Sins Resonance
A pitch-black world, a world in which shadows reigned. Shadow beings, whose only nourishment was the pulsating miasma emanating from the air itself, were its only inhabitants. In that world, a single emotion ruled with an iron fist; jealousy. Burning jealousy stemmed from the most corrosive envy, which, like rust in a massive iron structure, had spread throughout the entirety of that world, absorbing everything that was not shadow.
In that hostile place, Subaru found himself yet again. The shadows, like a pack of wild beasts, pounced on the boy, with their sharp fangs ready to clamp down on his every limb. This time he would not flee; that seemed to be the message conveyed by their desperate movements. However, just mere centimeters away from coming into contact with Subaru, the shadows froze in time.
Some of them froze in mid-air, others on the ground as they crawled in the dark surface; their presence undetectable due to the absence of hues. All movement in that world of shadows ceased in an instant; a perfect snapshot of a world of absolute darkness. The only thing that surpassed even the stagnation of time was a single voice, a single voice and a single pair of glowing orbs that, like amethysts, sparkled in the distance.
"Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me! Love me!" An incessant voice, an insistent voice, a desperate voice. Intense hatred welled up inside Subaru, who instinctively tried to answer the pleas with caustic contempt. However, no word came out of the mouth of the also frozen in time Subaru.
The cycle was about to repeat itself all over again. Again and again and again and again and again and again, and then he would return to his body, while the memories of his passage through that shadowy world would remain there. With wrath seething in his spirit, Subaru tried to prepare himself mentally, but he was aware that ultimately none of it would do any good. Subaru braced himself for the impact of the corrosive jealous shadows...
But none of it happened. It was not yet his time... There were still things left for him to do. Subaru had no idea how he knew that, he just knew it. And so did the despicable jealous shadow. Time began to flow once again, and the shadows began to recede. The light began to overcome the darkness and his consciousness began an abrupt and violent descent into that which he considered his reality.
Hour and a Half since the Last Death (Fifteen Deaths)
"... san... Su-san! Wake up, Su-san! No time for breaks, let alone naps, Su-san! Ya said so yerself!" A violent rumbling shook his inner ears the moment his soul finally left the world of shadows behind. There was no sign of that question he had grown accustomed to hearing, only the reverberating sound of Halibel's voice tearing at his ears.
"I heard you, damn it! You don't have to talk so loud, you'll deafen me!" Subaru growled, waving his arms to indicate that he was already awake. With discomfort, he slowly opened his eyes, then immediately squeezed them shut once more. Not only did his ears hurt, but also his retinas. In fact, his whole head hurt. His head ached so badly that for a moment he considered it would explode. "Arghh!"
Letting out an agonizing groan, Subaru clutched his head tightly, as if hoping to quell the excruciating pain thereby. This was not a simple headache, it was a migraine, an especially severe one. Therefore, any external stimulus provoked the sensation of needles being stabbed into his brain. The pain was located especially in his frontal lobe and his temples, but he could also feel that his nose and mouth were particularly sore.
"Dat seems to be an awfully harsh awakenin', quite literally..." Murmured someone whose voice Subaru failed to recognize. He was tempted to respond sarcastically to such a comment, but he did not feel up to it; just moving his mouth would probably cause him even more pain, and he was not attracted to the idea of suffering any more than he already was by simply responding to the annoying mercenary.
"What the hell happened, Halibel? Arghj!" Subaru asked gruffly, releasing a groan at the end due to the pain that flooded the lower part of his face; due to the excruciatingly painful awakening, he was particularly snappy. Understanding this, Halibel decided to get to the point.
"That lunatic Archbishop of Sloth was so persistent 'bout 'his diligence' that he went to the trouble of tryin' to murder ya before he died himself. He grabbed ya by the head with his ability of invisible hands, or whatever it's called, and lifted ya into the air. Had it not been for the fact that my clone wasn't so far away from ya, it's likely that your head would've been completely crushed. Even so, ya're on the brink of death, Su-san. But for Ricardo arrivin' in time with the others, it's likely that ya'd not have been healed in time and would've died from yer wounds."
