Chapter 50 - Star of Collapse - Vol 1 Epilogue

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As Vlad's darkest voice shouted in his mind, "LET ME IN" the atmosphere around Vlad on the outside suddenly shifted. Dark mist started surrounding him in a rushed manner that couldn't be compared with the time it happened against Charles or Nius.

Still, with his head on the ground touching the bloody floor, Belpel could see as Vlad's hair quickly shifted in color. Each of Vlad's jet-black strands of hair started turning white visible on the naked eye. The color on his skin returned back from the pale color to a pure white color as if Vlad had never got damaged or exhausted.

Furthermore, with his head lowered, the long white hair that touched the ground instantly colored itself blood red at the ends. The leading hand of Vlad touched the crimson blood sword stabbed on the ground before he dropped on the ground. As his white hands made contact with the sword, a dark mist-like energy flowed from Vlad's hand, covering the crimson sword and settling down, giving it a more menacing look. The predominant color, instead of being red now becoming black.

Gradually, Vlad got on his feet without even looking at Belpel and the other guards that started encircling him while looking at him with confused eyes.

Without bothering with the audience, Vlad turned to look at his upper naked body, making him shake his head, murmuring something under his breath. Then from a black mark on his chest close to his heart, a stream of dark mist started circling Vlad and settling on his body.

In some seconds, a skin-fitting dark amour revealed itself in front of the dumbfounded guards. Meanwhile, Belpel got in his hand a sword from a guard and reinforced it with Armament Haki, turning to look at Vlad, who now had snow like white-hair right in his now black eyes that were so deep that it was enough to simulate the abyss.

Vlad seeing himself encircled by every guard, fronted by Belpel, who held a sword hardened by Armament Haki. Only made him give them a slight smile that was more a rise of his lips as if he was amused.

Belpel could instantly tell from that slight smile that the Vlad in front of him was close to the strong pirates he saw in his early days fighting on an island.

The atmosphere around them shifted completely when Vlad's hair turned completely white. Tightening his grip on his sword, he noticed Anastas and some guards pushing ahead of him to fight him as if they didn't notice the change about Vlad.

"Zagreus, you monster, now your time has come. Now let's see how you escape you monster." ending that with a tightened grip on his rapier as if he was prepared to strike Vlad when walking towards him.

When Vlad heard that, his black eyes that showed no reflection of emotions, and together with his slight smirk, he began to chuckle a bit. Anastas could feel a cold wind blowing in his direction when Vlad looked at him as he laughed.

Then as his hair started rising up, his spine began also sweating hard. The feeling he had was something that couldn't be described in simple words. However, as that happened someone's hand arrived, pulling him aside before a blood stake rushed in his direction. Looking at his back, he saw one of his good guards being pierced and placed vertically on the ground.

After seeing that gruesome death, he turned to look at Vlad, who had his left white hand raised while having some blood left on his hand.

'How did this freak turn in such a manner? He almost killed me with that stake if not for Belpel. It's he really the same person I fought not too long ago? Damn, did I really become so useless right now?' Thinking that in his head, he later heard Vlad finally moving from his place with a blackish-red sword.

Suddenly as Vlad started walking slowly towards them while still giving them that smile which began growing more and more annoying and sinister with each second passing. Anastas got pushed aside by Belpel, who looked so solemn that he has never seen his expression as such.

His arm turned black, while his sword also turned black from the usage of Armament. Later, turning to look at Anastas, he said to you. "Just stay there and don't disturb my fight with this monster. You don't understand because you can't feel his spirit, but I can feel it. Have you ever seen total darkness? That's how it feels to look at his aura.  This person in front of us is no longer that Zagreus we fought around, this is just a monster in the form of a human."

Still being distances away from Vlad when he said that, he saw Vlad chuckle as if he heard what they said. Then as Vlad approached him slowly with his black abyssal-like eyes, the pressure around the guards increased, making some of them even faint and convulse.

Anastas felt as if his breath got stolen from his breathing hard when looking at Vlad's eyes before yet again hearing Belpel's serious tone. "Just don't look at his eyes kid if you can't handle his spirit. Haven't you heard of the saying "If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you" that's the case here, we got a monster on our hands."

Nodding his head, Anastas took the remaining of his soldiers that were still awake and began walking away from Belpel and Vlad while still feeling as if his throat got strangled.

Vlad noticed the guards walking away from him and only said when approaching Belpel. "You really didn't had to scare those people in running from me. Death only takes some seconds for them. As for you, that's something different. Your soul and spirit are awakened compared to those guards of yours. Sigh, you're the third person since I came here that managed to push me so hard that I was almost killed."

