(Start of Part 7-Finale)
A man once said, "He who hunts monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster…and when you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back into you." Such words could not have better described the situation of one Alucard, vampire servant and huntsman for the Helsing family; a family line revered for their reputation as monster hunters, once upon a time.
Though with all things, time changes all, and nothing was exempt from this rule, not even him.
But, in order to truly understand his' fate, we must first look into the events that brought him there.
Once upon a time, there was a man. And like any other man, he was born into a peculiar set of circumstances which would shape him into the person he would become. Now this man in particular grew up some centuries ago, during the era known as the Crusades- a time in which Christianity went to war against the Ottomans to claim the holy city of Jerusalem for their own. This man would come to join their cause, believing that God does not reward prayer, and rather than pray, chose to show his' faith visibly-through battle.
Ultimately, this war would succeed, but only briefly. For a short time, the Christians achieved their goal but would be driven out of the city once the Ottomans counter-attacked their relatively untrained forces. Most of the Christian forces being slaughtered outright during the charge. However, some of the Crusaders who survived the battle would later be captured and executed through any number of means, and in the instance for this man in particular, it was beheading.
Beforehand, this man lived a very scarring and horrific life and hoped to find purpose in fighting for his' faith that he grew up in. Though when the war was lost for them, he questioned why his' God had forsaken them in the end. With his' faith all but shattered, the man turned his' back to the God he once upheld, and in his' last moments committed an act that would result in him becoming something other than a man.
In that moment, he truly became a monster in every sense of the word. He became…Nosferatu, a vampire.
In time, this man grew to be known by many names: Count Dracula, Vlad Tepes III/ Vlad the Impaler, the Prince of Wallachia, etc. Though he was now known by a different name, Alucard-The grandest of all vampires, a name given to him by one of his' late masters.
Speaking of masters, he would become the loyal servant of the Helsing family after his' defeat at their then-current head of the family, Abraham Van Helsing. Sometime later, Abraham's descendant, Arthur, would give him his' current name of Alucard.
A century after those events, he would ultimately find himself working for the Hellsing organization, an organization started by the Van Helsing family, whose purpose was to eliminate all forces and creatures of evil that threatened the Queen and Country of England. During the early stages of World War II, Helsing saw action in Warsaw, Poland in which he would stop a group, Millennium: A Nazi secret-weapons division, and their vampire production program. After the mission's success, the then-current master of the family decided to have Alucard imprisoned in the Helsing Mansion's Dungeon, believing that Alucard was too powerful of a vampire to be used 'frequently'; an order which Alucard faithfully followed.
So, for 20 long years Alucard stayed in that dungeon in solitude, waiting for a time when his' services would be needed once again. And soon enough, that time did indeed come.
Integra Helsing, the current head of the Helsing family, was but a young girl when she found the crypt that held Alucard, and in her desperation to escape from her traitorous uncle, she incidentally opened it as she tried to hid inside and wound up unleashing the evil within, resulting in the slaughter of her uncle and his' forces, resulting in her rescue. Though initially weary of the man before her, Integra saw the integrity in the being before her and allowed him to serve her family once more as an agent for the Hellsing organization, ridding the world of evil one step at a time.
Since that day, a lot of things happened.
Alucard received a new wardrobe, new weapons, new experiences, etc.
Oh, and he recruited a spunky little police-girl-turned-vampire-sniper as a sidekick!
However, during this time, unusual amounts of vampire cases sprung up all over the world, and after a fair amount of research into the situation, found that the neo-Nazi group known as Millennium, whom Alucard had fought years before, sought to re-establish the Third Reich and bring an end to both the Hellsing organization and Alucard in a massive vampire attack on London, England.
In the three-sided war between Hellsing/Millennium/Vatican Group-Iscariot, Hellsing proved victorious, but at the cost of the city of London and its people as well as the mysterious disappearance of the main combatant, Alucard.
Thirty years later, with Integra still at its head, Alucard suddenly returned to the Hellsing organization, and clarified that he had spent that missing time eliminating the millions of souls collected in his' body during the battle of London, except for his' own, thus reuniting with his' old master and apprentice once again.
Many years passed and things were good for the organization. Alucard and other groups in the organization would be sent out, monsters would be slain and innocent lives would be saved.
Soon enough, the Hellsing organization would be publicly acknowledged as humanity's shield against the forces of evil in the world. With that, they were given unprecedented resources, Intel and unparalleled freedom in their operations around the world; And under the leadership of Integra Helsing, those resources would neither be squandered nor used tyrannically. With this degree of freedom, the world was safer than it had been in years and life was good.
Though the peace wouldn't last…
Despite years of research and development in weapons and techniques to face off against any and all forces of evil, the world would ultimately be unprepared for the events that would transpire on this day:
December 21st, 2012.
Though while nothing in particular happened in our world this day, for this world and its people, it would quite literally become 'Hell on Earth'. On this day, as if somebody had opened Pandora's Box, all forms of terror and maleficence in every culture were unleashed upon the world and their sole intent was to destroy all life and civilization on earth.
Of course, Hellsing would give its utmost effort to try to save the world, yet despite their successes, they were only one group trying to cover the world. Soon, it would become apparent that their efforts would be in vain. One by one the cities of the world fell, entire countries went dark, and soon enough there would be nothing left.
Alucard, despite being as powerful as he was, was unable to save everybody, which soon enough became nobody at all.
At the Hellsing Manor, Integra Helsing, Seras Victoria and Alucard would make a last stand with the last remnants of their forces, amongst others, to protect the last of humanity, which included the Queen of England as well as other world leaders and officials.
The battle was glorious and hard-fought, but facing off against all the evil of the world they were overwhelmed and humanity was all but extinct; Even Sir Integra Helsing herself becoming a casualty of the battle and eventually died in the arms of her faithful servant, Alucard, while shakily whispering to him this final statement:
"You did everything you could, but even you couldn't save me from death. Heh, it's about damn time. You've made me a very proud master, Alucard… and my last order to you is this: Be free, and send the rest of these mangy mongrels to hell...Goodbye, my dear count…" This was perhaps the only instance in his' life that Alucard had ever truly cried.
