Halting in his tracks, the King of Mesnil glanced from afar, widening his eyes. He watched Elaine embrace Dracula; the enemy she sought to destroy. It was a brainwashing spell, there was no doubt about it—Ban refused to believe anything else.
"Dracula... what have you done?"
Disembarking his steed, Ban of Benoic approached the Lord of Darkness, unsheathing his mighty blade from its scabbard. A deep, fiery anger, brewed within his eyes as the vampire laughed at his displeasure, even mocking him for his failures.
"Pwa ha ha! You've come so far only to be met with failure, Ban of Benoic! Your wife no longer needs you—she is in need of another man—one who can provide courage and bravery, and better this world."
"Shut the hell up."
Dracula grinned, chuckling under his breath.
"The truth hurts everyone, Ban, your anger is justified."
"Elaine, can you hear me? This man isn't your beloved, he's brainwashed you!" He took another step forward, gripping his blade even tighter. "Listen to my voice, it's me, Ban! Your husband!"
"I know who you are, fool." Proclaimed the misfit.
"Huh?"
"Such a fool I was... marrying a coward who could do nothing for this world, despite all his power."
Saddened, the King of Mesnil closed his eyes, lowering his head in shame.
"While that may be true... that is not the type of Ruler I am." A shaky sigh escaped his lips, enduring her painful words. "The people of Mesnil come first before anyone else. My family, friends, the citizens of my kingdom; they're those I promised to protect, ever since I became King. It is my duty, Elaine."
Scowling at his words, Elaine approached her former beloved, slapping him across the face.
"!!!" Shocked at the display of events, Ban held his cheek in pain, staring his wife in the eyes.
"You foolish man! Do we really mean so much to you that you'll sacrifice the entire world?"
Ban grasped Elaine's hand, staring her into the eyes.
"With all my heart, Elaine."
Lifting open her eyes, there was a tinge of red gathering in her cheeks.
"...What's this?" Watching from afar, Dracula lifted his hand, telekinetically pulling Elaine back into his grasp. "You've said what you had to say, my beloved." Dracula wrapped his arm around her waist, glaring at Ban. "This man is of no use to us."
"But... he is... my... Ban..."
"What?" Dracula widened his eyes, pupils dilating as if staring into the void itself.
"Yes, Elaine, it's me! I'm here, just hear my voice!"
"That's enough!" Lifting his hand, Dracula pushed Ban away, skidding him across the grassland. "Elaine, you will not listen to him! Ban of Benoic is no longer your husband!"
Halting his momentum by jabbing his blade into the ground, the King of Mesnil lunged forward.
"You will not take my wife, Dracula!!"
Pushing Elaine to the side, the Lord of Darkness readied himself for combat with a smile.
"Then fight for her, coward! Show me you have what it takes to be called the King of Mesnil!"
"Haaaaahhhhh!" Lifting his weapon into the air, Ban struck Dracula with his blade, but darkness passively surrounded the vampire. "What? A barrier?" His sword bounced off a dark barrier, forcing Ban to recover in midair; jumping away to gain distance.
"If you have no way of penetrating my Chaos, then what makes you think you'll be able to destroy what I am!?"
"Chaos, huh?" A nervous grin spread across his face. "Looks like I'm completely outclassed here."
Chaos was a deadly force beyond the realm of intellect, devoid of law and order, matter, and non-matter, being and non-being. Describing it was impossible; no words could come close to explaining its incoherence as it was distinct from reality.
Only Dracula understood its incomprehensible form.
"Chaos cannot be destroyed unless it's by destruction itself." A dark, toxic aura lingered around his body. "Grimhild, the Witch of Destruction, Agnes Gravenworth, the Witch of Chaos, and Beatrice, the Witch of Creation; only they pose a threat to my Chaos."
Lowering his brows into a frown, Ban didn't lose hope, despite the situation.
"So only the Three Witches of Calamity can defeat you, huh?" He took a stance. "I think you're underestimating me, Dracula."
"Kuhuhu, is that so? Why don't you prove it then, Almighty King."
"Gladly."
Anxiety brewed within the king as he stood his ground, knowing the outcome of this battle. Ban of Benoic stood no chance against Dracula; he was immune to all physical and magical harm—not even his Holy Vessel, Arondight, could penetrate the chaos of the Dark Lord.
