85. Coup D'état.

Omniscient POV

It's been several days since the beginning of the Human Hunt. Valerie and Gasper have locked themselves in a room to avoid all the insanity.

At first, both of them could hear all kinds of screaming, blasts, and unspeakable things. But now, after several days, it seems everything has calmed down and become quiet again.

"Is everything over, Valerie?" asks Gasper, holding Valerie tightly in fear.

"Probably. We can't hear much noise from the outside," says Valerie with a blank face.

Gasper has noticed how Valerie sometimes has emotional shifts and feels like a totally different person as her eyes become lifeless for a moment.

It doesn't always happen, but it still occurs irregularly. It all started when Valerie manifested her Sacred Gear and was taken outside by Marius for a while, a year ago.

After she came back, her state seemed pretty bad for a while. But she quickly recovered and even returned to her usual cheery and teasing personality.

However, sometimes she has these moments when she feels totally different and sometimes screams at night.

So Gasper becomes more cautious and never leaves her side during these times. Even after asking many times about what happened back then, Valerie doesn't say anything.

In reality, when Marius found out about Valerie's Longinus, he took out the Holy Grail and, seeing that she still hadn't died, sent her back as he couldn't find the reason himself.

But from time to time, he still checks up on her, possibly getting new information from someone else.

[A/N: This is a bit AU. Originally, Valerie only awakened her Longinus after Gasper left. But I am making a bit of a change here. Valerie almost became mind-broken when two of her Holy Grails were taken, not just one.]

"Should we check outside?" asks Gasper meekly.

"No. Let's stay here for a bit longer," replies Valerie.

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The Human Hunt has ended. Most of the humans were killed brutally but slowly, by playing with them like their little playthings.

Some survived but their awaited fate was even worse. They are tied up, barely alive because of the injuries, and are forced fed to keep them alive to extract blood from live specimens.

Even now the dhampirs were laughing maniacally and playing with the remains. These guys were rotten to their core, children or not. And Kouske has witnessed these all, degeneracy and cruelty.

He only saw a handful of the dhampirs who didn't resolve to such degeneracy and only played along with the others in fear of them and getting blood from the already dead.

Kouske could see that their mental state was not good. They might also become like the others if they staved in this insanity. Worst of all they are still just kids.

Kouske made the decision to bring the 16 dhampirs with him to safety outside. Over the years, he had also constructed a medical facility equipped with a psychology ward in Akatsuki, prepared to aid in any rehabilitation.

Even if they weren't present, Kouske could utilize his resources to hire conventional psychologists untainted by any supernatural influences.

With time and his guidance, he believed they could heal and integrate into society like a normal person, as normal as supernatural beings could hope to be.

Thankfully, Kouske had already teleported all the humans out of harm's way even before all this insanity started and the dhampirs were all under his illusion until now.

Their memories will be erased, and Kouske will assist them and their families in leaving this cursed city behind. It's the only thing he can do for them at the moment.

Thankfully, vampires refrain from outright massacres of humans, opting instead to kidnap when blood is needed.

Some even participate in donation systems, either donating or purchasing blood, while others obtain blood from blood banks.

However, fresh blood remains the ultimate preference for vampires, posing an ongoing challenge in maintaining peace within their society. Well, they were never peace-loving to begin with.

Unfortunately, nothing compares to fresh blood for vampires. However, they understand that excessive killing could provoke other supernatural factions or lead to a significant decline in the human population within vampire territory due to fear or excessive hunting.

The commoner vampires understood the repercussions of excessive killing, as stated by the nobles. As a result, they relied on alternative sources to satisfy their thirsts, such as purchasing blood from humans or blood banks or occasionally receiving it from rare human acquaintances.

The nobles had imposed restrictions on hunting humans excessively to maintain order and prevent chaos.

Kouske also observed the previous corrupt guards stealing 10 humans, despite the nobles sending 50 to the fortress.

He obviously intervened and saved the captured humans, placing the guards under illusion.

He resolved to deal with them before departing, ensuring they faced consequences for their actions.

Kouske recognized that the noble vampires posed the greatest threat to humans in their territory, their actions causing widespread problems and instability.

Despite his initial rage, Kouske had managed to suppress it in the days following the insanity. Utilizing his illusion abilities, he witnessed the true nature of all the dhampirs in this time-encased zone.

With a sense of purpose, Kouske decided to engage in a dialogue with the 16 dhampirs who still retained a semblance of morality.

He then transported them, along with Valerie and Gasper, to a room for their discussion.

"Where are we?!"

"We were just in the basement!"

"How come..."

Says many things to the confused dhampirs who were suddenly summoned here.

