I May Be A Vampire 08 (Patreon)

"Where are we going?" Hajime's voice was filled with nervousness.
 
It couldn't be helped. Arcuied had waited for the sun to set, and then had started leading them towards... somewhere. She was just walking too, which made him even more worried. Shouldn't they be running away or something!?
 
And the worst part is that damn crow was flying close to them, always keeping an eye on Arcueid, and occasionally glancing at Hajime. Since this crow was apparently connected to a Dead Apostle Ancestor, Hajime was considering killing it.
 
The only reason he hadn't, is because Arcueid was doing nothing about it.
 
She didn't even bother looking at him. "We are heading to an abandoned place! Like the woods... though if you have a better idea, feel free to suggest, Hajime."
 
For a moment he was too shocked to answer. Quickly shock was replaced by anger. "Why are we going to a place where it's easier for him to kill us!? We should be walking around public places!"
 
At this point Hajime had more or less figured out that the supernatural was meant to be a secret. So if they kept being around places where the Ancestor Rank couldn't attack, they would live through the night.
 
Arcueid pouts. "Isn't it obvious? I was trying to be considerate for you, since you live in the city and all! I mean, you don't want this bastard to drink every single person in this town, do ya!?"
 
"H-huh? E-every single person...?" She had to be exaggerating, she had to be.
 
The True Ancestor nodded with a serious face. "Yes... I guess you wouldn't know, but it's not like a Dead Apostle Ancestor would struggle to wipe out a city. And the one hunting us down tends to be particularly destructive."
 
"He's a beast alright. Though he's being nice today, letting us leave the city before the fight starts." She doubted he was doing out of the goodness of his heart however.
 
He was a magus, so he was most likely making a few preparations of his own. Alternatively, he didn't want to drag whatever executors the Holy Church had on this town, and perhaps even Arcueid's "grandchild" into the fight.
 
Hajime gulped. "So, what's his deal? His name and, abilities, and stuff..." He should try to gather as much info as he could before the fight.
 
At first he was going into this fight with the mindset that only his and Arcueid's lives were at stake, but apparently this monster wouldn't mind wiping out this whole town... Why did Hajime get jumped out by flying pigs and this guy got to walk around with no consequences!?
 
Arcueid glared at the crow, and then started whispering on Hajime's ears. "His name is Nrvnqsr Chaos... We just call him Nero though."
 
It was clear that she was trying to give Hajime information with this Nero eavesdropping... So Hajime ignored that he apparently found a woman whispering in his ear to be stimulating and paid complete attention.
 
"But to explain his abilities I need to explain something crucial about vampires. Do you know how in legends vampires can turn into bats and stuff?" He silently nods.
 
"Real Dead Apostles can do that by absorbing an animal, typically a cat and a dog, unto themselves. Just doing one is risky though, and the maximum ever recorded is three... With one exception."
 
"Due to his Idea Blood, Primordial Earth, Nero is made out of six hundred and sixty six creatures... And he can use them in pretty much every way imaginable. Not to mention that killing him would require killing them all at once, or killing his core, since they regenerate inside of him."
 
Ah, so that was what eternity looked like. "How are we supposed to beat that!?" Even though he shouldn't, Hajime ended up screaming.
 
It couldn't be helped though, since Arcueid had just described some ultimate boss. Not to mention that she didn't even go into detail if some of these creatures were magical or not. They could be, since flying pigs existed and all.
 
Arcueid gave him a cute wink. "Don't worry, I may be weakened, but I can still probably take him. You won't even need to fight in the best of cases."
 
Hajime's eyes widened. "For real? But you said I would be your bodyguard." This time he had begun whispering just like her. He was being spied on, so he needed to be careful, even if he was scared.
 
She smiled. "You will. But I just need you to watch out if he brings any tricks, like a second fighter. In that case you jump-in so I won't get overwhelmed." That didn't sound too bad.
 
She continued. "Besides, we don't actually have to kill him. Nero is... used to be a respected mage, he doesn't like taking risks. If the Sun begins to rise, or if he takes enough damage he will retreat."
 
A weak smile appeared on Hajime's face. "Well... beating him still sounds hard, but if you say you can do it, I will trust you Arcueid." This could be good for him in other ways too.
 
If Arcueid was sufficiently weakened by this monster, but won, then maybe Hajime could finish her off. The best of both worlds.
 
Even if he doubted such a convenient scenario would fall upon his head.
 
The two vampires made their way to the edge of Misaki Town more or less in silence. I say more or less, because Arcueid constantly chattered with Hajime about useless topics.
 
"So what's a Dio?"
 
"A fictional character."
 
"Oh, okay... so what's a Pillar Men?"
 
The conversation went more or less like this. Hajime too scared to give a elaborate answer, but Arcueid too excited to stay silent. To be honest she knew she should ready herself for the fight up ahead, but...
 
This all felt like a dream. A good one. And so she couldn't help, but enjoy herself to the limit.
 
Meanwhile, Hajime actually appreciated her cheerfulness, even if he was too afraid to say it. For once he felt that silence would be more terrifying than anything... Though a smile from Soujuurou would have definitely calmed him down as well.
 
They stepped into the woods. "He's close... I can feel a bounded field up ahead, a pretty simple one meant to..." And then Arcueid sighed. "You don't know what a bounded field is, right?"
 
"Think of it as an area set to have certain effects using magic. This one is probably to hide our activities..." She took a deep breath. "Are you ready Hajime, to face eternity?"
 
Hajime stopped to think.
 
Was he ready? The answer was definitely no. He hadn't accomplished his dreams yet, and he wanted to at least leave a note to his father, to tell him how much he loved him, and that he was sorry for being a natural born parasite.
 
He wanted to talk with Tobimaru for one last time and give his friend a hug, tell him that he loved him from the bottom of his heart, that he truly appreciated everything he had done for him throughout the years.
 
He wanted to thank Soujuurou yet again for saving his life. He wanted to make Aoko mad one last time. He wanted to see his mother at least one time in his entire life.
 
But the night didn't care about any of that, the night didn't care for Hajime.
 
So he could only do the same thing all his ancestors throughout the ages had done. Grit his teeth and bear it. "I'm ready."
 
They walked forwards, and eventually Hajime felt himself stepping through... something. It was uncomfortable, but afterwards he could finally see him.
 
A man with white hair in a trenchcoat. Tall enough that he could be a professional basketball player. He was of the Rank IX, Hajime knew that instinctively, he would have figured out with a glance even if he had amnesia.
 
He was standing before a king.
 
Nero didn't bother acknowledging him at first, instead glaring at Arcueid. "Your body has taken quite a toll recently, hasn't it, princess?" Even his voice sounded terrifying.
 
In contrast, Arcueid was as cheerful as ever. "Yep! A whippersnapper caught me off guard! I'm surprised you pounced on me so quickly though... Have you been hunting me for a while?"
 
Nero nodded. "Of course... you are the ideal prey for me." The crow which had been stalking them, landed on Nero's shoulder. "I plan to eat you, so I was just looking for a perfect opportunity to attack."
 
That crow darkened, and as if melting, became one with Nero. "I'm surprised about that boy however. Why did you decide to sire someone, Arcueid Brunestud? I thought Roa would be the first and last."
 
Her cheerful facade dropped, she was now glaring at Nero. "Hah, as if I willingly turned that snake into a vampire... Though I didn't turn this boy either. If I had lowered myself enough to taste blood, this city would be a river of it."
 
"He's the child of Roa's child. Do you know anything about her? You and that snake are friends, are you not?" So this guy knew Roa?
 
Nero crossed his arms. "Ugh... I don't bother to keep watch of every person Roa drinks blood from." His gaze changed from Arcueid to Hajime. "A Nightmare huh...? Not even worth eating."
 
"As she said boy, I am friends with Roa to a certain extent. So feel free to abandon this battlefield and flee. I have no intention of consuming some lowly knight." He could just... flee?
 
Hajime hadn't thought such a opportunity would be presented to him. But he really had no stakes in this fight, if Nero wasn't going to cause problems, then Hajime had no problems with him. Specially since Arcueid wasn't his friend.
 
But Arcueid never even gave him time to answer. "Will you truly raise your hand against me, Tenth?" Her eyes once again shined gold yellow.
 
This was unneeded, but... she didn't want to hear what Hajime would say.
 
Nero now looked like a scolded child, he recoiled upon himself. "I... Yes, this may be beyond my station, but I shall raise a hand against you. For soon it shall not matter, soon we shall be one."
 
