Chapter 9: For you, apologies are useless ─ Damn Trash.

Subaru's body shot up into the air—no, he was captured by an invisible force.

For a moment, neither Emilia nor Otto had any idea what was happening, watching like idiots as Subaru's body floated in the air. Then Subaru shouted, "Ahhh!"

"Subaru!" shouted Emilia.

Lena appeared from Subaru's necklace to defend him, but it seemed that Subaru's poor concentration incapacitated his ability to act. It was no wonder, a user of spirit arts must be concentrated to be able to use the power of the spirits, they were a team after all.

It was difficult to achieve such concentration for Subaru, who was shaken again and again as his hands struggled with some sort of black arm.

The strength of the hand that held him was inhuman, one that could easily pulverize rocks or very hard objects. Subaru was surprised that his strength was able to fight against the dark hand, but he couldn't draw any kind of logical conclusion since he was being shaken all the time as a doll grabbed it from his arm.

He shouted, "Cut off the arm!"

Emilia opened her eyes. Possibly the order was for Lena, but it was crystal clear that Lena and Subaru only working together, if Lena launched an attack it would be dangerous for Subaru. Besides:

Cut off his arm? No, he must be talking about whatever got him.

He could see it, Emilia could not for some reason. But thanks to Subaru's struggle, she had an idea where he was.

Several quasi-spirits and lesser spirits surrounded Emilia, absorbing the MANA from the atmosphere. Otto, who was standing to the side, took refuge in one place as he felt the power being gathered. The best he could do now was to stay out of the way while he analyzed the situation.

"EL-HUMA!" cried Emilia.

Sharp ice stakes formed and attacked the invisible tentacles that had trapped Subaru. The thing was short and Subaru was released.

"What? Murak… ouch."

Before Subaru could conjure a spell to reduce the impact, his butt had already hit the ground, and he was groaning in pain.

Emilia ran to him, "Subaru, are you okay?" she asked.

"What the hell was that black hand?"

That puzzled Emilia a bit, she helped him up as Otto approached and asked, "How could you see him, Natsuki-san?"

I opened my eyes

Was what, Subaru almost replied with his usual sarcasm, but then he realized the meaning. "You can't see it?"

"I couldn't see it, I don't think Emilia-san could either."

Otto shook his head slightly as Subaru took a quick look around, searching for the thing. If only he could see it, he should be on the lookout for another possible attack.

Subaru looked at Emilia for confirmation. She shook her head at Subaru, affirming Otto's statement. Only Subaru could see it, maybe it was magic that only the victim was able to see… no, that can't be some kind of magic. Thought

While Subaru was looking around, assessing the implications of the strange phenomenon, Emilia was taking and inspecting Subaru's injured arm, estimating the severity of the wound and applying some healing magic to at least ease the pain. It wasn't the right time to treat it as she would have liked, but they needed to be in top condition if they wanted to fight, and Puck's absence was already a significant blow to their fighting forces.

A look of concern came over Subaru's face, and he shouted, "Here it comes."

Several coal-black hands were approaching with hostile intentions towards the group… no, the hands were not after their entire group, they certainly had two quite clear targets.

Subaru quickly took Emilia in a princess bag, and silently conjuring Murak began to jump to the top of the roof of a house.

"Otto, stay away, that thing is after us!" he shouted.

Otto seemed to say something, but neither of them could hear his words as they sped away from him and were followed by the trail of destruction of the invisible hands. They both heard the roar of the dark hands as they broke through the concrete and Emilia, who was in Subaru's arms, was able to glimpse his form thanks to the dust produced by the destruction.

Subaru knew he couldn't stop running. If that thing caught up with us, he knew without a doubt, it would slaughter us. The hands would tear them both alive, tear them limb from limb, break their bones, and probably do even more horrible things to them. So much so was the bloodlust Subaru now felt from the hands in contrast to the first attack by the hands, which seemed to even lack hostility compared to now.

