"You...

　The demise knight, Del Gordon's sword was different from Senri's in that it was classified as a rigid sword. The blow sliced through space and tore through the demon's armor with a roaring sound.
　His body was filled with the power of blessing, and every muscle in his body was pulsating violently. His movements were like a storm, and he quickly cut down the three subhuman warriors he had encountered in the treasury.

　Dell held the wide sword he had taken from the treasury, ready to strike. Needless to say, I was one of the targets of his vigilance.
　I watched him fight like a demon and thought.

　--That's not much.

　Strong. Sure, it's strong. I'm sure he can beat most of the Liners, and I'm sure I could beat him in a one-on-one match.
　But he's too weak for the role I had in mind.

　I'm sure that, apart from chemistry, Dell's abilities are below mine. It's been a long time since my chase with Senri at the water's edge. My strength now is nothing compared to what it was then.
　If we were to have a one-on-one contest, I would probably win over the blessed Dell. The current me could cut down a subhuman in an instant just like Dell, and I wouldn't let him utter a single word.

　I wasn't expecting that much, but I don't think I'd be able to compete with Lynel. All I wanted to do was distract him, but I doubt I could do that to my satisfaction.
　That beast is an absolute powerhouse. An overwhelming force that can't be trifled with, it's probably no match for Senri either. Even if you use explosives or something to bring down the castle, the demon lord won't die.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you.
　...... Well, that's a last resort. If possible, I'd like to end this before Senri gets here.

　Dell is very motivated, but he doesn't intend to take on the entire Demon Lord army.
　He hasn't found out about my betrayal yet. I'll leave the other prisoners alone for now and get out of the treasury before Dell does and look around.

　The camp was much noisier than usual. There was black smoke rising from the mountains. A voice that was clearly not human came to my ears.

"Intruders--don't let them get away!

　I suppressed the instinct that whispered to me to fight. The subhuman warriors, the senior warriors in Rainer's army, hurried past me. I watched them go by with a blank expression on my face. Some of them widened their eyes at the sight of me, but none of them came at me, as if they had been watching the battle with the cannibals.

　The battle had happened only two days ago. It's not a full moon yet, but I don't think the Demon Lord Rainer would have expected me to act so quickly.
　It's a race against time from here on out. I don't know the structure of Ryner's castle. Monica told me about the structure, but I don't have a map.

　Fortunately, the castle is close to the treasury.
　The Demon Lord Rynell is the strongest in this army. He's not like the human king. The castle would not be heavily guarded, and the few guards would have gone to the fire.

　He made sure that no one was paying attention to him and ran toward the castle. Dell, who was hiding behind a thick robe, followed.

I didn't think you'd be so inept. ......

"There's no point in playing games with it.

　I'm not sure I'd be able to do that if I were in your shoes," he said, his voice filled with dismay. If I were in the same position, I would think the same thing.

　But while I can't say that this rebellion isn't filled with emotion, it's also a well thought out action.
　I thought about cutting down the small fry from the inside little by little, but in the end it would be meaningless if we couldn't defeat Ryner, and I don't have the time.

"Ryner is going to make a raid near Romburg. We need to hit him before he gets ready.

"............ Why would a vampire defend a human city?　Lonburg is your enemy.

I have a situation. Just like you ...... have a situation.

　Dell doesn't know I have a Knight of the End. I'm not gonna tell him.
　This case is complicated. I'm acting out of my own emotions, for Senri's sake, and for the sake of the merchants who gave me sweet treats.

　I can assure you that the city is not within my range of protection, and I have no intention of risking my life.

　But I never thought that I, as an undead, would be fighting with other demise knights besides Senri.
　The demise knight is watching my movements even as I'm doing this.

"I've saved you, you'll have to work for it. Don't betray me in the middle of a battle.

I never said I wanted ...... help!

　It looks like we're not going to get along.

　Rainer's castle was made of smooth stone. I wonder if it was made by magic. ...... Enter through the wide open doorway without a gatekeeper. The dell continues to creep.
　It smells like a beast. Once you smell it, you'll never forget it, the smell of the Witch King, Lynel. The smell came from far above. No-- wait.

　There's a faint whiff of Senri mixed in with the nose-distorting smell of Lynel's army. Behind us, at the foot of the mountain. It's still far away, but apparently it's heading this way.


　I wondered if they were coming for me. ...... Now I had another reason to hurry.

　At that moment, I heard a familiar voice from deep within the castle.

"End ...... why are you in the castle?

"............Celzard.

　The one who appeared in front of me was Celzard, the lizard warrior who had dealt me a painful blow on my first day. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.
　I clucked my tongue in an unprovoked manner.

　Selzard and his men were fully armed.
　They wore long spears and armor that was probably tailored for their bodies, and they were giving me a stern look (although I couldn't understand the feelings of the lizardmen).
　The other day, I put a big hole in its torso, but it's still alive and kicking.

