"A knight of Lugnica, like, as in, an official one like you guys?" I asked, astonished at Julius' invitation.
"Yes. I believe you do possess the potential to become a knight, with proper training, of course." Julius said confidently.
"I... can I have some time to think about it?" I asked him, and he nodded.
"Of course. It is indeed a big decision. If you agree, please meet me at the Hoshin Trading Company's base here tomorrow afternoon. I await your decision."
"Thank you for the duel." I bowed slightly before looking up.
Julius waved before he exited the arena, and gradually the knights began to leave the arena, one by one. This led me to go and find Felt. She was happily waiting at the top of the arena.
"Y/N nii-chan!" She yelped as she came over and hugged me. "That was quite cool, you know? Never thought you had it in you."
"Well, I have been training for the past month, so I suppose it worked out in the end. I didn't expect myself to beat Julius, either. He is a very strong individual."
"Anyways, thanks for beating that Royal's butt for me! It was satisfying." Felt said as she stretched her arms. "You know, while I was taken away by Reinhard, that bastard explained the selection process to me and basically forced me to attend it. It was so annoying~"
"It might've been the best decision, though." I said, giving it some thought.
"Wait... you knew that was going to happen? Nii-chan, why didn't you stop him?"
"Well, under no circumstances will I ever be able to beat Reinhard, so sorry about that. Speaking of Reinhard, where did he go?" I glanced around the now empty arena, only feel a light tap on my shoulder as I whipped my head around to see the Sword Saint.
"Yo, Y/N!" He smiled before slightly patting Felt's head. "I wondered where you went. Should've known you were going to spend time with your precious nii-chan."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Felt stammered suddenly, leaving me mildly confused. "I never called him precious, though..."
"Sure you did. You know, that day when we were talking about-"
"REINHARD SHUT UP!" Felt yelled as she aimed kicks at Reinhard, and as if a puzzle piece slotting into my brain, I emerged from my dense consciousness.
AH. She's a tsundere...
Wait, dere to whom, though?
Anyways... back on track. I calmed Felt down and got Reinhard's attention. "Reinhard, do you mind going over to this part of town tomorrow night? I have some friends who need some help from you."
"Uh... I'm a little bit busy on the day after that, but I suppose its fine. What do you want me to help them with?" Reinhard asked, a little perplexed.
"I would like you to invite them into Felt's Royal selection camp." I said, and Felt jumped in surprise.
"Are you sure they're trustworthy? I don't want anyone harming miss Felt, though..." Reinhard voiced his concerns.
"Don't worry. They are completely loyal to me and they know what will happen if they do something out of line. Also, their interest aligns with your master, and I believe they can help you in the long run."
"Really?!" Felt jumped up excitedly as she came over and hugged me. "Thank you so much, Y/N nii-chan!"
"Well, I guess I she is still a child, after all..." I muttered softly.
Timeskippu*
I went around town buying magic supplies and other things Roswaal requested from me, so I took up the opportunity to explore town. I loaded the supplies and materials after I bought them, so I was walking around the capital with no particular goal in mind while browsing many stores just to see what they sell, until I bumped into a little girl with cat-ears as she looked up at me.
"Ey? Are you okee, mister? You looked really tired for some reasons!" The little girl, who energetically beamed at me, was recognized immediately by me as I identified her as the vice-commander of the Iron Fang, the private mercenary team of the Hoshin Trading Company. Wait, that means...
"Sorry if she's been bothering you. Mimi, stop making mischief now, okay?" A soft voice rang out from in front of me, and I lifted my head to see the current head of the Hoshin Company.
"Oh, you're..." I said in surprise, not expecting our meeting to be so soon. "Anastasia Hoshin, leader of the Hoshin Trading Company and one of the Royal Selection candidates, correct?"
"Yes, you seem to know a lot, for a foreigner in Lugnica." She remarked. "Y/N L/N, I assume? You are the boy who bested Julius in a duel, right?"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say best, since he is one of the greatest Spirit users out there..."
"Oh, no need for the modesty and all the humility." She said as she laughed slightly. "You're coming to our place to train, correct? The come with me. I'll invite you for lunch before we depart for my place." She smiled as I followed her into the restaurant that I remembered from Subaru's fourth loop from the original timeline.
We ate a nice meal before Anastasia took me to the Hoshin Trading Company's headquarters in Lugnica, and Julius was waiting for me in the courtyard as he smiled at my arrival.