"Aaahh! Where are we? How did we reach here so suddenly?" asks Gasper as she hides behind Valerie, trembling in fear.

"Stay close to me. Don't move," says Valerie as her eyes become sharp and looks around to find anything suspicious or the one who summoned her here, her hand already condensing blood, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Just as Kouske teleports and materializes in front of them, ready to speak, several dhampirs launch blood manipulation attacks, with Valerie leading the charge. She was the one to act first and the quickest to notice.

Kouske effortlessly halts all the blood mid-air with his superior Blood Manipulation, offering a smile to Valerie, appreciating her vigilance towards the unknown and strangers.

It's a positive trait, in a sense. However, there's a risk of her being overpowered by a stronger adversary, potentially escalating the situation with a failed attack.

Valerie still has much to learn, but at least she's not naive enough to assume everything is fine when suddenly teleported by an unknown individual.

Gasper, timid as she was, remained steadfast behind Valerie, unwilling to abandon her. She bravely joined Valerie in the attack, utilizing both her blood and darkness manipulation abilities.

Kouske recalls Gasper's exceptional affinity for darkness manipulation, surpassing that of other vampires due to her sacred gear. But with his own Darkness Manipulation skill, Kouske effortlessly blocked their combined assault.

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Marius Tepes's POV

It's been a year since I acquired the Holy Grail and nearly eight months since I handed it over to the Old Satan faction.

They promised to elevate my prowess from High Class to Ultimate Class and secure my position as the undisputed king of the whole Vampire Faction, rather than languishing as the fifth in line within the Tepes Faction.

If not for the menacing and impatient evil dragon's personal visit, I would have never considered relinquishing it to them.

Thankfully, the Bune devil accompanying him was amenable to negotiation, averting potential disaster.

Though I may be prideful, I'm not suicidal like the others who are brain-dead. My ambition is to reign over the Vampires but without a vampire faction, who would I rule even if I somehow survived?

Yet, the negotiation yielded success, with promises of power and troops for a coup against my father.

But how did they know about the Longinus, Sephiroth Graal? I hadn't disclosed it to my father or anyone else in the faction.

It was only pure coincidence that a loyal guard of mine caught sight of Valerie using unknown powers.

After confining her and discovering her possession of the Longinus, I forcefully took the Holy Grail.

Fortunately, Valerie could consciously summon the Grail, enabling my acquisition. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to take it. I resorted to threatening her, invoking about the half-breed from the House Vladi, to obtain the Grail.

The Old Satan faction is likely researching the Grail now, yet Valerie's survival perplexes me. I haven't divulged this to them though.

So I tried asking for answers indirectly. Perhaps the answer lies in the Sub-Species Balance Breakers. Although rare, it's plausible she possesses multiple Grails.

Lost in contemplation, one of the ancestral rings I discovered years ago in the storage room, begins to glow in my hand.

I could sense an immense surge of power emanating from the ring, as blood flows out and coalesces into a figure, bearing a striking resemblance to my father.

The overwhelming power he exudes causes me to instinctively bow in submission. My heart races, and I struggle to catch my breath under his formidable presence. He scans the surroundings with a commanding gaze, exuding an aura of authority.

"W-who are you, if I may ask?" I muster the courage to inquire, feeling the weight of his overwhelming presence bearing down on me.

For a fleeting moment, I fear for my very existence. However, he breaks the tense silence by parting his lips to respond.

"I am the first Tepes! Who are you, child? Why do you have my ring?" The weight of his words presses down on me, nearly causing me to falter under the intensity of his presence.

The first Tepes? But how can he still be alive? Didn't he perish long ago? Countless questions flood my mind, but in the presence of such an overpowering aura, there can be no doubt.

"I am Marius Tepes, son of the fourth king Tepes," I respond, summoning every ounce of strength in my being.

"So you are a descendant of mine. What happened to that rebel bitch Carmilla after the war? Did you manage to enslave her faction?" My ancestor's words resonate with authority and disdain.

"In that war where both of you died, we all had to retreat our forces at the time. The structure of our factions was in disarray after your demise, leaving many positions vacant. We had to halt the war to restore order, fearing that prolonged conflict could lead to civil unrest within both the vampire factions. Moreover, we were vulnerable to attacks from other supernatural factions," I explain hastily, eager to provide clarity.

"Hmm... That's acceptable. But what about now? Have you enslaved them?" My ancestor's tone grows serious, demanding a satisfactory answer.

"U-umm. No, we... still haven't..." I stammer in fear, but before I can finish my sentence, the room is engulfed in an endless sea of boiling blood. I feel the intense heat searing my body, causing unbearable pain.

