A demon. If the Arbatross of before was a black wind, the Arbatross of now was like a demon.
　The power, speed, and mass were all different from before.

　With a quick decision, he sidestepped and avoided the huge body of Arbatos. Albatos, who was jumping at me, ran headfirst into a nearby closed store, and that was enough to cause the house to collapse like a block of wood or something.

　Even though it was night, it was not without people. I could hear the screams of people who were unlucky enough to be passing by, and people who were staying at the same inn as mine. But Albatross didn't seem to care about causing a scene.

　He flicked away the debris and stared straight at me.

　This is ...... bad. Do vampires really have this kind of monster under their control?

　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few. The huge body leaps high without making a single sound.
　The moon hides behind its black body, momentarily casting a shadow around it.

　You can't--you can't take it. The monster falls. I kick the ground hard to avoid it.
　Its claws shatter the unpaved earth, and its jaws extend toward me without pause. Not just an arm or two, but a huge jaw that looks like it could bite my body in half. I stepped back and rushed to avoid it.

　Your body is burning hot. As I step back, I try to kick it in the jaw, but it doesn't move a muscle. Its eyes are still filled with hatred for me.

　Oh, what an abominable thing ...... is a curse.

　For a moment, I shelved the fact that I was cursed and took pity on myself. But I must defeat it at all costs.

　How can I fight off the monster in front of me?

　Wait for Senri?　When will he come back?　............ No, Senri and this monster shouldn't face each other.
　I know she's strong, but the monster in front of her - the werewolf - probably isn't undead and doesn't have a weakness for positive energy.

　This thing is my enemy. It's trying to kill me. I have to do something.

　Crushing the ground, Arbatos advances. Dirt pops and splatters on his slammed paw. I desperately stepped back, but the movement was too fast even for a vampire like me.
　I avoided several blows, but the tip of a claw on one of my arms, which had been swept aside, finally caught my body. At that moment, there was a rush of shock, as if my whole body was being torn apart.
　My consciousness went dark. When I came to, I was lying on the first floor of a house.

　There was a huge hole in the wall. Apparently, I've broken through some walls. The bones that had almost fallen apart were coming back together, and the trunk that had almost been torn to pieces was being repaired in the blink of an eye. If I were a human, I might have died a hundred times.
　Fortunately, the loss of consciousness would have been instantaneous.

　But this is impossible. We need weapons. But I can't carry a silver weapon, which they're not very good at.

　All I could think of was the light eater I'd given away in the inn room. Would that machete be able to cut through the strong fur, flesh, and bones of the current Arbatos?

　No. You can only bet on ....... I don't think there's a better weapon conveniently lying around.

　The thought was fleeting.
　The house, the wall, was destroyed like a piece of paper, and Arbatos was coming. He throws himself to the side to avoid it.
　The clawed blow was averted. But then, Arbatos's tail, swinging wide, struck me immediately.

　Covered with bristly hair and filled with tremendous power, it was a deadly weapon itself.
　His abdomen was gouged out, and his body spun and broke through the wall. The dull pain made my vision flicker.

　The pain itself is not that great. But I'm thirsty. The blood is starting to run out because of the massive regeneration over and over again. If I run out completely, my regeneration will stop working like it did when Nevilla and the others tortured me.

　I need to replenish. I'll need to replenish... I think, holding my dizzy head.
　You're in a town. Most people would have fled the sudden disaster, but there's no shortage of food.
　Albatross is after me. If I get a little blood and get out--

　The struggle was brief.
　No. ...... I've promised Senri that I won't suck blood from anyone but her, and a little blood won't give me the strength to fight the monster in front of me.

　I can't afford to be sucking blood in the first place.

　Once again, he destroys the obstacle by force, and Albatross comes at him from directly above. It's not fair that he doesn't have as many weaknesses as a vampire.
　I don't even have time to go for my machete. It's like a storm.

　It's flinging me around like I'm nothing, but it doesn't seem to be losing sight of me. Maybe it knows where I am by smell?

　I have to run. Somehow, I have to get away and regain my ...... composure.



　Paws coming down from above. A huge dark-colored body falling down. I made up my mind in an instant and stepped forward instead of sideways.

　The ceiling falls. My vision closes in on blackness. I lowered myself and slid desperately in. You are horrified by the sound of destruction coming from behind you.

　Somehow, I managed to get underneath Arbatos without falling flat.
　You've bought yourself a moment of time. Before Arbatos can turn around, you kill your footsteps and return the way you came.

　He's faster than you. Even if you just run away, they can easily catch up.

　But Albatross has hurt me too much. He slashed me in the gut so many times my blood is everywhere.
　If he's following me by smell, I might be able to blend in. With so much debris, there is no shortage of places to hide.

　It was all I could do to go back a few houses. My keen hearing picked up the exact sound of Arbatross flipping, forcing the house to collapse.

