Vampire Hunter D Volume 22

by Hideyuki Kikuchi

  D only said one thing: “You can’t win.”

  “We know that,” the steward replied. His tone was cheerful. “All of us have known that from the start. Though we may not be able to so much as scratch him, we can raise our hands against Duke Gilzen—that in itself is enough to put a smile on our faces as we mount the road to our destruction. Our hatred might not be served, but allow us this.”

  “Understood.”

  “You have my thanks. And we are ready, my lord!”

  “Oh, come then. You fools. Curse the fate you yourselves have chosen.”

  D watched the entire scene that played out a second later. How a mouth full of fangs biting at Gilzen’s throat was effortlessly ripped apart. How the woman’s tongue that wrapped around Gilzen’s neck was torn out at the base. How the steward sailed at the Nobleman, only to have his heart pierced by a single thrust of the duke’s scepter. The steward had said they might not be able to so much as scratch him. That was the truth. One after another the remaining compatriots were slain, and before they had time to even scratch the duke, the dwellers in darkness had been exterminated.

  Thumping his chest, Gilzen laughed.

  “Did you see that, D? I don’t mean how they died, but their powers. Those were given to them by the alien technology. Do you understand, D? That’s precisely the kind of potential I was aiming for in the Nobility. Do you not think it far more realistic than the Sacred Ancestor seeking the same by mixing our blood with that of the lowly humans?”

  “You should’ve tried asking them.”

  “Ask them? What are you saying? I make declarations! I tell them to take pride in their fates. That their bodies have been given over to the future of the Nobility.”

  “Are you satisfied now?”

  D’s words cut Gilzen’s monologue short. Looking at the Hunter’s face with surprise, he said, “So that’s it? You really are that sort of man, aren’t you? One look at the Sacred Ancestor would tell me that. I have but one remaining desire. D, I want your blood.”

  Gilzen extended one hand. It was trembling.

  “I rank myself as a perfect being. However, to be honest, I find it difficult to entirely discount the other possibility. Or the dream the Sacred Ancestor had. If the two different paths of evolution were combined, a new line might be born. In the same way, if our two potentials were mixed, it might lead to a third—to new possibilities. Toward that end, I need your blood.”

  “Is that why you returned?” D asked coolly. “I’ll grant your desire. But you’ll have to draw my blood with your own hand.”

  From the Hunter’s back there was the sound of steel being unsheathed.

  As if in response to his opponent’s murderous intent, Gilzen braced his scepter for action.

  “I’ve injected myself with alien blood,” Gilzen said, striking his chest with his free hand. “You’ve been given the blood of a human. Which of these potentials best suits the universe? D, let us decide the matter once and for all! And with the blood that drains from your body, I shall search out new possibilities.”

  Gilzen’s declaration reverberated, crushing down on the darkness.

  Like So Much Dust

  chapter 7

  I

  I’m exhausted. And scared. Please, let’s just hide somewhere.”

  Lilia ignored Vera’s glum appeal, having heard it scores of times before. She had even grown sick of threatening the woman. And it wasn’t in her nature to soothe people’s fears.

  More than an hour ago, she’d told the doctor, “We’ll be at our destination soon, so just wait a little longer.” It was safe to say Vera had cause for grumbling. A number of times they’d encountered the castle’s soldiers and monsters. All the soldiers had been slain, and they’d managed to make it past the monsters to get this far. Lilia no longer knew how far they’d walked, how many stairs they’d climbed, or how many times they’d changed moving sidewalks. She’d done well to make it this far with the doctor, who hadn’t stopped shaking since Lourié had gone missing.

  “Well, we’re here. The Promised Land!” the Huntress said, taking Vera by the arm and giving a toss of her chin toward the door ahead of them.

  “Where are we?”

  “Gilzen’s bedroom.”

  Vera reeled. Unable to regain her bearing, she was about to drop to her knees. Her fear and shock were so great she’d fainted.

  Quickly catching Vera, the Huntress shook her violently. When the doctor managed to open her eyes, she told her, “The next time you shut your eyes, I’ll bite you!” and revealed her fangs. They were the real thing.

