The Undead King of the Palace of Darkness

And at that moment, Katerina who had been trembling in her mother’s arms, shook them off and stepped forward.

Her face was a mess from tears and fear. Even so, she threw cutlery at Oliver and yelled shakily.

For better or for worse, the bowl with soup still in it, spun around and hit Oliver square on his head.

“L-Let go of Baron!! You monster!!”

“H-Hey, Katerina!”

I found myself incredibly taken aback by Katerina’s actions, as she was supposed to be smart.

It is foolish to draw the attention of the monster now. Not to mention, to do that for a dog just because you care for it, is crazy to be honest.

Even if she had not done that, chances are she would end up a corpse on the ground sooner or later, but she still should have stayed quiet. Even in a situation where it would be impossible to come out on top, you still need to avoid being foolhardy.

Oliver looked at Katerina as he would a prey. I could catch a glimpse of a tongue that was bright as if on fire.

“Well well, looks like we have yet another brave young girl… here. Alright, if you don’t wish to see Baron die, then I shall let you go first.”

Katerina uttered a cry and her knees gave out.

She did manage to draw his attention, but his leg was still pressing down on me. He is rather cautious than I expected.

Katerina is the same as Senri. Even if her actions were due to the fact that she did not know of my real identity, I could not possibly abandon someone who tried to save me.

Though I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Lord did not bother to make an appearance. I struggled desperately, trying to put some strength into my body.

A strong will to fight makes me see red. My whole body feels blazing hot.

“kyan! kyan!”

“What a noisy dog—?!”

And thus, I went through an awakening.

My viewpoint grew higher. My breath came out in puffs as if to dispense the heat within and my body creaked in tandem.

My body was expanding. The picture of Albertus swelling up flashed through my mind.

My long, white fur grows even longer. Small, cute front paws into bigger, cute front paws.

Oliver, who had held me down, stepped back, looking shocked. And I, with the help of my new huge limbs, got to my feet.

“T-This… is impossible!!”

I grew a lot taller. Almost as the same as the tallest mercenary in the group.

I had evolved. So this is what the world looked like to Albertus.

The ground shook with every step I took. Considering my height on four-legs, I probably look like a soaring monster from a human’s perspective. 

I looked at Oliver, whose breathing grew ragged as he retreated. I was a bit shorter than Oliver but that was because he was two-legged. If he were to get on all fours, then I would probably be the taller of the two. 

I can win. I can win! I looked up at the moon and howled.

“kyan kyan!”

“Baron… grew… bigger?!”

Katerina’s eyes were wide as she uttered shakily.

… Don’t tell me, it was only my size that changed but I still look the same as before?

Oliver, who was out of it until a while ago, kicked hard at the ground and sprung at me.

Since I have no experience fighting on four feet, I was at a loss at what to do. His huge claws slashed at my paws and the pain was so intense that I yelped loudly. I instinctively raised my other paw to fend him off, but he stopped my blow with one arm.

“… What in hell? Your size was just for show? What a weird dog.”

Blood splattered, staining my prideful white fur red. It appears I did not grow any stronger.

All that had changed was my weight and I was still no match for Oliver.

This only put a bigger target on my back. I was still hurting like before, and all I had become was a bigger white dog. 

Even so, I held on to a gleam of hope as I tried to attack him. Oliver simply slid to the side to evade my full-on attack that was strong enough to crack the ground. I lunged at him but that only enabled him to land a heavy blow to me. I was blown off, landing smack on a mercenary standing around. I rolled around and quickly got to my feet.

He is strong. He was incredibly fast despite his body being big.

I lunge at him with my mouth open wide but he uses both his hands to stop me in my tracks.

“You have no experience, do you?”

His claws dig into my jaw and the intense pain almost makes me tear up. And, I could not close my mouth at all. Sadly, I had no choice but to receive his kick, which once again blew me off my feet.

Even though Albertus was quite strong, a fine predicament I find myself in right now. The white fur that everyone petted and cherished was soiled in the blink of an eye. I wanted to weep. 

Nothing worked, be a blow, or hurling myself at him, or trying to snap at him.

First, I need to arrest his movements. I could hear people behind cheering Baron on.

I prepare for the inevitable pain. I raised myself on my hind feet and used my front feet to stamp on the ground. 

The ground shook more violently than I could have made happen in human form. However, Oliver was at my eye level by then. He had leapt up before the ground rocked.

I could feel his claws, sharp as a knife at my throat and his voice in my ear.

“Sorry, but you’re going to have to die. If you wish to resent someone, direct it at your master and your weak friends.”

His voice made me snap.

At this rate, his claws will tear apart my defenseless throat. This will not do. I have no choice but to revert to human form.

This guy is out to kill me. I can only survive by killing him first. Don’t think about the consequences now. Forget… about what needs protecting too.

Kill. My instincts whispered.

A monster at night is a lone king. It is at its strongest… when solitary.

His claws miss my throat. My body shrinks. The fur falls out and I am released from Oliver’s grasp.

The sounds of people cheering Baron on ceases. However, it is for the better. 

Forget taking him by surprise. Don’t think about what comes later. Miracles cannot happen.

Attack him head-on. Kill the guy who dared to rob me of my freedom. 

The moon shone in the sky. I was on my knees as if I were praying to it.

I got up on my feet slowly. My viewpoint was neither high nor low. 

There were no screams. There was nothing but silence. No one said anything as they had their eyes fixed on me.

And so, I returned to my original form after a truly long time.

The one to first utter something was Katerina.

“Baron… became a human this time!”

Sorry, I am not really a dog.

However, this is not the time for apologies. I shook my head clear.

It has not been too long since I fed, but I am not all that sure I can defeat Oliver in this form.

Senri mentioned that werewolves rival vampires in pure physical strength and may sometimes even surpass the latter. Consequently, the Death Knights find werewolves to be more troublesome to handle than vampires.

“Well then, let’s start the third round…”

Claws out, I glared at Oliver.

Oliver was dumbfounded. His eyes open wide, his body trembling, he stared at me. He looked more shocked now than when I grew bigger earlier.

Is it that unusual for someone to take the shape of a human? When he has been doing the same thing just as easily.

Our eyes meet. It made me realize how intimidating his presence was all over again.

I hope… my claws can penetrate that fur. Worse comes to worst, I need to buy time until Senri gets back at the very least.

It should not be too hard to accomplish owing to my regenerative powers. I walked towards him as Oliver croaked.

“T-T-That’s absurd… a vampire?! No wonder you could hurt me… no, that ability… i-i-im-impossible.”

His voice was laden with fear. He was foaming at the mouth. His pupils were contracted in excitement.

His arm that had easily crushed me, his fingertips, were quivering in fear. With every step I took forward, he drew back several. His demeanor had not a shred of the arrogance and bravado he displayed earlier. 

His trembling voice echoed through the night. And Oliver fell to his knees and prostrated himself as if to offer his head to me.

“ ‘Ancestor’… ‘The King of the Undead’. I didn’t realize, I had no idea. I-I’m just a loyal, powerless dog, my liege.”

If chapters are twice as long, we will split them.