Welcome back to a new chapter.
Since I forgot to mention it last time, I recommend checking out the Dominus collection. It's really nice to have and the Haunted Castle remake is pretty fun.
Also, keep an eye out for the Castlevania DLC coming for Vampire survivors. It's not out yet, but they are already releasing some of the OSTs on Youtube and they are definitely bangers.
I wouldn't normally support Konami, but I just have this foolish hope in me that we might get more Castlevania content if the Dominus collection does well.
But enough of yapping. Enjoy the chapter.
…
"Again!" Julius barked, pointing at Bell's fallen wooden sword.
It had been a day since Bell's night adventuring incident. Nothing much had happened since.
Julius had spent another day in the guild library, preparing for his test of strength on the 17th floor, while Bell bought training supplies after apologizing and settling his tab at the Hostess. The teen had explained how he wanted to train with a sword, admitting he only used a knife because he couldn't afford a better weapon.
Luckily, the vampire hunter was quite handy with a sword. Any Belmont worth their salt could wield a sword along with various other knightly weapons.
At the start of the session, Bell had been nervous. He'd been unsure about asking for help and unconfident in his swings. But as they progressed, his nervousness shifted to determination and eagerness after Julius gave the lad much-needed encouragement and guidance.
Now, they stood outside the church, wooden arming swords in hand, training in the cool morning air."
Julius watched Bell rub his fingers, his face impassive. "Now, what did I say was the most important part for a swordsman to guard?"
"T-the fingers," Bell answered, his voice strained as he crouched down to pick up his wooden blade.
"Correct." Julius began to pace, delivering his lesson. "If a swordsman gets hit in the fingers, they'll likely drop their weapon or lose the ability to hold it properly."
He stopped in front of Bell, "Now you have experienced this firsthand."
"I- I understand now, and I want to improve!" the young adventurer eagerly took the stance Julius had taught him earlier that morning, "What do I need to change?"
Julius smiled, pleased by Bell's eagerness to improve.
The veteran monster slayer moved next to the ruby-eyed teen, taking a stance similar to his, "Not much. Just lower your arm and tilt your wrist a little bit more forward… Yes, just like that."
Julius stepped back and assumed his own stance. "Now, with that adjustment, most of your hand is covered."
He poked at Bell's guard with quick thrusts, each strike clanging dully against the crossguard or blade.
The young fighter took a moment to compare this new guard to his previous one, "I see it now. My bottom fingers were a bit exposed before, huh?"
"Exactly." Julius nodded. "Now, do you want to continue sparring, or would you prefer more lessons on the fundamentals?"
Bell thought for a moment before answering, "I suppose one more spar wouldn't hurt… but I want to explore the fundamentals after. I'm still not sure if my stance is correct…"
"One more spar, then," Julius said, taking his perfected stance. "And don't worry too much about not having the footwork down yet. It took me a long time to master it."
"But enough talk…" He rolled his shoulders in preparation.
"Begin!"
Their first training session had gone well. Bell had grasped the basics of using a one-handed sword pretty well. He wasn't perfect yet, of course, but he had the basic idea of the fundamental moves and stances.
After only one session, Julius could not fully determine it. But it seemed like Bell was a quick learner. He had potential for sure. The way he was able to mimic his moves was impressive. Only some bad habits from using a knife and learning to fight by himself were holding him back.
Satisfied with the training session, the vampire hunter and the young adventurer made their way to the Dungeon.
By late morning, they reached the Dungeon's entrance. The long, spiraling staircase into the being of Chaos stretched before them.
Julius began his descent toward the 18th floor with Bell briefly accompanying him. Unfortunately, the young adventurer had to stay behind on the sixth floor—it was simply too dangerous below for someone of his level.
The upper floors posed little threat to Julius. With only his whip at his side, the Belmont cut down any monsters that crossed his path. The holy power of the Vampire Killer was overwhelming for the weak creatures he encountered.
While he marched, his mind went to the conversation that he yesterday had with Bell and Hestia. Particularly, to the part where he revealed his plan to go to the 18th floor.
…
"WHAT!?" Hestia screeched, slamming her arms on the table between the couches, "On top of your ridiculous goal to reach the end of the Dungeon, now you plan to go to the 18th floor!?"
Julius met her outburst with an unwavering calm. "Yes," he replied simply.
