I wonder if anyone will ever forgive me.

　Senri still occasionally recalls that day when he was ambushed by the Soul Release.

　After managing to withstand the life-drowning light by sucking Senri's blood, End wasn't crying. He wasn't angry.
　End was supercilious. But it was clear to Senri that his attitude was one of resignation.

Even if I don't attack anyone, people will come to kill me. Even if I escape outside the realm of human control, they will follow me to the ends of the earth.

　There was nothing Senri could say. He had hit the nail on the head.
　His master seemed intent on killing the weak young man in front of him. It would be impossible to convince him. And Epee the Annihilator is not so naive as to let his prey off the hook so easily.

　Would Master think that he had killed End with the Soul Release?
　No, Epe would act as if he were still alive until he was sure of End's death. This is the reason for the name "Annihilation", because it is the utter annihilation of darkness.

I'm scared. ...... Senri. I'm afraid of being killed, but most of all I'm afraid of losing myself. If I don't, I'll become a ...... monster. I'm not strong enough to stay human when everyone hates me and keeps attacking me. And I don't want to die, even if I become a monster.

　It was an outpouring of emotion.

　Senri's eyes were blood red as a sign of his monster status, but he still retained a strong sense of sanity.
　The reasoning was astounding, considering how long it had been since his resurrection. He had overcome the urge to suck blood many times, and if he was an End, he might be able to remain human until he truly died.

　But you need room, you need allies.

　It is said that when a curse changes a person's form, the form is influenced by their true nature. Endo lamented that the white puppy that looked nothing like Arbatross when he was transformed was probably the embodiment of Endo Baron's inner self.

"Don't worry, no matter who the enemy is, I'll always be on ...... your side.

　I have to protect you. Senri once again made a strong decision.
　Even if the world becomes End's enemy, I must be his ally. Otherwise, End would be too ungrateful.

§

　This is ...... not good.
　Senri frowned as he looked up at the stronghold of the Demon Lord Rainer's army spread across the mountainside.
　I've heard of the size of the army. In the event that you've got a lot of money, you'll be able to use it for a lot of things. It's impossible for Senri alone to take on an army that's overwhelming a single city.

　The sun had already set, and only a half-chipped moon illuminated the mountains. The wind carried the strong smell of beasts. Fires were burning in the distant camp, and there was no sign of any intention to hide.
　But most troubling of all was the strong sense of darkness that I could feel even now, at a reasonable distance from the camp.

　End has masked most of the negative vibes with the power of the Night Crystal. The concealment isn't perfect, but it's strong enough that even the Demise Knight can't sense the presence from a short distance away.
　But now, from a distance, I could feel it, and it was certainly a sign of undead misery. And it was far more evil than Senri had felt in the past.

　I shouldn't have waited in the city. I should have gone for her right away.
　Regret was now growing in her heart, but there was no time for regrets.

　Senri took a small breath and unleashed the power that filled his body, transforming it into a thread.
　The Senkan Koushi. It's a technique used to probe the movements of the area by extending the senses with a thinly stretched wave of power. It is an advanced technique that can reveal the presence of the undead, as well as creatures and terrain in detail, though it cannot be used to investigate a large area due to its high power consumption.

　End's presence was found at the top of the mountain, behind a rude fort. Nearby, he could sense the presence of a beast that looked like the Demon Lord Rynell.

　There are countless signs of demons in the camp. Some of them might be flying, some of them might have a good sense of smell and hearing. It will be difficult to evade all of them and get to the castle.
　But there was no time to explore the opportunities.

　Without hesitation, Senri drew his sword from its sheath at his waist and used the power of his blessing to strengthen his physical abilities. Her body glowed with a hint of positive energy.

"Wait for me, End. I'm coming for you.




§ § § §





　Too big. It's too big.
　I already knew this when we first met, but the golden-haired lion king was an order of magnitude more majestic from up close.
　The size of the body is proportional to the strength. Indeed, the Demon Lord Rynell had a different status of existence. And this disparity could not be filled by effort.

　Didn't Dell retreat even a step in front of such a monster?
　After all this time, I realize the strength of a third-class knight. I was a fool when I thought that he was the weakest knight I had ever met. He's an enemy, but he's definitely one of the heroes.

　I am grateful to be able to fight alongside the hero I once admired on my sickbed, who has become one of my hopes. Even if it's only for a moment.

　Lynell wasn't wary of me. No, even if he had, the power of Hiding Shadows to eliminate signs, sounds, and smells is only effective against hexenbiests with keen senses.



　There were plenty of places to grab onto the giant. Grab onto its mane and stick to the back of its head. Rainer notices, but it's too late. 　
　He grabbed the mane like a wire, took a deep breath, poured the power of his blood into the "Curse Flame" and exhaled as hard as he could.


　Your body shakes and your vision flips. A strong shock struck his whole body. The sound of crushing flesh and bone choked me with a dull pain. The bones in my arms break. Linel slammed his body into the wall as hard as he could.

　It's okay, it's okay. It's just a scratch. The back of his head is the beast's blind spot. You brace your broken fingertips. Don't worry, getting crushed won't kill me.
　My vision goes wide, and the impact shatters my whole body. Sound. Shock. My body lifts up. Linel had risen up on his hind legs and slammed his paws down as hard as he could.

　That's a lot of power. The healing speed-- it can't keep up.
　No, no. This Demon Lord has calculated every move he's making. Before I realized it, a third attack hit me all over.

　The air exploded. A sound bomb from close range finally dislodged my hand and blew my body apart.

