(Edited 22/08/24)
I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.
The Vampire War
***POTD***
It had been three months since the fall of the Tartaros Guild, and by extension, the Bharam Alliance as a whole.
Coincidentally, it had been a turbulent three months for the people of Fiore as well, even without the threat of Dark Mages at every turn. From the fallout following Natsu's exposure as the Demon King E.N.D, to the assassination of Chairman Org and his immediate replacement by Crawford Seam, Ishgar wasn't looking too good.
Magnolia too had begun to suffer rather harshly from the chaos. Sanctions had been placed not just on the Fairy Tail Guild, but the entire city, as the Magic Council finally found the means to go after the thorn that had been in their side for over a century.
From harsher taxes, the restriction of goods and the seizure of any and all excess wealth, the citizens were harshly punished for having dared to support Fairy Tail. The Guild itself meanwhile had all its excess wealth seized, the jobs provided to the Guild were paltry and paid little, and many of its members had been interrogated regarding their knowledge of Natsu.
But the worst crime was the ousting of its Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar. The old man had been told in no uncertain terms that he would be vacating, and the Guild would be managed by the Rune Knights until a more suitable Master was chosen.
To the surprise of everyone, the old man had abdicated without a fight, vanishing a day later to parts unknown. It was a move that both delighted, and infuriated the Council, as they wanted Makarov firmly under their thumb.
However, to those left behind, this was the final betrayal. Especially to one Ice Make Mage, who sat in the corner of the Guild Hall, glaring at the Rune Knights who stood guard at the entrance.
"G-Gray," the timid voice of Juvia called out to him, drawing an annoyed glare from the man. "You haven't touched your dinner?"
"I'm not hungry Juvia."
"Not hungry? Gray, you haven't eaten a thing today-?"
"I said I'm not hungry."
"But Gray-?"
"I said that I'm not hungry Juvia, now shut up," the Ice Make Mage snapped, slamming his fist on the table, causing her to flinch. "Screw this!"
"G-Gray," Juvia stuttered as the man rose to his feet and stormed out of the Guild Hall, fists clenched as he marched down the main road.
Everywhere Gray looked, all he could see were Rune Knights or ungrateful citizens shooting him dirty looks. It angered the Ice Make Mage that everything had gone completely downhill, and he was left to suffer.
All because of Natsu.
Reaching the riverbank, the Ice Make Mage snarled, kicking a rock across it, before running a hand through his hair.
"That bastard, he ruined everything! Because of him, everyone else has to suffer! Now he runs off instead of facing punishment, which fucks us even more!"
With a frustrated growl, he shot an ice shard at a nearby tree, causing it to collapse on its side. He then moved toward it and kicked it, before sighing and sitting up against it.
"What the Hell happened…? Why did that bastard ruin our lives," Gray sighed, as a swirling mass of darkness slowly manifested behind him, its Crimson Eyes narrowed as it slowly fed more and more darkness into him. "I swear…I'll kill that son of a bitch if he ever shows his face here again!"
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a Crimson colored Lacrima, examining it closely as he recalled the day Erza had thrown it at him, saying it was from his Father. The memory only served to anger him more though, as he recalled Erza vehemently tearing into him and siding with Natsu, the one who ruined their lives.
"I'll get him…No matter what it takes," the Ice Make Mage muttered, as the Lacrima glowed a little brighter. "No matter the cost…I'll be ready for him."
As he made his oath, the swirling cloud of darkness behind him had shrunk in size, before dissipating entirely, as it sank into Gray himself, the man none the wiser of what had just occurred.
***POTD***
It had been a long and tedious three months for Natsu and his newfound allies as they fought against the growing Vampire menace across Draconia.
After launching a surprise attack on the Vampires who had occupied the old Alvarez base, they had acquired key information that would be crucial in their efforts. From local troop movements, a more detailed map listing other bases, and even a lead on some of their higher ranked officers.
From that point onward, the small group had quickly begun dismantling Vampire operations in the area, tearing apart their outposts and slaughtering their troops. The only challenge they faced were the undead hordes, legions of modified corpses sent to attack them by the Vampire Necromancers, which sometimes never seemed to end.
However, despite how grim the situation appeared, things weren't too bad.
The group found that the Vampires couldn't take them out if they stuck together, watching each other's backs, which had led Natsu to his current conundrum…
So often had he been fighting back-to-back with Irene, Yasmin and Brandish, that he'd slowly come to respect the Alvarez ladies. Despite his attempts to keep a professional distance from them, he'd begun to see them as genuine allies.
This was the current reality of his situation, as he heard Yasmin sound the all clear, looking up to see the burning village ahead of him.
"Just more stragglers it seems," Brandish huffed, moving to stand next to Natsu as she observed Irene put out some of the fires around them. "No survivors…again."
"Seems to be the same MO with them, doesn't it? The strange bug creatures are always lined up along the main roads, decapitated, their blood drained to the last drop, before their heads are put on a pike for us…"
"It doesn't exactly defy reason as to why they're doing this," Seilah chimed in, as she carried a sack of what little of value remained in the village. "They need access to the blood in absurd amounts, likely for the Necromancers."
