"How you holding up old man?" Ganju chuckled as he continued to strain against the two Executors trapped underground.
"Better than you I reckon." Akatsuki replied. "Considering you still have time to talk despite the battle all around."
"Yeah well, it's my process, alright?" Ganju retorted.
"Honestly, I simply don't understand your generation." Akatsuki sighed. "War wasn't such an entertaining business in any period."
"Like I said. It's my process to prevent me from stressing too much." Ganju growled.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. Akatsuki looked at Ganju questioningly before a horrific roar echoed through the air.
"What was that?" Akatsuki frowned as he looked around. Then, the roof of the castle exploded, a shadowy smog now rising up from it. The smog spread quickly to cover the skies above them. As they watched, Akatsuki saw that a part of the smog extended, and then formed bony claws.
"Gramps! Move it!" Ganju yelled as he got to his feet. Akatsuki followed quickly, just in time to avoid being crushed by the massive hand that appeared. He watched as the smog now began to take a form, not bothering to see the Executors now escaping their trap.
"RRAARGH!" Sergei roared. "Where vampires!?"
"Mon Amie, I think we need to focus elsewhere!" Hugo exclaimed as he pointed to the sky. Everyone now looked at the gigantic monstrosity above them. It resembled a skeletal humanoid, though its head was that of a bat's and bony wings sprouted from its back. Its eyes were an eerie red as it roared into existence, pounding the castle ground and walls.
"Mortis…" Ganju hissed. "It's his power, only way scarier than before."
At once, the creature now smashed something within the castle itself, causing part of the wall to blow apart.
Rodin weaved through the hail of arrows that were aimed at him as he charged at Lance, feeling one scratch his cheek while he advanced. Lance, seeing that he was too close, shifted to his twin swords, their serrated blades gleaming whilst the 'eyes' at their pommels glared eerily.
The two entered a fast-paced melee that even vampires would have had trouble keeping up with, their battle causing massive damage to the surroundings in the process. Rodin lunged his claws forwards, crushing cobblestone like it was Styrofoam whilst Lance's swords cut through metal like a hot knife through butter. Each strike, each parry, each near-hit was nothing but a storm of destruction decimating everything around.
"Not bad." Lance huffed. "I can see why you are held in such high regard."
"You aren't so bad yourself." Rodin nodded. "You have quite the affinity for that weapon."
"I suppose it just agrees with me." Lance said as he looked to the swords. "But enough chit-chat. I have a mission to complete, and I will see it done."
Rodin braced himself as Lance readied his stance. Before they could charge again however, a colossal roar echoed through the city.
"What in the hell!?" Rodin gasped as soon as he heard the roar. Turning their heads, both him and Lance laid eyes on the skeletal apparition that had blown off the castle roof.
"I've seen plenty of things…" Lance huffed as he wiped the blood from his forehead. "But this is something else."
"Holy crap…" Rodin gasped as he saw the monstrosity before him. "What in the hell could be capable of that?"
"My goodness. It seems Lord Mortis has decided to pull out the stops…" Ridley blinked, ceasing his attack on Akira.
Akira panted as he bled onto the floor. The loss of his empowered state had left him at the mercy of Ridley; being stabbed over and over with either his blade, his claws or his shadow constructs. However, it seemed that now Ridley had no intention of fighting, instead deciding to marvel at the horrific shadow monster that had smashed open the castle. Undoubtedly, it was Mortis's doing.
Akira strained to see the creature that had appeared, shock now crossing his features as he saw a rather familiar figure dressed in white trapped in one of its bony hands. Mother!
"Oh dear, it would seem her Majesty is trapped in my Master's hand." Ridley said nonchalantly. "Too bad, I was hoping to see how long she'd struggle against the Death Lord's avatar."
"Avatar?" Akira frowned.
"The Avatar of Death." Ridley explained. "Lord Kraven's greatest power. I'm sure you know how he is able to manipulate the minds of others, subjugate consciousness to his will, yes?"
"You see it is more than that." Ridley smiled. "It is not just the mind he can control, he can also directly affect another's life force. The mist in our old stronghold was a perfect display of such might."
"So he feeds off life itself?" Akira frowned.
"And when said lives expire, it merely becomes fuel for his strength." Ridley smiled. "Never have I seen a power like his in all my years. Perhaps that is why the Kraven clan was so greatly feared."
