The Blood Queen (DxD x MultiCross)

Chapter 24:

– Valerie –

I sat cross-legged in the pitch-black cold of Alucard's shadow, running my fingers through the soft fur of the two massive hounds beside me. The Baskerville dogs were terrifying to look at, all sharp teeth and glowing red eyes, but they were good boys. They leaned against me, their tails thumping against the ground as I scratched behind their ears.

I still wasn't happy. I had been ready to fight Voldemort myself when Alucard decided I wasn't "needed" and tossed me into his shadow like an afterthought. No warning, no explanation. Just gone. I couldn't decide if I was more insulted or pissed off.

"I could've killed him, you know," I muttered, stroking one of the hound's heads. The dog huffed like it agreed. Or maybe it just wanted more pats.

Outside, the battle raged on. I could see flashes of it through the rippling black around me. Alucard's bullets, blessed with holy water from my grail, should've been more than enough to take Voldemort down. But every time they hit, the bastard healed almost instantly. I watched as his head exploded in a burst of gore, only for him to stand back up seconds later like nothing happened.

Still, there was a shift. Voldemort was starting to look desperate, nothing he threw at Alucard was working either, and Voldemort was the one constantly taking damage.

"Not so cocky now, huh?" I said, leaning back against one of the hounds.

I wasn't dumb enough to underestimate him, though. To be Ultimate Class, you had to be able to destroy a city in under an hour, and I had no doubt Voldemort could burn half of London to the ground if he really tried. 

– Voldemort –

Voldemort raised his wand and shouted, "Fiendfyre!" A massive plume of orange fire erupted from the tip, twisting and writhing like living creatures. These flames were no ordinary spell. They were alive, relentless, and ravenous, designed to consume everything, even the souls of their victims. It was one of the darkest, most destructive curses he knew.

The vampire remained still. "How quaint," he said.

Then he spread his arms wide, revealing the inside of his coat. It wasn't fabric anymore—it was an inky black void that seemed to pulse and shift with something unnatural. From that darkness came blood. 

A lot of blood. A ludicrous amount of blood!

The torrent of red liquid surged forward like a tidal wave, crashing into the raging fire. Voldemort stared in disbelief as the Fiendfyre, the most feared fire spell in existence, was extinguished. The blood swallowed it whole, leaving no trace of the flames.

"Impossible…" Voldemort muttered, his grip on his wand faltering as his hand began to tremble. "You're not just some regular vampire with a few fancy tricks…" Voldemort's voice rose. "No. You can't be him! He's supposed to be dead! No one in the magical world has seen him since the Second Great War!"

The vampire chuckled. "Aww, you figured it out. My old name, I mean. These days, I go by Alucard. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" His grin widened. "And I think I've figured out why you keep getting back up every time I blow you apart. You've been naughty, haven't you, Lord Moldyshorts?"

"It's Voldemort!" he snapped. "And anything I've done doesn't even come close to what you've done in your lifetime, Dracula!" He spat the name like venom.

The vampire shrugged. "Fair enough. I was a bit dramatic for a while, I'll admit. But I've mellowed out. These days, I play video games, spend time banging my mistress, and hunt monsters. Speaking of monsters…" He leaned forward, his red eyes glowing. "What you did to your soul—how many pieces did you rip off?"

Voldemort flinched. He could feel those glowing eyes cutting through him like a blade. Panic rose in his chest. His greatest secret was exposed, and not to just anyone, but to Dracula—the monster whose name was feared worldwide.

His mind raced. Why was Dracula here? 

Then it hit him. "The girl…" he whispered.

That was it!

Dracula had called her "his daughter" before sending her away. A flash of anger surged through Voldemort. He had been deceived by the Tepes vampires. Marius Tepes had claimed he wanted help rescuing his sister, never mentioning that she was Dracula's daughter. Voldemort would never have agreed if he'd known. Now, the Malfoy Manor was destroyed, half his Death Eaters and vampire allies were dead, and the alliance was in ruins.

Most of the survivors had fled during the fight, but this defeat was humiliating. Rallying them again could take months, and his plans to take Hogsmeade and Hogwarts were now delayed.

"Damn it all!" he snarled.

A strange noise caught his attention. He looked up and froze. At least a dozen Muggle helicopters were approaching, their rotors loud and threatening.

"Baratatatatata!"

Bullets rained down, tearing through the area. Any fleeing Death Eaters or vampires still visible were gunned down without mercy.

"Damn these Muggles!" Voldemort screamed, raising his wand toward the nearest chopper. He aimed, ready to destroy it.

