Here's the next installment. I kinda forced this one out and you'll probably be able to tell even if I hadn't mentioned it. I have stuff to say about this chapter but I'll leave it for the end so I don't spoil it for any one. Though from the chapter title you can probably figure parts of it out.
I'll probably be taking a small break after the next installment, that or switch back to working on Dark Futures or my Star Ocean stuff for a while. I've also been really meaning to play Chrono Cross since every time I talk to someone about a rpg, they bring it up. Trouble is actually finding the damn thing now...
Finals sucked but at least they are over and I got out of the semester with a 3.1, perhaps moving up to a 3.3 depending on how much fate likes me. I find it oddly amusing that the average on one of my finals was a 63
Chapter Twenty Five: Omega and Alpha
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
Seras stood there, her shotgun in hand as she glared at the knife wielding pure blood vampire who seemed to be waiting for some sort of response. She only raised an eyebrow before asking with slight amusement. "You intend to fight me with only a knife?"
Lorenz merely smirked back as he held the dagger in a reverse grip in his left hand. His right hand was out in front of him and he seemed to be waiting for her. Finally he spoke, "I think my knife will be more useful than that toy of yours." He then beckoned for her to attack with his right hand.
Seras shook her head before raising the shotgun, taking aim, and firing. Lorenz easily dodged the blast, but both knew that it had not been meant to kill him. No, that shot was merely the sign for the battle to begin. Lorenz immediately ducked his body lower before shooting forward with speed that any track runner would be envy of. His body was almost a blur with how fast he was moving, shifting back and forth as if vanishing and reappearing with no pause.
Seras had very little time to react. Granted she could follow his speed, but it didn't mean that she could avoid him without any effort. In fact, she was forced to use the shotgun itself to block the man's knife slash in order to remain safe from the attack. The blade and gun wobbled against each other dangerously, the pressure that each user was exerting showing itself. Seras only smirked in response. She was met by a similar expression on her opponent's face. As if sharing one mind, the two jumped apart from each other, once again placing distance between them.
Seras only held up the shotgun in minor amusement. "Looks like you were right." She said with a hint of amusement as she gestured to the mark of damage in the barrel of the shotgun. There was a deep gash in the metal, as if the knife had been used to engrave the barrel in a careful procedure. She tossed the useless gun aside before lowering her hands. She then merely stood there waiting for Lorenz to make the next move.
He raised an eyebrow at this reaction, his eyes noticing the small knife that was sheathed in her belt. "You're not going to bring out another weapon?"
She shrugged, "You're a pure blood. Short of pure silver, is any weapon really going to do any good against you?" She then slid her left foot forward slightly, settling into a loose defensive stance. She raised both her hands into clenched fists, her left about an arm's length away from her at shoulder height while her right was closer to her chest and head. She then flicked her left hand opened and gestured for him to come and get her. "Let's get this over with. Although I would love to give you a prolonged torture for that damn little stone of yours, I have bigger fish to fry."
Lorenz only frowned at the gross underestimation of his abilities. His grip tightened on his blades handle before once again charging Victoria. She merely stood there, waiting for him as he charged, a malicious glint in her eyes. He only swung his arm towards her face, intent on tearing the flesh from her face in one solid movement. He was shocked to find his arm was no longer moving. Instead, Victoria's arm had come up and met against his upper arm, halting the slashing movement. In addition, she had ducked her head slightly, providing herself even more leverage against the man's swinging slash. His eyes narrowed dangerously as his right hand reached behind him to withdraw another knife as he continued to apply force against her arm, trying to bring the knife closer to her face. With one quick motion, he withdrew a second knife and thrusted it forward towards her chest.
Seras saw the thrust coming and released Lorenz's arm in order to dodge the thrust. She parried his right hand off to the side and sent a low kick that connected with the side of the man's knee. He grunted in pain but kept up his attack, his twin blades dancing in a waltz of steely death. Seras kept dodging, an ever present smirk on her face as she seemed to dance within his thrusts and slashes.
Finally after avoiding another one of his knife thrusts, Seras grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder. He was thrown like a rag doll at the unexpected counter and slammed into the ground with enough force to cause the concrete to crater slightly. Seras didn't release her hold on the man's arm, instead she sent her foot downward directly into the man's shoulder, causing him to grit his teeth in pain before throwing his other knife at her head. She quickly jumped away, just in time to have the blade take a few strands of her hair as it whizzed past her face. Lorenz flipped back to his feet, transferring his knife to his uninjured arm and reaching for another already. Seras only raised an eyebrow in slight shock before running a hand through her short hair. He's quite good.