"Shit... I see... It was my fault... I got complacent." Subaru muttered between long pauses. As the seconds passed, the more he got used to the pain, so he gradually coped better with it.
"It was my fault too. My job's supposed to be to protect ya and yet I couldn't get it right." Halibel replied. Subaru could not see his face, but from his tone of voice he could tell that he was genuinely frustrated by it.
"Don't talk nonsense, Hal-san. I expressly asked you to deal with Petelgeuse; and you did it splendidly. Thanks to you we saved a lot of time-" While slowly massaging his forehead, Subaru praised Halibel, exonerating him from responsibility for what happened with Petelgeuse. However, he halted suddenly, realizing something he had ignored until now. "How long was I passed out?!" Subaru exclaimed, getting up as though his legs were a spring and completely forgetting the pain that until a second ago had forced him to keep his eyes closed.
"I figured you'd ask somethin' like that, Su-san." Halibel replied with a carefree smile plastered on his snout. "But ya don't hafta worry. I made sure to wake ya up as soon as possible despite the healer's insistence not to; so it's barely been a couple of minutes, tops."
"A couple of minutes... Sigh..." With a sigh, Subaru's body relaxed. It was still not too late. If they left that moment, in less than forty-five minutes they should be able to reach the outskirts of the castle if they moved as fast as they could, without abandoning caution. Unfortunately he still had things to talk about before they could leave. However, Subaru knew that warriors like Halibel would be able to easily cut that time down to half an hour if they were not hindered by the pace of the others, so Subaru would order his follower to head to the castle by himself if the situation became more complex than considered. "Good work, Hal-san. I'll make sure Anastasia gives you a raise as soon as all this shit is over."
While answering Halibel, Subaru began to wipe the traces of blood smeared on his face with one of his bandaged arms. What state had his face been in after taking the full brunt of Petelgeuse's attack? Subaru could only imagine, and the result was definitely not pleasant. He was really grateful for the existence of healing magic.
"Subaru-sama, please hold on for a moment! It'd be advisable for ya to sit down and rest fer a while." Before Subaru appeared a fox-man wearing the typical white hood with orange highlights used by the mercenaries of the Fang of Iron. With his furry paws he blocked Subaru's advance and with his gaze begged him not to take another step. "Ya lost a considerable amount of blood and I've not yet finished healin' ya completely, so please rest for a few minutes before we continue on our way to the castle."
"You're Kitzu, right?" Subaru asked him.
"Yes, sir."
"I should thank ya then. This is the second time you've saved my life." Subaru said with a slight bow; a gesture of thanks deemed unnecessary by the healer. However, Kitzu was unable to utter any words due to Subaru continuing to speak with barely a pause. "Considering that, I'd like to be able to do as you say. However, if I do so there will be nothing left worth living for. My body and spirit are expendable. Regardless of the state I may arrive, I must get to the Royal Castle as soon as possible. I only ask you to see to it that I do it alive."
"I-I..." The healer was unable to answer immediately, and Subaru denied him the opportunity to do so altogether. Without looking back, Subaru approached Ricardo. The mercenary captain was still carrying the weapon Subaru had entrusted to him shortly before leaving with the group of cultists to his meeting with Petelgeuse.
"It's a pity that it couldn't make its debut against Petelgeuse, but I suppose it was worth it to try to gain his trust; even if all that turned out to be in vain..." With a sigh, Subaru held out his hands towards Ricardo.
"At least everythin' turned out all right, boy. It's a good thing we didn't have any casualties to regret. Had it not been for the information ya provided us, dat would've proved completely impossible." Ricardo stated as he returned the firearm to Subaru.
In Subaru's hands once again lay the reinvented gun. With a look that reflected revulsion, contempt, longing and calm in equal measure, Subaru analyzed every recess of it; he needed to make sure everything was in its place. Maybe he was being too finicky, but he wanted to make sure Ricardo's rough grip and his combat against Petelgeuse's minions had not left a mark on his weapon.
After a thorough inspection, Subaru nodded in satisfaction and placed the weapon on his back, securing it with a fabric strap similar to the one used on sword sheaths. Subaru would have preferred not to detach himself from the weapon again in the first place, but given the circumstances, it was unavoidable. And not only because Subaru feared incurring Petelgeuse's suspicion and wrath by bringing a foreign object to meet him, but also because he was aware that his weapon would prove ineffective against the late Archbishop of Sloth.
