Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"You little brat, stay right here." Then he looked at the pirates by the ship's wheel. "You guys, take good care of your boss. As for the holes in the hull..."

"Damn it." Nian Zhuo clenched his fist and held the W watch face in his hand.

"No, Mr. Nianzhuo! Your injuries haven't healed yet!" Mashu and Ritsuka were the first to object.

“Yes, Nianzhuo, Chaldea is showing very poor magical reaction!” Even Mary in the communication device voiced her objection. “Besides, why do we have to make you do this…”

“While I admire heroes, I don’t like this kind of showy behavior.” Euryale, unusually, didn’t mock him. Instead, she looked at Asterius and Nianzhuo beside her and said calmly, “If all else fails, I’ll go…”

“No need.” With a firm statement, Nian Zhuo pressed the W dial on his watch. Just before his figure was enveloped by the shattered wind, he spoke slowly.

"If I don't go, who will?" So, I have to go myself.

Amidst the shattered gale and the broken purple light, Nian Zhuo himself understood that his current physical condition was extremely poor.

But that's not a reason for a knight to give up.

"I told you, I'd let you all have a good look at the scenery outside." Stepping onto the mast, Nian Zhuo glanced back at Asterius, who was lying on the ground trying to stand up, as well as Euryale, Mash Ritsuka, Drake, and their group of underlings who were also looking at him.

“Then, I’m going.” Like a fallen bird, Nianzhuo jumped off the boat and fell into the sea.

"Rider Time! Kamen Rider Zi-O!! Armor Time! Cyclone! Joker! W~!" During the fall, Nencho re-equipped himself with the W armor.

“This is really something—” Nianzhuo shook his head helplessly as he looked at the huge hole that had been punched through him.

"Then, Philip, Shotaro, entrust all your power to me!" With a roar, Nencho fully unleashed the wind manipulation ability of the Cyclone Memory within him.

"Ah—! Ahhhhhhh!" At the same time, purple energy appeared on his arms, Nian Zhuo's palms supported the bottom of the ship, and the Joker (Ace) memory in his body also brought out the maximum power to amplify his physical body.

Pain, excruciating pain. The physical pain was so intense that blood seeped out because the Joker Memory could not withstand the amplification, while the nerve pain was the pain of being severed as if the Cyclone Memory was being fully activated.

"But—we can't—give up yet!" Then, Nianzhuo tried his best to manipulate the gale, trying to lift the entire Golden Deer by pulling it up from the bottom of the ship.

The purple energy grew brighter and brighter, and Nian Zhuo's body seemed to be torn apart.

However, eventually, the bottom of the boat gradually moved away from the water's surface and was carried by the emerald green gale, floating on the sea.

"Go—faster—!" Nianzhuo roared, desperately bracing himself with his arms.

"..." On the water behind him, Decade deactivated his invisibility and took the card out of the card box.

"Consider this a reward, Nianzhuo. Congratulations on passing." Then, a gust of emerald green wind appeared from behind Nianzhuo.

However, he had no time to care about these thoughts. The excruciating pain in his arms, which felt as if they were being shattered, allowed him to focus on holding the bottom of the boat to prevent it from falling into the water again, and that was all he could do.

Another gust of emerald green wind propelled the Golden Deer forward from its stern.

"Back to normal...!" Realizing what had happened, Drake quickly ordered his henchmen, "Quick! Aim all the barrel bombs at the rear! Sink them! Sink them! Sink them—!!"

Finally, with the help of two gusts of wind and the propulsion of the barrel bombs, the Golden Deer gradually disappeared from Blackbeard's sight.

A temporary pause is only for a better return.

As the Golden Deer sped faster and farther away, Blackbeard jumped up anxiously.

"Whoa, oh oh oh oh oh?!" Blackbeard cried out, reaching out as if trying to grab something. "Wait! I don't care about BBA! But leave Euryale and the Holy Grail behind! I don't want any BBA body! But at least leave Euryale to me! Ahhhhhh!"

"Our goal is the Holy Grail, Captain!" The silver-haired Mary kicked Blackbeard's butt dismissively, then moved further away. "Eureka is just a side effect at best."

Completely oblivious to Mary's words, Blackbeard gazed at the Golden Deer with teary eyes, longing for the departed goddess (or rather, he was lusting after her body), tears streaming down his face like a vast ocean.

“Heh heh, this captain isn’t listening at all.” Anne just laughed and put her long flintlock pistol back on her shoulder.

Then, gunshots rang out from the distant Golden Deer, drawing the attention of Blackbeard, Mary, and Anne back to reality.

"You bastard, your name is Blackbeard, right?!" Holding a flintlock pistol still belching black smoke, the source of the gunshot was none other than Drake, his face contorted with rage. "One day! No matter what! No matter what! I absolutely!" he roared, pointing the gun at Blackbeard, knowing the latter's eyesight would be sharp enough to see his movements. "I'll snap your neck and hang your head on the bow for all to see! You just wait, you bastard! You... coward! You...!" After much thought, Drake couldn't come up with a suitable insult and ultimately gave up.

