Key:

Text

"Speaking, or in-text quote"

In-text emphasis

'Thoughts'

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Year 16 AL, PENUMBRA

Disclaimer:

Disturbed sexual themes and gore ahead.

Nothing written is condoned, only meant for storytelling purposes.

Read at your own discretion.

Luka's pale-blue eyes were locked on Angel Halo, which was still embedded in the now twitching Zombie's stomach. Each shudder shook the Monster's flesh, aggravating the deep gash even more. The Monster's blood oozed out of the open wound in congealed clumps, hitting the brick ground with a gut-wrenching plop.

The young Hero found himself unable to move, his mouth still open after letting out his terror-filled scream. Even as he heard the other Zombies around him start to move, he remained stuck in place. Everything from the gash to the cold and dead blood he felt trailing down his own face, it was all too much and all too sudden.

Angel Halo wasn't supposed to do this. The sword should've only left a scar behind, like it had with any other Monster he had fought before. But then why was the Zombie bleeding!? It just didn't make sense, what did he do wrong!? While stuck in his stupor, Luka didn't notice as the sword-wielding Zombie had started to approach from behind.

A strangled grunt came from Luka's mouth as the Zombie's arm snaked under his head and wrapped around his throat, yanking him away from the impaled Zombie. Luka panicked as Angel Halo slipped from his hands, the sword staying lodged in the swaying Monster's guts.

"Let go, LET GO!" Luka yelled, grabbing at the Zombie's offending arm to try and pry it away. However, the sword-carrying Monster was much stronger than she appeared, and her arm remained locked around his neck.

"...Restrain, and breed..." The sword-carrying Zombie hissed from behind. Luka watched as the other three Zombies - including the one still currently impaled - started to stagger forward on command, reaching out their arms as they began to converge on him.

Luka did all he could to break free, elbowing and kicking at the Monster holding him. But before his efforts could bear any fruit, the trio of Zombies were upon him. The one with the lone breast hanging from her dress and the one wearing the stockings approached him from both sides, attempting to grab at his arms.

"So... cold..." The half-naked one whispered, her body shivering as she spoke.

"Give... your warmth..." The dress wearing one pleaded, her dead eyes gleaming in the dim light.

"NO, STOP IT!" Luka shouted while frantically trying to push them away, but the two Zombies managed to lock his arms in their grip. Then, to his horror, they started to lean in close. The young Hero turned away from their gaping maws to avoid any more unwanted kissing, struggling against the onslaught as best as he could. Just as he was doing this, the third Zombie - who still had Angel Halo embedded in her still-bleeding stomach - dropped down to her knees before him.

"Waaa... Want you, inside..." She moaned, her hands shaking as they trailed up to his waist. Luka heard his belt buckle being messed with and, at that moment, he knew that he needed to do something drastic.

Luka quickly struck out with his foot, kicking the hilt of Angel Halo and driving it deeper into the Zombie's stomach. The effect was immediate, as the blade of his sword shot through and jutted out of her back. More disgusting clumps of dark blood spewed out from the new wound, the vile substance plashing on the floor. The Zombie herself had nothing left to give, her now completely lifeless body smacking onto the ground with a thud.

And then, something odd happened.

A yellow light, not unlike the one that the Ghost Girl had turned into, shimmered around the body. After doing so, the light came together to form a small yellow orb. Once it had obtained this form, the light rose until it vanished into the ceiling. Forgetting his position for a moment, Luka watched the ceiling where the light had disappeared with great confusion.

'Does that mean that she's sealed?' Luka thought. It certainly seemed to be the case, but if it was, that only gave him more questions than answers. After all, Angel Halo still shouldn't have caused any damage to the Zombie like it had just done. This question would not get an answer though, as Luka was far from done.

Suddenly, the bare-chested Zombie with black stockings released the arm she had been holding and moved to grab his head. Luka jerked as her cold hands cupped either side of his face, further smearing the blood on his face while she descended upon him. The purple-haired boy failed to fight away this attempt, and the Zombie's hungry mouth latched onto his own.

The Zombie's tongue forced its way into his mouth, invading and prodding all around with a staggering amount of vigor. However, releasing Luka's arm had been a mistake, as it allowed him to plant a hand on her chest and abruptly shove the Zombie away. She staggered, tripping over her fallen comrade and landing in a heap on the brick floor.