Similar thoughts were racing through Lorenz's mind as he repositioned his knives. She's aiming for my joints... Interesting style... "Is that standard operating procedures for hand to hand in Hellsing?"
She only grinned before shrugging. "Nah... My D11 days actually." She then raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised you recognized what I was doing."
He merely flicked one knife at her before charging in again, a maniacal grin covering his face. She is a worthy challenge, I shall enjoy this. His grin only widened when he saw her grab the knife he had thrown by its handle before reversing her grip on it and charging towards him as well. The two met in a clashing of blades, the metal grinding together as the two opponents tried to overpower the other. Amused grins covered both vampires' faces as sparks seem to fly as the metal knives ground against each other.
Seras sent a low kick towards the man's leading foot but Lorenz merely raised it up slightly in order to avoid the ankle strike. He slammed it back down and tried to loop his lead leg around hers but she merely brought her leg back from its kick, pulling his own leg and now the two were pushing their knives towards each other but pulling each other closer as well. It seemed similar to some sort of demented tug of war.
Seras suddenly twisted her body, bringing Lorenz closer as her leg pulled back a little. Then without hesitating in the slightest, she slid the attacking knife off her own as shifted as it whizzed past her face before she gave Lorenz an elbow directly to face. He felt something crunch as he retaliated with an upward elbow of his own, striking her in the solar plexus.
Seras felt the wind race out of her lungs from the strike, her grip on the knife loosening as her body was lifted into the air for a moment before Lorenz delivered a strong backhand that sent Seras flying through the nearest wall. The wall crumbled under the impact before she came to a halt in the next room, somehow twisting so that her feet landed first. As she landed she skid backwards a few feet before coming to a stop, raising her head to glare at her opponent after doing so.
Lorenz came walking through the hole in the wall slowly, as if measuring his next move. He had pulled another knife and merely stood there, waiting for her next move. She only grinned before lowering her body slightly and tossing the knife up in the air and grabbing it with her right hand in a normal grip. She raised her left hand up in a beckoning gesture then said, "Come on knife boy. I ain't got all night. I've got vermin to kill."
Lorenz only smirked before he charged again. The two once again began fighting within a heartbeat. The dancing of steel in the air echoed as the two circled each other, each trying to either disarm the other, literally, or aiming for blows along the chest or neck. Seras at one point gave him a good shot to the face after she had thrown the knife downwards and impaled the other vampire's foot through his shoe, catching him off guard before she sent an elbow directly into his throat. He dropped like a sack of rice, falling to his knees in pain before Seras smirked and grabbed him by his head and threw him towards the nearest wall.
He slammed through it headfirst, landing rather undignified looking in the next room. He came back to his feet quickly enough but found himself on the defensive against the now unarmed Seras as she sent punch and kick combos at him with amazing rapidity. He was shocked for himself looking for opening but was too busy trying to block her strikes or avoid them. He jumped back after one such series of attacks, the final one being an upward kick that clipped his lip as he jumped away.
Finally Lorenz smirked as he saw his chance and dashed forward to sneak inside Sears' guard and slammed the knife into her chest. If one was to look closer, they would soon realize that now only had he penetrated her chest, but her heart. Seras' body suddenly froze before she dropped to the ground, coughing out blood. "Bastard!" She wheezed out, her hand slowly going for the knife.
Lorenz only smirked before turning his back on her. "Stay there and suffer like a good fledgling vampire. My master will decide what to do with you later." He was about to say something else when something hard connected with the side of his head, sending him flying off to the side before slamming into another wall. He pushed himself off the ground and glared back towards the direction he had flown from and frowned when he saw Seras standing there with a small grin on her face, the knife that had been stabbed into her chest now resting on the ground.
She saw his frown and chuckled slightly. "Come on. You had better have some more skills than these knife tricks otherwise I'm going to be very upset. Let's pick up the pace a little here, if you keep things this dull I won't have any fun."
He slowly stood up and withdrew another knife before saying, "You shouldn't be able to shrug off a blow like that so quickly. Even if the blades aren't silver, they will still deal a fatal blow if they strike the heart."
