Two days after that conversation, the cohort finally returned to the Dark City.
They didn't rest.
They didn't hesitate.
The moment their feet touched familiar ground, they moved as one—heading straight toward the ruined cathedral.
Their target was waiting.
The Fallen Devil that ruled that place.
---
Alucard walked behind the group at first…
Then slowly moved ahead.
And as the cathedral came into view—
A wide, almost manic grin spread across his face.
His single eye gleamed.
He could feel it.
The blood.
So much blood.
It saturated the very air, soaked into the ancient stones, seeped through the cracks of the ruined structure.
All of it—
From a single source.
The Fallen Devil.
"…Found you," Alucard whispered, his voice laced with excitement.
---
The battle began instantly.
Nephis stepped forward, raising her blade high into the air.
In the next moment—
Radiant white flames erupted outward.
They spread across the cathedral like a rising sun, devouring the oppressive darkness that had claimed the ruin for so long.
For most of the cohort—
The flames would have felt warm.
Comforting.
Reassuring.
For Alucard?
They were irritating.
Painfully so.
His body, already strained and unnatural, reacted poorly to such pure radiance.
But he didn't complain.
Because those flames revealed exactly what he wanted to see.
The Black Knight.
---
Alucard's grin widened into something feral.
"Hey, rommie," he called out mockingly. "Miss me?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"I died a few times after we separated. Bet you're real mad you weren't my first."
For a brief moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The Black Knight moved.
It understood.
Or at least… it reacted.
In less than half a second, it closed the distance, appearing in front of Alucard with terrifying speed, its massive sword already descending.
Alucard didn't even move.
Because—
Effie was already there.
She stepped in, raising her newly acquired shield just in time.
CLANG!
The impact echoed like thunder.
For a split second—
Even the Knight seemed surprised.
That hesitation was all Alucard needed.
He raised his hand.
Formed a gun.
"Bang! Bang! What me and your mother did last night!"
He was genuinely proud of himself for modifying the sigil.
Originally, it only responded to a single trigger—"bang."
Simple. Effective.
Boring.
Now, however?
Now it responded to an additional phrase of his choosing.
And oh, he had chosen very carefully.
Because if he was going to blow something's head off mid-battle…
He might as well do it with style.
And oh boy—
Did he pick a good one.
Three shots rang out.
Nearly invisibles blasts of blood slammed into the Knight's head, snapping it back slightly.
Not enough to deal real damage—
He was only using awakened blood.
But that wasn't the point.
This was never meant to kill.
It was a setup.
"Now!" Alucard barked.
The Stone Saint moved instantly, her blade descending toward the distracted Knight.
But—
The opening was too small.
Too brief.
The Knight recovered just in time, twisting its body and blocking the strike with its shoulder before pulling back a fist to counterattack.
Saint was about to be crushed—
When suddenly—
The Knight froze.
A pressure.
Something pulled at it.
Red, writhing tentacles coiled around its arm.
Beast.
With a violent motion, Beast yanked the Knight backward, twisting its entire body off balance.
This wasn't the same Beast as before.
Back then, he had only absorbed a fraction of his power.
Now—
He had ten blood beasts within him.
[10/20 blood beast's]
Not complete.
But close enough.
The Knight tried to tear Beast apart—
But Beast released his grip mid-motion, flipping backward in a fluid sequence before unleashing a concentrated beam of blood toward the Knight's sword.
The Knight dodged.
But that dodge cost it stability.
Its footing faltered—
And Effie took full advantage, slamming into it and forcing it backward.
The Knight recovered quickly, though.
Too quickly.
Its blade lashed out toward Effie—
A killing strike.
But just before it could land—
Caster appeared, pulling her away at the last possible second.
Support.
That was his role.
And he played it perfectly.
The Knight adapted.
Fast.
Too fast.
It grabbed Saint's blade mid-swing—
And snapped it in half.
The broken piece was immediately thrown toward Beast.
