"HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at Kobayashi's threat. Shaking my head, my body shuddered and I shut my eyes, unable to wipe away the tears of amusement that were flowing out because my hands were impaled by golden spikes.

"Are you really resorting to these cliché lines, Kobayashi? Stop being so dramatic."

"You.." Kobayashi growled. "It seems that you don't understand the situation you're in."

"Oh, I understand it very well," I replied. "Better than you, at least."

Kobayashi scowled, and then conjured another golden spear. "Shut up and die, you pathetic weakling loser!"

"You know, that insult is really wearing thin.." I rolled my eyes and sighed. "But given your lack of intelligence, that's probably the only thing in your vocabulary."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Kobayashi roared and stabbed me in the chest with the golden spear, the divine beam of lethal energy piercing my heart right next to his sword, which was still protruding out of my body. The golden mana lanced throughout my body, glowing brightly before it ripped me apart from the inside out. I vanished in a wave of blood, splattering Kobayashi and the surroundings.

"Hah!" Kobayashi crowed triumphantly. "I've finally killed that irritating fucker!"

"Yeah, yeah..congratulations."

"What..?" Kobayashi stiffened when he heard my voice echoing everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Yoshida Yume and Midorikawa Midori also glanced around in panic, not understanding what was going on. "How..?"

All around them, the blood continued to flow and coalesced into a single human shape, regenerating and reforming back into me. Kobayashi spun around and gaped at me, especially when he saw that I was totally unscathed.

"What..what the hell are you?!"

"I'm Tanaka Tomoyuki," I replied simply with a grin. "You know who I am. After all, you've been treating me like a punching bag even way back in the previous world."

"That's not what I mean! How are you still alive?!"

"Because you lack the ability to kill me."

"Fuck you!"

With a roar, Kobayashi retrieved his sword and slashed me. I merely allowed his blade to pass through me, my body rippling as it transformed into fluid blood, and then reforming again after his sword exited what would otherwise be a fatal wound.

"?!"

"Told you so."

I kicked Kobayashi in the face while he was still stumbling from the momentum of his attack, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying across his throne room.

"Impossible! This is my domain! I'm a god here! An Almighty Emperor! There's no way you should be able to use techniques like those!"

"It's true that you're pretty powerful and I also lack the means to kill you," I admitted reluctantly. "But your Almighty Emperor special ability has limitations."

If Almighty Emperor was really as almighty as Kobayashi claimed it to be, then he could have killed me instantly the moment I set foot here. He wouldn't need to fake himself being weaker than me to get me to lower my guard so that he could deal a decisive, fatal blow to me. He wouldn't require Yoshida and Midorikawa to be present to provide him with constant healing spells. Hell, he could just kill me or even my dragon zombies with a single thought or a flick of his finger without needing to engage me in combat or summon his Knights of the Round to distract them. not only that, he wouldn't even need to send an entire army to defend his castle and buy him as much time as possible while hoping they would deal as much damage to me as possible. He could just let me waltz in here and then laugh as he offed me with nothing more than a snap of his fingers.

Furthermore, he could have stopped my entire army from invading Havia City if it was truly his domain. Like a god, he could have erased the Demonic Alliance's army from existence by just thinking about it or casting a spell, while avoiding losses or collateral damage to his own forces. The fact that the regiments under my command were still running around rampant in his domain was proof that he couldn't.

There's also the possibility that the range of his Almighty Emperor is limited. Its effects are strongest in his throne room, here, and weakens the further away he is. And he can't heal himself or he wouldn't bother keeping Yoshida and Midorikawa here with him.

These were mostly conjectures, but I had seen a lot of evidence supporting them so I was confident that I was right. If I was mistaken..well, then I would worry about it when Kobayashi revealed yet another dimension to his abilities. Otherwise I could only work with what I currently knew.

"What the hell are you?!" Kobayashi shrieked in despair as he slashed me, only for his sword to pass through uselessly. I countered with a kick to his chest, causing him to stumble. Before he could fall, I whipped out my Blood Dragon Sword and cleaved him from shoulder to hip, causing blood to spurt out in large amounts.

"Gaaaah!"

As Kobayashi fell back, Yoshida and Midorikawa leaped forward, already casting healing spells and preserving his life. I sought to press my advantage, but Kobayashi threw out a hand and golden spikes lanced out of the ground to impale me. Even though they scored a direct hit, I merely dissolved into a pool of blood before rematerializing a few meters away.

By then Kobayashi was already fully healed and withdrawing to a safe distance.

"Bastard," he growled.