  Vera froze, but she didn’t look away. Instead, her teeth chattered as she said, “What’ll we do if Gilzen’s in there? There’ll be hell to pay!”

  Was this the same brave doctor? Her eyes were brimming with tears.

  “Wherever we go, there’ll be hell to pay,” Lilia replied. “Besides, this isn’t Gilzen’s main bedroom. It’s just one of five other resting places he has. The owner’s not home, and they say there’s no better place for a burglar to hide than in the king’s chambers!”

  “But—”

  “Enough! Come on! You’re really pissing me off!”

  She knew under normal circumstances she’d have long since abandoned the doctor. But she couldn’t do that because of her instructions from the gorgeous young man. Though she’d also been bitten by Gilzen, she’d barely come under his influence. The same should’ve been true for D. Yet whenever Lilia’s eyes fixed on that gorgeous visage, his patinaed voice came back to her. The harder she tried to drive it away, the more vividly it came back. Lilia had the feeling she’d become a slave to his mysterious beauty, body and soul.

  She checked the surveillance devices with an electronic sensor fastened to her belt. Even if the master of the house wasn’t in, the defenses should still be active. The sensor informed her that the surveillance devices were not operating. It wasn’t that she didn’t find that strange, but Lilia was also thoroughly exhausted.

  Having Vera wait there, she gave the door a determined push. It opened easily. The bedroom was so opulent it made Lilia’s eyes bug. Naturally, there were no windows or mirrors. The bed was a golden coffin.

  “That’s odd.”

  She’d actually uttered the words this time.

  Vera stiffened. “What . . . What is?”

  “I don’t know. I just sense something. This was probably a mistake. Let’s get going.”

  “Huh?”

  She turned to the doctor, who convulsed with fear—and then saw a shadowy figure standing by the door.

  “Just perfect,” Lilia muttered, weariness rising from the bottom of her heart.

  The creature garbed in bizarre armor could only be an alien foe.

  As she pushed Vera out of the way, Lilia simultaneously drew her longsword. The sword dashed out like the wind, batting away the iron arrow that was flying at her. Another came—and she instinctively dodged it. As she dived off to the right, she extended her left arm. The gas-powered arrow launcher that covered it from the elbow to the wrist sent an iron arrow at the alien’s solar plexus. Though they weren’t as heavy as the alien’s, her arrows could reach supersonic speeds.

  The alien’s longsword flashed out, batting away one arrow, but a second one scored a direct hit. When the enormous figure dropped roughly to one knee, Lilia sailed through the air to attack with her sword. It parried, but too late; the power from the Noble blood Lilia had received drove both the parrying blade and her own into the alien’s head. The alien howled.

  “Gah!”

  Covering her ears, Lilia reeled backward. The alien’s cries had become supersonic waves that tortured her eardrums.

  The instant she desperately planted her unsteady feet, Lilia was assailed by a horizontal slash. Gritting her teeth against the terrific pain, she felt dizzy as she made a panicky leap back. Her waist struck something. The coffin! Her upper body arched back far, splayed across the coffin’s lid. The enormous figure filled the Huntress
’s field of view. It was leaping toward her. She was in no position to dodge the longsword it had raised high.

  Once again, dizziness dragged Lilia into darkness. Fighting it for her very life, she opened her eyes.

  The cause of a second scream from the alien had left it hunching over her. The two of them were locked in a sort of embrace atop the coffin, but Lilia shoved it off for all she was worth. It rolled right off her without offering any resistance. A long spear jutted from its back.

  The twitching body quickly grew still. After ten thousand years, death had come to take this visitor from another world.

  Lilia looked at the Grim Reaper. Another figure stood in the doorway. Its gigantic form was identical to that of the recently deceased. Perhaps it was Gilzen’s DNA in her blood that told her the figure’s nature in a flash.

  “Which kind are you? Plain old-fashioned alien? Or are you one of Gilzen’s servants?” she asked as she felt the blood dripping from her midsection. The stench of blood pricked her nose.

  “You are an intruder in Duke Gilzen’s resting place,” the featureless figure said. That gave her the answer.

