Chapter 10 - Resolution of Old Grudges (2) (Patreon)

"Codex: God-Class Beings and World Government Federation of Terra

For the very long history of Terra, there were not many cases that involved the participation of the geniue God-Class beings, and overall, little is known about the entities of this degree of power.

One needed to understand that the God-Class being is a very broad term. Usually reserved for the beings of the higher form of existence that could shape reality, shatter space and time, or wield the powers of the Arcane like any other.

Aside from the legends in the ancient Terra. The Terra itself had many legends about the Gods and similar beings, but none of them were confirmed to be real. Not even some of the oldest living beings in the entire Terra, had any knowledge of the beings.

The very first contact that the Terrans had with the God-Class beings was during Apocalypse, when the Burning Legion appeared, and then one year after the event, when the God and Devil Gates opened.

While the God-Class being behind the God and Devil Gates is unknown, the one behind the Burning Legion is known across the known universe.

Sargeras.

Former Titan.

Titans are a race of colossal, planet-sized cosmic beings, composed of Arcane Magic and the primordial matter from which the universe was born. They roamed across the cosmos like walking worlds, imbued with the raw power of creation itself. The Titans used this incredible force to find and awaken others of their kind.

Hailing from the far reaches of the cosmos, they shaped and brought Life and Order to countless worlds across the Great Dark Beyond. They were described as perfect and majestic beings who were akin to Gods.

Another case of interaction with the God-Class beings was the Old Gods, also known as Shath'Yar in their own language, as well as various other names. A parasitic, eldritch horrors that traverses the Great Dark Beyond and corrupts the worlds. These immense mountains of flesh, physical manifestations of the Void, grow like cancers within the worlds of the Great Dark Beyond.

Aside from these two categories of beings, there were many other terrifying and powerful beings dwelling in the Great Dark Beyond that remain undiscovered.

Though there is also a case of contact between the God-Class beings and Terra in the form of a species named Celestials. Celestials are powerful cosmic beings created by the First Firmament. They are one of the oldest species in the Great Dark Beyond, predating even the birth of the Titans.

In the table of cosmology, the Celestials are embodiments of the Order, like Titans, but they are also closely associated with the Light, Life, and also the imaginary concept of Destruction and Creation.

Many scholars theorize that Titans and Celestials are interconnected somehow, yet the power difference between the two of them is also clear, because Celestials are much stronger than the Titans, although not all Titans are equally powerful. 

Exceptions always exist.

The Celestials. They watch each civilization, from primordial to transcendent. They test. They prod. They observe. When the Terra was on the verge of being overrun by the Burning Legion due to Dark Titan Sargeras personally attacking Terra, it was one of the Celestials that clashed with the Dark Titan and banished him back to Argus.

Arishem the Judge.

Since then, Terra, which has mostly abandoned religious beliefs, started worshipping the Celestials... Additionally, it is also foretold that the Celestial Dragons are named such because every Celestial Dragon Family received a blessing from some of the Celestials that gave them unprecedented powers and longevity.

Among the God-Class beings, there are clear distinctions, as there are stronger ones and weaker ones. It is also rumored that there are also stronger beings than the God-Class entities, the Cosmic Entities, but their existence is not confirmed, aside from the fact that several of the Celestials have reached this level of power according to the rumors."

- On the Topic of Gods and Cosmic Beings of the Great Dark Beyond

***

Hungary, Budapest, Ördögház, Several Hours Later

Arrival of the Werewolf delegation of the Kallikratos Tribe indeed stirred up some trouble, because in the end, even despite Markus's decision on the matter, there was still a lot of tension between the two species.

"It is good to see you, Muzaka..."

Compared to Markus, who never left the Millennium Castle Corvnius, the Lord of the Werewolves of the Kallikratos Strain, Muzaka Kallikratos, was often travelling across the world and visiting his old friends.

This obviously created a lot of tension between the factions, as nobody really liked it when there was an overpowered Special-Class Werewolf popping here and there, across the globe and entering the territories of the different factions and nations...

"Same to you... I cannot believe that you managed to pull this up..."

Muzaka didn't wait as he went for a bear-crushing hug that would kill weaker beings, and even some stronger Werewolves would be severely injured from Muzaka's strength, as Shirou was sure that the Lord of Wolves was doing this on purpose.

When Shirou first told him that he wanted to broker a peace between the Old World Coven and the Lycan Rebellion Army, Muzaka thought that his old friend was joking... but it seemed that he indeed succeeded in bringing in the preliminary agreement for the peace.

Now, the only thing that was remaining was to bring in the third parties that would guarantee the conditions of the negotiations between the Old World Coven and the Lycan Rebellion Army, and most of them were already here.

Jujutsu Association, Kallikratos Tribe, and House of Black.

The only one that was remaining was Lady Amelia from the New World Coven, who would be arriving in a few hours in Hungary, as they were taking the train. For whatever reason, but most probably due to the luxury it provided, vampires, as immortal creatures of the night, had more than enough time.

When Bellatrix was already here, Shirou thought that he would make use of her presence and decided that he would make her another observer of the meeting. In the end, the House Black was one of the most respected Magus Families in the Moonlit World, so they were certainly qualified to sit behind the table.

At the same time, Shirou also knew that this would be something that would give Arcturus Black bragging rights to his fellow Magi in Great Britain, especially to Barthomelois and Fragas.

"Well... the only thing that we are lacking for the meeting is the star of the show... Vampire Elder Viktor, as he is the only and sole condition for Lucian to agree to peace... he wants Viktor's head, and you know how hard it is to find a Special-Class Vampire that doesn't want to be found..."

Shirou stated that they were still searching for Viktor, but even with the help of several tens of Werewolves, many of whom were 1st-Class, Special 1st-Class, and even Special-Class, there was no trace of Viktor.

"Don't worry... Kentas and Lunark are top-notch trackers and Aura Sensors... with them, they should be able to locate Viktor."

