Souls Tainted with Wrath

One Hour and Forty Minutes since the Last Death (Fifteen Deaths)

Wrath had spread like a contagious disease, and those who had fallen victim to it had turned against their allies. Civilians who had no part in the conflict had also been afflicted by this terrible disease, they grabbed the first thing they could get their hands on and with it targeted those whom Sirius considered enemies. With crazed bellowing, the Archbishop of Wrath brainwashed everyone under her control and increased the corrosive rage that blinded them.

"Die, you damned maggot! I'll make you burn with my wrath!" Repeating Sirius' words, the wrath zombies attacked indiscriminately. They may not all have been carrying conventional weapons, in fact, the vast majority wielded simple wooden sticks or work tools, but that did not stop them from causing as much havoc as possible before they were knocked out.

"Dammit, there's too many of 'em! Subaru-sama, is it too long before Halibel-sama manages to take care of dat fuckin' archbishop?!" Utada, who had claimed less than a couple of minutes ago that he would take on Sirius, seemed desperate for the fight to end. With his arms and the butt of his huge axe he had kept the enemies at bay by always throwing them as far away as possible without murdering them, but the sheer number of them were already beginning to overwhelm him.

Not a single mercenary had come to assist Halibel in his fight against Wrath, and that was because their attack and defense formation had completely collapsed. The effect of Sirius' Authority had spread even further than calculated, and increasingly more allies were transmuting into enemies. Alarmed, Subaru tried to call Ricardo, but all the Fang of Iron mercenaries had been engulfed by the wave of wrath minions.

"It shouldn't take too long!" Replied Subaru, thus seeking to lessen not only Utada's worries, but his own as well.

But with mere words he would achieve nothing; to believe otherwise would be delusional. Subaru had already fooled himself with delusions from his own factory, and he knew how much damage could result from not confronting reality. He had to think of a way to get Utada and him out of that place, it was necessary for them to reconvene with the rest of the mercenaries and devise a better way with which to deal with the victims of the Authority of Wrath.

The overwhelming numbers of enemies kept increasing, and Utada had to use more and more force to repel the attackers. With his forearm he struck a man who had rushed at him wielding a kitchen knife, he fell hard to the ground and blood began to gush copiously from his head. Before the poor man could recover, the horde of wrathful zombies passed over him without even heeding the scraps of flesh that had stained the soles of his shoes.

Disgusted, Utada continued to violently fend off enemies. That person who had been crushed to death was a victim, just like his killers. Nevertheless, if Utada stopped to lament for each of the attackers he harmed and dwelled on it, they would not survive. Subaru, who was covered by the imposing body of the beast-man, also witnessed the man's unpleasant death, and also came to the same stark conclusion as Utada.

Their own lives were priority. If they wished to stay alive, they had to fight, even if it meant harming people who could be deemed innocent. In that cruel world in which he found himself, only the strongest survived, only the ones willing to do whatever it took to live another day. And to live, he needed to find a solution to his current predicament.

Subaru was still mulling over ways out of the complex situation they were in, when he sensed that he was being attacked. "Die, you disgusting maggot! Die!" A man who appeared to be in his forties lunged at Subaru. Utada had failed to hold off all enemies. The man carried a hammer in his hands, he seemed to be a blacksmith.

"Shit, I'd carry a sword with me for situations like this." Subaru muttered, dodging the attack; the man staggered and fell to the ground. "Utada, we've to retreat! Shamak!"

A cloud of darkness engulfed the surroundings. Promptly afterward, Subaru was abruptly lifted off the ground and carried out of the blanket of blackness. The traumatic sensation of being about to be smashed against a wall or the ground coursed through his body, causing his blood to chill and his body to shudder involuntarily. However, Subaru was able to retain his composure; this was no time to give in to his weaknesses.

"Hold me tight, I'm going to fire my weapon." They're civilians, Subaru-sama! Perhaps Subaru expected to be stopped with words akin to those, but such a thing did not happen. Utada was aware that sacrifices had to be made. The sound of a powerful explosion erupted from the core of the black cloud. Pushed by the momentum of the shockwave, Utada and Subaru rushed out of the Shamak.

