Chapter 12

Nothing much to say. All the players on this stage have arrived, and this shadow war is about to begin. Also, give me your thoughts on how I portrayed the characters her, because it's hard for me to write romance, especially with how fucked in the head some of these characters are.

"How is she?" The muscular man with red hair stood in the corner of the living room, watching the maids and returned Tohno heir trying desperately to heal Akiha. They had set her down on the couch, with Kohaku cutting open her palm and dripping blood into the girl's mouth and Shirou using his reinforcement to stabilize her body. Meanwhile, Hisui wrapped Akiha in bandages and applied cream meant for burn on the worst spots.

The man in the corner had calmed down by now, his hair turning dark and his magical energy disappearing. He had taken to observing the trio at work, yet was left unimpressed. "you're a mage, yet you don't know basic healing spells," he asked.

His condescending tone left Shirou feeling heated. He may not have much pride, but he would move heaven and earth to save someone, especially someone close to him. He knew that healing was one of the basic spells that every mage should learn, but he still lacked any real skill in it. "Oh, and you have a powerful healing spell yourself," he snapped back.

The muscular man didn't even appear phased by Shirou's aggression. "You do realize that she's giving you her life force, right?" Shirou nodded. "Then give her some of it back."

Hisui immediately interrupted. "But mister Kishima, you know that Lady Akiha would never approve of that!"

"Yet Shirou would never approve of Akiha doing the same. So would it be any different if Shirou did the same?" It was clear what the man, Kishima, felt. Shirou did not matter to him as much as Akiha.

"Umm…" Shirou hesitated to respond. "I don't really know how to manipulate my life force like that."

Kishima finally reacted with a raised eyebrow. "What about the relic inside of you? The very thing that's been keeping you alive for the last few days?"

It was Shirou's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I can do that?"

Kishima grunted in annoyance. You're a master of projection, aren't you? You've already been witnessed recreating multiple weapons to near perfection. You also still have the abilities of the relic despite loosing it. Can you not do the same with the relic that heals you and project it?"

Shirou focused on the healing power inside of him. "He's got a point. Why didn't I ever think of that? I can recreate the effects of Avalon, why not use my projection to do create that relic again? I always wanted to see what it looked like anyway."

However, when Shirou tried to visualize Avalon, he couldn't come up with anything. He didn't know what Avalon looked like. He had never seen it before, and therefore didn't know how to recreate it. So, he tried to think of another way to recreate it. He dug deep inside himself and brought out the power of Avalon, feeling the healing effects flowing through him. Then he tried to force the effects from himself into Akiha, but nothing came out. He couldn't push the effects onto Akiha and eventually gave up.

Shirou slowly grew desperate. He knew that Avolon could help him, he just needed to know how! So he dug even deeper, forcing out everything around him until the physical world became hazy to him. He envisioned very blade he had seen, the very things that left an imprint in his mind. And when he managed to find them, he saw a world of blades.

He finally found the source of his projections. A field bathed in twilight, a barren wasteland of sand and rock. Clouds filled the sky and cast shadows across the ground. This was the place where all of his precious blades were stored until he called upon them. The black keys that he cherished so much, the nameless swords he had seen in exhibits, the knife used by the enforcer, even the final gift from Ciel. And there, at the very top of a hill in the center of this field, he saw the sheathe. A sheathe that he understood better than any other weapon. He reached out and grabbed the sheathe, feeling it in his hand.

And in the real world he held the sheathe in his hands. All except the unconscious patient eyed the sheathe curiously. The brilliant blue and golden sheathe was slowly placed onto Akiha and slowly dissolved into particles and disappeared into the girl's body. The effects were almost immediate, as the wounds in her body slowly but visibly began to heal.

The maids were shocked at seeing the relic, even the Kishima in the corner dropping his jaw slightly. "So this is what your family risked so much for."

Shirou slowly turned his head to look at the mysterious man. "She's stable enough, and she should be able to stand in a few hours. In the meantime, I have some questions answered."

Kishima glared at him. "I have no loyalty to you. I'm inly fulfilling deal with the Tohnos. You were merely adopted before being cast out."

The Tohno boy glared him, challenging him. "I can't help you defend Akiha unless I know what's going on. I may have been told most of what I lost in my memories, but I have no idea what the Tohno curse is. I need to know why you need Avolon." Shirou stood up and walked over to Kishima, looking up into his eyes.

