"Fount Of Life" in VHD

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Introduction

In the Vampire Hunter D series, there is a special ability of D which allows him to cut through the Fount Of Life that not only negates the regeneration of individuals and beings that he attacks and cuts but even destroys them completely. The following blog would analyze what Fount of Life is in the Vampire Hunter D verse.

Fount of Life

To understand what this Fount Of Life actually is, we have to put together all the pieces of information found throughout the series. The very first mention of the Fount Of Life was made in the very first novel where D was able to pierce Count Magnus Lee:-

“	When Larmica had taken her leave, following her incredibly gruesome yet fervent declaration of love, the Count’s expression was a mixture of anger and apprehension, and he turned his gaze to the pit. He pressed one hand against the left side of his chest through his cape. The fabric was soaking wet. With blood. Though he seemed to have masterfully caught D’s blade, more than an inch at the tip had sunken into his immortal flesh. Some trick with the sword may have been involved, for, unlike any wound he’d heretofore taken in battle, the gash still hadn’t closed, and the warm blood that was the fount of his life was flowing out. Now there is a man to be feared. He might even have ...	”
– Chapter 3, Vampire Hunter D

It was again mentioned in the very same novel when Count Magnus Lee described his recollection and hearings of The Sacred Ancestor to his daughter Larmica Lee:-

“	“I have heard that the woman our Sacred Ancestor desired was named Mina the Fair, and she lived in the ancient Land of Angels. And it seems our Sacred Ancestor found the blood coursing beneath her nigh translucent skin sweeter and more delectable than any to ever wash across his tongue, though he had already drunk from the life founts of thousands of beauties.”	”
– Chapter 5, Vampire Hunter D

It can be inferred that Fount Of Life is the "Blood" of any individual which is further supported by this quote made by Toma in "Scenes From An Unholy War" novel:-

“	He shook his head. “What a fine stench.” “Huh?” the man said, unable to understand his superior, who gazed raptly up at the moon. “Don’t you think so? The blood is life. And life is sweet. The founts of life for half a dozen men—ah, I was right to send them in there.”	”
– Chapter 6, Scenes From An Unholy War

However, Fount Of Life is not Blood. It can be synonymously used as Blood but it simply is not Blood due to the fact that it's the Source of Life of anyone or anything. This is shown when D is able to cut Xeno Gorshin in "Throng Of Heretics" novel which caused him to be unable to heal despite having the regenerative powers of a Noble and even an additional granted power of Greater Noble like Grand Duke Drago:-

“	Shifting her gaze, the countess said, “You do not look well.” Xeno Gorshin had been looking down at the floor, but he raised his face. His long formal jacket was completely soaked with blood. “The wound from D’s sword still hasn’t healed. It won’t even stop bleeding.” It was Benelli who offered this explanation. Gorshin looked down at the floor once more. Feeling a strange presence, Pikk looked up at the countess. Her lovely visage was warped by surprise. “Impossible . . . The two of you have the grand duke’s blood . . . You are not the Nobles you once were . . . And yet you were dealt a wound that will not close . . . This cannot be.” “Yet it is,” Benelli said, looking askance at Gorshin. “The man known as D is no ordinary Hunter. Let me say this—I feel the same something from him that I do from the grand duke.” Silence rolled by. A voice like death itself said, “That something is ‘power.’” It was Xeno Gorshin. His face was white as a sheet, yet crimson eyes blazed from it. Burning with anger and hatred—and fright. “When his blade cut me thusly,” he continued, “I felt something more than just flesh and bone being cleaved. Perhaps I could call it the source of my life. The wound will not close, the bleeding will not cease. If this continues much longer, I will be gone. At present I can barely restrain them, but soon I will be unable to keep my blood beads from running amok.”	”
– Chapter 6, Scenes From An Unholy War

In Tyrant's Star, it is even stated that D's attack cuts through the Fount of Life and not just through Flesh and Bone i.e. the Physical Body and that no god or demon can help the victim such as in the case of Lawrence Valcua, a Greater Noble:-

“	Seemingly guided by Valcua’s request, the stranger with his face went over to the genuine article and put his hand against the grand duke’s chest. Valcua treating Valcua—the sight was both strange and disturbing, but no one there was amused or frightened. And then everyone heard an unexpected remark: “I can’t fix this.” “What?” Valcua exclaimed, raising an eyebrow, while Count Braujou’s lips twisted into a grin. “This wound was dealt by someone with skill equal to my own. He cut through not only flesh and bone, but through the fount of life. No one, god or demon, can help you now.” The count laughed. One Valcua had declared that the other Valcua was untreatable. Undeniably, there was a strange kind of humor to that. “So, what are we supposed to do? Could D heal it?” Valcua asked, his voice charged with pain. It sounded like he was cross-examining his other self. “He’s the same as me. He can’t heal you.”	”
– Chapter 7, Tyrant's Star: Parts 3 & 4

