The endless night reaches its climax, and the moon is clouded by the crimson nimbus of deception. But, on well, we can still dance under the rain.
DISCLAIMER: dxd doesn't belong to me~.
And I got myself a werewolf lady...
After all that struggle, all that pain, all that insufferable boss battle-looking scenario, we come up victorious will a little help of Serena Sitri's Queen and Knight. It was surprising, but not unwelcome. I knew the charm of the Sitri would still hold up to this day, with those... Interesting pieces.
And that help, we finally caught and immobilized that werewolf girl who claims has ties with Annabelle Hellsing, my dear little sister's knight-turned-rogue. Apparently, because of her lycanthropy and her Sacred Gear, the infamous [Sword Birth, she is able to create a sword perfect for killing vampires, which in turn is what Annabelle Hellsing needed to pave her way to become the Vampire King, that little dummy head. We were too late on her arrival, and above all else she left her newest comrade to cover her while she goes with her mission. Confidence or ignorance, it doesn't matter now that we have half of that troublemaking duo on our grasp.
Surprisingly, after her defeat, the werewolf girl didn't show any form of resistance. We pinned her to the ground and Akatsuki Shiranui used her light projection to create a light prison around her, but even so no signs of struggle, which colored me surprise. Maybe she's waiting for us to let our guard down? But then again, if she tries anything, my Alastor poison would still render her immobile for an hour or so, so it was useless to booby-trap us. Hideyoshi Sanada was the first to come closer and touch the tip of his foot on her face...
"Hey, yer faker. What gives? You were talking hot shit not too long ago, now you're saying nothing! What's the matter, cat caught your tongue?" Serena Sitri's Knight joked with a tongue sticking out and drool rolling from it, still with the tip of his foot poking her by the side. Despite such provocation, she seemed relaxed and indifferent, the one who reacted was the boy who became agitated.
"Unlike you, my werewolf brethren, I have courage enough to admit when I am defeated and surrounded. No point in struggling right now." She sighs, and the boy, Hideyoshi Sanada, bumps a red angry vein from his head. "You on the other hand seems like a less reasonable fellow, Annie-san even had to use her gorgon eye to stop your tantrum back then..."
"You fucking bitch...!"
"Hide, what did Serena say about being a jackass?" And Akatsuki Shiranui spoke with a reprehension tone to her peerage mate, making the latter turn to her and grunt, lifting his foot off the fallen girl. My words have double the meaning now, Serena Sitri deserves some respect for having such a peerage. Now it was my turn to say something...
"So, miss Werewolf, it seems that Hideyoshi Sanada is right, you did stop struggling once caught. Is that a reason for that?" I stepped to her side and tilted my head to give this girl a look: black messy hair, fair skin and silver grey eyes not unlike a wolf's, the most distinguishable feature on her being the four diagonal claw scars on her face, making me wonder if those are the marks left by the werewolf who attacked her. Instead, she only winks at me and sighs.
"You... You're Nemesis Gremory, right? Awesome rack, nice figure, your face looks harsh but girly and gentle when it settles down, and the red hair that looks very anime. Annie-san talked about you." She declares, making me blush a little with that description while Nero laughs a bit. As always, appearance is what describes me. I nod to confirm my identity, and the werewolf lady sighs once again and smiles to herself. "Well, not much what I can do now, as I said. I can't move my body at all for some reason, and even if I could do anything... I feel like I'm too late to help Annie-san anyway... Haaaah~, that's so uncool, I swore to help her become the vampire King, and now here I am, defeated and paralyzed."
"I see. So you accept defeat." I said as she nodded with a sad smile of resignation. She admits defeat, yet why do I feel like there's nothing to celebrate about? But then again, who would be proud about beating a high-school girl, no matter how powerful she is? That's nothing to boast about. But still, this girl has guts, despite the fact she's basically a terrorist. "Very well then, I shall accept your resignation from this conflict and ease your actions against us, miss..."
"Mukuro. Miyamoto Mukuro... No relation." She chirped to herself. 'Miyamoto', huh? And she does have Sword Birth as a Sacred Gear, fate does have its way of toying with people. I turn my eyes to the entrance gate of the Old Building and crack my neck a few times, so Rina's little Knight is in there doing whatever she wants? I doubt she'll able to bypass Haruka-sama's sheer power and abilities even with a handicap, but regardless, as the assigned bodyguard of the Demon Kings, its my duty to do what I can do prevent those repercussions. Seeing me stepping inside, Mukuro Miyamoto turns to me. "Hey, Nemesis-san... If you're going inside, if you find Annie-san... Tell her I'm sorry."
"..." I give her a side glance. What is this feeling she has for Annabelle Hellsing? It's not like she knows her for that long, yet this level of loyalty is commendable, if a bit unnerving. The three other pieces turn to her and pin her even more so she wouldn't escape, but she never did.
"She was super cool with me and my abilities, andtonight, despite all, has been fun. Too I never got to fulfill our promise by the end. So if you find her... Tell her I'm sorry." She sighs, finally closing her eyes and letting herself go limp and resting, not even Nero, Akatsuki Shiranui or Hideyoshi Sanada having the will to hold her down anymore. So this is why, huh? Friendship, even between a vampire and a werewolf. I guess this is only natural, after all, Annabelle Hellsing is Rina's dear Knight.