Emilia began to summon a series of multiple quasi-spirits of different elements to try to help Subaru in some way. She conjured walls of ice, earth, and various cuts of air to stop the hands, but there was no end to them. She managed to find ways to make them visible, the number was certainly not encouraging as they numbered several dozen.

Entrusting Emilia with the offensive, Subaru was giving his best running and desperately analyzing the situation, and that's when it hit him:

Judging by the direction of the attack, it is obvious that the main target is Emilia. But he doesn't seem to want to harm her…

Being aware of that, Subaru did not slacken his pace as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, from rooftop to tree, leaping from one place to another in great strides, being propelled not only by his increased physical strength but also by bursts of wind air that Emilia had begun to create to increase the speed of displacement of their weightless bodies.

"That's my Emilia-tan! ", I whispered.

Floating with the wind might have seemed like an effective method of escape if Subaru wanted to flee the city alone with Emilia, but floating in the air was something he thought would attract too much attention. Several figures in black, wearing the unmistakable robes of the cult, were beginning to chase them from the streets and the numbers were increasing.

Fortunately, the cultists' speed was insufficient to catch up with them.

This very improvised form of transportation took them quickly to the city limits, they had left behind the dark hands and the other cult members. The great speed and the advantage they had by moving without any hindrance was what allowed them to outwit them in this way. If they got over the great wall, it would all be over. Outside the huge walls they would flee and start over, their lives would not be in danger, and they would surely overcome whatever came, together.

There's no world in which either of us would do that, thought Subaru, and surely Emilia also shared the same thoughts.

Most likely they would have lured the cult to the city, the nobility in both their souls prevented them from deciding to flee. They could not simply walk away from the problem and let others die because of them, perhaps they could overcome the guilt if they fled together, but it was up to the two of them to stay and fight.

No one forced them and no one asked them to fight something like that. No one in their right mind would do it, and no one would blame them for simply running away. But they decided that they would help save as many lives as possible.

They both arrived at the top of the wall and stopped to analyze the situation from the top. The "common" cult members should not be able to reach them is so high up and if they tried to scale the walls, they would be open to a direct attack by Emilia and Subaru. The only thing that worried them was the entity behind those invisible arms, whose attack range was to some extent uncertain, but the thing proved to have a wide enough range to follow them through a good part of the city.

"We should head to the entrance and see if there's a way to clear it," Subaru said as he pointed in its direction, then looked at Emilia and asked, "Are you sure you can't call Puck?"

Emilia held her pendant for a few moments and squeezed it with some force as she seemed to call out to Puck. "He doesn't wake up… I can feel that Puck is inside the crystal, but it's like he's asleep…" she said.

Subaru felt his cheeks redden with anger, not at Emilia, but Puck.

The slightest problem appears and you abandon us? Fucking hypocritical fucking cat.

Subaru cursed Puck in his mind and prayed the damn cat could hear him this time. Leave Emilia to her fate just because of a fight between father and daughter?

It was the most dangerous situation they could have encountered so far, and their power was needed more than ever. Where is the mighty Great Spirit now?

"Anyway we should go," Subaru said, stifling his anger as he took Emilia's hand and gave it a light squeeze, reminding her that he would protect her "at the very least we need to secure an escape route for the civilians."

That was all Subaru was willing to do after confirming Puck's uselessness. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Puck was the best option to protect Emilia if we were talking about combat strength alone. His absence reduced the pair's total strength by 50% or even more.

It was madness to challenge in these conditions, if the Great Spirit Puck was there the matter would be different. But things were not so convenient, and Subaru would not risk Emilia facing an enemy with unknown abilities while she is more unprotected than ever without Puck. Emilia shared similar feelings to Subaru, she couldn't protect him as she would have wished if Puck wasn't by her side, and she had no intentions of losing the person most important to her. Emilia shook her head and chided herself for being so weak. Now was not the time to make excuses, Emilia would protect him because she was sure he would protect her in the same way.

