"Surprise, motherfucker!" Esdeath roared, her black hair whipping behind her and her red eyes glowing with excitement as she unleashed her ultimate killer move—Oblivion Nova.
A massive beam shot out, not just plain white this time. It burned with a dazzling mix of yellow, orange, and gold, like the sun itself was crashing down onto the battlefield. The ground shook, the air trembled, and for a moment everything was drowned in blinding light.
Alucard's body twisted under the attack. His skin sizzled, his soul felt like it was on fire, and yet—when the light cleared—he still stood without much damage.He was an S-rank after all. No matter how strong Esdeath had grown, there was no way she could truly defeat him head-on.
But Esdeath wasn't foolish. Her smile widened. She never planned to kill him with that move.
Time itself froze for a heartbeat. Alucard's eyes widened as his body stiffened, locked in place. The skill wasn't strong enough to hold him for three full seconds—only barely over a single second. But that second was enough.
Esdeath didn't waste it. She twisted her ZK-20, transforming it into a sleek hoverboard. With a sharp kick she shot into the air, streaking past like a black meteor,While lortell and Igret who were waiting for a time alucard to be a place where he couldn't switch to other vampires was here.
Lortell's crimson eyes flashed. With speed that tore the air apart, she closed in and unleashed a storm of strikes. Her sword slashed left, right, again and again, each blow exploding with blood-red energy that sparked like lightning. She didn't pause, didn't let Alucard breathe, didn't even give him a single chance to switch places with his vampires.
At the same time, Esdeath landed smoothly on her hoverboard, ZK-20 shifting again, this time into a machine gun.
"Drrrrrrr—!"
Bullets of pure mana poured out, cutting through the army of insane vampires like paper. Under the harsh sunlight, their skin already weakened, Esdeath's bullets finished them off, reducing them to ashes with every impact.
From above, Igret's seductive voice rang like a command, "Fall back a little!"
Lortell leapt back just as Igret's curves shimmered in the air. Raising her hand, her voice turned sharp and deadly.
"Pillar of Fire!"
A blazing tornado erupted, swallowing Alucard whole. Flames roared into the sky, twisting tighter and tighter until they formed a blazing pillar that lit up the whole city ruins. Igret clenched her fist. The fire didn't just burn—it squeezed, crushing everything inside like a snake made of flames.
Alucard's scream echoed faintly inside, but then even that was drowned by the inferno.
When the flames finally died down, only silence remained. The air stank of ash. The ground was scorched black. Not a single vampire body was left.
"Phew… he died." Igret let out a long sigh, her chest rising and falling, relief spreading across her beautiful face.
But Lortell's eyes stayed sharp and cold.
"No… he didn't die." Her crimson eyes glimmered. "He ran away."
----------
Meanwhile, somewhere deep inside a dark, damp cave, a lone vampire sat silently, muttering nonsense under his breath. His red eyes flickered weakly in the dim light. But suddenly, his eyes grew so wide it looked like they might pop out of his skull.
"Gwahhh!" he groaned, clutching his throat. His mouth began to open unnaturally, stretching wider and wider—far beyond anything a normal human jaw could handle. It was grotesque, like the unhinged jaws of a giant snake.
Then, in a disturbing display, the vampire vomited out an entire man.
The figure slid out, dripping in blood and saliva, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. He had blue hair, sharp red eyes, and the face of a middle-aged man. It was none other than Alucard—completely naked, gasping for breath.
The vampire who carried him couldn't survive the strain. His body collapsed lifelessly beside Alucard, like a discarded husk.
But Alucard didn't even glance at the corpse. He staggered to his feet, legs trembling, and let out a shaky sigh.
"That was… a terrible plan," he muttered. His face was pale, his breath ragged. "I almost died… If I hadn't set that resurrection up in advance, I would've been finished."
His lips curled into a bitter smile as he wiped the blood off his mouth. "Next time, I'll be more careful. No more holding back. I'll go all out."
-------------
Back on the battlefield, Igret floated gently to the ground, her body glowing faintly in the afterburn of her magic. She sighed, her voice soft yet heavy.
"Defeating an S-rank and truly killing one… are two completely different things."
Her words were calm, but everyone knew she was right.
At the same time, Esdeath hopped toward the group with a wide grin, her black hair bouncing, her red eyes sparkling with excitement. She was practically glowing with pride.
"He didn't die, but he sure got humiliated, and I helped do it!" she cheered, puffing out her chest. She was about to speak again, laughter bubbling in her throat. "Praise me—"
But before she could finish, a pale hand shot forward.
Lortell's hand.
Her long fingers wrapped around Esdeath's neck, lifting her slightly off the ground. Esdeath gasped, her smile vanishing in shock.
