Hi guys Azza here!
Sorry for taking so long but as you can see this was a long one. Combine that with my lack of time to write and my desire to nail this fight led me to taking as much time as I needed. That being said this is undoubtedly the longest fight and chapter I've ever written so hopefully you guys enjoy it!
Also coming out alongside this is my little teaser for what is to come post Vol III so this will confirm the next series for you guys as well as I guess show you just how far ahead I've thought this story through.
Any questions regarding that one shot feel free to ask them here and I'll answer them!
Anyway on with this mammoth of a chapter!
I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.
King Of Balance Versus The Vampire King
For centuries I have waited to do battle in a manner such as this, against a foe undoubtedly my equal. In life I battled many foes who claimed to be my equal, from the pitiful Saxons to the backward and culturally inept Ottomans who dared stand in my rightful road to rule!
Betrayed in the end by weak willed mortal trash my life was brought to a sudden close, countless schemes and plans of conquest down the drain as the guillotine came for my exposed neck. Naturally for one such as I an end of that pathetic calibre simply would not do and so in turn I had decided to shroud myself in the dark and curse all those still residing upon the mortal coil.
And so too came my rebirth.
With powers I could scarcely comprehend I laughed as the razor sharp blade from the guillotine sliced my head clean from my shoulders as my own blood began to form into spear like protrusions, slaughtering all those in attendance as my own form stitched itself back together.
On that day I discarded my former humanity and embraced what I had become as Count Dracula was born and with him a curse upon all of humanity. None could stop me, my already legendary power that could dismantle armies now exponentially multiplied with each passing kill, as I swept across all of Europe striking fear into those who dared to stand against my will.
And then he came ...
I still remember the day like it was yesterday, my foolishness as I ran rampant like a junkie who had received his next high I chased after a woman whom I had decided was to be mine and mine alone. In my blood lusted and dare I admit it aroused state I forcibly turned her, creating my very first TRUE Draculina in a moment of delirium.
Mina Harker. My greatest mistake and yet in the end my greatest decision, a single choice that in the end defined all that I would eventually become.
It was not Mina directly who shattered my blood lusted state but rather that man, Abraham Van Hellsing. I had never expected to encounter a mortal who could defeat me yet somehow out of the hundreds of thousands I had taken upon myself he achieved the impossible and drove that stake through my heart.
What followed was servitude to the Hellsing family as my ... ownership, was passed from Abraham to his son Arthur and I was converted into the weapon of the Hellsing Organization, fighting against the darkest forces my home world had to offer from all manner of the paranormal to the more mundane such as the German Fascists.
Yet even despite all the fun I had I still knew deep down what I truly was and on an almost fundamental level that defined who I would later come to serve, at least that is how I see it.
My time with Integra and Seras, my time acting as an Arch Devil for the Triumvirate and then playing around in Equilibrius, both aided me in finding one whom I could finally find the rest I had so long desired.
The High Arbiter, Natsu.
He too is a monster like me however he chose the noble path right from the beginning and yet despite it all he has managed to achieve feats beyond comprehension. Indeed I knew from the moment we first met that he would be the one to give me the true, final death I had been craving.
Or at least he should have been ...
/Natsu's POV/
Natsu stood firm as Alucard's cackling form charged toward him, his Aura being the only sign he even planned on trying to take any action as it seemed to shroud around him like a protective shield which in turn began turning the bullets fired from Alucard's guns to dust.
This didn't seem to faze the Vampire however as his grin only grew wider, performing a flip in midair as he moved to kick Natsu on top of his head. Naturally Natsu raised his right forearm and blocked the strike however what followed was something he was entirely unprepared for.
A crack formed between the pair that fired out a wave of power which seemed to knock out the undead that had been watching the fight, their shadows rising from their bodies and floating away into the night, prompting Natsu to scan his mind for any logical reasoning behind such a reaction.
"First time," Alucard grinned as he applied more pressure behind his kick. "This is what a fight between KINGS feels like Natsu, proof that we are beings destined for a much higher purpose than to grovel at the feet of the weak!"
Pushing Alucard back severed the connection the clash had created between the pair as the crack seemed to explode as Pitch Black and Crimson Red bolts of energy rained down onto the courtyard below them, tearing apart most of it in the process.
Vanishing from his current position Natsu appeared in front of Alucard with a flame coated fist however Alucard had already moved to react and as his fist landed into the Vampire's gut a much more powerful gunshot blew a small hole through his right side sending both flying backward.
'Looks like he actually charged his bullet that time ... damn it's even stronger than when I last saw him use it!'
"Keep in mind that this Alucard is an unknown Natsu, when and how he died are entirely a mystery," Ahnkseram chimed in as Natsu entered a defensive stance the moment Alucard twirled his guns around his trigger fingers before entering an offensive stance.
"That's true, for all I know he's over a thousand years older than the one I know so I shouldn't underestimate anything he does."
"I'll admit that hit of yours packed much more power than I was expecting," Alucard grinned only serving to put Natsu more on edge. "However I'm not quite done with the warm up just yet."
Natsu couldn't help but smirk slightly before vanishing right as two Aura laced shots eclipsed the space he was hovering in, appearing above Alucard with his right leg coated in Hybrid's Aura.
Pushing himself backward with a third shot Alucard fired a fourth shot aimed at Natsu's chest which was easily dodged only for Natsu to quickly realize it was in fact a distraction as he received a kick to his side that sent him flying toward the ground.
Looking upward mid flight he saw Alucard smirk before raining down a barrage of shots that forced Natsu to use his Gravity Magic to slow his descent whilst propelling himself out of the line of fire as the shots set off medium sized explosions below him.
"Damn those were packing more power than the one he tagged me with ..."
"I'm already getting a rough idea on how he uses those weapons so keep up this little skirmish and I should come up with a way to get rid of them."
"Right," was all Natsu said before landing on the ground just in time to jump out of the way of another gunshot that set off an even larger explosion.
"You seem to be remembering how to dodge my shots Natsu but I wonder how you'll deal with this ..."
Natsu's eyes narrowed before he suddenly sensed the need to duck. After doing so he was shocked to see a strange black and red Aura like substance in the shape of a claw that had tried to take a swipe at him from behind.
Before he could even voice his surprise Natsu was forced to jump out of the way as the claw took another swipe at him only to barely manage to perform a midair flip in order to avoid a second one that had formed above him. Instinctively he spun around on the spot before blasting himself backward as dozens of spike shaped black and red attacks tried to impale him as he tried to assess what was occurring before him.
"He's ... manipulating the blood from all the undead," Natsu muttered as Ahnk mentally hummed in agreement.
"He's not merely a Vampire Natsu, the power behind Alucard is most severe with even a fraction of it being enough to allow The Major to form an army that could have ended Ishgar. This is Alucard with all his power at his disposal and from all the Blood Magics and other dastardly abilities we saw on display back then it shouldn't be too far of a stretch to assume he has a whole slew of powers in store for us."
The bloody claws and spikes all crashed into one another to create a small sea of the black and red substance which rose up and fired out a hail of arrows in Natsu's direction. Without missing a beat Natsu slammed the arrows with over five hundred times the regular gravity and watched in surprise as they struck the ground below setting off a series of controlled explosions.
"Each of his attacks appear to be volatile in some form, perhaps owed to some other element he is infusing into them?"
Natsu didn't have the time to respond as Alucard emerged through the sea of blood grinning like a madman whilst opening fire on him once more prompting Natsu to vanish as, to the untrained eye, the pair seemed to appear and vanish all across the castle leaving naught but destruction in their wake.
"He's also frighteningly fast, not as fast as me but he seems to be able to predict any basic attacks I move to make and manages to dodge them at the last second," Natsu growled as Alucard weaved through a series of swift punches before trying to shoot Natsu in the face.
Naturally, without even blinking, Natsu arched his neck several times to dodge before the pair head butted each other which in turn led to the pair being blasted away from each other. As they flew away Alucard fired off more shots whilst Natsu began firing a rapid series of miniature fire based attacks from the palm of his right hand laced with Aura to counter them setting off more explosions both in the sky and all around their surroundings.
"That's it just keep fighting like that Natsu," Alucard cackled as he held up his right hand as a strange seal appeared, glowing Blood Red, and summoned the sea of blood to his side once more. "Just a little bit more and we can begin in earnest!"
"What does he mean by that?"
"That symbol on his right hand ... that is a seal made by the Archons," Ahnk replied contemplatively. "Now why would he possess something like that upon him ..."
"You know what that means?"
"That seal is known as the Control Art Restriction System," Ahnk replied quietly so as to not overly distract Natsu from the new barrage of blood based attacks being launched his way. "Back in the day the Archons of old were rather paranoid of losing their positions due to the influx of new blood into the Devil's Triumvirate and so they designed a seal to ... restrict the power a Devil can access unless certain parameters are met."
"They WHAT," Natsu snapped only to narrowly avoid being impaled by several spikes. "You mean to tell me that even as broken as Alucard is his power is being actively inhibited by that seal!?"
"I'm afraid so, how much power however I cannot say."
