Disclaimer: You know the drill by now.
Extraneous: Ditto

After advancing further into the keep,
the Oricaltos once more crossed the path of Zephyr.
The battle was brutal and both nearly died.
However, in the end, the time-wizard died,
and the weredragon survived to fight another day.
Yet, Fate has a strange sense of irony,
and the best was still yet to come...
-Prophecy di luce e di ombre: Lines CIII-CIX

Chapter 14: Revelation of Intentions
When we last left Saito and the others:

The fighting was starting to grow fiercer, as the task continued to grow in difficulty. Alucard released all of his familiars, and some of the forms brought quite a surprise. After some debate, the two teams (one led by Saito, the other by Setsuna) parted ways to take-out all opponents on the way to the Inverted Garden of Madness.

While Saito and his team were busy dealing with two zombified dragons, Henry Oldrey had to face an even tougher challenge: his grandfather. The elder vampire was rather ruthless, having cursed Actrise so that she was unable to bear children. However, through the intervention of Setsuna, the curse was lifted. Meanwhile, we learned that Shaft had asked Baal to establish a barrier around the Condemned Tower, in order to prevent Dracula's power from having an influence on Gergoth.

The next two battles went rather quickly for Setsuna's team, while Saito's team was highly amused after Laharl had a close encounter with several female demons. There were a few laughs shared by the group, and then they continued forward.

Upon reaching the Garden, Saito allowed Aramis to enter the Boss Room alone, or so he thought. Apparently, Vlad also managed to slip through the door, and he watched as the young Zombie Master confronted Shaft's right-hand man, Michael Chamberlain. The man raised a skeletal army, but his powers paled in comparison to the control exhibited by Aramis. In an instant, not only had the young man's hair color been permanently changed, but he also unleashed an army of zombies, who all made short work of the forces of darkness. As for Setsuna and his team, they were faced with a Chimera upon reaching the Garden. However, thanks to the combined efforts of both Croix and Cornell, the beast quickly collapsed into a rather bloody mess.

The next destination was the Condemned Tower, but only a select few were able to make it past the barrier. After traveling for several minutes and hitting various switches along the way, Gergoth was released on the top floor. Unfortunately, the beast was heavily armored, and it took several minutes before Saito and his allies were able to punch through (and I mean that literally!) the thick armor in order to land any blows. When all was finally said and done, Abaddon's locusts managed to land the final blow on the massive beast, and it collapsed without a need to be sealed.

Finally, after a long, hard journey, the group managed to enter the Cursed Clock Tower. After rearranging several of the spike-filled rooms, Saito once again came face-to-face with Zephyr. The two dueled for quite some time, and the battle was long and bloody. In the end, however, Saito was the only one who survived, but he had severe injuries to deal with. However, that wasn't the only thing that was different. Zephyr, as it turns out, was one of the generals of the Dark God, a concept that will be continually expanded upon as the story continues.

Meanwhile, let's get back into the heart of things, shall we? We know rejoin Saito, Soma, and the rest of the gang as they prepare themselves for a fight against the fire demon Aguni...

Following Saito&Co: Boss Room: Inverted Pinnacle: Castle Dracula (inverted): Walachia Province: Transylvania
Time Period: 1666 AD
Time: A little over four hour after the battle against Zephyr...

"Man, didn't you just HATE those things?" "Yup, and I'm thankful that we never have to pass through there again. That was kind of tiring," Saito responded, stretching his aching wings. It had only been an hour since he had awakened once more, and his patience was quickly running out. He had obliterated the beds of spikes surrounding the narrow passage that led into the Pinnacle, and he was just a little frustrated that Shaft was having them run in circles, hoping that they would drop-dead from exhaustion before reaching him. "All right, who wants to go in and face Aguni?"

Soleiyu looked at his father before stepping forward. "I'll go. This is a chance for me to prove to my old man here," he said, indicating Christopher, "that I am worthy of wielding VampireKiller." Saito shrugged before giving him a rather casual grin. "That works for me, but you can't go in there alone." Orlox rolled his eyes before also stepping forward, followed rather closely by Karina. "I will go as well. After all, it's not every day when you get to go and beat the living daylights out of one of the most powerful fire demons that has ever existed!" "Good point, but be very careful," the Oricaltos warned. "There is a very good reason why he is referred to as the King of Flames." Upon hearing this, Priere stopped cold. Are you telling me that Aguni is another of the generals of the Dark God? I'm afraid so, and I have a feeling that we have already encountered several, without even knowing it. Let's just hope that they don't come back to kill us in the end. My sentiments exactly.

Shortly after the three had passed through the door, it slammed shut, leaving them facing a rather annoyed fire demon. Aguni snorted in disgust as he looked at the trio before him. What? No Soma this time around? I just hope that you fools are powerful enough to offer me some sort of entertainment before you all die screaming! Trust me, King of Flames: They are powerful enough to put you out of your misery. Truly, King of Dragons? the demon sneered, turning towards the door before suddenly feeling a rather strange burning sensation, as if something were looking straight through him. Yes, Aguni. They are powerful enough to kill you, and I have no doubt that they WILL!

