Enjoy the latest chapter, everyone! ^.^
Inside the Queen of Carmilla's castle, in the spacious living room that only occupied with a long redwood table and chairs while a large gold chandelier hangs on top, lit up by numbers of fresh candles. Rias, Nawin, and the rest are seated at the table, all patiently waiting for the Queen to enter to let the meeting begin.
Tapping his arm in a steady pace, Riser opens his eyes and turn to the two polish wooden doors, a frown makes way to his face. "It's been ten minutes now," he utters "Something has happened here," Akeno speaks "Yes," Rias joins in, nodding with an expression of serious etched on her face "I've noticed while being guided here there were numbers of guards we passed by, and all of them shows signed of tenseness" "Are you it that wasn't because of us?" Issei asks "No," Koneko shakes her head "They weren't looking at as... I was able to pick out of the whispers, and it seems there was an attack here earlier" "Really?" Rias asks and gets a confirming nod from her Rook.
Nawin opens his eyes and not a second later the doors open. In walk Elmenhilde with a look of grimace on her face. Rias notice this instantly "Is something the matter?" "Yes, I have just informed that in the afternoon that a Master-class Assassin infiltrated the castle and tried to attack the Queen" "Oh my," Akeno utters, shock by the news same as the rest "Is she ok?" Issei asks "Fortunately Captain Stan was by the Queen's side and successfully protected her before finishing off the fiend."
"That's a relief," Rias sighs, her shoulder relaxes "Captain Stan?" Riser repeats, sending a questionable look "Stan Vonturos is the Captain of our Military affair and one of the strongest warriors in Carmilla. If it has to do with combat in the war than he is involved in some ways" Elmenhilde answers. The vampires her mouth to continue but it closes, and she moves to the side, hands clap behind.
The door opens and the in walk two individual. The one standing on the right is a gritty and rugged looking man, who has an appearance of a mid-thirty-year-old man. He has short bright blonde hair, darker blonde shade goatee, and shiny red eyes that display experience and battle-thirst, and with him being a vampire, his pupils are slit. The man physic is bulky and muscular with rough pale skin. He is a tall man reaching a perfect seven-foot height. His attire consisted of a brown thick leather chest armor and worn over it is a wine-red trench coat. Metal shiny gauntlet is worn on his hands and for underneath is a full metal legplate with black combat boots. A broadsword with gold hilt occupies the right side of his waist, holding to place with a brown leather sheath.
The other individual is a gorgeous looking woman who looks to be in her early thirty just by her appearance alone. She has a sharp structure face with soft, flowing platinum-hued hair that seems almost to be sparkling. Signature red-blood eyes with slit pupils and pale, smooth complexion. Her sharp nails are painted red that match well with the dark red lipstick she wears. The attire she wears consisted of a frilly black jacket with matching the long black skirt. A gray silk glove is worn on her smooth hands and for the bottom shows a gray high-heel boot.
The woman, no doubts the Queen of Carmilla faction offers a warm and soothing smile toward the young devils, her red eyes shine of warmth and kindness. Something the group does not see from any of the full-blooded vampires before and after experience the presence of Sayomi Dracul, it brings ease to the group to see this warm woman standing there, holding an aura of warmth and peace instead of malice and danger.
"Greetings, children" the Queen speaks, tilting her head to the side slightly and her smile curve to an apologetic one "Sorry to keep all of you waiting, but there were matters I had attending to before coming here." "It's no problem at all, your Majesty" Rias stands up, representing the leader of this group and give a bow "We heard of incident involving your assassination" "Ah yes, it is a troubling time" the woman grimace "There have been many attempts been made to take my life."
Nawin takes notice at the man standing beside the Queen, seeing his expression form into a faint sneer, almost like he finds their presence unwelcome and does not look to happy with how his Queen is treating them so kindly and fair. With narrow eyes, Nawin already has a feeling of distaste for this man.
"How many attempts exactly?" Issei asks "Too much, I'm afraid" the Queen replies with a solemn smile "The latest one would be the forty-eighth time, your Majesty" the man inserts with his deep and rough voice. Everyone in the group is shocked by the answer while the Queen's smile grows grimmer. "T-that's insane," Akeno utters "And you are still trying to fix this with negotiations?" Riser asks, looking unfavorable at the idea. Nawin catches a glimpse of agreement on the warrior man's eye by Riser's comment.
"War isn't something we can afford at the moment," the Queen reply, "You can't keep this goal going, your Majesty" the man utters which have Rias, and the rest turn toward him "And may I ask who you are?" she inquires. The man turns to face the group "The names Stan Vonturos, Captain of Military affairs" he answers dismissively.
The Queen sighs and glances at the Captain "Before we even think of going through your plan, Captain Stan... We need to receive Valerie" "This again," Stan grumbles and quickly turns around, walking out of the room "Then have the devils take part of that operation, as you originally wanted. I am not throwing my men lives away just to receive a Dhampir, your Majesty."
Elmenhilde looks annoyed by the Captain sudden exit before turning to her Queen, seeing the woman let out a sigh, explicit exhaustion shows in those red eyes. Nawin takes notice of it too and feels sympathy towards the woman, seeing her trying hard not to have the situation escalate to a full out war, but it seems she is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Even though he held some negative feeling toward vampires, he isn't blinded by it and sees this woman standing there is a kind-hearted person and wants the best for her people, so much she is willing to fight back with her Captain's view.
"Your Majesty," Nawin speaks up, catching the woman's attention and have her turn to him "We are brought here to help so tell us what we can do to help." The group is surprised to see extra motivation the Makasha is displaying, but they smile and turn toward the Queen also looking extra motivated to help.
A smile of gratitude for on the Queen's face by the boy's word. "Nawin Makasha," she speaks "I thank you for your words, I am in relief to see all of you are eager to help stop this conflict. Furthermore," she turns to the Dhampir in the room "Gasper, I'm sorry I couldn't protect Valerie" "I-it's ok, your Majesty" he replies, giving a sincere smile "W-we'll bring h-her back safe" "I know you will."
"Can you first tell us how exactly Valerie got captured?" Rias request "She was taken in this castle, correct?" "Yes, it happened during late at night" the Queen replies, her tone harden at the reminder of a girl she sees as a daughter being kidnapped. "It happened four days ago. Valerie has grown ill and was bedridden for a few days, so it was not a coincidence that the day Marius tried to capture her would be the time Valerie couldn't defend herself. I don't know how he acquired information of her bedridden state, but he got word of it and decided to send his best assassins to infiltrate the castle and kidnapped Valerie in the middle of the night."
