**Chapter 30: The King of Shadow**
I remained calm in the face of the Purification Light that sought to annihilate all of Aderador.
They were strong. In our first battle, I was overwhelmed. When I returned the sword to the inn of Epe, my opponent was unsettled and not at their best.
But now, this was a direct assault. Somehow, they had grasped the presence of both me and Senri, and they approached with a firm resolve to kill.
Even if they were only at the third level, those who wielded Blessing were undoubtedly heroes.
As I watched the light bullets raining down like a torrential downpour and saw Nebira charging towards us from the other side, I felt a conviction.
They had grown stronger since our last encounter.
With the intent to inflict damage using ‘White Rain’, they planned to strike while I was distracted.
In response, without hesitation, I knew my choice was singular.
The light fell evenly around us. Resolving myself, I urged my aching body to leap sideways.
Rufuri let out a small cry.
“What!?”
“Ugh!?”
The light seared my physical form. It felt like being consumed by a hellfire of a different kind than Seibur’s curse, a pain that exploded like a shockwave.
I shielded Senri with my body, rolling to protect her.
I could sense the light trying to return me to the state of a lifeless corpse. My vision flickered from the pain, and though I couldn’t even scream, my thoughts remained clear.
I had grown stronger. Perhaps since that day when Senri vanished alongside me, she had been training.
However, one thing had not changed.
The sharpened intent to kill embedded in their attacks was impressive, but that was all it was.
They had grown stronger, but that was it. They had not changed.
“Ugh… After taking ‘White Rain’, there’s almost no damage! Be careful!”
“I know!”
I felt a crackling battle spirit from behind me. The power of the light was palpable.
Once upon a time, I had little combat experience against a level up, and all I could do was run away in a panic. Now, I had a benchmark to measure them against. That benchmark was Senri.
Rufuri and the others had indeed grown stronger. But I had grown even stronger.
I knew that even if Rufuri’s ‘White Rain’ hit me with full force, it wouldn’t be enough to fill my abyss.
A beast-like roar erupted from my back. The holy silver weapon bestowed upon all members of the Eclipse Knights was swung down.
—And it was met head-on by Senri, who had slipped out of my arms.
She rolled to the side, assessing the battlefield.
Senri’s sword was as graceful as ever. Her swift and direct series of strikes were likely unnecessary to purify Aderador. The divine speed of her swordplay, marked by several flashes, was something I could barely keep up with, even with my abilities as a Person Outside.
A fierce sound echoed. Nebira roared.
“You bastard! Are you still not awake!?”
This was a misunderstanding. Senri’s eyes were—never clouded from the start.
With a single strike, her sword sent the mace flying. Nebira’s expression twisted in surprise.
Though Senri and Nebira differed in size and gender, for an Eclipse Knight enhanced by Blessing, such differences were trivial.
“I won’t let you kill her!”
Did they really think that Senri was reluctantly accompanying me under duress?
That was impossible. Senri was not foolish enough to be manipulated by someone like me. That was why I had been careful not to betray her as much as possible.
How could Rufuri and the others hope to kill me, protected by a Senri stronger than they were, the very Senri they were trying to save?
“End, is it fine?”
“Somehow.”
It hurt. If I were human, I would undoubtedly be dead from the pain, but since I was already dead, I felt at ease.
Maybe, now I was stronger than Rufuri and the others.
Because I had vast combat experience. I knew the techniques of the Eclipse Knights through Senri.
As if grasping the situation in an instant, Rufuri shouted.
“Nebira, hold that side! ‘White Rain’!”
“End!”
How naive, how sweet. In that sense, Epe’s distant ‘Light of Liberation’ was a clever tactic.
Epe likely understood us perfectly.
The Order of the Final Knights was not inherently evil. Thus, surely, time would heal the tragedy. Even if I were killed, Senri would eventually come to terms with it.
But Senri was not the type to quietly watch someone attempt to kill her right in front of her.
If I were in their position—I would plan an assassination. Convincing the stubborn Senri from a moral standpoint would be impossible.
Narrowing the area down to me, I swung ‘Light Eater’ towards the dense rain of light.
My heart roared. The power of a vampire is the power of blood, and its source is the heart. My instincts as a vampire roared for battle in response to the arrival of a natural enemy.
Senri had said that ‘Light Eater’ was made of metal that could absorb Blessing.