With the battle lost and humanity all but extinguished, there was nothing left to fight for but the thrill of battle and vengeance for the fallen, and for Alucard that was more than enough. Fighting tooth and nail, Alucard fought almost single-handedly, surprisingly police-girl survived the last stand of humanity with him, against the millions of creatures that plagued the earth, successfully eradicating them all and wiping the earth clean of all but himself and his' dear apprentice, Seras Victoria.
Thus, with the story of what was tantamount to the battle of Armageddon, we turn our attention to the last two beings left standing on the world.
(3rd person P.O.V., Location-Helsing Manor/Hellsing HQ)
A bolt of lightning flashed in the distance before subsequently being followed by the roar of thunder a moment later. The patter of water droplets was evident as heavy rain continued to pour itself onto what may have once been fertile land, but was now left barren by the war around it. The faint red glow of the fires of war and conflict illuminated the background of the area, the smoke from them drifting towards the clouds, turning them a deep murky black.
In the sky above all that, a full moon shone, its light obstructed by the corrupted layer of clouds between it and the surface of the earth.
Despite such discouraging weather, in the courtyard of what was once the Helsing Mansion stood two figures, both of whom were heavily focused on the conversation at hand, deciding to ignore the disconcerting weather altogether.
"Master, what are we going to do now? There's nothing left! Hellsing, England, Humanity, they're all gone…" Spoke the voice of one Seras Victoria.
"…There is one last thing left to do police girl, and it's the easiest thing in the world." Spoke Alucard, his' features shadowed as his' face was tilted down to look at her.
"Hmm, and what may that be, Master?" She asked curiously, gazing up into his' face despite the pelting rain.
"It's nothing too difficult, now just relax and it will all be over…" He said to her in a soothing tone.
"Master? What are-" Her next words were abruptly cut-off, though a hand through the chest would stop anyone from speaking, really.
*Gasp* "Master! What are you doing?!" She said before coughing up a dribble of blood.
"Like you said, there isn't anything left. No life, no world…no hope. There's nothing left for us but death, and there's no point in delaying the inevitable, police girl. I can't let you stay here to suffer with me."
"Master, no! I can't leave you here all alone!" She asked, tears streaming down her face along with the rain. Never had she even fancied the thought of leaving her harsh yet compassionate master behind all on his' own, not in the cold experience he told her about where he had been left in that loathsome chamber for all those years, alone.
"Hehehe, you always were a stubborn little brat, but this is where we part ways." He said, bringing his' arm back out from piercing her heart, corrupted vampire blood dripping down along his' gloved hand and onto the barren ground below, the pooling liquid providing further proof to reinforce the terrifying point that this merciful slaughter was in fact quite real.
"Uurghh!" She exclaimed as Alucard effortlessly pulled his' arm out from her chest, her body falling to the ground with a dull 'thump' as her consciousness slowly started to fade away.
"At least now you can join your little boy-toy once and for all…farewell, Seras Victoria, my little police girl." He said, looking down sadly at the fallen form of one of the only people he had come to trust implicitly during his' tragic existence on this earth. Despite doing what many would have considered a heinous and treacherous act, this one act alone in providing a means of mercy to his' last, remaining comrade was perhaps one of the most difficult things he had ever done in his' life; aside from the decision to let this girl either die or become a vampire when they had first met.
And so, with that, the vampiric girl's eyes closed for the very last time in her life and the girl once known as Seras Victoria was gone from the world, forever.
And as the girl breathed her last and went silent, Alucard continued to look down at the girl before him a few moments longer, almost seeming to ponder her state before thinking to himself:
'Nothing is truly immortal, but I suppose I'm too close to it to actually perish from this world on my own…' Alucard said solemnly, falling on his' knees onto the muddied and ashen ground at his' feet.
Moments turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours and he still knelt there, finding no reason to get up or to move anywhere else. All sense of purpose having left him as he waited for the end of the world itself to come, and even then, he may survive even that.
The rain continued to fall, as if the heavens themself were weeping for the state of the world. However, a different sound made itself known, a sound he was quite familiar with.
Splish
Splash
Splish
Splash
The rhythmic sound of footfalls sounded through the rain, getting closer and closer to his' position until they were just a short distance away and stopped altogether. Curious about the mysterious occurrence, Alucard turned around to look over his' shoulder and grinned at the unexpected intrusion to his' solitude.
"Well, who might you be? I wasn't aware that there were any humans left on this world." Alucard asked, an almost curious expression fixing itself upon his' marble-white face.
"What makes you think I'm human?" The figure asked, his' face and other features hidden under his' white robe and cowl as he neutrally stood behind the kneeled figure.
"You can't fool me. I could smell your blood from miles away, which makes it much more curious as to how you escaped my attention up until now. Besides, if you weren't human we wouldn't be having this conversation." He said, an unspoken question present within the statement.
"Well, would you believe me if I told you I wasn't from around here?" The stranger said as he briefly looked the area over, taking considerable interest in the manor in front of the kneeling individual.
Still with an ever-present semi-maniacal grin on his' face, the vampire king spoke up, "Perhaps. Though, you wouldn't happen to have any evidence to prove that, would you?" He said as he stood up and properly faced the man.
Raising his' left hand, the figure channeled some of his' power into it, though rather than becoming void and transparent like her expected, it seemed to let off black wisps of energy. Both figures looked at it curiously, both for different reasons.
'Hmm, that wasn't supposed to happen. But I figure it still gets the point across I guess.' The man pondered, making a mental note to look into later if he could.
"Amusing. You seem to be a bit different than all the other beings I've faced before. Perhaps you may be what I'm looking for after all, human…" He said, his' voice getting softer as it neared the end.
"A bit, perhaps. Though, why does that seem to matter, Alucard?" The figure stated curiously.
"Alucard? So you already know who I am despite not being from here?" He chuckled, "My reputation precedes me. Though it does seem a bit unfair that I know next to nothing about you. Who might you be, human?" Asked Alucard.
"My name is inconsequential; I left it behind in my old life once I was born-again as an agent of God, a Crusader."
