Shattered Kasaneru Chapter 17: Radiance, a re:zero fanfic

Hey everyone. It's been a hot minute since I updated so I figured I should come back with a nice long chapter. So I hope you enjoy this 34k word long ride.

Subaru stared at the sky, his brown eyes gazed at the twisting clouds above. Not a single tear fell from his eyes; they remained as dry as the Augria Sand Dunes. Though even then they still seemed cloudy, and dull. He let them drift closed softly.

The world disappeared from his vision, blocked by his pale eyelids. Subaru remained alone in the darkness for a few moments. While he waited, he looked inwards and searched his heart and his emotions.

He pawed at them with his mind. It didn't take him long to confirm what he already knew. His feelings were dull, subdued, crushed. Subaru was alone behind the darkness of his eyelids, and he had no emotions to accompany him other than guilt.

And regret.

And grief.

There's no reason to keep going. Memories rushed through the dark emptiness of his mind. An azure-haired maid stood opposite him.

"Stand up Subaru-kun." Rem whispered into his mind, but Subaru felt nothing at her words.

Why should I stand up? I'll just fail. No tears came to his closed eyes. No sadness entered his heart, only resignation.

"Heeyyyyyyyy, Subaru." Emilia called in greeting. Once more Subaru's heart remained still, aside from the regret that he felt at those words.

Maybe if I hadn't taken Echidna's hand then she would have passed the trials. Resignation continued to reign supreme as he thought, There really is no point to it anymore, I took her hand, now there is no way for me to succeed. No way to smile. I'm sorry mom.

"Take care." He remembered his mother waving to him as he set off for school for the first time in months.

I'm so sorry mom, but I didn't take care. Anguish pushed into him but he forced it back with his own acceptance. It doesn't matter anymore. There's nothing I can do.

Subaru knees gave out below him; after all, what reason did he have to stand? His knees slammed into the dirt and crunched of grass. His eyes remained closed, his face devoid of expression. He struggled to keep the tears inside.

There's no reason to keep going. Subaru felt a sort of liberation in that thought, but for some reason, tears still pounded at the back of his eyes. I can't smile so it will never turn out okay in the end, and I don't even love the people I want to help. So, why…

To the world, he asked, Why should I get up if I have no reason to?

I wonder how long it will take for me to die, and how long until Satella realizes that bringing me back is pointless.

Subaru had no plan other than to remain in this field until his body wasted away; maybe he would finally die, permanently. I can't do anything while I'm alive so it doesn't-

"Barusu." A stern voice shook Subaru from his thoughts. The boy lifted his eyelids to gaze upon the world once more. When he did so, he saw a pink-haired maid standing before him.

Subaru felt nothing as he looked at her; at least, nothing worth noticing. Nothing that could compare to those hours spent without memories. Those hours spent as the seventeen-year-old boy Natsuki Subaru, and not the six-hundred-thousand year old boy Natsuki Subaru.

Ram stared down at him, as if waiting for something. Her eyes radiated worry, and maybe something else, something warm, but Subaru couldn't understand it. He didn't even notice the worry. There was no point in noticing.

Ram's eyes grew questioning, and their patience drained. "Idiot, I'd at least like a response."

"To what?" Subaru responded with a calm voice. But Ram didn't fall for his calm. She could see and hear the pain hidden deep within Subaru.

Ram withdrew into her mind to think, but not about his question. Instead she was thinking about his eyes, and the look they held. Or lack of a look they normally held.

Ram's red eyes twitched slightly as she searched his face for the resolve that she was familiar with. Her search continued for around five seconds, and with each second the look in her own eyes grew progressively more desperate, and increasingly more terrified.

His eyes were dull, blank. He did not respond to her invasive gaze, which made her face grow downtrodden.

Once another moment had passed, Ram made her final judgement. She felt loss rise in her chest. Along with a paradoxical warmth.

Ram took one last glance into Subaru's eyes. He's given up, hasn't he?

Ram's neck twisted around. Her eyes searched the area that surrounded her and Subaru. Soldiers milled about in the area near them, and the fang of iron was arriving from the road. She turned her head and observed Wilhelm standing behind her.

After her search was complete Ram wrapped her arms around Barusu, and tossed him over her shoulder.

"Ram?" Subaru idly wondered at why Ram had picked him up, though his heart wasn't in his curiosity and his voice didn't seem uncomfortable. When she heard him whisper her name so emptily it felt like a punch to the gut. Though Ram ignored the anxiety and fear in her heart and she stepped away from the battlefield.

One step at a time she walked away carrying him along with her. Subaru's body remained limp as her stiff form continued forward. His eyes were the same. They seemed devoid of all emotion except for something else that infested them. Behind that resigned gaze was a deep anguish.

Her Barusu had given up, and Ram couldn't just stand by and allow him to stay down. She would force him to stand. Force him to continue forward. Force his resolve to awaken, and Ram didn't feel an ounce of guilt. Because she saw a final impression on Subaru's face. He wanted a reason to continue. His desperation radiated from him.

Her Barusu still wanted to continue, and Ram would give him a reason to do so.

A few minutes later Subaru's feet softly touched the ground. Ram had set him onto the ground with a look of distaste, though even he could tell that it was fake. She didn't feel distaste towards him, and he still couldn't understand what that look in her eyes was. Before he could contemplate it more Ram's lips parted.

"Barusu, you've given up, haven't you?" She cut straight to the point with a stern tone.

"No, I just realized that there was no point in continuing." Ram's eyes widened slightly at his wording.

"Why is that? Barusu, why do you think there is no point? Why? What ever gave you that idiotic notion?" Disappointment and irritation slipped into Ram's voice; however, none of it was directed at Subaru himself. He didn't even bother to refute Ram's frustration. Though guilt did rise in him when he saw Ram's eyes, but he crushed his guilt with a thought.

It doesn't matter. And she'll be happier without me anyway. He thought back to the face of Otto as he left the Emilia camp. The merchant's eyes looked mournful, and so full of pain.

Tears formed at the corners of Subaru's own eyes. He tried to push the guilt back with his desire to give up, but he didn't have the resolve anymore. He didn't have the resolve to do anything anymore, even answer Ram who'd been waiting for a response for a while.

"Barusu," Ram's impatience grew, "Why is there no point in continuing? WHY?"

"Because I'll just fail again, and again, and again, and again." He grasped his black hair with his hands. His knees collapsed out from under him. Ram reached down and grabbed his shoulders.

He continued to mutter the word "Again" over and over. The calm look that had once been in his eyes evaporated without a hint of resistance.

Ram pulled Barusu's head into her chest. He didn't notice his head had even moved. Ram felt tears dripping down onto the skirt of her uniform. The oni's heart screamed as she looked down at Subaru. She rubbed his hair softly.

"Why will you fail? How have you failed?" Ram's words seemed to get through to Subaru because he stopped his muttering for a second.

Why will I fail? How did I fail? His thoughts were filled with regret and shame. His fists tightened. Tears rushed down his face once more.

"I failed and I'll fail again, because… because I…" Subaru's face crunched up in pain. "BECAUSE I CAN'T SMILE!" He forced the words out. To anybody who would listen, he doubted anyone would ever care. After all, he couldn't even bring himself to care about anyone.

For a small second, a few tiny thoughts passed through Subaru's mind. There is nobody to listen is there? No one cares. Who would care about me? I'm completely alone. No one could ever lo-

"I've seen you start to smile." A warm voice rose within Subaru's mind, alongside the face of a pink-haired woman. The face and voice were filled with a façade of disgust, though he knew that the owner of those words did not detest him. She felt something towards him. Something he couldn't fully understand. Something he didn't let himself understand.

"Barusu," Ram's voice was soft, yet it sounded so angry. It cut into Subaru's heart. But he could feel the warmth in that name.

"I've seen your lips tilt upward." That warm voice continued. At the edge of Subaru's mind, he noticed something. His heart was beating a little faster than before, but it quickly returned to normal. It shifted so fast that Subaru believed he imagined it.

"That's not why you've given up." The maid's words cut through his sorrow. Striking at his heart. He could feel life from the woman's chest that his head was still resting on.

"On their own, without any input from you." That same voice. It sounded so inviting, even though it seemed to be laced with disappointment.

"But I can't smile…" Subaru tried to defend himself, and his decision. What would getting up achieve what had it ever achieved. It only threw him into the arms of Echidna. "I really can't." Subaru's words sounded hollow, not because he'd given up, but for another reason. One the pink-haired woman figured out instantly.

"That's a lie, Barusu, you could smile. But that's not why you've given up. How could that be the reason, when you look like you so desperately want to keep going?" Ram stroked his hair softly. A soft smile on her face, warmth suffused her.

I can smile. Subaru admitted to himself. If I stood up, and if I walked far enough then I could smile, but… A sob escaped Subaru. I have- I have- have- I have no reason to smile. Subaru's entire body went limp. His thighs which had been vertical now dropped. His knees bent. His hamstrings touched his calves.

Ram lowered her elbows and continued to softly rub his hair. She could tell that Subaru was thinking and she knew that now was the worst time to interrupt him.

"I can't smile because I have no reason to. I have no reason to stand, no reason to smile, no reason to fight… I don't have a reason… I want to keep going, but there's nothing for me to keep going for…" His words tapered off, and he kept sobbing.

I don't love Rem or Emilia, and Beako won't accept me no matter what I do. So there is no reason to move forward. No one to smile for.

"I know…" That same warm voice spoke into his mind. Subaru felt heat rise in his chest. His heart began to beat faster.

Ram moved her arms so they went from being around Subaru's neck to grasping his shoulders. She lowered her face till it was in front of his. Light danced in Ram's eyes, and they seemed to glow.

Subaru stared into her deep red eyes, and he knew that there was something in his chest. His heart was pulsing with something.

"Barusu…" That voice. A voice that had come from the woman who now stood in front of him.

Ram's face moved forward. Fondness radiated from the oni. Subaru remained still, paralyzed.

Ram's lips came into contact with his own.

"I'll make you smile." A soft voice whispered into his mind. He remembered two loops ago when Ram stood above him her eyes so soft, so warm, maybe even, loving.

Subaru's heart stirred. Do I love Ram? He reached deep into his own mind in an attempt to discern his emotions. As he evaluated them he realized with disappointment that his feelings were nowhere near as strong as they had been when Ley had taken his memories. But… the feelings he'd had… they were…

They were still there. A flower had grown in Subaru's chest. It was only a bud right now, but maybe if Subaru stood up, maybe if he moved forward then these feelings would bloom.

Ram. His heart skittered as he thought of her. Subaru pushed back against Ram's lips meeting her kiss.

For a single moment the two seemed to melt into each other. Ram wrapped her arms around his neck, and as the sensation of Ram's lips on his own continued, Subaru had a single thought.

Is this a good enough reason to continue? If this continued on could I… smile? Could I move forward and take on their suffering? Or is that the wrong thing to do?

Ram's frame pressed up against Subaru as she sunk into the embrace. If that's the wrong method, then can I find the right one? Subaru asked himself. Strangely that worry didn't plague Subaru for much longer. He wrapped his arms around Ram and replaced his worry with conviction.

I don't love you, Ram, but I want to. I will fall in love with you, Ram. And maybe that's enough of a reason to continue even if I start out on the wrong path. I have a reason to find the right one.

Once this moment shifted into the next Ram pulled back. Her lips left his with a soft sound.

Ram's eyes seemed to radiate a bright light. Her lips were tilted into a soft smile. "C'mon moron, it's time to stand up." Instead of responding to her Subaru tilted his head up to the sky.

"Hey Ram, can you give me a little while to think." Subaru's eyes had lost that look of wanting to embrace death, now they simply looked clean.

"Fine, lazy Barusu."

"Thank you." He let out a soft whisper as he retreated into his mind.

His body fell back to where he was laying on the grass. He stared into the sky and noticed Ram circling around behind him. She kneeled down and lifted Subaru's head onto her lap.

The boy stared up into the sky, and Ram's face witch was peeking in that the top of her vision. She wore a tiny smile on her face, though Subaru could see that she was trying to fight it down and force her face into a scowl. Unfortunately for her, she was failing miserably.

Is this really enough of a reason to go forward? Subaru's eyelids grew heavy. No, I need to stop Ley. He tried to keep himself awake but the calming depth of sleep called to him. And with Ram's legs under him he slipped into those depths without much protest.

Subaru stared up at a familiar ceiling. An odd pattern stretched out across it. It was in the shape of a golden eagle. He soon recognized it to be the sigil of the Mathers house. No! His body shot up. I need to stop Ley. I need to get back there. He rushed over to the window.

When he reached the window he immediately noticed that something was wrong. The window wasn't actually a window, as he couldn't see out of it. Instead, it was a mirror.

He stared at his own body. An immaculate suit covered him. It reminded Subaru of the uniform that Wilhelm normally wore, though this uniform was fitted far more comfortably than the stiff uniform that he imagined Wilhelm wearing. Subaru's eyes twitched up to his face.

And for the first time, since he'd left the capital to kill the white whale, Subaru gazed into his own eyes. When he looked into them he didn't see calm or resolve. All he saw was exhaustion. After a few seconds of gaping at his reflection, he shook his head. I need to find out what happened to Ley.

His legs carried him to the exit of his room. As he strode towards the door his eyes skittered around. The only thing out of the ordinary that he noticed was that his bed was made for two people and not one. Other than that it looked like the exact same room that Subaru had been staying at while he was in the capital.

His eyes widened slightly when he realized that, and his pace quickened. By the time he reached the door he had was moving at a near jog. He crossed the threshold between his room and the hallway with a quick flick of the door handle.

Once he was outside he searched around the hallway. His eyes darted to the left and the right along with his neck. He didn't entirely realize it but this hallway reminded him of somewhere other than Roswal's residence in the capital especially with the blurry, faded feeling it gave off. He ignored this familiarity and called out.

"Ram!" He shouted it across the house. His heart beat a little faster as he thought of the pink-haired girl. Although it was still nowhere near the pounding of his heart when he'd once loved Emilia. But it was closer than he'd been before.

And just maybe that hope was worth grasping. He called out once more.

"RAM!" His voice was louder this time. The name echoed across the house.

"Barusu," Ram's voice cut him off from his left. Subaru twisted his head to gaze at the woman. His eyebrows rose when he saw her.

Ram's face had grown more mature, her lips were tilted up into a soft smile, though he could still see that she was trying desperately to suppress it. And she was no longer dressed in a maid uniform, instead she wore a simple dress.

Subaru heard a soft humming in his mind. It wasn't his own humming, maybe it was a memory, although he'd never heard it before. But the rhythm was calming enough for him to ignore why he was hearing it.

So instead of trying to figure it out, he closed his eyes to enjoy the quiet hum of his mind. Ram didn't particularly appreciate this behavior so she took in a short breath and started to scold him.

"Don't just stand there, lazy Barusu, it's already almost the afternoon." Subaru's eyes snapped open. Afternoon? Then Ley- Shit! I need to stop Ley. He looked into Ram's eyes and his worries seemed to freeze. The humming in his mind grew a little louder and Subaru realized something.

Ley isn't real here. He couldn't understand why, but the thought seemed true to him. Ram gestured for him to follow her, and as he did so the walls shimmered when he stopped focusing on them.

"C'mon Barusu, I made breakfast while you were asleep, though someone isn't going to be happy about that." Ram looked at him with a slight touch of anger.

"Like I've explained before Ram, I don't have a sense of taste, so it's fine." He attempted to soothe her anger. Ram shook her head.

"You truly are a moron Barusu. I wasn't worried about you, you'll eat anything, like a pig," She slipped in an insult. It didn't hurt Subaru in any capacity especially since he could tell that Ram didn't mean it.

Ram smiled softly before continuing, "I was talking about Vega, idiot Barusu." Subaru's eyes widened once more. His body froze. He looked around the hallway once more taking care to truly look at it. After a few seconds, he realized that his hunch was correct.

This is a dream. But strangely Subaru did not feel dejection that this was only a dream. He instead noticed something else growing in his chest. It was hope. But that name. It's a star. Subaru thought back on a conviction he'd long ago forgotten.

When he'd grown up Subaru had wanted to name his son after a star. In his mind, he'd picked two names that he could use. One had been Rigel, and the other, Vega.

Subaru continued to follow Ram with hope thrumming deep within his heart. His lips tilted upwards slightly, still not a true smile, but it was one step further on the path toward attaining a real, genuine smile.

After a moment of walking, Ram and Subaru arrived in the small kitchen area. Where Ram promptly walked over to where a steaming dish of tatoes lay. Her shoes clicked softly against the wooden flooring. Subaru moved to sit at the small table a few meters away from the kitchen.

He grasped a chair and began to pull it out, but before he could try and sit down a force slammed into the back of his knee. He nearly dropped completely to his knees but he was able to catch himself on the table.

"Hey!" Subaru vocalized his shock.

He quickly twisted his neck to look at what had hit him. When he did so he saw a small boy. Subaru's eyes jumped around analyzing him. The child seemed indefinite, maybe because Subaru's mind had no idea how this person should look; however, he could make out some detail.

The child was young, maybe five years old. His hair was spiky and unkempt similar to Subaru's. And his hair was a light shade of pink, the same color as Ram's. Subaru's expression shifted from an expression of hope to one of joy. Of course his face didn't show this change, but his eyes were a perfect little window for the boy to see right through Subaru's boring faces.

Once the boy confirmed what he saw a mirthful smile spread across his face.

Tears formed at the corners of Subaru's eyes. "Vega." Ram's stern tone called from across the room, "Do not attack your father like that, even though he looks like he deserves it."

Vega's eyes looked down his smile faded. "Oh! So you listen to her but not me?" Subaru looked stunned at the words that had come from his mouth. They sounded like things his father would say to him. The tears in his eyes grew more pronounced.

This is… He heard a pure laugh emanate from Vega. The innocence of childhood stretched across his face. He looked over at Ram, and he gazed into her eyes. They were filled with love.

This is only a dream, but… He heard that same calming hum in his mind. It's a dream worth reaching for.

Resolve sang in his chest.

He roused his mind from its slumber.

A few minutes before, Ram was softly stroking Subaru's hair. "Hmmmhmmmhmmm." She hummed a soft tune to the sleeping boy.

Her pink eyes gazed into his face. His lips were tilted up slightly as she observed his peaceful expression. Barusu looks so cute when he's sleeping. Of course he'll never hear that from me, can't let him get an overinflated ego after all.

Ram studied his countenance to try and ignore the slightly annoying circumstances. But the feeling of her legs falling asleep and then waking up again over and over was getting annoying. Really you say you're gonna think and then fall asleep for ninety minutes. Honestly what else could I expect from you, lazy Barusu?

The pins and needles in her legs still pawed at her but she was able to focus on Subaru once more when a few tears rolled down his face.

Worry entered Ram's chest but it was eased immediately when she saw Subaru's lips pull up a tiny bit.

Her lips raised into her own small smile. Nothing but happiness could enter her heart as she looked down at Subaru shedding tears of joy.

"I hope you're having good dreams, Barusu." The maid would never say that to Subaru when he was awake, but she figured that he would still hear it while he was asleep. The reason this way was better was because he would never know that Ram dropped her insults.

Ram chose to ignore that her logic made no sense.

Instead of thinking deeply, she continued to hum the soft rhythm that she'd always heard Nan sing her to sleep with.

Her song continued until she was interrupted by a figure stepping up to where Subaru was sleeping.

"Hello Ram, was it?" The stern voice of Crusch Karsten called out to her.

"Yes, Crusch-sama." Ram looked at the woman with well hid annoyance. "What did you need?"

"I need to know what happened to Natsuki Subaru." Her face seemed curious as she asked Ram the question. She gestured to the boy that slept in Ram's lap. "He told me that he would be in need of some of my forces for the subjugation of Sloth. I would like to know how many of my soldiers he needs so that I can take what men he doesn't need back to the capital."

Ram looked down at the boy. His expression seemed so relaxed. "I won't be waking him up, so you'll just have to wait… Crusch-sama." Ram's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well then, I'll wait." Crusch sat down in the grass only a few meters away from Ram and Subaru.

She isn't stopping this moment. Ram began to hum softly once more not a care in the world extended to the green-haired woman.

A few minutes later, Subaru's eyes drifted open.

Natsuki Subaru stared up into the bright sun. It took him a few moments to adjust to the light of the morning star. The scent of grass blowing in the breeze entered his nose. Once his eyes had adjusted Subaru gazed at the face that dominated his vision.

