She placed her-half read book on the bed and sat up, the idle curiosity taking her to the other end of her small chamber, by the small window. The distant cacophony of noises grew louder, sounds akin to that of a battle reaching her ears.
Odd. The guards never made this much noise during their mock fighting.
She looked down, her eyes easily piercing through the night, even without the torches casting plenty of light. The guards were rushing across the courtyard, a dozen of them already fighting a bald man near the broken gates.
They had him surrounded, yet he still held his ground. One man pushing back over a dozen vampires, beating them black and blue with his fists. They charged at him, all at once, only to break apart like waves against a rock.
One punch, and the guards flew across the courtyard like ragdolls, one by one. Some of them rose back to their feet, rushing back into the fray, but most of them stayed crumpled on the ground.
Her brows furrowed as she kept watching the brutal onslaught.
Why was this man attacking the castle?
Had her brother finally wronged someone he shouldn't have? She could only guess, but she couldn't really find it in herself to care much. Still…
Perhaps this man might bring her freedom?
Her gaze flicked to the arcane symbols etched into the walls.
If he could even break into this chamber without the key to the wards.
Not that she had anywhere to go, even if he could.
Her father would let her stay, but once he found out about the Grail… would he treat her the same as Marius?
She pushed the thoughts away with a shake of her head. It was pointless to dwell on such things. Whatever happened, happened.
Her gaze swept down across the courtyard, looking for the stranger. He had already reached the entrance to the keep, the remaining guards trying to hold their ground near the inner gate.
The fight looked bleak. No matter what they tried, the man would simply punch his way through it. They managed to land a few blows, sharp claws and weapons cutting at his flesh, but they neither stopped him, nor slowed him down.
He didn't seem to tire, shrugging off the wounds and relentlessly pushing forward.
He looked like a warrior from the stories, fighting his way through countless enemies to rescue a maiden.
A scoff pushed past her lips at the silly thought. Who would even come to rescue her? They might come for her Grail, but not for her.
A swarm of bats flew down across the courtyard, engulfing the man, swirling around him and biting at his skin. His hands lashed out, swatting a few of them from the air, but more poured down from the sky.
It was a futile act, and he seemed to realize it, too, but then, he suddenly clapped his hands, and, with a sound like a thunderclap, the whole swarm was blown away by a powerful whirlwind. The victory was short, only a handful of bats lying dead on the ground, the rest of them quickly rushing back to keep harassing their target.
Finding himself on the back foot, the man dodged around the remaining guards and pushed the swarm away with another mighty thunderclap, before leaping back as the bats flew angrily towards him.
"How my heart resonates,"
"I'm pulsing with heat and life."
A chant? Did he know magic, too? Or was it a sacred gear?
The guards hesitated as the man's voice echoed through the courtyard, some of them lingering in the back while the rest approached cautiously.
"My blood is a symphony within me!"
He took a stance and–
"Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!"
–punched, his hands moving so fast, it looked like he was casting a rain of fists upon the swarm of bats, swatting them away by the dozen, some even bursting into bloody pieces.
A small part of her felt sorry for the poor animals, but the rest found it hard to really care.
In less than a minute, the whole swarm got reduced to a few stragglers, easily picked off one by one.
The guards brandished their weapons and claws threateningly, but neither of them seemed willing to attack first anymore.
The stranger cracked his knuckles, like peeling back into a wild grin, before suddenly blurring forward, punching the nearest vampire in the face and sending him flying.
That roused the remaining guards into action, battle-cries filling the courtyard as they made their final stand. It wasn't even a fight, just a one-sided slaughter. Within minutes, the guards lay defeated on the ground, the man standing victoriously before the entrance to the inner keep. He cocked his fist and punched, the thick, reinforced gate splintered like dry, rotten wood.
Dusting his hands, he walked inside the keep, and she lost sight of him. Sighing, she went back to her bed and picked up her book, ignoring the distant shouts and noises coming from deep within the castle.
Whatever happened, happened.
__________________________________________
He stared at the commotion outside the window, a deep frown lining his face. They were under attack. By a single man, no less.
The corner of his lips pulled up into a sneer. What an insult.
As luck would have it, his father and elder brother were currently away, busy meeting the other leaders of the supernatural in the Balkans.
He didn't have time for such trivial matters. Not when he had the Grail to study. And now, some audacious fool dared to barge in like a brute and throw the whole castle in disarray.
The half empty goblet in his hands creaked softly, the metal yielding under his grip.