They both set off and began to run over the walls, they quickly passed several control towers that were connected to the walls and were higher than the walls, all of them were uninhabited, the guards slaughtered and the flags of the kingdom burned. The enemy was relentless, but none of them could understand how the towers ended up in that state as if a monster had attacked them from the skies.

They moved fast as they ran, but the entrance was still some distance away and the further they went, the more they realized the scale of destruction that had swept through the city. They could not help but look down on the chaos from above. They painfully contemplated how the horror remained there among the bloodied streets and burning buildings. They could hear screams echoing from afar, they did not understand the meaning of the words, but they were screaming full of pain, possibly from people who were injured or carrying a lot of anguish over someone's death. The two-bit their lips at their inability to help, it was frustrating, but there were priorities, and they would save more people if they could establish a solid means of escape. That didn't make it any less distressing.

They arrived near one of the main entrances to the city, the entrance was surrounded by 2 towers from end to end of the gate. There did not seem to be an enemy waiting. The whole place was awash in a silence resulting from what was a carnage of civilians and guards, the entrance.

Subaru was able to recognize one of the guards as he looked down from the top of the wall at the huge pool of blood on the ground. Not realizing that his eyesight had somehow improved he could only apologize in mind, he was completely disconnected from the world as his mind was beginning to fill with remorse as he saw the result of his actions. The kind man who had opened the gates for them when they first arrived was another victim of the misfortune he had brought to this city. The old guard's body had been cut in half, the weapon would have to be a large sword to accomplish something like that.

If he had not come, nothing would have happened.

It was neither the time nor the place to get carried away with his feelings.

"It's all my fault…-" "AL HUMA"

Before he realized what was happening. Emilia cut through Subaru's self-deprecating dialogue and conjured a huge ice barrier out of nowhere, covering their surroundings with thick layers of ice.

Subaru was about to ask what he was doing when Emilia jumped on him and knocked him to the ground, covering him with her body.

The ice barrier that Emilia had created exploded.

He closed his eyes still dazed, he heard a shrill howl that almost made his eardrums explode, his body felt how the shards of frozen glass impacted against him. When Subaru opened his eyes he could see how they were still raining around and then:

"Are you all right?" asked Emilia from above him.

Subaru nodded like an idiot as he looked at Emilia's condition, he cursed himself for his stupidity. There was no need for him to ask her, are you all right. It was obvious she wasn't, her body was studded with fragments of her Ice magic. They weren't serious injuries, but he thought she needed medical attention from the lesser spirits.

They both got up, groaning. Subaru was not unharmed, but Emilia had gotten the worst of it, and that was unacceptable. Don't ever do anything like that again. Subaru wanted to yell at her, but it was his fault for letting his guard down while thinking things that should be left for when it was all over.

Subaru stifled the anger he felt at himself for allowing Emilia to get hurt and focused on the fight. "What was that?" he asked.

A shadow crossed over them, and he raised his head in the direction Emilia was looking. He saw huge grayish wings, a gaping mouth under a hooked beak stained with fresh blood.

A feline howl erupted from the wide maw. Each of the bird's gigantic wings had five claws.

A Mabestias?

The large eagle-like bird had a huge horn in the center of its forehead. The thing began to shake its head and flap its wings, causing air currents that would send them flying from the top of that wall.

Damn it. Subaru thought as he covered his face from that storm with the smell of death and other pestilences. He could not devise a way to repel the attack, and the air was getting stronger and stronger. Yin magic didn't have many defensive options, and using Murak to dodge an air attack like that and run away would be just suicide, especially if the enemy's natural territory is the air.

Emilia concluded that it would be best to use her newfound magic. She could feel the enormous magical power inside her body, she wasn't sure to what extent she could control her abilities and she was afraid of hurting Subaru as she had done with that family, but it was the best they had, and she used it.

