I can feel the rugged ground all over me. You can feel the cold temperature. I fell on my face, my body shaking slightly.
　My head was a mess. I struggled to keep my composure amidst the black emotions that churned through my brain like a muddy stream.

"d*mn it, what's the matter? You're done, vampire.

　I lay there like a dead man, unable to move.

　It's not that I don't have strength in my body. I still have my strength. I'm just physically missing a body.

　I'm not defeated yet. I can survive this.
　I muster up the courage to face my downfall. Find a way to win.

　Poison doesn't inherently work on undead flesh. Not paralyzing poisons, not hypnotic poisons, not deadly poisons that can kill a living being with a single drop. The cannibal's poison is more like a digestive fluid or acid that physically dissolves an object than a poison.

　The arm that was hit by the needle instantly lost the pain and disappeared. Perhaps its toxicity is quite strong.
　It is truly a terrifying evil. If it's powerful enough to melt a block of iron, it's useless to protect it with a helmet. It's a complete first-time kill. Would Senri have been able to handle this?

　The best way to defeat it would be to attack it from a distance. That's something I don't have.

　The pain was already out of my mind.
　If I concentrated on my eyes, I could see that the strange poison was still eating away at my flesh.

　Little by little, it was dissolving my flesh.
　So far, I've lost my body many times. Most notably the first time I lost my head, but I was used to the sensation of my body regenerating.

　The vampire's ability to regenerate is slightly exceeded by the damage caused by the poison.

　The place was silent. The cannibal's voice rang out.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

　That voice was not a rebuke. The voice was mocking all the beings who had been defeated by me.

　I ignored them and concentrated more deeply.


　Power was swirling in my body. The power I'd gained from Senri's blood.
　I thought, feeling the power. The cannibals were shouting something, but I couldn't hear them anymore.

　I've always had a vague feeling that there are probably two kinds of power vampires possess.

　There are two kinds of power that vampires have: the negative power they accumulate by killing living things, and the power they gain by sucking blood.

　The former is the power that I am based on. It is the power that has allowed me to survive even when my blood supply was depleted and I was left with nothing but my neck, and it is probably the basis of my physical abilities and survival capabilities.
　Senri once said that vampires who are consumed by the vampire urge will die by gouging out their own hearts, but it is because of this power that I still have the physical ability to gouge out my heart without drinking blood. And negative power is basically indestructible.

　And then, what is the latter power?

　The power that I acquire by sucking blood--for convenience, I'll call it blood power--is, if I'm imagining correctly, the power that allows me to exercise my abilities as a vampire.
　My power is greatly enhanced by the power of blood. The moment I suck Senri's blood, I'm able to exert enormous power, probably because my physical abilities are boosted by the blood, and I feel like I'm using my power when I use my claws, sharp fangs, or latent shadow.

　And above all - perhaps the regeneration ability is also due to the power of blood.

　My regenerative abilities were not working when I received the solar punishment. I was left with nothing but my neck until Senri gave me blood.
　That was probably because Nevilla had tortured me so much that my blood power had been depleted. No, depleting the power of blood and exposing it to the sunlight is surely the solar punishment.

　What is important here is that the power of blood, unlike negative power, is something that can probably be controlled.

"Unable to move, huh? I don't think I can help you, Mr. Rainer. I'll lead you to ...... instead.

　The ground shakes. Footsteps approaching. Now the cannibal is on his guard.
　The only reason I didn't move like a corpse was to buy some time.

　Now that my body was missing, I could feel the power of the blood coursing through my body concentrating on the wound.
　The movement of the power, which was normally difficult to see because the wound heals in an instant, is now apparent because the healing power and the damage from the poison are now competing (or rather, losing).

　Perhaps the cannibals are approaching because I haven't disappeared yet. Normally, if I am poisoned, I should dissolve into a sludge in a short time, but I haven't yet.

　There was a very slight scent of fear mixed in with the strong animal smell of the cannibal. He was proud of his prowess, but inwardly he was terrified.