Luka started fighting back with renewed energy, jumping up and kicking out at the dress-wearing Zombie with both feet. His kick landed square in her chest, causing the Zombie to also fall over while the young Hero's momentum sent him backwards. The sword-carrying Zombie tumbled along with Luka, who clumsily rolled out from her grip to finally free himself.

Luka staggered to his feet, quickly putting distance between himself and the Zombies. He retreated towards the fireplace, watching as the Monsters slowly attempted to recover from his burst of offense. He furiously wiped at the blood that was still on his face while looking wildly between his opponents, his gaze eventually landing on Angel Halo.

The body of the bloodied Zombie was slumped on the ground awkwardly, making it to where Luka would have to move the Monster in order to retrieve his sword. The very idea of messing with the deceased body made his skin crawl, but the purple-haired boy had little other choice at the moment.

In the blink of an eye, Luka crossed over to the middle of the room and made it to his sword. He groaned in disgust as he pushed the impaled Zombie over, exposing Angel Halo's blood-covered hilt. The young Hero swiftly - yet regrettably - yanked his weapon out from the Zombie, having to force himself to ignore the horrid sound of cutting flesh that came from the corpse.

With Angel Halo back in his possession, Luka wasted no more time to spring into action and dashed over to the stocking-wearing Zombie as she stood up straight.

"Demon Decapitation!"

Luka slashed at the Zombie's throat and, much like the previous Zombie, dark red blood spewed from the gash instead of scarring over. The purple-haired boy swallowed down the bile rising at the back of his throat and jumped away from the Monster. She crumbled to the floor in a heap, but like the other Zombie before her, an eerie yellow light erupted from her body and rose up into the ceiling.

The room was becoming filled with the soured metallic smell of the Zombie's blood and, for a moment, Luka was hit by an intense wave of nausea that nearly forced him to his knees. 'Just ignore it, keep going!' The young Hero thought, attempting to clear his mind. However, this clarity would not be found.

Scraa-AAPE

Luka clenched up at the noise of metal running along brick and turned to see the sword-carrying Zombie dashing over to him. The rusted blade she was carrying sparked as she dragged it across the brick ground and made an awkward-looking upward swipe at the young Hero. Luka dodged it and swung to cut her side. However, the Zombie was actually able to evade his attack and even caught herself before smashing into the wall for a second time.

She whirled around to face him once more, but instead of charging him, the blade-wielding Zombie held her blade aloft and simply watched Luka. They both stood still, neither of the two making any move. Luka noted how her bright-red eyes seemed to be more alive now; before they had been peering at him blankly but now, they actually seemed to be studying him.

'Strange, she wasn't acting this way before.' Luka though in puzzlement. Indeed, the Zombie seemed to have change tactics, which wasn't something the young Hero had even thought was cognitively possible for a Zombie.

"Impregnate... Me..."

The mangled voice from behind caused Luka to look over his shoulder, seeing the dress-wearing Zombie approaching with her arms reaching out to him. Luka hadn't even begun to retaliate, however, when something much more alarming caught his ear.

"Vacuum... Slash!"

Luka turned around just quick enough to see the sword-wielding Zombie charging at him with alarming speed, despite her uneven gait. The young Hero's pale-blue eyes widened at the sudden burst of energy, instinct alone pushing him to roll out of the way as the Zombie went in low and aimed a crooked slash right where he had just been standing.

The dress-adorned Zombie standing right behind him did not have such instinct.

The sound of metal vibrating while cutting through the air was quickly followed by a sickening squelch of meat being split. Luka turned to see the horrible sight, as the sword-carrying Zombie's attack had landed true and had created a large diagonal gash up the other Zombie's front. The slash had ripped her open, partially exposing the decaying corpse's insides.

Luka froze in shock, his lack of experience with such sights causing him to almost shut down completely. The black blood slowly oozed out of the Zombie's gash, causing a cacophony of splattering to erupt by her feet. The Monster herself spasmed before falling flat on her back with a meaty thwack, an even more egregious amount of decayed blood spewing from the corpse.

There were no words to describe the sight, not any that Luka could think. He'd never seen such a violent and bloody display, not to this extent. The sounds, the smells, everything was just getting to be too much for him now. With no other choice, Luka steeled his nerves and pointed Angel Halo towards his attacker.

"Thunder Thrust!"

