Unaware of everything that had just happened at Dimitrescu Castle, Donna had spent much of her day making new dolls to add to her already huge collection. This talent for making puppets and dolls, which had been transmitted in her family for generations, an art that her parents and their relatives had also practiced in their lives. Her ancestor and founder of the Beneviento family, Lord Berengario, was apparently also a doll maker, and it is even claimed that he had whole legions of murderous automatons under his command, but that remained of the order of the legend, as well as was the fact that Lord Cesare, the ancestor of Lady Dimitrescu, would have been considered to be none other than the legendary Dracula, but again, nothing could prove it.

Once the new dolls were completed, dressed in elegant old-fashioned dresses, Donna proceeded with the usual ritual, affecting their inert plastic bodies with her Cadou, thus giving them "life", allowing them to move and thus be able to control them and see through their eyes, like a puppeteer manipulating her puppets without the help of wires.

But while she was in full swing, Donna was startled by the sudden, recognizable sound of breaking glass. Taking Angie in her arms, she left her workshop in high gear to return to the living room, to discover that one of the windows had been broken, the icy wind insinuating itself through the hole. It couldn't be the wind that had done this. Suspicious, Donna, along with Angie, looked around in the house, as around them several dolls came to life, arming themselves with built-in blades in place of their hands.

_"Show yourself right now!" Angie ordered in her disembodied voice at the obvious intruder who had just entered the house.

But suddenly, without being able to anticipate it, Donna received a projectile similar to a metallic dart which was fired from outside. Immediately, a violent electric shock went through her, causing her to scream in pain and fall to her knees, dropping Angie who rolled on the floor. Donna moaned, trying to crawl up to reach Angie, but another similar projectile hit her in the back, adding another blast of volts that shook her and weakened her even more. Unable to maintain control due to the pain, the dolls fell back, inert.

***********

Having guessed what was going to happen following the deliberately provocative message from this mysterious man, Mathias and Alcina had agreed on the way forward. While the countess remained at the castle to watch over and protect her daughters in the possible event of a double attack, Mathias had taken a horse and was hurrying towards Donna Beneviento's estate to go and warn her or help if needed.

Sitting firmly on his horse galloping at high speed on the forest road, the young man hoped that it was not too late. In a year, he had had time to learn horse riding perfectly, and Alcina had of course refused to let him go alone. Around Mathias, a group of lycans was there, armed with axes, spears, bows and arrows, and also riding, like an escort of guards accompanying a medieval lord. Although he has a sword and his mutant power of pyrokinesis, Mathias had to admit to being rather reassured not to be alone. They didn't know anything about this new enemy, so now was not the time to play the reckless.

Once past the forest path and the suspension bridges, it didn't take long for Mathias and his escort of lycan riders to finally reach the cliff where the Benevenito mansion was located, just in front of the huge waterfall. The house seemed very calm and silent, but this peace of mind made Mathias feel bad and he picked up the pace.

BOOM! A massive, brutal explosion erupted from the ground just a meter ahead, kicking tons of rocks and dust into the air. Blown away by the shock wave, Mathias, the lycans and the horses all fell to the ground. Half stunned by the blast and shaking his head to recover his senses, Mathias straightened up quickly, the lycans behind him doing the same, and stared in amazement at the huge, smoking, blackened crater in front of him. C4! But who could have concealed explosives here?

He didn't even have time to wonder when a mechanical rumble sliced ​​through the air and a threatening, flying shadow covered them. A black helicopter, armed with two turrets, hovered over them now. Mathias' heart made a jump in his chest as he saw the turret guns spinning around with a mechanical click characteristic of a weapon.

_ "Don't stay there!" the young man then yelled at the lycans as he leapt to one side, but too late.

A loud flurry of gunfire hit the group of lycans and their horses, reducing them in a mere two seconds to a heap of bloody shredded lint. Having rolled on the ground to avoid the shots, Mathias could only observe with horror the massacre of his entire escort, who had been unable to do anything. His gaze fell on the over-armed helicopter which was now slowly turning towards him.

