So, after two and a half years, houki minami is back with this story...
...
No further explanation here, just enjoy the chapter. If interested on my own, please go to the end notes.
DISCLAIMER: DxD doesn't belong to me~.
Ah man, things are really heating up around here...
Even from here, at the top of Kuou academy, I can smell the stench of the ghoul army Lady and Lord Black unleashed around the perimeter, and from the explosions and blasts of power coming from all directions, I am almost certain that either brother Esther or Annabelle are showing off their skills against the Gremory or Sitri groups, as father said they would. They talk and brag about being descendants of the noble vampire house of Hellsing, but by the end of the night they're just a duo of knuckleheaded hooligans, no wonder father's getting grey hair so earlier...
And what about me, the second son of the so-called 'illustrious prime-minister of the Vampire Kingdom and the right-hand man of the vampire king Nosferatu Black', Alucard Hellsing? I'm just minding my own business here on top of the main Kuoh building, drinking some blood from my beloved thermos and seeing hell quite literally rising down there. As the son of the Prime-minister and the official bodyguard of the Black siblings, I should be there helping them take over Kuoh and kill Lord Black for a new vampiric Era to take place...
But nah. Too much work, and unlike my troublemaking brother and half-sister, I abhor direct confrontation. Screaming attacks, boasting titles and names, doing stupid entrances and poses? Not for me, no sir. Even during wars such as that I prefer to stand a certain level of elegance and grace. So I shall do what I always do: watch how things go from the backstage, and when the dust settles and everyone is tired to the bone, I jump into frame in the last second and break some necks to finish the job...
Annie and Esther call it 'cowardice', I call it 'strategic standing'...
So yes, I shall hang low and watch the madness that unfolds down there. Since nobody is paying attention here, nor want for those ghouls to reach here anyway, I am safe for the time being. So I should just sit down, relax, drink some blood from my thermos and wait for my cue, either to finish the job of save lady and Lord Black in the last moment. I might be a vampire, but to lower myself on the battlefield would also lower my status as a functional being, so I refuse to do such.
...
Strange, why do I get the feeling that someone or something is watching m-...?
"SITRI RIDEEEEEEEEER... KICK!"
*DOOOOON!*
"Holy shit...!" And from the curtain of dust that move created I emerged, running as fast as possible from the ground Zero! What the hell was that all about?! If that attack had hit me, I'd be history by now! I turned my head to the direction of that explosion only to see something or someone jump from the dust cloud it formed and land right on top of the clock tower, the purplish dark sky hiding all the features of the mysterious figure besides her female frame. "Who... Who the hell are you?!"
"I... Am the dark light that scares off the darkness and protect the light! The devilish goddess of power and elegance, the spawn of the Sitri and the Black Dragon King... SERENA SITRI!" And just like in those cheap live-action shows, an explosion of lights emerged from behind her figure, and from it I could see the devil standing there: a voluptuous, scandalous young woman of long black hair and brown eyes, fair skin and the stench of a devil, doing an extremely campy pose. See, this is the type of thing I hate very much! She then pointed a finger at me, her eyes in a daring stare. "And I can assume you're up to no good. I know this school and its students and staff like the palm of my hand, and I know for sure you're not from here! So speak, evildoer! I might get generous in your punishment!"
"Tch...!" Well, there goes my plan to stay in the shadows and wait for a breach for a turnabout entrance! She did say Sitri, so she's without a doubt one of the devils in charge of this place like Sir Black said, which means she might be strong, very strong. Oh no, I was hoping to stay low as much as possible, but it seems that my only choice now is... To run away! "Screw this! Bye!"
"Wait, what?!" And I didn't even leave one last goodbye, I just turned around and skedaddled away from her! Hell if I'm going to face her on my own like that, this is not my turf nor my usual strategy! The best I can do now is retreat and regroup! To my misfortune, Serena Sitri followed me suit! "Where's your pride in your race and powers, vampiric evildoer?! Come here and face me like one of yours would! Let's clash our ideals and see who's on the right this time!"
"Hell no, sister! Unlike you barbaric devils, I'm more on the strategical side of warfare! Direct confrontation is not on my book, sorry!" I said to her, both fingers pointed at her as she chased after me like a rabid animal! In a move of mild desperation, I cut the tip of my finger and formed a blood bubble ball from it, tossing it against her. "Look, leave me alone for now! I don't wanna fight you, I'm here just to kill people! I'll give you some of my blood balls just so you can leave me alone!"
"What? A ball of blood? That's it?!" She says, eyes turned to the small blood orb that was floating away like a soap bubble to her direction. She didn't even want to pay any attention to it, neither try to reach it or hit it down, she just dodged it and resumed her chase! "Sorry, but I'm not that stupid to underestimate this cute thingy! I'll just dodge it and then...!"
"Okay, your loss, Serena Sitri." And she took notice of my change of expressions and tone and turned around, but it was too late: I snapped my fingers once and that little ball of blood suddenly grew minuscule and then exploded in a firework of blood needles, piercing and launching Serena Sitri away. That's what you get when you mess with Alucard Hellsing, dear. I stop on my tracks and turn back to her, who was still using her arms bloody arms as shields after that. "[Blood Royal], my inherited ability to control my own blood and change it to any shape or state I want. The name's very tacky, but for a vampire noble like me, it gets the job done. You shouldn't underestimate me entirely, dear Serena Sitri, otherwise you get wrecked just like that."