The vampire laughed darkly. "A Crusader?" He asked incredulously, laughing much harder this time. "You know, I used to be alot like you once, fighting for my faith rather than through prayer, believing it was what our God would have preferred, but do you know what happened instead?" He asked.
The Crusader stood silent.
After a moment of tense silence, Alucard continued. "He abandoned us! After all that we did for him, after all I did for him, and when we needed him the most, he abandoned us! Us?! The Crusaders! We fought and bled for him in the glory of his' name like in the ancient times of the Old Testament, and he just left us there to die!" He then went into a cackling fit, ignoring the Crusader entirely as just laughed and laughed and laughed.
"Be weary, my dear."
The Crusader jolted as he heard the new feminine voice. Looking around briefly while Alucard was lost in his' own dark musings for the time being, the Crusader had a moment of clarity before he decided to "speak" to the familiar presence.
'Aetulia? What are you doing here?! I thought you were gone after our encounter?' He asked mentally, thoughts racing through his' mind a mile a minute as he tried to figure out how she could still be here, with him of all people.
"No, I've been residing within you since our encounter. I was curious as to the intentions you had in mind after our meeting and decided to accompany you for the journey." She chuckled amusedly. "Imagine my surprise when you had left our world for another, and then another after that." She paused. "That incident a moment ago with your arm may have been my doing. I was curious as to what would happen when I focused some of my own power into your own; It's good to know that they work well enough together, rather than becoming something volatile or unstable that would destroy us all."
'Well that's all well and good Aetulia, but why have you chosen now of all times to show yourself, or to me at least?' He said as he looked over to Alucard, who didn't seem to particularly notice the new presence in the human.
"Well, I wanted to see how you would handle a god, and if the time came in which you would have needed my assistance, I would've presented myself then. As for your encounter with the mage, if you could face a god in battle, than what was a mere man in comparison?" She elaborated.
'But that still begs the question, why now?'
"Because," She dragged out. "I sense a very dark presence within this person before you. Despite what this man looks like on the outside, he is anything but human."
'I figured as much already, I mean he is a vampire after all.' He said, mentally rolling his' eyes; though how he achieved that intangible feat was hard to say.
"No, it's something different. It seems that his' darkness is manifesting itself into his' own natural abilities as a vampire. He is something else, something worse, something much more dangerous. He's a monster." She warned.
'Yeah, I already knew that. That's why I'm here: to bring an end to this madness. I'm doing this more as a favor to him than for me.'
"Doing what, I may ask?"
'You'll see.'
"…alright then, and if it comes down to it I'll keep your mind safe from any of his'… ruses. Just please be careful, my dear." She pleaded.
'Of course, now let's finish this.' And with that, he ended their mental conversation.
What may have felt like minutes of conversation mentally were really only a few moments in the physical world and Alucard had just finished his' fit of laughter as the Crusader's attention once again turned back to him.
"Hehehe, but if it wasn't for all of that, I may not have been able to do as much as I did. But, as you can see, it was all for naught and now I'm stuck in this God-forsaken world!" Yelled Alucard.
"Did you really think you were fighting in the name of God?" The Crusader asked. "Your war was made only to increase the power of the Papacy and their ideals. Their own hubris resulted in their creating of man-made traditions in the church of God, rather than trusting in the bible, and the bible alone, to be the sole word of God and his' teachings. All that they did, all that they fought and strived for in that campaign all those years ago wasn't for the sake of God, it was for the interests of man! So don't stand there and tell me your war was lost because God abandoned you! You lost because you all abandoned God and his' teachings!"
"And what of you?! What makes you so special that God allowed you to carry out his' will through might? My actions are justified through my soul long being forsaken to damnation! Why have you chosen a life of conflict, rather than one of submission and humility like your savior?" He peered into the dark shadows hiding the man's features, seeming to look him straight in the eye and into the man's very soul. "Hmm, you have already shed the blood of your fellow man, haven't you?" He said, grinning manically as the Crusader stiffened at his' words. "We are the same. We are both monsters, each in our own right. And soon, you will realize that your God has forsaken you as well! It is inevitable!"
"…No," The Crusader answered. "I regretted my actions and repented against them for my salvation. For that, he has neither damned nor has he ever abandoned me; He has been with me from the very start, looking over my shoulder and judging every action that I have taken, as he does with everyone, even you." The man paused briefly, looking to the ground, he took a moment for himself as he mulled over a particular reminiscent thought to himself before continuing. "Though to be honest, I was thrown into this life, but I ultimately made the choice to follow through on it. I wanted to make a difference, even if it wasn't on my world. Even now, my actions have affected the lives of so many people, changing them for the better" Again pausing, this time more for dramatic effect than anything, he turned his' head upward from looking at the ground to look the man-demon in the eye as he said, "In that regard, despite what you say about your own actions, we are the same. So yes, I have sinned, but that does not make me a monster, it just means I'm imperfect… I am only human after all." He finished.
"…Well put, Mortal. Perhaps you truly are the one I have been looking for, for all this time… I do have one request for you Crusader, one only you might be able to carry out… Would you perhaps humor me and hear me out on it just this once?" The vampire said, his' smile waning from a mildly sadistic one to one of amusement, contentment almost.
"Sure, I don't see the harm in it." He said, shrugging neutrally, having a vague idea of the situation ahead.
"It's nothing major, in fact, it's the easiest thing in the world; Well, except for me that is." He paused, chuckling lowly to himself as if remembering a joke only he knew about, and resuming, "All that I ask of you is this: …Kill me."
"…Are you sure about this, Alucard?"
"Of course! I am asking for it after all! Besides, my life has gone on far too long as it is, and if I continue to live, where will my suffering end? No, I have the perfect opportunity to put an end to this abominable existence of mine!" He paused, letting his' grin grow slightly more as he went on, "Though I won't make this easy for you, Crusader."
"Umm, pardon?" The man said uneasily, almost taking a step back in apprehension before promptly deciding against doing so since it would otherwise be a very terrible idea; signs of weakness in the eyes of a predator and all that.