"Were there any eyewitnesses?" Akeno question "One of the maids caught a glimpse of the assassins before they exit by the windows, with Valerie on their back. She confirmed it is Marius's men." "Now the question is" Nawin start "Why does Marius want her?" Issei finishes, which get a funny look from Riser. "I-it has to do with h-her sacred gear" Gasper speak up, causing everyone to turn to him "She holds a sacred gear?" Koneko question and gets a confirm nod "Must be a powerful one to warrant a kidnapped" Rias says and gets another nod from the Dhampir.
"It is a part of the famous Longinus group" the Queen informs, surprising the group "Like Hyoudou and Nawin," Riser utters, glancing at the two, knowing full well how strong and powerful the Longinus can be. "Which one does she wield?" Rias asks "That would be the Sephiroth Graal... Also knows as the Holy Grail of the Secluded World" the Queen answers."
"The name alone sounds powerful" Issei utters before turning to the Queen "What's it's ability?" "I-it has three" Gasper explain "W-what?!" Issei shouts in stun "A scared gear with three main abilities?" "It an exceptional sacred gear, Issei" Rias speaks, her expression turns more severe after learning of the sacred gear Valerie possesses. "What are these three abilities?" Akeno asks the Queen "It has the ability to make contact with the principle of life... Meaning the possessor holds knowledge of how life and soul are made. They also take in the concept of dead and many more that involves the whole principle of life. With this knowledge in mind, the possessor has the power to bring the dead back from life and can revive them as many times as they see fit... as long as the soul of the deceased remains intact" "Holy crap," Riser and Issei both mutters, shock by such an ability.
"Also," the Queen continues, her expression turns troubled "I fear the reason why Marius wants the Sephiroth Graal so desperately is because it will also grant him complete immortality. Even though it is hard to kill vampires such as us, we are still killable through several methods, but if Marius receives the grail, he will become a truly immortal being." "So, we have a man who fears death and wants to become immortal" Nawin utters and receive a nod from the Queen "That is the case we are looking at. Marius has always been an ambitious man, he wants to be the strongest vampire standing, and in his minds, immortality is the key of that."
'This immortality almost sounds like what Freed has...' Nawin thinks, eyes narrow as he recaptures the times he has mutilated and even near vaporize the sickening man and every time, without fail he returns. 'Also,' he looks intently at his hands 'Is Sayomi genuinely immortal too? For a long time, I thought that was the case until we were trapped on that island together and... I saw how weak she can become' memories of the Dracul's bloody and weak form flashes in the Makasha's head 'This immortality Marius seeks to achieve is above even Sayomi's freakish regeneration prowess?'
"If that is what he seeks then we must rescue Valerie quickly," Akeno says and the rest nod in agreement "Wait," Akame speaks up which have all turn to her except Nawin, who opens his eyes, knowing where his Knight is going since he is thinking the exact same thing. "You said that Valerie has been in Marius's clutches for four days now" Akame state, staring at the Queen "That has given him plenty of time to extract the Sacred Gear from her. It isn't impossible to imagine that Marius has already acquired the Sephiroth Graal." "... She's right," Issei utters, his expression turns anxious along with the rest while the Queen nod solemnly "You are correct, but extracting a Longinus is different from extracting normal sacred gears. It'll take long and meticulousness preparation. If Marius makes one mistake during the ritual, it'll kill Valerie, and the Sephiroth Graal will be loss from his clutches until the next wielder is born with it" "So there's a c-chance she's ok?" Gasper asks and receives a confident nod from the Queen "I believe so" she replies which have the Dhampir exhale in relief.
"Taking into account with what Akame has said," Rias stands up, placing her hands on the table "We should quickly formulate a plan and head to Marius's castle to rescue Valerie" "The Queen already has a plan," Elmenhilde state. Hearing this, everyone turns to the Queen and sees her smiling "I indeed do. Elmenhilde has sent bios of everyone in this room for me to study and formulate a strong plan that'll work well with all your skills. So, I have already crafted a solid plan, and since I have been into the Tepes's castle, I know the structure very well" "Excellent," Rias smile "Let's hear your plan, your Majesty."
Tepes
The City of Tepes share resembles to Carmilla in the way its construction is built. It holds an ancient time theme, but what is different is its size. The city of Tepes is almost twice larger than Carmilla and the expedition to grow is noticeable with development currently going on for new buildings.
At the south end of the city occupies a massive castle that matches with the Carmilla's Queen castle in scale. But, that's where the similarity ends. This castle is nothing but black with yellow lights shining through the numerous windows, giving off an ominous impression. Magic made dark clouds hover above that occasionally shows lightning strikes coming down, and a flock of bats either flies around the castle or slumbers on it.
Sayomi comes blasting down from the sky like a rocket and crash right at the entrance, creating a powerful shockwave that sends the guards stationed to slide back, smacking their backs at the massive metal doors. Sayomi slowly rises to her feet and retract the wings. Her eyes glint and the dust are push away to reveal her appearance to the guards.
The five men stationed already have their weapons up for an assault, but their hard expression shatters when seeing Sayomi. All shows intimidation by the Pureblood presence and one by one; they step to the sides to get out of the way. "O-our Ruler is eagerly waiting f-for your visit, Lady Sayomi" one of them replies in respect, unable to hide his stutter "Knows how to treat me correct, well this puts a smile on my face" Sayomi utters with a wicked smirk.
The guards bow their head as the Pureblood walk pass them while the ones near the entrance push the doors open. 'Interesting,' Sayomi enters the castle and heads through the dark halls that lit up by candles and magic light orbs 'To provide this kind of treatment to me. Clearly, this Marius has an agenda.' Sayomi notices every maid and guard are out to give a sign of respect to her, bowing their heads as she strides past them. 'This Marius has done his research' Sayomi state in her mind, and her smirk turns into a grin 'This is going to be fun.'
Reaching the end of the main hallway, Sayomi watches the two guards open the beautifully crafted wooden doors and bows their head down. The Pureblood walks through and enters a spacious room. The whole place is dimly lit with only a large chandelier on the ceiling, lit up with candles to brighten the room. And there is a massive mirror at the end of the room that shows a beautiful view of the sun and the hills on the horizon that brings some shine into the dark room.
Turning to the right, Sayomi spot a man sited on a luxurious red leather chair, holding wine glass on his right hand that contains fresh blood which she can smell from her position. Sayomi strides towards him then take a seat across the glass table, resting on the identical chair the man is seated.
Sayomi notices there's another chair on the left that is occupied. Taking a glance, she sees a pale young woman with short blonde hair and dull red eyes, slit pupils that are widened more than usual which is a sign of something amiss. She is dress in a simple white sundress with two straps over the shoulder to keep it in place. That's all she has and is barefoot.
