Chapter 5: Two Vampires, One Snowgirl, and a Tsunukecicle
"Moka!" He couldn't move his mouth. Everything was too cold or too trapped to make even a wiggle. But still, his eyes opened themselves wide, no matter how much the air stung them. The pain helped, actually. It was keeping him awake.
"…You're supposed to be gone." Mizore said, finally deciding between the two new arrivals who she wanted her attention on. "How did you survive, Moka?" She asked, her glare fixed.
Despite the clear danger right before her, Moka's uneasy gaze still shifted, going from Mizore over to Shalltear, unsure as to who to be more concerned about.
"Forgive me in your next life, Moka Akashiya. If you can." Mizore said simply as she kept her pinned down with one arm while the other raised itself up. Through teary eyes and blurred vision, Moka watched as the hand twisted and expanded outward, the ice taking the new form of a long, sharp blade. "For me to obtain by my heart's desire…you must die…"
With that, the blade aimed straight for the center of Moka's brow.
From a single strike at its side, the ice doll was shattered into ice cubes.
Moka fell to the floor, coughing and wheezing as she was finally, mercifully, allowed to breathe again.
"Well now…certainly a good thing you invited me to check out your little club, isn't it?" Shalltear said, flashing a fanged smirk at the kneeling girl holding her bruised throat as the numerous crystals fell to the floor around them.
She had saved her life. Yes. And followed her all the way out here, even being the one to spot Tsukune and Mizore so far away in the distance. Moka was, in truth, very grateful.
And yet…that gratitude still found itself being held back. Her inner self's warning was still fresh in her mind and now, being this close to her again, despite being on the same side, Moka could really feel it now that she was paying attention. Every instinct of hers was screaming to get away from this girl. Her stance was so casual. Her smirk so delightful. And yet, this didn't feel like simply another student standing beside her.
But for right now…
"Please… Will you help me save Tsukune?" Moka begged Shalltear, her voice still cautious as she forced herself to push her stare back on Mizore.
"Oh, I suppose." Shalltear replied with a sigh, closing her eyes with such smugness. "I've already followed you out this far when you ran from the classroom screaming in a panic over this boy. May as well at least see what makes him worth all this fuss."
Moka gave a stiff nod. "Thank you." It was a risk. But with her powers sealed, she knew she couldn't take on Mizore alone. She needed someone who could actually fight.
With that, Moka pushed her legs to run her forward, moving now while her nerves were still steeled.
"Stay away from us!" Mizore warned, the lakebed quaking as countless pillars of ice erupted upwards. Whether it was to block the path or simply impale her, they closed the distance quickly, Moka barely managing to avoid more than a few close calls. Right before her eyes she saw her own reflection staring back at her. Just an inch closer and this spike of ice likely would be going through her head right now. If only Kurumu were here, they could have just flown over.
It was then that another face started to overtake the reflection's own; Mizore's features becoming sculpted into existence by the new ice doll forming out of the spike.
It wasn't alone either. All around Moka she turned to see three…four…five more! She was encircled. Trapped in the center of these transparent clones.
There was a flash, like the swing of a blade, and the ice doll that was closest to making the first strike found its head and hand taken off; the severed appendages falling to shatter against the lake's frozen surface.
A few more of the same and within an instant Moka's path was clear once more.
"W-…What…?" Mizore almost took a step back from shock. Her expression barely changed but there was no way such a sight couldn't get to her at least somewhat.
While Moka kept running with a full sprint, Shalltear simply continued her unworried pace, keeping held up a single finger, blowing gently on the sharpened nail.
"If you're going send out distractions, dearie, you really should use them as an opportunity to run away. It won't work but it does make for a much more exciting chase."
"She cut them…with a fingernail?" Mizore's brain struggled in believing the reality of the situation. Yes, these dolls were just made of ice but they were being fueled directly by her Yōki, her own spiritual energy. This close to her they should have about the same density as stone, yet even now every doll she sent at the two girls was being sliced apart like cold butter. More and more they were closing the distance, though only Moka seemed in a hurry.
"I think I'll see if this snowgirl's heart is ice on the inside too." Shalltear mused to herself, feeling her eyes widen and her jaws start to open wider, the blood frenzy almost upon her in anticipation of the kill. In three…two…o-
["Shalltear."]
The moment Shalltear's next footstep she took a hard slide across the ice, falling backwards and hitting her head with a harsh BANG!
