Bloodstained Souls Chapter 20, a Hellsing + Bleach Crossover fanfic

Chapter 20: For Queen and Country

Hello again.

To start this chapter, I would like to respond to several reviews I received for the previous one. I am not attempting to call anyone out or anything like that, but I still feel like I should defend my decisions.

Someone stated that they think I was reaching too far when I compared the Underworld's treatment of Reincarnated Devils with how Central Forty-Six treats the citizens of the Rukongai Districts. They supported this claim by saying that Aizen was impersonating them for the good majority of Bleach, and although this is definitely true, the conditions of the Rukongai District never really changed no matter who was in charge. It has always been largely comprised of dilapidating and decaying slums, even though some areas are better maintained than others. In my eyes, I think the comparison was pretty fair; most of the people of the Rukongai are treated like lesser citizens, even if this isn't wholly intentional on the part of the ruling class.

Ichigo may not have truly seen what life was like under Central Forty-Six for a good portion of Bleach, but he would still be able to see that nothing had really changed after their return. The people within the Seireitei are definitely given better treatment than those who live outside.

On another note, I would assume that Central Forty-Six would still be somewhat cautious around Ichigo considering their past experience with Substitute Soul Reapers. Those in charge of Soul Society have a history of acting paranoid, and I can't necessarily blame them after learning about Kūgo Ginjō's murder spree.

Thirdly, there was another claim made that stated it was a somewhat poor decision on my part to compare the treatment of Reincarnated Devils to the Hollows that lived outside of Las Noches during Aizen's time as Hueco Mundo's ruler. Granted, most of the residents of the Hollow realm are soul eating monsters, but when I wrote the description, I was thinking of intelligent Hollows like Nelliel and her friends. And yes, Aizen did ignore them in favor of pursuing his own goals. So, while he wasn't actively trying to rule a fair and honest kingdom, those Hollows were still definitely treated like second-class citizens when compared to the Espada and their Fracción.

And yes, I know that the Espada were still just a means to an end.

To repeat myself, I would like to assure everyone that I am not trying to single anyone out for a review I may or may not have appreciated. I take every review I receive into true consideration, and that is why I decided to take the time to write out this response.

But, in the end, my opinions and thoughts are my own. Everyone is completely free to disagree. Sorry for the long Author's Note.

AlucardsBro OUT!

(Deus Ex Machina; Skies over London)

The Major's grand flagship was truly something to behold.

At least by ordinary human standards, anyway.

Named rather appropriately, the Deus Ex Machina was easily distinguishable from Millennium's additional two zeppelins by its outer coating of red and black paint, which was arranged in a pattern resembling a checkerboard. Still, though it was impressive, it was a weapon designed purely for the sole purpose of bringing untold death and destruction to the innocent masses.

From her position standing next to Candice, who was also adorned in her traditional Quincy uniform, Bambietta glanced around at all of the other individuals present in the main viewing room of the airship. Aside from the multitudes of undead Soldat standing in clustered groups throughout the enclosed space, the remaining Sternritter were also in attendance.

Well, they weren't true Sternritter….

They were simply psychotic mongrels that His Majesty had decided to take pity upon.

Scowling, Bambietta turned her attention back to the enormous panels of glass at the very head of the room, which allowed clear visibility of everything outside. Thousands of feet below them, and easily distinguishable by the artificial light it gave off, was the bustling city of London. The unfortunate civilians going on about their nightly routines had no idea that they were about to experience a literal Hell on Earth…

"And thus, we have come to declare war…" the Major spoke up giddily. The pudgy little man was seated in his leather armchair, and an expression of utter delight was spread across his face. His lips were pulled back into a gruesome smile, and his sickly yellow eyes shone brightly with anticipation. "This is the moment we have all been waiting for, my dear comrades. For tonight, we have a wonderful opportunity. If we play our part correctly, it will enable His Majesty to take one step closer to making his ambitions a reality!"

The SS soldiers all cheered proudly in reply, stomping their feet and waving their weapons in the air.

Standing up, the Major raised his own hands into the air as if he were preaching a sermon. "In a few moments, our armies of the undead will tear the city of London apart! My precious Sternritter, who have been so graciously given their gifts by His Majesty, will deal irrevocably heavy blows to the enemy! And at the end of it all, our two Quincy guests will have the ultimate privilege of bringing home His Majesty's lost son!"

The cheering increased in intensity.

"Are you prepared, my soldiers?"

An overwhelming cry of affirmation echoed throughout the observation room.

The Major laughed. It was not a sound of lunacy, but more akin to one of satisfaction. "Then burn everything to the ground! Kill everything that gets in your way. Rip and tear, until it is done! Feast upon the corpses of the innocent, and bathe in the blood of your fallen enemies! For tonight is your moment of glory… nay, your moment of triumph! We have waited sixty years for this night, and now it is finally upon us. So, I ask again… are you prepared?!"

The cheering was deafening.

Sparing another glance at her fellow Sternritter, Bambietta immediately felt a repulsing sensation worm its way into her stomach at the sight of their unrestrained glee. Much like the Major, the Doktor was smiling like an absolute madman. To the blond man's left, Zorin and Schrödinger were both cackling like a pair of deranged hyenas, while the Captain merely stood in stoic silence.

Motioning with his hands to request silence, the Major then clasped them behind his back and turned to regard his group of commanding officers. "First Lieutenant Zorin Blitz… please step forward."

The heavily muscled woman did as commanded, audibly cracking her neck as she did so. Her enormous scythe, resting over her broad shoulders, gave off an eerie metallic sheen in the moonlight that shone through the windows. All throughout her tenure with Millennium, Bambietta had never been able to completely discern what function the incomprehensible tattoos littering the right side of Zorin's body were supposed to have. However, the vile spirit energy they emitted led her assume that they were directly connected to her Schrift.

"Yes, Herr Major?" the orange-haired vampire sneered wickedly. "I'm ready for orders."

"Wunderbar," the Major replied with a chuckle. "As you know, our primary target is the Hellsing Organization and the undead monster, Alucard. I am placing you in command of a small group of soldiers, who will accompany you on a separate zeppelin to the Hellsing Estate."

"Yes Sir."

"Please avoid a direct assault for now. I will arrive with the main force post haste."

Zorin snorted arrogantly, readjusting the weight of her scythe. "I don't know why you would even bother, Herr Major. Without Alucard, the Hellsing forces are as weak as schoolchildren. My men should have no trouble cutting them down like the weeds they are."

The Major's chuckling returned, and he shook his head reproachfully.

Zorin's bravado immediately faltered.

"You would do well to not take the Hellsing women lightly, Lieutenant," the portly man admonished. HIs tone was oddly similar to that which a disappointed parent would typically use when lecturing their misbehaving child. "Integra Hellsing and Seras Victoria are not to be trifled with. Sir Interga Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing is the descendant of the infamous Doctor Abraham Hellsing, and the head of the greatest family of vampire hunters in recorded history. Additionally, she is the only authority that Alucard willfully recognizes. That fact alone makes her a truly deadly adversary…"

Silence echoed throughout the room as the information was allowed a moment to settle in properly. Off to the side, Schrödinger chuckled impishly as his comrade was disciplined. However, he was quickly silenced by a quick cuff to the back of the head from the Doktor.

"Owie!"

Once he was certain that his words had made the desired impact, the Major continued speaking while maintaining eye contact with his subordinate. "And, of course, there is the police woman. Seras Victoria is perhaps something you might consider to be a joke, but she is the direct spawn of Alucard himself. His power courses through her veins, and could be released at any given moment. Both of these women are inexperienced, imperfect, and untested. I would therefore argue that, like Alucard, they are archenemies worthy of our utmost caution and scrutiny. That is why you shall simply hold without engaging; do you understand your orders, Zorin?"

"They are crystal clear, Battalion Commander."

"Then everything is set! It is time for us to open up the floodgates of war." Turning away from Zorin, the Major regarded both Bambietta and Candice with an amused expression. "And of course, I trust that the two of you are ready to make you move when the time comes?"

Candice nodded silently.

"We are prepared, Herr Major," Bambietta replied levelly.

"Excellent!" the deranged Nazi smiled enthusiastically. Sitting back down in his chair, he crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap. Behind him, a large monitor blinked to life and highlighted their previously established points of attack. "Our first target will be the city of London. The River Thames. Big Ben. The Houses of Parliament. The Ministry of Defense. Buckingham Palace. Destroy them all! Leave no trace! By the time the sun rises, this place will be an indistinguishable mountain of rubble and corpses!"

