Disclaimer: The fight for St. Petersburg draws to its conclusion! Our heroes successfully repel Klaus' invading forces for the time being. But once the smoke clears and the dust settles, what danger awaits them next?
Meanwhile, Kazuya has unleashed a terrible and swift vengeance declaring God's wrath upon New York's most vile and evil offenders. His latest kill brings him one step closer to the culmination of his ambitions: The identity of the one who ordered his family's death and his mother's brutalization. Kazuya learns more of why his clan was targeted. Moreover, we begin to learn more of his origin. As it turns out, Kazuya has a very specific connection to Klaus.
I promise all will be revealed very soon. Just a little bit longer and I will delve into several character's origins. Stay tuned!
Hellsing and Devil May Cry do not belong to me and are not my creation. Do not sue me.
Chapter Twenty One- The Shadow of Hell Rises
One guard fell to Kazuya's right, a knife sticking in his throat as he sprinted down the hall. Two more appeared ahead, armed with machine pistols as they took aim. "Kill this fuck!" one shouted. Kazuya raised his right arm, arming his wrist cannon as it fired. There was the THEW THEW sound as it spat out high caliber rounds, hitting the guards in their chest and stomach as they collapses, blood pooling out. Kazuya rounded the next corner, sprinting at full speed. He heard the running footsteps of guards approaching from the floor above him as he flew up the steps and on to the next level. Immediately, Kazuya was surrounded by 10 men armed with sub machine rifles. One of the men, a balding rotund Hispanic man with a scar over his left eye smirked as he licked his lips.
"What does this ass hat think he's supposed to be? Batman gone rogue?" he joked as his men laughed. Kazuya responded by raising his wrist gun, killing three of the men with shots to the head as the rest opened fire. Kazuya dashed around, taking cover behind a stone pillar before reaching out to open fire, killing another guard while wounding a second. Eventually the men expanded their ammunition and paused to reload.
That was when Kazuya attacked. He retracted the wrist cannon back on top his forearm and sprinted out from cover. Tossing his cloak open he pulled out his sword and struck a guard through the midsection, spilling his entrails out as the man cried from pain. Kazuya slashed and tore through the guards, cutting off limbs and severing heads. Blood stained the marble floor and splattered on a plush sofa as Kazuya kicked the Hispanic man in the throat and sent him crashing against the wall. Kazuya slew the final guard, cutting off the man's right arm and stabbing him through the heart before pulling out.
"No! Please God no!" the Hispanic man shouted trying to crawl away. Kazuya promptly stabbed him through the leg, pinning him as he howled in pain. Kazuya cocked his head as he approached, "God?" he questioned kneeling down and staring in the man's face.
"God has mercy" he said standing up and picking up his sword and holding it at the man's throat.
"I don't" he said promptly slicing his head off. Kazuya continued on his path of destruction, slaughtering all who stood. Connor was barricaded in his office with the best of his men stationed outside to guard him. Kazuya having finally reached his destination watched as all the guards took aim and immediately opened fire. Kazuya's body disappeared, shrouded in black mist as the guards continued firing.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" one said issuing for the others to cease gunfire. They waited, wondering where this black mist emerged from. When it settled they took note of Kazuya's changed appearance.
He was completely unharmed by their attack. His body glowed with strange black light. His clothes flapped by some unseen force. Behind Kazuya, hovering in the air was the black mist as it began to convulse and stretch to take shape. The mist turned into a hovering spectral shape. The spectral figure appeared as a grinning black outline. No discernible features save for striking eyes and a ghoulish grin. It spread out its arms, its frightening grin widening.
"Doesn't this feel good, Kazuya? You haven't let loose like this in a while. Come now, let's have some fun with these poor saps!" the entity spoke to Kazuya in his mind.
Kazuya complied, walking forward as the guards shouted and again opened fire. Their bullets hitting nothing as Kazuya approached unharmed. Raising his sword he shouted and sprinted forward, cutting and slicing through the guards. He gave no pause or regard to their cries of anguish or pleas for mercy. Kazuya decapitated one man before spinning and slicing a second to bits. The final guard fell swiftly to his blade, his head rolling by Kazuya's feet as he waved his sword and continued on.
Approaching the door he raised his right wrist mounted cannon, firing several times on the door and blowing it down. Entering, he found his quarry.
Connor was sitting at his desk, sweating profusely and with a horrified look on his face.
"Please! Please anything you need! Money? Girls? Weapons?" he pleaded. Cocking his head, Kazuya slowly walked forward. "And what of the boys you abused? What did you offer them as you ravaged their bodies and stole their innocence?" he said approaching as Connor squealed and slowly reached under his desk, withdrawing a shotgun as he prepared to take aim. Kazuya was far too fast. In a burst of speed he sprinted forward, jumping on to the man's desk and kicking the shot gun out his hand. With the same leg he planted a fierce snap kick connecting with Connor's jaw sending him crashing to the floor. Kazuya flipped over, stomping on his back as he picked him up and hurled him over to the other side. Connor cried from pain and fear as he whimpered and tried crawling away. Kazuya walked around, kicking him again in his ribs.
"Answer me! How long did they suffer? You use your wealth and power to abuse boys and girls, condemning them to slavery and depravity all for your pleasure. Tell me, does it get you off? Do you enjoy the suffering and agony on their little faces?" Kazuya growled rolling Connor over on his back. He gripped him by the throat, punching him across the cheek over and over.
"Please stop! It wasn't personal!" Connor cried out causing Kazuya to freeze. He backed off, gazing at his prey covered with blood and bruises. "It…wasn't…personal?" Kazuya repeated slowly. "It was just profit, and pleasure. I cared not fo-" Connor never finished his sentence. Kazuya proceeded to impale him with one of his knives through his knee, causing his target immense pain. Kazuya then stabbed and impaled Connor through his shoulders and hands before standing up.