A wall of ice was created, protecting Subaru and her from attack. At the same time, the bird created a torrent of air, similar to the one that had taken them by surprise, which crashed against the wall and blew up a good part of it. Fragments of ice scattered, but the wall remained standing due to the density of the ice, which was much higher than that of the previous barrier.

The thing landed on the roof of one of the towers overhanging the walls and began to screech again, frustrated by Emilia's annoying magic. The bloodlust the creature emanated rushed at them and nearly paralyzed them.

The thing was undoubtedly the biggest Mabestia they had seen so far.

"Emilia, do you have any plans?" asked Subaru as he noticed that the creature had made Emilia its next target.

Emilia gave him a thumbs up in an "OK" as he had taught her. It was not the time to do that, but it was very reassuring for Subaru, who lacked effective cards against the colossal-sized bird.

The bird lifted its body from its perch, floated upward, flapped its wings once more, arranged its feathers, and swooped toward her. Its scaly limbs extended toward Emilia, sharp talons unsheathed from its horny legs.

As the bird fell towards her at a speed similar to a cannonball, Emilia smiled. She had lived for many years facing the witch beasts of the forest, besides Subaru, who had taught her to be more strategic in her fights. Beasts that had great power were usually foolish and always had a bad habit of blindly charging their prey when they feel they have victory in their hands, and this one had taken the bait, "UL HUMA!"

A huge ice blade formed in front of her, patiently waiting to impact against the creature that was approaching at a high speed. Subaru quickly understood Emilia's strategy and summoned Lena to conjure great magic. "ELVITA!"

The anatomy of birds is generally one that is designed to have the ability to fly and move through the air in the best possible way. To achieve this, these animals are completely dependent on their weight, they need to be light to have such dexterity. Subaru knew this thanks to his knowledge of his ancient world, and so he applied gravity magic that increased the weight of the creature by several hundred kilos. Now it would be impossible for it to escape from Emilia's improvised trap.

The bird's fat appendages filled both their vision, and they could see their futile attempts to avoid colliding with the huge ice beak. The bird hit the tip of the blade, letting out a screech of pain. What neither of them hoped was that it would not die after such an injury.

There was a violent, hard sound, like two stones crashing together. The ice that pierced the beast split, and one of its now heavy claws dug into the floor of the bridge, shattering the concrete with utmost ease. The other claw, gleaming like the blade of a sword, stopped in front of Subaru's face. He had parried the attack with both hands—just barely—a feat that required inhuman strength.

The winged beast used a wing to create a torrent of air that hit Emilia, sending her flying for several meters, hitting and bouncing hard several times in the air.

Subaru didn't have time to wonder how he did it, he was worried about Emilia, but he couldn't afford to go after her. Of course, he didn't have it, he wasn't able to completely stop the claw attack, one of the fingers had managed to touch his abdomen and blood seeped through his clothes in somewhat worrying quantities.

The struggle of strength only lasted a few moments, the difference in strength began to become visible for, Subaru's arms were reaching their limit, being overcome by the claws that were slowly digging into his flesh. He knew that, if he gave in, even a little, this thing would rip and tear him apart like it was nothing. Subaru couldn't win with physical strength alone, and he didn't plan on using only that. "Menya," he shouted, causing multiple stakes to impact against the giant bird's chest, shredding a good portion of its flesh.

That didn't stop the brutality of its attack, the bird was showing incredible tenacity and how determined it was to tear Subaru apart. The creature also started to fight dirty when it tried to decapitate Subaru with its brutal jaw.

Emilia, who had been stunned by the air magic, moved quickly. She caught her breath, choked back a wave of nausea, and looked up at Subaru. She quickly sat up, ignoring the pain of her now more open wounds and conjuring a blade of ice that seemed to be pretending to be a sword, she stepped into the fray. A warm gush of bright red blood fell on Subaru as Emilia cut the claw pressing down on Subaru, along with one of his wings. The blood together with the severed parts—including the claw digging into his abdomen—quickly turned a black sludge with a deeply unpleasant odor.