"Absolutely not!" She said, folding her arms under her chest, "Julius, You're level one! A fresh one even. I don't care if you are already incredibly experienced, it's too dangerous."
Sitting on the couch next to her was Bell, fresh out of the shower. "G-goddess, I- I think he could handle it," he said, nervous at the sight of the screaming goddess.
"Huh?" She turned to Bell with a surprised expression, "He can't be that powerful, can he? He's just level one. You need to be a high level 2 to solo the middle floors."
A resigned expression was on Julius' face as he allowed himself to lean further back on the sofa. Hestia was going to only listen to Bell in this situation, so why bother? The night had been long and his body needed some rest.
"Well, I haven't met any powerful adventurers yet besides Aiz, so I can't really accurately judge his power," Bell scratched the back of his head, trying to speak in a hushed tone since the person they were speaking of was right there. "But he still feels really powerful. When we returned from the Dungeon, he could take out groups of monsters without breaking a sweat even while carrying me part of the way.."
"That powerful…?" Hestia was left shocked, "How?"
"Well…" The teen glanced at Julius, who was currently being absorbed by the couch cushions. "He has really powerful magic. All the weapons he summoned could take a monster down in a single hit."
Bell took another look at the Belmont, or more specifically, his whip, "The weapon he has is really powerful too. I can always feel some energy radiating off it."
Hestia looked at the whip as well. It was true, the energy coming off it was powerful. A divine type of energy she couldn't exactly pinpoint.
"Is that so…" She mumbled before finally facing the holy warrior, "Fine! If Bell really says that you are that powerful then I'll reluctantly allow it."
She deeply stared into Julius' eyes as he leaned back forward on the couch, "Are you absolutely sure you can pull it off."
With only determination in his eyes, he answered, "Yes, I'm certain."
The raven-haired goddess couldn't detect a lie, not even a shred of doubt.
She stood up and pointed straight at his face, "Then you better come back or I'll come up to Tenkai myself and scold you until you reincarnate! I know that Bell would be heartbroken if his first familia member was to die!"
Julius couldn't help but crack a small smile at the worrying and motherly goddess, "Of course, Hestia. I'll accept any sort of punishment if I manage to fail."
With a satisfied huff, she sat back down on the couch, slumping on it soon after, "I swear I'm somehow going to get grey hairs with these antics of you two…" She muttered.
"Ehehe… We're sorry?" Bell let out an awkward laugh while he scratched his cheek.
…
The memory came to a nice, sweet end. Julius couldn't help but wonder how Hestia might have reacted if he'd mentioned his plan to fight the Goliath on top of everything else.
But he didn't have time to imagine her expression—he'd just arrived at the entrance to the 10th floor. The landscape changed significantly as he walked through, shifting from the narrow passageways of the upper floors to a misty wasteland filled with dead trees and barren grass.
Larger foes began to appear. Giant green pig-headed beasts, imps, screeching bats, and silver-furred gorillas crossed his path—yet none proved challenging. Then, he spotted something else: a small dragon.
Julius regarded the orange-scaled creature, about a head shorter than himself but roughly the length of a small car.
Infant dragons, the Guild called them—a fitting name.
In his time, Julius had faced quite a few dragons. Be it a large unyielding zombie dragon or a nimble flame-spewing wyvern. Dracula always seemed to have some type of draconic foe in his castle.
He had fought dragons before, some undead, others swift and fiery. The serpentine beast growled, its neck glowing as it prepared to unleash a breath attack.
As the dragon spewed flames at point-blank range, Julius calmly activated his technique.
"Omnia Vanitas."
His image flickered, vanishing like a mirage. The dragon, thinking its flames had struck true, kept torching the spot where he had stood. Upon rematerializing beside it, Julius lashed his whip, slamming the holy weapon into the dragon's ribs.
To his surprise, the beast remained standing.
"Oh? You still stand? How curious," he mused before an axe materialized in his hand. He hurled it at the dragon's neck, leaving a deep gash but still not finishing it off.
"Hmm... a level-two monster, the Guild said. Quite a difference between one and two," he observed before continuing the fight.
But it wasn't much of a contest. The dragon was butchered like prey. After two more whip strikes, the creature collapsed, its body consumed by holy flames.
