Please excuse any of the errors I missed; my laptop is currently down, and I can't proofread as effectively without my text-to-speech program.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
SONG LIST (For those that play the recommended music with the fanfic)
- Encounters with the Goblin Slayer [Goblin Slayer OST]
- The Power To Resist [Dragon Ball Super OST Vol. 2]
- Compromise [Dragon Ball Super OST]
DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.
FIRE EMBLEM IS OWNED BY NINTENDO. I DON'T OWN IT'S CHARACTERS EITHER.
ITALICS=THOUGHTS, WRITING, EMPHASIS, AND SOUNDS
BOLD= DATES, PLACES, ECT.
BOLD ITALICS=WRITER
Northern Plegia ~ The Border Wastes
November 5, Age 2609 (3:21 P.M.)
Silence…
Complete and utter silence…
No one—not Ylissean, not Feroxi, not Plegian—dared to utter a single word.
The overcast skies which had been pummeling the ground with rain and thunder just moments earlier had split—sunlight poking through the cloud cover.
Walter took a deep breath—soaking in the power he now had at his disposal. A power that once represented every crime he committed, every atrocity he had carried out, was now welcomed with open arms. That strength he once accepted for the sake of a goal so selfish that he turned against every single person he once cared for, now utilized for what should've always been meant to…
...the destruction of monsters.
"Wha… what's this?" Gangrel stared at the newly transformed butler in shock and confusion. "Who… what happened to…?" the Mad King sputtered as he attempted to wrap his head around what had just occurred.
Chrom, who lay on his back in confusion, craned his head to see what had Gangrel so spooked. Lo and behold, Walter stood opposite to the Mad King; no longer in the form of a boy, but in the form of a man.
"Walter…" Chrom murmured in awe. Even though he was nowhere close to the butler, that pressure that the man seemed to exert was almost tangible.
"Gangrel…" Walter's voice was a calm and cool baritone, chilling Gangrel's spine. "Though you don't deserve it—out of respect for Emmeryn—I ask you to stand down now," the butler narrowed his eyes.
"Submit yourself to Ylisse for judgement, and you will be granted mercy; perhaps even a chance to atone for your sins. I am willing to let you walk away from this conflict with your life, but I warn you that this is the only chance you will receive," Walter's expression was blank, showing no emotion whatsoever.
"Is that so?" Gangrel began with a laugh that slowly began to raise in volume. "Mercy? You want to offer ME mercy?" the Mad King's laughter slowly turned into an insane cackle, one that echoed across the battlefield.
Walter was unperturbed by the sight, simply maintaining his emotionless mask. Though he stood tall without a hint of fear, other's watching the spectacle felt their spine shiver at the monster in the guise of a man. When he had finally composed himself, Gangrel narrowed his eyes and grinned his mad grin.
"Really? I knew you were many things, butler—fool, idiot, moron—but I never took you for a coward like Emmeryn," the Mad King chuckled softly. "You fools just don't get it, do you? There is not a single centimeter of me that feels any remorse for what I've done; not a single millimeter! If you wish for me to stop this war, you'll have to prostrate yourselves!" Gangrel's smile twisted.
"I won't stop until all of you bend the knee to my will!"
Walter shook his head in disappointment as he cracked his knuckles. Lowering his hands to his sides, the butler entered a relaxed stance.
"If that's how things are going to be, then so be it." Walter eyed Emmeryn, who stood watching over the battle from within the nearby fort. "Whatever happens now, Gangrel has put it upon himself…"
Walter eyed Chrom, who continued to lay exhausted close to Gangrel. The Guardian Angel craned his head to Lucina, who stood just behind him.
"Marth," he addressed. "Get Chrom out of here. I don't want either of you getting caught in the crossfire."
Lucina nodded as she hesitantly began to rush to her father's aid; running past the butler, who continued to stand staring at Gangrel like a statue.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Gangrel smirked, pointing his Levin Sword at the downed Chrom. "Do you honestly think I'll hold still and let the princeling get away? You aren't getting off that easily…"
Lucina stopped in her tracks, frightened that if she took another step forward, Gangrel would strike her father down then and there. Her hand hovered over the Falchion as she watched Gangrel carefully, the Mad King's sword sparking dangerously. However—before Lucina could even blink—she felt something breeze past her.
(Play song ~ Encounters with the Goblin Slayer [Goblin Slayer OST])
"Wha-" Gangrel flinched as Walter suddenly crossed the distance between them, and grabbed the blade of his sword with his hands.
"Hmph…" Walter scoffed as he tightened his grip on the blade, not letting it go. "Marth, grab Chrom, now," he commanded once more.
Lucina, realizing that the butler was keeping Gangrel from striking her father down, continued her run towards Chrom. Chrom—still somewhat dazed from his usage of… whatever it was he was using to fight Gangrel—looked up at the butler confusedly.
"Walter?" he murmured tiredly. "Is… is that really you?" Walter didn't turn to reply to the prince, keeping his gaze squarely of Gangrel.
"Yes," the butler replied simply. "You fought bravely. However, it's best that you leave this to me."
Chrom was about to object when he suddenly felt someone heaving him back onto his feet.
"Steady, I've got you," Lucina assured as she gave the prince her shoulder to lean on.
"You little…" Gangrel growled as he watched as the princeling began to retreat with the bluenette woman.
The Mad King tried to pry his sword from the butler's grip but he couldn't overpower the man. Before he could release his own grip on his sword, Walter grabbed hold of his arm with his free hand. Trapped by the butler's vice grip, Gangrel could only gnash his teeth in rage as he watched his prey escape his wrath.
"Let. Go." Gangrel seethed through his teeth as he attempted to pull away from Walter. The butler scoffed at the demand, only tightening his grip on both Gangrel's hand and his sword.
"You little…" the Mad King began to shake with rage; anger boiling over like a volcano.
Emotions flaring, his Levin Sword began to spark dangerously. However, much to Gangrel's utter humiliation, not even the bolts of lightning pouring through his sword seemed to loosen Walter's grip. In fact, the sparks seemed to do nothing more than lick at the Guardian Angel.
"I gave you a chance to give up, and you threw it out the window," Walter growled, showing his first hint of emotion since transforming. "Now you'll reap what you've sown, Gangrel. I'm ending you here and now."
Walter's expression contorted into one of rage.
"I'M SENDING YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!"
Without a moment's notice, Walter suddenly kneed Gangrel in his gut. The Mad King lurched—a glob of blood escaping his lips. Before he could recover, the butler followed up his knee with a roundhouse kick that sent the vampire into the air. Gangrel spiraled and flailed until he landed roughly several feet away, impacting the ground with incredible force.