'Interesting,' Sayomi mutters, examining the unmoved girl's eyes 'If I didn't hear her breathe I would have presumed she is dead. I almost feel sad for you, Valerie Tepes.' Sayomi returns her sight forward to catch a look at Marius.
There is a fireplace built on the right, and the flames flicker to reveal Marius's appearance. He is a young and attractive man with a beautiful face which resembles a doll. He is a tall man, at the same height as the Pureblood and holds a lean built figure. He has platinum blonde hair that reaches to down to his sharp chin with small bangs dropping over his left eye. Like all vampires, his eyes are blood-red with slit pupils. Pale, cold, and smooth complexion. His attire consists of a white-button shirt that is long sleeve and over it is a red vest, all are buttoned up. Over the shirt is a black high-collar cape. For the bottom, he wears a clean black slack and grey a dress shoe.
"It's a great pleasure to meet you finally, Sayomi Dracul" Marius starts, giving an inviting smile "I've wanted to have this meeting for a long time" "That so?" Sayomi asks, raising an eyebrow, not expecting the comment "Why wouldn't I be? To meet with the daughter of Alucard, our creator."
Sayomi's eyes immediately turn sharp by the Tepes's comments and see that smirk growing on his face. Even though her name is Dracul, she never revealed to the world that she is the daughter of a being that is once the most powerful person to step foot in the supernatural world. "So, you extracted the Sephiroth Graal" she declares "You are correct," Marius says, and that polite smile breaks into a sickening one "Having an ability to come into contact with the principle of life also gives you the benefit of an endless amount of knowledge, so, attaining your heritage was an easy enough task."
"And what exactly do you want out of this meeting, Marius?" Sayomi questions, leaning on her right hand, resting her chin on it. "Kukuku," the man chuckle and slowly leans forward, that sickening grin widens "What I want is you... Sayomi Dracul" he reveals which stun the Pureblood before a smile crack on her face followed by laughter. Taking a few seconds to compose herself, Sayomi smirk in clear amusement "Thanks for a laugh there" she says and was about to speak but pause when noticing those lustful look Marius has in his eyes when looking at her, his grin never lessens.
Sayomi's eyes sharpen, humor utterly gone, and seriousness replaces it "Do you honestly think in that stupid and craze mind of yours that I would consider this alliance and more importantly even think of being with the likes of you." "Kukuku," Marius stands up and walk toward the fireplace, crossing his arms behind "I'm doing this for the best of our race and you running amok doing your own thing isn't helping us. Together, we can make the vampire race become the strongest once again! One way or another I will have you, Sayomi Dracul." "I don't like the tone you are using towards me, Marius" Sayomi utters, her tone turning hostile "Don't piss me off and don't you dare talk to me like I have some obligation to help this stupid world and its people." "Seems like I'll just have to force you," Marius says and not a second later, a chandelier in the room comes crashing down, creating a booming nose as the metal pieces splatter on the floor.
Marius glance back to see Sayomi's glowing eyes glaring straight at him and instead of feeling afraid, he smirks. "Everyone who has met you may hold this mindset of you being an unbeatable force that holds no weakness, but that's not the case. Everyone has a weakness, even gods. It's just whether or not finding them is a taxing task or a simple one. I've had spent months studying you, Sayomi Dracul and I have figured out yours." Marius turns, and his smirk widens "Your weakness is right here in Vamhaven... Nawin Makasha" he utters slowly, enjoying this moment.
Instead of getting a sort of panic and nervous reaction like he expected, Marius is taken by surprise when Sayomi grin darkly and stands up, stalking towards him. Marius's body comes visibly nervous and, but he stays in place, trying to stay strong. Sayomi wasn't oblivious as she stops in front of the man, seeing his attitude instantly change, but he still holds confidence, and she knows exactly why.
Sayomi leans to the side of Marius's head, stopping near his ear "Just because you hold the power of immortality doesn't warrant you to become cocky, Marius. Especially," Sayomi glance at him, looking right into his eyes "Towards me because I can erase you from existence with just a lift of my right arm. You are below me... Remember that. There won't be any alliance between us because there's nothing you can offer me."
Sayomi leans back to stare at Marius's face, loving the sweat forming on his forehead, his eyes widen and alert, anxious gleam in the red orbs. "For Nawin Makasha," she speaks, smirking "I have no worries because if you two were to battle" her smirk widens in menace "He'd beat you until that cocky attitude of yours is obliterate and what left is a scared and cowardly man. You and him... there's no comparison."
Turning around Sayomi start walking away from Marius, who quietly grit his teeth in rage by her comment. In a fit of anger, he shoots his right arm up but is suddenly stop midway in the process. "Uh?!" Marius's eyes widen in disbelief when feeling his whole body freeze like a stone. He manages to look up and feel his heart turn cold when seeing Sayomi glancing back at him, those glowing red eyes piercing to his heart.
"And you expected me to be with you?" Sayomi questions, wearing a snarky smirk "You're pathetic, just like the rest of the vampires in this world." The moment Sayomi's gaze left him, Marius drops to his knees, able to once again move his body. He takes a deep breath into his lungs and wipes the sweat from his forehead. Looking up, he sees the Pureblood has disappeared.
Marius grit his teeth his mouth turns into a grin, a sickening one "Oh I'll prove to you wrong, Sayomi Dracul" he whispers, chuckling and slowly rises to his feet. Turning to Valerie, who has not moved an inch during the whole event, just sitting there like a doll, staring at her hands. "When I have the last piece of the Holy Grail I'll go after your precious Nawin and slaughter him" Marius's grin widens "I'll show you his head on a skewer!"
Elsewhere
"Gasper," Nawin calls for the young boy, who stop near the doorway and turns to him. The rest have already left the meeting room after done discussing with the plan. Now only Nawin and Gasper are left. "Hmm?" the Dhampir tilts his head, watching the boy leaned on the wall, wondering why he called for him "I-is something the matter, Nawin-san?"
Not replying, Nawin leans off the wall and walk toward the short boy then kneels in front of him. "Are you doing ok?" he asks "Huh?" Gasper blinks, "W-what do you mean?" "Back in the Occult building, you were very vocal on saving Valerie that it caught all of us by surprise" Nawin reminds, speaking in a soft and soothing tone. "Oh," Gasper's expression turns to sadden, his posture slouches a bit "Valerie and I share a tough past..." he starts but stops "Gasper," Nawin speaks, making the boy look up at him "It's better to talk about it then let it bottle inside. I'm here," he says, smiling softly "And I'm all ears, so if you want to, I'll listen to your story."
Gasper gives a small smile and nod "A-alright," he takes a deep breath then exhales "Valerie is my childhood friend and really... my savior. We grow up together because we were locked inside the castle of Tepes. We had another but each other. We eat together, shower together, sleep together, laugh together, play together. W-we were like a family, I saw her as a big sister and sometimes even a mother. We only had each other because of our blood. Dhampirs were always looked down a-at. O-our family didn't want a-anything to do with us, so we only ever relied on each other."
Gasper takes a deep breath, mustering the strength to continue "Together, Valerie and I was a-able to push through the t-tough life we had in the Castle. Then, one day she helped me escape from there and send me to the human world, away from the cruel life. She opted to s-seek shelter in Carmilla a-and the Queen was kind enough to g-give her a home here. I-I was able to push o-on with my life when I knew Valerie was s-safe, b-but that changes." Gasper sniff a bit and look up at the Makasha with glossy eyes "P-please, Nawin-san! Save Valerie! I-I don't know what I would do if she is killed! S-she" tears stream down his eyes and drops to the ground "She is my family! She gave me happiness when my life was miserable in that castle! I don't want her gone!" he cries.
Gasper is surprised when he is pulled into a hug, warmth enters his whole body as he is press on the Makasha's chest and feel his left arm his shoulder and right-hand rest on his head, giving a comforting stroke. "I understand, Gasper" Nawin speaks, his tone almost holds some sadness "I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to save Valerie. I won't let her die, that's a promise."
Gasper can only nod, hugging the Makasha tightly for comfort as he cries all the tears out that he's been holding back when learning of the devastating news. Nawin stares forward with a dull expression and slowly, an image of his young self, holding a corpse of a pale girl appears. His eyes harden 'He won't experience that pain... I won't allow it. This mission has become personal.'
"Hey, Nawin!" the Makasha blinks, his eyes brighten in life and sees Riser and Issei looking at him, all of them crouching inside a large bush. "Yeah," Nawin replies, "Glad to have you back, bro" Issei reply, grinning then points forward "It's almost time for us to infiltrate" "Right," Nawin leans forward to look out of the bush.
It is already night in Vamhaven. The once crimson sky converts to dark blue with the beautiful white moon shining on the horizon. With the darkness surrounding the area, the only thing to keep the castle's entrances lit up are torches. Though, it wasn't a necessity since, like Devils, Vampires can look clearly in the dark. They are the creature of the night, and their eye's ability exceeds even that of the devils, able to track their prey in the darkness from miles away.
Nawin peeks out of the bushes, and the view shows two guards stationed at the west gate of the castle, both are heavily armored and holding lances as weapons. "We saw Rias and Akeno on top of the roof; they are in position if anything goes wrong" Riser informs "Good," Nawin nod "What about the rest?" "Koneko and Gasper should be at the other side and so far, no commotion so I'm guessing everything is good" "And there's your knight," Riser speak "She'll be fine," Nawin assert with confidence "Akame is a master of these type of mission. She'll give me the signal when she locates Valerie."
Issei looks around and gasps "Look! There's the Queen's assassins" he utters, and Nawin and Riser turn to see two women dressed in all black hanging above the guards, daggers in hand. Both give the nod then unpin their feet from the wall, coming down at the guards and perfectly stab the dagger through their head, effectively killing them. "Sweet," Issei says "Hot," Riser adds which gets him a weird look from the other boys.
"Let's go," Nawin says and exit the bush, standing up with the other following suit. "Let's use our code name!" Riser suggests with a grin "Huh, sounds good" Issei nods "Fine," Nawin sighs, not feeling bothered to give a big reply. The three stop in front of the assassins, both women, turn to them "Please head in N-" "It's Phenox" Riser says, smirking "And I'm DragoniteMcAwesomeness" Issei assert, and immediately, Nawin and Riser snap towards him, both looking bewildered at such a name while the assassins tilt their head in confusion, the hood covering their faces but it doesn't take a genius to think that they are also bewildered by such a name.
"Bahahahaha!" Riser cracks up, laughing like a maniac which has Issei send a glare at him "You have a problem?" "What a stupid name! What the hell is wrong with you!" "Shut up!" Nawin sighs at the two and turns to the women "My apologies, but these two are... a pair of clowns" he says, "We can see," one of the answers, not very amused by the whole ordeal "Please move in. We shall take disguise as the guards and wait for your exit, with Valerie in your possession" "Of course, thank you for your assistance," Nawin says mannerly.
The boys sneak into the castle and stick to the walls, taking caution with every step they take. Nawin is leading the group, being in front while is at behind, leaving Riser at the middle. Nawin raises his hand up and stop, causing the two to do the same. They listen and hear footstep coming from the right hallway, muttering can be heard, and the deep voices give away that these are the patrolling guards.
With no other way than moving to the right, Nawin decides it's wise to knock out the guards. Glancing back, he gives a gesture toward Riser to follow him while Issei remains behind if one of the guards slip past them. The two understand crystal clear by the signal and gets ready. Waiting patiently, the three hear the footsteps become louder, Nawin still has his hand up, palm open while his sight is solely focused forward. Suddenly, the palm close and Nawin along with Riser zooms around the corner, and both strike the guards, both utterly oblivious until it is too late. Nawin delivered a chop to the neck on the right guard while Riser gave a brutal knee to the gut for the left guard.
Both guards crumble to the ground, knocked unconscious. "Nice," Issei step out from the corner, examining the guards then looks up at the two "Let's move," Nawin says and turn around to resume forward and wordlessly, Riser and Issei follow. The three head deeper into the castle, rotating through the halls that'll lead them closer to the center.
"Why can't we use magic again?" Issei asks, grunting in annoyance at running in a normal pace "Because if we do that we'll alert the whole place" Riser replies, "The moment one of us spike our magic the alarm will go off" Nawin adds "Huh, alright" Issei answers, nodding in understanding.
Nawin comes to a halt when feeling a connection link to his mind 'Nawin-kun,' Akame's voice speak 'Yes, did you find her?' 'She's in some study room with a man who I presume is Marius. There are lots of guards stationed outside of the door' 'I see, so I'm guessing the room is at the center of the castle?' 'Yes,' 'Alright, we'll be there shortly' 'Understood, and you should hurry, Nawin-kun... I think the ritual is starting soon' 'If the ritual begins and we are not there then contact me... I'll be there in a flash' 'Understood.'
"What's up?" Riser asks, confused by the sudden stop. Nawin glances back at the two "We need to hurry. Full sprint ahead."