A single pair of footsteps echoed throughout the enclosed space, and a nameless officer approached the Major's seat with a silver tray in hand. On the tray, there was only a small martini glass, which the Major seemed more than happy to accept. Raising his new drink into the air, the amber-eyed man released yet another maniacal laugh. "Come then! Let us feast upon the eight million souls occupying this wretched city! Let us kill, and be killed."

"Here, here!" the Doctor called out.

"HERE, HERE!"

The toast was echoed by all of the soldiers present.

Yet again, Bambietta was forced to swallow the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. How could such people exist in the world? How could anyone be so happy to bring death and carnage to so many innocents? It was absolutely appalling. And worst of all, she would forever go down in history as having been a part of the massacre that was to come.

Tears brimmed in her eyes.

Fingers suddenly grazed her gloved knuckles, and Bambi grasped Candice's hand like a lifeline.

A metallic screech pierced the air, signifying that the bomb doors were opening. Mere moments later, countless V-1 flying bombs were launched from the airships and down towards the city below. They curved through the air and over one another, each locked onto a designated landmark.

Bambietta finally cried as soon as she heard the first explosion.

(Ministry of Defense; London, England)

Chaos had enveloped the room.

Alarms wailed over loudspeakers. Monitors bilked frantically. Desk workers rushed back and forth in a panic as if the devil himself was hot on their heels. It had all happened within a matter of moments; in one instant, everything had been completely orderly, and then in the next the world seemed to have gone to hell. Communications were down all over the city, and no one could seem to figure out what exactly was happening.

But she knew.

Narrowing her crystalline eyes, Integra drummed her fingers against the tabletop.

Without a doubt, this was the work of Millennium. With Alucard seemingly stranded out at sea aboard the Eagle for the foreseeable future, this was the perfect opportunity for the bastards to strike. Ichigo was out of the country as well, which meant that the Hellsing Organization's defenses were currently reduced to Miss Victoria and the Wild Geese. It wasn't much, but a fledgling vampire and a group of trained mercenaries was still better than nothing.

Across the table, Sir Penwood allowed this head to fall into his hands. Rivers of sweat poured down his face, and his entire body trembled in horror. "How in the bloody hell did this happen so quickly?! Even if the entire city of London were to be attacked, our communication systems should have remained operational!"

As if on cue, the main doors to the room suddenly busted inward off their hinges. Gunfire tore in from the hallway, shredding several unfortunate office workers. Heavy footfalls echoed from down the corridor, and soon an armed group of British soldiers stormed into the room. Several guards, who had been on standby for the past few minutes, made to reach for their weapons. However, they too were quickly gunned down in a hail of bullets.

Integra raised an intrigued brow as a pistol was pressed against her left temple.

So, it was treason, then?

"What in blazes is going on?!" Penwood demanded in outrage. "What in the world do you lot think you're doing?"

"Oh, shut up!" one of the traitors shouted, firing a single shot that whizzed right past Penwood's ear. Grinning sadistically, the man, who was evidently the one in charge of the betrayal, stepped forward to level his gun directly between the Vice Admiral's eyes. "What is going on, Sir Penwood, is a very good day for vampires. A very good day indeed, considering I've just captured the great Sir Integra."

Oh?

He thought so, did he?

Puffing out a cloud of smoke, Interga couldn't help but release a small chuckle. Honestly, it was so pathetic. These men had obviously sold out the British Empire all for the paltry reward of becoming immortal, and now they thought they held an advantage due to their newly undead status. However, though they almost certainly did possess the upper hand when it came to pure physical might, brawn was nothing compared to highly refined talent.

Her light chuckling quickly became fully fledged laughter.

The commanding traitor adopted a look of absolute disbelief. However, the expression remained in place only for a moment, and he swiftly turned his weapon on her. "What the hell is so funny?! We have you beaten!"

"What's so funny?" Integra repeated sarcastically, crossing one of her legs over the other. Breathing in another deep lungful of cigar smoke, she didn't even bother to meet the eyes of the clueless bastard. "Why, the whole bloody thing, of course. Honestly… you're like the vampire equivalent of a newborn infant. We are now the institution of your annihilation. You're all like a gang of frogs parading carelessly in front of a poisonous viper. Of course, it's funny."

The commander faltered momentarily, before training his gun on her forehead with the clear intent of blowing her brains out. "Are you kidding me? You fool! I'm not afraid of you!"

Integra smirked, lazily glancing in his direction. "I hope you can still claim your iron cross from your Corporal while in Hell…"

A bright blue flash of light danced between them, and the traitor's arm suddenly fell to pieces. A fountain of blood erupted from the fresh wound, and the man released an agonized scream of pain as he collapsed to the floor.

"Walter, please clean up this mess…" Integra requested.

"As you wish, Sir." Stepping out from behind her chair, the aging butler adjusted the sleeves of his suit as he walked towards the flabbergasted group of remaining insurgents. "I suppose it is time that I bend these misbehaving children over my knee."

"Die, bastard!" one of the traitors cried out.

Gunfire ripped through the air once again, but Walter merely continued to steadily move forward. The microfilament wires he always kept on his person spilled out from his sleeves and encircled his body, preventing him from taking any damage whatsoever. Every single round of ammunition that was fired in his direction was easily ripped apart by his impenetrable shield. Twitching his left index finger barely a fraction of an inch, the Hellsing retainer sent one of the wires whipping forward, where it vertically bisected one of the traitorous soldiers.

The unsuspecting man fell into two large pieces, and his compatriots all released unified sounds of disgust and horror.

Of course, they were quick to share in his fate.

Walter effortlessly danced between spurts of gunfire, and tore the bastards asunder as if it were mere child's play. Their blood sprayed through the air like waterfalls of red, and their flesh was relentlessly shredded until they looked like nothing more than large piles of raw hamburger meat.

Heads rolled.

Limbs fell to the floor.

Torsos were sliced cleanly in half.

And through it all, Walter maintained a completely composed smile.

There was certainly a good reason why he had been called the 'Angel of Death.'

Sir Penwood cried out in surprise as a small amount of blood splashed across his nose.

In a matter of moments, all of the traitors were dead. Returning to a fully upright stance, Walter swept an arm across his chest and lowered himself into a polite bow. "And there we have it. I apologize for making such a mess, gentlemen. I do hope that you can forgive me."

"No, no… that's quite alright," Penwood assured him. He reached into one of the pockets lining his suit and pulled out a handkerchief, which he used to wipe away the blood on his face. "Job well done, Mister Dornez."

"I must apologize as well, Sir Penwood," Integra spoke up, blowing out yet another cloud of smoke. Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on the tabletop and propped her chin against her knuckles. "Up until now, I was wholly convinced that you were the traitor in our midst."

The aforementioned man chuckled humorlessly. "I may be powerless against these bastards, my dear, but I am no coward."

The room suddenly shook under the force of what could only have been an explosion.

"Sir, the city is under siege!"

"We haven't heard from any of the Chiefs of Staff!"

"We've lost contact with over one hundred and fifty military command centers across the British Empire! However, we still have full reason to believe that they are currently engaging the enemy forces!"

The panicked shouting continued, prompting Interga to momentarily close her eyes. Clearing her mind, she inhaled a deep breath before releasing it as an equally heavy exhale. Opening her eyes again, she glanced down towards the corpse of the bastard who had threatened to shoot her. "It'll be the same everywhere, I presume…"

"Sir Integra…?" Penwood spoke up questioningly.

Rising from her seat, the blonde woman straightened out her overcoat. "The Ministry of Defense is sure to be on Millennium's list of targets. We should all vacate this building before they arrive. It's time to leave."

At one of the computer stations, a button-pushing young man suddenly cried out in shock. "I'm receiving confirmation that Nazi soldiers are descending into the streets of London from an airship! Major landmarks are being bombarded, and civilian casualties are already estimated to be within the hundreds!"

"Sir Penwood, it's time!" Integra urged, slamming her open palms down onto the tabletop. "This building is about to be overrun by an army of heavily armed vampires. We cannot stay here!"

Much to her surprise, her father's longtime friend closed his eyes resolutely. Additionally, the expression that overtook his face was one of utter seriousness. "Sir Integra… you and your assistant are to return to the Hellsing Estate as quickly as you can. There are duties that you are honor bound to perform. Now go, and see to your sworn obligations. I must stay and carry out my own…"

Her eyes widened in momentary surprise, but Integra quickly regained her composure. "This building can no longer function as a command center. Do you have a death wish?!"

