The ruins trembled beneath the clashing might of titans.
Flashes of mana, steel, and shadow ripped through the devastated plain as four House Heads held the line against three Vatican Generals—a battle that had spiraled into a sustained deadlock no one expected.
Mereth Covenus, the Iron Matriarch, her greatsword carving crescents of blackened force.
Elric Callus, the Callus Fang, twin blades weaving a dance that bit harder with every exchange.
Theoren Valencrest, snowspike warhammer cracking shockwaves with each strike.
Kazane Hitoshirezu, katana drawn in a cold, deadly rhythm.
Opposing them:
General Slavik the Tyrant, every blow shaking the earth.
General Castiel the Slayer, flickering between shadows like a death whisper.
General Emilia the Vatican Witch, runes igniting in complex rotating sigils.
Steel met steel.
Frost met flame.
Shadow met sanctified light.
And yet—
Despite the fearsome reputations of the generals, despite the holy reinforcement weaving through their armor—
they could not break through.
The ground itself began to show the truth long before the Vatican soldiers noticed.
The hunters’ lines were pushing forward.
The four Houses—Covenus, Callus, Valencrest, Hitoshirezu—were tightening formation, adapting, gaining momentum. Their war chants grew louder. Their spells grew thicker. Their blades struck deeper.
The momentum was shifting.
The Vatican Knights were losing.
Zero noticed first.
Standing atop a cracked spire, arms folded, his violet-dark aura flickering in agitation. His eyes narrowed as he watched a squadron of knights fall beneath coordinated House tactics.
“So,” he murmured, “the balance is tipping.”
Another squad fell.
Then another.
Zero clicked his tongue.
“This is going to be troublesome.”
The four House Heads and the three generals steadied for their second clash—
When a deafening boom shook the battlefield.
Zero crashed down between them, shattering stone in a burst of black-light mist.
“Game time is over,” he said coldly.
“I’m ending this.”
General Slavik braced his blade.
“Commander, I can deal with this! You don’t need to dirty your hands—”
“I said,” Zero growled, not even turning his head,
“I will end this.”
His aura erupted outward—
A vortex of dark mist, blinding light, and roaring pressure.
“Time is short. And the longer this drags on… the stronger they become.”
He pointed subtly toward the outer ring of knights—
The Vatican forces were being shattered, line by line.
Slavik, Castiel, and Emilia froze in disbelief as they finally saw the truth.
Zero clenched his fist, shadows swirling around it like coiling serpents.
“And all it takes is to remove the heads,” he sneered.
“Then the rest will fall.”
He lunged—
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
—straight toward the four House Heads.
The impact of the clash was apocalyptic.
Elric and Mereth crossed blades in unison, parrying the first strike together—
Theoren smashed downward to intercept the second—
Kazane slid beneath, katana aiming to slice Zero’s leg—
Zero met them all.
His fists struck with enough force to make the air scream.
The four elite warriors were driven back step by step, their combined power pushing, resisting, barely holding.
Zero clicked his tongue.
“Not bad. But not enough.”
He vanished and reappeared behind them.
The four instantly reacted—
Mereth’s blade swung back ready to sever—
Elric’s twin swords intercepted—
Theoren slammed his hammer sideways—
Kazane’s blade flashed upward—
BOOOOOOOM!
The explosion of power sent shockwaves across the battlefield.
Zero grinned savagely.
“These are merely ripples of my full capability.”
But then—
He noticed movement behind him.
As the three generals prepared to rejoin—
Four figures burst through the haze.
Sarville descended first, blades clashing against Slavik in a wild spin.
Lucien Callus rushed Castiel with lightning-fast precision.
Eslene Covenus joined him, her magic slashing in crimson arcs.
Seraphine Valencrest intercepted Emilia’s spell with a retaliatory sigil barrier.
The generals staggered in shock.
“What—?!”
Sarville roared in Slavik’s face.
“You think we’ll let you interfere?”
Lucien’s blades clashed with Castiel’s.