Where Natsu still harboured slight reservations about attacking the No Life King he now found himself resolved to act quickly, the knowledge of Alucard holding back combined with his taunts cementing the idea of ending the fight quickly for him.
Vanishing in a blur of Pitch Black and Aqua Blue Natsu tore through the attacks directed his way and appeared before Alucard who, to his credit, simply began laughing before being on the receiving end of a vicious punch to the jaw that sent him from high into the air into the ground below in a fraction of a second.
The attack quite literally folded in the courtyard, shaking most of the island, however Natsu wasn't finished quite yet as he held his right hand up above him to form a massive sphere of black flame.
"Hybrid's Aura: Fire Monarch's Amaterasu Nova!"
Moving the attack in front of him black waves seemed to pulse around his hand as the attack shrunk down until it sat comfortably before his palm. Only then did Natsu fire his attack with it simply vanishing and striking its intended target instantly as the area shook once more as a massive black dome of flame roared to life that could easily be visible to anyone on the island.
"Are you really that worried Natsu?"
"I've known Alucard for far too long to believe that him holding back could lead to anything positive if we ever fought Ahnk," Natsu replied bluntly as two small bits of golden flame burst to life in his hands. "I have to end it before he gets a chance to go all out and become something I might not be able to beat!"
Striking the centre of the blast zone with his Fire Monarch's Crimson Volley Natsu hoped that he had at the very least managed to wound Alucard. Ceasing his barrage he waited for several moments before noticing all the blood that had been enveloped by the blast had begun to escape the attack and was now shooting up into the sky and forming a sphere of sorts.
"Damn ..."
"That's the regeneration lottery for you Natsu."
"I'm surprised you can even joke despite the fact that this guy is literally reforming from a sliver of blood ..."
"Oh and why should it when you basically did the exact same thing against that Grimmjow guy!?"
Natsu was about to counter Ahnk's argument when suddenly the bloody sphere began to expand and from it Alucard's torso emerged, his head still regenerating, however attached to where his left arm should have been was a massive black and red mass that morphed into the head of a grotesque hellhound.
"What ..."
Moving his body slightly to the right he avoided a single gunshot from the open mouth of the hellhound, a strange bluish purple streak trailing behind it as it vanished from his field of view. Natsu was about to move forward to attack only for his eyes to widen as he bowed forward.
"I dodged that attack didn't I?"
He got his answer when the attack pulled a one eighty and came flying back toward him yet again as he raised his right arm to fire out a burst of Crash Magic. Unfortunately this was the moment when his perception of the battlefield went into overdrive and he found himself pulling back from his previous action as his index, middle and fourth finger were severed by a streak of white light.
"What the hell," Natsu hissed prompting him to vanish and appear a good distance away to try and find whatever claimed his now regenerating fingers. He also wasn't thrilled to see the first attack had instantly shifted to his new position with several white streaks following behind it.
Alucard's sinister chuckling could be heard as half of his face had reformed with the other half remaining the same strange bloodlike miasma, his one glowing Red eye widening with glee as he saw Natsu's regenerating fingers.
"Finally you've started bringing out the big guns. And here I thought that you were going to keep things small scale, I don't do small scale."
Natsu watched in morbid fascination as an arm emerged from the section of Alucard's head that hadn't regenerated. It was rather odd to see what appeared to be a woman emerging from his face, her own face also covered in the strange miasma substance, as a head began to emerge from her half emerged back.
"Ahnk ..."
"I had heard tales of why his powers were surprised however to see the full reasoning behind it on display first hand," Ahnk muttered in a mixture of genuine surprise and awe. "There are some circles who call Alucard 'The Ultimate Vampire' because when he partakes in the blood of someone he claims them into himself and everything they once were be it power, knowledge or even their own forms and mannerisms are bestowed unto him for his own personal use."
It was honestly a grotesque sight seeing the strangely deformed beings emerging from the missing portion of Alucard's head, one armed with a rifle and another with a card in-between his fingers as several more floated around Alucard.
"Now that you've decided to get serious I figured it was my turn to do the same," Alucard smirked as the hellhound attached to his arm thrashed around barking and howling, a maddened look in its eyes as spit spewed forth from its maw giving it an even more repulsive look. "And it looks like Baskerville is eager to play with you as well!"
"Baskerville," Natsu laughed in disbelief. "He actually gave that THING a name, and a normal one at that!"
"Of course I fully intend for you to play with all my 'friends' before we truly end things off," Alucard smirked whilst heavily emphasising the word friend, not that he needed to of course. "To this day no one has survived this technique of mine so I do wonder if you'll be able to?"
The massive sea of blood behind Alucard was suddenly sent crashing into the ground with the liquid seemingly doubling in size from nothing leading Natsu to believe Alucard was producing it through alternative means. The liquid flooded the ruined courtyard as hundreds of beings began to emerge, all missing parts of their body that had been replaced by the miasma substance.
Bear witness to the Demonic hand of justice
By my hand do I invoke the rescinding of restriction thereby commencing the Cromwell Invocation
Approval of Situation EX recognized
Ability restrictions lifted for unlimited use beyond even the enemy being rendered silent
Soon the light of Fate shall be lost
For I am the Bird Of Hermes ...
"Arch Devil's Aura: Noble Phantasm Release – Kazikli Bey: The Lord Of Retribution!"
Natsu knew he had no other choice but to engage the veritable army Alucard had just summoned forth through the use of his Noble Phantasm for if he left them they would run rampant across Thriller Bark and inevitably find and slaughter his friends.
Gritting his teeth bright blue bolts of lightning coated in a purplish Aura appeared in his hands as he began throwing them around the outskirts of the courtyard. Soon enough a massive electrical barrier was put up which penned in the massive army along with himself and Alucard.
"Hybrid's Aura: Lightning Gravity Dragon Monarch's Tesla Prison!"
"That's it Natsu now there is NO ESCAPE," Alucard roared as he landed on the ground with Natsu doing the same albeit a small distance from the army opposite him. "Show me that power that has toppled nations, destroyed Gods, Devils, Hybrid and even the Anti! FIGHT ME!"
Alucard's demand appeared to be the command for his army to charge as the archers and soldiers with guns began firing upon him whilst everything else charged at him. Natsu grimaced as he threw up a hasty Crash Barrier just in time to block the first barrage before dashing toward the approaching onslaught as he morphed his arms into blades.
He engaged the cavalry first, severing the legs of the horses as tendrils shot out from his back to impale the riders before throwing them into the charging army however the sheer number of cavalry was overwhelming to say the least.
Therefore he was forced to trade temporary wounds in favour of upping the metaphorical body count as over twenty lances pierced his chest only for dozens of tendrils to emerge from the slight gaps in-between the flesh and metal and impale the horses and riders sending them hurdling away.
The tendrils quickly retracted back and ripped the lances out before spinning them around and throwing them into the charging knights with multiple getting impaled on the same lance. Taking a deep breath he released a powerful roar and moved it across the area in a sweeping motion before abruptly cutting it off and throwing up his right hand to catch the next volley of bullets and arrows with his Gravity Magic, sending those back into the crowd.
"Have we even begun to make a dent?"
"I'm pretty sure Alucard is simply conjuring more to replace those lost Natsu," Ahnk sighed as his own eyes critically surveyed the battlefield. "It is obvious that in order to win you need to somehow stop Alucard's Noble Phantasm however doing so requires tearing through this army."
"Obviously ..."
"The two that came out first, no actually wait," Ahnk gasped in realization as Natsu felt his attention shift toward the hellhound on Alucard's arm as well as the woman and man that had appeared from Alucard's head.
"What is it, what about them?"
"This is just a theory but if we defeat them, the highly skilled ones, then perhaps the army will collapse in on itself-!"
"Without its command structure," Natsu hummed as he began to understand Ahnk's trail of thought. "Alucard would be at the head of that command structure though you do realize that?"
"Of course however we won't have an opportunity to focus him if his army is perfectly in sync; those might act as commanders of sorts so that he doesn't need to coordinate the entire lot at once using his own mind."
"Well I suppose there's no better option than this so let's see if it works," Natsu said as he jumped into the air and performed a midair flip whilst igniting his right leg.
Dozens of the blood soaked army were swept away as Natsu unleashed a torrent of crimson fire amidst their ranks however more quickly began to emerge from the pool beneath Natsu's feet. He knew it was impossible to destroy all of them and so Natsu used the opportunity to dash past the fractured ranks and try to attack the man with the cards who merely smirked at his approach.
"Well now isn't this intriguing, seems you've actually figured something out," Alucard laughed as the man summoned more cards around himself. "This one here is an Artificial Vampire made by Millennium."
"That group led by The Major?"
"The very same," Alucard grinned. "Meet Tubalcain Alhambra, known to most of the scum of the Nazis as The Dandy. Old Ally here has a rather interesting card up his sleeve when facing his opponents ... or fifty two for that matter."
As Natsu carved his way toward the spectre like form of Alhambra the man jumped into the air as a stack of fifty two playing cards formed a large rotating circle behind him before shooting off in his general direction.
"Those cards Natsu, you see that right?"
