The Ancient One, on the other hand, had taken on the burden of accompanying Jill and Frank on their tour, so she would be somewhat busy lately.
However, this wouldn't really interfere with her regular life, as most of the time she could arrive at the scene instantly whenever her presence was required.
Portals were possibly the greatest spell a mage could possess.
Currently, she, along with Luke and the others, had brought Nimue to the Hellsing Organization. She also had a brief exchange with Integra and personally met Alucard.
This was, of course, under Integra's watchful eye. The Ancient One did not wish to get dragged into a battle without reason. Even if Alucard was considered an unbeatable enemy, dealing with him would be a troublesome affair.
In the basement, Nimue sat quietly on the floor, her expression somewhat dazed.
It was as if she had been brainwashed.
"The Sorcerer Supreme?"
Alucard remained seated in his chair in the basement, exchanging words with the Ancient One without much expression.
He had heard of the Ancient One's existence.
"Vampire Alucard, greetings."
The Ancient One offered a casual greeting. Not far away, Integra and Walter were observing the exchange.
As Alucard's leash holder, Integra's presence ensured that Alucard wouldn't act on a whim.
Luke and Jessica looked around the basement with boredom. In the dimly lit environment, there was only a table and chair set in the center, occupied by Alucard.
Although they still felt repulsed by that cold, gloomy aura, they didn't launch an immediate attack this time.
In a not-so-conspicuous corner, an exquisite coffin lay, filled with soil from Alucard's homeland.
That was this vampire's last territory, and also a source of his power.
Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula—that was the vampire before them, named Alucard.
A monster once sealed by humans; no one knew exactly when he had been revived.
The legend of Van Helsing had always circulated in this world.
"So you mean for me to watch over this Blood Queen?"
Alucard's tone was somewhat mocking. He had no leisure interest in babysitting an over-aged "maiden," especially when he was explicitly told Nimue could not be killed.
Alucard had no interest in doing such a thing; it was a hassle.
"She needs to be killed at a specific time, but unfortunately, we do not know when that moment will arrive."
The Ancient One spoke casually. Briefly explaining Nimue's situation was necessary.
Alucard couldn't kill Nimue, but he possessed the power to control her, making him a suitable candidate.
A vampire would not fear plagues, so Nimue couldn't harm him.
Even relying on magic, she couldn't defeat Alucard. Right now, there was truly no better choice than this vampire.
Bul-Kathos certainly wouldn't accept such a creature appearing on the Sacred Mountain of Harrogath.
The current situation was rather frustrating. Even knowing that Hellboy was the key to the whole matter, when exactly was that destined time? And what should be done in the meantime?
Knowing just a little bit, but gaining more questions in return—this kind of situation always made people anxious.
Knowing too much didn't seem to be a good thing either.
"How long do you plan for me to watch her? A hundred years?"
Alucard held his wine glass by the base, looking at the Ancient One. Vampires had no body temperature, so he could touch the bottom of the glass directly without needing to carefully pinch the stem to prevent affecting the wine's taste.
Alucard's posture was quite elegant, though unfortunately, his aura was full of menace.
"I think you might as well throw her onto the street and let her do whatever she pleases. That would be better for all of us."
Alucard swirled his glass, speaking offhandedly.
Integra, standing nearby, remained silent.
As an organization dealing with monster incidents, they were not ignorant of the supernatural.
But she had no good way to handle this matter, which clearly exceeded their capabilities.
Alucard was already the Hellsing Organization's strongest trump card.
A fully released Alucard was something even Walter, known as the "Angel of Death," could not defeat.
That River of Death, containing who knows how many lives, was enough to make those strong fighters quail in fear.
To kill a monster millions of times, or to fight through millions of monsters to reach Alucard—both paths were goals difficult to achieve.
"If we did that, more people would die from the plague."
The Ancient One squinted slightly as she spoke. She had made her choice and was gradually changing for the sake of that choice.
Starting to change her consistent practices naturally invited skepticism.
"Enough, Sorcerer Supreme! Don't put on that compassionate act now. You should know, in the face of so many crises, I have never seen you present.
If it were you, would you trust someone who never intervenes in war and disaster, suddenly claiming they want to maintain peace in the mortal world?"
Alucard's words became increasingly sharp.
In his River of Blood, countless souls wailed ceaselessly, and not all of them were killed by him personally.
Disasters, plagues, wars, and the like caused deaths everywhere, leaving souls and blood scattered across the land.
