I kicked off the earth and jumped forward.

The thick roots squirmed beneath my feet, trying to obstruct me, but I crushed them beneath my soles as I forged ahead.

When traversing through forests, mountains, and unpaved roads, it’s actually a mistake to be overly cautious about the uncertainty below your feet. Running down a natural beast path requires the decision-making ability to push forward without hesitation, regardless of what lies underfoot.

Trusting in my sturdy shoes, I trampled through the overlapping branches and moss, leaping again.

My breath came in ragged gasps. Sweat trickled down my forehead and nearly stung my eyes, forcing me to blink desperately as I sought an escape for it.

There was no time to glance back or reason why. The chance of getting away was practically nonexistent. The footsteps of my pursuers raced closely behind, mocking my frantic escape.

I leaned forward, reducing the surface area exposed to the wind, sprinting at full throttle.

While I felt my lungs ache and my entire body groan, I gasped for oxygen. Like a fish washed ashore, I was gasping awkwardly when—

“Such a pathetic face… your origins are showing.”

“—You better remember this later!?”

Regretting the wasted breath, I adjusted the girl—Ram—held in my arms, making sure to secure her petite body more firmly.

Around ten minutes had passed since the start of the “Natsuki Subaru Decoy Operation,” likely linked to the black fog associated with witches.

As I envisioned, the battles with the gathering beasts were fierce, and ultimately—both of us chose to flee through the forest, helplessly.

“I trusted you when you said we could fight!”

“We were fighting, in fact. It was just that Ram didn’t have as much stamina as I expected.”

“You made some grand statements about crossing dangerous bridges, didn’t you?!”

“It was far more dangerous than Ram imagined. I was almost falling before crossing!”

Ram was annoyingly nonchalant in response to my yelling.

It was unbelievable she remained so calm when we couldn’t even maintain the mana for repeated battles, barely able to move our limbs.

Drawn by the residual scent of the witch I emitted, the beasts were being successfully lured out.

The number exceeded far beyond my expectations, and frankly, I couldn’t think of words besides regret for the overwhelming level of emergence.

With the use of wind magic, Ram managed to take down seventeen beasts total.

Just when it seemed we were making good progress, Ram suddenly lost her strength and collapsed. Within arm’s reach, I was shocked and hurriedly began carrying her as we fled—

“Now, look where we are—this is pure luck!”

“Shut up, you’re carrying me! And don’t make me talk! I might bite my tongue… besides, my stamina… is running out…!”

Though I was a reclusive student who excelled in all physical abilities, my lack of stamina from not being outdoors was an unfortunate downside. I could dream of being the last in a long-distance race at school.

Yet, with my life on the line, I still managed to squeeze out whatever was left. Still, it was only a matter of time before my stamina ran dry.

The pursuing beasts likely sensed that I was about to exhaust my strength.

Like they were savoring the sight of their prey weakening, they nagged at my footing, eroding my escape instincts and igniting my dwindling will to flee.

“Balus, there’s one right to your left—swing your sword and it will hit!”

Ram turned her head in my arms, offering advice on a suitable distance among the moving scenery. A quick glance showed the beast running alongside, totally underestimating the threat I posed.

I drew my one-handed sword from my waist, slashing it swiftly. The strike did not miss, cleaving the arrogant beast’s face into two halves before adding yet another piece to the forest’s fertilizer—but it wasn’t quite that simple.

Seeing that I wasn’t drawing my sword caused Ram’s eyes to flicker with anger as they peered up at me.

“Why aren’t you drawing your sword?”

“There’s only one person! And I’m carrying you! Do you think I can swing a sword while running? Even if I could, I wouldn’t hit anything, and you’d fall, and I’d trip, and we’d all be out of luck, you idiot!”

Breathing harshly into Ram’s unimpressed gaze, I desperately moved my feet, drenched in sweat.

Though Ram was small, I could feel her weight was approximately forty kilograms. Just managing to run while carrying that weight was quite an accomplishment. Adding swordplay on top of that was something only comic book heroes did—far beyond my capabilities.

As an untrained ordinary student, my options were limited to just fleeing while carrying her.

“It’s about time for my hidden power to be unleashed—gyaaa!!”

The moment I eagerly anticipated turned into a scream as a sharp pain shot through my shoulder. Twisting to see, a beast’s fang had sunk deep into my right shoulder. One beast grew tired of teasing me and delivered a nasty bite, tearing at the flesh and making my collarbone collide painfully against its fang.

But—

“Complacency is a great enemy—”

While still cradled in my arms, Ram reached for my waist with her hand, drawing her one-handed sword to unleash a sharp thrust at the beast.

