The demon's hunger was satiated with Dracula's bittersweet fruit.
It called its forces back. Pallid flesh pulled into bone, folding into place once more as tendrils yanked Arikado back. Its limp trophy disappeared in the thick of bodies, drawn into the festering abyss that had stolen Soma's mind. He screamed, his fingernails digging into the sides of his head. If it hadn't been for his weak soul—his stupid, cowardly persona—
He flinched at the sensation of blood running down his fingertips. Soma released his head. This wasn't the time to give into self-loathing. He could tear himself apart after he had done the same to Legion. He pushed his hair back, then groaned, black strands trailing in the corners of his eyes.
He stopped. "What?"
Soma pushed his hair forward. Black as ebony. He gasped, twisting strands around. This was Arikado's doing. He had shielded Soma the same way he had hid himself from the young man's spirit for so long. That was why Legion let him go, why it mistook Arikado for Soma. His body had been changed once more, concealing his true nature in darkness.
He would take this transformation. It was far less bothersome than his last.
Panicked legs rushed past him. Soma looked to his friends, wondering if they would still recognize him. Hammer kept rushing on, more focused on punching zombies in the face than Soma's new hairdo. Julius was in the thick of battle as well. He was right to be more worried about Arikado's fate than Soma's. Yoko and Mina both stopped to gawk at him. It took Yoko a second to see through the disguise, her eyes sparkling as she identified him. Mina knew him right away. She grabbed his hair, fussing over his appearance.
"W-whoa," Mina gasped. "Soma, you look…"
Soma winced. "It's not bad, is it?"
"You're just fine, kid." Yoko nudged him onto his feet. "C'mon! We can admire your new hairdo after we rescue your beautician!"
She made a fair point. Soma nodded, drawing his swords. The trio closed the gap to the demon, calling wild powers to their aid. A flash of fire burst back a patch in Legion's fleshy surface. Twin blades lodged into the crack again. Soma cried out as he tried to pry Legion open again. His arms felt numb, legs weak. Pulling Legion apart was as ridiculous as chopping a mountain in half with a sword.
Meaty hands pushed on the summoned gold sword. Hammer swore as he worked. "Goddammit! What eats a rocket and lives?"
"Demons." Soma huffed as he wriggled the collapsible sword. "They just don't fight fair."
Hammer agreed. "Right on, bro—oh!" His eyes bulged. "Geez, what happened to you?"
"Dye job," Soma replied. "Don't get jealous."
The American snorted. "Yuck it up, drain clogger."
Howling squads fell from above. Both Soma and Hammer winced as they rained down. A blast of fire pushed one set away. Silver chains banished more. Julius and Yoko snarled at Legion's counterattack. One more pop pushed a wave back. Blue and white fire spilled from a glass jar as Mina unleashed a deluge from Julius' loaned vial. She turned back to Soma's side, pulling the collapsible blade back. Her strength didn't add much, but her presence soothed Soma's mind.
Soma blew fringe out of his face as he kept working. "Man! This is a lot harder than before!"
Julius turned to study Soma's problem. He kneeled between Hammer and Yoko, then drew a hatchet. He slammed into the same vent the others were trying to crack open. Blood seeped down his weapon. A flash from Legion's guts pulled it back in. The Belmont raised an eyebrow. That wasn't typical behavior for the demon.
"It's healing itself with its own blood." Julius shook his head. "That's Arikado's—"
The older gentlemen groaned as a second pulse of magic rushed through him. Everyone choked, throats going cotton dry. Mina braced herself against Soma, fingers on her chest. It felt like someone had sucked her guts out through a straw. Only Yoko had enough sense to hold the horde back as everyone caught their breath. Even her waves of ice could only do so much.
"Definitely Arikado's magic," Julius nodded.
Hammer pinched his eyebrows together. "What, you mean that soul stealing nonsense?"
Mina held a hand on her stomach. "I can't take another one of those."
"Then we've got to get into that shell and cut him out right now!" Soma growled.
Hammer rolled his eyes. "Right. Let me go get my tank."
