Disclaimer: The fighting continues, with our heroes engaging the enemy as the battle to reclaim St. Petersburg rages on. The counter team begins to repel the vampire forces, gradually driving them out of the city, but more danger looms as LOD unleashes some of their greatest agents. Among them, a powerful devil who once fought against Sparda. The wolf pack along with Dante and the others find themselves locked in vicious combat. Can they win?
Hellsing and Devil May Cry are owned/copyrighted by Kouta Hirano and Capcom respectively. All credit goes back to the original authors.
Chapter Nineteen- Enter Ryoga: the Demon Swordsman
Michael dashed at the head of the group, cutting down vampires with his blade Fenrir. He turned, spinning in a circle as his coat waved behind as he sliced a vampire down the middle, vivisecting him entirely. The rest of the pack likewise began engaging the vampires. Raul cut down several with his short swords. With his back still turned he kicked one to the side before jumping and kicking a second in the face, knocking its tactical helmet off. The vampire slowly stood to full height, glaring harshly at its Werewolf opponent who grinned. Its red eyes flashed dangerously as the veins pulsed and it shouted and charged. Raul then watched as its body was riddled with bullet holes before it burst to ash. Raven stood behind it, holding out her assault rifle as she blew Raul a kiss and sprinted in the other direction.
Kathy fired from her twin revolvers. Pausing she began to reload, placing in the incendiary rounds before standing back up and firing off four shots, igniting vampires and creating a chain of inferno.
The vampires retaliated, returning fire as the pack exchanged gunfire. Sergei and Alex stood back to back. Alex wielding a G36 assault rifle while his brother wielded an M16. "Yo Sergei!" Alex called out reloading and then firing again.
"Yeah?" Sergei responded.
"First one to get a kill streak gets 40 bucks!" Alex said continuing to shoot. Sergei grinned, "You're on!" he shouted. Both brothers ceased firing as they were quickly surrounded. The vampires began closing in slowly as both brothers grinned and aimed their weapons.
"On three" Alex said.
"One…" Sergeis aid sliding his foot back.
"Two.." Alex said tensing. Before either brother could react, they watched as several bright flashes of light began encircling them. The flashes of light quickly formed into vicious and swift cutting motions, chopping the vampires into confetti as blood splattered in the air. The twins watched, in awe as the group of vampires were quickly sliced to ribbons. A flash of motion appeared in front of the twins and there stood Hiro, sword in his right hands as he splashed the blood off and sheathed his weapon in a quick motion. Sergei and Alex fumed, "Damn it Hiro! Why the fuck do you always interrupt our kill streaks?" both brothers roared angrily as Hiro shrugged and said "You all take too long." He said as their faces dropped.
From his position, Hanya's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Don't mind it Sergei! He always says the same thing to me!" he shouted as he slashed through several vampires with his claws. Robert and Karl fired on more vampires, bringing an end to their brief exchange. A few moments later the fighting ended as the pack defeated the vampires, leaving behind eviscerated corpses and pools of blood collecting in the streets. With a wave, Michael sheathed his sword and tapped his ear piece. "Dante? Nero? You guys read?" he said. A moment later the brash voice of Nero picked up. "Yeah go ahead" the young knight said.
"We've managed contact, keep the fight going. I'm contacting headquarters to see what our next move is" Michael said turning to Raul who handed him a radio. "Michael to HQ over" he said.
"Go ahead Michael this is Vladimir"
"Boss the city is filled to the top with vampires and Ghouls. We've arrived and already begun the fight" Michael explained. From the headquarters, Vladimir shifted in his seat before sighing. "Understood. Listen Michael, the enemy is bringing out their big boys now. You guys have much worse to deal with now than just vampires. Some of our men are pinned down. We'll dispatch their locations to your GPS. Assist them at any cost. Then reclaim the city, by any means necessary. Vladimir signing out" he said shutting his radio off.
"Sergei, Alex, head over to Captain Reznov's position. Raul, you take Hanya, Karl and Robert over to Palace Square. Help our forces drive them back. The rest of you keep pushing through the containment zone, I'll go off ahead to try and draw them away" Michael said watching his pack. At that point he gripped his long katana strongly.
"Everything has prepared us for this point. We have to protect this city and its people. No matter the cost. Even if the very flesh is stripped from your bones. We cannot allow Klaus and his minions to go forth with their plan. Tonight, we will kill them all. For in the name of freedom, we take the fight to them" Michael said gesturing towards the fighting further in the city.
Sergei and Alex squinted at him. "Dude, you totally ripped that last line from Dark of the Moon" Alex said. Michael frowned, "Shut up let me have my moment" he said.
The fighting continued. In the north section, a battalion of soldiers were fighting off wave after wave of Ghouls. The undead monsters howled with great fury as their bodies were riddled with holy ammunition, turning them to paste. One soldier crouched to his left knee, firing from his assault rifle before ejecting a clip and reloading a fresh one. A group of vampires emerged from the wave of Ghouls. Cocking their weapons the too returned fire, both groups exchanging bullets in a heated gun battle.