"Damn it, I can't think of any swear words right now! Anyway, I will definitely get my revenge!!!"

Drake's ship sailed away, leaving only her declaration of revenge echoing in the sea and in the ears of everyone on Blackbeard's ship... for a long, long time.

"Heh." The middle-aged man subtly curled the corners of his mouth.

——————————————————————————————

Sailing, sailing on and on, the Golden Deer floated on the sea, carried by the emerald green gale, until it finally came to rest on a small island.

"Mr. Nianzhuo! Where is Mr. Nianzhuo?!" As soon as she stepped off the ship, Mashu's first action was to hurriedly check the bottom of the ship. Her originally calm expression was now replaced by an anxious look. "Master! And Miss Euryale and Mr. Asterius! Please help us look for them too!"

As soon as it docked, the emerald green wind at the bottom of the Golden Deer gradually dissipated, and it was slowly laid on the beach. However, Nian Zhuo at the bottom of the ship was nowhere to be seen.

"Fu~ Fufu!" Fufu, who was originally on the boat, was howling in one direction of the sea, and then ran to the edge of the beach not far away.

The once empty beach was washed ashore by the waves, revealing a disheveled figure.

The figure was clad in silver armor, and the drive unit at his waist was entangled in seaweed, yet he was still recognizable as Nian Zhuo, who had been towing the boat.

"Chirp~~~~~~~~~" Running to the side of the figure, Fufu's long chirp attracted the attention of those around her.

"Ah!" Ritsuka was the first to hear Fou's cry and hurriedly waved to everyone, "Fou found him! I'll go bring him over!"

"I'll help too!" Drake ran to Nianzhuo's side and grabbed his shoulder armor. "Ugh...it's so heavy...!"

“…Hmm…” Asterius also silently walked to Nianzhuo’s side and slowly and carefully lifted his shoulder.

"Ah..." The figure encased in bright silver armor, who had been hanging his head, finally swayed and woke up. "Where am I...?"

"Mr. Nianzhuo...! You're awake!" Mash was the first to approach, her face filled with worry. She brushed the seaweed off Nianzhuo's mask and leaned closer. "Mr. Nianzhuo...? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

“Hmm, he’s fine, he’s still alive.” Drake examined Nian Zhuo’s armor from head to toe, but then frowned. “However, I can sense that he’s in the same state as I was after fighting that guy who called himself Poseidon, extremely weak.”

"...Um, are Asterius and Euryale alright...? Ah, I see Euryale." Looking around, Nianzhuo noticed the goddess standing not far away, only after seeing Mash, Ritsuka, and Drake, who all looked worried. "Then...where's Asterius?"

"Are you stupid?" Drake said helplessly, then pointed to Nianzhuo's side, "Look, isn't that the one carrying you?"

"Ah..." Slowly turning his head, Nian Zhuo realized that he had been carried by Asterius the whole time, and couldn't help but smile. "Really, I've troubled you again."

“…Hmm.” However, Asterius shook his head.

"It's alright, I can stand up by myself, let me go, Asterius." Although her hands were still weak, Nian Zhuo could feel her strength gradually returning, so she pushed Asterius's shoulder and said, "It's alright, it's alright, really."

"Hmm..." As if reluctant to part, Asterius slowly withdrew his arm.

"Uh..." Then, his figure swayed, and Nian Zhuo looked like he was about to fall down again. "Okay...! I'm fine now..." He then reached out to stop Mash and Asterius from helping him up.

His figure swayed, but Nian Zhuo still managed to stand on the ground by his own strength.

"Nian Zhuo!" Mary's scream came through the communication device in his hand. The clarity of her voice even made Nian Zhuo admire the professionalism of Leonardo da Vinci's creation.

With a sob in her voice, Mary, far away in Chaldea, couldn't help but grab the microphone and shout.

"You idiot! Do you know you almost had to leave the stage just now!" Da Vinci's sobs grew louder, and he looked at the crying Mary with astonishment. "You damned bastard! Do you know that if I hadn't used a Command Spell to forcibly replenish your magic power, you would have had to leave the stage just now?!"

“Mary…” He wanted to say something, but his words were interrupted by Mary’s roar.

"I won't be sad about your death! You're just a familiar! Just a—!" In the end, unable to hide her emotions, Mary covered her face and sobbed softly, "Didn't you promise—to drive away my troubles? Then don't die..."

"Please, don't die... Nianzhuo." The voice grew softer and softer until Leonardo da Vinci couldn't bear to watch any longer and took the microphone.

“Mary…” Nianzhuo’s face, hidden beneath the armor, also showed lingering fear.

It was indeed a close call. After equipping the W Armor, he went so far as to unleash the full potential of both memories, a suicidal act. To be honest, Nian Zhuo thought it was a miracle that his nerves or body didn't collapse in an instant. So, it was understandable that Mary was so heartbroken...

"You... if you weren't a madman, you wouldn't have done that." With that one sentence, Da Vinci turned off the microphone and handed a few tissues to Mary behind him.

