One-Punch DxD: NEO - Chapter 67: Head's Up
My place is in… Grieving mood. For those who are not aware, there has been a riot taken place not long ago in this soccer game, and… Things were not pretty. Anyway, enough for doom and gloom, enjoy!
‘Katase’ woke up with a yawn, stretching her nude form with a moan, before she looked around and noticed that the morning had come.
She got off from the bed, which belonged to a local hotel room where she spent the night.
She took a quick shower, and upon walking out while drying herself with a towel, she picked up her school uniform which was discarded on the floor. Once she was dressed, she navigated through the dimly lit room to open the curtains, she squinted her eyes slightly when the morning sunlight basked the entire room alight.
“Uugh….”
Katase blinked and turned towards the bed, where there was another occupant still prone on – Oh, right. I forgot about him.
The said occupant was a middle-aged man with a rotund appearance, his hands and legs were tied in his own clothes, and his face was black and blue with a few red splotches.
Sighing, Katase walked towards the battered man, “Good, you’re alive. I was worrying how I should hide your body if you’re to kick the bucket.”
When the man did not reply, Katase then lightly slapped the man’s bruised cheek a few times, eliciting another pained groan.
“Hey, look – listen, look at me.” Katase grabbed the man by his chin to make sure that he was looking at her. “…Consider yourself one lucky son of a bitch, alright? Honestly, if you’re not so stubborn on fucking my ass last night, we would’ve had some actual good time. Here, see this?”
Katase then fished out her cell-phone, showing the picture of a terrified man being tied up in his birthday suit before she had given him a beatdown of a lifetime.
“Keep to yourself or this pic will go viral the next day. Also….” Katase then walked over the man’s discarded pants, rummaging through the pockets until she found his wallet and took all the cash inside. “I’ll be taking this as an interest, thank you very much.”
“Bye now~ Be sure to not get too cocky if you’re hitting another gal, alright?” Katase blinked and gave the man a quick peck on his cheek – eliciting a fearful whimper in return, before she finally walked out of the room with her bag, leaving the man behind.
When Katase walked out of the hotel, she was met with a familiar face.
“…Oh, mornin’, Murayama.”
Murayama, however, was not amused whatsoever, “What on earth have you been doing, Katase?”
With an innocent face, ‘Katase’ shrugged, “Nothing much, really. Just… Y’know, living my life.”
Murayama’s expression grew more concerned, as she closed the distance to grab on Katase’s shoulder.
“Please, Katase? What’s going on?! This is not funny anymore!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, back off, hon!”
Katase pushed back before she quickly circled her arm around Murayama’s neck, bringing her close until her faces were in touch.
“Sure this is not funny anymore to me! What’s up with you pissing me off in the morning? I saved your ass from those undead fuckers the other night and this is how you repay me? Come on…”
Murayama’s eyes then met Katase’s – and what the former saw terrified her. Those eyes she was looking at, were Katase’s, yet they were not, as if they belonged to someone else, someone…. Twisted.
“Look, I’m going out on a limb to be… Nice with you here. So keep your pretty mouth shut and we’ll stay cool. Capisce?”
Biting her lip, Murayama could only nod in resignation.
Then, Katase’s face contorted into a pleasant smile, “There we go! See, that wasn’t so hard, eh?” She even playfully pecked Murayama’s cheek, much to the latter’s small embarrassment.
Katase then released Murayama before she walked to the direction of the school with spring in her steps.
“Come on, I’m hungry. Wanna grab some breakfast on the road? My treat!”
As she followed her best friend, Murayama clutched her hands tightly together – she had to do something.
The morning sun rose, the rays through the window blinds stirring the sleeping prince. His closed eyes twitched open, but the first thing he registered was the soft sensation enveloping his person.
Further inspection revealed that he was, in fact, being embraced by someone.
He bit his lower lip to keep himself calm, as Muramasa was hugging him – burying his face into her breasts. Yuuto took a deep breath, trying to resist the sweet fragrance of a woman infatuated with him, albeit his breath elicited a soft moan from the Tsukumogami as he blew on her skin.
On that note – Muramasa herself was clad in a very loose yukata, practically exposing her torso.
If someone from Kuoh entered his room, they would definitely either murder him or Muramasa out of bloody envy.
Tapping on her bare shoulder with his hand, Yuuto managed to wake Muramasa up, as she moaned once more before she cracked her eyes open.
Muramasa then looked down, to see Yuuto’s exasperated expression staring at her. She smiled fondly in return, before she shifted until she was looming over the Knight.
“…Good morning, master.” Muramasa greeted before she closed her eyes and began to close the distance between her face and Yuuto’s.
But Yuuto quickly stopped her advance by keeping her face at bay by hand.
“Good morning, Muramasa.” Yuuto greeted while putting more strength into his hand, as the sword attempted to push through his defense, “…I believe we have talked over our morning rituals, have we not?”
“That you have.” Muramasa relented with a small pout, “…But are you truly repulsed by the idea of a mere morning kiss?”
“N-No, I mean…” Yuuto cleared his throat with a blush. “I prefer that we not… well, engage like this every time I wake up.”
Yuuto’s intimacy with Muramasa increased ever since his training under Okita, though the intimacy Muramasa had for him was more one-sided.
He was not against Muramasa’s advance, it was… he was not used to something like this. He did not know how to reciprocate her feelings. He did not know if the feelings in his heart were strong enough for her, even if he knew that it was wrong.
Muramasa stared at the young knight before sighing and smiled softly again, “…Perhaps by the end of the day, I am still merely your sword.”
She then got up and fixed her appearance.
“I advise you to prepare for school, young master. I shall prepare breakfast in the meantime.”
Yuuto grimaced at her implicit message.
He ran his hand on his face, until through his hair. When he glanced down, he noticed a bulge from inside his pants. Yuuto could only sigh at his first morning wood.
XoX
“Whoa, man. Looking kind of like shit already in the morning?”
Yuuto turned to see Issei and co were approaching him on the way to school.
“Good morning, everyone.” The Knight put on his usual smile while greeting his comrades.
“Tough morning, Yuuto? Is everything alright?” Rias asked.
Yuuto shook his head softly, “Everything is alright, President. Just a bit tired, that’s all.”
On cue, a pair of slender arms suddenly were wrapped around his shoulders.
“Hmmmm. Guess who is responsible for his fatigue?” Muramasa giggled from behind him.
Issei, Vali, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Asira, Irina, Xenovia, and Ravel stared at them in a new light as Yuuto flustered with a furious blush.
“I-T-This isn’t what it looks like!” Yuuto defended himself.
“…Kiba.” Issei stopped and grabbed his arm.
The others stopped on reflex.
“Look at me in the eyes and tell me that you didn’t do it.” Issei asked as Yuuto looked at him in the eyes.
“…I didn’t do it.”
There was an awkward silence between them as Issei inhaled.
“…You know, I should punch you in the face for every male student in Kuoh for that…. And schoolgirls too.”
Yuuto blinked rapidly out of confusion.
“W-What do you mean?”
“…Hah. Sometimes, you have no idea how good you have it when it comes to a chance at relationships.”
Irina and the others felt like Issei was being a bit hypocritical considering his current popularity, but they let it slide for now since Issei did cross the line with at least one of them.
“I… well…”
“Did you even kiss?” Issei asked.
“I-I-yes.” Yuuto could not handle the pressure.
“Did you kiss her willingly?” Issei asked.
Yuuto remained silent, unable to reply.
“…Hah. Dude. We need to talk man to man after school.” Issei sighed with slight disappointment.
Yuuto did not understand Issei’s choice of tone. They resumed their walk towards Kuoh Academy.
“Anyways, what have you been up to after the Garou incident?” Issei asked.
“I heard from Rias about the Demon God.” Yuuto admitted. “To think that kind of person was your master. I am a bit jealous. I had to visit my own Master in the Underworld. He was badly wounded after fighting Balor, so I had to check on him.”
“Why? Can’t he afford Phoenix Tears?” Issei asked.
“The blade Balor wields can hinder even Phoenix Tears.” Yuuto sadly answered. “…And I heard something ominous from him.”
“Ominous how?”
“The blade reminds him of the Muramasa Blades he encountered.”
Issei and the others turned to Yuuto out of surprise.
“The one Crom now has as a trophy?” Issei asked.
“Wait, he has the blade?” Yuuto asked.
