I do not own Rosario Vampire or any of the characters.

King of Monsters

"Fuhai, I'll need a barrier around the battlefield. One that can hold it back."

"I'll need time," Fuhai said.

"How much?" Damon asked.

"As much as you can give me," Fuhai said. "I'll try for ten minutes."

Damon nodded. "I'll do my best."

Both left and Damon rose into the air, expanding into his true form as Alucard began to rapidly grow into his full form again.

"I had wanted to avoid this," Damon said. "But now, allow me to show you who the true King of Monsters is."

Alucard roared, launching himself forward. Damon flapped his wings and shot forward, easily getting past the punch and grinned as he spun. Alucard was weakened. A lot. Regrowing his full body had taken more strength than Damon could have hoped. Alucard roared as Damon's tail crashed into his chest, hurling him backward. Damon roared, bathing him in flames again, only for Alucard's tentacles to shoot up, swiping at him again and again, Damon avoiding them as best he could, Finally, he shot forward, slamming a punch into Alucard's head where Miyabi had been a moment before, Miyabi having barely avoided the punch. Alucard's head all but exploded and the body crashed back to the ground, Miyabi barely staying connected. Then, the arm snapped up, batting Damon aside. Damon crashed to the ground and rolled, his wings both breaking, then pushed himself up, growling. He roared, spewing flames onto Alucard, only for Alucard's foot to flash through the flames, punting him. He crashed to the ground hard, rolling along for a ways before pushing himself up, exhaling white-hot flames onto the ground. The flames healed him in moments, his wounds finishing sealing at the same time as Alucard's. Both roared and shot forward, their fists crashing into each other's. Damon's right arm's scales and bones shattered as Alucard's arm exploded. Then, Damon rolled, his tail batting Alucard's right arm aside before Alucard's tentacles all crashed down on Damon's back. Damon bounced off the ground and flapped his wings, shooting forward and using his wings to take Alucard's legs out from under him. He shot into the air as his right arm finished healing, then roared, pushing his flames as hot as he could, Alucard writhing and shrieking as they washed over him, burning his tentacles away in seconds. Damon stopped to breathe, but before he could roar again, Alucard suddenly rolled, his free hand slamming into him before swinging him down and exploding into the ground, crushing him.

He felt most of the bones in his body shatter, along with all of his scales, and darkness tried to claim his mind as Alucard roared victoriously, beginning to stand. he could sense Fuhai struggling to finish his barrier, but it was too late. He didn't have the strength left. Regenerating his wounds and scales as fast as he had had burned him out, and now he couldn't move, much less unleash his true power.

"You failed, vermin!" Alucard sneered. "Thank you for showing me who the King of Monsters is. I won't forget any time soon."

"Fuck yourself," Damon growled, regurgitating the rosary he had stolen from Moka without anyone noticing, then swallowed. "Take this back."

He spat, the rosary at Alucard, who made the mistake of catching it. Instantly he shouted in surprise, opening his hand as flesh began to rise from it, forming into Akasha Bloodriver's body. Alucard roared, backhanding her and breaking her free of his body, her legs being ripped off below the knees, and sent her exploding into the ground beside Damon.

"Welcome back...to the...land of the living," Damon said.

"Thank you for returning my rosary," Akasha said as the cross fell to the ground and her legs healed quickly. "I bet swallowing that hurt."

"Like you...wouldn't believe," Damon said. "I'm not eating...anything...for a week. Assuming I'm...healed by then."

Akasha stood, but just as she did, Fuhai's barrier was finally finished. "You don't have the strength left to fight, do you?"

"No," Damon said. "The barrier was a waste."

"Not quite," Akasha said. "If you can't win, I can take him with me."

"I could win if...I had enough...strength...to use my...trump card," Damon said. "But I can't...move."

Akasha was silent for a moment before looking around. "I think I can help you. Can you feel it?"

