Ai frowned as she looked at the small island Katarina pointed out on the map, already realizing how difficult it would be simply to wage war here.

"And there are towers overlooking the western docks." Katarina said. "If you want to strike, I'd advise avoiding that place."

"Very well." Ai nodded as her servants marked out another spot on the map in red ink, signaling a dangerous area. "I must say, this is ten times the fortress castle Kraven was. The ocean already forms a natural defense and the high cliffs as you have reported as a natural wall."

"This was used millennia ago in the clan's earliest days." Katarina explained. "The first Blood Siren built it as a way of the clan isolating itself so that the power of the Blood Siren could be nurtured in secret. Only when the abilities could be trained to its fullest did they emerge into the world."

"How have we not discovered this place after all these years?" Ren asked.

"It is the Kraven clan's best kept secret." Katarina replied. "Many of our past monarchs ensured the erasure of all records pertaining to this place, to keep the Siren a secret, which as you no doubt know cannot be revealed so easily."

"And does this place have a name?" Ai asked.

"From what I understand, it is called Bloodspire castle." Katarina said. "Seeing as how the Blood Siren was made to practice her power in secret at the top of the fortress's central tower." Ai now placed her attention on the fortresses' central structure, a massive spire that reached up to the skies.

"No doubt Mortis would have positioned guards on every floor." Ren nodded. "He will likely be at the very top. Is there any way for us to get into the tower besides the ground floor?"

"There is supposedly a helicopter pad about a third of the way up." Katarina reported. "Assuming we can even get there."

"It will also be difficult to bring the necessary forces." Ai nodded. "With the restricted landmass, air support will be crucial. We have to outfit the Hunter Association fleet with weapons that can allow them to fend off Darkcallers and Nightfiends, of which they no doubt have a plethora of."

"Indeed." Ai nodded. "I hope Ms Serenity has some good countermeasures. Anything else?"

"From what I know, there are labs under the castle. Most likely where my grandfather breeds those creatures." Katarina said.

"We'll have to destroy them." Ren nodded. "Nothing pertaining to this project of his must survive."

"The one in charge is called Romanoff. He isn't much of a fighter, so as long as you best his security, you should be fine." Katarina answered.

"But before that, we must find a way onto the island itself." Ren replied. "And we have to contend with the fact that Mortis will take the field himself. As of yet, I am not confident in our forces' ability to best his Alucard form in battle, much less his Avatar of Death."

"We will need to draw up plans for that possibility. Perhaps if it was Ren and me, we should have a chance. But just to be sure, we should have as many people fighting him all at once." Ai said. "Then we first need to find a staging area, and then gather a whole lot of firepower. Perhaps Sir Isaya can help with the negotiations on that, though I doubt the human governments are going to be thrilled about this. They'd rather not be involved in open warfare with vampires."

"There is no other way." Ren said. "Hopefully if he tells that Mortis will destroy all of them should they not assist, that might encourage their aid."

"Still, I doubt a long drawn out fight is in our favour." Ai said. "We need to strike decisively to better turn the tide of battle in our favour, especially since Helsing is likely to turn up as well. They have quite the information network, and I'm certain they'll catch wind of us mobilizing."

"Do you believe Mortis will set upon us immediately?" Ren frowned.

"I doubt it." Katarina responded. "Powerful as he may be, my grandfather knew well the benefits of not always doing everything himself, especially when he has hordes of monsters to wear us down first, and when he also needs to be wary of Helsing attacking elsewhere."

"Then it seems we need to put something else in play, one that will at least tip the scales, however slight." Ai said.

"Are you certain you want to bank it on them?" Ren raised an eyebrow as she questioned her sister. "Not that I doubt your judgements, but to depend all of this on them is…"

"I know what you mean Ren." Ai agreed. "It seems unreasonable of me to depend on teenagers to fight these wars. They've already done much, and it makes me hesitate to ask for more. But even so, they have proven their strength time and time again. And after all this, I doubt any of you would like to be coddled, wouldn't you agree Katarina?"

"At the very least, we know the risks." Katarina replied. "And we are not shy when it comes to battle."

"Still, do ensure you are as prepared as you can be." Ai nodded. "And on that note, time for your training session with Mr Rodin."

"Indeed." Katarina nodded as she took her leave. "But if you require my assistance in the plan, feel free to summon me." Ai and Ren watched as Katarina left, turning their attention to the outline of Bloodspire castle once more.

