IX
IX
Clear. Rewriting combat mode from genocide to search and destroy," Tres said.
Kampfer was nowhere to be found among the rubble. He might have been blown to bits by the three hundred rounds of twenty-millimeter bullets, but the AX agents kept looking. His remains needed to be examined for any clues or connections to the other terrorists.
"Damage report, Cardinal Sforza,"Tres asked.
"I'm fine. Good job, Father Tres," Caterina replied.
Tres bowed to his mistress. He dropped his spent mini-cannon to the floor. For now, evacuating the survivors came before the search for Kampfer.
"The Iron Maiden is airborne and standing by. Cardinal Sforza, we request immediate departure as soon as possible," Tres informed.
"Have the nuns board before me. How is the pope doing?" Caterina asked.
"Crusnik and the duchess of Odessa were deployed. Once the target appears, they are to track and destroy him," Tres responded.
"Wonderful! Great job, AX Agents." Everyone except Tres turned to find the source of the deliberately mocking applause.
"Y-you're . . ." Caterina stammered.
"How rude of your windup toy not to greet me first. My suit is so dirty now," Kampfer chided, combing his hands through his long black hair. His handsome face was spotless.
"Father Tres. Add to your report. The Count of Zagrev has been arrested," Abel piped in over the radio.
BOOM! BOOM!
Tres, with his back still turned to Kampfer, fired. The Jericho M13 was aimed right at Kampfer's forehead. The two shots should have hit him square in the face, but . . .
"A useless toy. So barbaric," Kampfer murmured in disgust.
Kampfer stared at the two bullets floating in midair. He raised his hand and the bullets clanked to the floor. "Father Tres, you are very talented, but you still don't understand the meaning of killing. Let me teach you," Kampfer said.
The pentagram embroidered on the magician's white glove started to glow red. "In front of me Youngs, behind me Teletarkae, in my right hand a sword, in my left hand a shield, around me the Pentagram glows, and in the stone, the Star of David is placed . . . come to me, Sword of Beelzebub," he sang.
Kampfer lightly flicked his wrist, and the trembling nun next to Caterina lost her head.
"Sister Anna!" Caterina screamed.
Sister Anna's young face, her eyes opened wide, rolled to the feet of Sister Rachel.
"No!" Rachel screamed.
"Please don't move, Sister Rachel," Tres warned.
But she'd gone into shock. Ignoring Father Tres' warning, she stumbled toward the exit.
His back still turned, Kampfer smiled. With another flick of his wrist, Sister Rachel split into four pieces. She collapsed like a broken mannequin, her organs spewing out.
The remaining sisters were speechless. All they could do was to cling to the pale-faced Caterina.
"It was Syrus who said,'The fear of death is worse than death itself.' Don't move, Father Tres. Killing Dolls are no fun. You don't have emotions, do you?" Kampfer asked.
Kampfer flexed his fingers.
"There's no fun in killing a puppet.You won't scream, or cry, or beg. That's not amusing. Why don't you learn how to be cute like these girls?" Kampfer asked.
"Negative. No time," Tres responded. Looking down at the dead bodies, something changed in his typically monotonous voice. "Three hundred seconds before more reinforcements arrive. I must terminate you before that. No time to waste."
"Oh really?" Kampfer adjusted his gloves. "You're going to terminate me, right?"
"Affirmative," Tres said, scanning the area. He looked at Caterina, the trembling sisters, and the dead bodies on the floor. "I will destroy you—and leave no bones."
"Try it." Kampfer's fingers twitched. He pointed at his enemy, but Tres was no longer there. Instead, a trail of dust streaked through the air.
An invisible sword zoomed after Tres, hurtling upward, tearing a gaping hole in the ceiling.
"You're fast. But is that all you've got?" Kampfer asked. His fingers wriggled like a spider's legs. It looked like he was playing the piano; the cracks in the walls increased.
In the next instant, the force of the invisible weapon caught up to the priest's chin.
"It's over, Gunslinger," Kampfer spat.
