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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
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Chapter 38: Warpath
The eerie silence that preceded his steps towards the castle was starting to get unnerving.
The torches back at the gates were still burning, illuminating the path in front of the young Belmont as he stepped over thought the broken steel.
A myriad of monsters wandering around the massive courtyard that preceded the proper entrance of the building, their attention mostly taken by the carcasses of their former enemies. Guards, the piece of dark-blue armor shattered by the strength and numbers of the beasts.
The moment Mathias noticed the hellspawns festering on the corpses, he took a quick battle stance as some of the weaker creatures rushed towards him.
The youth saw their wings flapping madly, a devilish grin in their ugly mugs. Imps, he remembered his uncle telling him about those creatures when he fought in the Demon Castle War a decade or so ago.
Those tiny beasts were dangerous with their intense attacking rate and their attitude of picking opponents in large quantities.
The Morning Star cracked as its spiked end slammed on the Imp leading the big charge, the holy weapon rejecting the demonic flesh and creating a magical explosion that devoured a good amount of the group.
The rest was pushed several feet away by the blast, horror-filled glances turned at the lone human advancing towards them. Just as Uncle Julius told him, the monsters were keen to run away when a threat far bigger than they could deal with presented before them.
A sigh left his lips as he rushed forward, knowing that trying to take on the horde right now was going to be a draining and difficult task, especially with the lack of essential tools that would ease his slaying job.
The entire area has been taken over by the monsters and the indoors looked safer to him, thus he pushed part of his magical energy through his legs, the sudden boost helping him to gain a good pace to overcome the other beasts attacking him. There were… so many of them, few he could recognize at first sight while a small part actually eluding his mind.
Harpies tried to catch up with their stronger wings, winged skeletons following their example but none was able to reach the quick young man. He jumped over a crushed bench and he was about to reach for the broken glass doors when-
His ears twitched as he picked up the feral roar by his side, causing him to instinctively dodge the claws of the monster that had managed to catch up to him. The humanoid creature had feline features, its uniform fur was a dark yellow.
A blink to its appearance was enough to recognize the growling were-creature.
Werejaguars are beings much stronger and faster than Werewolves, their prowess in a fight compared to their close family which they had a deep rivalry to, the Weretigers.
It jumped, exploiting the broken momentum to try and hit the recoiling Belmont. The boy rolled away once more, forced to make a hasty retreat away from the line of monsters still giving pursuit.
The tip of the holy whip was sent flying once more, the Werejaguar now considered the most dangerous threat at the moment.
The beast dodged the attack with its inhuman reflexes but the whip still slammed on the hide of a gargoyle flying behind it. The resulting explosion sent the surprised werebeast flying towards the near wall, giving Mathias the time he needed to resume his rush toward the entrance.
This time he did it, jumping forward as he turned to once more make use of the Morning Star.
The Werejaguar roared, ready to fight him in close-quarters but it stopped, eyes going wide as he found itself staring at the ball-tip of the powerful weapon. The resulting blast instantly obliterated the monster while also forcing the entire structure and arcs of the entrance to collapse, barring the entrance to anyone outside…
"T-That was close." His magical reserves were dwindling and Mathias knew that he needed some breathing time to recover from the recent ordeal. His eyes turned to see if there was any dangerous issues within the room, the large lounge having been desecrated by the attacking force, the corpses of several other knights lying there lifeless.
He approached one of the bodies and grouched to pick the steel sword in the individual's hands when he saw his face. The man was pale, paler than a normal human being… and his fangs and red, dead eyes.
T-This is a vampire!
Or was.
Mathias tripped and fell on his back as he continued to stare at the deceased creature with a shocked and confused look.
W-weren't the monsters commanded by the vampires? Wh-Why would they-
The Belmont stopped, eyes snapping away from the corpse at the sound of footsteps approaching by the twin staircase.
Rushing down one of these, the young man stared at the blonde rushing towards him. Red-eyes wide open, fangs visible and a fear-stricken expression. The young woman was wearing some ruined, red-black dress, and… she was running towards him.
He prepared for a fight but he soon noticed that she wasn't aiming for him but…
The vampire passed him and then turned around, straddling behind him and pressing her head over his shirt. She started to whimper and cower.
