He is completely outmatched.
　This is the first impression that the third-class knight Del Gordon got when he crossed blades with the Demon Lord Rynell.

　It's not just that they are incompatible or in the worst condition, but more importantly, the Demon Lord Rynell - the lion dragon, Rynell, was too different a creature.
　Even with his physical abilities boosted by the blessing, he couldn't even get a scratch on his eyes even if he went all out. It's a terrifying durability.

　By nature, a demise knight is a knight who has to win. That's why they always prepare, act in groups, and exploit their weaknesses. But the lion dragon in front of him was probably difficult to defeat one-on-one, even if Dell was in perfect condition.

　He used his blessed armor to ward off the roar that shook the world.
　I can catch it. A demise knight first learns the art of receiving. He knows how to fight against those more powerful than him. But that's not enough to get out of this situation.
　A vampire is falling through a hole in the wall. Rynell didn't follow it, but glared at Dell, who had intervened. What was in his gaze was not murderous intent.

It's not that I'm a vampire, it's that I'm an enemy of the dark family.

　In the event that you've got any questions, you'll be able to contact us at our own website.
　The magical beast cannot be cleansed, but the positive energy it contains can act as a physical barrier. It can even repel attacks if it is channeled into the body at high speed. I don't know how well this will work on someone as powerful as Lynel, but .......

　I need a weapon. The sword I've always used.
　A weapon made of holy silver is not only highly effective against the dark family, but is also extremely suitable for transmitting blessings. I wonder if I could scratch the fur of a lion dragon with it.

　Dell narrowed his eyes and glared at the Demon Lord.

"A Knight of the End will do his best.

　It's not like I'm joining them. If it had been another demise knight with a grudge against the undead instead of Dell, he might have destroyed the vampire first and then challenged Lynell.
　However, Dell's first priority was to defeat Rynell. Therefore, he would do his best to do so.

　That vampire, the young man known as End, was the True Vampire, the true ancestor of vampires. He is an extremely unique and rare individual who has repeatedly mutated from a carnivore to a vampire.
　Vampires with extrahuman powers have a strong sense of pride, but the True Vampire, who has passed through the eyes of the Demise Knight and has repeatedly mutated, has a superior ability to survive and is far more troublesome than other vampires who have been changed into vampires. And even at that moment when he was cornered, the vampire had the will to fight.

　Dell gave him a little help because he thought it was the closest thing to victory.
　Lynell was strong. But the vampire's rigid claws had indeed inflicted a small but definite wound on Lynel's flesh. Then it would be better for Dell to take the bait, which he was originally suited for.

　But there was no way that Rainer hadn't figured out what Del was up to.
　Rainer changes his stance toward Del through the hole in the wall. His claws, gleaming with holy silver, scrape against the floor, making a strange sound.

"Very well, ...... demise knight, show me your power of hearing sounds.

　Terrible pride. It's not like you're a small person who understands everything and still faces your adversary head on.
　The pressure was so immense that if he were not careful, he might falter just by facing him, but Dell understood that the king in front of him was not serious at all so far.

　He put his strength into his tanden, manipulating the few remaining blessings in his body to excite them.

　It was a technique developed by a first-class knight under Dell's tutelage.

　Dell's master was a first-class knight who specialized in defense. Naturally, Dell's power is also focused on defense.
　Dell, who was still inexperienced in all things, could not use the technique perfectly. But it's enough.

　"Gokkotengi.

　The positive energy that overflows fills each cell, and the body becomes lighter. My body was burning hot. The steel sword in my hand was filled with energy and a white light.
　It would only last a short time, but now Dell was as close to immortal as he could be.

　The Demon Lord was coming to attack him. With his massive body, his claws can easily cut through even steel. Dell met the descending claws head-on with his steel sword.
　There was a dull thud, and the claw pierced right through Dell.

"Strange technique--

　Linel let out a small roar and twisted his body. The golden body came at him with tremendous speed, sending him flying.

　Dell's body flew through the air. But there is no damage.
　The essence of the Gokou Tengi lies in the energy that flows through the surface of the body at high speed at all times. The power that is released beyond its original limiter is an absolute shield that can block any power.

