Part 4: Chapter 3

    In the VIP room of the Akasaka Plaza Hotel, Ota of the Liberal Party was sitting with Shimazaki in conversation. He was in a good mood; as a result of his successful passage of an important bill, he had risen fast to become a star of his party. "I hear Chairman Matoba suffered a bizarre death--a shame, isn't it?" Set's avatars, the Apeps, could possess humans and control them however they desired. However, because of the Apeps' innate poison, those who were possessed would start to rot from within. This was how Matoba had died, though Ota had no way of knowing that.
    "So, Chief Secretary, what's the deal with the New AI Project? Can it be shut down?" Shimazaki eyed Ota with displeasure.
    The AI Project, of course, was the "official" name of the Demon Banishment Project.
    "Right. Well, since Fujita started it up of his own accord, in theory it should be perfectly plausible to cook up some sort of trumped-up reason to shut it down, but it's being backed by the American Aide to the President. We can't just ignore that. Come on, I've already seen to it that you get all the contracts to the Capital Reconstruction Project; don't be so greedy." Watching Shimazaki like a hawk, Ota laughed heartily.
    "So why are you making such a big deal about this AI project anyway? Does it interfere with your business somehow?"
    "I suppose you could say that." Shimazaki lit a cigarette.
    "Fujita's a tough customer. I'd prefer not to go up against him if possible." Ota's face was stern as he spoke.
    "Planning to announce your candidacy for the party chair, then?"
    "Think whatever you want."
    Shimazaki's eyes glinted with cunning. "What do you think your chances would be?"
    Currently within the Liberal Party, Ota was thought to be a strong candidate for party chair, but his faction held only a moderate amount of backing in the Lower House, his supporters there holding seats in the low 60s. In order for Ota to win the election, he'd need either another faction to support him or to crush one of his rivals entirely. Therefore it was only natural for him not to want to face off against Fujita.
    "If only Hamano would support me in the election..." Ota stared at Shimazaki willfully, as if trying to communicate something implicit. And as if he understood entirely, Shimazaki nodded.
    "I am sure things will turn out just as you would like. There's no need to worry."
    "I never asked you to do anything! Still, since when have you been able to wield that much influence?" Ota asked the question in hushed tones.
    "I am sure I will get the chance to tell you some day."
    After all, you'll get to directly experience it for yourself eventually...
    Shimazaki bared his yellow teeth in a grin.

Part 4: Chapter 2

    The next morning, Nakajima and Feed were sitting in the Demon Banishment Project room, waiting for Narukawa's arrival. Lately, the role of the three men in the project had changed. Nakajima was more of a warrior than a programmer at this point. During the day he spent his time training with the sword of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, and at night he went scouting with Kerberos to look for any traces of Yumiko. While Narukawa was working with the police to track down Ohara and Yumiko, he also was totally absorbed in tracking down computers capable of being used for demon summoning. As the operation was top-secret, it was unlikely that there would be any further help joining the project. While leading the team as a whole, Feed was immersed in writing the Demon Banishment Program.
    "Nakajima, are you sure you shouldn't let your father in LA know about your mother?" Feed's reddened eyes did not leave the screen as he asked the question.
    "If I did, my father would probably just come back to Japan. And he might end up as yet another casualty. In retrospect, it was foolish of me not to have thought of Yumiko's family and mine...."
    Nakajima looked at Feed with an expression of conflict the likes of which he had never shown before. To him, the death of his mother was difficult to separate from his own fate; she had died at the hands of demons which he had initially called. It only reminded him all too well that he would never be safe until those demons were defeated.
    Feed sighed and saved his program.
    "Is it finished, Professor?"
    "For the time being, yes. If you had done the programming I bet I would have finished it a lot faster." As if he was relieved regardless, Feed stretched his weary muscles.
    "I think I'll be able to help in the debugging at least."
    "No, that would just be a waste of time for a warrior. Don't forget about Craft; it can help in that regard." Mentioning the AI set up in Massachusetts, Feed set up his modem. He most likely was intending to send the program to Craft and have it perform the finishing touches. As Feed started communicating with Craft, Narukawa burst into the room, apologizing for being late.

