123 #31, Nihilai #6 (1/2)

The underground labyrinth rings as if it were alive.

For a moment, he forgot the pain caused by the curse. Clearly, this was not a natural phenomenon.

Maybe if they waited, the shaking would stop, but considering the possibility that Senri would be buried alive, there was no time to dawdle.

Apparently, Lefley and the others were not expecting this either. While enduring the tremors, I keep an eye on the direction of me and the force.

As I stared at the floating Lord, he said wryly.

”There was time. The camp is already half destroyed. The ritual is not perfect.

Well, it can't be helped that it happened. It's Lefley's fault.

I can feel the power swirling. The heart of the labyrinth. The power of death rising from there is more powerful than anything I've ever seen.

The undead have the property of absorbing the power of death.

Some of the power gushing out was flowing into me, but for the most part, the torrent of power was concentrated in a single point.

I have a bad feeling about this.

The Descendants had taken every precaution against vampires. If the ritual was all arranged, then the resurrected being is not on my side. I had to act quickly.

I emphasized that I was harmless for now.

It's your fault. I was-- I was trying to stop it.

What?

Our priority is to get out. The way out is far above us.

I'm pretty sure I can survive being buried alive, but Senri and the others won't. Lefley and the others can be left alone, but Senri must escape at all costs.

A moment's hesitation. As if I remembered, a terrible pain rushed through my body.

I ignored the pain in my body and poured all the power of my blood into it.

My whole body was in a flurry of pain as if it were being cut into pieces. I feel my soul tremble.

Nevilla's glittering eyes see me and distort clearly.

”...... what the hell ......?

I became a vampire, fought many powerful enemies, and gained the truth.

Power is size. Overwhelming mass and physical ability is what you can rely on the most in times of need.

We can't afford to go back to the entrance we used to get here. Then-- push through.

Skin rips, bones crumble. Your clothes will fall off.

I guess it was reckless to use my power while under the curse, and the pain rushing through my body was at a level that made even me, who would do anything to live, feel timid for a moment.

It's as if I'm being burned by the fires of hell.

The black dog that had been transformed by Arbatos had a monstrously huge body. But the power of the blood I can pour is nothing compared to that.

My flesh swelled up to fill the underground passage, which was not that wide to begin with. I bang my head on the ceiling, and the paws that come into view are like columns.

Lefley and the others take a few steps back. The demise knight who once decapitated me was like an ant. It's a shame I can't trample him down like an ant.

I couldn't feel my body. All I had was pain.

Only the most exquisite pain, no less than the soul-burning pain I once experienced on the verge of death, was trying to engulf my consciousness.

I scolded my tangled tongue and said in a low voice.

”Ugh. ...... Sen, re, my, bottom--

I didn't have time to check for a response. I shuddered, filled my lungs with air, and roared with all my might.

My body felt like it was going to explode. I couldn't catch the sound of my own roar. The vibrations of the air blew through the labyrinth like an explosion, and I could see Lufrey and the others blowing away.

Even the strongest underground labyrinth is no match for a giant monster. Even Rainer had destroyed his own castle with ease.

Rags and debris hit me, but what would have killed me once when I was bedridden is like dust to me now.

I let my instincts take over. I kicked the ground, raised my front foot and jumped upward.

§ § § §

The castle, which had stood there for so many years, trembled.

The walls and pillars, which had been protected by powerful magic, were deteriorating due to the wind and rain. The air was cold and there were holes in the ceiling.

It was all the fault of the humans. The castle where the great King of the Dead had reigned had fallen into the hands of humans, and was now in ruins.

The king's army, once feared by man and demon alike, has been destroyed and is only spoken of in fairy tales.

The innermost part of the old castle. In the place where the throne room once stood, a shadow stood.

A black robe decorated with gold. A hood pulled tightly over his head.

The long staff in his hand resembled the tin staff of a priest, and the jet-black crystal ornaments gave off a somewhat suspicious atmosphere.

A hand extended from a loose sleeve. Fingers gripping a staff, black and dry as a mummy.

A figure calls out. The dry voice carried strangely well through the violent ringing.

”King ......, at last the time has come. Oh, ...... it has been a long time.

The tin staff thudded on the floor. The magic circled the crumbling formation.

Suddenly, the hood came off.

The head that was exposed was jet black, as if melting into the darkness. A red light shines faintly behind the eye sockets that are gaping in the dry, black skin.

It was not bone. But it is not a body with blood.

An immortal species that has been in a position close to death for a long time, storing a vast amount of magic power.

A mutated form of the skeleton.

The undead are rarely seen anymore due to the activities of the Knights of the End.

Abichord, the Night Ritchie who used to be the Demon Lord's lieutenant, looks up at the heavens with deep emotion.

It was an unbelievable time.

Many of the demon kings that had reigned throughout the world had fallen, and most of the once starry-eyed necromancers had been exterminated.

The number of wars has decreased, and the magic that was once available to ordinary people has become something that only a very limited number of talented people aspire to.