“Why is she so late…?” Prince Localope muttered impatiently with a frown.

“It will be fine. That spirit, King God… whatever it was, she has formed a contract with the duke, right? Moreover, she has recently evolved as well. She will return soon,” Vizak whispered softly in the language of the empire. However, the prince’s frown was still there.

“Hmm? Mysterious energy detected,” Princess Lilisain muttered before jerking her head. She had been looking in the direction where Mirian had disappeared.

“…???” Everyone’s gaze turned as well. Something strange was definitely happening within the luggage piled up in one corner of the guards’ quarter. The heap of baggage began to shake as if there was an earthquake.

“What’s going on?”

“Is it magic?”

The knights pulled out their swords. Suddenly, the pile of luggage collapsed in all directions with a loud bang. With it, something black made its appearance.

“What?”

“T-that’s…”

Both the princess, the prince, and his entourage became wide-eyed upon seeing the objects. Eugene’s armor and spear were levitating in the air after pushing apart the other luggage. Moreover, the armor wasn’t Eugene’s original plate armor but rather the heirloom of the Batla Duchy. It had always been in a box.

“What’s going on?!” The knights were befuddled by the sudden situation.

“The demonic armor…” Meanwhile, Princess Lilisain mumbled in disbelief. Unlike Prince Localope and his knights, Princess Lilisain recognized the armor. After all, it had been presented to Eugene as a gift from the royal family of Eland.

Wooong… Wooong…

The armor and the spear hummed, then suddenly flew out the window at breakneck speed. The prince and his knights could do nothing but watch the scene play out with confusion.

“Kieeeeehk! I brought the knights! They’re going to enter through the gates soon!” Mirian exclaimed after flying in through the window where the armor and the spear had escaped through.

“Oh! Great job!”

Everyone was delighted to hear Mirian’s words. They were slightly bothered that they were employing a rather dishonorable strategy, but what was done was done.

Prince Localope turned to his knights and spoke sternly, “You must never let Maren’s knights know that Sir Eugene had turned into a monster.”

“Understood, Your Highness.” The knights nodded obediently. They knew well why Eugene had only brought along those familiar with vampires.

“As soon as the knights enter, let us chase after the monster, or rather, Sir Eugene, Princess,” Prince Localope said.

“Aaah, indeed, such is my obligation,” Princess Lilisain answered. Prince Localope unsheathed his own blade in response, thinking that he would never become accustomed to the elven princess’ peculiar way of speaking.

***

I want to kill.

I want to split open that thick neck and consume all the blood.

Ah, there won’t be any blood since it’s undead.

Then I’ll just rip it apart to shreds.

And then I’ll find other living things and kill them over and over again.

Eugene grinned as an intense, murderous intent completely dominated his mind. His eyes had become colored in an intense hue of crimson, and the muscles in his body had become several times larger than usual. Eugene felt an indescribable vitality flowing through his body as he rushed at the undead twin-headed ogre like a beast. He had become several times faster than before, and the twin-headed ogre couldn’t even react properly, let alone observe Eugene’s movement.

Craaack! Crack!

With every swing and slash of the bloodstained claw, the monster’s muscles were torn and burst open. However, as a creature that had been revived by magic, the undead monster’s body was immediately restored by the evil energy.

This would never end—the only way to completely subjugate the monster was to find its master, the wizard. However, Eugene’s mind was filled with nothing but the intent to kill. His mind was clouded, and he couldn’t think of finding the wizard. All he wanted was to destroy the annoying undead in front of him.

Huuuuuungh!!!

Eugene went behind the roaring ogre and wrapped one of his arms around the monster’s neck.

Craaack!

Eugene’s arm had become several times thicker, so it crushed the ogre’s neck without any problem. However, the ogre had two heads, and the remaining head turned to Eugene as he crushed the other. The ogre’s thick hand grabbed one of Eugene’s legs.

Boom!

A roar resounded as the ogre flung Eugene straight to the ground. However, vampires were insensitive to pain, and after transforming into a Berserker, Eugene couldn’t feel pain anymore.

