Disclaimer: See the prologue.
Extraneous: Also see the prologue to see all of the marks that I will be using.
Author's note1: For those of you who need a recap of the teams that were formed last chapter, here they are once again.
Team 1: Saito, Soma, Mina, Adrian, Maria, Morian, Yoko, Vlad, Lisa
Team2: Setsuna, Reinhardt, Rosa, Malus, Carrie, Henry, Actrise, Cornell, Ada
Team 3: Jennifer, Gordon, Kurtis, Thursday, John, Elizabeth, Eric, Gwendolyn
Team 4: Croix, Alouette, Nathan, Camilla, Hugh, Katherine, Mirer, Charlotte
Team 5: Etna, Aramis, Orlox, Karina, Christopher, Soleiyu, Richter, Annet
Team 6: Priere, Culotte, Leon, Sara, Joachim, Niteshade, Walter, Galatea
Team 7: Laharl, Flonne, Nicholai, Rena, Hector, Julia, Trevor, Sypha
Team 8: Marjoly, Maderas, Juste, Lydie, Maxim, Caitlin, Simon, Linda
Team 9: Éclair, Homard, Lamington, Seth, Ria, Tim, Sonia
He is the Oricaltos, and naught can be done to stop him.
However, this does not keep the Dark Priest from trying.
As his traps continue to fail and his plans fall-apart,
Shaft will pull-out all of the stops.
With nothing to lose and everything to gain,
He will stop at nothing to defeat the Oricaltos,
Even going as far as raising the beast called Menace
from the dead to haunt Soma Cruz and his friends...
-Prophecy di luce e di ombre: Lines LXXX-LXXXVII
Chapter 11: The Problem with Menace
When we last left the Oricaltos and his companions:
Everyone had returned to the Forge, and the final strategy session had begun. After a short discussion, Saito decided that he was slightly bored before asking if anyone needed a weapon forged. After noting that four people had raised their hands, he led them into one of the back rooms, where he then proceeded to do what he did best: make custom swords that were well-nigh unbreakable. After the forging session, he came out to hear what the final plan was. After a short debate, it was decided that they would divide into teams and spread out their search. After the arrangements had been made, Saito pulled Kurtis aside for a few minutes. Telling the stunned Prinny that he had finished his penance early, the mage then proceeded to transform him back into a human. After revealing the change to everyone else, the mage opened the Time Gate leading to 1666. After allowing everyone else to go before him, he passed through the Gate himself. And so it began.
Upon their arrival, the teams divided and went their separate ways. After receiving a hint from Baal, Team One, which consisted of both of Vlad's sons, Maria Renard, Soma, Mina, Yoko, and the Oricaltos himself, proceeded to the lower levels in an effort to locate the Count. Upon passing through Subterranean Hell and slaying Rahab, they arrived in the Underground Cemetery. Upon entering the Boss Room, they were ambushed by Scylla. However, the monster had no choice but to grant them passage, due to the fact that her serpents refused to strike at Saito. After their confrontation, the mage led his team onward, and they soon located both Vlad AND his bride Lisa. After freeing them, there were a few introductions made, and then Soma and Saito gave the couple their weapons once again. His group now complete, Saito then proceeded to lead his team onwards. Their next stop was the Silenced Ruins.
Meanwhile, we learn that the Overlord and his team have been ambushed while passing through the Chapel Boss Room. Isaac challenged Hector, and the two squared-off for their final duel. Meanwhile, a number of shape-shifting demons, in addition to three Doppelgangers of Soma Cruz, circled the remainder of the team. Laharl lashed out, catching one of the copies off-guard, and the circling stopped as the imitator's eyes narrowed. He then beckoned to the Overlord, and the two were soon circling, attacking, blocking, and countering. In the end, Laharl won-out by throwing his opponent into the far wall and then hitting him with an Overlord's Wrath. After absorbing the powers of the copy, he nodded at his father before stepping back to watch the remaining fights.
At the same time, the remaining shape-shifters are trying to eliminate the three witches and Trevor. However, they are failing miserably because of the sheer strength of the spells being cast at them. When Trevor goes toe-to-toe with one of the beasts, the battle was dead-even until the Belmont delivered a devastating one-two punch to his copy. Turning slightly, he then nodded at Rena, who was quick to cast Terra Wind and end the fight. As the duo looked over at Hector and Isaac, they discovered that the dark Forgemaster had drawn his Chauvre-souris and nearly run Hector through. BUT by doing so, he left himself wide-open to a counterattack from Hector's Innocent Devil, Corpsey.
As both Forgemasters were going at one another with beam-sabers, Nicholai faced his own opponent, and made an amusing observation. Apparently, the Doppelganger sucked when it came to wielding a spear. The former Overlord was quick to end his fight with a Spear Storm, and after getting his new abilities, he rushed over to aid his wife. Throwing her opponent against the wall, he smiled when it shifted it's form to match him. He then stepped to one side, and VampireKiller cracked once, splitting the being straight down the spinal cord. As he begins to relax, Rena manages to deflect a fireball (which had been originally aimed at Sypha) directly into the wings of the third and final Soma Doppelganger.
As Hector finally faltered and allowed his enemy's ID, most commonly known as "The End," to get in a free hit, he soon realized his mistake when the beast poisoned him. Severely weakened, he struggled to remain upright, even as Isaac prepared to land the fatal blow. However, the flame-haired Forgemaster neglected one minor detail that soon turned into a major problem. This detail, you ask? Nicholai Alexander Krichevskoy. The older vampire, upon seeing that his aid was needed, rushed over to block the fatal blow, while his wife tended to Hector's wounds.
At the same time, Flonne was busy trying to bring-down her opponent by using her Holy Arrows. However, it did not work out the way she had planned, and she was forced to resort to a weapon that she had almost no knowledge of. As she reached back to draw her sword, she remembered how the Oricaltos had called her into his office before they left the Forge. She was shocked that Saito would give her one of his earliest pieces of work, but then Saito explained that he had originally dreamed about the sword before he forged it. He gave her the blade willingly, and then he gave her a piece of advice: "Man does not live by sorcery alone." By remembering his advice (and a twelve minute training session that she had just before leaving), she was forced (much to her horror) to slit the throat of her adversary. After receiving the powers of the copy, she put her sword away, redrew her bow, and rushed over to help the other witches.
While Isaac and Nicholai were dueling, Hector was recovering, but Isaac did not realize this until it was already too-late. In two moves, Krichevskoy had disarmed his opponent and kicked him backwards onto Hector's waiting swords. After the light Forgemaster was satisfied that his rival was truly dead, he looked-up and called to his wife, telling her to finish the battle. She willingly obliged, and launched a Terra Fire, frying her now airborne opponents, after they had been sent upwards due to the Overlord's Blazing Knuckle.
As they headed-off towards the Study, we briefly joined Baal as he wandered the corridors. Upon peering into the Boss Room in the Entrance Corridor, he found that the Hell Knight had been splattered all-over the walls. He winced sympathetically, knowing that only one witch was capable of such devastation. Shaking his head sadly, he took note of the open door leading to the Dance Hall, and then he set-out to activate as many of the teleport rooms as he could, knowing that Soma had to defeat Graham Jones one last time in order to enter the Abyss. However, let us get back to the witch. We now join Marjoly as she and her team meander through the Dance Hall, looking for the Boss Room...
Following Team Eight: Dance Hall: Castle Dracula (Normal): Walachia Province: Transylvania
Time Period: 1666 AD
Time: Two hours after entering the Castle
"Hey Marjoly. Didn't Soma say that the Boss Room was at the bottom of the Dance Hall?" "I never heard him say anything like that. Why are you asking me, Juste?" "Well," the Belmont began, running his hands through his silver hair, "I just thought that I heard Soma say something to that effect while we were still at the Forge." I never said anything, because I had no idea what the layout might be, Belmont. I think that Vlad might have left an impression on that area. Oh, thanks for clarifying. You're very welcome. Oh, and by the way, the Boss Room is at the bottom of the Dance Hall. Thanks for the advice. Just be careful, Juste. Shaft has established many traps in that area. Huh? How can you...tell? I can feel the magic from here. Anyway, just keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Will do.
After explaining his mental conversation to Marjoly, it was decided that they would head downwards. As it turned out, Saito had been right about the traps. There were entire rooms full of them, and the team soon made a habit of allowing Maderas to lead, due to the fact that he was the quickest to recover from any injuries he received. As they slowly made their way down, Marjoly could not shake the nagging feeling that something was watching them.
After several more injuries had been suffered by the Nosferatu, Team Eight reached the Boss Room, only to find that it would allow only one to pass through the door...
Following Maderas: Boss Room: Dance Hall
As soon as Maderas had passed through the door, it slid shut without a sound. Almost immediately, Maderas noted his opponent, and he raised an eyebrow before reaching to his waist. The Nosferatu wrapped his hand around the hilt of his longsword before slowly drawing it. Staring at the slender man before him, he cracked his neck in anticipation of the fight to come. At that point, the Doppelganger made his move, lunging across the room in an attempt to slit the vampire's throat. However, Maderas noticed the charge, and acted without even having time to think. He moved on pure instinct, raising his sword to block as he lashed out with his left claw, ripping three gashes across the man's face. The copy winced slightly, and then he unleashed the dark power within as he summoned his Shadow Knight Familiar. He allowed himself a tiny grin before beckoning to Maderas, silently taunting the vampire. HOWEVER, he did not anticipate that Maderas was staying back for a reason. That is, of course, until he leapt into the air, holding a ball of energy in his hands. "Chaos Fire!" the vampire called, releasing the ball to spread into an X-shaped pattern on the ground, a pattern with the Doppelganger as an extra-crispy centerpiece. As Maderas landed, he was grinning at his handiwork, but then his smile faded as he heard a voice rise from the smoke cloud before him. "HELLFIRE!" the copy screamed, launching a spread-shot of three fireballs at the unprepared vampire. Maderas dove to his left, just barely dodging. As he came to his feet, he lashed out, blocking another swing from the copy and sending it staggering back. Wasting no time, he rushed forward, sheathing his weapon and baring his fangs before latching onto the neck of his opponent. The Doppelganger struggled, but it was no use. His blood was draining, and with it, his life.
With the enemy now dispatched, Maderas smiled to himself as he absorbed all of the ability souls. Turning back towards the door, he began to whistle happily as he proceeded back out, failing to notice the tiny Peeping Eye that had begun to follow them as soon as they had entered the Dance Hall.
