Everything for a Peaceful Night 2023 #PulpAdventCalendar2023

Demons are real.
For a brief moment after December 24th turns into the 25th, magic dwells in the moonlight. Demons use this to connect Hell to the mortal world.
The demon that comes to the mortal world has one goal: to devour children. A demon can only stay in the mortal world for 666 seconds, but if it devours a child's soul, it can remain in the mortal world forever.
Long ago, this night was not peaceful for children.

Around the 4th century, there was a man named Nikolaus in a place now called Anatolia.
As a bishop, he was an ally of the weak. When a certain girl was forced to be sold into slavery, he secretly gave her gold coins to save her.
One day, Nikolaus received a revelation from God to defeat a demon. The demon had already devoured children and was terrorizing people in the mortal world.
That was not the only revelation from God. He was taught the location of a certain weapon and the techniques to fight the demon.

Nikolaus obtained the weapon and trained to master the techniques bestowed upon him by God.
And so, the day arrived for Nikolaus to confront the demon.

"My wounds won't heal!? What is that weapon!?"
"It is a spear that has received the blood of the one I respect most. It must be painful for a demon."
"The Spear of Longinus!? But even with a lethal weapon, humans themselves should be weaker than demons. What is that power!?"
"God the Father has bestowed upon me a technique that draws out a fraction of human potential."

Ho, ho, ho.
A special breathing technique granted by divine revelation has turned him into a superhuman.

"Humans strive. I have honed myself to further elevate what was bestowed upon me by God the Father. My superhuman breathing technique and the spear-killing method I devised will pierce you."
"Striving, honing. I see, that is the strength of humans. No wonder you thrive."
"Give up. If you do, I will at least grant you a merciful death."
"Hahahaha!"

The demon laughs in a raspy voice.

"Feeling like a winner already? Humans are strong, but at the same time, foolish. That is why God always has to look after you forever."

The demon used some kind of magic. Nikolaus was on guard, but the magic was not an attack.

"My brother in Hell, my own flesh and blood! Steal the technique from the human! If you do, you will become strong. Stronger than I could ever be!"
"Oh no!"

Nikolaus hurriedly finished off the demon, but it was already too late.
Watching the demon's corpse lose its form as it turned into black ash, Nikolaus foresaw an endless, long battle.
Humans defeat demons through diligence. The demon side had acknowledged and accepted that fact.
From now on, demons would train themselves to become stronger, just like humans.
Stronger enemies, more terrifying enemies would appear.

"I must raise disciples. I must ensure that the techniques to defeat demons are passed down to the distant future."

Nikolaus gathered promising young people and trained them.
At the same time, he increased his allies. He felt that the spear-killing method he had devised alone was not enough. Nikolaus traveled the world and met masters of swords, axes, and bows. They sympathized with his ambition to protect children from demons, and Nikolaus taught them the superhuman breathing technique.
The masters who mastered the superhuman breathing technique advanced their own skills into ones that could defeat demons.

The battle to protect children from demons continued even after Nikolaus passed away, carried on by those who inherited his will.
Eventually, the legend of Santa was born based on the anecdote of Nikolaus saving a girl with gold coins. The warriors who fight demons began calling themselves Santa Claus in honor of that legend.
The Santas continue to fight in secret to protect children.
Everything is for a peaceful night.
Children can sleep without being threatened by demons. That is the true Christmas present from Santa.

●

That demon was weak. His brother possessed vast magical power that was respected in Hell, but he had less than one-tenth of that.
One day, that demon began to imitate the way humans fought. Everywhere he went in Hell, he was pointed at and made a laughingstock by other demons.
300 years later, there was no one left to laugh at that demon. He had killed every single one who had laughed at him.

Even demons with far superior magical power were no match for the demon who had mastered human martial arts.
Fear, jealousy, desire. Infused with those emotions, that demon was called the Great Demon.
And the Great Demon crossed over to the mortal world.

"Demon, I have been waiting for you."

A Santa holding a spear was waiting. The Great Demon knew that spear. It was the Spear of Longinus that had once defeated his brother.

"Being allowed to possess the Spear of Longinus means you must be the strongest Santa of the current generation."
"Give up and accept your bad luck."

The Great Demon grinned.

"No, that's wrong. I'm lucky. Because I get to test my strength against someone who is truly strong."

The battle between the Great Demon and the Santa who inherited the Spear of Longinus ended, surprisingly, in a crushing victory for the Great Demon.