Eugene’s limbs were strangely bent, and his bones were sticking out. It was a truly grotesque sight.

Craaack! Crack!

However, the crimson Fear instantly permeated the injured areas like blood and immediately recovered Eugene’s body to its original state.

Kyaaah…

Eugene’s blood vessels bulged, which made him look very evil. He slashed with his claws as he charged at the ogre.

He ripped, crushed, and sliced.

The vampire Berserker was no longer a man but a demon. He continued to ravage the ogre’s body and limbs, but the evil energy endlessly surged and continued to restore the undead monster’s body.

However, Eugene was still engulfed by a primitive form of madness. He couldn’t make any rational judgment as he continued with his repetitive actions.

More! More! More!

Kill! Kill! Kill!

It was as if another ego was in control of Eugene’s body right now, and it didn’t matter if Eugene’s body was destroyed. It only pushed Eugene to his limits for the simple goal of slaughter and destruction. It was almost as if it was hoping for Eugene’s ruin rather than the twin-headed ogre’s.

Eugene had no idea, but those who had previously used the Berserker ability ended up dying before they stopped being a Berserker. The user of the ability would simply become a medium and scapegoat for the madness within it. They would continue to vent the ability’s murderous will and madness until the end of their lives.

Attack! Only attack!

Eugene performed simple, indiscriminate attacks while disregarding his own injuries. The twin-headed ogre swung its large axe toward Eugene.

Boom!

The blow contained enough power to decimate a boulder. Eugene was sent flying away, and he crashed through a tree trunk before falling to the ground. However, he stood up once again as if a puppeteer was controlling his limbs with invisible threads.

Repeating his current actions would be fruitless, but he was incapable of coming to such a conclusion. Even though his Fear was starting to dim, his madness would continue to drive him to stand up and blindly rush at the enemy. After all, that was the only thought dominating his mind.

However…

Kyaaaaaahhhhhk!

A bloodcurdling wail from afar reverberated throughout the forest. Simultaneously, the ogre’s evil energy and Eugene’s madness were suppressed for a short moment.

Fwooooooosh!

The bundle of armor quickly flew and momentarily disassembled itself before coming together on Eugene’s figure. No, it was more appropriate to say that the pieces became glued to Eugene’s body.

Craaack!

In a blink of an eye, root-like protrusions emerged from the inside of the armor and stabbed into Eugene’s body. The protrusions pierced straight through Black Scales.

Now, Eugene’s body and the armor were connected as one.

Kuaaaagh!

Eugene let out a shriek. Simultaneously, his dark crimson eyes regained their usual redness. He had recovered his sanity, as the madness was driven away.

Kyaaaaaahh!

Madarazika circled Eugene while emitting a cry of joy before settling in Eugene’s grasp.

Fwoosh!

The waves of Fear swirling around Eugene’s body gathered around the spear and transformed into a red flame. Eugene immediately threw the spear, and the flames wrapped around the weapon before gathering at one point to form a triangle.

Kwarararara!

The spear flew through the air as the coral-blood-colored flaming wings pierced the twin-headed ogre’s sternum. Then, the spear crackled with red sparks as it disappeared into the monster’s body as if the undead monster had simply absorbed it.

It was then…

Huuuuunnnng!!!

The twin-headed ogre’s entire body became engulfed in flames.

***

Clang!

The stick swirling with crimson evil energy shattered into pieces like glass.

”Kuaaagh!”

Soon after, blood poured out like a waterfall from the wizard’s mouth. The coral liquid continued to flow—as if all the blood was being drained from the wizard’s body. A small pool of blood formed on top of the spire where the wizard stood.

“Kuuagh! Kuah…”

The wizard’s red eyes had been glowing with an evil light. However, the light gradually faded, and his eyes turned bright yellow. The wizard slumped to the ground in exhaustion, and then he began to crawl with all his might.

After some time, he reached the bolted door near the spire’s steps and knocked.

“T-the door… Open the door.”

“Master Dolgwen!” Two guards hurriedly opened the door before rushing in to help the wizard.

A tiny, red light glimmered in the eyes hidden beneath the hood.

Shuack!