"You came. I was kind of worried that you might not accept my request." Julius said in response, shaking my hand as I approached him.
"Well, to pass up an opportunity is something that I would never do." I explained, and he smiled as we got right into it.
Julius taught me a few Lugnica knight sword styles, and I learned them all pretty quick, and I'm not sure if that's my Chunibyo genes acting up or if it was just beginner's luck. We also went on to do some runs and water training to improve my total physique, and I was exhausted by the time I laid down on the Hoshin mansion's bed.
"This... actually might not be that bad..." I muttered as I drifted into sleep, looking forward to learning more things from the knight.
Two days passed in this manner, but on the noon of the fourth day, an ominous phenomenon surrounded me as I realized what I forgot to do while immersed in the trainings. I forgot to communicate with Subaru.
Then, within seconds, the shadows and abyss came for me.
B·L·A·C·K·O·U·T
I woke up in the middle of the day, halfway through training as I realized that Subaru has returned by death, and I needed to talk to him immediately to see if he was actually on track.
I bid a temporary farewell to Julius and Anastasia, saying that I had to visit Subaru since I received a message that he was sick.
I arrived at the place where we stayed at when we first arrived in the capital, and burst into the room where Subaru laid, with Rem beside him.
"Rem... what happened to Subaru?" I asked in shock, and she replied, shaking her head.
"I don't know either... Subaru-kun suddenly fainted like this in the middle of the street."
This is the second loop, is it not? Wait... his mind is broken, is it not?!
I sighed as I went with Rem to the carriage, where we took it to the Mathers Mansion to try and get someone to treat him, or at least, spring him out of his shocked state. However, my happiness was short lived when our ground dragon's head was sliced off, and the carriage flipped as I was thrown out of my seat along with Rem and Subaru, and I lifted my head to find myself facing robed cultists.
"Witch's Cult!" I exclaimed in surprise, but before the person in front of me can strike, a cultist burst apart as he tried to grab Subaru, and I saw Rem activating her oni form, angrily standing above the carriage when I noticed Subaru was dragged away by a cultist.
"Rem! Go get Subaru! I'll hold them off!" I told the angry oni, but she seemed to maintain her senses this time when I asked her to act, and she shot into the trees, in pursuit of Subaru.
I summoned Alchemis and Cahya, and they started firing Yang and Fire Magic at the cultists, and now 20 percent of them were gone from the attacks of my spirits. I joined the battle, and within 30 minutes, by using my magic and the Authority of Deceit, the area was surrounded by diamond spikes and ice, with the defeated cultists lying on the floor.
I then chased after Rem, before arriving at a cave that I recognized to be the cave where Subaru was held. I charged into the cave just as I saw an eerie black hand crush Rem's throat.
"No!" I yelled in despair as I noticed Subaru regaining his sanity. He yelled in rage at the Archbishop who just tore Rem apart.
"EL JIWALD!" Cahya and I yelled as the light beams penetrated the witch cultists, killing them as Betelgeuse finally noticed my presence.
"Ehh? Who are you?" He asked, genuinely confused. "But I thought this one here is Pride... could you be Pride, then?"
"Pride? No, I don't even have the Witch Factor, you dumbass madman!" I yelled in retaliation, and Betelgeuse laughed madly at my outburst.
"So you're not Pride, huh. Then who are you? The Gospel has not foretold your arrival, yet the witch's miasma lingers on you as well." He said as he scratched his head in madness. "Hmm... I have not introduced myself yet, have I? I am a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, representing Sloth, Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti, DESU!"
"Nice to meet you, then." I said in fury as the title came to mind, and one that would be known throughout the history of this world in the future, unbeknownst to myself. My only thoughts were on intimidation, and there was only one way to do it.
"I am a member of the Lugnica Knight Order. And a Sin Archbishop, representing Deceit, Y/N L/N."
"DECEIT?" He remarked in surprise. "So it was you. You! The one who the Gospel foretold in a message a century before now. You finally came. Now where's your Gospel?"
"Why would have a Gospel? I have no intentions to join your creepy cult. It's quite disgusting, if you ask me."
"You! You dare reject the witch's love!" Betelgeuse yelled in anger. "Then, you shall be purged!"
I immediately used Akra to dash past him and cut Subaru's chains with the boron-carbon knife I made while fighting Julius. "Subaru, take Rem and run!"