"Owww…!" She whimpered as she held her skull by its back. It wasn't like she'd taken any actual damage from the fall. Honestly, it didn't even hurt to begin with. Demiurge had once explained to her that reacting at all was just simply a psychological reflex; expecting something to hurt even when it doesn't…though even he couldn't exactly explain why such a thing still applied to the Floor Guardians. They could survive and even completely negate environmental damage like heat and cold, yet even the drop of a short distance they'd expect to hurt if they weren't ready for it. Perhaps it was just an instinct their creators had left them with.
Regardless, Shalltear was quick to try and seat herself back up. She could not dare to leave her master waiting.
"Lord Ainz?"
"That's correct." Ainz confirmed to her, the mirror floating before him on the desk showing, not his own reflection, but rather an aerial view of the battle at the lake, getting a live feed of the small figure that was Shalltear reacting to his [Message]. "I'm using the Mirror of Remote Viewing. Aura has already informed me of the situation and is there with you."
["She is?"] Ainz could see her looking around, though they both likely had an understanding that such a thing was pointless. Ironically it would take someone of the elf girl's build to even have a chance of finding her. Even he would need very specific items to make just the attempt.
"We are still somewhat in the dark as to the power levels of this world. Hang back for now. I wish to observe what happens. You have my permission to fight if you feel your life is in true danger, but for now, take a dive."
"Uh…y-yes. As you command, my lord." Shalltear complied with the order as the [Message] ended. She didn't quite get it. She'd been just about to take the girl out and Moka's clear struggle to even get close seemed to indicate pretty well what the end of this fight was going to be. Still, it was an order from her beloved master. Her life's purpose and that of every other being created by the Supreme Ones was to obey them, most especially the last who remained, and there was not a single one of them who would hesitate in that or be unhappy in doing so. He said to take a dive, therefore she would take a dive.
More and more spikes burst up all across the lake's surface, Mizore striking rapid fire at this point just to keep both her enemies at bay. Moka had more than a few scratches from where the sharpened ice had nicked her, but now, a sitting duck, one of the geysers found its way to Shalltear, striking her dead on.
…The spikes didn't even break through the skin. The only reason this wasn't obvious to anyone else was probably because the cascade of ice was mostly obscuring her from view.
"Damn. What does an injury from an attack of this level even look like?" Shalltear cursed, knowing she only had the barest of seconds to give a reaction. She wasn't really used to being on this side of things. "Uh… G-! GAH!"
With the spring of her feet, she threw herself backwards, like the ice had just punched her.
"Shalltear!" Moka cried out her name, watching as the other girl landed like a ragdoll, unable to tell if she was dead or simply unconscious (and having little reason to suspect it was neither).
Mizore herself found her mouth letting out an unintentional breath of relief, actually a little surprised she'd gotten her. Was the girl just a glass cannon perhaps? All that power focused entirely in her strikes and not a thought given to her defense?
Whatever the case, she'd taken care of the bigger threat and was no free to focus on the true target of her ire. And just in time too by the look of it. She'd been to fixated on Shalltear and a certain someone had taken full advantage of that distraction.
Finally, Moka was there, face to face with Tsukune, nearly crying in relief as she saw his eyes still moving. She heard the smallest sounds of cracking, looking over to see the frost slowly breaking away off his right arm. He was trying to move it towards her. Should she take it? Perhaps with the right leverage she'd be able to pull him out.
"AUHH-!" The muffed grunt vibrated inside the glued-shut jaws of Tsukune. Whatever he wanted to say was impossible to tell but the panic in his tone was clue enough for Moka to figure out it was a warning.
Had she taken just a second more to understand, the attack from behind would have been the end of her. Instead, Moka had moved just enough to have the column of ice merely strike at her shoulder. The attack that would have punched through her body instead merely punched her, sending the girl flying past Tsukune and landing harshly on the ice, sliding on her side for several feet until she finally came to a stop.
Mizore stepped her way forward, crouching down over her injured prey. "Did you really think you could keep me from my soulmate?" She asked, watching closely for any motion to see if Moka had the strength left to get back up. When none came, she commanded her claws to extend; the tips gleaming as their sharpness reached its most refined edge. "Be a good girl and just..."
She brought her swing up and then sent it back down. Like a guillotine.
"DIE ALREADY!"
And then…the girl of the ice froze.
The dark aura passed over the lake like a pulse, Shalltear herself even finding her eyes popping open as it washed over her.
"What the…?" She sat up. She would not disobey her master's orders, even in her state of surprise. But her act of playing dead was forgotten, her eyes needing to see what she was feeling.
The central point of the suffocating presence was not hard to locate. Most certainly not for Mizore, who could almost feel an unseen wind passing through her hair as she stood so close to the source. Like the wingbeat of a thousand bats encircling the area.
