Chapter 5: Vampires

"Yeah... What about that?" I asked her awkwardly, as I didn't want to think about what I did that day.

"Ummm... You aren't mad about it, are you?" She asked timidly.

How do I answer to something like that? 

I'm not mad. 

I'm scared I will go to hell for that! 

Well, that happened in hell, so I'm maybe safe.

"I'm not mad, Akeno..." I took a deep breath and sighed, "It's just that a lot of things were happening at that moment, so I didn't think about it then."

"Oh, I see." She said, "Would you be mad if I did it again?" She asked in a whisper I almost didn't catch. 

"Well, it's getting late, and we need to wake up early, so go to sleep."

Let's not think about it. I may be a ten, almost eleven-year-old boy, but mentally, I'm older.

---

Michael POV: 

I rubbed my forehead after getting the newest report. 

We tracked down the location that Elijah and Akeno teleported to. It took some time, but we found the location to be England.

We found what looked like a chase, but the tracks vanished completely at one point. 

A whole month passed by without any signs of them, and today, they are suddenly seen in Rome by Vasco Strada.

I don't know if I should be impressed they managed to escape him or mad that they escaped again.

They are probably trying to return home and can't travel there directly. 

They didn't use any human form of transport. Otherwise, we would have known, so they must have learned how to use Teleportation Magic properly.

But they can't teleport directly to Japan. That must be why they are in Italy right now. 

If that's the case, we won't be able to find them. We need to find them before they leave Italy. They can't have left Rome yet.

---

Elijah Heart POV:

Early the next morning, we returned the keys and prepared to teleport.

Akeno started the spell, and we were teleported away. 

I first noticed how hard it was for us to see. It was like a fog that obstructed the sun, making it dark and hard to see.

We just need to stay here until Akeno's mana reserves refill, and then it's off to our last stop before we can return to Japan.

We started walking around, trying to find something, but it was like we were in an endless darkness. Our vision was obstructed, allowing us only to see a couple of meters ahead.

Where did we arrive for everything to be like this? I really feel like I am in a shitty vampire movie.

Akeno was close to me so we wouldn't get separated in this fog.

As we continued walking, I started getting a bad feeling. It was like hundreds of eyes staring at me from the gray fog.

Just in case, I positioned myself to bring forth my swords at a moment's notice.

We didn't even walk for ten minutes until I heard a voice come from the fog.

"Look at this: two little kids entered our territory." 

"Blood from young ones always tastes best, kukuku." 

Another voice commented with a dark laugh.

My instincts told me to move away, and I didn't hesitate to listen. 

Grabbing Akeno and jumping back, I saw what looked like metallic fingernails pass by.

"Oh, so they want to have some fun, kukuku. This will be fun."

I tried to augment my eyes and looked around us. My vision didn't improve much due to the fog, but I could see tens, if not a hundred, of red eyes around us.

"How about it first to catch them will get them for themselves."

I stopped augmenting my eyes as it was the most risky part of the body to augment. 

Akeno still had the energy to teleport us a small distance away from here, but she wouldn't have enough time to do it before they attacked us. 

"Akeno, prepare to teleport us away from here. I will protect you," I whispered, reaching for my back, where my sword materialized, and the broken halo appeared above my head.

When my swords materialized, I could feel a tense atmosphere and listened to the voices.

"Those are Holy Swords. Be careful."

"Even if those are Holy Swords, he is still a child." 

I gripped my twin swords tightly in my hands. The gray fog forced me to rely more on my other senses than sight.

Romania, blood, and afraid of holy swords. Vampires... That's what I need to face.

Of course, we teleported right into the Vampire territory! Is my luck really that bad? It sometimes feels like someone is trying to mess with me.

This was a challenge unlike what I faced before in my current life.

A shiver ran down my spine as the first Vampire emerged from the fog. The fog distorted its form, and its movements were unnaturally fast. 

Before I could react, it lunged at me, its claws aimed straight at my throat. Instinct took over, and I raised my black sword to block the attack. 

The impact sent shockwaves through my arms, and I struggled to maintain my stance. The Vampire's strength was astonishing, and I augmented my body.

With the white sword in my other hand, I attempted to counter, aiming for the Vampire's side. But the creature evaded with an uncanny agility that left me momentarily stunned. 

Panic tightened its grip on me as I realized the gravity of the situation. These were no ordinary vampires – they were faster, stronger, and alarmingly coordinated.