Elsewhere: Tepes Castle
"Guahh," Gasper watch Koneko lifting a guard by his neck, a man easily twice her size. She has a tight grip on him, and the man face quickly turns blue, his eyes gouging before it slowly shuts due to lack of oxygen. His flailing arms drop to the side, and his head hung down. Koneko drops the unconscious man down and turns to the Dhampir "Let's continue" "O-ok."
Koneko grabs Gasper's right wrist and leads him onwards; both friends stay close together. So far, the two luckily only encountered one guard in their journey through the castle, both being small and light gives them the advantage to be stealthy and sneaky if need be. With Koneko's keen senses she can detect enemies from the far distance and avoid them.
Taking a left turn, the two ran past a large door. Gasper blinks and immediately stump his feet down, halting which cause Koneko to do the same. She blinks and turns her head toward him "Ga-kun?" "U-um, I smell Valerie's sense" he replies and points toward the door "In there." Koneko blinks in surprise before turning serious "Alright, let's go inside" "Y-yeah."
Koneko stop in front of the door still cautions for anything. Grabbing the knob and slowly twisting it to the side, Koneko pushes the door open quietly while her right arm is up for an attack. Gasper remains behind her and peeks over the shoulder.
The door opens wide and it quickly comes apparent that the room is absent of individuals. Koneko steps into the dark room with Gasper closely behind. It is a bedroom and a barren one with only a king-size white bed in the center and some closet that stores clothes, another door that leads to a bathroom, and there's a sizable window that shows the view outside of Tepes.
Gasper walks past Koneko, heading toward the bed. The Toujou watch her friend step beside it and start sniffing; his eyes snap open with a look of realization. "This bed has Valerie's scent all over it!" he informs, a look of reminiscing crosses his expression. Gasper grip the sheets, his eyes shine in worry "I miss her," he whispers, smelling the lovely scent of vanilla, a signature to Valerie.
Kokoro stops beside her friend, placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. Her expression softens "We will find her, Ga-kun" "I-I know," Gasper replies, smiling softly "Nawin-san promised me that he would save her... Knowing that has helped me to calm down, but..." he looks at the bed "Smelling this scent, I really miss her, Koneko-chan" "I know," Koneko reply softly before giving a supporting smile "If Nii-chan promised that he would save her, then it will happen, Ga-kun. You and Valerie will see each other soon" "Yeah," Gasper release the sheet and smile, "I know. Let's continue" "Mhm."
Study Room
Staying behind the large wine-red window curtains, Akame stood on the ledge; her entire body hides in the shadow. The Black Thunder strapped on the right side of her waist. She is dress in her battle attire that is always worn when heading to missions. The attire consists of a sleeveless black shirt, red battle skirt with a red belt to hold it in place. In her hands wears red gauntlets, with the right one embeds a white crystal at the center. To finish it off, she wears red combat boots.
Using her right hand to push the curtain aside, the Knight takes a peek to see the scene proceeding beneath. Laid right in the center of a complex symbol that's drawn in blood is Valerie, who has her eyes closed and looked to be in deep slumber. Surrounding the symbol are eight candles lit in purple flame. The appearance of the whole scene shows it is a dark ritual, a ritual that could leave Valerie dead if it is complete.
Akame watches Marius stop by symbol, a grin of menace etched on his face. "I guess I was wrong about you were never useful to the family, Valerie," he says, chuckling darkly "In the end, you have proven to be quite useful... For me anyway." Marius stops in front of a wooden stand that holds a thick ancient book. He opens the front cover and slides through the pages until it stops in a specific one, a grin on his face widens. "At least the one good thing I can grant you, Valerie is that you'll die soundlessly... Like you have much conscious left in that brain of yours anyway" he spat, giggling maniacally.
Akame sees Marius starts an incantation, speaking quietly and the candle's flame start getting more violent, swaying to the sides and enlarge. 'He is starting,' Akame grips the handle of the sword tightly 'Please hurry, Nawin-kun.'
Hallway
Six guards roam dutifully around the hall that leads to the study room. All are heavily armored and wield steel lances or halberds. These guards are tall, towering individuals that give off a dangerous characteristic, proving they aren't some ordinary guards that will be quickly dispatched.
Hiding behind the corner are Nawin, Riser, and Issei. The three scours the ground, formulating a plan of attack. 'We need to hurry,' Nawin speaks to the two through telepathic method 'Yeah, but we won't be able to just rush past these guards,' Riser state, eyeing the armored men 'These guys are no joke' 'Yeah, their magic level is up there' Issei notes.
Nawin takes a moment to create a plan, imagining all the possible scenario that can play out. 'The moment we release our magic the whole castle will be on alert. This place will be flooded with guards in some minutes.' Nawin's eyes reopen, and it shines red, catching the other boys' attention. 'You got a plan?' Issei asks 'I certainly do,' 'Then let's hear it' Riser says, smirking in excitement.
"Can't wait for the war to begin," one of the guards by the door speaks, "Ehehe, when Lord Marius extract the last piece of the grail you will have your wish" the guard on the other side of the door replies, also sounding jovial on the thought of war. "Yeah, it's time we end those weak Carmilla's and create an undivided and strong nation" "You said it."
"Watch out!" a guard shout and everyone snap their head forward to see a giant fireball flying towards them. The four front guards line up and slam the pummel of their weapon down to the ground simultaneously. A translucent barrier appears in front and blocks the incoming fireball which ignites on impact then disperse into dense black smoke that quickly covers a large portion of the hall. The guards by the door notice a figure bursting from the smoke, running on the ceiling. "There!" they warn, averting the rest of their comrade's sight to above and see Nawin speeding past them.
One of the guards quickly act and jumps up, bringing the lance upward to the Makasha. "Hell no, buddy!" a voice shouts from the side before the guard feels a huge blow smash to the side of his face, sending him crashing into the wall. "More?!" the men shout, seeing Issei hovering in midair with his wings out. "Go on, bro!" Issei shouts toward Nawin, giving a thumbs up and a grin while the other response with a nod.
On the ground, Riser burst from the smoke and immediately charge up more flames around his arms. "Take some more!" he exclaims, thrusting his arms forward to discharge two massive waves of fire which forces the guards' attention to shift at him. Issei comes down at the guards by the door with the boosted gear equipped. "Boost Times Six!" he exclaims and slams the gauntlet down on the floor, exploding it and produce a booming shockwave that blasts the guards into the walls.
With the other guards rounding up to create another shield for the incoming fire wave. It creates a perfect opening for Nawin, who disconnect himself from the ceiling and lands perfectly in front of the door. Without glancing back, the Makasha opens the door and enters the room, leaving the rest to the Hyoudou and Phenex.
