Where Are My Casull and Jackal?

After Wang Zhen activated the Dead River, it was neither a scarlet river of blood flowing unchecked nor a vast pair of blood-red wings spreading across the sky. Instead... it was a circular Transmutation Circle inscribed with a hexagram, its countless demonic patterns formed from deep-red blood. Wang Zhen stood right at its center.

The instant the blood beneath his feet formed the Transmutation Circle, the projection of the Gate of Truth deep in the recesses of Wang Zhen's consciousness cracked open ever so slightly. A silent Eye of Truth slipped out through the opening. An Ouroboros composed of geometric shapes of varying sizes coiled around its pupil. The eye flickered, appeared in place of Wang Zhen's left eye, and fused with it in an instant. The black Ouroboros quickly sank into the depths of his left pupil!

This time, the projection of the Gate of Truth had moved more noticeably. And since Wang Zhen was testing the Dead River's abilities, he immediately sensed the disturbance in his mindscape. But the Gate of Truth had acted too quickly, leaving him no time to react. The Eye of Truth leaped straight out of the gate and fused with his left eye!

The sudden change caught Wang Zhen completely off guard!

But the projection of the Gate of Truth conveyed a message to him, giving him something to think about.

The message from the Gate of Truth was actually quite simple: an extraordinarily complex and enormous Transmutation Circle, powerful enough to encompass an entire country.

Having filched from the Gate of Truth four times, Wang Zhen recognized at a glance that this was a Philosopher's Stone Transmutation Circle!

And not just any one, but a National Transmutation Circle like the one in Fullmetal Alchemist, one capable of encompassing an entire country!

Although the Gate of Truth hadn't said a word, this national-scale Philosopher's Stone Transmutation Circle was enough to make him, a fan of the Hellsing anime, realize that the reason Alucard was so different from other vampires—and so overwhelmingly powerful—probably lay in this circle!

"Holy shit! No wonder you need a loving hug from the Dayun Truck to activate you, Big Bro Cheat! You're really something! You've actually managed to link two classic anime series through Alchemy!"

"Big Bro Cheat, let me stretch my imagination a little further, or I won't dare guess at the mysterious origins of A-Che (Alucard's nickname)!" Wang Zhen was genuinely dumbfounded. He'd never imagined Alchemy could lead to a crossover like this!

But once his excitement faded, Wang Zhen calmed down and thought it over. Hellsing and Fullmetal Alchemist really could be connected. The reason was simple: "The Bird of Hermes is my name, eating my wings to make me tame." This classic inscription came from the sixteenth-century European alchemical text, the Ripley Scroll!

Hermes was also the Greek god who protected knowledge and Alchemy. That inscription embodied the most important principle of Alchemy: the philosophy of transmutation!

In Fullmetal Alchemist, Hohenheim and Father had activated a national-scale Philosopher's Stone Transmutation Circle, transmuting the entire Kingdom of Xerxes into a Philosopher's Stone. Hohenheim fused with it, thereby gaining immortality.

Didn't that sound a lot like Alucard, who had devoured his own country and possessed more than three million "lives"?

Especially considering that Alucard had been defeated by the first Van Helsing and sealed in the basement of the Hellsing estate. He remained there until Miss Integra discovered him and made him her servant in exchange for breaking his seal, using her blood to release him.

From then on, Alucard was free to move about, but three Alchemical seals still constrained his power, preventing him from fighting at full strength. Only when his master, Miss Integra, gave the order could the seals be lifted, allowing Alucard to fight to his heart's content!

Furthermore, Alucard's first progeny, Mina, had been reduced to bones, which the Nazis obtained and used to create Millennium, the Third Reich's supernatural fighting force. And most true vampires didn't leave behind bones at all; if anything remained, it was a desiccated corpse, not a skeleton.

Wang Zhen thought it over carefully. There were certainly plenty of things that this connection couldn't explain, but the two worlds were indeed linked in some way through Alchemy.

Since they were connected, then this eccentric Good Luck cheat could use the power of "I think, therefore it is" to link them further. As for the contradictions that couldn't be explained, Wang Zhen figured Big Bro Cheat would simply ignore them!

Wang Zhen wasn't the type to nitpick. Besides, there was no way he could argue with Big Bro Cheat!

In any case, the connection between the two was good news for him. He'd just gained an Eye of Truth that gave him true vision, just like King Bradley, the powerful Führer. It was an absurdly powerful combat aid, and he also knew that the eye could greatly enhance his ability to analyze, break down, and reassemble matter!

What was there to complain about?

There were so many benefits. Even if his Dead River worked completely differently from Alucard's and Seras Victoria's after the crossover, so what?

This Dead River ability suited him best. The only thing he had to consider was that he couldn't use it openly, or the bleeding hearts and moral guardians would gang up on him.

Dead River?

This was my Philosopher's Stone Transmutation Circle!

That's right!

Unlike the Dead River, which contained the souls of everyone he had killed and converted them into "lives" that could die in his place, Wang Zhen's Dead River transmuted the living beings caught within its circle into a Philosopher's Stone, then fused it with him.

Wang Zhen knew that a Philosopher's Stone could replace material components, letting its wielder use Transmutation Circles freely. It could also extend one's life, and any bodily injury could be healed instantly by consuming the stone!

So the prerequisite was that you had to possess a Philosopher's Stone. Only with a large supply could you be like Hohenheim, ageless and immortal, or like Father, freely use Transmutation Circles while completely disregarding the law of equivalent exchange!

Wang Zhen put away the Dead River ability and casually clapped his hands. A luxurious outfit just like Alucard's appeared on him in a flash: a crimson frock coat, a wide-brimmed crimson hat, and a black three-piece suit accessorized with an exquisite, ornate crimson bow tie. It was a dazzlingly elegant English ensemble!

Something... still seemed to be missing.

What was it?

Glasses?

Wang Zhen gave another casual clap. A pair of round black sunglasses appeared on his nose, covering those kind and compassionate eyes.

And the gloves!

Wang Zhen lightly brought his hands together, and a pair of white gloves appeared at once, mysterious Alchemical seals inscribed on their backs.

Wang Zhen suddenly remembered. "Where are my Casull and Jackal?"

How could he have forgotten those two good brothers?

Unforgivable!

The Alchemical seals might be mysterious, and the Dead River ability might be overpowered, but neither was as dashing and unrestrained, as arrogant and crazed, as having Jackal in his left hand and Casull in his right!