Chapter 8: Origin of Greed

"CAP'N, YOU LUCKY BASTARD!" Garfiel roared in fury.

Subaru coughed a bit, and wiped… Priscilla's saliva off of his lips, still trying to comprehend the fact that Priscilla Barielle, the most stubborn of the Royal Candidates… just kissed him.

On the lips.

While also wrapping her tongue around his.

Returning back to reality, he saw that the strawberry blonde was currently arguing with Emilia Rem, Crusch… and oddly enough, Petra.

Even if he won the bet, he somehow felt like he was losing.

"YOU CAN'T JUST KISS MY KNIGHT!"

"Why not, half-elf?" Priscilla asked. "We agreed to something of value: He placed down his knighthood, and I placed down my first kiss. I was just upholding my end of the deal."

"Your first kiss?!" Crusch asked. "Didn't you have eight husbands?!"

"Clearly, you don't know how Vollachian marriages work," she smirked. "They're nothing more than two signatures on a piece of paper! No ceremony, no nothing! I have remained untouched in both body and soul by all… well, all except for one, as of now."

"Well… you gave him your stupid kiss!" Rem yelled. "Now leave Subaru-kun alone!"

"No."

"WHAT?!"

"I want him," the Vollachina Matriarch said, her smile becoming more and more insane. "A man who has not only the Witch of Envy under his submission, but also the six other Witches of the Deadly Sins, the Divine Dragon, the first Sword Saint, and Shaula herself! A man who has seen death and laughed in its face! The slayer of the White Whale, the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, and the Great Rabbit! The creator of the Pleiades Watchtower, the man whose will is of iron, the holder of otherworldly secrets, the Great Sage himself! The only man worthy of my divine self! THE ONLY ONE WORTHY OF MY HEART, SOUL, AND BODY!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I need an adult," Subaru peeped out.

"Weeeeell…" Roswaal was about to say something.

"NOT YOU!"

"Hate to break up the catfight," Meili said. "But we've got some new options."

OH, THANK GOD! Subaru screamed in his mind, as he turned his head towards the screen.

What if you knew the Witch of Greed's origins?

OR

What if Subaru contracted all seven of the Witches?

"OKAY!" Subaru yelled, trying to divert everyone's attention from the potential flame war that seemed about to go down. "How about we think over which episode we wanna watch?"

"That seems like a good idea," Julius nodded. "Al-san?"

"Yes, a good idea," the helmeted knight agreed, pulling up the conditions.

Conditions: Takes place before the Great Calamity.

Conditions: References "the Original".

"Wait, does the first one even qualify as a reality?" Petra asked.

"Yeah, you're right," Meili said. "It seems more like an opportunity to glimpse into the past."

"Maybe it's a different backstory for Echidna than what happened in our reality?" Subaru harbored a guess. "It's possible that events took place differently in each reality, but they could still lead to a similar future? So, even if this would be Echidna's origin story in one universe, it doesn't mean it would be the same in all other universes."

"Kinda like how comics are always changing the origin story of their heroes," Al suggested.

"Exactly," Subaru said. "So, which one do we want?"

"Well, we certainly don't need any more proof of Subaru's… status," Julius said.

"Yeah, don' wanna lose all our gold! HA!" Ricardo laughed.

"Plus, after the last contract… I don't want to see more like those," Beatrice added.

"Yeah, I'm with Beako," Subaru said, as he turned around to the rest of the Cast. "All right, everyone who wants to know more about Echidna raise their hands."

Everyone raised their hand, making it an easy choice.

"All right, let's do this," Subaru said, as he sat down in his seat, only to suddenly…

"Huh?!"

"HEY!

"WHAT THE –?!"

…have Priscilla plop down in his seat, sitting right on his lap.

"Uh… Pris?" Subaru cautiously asked. "What are you doing?"

"Taking my rightful seat. What does it look like?"

"That if you keep shifting around, something's bound to poke you," is what Subaru wanted to say, but instead, he went with, "My legs are not for your sitting pleasure."

"They are now. I suggest you enjoy it."

"I –"

"Don't fight it, son," Kenichi told his boy, while Naoko mouthed something to her son.

Wait, what's she saying? "Use protect– OH, COME ON, MOM!

"AL! PLEASE PICK THE DAMN EPISODE!" Subaru squeaked out, as Emilia, Rem, Crusch, and for some weird reason Petra, all began claiming seats around Subaru and Priscilla.

"Yeah, yeah, lucky bastard," Al groaned, as he grabbed the remote.

Everyone else sat back in their seats, and the lights went black.

"Hey! No touching! Pris, I mean it! That spot is very sensitive!"

"Felt-sama, we may need to adjust your and Crusch-sama's plan."

"We'll talk about it later, Rein."

What if you knew the Witch of Greed's origins?

Conditions: Takes place before the Great Calamity.

"We confirmed that the Witch of Decimation is in the village ahead of us."

A group of cloaked figures was gathered a large distance away as the full moon shone in the silent night. The group was about twenty people but out of them all, there stood out two people.

As soon as the Cast saw the hooded figures, they recognized who they were.

"Witch Cultists," Rem growled.

"Who is the Witch of Decimation?" Julius asked Subaru.

"Why are you asking me?"

"You seem to be the resident Witch expert."

"Just because I know the most about them doesn't make me an expert," the Japanese teenager hissed. "But if I had to guess, she's probably a really powerful magic user, one who is powerful enough to hold the title of "Witch" without the need to wield an Authority."

"See? Resident Witch expert."

"Oh, sit on a dick, Juli."

I believe Priscilla-sama is already doing that, the purple-haired knight thought to himself.

It was at that moment Anastasia had a sudden urge to punch her knight.

"Hah, it would be easier if I did this by myself. How foolish. How tiring. Is it really necessary to send this many people?"

A man was dressed in purple-white clothes that if one looked at him at first glance, he would look like a clown. However, his eyes had heavy bags under them as if he hadn't slept in a long time and the color of his face was so pale that it was as if he was sick despite his youthful appearance.

"Holy shit, Hector's back," Garfiel gasped.

"Because of course he is," Ram groaned.

"Now, don't be like that, Hector. I have no doubts that you wouldn't be able to handle the target alone but it's best to have these followers around to prevent any interruptions. You would dislike it if your work was prolonged due to some accident, I'm sure. Isn't that right, Warlock of Melancholy?"

A platinum-haired girl who had a simple cloth with blue ribbons as her only attire smiled. Her blue eyes along with her fair skin would make anybody who happened to lay their eyes on her to be enchanted. This only made Hector frown, however. Despite the beautiful smile on this person, the feelings he got from her were disgust. He knew better than to be fooled by her seemingly pure appearance.

"Pandora…" Emilia growled.