That man would not get a quick death.
Marius slowly walked back to the dining table, setting down the cup, gaze flicking to the two vampires standing guard on each side of the room.
A simple glance was enough to get them to form a defensive line in front of the table, weapons drawn, their sharp eyes watching the entrance.
His personal guards should be enough. He'd made sure to keep the true nature of his research a secret even from his father.
These four had paved the path for himself to rise beyond the trappings of his kin, and soon enough, he would reign above all vam–
The doors suddenly flew open as one of the servants crashed through, rolling into an undignified heap on the carpet.
A moment later, the intruder walked in, a nondescript looking man, bald and smiling like an idiot. He had bruises all over his body, clothes torn in a few places, and a bleeding cut along the side of his head.
Marius couldn't sense a single drop of magic inside this man, nor any other energy or aura. Was he using some sort of method to conceal his power? Marius nearly scoffed. No matter. He was just an ordinary man. He did not even look all that threatening to begin with. He merely fought his way through an entire castle worth of weaklings.
He likely had a sacred gear of some sort. Or he could be the descendent of an ancient hero.
Marius snapped his fingers, and his guards moved. They blurred forward, crossing half the room before the man could even notice, swords poised to strike.
Much to his annoyance, the man reacted in time, weaving through the attacks by a hairsbreadth, thin strips of his shirt falling in his wake. Sidestepping another slash, his fist suddenly lashed out, punching one of the guards and sending them flying into the far wall.
Another sword came diagonally at his face, aimed to take an eye, but this time he did not dodge. The fool grabbed the blade mid-swing, and Marius couldn't help but stare when, instead of losing his fingers, the human clenched his hand, his grip shattering the enchanted metal, broken pieces falling to the floor.
What monstrous strength.
For a moment, even the guards looked stunned, and the rat exploited it to the fullest, shattering another sword with his bare hands, before punching the guard into the wall.
The vampire picked himself up after a moment, hands turning into sharp claws as he rushed back into the fray.
Marius lingered by the table, eyes narrowed as he watched the fight. With a sweeping gesture of his arm, a curtain of mist rose across the walls, sealing the room from the outside.
The man was already injured. This fight should tire him enough. He would teach this rat a lesson soon.
As the fool reached to break the last sword, the guard behind him seized the opening and slashed his claws across his back, though sadly, it drew a disappointing amount of blood.
Inhuman durability as well.
Even so, it gave the other three momentum, and soon enough, they had the human on the back foot, forcing him to evade blow after blow, leaving him little room to strike back.
And the punishment he managed to deal, his men easily endure. A magnificent thing, that Grail.
Soon enough, a powerful kick sent the fool crashing into the mist barrier, the guards ready to close in, but Marius quickly raised a hand. "Wait."
Mouth curling with a sneer, he slowly walked closer as the man picked himself up. "If you kneel and beg well enough, I might be inclined to make it quick."
He wouldn't, but it should be amusing nonetheless.
Much to his disappointment though, the human stood even straighter than before, smiling despite the blood trickling down his face. He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, a disgustingly pleased sigh escaping him.
"Thanks for that. I think I finally figured it out." His lips peeled back, revealing a bloodied grin. "All I needed was a challenge."
Marius let out a scoff. This fool was talking nonsense. He must have taken one too many hits to the head. Still, this farce had gone on for long enough. He should put an end to it.
Walking back to the table, he took a seat and gestured lazily with a hand. "Bring him to me."
The vampires blurred forward, yet the fool just stood there, baring his teeth in a wild smile, and then, for an instant, his eyes gleamed like gold.
Marius blinked, and the human had suddenly vanished.
The crunch of bones reached his ears, and he saw one of the guards crumpled against the opposite wall, the bald man already in front of another vampire, fist blurring with a punch.
The second guard crashed all the way across the room and lay there, unmoving.
Marius stood up abruptly from his chair, his eyes nearly losing track of the human as he punched the last two of his subordinates, each of them crumpling to the floor like a broken marionette.
What…
How did he suddenly get stronger? A sacred gear?
But he didn't see him use anything of the such.
Marius grit his teeth, ignoring the cold, uneasy feeling crawling on his back.
No matter. He would deal with this human personally. He had risen above the ranks of a mere vampire. He was stronger than any of them.
His legs tensed on instinct as the man took a step forward, cracking his knuckles with a smirk. "Ready for your turn?"