_"What the hell is this?!" breathed the young man, confused, but who pulled himself together very quickly and was determined not to let it go.

Summoning his mutant power, he reached out a hand towards the afterglow flames created by C-4's explosions. Animated by the young man's pyrokinesis, the flames formed undulating snakes coming to float up to his hand, to gradually form a large incandescent sphere which he projected in the direction of the helicopter. The flying machine made a maneuver on the side to avoid the flaming projectile which grazed it dangerously.

In response, the turrets unleashed another barrage of shoots. Mathias smiled fiercely, using his power to literally bring a wall of flames right in front of him and shield him from the gust, the infernal heat of the fire reducing all the bullets to ashes before they could reach him. From the cabin of the helicopter, the two pilots could see this hallucinating spectacle.

_"Damn, this guy is a real monster." one commented.

Mathias was not going to stop so soon. Knowing that the flames of the explosions were not going to last, he took from his pocket what would allow him to continue the fight: his faithful lighter which he took everywhere with him. Activating it, a small dancing flame manifesting itself, Mathias summoned a new burst of fiery flames which he projected with his hand towards the chopper who had to narrowly avoid again.

Mathias then noticed another explosion, this time coming from inside the mansion. Another helicopter of the same model then appears, hovering just above the breach formed in the roof. Despite the smoke and ashes flying everywhere, Mathias managed to make out...

Yes, men, in black uniforms and of military appearance, were repatriated towards the helicopter by the means of a harness and a cable. And on his shoulders, one of these men held Donna, unconscious, her hands and ankles tied by some sort of ultra-sophisticated handcuffs.

_"DONNA!" Mathias gasped.

He tried to run as fast as possible towards the mansion, but the first helicopter unleashed bursts of machine guns right in front of him to slow him down and block him as long as possible.

_"You bastards! Get out of my way!" roared Mathias, creating and throwing more flaming spheres. One of them finally succeeded in hitting the tail of the troublesome helicopter, which then began to lose its stability, spinning and crashing violently against the rock face, just in front of the mansion. A good thing to do, thought Mathias, but unfortunately he could only watch the flight of the second helicopter, gradually moving away into the clouds. He could have tried to hit them with a fireball, but knowing Donna was on board, he couldn't afford to put her in such danger. Clenching his fists and teeth in growing frustration, Mathias' eyes turned red as blood.

A moan of pain brought him out of his observation. Turning his gaze, he noticed that one of the men aboard the first helicopter had survived, the latter crawling with difficulty and trying to extricate himself from the wreckage of the aircraft. The man could no longer stand, a piece of metal having pierced one of his legs.

As the man crawled, a black boot landed firmly on one of his hands and crushed him, causing him immense pain and making him scream. Looking up, the man trembling with fear saw Mathias' silhouette towering over him, his furious, flame-filled gaze piercing him like a knife.

_"You. You'll stay here. We'll have to talk." Mathias suggested in a sinister and more than menacing voice as he leaned towards his helpless prey, gradually covering his hand with flames.

**********

Meanwhile, Lady Dimitrescu had remained in her castle, accompanied by Bela and Cassandra who she had formally ordered to stay with her. Although not liking at all the idea of having sent Mathias without her, Alcina reassured herself, knowing that she could trust her husband to defend himself alone. His powers had inexorably strengthened since these long months of training, he would know how to handle the situation.

The castle had been placed on high alert, sword-wielding zombies patrolling the hallways and ordered to eliminate any intruders they spotted. Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters had remained in the large living room, not saying a word and keeping themselves ready for any eventuality. For Alcina, Donna's house couldn't be the only target, that would be far too simple. Bela and Cassandra had taken their sickles in hand, while Alcina slightly cracked her knuckles, ready to spread her long claws and watching every corner of the room with a sharp and minute eye, as if expecting an enemy arise from anywhere.

