84 CHAPTER XXVI: REbellION 3 (2/2)

Kuro sparks scattered. That was all. There must be some condition, or--

Dell whirled around. But I'm the only one Lynell sees. But he's probably not oblivious to Del's movements. He's aware and he's ignoring it.

Rainer looks me in the eye and smiles.

”That's the spirit--good.

There was no time for conversation. Rainer steps in, closing in.

It's as if a wall is closing in on me. Rainer was an extraordinary giant, but he was also extremely agile.

But he had seen it before in the battle with Dell and was prepared for it. If flames couldn't penetrate, he would have to use his blade.

He turned his right hand into a sword and faced the downward swinging paw. The silver claw was not pointing at me. The blade dug into the palm of his dropped hand.

My body creaked under the tremendous force, and the floor cracked and shattered.

Instinct told me. No. I'm completely outmatched. I'm going to get crushed.

You leap backwards in an instant. The paw that was catching you crushes the ground with force.

Linel lets out a small roar.

”Mmm ......, I didn't think you'd ...... hurt me. It's a terrible power.

Rainer raises his paw. There was a thin smear of blood where the blade had pierced. Rainer licked the wound and narrowed his eyes.

”Your strength is a shame. Join my ranks, Endeavour. You still can't defeat me.

Stupid ......, is that all you got?

It was a shock. The claw was definitely cutting into his flesh, and on top of that, it was being powered by Rainer himself.

Look at his right hand. The bone blade had countless cracks in it. It could crush my body, that's why.

Too strong. Too strong. This is the one who belongs to the Demon Lord.

Gather the power of blood in your right hand and repair the crack. But that's not the root of the problem.

A monster. You're no match for it alone. I glared at Lynel, waiting for him to speak.

But to join the ...... army?　That's impossible.

It's true that this Demon Lord might respect my will to the fullest extent. If I were alone, it would be worth considering.

But I have someone waiting for me. Someone who has promised to stand by me. And Senri's presence is getting closer and closer.

And I'm not sure I've lost yet. It was possible that Del had a secret plan, and even if his claws didn't stick out, his fangs could break through the thick fur. Or I might be able to penetrate the eyelids, unlike Del.

Linel laughs.

You're not giving up, are you? So let's at least have some fun.

And so the violation began.

§And then the violation began.

The holy silver claw swung down and easily sliced through the pincers. It's a small advantage, but not a big one. It's strength is not even close, and its body can tear me apart just by hitting me. It has more strength and agility than Albatos, and it's brave.

And despite its beastly fighting style, it had wisdom in its actions.

Linel never took a claw in the palm of his hand again, and he never gave me an opportunity to attack him with my eyes.

Even when he hid his presence and scent with his Shadow, his eyes were always on me. I realized how terrifying a beast with human intelligence could be.

Strong. Compared to the power of the king in front of me, a cannibal is like a baby.

A living scourge. A diminutive man could only shrink and tremble in the face of this beast.

It was all I could do to take the tyranny of the storm. With the holy silver claws as my weakness, I couldn't rely on my regenerative ability to fight like I had in the past. If I could gather the power of blood, it would be possible to heal the wound of the holy silver, but it would take a long time. Then it's over.

Dell was trying to reduce the number of attacks against me, but I was the only one Lynell was targeting. He'd kill me first, where he could do the least damage, and then finish off Dell.

I put all my strength into it, and put back the claw that was more than half cut off. This weapon is also a problem.

The claw, which should be harder than iron, had no resistance to the holy silver claw. Perhaps it's a curse.

The talons can't protect against holy silver. It's something I've been meaning to test, but the timing is just wrong.

The movement is just barely visible. That's why the silver claws have managed to keep me from getting hit, but the power of my blood is being drained away.

At this rate, you'll lose.

Even though he was overwhelmed, he could not see any signs of carelessness in his eyes.

Perhaps he knew of another powerful vampire? Rynell swung his right paw up in a big way. You can't go in his pocket. You'll get crushed.

Posture. You have to get back into position.

You try to back away and your back hits something hard.

Before you know it, you're trapped against the wall. In a panic, you slam your elbow into the wall, but it's too late.

A brilliant silver light falls from above.

No. No. I can't avoid it. My thoughts are stretched by the presence of death.

You can't let it destroy your brain. Take it from your shoulder. Gather the force of the blood from the shoulder down.

I stare down at the claws, ready to take the pain, and that's when a shield of light appears in front of me.

It's Dell. It's a demon knight move. The wall of light and the claws collide violently. Lynel's eyes widen.

”No!

It was no contest. The wall of light was like a piece of paper before Rainer's blow.

But for a tiny, fleeting moment, it stopped moving. That was enough.

On the other side of the collapsed wall was outside. The cool air caressed my cheeks.

I surrendered to gravity and escaped through the hole in the wall as if I were falling.