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Rosario + Vampire: Angel of Death
Chapter 19
Youkai Academy. Abandoned Building. Afternoon.
Other Moka couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Ever since the Outcast Ayashi captured her other side, forcing Haru and Tsukune to come rescue her, with the outcome of Tsukune being fatally wounded from the relentless attacks by the leader, Midou, the three have been in one endless fight after another. The beast would not let up his assault, creating tension within Haru, Tsukune, and the vampire.
But now, she was surprised as the human in front of her, having taken the last amount of vampire blood from her that he could take, began to change drastically from the other times she gave him some monster blood before. Already Tsukune effortlessly knocked Haru back, sending the angel to a crumpling heap far from the fight, and now he was just standing still as the wounds Midou gave him while the human tried to protect Other Moka began to heal rapidly.
Midou was another who was shocked at what he was seeing. What is this?! he thought. The wounds are healing faster than anything I've seen! It's like the Tsukune Aono I fought earlier is someone different from the man I see in front of me. Just what the hell is he!?
Haru, still feeling the pain from the burst of strength the human showed him, looked on with dread. No, he thought. This can't be happening! How could I have failed to protect him? This can't be for real! He looked away, unaware of the burning feeling within which began after Tsukune's transformation.
But what he knew was that the man standing between Other Moka and the beast that started the fight was no longer Tsukune Aono. He was a ghoul. A killing-machine abomination of the monster world. Neither human nor monster.
As the water that immobilized Other Moka continued to rain down on the battlefield, she tried to make sense of what was going on. Did he manage to recover? she thought. It would be a good thing if that were the case. The reaction to my blood on Tsukune's condition should've broken him apart. I was so sure that it wasn't going to be easy, but then why is he-. The vampire then realized that what Tsukune was going through was no different type of change he usually went through. This time it was something she never thought would happen to someone who was given too much monster blood.
"Tsukune," the vampire said, her expression changed, "is it that you've become a…"
Before she could come up with what to say, Midou laughed. "What is this?" he said, raising his giant hand close to his face. "You're a vampire, but when you're drenched in water, a vampire's weakness, you're fine? I don't know if you're strong or weak, Tsukune Aono." He then placed his giant arm behind his head, and smiled. "But either way, you're quite interesting. I want to smash the hell out of you all the more now."
The vampire gritted her teeth. Damn! she thought. Even with this change of pace, he still won't let up!
The beast laughed again. "If I can defeat the both of you," he said, "it'll be another demonstration to the trashy pure-breeds of the Outcast Ayashi's true power!"
As he saw this, Haru clenched his fists. "You fool." he said. "Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?! This isn't the Tsukune you've been fighting!"
Ignoring the angel, the beast sent his giant fist at Tsukune, who didn't seem to move, only smile. Seeing this, Other Moka shouted at Midou. "Don't do it! Don't provoke Tsukune right now! Tsukune is-."
But before she could finish her statement, Tsukune sent a fist of his own into Midou's gut, creating an imprint there and making him cough up blood. Both the vampire and the other members of the Outcast Ayashi were stunned by this.
Then, out of nowhere, Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore showed up at the entrance of the abandoned building. They watched in horror as the ghoul that they once knew send a shocking sight to them and all those around them.
Tsukune was holding Midou, the leader of the Outcast Ayashi and the one who withstood the attacks of Other Moka, Haru, and Tsukune, by the throat. In the former human's eyes was a sense of malevolent pride. Something only all but Mizore had seen before in Kuyou of the Public Safety Commission and O-Yukata's final form.
The three girls ran towards Other Moka's aid, taking in the environment she was in.
"Moka!" Kurumu said. "Are you alright? What's happening with Tsukune?! Why is he not affected by the shower?"
"Oh!" Yukari said, holding her hat tightly. "Don't worry, Moka-san! I'll go and stop the showers!"
As she ran to find wherever the water's source was, Mizore ran to Haru, who was still on his knees.
"Haru-san!" the snow fairy said. "Are you alright? Are you injured?"
The angel didn't respond, still clutching his chest as he felt his insides turn as they did before. Mizore tried to grab Haru and help him up, only to jump back in pain as she felt her hand burn when she touched him.
Seeing this, Kurumu asked her what was wrong.
Mizore backed away from Haru, clutching her hand. "H-his skin…" she said to the succubus and vampire. "It's like it's on fire. What happened to him?"