Penwood opened his eyes. They were hard, and full of determination. "It is still possible that we may be able to reestablish communications with the outside world. If that happens, someone needs to be ready to relay orders again. I am the commanding officer here, and this is my facility; I refuse to abandon my post. I fully acknowledge that I am not a strong man… I have always been nervous, and I am still not quite sure how a man like me ended up in such a position of authority."

By now, the room had gone completely silent.

Everyone present was giving Sir Penwood their undivided attention.

Some men wept silently, while other officers did so openly.

They all knew what their commanding officer was implying…

Penwood maintained his newfound composure, and met Integra's gaze steadfastly.

"Actually, I suppose that isn't true," he chuckled mirthlessly. "I was born with a title and money; my authority was expected. My position was handed to me by obligation. So, given that, the least I can do is perform the responsibilities I have been given. Now, off with you, Sir Integra! There are evils moving against us that only you and Hellsing can face."

Understanding dawned on her, and Integra breathed out a regretful sigh. Still, she immensely respected her mentor for the decision that he'd made. Reaching into her overcoat, she withdrew a pistol and a corresponding clip of ammunition. Placing them both on the table, she slid them across the wooden surface towards Sir Penwood. "The gun is loaded, of course. It carries blessed silver bullets, which a dare say you will find more effective than ordinary iron."

Plucking the cigar out from between her teeth, she snuffed it out on the ashtray positioned on the table. Smiling brightly in a way that she hadn't for several years, the Hellsing matriarch met Penwood's surprised gaze and nodded in acknowledgment. "Best of luck to you, Sir Penwood. And happy hunting."

The aforementioned man adopted a smile of his own. "Thank you. And good hunting to you as well, Sir Integra." Turning to look away from her, Penwood regarded the rest of his staff. "All personnel are to evacuate immediately! Only essential workers should stay behind. No… on second thought, I am more than capable of operating the emergency systems by myself. All of you, get out of here! Quickly!"

His immediate subordinates all shared a laugh.

There were four of them, and all were dressed in the same uniform to symbolize their status.

"What's so funny?" Penwood demanded. "I gave an order! Evacuate!"

One of the Generals stepped forward, shaking his head. "There is no need for hysterics, Sir. We all know that you have no idea how the consoles operate. Please, let us stay and see this though to the end right alongside you."

Penwood's expression morphed into one of surprise. Glancing around the room, his gaze swept over every man and woman present. "Do you all feel this way…?"

Overwhelming cries of affirmation answered him.

Despite herself, Integra felt the sight warm her heart.

Penwood trembled with emotion in his seat, but his smile had returned once again. "Very well… thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Please, return to your posts and carry on with your duties."

Not needing to hear the order a second time, the officers and staff members in the room all immediately went back to attempting to reestablish communication with the outside world. Commands were shouted, orders were acknowledged, and men and women alike wore completely new expressions of determination.

Integra smiled.

She was proud to call these people her countrymen. They were willing to fulfill their duties even though they knew they would not survive the night. She would honor them appropriately, when this was all over.

Turning around, she moved towards the singular entrance to the room. "We're leaving, Walter. Let's get home as quickly as possible, shall we?"

"As you say, Ma'am."

Pushing through the enormous set of doors, Integra marched down the dimly lit hallway that led to the garage. "We'll take the car. Will that be a problem?"

"Not in the slightest," her assistant replied.

"Good. I refuse to let anything get in my way. As the head of the Hellsing family, I swear it…"

They walked silently from then on. There honestly wasn't anything more to be said. In a few short minutes, they finally reached the garage, where Integra got into the back of her family's limousine. Walter made himself comfortable behind the wheel, and backed them out of the compound and onto the main city streets of London.

The world outside looked like something straight out of a nightmare.

Even Integra, who had seen things that would drive ordinary people beyond the brink of insanity, found herself utterly repulsed by the sheer carnage and brutality of it all. Bodies littered the streets. Hundreds upon hundreds of bodies. Most of them were ordinary civilians, but the corpses of a few policemen were strewn in occasionally with the masses. Their standard issue weapons were still clasped firmly in their dead hands, and Integra silently praised them for having gone down fighting.

Aside from the bodies, roaring fires also swept across most of the city.

Ash clouded the sky, and rained down like was foretold in the Book of the Apocalypse.

Quite honestly, it did look like it was the end of the world. But she would make sure that it wasn't. No matter what she was forced to do, Integra promised herself that she would find a way to end all of this madness.

Movement suddenly caught her eye. "Stop the car, Walter!"

The vehicle immediately screeched to a halt, and Integra smashed open her window with an elbow to get a better look at what she had seen. To her horrified disgust, a group of vampiric Nazi soldiers appeared to be feasting on the remains of what had undoubtedly once been a happy family. One of the undead bastards was even gnawing on the corpse of an infant.

Lips peeling back in fury, Integra reached under the seat and pulled out a SMG. The weapon was fully stocked with holy silver ammunition, and the blonde quickly brought it up to her eye. As she locked on target, she called forth a hail of retribution. The bullets ripped the vampires to pieces, spraying their rotten and diseased blood all over the cobblestone street. They didn't even have time to react properly as their undead lives were swiftly and ruthlessly ended.

Once she was sure they would no longer be a problem, Integra pulled her weapon back in through the window and leaned back against her seat. "Let's continue onward. We can't afford to waste unnecessary time."

"Yes Ma'am," Walter replied gravely.

The car lurched forward, and they resumed their high-speed return to Hellsing Manor.

As the buildings flew by, Integra fished into her pocket and pulled out her personal communicator. Dialing in Ichigo's cellphone number, she held the device up to her ear and prayed that she would get receive answer. Granted, the boy wouldn't be able to help very much given his current condition, but having one more soldier on the ground would still be immensely helpful. Several moments passed, and she finally bit out a curse and tore the communicator from her ear.

Ichigo wasn't answering…

Unfortunate, but it still wouldn't make much difference.

The limo tore down the ruined city streets, and they passed even more countless piles of corpses. Blood flowed across the cobblestone in rivers, and occasionally Integra spotted several bodies that had been impaled on street lights. No doubt to serve as some kind of sick, twisted trophies. Suddenly, the radio crackled, and Walter reached forward to adjust the volume. The normal stations were all down, so the military had likely seen fit to commandeer the broadcast system for their own purposes.

"Attention all soldiers! I repeat, attention all soldiers! This is Vice Admiral Shelby Penwood of Her Majesty's Royal Navy."

Integra felt her eyes widen.

"I don't know if there is even anyone left to receive this message… but the Ministry of Defense will soon fall. The monsters are almost upon us, and have made it through the last of our defenses. I now deliver the final orders from this facility, to whomever might be listening to this transmission. Keep fighting, and do your duty…"

Muffled explosions echoed over the radio, along with several partial screams. Gripping the weapon in her hands with every ounce of strength she possessed, Integra braced herself for what she knew was to come. Death, though frequent as it was in her line of work, was not something she would ever truly become accustomed to.

Human life was a precious thing, and it appalled her whenever a life was snuffed out.

Still, this had been Penwood's choice to make…

He, along with the workers who had elected to stay behind with him, were some of the finest men and women she would ever have the privilege of knowing. Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, she lowered her head. "Well done, soldiers. You defended Queen and Country down to the very last breath…"

She momentarily reminisced of the time when Sir Penwood had first been informed of her ascension to the head of the Hellsing Organization. He had been shocked, of course, and had shamelessly questioned her abilities and potential. However, once she had voiced her conviction and determination to lead the Hellsing Family brightly into the future, her father's friend had supported her with every fiber of his being.

"I hold in my hands a pistol," Shelby continued firmly. "This weapon will not be enough to save my life, but I will still use it until I no longer have any more air in my lungs. To all of you who are listening, I implore you to defend your country until your dying moments. May God be with you."

A telltale banging, likely the result of a door being blasted off its hinges, echoed over the radio. The familiar sound of machine gun fire also carried over, as well as the ominous growling and hissing of undead soldiers. Screaming erupted almost instantaneously.

Still, though it all, a lone pistol could be heard firing shot after shot.

Integra felt both pride and sadness take hold of her heart.

Then, after several moments, a deafening explosion occurred and the radio went silent.

Vice Admiral Shelby M. Penwood was no more…

"Are you alright, Sir Integra?" Walter asked quietly. He continued to face forward, but his eyes rested upon her through the rear-view mirror.

