The Reservoir (Part 3)

Meanwhile…

"There, almost done," the captain reminds as one of the medics place the last bomb. "All that's left is the detonation and the sphincter. Argus, you're up." He throws the last Widowmaker depth charge to Argus, which he easily catches. "When set, you have 10 seconds."

"Thank you," Argus replies. "All of you need to get out, now. We can't stay here. The sphincter's movements indicate the coming of the next emergence."

The demolition team quietly nods as they check their gear. Lancelot looks above and eyes a Spitfire creepily staring at them from one of the naturally made bridges. It screeches in response and tries to fly off, but one of the soldiers shot it down with his silenced rifle.

"Let's hustle, it may have warned more," the shooter said. One of the members have already hooked herself to one of the lines and climbed up, hastily stepping on the partially fleshy walls of the structure. The others grabbed on the other lines while the remaining wait for their turn. Argus picks Odette up and puts her into one of the bridges as he returns to get Lancelot.

"Lance, is there something wrong?" Argus asks, hinting the knight's nervousness. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright… but I have this bad feeling that we are being watched. Like, many things staring at us," Lancelot remarked. "Something is off."

"No demons in sight, we're clear to move," the captain says. "Nothing on the radar, thermal, sonar, anything, not even abstracts or something of the kind, but the blond is right. This doesn't look promising."

Most of the demolition team has now reached the upper levels and began to walk on the crevices, briskly squeezing themselves out. It took a good minute for them to reach the opening that led back to the staircase outside.

"Argus, whenever you are ready," the heavy gunner says. "I suggest all guns trained in different directions."

The team activates their lasers on their weapons, focused in the different openings and crevices they've found. The anticipation builds as Argus stands on the edge of the bridge, ready to drop the last charge in time. The sphincter's internal structure begins to glow but in a slower rate than usual.

"What's he waiting for?" the captain asks.

"For something to come out. We need to clear this whole zone, 100%," one of the recruits hypothesized. "We can't leave a trace."

Argus looks down and begins the countdown. "Captain, set off the bombs on three."

"Roger."

The angel faces Lancelot and Odette, motioning them to go to with the team. The duo nods and sprints towards the soldiers, when suddenly, a large yellow eye suddenly opened, originating from the wall adjacent to the team.

"WOAH WOAH!" Lancelot reacts, nearly falling off. "Everyone, company!"

Argus turns to their location and spots another yellow eye opening slightly northeast of the first. Two by two, more yellow eyes appeared around the walls, slowly contorting to express their anger at the intruders.

"All units, fire at will!" the captain orders. A volley of pulse energy is shot around, trying to burst the eyes out. "ARGUS! I'M DETONATING THE CHARGES NOW!"

One of the soldiers didn't notice the human-like arm that was slowly jutting out from below the ledge they were in. It grabbed him by the leg and caught him unawares, and without difficulty, throws him out to the bottom to fall, landing with a loud thud. Even more arms, hundreds of them, began to spawn out around the walls, filling the surface area that the yellow eyes didn't cover, and they flailed aimlessly, trying to find something to grab on. The captain presses the button and the charges begin to detonate.

Twenty seconds.

Argus flies around the interior as the team begins to wiggle their way back onto the staircase. He hovers around and stays clear of the bridges and the walls, the eyes following him around. He hovers above the sphincter and initiates the detonation procedure.

"Come on… Make this work," he mutters. He was about to flick the switch until an elongated, multi-jointed arm grabs him by one of his wings. More arms began to grow out of proportion and they reached out to Argus to keep him in place. One of them grabbed his helmet and tried to yank one of the horns, but Argus pushes his head forward and cuts the arms down with his sword.

"Get… GET OFF!" Argus yells as he unleashes his aura, driving the desperate arms away from him. As soon as he flicks the switch on the charge, one of the eyes ruptured into a mass of yellow pus and viscera as one of the Widowmaker charges begin to collapse the wall. A few more begin to burst as the sphincter glowed, the shadows of multiple demons coming out of the canal. Argus pushes upward as fleshy boulders began to fall, the arms still alive and swinging around. He cuts down one that fell as he flaps his wings harder, barely reaching the end. Half of the Reservoir's structure has now collapsed, and the boulders have covered the sphincter. After a few seconds, a muffled BOOM! shook the ground below the rocks, indicating the detonation of the charge inside the sphincter.

Argus swerves and sees the other members on the undemolished portion of the staircase, just a few stories above the ground. They kept going down until the captain meets a Ravager growling at them. The demon begins to charge, but Odette throws it off with one of her spells. The Ravager survives the fall, but Argus lands down and stabs it to the ground, preventing it from rising.

"Is everyone alright?" Argus asks to the demolition team.

"Now, that's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen," the heavy gunner updates. "Still, we need to get out of here. The big bad probably heard us from way over there."

A random collection of shrieks and growls were heard. The group looks beyond and sees a swarm of Hellhounds and Reapers running towards their location.

"Lance, Odette, go with the group and follow the route!" Argus says. "I'll deal with the demons."

Lancelot doesn't agree with the idea. "Argus, no! You can't take them all alone!"

"But can you?! I will be fine, it will not be long before I get back! Now go!"

The lovers sprint off in a rather random direction, but this was the designated route Estes told them to go, which was through and out the plains and back into the battlefield. However, the distance was too far away.

Give or take, 24 kilometers.

No, not kidding. They have to run 24 kilometers. The corruption also prevents Estes from conjuring spells for them. It's an uneven situation. I mean, they can do it. They can run that far, but to actually make it with all the hostiles around? Therein lies the rub.

Most of the soldiers have begun following the two, except the captain, who gave his final words to the fallen angel.