“Yeah. He showed it to me and all that when he visited my house. He told me about his rematch with Balor. It was kind of epic.”
“…I see.” Yuuto smiled. “I am glad to see you recovered, Issei. I am sorry for not being there.”
“Yeah. Back to the matter of that odachi being a Muramasa blade… you’re saying it was made by the blacksmith from Japan himself or…”
“…Balor did return from Hell.” Koneko interjected. “And with all of the Undead that came from there… maybe…”
Everyone stopped once more as they imagined Muramasa, one of Japan’s most iconic blacksmiths, returning from the dead alongside the Devils and Evil Gods.
“…If Muramasa made a weapon for Balor, and Balor is connected to Khaos Brigade…” Issei connected the dots.
“Then the Blacksmith Muramasa is now working for Khaos Brigade.” Rias summarized.
Everyone turned to Muramasa, the blacksmith’s magnum opus. Her face was no longer playful, her expression stern and pensive.
“…Muramasa?” Yuuto called out.
“…My maker is not a good man.” Muramasa admitted with a somber expression. “He poured his obsession with surpassing his master into his Demon swords. He went so far as to study pagan rituals and delve into sacrificial magics. His work turned dark when he decided to use the souls of others to create some of his swords. It is how he made me, sacrificing seven virgins to create the ultimate tool for carnage and slaughter.”
“Damn…” Issei muttered, “Guess none of us can catch a break, huh?”
“None.” Muramasa shook her head. “I am unsure how much his skill has sharpened in perdition. It explains why I sensed familiarity in the craft of the enemy’s pawns.”
They wondered about the damned swordsmith in the enemy’s ranks. If he was skilled as they imagined, they could see Muramasa creating weapons for the enemy at the level of legendary swords.
“Anyway,” Rias then snapped everyone out with a clap, “…Mulling things over won’t get us anywhere. Let’s go to school for now, shall we?”
Everyone chorused in agreement and resumed their trek with Muramasa joining them.
“Oh, one more thing.” Muramasa perked with a devious smile when she caught the schoolgirls walking on the sidewalk.
They could see the gates of the school’s brick fence in the distance ahead.
“Do you think… if you can enroll me in your school as a young, innocent, fertile applicant wanting to embrace modern education?” Muramasa asked to Yuuto’s coughing surprise.
Issei and Vali snorted at the idea, with the girls also showing various expressions of amusement. Yuuto, on the other hand, looked a bit panicked.
“U-um, I’m not sure about that…”
However, before Muramasa could have teased her master further, she noticed something and vanished, before another voice called out.
“Kiba~!”
Everyone turned to see Katase waving at them with Murayama following behind. The brunette looked downcast for a second before she forced a smile, nodding at them in greeting.
“Oh, Katase. Good morning.” Yuuto put on his usual friendly face.
Issei, Koneko and Vali, however, felt something was off about the pinkette. Even the others found Katase to appear…. Different.
“Say, Katase, is it just me, or are you kind of…” Issei could see something strange exuding off her.
His Stjarna eyes were kind of strange to work with. He could not use the ‘meta-vision mode’ – or so it was called, as Kiyome described, switching from thermal, to X-Ray, to echolocation and otherwise at will.
Yet he could perceive something strange about his classmate, like she was wearing a second skin… he thought? He scratched his head. He might need to talk with Kiyome again for context.
“What are you talking about?” Katase asked with a somewhat bright smile.
Issei then replied with a wry smile, “…Nah, probably nothing. How are you doing, by the way?”
“Mmh, so… Good lately.” Katase, for some reason, was wearing an ecstatic expression on her face. “Like, y’know, you feel like you can do anything.”
“…Are you on drugs?” Issei asked.
To her credit, Katase snorted, “Come on, really? Drugs? How’d you get that idea in the end?”
“Well, for starters, your looks.” Issei gestured, “I mean, did you see yourself in the mirror lately? What’s with that get-up? Student council’s gonna breathe on your neck soon, you know?”
Her uniform was more sexualized. It was more like a sailor uniform than a schoogirl one, her skirt was shorter, her ‘shirt’ was like cloth tied around her chest, knotted before her breasts. Her stockings were even higher for emphasis on sexual appeal.
“Meh, let ’em come, I don’t give a shit.” Katase waved off.
“…And there! That!” Issei pointed out, with some of the girls nodding in agreement, “Since when did you speak like that?”
“Hmm…. None of your business, really.” Katase’s expression began to grow annoyed.
As if on cue, Murayama finally interfered, “Um, Katase? We still need to attend the morning club meeting, remember? Let’s hurry.” She tugged on Katase’s arm, then she nodded apologetically at the others.
“Sorry, everyone, but we have to go. See you later at school!”
Katase was not amused, but she did not fight back as Murayama dragged her away. As the girls ran off, they watched them join the crowd trickling through the entrance.
“…I swear she reminds me of someone for a moment.” Issei scratched his hair.
“Who? I’ll be surprised if you can remember it given your inherited memory flaws.” Vali snarked.
“Shut up. She just sounded like someone I know… or met… damn it. I just can’t remember him.” Issei scratched his hair.
The girls and Yuuto were also perplexed by the change in Katase’s demeanor as well.
“…I have a feeling we should keep an eye on her.” Koneko suggested.
“Hmm. We’ll use our familiars for that.” Rias nodded at Akeno, who returned the gesture.
Issei forgot that they had familiars. Koneko’s was a cute white cat while Rias mainly uses a small bat-like animal thing.
“U-um… Is something wrong with Katase? I wonder…” Asia expressed her concern.
“Is this what they call ‘summer debut’, I wonder?” Xenovia piped in.
“No, ‘summer debut’ is not that drastic, Xenovia.” Irina retorted.
“…Master.”
Muramasa then re-appeared again, her eyes were gazing at the direction where Katase just disappeared into.
“I advise caution whenever you are around that girl. I sense something… Vile coming off her.”
“Muramasa…” Yuuto blinked at his ‘sword’, despite her behavior, she could act professional when the occasion needed it.
Thus, the group resumed their trek with a somewhat ominous tone, as if a warning for the storm to come.
“…What the fuck?”
Issei expected another boring session, lame sports and exercises where he would dominate everyone in the athletic field with only Vali and a certain group of girls as his only competitors.
He did not expect to see the silver macho standing before them with a wry smirk that was eating everyone’s dumbfounded faces upon seeing their usual PE instructor replaced with him.
“In case you are wondering why I am here instead, towering over you all, your usual instructor has left the school.” Silver announced with a gentleman tone that barely contained his excitement.
Vali, Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Matsuda, Motohama, Kiryu, Murayama, Katase, and the others were also gawking with wide eyes at the sight of Silver Sperm in jersey which was on the verge of tearing from his muscles alone.
“…What do you mean by ‘left the school’?'” Irina raised her hand hesitantly.
“He quit. You are all under my care now. Oh, the fun we’ll have, you little beta males.” Silver replied cryptically before he grinned at his new students.
The human boys shuddered at the sight of his sadistic, sinister smile as their butts clenched on reflex.
“W-What is… our curriculum today?” Matsuda hesitantly asked as the taller alpha stared down on him.
“Oh, nothing much. I am merely disappointed with the pitiful exercise and how so many of you are barely in shape, so I decided to make… a few adjustments. Everyone. My first order. Drop and give me one hundred this instant.”
[Eeehhh?!]
Everyone shouted their disbelief at the macho.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Matsuda pointed out. “That’s way too far, man! Are you trying to kill us?!”
“For those that cannot fulfill the quota, the losers shall vote which of them will try again with someone sitting on their backs,” Silver added.
[EEEHHH?!]
The protest went even louder.
“Dude, what the hell?!”
“Who are you even?! You can’t just show up and go drill-sergeant on us! That’s inhuman!”
“Do I look like I care about the whining of betas?” Silver simply retorted.
In the end, Issei stepped forward.
“Um, Silver? A word, may I?”
Silver glanced at Issei before jerking his chin forward, allowing the boy to speak.
“Look, man. You’re gonna kill them if we start with 100 right away. Rather, since when you are a teacher here? Why are we not told about this? Is Uncle Genos even aware?”
“I’m here as extra protection.” Silver whispered back. “I am a natural ward against evil spirits, and The Hidden Circle is on temporary shutdown due to all the global chaos.”
Issei paused as he processed the answer.
“…Okay, but why are you trying to kill the others?”