Shirou took a look at the two Werewolf Warriors, both clearly of the Special 1st-Class and very powerful warriors. Just based on their Aura alone, they should be able to withstand even the Reality Marble of the Special-Class Vampire for some time or the Domain Expansion of the Special-Class Jujutsu Sorcerer.

"I will send word to Lucian so you can join the search party... Be careful and do not confront Viktor if you ever find him. He is Vampire Elder, over a thousand years old, and someone who was planning to take down Primogenitor... who knows what cards that man has keeping hidden."

Shirou said, primarily aimed at the two Warriors behind Muzaka, as he knew that enemies like Viktor were most troublesome to deal with. Not only was Viktor a Vampire Elder with powerful Special-Class strength, but he was also very cunning and was an expert warrior.

He wasn't someone who just possessed power and nothing else.

On the contrary. 

Even before becoming a Vampire, Viktor was one of the local warlords of the Hungarians, before the unification by Stephen I of Hungary. Not only an excellent commander and warrior, Vitkor was also a peerless warrior on his own, master of the sword and spear, an excellent knight, and an expert archer.

By origin, he was an illegitimate son of one of the Grand Princes and a witch, but he was a squib, though he still managed to manifest some Magic. He was stronger, faster, and his reflexes were sharper. 

All of this was one of the reasons why Markus Corvinus turned Viktor into a Vampire and made him his right-hand man during the establishment of the Vampire Council. Viktor was often acting on the behest of the entire Vampire Council, and one could say that during the Middle Ages, the prosperity of the Vampire Race could be largely attributed to him and him alone.

"Kentas, Lunark, listen to the advice. When you find Viktor, don't fight him alone without Lucian and reinforcements."

Muzaka, even though confident in the power of his Werewolf Warriors, knew that some beings were more troublesome to deal with than others. For example, if he fought against Special-Class Magus, even despite the fact that he would most probably overpower the said Magus in terms of raw power several times over, that wasn't everything.

People had trump cards, artifacts, traps, weapons, and other special things.

The longer one lived, the more things they gathered and the more prepared they were to save their lives. Most of the old fossils were rather keen on living indefinitely as long as they could, and they would do everything in their power to preserve their lives.

That was something that made them especially dangerous.

"So, where is that overgrown bat?"

The Lord of the Wolves asked as he looked at the Director of the Jujutsu Association, as Shirou just chuckled, because only Muzaka would term Primogenitor of the Vampire Race as "overgrown bat".

"Left to the Seat of Vampire Race. There were some complications, but about that for later. Come, I will introduce you to the newest Regent of the Old World Coven."

Shirou then motioned for the three Werewolves to follow after him, as they entered the Ördögház. Because it was day, most of the Vampires were asleep in their coffins, instead of being awake.

The only ones that were being awake were the Death Dealers, who were now undergoing very strict screening and training. And obviously, some of the Vampire Nobles of the Old World Coven were awake, but not by their own choice.

Since Markus gave Selene power, she immediately started executing the power.

And she started by giving Execution Order for twenty-three Nobles that were guilty of various crimes, ranging from the unscantioned Turning, spreading Blood Plague, corruption, abuse of power, and many other crimes.

Shirou had to admit that today's night and morning were very...

Exciting?

Probably...

Selene for sure enjoyed the wanton slaughter of the former Nobles of the Old World Coven... not to mention, most of them were Viktor's or Kraven's people in one way or another, so they didn't need to remain alive.

Once every piece of information was forcibly extracted from their minds, they were all executed by being burned alive.

Which was the most dreadful capital punishment for the Vampires.

"I will also order Toji to come with you. The boy is a Special-Class Sorcerer with the most powerful Heavenly Restriction born in an entire millennium. Altogether with Lucian, the search party would have two Special-Classes and more than seven Special 1st-Class Werewolves."

Shirou even planned to send Toji to personally join them in their search for Viktor, because he hoped that this setup would be able to find and subjugate Viktor. 

"It seems that Viktor's research had indeed yielded some gains, because the Bloodline Connection between him and Markus is not visible and weakened considerably. Markus cannot even pinpoint his approximate location anymore, which is a great problem, and it seems that Viktor was preparing for this for a long time already."

Primogenitors of the Bloodlines held absolute dominion over their Bloodline descendants, unless the Bloodline descendants reached a certain degree of power where it became possible to resist the power of their Bloodline Primogenitor.

Only the Vampire Elder achieved this state of power, where they gained certain independence from the origin of their blood.

In truth, Shirou wasn't really surprised by this development, but Markus was beyond engaged. 

***

Several Hours Later, Hungary, Budapest, Night

Budapest Keleti station is the main international and inter-city railway terminal in Budapest, Hungary. The station stands where Rákóczi Avenue splits to become Kerepesi Avenue and Thököly Avenue.

Its name in 1891 originates not only from its position as the easternmost of the city's rail termini, but also from its original role as a terminus of the lines from eastern Hungary, including Transylvania, and the Balkans. 

The armored train arrived at the Keleti Station, which was temporarily closed by the Hungarian Authorities on the behest of the Old World Coven, as Lady Amelia from the New World Coven had arrived by the armored train.

Nobody really understood why Lady Amelia wanted to use an armored train and a ship instead of using a portkey or other method of teleportation, but it was not their place to question the decisions of the Vampire Elder.

Amelia was a relatively tall woman with pale skin and dark brown hair. She had electric yellow eyes, which were softly glowing with power, and wore a suit of armor. Even though this was a peace conference, she wasn't taking any chances... better be safe than sorry.

As one of the Vampire Elders, she was in charge of the New World Coven, and because of the distance between the New World Coven and Millennium Castle Corvinius, she rarely attended the meetings of the Vampire Council in person.

Mostly just through Magic Projection.

This time, when she got invited by the Director of the Jujutsu Association to the Old World Coven, she decided to take a train, because she wanted to sightsee Europe and see how much it has changed over the past two to three hundred years.

Amelia had been working in America since the continent was established, because the Vampire Council decided to branch there as soon as humans did. Obviously, Europe has changed a lot... and she couldn't say that she liked the changes as everything became more... 

