Okay, this is the newest chapter. What could i say about it? I changed the story title, as first thing.

Now, there's another matter, how could i explain it...

Well, from now on, Rip's POV.

Clear enough?

...

...

I'm not sure of how it turned out. I need feedback about this, at least to know if i should continue with Rip's POV or return to Dragon's. Or maybe some other character.

So, i'm going to post next chapter after at least four new reviews.

"Yes. Here, listen to this." The Devil found some interesting passage.

"Liberally translated from Latin: "I cannot accept my doings. All my life has been rendered useless by a single act. The thirty coins i received are but an additional burden for my sin.

Did i have any choice? If i had only been promised coins from the Romans, ad i've been, i'd have not betrayed my Master. If i only had been threatened of death, and i've been, i wouldn't have betrayed my Master. I i had been corrupted and menaced, and i've been, i wouldn't have betrayed my Master.

But He himself spoke to me, He himself explained what was inevitable. That day was His last: His death was an inevitable step on the road to His ascension. And he ordered me, as His most faithful Apostle and His most beloved companion, to make His life end to the hands of other men than us.

Oh, if only i could stab Him myself, make His departure painless and immediate, avoiding the Passion and the derision of the citizens! But He chose the path of sorrows, to understand fully the world of mortals.

I cannot accept of having been the instrument of His death, even though i've been instrument of His ascension altogether. I will hang myself, once this my confession is complete. I know i won't have a place at His side in Heaven, for i obeyed Him, following His mind, and i haven't saved Him, following my heart.

But i've done what i had to."

He was such an amazing storyteller! I felt like being there, like feeling what Judas felt, like really seeing him... it's so strange that a monster like him could get so... beautiful. It was magic.

"I've skipped a few passages and put together a few parts, but this is the point of what it says. Judas was not an agent of Satan, but of God."

We stood silent for a while. I was considering that story. After all, i don't believe in God, not they way Christians do, at least. The only god i had ever met was Zamiel. But anyway, those vatican people deliberately hid what they believed to be the truth and used for their purposes. Such... cowardice. After all those were supposed to be their ideals. In Milennium, when Hitler stopped winning wars and started exterminating people just because of race, without even fighting them, we openly separated from his ideology. He even thought to create perfect warriors by selecting race, and he refused Doc's studies to improve us through technology. That's just stupid. Now we are the Übermensch, the Overmen, and it's not a matter of races or anything. It's a matter of usefulness for the War.

I tried to explain this to Zamiel and Dragon, but as always when i'm trying to say something too quickly i messed it up and i don't think they fully understood it.

I had no time to repeat, because an explosion shook the earth. The altar was swallowed in the floor and silver plates locked the hole. Probably automated defence, but how could we have activated it?

"Something is happening above us." said Zamiel, or Alucard, or whatever. "And i bet our fanatic friends are not too happy about it. Follow me!"

We followed him, like we had any choice. He led us upstairs, trough hallways and hidden doors, always knowing where to go. We encountered more fighters and priests on our way, but no more templars. Dragon nearly reached me, with twenty nine kills against thirty, while Zamiel was so out of range that we even stopped counting. Finally, we entered a small tower, with a loophole on the exterior. Soft and cold night breeze invested us as an immense vampiric fist broke through the wall.

Rome was beautiful. And it was burning. And, incredibly, there was a Zeppelin in the sky. The lights of the city were obscured by smoke and clods, screams filled the air and the smell of gunpowder and blood pervaded it all.

"They came for us! They came!" i attempted singing a bit of hymn to joy, but there was too much noise. We were on a edge of Saint Peter, the plaza was full of Millennium troopers, Iscariots, Templars and ghouls. I saw Hans guiding our vampires; It was just too beautiful to be true! They nearly raided a whole city just to save me!

I ran to battle, hoping Dragon and Zamiel would've followed me. I had a single magic bullet left, and i couldn't make new ones during the battle.

Oh, right, you ask how are they made. Well, it's quite simple. The point is that i can enchant only a few at a time. They must be merged with a soul, and i usually use either those of my enemies or of some soldier. The last lot was made with the factotum killed in the Vatican basement. I just have to impress the soul on a paper, writing some formulae with the blood of a dying one, and then burn the bullets inside the paper. I must admit Doc has helped me a bit with the formulae, but it's mainly my idea- and only i can make them.... ehm, so don't try that at home children, ok?

In the battlefield, Hans was guiding our troops against the Vatican ones, although we seemed to lose ground. Hans was in human form, but he turned into the Wolf when the two Hellsingers approached. The Devil of course started to battle him. I saw the wolf and the dog, the raw power and the tamed one, the burning chaos and the cold order.

Dragon jumped beside me, while he blew up a couple of Swiss guards.

"I didn't know there was an attack scheduled in here."

"Nor i did! They made us a surprise! Shame your Hellsingers aren't here."

"Really. I wouldn't expect Integra to leave us behind... but probably they're busy with your vampires in London."

