Re: Level (never) Zero
A Re:Zero x Solo Leveler crossover fanfiction.
Chapter 10: Whale of a time
It was the day for my 2nd fight with this whale, but I was ready, I prepared my Magician shades and instructed them to be with the platoons and spread out to cover them with wind magic when the whale shot out its myst.
It might be sneaky, but I really preferred to stack the deck in MY favor, damm thing needs to die regardless, it's a world hazard after all.
Anyways they where making the carries and asked me to select one to use as a mount.
I walked to her, I smiled at gently caressed her head of the black land dragon.
"I will take her" I said.
People were a bit surprised as this type of dragon were known to be prideful, but she and I have gotten along even way before.
I named her again as Patrasche, and amazingly she got added to my ability, she was in the category of "Mount" also apparently the "shop" got upgraded and had stuff to buy for mounts, such as armor and the like.
It meant I could "bling out" Patrasche, neat, she deserved it cause she is best girl.
"Ferris, I'm picking this one. It's love at first sight."
"Yes, yes. Ohhh, nice pick. Subawu, you really are quite shameless… Also, don't say 'love at first sight'; you'll make Rem pout."
I laughed a bit..
"I am not pouting. I will get along with it properly. I can do it."
You could see the intense glare the two gave each other.
Oh dear, forgot about how competitive they got.
We set out to fight the whale, Rem rode with me and she gently wrapped her arms around me, I could feel her heartbeat with my enhanced senses, even her perfume.
I smiled as I gave a gentle pat to Patrasche.
I send 3 shadows per platoon so there were around 60 shadows total. The rest stayed in my shadow.
So we arrived at the time and place that the whale would appear, they brought their magic cannons and everyone was tense in anticipation.
Everyone was ready, and then…
My phone rang, the ringtone was heard on the quiet night.
And then a fierce bellow.
The Great White Whale had come (yet again).
My hands shivered, but I was confident that we would not lose people, at least not in the same scale.
We had many who were "lost".
"Crush…" I said to her, "some platoons may encounter strange people helping them, tell them not to attack, they are with me" I said.
Crush looked at me with pretidation and nodded.
The whale rushed down
"For something so big...you sure are fast, but today is not about me, the star of the show is about to come out" I said as Wilheilm rushed after the cannons fired many a shot to the whale.
Wilhelm rushed at it and sliced at it, it was so deep, yet the damage was not much, however it enraged it.
It was then when it began spewing its myst.
"Rem, the eyes!" I shouted.
She shot her ice attack at it, however the whale blinked protecting and saved its eye, however it was a bluff and Wilheim landed in the other eye, with a savage attack he pierced the beast's eye and pluck it out.
"I shall have my revenge, you filthy mabeast, for all the lives you've taken…" he said as he continued to slash at its skin, the whale shouted in pain and rage.
It was then when it spewed way too much myst to stop by attacking it.
I snapped my fingers.
From the soldiers in different platoons shadows emerged and took form.
They casted powerful wind magic that blew the myst away, the soldiers under Crush faltered as they saw what could only be monsters made of living shadow appear from their own shadows.
Even Crush did a double take but reminded herself that they were allies.
The soldiers under her command where being taken care of, and not in the bad way, so she could not complain… much.
"Still, how is he doing that?" She asked herself.
When a large blanket of myst was going to her she felt a strange movement when she saw another monster emerge, and another, and one more.
They all blew the myst away and harmed the whale.
She nodded at the creatures with gratitude, albeit with trepidation, as when she saw under their hoods, expecting some sort of face… she found them empty inside.
However, whatever misgivings she had, she was level headed enough to see what is important "they are with us, at least for now… let's use this God given gift to its fullest" she mustered courage to fight alongside an ally she could not understand.
With a swing of her sword she damaged the whale as well, contributing to the cause.
It was going according to plan, and then as I expected it split into 2 more copies.
However, with the magicians I summoned using my shadows, I kept the soldiers relatively safe, they got injured sure, but none were 'lost' to the myst.
