The black sword fused to my right arm acted of its own accord, slaughtering monsters one after another regardless of my will.
I had no idea what this blade truly was, but as long as it was the reason I remained alive, I had no choice but to cling to it for now.
I continued deeper into the Dungeon, pressing on even as I stopped for brief moments of rest.
"If I remember right, there’s a mid-boss room up ahead."
I came to a halt before a massive set of doors.
I recalled my time adventuring with Ageha; a mid-boss had appeared once we passed through a similar entrance. In that timeline, we had fought a Golem.
Since I had taken a different teleportation circle this time, there was a high probability I’d face something else, but there was only one way to find out.
"Kweeeeeeeeeeeeh!"
A Gryphon let out a piercing, metallic screech.
It seemed the mid-boss here was indeed different from the Golem.
As usual, the black sword began to move on its own. I focused entirely on staying out of its way, making sure I didn't hinder its movements. Before I could even process the fight, the Gryphon had been struck down by the blade.
"...I think it’s getting bigger."
I stared at the black sword, a sense of dread pooling in my stomach.
Initially, it had been the size of a standard blade, but it had grown noticeably larger. Moreover, while the transformation had originally stopped at my wrist, the black metal now extended all the way to my shoulder.
It felt as though my very body was being eroded.
"I’ll be okay... right?"
Anxiety gnawed at me, but it wasn't as if I could do anything to stop it. I had to keep moving forward.
The black sword continued its relentless slaughter.
With every monster it felled, the blade grew. And as it grew, it became heavier. The labor required to drag the massive thing behind me became increasingly grueling.
Whenever a monster appeared, the sword surged into motion. The more its mass increased, the more violent its movements became. It was like being hitched to a runaway carriage; the black sword hauled me along roughly as it tore through its prey.
Because of this, my body was in tatters, scraped raw from being dragged across the stone floor. Blood smeared the ground behind me.
"This is getting bad..."
The black sword had already consumed half of my body.
To make matters worse, a yellow eyeball had manifested on the blade at some point. It darted around restlessly, observing the surroundings with a disturbing, frantic energy.
"A dead end..."
I had descended several floors, only to run into a wall. Just as I was wondering where to go next, I spotted a teleportation circle.
I supposed stepping onto it was the only way to advance.
"My, I suspected something was amiss, but I see now—it has parasitized an adventurer. And by the looks of it, it has already matured quite significantly."
Vampire Eudite stood at the destination of the teleportation.
"What do you want?" I managed to grit out.
"Oh? To think the host's consciousness still lingers," she remarked, her expression shifting to one of mild surprise. "As for what I want... why, the disposal of your person—or rather, the subjugation of the parasitic sword claiming your right half."
"Parasitic sword...?"
"The Parasitic Sword: Puppeteer. That thing is an exceptionally dangerous entity that latches onto humans and grows by devouring monsters. Since people rarely set foot in this Dungeon, I assumed it wouldn't be an issue, but I suppose these things happen."
"So, you're going to kill me?"
"Correct. You are quite quick on the uptake."
The moment she finished speaking, Eudite gripped her own left arm with her right and tore it off. Blood sprayed violently from the stump.
I stared, paralyzed by the sight. Before the blood could hit the floor, it converged and solidified. A new arm made of pure blood grew from her severed shoulder, while the arm she had torn off transformed into the shape of a blade—a Crimson Greatsword.
"Now then, please die."
She swung the greatsword of blood with terrifying force. However, Puppeteer was not so easily bested. It met her blinding flurry of strikes with equal speed, parrying every blow.
"So, you won't go down easily," Eudite noted. She threw her severed left arm high into the air.
In the next instant, the arm exploded.
"Pale Crimson Downpour."
Countless thorns of blood rained down from the explosion. They tore through the air, punching a multitude of holes through my body.
"I dislike using that technique, as it leaves my left arm unusable for a time... but I suppose I had no choice."
By the time she finished her sentence, my life had already reached its end.