Suddenly, sounds of broken glass were heard from the side of the dining room, immediately attracting the attention of the three women who turned around, standing ready and listening. Brief grunts of undead were heard behind the doors, immediately followed by recognizable sounds of gunfire and falling bodies. The Countess guessed without difficulty that several of these servants had just been killed... But by whom? Or what?

The doors connecting the living room and the kitchen were violently pushed aside by a powerful blow and in the next second, several flash grenades were thrown by furtive forms. The explosions released bright, intense flashes of light that blinded Alcina and her daughters, forcing them to cover their eyes and take a few steps back. Alcina grabbed her daughters to keep them close and protect them.

_"My eyes! Rah, it burns!" Bela growled, rubbing her eyes.

_ "Mom, what is it?!" Cassandra cried, also temporarily blinded.

_ "Stay close to me, girls!" Alcina ordered them who, more resistant than her daughters, already managed to recover her sight normally and looked at what was happening.

A squad of unknown men, all outfitted in very sophisticated military-looking dark suits, with their heads obscured by balaclavas and gas masks, burst in, all pointing guns at the three mutants.

_"Targets acquired! Neutralize them!" ordered one of the men, probably the leader, recognizable by the helmet on his head.

The men obeyed and opened fire. But instead of projectiles of lead, it was tiny darts containing a strange liquid that were propelled from the barrels of the rifles. Several of them hit their targets, attaching themselves to the arms, neck, shoulders or stomach. Bela and Cassandra moaned in pain and embarrassment as they felt those darts poke at them and immediately removed them. Alcina was also hit by one of these projectiles, which she withdrew and threw to the ground. However, a curious feeling of dizziness began to take hold of her, and she noticed that her daughters also seemed to be experiencing this same phenomenon, holding their heads as if they had a migraine, struggling to keep their eyes open, and staggering and forcing themselves to hold on. something to keep from falling.

Fortunately, her regeneration ability, protecting her and also diminishing the effects of any type of poison or serum, took effect, allowing Alcina to quickly regain her senses and no longer have her blurred vision. On the other hand, her daughters, even if they could still stand up, no longer had enough strength to defend themselves and had to support each other.

_ "Bela! Cassandra! Stay behind me!" Alcina told them, summoning her long claws from her hands, glaring fiercely at those intruders who had dared to enter her domain, but also to attack her and her children.

_ "Keep shooting! Catch the two witches!" the squad leader then ordered, pointing towards Bela and Cassandra first.

_"You will not touch my daughters!" roared Lady Dimitrescu who then went on the attack and threw herself on the squad. "Bela! Cassandra! Run!"

_"But Mom..."

_"It's an order!"

Bela and Cassandra, their throats tight and really wanting to contradict their mother's order, could only accept and began to flee in the direction of the entrance hall on the opposite side. If they stayed, they would only be an weight for their mother who would have to protect them as well as she fight.

With this tall, monstrous vampire countess pouncing on them, the squad of armed men tried to scatter to both sides. But one of them was too slow, impaled in the stomach by Alcina's claws, tearing his innards and making his blood spurt out profusely, before she lifted the man from the ground and threw him violently against one of the walls.

One of the men prepared to throw another flash grenade in hopes of blinding the mutant, but Alcina was quicker, coming to close her mighty hand over the guy's, crushing his entire hand in a gruesome concert of bones and bones. of crushed flesh, accompanied by the screams of pain, fading very quickly as the countess ripped his head off with her other hand.

Faced with the massacre of two of his men, the squad leader had managed to get out of the fight and activated his communicator in his helmet.

_"Target impossible to master! Bring the Thanator, quickly!"

Not having heard this call because too busy to continue killing these miserable intruders and preventing them from reaching her daughters, Alcina suddenly felt a slight vibration shaking the whole room. The men of the squad had also sensed it, but unlike Alcina who seemed perplexed, the latter showed themselves in no way surprised. On the contrary, some even emitted small sinister sneers.

