With only my mental strength, I was standing. I'm ready to move at any moment, but I'm not sure if I can really move at any moment.

　The man in front of me is a true monster. I don't know what kind of cards he has hidden in his hand.

　The ruins of an old castle have been cleared away by the moonlight. Only the sound of the wind can be heard.
　If I were alone, I would have run away for sure. I've fought to the death many times before, but the monster in front of me is different.
　This is a true monster that has survived for many years. The conditions were overwhelmingly in my favor. So I was trapped.

　The opposite of what I'm used to. This one's supposed to be less mutated than me, but stronger than me. If I'd crossed a button, I'd have lost.

　I desperately need to calm down. Keep calm.



　And then-- the sword in my right hand came loose and plunged into the ground.
　The column of blood that had been skewering Jet from all sides fizzled out of control.

　However, Jet did not move any further after regaining his freedom and fell to the ground.

　Apparently, the Blood Pain that Sable had given him had a disadvantage.
　Losing so much blood makes my head feel dizzy, and this power is not complete.

　Probably because he took it from the body that lost its heart, he could only absorb the power halfway.
　It was a miracle that he was able to activate such a half-developed power in such an extreme situation and inflict a fatal wound on Jet.



　But a win was still a win.



　Jet had already lost his power. The scars all over his body showed no signs of regeneration.
　Mutation originally consumed a great deal of power. How much power does reincarnation consume?

　Without the power of blood, a vampire can't regenerate. If it hadn't been for Senri, I would have died in that forest.

　The King of the False Shadow lay on his back. His blood-red eyes looked not at me, but at the moon in the sky.
　His pale lips slowly released the words.

"Oh, dry ...... this, dryness, this, pain, this, hunger, this--fear.


　Surprisingly, there was no remorse in his voice. So much so that his pre-incarnation body, his immortal body, was an abomination to him.

　When I was resurrected as a carnal man, I had no desire of any kind. But I still had my human spirit.
　But I don't know what would have happened if I had lived that long.

　External stimuli are probably essential for a person to live as a human being.

　His eyes shifted from the moon to me looking down at him.


"I never thought that the day would come when I would be defeated by the same dead...


　It was the presence or absence of friends that decided the outcome.
　If Senri and the others hadn't fought first, I'm sure my power would never have reached this king.

　I sensed the end of the Abyssal Code from beneath the rubble. If I had left those men behind, this king's end would not have been like this.

"A king is... solitary.

　The King of the False Shadows says in a hushed voice.

"Solitary ...... has only one friend, his enemy. The young king ...... leaves nothing behind. But ---- take it with you, it is good.

　It was a thought too far removed from any living thing. His fingertips trembled, indicating the sword thrusting beside him.

　People with a life expectancy leave something behind for their children, thinking of the death that will surely come. But the king of the dead, who has no fixed life, has no one to leave behind.

　That's why the king of the dead will only leave something to the one who killed him.

　There was no bitterness in his voice. If I were in the same position, I would have cursed him, but perhaps that was a sign that the king before me had lived a long time.
　The dawn is near. Left to his own devices, the king of the void will be reduced to ashes in the sunlight.

　There's no way to save Jet. This man is too dangerous.

　I lift up Jet, who lies there like a true dead man. We meet eye to eye, but Jet's eyes aren't looking at me anymore.

I--I'm going first.

"My longing ...... has been fulfilled. Oh, the joys of ...... this, you will know one day.


　In that moment, I certainly forgot the fear of death that I had felt for so long before I was born.

　He plunged his fangs into my neck without hesitation. The ancient king.

　There was almost no blood left in the dying Jet's body.
　However, he could feel the power and curse engraved in his soul being carved into his body anew.
　And so, the King of the False Shadows, Jet Numaite Braklion, completely vanished from this world, not uttering a single word of resentment until the end.




　My heart is beating fast. Pain runs through my body as I remember now. My body wobbled, but I held on, stepping firmly on the ground.
　I'm losing consciousness. I felt intense heat, hunger, dryness.

　Jet was running out of strength. But he wasn't the only one who was depleted.



　The mutation will consume a great deal of power. There's no more blood left from Senri. I used up my power. If I hadn't used it up, it would have been me who lost. I was really close.

　Blood-- blood, I need to suck. I need fresh blood right now.

　I look at Lufrey and the others slumped over. Lufrey and the others were wrecked. Their Blessing power had been drained and they seemed unconscious.

　The worst of it was Senri. He hurriedly knelt down near Senri.
　He's in worse shape than I expected. Her heart is still beating, but her life is dying. Her life force is depleted.