The bird was writhing in pain, beating its already single wing against the ground, and tried to point its jaws at them again. Emilia was too shocked to see the depth of the wound and the pale complexion of Subaru, who could not react as fast as his lover.

"ELMYNIA" Countless stakes were conjured in the air and impacted against the creature with the speed of bullets from a gun. The bird screeched in pain as a good portion of its body was torn apart by Subaru and Lena's brutal magic.

Subaru fell to his knees, spitting small amounts of blood from his mouth. Emilia held him in her arms before removing his shirt and laying him carefully on the ground, it was necessary to apply immediate treatment to the wounds on his torso.

The bird-like creature simply writhed, taking up the entire width of the bridge and almost falling as it went from side to side, probably not knowing which direction to go due to the pain. The large bird tried to flap It's now had almost non-existent wings but was unable to lift its body off the ground. It didn't have much left, its torso and limbs were completely shattered by Subaru's magic and Emilia's efforts. The animal's shrill, foamy voice little came to an end, after that its body began to convulse and deform until it became a disgusting-looking black sludge.

Of that enormous body, all that remained was the black mud next to the remains of the body of a naked child lying dead, with the same wounds as the beast.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

An hour had passed since their battle with the 'Giant Bird', after precariously treating their wounds they were now literally limping as they walked through a part of the city that was practically deserted, where the only thing to be heard was the mewling of what appeared to be a baby.

It's probably where the attack originated, it's a miracle he survived, thought Subaru. The scene was still one of terror, none of them said many words as they walked over roads littered with corpses, heading next to the infant as fast as they could, and Subaru was about to leave the place when he saw a second bird flying in the distance, probably guarding the other entrance. If it weren't for the baby's cry, he surely would have.

If they encountered any enemy, it would all be over. It was a miracle that they still maintained consciousness after the brutal battle they had. Even if they had a large reserve of MANA and could access the environmental MANA. Their bodies were at their limit.

The best thing to do was to flee.

"… but it's a baby," Emilia said.

"Don't worry, Emilia-tan, we'll get him out of here," he replied. Leaning from Emilia's shoulder.

─And then we will run away, it was not said, but it was clear that they would. There was nothing more they could do. To continue would only be a futile death, and now they had a responsibility to protect the baby's life.

The baby began to wail even louder, a cry that no human being would be able to ignore, both continued to search as they walked and prayed for the welfare of the infant.

The baby's voice was much closer, they were getting closer. He must be across the street at the other corner. In their impatience, they both almost fell over as they quickened their pace, causing their injured muscles to tense.

What awaited them there was a dark green-haired man with a baby in his arms.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

The man had an unhealthy appearance, you could tell he was skin and bone….

He was surrounded by several members of the cult; he had beastly robes, but unlike the others, he left his hideous face uncovered. His cheeks were gaunt; his bones seemed to have the minimum amount of flesh necessary to maintain a humanoid physique. Everything about the man could only be described as bizarre.

The man looked at the duo and let out a small, high-pitched, demented laugh. That voice made both Subaru and Emilia shudder. The rhythm of their bodies had increased, and a sense of panic permeated their bodies.

The baby! The child was not safe in the arms of that thing.

But how would they save him?

As if reading his thoughts, the man smirked, showing all his teeth and giving off a completely misplaced cheerfulness. He lowered his gaze to the creature in his arms and said, "My brain shudders."

The baby's crying had stopped. The air was filled with the sound of creaking bones and other body parts.

The baby simply exploded from her arms, and her remains were tossed aside as if they were useless objects. That was what Emilia saw.

Subaru was able to contemplate the act as it was, he could see how the black hands originated and how the boy's body was completely pulverized by the vile hands, all to be thrown away. The monster's actions were far beyond the understanding of either of them.

Both were simply dumbfounded as they noticed that, like the bird, the baby turned into a black sludge that shaped the pulverized remains of a full-grown woman.

