Underworld
Two Angel guards were stationed by the Gates of Heaven. Snake locked on the left one and shot his head with a Pacifier Bullet, while Joker snuck up to the right one and Silent KO'ed him at the same time. Afterwards, they returned to the dollhouse. Maria fit her carriage into the house's garage, while Alucard became a bat to carry the house down to the Underworld. He landed a good distance from the castle, then went into the dollhouse as Maria came back out. She dressed like a little witch with a green face and long chin, and she magically changed the carriage to a darker form with a flaming black rocking horse.
Inside, the men treated their selves to food Gohda had left over. "If we're going to a party anyway, shouldn't we save our appetites?" Snake asked.
"I doubt you'll find my father's menu to be very appetizing." Alucard replied.
"A lot of blood-related items, I'm assuming?" Joker asked. "At least you'll stay full."
"Hardly. I don't like the taste of blood; and besides, I promised my mother…"
"Promised not to hurt people?"
"Yes. My mother was captured and persecuted by humans because she was involved with Dracula. They were going to have her executed, but I fought the humans in my mission to rescue her. Alas… Lisa accepted her fate and wanted me to allow the mob to kill her. Her parting words were…"
"Do not hate humans. If you cannot live with them, then at least do them no harm, for theirs is already a hard lot."
"…and that she would love Father for eternity."
"Sounds like something you'd hear in a Shakespearean play." Snake replied. "Too bad Dracula went to screw with other women, huh?"
"Father mourned her for a time, but he was quick to find someone else. After a while, he forgot about her entirely. During the Nightmare Wars, I assisted the Belmont Clan whenever my father returned, until one day, I took my final rest."
"And now he lives in my storehouse!" Renard cheered, once again in her child form.
"Seriously, how old are you?" Sandman asked.
"Putting myself aside," Alucard began, "this is quite the strange group we have. An adult working for the KND, a former soldier, a high-schooler… and a young witch who feels a bit more colorful than your party."
"Come to think of it," Joker followed, "I became involved in this mission rather suddenly and I feel like I don't know anything about any of you."
"Yeah, we're all just getting sucked into this without warning." Snake remarked. "I guess I'll start. Have you all ever heard of Big Boss? He was a legendary soldier who served GUN way back in the day. He had so much talent and loyalty that GUN feared they'd never be able to find another like him. …So, that's why they had him cloned. And I was one of them."
"Does that mean there's more of you?"
"Not anymore. I was the last of the Snake line. And honestly, that's probably for the best."
"I heard that clones are less stable and strong than the people they're copied from." Nolan replied. "In fact, before I died, I met a girl who was the subject of a cloning project. Her clones were being successively killed off while the remaining ones would inherit the 'battle data' or something. Part of some project to breed a powerful metahuman… not to go off-topic."
"Yeah, people make all kinds of experiments with cloning. But what they did for me is imbed my DNA into an egg and impregnate my would-be mother. A natural birth would ensure me a healthier, stronger life. That was before the new heads of GUN developed mixed feelings with the project, so they injected us with a medicine that would speed up our aging…"
"That's just awful." Joker replied. "You were bred to serve them and betrayed on an impulse."
"Yeah… I reckon that's what sparked my need to help the metahumans. Sigh…"
"My story's not so special… but it is rather complicated." Joker chuckled. "I took a wrong turn home one night and caught this man trying to force himself on a woman. Don't ask me why, but I couldn't bear to just ignore it… so, I attacked him."
"I probably would've strung him up by the neck." Alucard inputted.
"That… would've made things a tad worse for me. I wound up on probation and my parents sent me off to a new town. From there, it gets a lot more crazy: everyone was basically an asshole at my new school, though I managed to make some friends… then suddenly, that night, I dream about a monster cat who has the ability to enter dreams, he takes my slumbering soul to the Spirit World, etcetera etcetera, now we're Phantom Thieves who steal from peoples' dream worlds, and our new school feels less assholish."
"That story was so crazy that it flew by in an instant."
"It's too hard to tell such a long story in a casual conversation." Nolan replied. "Luckily, the KND should've documented my story, so I don't have to tell it. And as for Maria out there, her death came pretty suddenly: her whole family died in a freak explosion."
"At such a young age?" Alucard asked. "Her poor soul must have been tormented by such a sudden happening."
"That Gohda man just left to go find her family, didn't he?" Joker asked.
"Yeah, her family lives in one of the dollhouses, but I haven't met them. I assume Emily knows who they are, so she can help Gohda find them. That being said, Maria seems to imply she knew her own death was coming, so she wasn't particularly 'upset' by it. I wouldn't know if she's lying…"
"Alucard-san? We're there." Maria called.
They looked out the window, seeing an imposing, Gothic castle situated on a cliff above the Sanzu River. The connecting landscape was rather rocky and rugged. Maria stopped the carriage before an old gate with an arch displaying the castle's name. There was a foggy, wavy barrier above the gate. Alucard stepped up to the gate, then turned to face his comrades. "I, Adrian Fahrenheit Ţepeş, heir to the Dracula name, grant thee permission into my home!"