Damon frowned, extending his senses. He could sense the others all waiting just outside the barrier. He could sense Alucard's strength beginning to return again, like the monster he was. But what was she talking about? He froze suddenly as he found it. His jaw would have dropped if he'd been able to lift his head without his shattered jaw hanging limply as it was. A soul. There was a single, extremely powerful, extremely pure soul. He summoned it, and it responded, forming into a ball of light before him. he could sense it. Its identity. Its memories.

"It's...you?" Damon breathed. "No. It's the...clone of you...that acted as the...seal."

"That's right," Akasha nodded. "She developed a soul thanks to Tsukune. I kept her memories, but that is her soul. Will it be enough?"

Damon growled in pain, lifting his head and forcing his body to respond. He inhaled, the soul streaking into his mouth before he swallowed. He hummed pleasantly. "It's so sweet. She died happy."

"Yes," Akasha smiled, tears running down her cheeks. "Happier than she'd ever been."

Damon groaned as his body shone blood red suddenly, his bones cracking and grinding loudly as they shifted back into place, then healed, his scales all instantly regrowing. He grinned as his power skyrocketed. Pure souls, happy souls, were really something else. He'd never actually gotten to eat one himself, though his family had, a long time ago. He hadn't expected their effect to be so extreme. There really was no comparison between them and the souls of those who died in fear, or were sinners. He wrapped his tail around Akasha, lifting her onto his head before flapping his wings and shooting into the air.

"Alucard!" Damon roared, Alucard turning to him. "We have unfinished business!"

"You're a truly annoying pest," Alucard said, turning and walking toward him. "I honestly thought you'd die from those injuries. And yet here you are, almost good as new."

"Can you do this?" Akasha asked.

"I have more than enough strength to us my trump card now," Damon said. "But you need to take a deep breath. I'll need to shield you with my scales."

"Okay," Akasha nodded, laying down behind his horns. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Why are you flying so high, Dragon King?" Alucard taunted from below Damon. "Are you afraid to come within reach?"

"Enjoy oblivion," Damon growled, his scales shifting from under Akasha into a mound over her, shielding her. "Hellfire Damnation!"

He roared and the flames that exploded from his mouth were blood red and pitch black mixed, fighting to replace each other, and when they met Alucard, they exploded into a massive blast that filled the barrier in an instant, bowing it outward before rolling back on themselves, filling the inside of the barrier the roar of the continuous explosion drowning out both Damon's roar as he continued to spew hellfire, and Alucard's high, piercing shriek of agony. Thanks to being what he was, Damon was able to see through the Hellfire, watching as Alucard's body began to burn black starting at his snout, then slowly inching its way back, Miyabi charring in an instant, until finally, Alucard's entire body had been turned to charcoal. Then, after a few more seconds, he began to drift away as ash, the ash spreading downward until his entire body was gone, and then continued to burn until that, too, was gone. Then, Damon ended his flames and focused, the flames, the melted ground, and the beyond-superheated air inside the barrier all spiraled around the center and were transported to Hell. Fuhai allowed the barrier to fall as Damon uncovered Akasha, who sat up and wiped sweat from her brow, staring down at the scar Damon had left in the world, a pit too deep to see the bottom and filling the barrier, the sides of it still coated in obsidian.

"That was amazing," Akasha said.

"That was the ultimate ability of the ruler of Hell," Damon said, breathing hard and flying toward the edge of the pit away from the humans, everyone else moving to meet them there. "What will you tell Tsukune?"

Akasha was silent for a long few moments before sighing. "I will pretend I don't have the memories. Moka is in love with him. I will not stand in my daughter's way."

"That's very noble of you," Damon said.

"You're one to talk," Akasha smirked. "You created a Shinso vampire in order to save Kahlua simply to stop Cocoa from crying."

"I know," Damon grunted. "I'm so soft it's sickening." He landed on the ground and allowed Akasha to slide to the ground. "Thank you for giving me that soul. Even if I'd noticed it before, I'd have had no right to ask."

Akasha smiled. "It's alright. She would have wanted you to have it anyway, if it meant stopping Alucard and protecting Tsukune."

