"You still refuse to give up?" I inquired, as the mental tug of war continued.

  "I admit, you are strong……but I will not allow myself to cease to exist so easily!" Declared Diablo in response.

  "It's not 'easily' at all, who knows how many days this has been going on for?" Pointed out Lazarus, "I was overwhelmed in a matter of seconds, I didn't even think it was possible for anyone to push Kuro so far."

  "His method is different to yours, Lazarus. You tried to overwhelm me by drowning me in despair, but you failed because I had experienced far worse despair than you had. Diablo's method is different though, he's trying to force my consciousness out of the way with pure mental willpower and then take its place, simple as that," I explained.

  "Of course my method is more effective than a Vampire's, after all, taking over a host body is second-nature to Demons!" Said Diablo, continuing to push against my consciousness.

  Hm, this is going nowhere……I don't think Diablo has realized it yet, but this struggle had entered a stalemate a while ago, I'd had the advantage for a while, but now we were both stuck in an even position……I miscalculated, and ended up underestimating him. And I can't sustain my body for much longer with the self-cannibalisation method, it wasn't as effective as I'd had him believe, my body was getting weaker slowly but surely.

  It was hard to get a measure of time while inside my consciousness like this, but it had to have been more than two weeks already……at the latest, I'd prefer to have this done within the first week of December. I'm not in any danger of Diablo taking over my mind or body, but at the same time, it'll take me far too much time to eradicate his consciousness and retain his power, time I don't have.

  Lazarus, I have a suggestion……

  "Hm, what is it……oh, I see……yes, that could work. But are you sure?"

  It won't be a problem.

  "If you say so……"

  "Diablo, I've got a proposal for you……let's come to a compromise," I suggested, deciding to take a different approach.

  "Hm? What kind of compromise?" He inquired warily yet curiously.

  Good, he's willing to hear me out……that means that he's getting tired of this as well……

  "The way things are going, it could be weeks, even months before one of manages to overpower the other. So, instead of all or nothing, let's settle on a middle ground……I'll retain control over my mind and body, along with the addition of your power, and as for you……I'll let your consciousness exist within me like Lazarus does. So……what do you say?"

  ———————————————————————————


  Point-of-View: Fuo Wesroh

  ———————————————————————————


  I'm so bored……it's been three weeks since Kuro left for the Forbidden Zone, and I had no idea what was happening with him……it was hard not to feel more and more uneasy with each passing day. I rolled across the bed I was on aimlessly and buried my face in the pillow with a bored sigh.

  "If you are so bored, why not ask a Vampire to train with you?" Suggested Atticus, sounding annoyed, "I can feel all of your melancholic emotions, remember?"

  So, what? I can't even have emotions anymore? And as for training, I don't feel like it right now……and what's with your tone, huh?

  "What ever happened to your unhealthy obsession with power? That seems to have significantly mellowed after traveling with Kuro."

  Shut up……it's not like I don't want to get stronger, it's just that……there's more important things to worry about these days.

  "You certainly have changed. Well, I suppose it is an improvement from when you would repeat 'I need to get stronger' over and over in your head, I felt as though I was being driven insane at times……"

  Come on, it couldn't have been that bad, you're exaggerat.

  "I most certainly am not. If anything, I am understating how obsessive you truly were!" He snapped indignantly.

  Oh……well, whatever.

  "……that said, this low-motivation version of you is quite annoying as well."

  You're pretty annoying yourself.

  "Stop taking it out on me just because you miss Kuro."

  Wha-!? I-I don't miss him at all!

  "Are you forgetting that I can feel all your feelings and read all your thoughts?"……

  then y-you must be illiterate.

  "That makes no sense."

  Y-yeah, well……you make no sense!

  I was snapped out of my internal argument as the door to the room I was in suddenly swung open……and Kuro walked in. Wait, am I imagining things? No, I don't think so……yes, finally! He's back! He looked a bit different, but it was definitely him.

  "Hm? What are you doing in my bed, Fuo?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

  Huh? Oh, crap……

  "W-well, nothing really……I was just bored and roaming around the castle, entering rooms randomly……and I ended up here, I guess," I replied with a bit of a stutter.

  Wh-what am I even doing?

  "Hm, I see."

  Thank goodness he's not his usual self, if his emotions weren't suppressed he'd probably be teasing me like crazy right now……

  "W-well, anyway……you're finally back……that is you, isn't it, Kuro?" I inquired, noticing the changes he'd undergone.

  His hair had a few red streaks across it, the whites of his eyes were black, and his blue irises had a red outline around them and red pupils. His teeth were extended out into fangs, while his fingernails were dark black and extended into slightly curved claws. And most noticeably……his tail was also grown out.