The barrier seemed to disappear, so the group was able to pass the gate. "So, that's your real name." Sandman said. "In fact… 'Alucard' is 'Dracula' spelled backwards. Heh, what if we ran into your Negatives? Do vampires have those?"
"Nightmares have Dream Spirits as opposites while demons have natural spirits as such. Vampires are a mix of Nightmare and demon, so… make of that what you will." Alucard shrugged. "Anyway, Father has a collection of Nightmares protecting the castle and these grounds. We'll have to fight our way through them."
"Joker, Snake, try to go along the cliffside and find a way in from underneath." Sandman ordered. "Alucard and I will go from the front. We don't exactly plan to use the entrance because they'll probably ask for our identities, but I suspect Dracula is expecting us. …Call it a hunch, but he did kidnap my mother."
"It's quite rude that you didn't receive an invitation." Joker remarked.
"Having two parties sneak in from different entrances will give us a greater chance at surprise. So, let's move. Our targets are not only the Lost Voice, but Dracula's so-called 'fiancée.' Once you're there, change into your 'party costumes' so you'll be able to blend in with the crowd."
"Don't keep me waiting, kid." Snake said to Joker as they Flash Stepped their way up some rocks. Sandman and Alucard shared a look before proceeding. (Play "Bloody Tears" from Castlevania II!)
Stage 4: Castlevania
Mission: Rescue Kyla York and recover the Lost Voice.
The men raced through a valley in which Stalfos were patrolling. The skeletons slashed beams from their swords, Alucard nimbly dodging and slashing them with his blade. A Stalfos raised its shield against Nolan's sword, but enough strong blows disarmed the shield, then Nolan threw it into another Stalfos before running to slash it up. They crossed to a ledge over the Sanzu, using Flash Steps to jump small platforms sticking up from the river. Medusa Heads swooped around the platforms, and should they touch the adults, they would be petrified for a short time. The two slashed them out of the air before that could happen.
They landed on a path along the surface of the river. Several skull-shaped bubbles took form and flew at the men; even though they were quickly mowed down by their swords, hordes of them kept rising. They jumped to a right path while slicing the Water Ghosts, and the task became trickier as they jumped sinking skull platforms. A large Pols Voice was blocking the next path, but Alucard became a bat and used sonar to deafen the creature. He then slayed the beast, allowing Sandman to leap over as well. The following road seemed rather wide and straight, but it left plenty of room for skeletons riding Stalcycles.
The Stalcycles tried to run the intruders over, but Sandman's Line Launcher aided in kicking the corpses off. He stayed aboveground and redirected to kick all the Stalfos off, leaving Alucard to pummel them afterward. Nothing else seemed to obstruct the end of the path—until the heads of a huge, black Cerberus emerged from the ground. They gnashed their giant teeth, but Sandman molded a Smoke Bomb, and Alucard contributed his own chi to make it poison. They threw it to stun the three-headed dog, and were otherwise merciless in slicing them to pieces. The severed necks of the Cerberus crashed on the ground before sinking back in the hole.
They jumped over the hole and entered a graveyard. Zombies rose from the soft soil, and merely slicing them up wouldn't fell the creatures as they would reform slowly. Only by cleanly destroying the heads would the zombies stay down. A dark barrier blocked the exit of the graveyard, but Alucard pushed one of the graves open to reveal a switch. The switch disabled the barrier, leading into a hedge maze. Alucard tried to fly above the maze as a bat, but a distant, giant Bone Pillar shot a laser to prevent this.
"Sandman, this is Joker. Judging by that laser, are you in the maze?"
"Yes." Sandman responded.
"We can see it from where we are. Try to follow this path:"
They took a right turn, a left, right, straight, left, around a rounded path, then followed a left-right, stair-like path before following a long right path, eventually reaching the end of the maze. Sandman and Alucard chopped down the dinosaur heads that composed the Bone Pillar. They entered a wide, rounded garden guarded by a Frankenstein with a chainsaw. Alucard jumped to grab the chainsaw arm, leaving Nolan to pummel the beast's stomach with rapid Haki Fists. Frankenstein shook free and slashed spinning energy blades from his saw, the two blocking with their swords. Alucard seized the arm again as Nolan lay the next round of punches. Both leapt away from Frankenstein, but after a five second delay, he would collapse on his front.
A gate of diagonal-crossed bars blocked the way, but Alucard morphed into mist and phased through. He slayed a werewolf briefly before pressing a switch to open the gate. They returned to a rugged road, which became narrow as guillotines were rising up and down. The guillotines were set on the edges of segmented paths that staired upward, the two having to jump them carefully. Past the guillotines, they were very close to the castle. It seemed that some guests were walking by up ahead, so the men crouched and crawled up quietly. They stayed behind a rock, watching the guests approach the front gate to the castle.
