The Vampire King was right in front of him.
His mere pressence, the sinister chill coming just from his posture, a long perfect sharp smile across his flawlessly smooth, white face...his features were too perfect, almost like he was a being that was without flaw, a perfect creature of pure death and chaos.
Every werewolf beside him were silent, radiating a vibe of pure anger blended with fear.
"What time is it?" Xitraq asks with Piers quickly replying her:"4:19 am. Two hours before sun rise."
"Xitraq, I want you and Grandyll to keep Vansel and Huntus back. They will be the Lord's biggest priority." Woxlife whispered to Xitraq who wanted to protest, but knew that there wasn't a worse time to argue other than now. The Blood Lord walked down the street, his arms spread wide open almost like he was welcoming the werewolves.
"It's been awhile Woxlife." The vampire's cold, sinister voice echoed across the town.
Woxlife marched towards the vampire king slowly, making sure he was away from his men. "Let's not pretend we are friends, Dracula." Woxlife greeted his arch enemy in return. "Ten years ago. I gave you an offer which you refused. You believed that the werewolves had a genuine chance at wiping out the vampires for good. I am a generous man...I'm still here. I proved you wrong. Will you consider my offer again?"
"What do you think?" Woxlife asks the Blood Lord.
"We cannot be killed Woxlife. I told you, I'm immortal. I've been here since the dawn of Christianity. What makes you think anything will change? This world will eventually become mine, don't waste your efforts anymore. We are both monsters, rulers of a species that will never be accepted by man not to mention, vastly superior to them. Why should we allow them to be the rulers of this planet any longer?"
"They are imperfect like all of us are, but they are a species that holds immense potential for good. Many have resisted you before Dracula. You are not immortal, step out into the sun then. Let's see if you'll even last for a minute." Woxlife taunted.
The Blood Lord frowned:" I gave you a chance already. Hand over the Solar Leaf."
"Never."
The Blood Lord growled as a sonic boom was heard, Okalus exploding towards Woxlife and in an instant, sent the werewolf King flying into the air in pain with just one of his explosive punches, separating the King from the rest of the wolves.
"Protect the King!" Xitraq roared as the Red Claws attacked.
The vampires behind The Blood Lord lunged across the rooftops of the town, making their way towards the squadron of werewolves as the two sides clashed, each werewolf now occupied in battle with several vampires. "Huntus! Give me a weapon!" Xitraq calls out to the hunter who threw her a baton, Xitraq grabbing it mid air as it extended into a sword, the she wolf making a beeline straight towards Dracula without hesitation.
"Xitraq wait!" Piers yelled as he gave chase.
Vansel tried to follow, worried that the Red Claw general will do something rash when he himself is blocked by several vampires in his path, the undead creatures baring their fangs, ready for him to become their next victim. Vansel watched the other Red Claws, using their weapons well just like any human martial artist would, combining their skills with their werewolf body's strengths, making them deadlier than anything he had ever seen before.
He didn't have any weapons and taking theirs wasn't an option.
Vansel bared his claws, facing down the first vampire that leapt towards him as the ex marine roared, slashing his arm forward and tearing apart the vampire in an instant before quickly jumping towards the next vampire, who didn't even manage to react in time when Vansel's fist slammed right into his chest, blasting a hole right through the vampire's torso.
"Vansel! Stay with the Red Claws!" Grandyll yelled as he chased after Okalus and Woxlife.
Xitraq leapt towards The Blood Lord, thrusting her sword at the vampire king who simply sidestepped her, his facial expression unchanged and looking at her with no hint of fear in him. Xitraq growled, pulling her blade out of the ground and swung it at The Blood Lord who simply leaned back, easily avoiding the attack.
Piers joined her shortly after, swinging both his wrist blades with extreme precision, but the Blood Lord seemed almost...uninterested, avoiding every single slash and swing they had with minimal effort.
"You two...why are you trying so hard?"