"Card Magic," Natsu said barely above a whisper as he began ducking and weaving around the cards which began shredding all the knights around him to shreds, regardless of armor. "How long has it been since I've seen Card Magic Ahnk ...?"
The First Hybrid didn't reply as Natsu charged toward Alhambra intending on knocking him out of the fight straight away. What he didn't expect however was for the cards to converge onto his location and pierce their wielder which in turn forced the man to explode into even more cards that were blown away from his position.
The cards reformed into Alhambra moments later as the man once again launched his deck toward Natsu with enough force to leave thin gashes along the blood soaked ground. This time however Natsu was ready as the man prepared to strike and at the last possible moment activated his Crash Barrier which reduced the cards to little more than cubes.
Dropping his barrier Natsu vanished instantly and moved to strike Alhambra however he found himself flying past the man just in time to avoid another of the oddly coloured bullets from the woman that had first emerged from Alucard's head.
"Ah yes, another of Millenium's pets," Alucard chuckled. "Rip Van Winkle, The Huntress. She was rather amusing to crush back in the day but better watch out because this little SS Maiden has a rather concerning fetish with that musket of hers ..."
Natsu didn't have the time to process Alucard's words as he was forced to rapidly dodge Alhambra's cards which had formed two orbiting rings around him, the cards going four at a time in an attempt to slice him apart as he tried to come up with a solid plan.
"Ok so we have fifty two individual cards that can be instantly reformed right?"
"Yep."
"We know that when I destroy them Alhambra summons them back, not alongside the others but at his side. Knowing this I think if we time things right we can defeat him without actually having to hit him."
"Ah I can see your idea now Natsu," Ahnk hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm, yes this might just work however don't forget the girl Periwinkle or whatever her name was."
"You know damn well her name is Rip Van Winkle Ahnk don't even act like you suddenly don't have a near eidetic memory," Natsu snapped back albeit without any real bite. "Now surely it's obvious how we'll defeat her right?"
Within Natsu's mindscape the pair shared sadistic smirks whilst externally Natsu continued to expertly dodge the cards sent forth by Alhambra. A loud gunshot rang out signalling Rip's re-entrance into the fight as her tracking bullet charged toward him with blinding speed.
"Pathetic," Natsu laughed as he vanished and reappeared behind Alucard who spun around and took a swipe at him with Baskerville, the massive hellhound stretching itself further out of Alucard's arm as it attempted to take a large bite out of him. "Ah ah, not quite!"
"You're enjoying this aren't you," Alucard grinned as several gunshots rang out; surprising Natsu as the barrel of one of Alucard's guns emerged from the now split tongue of Baskerville.
Spinning around in order to dodge the attacks Natsu sensed that one of the bullets would strike him in the back regardless however a ricocheting sound surprised both combatants as the bullet was redirected right into the face of the now enraged hellhound.
"What the hell!?"
"But I didn't have the time to prepare any kind of defence though," Natsu muttered to himself only for Ahnkseram to suddenly gasp.
"OF COURSE! Damn it, the two of us are so bloody stupid sometimes!"
"What is it Ahnk?"
"Have you forgotten about just how special that coat is Natsu?"
"The coat? Ahnk I don't-?"
You don't need my weapons since you use mainly your fists and on occasion swords so I figured I'd give you my coat which has a few perks of its own …
"Of course," Natsu said softly as he placed a hand onto his shoulder, giving it and by extension the coat a gentle squeeze. "The coat is impervious to firearms."
"Just the coat though," Ahnk cut in quickly. "A rather interesting perk we've discovered nonetheless."
Spinning around just in time to blow away more of Alhambra's cards Natsu's eyes locked onto Rip's tracking bullet as the gears in his head began to turn.
"Glad to see our minds seem to be perfectly in sync," Ahnk laughed with a savage grin. "Time to turn the tables on these failures!"
Vanishing in a burst of speed Natsu began tearing through the countless foes generated by Alucard's Noble Phantasm along with Alhambra's cards with his target being the still grinning Alucard.
"Yes, keep on fighting Natsu! You are the only one who can match my Bloodline so I won't be satisfied until you've carved out every last soul from my Spirit Origin!"
Kicking off from the ground using his speed sent Natsu flying above Alucard with Baskerville now jerking upward, its maw widening as if it were attempting to eat him whole. With a smirk Natsu dived toward the hellhound, an act that wiped the smirk from Alucard's face as his own brilliant aged mind ran through thousands of possibilities that could occur from Natsu's completely baffling move.
"It couldn't be ..."
Alucard didn't even have time to respond as Baskerville's jaws closed over Natsu's now spinning form. His eyes widened minutely as he caught a glimpse of the single bullet fired from Rip's gun, her gun designed specifically to deal heavy damage to Vampires.
The bullet pierced Baskerville right between the eyes as the hellhound roared in agony whilst trying to detach itself from Alucard only for the side of its head to be blown out right as a resounding crack deafened Alucard's sensitive hearing for barely a moment.
He saw it for barely a fraction of a second but Natsu had maintained his spin within Baskerville, timed it perfectly so that right after his hellhound was dealt a crippling blow the bullet would strike his coat and reflect the bullet in his direction.
As he was struck in the throat Alucard once again gazed at Natsu with his signature toothy grin and even once his head was severed entirely he never lost the maddened look of glee. As his head was sent flying toward the ground Natsu released an uncontrolled burst of Crash Magic that shattered what remained of Baskerville sending massive meaty chunks flying out into the rest of Alucard's Noble Phantasm who staggered momentarily before continuing on.
Landing on the ground with his left foot Natsu pivoted and again reflected Rip's bullet however this time its intended target, Alhambra, evaded by bursting into a cursed stream of cards before reappearing nearby.
"I'm honestly surprised Alucard didn't predict that ..."
"We may be higher beings however we are not infallible Natsu," Ahnk replied knowingly as the pair again eyed Alhambra's cards. "However I like to think that between the two of us we come pretty damn close sometimes."
"You destroyed Baskerville ..."
Natsu's attention snapped toward Alucard's head which appeared to be completely inanimate. He then moved his attention toward the crippled body and was surprised to see a new head beginning to form from the black and red miasma like substance.
"Well we knew it was going to be a rough fight ..."
"The last time I got to use Baskerville before he was taken from me was when Walter fought me during the Ninth Crusade and the Nazi Invasion," Alucard sighed before the semi formed part of his face smirked. "You know just where to strike an old Nosferatu like me Natsu!"
"How is my power looking Ahnk?"
"Rather good actually, it seems that all your fights in Skypeia, Water Seven and Enies Lobby are finally bearing fruit. I'd say we've used less than five percent of your regular power."
"Good," Natsu sighed as Rip, Alhambra and Alucard flanked by Alucard's Noble Phantasm all advanced toward him. "Because it looks like we're going to need all the power I have to spare."
"Agreed," Ahnk sighed grimly as he surveyed the situation. "Despite maintaining his Noble Phantasm as well as maintaining his own power Alucard is still going strong, at least it appears he is, making our idea of eliminating those two even more viable than before."
"We'll take out Alhambra next; his cards are starting to get on my nerves. We can use Rip's bullets to our advantage and even deflect Alucard's low powered shots with Nobu's coat so eliminating him seems to be the best course of action."
There was a silent hum of agreement between the pair as Natsu tensed in preparation to fight once more, an act that caused Alucard to chuckle darkly.
"That's right Natsu just keep cycling through those plans and maybe one might get through in the end, presuming I don't end up overwhelming you of course."
And that was the next concern. Sure he'd confined Alucard's Noble Phantasm to the courtyard and nearby forest however that also kept him confined within as well leading to a rather sizeable army to contend with and fighting them to the death was pointless when Alucard could simply conjure them back up again.
"Alright then," Natsu muttered as he took one step backward before charging forward with blinding speed with Alucard's semi regenerated form throwing up a miasma based shield in front of him.
Unfortunately with the loss of Baskerville his Noble Phantasm had gained a crucial weakness as his consciousness was forced to acclimatize itself further into the conjured army thereby weakening his normally sharp precognition skill.
Natsu appeared before Alhambra who instantly reacted by attempting to turn himself into cards however he quickly discarded that idea as Natsu's left hand moved to coat the air itself with Crash Magic. It was a risky move if Alhambra had enough endurance on his cards to even negate half of the effect however it was clear that they didn't.
But his true form did.
In an instant the Artificial Vampire had adjusted his tactics as his fifty two cards warped back to his position and began orbiting him once more creating two rings of black. From his sleeves he conjured two more cards and with a grin swiped both hands in front of him to sever the two rings.
Natsu was forced to look away as another bullet from Rip sailed past however that was all the time Alhambra needed to complete what he was doing. The now severed rings shot into his chest as Natsu felt a massive power spike from the conjured man.
"He absorbed his deck to increase his own power."
"Unfortunately he still has two cards left, not ones we really ought to be taking lightly either."
Between Alhambra's index and middle fingers were the outliers of a standard deck of cards and it was at that moment Natsu fully acknowledged Ahnk's forewarning. The Joker, referred to by many as the 'Wild Card' and more often than not said to be the most chaotic play one could make if used under the correct circumstances.
