(Goal: 500 Power Stones: + 2 Chapter Bonus, can you do it?)
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Romania. Somewhere unknown.
The ancient and modern city coexisted like two reluctant lovers. On one side, old buildings, Orthodox churches, and alleys where time seemed to stand still. On the other, glass and concrete skyscrapers, supermarkets, and glowing billboards pretending the supernatural didn't exist.
But it did.
That night, heavy clouds covered the moon, and the wind carried the acrid smell of smoke and blood. Bucharest always had its secrets, and tonight, they were burning.
The sky above the ancient Vampire Faction, ruled by King Tepes, was tinged with green and black. Unnatural flames licked the Gothic towers and stone walls, consuming centuries of history and sin.
Shadows danced, and screams echoed through once-grand corridors and halls. An inferno built by the orders of a single man.
Edmond Dantès.
He walked unhurriedly through the main courtyard, his long period coat billowing like a raven's wings amid the flames. His steps echoed on the ancient stone, a solitary sound in the infernal environment.
The Count of Monte Cristo did not smile. His amber eyes were half-lidded, reflecting the flames consuming the cries of undead nobles, as if he were merely handling yet another bureaucratic task.
"Unpleasant, as always," he murmured, his voice low and sharp as cold steel. "These parasites never learn."
Though quite different from the Dead Apostles of his old world, the vampires stirred unpleasant memories of Roa, that cursed dead apostle he faced after his escape…
Charred vampire bodies littered the path, their forms now mere ashes and brittle bones. The greenish flames, summoned by his [Monte Cristo Mythologie], consumed even their souls, leaving nothing behind but silence.
The massive stone castle loomed ahead, still resisting the flames, its windows like the empty eyes of a dying beast.
Edmond did not slow his pace.
The only sound was the rhythmic scrape of his boots against the ancient stone and the faint clink of a chain he carried fastened to his belt.
A light breeze carried the ashes and the stench of death to the sleeping city, but no one woke. Because even humans felt, deep in their bones, that tonight, something ancient and terrible walked their streets.
Edmond stopped before the double blackened oak door and pushed it open without ceremony. The hinges creaked in protest, but nothing dared stop him.
"Where is that girl who possesses the Grail…?" he murmured to himself, his eyes narrowing with murderous anticipation.
The oak door creaked, exhaling a hot breath of smoke, blood, and death. Edmond crossed the threshold without hesitation, the metallic clink of his chain echoing through the wide, shadowy corridor. Ancient tapestries burned in greenish flames, marble statues cracked under the infernal heat, and the very stone seemed to want to flee.
At the end of the main hall, on a stone throne adorned with archaic vampiric symbols, Marius Tepes waited.
A young man of unreal beauty, his disheveled silver hair and crimson eyes reflecting the green flames around him. An angelic face hiding the spirit of a rotten worm.
Behind him, the entrance to the private chambers of the Tepes royalty—and to Edmond's target.
The Avenger stopped a few meters away, his cape swaying in the hot, soot-laden breeze.
"You…" Marius spoke, his melodious voice trembling. "What did you do to King Tepes? And the others?!"
He was trying to play the brave one… But it had only been ten minutes since this man invaded his family's territory and slaughtered every vampire in his path. King Tepes had sent him here as soon as he left to face the intruder, his mission to protect his younger sister from any allies the enemy might have brought. His father trusted they could defeat him… but that confidence had turned against them.
Edmond didn't bother answering immediately. His amber eyes stared at the vampire as if looking at an insect trapped in a bottle.
"They were arrogant," he said at last, his voice low and icy. "Convinced their noble blood and names made them untouchable. They tested the patience of a man without a homeland and paid the price."
Marius shuddered.
"I-If you killed them, then…!"
"You're next."
That was all Edmond said before vanishing.
To Marius, it was as if the world shattered. One moment, the Avenger was meters away; the next, he was in front of him, his clenched fist plunging like a scythe. The blow pierced Marius's chest with absurd ease, shattering ribs, flesh, and pride.
The young vampire coughed blood, his eyes wide with pure terror.
"W-Wait…! I-I can…!"
"You've already said too much."
With a dry pull, Edmond ripped out Marius's heart amid a gush of blood that evaporated before hitting the ground, consumed by the black flames of [Monte Cristo Mythologie]. The body fell heavily, the perfect face contorted in eternal horror.
Dantès dropped the shapeless organ as if it were a worthless object.
"Insignificant parasite."
Without wasting time, he passed through the ornate doors behind the throne with a single touch. The wood yielded, consumed by the cursed fire.
Inside, a luxuriously but decadently decorated room. Torn curtains, ancient furniture, and on the canopied bed, wrapped in blood-stained sheets, lay Valerie Tepes.
The young woman's face was pale, her silver locks spread over the pillows, her breathing slow and weak.