"Let me tell you something. That is the same thing the man who slaughtered my family said. You made it personal the minute you took those children and forced them to please you. It became personal when you transgressed God's law. Rapist. Pedophile. Murderer. Your lot shall have their part" Kazuya said reached for his sword. "In the lake of burning sulfur, which is the second death" he finished.
Despite his wounds, Connor slowly began laughing. "God? GOD?" he said spitting up blood. "You speak of God as if he gives a shit! Let me ask YOU: Tell me where your God was when these children suffer? Ok I admit: I've got a thing for young boys. Big deal, I'm not the only one. The ancient Greeks embraced love between a man and a boy. Who are you to judge me on 'God's' behalf? Who gave you the right? If your God truly cared he would step in and intervene every time a monster like me grabs another boy or girl. But he doesn't, and do you know why? He's not real! God as you call him is just a fairy tale made by the powerful to exploit the weak and gullible. God is dead, it's only us shitty humans and nothing else. No Heaven, no miracles, no Jesus and certainly no Hell" Connor said finishing his rant with a shit eating sneer.
Kazuya grew deathly quiet, not uttering a word. Then finally, he began laughing. At first it was a simply chuckle, but soon it became wild raucous cackling as he reared back and howled like a madman. Finally regaining composure, he faced a terrified Connor who was shaking with fear.
"You are the first quarry I've had that has ever made such a bold statement. Tell me then, if there is no God as you claim how do you explain evil in the world? Injustice, immorality, wrong doing, wickedness, sinfulness. What is the source of humanity's bad behavior if there is no higher power? No foundation by which right and wrong, goodness and wickedness are instilled upon. If we all came from slimy green algae billions of years ago then how we live doesn't matter, we'll end up as dust eventually. Without God right and wrong, as humans follow would never have developed into the system by which we conduct our lives. It would all be a big Monopoly game essentially" Kazuya said beginning to pace.
"Without God there is only survival and death yet humans do not live their lives by that principal otherwise, we'd all be fighting and killing each other to get what we want and without fear of reprisal. Yet here you are, angry, bleeding and scared. Scared of the terrible sins you've committed and how they are being judged. Why the fear if you don't believe in divine punishment? I will tell you why" Kazuya said lowering his body and staring straight into Connor's eyes as they widened with fear.
"Because you do believe. You know why this is happening. God has used me for ages to punish sinners, and you are no different. Take note Connor, you will die by the hands of a servant of the Almighty" Kazuya said standing up and pulling his sword out, holding it tightly as he raised it above his head.
"You can't do this! How can you say you serve God yet do this? This is murder? How do you know this is right?" Connor screamed. Kazuya promptly stabbed him through the heart, ending his life as blood pooled from the wound and stained the ground.
"Because I was born to do this" Kazuya said answering Connor's question.
Above him, the black spectral form widened its grin as it expanded in size and its twisted and raucous laugh echoed.
"Yes…yes….that's it. That's my boy"
Back over in Russia…
"Are you serious? He really got all that?" Vladimir asked. The Prime Minister's office had contacted him concerning the Hammer Down Protocol. Turns out that Michael had been fast at work pleading for the fated tactical strike to be postponed in favor of another more beneficial attack plan. He got his desire.
"Oh man that's awesome. Right I understand. Thank you so much. Goodbye" he said hanging up. "I take it there is good news?" Integra asked Vladimir as he grinned.
"Michael made a personal call to the Prime Minister. He's ceasing the execution of the Hammer Down strike. In exchange, the Prime Minister has ordered for a series of military fighter jets to fly over St. Petersburg and deliver any support to the troops fighting on the ground below. That slick son of a bitch" he said with a grin.
"So what does this mean now?" Rosette asked. Vladimir turned to her. "The tides are turning in this battle" he said.
Back on the battleground everything had boiled down to this final phase of the fighting. Palace Square was being reduced to rubble as the fighting raged on and the vampires continued attacking. There were thousands marching for the famed site. The wolf pack along with the others held their defenses, bravely fighting off wave after wave of their opponents.
From his position, Raul sliced through two more vampires with his swords and then looked up. "Ah SHIT! We got company!" he shouted.
Four Juggernauts lumbered down the road, towards the center of the area where most of the group was fighting. "GRIIIIIND!" they shouted and unleashed fire from the Vulcan cannons.
Sergei, Alex, Robert and Karl sprinted forward, evading their gunfire and retaliating with their own. Kathy fired from her revolvers, pausing to reload. A Sire charged forward, howling and opening its jaws wide preparing to attack. Kathy rolled to the side and watched as the beast turned and sprinted for her again. She aimed her revolver, firing four shots and shooting the Sire in its chest and head dropping it dead to the floor.
Alucard and Dante stood back to back, firing from their hand guns at several vampires. Grinning, Alucard's body glowed deep red as he laughed and fired from the Jackal, killing two vampires while Dante paused, pulling out Rebellion and began slashing and tearing through two more.
Seth shouted and charged forward, pulling out his sword and shield as he cut through several Ghouls, lobbing off their heads as Sion sprinted behind firing from two machine pistols. Everyone was so consumed by their fighting they almost didn't notice that a fighter jet sped over the scene. It circled several times, raining down missiles on the vampires before flying off in the opposite direction.
"Everyone stop, look!" Dexter said pointing up to the sky. Flying over the square in a tight v-formation were six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The low rumbling the fighter crafts gave soon drowned out the chaos of the fighting causing even the vampires to look up in shock. The fights slowly circled around before they turned, spanned out and released a series of missile strikes upon the ground. There was the loud booming sound as the ground became bombarded by missiles dropped from above as the vampire ranks were decimated in a fiery melee.