"C'mon kids! Don't hold out on me!" Rodin said as he punched his fists together. "Come at me like you wanna kill me."

"But we have…" Ganju breathed as he lifted his axe, sweat beading his forehead. "I think you're the one that needs to become killable."

"Now now, if I did that you wouldn't learn squat." Rodin smirked. "When you fight Mortis or the Executors of Helsing, you'll have to content with this level of fighting, maybe even more. Besides, as young knights you should know comfort isn't something you should be expecting."

"Indeed." Emi huffed as she pointed the tip of her new rapier at him. "Then, shall we begin once more?" As soon as Rodin braced himself, Emi charged at him, blade outstretched. Rodin stepped to the side, avoiding the initial thrust. Bracing against her own momentum, Emi twirled and slashed at him, forcing him to block with his clawed hand. Instantly, ice began to crawl up his fingers. Rodin jumped back, shaking the ice crystals off.

"Yikes." Rodin chuckled. "Better be careful that I don't get frozen. Still, that isn't all, right?"

Emi now raised her blade, ice shards forming in the air around her, though they had splotches of red within the white crystal. Immediately, she flung them at Rodin. Just as they were about to reach him, the crystals exploded, flinging sharp shards of ice at him. Rodin parried each one with his clawed hand, only to feel a slight stinging in his hand. Looking down, he saw red crystals starting to form. Alarm flashed across his face as he finally dodged the ice shards, breaking off the crystalizing on his hand.

"Not bad…" Rodin breathed. "But that won't be enough to damage Celestine. You'll need to hit her hard if you want to even hurt her."

"Yeah, I'm working on that." Emi huffed as she dashed in again, sword flashing at him. Rodin dodged as thrust his palm out, pushing her away. However, a chain now wrapped itself around his arm, forcing him to catch the weight at the end.

"Nice." Rodin smiled as Shinji charged in, the sickle spinning while crackling with red electricity. With a slash, the energy blasted itself at Rodin who let go of the weight and deflected the energy blast with all his strength.

"Toasty!" Rodin chuckled as he shook his hand. "Pretty impressive kid!"

"I should be the one saying that." Shinji huffed as he looked at the weapon. "It's as if the weapon itself helped amplify my power."

"Serenity augmented those things with Pureblood DNA. But in essence, it is meant to give you a boost, just like how it gives the Executors a boost in their physical capabilities as well." Rodin explained as he gestured to his own arm. "Think of it as a different way of acquiring the power of a Pureblood vampire, it's why even I can shrug off a punch that could still possibly break a bone or two. However, the risk is that it could overwhelm you if you are unable to handle the strain. Those weapons can only do that because they are bonded to you, and while she put in a failsafe, those weapons still need to feed off you to use those powers."

"Hence why my own transformation cut halfway." Akira nodded in understanding. "I was unable to supply much more of my own vitality to the weapon."

"Right on the money there Kuran." Rodin nodded. "And that's why we are training you, to handle those things more effectively. So then, who is next?"

Without a word, Ganju charged in from behind, his axe swinging downward at Rodin's head. Rodin jumped away as the axe split the ground apart, blasting gravel into the air as a massive spider-web of cracks spread across the floor.

"Dang." Ganju sighed. "Missed."

"Are you CRAZY!?" Rodin screamed. "You could have killed me!"

"Wasn't that the idea?" Henry now dashed in, the katanas flashing red as he slashed at Rodin's head.

"I didn't mean literally!" Rodin cried as he avoided a fatal strike. "T-Time out! Give the old man a break would you?"

"You're kinda giving mixed messages here." Shinji said as he swung his sickle downward at him.

"Dammit, Serenity put you kids up to this didn't she?!" Rodin yelled in frustration.

The door opened and Katarina walked in, frowning as she saw the cacophony taking place. She turned to Akira, a deadpan look on her face. "Do I want to know?"

"Perhaps not." Akira chuckled. "After all, this looks terribly unprofessional."

Katarina looked as Henry rolled away from Rodin's thrust, leaving Emi an opening to rush toward him. As the former Executor jumped back, Emi stabbed into the ground and icy stalagmites burst forth, almost impaling him. "I seriously wonder if they are really trying to kill him or if they are just messing around…"

"Well, all matters aside, how well do you see this going?" Akira asked.

"The same thing I explained to your mother earlier when I first met." Katarina replied. "Honestly, we don't have good odds."

"So it would be good to master this Blood Drive and everything else Ms Serenity has given us." Akira nodded.