　Specially, I find a room that is splattered with my blood, and combined with the destruction, it looks like a gruesome murder scene. It's a mess, but I might be able to hide in here.
　Claws outstretched, he rips out his arm and splatters blood. It's a small price to pay for losing a little blood now if you can get past Albatross.
　Spraying the room with fresh blood, I duck for breath and lie down behind a large, broken table near the blood trail. Careful not to make a sound.

　The sound of Albatross' footsteps approaching. It seems that his body is too big to act indoors without making a sound.
　The sound of his footsteps was slow, unlike the rush he had just made.

　Apparently, as I had imagined, it was the smell that she was detecting. If I may add, the sound as well.
　If I'm moving, it's easy for her to chase me, but if I stay low and make no noise, no beast will be able to find me easily.

　I waited for the sound of footsteps to approach, intending to become one with the table. As I step on the rubble, a large presence approaches. And then it stops in the room I'm hiding in.
　The breath of the beast. The sound of scenting. The rubble rolls close, and the faint beating of my heart almost stops completely.

　It didn't hurt, but my head felt dizzy. I need more blood .......
　As if he felt something, Arbatross did not leave the room. He could hear the sound of half-destroyed furniture being rolled away. Maybe the ...... new blood is making him feel uncomfortable. Or maybe your plan to cover up the smell backfired.

　If they find you, you're dead. My skull could easily be crushed by a paw strike from above.
　Forget it. Forget about fighting back now, just think about hiding.

　Just cower like a little animal. Staying still and feeling the presence of death reminds me of when I was sick in bed.

　I hide myself as if I were one of the rubble. That's when I noticed that my arm - the color of my skin was changing.




§ § § §




　That's strange. I lost him.

　The beast that used to be Arbatos squinted and followed the smell. It was definitely right in front of him a moment ago. A few more minutes and I could have torn it apart.
　But he'd lost it. Arbatross's sensory system is quite acute. His sense of smell is particularly good, but his sight and hearing are also exceptional. It's impossible to lose him on any given night.

　There is no doubt that he is close by. I'm not giving her time to run far.

　The blood and flesh of subordinate vampires was strewn all around. Smelling the pale blood characteristic of the undead, he searched for his target. A spark of irritation smoldered in the corner of his mind.
　While violently destroying the rubble, he searched for vampires that might be hiding.

　A full moon shines in the sky. The full moon gives power to the vampires, but it also gives power to Arbatos.

　There was an overwhelming difference in strength. He wasn't a vampire. It's a chrysalis, a lower form of vampire.
　They don't have most of the powerful special abilities of vampires. There was no way she could lose.

　In the midst of my heightened emotions, what little reason I have left reminds me of a scene from the past.

　A peace unexpectedly broken. The King of the Dead, who attacked me arrogantly, mercilessly, and overwhelmingly.
　The most horrible feeling of having been forcibly transformed by the sensation of something precious being drained away by bloodsucking.

　It was just a coincidence that Arbatos was chosen as the first victim of this ability. And fortunate, I should say.


　The special ability that was forcibly added was incomplete. The being that was supposed to rule over Arbatos disappeared in reaction to the use of his incomplete ability, and all that was left was an unbreakable curse and a desire to kill vampires.

　Wildness is eating away at reason. But even so, he must take revenge on the vampire who took everything from him.
　This time, Arbatross will take everything and strike fear into him. Arbatos had already learned the pale scent of vampires that even beasts cannot chase.

　Arbatos is not just a dog. He's a hound that hunts down and kills vampires.

　Not for anyone else. He doesn't need gratitude, pity, or even meaning. Arbatos just let his instincts take over and roared into the moonlit night.
　The shudder and sound of the air bounced off the debris. Catching the returning shiver of air, he grasped the general situation around him.


　And then, Arbatos saw a house. He found it standing on its roof.


　A man whose entire body is stained black and whose presence is extremely rare.
　No smell, no sound, blending into the darkness. Even Arbatross would have trouble spotting him if he stood still.

　So that's the power of the ...... "Dark Stalker". Arbatos pulls out the knowledge that lies deep within.

　This vulnerable undead, a pre-mutant of the vampire, has one thing in common with the vampire: it can hide.
　It is a trait of the ancestors, those who have risen through mutation, that they possess pre-mutation abilities. This is distinctly different from those who were bitten by vampires and became their companions.

　In the hand of this man, the Lesser Vampire known as End, was a large black machete.
　The clothes he wears are like rags, having been attacked by Arbatos many times. However, there is no anger in his expression, and his eyes are quietly looking down at Arbatos.

　You're wasting your time. The Dark Stalker's ability to cast a shadow is not something that can be used for a long time.

　Do you really think you can defeat this Arbatos with just a single weapon? If you abandoned the front line, you would have had a little more time to live--.

　That's nothing more than a stick to the current Arbatos. I'm going to beat him to death and then eat him.

　With pure killing intent, Arbatos roars. Swinging his machete, the vampire comes at him.

　And the final battle has begun.