    "From analyzing some hair left at the scene, we were able to determine that it was Ohara that slaughtered the Shirasagi family. The police are going nuts. The missing persons incident at Jusho High hasn't even been solved yet, and now one of the missing student's families gets murdered. We currently have 1000 patrolmen searching for Ohara right now." Unable to restrain his emotion, Narukawa gave his report.
    "So, have they found any leads?"
    "Yes. There have been some people who spotted her, but...on the night of the murders, several witnesses reported seeing her both near Kichijoji and Ota Ward, so the search is in total disarray right now."
    "I think the former is more likely. Have a look." Interrupting, Nakajima pointed at the display next to him. On screen was a map of Tokyo with several red lines drawn on it.
    "I've had Kerberos try and track Yumiko's path that night. After coming to my house from her own, she headed off in the direction of Musashino." As if holding back emotion, Nakajima paused a moment.
    "I think that Yumiko was chasing Ohara. And right after that, something must have happened to her..."
    "But doesn't Yumiko possess great psychic power?"
    "I'm sure that Ohara herself wouldn't have been any problem for her. But when you take into account Yumiko's state of mind that evening..."
    Nakajima could say no more. Even though Yumiko had saved his life that night, he still held some uncontrollable resentment toward her for what she did. But considering what she must have felt when she had come to see him that night, he felt an even greater regret and affection for her. In fact, his direct participation in the Demon Banishment Project at this point was solely to find where she had gone.
    "Hmm...I can't understand why anyone would have spotted her in Ota Ward. Of course, if there's some sort of organization behind all of this, I could see how false information could have gotten spread to throw us off the scent...Narukawa, is there any chance the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office could help? I know the Japanese police force is excellent, but I think they're a little out of their league here."
    "Our main job is to collect information from abroad. With less than 1% of the manpower of the CIA, we can't work on collecting domestic information as well." Narukawa's response was not accomodating.
    "Besides, I think it's a little bit rash to say that this is the work of an organization on some level. At the very least, just connecting the dots from what we know, it seems perfectly plausible that this was all done out of Ohara's personal grudge."
    Right at that moment, the sound of a signal arriving from the modem echoed throughout the room.
    "It's from Craft."
    "The Demon Banishment Program is finished then?"
    As if drawn in by the other two that rushed over to the main computer, Narukawa also looked at the display.
    "How much with the Demon Banishment Program help?"
    "If we install this program into a computer's OS, it will destroy any digital devil sent to it. At the moment, it will only work as a self-defense mechanism though."
    "So what you're saying is, no demon could be summoned to a computer with this program in it?" Narukawa nodded as if he wasn't really sure whether he understood or not.

Part 4: Chapter 1

    A week passed. It was 10:00PM in Inogashira Park. Being the latter half of August, the heat during the day was as blistering as ever, but this late it was a lot easier to bear.
    "Cut it out, not here!" A high-pitched nasal, entreating voice blended in with the chirping of the cicadas.
    The voice of a heavily-breathing man responded. "Aw, c'mon, this is the perfect place!"
    Shortly later, the woman realized that the cicadas had stopped their chirping.
    "Hey, is someone watching?"
    "Who cares? Let 'em peek!"
    As the two continued, ignoring whether or not the insects were making any noise, a third, rapidly approaching voice sounded.
    "Kerberos, make sure that Yumiko's trail hasn't split into two different directions somewhere!"
    The woman looked up in surprise, and stifled a scream.
    "What's the big deal all of a sudden!?" The irritated-sounding man looked around, and he too was struck speechless.
    A handsome man with a bizarre, gigantic beast like a tiger was sifting through the underbrush, searching for something. It was like a scene out of a movie. The woman gulped, but after recovering from her initial shock, it was clear that she was not focused on the strange beast, but instead on the young man's good looks. Looking back and forth between him and the man currently fondling her breasts to compare the two, there was an expression of clear disappointment on her face.
    Regardless of whatever happened between the couple thereafter, Nakajima gradually climbed the slope ahead of him, following Kerberos, who was cautiously walking, his muzzle was stuck out in the air as if to take in every particle of scent in the atmosphere.
    "So this is where the trail ends..." Murmuring to himself, Nakajima opened the case of his handheld computer. Shortly thereafter, the demonic beast vanished as if sucked right into the small liquid crystal display.

