Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: Snackson

The object in Aoko Aozaki's hand was none other than the Principle: Freezing—an artifact seized by Vlov Arkhangel from the previous 19th Dead Apostle Ancestor, Zaria Offenbaum.

Typically, such objects could only be passed between Dead Apostles. The Principle represents the essence of their lineage, an origin rule imprinted upon their soul. By circulating within their blood, it temporarily overwrites the planet's surface-layer physical laws with its unique singularity.

However, Aoko, as a human, was able to extract Vlov Arkhangel's Principle without being transformed into a Dead Apostle or becoming parasitized. This feat was undoubtedly thanks to her sister, the Third Magician, Touko. Around Aoko's wrist was a faint golden ring of light, almost imperceptible unless viewed closely. It was a derivative of Touko's partially materialized soul, a noble and eternal creation that no other life form on the planet could violate.

During her prior battle, Aoko utilized this unique characteristic to directly rip the Principle from Vlov's decaying soul. She frowned as she examined her spoils, realizing it would be difficult to make practical use of the artifact in the short term.

"Guess I'll just toss it into storage and figure it out later..."

Standing amidst the ruined battlefield, Aoko furrowed her brow as she gazed at the Principle in her hand. At that moment, Touko and Arcueid finally arrived downstairs. Vlov's earlier Glacier spell had frozen the hotel, and it had taken the two of them some effort to break through the seal.

"What's that?" Arcueid asked in surprise, eyeing the sphere in Aoko's hand. "Are you planning to become a Dead Apostle? A magician turning into a Dead Apostle would weaken their power, you know. I know an old man who went down that path."

"Of course not," Aoko replied, tossing the Principle sphere to Touko. "I have no interest in becoming a human icebox. This is just a trophy."

Touko caught the sphere, weighed it in her hand, and casually tossed it aside. From her shadow emerged a Cheshire-like fat cat, which meowed once and swallowed the sphere whole, gulping it down with a single motion.

The Cheshire cat didn't transform into a Dead Apostle or display any ice abilities. Instead, it sprawled on the ground, exposing its belly to Touko in a show of affection. Touko crouched down and stroked the cat's belly, clearly pleased with her familiar.

"What about Nero's Principle?" Aoko asked Touko curiously. "Is that in the cat's belly too?"

"I have no idea," Touko replied with a shrug as the Cheshire cat returned to her shadow. "When Chelsea ate Nero Chaos, it didn't find any trace of his Principle among the remains, which is still puzzling to me."

"Maybe it's because Nero's principle, was his Reality Marble itself?" Arcueid speculated, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I've heard before that Nero Chaos constructed his Reality Marble, The Beast's Lair, with Roa's help. Since creating a Reality Marble is so difficult, it's possible Roa helped him disassemble his principle and turn it into the Reality Marble."

"So you're saying Touko's thorough method of killing Nero destroyed the Reality Marble, thus erasing his Principle as well?" Aoko folded her arms. "Well, no big loss. His Principle wouldn't have been that useful to us anyway."

The Principle Aoko truly coveted was possessed by the Dead Apostle Ancestor known as Chromclay Petastructure, also referred to as Castle, therefore kingdom. A Reality Marble that functioned as a fully controlled city was far too tempting—practically on par with the personal demi-planes of legendary magicians.

Since the hotel had been severely damaged, with about half the guests killed (the other half were saved thanks to Ciel and a few others), Aoko and her companions had no reason to stay. They packed up and left, taking Arcueid with them.

Ciel had left the hotel earlier during Aoko and Vlov's battle. She had quickly determined that Touko and Arcueid would handle the remaining ghouls and familiars at the scene. Instead, her primary focus had been containing the spread of the smoldering ghouls Vlov had created while rampaging through the streets. With Aoko's cloaking magic assisting her, she eventually completed the task.

By the time Noel arrived in a small car to pick her up, Vlov had already been defeated by Aoko. Deciding not to disturb Aoko as she examined her trophy, Ciel left with Noel to meet with high-ranking members of the Holy Church who had been dispatched to investigate.

Unsurprisingly, the deaths of two Dead Apostle Ancestors at the hands of magicians had shaken the Church's leadership. Determined not to be outdone by the magic side, they urged the Executors of the Burial Agency and the Aozaki sisters to compete in eliminating the remaining Ancestors.

Currently, Ciel and Noel were meeting with Mario, a blond-haired doll-like boy who was both the adopted son and successor of a certain Cardinal. Ciel had never been fond of Mario, preferring even to work with Dead Apostles like Merem Solomon, who was at least pure in his devotion to Crimson Moon.

Noel, as Ciel's apprentice in the Burial Agency, had no authority to speak in official settings. If a fight broke out, she would likely be reduced to one of Mario's puppets and forced to fight under his control. She had even less reason to hold any goodwill toward the arrogant boy.

Mario's position, backed by his family's wealth and influence, extended even to cooperation with the Japanese government. To Ciel's surprise, a Japanese Ministry of the Environment official had accompanied him to this meeting.

As a field operative of the Burial Agency, Ciel wasn't well-versed in Vatican politics.

After the Aozaki sisters became magicians, Japan's government attempted to contact them. However, the Aozaki family's traditional territory in Misaki Town was unassailable; unless someone convinced the US to deploy nuclear weapons, these bureaucrats wouldn't even get past the gates of the Kuonji estate, let alone negotiate any cooperation.

"Bow, the Holy Church is dissatisfied with your efficiency," Mario reprimanded Ciel and Noel, who were both dressed in nun habits. "Sharing information with those two women is one thing, but handing over the glory of killing the Lord's enemies is a sin!"

"My primary mission isn't the Twenty-Seven Ancestors," Ciel replied with a frown. "The Ancestors are part of my pact with the Aozaki sisters. In exchange for assisting me in hunting the Serpent, they shield me from interference by the Ancestors. That's all."

"I don't believe Cardinal Laurentius has the authority to alter my mission parameters on a whim, does he?" Ciel added coldly, indirectly reminding Mario of his lower rank as a mere priest.