Canticle: Code Caligula

Chapter 28: That Long Summer Night, Part 4

Sekien Academy, Ema — 7:20 pm. Lilith looked down to check on Tomoe, gasping at what she saw. Tomoe had completely vanished, leaving only a small puddle of blood where she had just been. The yokai looked around wildly for any sign of the human girl, but there wasn't any blood trail leading away. It was as if she had simply disappeared into thin air.

That's when Lilith spotted an odd shape moving across the ground far away near the wall. It was like a shadow, quickly slithering along at a fast speed. Once it reached the stone wall, the shadow sped up the ninety-degree angle seamlessly. However it was then that she could see it clearly; this wasn't a shadow but a person.

They were completely flat, lacking any depth. If the figure stood completely still, they could easily be mistaken for a realistic mural or painting.

"Mura, get over here! The killer is getting away over the wall!"

Gripping his sword in hand, Mura sprinted across the campus to Lilith's location. He ran next to Lilith; connecting their hands like a runner passing the baton in a relay race. In a brief flash of white, Lilith has merged into her friend as his eyes and veins glowed.

"He just went over the wall! We have to get there fast," Lilith said, speaking to Mura's thoughts directly.

—I assume he took the girl too, shit! This guy is a pro, that's for damn sure.

Mura narrowed his eyes and tapped the hilt of the Jigoku ni Tekine twice, causing it to spring into its spear form. As he approached the wall, Mura grabbed the polearm tightly and thrust the blade into the ground. As he did, the demon successfully vaulted over the barricade. Landing with a somersault that continued into a sprint, Mura began his chase once again.

His eyes caught a glimpse of a flat shape darting along the pavement at breakneck speeds. With the sheer weight of his weapon weighing him down, he sheathed it back into his ring. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead as his legs pistoned him forward.

Overhead on a building above them, Kirin watched as Mura chased the suspect on foot. She touched her hand to a device located on her ear.

"Tenth has made contact with the suspected perpetrator. Shisa, make sure to keep Fifth far away... the suspect could be a Poacher," the blue-eyed captain said.

"Yessir!" Shisa responded through Kirin's communicator.

She crossed her arms, looking down at the young Jikininki running after the figure.

"He might actually be useful... To successfully catch a Poacher in the act, that's a feat very few of our best have accomplished," Kirin murmured to herself.

Mura huffed as his lungs began to sting. An uncomfortable ache rose in his throat from the labored breathing, yet he still continued on. The shadow sped along the clean black roads, both it and its pursuer illuminated as they rapidly passed the bright streetlamps above. The suspect made a conscious effort to steer towards the crowds of pedestrians that walked around the upcoming block.

—Oh crap, what the hell!?

"Don't let him kill anyone!" Lilith demanded.

—I'm trying my best here!

The shadow ran beneath the feet of the people, completely unobstructed as Mura pushed and shoved to get through the crowd.

"Sorry, excuse me! Pardon me!" Mura apologized as he continued onwards.

Several people began to get out of the demon's path as those less fortunate were brushed aside. The shape was smart, it was trying to lose Mura in the nightlife traffic.