Worse.

"Gather the things... we need to arrive at the Ördögház as soon as possible. Hopefully, we would be there sooner than those mutts."

Amelia looked at the several armored Death Dealers that were transporting the things from the armored train to the convoy of cars, as she was rather eager for the meeting. One could have said that she seemed to be almost as eager for the meeting, that it was almost unnatural for her character.

For someone like her, of her status and strength, there was only a very small number of male specimens that could fulfill her criteria of a mate. In fact, the circle was tiny as there were not many beings of the same degree of power and social status that also possessed longevity.

Within the Vampire Race, there were only a few Special-Class male Vampires that met her criteria, because they were pleasant to the eye and mind. Others... not so much, but even among those, there were many that were already mates.

Obviously, she would get together with any dog that was far beneath her stature, and the same thing could be said about most humans, as they died too soon. Amelia also travelled through the world for a long time, like many of the Special-Class beings, mostly to relieve boredom.

During her travels, she became acquainted with Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, and one could say that they were occasional lovers. So she was rather eager for another meeting for various reasons.

Not to mention, if they indeed managed to resolve the situation in Europe, it would benefit all of the Covens. Due to the conflict between the Old World Coven and the Lycan Rebellion Army, the resources of the Vampire Council were being a bit stretched out.

Which wasn't good for them.

The presence and number of the Cursed Spirits were increasing all around the globe, and what was even worse, the Demons started appearing around the world. Mostly summoned by the Dark Wizards and Rogue Magi...

Which was very far from the ideal scenario, and it was becoming a problem for everyone involved, especially to those living in Europe, North America, and Africa. While the first two regions were handling the problems rather well, the last one, though...

It was an absolute shithole.

Africa wasn't the poorest region only among the normies.

The lack of the Moonlit factions present in Africa was evident. Aside from some Jujutsu Sorcerer and Magus here and there... it was practically a desolate land. And even the Magi and Jujutsu Sorcerers that were present, where mainly there for the precious gems and ores...

The only area with rich Moonlit Factions was Egypt due to their inheritance, as they had great numbers of the Jujutsu Sorcerers, Wizards, Psykers, and Magi. But aside from Egypt, there was barely anyone else.

Thus, the situation on the African continent was the most problematic around. The Cursed Spirits roam here and there; there were even exclusively territories of the Special-Class Cursed Spirits, which was something that was deeply disturbing.

Because those Special-Class Cursed Spirits were literally ruling their own territories in the open, something that would be impossible in Northern America, Europe, and Asia, where the Special-Class Cursed Spirits needed to hide from the Sorcerers and other Special-Class beings that could bring them down.

Only in Africa could they move around and behave as they wanted. 

For the average person, Africa was the most dangerous continent, as it was for the people of the Moonlit World. Due to the chaotic situation and instability, it was a gathering place for the Dark Wizards, Rogue Magi, criminals, and other individuals from other factions across the world.

When everything was gathered from the armored train, Amelia and her entourage of Death Dealers led her to the Ördögház. Amelia was already informed that from the Werewolf side, Muzaka Kallikratos was coming, something that she didn't appreciate even a bit.

In her opinion, the Lord of Werewolves was one overgrown brute and barbarian who knew only how to fight and destroy things. 

That was where his uses ended.

Though what surprised her greatly was the fact that Lucian was still alive. This was something that she didn't think was true, but the information was confirmed by Shirou, who personally met with Lucian. 

This also meant that Kraven was a traitor to the Vampire Race and was a traitor of the highest order. Which wasn't anything surprising, because she always thought that Kraven was more ambitious than he was capable.

And it seemed that it was the truth.

Still, Viktor was the one who turned Kraven, and Kraven was one of Viktor's people. She was turned by Markus later than Viktor, and in terms of seniority, Viktor was one of the oldest Vampire Elders in the world.

During the Middle Ages, Viktor was greatly trusted by Markus, and thus, Viktor's power and influence were most significant during that time. As time went on, and more and more Special-Class Vampires appeared together with several Special-Class Vampires that became new Vampire Elders, Viktor's influence certainly took a hit.

Considerable one.

Amelia never liked Viktor too much.

That man was arrogant, vain, and self-centered.

Although not a pure-born Vampire, Viktor was always nevertheless obsessed with the purity of the bloodlines, as shown in his attempts to establish a hierarchy by trying to arrange for his daughter Sonja to become a Vampire Elder.

His fixation on blood purity is so great that he considered his victory over various Lycans to be the only natural, as he views them as nothing more than animals and slaves. This also led to the series of the Lycan Rebellions that plagued the Old World Coven till this day.

She wasn't even a bit surprised when she was informed that Viktor was planning a coup against Markus and that he wanted to become the next Primogenitor of the Vampire Race. 

Viktor was always a highly ambitious man...

In the end, the entire hostility between the Vampires and Werewolves was and is a creation of Viktor's own ambition, as he wanted to enslave the Werewolves and use them as their war slaves against the other opponents.

He was the one who carried out various Magic experiments with the help of some of the Darkest Wizards, Magi, and Dead Apostles to create new forms of power that would ensure his own power...

Even though most of his plans ended in failure.

Like the one with the Lycans.

That ended in widespread rebellion, their castles being overrun by the feral wolves, and the fight between the Lycan Rebellion Army and Old World Coven that lasted for many, many centuries.

***

Hungary, Budapest, Ördögház

When Amelia stepped out of the car at the Ördögház, she frowned because she could smell it.

The air was filled with that damemd stench. 

Vampires like Werewolves and some Yokai had a very keen sense of smell and could distinguish between various types of smell rather easily. Obviously, they were not to the point where the Werewolves were something that all of them could recognize.

"Dogs..."

She was in a rather bad mood because it was clear that the Werewolves were here first. 

Several Vampires behind her visibly flinched when they saw that she was in a bad mood, because Lady Amelia in a bad mood wasn't anything good. 

Even though she wouldn't really admit it, she was rather competitive, and being here after the dogs was shameful, and it left her in a very irritated mood. She wanted to arrive before the mutts, especially when the one leading them was that insufferable man.