Marius bristled, face twisting with a sneer. "You dare challenge me? I am nothing like those weaklings you have fought so far. I stand above all vampires. I have conquered the Sun! You're not–"
–for an instant, he nearly lost sight of his opponent, the human suddenly blurring forward, grinning like a maniac.
"Conquer this."
Marius barely had time to raise his guard as a fist came rushing at his face. It crashed into his arms, and he felt something snap as the force of the impact launched him across the room.
Digging his feet into the floor, he skidded to a stop inches away from the wall, arms throbbing with pain. It was already fading, the bones snapping back into place.
By the time they fully healed, the man was upon him once more, a punch flying at his face. Marius dodged by a hairsbreadth, hand lashing out, sharp nails cutting through flesh along the exposed belly yet drawing little blood.
He'd barely scratched him.
A fist shot forward in retaliation, hitting Marius in the side as he tried to twist away from its path, sending him flying once again. Searing agony coursed through his flank as he crashed into a chair, wood splintering around him.
He jumped back to his feet with an angry snarl, the pain already fading, only to come face to face with his grinning opponent, hand already cocked back. He couldn't dodge in time, the fist crashing squarely in his chest, driving the breath out of his lungs.
Pain exploded in his chest, and he felt his ribs give way, the force lifting him off his feet as the room spun around before he crashed into the wall.
Somehow, he managed to catch himself before he crumpled to the floor in an undignified heap, standing up slowly with a pained grunt, each breath labored and felling like stabbing knives as his ribs snapped back together. Slower than before, he noted.
He was getting pushed to his limits. He had to find an opening and end this soon. If it wasn't for the Grail… he might have died there.
He had to buy some time. Make this human drop his guard, somehow.
Luckily, the fool seemed content with just standing there in the middle of the room and smiling like an idiot. Such arrogance. He'd make him pay for this humiliation.
Marius threw a hand to the side in a sweeping gesture. "You come into my home and lay waste to everything in your path… what are you after? Treasure? Riches?" He spat out through gritted teeth. "Who sent you? Did the Carmilla put a price on my head? Name your price, and I will double–no, triple it."
For a tense heartbeat, the man stared at him, as if considering the offer, but then his smile widened as he opened his mouth.
"Nah, I'm here just for fun."
Marius blinked, words escaping him for a moment as he stared in incomprehension, wondering if he'd heard it right. A spark of fury suddenly ignited in his chest.
"You did this for fun?"
"Mostly, yeah." The bastard nodded, voice light and nonchalant, the same infuriating smile plastered on his mug. "Also, because you bully cute vampire girls, and I wanted to beat the shit out of you."
The words rang inside his mind, and Marius couldn't help but stare. "What?"
Did he mean that filthy halfbree–
"Anyway," the bastard crossed his arms. "I kinda beat all your minions, and you don't seem to have a phase two, so…" What the hell was he talking about? "How about you tell me where's Valerie? I don't feel like searching the entire castle, y'know?"
"So you're here for the Grail. But how did you–" Marius grit his teeth. When he found the maggot who talked, they'd wish for mercy.
"Dude, I don't give a shit about the Grail. I just wanna grab Valerie and see if the internet was right about getting your blood sucked by cute vampire girls."
What.
He stared, trying to make sense of the inane drivel spewing out of this fool's mouth, a sneer curling his lips.
"Lies. Of course you're after the Grail. Why would you have gone this far, fought your way through all my men, if not for the–"
"Fool." The bastard's mouth curled in displeasure, voice cutting like a sword. "Don't look for a reason when there is none. Sometimes a man just wants to see how hard he can punch with these hands. And other times, he just wants to know if hentai had been lying to him about vampire girls the entire time."
A beat of deathly silence passed in the wake of those bold yet utterly nonsensical words, and Marius couldn't help but stare, jaw slackened. This man was insane. A lunatic with more power than sense.
His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms. No matter. He could use this.
Marius straightened his back, a hasty plan forming in his mind.
"If Valerie is what you want, then you can have her. Cease this fight, and I'll take you to her. You have my word."
His strength was slowly returning. If he could buy more time, and get to–
"I see."
Would he really–
For a quiet moment, the fool just stared at his hands, smiling like an idiot. His smile suddenly widened, and Marius felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"I must thank you, Marius. This moonlit walk through the woods brought me much more than I expected." The man closed his eyes, a calm and serene look crossing his face. He looked almost enlightened, even. "Thanks to all of you, I've reached the next milestone in my journey."