"Dracula sure has a lot of guests." Nolan commented.
"He's quite popular, in case you weren't familiar. Between mortals and spirits, there have been countless movies and media about him. Among the spirits you see here, they are divided between followers of Dracula, brokers who deal with Dracula, some in-laws here or there, with the occasional conspiracy theorist that Dracula allows to take pictures of him, only to laugh as they cannot get a picture of him."
"Sandman, this is Snake. We've infiltrated the castle."
"Good work. …Alucard, let's go over that arch." Toward the right, where the crowd was coming from, there was a natural stone arch. They found a narrow path in-between the stalagmites, then could Flash Step along the tips. They crossed the arch over the crowd, then followed a path between the stalagmites to the right of the castle. They dropped below the right of the entrance path, jumping some platforms to get under one of the castle towers. Sandman shot his grappling hook up to one of the thin ledges of the tower, then grappled to a window. (End song.)
Sandman hung onto the sill while Alucard flew up as a bat, landing on the top of the sill to hang upside-down. They peered into a room filled with jars and vaults of candy. A white werewolf in a butler uniform opened a vault and pulled out a Jolly Rancher shaped like a woman in a dress. "Well, Harry, I think you deserve a treat for your hard work!" the werewolf said to himself as he took a bite of the arm. "Not many appreciate the classic taste of a Jolly Sorbetes."
Alucard reverted to normal as they climbed into the room. "Pardon me."
"GYAAH!" Harry jumped around, hiding the candy. "I wasn't eating on the job, I… Wait, where did you come from?"
"Look deeply into my eyes…" Alucard stared at him closely with hypnotic irises.
"Is this how you greet every new person?" Harry raised a brow in confusion.
"Let yourself fall into a deep sleep…"
"I couldn't sleep when the party's just getting started! Have you seen all the candy down there?!"
"I said… sleep…"
"You have quite the lack of social skills. You cannot just barge into a stranger's home and order them…" Harry bowed his head and fell asleep standing.
As Alucard moved him behind a wardrobe, Nolan couldn't help but feel the werewolf looked familiar. "You had best change." Alucard requested, stepping outside. Nolan proceeded to change into a whitish-blue, pajama-wizard costume with a bearded mask. He exited the room, rejoining Alucard as they walked down a flight of stone stairs. They hid behind a doorway, seeing some skeleton guards walk by. The men would sneak in the direction they came from.
"Look, Claude, you don't have to 'chaperone' me 24/7, I know my way around the castle!" They could hear a woman's voice from around the hall.
"I am under your father's orders to protect you from intruders." When they looked around the corner, it seemed that a slender girl with short black hair and black clothes with red-striped stockings was arguing with a Black Butler.
"Can I at least just use the bathroom in peace?! Go back to the party and prepare a Bloody Mary or something!"
"As you wish, My Lady." Claude turned and calmly walked down the hall.
The woman sighed to herself, preparing to enter the bathroom. "MMMPH-!" A hand cupped over her mouth the second she turned.
"Shhh." hushed Alucard.
"Mmm…?" The hand lowered from her mouth. "Alucard?"
"Hello, Mavis. How is the hotel business?"
"It's… good? I didn't think you were coming."
"We're on semi-official business."
Mavis looked left as Sandman approached them. "Where's Dracula? He's forcing my mother into marrying him."
"Your… mother? Oh, I see…" Mavis sighed with disappointment. "I'll lead you to the ballroom, but I don't wanna get too involved in whatever you're doing. Just watch out for Claude; he's a butler my dad assigned to watch me." She turned and began to walk, the men following cautiously.
The ballroom was full of costumed couples dancing. After they arrived, Sandman and Alucard broke apart from Mavis to blend in with the crowd. "Your sister runs a hotel, huh?"
"Yes, in Transylvania. It's a good retreat for monsters who want to get out of the Underworld or Nightmare Land once in a while. She was mostly inspired by Charlie's Heaven's Hotel."
"Do they know each other?"
"Of course, they're good friends. And they both have equally less-than-reputable fathers."
"That makes sense. Speaking of, I can see them now."
Dracula was dancing with the velvet-wearing woman in the sad-eyed mask. They were on the center altar with the throne. "Her hair looks like my mom's… It must really be her. But how did Dracula know who she was, or where to find her?"
"If one of the Lost Voices was brought here, Dracula must have an alliance with Skull Face. Perhaps he is the one responsible."
"That still doesn't explain how…"
"Sandman, Alucard, we've made it to the ballroom. Or rather… we're above it."
Nolan glanced upward. There were some balconies near the ceiling with a few guests, Joker and Snake among them: Joker was dressed like the Joker from Batman, and Snake was dressed like Jafar, except with a cobra mask. "I assume that's your mother, but there's no sign of the Voice." Joker said.