Other Moka looked at the angel. "I don't know." she said. "When he went to take on Midou while Tsukune was badly wounded, he tried to stop me from trying to heal him. Then Tsukune knocked him to the wall over there with one hand." She then looked towards the real fight, her expression changed. "Oh no, this is bad." Kurumu and Mizore looked at her, confused. The vampire went on. "It seems that the worst possible situation has occurred…"
Curious by the vampire's words, Kurumu followed her gaze, and was terrified at what she saw.
After the girls appeared and came to Other Moka's aid, Tsukune had forced Midou on the ground, and proceeded to punch him again and again, showing no sign of stopping. Kurumu was stunned by the amount of power Tsukune now had, as it was just as strong as when he received vampiric blood, this time with a sense of evil within.
"Tsu…Tsukune?" The succubus said, "what are you doing?"
Without responding, Tsukune kept beating on the beast that attacked him, a sickening smile creeping on his face as if he was enjoying mercilessly punching Midou.
Seeing that their leader was in real danger, the members of the Outcast Ayashi rushed to his aid. "Someone stop that guy! Midou-san's already unconscious! If this keeps up, he'll die!"
Haru tried to get up, only to double back in pain as his body got worse. "Fools…" he said, gritting his teeth. "It's just like before. They have no idea who they're fighting!"
As they lunged at Tsukune, taking on their monster forms, the ghoul in front of them stopped attacking Midou, turning his attention on the easy prey that rushed to him.
As he sent many of them flying away in pain, the rest being attacked while still on the ground, Kurumu felt tears grow under her eyes. "No way…" she said. "What is this… This- This isn't Tsukune!"
Other Moka spoke up, catching the attention of the succubus. "It's as I thought. Tsukune's body has already reached his limits. Tsukune's weak body is now completely under control of the blood that I've been injecting into him ever since we faced Kuyou. Vampires are a warlike species by mature. The nature of 'seeking blood and slaughter.' It's because of the blood I've injected Tsukune that his mental state is slowly being destroying by it until at last it has complete control of his entire body. Tsukune is now already that of a ghoul. One who seeks blood by wandering mindlessly as a killing machine."
Kurumu looked at the man she fell in love with as he continued to attack the now-wounded members of the Outcast Ayashi. Tsukune, she thought. What is this?! I've never heard of a ghoul before…
It was at that point that the water finally let up, as Yukari had finally found the fire hydrant and shut it off. Now that the vampire was free, she got up and started walking towards the ghoul in front of her. It noticed the woman in front of it and let go of the monster it was fighting.
"This is why I told you, Tsukune," Other Moka said, her head looking down. "that you should've returned to the human world."
Kurumu was confused as she was joined by Yukari and Mizore. "Moka, what are you-?! Wait!"
Her pleas only fell on deaf ears as the vampire got close to the ghoul, who reared up and readied itself for an attack.
Far away, the angel slowly got to his knees as he looked up at Other Moka and the monster that was once Tsukune. "G-get away from him, you murderous bitch…" he said.
As the vampire looked into her former friend's eyes, she then kicked the side of his head with such force and speed that it could've taken the former human's head off and no one would've seen it happen. The ghoul coughed up blood as it knelt in front of Other Moka, her actions shocking the girls behind her.
"Forgive me." she said, closing her eyes. "I no longer have a way to save you anymore. I have no choice but to do this. Please don't think badly of me for this, Tsukune."
She then sent a flurry of attacks at the beast in front of her, not letting him have a chance to fight back, as she gave each attack her all. But despite the relentless assault, the ghoul managed to dodge an attack, making Other Moka send her hand through a small piece of wall where the beast stood.
Taking note of this, the vampire removed her hand from the stone surface, and looked at the ghoul in front of her. Tch, she thought. Having lost so much blood from giving Tsukune some, I don't have my usual strength in this fight. Even though I could move after the shower, I still took a lot of damage from the water. And since Tsukune was originally human, he wasn't affected by it. If I don't fight him seriously, I'll be killed for sure.
Suddenly, she heard Kurumu calling out to her to stop. "What are you doing, Moka!? If that had hit Tsukune he would've died! Have you lost your mind?!"
"No," the vampire replied. "I haven't. I have to kill Tsukune myself."
Her words caught Kurumu by surprise. "Wh-what?!" the succubus said.