Luka had already cleared the distance before the sword-wielding Zombie had even turned to face him, his charge leading to Angel Halo being driven right into her back. The Zombie jerked but Luka didn't hesitate to continue, pressing a boot against her back and pushing her away while yanking his sword back. To his displeasure, this caused even more of the clumpy blood to spew out, some of it getting on his face once again.

The Zombie dropped her sword midfall, landing in a heap next to the Zombie she had helped to cut down. Luka watched for any further movement, but she did not stir. Then, the same type of light that had come from the other two left her and fade away from sight. The young Hero's troubled gaze stayed on the air where the light vanished, his mind a muddle mess of thoughts.

And unfortunately, Luka would not be getting a reprieve.

"...Co-...Coo-oold..."

A sharp chill struck Luka's body and he lowered his gaze to the ground. Very quickly, however, the purple-haired boy wished that he hadn't.

The owner of the voice was the one Zombie he hadn't defeated himself, the one who wore the turtleneck dress. Her eyes seemed even hazier than before, but she was undoubtedly looking at him. The horrid gash continued to bleed but it didn't seem to bother the Zombie at all.

Luka watched with steadily growing horror as the Zombie started to trail her hands down her own body sensually, slowly dragging her fingers over her large breasts while the young Hero looked on, unable to keep his wide eyes off of the nightmarish display. The Zombie then grasped low on her dress, and began to pull up. More and more of her pale, miscolored skin was revealed. She didn't stop until her dress was completely up above her waist, and then, she presented herself.

The Zombie's vagina was puffy and rotten as the rest of her body, but it seemed as if some semblance of reproductive instinct was still working, as her swollen vulva was dripping with excitement. Luka could smell the sour and sweet smell of the Zombie's arousal filling the air, and the beating of his heart instinctively quickened despite how dangerously his stomach was churning.

"...Give me...warmth..."

Yet again, the Zombie pleaded, this time reaching down and physically spreading herself open with her fingers. The flesh inside rippled and quivered, awaiting the natural call of mating to be satiated. Even now, when she was cut open and bleeding out, this Zombie was driven by the instinct to procreate.

'I can't just leave her like this.' Luka thought to himself. While he wasn't knowledgeable about if Zombies felt pain, he couldn't - in good conscience - leave her here to suffer. No, he needed to do something. He needed to seal this Zombie as well, like he had the others...

...At least, that's what he was hoping had happened to the others.

Luka stepped closer to the Zombie, grimacing as she attempted to hold her legs out wider for him. The young Hero moved to hold Angel Halo tight in both hands, raising it up above the Zombie. She didn't move, hardly reacting at all to his actions. Instead, she simply laid there with both her privacy and her gaping wound on display.

As empty as the Zombie's eyes were, it still felt as if they were piercing his very soul. There was a ghost of something there; Luka couldn't say if it was completely sentient, but it was not entirely blank, either.

He forced himself not to think about that.

Luka swiftly plunged Angel Halo into the Zombie's already exposed stomach wound, putting an end to the Zombie once and for all. She jerked upon receiving the initial impact but her body relaxed soon after. In no time at all, a bright yellow light erupted from her body as well and it rose away, leaving Luka truly alone this time.

Despite having "beaten" the four Zombies, Luka felt anything but victorious. He couldn't even bare to face the bloodied Zombies, and the purple-haired boy could only hope that he had faced the last of them. But one thought stuck out to him as he stood there amongst the desecrated corpses: Who was responsible for them?

Certainly, these women hadn't become Zombies by themselves. Someone had to have made them that way and that someone was going to answer for their evil deeds, because Luka wasn't going to allow what's been happening in this mansion to continue for a second longer. Just as he was in the middle of these considerably darker thoughts, the door opened to the room opened.

AHH! What happened to my experiments!?" A shrill voice called out. Luka glanced over to the door with a great deal of confusion, finding his gaze to fall upon the owner of the bright purple eyes he had seen earlier in the mansion's window.

The girl herself was very odd-looking, as her skin was an abnormal purplish-gray. Her bewildered face was framed by disheveled bangs of black hair, a good deal of said hair being held at the back of her head via a pair of very long twin tails. Also sprouting from her head were two curious horns that glowed a similar color as her eyes. In between these, sat a small black cap that a nurse might wear, a large purple cross sitting on its front.