Damon nodded, smiling, before wincing, glancing down at the burn spreading over his stomach. "I kind of regret not flying higher."

"Are you okay!?" Mizore asked worriedly as she and Ruby landed in front of him.

"I'll be alright," Damon said. "Hellfire is just hotter than even my kind can handle."

Mizore nodded, eyes watering as she smiled, hugging his head and kissing the end of his snout. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Damon smiled, reaching a wing out to pull Ruby over, Ruby hugging him as well. "Both of you."

"Moka!" Tsukune called out suddenly, landing off to the side with Moka, the others all not far behind them.

"No, I'm sorry," Akasha said, smiling sympathetically and doing an amazing job hiding the pain that Damon knew she was feeling from having to let him go. "My name is Akasha Bloodriver. I'm Moka's mother, and the person the clone you knew as the outer Moka was based off of. But that clone is gone now. I'm sorry."

"I see," Tsukune said, gritting his teeth. "I understand."

"Don't look so heartbroken," Damon said, Tsukune looking over at him. "You're acting like Moka herself is gone, but she's standing right behind you."

Tsukune glanced at her and Moka smiled, taking his hand. "You're right. And now Moka has her mother back, thanks to you. We saw you spit the cross at Alucard. When did you take it?"

"When I returned to you after you two beat the shit out of Alucard," Damon said. "You two were so focused on Alucard still being alive and on his children destroying the world that you didn't even notice."

"You'd make a great pickpocket," Cocoa said.

"Thank you," Damon said, then looked away from them all, sighing. "Tsukune, for the sake of your family not realizing what you are yet, you should leave."

"What?" Tsukune asked.

"There are humans coming, and they'll have cameras," Damon said.

"What about Alucard's monsters?" Moka asked.

"They're mostly all dead now," Damon said. "At least in this city. Everyone was fighting, basically every monster who wasn't with Fairy Tale came out of hiding to defend the humans."

"I can handle the humans," Akasha said.

"No," Damon said. "I'm the one they were focused on the whole time, since they could see me. I'll handle it."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Haiji asked. "You are a devil after all."

"It'll be fine," Kurumu smiled. "He's not like the rest of his kind. And he's finally learned to show it." She patted him on the end of the snout and he snapped in her direction to make her snatch her hand back.

"Great," Damon grumbled. "Now I need to replace my scales again. Bad enough I reek of monster filth and need a fire shower after a lava bath."

Kurumu rolled her eyes. "Sure you do, you overgrown newt."

Damon growled. "I will burn your hair off."

Most of them laughed just as several humans with cameras, both on their cellphones and a couple of actual news cameras, rounded a massive chunk of debris.

"There it is!" one of them shouted, everyone turning to the humans as Damon rose, turning toward them while placing Tsukune behind himself.

Mizore rested a hand on the side of Damon's head as the humans stopped, looking around at them all. Moka, San, Fuhai, Mikogami, Kahlua, and Kurumu all still had their monster traights showing, Akasha had literally grown from Alucard's body, and also had wings showing, and Damon was obvious. However, the humans were obviously smart enough to figure out that no one in the group was human.

"Hey, the girl with the purple hair and the sucker," one of the humans said, pointing at Mizore for his news camera. "Is that your pet dragon?"

"Pet?" Damon asked, raising his head slightly. "That's insulting. How's that for gratitude for killing that monster for you."

"You see!" a soldier said, stepping out of the group. "I told you he could talk!"

Damon lowered his head again, extending his neck toward the soldier slightly, the other humans all backing away as the soldier raised his hands. Damon sniffed, recognizing the soldier's smell from when he had stopped Alucard from crushing the tanks. "Oh, you were one of the soldiers in the tanks."

"Yes!" the soldier nodded. "You...You saved my life! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, human," Damon said. "From what I can hear, that giant monster's spawn in the city have been destroyed, correct?"

"I think so," the soldier nodded. "All of a sudden, people just suddenly started turning into monsters and attacked them."

