"Ahahahaha!"
Alucard's body flickered like a malevolent phantom, weaving in and out of the River of Death. Among the eight, only three possessed abilities that could somewhat restrain him: the blond Gorosei, the crescent-mustached Gorosei, and the Celestial Dragon patriarch, Nedseo.
The remaining four were focused on suppressing the soldiers of the River of Death, specifically the Holy Cross Knights, the Impaler's Knight Order, and Oseinofica, who had now been reduced to Alucard's mindless vanguard.
Though Oseinofica had lost his Supreme Grade blade, Oodenta Mitsuyo, his new vampire body ensured he was no less formidable than the other seven. As long as he protected his heart from destruction, he possessed infinite regeneration. Such was the nature of the vampire.
"He's too fast! He can manifest anywhere he desires at any moment!"
Despite possessing a Mantra that rivaled Roger's ability to "Listen to the Voice of All Things," Nedseo found it utterly impossible to track Alucard's trajectory.
Alucard's claim of "existing everywhere, yet nowhere" was interpreted by them, based on their worldview and grueling combat experience, as the ability to "appear at any desired location instantaneously."
"We only have one shot. When he manifests, we must seize that split second to deal a crippling blow."
The blond Gorosei attempted to trap Alucard within a pocket of compressed space, but Alucard slipped through effortlessly. An ability once touted as inescapable was now, in Alucard's eyes, nothing more than a minor annoyance.
"Damn it... did I fail?"
The blond Gorosei gritted his teeth, his eyes darting frantically around the battlefield. "Where did he go now?"
While they couldn't predict Alucard's next move, Nedseo could at least sense his presence the moment he reappeared.
"There!"
Nedseo spun toward his right rear. Alucard had materialized directly above the crescent-mustached Gorosei. The latter, currently occupied with fending off Oseinofica, had no time to counter this sudden intrusion.
Sensing Alucard through his Observation Haki, the crescent-mustached Gorosei's face paled. He knew he was coming, but he was powerless to stop it.
"Sorry, but you'll have to take a hit!"
The long-bearded Gorosei, standing about twenty meters away, struck out ruthlessly. He unleashed a devastating shockwave that annihilated everything in its path, slamming into Alucard but also catching the crescent-mustached Gorosei in the blast. In such a desperate situation, precision was a luxury he couldn't afford.
"Ugh!"
Struck from behind, the crescent-mustached Gorosei gritted his teeth against the searing pain. Suddenly, Alucard appeared directly in front of him, the muzzle of a pitch-black gun pressed against the ruined left side of his face.
"The 'me' from a moment ago has vanished. Now, I exist here."
BANG!
Alucard's shot tore straight through the Gorosei's cheek. Simultaneously, Oseinofica, now a puppet of the River of Death, drew his sword and unleashed a blood-red arc of sword energy that sliced through the remaining half of the Gorosei's face.
In an instant, the man's face was cleaved in two. Alucard expertly swapped weapons, and his white pistol, Casull, let out a rapid-fire roar, reducing the crescent-mustached Gorosei's entire face to a pulp of shredded meat.
"ALUCARD!!!"
The long-bearded Gorosei's beard practically stood on end with fury. He watched helplessly as the body of his companion of decades sank into the pool of blood at Alucard's feet. Minutes later, the man rose again, physically whole, but with half his face connected to the blood pool by crimson threads. He had become Alucard's puppet.
Vrummm...
Golden swirling portals began to manifest throughout the surrounding space. Alucard glanced at them and remarked flatly, "I don't personally need this ability, but since I've acquired it, I might as well put it to use."
With the power of Schrödinger's Cat, Alucard had no need for spatial manipulation, but this technique provided a massive boon to his army.
The ten thousand knights of the River of Death had been whittled down to a mere thousand by the combined might of the Gorosei and the patriarchs. But with the opening of the portals, the remaining troops vanished into the golden mists, only to charge out of different portals at unpredictable angles.
Though they were not as fast as Alucard, it was a maddeningly difficult tactic to counter.
"One death for you means one more ally for me. How does it feel now that our eight-against-one has turned into six-against-three?"
Alucard lunged at the long-bearded Gorosei. A hand-swipe collided with a palm strike, their immense powers clashing at a single point, warping the very space around them and whipping up a howling gale.
Vrummm—
During the stalemate, a golden spiral portal opened directly behind the long-bearded Gorosei. A dozen Impaler Knights on horseback charged out, leveling their spears at his back.
"Look out!"
The dōgi-clad Gorosei swung his sword, parrying the spears to save his comrade. In the next breath, he counterattacked, hacking the knights and their steeds into a spray of gore.
Through the spray of blood, the light reflected off the dōgi-clad Gorosei's spectacles with a murderous glint. "Hmph. Trash."
"And so are you..."
Alucard suddenly appeared inches from his face, their heads nearly touching.
The dōgi-clad Gorosei felt a cold gun barrel press firmly against the underside of his chin. He was startled; Alucard had appeared so abruptly that his Observation Haki hadn't registered a thing. It was as if Alucard had been standing there the whole time, hidden only by the veil of perception.
"Watch out!"
This time, the long-bearded Gorosei moved to save his companion, but he was slower than the former. Given the proximity and the suddenness of the move, the others couldn't react in time.
They expected Alucard to pull the trigger on the dōgi-clad Gorosei, but he vanished again. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared directly above the long-bearded Gorosei's head.
He delivered a brutal kick to the man's neck, sending him reeling. Simultaneously, the pool of blood transformed into a massive black hound. The beast opened its maw, snapping its jaws shut around the Gorosei's legs and ripping them clean off.
Crr-crunch! Crack!
The hound savaged the severed legs, spraying flecks of meat and blood through its teeth. Then, Oseinofica's massive frame descended from the sky, his greatsword held in a two-handed grip. The blade plunged straight through the crown of the long-bearded Gorosei's head.
"Glargh!!"
His skull was split perfectly down the center. Before he could even scream, his head was halved like a ripe melon. His ancient body was swallowed by the blood pool, only to rise again less than thirty seconds later.
Another puppet for Alucard's collection.
"Now... it's five against four," Alucard said with a thin, narrowed smile.