"Point... taken." She whispers, and then her eyes shine brightly with a certain hope to defeat me. I grimace at her, and without losing a second thought I toss another blood ball at her! However, she stands up and from her palm she summons a water whip to slash my red sphere in two pieces! "Like I said, point taken! Now that I've seen your ability, it's time for me to show you mine...!"
"Like I said, you underestimate a Hellsing, you get wrecked, Serena Sitri!" I said with another snap of my fingers, and then the two elliptical red balls start to spin on their own, spinning and spinning so fast they turn instead into saucers, almost red rings considering how fast they were spinning! I snap one more time and then both launch themselves against a surprised Sitri, who tried to slash them again with her whip, only to turn now into four bloody saucers! I turn around since, like I said, I have too much class, even to see carnage. This match is already over. "Honestly, you devils..."
*SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!*
"... Have no class at all."
...
*DON!*
"EEEEEEEK...!" What the hell is now?! I thought I could just come down and hide like I was suppose to, but instead something came down and hit me on the back, launching my body forwards and making me fall on my belly! I soon recompose myself, shake the pain away and turned around to face my defeated nemesis only to gasp in horror. She was still standing, and now has massive giant snowflake-shaped ice surrounding her! What?! "Oi oi oi, what the hell is that?! I thought I was done with you!"
"Yo thought wrong, evildoer!" She smiles, lifting both of her hands just to show me four small red rings that were frozen in between her cut fingers, soon smashing them to pieces between them. Wait, are those... My blood saucers?! "Blood... Is still a liquid, right? So all I have to do is freeze them a little so that they enter my domain. A person like you has like... What? 5 liters of blood in your body? For I have the entire humidity under my command! I am the dark flame... And the empress of ice, Serena Sitri!"
"..." Oh boy, I was not expecting this! I don't even need a mirror now (mostly because I don't have a reflection to begin with but whatever) to know I'm sweating buckets and making an undignified face just by looking at her. This is the part where a normal vampire would launch a suicide attack out of pride even if he is pissing himself out of fear... But not me! Alucard Hellsing is getting the fuck out! "Okay nice, so then bye! See ya later!"
"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY RETREATING AGAIN?! THAT'S NOT FUN, VAMPIRE!" She claims, chasing me yet again with her snowflake discs and frozen droplets of blood following suit. Oh shit, oh shit! Leave me alone, you devil lady! This is honestly a bad day for me! There's no way for it to get any worse! I just need to run away and regroup with Esther and find Annabelle! I just need that! "Sousuke-kun, help...!"
"GÀE BOLG!"
What the...?!
*ZIIIING~...!*
"Yeow...!" And for a nail I dodged a crimson spear that appeared out of nowhere, coming from the sky and emanating a deadly aura! However, the scare and the jump were miscalculated, so I ended up tripping and kissing the rooftop floor! When I could stand up and face Serena Sitri again, I could see another figure: a bleached-haired smiling doofus unsticking the crimson spear off the floor and scratching his neck apologetically to the dark-haired chick.
"My bad, kaichou. I missed!" He says in a nonchalant way while flipping the spear between his fingers, as if he didn't try to kill the illustrious me! Said Serena Sitri sighed a smile, patting him on the head.
"It's alright, Sousuke-kun. You can try as much as you want." She smiled, and in another second, both of them turned to me with bloodthirsty eyes. This isn't good, this is not good at all~... I just wanted to stay Low and watch hell unfold downstairs, but it seems... I'll have to go to the main line now. I sigh. "So, are you ready to face us or you're gonna flee like before, vampire-kun?"
"Sigh..." I sighed, a hand on my face doing a pensive pose. To join the frontline on a conflict... This is so inelegant and barbaric, and unlike Annie or Esther, this is not my approach as stated before. To make me come to this... I shall give them what they want. "Okay fine, Serena Sitri and other... I shall show you... What I, Alucard Hellsing from the illustrious house of Hellsing and the bodyguard of the royal family, is capable off, but just don't go regretting it since you're the ones who pushed me that far..."
And then, I could feel my body unfolding into several, dozens, hundreds, thousands of bats as the shadow below my feet start to creep all over the floor and cover the rooftop in a black miasma. This is why I hate going to the frontline, because every time I'm forced to do so, how can I say it...
I end up stealing the whole show.
'Rina, have you ever wondered why Ichijou Tsukino always seems to land on your bosom or other indecent places when he falls near you? How he seems to trip very often only to land on you like a molester would?'
'Hah...? I thought I was just a gag, a joke about him being a harem protagonist?'
'Well, that too. But besides that, it is because of the [ability] we inherited from Grandmother Julicia: [Charisma], the special power to attract. Here, let me show you have you can use it...'
...
The power of destruction of the Bael...
The immense magical reserves of the Gremory...
The metamorphosis of the Alastor...
And now, the charisma of the Paimon...
... I feel them. I feel them deeply from inside me. All those abilities and powers given to me thanks to my ancestors and parents. Being useful or not, they're a part of me, and now I know, I shall pay my respects to all of them, not just the ones I find it more convenient. I am Berolina Gremory, and I pay my deepest respects to all the bloodlines that compose what I am!
"Don't get too cocky, Berolina from the house of Gremory!" I blink once, twice, and even though it is just a blur, I can see him: I can see the son of the illustrious Desmond Hellsing, Esther Hellsing, preparing an attack against me with his sabre! He makes a pose, stomps firmly on the ground and then comes with a thrusting move! However, as he takes the first step, his body literally pushes itself against me, the sudden move making him lose his composure and miss my throat for an inch! I smile. "What the...?! Again...?!"