"We'll do what we can. They'll get out alive!" he assured. "Kill the bastards. We're counting on you." The captain now runs to the group and catches up.

Argus turns his head towards the horde, but the demons were focused on the runaway group. Argus flies and swiftly lands on their way, impeding their chase.

"If you want to get to them, you'll have to go through me first!"

Meanwhile…

"Estes is nearly finished!" Uranus announced, ripping a Ravager's body in two and throwing the halves to a Wretch. "He will need immediate assistance!" The guardian hovers speedily towards the Wretch, and the demon sought to fight back by trying to clamp its jaws on Uranus' body. However, he easily holds them back and conjures two light discs around him, slicing the jaws away before he snapped them outward.

"The airborne are decreasing," Alpha says, lowering his altitude. "But… That's not good. Three of them are back."

"Wait, what did you just say?!" Miya exclaims. She lands on a rock and zooms in with her bow. Alpha was right. Alice, Helcurt and Zhask were in the battlefield with a group of Shadowbringers and Kastiyans, but their defense was scattered instead of focused. "Crap. We need to split their numbers, they're not grouped. Where's Grock?!"

Seemingly in response, Grock hopped and stomped his foot on the ground, causing massive shockwaves to the demons. As he landed, he slammed the base of his tower to the ground, and a tall wall of dirt was created around the 2.6 kilometer mark, preventing the other demons from following Alice and the others.

"All of you, go!" Kaja commands, lashing his whip at a horde of Morphlings, three of his men around him. "We will buy you all the time! Protect the weapon!"

"I'm not leaving!" Alucard retorts. "Who's going to help Estes and the hunters?!"

Saber answers back. "Alu, we have enough ships to take it down! You don't need to-"

"I'm not buying that crap, Saber! You know that around a half dozen are the only ones there! The demons have broken into the kingdom and are taking down our defensive structures! Not even you nor Fanny nor even Freya can reach the Leviathan before being crushed by that thing!"

"There is no more alternative!" Hilda grunts, chucking a Morphling's body before curb-stomping a Hellhound's skull. "It's only the king and the hunters there, boy. Aurora is spent in trying to push it back!"

"We can still block the three… b-but, where's Vexana?" Kagura asks. It looked as if she was perspirating. "Damn it, where's Haya?"

Suddenly, the ninja appears in a puff of black wisps in front of Kagura, his armor stained with blood. "What is it?"

"The change…" Kagura clutched Haya's shoulder, her knees buckling. A purple aura slowly began to intensify around her.

"K-Kagura?!" Hayabusa questions in awe. "Guys, stay back!"

A group of Reapers began to advance on the duo. As they reached out their hands, a bright flash of magenta light blinded them, and a fuchsia umbrella appeared, chaining the Reapers in purple links before crushing them in a singularity. A body teleports within the umbrella and Kagura forces the demons away. A Wretch begins to charge at the mage, but Kagura summons the umbrella and makes it revolve around her, driving the beast away from her. Akai leaps from the side and lands onto the Wretch, slapping it with his stick as the umbrella lacerates the demon all around. Kagura's physical appearance has changed, her hair sporting a silver hue with a light purple accent. Her clothing has also changed, her kimono turned purple and fuchsia instead of blue, a knot tied on her waist. She speeds up the umbrella as the Wretch slowly gets shredded into a goopy mess.

"That's the worst," she mutters. She looks back at Hayabusa and the others. "What?"

"You look different," a voice answers. Zhao arrives in the scene, and his ponytail was slightly frizzy. "Almost didn't recognize you from afar."

Beta begins to blip around Alpha. "Hey, heads up. Johnson has a surprise."

The heroes back away as Johnson arrives, drifting as he slams towards the Morphlings in a hurry. As he transformed back, a dozen of missiles were launched and detonates on the next oncoming horde, turning them into a pile of smithereens.

"You still haven't covered that," Akai says, pointing towards the swarm of Spitfires clouding overhead.

"Ninja dude is gonna clear them out," Johnson replies. "That's why I brought this package."

"What package?" Suddenly, gold and silver parts detached from Johnson's back and traveled to Hayabusa. Pieces of them began to lock onto his body, slowly forming some type of armor set. "Nice…"

Hayabusa looks up at the swarm and readies his shurikens, and was surprised to see them become silver, with a kunai pouch on his leg as well. He throws them with stunning speed, preventing Freya from being bombarded by the Spitfires.

"Saber!"

"Got you." The cyborg unlocks his swords and they slashed in the air in a flurry, slicing the other demons. Half of them began to revolve around Hayabusa to protect him, more bits of armor attaching to him. "Shadow Kill, now."

Hayabusa sheathes his blade and disappears into the dark, and multiple shadow clones of him appeared out of nowhere, slashing down the remaining Spitfires. Even some have thrown the new kunai.

"I've given us some time," Johnson reminds. "We need to get to Cyclops, they're in trouble."

Alucard hops in first as Johnson transforms back into a car, driving around the zone and looking for the mage.

"Aren't those three around and about together?!" Alucard asks, shouting over the explosions and the Leviathan's roars. "Ask Lesley!"

"Busy with the Sharpshooters!"

"Eudora?"

"With the Archi-thingies!"

"What about-"

"EVERYBODY IS TIRED SO HANG ON THE HANDLES AND BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Johnson revs the engine and smashes onto a Wretch, knocking it down before he transforms. Alucard wasted no time and threw his sword straight at its head before recalling it back. He blocks a Kastiyan's projectile and teleports towards the shooter, cutting the alien in half.

"Alu! Alu!" Cyclops calls out, hiding behind a large rock. "Must say something!"

"WAIT! Johnson, cover!"