“Kuaagh!”

“Argh!”

A rose-colored dagger lacerated the soldiers’ throats, and blood gushed out from the wounds and soaked the inside of the wizard’s robe and hood.

“Huaah!”

The wizard ravaged the soldiers’ corpses, and he placed his lips on their necks before sucking on their blood like a beast. The wizard raised his head after feeding for a short while—his yellow eyes had returned to their original color of red.

The wizard looked down at the two corpses with dissatisfaction, and then he began to move down the spire.

“To think that it’s him… I can’t believe it’s him…” the wizard muttered in a hoarse voice.

“And he has almost regained all of his powers? How? Did he break his covenant?” the wizard continued to mutter in apprehension. After exiting the spire, the wizard began to sprint in a direction.

He was rushing toward the capital’s cathedral.

***

“Follow me!”

Uwaaaahh!!!

A large group of knights rushed up the hill with Madrica in the lead, and the capital’s guards hurriedly ran after them.

“…!”

Madrica’s eyes became filled with shock when he saw the hunting ground’s state of ruin. The once-green fields had become completely covered with black and gray ash, and only the clothes and ornaments strewed across the ground proved the expired existence of humans.

A two-headed monster could be seen kneeling in the middle of the destruction, and next to it was a spear embedded in the ground, as well as a figure lying beside it.

“T-that’s?!”

Everyone immediately recognized the strange spear.

“S-siiirrr!”

“Your Excellency!”

Mirian and Princess Lilisain rushed forward.

“Your Excellency! Your Excellency Batla!” Princess Lilisain cried out as she jumped off her horse and embraced Eugene’s unmoving figure.

“Sir! Hing! Sir!”

“Your Excellency! Please wake up, Your Excellency!” Princess Lilisain attempted to take off Eugene’s helmet as tears and snot soaked her pretty face. However, the helmet wouldn’t budge, and the princess even struggled to raise Eugene’s visor.

“Ah!” she exclaimed. Eugene’s face, which was usually white, was slowly turning blue.

“Huaaaang! Sir Princess! What do we do with him? Huaaang! Kieeeng!” Mirian cried desperately. She wasn’t just crying; tears were literally pouring out of her.

Princess Lilisain glanced at Mirian and bit her lips. Then, she took out a dagger and slit her hand without hesitation.

“Princess!” The elven knights called out with shock after belatedly recognizing what she was about to do. However, Princess Lilisain let a drop of her blood soak Eugene’s blue lips without hesitation.

The blood of Eland’s pure-blooded elf soaked Eugene’s lips red. Surprisingly, the blood was sucked into his mouth as if it had melted upon contact.

“Keugh…” Princess Lilisain groaned softly as she squeezed her palm. She placed her hand on Eugene’s mouth, and the blood was continuously being sucked into Eugene’s mouth.

“Kuaaaaagh!” Soon, Eugene opened his eyes with a loud roar.

“Sir!”

“Aaahh! Your Excellency!”

Eugene’s eyes regained their focus, and he saw Mirian and Princess Lilisain.

He asked, “What about the monster? What happened to the undead ogre?”

“It has completely stopped! It’s dead,” Princess Lilisain replied.

“I see,” Eugene said after briefly staring at Princess Lilisain’s tear-streaked face.

He clenched his fists several times before speaking, “Why am I so full of energy?”

The heirloom of the Batla Duchy had flown through the air and autonomously wrapped itself around Eugene’s body. Then, he remembered instinctively throwing Madarazika at the monster. Unfortunately, he absolutely had no recollection of what happened prior to and post the short scene. It felt as if the memories of those moments had been deleted.

“T-that’s…” Princess Lilisain muttered with a sudden blush.

One of the elven knights lamented and said, “Your Excellency has absorbed the pure blood of Eland’s royalty.”

“…?”

Eugene stared blankly as if he was saying, ‘so what?’

Princess Lilisain explained in a low voice, “A relationship of blood. Thus, both my blood and mana belongs to Your Excellency now.”

“…huh?”

“W-well, I-I can no longer get married.”

“…”

“Kieeeeeeeehh?!”