Following Baal: Boss Room: Inverted Observation Tower
The Dark Priest was lividly cursing his own ill-luck when Baal entered the Boss Room and bowed. "You summoned me, Shaft?" "Yes, I did, Lord of Terror. I need you to return to your state of meditation in the Inverted Ceremonial Room. Besides, it won't be too long until they manage to find their way into the Abyss, but I will make certain that they NEVER make it past there!" Swearing under his breath, he looked at the screens before him once again. Off to one side were the observers in the Boss Rooms, while his main focus was on the nine screens before him. Each screen showed one of the nine separate teams, and as far as he could tell, things were not looking good.
Let's see... Vivode and his friends are nearly at the Garden of Madness. Oh, I do hope that they all die there. I'll never forgive them for what happened last time, not to mention that they managed to beat Legion, again. Orlox has currently joined his team with that damn Graves, and they are currently going after the high door. Don't fail me now, Queen of Moss. Now, who else? Morris and Lecarde are currently going after Balore in the Coliseum, that damned angel and his team are busy activating teleport rooms, and Master Leon and his allies are currently climbing the Machine Tower. DAMN IT! How can they make it look so easy? Ah, well. Who should I pick-on first? He smiled and tapped one of the monitors, and it immediately grew larger as the others faded away. "Enjoy yourself while you can, Orlox, because the fun is about to end!"
Following Teams Four&Five: Boss Room (high): Garden of Madness
The vampiric Count raised a hand, signaling that his team could stop for a moment. Looking at the door, he began to wonder what sort of nasty surprise was waiting on the other side. When everyone had caught their breath, he cautiously opened the door and peered in. He didn't notice anything, and he cautiously motioned for the others to enter the room. It was not long after he entered the room and sealed the door that the attack began.
The first thing that Etna noticed was a brilliant flash of colors. Acting instinctively, she grabbed her brother and yanked him to the ground, just in the nick of time. The giant poisonous insect, in addition to two Vampire Bats, hissed in anger and annoyance at both of them. Orlox immediately drew his sword and began barking out orders, and the two teams scrambled into action. Croix lifted-off, took aim, and fired at one of the Vampire Bats. It was a direct hit, causing the beast to break into a number of smaller bats. These promptly spread out, trying to draw him away from the main battle. BUT, it forgot one important thing: if split apart, then it was much easier to defeat. Alouette instantly utilized the Skeleton Archer Soul, pouring her magic into the tip of her arrow before releasing it in a long arc. The arrow found its mark, and one of the smaller bats screeched and fell dead. She looked over at Camilla and nodded.
The female vampire made her move. In an instant, her normal dress was gone, replaced by a skintight bodysuit that clung to her. Spreading her wings, she lifted into the air before launching a number of sonic rings. The attack slammed several of the smaller bats into the walls, and also severely damaged the Queen of Moss. As she soared towards Croix, she drew an arcane symbol in the air before passing through it, emerging on the other side with a blood-red sword in her left hand. She immediately lashed out, splitting open one of the smaller bats that she had stunned earlier. Looking around, she noted that the giant insect was trying to latch-on to something, and she flew over to investigate.
Etna's eyes narrowed as she looked-up at the Queen of Moss. "That is it! You pissed me off by going after my brother, and now you're going to pay for it!" she yelled as she allowed her bat-like wings to spread. She left the ground in an instant, and her intentions were clear: take-out the thing that had tried to kill her only sibling. Ignoring the shocked look that she was getting from Orlox, she drew her spear and lunged forward, trying to pin the bug to a wall so that she could fry it with Chaos Impact. However, the moth continued to elude her, at least until Camilla arrived.
The Queen of Moss gave a loud shriek as it felt something extremely sharp pass through one of it's wings. Spinning around, it spat-out webbing that immediately got caught in Camilla's wings, forcing her to land and revert to her human shape before attempting to clean-off the gooey mess. However, it had taken its eyes from Etna for a few crucial seconds, and that is all that she needed. The bug turned around and reared, but then it felt something very painful in it's thorax. Looking down, it noted the point of a spear, before it was hurled against the wall nearest to Croix.
The angel, upon seeing the look of hatred and disgust on Etna's face, immediately moved out of her way as she began to charge her magic. Almost immediately, she cupped her hands, and a small pink sphere of energy appeared between them. The sphere continued to expand as she slowly raised it over her head. When it had expanded enough, she snarled once before launching her attack. "Drop Dead! Chaos Impact!" The attack slammed into the monster, and the end result was anything but pretty. When the light finally died down, there was nothing left except for a husk of an insect shell resting on her spear, which was still quivering slightly. Flying over, she tugged it out of the wall before turning and flashing Croix a satisfied smile. "See? I can handle myself." The angel slowly shook his head before clamping a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.
Meanwhile, Soleiyu and Richter were busy alternating taking turns at beating the daylights out of the second Vampire Bat with Mirer and Charlotte Link. It was Soleiyu's turn, and as Richter settled down next to his wife, Nathan cheerfully called-out to him. "Hey Richter! Mind if Hugh and I join you guys?" The brown-haired Belmont shook his head, a smile crossing his face in an instant. "Not at all, Nathan! Get over here, and let's see what you can do!" Nathan looked at Hugh and nodded before racing across the room. His hand had already strayed to the pack of cards at his waist, and was skimming through until he found the correct combination. Holding them up so that Hugh could see what he was going to use, Nathan saw his comrade smile before he also raised two cards. On three. THREE! Immediately, the two activated the same exact combination, splitting into mirror images before they began to attack. The Vampire Bat, now slightly confused as to how two men could suddenly multiply, was paralyzed in a moment of indecision when the two struck, and it had suffered several blows from both men before Katherine ripped it apart with a lightning spell. Casting her gaze upwards, the witch noticed that there were still a few of the smaller portions of the first Vampire Bat flying around, and they were bunching together to attack when they suddenly evaporated. Looking to her left, she raised an eyebrow at the young man, and Aramis shrugged as he let his hands drop. The Omega Thunder had done it's work, and it was now time to move on.
Let us now join John Morris, Eric Lecarde, and the Defenders of Earth as they attempt to eliminate the threat of Balore...
Following Team Three: Boss Room: Coliseum
Jennifer rolled to her right, nearly swearing aloud in frustration. It had been nearly forty-five minutes since the battle had started, and Balore showed no signs of even slowing down his attacks. Looking over at Elizabeth Bartley, she yelled out a warning as one of the giant's hands came sweeping towards her. "LOOK OUT!" "Thanks!" Elizabeth called back as she ducked under the blow. Undaunted, she released the spell that she had been charging, and then gave a small nod of satisfaction as she watched it slam into Balore's right eye. The giant growled in pain and took another swipe at the niece of Count Dracula, but she managed to once again elude his grasp. Turning, she nodded at her husband, and John immediately began to launch a stream of knives into the darkness. Balore screamed in pain as he sought to crush all before him, but they continued to dodge. When Kurtis stepped forward, though, the giant focused solely on him, as if seeing the scientist as the greatest threat. His hands flailed as he tried to squash Kurtis, but the slender man was moving too fast. As he raised his hand, palm outward, he snarled a phrase that only Saito had been heard to use, and the results stunned the rest of his companions.
"Tsunum!" Immediately, several fireballs emerged from the palm of his hand. However, there were subtle differences between his version of the attack and Saito's. For starters, the fireballs that emerged from his hand were slightly smaller, but that didn't mean that they were any less lethal. Another thing that was different was the color. Where the fireballs of the Oricaltos were silver, the scientist's version of the attack launched chartreuse fireballs instead. However, the end result of the attack was still the same. There was a final scream from Balore, and then he gave-up and died, allowing the group to pass into the Catacombs.
On the way through the dust-covered passageways, Gordon could not stop thinking about what he had just witnessed. When they stopped for a break in one of the more open areas, the Slayer of the Netherworld walked over to Kurtis and sat down next to him. He then began to speak. "Listen, man. I know that I was being an ass earlier, but the I realized that Saito had done this to you for a reason. After what just happened, I think I'm finally beginning to understand." The scientist slowly shook his head and smiled at Gordon. "You know, I wasn't really expecting Saito to do this, either. He just kinda sprung it on me just before we left. Then again, it feels great to have my own body back." "I'm sure that it does," a disembodied voice said, startling the team into motion. Almost immediately, Thursday began to scan the area, searching for any abnormal readings. "BEEP BLIP BEEP. ABNORMAL ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED." "Can you tell what it is?" Eric asked, his hands drifting to his spear. "ORIGIN UNKNOWN. SIGNATURE APPEARS TO BE SPIRITUAL IN NATURE." "Meaning?" Gwendolyn asked, slightly puzzled. Jennifer paled as she looked around. "I think that it might be a ghost," she whispered, and then the voice returned, laughing easily. "Correct, Miss Jennifer. I am indeed a ghost. However, there is no need to worry. Master Alucard merely sent me with a message for you." "And what would that message be, Luc?" Elizabeth asked the spirit, and it appeared before them in human form before bowing.
Jennifer's eyes widened in shock and surprise. Why, he only appears to be 17! What caused him to die so young? I think it would be best if that tale be told at another time. Why does Elizabeth call you Luc? Well, it's a nickname of sorts. You see, I was born with the name Lucian. When I died, I always wondered why she would call me that, when she hadn't even known my human name. But then she explained that she was teasing me, because I always seem to be translucent. So, the nickname stuck. Oh, you poor thing! Alucard's familiar laughed silently before responding. It's actually not that bad. Trust me.
"AHEM. I really hate to break up your conversation, but weren't you sent here with a message?" "I was getting to that, Lady Elizabeth. Apparently, this series of passages leads to the Garden of Madness, but that is not the point. Master has sensed something rather foreboding, and he was wondering if you were able to sense it as well." "What are you talking about? The feeling that we are being watched? Or is it the awful feeling that we haven't even begun to locate Shaft?" "He was thinking more along the lines of the second. It appears as if Shaft has brought back the Inverted Castle." "WHAT?" Elizabeth screeched, causing everyone around her to suddenly and violently flinch. Her hair shifted color from light-brown to a fairly bright shade of green as she struggled to contain her anger. "How DARE he! He actually had the nerve to... AARGH!" Even Lucian was backing away from her, slightly scared as he materialized further and landed on his feet. "Lady Elizabeth? Are you certain that you are well?" He immediately bit his lower lip as she rounded on him, her eyes narrowed to slits. "I'm fine for now. BUT, when I get my hands on that miserable little..." She cut of her words before she could let the curses escape her lips. Her eyes softened slightly, but they still glittered dangerously. "He WILL pay for what he did. This I swear!" So say we all, Elizabeth. Speaking of saying things, I am proud to inform you that both your uncle and aunt are alive and well. The woman's eyes grew impossibly wide and she immediately whispered one word, almost too-softly. "Really?" You don't need to worry, Elizabeth. I have my sword, I have Lisa, and I am growing stronger with each passing minute. I appreciate your concerns, but I am well and truly fine.