As the great demon prepared for his dive attack, Soleiyu decided to give the demon just a taste of what was to come. Passing the whip to his left hand, he flung a bottle of holy water at Aguni, causing the King of Flames to screech in pain. WHAT? How DARE you use such a dirty trick on me! At that point, Orlox smiled. "This is only the beginning, Aguni. The best is still yet to come!" With that being said, the vampiric count summoned an Alastor in order to deal more damage in a shorter period of time. Karina followed his example when summoning her Great Armor familiar. She then began to utilize the Eriyns Soul, making it much harder for Aguni to dodge all of the attacks. This, combined with the fact that Soleiyu was constantly lashing-out with VampireKiller, caused the King of Flames a massive headache.

Eventually, Aguni stopped trying to dive at the trio, and he began to launch several waves of flames across the floor (or ceiling, depending on your perspective of things). As the Belmont tried to destroy the flames using his whip, Orlox had to haul the young man out of the path of destruction. However, the flames just kept coming. "That's it! I've had enough of this!" Orlox yelled as he launched a Frozen Shade Soul, countering the flame wave with one made of ice. The collision caused a massive steam cloud, which obscured the movements of everyone. After several minutes, many near-misses, and some very creative cursing, the cloud dissipated, just before the doors opened. Apparently, the steam cloud was too much for Aguni, and he had perished because of his own stupidity.

Christopher was the first one to poke his head into the room, and then he whistled. "I have to admit this much son: You surprised me a bit with that stunt involving the holy water." "Hey, at least it worked!" The elder man shook his head and chuckled. "I can't hold it in any more. You truly ARE worthy of wielding VampireKiller." "Why, thank you!" The happy moment was interrupted by a small bought of coughing from the mage. "I hate to interrupt, but I don't want to be sitting here all day. I actually want this thing to be over and done with, so let's keep moving!" "Agreed, sir," Soleiyu responded as he rose and stretched. "Let's keep going."

While the Oricaltos and his allies are working their way through the Demon Guest House, let's go check-in with a few delinquents...
Following Celia&Co: Boss Room: Inverted Wizardry Lab

"WHAT? You must be JOKING me! Grrr..." Stupid Soma. Always messing around with my perfect contingency plans. When I get my hands on him, I will make him pay! "Uh, Celia? Are you okay?" Dario was a little worried, since Celia appeared as if she were on the verge of exploding. "You look really red, and I don't think that it's a good thing." The female summoner looked over at Dario, and then she blew a few locks of hair away from her face. "I just got word from Shaft that Soma and his allies managed to defeat Gergoth, Zephyr, AND Aguni, even after the Dark Priest strengthened them!" Dmitrii thought for a moment before an idea struck him. "What if it wasn't Soma's fault?" "What are you talking about, Blinov?" "Well, if Shaft reinforced the bosses, then they should have been stronger, right?" This caught Celia's interest, and she motioned for Dmitrii to continue. "Go on." "Well, what if Shaft wasn't doing his job properly?" "Then the one at fault would be SHAFT!" "Exactly, but that doesn't mean that I doubt his abilities." Dario snorted in disgust. "It might be that the Dark Priest is underestimating the strength of Soma and his allies. He might even think of us as disposable!" Both Celia and Dmitrii stared at him, as if he had sprouted an extra head. LORD, save us now! Is that rational thought I am hearing from Dario? The world must be coming to an end!

While Celia and Dmitrii are trying to get over the thought of Dario actually thinking(gasp!), let's head back to the Demon Guest House, in order to find that yet another King of Darkness has been discovered...
Following Saito&Co: Boss Room (upper): Inverted Demon Guest House

"Okay, who wants to try their luck against the next King of Darkness?" Priere sighed before rolling her eyes and looking-over at the Oricaltos. "Who is it this time, the Puppet Master?" The young hybrid raised an eyebrow before nodding his head. "What gave it away?" "Well, we ARE at what was once the lower Boss Room, so it was the only reasonable explanation." "Eh, good point. Anyway, who wants to go in?" Soma was about to step forward when the Oricaltos shot him a rather nasty look. "Anyone who has already battled this monster is not allowed to go in."

"Awww... Why not, Saito?" Soma whined. "Well, we need EVERYONE to get-in on these fights. Besides, I want to see a variety of strategies." "Fine, fine," Soma responded, falling back into line. Sonia looked over at the reincarnation of Dracula before slowly shaking her head. She then stepped forward, and was joined by both Walter Bernhard and the succubus Galatea. "It's been quite a while since I had to face-off against the King of Marionettes. I just hope that he doesn't have any new tricks up his sleeve," Walter commented, getting a slightly surprised look from both Soma and Dracula. "You mean to tell me that it was around in YOUR time?" "Yup, and the thing that I hated the most was being stuffed into the Iron Maidens." Soma shuddered at this mention, for it was one of his worst memories of that fateful battle...

