The sound of bare feet slapping against the corridor echoed.

“Sera!?”

All three of them couldn’t react to me suddenly bolting forward.

Even after activating 【Prayer】, I wasn’t moving that fast. If this had been a more open space, they would’ve easily caught me, but in this tight corridor? Not a chance.

“One… two… now!”

With just 2–3 meters left to the room, I activated 【Scarlet Bee Needle】.

I wasn’t planning to use it to smash that stone pillar.

What I was going to kick was…

“Hyah!”

The floor!

With a powerful thrust from my right foot—now enhanced by 【Scarlet Bee Needle】—I launched myself off the ground, soaring through the air toward the stone pillar in the center of the room, cutting through the broken wall.

“…!?”

I could sense the shock from the three behind me, but I didn’t have time to turn around.

【Scarlet Bee Needle】 could even throw off the charge of a large magical beast.

If I used that power to spring off the floor, then with my light, small body, this kind of maneuver wasn’t impossible.

The angle was a bit off—I was drifting slightly away from the pillar—but… it didn’t matter.

“Hmph!”

I narrowed the scope of 【Water’s Garment】, allowing the membrane of wind to adjust my trajectory.

When I was just a few breaths away from making contact with the pillar, I activated 【Shadow Blade】, pulled back my right arm, and then swung with all my might.

“Haaah!”

A clang like clashing steel rang through the room, but I could tell the blade had cut into the pillar.

Like Fiora had said, it was incredibly tough… but 【Shadow Blade】 is a weapon that slices through magic itself.

And this stone pillar was made of condensed monster material—rich in magical essence.

It’s working!

It is working… but it’s tough!

The blade had certainly pierced it, but this wasn’t like the monsters I’d fought up until now.

Even pressing down with the blade, I couldn’t cleave it in two. The momentum of 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 and 【Water’s Garment】 was beginning to fade.

“…Ghh!! Hah!”

I activated 【Ankle Bracelet】 and clung to the pillar.

Using it as a foothold, I once again began pressing the blade into it.

I had the snakes scout the area, but no Wraiths had spawned yet.

I can still keep going!

I glanced toward the corridor and saw Seriana and Teresa right at the edge of the room.

Seriana especially had a face that was either worried or furious—I couldn’t tell.

I’m probably in for a lecture later.

“Nrghhh…!!”

…Honestly, I’ve already decided on the best plan. As long as I follow through with that, this should be solvable.

Like I decided earlier, digging straight down from the surface and destroying this room might be the best approach.

As long as I prevent any undead from appearing, even if the city walls are damaged, we can protect the city until repairs are made.

All things considered, our people—including the adventurers—are incredibly capable.

They can handle monsters, and even those hostile forces who had nothing to do with this incident but are still lingering in town.

Maybe I don’t have to go this far myself.

“Tch!”

But still…!

About one-third of the blade had made it through when I suddenly felt a change in the feedback through my arm.

I wrapped 【Serpent’s Tail】 around my right arm, sprouted 【Monkey’s Arm】 from my chest and pressed it against the right arm, then drove the blade in even deeper.

I continued slicing.

Then—suddenly—the snakes made a sharp movement, and a thin beam-like thing shot down the corridor.

A Wraith had spawned.

And Fiora had used magic… I see.

That thin spell must’ve been a focused one to delay decomposition.

With the snakes and that spell… they should be able to repel the Wraith.

“Sera!? That’s enough! Fall back now!”

I bent my right leg, still imbued with 【Scarlet Bee Needle】, and brought it to my chest, pressing it against the back of my right hand now sheathed in the enhanced 【Shadow Blade】.

The stopped blade picked up speed again.

Crackling purple electricity from 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 sparked near my face—but I ignored it!

The reason I’m stubbornly pushing through like this… well… it’s just pride, really.

I think the reason I ended up in this world with this body is because of this room.

I died in Japan by chance, and this room’s system, which was still functioning, summoned me here.

And just at that moment, I ended up in the body of the baby Eliesha, who’d died right above, in the orphanage.

In other words, I’m a failed undead.

I didn’t start at age 0—more like age 1.

I couldn’t track the exact dates, but I kept count of the seasons as they passed.

It makes sense, then, that I misremembered my own age by a year.

Plus, I was frail enough to die from exhaustion—my body must have been small.

Visually, there was probably no sense of incongruity either.

“Hh… grhhh…!”

Crackling with energy, I drove the 【Shadow Blade】 in even deeper.

As I passed the halfway point, something black began to leak out of the pillar, but for once—I was fired up.

Ignore it. Just ignore it.

I poured strength into the right foot braced against the pillar, as well as into 【Serpent’s Tail】 and 【Monkey’s Arm】.

And then, I summoned every last bit of strength I had.

“Guh… nnnghh… HAAH!”

The resistance vanished in an instant, and with a clean sweep of my arm, the 【Shadow Blade】 finally sliced through the pillar completely.

Putting myself aside… Eliesha, and the undead children I’d seen on my way here…

It’s not much of a revenge, but breaking this thing myself… I’d say it’s at least a decent way of settling the score.

As the stone pillar I’d been clinging to with 【Ankle Bracelet】 disappeared, the momentum from my swing pulled me forward—

—and those were the thoughts that crossed my mind.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera ・Blessing・【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】 【Mira’s Blessing】 【Wind’s Garment】 Blessed Item ・【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】 +1 【Scarlet Bee Needle】 【Fairy’s Eye】 【Dragon’s Lung】 【Amber Sword】 【Danrem’s Thread】 【Serpent’s Tail】 【Ankle Bracelet】 【Amber Shield】 【Purple Wings】 【Red Sword】 【Monkey’s Arm】 ・8 cards

Seriana ・【Area Identification】・【】・0 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】 【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec ・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards