"Mr. Gabriel, what is this?" Allen asked in surprise, gripping the crucifix in his hand.
"Vampire Killer. Used to be my weapon back in the day," Dracula replied, then pointed toward Death standing nearby. "Take it and fight him again. This time, you're not allowed to lose."
"Yes, sir." Allen climbed to his feet, still holding the crucifix tightly.
Dracula waved his hand dismissively. "You two have fun. I'm off to visit an old friend."
He walked over to the magic circle, where the figure of Zobek began to slowly materialize.
A colossal skeleton floated mid-air, muttering some ominous and self-important incantation:
"I, Zobek, King of the Dead, have returned once more to the realm of mortals…"
As he spoke, he slowly opened his eyes—two blazing green flames ignited in the depths of his skeletal sockets.
Then, he saw Dracula standing across from him, smiling calmly.
"…Oh shit," Zobek muttered.
"Hello, Zobek." Dracula greeted the King of the Dead with a pleasant smile. "Old friend. I'm surprised you're still alive. Honestly, when I heard you'd returned—"
His eyes widened, a crimson gleam flashing within, and he grinned wickedly.
"I was… truly, truly thrilled."
"Hmph… Dracula, I admit I'm no match for you," the giant skeleton rasped, Zobek's voice like bones grinding together. "But if you think killing me will be so easy—GUARDS! Stop him!!"
At his command, a squad of Death Knights burst forth from the magic circle and charged at Dracula.
Dracula let out a cold snort. In an instant, a blood whip materialized in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the crimson whip lashed out, reducing the Death Knights to shattered fragments.
Zobek seized the opportunity to cast a spell, attempting to teleport back to the underworld—but no matter how much power he poured into the circle, it remained inert.
"What?! Impossible!" he exclaimed in shock.
"One-way spatial lockdown formation," Dracula said coldly, brushing away the last of the Death Knights. He began walking slowly toward the panicked necromancer. "Did you really think I'd keep falling for your tricks, Zobek? You've grown far too arrogant."
"The first time, you deceived me, and it nearly cost me my life."
"The second time, you tried again, but I saw through it—and let you escape."
"But this third time… it's my turn to deceive you, Zobek."
From the void, Dracula drew forth a cursed sword emanating an icy chill.
"Knowing your caution, I duplicated your sealing runes in advance. Knowing your cunning, I set the battlefield before the battle began. This altar is now a sealed space—entry is possible, but escape is not."
He took a fighter's stance, both hands gripping the sword.
"Come, let me savor the King of the Dead's final cries before the end!!"
"Damn you!!" Zobek's green flames blazed wildly as he launched himself into the air, then dove down like a meteor.
"DRACULAAAA!!"
"COME ON THEN, ZOBEK!!"
BOOM!!
Meanwhile, Allen rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Death's attack.
Now that he wielded the holy relic Vampire Killer, he no longer had to worry about Death grabbing his weapon—because it was a bane to all creatures of darkness. The artifact also disrupted corrupted machinery, meaning if Death tried to grab it, he'd likely lose his remaining hand.
Seizing the moment when Death's fist struck the ground, Allen lunged in, spinning the Vampire Killer in a circular arc. Gleaming loops of chain carved deep gashes into Death's arm and chest, cutting to the bone.
"ROAR!! You little bastard!!" Death bellowed furiously, yanking his fist from the ground along with a massive chunk of stone, and hurled it at Allen.
But Allen, calm and focused, dodged with practiced ease. The tide of battle had shifted decisively.
Allen had been revived by Dracula, granted a divine weapon, and now held the advantage in every aspect. Death, on the other hand, had just watched his master Red get one-shotted, and his new master Zobek was clearly losing. His heart was full of fear, hate, and an increasing desperation to flee.
But the more desperate he grew, the calmer Allen became. In this imbalance, Allen fought more smoothly, steadily overpowering him.
Still, Death wasn't the leader of the Executioners for nothing. He was cunning, and planned a last-ditch trap.
He purposely exposed a weak point, letting Allen strike his ankle with the Vampire Killer. Then, faking exhaustion, he dropped to one knee.
(Yes… Just like that… Come closer, finish me off, kid. Then I'll snap your neck the moment you're within reach!)
With a pained expression, he feigned helplessness.
Allen responded by smashing a full bottle of genuine holy water directly into his face.
Death collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony. Allen smiled and said:
"All of you vampires think the same way. That one Gabriel took out tried the exact same trick."
He snapped out the Vampire Killer. The crucifix unleashed a holy chain that wrapped around Death's writhing body.
"Goodbye. Rot in hell, monster!!"
With a mighty pull, Allen ripped Death's head clean off.
Death's headless corpse knelt briefly… then slowly disintegrated into ash.
Dracula burst out in wild laughter.
With sword in hand, he unleashed a flurry of slashes, the chilling magic of the void-infused blade weaving a deadly net of energy that tore Zobek's body to shreds.
"What's wrong? Is that all the mighty Zobek's got?" He could've ended it in a single strike—but for the sake of catharsis, Dracula chose to take him apart, piece by piece.
Zobek's massive form had been reduced to a lone skull.
Dracula flipped the skull into the air like a baseball, then smashed it with the flat of his blade.
He walked slowly over to where it landed, eyes locked on the fading green glow within its sockets.
"Hmph. Looks like I still had a bit of motivation left after all." He ground the skull beneath his heel, crushing it into dust.
"Ahhh… now that's done, I've used up the last of my energy." Dracula sheathed the void sword, and staggered forward like a half-dead zombie.
As he dragged his feet, he muttered weakly:
"When I get home… I'm gonna take a nice, long bath… then sleep for three or four hundred years… When I wake up, there better be a game waiting for me."
[Host, congratulations on defeating Zobek, King of the Dead, and successfully completing this world's mission. Would you like a reward? A new ability? Weapon? Spell?]
"Eh… pick whatever. It's not like I'd use it for anything serious. Just something to play with."
[Also, Host, now that your mission is complete, this world no longer requires your presence. In three days, this system will transfer you and your castle to the next world.]
"…Hah? Seriously? I was just about to finally get some time to game!" Dracula groaned. "You can't just keep squeezing me like some disposable worker! I refuse! I'm going on strike!"
[The next world has a modern setting. You'll be able to play games as soon as you arrive.]
"…Oh." Dracula immediately changed his tone. "In that case, sure. Let's go."
"This time, when I go, I'm going to buy every game I never got to play," Dracula declared confidently. "Ah, and I should probably upgrade some of the furniture in the castle. Add some modern utilities too. Can't slack off completely, after all."
As he spoke, he casually pulled apart the iron bars of a cage with both hands and looked inside, speaking gently to the silver-haired girl within:
"What do you think, Miss Kirie?"