“This is impossible. I never imagined a demon this strong would appear.”
“Using the Spear of Longinus was actually your undoing. Because of the weapon's power, you grew careless, thinking a single hit would guarantee your victory.”

The Great Demon snatched the Spear of Longinus from the dying Santa. Then, using magic, he shattered it into nothingness.

“I’m disappointed in you. I thought you were the strongest, but you turned out to be a fool who lets his guard down.”

The Great Demon let out a sigh of disappointment and headed toward the village.

“Stop, wait.”

Santa tried to pursue him, but his strength failed him and he died.
The Great Demon attacked the village. All the adults were killed, and every child had their heart devoured.
Santa was killed in action, the Spear of Longinus was destroyed, and the residents of the village were brutally slaughtered.

This event would be passed down to future generations of Santas as the worst defeat in history.
Many skilled Santas were dispatched to pursue the manifested Great Demon, but not a single one returned.
The Great Demon has yet to be defeated.

●

The time is the present.

“Let’s join forces.”

A certain demon said this in Hell. He is a demon who fights using fire magic and kendo. Ever since the Great Demon demonstrated the effectiveness of human martial arts long ago, it has become standard education for demons to master both magic and martial arts.

“It’s annoying to rely on others, but I suppose we have no choice. For the past few years, the demon side has been losing constantly.”

A demon who specializes in water magic and judo agreed.

“I heard that two demons teamed up last year, but two Santas appeared and they lost. Is teaming up really a viable strategy?”

A demon who uses wind magic and kyudo (archery) expressed his reservations.

“What if we double it? If the four of us go together, maybe we can pull it off?”

A demon who uses earth magic and karate said.

“That will just result in four Santas appearing. I think we need a different approach.”

Immediately after the kyudo demon spoke, a 3D projection created by communication magic appeared before the four of them.

“In that case, I will lend you my aid.”

The four demons gasped. The Great Demon, now a legend in Hell, had made contact.

“I am using transformation magic to infiltrate the Santa organization’s support unit. I will feed the Santas false appearance coordinates so that you can manifest safely. In exchange, however, you will swear your loyalty to me.”

The four demons exchanged glances.

"I know you can't decide immediately. I am a demon too. I understand well the humiliation of swearing loyalty to another. I will contact you again at this time in three days, and I will hear your answer then."

The holographic Great Demon vanished.

"What do we do?"
"I think we should accept the deal."
"Even if it's a Great Demon, are we going to become his underlings?"
"We have no other choice. Everyone in our generation is already at the Greater rank (equivalent to a ranked expert for demons), but we are still at the Lesser rank. This is the only chance we have to devour children."

Thus, the four demons swore loyalty to the Great Demon in exchange for cooperation.

●

The Santa organization's observation team is tasked with investigating where demons will appear on Christmas night.
In the days before science was advanced, Santas with high supernatural sensitivity would receive revelations from God to pinpoint appearance locations, but now, with the development of magical observation equipment and the like, the accuracy is extremely high.

The observation team reported that four demons would appear simultaneously in Yumemi Town this Christmas.
The organization decided to dispatch four Santas.
Santa Claus Sword-Killing Method, Miyo Shiwasu-Christina.
Santa Claus Gun-Killing Method, John Sanders.
Santa Claus Spear-Killing Method, Koji Kuroi.
Santa Claus Ninja Method, Hatomi Akagi.

The four were rookies who had just experienced their first real battle last year, but they successfully defeated the demons and protected the children.
The four gathered at the Yumemi Town station.

"Everyone, it's been a while. It's good to see you all doing well."

Hatomi, who usually attends a mission-based boarding school, greeted them with a gentle demeanor. She is a Christian, a ninja, and a Santa.

"I'm glad we all survived last Christmas. I trusted in everyone's abilities, but in battle, there's always a 'what if'."

John's parents were killed by demons when he was a child. John was also about to be devoured by a demon, but a Santa saved him there.
Since then, that Santa became John's foster father and also taught him the Santa Claus Gun-Killing Method.

"I'm happy to be fighting with everyone this year."

Miyo's mother is a French woman who married into the Shiwasu family, masters of flower arrangement, tea ceremony, and kendo. Inheriting that blood strongly, Miyo has hair like spun gold and blue eyes like jewels.
Since she had been wearing kimonos since she was old enough to understand, she wears them naturally despite her appearance being far from that of a Japanese person.

"Sending multiple demons to one location means the Hell side is changing."

Koji is the boy expected to have the most promise among the users of the Santa Claus Spear-Killing Method. It is said that if the Spear of Longinus still existed, he would be chosen as a candidate for its owner.

