Beyond the Old Ones

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Time*

Chapter 2: A Surprise

The next day*

"Why do you look like you're about to drop dead?" Integra asks me, her eyes wide in disbelief and her voice laced with concern. Her brows knit together as she steps closer, studying my pale face and the dark circles under my eyes. The dim light of the room casts shadows that accentuate my exhaustion.

"Because I have been walking ever since you sent that guy to pick me up and made me walk all the way here, not even giving me any time to rest." I replied in an exhausted voice, my breath coming in shallow gasps. My legs felt like lead, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Each step had been a struggle, my body screaming for a break. I leaned heavily against the wall, wiping the sweat from my brow, and shot her a weary look, hoping she understood just how drained I was.

If it weren't for the fact that I've become a Beyonder, I wouldn't have made it halfway.

"Alucard! You are supposed to take Chikao straight here immediately, not go on your damn walks in the middle of the night!" Integra glares at the vampire in the room with a scowl, her eyes narrowing with irritation.

Alucard, lounging casually in the corner, looks up with a bemused expression, his crimson eyes glinting with mischief. The corners of his mouth curl into a knowing smile as he lazily stretches, clearly unfazed by Integra's anger.

"How was I supposed to know he would be able to keep on walking with me through the entire trip? I was waiting for him to collapse first before I would pick him up and come here as fast as possible." Alucard explained, his tone dripping with amusement as he glanced at Integra. "If anything, you should blame him for wanting to walk the long way." He leaned back against the wall, folding his arms casually over his chest, his smirk growing wider.

The vampire's nonchalant attitude only served to deepen Integra's scowl; her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she glared daggers at him.

"Could..." I let out a yawn, my eyelids feeling impossibly heavy. "Could I take a rest before we do anything else? I don't mind sleeping on a chair if you don't have a spare bedroom for me to use."

I swayed slightly on my feet, struggling to keep my eyes open and not collapse on the ground in front of everyone. I could feel every muscle in my body begging for relief. The room seemed to blur around the edges as I fought to remain standing, glancing hopefully at Integra, silently pleading for her to grant me a moment of sleep.

"Walter!" Integra shouted, her voice echoing through the room. Within moments, the door opened, and her well-dressed butler walked in, his expression composed and observant. "Help Chikao to the room he is assigned to."

"Of course, Sir Integra." Walter replied smoothly, nodding slightly. He moved to my side, offering a steady arm to support me.

As much as I didn't want to for many reasons. But I am literally just a few steps away from collapsing; I leaned on him, feeling a small measure of relief wash over me.

I gave Integra a nod, then thought about it for a few seconds before nodding to Alucard as well. His smirk widened at my gesture, a hint of amusement flickering in his crimson eyes. With Walter's steady support, I turned and left the room, my legs barely managing to carry me. Each step felt like wading through quicksand, but the promise of rest kept me moving forward. The dimly lit corridor stretched ahead.

30 minutes later*

I let out a relieved sigh of bliss as I finally lay in bed, the soft mattress and cool sheet. After saying thanks to Walter for his help, I allowed my body to sink into the comfort of the bed. The tension in my muscles began to unwind, and the throbbing in my feet slowly subsided. The room was quiet and dim, providing the perfect environment for rest.

Before I sleep, I need to do something real quick.

The Cards of Blasphemy appear, floating around me as they glow once more again, showing that I can have one of the cards run the idle-like adventures.

I barely need to look as the specific Card of Blasphemy I have in mind appears in my hand without me having to reach for it.

[Twilight Giant Pathway - Sequence 9: Warrior]

[Randomized Acting Method: 3x Boost]

[Input Acting Method (1 Word): Normal Boost]

[Equip Items: Empty]

[Potion's Ingredient Collection: 0%]

[Acting Progress: 0%]

[Adventuring (1): Not Used]

[List of Items: Meatpie]

I honestly don't want to read the entire texts of adventure, and I wonder if there is any skip function-

My thought was cut off as new knowledge appeared in my head, and it does have a skip function. Good to know.

Intilizating... Idle S9Warrior begins its journey.

Skip Function Active.

Finalizing... Idle S9Warrior survived for 7 months.

Idle S9Warrior brought back 1% of Paragon Pathway - Sequence 8: Archaeologist's Potion's Ingredient Collection.

Acting Progress...37%. 3x Boost in effect... 100%.

Further progress requires collecting all the Potion's Ingredients for Sequence 8: Pugilist.

Unlocking Beyonder's Abilities of the Twilight Giant Pathway's Sequence 9: Warrior.

1. Physical Enhancement: They have supernatural strength and agility that transcend ordinary people.

2. Weapon Proficiency: They are proficient over various kinds of weaponry and armor; even no weapons that cannot be used.