"Surely even they must realize that this isn't a viable stratagem though," Irene agreed, extending her right arm and firing a burst of water onto a nearby building. "Removing the emotional aspect of it all, these creatures are a finite resource, one that will soon run dry…"
"Have we even figured out what these creatures are yet?"
"We've yet to find one that wasn't either dead, in the process of being killed, or a necrotic husk fighting for the Necromancers," Brandish replied dryly. "And it seems like we probably won't ever find out what they are?"
"Sorry to interrupt everyone," Yasmin cut in, sprinting toward the group from the outskirts of town. "Another regiment is on its way from the East!"
"Already?"
"Do you think I'd sprint here if it weren't Natsu," the Leichart Commander replied bluntly. "I spotted Tiers One through Four, though the Assassins fled as soon as they knew I'd spotted them."
"How many are we looking at exactly," Irene asked slowly, ceasing her efforts to put out the raging fire. "I assume you have a rough estimate?"
"Including the undead horde… I'd say around two thousand, give or take like a hundred?"
"Seriously? We just killed another two thousand here," Natsu cursed, biting his thumb. "I'd rather not face that many in the open if they've got Assassins running about?"
"Agreed. Last thing we need is one of us out of commission again because they get a stray Blood Curse in as we're fighting," Irene agreed. "We'll use the cover of the smoke in the ruins here to-."
"Apologies Irene, but I do believe the situation has changed slightly," Eliza cut in, popping in to the right of the Spriggan. "Yasmin dear, I know you pride yourself on your reconnaissance skills, but you've missed something rather crucial…"
"I did? What did I miss Lady Eliza?"
"Oh, just the four thousand strong army approaching from the West, Tiers one through Four also present, and being led by a Tier Five."
"An Arch Vampire?"
"Indeed Seilah. I'd recommend setting up an ambush in the nearby canyon," the War Goddess continued. "Also, just so you know, I can't interfere with this one. Sorry."
"Its fine," Irene replied quickly, waving her hand. "The warning has already aided us immensely. Natsu and I shall act as the bait. Seilah and Yasmin will circle around the enemy and wait at their flanks for Brandish to trap them in."
"I'll need to position myself atop the canyon if I want to be able to close off both flanks in time."
"I can take you dear," Eliza smiled, before looking toward Natsu. "I sense something strange about what's coming…"
"It's weird, but… I do too?"
"Be on guard," Eliza murmured, vanishing along with Brandish moments later, as Irene turned to look at Yasmin and Seilah.
"Feel free to unleash high powered, area of effect Magics upon our location if needed. Natsu and I are more than capable of enduring them."
"Understood Lady Irene," Yasmin replied, giving the older woman a curt nod, before looking toward Natsu. "Do try and keep your Crash Magic to yourself this time?"
"I'd like to see you control it even a hundredth as good as I do," came the rather amused response. "Count yourself lucky I only shattered your attack accidentally last time, and not your body."
"Oh hush," Irene giggled, gently swatting his arm. "Even if you had shattered Yasmin into thousands of cubes, you could just reform her."
"Wait… Lady Irene, are you saying he could've actually butchered me on accident!?"
"No comment."
"Haha-!"
"I'm serious!?"
"We should get moving," Seilah cut in smoothly, her lips twitching upward ever so slightly. "The answer is yes, by the way."
"Ugh! So not cool," the Leichart member huffed, vanishing alongside Seilah in a burst of speed, leaving Irene and Natsu alone.
"Thanks for volunteering me as bait Irene…"
"I'm bait too. We're bait buddies!"
"Bait buddies?"
"What?"
"Sorry. I'm just… How do I put this," Natsu thought aloud, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "That's such a Mom joke, if you know what I mean?"
"A Mom joke," Irene responded, surprisingly caught off guard as she avoided his gaze for the briefest of moments. "A Mom joke…"
"Um… Are you okay," Natsu asked slowly, seeing Irene staring off into space, almost looking lost. "Irene?"
"Mmhm…"
"Irene?"
"Mmhm…Ah-! D-Did you say something," Irene gasped, snapping herself out of her trance and adjusting her grip on her staff.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh. Y-Yes, I'm fine."
"You sure? You spaced out there," Natsu noted, as the Spriggan blushed slightly from embarrassment. "You don't normally do that from what I've seen?"
"I-Yes… I agree, I don't normally do that," Irene sighed, shaking her head. "I am fine though, so don't doubt that. You just reminded me of something from a long time ago, that's all."
"Oh. Well, do you…?"
"It won't affect my ability to fight, so don't worry about it," Irene cut in tiredly, silencing him before he could ask a most dreaded question. "For now, let's head over to the canyon and assume our positions as bait."
After giving Irene a once over, just to be sure he had actually just taken part in the awkward interaction, and wasn't dreaming, he opened a portal for the pair to enter. Irene went first, her steps surprisingly hurried, which was a further sign that she was hiding something.
Not that it was truly any of his business, either way…
***POTD***
The pair arrived at the center of the canyon, on guard and ready to decimate the enemy. However, they were surprised to find dozens of undead bodies scattered about the place, the blood idly flowing further down the canyon, toward a lone figure in the distance.
