The High Stakes Game

Remember when I said that there will be deaths?

No, that doesn't mean I'll kill off anyone in this chapter. I'm not THAT cruel to kill off people in such an early manner.

In fact, I don't think our beloved heroes will die that easily. After all, they ARE our heroes, whether you like them or not.

That also indicates that the antagonists will be a pain in the butt to kill off. Don't worry, I'll make you have this intense feeling of satisfaction when they do get slain.

Also, just try to imagine the simple- I mean, AWESOME, teamwork when you play with your team in a Ranked Match (if your team was actually ANY good. XD). That way, it would make things more comprehensible.

I am taking my time with talking to you, dear reader. I might not be able to talk anymore in the next few chapters, and no one will be able to hold your hand as you delve deeper into this story's dramatic climax.

Am I right? Is it climax?

Yep, it is. Phew, good thing my English classes paid off.

Oh, lord, just imagine if I said it wrongly and it was actually falling action.

Anyway, I have to say that things are pretty boring and sluggish throughout the first few days. The last ones? They're intensive as heck. Like, so intensive that I was on the verge of swearing in this story.

I'm glad this is typewritten.

Let's get to it.

"Forecast is clear," Saber announces. "Clear skies, no signs of sudden anomalies. Maintain regular security rotation."

As he announces via the loudspeaker, the civilians have started to calm down throughout. People are actually confident in going outside (as long as they have a weapon of some sort). The streets, the avenues, the highways, everything was calm. But now, it's growing dead silent.

Beyond the walls, the original spearhead formation remains tight, and the soldiers rotate position and order every hour to prevent the preoccupied from imminent exhaustion. Tigreal has also commanded to initiate the rotation phase when an attack occurs while the second half of the lapsing hour.

Half of Bane's ships were on the air, serving as scouts. Grock was sitting on the far side with his eyes peeled. He sees the corruption growing stagnant, which shows that the Dark Lord isn't intent on making a move. It could be a bluff or a tactic.

Whatever it is, it can't be good.

"I have this weird feeling in my chest," Victor huffed.

"Why do you say that?"

"Yinsen, you know what I mean. If the Dark Lord has the means of crushing us here and now, then why is he keeping himself cozy on the other side?"

"I've been thinking about that as well. He must have a snarky surprise up his sleeve. I bet it will show up on the sixth day."

Victor eyes Karina's army drifting to and fro around the streets, keeping watch. Most of the Sharpshooters, except for Lesley, Miya, and Clint's mates, were having their eyes trained on the borders, initiating the same rotation procedures as the ones below.

"We aren't enough, aren't we?"

"If we don't stick together, we won't win this war."

"There might come a time when sacrifice is the only option."

"I hope not, lad."

Meanwhile…

Franco, along with Yi and their troops, have taken the time to doze off for now, letting the others keep watch. The beach and the port wasn't experiencing any sort of bad weather.

In fact, everything is so stationary that there were barely ANY WAVES crashing down the beach's white sands.

Gatotkaca, being the mystic warrior, couldn't sleep. He took off his gauntlets and laid his hands to rest. He was put to the test by the gods before, but he did know that this is a whole other level, something he mustn't shrug off that confidently. He sighed as he kept his eyes on the calm horizon, guarding Lapu-Lapu and his tribe.

"Need a drink?" Yi Sun Shin asked, handing Gatot a cup of coffee. He simply rejected.

"Serenity."

"Hm?"

"I've never felt so much of it before."

The general set down his cup. "It amazes me to see how everything is set in the right time. All of us here, working together, to stop a common enemy."

"This, Dark Lord… is he as powerful as you think he is?"

"Legend says that he grew careless in the first clash. So careless, that it didn't take long before he was vanquished, and imprisoned in the Dreadmare Chest. But as he stayed there and let his fragments do the talking, the original soul remained in that very box and honed his powers. Even while inside, he had the potential to control a piece of his soul that was outside. When we freed him, the corruption he unleashed wiped the forest behind us and rendered it null, virtually irreparable."

"And we're the only ones left to stop him?"