Edmond approached, and for a brief moment, his hardened expression softened.
Was it her…? The features matched those described by his master.
"At last, I found you."
And then, with a gentle motion, Edmond Dantès lifted Valerie into his arms and turned toward the flame-engulfed night.
…
The Celtic Gods' Lands had never been an ordinary place.
Located between eternal valleys and mountains that touched the clouds, they were a domain separate from the mortal world, where reality bent under the weight of ancient magic. They called it Mag Mell, or sometimes Tír na nÓg, the Land of Eternal Youth, a realm where the fields were greener, the rivers more crystalline, and the sky so vast it seemed to swallow the soul of anyone who dared gaze at it too long.
Or at least… it had been.
Now, only ruin remained.
The mountains were split, like the broken teeth of a defeated titan. The once-fertile soil had become a desert of stone and blood-soaked mud. The gods, who walked above men and sang ancient songs under the moonlight, lay scattered like rag dolls, their bodies mutilated in ways no mortal would dare imagine.
Severed heads, pierced torsos, twisted limbs. Blood stained the grass and ran down the slopes.
At the center of this grotesque scene stood Scáthach.
She twirled her spear, the [Gáe Bolg Alternative], sending the blood staining it flying in crimson splashes. The weapon's haft clinked lightly in her hand, as if satisfied with the slaughter.
Standing over the fallen body of Lugh Lámhfhada, the God of Light, Scáthach sighed, almost disappointed.
"Honestly… what a letdown."
The spear made a viscous sound as it was pulled from Lugh's stomach, blood following the blade in a hot torrent. She swung the weapon deftly, like someone discarding a utensil after a poorly served meal.
Lugh, on his knees, gasped. Blood stained his lips and dripped from his chin. His golden eyes, still unable to accept what they saw, dragged over the bodies of his brothers and comrades.
The immortal deities of the Celtic pantheon… reduced to nothing before this woman.
In less than an hour, they had all been destroyed.
"W-Who… who are you…?" Lugh gasped, spitting blood.
The answer came simply, laced with a tone of almost lazy boredom.
"Ah. Almost forgot." Scáthach rested the spear on her shoulder, a faint smirk forming. "My name is Scáthach, I suppose you must know me… I'm one of the servants of my master, Ryougi Kazuya, the director of Chaldea…"
She even made a brief theatrical gesture with her free hand.
Lugh's expression crumbled into pure horror.
"Impossible…!" he stammered, his voice failing. "The Scáthach of this world… she's been dead for centuries! Dead!"
For a moment, silence blanketed the battlefield.
Scáthach blinked, as if the revelation were just another inconvenience in the middle of her day. She scratched her head with the spear's haft, frowning.
"Hmph… so that's it." She murmured. "Explains why I couldn't find the Land of Shadows around here… seems my local version wasn't all that great. Pathetic."
She gave a light sigh, shaking her head.
"Well, what can you do."
And then, with calm, rhythmic steps, she vanished into the mist that began to cover the mountains again, leaving behind only the fallen bodies of the Celtic Gods and the cold wind.
She decided to at least investigate her version in this world further before returning to her master's side…
…
The place reeked of rusted iron and blood.
It was a space beneath any palace or fortress that had once held pride. A forgotten chamber where the very stone seemed to sweat moisture, and shadows clung to the walls like motionless serpents. Torches fixed in rusted holders cast a flickering, yellowish light, just enough to worsen the sense of claustrophobia.
The sound of dripping water echoed at irregular intervals, each drop sounding like a cruel marker of time for whoever was there.
And there they were.
Sirzechs Lucifer.
The once-feared and respected Demon King of the Underworld, now reduced to little more than a beggar. Chains etched with runes wrapped around his arms and ankles, anchored in containment circles carved into the floor itself. His red hair, dirty and matted to his face, barely revealed the serene expression that, whether through stubbornness or resignation, still lingered.
His body was covered in deep wounds, burns, purple bruises, and fresh scars over old ones. Dried blood traced his skin like forgotten brushstrokes by a cruel artist.
Beside him, Grayfia Lucifuge, the woman known as the Ice Queen and the most loyal of servants.
Or at least, she had been.
Her body was in the same deplorable state. Her long silver hair, disheveled and stained with blood and dust, covered part of her ruined face. Chains like Sirzechs' kept her bound to the cold floor, her clothes torn.
Both were unconscious.
Unaware of how much time had passed.
The dense silence of the dungeon was broken by the mechanical, out-of-place sound of an elevator.
Yes, an elevator.
In the darkest corner of the room, where there had only been an old, moss-covered stone wall, metallic doors opened with a muffled ding, as if even the device lacked the will to function there.
The pale, artificial light that escaped contrasted brutally with the oily gloom of the dungeon.