Elizabeth bowed her head in that moment, and she began to sob. John raced over and knelt next to his bride. "What's wrong, Liz? What happened?" When she raised her head, however, she did not appear to be saddened at all. As a matter-of-fact, she appeared to be quite happy. "My uncle is alive and well, and so is my aunt! You have no idea how long I have been worrying about them, love." The Belmont-by-blood smiled gently at his vampiric bride before he raised her head and looked deep into her eyes. "It's alright to cry, Elizabeth. After all that you have been through, you have every right to shed tears." With that being said, he leaned forward and gently kissed her on the lips. He tasted salt for a brief moment, but then Elizabeth responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him closer, deepening the kiss. It lasted for several more seconds, and then they separated. Elizabeth Bartley Morris smiled gently as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She then turned and looked sheepishly at everyone else, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry about this. It's just that I've been waiting so long to receive word of my uncle, and..." Kurtis raised a hand, cutting her off. "It's alright. We all worry about different things, some more than others. If we keep things bottled-up for too long, then we can't stand the pressure of anything else." Gordon nodded in agreement, and everyone else was quick to do the same. Lucian smiled as he began to fade back into his Familiar form. "I will alert Master Alucard of your thoughts, Lady Elizabeth. Thank you all for hearing me out," he said as he once more faded from view. As he vanished from site, he spoke one final time. "I wish you all the best of luck. May God watch over you, and guide you in all of your actions."
We now join a team that consists exclusively of demons and angels (Well, not really)...
Following Team Six: Boss Room: Machine Tower
Leon stepped into the room, and was almost immediately ambushed. "What in the hell?" He lashed-out with VampireKiller, hitting the Doppelganger before him. His eyes began to search the room, and he immediately noticed that almost all of the other shadows in the room held one particular shape. "Uh, guys? I need a little help in here..." Priere was the next one through the door, and she slid around to the Baron's left side, twirling her baton menacingly. She was closely followed by her brother, and then Walter led the vampires into the room. Galatea brought-up the rear, and the door slammed shut as soon as she had entered the large chamber. She looked at the ceiling, and almost began to swear aloud. "Here they come!" Leon called as the Doppelgangers began to attack.
Priere brought her baton up with both hands, blocking the downwards slash from her adversary. Her eyes suddenly grew flat with anger as she gripped one end of the baton in both hands and immediately swung it like a sword. The figure blocked her stroke, but the force that she had put into it caused him to stumble. He staggered into the light, and the Alternate Overlord's eyes widened with shock. He looks exactly like Soma Cruz! Well, of course he does! He's one of the Doppelgangers that was created to mimic him and him alone. Beat him, and you will gain all of the souls in that damned body of his! Thanks for the heads-up, Saito. You're very welcome, Priere. She ducked under a massive fireball and immediately launched her baton at him. It slammed into his stomach, and the copy doubled-over, fighting for breath. "Giga Fire!" she called, watching as the massive fireball descended upon her adversary. She thought that was the end, but the Doppelganger proved to be rather resilient as it stood-up and threw several spheres of lightning at her. She dodged all but the last one, but man did that one hurt. She bit her lip to keep from crying-out in pain, and as her eyes wandered to the copy's face, they lit-up. His eyes are wrong! I should have noticed that earlier. If I had, then I wouldn't have hesitated. Silently cursing her stupidity, she struggled to remain on her feet as the Doppelganger charged at her...
Meanwhile, Walter was busy trading rapier thrusts with his own Soma copy. He then snarled as he shifted into bat form, preparing to charge forward when he noticed that the copy had likewise morphed into a bat. So, you actually think that you can beat me in this form? he sneered as he lunged forward, engulfed in red flames. However, he was surprised when the white bat dodged his charge before spitting out a fireball at him. The vampire's eyes grew wide as he looked between the projectile and the bat. How in the hell did he do that? That thing was nearly his size, and yet he had no trouble at all! Lunging forward again, he waited for it to try the same move. As he reached the end of his charge, the white bat moved sideways and prepared to turn and launch another fireball. However, it's eyes grew wide and it squeaked in terror when Walter shifted back to his human form in a blink of an eye, whipped out his rapier again, and finished his lunge, pinning the struggling creature to the wall. It immediately reverted back to being human, and winced at the blade that was pinning it's left shoulder to the wall. Bernhard smiled as he shifted his hands into claws, and he smiled even more at the look he received from the terrified Doppelganger as he slit the monster's throat and absorbed all of the ability souls. Pulling his rapier from the wall, he wiped it clean and then sheathed it before turning to look at how the others were faring.
Culotte was busy moving from left to right, dodging alternating lightning bolts and huge fireballs that were coming from his opponent's hands. When the copy paused for a short time, the young angel lunged forward and slashed him across the ribs. The Doppelganger hissed in annoyance and pain before it began to launch even more projectiles at the young angel. The pattern kept going for a while, with Culotte scoring the occasional blow in between dodging the fire and lightning. However, the copy's magic ran out, and as soon as Culotte saw him reach for his sword, he launched a magical attack of his own. Leaping into the air, he called out only two words. "Holy Arrows!" A seal appeared in front of him for a brief moment, and then several explosive quill-like projectiles shot from it at a downwards angle. They pinned the Doppelganger to the ground before exploding, inflicting hideous wounds on the man's frame. As he struggled to his feet, Culotte decided that it was time to end the fight. Tightening his grip on his sword, he executed a perfect Blade Rush, and removed his adversary's head from his shoulders. After absorbing all of the powers and cleaning his sword, the young angel wandered over to Walter and plopped himself down next to the fire-haired vampire. "Man, I never want to dodge that much again!" "No kidding, my young friend," Walter said, chuckling. "That was one hell of a fight. Nice finish." "Why, thank you!"
At the same time, it appeared as if Niteshade were teaching her opponent how to dance. She moved with a natural grace, spinning and weaving, dodging her opponent's blows while all of hers managed to land on her adversary. The Soma copy snarled in pain before lunging forward, only to have his blade turned aside in a heartbeat. Continuing her spin, the blonde succubus stroked her blade across the Doppelganger's chest, leaving a rather nasty-looking wound. He hissed in pain and frustration as he continued to miss even the simplest of strokes, and Niteshade's gentle humming was starting to get on his nerves. Stopping his movements, he waited for an opportunity to present itself, but it never happened, for she stopped as well, staring directly into his eyes in a bold challenge. "What are you? AFRAID?" she taunted, her hand drifting to her hip as she leaned forward. "Are you just going to give-up? Or are you actually going to make an effort?"
"SHUT-UP WOMAN!" the copy of Soma roared as he lunged forward, and Niteshade smiled. She had succeeded in erasing any doubts she had about her victory in that single moment. She knew that if she were facing the real Soma, he would have never given-up in the first place, and she would probably be injured much worse. She yawned in his face and then playfully stretched her long arms above her head, giving the copy the chance he needed. He took it, and immediately payed for his mistake as the succubus turned away, her claws already shifting. She then completed her turn, dealing a crushing blow to the base of the man's skull. He died instantly, and Niteshade happily skipped over to Culotte and Walter after she had finished taking the ability souls into herself. Stretching lazily, she settled down next to the young angel, and then she gently smiled as she watched the rest of the fights.
Joachim was utilizing all of his swords in an impressive display of power and control. The copy of Soma was unimpressed, and, much to the other vampire's surprise, copied the technique without even a second thought. He smiled and drew two swords before lunging at Joachim, determined to kill him. However, Armster was proving to be resourceful, and he knew that his opponent could not keep up the barrier forever. After all, the copy did not have a Chaos Ring, unlike every single one of the vampires and magic-users that had come from Saito's Forge. He smiled as he noticed his adversary's shield beginning to slow, and then it vanished completely, which was what Joachim had been waiting for. Immediately, Joachim spread his swords out, and then he made them disappear with two words and a gesture. The copy of Soma, thinking that it was his lucky day, began to move forward. However, he never reached the vampire.
All around the copy, five small white portals appeared, and from these portals emerged the five swords of the vampire. Joachim smiled, and it was then that the copy realized what words were spoken when the blades had vanished. Sword Church. Joachim's nastiest multi-sword technique. The Doppelganger sank to his knees as the swords withdrew. He curled in around himself, coughing-up blood as he labored to breathe with two punctured lungs. Joachim slowly shook his head as the man struggled to rise, only to injure himself even more. In just under two minutes, the copy lay spread-eagled on the floor, dead from a loss of blood. The body dissolved, and the collection of spheres that were left behind circled Joachim once before entering his chest. He shuddered slightly when they had all finished, and then he grabbed a ragged piece of cloth that had once been part of the copy's coat. He used it to clean all of his swords, and then he strode over towards the wall where Walter, Niteshade, and Culotte were resting.
Galatea was busy dodging the sword of her duplicate when she snuck a glance over at Leon, only to raise a puzzled eyebrow when the Baron grabbed a crystal and then swapped the gem in his gauntlet from black to purple. However, Niteshade saw the switch, and her eyes widened in horror as she realized what Leon was about to do. She turned to Joachim, panic clearly visible in her eyes. "Joachim! Get Galatea away from Leon, now!" "Why is tha..." He stopped when he saw the look on her face, and then his mouth went dry. "Are you saying that he is about to...?" "Yes. Now MOVE!" The vampiric swordsmaster moved without seeming to, slowing down long enough to grab Galatea and haul her away from Leon. Once he was clear of the blast radius, he nodded once to Leon, and that was enough. The crystal and gauntlet both seemed to glow for a moment, and then it was as if reality itself had shattered in an instant. This was Shatter Reality, one of the five most devastating combinations that Leon was capable of using. Everything in a thirty-foot radius around him seemed to shatter the instant he raised his glove. The attack literally broke his own duplicate into thousands of shards, and it also did massive damage to the other two beings near him. That is, the spell also managed to heavily injure both Galatea's double and the double of Soma that had been facing Priere.