"All of us are here. Yet, no matter how strict the implementations, no matter how perfect the executions, we just won't be enough, statwise. That's what our king fears. It's what we do as well."

"But we have hope."

"Different sides, different goals. One, to preserve, the second, to raze. If we don't win, not only this world will become victim of the spirit's relentless fury."

"Which is why all of you are keeping a careful eye on the boy."

Franco barges in loudly. "Alucard? Of course we do. We owe a lot to that kid. Heh, without him, I won't be standing here already."

"Me too," Yi adds.

"The three of us, I guess."

Meanwhile…

"Alright, dammit, I can't sleep."

Zhao has made up his mind as he tried to shut his eyes while Hayabusa has kept watch as a replacement. They were stationed on the storages, hoping that someone (or something) wouldn't be foolish enough to steal supplies. So far, they did catch a beggar, and out of pity, gave him a few apples.

"C'mon, what's it that makes you feel too hyped?" the ninja whispered. "If the war is getting to you, then I understa-"

"It's not about the war. I am worried about you, most especially your interactions with her."

"Who? Kagura? Yun, we're fine. We haven't argued ever since. Heck, we're solid. No one's interfering. You should be more worried about Miya, even if-"

"No, it's not that. I can feel my suspicions arising, Haya. It's burning right through me. Dude, have you noticed something weird about Kagura lately?"

"Hmm… none that I know of," Hayabusa answered calmly.

"She seems less carefree now. I noticed how she fought. She was cautious, and we know Kagura. Something's definitely up when she acts like that." Zhao walks up to Haya slowly to prevent waking up Akai. "Be honest with me. You're keeping a secret."

"W-what?"

"You're stammering. C'mon, just spill it."

"Zhao, nothing's wrong. I-"

"Tell me. Is she-"

The ninja swiftly raises his arm and clamps Yun's mouth shut. His eyes widen as he nods in agreement. He let go, and let the spearman's thinking kick in. After a few seconds, Zhao's face of confusion turned into enlightenment, then, a face of worry.

"HOLY-"

"Keep. It. Down."

"So I was right… Oh, damn…"

"Promise me that you will not tell anyone. Let me plan it through."

"Dude… I… I don't know what to say. Hayabusa… we have to protect her."

As soon as the last word left his lips, the alarm blared.

"Let's talk about this later."

Everything was back in action as the sun rose. It seems that throughout the night, the Sharpshooters have taken down several Hellhounds that acted as scouts and lookouts, intensifying the fact that the Dark Lord was keeping an eye on them. So far, the spearhead formation survived without a scratch.

"Status," Estes asked Saber.

"No movement yet. They could be amassing a bigger force. A thin layer of fog is beginning to shroud the area. It will barely hinder our vision, fortunately."

"No new enemies?"

"There are only Morphlings in the area," Roger said. "They aren't even sticking together. Let the shooters take down what they can. Let's not make any funny business."

The spearhead formation remained calm, but alert, as the Morphlings before them eyed them with dark intent. Some began to scurry out. However, things began to change as Argus eyes out a red orb floating on the sky.

"Alice!" he warns. The midline Striders immediately aimed their spears at the sky in a forty-five degree angle, paying their attention to the orb. The shape began to fall due to the gravity, and in mid-air, Alice herself materializes. Behind her, a swarm of Morphlings sped up to join her.

"Welcome, dears!" she taunted. "How's it going on your side?"

Bruno eyed the scene from the walls with Chou and Alucard. "Well, would you look at that! The witch has come back. What does she want this time?"

"It seems she completely healed after our last ordeal," the Demon Hunter thought.

Alucard's mind buzzed as he received a telepathic message.

"Keep yourself hidden."

He noticed Estes looking at him strictly. Alucard nodded at him in agreement.

"She might be looking out for you, man," Chou worriedly reminds. "Stay low."

"No hello? How rude," Alice grumbles. "Where is the honor?"

"What are you doing here, Alice?" Hylos asks, raising his scepter. "We aren't up for negotiations with you, or your allies. What do you want?"