The blade neatly pierced the side of the beast’s snout, destroying its brain and pushing out through the back of its head. The severed strength of its fang weakened, causing it to fall off, writhed away from Ram’s grip as I felt its weight drop to the ground—leaving me to glance at the blade that narrowly passed alongside my face.

“Don’t do something so dangerous, you!”

“I prevented the curse from getting worse, you should be grateful—Balus, if you get bitten by an Urgalm, kill it at any cost. If you let it go, your life will slip away more.”

With skillful movements, Ram wiped the blood off the blade in my arms, glaring at me to warn. In response to her words, I feigned concentration on my running, refusing to answer.

In my closed mouth, I could faintly feel my teeth trembling.

I couldn’t tell if it was shivering due to battle or fear. The truth? It was undoubtedly the latter, which I reluctantly accepted in despair.

The beasts terrified me. Their fangs and claws were frightfully terrifying.

The sensation of the fang that had just pierced my shoulder was shallow, but it still held enough sharpness to poke at my most primal fear.

I had been gnawed and torn apart entirely once.

How could I ever forget that pain, that sense of loss, that feeling of despair?

Holding a sword, I had yet to strike a single beast’s body in our cooperative battle with Ram. Flagging them to keep their distance was all I could do.

As a result, I was forcing Ram into a burden, making me carry her away, all because I failed to predict how overwhelming their numbers would be.

My shoulder screamed with pain. Blood flowed profusely from the torn fabric, drenching my right sleeve to the elbow. My right arm felt as if it were about to give out, and while awkwardly shifting Ram’s body, I forcefully pressed onward. I had to change our location, if only slightly.

“Ram!”

“I’m on it!”

In a brusque response to my call, Ram’s eyes were stained with blood.

Periodically activating my clairvoyance, I sought signs of Rem in our surrounding area. It was my duty to protect Ram, who was fully exposed during this time.

I scanned my surroundings, on high alert for the presence of the beasts pouncing on us. Fortunately, the defeated beast from earlier seemed to have restrained them, as no bold challengers appeared. They merely maintained a distance, circling us while awaiting our strength to wane.

The eerie silence weighed heavily on me, and I couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling that engulfed my throat.

Occasionally, they shifted left to right seemingly to toy with us, altering their paths to avoid ambush. Each repetition left me disoriented, uncertain of our initial direction.

It had been a while since I’d lost sight of the village and the way into the deeper woods. However, I ran through believing that at least we hadn’t found ourselves heading back the way we came since Ram was still using her clairvoyance.

I abandoned those thoughts, running ceaselessly with a blank mind until—

“Oh no—!”

Suddenly, the forest opened up, and I was judged for my distraction as the ground disappeared beneath my feet.

My legs flailed in mid-air, my insides felt as if they were being pulled up. Instantly, my heels scraped against the slope, tipping me into a state of sliding.

I was startled, but it wasn’t like I was facing a cliff.

More simply, I had stumbled onto a depression between the trees. Sliding down the slope while cradling the girl, I arrived at the end, almost losing my balance. I expressed my gratitude for not falling while taking in my surroundings, and then realized my gratitude was far too early.

The landing was in the forest’s valley, with the V-shaped depression leading off to the left and right. Yet, from either path, multiple beast footsteps could be heard. At the same time, I sensed more beasts sliding down from above.

“I’ve been trapped…!”

I had underestimated the beasts, thinking of them simply as mere animals.

Through our multiple encounters, I had sensed some intelligence among them, yet I hadn’t taken the appearance of our situation as something to bind my perception.

That became a means for them to choose a route, leading us right into a corner.

In my arms, Ram, unaware of the severity of our situation, still peered off into the distance.

It was impossible to delegate the solution for this crisis to someone who could not grasp our predicament. Therefore, proving my worth given Ram’s faith rested solely on my shoulders.

“I have no choice…!”

The ability to make quick decisions was one of the few commendable traits I had.

With my left arm, I awkwardly held Ram while I seized the one-handed sword from her. The pain in my right shoulder throbbed but didn’t quite hinder my grip strength.

Quieting my breaths with the pressure of danger closing in from my left, behind, and right, I raised the sword—

“I’m coming, here I go!”

I thrust it into the slope and utilized my lower body and right arm muscles—charging toward the upward incline.

My chosen method was yet again fleeing—heroic actions like busting through any of the paths and creating a sense of escape were not worth the thought. Beyond the lack of permission for cheat-like strength, the likelihood of delivering damage on the first beast was already uncertain.

I jabbed the blade, biting into the mossy slope with my soles, mustering my entire being to climb that hill. If I fell, it would be the end, but it was only a matter of time before a dead end awaited me regardless. If I wasn’t to struggle at my destination, nothing would be resolved.

