Aganau Chapter 8: Unwavering strength
"Mhmm..."
"Have you awakened now?" A familiar female voice spoke out, which at first Subaru couldn't tell who it was though he was aware that his head was laying on something...soft.
'This feels nice...wait a minute.'
He opened his eyes which at first, he saw a light before finally being able to make out who it was. It just happens that he had been resting in Elsa's lap.
"WHAT THE?!"
He jumped up before jumping away from the Bowel hunter's position.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL—WHY?!"
"What? The other you wrote that you wouldn't mind—"
"Of course I mind! I'll only allow lap pillows with Emilia-tan...and Rem. Not with just any women, especially with someone like you!"
As Subaru shouted this, he quickly regained his composure while Elsa just continued to have a 'friendly' smile towards him.
"My My, you look so embarrassed."
"I-I'm not! Anyway, where are we?" Subaru paused himself as he asked this question, trying to remember the last things that happened before ending up in Elsa's lap pillow.
'Wait...of course! That moron!' Subaru hit his head as he thought of this, remembering that his older self had knocked him out. 'What the hell's he thinking?! Damn.'
"What the hell is he thinking?" Subaru said out loud, hoping that the Bowel Hunter would respond to his question. Elsa looked at the boy and just remained silent, prompting Subaru to question her.
"Why exactly are we here?"
"The other you wanted to split the group up, similar to your plan but in his own way."
"Of course." The boy said this as he face-palmed, figuring that his older self wanted to be the one to confront Sloth and Greed on his own.
Before he could say anything, he along with Patrasche and Elsa noticed a couple of trees suddenly exploding off in the distance.
"The enemy is approaching us."
"...It must be Regulus. He'll be a tough one to kill."
"Yes, but you mentioned that finding the wives nearby is the key to beating him. How are they connected with him."
Subaru looks at Elsa, having heard her question. This gave him an odd sense of déjà vu.
("That bastard always has his wives nearby. They are the key in killing this annoying shit." Pride spoke to the Bowel Hunter, emphasizing the importance of finding the Sin Archbishop of Greed's wives.)
"That bastard always has his wives nearby. They are the key in beating him." Subaru said in a confident way to the Bowel Hunter, emphasizing the importance of finding Regulus's wives.
Elsa didn't get a real response yet seeing the determination and confidence in the boy's eyes, she was willing to put some trust in this plan.
The three turned towards Regulus's location, watching how he was closing in on them.
"He isn't someone to take lightly. Go and find those wives of his. I'll keep him occupied."
Elsa just gave a smile to Subaru before leaving off to do her part, finding the wives of the Sin Archbishop.
Patrasche approached Subaru, ready to protect the young version of her owner.
The boy turned towards the ground dragon and couldn't help but smile at her, always finding comfort that he can definitely rely on her.
"Hold on Patrasche, I'll need your help with something."
He quickly whispered something into the ground dragon's ear, having an idea should he need to get out of the area.
Patrasche understood this and nodded before going into hiding, awaiting the signal.
As she went to hide, Natsuki Subaru waited until Regulus Corneas finally cleared a path to him.
"There you are, boy. You really must feel confident if you chose to meet your executioner face to face. That could be seen as bravery for some, stubborn for others, and very foolish for most. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I dislike you." Subaru said in a serious tone, hating Regulus regardless if he wasn't the one from his world. "You are a narcissist of the highest order. I'll make sure that you learn what it means to lose."
"To lose? You really are disrespectful. You disrespect my rights as a human! You deserve to die but before I kill your very insignificant life, you must tell me why you hold the Greed Witch factor as well? Disrespecting my rights as the true holder of the authority and using such an inferior copy! Some might call it flattery, I call it disrespect towards my will!"
Natsuki Subaru felt confident prior to this encounter and even now he's confident since he knew that Regulus wouldn't kill him out of nowhere since he was holding onto another Greed Witch Factor, something that shouldn't be possible.