“Your fight is with us now.”
Eslene’s voice followed, calm and lethal.
“I won’t let you lay a hand on my mother again.”
Seraphine’s sigil snapped apart Emilia’s barrier.
“You’re exhausted. Time to fall.”
The Vatican Generals, already worn down from the first clash with the House Heads—
were overwhelmed.
Sarville’s blade pierced Slavik’s armor.
Lucien and Eslene cornered Castiel, their combined assault finally breaking his guard.
Seraphine’s sigil blast detonated point-blank, knocking Emilia unconscious.
One by one—
the three generals fell.
Zero saw it.
And something broke in his expression.
“You pests…”
His aura erupted like a supernova.
He turned back to the House Heads—
Eyes glowing with murderous hunger.
“You dare—
You dare ruin my fun?!”
He charged—
Faster than before—
Power tearing the ground apart—
And smashed into the four Heads with savage fury.
Theoren was the first struck—
Launched across the ruins like a meteor.
Kazane followed—
Zero’s heel kicking him sideways into a collapsing wall.
Leaving only two still standing:
Elric Callus
and
Lady Mereth Covenus
Both braced, both panting, both bleeding—but unbroken.
Zero slammed his fists forward, each hand grabbing one of their weapons.
He held their blades—
Barehanded—
Shadow burning across his skin—
And pushed.
The ground cracked under their feet.
Air distorted.
Power clashed in chaotic waves.
Elric’s arm trembled.
Mereth’s blade quivered.
Zero snarled—
And—
CRRRK!
A burst of power exploded between them.
Zero recoiled, gasping.
His arm was cracked—dark blood dripping.
Elric’s blade was chipped.
Mereth’s gauntlet fractured.
All three stepped back, nearly at their limit.
Zero hissed—
Damn…
With my full capabilities, I should’ve killed at least two of them.
These two—
They’re monsters.
He chuckled darkly.
“Hehe… truly living up to your titles.”
He pointed his chin toward Elric.
“The Callus Fang.”
Then toward Mereth.
“The Covenus Iron Matriarch.”
He rolled his shoulders.
“But this…
This is the end of the line for you two.”
He surged forward for the killing blow—
Two figures blurred into existence—
Lucien Callus
and
Eslene Covenus
They stood between Zero and their parents, blades crossed, ready to die.
Zero skidded to a halt, eyes widening.
“...Tchh.”
He snarled.
“You insects never end.”
He lifted his arm, gathering power far beyond the previous attacks.
“Fine.
If you want to die with them—
THEN SO BE IT!”
He unleashed everything.
A massive, concentrated blast that tore the ground apart and engulfed the entire area in a dome of shadow-light.
An explosion so bright that many turned away—
Dust and wind howling—
A shockwave flattening the battlefield—
Everyone froze.
Silence.
Only dust and ruin where the four figures once stood.
Zero exhaled slowly.
“Hmph. Pathetic. It’s over.”
But—
A feeling crawled up his spine.
Wrong.
Something was wrong.
The dust began to clear.
And through the fog—
Two pairs of crimson eyes ignited.
Older.
Sharper.
Redder than Zero’s.
Zero’s face drained of color.
“No…”
A hand reached through the settling dust—
And grabbed Zero by the throat.
Zero choked, feet lifting off the ground.
A voice—ancient, cold, and furious—rumbled through the battlefield.
The dust blew away with a single swipe of the newcomer’s other hand, revealing his towering, imposing form.
Everyone turned in shock.
Mereth, Elric, Eslene, Lucien—all stared in disbelief.
And Zero, gasping for breath, managed to choke out:
“Gahhkkk…
Y-you…
Why would you interfere…
Draculius…!!!”
The entire battlefield froze.
Silence swallowed everything.
For the name belonged to—
Draculius Corvan.
The First.
The Progenitor of the Vampire Race.
A being older than kingdoms, older than the Houses, older than recorded history.
A myth.
A legend.
A nightmare.
And he was holding Zero like a child.