Twisting my body, I scraped the elbow and shoulder of my right arm against the slope, seeking to gain even a flicker of traction while aiming for the top. Behind me, the beasts attempting to ambush us in the valley snarled and howled at my fleeing shadow.

Yet, realizing my intentions now was too late.

Through a dozen strikes, we reached the top of the slope. As I leaned forward, desperately clinging to the edge of its surface, I finally began to crawl over—

“Yes! I did it! I actually made it! Nice work, me! I’m so awesome! My long-standing one-handed sword is chipped to bits, but… whoaa!”

Amidst my self-congratulations, a rush sent me sprawling back down the slope. Immediately afterward, a tremendous gale swept over me with a mass of debris—the delayed nape of my neck was caught in the aftermath, thrusting me down with relentless heat and searing pain.

“—You bastard!”

Grimacing in pain, I leaned over again to catch a glimpse ahead, where a small shadow stood before me—once again encountering the puppy-like beast for the fifth time.

Stretching its limbs, it lay flat against the ground with its belly pressed to the earth.

Those glowing, fiery eyes fixed on me swelled with lasting hostility towards the prey it had not captured.

In sum, it was preparing for another strike.

“Not a chance, I won’t take that hit!”

As the torrent of mana began to intertwine naturally, I panickedly leapt up the slope without sheathing my sword or adjusting Ram’s hold, fleeing the beast’s line of sight—and as I chased awfully forward, the forest was decimated by the sideways rush of debris.

Trees were toppled, and the earth itself began heaving upward with immense force right at my back. I had no time to glance upwards; my calves were torn by the onslaught just as I began to slow my escape.

“Get lost, you bastard!”

I shouted and leaped.

Leaping off the right side, I hurled myself toward a different slope. Desperate not to let the debris catch up, I pulled the sword I had wielded in reverse and plunged it back into the ground—

“Owwww, that hurts, that hurts, that hurts!”

Grinding my right side against the ground, I twisted the sword to sink it deeper and gain control of my slide. Half-crying from all the new scrapes, I looked up toward the slope from where I had just fallen—

“Whoa!”

With my reckless momentum, I couldn’t stop, and I wiped out some of the tumbling beasts falling down the hill.

Letting out a whimper like a housepet, several beasts plummeted below. Unlike the earlier depression, the ground they landed on was rocky and sharp. The beasts that fell laid themselves upon the unyielding earth, silence falling as their bones shattered.

“Almost ended up mourning over here, but—”

“Balus—! Rem is right here!”

A thrilled voice broke through from Ram in my arms, and her bloodshot eyes returned to reality.

After putting on a happy face, she furrowed her brow at the diagonal angle of our surroundings and said,

“What’s happened here while I wasn’t around?”

“I was stuck in a cliffhanger for reasons beyond my control! But I really want to know about your findings—like, from a perspective of ignoring reality, of course.”

While feeling my arm muscles tremble, I shifted my attention toward the good news. Ignoring my injuries, Ram nodded faintly.

“There’s a response from Rem’s shadow not far from here. Unfortunately, Rem’s own perspective couldn’t be captured due to poor timing, but she should be heading our way.”

“How do you know?”

“The perspective Ram captured was that of an Urgalm, and during its movement with the group, she encountered Rem. She was crushed, freeing the shared vision.”

“Is that so…?”

I had no idea how Ram would be affected by sharing views with the deceased. But it wouldn’t be a pleasant sight, for sure.

Nevertheless, confirming Rem’s safety was a stroke of luck. True to our expectations, she seemed to be hunting energetically within the forest, which was entirely favorable.

“The problem is, we have a mountain of issues on this side… If I rushed in thinking Rem was in danger, I’d become a victim of circumstance!”

“If we fall off the cliff, both of us would be in trouble, Balus. Can you climb back up?”

“By sheer determination, maybe. The real concern is the beasts following us up there…”

As we consulted on what to do, I steadied my right arm supporting both of us. Leaning against the sword jabbing upward, I sought a more comfortable posture.

“—Ah!”

Our voices harmonized as the high-pitched snap of steel echoed out together.

The one-handed sword I had stabbed into the cliff broke off, leaving about a third of its tip behind jutting into the incline. I jabbed the malformed blade into the ground in a panic, but its flattened end didn’t push in with good force—simply put—

“—The beast bodies below might cushion our fall.”

“More likely, it’s us becoming cushions for all the beasts that fall afterward.”

In response to my hopeful prayer, Ram replied with an air of resignation. In that moment, the weakly stabbed blade slipped from the slope, and our descent resumed.

Pressing my right side against the slope, I steeled myself for the cutting of flesh that awaited, knowing full well we wouldn’t be able to withstand the combined weight.

“Damn it—!!”

“—This is going to cost us a lot, Balus!!”

As we plummeted headfirst, the feeling of falling reminded me painfully of my past, sending shivers down my spine. Yet, at least to shield myself from the impact of the fall, I instinctively hugged Ram tightly. I must have still retained a hint of boyishness despite the circumstances.

Feeling the force of that hasty embrace, Ram shifted and extended her hand towards the ground.

“—El-Fuura!!”

In harmony with her cry, the Mana surged, erupting at our anticipated landing site.

The updraft rising from below lifted both of us mid-fall, flipping the angle of our drop and slightly lessening the speed of our descent.

With determination in my legs, feeling my body twist mid-air, I braced for the shock by clenching my teeth hard enough to almost shatter them.

“Ughhh—!! I made it!!”

—Somehow, I survived.

Gripping my still tingling legs, I prepared to give my descent a final inspection, rising to see the height we’ve just fallen from.

Over ten meters tall, it hovered around the height of a four-story school building. To be thrown from such a height onto solid ground was a miracle I was thankful for.

“Seriously, Ram-sama is timed like a Buddhist saint. If it hadn’t been for that wind magic, I’d be…”

Just as I was about to express my gratitude for the miraculous survival, I noticed that Ram, nestled in my arms, hadn’t moved a muscle. Following that, a steady stream of blood trickled from her nostrils, and as she lay there with her eyes closed, she merely groaned shallowly, struggling to breathe.

“Hey, Ram? This is bad…”

I lightly shook her, but there was no response.

Ram had already been worn out from our fight with the beasts. On top of that, the strain from the earlier fall brought her to her limits, pushing her psyche to the brink.

“Ah, damn, my timing is the worst!”

Cursing my imprudence, I cradled Ram in my arms more carefully. I managed to stow away my half-broken sword, looking above.

The beasts that had pursued us were now circumventing the road, apparently searching for a shortcut to pursue us.

I wanted to distance us from them as much as possible, but—

“I can’t afford to waste any more time—!?”

Escaping created a time loss, and that loss directly threatened our lives. Yet, with no choice but to flee, I had to suppress my desire to click my tongue. However, that sentiment was immediately disrupted by a deafening roar from above.

“No way!?”

Looking up, a massive flood of debris was crashing down the slope—on top of which were dozens of beasts, including the puppy beast.

Fleeing instinctively, I leaped back, desperate to avoid being swept up in the chaos.

However, as the beasts landed right in our level, the advantage I believed I had created with Ram was instantly annihilated.

Because of that gamble, Ram’s consciousness sunk below, raising the level of unreliability I would have relied on.

“I curse you, witch… your perfume is too potent!”

When things moved as I’d hoped, I felt thankful, only to have that realization flip into disappointment over the present circumstances.

So dirty; just like Subaru. As I evaluated my own pettiness, I was well aware that taking off again was nothing more than extending the inevitable.

Time to escape this place, praying those beasts still underestimated our prowess and would not immediately attack.

“—Wait, huh?”

Just as I prepared to run, I sensed the oddness that made me tilt my head.

The behavior of the beasts that slid down was off. I had imagined they would crouch low over the flood and leap at me upon landing, but—

“Hey, I’m over here!”

As my words indicated, at the moment they touched the ground, the beasts scattered in disarray, fleeing down the cliff in groups.

Their departure resembled nothing more than that of scattered spiderlings, resembling my own butt-clenching escape just moments earlier.

“What’s gotten into you guys—?”

The tension eased marginally, allowing questions to overflow in my chest.

Just then, the answer rained down upon me from above, crashing and exploding.

“Eh?”

Once more looking upward, confusion lit my eyes at the changes occurring. Before me, smears of red and black flesh began to splash down around.

—A figure emerged far above; a girl in serving attire was swinging a bloodied iron ball, gazing wildly down towards me with vacant eyes.

The instant our gazes locked, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over me, covering my back in a clammy sweat.

The immediate leap, the “Oni” descended easily from the heights above, landing onto the flat ground.

In a dense forest surrounded by beasts, I faced down the “Oni,” cradling the girl I had to protect in my arms, holding my broken sword loosely. I felt I had finally arrived at the climax of this tale.

“Don’t you think I look a bit too shabby for this showdown?”

My appeal fell on deaf ears, vanished by the winds that swept through the forest.

And so, here we were, at a critical juncture—a defining moment.

The streaking reflection of my crooked profile in the blade looked utterly pale to me.