"From this point on, I'll be going in alone. And I should hurry, chances are that The Empire group have already been defeated. You guys all pair up and circle the castle, take out any Vampires you run into, except you, Ekai, find a safe place to rest," I instructed the others.

  We had all regrouped, in the spot ahead of the hall we'd fought those Vampires in, where Az had frozen Five and kept him restrained. I had used Store on Demelza Cynfael and Five already, in the case of the latter, I was able to tell which of the five copies had the core when I noticed that only one of them was triggering my craving.

  Two Vampire Generals, two Evil Numbers and two Vampire Knights, making it six Vampires in total……that means that I can use the boosted Vampire Mode forms for about a minute……and subsequently, I'll only have one minute to defeat Lazarus. According to Atticus, with the boost I get from consuming Generals, I was slightly weaker than Lazarus, but only by a small margin, and I was a bit stronger than him with the boost I got from consuming the Knights……

  The last time I consumed Vampire life forces, the stronger boosts I obtained from consuming the life forces of the Vampire Knights got used up first, even though I had consumed the Vampire Generals' life forces way before that. So, then, the one minute that I'll be in the boosted Vampire Mode can be broken down into three blocks of twenty seconds each……first the boost from the Evil Numbers……well, I had no proof that the boost I get from them would be ten seconds for each Vampire, but I'll assume that's the case for now……because if it was less than ten seconds, I'm in trouble.

  After that, I'll have twenty seconds in the boosted form from consuming the Knights, and finally, twenty seconds from consuming the Generals……my best chance is to finish the fight before I enter those last twenty seconds, it'll be tough to beat him if it gets to that point. Alright, then……

  "We don't have any time to waste, get going, guys. Persia and Az, and Fuo and Gela, pair up that way. Persia, Az, you two take Ekai with you and find a safe place where he can rest, after that, hunt down the remaining Vampires while I take down the king. Don't take any risks though, there's no need."

  "Right, leave it to us," Persia replied affirmatively, while Az gave me a nod.

  "I apologize for being a burden," Sighed Ekai with a conflicted look.

  He had healed and replenished his Mana with a Mana Orb, but his stamina was pretty much empty.

  "You've done more than enough already, don't worry about it," Assured Fuo, patting her cousin on the shoulder.

  "Fuo, I got a quick question for Atticus. Exactly how far is Lazarus from here?" I inquired, as I took out my Extract spell.

  "A little over four hundred meters straight in that direction," He answered while pointing.

  "Got it. Well, then……I'll see you guys later," I remarked, before adding, "And if any of you die, I'll, uh……I'll, let's see……oh, I know, I'll kill your families! Yeah, if any of you die, your families will suffer painful deaths at my hands! So, you know……stay alive."

  "Right back at you," Said Persia with a serious expression, "You better not die."

  "Yeah, seriously……strong as you are, it'll be pretty embarrassing to die," Added Az with a slight smirk.

  "You're one to talk."

  Before they all left, Gela had one last thing to say……

  "Hey……you better kill that Vampire and end this!"

  Ironic that she was the one asking me to put an end to this, technically speaking, war. I'll avoid pointing out that irony though, she's way different than usual right now……

  "Don't worry……I'll make sure that none of the deaths on our side were in vain."

  With that, the others headed out, rushing to exit the castle. Alright, I don't have any time to waste, I guess I'll head off too. I zipped forward using Lightning Boost, halting after covering about two hundred and fifty meters. This should be a reasonable amount of distance. I entered Soul-Eater Mode and took out the Extract spell, taking a deep breath to compose myself.

  The moment I activate this spell, my ravenous craving will surface again, and since there's six Vampires Stored right now, the craving was probably going to hit me like a truck, I need to be prepared for that……it should fade once I consume all six of their life forces though. Hm, the craving will probably be even harder to ignore against Lazarus, and if that's the case, I'll have no choice but to let it run wild again.

  Okay, after I consume their life forces and my body is forcibly entered into the boosted Vampire Mode form, I'll have four new Crosses. I'm not counting the Vampire Generals' Crosses since they would only be temporary, I better not rely on those two since they might fade mid-battle. Atticus surmised that I could use the Crosses I obtain almost immediately because I received Vampire powers directly from Lazarus, unlike Fuo and Persia, neither of whom could use their Crosses yet.