“Let me have some fun. I always wanted to try the demon drill-sergeant act with the betas.”
“…No, no, no. That’s not how things work here, man. Look, let’s go with 50 and no punishments for those who can’t pull it off. Hell, do you think Asia can pull it off?”
Silver glanced at Asia, who was looking quizzically around. He eventually sighed.
“…Fine. I have a backup plan just in case you decide to stop my fun.”
Issei blinked.
“Alright, change of plans! We shall go with fifty! However…” Silver’s lips curled into a grin. “For those of you that make it a hundred, my lovely assistant!”
Silver snapped his finger.
Sitting up from the bleachers in the back walked a dark-skinned woman.
Issei and the others had their jaws drop again when they saw one of the Old Satan faction leaders.
“If more than half of you reach the quota, my lovely shall… Take over. In fact, those who can impress me will be given…. A private session with her.”
The woman in question – Cattleya Leviathan stepped forward, dressed in a similar jersey that hugged her voluptuous figure, garnering lustful looks from the boys and envious looks from the girls.
Motohama and Matsuda were now excited.
“You may call me Ms. Catty. Please take care of me, everyone.”
For some reason, Cattleya sounded as if she was some sort of a robot. Issei turned to Vali and others, while pointing at the Leviathan descendant; the others were just as clueless as he was.
Issei then turned to Silver, “Dude, what the fuck is going on?! What is she doing here?!”
“Shhhh.” Silver placed a finger on his lips and winked at Issei. “She is here for encouragement.”
[OOOOOHHHH!]
Most of the boys immediately had fire lit within them, much to the girls’ disgust, minus Kiryu.
As the boys were fired up, Silver walked to a corner with Issei’s group.
“…Silver, I know you like to screw us over with your antics but please… explain.” Issei pointed at Cattleya.
“This is outrageous!”
Sona exclaimed as she massaged over her eyes. “Why am I not informed about this?! Does anyone even question what has been taking over the P.E class?!”
Issei and Rias were in the Student Council room with Silver Sperm and Cattleya sitting in the middle of the room, the creature acting nonchalant despite Sona’s outburst.
“…Actually, forget about Silver for now – what is Cattleya Leviathan doing here?” Sona glared at the Old Satan descendant, who was still looking stoic as ever.
“It is an interesting development.” Silver decided to reply, “I was in charge of her interrogation. I was hired to extract information as painfully as possible from her using inhumane, holy techniques, but…. Long story short, we broke her – both figuratively and literally.”
Everyone blinked at the reply.
“…What?”
“She is no longer a Devil.” Silver pointed at Cattleya sitting beside him. “I somehow burned her devilhood away.”
Everyone exchanged confused looks, until Rias was the one who asked, “…What do you mean by that?”
“Your brother kept it confidential when it happened. Imagine being… baptized on such a level that would normally kill the average Devil. But if the Devil somehow managed to survive such potent purification… long enough. There is a show that showcased a resident of hell being purified back into being human. I heard about the story of Lucifer, how he was once Human… It explains everything now.”
Everyone blinked at Silver, and they glanced back and forth between him and the now desynthesized Cattleya.
“…You mean you purified her so much that you burned her Devilhood away?” Issei summarized to everyone’s shock.
“It also rendered her amnesiac. She sticks to me like a Christian to Jesus, calling me Lord and stuff. I concluded her behavior as a side effect of the purification,” Silver added.
“So…. How long will she stay like this?” Saji asked.
“Unknown.” Silver shook his head. “Perhaps until she regains her Devilhood somehow. The Trihexa part of her survived, though. It is the only thing that kept her alive enough for her to lose her devilhood without dying.”
Sona, however, suddenly cut in with an unexpected request, “Silver, can I borrow Cattleya for a few days?”
Silver blinked, “What do you have in mind?”
The young heiress of Sitri grimaced slightly, “I believe…. My elder sister deserves to know about this.”
“I do not understand.” Silver replied.
“…My sister and Cattleya had a tumultuous relationship before. But I believe she should know what happened to Cattleya at least… so she could speak her piece.”
“Ahhh. Isn’t she too soft-hearted to be a Satan then?” Silver asked.
“That is the reason why she is a Satan.” Sona smiled in reply.
“It is worse that it is after that Cattleya is like this. We tested her memories using her old possessions and memorabilias, books on the teachings of the Old Satan Faction, pictures of her comrades, Sirzechs and Ajuka slandering the Old Satan Faction and even dumping shit onto the picture of Lucifer to get a reaction from her. The end result was her conclusion and her questioning why she has to hear such annoying self-centered nonsense.”
Rias blinked on that, “…One second, you had my brother to do what?”
“In any case, it’s unlikely we’ll see the good ol’ monarchist back. All we have to work with is…. Her.” Silver pointed, “This woman who was once Cattleya Leviathan.”
“Please do not speak as if I am not within hearing range.” Cattleya requested. “I can understand every word you speak, master. And I am not happy that everyone is using my name as if I’m another person.”
“Apologies.” Silver apologized.
Everyone turned to Cattleya.
“…What’s her current state of mind?” Rias asked.
“Her mind is still fully functional. She simply…. Changed. Her mind broke and was replaced as…. This.” Silver gestured at her.
“We did show her what she was like before. She was repulsed by her past self. As if her corrupted ego was purged along with her devilhood… right now, she is my left-hand woman of sorts. She has the skills needed to handle my paperwork flawlessly. If you want an example of what excessive stubbornness can lead you, you are looking at one.”
“…In any case, I’d like to borrow Cattleya for a few days in Sitri manor.” Sona requested again.
“In my opinion, it is a waste of time. The woman you wanted to speak with isn’t there.”
“My sister might say otherwise.” Sona replied.
“It is still pointless if the ego is absent. You won’t get through.” Silver shook his head.
“…That will be for us to decide whether it’s pointless or not.” Sona replied with a hardened look.
Silver and Sona stared at each other for a few moments, until the former sighed, “…Cattleya. I relieve you of your duties until you return. You are to follow this girl to her destination. You may use force if anyone attempts harm on your person.”
“…Understood, master.” Cattleya accepted.
“I don’t know what kind of catharsis you and your sister are looking for, but give your sister a message from me. She should’ve come earlier if she really wanted to reconcile with her enemy.”
Sona’s expression remained stoic as she nodded.
“Now that is out of the way, I have a class to discipline in the ways of the Big Bads.” Silver rose from his seat.
However, Silver paused by the door, “Oh, right. I think I should tell you this. Look out for that girl with pink hair and that four-eyed pervert in your class. Something’s not right about them.”
“…Four-eyed pervert?” Issei asked.
“The unattractive one that is famous for sneaking into the girl’s locker room.”
“Oh! Motohama!” Issei hammered his palm. “…Wait, I kind of understand Katase, but why him?” Issei asked.
“I am made of silver. My body is very sensitive to the supernatural… and I caught him and his friend sneaking into the girl’s locker room. Motohama’s eyes met mine when I was sneaking up on them to give them hell for my amusement. There is something wrong with him.”
“…Just because you made eye contact?” Issei asked.
“You will know soon enough. He reacted to me despite me hiding my presence while his friend didn’t. Commoners cannot do that.” Silver said as he walked out of the door, lowering his head since his height reached the top of the doorframe.
Once the creature disappeared – everyone shared uneasy glances. Issei eventually broke the silence.
“Welp, I guess we know what to do now. I’ll see what I can learn about Motohama… Who wants to keep tabs on Katase?”
However, before anyone could have replied, Rias suddenly received a telepathic transmission from her Queen.
“What is it, Akeno?” Rias asked while placing her hand over her ear, “…A guest?”
“Um…. Thank you very much for having me.”
Murayama sheepishly bowed from her seat on the couch in the middle of the Occult Research Club room, surrounded by all of the club members, safe for Genos, Lint and Big Bads. Akeno dutifully poured some tea for both Rias and the guest.
At other times, Murayama would feel like she was dreaming, being in the same room with Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima and Yuuto Kiba. However, her current dilemma prevented her from fully enjoying the moment.
The girl took a quick glance around – she could understand the others’ presence, but she could not help but wonder about a new middle-school transfer student, Millicas Gremory himself was present as well.
However, Rias’ voice snapped Murayama out of her thoughts.
“It is alright, Murayama. So, what can I do for you?” Rias said with a soothing smile.