The Alternate Overlord was having trouble staying upright. She had lost a lot of blood, but at the moment, her adversary was faring even worse than she was. She was bleeding from several small cuts, in addition to a hole in her stomach where the copy had gotten in a lucky stab. However, the copy was faring much worse. He was openly bleeding from several large wounds that had been inflicted by Leon's spell, and he was sitting on the floor, fighting desperately to keep his eyes open. Priere managed a small grin as she called upon her own magic. "Omega Heal," she whispered softly, and the warm green glow appeared in her hands. She clenched her fists, allowing the magic to infuse her hands, and then she began to trace each of her injuries. As she touched each one, they vanished, not even leaving a scar. She slowly rose to her feet, and then stared at her adversary. He no longer had his eyes open, but she knew that he was still alive. She walked over and crouched down next to the fallen monster, and he struggled to open his eyes. When that failed, he whispered three words to the young woman.
"Kill...me...please." Priere sniffed aloud before she drew her baton once more. "You were a worthy opponent. Please, forgive me," she said softly as she twisted one end of the baton off, revealing a wicked looking point. This she pressed over the man's heart, and with a final whisper of "Sorry," she plunged it inwards. The copy's eyes shot open once more, and they immediately sought her face. His lips quivered, forming the simplest of two-word phrases before he finally vanished. "Thank...you." The Doppelganger then vanished, leaving behind a sword that had been covered in Priere's blood. After cleaning her baton and replacing the end, she tentatively reached out and grabbed the hilt. Almost immediately, she felt a strange warmth spread-up her arm. Her eyes then grew wide as the blood on the blade vanished, as if it had been absorbed. It took her a few moments, but she soon realized exactly what had happened. When the revelation came to her, she suddenly smiled before reaching out with her mind, looking for the Oricaltos. Hey Saito? Can you hear me? What is it, Priere? Well, I just finished my Doppelganger, and then something funny happened... Really? Please elaborate. Well, when he died, he left his sword behind, and when I picked it up, I got this warm and fuzzy feeling. It felt as if, well, I don't know how to explain it... It felt as if the blade had been meant for you the entire time, correct? Well, that's one way of putting it. Heh. It looks like I won't need to soul-forge a sword for you after all!
Meanwhile, Sara was still dueling with her own Soma duplicate. Her long hair was soaked with sweat, and it was hanging limply down her back. Her sword was flickering, trying to catch an opening in her adversary's defense. However, she wasn't having much luck, and neither was her opponent. The two of them were circling one another, each seeking an opening. However, when the copy tried to make a move, Sara took advantage and raked her blade over the man's ribs. He visibly winced, but then he straightened, trying to ignore the now-open wound on his chest. However, the injury began to take it's toll, and Sara began to land more and more blows. Eventually, the Doppelganger just sighed and allowed his blade to drop to his side. He knew that he could not win, and he let Sara know this in the most direct manner. She saw his gesture, nodded once, sheathed her sword, and then lunged forward, latching onto the copy's neck like a leech. The man allowed a sigh to escape his lips before he dissolved, having been completely drained of blood. He left behind a collection of spheres, which were promptly absorbed by the young vampiric witch. She then turned and smiled brilliantly at her husband before wandering over to sit-down and watch the last fight.
Galatea was moving incredibly fast, trying to finish-off her duplicate in a short-period of time. However, her double would have none of it, and was using every dirty trick in the book to try and win. But when she messed-up on one of her counterattacks, Galatea brought her hand up and across in a single, smooth gesture, opening the Doppelganger's throat before lunging over to her, lapping-up the freshly spilled blood before it could fall to the floor. She held up the duplicate until her thirst was quenched, and then she let the monster drop with a loud thump. Turning to look at the other members of the team, she wiped the blood away from her mouth and then she smiled. "Well, what are we waiting for? It's time that we get moving!" The others nodded in agreement, and then everyone got-up and stretched before leaving the room.
From Doppelgangers to... more Doppelgangers! Welcome to the Garden of Madness, ladies and gentlemen. Please keep your weapons on you at all times, and remember to check your sanity at the door...
Following Team Two: Boss Room (low): Garden of Madness
As Setsuna led his team through the doors, he had an awful premonition about what was coming. As soon as the door closed, he turned around, and his worst fears were confirmed. "Everyone, be careful. We've got too many Doppelgangers in here, and not enough time to do this right." "So then, what are we waiting for?" Rosa called sweetly as she drew her rapier. Setsuna sighed aloud and prepared for the fight of his life.
The first two to start were Malus and one of the duplicates of Soma. Vivode drew his sword, bowed, and then the two began to circle incredibly fast, each seeking an opening. The two stopped for a moment, and then the copy dashed across the circle, his sword flaring white for a moment before bursting into flame. Malus smiled and sidestepped to his left, keeping his leg extended in a trip. The Doppelganger fell flat on his face, and Malus immediately put his sword into the man's heart. He then raised his head and grinned. "That was way too easy," he said, snorting with annoyance as he turned towards the door, absorbing the souls of his adversary as he walked over to the wall. Setsuna slowly shook his head as he waited for the next duel to start.
Cornell was the next one to move forward, and he found himself facing a mirror-image. He snarled before shifting his hands into claws and lunging forward, determined to tear out his adversary's throat. The Doppelganger, however, had other plans. He immediately went werewolf, forcing Cornell to change strategies. The man-wolf continued to circle his opponent, but then he had an idea. "Hey, does anyone have anything silver?" "I'll need it back after you're done!" Carrie called as she tossed Cornell a dagger. He caught the blade, and then flashed her a smile. "Does it matter if it's clean or not?" The young vampiric witch shook her head as a small grin crossed her face. "It doesn't matter to me, just as long as I get my blade back, okay?" "Fine with me!" Cornell called as he turned back towards his enemy. He then lunged forward, planting the blade between the copy's ribs, puncturing the heart on his first try. "Thank you Carrie!" he called as he tossed the bloodied dagger back to her before turning to stare at his dying copy. The beast coughed twice before his lungs solidified and he could no longer breathe.
The next one to make a move was Setsuna. Might as well get this battle over with, he thought to himself as he stepped forward. The next copy of Soma also stepped forward, a blank look on his face before he smiled, revealing vampiric fangs. Setsuna also allowed a thin smile to cross his face as he bowed once before taking his stance. The copy did likewise, before taking two steps forward and swinging his axe at the priest's head. Setsuna merely raised his staff and blocked before counterattacking, lunging forward and managing to graze his enemy's side. The copy immediately grimaced in pain as he began to bleed heavily from his injured side. The faint smile reappeared, but this time it stayed around as he mockingly saluted the man before lunging forward once more, managing to weave his staff around the Golden Axe wielded by his opponent. The cross punched a hole in his adversary's chest, and the man collapsed in an instant, dissolving into multiple spheres of light which promptly rushed into the priest's chest.
He turned, shrugged at his companions, and then walked over to join Cornell and Malus. Next up was Reinhardt, and he had drawn and struck before the Doppelganger could even think about it's first move. Looking over at the rest of the group, he shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "WHAT? You guys are all staring at me as if I did something wrong." Carrie could only shake her head before the entire team cracked-up. "Reinhardt, I admire your combination of bravery and sheer dumb luck." "Why, thank you, Carrie. Besides, I think you're up." "Gee, thanks," she called as she walked towards the center of the floor.
Carrie paused for a moment to compose herself and let her hair down. Malus could only stare in awe as his wife pulled a small clip and her hair length nearly doubled. Instead of hanging at her shoulders, her lavender hair was now rippling down to her waist. She drew her staff, grasped the top tightly, twisted, and pulled, revealing the sword that was hidden in her staff. The copy of Soma that was facing her took two steps forward, drew his sword, and then smiled. Immediately after, he charged forward, swinging his blade crosswise in an attempt to cut her in half. She bought her own sword up in a block, and then she spun the blade twice in her hand. Almost immediately, the blade went from being fairly thin to being a truly normal sword. The blade elongated slightly and widened, growing outwards. In addition, the hilt sprouted a cross-piece that looked like a scroll. Carrie smiled gently at the wide-eyed Malus, and she tossed Rosa a wink as she brought her own blade up in a single fluid motion, cutting-off her adversary's left arm. He stumbled backwards, shocked that she had managed to get past his guard so quickly. She shrugged, grinned, and then removed his head.
Ada looked over at her husband, smiled gently, and then stepped into the center of the room. She moved with a natural grace, and she struck with a single motion as soon as her opponent had stepped forward. The Doppelganger had absolutely no chance to move out of the way as Ada, quite simply, "pulled a Reinhardt," so to speak. Turning around once again, she dropped a curtsy to the remaining men before flashing them a brilliant smile. She then walked over and slid her way into Cornell's arms. Looking up at her husband, she sighed and finally relaxed. Life was perfect
Actrise was the next one to step forward, and as she drew her staff, she sneered at her duplicate before casting a lightning spell. The Doppelganger deflected it towards Rosa, but VampireKiller flashed out to intercept the magic. The copy then cast a fire spell, only to have it bounced directly back at her. Surprised, she raised her staff and absorbed the blast, but then proceeded to double-over when Actrise's staff connected with her stomach. She gasped heavily, trying to catch her breath when the witch jammed her staff down her duplicate's throat before unleashing a full charge of lightning. Talk about a job "well-done." (If you don't get it, then don't worry too much.)
Next was Henry, but that battle was over before it began, as the church knight merely fired a single round into his adversary's brain before shrugging and turning to look at Actrise. She snorted once, trying to keep from laughing at the ease with which he did things. At long last, it was Rosa's turn to fight. Smiling at her husband, she stepped forward to face the final Doppelganger of Soma Cruz. The duplicate sneered once, bowed, and then swept his left hand up and unleashed a massive fireball. The vampire, however, had already begun to move, and the blast ended up missing entirely. Rosa smiled lightly before she lunged towards her adversary, hoping and praying that the battle would not last forever. The copy raised his own rapier to block, but she managed to weave her blade around his, piercing his left lung. In an instant, the copy had fallen to his hands and knees, trying desperately to keep from coughing-up blood. However, he wasn't doing a very good job. Rosa took one look at the man, pitied him, and then ended his misery by stabbing him in the heart. He dissolved instantaneously, leaving a collection of souls behind. Rosa glowed for a brief moment after she had finished absorbing the souls, and then she smiled as the door on the other side opened. "Come on, you guys. We still have work to do." Setsuna nodded in agreement, and then the team headed out.