All eyes were glued on either Gangrel or Walter, both had their undivided attention. Murmurs and gasps of shock were heard throughout the allied force at what they just witnessed.
"Did he just…?" Sully was first to break the silence.
"Jeez… that looked… man, that looked painful…" Vaike murmured.
"Understatement of the century…" Stahl's jaw dropped.
When Lucina was certain that she'd carried Chrom a safe distance away, she stopped and turned to look at the battle that was just beginning. The two wielders of Falchion watched Walter in awe.
"So, this is the power you've been so hesitant to use, Walter…" Lucina muttered to herself. "I can't believe it…" Chrom let out a weak laugh.
"Heh… I don't think we've seen anything yet…" Chrom noted. Lucina could only nod in silent agreement as Gangrel slowly ascended to his feet.
Recovering from that initial blow, the Mad King was quaking with boiling anger.
"You little…" Gangrel raised his hand and pointed at the butler. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, ATTACK HIM!" the undead king screamed as he commanded the remainder of his ghoul army to converge on Walter.
The mindless drones followed the command without question, ignoring everyone else in favor of attacking the butler.
"Oh no!" Chrom grunted as he struggled to maintain his footing; even though he was leaning against Lucina.
"He's going to get surrounded!" Lucina cried out. Chrom raised his hand.
"SHEPHERDS!" the prince commanded, garnering the attention of his men. "GROUP UP AND-"
"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Walter hollered from his position. "NO ONE INTERFERE WITH THIS FIGHT! LEAVE THIS TO ME!"
(Song ends here...)
Chrom was speechless. How could Walter not want back-up? He understood facing Gangrel alone, but not the ghouls. Hell, the prince was certain there were at least a couple thousand ghouls still left standing.
"Wait…" Lucina murmured under her breath. "I… I think we should leave this to Walter…" Chrom stared at the petite princess.
"You're not serious, are you?"
Lucina nodded.
"I have faith in Walter; as he is now, I think he requires no aid from us whatsoever," she said honestly, a smile forming on her face as she watched the butler stand confidently even as he was surrounded by ghouls.
Chrom considered Lucina's words for a second. The girl seemed to have quite the bias towards Walter, and such a feeling could lead to overestimation of others ability. Still—looking at Walter from where he was—he couldn't help but feel that same faith in the butler that Lucina seemed to feel.
"Alright…" Chrom conceded. "Let's see what happens…"
Walter took in his surroundings, the converging army of ghouls marching closer and closer to him. He brought his fists up and cracked his knuckles. Craning his head slightly, the butler popped his neck. The man took a deep breath as he prepared his attack. He could hardly remember the last time he'd felt so…
…so…
…powerful.
Without effort, the butler somersaulted into the air and dodged a volley of arrows. Twirling around, his wires flared to life. Landing on his feet, Walter became a blur. His wires orbited him—more strands than anyone had ever seen the butler summon dancing around him—cutting down ghouls by the dozens.
Gangrel watched from afar as his army—his once feared and unstoppable army—was torn apart by Walter. Limbs were flying into the air, and blood shot up like geysers as the Guardian Angel slashed through the undead without breaking a sweat. Those wires that once hindered him were now being unleashed at their full force.
"WHERE THE HELL IS AVERSA!?" Gangrel searched the battlefield for his second-in-command. Upon finding no sign of his tactician, the Mad King wanted to tear his hair out.
"THAT BACKSTABBING HARPY!" Gangrel screamed impotently. "I swear… when I get my hands on her…" the Mad King consider the countless punishments he could subject the deserter. However, before he could lose himself to his fantasies, he'd have to deal with Walter first.
"Is this really all you've got for me?" Walter yawned. The butler shoved his hands in his pockets and began dismantling the opposition with simple kicks.
"Don't. Get." Gangrel charged his Levin Sword. "COCKY!"
The vampire—caring not for the ghouls that were caught in the crossfire—swung his weapon; unleashing a wave of lightning at the butler. Walter watched the attack barrel towards him—killing hundreds of undead as it approached. With a scoff, Walter easily hopped out of the way of the blast.
"Thanks for the assist," Walter mocked before continuing his assault.
Jaws dropped at the display of power from the newly transformed butler. Like a storm crossing over a city, Walter tore through the ghouls without effort. The butler—who was already considered on a different level from everyone else—had simply become akin to natural disaster; a powerful earthquake or a mighty hurricane. He was a devastating force that could not be stopped by anyone…
…not even Gangrel.
As the last of his ghouls were dispatched, leaving nothing more than blood splatters across the ground, Gangrel felt fear for the first time since he became a vampire. For the first time since his transformation, he was up against something that he could not simply overpower. He was up against something he couldn't scare into submission. His status as the strongest was stripped from him just as swiftly as it was granted…
…and that pissed him off.
(Play Song ~ Die Fledermaus [Hellsing Ultimate OST])
"Well, that was a bracing warm-up," Walter rolled his shoulders. "Now…" the butler craned his head towards Gangrel and narrowed his eyes.
"Where were we?"
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Gangrel yelled at the top of his lungs. He was finished with this little upstart. Time and time again, the butler had stood in his way. Gangrel gripped his Levin Sword tightly before throwing himself at Walter. The attacks were swift, barely visible to the naked eye. No normal human could've kept up with the Mad King, but to Walter it was but child's play. He ducked and dived, flowing from one movement to the next like a raging river.
Gangrel screamed in frustration, slamming his blade into the ground. An explosion of sparks splintered outwards as the ground cracked beneath him. The sparks danced and threatened to engulf anyone close to them. However, the attack did not meet its mark, as Walter had back flipped out of its range.
Following his attack up, Gangrel began to assault Walter with a barrage of attacks. Stabs and slashes were thrown in practically every direction, trails of electricity being the only indicator of where the blade had been. Despite its intensity, even this assault was not enough to hit the butler. Walter maintained a calm demeanor and weaved through the assault —no evidence that this was taxing him whatsoever.
Letting out one final scream of exasperation, Gangrel raised his blade overhead for one powerful attack. As he brought the blade down, he was speechless when Walter grabbed his arm mid-cut and stopped the strike. Raising his other hand, Walter finally launched a counterattack. Moving aggressively, Walter summoned his wires and swiped his hand. Gangrel was thrown across the Border Wastes.
