"Y/N! Y/N!" Someone howled my name, but I didn't reply.
I was not responding, not because I didn't want to, but it was due to the fact that I physically can't.
I felt as if I was tugged down by water, drowning in the bathysmal depths.
Where... am I?
Chid-chan? Hello? If you can hear me, please answer!
I know you don't actually sleep... unless you really are...?
"Even if Echidna-chan was awake, she cannot hear you. After all, this domain is one that only you and myself can access, successor-kun."
I jolted upwards, and my eyes flung open to the sight of infinite space, and slowly stood up while desperately trying to not look down. Knowing that the moment I did, I would have the feeling of repeatedly falling into an abyss.
"You're... the Witch of Deceit." I said as I regarded her figure. She looked like Echidna's older sister, in a sense. She also had the long hair my contractor possessed, only that the hair was pitch black while her outfit was made of silver and white. A single hairpin rested upon her hair, which I recognized as a dragonfly.
"Aw, come on, Y/N-kun, don't act so cold. Call me Frak-chan like Echidna-chan does."
"Well, this is my first time meeting you, so you can't exactly blame me for putting up my guard now, can you?"
"I suppose so... anyways, I need to tell you something before Vacuum Trigger wakes you up." Frakinedottir said as she suddenly changed the scenery, and a map of the world of Re:Zero came into view.
"I knew from the start that my successor would be like myself. An Outerworlder from Earth, just like Hoshin and Flugel. Thus, the Deceit Witch Factor would always choose the one that's special."
"Wait... so why didn't it go into Subaru, instead of me?"
"The Subaru you speak of had his body tampered by Satella's alternate personality. If the Deceit Witch Factor forced its way in, I would be in serious trouble. However, I learned that we, are from the same universe while the other Outerworlders aren't."
"You mean... you are from 'my Earth' as well?"
"Yes. I always had a certain gift of foresight since I arrived here. I know that this world's story, revolving around Natsuki Subaru, has become a novel in your world, hence why you know so much about the events that are about to transpire. In a sense, I admire your values. There could be so much worse done with the knowledge you were burdened with, yet you chose such a noble path that even myself would've found it difficult to tread."
"But all I want to do is to save certain people from falling into states that could've been prevented... is it a very hard thing to do?"
"Oh, it definitely is, Y/N-kun. You might not realize it due to your smarts, but feats that you accomplished are by no means minor. Now, the ninth power that has been vested within you is awakening, so you better head back."
"Don't worry, I'll see you soon." With that last sentence from the Witch of Deceit, I left the spatial realm.
"Hey! Y/N!" Sphinx said as I woke up on the floor, surprised at the current situation. "You fee~ling good~?"
"Sphinx, as much as I want to thank you for giving a lap pillow, your legs are a tad bit short, don'tcha think?"
"Y/N... you ungrateful bastard!"
And I was greeted with a slap.
"I was speaking facts tho... was I not...?"
"Anyways, the crazy lady who seems to be obsessed with you is being held off by Yae and Elsa right now, so you should go assist them!"
"What were you doing then?"
"Well I had to make sure you were okay, right?"
"Kay, kay, I understand. Colette and Palmyra arrived as well, it seems." I said as I looked towards the battle between the mabeasts and the demi-beasts, where Meili was busy commanding while Colette attacked the beasts using her Meteor transformation. Palmyra was sending in support spells and healing magic to keep our force going strong.
"Sphinx, go aid them."
"Aye aye, senchou-san!" Sphinx gave me a wink before she flew off, and I approached Elsa and Yae, who were busy defending needles shot from Capella's arms.
"Al Akra." The yang magic, unleashed by Cahya, who had just manifested, surged through my body as it provided a layer of protection across my skin, muscles, veins, and nerves. Adrenaline flowed as it spread, making me feel more alive than ever.
I dashed towards the trio with imperceptible speed, and punched Capella square in the face. The sheer force of the attack sent her flying into a wall, and I landed beside my partners.
"You guys okay?"
"I'm more surprised that you are ready to fight so soon after being 'K.O.'ed, Y/N-san." Yae said with a reference that I made sometime before, and I laughed shyly.
"I discovered a new way to use my power, so it should be all right now. I think I can take her on now, so go help the juniors, will ya?"
"Sure thing." Yae said as she leapt off towards the direction of the others, while Elsa looked like she had something to say.
"Y/N. You are going to fight Mama alone, it seems?"
"Yes. It's something I have to do by myself, at least on this one."
"Just be careful. I don't want to discourage you by saying that you have already lost twice, but the fact that you need to stay alive is important to all of us." Elsa suddenly pointed to Meili and the others. "You fulfilled your promise to us, and I'm very grateful for that. You are indeed a man who keeps his words. So, as the one who carries others' dreams, don't die on us, okay?"
"Since when did an assassin like you turn into such a sophisticated character, honestly... but yes. I will win, so don't worry."
"Good luck."
With that exchange finished, the Bowel Hunter leapt off towards the rest of the Battalion, and i faced the wobbling Sin Archbishop of Lust, who stumbled out of the cracked walls.
"You're back, huh, Liberator."
"Yes I am. And are you ready to accept defeat?"
"Not until I actually lose, smart meat... no, Y/N."
"You called me by my name. That's quite surprising."
"What?! Is this lovely lady not allowed to show courtesy now?"
"Haha, no. But I will hold you to that declaration, Capella."
She dashed at me with her dragon claws outstretched, only to be blocked by my swords. With a swish, a shadow suddenly emerged from the ground, and grabbed her in place. "Ah, so that's where you went." I realized the location of my lost meteor as the tiny rift opened before closing shortly after.