It is now time that we join the Seraph and his team to see how they are faring in their task…
Following Team Nine: Teleport Room: Silenced Ruins
The Seraph looked down at his map, allowing a brief smile to cross his face. So far, he and his team had managed to activate several of the main teleport rooms, and it appeared as if someone else was also working on activating the rooms. This puzzled Lamington, and he immediately sought out the mage to get an answer. Saito? I have a question for you. Go right ahead and ask, Michael. Well, it appears that someone else is activating the teleport rooms besides us. Do you have any idea as to who it might be? There was a brief pause as Saito thought for a moment, but then he smiled as he remembered his earlier conversation with a certain individual. I know who is activating the other portals, but you might not be willing to believe me if I told you. Well then, who is activating them? Baal. There was dead silence for a few minutes as the Seraph allowed this new revelation to sink-in. Then…
Why in the name of all things light and dark is he DOING this? I mean, I know that he hates Shaft for some reason, but this is ridiculous! Not really, Michael. You see, he does have another reason for doing this. SPILL! Fine, fine. I'll tell you, but you better be paying attention to what I have to say, because I'm only going through this once. …Fine with me. Alright then. You see, Baal was not the only demon that Shaft managed to summon. Once he learned that Baal refused to cooperate with his plans, the Dark Priest summoned Menace, a massive demon who nearly killed Soma in 2036. …That still doesn't explain anything. Okay, then let me tell you this: Baal needs our help. You see, he was human at one time, and he wants to go back to being human. Unfortunately, he needs his sword to do that, and it was sealed in the Chaotic Realm. Soma managed to retrieve it, and we are planning on returning it to him after the War of the Makai. That's MUCH better. Thank you for clarifying. Hold on a minute, Michael. Where are you right now? I'm currently in the Silenced Ruins, why are you asking? Do you mind staying there for a few more seconds? Soma should be right down. Okay.
Soon enough, Soma poked his head in the door, and he smiled when he saw the group. "I was starting to wonder when you were all going to show-up. Welcome to the Silenced Ruins." "I take it that you guys have been doing fairly well?" Seth asked, running his hands through his hair once again. The reincarnation of Dracula smiled and nodded. "We've been getting news from the others. Apparently, there were many more Doppelgangers than we originally anticipated. However," he said with a grin, "we are still managing to defeat them with our usual ease." The Seraph slowly shook his head and grinned. "Well, it just so happens that we had a little help in activating some of the rooms." "I already know about Baal. Besides, there are a few other things that still need to be taken care of here." With that, he motioned for the team to follow him as he lead the way up towards the boss room.
Following Team One: Boss Room: Silenced Ruins
"Hey, Saito! Look who I found!" Soma called cheerfully as he strode down the corridor, with Michael and his team trailing in his wake. The Oricaltos looked up from his map and grinned. "You guys have been doing one hell of a job. BUT, I think that a few of you are still itching to burn-off extra energy. That is why I had Soma bring you all here. You see, we already know how to beat the crap out of Bat Company. However, I want to see what kind of strategy you guys will come up with. Good luck!" he called to them as they strode into the room. They immediately noticed that they were not alone. In addition to the fact that Saito had managed to slip-in through the door just before it closed, there was also a fairly large swarm of red bats crowded into the center of the room. So this is Bat Company, Sonia thought as she drew her whip. "So, who wants to try first?" the Oricaltos asked, and the Seraph stepped forward. "I might as well see what I can do against this thing." "Then go right ahead, Michael."
The head angel sighed and shook his head before he drew his sword in a single motion. The white blade glimmered coldly in the faintly-lit room, and the swarm noticed it near-instantly. They immediately turned and began to fire sonic rings at Michael, who casually swatted them away before unleashing a Wind Cutter that managed to knock several bats to the ground. Turning to face the mage, he smiled. "Well, that was fun. Who wants to go next?"
The lady Sonia was the next one to stride forward and engage the infernal creature in combat. She swung her whip only twice, but both hits connected, and the monster reeled-back with several pained squeaks. Many more bats had dropped onto the floor, and the battle was nearly over. At least, that was what the Oricaltos was hoping for. Unfortunately, he was wrong, and, much to the dismay of everyone present, the bats on the floor began to stir and rise into the air once again. "Son of a...!" Saito cursed as he witnessed that it was pulling itself together once more. Snarling, he stepped forward to put an end to it himself.
Shifting his hands once more into claws, the mage took his stance after drawing his sword. Spreading his wings, he lifted into the air as well, determined to eliminate the nuisance once and for all. When they began to launch sonic rings at him, he amazed everyone with an impressive display of aerial skills, including several twisting stunts that not even the Seraph could follow. When the firing finally stopped, the mage decided to unleash a little present of his own. Remembering how the monster had reacted to Mina's fireball during the battle outside of the open-air market, he grinned wickedly as he suddenly and simply extended his right hand before speaking a single word. However, that one word was more than enough to finish the battle. "Tsunum!"
After Bat Company had been obliterated, Saito tried to walk into the next room, only to be repelled by an unknown force. "What in the hell? Hey, SOMA! You better get over here, quick!" Soma rushed into the room, and then he saw the barrier surrounding the door. "That looks like the barrier surrounding the Chaos Door in the Floating Gardens. I think that we might have to go back to the Master's Chamber in order to get this to open properly." "Well then, what are we waiting for?" Vlad called, slightly amused. "Let's get moving!"
While the Oricaltos is busy leading the way back towards Subterranean Hell, we join a battle-in-progress in the Dark Chapel...
Following Team Seven: Boss Room (lower): Dark Chapel
As soon as the door had sealed behind them, Rena heard a low snarl coming from deeper inside the room. She was unsure why, but she immediately braced for an impact. The beast promptly launched out of the shadows, slamming into the witch's ribs, causing her to stagger into Nicholai. "What in the name of God?" Hector asked before getting a good luck at the monster that had attacked them. His eyes suddenly grew immensely wider when he found himself staring at a three-headed dog. "Is it just me, or is that thing actually... Cerberus? I hate to admit it, but you're right. That thing was more than just a thorn in my side, Forgemaster. Get rid of him as fast as possible, before he has a chance to unleash his beam attack. Thanks for the warning, Oricaltos. You're very welcome.
The Forgemaster let his left hand drift towards the bag hanging at his waist as he slowly drew one of his swords. He looked over at Julia, and then he nodded as his fingers closed around one particular crystal. Immediately, Sypha began to charge her own magic for an attack as Trevor lashed out at the massive dog, hitting it in the left flank. Cerberus let out a low growl of pain before turning on him, releasing a massive fireball directly at his head. He dove to the right, swinging VampireKiller, praying that he hit the fireball before it hit his wife. He smiled when the projectile vanished halfway to its target, but then his smile faded when the hell-hound rounded on him once again. He had no time to prepare for the white light that had appeared in the beast's mouth as it prepared to eliminate him...
As soon as Cerberus had turned to fire his attack beam on Trevor, he felt a massive burning sensation going through his back legs. Turning, he snarled at Nicholai before unleashing his beam attack. Much to his shock and dismay, a shield appeared out of nowhere to take the hit, and the violet-haired man seemed to smile for a brief moment before he struck with his spear. The blow landed right between the eyes of the central head, and Cerberus loosed a howl of pain and fury. Turning to look at Laharl, Nicholai gave a nod, and then allowed his son to take the offensive. The Overlord swung his sword twice, putting deep gashes into the two side heads before dodging out of the way of the dog's lunge attack. He then nodded at his mother, and Rena smiled briefly before releasing her spell. "Terra Wind!" The emerging cyclone picked-up the guardian and tossed him high into the air, giving Flonne the perfect chance to land a finishing blow.
And land one she did. "Divine Ray!" the Fallen Angel called as she positioned herself directly under the massive dog. Immediately, the air around her began to crackle with a massive amount of power as she unleashed one of her strongest magical attacks. The column of light seemed to ripple as it shifted around her, giving no one on the outside a clear view of what was going on. However, that did not matter, because everyone saw the end result. There was a loud, anguished howl followed by a blinding flash of light. Everyone was force to turn away, and when they could see again, Laharl's jaw dropped in astonishment. Flonne was standing in the same exact place, and there was no indication of what had just happened. Well, except for the fairly charred skeleton of one of the most powerful of Shaft's summons. She smiled briefly before lifting her eyes to the former Overlord. "Where should we go next, Master Nicholai?" He was about to answer when they all heard a mental voice that made them smile. I think that you should head to the next Boss Room. It isn't really that far, and I know for a fact that Malphas will not attack if you let him know that Mina sent you, okay? That's fine with me, Mister Saito. Thanks for helping me with the Divine Ray. Heh. You're very welcome, Flonne. Now get moving. YES SIR!
Saito was correct in saying that it would not take them long to reach the next Boss Room. As a matter of fact, it was only two rooms away...
Following Teams One&Nine: Boss Room (upper): Dark Chapel
Flonne was the first one through the door, and she called out sweetly right as she crossed the threshold. "Master Malphas! Where are you?" "I'm right here, young lady," a voice said from deeper inside the room, causing the Fallen Angel to give a tiny squeal of fright. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, but, as it seems that you already know who I am, is it safe for me to assume that you will not attack me?" "Of course it's safe to assume that, Malphas! You worry too much, sometimes, do you know that?" a woman's voice called from the opposite side of the room. Then another man's voice called, a voice that was slightly deeper, but which carried nearly the same authority as Saito's. "It is gladdening to see that you are still intact, Malphas." "Count Dracula! I had no idea the you had been freed!" "Well, it was only recently. Besides, there is still much work that needs to be done," Soma called as he also stepped into the room from the side opposite Laharl.
Malphas stepped forward into the light, and Flonne could not keep herself from crying out at what she saw. The man was a wreck. His usually short hair was now hanging in tangles around his waist, and his eyes were bloodshot due to a lack of sleep. But this was not what caused the Fallen Angel to cry out. Rather, it was the state of his wings. The long, ebony-colored feathers had been nearly sliced in half, and his two outward pinions on either wing were missing entirely. "Who did this to you?" she asked, tears silently streaming down her cheeks as she reached out to touch the place where his outermost feather had been at one time. "It was an Alura that Shaft brought into this room some time ago. I don't think that I'll ever be able to recover." "Don't berate yourself, King of Ravens. It's not your fault that Shaft tricked you." The golden-eyed man sighed aloud before settling himself onto the floor. "I know that much, Death," he said, slowly shaking his head. Mina knelt down next to him, and then wrapped her hands around his. "I remember making you a promise in 2040, a promise that I intend to keep here and now." She looked up, as if asking for permission, and Saito nodded once. "Brisingir," she said softly, and then the healing flames appeared. However, the color was very different from the one that Michael was used to seeing. Instead of ice-blue flames, the fires that Mina commanded had a warm, ruby-tone to them. They slowly spread up Malphas' arms, healing the minor cuts and abrasions before spreading to his wings.