"So, you crazy fucker, did you realize that this lovely lady was right?" Spoke a voice from behind the man. It was a short blonde woman, dressed ridiculously provocatively and speaking in the same vulgar manner as in the transmission. It was undoubtedly Capella Emerada Lugunica. "I will take me to the sack of flesh who has the divine protection of the soul language as we agreed. This lovely lady must educate him properly… Meow?"

Those words made a cold sweat run down Subaru's back. But in those moments, he allowed the monsters to continue their conversation. They could not be reckless in their current state.

"… What a wonderful gift, the test has already been initiated, I was so lazy," whispered the madman as he knelt. "A sin factor has already taken root."

"I don't care about any of that, I helped you with your pathetic trick to lure the silver-haired whore, now give me the merchant," Capella spat.

"What are you two talking about?" Subaru interrupted the conversation. "What do you want from us…and Otto?"

Capella looked at him for a moment, running her gaze up and down Subaru's body, licked her lips, and said: "I don't care what this madman wants with you, I'm only interested in recruiting a new son. "The woman then looked at Emilia, who was crying over the baby's death, lamenting her helplessness.

"You meat bags are pathetically stupid and predictable. Did you think a baby would survive while crying at the top of its lungs?" The woman paused before staring at the two of them and making a disgusted expression. "How could they be such morons? You don't have to be very smart to realize how unlikely the situation was. The children were the first to become ground meat! "

The scene before them both now was completely bizarre, Capella began to change into multiple forms; a boy, a girl, an old lady, a kitten, a pigeon, and then back to her original form. "You are all so shallow that you even provoke this lovely lady's nausea. You imbecilic trash who only feels sorry for others because of how they look. If I had turned him into an insect, would you shed any tears? Pure hypocrisy and superficiality just spoil the mood. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha."

The green-haired monster was crying tears of blood as he pulled his hair out of his head and repeated incoherently, "You have prepared such a vessel for us, oh my beloved witch, forgive my laziness for being so slow."

Capella on the other hand was making an expression of utter disgust towards everyone present, including his ally. 'Don't put me together with this madman,' was what his face wanted to say.

"What the hell is this…," Subaru whispered.

Capella looked at him impatiently. "Can't you even think? Look at the situation and accept the facts. They fell right into our trap! 'Oh, I hear an abandoned baby crying, I must save it, take care of it and maybe even adopt it.' Such stupidities are what this lovely lady cannot tolerate. Hypocrites and imbeciles are undoubtedly inferior people. "

Emilia looked up, and her eyes gave off a deep hatred. She almost trembled with anger but managed to restrain herself before looking at the 'boy' and turning to Capella.

"You turned him into that?" asked Emilia. "You turned him into a child and let him die…to trap us?"

Capella seemed to hum something amused and then pointed her index finger in the direction where a group of cultists is standing… along with an Otto in a terrible state.

His face was bruised, his eye swollen and bruised. No doubt he had been tortured with blows, probably to locate both of them….

"It was to have him," Capella term.

Emilia stood up to face the archbishops and said: "Subaru, take care of Otto-Kun". Those words admitted no buts, he understood.

After saying that, the huge magic he had been preparing was released.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Multiple arms with invisible hands wrapped around the man to protect him from brutal icicles that were approaching with a speed and force great enough to make him flesh and blood. To Emilia's frustration, the madman's defense proved to be very effective.

Capella on the other hand was brutally impaled, with her flesh being frozen as she received multiple ice impacts that tore her body apart.

"I'm sorry, but it's impossible to kill this lovely lady, I'm immortal."

'Murak' Subaru was able to move a little more agile thanks to the gravity spell. His body was still weak, but that didn't stop him from counterattacking with magic. "ELMYNIA!"

