Sense of Restraint

And you’re still not dead. How absurd.

‘….’

It wasn’t that he was strong.

It might have been a different story if he knew how to properly wield his power.

But that [Vampire Duke] didn’t know how to handle even ten percent of his strength.

He was merely spewing out his overflowing power.

Even a child could do that.

He simply couldn’t regulate the output of his newly changed body, unable to control the gushing torrent of power.

To control power, one ultimately needed the dexterity to command it.

The fact that he had never handled such immense power before, and was only using as much as he had experience with, suggested to her that her own talent was exceptional.

‘But I’m not exactly happy about it.’

Why was this?

Having talent was a good thing.

Was it because she had grown strong too quickly to savor her talent and achievements to her satisfaction?

No, that wasn’t it. Hadn’t she realized long ago that wasn’t the case?

But something.

Something was missing.

Where was this frustration coming from?

It felt like she had shackles on her ankles, right before she could do something that was immediately within her grasp.

There was an image that flashed through her mind, as if in denial, as if refusing to acknowledge it.

She didn’t want to admit it, but no, if she denied this, what was she supposed to do from now on? Engulfed by this feeling, she avoided letting the thought surface.

The tournament.

Status.

Relationships.

Bonds.

It was annoying and sickening.

Did she actually hate the bonds she had formed in the game?

No.

It wasn’t that she was overjoyed by them, but she didn’t hate them either.

And yet, every time the faces of the people she had formed relationships with crossed her mind, the sense of restraint that came with it made her frown.

The children.

‘How annoying.’

Was it because she had become aware of the emotion of annoyance?

The blockage was clearing.

The irritation she had painstakingly suppressed erupted.

But,

‘This isn’t the time to be thinking about such things.’

Before her was a monster that wouldn’t die no matter how many times she killed it.

How to kill it?

There was no such thing as perfect immortality.

That would violate the laws of physics, and it was unlikely that Full Dive, which was faithful to the laws of physics, would have ignored that.

It regenerates even when killed.

Regenerates.

Consumes.

It must have consumed as much as it regenerated.

A backup that supported its immortality.

There must be something like that.

That overflowing power was probably being used for regeneration. It was so abundant that it was hard to notice the amount being depleted, but there was no other way to explain that regenerative ability.

‘Hmm.’

Then she would just have to kill it until it died.

The [Vampire Duke] threw his head back, his half-bent legs arching his back like a bow as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Kuaaaargh.”

The creature jumped.

Before it reached the ceiling.

She quickly used [Leap] and swung her [Mithril Sword], the blade passing through the creature’s body.

As she slashed, imbuing the [Mithril Sword] with a repulsive field, the [Vampire Duke]’s body exploded from the cut, flying apart into two pieces.

Amel landed on the ceiling and stopped.

The [Vampire Duke] propped himself up on the floor with his severed torso, and his legs naturally grew back, allowing him to stand on two feet.

As the creature bent its legs again.

She [Leap]ed,

stopped right in front of him,

[Slash]

[Slash]

[Slash]

[Slash]

Dozens of times in succession.

Immediately after slashing, she observed the [Vampire Duke]’s power consumption.

She couldn’t tell.

The amount of power being spewed out was too great to observe any consumption.

It was like trying to spot a few cups of water being used while a dam was releasing its floodgates.

“….”

But she slashed.

And slashed,

and slashed,

and slashed.

[Slash]

Before the dozens of pieces of his hacked-up body could all hit the floor, before he lost the form of the [Vampire Duke],

his body regenerated completely. He merely flinched as if he had staggered from the sword strikes.

This was getting tedious.

How long did she have to keep this up?

But if she didn’t, the [Vampire Duke] was determined to escape.

Tired of this tedious and repetitive task, Amel began to search for another way.

As soon as an idea came to mind, she tried it.

Burning him,

grinding him to dust,

searing the cut surfaces,

sealing the wounds,

but nothing could stop the [Vampire Duke]’s immortality.

Just then, perhaps realizing he could no longer escape,

the creature gave up on fleeing.

