The battle at Shinjuku is over, but the plot shows no sign of slowing down. Not with the sinister Hiragi family and its leader, Kureto Hiragi, showing a special interest in Yu, an interest that involves interrogating him while torturing Youichi and Kimizuki in order to uncover Yu’s secrets. Members of the elite family lines Hiragi and Sangu are spared such rough treatment, but Shinoa and Mitsuba are well-aware that the upper ranks of the Imperial Demon Army are watching Yu and all of his team members. Yu’s new family may be endangered if those ranks don’t like what they see. To make matters even more complicated, Guren is making claims of his own of ownership over Yuichirou, which Yu isn’t sure what to make of, given what he’s seen of the tension between Guren and his superiors in the military. Yu, however, wants Mika back. In order to retrieve his beloved friend from the vampires who’ve claimed him, he’ll have to get stronger. Guren, however, while saying he’s willing to help Yu, is showing an ambivalent attitude towards training him and the other new recruits. It’s clear that Yu’s mentor and surrogate father figure has dark secrets, something Shinoa is becoming more and more aware of. Determined to make her team stronger, she and Mitsuba lead Yu, Kimizuki, and Youichi out into the desolate landscape beyond the city walls where they can learn how to truly use their cursed gear. The location they choose, however, is crawling with monsters. In addition to those threats, there’s the menace of the cursed gear themselves, whom show an appetite for their users’ blood which rivals any vampire’s.
Kureto Hiragi is introduced in this volume and his creator has reason to proud of this complex, ruthless, yet blunt and direct antagonist. He’s definitely someone who moves the plot forward, gives the protagonists something to strive against, yet one can understand his motivations at once. His rivalry, yet struggle for control with and over Guren is quite intriguing, even it spills over to include the boy Guren has chosen to adopt and train. Shinya, on the other hand, is more enigmatic, yet never fails to intrigue this reader in the panels where he appears. I’d liked what I saw of him before in the manga and he was one of the strongest characters in the first of the Guren novels, so it was intriguing seeing the part he played in this volume. I suspect Shinoa got her playful sense of mischief from Shinya. Shinoa developed further in this book as a character, giving us a glimpse of the tragic family background she’s already alluded to in her reaction to Guren’s cursed gear. Her relationship with Mitsuba deepened, as the two girls showed a touching synchonicity in their determination to educate and train their team in using their weapons while keeping a wary eye on the upper ranks, even while they continued to snipe at each other. The similarity between Shinoa and Mitsuba’s backgrounds and how they reacted to the priveleges attached to them was fleshed out further, adding dimensions to them as characters. The two girls also had some sweet moments with Yu as each intensified their bond with him along with each other in their determination to protect him, yet push him to get stronger. Equally sweet was Kimizuki’s speech to Shinoa about Yu’s power and keeping it a secret from him, how it didn’t set well with him. Being tortured shook Kimizuki up, yet he remains determined to stay with the Imperial Demon Army for his sister’s sake, yet he’s becoming more and more attached to his new family. Youichi, whom started out this volume being a victimized along with Kimizuki in a very tense scene, got a chance to show some impressive new skills and strengths which were gorgeous and striking in the panels where they appeared. Yu spent a lot of time revealing that he remains a wide-eyed innocent, even as he learns and grows from what the other characters have to teach him, even while he’s exposed to the sinister side of the organization he’s a part of. Most disturbing of all was the dark aspect to Guren, the man who’s become the closest thing Yu has to a father. In spite of being tested, Yuichirou discovers once again his courage and convinction, getting closer to his new family and while remaining determined to rescue his old one. Poor Mika looked like he was bad need of saving, for all he’s set upon doing the saving himself, since he’s not about to abandon Yu to an organization which appears to be justifying some of his fears in this volume. My heart went out to Mika in the few panels he was in, which depicted in heartbreaking beauty the turmoil he’s going through. Overall, this story was gripping, exquisitely drawn, and built on what had been created before, making an increasingly complex and intriguing ongoing tale overall. The characters continue to deepen and steal my heart, leaving me eager to see more of them. For all of these qualities, I give this four stars.