With shadowy hands capable of reducing Utada's stout body to a pulp of flesh, it was unlikely that fire-stone ammunition would suffice to penetrate his defenses; and even if any did, the ammunition expenditure would be considerably extensive. Subaru had little ammunition; his intention had been never to use it. Therefore, he preferred to save it for use against the archbishops that might await him later.
The image of a loathsome, lustful monster disguised as a woman especially popped into his mind at the thought of using his weapon. Given the opportunity, Subaru would not hesitate to use his newly acquired numbers advantage in his favor to eliminate the Archbishop of Lust; it was a pending vendetta. From what he could remember, Lust did not seem particularly powerful; his real concern was the powerful multi-armed minion.
He really did not care what would happen to the woman who hid her true colors with a facade of kindness, Sirius Romanée-Conti; she had been widowed because of him, so they were already even. However, Subaru would not accept that Capella might survive. Still... I can't let the desire for revenge consume me; he thought repeatedly. His priority was to save Anastasia, then he would concern himself with making the blood of his enemies flow. With Halibel's help he believed it was feasible to achieve this.
"Okay, break's over! We don't have time to waste!" Subaru exclaimed, thus signaling the resumption of the journey to the castle.
It's all backwards, he thought sulkily. Running into Capella and eluding Sirius certainly would be a more appealing scenario for Subaru. However, above all options, eluding all the Sin Archbishops on his way to the castle was the ideal; though so it would remain, an ideal. Considering Petelgeuse's death and the smell given off by Subaru, reaching the castle without first coming into conflict with the cult once again was almost inconceivable.
Sounds of chains being dragged across the floor alerted everyone there. "Murdering one of my darling's fingers... Unforgivable." Subaru has never before been so accurate in predicting an event. There, a few meters away from Petelgeuse's corpse, stood a woman with her entire body ominously bandaged.
Everyone present in the place, a wide avenue that connected what was known as the urban district with the nobility district, violently turned their attention to the place where the voice came from. A powerful and dangerous aura of hostility abruptly pervaded the atmosphere, but few of those emotions came from Subaru, Halibel or the mercenaries of the Fang of Iron.
"Shit... This is definitely the worst case scenario..." Subaru whispered, practically unaffected by Sirius' heavy bloodlust.
"Is this the Archbishop of Wrath, Su-san? I sense a dense aura of hostility comin' from her; that's an extremely dangerous woman over there." Halibel, even more so than Subaru, was unfazed by Sirius' hostility; his usual nonchalance remained essentially unchanged.
"Yes. It's exactly as you say." Subaru replied without looking away from Sirius, who with crude, puppet-like movements had moved to crouch beside Petelgeuse's corpse. It was clear that conflict would erupt at any moment, however, there was something that had caught Subaru's attention. "What do you mean finger?" That question was not directed towards anyone but the Archbishop of Wrath.
"I'm sorry to have to say this, but don't you think you're talking too casually to me?" Even as wrath overflowed from her thin body, the mask of rationality and apologetic tone with which she spoke had not yet been diluted by the dense hostility.
"I guess you're right... Still, it's crucial that I gather all the necessary information before the darkness engulfs everything once more." That answer from Subaru caused all eyes to now fall on him. What was going on with Subaru? Had he lost his mind? Why was he talking so calmly with her? Such questions plagued the minds of the nervous mercenaries.
"It seems to me that you are underestimating my wrath..." Sirius muttered, still not looking at Subaru; her bandaged face stayed trained on Petelgeuse's corpse.
"Finger... I heard Petelgeuse talk about it, but I never quite grasped what he meant by it. And now that you say one of his fingers died I can't help but feel slightly nervous. Didn't we murder the real Petelgeuse?" That was a question he needed to find an answer to no matter what.