Nevertheless, when she exited the car, she was welcomed by Selene, the Regent of the Old World Coven, who was appointed to the position just recently, which was rather surprising. 

Amelia was rather pleased by the fact that Markus decided to name Selene as the Regent of the Old World Coven, and in fact, she felt that she should have been named such a long time ago. 

Compared to Kraven, who only knew how to enjoy life and live a hedonistic life, Selene was an embodiment of military strength and power. She was also one of the most prominent and strongest Death Dealers in the entire Vampire history, so it was only logical and right that she would be made the new Regent of the Old World Coven.

"Welcome, Lady Amelia, back home."

The reason why Selene said "back home" was that the Old World Coven was the very first Coven, and all of the Vampire Elders, Special-Class Vampires, or Clan Leaders of the various Vampire Clans called the Old World Coven their home.

This was rather understandable, because most of the leadership within the Vampire Race originated either directly from the Old World Coven or were born to the Vampires that originated in the Old World Coven.

The ones that were turned by the Vampires of the Old World Coven didn't count.

"Thank you, Selene... it's good to be back after such a long time..."

Amelia didn't even know when it was the last time that she visited the Ördögház... it has been many centuries since she lived in America. As one of the Vampire Elders and the Vampire Elder who was in charge of the Coven, she couldn't leave the Coven anytime she wanted.

It was irresponsible and in many cases, it was even forbidden.

The presence of the Vampire Elder to the Coven was essential and critical. They were not only the rulers of the Coven and its highest administrators, but also the final bastion of defense and the heavy hitter of the Coven.

If something happened that the Coven's forces couldn't handle by themselves, it was up to the Elders to confront the threat and maintain the well-being of the Coven. Due to this, the Vampire Elders almost never left their Coven and left only on very special occasions.

Fortunately, within the US, where the New World Coven was stationed, the New World Coven maintained a strong relationship with the local Moonlit Factions, primarily with the Addams Family, Macusa, and a few other factions.

This was a weird situation that came out of the early development of America. When the first settlers came there, together with them, people of the Moonlit Side of the World started travelling to the new world.

When the development started, the people of the Moonlit Side of the World in the Americas came to the conclusion that peaceful development would be much better than fighting against each other.

It was a really weird situation, but it worked somehow, and there were a few conflicts and friction between the factions in the new world.

"Though I can see that most of the things are remaining the same..."

Amelia stated as she entered the Ördögház and noticed that little had changed over the centuries within the Ördögház.

Aside from the suspicious lack of the Vampiric Aristocracy of the Old World Coven that was typically everywhere around the Ördögház, most of the things were like she had remembered them.

"Well... the change is not something that we Vampires revel in, even though, sometimes it is desperately needed."

Vampires, like other long-lived or ageless races, were not really keen on changing things; they preferred to let everything as it was. It was the different mentality of the species that could easily live for many centuries and millenias, change wasn't something that they found really acceptable.

Or needed.

For most, they would rather choose to withstand the passage of time, because there were not many things that could defeat the flow of time itself. For the Vampires and similar species, several decades worth of time may be just a short nap.

Nothing more and nothing less.

"The last time we saw each other, you were just a Captain within the Death Dealers, and now look at you... Regent of the entire Old World Coven, only second to the Elders at the Council."

The position of the Regent was very special in the Vampiric society.

When the Vampire Council had a meeting, the Regents of Coven were eligible to participate and speak during the meeting of the Council, even though they lacked the voting right during the time when the Council was voting on some topic.

Among them, the position of the Regent of the Old World Coven was very special, even compared to the other Covens, because the Regent of the Old World Coven had the voting right on certain matters.

As long as it was not some crucial matters of the Vampire Race as a whole or it was things that were related to the Old World Coven one way or another, the Regent of the Old World Coven was eligible to vote during the meeting.

So one can say that Selene's position was rather special right now that she was elevated to the rank of Regent.

"I would still rather choose to be an ordinary Death Dealer..."

Even though Selene enjoyed implementing some changes to the Old World Coven and expanding the Death Dealer ranks and increasing their resources and everything...

She still found the entire thing with being Regent a hassle and wanted to end it. 

Her position as the Supreme Commander of the Death Dealers was something that suited her better. There she could go into the action, fight, kill, and basically enjoy herself, in contrast to now...

Where she was imprisoned at the Ördögház and doing paperwork.

It was the most torturous time, because she didn't even realize that being Regent was so hard work, as she had always considered it a rather easy job. Considering the fact that Kraven wasn't doing much and just spent most of his time lazing around.

Now that she was named as Regent, she realized that Kraven wasn't just lazing around... he wasn't doing his work at all. Most of the paperwork or things that the Regent should have done, he wasn't doing anything.

Some things that she found in the Regent's office were supposed to be finished more than two decades ago, but Kraven just left them there. Reports, papers, or similar things were just dumped in one chest that was enchanted with Space Extension Charm, and it was done.

Selene predicted that she would be going through the things for several weeks straight away, because there were just too many things. In the end, she wasn't even that much surprised that Kraven wasn't taking his role that seriously, and the fact that Old World Coven was in such disarray.

"I see that you have also started the renovations of the Ördögház."

Amelia stated as Selene led her and her entourage to the Ördögház. Right now, there are some works being carried out on the Ördögház, because the manor wasn't in the best shape around.

"Yes... The Wards are in terrible shape, and the Bounded Fields are barely working; only half of them are working as they should. From the Ward Stones, several primary ones are damaged, and maintenance hasn't been carried out on them for more than two centuries. It seemed that Kraven just ignored the terrible conditions of the defenses around the Ördögház..."

When Selene became the Regent, one of the first things that she did was to order a comprehensive check on all defenses and defensive measures around the Ördögház to see if they were ready against the attack.

The fact that Shirou managed to strike through them with a single attack and shatter several Wards and Bounded Fields meant that the Ördögház's defenses were in a really terrible state and condition and needed to be repaired.

