The blood spread throughout London, not yet dry, rioted completely, gathering into rivers that surged toward Alucard.
Yoruichi watched the blood flowing rapidly through the streets below, then looked at Alucard, the source of it all at the center of the stage, her face filled with shock.
"This is—"
"This is Alucard gorging himself on blood once again."
Ren gazed at the scene, his voice low. "He intends to swallow the life of all London in one breath, once again becoming the tyrant who reigns over the River of Death's million souls."
But for Alucard, a deadly poison lurked within that crimson torrent.
The Major, the one who orchestrated this war, had long ago placed a poison meant specifically for Alucard into that river of blood.
"Hahahaha!"
Amidst his boisterous laughter, Alucard swallowed the blood of London entire.
On the streets once littered with corpses and gore, not a single trace of blood could now be seen.
"I won!"
From the fallen airship came the Major's high-pitched voice, sounding like a man who had finally achieved his grand design.
Every syllable betrayed the irrepressible joy of his victory.
"You lost, Alucard!"
"Lost? Who are you saying lost?"
The girl's blood-red eyes glinted with an eerie light, and her lips curled into a wild, arrogant smile.
"Me?"
"Do you really think I would be defeated by the likes of you, Hellsing's professor?"
"I am a demonic sword that shall never break! I shall never lose!"
Boom!
The girl's eyes suddenly widened, filled with a sudden sense of emptiness.
As she stared at the rising sun before her, her thoughts drifted back a hundred years... no, centuries.
The light of the sun was just as beautiful back then, during the two times she had died.
Blood erupted from her body as countless eyes manifested across her skin, only for those eyes to slowly close as she lost her sense of self.
The girl's form she had deliberately assumed could no longer be maintained, shifting back into the tall man in the straitjacket.
Under the morning light, he dissolved into nothingness like a fleeting dream, disappearing completely.
"He's... dead?"
Confusion and bewilderment played across Yoruichi's face.
The triumphant King of Vampires had swallowed the city's blood, only to vanish inexplicably in the end.
"Ren, what exactly happened?"
"It was poison."
Ren composed himself and spoke slowly. "But not a poison in the ordinary sense. It was a poison tailored for Alucard, who held a million lives within him."
Schrödinger's Cat.
A cat capable of observing itself through its own will.
A wise cat that exists anywhere as long as it observes its own presence.
When Alucard swallowed those millions of lives, he also integrated that cat into his own existence.
The cat's will merged with Alucard and the million souls in the River of Death, making it impossible for him to successfully observe himself.
Since he cannot be observed, he naturally ceases to exist in this world.
Currently, Alucard is neither alive nor dead; he is merely a collection of imaginary numbers.
Yoruichi's confusion only deepened as she listened to Ren's explanation.
She didn't understand it at all.
Ren looked down at the city, now a ghost town, and sighed.
"Let's go, Yoruichi."
"It's time for us to move."
As he spoke, Ren jumped down toward the airship, and Yoruichi quickly followed.
Walter, now in his younger form, dragged his broken body toward the interior of the airship before his end. Blood trailed behind him, serving as a guide for Ren.
As Ren moved toward the command center in the deepest part of the ship, he saw a hole in the floor. In the storage room below, a soul longing for death was slowly meeting its end.
The two dropped down, ignoring the gold and silver treasures scattered across the floor, and looked at the soul before them.
"Wake up."
A low wolf's howl echoed softly as The Captain slowly opened his eyes.
He first looked at his phantom body, seemingly realizing something, then turned his gaze forward.
Ren and Yoruichi's figures were reflected in The Captain's crimson eyes.
Ren looked at him and said softly, "You are already dead. Only your soul remains."
"I am a Soul Reaper from another realm, and I seek your power. Are you willing to come with me?"
A look of confusion appeared on The Captain's face. He sized up the two once more, then slowly shook his head.
He declined Ren's invitation.
Ren had expected this.
He asked a few more times, but the other party continued to shake his head in silence, offering the same response as always.
Since the werewolf was set in his ways, Ren did not force him. He simply sighed softly and left.
While the werewolf's abilities were excellent, they were somewhat redundant for Ren.
Yoruichi's brow furrowed as she recalled The Captain's behavior.
"That werewolf... it looks like he simply didn't want to go on living."
"He has likely lived too long and has no desire to continue," Ren said.
The Captain had been seeking death all along; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone easy on Seras or even delivered his own weakness into her hands.
Yoruichi nodded, half-understanding, a strange look in her eyes.
"Speaking of which, that guy didn't say a word from the very beginning. Could he be a mute?"
"Perhaps," Ren paused before continuing, "or maybe he just doesn't like to talk."
"..."
"Well, he's certainly an odd one," Yoruichi remarked.
Following the path, the two continued deeper into the airship, eventually reaching the command center.
They stepped through the shattered bulletproof glass into the heart of the ruins.
Integra and Seras had already left after dealing with their opponent. A lifeless corpse now lay amidst the wreckage.
Only half of the bloated body remained, but it was not filled with flesh and blood; instead, it was a mess of mechanical parts and iron scrap.
"So this is the mastermind who planned this whole war..."
"His body was actually mechanical..." Yoruichi looked at the broken figure in shock.
Ren nodded, took a step forward, and lightly swept his arm.
"Mmm—"
As Ren's voice fell, a phantom soul emerged from the body.
It was a short, fat man in a white suit. His blonde hair was disheveled, and the eyes behind his glasses were initially vacant before clearing with intelligence.
It was the Major of Millennium.
"Major, how does the taste of victory suit you?"
Hearing an unfamiliar voice, the Major turned his head. Two figures came into view.
A man and a woman, dressed in ordinary casual clothes.
The woman stood in the back. In the dim light, her features weren't entirely clear, though her darker skin was visible.
The man stood further forward, allowing the Major a clearer look.
However, at first glance, what caught the Major's eye were those thick, heavy eyebrows and the man's rather upright, stern features.
A look of sheer astonishment immediately crossed the Major's face, his expression becoming dazed.
"Bre... Brezhnev?"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going..... patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]