The Blood Lord vanished in front of their eyes as both werewolves halted their attacks, confused when Xitraq felt a punch strike her from the back, breaking a chunk of her armor and sending her face first into the bitumen of the road.
Piers turned to her, ready to attack only for the Blood Lord to catch his blades, snapping them like a twig. Piers didn't give up, throwing a punch that the vampire king simply slapped aside with his palm, the power of such a simple action of him breaking Pier's wrist, the young werewolf groaning in pain only for the Blood Lord to grab him by the jaw, tossing him like a bolster into the side of a house.
Xitraq got up, wiping blood away from her jaw and readying her sword once more, preparing to attack the vampire king again.
"You...I recognized you now that I think about it. You're the general of the Red Claws aren't you?"
"If you know me, you should know how dangerous I am. " Xitraq remarks.
Dracula spread his arms, as if he was welcoming an attack which Xitraq reacted to, slamming her sword into the ground and pushing herself off the floor, launching herself at The Blood Lord at speeds that almost shocked the vampire king himself, Xitraq landing a kick that struck the vampire's arm, pinning him temporarily as she swung her sword, about to decapitate the Blood Lord only for him to catch the weapon with his bare hand, smiling.
"You're resilient, I'll give you that." The Blood Lord smiled.
Xitraq pulled her weapon away from the vampire king's grip before striking again, The Blood Lord ready to counter when Xitraq changed the trajectory of her attack mid air, catching the vampire king off guard and slicing his arm clean off, giving her a straight cut towards his neck when a new arm popped out, regenerating billions of cells in an instant.
Xitraq jumped back, watching in horror as the vampire king's body transformed.
His muscles, expanding rapidly, gigantic bat like wings extending out of his back. His body mutating and growing into a combination of muscle and bone armor, covered with glowing red tattoos similar to those of the Blood Knights, becoming a hulking figure the size of Woxlife's own werewolf form, his eyes glowing blood red and with just one stomp onto the ground, an explosive burst of wind that knocked Xitraq off her feet.
"Xitraq!"Two Red Claws charged the vampire king who turned towards them, hissing when the first Red Claw threw his spear like a javelin, landing his weapon straight into The Blood Lord's chest only for the tip of the spear to dent, leaving nothing more than a mere scratch that healed instantly.
"Stay back! Both of you!" Xitraq grit her teeth, doing her best to get up.
The Blood Lord smiled, bursting towards them and grabbing both werewolves by the head with such speed that the elite warriors couldn't even manage to respond to. "These are your warriors? I expected better."
"Don't you-" Xitraq watched in horror as a wave of frost spread through their heads, freezing their helmets and heads like a popsicle and with a light squeeze, crushing both the Red Claws' heads, killing them both easily as their blood now flowed down his hands, throwing their headless corpses aside like nothing.
"AGH!" Xitraq roared in anger, charging the Blood Lord with her sword who was now above her out of the blue ready to deliver a fatal blow on her, his claw inches away from her face when a giant grey hand grabbed The Blood Lord's wrist, preventing him from finishing his attack.
"Your fight is not with her Dracula." Woxlife growled.
The Blood Lord looked at the werewolf king whose eyes were beginning to emit a faint silver smoke, the grip on his wrist becoming stronger and stronger by the second and a silver aura, beginning to emit from the werewolf king's body.
"Woxlife...don't use it." Xitraq begged.
"You must be desperate." Dracula correctly observes. Woxlife turned to Xitraq, giving her a smile:" You know what to do." The vampire king attacked, swinging his own claws at Woxlife who blocked it with his forearm, the force of both kings' sheer movement was already creating shock waves around them. "Let's take this somewhere private. "Woxlife says, grabbing the vampire king and leaping into the sky.
The vampire king laughed, almost like he was not even treating Woxlife seriously.
The two of them were reaching the clouds, the town that Woxlife had leapt them from now barely a small speck underneath their view when Woxlife roared, the silver aura him emitting even stronger now and with a swung, landed his fist right into Dracula's chest, sending him spiraling back towards the ground.