Killing had become a valid method of dealing with his problems. Realizing this greatly irked him. Murder was becoming a habit. If he was not so weak, perhaps he would have been able to figure out an alternative. However, thinking about it would get him nowhere; this was no time to be hesitating. He quickly looked around for Richard, but all he could see were bloodshot-eyed people viciously brandishing all manner of weapons; civilians and mercenaries alike.

"I don't see the cap'n!" Utada exclaimed, externalizing Subaru's fears with words. Subaru was about to instruct his bodyguard to keep looking, when he caught sight of a particular Mohican in the throng of frenzied civilians and allies-turned-enemies. The Mohican was approaching them, something that eased Subaru's worries. "Scratch that, Subaru-sama. I've already spotted him. Captain, we're over 'ere!"

It was then that a harrowing shiver ran down Subaru's spine. He tried to silence Utada, but it was already too late. His bodyguard had already called Ricardo. I hope I'm wrong, Subaru thought. Nevertheless, his intuition had been forged in the heat of the flames of death and the cold of his own spilled blood. That feeling was no mere coincidence.

"Arghhh! Boy...! Get... the fuck... away!" When the face of a rabid Ricardo emerged from the crowd, it was obvious what had transpired. Without stopping his frantic strides, his eyes completely bloodshot, Ricardo opened his snout wide amidst crazed snarls. "Die!" He uttered before a sphere of mana began to condense inside his maw.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry, Subaru-sama, I got no choice but to do this!" Without giving Subaru time to react, Utada threw him into the air, away from the crowd of allies and civilians controlled by the Sirius Authority. From the air, Subaru could see a ghostly light begin to engulf everything. "Tell Anastasia-sama that, in the end, I fulfilled my dut-!"

A third explosion took place on the avenue. A light of a ghostly bluish hue shone illuminated a large portion of the street, where Utada was at its core. It was one of the powerful mana screams that Ricardo and the triplets were capable of using. Subaru never thought the day would come when he would be the target of these.

The floor approached at breakneck speed, luckily, Subaru had learned how to fall without hurting himself during his training with Julius. Curling his body in the air and rolling over as he fell, Subaru managed to land with only minor back pain as a result. He quickly got to his feet and checked his surroundings. A few meters away from him, Halibel and Sirius were still clashing, and on the opposite side, the mass of enemies were moving towards him with wrath burning in their gazes.

Without thinking too hard, Subaru wielded his firearm and aimed its barrel at the group of civilians and mercenaries; at that moment they were enemies, he could not let the ethics and morals of his world hold him back, or he would simply die and start over from scratch. He had finally rendezvoused with Halibel, so he could not accept such a frustrating fate.

Subaru lightly pulled the trigger, but before firing, he halted. Not because he suddenly felt unable to do so or because his conscience had stopped him, but because he noticed something peculiar about the crowd of wrath victims. Most of those controlled by the Authority of Wrath were moving slowly, very slowly. It was as if they were real zombies; those decaying zombies from the most classic horror films.

Subaru was still pondering about it, when he felt a deep discomfort pervade his body. It felt as if all the energy in his body had been drained. Along with that feeling, an ineffable wrath started to seethe in his heart. Huge nausea made him almost lose his balance. He had gotten too close to Sirius, he concluded. That explained the wrath... But what was with that unusual and extreme exhaustion that had brought him to the verge of fainting?

"You wretched minion of that damned fly, I won't a-allow you to extinguish the fire of my wrath with your despicable cowardly curses." A desperate cry uttered by Sirius reached Subaru's ears. Wrath, exhaustion? None of that mattered, Sirius was on the verge of death, the fight was about to end.

With that in mind, Subaru looked back at Halibel and Sirius once again, his finger still on the trigger of his gun. Halibel had burns on her arms and legs, as well as a gash on both his face and abdomen; however, they did not appear to be life-threatening wounds. A little healing magic would suffice for him to continue fighting without any problem.