"Bang!"

Pain exploded through his arm as his hand was blown off. His wand, the one he'd carried for over fifty years, shattered into splinters. He stared at the bleeding stump as it began to regenerate, but it was over. Wandless magic wouldn't save him against Dracula and a Muggle army. And he wouldn't put it past Alucard to find a way to kill him, Horcruxes or not.

"This isn't the end!" Voldemort spat, glaring at the grinning vampire before vanishing with a sharp crack. 

As he left, he disabled the anti-Apparition wards so his remaining Death Eaters could escape. The vampires were on their own now. He no longer cared. From his perspective, the alliance was dead.

– Valerie –

The murder puppies whined as I said goodbye and gave them one last scratch behind their ears. Before I could even straighten up, I was yanked out of Alucard's shadow and dumped back onto the burnt grass on my ass. I glared at him as I pushed myself up. He had definitely done that on purpose.

"You're such a troll," I said, brushing off the dirt from my legs.

"That Voldemort guy was certainly an interesting one," Alucard said, using the Dark Lord's real name now that he was long gone. He'd been pretending not to know it during their fight just to mess with the guy. Like I said…he was a troll.

"Whatever," I muttered.

The thump-thump of helicopter blades made me glance over my shoulder. One of the Hellsing helicopters landed nearby, kicking up ash and smoke from the scorched ground. A few soldiers jumped out first, scanning the area with their rifles raised. Once they gave the all-clear, Rose and Seras stepped out.

Rose looked relieved as she jogged toward me, but Seras moved faster, appearing in front of me in a blur. Before I could react, she wrapped me in a tight hug, squeezing me against her. I wasn't sure what to do with the sudden press of her chest against mine, but it was... nice. 

Really nice.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Seras said, holding me close.

I hesitated for a second before wrapping my arms around her. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's been a really weird morning, though." Over her shoulder, I saw Rose getting closer. I sighed. "By the way, Rose, your friend Ron? He's a total asshole. I don't think he's any good for you."

Rose frowned. "What happened? Was it the Weasleys who kidnapped you? That portkey was obviously meant to grab me. I'm so sorry."

Seras let me go, and Rose pulled me into a hug next. I held her tightly, feeling the tension in her shoulders. "I'm glad it was me," I said. "The Death Eaters burned that shitty shack of theirs to the ground minutes after I got there. If it had been you, I don't think they would've let you escape."

Integra walked over next, and the first thing I noticed was that she did not look happy. Her legs were wrapped in bandages that were damp with blood, the dark red spots standing out starkly against the white.

The scent hit me like a freight train. Both Alucard and I shuddered at the same time, the smell of her blood filling the air. Holy shit. I'd never smelled Integra's blood before, but it was incredible—rich, intoxicating, and easily the best human blood I'd ever caught a whiff of.

But she was hurt, and that was what mattered. I glanced at Alucard and saw that he looked pissed, his eyes tracking her like he wanted to fix it himself. Around us, the Hellsing soldiers were busy clearing out the perimeter of what was left of the half-burned Malfoy mansion.

I pressed a hand over my chest, summoning the energy of my Healing Grail, and materialized it in my hands. I held it out to Integra. "Here, drink this."

She took it without hesitation, chugging the blood inside before wiping her mouth clean and handing it back to me. "Thank you, Valerie."

"You're welcome," I said, slipping the grail back into my soul. "What happened?"

She scowled. "Bellatrix's psycho ex-husband happened. He snuck in under an invisibility cloak and tried to assassinate me. Probably under Voldemort's orders." She turned to Alucard. "Please tell me you killed that piece of shit."

Alucard chuckled and shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. That guy's a genuine monster. He tore himself apart with a nasty little ritual, stashed pieces of his soul all over the country, and now he's basically immortal. At least until I can find those soul shards and destroy them. Or eat them."

"Wait, so he's like a lich from Dungeons and Dragons?" Rose asked. We all stared at her. She blushed. "Hermione got me into it! Hogwarts doesn't have electricity, and even with magic, winters get boring."

Integra sighed. "How are we supposed to find these soul containers?"

Alucard shrugged. "They can only be used in the place of a mage's birth, so Voldemort couldn't have stashed them outside Britain. The island's not huge, but it's still big enough that searching for tiny objects we can't even identify is going to be a pain."

Now that her legs were healed, Integra ripped off her bandages and started barking orders at the soldiers. All surviving wizards and witches were to have their wands confiscated and would be imprisoned as terrorists. Any surviving vampires were to be staked on sight.