Xitraq could hear the fight between the two kings in the distance, the nearest hills around the town exploding one after another, almost like the whole place was their playground, the mountain being destroyed like sandcastles from the sheer power the two kings were fighting with. Huntus found Xitraq, calling out to her:" Xitraq we need your help!"
"We have to help Woxlife! He's just activated the King's Rage, I don't know how long he can last." Xitraq tried to explain when she saw the scene behind Huntus, Shriek completely overwhelming the rest of the Red Claws who were already being pressured by the other vampires. It was only a matter of time they all died to the Blood Knight.
You know what to do....
Xitraq grit her teeth, nodding:" We will kill those bastard Blood Knights first. Come on."
-
Woxlife roared, summoning his strength towards his arms, watching as the Blood Lord clashed into him, both kings slamming their palms into one another, trying to push the other down but is greeted by an equal amount of resistance.
"Ten years to prepare and this is all you have?!" The Blood Lord taunted.
Woxlife groaned, pushing back as much as he could when the ground beneath them began crumbling apart violently, fissures and cracks forming from both their positions, the earth itself was being forced in unnatural ways, rocks and soil forming an uneven ground for them to stand on and as Woxlife watched, even the nearest houses were breaking apart due to the unstable foundation, the two kings' wrestle was literally causing an earthquake.
Woxlife jumped back, causing Dracula to drop forward for a moment as the werewolf king struck a punch, uppercutting the vampire king off his feet before grabbing him by the leg, swinging Dracula straight into the ground.
The vampire king was thrown into a pile of rocks which exploded apart upon impact, The Blood Lord quickly getting up, flapping his wings and taking off into the air to avoid Woxlife's next attack.
The werewolf jumped towards his opponent, relentlessly about to strike the Blood Lord once more when the vampire flapped his wings again, creating a huge blast of wind that blasted the werewolf back. Woxlife landed on his feet, opening his mouth and unleashing the sonic roar that he did earlier, sending destructive sound waves towards the vampire king, forcing Dracula to fly aside and dodge the attack.
How long has it been? Woxlife looked in the sky, which was still as dark as before.
"You have spent so long trying to hunt us down. I think it's about time I end the King's legacy this generation. You have been a hindrance long enough." The Blood Lord growled.
"It has always been mankind's curse that monsters like you walk among them. Your selfish need to rule the earth has plagued mankind for centuries, my only regret is that I did not manage to put an end to you sooner." Woxlife tells the vampire king who scoffed at him.
"Me? Selfish need to rule the earth? Looks like you never knew what I truly want."
Dracula swooped down towards the werewolf, grabbing Woxlife by the neck and lifting him high up into the air. Woxlife roared, unleashing punch after punch at the vampire king who despite the pain, held on to him. "It's not like I never tried to explain to you what it is. Generation after generation, I've tried telling every King about our species potentially co existing. None of you ever listened."
The Blood Lord flew downwards towards the ground at full speed, smashing Woxlife as hard as he could into ground.
You may not be the one who finishes this...
Woxlife knew his time was about to end. King Rainstorm had already told him about their fates twenty years ago. Each generation of werewolves were growing stronger yes, but so were the vampires. Their only hope was to keep the power of the werewolf king to keep passing down in the hopes that one day, there would be a generation of wolves strong enough to overpower the vampires. His visions had been warning him about this day as well, the day a Blood Knight will fall in battle, so will he.
For a brief moment ten years ago when Woxlife managed to overpower The Blood Lord, he thought he was it. The fated one who finally was strong enough to defeat this evil, that he was the King that will finally put an end to this conflict.
It's okay if I'm not the one. I already done my job.
Woxlife raised his forearms, blocking as Dracula landed slash after slash, unleashing a fury of devastating attacks onto his body. Woxlife growled, forcing himself up and slashing at Dracula who sidestepped the attack, spikes growing out of his arm and countering with a strong jab, piercing through the silver aura and stabbing Woxlife in the rib.