As Luka's gaze traveled away from the girl's face, he found the rest of her outfit to be just as strange. Her black shirt only fell halfway down her torso, leaving her midriff exposed. Two thin suspenders fell from the shirt and connected to her black shorts, which led to her bright purple and black striped stockings. Under normal circumstances, Luka might even admit to finding the girl somewhat cute, despite how odd she appeared.

But what she had said, was still bouncing around in his head.

"Your experiments?" Luka said, heavily stressing the first part through gritted teeth. The girl looked to him as though she had only just now noticed him, her eyes widening even further as she took in his blood-splattered appearance. A slew of odd stammering noises left her mouth, and then she spun around and took off through the same doorway she had come out of.

"HEY!" Luka yelled before taking chase, "GET BACK HERE!"

The girl's shoes clacked loudly as she dashed towards the stairs leading to the foyer, rushing right down the staircase - passing by the railing still wrapped with black hair, despite their being no Doll in sight - before making it safely to the ground floor. However, Luka's attention was not on either of those two details, as his pale-blue eyes were now locked down below onto something sitting awkwardly on the ground-floor of the mansion.

CRRAAAACCKKK

The flash of lightning helped to illuminate the figure and show it to be a tall woman, one that dwarfed him immensely. Her limbs seemed to be grossly disproportioned, which only helped to enhance how inhuman she was. Dirtied white gauze was wrapped around various parts of her body, but much of her sickly gray skin was on display, including her massive breasts.

Long white hair poked out from beneath the gauze wrapped around her head, which covered one of her eyes. The other stared around blankly for a bit until catching sight of Luka, her red pupil focusing in on him. Luka was glued in place at the top of the stairs as he gawked back at the monstrosity, missing as the girl he had been chasing came to the enormous Zombie's side.

She stopped for a moment to adjust the small brown bag she had on her side, before giving Luka a glare. "What are you doing here, making a mess of my laboratory!? I spent a lot of time perfecting those Zombies, you know!" She exclaimed with a stomp, another loud clack coming from her black shoe. "How dare you, do you even know how much of a setback that is for me!?" She asked with finality.

Luka's gaze finally went back to the purple-eyed girl, and he stared at her in silent bewilderment. "How dare... I?" He asked, his outrage starting to grow larger. "Who are you to be asking me that!? I should be the one asking who you are, and what you are doing here!"

The girl gave him an open-mouth smirk and raised a hand to her chest. "I am Chrome, and I'm a Necromancer. And I'm here because this place is rife with potential!" Luka tilted his head at the girl now known as Chrome, not understanding what she was getting at.

"Potential?" Luka parroted, spurring the girl to chuckle as she gestured up to the tall Zombie behind her.

"Just look for yourself; look, and gaze upon my masterpiece! You wouldn't believe how many bodies I had to go through before I found her!" Chrome exclaimed, her swirling purple eyes gleaming with giddiness. "It wasn't easy. This place was an execution ground and a graveyard in years' past, so finding such a perfect specimen so quickly was nothing short of a miracle!"

Chrome continued to fawn over the Zombie, not noticing how Luka's gaze began to harden. "Of course, I had to make some modifications here and there, but other than that, she's all natural!" The Necromancer finished, turning back to Luka with a prideful grin. However, the young Hero looking down at her was far from impressed.

Luka slowly shook his head in disbelief, "Unbelievable..." He whispered, "...You really think that desecrating corpses and perverting them like this is something to take pride in?" He stressed with a questioning hitch.

An odd buzz was starting to build at the back of his head now as his anger grew, and it only grew stronger as Chrome continued. The Necromancer placed her hands on her hips as she replied, "I take the dead and experiment on them until they're better than they ever were when they were alive. It's my life's work, and I'm quite good at it!"

Luka began pacing towards the top of the staircase, his pale-blue eyes gleaming with anger. "This isn't something that anyone should make their life's work, it's evil!" He pointed Angel Halo at the Zombie, his temper flaring now. "Turning innocent girls into things like this isn't just wrong, it's unforgivable!"

"I hardly care what you think," Chrome fired back while crossing her arms. "But I think that you'd make for a great new experiment to go along with my masterpiece here!" The purple-eyed Necromancer looked up to the large Zombie with a wicked grin, "You would like that, wouldn't you, Frederica?" The Zombie said nothing, her gaze having never left Luka.