Arcueid glared at him. "Nrvnqsr Chaos, what is blood to you?"
 
The vampire took a deep breath. "For me blood is where life originates from. From me blood is where life ends. From me blood is where life is consumed, shaped, transformed. For me blood is the primordial element of men."
 
Arcueid's eyes went back to normal, and her cheerful demeanor returned. "Got it! Then I will break you down and make you cry for even thinking such a flimsy eternity could scratch me!"
 
The battle started.
 
Hajime sharpened all his senses and paid full attention to it. As was the plan, he would intervene if Nero tried anything dirty, he would warn Arcueid of any surprise attacks and the like. Essentially he would be the lamest bodyguard ever.
 
More importantly, he would learn from watching. This was his great grandmother fighting after all.
 
Arcueid extend her claws and rushed towards Nero with far more speed than any animal on the planet. With far more speed than any jet on the planet.
 
Nero began moving backwards, he was fine with abusing the advantage of fighting from afar. And to defend himself, he released two beasts from his body.
 
One panther, one dog.
 
They couldn't be normal, Hajime could tell just by looking. Not only were they completely black except for their red eyes, but they also far exceeded what a normal animal was capable of. These beasts could have ripped those pigs apart.
 
But they were the ones who got ripped by Arcueid. The True Ancestor had a bright smile upon her face as she tore the faster panther in two with one slash, and tore the slower dog's head off with another.
 
The beings quickly returned to Nero. Hajime guessed they were regenerating.
 
And then from Nero emerged a elephant of all things. The monster dashed towards Arcueid while making as much noise as possible. It was honestly disorienting.
 
Arcueid didn't care for it however, grabbing the Elephant by the trunk and throwing the bastard to the skies. Hajime had no idea where the beast had fallen, but it had definitely died.
 
The True Ancestor giggled. "Is this really all you have, Nero!? You didn't think these pathetic creatures could kill me right?" She wasn't even running at him anymore.
 
She was slowly walking, like a model. "But fine, keep throwing yourself at me. I'll kill you over and over again, until your Primordial Earth learns its station." Hajime thought she looked like the peak of arrogance right now.
 
Nero tilted his head. "You are acting strange." Less like a True Ancestor, more like a demon. Had she tasted blood yet again after all...?
 
Arcueid couldn't care less if she was acting strangely. She was enjoying herself, putting this man on his place was fun, specially since he had interrupted her first meeting with Hajime.
 
Hajime...
 
She wanted to look cool in front of Hajime. Then he wouldn't even think about leaving her.
 
Nero clicked his tongue. "Fine." It didn't matter that she was acting strangely, what mattered is that she was fine. No normal beast would suffice to hunt a demon.
 
Nero extended his hand, it turned into a Unicorn's head. Horn and all.
 
Hajime didn't know what to say about that.
 
The horn started glowing, and from it a massive beam was launched. Hajime's eyes... Hajime's body hurt just by looking at it, he knew that getting hit by it would mean his death.
 
Arcueid swung her claws in response, the purple wave it created clashed against the beam and canceled.
 
Arcueid started laughing again. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Was she a battle maniac...? Hajime didn't think those existed outside of manga.
 
Nero took a deep breath, he had used this little clash to release even more creatures. The area around them was now littered with magical creatures of all kinds, and even common ones.
 
Nero did not have something as absurd as a dragon in his disposal, for he had not lived in such an era. However, many of the beasts he had released could kill a lesser being such as Hajime in a blink.
 
They were beings born to kill. A cyclops, a hydra, a griffon, a wyvern... the list went on and on. And those mighty beasts were further strengthened by now being part of a Rank IX Dead Apostle.
 
Hajime had also noticed that the beasts Arcueid had casually killed were now back in action. Nero had regenerated them as fast as a blink. Like Arcueid had said, the only way to kill him would be killing literally all beasts at once.
 
Arcueid looked down. "Ah... this is bad... this is really bad." For a second Hajime's heart stopped beating.
 
And then Arcueid started giggling again. "You really want to be a laughing stock, don't you Nero!?" She looked back at the vampire, and spread her arms. "But fine, keep making me look cooler and cooler!"
 
Arcueid never felt this excited.
 
The ground around them trembled.
 
The plants began to grow. The trees began to change.
 