Akira couldn't respond. He could say the same either. He had heard of Purebloods having unnatural powers, such as that of Rido Kuran when he possessed the body of Senri Shiki millennia ago. But never before did he think one who effectively fed of life itself actually existed. "And all of that goes into the Avatar of Death?"
"Precisely." Ridley smiled. "Who knows how many thousands of lives have been devoured by that monster? I truly wonder if your mother stands a chance."
Akira gritted his teeth, realizing how terrible their situation had become. He had no idea how to fight something like that, and with his injuries, he wasn't sure if he should even bother trying.
Then, something whistled by and a fireball impacted off the monster's head. Akira and Ridley looked to the skies to see lights in the distance. Akira smiled as he realized who they were. In the sky, he could make out the shapes of various helicopters that had been summoned from all over. Vampires, Hunters and even regular humans who served as part of Roseland's internal defense force. He was also certain of a massive ground force now working their way into the city.
"So this was the plan." Ridley frowned. "The bulk of the Hunter Association's forces, and from what I can sense, the vanguard of the Knights. Intending to catch us within the city limits hmm?"
"It seems you should have done more studying Ridley." Akira grunted. "Did you really think my mother would let all of her enemies run rampant across her own hometown?"
"A tad miscalculation it would seem." Ridley admitted. "However, it matters not. I'm more than certain my master will achieve his goals. After all, without you and the queen, I wonder how will Cassandra defend herself?"
"Underestimate her at your own peril Ridley." Akira gasped. "She is not some defenseless flower."
Ridley smiled as he spread his wings. "I truly wonder…" He responded cryptically as he took to the air, leaving a sense of dread in Akira's mind.
"About friggin time!" Ichigo panted as he held the wound in his arm.
"So, it seems the Queen has sprung her trap." Arthur frowned. He now reached for his ear, tapping a hidden earpiece. "Hagan, prepare to pull our forces out. Between the Hunters, Knights and that shadow monster, we will be on the losing end." His frown deepened as he heard chatter on the other line. "Cliff is dead as well? This bodes ill. Retreat immediately. We will settle our grievances another time."
"Huh. Didn't think that Kraven vampire actually scared you." Ichigo smirked.
"Yes. I miscalculated all those years ago. I suppose I should have killed him instead of that Kraven vampire woman." Arthur nodded.
"So it was you who killed Cassandra Kraven's mother." Ichigo breathed. "I'll be sure to tell Kuran and Cassandra about it."
"You speak of it like it is a crime Ichigo Kitsuke." Arthur sighed.
"Sorry, but I'm no psychopath." Ichigo grunted.
"How sad. Of all people, I thought you'd be the one who truly understood our cause more than others." Arthur responded.
"The hell are you saying?" Ichigo snarled.
"Think about who you are." Arthur turned and began to walk away. "And maybe you'll understand."
"You have got to be kidding." Emi panted as soon as she saw the castle and the monstrous figure that erupted out of it.
"Seriously?" Misaki gaped as Ren landed next to her. "How in the hell do we fight that!?"
Ren looked up, her eyes widening as soon as she saw the form of Ai trapped in its claws. "SISTER!" She screamed, immediately pulling out her pistol. Thorny steel vines exploded from its barrel, lifting her upwards to battle the monster. As soon as she was able, she launched a few at the hand that held Ai, impaling the skeletal shadow and forcing it to drop her.
Ai landed on the roof, shakily looking up as the monster broke apart Ren's vines, turning its attention to the Knight grandmaster. Ai took the opportunity to summon Diana back to her. However, as she prepared to fight, Ren landed and blocked her from flying off.
"Sister, I will handle this together with our reinforcements! You must stop Mortis before he gets to Cassandra!"
"But if we let this thing go, it'll destroy everything else!" Ai said as she twirled her scythe.
The familiar roared again as a few helicopters approached, firing missiles at the gigantic monster. It roared, shrugging them off as it turned its attention towards the helicopters, its massive claws now swiping at them. The helicopters raised their altitudes, barely avoiding the monster.
Ren now raised Night Rose, the vine drinking her blood and funneling it into the barrel. Pulling the trigger, hundreds of vines exploded from the barrel and coiled themselves around the creature. It roared as it struggled against Ren's bindings.
"Go!" Ren yelled. "I'll hold it back for as long as I can!"