It is to be noted that Noble or Vampiric Regeneration in the Vampire Hunter D verse allows them to regenerate themselves from getting atomized as well as destroyed on a Macro-Quantum Level. To elaborate, Anti-Proton weapons which can vaporize protons are unable to kill Nobles due to the latter's regenerative abilities. Even High Power Gravity Field which crushes anything and anyone so small that they can get sucked into the Dirac Sea (through the hole which is the size of a Positron), cannot destroy Nobles as the latter can easily reform back afterward from getting crushed. However, even they cannot heal from getting their Fount of Life Severed. So D being able to cut through "Blood" is illogical as not only cutting blood is absurd but the quote from Tyrant's Star also implied that D can cut on a level that is beyond the physical body. Therefore, it can be stated that Fount Of Life is something more metaphysical than the physical body.

This is even supported by the events of "Undead Island" where Duchess Mizuki state that D killed them all decades ago but they were resurrected back The Sacred Ancestor with Duke Daios describe his experience as:-

“	“How did you know of our revival?” A blue light even stronger than that of D’s pendant flowed between the two of them. “I had a dream,” D said. “A dream?” “Or maybe it was real. It doesn’t matter either way. In the dream, he told me. He said he’d brought the island back again.” “And you came to bring destruction, did you not? To destroy everything again. Even me.”	”
– Chapter 10, Undead Island

“	“We meet again, D!” the duke said in a voice like that of a ghost groaning from the depths of the earth. “When the island was restored, I wished to remain sleeping. Because I only wanted to forget everything. However, the revival project took no pity on me. Once again I saw my wife, and now I have encountered you. Oh, how I curse you, Sacred Ancestor. Being torn apart mentally and physically just once was more than enough for me.”	”
– Chapter 5, Undead Island

Here is the thing about being torn apart or destroyed mentally in the Vampire Hunter D verse, it destroys the soul too. In the novel "Throng of Heretics", Countess Genevieve, a Greater Noble, states that the mind is supported by the Soul and as such, it is impossible to destroy the mind.

“	“As you just said, he has gambled his life and soul—and did so to safeguard your life and soul. Two thousand years ago,” the Noblewoman said as if she were singing the words, “the directors of the Noble Mental Research Center in the Capital were forced to make public a certain conclusion as a result of long years of experimentation toward destroying the human psyche. Listen well, little miss. They said, and I quote: Though the human mind may be driven mad, it is impossible to destroy. For it is supported by the soul. What saved you is something that glows in the heart of that dirty, uncouth little boy, the soul that we call humanity. No one can see it, the person who possesses it may not even realize it, but even once life has left them it will continue to make humans glow with humanity forever.”	”
– Chapter 10, Throng of Heretics

While it was stated for the humans, the same holds true for Nobles as they too possess souls and some of them can reincarnate as new individuals or even possess others. Therefore, it can be stated that D's attack destroys the Soul of the individual.

However, this is also not true as Fount Of Life is not just the Soul of the individual. This can be construed from the fact that while D possessed the ability to cut through the Fount Of Life from the very first novel, throughout the series, D has been able to cut and kill not just physical beings and souls or ghosts, but also Nonexistent weapons, Shadows, Auras, Holograms, Holographic Images, Illusions, Souls, Ghosts, Dreams, Death Essences, elemental intangible beings, apparitions, Nothingness itself, willpowers, metaphysical constructs, etc. So it's only logical that D cuts through something which is very metaphysical and fundamental part of anyone or anything, and while for it is termed as the Fount Of Life for entities (Human Beings, Nobles, Gods, Demons, etc), in actuality it is something else which is seemingly present in everything. To understand what that something is, we have to understand one of the most important and overlooked concepts in the series, Energy.

Energy

Energy is a common but crucial element within the series. It is something that is omnipresent and controls everything there is as stated by Grand Duke Bergenzy, a prodigy and a Noble scientist.

“	“Energy controls everything. Not just here in our world, but out in the universe, at the bottom of the sea, and even off in other dimensions. All to grant your every wish.”	”
– Chapter 7, Noble Front

As stated, Energy is the force which controls everything in the verse of VHD and is present everywhere while also being capable of even granting wishes which can be construed as warping reality. However, Energy in the series is a metaphysical force which is present physically as well as conceptually. This is showcased in the novel "The Tiger In Winter" where energy is present in the form of the "Concept of Moonlight".