"It's that bitch…" Al glared through his helmet.

Everyone within the Theater glared at the platinum-haired monster. They vividly remembered her crimes, and Subaru's theory about him being the Great Sage didn't do her any favors.

"What a pain in the ass. You understand me well, Witch of Vainglory. How saddening. How frustrating."

Pandora laughed lightly at Hector's comment, not taking it to heart. She didn't care about his attitude as long as he got the job done. She was only interested in obtaining the witch.

"Now then, let's begin."

At her command, the cloaked figures dispersed as they made their way to the village.

"Shit, that confirms it," Felt hissed. "Those bastards are working together."

Opening Theme: Polaris

The opening begins with a bright and shining light, as a child's hand reaches for it. The hand then changes to an older one, with a very familiar tracksuit sleeve. The hand changes once more, to one wearing a knight's uniform.

The camera shows Subaru being the one wearing the knight's uniform. The screen flashes two shots of Subaru's parents, Naoko and Kenichi, as Subaru gains a determined look, runs towards the light, unsheathing his sword, and then leaping into the air as he slashes towards the camera.

The screen then shows multiple rapid still images. From when he encountered Satella in Japan, to fighting off several Mabeasts, to burning down the Capital. Him and Emilia as children in Elior Forest. Subaru in dark clothes sitting on a throne of shadows. Otto drinking with the female Subaru. Shaula with Elsa and Meili. Halibel with Zarestia. Volcanica and Reid. A smiling Rem. All of these images become background noise to…

Tales from the Multiverse

Volume II

The next shot shows a smiling Echidna, along with the rest of the Witches of Sin, posing for the camera, along with Elsa, Meili, Halibel, Zarestia, Shion, Flop, Medium, Cecilus Segmunt, Vincent Vollachia, and Ryuzu Meyer, all of them smiling happily.

Teacher… Roswaal thought sadly to himself. She was going to face Hector and Pandora in that episode. He only hoped that she would make it out unharmed.

Upon seeing this part of the intro, Subaru had an idea. Looking towards the one on his lap, he said, "Hey, Pris, I'm pretty sure Satella isn't gonna be happy with the fact that someone who has both insulted and assaulted me in the past is currently giving me unwanted advances."

"Then I'm fairly certain that the blue oni you have is also on the chopping block."

"Uh, no, Rem's advances are very much welcome. Yours? Not so much."

"Well…" she smiled. "Then I guess I'm going to have to be a bit more… persuasive."

As Priscilla blew warm air into his ear, the black-haired knight did everything in his power to suppress a very natural reaction a boy his age would be having.

As the two of them hug and crash down, the scene fades to show Subaru and Satella standing up, and beside them are Echidna and the rest of the Witches of Sin. Softly smiling, Subaru holds onto Satella's hand, giving a determined look, as all eight of them run toward the sunset, with the final shot of the opening being a still image of the eight of them leaping across the screen, all of them smiling.

Episode 8:

Origin of Greed

"There's something wrong outside."

"Really?"

Upon hearing his wife's concern, he looked out the window but he found nothing suspicious. The night was silent as usual.

"Who're these assholes?" Garfiel asked.

"Well, given the context of the episode," Crusch analyzed, as she firmly held Subaru. "I'd say that it's people who are close to Echidna. Or, at the very least, Pandora's soon-to-be victims."

"I don't see anything unordinary," he responded. However, knowing that this was his wife, he didn't tell her that it was nothing. His trust in her showed as he didn't let his guard down, keeping watch to see if there was anything he missed.

Echidna's mother narrowed her eyes. Her instincts were something that was honed through many experiences and situations. She may have been living in peace for a while but they hadn't grown dull over the course of time.

"OH, SHIT, THA'S ECHIDNA'S MA?!" Ricardo yelped.

"So loud…" Meili groaned.

"So, these are my biological grandparents?" Beatrice asked. "Good to know."

"Biological?" Naoko asked. "Why just biological?"

"Because you are my adoptive parents, in fact," the Great Spirit said.

Both Naoko and Kenichi sputtered at the little blonde's comment.

"Honey, evacuate the villagers at once. Our enemies aren't normal."

"Understood."

Without a moment of hesitation, the father went out, performing his role as the village chief. He ran quickly towards the middle of the village to sound the alarm. Soon, a huge bell rang out, causing a commotion as the villagers began to come out of their homes.

"Village chief, what's the emergency?"

"We're under attack by unknown enemies. Stay on guard and follow the usual procedure."

The villagers didn't question the orders as they soon quickly packed up and began to exit the village. The retreat was quick as a crowd of people began to leave the village. The women and children went first with the men on the outskirts with their weapons on hand.

On the other hand, the assailants were startled by the huge bell ringing in the middle of the night. Worrying if they were already noticed, they began to hurry up ahead, hoping to catch the people in time.

However, it was too late. By the time the assailants reached the village, they found that the village was empty.

"Ara, so it's you bastards again."

"Oh, someone's pissed."

"Felt-sama, language."

"Rein, you haven't been worried about that for a few hours now!"

A voice filled with malice quickly revealed that they were wrong, however. Turning around, they saw a woman standing behind them.

"Has it been 16 years? No, 17? Should I reward you for finding me after all this time?"

The wind fiercely blew around her as all the cloaked figures felt sweat running across their skins.

This was the Witch of Decimation.

The harbinger of death. There was almost no information about the Witch because every person who saw the Witch in her power was killed. The only few records that were available revealed a white-haired woman in a tattered-black cloak as her appearance.

"Ah, yes, that MILF can murder me any day," Al joked.

"Are you serious?" Otto asked.

"Hey, a guy gets desperate when their buddy is hogging all the available chicks."

I didn't ask for this, Subaru groaned, as he kept feeling manhandled by the girls. I was perfectly fine with just Emilia-tan! And maybe Rem… and maybe Satella, but that's it! Why does every single girl have a thing for me now?! At least Ram will always hate me… right?

RIGHT?!

This very person, the infamous Witch of Decimation, was the one who was directing her killing intent towards them, the one who made her victims' blood turn cold upon sight.

The witch swung her hand, the motion causing half of the cloaked figures to spurt blood immediately as the winds sharply tore through their clothes and razed through their skins. Cries of pain were let out as the other half of the group immediately backed away, keeping the witch at a few meters' lengths.

Echidna's mother sneered at their actions.

"Did you really think you could defeat me with vermin such as you? Bring a Sword Saint if you want to have a chance."

"That isn't necessary."

Just as she was about to continue her attack, she widened her eyes in surprise. In reflex, she jumped away before the spot that she was just standing on immediately formed a crater.

"So loud. You haven't changed at all, have you, Witch of Decimation?"

Echidna's mother immediately raised her guard upon hearing that familiar, dull voice.