Alhambra charged forward and made several slashing motions forcing Natsu to jump backward in surprise. He hadn't expected Alucard to allow Alhambra to openly engage him directly even if he had powered him up. He blocked one of the slashes with an Aura laced blade protruding from his forearm however from Alhambra's own arm Natsu's chest was hit with over a dozen razor sharp cards that retreated back into the man before he could even consider destroying them.
"That isn't so much of a 'Wild Play' more than it was carelessness on my part ..."
"He has merged with the cards Natsu, it is both Alhambra's greatest strength and his greatest weakness."
Natsu narrowed his eyes at Ahnk's statement whilst dodging more slash attacks from the Vampire along with Rip's bullet. As Alhambra tried to slash him with the cards within his own form again Natsu placed a focused Crash Barrier around his chest and watched as the cards that struck it shattered into dust.
Alhambra staggered with Natsu immediately capitalizing, striking the card user with several powerful blows before a hail of gunfire shredded his entire right arm to pieces. Spinning around after sending Alhambra flying through some debris he saw Alucard had regenerated one of his arms and was now openly firing upon him.
"Bloody hell ..."
Spinning back around to face Alhambra he dashed forward, ripping up the ground in the process as the card user tried to recover enough to put up a decent defence however Natsu was having none of it.
"This should finish you, Hybrid's Aura: Crushing Evil – Shatterpoint!"
Just as Natsu's attack was about to touch Alhambra he tossed one of the Joker cards at it before jumping out of the way. Natsu's eyes widened in shock as the Joker card twisted his attack back toward himself. Within the span of a second Natsu had opened up a portal right onto his chest and watched as his fist vanished through it, the other opening being the left side of Alhambra's head.
"That was way too close ..."
"That right there is the kind of thinking that let you fight me back in the day, nice one."
The pair watched as Alhambra's head was blown apart into cubes with Natsu crushing the cubes with Gravity moments later, destroying the card using Vampire permanently. And just like with Baskerville's destruction the armies, Alucard and Rip all froze up however this time there was a much more significant delay allowing Natsu to already direct his attention toward the annoying tracking bullet user.
As Alucard managed to reassert control over his Noble Phantasm he moved to intervene personally but found his movements sluggish, his mind now spread thinly across so many forms. Due to this he was forced to dispel much of the force but by that point it was far too late with Rip already sustaining damage due to Alucard's inability to direct her.
"NOW NATSU! DESTROY HER BEFORE ALUCARD HAS ENOUGH TIME TO PULL HIMSELF TOGETHER!"
Sending Rip flying backward through the air Natsu took a deep breath and leapt into the air, flames beginning to escape his mouth as he tracked the Vampire's future position.
"Hybrid's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Reverberating Roar!"
Unleashing a massive pillar of flame Rip, and the small army around her, had no possibility of escape. Her body was obliterated instantly as the rest of the Noble Phantasm seemed to stutter to a stop, Alucard's still not fully regenerated form stuck warping between the place he was going to step and the place he had previously been.
"Time to end this," Natsu sighed as he coated his right hand in Black Fire and vanished, appearing right in front of the now defenceless Vampire King. "Hybrid's Aura: Fire Dragon Monarch's Piercing Claw!"
The attack pierced Alucard through the heart which seemed to end the Noble Phantasm, the undead army dissolving into bloody pools as the Vampire King's body was sent flying into a nearby wall. The entire section of the building collapsed on top of it leaving Natsu panting slightly in what appeared to be relief.
"That was not fun, not at all."
"Agreed," Ahnkseram hummed in response. "But now that we've dealt with Alucard we need to make plans to deal with Moria. If he is capable of having Alucard as a Servant then that could only mean-."
Ahnkseram froze mid sentence as both he and Natsu looked down at their feet. The blood had begun to move in a singular direction, toward the downed building, meaning only one thing and it was a situation Natsu REALLY didn't want to acknowledge.
"Please no ..."
"I had considered the possibility but to think he survived a Piercing Claw to the heart," Ahnk replied quietly as the rubble around Alucard's form began to lift up off of the ground. "Not only has he survived ... but he's grown even more powerful than before."
From the rubble a bloody sphere emerged and floated upward slightly, the black portion solidifying into what appeared to be long hair that swiftly swept backward to reveal Alucard ... as a woman.
"What ..."
"Natsu, you look surprised," the woman giggled as her eyes began to glow Blood Red. "Could it be that you ... find this form arousing?"
The cackling that followed was enough to snap Natsu out of his shocked stupor as he took a closer look at the being before him. She was rather petite and slender with straight black hair that went down just past her shoulders. Her outfit consisted of a black office shirt with a white vest, white pants, white shoes, a red tie with a white trench coat to complete the look.
"Alucard?"
"The very same," the woman purred before placing a single gloved finger to her lips, a playful smirk adorning her features. "Though in this form I prefer ..."
Former Servant Of The Hellsing Organization
Servant Of The Thriller Bark Pirates
Former Arch Devil Of The Devil's Triumvirate
King Of Vampiric Judgement
One Of The Last True Vampires
Girlycard (Assassin)
Bounty – 450,000,000 Berries
"Girlycard," Natsu repeated prompting the now female form of Alucard to nod quickly. "But why?"
"In life I chose this form because I felt like it, no other real reason than that! Admittedly it helps me get around this rather boring world too since those idiots at the World Government can't tell the difference between my various forms."
Natsu tensed as Girlycard summoned a rifle looking weapon into her right hand, a machine gun if he recalled correctly, and pointed it right at him. With another smile that revealed her fangs the form of Girlycard began to exude a thick mist based substance that quickly blanketed the entire area.
"You were a bit rough on me before so I hope you don't mind if I start cheating," Girlycard's voice echoed as Natsu began to feel his senses going haywire. "I'm not dropping out of this fight though so don't go dying on me just yet either!"
Immediately Natsu had to move as a hailstorm of bullets started to rain down upon him from all directions, his instincts saving him from being shredded by them as he began trying to dash toward the exit of the mist.
"You know there may not actually be an end to the mist," Ahnk pointed out quickly. "Aluc-sorry Girlycard knows that you have monstrous senses so why would she use something as simple as mist to try and perform basic stealth attacks?"
"She's trapped me within the mist," Natsu replied slowly whilst he continued to stretch his senses outward to find Girlycard. "It would make more sense since she can't engage me directly as an Assassin ..."
"The key to this fight is perception, precognition and speed. If you can perceive all her incoming attacks, predict her future actions and land a decisive blow before she can adjust then we win."
As Natsu moved he was suddenly caught up by barbed wires that had been placed in his path. His Crash Magic easily shattered them however their sudden emergence was definitely surprising since it was so out of character to the person Natsu knew.
Not getting complacent however Natsu continued to move, avoiding the hailstorm of bullets and now shredding the barbed wire. Unfortunately this slightly slowed his ability to perceive Girlycard's true location since her signature still registered as being all around him.
"Is it just me or does it feel like there's more than one signature in here, aside from Girlycard's?"
"I was about to say the same thing, the wires seem to have that signature on them but since she's an Assassin Class Servant I can't tell if that's being done on purpose or not," Ahnk agreed as they shredded another set of wires.
"I think I've almost got a lock on her position ..."
"NATSU-!"
Immediately dropping to the ground allowed Natsu to slide under what would have been a rather painful trap as dozens of wires closed in on his former position, a loud screeching sound echoing around the area as the wires grinded together.
"That definitely isn't Girlycard's signature!"
"But then whose is it?"
Jumping back to his feet Natsu avoided even more wires as a shadowed figure began to appear through the mist, the wires connected to their hands signalling that they were responding to their commands.
"Oh dear it seems she snared another one," a male voice sighed as an elderly looking man dressed like a butler came into view. "For what it's worth I apologise in advance for what I'm about to do to you."
"You have sentience," Natsu asked in surprise prompting the man to raise a single eyebrow in response.
"Sentience? Within his Noble Phantasm you mean?"
"Noble Phantasm ... so this is Girlycard's Noble Phantasm is it?"
"Indeed," the man replied as he flicked his fingers, retracting the wires back toward himself. "Kazikli Bey: The Lord Of Re-emergence."
"Why is this one called The Lord Of Re-emergence?"
"Girlycard as he likes to be called in that form is the form taken after being released by the Hellsing Organization during World War Two, hence the title being focused on Re-emergence. In this form Girlycard wasn't in his prime having been borderline comatose for several decades, deprived of any form of blood, until the war provided him with what restored his formidable strength."
Flicking his fingers once again the wires suddenly snapped to attention, putting Natsu on edge, as the man began walking forward at a leisurely pace. Smiling slightly he sent the wires outward prompting Natsu to dodge as the ground was torn to shreds.
"For your sake do try and avoid these wires, the amount of Holy power attached to them would likely deal significant damage to one such as yourself King Of Balance."
"You know of me?"
"But of course," the man smiled. "Though here I am merely a product of his Noble Phantasm I am indeed a fully fledged Servant in my own right."
