Hollows Eve

Chapter 12

.: HOLLOWS EVE CHAPTER 12 :.

The never-ending night within the world of the hollows, the alternate plane of existence after death, Purgatory was still awash with an evil, foul stench that permeated the air. And it wasn't just the smell of decaying hollow bodies either, that smell was long gone after Jack had exposed the indecent ruse from the last time. The stench of malevolent, evil dahlia had flowed through the air. Though this was rather a …. Good smelling stench. Almost like a fragrance that had an aroma of a newly grown flower that had finally reached adulthood.

Though you could feel the decaying vibe of this flower slowly, and surely melt away from beauty….. to pure evil. It's as if a beautiful kind of evil had pierced the thick atmosphere with its stench. That beautiful kind of evil came from the demon princess known as Blood Rose. And she was standing atop the mansion of the legendary Nosferatu with her cohort and partner, the great vampire king Dracula.

"Who….are you?..." Kaila said while looking at her scared still.

"My name is of no concern to you Reaper Girl. Pretty soon you won't be around to her of it. But by some chance you manage to survive in this cruel, dark world…. You may call me Blood Rose. I am the demon witch princess, the REAL princess. And I shall also be your death. Make no mistake…. Your blood. WILL be mine. And by the time the prophecy is complete…. All of Purgatory shall fall beneath my feet. Hahahahahahahah…. HAHAHAHAHAHH! HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAH!" She kept laughing maniacally as her visage lit up the night even more, giving way to a more evil stench in the air…..

"Ahhhhh… But I know how lost you are….. And since I'm willing to help you play the game even further….. I'll tell you something fun. A nice riddle….. if you can decipher it….. You'll know exactly where to find me.

Look deep inside yourself….. And then open your eyes to the world in front of you….it is there that you will find the deepest, darkest, blackness inside your own mind…."

Kaila looked up at the demon princess and grimaced with a slight hint of anger, but mostly fear in her eyes. As she was helpless to do anything in order to stop her from whatever she could possibly do next. But she was also somewhat puzzled, as she wondered what could she possibly mean with a "Riddle" like that? Is there something inside of Kaila that she didn't know about? Or was it something related to her death hollow powers? Kaila had no way of knowing…..

"As of right now however, I'm afraid our little game is over. I've had my fun, and now it's time for me to conduct my experiments…. Don't worry little reaper girl…. We'll meet again. And I can't promise you'll survive the next encounter. I'm usually not so merciful. But since you're time as Grim Reaper is only in its infancy, I'll leave you with that… Ta-Ta…." Blood Rose then began to chuckle to herself and laugh manically at the look on Kaila's face. Her intense, grimacing stare was like that of a puppy dog look up at a bloodhound with sharp teeth.

"Dracula!" Blood Rose called out, and with that Dracula snapper his fingers and then his entire body had split completely into bats, shrouding the demon princess and enveloping her in them. Once an entire cloud of bats had swarmed over her visage, they dispersed and both of them were gone in an instant as the bats flew high into the midnight blood red sky and disappeared.

Kaila blinked twice, not even ready to believe what she saw. One thing constantly stacks on top of another, and she's meant to bear the brunt of it all. She looked down at her knees and grimaced even more, shedding ashamed tears at the fact that she couldn't do a damn thing in order to stop Blood Rose from sending Amuki flying into Nosferatu's old wall.

"I can't believe this…. First I'm called to the afterlife to become the guardian of life & death….. Then I've got God himself telling me that I am the one preserving the balance between good & evil…. And now THIS?!" Kaila clasped her face with her hands and then cried inside of them.

"On top of that…. I had no way to defend myself or Amuki… I just stood there like a coward….." She said to herself inside of her own mind with such self-loathing talk.

Jack was still lodged within the wall with holes in his chest, though the holes healed after a short time. He dislodged himself from the wall he was stuck in and decided to walk back over to Amuki to see if she was ok. Amuki was inside the wreckage of a broken down wall that Blood Rose had smacked her into, bleeding from her forehead.

As Jack had walked up to her, he asked her "Ey…. You alright?" Amuki didn't respond at first, but Jack looked upon her with slightly widened eyes. You wouldn't be able to tell, but there was subtle concern on his face for certain.

