Chapter 15: Vampire of the Castle II
Krory attacks Allen who blocks the attack with Cross Alpha. Krory then kicks across the jaw.
"UGH..." Allen groans as he dodges Krory's next attack. "Such speed!" Allen points out. "Krory! We have no intention of exterminating you now! Listen..." Allen shouts as he continues to block Krory's series of attacks.
"Stop whining!" Krory scolds. "Are you scared by seeing your friend die?"
Allen then steps back, de-activating Cross Alpha.
'He disengaged his weapon?' Krory thought.
"LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!" Allen shouts and Krory stops attacking. "All the villagers' corpses in that garden are Akuma. Did you know that? Arystar Krory, are you really a vampire?"
"A vampire..." Krory repeats as he disappears from Allen's vision.
Allen looks around, then looks towards where Alice is standing. "Alice!" He calls as his eyes widen.
Behind Alice is Krory, who pulls Alice's hair away from her neck and then bites her. Alice gasps, but pushes herself away from Krory. She distances herself away from where Krory is and breathes heavily as she covers her neck.
"Kukuku..." Krory snickers. "I don't know about anything like 'Akuma'. I just like the thrill of the hunt." He answers Allen's question. "LIFE IS TO BE SAVORED! ANYONE WOULD WANT TO LIVE FREELY, THEIR INSTINCTS UNFETTERED. LET SOMEONE ELSE TELL ME HOW TO LIVE MY LIFE? MY APOLOGIES, BUT I MUST DECLINE!" Krory says as he looks at Alice. "So I kill. And I'll kill the two of you as well."
Krory attacks Alice and smashes her into the castle wall, higher from where Lavi crashed into. He then attacks Allen, smashing him into a tree.
"Hmph, already finished?" Krory scoffs.
Lavi suddenly uses his Innocence to attack Baron Krory, making it a giant hammer. The same size he used when he first attacked Baron Krory. "Peh!" Lavi sticks his tongue out. "Don't think you can fuck with me, bastard! I'm a bit pissed. I think I'll bloody you up a bit before sitting down to talk!"
"Sounds like fun." Baron Krory mocks.
"Get up Allen! We're gonna beat this guy up a bit!" Lavi calls as Allen tries to stand up.
They start to attack each other.
Meanwhile
In the castle hallways
Alice wakes up as she enters deeper into the castle with Silver deactivated hanging on her wrist, leaning on the wall for support.
"Ouch..." Alice groans in pain. "Ughhh... my head got hit hard..."
As she slowly walks along the wall, she could hear many noises coming from outside.
"Ugh... so noisy..." Alice mumbles. "... I got to help them after a small break..."
Alice then touches something on the wall and a secret door opens, she tumbles into the secret room.
"A... a hidden door...?" Alice says as she stands up. "Where is this place...?"
Then she hears moaning sounds.
"Wuuuu... Wuuuu... Wuuuu..." Alice looks in front of her to see a shadow of something large, an unidentified creature.
She then looks behind her, the way she entered into, but it closes shut. She then hears clicking sounds and she looks in front of her again to the unidentified creature, but it disappears.
"It's gone...?" Alice asks.
Suddenly, Eliade appears behind Alice and smashes her against the bookshelf.
"Wha...!?" Alice gasps.
"Oh my~ If it isn't that dark blue-haired kiddo. I told Arystar to slaughter you. Really, what a bother..." Eliade says.
'That wound...!' Alice thought seeing the bite marks on Eliade's neck but then she she is push against the shelf harder. "Ow!" Alice groans in pain.
"Well... fine. I'll dispose of you then. I did want to try it once anyways..." Eliade mutters as her face changes into a monster's face. "The taste of an Exorcists blood. Entering this castle... will be your final regret."
In the graveyard
As Lavi and Baron Krory continue their battle against each other, Allen goes to search for Alice.
"... Is why! Akuma are machines that wear human's skin!" Lavi explains as he attacks, Krory evades it easily. "You know, you were sucking Akuma's blood."
