And so the night dawned, and peace returned to Descend.

　Not a single inhabitant of the city was aware of the horrible plot that had been quietly carried on, nor of the impending end of the world, nor of the fact that it had been thwarted.

　The mayor's murder is all the rage at the moment, but a replacement will soon take his place.

　There was a time when [Descend] was a frontline base against the Demon King. But the horror and blood that was shed there became nothing more than a story after so many years.

　Human life is short. No matter how much we fear and prepare, our memories will eventually fade. That's the most important thing to keep in mind when fighting the lifeless undead.

　Considering the situation, it is certain that the mayor was tricked by the servants of the Shadow King and helped to revive him, but that would not have been possible right after the war.

　A room in the city hall. When Lefley told him what had happened, Cainusi laughed aloud.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

　It costs money to fight vampires. It's very expensive to flush water, it's very difficult to get silversmithing, it's very difficult to get the right crosses that are effective against vampires. Therefore, most cities are not fully equipped to deal with vampires.

　And even if they do, there are plenty of ways to get in if you do everything you can - like this time.

　While Lefley and the others were fighting, Kainushi was searching the mayor's mansion and city hall for evidence.
　With the prestige of the Knights of the End, it's not hard to tell exactly what happened in this city.
　Memories and fears fade, but step by step transmission is the forte of those who are short-lived.

　The mercenaries who seemed to have visited the castle with Senri were also safe.
　They had run away when they saw the monster, but I'm sure they too will tell you of the horrors of the undead.

　They'll tell you what kind of monster the King of the Dead is, and what kind of tricks he uses.

Is it true that the man has perished?

　Alba, the sharp-eyed girl who had been standing near Kainushi, glared at Lufry.
　Sharp eyes. It is said that he was once empowered by a curse, but even after the curse was lifted, his will to fight has not changed.

No doubt he carried Senri into the city, bathed him in sunlight, and turned him to ash. I'm sure he carried her to the city, got some sunlight, and turned to ashes right in front of the city guards.

"...... Tsk.

　I'm not sure what to make of that. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　There is no way you can do that. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

　That Senri has not lost the power of the Blessing is evident from his battle with the King of the False Shadows.
　The End Baron, formerly Liel Fomet, was an undead man who lived his life as a human until the end.

　He was a different kind of undead. And a terrible undead. That young man will be remembered for a long time in the Order.

You don't look happy.

"...... We don't want any exceptions!　d*mn it!　This will keep him in Senri's mind.

　The look on Nevilla's face was one of resentment, with nowhere to go.

　Lefley and the others had been saved because the soldiers had heard the vampire's last words and had come to patrol the area.
　Lefley and the others were not as strong as Senri, but they were also pushing themselves to the limit. I don't know what would have happened if they had been left there for a long time with the miasma that the Shadow King had spread.

　If vampires appear, kill them. But you can't destroy vampires any more than you can destroy vampires.
　Even if it retains a human heart, if the Order killed it, it's an enemy. But if they chose to die to protect others, what can the Order of the End do?

　That would have meant total defeat.

　You can't make exceptions. Vampires are cunning. There have been many demise knights who were tricked and killed by vampires pretending to be human.
　Even if one out of a thousand vampires had a human heart, all Lefley and the others could do was purify it.

　Kainushi put his hand on his chin, narrowed his eyes and said.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.　The woman's qualities are too good to be broken.

She needs time.

　After receiving treatment, Senri managed to survive, and with the power of his blessing, he was able to regain his full strength in a short time. But his heart was different.
　When Lefley told him what had happened, Senri said, "Yes," and kept a dumbfounded expression on his face.

　Apparently, Senri and End were getting along much better than Lefley and the others had expected.
　Senri's absent-mindedness was probably one of the reasons why Nevira was so irritated. But don't worry.


"And let me tell you something. Senri is unbreakable.


　Senri Sylvis is strong and compassionate.

　She fights. She fights because she's strong, even when she's wounded. That's why Epe of Annihilation recommended her to the first rank.