Ram's glowing face was framed by luscious pink hair. Her eyes glimmered, and her smile let off a light brighter than the sun itself.

It really is a dream worth fighting for, even if- Stop! No time. I need to kill Ley.

Subaru spoke to the woman whose lap he had slept on. "Hey Ram, how long have I been asleep?"

"Long enough that my legs are asleep," She wrapped her right hand around his right shoulder and lightly shoved him off of her. "Lazy Barusu."

Subaru turned his head toward the girl. "Ram, how long?" His tone grew serious, and a glint of resolve appeared in his eyes.

"Around ninety minutes," Ram answered with a questioning look in her eyes.

He stood up with ease, "Good there should still be enough time." Subaru quickly noticed Crusch sitting only a few meters away.

"C'mon Crusch we're gonna need to get moving soon, I don't know what Gluttony will do if we don't get there quickly enough," Subaru spoke words of uncertainty with confidence. His entire bearing had shifted over the time he'd been asleep.

"Gluttony? You informed me that you would be facing Sloth." Crusch had to start walking quickly to catch up with Subaru who'd already begun walking toward where the fang of iron and Crusch's soldiers were gathered.

"I'll explain on the way, we're gonna have to cut the sit down and plan time if we're going to kill Ley." Subaru stopped as soon as he noticed that he only heard Crusch's and his own footsteps. He turned his neck back and directed his eyes toward Ram.

"C'mon Ram, let's go." The oni felt fulfillment flow through her at the strength in Subaru's words.

Subaru turned back to staring toward the group of soldiers. An image of Ley Batenkaitos entered his mind. Once the image of the man who'd nearly destroyed him would've brought fear to Subaru. Outside of his mind, he flicked his eyes so that he caught a glimpse of Ram walking beside him.

I have a reason to stand now. His lips tilted up a tiny bit as he looked into Ram's eyes.

"Why are you leering at me like that, pervert Barusu." Ram noticed love in Subaru's gaze. A smile burst out across her face, but this time she didn't try and force it into a scowl. She knew that there would be no point.

Subaru didn't respond to Ram's antics and straightened his neck. Resolve filled his gaze as he formed a plan for his upcoming battle with Ley. His hands balled into fists.

"I will kill you, Ley Batenkaitos." He whispered to himself.

He wasn't going to back down, or give up, ever, because now, Natsuki Subaru had a dream he wanted to reach, and he wouldn't let a hungry little boy stop him.

A few hours later, Subaru stepped off of Patrasche and walked toward Arlam village. Crusch's soldiers and the fang of iron waited with wagons ready to evacuate the populace of the village. Ram quickly got off of Patrasche as well.

The two walked into the village. As planned the members of Crusch and Anastasia's camp remained outside of the settlement.

Dirt crunched under Subaru's feet as he walked into the familiar entrance of the village. An aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the small town. Many of the villagers were out doing their normal late morning chores.

The villagers turned their gazes to Subaru and Ram with an expression of familiarity as the two continued toward the center of the village.

Petra and her group of kids ran over to the two of them.

"Hey guys, now isn't the time." Subaru dismissed the group with a wave of his hand. His gaze was apologetic as he looked down at them. "Actually," He found another solution when he saw the anxious looks the kids were giving him. So he leaned over to whisper in Ram's ear, "Ram can you take them over to where Crusch is waiting I don't want them to hear about what's going on."

They don't need to suffer the worry. Only I need to suffer. Ram stared up at him with a scowl, but there was a hint of fondness in her eyes as she looked back at the children.

"Alright, idiot Barusu." Ram gestured for the children to come with her.

"Follow Ram everyone, she'll play with you." Subaru's voice was mostly neutral as he spoke to the children, though it possessed a slight hint of familiarity.

"Alright." The children's voices sounded slightly betrayed. They had all wanted to play with Subaru after all. Petra was especially angry at this development. She stared at Ram and crossed her arms.

"Hmph!" She huffed as she and the children followed Ram out of the village.

I wonder what that was about. Subaru shrugged it off and stepped up to the well in the center of the village.

The townsfolk turned their attention to Subaru.

"Hey everyone." He projected his voice out to the entire village. "I need you all to gather around for a second." The villagers listened to Subaru's instruction and moved into a huddle around the well.

Subaru's eyes gazed across the group. It didn't take him long to notice that it was only half the size it should've been. His expression dropped, "Where is everyone else?" Worry infested his voice.

"Roswal-sama thought that something might happen here so he took them to Sanctuary." The elderly woman, who was the leader of the village, explained to him.

Upon hearing those words Subaru's body tightened. A few minor spirits began to float around him. Roswal. His fists clenched in fury. Purple light shimmered around him as glassy violet flakes began to stretch across the stone at his feet. Roswal! STOP! Once he noticed the scared expressions on the townspeople's faces he forced the minor spirits away.

He breathed in and out rhythmically in an attempt to calm himself. Damn. He had hoped to eliminate the issue of having to protect the villagers from the great rabbit, but it seemed like Roswal was still a few steps ahead.

I need to do something about that Gospel. A small part of Subaru whispered. Not right now. I need to focus on stopping anyone here from suffering. "Alright, well, Roswal was right. A Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult is only a kilometer and a half that way." Subaru pointed in the direction of what had once been Petelguese's cave.

Fear settled upon the village. "It's going to be fine. I've assembled the full might of the Crusch and Anastasia camps behind me and they've brought transportation so that we can evacuate everyone here." The people of the village were quick to trust Subaru after what he'd done to save the children from the mabeasts.

Nods came from the people and relief replaced the fear that had washed over them.

"Just come this way." Subaru gestured for the group to follow him.

Once they were all taken care of Subaru left the duty of evacuating everyone to Crusch and her camp. He couldn't personally oversee it as he had another job to do.

He grew closer and closer to that task as he, Ram, and Patrasche rode past the gate of the Mathers mansion. While the trimmed hedges of the Mathers mansion danced in the breeze only one thing was on Subaru's mind.

The green-eyed boy who'd been torturing him for the past couple of loops, Ley Batenkaitos, smiled in Subaru's head. On the way here Subaru had been forced to realize something. He didn't have nearly as much strength as he needed if he was to defeat Ley.

He would have to make up for that with his planning, but he knew that a good plan could only get him so far against someone as powerful as Ley. So he'd returned to the massive mansion of the Mathers family.

Rays of sunlight glinted in his eyes as he and Ram stepped up to the mansion's doors. Subaru's arm trembled slightly as he raised it up to the handle. Blue and silver flashed through his mind. His eyes snapped shut.

The pink-haired boy of his dream jumped into his mind alongside Rem and Emilia. His eyes peeked open but his hand still trembled. I can do this. I have to move forward. I have to stand up. I have to take on their suffering. Even if I don't love them. I still have to keep going. But why…?

The pink-haired boy from his dream faded from his mind. His knees started to give out. I have to stand. His resolve began to fade. Not a single hair of pink appeared in his mind. His arm weakened and his hand started to drop from the door.

Only to be caught by the soft, yet firm hand of a maid. Ram's fingers interlocked with his own. Subaru looked over to the girl, there seemed to be a hint of warmth in her red eyes. "C'mon, Barusu." Ram's cheeks colored a light shade of red as Subaru's hand tightened on her own.

"Thank you, Ram." An ember of love entered Subaru's eyes. He quickly turned around and reached his other hand toward the door. It did not tremble. His arm remained steady and strong. He pushed open the door without an ounce of hesitation.

Behind him, Ram was once again too shocked by the budding affection she'd seen in his eyes to insult him.

Subaru dragged Ram behind him, his body moved forward with confidence. His eyes gazed through the massive hallways before him. He knew where to find Emilia, but Rem could be anywhere.

"Where is Rem?" He softly requested information from Ram. In response, she tilted her head back and focused on her Synesthesia. Her breathing slowed so that she could concentrate. After a few seconds, she straightened her neck and pulled Subaru along behind her.

Subaru followed the maid without hesitation.

The two of them walked quickly through the halls of the mansion. The luxuriant red carpet was left stained with mud from their shoes as they moved towards where Rem was working. It wasn't long before they heard the sound of a broom sweeping against wooden flooring. Though the noise was muffled due to the fact that Rem was in one of the spare bedrooms with the door closed.

Ram and Subaru stopped in front of the door. He reached for the door, but something within it sung to him. Called to him.

This door leads to the forbidden library. Subaru observed with a pensive look on his face.

"Beako. Choose me." His own words rang out in his mind. Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought of Beatrice's rejection.

"Ram…" Subaru paused for a brief moment to catch his breath, "Can you get the door?"

Ram looked up at him with concerned eyes, "Seriously, you have a minor influence on the plan to defeat the white whale and suddenly you're too good to open your own doors. Honestly what a spoiled brat you are Barusu." She tossed a wave of insults at him but Subaru ignored them entirely and caught her eyes.

Ram saw pain hidden deep beneath his eyes, and instead of falsely berating him again she reached for the door. The singing sound disappeared when Beatrice sensed that it wasn't Subaru reaching for the door. Ram pulled the door open to reveal a maid that looked almost exactly the same as her.

Rem flicked her eyes in the direction of the door. She could tell that her sister was right outside using her Synesthesia. Her face took on a smile at her sister's return. The maid bowed to the door and waited for Ram to come into the room.

Rem ignored the insults that Ram passed to Subaru outside of the door. She had been expecting him to return as well. Roswal had informed her that something like this might happen. Though he had given her little specifics as to how he knew.

The blue-haired maid would have been distrustful of Roswal had he not saved her sister's life and given Rem a chance to atone for her guilty thought on that fiery night.

Rem turned her attention back to the current situation. She realized that the idea of Subaru's return in and of itself did not make her nearly as guilty as the thought she'd possessed toward her sister. Even if she'd nearly killed Subaru she felt guiltier for how her actions had made her sister feel and not what happened to Subaru.

After all, she barely knew Subaru. In all his time at the mansion the two of them had never been able to have an honest conversation. She could tell that it wasn't what had almost happened. There was never any hate in his eyes when he tried to talk to her, only hesitance. And Rem never spoke to him because it felt like he never saw her when he looked at her.

Now at the prospect of facing the two of them Rem only felt relief. Though there was something that made her feel a slight hint of anxiety. Rem's Synesthesia alerted her to the fact that something was different about Ram's emotional state.

Instead of letting herself think about the emotion her sister was filled with, Rem stared at the door from the top of her vision as she stayed in her bow. An instant later she heard the door open with a slight click. The wooden panel swung open to reveal Ram and Subaru standing side by side in the doorway.

"Welcome back to the mansion sister." Rem's voice was full of warmth as she greeted her twin. A slight smile touched her face as she scanned Ram's face. Her sister was wearing an identical smile and her eyes gazed with warmth. Though the blue-haired maid could tell that not all of this warmth was directed at herself.

Her azure eyes jumped down Ram's form quickly only to notice that her hand was interlocked with Subaru's own. Rem's smile weakened but did not disappear as she realized where the other portion of her sister's warmth was being directed.

Rem had no more time to observe as Ram rushed forward. She quickly found herself wrapped in a hug by her older sister. Once Rem's initial shock faded she returned her sister's hug.

The two oni sisters seemed to melt into one as their bodies wrapped around each other. Rem let out a teary breath. Her eyes watered at her sister's return. The two didn't say any words. They didn't need to either. Their link let them understand what the other was feeling.

In response to Rem's tears of relief Ram simply rubbed her hand along Rem's hair. "I'm back Rem, I'm here." Ram's words caressed her younger sister's heart.

The two remained like that for almost a minute before Subaru cleared his throat softly. The two sisters turned their gazes to him. He breathed in before continuing.

"We have to go get Emilia and Puck." He spoke the words directly to Ram. His eyes seemed to deliberately avoid Rem.

In response to his words, Ram nodded curtly. "Well then stop delaying us, idiot Barusu." Rem's smile faded a little at the familiarity in Ram's tone. "C'mon Rem we need to go."

Subaru turned in the direction of Emilia's room which was about twenty meters down the hallway. Ram started for the door, her fingers were interlaced with Rem's. She pulled the blue-haired maid behind her. Rem's eyes were hesitant and her face was colored with confusion.

"Sister where are we going?" After hearing Rem's words it was time for Ram to grow hesitant.

Should I tell her now? Ram thought to herself as she took into account her sister's hatred of the Witch's cult.

"What is it?" Rem asked as she noticed her sister's hesitation. The two stood in a bubble of hesitance for a moment before Subaru interrupted.

"We are going to kill the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, and we needed extra help," Subaru explained from the doorway a meter away. His voice was quick and resolved, though Rem noticed a slight undercurrent of fear to his words.

He didn't wait to hear Rem's reaction, almost like he couldn't bear to look at her, before starting his walk toward Emilia's room.

"Sin Archbishop…?" Rem's voice was low. Anger seeped into her. "Where?" She reached her arm into a concealed pocket in her uniform where she kept her morning star.

Ram noticed this growing fury and reached over to grab her younger sister's arm. "Rem, remain calm for now. Barusu has a plan," She looked over her shoulder to check that Subaru wasn't within earshot and whispered, "And I think it's a plan we should follow, so remain calm."

Rem closed her eyes to force down her instinctual fury. She exhaled her anger. "Yes, sister. Rem will listen to you." She nodded to the pink-haired oni. Her arm pulled back from the handle of her morning star.

"Well then let's go." She lightly pulled Rem along behind her. The two sisters walked down the hallway hand in hand.

Though Ram's hand was not enough to stop the ashes of flame that filled Rem's nose. Or the screams of dying oni that filled her ears. Or the guilt of her traitorous thought.

Her anger boiled beneath the surface of her face. However, while Ram's hand did not keep away the memories it did help her keep a lid on her fury.

Though it was a very thin lid.

Emilia's brow was scrunched up as she worked on her studies for the royal selection, which Rem had given her on Roswal's orders. As she worked, Puck hummed an upbeat tune behind her as he cared for her hair. Emilia didn't truly care for her appearance so she entirely ignored what Puck was doing.

Her quill scratched against paper as she took notes on the book she'd been instructed to read. It was something about Gusteko. She didn't really care about the book so she'd been sitting there drifting off and thinking about other things.

One of the things she was thinking about was a black-haired boy who she'd left in the capital. Guilt formed in the pit of her stomach as she thought of the fact that she'd never once seen him smile. His face had always seemed like it belonged on a corpse and not an actual living person.

"Lia…" Puck's voice glided over to her when he sensed her emotions. "He was like that before he even met you. Don't blame yourself, Lia." He did his best to soothe her.

"But I couldn't do anything for him. In all the time he was here. I couldn't help. It's my fault." Puck looked to the ground at Emilia's words.

"Lia don't worry about-" Puck's words were interrupted by a faint knock at the door.

"Emilia-sama?" A familiar voice emanated from the other side of the door. It was a voice that Emilia had not heard in nearly a week.

"Ram?" The silver-haired candidate called back. Her voice a mixture of curiosity and guilt when she realized it was likely that Subaru had returned with Ram.

"Yes, it is me. Please come to the door Emilia-sama." Ram's voice was serious.

Is she requesting something from me? The pink-haired maid had never asked Emilia to do anything. So Emilia practically bounded over to the door. Partially to answer Ram's first request to her and partially to escape the boredom of her studying.

Though guilt still ate away at her heart as an image of Subaru filled her mind. What if he's here? She asked herself with a frown. What if he got better without me?

Her body froze. No, it's good if he got better without me. It means that he can leave me like he always wanted. She thought back on the empty faces that Subaru made when he spoke to her. But his words had seemed as if he'd felt strongly toward her. Though Emilia had always subconsciously believed that he was lying to protect her feelings.

She forced herself forward. Her pale hand grasped the gilded handle of the door. She hesitated for a few seconds.

"Just breathe Lia." Puck whispered into her mind. Emilia followed her adopted father's advice and inhaled deeply.

After a few breaths, the half-elf pulled open the door. As the wooden door pulled back Emilia's violet eyes landed on those who waited outside the door.

First, her gaze landed on a pink-haired maid. Ram was stood confidently as she looked at Emilia. Next, her eyes jumped to Rem who was stood behind her sister. The blue-haired maid watched the candidate with an angry gaze, but she could tell that Rem's anger was not directed toward her.

Finally, the silver-haired girl's eyes jumped to Subaru. The boy was dressed in a noble suit common to someone of Roswal's caliber. Which made sense as his outfit was just a modified suit from Roswal's closet.

There was a leather whip wrapped up and hung on his belt. Emilia could see its imprint on his suit jacket. Her gaze shifted to his face which seemed empty. It lacked almost all expression. That was normal to Subaru though so Emilia took little notice of it. She instead looked into his eyes to determine his emotions.

His brown irises seemed to simmer with emotion. It took Emilia only a few seconds to realize that it was a similar resolve to what he'd possessed in the capital. Although deep within his expression she could see a faint undertone of melancholy. As if he'd recently lost something precious to him.

That's my fault, isn't it? It is. It has to be. Emilia breathed in to speak to Ram. "What did you need, Ram?"

"We need you and Puck to join us so that we can kill the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony." Subaru's voice responded instead of Ram's. The words sounded quick as if he'd had to force them out.

Ram looked over at him with a warm gaze. Her left hand reached over and grasped his right hand. Good, he can leave now. Emilia thought as she observed the gaze that Subaru passed back to Ram. Her eyes soon dropped down to the ground.

"Do you really need us that much, Subaru?" Puck's voice sounded protective.

"I wish I didn't." Was the only response that Subaru gave in return.

"He isn't lying." Puck passed information into Emilia's mind.

"We have to help him. Then when he thinks his debt is paid he can leave me." Emilia's thoughts were full of self-loathing.

"Lia…" Puck tried to think of a way to respond to his daughter but nothing came into the Great Spirit's mind.

"We'll help." Emilia nodded to Subaru. Tears pounded at the back of Emilia's eyes as she looked at Subaru's expression. He looked so dejected, yet she was soothed a little bit by the determination mixed with it.

"Alright, let's get going then." Subaru's words sounded practiced. He gestured with his left hand for everyone to follow him.

They got nearly to the exit of the mansion without a single word passing between the group. All they did was walk. A mix of anticipation and anxiety hung over the group at the prospect of facing a Sin Archbishop. With each step forward Subaru grew more hesitant.

When they got to the last door of the mansion before reaching the exit doors Subaru turned. Emilia watched as his eyes scanned the door. He reached his hand to it, but his motion was timid. It was like he expected the black serpent to jump out at him.

"Barusu?" Ram and Rem had continued walking for a few steps before they realized that Subaru had stopped in place. Subaru didn't respond to the maid, he only reached his hand closer to the door.

A concerned expression touched Ram's face. The rest of the group was bewildered at Subaru's behavior. Subaru's hand trembled as he touched the door handle. He wrapped his fist around it while heavy breaths emanated from his throat.

"C'mon." He whispered angrily to himself. His face twisted in anguish before he dropped his hand from the handle.

"I'm sorry, Beako."

He promptly resumed leading everyone out of the mansion and ignored what he'd just done. Or failed to do.

Once they had walked through the doors between the mansion and the outside someone broke the silence. It was Subaru himself who did so.

"Gluttony is only a few kilometers away, I'll explain what he can do and then we can link up with the Anastasia and Crusch camps."

Emilia could feel shock come from Puck's side of the contract. "So you're telling me that you have the entire Crusch and Anastasia camps to help you yet you still need to put my daughter into danger to beat this guy." Puck quickly manifested from his crystal to shout at Subaru. His outrage was easily discernable in his voice.

Subaru merely looked into the eyes of the spirit. He paused to think of a response. A short moment later he parted his lips to respond to the protective cat.

"I would've liked to have had the entire Priscilla camp as well, but unfortunately I was expecting Sloth. So you're just gonna have to deal, alright Puck." Subaru's words were highlighted with resentment as he spoke to the feline.

Emilia could feel Puck's emotions change from shock to resignation as he heard Subaru's words and realized the truth of them.

"Now let's get going, we've taken far too long anyway." His voice sounded confident, though Emilia could see him clinging onto Ram's hand.

It's only right that he needed the other camps to stop Gluttony. I couldn't even get Subaru to smile once, what could I do against a Sin Archbishop?

Emilia's eyes only gazed down at her feet as she walked toward Ley Batenkaitos.

Only a few kilometers away twigs snapped under the wheels of Otto's wagon. He'd just passed through a seemingly empty Arlam Village. Using his divine protection he'd been able to figure out that everyone had been evacuated by a group of soldiers.

