Lynaria began to explain her plan. “Okay, so obviously even with Luna upgraded as she is, she’s still no match for Karmila alone and-” She became quiet as if checking on something in her mind. “And it seems like Karmine isn’t going to last much longer.”

Reminding Van that Karmine was probably fighting a life and death struggle for a while now...

“Though she’s putting up a good fight. There's a world of difference between an archduchess and a regular vampire, even if their vampire ranks are the same, not to mention the literal gulf of centuries of experience between them. So that means we don’t have a lot of time. So first things first! When Van wakes up his first task is to summon everyone back into his soul realm before we start the fight with Karmila herself.”

“Shouldn't we try overwhelming her with numbers?” Van asked.

Lynaria shook her head. “That’s only going to get more people killed. Even now I can sense that Karmila is holding back, not because she’s taking it easy on her daughter, but because she’s buying time until her body heals itself of her wounds. And though this is just speculation on my part, she is a vampire, any deaths around her might be used to help her recover by draining them of blood, and then raising them as undead thralls. It would be better to desummon everyone so they don’t get in the way and have Luna and you fight them.”

“I can see Luna fighting her.” Van said, eyeing his beloved wife from the side and taking notice of her sudden silent and stoic nature. “But I am not sure I can do anything to help…”

Lynaria nodded. “That's true… But also not true…” She gave him a serious look. “What I’m about to teach you is a very dangerous technique that will help even the playing field. It’s taboo and liable to get you killed, either because of the drain it will put you through, or because if the authorities found out you know it they might end you. But at the moment we have no choice… What I’m about to teach you, you must not tell a soul. Understood?” Staring Van down.

He nodded.

“Good.” She crossed her arms. “I’m only teaching you this because it will help increase our chances of survival. Don’t use it ever again unless your life is in danger, and even then maybe don’t use this technique… Sometimes death is preferable…” A complicated expression flashed through her face. “I’m going to teach you how to consume your soul realm…”

Van waited then blinked when he realized that was it. “Consume my soul realm?” He asked, a little confused.

Lynaria nodded. “As you know your soul realm is massive, more than three hundred miles. Way more than you’ll ever use as you are right now… Consuming your soul realm can increase your power almost five times the normal amount!” Displaying her hand with all five fingers. “Depending on how much you consume and how fast you do it, you can even increase your power by ten times!” Now displaying her other hand.

“BUT! This is only feasible for you. Most people don’t have soul realms as large as you. So consuming your soul realm for even a whole hour isn’t impossible for someone like you. If it was anyone else though…” She narrowed her eyes and gave a glare filled with the weight of the severity of what words she was going to say next. “Your very soul would be extinguished…”

Van swallowed, realizing the enormity of this technique.

“Now we only have a few minutes for me to teach you this. Thankfully it isn’t that hard to learn once you get the idea behind it. But you have to promise me Van. That you will get my and the others permission first before using such a dangerous technique. Understand?” Lynaria asked, arms crossed.

Van nodded. “I understand…”

“Good… Then let's get started…”

—Battle with Karmila—

Van woke up with a start, trying to get through the blinding headache and blinking away the afterimages playing through his eyes. He got up slowly, feeling around for a moment and noticing that he was dripping blood from his head. Looking around his eyes fell on Karmine and Karmila still duking it out, with the former looking like she was on her last legs.

“I knew you were a foolish daughter…” Karmila said, unaware that Van had woken up. “You always believed strength would have given you power… But you should have known better… POWER GIVES YOU POWER!” And immediately began draining the blood of the nearby corpses healing her wound.

Even through this the two never wavered in their gazes, having only eyes for each other. Karmine was sweating bullets and wounded in several places while her mother was healing right before her eyes. Yet her fire still blazed strongly in her gaze, she was determined to see things through no matter what.

The two clashed once more, causing shockwaves that Van could feel even as far away as he was. Until he was reminded by Lynaria to get a move on with her insistent voice in his head. His first task before bringing Luna out was to bring back all his girls, or at least the ones still alive, into his soul realm.

Concentrating he called on Azra who was still around slowly biding her time in the shadows. Upon his summons she immediately made herself available to him and obeyed his orders without question, slowly slipping one unconscious person into her shadow at a time then transferring them to Van who secretly snuck them into his soul realm.

“At least this power is my own!” Karmine snarled back at her mother. “Unlike you who stole hers away from others! This strength is something you can never take away from me!”

Karmila cackled. “That is where you are wrong! Once I kill you I'll turn your corpse into a zombie! You and your strength will serve me forever!” And with a snap of her fingers the corpses she drained began to rise one by one.

“Face it dear daughter. You are all alone now and I’ve recovered.” Removing the shadow plaster and revealing her flawless skin. “Soon my soldiers will arrive and we will kill all your precious friends and I’ll bed that boy toy and make him wish he was dead.” Giving a smirk filled with perversion and depravity.

“OVER MY DEAD BODY!” Karmine roared.

“That's the plan…” Karmila said, meaning it in more ways than one with how her eyes lit up by the idea. With another snap of her finger several dozen spikes made of shadow appeared around Karmine. “Try to dodge as much as you can… I want your body as close to one piece as possible…” Her wicked grin widening to unholy proportions.

“LUNA NOW!” Van yelled

“WHAT!?” Karmila turned at the sudden shout, only to be body slammed by Luna who was going a hundred miles an hour.