The cyborg extends his shield and defends Alucard from the oncoming Kastiyan fire. Alucard reaches the rock, nearly hit by a projectile, the dust covering his face. "Cyc… what's-"

"I know! I know!" the mage squeaked, trying to reach for his hourglass. "I know how they… Lancelot and her, can be saved!"

"Wait wait wait, calm down, you're saying that you know how Lance and Odette lives?" Alucard asked over the commotion. "How?"

"You n-need… let the big thing hit the wall! Make it hit the wall!"

"WHAT?! CYCLOPS, THAT'S THE VERY THING WE DON'T-"

"Vexana…"

Alucard scrunches his eyebrows. "Vex- What about Vexana?"

"She knows! The demon house is gone and she knows! Big monster retreats and the other demons retreat, and they will-"

"Respond against the demolition team earlier," the Hunter interrupts. "No… No, damn it, is there another way?! There… There has to be-"

"Only way! Only way, Alu! Cyclops… Cyclops doesn't want you to blame yourself! You feel them die, your mind tells you."

"Shut it, okay… There has to be another way! There is!" Alucard pops out from behind the rock and immediately ducks, because the Kastiyans have begun firing at him as soon as he emerged. "Ah, crap. We can't get out, Johnson is a sitting duck. We… I need to get to the titan. Only a few minutes left!"

Alucard sees Harley and Gossen rushing towards them. The assassin throws a set of daggers to the Kastiyans and recalls them as they hit their targets.

"We're pulling Cyclops out," Harley began. "Gossen, stay with Alucard!"

Gossen nods and turns to Alucard. "Hey, what's the sitch?"

"No one else can get to the Leviathan. Uranus and the Nazar are here but they will keep Alice and the other whackjobs at bay. I need to reach the Leviathan's wound. Can't teleport or do anything with the hysteria above."

"Hmm… We'll need Fanny and Saber," Gossen notes.

Alucard looks above the sky, covered in black and grey specks. He looks at Gossen's dagger and glances at his own greatsword. Screw it… I have a better idea."

Meanwhile, Grock has begun fighting the Leviathan, the tower miraculously intact despite making contact with the huge demon several times. The monstrosity begins to wrap two of its tentacles on Grock, but the titan uses his free arm and strikes its head with his tower, trying to faze it in order to break free.

"STUPID BUG! SMASH BY GROCK!"

Two long arcs of lightning curve around Grock and hit the Leviathan, causing it to shudder for a moment before slowing down. Three Sky Raptors flew overhead and launched rockets at the Leviathan before flowing off, one of them barely missing the snapping jaws.

"Grock, get out of there! Around six minutes before the KMCD fires!" Saber shouts, half of his swords floating around him as he prepares the next lure. Before he could hover peacefully, a swarm of Spitfires attempted to latch at Saber, flapping their bat wings frantically. Saber launches more of his swords and they revolved around him to drive the demons off. He activates the lure and a few of the Leviathan's eyes began to focus at him.

"Come on, son of a gun. Come on."

He turns tail but one of the tentacles grabbed him by the foot, pulling him closer. Two more from the Leviathan's left side appeared and reeled near Saber as the Leviathan prepared to crush and give the cyborg a home run. Before it could attack, Grock uppercuts the Leviathan, making the tentacles coil back and let go of Saber. He zooms toward the back, letting the last of Bane's ships distract the beast.

"Running out of flak!" One of Bane's crewmen called out. "Almost out of flak!"

"Barnacles… Saber! Are you alright there?" The Pirate Lord calls out, covering his ears. "Took quite a few dents there, chum."

Saber glances at his arms and torso, some of the ends of the metal slightly crumpled. "I'll heal, but I'm not going anywhere near that thing anymore."

"We're nearly spent, and- Dear Neptune, what is that?" Bane opens his periscope and looks. "Isn't that the Demon boy?"

Saber rose and scanned the area. He sees Gossen and Alucard hopping through the air with their weapons, using the Spitfires and Hellbats to climb up. Gossen launches one of his daggers and skyrockets upward, grabbing on Alucard. He throws the Demon Hunter, and Alucard recalls his greatsword, throwing it above and hitting a Hellbat.

"Adrenaline junkies, the hell are they doing?" the cyborg mutters. "Going back out."

Fanny flew next to Saber. "Hey, Alucard needs to reach the hole!"

"The tentacles are around, we need to clear those down. Status on Argus and the team?"

"I heard they were going back here," Alpha replies, gripping his spear. "Beta says we won't prevail unless the jets are here, but they need to refuel!"

"Then we will act as replacement."

The three turn around to see Kaja and a hundred of his Nazar flying next to them. "Men, shield Alucard and the assassin. I will join these three."

The Nazar dives downward and flies toward Alucard and Gossen. One of them grabs Alucard's arm and throws him higher while the others fly around them and protect them with their bodies. One of the Leviathan's tendrils swung, and the whole group dodges it without suffering casualties.

"THIS IS FUN, BUT I'M NOT DOING THIS AGAIN!" Alucard shouts to Gossen.

"YOUR IDEA, NOT MY PROBLEM!"

Gossen runs out of demons and begins to shoot his daggers below, the throwing force nudging him upward before he becomes assisted by a fellow Nazar. Suddenly, one of the beast's tendrils whacks it off, dragging Gossen with him.

"AGH, GET… GET OFFA ME!" Gossen randomly throws a dagger to a Spitfire but the velocity was too much for him to overcome. In the corner of his eye, Kaja reaches his hand and catches him, making them stop in mid-air.

"I have you."

"Don't mind me, bird man! Help Alu! The tendrils are shaking 'em off!"

Meanwhile, the number of Nazar began to decrease as the tendrils began to swat them away, forcing them to scatter and prevent Alucard from going farther. Two of the tendrils began to wrap itself around the Hunter, but Alucard pushes upwards and begins to walk on one of them, rushing towards the Leviathan with his sword raised.

