Chapter 53: Carmilla

*Clang Clang Clang*

Sounds of black and red metal swords clashing echoes in the dark street, despite both weapons not being made of metal at all.

Mary could barely believe her eyes at seeing the skills displayed by both combatants.

Beta threw several black daggers at Carmilla. Carmilla ignored the daggers, letting them pierce her undying body and tries to continue her attack before stopping due to detecting magical energy in the daggers.

"This…?" She muttered before the daggers glowed blue and exploded, causing chunks of her flesh and blood to splatter everywhere.

Mary was startled at seeing Carmilla rapidly regenerate from having huge holes in her torso as if it was already the Red Moon.

"I knew it. Necromancer is behind all this ghoul attacks!" Exclaimed Beta as she saw Carmilla regenerate at a rate faster than normal vampires could, a clear sign of Necromancer's experimentations.

"No. It was the work of that fool Crimson who's trying to escape from the clutches of his boss, Don Jon." Carmilla answered.

"And is this Don Jon your associate?" Beta asked.

"Maybe yes, maybe not. Go ahead and guess!" Said Carmilla while grinning as she created several spears out of blood and sent them towards Beta, who dodged them.

"Aghh!" Grunted Mary whose leg was pierced by one of the blood spears.

"Did you think you can just remain a bystander like that, my dear Mary?"

"Mary!" Beta called her out before dodging another spear.

"I'm alright!" Said Mary as she pulled the blood spear out of her leg.

Mary dodged another blood spear before jumping towards Carmilla, who merely grinned at seeing the vampire hunter finally joining the fight.

"Haaaa!" Shouted Mary as she tried to slash Carmilla's head off but was blocked by Carmilla's blood sword.

"Too slow, my dear Mary." Taunted Carmilla as she pushed Mary's sword away and using the same momentum to slash at Mary's torso.

"Uaagh!" Screamed Mary in pain as she fell to the ground.

Beta tried to stab Carmilla from behind but her sword passed through Carmilla harmlessly as if passing through air.

"Mist Form!?" Exclaimed Beta.

"Correct, my dear. Though I suppose it was unnecessary seeing as you both couldn't possibly land a meaningful hit on me. But…" Confirmed Carmilla as her form dispersed into red mist before reforming behind Beta.

Beta reacted swiftly to block the blood sword coming from behind but her eyes widened when she saw blood spears floating behind Carmilla, ready to be fired while her black blade is still locked with Carmilla's red blade.

"What are you going to do now?" Taunted Carmilla as she points the red spears on Beta.

Before the spears were fired, they were destroyed by Mary's slash.

"Excellent form, dear Mary! But not enough!" Said Carmilla while turning back to face Mary, attempting to give her another slash.

"Don't forget about me." Beta said as she stabbed Carmilla's heart from behind.

"Oh, I didn't forget. It's just that your attacks are of no consequence for me." Said Carmilla, ignoring the sword still lodged in her chest as she pushed Beta away with a palm strike and went to attack Mary.

Mary barely blocked the sword strike, her hands trembling from withstanding Carmilla's strength.

"So strong…!" Muttered Mary,

"This is the power of true vampirism! And this power can be yours if you accept my offer, which still stands." Said Carmilla as she pushed Mary to the ground.

"Ughh…"

"Feeling weak yet? Feeling thirsty?" Asked Carmilla as she walked towards Mary while slicing her own wrist.

"Here. Drink. Accept my blood gift." Said Carmilla as she stared into Mary's eyes once again with her glowing blood red eyes.

Mary almost gave in and was about to open her mouth to receive the dripping red blood before being interrupted by Beta slashing Carmilla's throat.

"Aghh…" Carmilla barely dodged the slash but her throat was cut open.

"So you have the same weakness as Necromancers undead servants That's why you blocked Mary's sword when she was aiming for your head earlier."

"You bitch…!" Muttered Carmilla with a guttural voice.

"HAAAA!" Shouted Carmilla as she generated a shockwave which pushed both combatants away, allowing her to remove the black sword from her chest and regenerate her wounds.

Carmilla stood warily as she faced both Mary and Beta with a hateful scowl.

"You piss me off, Beta. I shall bathe in your blood!" Shouted Carmilla as she unleashed her magic power, which startled Mary.

"How…?" Muttered Mary as she watched Carmilla surrounds herself with red oppressive aura.

"Now prepare to meet your doo-" Exclaimed Carmilla before being bisected out of nowhere.

"Wha-!? Who!?" She exclaimed as the two pieces of her body fell to the ground, allowing her to turn behind her and saw a male figure clad in black.

"Lord Shadow!" Exclaimed Beta as her expression changed from wary to happy in an instant.

"That's… Shadow!?" Muttered Mary as she felt Shadow's oppressive presence, which terrifies her more than Carmilla.

"Dammit! I know I'm no match for you, my lord's archnemesis! But I shall return!" Exclaimed Carmilla as her body turns to red mist and dispersed into different directions.

"Lord Shadow!" Shadow was about to chase the fleeing mist before Beta called out to him.

"Beta. Report."