The figure was incredibly tall, standing just over ten feet, had rather broad shoulders with a modestly well-built physique. They had long, silky, jet-black hair, with the top covered by a red bowler hat with a black stripe along its rim, and a distinctive pair of glowing, Blood Red eyes.
They wore a black suit with a red undershirt and black tie, as well as a long red overcoat that stopped just short of their ankles, revealing their black leather boots. They also had a pair of white gloves over their hands, a familiar symbol etched into it, as well as a pair of round, pink framed sunglasses, the lenses tinged red.
Looking to the cane the man held, Natsu watched as the blood in the area was soaked up into it, traveling up along its surface like crimson scars, before entering the man's gloved hand, the symbol glowing Blood Red.
Natsu didn't even need to question what the man was. Just one look at his eyes, and he already knew…
This was a Devil.
"Who is that man," Irene muttered quietly, as they watched all the blood in the area rapidly be absorbed by him.
"I don't know," Natsu murmured quietly in reply, as the man slowly started to advance toward them, a dark smirk on his face as he quickly closed in on them. "But I'd say we're about to find out…"
The man stopped several feet away, bringing his free hand up to his bowler hat and removing it, dropping into an overly dramatic bow, as he tapped his cane on the ground.
"Salutations and felicitations on this most riveting night of nights," the man purred, looking up slightly to meet Natsu's gaze. "From one of the damned to another… Nice digs."
Natsu blinked, a small smile worming its way onto his face as the Devil before him rose back to his full height, placing his bowler hat back on. Despite how unnerving the man was, Natsu couldn't help but chuckle at his comment about Earthland.
"You're pretty good at icebreakers, aren't you? Wasn't really expecting you to say that, if I'm being honest?"
"Life is full of unexpected scenarios, is it not," the man replied, reaching into his coat and drawing a rather impressive looking handgun. "It's the little things that keep we immortals sane, at the end of it all…"
The man pointed the gun at Natsu, the weapon itself pitch black, multiple pulsing Blood Red colored lines oozing across its surface toward the symbol of the Devils etched into the side of the barrel, a match for the one on his glove.
"Are you serious," the Dragon Slayer asked, more curious than concerned, knowing that there were rules and protocols in place that would prevent the Devil from shooting him.
"When it comes to them, it's one of the few times I shall be," the man replied, pulling the trigger as a crimson bullet whizzed past Natsu's cheek, striking something that had been right behind him.
Looking over his shoulder, he could see a Vampire Nightstalker clutching its face, half its jaw having been blown cleanly away. What was more interesting though, was that it wasn't regenerating.
A second gunshot rang out, as the man blasted the Vampire's leg off, causing it to screech in agony. The man slowly advanced toward it, as its body began to emit an ominous crimson glow.
"Ah, I don't think so," the man chuckled, impaling it through the face with his cane, causing it to freeze in place, before vanishing entirely. "We both require the information you carry…"
"You stopped it from combusting," Natsu noted, looking down at where the Vampire had been mere moments ago. "How?"
"Well, it isn't really all that complicated," the man smirked, taking note of the others who were watching the exchange from a distance. "After all, their power was stolen directly from me. So, technically, I'm just taking back my own abilities, if nothing else?"
"That means you're the one who's responsible for this whole mess then?"
"Somewhat. This Vampire King is someone I had presumed dead until recently," the man explained, his amused expression dulling as he looked off into the distance. "Upon his return, he managed to swipe a portion of my power from me, fleeing through a portal to parts unknown. It wasn't until recently when you ascended to the Parliament, and the Earthland Reality opened back up again, that I was able to properly sense where he'd run off to."
"So, you decided to come and take him out once and for all, cleaning up this whole mess in the process," Natsu asked curiously, eliciting a slight nod from the man. "A fair enough reason to show up here I suppose… Still, I'd like to know who I'm dealing with, seeing as you know all about me?"
"Heh. I do suppose that's only fair, seeing as we are allies now, you and I," the man smirked, as he introduced himself.
Former Ruler Of Wallachia
Lord Of The Hellsing Reality
Elder Devil Of The Parliament Of Sin
King Of Vampiric Judgement
Alucard
"The King of Vampires, The Ultimate Vampire, Vlad the Impaler, The Night Walker, The No Life King… He's being rather modest in his introduction," Eliza chimed in, appearing behind Alucard, a sword at his neck, the Vampire already having a second pistol aimed at her stomach.
"Eliza Faulkner, as beautiful as ever," the Devil smirked, seemingly unbothered by the blade at his neck. "You've become slower…"
"And you've become more annoying," the Goddess sniffed in reply. "In more ways than one."
"As amusing as this is, you do realize the consequences, should we fight?"
"…"
"Besides," the Vampire smirked, as both sides lowered their weapons. "We have company."
The four in the canyon looked toward the side of the canyon Alucard had arrived from, noticing the first wave of undead hordes lumbering their way in. With a smirk, the Devil, pointed his blackened pistol at the horde, before seemingly getting an idea.
"You know what, I think its time for a lesson on Aura," Alucard chuckled, turning around and offering his pistol to Natsu.
"Uh… nice gun, but I don't really need it?"