Forty magic stakes were directed against the cult members, being careful not to catch Otto, who was next to them, unconscious. The speed of Subaru's attack was much faster than before due to Lena's evolution, and it was very effective because of that. The cultists' bodies were easily impaled; their bodies exploded, being crystallized, leaving those who survived with mortal and irreparable injury.

Unfortunately for Emilia, it didn't go so well; while she was overcome by the strange qualities of the cult leaders, she could sense Puck trying to get out of the collar, her current state was not the best to fight alongside him, but even if it wasn't, she doubted she could win even with Puck's help.

"Do you not realize that the test has already taken place- DESU? My actions and those of my believers have been rewarded with salvation! You must now face your destiny and the other sins, you must not only just accept PRIDE, but you must also let the Witch Factors take root in your body. You are fulfilling all expectations!"

Emilia did not understand the madman's words, nor did she seek to understand them. The repellent actions of the archbishops had proved that they could never coexist. Right now, she was being dominated by a rage that almost consumed her alive.

"EL-HUMA" Multiple ice icicles, large and thick, were directed against the man at a speed far greater than he was normally able to do even with the help of Puck. The speed was similar to Subaru's Menya attacks, but the strength was far superior, being able to tear his opponents apart with the force of the impact alone.

The madness in that man's bloodshot eyes increased, as impossible as it seemed. "My brain shudders… Authority of Sloth: HIDDEN HAND."

The HIDDEN HANDS tried to repel the attack, but this time they underestimated Emilia's magic and power. The icicles pierced the 'flesh' of the hands and managed to impact against the madman. Her authority had managed to repel most of the attack, but could not prevent some icicles from piercing his torso and freezing his flesh.

"LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! In front of this LOVE. In the face of this BLISS. In the face of this HAPPINESS. In the face of this destiny. NOTHING MATTERS!"

The madman only let out a sigh of admiration as he looked at Emilia, licking her with his eyes. He didn't try to harm her in the slightest, only defended himself from her attack while directing applause and compliments to Emilia. "What was the gift that boy shared with you? He is one of the chosen ones, the love he gives off is one that even makes me feel ENVY… It's disgusting! "

The madman looked at Subaru with a mixture of respect, affection, hatred, and obvious envy. "I can't help but feel angry at how he dared to see my authority before, that's my gift! But your actions have earned forgiveness, along with my deep respect. Ahhh! Such diligence, such faithfulness, should be rewarded… Though, it's a bit rude of you to ignore me. "

The madman opened his eyes and began to act with a kind of gesture of macabre theatricality. "I've been very rude, I understand! Let me introduce myself. Archbishop Sin of the witch-cult, representing SLOTH Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti!" The man bowed in a pseudo-polite gesture as he said his name. "Let's get on with the test!"

"Shut up, you nut!" Puck's voice echoed throughout the place. Petelgeuse looked up over Emilia, eyeing Puck curiously.

Lust ignored them completely, Subaru and Emilia were not interested in the least, she went to where Otto and Subaru were, determined to take back what was hers.

"Just try to do anything to my daughter, and you'll be sorry you were born! Absolutely!"

Emilia felt immediate relief that Puck was there, their combined fighting strength would allow them a greater chance of victory, or at least they could make a break for escape.

"Puck, can you get Emilia out of here?" asked Subaru. "I can distract him with Shamac and…"

"It's useless… it's in these moments that I can't… Get Lia out of here, Subaru! An archbishop sinned in an ABSOLUTE NO. If the test starts with her… She's just a child! She's not ready… She's my daughter!"

A desperate panic seized Puck as he whirled from side to side while seeming to remember something that provoked an impotent rage.

"This is not what you said ─ECHIDNAAA!"

Puck's voice boomed loudly with a mixture of panic and hatred. That name made everyone in the place react in some way.

Emilia did not know the name but felt familiar somehow. Subaru, on the other hand, felt disgusted. Petelgeuse's expression changed to one of utter contempt, and Capella showed an expression of interest.

