The Blood Queen (DxD x MultiCross)

Chapter 30:

– Valerie –

I slipped her phone back inside my jacket after reading that absurd text Alucard had sent me.

"Congratulations on getting a new mother…?" Seras teased with that cheeky British smile of hers.

"Well, shit. I guess the three of us are on our own," Blade muttered, his voice low and rough. He had the look of someone who expected to work alone anyway. "Not that big of a deal."

"I have no idea what's going through Alucard's head right now, and frankly, I'll figure out his weird message later," I said, pulling out my magic revolver and cocking it. "For now, we've got company." I aimed my revolver above our heads and called out, "Protego!"

A shimmering blue shield sprang into existence, forming a dome over the three of us. It couldn't have come at a better time—a hailstorm of bullets rained down from all directions. Angry vampires were pouring out of nearby doors, windows, and even standing on rooftops, armed to the teeth!

Blade's jaw tightened as he watched the bullets harmlessly splash against the magical barrier. "Magic is trippy," he muttered, clearly unsettled but appreciative of the defense.

"Are you okay?" Seras asked, glancing at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, genuinely surprised by how easy it was to maintain the shield. Last time I'd tried blocking bullets, it had nearly drained me dry. The fact that this barely put a dent in my reserves told me I was a hell of a lot stronger now. And tonight? Tonight was only going to make me stronger. There was an entire buffet of bloodthirsty vampires surrounding us, just waiting to be devoured.

Eventually, all the vampires' weapons clicked empty. The echo of gunfire faded, leaving an uneasy silence in its wake. I dropped the Protego, letting the barrier dissolve around us.

The bloodsuckers stared at us, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Not a single scratch on any of us, despite the thousands of bullets they'd just wasted.

Blade stepped forward, drawing his katana with a metallic hiss. "Let's do this," he growled.

Seras smirked, pure joy lighting up her crimson eyes as she pulled her massive anti-tank rifle off her back. She spun the weapon around in a show of strength before leveling it at a cluster of vampires. The moment she pulled the trigger, the deafening boom shook the air. One vampire exploded into a mess of blood and gore—so did the one standing behind him, and the one behind that.

"I love this gun!" Seras cheered.

I couldn't help but smile at her. Seeing Seras in her element was infectious. I turned my attention to another group of vampires who were too frozen in shock to react in time. "Incendio."

A stream of fire erupted from the barrel, engulfing the vampires in a blazing inferno. Their screams echoed in the street as their clothes and hair ignited violently. 

I put the poor bastards out of their misery with three perfect headshots. Two of them turned to ash instantly. The third? His body hit the ground, a headless corpse.

"Huh," I muttered, staring at it. "That's new."

"It's a different breed," Blade said as he dodged a few knife swings from a vampire before swiftly decapitating it with his katana. "I've been seeing these new types pop up every now and then. Wait till you run into the sparkly vampires…"

"Sparkly vampires?" Seras called out. "No way!"

Blade's lips twitched upwards slightly. I always figured there were multiple types of vampires out there in the wider world, but I knew he was fucking with us on that one… 

Something to think about for a later time. We were in a massive firefight currently. 

"Come and get some!" Seras shouted, her voice practically dripping with adrenaline as she fired her anti-tank cannon again. The windows of the nearby buildings vibrated from the sheer force, and another small group of vampires disintegrated into piles of gore and ash.

The rest of the bloodsuckers were starting to panic now. There had been at least thirty of them when they ambushed us. Now? They were down to less than ten.

"Run for it!" one screamed, bolting.

"They can't kill all of us if we split up!" another yelled as he sprinted in the opposite direction.

"Fuck Dracula! I knew he was full of shit from the beginning!" a third shouted as he disappeared down an alley.

I managed to drop two more before my revolver clicked empty. Blade tackled one to the ground and drove his katana through its chest, pinning it there. But despite our best efforts, a handful of them managed to escape.

"Sorry about that," I said, reloading my gun as I glanced at Blade.

"It happens," he replied coolly, wiping the blood off his blade. "They'll go to ground for a few months, but they'll get hungry and arrogant again soon enough. When they do, I'll be waiting."

Seras stepped up, her anti-tank rifle slung over her shoulder. "The way's clear. Should we keep moving?"

I nodded at her. 

Blade sniffed the air and grunted. "He's nearby."

"Where's he hiding?"

"Warehouse at the end of the street," Blade replied, pointing to a large, decrepit building covered in graffiti.

"It's always warehouses," I muttered, shaking my head. Was there some unspoken vampire rule about hiding in the most clichéd places possible?