  It was a bit different to his usual Vampire tail though, the sharp vertical edge at the end of it had two horizontal spikes a couple of inches long, one on either side of it. Is this……his normal form now?

  "Hm? Who else would I be?" I responded blankly, before inquiring, "More importantly……what's the date today?"

  "It's the 2nd of December," I replied.

  "I see……let's go, time to end this."

  "So, then……I take it that means it worked?" I asked, though based on his appearance, the answer to that question was obvious.

  "That's right. You coming?" He inquired, no emotion in his voice, as it had been for the past couple of months.

  "Well, I've stuck with you this far……might as well see it through, right?" I responded with a shrug.

  "It's upto you. It's not going to be the same as last time……I won't let anyone get in my way this time……I've had enough……I'm done losing."

  "Like I said, I'm coming with you. Somehow, I don't think it's a good idea to let you do this alone."

  Yeah, I should definitely tag along……

  "Do as you please. Well, then, let's go, shall we? Our next stop is……the Rustlands."

  So, he's going straight to the direct approach, huh?

  "Wait, you mean like right now?"

  "No, I need to rest for a while, subduing the Demon King took more time and effort than I anticipated. We'll move out tonight."

  Wait, Demon KING!? Not just a random Demon, but the actual DEMON KING!? Woah, I can't even imagine how powerful he is right now……

  ———————————————————————————


  Point-of-View: Shiro Blanc

  ———————————————————————————


  He's back……I can sense him again. Is he……in the wasteland? Why? Wait, his location changed……now he's is Platinberg. What's he upto? Damn it, I can finally sense him again, but now I feel even more anxious……what will his next move be? And when?

  "Hey, everything okay, Shiro? You look kinda pale," Remarked Rai with a look of concern.

  Those four were here again, it was Persia's birthday or something, it was a pain, but I had to play along to maintain my cover. Hm, I should wait till after this crap is over to tell them that I can sense Kuro again, that's probably what he'd do if he was in my place right now……

  "Oh, it's nothing, nothing at all," I replied, putting on a smile.

  Ugh, this is the worst……

  A few hours later, around 6 PM in the evening, the party was finally over. The four of them were stoned and drunk, while I'd been keeping myself sober using my Healing Factor……I just wasn't in the mood to get intoxicated right now, I felt too restless, I'll have all the time in the world for that after I kill Kuro, but for now, all I care about is killing him so that I can live.

  Yeah, I want to live, is that so wrong? And the only way to do so was to kill him, it really is nothing personal……or maybe it is, my artificial existence would have never been created if it wasn't for him. All that I am, or at least, all that I'm supposed to be is a tool to punish him for breaking a taboo of this world……I can't accept that.

  I refuse to accept that as my purpose, that won't be the extent of my existence……no, I'll decide for myself what the purpose of my existence is. There's less than a month left, but that deadline will be irrelevant once I kill Kuro. When that happens, my existence will not longer be an artificial one, I'll finally be free, bound by nothing……not even the handicap that keeps me from harming these four.

  Yeah, I already decided……that I'd survive this battle against Kuro, then I'll no longer the be the imposter, I'll be the original……and then, I'll do as I please when I please, I'll live my life to the fullest, because no matter what I do, there isn't a person alive who'd be able to stop me after Kuro is no longer in the picture……

  "Hey, you sure you okie, Shiro, m'dude?" Inquired Rai, letting out a hiccup.

  "Yeah, you seemed fine for the last week or so, but you look kinda distracted right now," Added Persia, who looked a bit more sober than he did.

  Azyl was asleep and Key was absent-mindedly staring at the ceiling, not paying attention to anything that was being said. I suppose I might as well tell them now……

  "Well, I didn't want to ruin everyone's fun, so I tried to hide it……but I guess I can't hide anything from you guys, huh?" I responded, putting on the act again, "It's just that I suddenly was able to sense……"

  Wh-what……n-no, it can't be……

  "Huh? Why'd you cut off so abruptly?" Asked Rai curiously, as I stiffened in surprise and alarm.

  "Shiro? What's wrong?"

  No way……

  "He's……he's here. Just outside the Rustlands……it's Kuro," I remarked through gritted teeth.

  "Wai, wha……? I thought he was dead?" Said Rai in confusion.

  "Damn it, my suspicions were right, he wasn't dead after all!" I grimaced, trembling and shaking as I struggled to contain my emotions.

  "Hey, calm down, Shiro," Consoled Persia, placing a hand on my shoulder, "It'll be fine, you'll beat him, and all of us will be fine too!"

  Hmph, fool, I'm perfectly calm……I'm not trembling out of fear……no, not even close……I was excited……yeah, finally, it's time to settle this……time for me to solidify my existence in this world……!

  _____________________________________________

  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

  Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.