Taking advantage of Capella's confusion, Subaru took Otto's now weightless body and used his new superhuman strength to quickly float to where Puck and Emilia were. They both landed with a crash, but no one laughed, of course not.

In this situation bathed in bloodlust, no one would, more so when:

"How dare you mention that witch's name at a special time like this!" Said the green-haired monster. "The name of a fallen, filth-filled witch like that, enemy of Satella… I WILL KILL YOU!"

"Puck!" shouted Subaru as he saw the madman start to attack him.

The invisible hands moved towards the feline with all hostile intentions. Sloth's damaged body began to deform strangely, but it did not stop the attack from continuing.

Puck simply trembled, as if unable to do anything to stop it. Aware of this, Emilia created a huge wall of Ice that separated them momentarily from the archbishops.

Unfortunately, none of those present were in a position to make a run for it.

Puck looked at Subaru, then opened his eyes wide and said, "I remember you."

"What─?"

"Bound to this useless thing. All the covenants, contracts, and oaths are useless now… useless ties that are useless to protect my daughter. I will do it."

'What is Puck talking about,' those present wondered.

Emilia didn't know why she wasn't defending herself, but her mind was in chaos at the sight of that green-haired man. She had never seen that person before… Why then was there something familiar about him?"

Emilia felt that something had just broken from one of her pockets. She quickly pulled it out and noticed it.

"This is goodbye, Lia."

Puck floated up to her, lowered himself to her level, and touched her hands; her hands trembled as she looked at the broken glass where her father lived.

"The crystal… W-Why?"

"I… I broke into confinement, there is no time. You must escape before the embargoes finish me off."

Emilia's eyes fluttered with confusion at Puck's actions. And as he looked at her, her expression suddenly changed to that of someone watching a loved one.

"It's impossible for us to get back together…I'm sorry things ended up like this between us."

Whimpering like a child, big tears welled up in Emilia's eyes. Puck's long tail wiped away her tears, and his lips were placed on the point of his daughter's nose, who was crying.

"Be a good girl and listen to me now. I'm sending all 3 of you to mother's mansion. Betty should be there too… If you need to trust someone there, trust Betty. She will have to agree to this request. Although that being said, I think it's very unfair to ask that of her knowing that she'll have to accept it. "

The world was torn apart and a black hole appeared. "─Subaru, I charge you my dearest worship in the world, do not trust Roswaal."

"What─"

All three were sucked in before any more questions could be asked. Puck gave a long sigh and spoke through the hole. "I'm sorry to force you into this, Betty. I'll take them over to you."

Puck looked at the two figures, who had already passed through Emilia's obstruction.

"Just sitting there watching in silence… Pretty good manners for some religious nuts, huh."

"Not that it matters much, this lovely lady needs you alive, and acting now would only lead to the death of most of us here. Isn't it natural that you simply choose the most optimal option…but are you one of the 3 legacies left behind by greed?"

Puck didn't answer her question and instead turned to Petelgeuse. "You're going around like a crackpot, but your head is working properly, surprisingly. — Damn scumbag. "

"The test has already begun, even if I perish, the witch factor will take root inside. She will have to face all the tests… But why can that boy have access to my authority? It doesn't make sense that he can see her!"

"No time for explanations—Start it fast and finish it fast. Everything I'll do after that I'll leave to my trusty little sister. "

After saying that, Puck's mass began to expand. A monstrous shape had formed, the whole city that was previously on fire was now falling victim to the deadly cold. The beast of the end had shown its face.

Petelgeuse's gaze became one of absolute hatred, causing multiple hands of gigantic sizes to lunge at Puck as his body reached its limit due to the wounds inflicted by Emilia and her authority. Capella began to take the form of a jet-colored dragon, determined to learn the secrets of immortality that the witch so longed for.

Puck smiled deeply after remembering something funny. He had finally realized what was going on.

"What a dastardly person."

An explosion reverberated through almost the entire region, and then… only silence remained.