Opening her eyes, the blonde lowered her brow into a furious expression. Her lips pulled up into a snarl, and a ragged breath escaped her lungs. However, in the very next instant, all of the tension seeped out of her body. Slumping against the seat, she merely breathed out a tired sigh. "Just take me home…"

"As you wish."

The car's headlights suddenly illuminated a meandering group of Ghouls in the road, but Walter did not make any move to slow down. It would be far more merciful to simply put the undead creatures out of their misery. As such, the elderly retainer accelerated the vehicle and rammed into the monsters head-on. The impact sent rotten intestines and body parts flying everywhere, but Walter still didn't slow down for a moment.

Swerving dangerously around a tight corner, he suddenly let out a light gasp and slammed a foot onto the breaks. The car screeched loudly in protest, and Integra braced herself against the back of the driver's seat. As the vehicle made a full stop, she regained her bearings and leaned forward to direct a questioning look at her assistant. "What is it?"

For a moment, Walter remained completely silent. His eyes were fixated on an indiscernible point further down the road, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened noticeably.

"Sir Integra, please take my place behind the wheel…" he finally requested. "I'm afraid you will have to find another way across town."

"What are you doing?"

"Take the car and get out of here," the older man repeated as he opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle, completely ignoring her inquiry. "Take it, and go as fast as you can. Do not try to find me; and no matter what, do not look back."

"Walter…?" Narrowing her eyes, Integra cast her own gaze down the street. Against the fires roaring aimlessly in the background, she was finally able to make out a vaguely human-shaped silhouette in front of the flames. The figure stood motionless, and simply looked back at them without moving a single muscle."

"With the way I am now, I'm not quite sure how long I'll be able to hold out against that man," Walter admitted tonelessly. His voice was grim, and even from her place behind him, Integra could see that his entire frame was tensed in preparation for an assault.

Stepping out of the car as well, she cautiously moved forward and positioned herself in the driver's seat. However, before closing the door, she met her subordinate's eyes one last time. "Live through this, you hear me? You would do well to consider that an order, understand?"

"If you insist, Ma'am."

Nodding, Integra closed the door and placed her hands on the steering wheel. Shifting into reverse, she backed down the street in the direction they'd just come from. She didn't want to leave Walter; he had been the next best thing to a father she had ever had. Still, as Sir Penwood had said earlier, she had certain duties which she was honor bound to uphold. Swerving around a tight corner and into an alleyway, Integra shifted into drive and smashed her foot against the accelerator.

The car lurched forward, and sped through the city towards Hellsing Manor.

How many years had it been?

They hadn't done this dance in quite some time, but Walter would be the first to admit that he was not in the same physical shape that he had been sixty years ago. His ones creaked more nowadays, and he almost always woke up with a new ache every morning. He was an old man, but he was still a soldier.

And he would be damned if he didn't die like one.

The microfilament wires in his sleeves spilled out, dancing around his body as an impenetrable barrier.

Down the street, the Captain finally took a step forward of his own. The man's crimson eyes glowed ominously, and the lights cast by the inferno around them shadowed his features in a truly menacing way.

Still, Walter was not deterred. Moving his arms and flexing his fingers, the Hellsing butler sent his wires whipping through the air and down the street towards their target. Unfortunately, the Captain merely raised his hands and caught the razor-sharp wires with barely any effort whatsoever. A small amount of blood seeped through his gloves, but the wounds were unbelievably shallow. Walter scowled, doing his absolute best to force his weapons to cut deeper into the man's flesh. "Of course… out of everyone I could have encountered, it had to be you."

The Captain didn't reply, and Walter's attention was quickly demanded by the massive zeppelin that suddenly descended through the clouds directly above them. Spotlights burst to life, and the crackle of an intercom filled the air.

"You are correct, boy!" The Major's voice crowed condescendingly, amplified over the loudspeakers. "So, butler, what has it been? Nearly fifty-five years? It's nice to know that after all this time, you still manage to find a way to interrupt me during my dinner."

Walter's scowl deepened.

The intensity of the spotlights increased exponentially.

Integra cursed angrily as she grazed an abandoned car.

Her own vehicle swerved violently under the force of the impact, but she quickly managed to regain control. Pressing her foot down on the accelerator so that it rested flat against the floor, she willed the limousine forward at a speed that it was certainly not accustomed to traveling. Still, she wouldn't allow something as inconsequential as that to stop her.

Glowing red eyes suddenly looked at her through the driver's window.

Sneering, Integra turned another sharp corner. Her vampiric pursuer slammed into the side of the limousine and was dragged underneath the wheels. HIs compatriots, on the other hand, continued to chase after her without even reacting. Unfortunately, their supernatural speed easily allowed them to keep up with her. Without warning, gunfire tore into the back of the limo, and Integra was forced to swerve repeatedly to avoid taking the full force of the assault.

The ordinary bullets were simple enough to outmaneuver, but the RPG-7s that followed were an entirely different story. The car was bombarded with showers of rubble as the rocket-propelled projectiles bombarded the street all around her. Driving wildly, Integra was able to avoid most of the attack, but one lucky soldier was apparently able to fire with enough precision to hit her left rear tire.

The limousine swerved out of control, and Integra braced herself as the vehicle rolled over a curb and crashed directly into the front of a partially-destroyed Italian restaurant. The hood popped off immediately, and every piece of glass in the car shattered. Not willing to let a goddamn car accident of all things get the better of her, Integra kicked open the driver's side door and stepped out onto the street.

She was immediately greeted by the sight of a fully armed SS soldier. The vampiric man raised his rifle-mounted bayonet, and leapt into the air with the weapon pointed directly at the center of her forehead. "Integra Hellsing! By the orders of the Battalion Commander, prepare to- HRK!"

Hissing in disgust, Integra unsheathed the rapier she always held on her person and decapitated the idiotic Nazi with a single swipe. His head rolled to the street like a soccer ball, but it seemed that wasn't quite enough to deter his remaining fellows.

Facing the rest of them, the Hellsing matriarch adopted a fierce scowl and prepared to defend herself.

The undead Nazis all laughed in unison, raising their MP-40s.

"You don't know when you're beat, do you Fräulein?" one of them snarled sarcastically. "Your situation is hopeless, so you may as well surrender. This is not your London anymore."

Scoffing, Integra reached into her overcoat and pulled out another cigar. Placing it firmly between her teeth while maintaining full eye contact with the bastards standing before her, she raised a foot and slammed it down on the head of the man she'd decapitated. Her hand now free, she brought out her lighter and lit up the cigar. "Surrender? Give up? That certainly is what someone like you would recommend. Cowards, who could not bear the weight of their own humanity. You pathetic monsters disgust me!"

Swiping her rapier through the air, she pointed it towards the vampire who'd spoken to her. "Come on, then! Show me what mockeries of the undead can do!"

The Nazi laughed, and discarded his weapon. The MP-40 fell to the ground, and he leapt into the air with a hand raised in preparation to pierce her heart. However, as gravity brought him back down towards the ground, a light fluttering sound filled the air. It was as if someone had thrown hundreds of pieces of paper out a nearby window. Without any warning whatsoever, the vampire was skewered by at least half a dozen glowing bayonets.

Integra's eyes widened in pure shock.

Her would be attacker gurgled in surprise, before falling to the ground as a dead heap of flesh.

Turning her gaze to the night sky, Intgera watched as an shadowed figure leapt off a nearby rooftop. The enormous shape landed between her and the rest of the Nazis, and soon Alexander Anderson revealed himself in his entirety as he slowly rose up to his full height. "A bit late for a young woman to be walking home by herself, don't you think?"

The attempt at humor was shocking, but not as shocking as his sudden rush to her defense.

Behind Anderson, the Nazis took several collective steps back and muttered amongst each other in just as much disbelief.

"I-It's him!"

"The Judas Priest!"

"Saint Guillotine!"

"Iscariot's monster!"

Cassock fluttering in the wind, Anderson's lips pulled back into a deranged smile. "You must have a death wish, you mad woman!" he laughed, leaning directly into Integra's personal space. "Here you are, taunting a group of vampires with your sword in hand and blood on your face. You must be truly desperate if you're willing to step into the fray yourself! You hear that, Heinkel?"

"Aye!"

Turning around and looking up at yet another rooftop, Integra found her surprise increase even more as her eyes landed upon what appeared to be a decently-sized collection of Iscariot soldiers. At the head of the group, stood Heinkel Wolfe and Yumiko Takagi. Both had their weapons drawn, but expressions of indifference were stretched across their faces.