"Well, I've come to tell you that there will be a few… conditions, regarding this event." She walks up near the army, but stopped after being a couple of meters away from them. "It would be better if you gave up early."

"And become your slaves?" Rafaela barges. "No thanks, I'd rather die."

"Sister, sister, why do you stay there, with your weakling of a brother? What a waste of time and effort, Rafaela. Get yourself checked. As I was saying, my master will test you before he does come out. I assume we all know that. Either way, you will lose, so why bother? We're going to prevent the gem from ever coalescing when the time comes. And the barrier? It may keep our pets out, but me and my friends will still be able to get in without any hassle. And besides, no matter what the case, Gaius is doomed to cease!"

Barely anyone ever budged, training their eyes on Alice. Well, she was intent on trying to change their minds, but she already knew it was of no use.

"Well then. If you're that thick headed, then let me show you the consequences. Ta-ta!" She clapped her hands, and below her, the ground erupted as a Wretch unearthed itself. As it pounced on the Bastions, they held their auras together and blew back the beast's momentum, knocking it a couple of meters away. As it regained its footing, it roared loudly, beckoning the swarm of Morphlings to group.

Alice was nowhere in sight.

"Their numbers will overwhelm us," Johnson speculates. "They barely need the Wretch. What we need is to clear off the Morphlings first before we get the big guy."

Minotaur leaps into the air and crashes his hammer into the spine of the Wretch. However, instead of staying down, the beast tried to swipe Minotaur, who was desperately staying on the sides to prevent getting clawed. The spearhead formation slowly advances as the bull pushes the Wretch away, but he would soon lose.

"Can anyone help Mino?!" Rafaela asks. "I'll clear out the Morphlings!"

Fortunately, the angel didn't have to, because the sky grew dark, and blue lightning scatters around the field, roasting ALL of the Morphlings to a crisp through a multitude of chain reactions.

"Eudora is with the Gem," Gord says, casting mystic fields from the backline to push the Wretch farther. "What we need is more muscle against that Wretch! It will be long before Eudora is ready for another wave!"

A few Bastions in the front separate along with a couple of Striders, rushing to Minotaur's aid. Meanwhile, the bull swipes away the incoming bites of the Wretch, his hammer dropped. Gatotkaca rushes into the fray, catching Mino's attention. Minotaur pulls himself out of the demon's clutches to be replaced. Gatot punches the stampeding wretch with his gloves. It did deal a bad concussion, yet, if the Wretch has to be put down, he must do it fast.

"Can't Grock simply squish that behemoth?" Sun asked. He looks out for the titan, who, unfortunately was fending off the airborne Hellbats and Spitfires with Bane's ships. Alpha and Fanny were now on the scene, trying to clear both the land and air threats.

Minotaur, who was wounded, let himself establish a healing link with Estes, and joins Gatot once more. The Elven King orders the army to stay put.

"Why is this thing so tough to kill?!" the warrior complains. As he was about to land a blow through the Wretch's skull, a Morphling tackles him, but was met by Tigreal's blade. The gilded knight pushes through Morphling horde (which was not so interested in him), but as he was coming to stab the Wretch, the Morphlings took action. The spearhead formation braced for a breach, but the swarm diverted course and headed straight for Tigreal and Gatot. Minotaur kicks, stomps and swipes the swarm to the air, but it was no use. The Sharpshooters and Archimedians are doing their job, but the Morphlings were toppling over each other.

(If you watched the movie World War Z, then yes, that's how aggressive the Morphling Swarm is. Hundreds upon hundreds, maybe thousands. What they lack in individual strength is what they bolster in numbers.)

The Demon Hunter clan has went in as well, throwing their Molotov cocktails and nullifying gases to incapacitate the horde. Some were set aflame, some were put to sleep. They brought out their axes and swords and sliced through, giving Minotaur, Gatot and Tigreal some breathing.