"Take this, Esther Hellsing!" I declare with a ball of power of destruction to his direction! I thought I had him for a second, but he was faster and ducked the upcoming attack, however losing his balance and rolling on the floor like a ball! He soon regains his sense of honor and stops himself on a three-point pose, fangs gritted and sweat running down his face. He's quick on the catch, but apparently does not know how to deal with upfront. I start jumping back and forward, arms in a combat pose. I feel so light right now~! "What's the matter, Esther Hellsing? Afraid of a little trick? Not to brag or anything, but I feel like I can defeat you, even if you discovered the mystery behind my [charisma]!"
"Tch... You are really the spawn of a Lucifer and the Grandmaster devil, Berolina from the house of Gremory." He declares with a serious tone, standing up and dusting his clothes a little only to point his sabre back at my direction again, eyes brimming with killing intent, yet I'm still so light. "Do not mistake my faults as a sign of weakness; I'm just adjusting to this new gimmick you placed on this spar. Once I'm able to withstand it, nothing but defeat and death awaits thee!"
"Then I'll just have to defeat you before that, right?!" I answer back, running to his direction! I extend a hand towards him and from it unleashed a stream of power of destruction, tinting everything in a eerie dark tone! Esther Hellsing was able to dodge it, ducking to a side and now dashing on my direction! Again, I used charisma to drag him even closer and then he was too close for him sword to even reach me! At this distance, he can't cut or thrust me, but I can attack him! "Now you're mine...!"
*VOOOOOSH...!*
*SCREEEECH...!*
"...?!"
*SLASH!*
"...!" Gah! It hurts! It happened so fast, I didn't even react to it before it was too late: before I could finish him off with another stream of destruction, he simply dodged it away and like a freaking car he drifted a crescent moon under and around me and slashed my back! The pain and surprised made me pull myself forward and kiss the sandy ground, rolling my way to very far so I could recompose myself! Once far enough, I jumped from my rolling pose and stood up facing a now grinning Esther Hellsing. Ow, ow, ow~! The hit was superficial, but still hurts~!
"I see~. So this is how it is~." He intones a mellow voice, toying with the tip of his sword, only to turn back to me with a sharpened sight and whip out his weapon once more! "I figure it out now! If mid-range won't work, I shouldn't distance myself, but come as close as possible!"
"Eek...!" And he comes without any warnings or caution, ready for the kill! I use Charisma once more and like before he comes faster than anticipated, both making him on my range and cutting his time short to even form an attack! I tried once again to blast him with the power of the destruction, but again he escapes my grasp by drifting around me to cut me down! "Kyaaah~...!"
"Oh no, you don't!" But before I could escape, a hand reaches for my collar and instead pulls me closer to him, too close, as if he wants to shove his sword on my throat instead of piercing me with it! I was able to dodge it, just lightly cutting my neck, but once I try to jump and gain some distance, he jumps with me, covering that already! "Why don't you use your charisma now, Gremory? If anything, it'll make my job easier! To throw yourself into my sword!"
"Kh...!" I gasped, not just because he's extremely close to the point it's a bit uncomfortable, but also because he found a weakness on my charisma! As expected from Annie's half-brother, they might be arrogant pricks, but they are sharp, very sharp! I try to fight back with punches and streams of destruction from my palm, but Esther could see through my moves and dodged all of them, while he sliced me left and right and filled my uniform with holes with his own! Too close! He's too close!
"Child's play. I knew that your charisma was only a temporary bother in my chances of victory. Dealing with devils... It's just child's play!" He declares, pride oozing from his voice as he apparently regained his lost confidence. No wonder, he discovered how to counter my charisma in no time, and he got me cornered, forced to just dodge! But I still... I still! "Give up now, Berolina from the house of Gremory. I'm really getting bored from your display of immaturity. I've already proved myself superior, so the least you could do is to elegantly admit defeat... And die by the hands of the illustrious Esther Hellsing!"
"Shut up!" I roared back! I know! I just have to aim at his most exposed and obvious weak point! He's so on the offensive, he won't even notice! I dodge one more slash from his sword and then extended my left hand against his torso! I will blow his main body to smithereens and end th-...!
*VUPT!*
*GRAB!*
"...?!"
"Game over, Berolina from the house of Gremory."
"..." I had no words for that. Again, I ended up underestimating him, and it costly me dearly: I was foolish to think he didn't have way to counter a direct him on his main body, and for that, the moment I was about to blow him up right in the stomach, he disappeared from sight, and in another moment, a hand appeared from nowhere to firmly grab me by the wrist of the left hand while a blade appeared right below my chin, lightly touching it. I blinked once, twice, and turn my eyes to my left side, where Esther Hellsing was now.
"This is the end, Gremory. Your struggle was amusing, but in the end, it was all in vain compared to the might of yours truly, the son of the vampiric prime minister and bodyguard of the royal Black family Esther Hellsing." He declares with a smirk, I grit my teeth in response. "It's no use. I've covered this blind spot of yours easily, and I've also noticed that for some reason you're unable to fire your power of destruction from your bandaged right arm. Neither your charisma or your Power of destruction can reach or affect me now, and all I need is a little push from my sabre to end it all. So, do you admit defeat now, Berolina from the house of Gremory?"
"You...!" I tried to fight back, but he soon shuts me up by rising his blade just a little so my jaw was back in place. The pressure he's putting on his sword is too much, it's even cutting my chin ever so slightly. No matter how much you cut it, I'm trapped in here, and one wrong move means my death!