His eyes widened in sudden shock as he felt his pinions regrow in mere seconds. He lifted his head to stare at Mina, the gratitude in his eyes clearer than anything else. "Thank you, Miss Mina." He then turned and looked up at another one of the Belmonts who was present. "You look a lot like your grandfather, do you know that, Seth?" The younger of the two brothers slowly nodded his head. "I've heard that several times from many different people. Thank you for the compliment." Malphas smiled and slowly stood up and stretched. He yawned, blinked a few times, and then grumbled something about his hair being a mess. Riala giggled at this and then called him over to her. "Here. Let me see if I can do anything about that hair of yours..."
Saito smiled and slowly shook his head as he watched Riala carefully wash and comb Malphas' hair before cutting it, making sure that it was of normal length before bending to collect the hair that had fallen onto the stone floor. She stopped when she heard the man speak again. "I have heard terrible rumors from your time about a disease that causes people to lose their hair, and possibly their lives." "That is correct. We have taken to calling this disease cancer. Why are you asking about this?" He shrugged and then smiled. "Well, I wanted you to give all of that hair of mine so that wigs could be made to help those poor people retain a sense of dignity." At this comment, even Tim (who absolutely hated the idea of charity work for a while) could not help but smile. "We will make sure that your hair reaches the right people once we return to our time period." "Thank you."
Saito looked around the room once before he smiled at Nicholai. "So, who did you guys face in the Study?" The former Overlord snorted a laugh before replying. "The Earth Golem was far too easy, and Medusa was apparently in a very good mood about something, so she just let us go." "I think it might have been what I did to her hair." "Oh, sorry. I wasn't really paying attention to that. What is she, anyway?" "She's a natural blonde." "Thanks for clarifying." A light cough was heard, causing them both to look at the Seraph, slightly annoyed. But then the mage remembered why he had led them so far. "Sorry, Michael, it just slipped my mind." He turned back towards Nicholai with a slight frown on his face. "I was wondering if you would be willing to join us on a little side-trip..." "Really? Where are we going, Saito?" Flonne asked eagerly, and the diralec merely smiled. "We are heading towards the Master's Chamber. Apparently, something has sealed-off the entrance to the Abyss, and from what I can tell, it is the only way that I can think-of that would lead us directly to the Inverted Castle." Soma nodded in agreement before looking at Rena. "So, are you willing to join us?" "With absolute pleasure," the witch said with a smile.
And so, the teams are slowly starting to come together once again. Let's go check-in on Orlox and the rest of his combined team as they begin to climb the Condemned Tower...
Following Teams Four&Five: Condemned Tower
Orlox took one look at the structure and whistled. "You mean that we actually have to climb this thing? Are you out of your mind?" I'm afraid not, Orlox, and it only gets worse from there. You see, there is a boss at the top of the Tower, but I can't tell what it is. Though one thing is for sure: You'll have an easier time against that thing than I had against Gergoth. "Thanks for the encouragement, Soma," the vampire muttered under his breath before motioning for his group to move forward. However, Karina raised a hand for silence, and that was when Orlox heard voices rising from one of the closer rooms in the Garden. "I'm telling you, Gordon, that there is no way that that fight was easy!" "What are you talking about, Eric? You didn't even have to get close to that stupid ram to hit it!" "Will you two both shut-up for once?" came a slightly exasperated voice, followed by several muttered curses by the two other men. "That's much better. Now, what were we discussing again, Priere?" "I'm not sure but... What in the hell happened here?" the Alternate Overlord exclaimed, her eyes taking in the massive amount of damage that had been caused by Orlox and the others. "I have no idea, but that burn mark on the wall looks like it was made by a Chaos Impact." "Then whatever it was must have done something to really piss-off Etna, 'cause that's the only way she could have poured so much power into that strike."
"You're right, Priere. Something really did piss me off. Some sort of damn moth attacked my little brother, and you know how much I hate when that happens." Priere turned towards the far door and smiled lightly before waving. "I take it that you joined with another team then?" she asked, and Etna looked at her, slightly puzzled. "What gave you that idea?" "Well, I don't know. Maybe it was the shotgun shells that Croix left behind?" There was a moment of silence, and then both women smiled when Croix realized what had happened. "DAMMIT! I was hoping to keep it a surprise, but I knew that I had forgotten to do something," he groaned, slowly shaking his head. Priere gently smiled at him before walking over to enfold him in a hug. "And who said that I would let you go and have all of the fun?" "No one..." "My point exactly. Now, I thought that I heard something about a boss on top of this tower, correct?" Croix nodded, and then Priere gave him a deathly serious look before she looked-up and smiled at Orlox. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get moving, people!"
It appears as if there are now only two teams: One led by the Oricaltos, and one jointly-led by Orlox and Priere. Let's head over to the Inner Quarter, where we find that Marjoly has just met with Saito and his team after a long battle with Headhunter...
Following Saito&Co: Inner Quarter: Castle Dracula (normal)
"WOW! I never expected you guys to get here so fast." "Well, that's what happens when I let Vlad handle the details. Anyway, how was your fight with Headhunter?" Marjoly groaned aloud and settled her back against the wall. "Never mention that thing's name for as long as you live. I absolutely HATED that fight! He kept on jumping around, and from what I'm feeling right now, he cracked at least three of my ribs." Everyone collectively winced, and then the mage slowly shook his head as he helped her to stand. "Well, please remember that once we get to the Inverted, the battles will get much more difficult." "I know that much, Oricaltos," Marjoly gasped as Rena bandaged her ribs. "Well, where are we headed?" "We are going to the Master's Chamber. Do you wanna come with us?" The Witch of Beauty Castle coughed once to cover her laughter before looking up at the young leader. "What do YOU think?" "I take that as a yes, then," Saito said, inwardly sighing in relief. "Let's get moving, because the sooner we win this fight, the sooner we can get to Shaft." "Agreed," Soma called as he led the way over to the teleport room.
It did not take them long to reach the room, and it took them even less time to reach the Final Floor. As Soma led the way towards the Master's Chamber, Vlad hurried to keep pace with the younger man. "So, who do you think is waiting for us?" he asked, and Soma shrugged. "If it's Jones again, then I will kick his sorry ass to kingdom-come!" "Fine with me," the Count said with a grin. "I never liked that guy anyway." "It appears that we are in agreement, Count Dracula. I never got used to the idea of an idiot like him being the heir to all of your powers. Then again, I don't think that ANY of us could stomach that idea," Saito said with a snarl. "Well, it is time that we settle the score once and for all. This battle ends tonight!"
Let's take a brief break in order to check on those who were last seen climbing the Condemned Tower...
Following Team Two: Boss Room: Condemned Tower
"It's quiet here. A little too quiet," Setsuna muttered under his breath as he approached the door. However, the silence was short-lived when he heard a sudden clash of weapons coming from the inside. He looked at his team, and then his eyes narrowed. "We're going in, people!" Everyone nodded, and then he cautiously led the way into the room. As soon as all had entered, the door silently slid shut. However, this was not what had grabbed the attention of the hybrid and his team. Rather, it was the fight that was raging in the middle of the room that grabbed their eyes immediately.
Multiple Doppelgangers of Soma had appeared to attack the party, and the battle was already raging back-and-forth. Mirer winced slightly as his opponent landed a blow on his left shoulder. He turned, snarled, and then lashed out with his claws, leaving several nasty-looking cuts on the man's face. He stumbled slightly, and the master vampire took advantage of this, pressing the attack. Slowly, he was forcing the copy of Soma into one of the corners, where he could do the most damage with the least effort. The copy saw what he was trying to do, and he began to make his move. However, it was already too late. The man was pinned in the corner as Mirer repeatedly slashed his face, and then he put his hand into the man's chest. His fingers closed around the Doppelganger's heart, and then he squeezed, crushing it to a pulp. The body dissolved in an instant, and the spheres rushed into the vampire's outstretched hand. He smiled as he absorbed the power, and then he noticed the others. His eyes widened slightly as he stared at Setsuna, but then he smiled and walked over.
Croix and Alouette were back-to-back, defending one another from the attacks of their opponents. However, it wasn't going very well, and Croix knew it. "Stay here, Alouette. I'm going to try something. I just pray that it works," he whispered before spreading his wings and rising into the air. He looked down at the man in front of him, and then the angel smiled. The copy of Soma recoiled in that very instant, because the smile on Croix's face was terrible to behold. The angel then spoke a single word, but it rang-out as if he had shouted it at the top of his lungs. "Judgment." The brilliant crystal appeared out of nowhere and dropped heavily, crushing the copy into a bloody pulp. Croix smiled once again before landing at his fiancé's back. "Your turn, sweetheart." Alouette smiled with ease, and then she lunged forward, a thin chain appearing in her hands. The Doppelganger before her grinned wickedly. A stupid little chain is the best that she can do? This will be TOO easy, he thought, and then he lashed out with his sword.
He was quite surprised when the angel caught his blade on the chain, and he was even more shocked when the chain passed through his sword as if it had never even existed. He backed away, eyes wide with terror. "Please, don't kill me. I promise that I'll leave you alone," he lied as his hand strayed to the gun at the back of his waist. Alouette's eyes narrowed as she glared at the man. "I don't think so, buddy!" She then lashed out with her weapon. The chain wrapped around the man's right arm, and then she pulled it back towards her. The razor sharp links dug in deep, leaving one, single, spiraling wound along his arm. They also managed to sever two tendons, and the man grimaced as he suddenly lost all movement in his right arm. Alouette smiled at the poor man before advancing slowly, forcing him back. Soon, the terrified man was backed-up against a wall, and his eyes widened when he saw Alouette almost casually wrap the chain around her right hand. "Please, spare me. I don't want to die!" the man wailed, and Alouette gave him a terrible smile before moving her hand to his throat. "Then you should have never been born," she whispered, and then she brought her hand across in one swift motion. The body collapsed in a bloody mess, and the spheres rushed into her body instantaneously. She looked over at Croix, and then she smiled. "Well, that wasn't too hard."