As for the people still in the dungeons… Well, I hoped the fires or the smoke didn't reach them after I promised to get them out. 

The halfway-burned mansion was eerily silent as I made my way back inside, with Seras and Rose following close behind. 

Seras looked around at the bodies strewn across the floors and let out a whistle. "Wow, they really tried their best to kill you, huh?" she said.

Rose looked like she might be sick at the sight but steadied herself. She gave me a small smile as we walked deeper inside. "I'm glad you're keeping these monsters off the streets, at least. I just hope the magical world can come back together someday. It was so beautiful when I first went to Hogwarts. Everything felt... magical."

"I hope to see it too," I told her. I meant it. The way she described it made it sound incredible, like something worth fighting for.

We headed down to the dungeons. The air was damp and cold. It didn't look like Voldemort's flames had reached this far. That was good.

"She's back!" someone shouted from the cells ahead.

"She actually came back!" another voice called out.

"It's a miracle!"

The prisoners looked battered and worn, their clothes torn and their faces pale, but they started cheering when they saw me. It made me smile despite the grim setting.

Rose pulled out her wand and tried unlocking the cells, but the bars didn't budge. They'd been enchanted to resist spells. Seras pulled out a revolver that looked almost exactly like mine and started shooting the locks.

She caught me staring at her gun and smirked. "What can I say? I love the giant gun Walter gave me, but a girl's gotta have a backup. Besides, I liked your style."

I pulled out my own revolver and started helping. The gunshots echoed loudly in the cramped space, but Rose quickly cast a noise-dampening spell, muttering something about wanting to feel useful. A few of the prisoners recognized her as the famous Girl Who Lived, but most of them were too exhausted to react much.

When we reached the last row of cells, Rose gasped and ran ahead. "Luna!"

A blond girl about our age was lying on the floor of one of the cells, barely moving. Her muscles twitched occasionally, and her skin was pale and clammy. It was obvious she'd been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, probably for hours.

I grimaced and pulled out my Healing Grail again. I knelt beside her, tipping the grail to her lips. Rose had told me about Luna before, and from the stories, she sounded like the most trustworthy person in Rose's circle. Honestly, I didn't know why Rose didn't spend more time with her. Just because you grow up with certain friends doesn't mean they're the right ones for you forever. That was definitely true for Ron, and I was pretty sure Hermione was skating on thin ice with Rose too, especially after I told her Hermione had been the one to create that portkey.

The blood from the grail passed through Luna's lips, and after a few seconds, some color returned to her face. Her twitching stopped, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh... that feels much nicer," she said softly, sitting up. "Hello, everyone. Thanks for saving me. I always knew you'd come for me, Rose Potter."

Rose looked guilty, and honestly, we hadn't even known Luna was down here. But neither of us said anything as Rose helped Luna to her feet. Together, we led her and the rest of the prisoners out of the dungeons. 

According to Luna, the Death Eaters had attacked her home about a week ago. Just like the Weasleys, her house had been burned to the ground, and she'd been separated from her father. She didn't know if he was alive or not. The way she said it—calm and matter-of-fact—made it hit even harder. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything.

When we brought Luna back to Integra, Rose gave our boss her biggest pair of puppy-dog eyes. I could see Integra's resolve cracking the longer Rose stared at her. Finally, Integra let out a sigh and crossed her arms. "Fine. She can stay with us until we figure out what to do."

"My, my," Alucard said, appearing out of nowhere like he always does. "You've grown soft with all these young people moving into the mansion lately, haven't you?"

Integra didn't even look at him. She grabbed the hilt of her sword and slammed it into his stomach. The sound of solid metal hitting flesh was loud enough to make me wince. Alucard doubled over, clutching his midsection. "Ooof! Nice one..."

Considering Integra's sword was probably solid silver and routinely blessed with holy water, that had to hurt. Still, he was grinning through the pain like the lunatic he was.

It would take a couple of hours for the Hellsing soldiers to finish sweeping the area for anyone hiding nearby. That didn't stop us from loading into one of the empty helicopters to head back ahead of them. Integra left Captain Rodriguez in charge of the mop-up operation and decided to come back with us. She said she wanted my full report about everything that had happened today—something more detailed than the rushed version I'd given her over the phone earlier.

– Sylvana –

"That girl can certainly get into some trouble. Thanks for your report," Sylvana said, dismissing one of her more reliable spies.

Ever since her conversation with Grayfia—which had later turned into a very enthusiastic and passionate night for both of them—Sylvana had kept tabs on Valerie Tepes. She wasn't hovering over her or anything, just having someone keep an eye on her from a distance. It was purely practical.

