Soon after Nephis explained the ability of the Dawn Shard, Sunny frowned slightly and asked:
"Wait… won't it enhance Gunlaug's armor as well?"
Nephis shook her head.
"That armor isn't a mory," she said calmly. "It's an Echo."
Alucard didn't react.
He had already known that.
From the mont he obtained the Sin of Envy, he had been able to sense blood in things others couldn't. Gunlaug's armor had always felt… alive.
There were so Echoes that had blood.
There were so that didn't.
But there were no mories that bled.
That alone had been enough for him to figure it out.
Seishan had later confird it anyway.
Nearby, Sunny and Nephis continued their usual strange… whatever it was.
Not quite conversation.
Not quite flirting.
Sothing in between.
"Like you're one to talk," Gluttony said smugly inside Alucard's mind.
Alucard rolled his eyes.
"Oh please," he replied internally. "We can both agree their relationship is a complete ss."
Gluttony chuckled.
"Yeah. It is. But yours are way worse."
Alucard's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Care to elaborate?" he asked coldly. "Choose your next words very carefully. Otherwise I'm starving you for a year."
A very real shiver ran through Gluttony.
"What I ant," the Sin said quickly, "is that your only relationship was with a girl who basically had to force you to date her. She had to outright tell you she was madly in love with you. And we both know how clueless you are when it cos to Sei."
Alucard grabbed his head.
"…No food for a week," he muttered. "You ntioned Yuki."
He paused.
"…But why the hell did you bring up Sei?"
Gluttony scoffed.
"I didn't even ntion her properly," it argued. "And wasn't the rule three days, not a week? Also… co on. You seriously don't see it?"
Alucard frowned.
"Firstly, you earned the extra days by being annoying. Secondly, I have no idea what you're talking about."
Gluttony let out sothing that sounded like a cough trying to imitate a sigh.
"You're hopeless," it said. "You're like one of those dense ani protagonists."
Alucard ignored it and walked toward the rest of the cohort.
Right in ti to hear Nephis speaking in that calm, distant tone of hers.
"Just because we obtained the Dawn Shard doesn't an our expedition is over. I think Sunny can explain."
Sunny smiled faintly.
"Well, it's simple. Yes, the goal was to find a way to overthrow the Bright Lord. But that's not the only reason, is it?"
Alucard wasn't in the mood.
Not for suspense.
Not for whatever cryptic ga they were playing.
Not after everything.
So he cut in bluntly:
"Kai, what they're trying to say is that we have to kill the Nightmare Creature inside that cave and reach the statue inside."
Silence fell instantly.
Everyone turned toward Nephis.
After a mont, she nodded.
"That is correct."
Kai blinked.
"But… why? What's so important about that statue?"
Nephis exhaled slowly.
"This is sothing people can only volunteer for," she said. "Anyone who doesn't wish to proceed can stay behind."
She turned toward the tunnel ahead.
"…There is another ancient statue inside. A powerful guardian protects it. I don't know what it is. But we have to kill it."
Then she added, more seriously:
"If you join , you must follow one rule. No matter what happens, do not deal the final blow unless you have touched the statue first."
Alucard didn't wait for anything else.
He was already walking.
He needed sothing to kill.
Sothing to vent everything building inside him.
First that damned dream…
Then the infection…
Then the wax…
Then… them…
Sara.
Yuki.
The nas echoed in his mind like a curse.
His jaw clenched.
Sothing is going to die today.
Either …
Or that creature.
---
The cohort entered the tunnel.
The air grew heavier.
Darker.
Then—
A deafening screech tore through the cavern.
A massive, grotesque bird descended from above.
A Spire ssenger.
Its wings stretched wide, feathers like blades, its beak sharp enough to split stone.
Its scream alone shook the walls.
Alucard smiled.
A wide, unhinged grin.
"Finally."
Beside him, Beast materialized.
Alucard didn't wait.
He thrust his hand forward—
Blood surged.
Compressed.
Sharpened.
Then—
BOOM.
Three Piercing Blood projectiles shot forward like crimson bullets.
They slamd into the creature's wing and torso.
The impact echoed.
The feathers held.
Barely.