The werewolf king howled in pain, headbutting the vampire backwards before releasing another sonic howl, blasting the environment around them along with the vampire and managing to temporarily stun the Blood Lord. "I did listen to you Dracula...I heard your pain. I know why you are like this...but this way, your cruel and despicable methods you have unleashed on us and the humans? I can never stand for that."
Blood was soaking through his armor...the silver aura around him fading away by the second.
The Blood Lord ignored him, opening his mouth as a red glow emerged.
Woxlife braced himself, watching as glowing blood shot out of the vampire's mouth, firing a beam of heated energy at him. The King tanked the attack, the silver aura him protecting his body while the beam began melting their surrounding, trees and rocks alike being turned into goo. Woxlife knew he didn't have much longer before the King's Rage ran out as he rushed towards The Blood Lord, charging his arm backward and swung forward, smashing his fist into the Blood Lord's chest.
Woxlife felt it. The ribs of the vampire king shattering upon impact.
The ground around them literally caved in, the sheer power of his punch sending the vampire flying through massive areas of trees in an instant, creating a massive path of destruction that went for entire miles. Woxlife could feel his strength leaving, the silver aura around him getting fainter by the second.
I cannot let myself die before the sun comes up. I'm the only thing keeping him from slaughtering the others.
Woxlife sprinted towards the vampire king, determined to make him stay down.
The vampire king was leaking blood from the gaping dent in his chest when Woxlife reached him once more, throwing another punch that Dracula caught this time, smiling:" In your prime my body would probably be split apart by now."
Woxlife ignored him, pulling his arm back and slashed at the vampire who jumped into the sky before speeding behind Woxlife with lighting speed, clawing at the werewolf who was cut dozens of times in a matter of seconds.
The werewolf king quickly retaliated as the two exchanged a fury of blows, striking each other with earth shaking punches and slashes. Dracula was smiling the whole time, the damages being done to his body being healing almost instantaneously. Without the sun, there was nothing that could really permanently damage the vampire king.
Woxlife however...he was starting to feel it. The cuts on his body wasn't healing as fast as they once used to.
The fatigue was starting to set in. The Blood Lord slashed again, aiming right for Woxlife's eyes as the werewolf king caught his arm, biting it apart with his jaw, quickly lunging forward and sinking both his claws into the body of Dracula who simply smiled:" I can tell you know...let me put you out of your misery."
"You will try...let's see if you still have the time." Woxlife snarled.
The Blood Lord turned around, noticing that Woxlife was...right. The rainy thunderstorm that was going on the entire night was becoming nothing more than a light drizzle. The sky was no longer dark and there was a faint pinkish purple emerging in the distance. It wouldn't be long till the sun comes up again. "You sly old wolf..." Dracula landed punch after punch onto Woxlife who held on, refusing to pull his claws out of the vampire, tanking every attack before sinking his claws further in.
The vampire king cried out in pain, flapping his wings rapidly, attempting to take off into the sky but Woxlife hung on, using his strength to pin him back down.
"You asked for it." Dracula says as his hands began releasing a blue mist.
Woxlife knew what was coming as the temperature around him dropped, bits of ice and cold flakes began crawling up his skin and stiffening his armor. Woxlife grit his teeth, trying to ignore the immense freezing temperature that Dracula had summoned on him and further tightened his claws, slicing through the endlessly regenerating flesh of the Blood Lord, hoping that the sun would be up soon.
Dracula budged, punching Woxlife again and again only for the werewolf king to glare him down, refusing to move a muscle.
-
Vansel jumped aside as Okalus smashed into the car next to him.
"The sun is up in less than an hour! Hold our ground!" Grandyll exclaims as Okalus rushed towards the veteran wolf, about to unleash a fatal blow on him when Vansel jumped in between the two, catching Okalus' punch mid air and retaliated with a punch of his own that smacked Okalus backwards.