Lortell's crimson eyes were wide, trembling with raw emotion. Her face twisted, half anger, half desperation.
"I told you not to come here! Having you here was already merciful of me, I knew something would happen" she hissed, her grip tightening just enough to make Esdeath's breath catch. "You're were too close to danger. Don't you get it? What if something happened to you?"
Her voice cracked, slipping into madness—her yandere side fully exposed.
Then, almost as quickly as it came, the rage melted away. Lortell's hand loosened. Esdeath dropped to the ground, coughing hard, clutching her neck.
Lortell's expression softened immediately, guilt flashing across her face. She bent down, her silver-white hair falling over her shoulders.
"I… I'm sorry," she whispered. Her voice trembled now, no trace of anger left. "I shouldn't have used force on you. But everything I do—it's only to protect you."
But Esdeath didn't answer. She stood there, head lowered, her shoulders trembling.
Lortell's heart sank. She leaned closer, her voice breaking. "Are you… crying?"
The moment she asked, Esdeath's small sobs broke free. Her face flushed red as warm tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Sniff… I just wanted to help!" she choked out between sobs, wiping her face with her palms. But no matter how much she tried to stop, more tears spilled over, shimmering in the light. "Sob… I only wanted to fight with you, not hold you back!"
The sight pierced through Lortell's chest like a blade. Esdeath's crying face was so heartbreakingly cute that for a moment, Lortell simply froze, torn between stopping her tears and memorizing that expression forever.
Finally, she shook her head, stepped forward, and pulled Esdeath into her arms.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice thick with regret as she hugged her tightly. "I should never have used force. Please forgive me…"
To be honest if someone was overseeing this, They would thought Esdeath would be upset from Lortell for quite a while but Esdeath hugged her back.
"I'll always forgive you," she said softly, still sniffling against Lortell's chest. "No matter what you do to me. But… I can't forgive myself when I see disappointment in your eyes."
---------------
After that encounter, Lortell and Esdeath finally returned to the Kingdom Clog Church once again. As for Krona, she had already gone back to her own kingdom with the specimen and the remaining army. Without a doubt, the operation had been a complete success.
Krona had even invited Lortell, Esdeath, Igret, and the others to visit her land and spend some time together. But Lortell, in her usual calm yet polite manner, rejected the invitation.
More than a month had already passed. They were far behind their scheduled time, and there was still one important thing left undone—the visit to the great temple of Seraphine.
Now, at last, that day had come. The two of them stood in front of the grand church, which rose like a black castle with a unique and ancient design. Its sheer size and shape gave it a majestic yet intimidating presence. From afar, it resembled the Cologne Cathedral of Germany, though darker and sharper in its beauty.
"Heh… this looks more like a smaller version of the demon king's castle," Esdeath thought as she walked in beside Lortell.
Inside, the church was just as breathtaking as the outside. The tall arches stretched high, casting shadows that mingled with the faint glow of enchanted lanterns. The polished floor reflected the red carpet that ran straight to the main altar, while murals and paintings of ancient figures decorated the walls, telling stories of past saints and wars fought in the name of the goddess.
At the very front stood a towering statue of Goddess Seraphine, carved with such precision that her kind yet powerful gaze seemed to pierce into their souls.
Lortell glanced around before speaking softly. "I once thought our marriage should be held here… but your parents refused to allow any grand celebration." There was a faint sigh in her voice.
Esdeath smiled gently and replied, "Marrying you was already more than enough for me."
As they walked further down the red carpet, their footsteps echoed in the vast hall. Magical items rested on display across the sides. Among them was a golden drum filled with crystal-clear water. At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but Esdeath knew better. This was said to be water from the River of Salvation in heaven itself.
Legends claimed that drinking it would cleanse one's heart of all evil emotions, filling it with peace and love for nature. But such a blessing came with a heavy price—the drinker would lose the ability to feel attachment to love or relationships. To them, such bonds would become meaningless.
On the left side lay another treasure—a silver pendant covered in deep, ancient carvings. It was a holy relic, said to form a protective shield around its bearer, capable of withstanding many attacks. But as a holy artifact, it was forbidden to inhuman beings. If Lortell, a vampire, touched it, she would surely be shocked and burned, Of course only slightly. That was the reason Igret and the other succubi had never dared to claim it; it remained untouched in the church.
Lortell didn't even give it a second glance. She simply walked straight ahead with graceful steps, her red eyes fixed forward.
Esdeath followed behind, but curiosity tugged at her. She sidestepped, stretching her hand toward the silver pendant. Her fingers brushed against its surface.
Nothing happened. No shock, no burn, no rejection.
Her lips curved into a sly smile as she whispered to herself, "Being human really does feel good."
With that, she turned away and quickened her pace to catch up with Lortell.