"Indeed it would be." Katarina agreed. "And on that note, shall we?"

"Very well. I do require my exercise and Mr Rodin seems quite preoccupied with staying in one piece." Akira chuckled as he led Katarina to a separate training hall. No sooner had they closed the door did they begin their sparring.

He had never fought her before in earnest, and was therefore surprised pleasantly by Katarina's battle prowess and tactical acumen. In terms of being a military general, Katarina was far more accomplished than he was. Every feint, twist of her blade, none showed wasted movement. And when she felt the risks were commensurate, she did not hesitate in taking action.

"I must say." Akira panted as he recovered from another bout. "You are every bit the warrior I thought you'd be, perhaps more."

"You are quite powerful yourself." Katarina nodded. "While I daresay your skills in trickery could use work, your strength and endurance more than makes up."

"I wonder if you could instruct me further." Akira smiled.

"Keep watching Kuran prince, and hopefully you'll learn." Katarina chuckled as she charged in again, her sword raised. Akira raised his own to meet hers, the clash of steel reverberating through the room. Rebounding from the blow, Katarina twisted, her sword twirling away and then coming toward him from the side. Akira ducked, spinning away before stabbing toward her. Katarina moved her blade in the way, parrying the blow before slashing at him again.

"Not bad." Katarina smiled. "I'm actually enjoying this."

"Would it have been different if we had to fight as enemies?" Akira gave a lopsided smile as he said this.

Katarina's smile now became a frown. "I truly wonder." With a grunt, she pushed Akira off. The Kuran prince landed on his feet, bracing himself against the ground. "You know, I always liked fighting. The thrill of battle, the exhilaration of combat. It all was so simple before. Now, I'm not so sure. I still feel that thrill, our little bout is proof of that. But at this time, it feels unfulfilling. I know not why."

Akira frowned as he listened, though he did not lower his sword. "Forgive my impoliteness, but I do believe I have learned a little about your deviousness."

Katarina chuckled dryly. "I swear, you can sometimes be so annoying. But in good conscience, I have no intention of lowering your guard with a sob story. Instead, I'm trying to appeal to the idealistic man that you are. Perhaps I'm hoping that'll actually answer my question."

Akira remained silent for a while. "Well, honestly I'm not so sure if I can convince you with my answer."

"Just tell me dammit." Katarina growled.

Akira merely exhaled as he straightened, sheathing his blade. "We have been trying to convince you that it is possible for vampires and humans to live together peacefully. And, clearly you have seen that fact here in this country."

"And that helps how?" Katarina frowned.

"Well, things have changed within you, you cannot deny that. I have heard from that girl named Felise and her babysitter Greta about how you saved them." Akira continued. "It seems you've grown partial toward humans to some extent."

"So you ask that I fight for them?" Katarina sighed. "Fight for both humans and vampires and maybe I'll see some reason to it all?"

"No. I am not so presumptuous to advise as such." Akira said. "However, I am certain that Cassandra would wholeheartedly want to have that."

Katarina froze, her grip now straining on her blade. "You seriously want to pull that now?"

"I cannot say I understand what it's like to have siblings, because I don't." Akira replied. "However, I know what Cassandra had told me about you and your sisters. And I know that she considers you the closest among the rest of her siblings. And I am all too aware of your sacrifices and trials since your mother passed, of which I suppose I have yet to give my condolences."

"Get to the point please." Katarina sighed. "I have little patience for beating around the bush…"

"There is no need to find a new reason to fight." Akira said. "The reason you've had is still the same. Only this time, the one who must face your wrath is different. If not for coexistence, at least for the family you have left, what they care about and what they dream for."

Katarina stared at his outstretched hand, musing over all he had just said. "So you are telling me to fight for the dreams of others? Sounds rather counter-productive. How will you know that I will remain committed to such a goal?"

"I suppose that is up to you to find out." Akira responded. "In the end, the goals we desire should at least be the goals we make ourselves."

"So fight for my sister and her dreams." Katarina pursed her lips. "You know, she once said she'd like to be some vampire pop idol."

"Is that so?" Akira raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"That girl is so daft that she sometimes can't manage her own wardrobe!" Katarina huffed. "She is terrible at planning and time management, and the recent revelation with how she spends her money is simply mind-boggling!" Katarina groaned as Akira stood there, a bland expression on his face.