"Ja, that's right... But anyway, there's still enough to have some fun!"

"Maybe too much... it seems we're not winning."

"If only your Master would stop fighting with Hans and get to work..."

"Well, he's not precisely on Millennium side, remember?"

"He could help anyway."

"I'm not going there and ask him."

A scream interrupted us, coming from inside the church. I had heard that voice only once, but i recognized it. Paladin Alexander Anderson.

"DIE, INFEDELS! GOD IS MARS!"

"What?" asked Dragon "God is Marx? Are there even Vatican communists?"

"He said Mars."

"Oh."

Bayonets flew onto our undead, while a whole platoon of templars ran out the cathedral door, shooting blindly on us. The energy orbs torn apart the flesh of ghouls like a knife trough the butter, i decided to use my last bullet. It distracted them, but soon it lost its energy, wasted trying to pierce their living armours.

The power of the Messiah's body fuelled them. They seemed invincible.

Zamiel and Hans had stopped fighting and looked at Anderson, standing in the middle of a cone of light which crossed the thick clouds. Flames seemed to burn all around him, unnatural blue flares. My bullet described a last, lazy round before hitting his chest.

It melted.

Alucard ran on the paladin, in a fiendish winged form, eyes all over his body. He was pushed back as soon as he reached the light.

The vampire drew his guns, not just taking them, creating two new arms which already held them. He started to shoot, while hound heads coming from his body held off the Templars.

Anderson didn't even try to dodge the shots. He rose an hand, and all the bullets were immobilized and cast away.

"This cannot be...! This is... this is impossible!"

"Nothin' is impossibal fer those who serve da Lord!"

Hans let out a howl, long, acute and sad. It was the signal for retreat. All the soldiers who were close enough to the blimp started climbing the rope they descended with, and i was nearly overthrown by the multitude retreating. We'd have left a fair amount of ghouls behind, anyway, so they could finish the job.

Hans made me sign to pull back. I saw Dragon fighting his way to Alucard, fireballs in both hands, surrounded.

"We'll see in London" he yelled "Try to stay alive." then he shpaeshifted and flew above the templars, then disappeared. I don't know which of his techniques did he use, but anyway he had left Alucard behind- it didn't seem a very good idea. What could the Iscariots do to him? I felt... concerned for him. He was the enemy, all right, but he had saved me... and he was also a cute girl! We couldn't let a cute girl to die there!

Hans took me off my thought by grabbing me and carrying me up into the Zeppelin.

Most of the soldiers up there were hurt and mutilated, bleeding on the metal floor. The panels on it closed as soon as i and Hans climbed up, leaving a few of our men behind. From the windows i could see and enormous eight eyed dog running through the streets of the city, Nero's burning Rome. Even Alucard, even the Devil had decided to retreat.

"Sturmfürer. We have reported heavy losses, the Major has issued to retreat."

It had been a simple soldier to speak, or a sergeant, or whatever, it was the last thing i could care for.

"i see. Can i have a room, please? Is there any cabin in here...?" i felt... discouraged. I had been saved just to see we had unbeatable enemies. And i felt... i... didn't like to part from Dragon. He was... like... dear to me. Even though we knew little of each other... it would've felt better if he came on the Zeppelin too.

Sure, he couldn't... but...

I was simply confused. In one way, i needed to have him near to feel better, in the other i felt it was all easier if he was away. At least now i knew who were the enemies.

I realized the soldier had explained me where to go for my cabin, but i had heard not a word of that. I looked at him puzzled, while i noticed there was a chink in my glasses.

The soldier asked me if it was all right.

Wasn't that the first thing Dragon had said to me? No... maybe. What was the point, anyway?

Hans took my head from behind and gently shook it. It was a thing he did when i was deep in thought, to wake me up. I turned to him and looked in his eyes, taking out my glasses. There's something, in those eyes, that makes you understand there's more to him than you'd expect. I reckon he always understands what i am thinking about, and he cares about it. He cares about us all, listens so well... he can make you speak your hearth, and you understand how much are you important for him. Like when we had to left Germany, at the end of the war. We were all sad and hopeless. He can't speak a word, but he listened to me, listened to all of us, our sad thoughts, our cries, and he made everything seem better.

But for some reason, for something i couldn't fully understand, i didn't want to speak to him. I let him take me to my cabin, his tall and imposing figure reassured me anyway, when i opened the door of the small room he entered behind me.

I sat on the bed, closing my eyes. I felt him beside me, his arm ran on my shoulders, then he hugged me. There was nothing strange in it, we were lie brothers but... it wasn't a brotherly embrace, i felt passion... i felt his passion towards me.

Did he change, or did i became aware of it only now?

A tear run on my cheek, Una Furtiva Lacrima.

If anyone was wondrering, Una Furtiva Lacrima (one stealthy tear) is the name of an aria in the Italian opera "Elisir d'Amore". I hope nobody is going to flame about the style of my apocryphal...