"It's an enhanced breed!" Victor calls out. "It grows more resilient every time you hit it! Make your blow count, or it will be tougher to kill!" He throws a nullifying gas, causing the Wretch to choke. The bad news is, it didn't even begin to doze, much less, stifle a yawn. The good news is, As soon as Gatot punched its legs, it broke easily.

"The gas will only last for so long, we have to kill it as soon as possible!" Minotaur warns. Estes is forced to use the Mortars again, but didn't dare activate the static field. The explosive shells bounced out and about and delivered hellfire to the inbound Morphlings. Only a few survived, but many have begun to push back the spearhead formation.

The Striders kept up with the pace, stabbing the demons that came close. Miya was letting loose her arrows. She had no problem in terms of running out of arrows. The problem was the amount of demons closing in.

Finally, Gatot, Minotaur and Tigreal has subdued the beast, slicing and crushing its legs. Minotaur landed the killing blow and smashed its head with the hammer, putting it down once and for all.

"We have to help them clear the field," Gatot reminds. He bangs his gauntlets, taunting the Morphlings to attack him instead. Tigreal raises his shield as he blocks the path. Irithel roams around the midline, shooting down the Morphlings with her crossbow.

Freya asked, "Where are the mages?" She slices upward and follows up with an aerial slash, slaying a Morphling and a Spitfire.

"They're at the backline. They're waiting for their call!" an Archimedian replies.

"Call them now. We need disablers here, ASAP!"

Gord launches a wide beam of death, roasting the Morphlings to dust. He moves around with it, pushing the swarm away.

"Fall back for now," Estes commands. "It's too risky to advance, now that we know the Wretches can burrow. Fortunately, we can detect them, but if we do, it could be too late."

And he was right.

"Bogies, up front!" Lesley notes through her radio. "Three of those things!"

"Wait," Karina interrupts, wiping the blood off her blades. "Did she just say there were three Wretches?"

"They're enhanced!" Harley calls, Nana and Cyclops behind him. "They're enhanced… What do we do?"

"Is Eudora ready for another blast?"

"In five minutes!" Nana reminded. "Tigreal, Gatot and Mino can't take it all alone, and we can't have Argus in the field. He has to keep watch."

"Then we're coming in."

The group looks behind them to see Alucard, Bruno, Chou, Lolita, Ruby, Roger, Akai, Hayabusa and Kagura.

"Let the three take a rest. We'll call if we need them," Akai suggests. "We may not be able to kill them, but we'll give you some time."

"With the nine of you, the Morphlings will pick you rather than us! I'm going as well!" Freya volunteers.

"The more we get, the more we need, but let's not exceed!" Roger huffs.

Zhao and Lapu-Lapu join in. The group nods as they exit through the spearhead formation.

The new Wretches were a lot faster now, but their adaptability remains the same. The twelve heroes split into groups of four, splitting each beast's attention. The Demon Hunter clan falls back to the formation.

"Alright, plain and simple," Alucard mutters. "Kill them quick enough." Yet, with Chou, Ruby and Akai, it still won't be easy.

Akai jumps on the Wretch's back and began to ride on it like a bull on a rodeo. The beast snorts in annoyance, proceeding to move every part of its body to wiggle the panda off. Chou lands his fiery fists on the legs and belly, but it was ineffective.

"Chou, dull its senses. Hit its noggin'!" Akai orders.

"Its breath stinks! What makes you think I can bear that?!"

"There's no use complaining, because if you don't, we'll die!" Ruby argues, cutting the leg off the Wretch, but she received the hard kick of the other hind leg.

In the other group, Freya, Lapu, Zhao and Lolita was stabbing and cutting down their Wretch, but as they were simple wounds, the Wretch began to adapt, overcoming the pain. Zhao jumps and leaps with one foot on the Wretch's head and strikes his spear right through the skull. The demon shrieked with agony as it flung its head around. Zhao kept his grip on his spear as Lapu attempts to incapacitate the Wretch by cutting its legs, but Lolita halts.

"Zhao, can you control the thing?!"

"In some points, yeah!"

"Use it to take the other ones down!"