"Will do." I respond despite the fact she is not listening anymore. She might be our enemy, but to pay respects is the least we can do, it's not like they would've succeeded in their quest, so they should accept such as a consolation price. I turn to the pieces, and signed to them. "Nero, please treat her wounds and look out for her. That's the least we can do."
"How about you?" He inquires me, eyes shining worry seeing how I'm going inside the old building for my duties. Seriously, since when did he become so confrontational? It's not like I dislike it, but it'll hard for me to do my job if he keeps worrying about me. It makes me feel bad doing so. "Nemesis..."
"..." I know what he wants to know. I feel a small sting on my back, and it burns deeply as I feel hot blood running down it. Maybe I've overdone it, hence why those wounds opened in such an hour, what a disgrace. Even so, I hold my shirt up and tug it so it would press against the open wounds and maybe stop the bleeding for a while. "I'm fine, really. If a small wound like that stops me from fulfilling my responsibilities, I have no right to call myself a King."
"Nemesis-san, let me go with you. After all, it is also my duty." Akatsuki Shiranui volunteered. Tch, she's the queen of Serena Sitri, and according to our formation, she'll also be guarding the demon lords back in the conference room, so I have no reason to question her request. I could only nod, and then she nodded softly at Nero and her own knight. I guess this what people call unity. She walks towards me with hands on her pocket. "... Seriously, Gremories are stubborn. As a queen, it's also my mission to help. Besides... Serena does say you can get quite reckless."
"..." I feel a bump of rage on my head. Serena Sitri, you just moved to the top of my shitlist. Still, I close my heart to those words and move forward. "Whatever, just follow me, Akatsuki Shiranui. We still have to find Annabelle Hellsing and end her madn-..."
BAAAAAM!!!*
"What...?!?" But as I was about to open the door leading to the entrails of the old Building, a dense, dark miasma practically bursted it open and let out a foul sea of shadows around us! Both Akatsuki Shiranui and I jumped away from the waves of darkness but it was still coming to our direction!
"Nemesis...!!" Nero exclaimed at me as he tried to stand up and come to my aid!
"Nero, don't come near here! This energy is very dense! Run and regroup!" However, I signed him to halt! Those waves of darkness are emanating an evil energy and sucking everything in sight! Seeing my cue, he instead picked Mukuro Miyamoto and backs away with Hideyoshi Sanada as Akatsuki Shiranui and I try to escape its grasp! Serena Sitri's queen was so to spread her wings and fly away with them, with me following suit! "Quick! We have to go quick! Go away n-...!"
RIP!! RIP!!*
"...!!!" And then my mind went blank.
I dunno why or how, but the moment I tried to open my wings, I could feel it in my back, suddenly, my flesh peeling off as the bat-leathered appendices sprouted from my lower back. Blood flies everywhere and the two wings practically rip and toss aside the skin on my derrière.
It hurts, it hurts so much I feel like I could die, not even allowing me to scream or say anything, only the feeling that everything is getting white and mute. For that moment, my whole body trembles, and I stop in time, losing focus, and then starting to fall on my back, where the darkness is reaching me. I hear someone call my name, and I see a figure reaching for me, probably Akatsuki Shiranui, but its too late, I was already almost being engulfed by darkness...
ZOOM!!!*
*GRAB...!!!*
"...?" Even if I'm barely conscious, instead of the cold embrace of the shadows, something bump in my descend, and before I knew it I was being held warmly into someone and something very soft. Turning my attention upwards, I could see a mane of pink hair Nd pink dots staring directly at me. I then murmur: "L-Liu... Liu Bei...?"
"Lady Nemesis, sorry for the late arrival." She apologizes with a half-smile, but I can only be fully grateful for the save. Her powerful charge for me practically cut through the darkness and let a hole in the sea of black. As expected from Rina's Rook, its almost unfunny how they are. However, she was still too close from it to be totally safe, and then, one tendril of shadows was already reaching for her! "Ah!"
CUT!*
"...?!" But then, another surprise: coming out of nowhere and with a single sword on her hand, Mukuro Miyamoto descended from the heavens to cut down the single tendril of darkness that was reaching for us, at the cost of her falling into the shadows herself! "Mukuro-dono...!!"
"Tis' fine. I should... At least do something cool... While I'm here..." She murmurs, and then her body slams into the shadows, little by little being consumed into it as Liu Bei is exasperated about her sacrifice. Before being completely devored, she lifts a hand and gives us a thump up. "It was... A fun night..."
Liu Bei looked surprised, but soon shook her head to all directions to probably get rid of those thoughts. Our priority now is escape, so we have to close our hearts and try to find a way out! Once out of the reach of shadows, Nero, Serena Sitri's pieces, Liu Bei and I land on the rooftop of the old Building, seeing the twisted black whirlpool downstairs...
"Shit... Now this is getting complicated..." I cursed to myself, trying and failing to stand up. Shit, it still hurts. Akatsuki Shiranui was quick to come to my Aid and try to at least close the wounds with her magic, while all we could do was watch.
"I wonder if Rina-chan and the others are okay." Inquired Nero, looking the same scenario as me, and now that he asks, I'm starting to get worried too. I know she has at least has the majority of her peerage plus Serena Sitri's own group to protect her, but still, things are really getting out of hand. Soon enough, The pain in my back has subdued, and I was able to stand again. I bowed to the queen who helped me, but she was quick to unfold her wings, alongside her fellow pieces...