"I'm not backing away, big guy. I'M NOT LETTING YOU PASS!"

One of the free tendrils swatted towards Alucard, but he jumps above it and falls. He throws his sword towards it and teleports easily. However, the tentacle he formerly walked on whacked him back. He skids backwards, nearly falling. The tentacle rises, and Alucard stabs it with his greatsword, hoping for the best.

"I'M NOT LETTING GO! YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!"

"It's the Leviathan. Sure, the corruption isn't going to affect you or boost the demonization process, but it will immediately strengthen your urge to kill it!"

Alucard slowly gained more sense. "This thing… it's pushing me off the edge, my brain hurts…"

"Alucard, jump off!" a voice cried out. Freya, Alpha, Saber, Fanny and Kaja begun to fly faster, trying to catch Alucard. The Hunter uses his demonic arm and latches onto the skin, causing it to bleed. The Leviathan grunts in pain, Alucard's power seemingly hurting it further than expected. The tentacle began to jerk uncontrollably, trying to shake Alucard off. It swerves and slams Fanny, Alpha and Freya down, and the three fall unconscious.

"NO! NOOOOO!" Alucard shouts, trying lift himself higher, but the tentacle travels back to him and swats him downward. He receives a severe concussion and falls to the ground, unconscious. The greatsword that was still lodged onto one of the tentacles was wrapped around by it, fortifying the theory that the Leviathan was smart enough to not let Alucard recover.

"Alucard!" Kaja and Saber call out, flying downward, but a group of Hellbats throw them off course and block their way. "We need to get around, Kaja!"

"GROCK IS COMING! GROCK IS COMING!" The titan calls out, trying to use his right hand and catches the first three, but before he could catch Alucard, the Leviathan clamps its jaws on the titan's left arm. Grock bellows in pain, trying to open the monstrosity's mouth, but it was sealed shut. The Leviathan wriggles around and pulls off Grock's arm CLEAN OFF THE SHOULDER.

Let me just tell you right now that if you were witnessing that crap physically, like, if you were there, I'd bet twenty bucks that you'd be absolutely boned. To the maximum. I mean, I'm boned. The army's boned. Things took a turn to the worse.

Grock vocalizes his distress, dropping to the ground. He didn't spurt out blood from his wound, but it was clear enough that the sudden dismemberment hurt a lot. The Leviathan throws the arm away and crashes onto a section of the main wall, the ballistae and cannons falling apart. Below, the demons began to rush, pushing on the spearhead formation harder and racing for the collapsed wall.

On the ground, Uranus and Zhao have been fighting off Alice and Helcurt, driving them off and preventing them from joining the other demons.

Alice sidesteps, backing away from Zhao's strike and laughing maniacally. "Look, boy! Your precious walls are broken! Did you really think you can fight against the Leviathan?!"

"You belittle their faith, Alice," Uranus lashes back, concentrating his energy and heals his injuries quickly. "Arrogance is your undoing! For what? Power?!"

"She s-s-seeks to prove h-h-h-herself! She w-w-was inferior!" Helcurt hissed.

"Because Argus surpassed you!" Zhao shouts, using his hand to wiped the blood from his spear. "You're just jealous, you slimy h-"

He flies backward from Alice's blast, and Uranus jumps to catch Zhao. He grabs Zhao and helps him up, but Helcurt jumps on Uranus and stabs him on the back with his tail. Uranus grunts and falls on his back, slamming Helcurt to the ground. The Shadowbringer blinks away and chuckles.

"Tsk tsk tsk… The guardian… Y-Y-You should've arrived earlier!"

Meanwhile…

"DELSIN!"

"THREE MINUTES!"

A group of demons have began ramming through the doors as Royce wields the two pulse rifles on each of his arms. "Just last longer… Please, just…"

"DON'T GIVE UP! THE BARRICADE WILL HOLD!"

A Ravager's head peeked and Royce shot it down. However, two more heads began to claw on the other side of the doors, trying to grab the chain. Royce pulled the trigger on the rifles and the demons melted from the heat. However, the barricade was giving way.

"DELSIN!"

"ALMOST THERE! ALMOST- Wait… what is that?"

Delsin uses his binoculars and looks at the portion of the sky below the Leviathan. He notices two of the tentacles wrapping around each other, blood dripping below them. Suddenly, a foreign object burst from the knot, severing the ends of the tentacles. Delsin notices that it is a greatsword, and it was slowly burning like a comet entering the atmosphere.

"What in the name of-"

"Not even your powers can put it down, unless you're that willing to give it your all. The temptation will work its way inside your head, and not even your friends would stop your undesired rampage."

The greatsword's handle makes contact with Alucard's right arm before the other free tentacles reach his unconscious body. Suddenly, a sheer wave of heat pushes upward, startling the Leviathan. It peers down and grows nervous, seeing the tiny speck it just threw down already burning.

Alucard gains back his consciousness, and as his aura grew stronger, his clothes began to change into black, his greatsword back into a flaming reaper. He slowly hovers into the air, the tentacles trying to fight the aura, but more and more waves of heat push it back, nearly burning them.

The hunter screams in rage as his aura intensified, the other demons in the vicinity flying outward from him. On his back, two jets of fire sprouted and burst into great magnitude. More and more tongues of flame conjoined until a pair of fiery wings were fashioned out, flapping around.

"YOU WILL CEASE NOW!"