"Still fighting? You devils really don't know when to quit. It'd be amusing if not also slightly irritating." He declares, pushing his sword further and further into my skin, making blood come from the wound it made. I'm stuck, I'm trapped... I'm at his mercy. "Huhuh, do devils even have a God? A real god, that is? Then you should pray for whatever you believe, because I'm sending you to the otherworld. Any lasts words?"
"..."
"..."
"Hah... Your next line is 'Begging for mercy won't work, but I'll give you a quick death at least', right?"
"Begging for mercy won't work, but I'll give you a quick death at least..." He laughs under his breath, but then realization hits him like a brick, and he turns his incredulous face to me. "W-What in the world...?!"
"Hahahah~!" Now it was my time to laugh, smiling a catty one at him as his smug expression turns into a frown. I guess I made him mad!
"You dare to make fun of yours truly, the illustrious Esther Hellsing?! Die as your kin deserves, child of Gremor-...!" And he was about to thrust his sabre further into my body, piercing my skull and killing me instantly, but instead... *ZING!*, all I could feel was a light poke on my chin. It even tickles a little. I turn to him, and his grimace of doubt and surprise didn't vanish, as he tried, with no avail, to pierce me, his sword going back and forth but unable to go close to harm me. "What in the world...?! What kind of sorcery is this...?! A barrier?! A shield?!"
"Not really... Actually..."
*ZING~!*
"It's strings." I said, my right hand reaching for my red hair to pull from there... A string. A thin, almost invisible silver string that was attached to the rest of my hair which went from my scalp all the way to his hand and the grip of his sword, which under closer inspection, was completely wrapped with Alastor strings, too thin for the eye to see, yet remarkably resistant! I pulled the strings on my fingers, and in a move, I forced his sword to turn away from me, while also pulling his arm backwards!
"S-Strings?! How... When...?!" He started to question, but then as realization comes to him, he blinks once in surprise and shock. Yes! While he was too busy dodging my seemingly harmless attacks and boasting how awesome his own were, I might have used the opportunity to toss one or two Alastor strings around him and, among the chaos that ensued, wrapped a good one on his hand and sword, loosely enough for him not to notice before it was too late! He turns to me with hateful eyes. "You...! YOU...! DAMN GREMORY...!"
"That's Berolina for you!" I said while I pulled the string attached to his arm as forceful as I could, making him practically spin around and twisting his entire arm in a gruesome way while he loosed the grip on my wrist, releasing me from his grasp! I clenched my left hand a few times and once on my range, I aimed it at Esther, who was also recomposing himself! "I'm Berolina first, then Gremory! And now, away with you!"
"Don't get cocky, Berolina Gremory!" He roars back, jumping a good distance from me and then in another flash, dashing in my direction, his sword ready to strike despite his broken arm! I unleashed a stream of power of destruction to his direction, but as expected he dodged it and instead aimed to my right side!
"Not so fast!" I then lifted my right bandaged hand at him clenched In a fist! His response was a laugh!
"I know you're unable to fire the power of destruction for whatever reason from your right arm, Berolina Gremory! Even if you could, your streams are too slow against me! Just accept defeat against the blade of the illustrious Esther Hellsin-...!"
"Rocket... PUNCH!"
*BEEP-BEEP!*
*ZOOOOM~!*
"WHAT THE FUC-...?!"
*PUUUUUUUUUNCH!*
Yes! I did it! I knew accepting Mary-sama's offer to install a rocket punch command on my artificial right arm would come in handy someday!
With just a voice order, my extended right hand clenched in a fist started to beep and produce steam, and then as fast as a rocket, it ejected itself from the rest of my wrist and collided against Esther Hellsing's face in a painful, excruciating punch! I used Charisma one more time to practically make him bury himself against the attacking fist, and then when it ceased, it made him fly away by the sheer impact, his body spinning like a top in midair due to the momentum and lack of solid ground! However, it wasn't over: I attached one of my Alastor strings to the flying rocket punch which now was stuck on his body, so he rolled and rolled in midair while the razor wire would wrap itself against him tighter and tighter, practically mummifying him on itself!
In the end, with a loud *BAM!*, the so-called illustriou son of the vampiric prime-minister and bodyguard of the Black Royalty Esther Hellsing fell on the ground, his entire body wrapped in Alastor strings with no chances of escape or movement and his face wrecked beyond recognition, a steam of heat emanating from one of his cheeks, where my rocket punch hit him square!
He's knocked out cold! I've won! This is a victory for Berolina Gremory! Alastor, Paimon, Bael, Gremory! I dedicate this victory in your names! But most importantly... I've won! Flawless victory! Berolina Gremory... WINS!
"I've won! I'VE WON! Hahahahahah...! The victory goes to Berolina Gremory!"
"Fuck you... Not cool, Berolina from the house of Gremory..." Whispered a defeated Esther Hellsing as he then spits a few teeth away. Well, I might suck a lot, but who's the winner here?! I laugh some more, all the adrenaline coming like a volcano of emotions as I cry and laugh at the same time in deep euphoria and relief!
"Yay! Go me!" I celebrate some more and lift my right hand on the air!
Only to realize that I have one arm missing now. Oh right, Mary-sama did say it is a one-time use since its potent enough to destroy concrete and the likes and it's of highly improbable recovery. This means that I probably won't ever be seeing that arm again and even if I do, the circuits and artificial flesh in it would be fried to the point they'll become unusable, meaning I'm going to spend the rest of the night with just one arm until I get a new one.