The four young Santas are, so to speak, of the same class. Although they each mastered different martial arts, they underwent basic training as Santas together before that. They overcame harsh basic training while encouraging each other, and passed the Santa Claus certification exam, which most challengers fail.

In Christianity, the approximately four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve are called the Advent period, and the Santa organization prepares for battle during this time.

Mainly, this involves grasping the geography of the area that will become the battlefield, setting up Christmas landmines that react only to demons, and various information operations to keep ordinary people away from demon appearance points, but this is not done by a single assigned Santa.
There are support units in the Santa organization to carry out these activities.
The 6th Support Unit has already been dispatched to Yumemi Town and has secretly established a base. The four Santas headed there.

"It seems the upper management's judgment has dulled significantly. To think they would send brats like you."

The captain of the 6th Support Unit, Onikage, was a devious superior who openly looked down on the young Santas who had performed their duties admirably last Christmas.

"But rest assured. I will be in charge of this site. With my perfect tactical planning, even fools like you should be able to fight properly."
"That is an abuse of authority. It is the rule that on-site decisions are made by the Santas who fight the demons directly."

John argued back, but Onikage snorted.

"Ha! Listen here. Rules exist so that even the incompetent can perform their duties to some extent. If it's for someone truly excellent like me to properly demonstrate their abilities, then rules can be bent as much as I like."
"Hey!"

After Kouji took a step forward to grab Onikage, a man with a faint presence stepped in between them.

"Now, now, now, calm down. Our captain just has a strong desire to make sure the demons are defeated."

It was the vice-captain, Yamada, who stepped in to mediate.

"The captain was a very capable Santa in the past. If it weren't for the aftereffects of the injuries he sustained while fighting demons, he would still be out there crushing them today. He's that talented, so could you please trust the captain and follow his instructions?"

Yamada wore a smile. He likely thought he was being charming, but to the young Santas, it looked like nothing more than a sleazy, sycophantic grin.

"I don't want to work for someone else's self-importance."
"We have no intention of handing over our responsibilities as Santas to anyone else."
"No matter how talented someone is, I can't trust a person who tries to bend the rules for their own sake."
"Besides, I don't think anyone who believes they can do whatever they want just because they're talented is actually talented at all."

The young Santas clearly showed their rejection of Onikage.

"To think that brats and little girls would...! Fine, have it your way. I'll make you realize my worth until you're sick of it!"

After that, Onikage resorted to the incredibly childish tactic of sabotaging the support unit.
The young Santas had been prepared for this from the start. Fortunately, since they were working in a four-person team, they managed to proceed with preparations for the demon hunt even without the support unit.
Naturally, this did not please Onikage.

"To think you still don't understand even after all this. Then it's time for the final resort. Yamada! Tell them the wrong appearance point!"
"Captain!? That's going too far. If the higher-ups find out, you won't get off lightly either."
"With my excellence, falsifying records is easy, and my father is among the upper management. If I feel like it, I can even have you dismissed. If you don't want that, follow my orders."
"..."
"Well? Answer me!"
"Understood."

●

It was December 24th. The young Santas headed toward the point where the demons would appear. It was a nature park on the outskirts of town.
At that moment, a grating communication came in from Onikage.

"You idiots! Where are you going! That's not the appearance point!"

His voice was filled with anger and a hint of panic.

"We have no intention of listening to a word you say."

Miyo said, pushing him away.

"Vice-Captain Yamada told us the real appearance point."
"John Sanders! I can have your mentor, who is like a father to you, dismissed!"
"You're the one who's going to be dismissed. You no longer have any authority."
"What do you mean by that, Hatomi Akagi!"
"I am a Santa ninja. A ninja is, by nature, an intelligence operative. I have submitted evidence to the Black Santas that the father you rely on has been embezzling the Santa organization's operating funds."

They could hear Onikage gasp over the communicator.
The Black Santas are the Santa police who maintain order within the organization.

"...D-do you really think such a childish bluff will work?"
"Hatomi's work is flawless. You'd better get your affairs in order while you still can. You can never escape the Black Santas."

Finally, Kouji said this dismissively, and the young Santas turned off their communicators. They were about to fight demons. They wanted to block out any noise that would disturb their concentration.
They arrived at the appearance point and waited for December 25th.
Then the demons appeared. Just as the prior information had stated, four of them appeared.

"W-what, Santas!?"
"This isn't what we were told!"
"Damn it, that guy tricked us."
"But they're rookies! We should have a chance."