Begin Flashback

Following Soma Cruz: Boss Room (lower): Demon Guest House: Dark Castle: Walachia Province: Transylvania
Year: 2036 AD

Soma walked into the room and looked at the massive figure hanging from the ceiling. "You're KIDDING me, right? This should be a piece of cake," he said aloud, hefting the Bhuj. The weight from the single-bladed axe was quite comforting, as Soma had no clue what to expect. I just hope that this doesn't take too long, but I wonder what those Iron Maidens are for...

Soon enough, he found out. The Puppet Master came to life and began to summon numerous floating dolls, which swooped down to attack Soma. Cruz, much to his annoyance, swatted them away before attacking with one of his nastier Bullet Souls, the Flame Demon. The fireball passed through the lower jaws of the monster, causing it to snarl in pain. Then, Soma noticed something unusual about one of the four hands. It was holding a blue-gray doll, and was moving it towards the Iron Maiden in the upper-right hand corner of the room. Soma laughed aloud. "What are you planning on doing with that?" he asked, and the monster merely gave him a terrible smile. Then, all of a sudden, it happened.

One moment, Soma was standing on the floor near the center of the room. In the next, he howled out in anger and pain as the Iron Maiden closed on him. You see, the Puppet Master had a unique talent. It could swap the place of it's victims with one of the dolls that it held. Soma, shortly after tumbling out of the torture device, stumbled back to his feet. "Okay, I do not want to do that again!" he groaned, struggling to heal the wounds on his wrists and ankles. The Puppet Master chuckled again as it conjured another doll, but this time, Soma was ready for it.

"Oh NO you don't!" he yelled as he slammed into the doll with his axe. It took four good whacks, but the doll fell to pieces before it could be placed. Soma then stared-down the monster, his eyes narrowing. "It's time to finish this, once and for all." With that being said, the final assault began. Cruz never stopped moving, dodging the dolls, utilizing the Flame Demon, and he managed to avoid being stuffed back into one of the Iron Maidens for the rest of the battle. In the end, a single strike from the Bhuj was enough to cause the beast to darken, allowing Soma to draw the third Seal. As soon as he finished, Puppet Master screamed at him only once before dissolving into thousands of pieces, which were promptly sucked into the vortex created by the seal.

End Flashback

"To say the least, that experience was rather hellish, and I never want to repeat it again!" "You aren't the only one, Cruz. I hated that fight more than anything else, especially since I couldn't teleport around like I usually did." Saito slowly shook his head before motioning towards the door. "Are you just going to reminisce all day, or are you actually going to head in and fight?" "We're going, we're going," Walter grumbled before the trio headed into the room. Immediately after they entered, the door slammed shut behind them.

The Puppet Master descended from the ceiling and looked at the three, amusement glittering in slightly dulled eyes. "Well, it appears as if there are three of you this time. One that I don't know, one that I don't like much, and one that I absolutely despise." Galatea rolled her eyes before staring up at the monster. "Hello, Mephisto. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" "Yes it has, and now I can finally have my revenge," the monster snarled, hands curling into fists. "If you hadn't been distracting me, I would still be normal!" At this, Galatea's eyes narrowed to slits. "If you had just left me alone, then I could have had a normal life! But nooo. You just HAD to have your own way. You ALWAYS did!"

Outside of the Boss Room:

Everyone was crowded around Saito's laptop, listening to the exchange between Galatea and the Puppet Master. "Apparently, those two have a bit of a history," Saito remarked, turning to Soma as he did so. "I don't really think it was much of a history, Saito. From what those two have been saying, they blame one another for their current conditions," Soma responded. Turning, the frost-haired man turned to look at the King of Vampires. "Did you know anything about this, Vlad?" The Count shook his head before replying. "I had absolutely no idea about this." With that, everyone turned back to the screen, in order to find that the two were still arguing.

Back inside we go!

"...Well, if you hadn't been screwing around with the dimensional portals, you wouldn't have fallen into one!" "At least I had the sense to stay with only one person!" Galatea fumed at this comment before drawing her own sword. "Enough. It's time that we end this feud once and for all, Mephisto Conrad." "I couldn't agree with you more, Galatea Solnaris," the great monster snarled before conjuring several smaller dolls to attack the trio. At the same time, he began to create three of his special dolls (ones like the blue-gray thing he swapped Soma with), but this didn't go unnoticed by Walter and Sonia. Immediately, the two began to attack their respective representations, while Galatea concentrated on eliminating most of the smaller dolls.

Two tiring hours later...