Seeing from that perspective, maybe a rocket punch arm is more impractical than useful... On the other hand, it's a very cool Rocket Punch arm!
Wonder where it went, though...
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM BAM BAM...!*
"Annabelle-dono! It's all over now! You have nowhere to go, and even if you escape, I shall pursue you! Just graciously accept defeat and let me smash you!"
Damn it. As much as I hate to admit, she got us good! I threw everything besides my own trump card against the lady of the Three Kingdoms, yet not even combined with Mukuro's Hysteria Modus were able to finally defeat Ryuubi-chan in that state! Her entire being is oozing a malignant aura and her appearance and personality took a turn to the darker, nastier.
So that's the Jaken, the evil fist, that branch of Touki that instead of the natural power, draws energy from the evils of the world! No wonder, Koneko-sama was afraid to use her senjutsu for the longest time, this amount of dark energy would've killed a lesser practitioner, and even Ryuubi-chan's body being Ryuubi-chan's body is barely able to contain it, breaking and ripping her bones and muscles each second that passes only to regenerate it to cause more mayhem! Waiting for her to get tired will be dangerous and she might even die, one of her eyes was already lame due to excess of dark energy, so I'll have to defeat her right here, right now... Easier said than done, though!
*BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!*
"ANNABELLE-DOONOOOOOOOOO...!"
"Holy crap, this chick is packing heat! I don't think my barrier will last long, Annie-san!" I turned to my partner Mukuro-san as we were protecting ourselves under a massive dome made out of swords from her Sacred Gear plus under my War fan. Layers upon layers of blades shielding us from the berserker big-boobed lady outside, yet with each punch the barrier of swords was growing thinner and thinner. "Annabelle-san, if you want to go, just go! I can distract her! She wants nothin with you, so the moment she tries to chase you, I can maybe land a hit or two on her!"
"No way in hell! I dragged you into this! Leaving you just to become a punching bag against her will leave a bad taste in my mouth!" I said back, and she widens her eyes in shock and surprise. Damn it, I won't abandon someone like that in that kind of dangerous situation, I already left my peerage and home just so I could keep up with my dream! If I leave her on her own luck, I won't be able to talk shit about either mom or dad! I reached a hand for my eyepatch. I still have one more use before exhausting all of my chi reserves, but if it has come to this...! "Mukuro, close your eyes and dismiss the barrier! This is my only chance... I will... I will..."
"Annie-san...!" She screams back at me, holding her pawed hand up so she could cup my hand and stop me from unleashing another paralyzing gaze from the medusa eye I stole. I looked back at her in surprise, and to my own, she was... Smiling. Even with in this erratic situation, she's smiling. "Don't... Instead, let me do something for you instead. Today has been such a nice trip, seeing you throwing everything away just because I wasn't able to keep up with those friends of yours... I feel guilty as well! So let me give it my all as well! Let me show you my own trump card!"
"Mukuro...?" She... she's so cool now for some reason. Huh? Is this... What is this feeling on my chest? Why am I so relief and... Happy? I don't remember ever having this kind of feeling, not ever since... Ever since... I hear a faint sound of a rune, and turned back to Mukuro, who summoned a sword for her own and tightly gripped its handle, taking and deep breath and sharpening her stare!
"Okay, here goes nothing..." She whispers, a solemn whisper even at this moment, and then... "[SWORD BIRTH]... [BALANCE BREAK-...]!"
*ZOOOOOM!*
"WHAT...?!"
*PUNCH!*
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH...!"
And then... Silence.
...
Wait, I'm not dead. What the hell happened? I heard the sound of something cutting the air like a razor and when I thought everything was over, an impact shockwave shook the entire barrier around me and Mukuro-san, and then silence. Again, what the hell?
"Uh... What?" And loosing her grip on her sword, The werewolf lady peeked outside through a small hole on the barrier and, gasping in surprise, dismissed the barrier around us. The suddenness of such action was enough to make my heart race as I picked a kunai or two to defend myself, only to loose it up and sigh in surprise with a rather strange sight...
Ryuubi Gentoku, the Rook of Berolina Gremory's peerage, has fallen flat on her back, a massive bump on her face oozing steam as she lies unconscious next to a bodiless arm wrapped in burnt bandages, twitching and trembling, but ultimately knocked out and defeated.
...
WHAT?!
"Well... That happened." Mukuro commented, kicking Ryuubi-chan a few times to test and then confirm that she was indeed out of commission. Little by little, the dark aura that surrounded her started to fade and her horns, dark gauntlets and cleaves started to fade and her skin to adopt a more natural coloration until she was just as the way as I remember, but filled with bruises and broken bleeding wounds everywhere, the aftereffects of said Jaken. My silverette companion then kicks the ownerless arm to a distance. "I guess we gotta thank this arm for saving us I guess. No idea what happened, but I'm glad it did."
"Yeah." I concluded. Why do I feel like this is the punchline of a joke I'm not part of? Well, whatever. Victory is ours, if just by chance. Taking a deep breath, Mukuro turned back to normal and cracked her neck a few times, turning her attention to me...
"Well, shall we go, Annie-san? The vampire king ain't just gonna kill himself, right?" She jokes, and I let out a small chuckle, if only to get rid of the cryptic and awkward aura surrounding us. I know she's just trying to break the ice, but she doesn't have to force herself. I was about to turn around and resume my quest in killing and becoming the new Vampire King... But then I stopped. I looked back at Mukuro.