Once the people started checking, it seemed that it was indeed true.

The state of the defenses around the Ördögház was terrible, and now the Old World Coven was seriously investing into its defenses and re-establishing and repairing the defenses around the oldest Vampire Coven in the world.

Unfortunately, it would take more than one month to completely repair all Wards and Bounded Fields that were protecting the Ördögház. It was entirely unacceptable for the defenses around the Ördögház to be so weak.

***

Deep Below Budapest, Around the Same Time

To say that Toji was satisfied with the situation right now would be a severe underestimation of the situation. When Muzaka Kallikratos arrived at the Old World Coven, he instantly directed his two trusted Warriors, Lunark and Kentas, to join the search for Vampire Elder Viktor.

And for whatever reason, his teacher sent him here to join them, because Viktor was a very powerful Special-Class Vampire. While Toji appreciated the possibility of a good fight, because it wasn't every day to have a fight against a Vampire Elder, there was no reward for this one.

It was just an order.

Still... 

With the addition of the two trackers and Aura Sensors, they managed to find traces of Viktor in the underground system deep under Budapest, where Viktor was apparently hiding, as it wasn't that easy to leave Hungary with the complete lockdown.

Technically speaking, Viktor could just brute force through everything, but that would give away his position, and he was sure that within a few moments, he would be surrounded by the Special-Classes.

Due to the emergency portkey that were tied to the Warning Network around Hungary, it wasn't that easy to leave unseen. 

Contrary to Kraven, who was holed up in some underground bunker, Viktor seemed to be on the constant move, which was making the tracking even harder. Werewolves of the Corvinus Strain were not really apt in the Aura Sensing and Aura Manipulation, but those of the Kallikratos Strain were absolutely talented in that area.

With the addition of Kentas and Lunark, they quickly managed to find traces of Viktor's Cursed Energy and started tracking it.

The team that was now pursuing Viktor in the deepest underground areas under Budapest, which were built by the Vampires themselves many centuries ago. 

Their group consisted of Lucian, Toji, Raze, Lunark, and Kentas.

Two Special-Classes and three Special 1st-Classes.

This was already a very impressive setup of powerhouses as they were searching for the Vampire Elder.

"Five point six kilometers to the west. The traces there are really strong..."

The two Werewolf Warriors from the Kallikratos Tribe managed to catch a trace of their target once again, and five of them ran at their full speed to the location that Kentas pinpointed.

"I don't think that he would go down without a fight... If we start a fight, Raze will send a message to the Old World Coven for the reinforcements, we are not leaving anything to accident."

Even though Lucian hated Viktor with passion, he knew that his opponent was stronger than he was, more cunning than he was, and more experienced than he was.

For all of the reasons mentioned above, Lucian knew when to calm down and thus decided that when they found Viktor, he would instruct Raze to activate the portkey that would summon Jujutsu Marshall Amakusa here.

Viktor was a powerful opponent, and he also had Reality Marble, which was something that Lucian would have trouble dealing with. Not to mention, it was also comforting to know that Viktor had some powerful Familiars, most likely also of the Special-Class, which further complicated the entire situation.

But in front of the Innate Technique of Lord Amakusa, it was all futile.

Nothing could escape the Last Judgement.

For that reason, they would summon him when the time is right.

Shirou already told them that if they found Viktor, they were to use the portkey to summon him to the location, as he would take the capture mission together with them. Beings in the Special-Class were very problematic to deal with, especially the longer one lived, the more trump cards they had.

Toji didn't really care that much about it, because if his teacher was here, it meant that he had less work to do. Lucian, meanwhile, was grateful for the help, because if Amakusa Shirou Tokisada personally participated in the capture, it would result in a 100% chance.

"We are nearing the place where the Aura signature was the strongest..."

Kentas said as they were close to one of the underground chambers from where they sensed Viktor's aura. Unfortunately, there were few to basically no plans for the entire underground area under Budapest; they were mostly wandering in the dark.

Lucian and his army had scouted some parts of this area, but it was mostly limited to the areas surrounding the headquarters of the Lycan Rebellion Army. The Lycans never really delved into the true depths of the corridos and subterranean complexes that were far beneath the city.

"I can smell him... he is still there."

Lucian suddenly stopped as he smelled Viktor's smell. Werewolves had really sensitive noses, and Lucian would never forget the smell of Viktor. That was something that would be forever engraved in his mind and senses.

"Raze. Once we confirm his presence, activate the portkey."

The leader of the Lycan Rebellion Army stated as they went to the location where they suspected Viktor was staying for the time being.

***

Hungary, Budapest, Ördögház

"Amelia, you look radiant and beautiful as ever."

Shirou said as he saw Amelia entering the main drawing room of the Ördögház, as he noticed that she still looked the same. 

"That's understandable because I am ageless, darling."

Amelia slightly chuckled hearing that, because it was a rather silly comment, though, not like she didn't like it. Even though she was a warrior, she was also a woman, and she liked the compliments about her beauty.

"It has been a long time since we saw each other."

Shirou hadn't left Japan for something around two centuries... the past two centuries of his country were rather turbulent and problematic per se. Due to everything that was happening, he couldn't easily leave Japan, nor did he have the need to do so if it wasn't necessary.

Especially with the increasing rate of the Special-Class Cursed Spirits that were being born more and more often, and even their strength was growing. This was something that Shirou realized compared to the past millennia...

The strength of the individual Special-Class Cursed Spirits has more than doubled, and even the Disaster-Type Cursed Spirits have become more common, which was certainly rather troubling.

"Well, everyone is so busy and the past few decades were rather turbulent, don't you think?"

Shirou said as he scratched the back of his head, rather awkwardly at that... because he could see that Amelia wasn't in the greatest mood right now. He already learned how to read her mood a long time ago and knew when she was angry, content, depressed, or anything.

And this pretension of everything being alright and that she was happy to see him... he had seen that smile and those eyes several times already, and it never ended well. Even though Amelia behaved like a perfect embodiment of Lady, she had a rahter fiery temper when she was angry.