"What's the plan to separate them?" Snake asked. "…Uh-oh, they're joining in the crowd!" Dracula and Kyla leapt off the altar, twirling amongst the sea of colorful costumes.
"Alucard, let's separate, we'll stay in contact with our coms." Nolan ordered. Alucard nodded as both danced to separate directions. "Joker, keep your eyes on them. Snake, search around the ballroom and study the guards and servants. Be ready to pick them off if the situation calls. Maria, make sure Renard is ready in the Soulmobile. We'll need a quick getaway when the time comes."
"Hai! I'll let her know as soon as you send the signal!"
Alucard viewed around the party as he danced his way to the betrothed couple. Over at one table, he recognized Count Conkula, a vampire Mobian squirrel from Avalar; he was talking with an acquaintance of his known as Panther King, a former ally of Gruntilda who once ruled the Panther Kingdom. There was a stage where Ernesto de la Cruz was giving a performance on his guitar; he was a famous Mexican musician with a handsome face and white clothes with a sombrero; even as a skeleton, he still had quite the charm with the ladies.
Alucard recognized one of his half-brothers, Dick, an African-American human who had become fairly old in the last couple decades. Despite this, he and his wife, a mummy named Judy, seemed to be happily dancing, while their son, Irwin, although he seemed like a mature adult, was quivering in the presence of all these monsters.
"Why, hello, handsome~" Alucard was suddenly seized by a tall guest dressed in orange, mechanical armor with a green visor; she resembled Samus from Metroid.
"Er, pardon me, Madame!" Alucard struggled to pull free.
"You are Alucard, are you not? I couldn't possibly miss the chance to dance with Dracula's handsome son. Clear the floor, people! This next dance is for us!"
The party-goers gave them a wide berth as the armored woman pulled Alucard into a dance, seemingly giving him no say in the matter. "Vhy, if it isn't Alucard!" Dracula beamed, he and his fiancé stopping. "I did not think you vould come! Come, dearest, let us share the floor vith them~" He took Kyla's hand and danced onto the open floor. (Play "Thieving Magpie" from Arkham Origins!)
"Well, there's no hiding them now." Joker said. "But how will we save her with everyone watching?"
"Alucard, see if you can do a partner swap." Nolan instructed via coms. "Joker, when he has her, drop down and seize her. Snake, do you have the Garlic Bullets ready?"
Snake grabbed an ammo box from a pouch, inserting it into his sniper. "I do now."
"Shoot Dracula as soon as Joker has my mom, and I'll be ready for a follow-up attack. There'll be no avoiding a battle at this point."
Alucard sharpened his gaze on the Samus woman, taking a more firm grip onto her and taking control of the dance. "See if you can keep up with this, Father!" He jumped and whooshed his legs in the air, flipping over his partner, but 'Samus' was ready to change direction. She dropped and did a breakdance, suspending Alucard directly above her and spinning him like a propeller. Alucard was set firmly on his feet, hauling 'Samus' into the air and sending her toward Dracula. With a swift motion, to keep up with his son, he whirled Kyla over to Alucard and seized the 'Samus' woman.
Joker attached two Soul Ropes onto a chandelier, acting as a circus performer as he swung to-and-fro above the party. The guests thought him to be a clown adding flare to the party. Joker had his sights set on Kyla as Alucard spun her by the tips of her fingers and toes. The half-vampire glanced up at Joker, stopping Kyla to spin around her next, and was about to toss her up at the Phantom Thief—
"Mind if we cut in?" Dick and his wife, Judy danced onto the floor, the half-brother stealing Kyla as Alucard was given the mummy wife. Judy moaned in a swooning fashion, much to Alucard's displeasure. The mummy felt very lightweight, so he was cautious in handling her. Regardless, this was an unwanted interference, so when Joker swung by again, he tossed Judy straight up at him. Joker seized the mummy by the arms, but halfway up the height of his swing, Judy's body detached and flew into the crowd. "Uh-oh! Don't worry, I can fix that!" Dick said, quickly running after her.
Joker tossed the arms their direction and did a flip to make new Soul Ropes, changing position to regain focus. Alucard and Dracula switched dancers again, this time with the Vampire Lord propping Kyla on his shoulders with her hands. Alucard's partner got in the same position, then the son performed a leap, landing 'Samus' on her feet while he was now suspended on her shoulders. He did an "arm dance" on the tall woman's shoulder pads, so Dracula replicated this technique with Kyla. Alucard pushed off and away from his partner with such force that he flew across the air, and Dracula did the same as both crossed each other with opposite arcs.
They landed on the opposite woman, both men setting foot and lifting them again. The women were suspended upside-down against the palms of the men's hands, being juggled one hand after the other. When Joker made his next swing, he was compelled to grab 'Samus' by the legs. "You must be disappointed I didn't wear the Peach costume, darling~" 'Samus' winked at the high-schooler, creeping Joker out. Joker swung to the incoming balcony and released the woman as she did a flip.