"I'm out of ideas here, people. How in the hell are we going to keep him from slamming us into those things?" Sonia panted, getting puzzled looks from her two companions. The battle had been long and hard, but the trio were growing more and more tired as each minute passed. They were running out of ideas when they heard a rather familiar mental voice. I think that you should eliminate his arms. That way, he won't be able to conjure those stupid dolls. Well, it's worth a shot! Galatea called as she spread her wings and once more rose from the floor. Walter was about to do likewise when Sonia rather abruptly slammed into, knocking the startled vampire to the floor. He promptly turned on her, eyes blazing. "What in the hell did you do that for?" Sonia blew her bangs away from her eyes before responding. "I didn't have to do that. Then again, would you prefer staying alive, or would you rather be killed by this idiot?" Walter was about to snap-off a rather nasty comment at her before he suddenly realized what had made the breeze he had felt when Sonia had initially tackled him. The Puppet Master was holding four hook-shaped blades, and he was desperately trying to keep Galatea away from his shoulders. She actually saved my life! Walter thought as he unleashed several fireballs, incinerating the three special dolls that Mephisto was trying to stuff into the Iron Maidens.

The great monster nearly screamed aloud when he felt his upper-right arm being sliced from his body. Instead, he spat out a rather long and creative stream of curses at the trio, causing Galatea to briefly stop her assault. The succubus then smiled at Mephisto before giving him a one-finger salute (You guys know which one) and continuing her attack on his upper-left shoulder joint. Walter was soon in the air, helping her out while Sonia was busy on the floor, keeping almost all of the smaller puppets at-bay using her whip and holy water. Eventually, the marionettes stopped coming, giving the slender woman a brief respite. Unfortunately, the break didn't last very long, as the Dark General began to try and regenerate the limbs that he had already lost. That soon ceased entirely, as both Galatea and Walter promptly stabbed him in the eyes, blinding him. Simultaneously, Sonia ripped-apart his forehead with a well-timed stroke from VampireKiller. The result was rather instantaneous. With a final scream of hatred and rage, Mephisto Conrad, the much-hated King of Marionettes, burst into flames before collapsing to the floor, dead.

From marionettes to mirrors. Let's follow the Oricaltos and his allies as they proceed to the lower Boss Room in order to face-off against the mirror-fiend, Paranoia...
Boss Room (lower): Inverted Demon Guest House

"It has been a long road so far, but we still have a few more adversaries to face," Saito remarked to the others as they came to a sudden halt outside of the second Boss Room. "Okay, who wants to go face Paranoia?" he asked, not exactly expecting an immediate answer. After all, everyone had heard from Soma what the great monster was capable of. Eventually, much to Laharl's surprise, Gordon stepped forward, followed closely by Jennifer and Kurtis. "We might as well give this thing a shot. After all, how bad could it really get?" "You'd be surprised," Soma responded as he traced the fourth Seal, opening the door.

Shortly after the trio had entered the room, the door slid shut, trapping them with five mirrors. Four were located in the extreme corners of the room, while the fifth, a rather large one, was hanging from the back wall. It was in this mirror that Paranoia made his appearance. The first thing to emerge was the monster's face. With beady black eyes and a cruelly hooked nose, he closely resembled a bird-of-prey. His skin was fairly pasty, as if it had been bleached white. The rest of his body, with the lone exception of his hands, was wrapped in a black body-stocking. He gazed around the room once, and then sneered at the three who had been sent to challenge him. "You think that you can defeat me? I highly doubt it." Go ahead and doubt then, Paranoia. I have already seen their abilities, and I know that they are capable of destroying you. Fine. Let us see who is truly correct in their opinion, Oricaltos, he mentally snarled at the mage before commencing his assault.

Paranoia launched himself at Gordon, slender hands shooting towards the man's throat. Unfortunately, he did not anticipate that the Slayer would draw his gun and fire three quick rounds. The first shot missed, the second bullet glanced-off Paranoia's nose, and the last round clipped his skull as the monster dove to his left. Rolling, he quickly came to his feet, only to be staring down the length of Valmanway. The black eyes slowly rose, until they met the merciless emerald eyes of Kurtis. "You were saying, Paranoia?" he snarled before rearing back, preparing to plunge his blade into the demon's throat.

Paranoia, however, had one last trick up his sleeve. As Kurtis thrust forward, the fiendish monster dashed backwards, retreating into the large mirror in the back of the room. Kurtis and the others were slightly puzzled by this development, but they soon received a life-saving tip from Soma. Be very careful, you three, and keep your eyes on the mirrors in the corners. Watch the angles, watch for his hand, and then prepare to dodge. Why should we do that, Soma? Paranoia has an annoying tendency to use lasers whenever he retreats into the mirror. He will fire twice, and then emerge once again. Thanks for the hint, Cruz. You're very welcome, Kurtis.

