Natsuki Subaru opened his eyes to the same hellish scene as before. He stood in a bloodied street with a bloodied girl in his arms. The determination in his eyes faltered at the familiar sight.
Subaru: D-does this mean I can't save her?
He instinctively reached for where his pendant would be but to no avail. Yet, he called out anyways, clutching the tracksuit he had come to despise.
Subaru: Echidna, tell me. Echidna, please tell me I can save her. Echidna... tell me how!
?: Go no further…
Again, the furious Sword Saint approached the shocked Subaru.
Subaru: Shut up, Reinhard! I'm trying to think her-
In a flash, Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
He opened his eyes again to the dead girl in his arms. He looked up to see a figure approaching through the flames.
Reinhard: Go no further…
Subaru: No… there's not enough time! I can't deal with him right no-
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: Echidna! Where are you?! ANSWER DAMN IT!
Reinhard: Go no further…
His frustration reached a boiling point. He no longer held his words back against the knight.
Subaru: If I hear that anymore, you depressed nuke of a person, I'm gonna-
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: So even with the slightest sign of hostility he attacks, huh?
Reinhard: Go no further…
Suppressing the self hate and frustration in his heart, he attempted to reason with the unnervingly pissed off Reinhard.
Subaru: Listen to me, Reinhard! I'm not who you think I am! My name is Natsuki Subaru and I-
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: FUCK! Clearly my name is synonymous with evil here. Is this even really Lagunica?
Reinhard: Go no further…
The tracksuit-clad man turned to the knight with an honest question.
Subaru: Why do you hate me?
The knight did not hesitate for even a second before speaking.
Reinhard: You're a madman. You're a monster who kills without remorse. You've burned down not only this city but all hope in every heart in Lagunica. Your crimes are uncountable and unforgivable. I will see to it personally that you are punished accordingly, Pride.
A strange anger boiled in the usually emotionally dead man's chest. It was the first anger he had felt in a long time that was not directed at himself or his contractor.
Subaru: Hi pot! Name's kettle. Have we me-
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: Hey, Elsa! Why don't you give me some backup here!
The Sword Saint looked taken aback.
Reinhard: The Bowel Hunter lives?
The injured assassin appeared before Subaru, leaping out of some nearby flames, and responded, sounding a little disappointed.
Elsa: You had that familiar fire in your eyes. Your determination gave me the impression that you weren't hopeless. I assumed you did not need help.
Subaru: Huh, I wonder what I did to earn your respect like this.
In a flash, Natsuki Subaru and Elsa Granhiert lost their lives.
Elsa would only slow him down, not stop him. No matter how far I run, he'd catch me and kill me. I need to find a way to convince him right here and right now.
Reinhard: Go no further…
Subaru: You're giving my ears calluses with that line, I swea-
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: Sigh. Brute force trial and error it is. Time to start counting.
Subaru: One Hundred. I should get a cake.
Reinhard: Go no further…
Subaru: Wilhelm would be disappointed in you, you kno-
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: One Thousand. I deserve a really big cake.
Reinhard: Go no further…
Subaru: You know that girl from the slums you arrested when you first encountered Elsa? She would've been the fifth royal candidate had you not been such an awfu-
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: One Million. I want the world's largest cake. At least I don't have to keep saying "nine" over and over again anymore.
Reinhard and Subaru simultaneously: Go no fu- What? How are you- Stop doing th- I can sense no Divine Protection on y- That's it- PRIDE!
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: Ninety Nine Million. I could probably sculpt Reinhard with my eyes closed at this point. I guess decades of seeing someone kill you over and over will do that to you, huh? Even if this lighting is terrible...
Reinhard: Go no further…
Subaru: Theresia wasn't your fault.
Reinhard paused for a moment.
Subaru: Well that's ne-
Natsuki Subaru lost his life.
Subaru: Almost had it! Damn it Shaula, you could've told me about Merope and the Sand Shrine sooner. One Hundred Million is the charm I guess.
Reinhard: Go no further…
Subaru: Theresia wasn't your fault.
Reinhard paused for a moment.
Subaru: You can kill me in less than a second. Listen to what I have to say for Wilhelm's sake.
He stood in shock for a moment before replying.
Reinhard: You have five seconds.
The man, who had been speaking to Reinhard non-stop for at least four decades now, quickly and carefully explained himself. Every single word was said with the intention to appeal to the Sword Saint, every syllable carefully pronounced to keep him listening.
Subaru: Get the Divine Protection of Wind Reading, Reinhard. It'll let you see through any lies I make. Couple it with the Divine Protection of Empathy to see if my mind is delusional and mad.
Reinhard closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. He walked close to Subaru, hate in his eyes but without the same powerful killing intent. He placed his arm on Subaru's shoulder, activating the Divine Protection of Empathy. His questions were asked with tone of an executioner asking for a convict's last words.
Reinhard: Are you Pride?
Subaru: I am not the Sin Archbishop of Pride.
The knight seemed confused by the information for a moment before asking the same question in another way.
Reinhard: Did you cause this fire? What crimes have you committed?
His voice remained monotone and calm, as if he felt no threat should he answer poorly.
Subaru: I did not cause this fire. Where I come from, I did many wrong things and consorted with less than righteous people but it was all for a cause I consider noble.
The knight was dissatisfied by this answer but a more pressing issue than another criminal's execution took precedence.
Reinhard: Where is Pride if you are not him?
Subaru narrowed his eyes and allowed his determination to lay plain as he answered. It had taken him many, many loops to figure this part out.
Subaru: I do not know. All I know is that there is an ongoing crisis and it needs to be fixed. Now.
The knight seemed almost offended by the nearly admonishing tone that this blood-soaked man had used on him. He spat back.
Reinhard: What do you intend to do to help? What can you do against the machinations of a monster like Pride?!
Unfazed by the utter contempt in the Sword Saint's voice, Subaru began to lay out his plan.
Subaru: "The Divine Dragon, The Sword Saint, and The Sage" are the three greatest heroes in this country's history. You, The Sword Saint, are insufficient at this moment. The Divine Dragon is nowhere to be found. But the Sage…
The knight almost laughed at the clearly crazed man before him.
Reinhard: I was once dispatched to meet with the Sage Shaula. I failed to reach them. What makes you so sure you can do any better?
A slightly proud smirk grew on Subaru's face. Hearing him say that never gets old. Never knew Reinhard to be arrogant.
Subaru: I know how to circumvent the magical defense mechanisms protecting the Watchtower.
Reinhard narrowed his eyes at Subaru, the tiny spec of humor that had come to him completely stamped out.
Reinhard: How?
Subaru knelt down to place Meili's corpse on the ground as he spoke.
Subaru: I'll tell you when we get there. Same with the story of Theresia. Grab Emilia and myself and jump over there.
He closed her eyes and stood back up as he concluded, meeting the Sword Saint's gaze once more.
Subaru: You can share your Divine Protection of Wind Evasion with us can you not? Combined with your Divine Protection of the Cloud, you will be able to get us there in less than a minute.
Reinhard's intense glare remained ineffective against Subaru's determination. After a tense moment, Reinhard let out a sigh and unhanded Subaru, reluctantly agreeing to the seemingly ever-so-slightly less mad madman's wishes.
Reinhard: If a single civilian dies because you wasted our time, you will deeply regret it.