Other Moka shook her head. "To be more precise, Tsukune is pretty much dead at this point. For someone who's been eaten away by the reaction of a vampire's blood, there are only two fates: Death, or, in Tsukune's current state, degenerate into a ghoul. Those who degenerate into a ghoul no longer possess free will. They only continue to live by their instincts for a thirst of blood. If left alone, Tsukune will possibly kill and eat humans as well as monsters, sooner or later."
The vampire turned to see Kurumu's face in tears as she continued. "Before that happens, I have to kill Tsukune for his own sake. It's my responsibility for turning Tsukune like this."
As the succubus began to cry again, Haru was trying to crawl to the vampire in hopes to stop her and Tsukune. But the pain inside him and the pain from the attack by Tsukune made it excruciating to move, let alone speak.
As the vampire turned away to face the ghoul, which stood where it was, showing no signs of life, raising her hand for the kill, she was surprised to see the succubus move in between her and the ghoul, asking Other Moka to stop.
The vampire looked at her, showing no change in her expression. "What are you doing?" she asked Kurumu, "Do you want to die? It's dangerous here, so move out of the way. I don't want to hurt you too."
The succubus looked into the red eyes of Other Moka. "What are you saying, trying to be strong and all? I can see your hands shaking. You don't want to kill him, do you?"
The vampire looked at her hand, surprised to see it actually shaking as Kurumu went on, this time joined by Yukari and Mizore. "I… I don't hate you at all. I know that you're carefree and you've always helped us in the end. I think of us not as enemies, but as best friends. But," she placed a hand on her chest as Yukari wiped tears from her eyes. "If you keep on fighting and try to kill Tsukune, then I won't forgive you! I definitely won't forgive you!"
Taken aback by this, the vampire lowered her hand, looking deep into the girls' eyes, seeing their conviction.
Haru kept crawling, hoping to reach them in time. As he slowly got on his knees, the vampire looked up. "You… You idiots! I told you to move because it was dangerous!"
As she said this, the ghoul behind Kurumu sliced his hand at her, missing the succubus by a few inches.
Feeling the pain of the attack, Kurumu jumped back as Yukari and Mizore came to her aid. "Ts…Tsukune. No… Please."
The ghoul, paying no mind to her words, raised his hand and licked the blood off, smiling.
"…Kill…" the ghoul said, catching the vampire's attention as the beast in front of her raised its arms in the air, reciting the same word over and over again. "Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill!"
Seeing this, Haru was stunned. He knew now that Tsukune was at the point of no return. Just like before, Haru was helpless.
It was at that point that Haru felt a painful sting in his brain as he clutched his head, screaming as the pain got worse.
Other Moka looked at the angel, and was shocked at what she saw.
The angel's aura was growing, but not like before when he face Midou and the others from long ago. This time it grew exponentially, even more so as the man she considered an ally writhed in pain as his cries got louder and louder, his wings flapping like a wounded bird trying to take flight. It was as if the words from the ghoul made something snap in his mind.
And then, out of nowhere, Haru raised his head in the air, letting out a blood-curdling scream that echoed in the giant building and the woods around it, and exploded.
Other Moka shielded her eyes as the inferno where the angel was began to grow and grow into a giant pillar of fire. What?! she thought. What happened? What did Haru-.
She then sensed a living aura within the inferno, as it slowly began to die down into a giant fire. Inside, she could hear a series of loud heartbeats from inside the fire. Slowly, the flames began to take shape, forming arms, legs, a chest, and a head, all covered in fire.
Then, brighter flames appeared where the face was, forming into monstrous eyes.
The vampire gritted her teeth. Whatever had happened didn't make sense to her, but she knew one thing.
Whatever that thing in front of her was, she could still feel Haru within, as well as a powerful aura that she had never seen before.
What she didn't know was that the thing in front of her was something once believed to be dead. A being so powerful, it rivaled that of God himself.
Never before in her life had Kurumu Kurono felt fear in her heart right until now.
Other Moka caught herself shaking at the sight of the fiery beast in front of her. "Wh-What is this thing?" she said out loud. "What kind of creature could have so much power within?"
Yukari trembled. "I-I-I-I don't know!" she said. "I've never seen anything resembling something like that before!"
"Could he- could it be a youko, like Kuyou was?" Kurumu asked.
