@X I don't see how it's Death's Castle. It was always assumed to be Walter's Castle until the end where Mathias reared his head. Also Mathias commands Death to face Leon, if Leon failed the Castle wouldn't have necessarily crumbled. Assuming that the forces of Darkness (regardless of who is master) were holding the castle together given it's nature (the 5 orbs etc) one would assume the master sits upon the throne i.e. Walter or Joachim in his own non-canon ending.
I think assigning the ownership logic between Dracula and his castle to Walter and his castle is not a safe path to take, because, truly, we do not know the nature of Walter's castle.
Assuming it is not Castlevania know the following:
- The Castle is made of brick and mortar i.e. It exists in the physical world. It doesn't seem to be a "creature" of chaos as such the way CV is (although this isn't to say chaos doesn't play its role)
- The orbs open the path to Pagoda which leads to the throne room, presumably where the castle's master's throne is.
- creatures have manifested there from the abyss, underworld etc as they have in Castlevania.
- It crumbles to the earth once all the bosses, Walter as well as Death have been defeated.
- It didn't crumble when Walter had been defeated but Death was still there.
We've even saw a castle powered by the Abyss which crumbled only after the entrance to it, which kept it whole, was sealed. There is also the matter of Castle Proserpina which, even belonging to Elizabeth, didn't crumble after her defeat, but only after Dracula's.
The Replica Castle in DoS crumble's only after Menace is defeated. Even though this Castle didn't belong to the Menace, it belonged to Celia's cult who's leader was presumed to be Celia.
In the non-canon endings of SOTN the castle still crumbles when Richter was technically its Lord. In the Richter/ Maria non-canon ending that title goes to Shaft. In the canon ending Dracula's revival (incomplete) happens and the castle crumbles after him. Although the 2 former endings are not canon, this is alluding to transference of ownership. In the canon events Richter realises he was under Shaft's influence after Alucard shattered the orb, the transference of ownership as the castle's lord eventually goes to incomplete Dracula.
In Joachim's ending upon defeating Walter he takes the throne and Walter's Castle doesn't crumble. For this ending to work Joachim would have had to destroy the ebony stone, Walter was nearly invulnerable with it.
Although its fairly obvious that Dracula's Castle crumbles in response to losing contact with its master, I don't think the same rule applies to all castles we see crumbling.
Or it's transference of ownership to the higher power. Prosperina only crumbles after Dracula dies, why? Bartley serves Dracula.
In COTM castle Karnstein (also a brick and mortar castle) only crumbles upon Dracula's defeat, why? Carmilla serves Dracula.
Similarly in POR the non-canon ending show Castlevania crumbling if the sisters are defeated. However in the canon ending it crumbles after Dracula is defeated.
I'd posit the following new hypothesis for Walter's Castle: It doesn't work by ownership, but by the time of the day. It merely crumbled because dawn drew near and the power of the night previously held by Walter was gone by the time Leon defeated Death. No night left, castle crumbles.
I don't agree, because when Mathias "fled" he mentioned day break was coming.
Sequence of events:
- Mathias stayed long enough to try and convince Leon that he should join him
- Leon says no
- Mathias flees due to daybreak leaving Leon for Death
- Death is shocked at his loss
- Leon gives speech
- Castle crumbles
The Castle only starts crumbling directly after Death's defeat. Otherwise it would've already started falling apart when Mathias left.
In the Joachim ending he defeats Walter and becomes the Castle's Lord. In the canon version of events Leon shatters the ebony stone, defeats Walter and Mathias (via Death using the Crimson Stone) absorbs Walter's soul, thereby transferring the Lordship of the castle to Mathias. When Mathias flees and commands Death to kill Leon, ownership of the Castle temporarily was left with Death. If Death had won the castle would not have crumbled.
This does work with ownership too: Walter never ceased to be the castle's owner, but was merely unable to keep it up, for obvious reasons. The castle was kept up after his death simply because the night had still not ended.
But "night" itself holding the castle in place is never mentioned. A Castle on a forest called eternal night is mentioned but there's nothing to suggest night itself is holdings brick and mortar castle together.
Beyond that, the manual for The Adventure says that Dracula had "built a dark castle at the outskirts of Transylvania" to conduct rituals on it every night. If HE built it, and if the castle is a symbol of his magic, then there is no way the castle was Walter's or anyone else's. It has always been Dracula's. If it was magical from the get go is debatable, but the castle was certainly built by Dracula.
I may regret this but why oh why is a Castle mentioned in CV Adventure relevant to LOI's context? I guess LOI left the part out where Mathias had the deed to Walter's castle.