　As he falls, he aims his sword at the body of the exposed and defenseless Rainer. But before the tip of the sword could pierce through, Ryner rose up on his hind legs and turned himself around.
　He was hit by the cleaving paw, and his body was thrust into the wall. No damage was done, but his blessing was greatly reduced. The blade also struck, but there was no response. It is completely blocked by the flexible and hard body skin.

　Good. That's good. Dell's job is to buy us some time. Get up from the rubble.
　No despair. Dell has been building up his strength as a demon knight for this moment. Dell roared and leapt toward the absolute might of the Demon Lord.






§ § § §




　A large drop of several meters, and a strong impact on the whole body. I hit my head hard.
　But the only thing on my mind was the desire to kill. All I could think about was how to kill Lynell.

　I'm saved. Dell saved me. I owe him. I had a reason to come back.

　Rainer didn't come after me. Just the sounds of battle. I wondered if Dell was holding them back.

　I get up and quickly check my condition. No damage. No fatigue. The blood is still strong. But still no match.

　I can't ...... think of a way to kill Linel.

　I'll recruit others. ...... Should we take Oliver with us?　No. ...... No. He's useless. He might betray us.
　Find a weapon. ......?　No. The claws were easily cut off by the silver claws, but a steel sword would not be hard enough. And there were no weapons of steel in the treasury. There was no point in using a weapon that couldn't wound Ryner's body.

　It doesn't have enough offensive power. After all, the key to ...... is the "spellfire" that was taken from the cannibals.
　According to the information I got from Monica, the cannibal's Flame of d*mnation wounded Lynel. It seems that the cannibal was not defeated, but I guess it was not a minor wound, since it made the cannibal the unquestionable second place.

　What I'm lacking is momentum. The fire is too weak.
　The fire that consumed Celzar couldn't even scorch a strand of hair on Lynel's body.
　I've heard that dragon scales are the best material for armor. It's highly resistant to magic, blades, shocks and curses. The heroes of fairy tales often wore armor made of dragon scales.

　I put the power of my blood into it and tried to use the Curse Flame again, but still only fire sparks came out. The amount of fire sparks increased, but that was all.
　Nevertheless, I'm getting hungry.

　Could it be that I'm not getting enough strength because I'm not eating ...... people?

　I think it's ...... possible.
　The price of the curse was to eat a lot of humans. You'll be able to find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing.

　If you can't substitute blood for energy, you can't use your powers very well. I can't eat people. The Senri will forgive you if you only suck blood, since the target won't die, but if you eat a person, you're a complete enemy of humanity. You can't complain about being killed.

　d*mn, ...... is a useless curse.

　The commotion in the castle must have gotten through, but there was no sign of reinforcements.
　There's a lot of noise down there. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I need to figure out a way to take out Rynell.

　The opponent was powerful, but his large size did not mean that he had no gaps. It's like a slightly more powerful version of Arbatross. ...... d*mn it.

　The sound of battle was becoming more and more intense. A hint of a powerful positive light was flickering, but slowly fading.
　Apparently, Senri's "annihilation" was no longer available.

　We don't have much time. I can't just abandon him. He didn't save me to let me go. He saved me to win.

　He's no match for me in strength. His claws can do little harm. Magic and curses won't work. Seemingly helpless...

　No, ............ wait, what?

　That's when I thought of an ingenious plan.

　The dragon's scales repel everything. Linel's fur should be better than that, but the only magic I could use was the kind I could live with, and the "Spell Flame" was too weak to work.

　But what if I avoided the fur?
　In the mouth, for example. There's no fur in the mouth. The spellfire wouldn't be extinguished by saliva.

　Burn it from the inside out.

　Lynel's jaws are full of sharp fangs, but I can survive on my neck now. It's big enough to swallow me whole, and hopefully I can get under it. I think I can regenerate quickly if I avoid the claws of the holy silver. No matter how many times the Demon Lord Rynell has fought, he's never fought an undead that jumped into his mouth.

　Even if he were swallowed, he would be able to regenerate inside his body. I don't know what will happen if his head is crushed. .......




............


　Frowning, I look up at the hole in the wall where I fell through.
　There was a half-chipped moon in the sky, far from full.