"Excuse me, but I'm afraid I can no longer tolerate such insolence. You trample, you diminish, you underestimate the wrath that burns within me. You dared to destroy one of my darling's precious fingers, thus incurring my wrath, and you pretend to shirk responsibility for it. Have you no shame? Besides, you reek of the witch... Pride...? No, no, no, no, no... I won't allow you to leave here alive! I will burn you with the full force of my wrath and scatter your ashes over a sea of blood!" Finally showing her bandaged face, Sirius roared as she glared directly at Subaru with her bright amethyst-colored eye.
"Shit, I was hopin' we wouldn't have to clash with her, but it looks like we've no choice! Don't forget what the boy said! Be very careful of her mind controllin' power! Fuck, fuck, fuck..." While those words may well have come from Subaru, that was not the case. A very alarmed Ricardo was quick to exercise his position as captain.
Unlike Subaru, who was slightly confident after his victory over Petelgeuse, Ricardo and the rest of the mercenaries were completely overcome with nerves. Never in their lives had they faced a being emanating such a terrifying aura. Before them stood the Archbishop of Wrath, a woman capable of controlling minds with her power granted by the evil witch.
Ever since Subaru revealed the abilities of each of the archbishops that appeared in his vision, Ricardo had especially feared encountering that bandaged woman. Subaru claimed to be able to see the invisible limbs of the Archbishop of Sloth, that would undoubtedly make it easier to fight him. And from what Subaru had said, as long as they were able to avoid the Archbishop of Lust's blood, and the grip of her powerful multi-armed subordinate, then they would have no problem fighting her.
Nevertheless, Subaru had made it clear that he was not absolutely immune to the power of the Archbishop of Wrath. A power that, to make matters worse, inflicted sheer, paralyzing terror on the hearts of warriors like them. It was not an ability they could defend against using the strength of their muscles or their combat skills. Their minds were vulnerable to the eerie ability of the bandaged woman; Subaru had called it... the Authority of Wrath.
Something inside Subaru's body trembled in ecstasy. He felt it in his flesh, that combat would entail an important step that would bring him closer to the happy ending he longed for; however, he was not sure in which direction that step would be taken. His destiny would once again be altered, he sensed it. The woman's anger resonated with him, it was as if it was calling him. That hidden part of his being, that fragment born in the flames of torture, that voice in his head implored for that meeting. The voice, the voice, the voice... Wrath was calling him!
"Ha... Ha, ha, ha, ha... Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." Suddenly, Subaru burst out laughing. On his face, faintly swollen from the recently received blow, formed a wicked grin devoid of any trace of sincere mirth. "That's rich coming from someone like you. Are you truly talking to me about wrath, Sirius?! After all you sadistic fucks have done to me, you've no right to say that I underestimate your wrath!"
"Are you saying I don't have the right to lecture you about it, you foolish fly?" Sirius questioned, lightly rattling the gold chains wrapped around her arms, which were barely visible due to the sleeves of her robes concealing them. "I AM wrath! The wrath that burns in me is all-consuming! You're no one to call the magnitude of my wrath into question!"
"I am not casting doubt on the magnitude or intensity of your wrath, Sirius." Said Subaru, slowly shaking his head from side to side. "I do not question that the wrath of the archbishop who bears the name of said deadly sin is immeasurable. However... I'm a by-product of that wrath. So let me say it one more time! After all the suffering you and your insane companions have put me through, no one here's capable of feeling more hatred and wrath than me!" Subaru had gotten carried away, he was no longer even capable of thinking coherently; he simply wished to spite that woman who once watched him die without bothering to do a thing, that woman who set his body ablaze and reduced him to ashes. "But enough bickering over worthless bullshit! Hal-san, you know what to do!"
"Yessir!" Replied Halibel, disappearing before his words could be heard by the others present there.
"Murdering my darling's main finger... Belittling my wrath... Mocking me... I'm truly sorry, but the mere fact that you are allied with that person implies that you must also be reduced to ashes." Scorching flames engulfed the golden chain in Sirius' hands; however, though it remained wrapped around the woman's arms, the fire did not seem to harm her.
"C-Cap'n!" Shouted one of the mercenaries, clutching his head tightly. In a little less than a second the other lower-ranking mercenaries were all doing the same.