“I… It’s… It’s about Katase.” Murayama began, picking up her tea to take a sip to calm her nerves. “Something happened to her during the summer break, but I can’t make any sense about it… It’s… It’s crazy; I don’t know who else to turn to.”
Rias blinked, ignoring everyone’s expression that grew concerned over Murayama’s tone – especially Issei, Asia, Irina and Xenovia. Regardless, she maintained her calm smile and relaxed her posture.
“Now, now, Murayama. While I’m glad that we have earned enough of your trust, why don’t you start from the beginning?”
The brunette took another deep breath and placed her cup of tea back to the table. “…It began near the end of summer break, Katase and I planned to have a test of courage…”
XoX
A sprinkle of salt, knife edge digging into his palm as his hand clenched, squeezing the blood out onto the small magic circle.
His room was decorated with toys and perverted ‘merch’, a pink reflection of his perverted desires.
His glasses glinted as Motohama stared at the circle as it flared to life. A pale, ghostly blue fire erupted in the center of the circle.
“It is I.” Motohama spoke in another voice, a warped voice overlapping Motohama’s.
The ghostly flame flickered.
[…You shouldn’t need to use this to communicate with me.]
“I know.” Motoham sighed. “But my host… exceeded expectations. I am at the wits end of my tolerance dealing with his delusional antics.”
[Ahahahahahahaha!]
The voice speaking from the other side laughed.
[…Is it that bad?]
“Please entertain me or I will lose myself and destroy my host out of frustration.” ‘Motohama’ begged.
[And you didn’t bother to change bodies?]
“How can I, with the Veil heavily under watch?! I am stuck in this useless pervert until then!”
[Ahahahahahahahaha! Oh, this is a refreshing change of pace. Well? What do you have to report?]
‘Motohama’ pushed up his glasses.
“I have locked the door and sealed the sound within my room. I am finally allowed to listen to my own voice and thoughts.” Motohama sighed with relief. “…I have met with the Son of the Strongest Man.”
[Are the rumors true about him?]
The distorted voice asked.
“I confirmed it. He is the first one in so many years.” Motohama answered.
[…And his potential?]
“Vast. A fire that continues to grow, something great waiting to be born from the flames.” ‘Motohama’ answered.
[I see.]
“However, there are a few problems on my end.”
[Name them.]
Motohama pushed his glasses, “The institution of education the descendants of the betrayer own have been poisoned by their indolence. They came into contact with the possessed girl and allowed her to roam free more than once. The spirit hungers and grows unchecked, lusting for vengeance against his killer. It is a human that gave himself to the betrayer’s bloodline.”
[What is his name?]
“Yuuto Kiba.”
[Continue to observe. Our timing must be right if what Indra said is true. And Eistheth is delaying our advent as usual. She won’t be satisfied unless we promise not to even think about genocide, knowing how you think.]
“Of course…” ‘Motohama’ inhaled. “…If it wasn’t for her, we would’ve reclaimed everything.”
[…But at what cost?]
“I would’ve paid it to see them suffer for everything.” Motohama sneered. “But I know better than to disrespect her efforts. She brought many of us back from falling into Fiends.”
There was a small silence between them.
[When we arrive, we will show them how far we have come. The tribes are preparing. It is a good time to show the later generations Gaia.]
“It has changed too much.” ‘Motohama’ grimaced. “There is… too much fiction. They are wasting their lives in fantasy when they should be striving to achieve all they could before they return to Gaia’s soil.”
[It is a side effect of God’s meddling. They are still imbalanced. They are still mortal, lost children needing guidance to live their lives.]
“I know… I know.” ‘Motohama’ exhaled.
[It is not a sin to dream, my friend. And it is not my fault you picked a terrible host to use.]
“Hah…” ‘Motohama’ sighed, “…Thank you for entertaining my request.”
[Do you feel recharged?]
“Yes. Yes… but I am not looking forward to returning my duties.”
[May Gaia watch over you.]
XoX
“Okay, err, sorry, can I interrupt?”
Once Murayama finished her story, everyone was watching her with various looks of curiosity and concerns, when Issei spoke up, earning a nod from Rias before he addressed Murayama.
“So, let me sum this up – You, Katase, Kiryuu, Motohama and Matsuda experienced some haunting after a fucking Ouija Board session went wrong.”
Murayama understandably fidgeted anxiously in her seat – after all, playing with supernatural was no laughing matter, considering the situation she ended up with.
“And…. not long after that, Katase was acting out of character?”
“It was subtle at first, but yes.” Murayama confirmed, “Something else must have happened that night. I’ve known Katase since we’re kids. There’s no way she could undergo that much of a change!”
“True, Katase has been appearing….. Different as of late. Almost felt like I was looking at a different person.” Xenovia nodded.
“…And you said that Katase is…. Disturbingly obsessed over… Kiba here?” Issei gestured at Yuuto, who was looking a tad pensive.
“I heard it from Katase’s mother over the phone. She did not say much, but she sounded really flustered.” Murayama explained.
“Right, right, and…. You said the other night, you’re…. Assaulted?” Issei asked.
“Y-yes, and- And Katase saved me.” Murayama replied – having censored the part where her assailants were zombie-looking monsters, “Katase is not weak, but I’ve never seen Katase fight like that night.”
The room fell into uncomfortable silence – Issei and Rias exchanged glances before the latter asked her query. “…Did you tell anyone else about this?”
Murayama fidgeted, “…Some classmates, but they are just as clueless as I am. Some of them did not really believe me. Kiryu is the only one concerned like I am… the perverts can’t be relied on. I don’t think they can help me.”
Rias smiled and nodded, “Very well, thank you for informing us about this matter.”
Murayama blinked, “Y-you believe me?”
“We do, Murayama.” Asia was the one who replied with her gentle smile, “Please leave it to us. We will return Katase back to normal.”
“…H-How?” Murayama asked.
“We are the Occult Research Club, remember? We know some capable occult experts for this. Trust me, we got this.” Issei gave her a thumbs up.
“I can only ask you not to divulge this story to anyone else, is that alright with you?” Rias asked, earning a shaky nod from Murayama. “…Very well. Asia, Irina, Xenovia – if you’d be so kind to escort Murayama back to class and return here? I believe we have work to do.”
[Yes.]
“Let’s go, Murayama.” Asia gently beckoned her classmate to follow her and the others.
“O-once again, thank you very much!” Murayama bowed before she finally left with the Church Trio.
Once the door was closed, Vali spoke. “Speaking of, Silver did warn us about that four-eyes too, didn’t he?”
Everyone in the room blinked at Vali, before Issei replied, “…Huh, you’re right. So…” He scanned the room around, “I… guess we should approach them first and see what’s going on ourselves. Who wants to cover who?”
“Your pretty boy friend will deal with the girl.” Vali pointed a thumb at Kiba. “He is best served as bait. Your half-angel and catgirl friends can cover him. You can deal with the pervert in the glasses, Rival. Not sure if you need me as backup.” Vali shrugged.
“We’re dealing with possession here. It explains everything now, though I’m not sure about Motohama.” Issei scratched his head. “As far as I know, he feels normal. Guess I need to test a few things out at least.”
“Like what?” Rias asked.
“Well, I might know a good rite of exorcism… Probably gonna need the Church Trio to pull this off. I could test a few things in the water, need to see if he really is possessed. I knew a ghost boy that told me everything he could. Possession is like wrestling for the driver’s wheel, the loser getting the backseat. The ghost driving the body has to be a talented actor to play the role of its host… and I don’t think any ghost from Hell can play Motohama that well. It is Motohama we’re talking about. The ghost would rather abandon him or kill themselves the first day, you know?”
The girls pondered over Issei’s words and they anonymously agreed when they envisioned the anguish of any poor ghost that decided to inhabit him. Vali and Yuuto couldn’t argue with that logic.
They couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to play as Motohama even if it was to hide themselves, past or present.
“Oh, and Kiba. Mind if you make me something just in case?” Issei asked.
“What do you need?” Yuuto asked.
“Something that’s perfect for the job.”
“Giving power to another creature… I suggest you use the concept of Divine Blessings the Gods use.”
On the sandy shores, on the wet brown sand, Cleria overlooked Saitama squatting down on his test subject.
A fish. It was a simple fish that they would usually cook and eat. The fish was still alive, barely, mouth opening and closing, gasping for breath.