The chartreuse-haired man kept his eyes constantly scanning as he moved towards the center of the room. His two companions did likewise, after he explained what Soma had told him. Together, they managed to dodfe the first laser, but the second one managed to clip Jennifer's left leg. She winced slightly before looking directly at the emerging mirror-fiend. Her eyes narrowed to slits, and then she released one of her own projectile spells. "Cosmic Arrow!" The attack caught Paranoia by surprise, and he collapsed to the floor with an irregular-looking hole in his chest. He instantly knew that he was dying, and he reached out with his mind one last time.

It appears that you were right about them, King of Dragons. As usual, King of Delusions. But I never... How in the hell did you know? To tell you the truth: It was just a lucky guess. Paranoia groaned slightly. No matter, then. I know that we will meet again in the distant future. ...What do you mean by that? When the stars are aligned, we will all return, as heralds of Amaltezerial. Hmm... Thank you for giving me the name of the Dark God, mirror-fiend. Now go, and rest in piece. Thank you, Oricaltos, for helping me to achieve my own peace. See you in 2080.(1) With those last words, Paranoia vanished, just before both doors opened once again.

THAT fight went rather quickly, and we picked-up a new piece of information about things to come, too! However, before they could continue on their journey, Saito and his allies had to face one of their greatest challenges: one another.
Following Saito: Entrance: Inverted Marble Corridor: Section 1 of 3

Saito approached the door, but stopped short of actually opening it. Tensions had been running high that day, and now most of the tempers had flared-up due to an unusual altercation. Earlier that morning, Galatea had made several unflattering comments about the way Etna dressed (not that she was one to talk). But during the fight with the Puppet Master, Etna had gained all of the ammunition that she needed to get back at the succubus. She was merciless in bothering Galatea about her past life, and all too quickly, they had come to blows. This led to a general brawl, as several of the others also had unresolved issues with one another. After trying to halt the fighting for nearly half an hour, Saito decided that it would be for the best if he continued alone. Having arrived at his next destination, the Oricaltos decided to wait briefly before proceeding onwards. Already, he could feel the chills running up and down his spine. He knew that he was about to enter a rather personal Hell.

Back to the brawl we go!
Following Lucian: Boss Room (lower): Inverted Demon Guest House
Time: Forty-five minutes have passed since Saito left the group

Alucard's Ghost Familiar slowly shook his head as he looked at the fighting before him. He had tried to break-up the brawl several times, but had been unsuccessful. When will this all end? he thought, and was surprised when Saito decided to answer him. They have many unresolved issues, so it will take some time. However, I don't think they realize that fighting with one another is actually serving Shaft's purpose rather than our own. Ah, well. Let them know that I have decided to walk the lonely road. Lucian was slightly puzzled by this statement, and decided to inquire further. What do you mean by that? This is something that I must do on my own, so don't try to stop me. I have to face this nightmare of mine, and now is the perfect opportunity to do so with little outside interference.

Soma managed to separate himself from the fighting just in time to hear the Oricaltos' last comment. Saito? Where are you? I haven't seen you since this brawl started. Maybe it's because I left after trying to stop the hostilities for half an hour. As for my location, I am currently stopped at the entrance of the Inverted Marble Corridor. Why is it any of your concern? I was just asking. Anyway, what do you mean by "facing your nightmare"? Dracula's reincarnation heard the hybrid sigh on the other end of the connection, and then Saito relented. Allow me to explain, Soma. As of this point, no male, demon or otherwise, has managed to pass through the Inverted Marble Corridor in one piece. Why is that? Because the only demons inside the corridor itself are female. There was a brief pause, and then Soma promptly exploded. WHAT? That can't be right! If you don't believe me, then come over and see for yourself. Umm... I'll just take your word for it. Thanks, the mage responded, the sarcasm dripping from his tone.

Anyway, back to my explanation. My worst nightmare entails being trapped in an enclosed space with several female demons, and absolutely no way to defend myself. Oh... well then, I wish you the best of luck, Saito. Thanks, Soma. I have a funny feeling that I'm going to need all of the luck that I can get. Anyway, I'm off. Let the others know, and please hurry. If I don't survive, then I am trusting you to come in and find me. Understood.

Soma's gaze wandered the room, resting rather briefly on Lucian. The two men exchanged a nod, and then Soma's voice rang-out over the chaos. "ENOUGH!" he roared, and the fighting ground to a rather abrupt halt. Everyone turned to stare directly at Dracula's reincarnation, a slightly puzzled expression appearing on all faces present. "Why in the hell did you do that? I thought that Saito would be the one to stop the fighting," Galatea snarled at him, earning a slightly disgusted look from the frost-haired young man. "Well, if you were paying any attention earlier, then Saito would have been the one to end the fighting. Unfortunately, you were to busy trying to scratch Etna's eyes out, or you would have noticed when he left nearly forty-five minutes ago." Soma then proceeded to explain what Saito had told him, and everyone hung their heads in shame. "Where is he?" she asked, slightly worried that the Oricaltos had taken-off on his own once again. "He is about to enter the Inverted Marble Corridor," Lucian responded, and Priere immediately panicked. "WHAT? But that's suicidal!" Not really. Besides, it's something that I can't put-off any longer. Wish me luck! And with that, he was gone.