Former Butler To The Hellsing Organization
Traitor To The Crown
Spy Of Millennium
The Angel Of Death
Walter C. Dornez (Assassin)
"He does contain a fully fledged Spirit Origin yet it is connected to Girlycard's own," Ahnk hummed in thought as he analysed the man before them. "He appears to be the only other being within this Noble Phantasm which means it is highly likely that Girlycard has the ability to summon him in through it ... OF COURSE!"
"Of course what?"
"This version of Girlycard's Noble Phantasm isn't offensive based because it is a Reality Marble, hence the reason we can't simply run out of the mist!"
It did add up however to think that Alucard in this form held enough power to not only generate a Reality Marble of this scale but to sustain another Assassin Class Servant within it was unnerving to say the least.
Walter seemed to notice Natsu's concern and merely smiled in response before vanishing and reappearing behind him using the mist to conceal his approach. Natsu spun around and released a controlled burst of flames from his right hand which was surprisingly blocked by Walter's wires as a large gust of wind extinguished them.
"I'm afraid you'll need to do much better than that if you wish to defeat me."
"Fine then," Natsu frowned before charging forward, ducking under one set of wires and hopping over the other with Walter beginning to move backward whilst jerking his fingers back and forth frantically.
Sensing the wires Natsu was forced to duck and jump again before pulling backward as the Holy infused weapons soared past. Gritting his teeth Natsu began firing off small condensed blasts of flame at the man who began waving his wires back and forth deflecting them away setting off a series of explosions all around the area.
"Those wires are strong, I'm just testing them but if he can deflect my fire with them then they'd rip me to shreds if I tried to use my own body blades to block them."
"Like I said earlier Natsu, perception, precognition and speed are what will win this battle now."
Seeing how swiftly Walter moved his wires he couldn't argue with that statement as he began to leak his own power through his body, a golden glow beginning to emanate from his form much to the surprise of the butler.
"Hybrid's Aura: Heavenly Body Magic – Meteor!"
Shooting off faster than Walter could track Natsu landed a punch right in the man's nose sending him flying through the air however Natsu had already moved next to him and was littering his form with dozens of blows that had the man bloodied and broken before he even hit the ground.
Skidding to a stop mere seconds after Walter's body hit the floor he spun around and with a hand filled with flames pointed it at the man who simply chuckled in response. His chuckle soon turned into a coughing fit as blood poured from his mouth.
"F-figures that would be the case. I never stood a chance against Alucard either so why would I against you who could force him this far back?"
"Are you done already?"
"I might be a competent fighter however I am not a monster like many of the other Servants," Walter sighed as his form began to glow. "I was etched into the throne for my great betrayal, I believe Chaldea would rate me as a Three Star Servant at best or perhaps a weak Four Star ..."
"For what it's worth Walter you aren't weak," Natsu replied softly. "Your opponents were just far too broken to ever hope to contend with."
"But of course," the man chuckled before fading away as Girlycard stumbled into the area.
"How did you get injured?"
"That bastard Walter tried to take me out with those wires of his," Girlycard hissed before grinning at his faded form. "Well at least he's out of the game now; an unfortunate consequence associated with my Noble Phantasm is all he is!"
"Oh I wouldn't say he's an unfortunate consequence," Natsu replied, vanishing and appearing in front of Girlycard. "Not for me at least!"
Punching her in the jaw Natsu sent her flying upward before coating his whole body in Crimson Flame and Midnight Blue Lightning and shooting up above her form in a zig zag formation.
"Hybrid's Aura: Fire Lightning Dragon Monarch's Firing Hammer!"
Smashing Girlycard in the face she instantly hit the earth despite being several hundred feet in the air, an ear shattering crack going off at the moment of impact as a bolt of lightning struck her position.
The mist began to dissipate instantly revealing once again the trashed section of Moria's Mansion they were fighting in as Natsu landed atop part of the destroyed building. This time he wouldn't be caught off guard as he watched Girlycard's jerking form, waiting for anything that could potentially come next.
Sure enough as Girlycard sat up the mist began to converge onto her form, her hair going from black to a silky white as her entire form began to shift back into that of a man. Accompanying this was a white goatee as his clothing shifted to that of a King.
His eyes slowly opened to reveal the same Blood Red ones as always, the only constant between his forms thus far as an overwhelmingly monstrous pressure settled over the area. Rising to his feet a beautiful lance appeared into his right hand as he looked up at Natsu with a smile.
"So you have pushed me this far it seems," the man said with a small smile. "Indeed this is the fight I had craved for so long; one that would push me to my very limits and it appears that you may yet succeed in doing so King Of Balance."
Former King Of Wallachia
Servant Of The Thriller Bark Pirates
Former Arch Devil Of The Devil's Triumvirate
The Lancer Of Black
Lord Impaler
Vlad III (Lancer)
Bounty – 877,000,000 Berries
"I don't understand you," Natsu sighed as he jumped off of the rubble and landed down onto the ground several metres before Vlad. "Why go through all of this to fight me? What is the point in the end when as a Servant you will more than likely be summoned to countless conflicts across all of Time and Space?"
"Why? Because you and I are the same Natsu Dragneel," Vlad replied softly whilst gently twirling his lance at his side with all the elegance and grace only a true King could possess. "Both of us are monsters of circumstance, born from the mistakes and failures of the weak and feeble beings around us. For you it was your Brother's failure that sparked your descent into the beast known as E.N.D, the Second Hybrid and many more titles you have yet to discover and with I it was the failure of those whom I swore to protect. They who dared cower at my back were quick to fill it full of traitorous steel and see my head roll at the hands of the Turks, Ottomans and whoever else held a desire for my homeland."
"But surely it is our actions that define us as monsters Vlad not our very beings?"
"Even if such a statement were to be true then the two of us would still be viewed as such," Vlad sighed with a shake of his head. "I hold the title of Vlad The Impaler and you are a butcher of hundreds of thousands of soldiers as well. The two of us have shed much blood in the names of Justice, Peace, Honour and Love yet in the end it is we who are deemed abominations."
With a movement Natsu had to focus to detect Lancer had entered a ready stance, his entire posture having shifted with such grace it felt as if he had barely needed to move to begin with. Ahnk's silence despite his obvious scanning of Vlad's form was all the information he needed on this new form of the Vampire King.
He was undeniably powerful.
"Let us continue our bout Natsu to discover which King reigns supreme," Vlad said sharply as Natsu entered a defensive stance. "Will the King Of Vampires or King Of Balance reign supreme!?"
The pair stood stock still, neither daring to make the opening move against the other as small sparks began to crackle between the pair. With the Aura of two Kings clashing together the ground began to shake until finally the ground at the centre of the two cracked signalling the beginning of the battle.
Both vanished from their respective positions at the exact same time and reappeared above the crack in the ground, Natsu already jumping over Vlad's lance as he performed a low sweep attack. Mid swing he suddenly moved his lance upward with Natsu placing his foot onto the vertical flat of the blade and pushing himself away.
Landing on one hand he pushed himself up into the air just as Vlad brought his lance downward again and blocked it from striking him using his foot on the flat of the blade. The clash sent out dozens of Pitch Black and Blood Red sparks across the field before the two broke apart with Vlad performing a swift series of strikes at Natsu's rapidly retreating form.
"I don't think I've ever seen someone use a lance as expertly as Vlad, even you weren't this fast with yours Ahnk!"
"Nor could I perform such instantaneous changes to my strike patterns. No wonder he is in the Lancer Class now, I dare say he might be one of the best Lancer Class Servants to exist."
As Natsu properly regained his footing, still actively dodging Vlad's strikes, he prepared his counterattack as he jumped and spun around on the spot whilst coating his right leg in Crash Magic.
Striking the blade on Vlad's lance he grit his teeth at the heavy resistance behind it, the overwhelming amount of Aura being channelled into it reminding him of his fights against the Titans it was so powerful.
The pair both pulled back with Vlad spinning the lance in front of himself before moving it to his left firing off dozens of massive aerial slash attacks that tore up the already destroyed courtyard as Natsu began to weave his way through.
"Don't think this will stop me Vlad!"
"Oh I know it won't," the Vampire King replied as he raised his lance above his head. "You require a much more firm hand!"
Without warning the butt of Vlad's lance smashed into the ground with enough force that it set off a small quake as a series of lances began to emerge from the ground. Natsu was almost nicked by several as he jumped backward to avoid being impaled.
"Do you like them Natsu," Vlad grinned as the lances faded away into a Blood Red mist. "Arch Devil's Aura: Lord Impalia!"
Spinning his lance once again more lances began to shoot up from the ground in addition to Lancer's own attacks putting Natsu firmly on the defensive. Each lance had the potential to deal true damage to him which by default had him on edge however this was also a foe who had been wholly unpredictable and could likely pull out even more tricks and he would be prepared to face down every last one of them!
"You will probably need to use Meteor again even if Vlad is prepared for it. The speed advantage will be critical if you want to deal damage and avoid the lances entirely."
"That much was obvious but Vlad himself is swift with that lance so even if I get in close it isn't going to be like Girlycard, he'll be fully prepared for close quarters fighting!"
"Come on Natsu I want to see more of your legendary offensive prowess," Vlad cried as he began firing off more aerial slash attacks to compliment the conjured lances.