Ricardo got heavily wounded and Wilheilm got captured, we got the report that the 2 whales felt 'odd' and I said to all "the two attacking us are just vestiges of the main one, it probably made them from its own mass, that is why they are weaker than the original one, the real one is…" I said as I rose my eyes to the sky, up there was the wounded whale circling above us like a carrion bird. "Up there, bidding it's time in order to heal"
It was too high for anyone to make an attack, however I decided to recreate my first time again.
"I will use myself as bait, for some reason mabeasts just love me" I said with an awkward grin.
"Rem, I need you for this" I said as I grasped her small and delicate hands.
Her face turned red and looked longingly into my eyes. Felyx, who was nearby, looked torn between teasing the pair and doing his duty, however duty won over, much to his annoyance.
Crush, who heard my plan looked taken back. "You are crazy" she said.
I looked at her "No… is just, everyone is risking their all for this, for me to do nothing doesn't sit well for me" I said as Rem and I rode Patrasche towards the whale.
She then gathered her strength … "Al Huma!"
With the shout of her spell, a huge spear of ice shot toward the whale. However it missed.
That's fine, it did not have to hit.
I landed with my arms crossed, staring down at the damm beast.
"You are just as ugly the second time, I got to say… I hope you are ready cause after this is over you and I are gonna work together, so in the meantime, how about we play follow the leader uh? You not gonna be able to ignore me, i am consideres rather annoying" I said as I took a step back.
I unleashed as much "Witch's Scent" as I could by sacrificing my health and the mabeast, once he caught the scent went towards me like piranhas to blood as I was freefalling.
It got low enough, and then I felt a tug on my body. Like before Rem had used her flail chain-balled morning star to snag me from mid-air, my head colliding with her soft breasts.
"Thanks Rem you really saved me" I said with sincerity as the amount of Health I gave up would not have been enough to survive the fall.
"Thank you, it was quite a treat" she said with a smile.
The fight went as it did the first time, rescuing Wilhelm and him delivering the final blow.
So, now it was time.
"Hey Crush… do you mind if I ask for a small trophy?" I asked.
"Sure? But what do you want?" She asked.
"This beast has been a pain in the ass for… what..? 400 years? Give or take?" I asked.
"Yes? But what do you-"
"I want its shadow, and for your people never mention what I am about to do, there is something going on behind the scenes and I wanna get ready for that eventuality, that's why, what I am about to do… never tell a soul" I said with a single closed eye and a finger on my lips.
Crush, Rem, Felyx Wilheim and myself had stayed behind as the soldiers camped out to recover from their wounds, my magicians casting restoring spells to them, freeing Felyx from the job.
I stranded up near the whale.
[Shadow extraction is possible on this target]
[Caution: factor of gluttony detected, contest of will against wisdom and intelligence]
[Player's wisdom and intelligence stat exceeds will of Gluttony factor]
Still, there is a chance I COULD fail, however, the rewards were much more enticing than the prospect of failure.
"Return" with a commanding voice I said.
The screams of the damned, the sound of nails scratching a chalkboard and the violent swirling of the shadow were things only I could see and feel.
With a burst of power… the shadow of the whale had materialized in front of all.
[Rank: Knight, give unit a name?]
"Your name is no longer the White Whale… now your name will be...Cetus" I said as all the people who were looking at this were shocked as the whale rose its head and then bowed, as in reverence.
They all turned around, but I was smiling, with this, I can start my fight in earnest against the fates of my cherished friends and the people I love.
"Don't worry, this whale is not the one we killed, this one is under my command for now till the ends of time, with this, I can finally help with my strenght" I said.
"That… that power, what is it?" Felyx asked with slight trepidation.
It was a reverse negative of his own most powerful magic.
"Shadow extraction, the ability to extract the shadow of an entity that had perished not too long ago and add it to my files, is close enough to necromancy but not really?" I said as I was unsure as I never seen a Shadow Monarch, I HAVE met the Overlord of Death, sure… but not anything like a Shadow Monarch.
Crush and Felyx took a step back as the whale took behind me, snuggling me, Rem looked like she had conflicting or mixed emotions, she was worried about the whale going crazy again, and mad that it was snuggling me.