　End's death would have been a great shock to Senri. She would never forget the young man who had saved her and died outside the battle.
　But she already had the strength to keep fighting, no matter what tragedy befell her.

　Senri Sylvis is a genuine Knight of the End. It was too precious, too pathetic.



　And sadly, the world was not peaceful enough for her not to fight.


　Then Lufrey's expression changed. He looked at Cainusi with serious eyes.


The Age of Darkness is coming. ............ This is a turning point. You will be busy, Cainussi.

Cainushi, you will be busy." "Cuckoo ......, I am not a warlord.




　As is often the case, times have their ups and downs, and the war against darkness has its milestones.

　The King of the False Shadows, who was once thought to have perished, has returned, albeit incompletely. The King of the Stake is still under the onslaught of the Knights of the End, but his power is slowly expanding.
　A rare vampire who had a human heart died.

　And Epe the Annihilator, the master of the most powerful Knights of the End, will die soon.

　He has always had a premonition of death. That's why he was training his students.

　You can't help but feel the transition.
　Epe was a deterrent. Powerful, intelligent undead awaited his approaching death.

　There would be a great battle.

　And there would be no place for the sweetest girl alive to be standing.




Let's go back to headquarters. We can't spend all this time grieving.

I'll train you again. Next time, I won't need a vampire's help.

　"Next time, I won't need a vampire's help." Nevira declared firmly with a dull glint in her eye at Lefley's words.




§ § § §




　Everything was gone from the place where the old castle had stood just ten days ago.

　The entire hill on which it stood had collapsed, engulfing the surrounding forest, and all that was left was a wasteland that looked like the remains of a disaster.

　The night of the new moon.
　On the night of the new moon, in this desolate land where not even the sound of insects could be heard due to the powerful miasma, several black things suddenly descended from the sky.

　They were bats.
　As if guided by some kind of will, they gathered, solidified, and changed.


I never thought this would happen...


　A cold voice rang out in the silence.

　The one who appeared was a girl with blood-red hair.
　She wore a jet-black cloak that gave her a somewhat supernatural air, but her expression was extremely abhorrent.

　Sable Blood Pain. A vampire in the service of the King of the Stakes, moving through the wasteland.

　What lay ahead was a sword.

　In the center of the wasteland, a sword sticks out like a tombstone.
　The hilt, the brim, and the blade, all black as if carved from a giant crystal, conveyed an unearthly power.

　It was clearly not just a sword.

　However, no one took the sword that was stuck in the ground with them.
　Not the soldiers who had come to investigate after the battle, not the onlookers who had come to see the castle when they heard it had collapsed. And even the Knight of the End.

　What radiated from the sword was a powerful curse. Even if they didn't have the knowledge, living creatures would instinctively know the danger.

　A curse is a thought. A sentiment strong enough to break the rules of the world.

　And the curse on that sword was placed by the King of the Dead.

　Even Sable, the product of an equally powerful curse and highly resistant to curses, couldn't bring herself to touch it.

　Sable did not see the moment of the battle. He hadn't recovered his strength in time.
　But he could guess what had happened. I've already gathered information in the city of Descend.

"You're a terrible man, End Baron, to go toe-to-toe with an ancient king.

　The situation had gone far beyond Sable's expectations.

　All Sable needed to do was to separate End from that demise knight. For that reason, he used the new demise knight that appeared.
　He was aware that something was happening in Descend, but it didn't matter.

　I didn't think that the purpose of the ritual that was being performed was to resurrect the King of the False Shadows, and that the End that had shown such an instinct for survival would disappear--



The scouts failed. But I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky.

　The Ende Baron is too much for us. Probably not even Sable's master can control him.

　Besides, End was thoroughly in love with the Demise Knight.
　In some cases, he might have ended up fighting for the Knights of the End.

　He had defeated Sable's alter ego even though he was still inexperienced. It was better to die than to become an enemy.

　There was a bouquet of flowers in front of the sword. It must have been placed there by her demise knight.
　A vampire who leaves nothing but ashes. A tombstone to prove a battle.

　Perhaps years or decades later, when the curse on the sword had faded somewhat, those who specialized in curses would come to collect it.

