I felt as if I had been reborn.
　The pain that had consumed my soul earlier was no longer there, and a strong sense of versatility ran through my body, as if everything in the night was now on my side.

　Lord Horus' magic was perfect. Apparently, the power he had accumulated during his escape had long since reached the point of mutation.
　My body, unshackled by the key word, instantly mutated and swallowed the curse of Sable that had been tormenting me for so long.

　And as long as it didn't hurt, I could move.

　There was a king in front of me. Jet-black hair reminiscent of darkness. His stout body was covered in metal armor and he held a thick metal spear in his right hand.

　The King of the False Shadow.

　Perhaps he has inherited his power from before his reincarnation, but I can tell from his scent that he is one of us.


　But I'm higher in rank than you.


　I'm not ready for sunlight. But that's okay.
　You don't need to think about me. Don't even think about the future. The die has already been cast.

　The power of the curse newly gained by the mutation is waiting to be revealed in my soul.

　The King of False Shadows, who had defeated Senri, a man with unfathomable power that I could not defeat.
　I had no fear in the face of my greatest enemy.

　It's instinct.

　A vampire's fighting instincts that had been suppressed when I was a lowly vampire. The instinct of the dark family that kills the living and feeds on their blood, which I considered dangerous.

　But... it's not as bad as I thought.
　I'm still calm.

　Senri, the Senri who saved me, is lying on the ground, not even twitching. I haven't seen her weaken this much since she was seriously injured by Arbatos.

　For a moment, a strong urge arises, and she hurriedly releases her arm and presses her forehead.
　The freed King of the Void steps back.

　The liquid that flowed from his eyes and down his cheeks was not tears, but blood.

　You can't help but understand.

　It's not perfect. The sudden mutation must be quite a burden.

　In the past, when she had eaten Lord's soul and transformed from a ghoul to a lesser vampire, she had rolled around in pain for several hours.
　I can say that this time is still better than that.

　Unlike that time, I still have the strength to fight.

"The reincarnation formula was found to have multiple flaws in ....... That's why it was abandoned.

What ......?

　The Lord's knowledge is a little more pervasive.
　The Lord of the Shadow's eyes widened as he looked at me warily.

　And in that instant, I swung out my fist.

　The palm of my hand pierces the air, leaving the sound behind.
　The King of the Shadow reacted with terrifying speed to the thrust that took him completely by surprise.

　He swung his spear to meet his fist. The arm that should have been broken had long since regenerated.

　But there was no way that a half-undead could take my attack now.
　A curse is a power. Vampires have a powerful weakness, and thus a power that separates them.

　A thick spear will snap on impact. The feeling of crushing flesh and breaking bone conveyed an indescribable joy throughout my body.
　Time stopped. I could clearly see the armor of the King of the Void shattering, the flesh distorting, and bouncing violently against the ground.
　Is this what they call the frame-by-frame motion of a movie projector?


　Yeah, I hate violence, but I have to say it feels great.


　My instincts are happy. The curse that consumes me cheers.

　The Lord of the Void takes a pass in mid-bounce and instantly creates a new spear and stabs it into the ground.

　The ground scrapes away and a deep line is drawn. By the time the king finally succeeded in braking the spear, the distance between them was more than ten meters.

　The King of False Shadows stands up. His shattered armor regenerates, and his crushed, nearly dangling limbs return to normal in the blink of an eye.

　A lowly vampire. I'm sure of it. That's the rank I was just at.

　Even though I was attacked. The Shadow King's consciousness was not with me. He just muttered in a daze.

"Faulty ......, huh?

　The amount of deadly power Abichord had gathered was enormous.

　Perhaps, if he had assumed, he would have been able to reincarnate as a vampire at the very least. Lower-ranking vampires are half-breeds who carry only disadvantages and cannot use their special abilities.

　He doesn't know. I won't tell him. It's one of the reasons reincarnation fell by the wayside so long ago.

