A/N: The revolvers Blade uses are the same ones Vash and Knives use in Trigun. Therefore... Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evo nor do I own Trigun but I own Blade/Azriel and all his little vampire buddies. Thanks again for the reviews. Hope you enjoy the chapter

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Return of the Shadow Chapter 7: Ascension

I'm coming for you, Dreyfus.

Blade flew through the night sky, rocketing toward the swiftly enlarging castle in the distance.

I'm coming.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Kara?" Kara turned from her vigil on the balcony and turned to face Jean.

"Yes?"

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Jean sheepishly rubbed her elbows. "Is there...anything...between you and Blade?" Kara sighed. A lone tear trickled down the side of her face.

"We were lovers once. It was a very long time ago. Azriel was only in his fifth or sixth decade when he found me in a small farmhouse on the outskirts of Transylvania. Our house had been broken into and the thieves had killed my father and elder brother. I was only seventeen then, used to having my father and brother protect me. They...put an arrow into my mother's head when she tried to attack them. I did what I could, but they were too strong and overpowered me easily. They...almost raped me that night. But Azriel saved me. He was a truly honorable man and slaughtered the thieves. I remember he scooped me up as if I weighed nothing more than a feather and flew me to a nearby town and had me installed as a guest in the mayor's home. Slowly, I grew to love him. He protected me always and I loved him for all he was." She stopped and chuckled. "I used to call him my Dark Knight. On the eve of my nineteenth birthday, he offered me the gift of immortality. 'It is so lonely to be an immortal,' he said. 'Even with all that I have, I was for too long denied one thing. That thing is your love. Become my bride so that we may walk the path together'. How could I refuse? I loved him so dearly. He bit me that night, and we made love for the first time...and the last. Then, on the night before we were to be wed, everything went wrong. Azriel's father murdered my entire village and almost killed me. A terrible battle took place between Dracula and. his two sons. I watched in horror as Dracula impaled Azriel through the heart with his sword. He pulled it out and attacked me, slicing me stomach. That stroke...killed our unborn child. Both Azriel and I felt it. It drove him into the most terrible rage. He utterly destroyed his father. And then he seemed to disappear into the mist. I never saw him again." Kara's shoulders heaved as she cried silently. "He's been through so much. No person should ever have to carry the weight he carries. No one." Jean gave her a gentle hug.

"I love him too."

"Do you?"

"Of course I do."

"I'm not so sure. You fell in love with the same person I first did: Azriel's human side. But there is so much more to him. I've seen you. You recoil in fear at the sight of his true eyes and you stink of fear every time he embraces his vampire nature. To love Azriel is to love his entirety, not merely one facet of him." Kara slowly began to walk away. "Think on what I have said and then decide if you truly love him." Jean watched as she walked away, her heart slowly tearing as she realized how right Kara was.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Blood covered the floor as Blade calmly strode through the main hall, leaving fifteen vampires dead on the floor behind him. He leapt to the side to avoid the machine gun fire directed at him, pulling out his revolvers. He let out a deep breath and jumped out from behind a pillar and fired at the enemy vampires. The first bullet struck the lead vampire in the center of his head, killing him instantly. Two more entered the eyes of a second vampire. The remaining nine bullets struck down nine more guards. He dropped both revolvers and drew his Deagles and fired until both clips were finished. He sank to the floor amid the blood of the forty vampires, completely exhausted. He took a few deep breaths and gritted in pain as the bullets that had torn open his chest, stomach and face slowly popped out of his body and clattered to the floor. The wounds immediately healed, leaving no trace of them behind. He reached for more bullets but stopped short as his hands closed on empty air. Damn, I'm out of bullets and I still have to deal with the three.

"Looks like the fool's out of ammo." A mocking laughter followed the statement, echoing across the huge room Blade was in. Chuckles and hoots followed, causing Blade to spin around. Three vampires materialized from the darkness.

"We three are true bloods. It'll be a lot more difficult to beat us."

"No, just more annoying." Blade reached over his head and Tetsu no Kage Ryu appeared behind him. He closed his hands around the hilt and drew the sword forward.

"Let's do this." The first vampire rushed forward, revealing long, wicked looking metal claws protruding from gauntlets on his hands. Blade blocked the savage blows, but one strike got past his guard and the claws caught his side. He flipped backwards and grunted in pain as the blood began to ooze from his body.

"Fine then. I'll get serious." Crimson rays suddenly flashed around his body as the sign of the pentagram appeared under him, as red as his eyes. His body began to lengthen and become thinner. Ropy strands of muscles stretched tight over gaunt form. His hair lengthened to his knees and his eyes held a maniacal gleam.

"Die." He appeared suddenly in front of the first vampire and easily sliced his head off. Instead of the blood falling to the floor however, it was sucked up by the katana. The blade gleamed blood red and seemed to lengthen and sharpen, becoming far deadlier. Blade slashed horizontally and, to the second vampire's horror, the sword lengthened preternaturally and sliced him in half. Again, the blood was sucked into the blade.

