The rocks, the crystals, rained down on the ground. The thunderous roar shook the world and didn’t cease for a while. The earth shook almost as if lamenting and then stopped abruptly.
Moonlight illuminated the wasteland. Trees that had grown thickly around were swallowed by the earth, no traces left of the old castle that stood high for many years.
Three swaying shadows descended to the ground and immediately collapsed.
The most seriously wounded was Senri, who had used up all her powersl in her worn-out state, but the other two — Neville and Lufry – were also almost entirely out of power.
But, they were alive.
Looking up at the heavens, Lufry said hoarsely.
“We, did it…”
The light of Photon Delete that Senri released at the end. It indeed completely eradicated the Mirage King’s attack. It really was close. If she hadn’t succeeded, they would have surely been crushed and lost their lives.
Lufry couldn’t even move a single finger anymore. But Senri was even more seriously wounded. Blessing is the energy of life and to use it all up, even just temporarily, is very dangerous. She had to be carried to the town as soon as possible, but from the looks of it, Neville was in a similar condition. Looking at his comrade, rolling next to him, Lufry smiled bitterly.
The reason why Lufry couldn’t move a single finger, was because he kept sending Senri power while he was using light wings, only keeping the minimum amount for himself. The fact that Neville was in the same condition meant that his comrade had also made the same decision. Neville was probably frowning because he had also realized the same thing. They might have been only 3rd class, but Lufry and Neville were still Death Knights. If they rested for a bit, they would recover enough to be able to move.The moment the air relaxed, a dry voice echoed.
“Haa, haa… A brilliant, blow…”
“?!”
No way ―― it was impossible. Senri’s attack should have completely defeated him.
Lufry couldn’t feel the presence of the Mirage King, but the voice that echoed from seemingly nowhere certainly belonged to him.
“The Death Knights, from this era, are unexpectedly capable.”
A shadow loomed over the trio. Lufry desperately tried to move his body but to no avail.
The crimson eyes were looking at the three. The voice of the Mirage King was dry and his face showed obvious exhaustion, but no injuries could be seen on him. He laughed.
“Kukuku… you look like, you want to ask me ‘why’, Death Knight. The one standing atop the hand, the one speaking, was ―― a mere rock puppet.”
“Kh…”
He didn’t notice at all. No, he would have definitely noticed it at the time of peace, but in an extreme situation like this, he didn’t have the leisure to notice.
The Mirage King, however, frowned after looking at Lufry and Neville’s expressions.
“It is cowardly, you say? I am not happy about it either. I would have never expected to end up forced in the soil in my first battle after reincarnating.”
Senri still hadn’t regained her consciousness, remaining motionless. Lufry couldn’t move his body. His blessing was also exhausted.
The Mirage King stretched his hand towards Senri, who lay down powerlessly.
“Be proud, for you have cornered the Mirage King himself with only three of you ―― and, have no fear. For you all will live for eternity as my blood and flesh.”
“Kh…. mother, fu,cker”
Neville’s voice was full of rage. But his hands were only trembling, showing no signs of moving at all. Blessing is circulating through the blood of Death Knights. Blood with the power of blessing is a deadly poison and under normal circumstances there would be no ways of sucking it. But Senri right now has run out of both power and the blessing. No. Lufry couldn’t let Senri’s blood be sucked. The power of the King in front of him was enormous. If he regained his power, he would cause a great calamity this time.
The lifeblood is the only blood vampires can absorb the power from. But Lufry’s group couldn’t even kill themselves at the moment.
Fingertips approached Senri, In front of Lufry and Neville, who were desperately trying to move their bodies. The moment those pale fingers tried to touch her nape, their movements suddenly stopped.
“What are you――?”
The Mirage King raised his face. Behind him stood — a tattered young man. His limbs were broken in unimaginable directions, his whole body was dirty with dust. There was no light behind his eyes, his white hair quietly reflecting the moonlight.
It was strange that he was even standing. If he were a human, he would have certainly not been alive in that condition.
But that young man was definitely alive. No, the expression ‘alive’ was wrong.
He was dead but he was moving.
Looking at End, whose appearance resembled a hellspawn, the Mirage King stood up as if annoyed.
“Vampire… that was fighting, with Avicord… so you, were alive.”
The Mirage King was staggering, but End was even more unsteady on his feet.
His eyes were unfocused almost like a dead man.. He showed no reaction to the Mirage King’s words either.
The Mirage King stretched out his arms and squeezed his neck. A damp sound resounded but End didn’t stir an inch.
The Mirage King’s eyebrows distorted, as if having seen something eerie.
“… What are you??? What in the world are you? Have you turned back, into a ghost? Why are you, moving?” Those words made End react for the first time. His spaced out eyes regained their focus and looked at the Mirage King. Darkness lay beyond the eyes red as blood. He raised his arm powerlessly and put it over the arm Mirage King was using to grab his neck.
His throat, that was supposed to have been pressured, moved and a voice that seemed like it would disappear at any moment, resounded.
“I… am… Ki…o..ss. Hu… nd… y,you… are… mi――”
“?… Wh,at?”
The Mirage King questioned the person who was obviously half-dead. End’s eyes opened wide and his gaze turned towards the ground — or more accurately, towards Senri who was collapsed on it.
And, End said with all his strength.
“The, palace, of, darkness.”
“What… did you say…?”
His broken limbs made a loud sound and returned to their original state. Power returned to his fingertips that he had laid down powerlessly and grasped the Mirage King’s arm. Light returned to his eyes, but the darkness stirring behind them stayed the same.
The Mirage King staggered. End’s throat was still being grasped, but the voice that left his mouth next wasn’t hoarse anymore.
“I am — the King of the Palace of Darkness. A name given by the Lord, so I would surpass, and rule over all darkness.”
What was he even talking about? But the eyes of the Mirage King widened.
“A name is precious. Therefore, the Lord made it, into the key. Mirage King. “
Even Lufry, who had lost most of his powers, felt it.
The presence of the death grew rapidly, as if some kind of shackles had come undone. It was a remarkable change, as if he had grown into a different being altogether.
The Mirage King’s arm, that was being grabbed, broke with a sound. He tried to step back but End didn’t let go. Even a vampire’s physical strength shouldn’t be able to make him budge. Wariness crossed the Mirage King’s face.
And, End smiled. His blood-red eyes glowed with a faint golden light – a demonic light.
Perhaps he realized the true identity of End’s existence, the Mirage King’s expression distorted.
Eyes glowing with golden hue were the symbol of noble beings. A terrifying undead, that drinks an enormous amount of blood even compared to other blood demons and accumulates power. A vampire aristocrat, the confirmation of whose birth is enough to alert all of the Order of Death Knights, and the one who’s feared even by his own kind.
“A Noble Vampire… im-mpossible. Why then Avicord――”
“If possible, if only possible… I wanted to put it off. I could even, endure pain. I missed the light. At least, for one more day――”
His face hadn’t changed, but the atmosphere around him definitely did. His pale appearance, was so hauntingly beautiful, it even made Lufry, who was the same sex, shudder.
Tears of blood dripped from his golden eyes. Perhaps it was because he had just evolved. But his voice was terribly calm.
“But ―― it’s fine already. You hurt my beloved ―― I don’t want to use dirty words, but I will fuck you up.”