The pitch-black blade produced the expected result. The light that touched the blade seemed to vanish as if swallowed. Some of it pierced through, but if I resolved myself, I could endure it.
Truly, my Lord left me something good.
“Did you extinguish it!? Nonsense, how could you do that on the first strike—”
Ah, that’s right. I could have done the same on the first strike. But Rufuri did not understand.
“I am head over heels for Senri!”
Thus, it was only natural that I acted to keep our bond intact. I expressed it with my entire being, risking my life!
“I never imagined I would be head over heels for a natural enemy…”
My Lord lamented the why of it all. I stepped forward with determination.
I slipped past Nebira, who was exchanging blows with Senri. My target was—Rufuri.
His face, once confident, froze in instant shock.
Did he really think I was still being chased?
The fear carved into my being when I had been reduced to just a head had vanished. If they knew the path I had walked since then, they would surely understand.
“I won’t kill you! Senri would be sad!”
“Ugh…”
Think carefully. I would never kill an innocent human. I had taken blood from Senri, but my purity remained intact.
A vampire who had done nothing and an Eclipse Knight trying to kill her. While society might deem the Eclipse Knight righteous, that was not the case for Senri.
It was ironic that one of the reasons Senri was evaluated was her virtue in protecting a pitiful vampire.
Rufuri readied his sword. It was a bit wider and longer than Senri’s, imbued with light.
It was the same sword that had severed my head. The wound from that severance still ached.
I knew well that the swords of the Eclipse Knights were meant to evade and deflect. We had clashed countless times.
Rufuri, do you truly believe you are stronger than Senri?
A sharp pain coursed through my mind. It was Seibur’s curse. But I wouldn’t hold back.
I urged my knees, which felt like they might crumble, and slammed ‘Light Eater’ down onto the floor before Rufuri.
“What!?”
The shattered floor erupted into debris, hurtling towards both Rufuri and me. However, even a mere Eclipse Knight could not match my endurance.
I clashed with Senri. We exchanged blows, confirming the differences in our capabilities. I was also considering our fighting styles.
No matter how strong I was, I never believed I could live in bliss with Senri alone, without any outside enemies.
Rufuri fell back to mitigate the damage from the debris. I pressed forward.
“Uoooooohhhhhh!!”
“Ugh!”
The roar shook the air.
Rufuri’s body glowed faintly with light. If I touched it, I would be burned by the Purification Light.
My Lord, floating in the air, warned me. But I pressed on.
The debris pierced my body, but I paid it no mind.
Pain was not something to fear. I had experienced it enough times. What I feared was—losing.
I raised my weapon high. Rufuri, while struggling to deal with the debris, pointed his sword at me.
But as he fell back, he could not hope to match the strength of a lower-rank vampire, a Lesser Vampire.
I would not allow him to take the hit. I would not allow him to evade. I swung ‘Light Eater’ upward, forcefully deflecting the holy silver blade.
The opening was there. I charged right into the white armor, the symbol of the Order of the Final Knights.
Rufuri’s body was far too light against the power of a vampire.
With a simple charge, Rufuri was sent flying, crashing against the wall. Perhaps it was an unexpected attack; he couldn’t even brace himself.
The light that dwelled within him spread with the instant contact, burning my flesh. I did not stop, for I had already experienced that pain before.
I had already endured the Purification from Blessing, the pain from being exploited, and the overwhelming force of being trampled upon.
My left eye was gone. It seemed I had been burned by the light.
The front half of my body was engulfed in intense heat and pain. I was sure I was in a terrible state.
The damage from Blessing inhibited the regenerative powers of a vampire. I wanted to manipulate my blood to heal, but Seibur’s curse was obstructing me, making it difficult.
I licked my lips.
“I won’t kill you. You all didn’t kill me either.”
Though I had been reduced to just a head.
Rufuri, who had been slammed against the wall, staggered to his feet. It was likely not a fatal injury, but the damage was far from zero.
Nebira shouted, her voice filled with a swirling intensity of emotion. Perhaps I had underestimated Rufuri, thinking he held the advantage.
“Damn it, this is ridiculous… In just half a year, N/A—Senri, you’ve created a monstrous Object, N/A!”
“…End is not a monstrous Object, N/A.”
Only Senri stood by my side. I responded without turning around.
