113 # Twenty-one: Secrets # (1/2)

The sound of the wind. A door in the floor. What lay beyond it was pitch black.

Even the faint light that Razzal and the others had could not clear the darkness behind the door. They probably could not see what was behind the door at all.

But I, with eyes that can see through the darkness, can. I can feel the air flow through the pain. What lies beyond the door is a huge space. A space so vast that the ground appears to be an afterthought.

It is deep. The space behind the door is narrow like a passage for a while, and then a vast space spreads out beyond it. It is too high for a mere human to descend without a ladder.

Vampires have an excellent ability to grasp space. What my senses were telling me was a structure that was too alien.

A three-dimensional maze, if you will. The strong smell of dust indicated that no one had entered for a long time, but at the same time... there was a sound.

”Oh, hey. What's going on?

Razzal asks fearfully. I thought.

This is too much for ...... mere mercenaries to handle.

It is said that powerful undead sometimes use the labyrinths leading to the abyss as their strongholds. I can see why.

This is undead territory.

Senri's blessings and training have given him abilities beyond those of a human, but even so, it would be difficult for him to continue fighting in a dark labyrinth where he could be attacked from all sides.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that,” he said.

There is no ...... sign of the undead.

I see. ...... It is indeed the castle of the former king of the dead. It seems that the castle of the former King of the Dead has taken all possible measures against the demise of the knights. But my senses are deceiving me.

But my senses can't be fooled. I do my best to focus on the pain that is distracting me.

”I feel the ...... presence of night crystals.

It's bigger than any crystal I've ever felt.

I can feel the negative aura that my crystal shards have not been able to eliminate being sucked in with unprecedented force.

I'm not sure what to do.　I'm not sure what to do.

I'm not sure if you're collecting ...... power,.......

I'm not sure.

The moment I came up with that idea, a very strong pain rushed through my body.

I crouched down. I'm not sure what to make of it.

”It's coming!

By the time Senri shouted briefly, I was already on the move.

We've been together for so long, we're like one flesh. I pushed Razal, who had been peeking at me from behind, backwards to evacuate the door, and threw myself behind the deep door.

”Don't come!

I'm not going to die even if I hit the hard floor and get stained. I shouted to Senri and focused my attention.

I felt a presence immediately. Something was climbing the wall at high speed in the darkness.

Not a living thing. But not undead, either.

Violent footsteps. Manipulating its long limbs, it climbed up the wall, something I'd never seen before.

A black, smooth, cylindrical body. It had no eyes, no mouth, no nose, but long, clawed limbs, and it was coming towards me. Strange shape, but terrifying speed.

Its center of gravity was very stable. It would be difficult even for a bone-man with no free will to be so undisturbed despite its acrobatic movements.

It seems that this object knows exactly where we are, even though it has no sensory organs. Behind us, outside the door, Senri shouts.

”Golem. ......

Through the pain, I search my memory.

Golem. I've heard of them. A living puppet used by a high ranking mage.

It's so close, yet I can barely feel it. Not a heartbeat, not a breath, not even a body temperature.

Only the sound of footsteps. Was it his footsteps that were echoing just now?

I was confident in my senses, but I didn't realize it until he approached me. It seems that the ...... vampire's ability to detect signs is specialized for use against living things.

I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you have. The scorching pain that immediately followed choked the back of my throat.

If you look closely, you'll see that the claws on the golem's arms are made of silver. They were tarnished and not blessed silver like Senri's weapons, but they were definitely silver.

The pain transmitted by Sable's curse and the pain of purification made it hard to tell what was going on. But my body did what my brain told it to do.

My trembling hands grasped the Blood Ruler hanging from my waist and swung it with all my might in the air. The black body and blade collided violently, and both were blown away.

The golem is slamming into the wall. I get knocked down too. I jab my fingers into the wall and hold myself in place so I don't fall.

It's very hard. It looks like it's made of metal. I might have been able to break it on the ground, but I couldn't muster enough strength in the air.

The golem dangled upside down on the wall, perhaps hooked by its claws, and pounced on me with great force. His strength and agility are not that great, but the pain is preventing him from moving smoothly. And silver is sneaky.

A few hits won't destroy you, but they're far more troublesome than that undead army that attacked in numbers.

I scolded my soul, which was shivering in pain, and moved my arm. He shakes off his arm with the machete and swings it selflessly like an amateur.

A hard response. With a high-pitched metallic sound, the golem slams into the wall. The violent sound reverberates and shakes the air.