43rd Night

This is the forty third chapter of the Vampire Knight manga. The title refers to all the action that takes place this night and an indication of how this is a final chapter in the arc.

Cover
Yuki and Zero hugging in a snow storm.
 * Cover catchphrase is "At the very farmost end of this white world...where we shall never again be together...".
 * It is vampire Yuki and evolved Zero in this scene.
 * The Artemis Scythe is in the background behind Yuki.

Main plot points

 * Zero and Yuki fight and kill Rido.
 * Kaname summons and kills the Vampire Council.
 * Takuma challenges his grandfather.
 * Zero turns his Bloody Rose on Yuki.

Synopsis
A distinguished vampire female holds a struggling bat between her fingers, demanding to know why Kaname goes to such lengths to summon them. She lets the creature go free and it flies back to Kaname, who holds out his hand and absorbs the creature. Kaname tell them how he was depressed about the conditions of vampires before he "died" and now, after he has re-awakened, he is disappointed to see nothing has changed. The council members do not understand, but Kaname has decided his original decision to kill them must go ahead. The council remind Kaname that his grandfather was the one who yielded power to the council, but believes they are no longer useful. Kaname compels the members of the council to pull off their own heads. He apologizes to Yuki for not being the gentle vampire she always believed he was.

Yuki wields the Artemis Scythe against Rido with a deft ability, turning his body into soup, he reforms reaching for her. He taunts her, questioning whether she can kill him, she growls at him not to say her name. Zero crushes Rido's body with his vines again. Yuki recoils from the ferocity of the attack. Yuki looks to Zero, who stares down what is left of Rido and tells Rido that he is Zero's prey.

Rido wonders why Zero calls him his prey. He taunts Zero about killing his brother and tells Yuki that Zero is as evil as he is for eating his own brother and taking the fragment. Yuki stands on looking extremely shocked. Rido tells Zero he is wrong, but Zero is his prey. Yuki responds by swinging her Artemis at Rido from behind. The blow if blocked by Zero's vines. Zero tells her to get back and not to take his prey. Yuki demands to know why, her aura gets dark and angry and her Artemis Scythe cuts Zero's face. Yuki stops. Rido tells her, that her aura became even more like Juri's when she got angry. Suddenly Zero picks up Yuki with his vines and tosses her off the building telling her she is in his way.

Rido tells Zero not to be so rough with his "little girl" and tells him to be quiet and let Rido devour his strength. He wants to reap the fruit of the seed that Shizuka planted and Kaname raised, telling Zero that his whole life was violated and contaminated by Purebloods and his life will end the same way. Zero tells him that is why he is going to massacre all of them.

Kain and Ruka finish fighting Rido's vampires, the last of whom turn to dust and Ruka thanks Kain for his work. The Moon Dormitory starts to rumble and crack, Shiki, worried, apologizes and picked up Rima. She awakens in his arms, hungry and asking for him to feed her. Suddenly Rido appears in this room, Shiki watches him in shock and Rido looks on sadly. Shiki looks away as Zero's vines pull Rido from the room. Shiki and Rima escape the building.

Yori in the dorm with the rest of the Day Class, worries for Yuki. Aido sees Yuki falling from the sky and runs to catch her, wanting to know why she is falling. Yuki amusingly lands on his back. Aido mutters about Zero's lack of respect for purebloods and wonders about his vines. Yuki speculates that the vines are the changes shape of the Bloody Rose. Yuki worrying for the Day Class, asks Aido to go comfort the girls. Aido objects because of his duty to protect her, but Yuki flatters Aido and he acquiesces before Rido can take control of him again.

The building collapses in front of Yuki and she stands firm, protecting herself from the debris. Yuki's vision is obscured and she hears a growl and asks if it is Zero. Rido's materializes from behind her. He calls her Juri, she begins to object saying she is not her mother, until she realizes Rido is completely confused. He asks Juri what he was missing, why she did not pick him. He tells her he loves her so much he wants to consume her. Yuki plunges the Artemis Scythe through his heart. He whispers in her ear that it was not the weapon he wanted. Zero brutally attacks Rido. Rido caresses Yuki's cheek and begins crack. Zero attacks one more time and Rido disintegrates. Zero withdraws his vines and stares at Yuki. Yuki asks Zero if he is ok and he points his gun at her, telling her not to get close and asking how he could possibly be okay. Zero tells her he wants to end it all. Saying that if he kills all the purebloods then he will be forgiven for killing her too, but he also tells her she did nothing wrong. A tear falls from her cheek as she says his name.

Asato Ichijo stands alone waiting for Kaname, honored that Kaname has gone to kill him himself. Asato tells him he believed he did nothing wrong and feels right in his conviction that everything he did for controlling vampire society smoothly and asks if Kaname is not at fault instead. Takuma arrives and interrupting the conversation. Takuma tells his grandfather he disagrees with his methods. Kaname grants Takuma's request to take care of his grandfather. Takuma feels sad that he could not escape his grandfather's mold. He requests they end the Ichijo line together.

Yuki tells Zero she cannot die yet, she pulls up her Artemis Scythe to defend herself facing Zero head on.

Memorable Quotes
"A system that can no longer tell good from evil...is a system that can no longer be used..."
 * - Kaname

"Shizuka planted the seed and Kaname raised you...now its time for me to reap the fruits.
 * - Rido to Zero

"If I kill every pureblood there is...then this will certainly be forgiven as well..."
 * - Zero

"You didn't do anything bad...Yuki..."
 * - Zero

"Grandfather...Let us together put an end to the Ichijo line."
 * - Takuma

Character Appearances

 * Kaname Kuran
 * Yuki Cross
 * Rido Kuran
 * Zero Kiryu
 * Akatsuki Kain
 * Ruka Souen
 * Senri Shiki
 * Rima Toya
 * Sayori Wakaba
 * Hanabusa Aido
 * Asato Ichijo
 * Takuma Ichijo

Trivia

 * References to the bat creature that Kaname uses can be seen in earlier promo images.
 * Kaname uses his compulsion power for the first time here.
 * The battle against Rido takes several hours, as it ends into the middle of the night and it was not yet sundown in 41st Night.

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