He returned back down to take Kyla away from Alucard. At that instant, Alucard danced to his father and grabbed his left arm, and Sandman danced out to grab the other—with him held in place, Snake took the shot.
The 'Samus' woman slowed down time and leapt down to the dance floor, running to intercept the garlic bullet with her sword. Time resumed, the guests gasping as the bullet bounced off. She turned to slash her blade against Sandman, slicing off his bearded mask. Alucard drew his sword and tried to stab Dracula, but 'Samus' yanked him away and clashed with him instead. Their swords rang, but Alucard became mist to let her blade cut through. He changed back and sliced her visor with enough strength to break it, exposing Bayonetta's face underneath.
"Bayonetta!" Sandman exclaimed. The Umbra Witch conjured two giant Demon Arms and grasped himself and Alucard, binding them in the air. Once on the balcony, Joker tore the mask off Kyla's face, a burst of magic flying out as she fell unconscious. (End song.)
"Nolan York!" Dracula hissed. "So, you found your vay here after all, you wretched man!"
Sandman and Alucard sliced free of the arm, striking at Bayonetta as Dracula returned to his throne. Upstairs, Joker was ambushed by the Black Butler, Claude Faustus, summoning Arsene to counter his strength, while Snake ran to grab Claude's arms from behind.
"Dracula, how did you learn who my mother was?! How did you get her?!"
"It vas all thanks to Skull Face." Dracula took his seat and gestured one of the zombie servants to bring him a glass of blood. "He vanted to use my castle as a safe haven for the Lost Voices. As an act of good will, he delivered to me your mother."
"But that only could've happened after the attack on Heaven's Hotel!"
"Correct you are, Sandman." replied Bayonetta. "We had already done research on you outdated operatives in case you tried to oppose us. When we heard you were on unfriendly terms with Dracula, Valentine summoned a copy of you and had him return to Heaven's Hotel. There, he was able to recognize and lure out your mother. All it took then was knocking her out, dragging her to Dracula, and slapping a hypnotic mask on her."
"Honestly, Sandman, you really mustn't make so many enemies." Dracula smirked. "You can hardly manage them all. Especially vhen they start to plot together."
"Damn you!" Sandman tangled Bayonetta in energy ropes and stomped up to the lord alongside Alucard. "Why were scum like Skull Face and his cronies even allowed in Spirit World?! How could the Judgment System fail to pick up on their evil?!"
"Vhat is a man?!" Dracula threw his glass of blood at Sandman, who ducked reactively. "A miserable little pile of secrets! Even your Judgment System cannot tell a good spirit from bad! How can you tell when a man lives an honest life, merely hoping to secure a place in Heaven in order to fulfill dark deeds of his own? The Judgment System weighs your actions in life with your own personal feelings, searching for lies or regrets in your heart, and as a whole, it can only punish the most heinous of criminals! But a man who lives an honest life, even with a dark heart, is very commonplace in this universe. That is why so many Hollows are born even in Spirit World!"
"That may be true," replied Alucard, "but one thing that is certain is that your heart is far too corrupted for the Spirit World, and you have no right to drag down an honest woman such as Mrs. York! Now, have at you, Father!" He raced up on the altar and engaged Dracula in a duel of swords.
Bayonetta sent Demon Arms at Sandman, the man channeling Haki to his sword to block their flurry of titanic punches. The arms vanished as Bayonetta flipped behind to kick him, but even as he grabbed her ankle, Bayo shot bullets from the other heel at his gut. Sandman released, allowing Bayo to kick him away. She ran and began to rapidly slash her blades, Sandman blocking them with equal speed. "Honestly, Sandman, why should you care if your mother wants to date other men? You grew independent from her a long time ago, so can't you let her begin anew?"
"Like hell I'm going to let Dracula take her, even if she was in her free will!"
"Then I guess you're just selfish!" Bayonetta stomped him under a Demon Heel, but he mustered the strength to push up against it.
"I only do what my heart tells me. Even if I end up being wrong, I feel like I won't get anywhere by ignoring my feelings. I believe finding the Lost Voices can bring an end to Skull Face's parasites, so I will find them. But more than that, I refuse to let Mom become Dracula's wife out of his petty grudge against me!"
"You always were like that, weren't you? Amongst your many incarnations… You had differing qualities, yet were unified by the same heart."
"What? Who said that?!"
"You're the one who spoke." Bayonetta remarked. "What, have you forgotten the sound of your own voice?"
"How long do you plan to keep me waiting? I've been dying to see it again… the unwavering Justice in your heart."
Nolan's Zanpakutō began glowing with a light-purple mist. "It…It's you… Yes… now I'm certain… I know who you are!"
With a powerful thrust of energy, Nolan raised his sword skyward and called, "Awaken me, Morpheus!"
A spirit garbed in a black robe appeared from the blade, wearing a gas mask with a tube in the mouth. "He awakened his Zanpakutō!" Joker exclaimed.