"Wait... Mukuro, I think it's best for you to stay." I said to her, and she widens her eyes in surprise. Before she could say anything, I reached for my pockets and tossed her two items: a flask of Phoenix tears I got from the black market and a small box containing... My former left eye. "Here, use the liquid on this flask to mend Ryuubi-chan's wounds, and as for the box... If you ever find yourself in a pinch again, just eat what's inside and if you're a real werewolf, you'll be invincible. Besides that, I will go on my own from now on."
"Eh...? What gives? Annie-san, what gives~!" We inquires me with curiosity. I can sense she's not actually upset, and I'm glad for that for some reason. I turn around and wave her a goodbye as I walk towards the Kuoh's old building and pick one of her demon swords, the crude aura around it showing me it has he same vampire-properties of a werewolf. "Annie-san..."
"I shall become the new Vampire king by the end of the Night... But I refuse to let people die that simply on my way to royalty. I want you to help Ryuubi-chan and take care of yourself. You can even run away if it becomes too much." I say to her, and I could sense that she no longer questions me, as she instead smiles and nods as I give one last look at her. Yes, no more sacrifices or risks from now on, either I become the Vampire king... Or die, no reason to drag anyone else towards this mess. "So please... Let me finish this. I am forever grateful for your loyalty, and you're my friend, Mukuro, so please... Live now. And thanks for everything..."
"Annie-San..." She whispers, but then sighs and nods, as I can see she sitting next to Ryuubi-chan to drop the Phoenix tear on her, soon mending and closing all the wounds the Jaken left on her body. That's good. Letting people die or be killed at this rate would be too much even for me, and I wouldn't ever be able to badmouth mom or dad about anything anymore...
As for me... I step right in front of the door leading to the old Kuoh building and braced myself for what's to come. Be heaven or hell... I'm ready! I am Annabelle Hellsing, and tonight, I either become the new Vampire King... Or die with all the sins that led me here! Let's go!
"...?"
"Is something to matter, Tsukino-kun?"
"Nothing, Akatsuki-san. I just feel... A disturbance. Something's not right, I can feel it."
"Maybe it's those two?"
"GRAAAAAAAUR...! YOU GODDAMN FAKER! I WILL RIP YOUR FACE OFF AND USE YOUR FAKE FUR LIKE A MATT..!"
"CURSED BE THE VAMPIRE! CURSED BE THOSE TWO...!"
And Akatsuki-san and I were forced to cover our ears as our knights started to scream for dear life, something about Annie having a werewolf partner now and fought them beforehand until they were turned into stone by a medusa stare and tossed aside like trash. Sheesh, what the hell. Of all the archetypes a Knight could have, why the temperamental one ended up with us...
But as we calmed down, I started to have a pretty good idea of what's going on: The children of the current vampire King wants to kill him and take his place as the strongest vampire on command, and for that they not only have an army of ghouls but also their bodyguards, whore are Desmond-sama's own sons and Annie's half-brothers, to clean the place so they can reach the Vampire King faster. Also, Annie is here with a werewolf friend and she wants to kill Nosferatu-sama too, all the while the latter knew about this entire plan and wants to use that as an excuse to kill Nemesis-san and Serena-kaichou and pretend they were just casualties of the independent actions of his kids, escaping better judgement...
Again, I'm baffled at the supernatural world's unnecessarily complicated issues, conspiracies and networks. Why can't this be a 'bad villain doing bad stuff' kind of story?!
"Akatsuki-san, you said Nero-San is also here because he knew from the start about Nosferatu-sama's machinations from Desmond-sama, right?" I turned to my fellow queen and she nodded in response. Apparently, Nero-San got involved into this mess as well due to Cohen-sama, so he must be with Nemesis-san and Rina since Akatsuki-san was with kaichou and Evelyn before that massive light beam attacked the conference room. That's good, with him around, our chances grow even more. "So, what's the plan now? We still have an army of ghouls to clean before we can reach the conference yet again. Any idea how to? Don't you have, like, a super proton cannon from Azazel to help?"
"I used to, but then Master Tomoe confiscated it after master Anakim and I almost accidentally blew Mount Fuji off with it." She said with a weight on her words and making a face. Yikes, so she also has some pretty colorful people on her life, specially this master Anakim gal. Sorry for asking, Akatsuki-san. Her face then sharpens and her brows furrow even more. "Incidents aside, our only choice is to open a path ourselves and either confront or contour in order to reach the old building. We still gotta protect Lord Lucifer and Lord Leviathan and the Vampire Kings."
"Like hell I'm gonna protect a damn vampire! Even more than ever now that I know he almost killed Serena-sama!" And then her own werewolf came screaming at us, barring his fangs and eyes shot in red. Oh right, not only he's pissed about this whole conspiracy thing, werewolves have a natural hatred for vampires and vice-versa. Kan'u came right after, also with bloodshot eyes and almost salivating.
"Seconded! My loyalty are Berolina's and Lady Liu Bei's only! For a traitorous bloodsucker to toy with it is nothing short of worth execution!" My knight exploded, and even Akatsuki-san had to take a step back to gain some space from the raging speedsters. Shit, they're too angry to reason with, two on top of that even.
"I know you two are mad, I know how you feel too, but we have to protect not only our own demon lords, but also the Vampire King. If they fall, so does the reputation of our King, Hide." Akatsuki-san tried to reason with them, but all she got were growls of protest and wrath. This is exactly what she said to me, and this reasoning is not wrong in the slightest, but this won't work with those two simpleminded idiots... I snap my fingers in realization.
