The war situation in Lomburg was getting tighter.

　A week. That's how long Senri spent waiting for End and gathering information in Lonburg.

　End's blood-sucking urge was said to reach its limit in ten days. It's possible that a young man with such strong mental strength could hold back his urges longer than Senri thinks, but he's been very relaxed lately, and I've told him that if he pushes himself too hard, his instincts could overwhelm him.
　The power of the Night Crystal, obtained from Kainushi, has suppressed the dissipation of End's negative power. Even with the power of Senri, a former second-class knight, it is not easy to track him down.
　But on the other hand, End should be able to track Senri's location. End has a sense of smell that he took from Arbatos.

　Senri chose to stay put for a while, waiting for End to come back. The city of Rhomburg was heavily guarded, but there were many ways to let Senri know where he was without entering the city. If End was nearby, there would be some action.

　But in the end, there was no sign of End's return. Senri's face was also clouded by the poor state of the war in Lonburg.

　There are several types of Demon Lords, but the Demon Lord Rynell is the most popular one with a physical strength beyond human. His subordinates also consist of a wide variety of magical beasts and subhumans with high physical abilities.
　This type of Demon Lord is simply strong. His sharply developed claws can easily tear through steel armor, and his massive body can collapse solid outer walls. His thick skin sometimes repels even siege weapons, and his stamina is unmatched by humans.

　The fortress city of Lonburg, which had long boasted an iron wall, was now falling due to repeated onslaughts. The city is still holding on, but its massive walls are losing their durability due to repeated attacks, and the number of people participating in the defense is decreasing day by day due to fatigue and injuries. The number of people participating in the defense is decreasing day by day due to fatigue and injuries. We are not even able to make a move to shoot the enemy's base.
　I don't know if it will be months or years from now, but if the attacks continue at this rate, this city will fall in the near future.

　It was fortunate that we were able to defeat Oliver in the end. If the supply lines had been cut off and Romburg had been unable to receive support, its lifespan would have been greatly diminished.

　But it was also difficult to intervene.
　As long as he was running away with End, he had to avoid being conspicuous, but in the first place, the Knights of the End had one rule.

　The Knights of the End must not intervene in battles against ordinary demon lords or in wars between humans.

　The enemies of the Knights of the End are the undead and the mages of the dead. Eliminating them is the mission of the Order, and fighting other demon lords is basically outside the mission.

　It is a sad story, but it is the result of a logical decision.
　Intervention in wars between humans is out of the question, but if we leave the demon lords alone, the number of undead will increase endlessly, and there are many kinds of undead who have the power to increase their number of friends. There are only a few Knights of the End, and very few of them have the ability to control blessings.

　And most of all - fighting demon lords who are not undead is an obstacle for demise knights.

　The demon knights could overwhelm the undead because of their affinity and knowledge. The demise knight has a huge amount of blessings and can control them to achieve extraordinary abilities, but the blessings are limited and do not work well against living creatures.
　They are still much stronger than the average mercenary, but they are not a force that can single-handedly overwhelm a truly inhuman opponent. Even the uncommonly powerful and far-reaching "Soul Release" of Senri's master, Epe of Annihilation, could not harm a living creature.

　In the past, when it was not yet forbidden to intervene in the war against the Demon Lord, many Knights of the End threw themselves into the battle and sacrificed a great deal.
　Because of that, we were late in dealing with a number of powerful death mages. I've heard that at one point, the Order itself was in danger of being destroyed.

　The first thing Senri and the other Knights of the End are taught is.
　Do not intervene. No matter how tragic it may be. It's too reckless for just a few to stand up against an army of many Demon Lords.

　The only exception is if the Demon Lord's army includes powerful undead.
　Undead are the enemies of the Demon Knight. In that case, you must risk your life and mobilize several first-class knights to destroy it. But that's not the case with the Demon Lord Rynell.

　The current Senri is halfway out of the Order of the End, so he is not bound by its rules, but he knows what he can and cannot do. No matter how much of a second-class knight he is, Senri is the only one. There is no way she can destroy the Demon Lord's army.

　During his stay, Senri gathered information here and there, and at least helped the wounded soldiers to recover.

　The base of the Demon Lord Rainer's army was already known.
　It was said that they were not hiding, but had set up camp in the middle of the mountain with a good view. That's where the Demon Lord Rainer is. And there's a good chance that End, who disappeared with Oliver, is there too.

　The undead are divided into two categories among the Demon Lords. Either they are abhorred or they are bought for their power. With a werewolf already under his command, perhaps the Mad King Rynell will try to incorporate the End.

　I was going to wait. But if there's been no action so far, there's a good chance something has happened.

　I was worried. This was the first time we'd been apart this long since we'd started working together.
　End must be feeling uneasy. End is a powerful undead, but his spirit is human.

　I've already made preparations for our journey. His blessings are full and he is not tired.

　Senri made up his mind. Let's go to the Demon Lord's base. Not to defeat the Demon Lord Lynel, but to pick up End.
　It was dangerous, but Senri could fly. It should be easy enough to escape.

　Making up her mind, Senri left the fortress city of Rhomburg with her trunk in hand.


§ § § §


　The spoils of war from Rainer's army were plentiful in both quality and quantity.
　Apparently, they had raided a lot of human cities. There were no valuable items left in the warehouse, as if they had already been distributed to someone else, but there were some magical weapons and armor that had been abandoned due to their size.
　I chose a cloak of deep indigo. Cloaks used by travelers tend to be of a subdued color. At first glance, this cloak is indistinguishable from an ordinary cloak, but it repels water, keeps you warm, and apparently has the power to hide your presence a little. I also like its cool design. You have to be careful not to tear it when you turn into a dog.


