The sea was calm.
Too calm.
Floating above its endless surface was the announcer of Ragnarok—
Heimdall.
Heimdall raised the Gjallarhorn dramatically.
"HUMANITY AND GODS!"
His voice echoed across every realm.
Divine circles opened everywhere.
Valhalla.
Olympus.
Midgard.
The Vampire Castle.
Even deep beneath the ocean.
Everyone watched.
"TODAY, ROUND THREE OF RAGNAROK SHALL BEGIN!"
The puppet spun mid-air dramatically.
A bit too dramatically.
Its left arm flew off.
It quickly reattached it.
No one commented.
"ON THE GODS' SIDE—"
He pointed toward the endless sea.
"WE HAVE THE IRISH SEA GOD HIMSELF—"
He paused.
"…Man—"
Silence.
"…Mana—"
The puppet's head twitched.
"…Manan—"
The runes on its body flickered.
"…Man—Man—"
Smoke began rising from its mouth.
In Valhalla, Loki was already laughing.
Hermes covered his face trying not to laugh.
Zeus sighed.
The puppet forced itself to continue.
"MANANNÁN MAC—"
Its voice cracked.
"—LIR!"
The moment the full name left its mouth—
The puppet exploded.
BOOM.
Wood fragments.
Runes.
Smoke.
One sandal flew dramatically into the ocean.
Silence followed.
Absolute silence.
Floating calmly down from above, Hermes caught the falling Gjallarhorn mid-air with perfect grace.
He landed on the surface of the water like it was solid glass.
He adjusted his helmet.
Chickled.
And spoke calmly.
"…The match will be delayed until we acquire another Heimdall puppet."
In Valhalla—
Loki fell on the floor laughing.
"I CAN'T BREATHE— IT DIED TRYING TO SAY HIS NAME—"
Thor facepalmed.
Zeus pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This is embarrassing."
Odin said nothing.
Which was worse.
On the ocean's surface—
Mist gathered.
Quiet.
Heavy.
Ancient.
A figure walked forward across the water itself.
Barefoot.
Red hair moving like flowing current.
Blue eyes deeper than the abyss.
Manannán mac Lir had arrived.
He looked at Hermes.
Then at the floating debris of the exploded puppet.
He was silent for a moment.
Then spoke calmly.
"…It's pronounced exactly how it's spelled."
Hermes smiled politely.
"Of course."
Pause.
"…Would you like to announce yourself?"
Manannán looked at the divine circles.
At the watching gods.
At the watching vampires.
At the watching monster who had already killed two gods.
He spoke simply.
"I am Manannán mac Lir."
The ocean responded.
Waves rose.
Mist thickened.
Reality acknowledged him.
Far away—
In his castle—
Alucard watched through the circle.
He smiled faintly.
"…He already controls the battlefield."
Behind him, Carmilla spoke softly.
"Yes."
Aphrodite crossed her legs.
"He's dangerous."
Alucard stood.
Darkness Eater resting on his shoulder.
His eyes glowed faintly red.
"Good."
He stepped forward.
And vanished.
Round 3 was finally beginning.
Alucard arrived in the battlefield through a magical circle.
Stood in a piece of destroyed ship, in the ocean.
Manannán looked at Alucard. "I am supirse, you allowed me to pick the area"
Alucard looked at him. "I wanted a challenge"
'This is my fault for not paying attention'. Alucard said in his head.
Manannán looked at him. "I see, hope you don't regret it, king of Vampire".
They stood there, unthil the new Heimdall puppet came.
Compare to the one who was announcer of round 1 to 2. Which was a dramatic over the top, announcer
This one was more quite.
The new Heimdall puppet descended slowly.
No spinning.
No dramatic gestures.
No screaming.
It simply floated above the ocean, its carved wooden face expressionless. Its glowing eyes scanned both fighters once… then stopped.
The sea was quiet.
Too quiet.
Even the waves seemed to wait.
The puppet raised the Gjallarhorn.
Its voice was calm.
Cold.
"Round Three of Ragnarok."
It did not shout.
It declared.
"Fighter for the Gods. Sovereign of the Sea. Manannán mac Lir."
The ocean answered.
Not with noise.
But with movement.