Wilheilm then intervened, "Young Subaru, my apologies, Knight Subaru has shown incredible strength and character, if he says that the beast is under his control and won't harm anyone, then I am inclined to believe him, however… I do not quite approve of it" he said as he clenched his fists.
I put my hand on his fist raising it and looking him in the eyes "may I say something? It might not be much but it would certainly dispel any doubts" I said.
"Speak, please"
"Your wife, she fought this beast right? However you remember her, everyone remembers her, correct?" I asked.
"Yes, that is true"
"If she died against this monster… why do you all remember her?" I asked.
This revelation came as a shock.
"There never was a body…"
"Stop…"
"You know what I am getting at… don't you?"
"Say no more"
"This was orchestrated to harm the future, it is quite possible that only her memories were taken away from her, and the lack of body used to cover the fact that she… might still be"
Wilheilm stabbed his sword in the ground, clenching his teeth with power that it seemed he would crack it.
"With this mabeast under me, no one will be 'lost', however, there comes another problem… the archbishop of the sin of Gluttony … he will know that something killed the whale, and will probably want revenge… however I need to go back to the mansion, my information tells me that the Witch's Cult are coming towards the mansion and I will need all the help I can, my summoned creatures COULD help me, however they would create fear and trepidation with the people, it would be much better to have humans and demis help" I said.
Wilheim looked at me and then at Crush.
"He said no falsehood, I have to admit, I am finding myself doubting of my blessing even now, but all he has said is the honest truth" Crush said.
With that said we waited till morning, Anastacia loaned her Iron Fang mercenaries as well as Julius, we spoke back then about what needed to be done.
Flashback
Square Fountain
Julius was there, apparently a few minutes before the stipulated time, it thanked him for his help with Rem, and she had a lovely time, we had a bit of a chat until we got to the bones of the topic.
"We will be fighting the Archbishop of Sloth, I made it so Emilia thinks I have deserted them, or rather, a spy has intercepted my letter with the real contents and change it for a blank letter, I allowed the spy to do so as to let the enemy think they have the upper hand, I also found that the archbishop of Sloth uses a way to transfer his soul and overwrite the person with his own soul, obtaining a new body" I said to Julius.
"I see, so… what are you trying to get at?"
"He has a group of close allies that have sworn fealty to him, basically they are his 'spares' once the he is killed he would jump to other bodies, and never truly die, however we need to kill of those spares first.. whom he calls 'fingers', however there is a catch, when we kill the fingers he will get stronger, and also he CAN posses me, so… what I am asking is… if he does possess me…" I said as I grabbed his shoulder looking straight at him, "With no hesitation, kill me"
Flashback end
Julius looked at me oddly, perhaps he thought I was insane for asking him to kill me.
He took glances at me, I was unsure what was going on in his mind but every now and again nodded approvingly.
Mimi and I, after we got the merchants to carry the people from the village away, went through the mansion's grounds with signs that explained that the blank letter was a mistake.
Ram was not happy about it and was lecturing me as she did the first time, but I went and hugged her.
I could feel her skin crawl.
"We will rescue everyone" I said.
She looked at me with an unreadable expression and then sighed.
"How can I berate you if you are being so damn good at whatever you are doing" she half asked and half stated.
I laughed "just wait for a while, I am sure you will find something to nitpick nee-san" I said with a smile.
She pouted.
Ram… pouting.
She then pulled me to the side "If you hurt my sister… I will castrate you like a dog" she said
I chuckled awkwardly… but I was VERY sure she would do it, those two were sissons.
I explained to herr what the plan was, I had one of the shadow knights hitch a ride on our dear spy with the blank letter as well as the one in the merchant group.
All we had to do is act our roles.
Using the anti-recognition robe I broke in as Emilia was having her doubts of what was going on, as Wilheilm explained that an enemy had surely switched the contents of the real letter to create and foster mistrust, just then I bursted right in and declared that a group of horrible blood thrust bandits had come and begged him using his moniker as the demon sword to order us what should be done.
With that, we had Emilia out safely… for now.
Flashback 30 minutes back
As the soldiers and mercenaries arrived to the village I used all the charisma I had invested to help me convince the villagers to play along and get them to safety. Thankfully the kids I had saved with Rem were there and they helped me convince the others. Seeing reason they obeyed, I asked the kids to keep and eye on Emilia.