“I do not recall the last case of a God bestowing a being a portion of his divine power, though. Sacred Gears are different, since the Biblical God just bestowed humans the powers of others, souls weaponized for conventional use. There is also the Boosted Gear’s ability to transfer power, but the power is only temporary at best. If you can copy skills, use the concept of Transfer, but on a deeper level.” Cleria advised Saitama as Saitama took a deep breath.
“This time, don’t blow up the fish like a balloon. Or else I will make you do homework on the principles of arcane energy transfer all over again.”
The children were watching with cheerful, giggling smiles.
From his wooden chair, Masaomi chuckled as he sipped his tea out of his coconut shell, one leg over the other.
“You can do it, mister Baldy!” The oldest daughter, Sarah, called out.
“I can help you with your homework!” The second oldest son, Mejiho, followed.
“Good luuuuck!” The youngest son, Sai, waved at Saitama innocently. The youngest was named after Saitama which warmed the baldy’s heart.
“Now, use what I have taught you. Add the safeguards like I instructed and then gently pour out the power from deep within you, a piece of yourself into the creature to sustain and promote the vessel to sustain the inundation of power.”
“I get it, I get it.” Saitama blew his upper lip as he placed a finger on the dying fish and concentrated.
Honestly, it was better if he winged it, but he wondered how he should ‘promote the vessel.’ He got that it meant strengthening the body, but… thinking about it…
He channeled his power into the fish.
He decided to wing it with a thought experiment with hope that it wouldn’t splatter its blood and guts onto his suit so he wouldn’t have to clean it.
The fish started flailing its tail as it started to radiate, its scales shining as the children and the couple blocked their eyes from the sudden light.
When the light faded, they saw something standing in place of the fish.
Masaomi spat his tea out of shock as he leaned forward from his chair.
The children had their jaws dropping, Cleria blinking rapidly at the creature.
Saitama looked up instead of down.
It was a very, very masculine ripped version of the once-dying fish.
The only difference was that it had giant masculine human arms and feet attached to the now-massive muscled fish body, beige limbs rippling with veiny muscles as it menacingly looked forward with an intimidating aura and form.
Although it looked absolutely ridiculous and comical simultaneously.
“What in tarnation…?” Masaomi muttered in shock.
“…Huh. It worked.” Saitama could only say.
“…It looks awesome!” Sai and Mejiho shouted with glee.
Sarah was more baffled than amazed by the absurd transformation.
The fish looked down on Baldy. The fish-man-thing was as big as the one other fish guy he almost remembered, the one with a golden crown on his head.
CARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!
Then the man-fish-thing started flexing his ridiculously bulging human muscles up and down as if showing off its new body.
“…Uhhh… can you talk?” Saitama asked.
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARP!
The fish-man’s eyes glinted menacingly at Saitama before it clenched his massive human fist and uppercutted Saitama’s chin so hard that the Baldy flew into the sky, the impact sounding like thunder exploding with force, as the family watched the Baldy disappear into the blue skies.
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!
The fish the family dubbed ‘Carp’ banged his chest like a gorilla while the family’s eyes were glued to the blue sky.
“…Honey.” Masaomi looked down at the mutant fish man. “Should we be concerned?”
From the sky, he landed.
Like a meteor from the heavens, Saitama slammed his latest creation into the sand, blowing dust and sand out in all directions, covering the family in the sand/dust cloud.
The family coughed and waved the obscuring sand away from their vision.
When they could see, they saw Saitama standing over the fishman.
Caaaarrrrp…
Carp had a massive bump on his fish head. His fish eyes were crying.
He was neck down into the sand, tears streaming down his eyes, now a potted plant in the ground.
“Rude.” Saitama chided at the creature.
Carp
Carp meeped meekly.
“…Saitama. How did you do that?” Cleria asked, finally free from her strong stupor.
“…I got the idea from the things I used to kill almost everyday back home.” Saitama shrugged.
“What in God’s name did you used to kill daily back home?” Masaomi asked.
“Ehhh, it’s complicated.” Saitama waved off. “I just decided to let it grow using my power and stuff to, uh, compensate. So it wouldn’t blow up.”
“You decided to mutate its form to accommodate the power? Interesting… Usually, that’s a big no-no but… what did you turn it into, exactly?” Cleria asked in return.
“…Don’t know. I just winged it.” Saitama shrugged.
“Papa. Mama. Can we keep Mr. Carp?” Sai asked, waddling towards the creature buried neck down into the shore sands.
The crying ‘Mr. Carp’ made noises when the youngest started poking his fish face.
Cleria stared at her youngest before she turned to her husband, who returned her looks with a question, “…What do we even feed it with?”
Seeing the child’s plea, Saitama walked over to the defeated creature squatting beside the potted fish plant, “Hey, what do you eat now?”
Carp
The fish man responded.
“…Say something other than ‘carp’ or I will punch you again.”
Carp carp carp carp!
‘Mr. Carp’ shook his head frantically. It was looking more pitiful than menacing at this point.
“…I think this is the best time to return back to the mainland.” Cleria smiled and giggled. “I am sure big brother wouldn’t mind helping us find what to feed Mr. Carp with.”
Carp!
Carp barked and nodded.
Saitama glanced at Cleria before asking the fish again, “…Do you need to eat humans to sustain yourself?”
Carp?
The fish thing looked confused.
“Do you eat meat?” Saitama reworded.
Carrrrrrppp….
It was not sure.
Saitama looked around, seeing a coconut tree. He walked over to it and jumped, plucking two of the coconuts before returning to Carp.
Saitama dropped one and opened the other, offering the half with coconut juice in it.
Carp sniffed the coconut contents and started drinking it.
…CARP!
Carp drank even more with vigor.
Saitama smiled as he offered the other half as Carp started crunching the shell even, chewing on the hard brown shell and the white meat underneath.
At least one issue was solved.
The legion of horseback riders approached the main territory of the land of Tepes.
Most of them were former residents of Malebolge – Hell.
The others were the Demons, some horned, some armored, all armed with weapons, their mounts more monstrous than the pale horses the others rode, fiery and demonic, fangs in place of teeth and horns sprouting from their heads.
Vlad Tepes III of Wallachia was holding his spear, the spear that was with him when he was Dracula of Wallachia, the Impaler.
The spear was called Alucard, a dark weapon that looked as if a monsterized dragon was compressed and shaped into a spear, devil-dragon wings folded into a shaft, skull, eyes, fangs, and talons compressed into forming the tip, the tail at the opposite end.
It was a weapon forged from the body and soul of a Chimera dragon, a dragon that fell from Devilhood.
Fun fact – Tannin was not the first dragon that became a Devil, and this dragon was the first to fall into Chimera, a creature bearing eight Pawn pieces.
The Tepes territory was not as guarded against invaders.
“They have grown indolent.” Vlad shook his head with disappointment.
“The current generation of Vampires are stuck in the old ways. To live lives of pleasure over challenging the tests of time.” A demon rode beside Vlad.
He was a member of the Baphomet tribe. His head was like a minotaur, only he had four red eyes, and his hide was black brown, six horns from his head.
They already entered the borders of the Tepes faction without any direct interference.
“So they let peace feed on them instead of the other way.” Vlad shook his head.
“What is your plan?” The same demon asked.
“We will confront them, Tenebes.” Vlad responded. “I want to see the current rulers myself and deliver judgment.”
Vlad whipped the reins, his pale horse ghastly wailed as he led his group towards the Tepes mansion.
It was in the center of a small town, untouched by modernization.
It infuriated Vlad to see that his people wasted his sacrifice.
When they approached the village, some of the villagers noticed the legion of men on monstrous mounts.
There were no guards around the village.
That was because no one had any interest in the vampires. They were weak, vulnerable to sunlight, fire, and holy element attacks, a race that did not deserve attention.
None of the villagers dared to block them, all of them gazing at them with a mix of trepidation and awe.
Soon enough, the cavalry could see a structure through a thick mist enveloping the city – a large castle on top of a hill.
“Ahh, my castle… To think it’s still there after so long…” Vlad was a bit touched to see his home unscathed.
He was not sure how to feel from the fact that his parasitic descendants lived in that grand castle. He took a moment to bask in the scenery for a moment as Vlad inhaled.
“…But the moisture in the air is annoying.” Vlad moved again, his legion following him into the stronghold.
With a wave of his hand – as if obeying his intent, the mist slowly dispersed, revealing the path which led the mounted legion right at the castle.