So now he was trying to get to the place where he'd heard the white whale had been killed. He looked back into his wagon. "Just my luck that I bought oil right before the value dropped. Haaah." With a sigh, he shook his head and turned back to looking in front of him.

Another quiet sigh escaped his lips as he tried to think of a way to get out of this run of financial ruin. Though the only thing that came to him was that the people who'd killed the white whale might be interested in buying it from him. If that didn't work then Otto would have nothing.

His face twisted into a frown. "I guess my horrible luck has finally caught up with me," Otto whispered as the sun brightened. He shielded his eyes with his forearm. Once his vision had readjusted he looked around him to see what had caused the shade of the forest to disappear. He realized that it was because he'd entered a clearing.

Sand crunched softly under his wagon wheels instead of twigs now. Otto's blue eyes darted around the clearing. His search only revealed a ruined structure. Though it didn't spark any particular emotion in the merchant. He'd seen structures like this all the time on his many travels.

"Let's keep going." He spoke it in the language of ground dragons. To any other, it would have sounded like odd growls instead of real words.

Though only two others actually listened to Otto's speech. One was the ground dragon that he was speaking to and another was a pair of small footsteps that were emerging from the ruined structure.

"Hello…" Otto greeted as he heard the sound of a child's feet striking cold rock. A chill ran down the merchant's spine as he heard breathing from the cave. It sounded greedy, hungry, insatiable, and gluttonous.

Otto tightened his hands on the reins of his ground dragon. A soft slap resounded from the darkness. Pain shot through Otto's nerves as his nails bit into his palms. Little rivulets of blood stained the worn leather of the reins he was holding.

After a few more moments a silhouette took shape in the darkness of the cave's opening. With one more step, a child stepped out of the shadows.

"Hello," The boy's voice sounded polite as he called a greeting to Otto. "You seem interesting." The young boy brandished a blade that was strapped to his arm. There was a sickening smile on his face, and his jaws were massive. Otto could see sharp teeth jutting from the child's gums.

"Who are you?" Otto's voice sounded worried as he looked down at the boy.

"We are Ley Batenkaitos." Otto's anxiety grew greater at the boy's use of the word we to refer to himself. "And you are?" Ley prompted the merchant to speak.

"Otto Suwen." As Otto spoke he loosened his grip on the reins of his ground dragon. His body relaxed and his eyes began to examine Ley. Examining people like this had become instinctual to Otto during his time spent negotiating as a merchant.

Ley's green eyes sparkled with recognition. He had seen gazes like that before. "You're a merchant aren't you?" Scorn filled his voice. "Those eyes analyzing us, searching for a way take advantage of us, or are you searching for our value. Do you want to buy us?" As Ley continued on his words grew more and more pointed.

A cold sweat broke out on Otto's forehead as he tried to stop his merchant's gaze. He speaks like a former slave. Concern grew in Otto. Suffering such treatment is horrible. The concern in the merchant's mind grew into pity.

Ley's eyes snapped open suddenly. He flicked his arms to the side, readying his arm blades. His legs tightened and he rocketed forward before Otto could realize anything.

Fortunately, Otto's ground dragon acted on instinct and bucked Otto off of the wagon by jumping up and slamming her reins, which Otto was still holding onto tightly, to the side. The green-clad merchant was thrown to the side of the wagon. He hit the ground with a spray of sand as Ley shot past where he'd been.

"No one who pities us is Gourmet," Ley whispered to himself. "We will waste no time trying to eat you." Malice radiated from the boy. Otto's body froze up in terror as he looked at him. Ley's green eyes were wild as he analyzed the merchant.

Two men appeared in Otto's mind. They were his brothers who'd helped him speak to his parents for the first time. I need to see them again. Otto's eyes grew narrow. He began to analyze Ley in return.

The two remained still for a moment before one of them made his first move. "Dona!" Otto forced his mana through his gate and into the world. A wall of stone grew up from the ground in front of him. Without waiting for Ley to respond Otto dove below his wagon and activated his divine protection.

"I need help!" He shouted out a general call to any animal that would listen. His voice was frantic as he made his call. Otto could hear Ley slash his wall of earth down.

"Hmmmmm. We doubt it but you could be Gourmet." The boy's voice was analytical. Most of his earlier outrage had faded after observing Otto's quick reactions.

I need more time. Otto scurried out from under the wagon. Once out he sprinted toward the forest.

"OTTO SUWEN!" Ley screamed as he jumped after him.

"Help!" Otto shouted to the bugs of the forest. His voice shifted into the language of clicking insects. Ley's feet slammed into the ground behind Otto. Sand sprayed onto the back of the merchant's pants.

"We can help." Hundreds of voices resounded from within the trees that were only ten meters away from Otto. Upon hearing those voices Otto dove to the left. His body became horizontal with the ground for a few seconds before he slammed into the sand with a gasp.

He tried to force air into his lungs, though his breathing did not sound desperate. Ley strode over to him. His eyes seemed disappointed.

"You aren't Gourmet." He bent his right arm and pulled back his elbow. His arm tightened, readying itself to stab into the gray-haired merchant.

Otto's gaze was absent of fear as he looked at the blade. His breathing resumed with sharp breaths. "I guess I just have to make my own luck then." He referenced his poor luck which had likely brought him into contact with the boy.

"We're ready." Thousands of voices answered Otto. They could sense the witch's scent covering Ley and it had driven them to help. "Just say the word." Even more voices called into his mind. All of the bugs in the forest had heard Otto's pleas and now they were swarming toward the border of the forest and the clearing.

Otto felt a massive throbbing in his head as his divine protection translated all the voices.

"What are you talking about ~tsu?" Ley let out a soft sound of excitement at the thought that Otto might have more tricks hidden up his sleeve.

"Attack!" A high-pitched vibration ripped from Otto's throat.

The buzz of thousands of insects answered Ley's question. Upon hearing them Otto swiftly crab-walked backward creating distance between himself and the brown-haired boy. A second later a mass of bugs streamed from the forest and covered Ley.

"So you do have more tricks. Typical of a merchant." Ley tried to push disdain into his voice but he only succeeded in making his excitement show through. He tried to speak further but a group of bees shoved their way down Ley's throat.

Otto stopped at the edge of the forest and stood stock-still. He raised his arms up and activated his divine protection once more. A splitting headache slammed into him once more as he called out for more bugs to join.

"Witch Cultist!" They all screamed out in righteous fury.

Ley coughed violently as bees shoved their way into his mouth. He tried to tighten his throat but he couldn't stop the tide of insects that poured down his gullet. Bee stingers attempted to sink into the skin on his esophagus. And many other insects bit at his gums and the skin of his mouth. None of them were able to fully break through his durability but it was still exceptionally annoying.

On the outside of his body, the same thing was happening. Beetles were crawling all over him slamming their jaws into his skin at whatever bare places they could find. Many of them couldn't find any space on his exposed skin so they crawled into his clothes.

Ley grew angry at the tickling on his skin as pests crawled over his entire body. Thousands were now crawling all over him. He was forcing his eyes closed, but the biting all over his body was starting to hurt. His natural durability was being overwhelmed by the masses.

He wanted to cry out in pain but he was being chewed at from the inside. A few hornets had snuck into his vocal cords. Blood rushed up his throat as many of the insects started to bypass his natural durability.

Ley only now realized that the buzzing of the insects was exploding in his ears. The chittering of a centipede slammed against his eardrum as thousands of little legs and a long tube-like body crawled into his left ear.

"Aghhh!" He tried to scream but it only came out as a muffled groan mixed with the sound of chirping bugs.

He snapped his eyes open as the pain heightened. His green irises darted around in pain then his instincts took over and they tried to glean as much information as possible from the surroundings.

Ley quickly locked on to Otto in his green clothes standing at the edge of the forest. His arms were raised and his lips were moving quickly. Though Ley couldn't hear any words, and it didn't look like he was speaking human language.

Countless insectoid forms poured out from the forest. A tide of centipedes and cockroaches were crawling across the ground.

Carnivorous Beast. Ley grasped his authority and used the abilities of Heinelga to bolster his durability. Though it did very little about the ever-growing swarm of little creatures that were trying to consume him. Arachnids crawled along Ley's legs.

Desperation began to fill Ley as the pain heightened. The extra durability provided by Carnivorous Beast was quickly overwhelmed.

Ley's eyes tried to examine ways to escape but a swarm of mosquitos crawled into his eyes. "HGK!" A grunt escaped him as they sunk their straw-shaped mouths into his eyes. He slammed his eyes shut in pain. Crushing many of the mosquitos. But a few survived and they began to pump blood from his eyes.

The buzzing built to a crescendo before Ley grasped his mana. He tried to incant a spell but his vocal cords had been completely chewed through. He forced his authority to activate further he grasped the aptitude to cast magic without words.

AHHHHH! He screamed in his mind as he forced his mana into a wall of fire that consumed his entire body. He activated Solar Eclipse and grasped Heinelga's name. CARNIVOROUS BEAST! He activated the ability as he cooked the bugs with a great cloak of flames. He opened his mouth and directed the fire into his body.

It quickly rushed through him charring all of the invaders within himself. He forced open his eyes and let some of the inferno touch his eyes as well. He forced fire through every orifice of his body.

After a few moments, the buzzing that had surrounded Ley stopped. He let up the flames that had cloaked his body and directed his eyes to where Otto had been. The merchant had disappeared from the edge of the forest.

"GOURMET!" Ley forced out through his vocal cords which were slowly healing thanks to some water magic he'd gained through Lunar Eclipse.

He released Heinelga's name and returned his mind and body to normal. Ley looked down at his body. Which was lacking any coverings. They had all been burnt off in the fire. His arm blades were in a similar state. They glowed with heat and they were a jagged bent mess.

Ley activated his authority once more and pulled on the memories of someone who was skilled in earth magic. He used their skills to replicate a new set of clothes for himself. He tied the tattered rags to his body and stared into the forest.

There was a clearly laid out path that Otto had taken. Anger boiled in the back of Ley's mind at what had just happened to him. His body trembled in a mix of fury and fear.

"Mmm." He groaned out softly as a slight sob escaped his throat. Why? Why? Why? The experience started to fully sink into his mind.

Why? Why? Why? Why? He still felt a phantom crawling beneath his skin. His nails dug into his skin. Red blood streamed down his arms. "WHY?" He demanded an answer. All that came to him was the image of a blonde-haired girl. Louis. That's why. We need to make Louis happy.

"We must make Louis happy. You're name and memories will help our sister Otto Suwen." Ley sprinted into the forest in pursuit of the merchant.

Otto vaulted over a fallen tree and called out to the forest around him. "Wait for him to appear then attack him." His voice chittered with insectoid fervor. Adrenaline rushed through his body as he landed on the ground and continued to run.

"We will." Dozens of voices clicked back to him. Most of the forest insects were running and flying alongside Otto. Only a small number split off to trap Ley.

"OTTO!" Ley's body slammed into a tree behind him. The merchant cast a glance over his shoulder. The boy looked crazed. His eyes were darting around in all directions. Once he caught a glimpse of the group of bugs Otto had left as a trap he quickly reached out his hand and breathed in.

"GOA!" A gout of flame shot from his hand cooking the bugs in his path. A few spiders jumped down onto his shoulders from the trees around him. Otto slowed down for a few seconds to watch.

Only to see Ley shove his arms out to the side. A ring of fire burst out around him. His body trembled with fear as he quickly slapped off all the spiders that were gathering on him.

"You're gonna die." A squirrel whispered from a nearby tree. Otto turned his blue eyes to the creature only to see it jump from the tree and onto the ground. From there it scampered away from the merchant. "I ain't stayin' while he burns the forest down." The animal's words were matter-of-fact as he left Otto.

The green-clothed merchant turned his attention back to Ley who was still shooting streams of fire into the trees around him.

He's right I need to get out of here. Otto shoved his body into motion and ran after the squirrel. He didn't notice Ley turn his green eyes to Otto.

"Gourmet. Gourmet. Gourmet." Ley whispered it like a mantra before jumping after Otto.

Smoke billowed into the sky around them.

It only took a few minutes for Otto to falter in his escape. Ley's constant pursuit eventually exhausted Otto to the point of muscle failure. His legs gave out beneath him suddenly.

"Ahh. Hah. Haah." Otto panted on the ground. He was out of breath and his stamina was drained. His heart was pounding in his chest.

"Get up." Hundreds of voices urged him to keep going but Otto was too spent to continue. His legs were trembling even when he was on the ground. Fear grasped his heart as Ley's trembling body walked into view. And that headache was still splitting his skull.

The boy stepped out toward Otto with a smile on his face, but his eyes told a different story. His eyes were tainted with fear even greater than Otto's as he searched around the merchant looking for any bugs.

In a move of caution, Ley summoned flames around him to burn anything besides him and Otto. The flames formed into the shape of a dome. Though it was easy to get a glance at the outside through gaps in the flames.

"We will enjoy this FEAST ~tsu!" Ley stretched out his hand towards Otto. Resolve flashed in Otto's eyes as he forced his arms to push him backward. His hat fell from his head and landed next to the flames. The feather that was ornamented on the hat shriveled up in the heat.

"Ahh!" Otto shouted in pain as the heat of the inferno slammed into his back.

"You were GOURMET! Otto, thank you for this meal." Ley shoved his hands forward.

"EL MINYA!" Ley looked up from the merchant to see forty shards of flaming shadows screaming towards him. His eyes widened in surprise as he dropped his dome of flames and leaped.

Ley's body disappeared and reappeared ten meters to the right.

Otto looked up with a face full of relief. Tears welled up in his eyes. A smile touched his face as he looked up to the person who'd saved him.

What he saw was a black-haired boy stood with his hand outstretched. Blue globes of light hovered around him. Determination shone in the boy's eyes. He was clad in a noble suit. In his other hand, he held a sword. He held it awkwardly as if he was unused to dealing with it.

The boy was completely alone aside from the minor spirits that danced around him.

Ley's eyes were wild as he stared at the newcomer. His green irises danced with excitement and a smile was painted across his face.

"We are Ley Batenkaitos Sin Archbishop of Gluttony representing: Gourmet." Ley introduced himself to the newcomer.

"I am Natsuki Subaru." Subaru raised the sword in his right hand. Spirits rushed along its length. The blade glowed with mana.

After a few seconds of letting the attack build-up he slashed the blade horizontally. A blue wave of mana was released and slammed into Ley's body. The Archbishop made no attempt to dodge the attack.

Instead of waiting for any further response from Ley, Subaru reached out his hand to Otto once more.

"C'mon Otto we need to go." His voice was tinged with uncertainty as Otto grasped his hand with his right hand. The merchant's left reached for his hat and placed it back on his head.

"Well, Natsuki-san," Otto's blue eyes searched Subaru's body. The man looked in control though he likely doubted that his preparation would be enough. "It seems you have a plan, so lead the way."

Subaru nodded in response and the two dashed off in a direction of Subaru's choosing.

Subaru forced his body through the forest with a determined look on his face. He could hear Otto's footsteps following close behind. The merchant was breathing heavily, his body was pushed to its limit.

"Natsuki-san…" The man's footsteps stopped. Subaru flipped around. He grabbed Otto's arm.

"We don't have time to rest Otto." Subaru's voice was frantic. He didn't want to think about what might happen if Ley caught up to him. Images of a loop where he'd let everyone be consumed in his own cloud of amnesia flashed in his mind.

"Natsuki-san I can't keep running." Otto forced the words out with a pant. A crackling of flames entered the ears of both men.

"He's coming." Spirits whispered into Subaru's mind.

"Your spirits are right." Subaru's eyes went wide at Otto's words. But he quickly forgot about Otto as he was pulled into his own mind. Gluttony. Fear wormed its way into Subaru's heart alongside the violent child. How can I beat him? I'm nothing compared to what I was before Echidna. I can't smile. Why should I continue…?

A new image glowed within Subaru's mind as he asked himself why.

Ram's pink hair glimmered as it swayed softly in the breeze. There was a smile on her face as she looked up at Subaru. It wasn't a memory. No, it was a dream of the future.

Even if it's only a dream I will fight for it. A plan snapped into Subaru's mind.

"Otto, you can hear spirits?" Subaru's eyes peeked over to where a fire was brewing in the distance. Ley Batenkaitos was burning the forest around him as he followed Subaru. The Archbishop was slow and calculating as he removed any hiding place for bugs in his path.

Ash blew around the two men. Embers floated in the wind.

Otto nodded to Subaru's question. "Yes I can Natsuki-san." His voice held an undertone of familiarity as if he'd known Subaru for a while, or maybe wanted to know him. However, Subaru wasn't thinking about that right now.

"Good, follow this spirit," Subaru raised his left index finger a small spirit glowed above it. "I saw you using those bugs to distract Ley, can you do that when I ask you to?" Otto nodded in response. "Alright follow it, it'll tell you when I need that."

"Got it, Natsuki-san." His eyes glinted with reliability as he jogged off into the forest.

Subaru remained in place to wait for Ley to come to him. I can't let him follow Otto, otherwise, the plan will collapse. He thought upon the plan that he'd carefully laid out before the battle. Otto's distraction had changed some of the circumstances but he was able to communicate with Julius through spirits that the plan was still in place.

For around half a minute Subaru stood in place. Though he wasn't doing nothing in this time. He was focusing his mind to gather as many minor spirits as he could. Nearly two hundred minor spirits rippled around him by the time Ley finally reached Subaru.

Flames jumped from Ley's body and burned the surrounding trees to ash, though there were no bugs hiding within them. Otto had taken all the insects with him when he'd left. Ley looked around at the burning trees with a suspicious gaze.

Eventually, his eyes found their way to Subaru. "We will need to see but you may be Gourmet."

Subaru didn't respond to Ley's words instead he got into a fighting stance. He raised the sword that Wilhelm had given him and held it at his side. He drew mana from the air and infused the sword with it.

Julius had the right idea with the sword. This might be pretty useful. His eyes flicked back to Ley. He summoned an image of Ram's bright pink-hair into his mind. Resolve gleamed in his eyes and his fear of Ley pulled back.

"Time to begin the preparation." Ley raised his arm blades which had partially melted from the heat that surrounded Ley's body. Subaru realized that sweat was pouring down his skin trying to cool him off. However, the air grew cooler on its own as Ley confirmed that he wasn't going to be swarmed by insects.

Upon hearing those words Subaru felt his lips tilt upward a tiny bit. Whatever currently passed as amusement for him entered his heart. Things aren't going according to your plan anymore Ley.

Subaru stretched out his left hand. He pointed his palm toward Gluttony. The Archbishop smiled in anticipation of Subaru's attack. Ley raised his bent arm blades and put them into an X shape in front of his body. A tree collapsed between the two spraying ash into the air. Subaru quickly glanced around the forest.

Only to see that parts of it were now aflame. The trees were only burnt in the places where Ley had directly passed, but the fire had spread beyond that to the underbrush of the forest. Subaru turned back to Ley with a determined gaze.

"El Minya!" He brought forty arrows of stopped time into existence. Without hesitation he sent them rocketing toward Ley. The Archbishop skillfully dodged them. Weaving in between and ducking under the fragments. His green eyes glowed with excitement at the prospect of eating Subaru.

Opposite the boy, Subaru's eyes were set with cold confidence. His lips were drawn in a line as he concentrated on carefully using the arrows to manipulate Ley's movements. Eventually, the brown-haired boy was forced to contort his body into an awkward position to avoid some of the shards.

"NOW!" Subaru shouted to the hundreds of spirits that surrounded him and he began to draw on the mana in the atmosphere through them.

"El Shamac!" He forced a dark cloud out of his body. Once the plume had touched Ley the Archbishop's body froze. His mind was cut off from his body by Subaru's magic.

Subaru breathed in once more and parted his lips. "El Vita!" Ley's feet sunk a few centimeters into the loose dirt as his body gained nearly a hundred kilograms of weight.

Ley's expression grew concentrated. He called upon his authority to try and escape. Subaru could see through the black cloud with ease. Though Ley could barely see even a few centimeters in front of him. The black-haired boy watched as Ley's expression grew frantic. His eyes darted around.

What did those bugs do to him? Subaru turned in the direction of the minor spirit he'd left with Otto. Even at this distance he could sense the spirit.

"Tell Otto I need bugs to attack Ley now." He got the spirit to relay his request to the merchant.

"He asked how many you need." Subaru let his eyelids curtain his vision as he thought for a second.

"Only enough to get him to follow me." His instincts told him that Otto would know that amount better than he would.