“No… I am a monstrous Object. But as long as Senri is here, I’m satisfied. I haven’t done anything terrible, so just give up.”
The reason I didn’t turn around was likely due to my physical body being in the midst of NowRegeneration, probably in a terrible state. My face must resemble that of a skeleton. Rufuri glared at me, still brimming with fighting spirit. However, even with NoeNo goodージ, the outcome had been as it was; it was clear that taking me down alone would be a challenge.
“N/A…”
“Kukuku… The Eclipse Knight does not engage a Vampire one-on-one.”
Lord laughed heartily. I see… For them, battling a Vampire was not a fight but an extermination. Even when facing Lord, it seemed they had a solid strategy centered around Senri.
Rufuri made a swift decision.
“N/A… Nebira, we’re retreating for now. We need to rethink our strategy.”
What a quick acceptance of defeat. Run away, run away… By the time you come back, I won’t be here! I won’t let Senri go. I will thoroughly play the victim.
“N/A… Damn it, N/A!”
Nebira, who was supposed to be here to help, glared at me with the ferocity of a demon, having been engaged with Senri and Weapon. The only reason she could hold her ground against Senri was that Senri had been holding back. It was clear she had no intention of harming her ally, Yuan.
However, Rufuri and the others had further soured their impression of me.
First, I needed to listen… My Senri isn’t so sweet as to be given away to a muscle-bound fool (?). And I would use the Raid today to extract Blood from Senri.
‘…If they understand what you’re thinking, they’ll come at you with everything they have.’
Well, even if they did come at me with everything, as long as the Person quality is on my side, I doubt it would matter…
Nebira’s gaze was like that of someone seeking revenge for a parent’s death. Yet, even though Nebira had once casually tormented me, it would now be impossible for her to kill me with a single blow from the front. I was reaffirmed in my belief that there was a significant difference between a third-tier Knight and a second-tier Knight.
In combat skills and the amount of Blessing. A third-tier Knight might easily defeat low-level A/N/A deN/ADoro, but would struggle against a Vampire-class A/N/A deN/ADoro. They were coordinated with the Deceased.
And it was likely that their true power would be unleashed when they worked together. If there were a Mage capable of flooding the floor, they would likely struggle normally…
Rufuri and Nebira fell back. Neither I nor Senri pursued them.
Right now, the most important thing was to disrupt the ritual of the shadow magic king. The second most important thing was to escape. I had a general understanding of their capabilities. As long as Senri and I were together, we should be able to manage even if four others attacked us, excluding E-pe. If E-pe was present, it would be the end.
Rufuri shot me a glance and spoke in a serious tone.
“Senri, I’ll persuade you just once more. Come back; the master wishes for it too. Your situation is problematic, but—it’s not too late.”
“……Go home. End has never attacked a Person, nor has it been consumed by Bloodlust.”
“That’s because you’ve been giving Blood! Aaaaaaaah, I thought you were just naive, but to think you would actually do something so outrageous—didn’t you see? That Crap Vampire over there is being empowered by your Blood, N/A! You won’t be able to handle it directly, N/A!”
I was at a loss for words…
That’s right. The reason I hadn’t been consumed by Bloodlust was that I had been receiving Senri’s Blood, and while I hadn’t killed any innocent Persons, I had taken down a few mafias to acquire some money. However, Rufuri’s words were also nonsensical. Was this the first time they were trying to persuade me after the earlier Raid?
Senri’s amethyst eyes remained unwavering in the face of the two’s words. There was no way she hadn’t anticipated such things. The moment she decided to save me, she had resolved everything.
At that moment, Rufuri’s gaze shifted. With a somewhat troubled expression, he opened his mouth.
“Senri, you may not know this, but… the master—”
‘N/A!? This magical wave—End, it’s coming, N/A!’
“!?”
The moment Lord’s voice echoed, the ground shook violently. No, it wasn’t just the ground. The floor, the walls, the entire space trembled fiercely. My cursed body could no longer stand and crumbled, yet the Raid did not come.
Just moments ago, Nebira and Rufuri, who had been so hostile, were no longer looking at me. They maintained their stance amidst the shaking ground, glaring into the darkness.
“What is this power—N/A!?”
“N/A… It shouldn’t have been this soon.”
Then, from the direction where the presence of the night crystal had been felt just moments ago, a force exploded.