"Drive them back!" the commander cried out to his troops. One man was shot in the head while another had his body rocked with bullets. The Ghouls were falling, but for every one that died another three seemed to sprout from nowhere and take its place. "Jesus how many are there?" a soldier shouted diving behind a slab of concrete for cover.
The vampires ceased firing, cocking their head they began scanning the streets. One vampire jerked his head, giving a hand signal as they began breaking their formation. The soldiers likewise ceased firing. "Captain? What's going on?"
"No fucking clue, focus and get ready. I don't like this" he said aiming his weapon.
The vampires began chuckling. Suddenly, there was a long and deep howl that pierced the air. The soldiers flinched, it sounded like a wolf but somehow different. Behind the vampires they saw a dark and heavy figure moving towards the group. Gasping, one soldier's eyes widened at the horror approaching.
The creature in question stood about 6 foot tall and walked on all fours. Its upper body was thick and strong, like a bear but with the sleekness of a wolf and the loping gait of a Hyena. It had a long canine like snout; its mouth filled with sharp teeth. It had large pointed ear and dark brown fur. It had a long bushy tail like a fox which it twitched excitedly. It had piercing glowing red eyes. The beast paused, sniffing the air twice before leaning back and howling. Behind it more of its kind began walking down. Soon there were four, then six, then ten. The vampires again chuckled, watching the growing fear of the soldiers.
"FALL BACK!" the captain shouted as some of the men opened fire while others turned and fled. The pack of creatures howled before opening their jaws and snarling as they sprinted after. They were frighteningly fast, catching up to the fleeing soldiers in no time. One tackled a soldier to the floor, biting into his soldiers and splattering blood before ripping him to shreds. Its pack mates likewise did the same, tearing, biting and viciously mauling the soldiers as they began their grisly attack. The vampires took to slowly following behind, shooting any stragglers.
The captain of the group, wounded and having his leg bitten off crawled away only to be kicked in his back by a vampires who flipped him around on his back. The vampire removed its mask, exposing its bare face and opened its mouth showing its fearsome fangs. Despite the pleas of the captain, the vampire plunged its fangs deep into the captain's neck, feeding and slurping up the blood.
Meanwhile, Nero Dante and Alucard were making their way through the streets. Rescuing stranded or trapped citizens and killings more vampires and Ghouls along the way. Alucard laughed wildly as he ejected clips from his weapons and reloaded.
"Is this all they can send us? Come on COME ON! Give us a real fight!" he shouted opening fire on a group of charging vampires. There was a loud bang followed by the thunderous roar of cannon fire shot from above the group. The vampire exploded in a bloody and fiery mess. Dante turned behind the group. Atop a small building, Seras fired from the massive and sturdy Harkonnen cannons. Ejecting the empty shell she placed in another and again fired, this time on a group of vampires charging from the opposite sides.
Nero fired from the Blue Rose, blowing the heads of several vampires that attacked the group. Bored he too sighed and said "I expected bigger baddies then these clowns" he said.
"Then perhaps I can be a more suitable opponent for you" a voice said approaching the group. The trio turned to see a man walking up, stepping over the bodies of the dead and mangled corpses of the vampires. Dark gray hair, electric blue eyes, he had a cross shaped scar on his cheek. He wore black pants, black and gray boots, a gray shirt and a long knee length black jacket. Strapped across his back was a large double edged double bladed sword with ornate gold inscriptions along the blades. Nero immediately sized up this new opponent up.
"The name is Tristan. I hope you all have been enjoying this evening's entertainment. But now is where the real fun begins" Tristan said smirking as Nero simply stared. Alucard began laughing, pulling out one of his guns before Nero waved with his hand. "You heard him, he wants to duke it out with me. You guys go on ahead. I'll entertain our guest" Nero said reaching behind for Red Queen. Dante shrugged, "Just don't come crying for me if you get your ass kicked" he taunted. Alucard laughed in response while Seras jumped down from her position, the Harkonnen cannon strapped to her shoulder as she ran to catch up. She turned a concerned look on her face.
"Nero…be careful" she said then turned, running to catch up with her master and Dante.
Tristan smirked, a confidant look on his face as Nero gripped the handle of the Red Queen. "Are you with LOD?" Nero asked. Tristan nodded. "Then let me ask you, just what the hell is going on? First demons attack us, then vampires and now these chumps. Just what are you people after?" Nero asked.
Tristan shrugged, "No need to concern yourself with that" he said. And before Nero could object Tristan removed his weapon, spinning it rapidly above his head as she sprinted. Their blades met; Nero pressing against Tristan who was stronger than Nero expected. Nero shoved him back, beginning his assault as he slashed rapidly with the Red Queen. Forced on the defense, Tristan spun his double bladed weapon viciously through the air, clashing with Nero's weapon as the two dashed around their battleground. Nero jumped back, revving the Red Queen twice before charging, the blade glowing orange with powerful energy. Tristan raised his eyes at how strongly the attacks suddenly became. Rolling to the side, he spun his blade around twice before thrusting as Nero parried and slashed downward which Tristan blocked against.