Okay, it was a little creepy. Having someone spy on Valerie wasn't exactly above board, but Sylvana hadn't changed her last name to Lucifer for nothing. She had responsibilities, and Valerie was tied directly to one of the most important ones. The young dhampir was literally the key to freeing Sylvana's little sister, and she wasn't going to leave something that important to chance.

That wasn't the whole reason, though. Ever since Grayfia's admittedly insane idea about their future, Sylvana couldn't help but think about it more seriously. Valerie was beautiful, had great pedigree and a very reasonable personality. Sylvana could see herself caring for her one day. When Sylvana had first heard about Valerie's kidnapping, she'd almost sent Grayfia to rescue her immediately. Thankfully, she'd restrained herself. It turned out there hadn't been a need for her or anyone else. 

Dracula himself had shown up.

The infamous Prince of Darkness—had gone out of his way to rescue his daughter, and in the process, he'd completely humiliated the so-called Dark Lord of Britain. Sylvana had read enough reports to know that Voldemort wasn't just some overblown human threat. He could hold his own against some of the more powerful devils in combat. The fact that Dracula had wiped the floor with him like it was nothing only proved how dangerous the legendary vampire still was.

Did Sylvana think she could beat him in a one on one fight? 

Probably…?

Did that mean she wanted to try? 

Hell no!!! That guy was batshit crazy!!!

Seeing how surprisingly protective he was of Valerie only showed how careful she'd have to be when she eventually approached the pair of them with her proposal. A proposal she would have liked to have delayed for a few more years, but a certain annoying member of the Phenex family had been acting up and whining lately about her little sister going away to the human world for a few years. On paper, it was so Rias could get a peaceful education. 

In reality, it was so her sister could get away from him of course…

– Blade –

"Well... that was certainly interesting," Dr. Karen Jenson said to Blade. She was one of his closest allies, a trusted partner, and occasionally something more. They'd been working together for years to take down vampires. As someone who'd been turned into a vampire against her will, Karen had dedicated herself to using her skills as a hematologist to level the playing field. Her special serum had been a game-changer, keeping vampires and dhampirs far less bloodthirsty than they otherwise would be.

The two of them had just finished watching footage from a drone Karen had piloted over the burned-out remains of the Malfoy mansion. It had been a hotspot for London's vampire activity, and what they'd seen there was... unexpected.

"So, it turns out your fellow dhampir is the daughter of Dracula himself," Karen said. "And, by the way, you were literally in the same bar as Dracula and dismissed him as some crazy idiot vampire…"

Blade didn't let himself react, but yeah, that had been a mistake. He hadn't known who he was dealing with at the time. Still, staying stoic was his thing. No way was he going to let Karen see that it had gotten to him. "I wouldn't have thought Dracula was working for Hellsing," Blade said. "They're supposed to be his enemies."

"Are we even sure he's the real Dracula?" Karen asked. "We've been hearing rumors in New York about some other vampire calling himself Dracula and trying to recruit people."

"One of them's gotta be the real one," Blade said. "And my money's on the one with all the insane powers who kicked that wizard's ass."

Karen sighed. "Man, Disney ruined wizards and witches for me. I wasn't expecting them all to be evil and shit. Do we have to start hunting them too?"

"No," Blade said. "We stick to what we know. Hellsing will clean this mess up soon enough." He paused, thinking back to the sheer firepower they'd seen. "When Valerie said she worked for an army, I wasn't expecting... that."

The footage had shown dozens of helicopters, hundreds of soldiers, and enough high-end military gear to make most armies jealous. Blade wasn't someone who got intimidated easily, but it was clear that Hellsing was not an organization to mess with. He supposed it was a good thing they were on the same side—except for the fact that they were literally housing Dracula.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"We'll set up a meeting with them in a few days," Blade said. "We'll let them know we're heading back to New York soon and give them a heads-up about the fake Dracula."

Karen nodded, already making notes on her tablet. "Let's hope they're in a listening mood."

Blade crossed his arms. "They'll listen."

XXX

I have a patreo n. My subs can read advanced updates of my stories ahead of standard release and even check out pics for some of the more naughty chapters. That's a recent development though.

Link:

Patreo n .com (slash) Starwaves

Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:

The Fallen Gamer ch 309-313

The Fox Hole 40

The Blood Queen 27

The Titan 20

The Fox Hole 39

The Blood Queen 26

The Fox Hole 38

The Titan 19

The Fox Hole 37

The Fox Hole 36

The Blood Queen 25