　Can you kill it?　But the reason I was able to so easily blow a hole in Celzard was because I had a chance. There are too many of them this time, if not in quality. He looked at Dell, who was hiding in the background.
　He hesitates for a moment, and then says with as little emotion in his voice as possible.

There's an intruder in the camp. If you want the credit, Selzar, you'd better go.

Oh, I knew there would be a commotion.

　Celzard didn't react much to my words.
　His nostrils twitched and his eyes rolled. Does the skalizard have a good sense of smell?

It smells like spellfire. Looks like a rather nasty intruder.

"Then go. If you're a loyal ...... servant of Master Linel, you should go.

　The first time I encountered Celzar was outside. He's probably not usually in the castle.
　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm standing in your way ...... at a time like this," he said, glancing at his men.

"Yesterday's battle was-- well done.

Thank you. The cannibals were even stronger than they were said to be. It's just a coincidence that I won.

"If Master Rainer hadn't stopped you, you would have killed the cannibal.

"...... No, not at all. I was going to stop him just in time. Killing is strictly forbidden, even vampires follow rules.

　Get away from me. This is no time for small talk.
　Celzar's eyes were calm, unlike the first time I'd seen him. He's looking at me calmly.

　I can smell it. It's not the smell of fear. There's no feeling of fear. There's-- there's the smell of excitement.
　Celzar hands the trident to his men and pulls the sword from his waist.

　That's when I finally understood the situation correctly.

　Celzar isn't listening to a word I'm saying. He's not going to listen. But he knows exactly why I'm here.

　The skalengeck warrior, who is said to be one of the best fighters in the army of this demon lord, pulled out not a sword, to be exact.
　It was a silvery white sword. A sword made of holy silver - Del Gordon's main weapon that was not found in the treasury.

　The tip of the blade that purges the darkness is pointing at me.
　His men all raised their spears and swords at the same time. Celzard sticks out his tongue and says in a grating voice.

You're too late, End Baron. Wait, ...... there you are.

"How did you know I was at ............?

　How could they know? Monica was being watched by Oliver, and although we took a few detours, we came here almost without pause.
　In the first place, Selzard and I have only had one conversation. As I brace myself, Selzard says to me.

"The cold rage you've been harboring will not go away ...... without revenge.

I'm not sure what to make of that. ............

　I'm not sure if I was that easy to understand that a person whose body is mostly lizard would be able to read my actions,....... I'm sure it was easy to understand. ...... It was also equipped with cannibals.
　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

"Nothing against you, Celzar. I've pierced your heart, and I've pierced your body. Let's call it even.

"............

　Celzar doesn't respond. I put all my blood into my right arm.
　My arm made a creaking sound and turned into a white blade. Dell gasps as he sees my power for the first time.

　The blade made of holy silver or ...... "claw" is a part of my body, but is it safe to shoot each other? Unfortunately, for some reason, I don't have any other weapons with me.

If you want to live, get out of my way. I don't want to kill you like the Night King did to your hometown.

　I want to save you some wear and tear. I don't need a holy silver sword. I'd be better off without it, since it won't work against Rynell anyway, and Dell might try to kill me now that he has a real weapon.


　There was no bitterness in Celzar's expression. But there was no hesitation in his answer to my advice to surrender.

There is no retreat for a lizardman warrior.

"......, you have a family too.

"For our king!　For the King!

　Celzar roars, and his army spreads out in a circle. There was a determination in his eyes, a conviction.
　It's too much trouble. The only thing that matters now is time, and we don't have time to fight here when we're inferior to Linel.

　I'm reasonably strong. The physically inferior Selzard won't be easily defeated by a weapon made of holy silver.
　At least, it's easy enough to annihilate Selzar's men. I like him better than the Cannibal because he doesn't do anything cowardly, but I wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he stood in front of me.

You may be dead, but your men are dead in the water. You should at least let your friends go.

　Just as he was about to say that, Celzar's men came at him from all sides. That's a lot of energy.
　There was not a trace of the fear he had shown when he had overwhelmed Celzard on the first day. It's hard for me, who has a reputation for bad timing, to understand how they can jump into a fight with no chance of winning, without fear of death.

　So this is a warrior.

　The blow was sharp and the lizard man's physical abilities far surpassed those of humans. I avoided the slashes and thrusts that came from all sides by stepping backwards.
　If I took them seriously, I would be easily blown away. There were so many of them - it was like a wall. There are also several shield-bearers. A melee would have been nice, but Celzar, who had a sword that could deal me a mortal wound, was a problem.

　Sacred silver does a lot of damage to demons. The weapon could probably cut off my super-hard claws with ease. Just when I thought I had a good weapon, I find a weakness.

"Go ahead, Dell. I'll take care of this!

What?

　"What?" He flicked the blade with his claws. The blow is heavy, but not as heavy as a vampire's. The wound will heal quickly. Only Celzar to watch out for.
　But this pack is a problem for Dell. He won't be able to take them on alone. And even if he could, he'd be wounded.

