After splitting from the main group, Enkidu entered the Tepes Castle, unsurprised to see most of its inhabitants gone.
Descending to the castle's basement, Enkidu stopped upon hearing the voices of the guards standing by the girl's cell.
"Hey, is it just me, or are we the only ones in this castle?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Everyone's asleep while we're on guard because of that damn Marius."
Enkidu smiled before summoning his chains and shredding the Vampires.
He then emerged from the shadows, appearing before the girl. But before revealing himself, he saw a Vampire attempting to strike her. Quickly, he summoned his chains and destroyed the Vampire.
The girl was dressed in a red dress that shimmered just above her ankles, the bodice wrapped around her figure, accentuating her modest but well-shaped breasts. Her red eyes watched him cautiously despite her exhaustion, her delicate hands covered in gloves, and her long blonde hair a tangled mess.
"Hello, my name is Enkidu," said the Weapon of the Gods with a kind smile.
"Oh, pleasure to meet you, Lord Enkidu," said the girl in a soft tone.
"I've come to rescue you, to take you to a safe place so you can see Gasper again," said the Weapon of the Gods.
The girl's eyes lit up.
"Really? I can see him again?" said the girl, to which Enkidu nodded.
She didn't know why, but something told her she could trust the man before her.
She then took his hand, and they vanished.
**With Gilgamesh**
Gilgamesh was in a somewhat complicated situation. Initially, he decided to unleash some shockwaves to draw the Vampires' attention.
And now he was surrounded by Vampires on all sides.
Gilgamesh faced them, gripping the handle of Regulus tightly.
Narrowing his eyes, he glanced at the Vampires again. They all hesitated, looking among themselves until one stepped forward and threw a dagger at Gilgamesh's back.
Without even looking in their direction, Gilgamesh caught the blade before it reached him and threw it at another Vampire on the opposite side, who was preparing to pounce. The dagger pierced his heart.
The adrenaline and scent of blood were the incentive the others seemed to be waiting for. Less than a second later, one launched at Gilgamesh with a sword, intending to stab the blonde in the heart. But Gilgamesh stepped aside, grabbed the sword hand, guided the rapier through the Vampire's chest, and pushed it toward another, piercing them both.
Two more Vampires attacked Gilgamesh from both sides, this time with nothing but their fangs. However, like the previous attempt, it was unsuccessful, and the two collided, thanks to Gilgamesh jumping a few meters into the air. Unlike his jump, his landing wasn't graceful, as he landed with each foot on one of their heads, crushing them and breaking the ground beneath.
From behind, another Vampire with a long, thick rope seemed to want to test his luck and threw the chain toward Gilgamesh, wrapping it around his left arm.
Looking at the Vampire trying to pull him, Gilgamesh grabbed the chain and yanked, sending the Vampire holding the other end straight into the castle's cold, hard wall. Then he began wrapping it loosely like a rope.
"Flank him! Take him down!" one Vampire ordered, but the others around didn't seem as confident.
"What are you waiting for now?" he attacked, and several other young Vampires followed, the older and wiser ones choosing to stay back and observe.
Casually stepping aside first, Gilgamesh struck the back of the leader's head with the wrapped chain, spun, and hit another's face with it, then released it and threw it at another, the tip glowing red for a fraction of a second, piercing their heart and killing them, pulling it back and sending the tip through another approaching from behind.
Before they could take another step, I launched a single light sword in their direction, instantly killing one of the Vampires. The other guard was so shocked that he stopped moving entirely. I could have easily killed him in those few seconds, but I didn't. I needed this one to alert the castle's Vampires and reach my position.
The other Vampires looked in my direction and likely recognized my use of Holy Light, if their petrified faces of fear and panic were any indication. He fumbled with something in his hands, probably a magical communication device to alert the others. I let him panic at my presence and moved instantly in front of him, decapitating him with my axe imbued with holy energy, leaving only ashes behind before he could report my use of Holy Light. I then destroyed the communication device that required a situation report, crushing it under my foot and waiting.
I waited for the fangs to finally arrive.
And they didn't take long, as dozens of Vampires reached my position, already preparing for combat. But I didn't even let them speak or take the first step. I wanted to cause as much damage as possible to their faction, so I needed to be extremely ruthless in my dealings with them.
"[Light Magic: Swords of Conviction Light]" Dozens of light beams pierced the frail bodies of low-class Vampires, killing them effortlessly. Several tried to retaliate, sending their shadows at me, but it was futile, as my aura of light was literally burning the darkness. Some tried to use magic to harm me, but I repelled all their spells while more and more light beams decimated them.