Part 3: Chapter 9

    Squelch.
    As Ohara quietly drew her last breath in Yumiko's arms, there was a grisly sound of flesh rending. As Yumiko reflexively tossed Ohara's body to the ground and took a few steps backward, lukewarm bodily fluid burst out and flew into her face.
    "Augh!" Feeling a stabbing pain in both her eyes, Yumiko dropped to her knees.
    Hya! Hya!
    A laughing voice that sound like fingers scraping on a chalkboard echoed in her ears. Sensing something inexplicably foreboding in that voice, Yumiko stood up into a ready stance. However, robbed of her sight, Yumiko could scarcely even be sure of her footing, let alone fend off an attacker.
    Moments later, a huge amoeba-like writhing creature crawled out of Ohara's torn-open belly and gradually started floating in midair.
    An almost unbearable stench wafted through the air. Unable to withstand it, Yumiko's knees buckled and she started coughing uncontrollably.
    Hya! Hya!
    Yumiko blindly fired her psychic power in the direction of the voice. But her psychic wave merely passed through the gelatinous blob, engulfing the larch tree behind it in flames.
    The blob gradually floated up right above Yumiko's head, and as if it had melted all of a sudden, poured itself all over her body. Momentarily, the amoeba had Yumiko's body entirely encased in translucent jelly and two points of red light on it, clearly sentient, flickered with satisfaction.

Part 3: Chapter 8

    Right at that moment, in the manor across the swamp, the magnetic tapes of the computer started spinning furiously next to Isma, who had gone without sleep or rest, analyzing data to give Set a body. The computer rejected all the commands he typed on the keyboard, and the screen starte scrolling rapidly, as if a huge amount of data had gone haywire.
    "What's going on!?"
    Isma stood up, and the concrete under his feet tore in cracks with a terrible rending sound. Gouts of flame erupted from the cabling, and the hexagram inscribed on the floor started undulating as if it was alive. The cellar was filled with the murmurs of otherworldly voices.
    "Set!"
    "Set is going to be born!"
    "He's finally going to be born!"
    Ancient Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek...all the voices, regardless of the languages they spoke in, started blending together in a disordered cacaphony.
    Born? What do they mean by born?
    Isma just managed to stumble outside. There, his supernaturally heightened senses detected a demonic power far beyond anything he had ever experienced before gathering on the opposite side of the swamp.

Part 3: Chapter 7

    Ohara had managed to make it back to the Soga Forest after escaping from her close shave with death; she stopped by the shores of the swamp, breathing heavily. Surrounded by dark green reeds, the surface of the water rippled, reflecting parts of the dilapidated old manor here and there. A deep wound as if cut by a scalpel was openly exposed in Ohara's arm where she had been hit by the sword of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi. However, mysteriously enough, there was very little blood flowing from it any longer.
    Ohara did not really have any intention of returning to Isma. But there was something in the Soga forest that calmed her demonic soul. Sitting down on the trunk of a fallen larch tree, she whispered to herself.
    "Loki..."
    I meant to get revenge, but in the end I didn't even manage to take out the one who killed Loki...
    Something hot welled up in Ohara's eyes, and her bronze cheeks became moist. Waiting a little while, the night breeze cooled her well-formed face, gently wiping those tears off.
    Right at that moment, the white visage of a girl clearly entered Ohara's field of vision.
    It might have been the fact that only hatred had been keeping Ohara going that caused her to notice that Yumiko had half-unintentionally followed her after running out of Nakajima's house.
    You just killed my mom... Nakajima's voice still echoed in Yumiko's ears. As if trying shake free from it, Yumiko slowly raised her hand, glaring at Ohara with tear-filled eyes. The psychic power bestowed upon her by Izanami would surely finish her off in a single attack.
    But Yumiko faltered.
    Professor Ohara is also a victim here. Nakajima's mother surely was also possessed by a demon. And I...
    "Heh, heh, heh." As if she had read Yumiko's mind, Ohara sniffed her bloody fingers, suppressing a giggle.
    "Foolish sympathy will destroy you. Have a look at my fingers! Some of your family's blood still remains on them!"
    "Stop it!" Crying out, Yumiko closed her eyes and swung her hand.
    As if following the arc of that hand, Ohara's chest was rent open, and a spray of her blood drenched the surrounding area. Yumiko unconsciously ran over and pulled up Ohara's broken body, which looked almost coiled around the larch log. In a brief moment, all traces of scales disappeared from her face, and her ghostly white lips quivered, as if trying to say something.
    But Yumiko could not hear whatever it was she was tring to say. Tears rolled off her cheeks and onto Ohara's face. All of a sudden at that instant, there was a rumbling roar from the shores of the swamp, and the entire area was steeped in a miasma.