"Huh? Isn't this that stupid meteor I lent to that useless piece of meat? Why would you have it?"
"The Void Garb is real handy when you have a Yin magic attribute, since the user will not take damage if my shadow puppets do! Now, arise."
With the new meteor in my hands, and a new power that allows me to store objects, I dashed towards Capella with the urge to claim my rightful victory. Taking out all three swords of power, I swung them as I cut her into six pieces, before doing it again. Before she could regenerate, I had my shadow puppets grab the pieces before I incinerated them all with a concentrated beam of Ol Goa.
"Ha, you really are persistent, but that won't stop this lovely lady from victory!" Capella said as she reformed and readied her moves again.
Another series of clashes resounded throughout the last battlefield of the Water Gate City, and the battle between the two strongest forces finally came to an end.
"I can't believe this took so long... then again, I never even expected you to reach your limit in the first place." I huffed as I leaned on Zeam, the only sword left in my hands. Inen and Ryokyo has been put away in my Dimensional Storage, since I need to repair them a little.
"I... am quite surprised, to say the least. However, if you think you can make me surrender, smart meat, think again."
"Oh, and what are you going to do in that state?"
"I do have an emergency card to play in situations like this, you know... for example!" Capella smiled as she leapt towards me and a crimson black substance poured out, which I recognized as coagulated Dragon's Blood. I instantly tried to move back, but it seemed that my foot was caught in the swirling mess of liquid, and before I knew it, the liquid closed around me and formed into a large sphere, closing me inside.
I lit a tiny flame immediately to create light, and the next thing absolutely terrified me.
"Boo." Capella said as she cupped my cheeks with her hands as she made some kind of ghost face that was absolutely terrifying, added onto the fact that she could use Variation and Change.
"YAAAAAAAAH!" I scrambled to the other side, struggling to get away from the devillish looking Sin Archbishop of Lust. "W-What do you want?"
"Me? I only want to satisfy your needs. And to be honest, I'm really giving my all, you know? Now, let's see which form I should take." Capella smirked as she transformed into various people.
Crusch. Anastasia. Felt. Elsa. Meili. Echidna. Sphinx. Yae. Colette. Palmyra.
As she went through her transformations, it was as if I'm seeing a gallery of the past. To be honest, although the power she holds is quite despicable, it is nevertheless fascinating in a sense, due to the perfectness of her changes.
I expected her to stop on someone like Echidna, but unexpectedly, she somehow morphed back to herself and then looked down, surprised just like me. We stared at each other in an awkward silence, before she looked at me with puzzled eyes as she inched her way closer.
"Hmmm... I wonder. Is it because you like no one, or because your heart is actually~ mine~?"
"Eh?! WHAT"
"No need to be shy about it, smart meat, come on, embrace me-"
"You fell for it! Veritas Oneiro Chunyu Kai - Flowing Memories!"
As the Authority of Deceit activated its power, Capella and I both fell unconscious, and I woke up in a different room with a completely different atmosphere.
"Where... am I?"
It looked like some kind of throne room, or just a very gorgeous bedroom, to be honest. As I turned my head, a familiar face with golden hair entered my sight as I recognized the figure. Capella.
"Good morning, princess Emerada." A maid came into the room as the girl stirred, rubbing her eyes in frustration.
"Seriously? What time is it? I need to sleep more, so you need to shooo!"
"Princess, your father said-"
"I don't give a damn about what that old man says. He already chose to break our bond when he decided to banish them. He's as good as dead to me.
Wait... so this girl is...
Thus begins the story of 38th generation heir to Lugnica's throne, the heretic princess...
Emerada Lugnica.
Meanwhile, outside of the 'Dragon's Blood Bubble'...
"Y/N!" Sphinx pounded on the glass-like crimson boulder, desperate to get her saviour away from that vile woman's grasp. By this point, she didn't even care about the possibility that Capella could be a love rival, only that her Y/N is safe.
"You know, Sphinx-chan, I'm pretty sure no matter what we do, only Y/N can break out of this hard shell." Yae said as she came over, the demi-beast horde fully defeated due to the fact that Capella loosened her control over them.
"Don't worry, Y/N won't face any trouble in there. He only piqued Mama's interest, after all." Elsa said, trying to be helpful.
"What do you mean, Elsa-nee? Mama would tear anyone apart if she deems them 'interesting', you know? Or makes them her pet of sorts..." Meili said, unconvinced of Elsa's claim.
"Is sensei going to be okay?" Palmyra asked as she caressed Colette, who was exhausted after the overuse of her meteor.
"Well, he definitely will not die or receive any physical harm, at least." A voice sounded as they saw Omega, leaning on her meteor staff like a walking stick as she approached with Felt and Otto, who were helping her up as she arrived on the scene after her rest.
"So Y/N nii-chan's safe?" Felt asked, and Echidna silently hid a smug smile, a very evil idea forming.
"I suppose, but I think by this point I could assume he's not exactly safe in all senses... that 'Capella' did say she wanted to 'taste' him, after all, right?"
At this, Sphinx and Felt both had a tick mark pop up on there forehead.
"Y/N! GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW THIS INSTANT!"
"Nii-chan! Please don't lose your v-"
"You're not getting to him, you bitch!" Sphinx yelled towards the crimson boulder, and activated several Magic Circles as she raised her staff.
"AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD! AL JIWALD!"
"Eto..." Echidna sighed as she scratched her face. "Perhaps I said too much... ehe~?"