The Mad King tossed and turned as he was dragged through rocks and trees. The pain did not end there, as Walter threw his hand behind him. His wires followed the movement and slammed the vampire King down into the ground with so much force that it had left a small crater.
Gangrel clambered out of the crater and leapt high into the air. Raising his Levin Sword above his head, he began summoning up his strength. Large bolts of lightning sparked across the length of his blade.
"Dodge this!"
Bringing the weapon down, Gangrel began firing lightning from his Levin sword. Each blast covered a wide area, and each was moving at lightning speed. Gangrel continued firing, hoping that at least one would hit the butler.
Walter scoffed at the sparks coming his way. Moving beyond lightning speed, Walter weaved between each bolt—his sheer speed causing him to leave multiple afterimages. Whether they were big or small, none even came within an inch of hitting him.
Gangrel gnashed his teeth in anger. He raised his blade once more, this time charging up a single large beam of plasma. As soon as he was done charging, he brought the sword down and fired a bolt of lightning at least two feet in thickness. The beam spiraled towards Walter at a speed beyond that of anything that preceded it. Although it was fast, however Walter was faster. Summoning his wires, a mesh shield was suddenly formed. The lightning was split upon impact; the ground shaking and cracking as the butler held his ground. Soon enough the bolt dissipated, Walter not even having so much as a scratch on him.
"What!? He- he deflected it!?" Gangrel's shock was interrupted by Walter's wires abruptly taking him out of the sky. Gangrel cried out in pain as he felt his body get torn to shreds by the strands of death. He was in agony as he was grounded violently.
"How many people have you sucked the blood from, Gangrel? One hundred? One thousand? Ten-thousand?" Walter narrowed his eyes as he threw the monster to the side. "Enough to have made an entire army…" the butler flicked his wrist, causing his wires to cut Gangrel's legs off.
"I suppose I'll just have to keep killing you until you stay dead…"
At the snap of Walter's fingers, Gangrel was strung up by his hands and slammed into the ground once more. The Guardian Angel was relentless, as he tossed his prey into an abandoned fort. He dragged him through the fort until it collapsed on top of the Mad King. Walter didn't end it there either, as he threw Gangrel into a formation of rocks. If there was an object he could drag Gangrel through, Walter did so without hesitation. This continued until the Mad King was in too many pieces to count.
(Song ends here...)
Looking around the battlefield, Walter waited for the vampire to show himself.
"Come now, that can't have been everything you had." Walter retracted his wires back into his gloves. "Look, I've left my guard down. My wires have disappeared, I am open for attack."
A large sonic boom erupted from behind Walter, startling the onlookers. Walter on the other hand seemed unperturbed by the large stream of plasma energy in lightning form that was racing towards his back. As if he knew the attack was coming, Walter took a simple step to the side.
"There you are…"
Without bothering to turn around, Walter flicked his wrist and sent his wires to the source of the beam. However, the butler was surprised when his attack hit nothing. Blasts of lightning magic suddenly began flying at the butler from multiple directions. It was like multiple mages were firing at him all at once, which most would've assumed was the case. Walter knew better than to come to that conclusion.
"Looks like someone's getting clever…" Walter sighed as countless beams raced towards him. The butler leaped out of harm's way, only for more lightning to be fired at him whilst he was midair. Walter summoned his wires once more and slashed through the blast. When more attacks were launched at him, he resumed dodging like normal.
"Gangrel, give it up," Walter said—unimpressed with the barrage. "You'll never hit me, especially using such an amateurish strategy like this. If you want to deal any lasting damage, you'll have to come out and cut me down yourself."
The battlefield had become a symphony of chaos, the likes of which had never been seen before. The wasteland sparked and lit up with the lightning that sped across its width. At the epicenter of it all was Walter, the butler that was defying the odds. Despite all the mayhem, he was completely unscathed. He was dodging everything with such little effort that he seemed disinterested; bored even.
After several minutes of what seemed to be pointless attacks, Gangrel finally charged Walter from behind. His Levin Sword sparked in his hands as he moved to impale the guardian angel from behind. The death blow never came, as the Mad King suddenly found himself strung up by Walter's wires. He let out a pained groan as he attempted to force himself through the tangle, but it was useless. Walter threw the Plegian King into the ground—forming yet another crater—like the trash he was.
"There you are," Walter glared down at the undead Plegian. "In all honesty, I could've ended that farce anytime I wanted. It was only my amusement that kept me from stopping that nonsense."
Gangrel stared up at the butler with pure unrelenting hatred. A dark flame like aura surrounded Walter as he looked down at his foe, his eyes shining silver; bright as a star in the sky.
"Playtime is over," Walter sneered. "The real battle starts now…"
"You bastard…" Gangrel clenched his teeth.
As soon as Gangrel opened his mouth, Walter blasted forward at lightning speed. The ground beneath Walter crumbled as he closed the distance between him and the vampire. It almost seemed like he had teleported behind the Mad King.
Gangrel himself only registered that he'd been struck after his torso had suddenly been separated from his legs. His mouth was agape as he fell backwards and onto the ground. He didn't waste time however, as he forced himself to regenerate and back onto his feet.
Gangrel practically threw himself at Walter, his Levin Sword now sparking even more ferociously than ever before. He slashed left! He slashed right! He slashed up! He slashed down! No matter where he swung his sword, all he found himself cutting was the empty air that Walter had occupied milliseconds beforehand.
The Mad King began to scream and holler savagely as he desperately, madly, tried to gut the butler. Walter himself had stopped attacking and countering all together, only dodging with minimal effort. Despite proclaiming that playtime was over, Walter seemed like he was still toying with Gangrel. The ferocity of the attacks, the speed of the strikes, it was unlike anything that was ever seen before in Ylisse, Plegia, and Ferox. Even scarier was the look of boredom on the butler's face as he dodged; as if he considered the fight pointless.
Going in for a beheading, Gangrel was shocked when Walter lifted his arm up and deflected the strike. In that split second his blade made contact with the butler's arm, a mesh-like shield woven together by countless wires protected their master. The next millisecond, Walter spun around and kicked the Plegian hard in the stomach. Gangrel coughed up a glob of blood as he flew backwards from the force of the attack. Recovering quick, he yelled as he leapt up into the air raised his Levin Sword to the heavens. Electricity sparked around it as he unleashed a bolt of lightning upon Walter.
Not budging an inch, Walter stood motionless as the deadly lightning flew towards him. The attack never connected with its target, as the mesh-wire shield from earlier dispelled the attack without any difficulty. The lightning splattered onto the wires, almost seeming liquid like. Hot plasma energy spread itself around Walter and ignited the ground in beautiful golden flames all while the butler stared at Gangrel with silver eyes that bore into the beast's soul.