Julius frowned as he waited for the flames to burn the carcass away. "From monsters needing only a single strike to now four... troubling."
He pocketed the magic stone as the flames died down. "Now that I think of it, these infant dragons are the unofficial bosses of the upper floors. Maybe they're tougher just because of that..."
He grimaced, the thought of having to start using so much effort on monsters was concerning.
"I hope my theory will prove out to be correct…" He muttered before carrying on.
His theory luckily proved to be correct. After he got through the 12th floor into the middle floors, the new monsters were only slightly stronger than those on the upper ones.
Most of the smaller monsters still died to a single good strike, while the larger ones, like the dungeon worms, required two to three hits to slay them—a relief for the whip-wielding vampire hunter.
The middle floors were quite different compared to the upper floors. Larger, winding caverns replaced the endless hallways, with branches weaving up and down in a complex maze. Great pits dotted the floor, offering swift shortcuts—or an even swifter death to the uncareful.
Julius took advantage of one of these pits, sliding down carefully until he estimated he'd reached floor 15. Just two more floors separated him from Goliath.
As he marched onward, he spotted a small patrol of minotaurs lumbering through the caverns. Unaware of his presence, they passed close by his hiding spot behind a pillar, giving him a moment to study them.
They looked almost identical to the ones he had faced in Dracula's castle. Massive frames, curved horns, same dull red hides. Yet something was different.
Instead of the sturdy halberds he was used to, they wielded crude axes of stone. Their eyes also lacked the spark of intelligence and cunning behind them.
Staying in his hiding spot, Julius waited for the minotaurs to walk past him before ambushing them from behind.
Moving out from the pillar, he threw a flask of holy water at one of them. The minotaur caught fire, its agonized flailing ending in a quick, fiery collapse.
The other four turned around to have the nearest one face a similar quick fate. The head of Julius' whip flew forward and into the beast's face, crushing it in and killing the monster instantly.
The remaining three gave a furious howl and charged all at once, stumbling over each other in their rush to reach him.
"So similar yet so different…" Julius muttered. These minotaurs were clumsy, lacking the speed and intelligence he remembered. They didn't throw rocks to blind him, nor did they try to outmaneuver him with any hint of strategy. They simply charged forward like angry livestock.
One minotaur raised its axe to chop him in two, but Julius stepped inside its swing and caught its massive wrist in his grip.
"So much weaker," he observed, his voice laced with disappointment. He kicked the creature in its side, sending it flying into its allies, who tumbled to the ground in a confused heap.
Calmly walking to the pile of confused cow monsters, Julius dropped a flask of holy on them. The glass shattered on one of the minotaur's axes and set them all on fire in green flames.
Walking away from the fire, the hunter couldn't bother to wait and get the minotaur's magic stones. No, he was too disappointed for that. The battles so far had proven disappointingly unchallenging.
Having easy battles was fine, a treat really. But after having them for hours, it got boring. He knew that he needed to have these easy fights if he was to get through this damned place. But for all his discipline, Julius felt the foolish urge for a real battle—something dangerous enough to get his blood pumping, a fight where the outcome was uncertain.
After exiting the room, he spotted the stairs leading to the next floor. With a sigh, he walked over to the stairs and continued his journey, hoping the Goliath might deliver a challenge worthy of his time.
Now down on the 17th floor, with his pockets full of magic stones, Julius stood in a vast rectangular chamber at the floor's end.
The room was massive, towering six stories high and stretching the length of two football fields—larger than anything he'd seen, even in Dracula's castle.
Julius noticed how the left wall of the chamber was unnaturally smooth, unlike the rocky, uneven walls surrounding the rest of the room. The surface looked almost as if it had been carved by hand. It was beautiful in its own eerie way.
This was the Great Wall of Sorrows.
And this was where his battle would take place. The Goliath was supposed to emerge from that very wall.
Excitement stirred deep within him as he ventured further into the chamber. Facing such a massive foe would be a great change of pace.
Julius placed himself at the center of the room, eyes fixed on the towering wall. He waited…
And waited…
And waited some more…
"Tch, when is this famed monster Rex going to appear?" Julius grumbled, his hands crossed over his chest.
He walked closer to the wall and tapped it with the pommel of the Vampire Killer. "Do I need to do something?"
