[Note: A sword that forever thirsts for blood will be awakened by blood]
[You were born in Mondstadt, grew up with close friends, joined the Knights of Favonius at sixteen, and were granted a Vision]
A grand cathedral.
Brilliant stained glass windows cut the sunlight, evenly gilding the great hall. The dome above was adorned with glorious wallpapers of various colors. The sound of an organ played in the background.
The wind of Mondstadt was gentle and warm.
Seino Raimei found himself kneeling on one knee before the cathedral.
This was the knighting ceremony.
He felt the power of wind ignite in his chest. The wind responded to his call, kindly and lovingly. The gentle breeze surrounded him, and Seino found he could manipulate it freely and at will, as if it were his own limbs.
He waved his hand lightly, and the wind gathered in his palm, then dispersed, transforming into blades.
[You have gradually learned the skill: Wind Whisper]
[Able to control wind, form wind blades around you, and cut enemies]
Seino wanted to see more, but everything around him rapidly dissipated. The cathedral disappeared, the sound of the organ vanished. As the world spun, everything scattered in his eyes.
Only the cold touch on his skin told him he had returned to reality, back to that world of ice and snow.
In his mind, all this had taken a long time, but in reality, it was only a brief moment.
He was still surrounded by the hounds, their fangs now within reach. Seino could smell the stench coming at him, close enough to count the hairs on the monster's body—
"Wind Whisper," he said softly.
In the world of No-Mind, everything slowed down. Seino used the wind as a guide, spinning the monster that pressed towards him. His feet pivoted, and fine wind blades covered the hound's body, cutting and shattering it.
When Seino threw it into the air, it had already dispersed into clouds of blood mist, sprinkling onto the pure white land.
Seino panted heavily, his head feeling like it was about to swell—this was the after-effect of using the system.
However, the effect was also significant.
[Beast Realm Hound dead, remaining: nine]
Nine more...
But Seino was gradually becoming familiar with this body, and also with manipulating the wind element.
The hounds came like a tide. The death of their companion did not intimidate them; these abyss monsters never knew how to retreat.
Seino stepped forward to meet them, the Orochi-giri hanging at his waist now in his hand. He didn't draw the sword, but wrapped it in wind element, pressing the scabbard upwards in a sweep. The leading hound was immediately disemboweled.
Taking advantage of the momentum, he pivoted on his toes, facing the second monster. Meeting its open, bloody maw, he thrust Orochi-giri horizontally, propping open its upper and lower jaws. Wind Whisper rose again, entering directly into its throat...
He held Orochi-giri inverted, wind swirling around him. With each step he took, a hound died. When he had completed all his steps, the ground was littered with hound corpses, intestines strewn about, fresh blood seeping into the soil, dyeing the snow red.
[All ten Beast Realm Hounds eliminated]
[Level: 10]
He had risen a full ten levels, his body transcending ordinary human limits.
But this was actually the easiest part to improve; it would become increasingly difficult later.
Seino sheathed his sword. He looked up towards the snowy mountain. The sun had fully risen, and a hazy morning light covered the surroundings of the snow mountain. The snow mixed with the dawn light looked misty and dreamlike.
Continue on...
In the following days, besides traveling, Seino focused on training his next life's body.
This anemo body was unstable, only able to exist for one hour each day.
In this snowy plain, besides the Beast Realm Hounds, the most common things were those impurities.
Seino began to try using wind to clear weak impurities. It was difficult at first, but he gradually became proficient.
He had to make the most of his time.
After the first time, he tried to access his past memories again. It was very uncomfortable and painful.
He learned that his former self had joined Mondstadt's "Knights of Favonius", but he hadn't been active in the public eye, seemingly just an obscure person.
Seino approached the great serpent step by step.
He could feel that the final moment was approaching.
The aura of impurity became increasingly severe. Even the snow floating in the air became heavy and dim, no longer as lustrous as before.
Yashiori Island.
This island was the place most severely affected by the Thundering Manifestation's impurity. Heavy dark clouds pressed directly above the island, as if the weight of the entire sky was bearing down on it. It was gloomy and dark, a scene of "ten thousand miles of sorrowful clouds condensed".
All plants on the island had withered and died. The plains were covered only with thick frozen soil and hard ice.
Although the island was on the opposite shore, the cold impurity felt as if it were right beside him.
Winter had arrived today, and there wasn't a single ship at the port—but even in normal seasons, Yashiori Island rarely saw any boat traffic.
In the last half hour of today's body, Seino heard a call.
"Young man, want to board the ship?"
The speaker was an old boatman, with a weathered face and dark skin. He wore a tattered military uniform with a thunder snake embroidered on the sleeve—he looked like a retired soldier. He pointed to the small boat behind him.
But Seino knew this wasn't human.
This was an impurity.
Or rather, a human soul lingering in the world due to impurity.
They weren't even aware they were dead, wandering helplessly in the human world.
"You are..."
Seino stared at the pattern on the boatman's uniform. "Were you once a soldier of the Shogunate army?"
"Ah..." The old boatman was taken aback. He instinctively straightened his chest, a proud smile appearing on his aged face.
"I'm Mishima Suminoe, a second-class naval soldier under the great Shogun!"
He spoke of his past, clearly very proud. His cloudy eyes, covered with cataracts, seemed to shine. His withered hand rested on the oar.
"Don't let this strong wind fool you, my skills are excellent. I grew up in a fishing village. When I was with the Shogun General before, I was specially responsible for rowing boats. I was quite capable, of course, but the Shogun was even more impressive—the Shogun General even awarded me a medal."
...
"Have you been here all this time?" Seino asked.
"Yes, I've been here all along."
He rambled on about the past:
"The great serpent came, and the rebels from Watatsumi Island came too. The Shogun General was going to lead us to war, but he wouldn't let me on the battlefield. He saw my skills were good, so he told me to stay here and be responsible for escorting civilians. This is an important duty, I can't be careless!"
As he spoke of these things, he smiled:
"I ferried boat after boat, sending away one group of civilians, then going to transport the next. From this shore to that shore, from morning to night, constantly ferrying. The Shogun was fighting on the front lines, I couldn't let the Shogun down!"
"Some people told me to run away quickly, but I won't run. I'm still waiting here, I won't be a deserter."
Seino said nothing, he just slightly lowered his head.
"So, young man, do you want to take the boat?"
"Yes," Seino said softly.
"Hmm... I see."
"You're coming from that side, do you know the situation on the front lines? Did the Shogun General win? Eh, don't laugh at me, but my dream is to ferry the Shogun himself one day. What an honor that would be, haha."
"Yes," Seino nodded.
"He won."
"A resounding victory."
He raised his head, his gaze crossing the sea, passing through layers of waves and clouds, looking towards the island where the great serpent coiled.
He gripped Orochi-giri tightly in his hand.
Snow was still falling, and his heart trembled after a long time.
"The previous him won,
And the current him will continue to win."
His voice was heavy, falling on the silent snow, like a thunderbolt striking in silence. The heavens also echoed with this thunder.
Seino slowly stepped onto the old boatman's boat. He paused, then said:
"Please take me on one last journey, Private Second Class Mishima Suminoe."