Shirou knew that she was right now, pretty angry at him, because he hadn't visited her for some time already.

"Something bad will happen in the future... all of this seems like something is going to happen for sure, but that is something that would be unraveled in the future."

The Jujusu Marshall stated seriously, because he really thought that something bad would happen in the world, because everything that was happening over the past decades was pointing to that.

Everything was going to the fuck, and it was becoming more and more noticeable, but the signs were there, and they were not something that he was eager for. Shirou also suspected that there was a possibility that it could be related to the awakening of the World Development System.

As he was about to say something, he felt that the Portkey that he was given was vibrating, which could mean only one thing.

They found Viktor.

Shirou instantly activated the Porkey and teleported to the location.

***

Begrudgingly, Toji had to admit that fighting the Special-Class Vampire Elder Viktor was probably a mistake. The old fossil was the literal definition of being overpowered, and he was strong as heck.

Not only physically, because his physique easily matched that of the Special-Class Werewolves, which was troubling, but also in the aspect of the Cursed Energy and Blood Energy, which was proving to be extremely problematic.

And this was Viktor without even using some of his trump cards in the fight, and yet, he was holding his own against two Special-Class beings and three Special 1st-Class beings. The most troublesome thing was that, even despite the prolonged fight, they didn't even force him to use his Reality Marble, which meant that Viktor was holding back.

Which was certainly troubling, because right now, Viktor was fighting against two Special Classes and two Special 1st Classes, and yet, he was so powerful that he found a space to hold back against them.

But not for long, because as Lucian and Toji exchanged another series of blows with the Vampire Elder, everyone with their keen senses noticed the disturbance in space as someone had teleported to their location.

In the split second, several Black Keys flashed through the air, as they shot toward Viktor at lightning speed, forcing the Vampire Elder to defend against them.

Contrary to everyone's anticipation, even the Special-Class Vampire Elder had problems defending against them, as the Black Keys pierced through the shields of the Cursed Energy like a hot knife through butter.

In the end, Viktor was forced to congeal Blood Shield to stop the Black Keys from hitting him.

Even then, one of the Black Keys still managed to find its way around the defenses of the Vampire Elder and was only stopped by Viktor's armor that he was wearing.

"Amakusa... you are still wearing those abominable clothes?"

Viktor spat on the ground some blood as he looked at the newcomer, and for the first time since the start of the fight, he actually grew vigilant. Even though he admitted that Lucian grew considerably stronger during the past centuries and that the young Sorcerer was monstrously powerful...

They were not his match.

He was over one thousand years old, and his strength was terrifying. 

Viktor was something called a Limit Special Class Being.

Special category of Special-Classes that were close to reaching the Legendary-Class, but due to the decline of the enviroment, nobody was able to reach the Legendary-Class in the past millennia. 

He was a master of combat and was clad in the Artifacts and Cursed Tools from head to toe, and all of them were of top-notch quality. In his current setup together with his trump cards, he wasn't fearing anyone, not even the monsters of nature like the Father of the Jujutsu Sorcery.

"Everyone retreat."

As soon as Shirou appeared on the battlefield, he ordered everyone to disappear from the battlefield and left him alone together with Viktor. Even though Lucian and Toji were both Special Classes, they were a poor match for someone like Viktor.

Not only was Viktor very powerful, but even was also equally skilled and was a master on the battlefield...

"It has been more than seven centuries since we met last time, Viktor... you were barely named as Elder back then..."

Viktor looked at the Jujutsu Marshall in front of him and noticed that he was holding a katana in a bright red scabbard, and beneath the priest's robe that he was wearing was hidden armor.

When he saw that bright red scabbard, Viktor knew what weapon it was... and he was delighted at all, because that one weapon was more dangerous than the entire forbidden arsenal of the Old World Coven.

Murasame.

Murasame was a Cursed Blade that could kill a person with a single cut. This Poison Curse imbued in the sword was its most famous trait.

Once the sword pierces the skin, a Poisonous Curse will spread through the victim's body, killing them within seconds by stopping their heart. The Curse appeared as black markings that originated from the wound and spread across the victim's skin. These markings vanished once the person had died.

Though everyone who fought against the Jujutsu Marshall knew that this was just the most famous ability of the sword, it was far from the strongest.

"And you are still insufferable like back then... Is the most noble Marshall of the Jujutsu Association doing the work for the Vampire Race?"

Viktor attempted to taunt Shirou, as he prepared for the combat and drew his crimson-red blade and got into the battle stance.

Shirou, during the time, unleashed the Murasame in its full glory, as the pristine white blade of the katana with the Kanji inscription glowed in the darkness of the underground and illuminated the darkness away.

"Taunting me? That's the best thing that you can do right now?"

Shirou just chuckled at the poor attempt of Viktor to provoke him into something rash, as he appeared in front of the Vampire Elder with the Murasame in his hands as he bringing the blade of the Cursed Katana down on Viktor's head.

As expected, Viktor dodged almost instantaneously as he counterattacked with the sword strike of his own, because the Vampire Elder was swordmaster of his renown. 

But he wasn't the only one.

The most frightening aspect of the ageless beings was their boredom, and if they invested their time into something useful...

Shirou trained in the way of the sword for fifteen centuries.

He hadn't natively blocked Viktor's sword strike, and then the two of them started exchanging vicious strikes one by one, as the ground on which they stood shook from the aftershock of their clashes. 

Both of them were using their physical capabilities to the maximum. Neither of them was using their more powerful abilities as they were keeping it rather simple for the time being, because this could be considered as a warm-up for both of them.

After more than ten minutes of striking, dodging, and blocking, Shirou started grinning because he was enjoying the fight very much. It has been a long time since he had such a fulfilling fight because the only Special-Class beings that he had been fighting for the past decade were Cursed Spirits.

And due to their temperaments, they were rather easy to deal with.

Most of the Cursed Spirits were either too arrogant or too stupid to provide a proper fight for him.

But it wasn't the case with Viktor.