"Nemesis-san, we shall take our leave. Now that we know you're fine, we will help our fellow peerages!" She explains, and soon after her, Hideyoshi Sanada and Liu Bei took their flight to the horizon beyond our sight. Quick to jump into action, I see.
"Wait, I'm going t-...!" I was ready to follow them suit, but a hand was quick to grab me by the wrist and pull me back to the ground! I turned around and I saw Nero holding me. "Nero..."
"With all due respect, you're being an idiot, Nemesis." He declares. It hurt, of course it hurt, but I have no reason to argue with him now that I think about it. My wings still hurt, and again with such brusque moves will damage them even further. But still, if I don't go there to assist, they might be in danger. "Calm down. You're hurt, barely able to stand, and Rina-chan is with her friends and allies. As adults, we should wait and hope for the best with their abilities in consideration. Besides... You sadden me, being this reckless..."
"..." I grit my teeth, that one last was a low blow. I do believe in Rina, I do believe in her peerage and allies, but I don't know what will happen, and if I'm not there like last time... A sting of pain hits my back again, my legs start to tremble. It hurts... I want to go, but it hurts. I have... No choice this time. "That's not fair, Nero."
"Let's trust her, okay." He sighs in relief as I sit down on the rooftop of the old building with him and, like he said, wait for the best. "I know it's that cute side of yours about worrying about your subjects... But remember another good trait a King should always have: to trust their subordinates and allies. I'm sure Rin-chan is safe..."
"Fine." I sigh. Please, Rina, everybody, be okay... Please, prove this stubborn, hapless and hardheaded redhead devil wrong. I feel a quick peck on my cheek, it was Nero.
"Let's trust them. We already know that bunch, even on a pinch, I know they'll have everything under control."
I have fucking nothing under control!!
SCREEEEEECH...!!!*
"Curses, Hong Long!! Stay stead, Chi Tù was not suppose to be this nervous!! You're being too rough on him, you barbarian!!"
"Cut me some slack!! This is my first time riding a motorbike!!" I shouted to the back where Kan'u stands, her Seiryuutou at hand and cutting down the shadows that were following us at fast pace, enough to keep up with the Red Hare!
After that little show of shadows, Alucard Hellsing, the middle child of the illustrious Prime Minister of the vampire Empire and The Vampire King Nosferatu Black's Right-hand man Desmond Hellsing, simply vanished among the darkness he himself created and then everything started to get covered in it! As fast as we could, Kan'u and I rode the Red Hare to escape the grasp of shadows while Serena-kaichou and Nanami-senpai took flight to take the fight to literal new heights!
Curves, drifts, boasts and shifts, the darkness was hard to escape and even at its fastest the war-horse-turned-motorbike was being kept up! Seeing no alternative, my fellow Knight passed the gears to me while she jumped on the backseat and started to cut and scare the shadows away with her Seiryuutou. At first I was excited in having the opportunity to ride on such an awesome bike, but giving the circumstances and the fact I've never pilot even a video game vehicle, the dream turned into a nightmare and all I could so was uncontrollably drift and turn the bike why the neigh coming from it indicated it wasn't liking it!
*BAAAAM!, and if things couldn't get any worse, the ground under us suddenly cracked and imploded with more shadows coming from within! So sudden, I panicked a little as the Red Hare made another sound and before we knew it, we were surfing on the rubbles left by the explosion in midair! Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!
"Gimme dat! Honestly, let me handle it!" And Kan'u couldn't hold it anymore: she turned back to me and crawled herself on my back so that she could reach the handles of her motorbike right on top of me.
Without losing momentum, we started to surf atop on a slab of concrete which in turn was waving away on the waves of black! With some maneuvers, my knight was able to skip her motorbike from solid piece to solid piece until we found a piece of firm ground and leaping towards it, we finally reached the sole and did an AKIRA-like drift! Suffice to say, despite everything, it was very bloody cool.
"It seems my riding skills have not rusted over the course of my transformation as a devil, good to know." Kan'u sighs right next to my ear, I bet she doesn't even realize she's glomping me with the entirety of her body, treating me like a leather seat. She finally gets off from me and sits on the back seat, but not before slapping my ear. "Idiotic Red Dragon, Red hare is upset now because of your reckless driving. Have some considerations for others, why don't you!"
"Yeah, my bad, Sekitoba-kun..." I murmured. I know she's just doing so to get under my skin, but I would be lying if I say I didn't feel a bit bad about almost losing control over the wheels. So all I can do now is dumb but earnestly stroke the front of the Red Hare motorbike.
"GÀE BOLG...!!"
ZOOOM~!!*
DON!!*
"Kh...!!" And as we were talking, a crimson red lance appeared out of nowhere and stabbed the ground where the shadows were spreading, making it hiss and back away as soon as possible! Soon after, Nanami-senpai and Serena-kaichou descended from the ground, folding their wings back and aiming at the elevating darkness. Kan'u, for her little scare, turned angry. "Be careful with your weapon, Knight of Sitri! Not only you're using it too close to an ally, you're also fail to realize that how dangerous your weapon, Gàe Bolg the spear of certain death, truly is! Mind your surroundings!"
"Hahah! My bad, my bad! I've seen so many animes about those crazy magical weapons, I thought just wielding one would make it easy to use!" Nanami-senpai laughed it off, much to Kan'u ire.
The user of the Spear of Certain death Gàe Bolg, Nanami Sousuke-senpai.