Seras only smirked before cracking her knuckles. "Who says you hit my heart?" She asked mischievously with a grin. Seeing the man's confused expression she explained, "Oh come on. Don't tell me that you, being a vampire with centuries more experience than me, judging by your arrogance, doesn't know about moving your heart?" She scoffed before continuing, "Any pure blood who doesn't make that top priority deserves what they get."
Lorenz's frown only deepened at that little tirade. Of course he knew about the importance of moving your heart to avoid blows from prospective enemies. He had moved his own to the area by his left thigh centuries ago. However... She is far too young to even attempt such a thing... not to mention even think about it. Most vampires do not even realize for around three to four centuries that the heart no longer pumps blood like when they were alive. "I see. My apologies then, Seras Victoria. I have been taking you far too lightly, and for that I apologize."
Seras only smirked. "Apology accepted. Now can we get this over with. I'd really like to go watch Alucard go humiliate your master."
He scoffed under his breath before bringing both knives in front of him, crossing them in an 'x'. "Then let us begin." With that being said, the shadows around Lorenz seemed to take form and Seras watched in idle fascination as about ten 'Lorenzs' appeared around him, all holding knives in the same manner. One of them lowered his stance before commanding the others. "Kill her."
The dopplegangers all charged at that command, brandishing knives as several of them threw the weapons towards their would-be victim. Seras only scoffed before moving out of the way of the knives, only to find herself cornered by two knife wielding enemies, both going for neck slashes. She smirked before dropping low to avoid the attacks before grabbing both of their wrists and whipping them past her, slamming them into opposite walls. She watched in amusement as the two forms faded back into the shadows, having been defeated. She looked back towards the other enemies and said, "This can't be all you have. I'm not going to even break a sweat if you keep going easy on me."
The clones only frowned in unison before charging her again. She dashed in between several of them, giving a few of them punches to their faces or strikes through the chest. Lorenz frowned as he saw his henchmen falling to Victoria's attacks before summoning more of them and sending them towards her, their only intent to kill the younger vampire who was proving to be far more challenging than Lorenz had originally thought.
Seras only scoffed as she saw the newcomers attempting to join the fray against the rest of the clones that Lorenz had created. If he keeps this up, we could be at this forever. She did a quick count of the charging enemies, both new and from the previous round of cloning before smirking. Too easy. She only laughed, "Do not think you are the only one with a few tricks Lorenz!" She then cracked the knuckles in one hand before slamming an open hand against the floor. As a result, several spikes of pure darkness rose from the floor, impaling the nearest clones.
The sudden attack causing the remaining clones to jump backwards, avoiding the spikes that shot forth from the ground. Seras only remarked coolly, "Hmm..." She then smirked as a pair of clones threw knives towards her. She caught both of them before spinning in place and throwing them again in the same direction that they were heading in the first place. The two flying blades slammed into the necks of two clones that had been trying to sneak up behind her, causing them to fade back into shadow.
Seras only chuckled as she felt two more clones approaching from behind her and ducked under the thrusts before slamming both arms backwards, her elbows jamming directly into the crotches of both clones. Lorenz, although he didn't feel the pain of the blows his dopplegangers received, couldn't help but wince as all men do when they see such an attack. The remaining dopplegangers exchanged looks of displeasure before nodded and charging once again only to be met with more spikes of darkness, this time shooting downwards from the ceiling towards the floor until they hit the floor and were absorbed back into the shadows. Lorenz wasted no time in summoning more clones and sending them after her, now getting thoroughly annoyed by the woman's abilities.
She watched Lorenz still waiting there as if impatient for his clones to finish the job. "You know, its kinda sad that it only takes one hit to dispel them. That and I still know where the real you is."
Lorenz only smirked as he stepped out of his relaxed stance and prepared to charge her. "Like that'll help you."
She only smirked before charging towards him, ignoring the clones that seemed to surround her. Lorenz only smirked as he saw her extend her hand towards his chest, preparing to impale him. Fool. He reached back with his own knife to stab her before he widened his eyes in disbelief. Her hand shot short of his body, striking downward as she seemed to push off the ground with her momentum to jump backwards and slam a knee into the face of one of the clones on the side of her. The clone stumbled back from the blow, dropping one knife to the ground while it grabbed its broken nose. Seras only smirked at his irritated expression before the rest of the Lorenzs vanished.