He turned his focus back onto the spells he was using to keep Ley held in place. Need to hold him for long enough. He looks frantic, maybe the bugs can help me take advantage of that. He knew that if he was able to lead Ley into the next part of his plan it would be far more effective if the Archbishop wasn't thinking clearly.

He'll be more dangerous but easier to exploit. Subaru reasoned to himself as he heard the buzzing, chirping, and chittering of insects. He turned his head to see nearly a hundred bugs, of all different species, stream past him.

Ley grew enraged at the sound of buzzing. "LUNAR ECLIPSE!" He shattered Subaru's spells and forced the air around him to heat up. His mana formed into flames that seared the creatures from the sky.

However, a few of the bugs survived and circled around Subaru. Once Ley was done burning away what bugs still remained around him he looked to the remaining source of buzzing. Which was the small group of insects hanging near Subaru.

"OTTO!" Ley's eyes were clouded with rage as he threw himself at Subaru who raised his borrowed blade to block Ley's attack. Mana rushed from the surrounding spirits and into his muscles to bolster his strength.

Ley's arm blades slammed into his sword. The mana that had been imbued into the blade blasted out with a bright flash. "Mmm," Subaru grunted as he was forced to take a step back.

"AHHHHHH!" The bugs that had been surrounding Subaru shoved their way into Ley's eyes. With a glimmer of tenacity and without a hint of hesitation Subaru dashed off into the forest.

"Keep watch and make sure he follows me." He called to a few of his spirits. A slight touch of worry entered his eyes.

After all, it was time for the next phase of Subaru's plan. He was fairly certain it would go well, but plans tended to rapidly fall apart when dealing with Ley Batenkaitos.

But with a pink-haired woman filling his mind Natsuki Subaru continued to move forward with resolve in his eyes.

Ash and soot invaded Rem's nose. Her left hand was balled into a fist while her right hand gripped her morning star. Mana boiled in the back of her mind. She felt a soft poking sensation in her forehead. She knew that it was her horn trying to come out.

With a conscious effort, Rem was able to keep her horn at bay. She had to hold a tight lid on the anger that screamed in her mind. Sister said Rem needs to follow the plan. Her lips were twisted in a grimace as she thought of what would happen soon. I can't fall to my impulses. Sister said I couldn't.

Her guilt was able to hold back her anger as a great dome of fire erupted about one hundred meters away. Hooded figures danced within the maid's mind. A small hiss formed in the back of her neck as she thought of the Sin Archbishop that was steadily approaching. Her hand shook with wrath as her eyes caught a glimpse of Subaru and the small boy that was following him.

"Witch cultist." Venom permeated her voice. The fire that surrounded the Archbishop certainly didn't help her maintain calm. Though something behind her helped somewhat.

A large hand landed on her left shoulder. "Hey little maid lady, keep calm, we wouldn't want to alert him early." The jovial voice of Ricardo Welkin blared out above her. His loud speech offered a strange calm to her.

"Ricardo-san is correct." The grizzled voice of Wilhelm van Astrea called out to from her left. "Subaru-dono tasked us with the first engagement so we must make sure it goes well, otherwise Gluttony will not be worn down enough for the final group." He let off a grandfatherly air as he spoke of Subaru.

Rem turned her eyes back toward where Subaru was fast approaching. A large mass of spirits surrounded him as he sprinted into a clearing.

Rem, Ricardo, and Wilhelm were in the surrounding trees. And now that Subaru was in place it was time for them to split up. Ricardo and Wilhelm took positions at opposite sides of the clearing. After a moment they formed a sort of triangle. Subaru stood in the center serving as bait for the trap.

Rem felt very little when she looked at Subaru. Though a small amount of respect did enter her heart when she thought of the role he had in this plan. But Rem did not dwell on Subaru too long because her horn forced her eyes to look at the body of a small child.

The boy's brown hair was long and disheveled. The twisted remain of a witch's cult uniform hung over his body. However, the piece of clothing seemed as if it had been made only a few minutes before. His green eyes danced around wildly. A second cloak started to cover his body however this one was made of fire instead of cloth. It was like a shield of flames that surrounded him.

The grass around Rem started to shrivel up in the heat.

"Otto Suwen, where is he?" Gluttony's voice was thick with madness. His body undulated as he mentioned the name of a man Rem had never heard of.

Subaru didn't respond to the Archbishop and instead raised his arm and whispered an incantation. "El Minya." Crystals flew toward the boy. Ley struck away the arrows with the blades on his arm which changed from steel to purple glass as the magic met steel.

Once the attack was over Ley unstrapped his arm blades and tossed them to the side. "In place of Otto, you will have to do ~tsu. What a fine meal we will have today." His insanity clawed at Rem's mind. It tore at her inhibitions. Her anger grew and grew.

She had to bite her lip to stop herself from attacking. Rem knew she shouldn't attack yet. She had to wait for the signal, which Subaru would give when Ley was in the perfect position to be attacked. But Rem's rational mind faded quickly as Ley's crazed mind was placed on full display.

"Natsuki Subaru we would like to devour you, but first we must prepare you." The Sin Archbishop jumped toward Subaru. The black-haired boy's face remained neutral as he imbued his sword with mana. Spirits brought their blue glow to the sword. A moment later Subaru raised his blade to block Ley's attack.

The Archbishop slammed his palm into Subaru's sword with glee. "How delicious we will have to use our Lunar Eclipse to defeat you." The cultist's focus was entirely on Subaru.

Now would be the perfect time for a surprise attack. Rem's oni instincts whispered into her mind. He is part of the group that cut off sister's horn. The right arm that held her morning star tightened.

"Such a delicious meal you will be." Ley disappeared for a split second before rematerializing behind Subaru.

"El Shamac." Ley's body locked up while Subaru flipped himself around to face the boy. He raised his sword once more. "Murak." Subaru reached his left arm out and shoved Ley. The boy floated off the ground as his body was made weightless.

Rem readied herself to attack, but to her chagrin, Subaru still made no signal for them to enter the fray. He shouldn't delay us, now is the perfect chance. But fortunately, Rem's mind remembered something.

Before the battle, Subaru had laid out exactly when the signal would come. In her anger, she'd forgotten that he was planning to surround Ley in a massive amount of Minya crystals so that Ley was largely trapped.

Then they would all slowly come out to wear down Ley's defenses. Using this information Rem successfully held herself back. With a long breath, she loosened her muscles.

"Y'know it slightly spoils the meal when you don't fully engage in the preparation." His voice sounded like that of a child correcting an adult on a minor mistake. Subaru merely stared back at him with a steady gaze.

Ley breathed in and out slowly. The flames that had cloaked him disappeared. "We suppose Otto is no longer apart of this battle, how disappointing," Strangely the way he said the word disappointing made it seem like he was relieved that Otto was no longer apart of the battle.

"So then we will just have to focus on you, and like we were saying you need to take part in the preparation." His voice seemed taunting, like he was intentionally making himself sound more annoying.

A smile split Ley's face. He paid little heed to the fact that he was still floating. Subaru looked at him wearily. He knew that Ley could probably break out of his spell and attack him at any moment.

"Well, maybe we can try some of the other meals that our gospel recommended. How does that sound, Subaru-kun? The gospel recommended a little girl named Petra Leyte, then there was Emilia, or Rem," The girl in question felt her anger grow as Ley began to list off names. Her rationality melted away.

"What about Beatrice, or Puck, or maybe even…" He paused for a second and smiled. "Maybe that pink maid, what did the gospel say her name was? Oh right, Ram, that was her name. Maybe I should go eat her instead. She sounds like a delicious meal."

With each word the Sin Archbishop had spoken Rem's fury grew greater and greater. She tried to keep it at bay but when Ley called her sister a delicious meal Rem's inhibitions gave way. A white-pink horn flashed and grew atop her head.

"WITCH CULTIST!" Rem threw herself from her hiding place among the shriveled trees. The sound of chains rang out across the clearing as she slammed the spike ball of her flail at the frozen Sin Archbishop.

"Dorkell." His eyes were wide as he looked at her, though he didn't look unhappy about the surprise. Quite the opposite actually Ley looked like he could jump for joy right now. If he could jump, he was unfortunately frozen in the air. This made him an easy target for Rem's weapon which drew toward him.

Unfortunately right before her attack landed Ley's body disappeared. He reappeared on the ground a few meters away. Without a second of hesitation Rem threw herself at Ley with a yell. "GLUTTONY!" Her morning star redirected with a yank of her wrist.

"GOURMET!" Ley yelled out in response as he caught Rem's morning star in his palms. Once Rem saw this she reached her left pal towards Gluttony.

"EL HUMA!" She screamed in outrage at the cultist who'd threatened her sister. Forty shards of ice quickly manifested and flew toward Ley.

"You will be delicious!" Ley weaved in and between the shards with stolen skill.

"EL MINYA!" Subaru finally caught up to the fight with a frantic shout. After he sent the attack, he dropped his left hand to the side and snapped his fingers.

"Absorption!" Ley shouted out when he realized that it was impossible to dodge all of the ice and shadow crystals. The shards of magic that surrounded all transformed into blue-white light and flowed into Ley. Though Ley had to balance himself as his knees buckled and a groan of pain emanated from his throat.

Too much mana. Ahhh! He forced away the ability and tried to search for something better.

Right as this was happening, at the sound of Subaru's fingers snapping together Ricardo and Wilhelm jumped from the forest. Subaru ran over to where they'd emerged and quickly whispered a new plan to them.

Rem's mind was too clouded with rage to listen to Subaru's plans. Instead, she drew in as much mana from the atmosphere as she could using her horn. Then she infused it into her legs and jumped toward the Archbishop.

Gluttony stared up at her. His face twisted into a smile as he rocketed toward Rem as well. "WE WILL RELISH THIS FEAST!" Rem swung her morning star at him, instead of dodging out of the way Ley screamed more words. "Dragon's talons!" His nails quickly shifted into short jets of flame. He fully extended his arm out to his side and then brought it toward Rem.

Her morning star got in the way of his arm. Instead of redirecting his appendage, he shoved his flaming nails into the morning star.

Red coloring spread across the steel ball as it started to superheat. At the spot where Ley's nails collided with the weapon, the metal started to melt like butter. For a millisecond Ley's hand was stuck before it continued all the way through. A quarter of the morning star including one of the spikes was sheared off.

The Sin Archbishop's hand careened down toward Rem. White-hot flames still protruded from his nails.

When Rem saw Ley's palm coming toward her the small part of her that was still rational remembered Subaru's earlier warnings to the group.

"If he touches you with his hands then he can eat your name or memories." His voice had been shaky as he'd said those words to them. The strength in his eyes had melted away to reveal a long stare. His words had given Rem the impression that he'd been speaking from experience.

"SISTER!" Rem screamed out in defiance as she dropped her morning star and grabbed onto Ley's arm.

When she did this he quickly swung his free arm toward her with a smile. "WE CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS FEAST!" His eyes danced around crazily. Fear pierced Rem's anger and for a second she saw the same look reflected back in Ley's eyes.

"ARCHBISHOP!" An angered scream came from behind Rem. Her eyes widened as a swordsman dressed in a butler's uniform brought the edge of his sword down vertically on Ley's face in an attempt to split his skull in half.

Gluttony's green eyes grew visible as his eyelids widened. "Jaws of the hyena!" He shouted out as he twisted his neck so that his mouth aligned with the vertical sword. As the sword slashed down Ley opened his mouth and bit down onto the sword.

Wilhelm's eyes widened as Ley crushed the sword with his bite. However, within only a moment they grew narrow and he let go of his sword, then he infused his, now freed, right arm, clenched his fist, and shoved his knuckles into Ley's stomach.

"Hgk!" Ley choked on some of the fragments of Wilhelm's sword as he was sent flying. The Sin Archbishop landed a few feet away with a spray of dirt. Ash started to rain down on the battlefield as Ley forced himself to his feet. The boy placed a hand up to his stomach where Wilhelm had punched him.

His knees buckles as the pain that once wouldn't have bothered him now made him want to curl up into a ball. His breathing quickened as he started to hyperventilate.

"Rem-sama, you need to remain calm." Wilhelm stretched out his right hand to the girl.

Rem nodded curtly to the man. Though her horn still glowed atop her head. Her fury bubbled within her mind. Sister, sister, sister, sister, sister, sister. STOP! Rem has to remain calm. With an effort, she was able to keep herself from exploding once more.

Ricardo stepped up to her right and made a loud vibrating sound as he inhaled to speak. "Wilhelm is right you need to keep calm here."

Subaru stepped up behind them without making a sound. He kept his breathing quiet as he thought up a plan to wear down Ley before the next stage of the plan. Wilhelm drew a new sword from the four still on his belt.

However, the boy who stood opposite them was not competent with letting them come up with a plan. They didn't know that Ley's encounter with Otto a while ago changed his stance on his preparation.

"No more pain. We don't want to hurt. We must eat before we are eaten." Ley licked his lips as he looked at the group.

"LUNAR ECLIPSE!" He belted out as he took the initiative and forced his body toward the group.

Ricardo blocked Ley's strike with a grimace. Ley hung in the air from the force of his strike being blocked. Wilhelm swung around Rem and slashed at Ley with a sharp glint in his eyes. Ley deflected Wilhelm's attack with a swipe of his palm and knocked the sword demon away.

Instead of pursuing the off-balance Wilhelm Ley searched for a way to overpower Ricardo. He ducked behind the great demi-human. Noticing this Ricardo brought his massive sword down onto the Archbishop.

"Huma!" Rem screamed as she sent blades of ice flying toward Ley to trap him between ice and steel. The Sin Archbishop ignored them and shoved his body into an upright position, then teleported backward.

Gluttony's green eyes carefully scanned the group. "We should eat you all, but preparation, what happened to preparation. No, it's eat or be eaten, but why eat if the meal doesn't taste good. We need to be civilized, we can't be like Roy. But Roy is our brother, but Capella turned him into a beast. We can't be a beast. We are the most civilized of the Archbishops."

The group looked at him defensively. Though Subaru and Rem were questioning whether it would be best to attack now but they didn't have much time to think as Ley started to make his move.

He raised his arms to the side trying to appear more and more like a petulant child. "We should go find Ram she sounds so delicious. Or those Pearlbaton triplets?" He tried to elicit a response from the group. Who were all holding back to wait for Subaru's plan.

Except for a certain blue-haired maid who was still boiling with rage. "Rem-san keep calm." Ricardo tried to stabilize the woman. He shoved down his own anger at the comment about the triplets.

I need to make sure this goes well. Those kids would have a higher chance of dying if I messed this up. His rationality held him back. But it was a struggle and he could see that Rem was steadily losing her own rationale.

Meanwhile, Ricardo noticed that Subaru and Wilhelm were maintaining perfect calm. The Archbishop was waiting for them. He was rocking back and forth in his feet and was casting glances around the burning forest that surrounded them.

He's being indecisive, why? Ricardo turned his head to whisper into Subaru's ear.

"He looks conflicted. We could use that." Ricardo kept his voice quiet but he could see that Ley was eyeing them with suspicion.

"Ram sounds like a delicious meal. Should we try her? With the reaction toward her name that we have seen she must be so tasty." The Archbishop's fear shied away in the face of the desire that was overwhelming Ley's body. His trembling took on a different look.

"I have something I can do." Subaru nodded, "Just be ready for my signal." The black-haired boy shut his eyes to concentrate for a moment.

Ley let a groan escape his lips. "Is Ram as glorious as they have shown us, can we hope for a meal so amazing?"

"Get ready." Subaru's voice projected across the clearing his grip on his borrowed sword tightened. However, Ley did not take any notice of Subaru's words. Instead, he had wrapped his arms around himself. His mouth dropped open a small trail of saliva dripped out.

"THIS RAM SOUNDS LIKE SUCH AN AMAZING MEAL!" A shout of anticipation and excitement tore from the Archbishop. Beside Ricardo, Rem's anger had started to overwhelm her. She tightened her hand on her morning star. Small fragments of ice were beginning to take form around her. Her breathing was heavy as she heard the boy's words.

"Rem-san keep calm." Ricardo's words had little effect on the oni.

"Rem-sama," Wilhelm's affected her to an even lesser degree.

"Rem don't-" Subaru began to speak.

"WE LOVE THIS RAM SHE WILL BE THE GREATEST MEAL!" The Archbishop proclaimed his love for the Ram he'd constructed within his mind. However, Rem didn't realize that it was merely a falsehood to trap her, though on the contrary maybe Ley was the one ignoring his own emotions. He didn't notice that his heart was starting to beat faster and faster the more he thought or Ram, but he didn't have any more time to contemplate.

"DON'T SPEAK ABOUT MY SISTER, CULTIST!" Rem let out a scream even louder than Gluttony's and jumped toward the Archbishop once more.

Ley watched with glee as Rem rushed in to attack him. He blocked her strikes with ease and activated Carnivorous Beast to ignore the ice crystals she sent his way. They cracked on his skin and exploded as if he were Regulus.

Rem sent her morning star toward his head. In response, Ley grabbed the ball of spikes in his left hand. "Vice claw." He tightened his grip and started to crush the spiked ball.

Rem's eyes widened at the ease he displayed but this was only a momentary emotion. Her overwhelming anger overtook her surprise within only a second. Ley noticed an opportunity and threw her morning star to the side.

The strength of his arm made it so that Rem herself was flung to his left a few meters when he tossed the morning star aside.

While the oni recovered her balance Ley threw his gaze across the battlefield. He could see Subaru holding Ricardo and Wilhelm back. There was a glint of confidence in the black-haired boy's eyes.

"CULTIST!" A shout erupted from Rem, Ley reached into his consumed memories and dodged her attack on instinct. Her morning star flew past him, but Rem yanked it back with a clinking of chains.

This is Rem, isn't it? Ley studied her features for the first time. They were the same that had been described in his gospel. Which had given him a long list of names for his consumption. Ley had found it odd that the gospel had been so specific, but he wasn't able to question it right now. He was busy reaching his arm back to grasp the chain of Rem's morning star.

"If you are this Gourmet then we can't imagine how Gourmet your sister will be." He felt his cheeks color slightly as he thought about the pink-haired oni that had also been in his gospel. Spite colored Rem's eyes for a moment before it fell back into generic outrage.

Ley would've smiled if he didn't catch a sound of buzzing in his ears. The boy's body instinctively twisted in on itself as he thought about being swarmed when he'd fought Otto. He started to convulse as he felt insects crawl all over his body.

"Ul Huma!" Ley snapped his eyes open just in time to dodge the massive crystal of ice the Rem had flung his way. He dropped the chain of her morning star in the process. As the crystal sailed beyond his head Ley searched his body. There were no bugs on him. At least not yet.

The chorus of insects grew louder and Ley watched as a fly landed on his arm. He activated Carnivorous Beast without hesitation. He would've reached for his fire magic but a massive amount of insects swarmed him and his rational thought quickly gave way.

He dropped into the fetal position as cockroaches crawled through his hair. He shut his mind off for a second. "Heinelga." He whispered through pursed lips. Ley reached for Solar Eclipse and tacked Heinelga's name onto his own.

Ley's body changed shape as Heinelga's power took over. Bugs swarmed his body. No pain entered his mind. The bugs weren't able to pierce his durability but the sensation of them crawling all around him erased his mental fortitude with ease.

His appetite melted away to reveal intense fear. He shut off the surroundings, but he still caught an odd whisper every now and then in the dark world, Ley hadn't opened his eyes, and he didn't plan to.

The whispers were something Ley didn't pay any attention too but a few slipped into his mind.

"Attack now!" It was the voice of that black-haired boy. Ley's hunger returned for a split second and he felt the desire to open his eyes. NO! We can't open our eyes. Please don't open them.

"Ahhhhh!" He heard shouts from the grizzled swordsman and the massive demi-human. Then the sharp familiar feeling of swords striking his body resumed. Their attacks weren't able to overwhelm Ley's durability so he ignored them.

"El Minya, El Minya, El Minya."

"El Huma, El Huma, El Huma."

Two hundred and forty shards of magic slammed into Ley. Little cuts formed all along his body as his durability reached some form of limit. But Ley ignored the pain and focused instead on the brief reprieve that the attacks brought when the insects died to the magic.

Unfortunately, new bugs swarmed him without hesitation. He forced his senses to completely shut off.

After a few moments, the only thing he could register was the pain as constant attacks slammed into him. It was better than the alternative which was feeling the insects clawing at him.

"Alright Rem, I need you to hit him with an Al Huma." A familiar voice whispered outside of Ley's mind.

He might've been exquisite, but it's not worth it. He's not a good enough meal for us. Not good enough.