The blood didn't pierce cleanly—but it dented the flesh beneath.
Alucard clicked his tongue.
"Not enough…"
The problem was obvious.
The blood belonged to a Fallen creature.
But he was still just a Sleeper.
He needed sothing stronger.
So he changed tactics instantly.
A massive amount of blood surged around him—enough to fill entire bathtubs.
It twisted.
Condensed.
Ford into four massive javelins, each one vibrating with unstable power.
Alucard grabbed one and hurled it.
Then another.
Then another.
Each throw cracked the air like thunder.
He aid for the eyes.
He missed.
Horribly.
One javelin shot past the creature's head.
Another scraped its wing.
The third—
"…Oh."
It hit.
Not where he intended.
But it hit.
The Spire ssenger let out an enraged screech as the javelin lodged into a very unfortunate location.
Alucard blinked.
"…Well. That works too."
(he hit the cloaca)
Since aiming clearly wasn't his strength, he switched targets.
Bigger target.
Center mass.
He began throwing javelins relentlessly.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each one slamd into the creature's body, embedding slightly into its dense, armored feathers.
Not killing it.
Not even seriously injuring it.
But weakening it.
Setting sothing up.
The Spire ssenger finally noticed him properly.
Its head snapped toward him.
Then—
It vanished.
And reappeared directly in front of him.
Too fast.
Way too fast.
Before Alucard could react—
CRASH.
A wing slamd into him like a mountain.
His body was sent flying across the cavern.
Bones shattered instantly.
Armor cracked.
He slamd into the wall hard enough to crater it.
For a mont—
Everything went quiet.
Then pain hit.
All at once.
"GLUTTONY—HEAL !"
It was already working.
"You should not move," Gluttony warned. "Your ribs—your spine—"
Too late.
Alucard forced himself up.
Pain exploded through his body.
His legs didn't respond.
He looked down.
His spine was completely severed.
His lower body… wasn't connected anymore.
"…Hah."
A broken laugh escaped his lips.
Then he spat blood.
"Yeah… no."
That wasn't stopping him.
Not today.
While Gluttony desperately worked to reconnect his body, Alucard tilted his head back—
And started spitting piercing blood like bullets through his mouth.
Each shot cracked through the air, forcing the creature to shift its attention.
Buying ti.
Buying seconds.
That was enough.
The mont feeling returned to his legs, he forced himself up.
He didn't stand properly.
He dragged himself forward.
Limping.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Completely insane.
"I will kill you…" he muttered.
Each step left a sar of blood behind.
"I will rip those wings off…"
He coughed violently.
More blood spilled from his mouth.
"…and turn them into a coat…"
The Spire ssenger screeched and lunged again—
But Effie intercepted it, slamming it back just enough.
Just one mont.
That was all he needed.
Alucard reached the statue.
And slamd his forehead against it.
Contact.
Permission granted.
He turned.
Slowly.
And smiled.
A terrifying, blood-soaked grin.
Then he looked up.
At the ceiling.
Cracked.
Unstable.
Perfect.
All the blood he had embedded earlier—
All those "failed" attacks—
Suddenly made sense.
They weren't attacks.
They were anchors.
He raised his hand.
Every drop of blood embedded in the creature…
In the walls…
In the ceiling…
Moved.
They surged deeper into the rock.
Wrapped.
Connected.
Like veins.
Like a network.
Like a bomb waiting to go off.
The Spire ssenger lunged again.
Right into position.
Alucard's smile widened.
His voice ca out as a rasp, soaked in blood and madness:
"Go to hell… you worthless piece of shit."
Then—
[The Sin of Wrath]
Activated.
For a split second—
Everything went silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
The ceiling collapsed.
An avalanche of stone, sharpened rock, and massive debris crashed down onto the Spire ssenger.
The cavern shook violently.
Dust exploded into the air.
The creature's scream was cut short as thousands of tons of rock buried it alive.
Silence followed.
Alucard stood there.
Barely.
Body broken.
Covered in blood.
Breathing heavily.
Then he laughed.
A low, unhinged laugh.
"…Yeah."
He wiped blood from his mouth.
"That felt good."
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