"INCOMING!" Sergei shouted as he and Alex took cover. The stealth bombers repeated this twice, dealing critical blows to the vampire numbers before they flew off. Then after a few moments the group looked up to the sky to see dozens upon dozens of fighter jets appear over the horizon. The jets flew in tight formation, repeatedly circling over Palace Square and raining down heavy artillery fire and missiles down sending the remaining vampires and Ghouls scattering in a frenzy.
"Oh wow where'd they come from?" Seth shouted slicing a vampire in half.
"Doesn't matter, it's driving them back keep at it!" a soldier responded.
"Wait, look at that one jet coming in fast!" Kathy said pointing to an incoming Su-35 fighter jet. There was a figure riding atop the jet, remaining perfectly balanced despite the high speed. It drew closer and closer until Kathy realized who was riding on top.
Smiling she shouted, "It's Michael!"
Everyone turned and watched as the Su-35 flew in a wide arc, firing down missiles on a line of vampires and blowing them to oblivion.
Michael stood to full height, his clothes flapping in the wake. Strapped across his back were two large assault rifles fed by an ammo belt with a mid-sized ammo pack hanging over his back. Michael tapped on the pilot's window, signaling he was deploying.
The fighter flew overhead, dropping Michael who flipped and plummeted to the ground over several of his pack mates as they cheered him on.
"Go Mike!" Raul said excitedly.
"Get them Boss!" Sergei and Alex said together.
Michael touched down on the ground, half sliding and half spinning as he unleashed heavy gunfire from his rifles, wielding one in each hand while gripping his sword in his mouth tightly.. He sprinted through the square, shooting at every vampire and Ghoul in sight while spinning and avoiding their gunfire. After several moments his rounds depleted and he tossed the rifles away. Pulling out his sword he began slashing and tearing through the remaining vampires, spinning, hacking, slicing and dicing them to bits. Michael jumped over two charging Sires, rolling and pulling out his Desert Eagles and shooting them in the face before placing them away and sheathing his sword. Michael sprinted towards the last remaining Juggernaut, tucking and rolling to evade its Vulcan cannon fire before getting to his feet and jumping forward.
The lumbering beast roared as it prepared to fire again. Michael balled back his right fist, his hand and arm beginning to morph into more lupine features complete with black fur and long sharp talons. His eyes flashed, his face began morphing into a lupine snout as he howled.
"You DIE!" he roared telepathically and let his fist sail across the Juggernaut's stomach, completely tearing a massive gaping hole through as blood gushed out. The Juggernaut howled and fell down in pain. Michael jumped on top, took his clawed arm and dug into its chest, snapping before tearing the beasts still beating heart out before decapitating it as blood oozed out like an erupting volcano as Michael kicked the dead body to the side.
Growling he howled and shifted back to normal form as he waved his sword and promptly sheathed it.
Michael's grand entrance signaled the conclusion of the fighting. All across St. Petersburg, from the Neva River, to the ports and cathedrals the city was bombarded with tactical missile strikes to clear the streets of vampires and Ghouls. The strikes caused more devastation, but this paled in comparison to what the Hammer Down Protocol would leave.
Back at Palace Square, the final vampire fell to Nero's Blue Rose as he fired three times shooting it in the face and blowing its head clean off. Michael walked along the street, carrying his sword as he surveyed the damage. The ground was broken and splintered, buildings set ablaze and crumbling. Sighing he pulled out his radio. "Boss, Michael reporting" he said.
"Go ahead" came Vladimir's response.
"The strike was a success. The vampires are being forced out and the city is being properly sanitized by air troops as we speak. It's over, for now" he said.
Vladimir sighed heavily, thanking God before he said "Good work. Listen one last thing. Oskar Markov has not been heard from for several hours. He was last seen entering the Angelina hotel with a private date for the evening. We've lost contact with the hotel. I need a few of you guys to head on over and check it out. If needed, evacuate him and any other civilians if encountered"
"Got it, Michael out" he said. Michael looked to see the group reforming as the remaining soldiers on the ground organized their equipment while others radioed in for evac.
Turning to his right, he saw as Kathy approached. Walking she then broke into a light jog, reaching him in short time as she jumped and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tight as he returned the embrace.
"What took you so long?" she said kissing his cheek and smiling as he laughed and hugged her tighter. "Sorry, I never did like to keep my lady waiting" he apologized.
The rest of the group approached. "Son of a bitch. With the big action hero entrance and all" Hanya and Sergei cracked causing some laughter.
"Well, I made it didn't I?" Michael said smirking. "Ok guys so here's the thing. I need some volunteers for a last minute recon mission. We're headed for the Marriot hotel who's in? The rest of you can help our ground forces pull the wounded out and radio in for more evac" he explained.
Dante, Sergei, Alex, Seth and Raul all offered their assistance. They turned to leave, but not before Michael pulled Kathy close, placed a deep kiss on her lips and said "I'll see you back home"
She smiled, "Don't keep me waiting" she said watching as he turned to walk away with the rest of his group.
"Seth" Seras called out to the Shape Shifter who turned back. Seras smiled and said, "Good luck"
"Thanks" Seth replied then winked and walked away. Unbeknownst to her, Alucard had noticed Seras' demeanor each time she addressed Seth. Raising an eyebrow curiously the vampire count muttered something under his breath before shaking his head and walking away.
Above the group, flying overhead was a large armored helicopter. Captain Reznov sat inside, eyes closed as he leaned his head back.
"Captain?" one of his officers asked as he slowly opened his eyes.
"It's over sir, we did it. We saved the city" he said excitedly. A second soldier nodded while the pilot smirked and flashed the captain a thumb's up.
Captain Reznov promptly gazed out the window. He could see the widespread devastation and destruction caused by the fighting. Hundreds of bodies littered the city roads and streets. Buildings were crumbling, damaged from artillery fire and constant explosions. Fires raged across the city, burning through anything in their path as dozens of thick and heavy plumes of black smoke reached the sky. Captain Reznov sighed and said.
