Dundalk, Ireland

After dealing with the Malachis invasion in Belfast, they continue the trip and this time they go to the next city, after giving it a rest, a little bit too much sleep, since Amanda wanted to rest a little more, which ended up making the group delay the trip that day. In this way it was already dark when they were approaching Dundalk, and they could hear some despairing screams from people, as well as some sounds of arrows and swords, indicating that there was a small war going on in the surroundings, or it could be creatures of the night attacking again another city, to make the route more difficult.

The nine approached the city, as usual talking and it was already possible to notice Akko's complaint due to the fact that they had left so late, since it was already night and they were still getting close, but soon they managed to approach the city, but when they were at the place, destruction was already happening, a sort of looting was taking place, being done by small leprechauns, who had a sort of demonic appearance and were soon attacking the girls' cart, but they defended themselves, with Croix and Constanze shooting at them, who were falling in each shot easily.

Croix: Marianne you take care of leaving the horses and our things in a safe place, go with Constanze and the girls, we stay here in town.

Amanda: Leave it to me, I'll take you to our hideout, there's room to leave your things and the horses will be safely tied up.

The girls just agree and so Marianne goes with the trisal to their hiding place in the city, the other five girls go into action and soon Croix arrives by shooting a group of leprechauns and showing that the shots are lethal enough to cross a group of three leprechauns lined up, which ended up falling dead on the ground.

Akko: Well it's time to start attacking.

Diana: You can already tell by the way they died and disappeared that these things are creatures of the night.

Diana and Akko went to a separate street, just like Lotte and Sucy, they followed the same pattern they did in Belfast trying to find out who was behind all this and finish with the leader for good, but it seemed that there wasn't any and the leprechauns slowly focused their attack on them, they were many which made it even more difficult.
Arriving at a moment surrounding Kagari and Cavendish that were a little bit cornered a group even a little bit big stayed around them, but the Scottish girl takes the opportunity to use one of her spells.

Diana: Soul Steal!

The souls of the goblins around are absorbed by the Cavendish, some end up dying, others get a little stunned, this was the gap, so that Diana and Akko stayed with their backs to each other and went out attacking as if they were a pawn spinning in the horde of leprechauns that were trying something.
Meanwhile arriving near the hiding place Marianne pulls
the cart close to a wood, she ties it on a trunk where Amanda indicated, then Constanze, pulls a hidden lever on the trunk of a tree and with that a secret passage is revealed, where they go down with the things, they could hear some strange noises coming from that wood, but they just leave the chest with essential things there and before they go outside, O'Neill, ends up sort of blocking Marianne's passage.

Amanda: You stay, someone has to look after our things.

Marianne: How is anyone going to know about a specific combination to find this hiding place? I'm going with you, I have to protect people.

Amanda: I just want to keep you from greater danger, the creatures here can kill you and there are many, you wouldn't stand a chance.

Marianne: Girl who do you think you are to think that? I have faced much worse enemies, I am going out, I want to help the girls, I am a hunter not a coward.

After the slight discussion Amanda decides not to insist and that way they go outside, they hide the place well, leaving only the wagon tied, but they notice a glow emanating in the woods and some creatures starting to come out of there, they were zombies coming out of the ground and going towards the city.

Amanda: Apparently you have a problem nearby too.

Amanda and the girls go through the wood towards the light but this also calls the attention of some zombies that go towards them that start to attack and in this some of the cases Marianne ends up screwing the whip on some branches but on the way she ends up hitting them by pulling the branch and making a bigger one go down and with that hitting the creatures and in this O'Neill noticed because the girls were taking Leblanc at the same time.
The trio kind of only had long range weapons and the presence of Marianne as a distraction and also as a close attack ended up improving it and a lot, also because she has a huge luck, the Frenchwoman would attract the creatures of the night near her and from time to time she would run away which was perfect for Amanda to hit some arrows, just like Constanze some shots and Jasminka as usual was leaving the shot loaded and was carrying a small bow while not firing the shots with the cannon.

Marianne: There are too many of them! What a dope!

Leblanc accidentally tripped and when she thought that a zombie was going to bite her she was saved by an arrow from Amanda and then she was helped by O'Neill who lifted her up and this way Francesa continued, she went towards the glow that was emanating from the forest, only that the number of zombies was simply increasing, it was at this time that Jasminka went into action with her cannon and the zombies were simply flying around like bowling pins.

Marianne: Woah, that thing is really powerful, now it's getting better.

Amanda: Excellent shot Jas, we're getting close to the light, soon we'll finish off this zombie horde.

