―21― Erosion
The black sword parasitizing my right arm moved without my will, cutting down demons one after another.
I have no idea what this sword is, but thanks to it, I've managed to survive. For now, I have no choice but to cling to this sword.
Advancing deeper into the dungeon with intermittent breaks.
"I think this is the room with the mini-boss."
I halted in front of a large door. I recalled when I ventured with Ageha; a mini-boss appeared after passing through a similar door. I fought a colossal rock golem back then.
Since I'm progressing through different teleportation gates this time, there's a high chance of encountering a different creature. Well, let's just enter and find out.
"Squuaaaack!"
A gigantic griffon screeched.
Apparently, the mini-boss here was different from the rock golem.
As usual, the black sword moved independently. I merely focused on not hindering its movements. Before I knew it, the enormous griffon had been defeated by the black sword.
"...It feels like it's grown."
Looking at the black sword, I thought so. It was originally the size of a typical sword, but now it seemed noticeably larger. Moreover, its form had changed from extending from my arm to my shoulder.
It felt as if my body was being eroded.
"Are you okay?"
Although I felt uneasy, there was nothing I could do. I had no choice but to keep moving forward.
◆
The black sword continued to defeat monsters one after another.
With each victory, the sword clearly grew. But as it grew, it became heavier.
Dragging the black sword along became increasingly strenuous.
When monsters appeared, the sword would move on its own. However, the larger the sword became, the more forcefully it pulled me. It was as if I were being dragged by a carriage, and the sword ruthlessly pulled me along to defeat the monsters. Consequently, my body was in a wretched state, scraped and bleeding from being dragged across the ground.
"This is bad..."
The black sword had already consumed half of my body.
Furthermore, yellow eyeballs had somehow manifested on the sword. Those eyes darted around, observing the surroundings.
"It's a dead end..."
Having descended to lower levels, I had reached a dead end.
I didn't know where else to go.
Just as I thought that, I spotted a teleportation gate.
Hm... It seems stepping on this will allow me to progress.
"Oh my, things seemed strange, and now I understand. You've become a host to the parasite. Moreover, it seems to have grown quite a bit."
Upon entering the teleportation gate, I found myself facing the vampire Yudith.
"What in the world is this?"
"Oh, you still have consciousness left, it seems."
She seemed surprised.
"So, what's your purpose? I assume it's to dispose of me, or perhaps to subdue the parasitic sword on your right side?"
"Parasitic sword...?"
"The Parasitic Sword Marionette. It's an extremely dangerous entity that parasitizes humans, consuming demons to grow. I thought this dungeon was safe since not many people venture here, but I suppose things don't always go as planned."
"Are you saying you're going to kill me now?"
"Yes, that's correct. You catch on quickly."
As she spoke, Yudith tore off her left arm with her right.
Blood splattered everywhere.
In a brief moment, the blood that had splattered began to congeal, forming a severed arm. The torn arm transformed into a blood-shaped blade, becoming a crimson greatsword.
"Then, please die."
With those words, she swung the blood-made sword. However, the Marionette wasn't about to lose.
The Marionette deftly countered Yudith's relentless strikes.
"Aren't you going to give up easily?"
With those words, she tossed her severed left arm upward.
In the next instant...
The arm exploded.
"Shallow Crimson Downpour."
Simultaneously with the explosion, blood-formed spikes rained down. They bore countless holes into my body.
"I didn't want to use that move since it renders my left arm unusable for a while, but I have no choice."
In the moment Yudith muttered those words, my life came to an end.
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