WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Irregular at Magic High School Season 2, Episode 2, "Visitor Arc II," streaming now on Funimation.
The mysterious possessed humans come into greater focus in the latest episode of The Irregular at Magic High School. Much remains unknown, but these "Vampires" are USNA Army deserters who have been transformed into inhuman beings by a type of parasite, or supernatural bug. The number of murders is growing, investigatory factions are forming and one of Tatsuya's closest friends is lucky to be alive after a direct confrontation.
Tatsuya and Miyuki take a backseat for other developing storylines but the action and intrigue continue to grow with the Vampires' methods of attack slowly becoming clearer. When attacking a human, they take 10 percent of his or her blood and attempt to implant a parasite inside the body. Many of the humans' bodies reject the parasite, however, and the success or failure of the process seemingly hinges on the level of desire within one's heart. If the desire is high enough, they can become a Vampire. If it isn't high enough, they die. There have been 24 victims so far, with 16 of those being magicians.
The USNA deserters who successfully transitioned into Vampires and came to Japan have also gained new magical abilities that they didn't possess as humans. These abilities are revealed when a pair of USNA Army agents -- along with Angie Sirius -- pursue them at night in a public park. The agents try a cast-jamming spell to stop one of the Vampires from using any magic, but they fail for a simple and important reason: Vampires don't require a CAD (Casting Assistant Device) to cast spells. On top of that, they can communicate telepathically and take a human's blood without leaving any sign of a wound.
If all that wasn't ominous enough, Tatsuya's friend and classmate Leo comes into contact with the second of the two Vampires and, despite his magical ability and impressive physical strength, is quickly overwhelmed. When the Vampire grabs his fist, Leo's energy is suddenly drained. His life is spared only thanks to Angie Sirius appearing on the scene at the critical moment, causing the Vampire to retreat. Erika's brother Toshikazu, the police force chief, finds Leo and rushes him to the hospital.
Because these attackers largely deal in supernatural abilities, the importance of Mikihiko's knowledge and affinity for Spirit Magic is brought to the fore. As he, Tatsuya, Miyuki, Honoka, Mizuki and Erika visit Leo in the hospital, they're able to ascertain what they know and speculate -- largely accurately -- about a parasite "infesting" humans and turning them into something that isn't human. But as Mikihiko explains, a significant mystery remains: if a Vampire can steal a magician's Spirit Energy -- which is what happened to Leo -- why did it also steal his blood when it didn't need to? The Vampires seem to take the blood for an experiment, likely to do with turning more humans into Vampires. But why? Are these assailants acting on their own or is someone else pulling the strings? And why are both regular humans and magicians being targeted?
As Tatsuya and the gang struggle to figure out their next move, other factions are forming of their own accord. Erika, taking care of Leo in the hospital, intends to train him further in her family's famed martial arts techniques. Meanwhile, Mayumi and Katsuto, both important members of families in the Ten Master Clans, form an alliance. Every one of the magician victims so far had some level of connection to the Saegusa family, so Mayumi is intent on investigating the mysterious attackers and solicits the Juumonji family's cooperation.
Unlike Season 1, where the massive cast often came together to fight their adversaries -- most notably during the Yokohama Disturbance Arc -- here they are breaking off into separate factions with different motivations and possibly even different goals. Erika is itching for a fight, especially after Leo's attack, but Tatsuya and the others remain in the speculation and planning phase. Mayumi and Katsuto want to investigate on behalf of their families and the magician victims. Whether they will come together or come into conflict -- a question further clouded by the presence of Angie Sirius and the USNA agents who have their own mission -- may well determine how and if they're able to deal with these supernatural enemies.