XoX
Marius Tepes was looking through his research papers, reviewing his latest experiment on his half-sister – Valerie Tepes, or to be precise, her Longinus Sephiroth Graal, also known as the Holy Grail.
It involved the experiments in mutating the souls Marius gathered from Hell, transmuting them into another race, or hybridizing them.
It was a project he was working on to decipher the secrets of strengthening a soul, how to make it grow and evolve, one of Rizevim’s side-projects that Marius tackled for their sakes – the secret of limitless evolution.
However, artificially strengthening the soul had limits. He did not know why doing it artificially could only do it so far. The best he found was a way to mitigate the weaknesses of certain species, like the dragon’s inherent weakness to Dragon Slaying Magic, a type of magic that can turn the dragon’s own power against them to destroy itself.
A true inherent weakness that targets the very weakness in a dragon’s flesh and soul.
Unfortunately, The Holy Grail just could not absolve the Vampire’s weaknesses to sunlight and holy power.
He just couldn’t figure out why, it had a reaction, but it just stopped midway.
And any soul strengthened past their limits would simply self-destruct and turn into mindless berserkers.
They were recycled into becoming Evil Dragons in Trihexa bodies, bound to become war beasts, a use for them.
He wondered what he should do now… not even consuming a large number of Trihexa cells erased the weakness of the Vampire blood in him.
“Lord Marius!”
There was a loud knock on the door to his office.
“What is it? I told you not to disturb me when I’m in this room.” Marius warned sternly.
“There are intruders in the castle! They strolled through the front and…”
Marius felt irritated.
“Are you that incompetent to not do your jobs?”
“No! One of them claims to be our race’s founder! He incapacitated everything that took to arms against him! I… He is summoning you! And he bears a warning!”
Marius quirked a brow at the vampire outside his door.
“If you don’t come to him… he will make you.”
Marius turned to the door.
“Make me? He… Hahahahahahahahaha! Someone that claims to be Dracula said that he can make me?! I haven’t had a good laugh in centuries! Tell him I would like to see if he can-”
Tepes suddenly felt his blood recoiling under his skin.
He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t move a muscle.
“…Forgive me.” The man outside the door helplessly apologized. “He can hear us all. Even this conversation…”
Without warning, Marius was yanked toward the door through an unseen force, flying through the air. It was not like telekinesis, it was like the force was using his blood as a medium to move him.
He crashed through the door into splinters as he continued flying like a puppet yanked by his strings to another destination. His eyes caught sight of other vampire nobles – including his brother and father, flying the same way as they were pulled from the upper floors down the stairs, moved against their will as they all gathered before the gates, before the legion of robed figures with one man standing before the helm.
All but one were riding on horseback.
“…So you want proof?” The man at the front had dirty oiled hair, ragged locks covering his eyes, glimpses of his golden pupils gazing through at Marius.
With another gesture, Marius and the others planted their feet on their grounds as their bodies seized up, then they all prostrated into the floor against their will, puppets forced to bow.
Marius struggled to fight against this power, but his blood refused to.
“I am Vlad Tepes the Third of Wallachia. I am here to reclaim my throne as Ruler of the Vampires. What say you, current rulers of the ‘Tepes’ Household?” He said his last name with a hint of spite as the force pulling their strings released them.
“Impossible…!” Marius gnashed his fangs as he struggled to break free from the invisible hold over him. “Vlad Tepes the Third, you say? What kind of fool do you even take us for?!”
The Dracula merely looking unamused at the young vampire, favoring his attention at the older-looking vampire – the current patriarch of the Tepes House.
“Father! He’s-!”
Whatever Marius was about to say was silenced at the sight of his father’s expression, which was raised so he could gaze upon the intruder’s visage.
Lord Tepes’ face was a mixture of recognition, fear and most importantly – fervor and reverence.
“My King…” The patriarch muttered with his eyes welled with tears, “Am I dreaming…? Is this all…. Real?”
Dracula’s expression softened slightly at the patriarch. He also noted that there were a few other vampires who appeared to share the patriarch’s sentiment.
“So you remember my face… I am glad.” Vlad nodded. “I have come back from Hell. It should be obvious since someone opened the gateway. Although it isn’t without a price. The souls of mine and most of my compatriots are bound to the entity that freed us upon death. And you…”
Vlad turned to Marius..
“I can smell your blood. I can taste the mutations you inflicted upon yourself. And you shared it with some of your age groups. What in the world did you sell your soul to for this power?”
Marius flinched.
He clenched his teeth, refusing to let this… stranger barge into his castle and ruin everything he had built, Founder of the Vampire Race or not!
“You… you think you can simply barge into our castle out of nowhere, declare yourself as the ruler of our kind, and expect us to swallow your words like cheap, peasant blood raised on filth?! I don’t care if you’re the first Vampire even if you really are him! I refuse to bow to you!” Marius shouted.
“Marius!” King Tepes wanted to reprimand and stop his son, but he was still unable to move under Dracula’s power.
On the other hand, Vlad Tepes stared down at Marius.
“Do you wish to challenge me for the title of Vampire Lord?” Dracula asked.
Marius glared up at him defiantly.
“Very well.” Dracula released them from his hold as Marius felt the control over his blood ceased, letting him push himself to his feet.
“…I accept your challenge. The victor shall lead our kind and own the life of the loser, as written in the ways of Malebolge.” Dracula declared.
His entourage gave him their full attention. They did not say a word as Marius glared at him.
“I accept the rite of challenge, ‘Dracula.'” Marius grinned. ‘Dracula’ may be aware of his power, but he did not know its origins.
XoX
All of the Vampires in the Tepes Territory gathered in front of the castle.
Vlad’s group was on one side, King Tepes and the other vampires were behind Marius.
Marius clenched his fists with accumulating anticipation as King Tepes cleared his throat.
“…This is an unusual day for us.” The King declared as he stared at his son with worry. “We are graced with the return of our Founder, and here we are, in the field fighting for the right of the mantle as Vampire Lord. It is forgotten in the annals, but to become a Lord, one must kill the current Vampire Lord and devour his heart, fresh off the kill. Then the victor shall ascend to the position as the new lord.”
Marius widened his eyes as the other vampires muttered among themselves, many of them unaware of the rite.
“Now, I must bear witness to see this through as the current Ruler of the Tepes faction… if you are what you say, show us, oh mighty Dracula, and crush all dissent here and now. The fight… may commence.”
Marius grinned as he started to transform.
“Ahahahahahahaha!”
Once transformed, Marius would crush this fool. He took in more than a hundred doses of the perfected Trihexa cells.
His muscles rippled as his skull elongated as Marius shed his humanoid form.
He roared in laughter as he became a superior being, an organism that surpassed whatever feeble ability the first Vampire might have in his veins.
He was a great draconic beast, three talons on each hulking hand of dark-green flesh, great wings of dirty black spreading behind him.
His face was monstrous, barbaric, large thick fangs accompanied by four longest canines as drool dripped down his lipless mouth.
It was like he was a monsterized form combining the features of an ogre-like bat and a dragon, his red eyes glaring at the smaller Vampire Lord.
His hulking form charged forward, his massive fist already moving as fast as a cannon.
His fist made contact.
But Dracula’s body did not budge, the monster vampire’s grin falling at the sight of Dracula holding his fist at bay with just the flat of his palm.
Dracula’s gaze was eerily stoic as he glared into Marius’ eyes. Marius flinched with a hint of fear.
Why didn’t his punch blow this smaller man away?
Before he could ask himself why he wasn’t overpowering the Vampire Lord any further, his face caved in, the front of his skull crushed in the grip of Dracula who suddenly appeared before his face.
“Ngh?!” The bone of Marius’ nose was torn off by a vicious yank, his blood spilling painfully out the front of the skull as he stumbled back.
“You!” Holding his torn nose with one hand, Marius reached out with the other.
But Dracula moved below his legs, half-dashing, half-gliding, a shadow that moved faster than focused sight as his nails elongated into sharp claws that tore through the tendons of Marius’ thighs.
The vampires watched, yet they could barely see Dracula’s movements, only catching the flickering cape billowing behind the Lord as he tore through the monsterized Marius.
King Tepes was surprised to see his son mutating into such an abomination, yet he didn’t vocalize it like the others.
Marius only screamed as Dracula tore him to shreds, claws rending Trihexa-Vampire hide and flesh, The First Vampire ravenously ripping Marius apart until the rebellious Tepes fell to his knees, his blood dripping into the soil.