Ai's eyes darted between the monster and the hole in the roof of the castle. She knew that Ren spoke the truth. There was no way they could fight this thing and Mortis at the same time. And there was no way anyone else but her could handle Mortis's newfound power.
"Don't die on me." Ai replied as she went back down.
"Same to you." Ren huffed as she funneled more power into Night rose, increasing the strength of the bind against the creature's thrashing.
The rumbling of the battle above could be felt all the way at the bottom and in the underground evacuation shelters. Children huddled with their parents or guardians as knights ran all around attempting to maintain order whilst getting all information regarding the situation above. In the most secured room of the shelter, Cassandra sat with a small squad of knights who updated her on everything.
"So, sister Katarina is alright?" Cassandra asked.
"From what we heard, she was fighting off another one of those Executors." A knight responded. "She had a vampire and a human child come back here unscathed but so far we haven't had any other updates when the Paragon beasts came through."
"Alright. Reinforce the entrance. We have to ensure the Paragon monsters don't get through. What of the others in her majesty's council?" Cassandra asked.
"From what we know, they are separately fighting other Paragon beasts throughout the castle together with whatever knights are stationed up there." The knight responded. "For now, we believe that the defenses are holding considering that our reinforcements have arrived, though reports have come in that Mortis himself is here."
"What of Queen Ai?" Cassandra asked, frowning slightly.
"We are unsure." The knight responded. "Last we checked, she was engaged with Mortis Kraven in battle."
Cassandra went silent as she pondered all the facts. While she was confident in the queen's strength, who knows what sort of power Mortis held now with his new body? She hoped that at the very least, the forces of Kuran town could keep him at bay. In truth, she'd rather not see what her grandfather looked like now. "At any rate, let us hope for their fortunes in battle. That will be all."
"Very well." The knight bowed as he returned to his duties. Cassandra sighed as she put her head back, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Come now Lady Cassandra, a Pureblood shouldn't look so despairing." Beatrice said beside her as she poured some tea.
"Easy to say when we are in a secure shelter." Cassandra retorted. "I truly hope the plan holds. I'm not particularly interested in fighting."
"I'm certain her majesty was quite thorough." Beatrice nodded. "Besides, it was quite reassuring to learn that Lady Anju had defeated one Executor, and the fifth one at that."
"Perhaps." Cassandra breathed. "I suppose I ought not to stress myself out when I'm not even in danger." As she said this, a loud crash sounded through the air, the walls shuddering and cracking as it did, so much so that the light in Cassandra's own room suddenly popped off the ceiling, hanging precariously on the wire alone.
"What in the blazes?" Beatrice exclaimed as the screams of the citizens echoed through the shelters. Cassandra instantly rushed out to check the commotion. All over she saw myriad levels of damage all across the walls and the ceilings.
"What is going on?" Cassandra asked the guards she could lay her eyes on.
"We don't know!" He exclaimed. "Though it seems like something crashed outside the reinforced entrance!"
"Can we get the evacuees out of here?" Cassandra asked. "If those doors break apart, they'll have nowhere to go!"
"The doors should hold!" The knight nodded. "But just in case, the Queen did make a rear entrance to get them outside the city limits. I can get a squad on that now!"
"Hurry! I'm not sure what is out there, but we cannot delay any further-" Cassandra barely finished before the door itself was blown off its hinges. Quickly, they fell onto the floor, narrowly avoiding getting crushed by the steel doors. Cassandra looked up, and her whole body shivered as soon as she saw who had walked through.
"Hello my dear Cassandra." Spoke the monstrous, bat-like creature before her in a voice that was all too familiar. Cassandra now looked behind Mortis, gulping as soon as she saw the still form of Ai Kuran trapped in a shadowy skeletal arm in the background. "The combined might of those two sisters was indeed troublesome. Were it not for that lucky hit, things might have fared far worse. Still, I suppose sometimes one must expend extraordinary effort for a grand prize."
"Grandfather…" Cassandra stepped one foot back as the knights moved forward, weapons drawn.
"Now then, be a good girl, and come back with me." Mortis said as he stepped forward, a clawed hand outstretched.
"No." Cassandra defiantly replied. "I will not indulge your madness."
Mortis sighed. "What a wretched child. Do you know how much your disobedience and tomfoolery has inconvenienced me? How many centuries worth of patience it has tested? And yet, you still seek to frustrate my designs."