The to men stare each other down, neither willing to give in. However, unlike Shirou, Kishima didn't have a strong reason to deny Shirou his goal. He didn't truly care if Shirou wanted to learn more. He was only there to make sure Akiha was safe. "Very well. I will answer those questions to the best of my ability."

"Wait, but what about lady Akiha? You know she will be upset." Hisui's interruption earned her a glare from the Kishima. She was cowed instantly, despite Shirou and Kohaku trying to hide her behind themselves. Not that it changed the outcome.

"What do you want to know, boy?"

Shirou thought about his question carefully, not knowing how long this man would humor him. "What is the Tohno family's curse? The curse that I can smell on Akiha?"

Kishima sighed, the topic seeming to exhaust him to talk about. "Do you know about phantasmal species, specifically oni?" Shirou nodded. Anyone who researched Japanese folklore, would recognize oni. "Then what if I told you that there were families that crossbred with oni to try and assimilate their power into their families?"

"You mean the mixed bloods? What do they have to do with…" Shirou paused as realization spread across his face. He looked to the twin maids for confirmation, only for Hisui to look away uncomfortably and Kohaku to chuckle and nervously scratch her head.

"That is correct," Kishima continued. "I am Kouma Kishima, the last of the Kishima mixed bloods. The Tohnos kept in contact with several families of mixed bloods in order to protect each other in the modern day, from threats both external and internal."

"Threats," Shirou asked. "Which threats? The demon hunters?" That name brought a scowl to Kouma's face. "I thought they were destroyed. Wait… those enemies my sister said her family fought against. They were the demon hunters, weren't they?"

Kouma nodded in confirmation. "Correct. I personally lead he attack that destroyed the Nanaya's." He seemed a bit delighted at reveling in the memory of that night. "However, the Tohnos also faced internal threats. Our powers are both human and demon, so the normal sealing rituals didn't work on us. That was why the demon hunter organization was created in response to rampaging mixed bloods. Without the demon hunters around we needed to handle our own members that that invert."

Shirou was starting to catch on. "Akiha said that our brother had succumbed to his curse and attacked us, and that our father had to kill him. He fell to the inversion impulse, didn't he?" Instead of looking at Kouma he looked at Hisui and Kohaku. Their nods were all the confirmation he needed.

Now there was something else he needed to know. "Is Akiha close to inverting?"

Hisui hesitated to answer, but not Kohaku. "You can smell it, can't you? Her hair is slowly turning red and she's becoming more temperamental. It's only a matter of time, and the Tohno's can go into a state called crimson red vermillion. Akiha's oni blood is extremely thick, so she's far more volatile than most." Kohaku's mask of fear slipped just enough for a smile to form at the corner of her mouth. "If Kishima Kouma is a demon, then AKiha can become the devil himself given enough time."

Hisui shot her sister a shocked look, not that Kohaku noticed. But Kouma was far more intimidating. He fixed Kohaku with a death glare, warning her with a surge of bloodlust. Kohaku immediately shut up and froze. Shirou was too busy to notice Kohaku's smile, but he could sense the bloodlust coming off of Kouma. He spun around and let his magic circuits open, his own bloodlust colliding withb the half demon. Kouma stared down the teenager in front of him, but didn't lash out. Shirou wasn't a threat… yet.

Instead he let his bloodlust die down, continuing where he left off. "The Tohno girl's emotion are growing stronger. It's only a matter of time before she fully inverts. What will you do when she becomes too dangerous to control?"

Shirou took his time answering. "I'll make sure she has something to focus her anger on instead of harming innocent people."

For once Shirou's naivety surprised Kouma. "You do realize that she's going to try to kill you right? In fact, the only thing keeping her from going insane is the Fujou twins."

Shirou spunaround to look at the maids, who once again hesitated to answer. "Yeah, about that."

Hisui interrupted her sister, shooting her a glare. "We were descended from the demon hunter clans. Our branch family of the Fujous fell out of favor and became indebted to the Tohnos. Lord Makihisa and lady Akiha used our synchronization ability to transfer our energy to them and help keep their inversion impulse under control." Kohaku kept quiet, even though she scowled at her sister.

"Shirou oncemplated the information he had just received. "Is this why you keep feeding both of us your blood?" The twins nodded. "Then why is she losing control now?"

"Because you arrived."

Shirou shot Kouma a look of nonbelief. "What," he breathed out. The fires and bodies were already flashing in his mind.

