Vash
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Chapter 40
🕑 Added 2025-05-25 11:38:21 +0000 UTCThat night, I couldn't sit still.
The mansion felt too quiet. Too empty. Every room reminded me of them—Dad's study where he'd explain company politics, Mom's sitting room where she'd plan charity events. Even my own room felt wrong, like I was wearing clothes that didn't fit anymore.
I needed to get out. Needed to move. Needed to hit something.
"Young master?" Hayama appeared in the doorway as I was putting on my hunting gear. The long black coat, the white wolf mask. "Are you going out?"
"Yeah." I checked my phone. Almost midnight. "Don't wait up."
"Sir..." He hesitated. "Perhaps tonight isn't the best—"
"I'm fine," I cut him off. "I need this."
He studied my face for a moment, then nodded. "Be careful."
The Tokyo streets were different at night. Darker. More honest, somehow. During the day, everything was bright and clean and fake. At night, the real city came out to play.
And so did the monsters.
I moved across the rooftops, letting my enhanced senses guide me. The city hummed with supernatural energy if you knew how to feel for it. Most humans couldn't. They'd walk right past a vampire feeding in an alley or a rogue devil hunting for souls.
Lucky them.
It didn't take long to find what I was looking for.
The scream came from three blocks away—high, terrified, cut short. I was moving before I even consciously decided to, leaping from building to building like some kind of supernatural Batman.
The alley was narrow, dark, reeking of garbage and fear. And in the middle of it, a stray devil was having dinner.
The thing used to be human once. Maybe. Now it was all twisted limbs and too many teeth, crouched over what looked like a businessman in an expensive suit. The guy was still breathing, but barely.
"Hey," I called out, landing behind the devil with a soft thud.
It turned, yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. Blood dripped from its claws.
"Another human?" Its voice sounded like grinding glass. "How convenient. I was still hungry."
I tilted my head, feeling that familiar cold rage building in my chest. "You know what? Perfect timing."
The devil lunged.
I didn't even bother dodging.
My fist caught it mid-air, mana exploding through my knuckles. The impact sent the thing flying backward into the brick wall hard enough to leave a crater.
"What—" It tried to get up, confusion and pain twisting its features.
I was already there, grabbing it by the throat and lifting it off the ground. My grip tightened, and I felt its windpipe start to collapse.
"You picked the wrong fucking night," I said quietly.
The devil clawed at my arm, trying to break free. Its talons scraped against my skin, drawing blood that healed almost instantly.
"Please—"
I punched it in the gut. Once. Twice. The third hit went completely through its torso, my fist emerging from its back in a spray of black blood.
It looked down at the hole in its chest, eyes wide with shock. "How...?"
"Because I'm angry," I said, pulling my hand free. "And you're here."
The devil collapsed, twitching once before going still.
I stood there for a moment, breathing hard. The businessman was unconscious but alive—he'd wake up tomorrow thinking he'd been mugged. Lucky bastard.
My phone buzzed. A supernatural alert app Yamamoto had given me, tracking unusual energy signatures across the city.
Three more strays. All active. All hunting.
"Perfect," I muttered, wiping blood off my hands.
The next one was in Shibuya, stalking a group of college students outside a club. This one looked more human—just pale skin and red eyes, dressed in clothes that had seen better decades.
"Excuse me," I called out as it cornered the students in an alley.
The devil turned, hissing. "This is my territory, whelp. Find your own prey."
"Actually," I said, cracking my knuckles, "you're my prey."
It moved fast. Devilishly fast. But I'd been training with Vali, and compared to the White Dragon Emperor, this thing was moving like a snail.
I caught its wrist as it tried to claw me, twisted, and broke the arm at three different points. The devil screamed, a sound like breaking glass.
"Shh," I said, grabbing its head with both hands. "You'll wake the neighbors."
I twisted. Hard.
The head came off with a wet pop.
Two down.
The third stray was different. Smarter. It had holed up in an abandoned warehouse in the industrial district, probably sensing that something was hunting its kind.
Too bad for it, I was really getting into the groove now.
I kicked the warehouse door off its hinges, the metal shrieking as it flew across the empty space.
"Come out, come out," I called, walking into the darkness. "I know you're in here."
Something moved in the shadows above me. I looked up just as the devil dropped from the rafters, all claws and fury.