Alucard flies and reaches Mach 4, striking the Leviathan's carapace with such force that the Leviathan's whole body reared from the impact. The tentacles rose and tried to reach around Alucard, but he lets go of the greatsword. It flies with incredible speed and chops off one of them, cauterizing the wound instantly. It revolves around Alucard once before reaching back to his arm. Alucard aimed for the small chink on the front end of the Leviathan's backbone that he notices and dives to it, stabbing the weakness deep within. His eyes flared even more as he pushed his greatsword even farther to the point that the blade was barely even visible. The Leviathan roared in pain, the individual plates on its back slowly sinking due to the strength of the puncture. Alucard rises and grips on the ground, flapping his wings back. The greatsword gets forcibly pulled, cutting through the tough skin. The Leviathan's back begins to split open, and the beast vocalizes, helplessly wriggling around but Alucard doesn't budge away. The Leviathan's antibodies begin to burst out of the wound, but before they could run to Alucard, they burned from the searing heat and some had to retreat. Some of the armor plates next to the greatsword began to melt and glow from the flames as Alucard began pulling at a decent speed. He hovers above the ground and willfully pulls the greatsword telekinetically, yet he growls in frustration as if he was pulling a five ton object. Alice flies behind him and tries an ambush, but the hunter turns around and grabs her by the neck before slamming back down to the Leviathan.

"DON'T HURT MY PETS!" Alice cries out. "DON'T YOUR DARE HURT THEM!"

Alucard's response? With his free demonic arm, he willfully pulls the greatsword closer to them, worsening the cut.

"WAIT, STOP!"

Alucard pauses, looking fiercely at Alice, but says not a word.

"We know about those two little snowflakes… You think you can get away with destroying one of many hives? Idiots! The Leviathan has done its part! You will fall into shambles!"

Alucard clenches his hands. "Then I'm bringing all of you along with us!" He wills lands down and grips the greatsword before sprinting on the Leviathan, yelling. Alice shrieks as she dives down to stop Alucard, but the hunter slices the greatsword upward, the flames seemingly stretching towards the tail of the beast. As the line of fire hit the end, the whole cut slowly split open, releasing a massive swarm of antibodies being burnt to a crisp. Alice's body receives the full force of the flaming slash, and she retreats, flying away to the other side of the battlefield. Alucard hovers upward and sees the shape of the heart of the Leviathan, covered in multiple symbols and wards due to Estes' chanting. He throws his greatsword and it punctures the heart, forcing it to bleed even more. The Leviathan began to spew viscera from its mouth.

Alucard lands on the platform next to the heart and finds most of the Hunters pinned by the surviving antibodies, some of them receiving fatal wounds. He recalls his greatsword back and unleashes a fiery wave, causing an explosive chain reaction on the demons and into the other organs.

"ALUCARD!" Estes exclaims, protecting the whole group with a stasis bubble. "Why are you here?!"

"FINISHING THE JOB!" Alucard runs past Estes and slashes the heart, forcing the Leviathan's body to jerk. He eyes Victor lying down next to Yinsen, his legs severed from the knees. "V-Victor? VICTOR!"

"Alu?! Alu! Victor… He… I didn't s-see…" Yinsen stammered, his hands stained with blood. "One of those things j-just grabbed him and…"

"Goddamnit, Victor!" Alucard mutters. "C'mon, old man, just breathe, we're getting out of-"

"No!" Victor cries, swatting away Alucard's hand. "I want to go out like this… Alucard-"

"DON'T SAY THAT! We can still save you!"

"N-no… I want to s-see… Isabelle…"

"All of you, we need to jump off, now!" Estes commands. Most of the hunters, including Yinsen, didn't think twice before jumping off the platform and floating inside Estes' protective bubbles. "Alucard, leave Victor alone!"

"NO GODDAMNIT HE CAN STILL LIVE! HE CAN STILL LIVE!"

"Kid… Kid… let me… let me go," Victor breathed out. "The whole place… it's gonna be hell in here, and I…will be fine… The Raptors can shoot this scumbag down along with me, as long as I see Isabelle…"

"N-No…"

"I… felt like… a good father, keeping you safe… T-Thank you… for giving me… this chance…"

"ALUCARD!"

The hunter's mind grew hazy, trying to decide on whether to save Victor or leave him. A thousand thoughts raced in his head. He cries out in rage and strikes the still beating heart, the fire already enveloping around it.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE! DIE, YOU DIRTBAG! JUST DIE ALREADY!"

"ALUCARD!"

The sound of the Kinetic Disruptor's laser could be heard, echoing around. Alucard finally stabs the heart as its heartbeat stopped.

The laser strikes the Leviathan square on the forehead. It tries to cover itself with its wings, but the skin immediately burns off. The Leviathan slowly retreats, but a large, gray arm yanks it by the jaw.

"BUG… WILL… BE… SMASHED!"

Grock, miraculously alive and kicking, twists the Leviathan's jaw, dislocating it. He grabs his tower from the ground and leaps as he yelled in defiance, bringing his tower down to the Leviathan's skull. The whole structure began to crumble except for the blue crystal, which was lodged on the demon's cranium. The Leviathan stopped roaring and struggling as its eyes finally dilated and closed, the laser beginning to melt off the carapace.

"W-We d-did it…"

Delsin tries to find Royce amongst the rubble. He discovers his friend covered in dust, the whole roof basically pinning his legs.

"Royce… We killed the bastard…"

"Heheh… we knew it, bro…"

"Yeah… But, the whole building, it's gonna-"

"I know…But it was… so fun. So… terribly-"

The KMCD holding facility collapsed from top to bottom, the debris scattered around the avenues. A large fire brewed from atop the collapse, turning the bricks and the stone to char. The weapon is no more, but it has served its purpose.