"Not bad kid, not bad" Tristan said struggling against Nero's strength. Nero shoved him back and pressed his attack, slashing rapidly with Red Queen as Tristan spun his blade around. Tristan jumped and flipped over Nero, landing several feet away. Nero slammed the Red Queen into the ground, revving the handle three times as the blade glowed bright orange causing Tristan's eyes to widen. "Oh ho, quite the interesting technique" he complimented spinning his blade as Nero charged. Slashing twice he revved the handle, adding more power with each strike gradually forcing Tristan on the defense before landing a few strikes in ending with him kicking Tristan away as he skid to a stop.
Laughing, Tristan spun the blade and slammed it into the ground. "They were right about you. I told Victoria but she never listens" he said chuckling. Nero immediately pulled out Blue Rose, firing off several rounds as Tristan grabbed his blade, spinning it and deflecting the rounds. Lowering his gun Nero frowned and said "Ok dude let me ask you. Why the hell is LOD so interested in only using vampires?" Tristan smirked, "Who said we're only using vampires?" he said causing Nero to widen his eyes. And he was right, for LOD had yet to unleash some of the deadlier of their pawns.
A squad of soldier fought of waves of attacking Ghouls. The Ghouls howled and snarled, sprinting towards the men with no regard for their own preservation. Several were mowed down by heavy machine gun fire, their bodies violently ripped apart. Reloading his rifle a soldier took cover, firing and shooting several more. Suddenly a loud explosion rang out from behind the Ghouls as they snapped and snarled before being engulfed in a swirling vortex of black mist. The soldier's ceased firing, wondering what was happening. The mist expanded in size, swirling like a small twister before reaching to the sky. After several moments it began dissipating until it cleared entirely. "What the hell is that thing?" a soldier asked. Another said, "Jesus is….is that a fuckin' samurai?" he asked exasperated.
Standing before the squadron was a figure, clad in all black samurai armor. It had on a full chain link chest guard, large spiked shoulder pauldrons, steel arm guards and matching shin guard, black gloves and black shoes. The figure had on a black helmet with a gold crescent moon fixed at the top. It also wore a black face mask covering the lower portion of its face. Strapped across its shoulders was a tattered and torn long black cape. It stood slowly to full height, two swords strapped to its waist. With piercing red eyes and gold pupils it stared at the shoulders who shook from fear.
"Sh-SHOOT THAT BASTARD!" one cried out as they opened fire. Bullets whizzed through the air racing toward this samurai-esque individual who merely stood still. Raising its hand out, it opened its palm as it ceased the path of the bullets. They harmlessly stood motionless before scattering down to the ground. The soldiers were now terrified and began backing up. The figure slowly reached for one of the katana's strapped to its waist. Pulling the blade out he gripped it tightly and pointed it at the men before speaking in a chilling dark voice.
"I, Ryoga the demon swordsman shall purge the earth of the human menace" he said. Black energy began forming around the blade. Ryoga took one swing and unleashed massive bolts of black lightning which rained down from the darkened sky, striking and obliterating several of the soldiers who cried out as they were sent flying into the air.
Ryoga began walking forward, he then broke into a fast trot, holding his blade steady as he began cutting down and slashing through several of the soldiers. One opened fire with his assault rifle; Ryoga effortlessly deflected the bullets with his sword before stabbing him through his stomach. He then pulled the blade out and slashed the man into bloody chunks. Ryoga continued his conquest, slaughtering the soldiers one by one. He cut them down with his blade; cutting off their heads, limbs and slashing them to pieces. Blood pooled on the ground as he continued. Finally, a single soldier was left. Wounded with a slash wound to his torso the man crawled away, blood trailing underneath as Ryoga walked closer. He bent down, grabbing the man by his throat and hoisting him into the air.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" he asked, choking against his opponents frightening strength. Ryoga's eyes flashed; with his other hand he raised his sword. "Humans are a pestilence. The world is not fit to see your kind continue to live. You will die sapien" he hissed and in one motion cut off the man's head. Ryoga dropped the body to the floor, surveying his damage. The body parts littered the street. Flicking the blood off he sheathed his sword and began walking away.
"Ryoga, can you hear me?" a voice spoke telepathically to him. Ryoga nodded. "Indeed I can, Klaus" he answered.
"Begin your assault. Kill these pathetic soldiers. Send a message to those that oppose our goals"
"I understand. It shall be done" Ryoga answered walking along, his cloak billowing in the wind behind him.
Saint Isaac's cathedral was being fiercely protected by a squadron of soldiers. The Order of the Cross in conjunction with Russian Air and Ground forces set up a blockade, funneling the onslaught of vampires and Ghouls away from the famed cathedral. The soldiers opened fire with their assault rifles, reducing a mob of Ghouls to piles of ash and dust. "Keep at it!" one cried out reloading his weapon and tossing several grenades over the barricade. Bullets and rockets whizzed through the air. The Ghouls howled and snarled, feasting on freshly killed meals until they were quickly mowed down. Slowly but surely, the tide was being turned as the resistance to LOD was fighting back with a fierce indignation.
At Palace Square, a large group of soldiers were pushing through, attempting to liberate the area. Large armored vehicles rolled down the streets as soldiers fired from their weapons. A vampire sprinted through the square, arming a large rocket launcher as it fired off a rocket, the missile speeding through the air before reaching its target, blowing up one of the vehicles sending soldiers flying in a large explosion. The fighting continued, the soldiers pushing through the vampire horde.