He swung his claws at her.

She dodged.

“….”

Amel dodged, cut off the creature’s arm, and used it as a club to smash him in the face. He flew into the wall.

Hehehe.

The [Vampire Duke] laughed.

He glared at her mockingly.

“Let’s see how long you can keep fighting.”

“…That’s my line.”

Amel waggled the arm she held.

But the creature was slow on the uptake.

“No matter how many times you kill me, I will kill you eventually.”

“….”

Did you really not notice?

She shook the arm she had taken [Possession] of.

“Don’t you see this? Don’t you know what it is?”

“…?”

“You’re slow to understand.”

Amel held the arm horizontally, aiming it at the creature’s right arm.

The [Vampire Duke]’s right arm had not regenerated.

“I’ve figured out how to stop your regeneration.”

She had finally found it.

A Great Devil for a Great Devil.

By taking [Possession] of it, she was able to understand the principle behind his immortality.

The source of his immortality was his soul.

The power held by his soul had formed such a high density that it even reflected light, making him appear as if he were a living being.

Since it had a physical form, she could cut it,

and yet the severed flesh was soul.

A soul has no fixed form, so it immediately tried to return to its original position, but,

in that severed gap.

In that brief gap, she had cast [Possession].

The [Vampire Duke]’s face turned pale.

She dropped his right arm to the floor.

As she took a step forward,

the creature took a step back.

“Where’d all that bravado from before go?”

She charged.

He lost his limbs.

The [Vampire Duke], having lost his arms and legs, crawled on the floor like a caterpillar.

The [Vampire Duke] fled from the red glint of eyes, tinged with killing intent, that seeped out of the darkness.

I’m going to die.

I don’t want to die!

“For a Duke, you’re a pathetic sight. Just like Count Prometal. Are all you dukes just flukes who got your positions by chance?”

“S-spare me.”

“Anyone who heard you would think I was actually going to kill you.”

But Amel had decided not to kill him.

Instead, she held a [Demon King Stone] in her hand.

A [Demon King Stone] that could seal a soul.

What kind of [Demon King Stone] would be created from a [Vampire Duke] who had mimicked a body with a high-density soul?

Amel stepped on the back of the creature as it dragged itself along.

[Use Demon King Stone?]

She used it.

She used up dozens of [Demon King Stones].

[Vampire Duke Soulstone]

She looked over the red jewel.

There was nothing particularly different about it.

Hmm…

‘Win.’

‘(You won’t know the Soul Stone’s effect until you use it yourself.)’

Is that how it is?

‘(Still, the materialization of a soul.)’

‘Is it rare?’

‘(Is it just rare? This Great Devil is another one that’s off the charts.)’

Win muttered gravely, ‘(…It was something that was only theoretically possible…)’

‘(And Amel.)’

‘What.’

As she was about to leave the workshop.

‘(I think I know what you’re worried about.)’

‘…Really?’

‘(It’s a surprisingly common worry for someone like you. Historically, all those with great power have had the same concerns.)’

‘What’s with the history lesson all of a sudden?’

‘(It’s true. I can even explain it theoretically. I debated whether to tell you or not… but seeing your state, I thought it would be better to let you know.)’

My state?

Amel had been growing more and more despondent.

She had accumulated strength but was wandering, unable to find a place to use it.

She vaguely aimed for world peace, and though she had the effort and will for it, her ankles were shackled by the circumstances around her.

If it were me, like this.

If it were me, a little more.

The certainty that she could do better made her frustrated with just watching from the sidelines.

The frustration Amel felt was a frustration with herself for not stepping up, despite having a goal and the power to achieve it.

‘(So you can do what you want a little more.)’

‘What I want?’

‘(You’re an Outsider, aren’t you? Since when did you live alongside others? Didn’t you originally come to this world to do as you pleased and enjoy yourself to your heart’s content?)’

Hearing those words, past memories flashed through Amel’s mind.

At some point, she had started going along with a schedule.

At some point, someone else’s shadow had been cast over her.