He glanced back, spotting only the trembling top of her hair, his confusion increasing immensely.
More footsteps, this time the individual decided to jump from the small balcony atop the staircases.
He was wearing pure-white formal clothes, crouching to reduce the fall damage and then he stood up. A youthful face, akin to the woman behind the human, but in those eyes instead of panic was cold resolution and his lips were fixed in an emotionless thin line.
The male vampire blinked. "A stranger managing to reach this place?" He mused loudly and cockily, his tone just resembling those only nobles were keen to show. "I'm impressed that a human was able to run through the monsters ruining our courtyard, but I don't think it's the proper time to play with a-" He stopped without notice, eyes widening as the arrogant man spotted the glimmering whips the young human was holding in one hand.
His stare snapped up and back to the boy's face. "A Belmont!? What are you doing here, mongrel?"
Mathias was about to reply with the same vehemency when he noticed the girl's hold tightening, her shivering increasing. What was going on with her?
"What have you done to her?"
The blond man snarled at the question and advanced slowly, a blade appearing by his right hand.
"You seriously think that I will let you go after what your family has caused to our glorious ancestor? And what about her, she is my dearest sister."
Yet the tone sounded off about the way he was addressing her, the human's eyes narrowing on the approaching monster as he readied himself for the soon-to-begin fight. "Then I will have to disappoint you twice, bastard. I will not let you go without having gotten any answers about what is going on here."
The vampire jumped and descended upon the Belmont, his saber cutting through the air and ready to pierce the flesh of the monster slayer. Gritting his teeth, Mathias glanced back and sighed. "Duck!"
The girl tensed at his loud order but complied and ducked as the boy used what magical power he managed to recover until now to use a blinding spell. Just as planned, the male vampire snarled at the sudden light, eyes closing as he still dashed forward.
The blond's swing missed… and the Belmont's newly-acquired sword cut forward, creating a large wound in the vampire's chest. The monster slammed on the floor nearby them, trembling as he started to get up.
"A-A coward m-move." The man spat blood, hatred exuding from his eyes. "I-I will make you pay, you cur!" He rushed once more and this time Mathias didn't have anything to use against him. His hands was burning and his entire body was aching because of the magical exhaustion.
Don't stop.
The stern voice resonated within his soul and the Belmont tightened his hold over the bloodied sword and-
The vampire's eyes widened, his own sword pushed away as the stained turned its course towards his head and silently decapitated him. Terror filling his stare, the headless body crashed instantly down while the head rolled away as both Mathias and the girl fell on the ground.
Tired from the intense fighting he was forced to face, the young human closed his eyes, tiredness overwriting his worries as he came falling down face-first on the floor.
Valerie gasped at the situation and was suddenly by the stranger's side.
Her brother's corpse forgotten momentarily as her fear from the obsessed sibling was replaced by simple worry for the one that protected her. She turned him around and grimaced at how weak he looked right now.
Should she do something to help? Maybe giving him some of her blood- No, even her father told her that it wasn't something good to do to humans. But what she could do?
The young vampire wanted to find help around, maybe one of the guards would help her and knew what to do- but what if they try to kill the human, he was after all a possible threat to them.
The name Belmont resonated something in her memory, but everything was just so fuzzy… it's been a while since she had to think so much. Her brain was hurting… she stopped thinking too much about it and turned her attention once more to the unconscious protector.
But just as she returned to think how she was supposed to help him, her heightened ears caught something or someone approaching.
She shifted around and saw someone approaching by the… collapsed entrance? Eyes widening in surprise as the dark-haired man wearing some formal clothes approached the duo and stopped mere steps away. He looked curious, partly confused but incredibly intrigued by the boy behind her.
"Now isn't that a… curious sight?" He mused softly, his tone directed at the two. "A Tepes defending a Belmont."
The man didn't show any aggressive behavior, yet Valerie kept staring at him attentively. There was something about him that struck familiar to her and she felt an impressive amount of power in him.
"While I am genuinely warmed by such a scene, I need you to let me take care of him. I can help him-"
He tried to approach, causing the young woman to tense up and snarl at him.
The strange man blinked and sighed. "I guess I will have to let go of some restrains to avoid to waste time."