　When Monica had first told me about Del, she had said that he had killed thirty elites, but I don't think he had taken on all of them at the same time. And a single cut can be fatal to a human.

　He lightly repelled the attack and stepped back, shouting.

"All they want is me!　You can get through this alone. There's no time!　I'll finish them off and get after them!

　Celzar was looking only at me.
　I'm sure Selzar won't follow Dell when he runs. He thinks that the demon knight alone is no match for Lynel.
　And he's going to kill me at all costs. Did I show you anything that would make you think that in the fight against the cannibals?


"If we don't hurry, help may be on the way. I can't go on a rampage if I've got people on my side!　Stay ahead of me, please!

"......

　I grit my teeth for a moment, but then Dell runs off. He runs behind the lizards that surround me.
　As expected, Celzar didn't even show any sign of following. I'm not sure if you've seen this before.

"Did I do something to make you hate me so much?

"No. This is respect. You're strong. That's why I'm going to do everything I can to destroy you.

　Why is it that the undead are so full of enemies? I clicked my tongue and went on the offensive.
　I turn my left hand into a blade and charge forward with all my might. The spear, the blade, and the shield pierce through the lizard man guarding the left side. The blade hits you from all sides, but it doesn't matter. The skalengeck is like a piece of paper.

　The lizard is like a piece of paper. I've never fought with a sword before, but I guess it's not that different from a sword. I retreated and avoided a beautiful arcing slash, kicked the lizard next to me, and grabbed my spear with my left hand, which had returned to my fingers.
　As I suspected, the skalengecks didn't use garlic bombs or crosses. The skalengecks in front of me were noble, but in terms of warriors, they were inferior to Kainushi.

　They took slashes with their spears. But as expected, the quality of their weapons was far inferior to ours. If we are not careful, the handle will be cut off.
　Celzard shouts. His voice is filled with a woven spirit.



What's the matter?　Are you afraid of death?　Your friends have gone before you!

　Are you afraid of death?

Of course it's scary.

　But I let my friends go first, that was the plan.

　Even if Celzar didn't show up, I was going to give him a reason to go ahead.
　Because I don't know the power of the Demon Lord Rainer. I know he's powerful, but I've heard stories about him, but I haven't experienced how powerful he is.

　I'm not going to die in vain. The touchstone was necessary.
　If Del Gordon, a warrior of many years, is killed in the blink of an eye, then I will flee gracefully. It was too early to take on Lynell.

　Then I'll change my mind. I can't keep doing what I'm told.
　He catches the silver blade with his newly acquired sword and smiles at Celzar.

But I'm dumbfounded. I never thought I'd see a warrior willing to fight to the death.

"......

　Celzard says nothing. But his agitation was palpable through the blade.

　I saw it at a glance. A lot of men. A large number of shield-bearers. Silver swords.

　At first glance, it looked like they were coming at him with their maximum strength, but it wasn't a victory-oriented formation.
　What is needed in the war against vampires is the elite. A small army without silver weapons is not a big obstacle for me.

　It buys time. Celzar is using his life to buy time. The fact that Celzar didn't attack until I went on the offensive is proof of that.
　I don't know what the definition of a warrior is, but to stand there without the will to win and the will to survive is insane, to say the least.

Are you waiting for reinforcements?　Who are you waiting for?　Monica?　Oliver?　Or the demon champion?

　More and more wounds. Shields break, spears snap. Blood splatters, many warriors fall. But my body is completely unharmed.
　My brain and body are hot. The flames of the fighting instinct smoldering in my brain, coursing through my body, driving me wild.
　I open my eyes and look up at Celzar. My fangs tingle strongly. I screamed, following my impulse.



"No, ......, Celzar. What you're waiting for, what you're calling out to, is the Cannibal. The cowardly beast that inflicted my only serious injury.



　Celzar doesn't answer. But silence is like an answer.

　Oh, sure, that beast could kill me.
　Because Hebram is smart. He's smart enough to analyze his losses and figure out what to do about them, and cowardly enough to do it immediately. The beast was much like me, so he would have sensed my desire to kill him.

　Celzard's choice was very right. It's not easy to ask for help from someone you hated before.

　The only mistake he made was...



"Hevraam won't be coming to ....... I already killed him.


　If you're going to kill someone, you have to do it before they do it.

　I'm a coward and I'm not going to leave that strong, smart, cowardly, cunning, terrible beast alone.
　Of course I'll kill it first.

　Swords and blades clash. The unblessed blade pierces my body from all sides.
　Celzard's face, which until then had been unresponsive to words, twisted for the first time.



　I blew a small breath into the protruding jaw characteristic of the lizard man.



　A small black powder of fire mixed with the breath scorched its scales.
　Selzard's eyes widened in shock. It was all Selzard could do.

　The black powder wouldn't go away. The flames spread magically, enveloping Celzard's head and then his entire body, burning like a black torch.