Seras smirked at me, her anti-tank cannon already propped on her shoulder. "Shall we make an entrance?"

"Oh, absolutely," I said with a grin. I stepped aside and gestured toward the heavy steel doors. "Be my guest."

Seras didn't need any more encouragement. She leveled her cannon and pulled the trigger. The explosion was deafening. 

The warehouse doors didn't just open, they were obliterated, flying inward and crushing a few unlucky vampires who had been waiting to ambush us on the other side.

"Oops," Seras said with a laugh. "Didn't mean to KNOCK quite that hard."

"You're terrible," I said with a smirk. I kept my magic revolver at the ready, prepared to cast another Protego if bullets or something worse came flying at us.

"Hold your fire! I want to talk to them!" a voice called out from the back of the building.

And then he emerged. The so-called Dracula. Or, as Blade had so eloquently described him earlier, Discount Rapper Dracula.

He was… something. The guy strutted out like he owned the place, wearing an open leather jacket that exposed a surprisingly decent set of abs. But any intimidation factor he might've had was immediately ruined by the five—yes, five—chain necklaces he was rocking. It was like he couldn't decide if he was a vampire lord or a failed backup dancer for some early-2000s boy band.

I couldn't help myself. I pulled out my phone and snapped a few pictures, trying not to laugh as I sent one off to Alucard with a quick caption: "This is the guy?"

My phone buzzed almost immediately with his response: "This cannot stand! KILL HIM!"

I snickered, slipping my phone back into my pocket. I could practically feel Alucard's frustration through the text. He was going to be so annoyed that he didn't get to kill this poser himself. Whatever vampire pussy he'd run off to chase after had better be worth it.

The fake Dracula smirked, clearly misinterpreting my amusement as something else. He spread his arms wide, like he was presenting himself as a gift. "Like what you see, ladies? Feel free to take as many pictures as you desire!"

Seras and I both snorted at the same time. "No thanks," I said. "I have more than enough pictures if I ever want to create memes later."

His smirk dropped, replaced with a frown. "Why are you all here? We never went out of our way to start anything with you, and yet you've tracked us down like animals, brought violence to my territory, and slaughtered my men!"

"Do you even know what we're trying to start here, bitch!?" a female vampire near him snapped, glaring at us.

I tilted my head and put a finger on my chin, pretending to think about it. "Not really," I admitted, turning to Seras and Blade. "Do you guys know?"

Blade grunted. "They're trying to create some kind of undead kingdom in the middle of New York."

"We're not trying!" the female vampire spat. "We've been succeeding! We already have multiple city blocks under our control, and in a couple more weeks, we'll have a quarter of the city serving as living blood bags for us. No one will be able to stop us!"

The crazy thing was, she actually seemed to believe the bullshit she was spouting.

"I'm pretty sure if it got to that point, the government would find out and just send the army or something," Seras pointed out.

I nodded. "Yeah, definitely. You guys might think you're big and bad, but once the tanks start rolling in, it's game over."

It reminded me of Voldemort's whole deal back in Britain. Everyone likes to talk big in the supernatural world… until the bombs start dropping. These vampires had pretty impressive speed and strength, but that was pretty much it. They hadn't displayed any other magical abilities, or if they had they were just so lame I hadn't even noticed. 

"That will not happen. You must not know who I am!?" the fake Dracula declared, spreading his arms wide like he was some divine figure about to descend from the heavens. "Look upon me and truly see who you are speaking to, for I am none other than the original—the father of all our kind. I am Dracula!"

The female vampire next to him must have definitely drunk the Kool-Aid because she was gazing up at him with what could only be described as pure, unfiltered awe. And she wasn't alone in her reverence. The couple dozen vampires scattered throughout the room were staring at him like he was the second coming or some shit.

Blade let out a low chuckle, his grip on his katana tightening just a bit. Seras snorted so loudly I thought she might blow a fuse, and I couldn't help but shake my head wistfully.

I pointed at myself and spoke up. "My name is Valerie Tepes," I declared, my tone dripping with sarcasm. "Does that last name sound familiar?" Just for dramatic flair, I let my red eyes glow even brighter in the dimly lit room, making sure all these idiots could see who they were messing with.

Dracula—or whatever the hell his real name was—paused mid-posture, his smug grin faltering just a little as he scrutinized me. "You are one of my descendants?" he asked, his voice hesitant, like he wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at.