Standing in the room, Nawin surveys the place with his red eyes, finding Valerie and Marius. His sight stops at the right when seeing Valerie laid in the center of the satanic symbol written in blood. The expression on Nawin's face hardens when seeing how ill-condition the young Dhampir is.
"So... You're Nawin Makasha" a voice speak from the front, causing Nawin to turn and see Marius walking out from the shadows, staring at him with those malicious red slit eyes. "And you're Marius Tepes," Nawin replies, his tone stoic but holds venom in them. "I see you knew I would be here?" he speaks, noticing no surprises is shown in the vampire's eyes and with the way he stood, it presents he was waiting.
Marius smirk, taking steps forward until he stands right in the center of the room. "I knew? I planned for you to be here... In that very spot" "What are you talking about" Nawin utters, eyes narrow with caution "Who did you think sent those two assassins?" Marius asks, smirking "I sent them to get you to notice... Did you think it was coincident that the very day you met them was the day the Queen sent her envoy?" "And why did you send those assassins after me?" "To get your attention, because there was a chance you'd wouldn't come here... But," Marius glance at his sister, his smirk widens "I forgot that she has a friend in the Gremory's peerage, so I honestly didn't need to send the assassins."
Black aura comes to existence and swirls around the Makasha. "Now, you got me here," Nawin starts, his eyes glowing brightly "I do... And I'll be taking great pleasure to rip that head of yours out of your torso" Marius says, followed by a chuckle. "So, that's why you brought me here?" Nawin speaks, not surprised "You want to kill me?" "I do, but not because of hatred. It's more of a line to prove a point" "What point" "That you were inferior to me. Your head," Marius points at the Makasha "Will be a great gift for her."
"Well," shadow weapons forms into existence, around the Black Flash "You are going to leave her disappointed because you won't be getting my head. All you'll be receiving from me is your death, Marius Tepes. What you did to your sister is unforgivable." "I have two sacred gears in me, Makasha" Marius spat, his smirk averts to cockiness "You stand no chance." "Oh, I stand a chance" Nawin reply, his lip twist into a smirk of his own "You seem to have not realized, but I too possess two sacred gears within me" "What?" Marius utters, his expression morph to stun.
Four lances leave the Makasha side and soar toward Marius. Their blades glint in white with sharpness. "Kuh!" the vampire hiss and jumps up to avoid the lances that now pierce the ground he once stood. Marius looks forward and is confused when seeing a big smirk on the Makasha's face.
Suddenly, a magic signature spike from behind and Marius glance back to see Akame blazing toward him, her sword out. "Wha-" Marius didn't get a chance to finish his sentence when Akame passes him, her blade cleaves through his neck like butter.
Akame lands perfectly on the ground while Marius's corpse and dismembered head drop behind. His face twisted into a look of stunned, never noticing the Knight was there, stalking him and delivered the final blow. "Was that wise?" Akame asks, averting to her King "We still need to take the grail back" "He has only received the sacred gear so extracting from even his corpse is possible. The longer a sacred gear is in a wielder, the more attached they are. Removing the Sephiroth Graal from him will not prove difficult" "I see... How do you know this?" Akame asks with curious "Being a godson of Azazel, who is quite keen on knowledge of Sacred Gears and love learning more about it will acquire me these kinds of information."
"You think it was that easy?" Marius's voice rings around the room, surprising Nawin and Akame. "You can only dream of that scenario being real, Nawin Makasha" Marius's figure comes into existence, standing right behind Akame. "Akame!" Nawin shouts but is too late when Marius grab the Knight by the back of her neck and deliver a brutal uppercut to the back, knowing the air out of Akame's lungs and has her drop the sword. Marius finish it off by lifting the girl up and slams her face-first onto the ground.
Marius step to the right, dodging a fist from behind by the Makasha, who is stunned by the fact his attack didn't land. Marius twists and charges up a red orb in his right hand, bringing it right onto the Makasha's stomach. "Heh" he cracks a menacing smile and discharges a power beam that envelopes Nawin and sends him flying away.
The beam contacts the wall and disperses, showing the battered Makasha slamming onto the wall before dropping down to his knees. His whole-body litters with bruises and cuts. Blood starts leaking from the arms, legs, and a large amount on the stomach where a fresh burn wound is a display.
Gripping his stomach, Nawin grunts in pain but slowly gets back to his feet and looks up at Marius. "I-Illusion" he spat out, glancing at the headless corpse and sees it fades away. "Indeed," the vampire's smirk widens "And you felt right for it, Makasha. I knew there was someone in this room" he states, glancing at Akame before averting to Nawin "But, she did a good job hiding her position, so I needed to draw her out before she became a problem."
Nawin summons a long sword and takes steps forward. Marius's red eyes glint and a sizeable hole burn in the Makasha's right leg, causing him to scream out in pain and collapse forward onto the ground. "Kukukuku," Marius chuckles and tilts his head to the right, his eyes loving the sight "He'd beat me huh? Sayomi?" he mutters, smirking darkly.
"H-how," Nawin lift his head off the ground to look at Marius, the longsword shatters from existence "Obtaining the Grall has also amplified by vampire's abilities" Marius explain "I have become the strongest vampire in this plain! No one can touch me!" Nawin cuss under his breathe and tries to come up with a plan "My leg is healing, but it won't do any good if with a single look he can injure it again...'
"It ends here, Makasha" Marius extend his right arm to pull a gold longsword from the wall, bringing it to his hand. With the weapon firmly in his possession, Marius starts striding toward Nawin "I'll be taking that head of yours now."
Standing in front of the prone Makasha, Marius lifts the sword up. Suddenly, at the west side of the room, the wall explodes, sending picture frames to the ground and rubbles litter the ground. Marius's attention sways toward it, and Nawin immediately acts, charging up the demonic lightning in his right arm and thrust it up, piercing through the vampire's abdomen, lifting him off the ground.
"Gaaahhh!" Marius yells in pain; his eyes bulge in pain while dropping the sword. Nawin's red eyes glare up at the man before ripping his hand up and deliver a hard kick to the stomach that sends the vampire flying away. Dispersing the lighting from his bloody arm, Nawin turns to the clouds of dust and sees Koneko and Gasper emerging from it, both panting lightly and have few bruises and scratches on their faces.
"Koneko, Gasper!" Nawin shouts to get their attention then points at Valerie "Take Valerie and get out of here!" Wordlessly, Koneko and Gasper nod and rush toward the unconscious Dhampir. Gasper looks greatly concern when seeing the poor condition his friend is in but decide to worry later and quickly pulls her up. Koneko takes the rest and carries Valerie on her back, holding the girls tightly by her legs while Gasper brings her arms forward, so she wouldn't fall off.
