Akira and Dracula took their stances, the air between them thick with tension.
Akira inhaled deeply, his grip tightening around his blade.
"This feeling… I can't explain it. All of Sigvard's memories — from the first time he held a sword to his final breath — it's as if I lived them myself."
In a blur, the two vanished and collided midair. Their blades met in silence, the impact so sharp it devoured sound itself. They broke apart instantly, clashing again — this time the ground split beneath their feet, unleashing a violent gust that rippled across the battlefield.
Dracula's eyes narrowed. "Your power… it's fluctuating. Unstable."
Akira slid back, breathing hard. "Sigvard… you're insane. I can feel every muscle fiber stretching, evolving… You were nerfed by not being born with a mana core."
A shadow flickered — Akira appeared behind Dracula, his blade slicing toward the vampire's shoulder. Tendrils burst from Dracula's back, intercepting the strike, one of them lashing toward Akira. He raised his arm and a black shield materialized just in time, blocking the blow before he leapt backward.
Dracula pressed forward mercilessly. Two serpents of blood erupted from the ground, coiling and striking at Akira.
"Crux Tenebris!" Dracula roared, unleashing a cross-shaped slash of darkness.
Akira's shield shattered as he steadied himself, grit tightening his jaw. "Damn it… this is too much." He took a deep breath. "Yukiko, I don't fully understand your technique, but I'm borrowing it."
He raised his blade high, dark energy swirling violently around him. "What I lack in finesse…" he shouted, "…I'll make up for in raw power!"
"Saku!!"
Akira slashed, sending a massive wave of darkness that tore through the serpents and Dracula's attack, continuing toward its target. Dracula's eyes widened; he met it head-on, deflecting the surge as smoke engulfed the field.
Through the haze, Akira darted in, seizing Dracula's wrist and driving him into the ground. His blade came down for the kill—
Clang!
The weapon halted against Dracula's neck. Akira's eyes widened. "What—? Why didn't it pierce?"
"Sânge Táios!" Dracula's voice thundered as crimson blades materialized, flying toward Akira.
He blocked the first, leapt back, and twisted through the rest as they whistled past.
Dracula rose to his feet, smirking. "The instant he grabbed my wrist, his mana dropped. He hasn't noticed… interesting."
Akira glanced at his hand, blood dripping down his knuckles. "Why didn't my blade impale him…?" The wound sealed shut, but doubt lingered.
Watching from afar, Varin grinned. "Will he realize the flaw in time and turn the tide… or will Dracula bare his fangs before the boy figures it out?"
"Say, boy!" Dracula called out.
Akira snapped his gaze toward him, blade raised.
"What's your name?" Dracula asked.
Akira scoffed. "Is my name really important right now?"
"Not really," Dracula replied with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "What do you want?"
Akira frowned. "What do you mean?"
"For a sorcerer this skilled to work under Val Hellsing, you must want something," Dracula said, his tone probing.
Akira sighed. "For the last time, I don't know any Val Hellsing. And why are you even asking?"
Dracula's grin faded. "Every time you swing your blade, I feel nothing—no anger, no hatred, no resolve. It's like your mind isn't here."
Akira chuckled softly. "You're right about my mind not being here… but I do have resolve. It's not dying."
Dracula lifted his sword, the edge glinting with blood-red light. "That's weak."
Akira smirked, shifting into a stance. "Maybe you're just weak."
From afar, Lilith watched the exchange, her expression unreadable. Are they still trying to kill themselves? she wondered.
In a blur, Dracula appeared before Akira, blade descending toward his skull. Akira parried instantly, summoning a massive gorilla of darkness that grabbed Dracula. Akira followed through with a slash—but blood serpents erupted from the ground, biting into his legs and flinging him backward. The beasts tore through the shadow construct as Akira caught his footing.
He stretched out his arm; a spear of pure darkness formed in his hand. With staggering speed, he hurled it—shattering the sound barrier. Dracula steadied himself and caught the spear effortlessly, before whipping it back at Akira.
Akira caught it midair—only to be sent flying from the force. Dracula appeared above him, grabbing his face and slamming him into the ground. Dust exploded outward.
Then—Dracula froze. He looked down to find several holes piercing through his body. As the dust cleared, jagged spikes of darkness protruded from the earth where Akira stood, breathing heavily.
"Urrrgh… what's going on?" Akira muttered as he vanished and reappeared behind Dracula, blade poised.
"Sa—" Akira began, but the dark energy around his sword sputtered out. His eyes widened.
Dracula blocked the swing with a clang, forcing Akira's blade beneath his own before conjuring another sword in his free hand and bringing it down.
Akira released one hand from his weapon, morphing it into a dark blade and parrying the strike. He twisted, driving a kick into Dracula's abdomen and sending him flying.
Dracula recovered instantly, charging again. His sword thrust forward, aiming straight for Akira's chest—only for Akira to pivot low, redirecting the strike. His arm morphed into a hammer of shadow, slamming into Dracula's side and launching him across the field.
Akira exhaled, a small grin tugging at his lips. "I understand it now," he muttered.
Dracula rose to his feet in a sluggish, almost unworthy manner. "You're quite annoying," he said, voice low but edged with irritation.
Akira tightened his grip on his sword, a faint smirk curling his lips. "You haven't seen half of it!" he shouted back.
Dracula chuckled darkly. "Oh, really?" He drove his sword into the ground, the impact cracking the earth. "Then come and show me!"