The Leviathan begins to fall along with Grock, two of Bane's ships being nudged off. The Spitfires and Hellbats began to retreat, screeching in fear and disgust. The army quickly backs away in order to prevent from being crushed by the body, but thankfully, Grock was able to push off the Leviathan in the air with the help of Aurora's winds. The carcass slowly charred, but portions of it froze before shattering into splinters. Most of the demons on the ground fled alongside Helcurt and Zhask, and the arrogant few were easily slain.

"Where's Alucard?" Tigreal asks Kaja.

"We tried to get him off the Leviathan. He's alright, but I haven't seen him-"

Ruby interrupts. "Look! It's him!"

The heroes eye Alucard slowly falling down towards the ground, his arms and legs spread to slow his fall. Before he hit the ground, Estes casted a holographic net that caught the hunter. Alucard slowly bounced off and landed with both of his feet, but his knees immediately crumpled before he could stand.

"V-Victor… I couldn't…"

Chou rushes to his friend. "Alu?! Thank goodness, you're still- oh, fudge."

"What?"

Hylos slowly points at Alucard's arm. Alucard turns to his right and notices the growth. It has spontaneously spread, half of his torso already covered. The growth on his neck reached up to his face and nearly reached his right eye. A line of spikes and scales began to run down on his leg, covering his clothes, which reverted back to normal.

"I couldn't… I tried, I tried…"

Zhao tries to comfort him. "Alu, it's-"

"No, it's not! It's not okay… Tigreal! Lance… Lance and-"

The gilded knight was alerted. "Alucard, what are you trying to say? What about Lancelot?"

"We were too early," a voice replied. Cyclops emerged with Harley and Nana behind him. "There was a chance to save the two, but we were too early… If we didn't kill the big thing immediately, then-"

"They would still be alive?" Gord asks. "Cyclops… how early were we? We… I think we can still save them if we try and-"

"We can't," Estes interrupts. "I can't conjure portals to that place. The corruption strengthened. The only way they can get out of there is by foot. And my powers are slowly diminishing."

"Estes, you can't say that!" Karina retorted. "That's Lancelot and Odette and Argus! Valuable allies!"

"I know, Karina, and I say the same to all of you."

"Don't say that," Hayabusa rejects. He looked completely different. His whole face was covered by a fierce silver mask, his blond hair long and rising up, flowing as if there was wind blowing upwards. His katana glowed with an orange light. "Don't say that. It… Estes. I understand. But… did we really think we could save them? We barely handled the Leviathan, and Grock is now lop-"

"Wait, where's Grock?" Sun questioned, worried. "Hadn't seen the huge bummer since that beast fell down!"

"G-Grock is… fine."

The heroes look behind them and see Grock barely standing straight, covering his abdomen with his arm. Deep gashes were on his rocky skin, and the grey color began to darken. "Grock… c-can… stand…" As soon as he said it, he slumped and sat down on the ground, and he had difficulty breathing.

Fanny lands next to him and genuflects, putting her hand on his face. "Hey, big guy."

"Grock… happy to see… friends…"

The flyer sniffed, trying to hold back her emotions. "You did a great job back there. How did it feel punching the crap out of that bug?"

"Very happy… to see friends…"

"Yeah… we did it, buddy. You… Y-you can take a break now, okay? We'll take care of your tower."

Grock let out a weak smile, trying to lift his legs. "Happiest person… is me… For I… I will see my family… A… A…"

"Grock? Hey… Grock?"

The titan's mouth was no longer moving. Fanny noticed Grock's legs slowly collapsing and giving out. The phenomena slowly crept towards Grock's face, and the blue life in the rune on his face and the light within his eyes faded. The rocks that were once the titan collapsed, and bit by bit, the rocks slowly turned to dust, flowing through the wind.

Fanny sighed, her heart aching. She quickly unsheathed her swords and stabbed the ground with them, her knuckles pale.

"Fanny?" Bruno asks. "Are y-you…"

"Lancelot and Odette."

"W-What?"

"Lance and Odette," the flyer repeats. "Can we still save them?"

Bruno was afraid to say the word. It was a rhetorical question, but the answer to it wasn't entirely positive.

"T-There's still a chance that-"

"Yes. Or. No."

Bruno sighs, scratching his head. "No."

Fanny shook, and she stomped the ground with hate. She fell to her knees and punched the ground, and she didn't mind if her knuckles would bleed out. She had had it.

"GOD! FUCKING! DAMN IT!"

Meanwhile…

"GO! GO!"

Lancelot grabs Odette's hand and runs out into the hills as one of the medics gets ripped apart by a Ghoul. Odette tries to stop and cast more spells, but Lancelot pulls her hard and keeps running.

"What are you doing?!"

"We only have the captain left! I'm not letting anyone die again!" Odette answers back. "I can't!"

"I'm not letting you die first, so run with us, okay?!"

"Wait, where's the captain?"

The two stopped and finds the captain stopped in his tracks, his mouth spewing blood. "R-Run… please…"

His body drops, and Vexana pulls out her bloody hand from the corpse. "Such a waste, and so are you two!"

"RUN!"

"What are you doing? My lovelies, you will only die tired."

Lancelot grabs Odette's arm and dashes quickly, trying to escape the Necromancer, but a Ghoul catches the runaway knight and slams his head into the ground. Lancelot recuperates and stabs it, but two more appear from the ground.

"Lance? We… We're surrounded."

The two stand back-to-back as dozens of Ghouls began to emerge, moderately rushing towards them. Odette unleashes a holographic swan that ruptures the horde as Lancelot dashes with excellent speed, cutting through the waves. A Ghoul grabs his shoulder and throws him back to the center. Odette spins her scepter and drives the Ghouls away with her magic, and casts a safety bubble around her and Lancelot. A Ghoul tries to break the sphere, but Odette uses her sword to stab its neck.