"Your righteous spirit exists in many corresponding universes. I stand with them as I do you, and grant you their power." Morpheus' tube attached to Sandman's back, pumping him with chi. (Play "Dance of Illusions" from Symphony of the Night!)
"I…I understand…!" Nolan had a dream once: a dream where he had spoken with another self of his. Another Nolan from a despairing world in which the KND was dying. Somehow… he could feel that Nolan's heart inside his own, along with the hearts of other Nolans. "Then let's even out the playing field!"
Boss fight: Bayonetta and Dracula
Bayonetta summoned Demon Snakes to gnash Nolan from either side, but Morpheus grabbed the snakes and forced gas up their throats, dispersing the beasts. He clashed blades with Bayonetta before quickly binding her in energy chains. Bayo opened a portal above Nolan as four Demon Hands emerged to claw at him, and as she slashed the arms powerfully, Bayo was able to escape the chains. She propped herself on her hands and shot heel guns, but Nolan's body became sand as the bullets flew straight through. He danced to her and threw a kick, which Bayo grabbed, but he swiftly formed a rope around the hand and his leg, swinging it in an arch to slam her into the ground.
Dracula became a bat to fly around the ballroom, casting dark spheres at a pursuing Alucard. He dodged the spheres without trouble, but Dracula suddenly morphed to normal and sent his son flying with a kick. Alucard flipped upright, clashing with Dracula's sword. Alucard glanced down and saw the floor at his feet catching fire, and he jumped away before a spire of flames burst up. Alucard ran from a trail of such spires, but was caught off guard as Dracula divided into a swarm of bats and swooped past Alucard, leaving him riddled with cuts. When Dracula reformed, he followed with a strike from behind.
Bayonetta trapped Sandman in a sphere of Demon Arms as they all threw punches like a meteor storm. Sandman conjured an energy barrier to withstand the storm, but was also building up gas inside it. When the barrier shattered, the gas burst out and singed all the arms, and Bayo leapt away to avoid being infected. Morpheus threw grenades around the witch, so she used Witch Time to escape and appear behind Nolan. However, he anticipated this technique and leapt away while dropping a grenade, exploding against Bayo as she became sickened. Sandman trapped her in chains, then ran to throw punches against the witch.
Dracula conjured dark bubbles and willed them to float into Alucard and explode. Alucard evaded the bubbles to where they would crash into each other and explode. He ran to Dracula, but became gas to avoid his father's sword swings, reforming to stab his left hip. Dracula channeled energy into his claws and swiped the air, leaving fearsome cuts that Alucard was quick to jump away from. When his father finished his flurry, Alucard charged in for a stab to the stomach, only for Dracula to grab Alucard's head in attempt to twist it. Alucard let his whole body turn with, leaping as he snared Dracula's head between his legs. He escaped Dracula's grip as he swung around the lord's body, twisting his head around as well.
Bayonetta escaped the chains and attacked Sandman with Demon Arms once more. Morpheus aided Nolan to countering the arms, but the spirit's body began to crackle from fatigue. "Nnnngh…Morpheus!" Sandman grunted, his spiritual muscles straining as he struggled to push back the fists.
"Well, it seems your Zanpakutō is running out of power." Bayonetta smirked. "The aftershock isn't easy after your first time, is it, darling~?"
"I guess I'm just a little partied out. Better call someone to drive me home."
There was screaming and the sounds of engines whirring—the Soulmobile burst through the entrance of the ballroom, the crowd scrambling to clear away from it as it swerved around. "GO, my Four Sacred Beasts!" commanded Renard as her faithful dragon, bird, tiger and tortoise charged to attack Bayonetta.
"It was nice visiting you, Father." Alucard remarked, leaping off the altar and seizing Sandman off the floor.
Upstairs, Snake took hold of Claude's arms while Joker shoved a smoke bomb into the butler's mouth, stunning him with the explosion. The men immediately seized Mrs. York and dove off the balcony, swinging via their grappling hooks and landing inside the open car. Alucard had leapt in with Sandman, and once all were inside, Renard stomped the gas, turned the wheel forcefully, and zoomed out of the party.
"I vill NOT let you take my wife!" Dracula raced after the car with monstrous speed. Renard steered the car into the Sanzu River, switching to Hover Mode as it glided along the surface. Dracula was unafraid of the River of Souls as he performed a terrific leap with his built momentum, landing perfectly on the speeding car. "RETURN HER TO ME!" Dracula punched through the windshield, but Alucard leapt atop and seized him. He struggled to push Dracula off the back of the car while Drac did the same, both men furiously squeezing the other's neck.
"Eat garlic, Drac!" Snake loaded his gun and shot Dracula's leg, causing a moment of weakness that allowed Alucard to throw him off. However, Drac endured the pain and became a bat to fly after them.
"He just doesn't give up, does he?" Joker commented.