It took Soma and the others very little time to catch-up with the wayward mage, but they arrived a few seconds too late. He had already passed beyond the door.
Following Soma&Co: Entrance: Inverted Marble Corridor: Section 1 of 3

Soma sprinted around the corner, and then he began to swear rather creatively in several ancient and modern dialects. The Oricaltos was already gone, leaving no trace of his passage, with the lone exception of his laptop. It was sitting by the door, idly waiting for Soma to log-on. Cruz wasted absolutely no time in getting the system up and running, but he stopped when he noticed a rather detailed diagram on the screen. "It looks like he was being serious after all," he commented, and everyone else promptly gathered around. "Exactly what is this?" Priere asked, and Count Dracula responded rather gravely. "This is a diagram that shows the positions of each and every single demon within each of the three sections of the Marble Corridor. It shows their allegiance, either to Shaft or myself, and it also shows whether they are alive or dead." "Well, it looks to me like Saito is doing a tremendous job on his own," Laharl commented, and Soma nodded as they all continued to stare at the diagram. For the most part, the diralec had slaughtered almost all of those loyal to Shaft, leaving no one left to tell the tale. When the last colored circle faded, the door swung open, and Soma called-out to the mage. "Hold on a minute, Saito! You might want to take a look at this first."

The Oricaltos paused before turning away from the open door. "What is it, Soma?" "Well, the next section of the corridor is divided pretty evenly as far as loyalties are concerned." Saito wandered over to look at the diagram, and then he shrugged slightly. "Then that makes my job a little bit easier. Vlad?" he asked, turning towards the lead vampire, "Do you mind joining me for the next portion of this Hell that I have to go through?" Dracula shook his head and chuckled. "Not at all, Saito. Not at all."

While the vampire and the hybrid are busy discussing strategy, let's go see what Soma meant when he said that the Marble Corridor was "divided pretty evenly"...
Following Baal: Section 3: Inverted Marble Corridor

The Lord of Terror peered into the room, only to receive a fairly large shock. Most of the demons didn't seem to be worried about the events that were happening less than 300 yards away. As a matter-of-fact, a few of the demons were actually happy that their fellows were dying. Baal ducked back into the Boss Room, closing the door most of the way. He wanted to hear a few of the conversations, and he was enjoying the relative freedom that came from thumbing his nose at Shaft's authority.

"Well, it's about time that someone finally got rid of those idiots loyal to Shaft," one of the younger Eriyns called to her companions as she removed her helm. Erika had been a demon for only thirty years, and yet she was fairly bored with the way that Shaft was running things. Shaking out her long blonde hair, she blinked her green eyes as she turned towards the main door. "From what I've heard, the Count is free again." "You must be kidding me, right?" one of the Aluras asked, but the angelic being shook her head. "I'm being dead serious, Samantha. I can feel his presence, just beyond those doors. He has returned, and soon, we will all be free of that wretched Dark Priest." Lazily stretching her white wings, she offered a silent prayer to any God that was listening. Please, help to keep my sister Erin safe. I don't know what I would do without her. Baal slowly shook his head as he turned away from the door, closing it completely. I don't know what is going to happen, but I know that it is NOT going to be a pretty sight. Ah, well. Back to my room to wait once more.

Back to the Oricaltos we go!
Following Saito&Vlad: Section 2: Inverted Marble Corridor

As Saito entered the room beyond the second set of doors, Vlad could only stare in shock and amazement. How in the hell did you manage to survive the first section? They all charged at me, so it was actually really easy for me to eliminate them all. Anyways, let's get to work! The mage turned away from the Count and focused on the task at hand. However, his attention was drawn to the center of the room, where two rising voices were arguing furiously.

""What do you mean when you say that the Count is free?" "I mean exactly what I said! Count Dracula has been freed from his cell, and he is coming here!" "Impossible! He can't get past Menace, and there is absolutely no way that he could pass Gergoth, Erin. Stop getting your hopes up!" The young Valkyrie sneered beneath her helm, ice-blue eyes glittering angrily. "He IS here, and you know it! You're just afraid to tell him the truth about your allegiance, Sora." "I am not!" the Succubus retorted before raking her claws across the younger demon's face. However, before she could do any more damage, they both heard a light cough coming from the far doorway. Turning, they both froze at the sight before them. Erin softly whispered two words before dropping to one knee and bowing her head. "Count Dracula."