　You need medical attention as soon as possible. But as an undead, I can't use healing magic.

　I need to get you to a human village--............ to [Descend]. If we leave him here, he'll die for sure.

　Blood. Not enough blood. I felt a fire smoldering in the back of my mind, trying to engulf me.
　Perhaps it's instinct. A blood demon's instinct, like the desire I once felt when I was first traveling through the forest with Senri, multiplied by several dozen.

　A true vampire's intense instincts would have been unbearable without my previous experience.

　The Lord's voice was no more. As he reached out, he saw Lefley's eyes widen as he rolled to his side.

　His eyes were unfocused. He was dazed.
　The damage to Lufrey and the others, though not as severe as Senri's, was not something that could be recovered in a short time.

　The Blessing Shield was also down. I can kill them whenever I want.
　Lufrey speaks up.

"You're going to suck Senri's ...... blood, you ...... monster.

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

　Lefley says all he has to say and falls unconscious. I avert my gaze.

　Thinking. All I need is to think. I can't afford to waste my mind on useless things like our old feud.

　A pent-up heat burned in my brain. He could move, but his vampire powers were already useless.

　I can't suck Senri's blood. Bloodsucking is the absorption of power. If you suck the blood of a dying senri, you'll kill her.
　You can't just leave her there. Senri dies.

　But-- the dawn is near. I knew with my senses that my natural enemy was almost upon me.
　I can't even withstand the light of the sunrise now, as I once could.

　I desperately turn my fading head.

　It's a long way to [Descend]. In addition, the surrounding area is a plain. Even if you manage to get there before dawn, there's nowhere to hide.
　Besides, that town is fully vampire-proofed. There's no way they'll help you just because you're carrying a wounded person.

　The moment felt like an eternity.

　There's no time to be lost for long.

　No--no hesitation. But I had to be ready.

　The lone king had entrusted me with everything and gone to his eternal rest.
　But if there is an afterlife, what would the king think if I, the one who supposedly defeated him, came to the same place soon after?



§ § § §



　I remember the past. The days when I lay on my sickbed in pain and couldn't move a single finger.
　My body was heavy. Senri's body on my back, a body that I could normally pick up with one hand, felt like a heavy stone.

　A trickle of blood dripped from my flesh, wetting the ground.
　The vampire's monstrous power comes from the power of death. According to a book I once read, the power of death, unlike blessings, does not diminish, but what does this weight mean?

　Thinking about such trivial things, I just moved my body forward.

　The sensation in my fingertips, the sensation of moving my limbs, was gradually disappearing. I couldn't feel the warmth on my back or the urge to suck blood anymore. There was no time to feel.

　And of course, no more fear of death.

　Let her live. Save Senri. The paranoia that had once been directed at her own survival had already changed direction.

　There must be demons on the plains, but fortunately they did not come near her.


　Wild animals instinctively avoid the undead. I'm really glad I'm a monster.

　Dawn was steadily approaching even as I was doing this. No more thoughts of going back, no more thoughts of hiding.

　If I fell, I might not be able to get up. I take each step firmly and move forward.

　I felt as if it had been a long time since I had been resurrected as an immortal. At least, the concentration of my experiences is not comparable to what I experienced before my death.

I have seen many things. I've gone through many fierce battles. There were hard times.

　But all that comes to mind like a running lantern are the memories of Senri.


　Good memories. It was a great time. It's because of Senri that I'm not an enemy of humanity.

　Bones, flesh, creak. The sun hasn't come up yet, but the air is already morning. My body is about to turn to ash.





What?　What's wrong?　Are you okay?



　--And so I made it to Descend just in time.

　A city that abhors vampires, surrounded by deep moats and flowing water. A few silver-tongued guards came running up to us when they spotted us in our rags.

　Thank goodness. Now Senri is safe. Senri's life isn't gone yet. She mustn't die yet.

　I can support her body. Senri is off my back. Senri didn't regain consciousness until the end.

　Darkness creeps into her vision. A vampire's eyes are supposed to see through all darkness, but I can't see anything.

　For some reason, I felt a deep familiarity with that darkness, not fear.


"Hey, hey!　What's going on?

　I felt my body shake. But it's already too late.
　My physical senses will disappear. You won't be able to hear straight. No pain.

　Maybe this was the last thing Jet had felt.
　I forced my throat to move.

I forced my throat to move.

　If this is the real end, if this is the disappearance, then being immortal is not so bad. Perhaps it was the relief of being able to save Senri that made him feel less alone.

　Sunlight is coming. The body disappears. Ashes.

　But you've saved someone you care about.
　Before I completely lost consciousness, I moved the muscles in my face and smiled.