Heinkel also had a cigarette of her own held between her lips. "Father Anderson, I thought our orders were to simply obsessive without interfering…?"

"Not to mention, rescuing the Hellsing woman is a serious violation of our code of beliefs," Yumiko added.

"What was I supposed to do, just sit back and watch?" Anderson retorted. "The Iscariot Organization will be the ones to crush the Hellsing name. We are the only ones who deserve to crush them! No one else may interfere! No one else can have them!"

Behind the priest, one of the Nazi vampires finally seemed to gather enough courage to step forward. "So, you're with Iscariot, are you? You still won't get in our way!"

"Bite your tongue," Anderson replied, glancing over his shoulder. "The dead have no right to speak." A pair of bayonets slid out of his sleeves, and her firmly grasped them in hand. "Do the dead dare to walk the Earth before my eyes? Would those who abandon God, and embrace a heretical order, dare to meet my gaze?! Iscariot will not allow it! I will not allow it!"

Integra watched as Heinkel and Yumiko both leapt off the roof, landing next to their superior.

Heinkel raised her pistols.

Yumiko fell into a swordsman's stance.

"You will be cut down like straw!" Anderson declared, continuing his tirade. The bayonets in his hands were brought up, and he scratched them against one another to produce a bright shower of orange sparks. "You will fall before Our Lord's will! Amen! Speak up, men of God! Tell us all who you are!"

The rest of the Iscariot soldiers all descended to the street, and marched forward to form a protective circle around Integra. Each person held a different weapon, and they all looked more than prepared to use them. "WE ARE THE SOLDIERS OF ISCARIOT!"

"Who are you?" Anderson shouted.

"WE ARE JUDAS ISCARIOT!"

"Well then, Iscariot. I ask you… what do you hold in your right hand?!"

"DAGGERS AND POISON!"

"Soldiers of Iscariot, I ask you… what do you hold in your left hand?!"

"THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER AND A STRAW ROPE!"

Apparently not ready to back down from such a display, the Nazi soldiers finally charged forward. However, they proved to be absolutely no match for the raw strength of Alexander Anderson. With a single swipe of his bayonets, the enormous man cleaved four of the incoming vampires in half. Fountains of blood erupted from their corpses, and Anderson quickly kicked them back towards their remaining compatriots.

"Show them who you are, my soldiers of Iscariot!" he roared with a smile. "We are Apostles, yet not Apostles! We are believers, yet not believers! We are Disciples, yet not Disciples! We are heretics, yet we are not heretics! We are soldiers in the service of death, who bow our heads in reverence to Our Lord!"

Reaching into his coat, the Catholic priest flung forth a storm of blessed bayonets.

On his left, Heinkel sprayed a barrage of holy bullets into the enemy forces.

On his right, Yumiko cut down any that managed to get close with her katana.

Racing forward, Anderson leapt over a car and flipped in the air. Landing on one of the vampires and caving in the creature's skull, he wasted no time in pulling out even more bayonets and turning himself into a hurricane of destruction. Everything that moved around him was quickly reduced to shredded scraps of flesh and clothing. Blood and viscera painted the ground at his feet, and the Nazi vampires cried out in horror as they were sent to their eternal punishment.

Though not as skilled as their mentor, Heinkel and Yumiko still managed to collect quite a body count of their own. Working as a team, they moved through the group of Nazis and cut down anything that obstructed their path. Their opponents never even stood a chance.

Still hesitant to let her guard down, Integra held her rapier tightly as the remaining vampires were eliminated by the Iscariot soldiers surrounding her.

"We are the Apostles of Judas Iscariot!" Anderson shouted, standing atop a mountain of vampire corpses. "We are his holy flock of assassins. And upon the hour at which we were called, we cast our thirty pieces of silver into the sight of the holy, and hung ourselves with our rope of straw!"

Integra blinked as a stray bullet carved through the air next to her head.

(West of London)

"Your Excellency, it is time to wake up."

Opening his eyes, Maxwell removed the newspaper that had been covering his face and slowly sat up in his deck chair. He was tired. The past weeks had truly been hectic, and though he was somewhat reluctant to admit it, he had definitely needed the few hours of rest.

However, there was a bit of good news.

With all that had been occurring with Hellsing and Millennium as of late, His Holiness the Pope had finally seen fit to promote him to the rank of Bishop. It had been a momentous point in his career, and one that he had been anticipating for several years. As such, he was now in full command of the Papal Knights, which was comprised of a fighting force numbering some three-thousand strong.

And he fully intended to put his newfound authority to good use.

"What is it?" Maxwell replied, stifling a yawn. "Has something happened?"

"Yes Sir," one of the three men standing in front of him replied. If memory served, his name was Father Timothy Roland. "We have received word that Paladin Anderson and his Corpo de Preti Armati have confronted Integra Hellsing, and have successfully captured her. They also combated the forces of the Last Battalion during the course of their assigned task."

"Of course, they have… and after I specifically asked them not to engage." Standing up, Maxwell smoothed out his clothing and made himself otherwise presentable. Turning his gaze to the east, he walked out across the grassy cliffside where his forces had made their camp. London was visible in the distance, and even with how far away it was, the columns of smoke rising from the city were still easily visible. "Look how it burns. Il Purgatorio."

"London has been humbled, Your Excellency," Father Roland observed, coming to stand directly behind him. "It has been so long since the British Empire's capital has known such fear. The number of dead are already beyond estimation, and as their tally increases, so to do the ranks of the undead."

"God has punished them," Maxwell replied, nodding in agreement. "It amuses me to see how they have still clung to their heresy on this Babylon on the River Thames. It certainly serves them right."

"Indeed, it does."

The priests all shared a chuckle, and Maxwell found himself joining in their laughter.

"What of America?" he inquired.

"In chaos, Your Excellency. The White House is burning even as we speak. According to one of our local sources, a Presidential Aide turned into a vampire during a cabinet meeting. Fourteen people were slaughtered, including the President himself."

"Sounds about right," Maxwell snorted dismissively. Further down the cliffside, he could hear the clanking of metallic armament. Good. The forces of God were arriving right on schedule. "Do our Bishops in the States await orders?"

"Of course."

"Tell them to strike only if the vampirism spreads. Otherwise, the Church will do nothing to get involved." Waving a hand through the air, Maxwell released a pleased sigh as he continued to watch the home of the Protestants burn to the ground. "Britain, Hellsing, and Alucard are my only true concerns. The Vatican is content to let the Major be since they were bedfellows during the last World War. I on the other hand, am not as forgiving. He and his ilk will know a Crusader's wrath!"

The sounds of marching grew louder.

Helicopter blades could also be heard whirring high in the air.

Laughing, Maxwell threw his arms out wide and turned his head towards the heavens above. "Tonight, we reclaim Great Britain from pagans and monsters alike! We will restore it to its former glory! In the name of our almighty God!"

Turning on his heel, the newly christened Bishop gazed out over the army of knights that had amassed on the hillside behind him and the priests. Every order within the Catholic Church was present, and it was truly a wonderful sight…

The Knights of the Sagely Brethren…

…three hundred and forty members.

The Knights of the Order of Calatrava La Nueva…

…one hundred and eighteen members.

The Knights of the Military Order of Santo Stefano di Toscana…

…two hundred and fifty-seven members.

The Knights of the Order of Malta…

…two thousand four hundred and fifty-seven members.

All together, a unit of three thousand one hundred and seventy-two of the Church's best men.

Each was prepared to die in service to the Lord in Heaven, and each would gladly destroy anything in their path to spread the Word and Wisdom of God. And they all answered directly to him. The feeling of power was nearly indescribable. It brought an extraordinarily wide smile to Maxwell's face.

He stepped forward, chuckling to himself.

As he did so, the knights all fell into a unified bow of reverence.

One of them, however, only remained in the position for a moment. The armored man stepped forward until he was directly in front of Maxwell, where he once again knelt in respect. "Upon orders from His Holiness, I humbly inform you that you have been promoted to the rank of Archbishop. Congratulations, Your Grace." Reaching underneath his cloak, the knight withdrew a customary scarlet and gold Pallium. Bowing his hand even lower to the ground, he humbly presented it to Maxwell. "We here assembled form the Knights of the Ninth Crusade. We are yours to command, Archbishop Maxwell. Utilize us as you will."

Maxwell's smile morphed into a satisfied smirk.

Gingerly taking the Pallium, he wound it around his neck. "Amen. I accept this with all of my purity. Your target is London, men of God! Destroy it! Let this new era of Catholic might finally begin!"