It happened almost as fast as a blink.
 
Hajime almost couldn't breathe, because those things were stealing his oxygen. His mind felt dizzy... and even if he could breathe properly he would probably have felt the same way.
 
Because he was not surrounded by the woods of Misaki Town anymore, he was surrounded by a thick jungle. Almost as if Arcueid had teleported them to a rainforest or something. Though this one was probably even worse.
 
The truth is that she had done no teleporting, even if Hajime couldn't tell. What Arcueid Brunestud had done was something far more absurd than simple teleportation.
 
She had brought that "thing" from it's deepest parts. From beneath the layer of the Reverse Side, from beneath the layer of truth and fire, from beneath every single layer this planet had.
 
This was Gaia. Pure and untainted. With trees larger than one kilometer that covered the sky, with no disgusting beasts in sight, with simple nature. This was the planet.
 
Nero felt like a small frightened child. "This... what is this...?" He had miscalculated. This didn't feel like the princess had grown weaker, this felt as if she had grown stronger.
 
He was both right, and wrong.
 
Arcueid had grown severely weakened from her encounter with that thing. However, much like all True Ancestors, she constantly held back, used her powers to control her own lust for blood instead of fighting.
 
She was losing control.
 
She realized that. "Well, this should be fine..." She was already stopping herself. This was just an emergency, that's all.
 
Hajime definitely couldn't kill Nero, and Arcueid couldn't kill him either when so tired. And so she drew more than necessary. An action that was completely unlike her previous machine self.
 
Arcueid lowered her arms, and clenched her fists.
 
All the beasts that had been caught by the jungle were immediately crushed to death. No beast of Gaia would be able to survive Gaia after all, and they had once come from the mother of all things, even if they had changed.
 
Arcueid began walking forward, and as she did the forest began to disappear, it was as if the planet was correcting itself. She didn't have the mental strength, or need to make this forest permanent, so it was fine.

Arcueid and Nero were face to face with each other.
 
His arm became a Crocodile and bit her arm. It did nothing. "Really?" Arcueid raised a mocking eyebrow, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
 
As everyone would expect, Arcueid Brunestud thoroughly crushed Nrvnqsr Chaos.
 
Nero looked down, defeated. "I see now why Roa is so obsessed with you. Your power is indeed awe worthy, princess." He wanted it to himself. "Take better care of your servants however."
 
That crow had survived Gaia. It was purely of unreal bad luck of course, but it had happened.
 
It launched itself at Hajime.
 
And it quickly got killed. The boy was paying attention to his surroundings as he had promised Arcueid. And so when the crow came, Hajime extended his claws and cut him in half.
 
Nero's final gamble would have failed.
 
There was one little problem however. Arcueid Brunestud was in love, so deeply in love that it hurt. That was the power that had allowed her to tap into Gaia, and that would also be the power that ruined her.
 
The moment Nero had made that comment, she felt like she would die. And so she turned her head and looked back, desperately praying that her heart hadn't been killed by a mistake of hers.
 
In that moment black mud came out from Nero's body and launched itself at her.
 
Arcueid fell to the ground.
 
She tried to get up.
 
She failed. "Huh...?" It felt like there was something as heavy as a planet pressing down on her, crushing her against the ground... Eating her.
 
Both Hajime and Nero gazed at her in disbelief. Hajime because he didn't understand what had just happened, and Nero because he couldn't believe that had actually worked.
 
His mind eventually accepted the outcome however. "You... you..." He started laughing. He started screeching. He started howling. "You will drive poor Roa to tears!" He knew it from her eyes.
 
He had lived long enough to tell how the eyes of a woman in love looked like.
 
Arcueid grit her teeth. "So, what the hell is this, huh Nero?" She could care less about his little comment about Roa. What she needed to know was learning how he was restraining her.
 
Nero snorted. "It's me. Or to be more accurate, ninety percent of me." It was a technique he had been developing. He had momentarily lost most of his beasts to pull it of course, but restricting Arcueid was worth that price.
 
He started laughing. "It should be as heavy as a continent... Don't worry though, since you will become a part of me soon, you won't feel its crushing weight." Ah, that explained it. Something like that could restrain the current her.
 
Welp, it was time to "die" again. Arcueid gave up.
 