"Keep and eye on her for me will you? She gets sad when lonely and when people are in danger she will risk herself, I dowant her to be sad or be in pain… so keep her company ok?" I told the kids.
They all promised, and to butter them up some more I gave them some sweets to share between them all.
Petra smiled and gave me her pinkie and interlaced it with mine as a promise.
Flashback end
Emilia was in a cart with the kids, I knew I was forgetting something but I was not worried, I left 10 shadow soldiers with them, hidden within their shadows, it seems no one could notice them, at least not yet.
As I made sure they had left far enough I took out Emilia's cloak and was harrassed by Felyx like last time.
"Everyone ready? Operation code name: Sloth End is go" I said as I waved my arm out.
The killing of the white whale gave me enough to level up 3 times more, also part of the authority was absorbed by me, it was still locked away, seems that I needed to completely obtain the factors of said sin.
Outskirts of the village
Not a while ago the secret spy had sent his cohorts about the timetable we had for the villagers to escape, however it was the wrong one, it was 2 hours later, so as he closed the lid on his communication mirror metia "I see, as I tought I should be grateful, those metia sure are handy"
He turned around to see me standing on my own next to him, he was unable to comprehend how I got this close without him sending me.
The sound of something slicing and the sound of something being stabbed, followed by two dry thuds.
2 cultists that were his guards laid dead without a sound, his eyes widened in anger as he tried to stab at me with murder and rage in his eyes.
[Dominator's touch]
His arm twisted and was thrown into the floor by an invisible force.
I walked up to him.
"I should thank you, you see, in a battle the most important thing is information, but you know what is the most scary thing? Is not an overwhelming adversary, or someone like the sword saint… or the witches, no… you see" I said as I used [Blood lust] on the man. He was shivering, anymore and I would break him like I broke when I was killed by Puck, frozen. "It is misinformation, they will be late, Emilia has escaped, we will kill the fingers and your oh so vaunted Archbishop" I said with no emotion in my face.
The man was shivering in rage.
A flick of the wrist.
His head was sliced by the shadow knight that killed his escorts, then I recalled him.
Julian, Felyx and Wilheim arrived.
I tossed the map and told Julius to give the map to the Iron Fang, to not let any cultist alive.
As the orders where given I was informed that after an hour and a half had passed the cultists have been killed and so have the fingers.
With that said it was time…
After all, one should not be so slothful
Cave entrance
I had arrived now at the entrance of a cave where the archbishop of sloth was there
"—It is good that you have come, disciple of love."
I sighed as I was greeted with his ugly mug, 6 times… 6 damn times.
When he slipped out of the woods, a sheer cliff spread straight ahead of him, rising high into his field of vision. A slender man was standing in front of the rock face with both arms spread wide. His eyes welcomed me with a fiery glow.
No matter who it was, when you saw someone's face repeatedly, you let the person into your heart to a certain extent—but it seemed that was impossible so far as this man was concerned.
"I AM the Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins of the Witch Cult charged with Sloth—"
The madman stretched out his hand, bloodied from self-inflicted wounds, as his trademark line lit the spark. With his eyes drenched in madness, the man arched back, stuck out his tongue, snapping his eyes wide as he said—
"—Petelgeuse…Romanée-CONTI! Deathsu"
With a flutter of his black habit, the madman loudly proclaimed his name with a clap of his bloody hands. Petelgeuse proceeded to stamp the ground, breaking into a happy little dance as he laughed with delight.
"It is A fine day, A splendid day! To think that this day, the day of the trial, I would BE greeting a new adherent of love! I AM moved, greatly moved, moved to tears, my chest is on the verge of bursting!"
The madman let spittle fly as he embraced his own body of skin and bones. To be honest I harbored no small ammount of disgust for his eccentricities, but he was accustomed enough to smooth over my facial expressions in the man's presence. To be honest even my shadow monsters where shivering with desire to completely butcher him.
However I had to keep this going on…
"Lord Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins! It is truly a pleasure to meet you for the first time!"