"Yeah we did it. But…why do I still feel like something awful is going to happen?" he said clutching his assault rifle tightly.
Meanwhile at the famed Marriot hotel, in the most lavish and adorned suite Oskar Markov was enjoying some rather sexy company. Lying on bed, naked and quite aroused he licked his lips with greed and lust at the sight of the voluptuous blonde woman gyrating before him as she then climbed on top, likewise naked as she straddled him.
Their suite, located on the top level had all the adorning's he had requested for this evening's date. A plush king sized bed, full stocked mini bar, a shower, a comfortable lounge area with several large sofas and love seats as well as a table filled with an array of finger foods and bottles of wine.
Grinning, Oskar ran his hands up the blonde woman's soft supple body, feeling her sizable breasts as she moaned, rocking her head back.
"Oh Oskar darling I must say, you sure have a lot of stamina. Three times in a row? I could barely keep up" she purred seductively and leaned in closer. She began nibbling and sucking on his ear lobe as he growled in arousal.
"You've yet to see what I can dish out my dear" he said. The blonde woman stood up, walking over to the near side of the room and picking up a large bottle of imported French red wine. Opening it she said, "A little something to get the senses flowing" she said. Oskar watched in sheer astonishment as she proceeded to consume the entire bottle, tossing her head back and chugging as if it were fruit juice.
Setting the bottle back down and licking her lips she walked back over as Oskar shifted positions. "Don't pass out from too much wine. I don't plan on stopping, whether you're awake or not" he sneered.
"Oh you are a naughty boy. Well then" she said sliding back into the bed and straddling him. "Show me what you've really got under this big belly of yours" she said patting his rather large girth. Oskar pulled her close, slapped her on the ass and pulled her head towards his. The woman gasped, breathing hard as she felt him inside before laughing. "I've got to tell you something Oskar" she said.
"Yes, what is it baby?" he asked. She leaned in close, licking his lips and whispered in his ear.
"I'm getting hungry" she said. Before Oskar could comprehend what she meant, he felt her hand smother his mouth and preventing a cry from escaping. Oskar's eyes widened as he felt searing hot flashing pain in his chest. Looking up, he saw blood pour from a frightening and gaping hole in his sternum as the woman held his beating heart in her hands. Then, everything went dark as a blinding blow punctured his skull like being hit with a mace and his world went dark.
Michael, Raul, Seth, Sergei, Alex and Dante all finally arrived at Courtyard by Marriot, on Vasiliesvsky island. Walking up to the front entrance the group promptly entered the front lobby and froze.
The front desk was vacant. No desk clerks or other hotel staff. The front lobby entrance was entirely vacant. There were several small desks where hotel guests could lounge comfortably.
Michael scanned the room intently as the others fanned out. Seth checked over the desk, he saw that the phone was off the hook and narrowed his eyes.
"Guess no one's home" Dante said.
Sergei promptly pulled out his radio as the group began walking down the hall towards the main elevators.
"Sergei in, does anyone copy?"
"This is Captain Reznov go ahead Sergei."
"Yeah we just got here to the Marriot and it's like a ghost town. No guests, no staff. Nothing. We're here to check on if any guests needed evacuation" Sergei responded.
Captain Reznov froze, "Sergei who authorized this?" he asked, his tone turning serious. Sergei said, "Vladimir sent us. He said Oskar Markov was last reported here with a private escort for the evening" he said. Captain Reznov cleared his throat. "Guys I hate to tell you this but I had sent my men over two hours ago. We evacuated all the guests already" he said.
Everyone grew quiet as the group froze. "The fuck is he talking about?" Raul said frowning. "Why would Vladimir send us here if they were all evacuated?" Sergei said.
"He wouldn't send us just willy nilly, he must not know. But then…how could he not? If Oskar was safely evacuated then surely Vladimir would have been notified" Michael said.
"Hey guys?" Captain Reznov said. Sergei clicked the radio, "Yes?" he said.
"I spoke to one of my guys. He pulled up the hotel's records and confirmed there was an evacuation. Every guest there left, all except Oskar Markov. His room was on the penthouse level in the hotel's biggest suite so if you guys want head up there and check it out. Captain Reznov signing out" he said as the radio clicked.
Sergei holstered the radio. "Well Boss, what's the move?" Alex asked. Michael said, "Let's just head up. Something doesn't smell right here and we should be certain" he said.
Dante didn't respond, instead shrugging his shoulders. The group reached the main elevators as Seth pressed the call button. Seconds later the elevator arrived and they piled in.
The ride to the penthouse level was slow; Sergei and Alex frowned. Seth said, "I hate elevator music" he grumbled causing Dante and Michael to chuckle. Sergei turned to his brother, "Dude Modern Warfare 3 came out finally" he said.
"Ah sweet we gotta pick that up soon as we head back" Alex said excitedly.
"No need" Michael said reaching into his coat and pulling out a newly bought copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Everyone stared, "When the hell did you get that?" Raul asked. "Right after we touched down in St. Petersburg" Michael said simply.
The elevator doors opened and the group exited. Oskar's room was on the far end of the hallway. Michael froze, signaling to the group to freeze. "What is it?" Seth asked. Michael narrowed his eyes.
"I smell blood" he growled. Everyone immediately armed themselves, pulling out their firearms. Jogging up to his door Michael turned. Sergei and Raul covered his back while Dante, Seth and Alex covered the right side of the door. Sighing Michael raised his hand and knocked twice.
Suddenly there was loud crash as a massive and powerful shape tore through the wall and sprinted down the opposite end of the hall leaving a gaping hole in the wall.
"CONTACT!" Sergei shouted and opened fire with his rifle. He only got a brief glimpse of the mysterious figure as she roared at the top of her lungs and sprinted down the corner. He, Alex and Seth instantly gave chase while Raul, Michael and Dante entered the hotel room.