"Despite my courtesy, I am still a monster after all and my instincts demand your blood, and it is so very hard to deny those base inclinations of mine; it has been quite a while since I had a proper meal after all." He said, sweeping his' tongue back and forth across his' teeth and fangs. "You don't mind me including that small detail, do you?"
"Does it matter? I'm sure that if I were to refuse and try to leave, you would try to stop and kill me right?" To which the vampire nodded smugly. "Fine," He paused to sigh. ", if that's how it has to be, then so be it." The Crusader said, an almost saddened tone seeping into his' voice at the last statement.
Both combatants took a few moments to situate themselves for the battle ahead, pulling out and checking their respective gear and weaponry to make sure each and every item they needed was ready to use in an instance. Once ready, they both backed up to a reasonable distance from one another, standing in silence.
A few moments passed between them, filled only with the sounds of rain and winds as the storm continued to brew above them. Eventually, the silence was broken as Alucard spoke up.
"I will not go easy on you, Crusader. Over the years, I have destroyed entire armies of thousands. Consuming them of flesh and mind and soul, using their strengths to bolster my own! Even with the power of your God with you, do you still think that you can come out on top and survive?" He said, grinning maniacally while brandishing his' two powerful pistols, 'Jackal' and the .454 Casull.
"Well, I've come far enough on my own, I think I can go a little further." He paused, taking a calming breath before resuming. "On this day, I am not a Crusader, fighting to change the fate of the world. Today, I have become death, the destroyer of worlds." Finishing the statement, he went on to show his' adept skill at handling his' scythe by twirling it from his' left side, over his back and planting the pole of the weapon firmly on the ground on his' right side as he took a stoic pose.
The steady patter of rain filled the area as both combatants waited for an unknown signal to begin the battle ahead.
Moments passed before a bolt of lightning illuminated the area around them in a brief flash of light before subsequently being followed by a rumble of thunder.
Then, they were off.
(Play: Mastodon-The Last Baron)
The Crusader ran forward, at a much slower pace than the vampire mind you, and used the time he had to activate his' divine armor, giving his' body the incredible resilience it would need to withstand the merciless assault ahead. Once the armor was activated, he summoned his' guitar and cast his' Hayley's Comet attack while he ran, sending it careening towards the vampire.
Alucard, noticing the incoming projectile, aimed his' twin handguns forward in a flash, firing multiple shots at the plasma-esque ball coming towards him. Luckily for him, the explosive shells from his' handgun were enough to destabilize the core of the fireball, causing it to quake and explode prematurely.
Using the remains of the explosion as a smokescreen, both individuals eventually arrived within melee distance of one another, shifting themselves to face one another in close-quarters-combat. The Crusader slammed his' feet into the ground as he slid towards the vampire, twisting his' body as he swung his' scythe in a horizontal arc from his' back and towards the vampire; not unlike the swing of a baseball player. Meanwhile, Alucard put away his' weaker pistol, keeping out Jackal in his' right hand, and swung his' free claw-like hand towards the Crusader, intent on tearing a hole through the man's body.
Bringing the scythe around, the Crusader's scythe met his' opponent, easily cutting through flesh and bone, cutting diagonally through the chest and cutting the heart, before coming out the other side of his' opponent's body. Alucard though seemed to be completely unfazed by the attack, even as both halves of his' body started to separate and were falling apart from one another.
Undeterred, Alucard brought his' hand forward in a flash, but rather than his' hand skewering through his' opponent like in any other case, it seemingly dented and lodged itself into the radiant armor. Though rather than be put off by this, he adjusted to this and used the newly acquired effect to grasp onto his' opponent while he was in his' guard and aimed Jackal at the seemingly unprotected face of the Crusader, firing a single devastating shot at the man before he could react.
Unprepared for the grip that the vampire had on him, the Crusader was yanked towards his' opponent as he tried to bring his' scythe to attack the vampire. Seeing a gleam, the Crusader looked up only to meet the sight of the barrel of a gun aimed directly at his' face, a flash going off before he had a chance to do anything else.
His' head snapping back from the explosive force of the shot, the Crusader fell unceremoniously onto the ground, Alucard releasing his' grip once the shot had been taken. The handgun he still held was still smoking from the shot while his' body seemed to produce an ethereal red energy in its openings and began to reattach both halves of his' body once more until finally his' body was whole once again.
"Hmm, what a pity. I expected so much more from the likes of you. It only goes to show just how pathetic humans really are. " Alucard said, a disappointed frown making its way onto his' face.
However, the bitter victory was short-lived as Alucard noticed the light of the armor had yet to fade away, and instead was blinking rapidly before stabilizing itself, slightly shimmering in front of the Crusader's face to show that it did indeed cover that area as well, despite there not actually being any armor present on it. Once stabilized, the Crusader recovered from the aftermath of the pointblank shot, shaking his' head to ward off the slight ringing in his' ears from the explosion and stood back up, though with a considerably lower amount of light radiating from his' armor.
Alucard grinned at this turn of events, also taking note of the effect his' attack had on the human's armor and came up with a plan that would either: test the endurance of the enchanted armor and possibly result in his' own death (a welcome outcome) or outright result in the Crusader's death. So, with the pros and cons weighed, he acted, deciding not to "play with his' food" any longer.
"Seal Release, Level 1"
The Crusader, hearing this, looked right at his' opponent, noticing the abominable transformation that was occurring in front of him. Before him, Alucard's form shifted into a much more sadistic one, his' clothing changing from his' traditional trench coat and fedora combo to a strait-jacket with a menacing eyeball blinking to life on the center of the vampire's chest as well as numerous other ones showing up in a dark-red conglomeration behind him.
Looking at the eyes, the Crusader felt a slight tugging at his' mind, the pressure of the probing seeming to build up to a slightly uncomfortable level before evening out and disappearing altogether. Failing in their attempt to destabilize their victim mentally, the eyes blinked and stared at the Crusader a moment longer before blinking out of existence (literally), and leaving behind the black-red fog with Alucard. Hazarding a guess as to what just happened, the Crusader briefly delved into his' mind to speak to a certain mysterious entity.