Even if it was a gamble, he was still confident that he could overcome this threat.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
As Subaru said this, he was barely able to avoid Regulus's attack.
'Shit!'
As Subaru was trying to keep his balance, he noticed that the attack was aimed for his arm to rip it clean off.
'That was close!'
Regulus looked infuriated with the boy, for both having disrespected him and for not having lost his arm as was his will.
This makes him even more mad and he was about to kill him yet he managed to remember the reason why this worm wasn't outright dead in the first place.
"That's your only warning. This is more than you deserve at all, you imperfect scum. You should grovel to your pathetic knees and beg for forgiveness if you even wish to stay alive after this. I have no use for irrational people who only care for breaking other people's rights."
"Yeah Yeah, blah blah blah. Man, I honestly hate talking to you."
Regulus remained silent as he prepared to attack the boy once again, not tolerating this shit talking from him anymore.
Subaru knew this was going to happen, prompting him to shout,
"Patrasche! Now!"
As Subaru shouted this, Regulus paused for a second as he was trying to see what the boy was up to.
He had his guard up but before he could protect himself, the ground dragon was able to land a hit on the Sin Archbishop of Greed.
Regulus was sent flying a few feet away, giving the ground dragon a chance to approach Subaru.
The boy quickly got on the ground dragon's back before starting to guide her towards some random location in the forest, away from where Elsa had gone off to.
"Good work Patrasche!"
Patrasche roared with satisfaction, responding back to Subaru's compliment.
Subaru looked back to see that a few trees behind them were starting to explode, prompting him to guide Patrasche away from the attack.
'Man, I really did manage to piss him off...feels satisfying.'
As Subaru thought this, he quickly used Cor Leonis to check on his friends, not having used it in a while as well as wanting to make sure the others are alright...which also include his older counterpart.
As he was doing this, he could sense Beatrice and Felix nearby just like they had discussed where they should be.
Knowing that they're alright and haven't gotten into trouble, he felt calm.
He then tried to search for Al and Old Man Rom only to see that he couldn't sense them.
'...where are they?'
This worried him since Old Man Rom was dragged into this fight by them and Al is only here fighting because he's here.
He was worried for a moment before remembering that they could possibly be out of his authority's range.
'Hopefully that's the case...now for that moron.'
Subaru tried to look for himself, knowing that this is a first since he had never really had this opportunity to have a version of him as an ally.
The previous one was an ally of sorts but not one of battle.
As for the other two...it was not worth thinking back on them.
Just before he could even confirm that he's alive or out of range, he felt a strong power bypass him, cutting a few pieces of his hair.
This forced Subaru to stop using his greed authority and to turn back, seeing that Regulus is trying to kill him at range despite the distance between them being immense at this point.
'That annoying piece of...okay, seems like I'll just have to trust that he hasn't gotten himself killed...'
Subaru turned forward as he decided that his best chance is for Elsa to find Regulus's wives, knowing that he needs to find the right one that'll help him beat Greed once again.
Older Subaru ran through the forest, having remembered the original plan made by his counterpart on where Petelguese should be when he dies permanently.
He did find it odd at first that his young self would choose this specific location yet knowing that he had beaten Sloth before, he went along with this part of the plan.
He managed to avoid a couple of unseen hands and a few trees thrown towards his direction.
"Is that the best you got? I expected better, Sloth! Then again, you are pretty slothful in killing me."
"AHHH!"
Petelguese was enraged by that comment being used on him. Older Subaru smiled at this, enjoying that his enemy was angry.
He continued to run until reaching the bottom of the cliff...the same one he had died to save Rem's life many years ago.
It may have been so long since that death had occurred, but it was one he wouldn't forget since he made the choice to waste a life he had managed to preserve in order to reunite the oni sisters.
It was a memory that he hadn't thought of in so long. As he reached the dead end, he stopped on his tracks which allowed the Sin Archbishop of Sloth to catch up.