But despite all of that, he still tried.
"I will show Elaine that I am no coward. I'm but a king protecting those he loves before all else!"
Ban rushed forward at lightning speed, jabbing his blade toward Dracula's stomach.
"Imbeciles with false hope are nothing more than my entertainment!"
"Graaaaahhhhh!" With a deadly war cry, Ban of Benoic struck his blade into the chaos, halting his advancement.
"Your efforts are futile."
"No... I won't... fail... HERRRRR!"
Arondight suddenly pierced through the chaos and stabbed Dracula through the gut, shattering the barrier like glass.
"Nghh... how did you...?"
Dracula spat out blood, stumbling back and forth as Elaine widened her eyes in disbelief.
"You will fall by my hands, Dracula, I'll make sure of it!"
"Such willpower...! You can even penetrate Chaos itself—color me surprised—Ban of Benoic, but this measly wound won't be enough to kill me!"
"B-Ban, behind you!" Elaine suddenly called out to her husband, breaching through the brainwashing spell, but it was too late.
"Elaine-?" Turning to face his beloved, a loud squelching sound echoed. "Ghnnn?!" Ban was too late to react—another Dracula appeared behind him, spearing through his body as the other disappeared.
"You cannot defeat me, Ban of Benoic. Where there is Chaos, there is me."
Out the other end of Ban's body, Dracula was gripping a spherical orb as it pulsed with willpower.
"How intriguing, even though I stripped away your Nucleus, it's still pulsing with possibilities. But I'm afraid that doesn't matter."
"Dracula... you... bloody bastard..." Ban fell to his knees as the Lord of Darkness yanked his arm from their body, gripping the Nucleus with a smirk.
"When someone approaches death, depending on their willpower, they can create a possibility to survive." Dracula slowly crushed the nucleus inside his hand. "The individual will evolve to overcome an overwhelming situation, as long as they have enough will to do so."
"Aaaaghhhhh!" Ban screamed, feeling the core of his existence slowly shatter in Dracula's hand.
"But Chaos prevents that. It cares not for possibilities! It will override any evolution that your feeble willpower bestows upon you, Ban of Benoic!!"
"No! Dracula, let him be!!"
"I am infallible, you worm! Do you understand how far apart we're in power?! In all fictional tales, all ideas, and all worlds, as long it has chaos, I will continue thriving." He crushed the nucleus even harder, causing Ban to slouch over and release a bloodcurdling scream.
"No, please, Ban, my beloved!" Elaine charged towards Dracula, pulling out a dagger from her boot. "Release my husband!!"
"Hmph." Waving aside his hand, Dracula pushed away Elaine and sent her into a tree, knocking her out cold.
"Elaine... no..." Ban's willpower would only increase as he slowly rose to his feet, scowling at the Dark Lord behind him. "You... hurt... her!!"
"Even though I'm crushing your nucleus, you can still move? You truly are a monster. But I'm afraid it's time to meet your end!"
"Gaaaaaaaahh!" Mustering up his strength to throw one last punch, the King of Mesnil struck Dracula in the jaw.
And then, there was a thud.
Ban of Benoic tilted forward, colliding with the ground.
Dracula had finally crushed his nucleus, killing the King of Mesnil without mercy.
"He used up all his strength into that last punch." Lifting up his finger, Dracula wiped blood from his lip. "How remarkable. Maybe humans aren't so weak as I thought." Turning around, the Dark Lord gazed upon the unconscious misfit with a grin. "They have the highest willpower of any race across Yggdrasil, I'll have to be cautious of them. But now, my plan can finally begin."
And so, Dracula reconfigured his brainwashing spell and altered its potency; ensuring that Elaine could no longer regain her memories or betray him as before.
This was Dracula's only chance at getting what he wanted, and with Ban of Benoic out of the way, there was truly nothing in the world that could stop him except for the Witches of Calamity.
"The next step in my plan finally begins."
The Lord of Darkness laughed. It was nothing more than entertainment to him before he brought the full might of chaos upon the entire world.
+
Lancelot sat in his room, reading a book, until a wave of emotions suddenly hit him. Jolting forward, the young child shot open his eyes.
He could feel a disturbance in the air as if something horrible had happened to his family. Call it a sixth sense if you will.
"Mother... Father..." The young boy stood up from his chair, gazing outside his window.