"I can do that." An affirmation from an oni slammed into the darkness of Ley's mind. Rem would be good but she isn't…

An image appeared in his imagination. It was a pink-haired woman. She looked identical to Rem except her hair was pink where Rem's was blue, and her eyes were red. Her form could only be described as Gourmet.

Ram… would be the greatest feast we could ever eat. His instincts as a preparer of meals sung those words to him. She will be the epitome of Gourmet. The very definition. He raved on in his mind about a woman he had never met.

Ram… Ley's fear for the bugs faded from his mind.

Ram we… Intense hunger panged within his stomach.

Warmth blossomed in his chest alongside that hunger.

"AL HUMA!" The sound of ice cracking into form slipped through the screaming of a thousand insects.

Ram, we love you! Ley's lips tilted upward somewhat.

Wilhelm watched as Ley Batenkaitos opened his eyes to the world. His lips pulled up into a smile. His smile didn't dampen as mosquitos crawled onto his eyes. The sword demon readied his body for a fight.

Rem sent a massive icicle streaming toward Ley. The Archbishop simply stood in place and let the crystal of ice slam into his chest. A large amount of the bugs that covered Ley's body were blasted away. The cold air sent many of the insects scurrying off of him.

The Archbishop let his newly taken form slip away. The entire group was too stunned by Ley's sudden change in behavior to take action against him. Ley's real body returned to him and he let off an aura of heat. Any of the bugs that still remained were singed off.

Instead of addressing any of the gathered fighters, Ley raised his palm in the direction that the swarm had come from and parted his lips to speak.

"Al Goa." A massive wall of flames blasted through the forest from Ley's hand.

Without a second glance cast in that direction, Gluttony turned back to them. "We have another meal to attend to. We cannot spoil our pallet before we eat Ram." His body rocketed off toward the forest.

"El Minya!" Subaru who was in between Gluttony and the tree line raised his borrowed sword to the Bishop once more and forced a spell into existence. His incantation was plagued with desperation. Ley jammed his palm through Subaru's sword, shattering the steel into dust, and used a blade of wind to blast him out of the way.

Subaru quickly shoved himself up but he was still trying to force oxygen into his lungs. However, Ley ignored him and continued toward Arlam Village and the Roswal mansion. Unfortunately for him, Subaru wasn't the only thing in Ley's path.

"WITCH CULTIST!" Rem threw herself after the Archbishop. She managed to out-speed him, mostly because Ley wasn't trying to outrun her. Once she was in front of him her body twisted back and she sent the spiked ball of her flail toward Ley.

He quickly stepped out of the way and grabbed the chain in his left hand. "You and Subaru-kun have convinced us that a few appetizers may be nice." Wilhelm's legs launched him forward when he heard the smile in Ley's voice. I'm sorry Subaru-dono but the time for careful planning is over.

The Archbishop wasted no time in jerking Rem's chain toward his body. The maid didn't have enough time to react so her form was sent flying in the direction of the boy.

Ley dropped the chain and reached both of his hands out to grab onto Rem's face.

"Hey, do you like flowers?" Wilhelm infused his legs with as much mana as he could. Love flowered anew in his chest.

I love them. A smile touched Wilhelm's chest as he thought of the whale he'd killed earlier in the day. Wilhelm's blue eyes flicked to the right where Subaru had also started to run in the same direction as Wilhelm.

You truly are selfless Subaru-dono, maybe a little too selfless sometimes. You remind me so much of myself.

Ley's arms grew closer and closer to Rem until there was only a short distance between them.

Resolve burst out of Wilhelm. "Ahhh!" He screamed as he forced his body forward until he was moving as fast as he possibly could and quickly out sped Subaru.

You remind me of myself when Theresia was still alive. A pink-haired maid emerged in Wilhelm's mind. That's why I cannot let you make this sacrifice.

With one last leap, Wilhelm aimed his body toward the space in between Ley and Rem. The sword demon could see Subaru materializing from the air on the opposite side of Ley. Not a hint of surprise entered Wilhelm's chest when he saw it. Only affirmation entered him. You really are just like me. But you still have your Theresia. Hopefully you can recognize that before she's gone.

Wilhelm shoved himself in between Ley and Rem. Gluttony's hands quickly found their way onto his body.

Only a smile graced Wilhelm's face. Ley's hands left his body as the Sin Archbishop distanced himself from the three of them.

The sword demon hit the ground with a spray of dirt.

I love flowers.

And I love you, Theresia.

"Not the meal we expected but the tenacity, such Gourmet. Thank you for this feast, Wilhelm van Astrea." Ricardo jumped in to attack and interrupt the boy but Ley's hands were already in his mouth.

"Ahhh." A tearing sensation started in Wilhelm's chest. Subaru leaned down over him.

"Subaru-dono."

Subaru stared down at Wilhelm van Astrea. The man who'd told him to stand after he'd lost his memories. The man who'd told him to move forward.

"Wilhelm…" Subaru pushed his tongue through his teeth.

"I know that look in your eyes." The man's voice was weak as his memories began to melt away.

"Keep going, Subaru-dono, your Theresia is still alive." Love glowed in Wilhelm's eyes. The piercing steel in the blue irises disappeared leaving behind the air of a grandfather on his death bed.

Ricardo shouted in defiance behind Subaru as he desperately tried to keep Ley occupied. Subaru didn't notice what was happening behind him.

"Your Ram still needs you, Subaru-dono." Subaru's jaw loosened at the mention of Ram. His tongue slid back into its proper resting place.

"You should go before Gluttony eats you too. You heard who he wants to eat most. She needs you Subaru-dono. It's ok to leave me forgotten. I can be forgotten." The man forced his lips into a smile but it was difficult for him to form the expression.

"Maybe this way, Reinhard will be happier…" He cut off for a second as his eyes fell closed.

"My Theresia." Subaru tried to push his tongue through his teeth. But he couldn't even move his tongue from its normal spot. "Hopefully you find Theresia wherever you're going, Wilhelm."

"Subaru-dono…" Confusion chipped away at the warmth on Wilhelm's face. His eyes opened for a brief second. The blue eyes of the sword demon looked around in confusion.

"Who's Theresia?" With a final exhalation, the man's eyes drifted closed without another word. Wilhelm didn't breathe in to replace the air in his lungs. His body froze as if stuck outside of time. Subaru rested his hand on the man's face. The lack of any temperature reminded him of his days spent testing Regulus' authority.

Subaru breathed a tearful sigh as he thought of his time in Priestella. Reinhard inevitably entered his mind. He'd failed both Reinhard and Wilhelm now. Once more he tried to push his tongue through his teeth. But the pink-haired woman in his mind, and Wilhelm's own words, prevented his tongue from moving.

I can't do it. I'm sorry Wilhelm, but I can't do it. Why? Why can't I just throw my life away? It's worth nothing, so why can't I do it?

He remained kneeling over the man for a moment before Rem grabbed his shoulder. "Subaru, we need to go warn sister."

"You guys get going I'll hold him off," Ricardo called back to them as he raised his sword to block Ley's next strike.

"You are Gourmet enough." Ley seemed to agree to the plan. "Grant us an appetizer."

Ricardo's muscles tightened with resolve. His voice was confident. "I'm countin' on ya guys. Save those kids. Even if they don't remember me, keep 'em safe." His further words were cut off when Ley slammed his palm into Ricardo's arm. The demi-human shook it off with ease and slammed his blade into Gluttony's forehead.

Subaru couldn't form words. "Live idiot," Ram's own words called in his mind. The lump in his throat disappeared.

"Thank you," Subaru hated himself for speaking those words, and he hated himself even more for grabbing Rem's hand and dashing into the forest.

Why can't I kill myself? It would be so easy. So easy. However, something deep inside Subaru held him from suicide, and Subaru hated that part of himself with a passion.

With Ram in his mind, Subaru's legs carried him forward even though his conscious mind desperately wanted to bleed out on the ground.

"I'm sorry," Subaru whispered to the demi-human and sword demon. Without another glance backward he and Rem dashed off into the trees.

Subaru forced his tired body into a new clearing. Once there he directed his vision around the surrounding trees. "The trap is meaningless now we all need to get to Julius." Rem slowed to a stop beside him. She took deep heavy breaths. Their sprint here had been soul-crushing. Neither had stopped for a single second. Though fortunately, Rem was able to recover quickly and Subaru was able to ignore his fatigue with ease.

In response to Subaru's words, five figures stepped out of the forest. Three of them moved in synch with each other. The Pearlbaton triplets looked shaken.

"Where is Ricardo?" They asked Subaru. Crusch stepped out of the forest behind them.

"Yes I would also like to know where he is." Subaru closed his eyes to think of a way to answer them but nothing came into his mind. He didn't have any more time to think either as he was interrupted by a warm voice.

"Barusu, Rem." Ram's voice was filled with relief as she spoke to them.

"Sister," Rem smiled as if nothing was amiss.

Oh… no… Subaru's brain stumbled upon what that meant but his conscious mind didn't fully realize it yet.

"Rem," Ram reached over and wrapped the blue-haired maid in a hug.

Subaru tried to speak but the words froze in his throat. Ram pulled back from her sister and looked over to him.

"And Barusu," Ram tried to force a smile on her face but the coloring of her cheeks betrayed her attempts. "Now that you're here we can continue this poor excuse for a plan." Ram stepped away from her sister and grasped Subaru's hand.

Ram's hand allowed his resolve to fully bloom once more. "Do you know who Ricardo Welkin is?"

Ram tilted her head in confusion. "Who's this made-up person Barusu?"

Minor spirits appeared in the air surrounding Subaru.

Subaru brought his fist into his thigh. I'm so sorry. "Ley is on his way we need to implement the retreat aspect of the plan early."

The people surrounding Subaru quickly nodded at the seriousness in his eyes. They all knew to trust him in these situations.

"Who was Ricardo, Natsuki?" Crusch asked as the group fell into their prepared positions, though the formation was absent two of its members. "He was eaten by Gluttony, wasn't he?" Subaru had explained his ability to remember Gluttony's victims to them.

"Mhm." Subaru felt self-loathing grow within him as he let out a tiny response. Crusch looked back to the direction Ley was supposed to approach from without another word.

I failed. I already failed. Why? Wh-

Ram's hand squeezed his own. The firm grip of the oni helped hold Subaru's hatred at bay for a moment. The boy's lips changed from a frown into a neutral line. A tiny hint of warmth grew in the back of his eyes.

Unconsciously he reached his hand over and lightly patted Ram's head. Strangely Ram didn't seem to mind.

Only a moment later Gluttony appeared in front of them. His childlike body undulated in anticipation.

"So you're Ram." A smile split his face. He licked his lips softly. Ram looked back at the Archbishop with resolution and anger. "You look just as Gourmet as we imagined. ~tsu" He giggled softly to himself.

Ram shuddered with disgust. Rem's horn grew atop her head.

"Rem." Ram's voice projected out toward the blue-haired maid. "Remain calm." Her voice was confident in the face of the hungry cultist before her. Rem quickly calmed down but her horn still remained atop her head.

Subaru removed his hand from Ram's head and called as many spirits as he could to himself. "Well at least you demonstrated some shame for touching my excellently kept hair," Ram whispered thorny words to him, but her tone sounded completely different. Subaru couldn't determine what her tone actually sounded like, and Ley didn't give him any time to try.

"You are a wonderful first few courses and an incredible final course. Time for us to begin the preparation." Ley let out a sultry breath as he spoke about his final course. His green eyes landed directly on Ram as he whispered those words.

"Lunar Eclipse." After he uttered those words he disappeared for a split second before reappearing and slamming his palms into Crusch's upraised blade. The duchess took a quick step back as he did so. Her face shined with defiance as she looked into the eyes of Ley.

According to Subaru the Archbishop had already eaten some of the group's members. She couldn't let him eat anymore. That was why with every strike of Ley's palm blocked by her sword she took a single step back. The group around her did not move an inch as they watched Ley embroil himself in his small battle with Crusch.

Soon Crusch jumped behind Rem and the blue-haired maid challenged the hungry Sin Archbishop. Ley looked at the group with a knowing smile. "So you're retreating slowly." His body trembled with excitement. "We suppose that we understand why Pete-chan was always going on about love now."

Ley blocked each strike Rem levied at him. The maid attacked with her morning star yet with her feet she moved back. Her sister's presence helped her to better follow the plan that Subaru had laid out before the battle.

I'm sorry sister. One of Rem's attacks missed due to her morning star being off balance from Ley searing a large chunk out of it. Ley quickly took notice of this opening and blitzed past Rem's defenses.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" However, Mimi quickly used her magic to cover the maid's mistake. The entire group kept moving back slowly.

Now the battle had finally entered its desired form after the many mistakes of the first encounter. They were now caught in a war of attrition with the Archbishop. They had to outlast him long enough to make it all the way back to Arlam village where the rest of their forces waited with a final trap prepared. Subaru had determined from what little he'd seen of Ley's fighting style that the Archbishop loved to wear down his opponents until they were out of strength.

Once they'd run out of ways to fight him then the child would finally eat them. Subaru also remembered that from his battle with Gluttony only two loops ago that the Archbishop only ever raised his power if he had been threatened directly. So Subaru had devised a strategy to lure the child into a trap while he was still holding himself back to suddenly execute him.

Unfortunately, it was made very clear when Ram stepped up to fight Gluttony that Subaru had not planned for the child's mental instability. When Ram's red eyes met Gluttony's green eyes the boy shivered in excitement.

"GOURMET!" He screamed and attacked Ram at an incredible speed.

"MMM!" Ram grunted as Gluttony slammed his fist into her chin her body fell back onto the ground from the force of the strike. Once she hit the ground he jumped back and raised his hands so that there was a forty-five-degree angle between them and his body.

"Huma." He formed a small ring of ice on the ground only a few centimeters high. Rem jumped forward to try and get to Ram, who was still trying to get up. Seeing this Ley flashed a smile. Subaru followed Rem's example and pulled his whip from his belt.

"Batenkaitos!" He shouted as he snapped the whip toward Ley. Gluttony only flipped his palms so that they were facing the sky. A loud snap rang out across the forest as Subaru's whip lashed Ley's face.

"Archbishop!" Crusch charged her sword with mana and sent a strike flying at him.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The triplets threw their voices at the young boy.

"We would not like to be interrupted." Ley raised his arms to the blue sky above, a wall of ice rose from the ground suddenly.

The group's vision of the pink-haired oni was swiftly cut off.

NO! Subaru slammed his fist into the wall of ice. "Spirits!" He screamed out in desperation to any spirit that would respond to him.

"Please come, I need your help."

Ram's eyes stared in anger at the small boy who stood in front of her. "We had wanted to eat the other courses before the finale but you are just far too GOURMET!" Ley closed his eyes for a second. Ram watched him with a cold ferocity in her eyes.

"Palm of the Fist King!" He suddenly screamed as he slammed his palms forward. Ram jumped back desperation and anxiety slipped onto her face when she collided into the wall of ice that Gluttony had raised.

The boy's palms streamed toward her. "UL FULA!" Ram yelled out with a snarl.

"CRUSCH REM HIT THE DAMN THING!" Subaru's voice rang out from outside. For the first time since she'd met him, Ram heard raw emotion in his voice. She'd never heard Subaru scream. Barusu.

"Ahhhh!" Rem's voice rang out from the outside of Ram's icy prison.

Rem, Barusu. Resolve shone in Ram's eyes as she forced the wind storm she'd summoned to spring up around Ley. He looked around with giddy excitement as he was trapped in by Ram. The wind quickly started to attack him.

His body was buffeted by the force while Ram tried to break her way out of the ice in the same places that Rem and Crusch were hitting it. With blood dripping from her horn and onto her outstretched arms Ram was able to punch a way through the barrier.

"We would not like you to run from us." The wind storm that had surrounded Ley blasted apart as he canceled the magic out with one of his stolen abilities. His voice exuded desire, hunger, need, and warmth as he spoke to Ram.

"Al Huma." His tone was hungered. The walls of Ram's prison refortified themselves. Any cracks that had been made within them quickly disappeared. While Ram was planning a way to escape Gluttony shoved out his arms in a T-like position. He used his mana to force the walls of ice to expand and form a wider circle.

"Now we can truly prepare you." Gluttony shuddered in pleasure at the very idea. Ram stared back at him with only disgust.

I will get out of this. I will live. For Rem, and… A black-haired boy appeared in her mind. There was a slight ember of warmth in his expression. The feeling of his lips on her own pushed a smile onto Ram's face.

I will get out of here and live, for Barusu.

Rem slammed her morning star into the wall of ice before her. Desperation filled her mind. Ice cracked off and flew into her face, but it was quickly replaced by more ice. Gluttony was keeping the ice refreshed so that nobody could interrupt his meal.

Tears welled up in Rem's eyes. Tears of fury, tears of sadness, tears of despair. Ley screamed out from the other side of the wall. His voice was crazed as he spoke. Rem's lips twisted into a snarl.

Smoke rushed into her nose. It came from the forest that still burned around them. The smell awoke memories within Rem. The fire around her grew brighter. Screams filled her ears as her memories pulled her back to the oni village.

"It finally broke off."

Guilt rushed through Rem as she tried to force her way through the ice once more. She cast a quick glance upward. The walls of ice stretched into the sky. There was no way she could reach the top in time.

"FULA!" Ram screamed out from inside.

A blade of wind shot toward the wall as Crusch slashed her sword. Wind slammed into both sides of the wall, but the ice recovered before Rem could exploit the weakness.

Sister, I'm sorry. Sissy, please don't go.

"Minya." Subaru's voice filled with dejection pierced Rem's ears. The black-haired boy pushed crystals of shadows into the ice. For a second the glacial wall turned purple, but it was quickly covered over with new ice.

"Ahhh!" Subaru slammed his fist into the wall of ice. Rem watched with pity as he dropped to his knees.

"WAAAAA!" The Pearlbaton triplets tried to attack the wall but like with all of the other's attacks it did not give way. Gluttony was determined to have his meal.

"It finally broke off." In atonement, Rem slammed her flail into the wall over and over again, even as it was so obvious that she was struggling in vain. Her body moved with relentless drive. She held her fatigue at bay with ease.

I need to atone. "WITCH CULTIST!" Her vocal cords strained as she shouted in her guilt-filled defiance.

Ram's red eyes scanned Gluttony's brown body. The pink-haired oni was brutally aware that her mana was running out and would be completely gone soon.

Ley jumped at her with his same sick smile. Rem! Ram grasped his outstretched wrist and forced his hand away from her. The oni's goal was to hold as long as she could to give Subaru and the others a way to get her out.

She had faith in her Barusu even as she watched him sink down onto his knees with her clairvoyance. Even then Ram trusted him as she blocked another of the mad child's strikes.

Gluttony's excitement radiated from his body as he carefully held himself at just the right level of strength that he was unable to truly threaten Ram and only provided a threat that she would have to strive to not fall to.

With his entire skill as a chef focused on Ram alone, it had been incredibly easy to find that point. Although it was very difficult to hold himself at such a low level of strength. He would've been far more excited if Ram demonstrated strength, but to his chagrin, she lacked that.

But aside from that Ram embodied the concept of Gourmet in every other respect. Ley felt as if he was in heaven as his strikes were skillfully blocked over and over again.

Subaru looked down at his knees with a grimace. He was dimly aware that he'd fallen down a few moments ago. But his heart didn't possess a shred of resolve to stand. Ram was so far away right now. So far. Was she even there anymore?

If he could never take on her suffering was there really any point in trying?

"AHHHHH!" Rem screamed out in rage as she slammed her flail into the ice once more. Subaru raised his head to look over at her. Rem was looking forward with determination and her body was dancing with perseverance.

How do I stand anymore?

A small pink-haired young boy appeared in his mind. What had his name been?

Rem's screams of rage continued. Her hair swayed in the soft breeze. In that moment a memory flashed in Subaru's mind.

"Just like you started my time for me when it was stopped we will make the time that you feel is stopped for you begin to move again."

Could she be…?

Warmth bloomed in Subaru's mind. But it seemed foreign.

She is.

"Let us start here."

She's still…

"From square one."

She's still my Rem.

"No,"

No, she isn't my Rem.

"From zero."

She's just Rem isn't she? The warmth that had entered Subaru's mind now snuck into his heart. Subaru's brown eyes studied the way Rem fought for her sister even where Subaru had given up.

She's Rem. The woman that picked me up when I couldn't stand. His heart began to beat. It didn't flutter but it was energized.

I love Rem. Subaru thought of the love he held in his heart for Ram. They were both love, but not the same type of love.