"Hector, you also came? I must say that it's rare for you to work with these buffoons of a cult. I thought you preferred being independent."

"I told her the same thing too but she wouldn't listen to me. How annoying."

"Her?"

That was a surprise. There was someone that even this clown listened to? This moody clown who claimed that everything was a hassle?

"Well considering one of them can manipulate gravity while the either one can LITERALLY WARP FUCKING REALITY, I can see how a pecking order was established."

"Do you think Hector's scared of Pandora, Subaru?" Crusch asked.

"Well, I mean, who would willingly work with her? Hector, as insane as he is, doesn't seem like the type to do this voluntarily, and he's clearly not getting something out of it like the Sin Archbishops, so there's gotta be something keeping him in line."

Crusch, and all the girls surrounding Subaru nodded a his assessment, and they figured that he was right: Even between monsters, Pandora's power was just absurd.

Hector didn't seem to entertain her with an answer as he turned his attention away from the witch as he looked towards the cloaked figures.

"Why are you still here? Don't you have something else to do?"

Gathering themselves, the cloaked figures bowed down to him slightly before trying to leave.

"Did you think it'll be that easy?" Echidna's mother tried to interrupt them but noticing her intentions, Hector sent an attack towards her, forcing her to guard instead.

The cloaked figures were able to leave successfully as Echidna's mother realized they were heading in the direction of the villagers. While she was worried on the inside, she couldn't afford to be distracted from the opponent in front of her.

"Now then, getting back to business. Are you still going to resist now that I'm here? Your efforts will just be wasting both of our time. To be honest, dealing with you is very exhausting so I would appreciate it if you just gave up."

Despite having his dreary voice and hunched posture, Hector's eye looked at her warily with a sharp gaze. He would find the rug pulled under him if he underestimated the person in front of her just because she wasn't a Witch of Sin.

Of course, Echidna's mother didn't accept his offer.

"Ara, that's great to hear. After all, I always hated you."

Echidna's mother raised her hands, preparing her magic as Hector could only sigh as he also raised his hands for battle.

"Welp, it was nice knowin' ya, Echidna's mom," Meili saluted the soon-to-be dead woman.

"Ye of little faith," Roswaal said. "My Teacher's bloodline shall not fall that easily."

Subaru looked at the clown with a puzzled expression. "Didn't she die without having any biological kids? By that definition, her bloodline literally fell."

"Shut up."

Echidna was coming back after her recent journey.

"Hah, I finally worked out the fine details of my magic spell. I wonder how Mother will react."

Echidna gave a smile as she felt pretty confident of her newest spell. She wondered what kind of face her mother would make when she performed it.

Well, maybe not in the village. If she did, the village would be destroyed.

"Classic Echidna," Subaru smirked. "Away for the danger, around for the new info."

"Did you forget that she was instrumental in driving off Hector?" Beatrice asked.

"Nah, I just gave Ryuzu more of the credit."

In the air, Echidna quickly flew using wind magic as she soared through the forest with happy humming. She would occasionally strike down Mabeasts on the way while reading the book in her hand.

Echidna's proficiency as a mage could already be seen as ground-breaking and her talent which was nurtured under her mother's teaching only blossomed even more. Granted, her mother could only teach her the fundamentals and then a bit more but Echidna was intelligent enough to carve her own path as a mage, creating spells that surprised even her mother at times.

Thus, Echidna was motivated to make spells astonishing enough to see her mother's surprised face. With a relaxed face, she made her way to the village.

However, her face became serious as she got closer to the village. Flashes of magic and sounds of blades clashing could be heard in front of her.

"In the middle of night too…"

Realizing that something was wrong, Echidna quickly made her way to the commotion and she was greeted with a scene.

People from the village were scattered around. The village men were fighting with cloaked figures while trying to protect non-combatants in the middle. Her father was also fighting with a long sword where the heat of the battle was.

Echidna quickly saw that the situation wasn't good.

"Yeah, no shit, th' situation isn't good!" Garfiel yelled.

"Village chief, we can't hold much longer!"

"Hold the formation! If we break, it's all over for us!"

"But!"

The cloaked figures, while fewer in number compared to the village men, were clearly experienced. Using their short daggers and magic spells, they were using guerilla tactics as they slowly but surely pressured the village men into submission.

"Hmmm, I guess this is where I come in then."

Everybody looked up to see Echidna floating above the battlefield as her white hair fluttered from the night wind. Echidna put her palm out in front of her as she cast her spell.

"Ul Shamak."

Immediately, the area was covered in darkness as both the villagers and cult members couldn't see where they were. Even when they tried to reach out with their hands, they couldn't feel or sense anything. They couldn't even see their own hands or tell whether they were standing or not.

Subaru shifted uncomfortably at the memory of his first Shamak. The blinding darkness, the fact that you couldn't hear or touch anything. It felt cold, like whenever Envy grabbed his heart.

Priscilla noted how uncomfortable Subaru looked, and decided to hold on to him tighter.

Of course, in the confusion, Echidna began to target only the cloaked figures as she mercilessly killed them off one by one while they were still wandering in the darkness. In a few moments, she quickly dealt with the enemies.

By the time the darkness disappeared, the villagers found that all the cloaked figures were dead with Echidna smiling over them.

Everyone was silentlty amazed how Echidna made short work of those Witch Cultists. Even at a young age, the Witch of Greed was a force to be reckoned with.

"Okay, I gotta admit, tha' wuz pretty badass," Ricardo said.

"You said it," Otto gulped.

"Dona, you came back?" Her father was the first to greet her. Echidna's appearance was a blessing as he didn't hide his joy upon seeing her.

Echidna gave a nod towards him in acknowledgment as she looked around. She had entered during the middle of the battle so there were already casualties on their side by the time she came. Some of the villagers were crying in sorrow and fear from seeing their loved ones die and some were heavily injured.

However, that was none of her concern at the moment. She was only looking for one person.

"Where's Mother?"

Echidna didn't find her among the group while she was looking around. She found it curious as she knew that her mother would've been able to handle enemies of this caliber if she was with them.

"Your mother said that she was going to deal with the enemies by herself but we hadn't heard a response from her since then."

Echidna's father looked at his daughter, who seemed eerily calm despite the situation. Even though she was smiling, he wondered what his daughter was thinking during this time. Was it her confidence in her mother that she wasn't worried? Or was the smile just habitual and she was actually worried? Or maybe she didn't care at all and was just going with the flow. It was times like these that Echidna's father wished that he could read his daughter's mind.

"I see. Then, I'll head to the village." Echidna made her decision after hearing what her father said. She figured there was no time to waste and with a stretch of her hand and few words, the air began to distort and swirl in front of her.