Julius pressed his palm against the wall. 'Maybe a push of mana?' he muttered, injecting a faint stream of power... but still, nothing.
His brow furrowed. Was this trip a waste?
He pushed more mana into the wall—a larger portion this time—but still, no reaction.
A final push, greater than the two before... and still, nothing.
Julius withdrew his hand, sighing in frustration. "I guess I'll have to ask about this in that Rivira place next floor..." He muttered before he turned to leave the chamber.
But just then, a small cracking noise echoed behind him.
"Huh?" He whipped around, eyes locking onto the wall. A small fissure had appeared right where he'd placed his palm.
The crack expanded, growing larger and larger as chunks of the wall broke off, crashing to the floor with a thunderous boom. Dust billowed into the air, obscuring his view, but through the haze, a shadow began to take shape—a massive figure looming in the dust.
"Finally you show yourself," Julius muttered, letting his whip unfurl at his feet. His heart quickened with small, undeniable excitement as the massive figure emerged from the dust. "It's rude to keep someone waiting, you know? I was just about to leave."
Only the booming sound of footsteps answered him, along with a low, rumbling chuckle.
From the dust, a towering figure emerged—but it wasn't the Goliath. Julius narrowed his eyes. This thing's skin wasn't gray like stated in the Guild's records ... Instead, the giant's skin was an almost human-like tan bronze color.
As he looked up to see the head of the thing, he recognized it. That bluish beard… The bald head and the piecing gaze…
It was the demon known as Balore.
[Fight OST: The Colossus / from Castlevania Harmony of Despair]
His thoughts spun. 'Why was Balore here? What happened to the Goliath?'
He crunched his teeth, 'No. Focus, Julius,' he reminded himself. This demon was dangerous, and distraction could mean death.
Julius had not previously fought Balore himself, however, he had seen the last moments of Soma's fight with the demon and knew well enough to be wary of its devastating energy beam.
Another dreadful chuckle rumbled from the giant's throat. Its right foot lifted from the ground, preparing to stomp the Belmont flat.
Julius dashed to the side just as the foot slammed down. The ground shook violently, nearly sending him tumbling, but he caught himself in time.
Glancing back, he saw the deep crater left in the ground. He wouldn't survive a direct hit.
In the small moment that the monster slayer had taken to look at the crater, Balore had crouched down to swat him like a fly.
Caught off guard, Julius barely dived out of the way, rolling to safety. He scrambled to his feet, breath coming fast, heart racing.
'Stay in motion. Be unpredictable. Circle behind it…'
The holy warrior sprinted around the demon, weaving, ducking, sliding, and leaping to avoid its swipes and stomps. Now that he was prepared for the tremors, he could counterattack.
The giant's fists came down—left, then right.
Julius waited, eyes tracking the movement of the left fist. At the last second, he backstepped, letting the massive hand crash harmlessly in front of him.
The right fist came for him next, faster this time. Julius activated Omnia Vanitas, phasing through the attack like a ghost. As he moved, he dropped a flask of holy water behind him.
While Balore reeled from the holy flames, the veteran warrior seized his chance and dashed behind the giant, summoning an axe to his hand.
With a powerful swing, he buried the blade into Balore's Achilles tendon. The demon howled, collapsing to one knee as its leg gave way.
Balore reached behind, clawing at Julius, but the hunter moved swiftly to its other leg. Before the demon could react, Julius brought the red axe down, severing the other tendon.
A guttural roar echoed through the chamber as Balore fell, its massive form now reduced to crawling on elbows and knees.
Fear flickered in the demon's eyes. With its legs useless, it couldn't defend against the attacks from behind. Desperately, it dragged itself toward a corner, backing up to eliminate the possibility of being flanked.
But Julius wasn't concerned. His goal was already achieved, Balore's powerful stomps were no longer a threat. And now, with the demon pinned in place, its body was a far easier target than before.
Just as Julius was about to charge in and continue the battle, a voice came from far behind him, "What the hell's going on here!? Goliath isn't supposed to appear for another two weeks!"
The Belmont stopped his charge and looked behind him to see a muscled, brown-haired man with an eyepatch yelling in his direction.
"Stay back! This is something out of your league!" Julius harshly yelled back to them before rushing in to finally put down the demon.