'Did they just try to-'
"Yes my dear, though I do apologize for not expelling them sooner. Their probing was subtle, and it took a moment to realize when they attempted to convert your mind to their whims. Fortunately, they did not delve far enough to cause any damage, but be alert, a vampire as old as he is, is bound to have any number of methods to destabilize your mind. I may be unable to stop them all before they can cause significant trauma to your mind. Please try and end this conflict quickly, my dear."
'…Right, I'll try my best.' He said, turning his' full attention back to the vampire.
"Hmm, perhaps you are a bit stronger than I thought human, but let us see how this new form fares against your holy defenses." He paused, "Let's see then if your God is with you this day, human." With that, he attacked.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone, the Crusader looking in every which direction in an attempt to find his' opponent. However, it would prove to be futile as he soon felt the effects of the attacks much sooner than he could see them.
In nothing more than a blur, Alucard sped back and forth around his' victim. He leapt to-and-fro to strike at the man again and again, each strike knocking the Crusader back and forth as he was struck with the superhuman strikes the vampire dealt, the human himself barely able to stay on his' feet thanks to the effects of the enchantment.
Undeterred by his' slow progress, the vampire kept at it a while longer, each attack coming from a different angle than the last. Each of Alucard's attacks weakened the armor's effects bit by bit until it vanished altogether, the blessed enchantment disappearing in a shimmering burst as it gave out. However, the attacks didn't stop there and instead continued to rise in both intensity and voracity.
With the protective effects of his' armor gone, the Crusader could now fully feel the impact each attack dealt through his' armor. Impacts from fists left cracked bones in their wake, claws that shredded through once-durable armor took out chunks of his' skin and flesh and created rather nasty gashes along his body, thus causing his' body to involuntarily start collapsing, though Alucard would have none of it.
Continuing to use his' inhuman speed, Alucard appeared beside the falling Crusader before brutally kicking him in the abdomen, causing him to fly into the wall of the manor.
"So, this is all that you have, eh?!" He said, reappearing on the wall as he dug out the mortal and threw him into the air.
"You are nothing!" He said as he reappeared in mid-air, drop-kicking the Crusader in the back and launching him to the ground.
"You're a joke!" He upper-cutted the man as he fell, knocking him over in the air and causing him to start falling backwards, such as the motion of a man trying to do a backflip, except clumsier.
"A failure!" He mocked, driving an elbow into the man's throat as he fell, watching as the man convulsed from the sudden traumatic action whilst still in the air.
"You are no savior!" He said, kicking the man in the side and launching him parallel to the ground.
"You're nothing more than a martyr!" He emerged from the ground on the other side of the man's path of flight before striking him on the side of the head, rewarding him with the nauseatingly horrible 'crack' which echoed throughout the area.
"Fit for nothing other than death!" With that, he drove a fist into the man's solar plexus, causing the man to gasp in excruciating pain as he was driven into the ground.
"To the one you serve-" He said, crouching over the man as he savagely struck the man in the chest with several loud 'whumps' before violently smacking the man's face.
"Your life!" Again.
"Means!" And again.
"Nothing!" And again.
Alucard continued this course of action, the man's face swiveling side-to-side with every strike. It was a testament to the man's endurance however, that he was still somehow able to withstand the supernaturally powerful strikes of the vampire, rather than being killed outright; perhaps there was some unknown barrier of strength protecting the man even in this moment of desperation. The vampire was alarmed, however, when the Crusader suddenly phased through his' grasp and disappeared into the ground. With his' target absent, Alucard expanded his' senses to try and find the mortal once again, though he found him soon enough.
Turning around to see that the Crusader was a considerable distance away, (A football field) kneeling down on the ground as drawing slow, raggedy breaths, his' blood dripping down from his' face and mixing with the rainwater below him.
After taking a few moments to get his' bearings, the Crusader spat a blob of blood before saying, "An ancient suit of armor isn't going to be enough to keep me alive any longer. It seems I'm going to have to take this fight seriously against someone of your caliber." He paused to spit out another glob of blood. "How about we finish this in one last clash of strength, winner takes all? What say you, Alucard?"
Alucard chuckled, "Fine, if that is how you want this to end human, then I suppose I can humor you by giving it my all. But… do you think you can handle hell on earth?" He said ominously.
"Seal Release: Level 0!"
As soon as he said that, his' entire shroud of darkness enclosed around him before exploding outward. The huge coagulation of dark-red energy arcing into the air before splitting up into hundreds, then thousands then millions of streaming projectiles. Soon, it became apparent that each of these projectiles was in fact a familiar of Alucard's spirit army, each one being an utter monstrosity in appearance and behavior as they landed around the barren wasteland, completely surrounding the Crusader.
Alucard spoke up, "Each of my familiars was taken from the essence of the very army that destroyed humanity. This is what you wanted after all, Crusader. I look forward to seeing how you plan on slaying them all. And remember, you still have me to deal with at the end of it all." He said from the very back of them, his' arms crossed as he awaited the Crusader's next move.
Taking a look at the waking nightmare all around him, the Crusader measured the weight of the task at hand before looking right back at his' opponent. "Even though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I shall fear no evil, for my God is with me…" That said, he straightened out as he summoned the power necessary for his' attack while gathering the pocket-watch in his' left hand and gripping his' scythe in his' right. "May God have mercy on your soul."
"Fourth-dimensional Crusade: Oblivion."
With the last of its energy, the Crusader activated his' Divine Armor, or more specifically its wings. Meanwhile, he channeled his' Oblivion powers into his' transformation as well, his' entire being becoming transparent except for the dark wisps of energy radiating around him along his' skin, giving him an ethereal appearance which, coupled with his' three pairs of wings, gave him the appearance of a fallen Archangel or Reaper; His' scythe itself radiating with the very power of annihilation along its blade, the entire weapon taking on the same ethereal appearance of its bearer.
For a few moments, the sound of rain was all that could be heard for miles, even the growls of the nightmarish beasts decided to subside for this one instance as they tensed for battle.
Then, as lightning illuminated the area, he struck.
An after-image present for but a moment before being lost in the rain altogether, the Crusader disappeared entirely. An instant later, the Crusader reappeared on the other side of Alucard and all of his' forces, his' back towards them as theirs were to his', his' scythe extended forward as if it were already swung.