Amuki then smiled, and managed to get up slowly from the rubble, standing on her feet whilst rubbing her head profusely. She was down for a while, but she wasn't out for sure. "I'm ok…just my pride…" Jack folded his arms and looked at Amuki silently with that same frown upon his face. "That demonic, evil b***h….." Amuki's re-assuring grin turned into a deafening glare of intense anger. However the anger was in no way directed at Jack…. Her fury had manifested and took over. And indeed Amuki had a lot of pent up fury, anger and aggression bolstered towards the demon princess.

"She'll f*****g pay…. I swear SHE'LL PAY!" Amuki yelled out loud. Jack simply stood there in silence and nodded his head once in agreement. He then looked over towards Kaila and saw her crying into her hands. Jack then walked over to Kaila slowly as Kaila continued crying over her loss of words and actions in order to even put up any sort of defense against Blood Rose & Dracula.

Amidst Kaila's constant sobbing, Jack had made his way towards her and stood over her with a look of disapproval on his face. Kaila had stopped sobbing for a second and looked up at Jack, who did not look happy with Kaila's performance.

Jack raised the back of his hand and then the next thing you hear is a loud *SMACK*. Kaila's left cheek was lit up and red as Jack had smacked her dead in the face…

"What in the hell is wrong with you?... You sit there like a coward cryin' for yo' life and couldn't do a goddamn thing when they were around?! Your tougher than that…. Belie that cryin'. Cryin' ain't befittin' of the Grim Reaper." He said while looking down at her. Kaila simply looked up at Jack with her yellow eyes expanded in slight shock.

"I know you're not used to everything around 'ere yet, but that don't give ya' no excuse to be weak. Especially when I know you can be stronger than that. Don't be so pathetic. Do right by your father next time and step up. Otherwise you'll meet an unfortunate fate that not even you can escape. There's times where you're gonna be tested. And if you ain't willin' to step up and pull out the ace in your hole, then you're not gonna win in any way, shape, or form. The only way you'll be able to improve….. Is with experience. And no one's gonna just hand it to ya'…. You gotta go out n' get it. So don't sit there cryin' like a pathetic willy-liver." He said to her.

"JACK! Don't you think that's a bit harsh! She just became the Grim Reaper! She doesn't know this world OR the places in it, the way things work, and on top of that she's alive! She's just a normal human." Amuki yelled at him from a little ways away.

"Exactly. And that's why she's got a lot to learn if Lord Death names a human…. A LIVING human as the next GR. If a Grim Reaper can't defend herself in times of peril, then what good is she?" Jack then turned and walked off slowly, leaving Kaila to both sulk, and think of Jack's words.

"Jacky! JACKY GET BACK HERE!" Amuki called out to him. "JACKY YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT AND APOLOGIZE RIGHT NOW-" Amuki was suddenly cut off by Kaila.

"Amuki stop! …. He's….. He's kind of right in a way." Kaila stood on two feet and rubbed her left cheek, as she processed Jack's harsh words in her head. This takes her back to the time she faced off against the Jikininki demon and how Dracula had attacked her for the first time….

She began to have intense flashbacks towards that fight in particular and how Jack used the same phrase to describe her current situation…..

"You think I want her to be Grim Reaper?...I don't. But Lord Death chose her. She has no choice. It's not like he's gonna take it away from 'er. The Grim Reaper is a necessary job. So either she suck it up and deal with it…..or accept the fact that she's gonna die in that weak li'le state that she's in now. Those are her only options."

These were Jack's words after their first encounter with Dracula. And in a sense he does have a point. "I remember him saying something like that….. saying something like that after the first encounter with Dracula. I am caught in something that I can't escape….. but being weak surely isn't going to help me in any way….. I remember being that scared….. That helpless…. unable to do anything but cower in fear….. That's what I'm used to." Kaila gripped the reaper claw in her hands and then made the scythe weapon vanish using Shokanju, then continued speaking with shadows over her eyes.

"I remember embracing such a fear….. Re-playing it multiple times inside my head….. Its caused me such pain and anguish. That's why….. That is why he's right. I can't let that fear take hold of me any longer. So don't try to defend me. I'll defend myself." With that brave monologue she had put on, Kaila started to walk off and follow Jack indefinitely.