Shirou grinned as he reincorporated his body with the Cursed Energy to the maximum he could, stomped on the ground, which cracked beneath him as he shot like a cannonball toward Viktor.

Murasame was cracking with the Cursed Energy as he attempted to stab through the body of the Vampire Elder, only for Viktor to create a huge Blood Shield that stopped the sword for one millisecond, but that was all that he needed to teleport away.

In the split of a moment, hundreds of Blood Spears were conjured by the Vampire Elder and shot towards Shirou, who turned around, threw the katana in the air, and at the same time, clapped with his hands.

"Innate Technique: The Last Judgment!"

In a mere second, all of the Blood Spears were obliterated into nothingness as they were deemed unworthy by The Last Judgment.

Once he neutralized the attacks, he caught the katana and shot toward Viktor, who was now a congealing ball of the Cursed Energy mixed with the Blood Energy, which he threw at Shirou.

The Jujutsu Marshall immediately grew wary because the power of that ball was enough to severely injure him if he wasn't careful. Worse yet, he knew that this wasn't his final move, but rather something to buy time for himself.

"Innate Technique: The Last Judgment: Extension Technique - Divine Sword of God!"

Extension Techniques are original abilities derived from innate techniques. Innate Techniques cannot be changed or altered, but they can be trained and expanded on through creativity to maximize their applications into Extension Techniques. 

Extension Technique - Divine Sword of God was an Extension Technique during which he used The Last Judgment on his sword, imbuing the full power of The Last Judgment onto Murasame and using it as the means to strike his enemies.

The power of the Divine Sword of God was more than ten times stronger than the average Last Judgment, because of the intense concentration of the Cursed Energy and the fact that the Innate Technique was compressed as much as possible into a small area of one katana.

Which gave the Externsion Technique its terrifying prowess.

With a single slash, the ball conjured by Vampire Elder Viktor got destroyed, but the distraction was successful, and Viktor managed to transform into his true form, which was his true goal.

The Vampires of pure enough bloodlines and strength could transform into their True Forms, in which they grew a lot and looked like a humanoid merger between bat and human... but when Shirou looked at Viktor.

He looked different, compared to the Vampire Lord Form, as it was also called.

This form of his looked far more menacing, almost on the borderline of being demonic...

Shirou narrowed his eyes as he looked at Viktor and noticed the green hues in his eyes, with the horns sprouting on his head, and the fact that the man was giving out an aura that was far above that of a Special-Class being.

Certainly, it wasn't on the Legendary Class, but it wasn't that far from it.

Perhaps one could say that Viktor, with this transformation, has reached the Half-Legendary Class. His raw power was even more oppressive than Shirou's own or anyone among the acquaintances of Shirou who withstood the passage of time.

'So... in the end, the pursuit of power pushed you so far, Viktor... the greed is the original sin...'

Shirou knew the reason behind the demonic-like appearance of the former Vampire Elder.

Demons.

Something that was considered an ultimate taboo in the Moonlit Side of the World.

Unanimous decision enforced by all species, be it Psykers, Wizardkin, Vampires, Goblins, or anyone else.

Making deals with the Demons was considered the gravest offense, and the punishment was always death.

The last time that the Demons appeared on Terra was in the Middle Ages, when a wide-scale coalition consisting of Magi, Vampires, Werewolves, Jujutsu Sorcerers, and Psykers, as the major species of the Moonlit World, issued a collective ban on the Demon Contracts and cooperating with the Demons.

The Warlocks that were entering into contracts with the Demons or were summoning them to the world were all hunted down and killed. The Demonology Lore was seized by the major species and kept under tight lock.

Deals with the Demons always ended well, just for the Demons, not to mention their race was inherently leaning toward destruction and doom.

Fortunately enough, due to the protective barrier around Terra, Demons could that easily descend down, and maximally they could send some of their power to their contractors or worshippers.

Something that was happening right now to Viktor.

"In this form with the great powers of Fel, not even you are my match!"

Viktor's entire body bristled with the greenish energy that was flaring around him like a burning fire and increasing his power by an unnatural degree. Shirou didn't answer Viktor, but instead, decided to go in his full power straight away, because he knew that Viktor had become very powerful in this Demonic Form.

Not to mention, it seemed that his rationality was slipping away in this form, because whatever Demonic thing he was using, it was consuming his rationality and sanity at a relatively fast pace.

Perhaps in a short span of time, there would be nothing remaining out of the Vampire Elder aside from a berserking madman that would be attacking everything in his sight. Shirou knew that Viktor was going all out and most probably sold his soul to the Demons in exchange for power.

"Innate Technique: The Last Judgment - Domain Expansion: Forbidden Zone of God!"

In a split second, Shirou activated his Domain Expansion, the ultimate pinnacle of the Jujutsu Sorcery. In a split second, the entire area around them changed, and now, it seemed like they were in an entirely different dimension.

Even the onlookers far away, who were maintaining the Curtains and Wards, were dragged into the Forbidden Zone of God. 

The world of the Forbidden Zone of God was a barren desert with monolithic black gears gyrating in the distance. It is a kingdom of rubble littered with thousands, perhaps a countless number, of swords anchored in the ground like grave markers in a wasteland, yet they are well preserved.

It is a world likened to a steel mill, filled with weapons, flames, and giant gears.

Like the God's Forge when the world was first created, and where the creation resisted.

"You think that your meager Domain will stop me? With the power of my Master, I have reached the threshold of the Legendary Class!"

Viktor shouted as the greenish flames burst out from his hands and shot toward Shirou, who was standing in the field of the swords.

"Judgment of the Divine!"

In a split second, several swords imbued with the Cursed Energy shot toward the flames and pierced through them with no obstruction as the effect of the flames was nullified.

Viktor, seeing the incoming swords of Cursed Energy, flapped his huge demonic wings and dodged their strike rather easily as a huge Magic Circle appeared beneath him and above his head, a comet of greenish fire materialized and started falling into the Domain.

Even though his sanity was slipping slowly, under the effects of the Demonic Corruption, he knew that to win this fight, he would need to break through this Domain Expansion, even though that was a task much easier said than done.