Nimbly, Halibel dodged the golden hook at the end of the flaming chain and closed in on Sirius. The Archbishop of Wrath grasped her enemy's intentions and attacked him with the other end of her chain. The hook grazed Halibel's left arm, cutting fur and skin, small amounts of blood began to gush out, but this did not stop Halibel. Subaru could tell that Halibel was striving to end the fight as quickly as possible.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! You damned minion of that contemptible insect! Fall in defeat before my all-smoldering wrath!"

No matter how much Sirius fought back, from the moment Halibel grazed her with his cursed daggers, her fate was sealed. The Archbishop of Wrath was too weakened to keep up the frantic pace of combat; her energy had been depleted and she stood at death's door. It was then, as he felt his stomach turn, that Subaru came to the realization at last.

"Halibel, stop, don't do-!" But it was too late. Halibel's dagger pierced Sirius' bandaged neck from side to side, the tip of it protruding through the back of her neck, and then all those present in the avenue fell to the ground completely lifeless. In that avenue, only Halibel remained alive.

Zero Days since the Last Death (Sixteen Deaths)

"Hnk!" Feeling short of breath, Subaru violently raised his upper body. Violent nausea afflicted him, but fruitless retching was all that preceded. There was nothing left in his stomach to vomit, not even bile or corrosive gastric juices.

Where was he? What had happened? Subaru was as disoriented as he had ever been in his life. Making an enormous effort, because his eyelids felt unnaturally heavy, Subaru tried to scan his surroundings. However, he was forced to let his eyelids fall closed again under their own weight.

Releasing groans of agony, Subaru clutched his head tightly in both hands. He was paralyzed by a terrible headache, unable to form coherent thoughts. What was happening? His face ached, his temples ached, his head seemed about to explode and there was nothing he could do to escape this suffering. Was he dead? Was he still alive?

"Su-san! I'm glad you finally woke up. I was 'bout to wake ya up myself, but Kitzu-san kept stressin' that ya'd rest. I told ya, Kitzu-san! Su-san clearly stated that it was necessary to get to the castle in the shortest possible time!" A booming, reverberating voice shook his eardrums, causing him to find it necessary to stifle a cry of pain.

"I insist, Halibel-sama, Subaru-sama's in no condition to move, much less rush to the castle! Just look at him, it's clear he's still sufferin' from after-effects of the Archbishop of Sloth's attack!" Another voice joined the first, further violating his hypersensitive ears. Suddenly footsteps were heard, and he discerned the second voice drawing nearer. "How're ya feelin', Subaru-sama?"

As much as that was a routine question, it was a very stupid question to ask at that moment, Subaru judged. Between stifled groans, Subaru muttered. "P-Pain..."

"How severe is the pain, Subaru-sama? Do ya find it unbearable? Do ya need me to reapply healin' magic to your face?" Without hesitation, Subaru nodded clumsily. A wave of relief then enveloped his body, starting with his head. With that, thoughts began to flow more easily in his brain.

Pain. Archbishop of Sloth. Healing Magic. Face. The gears in Subaru's mind, which had slowly begun to habituate to the extreme pain, were lubricated by the healing magic and began to move with remarkable speed. The puzzle of information was quickly pieced together in his mind. It was clear what had happened. The save point had changed. At first I had doubted it, but the evidence irrefutably indicated that this was the case.

This was the first time the save point had changed amidst a death loop. Subaru had assumed that it would remain fixed until the death cycle in question was overcome and the death loops ended. But that was no longer the case; his assumption had proved wrong. Nevertheless, the change of save point worked in his favor.

The memories of his death flowed more easily now that his ailments had been alleviated by the healer's magic. In his mind still weighed the bitterness caused by the thought of having to restart once more from Leith's house; the bitterness caused by the fact that all his efforts had been in vain. But such bitterness had been unnecessary, for his blessing and curse had finally operated to his advantage.

Apparently he had woken up slightly earlier than when he had done so during the previous loop. That was why Halibel had not started calling him and why the intense pain in his face had seemed even more excruciating than before; or so Subaru thought. Of course, he could not rule out that the increased intensity of the pain was related to the discomfort that commonly accompanied every Return by Death. Both ailments had multiplied each other, making his awakening an even more excruciating one.