'Hm...Being here...brings back some good memories.'
As Older Subaru thought this, he began to have some good memories, especially those of Rem.
How the two with some of Ram's assistance managed to make mayo, a few times she had tutored him in learning the language of this world, and even the one time he had dressed himself as Roswaal.
Not a very smart choice but he had fun so long as Rem was with him.
While these thoughts and memories were running in his mind, he turned around as he noticed Petelguese standing there, not having tried to attack him while his guard was down.
"What is this place...?" Petelguese questioned as he had his unseen hands ready for anything.
"It's a place where my time ended." Older Subaru said, finding this line oddly appropriate for this moment.
"If YOUR goal was to lead me out here, what have you prepared for me?"
Older Subaru smiled as his goal was to keep him in one singular location.
Although the spirit part would be the annoying part, he's confident that with his next move he should be able to prevent him from even trying that trick.
"This time, I'll make sure to kill you, Petelguese."
As Older Subaru said this, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth sensed two presences trying to attack him from opposite sides.
On his left was the one armed warrior while on the other side was a giant with a large spiked club.
Using the unseen hands, he attacked the two with Al managing to dodge each attack while Old Man Rom was unfortunate enough to have gotten hit by a couple of them.
Older Subaru smiled as he charged towards Petelguese with the Life Sword in hand, confident that he could kill the Sin Archbishop for good this time.
'After twenty years of chasing you...after twenty years of roaming around and doing all kinds of shit after having killed Rem, now I'll have my chance at avenging her. And this time no bullshit of spirit hopping will save you.'
Just before Older Subaru was able to stab the witch cultist, Petelguese shouted the words Ul Dona which caused the ground to create a protective dome around him, avoiding Older Subaru's attack.
"Shit!"
"Haha! You are still slo~thful!"
"Mmm!"
He hated that phrase, reminding him of Rem's death each time it was said, even if he was the one to say it.
He turned towards Al's direction to tell his ally to get away from the earth dome Petelguese had made, suspecting that the Sin Archbishop was preparing for a counterattack.
"Shamak!"
Not wanting to give Petelguese any sort of advantage, he covered the entire area with a dark mist.
Just as this happened, Older Subaru and Al managed to gain a good distance to avoid the attack from Petelguese's authority.
"Good call, bro."
Older Subaru nodded at Al before turning towards Old Man Rom, wanting to see how the giant was holding up.
As he turned towards his right side, he saw the giant get back up and slowly start approaching Petelguese's direction.
"Careful Rom, this guy has an ability to attack with unseen hands."
"That would've been nice to know...I'm going to charge you for that."
"What?! Why?!" Older Subaru shouted with annoyance, finding it preposterous that he's being charged for something so trivial.
"You withheld crucial information that could've gotten me killed."
"I told you not to just charge—you know what? Forget it. We can discuss about this after we all survive." As Older Subaru shifted the conversation back into the fight, he watched as Al charged at Petelguese, being the closest out of the group to reach the Sin Archbishop.
As he was closing in, he was able to avoid being hit by the unseen hands before throwing a swift strike on his opponent.
Petelguese felt the hit and yet wasn't fazed by it, feeling that it wasn't deep enough to prompt any concern on his part.
"I won't be beaten by someone with a missing limb~DESU!"
"That's...uncalled for." Al said as he noted Petelguese mentioning his missing arm.
He charged in once again though the unseen hands were becoming more difficult to dodge even with his authority keeping him alive.
'Is he...reading my movements?'
Al questioned this, finding it absurd at first since his ability allows him to make a choice that'll keep him alive but the closer he got to the Sin Archbishop, the more he started to see that his opponent was no joke.
Similar to his fight with Regulus a few days ago, he is once again experiencing what it's like to be facing down a Sin Archbishop.
Greed was the most dangerous of the two since there seems to be no realistic way he can kill him while with Sloth, there's a chance.