Nawin appears beside Akame and helps the girl to her feet, slinging her right arm around his neck while using his other hand to grab the Black Thunder. He turns to Koneko "Punch a hole through the roof, Koneko!" "Ok!"
Releasing their wings, Koneko and Gasper shoot up the air, speeding toward the ceiling. Nawin looks toward Marius and sees the wound in his stomach is already closed and his standing back up 'That was fas. He really is immortal then. He doesn't even show signs of being in pain' he notes and starts levitating. Nawin summons dozens of lances and rains them down to Marius to act as a distraction.
Koneko shoots forward and raises her right arm up to penetrate through the ceiling, bursting out from the roof. Gasper follows closely behind her and exits. Nawin quickly speed toward the hole while hearing Marius yells at him with fury "Nawin Makasha!" Nawin didn't look back, instead form more lances into existence behind him and fire all of them toward the Tepes.
Going through the hole, Nawin emerges above the castle and is greeted with a shocking scene. Akeno and Rias are currently in battle against a number of Gargoyles. All of them made of stone that came to life. "Hah!" Akeno discharges a massive lightning blast that eviscerates the giant monster in front of her. Rias release two destruction balls and sends it up to the incoming Gargoyles. The balls contact them and destroy them in an instant, both burst away in crimson sparkles, signaling their deaths.
Rias looks forward to Nawin and the rest "We need to leave now!" she shouts, "Where's Issei and Riser?" Akeno asks, skipping back to narrowly avoid a downward strike from the stone creature. Lightning cracks around the Himejima's right hand and she brings it to a backhand, smashing right at the center of the Gargoyle's face, demolishing it into smithereens.
A pillar of flames erupts from the north side of the roof and out flies Riser with Issei following his tail. Guards soon flood into the roof through the hole, all set their sight at Valerie. "Everyone! To Carmilla now!" Nawin shouts and the flies to the north, but not before discharging another wave of flames down at the hole he exited, keeping Marius at bay as long as possible.
Everyone quickly flies toward the north, but the dozens of guards follow behind with a handful of Gargoyle also in toes. Nawin cusses when seeing this, seeing the enemy gaining distance. 'We can't keep going like this. Also leading them to Carmilla will only endanger the civilians.' With his mind made up, Nawin looks toward "Issei!" he shouts, and the Hyoudou turn to only have Akame thrown toward him. He quickly catches her and the sword in the sheath before turning to his friend "What's this?" "I'm going to eliminate our followers. We can't have them chasing us to Carmilla" "Alone?!" Rias shouts "Why aren't we teleporting? Use your Speeding Shadow God!" Riser exclaims "No," Nawin sharply retort "That jump in the teleportation may be too much for Valerie. She's in a weak condition, and it could harm her" "Uh, he's right" Rias grunts.
"Then I will stay with you," Akeno flaps her wings, slowing down to fly beside her lover "We'll eliminate them while you guys head to Carmilla," she says. "Alright," Nawin nods with the plan and turn to the rest "Go now! When we clear the enemy, we'll teleport away" "Alright," Rias nods, finding more comforting knowing the Makasha has a person to watch his back. She turns to her team "Let's move everyone! Full speed to Carmilla" "Right!" all of them shouts in unison and flaps their wings, blasting to the north.
The couple slows down before halting and turns around to face the incoming horde of vampires and gargoyles. "Well," Nawin brings slams his hands together, cocking his neck to the right to create an audible pop "You ready to kick some ass, love?" "With you?" lightning cracks around the Himejima's body, an exciting grin split on her face "I'm always ready, Nawin-kun" "That's what I like to hear."
Two gargoyles burst forward and come toward the couple with their sharp claws extend. Black aura explodes in existence around the Makasha before he speeds forward with his right arm extending. He dodges the nails and punches through the stone creature's stomach. The creature cracks before exploding into harmless rubbles. Akeno summons a light lance and slashes it to the side to split the beast's hands to half before the lance launches through its face, causing it to burst into rubbles.
Akeno pulls the lance back and throws it forward in a smooth and swift motion. The lance penetrates through a guard's stomach before exploding at the center of the horde, taking out dozens of men. Nawin speeds forward to the other half of the horde and summons the twisted etcher in his right hand, pulling the trigger to activate the engine, chains come to life and start spinning in rapid speed.
The Makasha disappears in a black flash and appears in the center to start going berserk. He proceeds to cut down everyone that's in his sight. Blood explodes into the sky as the twisted etcher is brought down at the guard's head, legs, arms, and torso. Every time the guards tries to strike, the Makasha would either counters or teleport behind them and deal the finishing blow. He wasn't holding back and going for all the vital spots.
Akeno licks her lip in lust, gripping her beating chest as she looks at her lover massacring through the enemy. Dismembered limbs fly through the air, screams of terror erupt, and lives are lost by the seconds. With seeing more of their comrades being killed, the morals of the guards start collapsing which cause them to hesitate, and Nawin uses it as a full advantage, cutting all of them down without freezing once.
"W-what are you!" one of the last guards' shouts in fear, watching Nawin finishing off his friend by bringing the frightening sword down right at the center of his body, splitting the man in half before he disperses away into dust, signaling his death. Dispelling the sword, Nawin turns to the last man standing "I'm just a guy who does what he thinks is right" he says, then raise his right arm "So, you going to fight or scram?" the guard didn't bother replying and immediately turns around, flying far away from the couple.
Nawin drops his arm and turns around only to be greeted with a kiss from the Himejima. Surprise at first, Nawin slowly wraps his arms around her waist and pulls in, accepting the gesture. The two pulls back a moment later "What's that for?" Nawin asks with a smile "I felt like it" Akeno replies, giggling lovingly.
The couple descends to the rocky and clear ground. When Akeno's feet touch the ground, she recedes her wings and steps back. But, the two halt and snap their body around to see Marius standing there, waiting for them with that wicked smirk. "Akeno Himejima," he speaks, staring eye and eye with the woman "Lover of Nawin Makasha. Well, this just makes my goal easier." Akeno's expression hardens, her electric yellow eyes shine "If you think I'm going to be a damsel in distress" she takes a step forward and clench her hands, lightning cracks into existence around the arms "Then you are mistaken, Marius Tepes."
The vampire raises an eyebrow in surprise by this while Nawin smirk in proud before stepping forward to stand beside his lover. "Go all out, Akeno" Nawin utters "Don't slow down for even a second" "I won't. I'm going to enjoy beating him senseless" "That's my girl." Marius chuckles before it burst into laughter "You two will die together!" he shouts then gets to a fighting stance.