Then, thunder rang out across the area.
At the crash of thunder, a cacophony of inhuman cries and yells was heard as the familiars were killed in synchronization, seeming to die and vaporize in entire sections one moment after the next, edging towards Alucard who was at the far-end of it all.
Alucard blinked once, twice, thrice and subsequent more times, each flicker of his' eyes bringing about a growing sense of desolation as he both felt and saw entire sections of his' army disappear in the blink of an eye over and over again, hundreds or perhaps thousands at a time, before ultimately none were left but him. Then, at that moment, he finally felt the effects the attack had on his' body.
An arm fell before being followed by another. Then, a severed leg came loose and fell, the other following as well which caused the torso to drop unceremoniously onto the ground on its back. Blood flowed out from underneath the severed torso, primarily due to the gaping hole left behind as something punctured the heart in the victim's chest and leaving a black, lingering energy along the wound, keeping the wound from regenerating any further, not that it would, considering the circumstances of Alucard's final actions leaving him as vulnerable as they had.
Alucard laughed from where he lay on the ground.
"It's about bloody time! It took centuries, but someone finally did it!" He yelled, laughing even harder than before.
"You know, most people wouldn't celebrate their own impending death." The Crusader said, his' powers deactivated as he limped and knelt next to the fallen form of Alucard, nursing both his' side with one arm and checking the side of his' bleeding head in the other, and despite his' seemingly composed disposition, it seemed that he was already running a moderate concussion, watching as stars and blurring effects bled in and out of his' vision at times.
"Well most people aren't me!" Alucard grinned, blood seeping out from the sides of his' mouth as he continued to speak.
"Fair enough. Any last requests then?" The Crusader responded, waving a hand in front of himself as he checked his' depth perception, only to see a blurry gauntleted hand for his' effort.
"A couple, but I do have one question for you-" Alucard said, but was interrupted as he was forced to cough up a bit of blood from the strain he was placing upon his' body by talking and idly moving in its now-decrepit state. "-What the hell did you do back there? A bit dramatic, wasn't it?" He said, interrupted as he hacked up a bit of undead vampire blood.
"I suppose it was a bit much, wasn't it?" The Crusader grinned, his' mouth visible just under the shadow of the torn remains of his' cloak's cowl. "Though it wasn't much really. I just used my little old pocket-watch to stop the flow of time around me as I used the mobility from my armor's wings, because it would have been a nightmare if I had to walk to kill all those things one at a time! Meanwhile, my own unique Oblivion abilities allowed me to cut through any of the defenses the demons or you may have had. So, nothing too major."
"Cheeky bastard!" Alucard said as he barked out a laugh. "But well done, you didn't die this time. But perhaps you should have done that earlier to save both of us the hassle, don't you think?" He asked, his' voice slightly wavering as moments ticked on by.
"I figured I was fine until I realized you had all those demon souls in you, then I didn't know what to expect. But yeah, that was all I did really. So, what were those couple of requests you mentioned?" The Crusader said, spitting out a wad of blood out to the side, only for it to wind up being viscostic spittle and end up latching onto the edge of his' mouth and dribble to the ground pathetically. Though, they were both far too engrossed in the conversation and their body's own assaulted conditions to really care at the moment.
"Ah yes, well, before I die I do have a couple of things for you if you'd be willing to have them. I won't be needing them for much longer. Do you see that police girl over there?" Alucard said, gesturing weakly towards something in the distance with his' head.
Looking over in the direction he indicated, he saw the prone form of the girl in question. "Yeah, why?"
"She has a very powerful weapon with her. She isn't going to need it any longer as you can see. As her master, I want you to have it. I'm sure you can find a use for it if all you have is that knife on a stick." He said whilst grinning, gesturing to the scythe on the Crusader's back.
"Well, it was still enough to finish you and your army off. Regardless, I'll keep your offer in mind; I might be able to find some use for the rifle in some form or fashion. So, what else did you want to tell me?"
"You see my two guns on the ground there? Keep them, they'll just rust here otherwise and I'm sure you can make some use of them. If you can handle them that is." He chuckled darkly.
Looking at the two discarded guns on the ground nearby, the Crusader went and retrieved them before they could get soaked any further before going back to kneeling at Alucard's side. "Hmm, you might be right about that, but I think I might have something in mind for them. Nevertheless, thank you for such a generous gift, you really didn't have to."
"Bah! Just shut up and take them! What you do with them after this is up to you." He paused, thinking of something else. "Wait, your name. I never got your name, what is it?"
The Crusader looked bemused. "I thought I told you already that I left it behind in my old life? But, I guess I can make an exception for you right now, I guess." He cleared his' throat, a slight bit of pain radiating from it as it started to bruise, if not worse.
"Gabriel. My name is Gabriel." He annunciated, making sure to say the name with its formal three syllable pronunciation, versus its more common two-syllable counterpart; Although, both names weren't particularly mutually exclusive by any means.
Alucard chuckled, flecks of blood flying out of his' mouth as he did so. "How fitting, especially with that angelic armor of yours! So is that it, no surname then?"
"No, I'd rather create my own identity, rather than be judged based on my old one. But I guess I'll need something for my friends to call me other than a title I reason…"
"How about 'Van Helsing'? I have a hunch that you're going to be killing a lot more monsters after today, and I'm not just talking about the ones that walk around on four legs either."
"Coming from you, I should consider that an honor. Still, is there anything else you wanted before…you know?"
He grinned amusedly at the human's apparent discomfort of the situation. Meanwhile, the brilliant red glow of the vampire's eyes seemed to fade with every second as well. "What? Before I die?...No, I did all that I could in this life, and there wasn't anything left for me here other than to wait; You did plenty enough as it is. Besides that, once my time has come, could you dispose of this body along with the corpse of my dear apprentice? I don't want to be left to rot out here in this horrid weather." He said distastefully.
"Sure thing." He paused, remembering a particularly ugly point mentioned earlier, and since he still had some time left to ask, he brought up the point. "Did you really mean all that you said before, Alucard? During our fight that is?" Gabriel asked.