For some reason, the demons were surprised that Santa was there. Santa had been fighting demons continuously. It should be common knowledge for demons that they would encounter Santa immediately after manifesting in this world.
While feeling a sense of unease at the enemy's behavior, the young Santas began to fight to fulfill their mission.
The battle ended in a few dozen seconds.

"Doesn't something feel off?"

John says, looking at the remains of the demons that had turned to dust.

"Indeed, the behavior of those demons was strange. What do you think, Koji?"
"I think it's strange too."

The young Santas had a certain concern. Hatomi voiced that concern.

"Judging by how they appeared, they must have thought they could manifest without having to fight Santa."

That meant

"There is a possibility that there is an informant within the Santa organization who guided them to manifest safely."
"Oh my, have you already figured it out?"

Vice Captain Yamada reveals himself.

"Are you the informant?"

Miyo asks while drawing the sword at her waist.

"That is the case. However, the goal wasn't to let the small fry manifest safely. Those demons were, so to speak, bait. I wanted to gather you all in one place."

Yamada points at the young Santas.

"Everyone has a limit to their growth, right? To break through that, a special method is required. And that method involves sacrificing human souls, but it can't be just anyone. Unless it's young and strong souls like yours, it won't add to my power."

As Yamada was speaking, a change occurred in his body. His body gradually grew larger, and his clothes tore from the inside. His skin turned black, horns grew from his forehead, and bat-like wings sprouted from his back. Yamada had become a demon.

"That form, the Great Demon who destroyed the Spear of Longinus..."

Hatomi mutters.

"You know my appearance well. I didn't show my true face to humans very often... well, it doesn't matter, anyway, the preparations are complete."

The Great Demon performed some kind of magic. A giant magic circle emitting an ominous light appeared at the Great Demon's feet.

"The ritual has been activated. My prediction was not wrong. All that's left is to defeat you all."

The first to move was John. He drew his two Santa-use pistols, the Nikolaus X7, and fired in rapid succession.
The Great Demon defended with his arms. Demon skin, especially the lower arms, is hard enough to deflect bullets.

"Guns are quite powerful weapons among human inventions. Eventually, demons who use guns will appear as well."

The Great Demon says.

"However, a gun that can only exert a fixed amount of power eventually degrades into a tool for the weak to deceive others about their true ability. A gun is a weapon that cannot be ignored, but what one should be even more wary of is..."

Miyo and Koji attacked, sandwiching the Great Demon from both sides.
The Great Demon defended against their attacks with its arms. The blades of the sword and spear bit slightly into the Great Demon's skin.

"...Ugh, that stings. A Santa who has become superhuman through breathing techniques using old-fashioned weapons. This is the most dangerous kind."

Miyo and Koji tried to push their weapons in further, but the Great Demon had slightly more strength.
A slight stalemate occurred. During that time, John switched weapons. It was the Santa-use grenade launcher, Nicaea G3.
The moment the explosive shell flew from the muzzle was the same moment Miyo and Koji disengaged. Since they had been training their coordination during the Advent period, they could synchronize their movements without saying a word.

"Tch."

John clicked his tongue. His superhuman dynamic vision had seen the Great Demon generate an ice magic barrier just before the impact.
The Great Demon emerged from the smoke of the explosion. It was injured because the ice magic couldn't fully block the blast, but it was the kind of wound that a demon's vitality would heal in a minute or two.
At that moment, the Great Demon leaped away from the spot. A kunai pierced the ground where it had been standing just a moment before.

"To think a Great Demon would be so unsightly as to dodge out of fear of such a small blade."

Hatomi, who had been in the trees before anyone noticed, looked down at the Great Demon with cold eyes.

"Ah, how scary. Since it's a weapon used by a ninja, I'm sure it's coated in poison. I won't fall for your provocations. Santa Claus Ninpo is a psychological combat technique that strikes at gaps in the heart. I have acquired all sorts of knowledge and techniques to defeat Santa. Naturally, I have also studied anger management to maintain my composure."

In fact, the Great Demon felt no anger at all despite being looked down upon by humans.

"Please don't think that Santa Claus Ninpo is only for making the opponent angry."
"Of course. I will not let my guard down against you. No, perhaps it is more accurate to say I cannot. Because the reason I gathered you all here is that you are Santas with the potential to defeat me."

The young Santas were suspicious of the Great Demon's words.

"With three of you, I would definitely win. With five, I would definitely lose. It is important that there are four of you. This ritual I am performing will not activate unless I have opponents of equal strength."