Silently, the young Hero in question walked down the staircase, not saying a word until he reached the bottom. Slowly, he raised Angel Halo in both hands, aiming it towards the Necromancer. "I won't let this continue a moment longer, I will end this all right now!" Luka exclaimed, tensing his body up in preparation for a fight.

Chrome scoffed and snapped her fingers, "Rise, Frederica; rise and go make that boy go insane!" Luka watched as Frederica dragged herself to her feet, easily dwarfing Chrome as she did.

CRAAA-CRAAAAACK

The light of several lightning flashes lit up the foyer, and upon looking at Frederica's face closer, Luka realized something he hadn't before. It was difficult to see at first, but he could now see that her face matched the girl he had seen in the picture upstairs. This proved to be the final tipping for Luka, his face flushing with rage as his firm grip on Angel Halo started to shake.

Finally, he attacked, but his effort was not aimed at the Zombie.

"Demon Decapitation!"

Luka sprinted forward, rearing back to his left and furiously swiping towards Chrome. The purple-eyed girl let out a shrill scream, not having expected the attack on herself. However, the attack - which would've landed cleanly, under normal circumstances - was stopped right in its last moments by Frederica. The Zombie caught Angel Halo with her bare palm, the blade cutting into her hand and quickly opening up a large cut on her palm.

Frederica grunted as she pushed Luka away, giving Chrome some much-needed breathing room.

The purple-haired boy stumbled back, nearly tripping on the dilapidated carpet below his feet. Nonetheless, he was able to right himself, and now faced the large Zombie in front of him. Chrome was now hiding behind her creation, not-so-subtly shaken by the near hit. "Y-You'll regret that! Get him, Frederica!" The deformed Zombie began to shuffle forward, her one visible eye locked on him.

Luka raised his sword up at Frederica, the blood that had come from her glinting dimly in the low lighting. 'I don't want to have to do this to her, but I can't fail here.' The purple-haired boy thought reluctantly.

"...Help...Me..."

Luka's anger faltered as the familiar voice entered his head again, however, he would not be able to think about this further. Frederica stomped towards Luka as he wavered, her steps wobbling the very floor beneath his feet as she charged. The young Hero jumped to the side, swinging Angel Halo at the Zombie's leg as he evaded her. The attack only managed to lightly graze Frederica's outer thigh, the cut itself not bleeding nearly as much as the one on her hand.

Frederica retaliated with a backhand, her large arm whizzing past Luka at a frightening speed. The young Hero staggered, actually feeling how her arm had distorted the air. If her attack had landed, then Luka would've undoubtedly gotten seriously hurt.

'I'll definitely have to be careful, I can't afford to take a hit like that.' Luka took a couple deep breaths, watching as the much larger Zombie shuffled awkwardly to face him again. None of the Zombies from before moved in a way that could be considered natural or coordinated, but Frederica's steps seemed especially painfully. She quivered with each movement, a prominent limp to her gait.

As odd as it seemed, Luka began to feel bad for her. Just as he was thinking this, Frederica stopped.

Luka blinked in confusion as the Zombie spasmed, almost looking as though she was struggling to move. He searched her face, now noticing how distressed her one visible eye had become. It was almost as if she was trying to stop herself...

"Cut it out, Frederica! Get it together and crush him!" An anxious-looking Chrome called out from the side. Luka watched as the Zombie ceased its shaking before muttering, "Understood, Master..." Her short reply caused the young Hero to gasp as Frederica's voice was, unmistakenly, the one he kept hearing in his own head.

"...Please...Don't want...This..."

Luka felt a pang of pity stab into his heart; he could now see that Frederica's soul was aware of what was going on, but unable to disobey Chrome's command. Somehow, she was reaching out to him for help, to free her from Chrome's control. The young Hero nodded to the Zombie, "I understand now, I'll do for you what I can!" Luka called out, to the Necromancer's confusion.

"What are you babbling on about, exactly?" Chrome said with a snicker, "Are you already losing your mind? Because the fun's only gotten started!"

Luka steeled himself as Frederica descended upon him again, a plan formulating in his mind. He took note of the cut he had already made on the Zombie's left thigh, guilt already hitting him at the very idea he had in mind. It seemed overtly cruel, but stunting her already limited movement would probably be his best bet. The only issue, was that he needed to be quick about it.

Once Frederica had gotten close enough, Luka sprang into action and met the Zombie head on. The large Zombie made to grab him with her large hands, but the young Hero dove forward, rolling between her legs and springing to his feet once getting behind her. Luka held his sword with no small amount of hesitance, only slightly prepared for what he was about to do.