“	“So the ceiling has a stone lid—do they turn moonlight into energy or something?” the hoarse voice asked, its words still ringing with the same excitement from its earlier gasp. “That might be the best sort of energy for the Nobility, but it’s just the light of the sun reflected off the lunar surface. In other words, sunlight. The Nobility lived by the light of the moon, though. You might even say they lived by a concept called ‘moonlight.’ Nobody ever even tried to turn it into a physical form of energy. On account of that would’ve shaken the very existence of the Nobility. That, plus the fact that even if you turned the light of the moon into energy, it still ain’t nothing compared to solar power. Hmm. Did that rascal Van Doren manage to make an unprecedented ‘concept amplifier’? Looks like he had a hell of a scientist working for him. Hey, android lady, you happen to know that scientist’s name?” “I am unsure whose voice it is I hear,” Shyna replied. “It was Professor Damien Krutz. He was still quite young.” Another voice—one like steel—said, “Is that the reason Duke Van Doren is called the Tiger? Physical and conceptual energy would’ve been sure to garner high praise from the Nobility. Enough that he could’ve taken on ten thousand Nobles alone, or moved with some degree of freedom in the light of the sun.”	”
– Chapter 1, The Tiger In Winter

So we find that energy can be both physical as well as conceptual where Conceptual Energy can fundamentally enhance the power of a Noble to the point they can single handedly take down ten thousand Nobles alone as well as move freely in daylight. Energy present in abstract structure is not a PIS or inconsistent thing in the series as in Novel 5 "The Stuff of Dreams", we find that the town where Sybille lived was entirely a dream itself and had various energy generators inside present to power it.

Moving on, the fact that energy can be metaphysical in nature is again showcased in the series when the ancient race of Rancor is shown and explained. The ancient race tortured people to death who had been full of malice and converted than Malice into energy. Moreover, even when they died, the energy still remained with malice as well as its own will.

“	This is a subterranean energy flow. The words that echoed in the brains of the two warriors came from Irene’s psyche. The plant above it only succeeded in tapping a small portion of its power, but this is its main concentration. By now, the two of you must realize what it is. The pair of warriors nodded. It would be safe to say they’d never been more certain of anything in their lives. This was a rushing torrent of rancor. The quality of the energy that pierced their armor and sank into their flesh told them as much. This subterranean energy had been created by something that lived here before the Nobility built their society, probably even before the birth of human civilization. Obviously that race was well versed in the darkness harbored by the human psyche, and the power it could produce. And that was why they’d created this. Over tens of thousands of years, they’d taken hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of lives as sacrificial offerings. All had been killed in the cruelest manners imaginable. There had been no honor or pride in being an offering to a god, merely a painful and protracted death. And it was safe to say that it’d proved successful. All the people they’d tortured to death had been full of malice: For those who were taking their lives. For the compatriots that survived them. For their families. For a god that wouldn’t save them from a hellish death. For every other living thing. Undoubtedly the death bringers had possessed the means of transforming that malice into energy. The rancor of the dead then became a subterranean energy flow that benefited the ancient race. It burned the enemies who descended on them, leveled mountains to crush the living, and froze heaven and earth alike to take the lives of hundreds of billions of creatures. Battles ultimately come down to attrition. But loss had no meaning when dealing with a hatred that couldn’t be erased. Enemies that stormed in with superior numbers were all slain, and the race took pride in their invincibility. Even after that race was no more, the torrent of malice and rancor coursed relentlessly through the bowels of the earth, occasionally erupting on the surface after tectonic shifts and drowning those it met. Thirty thousand years before, a certain group learned of the existence of the malevolent force, and after a thousand years and many generations, they finally succeeded in sealing it away, and the energy had flowed deep in the earth ever since. A mining facility that’d been built on the surface not long ago managed to tap a small portion of that trapped energy, but with no way to control the rancor, the facility had ultimately been destroyed. And now a girl and two warriors had come into contact with the fearsome flow. They heard it. The angry voices of all those sacrifices. Cries of anguish from their death throes. A swollen hatred without a focus. And delight.	”
– Chapter 4, Mercenary Road

“	“Never mind them,” the Hunter replied. “What happened to that torrent of malice?” “Oh, that? I thought it was gonna blow sky high, but it seems to have calmed down. That energy is a collection of hate, but it also has a will. I’m sure it despises all of you and the supernatural soldiers, too.”	”
– Chapter 5, Mercenary Road

Moreover, energy is also present in the mind or mental aspects as showcased twice in the series. In "Twin-Shadowed Knight", D was able to create a mental world which was so large that it housed an Infinitely Thick Wall which was a part of the mental defense of the Sacred Ancestor. However, D was able to channel the energy of the entire world and cut down the wall.