However, even if it was only seconds, it meant that he now had a little more time than the previous loop, and for that alone he felt that enduring that painful awakening had been worth it. Now he just had to continue from where he left off and... avoid meeting Sirius. Memories of that brief combat flooded his mind.

"Hal-san, we must leave this place immediately!" Without delaying for a second, Subaru stood up disregarding the remnant pain and turned to Halibel, finally opening his heavy eyelids.

"Subaru-sama, I haven't finished healin' ya yet, the pain might-" Subaru silenced the healer with foxlike factions by raising one of his hands.

"Go get Ricardo." Displeased but without rebuttal, the healer turned away from Subaru and went in search of Ricardo, who must not have been far away.

"We don't have time to discuss about it, Hal-san, but I'd another vision." Halibel's nonchalant gesture faltered momentarily at those words. "In a few minutes we'll meet the Archbishop of Wrath. We must avoid that encounter."

"Was the result of meetin' her that terrible?" Asked Halibel, to which he received a sharp nod.

"What's the matter, boy?" Just in time, the captain of the Fang of Iron approached them both.

"Ricardo, we must get out of here - now! If we don't, we will all die."

"Can't ya elaborate, if only briefly?" Ricardo said, with a faint grimace of annoyance.

"The Archbishop of Wrath is a more terrifying enemy than I thought. Not only can she control minds, but moreover, any damage we do to her will bounce back and impact those under her control." Subaru reported ominously. "You'll have to make do with that, Ricardo."

"Well, I was plannin' to avoid confrontin' her in the first place, so hearin' that we might run into her is reason enough fer me to wanna escape from 'ere as soon as possible."

"Good! In that case, brief everyone." And with those words, Subaru started moving towards the nearest alley. Before entering it, he glanced at Petelgeuse's corpse for a second. "... A finger, huh?" Whatever that meant, it gave him a very bad feeling. Previously Subaru had come to believe that Petelgeuse called those minions closest to him fingers, but he could no longer be so sure of that.

With Subaru and Halibel in the lead, followed closely by Ricardo and Utada, the group, consisting mostly of mercenaries, moved north for two blocks, before returning to head northwest. According to Subaru, by doing so they could perhaps avoid running into Sirius. However, Subaru was not really confident about it. Sirius was able to pick up on the witch's stench given off by his body, so it was only a matter of time before she found them. Yet, maybe if he bought himself some time, he could figure out a way to defeat her without dying in the process...

"... I'm immune?" Halibel inquired, slightly surprised by the revelation.

"Yes, that appeared to be the case from what I'd see in the vision. So you won't need to leave the area if we're to encounter her; still, don't let your guard down. I really don't know what happened to you once you delivered the killing blow to Sirius, so we can't rule out that in the end you were also affected by her authority and died."

"Got it... But Su-san, from what ya say, as long as I don't kill her, everythin' will be fine, won't it?" Such a question caused Subaru, who was staring at the road in front of him, to cast a sidelong glance at him. Halibel continued. "Shouldn't it be enough to simply knock her unconscious?"

"Given the situation in the capital, I don't think taking one of the Sin Archbishops prisoner is a wise idea. Besides, that doesn't solve the problem that most of us are susceptible, to a greater or lesser extent, to being controlled by her authority."

"Hmm... Maybe we'd-"

"Apologies for interrupting your affable stroll through the city, but I would like to ask you a question."

Halibel seemed intent on continuing to contribute ideas, when he and Subaru stopped dead in their tracks when they heard a quiet voice accompanied by the sound of chains being dragged. Both of them, along with the members of the Fang of Iron, searched for the source of that voice, and it did not take long for them to find it. On the roof of one of the houses flanking the alley they were in, there was a woman with her body completely bandaged, illuminated by the reddish evening sun.

"Shit... Hal-san, prepare to attack." Subaru whispered in a voice laden with hostility and nervousness.

"Are you not perhaps the ones to blame for the murder of one of my darling's precious fingers? I would like to apologize in advance if this is not the case, but I'm afraid that you are the only armed people in the area. So please, could you answer me... Were you the damned insects who dared to hurt my beloved?!"