  I was able to get the hang of Teleport and Beckon pretty easily, but it did still take some amount of practice before I could use them confidently. I probably shouldn't use Five's Cross, Quintuple, since from what Persia and Az told me, it seemed to be a somewhat complex power, and besides, dividing my strength in this fight would be a bad idea. Repulsion should be fine, it seems to be the opposite of Beckon, so I just need to reverse what I know about Beckon when using it.

  I doubt Absolute Defense, Eighty-Seven's Cross, will be of much use against Lazarus, since it always telegraphs the location of the barriers it forms before they actually manifest, but it could come in handy depending on how I use it. And finally, stagnate, Jorin Klyn's Cross……it was a Cross that was activated like Atticus's and Lazarus's Crosses, through eye contact……not sure if it would work on Lazarus though……

  After all, Atticus said that even Lazarus's Cross could be resisted, and considering that he's the king and all, he could probably resist this Cross with ease……yeah, better not risk it, after all, making eye contact with him also left me vulnerable against his Cross……sure, I might be able to resist it, but there was no guarantee of that, and even I could resist it, it might take me a moment to do so, which could prove fatal.

  Hm, after I use Extract, I have to make absolutely certain that none of the Vampires can finish healing before I'm done consuming their life forces, I can't afford to let even one of them regenerate. In which case, draining them one by one was risky. I need to figure out a better method……how about……hm, yeah, that should work. Okay, I have a clear idea in my mind of what I needed to do right now……it's time for me to get to work.

  "Here goes……Extract!"

  Instantly, the craving resurfaced, overpowering my thoughts and impulses almost like it was trying to burst out of my body, I couldn't contain it……but I don't need to! I moved as quickly as I could, stacking the Vampires into two piles of three, before extending out my claws and piercing them through each pile……yes, my claws are just barely long enough at full length to pierce three of them simultaneously!

  A warm sigh of anticipation escaped my lips as I began drooling, before I drained all six of their life forces simultaneously, taking them into my body as fast as I could……

  A sense of euphoria washed over me as two large flashes of red flames blazed and faded, before a massive amount of power exploded inside me……woah……holy crap, this is……I feel incredible right now……the craving was gone and my mind was clear again……but more importantly……I was so powerful right now that it was ridiculous……

  And wow, it looks like the boost I get from Evil Numbers is x50 my normal state……but it looks like I was wrong, it wasn't ten seconds per Evil Number in this state……no, even better, it's twenty seconds each……which means that I'll be at x50 for forty seconds, and then x40 and x30 for twenty seconds each……

  My mind is perfectly clear right now, I don't feel so much as an inkling of that craving……it'll probably resurface when I reach Lazarus, but there's no helping that, if all these other Vampires had drawn out such overwhelming desire, it had to be even more drastic with the strongest Vampire. Now, then……time for me to go.

  I shot forward at an incredible speed, way faster than I'd ever moved before, and yet, my eyes able to keep up without a problem. I spotted Rion as I zipped towards Lazarus's position, he was unconscious and badly injured……I must be almost there. Almost immediately after that, a large doorway came into view, the doors broken down……looks like the throne room……this is it……

  I went through the entrance, drawing out my blades as I did. A Vampire was sitting on the short staircase leading up to the throne……or, where the throne had once been, at least. So, this is Lazarus huh……unlike the other Vampires, he had mostly red hair, with two or three black streaks. Judging by the limited damage to his outfit……The Empire's group didn't give him much of a challenge.

  Now that I'm looking around, I noticed that they were all scattered across the room, most appearing to be unconscious, but Presde and Kuua were both undoubtedly dead. I couldn't see Lagusa anywhere……but right now, I don't have a choice but to worry about that later. Alright, it had taken me five seconds to get here after I finished consuming the life forces of those other Vampires, no time to waste……

  "Ah, you finally made it, Kuro. And how terrifying, you are currently more powerful than any non-divine being I have ever seen," Greeted Lazarus, a glint in his eyes as he stood up, "So far, all attempts to amuse me have been rather disappointing……I do hope you can entertain m-!"

  That 'non-divine' part caught my attention, but I don't have time to stand around and chat……

  "So, tell me……is this entertaining enough for you?" I inquired, as I zipped towards him at top speed and grabbed his face, starting to sink my claws into his head……woah, what's going on……I……I don't feel the craving at all right now……in fact, my mind couldn't be clearer……well, it doesn't matter, I'm not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth……I'm not gonna get a better chance than this at victory……I won't waste this chance……I won't lose!

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