"Thunder Thrust!"

Luka launched forward and stabbed into the exposed flesh on the back of Frederica's left knee, a sickening crack filling the foyer as the young Hero's attack broke through bone and sliced through rotting flesh. The large Zombie buckled, her abrupt fall only giving Luka a moment to pull his sword back out. More black blood spurted from the injury, staining the decrepit carpeting with shades of darkened crimson.

Frederica fell to her hands and knees, the wooden floor making an awfully concerning creaking noise beneath her as a result. Luka pulled back to stab at her again, but his follow-through was stopped by a frightening quick recovery by Frederica. The Zombie's large hand reached around and grasped Angel Halo by its blade.

Again, his sword cut into her hand but this time, Frederica did not let go.

Luka jerked back again and again, the wet sound of his sword cutting into Frederica's hand being the only result of his effort. The Zombie wrenched him forward, causing him to collide face-first into her back. The sudden impact rocked the purple-haired boy, stunning him long enough for Frederica to rip the sword right from his hand!

"...I'm sorry..."

The Zombie let go of his sword mid pull, sending the cursed sword flying up towards the ceiling. Luka's pale-blue eyes followed as Angel Halo flew up to the overhang at the top of the stairs, his sword clattering up on the wooden floor of the upper floor.

"Ha-HA!" Chrome laughed, her purple eyes glowing as she gleefully watched from the sidelines. "Finish him off, Frederica! Force him down and drown him in madness!" The large Zombie attempted to move, but injury to her left knee successfully made movement even more difficult for her.

Luka took the opportunity to run past Frederica, ignoring as Chrome barked commands at her. The purple-haired boy swiftly climbed the steps, the wooden boards giving out a terrible cry as he stomped up them. Luka made it to the top in no time, turning the corner to see Angel Halo in the hands of a familiar face.

"Is this what you're lookin' for, big bro?~" The Doll he had fought earlier - now with considerably more uneven-looking hair - said. The possessed Doll stood leaning back first against the upper-floor's railing, haphazardly holding Angel Halo in-between her small arms.

A large frown grew on Luka's face, he really didn't want to deal with this right now. "Look, I really need that back right now-" He started, but the Doll quickly shook her head and floated up to stand on top of the rail.

"-Uh-UH! You've been treating your little sis so baaadly, why should you be rewarded for that?" The Doll asked with faux indignation. Luka tried to fight away his frustration, but the sound of Frederica climbing the stairs made it difficult, 'I can't waste time here, I need Angel Halo back now!' The purple-haired boy thought.

As nicely as he could - considering the monstrosity currently limping up after him - Luka began to plead his case. "Please, I really need my sword right now!" He explained, but the Doll still wasn't having it. "And what exactly are you gonna do for me, to get it back, big bro?~" She whispered with a lewd smile.

That was it, Luka had enough. He was covered in blood, had been kissed twice by rotten corpses, and was trying to free the tortured soul of a girl from her warped and corrupted shell of a body. Under normal circumstance, Luka would've tried to find a more peaceful way to navigate this situation, but he just didn't have any more patience left.

"I said, GIVE IT BACK!" Luka shouted, startling the Doll by leaping forward and grabbing the hilt of Angel Halo while it was still wrapped between her arms. He yanked at the hilt, forcing the Doll to release his sword while she was abruptly pulled down from the railing. A brief wave of guilt hit Luka when he heard her yelp and fall with a clatter onto the floor, but he quickly shook it away and pointed his sword towards the Doll while she tried to stand.

Luka took a step closer, the blade of Angel Halo now right in the Doll's face. She froze, her wide purple-eyes meeting his glaring gaze, "Now don't you try anything else or I promise you won't like what happens! UNDERSTAND!?" The Doll couldn't give anything more than a small nod in response, Luka's abrupt change in demeanor zapping the Doll of her previous mischievousness.

The Doll hurriedly crawled away to the other staircase, disappearing behind the railing.

Luka felt the same guilt rise up again, but he couldn't focus on it for a moment longer as he heard wood creaking from behind. The purple-haired boy turned to see Frederica finally making it to the top of the stairs and he steeled himself, raising Angel Halo up with both hands.