"She's losing control because her emotion are becoming stronger and more negative. She worries about you, yet you constantly put yourself in danger. Her home city is becoming a warzone. It's only a matter of time before she reaches the point of no return."

Shirou was stuck in his own head now. He knew why Akiha had lashed out so much, why she kept him at arm's length, why she didn't want him running around putting himself in danger. It wasn't just her worry for her brother. She also didn't want to be seen as a monster.

Yet, Shirou could not just stand by and do nothing. "What if I kill the dead apostle ancestors then? The other parties will go away. I could save everyone." It wasn't a suggestion. It was a proclamation. Everybody in that house knew what was about to happen.

Kouma leveled Shirou with a warning glare. "I will not be trying to save you if your in danger. Akiha is the one I was asked to protect."

Shirou waved him off. "You don't need to worry about that. I can fend for myself." He left the house and went to look for his allies. It was time for a hunt.

When he left Kouma shifted his gaze to the twins, specifically Kohaku. "What are you trying to do, demon hunter?"

Kohaku, despite sweating from fear, gave Kouma the most fake innocent smile she could muster. "I was simply telling him the truth, no details sugarcoated. I'd rather he know the real truth, rather than have the fine details hidden from him. Unless of course, you're afraid what he'll do when he learns this family's dark secret."

The moment Shirou left the house he made two different calls. One was made to a burial agent, the other to a true ancestor. He made his way to Arcueid's hideout and was welcomed inside without complaint. Inui and Satsuki were already there, informed of the upcoming hunt.

Arcueid sat everyone down and began her meeting. "Alright Shirou, what's the mission?"

Shirou looked out across his party, all of them willing to follow him into hell itself. "I contacted Ciel. She's got a strike team of executors and a few more burial agents assisting her. She's covering the east side of the city while the mage's association is covering the west side. We'll start searching the center. Everyone is moving north to try and corner him. Nrvnsqr is currently starving after fighting against Arcueid and losing most of his minions to magi and executors. He'll be forced to come out and feed himself. If we encounter him, Arcueid and I will go and tie him down until reinforcements arrive. Once they arrive we'll back off. Hopefully he'll be weakened enough for the others to finish him off."

Arcueid nodded her head, but Inui noticed something. "What will Yumizuka and I be doing," he asked.

Shirou hesitated to answer, earning a glare from his longtime friend. "Um… Sorry, but neither of you are powerful or experienced enough for this mission. We're going after a dead apostle ancestor and…"

"And I don't care," Inui interrupted. "The least in can do is try and call Ciel when you guys find this psychopath. You'll be busy, right? You'll need someone to handle communications."

Shirou thought about his options carefully. He didn't want to drag anyone else into his battles, but he knew he couldn't stop Inui from trying to help him. It wasn't in his fellow red-head's style. When he looked at Satsuki and saw her expression, he couldn't help but notice her face changing too. She was becoming bolder, more determined. She wouldn't back down either. When he looked to Arcueid, she simply stared at him, choosing to simply observe. "Alright, you can join us," he relented. The two began to celebrate. "BUT… you have to follow my orders." They settled into small frowns. "You will only be supporting us. When one of us tells you to run, you run. When the fighting starts you contact Ciel. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary. Understood?" Inui and Satsuki nodded.

"Alright, we'll split up into pairs and cover different sections of the city. We have to get moving before the magi or the executors do, so we can stay ahead of them. If we move after we could run into traps that they've laid for the dead apostles. We need to move within the next hour."

Inui stepped up to say his piece. "I'll go with Arcueid. She's the strongest one here, so me being weak won't hurt too much. Yumizuka should go with you, Tohno."

"Now hold on just a minute!"

"That's not a bad idea, Arihiko," Shirou said before Arcueid could throw too much of a fit. He had an idea why Arcueid was upset, but he couldn't let it interrupt him now. He could worry about it later. "Yumizuka, are you okay with that?"

Satsuki nodded. "Of course, Tohno! Don't worry miss Arcueid, I'll take good care of him." She may have meant for it to come out in a calming gesture, but Arcueid didn't seem to take it like that. Yet she merely grumbled and grabbed Inui by the arm, preparing to head out.

"Wait, shouldn't I get a weapon or something?" Everyone froze as they realized what he meant.

Twenty minutes and two hypnotized police later, Inui was armed with a couple of pistols and several magazines of ammunition. A reinforced short sword completed his loadout.