"One to go." The final vampire gave a scream of rage and charged forward, his sword high over his head. Blade easily caught the sword in his hand and began to squeeze on it. Instead of his hand being sliced apart, the longsword shattered. Blade drew his hand back and rammed it into the vampire's body, much the way he had with Duncan. He casually bit into the wet heart and swallowed the mouthful before leaving the vampire to die on the floor.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Screw this, I'm going after him!" Kara angrily got up from her seat and made for the door. She slammed the door behind her so hard that it cracked.

"You heard the lady. X-Men, suit up!"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Dreyfus! Come out!" Blade stalked into the throne room, waving his sword around. Dreyfus calmly got up from his throne and opened his empty hands.

"What say we do this with no weapons?" Blade let go of his katana. It shimmered in the air and disappeared before hitting the ground.

"Fine." Dreyfus rushed at Blade and smashed his face with a wicked kick. Bone cracked as Blade's jawbone shattered under the impact. It quickly healed, leaving Blade free to ram his fist into Dreyfus' ribcage. Most of the ribs broke from the impact but healed almost instantly. Punch after punch, kick after kick, the combatants' stamina and strength slowly waned. Blade called on a hidden reserve of strength and disappeared from view, reappearing directly under Dreyfus. He dealt a vicious kick that lifted Dreyfus high into the air. Using both hands, Blade propelled himself upward as well and smashed Dreyfus' jawbone with both feet. He then flipped over and grabbed the imposter's jacket, spinning in the air and bringing the heel of his foot down on Dreyfus' head. As Dreyfus fell down to the waiting floor, Blade disappeared once again from view, suddenly returning to view under Dreyfus, smashing him with his right fist and foot. Dreyfus once again flew upward but Blade was already on top of him, spinning around and dealing a spin kick to his gut. Dreyfus flipped over and smashed into the floor, bouncing. As he reached the apex of his bounce, Blade smashed down on his neck with his shin and foot, driving Dreyfus to the ground and carving a huge crater in the once pristine marble floors. Blade groaned as he got up and watched in surprise as the ceiling shattered and the X-Men, Kara, Malkios and Kyrina leapt in. Blade rose and walked over to Rogue, who had been propped up in a large chair next to the throne and gently stroked her hair. Rogue lazily opened her eyes and gazed into Blade's crimson ones.

"Ah knew you'd save me."

"Anytime, Rogue. Anytime."

"Look out!" Blade's eyes widened as he was speared through the heart and lifted off his feet. The pike slammed into the nearby wall and stuck there, leaving Blade dangling about ten feet off the ground.

"Does it hurt, Azriel? The entire spear is made of silver." Blade screamed as the holy metal touched his skin. Blood welled from the holes in his body as it was slowly consumed by the silver. Dreyfus lifted a small pistol and examined the group in front of him.

"Kara, isn't it? Well, it doesn't matter. You're dead anyway." He calmly fired the gun, shooting Kara straight through the heart with a silver bullet. She gasped and fell limply to the floor. Cries of fear echoed through the vast throne room as Dreyfus laughed maniacally.

"KAAAAAARAAAAAAA!" Tears streamed down Azriel's face as he gripped the spear with both hands and ripped it front his body. His short and cloak went with it, nothing more than black rags as they slowly floated to the ground. Azriel's body glowed with an unholy light as tattoos of black dragons began to appear on his skin. Dreyfus gasped at the sheer multitude. His entire body was covered in the tattoos! Not even Dracula had had that many! He cried out in fear as Azriel locked eyes with him. Five tattoos on his body seemed to grow and they suddenly lifted off his body, becoming shadowy spectral dragons. They roared and rushed at Dreyfus, biting into his forearms and legs. He screamed again as the lifted him bodily off the floor. Azriel watched impassively as the fifth and final shadow dragon closed his jaws on Dreyfus' head. The tattoos retreated back to his body as Dreyfus' lifeless body crashed to the floor. He knelt by Kara and gently kissed her lips.

"Come back to me." A small dragon tattoo entered her body and removed the bullet. Kara gasped as life flooded back into her and she smiled as she looked into Azriel's eyes.

"Blade..."

"Azriel. My name is Azriel." Kara cried and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Oh, Azriel. How I have dreamed of this day!" She fastened her mouth on his and kissed him deeply. As they kissed, the tattoos slowly faded from view. Azriel got up and gently lifted Kara to her feet.

"Malkios, inform the other vampires there has been a change in leadership. A Dracul holds the throne once more. There will be a celebration feast in my father's castle. Please make sure the castle looks decent."

"Of course, my Lord." Malkios bowed, a wide grin threatening to split his face in half as he disappeared into the mist.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The climactic finale! Yay! One more chapter to go. Thanks everyone for all your reviews and support.

Sayonara

Dark Merlyn