Akira slammed his own blade into the dirt. "I plan on it!"
In an instant, both charged forward — fists connecting squarely with each other's jaws. The impact echoed like thunder. Blood spilled from their lips as they staggered, only to lunge again, trading blow for blow.
Each punch sent shockwaves through the field, the air vibrating with their power. They blocked, parried, and countered in a brutal dance — no weapons, no spells, just raw strength.
Lilith and Varin stood at a distance, their cloaks whipping violently in the wind.
"I wish I were the one fighting the boy," Varin said, a grin creeping across his face.
Lilith didn't look at him. "You'd kill him just by releasing your mana."
Varin's grin widened mischievously. "Then I'd hold back."
"Then you'd get bored," Lilith replied flatly, glancing at him. "And your mask is slipping off."
Varin blinked, then quickly straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "That was… a close one," he muttered.
Akira and Sigvard's forms began to separate, their shared energy unraveling — but in a flash, they fused back together. Both Akira and Dracula's eyes widened in shock.
"Hmmm…" Varin muttered, observing closely. "It seems he's reached the limit of what he can do with it."
Akira shadow-stepped backward, yanking his sword from the ground. Dracula fired a blood sphere that grazed Akira's neck, slicing it open. Ignoring the pain, Akira charged.
Dracula stretched out his hand, summoning his sword midair. He slashed at Akira — who reappeared at his flank, his blade suddenly growing fivefold in size as he swung for Dracula's heart. Dracula barely intercepted, their blades locking as both struggled for dominance.
"Sigvard… this is our last stand," Akira growled. "Let's pour everything into this final attack."
"Then let's make it count," Sigvard's voice echoed back.
Together, they pushed Dracula backward.
"Saku!" Akira shouted. His sword pulsed violently as dark energy surged along its edge. Dracula's eyes widened for a moment — then he exhaled, strangely calm.
Could this boy… be the answer I've been searching for? Dracula wondered.
Lilith's composure shattered. "What are you doing?!" she screamed, her stoic mask cracking as she rushed forward.
Varin caught her by the shoulder.
"Let go of me!" she snapped, fury in her voice.
Varin said nothing — only glanced at her, then back at Dracula.
In that instant, Dracula's blade shattered. Akira's strike tore through him, splitting his upper body apart. His torso hit the ground with a thud.
Lilith stood frozen in shock. Varin merely exhaled, unshaken.
Akira collapsed to his knees, Sigvard's essence fading from his body. "We… did it," Akira breathed, a laugh of relief escaping him. He staggered upright, barely able to move.
A faint smile tugged at Varin's lips. Then — crack!
Dracula's spine burst from his torso, snapping upward to reconnect with his upper half.
"No matter how fast I run toward death," Dracula said, voice cold and heavy, "death always runs faster."
Akira's eyes widened in horror as he turned to see Dracula's body rejoining. He tried to summon another blade — but Dracula flicked his hand.
Splursh!
Blood exploded from Akira's body, spraying the ground as he fell.
What do I do…? I can't summon Sigvard or Morvain… I don't even have enough mana for a single soldier, he thought weakly.
"What a letdown," Dracula muttered, looking down at him. He turned away, his expression unreadable, as Akira's vision flickered.
Then Lilith's voice cut through the silence. "You might… want to see this."
Dracula turned — and froze.
Akira's eyes glowed blood-red, a golden ring spinning backward within his pupils. His wounds began to close.
"It's you…" Dracula whispered. "I can never forget those eyes."
A vision flashed before him — a man standing atop a mountain, long hair whipping in the wind, the same eyes burning through the shadows. Below him, a younger Dracula knelt beside a corpse, his face pale with fear. Both the past and present Draculas whispered the same name:
"Malakar."
Varin and Lilith's eyes widened.
"That's impossible," Varin said. "He's been dead for centuries."
"This boy is nowhere near Malakar," Lilith added sharply.
Dracula trembled as he stepped forward. "In all my years, I've searched… and no one else had those eyes. It has to be him."
Then — both Dracula's hands and Akira vanished. The ground rumbled violently.
"Where is he?!" Dracula shouted.
"Below us," Lilith replied.
Dracula looked down to see Mr. Oliver holding Akira in his arms.
"He's stronger than Dracula right now," Varin thought, a hint of awe in his expression. "High B-Tier… maybe even low A-Tier."
"Give me that boy!" Dracula roared, launching himself toward them.
Mr. Oliver raised his hand calmly. The earth trembled as massive boulders ripped free from the ground, slamming into Dracula. He sliced through the first, but more followed — piling up, crushing, and sealing him within a mountain of stone.
"Lilith," Varin said smoothly, "if you would."
Lilith stepped forward, raising her arm. With a single motion, she swiped downward.
Slash!
The asteroid split clean in two, revealing Dracula buried within as debris crashed to the ground. Two blood serpents shot from his flanks, lunging at Mr. Oliver.
"You're not nearly as powerful as the stories make you out to be," Mr. Oliver said coolly.
Dracula looked up — just as Mr. Oliver rose into the air, his presence distorting the atmosphere. But then Oliver's eyes widened, glancing to the sky.
"What took you so long…" he whispered.
The ground trembled violently. Oceans twisted, storms raged.
"He's finally here!" Varin shouted, eyes blazing with excitement.
Halfway across the galaxy, a radiant beam of rainbow light streaked toward Earth.