“Fool.” Vlad’s claws retracted as he raised his hand at Marius.
Marius suddenly lost control of his blood, his strings taken once more.
Dracula waved his hand right, forcing Marius to strike his own chin, blood and teeth flying. His hand left, Marius biting his own arm and tearing it off.
“S-S-Shtop…!” Tears swelled in the monstrous ogre of vampire and trihexa flesh, the pain immeasurable as Dracula lifted Marius up and slammed his massive body down, the land shaking uncontrollably as Marius’ monstrous body was crushed under the force of his own blood, looking as if a giant stepped on him from how his body was being squished by an invisible force.
“I did not waste my time in Hell surviving all of the horrors the living World flushed down to be pushed around by a brat.” Dracula said as threw a stream of arcane lightning at Tepes, plasma burning through his body, bypassing his enhanced defenses to Marius’ shock as his warped voice howled to the mist-covered skies.
“Time moves faster in Hell. I spent my time more wisely than you know.” Tepes stopped only to throw an even stronger stream of lightning, tormenting Marius as he howled in pain, his skeleton flashing under his skin intermittently.
“S-Stop! I yield! I yield!” Marius shouted.
“There is no ‘surrender’ in a fight to the death.”
Marius paled as the onslaught of magic ceased, leaving Marius in great pain and despair.
“N-No! I-I-I’ll give all of the slaves I have! I-”
“I don’t need innocent blood or servants that did not offer themselves to you.” Dracula walked over to Marius, who helplessly watched as…
Dracula shed his form.
There were stories that Dracula had a second form, a true form, but there were no accounts of his True Vampire form as none could achieve it like he did.
It was more horrifying than what popular media depicted. It bore not an ounce of dark majesty, only regal terror of flesh and blood made manifest.
The vampires watched in horror as Dracula, in his monstrous form, grabbed the flailing, begging, crying monster that was Marius by the throat and sunk his monstrous teeth into it.
Marius wailed as he reached out to his father with desperation, while the life in his eyes instantly faded, his arm falling limp Dracula drank every last drop.
The vampires that rejected Dracula protested no more. They now see the man as their founder, their true king by right of victory and conquest.
Dracula’s eldritch eyes widened as his eyes changed, turning reptilian, draconic, as the power of the Trihexa flowed through his veins as he roared to the heavens.
In response, every vampire in the world trembled, their blood shaking in cold fear, from Queen Carmilla to the patriarch of the House of Vladi as he felt an indescribable feeling of terror in his blood.
New power flowed within Dracula as he growled, his aura exuding from his form like an unending well of power.
“…So that is the power you sold your soul for. I see, no wonder why.” Dracula dropped the body of Marius Tepes as he reverted to his humanoid form. He walked towards the corpse and cut his palm with his nail, his empowered blood trickling down the skin.
“Now you belong to me. You have much to compensate for.”
The Vampires were shocked when Dracula impaled Marius’ chest, his hand right into his heart.
Vampires were meant to be masters of hemomancy, blood magic, and, subsequently, necromancy.
Dracula was a master of both arts, so proficient as he bound Marius’ soul to his drained corpse with his now-trihexa enriched blood, his blood carving itself into Marius’ heart as a mark of ownership as Marius’ body convulsed.
Dracula yanked his hand out of Marius’ chest and jumped back, gliding back to his entourage.
“…Rise, my first servant in centuries.”
Life returned to Marius’ eyes.
His arms twitched, his legs planting feet into the soil as Marius Tepes, monsterized, rose like the living dead, a puppet with a new set of strings pulling it.
“When making proper undead servants.” Dracula turned to the vampires, who flinched at him, terrified that he was willing to drink from his own kind. “You have to do more than just inject your blood into their veins. You have to mark their hearts and bind their souls to their bodies, and to your will to create a perfect servant to do your bidding.”
Marius stood up straight, back from death. His gait was not as lively, normal as before. He rasped as if his throat hadn’t graced water for days. It reminded the vampires of their ability to create zombie minions, but there was something different.
When his eyes laid upon Dracula, they trembled at the sight.
“W-What… what did you…” Marius spoke, his voice a desiccated rasp.
The vampires gasped upon hearing Marius speak. Unlike the zombies they raise from the dead, this one had intelligence.
“I own you.” Dracula answered. “Your first task… Bring me this… Valerie Tepes. I want to see the wielder of the Holy Grail myself.”
“What…? How did you…” Marius wanted to be shocked, but he was… drained. He felt lethargic, tired, empty yet still living. His body and heart felt cold, an alien feeling that pierced through his soul.
“It is possible for us to read the memories from the blood we drink.” Dracula answered.
The vampires did not know that they could do that, their awe of their founder increasing evermore.
“Now go.”
Marius wanted to protest, but there was a new dominating force moving his body now, forcing him to move according to Dracula’s will.
He wanted to resist it, but the siren call of this… influence continued to pull his strings as he walked towards the castle to fetch his grandest prize without question.
King Tepes and the other vampires watched Marius return to the castle, still in his monstrous form, heavy steps thumping the stone.
They turned to Dracula and they kneeled before the true Vampire Lord.
“…What is your decree for us, your humble servants, my lord?” King Tepes asked.
“We have much to do. There will be many changes, and I will not tolerate any dissent in my castle and land.” Vlad ordered.
“Send a messenger to this Queen Carmilla. I want an audience with the matriarch.”
To be Continued….
Omake
Some time before Kuoh’s first undead uprising….
Haruka Hyoudou hummed one of her favorite songs as she was on the way home from her regular shopping trip. The air was warm enough to her comfort, as she sent quick nods and smiles to several pedestrians who were on their way home as well.
The road which led to her home became more and more quiet as she walked on. To the point that she noticed that the evening had become too quiet somehow.
Years she had spent with her extraordinary family had taught her a lesson to keep notes on her surroundings. She absentmindedly tapped her finger on her chin while pondering about what was happening, when she caught something – no, several things stumbled in the path ahead of her.
“…Oh, dear.”
They look like the shambling dead in the movies, but most of them… composed of soil, stone. There was one made of rotting bone amongst them.
“Must… Kill!”
The one in the front gurgled something so cliche.
“FLESH!”
“Braaaaaiiins.”
The last one sounded a bit forced.
She took a few steps back, whilst making sure that there was nobody else behind her. She brought two bags with her – one shopping bag and one purse. She carefully rummaged through her purse while keeping her eyes on the stumbling monstrosity. As soon as her fingers felt what she was looking for, she took a deep breath and turned her focus at the closest undead.
There are four at the moment – Haruka then immediately whipped out a peace-maker revolver – coated in glittering silver, aimed with her both hands grasping the gun, and pulled the trigger four times.
Four resounding ‘bangs’ echoed through the evening, and Haruka saw the zombies dropped to the ground with a hole on their heads – enchanted bullets.
She shuddered out a breath, and an excited grin slowly crept up her face as she witnessed her kills – can’t believe those gaming sessions with the boys and firearm training with Genos will actually pay off like this…. Holy fucking shit.
However, as she walked carefully through the bodies, she heard more moans and groans, catching more similar zombie-like creatures stumbling towards her – clearly having been drawn to her gunshot noise.
“Oops!” Haruka quickly picked up her pace. She took off her slippers – which were not designed for running, preferring to run on her barefoot, as she booked it towards the house.
On the way, more zombies suddenly came out from alleys, trees and bushes. Thankfully, all of them were slow and had poor reflexes to catch the running woman.
When she saw her house, however – there was already a small undead horde milling before the gate. Haruka then put her index and thumb inside her mouth and whistled hard.
On cue, a large mass of black fur leapt over the fence, stomping a good few zombies flat, before the beast tore through the rest of the pack with relative ease.
Once Rover had confirmed that he had torn the last undead to pieces, he barked happily at the approaching matriarch, as if welcoming her home.
“I’m home, Rover! Good boy!” Haruka hugged the beast’s face and ran her arms through the fur around its neck.
“Sorry, Rover – but the treats have to wait later. Can you stand guard here for a bit? I’ll be right back.”
Rover barked and Haruka made her way inside the residence. Through the living room, she walked by Black who was in the middle of flipping through the news channels with a bag of chips.
“Quite a shitshow happening now… Heading somewhere?” Black asked from the couch.
“Yes – just grabbing some gear first.”