Julius wiped a trail of sweat from his face. Hammer was right. Nothing short of a major blast was going to get them inside that shell. He groaned, knowing what he had to do. There was one technique he had that could tear stone columns from castle walls. That would rip Legion wide open—and probably give Julius a heart attack.
He'd rather burn his heart than have it broken.
"Everyone. Prepare to attack." Julius cracked his knuckles. "I'll open him up."
Yoko lifted an eyebrow. "Old man, what are you doing?"
Julius smiled. "Doing what a Belmont always does."
Fire as bright as starlight erupted from Julius' back. Blue flames pushed against Legion's side as Julius' holy blood fumed with power. A sign of sacrifice followed the length of his arms. His feet left the ground. Flooding him was enduring faith, the knowledge that the sun would always rise, that darkness would flee from light.
Flesh pulled from the plate's gap. It fought the vampire hunter's holy brand, muscles tearing in thin gaps and charring against divine flames. Hammer slammed the broader sword between Legion's plates. Cutting through it was like striking gum with a stick. More resistant than sinew was Arikado's magic. Dark clouds and violet waves began trickling down Legion's bloated mass.
Soma balked. That was Arikado's shield! The group was out of time. As soon as that barrier coated Legion, not even Julius' sacred powers would be enough to break it open. He clutched the relics beneath his shirt. There was one rash option left to him. He had no choice but to take it.
The young man dissipated into fog. Everyone gasped as he slipped between the gaps in Legion's muscles. It wasn't a millisecond after his mist transformation ended that Legion snapped shut once more. There was beating against the shell, screams for his name. They all fell away as Arikado's magic fused into place.
Soma stood in a dark, wet hell.
No light could pierce Legion's shell. Its tendrils were tucked in, winding around his legs like curious dogs. Skeletal hunks caught on his jeans. Unfortunate souls tried to grab his ankles, begging for his attention. He stepped on something soft. It popped beneath his feet. Crying voices echoed off the hollowed center of Legion's core. They drowned out his friends' worried calls. There was only one comforting part to Legion's guts, one light in the darkness. It came from glowing, golden eyes.
"Arikado!" Soma shouted. "Drop the shield! We're trying to help you, but the others can't get in here! You've got to stop—"
White fumes pulsed from Soma's torso. The young man sank into humid floors. He held a hand over his heart, furious with Arikado. That soul sucking spell ripped a cold, bitter wind through him. His hissing turned to worried pants. Arikado's eyes were little more than yellow crescents. His eyelids hung heavily, his body slumped forward. If he could fight his actions, he had no strength to do so.
Soma pulled Arikado's sword familiar from sheer aether. "Just hang on. I'll help you."
A round of light laughter bounced off Legion's walls. The demon wasn't mocking him, bearing no malevolence. It merely thought him to be amusing. Such a reaction raised the hackles on Soma's neck. It wasn't just Arikado's surrendered throat that bent to the demon's wills. It was thousands of voices, all speaking as one, all slaves to one master.
"Who are you?" Legion asked. "You are…so curious."
A crush of black magic fell on his head. Arikado's disguise kept it at bay. If there was any sign of Arikado's true will, it was that. The choir snarled, displeased with Soma's resistance. It reached out to him with undead limbs, shaking tendrils. He slashed both back. He was a prisoner in Legion's guts, but not a thrall.
"Let us hold you," an old man's voice begged.
"Let us kiss you," a sultry woman murmured.
"Let us…" Arikado's jaw fought the words coming from his mouth. "Help…you."
Soma flicked a finger towards the sound of Arikado's voice. The shining sword whipped through the air. Gushes burst as limbs struggled to slow the blade down. It came to a clanging halt mid-air. Soma winced, struggling to see what had happened. Another cloud of black magic caught the sword. Soma scowled. That damned shield again! Legion was going to drain the marrow out of Arikado's bones before it would dare let Soma take him back.
Legion reprimanded Soma. "Do not touch our lord."
"Do not…" Arikado's echo lagged. "Touch…"
Soma grimaced. "Your lord?"
"The flesh and the blood," Legion yammered. "The eternal beauty of the night. The lord of darkness and demons. Lord Dracula is ours!"