Two Red Claws took advantage of that moment, closing in onto Okalus who simply got up, speeding away behind them and before Vansel could help, grabbed one of the Red Claw by the neck, snapping it and ending the wolf's life. Vansel tried to help but is quickly out maneuvered by the vampire who managed to kick him aside, running towards the other Red Claw and smashing his fist right through the Red Claw's skull.
"NO!" Grandyll charged, landing a surprise hit on Okalus who merely mocked them:" Your warriors haven't improved the least bit since the last time we fought. How embarrassing."
Grandyll clenched his fist in anger, rushing towards Okalus, determined to rip the vampire apart when the vampire simply....vanished. Vansel rushed to Gradnyll's aid barely to see Okalus take off into the distance along with several other vampires in the area, retreating from their fights against the other werewolves. "I'll chase...." Vansel muttered when Grandyll stopped him.
"No. The Blood Knights aren't important right now. I need you to find Woxlife, can you do that?"
Vansel paused, taking in the request as he nods.
"The earthquakes we felt just now were caused by him. You can start off with looking for the areas with the most damages, their fight just now easily destroyed many houses and mountains in the area. Use your scent too, the overwhelming stench of blood from Dracula will be quite traceable. Go." Grandyll tells Vansel who took off into the woods where a huge trail of destruction awaited him.
The sky was becoming a shade of purple with hint of orange.
The sun was rising.
Rows and rows of collapsed trees surrounded Vansel, massive craters and cracks in the ground. Entire hills being displaced unnaturally and even the nearby town of Orcacoke, having fissures across it's roads with several of its houses completely collapsed.
The scent of blood...Vansel did his best to focus on his senses, making his way through the destroyed forest. He could see bodies...both of vampires and werewolves all around the area and even some of ordinary humans who were caught in the skirmish. It didn't take long for Vansel to pick up the heavy stench of blood again, the ex marine quickly making his way towards the scent.
The floor was shaking again, almost like the entire continental plate was moving.
In the distance, Vansel finally spotted Woxlife. The werewolf king's claws, sinking deep into Dracula's muscular and bulky body. The latter landing blow after blow on the increasingly weakened wolf, the silver aura around him now nothing but a mere flicker, blood was dripping from all over his body as Vansel roared, going in for the attack.
Dracula spotted the ex marine, even more desperate than ever as he stomped his feet into the ground, lifting Woxlife by force and used the werewolf king himself as a shield, preventing Vansel from reaching him.
"You...won't....run." Woxlife managed.
"That isn't up to you." Dracula says, spikes forming out of the tip of his wings as he stabbed Woxlife in the back, his wings pulling the werewolf king away from him. "No!" Vansel roared, jumping at Dracula who simply backhanded Vansel away from them.
"I've had enough of you. Your wolves die today with you."
"I...am not the last...even when I'm dead, others will rise up to finish you." Woxlife answered his lifelong enemy when the first rays of sunlight emerged. The vampire's eyes widened in fear, bits of his skin burning by the first rays of sunlight. "UGH!" The Blood Lord pushed Woxlife back with every last bit of strength he had, finally managing to pull Woxlife's claws out of him as the vampire king took off, booming into the sky at supersonic speeds, fleeing the scene.
Vansel picked himself up, rushing towards Woxlife who was barely able to stand up, leaning against a nearby tree. The ex marine let himself relax, returning back to his human form and so did Woxlife, who transformed back.
"It's okay, take your breath. You're okay." Vansel caught Woxlife in his arms as the king collapsed.
His body was covered in scars, cuts, bruises...dirt and dust was covering his skin. His eyes...ones of regret and teary. "Just hang on alright? I'll get help." Vansel set the king down against a rock, getting up when Woxlife grabbed him, holding him back.
"No...no...I don't have long left. I want you....to listen to me."