"So be it." Mortis lowered his hands, the sharp claws now lengthening. "Time to discipline you." Mortis now roared, and from the door, many Wretchlings emerged.
Cassandra breathed as her sclera turned black and her silver hair became red. "STOP!" She commanded and instantly, the Wretchlings halted in their advance. Instantly, the Paragon beasts turned against each other, mauling each other to death. Mortis himself also appeared to shudder, snarling at her as she stepped from behind the line of knights and toward him. "KNEEL!" Cassandra growled, forcing Mortis to his knees.
"You forget, my power outstrips even your will." Cassandra said. "And as you can see, I have been training it. All so that I could stop you. Your designs end here, I will make sure of it."
All around, the Paragon monsters were being slaughtered, either by knights or by themselves. Cassandra walked to Mortis who remained kneeling on the ground. "Now, you will answer for your crimes against the world. Return to your human form and place yourself in chains."
Then, a sick thwack echoed through the room. Cassandra shuddered as her eyes widened and her features returned to normal. She slowly looked downward to see the bony spike now impaled through her stomach.
"H-how…?" Cassandra coughed up blood as Mortis looked up, a smirk upon his monstrous features.
"Did you really think I didn't have a contingency against you, foolish little child?" Mortis said as he now raised his arm, lifting Cassandra off the floor. Cassandra screamed against the pain, blood dripping from her lips. "Did you ever wonder why I sent James to collect your blood?"
"Yes, the Blood Siren indeed has power to force anyone she chooses into submission." Mortis said. "However, I once had a thought, why is she not entranced by the nature of her own voice? A power to enthrall anyone without fail, a way to make others obey her in a way that made the control of regular Purebloods seem paltry by comparison, how does that not affect her? The answer was too obvious after much thinking."
"Your very blood is where your power originates, and thus is your main safeguard." Mortis now grabbed her head and forced her to look to him. "And while the drop of blood James had acquired was barely sufficient in giving me those same powers, it was more than enough to defend me against yours." Mortis now pulled his other arm back, the bone spike extending from it tearing out through Cassandra's body, causing her to scream again.
"Lady Cassandra!" Beatrice yelled as she charged at Mortis.
"Begone, peasant." Mortis sighed. With a wordless nod, Beatrice was suddenly flung across the room, crashing into a wall.
"Protect Lady Cassandra!" Some knights charged in, blades drawn. Mortis merely leaped at them, his claws ripping them to shreds. Cassandra attempted to stand up, but she felt weak all over, unable to muster any strength at all. Worse still, it seemed that she wasn't healing either. She looked at her hands that had now flopped into view, eyes widening at the purple splotches appearing on her body.
Poison? She blinked. But… How…? Her thoughts were interrupted as pain hit again, and now she noticed that the agonizing cries of death had stopped. From the corner of her eye, she now saw the monstrous Mortis walk up to her.
"I was rather creative with what I wanted in this body." Mortis chuckled. "And now I see other things even vampires are not immune too." Reaching down, he sank his claws deep into Cassandra's stomach, causing her to scream further. "Now don't fret my dear Cassandra. I'm not going to kill you. After all, I truly need to have your powers if I want to ensure those miserable fools that covet my gifts don't suddenly get funny ideas."
Cassandra gagged on her own blood, thrashing as the pain bit into her further and further. Unfortunately, the poison finally spread through her body, and her struggle ended within seconds, her body now going limp upon the floor.
"Now then." Mortis huffed. "Time for the end of this little game to begin." He now grabbed Cassandra's silver hair, lifting her still form off the floor. Slowly, he opened his mouth, fangs poised over Cassandra's throat.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Came the raging voice. Mortis turned sharply, grinning at whom he saw.
"Katarina. So glad you could join us." He said to the fiery haired woman who had dropped in.
"Grandfather…" Katarina hissed, hair glowing with power and face seething with rage. "What. Are. You. Doing. To Cassandra!?"
Mortis glanced at the limp form of his granddaughter. "Merely a paralytic toxin. She won't die."
"That's not it!" Katarina roared. "How could you… Upon your own flesh and blood!?"
"Cassandra's little betrayal warranted this much." Mortis growled. "And let me be clear, you would face the full extent of my fury were I not so forgiving! Now, stop this ridiculous farce and return with me. If you do so, I will grant you leniency and allow you your old position over our forces."