I caught it by the ankle and slammed it into the concrete floor hard enough to crack the foundation.
"That's three," I said, standing over the broken body. "Anyone else want to play?"
Silence.
Disappointing.
I made my way back across the city, feeling more centered than I had in days. The rage was still there, burning in my chest like a coal. But it felt... focused now. Useful.
My parents were dead. Murdered by someone and until I found out who, every stray devil, every monster that thought it could hurt innocent people was going to pay the price.
Not justice. Not heroism.
Just anger with a target.
The mansion was dark when I got back, Hayama having retired for the night. I cleaned up in my bathroom, washing the blood from my hands and clothes.
In the mirror, I looked... different. Harder, maybe.
My phone buzzed with a text from Sona: "Are you alright?"
I stared at the message for a long moment, then typed back: "Fine. Just tired."
I set the phone aside and lay down on my bed, still fully dressed. Tomorrow I'd go back to school, sit through classes, play chess with Sona, pretend everything was fine.
—
The next morning brought the kind of corporate bullshit I was really not in the mood for.
I was sitting in the main conference room, pretending to listen to some board member drone on about quarterly projections, when Yamamoto slipped me a note.
Unexpected visitors. Conference room B. Now. Old friends.
Old friends. That was code for 'people we've dealt with before who are about to become a problem.'
I excused myself from the meeting, ignoring the disapproving looks from the suits around the table. Let them think I was just a grieving kid who couldn't handle the pressure. Better that than the truth.
Conference room B was smaller, more private. The kind of place we held meetings that never appeared on any official schedule.
Three people were waiting for me. Hayama stood near the window, his usual perfect posture just a bit too stiff. He caught my eye and gave the slightest shake of his head.
Not good.
"Leon Mishima," the woman in the center said, standing as I entered. She was tall, elegant, with silver hair and eyes like winter storms. Pale skin that looked like it had never seen sunlight. "My condolences on your loss."
"Thanks," I said, not moving from the doorway. "And you are?"
"Lady Evangeline Ashford," she replied with a practiced smile that showed just a hint of fang. "Though I believe your grandfather knew me as Eva."
Vampire. The other two as well.
The guy to her left was younger looking, maybe appeared to be in his thirties, but with eyes that were way too old. The woman on the right had dark hair and the kind of beauty that felt dangerous to look at directly.
"We've been business partners with your family for quite some time," Lady Ashford continued. "Your grandfather was... accommodating to our needs."
"What can I do for you?" I asked, staying right where I was.
Hayama cleared his throat. "Lady Ashford, perhaps we should review the existing agreements before—"
"The old agreements died with Takeshi," she cut him off, not even looking his way. "We're here to discuss new terms."
"New terms?"
"We've been very patient, Leon," the male vampire spoke up, his voice carrying centuries of arrogance. "Your family has provided... adequate services over the years. Blood banks with clean supplies. Discrete transportation. Safe houses."
"And in return, we've allowed Mishima Corporation to operate in our territories without interference," Lady Ashford added. "A mutually beneficial arrangement."
"But now circumstances have changed," the dark-haired woman said, speaking for the first time. Her voice was like honey over broken glass. "You're seventeen years old, Leon. Hardly equipped to honor the commitments your grandfather made."
I felt my jaw clench. "Get to the point."
Yamamoto stepped forward. "Young master, perhaps I should explain the historical context—"
"A mere mortal should know his place," Lady Ashford's voice cut through the air like ice.
The male vampire's lips curled back in a sneer. "Perhaps we should remind this servant of the hierarchy."
He moved faster than human eyes could follow. His hand shot out, fingers curved like claws, aimed straight at Yamamoto’s throat.
I moved faster.
My fist caught the vampire's wrist mid-strike. The crack of breaking bone echoed through the room. He screamed—a high, inhuman sound that made the windows vibrate.
"Touch him," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper, "and I'll rip your fucking head off."
The vampire tried to pull away. I squeezed harder. His wrist bent at an unnatural angle.
"You dare—" Lady Ashford started.
"Shut up." I didn't look away from the male vampire's face. Watched his expression shift from arrogance to pain to fear. "Yamamoto speaks for this family. He's earned that right."
"Release Viktor immediately," the dark-haired woman hissed, fangs extending. "He was merely correcting an insolent servant—"
"Make me."