Gangrel clicked his teeth as he lunged at Walter once more. This time the butler met his blade with his own. Unsheathing his sword and leaping at Gangrel, he clashed blades with the vampire. A deafening clang echoed across the wastes as their blades met.
As they landed back on the ground, they began to exchange blows with one another. The sword dance was furious, and nigh impossible to follow. The only details onlookers could gather from the battle was the fact that Walter was clearly faster and stronger. He was controlling the fight, forcing the Mad King of Plegia backwards. Gangrel continued to hiss like an animal as he fought the losing battle until their trading of blows ended.
With a swift pivot of the foot, Walter's sword lodged itself within Gangrel's gut. Not wasting a second, Walter pulled his sword out and kneed his foe in the stab wound before running him through once more; this time through the jugular. Leaving his blade in the monster's neck, Walter reeled his fist back and punched Gangrel in the face. His head exploded on impact, simultaneously dislodging the sword from his neck. Walter caught his weapon before knocking the headless Gangrel away with a kick.
Gangrel was without a head, yet he still refused to fall. Head not yet regenerated, Gangrel pointed his blade at Walter and launched a torrent of lightning upon the butler. It was less of a single stream and more of a volley, one that no man could dodge. However…
…Walter was no ordinary man.
The de-aged butler slipped past the volley, each spark of energy exploding behind him. Even as the flurry increased in intensity, he dodged without trouble. It almost seemed like he was dancing through the chaos. Blade in hand, Walter leapt over the lightning volley and stabbed Gangrel down the neck once more before kicking the still headless beast away.
"What's wrong, can't regenerate anymore?" Walter taunted.
The still headless Gangrel lunged at Walter one more time, in clear fury. Walter didn't even bother to use his sword, ducking underneath the slash meant for his head and slamming his fist straight into the monster's gut. Gangrel went flying back, being launched straight through a rock formation; which—unsurprisingly—collapsed on top of the king.
Walter stared at the collapsed rock formation without even a hint of pity. His eyes narrowed when he saw the debris shift slightly. The next second, Gangrel vaulted out of the rubble. He looked battered, but he at least regenerated his head.
"You…" Gangrel began to flail, looking almost like a child throwing a tantrum. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
"I REUSE TO BE BEATEN BY SUCH A LOWLY INSECT LIKE YOU!" he seethed. "I'LL GUT YOU WHERE YOU STAND!" Gangrel's sword began to crackle with electricity more violently than ever before.
"I AM THE MIGHTY GANGREL, KING OF PLEGIA! I AM UNDEFEATABLE! I AM INVINCIBLE!"
The sparks from his Levin Sword now not only surrounded the blade, but Gangrel himself. Walter flinched back slightly at the sudden development, as the monster was now sparking with an electric aura surrounding him.
Gangrel himself became like a bolt of lightning as he ran at Walter, the beast roaring and screaming like a banshee. The butler hadn't even a fraction of a second to react to the blow, but he met the attack all the same. What he wasn't expecting was the violent knee to his gut. Walter relented for a bit but recovered in time to deflect the next few blows.
The audience—who were certain of Walter's victory earlier—now found themselves questioning the tide of the battle. Despite not being able to follow the battle very well they could still see that Gagrel had suddenly gained a boost in power.
"This isn't good!" Chrom stared at the epicenter of the battle. "Gangrel's suddenly evened the odds!"
The rest of the Shepherds stood beside their captain, watching helplessly as the fight continued. Lucina was among their number, still standing beside her father. Her hands were clasped over her heart as she watched the battle progress in Gangrel's favor.
"Walter…" she murmured to herself. "I know you can win this…"
The ground shook beneath the two titans as they locked blades. Golden energy poured off the Levin Sword and showered the area with flames. The weapon sparked dangerously as Gangrel pushed forward.
"DIE!" Gangrel threw Walter backwards. Aiming his weapon at the butler, he unleashed another barrage of lightning. Walter managed to move out of the way, barely avoiding the attack. Escaping the initial barrage, Walter sheathed his weapon and weaved through the next one. The brutal volley gave no quarter, and the butler wasn't given a millimeter of dodging space. He deflected much of the attacks he couldn't dodge with his wire shield, but it served very little good. The mesh shield unraveled back into the many strands of wire; the force too much for it to cope with. Unable to hold his defense for any longer, Walter was hit by a large barrage of sparks.
Walter grunted in pain as the sparks blasted him into the ground. Not one to let a bit of agony hold him back, he leapt away from the danger. His clothes smoldered—a few sparks continued to singe his skin slightly—but he was overall okay. However, he was caught off guard by the sudden large bolt of lightning to flying at him. Walter was hit square in the chest, the bolt piercing him like an arrow. With that final blow, Walter was thrown backwards and straight into a plateau. A glob of blood escaped his lips as he impacted the wall.
"I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU!" Gangrel cackled as he began to blast the plateau away, causing it to begin to crumble and fall on top of the butler. Gangrel—what little sanity he had left shattered—slobbered and growled like an animal as he continued to pummel the rock formation with lightning. He was laughing so madly that he was downright disturbing.
"THIS WILL SHUT YOU UP!"
He charged one final attack and unleashed it on the inert Walter. Unable to move out of the way, Walter was thrown back into the plateau. The entire mound of rock tumbled onto him, leaving no doubt that he had been buried.
"SQUASHED LIKE AN INSECT!" Gangrel quivered and shook as he laughed insanely. "SO MUCH FOR THE 'MIGHTY' WALTER DORNEZ!"
"Walter!" Chrom grit his teeth. Gangrel turned his attention towards the Shepherds.
"Oh, don't worry, princey! You and your friends will be reunited with the bastard in no time!" Gangrel twitched and spasmed, as if he had cracked. "Actually, I'll keep you alive and make you watch me TORTURE YOUR WHORE OF A SISTER!"
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Chrom felt his blood boil at the thought of even letting the monster lay a single finger on Emmeryn.
"What'll you do? WHAT CAN YOU DO!?" Gangrel began to cackle once more. "YOU'RE BEATEN! YOUR CHAMPION IS NO MORE! WHICH ONE OF YOU CAN HOPE TO STAND AGAINST ME!?"
Chrom shook and seethed with rage. He was tempted to charge at Gangrel once more, but the ache in his body told him that he'd only get himself killed. He'd already expelled all of his energy attempting to face the monster earlier; the prince had nothing left in him.