Then Vlad's black eyes focused on Belpel while having some dark shockwaves being sent directly to the guard.

Belpel covered himself in total Armament to take in Vlad's Conqueror's Haki but still got pushed some steps back while his face paled a bit. (A/N: I explained a bit at the end chapter note, why this ability could happen)

Then he saw Vlad hold a middle-stance with his blackish-red sword attacking him with a horizontal strike followed by a thrusted cut which was blocked successfully by Belpel. Each of their strikes sending aftershocks from the weapon contact.

Looking at his sword, Belpel gave a breath of approval when seeing that the sword didn't crack. However, when turning to look at Vlad's sword, he saw that it was in the same state as before.

'How it's possible? This monster sure has the fabled Conqueror's Haki but it's still not enough for him to beat me. Yet how it is possible that his weapon is fine after that clash with my Armament. This doesn't make sense at all.'

As he thought that in his mind, he spotted Vlad on the other side, raising his hand, quickly gathering blood from his surroundings as if he held a black hole in his hand. Yet again, Vlad created a red blood ball that started pulsing in his hand. Still not finished with his creation, some dark mist from his armour began to leave the armour and surround on the blood ball, giving it a more abyssal feeling.

Staring with black eyes at Belpel, Vlad only gave him a sinister expression before sending that projectile as he heard the name of what could be his attack.

"[Star of Collapse]"

Instantly as Vlad finished saying that as if it had a life of his own, the blackish-red ball that pulsed as if had his own life began targeting him. The trajectory of the small attack was right on his chest.

This made Belpel give a snort while saying towards Vlad in an angry tone. "You're overestimating me monster. I might be exhausted from all this fighting, but I still have some energy in me."

Belpel switched the way he held his sword as if he was holding a spear in his hand. Quickly grasping tightly the tip of his now Reinforced Sword handle and with a serious face. He held the sword behind his back as if he would give every ounce of energy in his body before roaring the name of his attack.

"[Star Eater]!!"

Hearing what Belpel said made Vlad look at his incoming attack with some curiosity. He saw as the space around the tip of Belpel's sword started collapsing a little bit as if it was a black hole.

Vlad's attack didn't stop from his trajectory and collided with Belpel's attack. Instantly when Vlad's blackish-red ball arrived in that small collapsed zone, it began slowing down, but never stopping from his target, which was Belpel.

When he saw that his attack got significantly slowed down, it made his black eyes release some dark mist as if he was angry. Slowly, he began using his « Blood Manipulation » powers to push the attack forward.

In doing so, the dark mist around him started also dispersing a little bit, as if his time was slowly running out. The energy he could use was something that he still wasn't satisfied with, and yet he kept feeding more dark energy to that attack of his

The same was Belpel, who started coughing up blood while his face was exhausted from this continuous clash between attacks. One was a mortal star, while the other was a mortal star eater.

When Belpel took a look at Vlad and noticed that half of his dark armor remained on his body, he started seeing a possible window for beating and killing this monster. Roaring filled with energy once again made his attack start pushing on Vlad's [Star of Collapse].

Vlad saw this persisting manner that Belpel survived on a string length and feeling that his time was slowly running out before he would be exhausted. He pushed the entire energy that he used to create the dark armor over his body, supplying towards the star with the help of Blood Manipulation.

The little star pulsed and started releasing more abyssal-like attributes and quickly began pushing Belpel's [Star Eater] attack. Vlad's attack managed to shatter Belpel's one, creating a strong shockwave that reached even Anastas and the other guards, pushing them on the gate's wall.

Belpel coughed up a lot of blood while his face turned pale as Vlad's blackish-red ball approached him fastly. Seeing that projectile going towards his heart at a fast speed, making him unable to even jump out of the way, he pushed his sword. He reinforced the weapon with all the Haki inside of his body while the rest was left unprotected.

'Hold. Hold for goddamn sake.' The clash between the projectile and his sword started with a stoppage from advancing. Yet, the Armament around the sword cracked before shattering like glass together with the sword.

The projectile pushed his way in Belpel's chest as if it got invited, and when it reached his heart, the projectile exploded, destroying Belpel's heart and insides while keeping his intact body in pieces. The spearman died with a shocked face on his face while staring continuously at Vlad.

Vlad's blackish-red sword also started to love the dark mist, while his hair began to transform itself black slowly.

"NOT YET, DON'T YOU DARE RUSH ME, THERE'S STILL SOME PARASITES I HAVE TO KILL." gave Vlad a loud shout that was combined with a large dark shockwave sent in all directions.

'ENOUGH, you are just the manifestation of this curse. This doesn't mean that you'll ever get the chance of using my body once I master that power. It seems my body is also out of that dark energy that keeps you running. How long can you last before you're killed?

