My vision flickered. It was a wind of light that made me feel that my soul was diminutive.

　The Knights of the End claim their duties as purification.
　If this is indeed a purification, then perhaps the heat and pain that burns my soul is to cleanse me of my karma.

　I know that a second life is against the fundamental rules of this world. But I still didn't want to die.
　I don't have any particular ambition. But I had too much regret to accept my death so easily.

　It was like the wind, the waves, and the sun.
　In the flickering white of his vision, he struggled to move the limbs that were already gone, to resist the forces that were trying to put him back in his rightful place.

　I gathered the energy of death. He felt his power growing stronger and stronger.
　But that was just my imagination. If this power came from a single human being, then I was just lucky to have survived until now.

　Oh, how harsh this world is on the undead.

　Existence vanishes. My life is erased before I can recall it. Consciousness vanishes.
　The first time, I miraculously came back. The second time, Senri saved her. But there will probably never be a third time.

"--------!

　I tried to roar, but I couldn't speak. And then I simply died.




§.



　And I jumped up on my bed.

　Complete near-darkness. The window is tightly covered by the blackout curtains I brought in, and not a ray of moonlight is coming in.
　My head ached and I slowly looked around the room, holding my racing heart.

Huh, huh, huh. ...... d*mn, it's ...... that dream again. ......

　Lower level vampires don't sweat. If I could sweat, I would be drenched in a cold sweat.
　Breathing is also not necessary. The ragged breathing was like a remnant of the time when I was alive.

　If you close your eyes and concentrate, you can feel your own comatose soul. My hands, my feet, my whole body was trembling.
　But it was proof that I was alive. If it had happened while I was asleep, I would have died without being able to fear like this.



"End ............ that dream again.

"Oh, ......, but it's okay. I'm getting used to it.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it. I can see Senri in her nightgown, defenseless.

　Nearly a week has already passed since Epe's sudden attack.

　My life has changed slightly.

　First, I started to sleep at night. Secondly, Senri started to snuggle with me when I sleep.
　Of course, it was only a temporary measure, but having Senri by my side made the nightmares a little better. Besides, if that attack were to happen again, I can take the blood and endure it immediately.

　It was just my luck that I survived that wind of light.
　I was awake, and Senri was close by. Those two things saved my life.

　If I had been asleep, I would have died before I could resist. If Senri hadn't been nearby, I wouldn't have been able to suck blood and fight the cleansing as I was dying.


　According to Senri, that technique is called "Soul Release" and is one of the most basic techniques of the Demise Knights.

　It is said to be used only to kill the lowest level of undead, but it consumed my soul as a lowly vampire and almost purified it.
　This was despite the fact that there was a considerable distance between us and Epe.
　Senri ran at full speed during the day, and I ran at full speed at night. There was no way we could have caught up even if we had used a carriage.

　And that meant that the power of Epee the Annihilator was far beyond my expectations,......, and even Senri's.

　The sweet smell of blood wafting from Senri's body made me take a deep breath.
　She was dressed in a loose nightgown. Her bare neck shines lustrously, even without lights. I'm grateful that she's so considerate of me, but the urge to suck blood is a little stronger after a nightmare, so it's hard to resist.

　I can't just push you down and suck your blood after you've saved my life twice.

　Senri whispered to me, trying to calm me down.

It's okay. ............ Don't worry, End. I'm sure the master who irradiated such a wide range of power to kill End was ...... quite overwhelmed. The power of the blessing will be drained, there should be no ...... second time.

That's right. Yes, that's right. There's no ............ way. A second attack is impossible.

　I tell myself. I knew that was just a comforting thought.

　Epe--that man is my natural enemy.

　Senri is a great partner. She's fair, she's kind, she has the compassion to give herself up for others.
　And that's why Epe, deprived of Senri, is trying to kill me with a terrible force that cancels out the positive.

　It's probably true what Senri said about forcing herself. If she could handle that kind of power without any disadvantages, the undead would have disappeared from this world by now, and there hasn't been a second attack since a week ago.



　But at the same time, I don't believe that the attack will ever happen again.

　He had asked Kainushi to take care of it, but why he decided to do it himself, I don't know. It is possible that Arbatos had reported the failure, or that he had grown impatient with the lack of success reports.
　But even if it was a technique that required a great deal of blessing, ...... if it became possible again, the man would do it. As many times as it takes for Senri to come back.

　I'm afraid. I've struck a blow against him. I'm even thinking of returning Senri now. Senri is already indispensable to me, but I'm also aware that I've distorted her life.
　But even if I return her, Epe will never forgive me.

　The best I can do is to change from killing him as an enemy to cleansing him with mercy. I refuse to do either.

　There's nothing I can do against that attack at the moment. After all, I can't see the enemy.

　All I could do was run away until I was out of Epe's attack range and save my strength to mutate into a vampire as soon as possible.
　I still can't stop shaking when I think about it. I was about to become reluctant, but then I looked at Senri next to me and braced myself.

　She's trying to keep me alive. She is trying to keep me alive. I have to escape ...... at all costs.

Thank you, I'm fine, I'm calm. Senri should ...... get some more sleep. We've got to move in the morning.

No problem. ............ Is the blood okay?

I'm fine. Yeah, I'm still ...... fine.

　I need self-control. My vampiric instincts are trying to swallow me up.
　If Senri abandons me, I'll be a real monster this time.

"Yes. Good night, then. Good night, End.

　I made sure Senri laid down, and I lay down on the bed too. I frowned and bit my tongue at the delicious smell coming from so close by.
　I reached out and found Senri's hand and squeezed it. Senri shivered for a moment, but squeezed my hand back with all his strength.


　I have to travel, I have to travel. We must go where no man can reach.
　Epe's power is extraordinary. She almost died from a long range attack. If we should encounter her, that's when we'll die.

　But there was one other thing to worry about.

　He could feel the blood flowing through his arteries from Senri's slightly cool hand. I feel hot inside my head.

　It's strange. It's strange, I've sucked so much of Senri's blood.

　Vampires increase their power by sucking blood. According to Senri, my physical abilities are already comparable to a vampire's.
　In fact, my physical strength slightly surpassed that of Albatross, who was not using his full strength. This means that my negative power is quite close to that of a vampire.

　But I haven't mutated into a vampire yet.


　The Lord said I had a gift.
　Senri's blood is undoubtedly of the highest quality, and I've killed more hexenbiests than I can count.
　I shouldn't be surprised if I mutated. No, it's the other way around. You've survived this long, but you haven't yet. ...... Something is wrong.

The "Soul Release" is a powerful skill, but its effectiveness depends on the type of undead.

　To put it simply, it does not work well on those with strong bodies. It works best on undead with spirit systems, works on lower undead whose souls are bare, and is visibly less effective on vampires.

　Lower vampires are chrysalises. That's why the Soul Release, which fills in the negative power of lower vampires, is unthinkable, but it worked so well. If you become a vampire, your chances of being destroyed by that power will be reduced for now.

　You have to save your power at all costs. I have to use every means at my disposal.
　Before Epe kills me.