Soon, a huge portal of darkness appeared to what seemingly led to the village. All the surrounding people's jaws dropped at the magic before them as Echidna leaped into the portal without hesitation.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Felt yowled.

"Was that t-t-teleporation…?" Felix asked.

"Yep. I saw her use it to make an exit from the Castle of Dreams for me," Subaru casually said. "But she isn't the only one. I've seen Witch Cultists and Beatrice."

"Wait, they can also use teleportation magic?" Crusch asked.

"Yeah," Subaru nonchalantly answered. "Witch Cultists are capable of sinking into the floor, essentially turning them two-dimensional, while Beatrice has her Door Crossing, Al Shamak, and that pink thing that made us fast-travel to the Sanctuary to fight the Great Rabbit."

"Hmph, I deem the last one to be a combination of super-speed and flight, not teleportation," the Great Spirit commented.

"Okay, okay, my bad."

The Witch of Decimation was currently in a dilemma.

No matter what kind of attacks she threw at him, the Warlock of Melancholy would be perfectly fine. With just a single motion of his, all of her magic would be neutralized without him having a single injury. The only thing that increased was his complaints but he did seem to get more tired as the battle continued but it was meaningless if she couldn't land a hit.

Hector wasn't only good at defense. His Authority of Melancholy seemed to be of an invisible force that worked the closer he was to his opponent. His attacks were annoying as she wouldn't know when they would come until the last moment. She had to rely on her instincts to dodge by a hair's breadth but even that had its limits as the attacks continued to increase in speed and number.

"This is a bad sign," Wilhelm said, analyzing the situation.

"I'll say," Otto said, sweating a bit.

Everyone in the Cast was currently having the same bad thought: How can anyone beat the Warlock of Melancholy, if even another Witch wasn't able to put a scratch on him?

"Maybe there's something that'll be able to take down Hector here?" Julius asked.

"Dude, even if there is, it's four-hundred-year-old knowledge," Al said. "The only ones with even a remote chance of recreating something like that are the loli and the clown."

Keeping her distance so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed, she checked her condition.

She already had some broken ribs and she was finding it troubling to breathe. At this rate, she would only last for another minute.

Hector sighed at this pointless battle.

"Witch of Decimation, isn't it time we put this to an end? I think you proved yourself enough at this point."

This only earned a scoff from her.

"Sorry. Unlike you who's tired of living, I have a reason that I must stay alive."

"That hurts. I thought we were birds of the same flock. Didn't you tell me that you also were bored of this world?"

"So, they do know one another," Reinhard realized.

"It looks dat way," Anastasia said. "But wha' does he mean by dat?"

"Perhaps she shared a similar ideology to Hector, but changed after having a family?"

"Cliche, but possible," the purple-haired merchant replied to the Sword Saint.

"Hmph, I have no reason to explain to you."

"How stubborn."

Hector decided to stop this futile struggle as he decided to resume his attack. However, another person entered his sight.

"Mother!"

Echidna ran towards the two of them as both of their eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Ah, yes, do go right towards the eldritch abomination your mother is currently fighting."

"Subaru, you shouldn't joke about that!" Emilia chided him.

"Why not?"

"You do tend to go charging towards monsters as well," Crusch smirked.

Subaru was quiet for a second, before saying, "Aight, fair enough."

"Echidna-chan?!"

"Oh?"

Upon arriving, Echidna immediately analyzed the situation before instantly throwing a fireball towards Hector. Of course, Hector easily swatted it away.

"What an adorable child you are. Are you that woman's daughter?"

"So what if I am?"

Echidna quickly saw that spells of that level didn't even bother him and realized why her mother was struggling against him. One would need a spell of much higher impact to even break through his defense.

"How annoying. I'm not a fan of killing children, so it's best for you to get out of the way-"

"Shario."

"HOLY SHIT!"

"She can already cast that?!" Emilia sputtered in shock.

Everyone knew that spell. It was the same spell that the Roswaal from the previous episode used against the Hector-posessed Subaru. It was a spell apparently capable of slaying hundreds of dragons in an instant.

And a teenage girl just cast it.

Subaru was shocked. Not at Echidna's display of power, but at the fact that she was considered one of the weaker Witches. Satella is the strongest, obviously. Sekhmet was number two, and Typhon, a little girl, was number three. Minerva, if he recalled correctly, was considered the weakest due to her inability to directly hurt people, despite her monstrous strength. He was pretty sure Daphne was right below Typhon, which meant that fifth and sixth place were a tie between Echidna and Carmilla.

If he was generous and said that Echidna was the fifth strongest Witch, then that meant that at least four other Witches were stronger than the power he was seeing right now.

Echidna cast her new spell. Hector immediately put up his guard, not familiar with the spell name but didn't see any immediate attack. It didn't seem to be a buffing or debuffing spell either as none of their states changed. Was it a bluff then? However, he definitely sensed a considerable amount of mana being used for that spell.

"If you're confused, then why not look up?"

Echidna smiled with blatant provocation as if laughing at Hector's lack of understanding. Hector felt a ping of annoyance already growing inside of him as he looked at the child's smug face but when he looked up, even his facial expression became shocked.

"Oi, oi, are you serious?" Hector even rubbed his eyes to see if he was seeing things but he wasn't, shocking him even more.

A huge blazing comet was traveling down the atmosphere at full speed.

"That's the most surprised I've ever seen Hector act," Beatrice huffed.

"Yeah, he always acts so cool and collected whenever we see him," Tivey said.

Hector couldn't believe what he was seeing. Echidna had pulled a star from the sky and dragged it down to earth. This was from a teenage girl? Not even the Witch of Decimation was capable of this destruction!

Roswaal smiled with pride. That's my Teacher.

Hector's surprise only increased more and more as he confirmed once more that a freaking meteorite was indeed heading towards this place.

The huge mass of energy continued to descend as it razed everything in its path. Hector could already feel the pressure from it as it aimed directly at him.

What about the other two people? If it continued like this, they would also be caught up in the explosion. Was that girl really willing to sacrifice her life just to bring him down?

However, Hector's stress only increased as he saw Echidna open a portal as both she and her mother were already entering it, most likely to a safer place. This girl also knew teleportation magic, something that was deemed as unrealistic? What was this monster of a child?!

"Have fun. I'll be taking my leave first."

Echidna waved her hand at him with a smirk as the two disappeared from his sight.

"This shitty kid!" Fixing his posture as he put both arms in front of him, Hector could only exercise his Authority of Melancholy to the fullest to brace himself for impact as the falling star fell on him.

"Do you think it'll kill him?" Petra asked, hopefully.

"No," Frederica said. "If this story is taking place in the past, then that means that Hector unfortunately survived. It would explain why he could contract with Subaru-sama in the future."

"For the record, that was an alternate future," the Japanese teenager said.