"I was .03 seconds too late," Tres admitted as his right arm broke. The hand holding his pistol snapped off at the wrist. A thick nozzle hung from his wrist cavity. Thousand-degree magnesium flames abruptly blasted out of it. In the bluish-white fire, a few strands of Kampfer's long black hair turned gray and then disintegrated.
"Mono-carbon fiber!" Caterina yelled under her breath.
Mono-carbon fiber was one of the lost technologies from before the Armageddon. It was made up of several C60 carbon molecules—the thinnest and strongest fiber ever made. Though it was vulnerable to fire, the fiber could cut the toughest diamond, and depending on how it was used, it doubled as the deadliest of weapons.
Under Tres' fiery assault, the Sword of Beelzebub turned to ash.
"You figured it out. You're pretty good, Gunslinger. But you're still just a doll." Kampfer grinned.
Tres pointed his Ml3 at Kampfer. The laser sights accurately aimed at Kampfer's forehead. But even the Ml3s 513 Maxima round couldn't penetrate Kampfer's shield. If he fired, the round would have ricocheted back toward his own head.
As Kampfer laughed, Tres fired twice. Two brass bullets sliced through the air.
Kampfer sighed, bored. "It's no use.You can't hit me."
"They'll find their target," Tres replied.
They were both correct.
Kampfer employed The Shield of Asmoday. The bullets deflected off the power shield, spinning exactly 180 degrees. The rounds barely missed the priest as he ducked. They went farther behind Tres and hit a metal firewall at a shallow angle. Once again, they ricocheted. Finally, they deflected off a dead guard's sword and bounced back toward Kampfer.
Both of his gloved hands were blown off. He looked down in disbelief. "Unbelievable," was all he said. How could the Killing Doll have calculated the ricochet angle after it hit the shield?
"I suppose the name Gunslinger fits you well. Just like I am rightfully called Wizard," Kampfer said.
Wizard seemed to shrink as he sank into the floor. "Don't even think about following me, you puppet," Kampfer said to Tres. Looking one last time at Tres and Caterina, he was swallowed by his own shadow. "I will probably see you again in the near future. When the ring of fate closes, you will become my great sacrifices," he said Caterina blinked rapidly. Now, only Kampfer's head remained outside his shadow.
"What are you doing?! Shoot him, Gunslinger!" she yelled.
Tres raised his arms, trying to obey his mistress, but he stopped suddenly.
"Fa-Father Tres!" Caterina screamed.
Both of Tres' arms were severed at the shoulders. They fell heavily to the floor. Caterina couldn't believe what she saw: Tres dropping to his knees, fluids streaming from his wounds.
"This makes us even. No grudges, Father Tres. Farewell," Kampfer said. His laughter echoed even after he sank completely into his shadow.
"The Count of Zagrev has been taken into custody and is being transported. He will probably arrive in a day or so," Asthe said, kneeling.
"Good job, Duchess." The obscured image of Augusta, Empress of the New Human Empire, looked down from her floating throne. Her electronically altered voice vibrated throughout in the royal chambers. "Duchess of Odessa, you mentioned a collaborator from the Outer World. How was he?" the empress asked.
"What do you mean by that, Empress?" Asthe responded with a question of her own.
Augusta noticed that her shoulders quivered momentarily. "I'm asking if he was helpful. You expressed favorable thoughts about him in the report, no?"
"N-no! Just that, for aTerran, he was useful. If you wish, shall I add m-more details to the r-report?"Asthe stammered.
"No, that's not necessary. I do not want to burden you with any more work. Excellent job. You are dismissed," Augusta said finally.
"Yes,Your Highness! As you wish." Asthe bowed.
Once the tall duchess of Odessa left the royal chambers, the lonely room's soft lights grew stronger, illuminating the small figure of a young girl. She stretched out and spoke in her real voice. "So he's still on the humans' side? Then maybe I shouldn't pick a fight with the Vatican. One of him, we could overcome . . . but two of them? That would be troublesome."