Hajime stepped up. "Hey, take your mass back, vampire." His body had moved on its own, and he immediately regretted it.
 
Even if Nero was at ten percent of his power, that was still far beyond Hajime.
 
Arcueid's jaw hit the floor. "What are you doing stupid!? Just run away! He won't bother with small prey!" She went back to struggling with the mud, but it was clearly futile. She couldn't move it at all.
 
Nero glared at him. "She's right, runt. This is your last chance to leave. I won't bother with a small meal when I have a banquet in front of me." Even if this was a lowly Nightmare, Nero would rather avoid a fight.
 
Huh, now that Hajime thought about it, wasn't this his ideal outcome?
 
Arcueid would die and not be a problem anymore. Meanwhile, Nero would be fed, and so he probably wouldn't eat Misaki Town. The two biggest problems that Hajime had would be solved without him doing nothing.
 
Arcueid had looked back, clearly worried about him. Arcueid had begged him to run away.
 
Hajime stepped forward. "I won't run away, I will be saving you, since you were worried about me." He gazed at the mass, and activated his Mystic Eyes of Key and Gate. That was his win condition, if those things eventually freed Arcueid she would kick Nero's ass again.
 
Arcueid thought it was strange. Why did she feel so happy even though she was about to die?
 
Hajime looked back at Nero. "Ready?" The vampire was now avoiding his eyes, but that was whatever. Corals were still growing around him.
 
And then being pushed out. His primordial chaos was fighting back. "Are you really asking me that?" Nero never thought some lowlife Nightmare would be insane enough to ask him that.
 
"I'll make sure to savor your body, boy. And trust me when I say it will hurt." From his body that panther emerged.
 
And as it dashed towards Hajime, the boy thought of something. If he pushed Nero enough that he needed that extra mass to survive, wouldn't that also free Arcueid?
 
Hajime dashed towards the panther, he had seen Arcueid fight and so he would imitate her to the best of his ability.
 
When his claws penetrated the beast however, he couldn't fully cut it in two. He wasn't as strong as Arcueid after all, it would be like comparing a toy truck to a real one.
 
However, this toy truck had special eyes.
 
His corals were growing on the beast, restricting its movement, so even though Hajime had some difficulty, in due time he managed to cut it in two. If he had to face too many opponents he would be in trouble however.
 
Nero noticed that.
 
He grinned. "You smell like a rotten fish with too much perfume atop of it. I wonder if your taste will be just as bad." If he had asked a pair of flying pigs, he would know he tasted worse than he smelled.
 
From Nero emerged that elephant and that dog.
 
The dog sped past its large counterpart, and Hajime knew he had to deal with it before the elephant came, or he would surely get overwhelmed and die.
 
He positioned himself, and tried striking the dog's head. There was a interesting thing about this maneuver however, he would be relying on senses other than sight for it.
 
His vision was solely concentrated on the elephant, he needed to weaken that behemoth.
 
Hajime felt as if he was being guided by a god of war, his strike landed true on the dog, and the beast went down with a whimper. Now he just needed to focus on that elephant and kill it.
 
There was a sense of fear in his body however.
 
He had killed one beast. He was fighting two. After losing ninety percent of himself, Nero should have sixty-six left, more than enough to trample Hajime.
 
The elephant was here, if Hajime got hit by it, he would definitely get sent flying away. It would be like taking a dynamite to the face, and so even if he survived, the force of the blow would be problematic.
 
Hajime extended a open hand, more due to vampiric instinct than anything else.
 
And then vines grew from the ground as if it was magic, and held the elephant by its legs. Hajime could not create a gigantic pre-historic forest like Arcueid, but he could at least do this. They shared blood after all.
 
Now that the elephant was defenseless, Hajime started tearing into him. The difference in power between him and Arcueid was yet again made apparent, for he was struggling with the elephant's thick hide.
 
The dog got up.
 
It hadn't died to Hajime's blow, merely faked its death. Hajime had occupied Arcueid while lacking her strength after all, and a copy could never surpass the original.
 
It would bite Hajime's leg off.
 
Or at least it would try, before it could ever come close, vines grew from the ground and held it by the neck, choking it. Hajime had heard and smelt the beast getting up, he understood how strong and important his senses were.
 
So he kept hacking the elephant into pieces, until eventually the behemoth simply returned to mud. Hajime had now tore two of Nero's beasts apart, though he still wasn't feeling confident. The panther had probably regenerated already.
 