"..." None of those present moved, no words were uttered. The tense silence remained unaltered, until Subaru finally plucked up the courage to speak.

"We don't wish to have any trouble with you, miss. We're just passing through. I can assure you we aren't guilty of that murder you speak of." Subaru knew it was useless, but he should at least try to fool her, just as he had tried to fool Petelgeuse.

"You." Said Sirius, pointing at Subaru with her index finger; a hook connected to a golden chain dangled a few inches from her wrist. "I'm sorry, but your words are not trustworthy. The witch's stench is strong in you, so I must apologize, but I find it impossible to believe anything spoken by your deceitful tongue. A while ago I'd hear from one of my darling's fingers that a peculiar individual had appeared. It's you, isn't it? The stench of that bitch is intense on you! Besides, you dare to speak to me with such shameless confidence and lie to me so blatantly! Wouldn't you be Pride?"

"..." Subaru remained silent. He slowly reached for the gun hanging on his back, the gun he had retrieved from Ricardo's hands shortly after they had escaped from the avenue where Sirius' husband's corpse lay; or at least Subaru hoped it was Petelgeuse's corpse. At first he had forgotten to ask for it back, but what happened when he left the mansion that morning would not be repeated.

"No doubt about it! Your damned worthless pride has blinded you, and so you murdered one of my darling's fingers, and the main one at that! After the fiasco that wound up being that pointless Ordeal, my darling has failed to fully recover his fingers and now you have murdered one of them! You're the one to blame for that death, so I'll be sure to reduce you to ashes with my wrath!" The instant the chains around Sirius' arms burned with the flaming wrath of her soul, Subaru understood that there was no escape.

The stench of the witch would linger on him eternally, and a despicable being would always be following such a despicable scent trail. If he did not eliminate Sirius, he would not be able to reach the castle. Such a realization stirred something deep within Subaru to throb with tenebrous vigor. Once again, Sirius' wrath resonated with his soul. His fate was written in stone, the Dragon Stone dictated so; Natsuki Subaru was to slay Sirius Romanée-Conti.

Ten Minutes since the Last Death (Sixteen Deaths)

Subaru had not had enough time to figure out a new way to deal with Sirius; once again, a loop was destined to fail soon after it had just begun. Still, Subaru was not going to give up so easily; that was the curse Anastasia had placed on him. If he refused to fight to live, then he would be breaking the promise he had made to her.

As expected, the combat began much like it did during the previous loop. But, unlike the previous loop, Subaru knew about the great range of influence of the Authority of Wrath. So this time he had informed Ricardo that it was best to avoid splitting up as much as possible and to keep as much distance as possible between them and Sirius, while Halibel took care of weakening her.

Since killing her implied the enormous risk that they would also perish along with her, they opted to render her unconscious instead of murdering her. What they would do with her once she was knocked out was yet to be decided. Because events had unfolded so quickly, Subaru had not had the time to work out those details. In any case, as long as Sirius was conscious and could use her remarkable combat skills and the victims of her authority to her advantage, it would be useless to ponder too much about what they would do with her. It was vital that they defeat her first.

"... You are a contemptible, despicable, loathsome, repulsive, revolting, disgusting insect! You claim to feel an ire and hatred towards the Witch Cult and me that surpasses the wrath I feel over your severing of my darling's new main finger, but you're unable to transmute those emotions into a fire capable of incinerating your enemies! You pathetically and shamefully employ others to achieve for you what you desire! You lack the dignity, the determination, the resolve to do things for yourself, even though with that disgusting tongue you dare to underestimate my wrath! Are you sure you are not Pride?"

While ranting against Subaru, Sirius skillfully maneuvered her golden chain, making it move through the air as if it were a fire-breathing snake.; no, it was an aggressive golden Chinese dragon with sharp jaws. Anyone on the opposite end of the chains of wrath would suffer an inevitable death; however, Halibel was not just anyone.

Dragging her chains, Sirius swiftly closed in on Halibel. The speed of movement of the archbishop was such that Subaru was not able to perceive more than an intangible blur moving through the air. Even so, Halibel seemed to have no problem whatsoever following the enraged archbishop with his eyesight. Sirius moved in until she was less than a yard away from Halibel and leapt up, shaking her chains.