The water beneath Manannán rose slightly, lifting his broken ship higher. The sea did not obey like a servant.
It aligned like a limb.
"Fighter for Humanity."
The puppet's gaze shifted.
"Bearer of the Crimson Throne."
Alucard stood motionless on the shattered mast.
His coat fluttered slightly in the sea wind.
His red eyes glowed faintly beneath the brim of his hat.
"Alucard."
Silence fell again.
The puppet lowered the horn.
"Begin."
No explosion.
No dramatic signal.
Just a word.
And immediately—
The ocean moved.
Not waves.
Not currents.
The entire surface tilted.
Alucard's footing shifted as the broken ship rolled beneath him.
Manannán had not moved.
He simply watched.
Alucard adjusted his stance instantly.
No panic.
No surprise.
Only acknowledgment.
'He isn't controlling the sea like water…'
The ship beneath Alucard suddenly sank several meters.
Not violently.
Effortlessly.
'He is the sea.'
Manannán spoke calmly.
"You noticed."
The ocean surged upward behind Alucard without warning.
A wall of water.
Not crashing.
Closing.
Alucard stepped.
Vanished.
The water swallowed the empty space where he stood.
He reappeared behind Manannán on the ship's stern.
No splash.
No ripple.
His presence did not disturb the sea.
Manannán did not turn.
"You move well."
Alucard raised the Casull.
Fired.
The gunshot cracked across the ocean.
The bullet struck—
Water.
It stopped inches from Manannán's back.
Suspended.
Floating.
Then dropped harmlessly into the sea.
Alucard's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not surprised.
Confirming.
Manannán turned his head slightly.
"The sea rejects you."
Behind Alucard—
The ocean rose silently.
Not as a wave.
As a hand.
And it closed.
Alucard felt it instantly.
Pressure from every direction.
The ocean was no longer water.
It was a hand.
And it was squeezing.
He couldn't move.
Not his coils.
Not his tail.
Not even the current around him.
'System!'
Ding!
[Manannán is using his Authority to control the sea. Movement through water is denied.]
'Of course he is.'
The serpent's massive body trembled—
Then collapsed into a cloud of bats.
Thousands of black shapes burst upward from the frozen ocean.
They escaped the pressure in a single violent motion.
The bats regrouped midair.
Reformed.
Alucard hovered above the waves, coat fluttering.
"Impressive."
Manannán did not smile.
He simply looked up.
"The sea is mine," he said calmly. "You cannot fight me in it."
'System.'
Ding!
[Authority from Killing Anansi: Trickster Domain]
[Sub-Authority: Story Manipulation (Partial)]
[Host can alter outcomes through perception, belief, and narrative positioning.]
— Host can make unlikely outcomes more likely.
— Host can make likely outcomes less likely.
— Host can deceive reality itself.
[Activated.]
Alucard blinked midair.
'…Thats still broken.'
Ding!
[It is partial.]
[Abuse carefully.]
Below him, the sea began to rise again.
Manannán lifted one hand.
Waves stacked unnaturally high, forming a moving wall of water behind him. The sky darkened as storm clouds gathered without wind.
This was not simple hydrokinesis.
This was ownership.
"You chose my field," Manannán said. "Now endure it."
The wall of ocean collapsed forward.
A moving continent of water.
Alucard stared at it.
'Okay. Think.'
'In this story…'
He looked down at the sea god.
'He's the ruler of the ocean.'
'So the ocean obeys him.'
'That's the narrative.'
The wave was seconds away from crushing him.
'Fine.'
He exhaled slowly.
'Then I just change the story.'
He raised one hand.
The blood still lingering in his veins from Ares.
The divine essence from Anansi.
War.
Trickery.
Narrative.
'System. Make it less likely that the sea listens perfectly.'
Ding!
[Story Manipulation engaged.]
The wave faltered.
Not visibly at first.
But something shifted.
The front edge of the water twisted slightly off course.
Manannán's eyes narrowed.
The ocean hesitated.
Just a fraction.
That fraction was enough.
Alucard moved.
He didn't dodge backward.
He stepped forward.
Straight into the collapsing wave.
And vanished into it.
The gods watching gasped.