"Fine then Vlad you asked for it," Natsu growled as his body again began to glow. "Hybrid's Aura: Heavenly Body Magic – Meteor!"
Vanishing in a golden blur he began to zig zag through the lances shooting up through the ground and the countless aerial slash attacks that barred the pair from a close quarters melee. Getting in close however was only the first hurdle as Vlad instantly adjusted his strategy. Spinning his lance around whilst twirling to create a circular wind barrier whilst flicking something out of his coat pocket and grabbing it with his right hand.
"Now this is the Natsu I've been waiting for! Arch Devil's Aura: High Thaumaturgy Origin – Blood!"
The object he'd pulled from his pocket was a small stone that was sliced in two by his blade with the resulting cut releasing an unfathomable amount of blood forth across the battlefield. Vlad roared with laughter as he spun his lance around, manipulating what appeared to be a seemingly endless stream of it to form around him like it were a mere extension of himself.
"Now you face the true might of Vlad The Impaler Natsu," Vlad roared as the blood formed a massive liquid sphere behind him that began to glow Blood Red. "This is the beginning of the end!"
The Blood Sphere floated up into the sky before vanishing through a portal leaving Natsu to wonder what the entire point of Vlad's actions were. Seeing his confusion Vlad used his lance to point up at the sky and for a brief moment Natsu didn't understand what he was looking at.
Until everything began to shift.
"Impossible," Ahnk gasped as Natsu felt the genuine shock within the elder Hybrid's emotions. "Look Natsu, just LOOK!"
His eyes moved to face where Ahnkseram wanted them to and Natsu felt his own blood run cold as his eyes locked onto what was supposed to be the moon. The white glow of it was now being overrun by the same Blood Red substance which by extension caused the entire glow produced by it to coat the surface of the world in a dull Blood Red colour.
"Unbelievable ..."
"I am Vlad III Natsu, the Ultimate Vampire that even the Archons of the Devil's Triumvirate feared," Vlad's voice boomed as his power seemed to skyrocket thanks to the moon's effects. "And you Natsu shall be the one to complete my fractured existence, to show me the one thing I was never able to experience!"
"Get ready Natsu he's about to do something with his eyes!"
The glow in Vlad's eyes increased as he began to float into the air, his form further enhanced by the Blood Red glow of the moon which in just about any other context would have left him breathless.
"Arch Hybrid's Aura: High Thaumaturgy Noble Colours – Mystic Eyes Of Blood Perception!"
"Blood Perception?"
Natsu's confusion was given an answer moments after having wondered it as he felt his own blood begin to boil within him eliciting pained grunts at first, dropping down to one knee as his own blood began to escape his body through his eyes, nose and mouth.
"This ability is what gained me that epitet many refer to me as instead of Vlad III. Under most circumstances I wouldn't dare take things this far however you are one foe I cannot afford to let up against Natsu."
Despite Vlad's words Natsu couldn't help but let out a pained cry as his blood became far too hot for even his heat endurance to handle, beginning to scream in pain as he dropped to the ground and began thrashing about.
"Damn it, this must be an ability exclusive to Alucard ... Vlad, whatever the fuck his name is," Ahnk hissed as he watched the mindscape version of Natsu also thrash about. "This will not do ... not at all."
Vlad slowly floated down toward Natsu, lance extended outward as he eyed Natsu's thrashing form with pity. Pointing his lance in Natsu's direction he was about to stab him through the heart before suddenly being blown backward through what remained of a nearby fountain and into a wall.
"Impossible," Vlad growled as he ripped himself free. "You shouldn't even be able to move!"
Before him Natsu stood, emotionless, even as blood continued to pour from his face and his skin continued to vibrate in a grotesque manner. Vlad took a step forward and came face to face with Natsu who continued to give him a blank stare.
"How?"
"I am fortunate enough to have friends willing to share my burdens Vlad, nothing more."
In truth Ahnk was now the one thrashing about inside Natsu's mindscape having fully taken on the burden of Natsu's torture. Unfortunately this did not negate the effects of the torture itself upon Natsu's physical condition which meant he had little time to lose now.
His body began to glow as he reactivated his Meteor, vanishing after striking Vlad in the face. The Vampire King grit his teeth and released a veritable flood of Aura across the area before spinning around and blocking a flaming punch from the now enraged Dragon Slayer.
"Stop resisting Natsu for you cannot hope to match me any further!"
"I'm not going to Vlad, you know that."
"Then I shall force you to submit!"
"Hybrid's Aura: Flame Monarch's Amaterasu Vortex!"
Vlad wasn't prepared for Natsu to surround him with a vortex of Pitch Black flame, the searing heat being enough to burn his flesh as he began spinning his lance around so fast it was no longer visible.
"It will take so much more than that to defeat me!"
The attack was dispersed across the entire area which quickly caught alight. Continuing to spin his lance Vlad lowered it and blocked another flaming punch from Natsu before pushing him backward and snarling, revealing his fangs in the process as he coated his lance in his Aura.
Bringing his lance down hard he slashed Natsu across the chest however he received a brutal blow to the gut before receiving a slash across the face in return sending him staggering backward as the black miasma like substance moved to heal him.
"Not yet," Vlad growled. "Not even close!"
Firing off an aerial slash attack at point blank range Natsu's body was cleaved in two however to Vlad's shock both halves shot out tendrils that latched onto him with each side landing a punch to each side of his face. The two halves then connected to each other and reformed before he blocked a kick with the grip of his lance sending him skidding backward.
"I'm ending this Vlad, right now!"
Jumping up into the air Natsu began to form two massive Novas, one in each hand that began to shrink down until they were held within their respective palms. It was then that Natsu clenched his fists; the two Novas entering his palms as his entire arms ignited in Pitch Black flame.
"Get ready Vlad because I'm ending this," Natsu shouted as he flew down to the ground and shot toward the Vampire King who grit his teeth.
"The end? It isn't the end until I say it is Natsu ... this is my game! MINE AND MINE ALONE!"
Natsu could feel the spike in Vlad's power as he spun his lance around and smashed it into the earth creating a sizeable fissure in it. Undoubtedly this was Vlad's gambit to stay in the fight and should he manage to overcome it then the Vampire King may be defeated.
"Arch Devil's Aura: Noble Phantasm Release – Kazikli Bey: The Lord Of Execution!"
As Natsu ran he was forced to slow down as countless stakes began to shoot up from the earth. Underneath the Blood Moon Natsu began smashing away at the stakes whilst continuing to charge forward.
"Hybrid's Aura: True Heavenly Body Magic – Meteor Deus!"
Natsu felt the strain on his body as he activated the untested technique. The already phenomenal speed boost granted by Meteor was doubled as he hacked away at the ever increasing amount of stakes that continued to come for him all the while avoiding an endless stream of high powered Blood Red coloured aerial slash attacks being sent his way by Vlad.
Eventually however Natsu took several stakes through the groin which came out past his neck however he refused to so much as slow down for a moment, enduring the pain as he closed in on the shocked Vlad III.
"THIS IS IT FOR YOU VLAD! HYBRID'S AURA: FIRE MONARCH'S SECRET ART – VOID YGGDRASIL – AMATERASU NOVA BARRAGE!"
Leaping out of the last set of stakes Natsu came down on Vlad with a blood lusted appearance. Blow after blow smashed into the Vampire King driving him further and further into the earth setting off cataclysmic explosions that not only shook the island but sent tidal waves out in all directions from their very force.
After landing the final blow he jumped into the air and threw what remained of the flames into the hole setting off another sizeable explosion before falling back down to the earth below.
Right onto Vlad's still active Noble Phantasm.
His body struck over a dozen stakes, impaling him through countless vitals as his body slowly began to sink down them, his one remaining eye gazing out at the sea of them he wouldn't have been able to avoid even if he tried.
"N-Natsu ..."
"Ahnk," he wheezed in reply as his Crash Magic shattered the stakes currently impaling him allowing him to drop to the ground in a bloody heap. "Ahnk ... are you alright?"
"No ... but you need to get up."
"I-I don't know if I can, those stakes got me good."
"Well I hope you at least try," Ahnk sighed as Natsu slowly forced himself into a sitting position.
"There ... is that bett-."
Natsu felt his full fatigue hit him in that single moment as he looked at the spot his attack had just decimated. A raging black inferno dominated his vision however there was one single thing that stood out amidst it all.
"No ..."
Standing within the raging inferno holding a massive broadsword, wild black hair and charred black plate armor was his still active opponent. His Blood Red eyes glowing ominously within the black that it legitimately sent chills down his spine as he walked right out of it.
"No way ... how the fuck did you survive that Vlad?"
"I am afraid you are no longer facing Vlad," the bulkier version replied as he stroked his beard. "You now face the legend from which my namesake lay forgotten."
Former Ruler Of Wallachia
Servant Of The Thriller Bark Pirates
Former Arch Devil Of The Devil's Triumvirate
The Ultimate Vampire
King Of Vampiric Judgement
Count Dracula (Saber)
Bounty – 1,100,422,000 Berries
"You now face the full might of Count Dracula of Wallachia," Dracula stated formally as Natsu rose to his feet. "You have done magnificently to reach this stage however this is truly where you meet your end, my friend."