Yukari shook her head. "No. This thing has no tail, and it doesn't have anything close to a feral appearance. Whatever it is, it's not a youko! It looks like a human sun!"
Suddenly, the ghoul lunged at the unprepared girls, seeking more of the delicious blood it tasted before.
But before it got within a frog's hair to them, the blazing creature disappeared so fast it looked like it teleported, then reappeared in front of the ghoul, catching its hand in the air with ease. The ghoul, surprised, looked into the white marks that resembled the eyes of the fire beast, frozen in what some would call fear.
Without any warning, the creature sent a flame-covered fist at the ghoul's stomach, sending it flying to the wall where some of the Outcast Ayashi rested in pain from the onslaught earlier. Before the ghoul could crash into the wall, the creature appeared again out of nowhere, sending a spit of flame at it, causing the former human to explode as it hit the wall, crumbling in a heap before the fiery creature before it.
From afar, Other Moka was shocked. I-Impossible, she thought. That thing moved so fast that even I couldn't keep up with it! What IS it?
Before the ghoul could get up, the creature raised its arms, engulfing the area where the two monsters were in a giant ring of fire. The creature then grabbed the former human, threw the ghoul over its fire-engulfed head, and sent it crashing through the floor, the beast quickly getting on top of its target, repeatedly hitting him with fists of flame so fast, the ghoul couldn't react quick enough.
Seeing this, Kurumu tried to run towards the fight, only for Other Moka to grab her arm and stop her.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
The succubus shook her head. "I can't just let Tsukune die! I know that there's a way to save him! I have to get him away from that thing!
"And how do you suppose you can do that?" the vampire said. "Whatever Haru's become, I don't think it's going to let anyone try to interfere with what it's doing!"
Kurumu looked back at the two creatures, the fiery beast's blows increasing speed as it continued to pummel the ghoul beneath it. She then closed her eyes, tears beginning to build up over her eyelids. "I can't just sit back and do nothing! I have to… I have to-."
She looked into Other Moka's eyes, trying to find a way to convince the vampire to not let the creature destroy the Tsukune she loved. She stared into those red irises for so long, she didn't notice the tears fall down her face. She then looked away, closing her eyes.
"You're right." The succubus said. "There's nothing we can do. We- We can't save Tsukune."
Other Moka let go of Kurumu, turning back to face Mizore and Yukari.
Meanwhile, the fiery creature kept on beating the ghoul, up to the point where it saw it become less responsive to the attacks. The creature then raised its fist, and charged it up with flames.
But before it could deliver the final blow, ice appeared around them, smothering the ring of fire around it as Yukari, Kurumu, and Other Moka rushed at the beast, Mizore concentrating on the fire around them. With a wave of her hand, the succubus sent vines protruding from the ground at the beast, sending it to a wall near where the girls entered the building earlier, Yukari following with a wave of her wand, causing the ground to fly and pin the beast to the wall it landed on.
Running to the creature, the vampire stopped, and looked into the white marks on its face. "Haru…" she said. "If you're in there, don't worry. I'll end Tsukune once and for all. I have to," she turned to face the ghoul, who was getting up after regaining consciousness from the repeated punches thanks to the creature, "because it's my fault he's like this to begin with."
The vampire then lunged at the ghoul, landing a powerful fist at its face. "Tsukuneeeee!" she cried out.
As the former human felt the full force of the attack, Other Moka sent a flurry of attacks at the ghoul, once again giving it no room to retaliate.
From afar, Kurumu collapsed, weary from the stress of both using her powers, and the wound that the ghoul gave her earlier. As Yukari and Mizore ran to her side, Kurumu looked on as the fight between her loved one and the vampire went on.
"Ts-Tsukune…" she said, tears going down her cheeks again. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened to you! I wish… there was a way to save you. But Moka's right. All that's left for you is death." She clenched her arms tightly, feeling her heart grow heavy as she said those words. "I wish we could've been together more! Tsukune!"
As she continued to beat up on the ghoul, Other Moka's thoughts were of the same thing Kurumu was saying. Tsukune, she thought. Like Kurumu and the others, I too didn't want to lose you. Even though you turned into a ghoul, I wanted you to live. But, that would've been causing you more pain, right? Hurting your friends, eating humans, is it much crueler just to leave you as you are, living without a heart than letting you die? The truth is, the vampire's mind racing to the memories of the outer Moka, of the times she and Tsukune spent, whether with the others or alone. Tsukune, she continued as she sent a powerful knee to the ghoul's stomach, the truth is that I, like the other Moka, wanted to be with you more.