Those in Sirius' proximity began to be consumed by wrath. Subaru noticed it immediately. He was several meters away from Sirius, yet the overwhelming emotion also began to affect him, though less so than those closer to her. Furthermore, Subaru could feel that the effect of the ability was considerably weaker than during their previous encounters. Did knowing of the Authority's existence play a role? He wondered.
"Tch! Damn it, the effect is minor than expected! Once again, my burning wrath is being belittled." Although most of the mercenaries had been immobilized by the effects of her skill, Sirius seemed displeased with the result. Subaru immediately deduced that indeed having knowledge of the skill had an influence on its effect. Still... "Luckily, this area has not yet been purged, so there should be enough conduits left for my Authority of Wrath to be spread."
Subaru was thus once again able to confirm one of his hypotheses. Just as Petelgeuse had said, the abilities of the Sin Archbishops were called Authorities. Were they related to Divine Protections? That was definitely not the time or place to ponder about it. Quickly, Subaru scanned his surroundings. In the silent streets of the captain a huge turmoil arose.
Noises of glass being broken, noises of wood shattering, noises of metal being struck, crazed bellowing, screams of wrath. Subaru had not considered how many targets the Authority of Wrath could affect; not doing so had been a huge mistake. A mighty rumble shook the nearest houses. Bloodied people, eyes as red as Crimson Moon, emerged from their homes wielding weapons of all types. Improvised weapons and genuine weapons.
"Fuck, the difficulty of the fight just went up dramatically." Subaru muttered, approaching the mercenary closest to him. However, he had done so without noticing who it was; and upon noticing, he greatly regretted his carelessness. With rage burning in his gaze, the mercenary turned to him. "U-Utada...?"
The mercenary, who during this illusorily eternal cycle of death had served as his bodyguard, had already killed him twice, completely consumed by wrath. There was no person more susceptible to the Authority of Wrath than he. Would he die once more? He could not allow it. Clumsily, Subaru backed away from the mercenary slowly without taking his gaze from him. However, the latter quickly extended his sharp claws towards him.
"Ya shouldn't stray too far from me, Subaru-sama. That bitch has turned half of our forces and all the citizens who lived in the vicinity against us."
"Huh?" A stupid sound escaped through Subaru's mouth.
"What's it, Subaru-sama? Don't tell me ya thought this Authority of Wrath would be able to control me. I deal with more wrath than this on a daily basis, and I've learned to control it. I alone decide where I direct my emotions, no one else. And for now... for now ya're not my target, Subaru-sama. Don't worry." With a scowl, but his perpetual gaze of indifference plastered on his face, Utada placated Subaru's greatest fears, on whose face a crooked smile took shape.
"I'm glad I decided to bring you along." Subaru said, getting no response from Utada. Still, this did not bother Subaru.
Utada was right. He never targeted Subaru unless his actions were indisputably suspicious, even when an intense stench of the witch's miasma emanated from his body. Contrary to what Subaru had previously assumed, Utada had gained almost absolute control over his own emotions during his years as a mercenary, and hence was highly respected and admired within the Fang of Iron. That made him a powerful card he could use against Sirius.
"Avoid at all costs harmin' the civilians and comrades who've fallen prey to the archbishop's ability; only do so in the extreme case that yer lives are in danger. It'll be considered an act of self-defense, so don't worry 'bout retaliation. Even so, ya must prioritize first and foremost eliminatin' the bandaged woman!"
With those words, Ricardo tried to regain order within his squad of mercenaries, but there were many whose wrath was now directed towards their allies. Most of those not consumed by wrath nodded and approached Ricardo, organizing themselves into a sort of attack and defense formation; Subaru had never seen similar formation. With a few words, Ricardo tasked one part of his subordinates to keep under control those whose minds had succumbed to Sirius' authority, and assigned another part of them the task of attacking her.
"Shouldn't you be with them?" Subaru asked Utada. At that moment, they were both separated by a few meters from the other mercenaries.
"My duty hasn't changed, Subaru-sama. I'll protect ya and kill that damned brainwashin' witch-worshipper."
"That's reassuring to hear." Subaru replied, as he gave his reinvented weapon a quick check and took the safety catch off. "I'll provide support for ya from the rear."