"Yeah, now we're talking!" Zhao pushes the spear forward, causing the Wretch to speed through the one that Alucard and his team was addressing. But Ruby was in the way.

Chou saw it.

"Zhao is coming to collide the two Wretches!" he calls. "Ruby is in the way!"

He caught Alucard's attention. The Demon Hunter noticed it and attempted to save her, but she wasn't unconscious. She was waiting.

Ruby held out her hand, signaling that she was alright.

"Goddamnit, why isn't Ruby moving?!" Akai loudly thought. The Wretch caught Ruby's scent and immediately stampeded to her direction.

"Chou! Expose your Wretch's neck with your kick to its face! I know what Ruby is doing!" Zhao calls from afar, but they were nearing…

"One."

"Two…"

"Three!" Ruby slides away as Chou comes in, his roundhouse kick coming into contact with their Wretch. It did expose his neck for Zhao's ride to bite. Out of instinct, Zhao's Wretch clamped its jaws, tearing the head of its fellow kind off of its shoulders, killing it. Ruby slides below the surviving Wretch's underbelly, slicing below and exiting through the other side, spilling its guts. The beast let out a painful moan as it went down.

Hayabusa, Kagura, Bruno and Roger were done. Roger was in Wolf Form, his fur covered in blood.

"That was too risky," Bruno breathed out, chuckling out of nervousness. "Don't you dare do that again!"

The celebration was short lived.

Out of all the commotion, they didn't see the red orb pass to the center, and Alice appears, blasting them out. Chou dodges out of the blast just in time, preventing himself from getting thrown off.

"How did you like my test?" she asked.

"You're tempting," Chou mumbles. "But nope." He releases a flurry of punches to Alice. She tanks the shots, but it barely fazes her. As she attempted to block his next attack, he feigned and let Freya next, her shield bashing Alice out of the field. Alice simply rolls and regains her footing (which is near impossible. SHE'S WEARING HIGH HEELS! HOW?!).

"Come, my darlings!" she sang, beckoning the Morphlings. "Aim for the Hunter!"

"Alucard, she's aiming for you!" Hayabusa goes in front of him and clears away the Morphlings for him. Balmond and his Orcs, along with Hilda and her group, charges in. They blocked the Morphlings, but some jumped over, fixated on attacking Alucard.

"I heard you have something new to show us. Care to demonstrate?" Alice challenged. "I'd like to see you try."

Alucard signals his friends to let them know that he will retreat for the meantime. However, as soon as he faced behind, five new Wretches blocked them, surrounding them.

"They're cornered!" Saber notices, calling Fanny. The two of them fly with insane speeds and slashes the Wretches' backs, but the beasts never flinched, standing their ground. The Bastions and Striders in the frontline have begun to attempt to force them out of the way, but it was no use. The beasts didn't put their attention to the army. Even worse, the excess Morphlings have begun to attack the midline, putting them in a risky situation.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Freya mumbles. She swaps places with Chou as she attacks from above, but her attack was dodged. She lunged with her sword to hit Alice, but the cut healed in a near-instantaneous manner.

"Mere stabs won't hurt me anymore, Valkyrie. A shame your sisters won't come and watch you die." Alice raises her hands, causing a blood trap to snag Freya's feet. Before she could strike, Lolita blocked her path and deflected Alice with her shield. The stun broke the trap, setting Freya free. Lolita swung around, but she hit Morphlings around her instead.

"Look around you, elf. It will be unfortunate if you die too early. If you don't let your friend come here, then I guess I have to go above my master's orders, and we don't want that, do we?"

"Alucard was right. Witches do talk a lot." Lolita raised her hammer, overpowering the energy inside it. Alice snickered as she began to swipe her claws toward her, but a greatsword cuts her arm clean off. Alucard teleports to it while it's in mid-air.

"What in-"

Alice couldn't continue as soon as Lolita hit the ground, causing a massive stasis shockwave that had concussions powerful enough to make the Morphlings explode. The resonating waves stunned the Wretches as well, giving more time for their friends to take them out.

Alucard watched as Alice's arm simply faded into black sand, while she, herself, grew a new one.