"Eh? If that's true, then I would have dies from the poison from the blood. I'm not buying it." Krory states.
Lavi stops his attacks and Baron Krory stops as well. "Uh-un~ Hold on a minute, actually, ya know, there are also cases where they don't die- Here's what I think." Lavi begins as he points at Baron Krory. "You are the same type as Allen, compatible person with a parasitic-type Innocence that neutralizes poison. Without realizing it, you've been targeting Akuma... Ain't those hard teeth o'yours Innocence?"
Baron Krory just stares at the Exorcist in silence.
"If you enjoy huntin' down Akuma, join us and you can have em' to your heart's content, eh?" Lavi proposes. "You're strong. Back when I was explainin' everything... it didn't look like you were holding back, so... Gimme an answer when you wake up, m'kay? Kuro-chan~?" Lavi starts to activate his seals to attack.
In the hidden room
Eliade hold Alice trap against the shelf, her back feeling the shelf press against her. Eliade is slowly crushing Alice against the shelf and she starts to cough out blood.
"What's wrong? You were breathing just fine a minute ago." Eliade mocks. "If you don't put up ant resistance, at this rate, your chest is going to be crushed."
"Haa- Huu- Haa-" Alice breathes.
'Hot... I don't want to do anything... It feels like something is sucking all the power from my body...' Alice thought as she looks up at Eliade, but could only see a blur. 'My senses are going dull... want to sleep...' She adds as her focus begins to blur even more.
Eliade suddenly punches Alice across the face, with her other hand. "Aw... no response? Or is it that you don't feel up to it?" She asks. "Perhaps you took a lot of damage from Arystar. Hmmm." Eliade licks her mouth in hunger as she stares at Alice.
'No... no, don't sleep.' Alice tells herself. 'Can't feel pain or anything... senses are paralyzed... If I sleep now, I'll be killed. Talk! Use your brain!'
"Don't plan on... exterminating... Arystar Krory..." Alice gasps out. "You... have no reason... to fight..."
"She spoke." Eliade says in a mocking tone. "Oh."
Alice opens her eyes and stares at Eliade. "He... is not a vampire or a monster... probably our... ally..."
Eliade punches Alice again repeatedly and laughs maniacally as her face turns into a scary face before ceasing her attacks and grabs Alice's collar. "ALLY? ARE YOU AN IDIOT? HE'S A VAMPIRE." Eliade states, changing back to her human face. "DO YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU TAKE HIM AWAY...!?" She says desperately, but her face - once again - turns back into a scary face. "So, I'll kill you all..."
Eliade smashes Alice harder against the shelf, making Alice go through it. She then disappears and returns back with an ax in hand. She walks over to Alice - lying on the floor - and kicks her side to make her turn over.
"Extend your neck. I'm going to drain your body of all the blood and hang it at the castle gates. That way no one will dare come close to this castle anymore." Eliade positions the ax's blade above Alice's neck and raises the ax in the air. "I can present this girl's life in exchange for Krory's; I can gain credit for it as well." She says and swings down the ax, but before the blade can touch Alice's neck, it stops by a hand. Eliade looks to see who intercepts her attack and it was Allen. "The white-haired brat..."She calls and swings the ax toward Allen, who evades it. However, Eliade quickly starts to attack him. He dodges as she attacks, sometimes getting hit and sometimes not. It wasn't until Eliade had crushes him against the wall with her hand, just like what she did to Alice earlier. "Got you." Eliade snarls as she smashes Allen against the wall, crushing his body.
"... We're not here... to exterminate... Arystar Krory..." Allen chokes. "He... may be our ally..."
"I won't let you take him away, Exorcists! Now die!" Eliade crushes Allen more and he falls unconscious.
"Not while... I'm here..." Alice speaks.
Eliade turns around to see Alice standing up; Sliver (twin swords form) in her hands. Eliade's eyes widens in shock, but she then throws Allen's body toward Alice. The two Exorcists crash into the wall, Alice receiving the most damage, resulting some small bones to break and forcing her to deactivate Silver. She winces from the pain as she manages to shove Allen's body off her. Allen has become unconscious from Eliade's crushing and from the throw.