An explosion rang out in the distance as Echidna and her mother came out of a portal.

"Hmmm, that's quite the flare. I doubt he'll get out there unscathed even with his abnormal power."

Echidna looked back to the falling star that was still bright compared to the dark night. She figured this was the strongest attack currently available to her right now. This spell was supposed to be the one to surprise her mother but she guessed the time to use it came sooner than expected.

Well, seeing her mother's face right now, she figured that she still accomplished her goal.

Echidna's mother was still looking at her daughter with unhidden shock. She thought she saw it all when her daughter first showed her teleportation magic and thought nothing else would be astonishing than that. But, the scale of this magic was too grand to be compared to her previous spells.

"So, Mother… didn't I do good?" Echidna had a calm look on her face as if what she did was normal but her eyes secretly stole glances towards her mother, wondering to see what her reaction was. Her eyes were blinking and expecting, waiting to hear her mother's words.

"Aww… she's seeking approval from her mother! How sweet!" Naoko cooed.

"Considering she performed an apocalyptic-level attack, she'd better!" Kenichi laughed.

"Huh… I honestly can't remember the last time my own mom praised me," Subaru realized.

"So, you're a momma's boy, huh?" Priscilla asked Subaru.

"Pris, if you're gonna make fun of my mom…" Subaru began to speak, but before he could finish, Priscilla leaned in and whispered into his ear…

"I'll be your mommy."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Subaru screamed in his mind at the implications.

Next to Subaru, Emilia was wondering why he began to cough so violently. She heard what Priscilla said thanks to enhanced hearing, but she didn't understand the meaning. How can Priscilla be a mother to Subaru? He already has a mother.

Her mother laughed at her daughter at her obvious want of praise. It was times like these that she remembered that this girl wasn't a monster but her daughter.

"Yes, yes, you did well."

Echidna's mother patted her head to which Echidna gave an adorable smile. Her eyes closed in contentment as a blush rose to her face. Being praised, especially by her mother, always brought joy to her as she continued to revel in the warmth on her head.

"Echidna-chan, what about the villagers?"

"Ah, yes. About them…" Echidna explained everything about how she found the villagers under the cult members' attacks and how she quickly got rid of them. Her mother listened carefully and gave a sigh after hearing the losses they suffered. Thankfully, her husband was still alive but there was one issue she had a problem with.

"Echidna-chan, you just left them right after?"

"Was that a problem?"

"Ehhh, it depends on the context of the situation," Subaru said. "Personally, I think Echidna is in the right here, given who she was dealing with, but I can see how her mom would be upset."

"What would happen if there were more enemies waiting around? What if there were people who were injured and needed healing? You just left them without any protection?"

Echidna's mother gave a stern glare to her daughter as Echidna meekly lowered her head. There were plenty of explanations coming up to her head. She already scanned the area and didn't find any enemies. She didn't see anybody who was on death's door and needed healing as soon as possible. She figured that her father would be able to handle everything else well.

But the main reason she left quickly was…

"… I was more worried about you," Echidna mumbled under her breath.

"…"

Echidna's mother couldn't say anymore when she saw her daughter's pouting face. She was also saved from the precarious situation because of Echidna's action so she also didn't feel good chastising her daughter.

"Aww, that's so sweet, I'm getting cavities," Al said.

"Huh, I always figured Echidna didn't care about anyone," Subaru said.

Somehow, Subaru could feel Roswaal burning a hole through the back of his head.

"Still, it's good to see that they're both safe," Reinhard smiled. One could only take so much.

"Let's quickly check up on the villagers then."

"Mmmm."

Echidna agreed as her mother held her hand, preparing to leave but a voice stopped them.

"That won't be necessary. They are in my hands, Witch of Decimation."

A platinum-haired girl suddenly appeared before them. Her face was a timeless beauty and her blue eyes stood out from her white skin and clothing. She gently smiled at the two of them but none of the two let down their guard at the suspicious person.

"Fuuuuuuuuck," Reinhard finally said.

It was as if a record scratch could be heard after hearing the Sword Saint curse.

Holy shit… Felt couldn't believe that Reinhard finally said the F-word.

Everyone looked at the redhead in shock. Crusch asked, "Reinhard, did you just –"

"It's Pandora, I believe that my reaction was appropriate."

"I mean, yes, but –"

"Who are you?" Echidna's mother asked coldly to the young woman. There weren't many who knew her title as a Witch and of those who knew, all of them were enemies.

The petite figure raised her arms lightly as if to reveal that she didn't bring any harm.

"I am Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory."

"?!" Echidna's mother couldn't hide her shock. This was the Witch of Sin that was said to be forgotten over the course of history? It was this woman?

"So, what does a person like you want with me?"

Echidna's mother decided to take things slow and hold back on the hostility for now. Pandora smiled at her question as if she was waiting for those words.

"I want you to destroy the world."

Hearing Pandora say that, Subaru's mind clicked as he came to an awful possibility.

Is Pandora… the reason Satella destroyed half the world…? Subaru wondered as he couldn't help but think of the implications of such a statement. Satella was a sweet girl before she absorbed the Envy Witch Factor, that much was clear. Other than him apparently dying, he couldn't think of another reason Satella would willingly try to destroy the world, but he supposedly helped seal her away, so it couldn't have been that.

But… what if…

"Subaru, are you okay?" Subaru heard Reinhard speaking to him.

"Rein… I think I figured out why the Great Calamity happened."

"You have? Does it have something to do with Pandora's statement?"

"Yeah… I think Pandora forced the Envy Witch Factor onto Satella, with her incompatibility making her go out of control." Subaru explained his theory, causing Reinhard to think it over.

"I see… but why would Pandora want the world destroyed? If I recall, your Warlock counterpart said that she wanted the world for herself." Reinhard gave his two cents to the matter.

"I don't know. Pandora's still an enigma. Nothing about her makes any kind of sense to me. Maybe the other me thought Pandora wanted the world, when he actually did exactly what she wanted."

"I see. We will have to discuss this later, I'm afraid."

What came out of Pandora's mouth was something absurd. Both Echidna and her mother wondered if they had misheard what she said or if that was a joke they didn't understand but the expression on Pandora's face remained the same.

"The Witch of Decimation. I know all about your feats and achievements that were done in the shadows of this world. It surprised even me when I learned about you. Even without an Authority of Sin, you were able to achieve this much. With my help, destroying the world should be accomplishable for you."

"Destroying the world? That sounds like something a typical evil person would say."

"Hm, it's not that I need to destroy the world. For my goals to be achieved, it's just the fastest route out of all the processes. Will you help me?"

Pandora offered her hand towards Echidna's mother. Even though she looked innocent and angelic, Echidna's mother realized that was all a façade. Behind that graceful appearance was a twisted and selfish personality, an evil that would cause catastrophes without a single hint of guilt.