The man was dressed in black leggings and a white shirt. However, he was also wearing a rather long, sweeping cloak that was black on the outside and blood-crimson on the inside. His blood-red eyes were unamused, and a snarl slightly contorted his features. Running a hand through his jet-black hair, he then reached down and grabbed the hilt of the sword resting at his left hip. "You were saying, Sora?" he asked, his tone indicating that he would accept no lies from the demon. The orange-winged Succubus shrugged and smiled at the vampire rather easily. "I pledged my allegiance to Shaft. Is there something wrong with that?" "Yes. That idiot is the one who sealed me away, not Baal. You are following a servant of Order, not one of Chaos." "I tried to explain earlier, but she refused to listen to me, Count," Erin gently pleaded, receiving a grin from the ice-eyed young man standing to the Count's immediate right. "Take those allied with Chaos, and get out of here, young lady. Things are about to take a very ugly turn." The Valkyrie nodded before beckoning to her allies, and they all proceeded through the south door, into the third section of the corridor. Saito looked over at the Count, and then he grinned before drawing his sword. "Shall we?" "Lets."

Outside, Soma and the others watched, this time through the normal cameras. "OUCH! That has got to hurt!" Laharl commented about the brutal way that Saito had ripped-off Sora's wings, shortly before tearing her limb-for-limb. "Now I know why he didn't want us to watch him like this," Soma responded in awe as he watched Saito dart about the room. The Oricaltos was rather methodical, and he dealt with each demon individually. He had absolutely no remorse, and he showed no mercy as he ripped the female demons apart using his sword, his tail, and his bare hands. When the last demon had fallen after being stabbed in the heart by Vlad, the doors on either end opened, revealing another bloodstained room. "That wasn't a battle, Saito." "I know, Soma. It was a bloodbath."

Onward to the next room!
Following Saito&Co: Section 3: Inverted Marble Corridor

Soma walked through the door and whistled lightly. "Man, I can see why you were having trouble with those nightmares, Saito." "No kidding," the mage responded, gazing around the room before moving out of the doorway. Everyone filed into the room, with Lucian bringing-up the rear. However, as soon as he entered the room, he immediately started to duck back out. And exactly WHERE do you think you're going, Lucian? I can't go in there! You don't understand! Then tell me what I'm missing here. All right, all right. I'll tell you. I have a serious crush on Erika, but I'm afraid to tell her my feelings. You're just making it harder on yourself by holding it in, Lucian. Just tell her how you feel, and get it over with. The familiar let out a rather low sigh before finally coming back into the room. I'll try.

Erika looked over at the door, and she nearly panicked when she saw Lucian enter the room. Oh shoot! I can't let him see me like this! What am I going to do, Erin? Well, for starters, you could just tell him how you feel... Absolutely not! What if he rejects me? I'll never be able to live it down! Her thinking was interrupted by an unfamiliar mental voice, but it carried a tone of authority fairly similar to that of the Count. You don't need to worry about being rejected by Lucian, Erika. What the...? Who are you, what do you want, and how in the hell would you know? I'll answer you in order. First, my name is Saito Onago, and I am the auburn-haired man standing to the right of the Count. Next, I only want to see the destruction of Shaft and all of his followers. As for what I know? Lucian feels the exact same way that you do. Are you certain? Trust me, young lady. You will not be disappointed.

The female demon took a rather deep breath before approaching the pale young man. "Lucian?" "Yes, Erika?" "There's something that I want to tell you..." She trailed-off, and the Ghost Familiar immediately began to wonder what was so important. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?" "Well... I've been keeping something from you." At those words, Lucian's face fell. Here it comes... "Go on." I never knew what this feeling was before, but now I know the truth. I-I-I love you," she breathed, almost too softly for him to hear. The young man's dark-brown eyes grew wide, but then they softened as he smiled. "The feeling is mutual, Erika. It's finally good to have that out in the open." Turning, he looked directly at Alucard. "With your permission, Master Adrian, I would like to remain here for the time being." "Go right ahead," the elder son of Dracula said, a smile crossing his face. "I know exactly how you feel." "Thank you, Master Adrian! And thank you as well, Master Saito, for making this a whole lot easier." "You're very welcome, Lucian."

Well, that's over and done with! Since Baal wiped-out both Slogra and Gaibon when he was there earlier, the Oricaltos and his allies encountered only token resistance on their journey through the Wizardry Lab. However, they were in for quite a battle, as Celia, Dario, and Dmitrii were waiting at the end...
Following Soma&Co: Boss Room: Inverted Wizardry Lab
Time: Nearly an hour and a half have elapsed since the Marble Corridor was cleared

"This is it, you guys. I'm afraid that most of us will have to wait outside. After all, this is a rather personal issue, isn't it, Soma?" Saito asked, looking over at the Avatar of Chaos. Soma merely shrugged before tracing the seal on the door. He heard silence for a few seconds, and then he heard Dmitrii laughing. "You have got to be joking me! You, actually using common sense? When did it arrive, Dario?" There was a low grumbling sound, and then those outside heard Dario's snapped comment. "It arrived just as your senses fled, along with the rest of your mind, Blinov. For once, I have to agree with Soma. Shaft is just plain nuts!" "Agreed, Dario. I hate to do this to you, Dmitrii, but you leave me with no choice." "What are you going to do, Celia? Summon something to crush me? Oh, yeah. Now I remember. You can't do anything to me!" Aramis narrowed his eyes before looking at Soma. Permission to knock-off that asshole? Granted with pleasure. Saito, I'm taking Aramis, Yoko, Mina, and Laharl. Works for me!