They continued the way, arriving close to where that light was, sort of Amanda uses a small smoke bomb that Sucy made for them to hide and with that in the top of the trees, they could observe a little from afar what that glow was, being a pentagram on the ground, Marianne took some holy water from her pocket and threw it towards the pentagram and, lucky as always, it caught her in the middle of it, starting a fire of a bluish colour which rose all around the pentagram, With the girls supported on the trees they just noticed a creature holding a club and with only one eye, coming to have a kind of scary aura, this same creature was looking around, the girls were just hiding around watching the monster walking trying to find them, an omnicrone Cyclops, the club was so big that came to drag on the ground, a creature of 3 meters high that is very apparent the physical strength more.
This same creature finds the tree where Amanda is hidden in the canopy and starts to hit it with the club, this way Marianne gets down and goes running towards it, making the whip ends up hitting it on the back that stops attacking Leblanc.

Marianne: You want to attack someone, attack me, you fool.

The Omnicrone goes up Marianne moving the club, but Leblanc manages to dodge it and goes running in fear, while Amanda is impressed with the girl's courage, she goes preparing an arrow and shoots against it, but only ends up causing the arrow to break on its back, this way Constanze is the next to shoot, only it was also a useless shot, causing nothing, it's Jasminka's turn, she is the one with the best shot.
Only Antonenko
's cannon shot wasn't enough, it couldn't penetrate the armor, as if it had a kind of magic shield protecting it from the projectiles what was left only for Leblanc and her attacks with the whip.

Amanda: Marianne, I have terrible news, our weapons are useless against this monster, better retreat.

At the time O'Neill says that, Marianne hits a whip that catches the creature's arm that releases the club on the spot, then she hits another on the chest that makes it take a few steps back, but when she was going to give a third one Leblanc ends up taking a punch and being thrown backwards with all her strength, falling on the ground a little hurt, but at the same time she looks all determined.
The Irish girl was in shock, Leblanc is much weaker than all of them, but she was the only one able to hurt the creature, but in this she was hurt, already limping to get up and this way seeing that her friend could die, Amanda goes running towards the Omnicrone and gives a kick on its back that turns to her and gives time to the French girl to hide in the bushes to recover, this way she started to go distracting the giant one-eyed monster.

In the city the girls continued to attack the hordes of Leprechauns that continued to increase, only that little by little they became much smarter and better armed, only that the duo of Diana and Akko ended up arriving at the source of one of them, where a pentagram was drawn, soon Cavendish casts a spell to deactivate it, but it ends up causing a blue flame that goes towards the sky and with that reveals another Omnicrone and that way Cavendish already wields the sword with speed.

Diana: Omnicrones, they can only be destroyed by those who summoned them, an added difficulty for you humans.

Cavendish goes on top of it with the sword and shoves a quick stab into its chest, then she comes back, using some of its demonic powers to have the strength to penetrate the creature's armour and also its chest, this way the Scot's hand even came out a bit of steam, since the sword is blessed and she activated demonic powers, which hurt it a bit, making it even let go of Claymore feeling pain in the palms of its hands.

Akko worried: Diana!

Diana: It's okay, that thing that's too strong, I think I abused my strength a bit, but if I don't get defeated soon those things could be quite a problem, I really hope no one has revealed one of them.

In another side of the city, Lotte and Sucy arrived near a pentagram of Omnicrone, Yanson casts a spell on the pentagram and activates the invocation of one, besides many leprechauns disappear, as it ends up happening in the invocation of the creatures and this way the Manbavaran was trying to attack with arrows, but it was simply useless, since none ends up catching the creature, strangely for Filipina's side that soon found out about the monster.

Sucy: Lotte this is up to you, this thing, it will only be defeated by your hands, I will try to distract this thing, you do what you always do.

Yanson agrees with the head, she starts to do a spell on the book and then she opens it, already the Omnicrone is walking towards her that is using the spell of sucking the soul of the same one, as always she ends up doing with every creature of the night that she sees, she is going to try somehow to have the monster's one.
Sucy helps the blonde, hitting the back of the same with daggers that she finds on the floor and this way the same goes automatically towards Manbavaran that starts to dodge and use a little of the agility to distract the same that was going little by little, having that soul being drained to the book. Which is also pulling quite a bit in regards to Finn since the creature couldn't be hurt.
The Omnicrone was only focusing in Sucy, the same one was leaning on walls dodging, a little of the city was being destroyed with that and to make it worse it seemed that the Omnicrone was increasing more the speed of the attacks, what was worrying a lot the Manbavaran, that was already forcing enough the escape, only that suddenly the same one stops, he decides not to follow more the Filipina, turns and looks to Lotte with the open book.

