The Dark Stalker's ability, "Hidden Shadow," dyes the body black and hides all signs of life.
　The presence of the undead is more subdued than that of the living, but when I use this ability, I find myself surprisingly thin.

　Hiding in Plain Sight is a very fuel-efficient ability. It may even be less fuel-efficient than the spell-fire I stole from the cannibals.
　Even though I am a very powerful vampire, I can only activate it for a short time, and it is doubtful that I will be able to activate it all the time in the future.

　However, if I put an excessive amount of blood power into that fuel-inefficient ability, I can become a complete shadow.

　The amount of power required is probably too great for the Dark Prowler to ever be able to meet. But this ability is very much suited to assassination.

　Even I, a vampire with senses far beyond those of humans, would probably not be able to recognize an attacker with this ability.
　It is no wonder that the True Vampire, who inherited her abilities before the mutation, is feared.

　The undead that Senri had detected were huddled in a castle built on top of a steep cliff - just below it.
　They were dressed in black, and their presence was so faint that it seemed as if they had become one with the darkness, but my eyes could not deceive me.

　Approaching from downwind. Senri, who is following behind me, seems to be using some kind of ability, but there is little sign of him. By nature, the undead are sensitive to the presence of the living, but in this case, I don't think they'll notice me.

　The group made little noise, but I felt a negative force that I couldn't hide.

　It's--it's sympathy. I know my kind. Maybe I'm sensing the same thing the demise knights are using to find the undead.

　Perhaps it's a skeleton. But I remained calm. There were many of them, but they were no threat to me, considering the amount of power I could feel.

　My first opponent, Lord and the Knights of the End, had a power I couldn't control. It was only luck that they were able to defeat the next one, Arbatos, and Lynel was a threat worthy of being called the Demon King.
　Compared to that, that group is far lower. It's hard to even compare them. Maybe even lower than the riffraff I fought in Ryner's army.

　When I was under the Lord, I couldn't take on more than a few skeletons at a time, but I don't know how long the gap has grown.

　Of course, it wasn't his fault that his opponent was weak. I turned around and held my index finger in front of my mouth in front of Senri.

　If I can sense their negative power, it means they can sense mine.
　Right now, they are unaware of my presence because I am controlling my blood power and suppressing my presence, but they will know who I am when they see me.

　The undead are hostile to the living, but I may be able to communicate with them. Of course, they must be able to understand language, but it would not be difficult to kill them, so it is worth a try.

　Senri frowned and stepped back, as if he sensed what I was trying to say. It's heart to heart.

　I dared to make a sound, and stepped in front of the skeletons, releasing their presence.

　A group of them, disguised in black cloaks, raised their heads. As expected, the group was skeletons.
　The hard sound of bones rubbing against each other. An eerie red glow lit up the back of their comatose eye sockets.

　The most common type of naturally occurring undead is the carrion man (zombie), followed by the wraith. It is said that the hurdle to spontaneous generation of bone-men is unexpectedly high, as they need to have a certain amount of bone remaining.

　All groups of bone people had black leather armor protecting their bodies. They are clearly not a naturally occurring species, as evidenced by their ability to act in groups.

　Now, how can I communicate with them? I've had some experience interacting with bone people at Lord's place, but there I was completely ignored. When I think about it, I'm not a very good communicator.

　Anyway, I didn't know what to say, so I fiddled with my sunglasses and raised my right hand.

"Well, well, well. It's a beautiful night. Skeleton. What are you doing?

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

　The bones didn't attack me. They just looked at each other and gnashed their teeth.
　Bonesmen are undead too. They envy the living. They don't attack me because they know I'm one of them. So it's safe to say I was right.

　I observe it with a smile on my face. There are ten skeletons in total, each carrying a weapon and a leader.
　They are all made of black bone. They are the Kuro Bones, the result of mutation of the Bonesmen rank.

　According to my knowledge of the undead, the lack of skin in bonemen prevents them from accumulating negative power. Since they are mutated, they are expected to be strong enemies.

　Check the weapons of the bone men in your hand. Most of the bone men were carrying rugged, dull swords.
　The blades were large, but not made of silver, so they were not a serious obstacle. Only the leader has a long sword, but it's not silver either.

　The fact that there are mutated species means that they must have some intelligence.

"Since we're both dead, why don't you let me join you?

　The first boneman nodded and made way for me. It looks like he's going to let me join him.

　I've always been shunned by the living, except for Senri and my father, but apparently the dead are kind to me. Lord's bone-man (whom I had named Jack, by the way) was unsociable, but it was possible that he had taken after the sorcerer.

　I entered the bone-man's enclosure with great enthusiasm. I felt an indescribable familiarity in their dark sockets.




　--And then I spun around to catch the sword swinging down from behind.



I'm sorry, but I don't want you to tear your clothes.