Seeing no one step forward to challenge him, Gangrel laughed victoriously.
"VICTORY IS MINE!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, eyes twitching; his unstable mind fully shattered. "I HAVE FINALLY DEFEATED-"
"AETHER!"
"Wha- what!?" Gangrel didn't have time to register who it was that had interrupted him—nor ponder what the hell 'aether' was—as a familiar legendary blade pierced him from behind.
"W-who…?" Gangrel seethed through grit teeth. He felt his body burn and writhe as Falchion was jammed through his chest.
"Marth!?" Chrom's jaw dropped to see the bluenette with her Falchion stabbed straight through Gangrel.
However, what shocked the prince most was the state of the Falchion she wielded. It was glowing that same searing orange that it did whenever he channeled that mysterious energy through the blade. Whatever the power was, Marth seemed to be able to use as well; hell, the woman seemed to have even greater mastery over the skill than he did!
Lucina didn't bother to acknowledge her father, as she was too focused on killing the beast before her. She dislodged her exalted blade from Gangrel's chest, the unholy blood coating it's pristine edge.
(Play song ~ The Power To Resist [Dragon Ball Super OST Vol. 2])
Weakened from the initial attack, Gangrel just barely deflected the blow. Turning around to face his attacker, he was shocked to see his rogue concubine attacking him with all her might.
"You!?" Gangrel clicked his teeth in annoyance.
Lucina didn't reply, instead crying in frustration as she aggressively slashed away at the vampire. She needed to end him. After everything she had gone through—after all the hardship—she had just watched Walter lose to the bastard monster once more. Lucina was tired of sitting on the sidelines, tired of watching monsters take all she cared for away from her.
"You bastard!" Lucina raged as she batted Gangrel's sword away and began slashing away at the vampire. Blood splattered across the ground as she attempted to end the creature. She continued to attack until the beast was nothing more than a mutilated corpse.
Taking a deep breath, Lucina stared down at the corpse with no pity in her eyes. To her surprise, the corpse melted away. Thanks to years of experience, Lucina sensed impending danger from behind her. Turning quickly, Lucina narrowly avoided the blast of lightning aimed at her. From the shadows, a fully regenerated Gangrel stood in shock.
"What!?" Gangrel's jaw dropped at the sight of his trap being trumped.
Lucina leapt at the Mad King, blade blurring in her hand; Falchion orange hot with energy. She slashed downward and forced Gangrel back once more. The damage that she had dealt to him earlier had substantially weakened the vampire, and the fact that she was pushing him back was testament to this. Lucina began to attack him in a flurry of acrobatics, leaping and attacking using her smaller stature to her advantage. It was fast, too fast for this weakened monster.
She stabbed the beast in the chest, narrowly missing his heart. Lucina yelled as she cleaved a large portion of Gangrel's chest out without the slightest amount of hesitation. The Falchion cut through the unholy beast like a hot knife through butter. Despite the overwhelming strength that Gangrel had at his disposal, Lucina was still getting in blows. She gave him no quarter, no mercy; every time he recoiled, she moved in for another flurry of strikes. She was practically dancing circles around him with her blade—breaking through his shield-like defense—slashing through him like a dolphin cuts through water, and countering any and all attacks sent her way.
Rage built within Gangrel as he was being bested by a human, someone he'd consider a child no less! He was beginning to slip, but more than that; he was beginning to snap. They didn't call him the Mad King for nothing, but now more than ever was it true.
"Yo- you…" gnashing his fangs he began to snap violently. "I- I will not… I will not be bested…" his weapon suddenly began to spark dangerously once more. "BY A CHILD!"
His entire body became enveloped in the electricity once more, pushing Lucina back. He dashed at her and began to attack with a renewed vigor. He was now moving even faster than he was against Walter, and that terrified Lucina.
He had gone absolutely berserk. He was slamming his sword into everything he could. He left deep cracks in whatever surface his sword impacted. Gangrel was practically throwing the woman around. The strength of his attacks was overwhelming, and it was inevitable that Lucina would lose. With one final slash, he knocked the Parallel Falchion out of the young woman's hands.
(Song ends here)
Staring down at the woman, his rage simmered hotter than a furnace. He wasn't going to kill her…
…no…
…he had other things in store for the girl.
"You…" Gangrel punched Lucina in the face. "I don't know who you are…" he grabbed her by her hair and tugged her face straight into his knee. "...or how you got that disgusting blade." Gangrel threw the bluenette onto the ground.
"When I'm through with you, you'll be wishing you never ran away from me, my runaway pet."
He began kicking her in the stomach, hard enough to cause her to cough up blood with every blow. With one final kick, Lucina was knocked across the ground.
Lucina was gasping for air. She could barely breathe—barely the strength to stay conscious—but she managed to spot the Falchion several meters in front of her. Weakly, she attempted to crawl for the weapon. However, she had not moved one foot before Gangrel stomped on her back, stopping her from escaping. Lucina cried and screamed in agony.
"Where do you think you're going, missy?" Gangrel licked his lips. "I don't think you understand that you've been bested." Gangrel lifted her up by the hair once more. Lucina groaned in torment, flailing in a desperate attempt to get away.
"Hmm, I've a fantastic idea, why don't I drain you of blood? I lost many lives because of the butler. Oh, but you're a woman, which means…" Gangrel chuckled darkly. "Well I can't afford to risk having another vampire roaming around, and I think what I'm about to do to you is torture enough…" the vampire leaned the girl's ear.
"How about we finish what we started in my bedroom?" the vampire whispered twistedly.
Lucina paled. She began to fight with increased vigor, but it was no use. As she felt Gangrel's free hand run across her body, she felt her world shatter around her.
Father, mother, somebody! She couldn't scream, Gangrel had moved his other hand so that it was covering her mouth. Please, somebody! Anybody! The image of a certain butler came to her mind as she felt Gangrel's nails begin to painfully dig into her, drawing blood.
Walter… please…
To her shock, Gangrel had released her. The Mad King was suddenly flung backwards and slammed into the ground by some nigh invisible force.
Lucina collapsed to the ground, her heart pounding from the trauma. She was breathing hard, and her heart was beating in her chest. Lying face down, she pushed herself up slightly. That was when she saw it, the luminescent wires that belonged to only one man.
"Are you alright, Lucina?"
Lucina looked up to see her savior. She felt her heart flutter.