As the pairs split up, Arcueid cast a glare over to Inui, causing the boy to flinch as bloodlust permeated the air. The vampire princess approached the teenager, backing him up against a wall. "Why did you do that," she growled.

Inui's mouth opened and closed as the woman that almost killed him was mere inches from his face. "I-I-I… Look, you know those two like each other. I'm just helping them out." One of his hands slowly drifted towards his guns, preparing to draw them, no matter how fruitless it was.

Arcueid simply grew more frustrated. "And you don't think I feel the same way? Why am I not allowed to show my love to him, huh?" By this point her eyes had become slits, her emotions beginning to overwhelm her sense of reason.

This time Inui narrowed his eyes and cast a glare at her. "Are you sure you know what love is? You're only just now feeling these emotions, aren't you? How can you say for sure that you love him?"

Now it was Arcueid who backed up. "I… You have no right to judge me!" Her noble persona had been broken just like that.

Inui chuckled. "Shirou said that true ancestors had a desire to kill humans. He also said that you seemed to sometimes act like a curious child learning about herself and the outside world. You don't really understand humans that well, do you?"

Arcueid couldn't answer right away. She looked around for anything that could bail her out of this conversation, but to no avail. "I never needed to understand humans," she admitted with a sigh. "I found Shirou interesting because he seemed like such an anomaly. I wanted to learn more about him and what made him so unique. He's one of the only people that can make me feel something."

As Arcueid looked away shamefully and rubbed her arm, a clear sign of nervousness, Inui began to feel pity. Pity for this woman who, on the inside, was a girl who hadn't learned how to live her life yet. "You were merely a weapon, weren't you?"

Arcueid nodded, her eyes glazing over as she reflected on her life. "Yes. I didn't really have much of a life beyond being the moon princess. In between hunts I would always hibernate and only learned the bare minimum about human society. I just… I just wanted to feel alive for once."

Inui didn't know what to do or say, so he acted on impulse. Putting a hand on Arcueid's shoulder, he smiled at her confused expression. "If there's one thing we humans tend to do, it's help those we care about. Tohno may take it to a whole different extreme, but most of us still do something similar. I'm simply looking out for my best friend. He's like a brother to me."

Arcueid nodded her head. "I understand. You want to make them both happy." Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "But… I just want to feel close to someone. Even if it's not reciprocated, I want those emotions. I can't go back to how I once was after that."

Inui thought for a moment, trying to think of a solution to this dilemma. "Talk to them," he suggested. When Arcueid gave him a confused look he continued. "Talk to them about how you feel. That's how I always handled my problems with people, especially girls. The more you hold it in, the more it'll build up. Talk to them about it. If they want to help you, great! If they refuse, don't force them to do what you want. Failure is all part of the process."

Arcueid continued to stare at him dumbfounded for a few seconds before smiling. "You humans are really strange. To just accept failure like that, even once."

Inui smiled back at her. "If we weren't strange we wouldn't have progressed this far." The two of them didn't say another word after that. They simply continued down the dark street, a new understanding and resolve between them.

Shirou and Satsuki, on the other hand, were feeling a different kind of heat between them. Satsuki kept glancing at Shirou, wanting to say something but hesitating each time. Shirou, on the other hand, was focused on his surroundings.

Finally, Satsuki worked up the courage to say something. "Uhm, Tohno?" Shirou turned his gaze towards the girl next to him. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Shirou's expression grew confused. "Sorry about what? If you're talking about getting turned into a dead apostle, it's not your fault."

Satsuki shook her head. "No, not that. I mean for making you take me with you. I know you don't like people getting hurt when you can stop it. I'm sorry about this."

Shirou paused and looked at her, a million thoughts racing through his head. Chastising the girl for being foolish, ordering her to run and hide, calling Akiha to come and get her… He did none of these. Instead, he placed a hand on her head, rubbing it gently. The girl, blushing with surprise and embarrassment, leaned into his touch. She took comfort in the hand that she always wanted to hold. "You have nothing to apologize for, Yumi… Satsuki. I'm really proud of you."

The use of her given name already made her face heat up, but Shirou's compliments gave her butterflies in her stomach. She looked up at the boy in front of her. "Shirou… I want to say… I really like you. You might not realize it, but you're a good person by nature. You're my hero, and I never want to change that."

Shirou's expression turned dark. "I'm no hero. My motives for being a hero are entirely selfish. I couldn't save you when you needed me, and I'm putting you in danger."