"Also, since the vampire king is the main target, this means everyone will be heading there as well!" I said with a bright lightbulb practically shining above my head, and everyone gasped with that as well. Of course! We might want to gut Nosferatu-sama for this whole shtick, but while that can wait, since he's the main target of all the factions in this place, he's also the sink draining everyone around. Everyone will be heading there! "So, if we are able to reach the old building before either Annie or the Black siblings...!"
"We can kill Nosferatu first and become vampire kings before them!"
*BONK!*
"No, you idiot! It means we'll be able to gather all our enemies in one place and dispose of them at once while protecting the members of the conference!" Thank God Akatsuki-san was the one to hit her own Knight on the head for his erroneous deduction, because while it was nerve-wrecking, hitting someone else's evil piece just sounds wrong. Kan'u, unlike her knight companion, also came to that conclusion. Yes, we know where they're going and why, so all we need is to get there first and face them before they can reach the conference room!
"The problem is, the Black children probably are halfway through the place and we're still far away from the old building." I deduced, looking at the tip of the old building's tallest roof and the army of ghouls surrounding it. "Kaichou and Rina also lifted a barrier around the building, so it'll be hard to teleport anywhere near it. If only there was a faster way to get there... The army of ghouls is also a problem..."
"That won't be a problem, at least for us." Akatsuki-san declared. I turned a puzzled stare at her, and her only response to that was to turn to Sanada-senpai. "Hide, if you please."
"Hell no! I'm still mad about this whole 'killing Serena-sama' stuff!" He growls like a mad dog, but Akatsuki-san was unfazed, only sighing while cupping her face.
"Hide, I know how you feel, but if we don't do something, Serena will be facing even more problems if all of our enemies start to gather there since I know she'll carry her mission regardless of circumstances. It is our duty as her evil pieces to help her and her mission." She declares, frowning even more. The werewolf senior was still on the edge, I don't blame him, but I could see he was starting to fault. "Sanada Hideyoshi, evil piece of the Knight, I'm the queen of Serena Sitri's peerage. In her absence, I'm the one who shall lead her pieces. As such, please help me reach the main building before its too late for both us and Serena!"
"Shit! Okay, fine! Fuck..." He curses one more time, but then shakes his head and nods at his queen. He must really admire Kaichou.
Sanada-senpai then starts to bend over to the floor and while doing it, his body started to change: his back bends and grows, grey fur starts to grow from his skin while his face features turn sharp and canine. His hands and feet turn into pass with sharp claws and his teeth turn into pearly white fangs, while his legs and arms grow and bend! In the end, he open his now golden eyes with sharp irises, and let out an animalistic howl.
He was man no more, but a beast, a massive grey wolf that was as large as a horse. In no time, Akatsuki-san jumped on his back and adjusting herself a little on his back, pulled from inside her clothes a ruby-colored chinese fan and turned back to me!
"I'll be going ahead and trying to open a path! Kan'u-san, Tsukino-kun, please follow suit! Don't be slow!" She declares and without pause the grey wolf jumps into the army of ghouls, tearing them apart with his sharp claws and teeth while the girl riding him summons light spears and creatures powerful gusts of winds from her fan, opening a straight path of destruction towards the old building.
"Ah~, what day is today, anyway? I thought it couldn't get any worse, but now..." I murmur in misery yet surprise with a hand on my face. No joke, this night has been a rollercoaster of events that I shall never forget no matter how much I try. A fallen angel riding a grey werewolf, unfortunately not the craziest thing I've seen so far, so it means it can only get worse from here. Snapping from my stupor, I turn to Kan'u, who for some reason was also staring back. "Is something to matter, general Kan'u Unchou?"
"I'm waiting." She declares with arms crossed. I frown a bit for that, silently asking what she's waiting for. She catches my cue. "You saw how Sanada-dono served as a ride for lady Shiranui. Aren't you going to morph as well into a passable vehicle so we can resume our mission?"
"You think I'm Friender or something?! I can't turn into a vehicle or an animal like that!" Just because my Balance Breaker looks like a Gundam doesn't mean I have the ability to transform or change into a vehicle! I know that much because, uh, I already tried doing that, with no results whatsoever! (That's so embarrassing...) I puff a sigh of distress and rage out of system and taking a deep breath, I summon Ix and my Boosted Gear, facing the remaining ghoul army. "Whatever. It might take a while, but I know we can at least dent our way into this mess. Kan'u, I'll looking after your back, so please, look after...!"
"So you have no ways of locomotion whatsoever. Again, you never fail to disappoint me." She however takes one step further forwards Away from me, then turns around to give me a contemptuous side glance. I was ready to talk back, but then she sighs and blinks once, twice, before leading her fingers to her mouth in a ring. "It seems you leave me no choice. I will have to request his assistance."
"His assistance? Kan'u, what the hell are you saying...?"
"*PHEEEEEEEEEEW*...!" She didn't even let me finish, The tiger general blew a whistle as loud as she could, loud enough to resonate with the entire aura, and then waited. I was about to say what the hell was that all about, but what happened next left me speechless: out of the sudden, a black rune around our size appeared in midair in front of us shaped like a Chinese mandala and from it came a sound. It was... A neigh?
Suddenly, without warning, something jumped from the rune, crossed all the way running forward only to drift around in a crescent moon shape and run back at us, stopping right in front of Kan'u! With that speed, it lifted a curtain of smoke against us, making me shield my eyes against the dust around.
When I could see clearly again and the dust settled, I was bewildered and at loss of words with the sight in front of me: in front of Kan'u was a massive, extremely cool, über-badass black motorcycle with crimson highlights, massive exhaustion pipes from each side and monster dark wheels! That's... That's the coolest motorbike I've ever seen! What the hell?! What is today?!
