"I quit." His words were like a cold shower for all the vampires present.
"…Huh?" Everyone was speechless, and they thought they must have heard wrong. What did he just say?
Vlad's eyes narrowed a little.
"... What did you say?" Natashia asked the question everyone wanted.
Niklaus undoes his transformation and raises his hands in a worldwide sign of surrender, "I give up." He repeated in the same simple, easy-to-understand tone.
"..." Victor's face distorted visibly, as his face was slowly covered by his hair, and he ground his teeth together.
What Victor hated most was now standing in front of him... A coward, a man who gives up fighting even if he has the ability to go further, he hates Niklaus with all his might now.
In Victor's mind, Niklaus was no longer a worthy opponent. He was just a piece of trash, a worm.
This man can no longer be called a vampire Count.
The referee appears in the air of the arena again, "Unfortunately, it's not in the rules that you can quit..."
Niklaus looked at the referee and said:
"As Count Alucard said, rules are made by the strongest being present." He spoke in an emotionless neutral tone, as he used Victor's words to prove his point, then he looked at Vlad:
"King of the Vampires, I, Niklaus Horseman, give up this match and my title of Vampire Count." He bowed in respect.
"Please accept my surrender." He continued with the same gesture.
'...That old fox.' Vlad clicked his tongue.
Vlad understood very well why Niklaus 'humbled' himself, as by doing so, he showed sincerity that he didn't want to fight anymore. And, if the king forced him to fight, he would be seen as a tyrant by the vampires present, and that's something that Vlad ordinarily wouldn't care about.
After all, in time, vampires forget everything, another 500 years would pass, and they would forget about Vlad's 'tyranny'.
But... Unfortunately, this was no ordinary time.
Vlad was silent while he thought about what to do. No one in the audience dared to interrupt this moment, even though they wanted to say a lot about Niklaus.
They wanted to call him a coward, they wanted to say that he ended the mood, they wanted him to 'fight' the woman again! They had a lot to say.
But… They were silent and left the decision to the king.
After all, as said by the two Counts present, the strongest being must decide everything.
"Are you going to give up your titles and everything you've won without a fight?" Vlad asked in a neutral voice as he decided to attack the man's pride.
"Yes." Niklaus answered without hesitation.
"You don't mind being called a coward?"
"My king… Sorry to say, but… Cowards are the ones who live the longest."
And as can be seen, the man had no pride at all.
"Indeed... That's true." Vlad can't help but agree with the man.
"Former Countess Annasthashia Fulger, do you have any opinions?"
"Of course I do!" Her voice came out as if it were the roar of an angry beast, "I don't want to earn the title of vampire Count this way! He must fight!" She clenched her fists furiously.
Rumble, Rumble.
"He must fight me! Here and now, he must fight!" The woman looked at the man with an angry look.
Natashia felt a bad taste in her mouth just imagining winning this way.
And not only that, this fight is a demonstration for her husband! A symbol for him to accept her!
How dare this piece of trash interrupt her moment!?
She's definitely not going to go along with a win like that.
"...I see." Finally, Vlad turned his attention to Victor, "Count Alucard, do you have anything to say?"
The vampire's gazes focused on Victor, and when they saw Victor's appearance.
Gulp
They all gulped, their bodies cooled, and some even pissed themselves.
His face was pure darkness. It looked like a black hole whose only visible features were his eyes and mouth full of sharp teeth, his hair was floating as if it was defying gravity, and a blood-soaked pressure was leaking from his body.
The air around the man was heavy, and the atmosphere he was giving off was simply…
Terrible.
"Nothing..." Even his voice was coming out strangely, sounding like static:
Victor puts his hand on his face as he tries to control his anger. He takes a deep breath and lets the air out of his chest, calming down a little, as his face returns to normal:
"This is not my fight, it's not me who should decide this…"
In the same way that he didn't like someone meddling in his fight, he had enough respect not to meddle in someone else's fight.
He already stomped on his mother-in-law's respect when he helped her, and he won't do it again.
This was his mother-in-law's fight, not his.
"But if you're asking me what I think..."