Soma snapped at the demon, his speech undignified as spit flew from his clenched teeth. "He is not Dracula! He will never be! He's too stubborn to be dragged down to your level, you maggot-eating monsters!"
He gasped as speeding flesh zipped towards him, prepared to strike the insolence out of him. Claws twisted past his face. Soma tipped his head. That wasn't the direction he expected the appendage to go. It should have had a direct bead on his neck. Did it mean to miss him?
His eyes widened. "Arikado?"
Legion strangled words from the dhampir's throat. "Let us…Let…me…"
Soma burned with pride. Arikado's eyes were fixed on him, breathing ragged but steady. Two souls that had nearly been snuffed out by Legion's smothering strength now fueled each other. There wouldn't be much time until the rest of the demon caught onto Arikado's deception. Even his rebellious thoughts would betray Soma within seconds.
The agent groaned. "Soma…"
"Arikado! Your shield!" Soma shouted. "You've got to drop it!"
"Drop…" Arikado nodded. "…Shield."
Light flared in the abyssal bowels. Soma covered his eyes. Legion's appendages bent in odd angles. They spat white laser fire and flames from each end. Even the mutilated tendrils blasted power from their severed flesh, cauterizing their own wounds. Immense power met with no resistance as Arikado's magic dispelled. Legion and its poor captives screamed as one as its own intense magic and the stubborn will wielding it split it in two.
The cracked shell crashed into surrounding fortress walls. Wood shattered beneath such a heavy load. A waft of stench so dense that it was visible bloomed from Legion's guts. Flopping flesh and mangled zombies flared above and below Legion's halves. Soma pulled himself from a layer of blood as thick as jelly. He slopped his fringe back, gulping fresh air.
Soma wondered if he should have clarified which shield he was talking about.
He gasped as thin arms caught his neck. "Soma!"
The exhausted youth laid an arm around Mina's shoulder. "Hey, Mina."
Mina ripped off a hunk of her skirt. She dabbed gunk away from Soma's eyes. "That was amazing! How did you do that?"
"Do what?" It took Soma a moment to realize what in the heck she was talking about. "Oh, crap! Arikado!"
The scarlet sky revealed the dreadful abomination that nested beneath Legion's shield. Squishy appendages and pink membranes were supported by a cage of bones. The remains of the necromancer were chained to corpses climbing up to rejoin their core. Tangled in the mess of tendrils and bones was Arikado's body. What little was left of his consciousness had gone out with the blast that had torn Legion apart. The dhampir was drained dry, face hollowed.
Soma snarled. "Julius."
"On it," the Belmont nodded.
Soma struck first. Gold and jade lanced through the air as Soma guided the blade to its destination. Pressure from Legion's mind had no hold on him. The blade landed with a thick squelch in its target. Not in the core itself—above the knot that held Arikado. With a violent, sharp twist, sinews and snarls came undone, raining bones onto the bloody remnants of Legion's shell.
Old strength caught what ancient grace failed. Arikado was little more than snarled hair and tender flesh in Julius' arms. Even light pressure from Julius' fingers was enough to leave bruises in Arikado's pallid skin. Julius pulled back, muscles protesting from the abuse his body had suffered throughout the night. He would bear his own injuries proudly. No Belmont would ever hide the way war painted and sculpted them.
"Status!" Yoko demanded.
The Belmont ducked out of the way of a flailing tendril. "Alive." He winced as another slammed down. "Struggling to keep it that way!"
Soma drew Julius behind him. "Leave it to me."
He flicked two fingers at the sword guardian. It drew back, then lanced upwards. Soma buried the familiar within Legion's core. Crafty lightning from Yoko's fingertips tracked towards the golden hilt. She let the monster fry. Even a weapon as mundane as Hammer's pistol started drawing damage. Zombies crawled up, desperate to protect the core, but he peeled them away one by one.
Legion screamed—writhed—but did not fall.