These words spoken, I rushed over and knelt at the madman's feet. He touched his left hand to his chest, raising his right aloft as he bowed his head with utmost respect and spoke.
"I am truly embarrassed to have made it to you on the very eve of this trial! Lord Archbishop, by all means, please use this body, this soul, to fill any vacancy among the faithful, and add me to your fingers with all post haste!"
Thus, with an excess of bombast, did I speak bald-faced lies. I proclaimed my prepared lines with a high-pitched voice, infused his face with maximum reverence that went only skin deep, and silently awaited the madman's reaction.
""
Petelgeuse made no response to my seeming earnest plea. He said nothing. He did not move.
The silence continued for about ten more seconds before it was abruptly broken by—
"OOOH! Such, such fervent zeal from the very first meeting?!"
Petelgeuse gazed up, extending both hands to the heavens. His voice and his entire body were shaking; he had been moved to tears.
"What a disciple love has called! In all my time cursed as Sloth, I cannot recall one with such clear eyes! YOU! YOU, a pious adherent of love! How unworthy I must be to have overlooked you all this time! I ASK you to forgive my slothfulness—!"
Petelgeuse cast his limbs aside as he practically leaped onto the ground in front of the me.
Without hesitation the madman prostrated himself on the rocky ground, banging his head against the surface several times. The merciless self-punishment made his forehead bleed, but he had such a great tendency to inflict self-harm that he probably did this much every day before breakfast.
Knowing it was someone else's body, the disgust I felt when seeing Petelgeuse act that way was stronger than ever before.
Either way, it would not do for him to self-punish to the point of dying. Behind the scenes, the operation was quietly proceeding—messing up by letting Petelgeuse switch bodies would waste everything.
"Please stop, Lord Archbishop! Such actions bring no joy to the Witch Cult!"
"Ahh, but! Butbutbutbutbuuuuut! My very own sloth! My sin! The ugly fact ONE such as I have not repaid Her love! I possess no other way to REPENT!"
"That is not so! The Witch would rather her cherished followers repay her favor than see them hurt themselves! It is the will to carry out the trial that will surely bring it joy!" I said with mock concern.
Petelgeuse was continuing to thrust his head against the ground when Subaru used rambling speech to stop him. But suddenly the words brought Petelgeuse to a halt; he stared at Subaru, eyes wide open. With those parched eyes upon him, I strongly nodded, not that it meant anything to special to me.
When I did so, Petelgeuse's obsession seemed to fall away. A single tear trickled down his face as he spoke.
"Yes, it is just as you SAY."
He said it in an uncharacteristically gentle way. The next moment, I found Petelgeuse strongly embracing me.
I instinctively summoned my daggers in a honest desire to just kill him there and then, but relented as the plan had to go on, thankfuly the madman paid my reaction no heed as it was too fast to be noticed. Petelgeuse grandly wept, wiping away neither his flowing tears nor the blood on his forehead."Ahh, I am wrong, I am deeply mistaken! Yes! The trial! What I require is not to punish, judge, or slay myself, but the trial! What terrible slothfulness, forgetting that while wallowing in the joy of my own wounds! I thank you! I thank YOU!"
I turned in Petelgeuse's arms, he faced upward as Petelgeuse showered me with one-sided gratitude.
Petelgeuse wiped the blood off his brow and thrust his right hand's fingers into his mouth, the same mouth that bespoke the foolishness of self-injury, crushing the thumb, index, and middle fingers one by one.
"I am worthless if I am slothful! Diligence is the most valuable thing in this world, and in this world, sloth is the worst vice that I must abhor! Ahh, AHH, ahh, I must repay Her love!"
He was in a precarious, incoherent state in which word and deed were no longer aligned. He reflected upon self-harm as he crushed his own fingers, only to lament his rash actions the next moment.
I needed to buy more time…
"Lord Archbishop—may I speak to you about the trial?"
I took a deep breath, concealing my inner thoughts, and spoke those words. The last time around
"Lord Archbishop, now that I have joined you, I would truly like to ask you about the trial."
"The trial…"
Yes, keep going, you monologing son of a bitch.