He continued to push through and just as he managed to close the gap, Petelguese smiled as he landed an uppercut on the one armed warrior, having created an unseen hand right before Al's sword managed to hit his neck.
"A feeble attempt but you do not carry her love like I do~DESU!"
'Her...love?'
Al was caught off guard by that comment, not certain what exactly the crazy Sin Archbishop was even spouting though he shouldn't be surprised either.
The Witch Cultists are all insane, meaning anything they say shouldn't be taken seriously.
As this ran on his mind, he was sent flying a few feet away.
Old Man Rom observed the fight between Al and Petelguese Romanee-Conti, seeing that this fight's a bit too much for him.
He's had his fair share of fights...but a Sin Archbishop like Petelguese might be more than he can chew...even then he wasn't going to back down either.
He looked at his surroundings and noticed a few boulders laying around.
Despite his age, he still had some strength to throw these boulders towards their opponent.
As he started to do this, Petelguese looked at the giant, viewing him to be the weakest link of the three.
This allowed him to see who he should target first, wanting to make sure that Older Natsuki Subaru suffers the loss of his allies before finally ending his life this time.
Older Subaru was able to see what Sloth was trying to do, prompting him to use everything he had in him to reach his opponent before he killed Rom.
"Oh no you don't! I won't let you hurt him!"
Older Subaru swiftly sliced a few of the unseen hands that were on his path while dodging the others in an attempt to reach Petelguese.
As he was closing in, he was having flashbacks to that fateful day...the day he lost Rem.
He remembered what Petelguese and his witch cultists had done to Arlem village, the villagers, the children, Petra, Rem, Ram, and a vague idea of what had happened to Emilia.
This was on the previous loop, in his current and longest loop, he witnessed a ground dragon be killed by the witch cultists while also witnessing Rem being brutally mutilated before dying on his arms.
("Live...Love...You...")
"Tsk."
Those words for twenty years have been running on his mind, keeping him from being killed by any obstacle in his way.
'I'll avenge you Rem. This is my only chance! Nobody will die except this bastard...and his ally. All those fucking psychopaths will be killed!'
"I believe in you, Subaru-kun."
Rem's words, even if it was from his illusion of Rem, had not only motivated him to move faster but also prompted him to use the same trick he did the first time on Petelguese with his prosthetic arm.
The prosthesis bent from the wrist and the resistance popped out with a roaring explosion.
This noise caught Petelguese's attention, remembering how this trick had killed his previous body.
He used the unseen hands to protect himself while also closing in with other unseen hands on Rom's location, using those to destroy any boulders thrown towards his direction.
As Petelguese attempted to protect himself with this, Older Subaru's attack was able to go through the unseen hands which forced Sloth to move out of the way.
As he did this, Older Subaru's attack was able to land on the Sin Archbishop's left arm, slicing it clean off.
This disrupted him enough to allow Rom to avoid getting grabbed by the unseen hands.
As he avoided them, he used his spiked club to smash the unseen hands, having a vague idea of where they were after throwing the last boulder and watching it explode on impact in the air.
Petelguese saw this and was angered by it, allowing Older Subaru to feel satisfied.
"How do you like that?!" Older Subaru shouted, seeing that he managed to do damage to the Sin Archbishop while also making him angry.
Petelguese was indeed angered by this, seeing that he's not passing the trial of love he had been put by the one he worships...in his mind at least.
He takes a moment to calm himself before responding to Older Subaru's taunting question with a threatening voice:
"If this is all you can do...then you shall perish! Authority of Sloth~DESU!"
A large number of unseen hands were created from his backside, wanting to overwhelm his opponent while also ignoring the pain of having lost his arm.
Older Subaru saw this and couldn't help but feel annoyed that his attack doesn't seem to faze his opponent.
"Don't look like that bro, you don't want to show your enemy that you are annoyed."
Older Subaru turned towards his right side to see that Al had returned to the fight after having taken a strong uppercut.
