifying.
The stone pillars were cracked, and various weapons were embedded in the ground.
In the only brightly lit area, a magic circle was etched on the floor.
In its center stood a person…
____________________
for more advance chapters visit my p@treon
[email protected]/kane45
Casual Reader - 20 Advance Chapters
Intermediate Reader - 40 Advance Chapters
Expert Reader - 60 Advance Chapters