Yikes. Thank goodness Azi was here. I could manage a human somehow, but a beast like that? Not so much.

I was an ordinary human. I couldn't even beat an ordinary horse in a one-on-one fight.

And I was supposed to fight a blood steed the size of a mountain, one that couldn't die and was strong as hell? I'd end up a puddle of blood. The Regressor might have had a way, but not me. Calling Azi had been my only option.

Watching the mythical battle unfold before my eyes, I muttered,

“Hmm. Not a good matchup.”

A dog's main means of attack was biting. Its finishing move was to seize the throat and shake, snapping the neck in a single strike.

But her opponent was Ralion, the blood steed who had become a familiar through a vampire's power and gained an immortal body. An undying monster that regenerated endlessly, even when its flesh was stripped away and its throat torn out.

“With that imitation sun up there, she could win by tearing Ralion apart tens of thousands of times until its very existence wore thin. But Finlay won't sit still that whole time.”

It would take Azi quite a while to destroy Ralion completely.

Now the outcome of the battle rested with us.

“Well, anyway. Azi has cleared a path for us. Are you feeling better yet?”

In the wake of Azi's rampage lay mountains of corpses and a sea of blood, with a path carved through them. At its end was one foolish vampire, reduced to a mindless puppet.

Even the puppets I controlled were better than that. Tsk, tsk. Unable to hide my pity, I continued.

“Ready to go bash in that senile old hag's skull?”

“... You really have a nasty way with words.”

One of the Regressor's eyes was dyed bright red as she spoke, as though soaked in blood.

“I'm fine. I can move now... But.”

Her trembling arm was a pitiful sight. The trembling grew worse when she pointed Sky Cherry Blossom at the vampire. It shook so violently that I nearly got cut standing beside her.

While I was seriously considering whether this was some new assassination technique, she spoke.

“I can't point my sword at Tyrkanzyaka. The true blood has hidden itself in every corner of my body. I can swing my sword freely at her other familiars, but if I try to aim directly at the owner of the true blood, it goes wild and interferes.”

“Wait a moment. Does that mean...?”

The Regressor looked at me in despair.

“I hate to say this... but I'm asking you. You're the only one. I'll clear a path, so you... save Tyrkanzyaka.”

“Me?”

Singled out, I looked toward the vampire in bewilderment.

She wanted me to deal with all the remaining black knights ahead, push through, defeat Finlay controlling her from up there, and wake the vampire?

Come on. If I could do that, I wouldn't have been dragged into this place.

“That's rather too heavy a burden for me.”

“Stop... making excuses. I know you're hiding your strength.”

How was I supposed to hide strength I didn't have? What was she, a debt collector trying to squeeze money out of me? Would nonexistent strength just appear if she demanded it?

While I stood speechless at the absurdity, the Regressor drew a ragged breath and spoke.

“I know you're plotting something. And I know you're hiding your strength! But now is the time to use it, if that's what it takes to save Tyrkanzyaka!”

Her eyes were so clear and unwavering as she shouted that. It was hard to imagine she was in immediate danger.

How could she place such straightforward trust in someone even in the face of death? Briefly moved, I read her thoughts.

'If he doesn't save her... If he takes this opportunity to dispose of Finlay and get his hands on Tyrkanzyaka instead! Then I can safely consider him an enemy starting next time!'

And with my entire future held hostage, I shuddered.

No, thinking about it, she wasn't really in danger, was she? If I acted suspiciously in this run, she'd hunt me down and kill me starting in the very next one. I had to prevent that.

Whew. For the sake of both my present self and my next-run self, I had no choice but to try. Getting a free ride sure wasn't easy.

Let's see. I stole a glance toward the vampire and Finlay.

A little sun casting red light over the ground. Gaps in the black knights' ranks where Azi had swept through them. Darkness slowed by the light, and Finlay coughing up blood.

Huh? Wait a second. Could this work?

“Well, if things go right, I might be able to manage something.”

“... Heh. I knew you'd say that.”

The Regressor grinned despite the blood trickling from her mouth.

The burden on my shoulders was heavy. I didn't have the ability to finish this as impressively as she expected.

Still, well.

“You can use magic, right? Could you cast something on me?”

“My support magic isn't very efficient. It won't do much for someone strong, you know?”

Oh, it would help. Adding ten to a thousand was a one-percent increase, but adding ten to ten made you twice as strong.

“... Still, it can't hurt. Give me a moment.”

Nodding, the Regressor unraveled Sky Cherry Blossom.

Wind, clouds, rain, and dew; frost, snow, thunder, and lightning.

Magic that commanded the sky and wind through Sky Cherry Blossom, a compressed space. From it, the Regressor drew the only—and most powerful—support spell she could cast.