  “Hey, we’re on the same side then, aren’t we?” she said, pointing the tip of her sword at the foe on the floor.

  Tilting its head a bit to one side, the new foe said, “On the same side? You are an enemy of Duke Gilzen.”

  “No, I’m totally under his control, you know? Say, where is Duke Gilzen now?”

  A strange killing lust swelled from every inch of the alien. The crossbow on its back crept up toward its shoulder.

  “Wait just a second. I’m on the same side you are!”

  “On the same side?” it asked again, but its murderous intent didn’t lessen.

  “Yeah—look!”

  Lilia lowered her scarf. It was unclear whether or not the alien looked at the teeth marks she exposed.

  “Why have you come here?”

  “I spotted this creep,” Lilia said, looking down at the corpse. “Tailing it led me here. I think it must’ve noticed that this was Duke Gilzen’s bedroom. It sure is a good thing you came along.”

  There was the whirr of what sounded like a motor, and the alien’s crossbow changed its location. It pointed right at Lilia’s heart.

  “Just a sec—what’s all this?”

  “Those teeth marks aren’t Duke Gilzen’s.”

  “Oh, aren’t you the observant one.”

  Lilia thought her blood would freeze solid. Given the speed of the crossbow, there was no chance of dodging its arrow.

  Her world darkened unexpectedly. Apparently the effects of the alien’s scream still lingered. Staggering, the Huntress slumped against the coffin. Her left hand brushed something hard. If she were shot through the heart, would she still be able to counterattack? She wasn’t sure that she could.

  But no arrow was fired at her.

  What in the—?

  Her foe was shaken. A second later, her Huntress instincts told her why.

  “What’s the matter?” Lilia asked with feigned intimacy. “Go ahead and shoot already! That is, if you don’t mind the off chance that you’ll hit the coffin of your precious Duke Gilzen.”

  The alien didn’t know what to say. The crossbow on its shoulder trembled, manifesting the alien’s vacillation.

  “If you don’t say anything, I’m not going anywhere. Want to try and make me move?”

  The alien’s right hand went for the longsword on its hip. It quickly switched to the firearm on its left side. Removing that, too, the enormous figure stepped forward. It intended to get rid of Lilia with its bare hands. It headed right for her with broad strides. The floor quaked.

  Just as the alien’s gigantic form filled her field of view, Lilia shouted, “Come and get me!” Grabbing something with her left hand, she pulled it out and made a thrust straight ahead.

  Though it tried to stop, the enormous form’s inertia wouldn’t allow it. The same long spear it’d driven through one of its own kind now pierced the pit of its owner’s stomach. Thanks to the added weight and speed of the creature, it poked out through its back. Loosing an unholy cry, the alien arched backward.

  Her ears already covered, Lilia dashed over to the doctor. Vera was slumped on the ground after hearing the supersonic waves. The enemy was still groaning. Lilia gave the woman a kick. She came around for a second, then fainted again.

  “Oh, damn you!” the Huntress growled, grabbing Vera by the arm and standing her up. Still, the doctor was unsteady on her feet. Lilia threw her over her shoulder. The Huntress’s wound screamed at her.

  She ran for the door. The enemy was desperately trying to extract the spear. She didn’t expect that blow to prove fatal. Sooner or later it would pull the thing out and come after them.

  Lilia went through the doorway. She ran haphazardly down the corridor. Overhead, there was the sound of flapping wings closing on them from behind. Before she could lie flat on the floor, she felt impacts on her right shoulder and through Vera’s body over her left. The doctor let out a scream.

  When her body was hoisted into the air, Lilia didn’t resist. To the contrary, she found it a welcome change. The flying creatures were no doubt carrying prey back to their nest. While she couldn’t exactly say this was preferable to doing battle with the alien, she’d also have had a hard time denying it. Also, it was easy.

  They skimmed along just shy of the ceiling, and then suddenly the whole world opened up. Daylight and snowflakes surrounded them. A tremendous feeling of release coursed through the Huntress’s body. They were outside! They’d soared all the way up to the castle’s summit. Far off through the blustering snow, mountain peaks and the land around them came into view.