"You still good to fight?" Older Subaru asked, both in concern for his ally but also for the reason that he doesn't want anyone holding him back in this fight.
Al just looked at him for a moment before giving a nod as a response.
Older Subaru just took this at face value before turning towards Petelguese.
His entire body feeling both anger and fear at the same time.
Fear since he knows he's literally facing death itself but also anger as his hatred for the Sin Archbishop of Sloth grows more and more with each second he's still alive.
Him and Al stood standing side by side before charging straight towards Petelguese's attack.
("So, what's the plan?" Al asked, knowing full well that this version of Natsuki Subaru wasn't going to go through with the young Natsuki Subaru's plan, at least not one hundred percent.)
("...I'll have to rely on your strength." Older Subaru said silently.)
("Mine?" Al spoke with a surprised tone, "I'm surprised you are even asking for assistance.")
("I'm not dumb. I know I need people and their strength to win against this bastard...it's just that I trust you with this plan.")
Older Subaru and Al worked together to eliminate a combined amount of unseen hands thrown to them by their shared opponent.
As they were able to eliminate a good number of them together, they were slowly becoming overwhelmed.
Older Subaru knew that even if he used Shamak, it wouldn't change the situation they are in regarding the large amount of unseen hands Petelguese was creating.
As well as the fact that he isn't sure if Al could even navigate in the dark mist of his yin magic ability.
Either way, the two were losing ground and what eventually got them to lose their advantage was when one of the attacks was heading straight for Al's direction.
He had been using his ability multiple times to avoid this specific attack but for him, he was stuck in it until Older Subaru shoved him out of the way.
Just as he did this, his right arm had suddenly been chopped off by the unseen hand's brute force attack.
"hk!"
Older Subaru was lucky to still be holding the Life Sword in his prosthetic arm...though having lost another arm hurt like hell.
'I-I'm going to fucking kill him for this...!'
With determination, he gained his composure as he charged at Petelguese one last time, seeing this as the last possible chance of killing the Sin Archbishop since he was losing blood fast.
("Nyow better not die." Felix said as they were all splitting up.)
("I won't. Not until that bastard's dead.")
("...I'll hold nyow to that. If nyow die, I'll never forgive nyow." Felix spoke in a sharp tone before walking alongside Beatrice towards their designated spot.)
Older Subaru remembered these words told by the catboy, annoying him since that's also something Rem would've wanted, for him to survive the encounter with Sloth.
Petelguese smiled as he saw that he was about to end Older Natsuki Subaru's life.
"You were very slothful to the very end~DESU! Now! For my trial to end! For the sake of my love!"
"You're the one who's finished here!"
Just as both were about to clash for one last time, an unknown force comes in and not only saves Older Subaru from the unseen hands but also manages to move him away from Sloth.
Older Subaru was confused since he wasn't sure who exactly was the one to interrupt the fight.
"What the—?"
"Seems like I've arrived in time to help you."
"Wait, that voice...your..."
"It's been a while, Natsuki Subaru." An elegant voice said.
"No fucking way..."
Subaru and Patrasche both manage to reach Beatrice and Felix's location after being confident that they are far away from Regulus.
Felix looked up at Natsuki Subaru, happy that the boy was alive while Beatrice remained with her usual expressionless face.
"What's the situation?" The catboy asked.
"Regulus is on our tail. We have to start our part of the plan of eliminating the Sin Archbishop of Greed."
"Does that mean the other you is facing the Sin Archbishop of Sloth?" Felix asked with his arms crossed.
"...yeah, he's taking care of that madman. He should be fine. Anyway, let's focus on the main task at hand." Subaru got off Patrasche as he looked at both Beatrice and Felix in a serious expression. "You two get on Patrasche. I'll keep Greed busy."
"Let me ask nyow this." Felix spoke, curious on one thing about younger Subaru's plan. "Do nyow believe nyow can stall for time? Nyow don't know if they'll arrive."