Sucy: Hey why don't you attack me? Come on!

The Manbavaran was throwing stones and bricks, but it was no use, the Ominicrone kept going towards Yanson, she even got closer punching and kicking, but she could see that its armor was hard as stone, and the same monster kept going towards the blonde, which made the Filipina even more desperate.
The Finnish girl meanwhile walked backwards with fear, she got to the wall of a house, the Omnicrone was too close, Sucy started to scream for the blonde's name, with desperation, a little emotional, but at the time of hitting with the club the soul, along with the body of the same is suddenly sucked into the book, to Lotte's relief that was even happy to open the book and notice that invocation of omnicrone pentagrams is allowed, besides a whole description of the creature.

Sucy trying to hide her emotions: That was a close one.

Lotte: An Omnicrone, a creature that can only be defeated by the one who summons it, invincible to any attack coming from another creature or person, it can be summoned using a pentagram and the one who steps on it becomes the summoner, having a weak point being in the eye region, it disappears after killing the target.

Sucy: So we have to be careful, these girls could end up stepping on a pentagram like that, imagine if Marianne is one of those.

Lotte: I noticed your concern Sucy, there's no point in hiding it, I know you were shouting my name and I thought it was really cute heh, you can be really cute.

At this point Sucy just turns her face getting a slight blush and goes back to walking around the city trying to find some creature, as Lotte gets a very slight smile, having the realization that probably her friend likes her.

At another point far from there back in the woods, Marianne comes out of the bushes, half hurt and throws a stone, reaching to call Omnicrone and that same stone catches right in the eye of the creature that goes taking steps backwards in pain, even sitting down with that same sensation.

Marianne: You want to hurt someone, then come to me.

Leblanc goes towards the Omnicrone and gives a whip that catches well on the head of the same that lays down on the ground, this way she goes giving a session of several hits on the creature, opening some wounds, but is soon attacked by the same that throws her back with a kick and this way the same gets up, with the eye kind of bleeding besides other parts of the body and goes walking towards the same.
In this hour Marianne does not exhibit any fear, she demonstrated a courage that she never possessed before, she simply clenches her fists and with the whip goes up, she arrives close gives a whip, rolls on the ground passing in the middle of the legs of Omnicrone, then gets up and hits the back of the same and then a whip up, where the creature if turned and caught well in the eye of the monster that was giving some steps for backwards that later if kneeled and was screaming, while the eye gushed blood for all the side, later the same one fell in the ground and started to undo what it indicated that was defeated.

Marianne: I did it? I defeated a strong creature?

Leblanc looks at her own hands, looks at the whip, the Omnicrone crumbling and is even discredited, much because she is always the weakest of the group, but that alone she managed to defeat a creature as strong as an Omnicrone, so much so that the three girls come out of hiding and go to hug her to see if she is okay and also because they always usually do that.

Amanda: It was bad of me to underestimate you, you've got a bit of a talent for the thing, now the house is safe, thanks to you, the rest of us could only distract the damn thing.

Marianne: I can't believe I made it, I'm always the weakling of the group, I guess now the girls will have to deal with creatures like that heh, I think that was too much for today for me, but I have to protect the girls and warn them that these pentagram creatures can only be killed by the one who summons them.

The four then join hands and go running towards the city noticing that little by little the sounds of screams and shouts were giving a nice low, the girls are little by little getting rid of the creatures of the night of that city, a lot also by the invocation of the Omnicrones that are giving a nice low in trouble.

Croix is the one who invokes another one of these, kind of by her experience, she already knew, so much that she leaves the arquebus ready and throws a potion of holy water on the ground, already preparing the aim, where the Omnicrone appears on the spot and gets shot in the eye, very well given by Meridies, making him gush blood and then fall on the ground, which even makes the townspeople impressed with the wombat.

Croix: An Omnicrone pentagram, well expected, so they're using these creatures to attack this place from the looks of it.

Croix continued walking around the city, preparing another shot and soon found a circle of Omnicrone that would be invoked by Diana and Akko, but it was Meridies who ended up being the one who released the potion, she soon shows the girls how to defeat it, hitting the eye of the creature and that way Kagari was even impressed with the speed by which the Lombard hit and killed it. Cavendish on the other hand passed her hand over her face, feeling a bit forgotten.

Diana: How I went about forgetting the weakness of the Omnicrones.