　You'll be destroyed without knowing why you failed.

　Vampires are blood demons.


　You can't be a true vampire without drinking a drop of blood.



　The king of the shadow creates a sword from the ground. Earth magic.
　There was a time when sorcerers were the core of production. It is said that wizards of earth magic were unrivaled in the refining and processing of metals.


　It was long before I was born, but perhaps he was a warrior of his time.

　The King of the False Shadows wields a jet-black sword and smiles fiercely. But his eyes are very serious.

"Young man. Magic does not work on vampires. But my magic is different!

　I didn't see the battle between Senri and the Shadow King.
　I didn't see the battle between Senri and the Shadow King.

　Apparently, the name of king is not a bad thing. But it's better if he doesn't run.

　The machete is gone. But I don't need a weapon.
　He declared to the king, who understood the difference in rank between the two of us, but still maintained an irreverent attitude.

"Ah ......, old man, you've lost once, no matter how immortal you are, you're too far gone. I'm going to put you in the grave this time.

　The bones in my right arm clinked. The bone in his right arm changed noisily and turned into a spear.


　I'll have it done by dawn. Anyone who interferes with a man's love life must die.


§


　That attack was completely unknown to me.

　It was a terrifying power, not unlike a newly resurrected one.

　When the King of the False Shadow thrust his spear into the ground, the earth rose up, and when he muttered a few words, a storm of debris poured down.
　From the empty rubble, countless spears and swords were created and shot out.

　It was undoubtedly this power that caused the complete collapse of the old castle.

　It was like a cataclysm.
　Earth magic. In my knowledge, it should have been a useful auxiliary magic, but apparently, it can be a powerful attack if controlled by a skilled magician.

　In the midst of the roar, the King of False Shadows' laughter echoed.

How about this!　Well, well, well!　Hahahahahaha!

　The thing that makes the continuous attacks possible is the enormous amount of magic power that makes your body crawl.

　Magic power is a power different from blessing or blood power.

　Before I died, I was bedridden and received regular treatment with recovery magic.
　During my escape with Senri, I was once accidentally attacked by a mercenary.

　However, the power that the king in front of me wields is truly far beyond that.
　In the face of this power, no matter how many mercenaries there are, they are no match for him.

　It's hard to believe that this was after the fierce battle with Senri, but I could see at a glance the magic power that seemed limitless to my eyes.

　It is sucking up power and magic from the earth and using it.
　The vampire species boasts a powerful magical power, but this makes it difficult to aim for a loss of magic power, which is the basis of combat against sorcerers.


　--Well, I don't intend to fight an endurance battle, but...


　Without hesitation, you run toward the huge mass that is attacking you.

　He stepped through the shaking ground and smashed the huge debris that hindered his progress with his bone spear, not caring if the blade sliced through it, and just moved forward.

　The dagger protruding from the ground pierces my leg, and the fine debris punches through my body.
　The dull pain running through my whole body was quickly swallowed up by the will to fight.

　Oh, I feel great.

　It seems that the magic of the earth can be used against vampires. But sweet, sweet, sweet.

　I'm a monster. Not human. This half-hearted attack won't stop me!　

　The damage will heal quickly. The only thing to watch out for is a silver attack and a heart attack.
　But it seems that silver, the metal of demons, cannot be produced by the Lord of Shadow.
　The heart is not a problem if you consciously defend and avoid it.

　I'm already prepared to take the pain.

　A distance of a dozen meters is nothing to a vampire.
　They'll overrun your defenses in an instant. Hiding is useless.

　A vampire's eyes can see magic. They can smell it. How can you use so much magic and not trace it back to its source?

　My powers of perception were at their peak at this point.

　A slash from my blind spot is met by a bone spear. The Lord of the Void clicks his tongue.

"Are you a ............ dead soldier?

"Yes. I'm already dead.

　The King of the Shadow of the Void stepped in further, as if he thought he was getting nowhere.