"Like hell we are! Lads! Let's get this son of a-" The man stopped mid-sentence as Balore's right eye shone with a blinding light, "What the…"
Finally revealing its ultimate weapon, Balore started shooting devastating beams at the vampire hunter, each beam leaving a trail of fire behind it that Julius had to dodge on top of its slams and swipes.
With skill that only decades of experience could give, the brown-maned hunter precisely danced between Balore's beam attacks and the giant's attempts to crush him.
Julius' movements were a blur to the group. Each slam shook the ground, and each beam of fire burned hot enough for them to feel its heat from where they stood.
Nervous drops of sweat trailed down their necks, "O-on second thought… I think we're just going to stay right over there…" Their leader said before they 'bravely' scooted over to the exit.
Julius ignored them, he was too busy fighting the giant demon.
Crosses were thrown, axes flung, the cracking sound of the whip reverberated around the room whenever Julius punished a missed slam or swipe.
Balore was being worn down bit by bit, the magical nature of the Vampire Killer affecting the giant to its very core.
The hunter of the night couldn't be any more focused on Balore as he tried to find the right opportunity to finish the fearsome demon off. He knew the moment would come soon, the giant was visibly slowing down.
Julius leaped over another attempt to scorch him, immediately side-stepping a slam as soon as he touched the ground.
Coming out of the dodge, he saw his golden opportunity. Balore, who was too exhausted, didn't pull his hand back toward his body, giving Julius the perfect path to strike the giant's head.
Seizing his chance, Julius hopped onto the arm and sprinted up it. As he ran, he spun his whip, letting the spiked head of the holy weapon tear Balore's limb into a bloody mess.
Coming up to the weakened demon's shoulder, the hunter leaped, aiming to smash the head of his whip into the blue-bearded giant's eye. While still in the air, Julius' eyes widened as Balore's right eye lit up with a familiar, blinding white light
Hanging in the air was the worst position to be in when facing an attack. You couldn't properly move when your limbs didn't touch the ground, he knew this.
Blocking wasn't an option either; a whip wasn't a proper weapon for it, and the blast would just break through.
With dodging and blocking out of the question, the situation looked dire. However, Julius had one trump card to play.
"Omnia Vanitas!" he screamed just in time to phase harmlessly through the beam of fire.
When Julius rematerialized, he realized his mistake. He had already shown his trump card to Balore earlier in the fight, and now the demon had been prepared for it.
Still in the air, just emerging from the technique, Julius saw Balore's enormous fist inches from his face.
Unable to use Omnia Vanitas twice in quick succession, Julius couldn't avoid the attack and was struck head-on, launching him across the chamber.
Gwaaaahh!" His scream pierced the air as he slammed into the rocky wall, leaving a large crack where he landed.
Sliding down, Julius was left leaning against the wall. His vision was blurry, his ears were ringing, and his bones were broken. He had to struggle to keep his eyes open, he could not let unconsciousness claim him, not yet.
The ground vibrated softly as someone ran up to him. Julius tried to blink a few times to see more clearly.
It was the man that had come in the middle of his fight, panic was all over his face as he constantly took glances behind him to look at the slowly approaching Balore.
The wounded hunter could hear the muffled sadistic laughter coming from the demon. It was playing with its prey, it wanted to get revenge on him and make his death slow.
The brown-haired man shook his shoulders, yelling at him desperately, his voice cutting through the ringing, "COME ON! GET UP DAMN IT! WE CAN'T KILL THAT THING!"
Julius' eyes unfocused from the man, they were drawn to the taller, more familiar that had strangely appeared next to him.
Pale blond hair… unnatural yellow eyes… snow-white skin and graceful facial features…
Wait, it couldn't be…
"Alucard…" Julius muttered.
"Huh? Who the…" The eyepatched man looked confused for a moment, "Shit, you're totally out of it…"
He reached into his pocket, "I didn't want to use this, but I guess I've got no choice…" he grumbled, fishing out a fancy-looking purple flask.
Paying no mind to him, the Belmont's eyes were locked on Alucard. The dhampir's mouth opened, the familiar no-nonsense voice coming out of it.
"Sloppy, Julius. You're getting sloppy," Alucard said harshly.
"Huh? What…?" Julius muttered, completely overwhelmed by the sight of the prince.