The color drained from Moka's hair; the pinkness of cherry blossoms replaced by silver that glowed like the moon. Since her opponent was being so generous as to allow her the chance, she rose back up to her feet. Her height had not changed, and yet, to Mizore, it felt that she was almost towering over her now.
All eyes present where fixed on the same person. But of them, only Tsukune had the missing piece to know what it was that was happening.
In his hand, his frozen fingers curled so stiffly around it he worried if he'd ever be able to let it go after this, was Moka's rosario. Grabbed when she had been near. Removed when she had been sent flying.
The eyes of the second silver-haired woman to grace this battlefield opened, revealing a blood red stare that cut deep into Mizore's soul.
The inner Moka had been unleashed.
The lollipop fell from Mizore's mouth, with she herself not even noticing. She had heard the rumors about what Moka's true nature was. The vampire. The strongest of all monsters. It certainly sounded intimidating on paper but to experience just the presence of one this close…!
"What…are you…?" Mizore said, still unable to quite believe it, even as she felt the tremble from the weight of her claws.
Moka did not say anything back. No. Instead, she simply continued her glare. Mizore could feel it. Her one warning.
"Tsk-! I don't care!" That Mizore managed to actually push her body to attack…was that bravery or foolishness? "I'll-!"
A shoe met instantly with Mizore's stomach.
Before Tsukune even had the chance to blink and he was freed, his body hitting the ground along with countless glistening shards. Mizore's body hadn't even collided directly with the ice containing him but the sheer force of Moka's kick caused her impact with some of the ice pillars to create a shockwave sent across ALLLLL the ice nearby. The lake's surface was heavily cracked across its length and all that was left coating Tsukune was a thin layer of quickly melting frost.
It was over. One hit and Moka had won. Both the battle…and potentially the stone skipping contest; her "stone" having made it to other side of the lake entirely and even past some of the trees.
Tsukune coughed, his arms rubbing his chest in an attempt to warm up. He stood, staring at Moka's backside for the longest time before she finally took a glance back at him.
"Moka, I-… Thank you. You saved me. …Again." He said, trying to keep the self-pity out of his voice. He'd meant what he'd said to himself before. He wanted to apologize. But…it was still hard getting this much of a shot of reality how little he'd changed. Especially after the Witch of the Knoll. "Listen…I-"
"It's good that you want to get strong in your own right, Tsukune."
Her words cut him off, causing Tsukune to blink and raise back up the head he hadn't realized he'd been lowering. The look she gave him…it wasn't one of pity or scorn.
"But…Moka was terribly lonely before you came along." She told him, a gentle smile on her face that almost made her resemble the outer Moka. "You're helping her just as much as she's helping you. Don't forget that."
Tsukune just stood there. Such was the power of the inner Moka. Just a few sentences…and he was already defeated.
"I am SO not alone!"
Moka almost was tempted to laugh, seeing how quickly the goofy grin returned to his face and how he tried (and failed) to hide his blush as he rubbed the back of his head.
Almost. But even with Tsukune freed and the snow girl beaten, there was still the matter of…
"…!"
Tsukune came back down to reality, noticing Moka's widened eyes. He turned to see what she was looking at and didn't find anything. His confusion continued on for a moment more, staring in ignorance at the vacant ice…until he realized that's exactly what the problem was. Nothing was there.
Shalltear was gone.
"Well, that was certainly quite the comeback." Ainz mused, elbow resting against the arm of his chair as his hand stroked his pointed chin, eyes still watching the two remaining figures on the mirror. "Almost reminds me of those Battle Shonens Touch Me tried to get me into."
Placing the fingers of his other hand against his "ear", he activated [Message] once more.
"Aura. I take it you observed the battle well."
["You bet I did, Lord Ainz! Ready and waiting to give my report."] She answered him back enthusiastically, Ainz almost able to see her saluting to him in his mind.
"Excellent. Please, go on."
["Well, the Snow Fairy isn't really much to speak of. She's a little stronger than the succubus and witch the guy hangs out with but honestly the only real thing she has going for her is those ice dolls and even those are pretty flimsy. As a summon they're maybe only about the level of the Skeleton Warriors back at Nazarick. Maybe even a tier lower than that."]
"And the vampire?"
["She's definitely nowhere close to the same level as a vampire like Shalltear but she could probably give a decent fight against one of the Vampire Brides. She's a little harder to get a read on since she's apparently been really concealing her power every time I was observing her before."]