"Don't think you can run! Authority of Sloth, Unseen Hands!" Betelgeuse yelled in fury as Subaru saw the purple and black hands came out of the Archbishop's back, but I incinerated the hands using El Goa as Betelgeuse looked at me in surprise.
"You, you... can see my Unseen Hands?" Betelgeuse yelled again, this time even more furious than before. "How dare you do this to me, it's the proof of the Witch's love!"
"You received the witch factor only because you slammed it into yourself! Isn't that right, Geuse?"
"Geu-" Betelgeuse suddenly had a wave of nostalgia wash over him, leaving shocked as I slashed away the rest of the Unseen Hands.
"This is the end, Archbishop of Sloth!" I yelled as I raised my hand over my head, and struck down in a similar fashion to Julius' Al Clarista. However, before it hit him, I felt myself bound by ropes, and saw five Unseen Hands immobilizing me. Only now did I realize that he disguised some within the shadows.
"This is for the witch's love!" Betelgeuse yelled in rage, but before he could do anything, he froze in place as I noticed the Unseen Hands disappear, and I dropped into the ground, now covered in ice. "What?"
"The Beast of the End has unleashed its rage, Y/N. You're not going to survive much longer." Alchemis said as I quickly sealed the cave off completely, and then encased myself in a diamond dome before shattering Betelgeuse's ice statue, and lit a fire to keep me warm in the dome.
How long is this going to last? I can't survive in here forever, right? Also, why hasn't Subaru died yet-
Wait, no! I shouldn't be wishing for his death, but...
B·L·A·C·K·O·U·T
I woke up in cold sweat for the second time in the Hoshin mansion, my limbs still numb from the last loop. I sighed. "What do I do now?"
Authority(ies):
Authority of Deceit (Commonly known as Authority of Elements):
-Vacuum Trigger: An innate ability stored within the tesseract-shaped Deceit Witch Factor, allowing the user to spring themselves from unconsciousness when the mana fluctuations around them changes drastically, as a built-in self-defence mechanism of the body.
-Critical Overload: A mysterious ability that protects the user of the Deceit Witch Factor, causing them to unlock their true potential while their actions are coordinated by ?, helping them avoid certain death. This ability only triggers when the user is about to die and has a 15 minute cooldown.
- Haywire Warp: A variation of Critical Overload that allows the user to warp the attack that will kill them, creating a tear in space-time to absorb the attack. Meanwhile, the abilities of the elements are unleashed and they will defy the chemical laws before the user decides to cancel their existence.
Elemental Masteries:
Hydrogen Mastery: Stage 1, 1870/2000 complete. (Spells: Hydrogen Gas Formation, Hydrogen Gas Wall, Hydrogen Gas Mist)
Helium Mastery: Stage 1, 1840/2000 complete. (Spells: Helium Gas Formation, Helium Hydride Acid Creation)
Lithium Mastery: Stage 1, 1295/2000 complete. (Spells: Lithium Hydride Solid Formation, Lithium Pellet Bullets)
Beryllium Mastery: Stage 1, 1325/2000 complete. (Spells: Beryllium Solid Creation, Beryllium Mirror)
Boron Mastery: Stage 1, 950/2000 complete. (Spells: Boron Metalloid Creation, Boric Acid Creation)
Carbon Mastery: Stage 1, 845/2000 complete. (Spells: Carbon Creation, Coal Creation, Diamond Creation and Manufacturing, Adamas Wave)
Nitrogen Mastery: Stage 0, 570/1000 complete. (Spells: Ammonia Creation, Ammonium Creation, Nitric Acid Creation)
Oxygen Mastery: Stage 0, 750/1000 complete. (Spells: Oxygen Gas Creation, Ozone Creation, Oxide Creation, Water Creation)
Spirits: Alchemis- fire spirit (Elder Spirit, turquoise), Cahya- yang spirit (Great Spirit, white)
Magic Spells:
Goa- shoots a small ball of fire from the tip of the user's index finger when imbued with mana.
El Goa- manifests three fireballs around the user, and shoots them towards the opponent at high speeds.
Ul Goa- The user fires a large amount of powerful fire bullets. A powerful flame scatters when the bullets land.
Al Goa- The user lets loose a massive fireball, scorching away everything in its path. The bigger the caster's skill, the fireball hotter and bigger the fireball.
Akra- A yang magic spell that allows users to enhance their physical abilities as well as sharpen their senses.
Jiwald- fires heat rays from the user's fingers.
El Jiwald- The user fires several rays from their fingers which are then brought down in a claw-like motion.