Especially because this was a Domain that was polished over the fifteen centuries of time, and its power was unmatched. Viktor could feel it, because if not for the connection to his Demon Master, he who was constantly supplying him with power, he would be dead long ago.

His master was even above the Legendary Class being, so for the time being, he was safe in terms of energy output, but the effects of the Forbidden Zone of Gods were really frightening.

Everyone who entered the Domain would soon be drained of their Energy, Life, and even their very own Souls would be assimilated by the Domain. Shirou constructed the Domain in such a way that the Domain would get stronger by devouring the epopel that were trapped here.

As long as one was killed within the Forbidden Zone of God, they would become nourishment for the Domain. And with his Domain, he killed thousands, if not more, powerful beings, including tens or hundreds of Special 1st-Class and Special Class beings.

And everyone became nourishment for the Forbidden Zone of God.

This was Shirou's ultimate trump card.

That he believed was strong enough to kill even the Legendary Class beings.

"It's futile, Viktor... maybe if you were at the Legendary Class and with intact sanity, you would have found a way how to break my Domain... but it's not just with brute strength."

The Jujutsu Marshall then waved Murasame as the environment changed, the gears in the sky descending down in front of him and protecting him from the rain of the green hellfire as the Father of Jujutsu Sorcery made his next move.

"Forbidden Zone of God - Rule Establishment - Banishment of the Divine!"

Suddenly, the entire Domain trembled violently as the gears started turning ten times faster, and out of nowhere, a terrifying explosion appeared high in the sky. 

The Rule Establishment allowed him to establish Rules in the Domain. As long as the Rules were established, they were absolute, and one would need to either break the Domain or have some special ability to resist the Rules.

Shirou knew that Viktor was drawing power from someone.

It was clear as sun up in the sky on a sunny day.

So he needed to cut the connection.

Even though the Demon that was leading Viktor was incredibly powerful, Shirou was confident that the connection between Viktor and the Demon was fragile and wouldn't survive a full-powered hit from his Domain.

And it was true.

Because Viktor's green flames diminished greatly, and he started falling down on the ground in his demonic form. One audible sound of crashing, Shirou slowly came to the place where Viktor fell, but much to his surprise, the man was alright.

Aside from the fact that his aura has fallen considerably, and even the demonic flame around him has weakened significantly, it was getting weaker every passing moment due to the effects of the Forbidden Zone of God.

Everything that was hostile to him wasn't allowed to exist, and what wasn't allowed to exist was Forbidden.

"..."

Shirou didn't say anything as he just waited for Viktor to stand up, as he used his sword to support himself when standing up. Because the connection between him and his Demonic Master was severed, Viktor took a rather serious backlash on himself with this one.

Viktor, in his state, wasn't a match for him, since the moment the connection was severed, he was already dead.

Most probably, he was so arrogant due to obtaining the Demonic Powers that he thought that he could break through his Domain with one hit. This was probably the most probable scenario that Shirou predicted as he noticed that Viktor was grinning at the moment when he looked at him.

At the same time, Viktor's Life Force was dropping significantly, but his Cursed Energy and Blood Energy were rising at a staggering rate, which meant only one thing.

He was igniting his Life Force.

Not only that, but he was also using the remnants of the Demonic Power in his body in cohesion with the Life Force Ignition, pushing him once again to the Half-Step Legendary Class, straight to the peak of the Half-Step Legendary Class.

But Shirou wasn't giving Viktor the time that he needed, as he used the weight of the entire Domain Expansion onto the former Vampire Elder who faltered for a second, as Shirou closed the distance and stabbed the Murasame through his body.

Once.

Twice.

And the third strike was aimed at his head, separating it from his body.

But what happened next surprised even Shirou, because the demonic flames continued burning even after Viktor was killed. Shirou could sense that fire was dangerous, especially now that it seemed the flame had drained all of the Life Force of the Vampire Elder and grown in power.

Shirou then controlled the Domain Expansion - Forbidden Zone of God as several giant gears appeared above Viktor's corpse, where the green fire was burning as the gear dropped down on the corpse.

The explosion generated by that shook the entire Domain, but soon enough, one more followed after another gear dropped onto the green burning flame, and then even a third gear dropped from the skies onto it.

After the third explosion, the Domain showed some cracks here and there, but it was still standing strong. 

Shirou was rather surprised by the power of the greenish flame and knew that this was something that was specifically prepared by the Demon whom Viktor had contracted to find a way into their world.

Unfortunately for the Demon in question, the place where Vitkor perished in the end wasn't even a real world but instead his own Domain, and the flame was obliterated from existence in mere seconds.

When he was sure that the fire was extinguished, Shirou let the Domain collapse into itself, which was something like a suicide technique that would leave him severely weakened for a few days, but he wanted to be sure.

When he realized that the flame that was left in Viktor's body was something from a higher entity and something that could represent grave danger to Terra, he let the Domain Expansion collapse into itself like a Black Hole collapsing into itself.

Everyone was ejected from the Domain Expansion, which then collapsed into itself, as Shirous staggered back and coughed up some blood, because the injury from detonating the Domain was bigger than he had initially anticipated.

And it had been several centuries since he had used it the last time in a fight against Sukuna.

Compared to that time, when he was out of the cold for a few weeks, he was able to handle the backlash far better. Though, that was primarily because he spent entire centuries tempering and refining his physique to the standards of the Special-Class Werewolf.

So he was able to withstand the backlash from the collapse of the Domain much better than the last time.

"Are you alright, old man?"

Shirou's brows twitched several times over when he heard Toji calling him as he battled his inner desire to punch him rahter strongly.

"Shut up and go scout the area, and when you are finished, return to the Ördögház."

He looked at Toji, who wanted to say something but refrained from it, as he then nodded and went to scour the area in case there were some underirables or they were noticed by some unlucky No-Majs.

"Is it done?"

After Toji left, Lucian came together with the other two Werewolves, as they had seen the duel between Viktor and Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.

"It is done."