　Can you even fight up close?

　His gait was strange. The center of gravity shifted unnaturally. It's physically uncomfortable, not to mention that it's not in the range of motion of a human being.

　But I soon realized what the discomfort was.

　This thing is a lower level vampire like me before. A vampire chrysalis with no special powers. Then it must be relying on its own strength to attack.

　Then there's only one answer-- this strange movement is caused by earth magic.
　Perhaps he is moving the ground on which he has placed his feet through magic.

　The Lord of the Void's movements were not something that could be learned overnight. Without even moving his feet, he moved fluidly and unleashed a slash of divine speed that surpassed even Senri's attack speed.



　A newly grown wall blocked my path of retreat.

　I snorted and flicked my bone spear at the straight slash, which had the power to kill with a single blow.
　The King of the Void's eyes widened. I change my position again and receive another slash. Take it, take it.

　As he continued to deal with the slash over and over again, the King of Shadow's expression became distorted in agitation.

　Can't you see why it doesn't hit?
　It's so pathetic. He may have been the strongest once, but he's not now.

An amateur. Your slashes are just force.

What?

　Your fighting skills mixed with magic are impressive. You'll have no problem against humans.
　It might even overwhelm a demise knight accustomed to fending off attacks.

　But no matter how fast and unpredictable his movements are, his skill with the sword itself is not that great.

　It's a fool's errand to try to challenge someone of equal or greater physical ability with a sword that can't even be called a sword, let alone one that's been used in numerous mock battles with Senri.

　Over and over again, I received instruction. Senri laughed at me, scolded me, ridiculed me, and taught me how to fight the Knights of the End.
　In the end, my fighting style settled down to one that relied on my physical abilities, but the lessons I received are still with me.

　I flicked my sword hard and went on the offensive.
　As I took a step forward, the battlefield that surrounded us shattered.

　Perhaps realizing the disadvantage of close combat, I chase after the King of the Shadow, who is falling back.
　A chance to win. It's too late to realize your mistake now.

　The Shadow King mutters something quietly.
　I lightly jumped over the countless spears that were suddenly thrust out of the ground.

　They fly through the air. The Shadow King's eyes widen.

　Terrible magic. It has almost no chanting time, a weakness of sorcerers.

　But I can see the magic. It's not hard to avoid any surprise attack if you know roughly what kind of attack is coming.

　I've already seen that attack coming. My past experience in mortal combat will teach me the best moves to make.

"......

　The Lord of the Void falls back as if under pressure. Because of this, the tip of the bone spear thrust out from the sky only made a shallow cut on the cheek of the King of the Void Shadow.
　The sensation of having gouged something soft left a numbing feeling in my hand.

　For the first time, the Shadow King's expression became distorted.
　The damage I inflicted was far from fatal, and the scar would heal quickly, but I had certainly dealt a blow.

　I know from personal experience the regenerative abilities of vampires. A fight between vampires is a pitched battle until one of them runs out of steam.

　--Normally...

I don't understand. "I don't get it. Why would the same dead man mutate to such an extent that he would stoop to helping humans?

　The Lord of the Void takes a large step back. A sorcerer's pace.

　I didn't go after him. It would be troublesome if he escaped, but the Shadow King would do everything in his power to kill him. I'm sure my blow made him take me seriously.

　And yet, apparently, he's not going to take hostages.
　If it was a human, he'd do all the dirty work he could, but with a vampire, his pride would get in the way, wouldn't it?

　The ground has been raised by magic. You'll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to help you.

I'm going to cut myself ......?　I haven't cut myself yet.

　That's what grinding means.

　He grabbed his right arm, which had hardened into a spear, with his left arm and twisted it off at the root. It makes an unpleasant sound, and with a dull pain, you lose your senses.

　The King of the Void is blindsided. Then his right arm burst into flames.

What?

　I'm stronger now. The range of power available to a lowly vampire and a noble vampire is different.
　I'm not too keen on testing my new powers on this mighty king, but this is an application of my previous powers.