  Suddenly they began to descend. The vast rooftop was drawing nearer. Atop it Lilia could make out a round nest fashioned from timbers and iron beams. Looking up at them were chicks—they were the size of human children, somewhere between a bird and a beast in appearance.

  “Thanks for the ride!” Lilia exclaimed, changing to a backhanded grip on the sword in her right hand and jabbing backward with it decisively. Her thrust was instinctive, but it made contact. The bird let out a definite cry, then released the two of them.

  They fell ten feet. Lilia had estimated the fall wouldn’t be too bad. Fighting back the impact reverberating through her gut, she straightened herself up and broke into a run. Beside her, dark brown forms spread enormous wings as they took to the air. They’d smacked right into the nest. Even the weird chicks were trying to flee in confusion.

  “Sorry,” Lilia whispered, and then she dashed toward the opposite side of the roof. When she got there, she took Vera off her shoulder and sucked in a deep breath. Snowflakes blew at her.

  “That feels good,” she said, letting the truth slip out.

  From down at her feet, she heard Vera whimper, “What happened? Where are we?”

  “Up on the roof. It’s okay, I think we’ve been saved.”

  “But the snow—we’ll freeze!”

  “You’re a doctor, right? Why’s dying the only thing you ever think about? We’ve got to keep moving toward life!”

  Lilia spread her right hand. Squeezing the snow that accumulated on it, she made a small lump that she popped into her mouth. A chill spread through her, numbing her all the way up to her head.

  “Proof that I’m alive.”

  Her muttered remark was inspired by a hazy gray shape she made out fifteen to twenty feet away. An exit hatch from the roof. After a bit of rest, all the women had to do was go down through it. Of course, if they rested too long, they’d turn into snowmen.

  Lilia thought about eating another piece of snow. Squeezing it together, she brought it up to her mouth. Her hand halted. She didn’t even feel the chill from the ball of snow against her lips.

  The shape of the exit hatch had changed. Something stood in front of it. Something that spread its massive wings. Suddenly its wings flew off to the right. And with them went its long beak and body.


  “Give me a break,” Lilia murmured, because the thing that’d just thrown the bird out of the way was a creature that’d been brought here in its talons—reason told her that must be the case.

  It had already freed itself from the long spear. Undoubtedly it would need little time to heal its wounds. Upright and proud, like a temple guardian, it walked toward Lilia with a gait that made it clear the creature brimmed with confidence and a desire for slaughter.

  It was the alien loyal to Gilzen.

  II

  “What am I going to do?” Lilia murmured, and then she laughed. Perhaps at the rock bottom of despair, there was nothing left but laughter.

  “It came . . . Came right after us, didn’t it . . .”

  Vera’s words didn’t even bother her.

  “It’s no use . . . We’ve had it . . . We’ll be killed . . .”

  “Yeah, probably. Just give up, okay?”

  Lilia wasn’t being snide. That seemed to be the natural answer.

  This brought about a change in the situation. Vera suddenly stood up and started climbing across the castle wall. She was aided by old-fashioned loopholes for bows and guns. Putting her hands and feet into them, the doctor already had one leg over the edge by the time Lilia turned around.

  “Is she crazy?” the Huntress muttered, putting her own feet into the loopholes and grabbing hold of the doctor’s ankle with her outstretched hand. Just as her fingers stretched for another hold on Vera, she found herself leaning away from the wall, bent at the waist. Behind her, the alien had its longsword raised to strike. A cry rang out. There was the sound of something slashing through the wind, then sinking into the castle wall. Should Lilia have been happy to have dodged that fearsome blade, or scared because she’d now lost her balance?

  The doctor and the Huntress plunged headlong down into a world where the blizzard danced wildly. The impact was surprisingly light, but deep. The pair had landed in the snow. Working their arms and legs like mad, they crawled back toward the surface. They were soon out.

  Looking up at the castle, Lilia could see the roof about sixty feet above them. If all this snow hadn’t slid off the back side of the roof and accumulated there, they probably would’ve been killed on impact.