Before I could respond, Seras stepped forward, her anti-tank cannon resting casually on her shoulder. "No, jackass! Her father is the real Dracula!" she snapped. "And he happens to be in the city right now, as we speak. He sent us to deal with you—some dumbass imposter trying to use his name."

Seras wasn't usually one for swearing, which meant she was really annoyed. And honestly? I couldn't have said it better myself.

Dracula stiffened up at Seras' words. It was just a flicker, a momentary tightening of his jaw and a flash of panic in his eyes, but it was enough. This guy wasn't delusional, he was just a con artist.

"You lying whores!" the woman beside him shrieked, her voice echoing off the walls. She was practically foaming at the mouth, her hands clenched into fists. "How dare you come in here and spread your filthy fucking lies! Kill them! Kill all three of them!" she screamed, whipping around to address the other vampires in the room.

Welp, it looked like we were about to start the final round.

Seras grinned, baring her fangs as she hefted her cannon. "I'll take the left," she said cheerfully, already lining up her first shot.

Blade sighed, drawing his katana with that smooth, practiced ease of his. "Right's mine. Try not to die..." he muttered to me as he moved into position.

I rolled my eyes. "You too big guy," I shot back, grinning as I aimed it straight at the shrieking woman who had just ordered our deaths. I could have just shot her, but she really annoyed me and deserved some pain before she died.

"Incendio!"

A jet of flames erupted from the barrel of my gun, setting her dress—and her hair—ablaze. She let out an ear-piercing scream, flailing around as the fire consumed her.

I almost felt bad. Almost.

The rest of the vampires finally snapped out of their stupor and either charged at us or opened fire with their guns.

I grunted as some bullets slammed into my arms and legs, but wounds like these were more of minor inconveniences at this point. 

Seras fired her cannon, the recoil sending her skidding back a couple of inches. The blast turned half a dozen vampires into a fine red mist, the shockwave rattling the walls of the warehouse.

Blade was already in motion, his katana slicing through the air with deadly precision. He moved like a goddamn machine, every strike calculated, every swing lethal. Heads rolled, bodies dropped, and he didn't even break a sweat.

I took aim at a cluster of vampires trying to flank us and cast another spell. "Confringo!" The explosion sent them flying, their bodies slamming into the walls before disintegrating into ash.

"They're just throwing themselves at us," Seras laughed, her red eyes glowing with excitement as she fired off another shot. More vampires went down, their screams cutting off as their bodies disintegrated.

The female vampire, who was probably Dracula's groupie or something, was writhing on the floor, trying to recover. She had just managed to put herself out, but she was covered in burn marks, and half of her hair was gone. It was a pathetic sight, really.

I calmly walked over to her, ignoring the groaning vampires still struggling around us. Reaching down, I hoisted her up by the neck with one hand. She gasped and clawed at my wrist, her strength clearly sapped.

"P-please, mercy," she whimpered weakly. Her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.

I ignored her pathetic plea and sank my fangs into her neck. Warm, rich vampire blood flooded my mouth, and I hummed in delight. Each gulp sent a jolt of energy and pleasure through me, making me feel sharper, stronger—alive, in the way only a dhampir like me could understand.

Her body twitched and jerked against my grip as I drained her dry. When I was done, I let her lifeless corpse fall to the floor, watching as it crumbled into ash before it even hit the dirty cement.

"One annoying bitch down," I muttered, licking the blood from my lips.

Something clicked in my mind as I felt that familiar surge of power. I'd noticed it before but hadn't given it much thought. Every time I drained a supernatural being, I didn't just feel satisfied—I felt stronger. It wasn't the same as feeding off regular humans; this was something deeper, like I was absorbing a piece of their power. Maybe even bits of their souls as well...?

I knew one way to test my theory. There were still over two dozen vampires left, all fighting desperately for their lives as Seras and Blade tore through them.

I shifted into my swarm of bats form. My swarm darted across the room, dodging stray bullets and collapsing beams, before I reformed behind a vampire wielding a machine gun. He had his sights on Seras, who was too busy mowing down other targets to notice.

The shots wouldn't kill her, but that didn't mean I wanted to see a woman I cared about getting hurt!

"Not on my watch," I growled as I wrapped my arms around his head, snapping it back to expose his neck. My fangs sank in before he could react, and I started draining him. He thrashed in my grip, trying to throw me off, but I was far stronger. His struggles slowed, then stopped altogether as I finished him off.

Unlike the last vampire, his body didn't turn to ash. Instead, it shriveled up, looking like a burnt-out husk as it flopped lifelessly to the ground. Another one of those "different" vampires, I noted.

Something to think about later.