According to what Serena-kaichou discussed, Nanami-senpai comes from a rich family and as such, they like to buy to expensive and exquisite things out of taste and vanity.One day, they bought an ancient Irish war spear which was in fact Gàe Bolg, and for some reason, it grew attached to Nanami-senpai, a shut-in otaku who barely went to school and rather stay home watching anime and reading manga. She also told me since their compatibility was equal to the original owner Cù Chuulain the descendant of queen of the shadow lands herself, the warrior queen Uathatch tried to recruit him and teach him the ways of the spear. In return, he kicked her ass back to Ireland because he thought it was too much work. So how did Serena-kaichou recruited him for her peerage?
By promising that, if he becomes a devil and trains enough time to reach high-class, he would have the opportunity to build a harem. Yes, Nanami-senpai is not unlike my other senpai in that regard. It puts a lot of things in perspective for me as well...
"Oh man~, Gàe Bolg is getting unquiet again. Maybe being thrown around and not being able to pierce anything is making it upset." The bleach-haired one laughed to himself while turning his crimson spear between him fingers like a toy. That also upset Kan'u, who used her own Seryuutou to stop him.
"Then stop playing with it! Show some respect for your weapon, for it has a mind on its own, and in no way likes to be disrespected!" She says, and while she's a bitch, I have to admit Nanami-senpai is not taking this seriously enough. Kaichou was kind enough to pat him on the shoulder and smile.
"C'mon, Sousuke-kun, trust your strength for now and focus. We still have to protect our demon Kings." She spoke, and with a shrug, my senpai sharpened his eyes and made a battle pose. Cheesy, but we did the same to the darkness that would spread, and then stop, morph and take the shape of Alucard Hellsing.
"You all are making this whole situation so difficult. Why do you still struggle, just let Sheridan or Wilhelmina become Kings and we can go on with our lives." He moans a tired one. I don't know if he's really tired or just bored, but he's pissing me off. Instead of letting him talk shit, I point Ix at him.
"Why don't you and your King Wannabes just waltz away from the conference and deal with this shit elsewhere?! Everything was going fine until you showed up!" I respond back. Alucard made a pouty face and crossed his arms, again, I don't know if he just wants to get under my skin or is legitimate upset, but none of those alternatives is making me feel any better.
"Sorry, can't do. As the son of the illustrious Desmond Hellsing and pointed by the King himself, I have my pride and honor in question while I act as the bodyguard to the Black Siblings. As such, their orders are my commands, or whatever." He sighs, turning his ruby eyes at me. I understand now, so caste is also a thing among vampires, and if what Rina said is true, is even worse than devil affairs. "This isn't the way I usually operate, though. You were the ones who forced me to take center stage."
"I see." Kan'u observed as I close one eye to focus and she takes one step closer, as he's right on the center of both our aims. He's still too far for any of us to catch him by surprise though "So even if you're against it, you still fight for the sake of your masters. I don't know if I should admire or pity you."
"Well, look at the twat pot calling the kettle black." He joked. "You're the servants of a Gremory, who are you to call me a bootlicker?"
BAM!!*
"Kan'u...!"
"Bitch, you DID NOT just throw a motorbike at me." And Kan'u reaction to his provocation was a flying Sekitoba right at his face, which collided with his body of shades and dismissed such until it could take shape again! What the hell, you crazy psycho lesbian! That was your ride! Alucard didn't feel fazed at all, just tired now. "Oh well, let's get this over now. I can feel my Annabelle is in trouble, and I want to see in which kind of hijinks that little retard got herself into..."
"Annie...?" I gasp. Wait, he can feel she's in trouble? How come, is that some vampiric ability or something? Before answering anything, he now turns into a flock of bats and charge against us!
"Your loss, loser! Gàe Bolg, barbs of hell!" Nanami-senpai took center stage before we could do anything though, and then let his spear fall right on top of his foot. Playing with that deadly weapon like a bagball for a while, he finally makes it skip midair and kick it against the flock of bats! Suddenly, that single spear turned into a massive tree of crimson pointers, and spreading its deadly branches all over the place, it stabbed and killed all the bats in sight! "Yeah, get some!"
"Ah curses, no fair..." I heard Alucard's voices among the moribund bats, and in no time they turned into a black goo and slipped from Gàe Bolg's deadly points, soon landing on the ground and forming again that shadow that was starting to spread everywhere again! The red spear returned to normal and came back to Nanami-senpai's grasp as the shadows would now take the shape of a gigantic golem of darkness. "Guess being stealthy or quick is not work. Might as well use brute force now. What a pain..."
"Hah! Like that would work! Is that the best your shadows can do?!"
SPROUT! SPROUT! SPROUT! SPROUT!*
"No, this is. Appreciate the consideration, though."
"You had to ask, didn't you, Sousuke-kun." Serena-kaichou facepalmed and Nanami-senpai's face faltered. The reason was the golem, which sprouted four more club-like arms from its back and grew in size a bit more, note that he was already on the house of three meters.
"Now, en garde, devils!" The golem now sprints towards us, and as fast as we could, we prepared ourselves with our weapons and we clashed!
Despite its size, the golem of shadows was nothing but strong and fast, not to mention durable! I cut and cut, yet the parts would just close and reform like it was nothing! I figured we would have to find the core to do some lasting damage, but no matter how we try, it just impossible to reach it!