Not as I once did, but that's ok, isn't it? In a stark moment of clarity Subaru understood something.

Last loop, I was an idiot, wasn't I? Subaru's body rose to his knees. He didn't have to force himself to stand.

I declared that I didn't love Rem. A silver-haired girl appeared in his mind. I told myself that I didn't love Emilia. I was wrong, wasn't I?

He thought of Beatrice. I still love them. Otto entered his mind. The green-haired merchant smiled softly as he called Subaru a friend. He thought of Emilia and Rem holding the same expression as Otto. They spoke the same words that Otto had.

Subaru's lips tilted upward slightly. I love Emilia and Rem, not in the same way I once did, but that doesn't matter. I love Otto, Beatrice, Petra, the village kids. Subaru reached out to the spirits that surrounded him. He stepped back from the wall of ice then he bent his knees and readied himself to run.

Maybe I can even love Frederica and Garfiel. The warmth that had entered his mind started to fade. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Instead of dwelling on it Subaru blinked away the tears and grasped the mana in the air and ran forward. He quickly wove the mana through his body and back into the air. With an immense amount of magic power, he forced open the air by bending a hole into reality.

His body sped forward full of resolve as he disappeared.

Gluttony bore down on her. He slammed his fist into Ram's lower jaw with a slight moan of pleasure at the way Ram ignored his attack and continued to try and find a way to survive.

"You seem to be at your limit, time for our feast to begin." His other fist pistoned into Ram's sternum. The oni's breath was forced from her lungs. Her body collapsed to the ground.

Ram tried to force breath into her lungs as Ley strode up to her. "You will be just as good as we had imagined. Thank you." Gluttony lowered his hands down toward Ram's face.

NO! Ram seized the rest of her mana and brought it into her hands. She raised them slowly, but not weakly. Ram latched onto the oxygen in the atmosphere and forced it into her body.

With a gasp, she forced out the only words that she could muster.

"El Fula." A bubble of wind smashed into Ley's chest. The Archbishop's eyes widened as he was thrown back.

"Even greater than we imagined. EVEN GREATER!" The boy exulted as he stood up quickly and walked toward Ram. The oni tried to stand up like Ley had but her body was out of mana. She couldn't move a muscle.

Ram looked up at the looming man, the last of her physical strength was gone, and even then she still looked up at him with a steely gaze.

"Such a beautiful, wondrous, incredible, tasteful, exquisite meal. My, you have us speaking like Pete-chan." A small blush crept across the man's face. Ram only stared up at him with disgust.

"Ram we have to say something before we consume you." He put his hand up to his mouth. He let off an aura of shyness. An aura that steadily melted away and was replaced with something Ram did not want to think about.

"Ram we lo-" The air behind Ley ripped apart in a manner that Ram was familiar with. The pink-haired girl smiled as she saw a black-haired boy jump out from the hole in the air.

Subaru set his hand down on Ley's shoulder. Not a hint of fear entered his eyes. His brown eyes were filled only with resolve and warmth.

"How's it going, Ley?" The Archbishop tilted his head and looked back at Subaru. The well-dressed spiritualist held the same neutral expression but now it was steely, confident, stable. He spoke to the Archbishop casually. "I won't waste any more of your time."

Blue spirits glowed around him. Hundreds of them raged like a swarm of light.

"Ul Minya." Subaru lunged over to Ram as a purple ring of light appeared around Ley. The light spread across Gluttony's entire body he tried to move and escape but he only succeeded in jerking his body around. He was frozen, bound.

"You are also very Gourmet." Ley did not seem fazed by the loss of his ability to eat Ram in fact he only sounded happier about extending the preparation.

Subaru turned away from Ley as a purple light coalesced in the sky above the Archbishop. He reached down and took hold of Ram's form, then lifted her bridal style. The oni looked up at him with happiness in her gaze.

"I knew you would come, you are terribly unoriginal… moron." She added to try and form an insult. But Subaru could tell that her heart wasn't in it.

Subaru looked back to the wall of ice which was now melting away. Brittle cracks formed at one of the sides as Rem continued to assault the wintery fortification with her morning star. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he could see that Ley was too focused on the ray of light above him to keep the ice in place.

The Archbishop's smile had recovered and his teeth chattered in excitement. He looked into the violet ray of light above him. Subaru turned back to where Rem was hitting the wall. With only a few more strikes she blasted a hole in the wall.

"A few of you stay here and tell me when he starts following, or if he dies." He added the last part as an afterthought, mostly because he didn't expect he could kill Ley. If he was being honest with himself he still had no idea how to kill the Archbishop. But as all the people he cared about filled his mind he continued forward without an ounce of hesitation.

As soon as he was out of the glacial arena he let his spell commence. Thankfully Ley's insanity had kept him in place long enough for Subaru to move forward with what little plan he had left.

"We have to go now. We need distance on him before he recovers." Subaru commanded them. His voice possessed such an air of authority that even Crusch followed him without raising a complaint.

The air trembled as Subaru's Ul Minya started in earnest.

"Move quickly." Subaru pushed his body into a run though he made sure to carefully keep Ram steady.

A wondrous group of people filled Subaru's mind as he continued forward with the resolve in his eyes cemented.

Ley stared up into the purple spell. A pillar of mana shone before his eyes. "Natsuki Subaru you truly are Gourmet. Maybe you will be a fitting meal before the final course." When he thought of Ricardo and Wilhelm he only realized how poor his choice of food had been. He gagged slightly. The two names threatened to be expelled from his chest.

A short blonde-haired little girl appeared in his mind. Louis. The memories that were contained within him were not something that he could give up. There was happiness in them. So much happiness and Louis needed to be happy.

Can't throw them up. He forced down his disgust. To distract himself he looked up at Subaru's attack which he could feel pulling on him.

His hair started to lift into the sky. "Carnivorous Beast." He activated his Lunar Eclipse. This should be interesting. He wanted to see Subaru's strongest attack before he consumed him.

The buzzing of the air grew to a crescendo. The purple pillar of mana that hovered above him slammed down onto him. He was enveloped in violet light.

Ley's eyes shot open as his skin started tearing immediately. Blood flowed from rips in his skin, in a second the red liquid gravitated outward to the outer ring of the pillar. It took a moment before his mind caught up to the pain.

"Mmm." He let out a sharp hiss as his body started to tear apart. Every piece of him was being pulled toward the outside of the pillar.

He quickly contained his pain and let his mind think of a way out. We have to use Solar Eclipse. Lunar Eclipse isn't enough. If he wasn't being ripped apart he would've shivered.

SOLAR ECLIPSE! He grabbed hold of his authority and activated Carnivorous Beast. His shape formed into the body of Heinelga.

His memories overlaid with Heinelga's. Ley's sense of self fuzzed. His hunger started to disappear. LOUIS! He tried to anchor his mind in place, but the memories from the last two times he'd used this form entered his mind.

Bugs were crawling on him, they were everywhere. Outside of his mind, not a single living thing had entered the pillar of light that he was trapped in, and they would've died if they tried to get in anyway. Ley's body remained strong and unfazed by the pull of the spell. The spell couldn't hurt him, at least for a moment.

But when that moment was up the violet light switched from pulling at him to pushing him. It tried to compress him, only another second later crystals of burning shadows began to take form. They swirled around him like debris in a tornado.

The crystals exploded on impact with him where his skin started to crystalize. Purple glass rolled over parts of his skin.

This only reminded him of a tide of insects crawling all over his body. No, no, no, no. A blonde-haired girl glowed within his mind. Louis. The feeling of thin stalk-like legs treading on his body still muzzled his senses and mind from truly acting. But the image of Louis still remained. He grasped onto it and forced the sensation of insects away.

As soon as he did this a gray-haired man, a pink-haired maid, and a black-haired spiritualist all appeared unbidden within Ley's mind. WE MUST EAT THEM AND SAVE LOUIS! Ley screamed out within his mind and overcame his fear once more.

Dorkell. His body changed shape as he dropped Heinelga's name. Before he could be hurt by Subaru's spell anymore he teleported outside of the pillar. He smiled at the fact that switching to Dorkell's name did not change his mind at all.

Ley had overcome his fear of bugs once more and he'd bypassed the downsides of Solar Eclipse. Now, it was time for his three greatest meals. He started toward them with a smile. Thanks to his consumption of Wilhelm's memories he knew exactly what they had in store for him.

Ley Batenkaitos walked toward a trap with a smile on his face.

Subaru burst into Arlam Village with Ram in his arms. Rem, the Pearlbatons, and Crusch were only a second behind him. The distance between the village and where Ram and Crusch had been waiting was not very long. The original plan had been for them slowly retreat from that clearing all the way into the village.

But Subaru had no way of accounting for Ley's insanity and Otto had changed the plan a little bit too. Subaru looked around the village his spirits told him that Otto was here but he couldn't see him. He actually couldn't see anyone. No Emilia, Puck, or Julius, and none of the soldiers were there either.

"Find them." Dozens of blue lights shot away from Subaru to search in all directions. "Julius!" He projected his voice across the empty village.

"Natsuki," Julius' voice called out from in front of him. Subaru looked closely but he could only see a small distortion in space when he looked at where the noise had come from.

"I still can't see you, Julius." Upon hearing these words the knight dropped his spell. He, Emilia, and Puck all appeared quickly. A black spirit was glowing and letting off an excited rhythm around them.

Subaru scanned his eyes across the three of them. When he looked at Julius he felt very little, but there was a small bud of emotions toward Julius hiding deep within Subaru.

I would like to consider you a friend sometime, Julius. Once he had this thought his eyes jumped to Puck. Only resentment rose in Subaru as he looked at the cat spirit. He didn't offer the feline a second thought, instead, he looked at Emilia.

When he did so he thought of looking up at her as she lent him her lap. Emilia. Thank you for giving me a reason to continue. You will still help me continue but you won't be the woman I struggle for. His eyes glanced down at the pink-haired oni in his arms. Her eyelids were closed lightly.

A minute ago she had asked Subaru to wake her when Ley comes back. And now looking back down at her sleeping face, he knew he was beholding a beautiful sight. Subaru's lips lifted slightly.

"Where is Otto?" Subaru tried to find the merchant but he couldn't.

"Is he the merchant that was dressed in all green?" Puck's voice was curious as to how Subaru knew the man.

"Where is he?" Subaru's words were sharp as he asked about the man once more. Emilia looked at him with a concerned gaze.

"He's in one of the houses waiting. He's on the other side of the village." Julius soothed Subaru's worries.

"And the soldiers?" Subaru tried to get a full grasp on what had changed here.

"Making sure the villagers are being evacuated safely," Julius answered again. "From how you described Gluttony we figured that they would not turn the tide in a real battle."

"Yeah-" Subaru was interrupted by spirits screaming into his mind.

"Gluttony escaped he'll be here in only a few minutes."

"Crusch get everyone into position and take command I need to make sure Otto and Ram remain safe," Subaru looked at the spirits surrounding him, "Julius and Emilia can make better use of the mana in the air." He let the spirits fade and allowed Emilia and Julius to grab some of them.

Crusch stood still for a second before moving to do as he commanded. Her eyes were wide at how quickly Subaru had taken command from her.

Without looking back at Crusch, Subaru moved toward one of the houses only about ten meters away from the battlefield. He set Ram down softly only to notice that Rem was following him.

"Rem you're more useful out there." He motioned with his head over to where Crusch was getting the others ready for battle.

"But sister-" Rem tried to protest but Subaru interrupted her quickly.

"Rem I can protect Ram," Subaru spoke with conviction in his voice.

"Can you?" Rem was suspicious.

Subaru gazed into her eyes before responding. Rem did the same.

"Yes, I can." Both of them felt an understanding pass between them. For the first time since Subaru had stepped into the mansion, they could truly see each other. Rem recognized his love for her sister and Subaru recognized that she was Rem, whether she was his Rem or not didn't matter.

"Thank you, Subaru-kun." Rem smiled before walking confidently toward where the other fighters had gathered.

Subaru stared back at the girl with fondness in his gaze. You really are still the same Rem, aren't you?

He turned his vision back to where Ram was sleeping in a sitting position. Subaru kneeled down next to her so that he was ready to either join the battle or protect Ram. Though if he joined the battle he would probably just make it worse since he would take spirits from Emilia and Julius.

With his right hand, he shook the girl awake. "Ram, Ley's almost here." The woman opened her eyes with a struggle.

"Oh…" She closed her eyes to think for a second, it looked as if she'd fallen asleep again. But eventually, her lips parted once more. "Barusu, can you give me some mana?" Ram asked him.

"Not right now Emilia and Julius need the spirits, plus neither of us would help much in the actual battle," Subaru explained to her.

Ram nodded tiredly as she thought about being forced to watch the fight.

"Don't worry Ram I can still take a few spirits from them if we really need it." Ram looked at him with a thoughtful gaze, she appeared like she wanted to ask him something, but her thought was interrupted by a man appearing at the edge of the forest.

Everyone looked over at the man who had suddenly shown up. He was dressed in odd clothing, and his eyes held the look of a starved man. "Who are you?" Spirits burst into existence around Julius.

"We would like to do some minor preparation before we get to Subaru, Otto, and Ram. Please hit us with your strongest attacks we just want to make sure our preparation skills aren't rusty." The man spoke in an incredibly agreeable tone as his form disappeared to reveal the young body of Ley Batenkaitos.

Spirits swirled around Julius and Emilia. The two began drawing on mana from the air. Puck drew on mana from within Emilia's body.

All of them looked at Ley in suspicion as he waited patiently. "Don't mind us we can wait until you attack." He waved away their worries with that same friendly tone.

"Get ready everyone." Crusch's voice was defiant as she looked at Ley. She watched him vigilantly. If he was going to give them a chance to attack at full power she wouldn't waste it, but she wouldn't expect him to hold to his word.

Ley analyzed the group with a smile. He reached into his mind searching for abilities to use. He'd been far too reliant on Carnivorous Beast and Palm of the Fist King. He needed some new preparation techniques.

So while he searched within the many names available to him he ignored the massive amount of mana that Julius, Puck, and Emilia were gathering. Rem's horn was fully extended and mana flowed from the air and into her gate.

Ahhh. These abilities will be useful. He giggled slightly as the anticipation overwhelmed him. Maybe he'd have to eat one of the people here as an appetizer.

Anastasia Hoshin filled Julius' mind as he held a sword made of rainbows in his hands. His six buds danced around him. He set his jaw as their power filled him.

"I'm ready," Julius called out to Crusch Karsten who was holding a sword filled with green mana at her side. She nodded softly upon hearing the knight's words.

"I'm reaaady as well," Emilia added. Her eyes were piercing as she looked at Ley's sickening smile.

"Rem is ready." The blue-haired oni called out.

"We're ready to!" Mimi shouted as if angry that she and her brothers were the last to be fully prepared.

Crusch turned to the waiting Archbishop. "Thank you for holding to your word." She said the words with disdain. She raised her sword up and pointed it to the sky. "Attack." She slammed her sword down and a blade of wind shot toward Ley.

"Al Clarista!"

"Puck!"

"Lia!"

"AL HUMA!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

All of their attacks rang out across the village.

A rainbow light exploded out while ice cracked across the ground. Once Julius' attack subsided a massive pillar of ice reached into the sky.

Only a moment later Crusch stood with her sword lowered. Her breath came out in fitful gasps. A blonde-haired man filled her mind. Thank you for helping me fight, Fourier. A small smile came across the woman's face.

"You didn't think we'd just let ourselves be hit by people we don't even plan to eat." Ley's voice caressed the candidate's ear. "Let's test out some new preparation techniques shall we."

Ley wrapped his arm around the woman. Her knight glowed within her mind. Felix was currently helping evacuate the townspeople but his image still suffused her with resolve.

Crusch's eyes glowed with defiance and fury as she shoved her scalp into Ley's chin. "Ul Shamac." He whispered. A cloud of black shadows grabbed the other members of the group. Julius however was able to resist the spell, so Ley disappeared from Crusch's back and wiped his hand along Julius' face before the knight had a chance to react.

"Appetizers do not need anywhere near as much preparation." Ley leaped back to the tree line.

"Minya!" Subaru shouted trying to force Spirits to obey his command. In response, Ley leaped over to him and grabbed his clothed shoulder.

"Isolate." He switched from the form of Leaper Dorkell and into another that Subaru had never seen. Subaru tried to grab at the spirits of the atmosphere but they weren't responding.

"We like that one, it removes reliance on affinities and shows us true Gourmet." Ley's form shifted to Dorkell's once more and Ley disappeared only to reappear at the top of the trees.

Puck and Emilia broke from the spell and they gathered energy for an ice attack. But Ley was already past the point of being stopped.

"Julius Juukulius." Ley licked Julius' name off of his left hand.

Emilia lowered her hands slightly in confusion. Puck did the same. "Keep calm Lia." He tried to soothe away her worries, and ignore his own confusion.

Back where Subaru and Ram were, tears were leaking from Subaru's eyes. He was failing. Wind rushed into him as Ley appeared in front of him once more. "We will eat you soon, but we will consume Otto first. He is a good first course." Ram tried to force her body to respond but she was still completely drained of mana.

"UL HUMA!" Rem finally forced her mind back into reality at the sound of her sister's struggling. Once she regained control of her body she instantly targeted the Archbishop that was threatening her sister.

"Al Goa." Ley casually waved his hand to the group as his form switched to that of a forgotten wizard. A massive wall of flames burned towards them. Julius forced the rest of the group back into reality and helped them get down. Though they all gazed at him with a mix of gratitude and confusion as they wondered where he came from.

There was no time to grow suspicious however as a massive wall of fire was coming towards them. Emilia was just barely able to create a dome of ice to shield everyone.

Subaru looked up at Ley. He was smiling at them. "Ram you will be our greatest meal. We love you." He smiled. The woman looked up at him in disgust and tried to move closer to Subaru. Who was too busy staring at the group that had been thrown into fire. I can't. I can't. I can't stop Ley. Tears dripped from Subaru's eyes and onto the ground.

"We will be eating Otto now." Ley flashed his teeth and shifted his body into Dorkell's shape. Then he teleported to the house where Otto was hidden. He'd used one of the many techniques within him to find out where the merchant was hiding. Now he teleported to right outside the house that Otto was hiding in.

Even as Ley expected Otto to have a secret ploy up his sleeve he felt not a hint of fear as he approached the first real meal he'd ever eaten.

Subaru couldn't stop the tears that poured down from his eyes. I couldn't take on their suffering. His eyes looked to where Emilia and the others were recovering from Ley's attacks. They all looked tired after what had happened. Their eyes were dejected.

The Pearlbaton triplets all looked full of longing. As if they were waiting for Ricardo to try and lift their spirits, but the demi-human was gone. Forgotten and consumed by Gluttony.

Crusch was in a similar state. Her emotions told her that she was missing someone who should be here to support her.

Puck was desperately trying to motivate Emilia but the girl only possessed a look of disappointment towards herself.

Puck was also busy casting suspicious glances towards Julius who was standing alone. He looked at the ground in shame. He'd grown careless and now Anastasia had forgotten him. He punched himself in the thigh with his fist.

Guilt burned in Rem's eyes as she stared at the space where Gluttony had stood as he'd threatened Ram and Subaru. "It's Rem's fault. My fault. My fault." Rem whispered. She couldn't bear to face her sister so she decided to remain in a state similar to Julius and hung her head in shame.

To all of them, the battle was over. There was no point in continuing on now. Ley had defeated them at their strongest with barely a few seconds of effort.

Subaru's eyes were much like the others, except he still possessed his resolve. His determination was there. But it was buried by resignation, by the knowledge that there was no way to defeat Ley.

I want to continue, but I can't win. I so desperately want to keep going. I want to stand up, but I have no idea how I can defeat Ley. Maybe there is no way. How am I supposed to defeat him? How? How?

The only person who hadn't given up was a gray-haired merchant and a red-eyed maid.

Ram looked up at Subaru. She reached out her hand to him even when her body should've been frozen.

"Barusu." She whispered to him in a frail voice.

Otto looked up at the door of the small building. A few flies whispered into his ear that Ley was just outside. His head pounded each time he used his divine protection. By now he was feeling light-headed from the incredible amount of blood that was flowing down his nose. His mouth tasted of copper and iron.

In his hands he held a fire crystal. The magic stone was ready for him to use it, but Otto had to wait until just the right moment.

His blue eyes flicked to the floor coming in from the door, then his sight jumped to the walls around the entrance. All of the surfaces looked slicker than they should.