Alucard's brows were furrowed as he spoke to him, "When I taught you that technique, I told you to use it sparingly did I not? You become predictable if you use it too much."
Unable to answer, the veteran warrior only stared at him as the familiar feeling of shame filled him.
"You fought the strongest incarnation of Dracula alone and came out victorious. You have danced before with Death itself," the half-vampire continued with his sharp tone, "The stakes are high, you cannot die here. Soma awaits you."
Julius tried to reply in some manner, but he was prevented from doing so when he felt cool glass pressing against his lips and soothing liquid going down his throat.
Alucard glanced at the potion being fed to Julius, "It seems that our time is running short. I hope you will remember what I said. You have old and new allies waiting for you."
With each second, Julius felt his broken bones shifting painfully back into place, muscles mending with a strange tingling heat.
The son of Dracula stepped to the side, pointing straight at Balore and shouting at him like an officer, "Now go forth and tear through them, Vampire Killer!"
With a grunt, Julius rose from the ground, picking up his dropped whip as he did so. The man beside him let out a sigh of relief seeing the vampire hunter getting up.
The previous pain had vanished away, only small traces of it left behind. His strength had returned too, strength that Julius would use in the name of his house, for Soma, for his teacher.
Death would not claim him, he wouldn't be stopped tonight.
Julius rolled his shoulders as he slowly walked towards retreating Balore. The demon could sense the power surging from the healed holy warrior and decided to wisely retreat back to the corner.
He rolled his shoulders as he approached the giant, "Alright, my old master... I'll kill this demon just for you," He said, glancing at the spot where Alucard had been, finding nothing.
Turning back to Balore, Julius pulled his whip taught between his hands. "In the name of the house Belmont, I will smite you down and have you return to the darkness you came from demon."
After his declaration, round three began when Balore rudely answered with a beam of fire, which the brown-maned hunter sidestepped.
The hunter rushed in, preparing to slay the demon, but was forced to halt when something odd caught his attention. Balore's eye began to shine brighter than ever, its energy swirling ominously.
Realizing the danger, Julius whipped his head around to the group and yelled with all his might, "DUCK!"
He hit the deck just in time as a beam of fire, as wide as a truck, scorched the air above him. The heat was suffocating, even from below. Lying flat on the ground, he could only hope the group had taken his advice.
After a few agonizingly long seconds, the fire ceased. Julius rose from the ground, relief washing over him as he saw the others unharmed. But there was no time to waste. Balore wasn't done yet.
Looking back on the giant, the whip wielder frowned. He would need to finish off Balore quickly unless he wished to risk the lives of the others even more.
Julius narrowed his eyes, gripping the Vampire Killer tighter. He would need to end this soon.
Dashing between the demon's hands, he launched into the familiar deadly dance once more. This time, however, it was different. Julius no longer waited for Balore to strike—he was now the aggressor.
The holy warrior's movements became faster, sharper. Every time Balore attempted to strike, Julius was already there, punishing its missed attacks. The demon was on the defensive now, its fear evident in the wild flickering of its glowing eye.
For the first time, the towering giant was forced to defend itself with both hands. It swiped and clawed in desperation, trying to protect its vulnerable spots while shooting erratic beams from its eye. But each time a beam missed, Julius was right there, pressing the advantage. Slowly, the demon was being chipped away, its body weakening under the relentless assault of the Belmont.
In a final, desperate move, Balore launched a flurry of random attacks, each movement being wild and uncontrolled. Julius could sense the panic. He knew this pattern well; a cornered beast fighting its hardest in the face of death.
Julius completely focused on dodging. He backstepped, vaulted, and avoided each wild swing with precise footwork. His focus was razor-sharp as he waited for the right moment.
After missing attack after attack, Balore swung both fists in a simultaneous attack—one aiming to crush him from above, the other coming in at ground level.
Despite seeing this coming, Julius jumped, but much higher than Balore expected, soaring safely over both attacks.
While in midair, Julius cracked the Vampire Killer at the demon's arm, coiling it tightly around the massive limb. With a sharp pull, he launched himself down onto Balore's arm.
From his new vantage point, Julius threw a cross directly at the demon's glowing eye, forcing Balore to cover its face with its free hand. It was a move that granted him the perfect opportunity to finish this.