"I disapprove." His voice was heavy and cold, "He must fight."
He had the guts to attack Natashia at her 'weakest' time, but now that he doesn't have a chance, he runs away…?
Vlad rests his face on his hand, and looks at Niklaus, "Niklaus Horseman..."
"Yes, My King?" Niklaus stood up and looked at Vlad.
"Why don't you want to fight anymore?"
"It's simple, it's a futile effort."
"What are you-." Natashia looked like she was going to say something, but Vlad just looked at the woman, and she fell silent as he looked back at Niklaus:
"Tell me more."
"Annasthashia Fulger cannot kill me, and I am too weak to defeat her... In the end, this stalemate would continue for several hours, and the audience present would understand."
"A possible outcome would be a victory through a battle of attrition, but we are vampires, and we don't get tired that easily."
He was smart, considering he gave valid reasons for his withdrawal.
"Hmm... In that case, why didn't you ask to continue the game tomorrow?"
"I'm not such a fool."
"Oh?"
Niklaus continues, "As you know, Annasthashia Fulger is very close to the two Countesses, and I'm sure if I postponed the match until the next day, they would help Annasthashia so she could defeat me."
"You're putting my name on it..." Scathach's smile was anything but pretty, "Are you saying I would teach her about your weakness?"
He looked up, "I didn't say that. You did, though," he flashed a small smile.
'Piece of shit...' Scathach's eyes turned cold as ice.
"I'm sorry, Countess. But what guarantee do I have that you wouldn't do that?"
"It doesn't matter. Don't you have the balls to fight even though she knows your weakness?"
"Of course not. I'm not crazy, and I won't fight a fight I can lose."
"..." Scathach felt disgust all over her body now as she looked at the man like he was a worm. She hates that kind of mentality.
"..." Vlad was silent, he tapped the throne with a finger, in a steady rhythm, he seemed to be thinking about something, and then he opened his mouth.
"Fine, I approve... From this day forward, Niklaus Horseman is no longer a vampire Count, and all title and territory shall be handed over to Annasthashia Fulger." Vlad looked at the referee.
"...Huh? Ah, Yes… Cough"
"The winner of this duel is Annasthashia Fulger."
The order was given, and the announcement was made... Natashia won, but...
Nobody looked happy.
Yes, no one was happy... Everyone felt like they had just eaten a rotten slice of pizza, and no one liked that result.
Mostly Victor... If you ask anyone now what Victor's mood is.
They would say the worst possible.
It was quite visible that Count Alucard was not satisfied with this development.
The only people who seemed neutral about all this were Prince Theo and Niklaus himself.
A scroll and two golden daggers suddenly appear in front of Natashia.
The woman looked at the two items with a complicated look. This was not the result she wanted.
'FUCK!' She was frustrated.
Suddenly, she feels a hand touching her shoulder:
"Don't worry, you did well. You were splendid." He spoke in an honest tone.
"..." She looked back and saw Victor's neutral face that contained a small smile.
'Husband...' She didn't know how to feel about it. She felt complicated, this wasn't what she wanted.
"I could fully see the woman named Annasthashia Fulger." Victor caresses Natashia's cheek a little.
"Do not worry." Victor flashed a small smile.
"..." She opened her eyes wide.
While Natashia was shocked, Victor separated from the woman and walked to a certain location.
"My king, should I undo the magic? There's still time left." A subordinate of Vlad's appeared and asked.
"Just rebuild the arena floor." Vlad spoke as he looked at the arena.
"Yes, My King.." Vlad's subordinate gave the order to another subordinate, and then he looked back at Vlad.
"...?" Seeing Vlad's gaze, Vlad's subordinate and sons looked at the arena again.
What is he doing?
"..." Niklaus was silent as he looked at the man walking on 'air'.
The world around them started to be fixed, and soon the entire arena was back to normal. Victor kept walking, as he completely ignored the world around him while never taking his gaze off Niklaus.
Arriving in front of Niklaus, Victor extended his hand with a simple handshake gesture as he displayed a gentle smile that lightened the whole environment around him, looking like a long-lost friend.