"Curses! Roar, dragon crescent blad...!!" Kan'u took a step back and tried her energy slash against the golem, but before that, it sprouted another tendril from within and picked her by the head, tossing her like a ragdoll to Nanami-senpai who was also ready to unleash another barbs of hell!
"Kan'u-chan! Sousuke-kun...!" Kaichou gasped seeing the two knights rolling around on the floor for the sheer impact of their clash! However, she wasn't distracted enough and she blocked a punch from one of the shadow's arms, and said arm started to freeze with her presence, soon shattering on a million shining shards of ice, rendering him with now only five arms!
"Troublesome, so troublesome." The beast moans, reaching another arm at her and clashing themselves again. Like before, the arm started to freeze on touch, but before it could get any further, it just imploded in a million sharp crimson shards! The impact was enough to toss her away and filled with holes caused by the sharp ends that came like a claymore mine!
"Serena-kaichou...!" I exclaimed, but Alucard now turns to me and aims his five arms against me! I lift Ix to clash against them and was able to cut away one of its arms, which turned to dust once it hit the floor! He exclaimed in surprise.
"A holy weapon? What a surprise, it seems I'll have to change some strategies for you, Red Dragon." He murmurs, and now his four arms turn into sharp blades and he charges at me with furious killing intent! We clashed blades, and this time, the strength of his club-hands were apparently morphed into speed as swords since he came with a flurry of slashes everywhere! Shit, it's hard to keep up! "Not bad for a bad, but your swordsmanship has a lot to be desired!"
"Shut up!" That's all I could say. I know it sounds childish and desperate, but I'm not in the mood right now to banter with a guy who clearly wants me dead! We clash and cut, none of us faltering as we come closer and closer to each other! I hear another [BOOST] coming from my Boosted Gear, forcing me to go further and further! "C'mon! Let's go!"
SLASH!*
"Too slow." I was about to slash another arm of his from the wrist up, cutting also off the blade attached to it, but he was faster to duck the upcoming attack! In that little moment of distraction, another of his tendrils appeared to slap my sword away, making me let go of it as three other blades prepared an attack! "Now, graciously die, Red Dragon emper-...!"
*VUPT!*
TUG!*
"...!!" But it was not over, not yet! Out of the sudden, like it happened back in the church, the sleeve of my blood jacket unraveled itself and with a small red string reached for the grip of my sword to bring it back to my grasp! I grip it as hard as I could and bring it down again against his blades, locking us in another clash! Once all said and done, we jumped a few times to gain some distance, and I made a pose again.
"I see, so... Father's blood is what creates this suit of yours, and its trying to protect you at all cost. Troublesome, how troublesome." He recites, and yes, apparently this jacket of mine is sentient and wants me safe for whatever reason. But this time it was just a lucky shot, I doubt it'll work anytime soon like that. Alucard's golem, on the other hand, simply sighed, and started to sharp his blades against each other. "It seems that it'll become quite bothersome too. Which means, as much is it pains me, I'll have to torn you two into shreds. No hard feelings, just business, red dragon..."
"No hard feelings my ass." I intoned back, eyes twitching but not losing focus of my target. He talks, whines and complain, yet he's also powerful enough to toss us around like ragdolls. That dissonance of his... Really concerns me. I turn Ix to him once again. "I don't know what you're planning or what's your ideal of loyalty, but if you're in my way, I have to deal with you."
"How strange, you have the bloodlust... Yet refuses to say the word 'kill'. Maybe you're too soft." He chips, and a bump of rage emerges on my head. Yeah, I won't kill him, but he's already playing with fire now. "Or maybe too sensitive. Very well, enough chitchat, those Vampire nobles won't kill themselves, so let's end this, once and for... Huh?"
"...?" He stops dead on his little monologue, and soon I discover why: out of the sudden, small globes of light start to fly all around us, much more like will'o'wips with a small green hue to them. First there was a few, then dozens, and then a hundred, all floating around us like snow. Some of them landed on Alucard and he took a quick glance at them.
"Oh... Oh, f-..."
"Fireflies: ignite."
FOOOOSH~!!!*
"I FUCKING KNEW IT!!! GODDAMNIT...!!!" And out of the sudden, in one snap of fingers, the small green balls turned a dangerous red color and then exploded in a show of lights and flames! Alucard Hellsing, who was caught in most of them, burst into flames and started to frenetically run around like a headless chicken, trying to get rid of the flames that slowly consumed his shadow self! Wait, I know this fire magic...
"Yoohoo~! Tsukino-chin~!"
"Ichijou-san...!"
"Ichijou...!!!"
"Eh...?" I heard those words coming from my back, very known voices that I was relief to hear! No way, I knew they would survive all that shit, but to come and help me like that...! I turned around to face my peerage, ready to welcome them into this chaos...!
Only to come down facing instead black panties as Rina's crotch came down smashing itself against my face. I couldn't even enjoy the sight or sensation, she came on me like a meteorite and practically crashed on me!
"Bgwaaah...!!" I interjected as we rolled on the floor and on each other since she couldn't stop on time! In the end, we finally stop, and now I find myself laying on my ass on the floor, with the redhead King on top of me, her body pointing upwards and her legs by my head.
"Don wowwy, Esheeshow. Weena ish heya to shave yu~." She murmurs, clearly still dazed due to her dynamic entry with her head still spinning and on the clouds.