Amuki looked at Kaila with a slight frown upon her face that communicated intense worry. She wondered if she was just putting on a show so she wouldn't seem as hurt by Jack's words, or if she was actually taking them to heart. Either way, she looked down and the looked back up at the sky. As the clouds were still a deep, dark blood red…

-

Later on after the stink of Blood Rose's evil had calmed down, the Ten Commandments army had managed to escape Dracula's nightmares. The nightmare stasis that he had put them all under had seemed to wear off after they had left without a trace. Though the damage was already done, and the Ten Commandments army had went back to the Castle of Nightmares in defeat, our heroes had survived their ordeal against Blood Rose & Dracula…. for now. Although… some had suffered more than others…..

Inside the sacred chambers, the group had reconvened to deliver the results of their mission to the great Creator, Arceus. But Gayami was suffering from mild trauma after seemingly witnessing her greatest fear.

"Ahhhhh! It-it was…. So much blood and… And…. GGGGHHH…." She was visibly shaking with so much fear and anguish that you'd swear she'd seen a ghost or a poltergeist. She shook as if she were stuck inside of a freezer freezing to death and the look on her horrified face spoke nothing but pure, unadulterated trauma.

Akuyama they stood in front of the sacred stones and prayed to the almighty creator in order to summon him. As the creator had appeared in a flash of holy blue light, he stood before them awaiting the results of their mission.

"What has befallen you my children? You seem rather miserable." He said out loud with his booming voice. He could tell that something was definitely off.

Amuki was the first to speak up about the mission's failure. "Unfortunately your holiness… we…. did not complete the mission." She said while looking down and holding her fist somewhat tightly to her chest.

"Dracula & Blood Rose got away with all the hollows that they slaughtered." Jack said while folding his arms and standing before Arceus.

"This is saddening….. but there is still a way we can stop them before it is too late. I shall put control of the armies back into Lord Death's hands for now….. But believe me my children, I'll always be watching over you. Especially YOU Kaila Amiyuki…." Lord Arceus said while Kaila looked down slightly, holding her arm up.

Arceus then disappeared with another flash of blue light and left everyone alone inside of the sacred chamber to re-collect their thoughts. Steinman pondered over Blood Rose's attack and wondered what she could gain from it specifically.

Jack actually noticed Steinman's pondering and took interest in it, wondering just what he was thinking. Usually whenever Steinman is thinking, it has to be something that's beyond maddening. "What're you thinkin' of?" Jack asked Steinman as he pondered with his hand on his chin.

"I'm only thinking of what Blood Rose could specifically gain from attacking all of those innocent hollows….. my hopes are not something along the lines of re-vitalization. If she figures out the formula for re-creating life amongst the dead before me….." Steinman gripped his fist with jealousy and hatred for the demon witch princess. "I'll rend her hide! "

"I doubt she has time for that mate. She's got something up her sleeve. But I don't know what. However, there IS a way we can find out." Jack said while putting his arm on Steinman's shoulder.

"EY! Midnight….." Jack called out to Kaila.

Kaila perked up slightly and jumped a bit at Jack calling her, then looked over in his direction. "Uhm…. Yes?" She nervously asked him while a beat of sweat dropped down her face.

"You were the last one she spoke too…. she said some kinda riddle. What was it?" Jack had asked her.

"Uhm…. L-Look deep inside yourself….. And then open your eye to the world in front of you….it is there that you will find the deepest, darkest, blackness inside your own mind…." She said while looking down at the floor still with that scared little girl look on her face.

Jack then slightly frowned upon her scared visage and looked back at Steinman. "There you go mate. Think you can figure it out?"

"Hmmmm… Look deep inside yourself? ….. deepest….darkest…..blackness….your own mind…Hmmmm….it'll take some work, but I can definitely decipher it in a minimal amount of time. Should be no problem. Looks like I'll have to put my experiments on hold. That's good news for you wolfie." Steinman said while grinning right at Wolf Arruzanzakka. Who was busy scratching himself with his own foot.

"Huh? Sorry I couldn't hear you I was too busy picking zombie flesh out of my fur." He continued scratching his fur in order to get the zombie flesh out of it completely.

"Tch…. Keep playing games like that you mutt. One of these days you'll be a good little test subject of mine." Steinman said in his mind.