Vansel paused, determined to call for help but Woxlife's eyes...Vansel nods, deciding to stay next to Woxlife who began:" I'm will die very soon..there is no healing me. My injuries have been around for a long time... and my visions have predicted this days for the past entire year. I want you to just listen to me... I want you...to have this..." Woxlife's palm opened, a silver glowing orb forming in his hand.
Vansel watched as the orb moved towards him and without warning, flying straight into his chest.
"What?!" Vansel took a step back as a surge of explosive energy shot through his body, flashes of scenes, thousands of them shooting through his mind at the same time as the ex marine took a knee, trying to compose himself:" What did you do to me?"
"The King's Rage, my power...lies with you now. I knew it was you...since the day we met. But I had to be sure." Woxlife explains.
"Grandyll and Huntus has told me...something about me being fated to be the King. I don't think I'm the right man for this job Woxlife. I basically know nothing about you guys, I'm just a guy who stumbled upon you all by pure accident. I'm not a leader, I'm just a desperate father who wants my son to be healthy once more." Vansel tried to reason with the dying king.
"It's okay...I know it is...not your responsibility. Do not worry, you can still see me in...the memories of the Kings...when you return to the mountain...take the Solar Leaf, save your son...tell Xitraq...that this is not her fault. Tell Huntus the truth-"
"The truth? What truth?"
"Our memories will show you everything you need to know. Let Grandyll guide you...he's a good advisor and a better friend. Huntus, Mika, Demi...Amy, Piers, all these are people who will stick by your side. You are not alone...you never will be. So stay...strong." Woxlife tells Vansel.
"What if you are wrong?" Vansel asks.
"You are a good father Vansel...even without...your power and my visions of you...I can tell the type of man you are. You are determined...you are caring, yet strong and tough. I have people....I consider my children too,..the way you worry about your son reminds me of myself."
"Are you certain...?" The worried ex marine looked at Woxlife straight in the eye.
"Fate doesn't lie. Maybe...you aren't the one yet. Nobody...succeeds at their roles...in an instant. You have a long way to go...a ton to learn. I have seen your future...glimpses of it...you will walk through hell...but you will also...achieve great things. Have faith in yourself...okay?"
Vansel nods, deciding to let the King leave in peace. "I will do my best."
"I trust you. I know you will." Woxlife gave him one last smile. The life from his eyes faded away as the King took his last breath.
A wave of dread fell onto Vansel.
He's seen the power of the vampires first hand now. The Blood Lord's power and speed, completely outclassing his even in his wolf form and according to the rest of the wolves, his wolf form was already considered one of the strongest among them. Not to mention the Blood Knights, those terrifying vampires that each wielded a dangerous power he couldn't comprehend.
The wolves and their bodies he saw, they were being slaughtered like flies. If Woxlife couldn't lead them to victory, how can he even hope to even lead them?
"Woxlife?" Vansel could hear Xitraq's voice in the distance.
"Over here." Vansel called out.
Xitraq spotted him in the distance, transforming back into her human form as the sun rose. Her oversized armor shifting it's own parts to readjust accordingly back to her human size. The she wolf's eyes widened, tears flowing down her cheek as she realizes what she was looking at, the smoking bloodied corpse of Woxlife in Vansel's arms.
"What happened...?" Xitraq's voice broke.
"The Blood Lord...I was too late." Vansel whispered.
Xitraq fell onto her knees, punching the ground beneath her, smashing apart a rock and unleashing a painful cry. "You promised me! You told me you'll be okay....you told me that you'll be here, that you won't be leaving anytime soon. You lied to me...."
"No..."
Vansel turned around to see the rest of the wolves, starting to gather around. Grandyll walked up to Vansel, already knowing what had happened. "He passed it to you...didn't he?" Grandyll asks Vansel who nodded regretfully.
The werewolves gathered around their fallen king as the sun rose, the beginning of a new day without a king.
Next Chapter- Mount Diros