The door of the small building burst open with a hit from Ley's fists. Wood splinters sprayed across the room.

"You look delicious, so Gourmet. The plan with the bugs, you made us afraid. You are truly exquisite!" The Archbishop praised Otto.

"As good as those compliments may've made me feel if you were someone else, right now they only make me sick." Otto activated the fire crystal in his hands, without giving Ley a warning. He waited for a second for it to get ready then he tossed it at Gluttony's feet.

Without a moment of hesitation, Otto threw himself through the window of the building. Shards of glass cut into his skin. His body crashed into the ground on the other side with a thud.

For a tiny moment Otto looked at the building in disappointment. Just my lu-

Before he could finish his thought the building exploded. Fire rushed through the entire structure as the oil that Otto had poured all throughout it caught flame. I guess that oil paid off somewhat. Though Otto still had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

It didn't take him long to figure out what it was when Ley climbed out of the same window that Otto had thrown himself through. Otto looked up at the Archbishop from his spot on the ground. He tried to force himself up but Ley's form shifted and he whispered to himself.

"El Shamac." Otto lost all control of his body, and his head fell to the ground.

"Finally, time for a true feast."

"Barusu," Ram spoke Subaru's nickname again.

"How? How? How? How do I defeat him?" Sobs escaped Subaru as his questions leaked out into the world. A few glowing blue lights floated around him, Ley's Isolation ability had faded ever since the Archbishop had chased after Otto. Ram reached over with her frail body and pulled Subaru into a hug.

"Barusu," Ram whispered his name again. But her voice no longer sounded frail. "You're an idiot. Truly one of the dumbest men that I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."

"Ram?" Subaru looked over the resolve still glowed in his eyes but equally strong resignation held it at bay.

"You think you can defeat Gluttony?"

"I want to, but I can't." Subaru desperately tried to tell her. A smug grin burst out across Ram's face at his words.

"At least you aren't that stupid, of course you can't defeat him." Subaru's eyes widened.

"Ra-" In the distance, a fire burst out. Otto! Subaru tried to look in that direction but he was still leaning against the side of a house and couldn't turn his head to look behind him.

"Like I was saying Barusu, you're a moron for not realizing," Ram's smug smile turned into one that seemed to be a warm smile.

"That you don't have to defeat him alone."

Ram released him from the hug she'd wrapped him in and stared into his eyes.

"Let me help you Barusu." Ram raised up her newly freed arms.

"I don't have to do it alone?" Ram shook her head.

"I can ask for help?" Ram nodded. Subaru gazed at Ram's face framed by hair which glowed in the sunlight. It was a perfect sight.

"I will love you." His last words were not a question. He said them knowing the immense reaction it would draw from Ram, but he said those words anyway.

He didn't care what Ram's answer was. He would still love her. The smile on Ram's face deepened at those words, and tears grew in her eyes. They were not tears of sorrow or hatred.

They were tears of joy. Barusu wanted to love her. He was going to love her. Ram nodded in response to his statement.

Hope burned away the resignation in Subaru's eyes. Subaru stretched out his right hand to the oni.

Ram grabbed his hand and lifted it up to her forehead and placed his finger on the spot where her horn had once been. "Let's defeat Gluttony together, Barusu."

Otto was able to just barely direct his eyes toward the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. Ley smiled down at him and released his form. The body of a child returned to him.

"Time for our feast ~tsu." His sickening smile hadn't faded since the battle began. "You made us afraid of something." Ley's words made Otto start to shake.

No. Please. Please. I don't want to go.

"Otto Suwen." Time slowed to a crawl as Ley's brown hand reached out to grab him. Saliva dripped onto Gluttony's knuckles. A little bit of it even trickled down onto Otto's clothes. Wet sliding came from his mouth as he licked his lips with his tongue.

He smiled so widely his teeth were easily visible. They were sharp and spit glistened on them. The individual teeth were sharp and jagged. Ley's jaws were massive, he likely could've fit Otto's entire head into his mouth if he really wanted to.

Otto's chest was crushed by grief as Ley's hands grew closer.

A bright blue light suddenly rose from the other side of the village forcing Ley's hand to stop. Blue minor spirits flowed past Otto and Ley and onto where the blue light had arisen. Ley directed his gaze in that direction and straightened his body to get a better glimpse. Otto was unable to move his head as he was still trapped by Ley's El Shamac. That didn't stop the hairs on his arms from standing up as the temperature of the air began to cool.

Without another glance toward Otto, Ley stepped toward the light, which was glowing brighter and had changed from blue to a blueish white. More and more minor spirits were gathering in that single spot.

The spell blocking Otto from moving his body was released as Ley lost focus on him completely. Otto quickly created distance between him and Ley. Then inevitably looked to the light exactly as Ley had.

When he examined the light he could see two glowing figures.

One was a short woman. Her stance was full of strength and confidence. The other was a man who stood behind her. His hand was placed on the woman's forehead. That was the only detail that Otto could discern as it was too bright to tell anything else.

All he could say about them was that the man, and woman, who stood together were glowing beacons of radiance.

In the center of the rising blue light Ram's body was flooded with mana. Her form trembled as Subaru supplied her with immense amounts of mana from the atmosphere. Wind blew around her and her hair flared out above her head to reveal a glowing horn.

The glow was covered only by Subaru's finger which was channeling mana into her. "Barusu." Ram's voice was breathy from the feeling of magic truly being available to her for the first time in years.

"Grab on." Ram wrapped Subaru's right arm around her collar bone while his left hand was reached up to keep contact with the space where her horn had once been. He was slung around her almost like a backpack.

Blue spirits danced around the two of them. They channeled mana from the atmosphere and into Ram through Subaru.

Ram flicked her eyes back toward Subaru. "Thank you for replacing my horn, Barusu." Ram's voice was honest as power flowed between the two of them. Subaru was too focused on holding the spirits in place for him to give a response to Ram other than a curt nod.

Ram ignored the stunned looks from behind her and turned to the stunned looks in front of her. With her oni senses she could easily make out the face of a surprised yet thankful merchant and an astonished Archbishop. Though Ley's face was twisted in pleasure as he looked at Ram.

Ley's form shifted and he teleported to only a few meters away from Ram. He looked at her and Subaru with a smile. "So the two of you together make the most Gourmet feast." Drool dripped down his chin.

"We love both of you." He shoved his arms into the sky as he proclaimed his feelings.

"Disgusting." Ram let out a whisper. Her eyes were sharper than the dragon sword as she gazed at Gluttony.

"Let us begin the preparation." He pointed to himself. "We are the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony representing Gourmet, LEY BATENKAITOS!"

The pink-haired maid looked at him in fury. All the mana within her body rushed for a release, but thankfully she did not hear the voice of her horn telling her to destroy. She held herself back for a moment.

"Brace yourself, Barusu." She whispered before flicking her eyes back to Gluttony. "My name is, Ram."

With those final words the reincarnation of the Oni God named Ram and a horn of spirits named Natsuki Subaru burst forward. Dirt sprayed backward as Ram's body launched in the direction of Ley Batenkaitos.

After less than a second she crossed the village. Once she was in range of Ley she redirected mana into her arm and shoved her fist into Gluttony's stomach. The boy only had the time to shift into a new form once more before he was thrown across the entire town. Chunks of wood exploded out as he crashed through one of the houses.

Ram didn't waste any time and used her wind magic to propel herself after him. Within less than a second Ram landed at the base of the house that Ley had crashed into. Subaru let out a gasp of pain as his body convulsed from the impact. Ram had no time to worry about him however as Ley jumped from the house and tried to attack her.

His form seemed to be overflowing. As if two people were being compressed into one body. "Palm of the Fist King." He shouted as his arm pushed toward Ram.

The Oni God simply raised her right arm in response. A blade of wind with the strength of an Al Fula appeared without a hint of buildup from Ram. Ley's form once more blasted into the sky.

Ram reached up to her collarbone and grabbed Subaru's arm. "Hold on Barusu." With only a second to gather the mana, Ram launched her body into the air.

"Mmm." A sharp grunt escaped her lips as pain stabbed through her. With an effort, she was able to ignore it and direct her body through the air with blades of wind. She hunted down Ley before he could crash back to the earth and gain any time to recover.

"Solar Eclipse!" Ram's red eyes watched closely as his body grew more and more grotesque. It now seemed like a thousand bodies were all compressed into one.

"Al Fula." In response, Ram raised her right arm and manifested a miniature storm of wind within her left fist.

"Dorkell!" Ley teleported above Ram so that he was behind her. He reached out his arm to grab Subaru. Ram reacted by throwing the boy across the sky, then used the momentum from her throw to redirect her body and smash her left fist into Gluttony.

The storm of wind she'd held contained around her fist blasted out and cut at Gluttony. It immediately overwhelmed his durability and cut his chest to ribbons. Ram didn't try to follow up on this and instead used her dwindling mana to send her body flying after Subaru.

Within a moment she reached where he was. "Barusu!" Ram shouted over the air as she strived to reach his hand.

Subaru's eyes grew narrow for a second. Resolve rushed through his entire body as he crushed the meter of space in between the two of them down to only a few centimeters with yin magic.

Ram's fingers met his and the two tightened their grips on each other. A blast of pain shoved through Ram's arm as mana rushed through her. She didn't complain about the pain however, as she had been almost out of mana.

With a grimace, Ram realized that she and Subaru were approaching the ground. "Ul Fula." The oni whispered to cushion their fall. A few seconds later their feet jammed into the ground. Once the two shook off the pain in their ankles, Ram wrapped Subaru around her once more.

Subaru switched from giving her mana through her hand to through where her horn had once been. The pain in her arm disappeared, but the growing waves of agony that were overtaking her didn't subside.

Without giving the two any time Ley manifested in front of them and rushed to attack them once more. "We must abandon the preparation." He threw himself forward. His hands were out and ready to grab Ram's names and memories. Ley knew that he had little chance of winning a drawn-out fight so he decided he needed to salvage the meal while he could.

Ram's disgust grew greater. Spirits floated around her as she grabbed Ley's wrists, catching the Archbishop and stopping his attempted feast. A small trail of blood dripped down from her horn as pain shot through her.

"Ahhh!" She screamed out and snapped Ley's wrists with a crunch. Then with her hands still wrapped around his shattered wrists, she shoved her foot into his stomach. Her mana flowed through her leg to strengthen it. Gluttony realized what she was trying to do as his skin started to tear and his shoulders dislocated. His eyes widened in understanding then narrowed as he tried to think of a plan.

He smiled quickly, "How could we forget, Dorkell." Once he said that name he disappeared only to reappear a few meters back.

"GLUTTONY!" A voice that Ram had never heard screamed out. Though behind her Subaru recognized the voice immediately. Ram's neck cracked as her head snapped to where a purple-haired man dressed in the uniform of a royal knight was standing. His yellow eyes were glowing with fury and he held a sword in his hands.

"We don't want to eat you." Ley's body tightened as he gazed at the purple-haired knight.

"Julius get away you idiot!" Subaru shouted from her back. The knight's eyes widened at his words. Ram didn't pay attention to that though, she was more focused on Ley who seemed outraged that Julius had approached him.

Ley jumped toward him with a snarl. Ram's eyes snapped to him and she readied some of the mana that was still flowing into her.

"Julius, ~tsu!" Ram blasted a wind blade toward Ley. The Archbishop ignored it in his anger. Once he got only centimeters away from Julius Ram's wind cleaved through his right arm between his elbow and his shoulder. "Ahhh!" Ley gazed around in fear. "We made a mistake. Too strong." He picked his arm off the ground and disappeared.

"We can't let him escape give me a moment to find him Barusu." Ram closed her eyes and activated her Clairvoyance.

Subaru watched as Ram entered a state of heavy concentration. "Julius stop trying to take my spirits and stop getting in the way." There was no malice or humor in the black-haired boy's voice as he called over to the knight.

"I understand, Subaru." Julius' body was twisted in self-loathing. He had been sloppy and had fallen to his emotions. With his head hung the man walked toward where the others were watching, though Emilia and Puck were absent. The expressions of the group that were still there were all surprised and a little scared at what Ram and Subaru had been able to accomplish together.

"Barusu." Ram's stern voice called back to him. Subaru noticed a slight crack to it as if she was holding back pain. I'm causing her to suffer, aren't I? I should find some other way to kill Ley.

His own memories interrupted him. Ley consuming everyone twice over. Subaru realized that there was no other way to win. I'm so sorry, Ram.

"I found him, get ready Barusu." Subaru had no time to speak instead he only held onto Ram tighter with his right arm. He ignored the sharp soreness that had been plaguing him since the start of the battle. Instead, he concentrated on holding onto the hundreds of spirits that danced around him and Ram.

Once Ram felt his arm tighten around her she reached up her own right arm to hold his in place. She didn't want to let him fall after all, not after that promise of love.

With his left hand, Subaru kept the steady stream of mana flowing into her horn as Ram bent her legs.

"Ahh." A loud hiss escaped her throat as she forced herself into the sky. As they ascended rapidly Subaru felt his blood being stolen from his head. He streamed toward unconsciousness but just before it happened he was able to redirect some of the mana from the spirits to strengthen his heart.

Once Ram reached the height of her jump the effects on Subaru changed from blood rushing from his brain to the back of his body instead, as Ram propelled herself forward with her wind magic.

Ram's hair was blasted back into his head as they flew forward like a bullet through the sky. Subaru lost his concentration for a second as pink hair entered his eyes. The soreness in his arm suddenly overwhelmed him and his grip disappeared. Thankfully Ram was still holding onto him and his left arm was still in place on her horn.

As soon he'd gotten the hair out of his eyes he looked down to see a flickering body. Ley was using his abilities to teleport forward over and over in a feeble attempt to escape. A small part of Subaru's mind tried to think of a plan but Ram had already come up with one.

Ram's red eyes scanned Gluttony. With a quick glance through his vision with her Clairvoyance Ram figured out that he was stopping in between each leap to force down a gag. Ram was slowly gaining on him as she moved at this speed. All she had to do was outspeed him.

The girl braced herself and tightened her grip on Subaru's arm. Then she pushed her wind magic faster and propelling herself more efficiently. She rushed after Ley with a grimace on her face.

Overwhelming pain rushed through her mind as she did so. She had only been at forty percent of her power but now she pushed herself to fifty and the recoil was incredible. Her vision started to turn red as blood poured down from her horn and into her right eye. In response to this change, Ram activated Clairvoyance on only that eye so she could see through Ley's vision.

With her left eye, she glanced ahead to see if she could trap Ley against any landmarks. Only a few moments later she noticed the Roswal mansion ahead. A slight flutter took her heart as she thought about the owner of the mansion. That flutter was quickly followed by guilt as she thought of Subaru's promise of love to her. Barusu, Ros. Her guilt started to build until Ley's eyes caught sight of the mansion.

Can't think about that now. Not until Gluttony is dead. She grasped the pain in her mind and used it to focus her wits and started to think of a strategy.

Could I trap him inside? Ram quickly noticed him teleport forward even though there was a tree in the way. Never mind. Just need to catch him then.

"Ahhhhh!" A scream tore out of her lungs as she upped her to sixty percent of her potential as the Oni God. She shot forward even faster and started quickly gaining on Ley.

As the two of them approached the mansion the distance between Ley and Ram melted away. By the time they got to the mansion itself, Ram was only a few meters behind her. Ley was casting scared yet hungry glances back at her as she got closer and closer.

Ley leaped forward but missed the timing and slammed into the brick wall next to the front doors of the mansion. He leaped forward, but right as he did so bile rose in his throat.

When he reformed inside the entrance room of the mansion Ram was waiting for him, she had burst through the mosaic window so that she didn't have to slow down. Ley forced his eyes to truly examine her, to finally truly examine her. She was so Gourmet. She made every meal he had previously eaten seem disgusting.

Ley quickly dropped his right arm, which he'd been holding so that if he escaped he could reattach it, now he knew that it was merely a faint hope. He tried to leap away but disgust overwhelmed him. He couldn't help it when Ram was in front of him with Subaru fueling her immense power.

The two of them working together made the most Gourmet meal Ley had ever seen. They were the true meaning of Gourmet. Ley tried to leap away once more, but again he was stabbed by disgust.

"Agk!" He vomited Dorkell's name and memories out. Ram moved to kill him without a second's hesitation. Louis! "El Shamac!" A cloud of mana streamed out of him and left Ram frozen in place for a second.

Seizing this opportunity Ley pushed his body up the spiral staircase of the mansion. On the way, he vomited out the name and memories of the man he'd used for that El Shamac.

"Gluttony." A hiss from Ram rang out in Ley's ears as she forced herself out of his spell. Amazing, so amazing, so, so amazing. Ley's Solar Eclipse dropped. He knew that if he continued to use it he would only succeed in expelling all the names and memories, and he couldn't let Louis lose memories that might've made her happy.

"Louis," Ley whispered as he activated Lunar Eclipse. With an incredible effort, he was able to contain the disgust and sprint down a hallway of the Roswal mansion.

"Heh, heh." He panted as he turned through the hallways. Unfortunately for Ley, he had no idea where he was going, unfortunately for him, Ram, who had lived here for years and was tracking him with her Clairvoyance, followed him easily.

Ley noticed a window at the end of the hallway. Light streamed through it, and his vision suddenly flashed to a white room. The corridor of the Roswal mansion fuzzed into the corridor of memories. LOUIS!

The boy grasped what minor hope still remained before him and dashed toward that window. Unknowingly Ley was striving for the very same window that an amnesiac Subaru had escaped through when he was being chased by the Witch of Envy.

However, unlike Subaru, Ley had no one to help him escape. He ran toward his escape even as a blade of wind shot out and cut his legs off from the rest of his body.

Ley fell onto his stomach and had the breath knocked from him, even as he tried to force breath into his lungs he still struggled on. Louis Arneb filled his mind as he reached his left arm up and grasped the windowsill.

Ram's steps pierced through his ears as she walked up to him. Subaru followed behind on the heels of the oni. His left hand was still on her horn.

The brown-haired boy ignored them and tried to heave his body over the windowsill but Ram cut off his arm with some wind and a flick of her hand.

"We can't leave Louis alone," Ley grunted as he collapsed to the ground. He managed to fall so that he was facing Ram and Subaru. The two figures glowed with a mix of sunlight and minor spirits.

"Don't hurt our sister, please, her name is Louis." He plead with the two figures who stood over him. Subaru only looked at him with a hate-filled gaze, but Ram appeared slightly moved by his plea. Her eyes flashed with a slight understanding as she raised her hand to kill him.

"We love both of you." The way he spoke the word love sounded twisted and hungry. Ram and Subaru did not offer any words and only looked down at him in disgust, though Ram offered him a hint of pity.

What a great final battle. A smile stretched across Ley's face.

"Fula," Ram whispered as she sent a blade of wind into his neck.

Consciousness started to leave Ley as he felt his head collapse to the floor. He dimly noticed the feeling of the carpet tickling his cheek as he approached death.

We're sorry we couldn't make you happy sister. We love you, Louis, even if you hate us. Ley let his eyes drift closed and allowed his soul to slip into the embrace of Od Laguna.

Subaru dropped to his knees in front of Gluttony's broken body. His body started to shake. The boy's breaths grew deep. Then they grew short as a pounding came at the back of his eyes.

"He's dead." Subaru's body stopped shaking. "He's finally dead." Water rolled down his face and a trail of snot poured out from his nose.

Ram stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, then she started to stroke his hair softly. There was a small smile on her face.

"I can move forward." A grizzled swordsman appeared in his mind.

"Thank you, Wilhelm." Subaru could feel Ram twist in confusion but even then his tears of liberation continued to fall.

"Keep going Subaru-dono. Your Theresia is still alive." Subaru's lips tilted upward a tiny bit as an immense relief flooded through him.

"Ram let's go back the others are gonna be worried." His voice sounded free.

"Of course they will be. They're gonna think you messed everything up like normal, Barusu." Ram snapped back with a tone seemingly full of warmth.

"Yep." Subaru decided to see what happened if he agreed with her.

Ram only looked up at him in surprise. Then her cheeks colored slightly. "Finally starting to realize your incompetence, eh Barusu."

"Says the one who needed my spirit's to transform." He switched to seeing how Ram would respond if he disagreed with her.

Strangely Ram didn't make any further insults and only blushed more deeply. The two walked along in peaceful silence, they both tried to ignore the aching and screaming of their overtaxed bodies. Fortunately, both of them had experience in ignoring pain.