Subaru paused for a moment, understanding the concern Felix had in regards to this portion of their side of the plan.
Since this part does require their allies that he had written to in the form of notes that he had given to Elsa and Felix and had them deliver to their intended recipients he would need to be careful. If they don't arrive, then he must depend on Felix, Elsa, and Beatrice to do their part.
"Even if they don't come, you two have a big role to play."
"Do you seriously believe that you'll survive this encounter on your own, I suppose?" Beatrice asked, wanting to know just how arrogant this Subaru was.
Subaru noticed the question and at first he viewed it as Beatrice not trusting him yet the more he thought on the manner she asked, the more he started to see that she was worried for him.
He smiled at the loli girl while giving a thumbs up.
"Don't worry, I'll survive this. Not because I'm capable of doing so but because I have to."
'For the sake of Emilia-tan, Beako, Rem, Ram, Garfiel, Reinhard, Otto, Petra, Frederica, Meili, and even Julius.'
Subaru thought about those from his world but also those from the other worlds; those affected by the Sin Archbishop of Pride's actions, those affected by the Purge King, and the family the previous Natsuki Subaru has with Natsuki Rem.
Beatrice just remained silent as she had help getting on Patrasche's back with Felix. Before they had gone off, Felix just had one thing to tell this Natsuki Subaru:
"Don't die."
"...I won't."
As Subaru said this in a calm yet determined voice, Felix nodded with a small smile on his face, feeling some comfort knowing that this Subaru won't actively be trying to get himself killed.
Once Felix and Beatrice had left with Patrasche to go find Elsa, Natsuki Subaru turned towards the direction Regulus Corneas was coming from, hearing the destruction of trees getting louder and louder.
Natsuki Subaru waited for a moment before once again being face to face with Regulus Corneas, The Sin Archbishop of Greed.
"Seems like you caught up." Subaru said, having pulled out his whip at this point. The Sin Archbishop of Greed noticed this, prompting him to say:
"Do you believe this'll save you from the certain death I'll be delivering to you? Do you think you are someone important that can stand up to me, an Archbishop of the Witch's Cult?! Who the hell do you think you are?! Huh? Answer me, peasant! Or shall you keep violating my human rights?"
"..."
Subaru remained silent as he slowly pointed his finger towards the heavens, his classic pose.
As he was in this pose, Regulus gave him a look of surprise for a few seconds, not expecting this as a response before looking disgusted.
Subaru didn't care for the disgusted look Greed was giving him since this pose was more significant to him than the Archbishop will ever understand.
"—My name is Natsuki Subaru! Knight of the silver half elf Emilia! And a Spirit Knight whose spirit is currently in a different dimension." He slowly moved away from his usual pose as he pointed directly at the Sin Archbishop of Greed. "You may think you have the upper hand, but you have no idea what you are in for. I'll—No, we will be the ones to end your damn reign in this world."
Saying those words not only caused him to feel all sorts of determinations but also reminded him of the events of the Water Gate City of Pristella.
("That is some nerve, barging your way into a sacred wedding. Who are you and what gifts have you brought, I wonder? Well?" Regulus spoke angrily and annoyed. Subaru and Reinhard nodded at each other.)
("Natsuki Subaru, a spirit knight whose spirit is currently not present.")
("Reinhard van Astrea of the Sword Saint family." Reinhard took a step forward as he introduced himself all the while Subaru winked at Emilia first before pointing towards Regulus with his expression hardening.)
("I object to this wedding! I'll be taking that bride!")
Subaru felt that was a fond memory, dealing with Regulus in such a way and now he gets to do that for a second time...though without Reinhard by his side.
Regulus stood standing for a moment, remaining silent this entire time, trying to think of what had just occurred.
After a few seconds had passed, his facial expression changed from blank into a more dangerous one, showing off malicious intent.