Heat crawled up my arm. Golden light leaked from where my fingers wrapped around Viktor's broken wrist. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. He whimpered.
Lady Ashford's eyes went wide. "What are you?"
I smiled. Let them see teeth that were too sharp. "Someone you shouldn't have fucked with."
Viktor dangled from my grip like a broken doll.
"You know what your problem is?" I walked around the table toward Lady Ashford. Each step deliberate. "You think I'm some helpless kid."
Viktor's feet dragged across the carpet. He tried to pry my fingers loose with his good hand, but my enhanced strength made it impossible.
"Release him this instant," Lady Ashford demanded, but her voice shook. She kept staring at Viktor's mangled wrist. "You don't understand what you're dealing with."
"No," I stopped three feet from her, "you don't understand what you're dealing with."
I let my mana flow. Just a little at first.
The air in the room changed instantly. Pressure built like an incoming storm. The vampires' eyes went wide as my overwhelming mana washed over them in waves.
"Impossible—" the dark-haired woman started, then her words died in her throat.
"Here's what's going to happen." I released more mana, letting it pour out of me like a dam bursting. "You're going to honor the original contracts. Every. Single. One."
"What are you?" Viktor whispered, his face pale as death. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite vampires not being able to sweat.
"Your new boss." I smiled, letting even more mana bleed out. The air shimmered around me like heat waves. "And if any of you ever threaten my people again, I'll personally hunt down every member of your bloodline."
Yamamoto pressed himself against the far wall. I could see him struggling to breathe under the weight of my mana.
"You have sixty seconds to get out." I lifted Viktor higher, my overwhelming energy making the air itself feel thick as molasses. "Starting now."
Lady Ashford tried to speak but couldn't form words. The sheer pressure of my mana was crushing down on all of them.
"Fifty seconds."
I opened my grip. Viktor collapsed, gasping like a drowning man. The vampires were on their knees now, ancient predators brought low by raw, suffocating power.
The dark-haired woman crawled toward Viktor. "We... we understand," she choked out.
"Good."
They stumbled toward the door supporting each other.
Lady Ashford managed one last look back. "We... we'll honor... the contracts."
The door slammed behind them.
"Sir," Yamamoto said carefully, "are you alright?"
I let out a long breath, feeling my mana settle back into my core.
"Yeah. Just needed to make a point."
He moved to the window, watching three figures hurry across the courtyard below.
"They've been testing boundaries since your grandfather died. I believe they understand the new ones now."
"Tell me about the agreements," I said, slumping back into my chair.
Yamamoto pulled a thick folder from his briefcase. "Your grandfather's vampire contracts. Lady Ashford's coven controls most of the blood trade in Western Europe. Clean supplies, voluntary donors, medical-grade processing."
"And we facilitate this, why?"
"Because the alternative is them ripping throats out in back alleys." He set the folder in front of me. "Takeshi-sama believed in managed chaos. Give them what they need through legitimate channels, and they stay out of the headlines."
I flipped through the documents. Supply chains, shell companies, distribution networks spanning half of Europe. My grandfather had built an empire on keeping monsters fed.
"What did they actually want?" I asked.
"Control," Yamamoto said simply. "They've been our suppliers for decades. Now they want to flip the script—make us their subsidiary instead of the other way around."
"How many other factions are circling?"
"Seventeen at last count." His voice went grim. "Devils, fallen angels, various god pantheons, a few dragon clans. Everyone wants a piece of what your family built."
I closed the folder with a snap. "And they all think I'm weak."
"They think you're young. There's a difference." Yamamoto moved to the door, checking the locks. "But after today's little demonstration, word will spread. That should buy us some breathing room."
"Or paint a bigger target on our backs."
"Perhaps. But better to be feared than pitied." He returned to his chair. "There's something else. Your travel arrangements for Rome have been finalized."
Right. Rome. The Vatican had been sending increasingly urgent messages about contract renewals. Something about changes in Church policy that couldn't wait.
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning, sir. The jet is fueled and ready."
I nodded.
Comments
iHakua
Right now, it's Sona, Koneko, and possibly Rossweisse. I'm planning to keep the harem small, around 3 to 5 members total, including a couple from another universe.
Red_Valstrax
Do you have a list of who will be in the harem? And how many members will there be?