“	As D got closer, the gate revealed itself in all its immensity. Its height must’ve been in excess of five hundred yards. There was a gigantic door, and the frame that supported it—and that was all. Though the door appeared to be made of wood, it had a horrible luster to it, and in that respect it was just like the apparent stonework of its frame. Its width was unknown. To either side, it melted away into walls of roiling cloud. “Can you open it?” his left hand inquired. “I’ve come this far. I’ll have to open it.” “How?” D quietly drew his sword. “If this world is of my mind’s making, my will alone should be enough to do something.” Precisely, the voice remarked. You summoned me. Not to hinder you. To slay you on the spot. There is nothing more mysterious than the workings of the human mind, you know. D advanced toward the door. His left hand pressed against it. “So, its thickness is infinite? That’s about what I’d expect from his mental defenses. D, how are you supposed to unlock it?” “I’m not going to unlock it.” “What?” D held his sword at the ready, poised for a thrust. Somewhere a cry of pain could be heard. The clouds eddied. An almost imperceptible light played across their surface as they churned. It was unmistakably an energy current. “What’s this?” the left hand shouted. He’d just felt D’s body absorbing the energy. “You really are something. Now you’ve finally learned how to control the very life of this world and make it do your bidding. Hell, it’s not even control, it’s just simple concentration. With that alone you—” Eyes shut and not moving a muscle, D looked to be a beautiful sculpture. And the silently raging energy cloud was being drawn into his body. “Stop it—or you’ll be killed!” the left hand cried excitedly.	”
– Chapter 4, Twin-Shadowed Knight

In "Raiser of Gales", the vampires D meets were capable of using Psychic Energy and there are various quotes regarding it throughout the book. However, the fact that energy is preset in the mental aspect is showcased when D meets face to face with his father and attacks him.

“	While he listened to the presence, D half-closed his eyes. He was changing this being that possessed the density of infinitely compacted darkness into a form like his own. That was his only chance of victory. Of course, this was totally unrelated to the actual physical form of his opponent. D would only cut down the form made manifest to him—that was the extent of it. Somewhere within D, a gigantic, powerful figure was moving toward completion. An image of the Sacred Ancestor, wrapped in a black cape, a pair of fangs jutting from the vermilion lips chiseled into his pale skin. The instant it was complete, D focused all of his physical and mental energy into the sword racing from its sheath. Light cut the darkness. With the sunlight of midday showering down on him, D thrust his blade into the ground and clung to it almost like a crutch as he got to his feet. The heavy shadow of fatigue clung to his beautiful countenance.	”
– Chapter 6, Raiser of Gales

So from all these quotes and bits of information, we do get the idea that Energy is something which can be present in both physical and metaphysical forms throughout all of creation and controlling everything there is. Energy is what drives everything there is while being a fundamental part of everything including Nobles. Therefore, it can be inferred that D cuts through this underlying Energy which is present in everything (as well as nothing) on a conceptual level and which is called the Fount Of Life by Nobles. By cutting through this Energy, D successfully negates the Regeneration of beings and can even erase them such as in the case of Duchess Mizuki and her husband and subordinates in the flashback shown in "Undead Island" novel. However, it is to be noted that D does not always cuts objects or things on a conceptual level as he does so only when he is serious or bloodlusted. In addition, there have been some PIS events such as D being unable to cut through Grand Duke Bergenzy's energy balls in "Noble Front" despite the fact that in "Mercenary Road" he was able to cut through Dorleac's energy balls. Moreover, some special type of beings can heal themselves from D's attacks such as Greater and Ancient Nobles who were granted power from the Sacred Ancestors, Magical Beings such as Black Unicorns, Experimented Vampires/Beings such as the Pseudo-Nobles from "Raiser of Gales" or The Thing from "Nightmare Village", etc.

Conclusion

D is able to cut through Energy or Fount Of Life which is the conceptual aspect of anything or being, allowing him to completely destroy the object or individual and by the virtue of which, D is able to attack and destroy physical beings, souls and spirits, metaphysical beings, intangible beings, elemental intangible beings, abstracts, nothingness and nonexistent, shadows, auras, willpower, hologram, and holographic images, death essences, etc.