Spears, muskets, and halberds were raised high, and the collection of knights all rose to their feet with a deafening cry.

"AMEN!"

Maxwell cackled gleefully.

Watching as the warriors of the church turned to board the attack helicopters that would carry them to their target, he turned to fix his three priests with an amused expression. "To think that a bastard such as me would ever be given such a title… and such an army to command! The Lord truly works in mysterious ways!"

His chucking continued, but the moment was interrupted as a young boy hurriedly approached him. "Your Grace! Your Grace!"

"Yes? What is it, my son?"

"Here, look."

Maxwell accepted a thick stack of documents. On the top, there was a satellite photo of the immediate area surrounding the island of London. "What is this? What am I looking at?"

"It's the carrier, Sir. The British one that was captured by Millennium."

"What of it?"

"Well…" the boy swallowed nervously. "Satellite photos confirm that it appears to be, well, moving."

"Absurd!" Maxwell cried out, sifting through the stack of papers. However, to his shock, it did indeed appear that the HMS Eagle was steadily getting closer and closer to London with every passing hour. "How is this possible? The damage inflicted upon that ship during Alucard's assault should have made it impossible to function!"

"It has to be him…" Father Roland spoke up, a slight tremor in his voice. "Alucard is coming…"

"Then let him come!" Maxwell emphasized his declaration by throwing the photographs to the ground. Grinding them under his boot, he snarled ferociously. "Alucard, Hellsing, and Millennium alike will all perish under our feet. The Lord will use us as a cudgel to lay his foes into the dust. Our time as the tools for God's holy wrath has begun!"

Once more, he turned his gaze to London.

Attack helicopters flew over his head towards the burning city, and Maxwell felt a smile once again return to his face.

"Amen…"

(London, England)

"How much remain?"

"Half of us have fallen. The Nazis are certainly fierce," Heinkel replied. The blonde was inspecting her weapons, ensuring that they had taken no permanent damage during their most recent battle. Turning towards the Iscariot soldiers that had managed to emerge with their lives, she barked out an order. "Light some torches! Burn these rotting bastards until they're nothing but ashes!"

Unfortunate.

Truly unfortunate.

But not unexpected.

Allowing his blessed bayonets to disappear once more into his sleeves, Anderson looked over his shoulder upon hearing a steady set of footsteps walking across the cobblestone. Integra Hellsing's expression was firm and determined, and she barely even flinched when Heinkel pressed one of her pistols against the back of her head.

"Where do you think you're going?" the German woman scowled.

"Back to my mansion," the Hellsing matriarch responded evenly. "My forces are under attack, and as their commanding officer, I need to be there. So, lower your damn gun, Papist."

"I think not," Heinkel snarled. Her weapon pressed even further into Integra's cascade of hair. "You're in Vatican custody now, you left-legger!"

"Light me."

Anderson chuckled at Heinkel's dumbfounded expression.

"W-What…?"

"Light my cigar, little miss 'Burn 'em All,'" Integra repeated. Reaching into her coat, she pulled out one of the cigars that always seemed to be in ready supply on her person. Turning around, she arched a brow as she placed it between her teeth. "Well? I'm waiting…"

"Are you kidding me?! I have a gun in your face and you want me to light your damn cigar?!"

"Do it."

"You do realize that I'm the one holding the gun on you, yes…?"

"Light me."

With no small amount of awkwardness, Heinkel grudgingly reached into her cassock and pulled out a lighter. Grumbling excessively as she did so, she held the little thing out and lit up a flame. Integra calmly leaned forward, and placed the tip of her cigar in the dancing spark. After a moment, she leaned back and breathed out a great lungful of smoke.

The Iscariot agents all looked on in dumbfounded disbelief.

"Now then… I'm going home. If the thought of it vexes you so much, then go ahead and shoot me." Without another word, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing turned around and calmly began to walk away.

"Why can't I bring myself to shoot her?!" Heinkel howled in aggravation towards the moon. "She's just one woman!"

"Oh, I know!" Yumiko declared, inching forward. "How about we tie her up and bring her with us?"

"I can hear you, you know…"

The two paladins shrieked.

Integra momentarily stopped next to Anderson, and he felt her eyes move up to his face. "Well, they certainly seem ready to tie me up and throw me in the back of a car. Tell me… what is it that you want, Anderson?"

"What do you think?" he replied gruffly. "The thought of a young woman being tied up absolutely repulses me. We're paladins. Not rapists."

Yumiko cried out as if she'd been shot.

"I certainly can't walk home alone," Integra mused, puffing out another cloud of smoke. "Come with me, won't you?"

"Aye," Anderson nodded. "We'll protect your maiden virtue."

The rest of the Iscariot members present all released varying sounds of shock or disagreement.

"Step lightly, Papists," Integra chuckled, before once again resuming her walk in the direction of the Hellsing Estate.

Anderson was quick to follow.

He still certainly held an enormous amount of hatred for the woman in his heart, but it was also his sacred duty to protect those who could not protect themselves. The Lord in Heaven had always taught that even an enemy must be showed mercy if the situation called for it. Given that the Hellsing woman was in no proper position to defend herself against them or the hordes of Nazi vampires running around the city, Anderson supposed it wouldn't hurt to lend her his aid just this one time.

Behind him, Heinkel and Yumie appeared to be far less enthused.

"How did she manage to rope us all into this…?" Heinkel muttered, kicking at a loose stone like a petulant child.

"Bishop Maxwell is going to be very upset…" Yumie shivered.

"We do technically have her in custody."

"Oh please, he isn't going to buy that."

"Shut your pie hole!"

Their bickering was certainly amusing, but it would have to be put on hold for now. Glancing back over his shoulder as he continued to walk, Anderson looked both of his students in the eye. "Heinkel, why don't you scout ahead and see if you can't find us a working automobile. We're all no better than a bunch of sitting ducks while on foot."

"R-Right!"

"Father Anderson… do you think this is wise?" one of the holy soldiers standing behind them asked, stepping forward. "Your obedience might be questioned by the Vatican if your actions were discovered."

"Then let them question it if they dare." His lips pulled up into a scowl, and Anderson narrowed his eyes as he turned back to keep an eye on the woman they were escorting. "There is something about Maxwell's more recent methods that just don't sit right with me. I sincerely hope that the boy remembers that he is called to do the work of God. Not his own."

It was true, unfortunately.

With every promotion he had received as of late, Maxwell had become more and more irrational. A Bishop's power was a gift from the Lord above, and it would be a grave sin to abuse such a position. He could only hope that Maxwell would see reason before he made a decision that was too rash.

With a sigh, Anderson silently continued following Integra Hellsing.

(Hellsing Estate)

"We are almost directly over Hellsing headquarters."

"Good," Zorin smirked. "All hands to battle stations."

It was just as the Major had said. Everything was going according to plan, and just as His Majesty had foretold. The man's foresight was truly impressive, but she couldn't allow herself to dwell on such things at the moment. For now, she merely needed to concentrate on blowing Hellsing Manor to smithereens and leaving no trace of survivors.

"Ma'am!" One of the men at one of the various command terminals turned to look at her. "The flagship is launching their V-1s. They're giving us support fire."

Zorin arched a single brow, readjusting the weight of her scythe across her shoulders. "The Deus ex Machina is running interference for us, huh? Heh. Open wide, Helsling! You're in for a treat!" As reported, over two dozen flying V-1 bombs zoomed past their zeppelin and raced towards Hellsing Manor. It was somewhat unfortunate, in a way, to think that her precious blade might go thirsty tonight, but her own desire to enter the fray was not the ultimate objective. Zorin was aware that even though she might leave the battle disappointed, His Majesty would be immensely pleased with their success.

The V-1s continued their approach.

Suddenly, a loud 'crack' echoed throughout the night.

Without warning, the flying bombs all simultaneously exploded in midair.

Zorin's cigarette fell out of her mouth. "Our rockets! What in the hell is going on?! Status report!"

"We have sniper fire!" one of her subordinates replied. "Straight out of the Hellsing compound!"

Realization dawned on her. There was only one being currently in Hellsing's employ that could accomplish such a feat aside from Alucard. And it certainly wasn't Ichigo Kurosaki. He wasn't expected to enter the battle until much later. "That bitch… bring up the searchlights! I want it bright as day down there!"

"But Sir, if we use the lights they'll be sure to fire upon us!"

