Ah, so it came to this after all.
Now that it's happened, there's nothing I can do about it through my own will.
But even though Wrath activated, my will wasn't lost.
What does this mean?
I don't understand.
Which is better — going on a killing spree while losing my sanity, or being unable to do anything while witnessing the slaughter?
Either way, it's not a pleasant experience.
Still, I'm surprised.
Even my attacks with Wrath activated haven't dealt significant damage.
Normally, a single sweeping slash should have cut her body clean in half, but the girl's injury was only a half-severed arm.
No matter how high her Status might be — even if it exceeds ten thousand — tanking my Wrath-activated attacks and walking away with that little damage doesn't add up.
Looking more closely, I notice white scale-like objects clinging to the girl's skin.
Or rather — not "scale-like." Those are actual scales.
I'd been paying attention ever since she showed a Skill that should only exist among Dragon-type creatures, so this must be the effect of Heaven's Scale.
Why she possesses a Skill exclusive to Dragon-types is a mystery, but it was Heaven's Scale — which dramatically boosts both physical and magical defense — that blocked my attacks.
Furthermore, her nearly-severed arm immediately began closing the wound.
Tough and fast at recovery.
On top of that, she keeps her distance in ranged combat to minimize hits, making it difficult to deal damage in the first place.
Normally, there'd be no way to beat her.
Of course, she can't beat me with Wrath activated.
Fighting the girl has really driven home the importance of Skills.
I was undeniably at an advantage in raw Status, yet she held the upper hand through the power of her Skills.
Still, if the Status gap becomes large enough, even her Skill advantage will be overturned.
My blade carves into the girl's body.
She can't keep up with my movements.
Her defenses weren't even close to catching up.
No matter how high Heaven's Scale's defense is, if she keeps taking hits powerful enough to cleave halfway through her arm, her HP will bottom out in no time.
Refusing to give in, the girl activates an ice spell even as she's being slashed apart everywhere.
It's that spell that took my arm earlier — the one that looks like red diamond dust.
But the situation now is different from before.
My body plunges straight through the red diamond dust without hesitation and passes through completely unscathed.
The girl's eyes go wide.
Seizing that fatal opening, I swing my blade down at her neck.
I feel the impact.
A hard sensation.
The blade powers through it and finishes its arc.
The girl's head flies through the air.
At the same time, my Appraisal results show her HP plummeting.
Until the girl's hand catches her own head and reattaches it to her neck.
W-What!?
That's even possible!?
Ignoring my inner shock, the Wrath-controlled body responds without missing a beat.
If the neck doesn't work, go for the heart.
Since ancient times, the way to kill a vampire has been to pierce its heart.
A high-speed thrust is launched at her chest.
The girl barely manages to block it with her raised greatsword.
The impact shatters the greatsword and sends the girl flying backward.
It seems I focused too much on power — the force skewed toward blunt impact rather than penetration.
Because of that, the greatsword shattered, but the attack failed to reach the girl herself.
Worse still, the impact knocked her back and created exactly the kind of distance that favors her.
This is probably the downside of losing your reason to Wrath.
When Wrath activates, you lose your rationality, and at first glance it seems like you become nothing more than a berserker flailing blindly.
But in reality, some degree of technique does remain.
Especially since I have the Sword God Skill.
Even if I lose my reason, that Skill doesn't disappear.
Still, there are judgment errors that arise from being unable to make fine decisions like this.
The increased distance gives the girl a moment to recover — just an instant, but still.
A magical light ignites and envelops the girl's neck.
With that, the severed surface of her neck reverts to its original state.
I can't help but think — isn't this against the rules?
Seriously impressive immortality, really.
But she's not truly immortal.
The girl's HP has dropped considerably.
The damage from having her neck severed may be surface-healed, but it's definitely draining her life.
If the same thing happens one more time, she probably won't endure it.
That said, she has the Undying General Skill along with her vampire revival ability.
With these two Skills providing limited resurrection, she's not dead yet.
No matter what attacks I unleash, she can still hold out.
I want her to use that remaining energy to escape.
She should understand this too.
At the very least, that she has no chance of winning against me with Wrath active.
Then the right move for survival is to flee.
Still, it'll be tough, but with her abundant offensive options and seemingly immortal defenses, she should be able to escape from me.
So please, run away.
My wish goes unanswered. The girl smiles.
Her eyes hold a clear, unmistakable resolve to not back down.
Does she still have some kind of plan?
What concerns me is the "Envy" Skill whose details were hidden even from my Appraisal.
Judging by its name, it's probably a Skill with power on par with Wrath — but is it enough to turn this situation around?
The girl is covered in wounds.
Meanwhile, I've just finished regenerating my lost arm and am drawing a new blade from Storage.
Even if Envy is a Skill with power rivaling Wrath, can it really overturn this disadvantage?
But the girl's face holds unmistakable confidence.
Then let me believe in it.
That she can defeat me.
If that's the case, there's nothing to worry about.
Just as I wished, I can die.
I will die.
I felt my heart — trapped in a body that won't obey — beat strongly.
Am I afraid?
Of dying?
After all those kills, am I suddenly afraid of dying?
How selfish.
I'm afraid.
But dying is my only option.
What meaning is there in living in this state?
What value is there?
There shouldn't be any.
Then dying is my only choice.
And yet, I'm afraid.
As if to embody my wretched wish to live, my body lunges at the girl with full force entirely on its own.
The girl begins to do something, and— Black — purely, relentlessly, utterly black — A man appeared before my eyes.