"This is Jackal Mark II," the Vampire explained. "After I ascended and became a Devil Representative, my old weapons became rather…pedestrian. To remedy this, I crafted this weapon using Aura, in addition to the usual means of firearm manufacturing native to my Reality."
"Well, that would've made it far superior to any regular weapon, right?"
"Oh yes. In its Mark I state, it was only capable of using certain types of ammunition. In my opinion, that's a rather sizeable handicap, wouldn't you agree? Regardless, I've made some personal modifications to it that I find quite amusing. Care to test it out?"
"Uh…I guess I can," Natsu shrugged, taking the weapon as he felt an immediate pull on his Aura. "What the-!?"
As he was inspecting the weapon, a rather angry looking spirit emerged from the barrel, an adorable frowny face on its otherwise translucent form.
"If you think I'm just gonna fire for some no name chump like you, go get fucked! Only Alu gets the privilege of firing a prestigious piece of metal like me!"
"That's Lana, the spirit I infused into Jackal Mark II," Alucard explained, amused at the mouthy spirit's antics. "She can be quite mouthy at times, but she means well."
"Mouthy is putting it lightly…"
"Lana. I want you to let Natsu here fire one shot from you at the approaching undead horde," Alucard asked, the spirit looking toward its Master with the frowny face immediately perking up upon the command.
"Oh! I see what you're doing Alu, you sly bastard! Alright kid, you get one shot with me, no need to load her up or anything. Just aim and pull the trigger so you can watch the Magic happen!"
Looking down at the gun, Natsu shrugged, deciding to just go with it for now, as he aimed directly at the encroaching horde.
"Might want to steady your arm a bit," Alucard warned him, an amused smirk on his face as he moved off to the side. "It has a slight kick to it."
"Fair enough," Natsu nodded in response, steadying his right arm as he prepared to fire. "Let's see what all the fuss is about…?"
The moment he pulled the trigger, Natsu's right arm veered sharply upward, as he felt it snap right at the elbow. This however went entirely unnoticed by him though, as he watched a monstrous sphere of black fire manifest before him, easily engulfing the entire canyon ahead of them, scorching all in its path.
The Vampires that had been immediately behind the undead found themselves set alight just from being in proximity to the attack, those behind them fleeing for their lives, leaving their undead thralls to be incinerated.
All the while, Alucard roared with laughter, taking the gun back from Natsu as he wiped a tear from his left eye. They watched as the attack reached the end of the canyon, immediately doubling in size to catch more of the Vampires in its wake, before promptly exploding.
The attack rocked the canyon, blinding anyone looking directly at it, as strong winds send dust and rock flying in their direction. Raising his Crash Barrier, the group on the ground didn't have to worry, as the rocks were shattered into millions of tiny cubes, harmlessly flying off into the distance.
"Holy shit… Did one bullet really do all that?"
"I have to say, that was a rather impressive shot," the Vampire chuckled, holding the handgun up by the barrel to show them the pulsing Devil's Aura that traveled across its length. "Like I said earlier, the Jackal Mark II doesn't use physical ammunition, but with my modifications, I've removed the need for physical ammunition entirely."
"He's manipulated the Devil's Aura within the creation of the weapon to allow the wielder of the gun to utilize their soul as ammunition," Eliza explained, shaking her head. "Nothing negative, but it draws upon the strength of one's soul, and the ammunition is generated from pure Aura. Right?"
"I'm not really surprised you'd know about that," Alucard replied, clearly amused at her explanation. "But yes, that is the gist of it."
The group watched as the Vampires started flooding in around the sides of the blazing inferno blocking the canyon, as a massive rock suddenly appeared to block the other exit.
"Brandish sealed the entrance behind us," Irene murmured, still looking warily at Alucard. "If I may ask, what do you intend to do here? Will you aide us, or did you come to simply inform Natsu of your mistake?"
"As hard as I'm sure it is for Eliza to believe," Alucard smirked, the War Goddess shooting him a dark look. "I've come to assist in cleaning up the trash from my Reality that has infested yours…"
Alucard's smile dropped, something which unnerved both Natsu and Irene, as they watched the Vampire's eyes narrow dangerously.
"The one who blindsided me and took this power, I have a history with him. I may appear like I find all this to be a game, but I assure you… I don't. Not with him, anyway."
"Well, the more the merrier, right," Natsu chuckled awkwardly, though neither Irene, nor Eliza laughed. "If you're gonna help, I won't say no."
"Good. The scum took some of my power, fled to this desolate continent, taking advantage of it to rebuild his army once again. This is my mistake by letting that bastard fool me, no easy feat to be sure," Alucard hissed, his grip on Jackal tightening. "I've brought unnecessary chaos to two Realities due to my negligence, and caused someone important to get hurt, due to my poor judgement…"
"Then welcome to the team, Alucard," Natsu replied quietly, his eyes dropping to Jackal, which was now coated in a Blood Red Aura, the sheer malice emanating from Alucard speaking far louder than his words in that moment, bringing the Dragon Slayer around to believe him.