A large armored vehicle sped up to the curb, the doors opened and about a dozen or so soldiers jumped out. Arming their weapons they took aim, immediately opening fire on the attacking vampires and Ghouls. Among them was Dexter, having finally made it to the battlefield he jumped out and opened fire. Bullets whizzed through the air, piercing armor and hide, flesh and bone as both sides began suffering loss. Dexter reloaded his assault rifle, firing on a squad of vampires across the street. He prepared to unleash a further assault when a deep and powerful rumbling sound interrupted his fire. Likewise, the rest of the strike force felt the same tremble ripping through the ground. The vampires stopped firing; retreating into the center of Palace Square, forming a phalanx position. Looking on Dexter said, "What the hell is going on? Why have they stopped?" he asked.
The rumbling grew stronger; Dexter actually found it harder to stand straight to his feet. Then suddenly there was a loud and powerful BOOM sound that ripped through the night air. A massive pillar of red light erupted in front of the vampires, reaching the sky and piercing through the plume of heavy thick smoke made by the outburst of fires caused by the fighting. The pillar of light circled and cracked with energy before flashing brightly, causing Dexter and the others to shield their eyes. Upon reopening them, they were met with an unpleasant sight.
Standing before the vampires were six massively tall and savage looking figures. They wore thick heavy battle armor, each armed with a large oval shaped shield with a bony plate, spikes jutting from the sides. In their other hand they were armed with a large flail; the club part encased in a dense metal casing. Each of the figures grinned, exposing large sharp teeth. They wore large helmets resembling Viking crowns.
Dexter stared, horrified. He turned to the other men who were likewise trembling and shaking with fear. One man, saying a quick prayer in Russian closed his eyes and cocked his rifle. The figures began laughing.
"RIIIIIISE!" a hissing and echoing voice shouted from behind the group. There was the loud thunderous sound of footsteps as the vampires broke rank, allowing for a new figure to take center as the armored monsters flanked this new arrival. This new figure, even more massive and taller than his subordinates instilled more fear into the now panicking counter force. It had horns like a bull, the thick and muscled body of a man and strong powerful legs. It had long black claws on each hand. Dressed in black pants, the figure had heavy chest armor and two large spiked plated shoulder pauldrons along with matching shin greaves. The figure had thick white hair flowing down its back. It had gold eyes with black pupils, its eyes scanning the squadron of men before it. With a snarling sneer it curled its lips back, exposing sharp teeth. Raising its right fist, the beast said signaled to it subordinates who in turn signaled the vampires who cocked their weapons.
"Fire! Fire at will!" Dexter shouted as the men began firing their rifles, straight for the group. There was an explosion of black mist surrounding the armored beasts and the vampire horde, the bullets disappearing into the mist. Soon the shooting stopped as Dexter signaled to halt. They soon discovered this was no ordinary 'mist'. Rather it was a massive swarm of flying crows. The vicious birds cawing; the lead armored figure seemingly controlling them as they engulfed and encircled him. With another snarl he said, "SSSEEERVE KLAAAUS! BEESSIIIIEGE!" And with that the vampires pressed the attack, firing as the lead figures subordinates spread out in position, shielding themselves from the gunfire as they swung their flails overhead while slowly marching forward. The soldier's panicking, their gunfire barely penetrating this new defense.
"Oh fuck!" a soldier cried out. A vampire broke their rank, impaling him through the stomach and then tossing him overhead to the group. Landing in front of one of the shielded beasts, it raised its flail overhead and said "CRUUUUUUSH!" as it smashed it down on the man and crushing him in a bloody pulp. Dexter and the other soldiers began retreating, continuing to fire and trying desperately. Sliding behind a car Dexter pulled out his radio.
"This is Dexter we are seriously fucked right now, the enemy has completely taken control of Palace Square and are sending in some big ugly sons of bitches. We need back up ASAP!" he shouted.
"Roger Dex, what's your twenty?" the voice asked. Dexter immediately recognized it.
"Sion? Man it's good to hear a friendly voice. Get your ass over here to Palace Square pronto!" Dexter shouted and ducking as a bullet whizzed past his head.
As if the horrors at Palace Square weren't bad enough, back over at Captain Reznov's position, his team were still being menaced by the Juggernaut's vicious onslaught of heavy Vulcan cannon fire.
"GRRIIIIIIIIND!" the beast shouted and opened with more vicious fire, pinning the soldiers down while mowing through more of the group. The brutish fiend then laughed as more soldiers fell dead, some literally split in two at the heavy gunfire.
"Damn it! Somebody get on the 50 cal and take that big motherfucker out!" Captain Reznov shouted reloading his rifle. He checked; he was down to his final three magazine clips. This was not good. Swearing he prepared to look up when he heard the Juggernaut shout "HUUUUNGRY" as it opened fire again.
"We can't Captain! We're cut off from it, it's no good!" said one of his officers. Just when everything seemed lost, Captain Reznov heard a loud howl pierce the air, followed by laughter and then he heard "AND NOW INTRODUCING THAT DYNAMIC DUO OF SERGEI AND ALEX!" the twin brothers shouted leaping high into the air over the group and landing in front. Captain Reznov widened his eyes and then smirked confidently. "Well it's about damn time, what took you assholes so long?" he said.