"Don't worry! We're almost at Maria!" Renard called attention to the shore, where Maria's carriage was parked.
The witch raised her scepter to the air and exclaimed, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A silver butterfly exploded from the scepter, its gigantic form blessing the Underworld with light. "AAAAAHH!" Dracula sealed his eyes and turned away from the mass of light. Renard drove the Soulmobile into the carriage without hesitation—in an instant, it shrank to fit inside the garage. Maria quickly turned her carriage away and fled the castle grounds, keeping the Patronus active to keep Dracula at bay, long after they had escaped. (End song.)
Kyla York was lain to rest on the guestroom bed. "Let's bring her to Castle Hell." Nolan suggested. "I'll rely on Kid to keep her safe from Skull Face and Dracula."
"But what about the Voice? We didn't even find it." Joker said.
"I was more concerned about getting my mom away from there. We'll just have to focus on finding the next one. Skull Face already has the other three in his possession, so that'll be our priority."
"Heh…choosing your loved one over the mission." Snake cracked a smile. "That was pretty noble of you."
"Even if it's selfish, I do what my heart tells me. And I hated the idea of Dracula becoming my stepfather more than Skull Face keeping the Voice."
"I was happy to do my part for you, Sandman." Alucard said. "But given the severity of the grander situation, it seems my services are not yet finished."
"If you'd like to stick around, we'd greatly appreciate it." Joker replied. "Especially if Dracula decides to come for revenge. Anyway, where is the last Voice? We'd best find it as soon as possible."
"The only place left is the Ghost Zone." Nolan answered. "Speaking of, we should probably go see how Emily and Gohda are doing."
"Maria hopes they found her family…" The witch replied sadly.
…
Bayonetta marched up one of the castle towers, meeting with Skull Face in a guestroom. "Do you think Sandman knew we had a Lost Voice here?" Bayonetta asked. "Or did he only know his mother was here?"
"The only reason Sandman would have to find Alucard is because he learned the Voice was taken to this castle. Otherwise, I doubt Alucard thought to find Kyla's son and tell him about the wedding. Regardless, Sandman was quite resourceful if he knew to seek him out… but there was no reason to let him take the Voice." Skull Face withdrew the purple orb from his costume. "Kyla has already proclaimed her false feelings for Dracula to the Voice of Unwanted Feelings. Soon, the spirit of this Voice will awaken just as the Lingering Regrets did, and it will bond with my parasites all the same. Now, we still need to awaken the Voice of Lost Time and wait for Sandman to bring us the last one. With that ability he just awakened, he will be able to claim it easily."
Mechanos; Scrap Brain City
Scrap Brain City was built on a great piece of land bought and owned by Dr. Eggman. One of the top manufacturers of robots in the universe, Eggman was seen as a legend in this world, and any such legend deserved no less than the finest land. All robots here lived under the rule of Eggman, and he himself took residence in the massive, dome-shaped building that resembled his head, with a big metal nose and mustache stretching out of the structure.
Eggman examined the city from the right "eye" of the base, in actuality a wide, round window. "This is a lovely home away from home. Call me prejudiced, but I always feel warm in the company of robots." The doctor twisted his chair around, facing his guest across the desk. "So, Varcrutis… you wish to strike a deal with me? But just what is your business here?"
"Well, I'm from a race called the Daemonis." Var replied, seated on a chair opposite of his. A giant robot spider lurked on the ceiling, its pilot glaring at her from the cockpit window. "We pray on different universes in search of followers or strong materials that we could make into weapons. This universe is fluent with lots of diverse, juicy energy, so we've had our eye on it for a while. But it was only about 23 years ago that we seriously started focusing on it. Unfortunately, our enemies, the Phoenios were desperate to keep us away, and the gods of this universe were adamant to as well because of a certain 'prophecy.' We wish to establish dominion over the Phoenios and seize all the worlds they control, but as it stands, this universe is beyond our ability to conquer. The best we can do is make bargains with beings who are willing to have us."
"The Phoenios, you say? So, if I allow you to work with me, I'll have to worry about this group?"
"Oh, they'll get in big trouble if they bother you or anyone from this universe, so you don't need to worry. That being said, they'll probably be on my tail soon, so I'd like to get down to business while I have the time."
"Then tell me about yourself first. What are your abilities?"
"I'm a reality bender, which I believe falls into the category of chaosbending. Strong or powerful attacks do little to stop me when I distort reality in my favor. And I can also make you into whatever graphical style you want!" With a snap of the fingers, Eggman changed into his Sonic Adventure 1 graphics, then his SA2 model, his shiny Heroes model, his skinnier, realistic 2006 model, the muscular Boom model, then back to normal.
"Ho ho! That was a trip down memory lane~. There's nothing like having a rare bender type on my team!"
"Your Maliciousness! I've brought your two-foot sandwich!" A tall, skinny chicken robot walked in with a sandwich in hand.
