87 Witchcraft 2 (1/2)

The Curse Flame is a terrifying ability.

It was as if not only my body but also my soul was being consumed. My vision was flickering with incessant pain and heat.

Even so, the black flames only burned one layer of my skin, one millimeter of my flesh. The skin regenerates from the burned side and burns forever as long as the power of blood lasts.

The power of blood is amazing. Its manipulation could be called the essence of vampirism.

I got the idea from the power of the demon knight. Senri boosts his physical abilities by letting the blessing flow through his body. What I'm doing is similar to that.

It's a painful ...... feeling to be exposed to never-ending pain, but it's a feeling I miss very much. But this time I won't die. You can't die. If I kill Lynell, I can focus my power, douse the spellfire, and return to normal.

The final battle. No more help from Dell. I put out my burning foot and stepped forward. At this moment, the only thing I recognized was the Demon Lord Rainer and myself.

The Demon Lord Rainer was seemingly unharmed. His mane was covered in golden phosphorescence, and his claws were sharp and silver. But as an undead, I could see that the life form's power was much lower than before. This was probably due to the super-high energy shot I had just received - the Dragon's Breath.

If I hadn't intervened in the middle of the battle, Dell would have definitely been wiped out. But still, Dell was a hero for resisting that energy, even if only for a moment.

I didn't have much time. Even as I do this, my head is throbbing with pain.

I'm using the power of my blood to regenerate to fight the Flame. It should last a while, but the power isn't infinite. I should've gotten more blood from Monica.

I should have sucked more of Monica's blood. Lynell narrows his eyes and stares at me in cursed flames.

”Nuh-uh. ...... The power is the d*mned flame. Did Hebram betray you?

Do you think so?

”What a murderous ...... monster.

Hot. But no flesh or bone is burning. So I can stand.

Rebuild the thoughts the pain is eating away at you. I concentrate on thinking. Lynell ”resisted” me coming at him from above. He resisted until he stopped attacking Dell. In other words, with this much fire, the ”curse flame” is enough to get through to Lynel.

The black flames did indeed scorch its fur. It did some damage. But it wasn't a one-hit wonder like Celzar's.

Lynel is carefully assessing my moves. I had to avoid the silver claw, which could be a one-hit kill. It has reach.

I point my flaming sword at him.

Kill him. Kill it! Kill it once and for all. That's all you need to think about right now. There's no time to think about anything else when you have a fearsome king in front of you.

The monster is ...... you!

Find a way to win. Linel's voice is faint. The dragon's breath had burned his own throat.

The mere touch was not enough to defeat him. That was to be expected when Hebram the Cannibal, who had perfected the Spellflame, could not defeat Ryner. His opponent had already experienced the Conjuring Flame.

Rip the flesh with your sword. That way, the flames might damage the wound. It could burn him from the inside out.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

You roar to cover up the heat and pain and jump at it. Linel also roars, but he breaks through with only his energy.

A silver claw falls from above. You avoid them by stopping suddenly, breaking your ankle. Calm down, calm down. Just as I tell myself to calm down, the snout of the cleaver blows my body away.

I'm slammed into the wall, my flesh popping and my bones breaking on impact.

Once again, I understand. Size is power. I must have touched the flames, but Lynel doesn't stop. He rushes forward.

It's a terrifying fight that I can't believe he's been reigning as king all these years. After all, a demon king is different from a human king.

He was desperate. Forgetting the pain, I threw my body down, and the wall I was impaled on was torn apart by silver claws.

Lynel was doing everything he could. This was not the man who had just tried to kill me.

But we got the bottom. Linel's belly is in front of me.

Blood from his head in my eyes. I thrust at his belly with a force that shreds my arm.

The sword I created with my claws is also a part of my body. I felt a dull impact.

It was heavy, hard, but flexible. Is this the dragon skin used in the armor of all heroes?

Linel did not choose to crush him. As soon as he received the blow, he jumped back with a speed unimaginable from his huge body.

He reprimands his body and stands up.

He looks down at his right arm. There was a crack in the bone blade. The crack disappears quickly, but the impact remains.

It couldn't penetrate ....... I'd attacked a completely defenseless belly and it hadn't done any damage.

Almost there. The blade of bone was blocked by Lynel's fur, though it should have been.

The fur. The fur was too tough. It was the paw that wounded first. And there was no hair on the flat of Lynel's paw.

Paw pads. The paw is the only thing I can barely hurt. Maybe that's where I got my first hit because that's where Lynel's weakness is. The sword was covered in flames, but it still didn't seem to penetrate.

Without making a single sound of footsteps, Rainer flipped the debris and prepared to pounce on us. His fur still glistened with gold.

”Terrible power. ...... So this is the undead, ...... a formidable foe.

Linel retreated because he knew that if he had chosen to crush it, it would have pierced his stomach. The gap is close.

But it's not closing. I can't think of a way to close it. I try to use the momentum of Lynell's attack like I did the first time, but he's wary of that.

My hands are shaking. Should we run for our lives? ......?　No. If I run, Dell dies, and Rainer won't let me go in the first place.

I had a hunch. If I thought about running-- I'd lose. I'll turn this burning into a fight.

I stared at the Demon Lord Rynell, who still had the appearance of a king, and forced a smile.

I'm not going to chase you if you run away from .......

I'm not going to chase you if you're running away. You can't be a king if you're a coward!

§§

A shock passes through my body. My vision shakes violently. I don't know how many times I've rolled around on the floor. The power I'd replenished by sucking Monica's blood was dwindling fast. Her perception, heightened by learning to manipulate the power of blood, saw the countdown to the end clearly.

The opponent was not without wear and tear, but he was too stubborn.

You're not strong enough. The power is ...... pure muscle power, just a little more is missing. This is what I sensed in the battle against Arbatross, and even though I must have gotten a lot stronger since then, the world is a big place.

I move my body to avoid the onslaught. It was almost instinctive. It was a monster, but my soul hadn't lost its will to fight.

Strength. Not enough power. There was Dell lying in the corner. It seems he's completely drained his strength, and there's no sign of him coming back after all this time. If it had been Senri, would he have come back?　Such nonsensical thoughts flashed through my mind.

Only Dell's eyes were open.

Blood. We need to replenish the blood.

You are the best enemy I've ever fought!

Rynell barks. His voice was filled with a terrible, almost joyous emotion.

Should we attack it from the inside, as I first thought?　But I don't know what would have happened if it had been a cannibal. ...... Linel wouldn't be stupid enough to eat me on fire.

The blade, the flame, bounces off the fur. I managed to twist my body to block the attack, but the impact was accumulating.

How did I win against Arbatos? I sucked his blood. I got out of the crisis by sucking blood.

But this time, the situation is different. Arbatross had an opening. She was cursed by a vampire and she had a little fear of vampires left. Lynell didn't have that.