"Allen... get up...!" Alice chokes as she shakes Allen. Allen didn't move. "Allen!" She calls when Eliade quickly picks up the ax and laughs again as she walks over to Allen's body. "Allen!"
"Say goodbye..." Eliade says as she brings the ax down toward the neck, but it stops again by Allen's left hand. Eliade's eyes widen in shock to see that Allen is conscious. "Che! He's still moving?" She studies Allen's face, only to see that he is still unconscious. "This guy... isn't conscious...!?"
Allen's left hand then breaks the ax and activates by itself. Cross Alpha grows in size and slashes at Eliade, wounding her and expose some of her Akuma self under the human disguise. Eliade stands away from where Allen now standing with the help of Cross just moving his body by itself.
"Allen...?" Alice says in shock.
"This child... his left hand is moving of its own accord!?" Eliade thought as she watches Allen.
The Cursed Eye begins to glow and changes, a smoky skull emerging from it. Alice and Eliade's eyes widen. The Cursed Eye shows Allen the soul bound to Eliade. Allen opens his left eye as it activates once more in an evolved form that is a cogwheel monocle over his left eye.
"You're an Akuma." Allen remarks.
"You're a strange one..." Eliade remarks back.
'It has return once again. The black and white world.' Allen thought looking at both eyes. "I withdraw my previous remarks." He states, referring to when he said he's not here to exterminate Baron Krory, and activates Cross Beta. "I have found a reason to fight."
Eliade starts to brush herself off and complains, "Jeez. You've damaged it, you really are a nasty brat. Ah- my clothes are all tattered too."
"Aren't you going to change shape?"
"I hate becoming ugly. I like this appearance better." She responds as she tucks her hair behind her ears. "But, well... in this this situation... I can't complain..."
Eliade pulls off her face and transforms into her Akuma form.
"That's right." Allen agrees, pulling his hood over his head.
Just as Eliade transforms, Alice ignores the pain from the broken bones as she activates Silver (twin swords form) and stands up, staggering a bit towards where Allen is. The two Exorcists look at each other, then nods as Eliade lunges to them, evading her attack.
In the graveyard
Krory suddenly suffers in pain as Lavi activates his seals.
"Huh? Hey, what's wrong?" Lavi asks.
But Krory didn't answer him just continues to groan painfully.
"DAMN IT...! I'M RUNNING OUT OF FUEL!?" Kroly shouts. "If only I drank more of Eliade's blood..." He thought, but brushes it away. "IMPERMISSIBLE!"
"'Impermissible'?" Lavi thought.
"GYU–! GOD DAMN IT...!" Krory exclaims.
"Well... whatever!" Lavi says with a smile. "I don't know what's your deal it, but this is my chance. No hard feelings, 'kay?"
"GUUU..." Krory shudders.
Iron Hammer grows in size as the seals rotate around it and Lavi. "Innocence: Second Opening-BAN!" Lavi says as Iron Hammer hits the seal, 火. "Hi!" Lavi strikes with his hammer on the ground to use the Fire seal and the area around them has a large print of the seal, 火 (hi) with a circle around it (maru). "Gouka Kaijin! HIBAN!" Lavi recites, meaning 'Fire Stamp! Hell Fire and Ash'.
The fire seal creates torrents of flames around Krory in the form of a snake, making it look as if Krory has been eaten by a fire snake.
"UAH... AAH! UWA―!" Krory screams as the snake charges into the castle walls, creating another hole.
"Don't worry. I kept my flames reasonably low." Lavi explains.
Just as Krory crashes through the wall by Lavi's Fire Seal, Eliade bursts through the wall from the other side with Alice and Allen on her body.
"Ug... you..." Eliade hisses, but suddenly averts her attention towards an unconscious Krory on the ground. "Arystar! Change!" Eliade commands as she shifts back into her human form, running towards Krory's body.
Allen and Alice are falling down until someone caught Alice's arm and Allen grabs her leg.