Immediately they found Oskar, lying naked on the bed with the sheets soaked in his blood. He had a hole from the top of his groin up to his sternum as his ribcage was exposed and his intestines strewn about the room.
Michael covered his noise against the stench as Dante whistled. "Boss! We're chasing something and it sounds nasty!" Sergei shouted from his radio. "Hang on man we're coming! Where are you headed?" Raul asked grabbing his radio. Sergei answered back.
"She's headed back downstairs, we'll try to flush her back up to you!" Alex said. Michael and Raul turned to exit; Dante however still remained inside the room.
"What is it?" Michael asked. Dante pointed at the body. "Check it out. Dude's still totally got a hard on" he said chuckling and pointing to Oskar's 'rigid' state.
Raul stared, "You're a twisted fuck" he said.
Sergei, Seth and Alex gave chase to the mysterious assailant. Her howls and roars of fury echoing in the dead halls of the hotel. Sprinting at full speed they rounded the corner, finding blood smeared on the walls as well as deep claw marks raked into the wall. "There! Through the stair case!" Seth shouted running at the head. He kicked in the door as they piled in. Alex peered over the edge, but not before having something massive leap from below and cause him to tumble and roll backwards. The killer climbed up the stair case, headed for the rooftop.
"Mike, Dante, Raul! She's going for the roof, we'll meet you there!" Sergei shouted in his radio. He and Alex opened fire, their bullets just missing their target as she roared and continued climbing with frightening speed. The trio then began rapidly ascending the stairs, towards the rooftop exit. Finally after 15 minutes of constant running they reached the top, only to find the rooftop door was completely caved in, a massive hole in the center.
"What the…this bitch went through a fucking steel door." Seth said pausing to examine it. The trio exited outside as the rush of the cool evening air flushed their faces. Spanning out they searched for the mysterious killer, guns aimed as Sergei said. "Stay frosty, something up here doesn't smell right"
Moments later Michael, Dante and Raul exited from the staircase as they all fanned out.
"My my, such handsome strong men. I almost can't contain myself" a voice called out.
"Show yourself bitch!" Sergei shouted. Moments later, he got his request.
A woman with long silvery blonde hair walked from behind an AC vent, her footsteps light as she smirked. Blood stained her lips, her cheek and her finger as she grinned. Raising her fingers to her lips, she sucked the blood off them and licked her lips.
"Ya know, if we weren't about to kill you this might almost be sexy" Sergei cracked taking in her beauty. Seth however narrowed his eyes; "It's you….from the warehouse" he said as everyone turned to him.
Victoria tossed her hair back and smirked, "Good memory, Seth" she said. His eyes widened. "Yes I know your name. I know all about you and your little posse here" she said gesturing to the rest of the group. "Terrific" Raul said sarcastically and raised his rifle as Michael took a step forward.
"Why did you kill Oskar?" he asked Victoria as she chuckled.
"Because I was ordered to do it. It seems dearest Oskar was becoming too involved in our grand scheme and so Klaus asked me to 'take care' of him" Victoria explained.
"Well you sure as hell did a good job of that" Sergei and Alex said.
"He was very tasty, but alas. I must depart now" Victoria said preparing to leave. Dante responded by promptly shooting her three times in the stomach causing her to double over. Holding his pistols out he frowned, "Let's just hurry and get this over with" he said. But Dante was surprised to watch as Victoria slowly stood to her feet, wiping a trickle of blood from her mouth as she smiled and expelled the rounds from her body as the wound closed up.
"There's always room for seconds, how about it handsome?" Victoria said blowing a kiss to Dante who cocked his head and smirked.
"Victoria!" a voice called to her. She frowned, "What?" she said.
"I won't repeat myself again. Pull back now! We have matters to attend to!"
Victoria grit her teeth, angry Klaus was pulling her away from such delightful morsels. "Fine. You owe me, Klaus" she said.
"Klaus? Where is he? That pussy refusing to show himself" Raul said aloud. But Victoria did not respond. Instead her body disappeared in a flash of red light leaving behind the rest of the group behind stunned.
"I can't believe it. I just can't believe that Klaus actually found his grave" Seth said as they all turned to him.
"Found who's grave?" Dante asked. Seth's eyes narrowed as his fist clenched. "I'll tell you guys later. Let's meet with the rest of the team" Seth said turning to leave. Michael watched him curiously before shrugging and nodding for Sergei and the others to follow.
Hours had passed with the entire team now gathering back at the Order's headquarters. They stood spread apart, facing Vladimir and Integra in the agency's meeting room on the lower level. Rosette and Walter were also in attendance, as was Captain Reznov and a few men from his unit.
"Excellent work everyone. I cannot thank you enough for your valor and fighting spirit. All of Russia thanks you men, and women" he said winking at Seras who blushed and turned her head.
"All part of the job, Boss" Michael said as Vladimir chuckled. At that point Seth took a step forward, his face concerned.
"Sorry to spoil this joyous moment but there is something I need to discuss with everyone" he said gazing at the group. Sion raised his eyebrow while Rosette said, "What's wrong Seth?" she asked.
"Better get comfortable, this will be long" he said grimly. Minutes later, Alucard, Dante, Nero, Sion, Michael and the rest of the pack as well as Vladimir, Integra, Walter, Rosette and Captain Reznov spread out in the meeting room as Seth sighed deeply before beginning to speak.
"During my fight with Rashkor, Klaus contacted him. I don't know how but somehow, he has the ability to speak to all of his minions telepathically. Klaus apparently ordered all his top generals to withdraw from the battle, I'm guessing it's why they left behind the vampires. When I asked, Rashkor said it's because Klaus had acquired a new toy he wanted to test out. He's found someone, someone incredibly dangerous and needed his strongest minions in the presence of his awakening" Seth explained.
Vladimir folded his arms as Integra cleared her throat. "Who is this individual?" she asked.