　I also borrowed a cool golden magic knife and belt set. It seems to be enchanted to return to the belt after a certain period of time after being thrown, and has a very cool design. The reason why it was not distributed to anyone is probably because the Liners were looking for a more flashy, bigger and more powerful weapon. Maybe they have a different aesthetic sense from humans, but they really don't understand. I'll brag about it when I see Senri again.

　The decisive battle with the cannibals was imminent. Even though it was a duel, I have a high tolerance for pain, and I've been fighting a lot since I became undead, so I'm used to fighting. I'm also used to being beaten to a pulp.
　No killing this time, so it's easy. This is a good test of your skills.

　Even if I lose to the cannibals, it doesn't change the fact that I'm pretty strong in this Demon Lord army. I'll have to give up the captivity of the Demon Knight, but I'm sure Senri will forgive me if I did my best and lost.

　I'm in a good mood because I got a new item, but Monica asks me if I'm sure.

"Master End, are you sure you're okay without the blood?

I don't want to stain my mouth with blood that doesn't taste very good. I'll take it if Monica will give it to me.

Oh, I see. ......

　The prison environment has improved, but I have yet to find any blood that strongly stimulates my blood-sucking urges.
　You can find a number of girls that may shine if you polish them up, but they are not well nourished yet, and even with a better living environment, you are still trapped in enemy territory, which is stressful. In addition, because I was with Monica and the others, I seemed to be a fearsome enemy to the captives, and they became frightened when I showed up. This means that I can't suck their blood properly.

　But if I hadn't known how Senri tasted, I would have sucked their blood without being extravagant. She's a real sinner, changing the life of a naive vampire. You have to take responsibility.

　Don't worry, I'm growing up. I'm growing and I know my limits.
　I've practiced my magic so I can use it a little. I don't have the right attributes, so I can only use simple life magic such as making water, starting fires, and drying wet things, but the vampire's magic power is enormous, so I can expect some effects.

　They are not undead, they are living creatures. If it's not Epe or Arbatos, you should be able to fight more than 50-50.

　We've survived this long, after all. We just have to do what we've always done.
　As I'm thinking to myself, Oliver, in his werewolf form, reverently hands me a ruggedly large sword.

　It's a two-handed sword, much larger than mine, and it seems to have been originally made for a beastman warrior with great strength. Naturally, it is not heavy enough for a human to handle, and although I haven't measured it in detail, it probably weighs no less than a hundred kilograms.
　There is no magic on it, and at first glance it appears to be just a piece of iron. I grasped it in my right hand and slowly lifted it. I shook it gently.
　It is not light, but not heavy either. I'm not very heavy, so if I swing it around, my body might swim, but no matter how big my opponent is, if I hit him with it, he won't be safe. It's the perfect weapon for me.

So let's have a quick look at the power of this army's number two.

　Maybe Monica will give me some blood if I look good, so let's get fired up.


§§


　The number two in the Liners' army, the Cannibal, is apparently not well-liked. Maybe he's even more hated than I am for being an outsider and sticking my nose in.
　He's arrogant, violent, and gluttonous, and has been especially oppressed by the lower ranks of the army. If it weren't for his immense power, he would have been assassinated long ago, according to the demon tribe I beat. I wonder if that's why people don't call him by his name.

　The demon king, Rynell, is a man-eating demon.
　It seems that the Demon Lord Rainer doesn't eat people, and I got the impression from his story that all his frustrations went to "cannibalism".
　I'm doing something similar, but since I'm not eating people, my prison isn't empty, and I'm not doing anything pointless like torturing other lower levels, so I guess I'm better off.

　The decisive battle was not inside the treasury, but outside, in a square some distance from the base.
　A number of members had gathered around to watch the duel between the number two and the newcomer. Some of them were the ones I had beaten. Some of them are conversing with each other as if they are terrified by my appearance.

"Look, he looks ...... like a man.

"Demons. A vampire. A vampire, turned into a demon by a forbidden art--how daring to abandon one's own kind.

　Unfortunately, today's moon was far from full, and the moon was obscured by thick clouds.
　The ground was dirt. The ground was dirt, with large stones and poor footholds. The trees have been cut down to a minimum, but there are still stumps. We had to be careful. There are footprints on the ground, and the smell of blood stains the air.

　My plan is to kill it with one blow.
　I'll be careful not to kill you because killing is not allowed, but today's opponent is different from the ones I've faced in the past.

　The demons and lizards were blessed with physical abilities, but they didn't have extraordinary powers. The other challengers only changed their weapons and challenged them head on. There was no mage either. This must be the culture of those who are blessed with good physique and physical abilities.
　It was only natural that I, who was superior in all abilities due to the power of the curse, was victorious.

　One of the information I obtained beforehand was that the Cannibal was cunning. If they are second only to the Demon Lord, they must not only use force.

　Does he know about me?　Will they be wary of me?
　I'd like to think that he'll be a little careless at first, since he's been unbeatable for so long.

　He checked his body lightly and waited for his opponent to arrive.

　Suddenly, Monica, who was watching us from a distance, let out a short cry.

"Ah--



　I heard a brief sound. But I couldn't avoid it.
　I thought I was on my guard, but the blow was completely unexpected.

　The impact from above my head knocked me to the ground. And my body burst into flames.