"So I suppose for now, I can do what all big sisters ought to do and just make sure she doesn't ruin her own life!" Katarina snapped.

"Um, very well then." Akira nodded stiffly. "I suppose for now, that will have to do."

Katarina glared back at him. Her hair suddenly flared as she turned toward him. "Gah! I'm itching for another go now." She raised her blade toward him, poised to strike. "En garde!"

In another underground training arena, Anju and Ichigo had gathered with Serenity. This was one of he situational training facilities that was meant to help knights prepare for fieldwork. With a console that could deploy cover structures from the floor and even simulate gunfire through bean bag rounds, it was among the most sophisticated structures in the castle. Presently, the smith busied herself with adjusting the console that operated the entire room while Ichigo looked on.

"Are you really sure this is necessary?" Anju frowned.

"Shut it kiddo." Serenity huffed. "You managed the trash Giselle which, I admit, is pretty damn incredible. And, based on what I've heard, you actually managed to deploy it in record time too, at least way faster than you did with Jerome. So, here is the deal, we are going to work on shortening your time as much as possible. That way, you'll be able to continue with the fight without a risk of getting fucking focused down."

"Really don't care that she's just a teen huh?" Ichigo said beside her, earning him a hard smack across the nose by a thick leather bound book.

"Shut up asshole." Serenity scowled. "I do what I want, and you don't get to say dick. Besides, you need to do this too, so if I were your ass, I'd shut my big, fat, rotten mouth and pay attention to this. At the very least you'd probably screw up just a whole lot than abso-fucking-lutely."

"How has no one killed you yet?" Ichigo glowered as he rubbed his nose.

"Don't know, don't care." Serenity snapped as she turned her attention to Anju. "Alright, go for it."

Anju breathed as she channeled more power through her body, feeling the heat go through her skin and scalp. Anju grunted as she pushed more and more, the power now exploding within her and transforming her body.

"Not bad." Serenity looked at the stop watch. "We'll be working on getting it to use less stamina than it normally does, but this is a good progression. Okay, release it and then try again. Except this time, we'll have a little twist."

"What do you mean?" Anju frowned.

"Well, we need you to get used to the process of having to use Blood Drive under fire." Serenity answered curtly. "That is something you need to develop especially if you intend to go into a warzone with shit trying to kill you. In the long run, you might not always have someone covering for you." Serenity now clicked a few buttons, causing the hatches on the walls to open and the hidden guns within them to pop out.

"Okay, so these things are basically going to pelt you with bean bags at a really fast speed." Serenity said. "Not exactly fatal to a vampire or, in your case, a vampire gene spliced human. Still, they go fast enough to smart. It's a good simulation for an all hell-breaking loose situation. As they say, practice makes perfect, so just do as I say for now and ready up."

With no other way to retort, Anju tried again, focusing her power into activating Blood Drive. Just as she felt the sensation starting, Serenity clicked a button, and all the guns started firing at her.

"What the heck!?" Anju yelled as she dodged a bean bag, only for another to fire at her immediately, hitting her at the back of the head. Serenity was right, it wasn't lethal, but it hurt like hell.

"C'mon kid! You have to work better than that!" Serenity yelled as the bean bag guns kept shooting. "You don't get warnings in a battlezone in case you forgot! Focus and use your Blood Drive!"

Anju took to the air, dodging around the shots. While she tried to focus on gathering the power within, it wasn't possible with her focus being disrupted each time, or she got hit with a bean bag.

Serenity watched for five minutes as Anju went all over without success. "Oh forget this…" Serenity groaned as she walked away, leaving the system to work itself. Ichigo frowned as Serenity disappeared down the hallway outside, turning his attention to Anju again. A few minutes later, grunting was heard outside the door. Ichigo turned, and his eyes widened in shock as Serenity returned with a large minigun mounted on wheels.

"What the hell!? Are you so sure about this?" Ichigo asked her, a slightly disturbed look on his face.

"Shut the hell up and let me work! Serenity yelled as she cocked the gun. "The only way this kid finally learns is to practice in a similar situation!" Without allowing for protest, Serenity revved the weapon and fired, bullets spraying all over the room.

"Oh crap!" Anju yelped as she saw the bullets come at her. Instantly, Shadow materialized, defending her as much as possible.

"Isn't this a bit much, even for you?" Ichigo snapped. Serenity didn't bother to answer. Instead she trained the gun at Anju. A few now struck at her, causing a severe pain to jolt through her arm.