"She would try to destroy the world… JUST TO SPEED UP HER PLANS?!" Crusch couldn't help but scream in disbelief and horror.

"Wha' kinda fucked up plans need 'er ta do that?!" Garfiel asked.

"And the bigger question… Why does it involve Subaru?" Julius wondered.

"Wait, we don't know if this particular plan involves Subaru!" Petra protested.

"I'm afraid you're wrong, child," Priscilla said. "While we may not know what role your hero plays, given the context of the previous episodes, we know he's involved, somehow..."

"The only questions are how and why," Meili ended the Vollachian's statements.

Subaru could stare at the screen and ask a single question. "What do you want from me…?"

Echidna's mother hated how much Pandora reminded herself of her past self.

"What makes you think that I'll go along with your ploy?"

This response only disappointed Pandora. The reason she went to this Witch instead of anybody else was because she believed that the Witch of Decimation would be the most willing to go along with her plans. However, it seemed that she changed during her abrupt disappearance.

Well, she guessed she had to go the typical way.

Pandora lightly waved her hand and immediately, a barely conscious person appeared floating in the air behind Pandora.

"This is your husband, isn't it?"

"You!"

"I'm sure I don't need to explain what will happen if you don't follow what I say, do I?"

Pandora went towards Echidna's father as she grabbed his right hand lightly. She smiled as she reached towards the man's pinkie finger.

CRACK!

Petra and Meili ducked behind their respective adults as they heard the cracking, while Mimi and Tivey hid behind Ricardo. Felt held onto Reinhard, while Felix felt sick at seeing someone purposefully cause an injury.

Naoko held Kenichi's arm, while Wilhelm glared at the woman responsible for not only destroying his family, but now she was threatening to destroy another one.

Subaru cringed as he saw the fingers snap. He remembered the sensation of his own getting frozen off, along with when Petelgeuse snapped Subaru's possessed head into a ninety-degree angle. Sure, it didn't kill him, but just like this, it made him feel sick.

The man's finger broke as it went unnaturally backward. The man screamed in pain as stinging heat flowed from his hand.

"Stop!" Echidna's mother yelled upon seeing her husband in pain but Pandora gave no regard as she moved towards the ring finger next.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

Pandora continued to break the man's fingers despite the Witch's yelling. She decided that it was best to give a little incentive first.

It was only until she broke all ten of his fingers that she decided to stop.

The majority of the Cast had long looked away at the sight of an innocent man having their fingers broken one by one. All, except for two people.

Subaru watched as each one of the fingers snapped, while everyone else had looked away a long time ago. He owed it to Echidna. He owed it to Satella. He owed it to all of his friends who suffered to this monster, to see all of her crimes, regardless of reality.

Roswaal was glaring at the screen with a dead expression. Why didn't his Teacher intervene? She saved him, she could easily save her father. So, why? Why was she letting him suffer?

At this point, Echidna's mother was on her knees as she was forced to hear her husband crying in pain and the ugly sight of his fingers broken abnormally.

"Hmmm. I wonder what else I should do? Should I increase the physical torture on him? I wonder how long he would last if I cut his nails off, then his fingers. If that doesn't do, we still have his toes, don't we?"

"Stop…" Echidna's mother said weakly but Pandora kept going.

"Ah, would electrocution be more fitting then? Maybe we can also watch him suffocate without air as he struggles to breathe. Or perhaps you would prefer poison as his body slowly deteriorates into nothing?"

"…please…"

"How about I just make him mine? I don't mean to brag but people can be quite obsessed with me. Should I sexually torture him and break him so that he'll only be able to think of me? I wonder how he'd feel when he can't help but lust after another person besides his wife. Ah, but at that point, would that really be torture? He would be quite happy when he serves me with all his being."

Aside from disgust, Subaru felt another emotion while watching this. Wrath. He had seen plenty of villains in many media who would use the loved ones of the heroes to get what they want, and he always despised those types of situations.

But now… it was magnitudes times worse. He could rarely recall a villain that threatened to torture, both physically and mentally, the heroes' family in such a horrific way, and now the woman he was beginning to despise was threatening to do that right now.

Subaru couldn't help but ponder about whether or not he should try to manifest his Warlock counterpart's "Gates of Hell" ability once he gained the Authority of Wrath.

At least he would already have a name for it.

Pandora traced her fingers across his chest and stopped till it reached his lower stomach.

"Maybe, I should instead get rid of his pride as a man. Crushing one or two of them should be fine. I know from experience that men can continue to live even without them. That is, if the pain doesn't ki-"

"STOP!"

"…have you finally made your decision?"

Echidna's mother bit her lips. Even now, this foolish husband was still causing problems for her. Ever since he took her in and gave her a new life, he always found ways to frustrate her.

She was a Witch and he was just a normal person. It was natural that there would be conflicts between the two of them.

Yet, the memories together with him were only filled with light and love. When the thought of abandoning him came to her mind, she found herself looking back on those memories.

The witch realized that her family was something that was irreplaceable and she would do anything for them.

Even if she had to destroy the world.

"Witch of Decimation, what is your response?

Pandora smiled as if she knew what her response was going to be.

Emilia's breath was quiet, but harrowed, as she saw the Witch of Decimation trying to make a decision. Was that what Fortuna and Geuse went through? What was Pandora willing to do to the silver-haired half-elf if her parents kept fighting this Witch, if they refused to let her open the Seal? What would happen if… if she returned? If she targeted Subaru?

She wasn't a fool. Pandora would have taken notice that Geuse was now gone, and if Subaru's theory was right… she would target those he cared about. Her. Rem. Beatrice. She would be able to kill them, over and over again, and Subaru would always reset to save them…

…but would it be enough?

Echidna narrowed her eyes as she began to observe the Witch of Vainglory before her but quickly gave up; everything about her was an enigma. Echidna couldn't trust what her eyes saw because it was telling her that Pandora was just a normal person but that was impossible.

Echidna especially hated the way Pandora looked at them. What those eyes saw weren't people of equal standing, it was as if they were looking at children. She could even go so far as to say that Pandora considered herself a being higher than humans and they were just inferior beings to her.

Currently, Pandora was right now holding her father hostage in this situation. Her mother seemed to be thinking heavily. It didn't seem that any of them would be making a move any time soon.

Echidna wondered what she could do right now.

She still had a considerable amount of mana. However, she didn't want to waste it futilely. She didn't have the leisure to test out what her opponent's ability was. She already had a feeling that the opponent before her was out of her capability to handle.

Echidna looked at her father.

What?

Echidna was calm on the outside, not giving away anything but on the inside, she was surprised.

"He's still kickin'!" Ricardo gasped.