A green-eyed teenager sat on the throne. Her bobbed brunette hair trimmed her pretty face; she had long, skinny arms and legs; her energetic expression was cat-like in nature. The girl, Empress Augusta Vradica, took off her large hat and draped herself across her floating throne.
"He sure hasn't changed. He's still honoring his lost lover's wish and siding with the Terran. I don't understand it, but somehow he's popular with the girls. He needs to take a new lover already. I highly recommend Astharoshe. If I was a boy, I'd go after her for sure," Augusta said.
The royal chamber's interior design depicted a Canadian landscape before the Armageddon: a nostalgic, lush green forest. The smell of chlorophyll and the chirping birds were soothing.
"Oh, what should I do?" The little girl sighed. Eventually, she fell into a restful sleep. A small songbird perched on her chest, which rose and fell in a gentle rhythm.
"I've come for you, Count," Kampfer whispered.
"Ooh, Kampfer!" Endre squeaked.
The boyish vampire scrambled and looked at the man on the other side of the bars. The guards were nowhere to be seen.
"Thank you! Thank you, Kampfer," he whispered.
"You're welcome, Count. Will you join me on the upper deck? I have an aircraft waiting for you."
"By all means," Endre said with a wicked smile.
They left the boathouse's cell together. Endre scanned the area. The guard ship was supposed to have over fifty passengers, but it was dead quiet.
"What happened to the crew?" Endre asked.
Kampfer just shrugged his shoulders.
Endre was slightly irked at the Terran's nonchalant response, but thought better than to question his good fortune. If he'd been transported back to the Empire, then he would have gotten a punishment worse than death. At least Kampfer was helping him escape.
His stomach growled. He started to thirst. He didn't have too many options. Even a child or old man would suffice, but there was no prey aboard the ship but Kampfer. Shall I eat him? Endre pondered. He smiled as he approached Kampfer from behind. Come to think of it, I have no more use for Wizard.
The count would have to go into hiding for quite some time. It would be advantageous for him to eliminate anyone who knew him. Wizard could be very useful in various situations, but he was a liability.
"By the way, Count . . ." Kampfer said, as if he'd read the count's mind. "Congratulations.You gave a great show."
"What are you talking about?" Endre demanded.
"The incident in Venice, of course. That was quite a success," Kampfer said.
"Do not mock me, you Terran dog!" Endre yelled.
But Kampfer, with his back facing the elderly vampire, shook his head.
"Mock you? Of course not. The plan was quite successful. The Empire and the Vatican were able to create an alliance. This is good news," Kampfer said.
"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Endre stammered.
"You can't destroy that which does not exist, right? This incident helped them to create an alliance. Even a perverted freak like you — who could only kill the infirm — was quite useful. We just needed to put you in the right situation," Kampfer said.
"You insolent fool!" Endre shouted. His young, pretty face contorted. "Terran! How dare you?!"The count snarled, baring his fangs and claws. He lunged, but the ancient vampire only grabbed thin air.
Suddenly, he started to sink. "Wha — ?" Endre started. His legs were sinking into Kampfer's shadow, as if he were being pulled down by tar or quicksand. "M-my legs . . . !" he squeaked.
Kampfer, looking over his shoulder with mild interest, lit a cigar. "It's trouble to have a weasel like you stirring things up later. The stage needs to be cleared of clutter before the main actor can make an entrance."
"What are you?" Endre demanded, already sunken down to his chest. "Kampfer! Why?"
His face sank completely into the dark pool, until only his hand stuck out. He desperately tried to grab something, anything, but eventually he was consumed.
"What a magnificent moon," Kampfer sighed.
He looked up to the skies as if nothing had happened. In the southern hemisphere, a full moon hung next to a smaller, irregularly shaped "vampire moon."
"When the world ends, it'll probably be on a pretty night like this. And it will happen soon. What a beautiful night that will be," he said.
Wizard threw his cigar into the ocean, stuck his hands in his pocket, and walked into the darkness.