"Do you feel that Ahnk," Natsu asked shakily as he felt the First Hybrid shudder alongside him. "How can a Servant possess this much power, he's almost as strong as Kaguya for fucks sake!"
"Remember Natsu that he was once an Arch Devil and his ascension to Archon Class would've been assured if the Triumvirate hadn't placed that seal upon him. We don't have any other choice but to fight him Natsu he's too powerful to leave under the control of someone like Moria!"
"I know ..."
"We need to be careful this time round," Ahnk continued as Dracula began taking several heavy steps forward. "Those Mystic Eyes Of Blood Perception were already deadly but in this state if caught off guard it might cause our end."
"Could you endure it again?"
"I am but an addition to yourself Natsu, the toll it took before on you physically is still very much present. The sense of pain however I don't believe I could endure it for too long lest I crack from the agonizing pain."
"So then that means I don't have any other choice then, right?"
"I think it's time to begin using it Natsu."
Nodding inwardly Natsu placed a hand at his side and drew Pallas' Blade, the thin wakizashi slowly expanding into that of a broadsword as the runes on its surface began to glow. Flicking it out to his right he released a burst of Anti and vanished a nearby pile of rubble as Dracula began to chuckle darkly.
"So you've finally been pushed this far Natsu?"
"I can sense your power Dracula and I know now you are powerful, far more powerful than I think any of us gave you credit for."
"It has been such a long time since I've been pushed this far, you are quite the being Natsu Dragneel."
Natsu rose to his full height as the pair vanished, the sound of clashing steel ringing out across the area followed by an eardrum shattering boom. Surrounding the pair was a sphere of Blood Red and Pitch Black Aura that sent out thousands of lightning bolts. The strangest thing was however the pair weren't actually crossing blades directly, their blows several inches apart as pure force kept them from truly colliding.
Both grit their teeth as they put more power behind their respective attacks, the force only increasing in distance as a small crack in the air began to form followed by a small singularity that slowly began to accommodate it.
"This must be what a true Clash Of Kings is like in this world?"
"It's as if the world in between the two of you has been divided into turf and you are fighting over it. If we survive this we need to investigate this phenomenon further."
Eventually the pair were blown back as the singularity detonated setting off a massive explosion however it did little to deter the pair who instantly recovered and charged right into its epicentre. Clash after clash sent out sparks as they pair danced around one another at impossible to track speeds, Natsu's own sword skills barely keeping up with Dracula's own.
Eventually Dracula seemed to tire of the same clashes and put all his force behind a horizontal slash that sliced the still ongoing explosion in half, dispelling the smoke around them as Natsu slid under it to avoid being cleaved in half.
"Come Natsu, I know you have much more than that," Dracula growled as he stabbed the ground where Natsu had been just moments ago before dragging his blade backward and firing off an aerial slash attack.
Leaping back to his feet Natsu fired off his own aerial slash attack with the two clashing and cancelling each other out. At the centre of the attacks the pair closed in on one another again as their blades and arms moved so fast it were as if they'd vanished entirely.
As Dracula brought his blade downward in a cleaving motion Natsu blocked it with the pommel of his blade, momentarily staggering him as he shoulder charged the bulkier version of the man, knocking him onto his back.
"Hybrid's Aura: One Sword Style – Anti Phantom Dragon Shock!"
Vanishing and appearing behind Dracula the Vampire King found an entire section of his armor torn away as a massive gaping slash was opened up across his chest. To Natsu's own shock however Dracula spun around with finesse he didn't believe possible due to Dracula's size and armor and landed his own slash to Natsu's stomach sending him staggering backward.
The Vampire wasn't done however as he tackled Natsu to the ground and punched him in the face, breaking his nose before raising his blade to stab him. With his free hand Natsu formed a Piercing Claw and stabbed Dracula through the ribs and channelled as much Fire Magic into the wound as he could, blowing the man across the courtyard but not before his blade just barely sank into Natsu's chest.
This unfortunately meant that as Dracula was blown away the blade dragged along him, ripping open a good portion of his chest before being forcibly yanked out. Blood sprayed out into the air as Natsu coughed up even more, his eyes looking up at the Blood Moon before looking back at the rapidly rising Dracula and gritting his teeth.
"I'm good with a sword, better than most, but he's just flat out better. That being said however my natural defences would crumble against that blade of his ..."
"Speed Natsu."
"I don't know if my body could take it Ahnk," Natsu sighed as his eyes moved toward his now slowly regenerating chest wound.
"You don't have any other choice."
"He knew Ahnk was right, he almost always was in these Life or Death situations. Taking a deep breath he noticed there was a slight shift in Dracula's stance, the miasma like substance he'd been using to regenerate wasn't across his entire form anymore, just his vitals. It was that observation that allowed Natsu to resolve himself.
"Hybrid's Aura: True Heavenly Body Magic Anti Meteor Deus!"
His entire body exploded in a glowing blue light which swiftly vanished, Dracula instantly moving to block a powerful sword strike that sent him skidding backward. Again he spun around and was again sent skidding backward before spinning his blade around him to block countless slash attacks from all sides, small cuts were appearing across his exposed flesh and tears in his armor becoming much more prominent as he struggled to block them all.
Despite this however he began to laugh, his movements only increasing in speed as he fully let himself go to his bloodlust. To Natsu's shock he stabbed the ground which sent pillars of earth shooting upward, forcing him to slow down for what was but a fraction of a second however that instantaneous slip up was all Dracula needed as his eyes began to glow once more.
"Arch Devil's Aura: High Thaumaturgy Noble Colours – Mystic Eyes Of Blood Perception!"
Instantly Natsu fell, skidding past Dracula as his bloodstream felt like it had been replaced with something highly corrosive. He screamed in agony, Ahnk too screamed within him as the pair within their shared pain tried to find a suitable enough balance to share between them since the pain was far too great to shoulder alone.
However it was within that pain that something within him snapped as memories of his previous battles and the pain he endured flooding to the surface as he thrashed about. He could sense Dracula closing in fast and remembered his promises to the various friends and lovers he'd had.
"I-I ... will NOT DIE!"
Fighting through the pain he jumped to his feet, blood pouring from his face as he sent Pallas' Sword back to its sheath, and charged toward the shocked Dracula.
"I-impossible! My Mystic Eyes should be tearing your bloodstream apart! How can you even bare to stand!?"
Natsu didn't respond instead he just yelled as his body began to slowly morph, dozens of tendrils exploding from his back, arms, legs and neck with all forming razor sharp blades. The ones protruding from his arms all wrapped together to form two lance shaped weapons as he cocked both arms backward, Dracula instantly shaking off his shock as he prepared to engage Natsu once more.
"Truly you do defy all logic and reason," Dracula roared as he coated his blade with Devil's Aura. "However that luck will one day run out Natsu so let us see if you still possess any of it!?"
The tendrils across Natsu's legs began to lift him up off of the ground, reshaping his legs into sword shaped weapons that sliced apart the ground whilst he ran as the ones from his back began to combine to form skeletal shaped wings that began firing out a Pitch Black energy toward Dracula.
"The form of E.N.D shrouded in Anti ... beautiful," Dracula grinned. "But it will take more than the Demon King E.N.D to destroy Dracula! Arch Devil's Aura: Noble Phantasm Release – Kazikli Bey – The Lord Of Slaughter!"
Dracula shot off toward Natsu's form, the earth being blown away into the ruins of the castle behind him, batting away the Pitch Black energy whilst becoming shrouded in the miasma like substance once again.
"THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS DRAGNEEL!"
"YOU DIE HERE DRACULA! HYBRID'S AURA: BLACK ARTS – GNIK NOMED EHT FO HCARL :TCA GNI D. N. E
Natsu's lance shaped attacks stabbed Dracula through the shoulders first however the Vampire King continued to charge forward and stabbed his blade through Natsu's chest. As Natsu's body began to sustain slashes all across it from an unseen force produced by Dracula's Noble Phantasm he sliced he swung his legs and sliced Dracula's clean off however the Vampire remained upright thanks to the lances.
From Natsu's chest eight spear shaped tendrils shot out and stabbed the Vampire through the chest and face however instead of reeling backward he began dragging himself further onto them and delivered a head butt to Natsu which knocked him onto his back, releasing the Vampire King who also fell onto his back.
The blade within Natsu's chest vanished alongside the source of the thing tearing apart his bloodstream. Panting heavily he was forcibly reverted from his Demiurge form with little power left to sustain its continued use.
"Ahnk ..."
"I-I'm here," was the shaky, dare he say horrified response as the First Hybrid remained curled into a tight ball. "I have never felt such pain before ... not even when you consumed me!"
"Anti Infection ... that comes close," Natsu panted whilst rolling onto his stomach to cough up more blood. "My blood still burns Ahnk ..."
"Phantom pains, hopefully they will pass ..."
Clenching his fists Natsu shakily rose into a kneeled position blood still dripping from his face like a left on tap prompting him to punch the ground in frustration.
"How did we let it get this far!?"