"You incompetent fools! I did so much for you all, and you still haven't been able to put those rebels in their place?!" My ancestor's voice booms with rage, echoing through the blood-soaked chamber.

"Please c-calm down. We are trying..." I manage to reply in a panicked rush.

After a moment, he ceases emitting his overwhelming aura, and the sea of boiling blood dissipates. Is this the power of the first Tepes? My father pales in comparison. If I possessed such power...

"You! Do you want power?" he suddenly interjects.

"Huh?" I can only utter in dumbfoundedness, caught off guard by his unexpected question.

"I will give you power. I will disappear anyway. But you will have to bring those rebels down to where they belong! Enslave all of Carmilla's generations until the end of time!" yells my ancestor.

"How...?" I begin to inquire, but he interrupts me.

"Just answer if you want power or not. I don't have time for your nonsense!" he snaps impatiently.

"Umm... Yes! Please give me power! I will make sure to fulfill all your wishes!" I blurt out without hesitation.

As soon as the words leave my lips, something flies into my mouth, and I instinctively gulp it down. Almost immediately, I feel my powers surging as if I could conquer the whole world itself.

The Dark Territory, one of the highest-ranking darkness spells reserved for beings like my father and Lord Vladi, feels effortless to wield right now.

It's as if I've unlocked the full potential of all my abilities. The sea of boiling blood from just before seems like a mere jest in comparison.

"Don't forget your mission...." My ancestor's voice echoes in my mind, a solemn reminder, before fading away.

"Ha ha ha!"

I burst into maniacal laughter, intoxicated by the newfound power coursing through my veins.

With this strength, I can ascend to become the king of all vampires, no, the ruler of the entire world!

I immediately summoned my loyal subordinates. The time has come to claim my rightful throne!

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Omniscient POV

Kouske has been quite busy for a while now. He somehow managed to convince all the dhampirs present in the room that day.

Many were wary and skeptical, especially Valerie, but after some consideration, they decided to leave behind the madness.

Kouske teleported all of them to the Demiplane, where they are now undergoing psychological treatment in Akatsuki.

Valerie and Gasper were taken to Kouske's house to train alongside the others.

Before departing, Kouske saved all the humans trapped in the city. He hypnotized Marius to initiate a coup immediately and discovered about the theft of the subspecies Holy Grail by reading his mind.

Kouske also gave Marius a power booster he had been developing for a while. But this one was one of the unsafe boosters that unlocked all the body's potential by sacrificing the soul.

Despite all efforts, Marius's base power was insufficient, requiring Kouske to administer multiple boosters and three Twice Criticals, resorting even to forcefully awaken the Balance Breakers of all three by sacrificing Marius's lifespan.

Kouske's involvement in Sacred Gears research alongside Azazel was not merely superficial. All this happened while Marius was under Kouske's hypnosis and illusion.

Despite these measures, Marius barely matched the might of individuals like King Tepes, possessing intermediate Ultimate Class abilities, and Lord Vladi, boasting peak Ultimate Class prowess.

Had King Tepes also reached peak Ultimate Class prowess, Marius would have had no chance against the two.

Marius might have felt incredible at that moment, but if he hadn't overused all his soul powers and died quickly, he would have faced immense pain and only waited for death.

After taking care of everything he wanted in the City of Darkness, Kouske left.

Following his departure, the Tepes Faction plunged into civil war due to Marius's sudden coup.

Despite Marius's newfound power, he lacked technique, experience, and control, relying solely on instincts and using his powers inefficiently.

The clan heads who were in the High Class, King Tepes, and Lord Vladi, who were both in the Ultimate Class, had to unite to defeat and kill Marius.

The coup was successfully halted, and the faction began to recover from the upheaval.

But the casualties were immense. Many of the clan heads perished, and in his rage, Marius had torn several holes in the Dome surrounding the City of Darkness.

It was morning, so lower-class vampire soldiers exposed to sunlight immediately burned and turned to ashes.

Those with higher powers were significantly weakened but managed to somehow cling to life.

Interestingly, the holes were primarily around the houses of several noble clans. Surely, no one could point hands toward Kouske. He 'definitely' mani... didn't manipulate Marius to do this.

After the civil war ended, the Carmilla faction seized the opportunity and attacked the weakened Tepes Faction.

However, under Lord Vladi's impressive command and strategic planning, they managed to repel the Carmilla faction, avoiding immediate annihilation.

King Tepes couldn't participate in the war as he was bedridden due to his injuries. While vampires regenerate, it takes significant time to recover from fatal wounds.