Katarina gripped her sword so hard that her fingers began to bleed. Numerous thoughts clouded her mind as she attempted to calm herself, but to no avail. The sick scent of her sister's blood upon her grandfather's claws enraged her to no end, the roiling power within her threatening to explode.
"Calm down." Came a voice behind her. Katarina turned as Anju Cross descended, her body and clothes stained with blood. By the looks of it, she was also panting heavily.
"Anju Cross." Mortis glared. "Well, I see your status as Yuki's vessel has given you a great many gifts. But with the amount of strength you have, I doubt you can stop me."
"Even so, I'm not stepping aside." Anju said as she twirled the scythe. "I will not let you use my friend however you like."
Mortis sighed. "Such stubbornness. Katarina, stop Anju Cross. Then return with me to our stronghold. If you do this, all of your selfish actions will be forgiven."
Katarina breathed, her gaze falling as she attempted to gather her thoughts. All of her memories and experiences over the centuries of her life flooding her head like a tidal wave. However, there was one thing she focused on, one memory she held closest to her. With a final breath, she looked up, her eyes red.
"All this time, I believed you were doing what was right, to make sure we weren't threatened anymore." Katarina spoke steadily, though even Anju could feel her rage beneath all the stoicism. "When our family was torn apart I believed you would help ensure it would never happen again."
"But now?" Katarina gripped her blade tighter. "I see now that the only one who has lied to me is you grandfather. Cassandra, Anju, Queen Ai, they were right about you. You don't care about the family at all. You were willing to drain even your own granddaughter dry just for her Blood Siren powers. All you want now is power to rule the world for eternity, and Cassandra, the rest of our family, even I were merely tools for that, weren't we?"
Katarina now pointed her blade at him. "Before she died I promised mother that I would look after our family, including Cassandra. And if that means fighting you, so be it."
Mortis growled. "Foolish girl." He now spread his wings, rushing at them at frightening speed. The wings slammed into both of them, knocking the wind out of their lungs before barreling them straight into the opposite wall. "As if you could even stop me when you are spent!" He snarled in response. Then, explosions were heard overhead. It would seem he had overstayed his welcome.
"Well, I suppose it can wait." Mortis huffed as he hoisted Cassandra's limp form over his shoulder. "I already grow annoyed at these delays."
"Hold it!" Katarina scrambled to her feet, energy flaring through her hair. "Put her down!" With a furious swing, Katarina launched energy from her sword. Mortis merely raised his hand, deflecting her strike. Immediately, he curled his claws and Katarina choked as she felt him telekinetically seize her. Slowly, she felt her back arch backward against her will as her arms and legs began to bend in inconceivable ways. She cried in pain as Mortis contorted her body more and more.
Anju now rushed at him, scythe coming down on his arm. While it didn't even nick his flesh, it did release Katarina, who fell back to the ground groaning. Shadow's claw lashed out and struck at Mortis's face, to which he responded with a punch to her ribs. Anju now flew into the floor above and crashed into the remaining floorboards, vomiting blood as her ribs healed, albeit slowly due to the toll of all the fighting so far.
"Shadow!" Anju groaned. The dark being immediately rushed toward Mortis, claws outstretched. Mortis immediately gathered electricity in his claws, catching it and now sending a massive electric shock through Shadow. Anju now screamed in pain, Mortis's eyes widening at the revelation.
So, the girl and her familiar are linked. He thought as he let go and the shadowy being retreated back to Anju. She coughed and sputtered as she tried to get back on her feet, only to finally lose consciousness.
"Finally." Mortis huffed as he prepared to leave. Then, he felt something strike his head. Growling in annoyance, he turned to see Katarina staggering to her feet, a small rock in her hand.
"Pitiful." Mortis sighed before telekinetically flinging Katarina into the wall behind her, the weakened structure now collapsing on top of her body. With no one left to stop him, Mortis took to the skies with his prize.
Author's Note:
It's been a busy two months, what with having to deal with all the stuff with COVID and similarly racking my brain how to write this chapter up and bridge it to the final stages of the whole story. And therefore, I decided it was best to iron out everything and present another double chapter upload! Soon, the climax of this whole story will begin, and I hope you will bear with me for a while longer as I get this done.
Till then, please read and review! Feedback is much appreciated!
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