At some point, she had started following in someone else’s footsteps.

She had thought it didn’t matter.

At least, not until right after her fight with Force.

But,

her heart had started to feel this heavy after visiting the orphanage.

Things had gotten strange after the child thanked her for saving them.

Things she wanted to do.

Frustrating things.

Things she had left to others, thinking they would do a better job, but no matter how she thought about it, she felt she could do better.

Progress was slow because she was accommodating others’ circumstances.

Take the Hero Tournament, for example.

They found out about a Great Devil, yet they were sitting around playing a land-grabbing game with a tournament.

‘(In your original world, you wouldn’t have even tried it, worried about the risks. But here, you can do what you want, how you want.)’

‘Is that… really okay?’

‘(Of course.)’

‘Even if I might destroy what other people have built?’

‘(The other Heroes have already broken the existing system. While a new system is being built, nothing will change even if you put what you want into practice. In fact, you want the world to become peaceful, don’t you? It might get chaotic, but in the future, it will be much more peaceful.)’

‘But…’

‘(You’re worried about the Heroes from the same world, aren’t you? It’s fine. To be hated? To them, this world is probably just a form of entertainment, just as you thought.)’

‘I see it as just entertainment too, so isn’t that a bit… dangerous?’

‘(I can see into your heart. Though you came from another world, you have a kind heart that would treat this world preciously even if it were fake. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t have given you this kind of encouraging advice.)’

‘….’

‘(I want you to have fun while you’re in our world.)’

With every word Win whispered, it felt like the knots binding her heart were coming undone one by one.

Each time a knot was untied, she let out a sigh, realizing she had been bound by more things than she had thought.

“Haa…”

Amel left the underground prison.

Her steps were light.

What did she want to do?

Her heart led her.

She had to compete again tomorrow, but,

the Hero Tournament.

She withdrew.

She had no lingering regrets.

Miereel, upon receiving the news, asked,

“You’re withdrawing? Why?”

“If there’s someone I want to fight, I can just go fight them directly. The tournament is a stage to show off how strong I am. I never needed honor.”

“But…”

“I thought it wouldn’t be so bad if I had nothing else to do, but something more important than participating in the tournament has come up.”

She placed the Bloodstained Dagger and the Soul Stone on the desk.

Miereel’s eyes widened as she pressed her lips together.

Amel picked up the Soul Stone.

“I got this in the dungeon beneath this castle. A creature called the Vampire Duke ate the heart of a Great Devil, the Progenitor or whatever. So, like this.”

“….”

The heart of the [Vampire Duke] and [Blood].

The [Demon King Stone] that had sealed them both.

But that wasn’t important.

The Bloodstained Dagger and the Soul Stone.

She placed both within Miereel’s reach.

“You were in league with the Vampires, weren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean…”

“I asked the Witch.”

Win had contacted the Witch’s society through Cappuccino and brought back information.

The time the Witch’s Workshop was being built.

The time Lord Gospel disappeared.

And the Witches’ own theories.

She laid out the information piece by piece, glaring at Miereel with red eyes.

“As I am now, I could cut your throat without hesitation.”

[Vampire Princess’s Handmaiden Miereel]

Black text.

Baron, Count, Duke.

And Princess.

Was it because she had taken [Possession] of the [Vampire Duke] who had eaten the heart of [Blood]?

She could glimpse an aura similar to that of [Blood] within her body. It seemed that the higher-ranking a Vampire was, the more similar they became to [Blood].

She had been suspicious at first, but,

seeing her up close, sigh.

When she looked with her [Killing Intent] activated, she could see that Miereel held the blood of the [Vampire Princess].

Miereel stared back with calm eyes.

Only the ends of her hair trembled faintly.

She asked.

“What is it that you desire from me?”

“Seeing you, it seems like there are a lot of Vampires hiding among the nobles.”

Amel returned the Bloodstained Dagger and the Soul Stone to her Inventory.

“Cooperate with me. Then I’ll cooperate with you so you can resurrect your Progenitor.”