Marius ignored the drivel spilling out of the fool's mouth, making a conscious effort to keep his face schooled.
What utter insanity. What humiliation, to find himself at the mercy of a raving lu–
"Okay, I'll spare you."
Marius couldn't help a smile. Good. Good. Now he had to wait for an opening and kill this bastard. His skin might be durable, but if he could get a good strike at his eyes…
With a thought, he dismissed the mist barrier, taking a moment to fix his clothes, torn as they were.
"Then let's not wait any longer." Slowly, he walked closer, pushing an affable smile to his face. "I'll take you to Valerie, and–"
"I'll spare you, but–"
The fool smirked again, and Marius froze mid-step, a foreboding feeling welling up in his gut.
"I'll hit you one more time." The bald idiot held out a hand, clenching a fist. "One last punch, this one for Valerie."
Marius held back a scoff. What a sentimental fool.
He'd taken enough of his punches. What was one more?
"Very well. I can't say I enjoy getting punched, but if that's what it takes to settle the score…" He tried to inject some amusement in his voice, but it sounded fake even to his ears. "Then go ahead."
Marius spread his arms in invitation, a moment of silence filling the room as the bald fool stared at him in amusement. Then his right hand suddenly clenched into a fist, and he blurred forward in the blink of an eye, arm cocked back.
The world seemed to slow to crawl as the fist neared closer to his face, but he couldn't move. He was frozen on the spot, limbs refusing to obey. He tried turning into mist to escape, but he barely managed it halfway.
It was too late.
"Killer Move–
The bald fool was gone, and in his place stood–
–death.
–Serious Punch."
It struck true, and Marius knew no more.
__________________________________________
I glanced up at the tall spire looming ahead of me, a frown pulling at my lips.
I'd searched the whole goddamn castle, and this was the only place left. She had to be up there.
In hindsight, I should've killed Marius after he told me where he kept Valerie, but… I really wanted to punch that asshole.
A sigh escaped me as I stepped around an unconscious vampire, crossing a walkway, before finally reaching the entrance. Kicking down the thick door with a kick, I made my way up the tower one staircase at a time while absentmindedly humming the Hellsing theme.
I wish I had my phone with me, but I had to leave it in the woods nearby, same as my jacket and a spare pair of pants. I wasn't dumb enough to risk my valuables in a fight, and I'd rather not walk around naked if my clothes somehow got fucked by the end of the night.
Fucking DxD, man…
Soon enough, the end of the stairs came in sight, an old, sturdy wooden door standing before me. It had no handle though, and when I reached to push it open, the wood flashed red, before an intricate magic circle flared to life all over the door.
I poked it a few times, feeling the smooth, solid surface of the magic barrier, an excited smile pulling at my lips, because, holy shit, magic.
That mist from earlier didn't count.
Part of me hoped that I could also get to do some cool magic shit one day, but I didn't cross my fingers on that one.
I already knew my gimmick, and sadly, it was as far as it could get from magic.
Sighing, I knocked a few times on the barrier, though it didn't make any of the noise I hoped for. I made a face, before clearing my throat.
"If there's anyone inside, step away from the door, 'cause I'm about to bring it down."
My voice carried the warning well enough, and I waited a few seconds before cocking my arm, hand clenched in a fist. And then I punched.
The barrier shattered like glass, and the door exploded in a shower of splinters.
I held my breath, a grimace on my face.
Oops. That was a lot more force than I expected.
It was crazy how much stronger I've gotten from just a fight.
With a carefully measured clap of hands and a sound like a whip crack, the lingering cloud of sawdust immediately cleared away. For a moment, I just stared at my hands, mouth curling with a tiny smile.
When I suddenly woke up here about a year ago, I thought this was a joke, but holy shit, I couldn't be more wrong. I wasn't the butt monkey of the universe. I was the motherfucking punchline.
Lips twitching in amusement, I stepped inside, gaze sweeping across the small room around me. There, sitting at the edge of the bed to my right, illuminated by the faint glow of a lamp, I finally found a girl, who couldn't be anyone other than Valerie.
Short, blonde hair framing a beautiful face like a doll's, and a slender body dressed in a simple white dress that looked nearly see-through. I made a conscious effort to veer my gaze up, meeting her crimson eyes. They shone like rubies in the dim light, though still seemed dull, as if they had nearly lost their spark.