"Ah, ah! I said to her crash-landing like that would be dangerous. But I guess that's Gremory-chin for you." I hear a voice around, and with it a shade was casted upon me. Shaking my head to get rid of the dizziness, I turned my eyes aroundonly to see Tasha and Whiswain here too! OhThanks god they're alive (ouch!)! The witch waves at me. "Yahoo. Like always, the heroines come in the right moment to strike, eh?"
"Yeah..." I said in a tired tone. I push Rina to a random direction so I could stand up and regain some composure, but then I noticed that she's missing an arm! Ah, did the prothesis Mary-sama built came undone! Although in the context of the situation, losing just one arm is good enough! "Rina, your arm...!"
"Huh? Oh, that..." She snaps back from her daze and turn her attention to me, to then her stub right arm. Despite the situation, she could only shrug and open a nervous but composed smile. "Don't worry, Ichijou. It doesn't hurt or anything, so it's fine! Besides, this is the typical cost of having a Rocket arm!"
"Wait, what?" I question her. Her only response was a quick snap and a nervous smile, as if she just realized she said something she wasn't suppose to.
"Ah, oops." Were her words. Why do I get the feeling I'll want to hurt her badly for that?
FOOOOOSH~!!!*
"Ah! Finally!" Oh right, we're in the middle of a war! We were quick to turn our attention to the gigantic golem of darkness that somehow was able to extinguish the flames around itself and now turned his attention to us. I hear Alucard sigh, and charge against us. "How troublesome, more devils to deal with. Oh well, might as well divide to conquest, at least."
With that said, the golem melted and went back to its shapeless, liquid form that was quick to come to us like a wave of shadows! However, Tasha was quick and from a rune coming from her fingertips she summoned a circle of fire that halted all actions of the shadows, that shrieks and backs away by the golden flames! Soon, Whiswain take a step up and unleashes a scream that practically pulls the darkness away, which combined with the witch's flames form a tornado of pure heat, weakening the shadows even more.
"I know it's obvious, but the best way to deal with darkness is by turning on the light." She explains with a head pat on Whiswain and a wink at me. Now she does sound cool. Of course, she soon had to ruin it by making a jerking gesture with her hand. "Geddit? Turn on the light? Rather, like, making a light splash?"
"..." I bet she's proud of that joke, so I said nothing. The shadows that composed Alucard's body soon recomposes itself and turns to us away from the flames.
"So, my shadows won't work on the Grim reaper nor the fire witch... Bothersome, well then, new strategy: I'll have to go physical..." He says. Suddenly, his body spreads tendrils all over the place and from a distance, I see something coming at high speed, carried by a shadow tentacle too thin to possibly carry all that weight! The said tendril turns to us and then toss the thing it was carrying: "Very well then, Gremory peerage, how about... A STEAMROLLER FOR YOU!!"
"What the hell?! Since when Kuoh academy has one of those things?!?" Rina shouted as the massive construction machine was coming at us like a meteor.
I was wondering why was taking so long to make a Stardust Crusaders reference in a vampire-filled arc.
PUNCH!!*
"Liu Bei...!!" But before we could become pavement pancake or discover our ability to stop time, Rina's rook came from the heavens and graced us with a punch so strong it not just pushed the machine away, it broke it in half! The warlady landed right next to us and waved her hand away, apparently even that was too much for her.
"It seems I'm not completely recovered. Well, I appreciate the thought." She wondered to herself, only to get caught in the group hug between herself and our group. I wasn't planning that, but Tasha and Rina came down to embrace each other and us in the mix. I'm not complaining, it feels nice. The pinkerette turns to us and smile. "Ah! Lady Berolina! Tasha-dono! Whiswain-dono! Hong Long! I'm so glad you're all okay!"
"Hahah~! I knew I could trust my peerage!" Rina laughed in the middle of the hug, and I couldn't help but smile. But we soon turned back to the problem at hand, the mass of shadows that refused to die.
"Great, now they're multiplying. This is getting too bothersome for me~." I hear the shadows whine under its breath, soon taking the shape of a large pillar of darkness and spreading its tentacles everywhere! "Fine then, time to be ignorant and finish this mess once and for a-...!!"
SPLASH!!*
"Don't forget about us, Vampire!!" And from the skies came a massive slab of concrete, courtesy of Serena-kaichou's rook Bellorophon, as everybody else from said peerage also appeared from the shadows ready to strike the rampaging darkness that was now struggling under the rubbles! Serena-kaichou appeared right next to with Kan'u on her, and extended a Hand for us. "Rina-chan, let's settle this! If this was an anime, this is the time where the theme song would be playing!"
"Yeah... Yeah! Berolina Peerage, assemble!" My king exclaims, and we all nod at that, suddenly full of energy. We can do this! I used Ix to help me stand up and without losing moment we all came forward to face the darkness from within!
Wow, that was somehow deep...
"Rooks!!" Rina and kaichou exclaimed!
"Leave it to us!" And both rooks from each side nodded to each other as they jumped into the air and meteor-kicked the concrete above the darkness even further, the strength combined of the warlady and the hero enough to open a crater right there, deep enough to leave no way of escaping!!
"Bishops!!"
"On it." The three magicians then position themselves around the hole and started to form a circle and fill the crater left with their respective elements! Tasha blew a massive stream of flames from inside the hole while Whiswain screamed on the top of her lungs while Akira-san made a barrier seal around the borders of the fissure so it wouldn't leak away or have no exit but up! The barrage of sounds and heat was too much for Alucard, and he was forced to break the concrete that was above him and ascend to the skies!