Charlotte was busy dodging spells from her adversary, and thus did not notice another copy sneak-up on her. However, before the clone could stab her, he was thrown into the far wall by several fireballs. The Doppelganger looked over, slightly annoyed at the interference. "Stay out of my way, you fool," he snarled, but the man merely smiled before drawing his sword. The copy's eyes grew wide as he recognized the blade. "Is that truly..." "Valmanway? Yes, it is. I'm actually surprised that you actually recognized it after so many years," Kurtis sneered as he rushed forward, trying to pin his opponent to the wall. Much to his dismay, the copy dodged to his left, drawing his own version of the sword. Kurtis smiled at this before beckoning his adversary forward. "Let's see if you have what it takes to finish me."
The copy snarled and took his stance, the blade feeling fairly light in his hand. Kurtis smiled coldly before making his move. In a blur of motion, the copy was reeling backwards, without his sword. The reason? The human scientist had taken off the man's wrist, sword and all. His face was practically devoid of emotion as he released his frustration at the Doppelganger, slashing it across the face over and over again. When he finally decided to remove it's head, it had collapsed near the door. Turning after he had finished absorbing the souls, he watched in amusement as Charlotte shortened her opponent by severing both of his legs at the knee. She then brought her blade across in a backhanded swing, removing the poor creature's head.
Camilla had shifted her hands into claws, and was busy trying to wrench a sword away from her opponent. However, it wasn't working out in the way that she had originally anticipated. Damn, this thing is strong! she thought to herself as she continued to struggle with the copy. He snarled as he raised his left hand and sent several hundred volts of electricity into the vampire's face, and Camilla stumbled back, swearing in Latin. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she looked over at the smirking copy of Soma Cruz. "You are dead!" she snarled as she once more lunged forward. The man yelped as her claws scored his chest, and then he stopped abruptly. The vampire smiled, her hand sticking out of the man's back, leaving a bloody hole where his heart had been. The souls rushed out of the hole before he slumped into her, and Camilla grinned. Free food too? Awww, you shouldn't have! she thought as she began to feed.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth was busy trading distance blows with her opponent. She ducked under another massive fireball and rolled to her right, avoiding the swarm of locusts that appear out of nowhere. Bloody nuisances, she thought as she swatted them away, but then she had an idea. A wicked grin crossed her face as she began to charge her own magic. The copy grinned as he sent another swarm of locusts after her, but it soon turned into a horrified expression when Dracula's niece countered with a fireball that burned them all to a crisp, in addition to charring his right hand. The man hissed in pain and stood-up to cast another spell, but he was quickly fried by Elizabeth's follow-up. The lightning spell flared from her fingertips and slammed into his head, boring into his skull in moments. He collapsed in a boneless heap, his skull imploding due to the pressure difference. The young vampire merely smiled as she walked over to the bloody mess, absorbing the souls as she walked. She was still a little hungry, and all of that blood looked so appealing.
At the same time, Etna was discovering the same thing that Krichevskoy had earlier in the day: the copy couldn't wield a spear to save his own life. She was sidestepping every single one of the blows that had been aimed at her, and her own strikes were inflicting greater and greater damage with each passing second. When the two stopped for a breather, Etna smiled before putting her spear away and making a curious spinning motion with her left hand. Kurtis' eyes suddenly widened as he realized what Etna was doing, and then he turned to his companions. "I suggest that we move, people. I don't really want to be caught in the blast radius." "What are you talking about?" Charlotte asked, slightly puzzled, but then she saw that there were several strange creatures in the air, circling in accordance with Etna's finger movements.. "I suddenly have a feeling that we should move as far away as possible," she suddenly agreed, scrambling away from the enraged young demon.
Etna smiled at the Doppelganger, and then four words escaped her lips. "Drop Dead! Prinny Raid!" The zombie penguins abruptly stopped circling and shot towards the ground, impacting one after the other. The copy of Soma had no chance to even attempt a dodge, and he was forced to endure every hit. After the fifth Prinny, he was on his knees, coughing-up blood, and after the tenth, he had passed-out due to the pain and loss of blood. He was still lying on the ground when the final Prinny slammed into the center of his spine and detonated, ripping him apart instantaneously. The soul spheres rose from the crater and shot into Etna, and the young demon smiled before motioning everyone else forward. "Come on, we still have some work to do."
From Doppelgangers to a rematch... When will the madness ever end? Probably after Shaft is dead, but that's not gonna happen any time soon...
Following Soma: Master's Chamber: Castle Dracula (Normal)
"Well, it looks like Shaft is starting to rely on rejects like you to protect himself," Soma sneered as he drew his sword and allowed his wings to spread. Graham Jones frowned as he drew his own sword, and then the two began to circle. Each was seeking an opening, but it was Graham who drew first blood due to a dirty trick. He smiled wickedly as he suddenly took two steps forward, and Soma backed away the same distance, trying to maintain his advantage. Jones then nodded to something else, and it was at that moment that Soma realized that something was horribly wrong. He tried to turn, but it was already too late.
Graham laughed as the spikes embedded in the wall stabbed through Soma's wings, leaving multiple gaping holes in them. "First blood is mine, Cruz." "I can assure you, Jones, that you will not win this battle through cheap tricks like that!" Soma managed to snarl through clenched teeth as he prepared to summon his Alura Familiar. Jones saw this coming and raised his right hand before smiling. "I already took certain precautions to make sure that you couldn't heal. Now die!" he roared as his finger stabbed down on the button of the remote in his hand. However, he did not anticipate that Soma would teleport directly in front of him and knock the remote into the air before the missionary could press the button. Dracula's reincarnation then leapt after the remote, and he smashed it in a single stroke. Upon landing, he turned to face his adversary, summoning his familiar as he did so.
The young Alura gently smiled at her master before her eyes hardened at the site of Graham Jones. Lily lashed out mercilessly with her vines, determined to take the idiot entirely out of the picture. Graham stumbled back, wincing as the vines lashed him repeatedly across the face and arms. Then, one came and wrapped around his legs, tripping him easily. The man did a face-plant into the pool of blood on the floor, and Soma smiled. It was the opportunity that he had been waiting for. Rushing forward, he stabbed Graham in the chest with Claimh Solais before shifting his hands into claws and removing the missionary's head. He snorted once and crossed himself as the man dissolved. "Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust." He then turned and walked back out. Nodding at Dracula, he motioned for Saito and the others to stand. "Time that we go and check on that damn door." The Oricaltos nodded in agreement, and then they all moved-out.
While Saito and his companions are making their way back towards the Abyss, we now join Setsuna and the others as they head to the Ceremonial Room in order to face Andralamech...
Following Setsuna&Co: Ceremonial Room
The hybrid priest poked his head in the door, and then immediately pulled it back in order to avoid a stream of fireballs. "It looks like he's not really happy to be locked-up here." "You have no idea," Nathan responded as he readied his whip and boomerang. "Is everyone ready?" There were nods all around, and then Graves nodded at Setsuna. "Let's go." He then turned to Hugh and smiled. "It's time that I show you how to use multiple DSS card-combinations at once." The Baldwin nodded, and then everyone filed through the door.
As soon as they had dropped down to ground-level, Nathan activated his first combination, the Mars-Unicorn combo, which turned VampireKiller into a holy sword (Sound familiar? If not, then be sure to read Chapter 6 or Interlude III). Hugh was off to one side, defending his wife from flying skulls while still managing to take notes on the DSS combos. Nathan smiled and slowly shook his head before turning back to the battle at hand. After splitting several fireballs and dodging multiple flying skulls, Nathan decided that enough was enough. He drew out the Pluto card and activated it, and then he followed by activating several more cards to form the combinations that he needed. These combinations included, but were not limited to:
Pluto-Salamander: Item Crash
Pluto-Serpent: Double the number of thrown weapons
Pluto-Golem: Shadow clone
Pluto-Griffon: Faster movement
Apollo-Cockatrice: Dropping comets at will
Saturn-Thunderbird: Summoning an electrified Crow as a familiar
Hugh finished with his note-taking just before he remembered to duck, causing one of the beast's massive hands to miss his head by several inches. Rolling to his right, he watched as Nathan began to launch boomerangs at a furious pace. Coming to his feet once again, the Baldwin lashed out with a few boomerangs of his own before activating the Crash combination. Looking over at Richter, he smiled as he displayed the cards, and then slowly drew a vial of holy water from his belt. Richter, now realizing what Hugh was going to do, returned the diabolic grin before calling out to Graves. "Hey, Nathan! Get ready for one hell of a downpour!" Nathan turned around and suddenly frowned. Wait a second... Aren't there demons on our side as well? He had hit on something that Richter had forgotten, and he knew that he only had seconds to act. He took a deep breath, and then roared one word at the top of his lungs. "STOP!"
Richter froze at the sound of Nathan's voice. "What did you do that for? I was about to end this!" "Well, did you ever consider how some of our allies would react to the Hydro Storm if you unleashed it here and now? Or did that thought never cross your mind?" Hugh looked over at Nathan, and when he noticed that the man's eyes had turned cold and hard, he swallowed nervously. "Crud! I completely forgot that Camilla is a vampire! Me and my sense of timing," he grumbled before putting the vial away and drawing his boomerang once again. Nathan, seeing that at least one of them had gotten his message, turned and unloaded multiple projectiles at the ram's head. Andralamech screamed in pain before trying to squash Nathan again, but Graves quickly rolled out of the way.
Mirer was the next to strike, launching a few fireballs before reaching around to grab the tips of his wings. He then pulled outwards, drawing two swords which bore a stunning resemblance to his wife's blade. Combining them without a second thought, he then rushed forward, slashing the ram-headed beast repeatedly in the face. He was one of the few who dared to get close to the monster, while the rest kept their distance, shooting-off spells. He grinned as several lightning bolts appeared out of the blue and slammed into Andralamech repeatedly, heavily injuring the monster. Turning, he nodded to his wife before scrambling out of the way.
Charlotte concentrated for a few moments, and then her eyes snapped open. She fired several balls of lightning at the creature, and then watched in shock as several comets dropped out of nowhere to finish the beast off. Looking over at a grinning Nathan Graves, she slowly shook her head. "Well, I am certainly glad that the battle is over and done with. Now, where do we go from here?" she asked, slightly puzzled. Her answer soon arrived in the form of a message from the Oricaltos. Attention people! I need all of you to join us in the Abyss ASAP. We have a major battle ahead of us, and I want to make certain that you are all prepared. Everyone nodded, and then they turned and headed out towards the teleport room in the Observation Tower.
While most of the travelers got-off with little to do, there were still dangers in the Abyss for a few people...