The power that had freed Soma and Arikado now turned against them. A whirl of fire spiraled around the remnants of the fortress. Everyone leapt back. White light singed the ground. Soma grabbed Mina out of the way before it could burn her out. Flesh boiled beneath Legion's powers. Its old meat wound around its core, drowning the necromancer's skeleton in gore.
"You're going to need another weapon," Mina laughed.
"Couldn't hurt!" Soma agreed. "Hey, where did that other sword—"
A delicate hand landed on his sternum. There was a second flush of power from Arikado's relics. One more sword familiar manifested itself. Soma glanced down, gawking at Mina's focus. Her irises flicked. The additional blade danced under her instruction. It snapped against rubbery flesh, tearing an appendage in half.
Soma's mouth went dry. "That works!"
"Let's finish this and go home!" Mina cheered.
Soma smiled. Home. It was one of two reasons Soma had fought so hard to turn away from Dracula's powers. The other was pressed against his chest. He put a hand behind her back, then redoubled his efforts. He had got them home once, and he would do it again.
There was no darkness in his eyes. Winding gold worked as one, slicing tendrils aside. Fire dribbled as liberally as blood from Legion's core. Booming sound cracked in his ears. If it was from Yoko or Hammer's hands, he couldn't tell. All that mattered was that the demon was exorcised, its components put to rest.
He saw a small jawbone shift, a twinkle of metal in fire.
A pillar of flames went up. What was left of Legion disappeared in its purging blast. Soma winced at the flare. He sheltered Mina as another ripple of power tore through the air. Their swords disappeared in a cloud of gold dust. Soma rested his nose on Mina's shoulder, watching as ash rained down. The only screams left were that of cold winds blowing debris and embers through the gutted fortress. Even that disappeared in a black gale. All that was left of the mighty demon and its multitude was a tarnished, char-stained barrette.
They were gone. Maruki and his girls. Some of those who had been taken in Kichijoji. More who had came willingly from the village. Men and monsters, zombies and skeletons, anything that would have worshiped him. It was all wiped from the earth.
There was no joy from their deaths. There was only silence—peace.
A jingle of chains drew Soma from his darkened thoughts. Mina slipped silver jewelry around his throat. He held a hand over his blue jewel, blessed to have his pendant back. She left one more gift on his forehead. What had once been as pale as moonlight flushed as red as the sun. Yoko and Hammer whistled as Mina pulled back.
She giggled. "Kind of felt the earth move on that one."
"Me too," Soma confessed.
"That would be another tower collapsing."
Both young adults turned their attention to Julius. Worried thought flared in Soma's mind. He rushed to Julius' side. The Belmont was not offended when Soma's attention snapped to the bundle of black wool wrapped in his leather coat. Timid fingers pushed Arikado's hair back, studying what little life was left in the dhampir. There was no stubborn strength in him, no regal aura. He looked desiccated, fragile—as old as he really was.
"We need to go," Julius murmured. He stared at the crumpled body in his arms. "We can't rest here."
Soma's response was slowed by his worry. "…Okay."
"Wait," Mina called. "One moment. Please."
She paused at the tiny decoration abandoned by its wearer. Mina covered her hand with the hem of her skirt, then picked the warm jewelry up. She rushed it to the shrine's top, then paused to bow, leaving the trinket at its entrance. One last invocation rang in the shrine's desecrated structure. Shinto and Christian prayers joined in worship. The little temple would need a priest to properly exercise it, to rebuild its torii and surround it with shimenawa ropes. Sincere faith would heal what greed had inflicted upon the sacred space.
Such hope and devotion made Dracula's soul burn. This had been a wicked god's cruel tragedy, another twist in fate that ripped lives from the face of the earth. Soma quelled his anguish. He had not lost anything. The will of the divine had given him another chance to get it right. Even the lord of darkness could pay homage to forces of light, to those that had saved him and his child from another fall.
Though, he could no longer be called lord. He had no kingdom left to rule.
Author's Note
It was this far into writing that I discovered that Julius actually never uses knives. Which makes sense, given the cross' use, but dammit! I beat Julius mode in "Dawn of Sorrow"! You think I would have remembered such a thing.
Just a little bit left. Go ahead and get your tissues ready.