Sergei smirked and said "Took in the sights" he said as Alex laughed. The Juggernaut laughed, aiming its Vulcan cannon at the siblings who quickly sprinted out of sight just as it fired. "I got something fo' yo ass big boy!" Alex shouted signaling to his brother. Sergei unleashed a hail of fire with dual assault rifles, shooting the Juggernaut in its chest and body. The beast cried out from shock and pain, shielding itself with the massive barrel of its cannon arms. At that point Alex then charged forward, straight for the beast who managed to again fire from the Vulcan cannon. "GRRIIIIIND!" it shouted in typical fashion but Alex was too fast, dashing around the beast with impressive speed. He dashed close, taking his claws and slashing it across the stomach spewing blood out. The Juggernaut cried out again, trying to hit but Alex ducked and rolled, placing a kick against its head sending it stumbling. Sergei dashed forward, shooting the Juggernaut in the face as the monster howled. Both brother, soon standing side by side bumped fists before saying "On three" in unison.
"One" Sergei said sliding a foot back.
"Two" Alex said sliding a foot forward.
The Juggernaut growled, it began to say "KII-"
"THREE!" the twin brothers shouted in unison and dashed forward. Sergei pulled out two high powered explosives as Alex likewise pulled out the same thing. Both brothers sprinted, Sergei in front of the beast while Alex came from behind. Taking the explosives Sergei leaped straight for the Juggernaut, head butting it in the nose while Alex jumped and choked it from behind. The Juggernaut struggled and fought, trying to get free but to no avail. Sergei stuffed the explosives into the beasts mouth and removed the switch while Alex placed his inside the large ammo box strapped to its back.
Jumping off both brothers rolled, flipped back to their feet and backed away several paces. "INCOMING!" they shouted as Captain Reznov and his soldiers took cover. A moment later there was a massive explosion as the Juggernaut was blown to bloody smithereens, pieces of flesh and gore with blood splattering everywhere as the explosion echoed.
"Whoo! Ten points!" Sergei shouted as Alex chuckled. The rest of the force walked up, Captain Reznov taking point. "I take it then that the rest of your group is here?"
"Yeah we split up. Everyone sectioned off to push the vampires further back." Alex explained. With their group liberated, they quickly began forming a plan as to how to assist in the fighting.
Further in the city, a battalion of vampires marched toward their latest target. Mariinsky Palace was the seat of St. Petersburg's assembly and government. Built between 1839 and 1844, it was the last imperial palace to be constructed. The palace was sectioned off and quarantined, several high profile and prominent politicians were held inside awaiting emergency evac. Several choppers flew overhead, their lights searching the streets until they spotted the vampire horde approaching. The pilot radioed to the captain on the ground.
"Target spotted, approaching the street by the north sector. They'll make contact in five minutes!" he said as the captain radioed back "Roger that!" The Captain then switched frequencies, radioing in Vladimir at the headquarters.
"Sir we have a situation! There's a mob of vampires on the way and we still haven't gotten that evac for the politicians inside." He said. A moment later Vladimir answered back, sighing heavily before speaking. "Christ. Officer, stop that attack no matter what. I will try and contact the evac force, you stall until then"
"Sir, signing out" he said.
Back at the headquarters, Vladimir ran a hand through his thick black hair and sighed. Integra noticed his frustration, "Relax, everything will work out fine" she said comforting him. Walter and Rosette continued monitoring the battles progression, the screen showed the vampire horde fighting off the resistance. The monitor flashed to Palace Square, showing the strange armored beings smashing their flails. Immediately, Rosette stiffened.
"Good Lord, those are Reapers" she said as everyone turned to stare at the screen. "I'm sorry?" Walter asked as she turned around. "Reapers are vicious fighters from the Demon World. They're often used in times of war. And that big bastard right there" she said pointing to their leader, surrounded by the mass of black crows that he used to guide and attack several soldiers. "Is their leader, Rogue. God I can't believe Klaus and LOD actually have them under control. I've heard of them only in stories but to see them fighting…this is not good." She said staring intently at the screen. Rosette continued explaining what she knew of these new foes.
"Fighting them is going to be tricky, they are frighteningly strong. Those crows flying around him? He uses them as a shield and can send them to attack at any point. The Reapers use heavily fortified shields protected by strong magic and those flails can flatten a person in one smash" she explained grimly.
"I see. Well then we need to alert the ground forces" Vladimir said. The phone rang and he picked up. "Yes?" he answered. Vladimir's eyes suddenly widened, realizing who it was he was speaking to.
"Mr. Sokolov, do you know who I am?"