When the words haltingly trickled from Petelgeuse, his expression suddenly lost all emotion. Perhaps his mania from before had vanished into thin air; as the madman gazed at me with hollow eyes, he put the remaining fingers—the ring finger and the little finger—of his already-bloody right hand into his mouth, crushing them with his teeth. And then—
"Yes, the trial! The TRIAL! THE trial! We must carry out the trial and test her! We cannot fail to test this half-demon, and learn if she is a suitable vessel for the descent of the Witch!"
"A vessel for the Witch's…descent…?" I asked, already knowing the answer but still trying to buy time.
"If she passes, embrace her! If she fails, eliminate her! We must test the half-demon's capacity to accept life, whether she is suitable for the Witch, whether the Witch's love can be sealed within! And the TRIAL is how we determine this!"
The madman responded to my doubt-instilled voice with his own mad voice, raising his hands above his head in the process.
Vessel. Witch. Descend— If he could take the meanings of those words at face value, then…"If the trial determines she's a suitable vessel for the Witch, the Witch will descend into her body…"
"Someday that fateful day shall arrive when the Witch is resurrected into this world—! We exist to bear witness to that moment! And for this purpose I, and my fingers, shall exhaust all efforts… This is MY love!"
Petelgeuse was moved to tears, for in his world, it was the most blessed occasion conceivable. The sight of the madman before him made me most sick to his stomach.
Based on all that, all the acts of savagery Petelgeuse had engaged in, all the slaughter he had perpetrated had been because—
"—You people don't see any value in Emilia herself, do you?"
To them, "Emilia" was nothing more than a box into which they could stuff the soul of the Witch.
They were after a container. Their great objective—the revival of the Witch—loomed large before them. The girl's aspirations, how gentle her heart was, how hardworking she was…these things simply didn't matter.
This was at once bottomless contempt for Emilia as an individual girl and, to me, my own heart was greatly swayed by her existence, a humiliation most difficult to endure or forgive.
"—Monster… then again I should've known better"
Petelgeuse did not notice that for a single moment, a single word, I let my true feelings slip.
He did not think of burning a village to the ground as excessive in the slightest if it was for the sake of his villainous goals. He could casually dismiss the life story of each and every person he laid hands upon, brushing their dreams and futures aside.
That was why Petelgeuse and the Witch Cult were my enemies.
"…Lord Archbishop, I have humbly heard your most esteemed views. Hearing the ideals of the Witch Cult, and your determination to win, I am truly, deeply impressed. Let's make certain this trial succeeds." I said with a mock reverend bow.
He begun to cry in earnest.
"Ohhhh! You are indeed splendid! Yes! We shall become as one, and wholeheartedly hurl ourselves toward my long-cherished desire! Since the day I accepted Her favor, my entire being, my entire spirit became rubbish devoted solely to repaying Her love… Ahhh, Satella! I BELONG to you!"
Petelgeuse approved of my rather superficial praise, accepting it with great delight rather than doubt.
"It is YOU, an ideal disciple, who should truly be exalted! With the favor so rich within you, should you intend to join the fingers. I shall bestow the Factor upon you without DELAY!"
"Then by all means, please make me one of your fingers!"
"I am truly delighted by your unexpected offer! BUT, BUT…the numbers of my fingers have already been filled. There must be something more suitable for the likes of you… Yes, that is IT!"
Petelgeuse was counting on his bloodied fingers when he put a hand into his habit like he'd just remembered something. What he took out of his pocket was a single black book—his Gospel.
The madman lovingly touched its cover; his breath went ragged as his eyes perused its contents.
"The words recorded in the Gospel, its entire tale of love, is what guides MY future! Accordingly, all that I am…all that I ever shall be, is recorded WITHIN!"
Froth came into the corners of Petelgeuse's mouth as he browsed the pages with a laugh.
If that was true, my real enemy was whoever had written that Gospel's passages to begin with.
"Present thy Gospel."
Petelgeuse, audibly closing his Gospel, spoke that single phrase. The madman cocked his neck at a ninety-degree angle, twisted his hips to the same extent, and stared at me with a neutral expression.