And worst of all... "U-ugh...!" He felt a bite into his leg, a painful bite. As if something was injecting a poison inside of him, and his regeneration, his curse, was desperately trying to fight back.
 
And when he looked down, he saw it. A stupid fucking snake.
 
Nero has released the beast from his back, so Hajime wouldn't notice it. And much like Soujuurou had once done, it slipped past Hajime's senses with ease.
 
That didn't matter, he stepped on the snake's head. Then he clenched his fists, and his vines crushed the dog's neck. Hajime had now taken down four beasts by himself.
 
Sixty-two more to go. Actually, sixty-six, since they were already regenerating... Maybe Hajime should just admit that there were infinite beasts ahead of him.
 
Without being able to permanently kill them, or having unbelievably levels of raw power like the True Ancestor did, Hajime could only stall with the hope of the corals eventually freeing Arcueid.
 
He looked back at Nero. As usual his corals began to appear on the vampire, and Hajime felt a bit of his strength returning. He didn't say anything however, choosing to catch his breath.
 
Nero growled. "I see the princess found a competent knight." The boy was nothing short of amazing for his rank. He had already demonstrated two of the True Ancestor's signature abilities.
 
And most of annoying of all, the boy's eyes were constantly digging into Nero, trying to consume him and his Idea Blood. The Dead Apostle Ancestor may have been hiding it, but they had quite the effect on him.
 
Hajime Wada had the raw power of a Nightmare, but the versatility of something far greater.
 
Nero was done playing with his food. "Eat."
 
It happened too fast.
 
One second Hajime was defending himself from a moose, but then a panther was nibbling at his legs, and then a falcon was striking at his back, and then a crocodile was biting his other leg.
 
That crow was pecking at his right eye.
 
He fell to the ground. "Argh...!" A tentacle left Hajime's eye, defending him from the crow, but that was it. The tentacle quickly retreated, and the beasts continued to feast.
 
Nero chuckled. "I told you it would hurt." In the end a powerful and skilled Nightmare was still a Nightmare. A shame, if the boy had lived, he could have made his way into the same stage as Nero.
 
Arcueid felt her heart stop. Her heart was exploding during the whole fight, and now she couldn't even feel it.
 
Hajime's world was pain.
 
Drip. Drip. Drip.
 
He couldn't see, or more accurately he could only see white and red. He couldn't feel anything, except for mind numbing pain after all, enough that he would probably forget what it meant to be human if this continued.
 
He was being eaten alive. Even if his body desperately healed his wounds, that wouldn't change. It was only prolonging his pain, making him feel that cold again. Making him feel that thirst again.
 
This was it. Hajime Wada faced a different monster each night, and eventually he couldn't keep up and died.
 
Like hell...!
 
He tried his best to fight back, but he didn't have a clear enough mind to summon those vines, or to aim his corals. And so he did the only thing a vampire could.
 
He bit back.
 
Hajime took one single bite of that damn crow, and then he had an idea. It was probably a stupid one, but it was the only thing that might save him from this hell.
 
Arcueid said a vampire could absorb up to three animals. He was being eaten by eleven. Nonetheless, this was a desperate situation, so he would try his best...!
 
Trying his best should not have been enough.
 
This beasts weren't even truly beasts at this point, they were Nero himself, part of him, they had long lost any semblance of identity. Not to mention that even the greatest of vampires would take a great amount of time to absorb one creature, nevermind three. Nevermind eleven.
 
The beasts were absorbed without much of a fuss. It felt like melting into delicious honey.
 
Hajime got up with a quick jump. "Hah..." And simply tried to catch his breath yet again. Absorbing the beasts had definitely put his body to the test.
 
He could only assume he had gotten lucky. That a miracle had happened.
 
Nero looked shocked, he knew this was no miracle. This bastard thief had perfomed the single greatest theft in Dead Apostle history ever since Roa had tricked the White Princess.
 
Arcueid looked shocked, she knew this was no miracle. Miracles like this didn't happen, there was really only one explanation for it, when it came to this specifically, Hajime was a never before seen prodigy.
 
Both Arcueid and Nero could agree on one thing however, that there was only one word to describe Hajime Wada at this current moment.
 
"Monster...!"