"Of course I do sir" Vladimir answered. Integra and the others looked on curiously, wondering why the sudden change in tone. "Mr Sokolov, I am monitoring the progress your forces are making in fighting these monsters out of Hell. You have my full support. I have watched your progress as leader of the Order of the Cross, most impressive considering your age" the man on the other line complimented. "Thank you, that means a lot"
"Mr. Sokolov, unfortunately not everyone is pleased with the immediate results. Much talk has been made suggesting your forces could have handled this invasion much better. They have been most….adamant about your apparent indecisiveness." The man said. Vladimir cringed; knowing full well who he was referring to. "My reason for calling then is that my hand unfortunately are tied. By our estimates, the vampire horde will continue growing in size. No doubt they can be defeated but at what cost? We've already suffered heavy civilian losses and my colleagues do not wish to see any more blood spilled. So…I am sorry to say but…we must consider the Hammer Down Protocol"
Vladimir flinched; his stomach sinking. God anything but that abomination. "I understand sir." He answered. "Mr. Sokolov, we have to give your forces 2 hours max. Defeat the vampires and we will forget this conversation. But understand that if the vampire army is not eliminated in 2 hours, we will begin sanitation procedures." Vladimir swore, "That's insane! We can't assure you that the entire city can be safely evacuated in that time frame. We also have to consider that they may try to control the ports and rivers!" Vladimir shouted. Integra and Rosette watched cautiously, surprised at his outburst of anger. Despite his temper, the man on the other line remained very calm.
"I agree, and I have voiced this thoughrougly but the board has voted and I have no choice but to comply. Mr. Sokolov….I am sorry. 2 hours. Destroy these abominations. Go forth in the name of God and send these wicked foul demons back to the pits of Hell. You have my continued support." The man said, his voice trembling.
Vladimir closed his eyes, praying before slowly opening them. "Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister" he said hanging up. "The Prime Minister of Russia? This can't be good" Rosette said concerned. Vladimir held his chin in his palm, "In 2 hours they are going to launch the Hammer Down Protocol, in order to sanitize the city of the vampires" he said.
"And what in God's name is that?" Walter asked walking over and folding his arms. "The Hammer Down Protocol was an experimental procedure designed by a team of Russian scientists for the use against supernatural forces, particularly vampires threatening Russian territories" Mariska said entering the room and walking over to Vladimir's desk while Integra and the others listened intently. "When an area becomes overrun with activity, the Hammer Down is initiated to remove all trace evidence." She further explained.
"Great, but what exactly is it?" Rosette asked. Vladimir calmly folded his fingers. "The Hammer Down is a series of tactical missile strikes in collaboration with massive bombings an established containment zone. The Prime Minister fires the launch key and the military fly overhead, bombing the shit out of the containment zone, killing anything and anyone caught in the zone. It's ridiculously strong, we've used it only once before in the past and it wasn't pretty." He explained. Integra cleared her throat, "I don't mean to sound insensitive but that doesn't sound that devastating, Vladimir" she said. He looked at her, "It doesn't end there. To ensure that the area is properly sanitized a final countermeasure is employed. Several satellites overhead rain down a concentrated form of super-heated plasma, scorching the area and removing all trace. The devastation caused by that is too terrible to describe. When we used the Hammer Down years before it took months for the area to be safe for human to enter and months still for reconstruction to even begin."
"My God…who would order the implement of such a weapon?" Integra said shaking her head. Walter narrowed his eyes, "Madam, don't take this the wrong way but I don't believe it is our place to question what occurs here in Russia" he said.
"It's ok Walter, I'm not offended. We argued and fought and argues and fought like Hell to get this plan scrapped, but alas. Anyway the point is that those guys have 2 hours, I just pray to God we can be successful until then" Vladimir said turning his attention to the monitor.
Back on the battle field, the soldiers at Palace Square continued facing off against the Reapers. Led by their massive and imposing leader Rogue, these vicious fiends fought with aggressive tenacity. Rogue calmly observed, his thunderous footsteps making the ground rumble as he paced back and forth, watching his subordinates face off with the humans.
"ATTAAAAAACK!" he shouted, his voice an echoing hiss as the Reapers shouted. Dexter took cover, firing from his assault rifle he killed three vampires before tossing an explosive. None of the Reapers had been injured, their massive shields deflecting the bullets.
"Man we need air assistance, someone call it in!" Dexter shouted reloading. A soldier got on the radio. "Palace Square is under siege, send air support stat!" he shouted. Minutes passed and the roar of aircraft could be heard as a dozen fighter jets began flying overhead. The jets began raining down a volley of missiles on to the site, killing and burning the vampires while finally managing to take out two of the Reapers as the beasts charged about, their flails swinging.
Rogue hissed, his face sneering into a vicious snarl. He disbanded the crows, sending them scattering as they attacked and swarmed three of the soldiers. "FFOOOOOR KLAAAAAUS" he shouted. Rogue held out his right hand, light flashed before a long and fearsome claymore sword appeared. The handle had two curved horns and a skull design for the base as Rogue immediately sprinted forward. Despite his size he moved with horrifying speed, easily slicing and cutting through several soldiers, eviscerating and sending body parts and blood splattering to the ground. Some men opened fire on the hulking brute; his shield of crows would immediately block their gunfire before he would turn them on him reducing them to bloodied paste.
"SHIT! Look at that big motherfucker right there! Shoot his ass!" shouted one of the pilot of the jets flying over. The pilot rained down a hail of bullets; they broke through his shield of crows but still had not penetrated his thick chest armor. Rogue snarled and hissed as he slashed with his sword, cutting off the head of a soldier as more jets flew over, firing down missiles to kill more of the vampires.