"Hm. Still, that is somewhat impressive. Relatively speaking." Ainz thought back to the encounters Nazarick's forces had gone through back in the previous world. True, they only had the country of Re-Estize as their sample size but from what they had seen most of even their most exceptional warriors capped out at about level 30, with some exceptions like that masked Evileye woman, whom they estimated to be closer to 50 given she was able to take on Entoma (Ainz felt his blood boil for a moment at the memory of when he believed she may have killed the maid before his emotional suppresser cooled him off). Even the summons those of that world considered to be on the level of the gods like the Skeletal Dragons and Dominion Authority were restricted to that upper limit; unable to use or withstand anything greater than 7th tier magic. If Aura's estimate was correct, that'd put this Moka on roughly the same ground as Gazef Stronoff. Though this was likely based solely on her sheer raw power. Gazef's fighting skill was probably closing the gap from where his limited human strength left off. Depending on how you looked at it you could then put her a little higher or a little lower.
Ainz looked down at his free hand. Each of his fingers was adorned by a ring with a different enchantment. He wondered if perhaps the girl's Rosario functioned similarly to the one on his middle, which hid his stats from detection by divination-type magic.
"Good work, Aura. Continue watching over the two and their friends. Between yours and Demiurge's investigations I want to be able to determine the average power of this world before we make any larger moves."
[Not a problem, Lord Ainz!"]
"Oh! Before I forget, is Shalltear with you?"
["Ye-…Yeah…"]
Ainz cocked his head, puzzled by her tone. "Is something wrong?"
…
"Well…" Aura responded awkwardly, turning around to see the sight. "No more than usual."
Shalltear was holding herself by her arms, her body swaying back and forth like a snake made of gelatin; Aura practically able to see the hearts flying from her head.
"Ooooooh! I think I'm in love!" The vampire's voice was somewhere between a moan and a cackle as she became more and more lost in her fantasies. "I already wanted to make the pink haired version one of my Brides but that new one! Just imagining getting to break her…! Her underneath me, with Lord Ainz on top! Ooh! I almost lost myself for a moment there!"
Aura's face had already drooped as much as it could. It wasn't disgust she wore on her features, more just…exhaustion. She was used to her "cousin's" tastes by now, even more so with how openly she'd express them…and that was about the extent of it. She wouldn't disapprove but she would still judge.
"I'll…keep an eye on her too. Make sure she doesn't do anything reckless." Aura said into the spell.
["…See that you do."] Ainz replied. Even without visuals, he got the idea.
Author's notes: While the manga is far better with how it handles it than the anime, Rosario+Vampire is still a harem romance and so when coming up with this story I naturally had to ponder whether any of the Overlord characters would be likely to develop an attraction to Tsukune. When the answer was no, I then pondered whether any of the Overlord characters would have an attraction to ANY of the Rosario+Vampire characters. And right out the gate I knew I had to have Shalltear getting the hots for Moka, because she is a horny f**king vampire who'd have reason for wanting to bang either Moka, inner or outer.
Also, sorry this chapter's a little shorter. Originally this section was actually part of last chapter but it ended up being too long and I felt it flowed better if I split it up where Shalltear arrived. Next chapter will be longer though, so don't worry.
Bit of a side question: I always read every review/comment that gets posted on my stories and sometimes I do want to respond back to some of them. I was inspired to do that for my Grim Tales stories by AkumaKami64, who does that for most of his and I always enjoyed him answering my questions, along with those of others, and just the general interaction between author and readers.
So I'm tempted to do that for this story too, but I'd want to know how people would feel about that first. The way I'd do it would be like how I did in my Grim Tales stories, where the first part of every new chapter would be dedicated to responding back to reviews/comments posted for the previous chapter and then there'd be a marker showing where the chapter itself actually begins. But that'd mean a bit you'd need to scroll through before you can get to the chapter itself if you don't care about the replies and I'm not sure how annoying some might find that. I could also have the replies be at the end of the chapter, like here where the author's notes are, so it'd be less to scroll through, but it could also give the impression at first that the chapter is longer than it really is and could end up feeling like a rip-off.
So this is kind of a question of preference. Would you be okay with having replies to reviews/comments every chapter or would you prefer to just have each chapter be ONLY the story itself without the extra clutter? And, follow-up, if you are okay with having the replies, would you prefer them to be at the beginning or end of the chapter? Keep in mind, if I'm replying to one post I'm going to try replying to all of them simply to keep things fair. You can see a story of mine like Grim Tales: Complex or the Oneshot Collection for examples of how it'd look. I actually haven't done this for my Overlord fanfics because those were mostly just short stories.