"Keep dreamin' mate." Jack said while finally striking a slight smile and emitting a laugh of amusement. Steinman chuckled and then folded his arms re-assuring Jack that he could decipher the riddle. "Heheheheheh….. I'll have this riddle deciphered in the meantime. All the while I think we should rest. I don't know what Blood Rose is planning but certainly it can't be good. That demon witch has caused more trouble than she's worth…." Steinman said.

"Oh Aye….. She's a damn treacherous li'le wench that one. Anymore fuckin' tricks n' she'll be the damn death of us all." Jack then looked back at Kaila, causing her to tense up a bit in suspense and fear. And to think they were on good terms after him and her nearly scared Kamina to death….

"You. Meet me in the Chamber of Tomorau in an hour. We're trainin' harder to mold you into a REAL Grim Reaper since you can't seem to do it yourself." Jack then walked off and walked right past Kaila without a word as his cape flowed in the wind once he walked upstairs.

Kaila looked down slightly, but then looked up once Amuki had put her hand on her shoulder. "Hey it's ok. You'll do fine next time…. You're the one who said you cannot let that fear constantly get the better of you right? So don't let it. You can do this. I know you can." Amuki gave her re-assuring words in the form of kindness.

Kaila grasped her friends hand and smiled at her kind words. "Thank you…. Amuki?" She began to ask the little big-breasted witchling.

"Uhm? Yeah?" She said out loud.

"Mind if I talk to you for a minute? In private? I need to ask you something." She asked her.

"Sure! No problem!" Amuki then began to turn away from Kaila and walked off as Kaila followed her in order to secure a private area for them to speak in. They were in the middle of the catacombs of the sacred chambers, the only holy spot within the castle that Arceus had control over. Kaila had took Amuki aside to ask her about her apparent fury at Princess Blood Rose….

"What happened out there Amuki? You nearly lost your mind once you saw that Blood Rose woman…." She began to say as the scene pans down to them. The scene of the catacombs had spider-webs, tarantulas, and a couple of benches inside of a thick, stone hallway. Actual human skulls also lined up the walls as the pathway lead to several doorways leading upstairs into the chamber itself. All of it was of course lit up with a specific blue glow.

"I'd… really rather not talk about it. It's kind of personal." She said while looking down slightly. "Besides I don't wanna take out my anger on you. You've already been through enough today."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I really want to know what this woman has done to you." Kaila grabbed her friend's hand in order to comfort her and hopefully subdue her anger. "I'm hoping you can trust me….. I know it's personal, but as the Grim Reaper I have a responsibility to make her pay for her grave sins. She WILL face judgement. And I'll make sure of that. Besides….. before you saw her….. I remember you nearly going insane. You went crazy and saw things that I didn't see…. What happened?" She questioned Amuki.

Amuki looked away from her and shadows had befallen her eyes…. Tears began to stream down her face as she started to cry, gripping Kaila's hand tightly out of frustration. "Oh… Ok I understand if it's way too personal…. I'll sto-" Kaila was interrupted by Amuki.

"No….. if that's the case then you deserve to know. I really appreciate your concern…. So I'll tell you….but first…..I can't tell you what she did to me without telling you who she is…..so sit down and let me explain." Amuki took a seat on one of the benches inside the catacombs. And Kaila did as she was asked, doing the exact same thing.

Amuki began to weave another tale to Kaila about the demon princess herself, as the shadows remained over her anger-woven eyes. "Her real name is kinaruba Akubane….. but in the hollow world she's known as "Blood Rose" for her vicious lust for blood shed." An image of Blood Rose than appeared before the scene. It showed Blood Rose walking forward towards everyone whilst a dark background covers everything around her. As she continued to walk, everything that came into light behind her was shown. Behind her was a plethora of thorny rose vines that covered tons of helpless hollows of all kinds, covered in both black and pure red blood. The gory scene had the images of several hollows covered in these horrendously painful vines, some ripped apart, others just stuck in agonizing pain as if they were being held up and pierced by stalagmites inside the bows of the 8th circle of hell. All while a pure, raging hell fire burns behind her.