From Valhalla—
Amaterasu leaned forward.
Thor's grip tightened again.
Loki's grin widened.
Inside the wave—
Alucard felt the pressure again.
Crushing.
Absolute.
'This is stupid.'
Ding!
[Correction: This is bold.]
'Shut up.'
He extended Blood Control outward.
Not to the sea.
To Manannán.
Every god had blood.
Divine ichor.
Even sea gods.
Even if diluted.
He searched for it.
Through salt.
Through pressure.
Through authority.
And found it.
A faint pulse.
Like a lighthouse under the ocean.
'There.'
Above—
Manannán suddenly stiffened.
Just slightly.
His heartbeat skipped.
The sea trembled again.
Alucard's red eyes opened within the water.
Glowing in the dark.
'If the sea obeys him…'
'And his blood obeys me…'
He smiled inside the crushing depths.
'Then let's see who listens first.'
The ocean convulsed.
Not split.
Not shattered.
But destabilized.
Manannán's control flickered.
For the first time since the fight began—
The sea did not respond instantly to its king.
And Manannán's calm expression changed.
Not fear.
Interest.
"…You are dangerous," he murmured.
From within the wave—
A hand burst out.
Grabbing his wrist.
The moment Alucard's hand closed around Manannán's wrist—
The sea exploded.
Not outward.
Inward.
Every wave collapsed toward them, as if reality itself was trying to crush the point of contact.
Manannán's eyes widened slightly.
Not panic.
Recognition.
"You reached me," he said quietly.
Alucard's grip tightened.
Water screamed around them.
'He's strong.'
His bones creaked.
His arm twisted unnaturally under the pressure.
Skin split.
Muscle tore.
But his hand did not let go.
Ding!
[Type 8 Immortality active]
[Structural damage: irrelevant]
His arm reformed as fast as it was destroyed.
Manannán moved his free hand.
The ocean obeyed instantly.
A blade of compressed water formed—
And cut straight through Alucard's torso.
Clean.
Perfect.
Alucard's upper body slid off his lower half.
For a moment—
He existed in two pieces.
His vision spun.
His thoughts blanked.
'…Oh.'
His top half fell backward into the sea.
His lower half remained standing for half a second—
Then dissolved into shadow.
From Valhalla—
Göll screamed.
"He cut him in half!"
Brunhilde did not move.
Her eyes remained fixed.
Calm.
Certain.
"…Watch," she said softly.
Back in the ocean—
Alucard's severed upper half floated.
Sinking slowly.
His organs drifted loose inside him.
His vision dimmed.
'System.'
Ding!
[Host is not dying.]
'I noticed.'
His spine extended downward.
Like roots.
Shadow and flesh intertwined.
His lower half rose from beneath him—
Reconnecting.
Bone fused.
Muscle stitched.
Skin sealed.
In seconds—
He was whole again.
Manannán watched the regeneration carefully.
Not surprised.
Analyzing.
"Immortality," the sea god said.
Alucard floated upright.
Water rolled off his coat.
'That hurt.'
Ding!
[Correct.]
Manannán lifted his hand again—
Then stopped.
Alucard was still holding his wrist.
And now—
Manannán could feel it.
Something crawling up his arm.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Blood Authority.
Testing.
Probing.
Learning.
Manannán's Authority surged in response.
The sea roared violently.
Alucard's arm exploded again—
But reformed instantly.
He smiled.
Not confidently.
Not arrogantly.
But with understanding.
'I see it now.'
Ding!
[War Domain assisting adaptation.]
[Blood Control analyzing divine structure.]
[Story Manipulation stabilizing favorable outcome.]
Manannán pulled his arm free—
But it was too late.
Alucard had felt it.
The structure.
The flow.
The connection between Manannán and the sea.
It wasn't just control.
It was identity.
He didn't command the ocean.
He was recognized by it.
'Which means…'
Alucard raised his hand.
Blood gathered in his palm.
Not red.
Gold and black mixed together.
War and Trickster.
God and Story.
'If I convince the sea…'
He looked directly into Manannán's eyes.
'That I belong too…'
The ocean hesitated.
Just slightly.
Manannán saw it.
And for the first time—
His expression lost its calm.
"…What are you doing?" he asked.