"...?" Niklaus didn't understand, but thinking he wanted to greet him, Niklaus reached out and took Victor's hand.
At first glance, the grip was normal, but in Niklaus' vision, the arm he held had completely darkened, and veins of blood-red energy could be seen.
Crack!
Sounds of broken bones could be heard.
Victor's face turned cold as ice itself:
"I know it was you."
"...?" Niklaus did not understand:
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb."
Crack, Crack.
He squeezed Niklaus' hand even tighter :
"..." Niklaus narrowed his eyes when he saw that he couldn't pull away from that grip.
"I know it was you who sent assassins to my house."
"..." Niklaus looked at Victor, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"That day, I ate a strange black-colored owl..."
"..."
"And that owl tasted just like your sword."
"...You're getting confused."
"I see..." Victor creates a blood dagger and tries to pierce Niklaus' stomach.
But the man just creates a shield of black water while Victor grabs Niklaus' power with his hand and puts it in his mouth.
"..." From the audience's perspective, Niklaus and Victor just appeared to be talking.
"Yes, it tastes the same..." Victor's eyes gleamed blood red.
"... That doesn't prove anything. You're accusing me of something without evidence."
"Evidence? Pfft…" Victor's smile grew, "We're not human, Niklaus. We don't need proof."
"..." He was silent and couldn't deny Victor's accusation, because he knew it was true.
If a vampire wants something, he goes there and takes it. They are that kind of being.
Victor brings his face close to Niklaus' ear.
"Do you know what I hate the most?"
"..."
"I hate cowards like you, and most of all... I hate it when someone messes with my family."
Victor turned away from Niklaus and looked deeply into the man's eyes:
"Get ready because... I'll come to you."
"..." Niklaus opened his eyes wide, and he suddenly found himself in a completely black world.
"Everything you love most, everything you've conquered, will be taken from you. You will pay for the crime of messing with something you shouldn't."
A demonic voice echoed through the place, and soon Niklaus looked up, and, when he looked up…
He saw a gigantic being completely made of darkness, a being whose only visible features were the eyes and a gigantic mouth that looked like it could devour him at any moment.
"No matter where you are, no matter where you hide, I will find you."
"W-Wha-..." He dropped to the floor. Then, sitting up, he looked above himself with pure shock on his face.
The voice seemed to get louder every moment:
"From this day forward, you will have to live with a shadow chasing you for eternity."
"A shadow named Alucard!"
Niklaus' entire being was paralyzed by that voice, and he couldn't move while his heart was pounding like crazy.
"Get ready, my little pig! Run, Run! Hide! Do everything possible to avoid me! Because... I'm coming after you!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"
Everything seemed to tremble at the laughter of that being.
And Niklaus was being swallowed by that being's mouth.
Waking up to reality.
Niklaus quickly lets go of Victor's hand and walks away. His face was completely dark, and he was sweating like a pig.
"It was a not pleasure to meet you, Niklaus Horseman." Victor spoke in a neutral voice as he turned and walked back to Natashia's side.
"… J-just what are you?" He can't help but wonder.
"Just a simple husband who wants revenge... Nothing less, nothing more." He spoke as he walked away.
Looking at Victor's back, he can't help but think:
'This monster is worse than I imagined... Who would have thought that he was hiding all that power...' He thought, while his whole body was trembling, he looked at his hand and thought; 'When was the last time? That I felt this...? This fear?'
'Oh… It was when that man took what was most important from me…' Niklaus' face darkened:
'Fine, I'll do it your way, Alucard. I will not run or hide.' He clenches his fist and turns around.'
Victor goes back to Natashia's side and extends his hand, "Shall we?"
"..." Seeing Victor's hand, a big smile appeared on her face:
"Yes!" She seemed to have completely forgotten about her earlier frustration.
Rumble, Rumble.
The two are covered by lightning and disappear from the arena.
And that's how this game ended... in a disappointing way...
But at the same time... Interestingly.
For the non-vampire beings who were watching, they were finally able to see the new Count's current state and that he seemed quite close to the returning Countess...
.
.
.
.....