Croix: The eyes Diana, always get the eyes right, those things die with just one in the eye, they look intimidating at first but when you know the weak spot they are just weak haha.

Akko: Woah, you are very way Madam Croix, you know a lot about creatures.

Croix: I know from experience, I've faced many of these, the first time I remember I had a hard time, my shots wouldn't catch, but I figured it out on my own, when I tried to shoot him in the eye, I noticed how he was more protective than anything else, by putting my hand in front, I managed to catch it in the distraction and he died right in front of me.

After this conversation the three go walking through the city, where there Lotte and Sucy fight against an Omnicrone, in this case Sucy that hit an arrow right in the eye of the creature with easiness and gets even with a smile on the face, easily managing to defeat another monster pentagram, little by little the city was becoming silent again, the leprechauns stopped appearing.
They were dealing only with hordes of bats and skeletons, easy to be defeated, missing only three pentagrams of omnicrones to complete that mission, where one of them was stepped on accidentally by Jasminka and quickly Antonenko gives a shot that catches it in the stomach of the same opening it whole, for having been so close and this way Marianne even gets dumbfounded seeing the power of the cannon close up.

Amanda: Jas has this whole cute and innocent appearance, but she has the strongest weapon of the three of us, no creature of the night comes to play with us when Jas is around.

Marianne: With a thing like that in hand who would be crazy enough to question it, this thing has blown a huge hole in this monster I worked so hard to kill.

Far away from there in Edinburgh, in the castle of Countess Cavendish, as always Ursula, Elizabeth and Bernadette were watching everything, it was possible to notice Callistis' look of frustration and the happiness coming from Lancaster and Cavendish when seeing that they had found a way to defeat Omnicrones with such ease and in this way the white haired vampire starts mocking the blue haired human who was left tapping her feet with anger and frustration.

Elizabeth: This time it was a plan all your own and it looks like the girls still pulled it off, you who underestimated them haha.

Ursula: Honestly, fuck you, I didn't know that lilac haired woman knew Omnicrones weakness, I thought it would be an easier battle for us and we even lost to that idiotic black haired klutz.

Elizabeth: This just shows that you also have your flaws, it doesn't surprise me coming from a human, humans fail all the time, they kill each other over stupid things, they want each other's place in the world, they send people who have nothing to do with each other to kill other people who don't even know each other just because of the interests of kings who stay in the comfort of their castles and are the only ones who take advantage of all this, you humans are simply pathetic.

Bernadette pounding on the table: Shut up! I don't care who is superior or not, get out of here, I want to be alone, I can't stand you two.

The two simply bow to their mistress and then walk out of her throne room, heading to another corner of the castle where Elizabeth stands with her hand on her chin already thinking of talking about something she knows might mess with Callistis' head a bit, Lancaster even looks up with a slightly mischievous expression.

Elizabeth: Don't you think the mistress is a bit too sentimental? She always hides everything from us Ursula.

Ursula: What are you implying by that Elizabeth? The mistress must just be dealing with a complicated situation, that's all, she's created an attachment for one of those traitors who looks like her, I think it must be her daughter, so it's not easy to think of killing her, at least that's what I think.

Elizabeth laughing: You're really pathetic Ursula, I don't know what they brainwashed you into, but I can tell you're dumb enough not to notice that that's her daughter, well then I won't even try to mess with your head anymore, you might have a bit of a big mouth and that would get in the way.

Ursula: You wouldn't do such a thing! Don't you dare turn against your mistress, or you will suffer the consequences, Elizabeth Lancaster

Elizabeth just shrugged and walked away quietly while Ursula got an angry expression, on the other hand Bernadette showed a bit of sadness, a bit for remembering the information she received the day before, knowing the truth and also thinking a lot about what will happen with the girls when they get to meet Hellene.

Back to Dundalk, Amanda and Marianne's group arrives the girls and there Sucy hit another arrow in the penultimate Omnicrone missing only one last pentagram to finish with all the city for good, they were walking around trying to find somehow where it was, this way Leblanc soon is impressed with the weakness of the same being right in the eye.
They arrive where the last one is and who stepped on it was Francesa herself which shocked the girls and with determination she gives a whip on the monster's eye which gives steps back and with that she feels more confident.

Marianne: Now I know how to defeat you, you bastard!

Marianne gives a lash on Omnicrone's chest that falls on the ground and that way Leblanc jumps over the creature's chest and with a dagger she shoves it in the monster's eye and then takes it out, jumping back and seeing it gushing blood, then crumbling, showing that the Frenchwoman even clumsy can also defeat a creature of the night that apparently is quite strong, leaving the girls with a smile on their faces, seeing her.