If Lorenz was annoyed before, now he was downright pissed off. To see me so easily... "How did you know?"
She shrugged. "I assumed that the one standing there standing out from the rest wasn't you, even though that's what you thought I thought. It was a nice idea but apparently you don't realize that your little dopplegangers give off far less dark energy than you. It was basically trying to determine shades of gray. The darkest one had to be you, so I figured if I struck you I'd be able to get rid of all of them at the same time."
He only snarled under his breath. "Impressive Seras Victoria. As expected of a pupil of the no life king." He released his face to reach for another knife and positioned himself again, as if ready to try again. "This dance shall continue until I am no longer entertained. Be sure to entertain me longer, Hellsing Elite!"
Before either of them could say anything else, Seras felt a surge of dark power radiate through the palace. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, and it caused her thought patterns to freeze in place. Her body was actually shivering at the intensity of the power, as if already knowing what had happened and was terrified of the prospect. She looked to Lorenz only to see him standing there, his blades still poised in a defensive position. He was looking at her as if confused but also wondering what she was doing.How can he not feel that? This darkness... it couldn't be... It was at that thought that a sharp pain raced directly through her heart, similar to the feeling of having a wooden stake driven through it. That had actually happened to her once in a moment of carelessness about ninety years ago, and true to the words of her former master, it did hurt like hell. She fell forward slightly as the pain hit her, causing her to cough several times into her gloved hands. She slowly removed her hands from her mouth and her eyes widened when she saw her own blood staining the white gloves. The realization of what took place only took a nanosecond to register in her mind.
Lorenz only smirked before slowly walking towards her. "Looks like my master has succeeded." Seras only turned her head slowly to glare at him, as if she was prepared to kill him on the spot if he continued speaking. "We never should have sent that trash Incognito after him. I suppose when you want something done right, you need to do it yourself."
She only rose back into a standing position, her mind only half listening to his taunts. The rest of her focus was on trying the resonating dark energy that she associated with Alucard. She was failing miserably at that before she hissed out at him. "Lies. There's no way she could best him. He is the strongest."
He only smirked before continuing to walk towards her. "Evidently not. You have felt it yourself. Your precious master... is dead."
He almost never finished his sentence before Seras moved. His eyes widened in shock as she was standing next to him, glaring at him with only one eye. He blinked in shock. That movement... Has she been holding back on me? He didn't have time to process any sort of reaction before a mind-splitting pain registered in his eye.
He stumbled back, his hands going to his face as he screamed out in agonizing pain. His hands found a knife jammed into his left eye and without any sort of hesitation, he yanked it out, screaming bloody murder as he did so. He was breathing heavily as he reopened his right eye, glancing at what he pulled out of his eye socket. He blinked once before the realization of what was currently in his hand hit him. It was one of his own knives, one that he had previously been using before she felt the death of her master. How...?
He didn't finish the statement before a fist impacted against his face, sending him flying backwards through a wall before bouncing off the ground and impacting against another wall. He was still holding his hand over his left eye and growling in pain as he glared back at the woman who had taken his eye.
No longer was Seras glaring at him, nor could he sense any sort of malice from her. She wasn't even looking at him, as if he no never mattered in the first place. "Out of my way punk. I don't care if you are older than me, you still are trash to me." He then cursed as he watched the shadows envelop her and she vanished into the darkness. His left hand was still holding his eye socket and he growled out in pain and frustration.
"YOU DAMN BITCH! I SWEAR THAT I'LL TEAR OUT YOUR HEART FOR THIS!" He bellowed into the darkness that no longer contained his enemy.
Seras reappeared in a full run as she raced down the hallways, homing in on the remains of Alucard's presence. She was running solely on an emotion she had once thought she no longer possessed, fear. The pain in her chest had never left her, if anything it was slowly growing in intensity. Please don't let me be too late! She thought desperately as she felt Alucard's signature fading.
She finally turned around into what was to be the final stretch of her dash towards her former master when she was greeted by Perigrin and one of his Iscariot lackeys carrying an unconscious Jin over his shoulders. Perigrin stepped forward as if to say something but Seras merely dashed past him. She cried out over her shoulder, "Perigrin, pull your forces back. The shit has officially hit the fan. Get everyone as far from her as possible!"
Perigrin cursed loudly and was about to pursue when he felt his companion's hand on his shoulder. "Father Perigrin, I realize orders are orders but the unholy energy in this place is massing in on itself. She's right, something big is about to happen."