_ "Oh damn he's here." commented the first.

_"Yeah. You're screwed!" added a second to the attention of the countess, as if to taunt her.

But Alcina ignored their words, continuing to feel more and more vibrations more and more strong and close, making her whole body tremble but also the room. Not understanding what was happening, Alcina suddenly saw, with amazement, the doors and the entire wall begin to crack, then a few seconds later, these, including also the entire dining room which was was normally behind, were violently torn from the ground then crushed and compressed on the ground by a prodigious and overpowering invisible force which reduced them to the state of rubble. At this, the survivors of the squad moved aside.

_"The Thanator will take care of her! Come on, we have to find the two witches!" ordered the leader to the others.

The Thanator? What did he want to talk about? Regardless, at the mention of her daughters and seeing those bastards start to run after them and find them, Alcina clenched her teeth in fury.

_ "You're not going anywhere..."

She didn't even have time to finish her sentence when this same invisible and overwhelming force manifested itself again, but this time, on her. Unable to resist, Alcina found herself thrown and crushed to the ground, held down by this pressure and unable to free herself. She felt like a mountain was resting on top of her. Helpless and struggling in vain, Alcina saw the squad of men leave the living room.

_ "NO!" she roared.

Another thud was heard, catching his attention. A sound of footsteps, then a second, a third... Slow, but coming closer and seeming to weigh heavily...

Still held to the ground by this force, Alcina noticed the arrival from the rubble of what was her dining room, of a monstrous being.

Slightly over 10 feet tall, the thing was humanoid in shape, with a very stocky and muscular looking body. He was completely covered with a sort of imposing outfit, like an armor that seemed to be made of a metal that looked like black volcanic rock and that even seemed to have fused with his flesh. Her head was only a full helmet, shaped like a cranial face, showing only two piercing, inhuman yellow eyes, injected with blood veins and immediately staring at the Countess as soon as she arrived.

_"But who are you?" Alcina hissed despite the pain and, despite the surprise, didn't want to be intimidated by this thing.

The being, the Thanator, then clenched his fist a little more, and in a second, Alcina groaned in pain as she felt the pressure around her grow stronger and threaten to crush her entirely. So, it was this monster that produced this phenomenon. The aura that emanated from him was such that around him, the furniture in the living room began to levitate, then to be violently pushed back to the ground and crushed. The floor, walls, and ceiling were cracking right through, blocks breaking loose and slowly levitating through the air.

Gravity! This monster exercised control over gravity, altering it at will and therefore being able to target specific things.

Alcina barely had time to notice that she was lifted off the ground as if she were as light as a feather, before being violently thrown against a living room wall which she collided with and fell to her knees. Snarling more anger than pain, Lady Dimitrescu straightened up, readying her long claws and showing a murderous eye towards the armored giant mutant. The latter stood erect, motionless as a statue, his yellow eyes shining and emitted a deep, serious and inhuman growl. His gravity control didn't seem to be his only weapon as he gradually transformed his huge hands into serrated blades of bony matter.

Alcina gritted her teeth, her eyes staining like blood and faint black veins appearing on her temples and her fangs becoming sharper than before.

_ "Do you think you scare me?" she said fiercely. "Wretched creature. I'll show you what a real monster is."

But what Lady Dimitrescu did not know was the discreet presence of a small spy drone, hidden in a corner of the ruins of the castle's dining room and, thanks to an integrated camera, was filming the first face-off which was about to begin between the Countess and the Thanator. These images were transmitted live to a laptop computer, in front of which the mysterious hooded man stood, seated behind his desk. Stamping and giggling with impatience like an overexcited child on Christmas Day, the man applauded frantically.

_"Yes! Yes! Perfect!" he said in psychotic glee. "The pawns are in place! The first battle can therefore begin! Which of the queen or the king will fall first?"