"Legend has it that she came from the bowels of hell itself as the destroyer's own messenger to carry out his duties and announce his great return within the afterlife so that he can break it apart and invade the higher plane of existence himself. She is cursed with eternal evil…. As she has the same…. Or at least similar powers to that of the destroyer himself. Originally….. she was just a witchling, but was killed long ago by her fellow witch brethren for her transgressions against witchling kind." As Blood Rose had reached the end of the screen, the hellfire that surrounded her had erupted into an intense blaze as a frightening expression of pure evil struck her face. She flashed a malevolent smile as she only tilted her head up slightly to look upon our faces with such malice and hatred.

"….What….kind of crimes?" Kaila asked, sounding slightly scared to find out.

Amuki began to shake as he relayed the information to that of Kaila based on what she saw in her nightmare stasis. "What I saw during the nightmare stasis that Dracula had me under reminded me of that specific moment…where I saw everything crumble before my very eyes…. The ground was black." A flash of the black ground lit up by the fires of hell itself was shown in a flash.

"There were scattered bodies all around me…." Another flash showed the stacks and stacks of bodies that were all lying around completely dead. Some were disembodied or decapitated; others were burnt alive or impaled. One thing's for sure…. Each body suffered a horrible, gruesome death.

"And the castle I had once lived in as the proud witchling princess… was surrounded by fire. The entire kingdom was lit ablaze with these hellish flames that burnt the entire kingdom to the ground. And out of the flames… she came."

Kaila gasped as she began to feel Amuki's emotions and imagine for herself what she was seeing. "That woman….. that evil, malevolent, traitorous woman… is the one responsible for causing g******e to my people. She killed all of the witchlings in the kingdom of Tejiran!... Including….."

The last thing we see is a crying, fairly young Amuki sitting there with a terrified look on her face, as a woman with black hair and white skin, wearing a torn apart purple witchling outfit stood lying down on the ground with a vine in her back, seemingly impaled. She was at the mercy of Blood Rose, who stood over her with a creepy, evil smile on her face.

"MY MOTHER… She killed my mother….. and my father…..Everyone I loved….. all of my people….. my kingdom!... SHE TOOK ALL AWAY FROM ME!" Amuki cried out in intense anger, and pounded the wall so hard she nearly broke it and caused the castle to shake.

"That's why I got so angry….. she reminded me of that one time…. Where she had destroyed everything I had ever loved… She killed my friends…. My family….everything…..she destroyed it all….she took away a part of my soul that I could never get back…." her anger had turned to deep sobbing and sorrow. As Kaila was at a loss for words, she couldn't say anything as shadows had also befallen her own eyes.

Amuki rubbed away her tears and then sniffed in order to regain her composure. "Well… now you know. I'm sorry I had to project all of this pain on you. But that's why….. that's why I got so angry. I swear I will do whatever it takes to make her pay… her grave sins must not go un-punished. I hope you erase her from existence….. because if you don't then I will. Or else I'll die trying." Amuki said in a low tone of voice, communicating her passive anger towards Blood Rose. Her intense, seething hatred for the Demon Princess who took everything from her had calmed down a bit. But it wasn't enough to qualm the intensity of the situation. Kaila had got up from her seat and began to walk away from Amuki.

"Huh?... Kaila….. Where are you going?" Amuki asked looking up from her hat.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going upstairs to train with Jack." Kaila said in a low tone of voice. As she continued walking, Amuki looked down with slight despair, wondering if she really should've told her friend what she told her.

But all Kaila could think of was how angry it made her feel. She had a grimacing glare on her face that was so angry she couldn't contain it. Her dark aura came out and it even changed a bit from black with an orange tint, to black with a dark magenta tint.

"I swear…. Princess Blood Rose…. You will pay for the grave sins you have committed. For the lives that you've taken….. for everything you've done. You WILL FACE JUDGEMENT."

-

Upstairs in the chamber of Tomorau, on the other side of the castle, Jack was awaiting Kaila's arrival. He sat in a meditative position with his arms folded, but opened them once he felt a presence in the room with him. "Hmmm?" He said while opening his eyes.

Kaila had walked inside of the chamber with shadows over her eyes, still visibly seething with rage upon hearing Amuki's story. Though the rage was nowhere near directed at the Witchling herself. "Huh….. about time you got 'ere. Alright then. Let's get to i-"

"Jack…." Kaila interrupted Jack for a minute. Causing him slightly raise one of his eyelids. He had no eyebrows to raise so he could only raise his eyelid slightly. "Hmmm? You're lookin' a li'le under the weather Midnight. Still reelin' from the show that Blood Rose put on are we?" Jack's look changed to that of surprise. He saw the look upon Kaila's face change to that of complete intensity.