(Yes, Odette actually uses her sword in combat. What, you think she doesn't? Checkmate, atheists.)

"We need to get off of them," Lancelot breathed out.

"With your bruised limbs?"

Vexana was overhead, laughing at them. "Ha! Look at you… You disgust me. You may have gotten away with all of this… But no good deed goes unpunished, yes?"

The Necromancer lifts her hands and makes more Ghouls. From the hills, a large horde of assorted Ravagers, Stalkers, Wretches and the like began to converge. "Have fun getting your flesh torn clean off your bones!" She disappears through her black aura, the demons left to tend to the duo.

"Lance… It won't be long."

"Odette-"

"We can only do one thing." Odette stabs the ground with her sword and raises her scepter.

"Odette? What are you doing?" Lancelot asks, the Hellhounds already scratching at the bubble.

And slowly… the princess began to sing.

*"I dreamed a beautiful dream

You were there as well as I…"

Cracks began to appear on the bubble as the Wretchs rammed their heads to the translucent sphere.

"It doesn't seem like a dream even it's over…"

An aura of light and serenity glowed around Odette, and she began to float, Lancelot embracing her.

"I miss you caress my hand as you watch me while I sleep

Your melody still remains in this room and it rings…"

Lancelot began to sing with her as well, their voices slowly resonating not only around the sphere, but also around the outside.

"Star-la lah- la la, la la la lah

Love you always deeply

Genuinely, immensely, steadily with all my heart…"

The sphere is about to shatter as the Wretches try to shred them with their claws…

"Be strong and all will be alright

You are the aria itself…"

And the barrier breaks.

"SHINE OUT!"

[DATA CORRUPTED]

[EXTRANEOUS DATA RECOVERED]

Consistency located.

Dimension 73: Song Title – Hymn of the Star-Crossed

Dimension 1: Song Title – Marigold (Artist: M2U)

[DATA RECOVERED]

RESUMING SESSION IN 5…

RESUMING SESSION IN 4…

RESUMING SESSION IN 3…

RESUMING SESSION IN 2…

RESUMING SESSION IN 1…

"I'll be strong and all will be fine…"

The harmony slowly dies out as Odette and Lancelot calmly descends, a weak smile on their faces. The two kiss lightly, apparently in ecstasy. Suddenly, an immense wave of pain overloads their minds as they fall to the ashen ground, their blood spilling in mass quantities.

"ODETTE! LANCELOT!"

Argus rushed as he went into the indistinguishable blast zone, the aftermath of Odette's desperate spell… her soft, calm voice still echoing around the dark atmosphere. He squinted his eyes through the dust and gray smoke, trying to find any trace of the duo, and he did.

"L-Lance? LANCE!"

And he couldn't believe it. His own eyes… he couldn't believe what was right in front of him. Argus was dumbfounded. For once, he didn't know what to do.

All of the demons that foolishly attempted to maul them was most likely non-existent, but the condition of the two... Their bodies were the definition of 'mangled'. Their bodies took severe cuts everywhere, their blood spilling too fast. Odette was already lifeless, and Lancelot was barely breathing. Their vocal cords were torn away.

Yes, their condition was worse than Moskov's when he… yep.

Argus landed and dropped his sword, feeling the power of the weapon draining away from him as he ran towards Lancelot.

"Lance... No... what have they done to you?!" He cradled his body.

The knight responded weakly, despite the clear lack of a throat. "Argus..."

"Lance, listen to me. We are going to get you out of here. Just stay alive. Estes can find a way to-"

"Argus, p-please... promise m-me... promise me…"

"Lance, just listen, we're going to pull you up, okay? We will-"

Lancelot grabbed Argus' black collar and yanked it towards him. "PLEASE L-LISTEN TO M-ME! PLEASE! P-promise me... please... don't try to save us... it's the end for us... take us- t-take…"

"Lance? Lance… what are you say-"

"T-take us... take her to the stars for me, A-Argus... it's..." Lancelot's bloodshot eyes cried. "It's all I could... give h-her... it's all I ever wanted... p-please..."

Argus' breathing ragged. His arms shook as he held Lancelot. He feared this outcome. This was what he hated the most. Argus couldn't bear to see someone die because he was late. He wanted to save them, it was the impulse. The angel believed Estes and Rafaela can still save Lance, if not Odette. He was already preparing how to comfort Lance in his mind, in case he does recover.

But this was the inevitable, he couldn't make it in time. If more demons arrived, the army wouldn't have recuperated from the Leviathan's fall. Argus did what he could to make them win the war…

The cost was the lovers' expiration. The least he can do is fulfill their dying wishes.

"I swear, Lance... for you. I promise."

Lancelot sighed with relief, blood trickling from his eyes. They were red and barely moving. His blond hair was shriveled up, covered in dust and blood. Lancelot's left leg gave out, the veins not able to hold his femur and lower leg together. He turned his face and looked up at the pitch black sky... The late, starless night. He sees a faint, colored silhouette, one he is familiar with. The figure outstretches her hand to him, smiling eagerly.

"Odette..." the knight groaned, trying to get up. "I... see her..."

Argus panics. "LANCE! LANCELOT, DON'T YOU DARE!"

"I see... her..." He struggled to lift his arm. If only he could reach it.

"NO! NO! LANCE, DON'T YOU DARE! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON THEM! DON'T DIE OUT ON TIGREAL, ON YOUR FRIENDS! JUST FOR THIS ONE SECOND..." Argus recalled his sword back to him and began to cut his palm, trying to ooze out his ichor. He struggled to do so but too little came out.

"LANCE! HANG ON!" But the angel's voice was merely an echo.

"I want to be one of them."

"She... is so... beautiful..." Lancelot almost touched Odette. All he needed was to push harder, for one last time.