The group looked off into the distance to see the Arch Vampire, positioned at the back of his forces. Alucard grit his teeth, taking a step forward as his entire body seemed to flicker, the shadows on the ground licking his form, rising up around him.
"That one would likely know where the Royal Vampires are located," Alucard spoke quietly. "Alone, I could easily subdue him. Together…"
"Piece of cake," Natsu nodded. "Irene, hang back. I think Alucard wants to take them with just me at his side?"
"Very well," the Spriggan sighed, shaking her head. "Far be it from me to complain about getting to watch someone else do all the work."
"Check up on the others, and we'll meet back up just outside the canyon," Natsu replied, as the scarlet haired Mage tapped her staff once, vanishing with a light pop. "You ready?"
"Hehehehehehe… Straight to action," Alucard purred, twirling Jackal around his index finger as he drew a second handgun from his coat. "I was ready the moment I stepped into this Reality."
At Natsu's smirk, the pair instantly vanished, reappearing right at the center of the charging horde of Vampires, completely throwing their forces into disarray. Everything moved in slow motion to them, as Natsu watched Alucard immediately open fire, scoring perfect head shots on the Vampires, as they tried to mount a defense.
"One thing I didn't tell you, was that the amount of soul you put into the shots actually matters," Alucard smirked, blocking a sword strike with his silver handgun, before blasting the attacker apart with a shot to the chest, blowing his entire torso away. "That shot right there was a mere ten percent charge, enough to kill any mortal in a single strike."
"Fancy," Natsu huffed, lashing out at the Vampires surrounding him with a lance of Crash Magic, ripping them to shreds. "I assume the silver one is for when you don't want to use that soul energy stuff?"
"How observant," the Vampire joked, blowing away over thirty Vampires in a single shot from Jackal, before aiming the other handgun at the remaining four. "This is Casull Mark II, a gun made of pure silver that fires sacred bullets."
Firing four shots, Natsu watched as they instantly killed the Vampires upon impact, regardless of where they hit. Their bodies weren't blasted apart, but they were somehow slain regardless, which intrigued the Dragon Slayer.
"Vampires can't stand sacred or holy things, their bodies outright shut down if they are weak," the Vampire explained, only for multiple lances and swords to pierce him through the back, his blood spilling out as a strange Blood Red miasma emerged from his body. "Hehehahahaha!"
The Vampires suddenly screamed, as they themselves suddenly were impaled upon strange black protrusions, laced with the same reddish miasma. Natsu looked down, noticing that the ground all around Alucard and the impaled soldiers was now pitch black, the very shadows of their own weapons having risen up to impale them.
"Elder Devil's Aura: Dark Composition – The Betrayal!"
The Vampires cried out in a mixture of horror and pain, as the shadowy ground rose up to overcome them, their physical forms disappearing, leaving only their shadows behind. The shadows then rose up behind Alucard, brandishing their shadowy weapons, directing them toward their former allies.
"How foolish," Alucard, smirked, as the shadowy forms rushed their former allies, hacking into them without restraint. "Your leader barely managed to swindle a fraction of the true powers I possess! Time to show you all what a REAL Vampire can do…"
Advancing toward the Vampires, Alucard's coat began to emit the same eerie reddish black darkness, multiple tendril-like protrusions emerging around him. The Vampire smirked, his teeth now jagged like a beast, his eyes glowing Blood Red in the darkness, frightening the enemies before him.
Launching himself at the Vampires, they were too preoccupied with the shadowed forms of their comrades to even raise a defense, as Alucard ruthlessly and viciously began tearing them apart with his bare hands. Despite wielding guns, his brute strength allowed him to punch off entire sections of their bodies in a single blow, sending what remained of them flying across the battlefield.
"Figures," Alucard sniffed, advancing toward the remaining Vampire as he unloaded a full clip into him. "No spine, just like the last time…"
Grabbing the remaining Vampire's face, even as his own body had been blasted apart, held together by the reddish black miasma, Alucard slammed the man down hard, impaling him on a shadowy pike.
His body reformed, all the blood in the area surging up into his boots, as he looked over just in time to see Natsu finish off the remaining fodder with a well-placed ball of black fire that tore through their defenses.
"There sure are quite a lot of these guys," Natsu sighed, flicking some blood from his hand, as the pair looked toward the stunned Arch Vampire. "I get how there could be so many dead ones, but the Vampires have a lot of troops to just throw into the meat grinder?"
"That would be my fault, unfortunately. Because their King has some of my power, they can utilize the gates we use to travel through different Realities," Alucard replied. "He's been using it to recruit from across multiple other Realities, not just this one."
"Meaning that if he isn't stopped, he could build a ridiculously large army of them," Natsu sighed. "Come on, let's capture the-."
"Hold on," Alucard murmured. "Do you hear that?"
Natsu froze, eyes narrowing as he fine tuned his hearing, quickly noticing a loud scratching sound coming from beneath their position. Before he even had a chance to warn Alucard, multiple Vampire Necromancers began clawing their way out of the ground several feet ahead of them, a massive Blood Magic Circle manifesting right where they were standing.
"I didn't know they could burrow," Natsu hissed, as the pair took flight in order to avoid being caught up in whatever the Necromancers had planned. "You have any idea what they're doing?"