As the girls watched in sadness as the vampire knocked the ghoul to its knees, she grabbed its collar, and positioned her other hand in the air, the same way she had before Kurumu interrupted her, for the killing blow, as she called out Tsukune's name.
Suddenly, black tendrils, coming out of nowhere, wrapped around the vampire's body, robbing her of any mobility, making her drop the ghoul in surprise.
Wh-What?! she thought. What are these things?!
As she turned around to see the source, she saw two figures in cloth on the railing above the other girls, the tendrils coming from one of them, as the other dropped down, smiling.
"Sheesh," a man's voice came from the hood of the one who dropped down as he walked up to Other Moka, "Even though I spent too much trouble getting here, you sure have a bad mouth, Akashiya Moka."
Before the vampire could ask who he was, she saw the man walk past her, towards the ghoul, and then hold out a rosario in the air, murmuring something under his breath.
"Wait!" the vampire said, trying to break free, "What're you doing to Tsukune?!"
The man, without responding, finished his words with an "Amen," and placed the rosario on the ghoul's head.
Out of nowhere, a flash of light appeared from the cross, making Other Moka and the other girls shield their eyes.
As the light died down, Kurumu and the others noticed that the evil aura within Tsukune was disappearing, as the black marks on his face and neck began to fade, making him fall to the man's arms.
The other cloaked figure, dropping down close to their companion, motioned the black tendrils to let Other Moka go, as the person pulled off their robe.
"Don't worry," a familiar woman's voice said from beneath the cloak. "We're not the enemy. This person who has Tsukune is an exorcist. He's come to save Tsukune, nothing else. I can assure you."
Yukari gasped as the identity of the girl was revealed. "No way! It's-."
Looking at her friends, Rubi Toujou smiled. "It's been a while, everyone. I wanted to return the favor for what you guys did back at the Witch's Hill."
Other Moka felt her heart grow lighter. No way, she thought. Rubi-san? What is she doing here?!
But before she could ask, the fiery creature that they forgot about set off an explosion, releasing it from the wall it was pinned to. Caught off-guard, Other Moka shielded her eyes from the burning light. Oh no! she thought. I almost forgot about Haru!
As she looked past her arms, she saw the fiery beast rush up to the vampire, landing a burning fist into her midsection.
The vampire coughed up blood, as she was sent flying to the wall near where the fire hydrant was located. Before she landed on the ground, the creature appeared in front of her, summoning another ring of fire to engulf the two monsters within.
As she got up, she sent a series of kicks and punches at the beast, only to hit nothing but fire. She then sent the hand that was to kill Tsukune earlier at the beast, only for it to go through instead of hitting anything.
The creature looked down at the vampire's arm, and grabbed her by the throat, raising her up on the wall where Other Moka could see the hole she left in the beast slowly close up.
The creature then raised its free arm, and in an instant, exploded near the vampire, causing her to feel the impact of a thousand blows to the face hit her.
The beast then let her down, backed away, and then raised its hands at the vampire, sending two flamethrower-like bursts at her, making her scream in pain as the flames licked at her skin.
As the creature showed no signs of letting up, a portion of the ring of fire turned blue as the exorcist walked through, in awe at what he saw. Before the creature could act, the exorcist created a barrier between the blasts of fire and the vampire, and then got close to the beast, touching its chest and sending it flying past Kurumu and the others a few feet.
As the creature got up, letting out a blood-curdling howl of anger, the flames growing brighter and brighter, it lunged at the exorcist, its hands holding giant spheres of flame.
But before the creature could land a hit, the man raised his rosario again, placing it on the beast's head, mumbling his prayer once again.
The same light that shined when the object hit Tsukune before shined again, making the beast stop in its tracks and stand upright. Suddenly, the flames on its body began to die out, revealing a weary Haru beneath the fires, parts of his clothing burnt off.
Sweating, Haru looked behind the exorcist, his bangs parted to where Other Moka could see the golden eye beneath the giant bang covering it.
But before he could speak, the angel coughed up blood, wounds opening around his body, causing him to collapse from behind, Rubi calling out to him before he hit the ground.
And then, the angel's world turned dark, as he fell into a deep sleep.
To be continued…