3. Martial Arts Master: They have a mastery of various martial arts and for them, there are no fighting styles impossible to master.

I became speechless when I realized Sequence 9: Warrior was already completed. However, I was too exhausted to care; I just found it nice, that's all.

My eyelids drooped heavily, and I slowly succumbed to sleep, the Cards of Blasphemy fading away before me, the final image before darkness claimed me.

Hours later*

"Wake up! You're about to be attacked!" An echoing voice shouted, jolting me awake. I quickly rolled to the side of the bed, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Good, you're awake. I didn't need to wake you up myself." Alucard grins at me from near my bed, his eyes glinting with amusement as he stands there, watching me.

"Do you need something from me?" I ask, feeling my right eyebrow twitch in irritation.

"Me? No. My master, on the other hand, yes. She wanted me to check on you and see if you were awake to see her. Sure enough, you are. So you better get a move on." Alucard smirks before melting into the floor and disappearing, not waiting for me to say anything in response.

"Ugh." I scowl, rubbing my forehead, and get up from the floor. I pat myself down, ensuring everything is in place, then call on the Cards of Blasphemy and recheck them.

I don't know if I was dreaming or just too exhausted to see clearly.

Sure enough, I wasn't seeing things. The Twilight Giant Pathway - Sequence 9: Warrior is already at 100% Acting Progress. However, I still need to collect all the ingredients for the Potion before I can reach the next Sequence. This will be somewhat difficult, as the ingredients appear randomly. I was lucky to get 1% in another Pathway.

On the bright side, I have access to all 22 Pathways instead of just one. I don't have to do all the acting myself or find the ingredients along with the Potion's formula to make it.

I squint my eyes, noticing there is a slight difference between the Cards of Twilight Giant, the Wheel of Fortune, and the rest of the Cards of Blasphemy. And then, new knowledge poured into my head once more.

It seems that I can't equip more than one Card of Blasphemy at a time. However, I can switch between them instantly, without any cost or delay. The switch happens in a matter of a second, making it easy to adapt to any situation.

Of course, that's only for now. Once all 22 Pathways reach Sequence 8, I'll be able to equip two Cards of Blasphemy at the same time. This will give me even greater flexibility and power.

Currently, I have the Card of Wheel of Fortune equipped. I could switch to the Card of Twilight Giant, but I don't need it right now. Glancing at the wall clock out of the corner of my eye, I realize I need to meet up with Integra soon. I've wasted too much time already, and I don't want to test her patience. Especially not when she sent Alucard to check on me for whatever reason.

30 minutes later*

"What took you so long to get here?" Integra stares at me, eyebrow raised, as I enter the room.

"I don't exactly remember the directions to get here, and I'm just lucky to find the right room now." I lied through my teeth as I had to rely on Premonition to listen and see glimpses of the future to locate this room. It took a bit more tries to make it happen.

Note to self: Later, check if having 100% in the Acting Method changes anything compared to having 3%.

"Hm. Reasonable." Integra nodded slowly. "Moving on. I know you've arrived here this morning exhausted. I've already handled the paperwork to finalize your transfer to the Hellsing organization. Despite our friendship, I still need to see how well you do on a mission. So get ready to hunt some vampires."

Integra got up from her seat, then paused momentarily to look at me.

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot." Integra stated. "You don't have your usual gear and came here pretty much empty-handed. But I trust you can handle weak vampires with the standard set. I'll have Walter prepare an updated version of your usual equipment. Let's get going." Integra headed towards the door, which I promptly opened for her.

I closed the door behind us and followed Integra in silence, footsteps echoing lightly down the hallway as we made our way outside the castle.

"You know, you can talk to me like we used to, Chikao." Integra said calmly. "It's only been a couple of years since we last saw each other. In fact, I wanted you to join the Hellsing Organization sooner, but I was caught up with many things. Please forgive me for not reaching out to you until recently."

"It's fine." I replied, reflecting on the previous owner of this body and his relationship with Integra other than their friendship. "It'll just take me some time to adjust."

"That's understandable." Integra said, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. "So tell me, besides our friendship, what made you choose to join the Hellsing Organization? Why did you agree to come to London from Japan without any hesitation?"

Ah, shit. I don't know the answers to those questions! Alright, I got to keep calm and relax. Think up a good reason.

"The pay is better than what I was making in my previous job." I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Well, I'm glad your sense of humor is still there." Integra rolls her eyes, then smirks. "You can tell me whenever you're ready. I just hope your combat skills are good, as I remember."

"Let's hope it's good enough to deal with vampires." I mutter to myself.

"Don't worry, Chikao. If the report is correct, you're just dealing with vampires that were recently turned." Integra comforts me. "As long as you can fight as you did when we last saw each other, this should be easy for you."

The fuck?!