"Host." Even the long-absent system chimed in this time, "If the host had followed the original plot, Asterius wouldn't have died, he would have just been severely injured. Besides—"

"Why are you so interested in characters who are destined to die?"

“…Mary.” Ignoring the system’s message, Nian Zhuo simply looked up and surveyed everyone in front of him.

He turned on the communication device, and although there was only a hissing sound of electricity on the other end, Nian Zhuo knew that Mary was listening.

Drake, Ritsuka, Mashu, Euryale, and Asterius.

Yes, why did I even think of doing that?

“Because I am a Heroic Spirit.” Nian Zhuo’s voice, though weak, was still firm and came through the communication device to Mary’s ears. “I am the ideal of humanity, or the sublimation of history, a guy who will be remembered in human history. I’m someone who has died once, right? Although I’m not dead yet, hahaha.” The bright silver Zi-O armor dissipated from his body, and Nian Zhuo held the driver in his hand.

"Moreover, because I am a guardian. I swear to protect humanity and reason, and I must also sever those guardians who are filled with sorrow." Then, Nian Zhuo smiled.

“Alright, now that the official stuff is over, it’s time to talk about my personal reasons.” Nian Zhuo leaned closer to the communication device and whispered but clearly the words that stirred Mary’s heart.

"Because you are my Master, I cannot allow you to be disgraced... It's that simple."

"..." After a long silence, Mary finally spoke through the communication device, her voice choked with sobs.

"I don't care about shame or anything like that, I just want you to live. Come back alive." With a hint of pleading, Mary was even weaker than Nianzhuo had imagined.

“…Yes.” For some reason, Nian Zhuo was silent for a while, then nodded. He then turned off the communication device.

"I'm telling you~" The little goddess leaned in, her face full of anger. "You're still not fully recovered and you're already acting recklessly. Even if you're a pervert and violent person, you can't do this, right? Huh?! What kind of idiot would carry a Galien sailboat and swim in the sea? You idiot!"

“…Here, it is.” Asterius pointed to Nian Zhuo, who looked embarrassed, and nodded to Euryale.

"This is nothing to be proud of!" Misunderstanding Nian Zhuo's expression again, Euryale kicked Nian Zhuo's knee angrily. "You, have you forgotten that you are a superhuman strength maniac who can fight Asterius hand-to-hand? In order to keep your ship sailing, hurry up and clean up your filthy body!"

“Hmm…” Asterius silently tore a strip of cloth from his battle skirt and handed it to Nianzhuo. “…Here you go.”

"Ah... Haha, that won't be necessary." Looking at his clothes that were soaked with water, Nianzhuo scratched his head in distress and declined the strip of cloth that Asterius offered. "Don't worry, I still have a way."

On the other side, Mash and Ritsuka handed Nencho a towel and then looked at Drake next to the Golden Deer.

“Miss Drake, the ship—” Mash hesitated, because anyone could see the large hole in the bottom of the Golden Deer.

“Looks like it’s hopeless.” Drake kicked the hull, and a few more planks fell off. He shook his head in disappointment. “Honestly, it’s completely immobile… Luckily, Nianzhuo moved the boat to shore, so it can still be repaired.” Looking at the battered ship, Drake bit his lip. “But we don’t have enough materials. There seems to be a forest on this island; maybe we can only cut down some trees for timber…”

“So, before we start construction, shouldn’t we deal with the monsters in the forest first?” Euryale had also come over at some point, pointing to the dark, shadowy figures at the edge of the forest. “Look, like that one.”

“That’s right.” Already troubled by her own powerlessness, Mashu immediately raised her shield. “We need to regroup first.”

"Sigh." Drake, equally furious and itching to vent, drew his flintlock pistol from his waist. "After we're done dealing with that, we'll discuss how to deflate that stupid pirate's arrogance!"

“Hmm… I’ll go too.” Picking up his two axes, Asterius’s scarlet eyes flashed with a frenzied light. “Because… it’s annoying.”

Watching them go off to eliminate the monsters, Nian Zhuo, who had been standing still, finally collapsed by the side of the boat.

He clutched his chest, but all he felt was the sensation of a hard, rocky surface.

"System... Am I really not going to make it now?" Nian Zhuo asked the system in his mind weakly.

“That’s right.” The system’s emotionless voice echoed in Nian Zhuo’s mind. “Host, your physical condition is currently very poor. There are countless external injuries, and the internal injuries are even more serious… The most serious one is—” At the same time, an analytical diagram of his body appeared in Nian Zhuo’s mind. The places on his body that were flashing with a little red light were all wounds, and the area on his chest was completely filled with deep red.

"I don't know if it's a coincidence or what... Host, your spirit core has been slightly damaged." The system's voice was like a death sentence. "It shouldn't be the sword that's damaged, but rather it's been compressed by an immense weight... It should be that ship." As for which ship it was, that goes without saying.

"The host forcibly used the full power of the Gale and Ace Memory, but the host's compatibility with these two memories is not very high. The power that was originally used with the help of the armor was used directly in your mind, causing great damage to the host's body and mind. In addition, the weight of the Golden Deer also contributed to the damage..."