The Great Demon poked the magic circle on the ground with the tip of its foot.

"I am acquiring strength beyond my original limits. It is only natural that I must stake my own life to balance the scales."
"Why would you go to such dangerous lengths to become stronger?"

Miyo asked.

"As long as there is room to become stronger, I am weak. I would rather die than remain weak."

Seeing the Great Demon speak with such absolute seriousness, a shudder ran through the young Santas.
Originally, demons seek strength to avoid dying. But the Great Demon was different. It was willing to accept the risk of death just to become stronger.

"Now, shall we resume the fight? First... starting with the most annoying one!"

The Great Demon approached John. It intended to take out the one with long-range attack capabilities first!
John dropped the Nicaea G3 and gripped the Nikolaus X7 again.
A gun is a tool for killing distant enemies, but the secret of the Santa Claus Gun-Killing Method lies in close-quarters firefights.

The continuous strikes unleashed by the Great Demon were fierce enough that a half-baked Santa wouldn't last even a second, but John dodged by a hair's breadth while countering with his gun.
Only certain parts of a demon's skin can deflect bullets. John was aiming for the softer parts.

However, the Great Demon used its forearms, the hardest part of its body, to deflect all of John's shots.
Miyo, Koji, and Hatomi also joined the fray. Jumping into a melee where bullets were flying would be suicidal for an ordinary person, but John did not hit his allies, and the other young Santas did not make the mistake of stepping into the line of fire.

Here, the Great Demon took a bold action. It abandoned its defense. It was a desperate tactic only possible for a demon with powerful vitality.
John's bullets, Miyo's sword, Koji's spear, and Hatomi's kunai. The young Santas' attacks hit the Great Demon directly, but it did not lead to its death.

"Got you!"

Fists and kicks wreathed in flames and electricity slammed into the young Santas. They were blown away as if pulled by invisible strings, coughing up blood.
But they were also first-class Santas. They had been trained to ignore pain. Although their wounds were by no means light, they immediately moved to their next attack.
Hatomi threw shuriken in succession, and John fired his gun repeatedly.

"Your attacks are weaker than before!"

The archdemon easily dodges the shuriken and bullets.
Although the archdemon gained the upper hand by inflicting deep wounds on the Santas, he has also sustained serious injuries that cannot be ignored due to his desperate tactics.
If he takes one more full-power attack from the Santas, the situation will be reversed in an instant.
Because of that, the archdemon was feeling anxious at this moment.
In mid-air, one bullet hits a shuriken. The bullet is deflected and hits another shuriken. After several ricochets, the bullet pierces the archdemon's right eye.

"Damn it!"

Miyo and Kouji kick off the ground.

"Damn!"

The archdemon tries to intercept the two by unleashing fire and lightning magic from his left and right hands. However, Miyo and Kouji dodge the magical attacks, even as their Santa combat suits are scorched. Even for an archdemon, having suddenly lost one eye, he could not grasp the depth perception needed to aim accurately.
Both Miyo and Kouji have sustained injuries severe enough to damage their internal organs, but their techniques have not dulled in the slightest. Even for a demon with tough skin, the joints are not the same. Miyo's sword and Kouji's spear sever the base of his shoulders.
The archdemon's arm dances through the air.

"Yeeeeaaaaahhh!!"

Hatomi screams as she swings the kunai gripped in both hands. She slashes the archdemon's exposed throat.
Blood sprays like a fountain, staining Hatomi's Santa ninja outfit a dark, murky red.

"Brother... I guess I couldn't become strong after all..."

Even for an archdemon, this was a fatal wound. He collapses as if falling from his knees, and his corpse vanishes into black dust.

"Everyone, can you still move?"
"Yeah, I can manage. How about Hatomi and Kouji?"
"I can too, just a little."
"I'm barely hanging on, but I can walk."

The young Santas, pushing through their severe injuries, leaned on each other's shoulders and headed toward the observation deck of the natural park that had become the battlefield.
Since it is already late at night, most of the lights in the residential area are out.
The children here are surely sleeping while looking forward to their Christmas presents.
The young Santas fought for this very reason. Seeing this, the Santas' Christmas finally comes to an end.

Everything is for a peaceful night.

The young Santas were able to give the Christmas present of a night where people can sleep without being threatened by demons again this year.
The proud feeling of having fulfilled their mission allowed the young Santas to forget the pain of their wounds for a moment.

The End

Please check out my past submissions as well.
It is a series, but each episode can be read independently.