(No, I'm not kidding. She literally grew a new one from scratch.)

"Nice try, but remember, Hunter, I can't be killed by these weapons of yours, and same goes for Vexana, Zhask, the Shadowbringer, and my master. If you wish to end me, show me your true power!"

"I won't do that. If you want it, force it out."

"Alucard!" Bruno calls. "What do you think you're doing?! Don't challenge that crazy woman! Don't fight her!"

Bruno launches a ricocheting volleyball straight towards the mass of Morphlings, stunning them one by one, giving a clear shot for the marksmen. Hilda between two Wretches as she swung her axe and spun, cutting their stomachs off as quick as she could. The beasts slowly went down, and as they were finished off, they limped in despair.

"I have millions more of my lovely pets, Alucard. You won't win this time. My side may have flunked in the first war, but we've adapted!"

Alucard flipped and struck his weapon to the ground. Alice hovered suddenly to dodge it, and she leaped to him with her claws. The Demon hunter blocks it with the flat of his sword. Seeing an opening, he ducks, and as he slid through the ground, Alucard raised his greatsword, slicing Alice through where the sun doesn't shine.

(Did you think it was that easy? NO.)

Alucard raised his head in astonishment as he saw the fatal wound disappear in seconds.

"How is she surviving them?!"

"I don't care if it will take weeks to hack you down!"

Alice cackled. "You see, Alucard? The Land of Dawn may have had years of preparation, but we? We had millennia to spare. That alone proves our superiority!"

Alice shrieked, letting out a wide blast of dark energy, blasting Alucard out. As he was trying to stand, she charged, but Ruby intervenes and slices with her scythe, doing the same exact move Alucard did, but even more fatal.

But instead of stopping Alice, the two halves of her simply went through and meshed again, and now, her complete self had her hands on Alucard's neck. He attempts to switch his sword hand, but she pushes the sword outward to his left side.

"SHOW ME! The Fall's blessing may take over, but it's a waste of potential. Show me, Alucard, or my pets will bring your friends down!"

He grunts as he calls the sword through his telepathy, and the sword flies back to his right arm. He began to get invigorated by the sudden power, his eyes filled with red mist of hatred. Alucard uses both of his legs and kicks Alice off him high into the air. She retains control with her wings. Alucard stood up and rushed behind him to take down the Wretches. He threw his greatsword and it lodged itself into a Wretch's back. Alice caught him, tried to keep him there, but he teleports to his blade, and dug it deep into the Wretch's skin. He runs along its side, dragging the greatsword. As he reached the end, gallons of blood spilled out from the beast as it whimpered and died.

"Four left. Focus on your task, Alucard, and get out while you still can!"

He kept repeating his objective in his thoughts like a mantra. Alucard had to slice down the Wretches before Alice or the Morphlings would overcome their defensive force.

Lapu-Lapu dug his twin blades to a Wretch's back and begun to ride it, forcing it to attack to where Lapu wants it to. It claws around, but it hits the swarm of Morphlings around, scattering them. The Bastions and Striders moved away and were replaced with a new squadron. A Wretch lost focus and decided to attack the open spearhead formation, but Minotaur pummels it to the barren ground and smashes its skull without remorse, preventing a potential massacre.

"Too close," Estes muttered. "We can't advance, it's too risky."

"Let me try!" Aurora swept with her hands and casted a transparent dome of ice around the heroes cornered by the Wretches. One of the beasts landed its fists, and the barrier was broken. It was, however, beneficial for the group because it gave them a clear opening. Zhao jumped on one, but Alice's red orb threw him off. The sphere followed down with him, and before Alice could materialize, Kagura switched places with Zhao in time.

Hayabusa saw this and began to panic.

"No! Kagura, get out of there!"

"That was either brave or foolish, girl!" Alice snarled, slashing at the mage while she protected herself with a pink force field. Akai came in and swung his staff, but the Queen caught it. Bruno went in and slid in the air, aiming his feet at her face.

A perfect hit.

As soon as he did, he raised his free foot and kicked Alice's face to the dirt with the short end of his foot.