"We often don't get to choose the way our battles go Natsu, such is the lesson I was forced to learn before becoming the beast I once was."
He should have known, should have guessed it the moment the sword vanished from his chest however he simply couldn't process the pains across his body and sense his fallen opponent at the same time. His senses were completely shot; his body covered from head to toe in slashes yet Natsu again rose shakily to his feet and turned around.
"Again ..."
"Again."
The Man Forsaken By God
Servant Of The Thriller Bark Pirates
Former Nobleman Of Wallachia
Grand Avenger Class Candidate
Vlad Tepes (Avenger)
Before him stood a man in his early forties with long flowing black hair wearing a simple pair of black slacks, black shoes and white buttoned up shirt with bloodstains littering it. He no longer wore his gloves which revealed a brand burnt into his right hand, the same one Ahnk had told him about earlier as Blood Red eyes studied his reaction.
"Vlad Tepes, the origin of your legend," Natsu sighed tiredly. "Is this your final form?"
"Yes," Vlad replied before stumbling and coughing up blood of his own.
"It seems he is still grievously wounded from the damage we've already done to him."
"We need to win this Ahnk, we've come too far to fail now!"
And yet as he stared at the man before him he couldn't help but ponder everything that had led up to this moment. Everything that was Alucard, Girlycard, Vlad III, Count Dracula and Vlad Tepes.
"Tell me; before we fight ... just tell me why you wanted to go so far to fight me like this?"
"Why," Vlad smiled only to clutch his side as another coughing fit wracked his form. "Because I needed clarification."
"On what?"
"When I was alive I was betrayed by my supposed allies, by my countrymen whom I had spent my entire life defending. In my final moments I gave into the call of the Devil, desperate for revenge against my enemies. And revenge I did indeed attain as I brutally butchered untold millions, slaughtering both my former allies and enemies alike. I became a monster and yet once I had attained my vengeance I-I lost sight of what I once was and couldn't stop the needless violence and continued to destroy any who dared to defy me."
"You wanted clarification on that?"
"I wanted to know in the end what my purpose in life ultimately was," Vlad sighed as his eyes looked past Natsu as he began to recall a long forgotten memory. "Why did the Devils forge me into this, what was the ultimate point of my being? Why didn't the legend of Vlad die at the guillotine that day? For over a thousand years I have never once known my ultimate purpose Natsu and it has eaten away at my blackened soul!"
"So you thought that by fighting me you could find that answer?"
"Yes."
"And did you," Natsu asked with Vlad chuckling softly to himself.
"Did I find the true meaning of my existence through our battle to the death, of course not."
"Well-."
"Because it has yet to reach its conclusion," Vlad continued prompting Natsu to snap his mouth shut. "I feel that I am on the verge of it however ... just a little more Natsu is all I ask!"
"Fine then," Natsu sighed as he entered a rather dodgy stance due to his injuries and fatigue. "I'm on the verge of collapse but if smashing your head in a bit more will somehow help you then I'll do it!"
Alucard chuckled as the pair began to run toward each other, not at superhuman speeds but at above average speed. Natsu was the first to strike as he landed a blow to Vlad's face which was returned by way of a knee to the gut that had Natsu staggering back as blood poured from his mouth.
"Not enough to fix any of this is there?"
"No."
He barely had enough time to raise his arms to defend himself as Vlad threw repeated punches at his face, his arms feeling like they were on the verge of shattering with each subsequent blow, until finally his guard broke and he was knocked to the bloodied ground.
Kicking him onto his back Vlad dropped to his knees and repeatedly began punching him in the face again as he felt what little remained of his energy begin to well up inside of him. Gritting his teeth he rose up and bit down on Vlad's hand, severing it before consuming it entirely as he felt a slight increase in his now pitiful reserves.
Punching Vlad in the chest sent the man off of him as the pair rolled around on the ground in an attempt to recover. Natsu had a hand on his head, a terrible headache half obscuring his vision however he still managed to shakily rise to his knees.
"Just ... a little more ... Natsu!"
"Fine then," Natsu sighed as he stumbled to his feet, instantly staggering backward several feet before falling over again. "Damn it!"
"This is it Natsu," Vlad coughed as the seal on his remaining hand began to glow Blood Red. "This last blow will decide it all!"
Again Natsu rose to his feet, his right fist igniting into Crimson Flame as the pair panted tiredly. After several moments they both slowly began to stumble forward before breaking into full on sprints.
"Blood Mefist!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Both stamped their back feet into the ground as time seemed to move in slow motion around them, their fists inching closer to one another as everything began to fade to white.
/?/
Tell me, I need to know?
Know what exactly?
In the end ... was I a good person?
...
Was I?
Why does it matter?
I cannot pass on in good conscience knowing that I was nothing more than a monster.
And who decided that you were?
You know damn well who!
The ignorant? The superstitious?
Why can't you answer me!
Because it is not my place to do so.
But of course it is you are the definition of Balance!
And yet in all my years have I ever once displayed TRUE balance?
W-what!?
Perception is the greatest weapon of all. Humanity was forged through its lens as were the Gods, Devils, Titans and even those borne of Anti. How do YOU perceive yourself in the end?
I ...
One day you will understand who you truly are on your own, no being regardless of their Celestial Rank can ever decide it for you.
How can you be certain of such a thing?
How you ask? Acceptance
Acceptance!
/? End/
Both Vlad and Natsu struck each other across the face, their attacks remaining fixed onto the other as they dropped to their knees. Both fists slipped away with the pair head butting one another as Vlad began to chuckle.
"I see ... so that's how it is, then."
His chuckles slowly died as he fully collapsed next to Natsu, his form becoming enveloped in a bright golden light before exploding sending golden particles upward into the sky. Natsu looked at the spot Vlad had collapsed and noticed he'd left behind a single earring with a corrupted Red Ruby firmly fixed into it.
Picking it up he placed it into his Requip Space before equipping it onto himself and feeling a strange emptiness from it.
"Ah ... so that's where he got that last scrap of energy from. Thank you ... my ... friend."
With that Natsu too collapsed in a bloody heap unconscious as three shocked figures gazed at his downed form from afar. After several moments the trio moved out and quickly dragged his body away.
Tales From The Tale Verse
Pride Seeks The Ultimate Challenge X
Setting Off Toward A Strange New Journey
I have learnt much in my short time in this world regarding myself. I know now that my Pride is my greatest strength and weakness and it is time I finally work to push past this weakness. Today we prepare to leave to meet with these dwarves and I find myself rather excited at the prospect.
Feitan, my rather interesting companion on this journey, isn't as enthusiastic as I however he has had an odd glint in his eye since Shiro mentioned that the dwarves create many masterworks. I do hope he has no plans to try and steal anything.
"Is everyone ready to go," Sora asked cheerfully earning mostly grunts in response. "Come on guys let's see some enthusiasm!"
"Sleepy," Shiro muttered tiredly from her place next to Sora.
"Why are we leaving at the crack of dawn," Feitan growled. "There's literally no reason we couldn't have left a few hours from now!"
"Isn't it obvious guys?"
"No."
"Because we have all the daylight we need right here," Sora grinned as he pointed to Escanor who merely shook his head in response.
"I'm afraid that isn't how my powers work Sora."
"B-but you said that you had the power of the Sun!?"
"I do however it is taking all of that power to remain in this form during the dark hours; normally I would revert to a rather pitiful form."
"Well I for one have no issues with leaving right now," Jibril chirped as she lazily fluttered into the group. "Honestly there is no better way to start an adventure than to start it early!"
"Whoever said that can go die," Feitan growled as he slung a bag over his shoulder. "Let's just go before I call it quits on this shit."
As Escanor watched the group begin to depart he couldn't help but hold back a grin. Truly he had enjoyed his rather strange time with these people and it appeared that he would remain he for some time to come. Inwardly he wondered what Meliodas thought of his absence but soon discarded the thoughts as he focused on the road ahead.
Indeed for Escanor had a new trial, a trial that would pit him against his very existence and he would come out on top as always. After all his fellow Sins would expect no less of him and he couldn't dare return without making some form of improvement!
"Oi Escanor," Feitan said cutting him off from his musing.
"Hmm?"
"For what its worth you're doing good."
"Am I? Thank you for the praise my friend!"
"Yeah yeah but you've still got a ways to go so don't get big headed just because I said you're doing something right."
"I promise you I shall not become a burden!"
"Hn."
As Feitan began to walk after the group with Escanor bringing up the rear they were unaware of two beings watching the pair depart.
"Do you really think he can do it?"
"I think he can, we are after all using his own Pride to beat his Pride. If anyone was capable of that it would be Escanor!"
"You're so silly sometimes Lucifer!"
"And you are still a brat Tet," Lucifer replied with a grin. "Either way though thanks for doing this for me."
"No problem! Honestly it's nice to watch something interesting happen here for a change and those two are highly unpredictable!"
Lucifer merely chuckled in response as he opened a portal before turning back to face the God.
"I'm going to be busy for the next few days so if you need something come find me in Equilibrius."
"Will do," Tet grinned as Lucifer vanished leaving him alone. "Now then what trouble will the two of you find next I wonder ...?"
Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!