Akko: That's right Mari, I said you are very good, you are getting better every day.

Marianne: It gets much better when you know the creature's weakness.

In this way the people get calmer, when they see that the city is safe and notice that the heroines were that group of girls, which the inhabitants were making a point of celebrating with the conquest of the girls and the same ones are getting a little bit funny, until the beginning of a party with all of them dancing in the square and also playing some music.

Amanda: It's been a while since we've been this well received haha.

They celebrate and also receive a bag of gold as a reward from some nobles, giving one to each of them. After the celebration and food, they go back to the hideout, where they feel more comfortable.

Akko: From here we go to our destination, we go to Dublin, we finally meet Diana's sister, I can't wait to see what this place is like, if it is as much as they say it is.

Amanda: The ruins of Castle McLaren? They are, and even more than they say, I've never heard of anyone coming back alive from there, only someone who got close and then managed to leave, but for the most part everyone who enters never leaves, I really want to know why that is, or if it's all a legend so that no one gets close, because you know how they were with the McLaren family, they killed everyone, it's just not known until today if the youngest is alive or not, but from what cabbage is saying, her sister has a chance of being alive, I just wanted to know how you guys would eat, without anyone or anything.

Diana: We eat human food, but we also devour blood and the more we devour, the closer we get to being vampires, the more we have power, so if it's true that a lot of people died, you'd better watch out, because she might be more powerful than me.

Amanda: I still don't understand how a creature like you could not have devoured that much.

Diana: I hate this side of me, for me if I could get rid of it and be a simple human I would do it without thinking twice, I don't like being a demon, people are afraid of me, I am afraid of myself, I get out of control, I get mortal, I only think of blood, I look like a monster and I don't want to be like that, I just want to be able to be a simple mortal human, that's all.

Amanda: If I could, I would trade those powers with you immediately, it must be really cool, to become a bat, to be immortal, to be stronger than a normal human being, just imagine how you have all the advantages, the people of this world are the bad ones, for me, if I were you, I wouldn't give up those cool powers just because of what other people think, be yourself Diana, don't pay attention to other people's opinion, you have to tell those kind of people to go fuck themselves.

Sucy: That is until the church captures you and then tortures you for considering you blasphemers.

Diana: Those are strong words Amanda, but I don't want to do that for others, I wanted to be human because it's also a dream that my mother Laura always wanted, she died trying to make us human, always thinking the best for us, she wanted to see my mother Bernadette being able to eat like a normal person again, she wanted to see us being able to leave the castle around, even if people are bad, I always found those powers more of a burden than freedom, being human must be much more liberating, I just want to be able to have my life with the ones I love, you know.

Amanda: I used to think you were a starched spoiled brat, but I'm starting to see the depth in your person, it's not for nothing that Akko is liking you.

It's at that moment that Diana blushes slightly, next to Kagari, which Amanda laughs at and the girls around her show the same expression to the two girls who stare at each other, then scratch the back of their heads a bit silly and thinking of a way to change the subject and not leave it in a beastly mood, trying somehow to relax a little.

Amanda: Heh sorry for pushing this mood again, but you can't not hold it, anyway, let's talk a bit then, talk about what led each of you to this journey, I want to know a bit more, one of you might end up dying fighting Cabbage's vampire sister.

Akko yawning: That would be wonderful, but the journey has tired me a bit, I'm going to sleep, tomorrow we'll talk about it on the way or when we get to Dublin.

Marianne: I'm sleepy too, there's still a long way to go tomorrow.

Amanda: Ahhhh, OK then, I wanted to talk a bit, but you're always tired, so tomorrow we'll talk about these things, but when we get to Dublin we'll have a rest day, like a farewell party, just so we can have one last moment, because you never know.

Akko: Fine by me, let's enjoy this day to rest, but now good night, tomorrow we have a long journey ahead of us.

In this way Amanda extinguishes the candles of the hiding place and they all go to sleep, preparing themselves for another day of journey, where they are already arriving very far, just a single day away from Dublin, which will be the determining point of this journey, they will finally meet Hellene that is in her hiding place just as always looking at the sky and thinking about life, this while she was about to go out to hunt some more animals to eat.
Away from there Bernadette looked at her two daughters through the crystal ball displaying a bit of a proud smile since in a matter of time after almost 10 years the two girls will finally be able to meet again.

See you, Cyclops witches...