Note: Alessia "Aliya, Shirokitsune" Andoria has the appearance of Emina Hanaharu from Final Fantasy Type-0. It was the appearance the author provided to give the readers an image in their head.
…
Slash!
The Supreme Grade Blade, Oodenta Mitsuyo, skewered Shirokitsune's abdomen. Oseinofica followed through with a merciless sideways rip, and one could almost see Shirokitsune's entrails spilling from the torn flesh as her body plummeted toward the earth.
"Aliya!"
Momousagi shrieked. Using her incredible leaping ability, she blurred through the air and caught the falling Shirokitsune in a bridal carry just before she hit the ground.
"Hmph. She's beyond saving."
Oseinofica gave a cold sneer before locking his gaze back onto Issho. "You're the next one I'm sending to the afterlife, Admiral."
"Then please, enlighten me," Issho replied, his aura exploding at full power. He, too, had no path left but forward.
"No... it can't be. Though slightly inferior to the Admiral candidates Momousagi and Chaton, Vice Admiral Shirokitsune was an elite even among the Vice Admirals. To be taken down in a single blow..."
"As expected... the majesty of the Government cannot be defied."
"Give it up... forget about reform. At least we can keep our lives this way."
The shocking sight of the heavily wounded Shirokitsune caused the Marines who were about to follow Issho's rebellion to waver. The power Oseinofica displayed was simply too terrifying.
Kneeling on one knee, Momousagi looked at the horrific wound in her friend's abdomen. Her eyes twitched as she thought, No... it's over. A wound like this is impossible to...
"Cough! Cough!"
Shirokitsune violently spat out two mouthfuls of blood, staining Momousagi's chest. Her vision began to blur. She reached out a trembling hand into the air. "Am I... going to die? Damn it."
"I stopped fearing death long ago... but... to die like this without seizing the chance for revenge against the Government... I... I refuse to accept it."
"I, Alessia Andoria, will not accept this!" Shirokitsune wept, finally speaking her true name.
"A-Alessia?"
Momousagi was stunned. Wasn't Shirokitsune's name Aliya?
"Sorry, Momousagi... I lied to you. My real name is... Alessia Andoria. I joined the Marines just to get revenge on the Government... cough, cough!"
Alessia couldn't finish her sentence, coughing up several more mouthfuls of blood.
"Enough! Whether you are Aliya or Alessia, stop talking! You're only hastening your death, don't you know that?!" Momousagi cried out in desperation.
"It's a bit too early to die."
Suddenly, a voice drifted over. Momousagi and Alessia looked up in shock to find Alucard standing beside them at some unknown point. He looked down at them with a faint smile. "Alessia Andoria... twenty-three years later, and I hear that name again."
"Still as young as ever... Alucard the Immortal..."
Alessia struggled to speak. "Heh... unfortunately, I don't have an immortal body."
"You want revenge that badly, soldier?"
Alucard used the same address he had used when he first met her twenty-three years ago.
Normally, the words of a pirate were not to be trusted. However, Alucard's voice seemed to possess a strange magic that compelled Alessia to answer.
"I do! No matter the cost, I want it!" Alessia screamed, ignoring the agonizing pain in her gut.
The corners of Alucard's mouth curled up, revealing his prominent fangs. "Very well. Then let us strike a contract."
With that, Alucard knelt and took Alessia's body from Momousagi's arms.
Though she didn't know what Alucard intended to do, Momousagi saw her best friend's life hanging by a thread and said nothing, simply watching him in silence.
Of course, it wasn't just Momousagi. As the protagonist of this war, Alucard drew the eyes of countless people even amidst the internal naval strife.
"What is that man doing to that dying woman?" Treasure asked, bewildered.
In the next second, everyone saw Alucard open his mouth and sink his fangs directly into Shirokitsune's neck.
This scene reminded everyone of Redfield's actions during the Summit War a year ago, the man who possessed the Mythical Zoan Vampire Fruit.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Alessia's body began to glow with a faint red light. Those nearby, like Momousagi, were stunned to see the entrails that had been spilled by Oseinofica's blade actually flow back into her body.
Not only did they return, but the massive wound closed and healed within two seconds. If not for the jagged tear in her uniform, everyone would have doubted their own eyes.
BOOM!!
A meteorite screaming from the sky looked ready to crush Oseinofica, but he merely laughed. He swung his blade, cleaving the meteorite into several chunks, and easily stepped through the falling debris to close in on Issho.
"As a Marine Admiral, is this all the strength you have? It seems I overestimated the Navy!"
"This old man may be of limited talent, but I do not represent the entirety of the Navy. Your words are a bit too arrogant, Celestial Dragon-dono." Issho charged forward without hesitation.
"Evasive maneuvers!"
Sengoku shouted to the surrounding Marines as he watched the meteorite fragments rain down.
"What a pain!"
Chaton slammed his hands into the ground. The rocky terrain turned to mire and instantly rose as a massive shield over everyone's heads. Following a thunderous boom and the violent impact, some people were still sent flying by the shockwave.
"Alucard the Immortal is the primary target of this war."
Suddenly, a figure appeared near Alucard. Momousagi looked up and was shocked once again. It was one of the Gorosei, the bald one with the handlebar mustache.
"Even the Gorosei are..."
The surrounding onlookers were filled with dread. Some thought to themselves, Their strength has always been a mystery. Do they also possess combat capabilities?
"Wait! He might be treating Shirokitsune, at least let him..."
Momousagi rose to block him, but a golden spiral of energy suddenly erupted from the Gorosei's hand. It struck her collarbone, sending her spiraling away as blood sprayed the ground.
In the next second, the glow of the National Treasure's power rose from the Gorosei's body as well, though his was golden.
"Hmph. A mere traitor, yet she dares to speak so boldly here."
The Gorosei spoke with disdain, then looked at Alucard's kneeling back. "Whether it's Kong or the Navy, they're all the same. In the end, I have to be the one to clean up after you."
With those words, he launched a strike at Alucard's back.
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