"None of this Blood Magic stuff exists in my Reality, so I wouldn't have a clue," Alucard shrugged, as the Arch Vampire began barking orders at them. "Whatever they're doing though, I doubt its going to look pretty."
"I'll say. A Blood Magic Circle that large…"
The pair landed up on the side of the canyon right as the tremors began, the Blood Magic Circle lighting up the entire area a bright red, the center collapsing in on itself as a skeletal claw pierced the earth.
"Looks like a big one?"
"Yeah," Natsu growled, as a second claw emerged, the necrotic creature ripping itself free from the earth. "Big is an understatement…"
"Now they've gone too damn far," Igneel snarled from within his mind. "You two had better dispatch that abomination as quickly as it came!"
"Don't worry Igneel," Natsu replied, as a thousand-foot-tall skeletal Dragon tore free from its earthen tomb. "We'll put it out of its misery."
The skeletal Dragon roared, flaring its bony wings, its body having been tampered with slightly. Its eyes, nose and teeth had been replaced with Lacrima Crystals, along with more Lacrima lodged into its wings and tail joints. Fortunately for them, the dead Dragon was unable to fly, lacking the wings to do so.
"And here come the cavalry," Alucard scoffed, as more Vampires flooded in to support the necrotic Dragon. "The Vampires increased their chances against us by about half a percent, if that, yet they're that arrogant?"
"Never underestimate the stupidity of fodder," Natsu sighed, his height rapidly increasing as he entered the Dragon Force. "I'll handle the big one, if you can quickly slaughter the Vampires."
"Your world. Your rules," Alucard replied, sinking into his own shadow as the Vampires below began screaming, indicating he'd already begun his attack.
Looking back to the necrotic Dragon, Natsu grit his teeth as he took flight, the Dragon roaring in his direction hollowly, as it charged up a light based Roar in its mouth. Arching its neck back, it fired, only for Natsu to swat it aside with a mere bat of his hand, as the attack smashed into the far-left side of the canyon.
Vanishing from view, he reappeared right in front of the Vampire, his arm lengthening considerably as multiple tendrils shot out, wrapping themselves around its bony neck as he flew past.
With a grunt, he tore its head off, smashing it into the canyon wall behind it, much to the shock of the Vampire Necromancers, who had immediately attempted to flee. Unfortunately for them, however, Alucard was there to greet them.
"Leaving so soon," the Vampire asked cruelly, blasting the head of the lead Necromancer into pulp in a single shot. "All guests to the party get a free complimentary gift before going home!"
The Vampire Necromancers were dispatched in seconds, as Alucard started advancing toward the Arch Vampire, only to be cut off as the severed head of the Dragons fired yet another light-based Roar down into the canyon from where Natsu had embedded it.
"Is that thing really still going," Natsu huffed, spinning around as he straightened the fingers in his right hand. "Devil's Aura: Fire Dragon King's Destabilizing Piercing Claw!"
Closing the distance in an instant, Natsu pierced the skull of the skeletal Dragon, smashing through the Lacrima lining its mouth. Almost as soon as they were shattered, the Ethernano within grew unstable, chaining together before detonating, right as Natsu flashed back to his previous position.
The explosion shook the entire canyon, kicking up dust and debris, along with causing a massive rock slide where the skull had been lodged. All eyes turned toward the body as it staggered about, smashing the ground and flapping its bony wings, taking out dozens of Vampires who had begun to flee in the chaos.
"You know, this reminds me of a chicken with its head cut off," Alucard mused, appearing to Natsu's right as they watched the body of the Dragon rampage about, before abruptly stilling, collapsing into a pile of cracked bones. "No offense."
"None taken-"
"Speak for yourself."
"Did you catch the Arch Vampire," Natsu sighed, feeling Igneel's rage within him, opting to turn away from the remains.
"No. But that doesn't really matter," the Vampire shrugged, dusting himself off as he put away his guns, his cane emerging from his shadow and popping right into his waiting hand for him to lean on. "He's obviously going to be fleeing back in his King's direction to inform him of their loss."
"True," Natsu hummed, looking off into the distance to see Irene waving her staff about, as tonnes of rock simply vanished, undoubtedly being stored away for later use. "Come on, let's go meet up with the others."
"Oh goody! I do so love a good meet and greet," Alucard purred, licking his fangs in a way that definitely wasn't concerning at all.
The pair warped over to Irene's position, the Spriggan having just finished storing the last of the rock slide away as they arrived. Tapping her staff once, it glowed briefly as the pair felt a sudden shift in Space around them.
In that moment, Seilah, Brandish and Yasmin all popped into place next to them. Their focus was immediately on Alucard, but Irene merely shook her head, indicating that they'd discuss it later.
"Where's Eliza?"
"Down there," Brandish noted, a hint of amusement in her tone, as she pointed toward the only exit the regular Vampires had available to them at the sole entrance to the canyon.
Eliza was in her element as she ruthlessly massacred the several thousand strong horde that was trying to escape with nothing but her bare hands. Only Natsu, Irene and Alucard could track her movements, the others seeing nothing but a blue blur turning bodies into bloody smears on the ground.