"Yeah, you like that, you witch?!" he taunted. The trio immediately scampered as Alice began to retaliate. Her wings unfurled and a blood aura began to germinate.

"She's going to leech us dry if we keep close!" Balmond warned, swapping places with the trio. He leaps and brings down his axe to Alice's skull. Again, it barely did nothing, much less made her BLEED. She grinned mischievously as she effortlessly pushed the double-sided axe with her hands ON THE SHARP EDGE, forcing Balmond out. Her splitting wound immediately healed. Hilda charges from behind and slashes Alice's ankles, fazing her momentarily. And the process went. Hilda desperately locks down Alice and puts her to her knees with the blows, while Balmond hacks her off on her torso. But nevertheless, it wasn't worth it, unless you count that it brought Alucard enough time to kill the other Wretches.

Alice groaned as she caught both axes by the blade and pushed them off from her. She let forth an orb that homed in on Alucard who was finishing off the remaining Morphlings. As it hit the mark, she materialized out and pinned Alucard to the ground.

"SHOW ME! I'VE HAD ENOUGH WITH-"

Alucard brought up his greatsword with his left hand, slicing off Alice's face, but the wound closed again. Yinsen throws a nullifying gas, but Alice's deflects it off with her free arm, rendering it useless. Chou raced as he brought down a flaming fist, but Alice grabbed him by the neck and locks him down with her aura.

Alucard struggles as his friends foolishly attempts to save him, only to be locked by Alice's aura. With every lasting second, she goes stronger.

And he has no choice.

"Eudora, now!" Estes said as he casts a stasis ward, slowing down the leeching process that Alice underwent. The Sharpshooters and marksmen simultaneously launched their projectiles, and they stopped their travel as it hit the stasis ward. As Eudora unleashes her storm, the lightning arcs through, but it didn't aim for Alice.

It aimed for the Demon Hunter.

"LET THEM GO!"

The ward negates as another warped blast breaks the other heroes free. Alice squinted her eyes out of the dust and sees Alucard with white lightning synergizing with his demonic powers. Luckily, the sword was on his right arm rather than his left. All of the bullet holes and punctures Alice received forced her body to heal slower.

He threw his sword, and it traveled much faster than it should. Alice dodged it as it charges, but Alucard teleports just in time and slashes her back, nearly cutting off her wing. And the wound healed a lot slower.

"What is this?!" Alice asked, bewildered. Alucard's clothes began to morph back into black, his greatsword bursting into flames. Alice suddenly felt asphyxiation, struggling with her breathing.

Her blood aura barely worked as Alucard slices her body into two again. The wound mended, but the painful, contorted expression on Alice's face was prominent.

"Now you feel what I felt in that rancid pit," Alucard said, but it wasn't his voice.

"Why are you… so stubborn?!" Alice said in frustration, leaping at him for the last time. Alucard angled his sword horizontally, and the two collided.

Alice's legs was torn clean off of her torso (I know, gross, right?), but the wounds themselves were cauterized. Alucard's clothes were torn, but after a while, it mended along with the fatal claw marks, and they reduced into thin scars. Alice choked in pain as she tried to understand the air she was even breathing at the moment.

"You… How…"

"Radioactive incense," Alucard explains. "Harmless for us, but lethal for you. You wanted me to show what I can do, but not this time. I cannot kill you now, but I had made you suffer!"

He brings down his sword to stab Alice, but darkness began to cloud his vision.

"I know you're there, Helcurt."

He sees a small outline racing to Alice. It grabbed her top half, rather than her lower half, as Alice's legs began to dissipate to black sand.

"Mark my words, Hunter… Your end draws n-n-n-near… One day, you will know the truth through suffering!"

Alucard's vision returns, and the two were gone. He looked around him, but they were nowhere in sight. The Demon Hunter's clothes turned red again, and his greatsword went back to normal. His eyes were no longer filled with red mist. He put the sword on his back and turned around.

"Alucard! You alright?" Estes asked.

"I'm fine, Estes, but thank you."