Alucard didn't build the River of Blood by personally killing every single life one by one.
"I wouldn't believe it either, but the situation is different now."
The Ancient One glanced at Nimue, who was still dazing off, then casually opened a portal and left the scene.
She didn't intend to explain anything to Alucard. The matter had been entrusted to the other party, and Integra had expressed willingness to shoulder the responsibility, so the issue was resolved.
Alucard would not disobey Integra's will.
And the Ancient One still had to worry a bit about Jill and Frank.
By rights, sending them back to New York would be the best choice at this time, and using a portal wouldn't be troublesome.
However, Frank didn't seem to plan on giving up this trip. It was the first time he had taken his son on a tour, and he didn't think they would encounter any fatal danger in this place.
Perhaps this was Frank's trust in Bul-Kathos, and also trust in her.
If nothing else, Rorschach's presence gave him confidence, alongside the protection of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Jill wasn't the type of child to panic easily either; he had already stepped halfway into the extraordinary realm.
"Alright, Mr. Alucard, Ms. Integra, and Butler Walter, we will continue our tour now. If anything comes up, the Captain can contact us."
Jessica greeted the Hellsing group cheerfully, then prepared to leave with Luke.
They had only come along with the Ancient One to see Nimue's outcome.
Next, they should continue touring the city. Once the battle started, it wouldn't leave the city unaffected.
Who knew if Elizabeth Tower would vanish in the fires of war?
There were too many things in this city worth remembering.
Since Jessica and Luke started spending time together, Jessica handled most of the interactions with outsiders.
Luke was somewhat obtuse in such matters.
Integra signaled Walter to see the two out; she still had words for Alucard.
...
The next few days were very peaceful.
The city's residents eventually believed that the singing and roaring heard earlier were a collective hallucination caused by a planetary alignment or something similar passing a certain point.
Even if some didn't believe it, M11 agents had ways to make them believe.
B.P.R.D. personnel also launched an investigation, not to stop Nimue before she resurrected, but to locate Excalibur, the Sword in the Stone.
Constantine and the others returned to the base beneath the café, bringing back news about Nimue.
Now, even though the community of mediums still couldn't accept Hellboy becoming King, they had to hold their noses and accept it to kill Nimue.
They didn't have the capability to deal with a fully resurrected Nimue.
Meanwhile, Nimue sat in her chair every day daydreaming, as if she had forgotten all her hatred.
Occasionally, she would sit by the window staring blankly at the scenery in the garden, seemingly having let go of everything.
The room, filled with girlish charm, was specially decorated by Hellsing; the organization had long been devoid of young girls who liked to dream.
Blade seemed to have found a lead on vampire soldiers and was pursuing it further.
Steve had nothing to do every day except exercise.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention had shifted to the Asgardians. Reportedly, with Natasha's intervention, the two sides had begun preliminary exchanges.
At least the situation wasn't as tense anymore.
So S.H.I.E.L.D. was helping the Asgardians search for Thor, while conveniently investigating information about Asgard.
During this period, astronomy and mythological history became hot majors in academia. The top scholars in the field were now drinking tea at S.H.I.E.L.D.
They urgently needed to know what Earth was in the eyes of the Asgardians.
Rorschach would go out for a stroll from time to time, gathering information about criminals from petty thugs, occasionally punishing evil and promoting good.
He didn't need to pull his mysterious act anymore. Although he was still an unrecognized vigilante, the local agencies tacitly acknowledged his existence.
It must be said, thanks were due to the help from Hellsing and the B.P.R.D.
So Rorschach was living quite comfortably, or at least quite relaxedly.
Jessica and Luke frequented various tourist spots, taking photos for memories.
Currently, only the Last Battalion was under the greatest pressure. Their initiated deployment wasn't proceeding very well.
First, their mole within the Church had been dealt with by the priests of Iscariot (Section XIII), and Anderson was relentlessly tracking their trail.
It seemed he wanted to find news of Nimue.
The Church's attitude toward the Blood Queen was resolute; no matter what, they would investigate to the end.
Incidentally, they also set their sights on the Last Battalion.
Meanwhile, the Last Battalion was frantically squeezing power out of AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics). MODOK had been personally "invited" by the Werewolf Captain to be a guest at the Last Battalion, providing research assistance on demons.
Even though he wasn't particularly willing.
(End of Chapter)
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