Dexter watched as two Reapers charged towards him. Swinging their massive flails overhead Dexter swallowed and turned to flee, only to smack against something hard. He looked to see a man standing there. He was dressed in purple and black and wore a gold V-shaped crown.
"Sion!" Dexter shouted, happy to see his friend. Sion immediately sprinted forward, drawing his blade Oblivion and unwrapping the tape as the Reapers charged. One swung its flail as Sion used the flat side of Oblivion to deflect; the second swiped in a wide arc as Sion ducked under and kicked it to the side. He slashed with Oblvion but it was blocked by the Reaper's shield. Both Reapers began viciously swiping and attacking Sion who countered and parried with his sword. Sion pulled out a machine pistol, shooting one in the face while taking his sword and finally slicing the other through the stomach. Turning his sword up, he then proceeded to slice the Reaper up through the middle before cutting it in half in a vicious gory manner. Sion turned, firing his weapon into the remaining beast before slicing its arm off and then its head. Sighing he tapped his ear piece, "Proceed with the counter strike. I'm in place" he said.
Rogue paused, about to strike down another soldier. He heard a long howl pierce the air. Turning the direction of the sound he watched as a group of men approached. One of them, wearing a sleeveless ankle length white and gray coat that was ripped and torn at the bottom aimed a M240 assault rifle and unleashed a volley of bullets. Immediately, Rogue summoned his crows, deflecting the bullets while using them as a shield.
Hanya lowered his weapon, squinting. "Pfft, that's lame. And here I thought these sons of bitches were supposed to be tough" he complained. Behind him, Raul, Robert and Karl all walked up, arming their weapons and opening fire.
Dexter watched, glad the wolf pack had come to their aid. Maybe things would finally take a turn for the best.
Sion slashed through several vampires before finally confronting Rogue. Holding Oblivion across his shoulder he smirked. 'Well it's been a long time, Rogue. You're still as ugly as ever" he said to the brutish fiend. Rogue snarled, slowly walking toward Sion and disbanding his shield of crows. Holding his sword, Rogue snarled, his voice hissing and echoing.
"DIIE SIIIION!" he shouted charging forward as Sion sprinted forward. Their blades clashed; Sion pressing against Rogue's obscene strength. Rogue wielded his sword with one hand, snarling he shoved Sion back and began a fierce assault. Slashing wildly, he laughed and howled as Sion deflected and parried each blow. Sion slashed downward hard as Rogue raised his sword to block the attack. Sion jumped back, landing as he then sprinted forward, holding his blade out to the side as he slashed in a wide arc. Rogue blocked with his shoulder plate before spinning and swinging his sword as Sion dashed around the attack and pressing his as the two combatants resumed their dueling.
Away from the chaos of Palace Square, Seth walked down the street. Destruction and death greeted his every step. Several bodies of civilians littered the streets. Cars and other vehicles were flipped over, burned out and badly damaged. Seth continued walking until he came to a large city bus that had been smashed in. Sitting on top the bus, was his age old nemesis. Clicking his teeth, Rashkor chuckled, holding the severed head of a soldier in one hand. "Good evening, Seth. I have been expecting you" Rashkor said with a mock bow. Seth merely flashed his eyes, now standing about teen feet away. "I should have known you would be here, Beast Tamer" he said.
Rashkor tossed the severed head away, resting his hands in his lap. "Indeed, how could I resist a glorious opportunity such as this? Besides, I needed the opportunity to test out some new pets of mine. You'll find that your allies will have met my 'pack' by now. I just hope there is a enough to feed them all" he said grinning. Seth twisted his face in a deep scowl. "Bastard. It ends tonight. Whether we win this battle or not I'm not leaving until I send you straight to Hell" Seth growled reaching for his sword and shield. Rashkor threw his head back, laughing before regaining composure. He likewise reached for his twin double bladed axes. "Tell me Seth, why the hatred towards me?" he asked.
Seth did not respond; He knew damn well why. Rashkor narrowed his eyes. "So I killed your mother. It was an unfortunate reality. She stood in the way of something I wanted." He said.
"Fuck you, you did not just kill my mother. You killed my father, my aunts and uncles. You destroyed my entire bloodline and for what? To test out your new pets?" Seth hissed. He pulled out his sword, the blade ringing as he swung it once. Removing his shield he assumed his trademark phalanx position, pointing the blade at Rashkor. "It ends tonight, with you head lying by my feet" Seth said. Rashkor pulled out his axes, rotated his shoulders and said "Then let us end it Seth".
With that the fight began, Rashkor leaping down towards Seth and clashing against his shield. Rashkor swung viciously with his axes, slashing and slicing as Seth parried and defended against with his shield. Taking his sword he slashed three times as Rashkor blocked with his axe. The two men dashed around the city streets. Parrying, hacking, slashing, slicing and swinging with their weapons. Seth charged energy into his sword, the blade glowing deep purple as he charged forward as a wake of energy crashed around him. Rashkor leaped out of the way, his dreadlocks dangling as he rolled back to his feet and resumed the attack. Both men not breaking the other's defenses. Seth held his shield and sword steady, eyes dead set and fixed on the Beast Tamer who laughed as he charged, raising his axes overhead for a fierce slash downward that Seth blocked with his shield. Seth slashed again with his sword this time managing to nick his opponent across the chest as Rashkor spun, slashing and cutting Seth across the shoulder.