The chains glowed as if they were red hot. These spun in the air before crashing into the spot where Halibel had been standing until half a second ago, shattering the cobblestones that made up the street. Subaru couldn't help but think that Sirius' attacks resembled those of a man covered in ashes, who had been able to exterminate almost the entire pantheon of Greek gods in a legendary video game franchise.

Sirius pulled hard on her chains, yanking the hooks out of the ground. With her only visible eye she searched for Halibel, but before she could find him, she sensed something approaching her from behind. The woman reacted with surprising speed, but could not prevent two kunais from successfully piercing her lower back. Grunting, Sirius jerked her arms, accurately throwing the right end of her chain towards the spot where Halibel was standing.

"Damn..." Halibel muttered. He had managed to avoid being struck squarely in the chest by the hook, but he had not come out unscathed. Blood began to gush copiously from the left side of his abdomen. "Su-san, ya do know that I specialize in assassinatin' my targets, right?"

"Sorry, Hal-san, but that won't do against her!" Replied Subaru, as he used the sword he had borrowed from one of the mercenaries to parry an attack aimed at his head.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut the hell up, you damned insects, maggots, flies! Stop underestimating the power of my wrath! I'll murder you first, beast-man, and then I'll murder your master! After that I'll be sure to cremate both of your corpses side by side!" Roared Sirius, as she swooped down on Halibel.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Echoed those under the control of the Authority of Wrath, as Sirius increased the brutality of her attacks. It was clear that Sirius' emotions and the emotions of those under her control were in sync.

What Subaru dreaded was happening, the number of mercenaries under the control of the authority was on the rise and it was not letting up. For those fighting by his side, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain focus in battle, as the voice of wrath whispered in their ears that they must vent the wrath nestled in their hearts. More and more minds were succumbing to Sirius and being corrupted by the wrath injected into their minds.

"Ricardo, it's useless, we need to get out of here or we'll die." Said Subaru, who, in order to get close to Ricardo, had to furrow through a swarm of crazed mercenaries, closely followed by Utada. At the moment not all of his allies had turned into wrathful zombies. Many of them had simply gone mad with rage and were muttering insults in unison; if they were not provoked, then they would not attack. But Subaru knew that would not stay that way forever.

"Shit, I guess ya're right, bo-"

"Die! Die!" One of the mercenaries who had fallen completely under the influence of wrath lunged at Ricardo, inflicting a deep gash on his left shoulder. Ricardo, who had taken too long to react, knocked his attacker off him with his other hand and kicked him away from him.

"We've to move, cap'n!" Utada stated in alarm, while with the long haft of his axe he repelled another of his frenzied companions. Once again the situation had gotten completely out of control.

"Ricardo, Utada, I need you to follow me! I'm gonna use Shamak to stun the victims of Sirius Authority." Just as Subaru had indicated, a black cloud covered everything.

The combat was unfolding in a narrow alleyway that forked into three paths, making movement within it especially challenging. Halibel and Sirius were fighting on the rooftops of the houses flanking the alley, while the alley was crowded by the inhabitants of those houses and the Fang of Iron mercenaries.

Subsequent to Sirius' appearance and the start of the fight, the citizens living in those houses, who were now no different from zombies driven insane by wrath, without hesitation had jumped out of the windows and broken the wooden doors, which had previously been sealed with wooden boards, probably due to the state of alarm and fear of their inhabitants, and had pounced on Subaru and his allies.

In just minutes, the place had become completely crowded, moving around was extremely difficult, and it was even more difficult to avoid enemy attacks. Initially they had made a circular formation at the crossroads, and in that way they had defended themselves from enemy attacks, but now that Sirius had sown chaos in the alley, moving around was even more difficult than before; avoiding contact with enemies was a near-impossible task.

With his sword over his head, thus seeking to avoid being hit there and thus potentially ending up losing consciousness, Subaru shifted in the cloud of darkness, occasionally receiving attacks that he was unable to see. With so many enemies brandishing their weapons, it was impossible to avoid being hit. Subaru's strategy had failed; time, a factor that had always proved vital to him, was once again the root of the problem.