"Yes," Damon nodded. "As I'm sure you've figured out, not all monsters wish for humanity to be destroyed."

"Were those people always monsters?" one of the guys recording with a camera asked, flipping the camera around to show his face for a moment, Damon raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yes," Damon said. "We have always lived among you. However, as I said, most of us don't want to kill humans. We simply wish for the day to come when we no longer need to hide from you."

"You need to hide," the soldier said.

"No?" Damon asked. "Think of your mythologies, and your Fairy Tails. The entire world's. How often do you find stories of monsters that aren't being hunted or feared by humans."

All of the humans were silent for a long moment.

"Uh...Mister Dragon, sir?" the news caster spoke up. "Who are you?"

Damon rose up, taking on a more regal and authoritative air instantly, all of the humans eyes widening as even they noticed the shift. "I am Damon, the Fire D...Dragon King."

The humans all looked around at each other for a moment. "So...are there other types of dragons?"

"If you mean ice or lightning dragons, no," Damon said. "This isn't Dungeons and Dragons. All dragons breathe fire, not control the elements. And we're not deities. However, there are...shall we say, social classes of dragons. Ones that look like me are the higher order, and more powerful. The serpentine Asian ones are lower class and weaker."

"Are you only the king of dragons?" one of the ones who'd been quiet so far asked. "Or are you the king of all monsters?"

Damon grinned widely.

"This overgrown lizard is hardly the king of all monsters," Fuhai snorted. "He's barely qualified to be king of his own race."

"Excuse me, I'd say I'm a pretty damn good king, considering how my family was before me," Damon growled.

"That's true," Mizore said, now sitting on his neck just behind his horns, leaning on the one to her right and gently running her hand over his scales, which he didn't want to admit actually felt really good. "You're a great king."

"You're just biased because you're in love with him," Kurumu snorted. "Anyone else would argue he's passable at best."

"You know, you guys really aren't helping," Damon grumbled, the humans all laughing. "What?"

"U-Uh, s-sorry!" one of the humans said hurriedly. "I-It's just, you all act like family."

Damon chuckled. "That's because we are. After everything we've all gone through together, there's really no chance of us being anything else."

"Uh, excuse me, miss angel?" one of the other humans said to San. "You have a beautiful voice."

San smiled, holding up her notebook, which said "Thank you" and included a small caricature of her in the bottom left corner smiling the same way she herself was.

"She doesn't talk much," Damon said when the human was confused. "Her voice is her main means of defense, so she only uses it when she needs it."

The human nodded.

"Damon, we should get going," Moka said.

Damon nodded. "Take care, humans. Oh, and, sorry about the damage to the city."

He turned, using his tail to lift Ruby onto his neck behind Mizore, Ruby wrapping her arms around Mizore before everyone who could fly picked up everyone who couldn't and all took off, leaving the city quickly. As they flew, Damon carefully compacted himself, Mizore and Ruby shifting to be held against his sides by his arms as he did. Finally, he finished, once again using his scales to cover his genitals until Fuhai huffed, swiping two fingers through the air for a moment before a pair of loose black pants appeared on Damon.

"Thanks," Damon said, letting his scales fade, minus his wings.

"So, now what?" Moka asked.

"I'd say that went pretty well," Damon said. "They got to see peaceful monsters have a civil conversation on live television."

"And you were surprisingly civil, for a Fire Dragon," Kurumu said, stressing the last word and grinning knowingly.

Damon grimaced. "Don't remind me. But I couldn't very well identify myself as a devil immediately after having a deathmatch with a giant monster which levelled a quarter of the city. They'd have been terrified and assumed that I only did it to protect some sinister plot."

"True," Mikogami said, sitting on Fuhai's flying carpet with him and Akasha. "Let's head back to the school for now. We can rest there until things settle down before everyone goes where they need."

Everyone nodded and settled in to follow Fuhai, who Mikogami led to the nearest tunnel to the school.

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