Seras and Blade were relentless, their movements precise and devastating. Seras grinned maniacally as she fired her massive anti-tank rifle, each shot obliterating groups of vampires in one deafening boom. Blade, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of lethal efficiency, his katana slicing through necks and torsos as if they were nothing.

Meanwhile, I darted around the warehouse, alternating between my swarm form and regular form to take down targets. Each time I pounced on a vampire, I drank them dry, savoring the taste of their blood as I felt my power grow with every kill. It was a damn buffet, and I wasn't going to waste it.

One particularly brave vampire lunged at me with a knife. Cute. I caught his wrist mid-swing and twisted it until the bone snapped, the knife clattering to the floor. Before he could scream, I sank my teeth into his throat, cutting off his voice as I drained him. His blood was particularly hot and spicy, and I couldn't help but grin and think that it reminded me of chili as his undead life slipped away.

That was the last one.

The warehouse had finally gone silent except for the faint hiss of ashes settling where vampires used to be.

Seras walked over to me with a grin that could only be described as smug satisfaction. I wasn't sure what she was up to until she reached out and wiped a finger across my lips, catching some of the blood still clinging there. Her red eyes gleamed as she brought the finger to her mouth and licked it clean.

"Mmm, tasty," she teased.

I shivered. Damn, she knew exactly what she was doing. Before I could retort, Blade strode over.

He gave both of us a nod. "You both did good work here today," he said. Then he turned to me specifically. "Good job killing that fake-ass Dracula."

I froze mid-smirk. "Huh? I thought you killed him?"

Blade frowned. "What? No. I figured you did."

We both turned to Seras, who shrugged and gave us an innocent look. "Don't look at me. I've been handling the riffraff!"

"Well, shit," I muttered, realization dawning. "Why do the bad guys always run away at the end?" I threw my arms up. "Like, seriously! Every damn time!"

– Alucard –

"And that's my story..."

They were standing on top of a random rooftop, the city sprawling out beneath them in all its grimy, chaotic glory. Selene was gazing at the moon as she spoke, and Alucard, however, could hardly keep his eyes off her. 

The beautiful vampiress, Selene, had quickly proven to be incredibly interesting. She came from a community of vampires he hadn't even been aware of, which was both fascinating and slightly irritating. Alucard prided himself on knowing every corner of the vampire world, but Selene's existence reminded him that there were still hidden gems to discover.

What delighted him most was how easily the two of them seemed to click. 

They both enjoyed fighting, they both loved shooting their enemies with big, loud guns, and they both dressed with impeccable style. Selene's sleek, black bodysuit made her look dangerous and sexy, while his iconic red trench coat and hat made him look plain badass.

Selene had been slightly surprised when he introduced himself as Alucard. It didn't take long for her to figure it out—she was a sharp one.

"Alucard... backward, that's Dracula, isn't it...?"

"And here I was hoping to keep it mysterious..."

"At least now I know why my bullets had no effect on you," she said in mock resignation.

Alucard grinned wider. "You know, I have a man who could hook you up with better firepower. If you'd like to stick around and get to know me better, that is."

Selene raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a sly smirk. "I just might... old man."

He let out a deep laugh, enjoying her sharp wit. She may have called him "old," but Alucard could sense that Selene wasn't exactly a fledgling vampiress herself.

Selene turned her gaze back to the moon. "I'm in New York hunting a new clan of Lycans," she explained. "These ones don't need a full moon to shift. They're dangerous, rabid, and spreading like a plague."

Alucard's grin widened. The thought of hunting down mangy werewolves thrilled him! And the idea of doing it alongside a beautiful woman? Even better.

…The sound of frantic footsteps interrupted their moment. A man wearing an open leather jacket with no shirt underneath, paired with far too many chain necklaces, came bolting across the rooftops in their direction.

Selene glanced away from the moon and gaped. "Is that...?"

"Unfortunately," Alucard grumbled. She had been standing next to him when Valerie sent the picture earlier, so Selene knew exactly who this poser was. She had found it hilarious at the time.

The imposter was running desperately, his arms flailing slightly as he tried to keep his balance on the rooftops. Alucard sighed, reached into his trench coat, and pulled out the newest pistol Walter had custom-made for him. He took careful aim and pulled the trigger.

The imposter was blasted clean off the rooftop, his body disintegrating into ash before it even hit the streets below.

Alucard holstered his weapon, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. "It seems I'll need to give Valerie and Seras a few more lessons," he said, chuckling to himself. "Letting such easy prey escape... tsk, tsk."

But first, he had a date…

XXX