I can take care of the rest without soiling this ground with more blood. Those guys are already done for. I only have to get that Anastas guy incapacitated, and we're good to go.'

"Hah, it's easy for you to say that after I had to do all the dirty work you hypocritical piece of shit. Fuck, I did curse myself just now. Dammit, fine, clean your own ass in your own." ended Vlad's darkest thoughts while closing his eyes and having all the dark mist still around him turn back towards the black mark on his heart.

Quickly Vlad's white hair turned back to its long jet-black hair. Similarly, his black eyes changed to the dark-green that followed him for two lives.

Exhaustion started assaulting Vlad as he gave a long breath out from all corners of his body.

'Argh, that fucker used more  [Blood Enhancement] on my body than what I left him with. My body feels like it will explode soon. My muscles sigh. Let's finish those kids before my body gives out.

Good, my Blood Sword is still connected to my mind.

Extending his hand, slowly like the sword in Vlad's hand were linked, started flying in his direction. In short moments, he held the crimson sword in hand and all of a sudden dropped on a knee, breathing hard while touching his chest, deep wound.

Staring coldly at Anastas and the remaining guards and later looking at the open gate, he pushed himself up with all his powers. He started walking in the guard's direction.

The guards were terrified when seeing Vlad walking towards them in what could be said a normal state, with his clothes full of cuts and blood. The chest cut on his body was wide open for their eyes to see, yet with each of Vlad's steps, they started getting even more scared.

As Vlad continued walking towards them, the wind of the night started pushing his long jet-black hair, revealing his clear green eyes.

Seeing Vlad approach, Anastas was the only one there to look with a confrontational manner at him while gripping hard his rapier with his right hand prepared for another fight.

With his rapier in hand, he roared to Vlad. "You monster. Come let's end this charade. We spilled enough blood on those grounds. You even killed Belpel, and only I remain here that can do something against you. It's my duty to guard the gates, yet look at me fail so miserably against a kid. All my years of training turned to fart in the face of a nobody. My teacher would curse me from his grave if he could see me in this poor state."

As Vlad was listening to Anastas's monologue when he was slowly approaching, it made him shake his head. As if everything could help the situation they were inside right now.

"It's too late for regrets now kid, what is done is done. No one would come now to bring back the dead. Now prepare yourself kid, this will be our last fight."

When he was meters away from Anastas, he dashed with his sword held for a cut as he prepared himself to end this macabre dance. He pushed all his body to its last bits of energy. Anastas only stared back and waited to receive Vlad's strike.

The slash was sent by Vlad's fast arms, pushing the blood sword to go towards Anastas's throat only to stop when the tall blonde guard prepared to block the strike. He feinted the blonde guard and instead quickly dashed behind his back, and with his blood sword handle, he knocked the guard unconscious using a powerful hit on the backside of his head.

Everything seemed to end around the gates. However, not long after knocking out the blonde guard, he stared at the trembling guards and the others who got unconscious by the darker Conquerors and said with a tired voice.

"Are you also prepared to stop me from going out? No, then leave, go take your colleagues and scram, better search for another job to feed yourself. I no longer want my consciousness to be tainted by other deaths."

The guards were scared shitless but could only do as the bloodied monster in front of them told. In no time, the gate zone turned into a desolate place covered in corpses, blood, and weapons.

Sighing, exhausted after all the fight, he started dragging his body towards the gate and later towards the crossroads. Paled and looking dehydrated from all the last blood that required his powers to run, he arrived after 15 minutes at the crossroads. He squinted his eyes to see what was written on the tablets. After some seconds, he figures the direction he needed to go, towards Sagletius. Remembering what Nius said, he walked towards what could be called the start of a forest.

As he entered the forest, as if all his energy and adrenaline evaporated, he suddenly couldn't move forward. His body didn't listen to his mind signals at all. Exhausted as he was, he also felt his vision dropping. If he initially could hardly focus his vision and barely see the trees' silhouettes, now he was walking like a blind on the abyss floor. He closed his eyes because if he kept his eyes for longer open, he felt they would explode from all the blood going towards them.

'Sigh, look at me, I can't even push this body of mine forward. Little kid you're my only salvation now, I hope you didn't get lost in this forest.'

Finally, the young man gave up. He no longer could muster any force in his body and fell like a log on the ground, fainting.

The camp went into alarm as the guards that fought against Vlad and the others came back to report to Gif and the other senior guards. When Gif heard that Vlad managed to escape and also kill Belpel at the same time, he whistled out loud and turned to look at Vem and Ramoth.

"The old man was right all along. That boy is really something else all along. Worthy of holding the status of royalty."