　I didn't bring a spare. I don't have a spare. If he tears my clothes, Senri will ask me to become Baron again.


　The bones all clattered in unison. An eerie sight, but not terrifying.

　No use. I never let my guard down. No smell, no sound, but I can feel the wind moving. I can't keep getting the same kind of surprise.
　The skeletons swing their blades in unison. I lowered myself and used my machete to cleave the white, smooth, sturdy femur in front of me.

　A hard response. The Bone Man is made of human bones, but its strength is much higher than that of the original. But the thick blade of the "Light Eater" easily cut through it. You shake off the blade and step out of the collapsed enclosure.

　I frowned at the response I felt.

"Is this weapon ............ meant for slaying the dead ......?

　This is the first time I've used this weapon to slay the dead, except for the ghost of Lord.
　The feeling in my hand was clearly different from when I sliced a living demon.

　The thick blade that had cut through the bony man had a wet sheen to it. It was a heavy machete to begin with, but did it have this kind of shine?
　Apparently Lord was going to fight one of his own. He never showed any signs of it before he died, but he's a real bastard.

　The bones are slowly making a big circle around me. Their footwork showed mastery, but their individual abilities were not as strong as Lord Jack's. It's the same kind, so the quality of the material must be different.

That was self-defense. Let's talk about it.

　He speaks to the larger Kuro Bone.

　In his hand was a weapon called an axe and spear. It is a powerful weapon that can cut, thrust, cleave, and reach. It is difficult to handle, but it is said to be incomparably strong in close combat in open spaces and in battles between humans.
　Its weakness is that it is heavy, but in this case, since the opponent is undead, it seems to have no such weakness. Even the handle seems to be made of metal, but he lifts it with ease.

　The jet-black bone man steps forward. The blade, fully loaded with power, descends on him at whirlwind speed.

　Strong. Proficient. I step back and narrowly avoid the blow.
　The axe-like blade gouges the ground, sending soil flying. Only the sound of the wind chopping echoes in the moonless night sky.

　The blow was sharp and smooth. At least he's not just a soldier. If I were human, I'd call myself a warrior.


　But alas, I am not human, and neither is the Kuro Bone.
　Its barrage of blows was a skill reserved for the fiercest of warriors, but it was too fragile to be used in a battle between monsters.


　I had caught the flowing onslaught completely with my eyes. The blow came from above, utilizing gravity and centrifugal force, and I was forced to take it with my light-eating sword.
　A high-pitched metallic sound resounded. The axe and spear were flung wide. The blow, which a human being would not have been able to take seriously, was nothing to me, a lowly Lesser Vampire.

　The opponents I've fought in the past have been incredibly huge. Size is strength. The Jet-Kuro Bone Man was bigger than me, but he lacked muscle, and he was too light.
　I grabbed the axe spear with my left hand and caught it with my left hand.

　The impact rushed through my whole body, and my feet creaked a little. But that's all. But that was it. The barrage stopped. I don't feel any pain. I hadn't gotten a scratch, so I hadn't used much of my blood power.

　I put my strength into it and took the axe and spear. The black bone was strong, but I had more strength in my arms.

　I'm getting stronger. While I was thinking about this, the black bone that had taken my weapon rushed at me without hesitation.
　It was completely unexpected. I don't know where he took it from, but he was holding a knife with a rather long blade at his waist. But it wasn't just any knife.

　Its shine was silver. Its momentum had no regard for its own. It stomped on the ground, and there was a murderous intent in its attack that was very unlike a bone man.



　--I reaped the surprise with the handle of the axe and spear I had seized.



　The sound of bones cracking. A black bone, bigger than me, blew off easily and pierced the cliff. A silver knife rolls across the ground.

"Don't think you can take me by surprise again and again. I'm learning.

　No matter how strong I am, they're always quick to try to surprise me, to burn me, to slash me, to stab me. I can't stand to have my clothes ruined again and again.
　The only thing that can catch me off guard now is Senri's trickery.

　The bones that had surrounded me scattered in unison when their leader was defeated. Apparently, they have no intention of taking revenge. I picked up a stone that was lying at my feet and threw it at one of the fleeing bones.
　The fist-sized stone flew in a straight line, crushing the skull of the bone man. The bone man flew into the air and fell to the ground. I've never practiced throwing before, but it seems that vampires have excellent athletic ability in general.



　I ran straight out and tore through the fleeing skeletons one by one with my light-eating sword. I'm faster, and I can sense their presence. It's all work now. I didn't achieve my goal at all, but it wasn't like I could negotiate with them, so I had no choice.

　After killing them all, Senri comes out.
　It hasn't been long enough since the battle. And she didn't tear her clothes. How did I do in the fight?

　As I excitedly waited for my evaluation, Senri gave me a cold look.



"End, the undead that entered the castle have stopped responding. All the undead around us are heading towards the castle at once. Something's happened. ...... We'd better hurry.