"Yes, Lord Shadow. I've managed to establish contact with Mary the vampire hunter. We will need her expertise to combat the vampires. But the one you repelled just now is one of Necromancer's minions."

"Vampire hunter, huh." Shadow said as he turned his attention to Mary.

"M-My name is Mary, the Ancient Vampire Hunter. Thank you for saving me." Mary sad while bowing her head.

"My name is Shadow, he who lurks in the Shadows and hunts the Shadows." Shadow introduced himself with his usual catchphrase.

"My lord. I implore you to rest and leave this matter to us." Beta said.

"Hm. Very well." Said Shadow as he didn't want to keep arguing with the Shades, though he have a different plan in mind. He then jumped to the sky, leaving the two girls alone.

"Haahh…. What power…" Muttered Mary as she fell to her knees.

The power he has… it's even more oppressive than Lady Elizabeth's at her peak. What kind of monster is he? And… how strong is his mortal enemy, Necromancer? Thought Mary as she dreaded the existence of beings far more dangerous than her queen.

"Now then, Miss Mary. Please follow me. We need to talk about the vampires. I need you to share your knowledge with us."

"Very well. Lead the way." Said Mary as she followed Beta.


Shadow landed on a random street in the capital and took off his slime coat.

"Hmm… Vampire hunter, huh… Yeah that'd be cool. For now though, I think she went this wa-" He muttered before being interrupted.

"Cid!" A familiar and dreadful voice called out to him.

"Oh dear." He muttered before being grabbed by his collar and slammed to the ground.

"Where have you been!? Why are you always so difficult to find!? And why are you wandering around the streets at night while there are ghouls roaming about!?" Claire asked him several questions angrily.

"Umm…."

"But since you're so eager to prove yourself, I have an idea! Starting tomorrow, let's go on vampire hunting!" Declared Claire without waiting for his answer.

"Eeeeehhh….?"


Several red mist gathered around an underground cathedral underneath the capital. A grand piano stood in a platform in the middle of the cathedral.

The gathered red mist reforms into the form of Carmilla.

"Dammit… That Shadow… Because of him I lost my prey. Just you wait, Mary… I shall turn you into my thrall and pay you back for all the humiliation you gave me long ago! Especially… for killing… who…?" Muttered Carmilla hatefully before suddenly being interrupted by the sound of music, not from the piano but from the pipe organ which is installed within the underground cathedral.

"This music…!" Muttered Carmilla as she recognized the ominous tunes played in the pipe organ, though when she looked at the direction of the pipe organ, there's no one sitting there. The pipe organ played by itself but she recognized the magic that pressed the pipe organ's keys.

"Lord Necromancer!" Carmilla called out to her master as she kneeled in front of the pipe organ.

"Carmilla." Her master's voice echoed inside her head.

"Lord Necromancer! Ahhh! I'm sorry I failed you! I stained your glorious name with defeat! Please forgive me! I swear that I shall do better! I will not lose to the minions of your enemy next time!" Carmilla exclaimed while trembling fearfully.

"See that you do not. For now, you've culled enough vampires within Midgar and you can do whatever you want but don't forget to head to the Lawless City before the Red Moon."

Whatever I want? But what I want most is you…

"F-Forgive me for asking, my lord. Why must we cull the numbers of vampires within this pathetic kingdom?"

"It's all part of my plans. That's all you need to know."

"F-Forgive me! I shall obey!" Carmilla exclaimed as her master's oppressive presence left her mind, though the pipe organ is still playing.

"Haahh… my lord… Your power is as magnificent as always…" Muttered Carmilla as she fell to the floor and began touching herself.

"I am so much better than that Acolyte of yours… Please take me instead of her…! Please grant me your mercy… your power… your love…!" Carmilla continued while pleasuring herself to the sound of her master's pipe organ.


Author's Note:

A chapter with fight scene and expanding Carmilla's character.

Also Cid seemed to have an idea. Hmmm… :thinkingemoji:

Also, if you wanna know what music the Necromancer played, it's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

TheVirtualPug: Have you ever read the story "Mother of Learning?" This chapter really reminded me of it.

Answer: Not yet. Does it have the memory transfer with the clone thing?

Zero: I can see Claude/Necromancer play puppet master to shadow garden and the cult war with each other for his own benefit pretty much makes them his bitch.

Answer: Hee hee hee. All according to keikaku.

King0fP0wers: Classic Eminence in Shadows misunderstanding. Claude collapses because of a carelessly induced memory overload and Sherry and Iris both assume he has overworked himself.

So Carmilla got modified and got some good ol' traditional vampire abilities. It's easy to forget, but in the original Dracula, sunlight doesn't vaporize vampires at all, only weakening them. Very interesting. Now I'm curious if he also modified wolf beastkin to be more like werewolves, aka transforming into super-strong bipedal furries. He's got zombies, vampires, why not werewolves too?

Answer: Not to mention the Thirteen Night Blades can't blame him for the missing maid (who is a noble's daughter) because he collapsed on the same night she went missing. Sherry at least knew he's having brain damage.

Indeed. Count Orlok (bootleg Dracula) is the first vampire to be vaporized by sunlight. And yes, if even Gettan can be a werewolf (in the manga at least), so can Adra.