　Even though it was burned by the jet-black flames, the right arm retained its shape.
　Even though it was separated from the main body, it hadn't lost its power. It hasn't turned to dust.
　Sable was still moving even with his heart removed. Then there's no reason I can't do the same now.

　The connection may not be physical, but the sorcerous connection is not broken.
　I can see the power of the blood running through my right arm, even though it's already detached. Enough to make it a weapon.

　He swings the hardened spear in his right arm. The King of the False Shadows cries out.

"Are you serious?

　Yes, I am. After all this time, there was another mistake in the words of the king before me.

　I'm not doing this to save humans. It's for Senri.



　I fight for Senri, who helped me without asking for anything in return, even though I know what the consequences will be later.

　I don't expect you to understand.

　As soon as I step through the rubble, I throw my spear.

　Instantly, multiple walls are created between me and the Lord of the Void. But the flaming spear fired by the vampire's power penetrated the thick wall like a piece of paper.

　The power taken from the cannibals--the cursed flames that they wore--burned the penetrated walls to a pulp.

　Even a vampire could not escape a fatal blow with his full strength.
　In response, the King of the Shadow took action to "evade".

　The Shadow King leaps. The bone spear pierced the place where the king had been a few moments ago.
　The rubble bursts apart like an explosion, leaving a huge hole in the ground. It stopped, but the jet-black flames had not gone out.

　Looking at the spear piercing the center of the small crater, the King of the False Shadow looked at his palm in dismay.

This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing.

　Did he lick you?　No, no.

　Perhaps the core of the reason for their existence, the King of the Dead, is power.

　The Lord was aware of the approach of the Demise Knight, but chose not to flee. Neither did the necromancer who chased the undead in the old castle.

　They continued to seek strength. For whatever reason.
　And as a result, they conquered death and fought long enough to be feared as kings.

　The Lord of the Shadow was defeated by the Knights of the End. But his pride has not changed one bit.

　The Shadow King's face contorts, as if in shock.

"It can't be .......

　No, it's possible. I'm going to kill you right here.
　Give him this endurance, this time, and his immortality will be untouchable.

　The section of his right shoulder is complaining of a dull ache.
　The right arm I twisted and threw is not regenerating.

　The bone spear of my former right arm was still stuck in the ground.

　Come to think of it, the sable I sucked blood from didn't have a heart.
　For vampires, the heart is the most important organ, but it was still missing, even though it never regenerated.

　I didn't even question it then, but I do now.
　The reason Sable's heart hadn't regenerated was because there was still a magical connection to a heart hidden somewhere. Just like I am now.

　Think. Make your head spin.
　We're more physical, they're more experienced, and they've got magic. You may look like you're pushing him, but you can't use your trump card unless you stop him.

　How can I kill this guy?　

　Then, the King of the Void looked up. Eyes as red as blood that I once had.
　The voice that came out was different, stern.

"It seems you must admit, Coma. You're stronger ...... than the current imaginary shadow, Jet Numaite Bracrion, perhaps.

　Names are important to a sorcerer.
　Like the Lord once tried to bind me with a name. And that's why they take names when they challenge you to a duel.

　The King of the False Shadows, Jet, had regained his composure.
　He pushes down his anger and sorrow and declares one word.

"I will kill you. In the name of my imaginary shadow that has reigned since ancient times.

　I felt my consciousness switch.
　The Emotional Shadow from before was definitely wary of me. He was at full power.

　But he wasn't risking his life. The next one would be deadly.

　My expression tensed naturally. He hadn't felt a shred of fear before. ...... But he couldn't run.

　I muster myself up. He smiled at me.

　I have someone to protect. He doesn't. That's a big difference.

　Stand tall, Endo Baron.

　You were the one being protected against Arbatos.
　The battle of Ryner started with me, albeit by accident.