And then, from within, Kazuya stepped out calmly. He wore his open black overcoat, a wrinkled shirt underneath, and an expression of pure disinterest, as if he'd just woken from a forced nap in the middle of a rainy afternoon. He cracked his fingers and stretched his arms back, as if only then remembering where he was.
"Tch… more depressing than I expected." He muttered, yawning. "Time to deal with this, I guess."
After talking a bit more with Jeanne, he decided to descend to his "mage's workshop." He wanted to settle the pending matter with the demons who had appeared uninvited the previous day. This dungeon-like space where he'd placed the two, along with his entire workshop, was heavily inspired by fictional works from his past life, with the chaotic and inventive style of Rick and Morty as its core.
It was located on the one hundred and first sublevel of the mansion, following an inverted order: from the lowest to the highest number.
The sound of his boots echoed as he walked calmly across the stone floor.
As he passed the torches, the flames flickered slightly, as if even the fire recognized his presence.
Kazuya stopped a few steps from where Sirzechs and Grayfia lay and looked at them.
The Demon King and the Ice Queen… reduced to this.
"Wow, what a state, huh." He commented casually, tilting his head. "You were supposed to be the untouchable big shots of the Underworld. And look at you now…"
He crouched before Sirzechs, gazing at the sleeping yet still proud face of the demon.
A faint smile, more sinister than amused, crossed his lips.
"But relax. I'm here to take care of this."
He stretched again, cracking his shoulders. The feeling of someone about to clean out the basement… except the basement was full of monsters, and the former owners of the house were chained in the corner.
Though he hadn't had much free time due to recent commitments, he'd still managed to inflict fitting punishment on the two demons before him.
He started by stripping Sirzechs of the [Power of Destruction], a feat in itself irreversible and humiliating. But he didn't stop there. He also turned him into a eunuch by slicing off his tiny thing with a [Cleave], which he already considered one of the harshest punishments a man could receive. He even felt a certain pity for Grayfia… she would never truly be "happy" with the one who was once her husband.
Oh, and he almost forgot: he also altered Sirzechs' soul, turning it human. Gradually, he'd cease to be a demon, lose his [Demonic Power], and all superhuman attributes. He was doomed to become exactly what he'd always secretly despised—or at least been indifferent to—a common human in five years.
And as for Grayfia?
Well, she hadn't done as much as her husband, beyond attacking him and acting with arrogance. Still, he thought it fitting to teach her a lesson. He applied the same punishment: stripped her powers and altered her soul, condemning her to become human little by little.
But he went further.
Using his Longinus, he rewrote part of her mind, inserting an absolute command: "Whenever you try to act with arrogance, your body will kneel before your opponent."
It was a cruel but fair punishment… at least from his perspective.
The best option would've been to kill them outright. But he discovered that, contrary to his initial assumptions, the two weren't directly involved in his older sister's death. Sirzechs had tried to hypnotize her and use her as a tool to manipulate him in the future, but that was all.
Apparently, neither had done anything directly against her.
But… did that change anything?
After all, there are things worse than death for certain people, and he was certain that was exactly the case for these two. Besides, even if they weren't linked to his sister's death, the mere fact they tried to use her as a pawn in a game against him was reason enough to treat them as enemies.
And for enemies, mercy was a luxury he refused to offer.
The two would surely prefer death over being as weak as flies…
He made a gesture with his hand, and the chains released the two.
These chains were forged with [Primordial Runes], far different from the runes used by modern mages. Their origin traced back to the Age of the Gods, specifically to Odin, and their power was on a level far above any magic in this world. Thanks to them, he created these magical chains capable of endlessly absorbing the magical power of those imprisoned, leaving them in a continuous state of unconsciousness and weakness.
However, this was only possible due to his personal skill: [Magecraft: EX], an absurd ability…
But setting that aside, after undoing the chains, Kazuya drew a magic circle beneath the two unconscious demons and teleported them directly to Kuoh Academy, specifically to the Occult Research Club's room.
He looked toward the city and smiled as he spoke.
"Hope you like my gift…"
With that said, he walked toward his elevator.
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(A/N: Author's Note
Another chapter delivered! Thank you so much to everyone who's been following this journey — seriously, you all make a huge difference!
In this chapter, I explored a bit more about the individual missions of the Servants, revealing what Edmond and Scáthach were doing while the main events unfolded. We also delved into the direct consequences of Sirzechs and Grayfia's actions… and, of course, the punishment Kazuya deemed appropriate for them both.
So, what did you all think of it?
The fall of a Demon King, the ruin of his Queen, and the transformation of both into something they never imagined they could become… was it too cruel? Fair? Or still not enough? I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
In the next chapter, we'll see the demons' reaction upon receiving Sirzechs and Grayfia in their new state — and, as a bonus, Kazuya will be summoning more Servants. You can expect surprises, revelations, and more chaos coming your way.
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