The other two were also shocked, but they didn't show it for long and started focusing on doing their so-called job to maintain order in the camp.

They took over the gates to ensure that chaos doesn't ensue in the camp from the void vacuum caused by the loss of guards belonging to Belpel's faction.

Later that night, they went to Nius's shack, finding him rocking his chair and smoking a cigar while staring at a chessboard with all the pieces set, while the queen got moved towards a threatening position for the enemy king.

Vem quickly informed the old man about Vlad's escape and was only met by Nius's smiling face and later him saying. "So he managed to kill that Belpel guy? Then that power of his had probably played a small role in the fight. Otherwise, it would be hard for him to kill that Belpel guy since he knew Haki.

Sigh, his potential is too great to be wasted on these shitty mines. Vem, we need to increase our preparation efforts, so we don't embarrass ourselves when we meet the young prince in three years. Also, if that bastard Mayer cries about his lost puppy, tell him to stick it in his butt and change a bit the way he handles the mines if he still wants to stay happy and alive."

Seeing the old man serious, he responded with an army salute, "Understood teacher, so it shall be."

In another corner of the camp, right on the other side of the gate, Robert, while having Aerius on his shoulder, was wandering in the darkness of the forest guided by Aerius.

Then as they walked closer to one side of the forest periphery, Aerius made Robert stop before jumping on his head. Then the little gryphon extended his four little wings and began sniffing something around his range that had a strong smell of blood.

He pushed Robert to walk in the direction of the blood smell while saying to him. "Walk a bit outside, and then go inside the forest, there's smell of blood in the forest. The only one I have on my mind that could get in such a mess is Vlad. Go Robert, faster."

Like this, Robert began his search close to the periphery, looking for Vlad's signs or some blood on the ground. He walked to a closer area to the camp and stumbled on the body of someone who looked close to being dead.

Then Aerius sniffed the dropped body and said with an excited face. "That's our target, go see if he is fine overall."

Robert nodded his head, and timidly he started walking towards it to check it. Robert saw the person in question having his face planted on the ground but still had steady breathing. Turning the body, he could see that the person in question had a weakened and pale face, while his body weight also seemed to be dropped by some margins a bit unsure,

It was as Aerius said. The person dropped on the cold forested ground was precisely Vlad that he was looking for a while.

Checking Vlad's body, he started gritting his teeth, feeling useless and guilty for how Vlad transformed. He checked a bit of his body and could see coagulated blood around his chest and other zones of his body. He found a small black mark on his chest close to the chest wound that was close to his heart zone changing sizes, sometimes it would grow bigger for some seconds, and in other ones, it would get back to normal. The sign was in the form of a black dot that could be said to be on his body since birth.

Then Aerius jumped from his head and got down to look at Vlad's black mark, extending his paw to touch that black mark. He felt nothing. As if that mark looked to be a birthmark.

'Hmph, there's still something weird. Did he use all that dark energy on his body and now even if I touch it I feel nothing? This is a possible outcome. But is really happening with him, it's the dark energy to strong for him to control and when he uses it, he becomes influenced by this, or there's something deeper inside his head that I've never heard? Damn, why can't I remember anything!?'

'In the end, let's hope he masters this energy and doesn't end hurting himself up. I still need a Vermilion to grow in peace.'

After Robert checked everything on Vlad with surprise on his face, he found out that Vlad's wounds stopped oozing blood. Hearing Aerius say that they should get going if they don't want to be easy prey for the wild animals in this forest, he raised Vlad and placed him on his back in order to carry him towards Sagletius. It was quite a sad and funny sight to see the 12 years old boy that was with a head or more, smaller than Vlad, carrying the young man's body left in a precarious state. While on the young man's body was seated right on his head, a small cat-like creature with the head of an eagle looking left and right while also sniffing around his surroundings.

Meanwhile, Robert didn't even feel Vlad's body weight. The young man could be said to be only skin, bones, and some meat on him. His current state could have been much more favorable if the after-effects of [Blood Enhancement] weren't so harsh on his body if a limit got exceeded.

Now that Robert and Aerius managed to find him, he started his journey in the forest, looking for the hints left by others before him, the red marks on the trees. He wandered in the woods until he found the first tree marked with a red color. He started moving faster on the forest path toward the capital city Sagletius.

Time passed, and one could see in the darkness a silhouette of a teen carrying what looked to be a corpse on his back that had on his head a black cat-like creature, moving slowly as a gravedigger. He wasn't bothered by Vlad's tall body or how annoying Aerius would be at times when he sensed predators around them. He just kept on going forward. With only one thing in mind, to get the fuck to safety and rest his body.

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