"Despite all the pain…" Tivey whispered in amazement.

Her father was looking at her with half-closed eyes. He was still conscious, if not barely, even after the torture. He was in terrible shape but he looked at Echidna with desperateness.

He seemed to have understood the situation as he looked at his wife who was suffering from her decision and then looked toward his daughter. He mouthed two words to her.

Echidna widened her eyes slightly before returning her face back to normal.

The rest of the Cast didn't understand what Echidna's father mouthed.

The only ones who did were Wilhelm, Reinhard and Subaru.

The old man knew how to read lips from his days back in the war. Reinhard, meanwhile, had enough Divine Protections to know what the man said, even if he didn't want to. And Subaru…

Subaru knew what the man said… because he had said those same words before.

"Witch of Decimation, what is your response?" Pandora asked Echidna's mother.

Echidna's mother clenched her fist until she drew blood from it. This was probably something that her husband would make her regret. He would probably try to talk her out of it and tell her to leave him behind.

But no matter how much she tried to, she couldn't.

She made her choice.

"I…"

"Fura."

A blade of wind suddenly lashed out through the air. Echidna had chosen this magic specifically because of the speed. In fact, Echidna made sure to reduce the attack size to only five centimeters and focus more on drastically increasing the speed. It was the perfect surprise attack and would bypass anybody's reaction speed. However, this spell was considered meager in front of the Witch of Vainglory.

However, Echidna's target wasn't Pandora.

The wind blade soared past Pandora and before anybody could react, it went to Echidna's father.

As the wind blade was closing in on Echidna's father, the screen slowed down, a slow-mo to show as the magic got closer and closer to the man's throat.

"What… is this…?" Anastasia asked.

"A slow motion shot," Al said.

"A what?" Rem asked.

"A slow motion shot is a form of storytelling to emphasize dramatic moments, such as this," the helmeted knight explained.

The wind blade was very small and would only deal a flesh injury usually. It wasn't lethal at all.

That was, if you didn't know where to aim for.

The blade sliced the left side of his neck, cutting the carotid artery cleanly.

Echidna's father's eyes opened widely. He could feel his head become faint as darkness began to overtake his sight. He could hear his wife yelling at him as he approached death. He looked at Echidna last who still had a calm face.

His head fell down limply as the light from his eyes faded.

Echidna's father, the village chief, was dead.

The slow motion shot ended, as did the narration, and everyone was quiet.

Echidna killed her own father.

She just did it. She didn't hesitate. She didn't feel any remorse. It was just like lifting a finger. For her, it was quick and easy, like writing on a piece of paper, or stepping on a leaf. If she could do something like that with ease...

...then she truly was a Witch.

Pandora's expression changed for the first time into bewilderment. She never expected for the daughter to kill her own father without any regret. This was out of her calculations. However, this turn of events wasn't bad.

Echidna's mother looked at Echidna, who calmly patted her hands together.

"Echidna-chan… why?"

Echidna looked at her mother, who seemed to be on the verge of crying.

"Mother, one man is not worth the destruction of the entire world. Even if it's Father."

Of course, that was reasonable. To put the whole world at stake, billions of people at stake, for just a single man was ridiculous. Even Echidna's mother knew that. But…

"Rem hates to say this but… Echidna is right."

Everyone looked towards the blue-haired oni, as she continued to speak. "No one short of Subaru-kun would be able to save everyone… and between the world and one person… it just wasn't worth it, no matter how valuable they are."

"Rem's right."

Emilia looked toward her knight. "Subaru…?"

"That was a no-win scenario. Pandora wouldn't let go of him. Echidna, for as powerful as she was, was still a human. She couldn't save everyone."

"..."

"But I'm not gonna be like her," he said, his eyes lit with determination. "I'm going to save everyone I can, no matter what. And that includes myself, of course."

Emilia, and everyone else around him, smiled.

If someone was capable of saving everyone, it was Subaru Natsuki.

"…Echidna-chan, do you not feel even a single hint of remorse from your father's death?"

"…"

No.

"He loved you, more than anything. He considered you his joy and treasure."

"…"

I know.

"She doesn't feel anything…?" Meili asked, shocked.

"She couldn't," Subaru said. "From when I met with her, along with this, I'm guessing that she was born with a case of antisocial personality disorder. People born like that empathize or feel remorse like we can, and typically have no regard to social norms. They also tend to feel more negative emotions, act with hostility, and tend to be bad with long-term relationships."

Everyone looked at Subaru with fear.

"People can be born like that?" Emilia asked, horrified.

"Like I said, before, all the Witches of Sin seem to have some sort of mental illness, and that one seems to fit Echidna the most," the Japanese teenager said. "The good news is that only two percent of the population are born with that illness yearly, at least on Earth, and it's capable of being treated. Echidna clearly managed to live a life, despite her illness."

"I agree with Subaru," Beatrice said. "Mother may have appeared blackhearted, but even she had people who she cared about, and her thoughts on the screen betray her."

"Ne, Echidna-chan… how can you smile like nothing happened?"

"…"

Is that how it looks?

"…"

There was nothing more to be said.

Echidna's mother didn't know what to do anymore. What was the point of living? Her husband, the reason why she was able to continue living, was dead. All she needed was one person to love her. Was that too much to ask for from this cruel world?

"Yes, you must have loved him greatly and now he died. Why continue to live in a world without him? Is it truly wrong to wish for such a world to disappear?"

"YOU SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH!" Felt yelled.

"Don't listen to her!" Otto shouted. "She's just trying to get you to do what she wants!"

The Witch of Decimation shivered upon hearing Pandora's words as they resonated with her soul. Pandora smiled as she saw that her words have an effect on the woman. She continued to use her Authority of Vainglory.

"The world is too cruel. This world is built on plenty of sacrifices just for the brief illusion of peace and happiness. Sacrifices such as your husband. Yet, everybody forgets them in the passage of time and conflicts will continue to arise. How can everybody else be happy when only you suffer alone? In the end, everything is meaningless."

That's right. The world was built of countless sacrifices yet there were people who were living in ignorant bliss while her husband was dead. And for what? History continues to repeat itself as wars continue to be waged again and again.

"If that's the case, why not bring this hateful world to an end?"

"She's using her Authority to manipulate her…?" Julius' eyes widened in horror.

"She can dyo that?" Felix asked, in shock.

"She can," Emilia growled. "I saw her using illusions to trick Mother Fortuna and Geuse. It's just another facet of her reality-warping. Instead of tricking the eyes, she's trying to trick the mind."

Everyone in the Theater scowled even further, as they saw Pandora's power.

The Witch of Decimation opened her eyes with a blank look. If the world ends, everybody would be free. Free from pain, free from loneliness, free from everything.