Alucard smiled faintly.
'Improvising.'
Behind him—
The sea stopped attacking.
Not obeying him.
Not yet.
But no longer fully obeying Manannán either.
The battlefield had entered uncertainty.
And uncertainty—
Belonged to the Trickster.
Ding!
[Story Manipulation effectiveness increasing.]
[Synchronization Rate: 30% → 34%]
Alucard flexed his fingers.
His body fully restored.
His mind clearer.
His enemy no longer untouchable.
'Okay.'
'This might actually last longer.'
Manannán seeing what Alucard was doing understood it was time
Manannán body shifted, as his body changed it was liquid and it dropped.
The ocean went silent.
Not calm.
Waiting.
Manannán's body dissolved completely into the sea, his form collapsing into liquid divinity. His voice remained, echoing from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"So," Manannán said, his tone no longer casual, no longer testing.
"We have reached the point."
Alucard floated above the water, eyes scanning the endless surface.
'…Reached what point?'
Then—
The ocean rose.
Not a wave.
Not a tsunami.
The ocean itself stood up.
A colossal humanoid form emerged from the sea, easily thousands of meters tall. Its body was made of compressed divine water, glowing with deep blue Authority. Multiple arms unfolded from its torso, each holding a different weapon—spears, swords, axes, tridents—all formed from pure ocean pressure.
Its face resembled Manannán.
But older.
More ancient.
More real.
The Sea Avatar opened its eyes.
And the world felt small.
Alucard blinked slowly.
'…'
'…'
'What in the Boss Fight is this?!'
Ding!
[Authority Manifestation detected.]
[Manannán mac Lir has merged fully with his Domain.]
[Current state: Divine Authority Avatar]
[Threat Level: Extreme]
Alucard stared upward.
The avatar moved.
One arm swung downward.
Not fast.
Inevitable.
Alucard moved instantly—
BOOM.
The ocean exploded as the arm struck, the impact vaporizing millions of tons of water. The shockwave tore through the sky itself.
Alucard reformed fifty meters away, his body reconstructing from bats and shadow.
'Okay.'
'Okay.'
'Okay.'
'Stay calm.'
Ding!
[Host heart rate elevated.]
'No shit.'
The avatar moved again.
This time faster.
Multiple arms attacked simultaneously.
Blades of ocean pressure cut through the air, slicing Alucard into pieces—
Head separated.
Torso destroyed.
Limbs erased.
For half a second—
Alucard ceased to exist as a single body.
Then—
Blood reformed.
Shadow condensed.
He returned.
Whole again.
Floating.
Staring upward.
Valhalla — Observation Area
Many gods had stood up.
Thor watched silently.
Zeus leaned forward.
"…That," Zeus said quietly, "is Manannán's true combat form."
Even Odin's single eye was focused completely now.
Back in the ocean—
Alucard breathed unnecessarily.
'He's not just controlling the sea anymore.'
Ding!
[Correct.]
[He is the sea.]
Another arm descended—
Alucard didn't dodge this time.
He raised Darkness Eater.
The blade met the ocean weapon.
For a fraction of a second—
They resisted each other.
Then—
Darkness Eater cut through it.
Clean.
The severed arm collapsed back into the ocean.
Manannán's voice echoed from the avatar.
"…Interesting."
The arm regenerated instantly.
Alucard stared at the sword.
'It worked.'
Ding!
[Synchronization advantage active.]
The avatar attacked again.
Alucard dodged.
But he wasn't running anymore.
He was watching.
Learning.
Adapting.
War Domain active.
Blood Control analyzing.
Story Manipulation stabilizing probability.
'He's bigger.'
'Stronger.'
'More powerful.'
Another arm erased his left side.
He regenerated instantly.
'But he's still blood.'
Ding!
[Correction.]
[He is divine fluid equivalent.]
'Close enough.'
The avatar raised all its arms.
Weapons forming simultaneously.
Enough force to erase continents.
Manannán's voice spoke one question.
"Do you understand now, Vampire King?"
Alucard floated there.
Very small.
Very calm.
He smiled slightly.
'Yeah.'
He raised Darkness Eater.
'This is definitely a Boss Fight.'
To be continue
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