At Heissen, the meeting concluded, and Steve's group was divided into several teams. Steve remained in Heissen to serve as the liaison, while Blade operated alone, following his own methods to track down the vampires.
Rumlow and Matthew decided to accompany Alucard, maintaining vigilance against the overly powerful vampire.
Jessica and Luke, on the other hand, went to enjoy some alone time, planning to tour the city. Of course, they compensated Walter for the damaged chair, spending a dozen gold coins.
Luke and Jessica were now heading towards Pendle Hill, a significant landmark in the King Arthur legends. On a rare overseas trip, they wanted to explore.
Meanwhile, on Pendle Hill, the Last Battalion was in the midst of restoring Ninue's body under Mephisto's guidance.
"So, Lord Mephisto, just a simple stitching and cutting this tree is enough to revive Ninue?" The Doctor, who had been standing behind the Major, asked Mephisto with a fervent tone. Ninue's body, broken into several pieces, lay on the ground.
"If you merely want a Blood Queen you can control, this will suffice," Mephisto said with a hint of disdain, his small eyes glancing at the Doctor.
It was the Last Battalion that had made a pact with him. They desired occult power comparable to Alucard's vampire to better execute their plans.
Thus, Mephisto answered their call through the crude magic circles crafted by their amateur demonologists.
After all, humanity and hell were now isolated, and only his avatar, lingering in the human world, could achieve this goal. The other demons stranded among humans were insignificant individuals, lacking the courage to answer a request to confront Alucard directly. Though, he was disgusted by the sacrifice at the center of the summoning circle. Who said demons liked animal entrails, goat heads, and horse manure?
Demons with taste were only interested in souls. However, the crude sacrifice also made Mephisto willing to appear in the magic circle, especially after the recent, skillfully executed summoning, which was still fresh in his memory.
The number of souls in Alucard's river of blood represented how many resources he had snatched from hell. Pure-blood vampires were not favored by demons.
"So, can she defeat Alucard?" Warrant Officer Schrödinger asked, tiptoeing mischievously, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Not a chance. However, Alucard won't be able to absorb Ninue's soul, so she can buy you some time." Mephisto glanced at Ninue, whose mouth was sewn shut, and frowned as he spoke.
During the Doctor's research, Ninue had continuously tried to interfere with his thoughts, eventually leading to Lieutenant Zorin, annoyed by her persistence, crudely performing an oral suture—colloquially known as a physical gag. Even though Ninue was dismembered, her body still felt sensation, and the pain filled her with rage.
Afterward, in a quiet environment, she underwent surgery: a holy water remote spray, a mithril bomb, and a neural controller were implanted in her brain.
Not fully resurrected, she would still suffer damage, and she didn't want to become tattered. Now, Ninue's eyes held intense resentment, glaring at Mephisto. If not for Mephisto, she wouldn't be in such a miserable state.
This out-of-sequence resurrection felt like a joke. In this state, she couldn't even use slightly powerful magic; she was just an immortal meat shield. As for the name Alucard, she knew it too. The infamous Impaler. In her prime, she wouldn't have been overly wary of him. But now, she could only take a beating like a target.
What would a battle between two equally indestructible monsters turn into? Attacking each other while chatting, until one side couldn't bear the monotony and declared surrender.
"Can you provide me with the specific data for this immortality? I can trade my soul after death." The Doctor pursued with fervent shouts, only to be met with Mephisto's blunt mockery.
"You'll still have a soul after death? And your soul isn't worth that price." Mephisto sneered: "Offer me three thousand ordinary human souls for this trade, and I'll tell you another way to achieve immortality."
His voice, as always, carried a seductive power. As for the method, becoming a mummy could also grant immortality. Provided his soul was still intact.
"I've sewn her up." Lieutenant Zorin stood up, examining Ninue, who had been fully stitched. The crude stitching made the once magnificent Blood Queen look like a tattered scarecrow.
"Cut that tree, then cut Ninue's palm, and press the two wounds together." Mephisto stepped back two paces, a smile on his face.
The contract required him to provide guidance and participate in some collection work, ensuring that his guidance would result in a controllable Blood Queen. He wouldn't participate in any other events.
There were more people present than just these few. In a nearby cave, a small squad of witches was chanting spells to revive Ninue.
Mephisto was eager to see what Ninue, once fully resurrected, would do to these fanatical soldiers. Anyway, he had fulfilled his contract; as long as there were souls, he didn't care how many people a disaster might harm.
Lieutenant Zorin crudely created a wound with his scythe, then dragged the struggling Ninue towards the tree. The witches on the side hastened their chanting.
Ever since they learned Ninue's whereabouts from Baba Yaga, they had immediately drawn a large enough magic circle on Pendle Hill to ensure that the stitched Ninue wouldn't leave its center. Their goal was to use this time to revive Ninue away from prying eyes.
As the incantation ended, a flicker of joy appeared in Ninue's eyes. Zorin, who was holding her, roughly kicked her, completely unaware of her gleeful expression. The instant the wounds met, Mephisto instantly flickered away from the scene. A fully restored Blood Queen was not someone his "slightly" empowered avatar was willing to face.
"Contract complete. Now, the suffering souls created by your slaughter are mine."
Mephisto left only that statement, then appeared at the foot of the mountain. However, he immediately heard two shouts, and an axe instantly appeared in his vision, embedding itself directly into his head.
It was Jessica's hand axe.
Jessica and Luke had felt a nauseating stench as soon as they approached Pendle Hill, so they had already prepared for battle. And Mephisto had conveniently appeared right in front of them. An encounter battle had just begun!
The shouts from the foot of the mountain made Lieutenant Zorin and the Doctor realize their actions had been exposed. Fortunately, they had brought many soldiers who could block the enemy. But their actions hastened, and at this moment, they paid even less attention to the strangeness in Ninue.
"Mumble mumble… (My blood nourished you, but now I must take back what is mine…)" Ninue mumbled indistinctly through her sewn mouth.
This wasn't for some perceived sense of ritual; it was a necessary incantation. Her body had revived through the witches' spells, and now the final step was about to be achieved!
Even though the spell was mumbled, magic was a power leaning towards idealism, so she succeeded!
She completed the incantation at a speed of nearly ten words per second before her palm touched the tree!
The Blood Queen was about to be revived!
(End of Chapter)
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