Alucard IV (Final)

The Abyssal Knight ran, fast as lightning. The way it charged forward without hesitation was like a hunting hound that had scented its quarry. The Abyssal creature's hatred for the living made it sensitive to the prey that it would soon slaughter.

As the Abyssal Knight silhouette shrank into the distance, Hyper was keenly aware of a difference between this new world and YGGDRASIL.

That was "independence".

Originally, the Abyssal Knight should have stayed by its summoner's side to await his orders and attack any enemies which approached. Yet, it had disregarded that order and launched an attack of its own accord. This difference might be a fatal vulnerability in an unknown situation like this one.

Just as Hyper was contemplating the situation, a humanoid shape emerged from the still-open Gate. At that moment, the Gate's duration ended, slowly disappearing.

A figure clad in a high-tech mechanical suit stood before Hyper.

The suit resembled a futuristic warrior, sleek and menacing, with intricate designs that emitted a faint glow. It did not expose a single inch of flesh, and its advanced armor was reinforced with layers of metal and circuitry. In one hand, Lither held a plasma gun that hummed with energy, while the other grasped a holographic shield that flickered with protective light.

"The preparations took longer than expected. I apologize for my late arrival my Leage," Lither's harsh, accented voice echoed from the helmet, filled with reverence.

Lither was a formidable warrior, engineered for combat and equipped with cutting-edge technology. Among the three level one hundred warriors of Nazarick — Sebas, Albedo, and Lither — he possessed unparalleled defensive capabilities.

In other words, he was the strongest meatshield in Nazarick.

"No, it's fine. You came just in time," Hyper replied.

"Danke. Now… how shall we dispose of these pathetic lifeforms, Leage? If you do not wish to dirty your hands with their blood, I would be more than happy to do it for you. They deserve nothing less than a swift and brutal end."

"…What exactly did Sebas tell you?"

Lither did not respond.

"I see, you weren't informed… my intention is to save this village. Our enemies are the knights in armor, like that corpse over there."

Hyper noticed Lither nodding in understanding and turned his gaze elsewhere.

"Then…"

The two girls shrank under Hyper's imposing presence, doing their best to make themselves as small as possible. Perhaps it was the overwhelming aura of the Death Knight, or the fear instilled by the knights' roars, or Lither's cruel words that made them tremble uncontrollably.

Perhaps it was a combination of all three.

Hyper felt the need to show his intention to help and reached out his hand to the elder sister, but the two girls seemed to misinterpret his gesture.

The elder sister wet herself, followed by the younger sister.

"…"

The stench of ammonia filled the surrounding air. Fatigue washed over Hyper like a tide. Unsure of how to proceed, and with Lither offering no assistance, Hyper decided to keep trying to express his good intentions.

"Hyper-sama offered you a healing potion out of the kindness of his heart, but to think you would actually dare to soil yourselves in front of him… you inferior lifeforms deserve ten thousand deaths for that."

Lither raised his plasma gun, the anger in his voice palpable as he prepared to make an example of them on the spot.

Considering they had treated him like this despite how he had risked himself to save them, Hyper could understand Lither's feelings. However, if he allowed Lither to proceed with his threat, there would be no point in this rescue.

"Wait, wait, don't be so hasty. There's a time and place for this, so lower your weapon."

"…Understood, Hyper-sama," Lither replied, his voice still laced with anger as he reluctantly lowered his weapon.

However, he continued to radiate an aura of menace, leaving the two girls gritting their teeth in fear. In response, Hyper's nonexistent stomach began cramping up.

In any case, he had to leave this place as soon as possible.

"Do you know of magic?"

"Yes, yes I do. The alchemist who comes by our village… my friend, knows how to use magic."

"…Is that so. Well, that makes things easy to explain. I am a magic Swordsman."

Hyper then cast some basic spells:

"「Shadow Cocoon」."

"「Shadow of Protection From Arrows」."

A dome of shadow, roughly three meters in radius, surrounded the sisters. The second spell was not visible to the naked eye, but there was a subtle change in the air.

He had originally planned to use an anti-magic spell as well, but he did not know what sort of magic existed in this world, so he did not do so for the time being. If the enemy had magic casters, then that was just their bad luck.

As Hyper finished, he turned to leave, bringing Lither with him as he headed to the village. 

"Ah… th-thank you for saving us!"

"Thank you!"

Those words stopped Hyper in his tracks, and when he turned around, he saw the two girls, their eyes brimming with tears as they expressed their gratitude. He simply replied:

"…Think nothing of it."

"And, and this may be thick-skinned of us, but, but you are the only one we can count on. Please! Please save our parents!"

"All right. If they're still alive, I will rescue them."

The sisters' eyes went wide as they heard Hyper's words. Their faces reflected the disbelief in their hearts, but soon they came to their senses and lowered their heads in thanks.

"Th-Thank you! Thank you very much! And, and, may we know…"

The girl's voice trailed off, and then she asked in a mumble:

"May we know your name…?"

Hyper almost responded by reflex but hesitated. The name "Hyper Index" belonged to the Vice guild master of the former Ainz Ooal Gown. What should he call himself now? He didn't want to just sit back and follow the canon; his existence had already caused some butterfly effects, so he should create his own path rather than dumping it all on Momonga.

—Ah, that's it.

"…Remember my name well. I am Alucard de Vlad, a paladin of the Order of Night."