Once she got to the last Vampire, Eliza kicked its legs clean off with a low sweeping kick, before pinning him to the ground by the neck, her eyes wide and a sadistic grin on her face. Her muscles bulged, veins popping across her arms, neck and face as she struggled to reign herself in, eager to continue fighting.
"The flesh of mortal combatants just doesn't sate me," the Goddess hissed, the mortified Vampire screaming as she popped his head like a grape, blood splattering her face as she punched the ground so hard that the entire canyon shook, the ground shattering in protest of her inhuman abilities.
"Perhaps its time to reign it in, War Goddess?"
Eliza had spun around faster than anyone could have reacted, almost as if she had always been turned around to begin with, her fingers inches away from the neck of Alucard who had Jackal pressed into her sternum, a gleeful look on his face as he removed his sunglasses to meet her Midnight Blue eyes.
"As much as I really…really want you to follow through, I've got to be a good boy," the Elder Devil spoke, the pair slowly lowering their arms. "Were our two sides not currently in talks to broker peace, I'd most certainly enjoy a dance though."
"Yes," Eliza muttered, her eye color flickering as she slowly brought herself back under control. "Gods I missed being able to just hit something like that…"
"Ditto," the Elder Devil smirked, deactivating his Elder Devil's Aura. "I doubt you've hit anyone as hard as when you punched that one guy from the higher chairs in the Parliament? The slime guy?"
"Difference is, he's still alive," Eliza huffed, as the rest of the group came down to join them. "My acts of violence aside, I feel like there's something you aren't telling us about why you're here?"
"Of course there is," Alucard admitted freely. "All I'll say is that I'm most certainly not plotting against any of you. It's…personal."
"Fair enough," the War Goddess sniffed, her body relaxing as she flicked some of the blood off of herself, watching as it caught midair and shot into Alucard's form.
"Can someone explain to us who this guy is," Brandish asked, arms crossed, as Seilah and Yasmin looked at them expectantly.
"Ladies, this is Alucard," Natsu cut in. "Alucard is a Devil Representative like me, but from a different Reality. He said he's here to help and that the Vampire threat is basically his fault."
"What do you mean its his fault," Yasmin asked, a deep frown on her face. "Wouldn't that make him the enemy?"
"No, he's already explained himself to myself, Natsu, and Eliza," Irene sighed, shaking her head. "As ridiculous as it is, he's got a good excuse."
"So long as he's not here to cause trouble, I see no reason to be suspicious of Lord Alucard," Seilah chimed in, bowing slightly to him. "Is your Assistant present too?"
"My Assistant Seras is…busy," the Vampire replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. "But at least you get me!"
"Well, since we're accepting this guy's help, can we talk about what the Hell happened back there," Yasmin asked, motioning toward the shattered pile of bones nearby. "Did those Vampire Necromancers really manage to summon a dead Dragon back?"
"And what was with the Lacrima powering it," Brandish added, clearly curious about the necrotic Dragon. "Just what did they do with that corpse?"
"That Dragon was nothing more than an amalgamation of bone, blood and the Lacrima native to this world, restored to a poor mimicry of life through a ritual," Alucard replied plainly. "Back in my world, Vampires care little about how many they slaughter in their pursuit of power. This means that the corpses left over following consumption are often used as tools for their experiments or rituals."
"Doesn't sound all too different from beings in our world," Natsu replied neutrally. "Most Blood Mages would jump at the chance to mess with Magic like that. And then there was Keyes of the Tartaros Guild…"
"It's an unfortunate trait all who crave power seem to possess," the Vampire continued, nodding stiffly. "Discard all basic morals and decency to acquire greater realms of strength, no matter the cost. The Vampires in my world, and the Vampires in this one, both are the same."
"No matter the Reality, there will always be those willing to meddle in powers best not meddled with," Eliza agreed. "The ways of mortals aside, I believe we need to discuss our next move?"
"Eliza's right," Irene agreed. "The Arch Vampire has fled, and we need to follow him back to their main base of operations."
"Wait… Are you saying we're going to engage the Royal Vampires," Yasmin asked, clearly shocked as the Spriggan nodded curtly in her direction. "Are you insane ma'am!?"
"I assure you Yasmin, all my faculties are still very much intact," the scarlet-haired Mage smiled lightly. "You know as well as I do that we've been waiting for this opportunity to present itself, don't you?"
"W-Well yes, but I didn't think it'd be so soon!?"
To be fair, I've been ready to fight them from the moment I heard about them," Natsu shrugged in response. "Irene has been itching for her rematch with the Queen, and Alucard by the looks of it could pretty easily take down the King-?"
"This isn't a game Natsu," Yasmin snapped. "One wrong decision and they'll kill us all!"
"I get that you're worried Yasmin, I do," Natsu sighed, fully facing the Leichart member. "I've seen what they're capable of firsthand, the sheer destruction they leave in their wake. I haven't been taking this thing lightly from the moment I arrived. I've been testing these Vampires, seeing how they fight and we've got counters to most of what they do by now…"
"I just don't get how you can be so confident in challenging the Royal Vampires? Lady Irene told you about how the Queen casually blew away a mountain range with no effort, right? She did that just as a show of power!"