And through it all, I didn't move from my position. I watched impassively as the bodies of bloodsuckers littered the castle floor. I could sense more Vampires approaching, but they died just the same to my light.
I could see a handful of Vampires literally transforming into reptilian or insect forms, approaching me with rage and fury in their eyes.
"So that's the shapeshifting ability of Vampires," I thought to myself.
"Yes. They probably think it'll give them more resistance against your light," said Regulus in my mind.
The Vampires wouldn't stand a chance against me. They're even weaker to holy light than demons, so my [Light Magic] was more than enough to deal with them.
I struck the Vampires with my axe, releasing a wave of Holy Light, slicing high-class Vampires in two.
I looked at the incoming forces, which stopped moving and stared at me in shock and horror, some beginning to flee in fear. The Vampires I killed must have been important Tepes Lords.
However, I didn't let them stare at me and took the moment to finish them off.
Pointing my axe at them, some already stepping back at my unsettling blank mask, staring coldly at them, a sphere of light formed at the axe's tip. The sphere grew as the Vampires realized the situation was hopeless and foolishly turned their backs to flee.
"Holy Bolt." A barrage of white lightning shot from the sphere, bombarding all the Vampires with impunity. The attack was merciless, destroying any who tried to resist or flee.
Looking at my handiwork, I could see nothing but ashes remained of the Vampire forces.
I moved at insane speed, charging at the Vampires, annihilating all in my path with my holy-energy-imbued axe. A single slash was more than enough to disintegrate them completely.
More and more transformed into insects and other monstrous forms, but it was futile. I crushed them just the same.
I left nothing but ashes and death in my path, continuing to advance, destroying anything in my way—castle walls, statues, or priceless paintings. I caused havoc wherever I went, killing more and more bloodsuckers.
Indeed, the Holy Aura I was releasing, from both my body and the axe, was becoming more oppressive to the Vampires. So much so that they couldn't even approach me without burning.
I kept moving and no longer felt people coming toward me when suddenly my danger sense flared alarmingly.
I immediately dodged, receiving powerful attacks. A wave of darkness passed by me harmlessly, destroying a large part of the castle behind me. I then moved through all the waves of power coming from every direction.
Raising my axe, I focused on it, and a concentrated air bubble appeared on it.
This bubble represented the power of the [Gura Gura no Mi].
With a single swing, I released it, and everything was destroyed.
All the Vampires were annihilated by the power, along with nearly the entire castle, the ground split, and everything was obliterated.
"I love this fruit's power with me," Regulus roared with laughter, and I gave a smile.
I just smiled at the sight of all the destruction, feeling Enkidu's energy leaving, I decided to finish it all.
I raised my axe and focused my divine power into it, making a golden aura emerge while creating a concentrated air bubble there.
"Let's go all out, Regulus," I said to the Longinus.
"Yes, let's finish them," Regulus roared in joy.
Then I lowered my axe, opening a fissure in the ground, destroying nearly the entire castle.
I think it's time to go back.
**With Sebas, Enkidu, and Gilgamesh**
Now, near the house, Sebas, Enkidu, and Gilgamesh could be seen walking, with Valerie ahead, riding atop Regulus.
"How do you think the Vampires will react when they find out she's gone?" Sebas asked.
"Probably nothing, since I doubt they'd want an incident like this to leak to the other factions."
Being isolated from the rest of the world worked in Gilgamesh's favor, and due to their pride, he doubted the Tepes Faction would want their rivals, the Carmilla Faction, to know they lost their Longinus possessor right under their noses. So, it made sense they wouldn't report this incident to other factions to prevent it from leaking to their rivals.
Though there was one problem: Marius. He didn't know when Marius made contact with Rizevim and Qlippoth in the original timeline, and if he had already done so, they would come after him when they realized he had taken the Holy Grail. If that happened, Rizevim would pursue him to fulfill his dream of awakening Trihexa and invading the other world.
And he knew all about Rizevim and his unique Sacred Gear Canceller ability. Fortunately, most of his team didn't have that issue when facing Rizevim.
"Aren't you worried about how Heaven and the Underworld's higher-ups will react when they learn about your Longinus?" Sebas asked.
"Even if they knew, they couldn't do anything," Gilgamesh said.
Gilgamesh knew Heaven and the Underworld kept a close watch on Longinus possessors and would undoubtedly be displeased about him keeping them hidden, but he didn't care.
"Lord Gilgamesh, Lord Enkidu… do you live here?!"
I turned to Valerie and saw her reaction.
I laughed at Valerie's shocked tone, the Dhampir's eyes wandering incessantly as she examined my mansion.
"Yes, though it's only temporary."