More vampires emerged from the fog, encircling me with calculated precision. Their movements were a dance of death, their eyes fixed on me with an unsettling hunger. I swung my swords in wide arcs, attempting to keep them at bay, but their attacks were relentless. I could feel my muscles straining and my body pushed to its limits as I fought to maintain my ground.

Gritting my teeth, I focused on channeling my reinforcement magic. The twin blades began to radiate a brilliant light. I had to turn the tide of battle to create an opening that would allow me to strike back.

"Akeno, change of plans. Fly up and support me from the sky."

"But the fog-" She tried to say, but I interrupted her.

"Just attack where you will hear the sound of battle," 

She momentarily looked hesitant about the possibility of unknowingly hitting me, but she understood we had no other choice.

The look in her eyes changed slightly. She wasn't the same Akeno that I knew before everything happened. She may still be a child, but this Akeno needed to kill the humanoid beasts to survive and learn magic to return home.

It was only one fight, but enough to bring a change to her.

She unfurled her two pairs of wings and flew up. 

Wait, two pairs? Since when did she gain another pair?

I would ask her later because this wasn't the time for questions.

We launched a counterattack. The sounds of thunder started resounding through the battlefield as Holy Lightning started flying down.

I managed to score hits on a few vampires. They screeched in pain due to the holy properties of my blades and the passive light energy of my reinforcement.

The fog seemed to thicken, enveloping me in an oppressive shroud that made breathing difficult.

'Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill...' It also made the voices louder and louder.

A vampire's claws slashed at my back, making a deep wound and sending a searing pain throughout my body.

I spun around, ready to attack the Vampire, but my sword met nothing but the fog. The Vampire was already gone.

A sword's blade was heading straight at me, but I blocked it with both blades. A clang resounded through the area, and moments later, Holy Lightning struck the Vampire as I jumped away.

I felt the warm blood drip from the wound down my back and onto the ground. 

I'm losing blood fast!

I swung and parried, my mind racing as I tried to anticipate their movements. Lightning bolt after lightning bolt struck around me, some even close to hitting me.

It was a relentless onslaught, a battle of attrition that pushed me to the brink of exhaustion. I fought on, my muscles burning and my breath coming in ragged gasps. 

"KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!" I could barely hear my surroundings as the voices were screaming louder with the more mana and blood I lost.

But the vampires' numbers seemed endless, their attacks unyielding. It felt like I would kill one, and two new ones would appear.

Akeno and I had the advantage, with our powers being extremely effective against them, but I was starting to run on fumes. I could feel my strength waning, my movements growing sluggish as fatigue took its toll. I knew that I couldn't keep up this pace much longer.

I grew worried because I hadn't heard or seen Akeno's magic for a while.

Using more mana, I unleashed a concentrated burst of reinforcement magic. A shockwave rippled through the fog, momentarily dispersing it and revealing glimpses of my surroundings.

My face paled, and it felt like my heart stopped.

Akeno was in the sky, and behind her was a Vampire. The Vampire had bat wings that almost looked like dragon wings as his red eyes looked at me, and he had a twisted smile.

The reason I froze was because of the sword that went through her back and pierced her heart.

"Elij... run..." Akeno tried to say as she coughed out blood.

"Hahahahaha! I didn't want to kill you outright, but you proved to be dangerous." The Vampire said, pulling the sword out of Akeno, and she started falling down.

The world seemed to slow down as I saw Akeno falling down. My body started running towards her, killing everyone that got in my way, not caring about the injuries I got.

But when I arrived, she had already hit the ground.

I kneeled down, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Akeno!" 

Her eyes had no life in them, she wasn't breathing, and her heart wasn't beating.

Akeno died...

'KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!' The voices roared in my head, and I willingly let them in for the first time in both my lives. 

Anger filled my whole body.

"KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!'

My halo changed to its crown-like appearance, and my blades changed their color to crimson red. It could have been my imagination, but they felt different like they were feeding on my anger.

"Hahahah! Now that your fallen angel girlfriend is dead, it's your turn." The Vampire that killed Akeno said, flying down and licking the blood from his sword, "Hmmm, I'll make it quick in order to get more of her blood before she bleeds out."

My full bloodlust leaked out of my body, bathing the surroundings in a visible red and black aura. Stunning every Vampire around me in place. Some were choking, unable to breathe, while others were on their knees.

In the blink of an eye, I was gone from my position and swung my swords at him. 

He managed to block it with his sword, but I didn't stop and continued to deliver slash after slash, my physical attributes growing stronger with my anger and the desire to kill them all.