Halibel had the handicap of not being allowed to kill Sirius, and therefore had not used lethal curses. Sirius, who was even tougher than Petelgeuse, would not be defeated before Subaru and his allies were completely overwhelmed by the Authority of Wrath. He would have to abandon them. If he wished to survive... No, if he did, his chances of saving Anastasia would be reduced further than they already had been. He needed Halibel to defeat Sirius, to knock her out.

"Hal-san, how close are you to beating her?!" He needed to hear some good news.

"B-Boy... Die, die, die!"

"Shit! Hal-san, I ain't as affected by her ability as last time, kill her, quick!" Ricardo had finally fallen, if Sirius did not die and with her did Ricardo, Subaru did not reckon he could avoid the mercenary captain's attack a second time. "Halibel!" He shouted in desperation.

While the shinobi warrior was fending off another aggressive onslaught from Sirius, Subaru's shouts reached his ears. Confused, he stepped away from Sirius and looked down the alleyway from the rooftop where the main battle was taking place. "If I do dat ya might die, Su-sa-!" Halibel paused before he could finish his warning. The alleyway was enveloped in darkness, Halibel could only make out the crazed screams of those covered by the black cloak. "Su-san?"

Suddenly, a light of ghostly bluish hue engulfed the entire alleyway. The roof on which Halibel and Sirius were fighting trembled violently. Stunned, Halibel watched as the house opposite the one he was standing on was demolished by the sonic wave. First the walls and then the roof, finally the whole structure gave way and collapsed, raising a dense cloud of dust. And when it dissipated, it was clear that the crossroads, and everyone there, had been buried by the rubble. For that Halibel, his wish to witness how Subaru changed the world with his unique ability would never be fulfilled; his fate would now be no different from that of his discarded clones.

Hello, Geisterivain here! I want to start this message by apologizing for the abnormal two-week hiatus. Due to university matters, I didn't have the chance to spend time on the fic, however, I just finished the current term and therefore I have the time to dedicate myself again to both writing and translating chapters. For the time being, there should be no similar pauses, at least until the current arc is finished.

Ok, having said that, I'd like to comment on a couple of things. It may not seem like it sometimes, but I read all the reviews you leave on the fic (Wattpad and Fanfiction), and so I'm aware of what you like and what you don't. I know some people think I've been going overboard with the "suffer and die", and I can't say they're wrong; however, I must say that it all serves a purpose, and that's that Subaru's upcoming metamorphosis doesn't feel in the least bit forced.

Even so, I've to say that Subaru will be getting "stronger" from now on. I won't make Subaru invincible, I think that the essence of Re: Zero would be lost if I did that, but he won't be powerless anymore, he'll be quite strong in fact. He will also retain the mental scars caused by everything he has lived through, it could not be otherwise, but he will be more determined, especially since his desire to fight for what he wants will increase from the end of the current arc onwards.

Regarding this arc. Yes, maybe it has started to feel a bit stretched, but you can't say I didn't warn you in advance, I always said it would be the longest arc of the fic. I had a lot of things in mind that I wanted to write and in the end the amount of chapters got a bit out of hand (I myself started to feel tired by the end), but I must say that it's finished now. I think the ending turned out well, but that's up to personal taste, you'll decide for yourselves in a few weeks.

Related to the above, I also read several reviews saying that my chapters were short. Well, because I didn't want the end of the arc to get any longer than it already was, the last few chapters turned out to be slightly longer. You'll notice that from the next chapter on... So... I hope those of you who wanted longer chapters will enjoy them.

Finally, I want to mention that from now on I'll explain things at the end of each chapter that I considered that explaining them directly in the chapter would ruin the experience. And I'll answer those questions that I consider necessary to answer in this manner. And regarding the next chapter, I'll just say that it's quite important, it will be the first time I change the POV in this arc. The battle against Sirius's nearing its end and with it will come the climax of the arc; a character who has not yet appeared in the fic will help Subaru to defeat Sirius, can you imagine who it is? Anyway, as always, thanks for your support!