The vampire king's face scrunched up, as if he just swallowed something particularly sour. "Yes. You're a slave to your God, and you have the power to change that; our battle here proved that. If I could defy God and achieve the closest thing to immortality anyone has ever seen, then certainly you can do just as much. So, why don't you leave him behind and truly make your own path?"
Gabriel took a few moments to mull over those words, truly and sincerely discerning their meaning and what they could have held for him and his' future before coming to his' own conclusion and replying back to the vampire lord. "Who do you think gave me that power in the first place? If he was able to give them to me, then he can just as easily take it away if he sought fit to do so, and I have no desire to lose it all now. So I'll continue this task he assigned for me, because it is my own as well. Besides, in a way I think I might have achieved immortality already, Alucard."
"Oh, how?" He asked skeptically.
"Well, I'm sure you're familiar with it already. It was in an old scroll I once read and it went as follows: 'For God so loved the world that he gave his' only begotten son, and that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.' I choose to follow that belief, and maybe if you had too, you probably wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place."
"Oh don't give me that Bible crap! You know as well as I do that God abandoned me! So I did what I had to do, and I lived on and killed all the other monsters that nobody else could handle! Though, I guess now it doesn't really matter." He said, muttering the last part as he looked towards the sky, indifferent to the rain pelting his' rapidly paling face.
"Yes, you did do a lot of good, even if you weren't with God. But just know this: God never left you. He is always with us, no matter what. Do you really think he abandoned you all those years ago during the Crusades? No, he didn't. When Christ was nailed and persecuted on the cross, did God abandon him then? No! He made him a martyr for the sins of all of humanity and he rose again, stronger than ever! So yeah, perhaps you would have died back then on that platform, but perhaps he was just testing your faith in him, seeing if you decided to praise him even in your darkest hour. But, I guess you failed that. So, when it comes down to it, you abandoned him, not the other way around." With that, Gabriel took a seat on the uncovered ground, uncaring of the dirt and mud below him.
Alucard lay there silently, a melancholy expression on his' face as he repeated the words told to him over and over again in his' mind. Meanwhile, the life (or un-life) was slowly fading out of him, and soon his' soul becoming nothing more than a glowing ember.
Minutes passed silently between them as the rain, thunder and lightning continued to happen around them. Then, the monotonous pitter-patter of rain was broken once Alucard spoke up.
"Perhaps you were right, maybe I should have been a bit more faithful after all. But right now? Despite all that I've had to endure, all that I've done, right now, for just this moment… I'm human again…" He drifted off, his' eyes staring vacantly towards the sky as his' eyes continued to lose their glow until it was gone altogether, leaving behind a dull red color in his' irises.
Gabriel, upon noticing the state the man befell to at last, sighed before shuffling his' way to Alucard and closing his' now lifeless red eyes. Reaching over from a small distance behind the man, he picked up the seemingly forgotten Fedora and brought it to rest upon the man's chest.
"May you find a lasting peace, down amongst the dead." He muttered solemnly, bowing his' head as he paid his' final respects to the fallen from his' seat amongst the muddied ground.
Rain continued to fall, lightning briefly illuminated the area in a flash of white light before soon fading away and being replaced by the reverberating roar of thunder, its echoes fading again and again until all traces of its sound were gone. And in the distance, the red glow of Armageddon lit up the clouds of the night sky along the horizon.
Perhaps this is what it was like… for a god to cry.
(Later/ Present, 1st person P.O.V.)
And so, after everything is said and done, here we are...
It had been some time since I started my journey, though I'm not exactly sure how long it's been. Recounting all my adventures since I started, I remembered what I went through in each leg of the trip, remembering what they each taught and gave me. Whether it was knowledge, experience or just simply gear, they all made me into the man I am today, and I plan on using all that I've gained to the best of my ability…I once heard of a quote that went along the lines of: "If a man gives it his' all and still fails, then what else left is there?" If I fail even then, then there isn't anything left to be done, but until such a day reaches me, I will continue on until there is a point where I have nothing left, and hopefully then I will have at least done some good…
Musing back on the more recent events that happened on this parallel earth, I recounted my experiences since my last encounter with…well, anybody.
Soon after my clash with Alucard, I scavenged the weapons he mentioned to me, reducing both his' and his' pupil's bodies to the dust from whence they came, as well as accomplishing a few other things since then.
Using the guns as a template, I remodeled the weapons entirely, turning them into tools that would fit purposes. Using both my mastery over transmutation as well as weapon specifications found within the Helsing mansion, I transformed the pistols from their previous rendition as powerful handguns that would tear my arms off into a weapon model I was capable of handling and much more familiar with, though I had never personally used them before. The weapons known as the .454 Casull and the Jackal were no more, replaced with a twin pair of sleek and powerful .50 caliber Desert Eagles which fired armor piercing rounds; the weapons complete with a polished, silver finish.
Thus, with the creation of a new pair of weapons, I decided to create new names for them, calling them: Satan's perdition and God's condemnation, respectively.
Then, there was the sniper rifle I had retrieved from the police girl, her identification card revealing her as one Ms. Seras Victoria. The weapon was a monster in its own right, a weapon capable of finishing even tanks in a single shot, but was seemingly impractical for me to use, due to its cumbersome weight and size. It was a marvel in itself that the seemingly normal girl was capable of using such a weapon, though the bite-mark-like scars on her neck proved that she was anything but normal. So, with the dilemma of what to do with a weapon I may not be able to use, I too made the choice of changing the model of this weapon altogether.
Thus, with the same means I used previously to change the other weapons, I decided to reformat this weapon entirely as well. Thus, the Hellsing ARMS Anti-Tank Cannon 'Harkonnen' was no more, replaced with the Barrett M82A1M Anti-materiel rifle 'Teddy', named after Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt of the United States of America who was revered as a famous big-game hunter in his' time; the rifle was also finished off with a pristine, white coating.
Fortunately for both, being familiar with the specifications of both the types of ammunition the weapons used as well as having the ability to transmutate substances through thin air, ammo shortages wouldn't be of any particular issue; However, creating other types of ammunition wouldn't be as feasible a task to accomplish unless I were to analyze those types of ammunition or their specifications, but I'd cross that bridge whenever I reached it, I suppose.