"I'm sorry if I worried you—had to dig myself out of the rubble," Walter scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It was quite the task, considering the fact he threw a whole plateau at me. Still, that's enough about me…" Walter knelt down beside the future princess and cupped her cheek.
"What about you?" he asked concernedly. "You're okay, right?"
The bluenette nodded in response before hugging him, tears in her eyes.
"I- I thought he… I thought he had…" she sobbed.
"It's okay, I'm alright. A little bit of rubble isn't going to do this codger in," Walter joked, lightening the mood a bit. Lucina released him from her embrace, reassured that the butler was actually there in front of her. Standing back up, Walter faced Gangrel once more.
"Get out of here, Lucina," the Guardian Angel stared at the Mad King of Plegia. "Go to Chrom and stay there. Leave Gangrel to me—he's my fight."
Although she was hesitant, she obeyed the command; Lucina was fully aware that all she would do was get in the way of the battle. She grabbed her Falchion and retreated from the battlefield, leaving the two monsters to do battle once more.
"Why...?" Gangrel pushed himself off the ground, teeth clenched. "Why do you keep getting back up?!" the beast growled.
"Why?" Walter raised a brow. "I suppose I'm simply too stubborn to stay down; much like you, in fact. Or perhaps it's something more…" the butler trailed off as he eyed Lucina rejoining the Shepherds.
"Is that so?" Gangrel began sparking dangerously again. "Well—whatever it is—I'll crush it under my boot!"
Gangrel was taken off guard by the sudden kick to the face. Walter had crossed the distance between them and began throwing him around like a rag doll with his wires. Tearing himself away from the attack, Gangrel quickly regenerated and threw himself at the butler. He began unleashing even more lightning on the butler, at the same time cutting him down with his blade.
Screaming at the top of his lungs, Gangrel leapt into the air and unleashed a bolt of lightning so large that the gods themselves couldn't have produced it. The attack directly impacted the butler, grounding him instantly. The explosion that ensued afterwards may have shook the entirety of Plegia. As the dust settled, Walter was lying on his stomach motionless.
"Ohohoho, how did you like that!?" Gangrel grinned as he stared down at the bastard. Much to his shock, Walter began to pick himself off the ground. Gangrel's jaw dropped when he saw the butler stand once more, hardly a scratch on him.
"Was that all?" Walter smirked. "Honestly, I'm disappointed in you. Your attacks, they hardly even register anymore. That last one tickled like a feather."
"H- how?!" Gangrel stumbled backwards. "What in the hell are you!? I hit you dead on! HOW DO YOU KEEP STANDING UP!?" the vampire screamed defiantly.
"You just don't get it, do you?" Walter unsheathed his sword once more. "Only a man can defeat a monster, for only a man has the will to face one. What I am is neither man nor monster; what I am is so much more than that. I am an angel in the servitude of my betters…" Walter glanced over at Chrom and Lucina.
"If only a man can defeat a monster, then a beast like you will never defeat me."
"Wha- what!?" Gangrel couldn't wrap his head around what Walter had said. "All that power at your disposal—all the might—and you still serve those filthy Ylisseans? How utterly drab; a complete waste if you ask me." Gangrel grinned evilly.
"All this talk of being something more, NONSENSE!" the vampire spat. "You're no better than me; a man turned monster! At the end of the day, we're not so different!"
Walter scoffed, shaking his head.
"Perhaps you're right," Walter stood his ground, unfazed by what Gangrel had just said. "I am the same as you in that we are both vampires. However…" the dark flame like aura from earlier surrounded Walter once more.
"I AM NOT A MONSTER LIKE YOU!"
Walter charged Gangrel once more, sword in one hand and wires surrounding him. Gangrel threw his Levin Sword forward and began unleashing barrages of lightning upon the butler once more. The Guardian Angel weaved through the attacks with little difficulty, his speed increasing even more than before.
"I AM WALTER DORNEZ, AND THIS WAR ENDS HERE!" Walter jumped into the air and slammed his blade into Gangrel, who blocked with his Levin Sword.
From afar, Chrom and Lucina stood side by side, watching lightning dance across the field due to the impact of swords.
"Finish it, Walter!" Chrom shouted.
Walter ended the clash and began trading blows with Gangrel once more.
"You can beat him, Walts!' Lissa joined Chrom.
The butler grabbed the Mad King and threw him to the ground.
"End this war!" Frederick stood behind his lieges.
Gangrel attempted to take Walter down, but the Angel countered and delivered a hard knee to the gut.
"Walter!" everyone—Ylissean, Feroxi, and Plegian alike—they all screamed his name.
Walter reeled his sword back and slashed the Mad King. Gangrel moved to block the strike with his Levin Sword, but the blade shattered on impact and exploded in the monster's hands. Walter smirked as he slashed off a good chunk of Gangrel's torso off.
Lucina watched the fight in awe. Her heart pounded in her chest as the butler prepared to lay the finishing blows.
"Walter, for the sake of the future…" she placed her hands over her heart.
"FINISH IT!"
Walter hopped back and summoned his wires one final time. He slashed left and took off Gangrels left arm. He slashed right and took off Gangrel's right arm. Swiping both his hands through the air—with one final attack—Walter took both of Gangrel's legs off and left him suspended in the air.
The butler watched the inert form of Gangrel dangle in his wires, like a bug caught in a spider's web. Part of him wanted to pity the beast. At the end of the day, he and Gangrel were simply two sides of the same coin. However, recalling the swath of death and destruction that the monster had cut, Walter banished his sympathy.
"Look!" Lissa exclaimed, pointing at the few remaining ghouls that Walter hadn't killed
Watching the undead creatures, Walter was relived to see the monsters begin to crumble to the ground; rendered into nothing but dust.
The master vampire is weakened, so the ghouls are dying… Walter wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"I... I've been..."
The butler returned his gaze to Gangrel, who's expression was a blank slate; a far cry from his typical cheshire grins.
"...defeated?" the Mad King croaked. Walter nodded impassively.
"Yes..." the butler answered quietly. "...you've been defeated."
The Mad King of Plegia—strung up by Walter's wires as if he were a chrysalis—groaned in pain. Walter frowned, assuming that the vampire was going to make one final attempt at killing him. However, to his bafflement, the monster began to...
...laugh.
"Is... that... so...?" Gangrel's laughter was weak—barely above a hoarse whisper. The vampire coughed up a cups worth of blood.
"You are a strange... strange creature... Walter... Dornez..." Gangrel began, a hollow smile formed on the vampire's face. "All that power... all of it at your disposal... and... and yet... you're so stupidly... stupidly naive..."