Perigrin merely scoffed before giving a nod. "Contact our forces and those blasted Protestants as well. We're falling back. Tell them that." He then took a deep breath before walking after Seras.
"Sir?"
"Go. I will complete our mission. The Lord's divine protection shall not fail me now." He then took off in a burst of speed, leaving his companion alone with his unconscious cargo.
Seras suddenly halted in her run outside the main throne room. She could no longer sense Alucard's presence and it disturbed her to a level she couldn't even begin to fathom. The pain in her chest was raging intensely as well, causing her to actually grab her chest in pain. She closed her eyes and forced the pain down before continuing on, entering the throne room. Her eyes widened in complete and utter shock as she took in the sight.
Laying on the ground in a pool of blood was her former master. His body was lying limp there, and even from this distance she could see that his eyes were glazed over. She screamed out in loss. "Alucard!"
She only watched as he slowly turned his head to her. He looked at her as if surprised to see her there before giving her a smile. It wasn't like his normal smile, the somewhat insane, 'I'm about to annihilate all my enemies' smile. No, it was actually... pure and gentle? No... It can't be... He can't... She was thinking to herself in disbelief as she moved towards him with all her speed she could muster. It was only then that she heard a voice in her head speak, "Good bye... my dark child..." Then as she reached his body, it collapsed into dust, leaving the red trenchcoat and the twin pistols lying there on the ground.
She fell to her knees in shock, her eyes locked on the pile of dust that was resting on top of the red trenchcoat. The intense pain that had been gnawing at her chest was no longer present, now only leaving a dull ache. She slowly reached towards the dust and ran her gloved hand through it, as if not believing it was there. "No... it can't be..."
The Bloody Countess merely watched the scene in mock disgust. Oh how precious. I'm starting to feel bad about it now. She thought sarcastically as she sheathed her rapier and slowly walked towards her new target. Seras showed no indication that she was even paying attention to her master's murderer, she seemed locked in shock, her eyes fixated on the ashes below her as the woman approached her. Not appreciating being ignored when so close to fulfilling her ambition, Lysandra raised her hand and tried to slap Sears Victoria across the face.
The slap never connected, which was expected out of the hunter. Instead, Seras' hand had raised up instinctively to block the blow. Without even looking at Lysandra, who was only staring back with a mixture of contempt and amusement, Seras asked in a quiet voice. "You killed him?"
Lysandra only brought her arm back and took a step back, placing her hand on the hilt of her rapier, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. "Yes. He won't be coming back this time either Seras Victoria."
There was utter silence for a long period of time before Seras' body began trembling uncontrollably. Soon after, soft and quiet laughter seemed to echo in the cavernous room. Lysandra was confused by the laughter. What is with her? If she had deigned to take a closer look at Seras at that point, she would have noticed the rivulets of blood flowing from the woman's eyes as she cried and laughed at the same time.
"He can't be... He just can't be." She said mostly to herself as she reached for the knife in her belt and slashed her arm. Blood flowed freely from the wound that was already starting to heal but Seras didn't seem to care about the wound healing. She held her blood dripping arm over the pile of ash, the liquid of life falling into the pile like water from a tap. Seras' eyes were locked on the falling blood, as if expecting something to happen. This can't be happening! He was supposed to be unkillable!
Lysandra only watched in scorn at the younger vampire's attempt to save the life of her former master. She finally spoke, after watching the woman empty a good portion of her blood into the ashes. "You know, the belief that a vampire will return if virgin blood is poured on its ashes is an old wives tale. One of the many misconceptions that the humans have created about our kind. Even if it was true, do you really think that it would work with the blood of a vampire, virgin or not?"
Seras retracted her now healed arm and merely continued to stare at the ashes that were formally Alucard. The tears of blood were still flowing but Seras slowly rose to her feet. With one slow motion, she brought her arm up and wiped her eyes, leaving trails of blood along her coat's sleeve. She then turned to face Lysandra, her eyes glaring pure hatred at the elder vampire. Red stains lined her eyes, similar to as if she had been wearing makeup and it had been smeared. "You killed him." It wasn't a question, it was a cold statement that seemed to imply intense pain and suffering to anyone listening.
Lysandra only smirked once more before saying, "That is correct. I killed the bastard."