"Just do it! That vampire whore can already see us." Glaring hatefully down at the Hellsing compound, Zorin made herself a personal promise to find and torture Seras Victoria to death before the night was through. Granted, it went directly against her orders, but would the Major really be able to complain if she took out one of the Special War Potentials for him? The zeppelin's spotlights came to life, and illuminated the building down below.

With her own advanced eyesight, Zorin was just able to make out the form of the former police woman on the mansion's rooftop. However, she also saw something else that was cause for more immediate concern. It wasn't Seras herself that was the problem…

No, the problem came in the form of the pair of absolutely enormous anti-aircraft cannons strapped to her person. No ordinary individual would ever be able to wield such weaponry; the recoil generated would break every single bone in their body. Unfortunately, Alucard's fledgling didn't have to worry about such factors.

Scowling, Zorin bared her razor-sharp teeth.

"Kill her!"

Seras fell to a knee.

In her left ear, her wireless communicator buzzed. Pip Bernadotte's confident voice quickly followed. The Frenchman was situated in the control room, where he could monitor everything occurring outside from a safe distance through the security cameras. "All twenty-four incoming projectiles have been destroyed. Your new equipment is nothing to scoff at, ma chérie. The Harkonnen II thirty-millimeter semi-automatic cannon. Its full range is nearly four kilometers, is it not? We're pulling out all the stops against these krauts, eh ma chérie? I'd certainly like to get my own hands on a toy like that…"

"Do I really need to remind you that you already have a girlfriend, Mister Bernadotte?" she sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes. Contrary to her typical nervous behavior, Seras had forced herself into a completely serious mindset. "Please stop calling me 'ma chérie'. I have a name, and its Seras Victoria."

Pip laughed jovially. "Apologies, ma chérie. Tell me, can you see London right now?"

"Of course, I can."

If she squinted slightly, she could make out every bloody detail. She didn't really want to though; the carnage that Millennium's forces had already caused was something straight out of a nightmare. It looked like Hell had busted through the crust of the Earth and established its new base of operations within the limits of the city.

"Personally, I can't stand London. Never could. It always seemed like such a stuffy and uptight town. We never saw eye to eye, 'ole London and me. But the boys would always drag me out to this one cabaret. The beer was ice cold and surprisingly tasty, which was great considering the only thing dumber than the bartender were those jokes of his. We'd also go to this cathouse, where they had they ugliest whores you'd ever seen. But you know…"

Seras listened quietly, waiting for him to resume.

She wasn't quite sure where Pip was trying to go with this, but his tone had grown incredibly somber.

"…those girls were still all real nice to us. Still, they had the saddest damn eyes. Then there was the lady with the place on Versailles Road. I never ordered her fish and chips, but it was all she'd ever serve me. I wanted to tell her that it was too greasy for me, but I didn't want to offend her. So, I choked it down… bite by bite…"

The com link went quiet, but Seras could still hear as the commander of the Wild Geese swallowed thickly. He sounded like he might shed a few tears, and was desperately trying his best not to.

"Let's win this, ma chérie. Let's win this for those common folks."

A small smile took up residence of her face.

It only lasted a moment.

Eyes narrowing, Seras glared up at the zeppelin that loomed menacingly overhead. Blood raced through her veins, and she felt herself slowly become overtaken by a fury unlike anything she had ever felt before. Raising her cannons, she pointed them directly at the enemy dreadnaught and unleashed Hell.

Spent ammunition spilled out of her weapon with a resounding 'clang'.

Opening her mouth, Seras released an enraged scream as she continued to tear massive holes into the zeppelin. Explosions rocked the flying craft, and she felt an immense sense of personal satisfaction as it slowly began to sink lower and lower through the air towards the ground. All the while, a thick trail of smoke followed behind it.

"That's it, Seras!" Pip shouted, goading her on. "Send them crashing down into the pits of Hell!"

The zeppelin continued its downward descent until it finally crashed into the large grassy field directly in front of the mansion. The impact generated an earth-shaking explosion, and Seras was briefly forced to hold her fire and focus instead on maintaining her balance. As she found her footing, the blonde vampiress pressed a small button next to her weapon's left trigger. As ridiculous as it sounded, the Harkonnen II mecha-shifted and brought forth its two incendiary grenades, which were each roughly the size of beach balls.

"They're huge!" Pip exclaimed in her ear.

Ignoring him, Seras launched the grenades. The two projectiles soared through the air towards the downed aircraft, where they collided and kicked up an explosion that made the previous one look like nothing more than a firecracker.

The malicious intent emanating from the zeppelin quadrupled.

Whoever was inside was royally pissed.

Good.

It served the bastards right.

Over her communicator, Seras heard the rest of the Wild Geese cheer triumphantly.

"We're not through yet!" she exclaimed. "Stay cautious!"

"You heard her, ladies!" Pip barked loudly. "Keep on your toes! I have a feeling that we just crawled out of the frying pan and into the fire. Those undead fuckers are still gonna come at us with everything they've got."

That was putting it lightly.

With all the damage they had taken, the Millennium soldiers would likely be seeking retribution.

Seras grimaced at the thought. Surely enough, several dozen humanoid shapes gradually appeared from the wreckage of the zeppelin against the backdrop of fire. She hadn't expected them to suffer too many casualties, but Seras had still hoped that their numbers would been thinned out significantly by the crash. Unfortunately, that did not appear to be the case.

The odds were not stacked in their favor…

"What now, Mister Bernadotte?"

"Fall back and reload."

"Right!"

Unhooking the main body of her weapon from the cannon itself, Seras turned and sprinted across the roof towards the only door that would lead her back into the mansion. In her ear, her communicator continued to buzz as Pip began barking out orders.

"All right, Wild Geese! It seems like it's time for us to take the stage. No more foreplay… these Nazis want it rough, and I'm feeling rather generous. Let's give them a wild night that they'll never forget! Lock and load, men!"

The mercenaries all responded with a unified cry of support.

They were willing to fight, even though they all knew that they were likely going to die.

Seras respected them for it.

Still, it seemed the Wild Geese still had an abundance of tricks up their sleeves…

Explosions suddenly rocked the house, and Seras was forced to catch herself against the nearest wall. "What was that?!"

"That would be the claymore mines my boys placed all over the yard," Pip replied cheerily. He sounded quite pleased with himself. "All sixty of them are packed full of blessed ball bearings. Our opponents are vampires, and they would all storm Heaven itself for a cooked goose dinner. If they are going to play dirty by entering the fray with such an advantage, then shouldn't we greet them with our own? Sounds pretty fair to me."

"When did you-"

"The Wild Geese are not the greatest fighting force, Miss Victoria. Confronting the enemy out in the open is such a messy affair, and we are mercenaries by nature. Dirty tricks like this are much more our speed."

The explosions continued to go off.

Seras had to admit, it definitely sounded like they were effective. "How many enemy soldiers have fallen?"

"I counted around forty or so individuals when they emerged from the wreckage. Our mines have taken out at least a couple of dozen since then. Their numbers have been cut down, but twenty vampires is still enough to give us a really bad night."

"What do you suggest?"

"If we can hold them off until dawn, then we win by default. Those musty old krauts can't be allowed to get inside the compound, otherwise it'll be over for us all before we can even pull up our pants and fasten our belts. Even with your help, Miss Victoria, we don't stand a chance at close combat. You might be able to do some damage, but my boys and I are all human. We'd fall eventually."

"You don't think they'll retreat? It sounds like we have them pinned down."

Pip chuckled mirthlessly. "You'd think so, eh? On any other night, I'd be fully confident in thinking that they'd run with their tails tucked between their legs. But these things aren't afraid of death, and we're down by several good fighters. Ichigo would be useful, even though he's just an ordinary guy like me. His close combat skills would likely prove to be invaluable. I'd honestly prefer to see Alucard's ugly mug though, all things considered."

Dashing down a hallway, Seras briefly glanced out one of the windows to her right that looked out over the battlefield. What she saw made her eyes widen, and she abruptly skidded to a halt. "What the bloody hell?!"

Amongst the explosions, a positively enormous figure made of writhing purple shadows took shape. Its features gradually become more human, and in a matter of moments, it took on the appearance of a muscular woman wearing a dark green halter top and the bottom half of what looked like a standard combat uniform. It also wore black gloves on both hands; one of which grasped a horrifyingly gigantic scythe.

And to top it all off, the entire right side of the monster's body was littered with tattoos. The most prominent was a large pentagram in the middle of her forehead. Definitely not a good sign.

It was unbelievable!

The titanic woman was easily sixty meters tall!