"Hey, Alice! Allen!" Lavi says with a smile as he sits on Iron Hammer's handle while grabbing Alice's hand.
"Lavi!" Alice and Allen call in unison.
"You're all right!" Alice adds.
Lavi nods at Alice and notices Allen's left eye.
"Huh? Your left eye healed?" Lavi asks as he notices Eliade on the ground, holding Baron Krory's body close to hers. "Hey, Allen, Alice, that woman...!?"
As Eliade holds Baron Krory's body, he regains conscious and looks up at Eliade.
"Master Arystar." Eliade calls sweetly with a smile.
But Krory's eyes look at what emerging from her. A humanoid form wraps in bandages. Krory eyes widen in either fear or confusion.
"E... Eliade. What is that...?" Krory asks Eliade as her smile disappears and she looks at him in confusion.
"Eh?" Eliade says.
"Y... your... That thing coming out of your body... What is it...!?"
He points past Eliade and she looks to where he points, she widens her eyes. On the other hand, the three Exorcists are standing on the ground - after Lavi lowers them down with Iron Hammer - watching Baron Krory and Eliade.
"Calling back from the Underworld, the bound 'Soul of the Akuma' that is the weapon's energy source." Lavi notes. "... Right?" Alice and Allen both look at Lavi - who seems scared. "Is that it, Allen? Woah... why... can I see it too...?"
Alice's eyes widen as she looks at Allen. "Is it because of your left eye, Allen?" She asks.
As Allen remember seeing is foster father in his dream. 'Has Mana's curse stronger? Can my left eye show the souls of Akuma to other people now!?' Allen guesses as he lifts his left hand to cover his left eye.
"KURO-CHAN! THAT GIRL IS AN AKUMA! I TOLD YOU 'BOUT IT EARLIER! SHE IS YOUR ENEMY AS WELL AS OURS!" Lavi exclaims.
'Akuma?' Krory thought. "Eliade...? What are... you?" He asks.
"So you know?" Eliade asks. "I... I..." Eliade begins. Then Eliade's blood drips onto Krory's glove, making it a sizzling noise indicating that she is indeed an Akuma. Krory stares of his glove with shock and Eliade stands up. "Aah- I'll tear you to pieces!" Akuma Eliade shouts as she attacks Baron Krory.
"AAH... UG... H." Krory groans as Akuma Eliade faces him.
"I WAS GOING TO TAME YOU AND MAKE YOU SERVE ME, BUT FINE! I CANNOT LET YOU BECOME AN EXORCIST! I'LL KILL YOU!" Akuma Eliade shouts.
"AH! SHIT! KURO-CHAN IS ALREADY TIRED FROM PLAYING WITH ME EARLIER! OH NO!" Lavi exclaims.
'Kuro-chan!?' Allen and Alice thought in unison.
"IF WE DON'T HELP...!" Just as the three Exorcists were going to move to help the vampire, something bursts up from the ground and captures them. It is Krory's giant, man-eating plants.
"WWWWHAAA!? FLOWERS BREAKING THROUGH THE FLOOR!?" Allen shouts in surprise.
"DAMN FLOWERS-?" Lavi shouts.
"NOT AGAIN-!" Alice screams. "THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE!"
"DAMN IT- WHAT'S WITH YOU FLOWERS!? YOU CAN'T BREAK INTO KURO-CHAN'S PLACE!" Lavi curses.
"Hmph. Looks like your Grandpa's memento are crying for some food. Should we offer them your flesh and blood?" Akuma Eliade points out.
"I love you..." Krory says. "Ever since the first time I saw you... I was charmed by you at first sight... If I was an enemy, why did you stay by my side for so long, instead of killing me?" He asks.
"I said I had a use for you, didn't I? There was something I wanted to do. That's why. The truth is that I've wanted to kill you all along." Akuma Eliade answers.
"I see... you truly are an Akuma..." Krory concludes as he licks Eliade's blood from his glove and activates his Innocence. "I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO KILL YOU TOO!"