　Looking down at the flowers, Sable sighs.

Oh dear, my orders have failed. You'll be chastised by your master. ......

　The signs of a great battle had already appeared. We need to increase our forces as much as possible.
　The instinct to fight on regardless of means, the need for survival. I could be a strong ally. If they had fought together, perhaps they could have become friends.

　Finally, Sable looked at his sword and muttered to himself.

He was a fool to fall in love with a mortal after so many years of life. Even though you have so much power, ...... you are a king. We'll go ............ ahead.


　Transform your body into a bat. Bones, flesh, and a cloak made of blood. In an instant, he transformed himself into a bat and disappeared into the moonless sky.






















§ § § § § § § § § § § § § § §











　Two shadows were silently moving through the forest shrouded in darkness.
　One was over two meters tall, and the other was a head shorter than that. There was no moon in the sky, and the surrounding area was truly dark, but their steps were unhindered.

So, what do you think?

"Well, wait a minute. Do you know how long it's been since I smelled that?

　A hoarse man's voice replies to the woman's hurried voice, as if in disgust.
　The large shadow puts its nose to the ground and crawls forward.

　And then - suddenly, the path opened up.

　What lay before it was a wasteland. The chirping of insects and birds that had been heard earlier disappeared.
　In the center of the wasteland was a sword, surrounded by layers of rope fences, a simple warding system.

　Not a single weed grows on the ground, and according to the information I heard in the town of [Descend], this is due to the curse of the sword.

　After carefully looking around, he finally turned to the sword and a large shadow shuddered.

"...... Really, ......?

Here, go ahead and--

　A powerful curse that can be seen at a glance, no one would even touch it out of curiosity.
　In fact, the sword is covered with a powerful curse, but no one seems to have fallen victim to it. This is because no one has tried to touch it.
　That's why the enclosure is just a precaution and there are no guards.

　But the smell continues toward the sword.
　The smaller shadow kicks the larger one lightly in the waist.


"Hey ......, why are you letting me go?

"Why are you so scared of a big guy?　No ordinary curse will work on a werewolf.

In that case, it won't work on the devil either!　The moon is not shining today, so you can't get any power!

　The woman sighed at the man, whose voice sounded tragic in spite of his huge size.

The woman sighed.

I know, I know. ...... d*mn, the smell is getting thicker and thicker. --Oh, I can feel it .............


　I'm crawling along on the ground. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of these in the market.
　In a feverish voice, he said.

"There's ...... one, I can smell it, Monica. It took me three years. At last, I've arrived. I'm here, I'm here.


　Her voice was trembling, her eyes shining in the darkness, narrowed in fear and excitement.
　The bristling hands of the beast scratched the earth hard.

"O, Oliver, dig carefully, carefully--

"Yeah, I know. d*mn it, I have to unmask--

　Rough, windy breathing. After a meter of digging, his hand stopped.


"I found it--


　He carefully lifted it out of the hole.
　It was the size of a fist. The color was black, reminiscent of darkness. Cold, soft, and--surely, in Oliver's hand, pulsing.

　It was a heart. An immortal heart that could be cut out and still live.

"Three years. The rumor of its disappearance was spread three years ago.　That's impossible.

　I never thought I'd find it. We found it.
　It's a miracle. Sure, vampires are highly immortal, but they can't live forever under the ground in a coffin.

　But my heart was still beating, though I felt no strength. It couldn't move a step, it couldn't regenerate, it was in a state that could kill an infant - but if Oliver and the others hadn't come, it would have spent eternity at the bottom of the earth.

　My hands and arms trembled. The ruthless look in his eyes when we once met. The young Ancestor who killed Oliver's master and single-handedly destroyed the Lynel army.
　That fear is firmly etched in Oliver, who has been turned into a werewolf by the power of vampires.

"Oh, hey, this is-- this is really--

Oh, hey, this is really--

　Monica, the demon who was once bled out by the young man and left without power, slashes her own arm with a knife without hesitation.


　The blood, slightly blacker than human, poured down on her heart.