I felt a searing pain from my blades that started to hurt me, but I ignored it.

Every Vampire that tried to stop me was quickly dealt with, and after a while, his sword shattered, and it didn't take long for his head to roll on the ground. 

His death didn't stop my rage as I continued to slaughter every Vampire that was left.

"You, what are you doing in our ter-" That Vampire didn't have the chance to finish his sentence as I jumped at him and stabbed him through the chest.

A new group arrived at the scene. At a glance, I would say their numbers were in the hundreds. 

'Slaughter them all! More! More! KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL! Let none of them escape!' The voices said, and I didn't fight against them but did what they said.

Just more things to slaughter was my only thought.

Like a berserk beast, I rushed them, slashing and stabbing. 

I slashed their hands, legs, and heads, stabbed them through the hearts, or just diced them up.

"H-H-He is a d-d-demon! Run!" One tried to say. He looked young, around fifteen, but he didn't get to run as both his legs and wings were cut off. 

"HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!" I let out a long, insane laugh as more and more Vampires fell before me. The laugh seemed to reverberate through the whole battlefield and, coupled with my bloodlust, made even the Vampires shiver in fear.

'KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!'

While I killed many of them, I started to get more and more wounds on my body, and I even lost my left arm, but I didn't care. I just took the twin sword in my mouth and continued killing them.

The ground was dyed crimson with their blood and littered with their bodies.

Even more Vampires appeared. They were stronger than the ones before, but they didn't stand a chance. I lost track of time. How long was I killing them for? Hours? Days? It didn't matter. I won't stop until they all die for what they have done!

...

..

.

'Kill, kill... Kill...'

I slid out my crimson-red sword from the last Vampire and looked over to where Akeno's corpse was. I was on the verge of dying. Even if no other Vampires appear, I will die in a few minutes.

If someone else looked at it, they would think the whole battle avoided her.

My anger started to calm down as the madness from the curse decreased. Instead, it was replaced with an empty feeling.

My blades started to return to their original colors, and my halo stopped looking like a crown. My remaining hand and mouth looked charred, as if it was in contact with flames the whole time.

I walked up to her and knelt before I cried as all the emotions hit me. 

I felt empty. Even when we first were teleported away, I didn't feel like this, but seeing Akeno's dead body in front of me made me feel empty and lost.

It was all my fault. 

This wouldn't have happened if I told her to stay close to me. 

This wouldn't have happened if I had done my research better; I would have chosen a better place than Romania.

I knelt down crying, not caring if I died.

I failed!

I failed to protect Akeno!

I promised Aunt Shuri to protect her, but I failed!

If I could trade my life for her, I would have done it without hesitation.

When I thought of it, a glow came from my right hand, and the tattoo with the letters VII reappeared again. The last letter started fading, leaving only VI. 

Then I felt it!

Akeno's body started to warm, her wounds began healing, and her heart started beating again.

Moments later, her eyes opened, and the last thing I said was, "Thank God you're alive. You're alive..." 

That was the last thing I said before my eyes closed, and I died for the third time.

.....

....

...

..

.

"Urgh..." My eyes opened slowly. Everything that happened replayed multiple times in my mind. 

I survived this time again, huh?

No, that's not it. 

Just like Akeno, I died but was brought back to life. 

I sat up, "El, you're awake!" Akeno, who saw me wake up, hugged me, and I hugged her back.

My other arm is also back. The power of the Sacred Gear I have is able to heal and bring dead people back to life and regrow limbs.

I looked at my right hand to see the letter V.

It started with VIII. I died two times and brought Akeno back to life. That's three lives, and the number decreased by three. A Sacred Gear that gives eight lives.

I think I got another curse in this life, considering I died two times in less than two months in this life.

"Akeno, are you alright? You aren't hurt anywhere?" I asked, concerned that she might not been properly healed after she... died.

She looked at me with puffed eyes as she was crying, "Why?" She punched me lightly on the chest, "Why do you always get hurt and act like nothing happened? Why are you more concerned about me than yourself?"

I kissed her on the forehead, "I don't know why I'm like that, but I know that I would rather get hurt than see you hurt."

She hit me again, "Idiot, idiot, idiot, you're a reckless, stupid idiot." She muttered. After a while, Akeno's eyes started to close, and she fell asleep in my arms.

She looked like she hadn't slept for days. 

I closed my eyes and focused on my back. Good. My swords are there.

Opening my eyes, I looked around and saw that we were in what looked like an abandoned shed. 