Red eyes were suddenly meet with golden ones and a quick suggestion forced her to not only back down but to… feel sleepy. She wobbled confused, feeling her whole mind stolen in that exact instant and…
Thud
Moments of silence passed, the dark-haired figure crouching to pick both teens up in his arms. "To think that this maddening and yet hopeful event would happen now of all times possible." He shrugged. "I guess I will have take care of both of you before dealing with this new threat..."
And with those words, Alucard, son of the Prince of the Darkness Dracula, proceeded to bring the two youths away from harm's way.
Tokyo, Omega Initiative's Headquarters…
I groaned as I lied on my bed, head resting on the pillow. "What do you mean we are not going?"
"'I mean' that you will not try to involve yourself, directly and indirectly about this situation." Azazel replied tiredly. "I allowed that you decided to take out Valper carefully and cleanly, with the perspective that you weren't going to dip your hands in any other affairs out of your jurisdiction. Don't make me come over Tokyo to spank you, brat!"
I sighed tiredly and nodded. "Fine, but can you at least tell me why I can't come with you and help?"
"The Tepes Faction is a very difficult group, I did have to use some favors I have with the Vladi and the Manthar families to join in their rescue operations. If I was to bring a human with me they wouldn't have accepted it and..." He stopped to speak just a moment, causing me to frown at the ceiling.
"And what?"
"Rivezim Lucifer and Euclid Lucifuge were seen leading the assault force." He dropped, my eyes widening in surprise.
"Then I-"
"Will stay back to the headquarters, integrate the three new members to your group and avoid causing any spank-worthy issues." Another sigh and he continued. "I swear, there are times I prefer Vali's indifference to things like this-"
"I bet he will flip to learn his grandfather is trying to pull something-"
"And he will not learn about it. I understand the need to intervene because of the whole Lucifer stuff but don't make it your life-goal. Enjoy some rest and please get the third brat a little less annoying to deal with."
"...Roger that." I nodded absently. "By the way, how is the Kokabiel situation?"
"I think he know something is off about Valper's death, but he still needs to punish his 'allies'. Did you read the most recent news?"
I blinked. "You mean the ones literally saying 'Multiple cloaked Ghouls found dead by the Shibuya Ward'? The CCG is going insane with the lack of any clues that could give anything about the one that is causing this mess." I described.
"Some Fallen Angels under his command have been assigned to long shifts over Tokyo. I wouldn't be surprised if they are responsible for the 'purge' of Aogiri Tree but I think this event will force Kokabiel to speed-up his plans."
"Why so?" I asked, surprised by his shift of tone.
"It would be dumb of me if I didn't take notice of strange deaths in Tokyo when one of the Cadres is operating in the city."
"I guess only time will tell..."
"Indeed, have fun with your new kids, brat."
The call ended and I sighed at the phone in my hand before returning it back to my pants' pocket.
We need to train.
I nodded in agreement, silently gazing at the ceiling as I thought what could be best to try and develop. I could return to my roots and develop Light-type magic… but it was particularly weak and difficult to access to, maybe if I called Baraqiel and asked for new books? It could be a good thing.
Remember to not neglect your Dark-type spells. With the Senjutsu mode you should be able to use them and… there is also something else you need to try.
..That is? And please, don't drag this too much.
'Seeing how your Senjutsu mode came to be quite stable and without any bad aftereffects, we've been thinking of… trying a 'Triple Synchronization.'
You mean… adding your power to the Senjutsu mode?
Correct! It will be twice as stronger and make use of both yours and Apophis' magical reserves to keep going and make use of Shadow-type spells.
'I think my reserves are finally filled and I know I can make use of them if you allow it through the seals.'
I… guess we could try that one out.
My walk to reach the training floor was a brief one. There were few people training, the first two that I saw were Baki and… Mob.
Shigeo Kageyama was someone I didn't think that would be in this universe… because of the events he has been part of. Fighting strong Spirits and Espers, dealing with Mogami and Toichiro Suzuki… and then becoming the pariah after the final arc of the Manga.
A tragic individual that was currently listening to the older male looking at him doing exercises.
"You need to aim higher, Shigeo-kun. Your determination is on point but you still aren't there yet physically."
The boy nodded, sweating and trembling a little but still smiling through the labor. "U-Understood, Baki-sensei."