Lord Vladi commanded and won the war even in his weakened and injured state, thanks to his unrivaled strategic prowess in the Vampire Faction.

The Tepes Faction soon discovered that 18 of their dhampirs, previously held in the fortress, were missing.

They had either escaped or been killed during Marius's coup. The other children remained trapped in an illusion, still playing with their nonexistent captured specimens.

Among the missing were Lord Vladi's own half-breed, only daughter, and King Tepes's only daughter.

Despite their mixed heritage, they belonged to the first and second highest-ranking noble houses in the faction. Valerie, as a princess, held particular significance.

Their absence posed a serious threat, as they could somehow be used for political leverage. Losing them was not something the Tepes Faction wanted.

When Lord Vladi found out about the missing children, especially his own daughter, he was enraged.

Despite his cold exterior, he still cared deeply about his family, particularly the girl's mother, whom he truly loved but lost during childbirth.

In his initial rage, he hadn't even considered the child's gender and gave her the name her human mother had chosen before death, expecting a boy.

Determined to protect his daughter, Lord Vladi had already secured permission from King Tepes to build the fortress, providing at least a semblance of safe haven in the brutal vampire faction.

The fortress's construction began eleven years ago, the year Gasper was born.

As his misplaced rage subsided, Lord Vladi realized the precarious situation his daughter was in.

While he desperately wanted to help her at that time, he knew that acting rashly could lead to her being used as leverage by other nobles against him.

Thus, he had to restrain his actions, forced to endure the pain of uncertainty about her fate in the fortress.

Lord Vladi had already been making plans for his daughter to lead a normal life in a safe place after a few years of developing her powers.

But now, everything has changed. He didn't even know if his daughter was alive.

In his desperation and rage, he took all the remaining children in the fortress and made them the frontlines and suicide squad in the war against the Carmilla Faction after learning about what they had been doing to his daughter.

This brutal strategy along with his skillful and efficient command of the whole war, forced the Carmilla Faction to retreat.

Meanwhile, Kouske contemplated whether he should acquire the Sephiroth Graal from the shop for Valerie.

After learning the outcome of the war, Kouske found himself impressed and harboring a degree of respect for Lord Vladi, who had emerged victorious despite the dire circumstances.

He had already healed all her soul damage, but she still needed the third grail to access the full extent of her powers.

At least she now had infinite Soul Nurturing Potions at her disposal, allowing her to slowly get accustomed to using her Longinus.

However, Kouske didn't know the exact whereabouts of the third grail.

So Kouske bought the Sephiroth Graal from the shop, which resulted in the entire Sacred Gear being removed from Valerie.

He then returned the completed Longinus to her, and thankfully, it remained a sub-species.

Kouske had feared it might revert to the original form, but it seemed that for Valerie, the sub-species was permanently unlocked.

Kouske began training both girls in Blood Manipulation, Darkness Manipulation, and their respective Sacred Gears.

However, he still didn't realize that Gasper was a girl. Gasper acted, dressed, and even looked the same, retaining the same name from the original story.

So it was understandable when Kouske mistakenly addressed Gasper as "he."

The others found it odd but amusing when Kouske's mistake made Gasper cry and lock herself in her room.

Deciding to keep it a secret for a while, the girls chose not to correct him. It was mostly Valerie's idea.

Despite the secrecy, Valerie always comforted Gasper, leaving Kouske baffled about what was going on.

He was baffled why a dude would be upset about being called a dude. What's wrong with him? Well, Kouske always knew Gasper was weird.

While he tried to figure out the situation, the Old Satan faction was in turmoil. Their prized research product had been stolen, and they were desperate to find the culprit.

Suspicion fell on the guards and some researchers, who were tortured and killed but continued to deny it until the end.

Some suggested that Akatsuki might be behind the theft, but this theory was quickly dismissed.

After all, how could Akatsuki steal Sacred Gears from a place he had never been to, right?

The Old Satan faction had already made significant progress, particularly Euclid Lucifuge, who had successfully created an artificial Boosted Gear by researching Twice Criticals and obtaining information about Issei's Boosted Gear in the original story.

Their research and advancements fueled their ambitions, leading them to concoct a long-term plan to steal the real Holy Grail from the Church Headquarters, in the far away future.

Their goal was to transform it into an artificial Sephiroth Graal, which would greatly enhance their power and influence.

[A/N: How was the chapter? Leave behind a comment.

This one is extra large, around 3.5k words. I think I had read somewhere that Lord Vladi might be cold but was still nice among the vampires and cared about Gasper in his own way.

I don't know if it's canon or fanon. Maybe it's not canon. Well, whatever. In this fic, he's comparatively a good guy!]

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