"You know what, there's no point in learning anything from a worm like you. Constantly disrespecting my rights, acting as the superior Greed authority user and showing no respect. I'm just going to kill you and be done with it. Nobody will miss you."
"You really believe that?" Subaru smugly asked, knowing full well that the sentence Regulus had said was factually incorrect.
Regulus did not care to answer the question, fixated on just killing the boy off with a simple swing of his hand.
Before he even had a chance, a female voice shouted to the Sin Archbishop of Greed:
"Leave him alone!"
Regulus was once again attacked by his right side, only this time it was a strong kick to the side of his head.
This of course sent Greed flying into a nearby tree, destroying it on impact.
Subaru was taken aback since he did not recognize this woman.
She had blonde hair and was wearing a mix of slum and royalty attire.
'Wait...is she—'
"Pardon me, Subaru, for not arriving earlier."
Subaru turned around once he registered who was speaking with him.
"Rein. I knew you would come by and help."
Subaru's smile and positive attitude when saying this hit Reinhard, not expecting to have so much faith in this version of Natsuki Subaru.
Perhaps the version of him in this Natsuki Subaru's world hadn't abandoned him and had managed to help him when he needed help.
Before these thoughts could continue to fester in his mind, the woman shouted at him,
"Get your head out of your ass! This is no time to get all depressed!"
As the woman said this, she slowly approached Subaru.
Subaru himself knew immediately who this person was only because one person would act in such a way with the Sword Saint.
"Felt...you're...all grown u—"
Before Subaru could finish speaking, he received one hell of a kick to the gut from the older Felt, causing him to lose some air.
"...!"
Subaru held his stomach area, he tried to catch his breath.
"Wh-What was...that for...?"
"You moron! You never talk to me at all! You left without even saying goodbye! Hell you refused to see me when I've asked to see you for twenty years and now of all times you speak with me!"
"...Rein, didn't you tell her—?" Subaru gets smacked in the head by Felt, surprising Reinhard and Subaru.
"Of course he did! I know you are some other big bro but still the same big bro. I questioned that moron's sanity and had to see it for myself. Seeing you this young and with your arm still intact was what makes me believe this crazy mess now."
"Then why...hurt me...?" Subaru asked as he was recovering from the injury. Felt was looking like she was about to harm the boy again only to suddenly give him a tight hug.
"Because I missed you, damn it."
Subaru was caught off guard by this, yet he wasn't against it. He understood that she must've been sad that his older counterpart left not only Reinhard but her too.
'...when this is done, I'm kicking my older self's ass.'
He returned the hug, which did make Reinhard a tad bit jealous yet he enjoyed the sight of his friend and the candidate he pledged his life to reuniting in a sense.
The hug lasted for a few more seconds before Felt shoved Subaru back, knowing that they could have a long chat about the situation later since her attack wasn't going to knock out a Sin Archbishop.
She pulled her weapon out as she was ready for a fight. Reinhard and Subaru both got up and looked serious as they stood side by side with Felt, all three of them seeing Regulus Corneas standing back up and slowly approaching them.
"You dare attack me in such a cowardly way! You belittle my rights! The very few things I personally own, yes?!"
"I don't give a fuck about your rights." Felt pointed her weapon at Greed, "You are going to fucking die, not only by me but also by my knight, Reinhard van Astrea, and by my big bro here!"
"Now hold on, I'm speaking. I'm speaking, okay? Isn't it strange to interrupt a man when he's speaking?"
"Pfft. A man? You?" Felt mockingly laughed. "You're not a man. You're just pathetic."
"Don't interrupt me!"
He tried to kill Felt with his authority only for Reinhard to step in and protect his lady.
"You won't harm her. This; I swear on my loyalty as her knight!"
"And who the hell are you to tell me what I can or can't do?!"
"Reinhard van Astrea of the Sword Saint family."
As Reinhard said this proudly for once in over two decades, he prepared himself for a fight with the Sin Archbishop of Greed.