Valerie began running to examine the garden.
"She's so… lively," Enkidu said, and I nodded.
"Lord Gilgamesh, who made these flower arrangements? They're beautiful…"
I followed Valerie's gaze and found her completely awestruck by a collection of begonias and camellias, their profusion of colors an alluring display.
"Mostly the servants of this house. Did you have gardens like this where you lived?"
She gave me a sad look.
"Just a few roses," she said.
We reached the door, and Sebas opened it, revealing various types of creatures living there, along with other moving objects, all created by Sebas's magic to care for the house.
Valerie squealed with joy upon seeing the 'help' gathered in all their glory performing household tasks.
"Oh my God! It's like Beauty and the Beast!"
I raised my hand, and she gave a curious look, her own arm half-raised as if unsure what to do with it.
Oh, right. Raised in a loveless family that had a collective stick up their ass.
I extended my hand and high-fived her, cheerfully explaining, "Humans often use this as a way to celebrate something awesome they just did, or as a way to acknowledge shared interests and excitement."
Her red eyes seemed to glow with joy as she exclaimed, "Oh, I love this! It's way friendlier than all the bowing and greetings we had to learn at home," Valerie said before running through the house.
Even Sebas beside me gave a laugh. Who knew Valerie was naturally so enthusiastic? The overuse of her Sacred Gear in canon must have really taken a toll if this was her baseline state…
We moved to the living room and sat, a collection of sofas and armchairs offering comfort.
I sat on a sofa while Enkidu sat beside me, and Sebas went to prepare tea for us.
"Lord Gilgamesh, may I ask a question?"
I smiled at Valerie, who was sitting across from me.
"Of course, ask."
Some of her joy faded, replaced by nervousness.
"Uhm… what would be the terms for me to stay here, in your house? It's very nice, and though I may not have many domestic skills, I'm more than willing to learn!"
Curious to see where this was going, I responded gently, "While I appreciate the offer, I'm not short on maids, Miss Valerie."
She seemed to lose some enthusiasm, glancing hesitantly to the side before blushing and stammering softly, "W-Well, I don't, um… mind being more, well… intimate, if that's okay with you…"
I resisted the urge to facepalm while Enkidu gave me a dirty look.
That escalated quickly?
Though I suppose it's not entirely unexpected. Valerie must be, what, 15 or 16? She undoubtedly understands perfectly well what it means to be a courtesan or mistress.
Clearing my throat, I replied, "While I'm quite flattered, you don't need to go that far. In fact, I already had an offer prepared."
A heavy blush adorned the Dhampir's face, Valerie coughing delicately before responding quietly, "O-oh… never mind, then…"
"You believe your power would be used to destroy the world."
Some time later.
The room was deathly silent, the Dhampir staring at me with wide eyes and a blank expression.
Finally, Valerie carefully cleared her throat, hesitantly asking, "So… you mean my power would be used for that?"
"Yes. I only want to protect you. If you just want a safe place to stay… I have no qualms about letting you reside here in my house. You won't need to worry about—"
"No," she shouted, making my eyes widen.
"I'll fight by your side. I don't want something like that to happen, and if it means I can see Gasper, that's even better," she said.
"Thank you, Valerie," I said with a smile, making the Dhampir blush.
I looked at her for a moment and saw her yawn.
"Sebas, can you arrange a room for Valerie?" I said to the butler, who nodded and led the Dhampir to a room.
"I think it's time to meet our guests," I said to Enkidu about the people who had been following us since Italy.
**Outside**
Enkidu and I stepped outside the house to investigate the presences that had followed us since we left Italy. Regulus was with us in his lion form.
As we stepped out, we sensed several magical powers.
"I think we can act more like a King, right, partner?" Regulus said, roaring.
I sighed a bit. Ever since I met Regulus, he's been saying we should act like a 'King.' I suppose that's because I'm his strongest wielder.
Focusing, I turned my attention to the intruders.
"Show yourselves," I said.
From the trees emerged dozens of demons. They resembled humans, except their heads looked like goats, and they had bat-like wings on their backs and spears in their hands.
There were dozens of them, and from the power they emitted, they were High and Mid-Class, and their symbols indicated they belonged to the Old Satan Faction, descendants of the original Satans and enemies of the Underworld, allied with the Khaos Brigade.
But three presences caught my attention due to their immense power compared to the others.
They had power comparable to an Ultimate-Class demon.
The first was a tall woman with glasses and a voluptuous figure. She had tanned skin, long brown hair tied in a bun with a headset, and purple eyes (gray-blue in the anime).
She wore an extremely low-cut dress with a high slit, exposing a large portion of her breasts.