"Totally." I shared a similar sentiment. If it weren't for the two healers backing him up, I might stand a higher chance of victory. As things were right now, the both of us were locked in a stalemate. My only chance was to continue hurting Kobayashi until both Midorikawa and Yoshida's mana ran out and they could no longer heal him.

Unfortunately, I had spent too much mana pulling off this vampire blood trick. Even though I was temporarily invulnerable and unkillable, my mana was draining away at an incredible rate. I wouldn't be able to sustain this form for too long, and I would certainly expend all my mana before either Midorikawa or Yoshida did.

This was looking pretty bad for me.

Then again, what else is new?

I was used to facing such overwhelming odds. I had faced despair, got kicked down by it, slapped around by it and tossed about by it. But every single time I had risen back to my feet to overcome all odds and squashed despair apart like the annoying bug it was.

I was going to kill Kobayashi and end this once and for all.

"Why don't you just die?!" Kobayashi screeched as he lunged at me. I dodged him and sent an elbow into his stomach. Whirling around, I took him by surprise with another slash of my Blood Dragon Sword, sinking it deep into his shoulder and chest. While Kobayashi flailed about, I unleashed a Shadow Lunar Fang, almost tearing him apart from the inside out.

Kobayashi yelped as he flew off my blade, his life miraculously hanging on by a thread. Behind, Yoshida and Midorikawa hurried forward to bestow life-giving magic, healing his fatal injuries and restoring him to full health.

"Kenji-kun! Are you all right?!"

"Kenji-kun! Be careful!"

Kobayashi threw out a hand to stop the two girls from advancing forward. Wiping the blood from his mouth, he grinned.

"I see..so that's how it is."

"?"

I suddenly felt a chill. Kobayashi didn't wait for my premonition to sink in before he conjured a golden spear and hurled it at me.

Useless..I'll just..?!

Despite going into my blood-form, the golden spear exploded and seared through my body, vaporizing a massive amount of blood and sending shockwaves throughout my almost non-existent form. I was immediately forced back into my human (or vampire) body and thrown back, blood spewing from my mouth and pores.

"Ugh.."

"Do you think you can escape my attacks just from turning into blood? I'll just need to evaporate all the blood and make my domain not conducive for blood."

Golden spikes lanced through me again, and even though I tried to shift away, they left painful aftereffects. To my horror, I saw brownish substance spread through my wounds.

"After all, blood is made from iron. All I need to do is rust you out."

"Kuh..!"

I dropped to a knee, only to jump away as golden spikes burst out of the ground. However, more of them surged out of the place I landed on, impaling my body.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Kobayashi was guffawing as he watched me writhe about. "I thought you had some amazing technique that made you immortal, but it turned out to be a cheap vampire trick. As expected of a pathetic weak loser, Tanaka!"

Blood dribbled from my mouth as I raised my head to glare at Kobayashi weakly.

"Oh well..I didn't want to rely on this, but..I guess I've no choice."

"Huh? What are you babbling about?"

Kobayashi approached me before swinging his sword to decapitate me.

Adaptive Mutation..activated.

The golden spikes shattered and I ducked just in time to avoid Kobayashi's sword. Twisting around, I caught him off guard with a kick to his guard. Kobayashi grunted as he staggered backward, but he retaliated with a riposte that I managed to deflect with my Blood Dragon Sword. Black mana rippled through my blade before escaping in a Shadow Lunar Fang that detonated against his golden barrier, two gargantuan waves of light colliding against each other before exploding with tremendous force. Yoshida and Midorikawa shrieked as they were buffeted by the shockwaves.

"You..!"

Kobayashi staggered out of the explosion, blood streaming down his face. Midorikawa and Yoshida immediately went to work, even though these were just superficial wounds. As for me, I slowly regenerated the injuries I sustained in the blast with my own dwindling mana.

Damn it..I can't keep this up forever..

Kobayashi seemed to have noticed that something was up, for he quickly darted forward, slashing at me with his sword. I parried his strike and our blades clashed violently, sending streams of mana and shockwaves across the throne room.

"What's the matter?" he sneered as he bore down on me, increasing his strength. "You seem to be weakening."

"And you don't seem to be as almighty as you claim to be," I replied before unleashing another pointblank Shadow Lunar Fang. The guy just didn't seem to learn. I quickly retreated as Kobayashi cursed and coughed inside the black explosion before stumbling out, blood dripping down his face and body in rivulets.

"Yume! Midori! Healing!"

He barked out an order without looking back. But when they didn't respond and didn't cast any healing spells, he realized that something was amiss.

"Yume? Midori? What are you doing? Hurry up!"

Kobayashi spun around to glare at them, only to gape when he saw their corpses on the ground. Standing above their dead bodies, Lilith Scarlet twirled her demonic red spear about, its bloodied blade glowing hungrily.