“Heavenly Sword Art: Tailwind.”

The space around the sword unraveled thread by thread. Each strand spread out like a skein blowing in the breeze, then began to wind gently around my body.

Having squeezed out her mana, the Regressor spoke with difficulty.

“From now on, everything you do will have the wind's blessing. The wind will blow in whichever direction you move, and even swirling dust won't hinder you. Even in a gale, the wind surrounding you will keep you steady. For now, the wind is on your side. Ride its flow.”

“Excellent. Now I just need to get my weapon out.”

As I untied the bundle on my back, the Regressor gripped Sky Cherry Blossom and stepped forward.

“I'll buy you time. Get ready.”

She twisted Sky Cherry Blossom slightly.

Sky Cherry Blossom was a sword with no thickness. It could therefore split anything, but it did little against a vampire's familiars made of darkness and blood. Cut them once, and they could simply reform.

So the Regressor abandoned sharpness. Instead, she adjusted her grip to expose the broad flat of Sky Cherry Blossom.

Though it had no thickness, it had breadth, and the wind caught against its wide blade.

In place of the sharpness that could split anything, she wrapped it in a fierce wind. The Regressor murmured under her breath.

“Heavenly Sword Art: Sword Form Transformation.”

Wind streamed in as though space itself had cracked. Sky Cherry Blossom's blade, not even a handful or a handspan across, held enough air to fill the bottomless pit.

The longer a beast's neck, the deeper its roar. The cry of wind flowing through the vast firmament used the sky as its throat, producing a thunderous vibration.

Clad in wind, Sky Cherry Blossom looked just like a giant fan.

A heavy vibration rose from it. The Regressor lifted all the wind coiled around Sky Cherry Blossom.

“Plantain Fan: Rakshasa's Riot of Blossoms!”

She swept it wide in a horizontal arc.

My hair stood on end all at once. A powerful wave of force swept past, invisible but unmistakable. It was a storm of force compressed to the limit, more whip than wind.

The storm swept away the black knights in one stroke. Even the black energy congealed on the ground scattered like sand, and black smoke was pushed back in a semicircle.

For a moment, everything ahead was clear. The Regressor bit her lip and clutched her chest.

“I've cleared the path! Go now...!”

Still shouting, she caught sight of me and staggered.

“Wait! What are you holding?!”

“What do you think? I need a weapon too.”

“How is that a weapon?!”

What else would it be? A weapon I'd happened to find while rummaging through the dining hall, thinking I ought to bring something.

The most effective demon-slaying... no, blood-slaying sword for use against vampires.

“None other than the undying one's right arm! The Immortal Right Arm!”

“Why are you carrying that?!”

“Why, you ask?!”

Just then, a black knight that had weathered the wind by flattening itself against the ground lunged at me. A convenient punching bag had arrived right on cue. I thrust the undying one's right arm toward the approaching knight.

The writhing severed end pointed toward the black knight. It tried to counter by swinging its sharp sword, but...

“Immortal Striiiiike!!”

The instant it touched the undying one's arm, the darkness crumbled like wet sand and fell to the ground.

The flesh of the earthfolk was a curse to a vampire's blood. Contaminating the power itself, the right arm lost none of its momentum as it pierced straight through the black knight's chest.

Immediately afterward, the black knight's entire body stiffened, then collapsed.

Its body did not regenerate.

The contaminated blood had escaped the vampire's control.

Having dispatched the black knight in an instant, I twirled the arm and shouted,

“Because this is the ultimate weapon for taking down vampires!”

After staring blankly for a moment, the Regressor shrieked,

“That's not a weapon, it's an arm! The undying one's right arm!”

“My body is made of swords. That is the unity of body and sword. How, then, could I consider my body and blade separate?”

“It isn't even your arm!!”

I raised the right arm, showing the Regressor how the undying one's right hand was gripping mine tightly.

“The pommel is specially designed, so it can never slip out of my grip! I can't possibly drop it. Couldn't you call it an extension of my own arm, then?”

“That's just the undying one's hand holding on to you!”

TAP, TAP, TAP.

No need to put strength into a slash. No need to put my weight behind a thrust. Sword paths, sword principles, sword energy—those were merely methods devised by the weak.

All I had to do was give them a little tap, and the undying one's flesh nullified the vampire's power, turning her familiars into plain blood.

Its overwhelming performance was enough to make even the Regressor contemplate it with a serious expression.

“... That might not be so bad.”

“Heh heh. I knew you'd understand. You and I are both cold-blooded people who care only about performance.”

“You're sure it's all right to swing it around like that?”

“Of course.”

Giving the right arm a half-turn, I added casually,

“It's just a shame its durability is limited.”