Part 3: Chapter 6

    It was past 9:00; certainly not an early time to be returning home for a high school student. As Nakajima hesitantly pressed the intercom button, the door swung open, as if waiting for him.
    "Sorry I'm home so late. Professor Feed was..." Sensing a strange coldness from his mother's stare, Nakajima stopped in mid-sentence.
    This isn't the first time I've been late; why is she so mad?
    However, his mother's expression soon softened into a smile, and she pointed inside.
    "There's a guest here to see you."
    "To see me?" Nakajima pictured Yumiko's face.
    However, the sight of a pair of high-heeled shoes in the foyer soon dispelled his hopes.
    "Who is it?"
    "She says her name is Ohara."
    "WHAT!?" Crying out, Nakajima darted into the living room, without even taking off his shoes.
    The woman sitting on the sofa with her back to him slowly stood up and turned to face him.
    "It's been a while, Nakajima."
    The voice was familiar. The face covered in bronze scales was not.
    Nakajima felt surreal, as if he had been pulled into a nightmare, and he felt the will being sapped out of his body.
    "What...are you here for!?" Nakajima finally managed to open his mouth and speak.
    "I'm here to kill you, of course." Speaking casually, a crazed smile flashed on Ohara's face as she assaulted him.
    With the demonic blood flowing in her veins having transformed her into a powerful demon-human hybrid, Ohara was not an opponent that Nakajima could take on barehanded. Without even showing signs of resistance, Nakjama simply let Ohara hold him down, which caused her to let her guard down slightly.
    "What's wrong, Nakajima? Are you trying to suggest that I'm not worth killing!?" Sneering, Ohara's rank breath assaulted Nakajima's senses. However, he did not falter.
    I'll make you regret not using this opportunity to kill me...
    Nakajima had been picturing two blue spheres in his mind. They were spheres he had been given in Yomi, and were used to summon Hi-no-Kagutsuchi. Knocking the two spheres in his mind together, they gave off a shower of sparks, and a blistering aura surrounded his right hand. All of a sudden, Nakajima was grasping the Sword of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, which glowed with a crimson light.
    Feeling the intense heat, Ohara reflexively jumped backwards. Immediately the crimson blade came crashing down, slicing through her arm. Nakajima charged Ohara, who had been knocked backwards by the force of the blow, stabbing the sword as if to finish her off. But he had not adequately trained with the sword of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, and Ohara escaped its tip by a hair's breadth.
    That moment, Nakajima noticed his mother in his field of vision, watching their battle as if possessed.
    "Mom, hide!"
    Nakajima became worried; he needed to get his mother outside safely before Ohara attacked her.
    "Do you want to be skewered on the sword that defeated Loki too?" Standing between his mother and Ohara, Nakajima threatened his opponent. But that once sentence reignited the dwindling flames of Ohara's desire for revenge.
    "You killed Loki...!?" Holding her wounded arm, Ohara ground her teeth together and took a step back.
    "The minute you let me bring out my sword, you lost. Wake up already!" There appeared to be almost a look of compassion in Nakajima's eyes, reflecting the red glow of his blade.
    However, at that moment, an intense pain shot through his right arm. Of all things, his mother had stabbed him from behind with a fruit knife. Though Nakajima immediately pushed his mother away reflexively, he could not understand what had happened and just stood there confused, and in that moment, Ohara, who had slipped behind him, grabbed him in a headlock.
    "Your mother has been possessed by a demon called an Apep, and is completely under my control. Letting you get killed by your own mother is the least I can do for you. Come on, do it!"
    Resonding to Ohara's orders, Nakajima's mother slowly walked toward her son, brandishing her fruit knife.
    "Mom, please stop!" Trying to break Ohara's grip, Nakajima cried out desperately.

    Right at that time, Yumiko had arrived at Nakajima's apartment building, and was about to press the intercom when she felt a strange presence. Without hesitation, she put her hand on the doorknob and focused all her energies on it. As a noxious smoke filled the area, the expensive, high-security lock system melted, and the doorknob fell to the ground; Yumiko had used a tremondous spontaneous combustion power. Running into Nakajima's house without taking her shoes off, Yumiko ran into the living room to see Ohara holding Nakajima in a headlock, moments before he was about to be stabbed by a silver knife.
    "Nakajima, look out!"
    "Wait!"
    The two cried out at exactly the same.
    Yumiko's eyes flashed with a blinding light for an instant, and the arms of Nakajima's knife-wielding mother burst into flame. In mere moments, the fire spread, engulfing her entire body in crimson flames, burning her to a crisp as she wailed in pain.
    Meanwhile, Ohara had escaped outside via the veranda.
    "Mom..." Not noticing the white snake crawling out of the conflagration before disintegrating into thin air, Nakajima merely stood agape as he watched his mother perish, wreathed in flames.
    "Yumiko..."
    Finally Nakajima turned around, his eyes wandering aimlessly.
    "You just killed my mom..." Nakajima's strained voice tore out Yumiko's heart.
    No, it can't be...
    Covering her face with her hands, Yumiko ran outside.