　A roar. I should have been prepared for this, but I couldn't even resist for a moment. My body slammed into the wall and fell to the floor. My whole body, shattered, begins to regenerate.

　Linel did not pursue me. He just looked down at me as I regenerated. He didn't see Dell.

"End Baron!　I'm sure you've been underestimating ...... the fact that you'd be challenging me just yesterday.

"......

　The Spellflame has no effect. The black flames that consumed Celzar in a firestorm have no effect at all. The mane shows no sign of burning up. There's no way the cursed flames would go out just by rolling over, so it's probably due to high resistance.
　I stand up with my body that has finished regenerating. I had expected this, but it was a tough fight.
　In the first place, the momentum of the "cursed flame" had hardly increased even though he had put all his strength into it.
　Kuro sparks scattered. That was all. There must be some condition, or--

　Dell whirled around. But I'm the only one Lynell sees. But he's probably not oblivious to Del's movements. He's aware and he's ignoring it.
　Rainer looks me in the eye and smiles.

"That's the spirit--good.

　There was no time for conversation. Rainer steps in, closing in.
　It's as if a wall is closing in on me. Rainer was an extraordinary giant, but he was also extremely agile.
　But he had seen it before in the battle with Dell and was prepared for it. If flames couldn't penetrate, he would have to use his blade.

　He turned his right hand into a sword and faced the downward swinging paw. The silver claw was not pointing at me. The blade dug into the palm of his dropped hand.
　My body creaked under the tremendous force, and the floor cracked and shattered.

　Instinct told me. No. I'm completely outmatched. I'm going to get crushed.
　You leap backwards in an instant. The paw that was catching you crushes the ground with force.

　Linel lets out a small roar.

"Mmm ......, I didn't think you'd ...... hurt me. It's a terrible power.

　Rainer raises his paw. There was a thin smear of blood where the blade had pierced. Rainer licked the wound and narrowed his eyes.

"Your strength is a shame. Join my ranks, Endeavour. You still can't defeat me.

　Stupid ......, is that all you got?

　It was a shock. The claw was definitely cutting into his flesh, and on top of that, it was being powered by Rainer himself.
　Look at his right hand. The bone blade had countless cracks in it. It could crush my body, that's why.




　Too strong. Too strong. This is the one who belongs to the Demon Lord.


　Gather the power of blood in your right hand and repair the crack. But that's not the root of the problem.
　A monster. You're no match for it alone. I glared at Lynel, waiting for him to speak.

　But to join the ...... army?　That's impossible.
　It's true that this Demon Lord might respect my will to the fullest extent. If I were alone, it would be worth considering.
　But I have someone waiting for me. Someone who has promised to stand by me. And Senri's presence is getting closer and closer.

　And I'm not sure I've lost yet. It was possible that Del had a secret plan, and even if his claws didn't stick out, his fangs could break through the thick fur. Or I might be able to penetrate the eyelids, unlike Del.

　Linel laughs.

You're not giving up, are you? So let's at least have some fun.

　And so the violation began.


§And then the violation began.


　The holy silver claw swung down and easily sliced through the pincers. It's a small advantage, but not a big one. It's strength is not even close, and its body can tear me apart just by hitting me. It has more strength and agility than Albatos, and it's brave.

　And despite its beastly fighting style, it had wisdom in its actions.

　Linel never took a claw in the palm of his hand again, and he never gave me an opportunity to attack him with my eyes.
　Even when he hid his presence and scent with his Shadow, his eyes were always on me. I realized how terrifying a beast with human intelligence could be.

　Strong. Compared to the power of the king in front of me, a cannibal is like a baby.

　A living scourge. A diminutive man could only shrink and tremble in the face of this beast.
　It was all I could do to take the tyranny of the storm. With the holy silver claws as my weakness, I couldn't rely on my regenerative ability to fight like I had in the past. If I could gather the power of blood, it would be possible to heal the wound of the holy silver, but it would take a long time. Then it's over.

　Dell was trying to reduce the number of attacks against me, but I was the only one Lynell was targeting. He'd kill me first, where he could do the least damage, and then finish off Dell.

　I put all my strength into it, and put back the claw that was more than half cut off. This weapon is also a problem.
　The claw, which should be harder than iron, had no resistance to the holy silver claw. Perhaps it's a curse.

　The talons can't protect against holy silver. It's something I've been meaning to test, but the timing is just wrong.

　The movement is just barely visible. That's why the silver claws have managed to keep me from getting hit, but the power of my blood is being drained away.
　At this rate, you'll lose.

　Even though he was overwhelmed, he could not see any signs of carelessness in his eyes.
　Perhaps he knew of another powerful vampire? Rynell swung his right paw up in a big way. You can't go in his pocket. You'll get crushed.

　Posture. You have to get back into position.

　You try to back away and your back hits something hard.
　Before you know it, you're trapped against the wall. In a panic, you slam your elbow into the wall, but it's too late.

　A brilliant silver light falls from above.

　No. No. I can't avoid it. My thoughts are stretched by the presence of death.
　You can't let it destroy your brain. Take it from your shoulder. Gather the force of the blood from the shoulder down.

　I stare down at the claws, ready to take the pain, and that's when a shield of light appears in front of me.

　It's Dell. It's a demon knight move. The wall of light and the claws collide violently. Lynel's eyes widen.

"No!

　It was no contest. The wall of light was like a piece of paper before Rainer's blow.
　But for a tiny, fleeting moment, it stopped moving. That was enough.

　On the other side of the collapsed wall was outside. The cool air caressed my cheeks.
　I surrendered to gravity and escaped through the hole in the wall as if I were falling.