"Ms. Serenity, I am starting to question your sanity!" Anju yelled.

"I designed these bullets so that they won't kill you, but they will hurt a shit-ton! So if you have time to yell, you have time to figure out how to use Blood Drive to stop me!" Serenity bellowed. "Now get to it! Mastering this will likely mean life and death for you guys in the upcoming battle!"

Anju flew around, narrowly avoiding or blocking bean bags and bullets with Shadow's wings. The girl gritted her teeth in frustration as she desperately tried to accomplish Serenity's ridiculous task. This is nuts! How am I supposed to focus on both Blood Drive and dodging attacks at the same time?

"C'mon kid, focus!" Serenity yelled as she reloaded. "Mortis's monsters aren't going to give you all the time you want to get this up! You want this to end, get that Blood Drive up already!"

"Easy for you to say!" Anju snarled. "You aren't the one being shot at!" Serenity didn't reply, instead unleashing more bullets at Anju.

Anju now jerked her head as a bullet whizzed by her ear, only for another to pelt her stomach, a painful shock spreading through her. Anju's frustration now boiled over, the hot feeling now spilling through her very being. Anju instantly changed, her fangs growing out instantly as Shadow formed wings behind her, propelling her toward the smith.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Anju roared as she lashed out. Serenity barely moved away as Anju smashed into the floor, cratering the concrete and knocking the two of them off their feet. Anju panted as she looked up again, looking at the expressions on both Ichigo and Serenity.

"Well, that worked." Serenity smiled as she straightened. "Seems like getting you pissed was all it needed. Or maybe its just to focus all your killing intent out? Either way, job well done."

Anju caught her breath, simmering down as she finally calmed down. "Was it really that necessary though?"

Serenity shrugged. "Look, I'll treat you to your meals for the rest of the day if that makes you happy. Point is, you'll likely be alive the next time you face an Executor or Mortis himself. I know it's harsh, but at this point, we have to be as prepared as we can. We are on the precipice of what could decide the fate of this world. There's this feeling, and I'm sure you know it too, that this is what'll decide everything. And I'm sure you two have enough experience to know that we absolutely cannot fuck this up. Because I'm sure you two realise what happens if we do…"

Ichigo stared at the ground. "Yeah. Serenity is right. We can't rush in without preparing. We should be trained for every possibility we can encounter so that we have the best chance of success. Otherwise, Mortis gets to run rampant through the world, with no one to stop him. Our entire world will change, and not in a good way."

Anju breathed as she released her power, reverting back to her original form. "Yeah. All that we've helped to build over the centuries, all of the trials Yuki has gone through the create coexistence, Cassandra, all of that will be hanging on this battle. We have to be absolutely prepared." Anju sighed as she rubbed her head. "Fine, I agree it was necessary. But next time, I'd appreciate a bit of warning first, okay?"

"Fair enough, I guess." Serenity nodded. "Unfortunately, we'll need to take it up a notch soon enough. Just me shooting at you? Not enough pressure I'd say."

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Ichigo frowned as she stepped back into her lab. Ichigo and Anju now paled as she emerged with a trolley filled with guns of various kinds. Both could also guess what the ammunition likely was.

"Alright Ichigo, you're up." Serenity said. "At least, once we get outside to the training field. I don't want to explain to the queen why the room ended up getting screwed to shit."

"Um, okay, are you really sure this is going to be fine?" Ichigo frowned.

"Eh, at worst you'll get a few bruises. Nothing I can't fix." Serenity replied as she loaded an automatic assault rifle. "Chop chop kid, we don't have time to waste."

"Good luck big guy." Anju deadpanned. "You'll need it."

"Just my damn luck…" Ichigo sighed.

"So that is our plan for now?" Ren asked.

"We'll check with Katarina when the time comes. But for the moment, we should look toward the equipment and battle strength we require." Ai replied.

Ren nodded, but jumped as soon as she heard what sounded like a number of guns going off. "Seems that those kids are giving this their all."

"They understand the risks just as well." Ai nodded. "All I hope for is that their preparations are enough."

"So do I sister." Ren nodded. "But as you have said before, have faith in those children. After all, they will be the ones to carry on when this is all over."

"I truly hope so." Ai replied somberly as she looked outside the window and to the courtyard, where scores of vampire knights trained for that which was to come.

Author's Note:

Hope all is well with everyone especially with COVID. It's been getting much more complicated where I am. So stay safe wherever you are!

Jdbl00d