From the sides another boy the same age of Mob continued to stare at the scene in silence. Orange-haired, Esper Sho Suzuki looked rather bored by the sight but seemed to be quite interested by the individual that was responsible for taking down his father as he suffered through the older and bulkier male's regiment.
The young Hanma nodded happily at that reply and merely glanced at me to greet me.
Kunou and Koneko were playing somewhere while having Teru keeping company with them, Kuroka was keeping an eye over Mio and, mostly, Maria, while the two vampire siblings were going for a… shopping spree. While Kahlua had been delighted by the tiny and adorable Bombay cat, I was starting to deal with the issues that such a playful kitty would cause.
Both Nekoshous were incredibly annoyed by being nearby the cute furball, going so far to literally avoid being in the same room as it. The kitty was incredibly eager to take down things off the table, scratching the table's legs and marking its territory in everyone's bed.
Obviously a visit to the vet but it wasn't going to happen until few weeks from now, so we would all have to deal with that until then.
I reached a particularly far spot of the large room and sat down in meditation.
So, how does this exactly works?
Go directly in the Senjutsu Mode, we will take the work from there.
I nodded and closed my eyes as I felt the energy flow through my magical coils.
Good… now, let's see…
I waited patiently for something to happen and… I felt my entire body tensing up as the energy started to build faster, much more faster than usual. I blinked my eyes open and I saw something form around my body. Something dark but transparent and moments later, I found myself inside something that looked like an armor.
First question, is this by any chance similar to a dragon-like armor?
Nope! First thing we wanted to avoid was giving that kind of impressions. I think there are 'enough' Dragon-powered Sacred Gears nowadays and- we look like something even cooler!
'I am- I mean, we dragons are cool.'
But not as cool as a Reaper!
...Say what?!
A little image was filtered to my mind and I blinked at what I was seeing. It was a black-white armor with a skull-like mask covering my head. I noticed only now that I was holding a fucking scythe made of shadows in my left hand.
That is…
Cool? Amazing? Shocking or-
I blinked just once and I found myself back in my normal form, falling on my knees.
Terribly draining.
Y-Yeah, about that-
'While we can help in forming this form and keep it going, your body is not ready for it just yet. You need to train and manage to get the habit of using it.'
You could have… told me that a little earlier.
Sorry but I was… giddy. This is a super-cool bust and-
How am I supposed to train with it if I can't hold it up for more than a few seconds?
That is actually simple. We are going to learn another technique that will help us with that.
...And that… is?
Oh, this one you will actually like.
I was skeptical that this was going to be a let-down training session but… I found myself eating those words the moment I stared at the red aura covering my body and giving new energy to my muscle.
The Kaioken works. The energy input was impressive, I could feel a similar drain to the new armored form but this time I could manage it without having to drop it instantly. It was a nice thing to know that broadened the opportunities to learn beyond what was currently available to this world.
Especially with techniques that could easily turn the tide in my favor, like the Kaioken itself, the Kamehameha and…
The fusion dance.
AN
Recovering a little from the flu, tomorrow I will be top-shape and… it's not over yet!
Omake 3: Love is a powerful instrument.
If someone asked one Asia Argento how she managed to deal with her usual day, the ever-so-cheerful blonde would reply smiling with only one word. "Love."
To many this answer would appear as something of an abstract response rather than a genuine thing, mostly because the girl was quite devoted to God and the spiritual world.
But to keen observer, this word would explain much of what happens during her everyday.
Early in the morning, the lovely girl would grace the world with a smile as she would tip-toe out of the warm bed of her room and reach for the big kitchen of the house she was currently tending off with her boyfriend. It was a nice experience, one that her creative imagination envisioned as how things would end up to be with Issei.
A lovely home for a lovely couple.
The brunet would be getting just an hour or two of extra sleep, just so he would be able to help her along her day when she needed to.
With breakfast served, consumed and then completed by cleaning the dishes, the two would take turns to use the bathroom, with Asia being always the first to enter and quickly do her own things.
Issei would be swift too in that room and then, all proper and dressed, would be kind enough to hold the blonde's schoolbag until they reached Kuoh Academy. From there their path diverged for a good amount of time, being in two different school years and classes.
Yet the brief pauses in-between lessons would be taken as an opportunity by the boy to visit the usually lonely girl, to bring some food or chat about the things they liked, like cartoons and TV series.