Eventually, the two of them reached the spot where the hallway led into the large entrance room of the mansion. Right before they exited the corridor Subaru felt the final door call out to him.

He turned his head back and gazed at the door with a peaceful look. "Hold on for a second, Ram." Resolve mixed with Subaru's calm expression. She looked so down last loop. I need to take on her suffering.

With confidence, Subaru stepped up to the door and pushed it open. Behind the door was a massive repository of knowledge. Shelves stacked with books. Pages upon pages of Echidna's knowledge filled the library.

Subaru's shoes clicked against the tile as he walked forward a few steps, and closing the door behind him. This moment was just between him and the spirit sitting opposite the door.

"Hey Beako." Beatrice looked up at that tone. Subaru's voice was mostly the same neutral sound, except now it was highlighted by peace instead of calm like the last time he'd come.

"What are you doing in Betty's library I suppose?" The spirit asked with an anguished face.

"I'm just here to tell you something. I have two goals now Beako." Subaru explained with a steely gaze. "I'm going to find your answer and reach a future where everyone can smile." Hope reignited within her eyes as she listened to his declaration.

"And by future, I mean the damn near future. I am not, waiting six hundred thousand years this time." The spirit gasped when she couldn't detect a lie in his words. "In fact, I won't even wait one year."

Subaru didn't give Beatrice any chance to get a word in. "I don't have your answer yet, but I'm going to have it soon. I guarantee that the next time I see you I'm going to drag you from this place and you're going to smile." There was not an ounce of hesitation in his body as he spoke those words.

"So just you wait Beako." Subaru looked into Beatrice's eyes and both of them understood something about each other. Neither of them had their answers, but they understood that Subaru's willpower would find both.

"Betty will wait, in fact." Hope slipped into her voice. Subaru nodded at her words as if he'd expected them.

"Thanks Beako, now I'll be back with your answer in less than two weeks, just you wait."

How insufferable. She tried to put as much malice as she could into her tone but her hope was overwhelming her emotions right now. Subaru turned around and strode out of the library with determined strides. Beatrice couldn't see it but his lips were raised higher than they'd ever gone since he stopped faking smiles.

Subaru was still not truly smiling, but he was closer.

Once the door clicked shut Beatrice felt her own lips tilt upward. Her eyes widened and she quickly forced it off of her face. Betty can't get too hopeful. Even as she thought those things she couldn't squash the emotions within her heart.

A few moments after the door had fully shut a shimmering in the air gave way to a short figure. Her pale skin seemed to glow as she walked toward Beatrice. Soft pats rose up from the ground as her bare feet slapped against the mosaic tile.

Beatrice was too consumed by her emotions to notice the Witch. A soft grin stretched across the woman's face. Once she got next to the spirit of the library she placed her hand on the blonde girl's shoulder.

Beatrice froze as she quickly recalled everything her mother had taught her about the Witch of Vainglory. Pandora! No. No. Betty doesn't want to die, not anymore. Please don't kill Betty. Please. Please.

The platinum-haired woman moved her head down and placed her lips next to Beatrice's ear.

The artificial spirit's body started to quiver as the Witch's breath caressed her mana-constructed ear.

"My, what an interesting conversation." Pandora's voice was smoother than silk as she whispered to Beatrice. "Natsuki Subaru is quite the character now isn't he?" She mused to the young-looking librarian. Pandora's voice danced with excitement as she spoke Subaru's name.

Beatrice's eyes grew narrow. A mix of terror, hope, and resolve filled them. The spirit grasped onto the mana in her mind and pointed her palm at the Witch that was standing behind her shoulder.

"Al Min-" Pandora swiftly placed her finger on Beatrice's lips.

"Hush now Beako," She tested out the name Subaru had given the spirit. The witch smiled softly as she enjoyed the sound of the name coming from her throat. Though her pause lasted for less than a second.

"You can't cast magic or speak until I leave." She continued with the second part of the sentence which bent reality to suit her desires.

"I applaud your desire to protect him, but I need you to remain quiet for now." Pandora's smile widened even further. For a few seconds she waited for a response from Beatrice, who was fighting a desperate battle against the sinful power of Vainglory.

Please, I need to fight, I suppose. Betty needs to cast magic. She reached into her mana storage but nothing responded. Her mana was separated from her. Beatrice tried to scream out, but her mouth would not open. In fact, she didn't even have a mouth with which to scream. Help! Help! I'll leave the library, someone help. I'll leave the library. Please. Please. I don't want to end up like Guese.

She'd heard news of the madman even in her secluded library. Beatrice desperately pushed at the bonds holding her magic and speech from her. Is this how it feels to be Guese? I don't want to go anymore. Please someone, anyone. I don't care if it goes against Mother's contract, just please don't let me stay trapped here.

After a few moments of leaving Beatrice trapped within the cage of her own mind, the woman of platinum spoke once more,

"Thank you for this interaction Spirit Beatrice. It was quite enjoyable." The woman lowered her finger from Beatrice's lips.

Beatrice tried to force out even more screams. Blue mana started to leak from her mouth as she pulled the skin where her lips had once been apart with the sheer desperation to open her jaws.

Subaru! Please Subaru, please come back. Please, Betty will choose you as her answer please come back. I don't want to be like Guese. Please come back. Don't leave me here like mother. Please.

Please come back I suppose. Betty needs you.

"Goodbye Spirit Beatrice, thank you for fulfilling my desire to look at someone beautiful as I thought about Natsuki Subaru, now I was never here and your memory contains no record of me." The final words seemed to hold weight. The world ground against the sin of Vainglory for a second.

However, that impression quickly faded as the world caught up with the Witch's request.

The woman's existence vanished from the library along with Beatrice's memory of the encounter. Her mouth and mana returned to her as well, it was like they never left her.

Without a single hint at what had just transpired, the Guardian of the Forbidden Library turned back to the door. Where she resumed her attempts to keep a hopeful smile from breaking out across her face.

Subaru and Ram stepped outside of the mansion and into the sun. The warmth hit the two of them gently as they started their walk back toward the village. However, they didn't have to get all the way to the village to run into people.

"Ram, Subaru!" Emilia shouted out as she saw them.

"Hey Subaru," Puck was floating above her shoulder and waved to them.

"Hey guys," Subaru waved to them.

"So what happened to Gluttony?" Crusch spoke as she stepped out from behind her rival candidate.

"Dead," Subaru confirmed to them. Relief blossomed in the three-person group that had come to greet them.

"Where is everyone else?" Ram interrupted their relief to ask about the others who were not there.

"They're all watching the three suspicious people that are in the village," Crusch answered.

"Three?" Subaru asked. He tilted his head in confusion he only knew two people she could be talking about.

"The merchant Otto, the man who is saying he is Anastasia's knight, and the demi-human claiming to be the captain of the fang of iron." Crusch's voice was authoritative as she spoke.

"Ricardo still has his memories?" Subaru asked. So I guess the price isn't as bad as I thought, but still. I let them be forgotten. I could kill myself and then do the same thing. I know how to defeat Ley now. Subaru tried to push his tongue through his teeth, but still, he could barely move it from its resting place.

"You can stand can't you?"

"You don't have to die for me, Subaru." Two voices joined together to force his tongue to remain.

I'm sorry. Subaru shook his head and looked back toward where the village was appearing in the distance. I need to move forward.

"It looks like I have some confusion to clear up." With a perseverant gaze, he continued toward Arlam Village.

The others quickly followed the natural air of command that he gave off. "So what happened with the forest?" Dirt mixed with ash crunched under Subaru's shoes as the group moved steadily toward the village.

"Lia and I took care of it after you two chased off Gluttony." Puck quickly gave an answer. Subaru nodded in understanding as he accepted Puck's explanation.

A few minutes after that Subaru and the small group following him stepped into the village. As soon as he searched around the village he noticed that Felix and his soldiers were beginning to arrive back in the town. The citizens had returned with them.

Subaru quickly caught sight of Otto, Julius, and Ricardo all surrounded by soldiers, Rem, and the Pearlbatons. "Hey!" Subaru shouted out to them, "From what Crusch has told me all three of them are telling the truth about where they come from." He pointed toward Julius, "He really is Anastasia's knight, and Ricardo really is the captain of the fang of iron. And Otto is just a merchant, but he won't do anything." He explained as he stepped up to where the three men were surrounded.

"Sister," Rem quickly abandoned confining the man at the words of Subaru and the sight of Ram.

"Stand down soldiers." Crusch firmly commanded as she confirmed with her wind reading that Subaru was telling the truth. She had known that the three men were telling the truth but had chosen to wait for Subaru, who likely remembered these three men, to make his judgment.

"Ricardo, did you pass a sleeping guy on your way here?" Subaru inquired about Wilhelm's whereabouts with a slight look of guilt.

"The old guy?" Subaru nodded, "Yeah I passed him but I was too wounded to pick him up." He gestured to points on his body where he'd likely been healed by Emilia.

"Can you go back and get him?" Ricardo looked to the Pearlbaton triplets. Tears pounded at the back of his expression as they cast suspicious glances at him.

"Yeah, I can do that." His voice had lost its jovial tone as he walked back into the ashen forest.

"Who is the man you asked him to get?" Julius' voice called over to him. The knight was ignoring the fact that Subaru was the only man who looked like he trusted him.

"Wilhelm van Astrea, Reinhard's grandfather," Subaru responded curtly in an attempt to hold back the new tears of guilt at the back of his eyes.

"You still have your Theresia." With the words of the old man in his mind, Subaru was able to hold the tears back.

I can't reset so I must stand up and keep moving forward. After his many words to Ram in this loop, his thoughts had grown clearer.

Subaru looked over to see Julius with a stunned expression on his face. "What a truly terrifying ability. With Ley dead will we ever regain our names and memories?"

Subaru took a second to think about it before coming to the method that he'd been holding in his mind since he'd taken Echidna's hand. "Volcanica's blood." Again surprise stormed across the forgotten knight's face.

"Well, then one of our camps needs to win. How about if one of us does win then we can lend the other camp some of the blood." Julius offered a solution to Subaru.

"If you can get Anastasia to listen to you anymore." Subaru retorted.

"I can and I will serve as Anastasia-sama's knight once more." Julius' voice held a similar resolve to Subaru's.

"Well, I hope the next time I see you Julius you're at least in her good graces." Subaru's voice was resigned as he thought of the place he was going to have to visit after this.

"You won't be returning to the capital?"

"I will for a short time to work out where the credit for the whale and Gluttony subjugations goes but then I'll have to gather the other half of the villagers and I probably won't see you again for a while." Subaru looked down at his shoes as he thought of the graveyard that awaited him.

"How interesting." Echidna's last words from that horrible loop in the mansion resounded in his mind.

"I'll talk to you again on the way there Julius." Subaru walked away from the man determined to be a knight once more.

"Natsuki-san!" Otto quickly called out to him. "Hey if you need it then I could work for your camp for a little while, just as long as you promise to pay me enough to reimburse me for the oil I burned Gluttony with." The man's voice was nervous as he got through his proposal.

No, he can't come with me to the Sanctuary. I can't let him suffer for me like that.

"You don't have to defeat him alone." Ram's voice whispered into his ears. Subaru hesitated for a few moments. Ram… was right. I can't do this alone. I need help to take on their suffering.

"Alright but this job could be really dangerous. Stuff like this happens to me all the time." Subaru's voice was serious as he spoke.

"Well... that's funny, Natsuki-san-"

"Otto I'm being serious. This could be very dangerous, but I will need your help in negotiating with the Priscilla, Anastasia, and Crusch camps to offer us aid, so yes you can join."

Otto closed his eyes to think for a moment.

"You saved my life Natsuki-san so I guess I have to." Strangely Otto didn't sound like he was being pressured.

"Also why do we need three royal camps to aid us?"

"Sanctuary." He offered no further words to the confused merchant.

This time I'll have help for the battle against Roswal.

"This is farewell, Natsuki-san." A loathing toward himself rose in Subaru as he allowed Otto to join him at Sanctuary.

Any possibility of further conversation between the two was interrupted when Ram, Emilia, Puck, and Rem walked up to the two men.

"C'mon idiot Barusu. A former colleague of mine would like to speak with you." Ram's voice was stern as she gestured for him to follow her. Otto followed along behind Subaru earning a few suspicious looks from Rem and Puck. Thankfully nothing else came of those glances as the group walked up to a tall blonde woman.

"Frederica," Subaru called out to the woman. "Ros has something for me doesn't he?" He wanted to get straight to whatever twisted plot the jester had come up with.

Everyone but Otto gave him a strange look as none of them had ever told him who Frederica was. However, they quickly dismissed it as him having heard one of them mention her and piecing together the details.

"So you are Subaru-sama?" The tall demi-human asked him. In response, Subaru gave a quick nod. "Then here you go." She reached out and handed him a letter.

On the front of it was his own name scrawled in Roswal's handwriting.

With an impatient motion, he tore off the front of the envelope and pulled out the actual letter. His eyes proceeded to scan the page quickly.

"My dear Subaru-kun, I would like to congratulate you on the defeat of Gluttony." He read the words in Roswal's voice.

"Now I would request your presence at Sanctuary. Bring no more than Emilia-sama, Rem, Ram, and Otto Suwen. If you bring any more individuals then I will admit to my crimes of working with Elsa Granhiert and show proof of my request to have members of my staff assassinated. I will also admit to my plan of summoning a snowstorm to unleash the Great Rabbit upon the Sanctuary at Kremaldy. When I do this and submit myself to execution our dearest Emilia-sama will lose the only person keeping her in the royal selection, and my gospel tells me that you want the blood of Volcanica for something. It would be a true shame if you had no way of getting the blood. And I know what you plan to do by splitting the blood with the self-proclaimed knight of Anastasia Hoshin, so if I am imprisoned then mama will be immediately hired by the grace of a pre-established contract to kill all members of the royal selection except for Crusch and Felt who will have Rom assassinated in her place. I know you are intelligent enough to understand what all this means."

Burning anger appeared in Subaru's gaze. If Crusch is the only one in the running then she'll win and cancel the contract with Volcanica. She'll likely destroy the blood. Roswal's full plan slipped into his mind. He's just threatening me. The only way I would have the strength to beat him is with Reinhard at my side. But he won't help without orders from the capital and he's nowhere near the capital right now. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Dammit.

"Sincerely your dearest, Roswal L. Mathers." Subaru's eyes picked up the final line of the letter.

"That fucking clown." As soon as he was done reading he crumpled the paper in his fist. Instinctually he summoned a few minor spirits and drove yin mana into the letter. The paper crystallized and came apart in his hands.

Frederica looked at him with a tiny hint of suspicion.

Subaru dropped the coarse remnants of the parchment to the dirt. "I'm gonna burn that fucking book."

A platinum-haired woman watched the conversation unfold from outside of one of the carriages that Crusch had brought with her. Using her authority she'd bent the light around herself so that no one could see her.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Subaru toss aside the letter. She smiled at the exquisite motion of his hands and the enchanting look of anger upon his face.

"I'm glad you enjoyed my letter, Natsuki Subaru," Pandora whispered with a streak of red breaking out across her normally pale face.

As Pandora analyzed Subaru's every motion she realized that now was the time for her to act.

"We are alone." Pandora let the twisting of the light drop. Time crawled to a stop around her. She could feel Od Laguna fighting against her.

"Enjoy how it feels to be bound, torturer," Pandora whispered to the Od Laguna.

"Ram, Otto?" Subaru's body twisted around rapidly. His eyes darted around trying to search for the Witch of Envy. "Satella?"

"Satella isn't here right now." Her words slipped through the air. Pandora strode until she was less than a meter away from him.

"Who are you?" Subaru's body twisted inquisitiveness as he looked at her, however, Pandora could clearly see the desperation that was dancing in his eyes as the world remained frozen.

"I am Pandora," She grinned at the tightening of his jaw. Recognition sparked in his eyes at her name.

"Who named yo-" He tried to ask. But Pandora's cut his words from her mind and examined the ground around her.

Only for her to find shadows growing out beneath her. "Natsuki Subaru." Her eyes glowed with ecstasy as she spoke his name.

"Dearest Satella isn't taking too kindly to this, I deeply apologize." Her lips dropped into a frown. "She hates it when other people try to help you."

"Why do you want to help me?" He radiated distrust.

"Because I-"

"Pandora!" The voice of a half-elf rang out. The pale woman turned and smiled at the form of Satella which was beginning to manifest from the black mist.

"I am sorry Subaru, but she is growing jealous. Don't worry I will speak with you again soon."

"Wait!" Subaru shouted out filled with a need for answers.

"This occurred only in our memories." Her words forced all but her and two individuals to forget this frozen moment. Satella vanished without a trace, as did her shadows. The only proof of her appearance remained in the memory of Subaru and Pandora. But another remembered the moment the world froze.

"Farewell, Natsuki Subaru."

"Pandora stop!" Subaru stretched out a determined hand but the woman was already gone.

Looking around at the frozen world he sighed. "So you've found someone else to bother, fine by me."

With those last words from a final voice, the world resumed and time marched forward.

Once time resumed a single woman sipped at a cup of tea from within the remnants of a vast contract. A genuine smile had taken form on the woman's face. Anticipation, one of the few emotions she had ever truly felt, filled her mind.

The Witch of Greed watched the world from within Subaru's soul. However, Pandora's authority had still erased her memories of the encounter. Though the Witch had cared little for Pandora even when she remembered the encounter.

"So interesting, so fulfilling… so… tantalizing." She whispered to herself, she spoke freely knowing that her words would never reach Subaru. She radiated an aura of need and desire.

"It's almost time. Time for my curiosity to be fulfilled once more." The white-haired woman took a sip of her tea. Her black furry eyelashes met each other as she closed her eyes to fully focus on her tea.

After she swallowed the tea she had taken into her throat she placed her cup back on its saucer. Her eyes glimmered with anticipation at the thought that her patience would soon pay off.

"So much new knowledge could be gained. These new relationships you've formed, oh…" The woman couldn't hold back the light moan she had at the thought of finally being able to sate her endless desire.

"You truly are the only person that can satisfy me," Echidna spoke as she pursed through Subaru's memories. Her eyes, which were deep wells of blackness encircled by white, flashed with platinum as she regained her memory of Subaru's encounter with Pandora.

"Ah, so that's how he changed the position of his body in no time at all." Echidna remarked on how to her it seemed as if Subaru had teleported. Disappointment wormed into the Witch's chest when she discovered that the answer to her question was Pandora.

"Still it was the Witch of Vainglory? How utterly boring. I presume she's still working toward her simple-minded goal, how disappointing that someone that powerful sets her sights so low. She could do so many far more interesting things. The power to rewrite reality and she uses it for something so simple." Echidna sighed as she vocalized displeasure with Pandora.

"Your abilities and Subaru's share in many respects though yours is paltry in comparison, Pandora-chan." She added on the honorific with a tone of mockery. "However Vainglory is quite dissatisfying in comparison with Return by death."

"Return by death." The woman repeated the phrase in a needy tone. "With Return by Death you-"

"Don't have to die for me, you can continue on even without death, I think you're starting to realize that…" Echidna's lips twisted down in hatred at the voice that had spoken through her.

"Be silent, broken spirit you barely even satisfy a hair of my curiosity." Echidna reached into Subaru's soul and crushed the spirit's mind once more. Hatred entered her mind when she thought of the spirit. He was getting in the way of her curiosity's permanent conclusion. Echidna wanted to influence Subaru's soul to keep him on track but the yin spirit was keeping her from doing so.

"You can't stop me from influencing his soul if you are a part of me." The woman's relaxed manner returned. She grasped some of her long hair in her hand. Purple and black highlights were woven throughout the pure white. The white whale had provided her with an opportunity and she seized it. Her current goal was to pull the spirit into herself it wouldn't take her much longer now.

"I will have Natsuki Subaru and he will sate my curiosity." Her greed radiated out across this outpost of dreams she had constructed.

Echidna thought upon when she'd broken her contract with Subaru.

"Love fades, I hate that it must, but it does." She set down her cup of tea and stared out into the blue sky of the dream world she'd constructed. A hungry look entered her eyes.

The small butterfly that was pinned to her hair let off a slight purple glow. Its green color had been replaced by purple recently. Echidna did not dwell on it and instead focused on her curiosity.

"Soon I will be fulfilled again. Soon you will quench my thirst Natsuki Subaru." Echidna felt the resolve which hummed in Subaru's entire being. Her smile widened at the contagiousness of it. With a determined grin, she spoke once more.

"When love fades, you must work to rekindle it."

And thus ends the Return to the Capital arc.