I was hesitant and wanted to buy more time… but this should be fine...If someone was a Witch Cultist, they had a Gospel—no exceptions. The black books, their origin and method of creation unknown, served as proof of identity among members of the Witch Cult.
Accordingly, Petelgeuse was asking me to show my ID.
Whatever answer I might come up with would greatly influence the course of circumstances, but—
"What is THE matter?"
In contrast to the silent me, Petelgeuse left his head bent at that angle, his long tongue drooping out.
All I had to do was show off my Gospel. A disturbing air began to waft around Petelgeuse as I failed to prove myself even to that extent. Amid that bone-chilling aura, I slowly put his hand into my pocket.
Then he thrust what he had taken out before Petelgeuse's eyes. But—
"What…is this?"
"As you can see, it's a metia, Lord Archbishop."
Petelgeuse's eyes were wide in surprise, for that which had been thrust before him was a mirror—a conversation mirror, to be specific. There was no doubt that the madman recognized it; after all, it had been in the possession of one of the madman's very own fingers. The fact that Subaru had it was throwing the madman off.
But his surprise did not end there. Before his eyes, the surface of the mirror began to faintly glow.
"Ah, it's turning on. Wow, your face is scarier than I heard!"
The adorable voice they heard over the mirror was very much out of place in the current situation. I couldn't see the mirror's surface, but Petelgeuse was no doubt seeing the speaker, a certain kitty-eared femboy knight.
It was like playing a really bad joke—but this constituted the signal for the operation.
"What have YOU… No! What have YOU people done!"
"Now, then. Ahem. Tora-tora-tora!"
"—?!"
Ferris suddenly stated those words to an uncomprehending, angry Petelgeuse. The madman did not know the meaning of the words.
Accordingly, I explained what it meant to them.
"It means, 'The surprise raid was a success'—"
Subaru pointed to the mirror in his hand, laughing at the wide-eyed Petelgeuse.
This was not the made-up smiling face from earlier, but the real me—smiling like a little punk.
"Wh-wha—?"
"You don't look like you'll understand no matter how many times I say it. Well, don't worry about it."
With Petelgeuse thrown for a loop, I continued his full, beaming smile as he raised a hand above his head.
And then—
"I can't understand what the hell you're saying, either!"
"What a—?!"
I spoke fighting words as he snapped his raised fingertips. Responding to the aggression, Petelgeuse instantly shifted to a combat posture. But the movements of the sprinting figure rushing in from the side proved quicker.
"Ga, haa—"
Raising a shriek, the madman was sent flying head over heels, crashing and rolling over the rocky ground.
"—"
Watching this, the pitch-black land dragon neighed, as if to spurn the madman for having made her wait for so long.
The dragon judged the unproductive conversation to be at an end. Her roar echoed across the forest sky.
"Hope you enjoyed this sneak attack preview" I said with a bow and now… I bid you adieu" I said as I went and rode on my dragon"
Petelgeuse, confused as he looked up, belatedly came to understand, whereupon he became filled with anger at Subaru's act of violence and shouted, "Do you comprehend what you are doing?! I am an Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins! An Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins granted the grace of the Witch! I have received Her favor, the same as y—"
"Sorry, but I'm tired of hearing about all that. The Witch can go eat shit for all I, Petelgeuse."
"Why! Why, I ASK! Why, do you refuse Her love?! The favor of the Witch! What is YOUR reason for rejecting Her grace? I, who have abandoned all things for Her, cannot compreHEND!"
Petelgeuse tore at his head, letting spit fly as he spoke with intense emotion. He actually seemed intent on convincing Subaru with those desperate cries.
If so, exchanging words with Petelgeuse truly lacked even a single shred of worth.
"When I look at you, I sympathize with you a bit, too. But let me tell you this." I paid the madman's delusions little heed as I recalled the intricacies and rampages that had arisen from his own heart. He'd professed that he was right, asserted that everyone around him was wrong, and had spent his time wailing and engaging in temper tantrums like a child.
I see. It really is unbearable to watch. This is like the horrible example everyone should learn from.
"Right now, you're the one who's crazy, and I'm the one who's right— It ends here, Petelgeuse!"