Seth turned to face her. "The Harbinger of Death. The Shadow of Hell. The demon they say no living man can kill." Seth paused.
"Theokoles" he said. Everyone grew deathly silent, not having the slightest clue who Seth referred to.
"And just who the hell is Theokoles?" Dexter asked. Seth frowned and clenched his fist.
"Theokoles was born three thousand years ago. There are conflicting accounts of his birth. Some say he was the product of incestuous relations. Others that his mother was raped by jackals and he was belched from the Underworld itself. The Romans worshipped him as Mars. What matters most is that Theokoles is the most brutal and savage demon in history. Even the devil king Mundus paled in comparison to his cruelty"
Dante at that point narrowed his eyes. Considering his history with the Demon World and its former ruler, he found the notion of a devil, more savage and cruel than Mundus a bit far fetched. And likewise, exciting.
"Theokoles' sole purpose in life is to bring down human civilization and destroy anything and everything along with it. He has no feelings, no conscience. He cares not for who he winds up destroying. Human, vampire, demon, Werewolf. It carries no consequence to him." Seth paused before continuing his lengthy explanation.
"Two thousand years ago, just before Mundus attempted to invade the human world Theokoles was captured by a sect of human priests who attempted to rid the world of his darkness. They could not slay him, so instead they locked him away in a specially crafted coffin and buried him deep in the earth to be locked away for all eternity. After being sealed away, it was said that a prophecy was formed with warnings that should Theokoles ever be awakened, he would bring about the end of the world. Klaus claims to have found his grave but frankly I don't know what kind of shit he's pulling. People have searched for thousands of years all in an attempt to locate his grave, whether for good or bad" Seth said slumping down into a chair and rubbing his temples.
"Man, Klaus is so persistent in achieving his goals he's enlisting this guy?" Captain Reznov said shaking his head.
"It gets worse" Seth said sighing and sitting up straight. "If Klaus is going to awaken Theokoles it means our troubles will get worse. Much worse. Like I said, Theokoles cannot be killed by any man or woman. He is death incarnate. A true killing machine. The darkness he would unleash on the world would be unlike anything ever witnessed. Hell itself might very well tremble in his wake"
"I don't mean to downplay the seriousness of this, Seth but honestly it sounds like a bunch of hyped myth and fables passed down through the ages. A scary campfire tale told to kids to amuse their elders. We've dealt with things far scarier and more horrifying than one demon" Raul said eyeing Seth curiously. Sergei and Alex nodded in agreement as did Hanya.
Seth stared off, lost in a trance. "I say this because of what Theokoles means to my bloodline"
"What does that mean?" Michael asked.
Seth sighed and said, "My clan was entrusted with the task of guarding and securing Theokoles' grave. For centuries this was a tasked passed down through generations. We were the only force around at the time with the power to keep that monster in his coffin. But then…" he said becoming visibly disturbed.
"Then, it happened. My family was killed. Over five generations slaughtered in a single night. The murderer was Rashkor, he killed my entire clan. I now suspect it was on orders from Klaus to locate Theokoles' grave. However, before she died my mother summoned the last of her strength and used a powerful magic spell to transport his grave to another site, stopping Klaus' plot, but at a price" he said solemnly looking down at the ground.
Seras' eyes widened, horrified at Seth's tragic past. "My God Seth…I'm…I'm so sorry" she said. He didn't meet her gaze.
"I was eight when it happened." Seth said finally raising his head.
"Ok" Vladimir stated. "So this Theokoles is said to be unable to be killed by any man. Well, every foe has a weakness. Even if he can't be killed we can always find a way to place him back into his coffin" he stated. Seth didn't seem to satisfied with that but did not press.
"Seth I hate to ask you this but when your mother transported his grave site do you know where it was? I know you said no person has ever found Theokoles' grave but perhaps she told you?" Rosette asked, concern in her voice at the pain Seth was reliving in remembering the death of his family.
"If I remember correctly, his grave is said to be somewhere in the forest of Romania. But people have searched there before and haven't found shit" Seth stated frowning.
"Alright, look thanks for bringing us up to date but for now there isn't much we can do. We've repelled LOD for now and so we'll take it slow from there"
"I'm afraid there's something else Boss. We were unable to rescue Oskar Markov. An assassin from LOD seduced and murdered him. We were too late" Michael said.
Vladimir swore. "Shit, this is not going to be good. Awakening Theokoles, killing Oskar and God only knows what else he committed. Klaus must have been planning this stint since the fighting began" he said pacing.
"You make it seem like the fighting was a diversion" Dante said. Vladimir said "That very well could be the case Dante but we can't know for sure. All I'll say is this: We've managed to repel LOD for the time being. Even Klaus won't be able to pull some fast shit given what he exposed to us in this recent attack. And more importantly, we still have the issue of acquiring those devices. Our next destination will likely take us to Egypt and Carthage respectively. But for now, we rest and we gather our resources." Vladimir said folding his arms behind his back. "And when Klaus and LOD reemerge, we'll be ready. I'll even step in and kick his ass myself if needed" Vladimir said smirking and eliciting laughter from the group. Even Nero, normally silent and a typical lone wolf managed a light hearted grin as he leaned against the wall.
Meanwhile, back in New York….
Flicking on the light and rotating his neck, Kazuya entered his safe house, shutting the door behind him. Since his relocation to New York Kazuya had quickly established a base of operations in the Meat Packing district of Manhattan. His current safe house location was in the subbasement level of a long abandoned slaughterhouse. Kazuya walked down the dusty and ruin filled hall before stepping into the freight elevator which carried him down to the lower levels. Stepping off, Kazuya turned on the light as he removed his cloak and tossed it onto the nearby coat hanger.