　It was then that I suddenly realized.

　The Cannibal is probably just as cowardly as I am.
　That's why he attacked by surprise. That's why he's telling everyone about his power. That's why, after overwhelming me so much, it's afraid of retaliation and wants to finish me off.

　I feel a strong sympathy for you. But I can't let you do that.

　I already knew how to control the power. I've been using it subconsciously.
　I just need to use it a little more consciously. There's no reason to fail.


　As with the use of the "claws" and the "shadow", he concentrated the power of the blood throughout his body on the wound.

　A chill passed through my body. Perhaps it was the result of the power that normally filled my body being diluted.
　But instead, the wound shivers hotly.


　I held my arm and stood up.


　This is the way vampires fight that Senri couldn't teach me.


　My molten flesh was already fully healed. The large holes that had appeared earlier, and the limbs and jaw that had been completely lost, had returned as if the damage they had sustained earlier had been a lie.
　The regenerative ability strengthened by the power of the blood had swallowed up and completely surpassed the erosion of the poison.


　The surrounding area, which had been quiet, began to rustle. The cannibals' footsteps cease.
　The sky is dark. The moon is not up. The power of the blood had been greatly diminished by the effort of regeneration, but there was no fear.
　I felt a chill. But an even stronger desire to kill swirled through my brain.

　Oh, I feel like crap. Staring down a cannibal.
　Kill it. I'll kill this beast that threatens my survival while maintaining my composure.

"d*mn it. ...... Oh, ...... the load is not out yet. ...... 'Cannibal'.

"......

　Oh, those eyes--those fiery red eyes--they're just like mine.
　The cannibal steps back without saying a word. Its tail flexes like a big whip.

　Yes, it will.
　If the man I'd killed, the one who'd melted my limbs and the lower half of my face, suddenly stood up, I wouldn't step forward, even if there was a good chance I could kill him with a follow-up shot. Even if I were in the position of the cannibal, I would.

　In contrast, what I did was not to attack, but to activate my claws.

I can't ...... believe anything I've seen.

　I don't believe in steel swords, I don't believe in magic cloaks, I don't believe in anything. Some of the spectators around me were carrying weapons, but I didn't feel like borrowing them.
　The only thing I can trust is my own body.

　The power was poured into me, and my claws grew and sharpened like knives. As usual, when they had grown about ten centimeters, I poured more power into them.

　When I mutated into a ghoul, I tested this power.
　The length I could extend was limited to ten centimeters. The Undead Book also says that ghouls have the ability to extend their claws like a knife.
　But I'm not a werewolf now. I am a vampire, albeit a lesser one. The power I can use is nothing compared to what I had back then.

　I felt as if I had hit a wall, but I ignored it and concentrated my power.

　I heard the sound of something snapping.

　My arm made a creaking sound. There was no pain. There was an itchy sensation.
　The line between my fingers disappeared and the skin grew white and hard and sharp. The cannibal contorts its hideous face and steps back.

　A few seconds later, my right arm had turned into a sword. No, it's more like a spear than a sword.
　It's about a meter long. The white, hardened object is far more vicious than it was when it was a claw. I wonder if it is a ...... bone.

　I'm satisfied. It's a vampire bone, it must be much harder than a steel sword.
　It took a lot of strength, but it was a good first shot.

　The cannibal roars. Numerous poisonous needles flew from its tail as it swung toward me. I cut them off with the sword in my right hand that I had just made.
　A hard sound is heard, and the needles are flicked off and stick into the ground. The newly acquired sword has not a scratch on it.
　Is it a type of poisonous needle that doesn't inject poison unless it is pierced, or has it overcome its power by outstripping the erosion of the poison? I'm a little curious, but I'll leave it at that for now.

　I'm not a narcissist, but I still think my body's great.

"Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. This is it. This long, you can bust that cute little tail. It's a little inconvenient now that I've lost my fingers.

　Well, you can go back to being a dog, so I'm sure you can. Worst case scenario, you can cut off your arm.