Ruby sighed. "With that impact we landed on Alice, it will take some time before the next wave comes."

The others went up to check on him, and Yi Sun Shin spots something odd.

"Alucard… your arm."

"What about-" Alucard notices the purple scales and spines slowly growing from his elbow to his upper right arm, nearly reaching his shoulder. He felt slight numbness on the covered spot.

Saber and Fanny lands on the ground with Alpha. The cyborg assessed the situation, and concluded. "It seems that what we feared has come. The demonization process is starting. If Alucard keeps using his right arm, the process continues."

"Wait," Karrie interrupts. "How long before it covers him?"

"So far, Alucard has used his abilities for approximately 20 minutes," Alpha adds. "He can only tolerate a maximum amount of 6 hours."

"What happens after 6 hours of usage?" Natalia asks.

"Then we lose him, and then…"

"Then what?"

"Then it's up for fate to decide whether he's a mindless ally, or a volatile enemy. Either way, we will lose the war."

ERROR! INCOMING TRANSMISSION!

(The following video tape has been considered to be taken through a pair of 'spy glasses', which were used discreetly. The wearer, however, has been unidentified.

The feed shows the corridors of an abandoned building, recently used as a wide parking lot. Bits of paper and trash flew with the rising wind. Excessive amateur graffiti mark the cracked walls. It's also confirmed that the wearer is also talking to someone else. The two seem to be sitting on two abandoned office chairs near the stairs.

Both the date, the identity of the persons, and the exact location remains unknown. The person communicating with the wearer, who has been confirmed as a female, has her face blurred out completely, along with a pixel block.)

"Hey, why here out of all places? I mean, I know this isn't some scary parking lot, but it feels… intriguing."

"I often come here after school days. It's really, well, comforting. I can do anything I want here before I go home. Not that I am depressed and all. Everything feels nostalgic here. I can remember anything, and no one stops me."

"What is it about, anyway? And come on, my friends are waiting for me. They're going to invite me in a Ranked match."

"Well… I have a secret, that I should tell you."

"If it's secret, then why share?"

"I've been, um… ordered, that I do what I want with this information. Don't worry, it's not deemed classified. Call it an open secret."

"Okay…"

"You see, we all ask ourselves this one question, 'How did the game came to be?'"

"Yeah, that's still an unsolved mystery."

"All around, people are making hoaxes and conspiracies, thinking of ways to make others side with their theories. But it seems that we're smart enough to not believe them, since their proof is also fabricated."

"It seems your sense of humor is still intact, ********."

"Anyway, what if I told you that I really know the truth?"

"I wouldn't believe you."

"Surely, ********. That's why I am giving you this."

(The wearer fishes out a silver hard drive from his bag, with an indistinguishable label written on masking tape.)

"What's that for?"

"If you've been longing for the source that crafted a masterpiece that changed this world, then it's right inside this hard drive. It's your choice whether or not to scan it, but do it discreetly."

"Um… I don't understand."

"I assure you, no harm will come to you. If there was, then I wouldn't have brought you here in the first place. I'm your friend, ********. Trust me for once."

"Sure."

(The companion gently takes the hard drive and puts it in her purse.)

"What does this contain again?"

"A story."

"Hold up… a story?"

"I'm not kidding. You know that I'm not one for fabrication."

"Okay… I trust you on this one. Thanks, though. I really like it here! I should come over here someday."

"See? I knew you would like it here."

"See you soon, dude."

"Same to you."

(The female walks out of the abandoned site, the wearer of the glasses still sitting on the office chair. The following monologue remains clear, without any omission or voice static present.)

"Phew… Things are really beginning to change. If they want me to share this stuff, then…"

"EUREKA! I know a way!"

"Alright, calm down. What you're doing is for the sake of this goddamned world. You're going to mess up a lot of brains, but it's going to be worth it one day. Who knows? I could get a medal of recognition for this!"

"Let's just play it easy. Yeah, just take it easy, Arcturus. We've got a lot of stuff to do."

END OF TRANSMISSION.