"K-kan'u... What... The hell... Is that thing?" I murmured between horror and sheer bliss, almost drooling just by looking at that awesome ride. In response, she frowned, reaching her hand for one of the engines.
"Watch your tongue, Hong Long. This is not a 'thing', but a family heirloom passed down through generations just like the Crescent moon blade. I won't allow you to disrespect him." She says, revving the engine a few times. However, instead of the usual roar of the exhaustion pipes, what came from that badass bike was... A neigh? The sound of a horse?! How come?! "His shape and form might've changed, but the spirit within and it's loyalty to the Guan bloodline remains. This is... The ultimate war horse given to us by lord Cao Cao himself, Chi Tù, the Red Hare!"
No way! I thought she only had the Seiryuutou and nothing else since she never said anything, but it'd make sense for her to have one of the most famous horses in history, the ultimate war horse originally belonging to the warlord Ryoufu only to pass down to Kan'u from SouSou, now something shaped like a very awesome motorbike, sekitoba, the red Hare! Kan'u wasted no time as she hopped on the motorbike that was apparently also a horse, and a tiger-themed helmet materialized on her head. She revved the engine, and again the pipes neighed!
"H-Hey, Kan'u... Can I... Can I... Can I ride on it too? Pretty Please?" I said, coming closer to my knight who so suddenly became the most radiant person around with an anticipation grin and my best good-boy impression. Oh please, let me at least sit on the back~! I want to taste how a real bike feels like! She stops on track, and frowns again, but sighing soon after.
"In any other occasion, I would ask you to fornicate with thy own mother. However, seeing how dire our situation currently in, I have no choice. Hop on." She declares with a defeated sigh, and I try not to show, but I'm almost jumping in euphoria for that! Hell yeah! I practically hop behind Kan'u and started to feel the bike on its entirety: the soft yet firm seat, the trembling of its engines and the fumes coming out of the pipe, leaving a remarkable impression of potency and power! Hell yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about! She revs the engine once more, making the entire back practically roar. "Hold on tight now! Chi Tù can run 1,000 ri in a single day! I won't be responsible if you get careless!"
"Right!"
*GROPE!*
"..."
"..."
...
"Hong Long..."
"Yeah..?"
"You were suppose to hold me by the waist, not by the mammaries."
"Oh, my bad. Force of habit." I said in a sincere apology, lowering my hands from her C-cup to her massive hips.
"Get your hands off my crotch as well!"
"Sorry. Like I said, force of habit." And I remove my hands from her nether areas and lock them around her stomach.
She let out a disgusted grunt, but the revved Sekitoba's engine once again, and then off we went, practically running over a horde of ghouls in high speed!
Hell yeah! That's the shit! That's what I'm talking about! Prepare yourselves, vampire royalty!
Cuz the sekiryuutei is back in action!
And that's the end of the chapter...
...
I missed writing this story so much.
It's not because of just writer's block or anything, I also had a sort of a minor mental breakdown considering how hyped I wrote this arc to be, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't think of a way to make it work, leaving this story in hiatus for so long. I feel like I disappointed myself and my own characters and story if I couldn't come up with something nice to write and, eventually, I went from doubtful, to scared in writing this story. I like this story and its world so much, but I ended up running away, and its a bit embarrassing to admit that considering I'm a grown adult woman now. But I'm back, and I'll try to write on this story again. It might take a while, but now that I have a better idea of how to handle this, I promise I'll at least finish this arc as soon as possible. No promises, but I'll try my best!
I did other fanfics and stories under different names, and I even wrote my own novel, but this story was always on the back of my head from time to time. I didn't want to left it unfinished, but like I said, I was unable to come up with something until now after other dozen stories written and even a work on my own. I'm sure some have give up on this story or grew out of fanfiction altogether, but for those who stuck with it I'm so sorry for the wait, and for newcomers, thanks for reading this mess up to this point. This makes me very happy, happier than anything else.
I'm actually composed and quite prideful (aka hardheaded) about my works, so you won't catch me dead writing a "I'm putting this story on hiatus" or "I've lost interest so this story is discontinued" like so many authors do, nor I'm sappy enough to write down an apology or even an excuse for abandoning fanfics for so long, so take those words as coming from my heart, because this is the last time I shall do this. I know this is quite cringe to sound like a tsundere, but I do appreciate your interest to this fic, and please, no "I'm glad you're back" kinds of comments. I'd never say it, but its a bit embarrassing to receive them because It makes me feel like a neglectful girlfriend to a loyal boyfriend and it as bad as it sounds... But of course, If you want to leave one to show how much you appreciate my return, I think I can bear with it for your sake.
God, this is a long A/N, probably the longest I did. I'm so embarrassed about writing about it and probably will be even more after this chapter is published and I read it again, but I won't modified because if I did, I don't think i would be able to write it those words down again, so thanks wholeheartedly for reading at this point and I promise to try to put this fic back on tracks. I might stumble a little, but I shall do my best from now on.
It's good to be back...
Stay safe and sound;
Greetings from Houki Minami.
:3
...
I'm not sorry about Rina's rocket punch.
Neither about Guan Yu's stolen steed (who was Lu Bu's, but it also ended with Guan Yu in the Sangoku-shi story by he end... Also, I wanted her to have a cool motorbike).
Nor ending Liu Bei's battle with a literal punchline.
Sorry, not sorry.
At all.