Much like his safe house in Russia, this one was well equipped with the tools needed to aid in his hunt. The wall to the right was well stocked with high powered assault rifles, hand guns, explosives and other military grade weaponry. To his left were various pieces of body armor as well as other weaponry.
Lastly in the center was a large steel table with a Toshiba satellite laptop in the center. Sitting down, Kazuya powered on his laptop and began his work.
He pulled up his criminal data base, quickly filing through his most recent hits. Out of a list of 22 sex offenders, 17 had met their end by Kazuya's blade. Of 10 murderers, 7 had met the true death. Of 15 crime bosses, be they Mafia, drug kingpins or small time gangsters, 10 had their life of violence ended. Kazuya's war on the sinners and low lives of New York was bringing him closer and closer to his fated goal. With each kill, he came closer to understanding why his beloved family was hunted down all those terrible years ago.
More importantly, Kazuya cared mostly about his mother, Annabelle Hale. It pained him to lose her at such a young age and to witness the horrible acts committed against her. Through the years, Kazuya has single handedly hunted down the monsters who took his mother from him. Only one man remained and yet despite his best efforts, Kazuya could not find him.
Kazuya was so busy concentrating when suddenly, his head started pounding and throbbing. Gritting his teeth he clutched his head before shaking it.
"Not now" he said aloud.
No response.
"I said not now" he stated again.
No response.
"Damn it I don't have time for this shit!" Kazuya roared angrily and then clutched his head again.
"No time? BULLSHIT! You've got all the fuckin' time in the world! Hahahaha come on sport. Just hear me out!"
Kazuya growled, panting as his head continued throbbing. "Fine, but hurry up" he said.
Kazuya closed his eyes, concentrating for several moments. Finally, he opened his eyes and gazed before him.
Kazuya was surrounded in an endless void of hazy darkness. Looking to his left and right he frowned before hearing piercing laughter echo in the darkness.
"I had almost forgotten about this place" he said turning around and viewing the one being he wished never to see again.
Standing before him was a man, tall and strongly built with rounded muscles wearing nothing but black pants, black boots and a black cloth tied over his pants. The man had wild flowing black hair and a striped tattoo from his right shoulder down his arm. Most disturbingly were the color of his eyes; one red, one black. Laughing the man rubbed his nose and grinned.
"Aww now don't be like that? Didn't you miss me?"
Kazuya said nothing.
"Fine be a grumpy pants. But listen we got business to discuss. First up, you've been on the rampage. Pretty soon every crime syndicate in the city will be after your head. The second thing is you need to stay focused on your goal. If you want to kill him that is"
Kazuya watched as the entity before him grinned even wider before chuckling. His shrill dark voice echoing in the endless darkness surrounding them as Kazuya sighed.
"I know my mission. What's the real reason you wanted to talk?" he asked. The entity narrowed his eyes.
"I just wanted to say job well done. That Connor fucker was a real scum bag and you seemed to enjoy it. So, when's the next slaughter fest?" it asked excitedly.
Kazuya frowned and turned his back. "I have work to do" he said walking away and leaving behind the entity as began laughing.
Kazuya's eyes reopened, focusing as he gazed around his surroundings. He was back in his safe house.
Rubbing his head he quickly typed in a command on his computer before getting up. He walked over to where his bed was located; a single mattress as he kicked his shoes off and plopped down, hoping to catch a few hours of sleep.
His next hunt would prove most alluring.
Lastly, in the Carpathian Mountains…
Stretching 932 miles through most of eastern and central Europe, the Carpathian Mountains are among the largest and most beautiful in the world. The vast mountain region expands through the Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Poland, the Ukraine, Serbia and Slovakia. It is also home to nearly one third of all European plant life as well as boasting the largest European population of wolves, Brown bears and lynx with the most heavily concentrated in Romania.
Located in the eastern portion of the mountain was a large and imposing old fortress. Built in the 14th century, it was ruled by a fierce Romania war lord who used it to protect his armed forces from invaders. Now, centuries later the fortress lie abandoned, holding a dark and terrifying secret. It was designed in the typical stone structure of old Romanian castles with a massive fortress door, a large tower in the center, a massive courtyard and several smaller towers forming a rectangular design on the fortress' outer perimeter.
Walking in the center of the courtyard, arms folded behind was Klaus. Hooded and masked he gaze dup at the sky. The night was clear and starry. Concentrating, his eyes glowed as a swirling form of black mist began forming over him. After several moments the mist dissipated as several beams of red light began forming a circle around him.
Klaus had summoned his minions to the location of Theokoles' grave. More specifically, his tomb buried somewhere within the fortress.
Encircling Klaus was Rein, Tristan, Victoria, Rashkor, Rogue, Drake, Sara, Kara and Mugetsu.
Rein fixed his sunglasses and gave Klaus a slight nod. Victoria, now fully dressed in black pants and a red jacket smirked and blew him a kiss. Tristan narrowed his eyes, Rogue hissed but then bowed his head at Klaus. The twins, Sara and Kara both smirked and folded their arms as Klaus gazed.
Lastly, one of Klaus' top generals, Mugetsu stood nearest to Victoria. Clothed in long heavy hooded black robes similar to Klaus and with his head low he chuckled. "So it's true. You've located his coffin" he hissed lowly. Klaus smirked, his expression hidden beneath his mask.
Victoria meanwhile walked behind Mugetsu and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey there stud, it's been some time. What do you say after this we have us some fun. Like old times" she whispered close to his face and squeezed him tighter. Mugetsu remained silent before gently unwrapping her arms. "Sounds like a plan" he said.
Klaus then nodded towards Rogue as the massive behemoth snarled and stomped toward the fortress entrance, hissing and growling.
"FOR THE HOOORRRRDDDDE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he raised his left fist and smashed through the doors, completely destroying it as well as causing a sizable portion of the outer wall to crumble and break away.
"Let us commence" Klaus ordered walking inside followed by Rogue and the rest of the group. Led by Klaus they descended through the main entrance deep into the castle's lower level.