It would not be an exaggeration to say that those words ushered in the clash of opposing forces. While Sirius watched with her one visible eye as the victims of her ability engaged in combat, a bright red projectile streaked towards her at great speeds. It was the hiss of the air being ripped through that alerted the woman, who quickly leapt back.
A powerful blast blew several cobblestones out of the street. The area was illuminated by a wild and murderous light, the shockwave knocked those controlled by Sirius' wrath off balance. "Sirius, fuck off, I don't have time to entertain myself with you!" An infuriated shout reached the ears of a stunned Sirius, who was completely dazzled.
The flash from the explosion had blinded her, and the force of the blast wave had disoriented her. Sirius was vulnerable, and that was the opening Halibel had been waiting for from afar. Prior to such an encounter, Subaru was unaware of how it was that Sirius controlled people's minds. Therefore, he had opted to order Halibel to get as far away as possible and monitor the combat from a distance; the light from the explosion would be the signal for him to attack.
If Sirius should be unaffected by the explosion, then Halibel was to withdraw at once before the Authority of Wrath could affect him. Nonetheless, that had not turned out to be necessary. Wielding two sharp daggers, the Shinobi warrior lunged at the woman's back. Two yards, one yard, half a yard, ten inches, five inches. At the speed of the wind, Halibel approached the exposed side of Sirius' body.
"Stay away from my body, you damned demi-human!" Sirius roared, turning her bandaged body completely around and greeting Halibel with her fiery chains. Subaru had not noticed it before, but it was then that it became terrifyingly obvious; the chain ended in two sharp hooks.
"That was a close call." Halibel remarked, landing several feet away from Sirius; his reaction speed had been equal if not superior to Sirius'. Two formidable foes were facing each other.
"Hmm... There's no doubt that you are the top subordinate of that maggot who has reviled the wrath that he himself provoked. How is it that a warrior of such a high rank like you surrenders to an annoying fly like him? I truly do not fathom how you think, mighty beastly warrior." As she closed the distance to Halibel, Sirius began to question him. What was her goal? Subaru could only wonder about it.
"I don't hafta answer to ya, you lunatic bitch. My decisions solely concern me." Retorted Halibel, quickly glancing at Sirius' leg. Subaru, who was being protected by Utada, looked towards that spot. There, near Sirius' bandaged knee, a small spot of blood could be seen. He did it! Subaru mentally cheered.
"Lunatic? I'm glad you call me that, that's how my darling has always been labeled. Lunatics sharing their burning love and madness, bathed in the freshly spilled blood of the depraved who dare to question our ideals. Yet he's devoted to that devil bitch. Why'd someone as magnificent as my darling follow someone as utterly loathsome as her? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why would a warrior like you follow a fly like that pathetic boy? I don't care if you don't tell me, in your burning blood I'll find the answer!" With a swift movement of arms, the chains stretched until they almost grazed Halibel's face; nonetheless, Halibel was not equated to the Sword Saint as the strongest warrior of his country in vain.
"Ya're a dangerous woman, too dangerous. Yer madness has inhibited any sense of rationality in you, and makes ya spit out nonsense incessantly; to the point that ya even badmouth the witch worshipped by the group of zealots to which ya belong." Without Sirius being able to dodge it, a kunai was buried in the right side of his abdomen. "I can feel it in my fur, in order for Su-san to change the fate of this world, it's necessary for ya ta perish."
Satisfied with what he saw, Subaru looked away momentarily from the combat between Halibel and Sirius; its outcome was already decided. Halibel was too powerful. A single cut from his weapons, and your fate was sealed. Kararagi's most skilled warrior, someone who, theoretically, was on par with Reinhard Van Astrea; his best card was capable of securing him any victory.
However, Subaru, who had immersed himself in watching the combat between the most powerful warriors present, had forgotten to monitor the situation around him; and it was not rosy at all. Cries of despair were wrung from those mercenaries who in self-defense had to wound their comrades. Cries of pain were wrought by the weapons of those whose minds had been controlled by wrath. If he wished to stay alive, he could not yet consider the combat over; the virus of anger kept spreading unabated.