Despite herself, Seras felt her knees tremble.

From down the hall, several members of the Wild Geese ran up to join her. They too looked out at the approaching giantess, and their reactions quickly mirrored her own.

"What the fuck?!"

"How are we supposed to kill that?!"

It couldn't be real, could it?

This had to be some twisted figment of their imagination!

Yet, with every step the giant woman took, the ground beneath her feet was upturned. It was a very clear indication that she was indeed flesh and blood. Was this the power of one of the Sternritter? Seras remembered fighting the one in Brazil, but she hadn't personally encountered any more since then.

And honestly, she was quite glad.

If all of the Sternritter were so powerful, she didn't want to fight them.

This time, it didn't look like she had a choice…

Brace yourselves for another long Author's Note.

It's important, so PLEASE read it…

The Battle of London has officially begun.

And yes, I KNOW I said that I would be updating one of my other stories next, but as I've mentioned before, I've been feeling a surge of motivation for "Bloodstained Souls" recently. Given that, it wouldn't make sense to not take advantage of such motivation. In any case, allow me to share some points about this chapter, as well as some responses I have to several more reviews.

Firstly, there has been at least one person in the review section who has begged and pleaded with me to abandon the concept of Ichigo's journey in the Underworld. This individual apparently feels as though such things don't matter, and that I should instead focus solely on the events of "Hellsing."

Look, to be quite frank, I understand that some of you might be impatient, but trying to tell me how to write my story will not do you any good. Nothing I do is just for the sake of it; everything I have written has been for a purpose and a reason. Ichigo has gone to the Underworld for a reason, and I hope you can be patient until I am ready to return him to London. PLEASE trust me when I say that I am working up to a certain moment that I think will be well worth the wait. I don't like to be unnecessarily firm with my readers, but some reviews are just unnecessarily demanding.

Your patience WILL be rewarded, I promise.

Now, let's discuss the chapter itself…

Shelby Penwood really did go out like a boss, didn't he?

I mean, even while watching the anime, I felt so much respect for the guy. He started out as a nervous wreck, and was portrayed as such thought most of the series. But then, he went out in a true blaze of glory and basically gave one final 'fuck you' to the vampires who were sent to kill him.

Mad respect, Sir Penwood.

Also, allow me to break down the scene where Anderson elected to escort Integra back to Hellsing Manor. All throughout the series, it is heavily implied that Anderson is not a bad person; he is only doing what he thinks is the right thing. In contrast, Enrico Maxwell eventually becomes drunk with power and abandons his calling to serve God in favor of fulfilling his own desires. And most of us know how that turned out. So yes, although Anderson is portrayed as a villain in the main series, this is only because his interest conflicts with Hellsing's. Even in the scene I wrote two chapters ago, I wasn't trying to make him act like a genuinely bad person.

The only reason he even tried to abduct Yuzu and Karin was because he thought he would be saving their souls in the process. Not a bad person in the grand scheme of things, but he's definitely too extreme for his own good. And perhaps just a bit misguided.

Am I trying to defend the kidnapping? No, of course no. I'm just saying that Anderson believed his cause was just, and he did genuinely want what was best for the Kurosaki girls.

Many good people throughout history have done terrible things for the right reasons.

That aside, the next chapter will once again focus on Ichigo. We ARE getting closer to his return to London, but a specific set of events needs to occur before that can happen. And, as I've teased before, we WILL see a fully empowered Ichigo combat Millennium when the time comes.

Telling you anything more would be venturing dangerously close into spoiler territory…

Also, while I'm thinking about it, let me go ahead and address yet ANOTHER somewhat irritated review I received for the last chapter. Thankfully, this reviewer was more cordial than the one I previously mentioned, but I'd still like to talk about his concerns.

Let me be perfectly clear… I am NOT nerfing Sirzechs. Nor am I nerfing Azazel and Michael.

Each of them is still as powerful as they are in the main "High School DxD" continuity, but I have raised the power levels of the actual gods in my story. Granted, I did do this because of a personal preference, but the Biblical Faction leaders are still each powerful enough to solo most of the other supernatural characters in the story. I can confidently say that Sirzechs could defeat Kenpachi quite easily. He could also beat Grimmjow and Ulquiorra without any trouble. And this is only while he is still confined to his human form.

The only two people from Soul Society that could take him on and potentially win are Sosuke Aizen and the Captain Commander.

In fact, here is a tier list that I have prepared to showcase how strong most of the characters in "Bloodstained Souls" are compared to one another. Keep in mind that some of these individuals have not appeared yet in the story itself, but they exist within the larger universe:

-TOP TEN:

1. Ophis

2. Chaos

3. Shiva

4. Vishnu

5. Brahma

6. Ddraig (Unbound)

7. Albion (Unbound)

8. Gaea

9. Fenrir (Unbound)

10. Kronos (Full power)

According to the author of "High School DxD", Indra, Thor, and Typhon replace the individuals of the Top Ten who are typically in their sealed forms. Sirzechs and Ajuka also ascend closer to the bottom of the list when they release their true forms. So, yes, although Sirzechs IS weaker than most gods for a good portion of the time while in his human form, his true form of Destruction allows him to surpass them. I have always had this in mind. My apologies for not clearing it up sooner. However, keep in mind that there is still a considerably large gap between the Top Ten and the Supreme Class, which is depicted below.

-SUPREME CLASS:

1. Hades

2. Zeus

3. Poseidon

4. Odin

5. Amaterasu

6. Tiamat

7. Midgardsormr

7. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto (Shikai)

8. Libidine Gremory (Physical Form)

9. Sosuke Aizen (Base Level)

10. Sirzechs Lucifer (Physical Form)

11. Ichigo Kurosaki (Bankai + Hollowfication)

12. Rizevim Livan Lucifer

13. Shunsui Kyōraku

14. Jūshirō Ukitake

Please note that some of these characters can climb higher on the list above when they transform in a certain way. For example, if the Captain Commander were to release his Bankai, he would elevate to a much higher spot. So would Aizen if he still had access to the Hōgyoku, or if he simply released his own Bankai. Likewise, Mugetsu Ichigo would be much higher.

-SATAN CLASS:

1. Retsu Unohana

2. Kenpachi Zaraki (Eyepatch Intact)

3. Serafall Leviathan

4. Falbium Asmodeus

5. Tier Harribel (Base Level)

6. Nelliel Tu Odelschvank (Base Level)

7. Vali Lucifer (Imperio Juggernaut Drive)

8. Dragon King Tannin

9. Fafnir

10. Azazel

11. Michael

12. Isshin Kurosaki (Base Form)

13. Surtr Second

14. Grayfia Lucifuge

15. Alucard (Full Release)

-ULTIMATE CLASS (TIER 3):

1. Shemhazai

Yu-Long

Vritra

Vali Lucifer (Balance Breaker)

Ichigo Kurosaki (Base Level)

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez (Base Level)

-ULTIMATE CLASS (TIER 2):

Yasaka

Souji Okita

Baraquiel

Most Shinigami Captains

Remaining Espada

Beowulf

Issei Hyoudou (Cardinal Crimson Promotion)

Siaroarg Bael (Balance Breaker)

-ULTIMATE CLASS (TIER 1):

Loki

Issei Hyoudou (Balance Breaker)

Seras Victoria (Imperfect Vampire)

Sairoarg Bael (Base Form)

Vali Lucifer (Base Form)

Obviously, not every single character is on this tier list. Still, I hope it is enough for most people to get a clear idea of how most characters all stack up against one another. This list is purely based on physical power, and not combat ability. If combat ability were to be included, then things would be much different.

I already know that many of you will likely disagree with what I have, but please keep two things in mind…

Firstly, this is my personal opinion, so you are more than welcome to disagree. However, I implore you to keep your written disagreements civil and polite, otherwise I will completely ignore you. I will not force myself to deal with negativity that is being distributed just for the sake of it.

Secondly, this is a fanfiction, and a crossover one at that. Some people will always be disappointed with the way their favorite characters compare to other from a different series, and that is understandable.

However, keep in mind that I am not the author of "Bleach."

I am not the author of "Hellsing."

Nor am I the author of "High School DxD."

I will do my best to honor their work as best I can, but nothing will be perfect. If you want perfection and strictly canon material, then by all means go and read the source material. But for the love of God, do not complain to me when things do not happen in my story in the exact same way that they do in canon.

Thanks for reading!

No omake this time, I'm afraid. My brain is already fried from staying up half the night.

AlucardsBro OUT!