"No….. I want to train hard this time. I need to get stronger so that I can bring that evil woman to justice." Jack was puzzled now. What brought about this change?

"What's gotten into you midnight? You c****d too many bloody badgers to the head? A minute ago you were dodgy as all hell. Now you're sayin' you wanna train hard so you can reap that bloody witch's soul?" Jack questioned her on her sudden change in attitude.

"Does it really matter?" Kaila answered back. "All I want is for you to train me so I can become stronger. You were the Grim Reaper before me weren't you? So prove it." Jack's eyes expanded. She knew which buttons to press.

"Prove it to me that you know what you're doing when it comes to this. I want to grow stronger so I can bring that witch to justice….. So no more games!" Kaila looked dead at Jack with feint bravery in her eyes.

Jack smiled at this newfound bravery she's achieved and then stood on his two pumpkin feet. "Alright then… Let's get started."

-

Within minutes, two scythes were clashing back and forth creating intense sparks within the air. Kaila & Jack were sparring once again, and as they retracted their blades after crossing scythes once again, they swung at each other multiple times. Clashing their blades back and forth in a flurry of intense attacks.

"Keep your form & stance up. You'll never break through your opponents guard with a sloppy stance like that." Kaila straightened her legs and then Jack brought his scythe down on hers. Kaila held Jack's attack up with as much strength as she could. She did managed to throw him backwards, but Jack flipped and landed, then changed his scythe his twin dual swords.

He then jumped at Kaila and slashed the air at her, while she bent backwards in order to dodge his deadly attack. She flipped backwards in order to regain her space, and kept up her stance.

"Ahhhh… yes. You realize in order to use your weapon properly you must utilize the space around you." Jack transformed his twin pumpkin swords back into a scythe, and then held his scythe up in the air for Kaila to see.

"In order to utilize the reaper claw properly, you must make use of long range combat & close range combat. Focus on the bladed part to hook your enemies into your trap. You might be able to even learn techniques like this…." Jack then began to run at his opponent.

Kaila braced herself for Jacks attack, but Jack simply thrusted the blade part of his scythe forward while Kaila easily blocked it. Kaila wondered why he would feint such a basic attack, but Jack faked her out and kicked the staff part of his scythe causing it to spin in the air. Kaila raised her scythe down to try and lock his into the ground, but Jack grabbed it and sliced the air in a crescent formation with Kaila just barely dodging it. The attack released an orange spiritual wave of energy which destroyed part of the wall behind her. "Crescent Scythe…" That was the name of the attack. Kaila looked on astonished at what she had just seen, and then flipped backwards and regained her stance.

"Hmmmm…. You look a bit surprised Midnight Bliss. This attack concentrates the power of the reaper claw into your blade, and then focuses it into one complete s***h attack that could cleave even the strongest of demons in half. One li'le taste of that attack, and you would've been cut in two completely. Heheheheheheh….." He chuckled that sinisterly creepy chuckle.

Kaila shook a bit with fear, but remained standing strong in the face of danger. "Ok…..It doesn't matter. I'm still in one piece. So bring it on." Jack's smile went away, but then came back once he closed his eyes. "Heh…. Someone's bringin' the heat today." Jack then dashed at Kaila and clashed blades with her again.

The two of them went back and forth, spinning their scythes around and clashing over and over, trading blows at an equal level. "Let your spiritual energy flow into your blade, and then slice the air with as much power as you can. Think of doin' it the same way you would use the Zetsu Arameshii, except with an upwards thrust instead of a downwards thrust." Jack said as they kept clashing back and forth.

Jack swing a mighty swung that was so forceful he knocked all of the air out of Kaila's body and sent her flying into the wall. "GAAAGH!" Kaila said as she crashed into the wall. Pieces of rubble fell on her head as Kaila looked at Jack coming towards her with his haunting visage.

"You'd betta hurry Midnight….. not much time….. ol' Jack'a boy's comin' to get ya…..heheheheh….." He continued to chuckle as he walked towards her.