With no hesitation, Julius sprinted up the demon's arm, reaching its head in a matter of moments. Standing on its broad shoulder, he could see Balore trembling, its other hand still guarding its face.
Knowing exactly what to do to make the demon expose itself, a flash of green burst of green appeared from his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a flask of holy water onto Balore's guarding hand. The flask shattered, and green holy flames ignited instantly, engulfing the demon's arm in burning agony.
Balore shrieked, pulling its hand away from its face.
Immediately, Julius seized the opportunity. With his whip raised high, he brought it down with all his strength toward Balore's eye. "HYAH!"
The spiked head of Vampire Killer burst through the giant demon's eye like paper, driving deep into its skull and piercing its brain, finally ending the battle for good.
A final, deafening roar of agony echoed through the chamber as Balore collapsed, the earth-shaking impact of its body hitting the ground reverberating throughout the room.
Julius leaped from the demon's shoulder just before it fell, landing smoothly on the ground below.
Breathing hard but standing tall, he flicked the whip to the side, sending the gore splattering away before calmly curling it back up.
Behind him, the once-mighty Balore began to burn, the holy flames consuming its corpse, reducing it to ash. The chamber fell silent, save for the crackle of the dying flames.
As the last of the ashes scattered into the air, a familiar red crystal appeared above the defeated demon. It floated gently into Julius' waiting hand.
Crushing it in his fist, he felt his strength and mana fully restored, "Ahh... that feels good…" he groaned, rolling his sore neck.
Unsurely, the group that had been present during his fight walked up to him. Like previously, their leader only spoke.
"What the hell was that?" He asked, eyeing the place where Balore's massive corpse had been only moments ago.
Julius noticed how the man was shaking, still reeling from the terror Balore had instilled. "That…" Julius jerked his head toward the spot, "was Balore."
"Ba—?"
"But before that!" Julius raised his hand, interrupting him. "Introductions, please. I've been told I'm bad at remembering them, so before I forget..."
The brown-haired leader pointed to himself, "Bors, the leader of Rivira"
"Julius. A pleasure to meet you," he replied with a polite nod.
"Yeah, a pleasure or whatever," Bors waved it off, "But back to it—answers. You say that was Balor? The monster rex of the 49th floor?"
"No, not Balor, but Balore. This one is… different" the hunter explained.
Bors narrowed his singular eye, "How do you know of this 'Balore' then? I've been an adventurer for a long time, and I've never heard of this Balore…"
"I've encountered Balore before outside the Dungeon," Julius said slowly, "It's a demon that shouldn't appear here, or at least this high up…"
"Outside the Dungeon…?" Bors repeated, his expression somewhere between shock and confusion. "Where on Gekai do you find a monster that powerful besides in the Dungeon?"
Julius paused for a second, thinking how to answer him, "Far into the East, when the eclipse is the strongest."
The leader sweat dropped, "That's so vague…"
"It's all you are getting," Julius replied, his tone unbudging.
"Fine, keep yer secrets…" Bors grumbled, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face soon after. "So what level are you anyway? That thing seemed really strong."
"One," the hunter of the night answered evenly.
"Ha ha, really funny," the eyepatched warrior snorted, his face unimpressed "Now spill it,"
Not sure what number to say, Julius said the same level that the Ais girl had been mentioned as, "Level five."
Bors rubbed his chin, his expression relaxing a bit. "Now that makes much more sense… But how come I've never heard of ya? There aren't that many level fives in Orario."
"I'm from outside the city," Julius answered with a half-truth. "I got this powerful in the Far East."
"Is that so…" the adventurer narrowed his eye one last time before grinning. "Now that sounds interesting! You'll have to tell me all about the Far East. I never get to hear what's really going on over there."
Bors placed a firm hand on Julius's shoulder, steering him toward the exit. Julius decided to roll with it, mentally piecing together what he'd need to stay convincing.
"Of course…" he said, giving them a strained smile. "I'd love to…"
"That's the spirit!" Bors cheerfully slapped his shoulder, either oblivious or unconcerned by his tone. "Don't worry, drinks are on me!"
Julius sighed. It seemed that his expedition was going to become longer than he had planned to.
Hopefully, Hestia and Bell wouldn't get too worried about him coming home late…
And... Done. End of the chapter.
Next up, a Belmont in their natural habitat: the pub.