"You..!"

"You're late, Lilith-san," I told her with a smile. Lilith shook her head and sighed in an exaggerated manner.

"Sorry, I was held up. You're too reckless, Tomoyuki-kun. Running ahead without me and trying to take on Evelyn's Chosen by yourself..what were you thinking?"

"I was hoping to finish this farce once and for all." I shrugged helplessly, and then nodded toward Midorikawa and Yoshida's corpses. Lilith had struck them swiftly and cleanly before either of them realized she was there, delivering a cursed, fatal blow to their hearts. That cursed technique of hers was really terrifying, ensuring the death of the opponent no matter what. Not for the first time, I was glad that she was on my side.

Kobayashi staggered back, realizing that he was at a massive disadvantage now that his healers were gone and the battle had turned from three against one to one against two. The odds had now shifted to my favor, and he was still hurt from my earlier attack.

"This..this isn't fair!" he protested. "How..dishonorable! You dare to gang up on me!"

"What is this guy talking about?" Lilith frowned, puzzled. "Wasn't he fighting against you when it was three against one?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense," I told her. "He's mentally..ill."

"Fuck you! I'm not mentally ill!"

I was pretty sure that any psychiatrist would beg to differ, but there was little point in arguing with an insane psychotic like him. Instead, I nodded at Lilith and we began to flank him from two different directions.

At least that was the plan, but an explosion sounded high above. The ceiling of the throne room caved in and Ishida Ryuuji came crashing in. A blinding white spell lashed out in a devastating arc, swerving toward me and Lilith, but we dodged. Nonetheless, the spell struck and disintegrated several marble pillars before exploding.

"I won't let either of you touch our leader."

Placing himself firmly between Kobayashi and us, Ishida drew his sword and pointed it at us. His eyes gleamed dangerously behind those square lenses of his.

"Ishida! You..!"

"I've defeated Takeda Tetsuo and slain him. Most of the Iron Knights are injured..the Eight Guardians have been broken. Shidou Makoto, Gendou Issei and Yonebashi Kyouko are dead. Sanada Hiroyuki and Nagano Nanaka are severely injured."

Holy fuck..! This guy took out all nine Iron Knights by himself!?

"Careful!" I warned Lilith. "Ishida Ryuuji isn't as simple as he looks! Especially if he can defeat a monster like Takeda Tetsuo and the Eight Guardians by himself!"

"They're just weak," Ishida sneered. "And you're even weaker than them."

Well, I didn't mean to brag, but I was also the guy who defeated the Eight Guardians by myself. Of course, I wasn't exactly fighting both them and Takeda Tetsuo at the same time, or the outcome might have turned out differently..

Nonetheless, I snuck a peek at Ishida's abilities.

Name: Ishida Ryuuji

Species: Human

Job/Rank: Elite Guard, Right-hand Man/Hero

Special Abilities: Magic Swordsman, Victoria Imperialis

Victoria Imperialis. Imperial Victory. So that was how he achieved victory over the Iron Knights and defied Takeda's monstrous ability?

"Please stand back, leader," Ishida declared. "I alone would be more than enough to take care of the two of them."

White flames flickered at the edge of his sword and he launched a piercing beam at us. I quickly jumped forward and parried it with my Blood Dragon Sword, but the sheer impact of the divine spell sheared off several layers of my Redwood jacket's defensive barrier.

What the hell is this?!

I couldn't help but stagger back from the impact, slightly relieved that my Redwood jacket was already repairing itself. However, I couldn't shake off the feeling that Ishida would pose a significant threat to us. His powers were beyond comprehension.

He might even be stronger than Kobayashi himself.

Well, that made sense. To be honest, Kobayashi himself wasn't such a big deal. The only reason why he was so powerful wasn't because of his abilities but because he had such powerful subordinates loyally serving him. Midorikawa and Yoshida to provide endless healing. Ishida and Yamada who were extremely strong warriors. A brainwashed army of zealots who were entirely devoted to him. Gigantic Knights of the Round who were the ultimate familiars. Take those away, and Kobayashi's personal, innate special abilities weren't that big of a deal in a one-on-one combat.

His downfall was that he relied way too much on his subordinates. With Yoshida, Midorikawa and Yamada dead, the moment we took out Ishida, Kobayashi would be all but helpless.

"We'll target Ishida Ryuuji first," I whispered to Lilith. "I'll distract him for a bit, and you should use your curse on him.."

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"Leader, I suggest you escape." While I was discussing tactics with Lilith, Ishida was speaking to Kobayashi. "Our base here has fallen. We've no choice but to fall back and escape to Ravinca City for now. You'll have to regroup and reconsolidate our forces there before returning for a counterattack."