"And? You realize that I can also do that, right," Natsu asked, stunning the woman into silence. "Irene is also able to easily destroy a mountain range, as are Alucard and Eliza. The thing you don't seem to realize is that once you reach a certain level of power, it's no longer about how destructive your attacks are. Instead, what matters is the way you utilize your power."
"Natsu's right," Irene agreed. "Firing off flashy attacks without good reason will only serve to get your comrades hurt, and probably drain you of precious Magical Power and stamina. Instead, you should be focusing on refining and honing that power into abilities and attacks that allow you to dispatch an opponent with ease."
"So, what are you saying exactly? That they're all flash, no substance?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes," Irene replied. "Wielding overwhelming power to trounce your opponent can work to a point. But we've seen with these Vampires that technique trounces them every single time."
"You're on the right track," Alucard agreed. "They possess some of my abilities, but lack the knowledge to wield them to their greatest potential. An advantage for us, but I'd still recommend you all be cautious regardless. Some of my powers can be quite tricky to deal with."
"That's putting it mildly," Eliza scoffed in response. "At least they didn't get some of your more dangerous abilities, like the one that prevents you from even being erased from existence."
"Heh. Yeah," Alucard grinned, amused at all the shocked looks he was getting. "Then again, all things possess a weakness…"
"And that's exactly what we're going to find once we discover the location of their main base," Natsu agreed, as he looked off in the direction the Arch Vampire had fled. "Well, that should have given him enough time to think we're not following him?"
"Yes. We definitely don't want to fall behind and miss our chance," Irene agreed. "Let's get moving."
The group quickly moved out, the Aura users easily observing the Arch Vampire's movements, despite the man being over twenty kilometers away from their current position. It wouldn't take them long to catch up, as they tracked him across the breadth of Draconia's scarred landscape…
***POTD***
A day had passed since the massacre at the canyon, as the Arch Vampire sprinted into a throne room, panting heavily as he dropped to his knees in reverence to the two figures seated at the other end of the lavish hall.
The Arch Vampire looked upward, seeing the shadowed figures of his rulers and masters, a single Crimson Red eye looking down at him, seemingly amused.
"Speak."
"M-My King…I-I bring news of the barbarians," the Vampire spoke hastily in their own language. "The ambush has failed!"
"I expected as much," the King replied, seemingly amused. "I trust you are the sole survivor?"
"Y-Yes! All the Necromancers were even slain…The prototype too!"
"Hmm. I assume it was the pink haired one?"
"The pink haired one played a large role, as always, but he wasn't the one that caused me to flee," the Arch Vampire continued, eliciting a curious hum from the King. "There is now another who has joined their ranks!"
"Is that so?"
"Y-Yes my King! He is like us, and bears the power of the Vampire," the Arch Vampire replied hastily. "But his eyes… My King, his eyes have the red glow to them! My King, is this man the one who-?"
The Arch Vampire didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, his head having been cleanly severed from his shoulders as his body dropped to the floor. The head struck the back wall, pinned there by a shadowy spike that had been thrown by the King.
The contemplative gaze slowly morphed into one of amusement, as the King began to chuckle to himself, tapping his finger against his knee in deep thought.
"So, Alucard has finally come for me? I knew the day was coming, just not when," the King laughed, clearly overjoyed at the revelation.
As the King seemed to celebrate Alucard's arrival, the Queen slowly opened her own eyes, rising from her seat as she moved to place a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"It is good that we were able to fully excavate the countermeasure for him, just like you said?"
"Yes… I do wonder if it will be enough," the Vampire King hummed in thought, as the two shadowed figures slipped away, heading down a spiral staircase that led to a recently excavated ruin beneath the castle.
"Come, Husband, and let us put your mind at ease…?"
Walking down toward the openly excavated ruins, the Vampires saluted the King and Queen as they passed, the pair entering what appeared to be a small church of sorts. Slowly walking down the central aisle, the pair stopped before the dais at the end, where a lone, heavily armored statue remained, despite the decay all around them.
The statue was eight feet tall and stanced in a kneeling position. Many of the Vampires who had seen it had theorized it to be double the height if it were standing upright. It was made from pure Ebony, a lance of the same make stuck in the ground to its right, clearly placed there at some point in the long distant past.
"Can't you just feel the power radiating from it, dear Husband?"
"Indeed. To think that a being such as this one could still be found, and in such a remote and trifling Reality," the King smiled, running a hand across the statue gently. "Its existence is simply unfathomable… A relic of the old times, back before Gods and Devils reigned over the mortals. A being who served they who came before unto the very end. A creation borne to fight a crusade against what we now call Higher Beings…"
"And its all ours," the Queen purred, the King turning around to face her, a sadistic smirk on his face.
"With its power at my back, conquering my home Reality shall finally become possible," the King cackled with glee. "Just imagine the wars that will follow in its wake…"
"Soon, my Husband," the Vampire Queen smiled. "Soon."
The King and Queen turned and departed the Church, failing to notice the strange black mist that had shrouded the statue's eyes for a moment, before dissipating moments after the doors were sealed shut, casting the entire church into total darkness once more…