Haruka merely replied; Black watched the woman disappear by the elevator. A few minutes later, Black saw Haruka returning and she had apparently geared herself up.
Her brown locks had been tied up in a neat bun, her casual blouse and long skirt was replaced with a black vest over black t-shirt and cargo pants. Her slippers were replaced with a pair of boots.
She was holding an M4 shotgun with a magnum revolver strapped on her hip, complete with a strap of shotgun shells slung over her shoulder.
As if understanding her intent, Black asked, “…Want me to tag along?”
Haruka, who was also holding a toothpick by her lips, smiled at the creature, “Nah, I need you to hold the fort here. I’ll take Rover with me.”
Black simply nodded before returning to watch the television, “…Okay, have fun.”
“I’ll be back to make dinner.”
Once Haruka stepped out of the Hyoudou Residence – Rover was growling at even a larger undead horde milling around.
Taking out an MP3 player with the headset placed on her ears, Haruka played the collection of DOOM soundtracks, starting with ‘The Only Thing They Fear is You’ by Mick Gordon.
Clicking the shotgun’s safety off, Haruka spat out the toothpick from her lips.
“Time to nut up or shut up.”
Omake 2: The Man to Man
“…Let’s start with this question.”
After school – Issei and Yuuto were sitting by a river bank under the bridge, looking at the body of water flowing slowly. Issei took a pebble and threw it at the river, causing the rock to bounce off the surface until it hit the other side.
“Have you ever had a crush on any girl?” Issei asked as he handed Yuuto another pebble.
Accepting the pebble, Yuuto walked towards the spot where Issei tossed his rock earlier and took position. Taking a deep breath, he slightly struggled to keep his calm while his face was flustered at the first woman who came to his mind.
“I… guess I did develop a crush on the President once.” Yuuto replied as he threw his pebble, which also bounced off the river’s surface numerous times until it hit the other side.
Issei blinked, “Huh, did not really expect that one, to be honest. How did that happen?”
Yuuto simply smiled wryly, “When you ran into a woman like Rias in her birthday suit for more than one occasion, you’d become conscious about her at some point.”
The two boys began taking turns on throwing the pebble across the river as they exchanged questions and answers.
“So you have actually seen her naked?” Issei asked
“Mhmm. First time when I was first reincarnated. She was sleeping right next to me – it was awkward, and I was panicking. And more so whenever she invited me to either bathe or share the same bed.”
“I can imagine for some reason… though she didn’t do the same to me,” Issei scratched his head as the words resonated within him for some reason, as if he endured such shenanigans for a long, long time.
“Really? Not even once?” Yuuto asked as he threw the pebble, the stone skipping across the water.
“Actually, maybe some times, but Irina is mostly hogging me until nowadays. The girls now wanted to discuss terms and turns.” Issei smiled a little.
“Ah…” Yuuto nodded.
“So when did your momentary crush die?” Issei asked.
“Well… That is difficult to say. I think back there, I decided to focus on picking up a sword and getting stronger. You know, back then I was still…. Obsessed over Excalibur and all, so… Pretty much I got over that crush quite easily. Though… After master Okita beat some sense into me to calm down…. I ended up seeing her as my big sister, sort of.”
“Oh…”
“Yes. Besides, the right to Rias’ heart is yours, in more ways than one. You earned it after freeing her from Riser.” Yuuto confessed.
Issei nodded as they threw their pebbles across the flowing water.
“And what about now? As one of the guys that had to endure watching legions of schoolgirls gravitating towards you like manic moths to a white knight flame, I have some things to say about you since I, along with the more than ninety percent of the boy population of Kuoh, kind of want to give you a piece of my mind.”
“Really? Even though you have a small, but elite backing?” Yuuto smiled.
“Yeah. I can’t pull that off with just being there and seeing an army of girls waiting for me.” Issei smiled.
“…I went on a date with Asia, Koneko, Akeno, Irina… and Xenovia. Then finally, Rias.” Issei said. “Koneko’s date turned out swell. We gamed hard in the arcade, even though the place was hit a bit hard by the undead apocalypse. Dad and the Big Bads are working hard to restore Kuoh and help the people heal.”
Yuuto’s smile fell a little. Issei had a date with the girls the week before their school days resumed.
“Asia was sweet. We went shopping and watched the sun set together. She… confessed everything she liked about me when I asked. It made me blush that a sweet girl like her loves me that much. Akeno was more teasing, and a bit raunchy. We talked about our parents a little. Her father was seething when she told him about our date, and it was funny hearing how he swore to roast my ass if we meet face to face again. She wanted to seal the deal by inviting me to a love hotel in secret. Almost gave in, though. Need her father’s approval first, though Akeno wanted to do it without his approval just to watch his reaction like the sadist she is.”
Yuuto laughed at that.
“As for Irina, we had a somewhat serious talk. Mainly the Church and the truth of Genesis… God… Lucifer… The Demons.”
Yuuto’s smile fell at the mention of the demons.
“…A part of me still can’t believe that the story is true.” Yuuto admitted.
“It kind of explains why God is so ahead of the curve compared to the other religions. Can’t be seen as that big and mighty without some political bullshit and shameless propaganda, especially the Sacred Gear System. Reminds me that the gifts we have are mostly the powers of others forced to live as tools… I asked Ddraig if he regretted being Boosted Gear from time to time. I even asked if he wanted us to free him.”
Yuuto turned to Issei in shock. It was the first time he heard of a wielder of Boosted Gear wanting to let go of a Longinus.
“…What did he say?” Yuuto asked in anticipation.
“He said he would rather watch me grow personally until I no longer need his power. He wanted to see how I am going to reach my father’s level from within first and then he’ll think about it. Moving on… it ended with us kissing and promising to look after each other. And we… Y’know, we spent the night together.”
Yuuto blushed a little at the raunchy imagery of boy and girl in the bed.
“…Xenovia was a bit awkward but we made an understanding. We had fun. I had to show her what it’s like to enjoy a date. She is actually a sheltered girl, you know? She didn’t know what an amusement park was until now. In the end, she apologized for every… bullshit thing she did and said when we first met. I said I had already forgiven her… she blushed. Then she hugged my head and kissed me out of the blue.”
Yuuto whistled a little.
“Rias is like a bundle of energy. She is a true Japanophile, you know? Taking me to try out Japanese cuisine and buy Japanese merch for her. We ended the date by visiting a Shinto Shrine.”
Yuuto nodded, knowing about Rias’ love for Japan.
“Now, let’s talk about you.” Issei turned to Yuuto. “When are you going to do something serious with a girl? You remind me of a protagonist of an anime the perverts shared with me. Forgot its name, but the guy had a pretty face and is juggling the girls behind the border of blissful, and willful, ignorance. The kind of guy that is too afraid of crossing the line for… many dumbass reasons.”
“Erk…” Yuuto rubbed his hair as he sported shameful red cheeks.
“What is it that’s holding you back? You’re in a situation where a girl might lose interest in you if you keep this up.” Issei asked. “Actually, let’s ask you this – what do you seek in a…. Let’s say a girlfriend, lover. Don’t give me some boring-ass answer like nice and something similar… or is it that you’re actually gay?”
“Ummmmm…” Yuuto blushed a little as he coughed into his hand. “Well, to explain myself. I… am not gay. I am… it is kind of embarrassing to admit it. I just… don’t know how to reciprocate.”
Issei quirked a brow.
“…You’re afraid that you’ll mess things up on your end? Really? You?”
“Yes… and it is kind of awkward that I am having a relationship with my weapon. She is not like a sacred gear, she is both a tool and a youkai – a living person. I… am a bit conflicted and confused.”
“Oh…” Issei whistled in return, amused. “You know, there are a few guys that are into that kind of thing, a legendary weapon that can turn into a pretty woman.”
“Really?”
“I know two at least. Anyways, be sure to open up and start small at least. Don’t be scared. You got the princely charms, so know how to put them to use. And know when to put them aside when the time comes. You can’t be all innocent and gentlemanly forever in the world of relationships, you know?”
Yuuto sighed. He could hear Muramasa giggle in the back of his head, “…I can only promise that I will try my best to make things work.”
Issei nodded, “Coming from you, that’s a lot. If you want relationship advice, I am here for you.”
“…Thanks.” Yuuto smiled in assurance with a gradual surge of confidence in his heart.
Each date will be covered and explored to make it more… Sensical.
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