Beast reacted instantly—
Backflip.
Double backflip.
Side flip.
Front flip.
He avoided the projectile—
But the maneuver left him momentarily distracted.
And the Knight saw it.
In an instant—
It changed targets.
Nephis.
But that—
Was exactly what Alucard and Sunny wanted.
The moment the Knight stepped into range—
A sigil ignited beneath Nephis.
Dark pink.
Intricate.
Alive.
It pulsed like a living thing, spreading across the ground in a grotesque tapestry.
Blood surged out of it.
If one looked closely—
It was identical to the first original sigil Alucard had ever created.
Crude.
Inefficient.
But powerful.
The cost was immense.
The blood loss was far greater than usual since it wasn't placed on his body but rather on stone.
But it didn't matter.
All of it—
Was meant to be sacrificed.
---
Nephis braced herself.
Then—
BOOM.
The sigil detonated.
A massive explosion of crimson fire consumed the cathedral, swallowing everything in a storm of blood and heat.
The air filled with the stench of burnt flesh.
A thick, suffocating crimson mist spread in all directions.
Nephis stood untouched.
Her lineage protected her from all damage done by flames.
Her armor, however—
Was not protected.
It cracked and blackened under the force.
Still—
She raised her blade.
Holding the light.
Keeping the darkness away.
The Knight was buried under rubble.
Trapped.
Exactly as planned.
Its sword arm—
Raised.
Exposed.
Vulnerable.
There was a reason only a few of them remained inside.
Effie at the start.
Nephis.
Alucard.
And briefly—
Caster.
Everyone else had already moved out.
Because from the very beginning—
This wasn't just a fight.
It was a setup.
---
Alucard had been bleeding since the battle started.
Every drop—
Released into the air.
Every drop—
Becoming mist.
The effect was subtle.
Slow.
But inevitable.
Even a Fallen Devil couldn't completely resist it.
The sin of Sloth.
A creeping weakness.
A gradual slowing.
A quiet decay of strength.
Only a few were immune.
Alucard himself.
Beast.
Nephis—if she actively resisted it.
And oddly enough—
The Stone Saint.
But the Black Knight?
It wasn't truly her kind.
Just an imitation.
A mockery.
And that—
Was its downfall.
Beast landed on top of the Knight, pinning its arm in place.
The Knight struggled.
But it was too slow.
Too weakened.
The mist had done its work.
And then—
Saint struck.
Her blade slammed into the Knight's sword—
CRACK.
The weapon shattered.
And just like that—
It was over.
A group of Sleepers…
Had slain a Fallen Devil.
---
Alucard dropped to one knee, coughing as blood spilled from his mouth.
"…Damn it," he muttered. "Overdid it a little…"
Then—
He laughed.
"Doesn't matter," he said. "That bastard's dead. That means I win."
Inside his mind, Gluttony was rambling excitedly.
"Did you SEE that?! My Sainty was PERFECT! Absolutely perfect! Flawless! Beautiful—"
"Yeah, yeah," Alucard muttered, shaking his head with a tired smile.
He looked toward the Stone Saint—
Then frowned.
"…Wait."
His expression shifted.
"What is she doing?"
---
Saint stood over the corpse.
Then—
Without hesitation—
She reached into it.
Tore something out.
And—
Ate it.
---
Alucard blinked.
Then let out a short laugh as he pushed himself back to his feet.
"…You know what? Not even going to question it."
Instead, he walked over to the Black Knight's body.
And kicked it.
Once.
Twice.
Then repeatedly.
"GO—TO—FUCKING—HELL—YOU—BASTARD!"
Each word punctuated by another kick.
He didn't stop.
Didn't care.
Didn't even notice when the mist began to fade.
Eventually—
Effie sighed, grabbed him by the collar—
And dragged him away from the corpse like he was an angry child throwing a tantrum.
The battle was over.
But Alucard?
He clearly wasn't done venting.