There were also times when smug jocks would try and approach the former nun, badmouthing her boyfriend and try to get too close to her. Issei would be there to quickly deal with them.
It's been few days now that the newest Golden Rule has been accepted by the entire school: If someone tries to hurt the kind blonde, they would be in for a world of pain with the formerly frail Hyoudou.
This very rule was respected by everyone in the school, students, teachers and even perverts. This last category had adopted an effective but acceptable attitude for Issei about this very situation: They wouldn't dare peep in the changing room of girls when Asia was around or making use of it.
The helpfulness stretched even during her Club's work as the brunet would be quite keen to offer some support and help when needed during the making of some spectacles, even going so far to offer himself as a replacement for a sick member of the club.
With the school day concluded, the two would make their way back to Hoitsu's currently vacant house and prepare themselves to deal with the homework for the following day.
At this point the poor Issei would be incredibly tired and the instances of him falling asleep while finishing some exercises were relatively frequent. The moment her eyes would find him snoring softly over some unfinished paper, she would giggle quietly and put something to cover him and keep him warm as she completed his share of homework.
It was more difficult than her own workload, but for some reasons the sudden improvement of grades from the boy suggested that it wasn't as difficult as she initially thought.
And, finishing the arduous papers, she would silently tilt her head over his and plant a quick kiss on his forehead, her mind shifting once more to the kitchen where the girl had to prepare their dinner.
Night would then arrive and the two would go to their respective rooms. As much as the two loved each other, sharing the same bed as a permanent thing was still off from happening anytime soon.
It was going to happen, the blonde was sure of that but… she just enjoyed this beautiful peace.
Indeed, the few observers would finally say, love is the best answer to that simple question.
AN
Quick info before passing to other things:
Dracula Tepes is not Alucard (Rosario + Vampire). Dracula was a human called Mathias Conqvist that was driven by the grief of losing his first wife to take the powers of one of the most powerful Vampires in Valachia, Walter Bernhard, at the cost of sacrificing Leon Belmont's fiance, Sara Trantoul (1094 AD), then spending almost four centuries in exile, away from most of mankind while recruiting those that scorned God like he did. In early 1400, 'Alucard' was a prince of the region that revealed to be a Vampire, his wish to create a Utopia for monsters by making everything part of himself, absorbing everything that lived. The Belmont would have intervened about the situation, but until later that century they would be hunted down by the Church as heretics. The Dark Lords (Akasha Bloodriver, Tenmei Mikogami and Touhou Fouhai) went to face the Shinso Vampire and managed to seal it away. In 1476 the Church Inquisition puts on trial Lisa Tepes, local doctor in Targoviste, for Witchcraft, and was executed by being burned alive. A year later, Dracula declared war on Humanity and assembled the Army of Darkness. Four heroes in the form of Trevor C. Belmont, Sylva Bernandes, Adrian Tepes (Alucard) and Grant Danasty stormed the Count's castle and put an end to his attempt to destroy the world.
Summarized: Alucard (R+V), Dracula and Alucard (Castlevania) are separate entities in this series.
Last explanation (this one is short): Until now the only OC is Mathias Belmont, some people thinks that I've been putting OC and I'm sorry to say that those are actually characters from the various series I've been bringing up.
Future milestone 1: 777 Followers and Favorites.
P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin
REVIEW Q&A!
NexusPrime42: This actually happens before Aria of Sorrow as that installment happens in 2034 and the story is set in 2011. So yeah Soma isn't even alive at this point (he was born in 2017).
Resurrection99: Baki will be Mob's new life teacher and physical trainer.
Illusion of Time: Thanks for the good words and the compliments. I will be taking the issues seriously, I know that I've yet to develop Kuroka, Akua and Akeno. I'm planning to first focus on Koneko as she is the character I focused the least recently and I wish to reassert the idea she is supposed to be on par with Kunou with Hoitsu (But actions matter more than words, so I will let the chapter about it explain it for me.). Once more thank you for bringing this minor issues up and I will be careful. Thanks!
Guest (Chapter 37): I know that I'm going a little bit fast, but I will stop with X-overs after this Castlevania bit just to fully explains the ones I've currently introduced. I understand the concern and I will be careful in world-building stuff… well.