"Smart move, Ryuuji." Kobayashi smiled. "I'll be depending on you to eliminate those that loser and his bitch."

"I'll do my best, but..I'm afraid I cannot make any promises."

There was a slight shudder, almost too imperceptible for me to notice, but it was there. Normally I would miss it, but my vampire senses noted that Ishida was paler than usual and perspiration was running down his face. His breathing was labored and his mana emanation seemed diminished. Despite the strong front he was putting on, he had undoubtedly received significant damage from his battle against the Iron Knights.

"Tch." Lilith clicked her tongue. "Tomoyuki-kun, we can't let the so-called Emperor escape. You should pursue and finish him off. Don't worry, leave this guy to me."

"I don't think that's a good idea." My intuition was warning me about Ishida. "There's something wrong with Ishida..it's not wise for either of us to face him alone."

"Heh." Ishida smiled thinly. "You're smarter than you look, Tanaka."

"I'll get going first."

Kobayashi was as thick-faced as ever, not even hesitating to sacrifice Ishida so that he could run away on his own. As usual, he only cared about his life, and was willing to expend others so that he could save himself.

Before he could get far, however, a meteor shower bombarded his position, causing him to jump back in fright.

"What the..?!"

"We're not letting you go anywhere!"

From the hole that Ishida had carved into the ceiling, three figures landed on the ground. Hoshizaki Kozue, Aoyama Aoi and Domon Daisuke charged forward, their silhouettes blazing ferociously with mana.

"How..? I injured you!"

Ishida looked shocked at their appearances.

"You did," Aoyama admitted but he raised his scythes. "Unfortunately you only dealt minor damage to us three. Have you forgotten what my special ability is?"

"..healer!"

Ishida scowled and clenched his fists in frustration.

"I knew I should have targeted you and finished you off first!"

"As if we would let you!" Hoshizaki cried. With a swing of her hand she summoned another hail of meteorites. Ishida swore before he swung his sword to unleash a wave of white flames, incinerating the meteor shower.

However, the collision resulted in a tremendous explosion that knocked everyone off their feet. Fortunately, we were back on our feet in less than a second, eager to reengage in combat.

"Tanaka-kun! We'll handle Ishida. Please go after Kobayashi!"

It was Domon. He was already sowing seeds in the ground and summoning large Treefolk to surround and impede Ishida.

"But.."

Ishida had defeated them along with their leader earlier. Now, not only were they just one-third of their original numbers, they were considerably weakened from the battle earlier. There was no way they stood a chance against Ishida!

"Don't worry."

Fortunately, Lilith had sensed my concern. She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder and smiled sweetly.

"I'll help them. I think I have a gist of what that guy's ability is and how to counter it. Leave him to us."

".."

I glanced at Lilith for a few moments, and she pushed me forward gently.

"Now go after that self-proclaimed Emperor and bring his head back. End this once and for all. That's what you came here for, right?"

"..yeah. Thanks. Make sure you guys stay alive, all right?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

Lilith smirked before she spun around and lunged at Ishida. The bespectacled elite guard whirled around to parry her spear, only to be driven back by an explosive crimson blast of demonic mana. While he was distracted, Aoyama slashed him from behind with his scythes.

I watched them for another second before turning around and pursuing the fleeing Kobayashi.

"You..!"

Realizing that I was hot on his trail, Kobayashi spun around to glare at me. He raised his sword and slashed at me, unleashing a golden tide of energy that dissipated harmlessly when I parried it with my Blood Dragon Sword.

"Heh."

Realizing that I was alone, Kobayashi chuckled.

"Are you an idiot? Did you try to chase after me by yourself? If it's a one-on-one, you stand no chance of winning against me."

I didn't even bother to rise to the bait. This guy had been spouting nothing but nonsense ever since the very beginning. Never mind that he needed Yoshida and Midorikawa to help him in a three-against-one battle just to force me into a stalemate, he was actually running away with his tail between his legs earlier when Lilith showed up to turn the tables on him. He was truly an arrogant, shameless, psychotic, delusional idiot.

"Like I said earlier, this is my domain! You can't do anything to me as long as we're within my territory!"

Laughing wildly, Kobayashi raised his sword and conjured golden barriers of light that surrounded us. Golden spikes lanced out from the ground and impaled me, but I shrugged them off, having adapted to their assault earlier. With a single movement I shattered them into countless bits before Kobayashi's disbelieving eyes.

Plunging my Blood Dragon Sword into the ground, I released all of my remaining mana into my ultimate technique as I uttered a single word.

"Bankai."