Satsuki shook her head. "No, you're not selfish. Your words and actions are not those of a selfish person. You helped me when nobody else would or could. I came with you of my own will. You're a hero, even if you're not the strongest or the smartest person around. I've always believed in you and always will."

Shirou was stunned by his friend once again. "You… truly believe that?" Shirou could feel something in his chest stirring at the fact someone truly believed in him. Truly believed he was capable of being a hero. That someone didn't blame him for the pain of others. He almost couldn't believe the words he was hearing. Others had believed in him before, but no-one thought that he was a hero. Thought that he had finally atoned for his…

"No, you didn't need to atone for anything. You didn't start the fire. You didn't attack your sister. You didn't send yourself away. You didn't turn Satsuki. You aren't the cause of their pain. They never would have blamed you. She doesn't blame you. She's thankful. She appreciates what you did. It… feels good to have someone believe I'm a hero."

Satsuki looked Shirou in the eyes. "Of course, I believe in you. After all, I fell in love with you." Shirou didn't have time to react before Satsuki's lips met his.

The two of them didn't move for a time. Satsuki was worried that she made a mistake, but she didn't move from her position. Shirou was still trying to comprehend what happened. The girl who liked him had just declared her love for him. That he could understand. What he was trying to come to terms with was the fact that she was currently kissing him. He didn't know how to respond. He'd never been in this situation before.

But what he did understand was that someone wanted his affection. Someone had just declared their affection for him and was currently displaying that affection, and he knew she would be heartbroken if it wasn't reciprocated. And who better to grant this request to than the girl who had stuck by his side. So, he pulled Satsuki in close and returned the kiss.

Satsuki froze up, but in a heartbeat realized what was going on. She didn't truly know why, but Shirou was returning the affection she was giving. She had finally gotten her wish. Her hero had given her what she desired for so long. It was her dream made reality.

When the two finally broke apart they looked each other in the eyes. A million words silently passed between the two, but the message was clear. They leaned in again to…

The smell of a corpse, far more powerful than Satsuki, filled Shirou's nose. It was like a hundred corpses all molded into one. He shoved Satsuki back, the confused girl floundering as she was sent flying down the street. It was the only thing that saved her from an undead tiger.

"Satsuki, run," Shirou called to her, immediately projecting a nodachi and decapitating the tiger. He was forced to project a smaller wakizashi when a wolf rushed him as his guard was down. He held the blade out and the wolf ran headfirst into it with its mouth open, killing it instantly.

Shirou looked up to see Satsuki grab another wolf by the throat and slam it into the ground. She dug her claws into its neck and tore out its throat, only to get ambushed when a shark burst out of the street. Her entire torso was engulfed as she struggled to scream with the beast crushing her.

Shirou wasted no time overloading the nodachi and forcing it to levitate, launching it with so much force that that the impact alone launched the shark throw the air. The explosion killed it and blew open its jaw, releasing Satsuki.

"Call Ciel, now!" At Shirou's order the girl ran to a nearby building, using her claws and enhanced strength to put as much distance between herself and the creatures pursuing her.

It wouldn't be enough. The birds in the sky weren't natural. They were undead, just like the creatures pursuing them on the ground. She wouldn't make it away from them.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of gunshots echoed as the birds dropped out of the sky. The beasts turned their attention to the source of the gunfire, finding a grinning redhead with a loaded pistol aiming at them. "Surprise motherfuckers!" He emptied the magazine into several of the creatures, downing a tiger and two more wolves. Right when he was about to be pounced on by a shark, Arcueid dropped out of the sky and crushed it beneath her. She wasted no time cutting through the horde while Inui reloaded.

Shirou smiled, despite the situation. With Inui covering Satsuki and Arcueid covering Inui, he focused on clearing out the enemies around him. The magic circuits in his body thrummed with prana as he projected a wall of blades above him, all of them pointing toward the ground. The various animals around him, ranging from lions and tigers and leopards, to dogs and wolves and crocodiles, all paused and tried to get out of the way. Instead, most of them were impaled and pinned to the ground, nearly every single one of those victims dying instantly.

With the breather he had Shirou took stock of his surroundings. More beasts were approaching, still undead animals, but there was more than he expected. He was preparing to attack fire more blades when he was interrupted by a deep, menacing voice. "I knew you would have been trouble. I should have killed you earlier."