"Knights!!"
"Ushaaaaah...!!" Came down screaming the speedsters with an inferno of slashes and cuts with their respective weapons, little by little cutting the already dwindling darkness to pieces! Kan'u unleashed a dragon-shaped energy beam that devoured the shadows while Sanada-senpai and Nanami-senpai used their uncontrollable, animalistic instincts to cut through the shades!
"Akatsuki-chan!!" Now only Serena-chan called for her Queen.
"[Whirlwind disaster feather!!]" And Akatsuki-san spread her devil and fallen angel wings and summoned her apparent Sacred Gear shaped like a crimson fan, swinging it in a way that not only created a tornado, but also formed a plasma-like translucid cover that trapped the shadows in a ball-shaped shell! The fallen angel then turned to kaichou! "Serena...!!"
"Hell yeah!!" The Sitri heiress exclaimed while jumping in the air to give an epic kick against the ball-shaped plasma shield where Alucard was, soon turning the whole thing in a frozen ball of darkness with he mere contact! With one other kick to put it in the air, she then gives us the cue! "Rina-chan, Ichijou-kun...!!"
"Right!!" We both nodded to her and each other, and unleashing our wings we flew all over where the trapped Alucard was heading! I concentrate energy into Ix and like before the blade turned bright like the moon and the edge was emanating a both light and dark aura of power! All the powers mixed into one. I slashed the air in front of me and unleashed a cut of pure energy! "[Hellstar Red...!!"
"[... Princess...]!!!" Now it was time for Rina to throw at it a massive sphere of power of destruction, so dense and powerful once she launched it grew erratic and instead turning into a stream of pure annihilation! My slash and her stream flew side-by-side to our enemy until they clashed and become a single entity: a dragon-shaped red stream of pure energy, which soon opened its mouth against its target!!
" [... DRAGON]!!" We said in unison!
*CHOMP!!*
BOOOOOM!!!*
"Bgwaaaaah...!!" And the dragon of energy engulfed the ball in its own mouth before exploding in a show of crimson lights like fireworks from hell! In the end, all that was left was Alucard Hellsing, who appeared among the smoked caused by the explosion with his entire body scorched and beaten. He fell for the ground still smoking, but not before cursing:"You... Damned devils..."
And then he landed on the ground, his body rolling around like a piece of dry turd on the wind until he could use the least amount of energy left to stop and kneel on the ground. He was breathless, he was beaten and broken, but his eyes were still shining some resistance, however...
SHING!*
The moment he tried to stand up and struggle, all of the fighter pieces turned to him up and armed for the smallest move. Sanada-senpai's claws, Nanami-senpai's Gàe Bolg, Kan'u's Seiryuutou, Akira-san's paper seals, Tasha's runes, Akatsuki-san's light sword and finally my Ix, all of them turned to him, all of them ready to strike. It didn't take long for him to lower his stance, and lift both arms in a surrender pose.
"My, barbarian as always. I'm beaten and broken, the least you devils could so was to offer some help." He chirps, but in the end draws a melancholic smile and a tired and defeated sigh. "Okay, fine. I surrender. Happy now, you dicks?"
"You damn right." I sighed, Akira-san putting a paper seal on him so he wasn't able to move anymore. Finally, its over... It's all over. That's what I thought, but I feel like I'm forgetting something.
"Finally, I'm beat. Phew... I think we can all finally call it a day..." Rina sighed and gives us all a thumbs up, some of them cheered, some of them laughed in a lower tone. Me? I'm still a bit thoughtful about something, like we're forgetting something. Oh no, how about Annie? However, snapping me back from reverie, Alucard started to chuckle much to our surprise. We all turned to him. "Huh? What are you laughing about, Alucard Hellsing?"
"Oh nothing, its just... You all seem so happy to have beaten a mere subordinate of the vampire royalty." He chirps with a small laugh. I grunted a little in confusion, thinking he's just messing with us, but then I remember: no, the Hellsing are not the real kings of the vampiric empire, but someone else... And they should be the ones we should worry about! He chuckles. "If you all are so happy just by beating me and so tired as well... I'm sorry, but you won't be a match for the Black siblings."
"...!!!" That's right! The Black siblings! They were the ones who planned this whole attack, how could we forgot them?! I turn to the rest of our group, and all the light and life in their eyes seemed to disappear! Rina turns to me in desperation: "Ichijou...!!"
"Yeah!!" I nod back, taking my way to the old building where the conference is taking place. It might be too late, but we must at least... We should at least...!!
DOOOOM!!!*
"What the...?!?" But before we could get too far, out of the sudden a kaiju-sized monster made out of shadows appeared right in front of us!
It was a massive, horrendous monstrosity of many black tendrils, fangs and eyes, more like a chimera of several dark entities mashed into one shaped like a deformed, but, oh no, the most remarkable yet nightmarish thing about it was it was, under closer inspection, made out of bodies and shadows! And some bodies I recognize from here!
"Ren!! Annie!! Haruka-sama!!!" Yes! Among the nameless bodies of ghouls and zombies that made that horrendous abomination, were the bodies of Ren, Haruka-sama and Annie mashed together! Not to mention, I can see another someone who looked like Alucard!! Are they alive, are they dead, I don't know!! I just know this is... This is pure madness!!