Though, this time wouldn't be without its hardships; besides the straining task of studying the logistics behind weapon specifications. In the aftermath of our battle, I had to deal with the wounds Alucard left behind on me, and unlike him, I was no vampire: capable of regenerating entire body parts through feeding or waiting. So, I beseeched my lord to give me a means to at least rid myself of these agonizing wounds.
And as I knelt on the ground, through the rain, I was beaned in the face with a ring… which smarted something fierce.
As it turned out, putting on the ring aided in the healing process of my body, keeping infections from forming and sealing up my wounds at a faster-than-normal pace, though nothing supernaturally fast, such as with Alucard. When I asked him what the ring was exactly, he replied that it was a sacred item made to retain the integrity of the wearer, operating as a life-support device until the body could repair itself, then hastening those processes as well. When I asked him what it was called, he spoke unto me and said that it was whatever I wished to call it. So, going with something relatively simple, I decided to call it: The Ring of Miracles, due to its role in keeping me alive and well through my near-mortal injuries and such.
Then, there was the final issue of my equipment. Though, while my scythe was relatively intact, my armor and robe suffered considerable damage in the battle. Thus, I took up the challenge of creating a suitable replacement for both.
Thus, I altered the appearance of my armor slightly, deciding to go with a new look to go with my new weaponry.
Unfortunately, the armor suffered far too much damage, so I simply replaced the whole set, enchantment and all, giving the armor a sleek, silver shine to finish it off, versus its previously dull, metallic luster.
The robe was the biggest alteration however; as I decided to leave behind the appearance of a simple monk and changed my outer apparel to better suit my tastes. After mending and restoring the robe to its previous condition, instead of having it as a robe, I instead turned it into a cloak, the fabric falling around my shoulders as I excluded the sleeves entirely. I kept the brilliant shade of white on the cloak as well as the gold lining along the edge of the cowl, though I did add a large black cross design onto the back, the letters 'INRI' written in white along the horizontal bar of the cross.
And with that, we are all caught up once again…
I donned the cloak, the hood casting a shadow along my face, leaving only my chin and mouth visible. Underneath the cloak my armor was fastened and ready for any battles ahead, the armor glinting a bit in the sunlight; the rain having ended some time ago. All the weapons were put away in their respective holsters, which were made soon after the weapons were created, and fully-loaded, ready for use at a moment's notice. Taking a quick glance at the armor on my chest, I nodded to myself in confirmation that my Kukri knife and its sheath were still on my armor after all this time, undamaged. I then went on checking my right hand to make sure the artifact, the Ring of miracles, was indeed still on my ring finger where I had yet to take it off since I received it. Lastly, along with 'Teddy', Crescent Eclipse was placed on my back into its own special holder, fitting snugly into place and being easily accessible to be used in an instant; Jasmine, my guitar, was ready to be summoned for use at any time from whatever realm of existence it was stored in for the time being. Now that I thought about it, where was that silly guitar anyway?
Meanwhile, in the land of Brutal legend, an ivory-white guitar with golden strings leaned comfortable on a holding rack made especially for the guitar. In the background, the quiet sound of bass guitars played unendingly, broken only by the occasional sound of beers clinking and thudding as they were handled.
Absentmindedly, I transmutated a small, silver cross along with a string, creating a necklace for myself to wear, which I casually placed along my neck. I would wear it, not just as a symbol of my faith that brought me this far, but as a reminder to me of where I came from and who I was, no matter where I ended up going to next.
With my preparations made and my gear equipped, I was ready to move onto the start of what may be perhaps my first long-term journey, the purpose for my presence here fulfilled.
And with that, I requested a portal to my next location. Instantly, the starlit portal appeared before me a few feet away.
'Well, here goes nothing…or everything.' I thought despondently.
"You will be fine, my dear. After all that has transpired already, I am confident that you are more than capable of handling any dangers ahead." Spoke Aetulia.
'True. Still, I can't help but worry.' I thought, chills running down my back as I stared into the portal.
"Well, you know the saying: 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' You've already faced what some would consider gods without so much as even a flinch. If you could do that, then there is nothing out there that you can't face. Besides, I will be here with you every step of the way, my dear." She said assuredly.
'…Yes, you're right. I guess the encounter with Alucard shook me up more than I expected. Thank you for your kind words, Aetulia.'
"Of course. Now, shall we?" She asked, referring to the portal.
'Right. Here we go then.' I thought, taking the few steps necessary as I reached the portal.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained... I really do hate that saying." I muttered in addendum before pushing my hand into the portal as it gently started to tug me in.
Deciding to hasten the inevitable, I promptly stepped into the portal, letting the cool confines of it consume me whole as it transported me to what may be my final destination.
And then I, the newly christened Gabriel Van Helsing, was gone from this world, forever.
(End of Part 7-Finale)
(Epilogue)
Stepping out of the portal as it blinked into existence, I took note of the world around me, the portal disappearing behind me.
It was night and there was an icy chill in the air, mostly due to the snow that fell onto the ground around me.
In the distance, I could see the clearing was surrounded by a dark forest on all sides, but there was nothing I could see that seemed to show that there was any type of civilization in the area; It'd be a long walk before I could find somewhere safe.
In the sky, a stark white moon shined its magnificent light all throughout the land, its glow accentuated by the falling snow around it.
I could hear the howling of wolves in the distance, the sound drifting along the wind throughout the area. Creating a sense of almost natural beauty as well as a light sense of terror due to my own innate sense of preservation against the creatures of the night.
Then, a flash of red caught my attention out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to look at it; Apparently, I wasn't the only one in this forest tonight it seemed.
Within this darkened forest, a person in a red cloak walked through the snow, their destination unknown.
And a moment later, I went along and joined them on their journey, following along silently behind the cover of trees around them. Hopefully, I could find what it was that I was looking for here.
With that, a new story began and a new chapter in the life of The Final Crusader unfolded. And what it would entail… would be left to the hands of fate itself…
The End…until next time.