"You, my Lance, you will be up there with me one day."

"NO! LANCE! LANCE, STAY AWAKE! STAY AWAKE! L-Lance… STAY AWAKE! S-S-STAY! AWAKE!"

"Can you promise me?"

He grabbed her hand, and he smiled, his eyes closing.

"I… always keep… my promises…"

And his eyes stopped crying... His arm slumped down. Argus felt the chill rush to his hands.

"Lance... no...No! NO!"

Argus cups his ichor with his free hand and puts it to Lancelot's mouth, but they were shut. He tries to make him drink it, but it didn't work, the gold fluid simply dripping down his lips. The body became lifeless.

"NO! It can't… LANCE! LANCE!" Argus called out, shaking the cadaver. "Y-You can't give up on us… L-Lance…"

The fallen angel looked up with frustration and rage, the wisps inside his helmet flaring with hot energy. He quickly stood up and stomped the ground, making a loud boom that echoed around the landscape. He lets out a guttural cry.

"WHY?! WHYYYYYYY?!I HOW COULD YOU LET THEM DIE?! HOW COULD ALL OF YOU?! HOW?! YOU FOOLISH BASTARDS! YOU DON'T KNOW! THEY'VE SUFFERED LONG ENOUGH! KILL ME INSTEAD! BRING THEM BACK!"

Argus began mouthing even more expletives, the green lightning forking the sky. He grew tired and stomped his feet even more, kicking the other demons' bodies in frustration. He threw the body of an enhanced Wretch as his knees buckled. Argus was on all fours, a constant ache in his heart slowly ringing inside him. He collapsed in a heap, harming himself by slamming his own head to a nearby rock. Instead, the rock shattered.

"T-They… They don't deserve… t-t-to d-die… Not ever… J-Just take me instead… please, I c-can't stand it anymore…"

"I hear you."

Argus perks up, frantically looking around. He sees Lunox standing a few feet away from him, leaning on his sword that was standing erect on the ground, which is surprising since he didn't leave his sword that way.

"Y-You… How-"

"No time, Argus. Don't bring yourself down," the Twilight Goddess said. "You can't do this to yourself."

"THAT'S SO EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!" Argus began, pointing his finger at Lunox. "YOU JUST STAND THERE GIVING ME A SERMON WHEN YOU CAN AID THEM IN THIS WAR! WHERE WERE YOU?!" Argus picked up a Ravager's body and threw it at Lunox, instantly dropping to the ground. The corpse simply passed through Lunox as if she was merely an astral projection.

"Argus, please," Lunox said, her face filled with worry. "Stop-"

"STOP WHAT?! I TRIED… I TRIED EVERYTHING AND I STILL COULDN'T SAVE THEM! I TRIED, LUNOX! I tried… I f-failed, I…"

Argus feels Lunox' hands under his shoulders, lifting him up. She brushes off the dust from his arms and places her hands on his shoulders.

"Listen to me. I… I wanted to do so. All of this time… I wanted to stop all of this. Remember, if I wanted it, none of this… none of all this chaos wouldn't have happened. But I could do nothing, Argus. I kept my promise. I can only intervene once more, and it's for the boy. We wouldn't be here without you. You, Argus… you gave us a second chance. If you didn't save Alucard from the caverns, we would've lost."

Lunox hung her head low and hugged Argus. "It's okay… They were more than willing to die. They wanted this… You can't save everyone, but we can. We, and the boy. If there's one thing you can do, it's to keep him alive. It all ends with me."

"B-But how? Their army won't be able to keep up with the demons rushing there, and the Dark Lord… He…"

"You know how. We all do," Lunox replied. "That's why I'm here talking to you, and only you. You need to get there now."

Lunox pulls away and motions her left hand, making Argus' sword levitate. "The Blade of Despair… the path of agony has brought you this far, and it has converged with the path of redemption."

The weapon travels back to Argus, a mysterious, dandelion glow present before it reached the angel's hand. Lunox faintly smiles at Argus, brushing off her lock of raven hair.

"Lunox…"

"The lovers' wishes are granted, but your last ordeal awaits, Light of Dawn. You are, and always will be, the Land of Dawn's rising sun. *Volo pro veritas."

"Lunox, wait!" Argus reaches out to Lunox, stepping forward, but she disappears without a trace. Argus shakes his head, trying to recover from the encounter. He turns around to look back at Lancelot and Odette, but there was no more body in sight. Not one cadaver from the demons, not even one of the lovers' bodies. No blood, no mark, no aftermath.

Argus was surprised, and looked up to the sky. It was hard to determine, but two white dots were there, twinkling at him before fading away. The angel notices a minor tinge of orange coming into view.

"Two blond lovers in the place called Swan are destined to die before the Rising Sun." Argus recited. "Lance… Odette… I'm sorry."

He extends his wings and begins to fly towards the Land of Dawn, trusting the wind alongside him. The air around him felt familiar, yet he had been flying ever since. A new breeze lifted him up, a gentle touch that felt so unique to him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save the two of you."

A spark began to ignite within him… a spark of reflection. His eyes looked up to the horizon in front of him. He is too far. It will take him hours to get back to the Land of Dawn.

The spark became a flame… one of determination.

"If we meet again in the other life… then let me apologize to the both of you directly."

The 7th day has arrived, and the fulfillment of the prophecy is fast approaching.

"Alucard, I'm coming. Whatever you do… do not die on me."

ENDING SESSION IN 5…

ENDING SESSION IN 4…

ENDING SESSION IN 3…

ENDING SESSION IN 2…

ENDING SESSION IN 1…

ENDING SESSION.

[EXTRANEOUS DATA RECOVERED]

*Latin for the phrase, "We fly for truth."

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