Seconds passed as she kept staring blankly at my face, a rather awkward silence stretching between us. I did my best to keep a friendly smile on my face, trying not to let my eyes wander to the twin, perky mounds on her chest. I could barely see their outline in this poor light, but that only made the sight more erotic, my mind doing its best to fill in the blanks.
At least she had her panties on.
"Hello. My name is Valerie of House Țepeș. What brings you here?" she finally spoke, her voice soft and with a pleasant lilt to it, despite the melancholic undertone.
I wasn't sure if she noticed the couple times my gaze trailed to her chest, but her face had yet to change from that eerie, thousand-yard stare of hers.
"Hi, I'm Alex," I greeted back. "I'll be blunt. Would you like to come with me?
Valerie merely smiled. It was a sad, brittle thing, as if she'd already resigned to her fate, and made me just want to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Am I going to trade one prison for another?"
Jesus. I knew she'd had it bad, but she looked like she flirted with the mind-break tag on a daily basis.
"Nah, I don't care about your Grail." I gave her a reassuring smile, hoping she could pick up my honesty. "You're free to stay or leave, if you want. I just wanted to tell you something."
She eyed me for a long moment, a sliver of curiosity crossing her face, before nodding slowly. "Very well."
"Your childhood friend, Gasper, is alive and well. Rias Gremory found him on that day, and reincarnated him in her peerage."
At first, my words didn't seem to get a reaction from Valerie, but then, her eyes grew wider ever so slightly. For a quiet moment, she just stared, and I could see the spark of hope lighting up her face.
She was really beautiful.
"Gasper is alive?" She breathed out, voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes." I nodded. "And we can go visit him."
I could only guess when we were, timeline wise, but it had to be before, or at the start of canon, since that goat fucker, Rizevim, had yet to go after the Grail.
"Truly?" She stood up from the bed, looking me in the eye, and I nodded again.
"Marius is dead, and nobody in this castle can stop me. I can take you with me if you want."
"I see." Valerie nibbled on her lip, nearly giving me a moe overdose, before she finally seemed to make her mind, the corners of her mouth curling with the ghost of a smile. "In that case, I'd like to meet Gasper."
"Alright." I smiled back. "You got anything you want to pack?"
Her brow creased ever so slightly as she thought for a moment. "Um, some books and clothes, I think."
"Got it. You do that while I wait outside."
She glanced around the room, and I made to turn around, only to pause mid-step as I noticed how she kept staring at me. I quirked an eyebrow, and she gave me another thousand yard stare.
"I don't have any bags."
For real?
I threw a sweeping gaze across the room, seeing nothing aside from clothes, books, and furniture, and glanced back at Valerie with a deadpan.
"Just use the bedsheet or something."
Her mouth opened a little as if in revelation, before she grabbed the bedsheet and got to work. I stepped outside to give her some privacy, gazing down at the spiraling staircase.
This whole night had been pretty wild, but, all in all, I've had a lot of fun.
Fought a bunch of vampires. Punched the shit out of an asshole. Rescued a cute girl.
I've even reached further and beyond.
Even if it came with a few apocalyptic downsides, living in an anime world was pretty fucking rad.
A smile pulled at my lips, a spark of giddiness buzzing in my chest.
I've been thinking about it for a while, and I had a few places I wanted to see in the supernatural world. I could start with Kuō for now, though. A lot of powerful people showed up around there in the OG timeline, so it was the perfect spot to look for a challenge.
I had yet to finish my training, but, after tonight, I felt like I'd finally shattered the last of the chains keeping me shackled. All I had to do now was keep pushing forward and reach the top.
Well, I also wanted to meet the main cast, if nothing else, just to satisfy some curiosities of mine.
Were Akeno's tits truly bigger than her head?
Was Rias a turbo weeb?
Could Kiba make a demonic dildo sword with his sacred gear?
How would Koneko react to catnip?
What did Fallen angel pussy feel like?
And probably a few other things that didn't come to mind right no–
"I'm done."
Valerie's soft voice brought my musings to an end as she walked out the busted door, a large, makeshift sack slung over her shoulder like in a scuffed Santa cosplay. My gaze lingered on her black, long-sleeved shirt.
Fortunately, she seemed to have the common sense to change out of that see-through nightie, so she wouldn't give me a hard time on the way back. She even put on a bra.
What a thoughtful and considerate girl.
"Good." I gestured at the stairs. "Let's head down, there's one last thing before we leave."
A smile twitched on my lips. It was finally time for my favorite part after a fight.
Looting.
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