Chapter 98: River of Death?
The thorns of Holy Nail Anderson grew even thicker, and their constricting force became even stronger.
However, for Chang Wei, breaking free was still effortless.
The only issue was that the burning pain from the holy fire was becoming more and more intense.
Yet, Chang Wei remained patient.
He was waiting—waiting for Father Anderson, this medium, this neutralizing agent, to fully merge with Helena's Holy Nail!
Because he wanted to obtain the power of God.
And just then, Chang Wei sensed a terrifying aura emanating from Alucard, who was still bound by the thorns.
"Unlocking all your seals now won't make a difference."
Chang Wei shook his head.
Facing Holy Nail Anderson, who was significantly stronger than in the original storyline, Alucard was completely restrained. Within just a few moves, the River of Death had been burned away. Even if he unlocked all of his seals now, escaping would still be a problem.
But it didn't matter—Chang Wei would help him.
"Father Anderson, I wonder… can the flames of mortals still harm you now?"
Chang Wei slightly loosened the telekinetic barrier, and in an instant, Infinite Light, Immeasurable Light, and Boundless Heat burst forth.
The thorns entwining him vanished instantly, erased as if they had never existed.
But they had not disappeared—they had been annihilated.
Sensing a great threat, Holy Nail Anderson instinctively withdrew his thorns.
With that, Alucard was released.
However, at this moment, Alucard had completely transformed into a shadow.
The symbols and text on his white gloves began to glow.
The symbols depicted the pentagram of the demon, while the text—written in English and German—radiated a crimson, blood-like glow.
"Hell's gate arrested, Gott mit uns, and shine heaven now."
("The gates of Hell are sealed, God is with us, shine upon Heaven now.")
"Say it!"
The Fatty Major was beyond excited. He scrambled to safety with the help of Warrant Officer Schrödinger, witnessing Chang Wei's unprecedented, unimaginable horror.
But what he looked forward to the most was the battle between monsters.
And Alucard—
The true Alucard!
Integra took a deep breath.
"Sealing control restriction system Level Zero… Release!"
"Return! Return as countless legions!"
"Alucard!"
With Integra's command, Alucard was finally unshackled.
"Understood, my Master…"
A storm of overwhelming, boundless malice erupted in an instant.
"What terrifying magic power…"
Chang Wei, still facing Holy Nail Anderson, feigned a shocked expression.
In truth, it didn't feel all that impressive.
Huh. Had he grown too strong?
Despite absorbing only a fraction of souls, his River of Death and magic power were already nearing the level of Alucard, who had consumed millions of souls.
Holy Nail Anderson now feared not only the nearly transparent flames surrounding Chang Wei but also the fully unleashed Alucard.
The Alucard with all his seals undone!
"…Hermes' bird is my name… I consume my own wings to master my heart!"
Aboard the Eagle, within the burning wreckage of the black reconnaissance plane, an untouched, pitch-black coffin stirred.
Under an invisible force, it creaked open.
Scarlet tendrils slithered out, followed by an abyss of impenetrable darkness—
And from that darkness, countless eyes emerged.
As the coffin fully opened, Alucard reclaimed all of his power.
His shadowy form regained substance, yet he had already transformed into a blood mist—expanding, writhing, twisting, crawling.
His chant continued without the slightest change, reciting the final incantation.
"…Reduce everything to nothing!"
In an instant, the blood mist swelled hundreds of times over.
An endless, surging, tidal wave of blood—an oceanic River of Death—erupted with overwhelming force!
The towering, sky-piercing blood river spread, covering what little remained of London, turning it into a kingdom of blood.
From within the crimson torrent, wailing undead emerged.
They had been devoured, absorbed, stripped of their souls—drifting within the River of Death for countless years, suffering endless torment.
"The Sultan's Guard, the Iron Kettle Army, the British Army, the Crusaders, the Wallachian Cavalry… He has devoured so many souls."
The Crusaders and the British Army were the very ones Alucard had consumed the last time he invaded London alone, before being stopped by Van Helsing.
Or perhaps they were the Crusaders he had devoured back when he was still the Wallachian Prince.
But none of that mattered now.
Alucard set his sights on the two remaining enemies—
Chang Wei and Holy Nail Anderson!
I just so happen to need souls.
Since you'll be ruined soon anyway, why not let me take advantage of it?
Chang Wei made no move to evade the oncoming tide of undead from the River of Death.
He simply allowed them to attempt to engulf him.
Yet, even though he had already withdrawn those terrifying flames—
The River of Death could not submerge him!
His body was like the true gateway to Hell, greedily devouring all life in its wake.
He did nothing, yet the River of Death could not consume or drown him.
For the first time, Alucard felt a sliver of doubt.
This monster—who could devour his very soul and existence—had, in just moments, swallowed thousands of his souls.
Holy Nail Anderson, meanwhile, released his thorns, entangling and destroying any approaching undead.
But he too was absorbing the spirits from the River of Death.
Alucard had essentially gifted both of them a massive power boost.
"What a pair of monsters."
Alucard sighed helplessly—then grinned savagely.
The River of Death was not limited to mere drowning—
The undead within it could also attack.
And among them were formidable beings whom Alucard had devoured over the years—powerful foes who had once challenged him.
Of course, Van Helsing's squad had wiped out nearly all of Alucard's accumulated elite undead.
That was precisely why they had suffered casualties—
After all, the Vatican had Holy Knights and other exorcists on par with Father Anderson or Walter.
Each of these individuals had been a serious threat to Alucard.
But once defeated and devoured, they became an unstoppable force when gathered together.
Otherwise, Van Helsing's team wouldn't have suffered such losses—some dying, others gravely wounded, with even Van Helsing himself barely surviving.
However, Alucard's reservoir was vast.
Even after all that, he still had powerful souls remaining.
In the original story, they never appeared—simply because there were too many of them (and the production budget was limited).
But now—
A handful of truly powerful undead emerged, joining forces against Chang Wei and Holy Nail Anderson.
Unfortunately, these two monsters were simply too strong.
The undead posed no real threat.
With Chang Wei's assistance, the Holy Nail was nearly fully embedded into Anderson's heart.