Again Rip speaking, enjoy!

The Zeppelin was, unsurprisingly, empty. With the ongoing invasion, probably only the Deus Ex Machina had some crew left.

Anyway, unless Doc had crossed the whole city under enemy fire, he had to be still on there. And if he was there, he'd have been punished. I just had to find the musket..... wherever she was.

While I walked in the empty corridors, metal clinking under my feet, I felt a itch on my nape.

The chip.

For a few, endless seconds, I prepared to die. I could say my whole life flashed before my eyes, but only a few events were clear.... receiving the musket, first meeting Zorin, leaving Germany, the attack on the ship, the conversation in the Vatican vault..... but my musket was lost, Zorin had been sent to die, Dragon was trapped somewhere....

And then the feeling stopped. No burning, no death, I was still there. I was still alive.

And I realized the others could be. I was still in time to find the musket, to save Dragon and Zorin.... I just had to hurry.

I felt my weapon calling for me. Her magic drew me, a calling voice, a music of doom and destruction, a chorus of demons.

When I finally touched my beloved rifle, I was drawn away, torn from my body and thrown into the darkest darkness.

Then something grabbed my soul and dived it into cold water, a thousands thorns pierced me, until I was suddenly released.

And He was there.

Not the way he appeared on the ship, not the little girl of the war, not the dog he could turn into.

It was Zamiel. I remembered him from the first time I had seen the opera which changed my life. I was ten, and I remember that character scared me since the beginning.... the singer was wrapped in a black mantle, wearing large feathered hat, his face painted white and he had a red staff.....

It was Zamiel. The real Zamiel. The Devil himself.

And he spoke. His voice was a thunder and a whisper altogether, disharmonious yet beautiful.

"Rip Van Winkle. It has come the time for you to pay what you have received."

I couldn't answer. I was overwhelmed by his presence, by his power.

"You know this. There is no secret in it. Six bullets will hit for you, one will hit for me. How many did you shoot against me on the ship, Huntress?"

I tried to remember, my memory refused to work, just like my voice. I rose three fingers, hoping to get it right.

"And who did you shoot the seventh bullet?"

"The.... the priests." I managed to say, shivering.

"The priests, my enemies. And so you did in the Vatican. Now I will ask you, Huntress, where do those bullets come from?"

"I.... made them. I made them offering you the souls of...."

"And who taught you to? Who gave you the first ones?"

"I.... I can't...."

"When you were lying at my feet, fifty five years ago, I took your weapon and searched your mind. I found Zamiel, I found the Huntress. And I gave you the power of creating your bullets. Do you remember this?"

"No.... please..."

"I gave you seven bullets, with the fetter that the seventh would've followed my own will. Surprisingly, you learned to bind more souls to create more of them.... but still, those souls feed the endless ranks of my army and those bullets are mine."

"So.... those souls are....."

"Insufficient. I want yours. I made you the Huntress, I rose you above your mortal comrades. And I am now collecting the payment for what you have become. "

"So.... what shall I do..... master?"

"You will take your weapon again and fight in the war in England with one purpose alone: to save Integra Hellsing from destruction. This is my first bidding. Will you obey, Huntress?"

"I will. I will protect Integra."

"Good. Now, the second order. You will prevent the Trickster from touching her. At any cost. Will you obey, Huntress?"

"I will."

"Yes. Now, the most important one. Once the time to leave England will come, you will feel my call. You will come to me..." he leaned to me, the white-painted face was that of the most terrible of monsters, his eyes burned like twin suns. "...and you will surrender yourself."

So this was it. What I had always been meant for. Serving the Devil. Finally, al the mosaic pieces of my past had come together, and they formed my future too.

I remembered a quote I had studied in school... who had said it? Nietzsche, maybe....

Those who fight monsters must be careful not to become monsters themselves.

I had become a monster. Now I had to pay the price.

"I will, my Master."

"Now go, Huntress. Fulfil your duties. And come to me in due time. And one more thing..."

"Yes. Whatever is your bidding."

"You will tell no one of your chores. You will not lose your spirit. You will not despair. No one will know. You will know the time has come when you will hear the Hell singing."

I found myself free, still holding my rifle, in the storage of the Zeppelin.