With their eyes glint, Nawin and Akeno burst forward in frightening speed that leaves the earth behind them to implode. The two split opposite directions before moving toward Marius's side. The vampire grins and extends his arms out to catch the couple's fists. The ground implodes from the strike's force, but Marius was able to keep the two at bay.
Nawin and Akeno glare at the vampire, their eyes glowing in power. "That's all?" Marius asks in a taunting fashion, still maintaining that smirk. Nawin looks forward to the Himejima "Let's show him our power, Akeno" "Ara, ara, this is going to be fun." Marius burst back to create distance but Nawin along with Akeno quickly follows him, the two use their full speed and begin striking Marius from all direction. Sparkles of black and yellow lightning explode around the area while craters form from every strike that gets countered. The three all move in sound speed that only high-level opponents can witness every movement being made.
Akeno blaze behind Marius and jumps, bringing her right feet down to the head. Marius counter by grabbing the ankle and spins before throwing her away. Nawin appears from the side to deliver a vicious elbow to the right end of the face, successfully knocking the vampire back. "Grrrh!" Marius glares at anger and retaliates with a roundhouse kick but Nawin ducks it and counter with uppercuts that smack right at the center of Marius's chin, blasting him up to the air. Akeno comes speeding from the side with her right leg extended, smashing it directly at the side of Marius's abdomen and sending him blasting down to the earth.
"Ahhhhh!" Marius roars out in rage, and it levels the ground while dispersing the smoke. Akeno lands beside her lover and regains her stance. The two's expression hardens when seeing Marius lift two humongous boulders from the ground with his telekinetic ability, then sends it towards them. "Akeno!" Nawin extends his right hand toward her "Right!" Akeno takes his hand then jumps. Holding tightly onto his lover's hand, the Makasha start spinning her around before tossing her forward to the right boulder.
Akeno straightens herself in midair and brings both her arms forward, lightning cracks around them, and she penetrates through the boulder then speed straight to Marius. Akeno opens her palm to discharge a lightning blast to the shock vampire. Nawin jumps forward and sends a spinning kick right at the center of the boulder, with enough power not to destroy it but to send it back to Marius.
"Grhh!" the Tepes watch the blast and boulder speeding toward him. "Not good enough!" he yells and glares heatedly at the attacks, and the boulder burst into smithereens while the lightning blast disperses into harmless sparkles. Akeno gasp when seeing Marius turns to her, but Nawin appears on top of her and touches her back, then the two disappears in a black flash.
Marius snaps to the right to see the couple stood there. "Six Heaven Prison Rod!" Nawin quickly exclaims and six light rod form around Marius and slams into his midsection, freezing him into place. "W-what!" the vampires utters and tries to break through it by releasing his mana. "Akeno!" Nawin shouts, holding his arms toward the Tepes to keep the technique in place "Right!" the Himejima stands up and slams her hands together, generating mana around them.
Snapping her eyes open, Akeno pulls her hands apart and a large yellow light lance form into existence. She grabs hold of the lance in the right arm and raises it upwards, pulling back. Marius sees the lance and feels the humongous power containing in them which starts to set worry in him. The rods cracks and Nawin grits his teeth, examining the Tepes furiously moving around to be set free "Fire it, Akeno!" "Lance of Zeus!" Akeno exclaims and throws the lance toward Marius "Noooooooooo!" he screams in rage. Nawin grabs Akeno's hand, and they disappear in a black flash.
An enormous size explosion erupts in the land that drawfs the Tepes Castle in height. Thunderous tremors can be felt miles away that the civilian of Tepes all come to a halt and look at the far distance to see a blinding yellow light shining.
Nawin and Akeno appear a few dozens of meters away from the explosion, both collapse to the ground. "Whoa..." Nawin utters looking at the large dark mushroom cloud in the distance. It seemed like an aftermath of a nuke being dropped. Akeno pants heavily, feeling utterly exhausted by using one of her most destructive techniques. Nawin wraps his arms around the Himejima's shoulder and pulls her close to him "You are amazing, Akeno" he utters with a smile "Ufufufu, thank you, Nawin-kun" she replies happily and rest her head on his shoulder.
The couple stays silent for a minute, staring at the smoke in the distance. Akeno opens her mouth "You think it's over?" "I don't know... He is immortal, but I wonder if that ability can even bring him back after that" Nawin answers in honest "I'm not sensing anything so far" "Yeah," Akeno nods "His mana has completely vanished."
"Uh," Nawin's eyes widen when a familiar feeling rush upon him "Hmm?" Akeno turns to him, expressing confusion "Something wrong, Nawin-kun?" she asks, and in response the Makasha clench her hand tightly then turns to her, wearing a small smile "I'll see you later, Akeno." Before the Himejima have the chance to reply, she is teleported away in a black flash.
"Hehehehe," a familiar deep chuckle erupts around the area as Nawin stands back up then looks forward and sees Marius emerging from the bushes, shirtless and unharmed. "So," Nawin's gaze harden "You really are immortal" "And you aren't, Makasha," Marius retorts and uses his telekinetic power to burn a hole through Nawin's right shoulder.
"Gah!" Nawin grunts and grip his injured shoulder, the right arm goes limp and hangs down. "It's over for you," Marius says and with a flick of his eyes sends the Makasha high into the sky. Nawin glances down at the vampire and imagines a long sword forming behind him. A dark sparkling sword form into existence and aim right toward the Tepes, then by command, shoots forward and launch through the man's chest. "Ahhhh!" Marius screams in pain then in rage sends Nawin blasting away to the west in rapid speed.
"Curses!" Marius grabs the blade then crushes the sword from existence. With the wound instantly healing, Marius shifts to the west and catch glimpses of the Makasha crashing into the Ashen Forest. "Gargoyles" Marius exclaims and not a moment later four of the stone creatures comes from above and land in front of him, kneeling in respect "Head into the Ashen Forest and bring me Nawin Makasha. He is in a weak state currently, so it shouldn't prove to be a difficult task." The monsters merely nod before spreading their wings and blast to the air, flying toward the west.
With a smirk of satisfaction, Marius twists around and strides back to his palace. "Seems like my new power is sufficient" he utters in joy, "And when I received the Third Grail, I'll be even more powerful. It's time," Marius's eyes glow brightly in evil "The next step will proceed. I will get the last piece of the Grail and when Carmilla is reduced to nothing but ashes... I'll be coming for you, Sayomi Dracul, with your beloved Nawin Makasha's head."
Next Chapter: Civil War Escalates! Pasts Resurface