CRRRAAAAA-CCRRAAAAAACCCKKKK

The foyer was suddenly made alit by a brilliant flash lightening, its furious crackling causing the mansion itself to shudder and whine. Luka could feel the very floor shift as Frederica walked, the wood voicing its displeasure with a cavalcade of squeaking. The Zombie placed a hand on the railing as she approached, seemingly using it like a crutch. It too, creaked as she leaned up against it.

"...Please... Free me... Please..."

"I will, I promise you that I will!" Luka replied while readying Angel Halo for his next move. His pale-blue eyes looked to the railing once more, a somewhat risky plan coming to mind as he took into account the damage he had done to the Zombie's left leg. 'I already made her unbalanced with my last attack; if I can capitalize on that, then I should be able to finish this.'

Luka wasn't fond of the idea of using the injury to his advantage in such a way, but he couldn't waste time trying to figure something else out. The young Hero steeled himself before charging the large Zombie with a yell, intent on incapacitating Frederica before finishing her off. However, his direct approach would nearly cause disaster for him, as Frederica very suddenly retaliated!

The large Zombie suddenly gripped the railing and used its leverage to swing her injured leg towards Luka in an uneven roundhouse kick. Luka saw it in time to duck and Frederica's leg struck the wooden railing, completely shattering the columns in the process. Luka quickly rushed to his feet as the large Zombie teetered on the edge, nearing sending herself off of the elevated platform with her own attack.

From below, Chrome's very distressed yelling echoed off the walls of the dilapidated vestibule of the mansion. The young Hero ignored the shouts and raised Angel Halo above his head before sharply bringing it back down onto Frederica's left knee. Angel Halo cut right through the Zombie's leg, cutting through flesh and shattering bone.

Luka's attack completely severed Frederica's leg at the knee, the cut-off limb falling down and rolling towards him. Dark blood gushed from the atrocious wound, splattering onto the floor and coating the wooden planks. The putrid smell of the Zombie's rotten flesh and blood grew stronger, almost forcing Luka to stumble away. However, he willed himself forward and shoved Frederica from behind with all the strength he could muster.

With her already unstable position and lack of a leg, the Zombie had little other choice than to fall into the railing. The wood spilt under her sheer weight, and Frederica fell off the edge and plunged to the floor below. The crash that came from the Zombie's impact was frighteningly loud, rivaling the rumbles of thunder outside.

Luka peeked over the edge to see the Zombie lying sprawled out on the floor, her body spasming grossly. Their was black blood everywhere, the clumps strewn about the carpet and the flooring in uneven piles. He watched as Frederica attempted to move, but the Zombie couldn't seem to rise. Morbidly, Luka found himself pondering how much of her corpse had just become broken.

"FREDERICA, NO!" Chrome cried out from the side, her dismal gaze looking down at her mangled creation. Luka paid her cry no mind, as he felt Frederica's soul reach out to him once more.

"...Kill me... I beg you..."

Luka choked, the sheer burden of the request weighing heavily on his shoulders. Never once before starting his journey did he ever think that he would have to do something like this, it felt as though he was putting a dying animal out of its misery. As hesitant as he was in doing so, Luka raised Angel Halo above his head in preparation to use his most powerful attack.

And he was praying that it would be the last.

"DEMON SKULL BEHEADING!"

With Frederica being a sitting target, Luka had no trouble in landing flush. Angel Halo carved into the Zombie's shoulder, rupturing her flesh and splintering her collarbone. Luka landed soon after, straddling the Zombie's waist on his fall. Before he could even lament the obscene position he was in, Luka heard an awful low creak come from the floor below.

Then, all of a sudden, the floor beneath him and Frederica shifted down.

CRACK

"GAAHH!"

"WAWAWAAHH!"

Both Luka and Chrome respective screams echoed around as the aged and rotten boards finally gave way, the decade's worth of dilapidated flooring unable to hold in place any longer. They all fell into the caping chasm that opened up in the middle of the foyer, plummeting down into the darkness. Luka - lacking any better options - gripped onto Frederica's corpse with both hands, holding himself close to the Zombie's body as they fell.

Luka jerked as they hit the floor, another ghastly thwack of meat hitting stone coming from Frederica upon impact. The young Hero collapsed onto the large Zombie, his head landing on one of her massive breasts. Luka laid still for a moment, a wave of exhaustion hitting him. As much as he didn't want to lay on the corpse in such a manner, he couldn't find the energy to shift.