According to legend, Theokoles' grave was located in a secret dungeon of the lowest level of the fortress. The legend states that when his grave was transported, the castle was built over so as to conceal it from any foolish to awaken this slumbering devil. Klaus, having combed through centuries of arcane knowledge and history finally located this secret. Now he was going to awaken Theokoles to further strengthen LOD's cause.
"Man this place gives me the creeps" Tristan mumbled gazing around. The dungeons were filthy and decaying, even after centuries of abandonment. Cells that once held prisoners were now rusted and withered.
The only light came from torches some of the members carried. "Klaus" Rein called as Klaus did not look back. "Are you certain this is wise? Considering the legends surrounding this…thing. I cannot imagine he shall join our cause. Drake turned to Rein, raising his eyebrow curiously.
"All things considered Rein, Theokoles will serve our group. You shall see why" Klaus answered simply.
After several minutes they came to the final level. A long dark hallway marked by several stone altars and statues of gargoyles and other dark creatures. At the end of the hall was a massive stone door. The door was marked by various Latin symbols. Roughly translated they formed a prophetic warning.
"The shadow of Hell shall rise in a river of blood" Tristan read aloud and rolled his eyes. Rashkor grinned and clicked his teeth. Klaus nodded forward, Rogue rumbled before smashing down the door.
Inside the tomb, Theokoles' coffin lay in the center. The coffin was a massive rectangular prism, about 7 feet tall, colored jet black and wrapped and bound tightly by bronze chains. Chuckling Klaus entered followed closely by his minions. "Rogue, if you may" he said to the giant fiend. Rogue hissed and walked forward. With one hand he grabbed the coffin and hoisted it overhead. Klaus raised his right hand, red light surrounding the group as they were instantly teleported outside.
Back outside, Klaus had Rogue move the coffin into the back courtyard as the group spread out behind Klaus who stepped forward.
The coffin stood up straight, allowing Klaus closer inspection. The front of the coffin was designed with a menacing horned skull like engraving. Along the sides of the coffin were similarly designed skulls like engravings. Klaus waved his hand, the chains binding the coffin were broken and crumbled to the ground. With that, Klaus pressed both hands tightly together and began the revival. The group watched, strangely silent as Klaus began chanting in Latin. Tristan folded his arms, ready to see this Theokoles himself.
"Puer natus est ignis inferni
Teste reditum diaboli pater
Venit ad populandos, venit ad rapinas
Finis rerum omnium mortalium
Arise Theokoles, the Harbinger of Death!" Klaus shouted at the top of his lungs.
The coffin rumbled before finally unlocking as the lid flew open and landed to the ground. A swirling mass of darkness danced and flicked inside, preventing anyone from seeing inside. Everyone waited, moments passed before finally a voice spoke.
"I've waited, and I've rested in this coffin, for over 2,000 long years. I've waited in darkness, longing for the day of my release. I've slumbered, I've thirst, and I've hungered. It's been far too long, without flesh, without bones, without blood to fill my belly. Who is it, that has awoken me?" it spoke, echoing in the night air.
Klaus said, "I have". The voice laughed and said, "So then, which one of you do I get the pleasure of eating first? How about that blonde bitch standing behind you, I've always had a thing for blondies" it said laughing and causing Victoria to scoff and grumble.
Klaus chuckled, "If meat you require. I can oblige" he said.
"Rogue"
"SSSUUUUUFEERRR!" Rogue cried out loud. Before anyone could stop, Rogue had grabbed the twins, Sara and Kara by the throat and threw them forward toward the coffin. Both twins landed, horrified as they cursed and stared. However they never had time. The coffin shook, the mass of shadows swirling inside settled before morphing. A single eye emerged, followed by a grinning mouth of sharp teeth as more eyes and mouths appeared. The mouths outstretched from the coffin, swirling around Sara and Kara who cried and tried fighting.
"KLAAAAUUUS!" they shouted. Klaus did nothing to stop the brutal action. The darkness engulfed the twins, their cries of anguish causing even the attending members of LOD to flinch at the brutality. Tristan, Victoria and even Rashkor stared, horrified.
Sara and Kara were ripped to pieces, their cries becoming gurgled bellows of agony as their bodies were dragged back into the coffin as Theokoles fed on their carcasses. Moments later the violence ended with the swarming mass of darkness ejecting the skeletons of the two women.
"Meh, I've had tastier morsels. These cunts were just enough to barely fill my belly. So, who's next?" his voice rang out.
"Come before us, Theokoles. I require an audience" Klaus said, not in the least bit fazed.
The coffin again rumbled as the swirling mass of shadows and darkness increased in volume. Seconds later a tall and brutish figure removed himself, grunting and growling as the shadows danced and flickered around his body and behind him as he was ejected from the coffin.
Standing at 7 feet tall with long slicked back spiky blonde hair and a built physique, Theokoles, the Shadow of Hell had finally risen from his grave. He was naked but did not seem too concerned with his current state. His eyes scanned the group before him. Tristan grit his teeth; Victoria took a cautious step back; Rashkor reached for his axe; Rein had removed his sunglasses; Mugetsu remained still while Rogue hissed and took the most drastic action of instantly shielding Klaus with a swarm of his black crows. Rogue took a step forward but was halted by Klaus who gave a reassuring nod and causing the brute to disperse the shield and step back.
"My name is Klaus and I have a proposition for you, Theokoles. Serve my group and I will see your ambition fulfilled." Klaus stated as Theokoles glared and wiped blood that was trickling down his lips. He cast another glance at Victoria, staring at her ample breasts and causing her to cover them with her jacket.
"Together, friend" Klaus said holding out his open hand and then clenched it tightly. "We shall destroy the human race"
End Chapter
Thanks for reading folks! Stay tuned, next chapter coming soon!