I didn't have my shirt on and had a new pair of pants on.

Did she... My face got slightly red at the thought, and I quickly shook my head so I wouldn't think about it.

I looked at Akeno's hand, which had my storage ring on it. She must have taken it to take out our supplies. We had spare clothes and emergency food supplies, thanks to Arthur and Le Fay.

I carefully took off the ring without waking her up and put it on my thumb. It still isn't big enough for me. I quickly looked through and saw that some of the food was taken out.

It's good that we had enough food to last for two weeks; otherwise, we would have run out.

I took out my phone and checked the date. Four days have passed since the battle. I don't know the location we fought at, but considering that we weren't caught during the four days, Akeno must have teleported us a safe distance away.

I looked at Akeno. She has been watching over me for the past four days. 

I wanted to punch myself for what I had done. Because of me, Akeno is probably even more traumatized than she had already been, and that's not so long after she has started getting over what happened. 

If I had never reincarnated in this world, would her life be better? Maybe she would never been attacked and gone through all of this. Or she may have died in that cave.

I looked at the wood ceiling, thinking of how everything would have been if I wasn't here. 

I was snapped out of my thinking, hearing the sounds of my stomach. 

I hadn't eaten for over four days. 

Taking out some food and water from my storage ring, I started munching on it. It wasn't anything special but things that could last for weeks without spoiling.

I unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and took a big gulp. Even if the water was room temperature, it was refreshing. 

After drinking the water, I went for the food and ate it slowly, and the memories of the homecooked meals my mother or Aunt Shuri would make us.

I felt something wet roll down my cheeks, "Haha..." I let out a dry chuckle. It seems I'm getting emotional today. 

Mom is surely worried about me, "Just a few more days, and we will be back," I whispered.

One stop remains before we can return to Japan, so please at least one stop without getting into trouble.

I looked at the sleeping Akeno. I will protect you this time so you won't get hurt again.

---

Azazel POV:

"They were last seen in Italy before they managed to escape our exorcist, but we haven't found them since that day. They haven't left Rome, so they could still be there or used teleportation magic to escape." Michael said.

I let out a sigh. Since the kids disappeared, we have seen each other almost daily, trying to find them. 

"I got reports from that the Vampires in Romania have been attacked. 1435 have been killed, and from that, my spies gathered they were killed by a boy no older than fifteen," I said. 

The vampires are too proud to make it public and would try to hide it under the rug. Thankfully or unfortunately, my spy was one of the ones that managed to survive.

He lost both his hands, one leg, and one eye but managed to escape.

If not for his description, I would never have believed it was the kid. Blonde hair, golden eyes, and two swords matching the ones Elijah asked me to make. But the most puzzling thing was a broken halo-like crown above his head.

But the strength he showed wasn't something a one-winged angel could have possessed. Forget about one-winged. I don't think a three-winged angel could have pulled that off.

"You can't suggest that it was Elijah!? They may have killed the beast in that cave, but over a thousand soldiers."

"It's a possibility," I replied.

"Even if that was him, how could a boy who isn't eleven years old yet without any battle experience do something like that? Elijah may be the son of a seraph, but he is only a one-winged angel."

"I must agree with Michael here. Even if they managed to kill the mutated stray devils, I can't see something like that happening from a kid the same age as my Rias." Sirzechs added. He has also continued helping us since the beginning, as it all started due to devils, even if it was the Old Satan Faction.

"I would agree with you if not for what one of my sources told me. The one that killed all those Vampires had blonde hair, gold eyes, and a halo." I said, omitting that the halo looked like a broken crown.

Honestly, I find it hard to believe the kid is really a kid. No normal ten-year-old would be capable of doing something like that unless something was influencing him. Could it be his sacred gear? Is it a state similar to Juggernaut Drive? But that wouldn't be possible with his Sacred Gear being a recovery type.

"And if that's not enough, he used two swords that looked exactly like the ones he asked me to make." I finished placing the sheet of paper with the sword design he gave me. After I said that, we looked at the paper in silence, and I saw Michael having a complicated expression.

Some time passed before Michael spoke, "So they started from England, then went to Italy, and now Romania. What's their next stop?"

We thought about it in silence but couldn't come up with anything. There wasn't a pattern in the locations.

If it was only Elijah, he would stop in Italy and go to the Vatican, but the problem was Akeno. She is a fallen angel, and even if the three factions aren't as aggressive towards each other as before, we aren't in peace.

"We only know that they are heading towards Japan, so we should wait. They will likely return home."

---

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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