　Up until now, I've always fought for myself. But this time is different.
　This time I'm fighting like a human, for the people I love.

　Don't worry, you can win. No matter how hard you try to die, it won't change your abilities.

　I press down on the section of my right shoulder and stare at it with all the killing intent I can muster.
　I transform my remaining left arm into a sword. I didn't say anything, but Jet's expression didn't change.

　Perhaps it was a kind of switch for him.

"I'm dry. I'm thirsty. Oh, you don't know what it's like to be lost for a long time.



　I know.

　Power is being sucked out of the earth in jets.

　The rubble turns to sand and a vast amount of magic is concentrated in one place.

　The magic was distinctly different from the past.

　The darkness took shape. In his hand, a beautiful crystal sword was created.
　At a glance, I could see the power that was contained in the sword. The clear, polished blade was as black as the darkness itself, absorbing the power of death around it.

　Perhaps that was the depths of earth magic. A trickle of blood flows from the edge of Jet's mouth.
　His regenerative powers aren't working. The blood's power is draining.

　Jet swings his sword lightly. The blade sliced through the darkness, through the air, deep into the ground.
　It was too ridiculous. It was horrible. Surely a sword of bone could not catch it.

The sword of dawn. This, you do not know, is the wisdom that has fallen into disuse in my time. Here we go-- the king.

　Dawn. A word meaning dawn. A sword too unworthy of a vampire.
　Jet steps in. He should be weak, but every move he makes is as good as the last.

　He has no other magic, but the pressure is far greater than before.

　It was hard to be optimistic about a mere sword. He transformed the sword in his left arm into a longer one.
　A huge difference in reach. The tip of the sword reached me first. Jet caught the blow with his sword.

　The impact was minimal. The sword, with claws far beyond those of ordinary metal, was cut off without a sound.
　It was predictable, but terrifyingly powerful. As soon as I stepped back, Jet stepped in further.
　A series of slashes were unleashed. The blade of the crystal sword clearly reflected my face, which should not have been reflected in the mirror.

　A blast of spellfire. It kicked up the ground, blocking my vision. But Jet's advance was unstoppable. He steps in without evasion or defense.

　Even though I hadn't used walls, rubble, or other minor techniques, the attack was slowly but surely beginning to chip away at my flesh.
　The pain was incomparably sharper than before. I was sure I heard the footsteps of death approaching.

　It's not that I'm becoming timid. It's that my opponent's steps are getting bolder. He's giving up his magical support and putting all his strength into his sword.
　It's the same strategy I just used against the Shadow King.

　The difference in physical ability that should have existed was meaningless here.

　His opponent was dry. But even if he dried up right now, Jet would not stop attacking.
　There's no room to step in and push back.

　I should be able to use my vampire powers now, unlike before. But my opponent knows that.

　In this extreme situation, I chose to use the magic I had been practicing.

　It was a spell I'd learned from reading a book Senri had bought me on life magic. I knew I'd be able to use it someday.
　I know the weaknesses of vampires. The sword sliced deep into my side. I chanted.

"Create water.

"?

　It's a very rudimentary and common spell that creates a small amount of water from the air.
　But it's a useful spell, but if I use it, it's a sufficient means of attack.

　The air dries up at once. The extracted flowing water strikes the jet - and is swallowed by the large amount of soil that rises from the ground.

"You idiot! You can't beat me with magic.

"?

　It was overwritten. I was the first to cast the spell, but it caught up with me.

　I realize my mistake. But before I could regret it, a terrible pain shot through my body.
　My stance collapses. No... my leg had been sliced open.

　The blade attacked me relentlessly as I collapsed.

　The sensations in my body are split apart at once. I have no idea where or how many times I've been cut.

　Next thing I know, I'm looking up at the jet.


　My body-- it's stuck. No, no body.


　His heart and brain still seem to be intact, but it takes time to regenerate when a large part of your body is cut off.