"What?" Walter's frowned deepened. "Naive? I hardly think that I'm-"
"You just don't get it..." the vampire continued to laugh weakly, despite how obviously painful it was for him. "Those... those Ylisseans you protect... your so called 'friends..." Gangrel's grin widened slightly.
"One day... one day, they'll turn on you..." the Mad King coughed violently once more before continuing. "They are a nation of... a nation of hypocrites... they preach peace, but there are... there are those that would see... would see all others not aligned with them des... destroyed. You'll see, butler..." Gangrel's voice began to weaken, and his laughter began to fade.
"You'll see how the Ylisseans... treat those... those they fear. I... I hope you... you enjoy that whole... that whole nation turning on you... you 'Angel of Ylisse'. When that happens..." Gangrel's eyes became half-lidded, blood red eyes fading and losing color.
"...I'll see you in hell..."
Walter watched as Gangrel's laughter fully faded away, and his expression became slack. The Mad King of Plegia—bringer of death—had let out his final breath...
...and was no more.
"We'll see about that..." Walter spat as he swiped his hand one final time; releasing Gangrel's body from his wires, and dropping it unceremoniously onto the ground.
The butler stared at the beast's corpse for a moment. Very briefly, he considered the vampire's final words. Try as he might to shake them from his mind, he knew that what Gangrel had said would stick with him for a long while.
"Walter…"
The butler turned away from Gangrel's body to see Chrom looking to him expectantly. The prince was being supported by Sumia, who carried an equally unsure expression.
"So…?" Chrom gestured to the still body of Gangrel. Walter chuckled.
"Yes…" the butler smiled. "It's over."
(Play Song ~ Compromise [Dragon Ball Super OST])
Elation struck the duo as Walter announced his victory. Both of them began to laugh in excitement.
"I can't believe it…" Sumia muttered quietly.
"All the fighting is finally over," Walter sighed. The butler was exhausted, try as he might to not show it. He wanted to fall on his back and lie down for a couple of minutes; catch his breath.
"I got you…"
The butler was taken aback as he felt a certain petite princess pull his arm over her shoulder.
"Lu- Marth…" Walter was quick to correct himself. The princess could only smile as she supported the butler.
"You did it…" Lucina grinned. "You did it, Walter…"
The butler nodded, letting out another exhausted sigh.
"Yes, I did…" he chuckled tiredly. Looking to Chrom, he shot the prince a smirk.
"Announce it, Chrom," Walter asked. The prince stared at Walter for a second.
"Are you sure?" Chrom questioned. "It… it was YOUR victory, after all. Shouldn't you be the one to call it?" Walter shook his head.
"No, it's everyone's victory; I just think you're the best suited to announce it," Walter said honestly. "Call it, please…"
Chrom looked to Sumia—who was still supporting him—who gave him a kind smile and a nod. With a chuckle, the prince of Ylisse reached for the Falchion at his hip. Unsheathing the legendary blade, he raised it high in the sky and yelled.
"GANGREL IS DEFEATED!" Chrom shouted. "VICTORY!"
Like a beacon, Chrom's Falchion shimmered in the sunlight and rallied the army. Cheers began to erupt throughout the allied force. Ylissean, Feroxi, and Plegian alike began to celebrate the defeat of the Mad King of Plegia.
"It's FINALLY over…" Lissa laughed as she fell back, exhausted.
"Indeed, it is, milady…" Frederick caught the princess before she could land on the floor.
"Hell yeah! We did it!" Sully suddenly grabbed Virion by his cravat and planed a large kiss on his lips. The nobleman was frozen in shock even when she parted from him.
"I…" Virion's mind had gone blank. "Victory indeed…" he swooned.
"Ol' Teach knew Walter had it in 'em!" Vaike raised his axe into the sky triumphantly.
"Jeez… I'm happy and all…" Stahl took a knee and breathed heavily. "…but MAN am I exhausted…"
"I feel a strange sense of solace now that the battle has ended," Miriel straightened her glasses. "I must record my current emotional state for further research into the matter..."
"I just want to lie down and rest by myself for once…" Kellam sat on the ground—though he was still a notable tower of armor.
"Hmph…" Lon'qu elected to simply wipe his blade of blood and viscera before sheathing it.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'm done with fighting for a while…" Ricken stretched his arms over his shoulders. "This was BEYOND tiring…"
"Finally, finished with this violent business," Maribelle wiped her hands clean. "Prithee we return to peacetimes."
"This is odd…" Panne looked around at the jovial cheering around her. "To think I'd fight to save the very same peoples that slayed my race. Stranger still… I don't feel any ill will towards you man-spawn, not as much at least…"
"Honestly, I can't believe I'm still alive after all of this crap…" Gaius scratched the back of his head as he sucked on a lollipop. "I'm gonna be feasting on sweets tonight; some glad to be alive candy."
"We're alive…" Cordelia gripped her lance tightly and looked up to the heavens. "I did this all for you, knight-sisters. I pray you look down upon me with pride…"
"Gregor has lived long life, but never has Gregor fought such exhausting battle!" the older mercenary chuckled. "Not fight this hard since Gregor was still young man!"
"Man, I'm just glad everyone's alright," Nowi sighed a breath of relief as she made sure that all the Shepherds were still alive. "I'd have been REALLY bummed if you guys weren't…"
"Naga…" Libra lowered his head into a reverent bow. "Thank you for your blessing of protection throughout this fight. I pray for your continued guidance and grace…"
"So…" Tharja gazed at Walter's new vampiric body amorously. "…that's what he looks like as an adult…"
"Whew, all them ghouls are finally gone… no more fightin'…" Donnel removed the tinpot on his head and ran a hand through his muddy locks. "Hopefully, I can focus on studying to be like Walter now..."
Looking around the battlefield, Walter felt at peace for the first time in a long time. All the conflict, it was all finally over. Removing his gloves, the former Angel of Death pocketed them. Gazing at the back of his right hand—where the sealing sigil once was—Walter felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
He was done…
He was done letting the past weigh him down.
Now was the time to move on.
Wrapping an arm around Lucina—who happily returned the gesture—Walter looked towards the horizon. For the first time—for the both of them—they could face the future with hope. This was the end of the night…
…and the beginning of a new day.
A day which Walter would face with renewed vigor, not as an Angel of Death…
…but as a Guardian Angel.
(Song ends here…)
Writer's Notes
Holy crap, I still can't believe that we've gotten this far...
Seriously, we've finally gotten to the halfway point of Fire Emblem Awakening, and it's surreal as all hell.