Following the Count: Boss Room: The Abyss
Dracula took a cautious step into the room, and then his eyes hardened at the site that awaited him. There were only four copies of Soma left, but they were all there in the same room. He sighed aloud before turning to his younger son. "Do you want to lead, Morian, or should I?" The younger Tepes shook his head, a slow smile crossing his face. "I will lead, but I sure hope that these idiots are worth the effort," he said as he slid past his father and into the room beyond. He was immediately confronted by the first Doppelganger. Shrugging his shoulders, D drew his sword and took his stance, ready for anything. The copy grinned at the dhamphir, showing full fangs. "I am going to enjoy this," he snarled as he rushed forward, his sword already swinging towards D's throat. Vlad's younger son was quick to raise his sword in a block, and then he counterattacked, hoping to catch his opponent while he was still recovering. However, the trick failed miserably, and the copy was able to block the stroke before stabbing forward, hoping to pierce that man's heart.
His sword passed through D with little resistance, and the copy immediately began to laugh, thinking that the battle was over. He didn't notice the cloud of mist behind him, and as it slowly took shape, the copy continued his celebration. Once he had rematerialized, D sighed quietly and raised his sword for one last attack. He was guaranteed not to miss, and he knew it. The copy never knew what hit him. One moment, he was jumping up and down in celebration, and the next, he was collapsing with nearly three feet of steel coming out of the front of his chest. He slowly collapsed into ash, leaving the collection of souls to follow the blade up into the half-vampire. Morian Alexander Tepes, youngest son of the Count, smiled to himself as he exited the room through the door that he had entered from.
Yoko was the next one to walk through the door. She stopped just inside, and slowly raised her right hand, palm-out. The Doppelganger was unsure what to do, but he knew that he had to move, and fast. Diving to his left, he watched as the spheres of lightning shot through his former position at a tremendous speed. Praising his good fortune, he slowly rose to his feet and looked in the direction of the door, only to find that the woman was no longer there. What in the hell? he thought before turning around. He caught just the barest hint of gold before he felt something being rammed into his chest. His eyes suddenly widened with shock when he realized what had happened. Yoko had utilized her transfiguration into mist in order to sneak-up on the copy. As he was turning, she grabbed his own sword and rammed it through the Doppelganger's chest. She smiled before bending over the dying man. "It's nice to know that I have helped to eliminate a cheap imitation like you," she whispered before she began to drink the blood of the duplicate. When she was done, having absorbed all of the souls through her feeding, she turned to leave. Picking-up the sword she had used to kill the man, she felt a sudden rush of power, and outside, the Oricaltos smiled, knowing that Belnades had just "imprinted" on her own sword.
The Count was the next to enter the room, and he immediately drew the Claimh Mortuous. The copy of Soma responded by drawing his own version of Solais, and the two men rushed at one another, determined to end the fight as quickly as possible. Their swords clashed furiously, and it was only a few moments before both men began to circle. Vlad was bleeding freely from a wound on his left arm, while the duplicate was favoring his injured right leg. They continued to exchange blows, but then Vlad decided that it was growing too boring. Leaping backwards, he landed on the balls of his feet, sheathed his sword, and then thrust his hand outward. "HELLFIRE!" the Count roared, and the traditional three-directional fireball emerged from his hand. It shot forward, and then, much to the amusement of those watching, it multiplied, suddenly covering a much wider area than before. The copy had no choice but to take the hit, and it turned out to be the final blow that Vlad needed to land. The Doppelganger soon collapsed with several holes in his chest, and then the souls emerged and circled the room once before returning to their true Master. The Count grinned wickedly, and then he began to chuckle as he left the room.
Finally, it was the Seraph's turn to enter the room. As soon as the angel had passed through the door, he drew his broadsword and pointed it directly at his opponent. "It appears that only you and I are left," he said, and the copy nodded in agreement before drawing his own weapon. He then charged forward, launching two fireballs at Michael in order to confuse the angel. However, the Seraph stood his ground and blocked the attack before launching one of his own. The two circled one another, blocking and counterattacking. Soon enough, Lamington grew tired of playing games, and decided to end it. Launching himself into the air, he spoke only three words as the six seals appeared around him, but those words were the last that the Doppelganger ever heard. "Father, forgive me."
After the light had died down, both of the doors opened, allowing the Oricaltos and his allies passage into the deepest part of the Abyss. Soon enough, they met with the remainder of their friends just outside of the teleport room. "Well, it appears as if we are all intact. We still have one more battle before the fight with Menace, so I am asking all of you here and now: Are you truly prepared for the task at hand?" The mage gazed from face to face, and everyone nodded in agreement. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" he called as he headed towards the central chambers.
Central Chamber: The Abyss: Castle Dracula (Normal)
As soon as everyone had dropped to the floor, Soma immediately began to search for the boss that they had to defeat. Hearing a loud groaning noise coming from one side of the room, he looked over in that direction and nearly recoiled in disgust. The demon on the wall was massive, and the young man had absolutely no clue what it was. He looked over at his companions before shrugging. "Does anyone know how to fight this thing correctly?" Leon looked up at the demon before shuddering. "I hated fighting this thing, but I guess that there's no other way around it." Drawing VampireKiller, he began to attack the lower limbs before motioning for the others to spread-out. "We all need to attack at once. That way, this fight will be over much faster."
Saito nodded in agreement before turning to the rest. In the end, he divided the remainder of the army into three groups. He left Leon Belmont and his descendants, in addition to the Forgemaster and his wife, to attack the lower portion of the body. Most of the vampires, including Vlad and his sons, were ordered to attack the upper torso area. Meanwhile, Saito led the rest, including Soma, Mina, and the Seraph, in his attacks on the head of the beast. It took much time and effort, but the monster was eventually destroyed outright. As everyone landed on the floor after the battle, Nicholai looked down, slightly amused. "Soma, I need you to get on one of the higher platforms, then look down and tell me what you see." Cruz did so, and he instantaneously smiled before calling down to the former Overlord. "It has the appearance of one of the seals that I would use." "Correct. Now come down here, and allow me to teach you exactly how to draw the Patriarch's Seal." The reincarnation of the Count descended to the floor, and everyone watched in wonder as Nicholai Krichevskoy traced the thirteen lines of the seal in one continuous motion. He then smiled wickedly as the seal beneath their feet lit-up with a blue glow before finally cracking open, leaving behind a swirling green vortex. Soma took a deep breath and then he spoke. "If any of you wish to turn back, then here is your chance. Once we cross into the Inverted Castle, then we have no choice but to continue pushing forward. Is everyone clear on that?" All nodded, but none of them turned to walk away. "It is decided then. We will face Menace together."
At long last, after several torturous hours of wandering the castle and slaying various servants of Shaft, it is time for our heroes to enter the TRUE struggle. Welcome to the Inverted Castle, where illusions can kill, everything is upside-down, and the foes are more merciless than ever before...
Following Soma: Central Chamber: Inverted Abyss: Castle Dracula (Inverted)
As soon as Soma Cruz had stepped through the vortex, he detected that something was horribly wrong. Searching the area, he was quick to find the disturbance, and he swallowed hard. Curse that damn Dark Priest and all he stands for! I am growing sick and tired of having to face old foes, especially ones as annoying as Menace. Hopefully, this battle will be fairly quick. We can only hope, Soma. Come on, let's get this battle started, shall we? Let's.
As soon as everyone had emerged from the portal, they immediately spread-out, making it harder for Menace to take them all out with a single blow. As Soma spread his wings and rose from the ground, he was surprised when Mina joined him, and his surprise only grew when the Oricaltos himself flew up to join him, followed shortly by the remainder of the vampires. "You are not alone in this, Cruz. If you go down fighting, then you are not going down alone." Soma smiled at his friends before turning back to the massive demon. He then reached into his coat, and slowly drew out the Claimh Solais. "It is time that the nightmare ends here and now. Menace! Your time on this world is finally up!" With that, he charged forward, light energy shining through his fingertips as he prepared to launch the first of many blows.
Meanwhile, Seth was busy directing the ground forces to use their crosses and holy water to try and bring down the massive collection of demons that had fused into the hideous beast. So far, they weren't having much luck. That is, until Juste utilized his own version of the Crash involving the dagger and the Book of Wind. It had an immediate effect, and Menace suddenly lurched forward, unbalanced by such a blow. Richter exchanged a grin with his ancestor before he also drew his own dagger. "Well then, let's get to work cutting this thing down to size!" he called as he launched his own stream of daggers. The remaining Belmonts were quick to join-in, and soon Menace was stumbling backwards, until it could go no further.
At this point, Soma and the other fliers decided that it would be best to press their advantage. Putting their weapons away, the group began to launch projectile attacks from just out of the monster's reach. The collection of demons could do nothing as each of the projectiles took its own toll, until it began to slowly slump-over. Soma then decided that it was time to finish the battle. Looking over at Saito, he raised an eyebrow, as if asking permission to use a certain skill. The diralec noticed the gesture and immediately smiled. He knew what Soma wanted to use, and he thought that it would be fitting to end the battle in such a way.
Crossing his hand over the right side of his chest, he began the mental chant that would unleash the final blow. As they collectively called out the final eight words, everyone suddenly pointed their palm directly at the monster, unleashing the attack. "Alcarve, ansure, alnidrae, ansum. Oldave, antelis, ankare TSUNUM!" The fireballs zoomed in from every possible angle of attack, slamming into the beast without even pausing. Menace gave a final scream before he finally collapsed in on himself, ending as a pile of dust on the floor, and a portal of darkness hanging in mid-air. Soma quickly drew the Patriarch's Seal, cutting-off the flow of power to the demon, and forever destroying him.
Author's note2: In advance, I wish to apologize for not only the delay in posting it, but also for the length of this chapter. It took me an extremely long time to get all of my ideas together, and by the time I had finished, this chapter was at it's current length. Hopefully, I will not have to do any editing outside of my usual spelling and grammar checks. I hope that all of you have enjoyed this story so far, and I pray that you continue to read as this tale nears the end.
After finally defeating Menace, Soma, Saito and the others now face a truly perilous test of all of their skills. The Inverted Castle is not a place for the faint of heart, and it will take every measure of strength for our companions to journey deeper and deeper into the keep. What sort of horrific illusions await outside of the Abyss? Are any of the monsters possible allies in this war? What sort of plans has Shaft already set into motion, and how will they affect Saito and Soma's plan of attack? Finally, what will happen when our heroes take a short break after half of the Inverted Castle is completed? Be sure to watch out for my next chapter, Into the Inverted We Go! Also, please remember to both READ AND REVIEW. Thank you.