Van quickly turned his attention back to bringing everyone into his soul realm. “Anna, sorry to do this to you, but do you think you can help while I finish up here?”

Priestess Anna stepped forward. “It would be a pleasure to help you master.” She lifted her staff up high. “In the name of Van! DIE!”

As Luna left a semi pulverized Karmila stuck in a now half broken stone pillar, a circle of magic light appeared before her with glowing radiant swords pointed at her. They flashed forward and pierced her body, adhering her to the pillar.

“GAAAAHHH!”

Karmine looked on with surprise by the sudden change in the situation and Luna’s new look. Her surprise grew when a shadowy portal opened up right under her feet and she fell through into Van’s soul realm.

“HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME!” Karmila shrieked. “GET THEM!” Pointing a still moveable finger and ushering her undead swarm onto her enemies.

“We got this Van!” The few Annas still alive shouted. Unlike Van’s other summons, they had more than one life so long as one of them was alive and so they rushed with wild abandon at their master's enemies. They slammed into the encroaching horde of zombies and with holy light decapitated them one by one.

“Luna! Get rid of the zombies. Anna, hold Karmila down!” Van ordered as he worked his way through the last few people who were unconscious or dying but still savable.

Luna moved like lightning, dispatching one zombie after another. But that was taking to long for her so she rose up and created a bow out of black light and draconic fire. Creating an arrow from her new found power, she released upward and it descended like a shower of death upon all her enemies down below, killing them instantly and burning their bodies till nothing remained.

As Luna did this, Priestess Anna was focusing her power creating binding lights that restrained Karmila as her other selves created spears and swords of radiant light, piercing Karmila one after the other in their own shower of constant death.

“ERRGAAAAHHH!” Karmila yelled in rage as an explosive wave of dark energy stopped all of the Annas attacks in their tracks, then slumping to her knees at the toll it took on her body. “D-DAMNIT! All I wanted was for things to go my way…”

Van, Luna, and Anna paused in shock as they saw tears well up in Karmila’s eyes. For a second they saw a spoiled child rather than the domineering women they all feared and hated. But that moment quickly passed as her eyes began to glow with an unholy rage and directed that gaze onto them…

“I’m going to kill you all…” She said in a low threatening voice, her eyes dilated and her usual rage had completely gone away, now replaced with a maddening blackness that seemed to absorb all light and hope from her surroundings. Shadowy bloody wings ruptured from her back and her fangs grew to disgusting proportions, her fingernails becoming wicked black claws.

“Die…”

Luna practically teleported in front of Van, blocking an attack too fast for him to see. The Annas between him and Karmila looked like they had been pulverized by a massive rocket, their bodies strewn about. Even priestess Anna didn’t fare any better, having lost an arm and a leg.

“FUCK!” Van’s eyes widened as he watched Luna struggle against the demonic looking Karmila. He quickly kicked his brain into gear and used Azra to summon what few Annas alive back into his soul realm, they wouldn’t be much use in this fight now and they needed the rest.

Quickly getting up he placed his hands outward and began to send his power to Luna to empower her. The two faced off against each other, draconic eyes against pitiless ones. Just the sheer force of holding against each other ignited the air and set shockwaves all around, with sparks of electricity, even going so far as to combust the very air causing small fires to sprout around them.

“Shit! This isn’t going to be enough!” Van realized as he began to sweat as Karmila slowly began to push Luna back. “I guess I have no choice…” His power began to flare up as he started to bring out all his strength to the forefront. His sclera became black and tattoos began to form all over his body, but he didn’t stop there. Closing his eyes he began to draw on the energy of his soul realm, and consume it…

He never before felt such a sudden rush of energy that gave such an amazing high while at the same time giving him unimaginable and excruciating pain… “RRRAAAAAAAHHHH!” Energy flowed from him like a sudden waterfall. Both Luna and Karmila blinked, quickly jumping away from each other to look at him. It was like two animals were fighting for scraps when suddenly a behemoth appeared right in front of them.

Karmila though was the first to react, quickly realizing the danger she was in, she raised a hand to shoot out multiple spears of shadow Van’s way. Only to be blocked by Luna who dashed to intercept them.

“LUNA! OUT OF THE WAY!” Van roared as his veins popped out and he lost focus in his eyes. He raised his hands together in front of him until a small black star formed between them.

“DARK NOVA BOMB!”

Luna just barely was able to dodge out of the way as a small flicker of light shot out and hit Karmila who was then sent flying to the furthest wall where the star exploded like a mini sun, cracking the wall and sending debris flying everywhere.

“I’M NOT DONE!” He continued to roar. “DARK NOVA BOMB! DARK NOVA BOMB! DARK NOVA BOMB!” One after the other he sent stars of dread Karmila’s way. Each blast cracked the wall further and further.

Karmila howled in anger like a wild animal, raising her hands to block the attacks with a mana barrier.

LUNA! HOLD HER DOWN!” Van ordered.

Luna did just that, raising her hand she created a counter-reacting barrier of light to constrain Karmila where she was.

Van then began to concentrate even further as he felt his body heat up like it had been lit on fire. He began to pour more and more power into a small black star that slowly grew to the size of his fist. “SUPER DARK NOVA BOMB!”

Everything went black.

The explosion knocked both him and Luna off their feet until they hit the opposite wall. Karmila was sent flying through the cracked wall as the explosion rocked her to her very core.

As Van and Luna slowly got back on their feet, they went to check outside to see where their hated enemy had landed.