Anyway, Walter's finally defeated Gangrel, and the war against Plegia is—more or less—over. Now the only thing left to do is the taking of precautions so that another war like this doesn't break out; at least among Ylisse and Plegia. Will they be successful? Maybe, who knows—actually, I do since I'm writing the story.
Either way, how will the world react to Walter's new powers? Will he be turned on like Gangrel said? Well, those are questions for the future, aren't they?
Behind the Keyboard
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How Walter fights - Many of the moves that Walter does during this fight are moves that he did in Hellsing Ultimate. For example, the mesh-shield thing he creates by weaving his wires together was something he did when he fought Alucard. That final assault on Gangrel—where he tears the vampire apart—is the exact same move he uses at the end of his fight with Alucard. In general, I took a few things from that fight; seeing as how it's the only time we ever get to see the butler at his full strength.
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Gangrel and Lucina - Originally, Gangrel and Lucina weren't have going to have met until the moment she attacked him this chapter. That actually goes hand-in-hand with how chapters 24 and 25—'Infiltration' and 'An Angel Clipped of Wings'—were originally going to involve Lucina actually sneaking into Plegia Castle to save Walter. She'd have never interacted with Gangrel—never have been forced to be one of his concubines to get into the castle—and they'd never see each other until this chapter. Strange how stuff like this happens.
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Aether - Alright, throwing all of the ambiguity out he window right now; the glow of the Falchion is Chrom—in this chapter, Lucina—using Aether. Not going to get into any of what this means right now, but now you all know what's going on whenever that happens.
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Reviews
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Starlight's Poet - Well, Walter certainly did 'LET'R'RIP'.
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Aergaia - Oh jeez... I like Naruto, but I've always hated how quickly it devolved into the Naruto and Sasuke show as Shippuden progressed. I mean, I can understand why it happened—you have such a large cast that it would take so long to give each character a story arc that keeps them relevant with the story. Hell, part of the plan for the next arc of this story is to get more characters involved; this fic has admittedly become the 'Walter and Lucina show'.
Also, Chrom as Hinata is an image I didn't think I needed...
Walter aging up into his twenties made sense to me—I've always assumed that his transformation into a young adult in Hellsing Ultimate was because the process of becoming an artificial vampire was meant to put him at his peak. Although, teenaged Walter might be making an appearance again...
There's a LOT of ideas that I had went back on as I've progressed. Seeing as how the cat's already out of the bag—and everyone knows I'm continuing to the end of Awakening—Walter and Lucina weren't going to become a thing until midway through the campaign in Valm. Hell, I could write a whole chapter on the differences between my original vision and the actual chapters released.
Wouldn't that have been something; Walter gets revived to release the seal, only for him to waste his time giving a heartfelt speech. Maybe if this were a parody.
I can't wait to be finished with this arc so I can start planning the next one.
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JaphetSkie - Who finally did what? Are you referring to something I did? Was it the fact that Alucard finally made an appearance?
Alright alright, you're probably referring to Walter releasing his seal...
...probably.
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Bridd - Well, Gangrel isn't exactly 'minor'. He became a vampire the same way Alucard did, he drank blood and turned—never really explain how that type of transformation works in Hellsing, but it is a thing. He's nowhere near Alucard level, but he's not cannon fodder either... excuse me, wasn't cannon fodder; gotta remember that he's dead now.
I've got ideas for how I can keep everything interesting, and besides: bigger doesn't always mean better.
Walter and Lucina being the pairing I went with was something that I always planned. As I mentioned in the response above this one, I was planning on doing the entire story from the start; I only started thinking about ending things off here due to how many loose ends were already being tied. I know that Tiki is PROBABLY the smarter choice—them being immortals seems like a decent enough basis for a relationship to be written around—but I just didn't want to pair Walter off with her.
I don't know what about the relationship between Walter and Lucina you find super weird, but I'm honestly interested to know specifics. I've not heard anyone else voice their distaste for the pairing—which may have contributed to some stagnation on my part in terms of coming up with good and natural dialogue between the two—so I'm legitimately curious as to what you feel I'm doing wrong.
Either way, thanks for the review; it helps when someone questions why I did one thing over another—makes me think of whether or not what I'm doing is really the best option.
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Touhoufanatic - Welp, hope the climax was indeed interesting. As for the sequel, still deciding if I should make it a seperates fic or not.
Wait...
...if I make it seperate, I can bump up the Age rating to 'M'.
Just thought about that just now.
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GUEST - YES! I dub thee the best guest reviewer! (Not joking either, you actually did get a laugh outta me; reason enough for you to be the best)
The seal was... sealing (getting a minor in English here) the power Walter got when he was turned into a vampire by Millennium. It was put on him by an unknown entity, which—according to Tharja in Chapter 30 'On the Eve of Battle'—had to have an incredible amount of power.
Alucard being in Walter's head has a different explaination depending whether you think he was actually there or not. He's either using his 'Schrodinger powers', or he's simply just a part of Walter's subconscious telling him to do the thing he's always known was the right thing to do. Either way, Walter released the seal because Alucard told him that it was a good idea.
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Aergaia (Again?) - Wait, did something update on the fic? I didn't do anything, and I didn't notice any changes...
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So next time we conclude the Gangrel Arc. Honestly, it feels so weird finally being here, but I'm glad to finally see this part of the story—which I've been excessively excited to get to for the longest time—pass on by. This isn't just the end of the Gangrel Arc, but the end of the character arc that Walter started chapter 1.
Walter's gone from a man burdened by regret for his past failures—signified by the seal branded in his right hand—to someone who has now put his past behind him, and is willing to utilize the very thing that once represented his greatest mistake for the greater good. I think that's an arc we can all relate to some extent, right? We've all let the past rule over us at some point, whether it be large or small. However, will we be like Walter—confront it and accept it? Or will we be like Gangrel—allow it to control us and let it destroy us?
Just food for thought for those of you that read this.
Anyway, next chapter should come out on the 14th—like I said it might last chapter—but there's teeny tiny chance that it'll be set back.
You guys don't need to know specifics, but just know that I'm gonna do my best not to let it set me back.
Either way, that ends this chapter of 'Walter Dornez of the Emblem'. Next time, it'll be the final chapter of the Gangrel Arc, and possibly the final chapter of this fanfic (don't worry—if it is—there WILL be a sequel fic going into Valm).
Until next time!
~WizardCantNameThings.
Next time on Walter Dornez of the Emblem!
Onward Towards a New Dawn