I had spoken with Zamiel. I had survived. I felt an unnatural joy filling me, and even though I knew it was the effect of his spell, I liked it. It was better than being sad and worried... at least I could enjoy the time I had....

My old plan of killing Doc had to be delayed. Chip or not, I had no choice but to protect Integra. If only I had the slightest clue about her position....

Anyway I would've accomplished a thing just by standing there, I ran through the Zeppelin until I found a door.

Now, aren't blimps supposed to be above the houses?

And aren't they supposed to fly?

Oh. Damn.

I jumped of the aircraft a second before it crushed, and ran away as fast as I could, hoping it wasn't going to explode too soon.

Now, where is the Hellsing Manor?

I had been in London once, when I travelled with Doc to recruit the Valentine brothers. I didn't remember much of the city though, it had been a short trip.

Now, I did help them with the invasion plan... so.... periphery.... off north.... yes, it must've been that....

I had my confirm when I saw a crushed blimp near a big, devastated mansion.

I prepared for a long run. With a bit of luck, I could get there without being attacked.

While running, I realized that there was not only Integra to save. According to the plan, attacking the Hellsing ,manor was Zorin's task- and if the Major had been as gentle on her as on me, she'd have had little chances.

I started to hear explosions a kilometre away. Then gunfire. Screams of pain.

I redoubled my speed. I heard Zorin screaming, the battle cry of a vampire... I hurried as fast as I could, when I was at the door, or what remained of the door, I saw the undead flying out of the roof on black wings.

She could've been escaping. Sure. She could. But in the precise moment when I saw that thing, that entity, when I felt her power, I knew I was too late already.

I ran in the broken walls and the demolished corridors, knowing where to search, where to look....

And I found Zorin. Her body was so tortured and disfigured that I could barely recognize her, her head had been crushed, her limbs broken...

"This can't be.... THIS CAN'T BE!"

I heard the mercenaries arming their guns like they were on another world, I didn't care for that.

Zorin was dead.

The simple truth of that was what crushed me. I could lose everything, I could stand everything, but.... not this.

Not Zorin.

When I had first joined Millennium, she was the old one, the expert one.... she had taught me everything..... my guide, and my... my real friend.

Sure, we argued all the time, sure, she always pulled my leg.... but we just couldn't live without each other.... the girls of the Last Battalion.

And I knew that if either of us could bear losing the other, it was her. She would've shown nothing, She was like this. Always tough, always ready to everything..... it's not that she didn't care for me, she just.... she just knew how to go on.

And I was weak. I knew that if she could, what she'd have said to was to stop crying like a child and get moving...

But I couldn't. I wasn't her, all that I could do was lying there, embracing her dead body and weeping until draining my eyes.

There was another thing. Just another one. I knew where to look. I remembered almost all of the world she had on her body, I looked on the upper forearm, and I found the words I had suggested her to add. MILLENIUM GIRLS-FOREVER TOGETHER-NEVER AGREEING.

This was it. The "Forever" was no more. No eternal life, no salvation. She was dead.

"This is enough girl! Rise your hands or we start shooting!" the mercenaries had shaken.

"You're just lackeys. Pathetic scum. It's the girl I want. But you will pay too."

The Devil had refilled my musket, I knew this for certain. I shot blindly on them, and enjoyed their suffering.

What else could I do? There was noting left now but my mission, a mission with no hope of returning. Maybe.... maybe is some afterlife.... I could met her again. Yes. And finally make her meet Dragon.... afterlife. It was the first time I seriously considered it in my existence.

And then I felt a need, a urge, another.... call. Not the devil this time.... I bowed on her and started to lick her blood, not really sucking it, just taking what was on the floor. I could almost her her telling me that Schro was enough as a kitten and that I should drink like a real vampire..... but that was as far as I could get. And after every lick I felt more sure, more determined..... I felt I could do anything.... I cleaned her body, just licking, just taking what she could give me.... and when I stood, all my childish fears were washed away, I felt once again strong, I felt ready.

"So you taught me one last thing.... I must be really slow to learn." I said, cleaning one last tear. "thank you Zorin. Thank you for everything."

I should've closed her eyes, if only she still had them.... but that wasn't important. There was only one important thing as a funeral for her.

Killing Seras Victoria.

I didn't think it was even possible to feel sad for Zorin.