He searched for the voice, finding the pale man in a black coat standing on a rooftop. His skin was so pale that it made the black veins on his neck and face stand out even more. Shirou projected his black keys in preparation for the fight to come.

Yet it was Arcueid who approached him first. "Nrvnsqr Chaos. I won't let you escape this time," she growled. Her eyes were slits and her claws fully extended.

"I don't plan on running away," Nrvnsqr responded. He leapt off the rooftop, black, batlike wings extending from his back. He roared out a battle cry, sounding more like a monster than a man, and slammed a hand into Arcueid, his claws extending into talons. Arcueid blocked the attack and threw Nrvnsqr into the ground, only to be countered by long pincers stabbing through her stomach. The true ancestor jumped back allowing Nrvnsqr to regain his footing. Shirou took this opportunity to attack. He had fired the wakizashi, reinforced to the point of exploding, into the back of Nrvnsqr's head. As the dead apostle ancestor was recovering Shirou rushed him with a spear, one of Chinese make with a thick, single edged blade. It had been wielded by many skilled warriors, and the ghost of those warriors seemed to be guiding Shirou's hands. With strength from the age of gods combined with his own reinforcement, Shirou was giving Nrvnsqr hell with his surprise attack. When the ancestor attacked with his beasts Shirou projected black to keys in the air and launched them. When Nrvnsqr's body transformed to counter the spear and block the black keys, Arcueid took her turn to jump in. She had activated some of her own spells, blades of wind cutting into the rival ancestor as she slashed at him. The ancestor was getting tag teamed, and when one of his beasts looked like they were about to interrupt, multiple bullets brought it to the ground. When a beast tried to get rid of the gunman they were torn apart by a dead apostle that was quickly approaching ancestor level.

He had realized how much danger he was in. His enemies were far coordinated, and their abilities complemented each other. He had to turn this around, but he wouldn't be a millennium old ancestor without learning a few things. He quickly produced a series of spines, coating them with toxins, and quickly threw them at his first target while simultaneously blocking Shirou and Arcueid's attacks. Shirou and Arcueid were confused at first, seeing as how he wasn't aiming at either of them, until a scream from Satsuki caught their attention.

Satsuki was far too focused on the beasts to notice the incoming spines until it was too late. Even then she had to protect Inui. She had taken all of the poisonous spines, and her being incapacitated caused a domino effect. Inui had nor more protection from being surrounded by beasts, and his screams as birds and beasts bit into him caught the attention of his allies.

Satsuki, in her desperation activated her one and only spell. A reality marble, Arcueid had called it. She was truly lucky to get one so easily. She activated it and pushed out with its effects, draining the mana in the air, stripping the prana from Nrvnsqr's beasts. With the beasts collapsed and her friend freed, she stumbled to her feet, desperately ripping the spines out of her body as her healing factor tried to hold back the poison.

"Arihiko! Arihiko, speak to me!" Satsuki's cries barely elicited a groan from the boy. She had to get him out of here. But she couldn't just leave her comrades.

"Take him, go!" The confirmation from Shirou was enough to get her moving. She picked up Inui and ran as if her life depended on it. In fact, it probably did. With half of the team gone, Arcueid and Shirou knew they had their work cut out for them. One of them would have to peel off to keep Nrvnsqr's beasts in check while the other handled the dead apostle himself.

The whistling of black keys. The activation of a bounded field. The sound of a person landing on the ground. All eyes present turned to this new interloper. The girl in had replaced her church clothes with a new uniform, a sleeveless top and skirt, with a new weapon, a piledriver. "Shirou, Arcueid, the church and mage's association have set up a bounded field to keep the fight contained. Though your friends managed to escape. I can only hope they'll be able to convince the others to let them through. For now, we have to focus on him."

Nrvnsqr scowled as he assessed his situation. The burial agent was arguably more dangerous than the rookie vampire and the gunman combined. "It looks like I'll have to use that form then." His body slowly began to mutate.

The words he spoke had an immediate effect on his opponents. They knew about lair of the beast king, the reality marble of Nrvnsqr chaos, but they didn't know what was inside of it. As they saw the beasts around Nrvnsqr run back towards him, they saw new beasts appear. These weren't mundane animals. They were phantasmal species. Dozens of them. Werewolves and oni, giants and wyverns, lamias and demonic beasts, everything they could think of. As the dead apostle himself began to mutate into an amalgamation of every creature in his reality marble, he spoke one final sentence. "I'll be sure to end you all here and now."