And so he bade farewell to my own mistakes.
There had been nothing tying me and Petelgeuse together in the first place. The madman, too, instantly understood that it had all been a performance and a fraud. The next moment, his decision was cruel and severe—
"Violence, heresy! You shall pay for this—I shall rend YOU limb from limb and offer your soul to the Witch!" Petelgeuse's laments cut off in an instant. His shadow seemed to explode, spreading and swelling as it became a multitude of pitch-black arms. These objects of overwhelming density cascaded toward me like a waterfall to rip him limb from limb, wring his neck, and violate his soul, just as Petelgeuse had declared. But—
"Why—?!"
"Hey, I was playing tag, you're it with demon beasts in these parts just two months ago!"
Patlash surmised my intentions through my use of the reins, moving more than she had been commanded. The wise dragon's movements deftly evaded the evil hands pursuing them as she leaped, escaping beyond the area of effect.
The distance between them widened. Petelgeuse could not conceal his shock at his perfect opening attack being foiled. His eyes and mouth opened wide, so much that they nearly tore, and he wailed, "Just now! Those movements! You evaded! The Favor granted unto me?! Impossible, insufferable! Why can you see my authority?!"
"Who knows? The Witch left her scent on my body, so go ask her. Oh, did I mention that unlike you, the Witch gave me a meet-me-anytime permission slip?"
"—! What do you mean by… You blaspheme the Witch, Satella, by feigning closeness to Her!"
"Hey, we're so close she reaches out and grabs me by the heart—literally." I added a wink, taunting Petelgeuse with a maximum of ridicule.
That moment, the madman's tolerance instantly reached the boiling point; his face went red with rage as he bit his own fingers to the core. A dull sound rang out as his teeth snapped the fingers, crushing nail, flesh, and bone alike.
Responding to his intense emotions, the shadows swirling around the madman increased in density. Their total number increased, and even for Subaru, able to see the invisible evil hands, the difficulty level had just been jacked up.
Or at least it would if his abilities had not grown so much in such a short time.
However when Sloth noted the increase of his own abilities… "The Factor granted to my fingers has returned…?! Why?! What has happened to my…?!"
"As the Witch Factor you handed out comes back, the number of hands you can control increases. Well, the answer's obvious, isn't it? Hey, do the math, Lord Archbishop! Or maybe you're just too… slothful?"
"—! —!"
Petelgeuse was at the mercy of consternation and rage when I redoubled my taunt. When it came to getting under other people's skin, my skills came second to none—but an opponent like this, with zero resistance against instigation, was practically dancing on the palm of my hand.
Exactly as planned, Petelgeuse was so angry that his face was dark red, thrusting his bloodlust-infused fist toward me and sending the arms to bluntly smash him flat and rip my very life out.
"Patlash—!"
The land dragon grasped my intent, continuing to evade the carpet bombing–like Unseen Hands offensive with frightening accuracy. She was so dependable that I truly couldn't bow his head enough to her.
"When this is over, I am so getting you some really fancy gear!" I siad as I patted her.
She roared in glee.
"OK! Time for Stage Three, let's go!"
"Just how many petty games do you intend to play…! Against my diligence, this is all futile… Aa?!"
Petelgeuse readied himself for a counterattack, but the next moment, my next action made his words choke in his throat.
"Turning your back to me… Just how much do you intend to mock me?!"
"Sorry! But your stinky breath is making my eyes burn, so I have no choice!"With a command to Patlash, I moved away from the rocky area and made a beeline for the forest. Patlash violently trampled the grass, blowing open a makeshift road like the wind itself as they distanced themselves from their foe.
"Do not think that! I shall allow you! To ESCAPE!"
Petelgeuse shouted, but in contrast to his words, he crouched down then and there. The instant after he did so, he sat holding his knees like a gym student as a shadow grabbed hold of him, hurling the madman toward the heavens.
As if in a twisted game of catch, his body sailed with ease until another evil hand caught him. Catch, throw, catch, throw—repeating this over and over, Petelgeuse was hot on my and Patlash's trail.
The plan was going as intended… all we had to do now…
Is to go to that place.
Sloth will die.
Chapter end