Seras' glare only intensified at that statement before she narrowed her eyes. "You will pay for that. I will kill you in the most painful way possible for doing that, just like Master would have done."
Lysandra only chuckled as she slowly removed her rapier and waiting with the blade at her side. "You are merely a child. I don't care how much he trained you, or how proud of you he was, you are nothing to me."
Seras only grinned an insane grin before raising her gloved hands in front of her. "You forget something, Bloody Countess. Alucard could never fight you at full power due to the binding seals of the Hellsing family. Had he been unsealed, you would've been torn apart like an old dish rag, and you know this." Seras paused for a moment to enjoy the sneer that crossed Lysandra's face before continuing. "I am bound by no such seals." The gloves on Seras' hands burst into dark purple flames as she continued to glare at her enemy. Lysandra took a deep breath from the onslaught of dark power emanating from the younger vampire, caught off guard by the amount of dark energies now resonating from the brunette in front of her. There was a strange glint in the younger vampire's eyes now as she spoke one more thing before vanishing from Lysandra's gaze.
"I am everything that Alucard could not be, Bloody Countess! And he's waiting for you in hell!"
Lysandra didn't see the fist strike her jaw, but she definitely felt the blow. She flew upwards into the air before sensing something behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Seras floating there, still glaring at her with rage that couldn't be given a true title. Fast. Lysandra could only think that single word before receiving another strike to the back, this time Seras' foot against the elder vampire's spine. Lysandra's face twisted into an expression of exquisite pain as she was sent flying back towards the ground at an insane speed. She recovered enough from the blow to twist her body so that her feet hit first, and upon landing she dashed to the side just in time to avoid an attack from above. Lysandra stopped moving and her eyes widened in shock as she saw Victoria slam into the spot where she had landed only moments ago. The ground underneath had become a large crater and dust was settling everywhere from the impact.
Lysandra wanted to curse but the pain from her jaw prevented her from doing so as she stared at the woman who was still in the center of the crater, her fist extended to it was hitting the ground. Lysandra tightened her grip on her rapier as she realized that in all liklihood, her jaw was broken. She could already feel her body starting to repair the broken bones and teeth but it didn't do anything to settle her thoughts. Fast... and stronger than I anticipated... What the hell did she do?
It was then that Seras slowly turned her head until she was glaring at Lysandra. Burning within those crimson eyes was a burning hatred that would only be doused with the death of the elder vampire. Seras slowly rose to her feet before turning to face the elder vampire. She then held out her, now uncovered, hands into the air above her head for a moment. Lysandra couldn't help but be slightly impressed as the twin pistols of Alucard flew towards her hands and she snatched them out of the air before bringing them to aim at Lysandra. "The souls of the damned cry out for vengeance Lysandra! You will die!" She screamed before unleashing a torrent of gunfire towards the elder vampire.
Lysandra only scoffed. Those guns are impressive indeed, but useless if their bullets can't strike me. She then quickly dashed in between the bullets, charging towards Seras, rapier poised to strike her heart. Your power is impressive child, but we should end this quick. I've waiting this long and I will not have you stop me now.
Lysandra was broken out of her musings as she thrusted towards Victoria's heart, aiming to pierce it and end this fight as quickly as it began. The mythril blade struck true, embedding itself in Seras' chest as the younger vampire stopped shooting at the blow. Seras blinked in disbelief several times before coughing out blood and dropping her guns as her eyes rolled back into her head. Lysandra only smirked, "Weren't you going to kill me child?"
Seras' eyes suddenly regained their focus on Lysandra before the younger vampire smirked. Lysandra only raised an eyebrow before she realized what had happened. This child... Seras only said one word. "Boom."
Lysandra withdrew her blade as quickly as possible before jumping back as the body exploded with dark energy. Lysandra cursed under her breath as the backdraft from the explosion sent her flying several meters back before she was able to control her movement and land gracefully after flipping once. Immediately after landed she sensed something behind her head and she ducked without thinking as a kick was sent flying where he head had been previously. She swung her elbow back to strike Seras in the stomach, knocking the wind out of the vampire and effectively stunning her as Lysandra jumped away from the younger vampire again, this time landing in a defensive stance and glaring back at the brunette.
Seras was standing there with a crazy grin on her face, her eyes dancing in amusement as she regained her full height after the blow. She only smirked before saying, "Noticed the doppleganger a little late, eh elder?"
