Epilogue

A lone ray of platinum silver light shot through a dark empty place that was

reminiscent of the bottom of the abyss. It seemed to come from nowhere and created

a straight line toward the ground—which was a large white pillar. As it hit the top of

the pillar, the light dispersed… and a kneeling figure appeared in the center of the

pillar—Hajime.

Hajime drew Donner and Schlag, then looked around warily. Even without using his

night vision skill, he could see surprisingly clearly.

There was a single white path that extended away from the pillar, which turned into a

long staircase. Hajime couldn't sense anyone or anything nearby, nor did he detect any

heat sources or mana signatures. As far as he could tell, there weren't any traps on the

staircase or the path. And so, he slowly got to his feet and started walking forward.

The pure darkness all around him felt nostalgic. Hajime had first met Yue in the dark

depths of the abyss, after all. When he'd opened the door to her seal, that single ray of

light that had shone through had illuminated the golden vampire princess. The lone

white path cutting through the surrounding darkness reminded Hajime of that

meeting… and that reminder brought all the other memories flooding back.

Her crimson eyes, which had gazed unwaveringly at him. Her subdued voice, which at

first sounded dispassionate, but Hajime quickly came to learn was full of emotion. Her

seductive gaze and luscious lips, and the way that she blushed a little whenever he

called her name. Her aloof facade, which quickly crumbled because of how much she

liked teasing people. Her beautiful profile as she fought, wreathed in golden light. The

way she puffed her chest out proudly whenever she accomplished something. The

affection she poured into her voice every single time she called his name.

Hajime's eyes glimmered with emotion as he warily made his way down the silent

passage. He was at once filled with both a longing for his beloved and a burning desire

to kill his foe in the most brutal way possible.

Before long, Hajime reached the stairs and started making the long climb upward.

With each step he took, his two burning desires grew stronger and stronger.

The landing at the top of the stairs was wreathed in a faint light. Hajime stepped into

that light without hesitation.

A blindingly white world filled his vision as he stepped into a new dimension.

Everything around him, as far as he could see, was just pure white. It made gauging

distance difficult, and though the floor underneath him was solid ground, it was hard

to actually tell when he looked down because it looked no different from the rest of

his surroundings. He couldn't shake the feeling that he would start falling endlessly at

any second.

There was only a single speck of black in the entirety of this pure-white dimension.

"Welcome to the heart of my Sanctuary," a voice filled with equal parts joy and anger

said. That voice belonged to the person Hajime had gone through so much to find. But

at the same time, it sounded completely unlike her. It was as though unwanted noise

had disrupted a perfect symphony.

There was a tiered altar a few dozen meters in front of him. Atop it was a throne, and

the owner of that voice was sitting on the throne. She was smiling faintly, her chin

resting in her hands as she had her legs crossed. There was something bewitching

about that smile, but it wasn't bewitching in the same way that Hajime remembered.

"You did well to make it this far."

She was wearing a black dress that exposed her porcelain-white shoulders and had a

very steep neckline that showcased a surprisingly large bosom. It was parted at the

bottom to reveal her slender legs as well. And, while she was relatively slender, she

still had curves in all the right places.

Hajime was staring at a grown-up version of Yue.