"Hey asshole! Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back?" Dmitrii turned, annoyed that Soma had dared to enter the room. He drew his sword and pointed it at Soma's chest. "Stay out of my way, Cruz. I have access to powers that can utterly annihilate you." "Oh really? Then let's see what you can do!" he called, gesturing for Aramis to move forward. Blinov looked at the 5'4" young man, and laughed. "You think that he can take me out?" "You'd be surprised, Dmitrii. I saw what he did to Chamberlain, and you know how powerful he was." The slender man swallowed rather hard before his eyes narrowed. "Well then. Let's see what you can do!" he yelled as he charged directly at the Zombie Master.

Aramis waited until the last second to shift to his right, drawing his katana as he did so. When Dmitrii had past him, the young man gave him a rather solid whack across his back, sending the older man stumbling. He turned back and snarled. "Is that all you can do?" "Nope! I'm just getting warmed-up!" he called as leathery silver wings appeared on his back. "I only used a fraction of my powers when dealing with Chamberlain. You, on the other hand, will feel the full force of my wrath!"

Meanwhile, Yoko was busy facing-off against Celia. "I never really wanted to fight you, but I don't really have a choice." "You're not alone," Celia groaned, her eyes straying towards the cameras mounted in the corners of the room. "Shaft is watching us, so I have to put-up some kind of struggle. Are you ready?" she called as she materialized a rather slender saber in her right hand. Yoko grinned as she drew her own blade. "This is going to be fun!"

At the same time, Mina was once again facing Dario. "It's time that we finish our fight." "Agreed," the flame-haired man responded, drawing Laevatain, while Mina shifted her scythe once more into sword form. She then swung crosswise, hoping to catch Dario with his guard down. Unfortunately, he was actually paying attention, and he managed to bring his blade up to block. "Let's see how much you know about sword-fighting, young lady," he called as he lunged forward, hoping to get in a blow beneath Mina's guard. But Death had already anticipated some sort of charge, and she acted accordingly. Twisting to her left, she grabbed-hold of Dario's wrist and sent his blade upwards, skewering one of the four cameras that Shaft had installed. Thank you! I wasn't sure if you were going to do that, or if I would be forced to miss an uppercut in order to destroy that one. You mean... You want to destroy the cameras? Of course! I'm tired of Shaft watching our every move. He's power-hungry, and an idiot to boot! I see you finally figured that out, Dario. Only thanks to you, Saito.

Dmitrii was sweating profusely, trying to keep dodging Aramis. However, it wasn't working-out as he had planned, and he barely avoided being skewered time and again. Unloading a number of shadow spheres, he offered a silent prayer that one of them would connect, and seal the young demon away. He then cast all of them directly at Aramis, only to watch in shock, horror, and amazement as the Zombie Master eluded all of them. He then charged forward, his wings flapping rapidly to build his speed. It all ended so fast. One moment, the two were meters apart, and the next, Dmitrii was pinned to the far wall, with Aramis' katana buried in his heart. The young demon then swept his blade upwards, slicing another of the four cameras in half.

Yoko and Celia were circling one another, looking for an opening. Unfortunately, they were fairly well matched, and their slashes kept on countering. However, there was one unexpected benefit. The remaining two cameras were soon sliced into tiny pieces, and then the doors opened. Saito looked in, slightly puzzled, but then he saw the smile on Dario's face. "It looks like that did the trick, Celia." "Apparently so. Besides, I never liked being around Dmitrii anyway." Soma shook his head before smiling easily. "Well, at least we agree on something. Now, if you don't mind, we need to go eliminate a certain Dark Priest." Celia stepped away from the door, a smile on her lips. "Be my guest, Soma."

1 Well, it appears as if we have two more pieces of information. The first: the name of the Dark God is Amaltezerial. The second: the story involving the generals of light and shadow will occur in the year 2080. That's all the hints that you'll be getting from this story!

Author's note: Another series of days and nights, and another chapter is in the books. The end is near, and there are only three more chapters to write, including the epilogue. Anyway, now that Celia and Dario are out of the way, only one large problem remains. THAT is the Dark Priest, Shaft. What sort of tricks does he still have up his sleeve, now that there is no one else? You'll just have to wait and see in my next chapter, Shaft's Last Stand. As always, please remember to both READ AND REVIEW. Thank you.