Not until he noticed a yellow light start to build at the edge of his sight.

With a grunt, Luka pushed himself up to straddle Frederica, freezing in place as he saw the Zombie's face in the dim light of her own soul. Unlike before, when her face was strained and tense, a look of relief was now there. Even a ghost of a smile formed, as her lone red eye gazed up at him.

"...Thank you... Thank you... Thank you..."

And like that, Frederica's soul vanished, plunging the room in darkness once again. Or at least, it did for the moment.

From above, multiple torches suddenly came alit, each candle holding an eerie blue flame like the ones from the floor above. With this new light source, Luka could now see that he was in a catacomb of some sort. Aside from the bits of wood and other debris that fell from the ground floor, this room was made entirely out of gray cobblestone.

There were many large columns of this same stone, which seemed to be the support for the entire mansion. At the very least, these pillars of cobblestone seemed to be somewhat safe still, as they didn't have any major chipping or other damage done to their frames. Along the walls, ran a countless number of wooden coffins, some of them even standing up on their ends to lean up against the walls.

Luka pushed himself off of Frederica, nearly jumping out of his own skin as Chrome appeared out from one of the cobblestone pillars.

"Look at what you've done, you brute!" The Necromancer chastised, her twin tails wavering erratically as she stomped on the stone floor below them. "First, you break those first four Zombies, then you break my masterpiece, and finally, you break the floor of my laboratory!" Luka could hardly believe it, his pale-blue eyes staring at Chrome incredulously as she ranted.

Luka took a step towards the Necromancer, his outrage rising once more. "You talk about them like their toys! You should be ashamed for desecrating the dead and pulling these poor women from their peace to be a part of your sick games!"

The purple-haired boy reached out and grabbed the hilt of Angel Halo, carefully pulling it from Frederica's body to hold it up. "I won't let you get away with what you've been doing here, you'll pay for everything you've done here!"

Chrome eyed Luka's sword with some aversion, but eventually found the confidence to huff at his words, "Pfft, you don't understand anything about what I'm doing here! These corpses are no good to anyone, now that they have no life of their own; why not use them, if they have no use for themselves anymore?"

Luka shook more and more as Chrome continued, his fury now on full display. "I'm done trying to convince you. If you won't listen to reason, then I have no other choice but to bring you to justice!" Luka ended his words by aiming Angel Halo at the Necromancer, who steeled herself as well.

"Don't get this twisted, I'm not weaker than any of my creations!" Chrome exclaimed while raising a hand above her head, "You'll regret ever coming here, prepare to see the true power of a Necromancer!" Chrome snapped her fingers, and a cold chill suddenly struck the air...

...And then, some of the coffins began to shake, as their corpses came to life.

I'll leave off for here for now, and next chapter will deal with Luka facing off with Chrome to end things once and for all in the Haunted Mansion.

I assume that this may be a hard read for some, as will the next chapter. I apologize to an extent for that, but I couldn't really imagine this encounter going any other way. Take it as a warning, as anything pertaining to Luka dealing with undead Monsters is going to be like this in the future.

And suffice to say, Luka's relationship with Chrome going forward after this is going to be quite strained, as he isn't going to be very quick in forgiving any of this.

Another thing to note, is the slight glimpse into how Luka will act under more sever circumstances. If anyone thinks it to be a bit out of character, just remember who exactly Luka is related to. After all, Luka shares blood with Lucifina, Heinrich, and Marcellus. All characters known for having very violent tendencies. Luka will be no exception, when left with little other choice.

F14M3RZ: Nice catch, I wanted a lot of the Haunted Mansion to mirror Heaven, much like you pointed out. A lot of those elements really just fit together nicely, or as nicely as they could considering how morbid this little arc is and will be.

omegaqilin: Sometimes I choose not to answer, simply because I don't want to give away too much too soon. For instance, I can tell you that Alice will eventually become knowledgeable about Luka's times in Heaven, but that's all I can comfortably reveal at the moment without spoiling what I have planned. I do always appreciate the feedback, though.

espioll: Firstly, glad to see your name again, I feel as though I hadn't seen your name in a while.

Secondly, to answer your question, I will be very picky/choosy in what I implement from Paradox - especially Part 3 - since I already have an outlook on how I want certain things to play out. If it fits with my vision, then I will include it; if I feel as though it doesn't, then I won't.