Jumping back both men stared at each other. Rashkor grinned, taking his finger and wiping up the blood trickling down and licking it up with his tongue. Seth merely raised his sword, more energy cracked and sparked. Jamming the blade into the ground a tri focused wave of energy sparked and fired toward Rashkor. Widening his eyes, Rashkor then raised his two axes, bracing as he collided with the energy as it knocked him back sending him crashing to the bus. Moments passed before he slowly pulled himself free, shaking his body as he began laughing. "I'm going to enjoy pulling your spine out of your body with my bare hands" he threatened before jumping down and sprinting towards Seth, slamming against his shield as they resumed their duel.
Further into the city, Dante, Alucard and Seras were battling scores of Ghouls and vampires. They came to the aid of a series of soldiers pinned down. Seras opened fire from an assault rifle, mowing down lines of Ghouls while Alucard and Dante fired from their pistols. Standing back to back the two men unleashed a hail of bullets, shooting off the heads of several vampires. Reloading, Alucard grinned, aiming the Jackal and Casull and opening fire again as Dante chuckled, crossing his arms and firing at two charging Ghouls.
A sergeant grabbed his radio, speaking into it. "We need some air support. Bring in those attack choppers STAT!" he shouted. A moment later there was a response.
"Attack chopper in bound, ETA 30 seconds" came the response. Moment later the whir of helicopter blades was heard as a massive armored helicopter flew over the scene. The pilot rained down a volley of missiles on to most of the vampires and Ghouls, blowing them to bits and creating several massive explosions as fire broke out and scorched the sky. After firing for several seconds the chaos ended and smoke trailed to the sky.
From the ground, Dante squinted, seeing two figures standing in the plume of smoke as they began walking forward. He was greeted to see a man, clad in all black and wearing black sunglasses. To his right stood a woman, short brown hair, brown eyes and wielding a large battle axe. Whistling Dante then watched as the man pointed at him.
"It's time for this little resistance to be crushed" he said fixing his glasses as the woman chuckled. Dante shook his head, turning his back and walking away, seemingly unperturbed by this new arrival. Turning to Alucard he said, "Who do you want? The chick or the freak with the shades?" he asked.
Everyone stared. Alucard responded by grinning and aiming for the woman and opening fire as she spun her axe around deflecting the bullets. Dante charged towards Rein who responded by pulled out two assault rifles and firing on the devil hunter who evaded and returned fire. Seras directed the remaining soldiers to fire upon the woman, unleashing a massive hail of bullets. Rolling to evade their fire she tossed her axe, slicing off several of their heads before catching her weapon and slashing toward Alucard who blocked with his weapons and kicked her aside.
Rein dashed around, using his immense speed to evade Dante's gunfire. He moved in blurry movements leaving behind faint after images. Eventually he charged, charging blue lightning and forming a massive bolt which he used to slash at Dante, cutting him across the middle. Dante, surprised quickly pulled out Rebellion and slashed downward. He was shocked to find that Rein's lightning bolt collided with his sword, producing a massive spark of energy. Slashing and attacking both men dashed around, Dante slashing rapidly with Rebellion as Rein used his enhanced speed to move and evade each strike.
Back at the headquarters Vladimir and the others were continuing to watch and monitor the progress of the fighting. Pacing in the room, he watched as the doors opened and in walked Irina, looking particularly disturbed.
"I just spoke with the Prime Minister's office. Is it true? Is he really going to authorize the Hammer Down Protocol?" she asked.
Vladimir hesitated before weakly shaking his head as her eyes widened. "That's insane! A weapon like that would cause untold destruction! Think of the innocent lives that would be destroyed" Irina shouted. Vladimir sighed as he folded his arms. Integra stared at the monitor, watching the battle progress. She watched their forces at Palace Square fighting off the vampire horde. Rogue and his band of Reapers assaulting Sion and the others. The wolf pack firing upon scores of Ghouls. The streets were littered with dead bodies and bloody corpses.
Shaking her head she said, "God be with us" as Walter tensed his body while Rosette sat into her seat. Irina approached Vladimir who stopped pacing and sat back at his desk.
"You can't let this happen" She said.
"It's out of my hands, Irina" he answered. Irina grew silent before breathing heavily. "Is there…is there anything I can do?" she asked. "Yes. Yes there is" Vladimir answered as she waited.
"Pray" he said and turned his attention to the monitor watching as his forces fought off the armies of LOD.
End Chapter
All right, there you go. You guys cans top flooding my inbox with emails. All right? Ok? OK? *Shakes fist*
Sorry for the delay, I had two pain in the ass finals to finish. Done with my first semester, passed everything! Now I'm off for winter break and I have ample free time so I will be updating more frequently.
Next chapter, the fighting will wrap up as the battle wages on. Will our heroes defeat the vampire army before the 2 hour deadline? Will the Hammer Down Protocol commence? Stay tuned to find out!