"I made one, too! It's better!" Following him was a shorter, blue robot with a drill nose, hands, and digger tracks.
"You poked holes all over your sandwich, Grounder!" Eggman yelled at the shorter robot. "Still… this is rather convenient timing. Scratch, give your sandwich to our guest. She must be quite famished after coming such a long way."
"Well, don't mind if I do." Var took the sandwich from Scratch. "Though I'm quite in the mood for chicken~"
Scratch gulped. "No! Not chicken! No-wo-wo-wo!" His head retracted into his body.
"From what I'm scanning," Eggman began, "you seem to be quite abundant with chi. I don't suppose you'd be willing to part with a few pieces of DNA? Having robots that could distort reality would be great in my repertoire."
"Aww, but I like my DNA…" Varcrutis stroked her hair. "But I guess… Or I could give you Space Phoenix feathers."
"Space Phoenix?"
"Space Phoenixes can freely warp between dimensions. If you had a handful of feathers, you'd be able to breach through to any distant universe, especially if you had those Chaos Emeralds handy."
"That sounds mighty promising…" Eggman grinned maniacally, stroking his chin. "But what to give you in turn? Recently, I harnessed energy from the Ancient Onyx in the Negaverse and developed some powerful robots. I wouldn't mind parting with them if these phoenix feathers hold true to their worth."
"I'm not a technician myself, but I'm sure some of my friends wouldn't mind a few new toys to tinker with. You seem like a fan of rocks, so I bet I can nab a few powerful gems to suit your fancy."
"As a matter of fact, there are some gems I've had my eye on. You see, Var, there's this planet called-"
"'ey, Doctor!" A red monkey robot entered the office, holding a cigarette and trying to flick on a lighter. "My lighter's outta oil, ya got any extra?"
"Coconuts!" Eggman scowled reprovingly. "Smoking as usual, I see?"
"Smoke?!" Var gasped. "GET THAT AWAY FROM ME!" She bent and morphed the cigarette into a ring as hard as metal, choking Coconuts' neck. "I'm strictly against smoke, I keep my lungs fresh and pure!"
"Hwah hah hah!" Scratch laughed. "I told you Dr. Robotnik would bust you!"
"Heheh, no smokin' on the job!" Grounder followed.
"W-Wait, wait, I had somethin' to report!" Coconuts struggled to tear off the cigarette. "There's intruders! The KND are tearin' down the security bots!"
"Intruders?!" Eggman pressed a button and brought up a display. Downtown, a team of robots were fighting his minions: he recognized Numbuh XJ-9, Jenny Wakeman, a robot teen with white and blue metal. Her arms were divided into saber swords as she sliced Egg Pawns to pieces. He recognized the Silver Shell, a muscular robot with silver armor. The approaching Egg Hammer was taller than him by a chest's length, but Silver Shell's brute strength took it down with a punch. Then there was Arale, a short robot who resembled a human, with peach skin, purple hair, glasses, and blue overalls over a red shirt. Arale flew at an E-2000 with a double-kick, but when her sneakers made contact, they literally snapped contact lenses onto the robot, which flipped and faced up at the sun, causing the robot to catch on fire.
"Hurrr…those three again." Eggman grumbled.
"Snot-nosed kids giving you trouble?" Var asked. "Or I guess 'oil-nosed' would be a more accurate phrase. I'll send Sylistys to take care of them."
"Ah, yes, the one waiting in the lobby. I was going to ask about her."
"She's one of our new weapons. Just say the word and I'll have her be rid of those brats. She'll crush their metal as easily as bone."
"Ho ho ho. Then let's see if she's worthy to serve the great Doctor Ivo, R-r-r-r-r-robotnik! There is yet more to discuss with you, so I'll need someone to observe her for me. That duty falls to you, Omelette."
Var heard a sound above her and looked up, seeing the cockpit of the robo-spider open. A little girl dropped down from the spider, landing gracefully on her feet. She had a cute frown on her pudgy cheeks, spiky brownish-red hair, blue glasses, a black shirt over a rather wide dress that was yellow and red, and black shoes.
The girl smacked a wrench against her palm, glaring at Var. "I'll be keepin' a close eye on that creepy lady, so she better do good!" she yelled in a strict, kiddish, Tara Strong voice.
Var cocked a brow at the child in confusion. "Who are you?"
"You're looking at the heir to the Robotnik name. This, Var, is my daughter: Dr. Ovoid, R-r-r-r-robotnik, but you may call her Omelette."
"Your daughter? With those gray nosehairs, I would've pegged her for 'granddaughter.'"
"Hey, no dissin' Dad's nosehairs!"
"It's alright, Omelette. Now, would you please go tell Sylistys to dispose of those operatives for me? And feel free to lend a hand if you can."
"Okay, fine. But I'm in charge!" The child marched out with passionate steps.
"Now, back to what I was saying… There's a planet in the Nicklodia Galaxy called Etheria…"