　Jet was also wounded. His pale complexion had already turned ashen, and his eyes had a crazy glint in them. He stands over me, holding the crystal sword in his other hand. The tip of the sword is pointed at my skull.

"Whew, whew. ...... Not bad. But it's over.

"As a vampire, do you ever recruit?

　The king of the shadow frowned at the question, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

"Of course not. You will not.

　I know exactly what you mean. Apparently, in the short time we've been fighting, he's come to understand me.
　I can't stand. Can't even hold a sword. It seems all four limbs are cut off. I can't move. Can't regenerate in time. I gave up scratching and relaxed.

　I demand, fearfully.

"I have one last thing to ...... say.

"Tell me, .............

　I'm not begging for my life. I'm not asking you to save Senri. He won't listen to me.
　My head is spinning. I made up my mind and said what might be the last thing I ever said.






"Doggie.







"...... what the hell ......?


　I heard a howl. A dog wrapped in jet-black flames bit into the arm of the Shadow King who was looking down on him.
　It's my right arm, which I had left detached a while ago.

　The burning black dog is on top of me. The King of the Shadow, shaken by the unexpected attack, falls over.

　What I'm transforming into is a dog, not just a dog.

　I thought I could.
　They say a true vampire transforms into a mass of bats. I only changed my face to a dog.
　Then turning only the detached right arm into a dog is an application.

　The flames burn the armor of the Shadow King. Screams echo in the moonlit night.
　Even if you don't die, your first blaze will be painful.


　I won the bet.
　He focused his strength and regenerated his body, except for his right arm, which was working hard as a dog, and stood up.

　As if recovering from the pain, the King of the Shadow, the one who slayed my faithful right arm, stands up.
　Anger, emotion, slams into him.

"What a stupid trick.

　Thanks to the dog's death, his right arm regrows.
　Sure, it's a stupid trick. But the rhythm is back. It's a little calmer.

　Jet cuts at me even harder than before.

　I'm caught unprepared in a flurry of fire.
　The blade just barely misses my shoulder, just barely misses my stomach, and my whole body is blown away in a huge horizontal blow.

　But it didn't hit me.
　Jet's expression tightens, and he steps in further, but it's no use.

　Don't you know?　This is the evasion technique Abiquod used.

　The art of sensing magic and evading the flow of air, letting the attack pass you by like a willow.
　No matter how powerful the weapon, no matter how sharp it is, if it doesn't hit, it's useless.

　It was a mimicry, but I hope it worked.

　I think that the King of the Void was invincible. Because he had an invincible body, he knew very little about evasion. The fact that my attack hit him was proof of that.

　A thick wall of metal sprouted behind me. The jet spits out a huge gush of blood.
　My supposedly immortal body is screaming. No wonder.

　It's not normal to be able to fight this far without taking a drop of blood. It's a terrible obsession.
　And the insight that immediately saw through the mechanism of evasion from the slightest hint of discomfort.

　There is no sign of magic in the surrounding land. The rubble and dirt turned into fine sand, perhaps a side effect of the loss of magic, and flew up.
　Perhaps it is a temporary depletion, but this wall will be the last magic.

　As if he no longer had time to say a word, the King of the False Shadows stepped in unhesitatingly.
　Perhaps he is no longer wasted by fatigue, but his gait and appearance are much more refined than his first attack.

　From the strongest sword, the strongest blow is released.
　I, on the other hand, was cut off from the path of retreat, and I didn't even have the "Light Eater" that had always been with me.

　I just concentrate on myself.
　The scenery, the blade being swung down, plays in slow motion.

　Jet's face is distorted. In the depths of his eyes, you can see everything, even the joy that comes from his satisfied fighting instincts.





　And at the very moment that the blade reaches me, the King of False Shadows is pierced all over by the pillars of blood that arise from all directions.




　His expression froze in jubilation.
　I was taken completely by surprise. The stake of blood pierced his entire body, capturing his neck, his heart, completely.


I forgot to say. I have power, too.