In a world devastated by an enigmatic virus that seemingly leaves only children alive, these survivors find themselves enslaved by vampires. Among them is 12-year-old Yu, the protagonist, who resents being treated as livestock by his vampiric overlords. Contrarily, his best friend Mika appears to acquiesce to their demands, particularly those of Lord Ferid, a vampire noble, by allowing Ferid to consume his blood in exchange for provisions for himself and the other orphans at their residence.
Mika later reveals his true intentions: he has pilfered a map and a gun from Ferid's mansion, planning to escape with Yu and their fellow orphans to the human world. Their attempt, however, ends in tragedy; Ferid intercepts them, resulting in the death of their companions. Mika urges Yu to flee to the human world without him, a request Yu heartbreakingly fulfills. Upon his escape, Yu discovers that the vampires' tales of an apocalyptic wasteland were fabrications—the outside world is intact. He encounters Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, who recruits him.
Fast forward to Yu at sixteen, attending high school under the surveillance of Shinoa Hiragi, an army officer tasked with monitoring him. Yu aspires to join a vampire extermination unit, but Guren mandates he first demonstrate teamwork skills by making a friend. Yu befriends Yoichi, who seeks vengeance against the vampires for his sister's death, despite Yu's initial skepticism of Yoichi's gentle nature.
Their friendship is quickly put to the test when a vampire escapes from a nearby lab. Yu rushes to confront it, nearly defeating the vampire but ultimately needing Guren's rescue. Awakening in a hospital with Yoichi and Shinoa at his side, Yu learns that his act of bravery—coupled with his newfound friendship—earns him and Yoichi a place in the extermination unit.
Shinoa introduces Yu and Yoichi to cursed gear—weapons empowered by demons that require a contract to wield effectively. Venturing into the tunnels beneath their school, Yu confronts a demon to acquire an uncontracted weapon, an axe, and succeeds in besting the demon. Although he didn’t make a contract with it under Guren’s orders that Guren would decide what cursed weapon Yu got.
As Yu prepares to join the extermination unit officially, the narrative hints at a surprising twist: Mika, now sixteen, has survived under mysterious circumstances, still entwined in Lord Ferid's machinations. The book concludes on this cliffhanger, setting the stage for further developments in Yu and Mika's intertwined fates.
Comments