Kaila stood with her back to the wall and closed her eyes…. "Focus your energy into your blade… focus your energy into your blade…focus…..focus….. FOCUS!" Kaila's spiritual aura had come out and re-surfaced into her black scythe blade, she gripped her blade tightly as Jack's walking speed began to pick up. He raised his own scythe towards the side of him and ran at Kaila at full speed, ready to initiate the attack again.

"Crescent….." Kaila uttered quietly as Jack dashed right in front of her. "HHHHHRRRAGH-"

"SCYTHE!" Kaila swung upwards and split Jack in two completely, sending out an enormous wave of her black & orange spiritual energy. Destroying the ground before her in a crescent formation…. She had successfully pulled off the move.

Jack had laid there, sliced completely in half. But reformed himself after a few seconds by re-connecting the pumpkin vines to his body. He opened his eyes and a proud smirk struck his face. "Hmmm….. not bad Midnight. You're getting better. You've still got a lot to learn before your fit to be Grim Reaper….." Kaila smiled a bit at the first part of Jack's comment, but then frowned at the second part.

"But….. You're a fast learner. So at least…. There's potential. Heheheheh….." Kaila blinked and then let out a sigh of relief. "Alright….. Let's go again! I'm not done yet!" Kaila proclaimed as she spun her scythe around and crossed blades with Jack once again. Who happily clashed blades with her.

-

Meanwhile….The wind started to blow on the other side of the hollow kingdom …. Far away from the town of Nightmare itself….in a part of Purgatory where the sky was an even darker, and more malevolent blood red than it was in the town of Nightmare itself… lied an evil stench of foulness that reeked of demonic stink. You could hear the midnight-piercing sounds of a hellhound howling in the distance…. As the dark and decaying forests were crawling with belligerent creatures. But these creatures were not of Hollow kinds…. No…. they had scowling, ugly faces, big, bright red eyes that pierced your gaze with a soulless evil, and long pointy demon tails, as well as giant horns. They came in all shapes and sizes…. But one thing remains….. This is where the realm of Demons & Hollows separate.

Beyond this dark & dreary forest lied a castle that was purely jet black in color, and within this castle were the two demons planning out their next move. Dracula & Princess Blood Rose had the entire castle covered with their black magic, as the entirety of the castle was covered with Rosen Vines. From what you could tell…. The castle once seemed as if it were a place of not ruin…. But rejoicing. As it had a holy structure that mirrored that of a chapel that was white in color.

But all of that is gone as it has now been turned into Princess Blood Rose's lair. The entire castle was filled to the brim with rose vines…. As we turn all the way through the corridors, towards the throne room….

"Mistress?... Are you sure this is going to work? Having a separate force in order to protect your tracks isn't going to ward them off." That was the voice of Dracula, who had been wearing a large cape that was black in color covering his entire visage. The vampire king was seen side by side with his princess.

"Of course Dracula….. how else would 'I be able to use these hollow scum to my advantage? This is only part one of my 3-phase plan. With the power of these hollows at MY command….. I can defy death itself and change fate. Just in case I should die….." In front of her…. There were six different pods covered with black rose vines with decaying bodies inside of them. They were being infected with her demonic energy as she began to experiment with their own hollow energy by harvesting their body parts for sustenance.

"These hollows…..they provide me with enough sustenance to feed my plants….. and once I have enough hollow energy….. all I will need to complete the first phase of my plan…. And re-create the seigan I need to finally destroy this god-forsaken world and make Purgatory a part of hell once again… is the reaper girl's blood." Blood Rose said as she smiled maliciously and looked upon her creation with great pride.

"I anticipate when you are able to mistress….. but do tell me. What does the reaper girl have to do with your plans? She's just a girl after all." Dracula said to his mistress.

"Well Dracula….. It's quite simple. Whether she is alive or not….her blood is as fresh as they come….. it's even more fresh now that I know that she's a living human…..They say that blood runs thicker than water. Did you know that Dracula? it applies to family….How ironic…..How nepotism is what decided her fate. Poor girl…..Hmhmhmhm…..in the end…..it will be that very same nepotism that decides the outcome of her role in this world. Lord Death… for once you've made a grave mistake….. now watch as I lay waste to this world and re-create it as a world for demons."

.: TO BE CONTINUED :.