Lysandra only stared back at Seras, her emotions hidden behind a cold frown. Our reports about her vastly underestimated her strength. No wonder Kylie lost against her. "You are stronger than expected." She replied evenly, noticing the guns that were still resting in the hands of the younger vampire. She was holding them at her side, but she knew the woman would be able to raise them at a single moment's notice. Lysandra smirked before saying, "No matter. It'll only make this more enjoyable for me." She then made a gesture with one of her hands before the shadows near her began to form slowly into a shape.
Seras only looked on in mild interest as the shadows began to form something. So she has an ability similar to Master's hell hound familiar... No matter, she will die tonight and Alucard will do the rest in hell. "Enough playing around. Time to die elder." Seras then raised the two pistols and prepared to fire.
Lysandra only smirked as she then gestured towards Seras, her eyes turning a dark black color. "Tear her to shreds." She commanded the shadow next to her. The shadow finished forming into a human sized lizard resembling a dragon that roared in fury once before charging the younger vampire.
Seras only raised an eyebrow at the charging shadow dragon before opening fire, the silver bullets ripping through the being like a hot knife through butter. She realized far too late however, that the dragon was merely a distraction so that Lysandra could get closer to her. She took several quick slashes at Seras, catching her off guard and giving her numerous wounds along her arms and legs. Seras finally dodged and dashed back towards the center of the room where her master's ashes lay. She quickly gave her arms and legs a quick look over, frowning at the numerous gashes in her trenchcoat and limbs.
"Behind you." Seras heard a voice and looked behind her only to see a fist heading her way. It impacted against her nose, crushing the appendage and causing Seras to slide back several feet. Lysandra only chuckled as she summoned another one of her dragons to attack Seras.
Now Seras was getting annoyed as well as angry. She holstered the pistol she held in her right hand before grabbing the jaw of the dragon with her right hand. With a sneer she clamped shut down on the creature's jaw, snapping it like a twig before letting go and sending a chop through the beast's neck. It may look impressive but its no stronger than master's hell hound familiar. She then smirked as she sensed Lysandra circle behind her. I expected more out of her. Did master really lose to this trash? Seras smirked as she sidestepped to her left and grabbed the thrusting blade by Lysandra's wrist. With one quick motion, Seras had thrown the elder vampire to the ground and was holding the Cassul in her left hand against her head. "Game over Bloody Countess. Say hello to Alucard when you see him in hell."
Lysandra's eyes were wide and full of shock. The dark power that was emanating from Victoria was far stronger than she ever imagined and it was still growing. That shouldn't be possible. She's under two hundred years old, she shouldn't be able to wield power on that scale! No fledgling is this powerful! "What the hell are you?" Lysandra cried out, her voice no longer calm as she stared back at the youngest spawn of the strongest vampire.
Sears merely glared down at her before smirking. "Your executioner." She then pulled the trigger, internally sighing with relief at the night's conclusion...
...Only to hear the dull click of an empty clip in the gun. Both vampires blinked in surprise and shock but Victoria was the first to recover. "You've got to be kidding me..."
Seras may have been the first to recover but it wasn't by much. Lysandra didn't waste anytime with disbelief, she merely tightened her grip on her rapier and twisted once more, swinging upwards. The rapier, although slender, still was sharp and the added effect of the mythril cleaved through Victoria's left arm, severing it off at the shoulder. The arm fell to the ground, landing in a sick thud but its sound was overshadowing by the screams of pain being yelled out by Victoria at the top of her lungs. Lysandra wasted no more time and took notice of their position before kicking Seras directly into her chest, sending her flying backwards towards the area where the devil's bane was still floating in the air.
Seras' body impacted against the invisible barrier with such force that Seras' eyes opened wider than one would even think possible. Her body was held in the air there, trembling wildly as she screamed out in pain as if being electrocuted before finally falling to the ground, most of the back of her trenchcoat burned away, revealing burn marks on the pale skin on Victoria's back. Her left shoulder was bleeding heavily and it took Seras every once of will power to not cry out in pain.
Lysandra could care less of her opponent's condition at the moment. When the blood from Seras' shoulder in the ground near the devil's bane, it once again flashed a sinister red, the likes of which she had never seen before. She only smiled in victory as she slowly approached the Devil's Bane. She dispersed her own barrier spell as she edged closer, stepping past Seras who was still writing in pain from her lost arm. With a smirk, Lysandra grabbed the devil's bane in her hands before laughing out in genuine happiness. I've won! Now the first stage of my dream will come to pass.