"Ah, it seems the shadow Chimera had his fun." Alucard said with a sigh. We all turned to him to maybe find an answer about how to deal with that thing, but his only response was a shrug. "Don't look at me like that, I know what that thing is, but I don't know how to stop it: I have... A strange mutation due to my blood, so I can spit this... Abomination from my shadow that consumes everything and everyone in sight, including ghouls and people, growing stronger with time."
"You... Tell us how to stop it...!! Quick!!" Rina said, picking the vampire by the collar and lifting him with her only hand. However, suddenly, his own body exploded in a show of shadows, and he sighs once again.
"Like I said, I can't stop it once its out. Either defeat it or wait for it to grow tired. It seems... It's consuming me too..." He says in a nonchalant tone despite the fact he was melting on his own shadow and little by little being consumed by the darkness. "I didn't want this to happen, y'know, so all I can think of right now is... My bad..."
"Alucard...!!" And then he vanished on his own shadow leaving only a paper seal, as the shade went and merged with the monster, soon his own body appearing among the pile of them inside the monster, the shadow chimera!!
"Serena, what do we do now?!" Akatsuki-san shouted at a pensive Serena, who was contemplating her own navel as a result of that. Despite such, all we could do was sigh and take a step forward. Despite not being for me, I responded.
"What can we do? We fight it, of course." I said. I'm tired, I'm breathless, I'm hurt, but this night is not over yet. I turn to my peerage, and despite their own tiredness and hesitation, they all nod at me. I lift Ix and commanded. "C'mon, Berolina Gremory's peerage... Charge!!"
"Yeah!!!" They all cheered, breathless but confident. Soon, Serena-kaichou's own group cheered for her orders, and we all aimed our weapons at the shadow chimera!
No matter what, this long night ends here...!
ZOOOOOOOM!!!**BAAAAAAAAAAAM~...!!!*
"Eh...?" But before we could reach the monster and have our epic conclusion, something like a silver shooting star appeared out of nowhere and, without ceremony, smashed the creature of darkness from up to down like a rotten pumpkin!
Shadows, bodies and shades flew everywhere while the darkness would dissipate in thin air like smoke. We all stopped on our tracks, incredulous looking at the curtain of dust lifted from the impact that little by little was being cleaned off to show a silhouette under it, and then... A voice came, a very familiar voice...
"It seems my own dynamic entry needs some more work. Oh well, now I'm sure that I can weaponize it in future events, apparently." That squicky, childish voice speaking such complicated words, the dust cleaned completely, and from within we could see the author of that great save: Evelyn Livan Lucifer, the daughter of the morning star, now in the body of a silver-haired goth-Loli carrying with her two figures on her shoulders. She soon notices our presence, and wave at us. "Oh, greetings Spawn of Lucifer and friends. I was caught with boredom after dealing with an army of ghouls outside and so I tried to join the frontlines of this event. Unfortunately, those two pesky individuals tried to take on me, and were swiftly taken care of."
"Wait. What...?" Evelyn then disposes the two individuals that were on her shoulders in front of us, in such a way not unlike one throws the garbage away. My and my peers' incredulity only increased once we saw who those two were: Sheridan and Wilhelmina Black, the Black Twins and vampire royalty. Evelyn just wrecked the vampire nobles and doesn't realize it. The little girl then sighs.
"I was so bored after defeating those two lowlives, I couldn't decide what to do from then on. But then I saw that massive monster emerging from the shadows, and while it seemed weak, I knew it could only be related to the vampiric nobles that were intruding in this conference by sheer size and energy." She chuckles, tapping her foot on the ground as to get rid of the rest of the darkness still lingering around. We were all still silence, only listening to her rant. But then she turns to me and smiles, her eyes shining confidence. "Well? Was I correct? Are the vampire nobles near for us to foil their plans completely? I'm mostly certain they're strong enough to at least give me a challenge, unlike those lowlives I've been facing..."
"..."
"Red dragon, is something to matter?" She asks. I turn to my cohorts and all I have are confused looks, vague expressions and the strange feeling of cheating, like we were just stolen a fight we knew we wouldn't win without some sacrifices. Besides, a pesky feeling of déjà vu. Instead of answering her, however, I did the only thing I could think of doing right now. I reached for her to pat her head and ruffle her hair.
"Good girl, good girl..." Was all I could say.
The only response I got was a confused hum from her...
GxG (Good x Girl)
All things considered, this was a nice chapter to write. I actually had nothing prepared for the Black Twins considering that, overall, they were mostly plot devices to keep the plot going and a reason for the Hellsing siblings to have a meeting with their Annie's new friends, like, I know it sounds a bit harsh, but I also had to have an excuse for Evelyn to be absent most of this arc, considering she's... She's pretty powerful.
After all, remember: this arc is more about Annie and her family affairs, and while she is technically related to the Black family... I might work with them a little more in the future since vampires are also part of the verse, but for now... Yeah, jokes on them, there's always a bigger fish. Please don't think I rushed this event, I honestly was planning them to end like a bunch of chumps from the start, just doesn't know how to do it.
I'm sorry if their end was too swift or shoehorned tho, I understand some might not like it. The battle on the other hand was nice to write. I always like combo moves and "hot potato" type of combination attack. :3Next chapter: the longest night finally ends, new revelations and marks of challenge. Plus, fsmily.Stay safe and sound, and greetings from Houki minami~!