Lysandra then glanced over at Seras who was slowly rising to her feet, still clutching her left shoulder. She looked like hell, most of her dark blue trenchcoat either burned away or torned to shreds. Blood was running down from a wound in her forehead and her red eyes had lost their insane fervor from earlier. Her eyes were starting to glaze over, as she looked between her missing limb and the dark artifact. Probably from blood loss... Lysandra mused before thinking, She is still too strong of an unknown factor. She needs to be eliminated now. She then raised her right hand towards Seras while still holding the devil's bane in her left hand. She spoke a few words in an ancient tongue that no one save another true vampire would recognize before a ball of purple flame appeared in her outstretched hand. She then spoke to Seras who was watching in confusion. "I thank you for your blood Seras Victoria, and for the blood of our mutual master. You two were excellent performers in this play, but I'm afraid your scene is over. Now die." She said coldly as the purple flame shot forth from her hand and impacted against Victoria's chest. Seras was sent flying backwards as her body was engulfed in purple flames.
Father Perigrin was still rushing towards the battlefield, his sword and pistol already drawn. He was grinding his teeth as he sensed another influx of dark power from somewhere and in the back of his mind a flag was raised. This power... That foul wench has released her seals again... Will I really be able to do this, to any of them? He shook his head as he reached the main throne room again. He said a quick prayer before rushing in, only to see a body fly past him and slam against the wall next to him. He blinked before turning to see a woman's body burning beneath purple flames. His eyes widened in shock as he realized it was Seras Victoria, the flames slowly dying down as she slid down the wall. He then looked back into the center of the room and dropped his pistol in shock. "Sweet mother of god..."
Standing there in the center of the room was the Queen of Darkness, holding the Devil's bane in one hand like a child with a new toy. She only looked at him in amusement before saying, "You're too late Catholic. Today England falls to me, the rest of the world will follow soon enough. You've also performed well, but like with Victoria, your scene is done. Tell that to the rest of your thirteenth chapter, that is if you survive." She then closed her eyes and began mumbling something that he couldn't make out.
He watched in shock, fear, and amazement as dark purple energy began to form around the elder vampire and then shoot off into the sky, breaking through the throne room's skylight. God save us all... Was the only thing that Mathew Perigrin, member of the Vatican's thirteenth chapter and vampire hunter, could think before he blacked out.
Jacob Williams watched from his look out position with slight boredom. After the initial assault, he really didn't have much to do and was merely watching the palace, wondering what kinds of chaos was taking place inside. He didn't feel nervous, as he fully knew what his comrades were capable of, not including Victoria. He was however, shocked to see a pillar of purple energy shooting into the sky from the palace. The cigarette he had been smoking fell to the ground before he felt a rush of dark energy past him. He shivered at its intensity and somehow, just knew that something had just changed for the worse. He slowly brought his hand to his communicator before speaking directly and in a nervous tone. "This is Crackshot to any humans receiving this message. Pull back, repeat fall back immediately! Get the hell out of there!" He yelled the last part, already packing up his rifle and running from the pillar that was starting to grow in diameter.
Lycos voice rand through his ear, "Crackshot, report. What the hell is going on over there?"
He didn't bother to look back before responding, "The end of the god damn world, that's what!"
Yeah, so you might notice that the fight between Seras and Lorenz was not nearly as good as you may have anticipated. Basically, I know exactly how I picture this fight, I just couldn't put it into words. So once again, I'll probably go back and rewrite this chapter one day, perhaps just that section.
Part of it is because I wrote the 2nd half of the chapter first actually. I knew how I wanted the fight with Lorenz to end, and since I didn't plan to draw out the battle against Lysandra as much as I did, I figured I'd write the end first. Well, the end ended up growing as long as the Lorenz fight and by then I was convinced that no matter what I did for the Lorenz fight, it would pale in comparison to the scenes towards the end.
Eh, so basically this is the climax of the story. People complain about cliffhangers but in reality its the only way I know how to write. As I mentioned earlier, after the next installment, I'll probably take a break for a little while, or switch to working on one of my other stories or even one of the ideas I've been toying with. I like them, but I'm not sure where to take them plotwise. So I'm probably going to just take a break, kick back for a few days before breaking down and doing some serious summer job hunting.
Rurouni