She saw the Witch of Vainglory offer her hand to her. Her hand offered salvation to her as it promised her that no longer would she have to suffer like this. Ah, how great that would be.

She reached out to grab the hand.

She stopped.

She saw Echidna looking at her. Her smile was still there… but was that really a smile?

"…No."

Pandora frowned.

"Witch of Decimation, you –"

"Don't call me that." Echidna's mother cut Pandora in the middle of her sentence. She wasn't a Witch. She was a mother now.

If she couldn't realize her daughter's pain, what kind of mother would she be? Good, evil, her daughter never cared about such things. If there was one thing she knew her daughter wished for, it was happiness.

But is that happiness worth it, at the price of others? Subaru thought.

She slowly walked towards her daughter, her only daughter as she caressed Echidna's face.

"Echidna-chan, I'm sorry."

She was only holding on through her love for her daughter. But even that was fading away.

Her mind was already half-taken by the Witch of Vainglory. Her soul was already influenced to the point where the desire to destroy the world was embedded into her and continuing to grow.

Before she was completely overtaken, she had some things to say.

"Sorry, Echidna-chan. I couldn't be a good mother to you until the end. I had to force you to do something like this."

How could she allow her daughter to come across the choice to kill her father? No person should ever be forced to do that but because of her own weakness, her daughter had to stain her hands with her father's blood.

"Echidna-chan, I regret that as your parents, we couldn't make you happy as we wished to. However, we always love you and though we may not understand how you think sometimes, we only want the best for you."

Naoko, along with a few other members of the audience, began to tear up as they heard Echidna's mother apologize to her daughter. She had always tried to be there for her son, and after hearing about what he had gone through in this world, she felt like she had failed Subaru as a mother for not being there for him.

In their desire to protect and form a more special relationship with their daughter, they did their best to love their daughter no matter how tough it was. Even if the emotions that Echidna displayed may have been just for show, even if she may not feel the same way for them, their experiences together as a family weren't fake.

She didn't have much time left before she lost her sanity. That soothing sensation that was enveloping her mind was so tempting to give in to but she held on to her remaining willpower.

"Echidna-chan… you'll definitely meet somebody in the future. A person who will be able to awaken your emotions like never before. Someone who'll definitely make you happy. So, please. Don't give up. Your mother will always be with you."

Upon hearing that, Roswaal and Beatrice stared at the screen in confusion.

The Great Spirit didn't know what to think? Mother had her own 'that Person'?

"Someone who will make her happy?" Frederica asked.

"Someone she'll love," Wilhelm explained. "Like how my wife made me happy, or how Naoko-dono makes Kenichi-dono happy, someone like that."

So… not me, then? Roswaal chuckled at his own misery. But then… who?

Echidna's mother hugged her daughter tightly as her arms trembled. She would have to make a selfish request from her daughter again.

"Kill me."

Unknowingly, the mother made the same wish as the father. The wish was so that they wouldn't be a burden to the ones they love.

"…if that's what you desire."

Echidna knew that this was the end as she quickly cut her mother's neck, giving her a quick and painless death.

With that, Echidna killed her favorite Witch.

As the Cast watched Echidna kill her own mother, many felt various emotions within them.

They felt hatred towards Pandora, who forced a teenager to go through this.

They felt disturbed by Echidna, who killed her own parents without remorse.

And Subaru… he felt pity. No one should ever have to go through that.

Not even Echidna.

What was greed?

Was it a want for money? Fame? Power?

That could be a definition.

However, Echidna thought differently.

Greed was having a desire. It was about holding on to a wish no matter what.

She wanted to save everybody no matter what. She thought that she was powerful enough to do so. She was confident in her own talent as she continued to make rapid progress in her magic knowledge.

Upon hearing that, Subaru was slightly confused. Echidna wanted to save people? That was her end goal? Not to gain knowledge? Or was knowledge a means to achieve her goal?

But then, why do so many twisted things? Why leave Beatrice alone for four hundred years? What did that knowledge accomplish? Did she know that Beako would eventually be saved, despite the centuries of suffering? Was she willing to sacrifice others for her cause?

The path to hell is paved with good intentions…

But then… was Pandora the same? Was her end goal something noble, too? Was her power responsible for making her not value others? Making her see them as a means to an end?

He scowled to himself. No, don't be an idiot. If Echidna of all people could value others, so could Pandora. She just chooses not to… she really is a monster through and through.

However, she realized that she was powerless. She had just killed her father and mother.

Was saving everybody really possible for her?

No, not yet. She couldn't give up like this.

If only she had more knowledge, if only she knew more, she could've found a different solution. She could've saved everybody.

Knowledge was power. With knowledge, anything was achievable.

She needed more knowledge. She needed to become a person who knew everything. She needed to know everything about this world if she wanted to save everybody in the world.

She'll do whatever she could to reach her goal. No matter how much she lost or was hurt, she'll do anything to attain her wish.

This was the awakening of the "Witch of Greed."

Everyone heard the monologue in silence, as they watched a new Witch be brought into the world. This was the beginning of Echidna's transformation.

But for Subaru, he realized that this was where Echidna changed. This was where Echidna's wish of saving everyone went too far, where she began to compromise on her beliefs, and where it would eventually lead to the suffering of so many others.

And it all started with Pandora.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

The sun rose as the night began to disappear.

"What a disappointment."

Pandora sighed with unhidden regret. She had great expectations for the Witch of Decimation when arriving but…

"In the end, she was worthless. What a hopeless Witch. She accomplished nothing with her death. Don't you also agree?"

"Shut your fucking mouth," Subaru growled.

"S-S-Subaru?" Petra asked, as she saw her hero wearing… the Warlock of Envy's face.

While his voice was quiet, his face was one of pure rage.

"Echidna may have seen people as tools, but even she cared about them… but you? You toyed with Emilia… you took advantage of Geuse… you scoffed at Theresia, trying to make it back to her family… you wiped out Ram and Rem's people… you hurt Satella and turned her into a monster…"

"Uh… Cap'n?" Garfiel gulped, afraid.

Everyone in the Theater could feel the temperature drop, as Subaru continued.

"You ruin lives… you force people to do things they don't want… you mock them when something doesn't go your way… Pandora… from the bottom of my heart… I truly hate you."

The aura around Subaru was ice cold. No one had ever seen him this enraged. No amount of hating Roswaal, or plotting Petelgeuse's death, dealing with Priscilla's attitude, or Return by Death's reveal, or even seeing the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony version of himself…

Priscilla would have gotten off of Subaru's lap if it wasn't for the fact that she would end up staring at his face, and she had a feeling that if she saw his eyes right now, she would have a heart attack. She was frozen in place, just like everyone else.

No one dared look at Subaru, out of fear for their safety. All they could do was continue watching, and hoped that his ice-cold glare would subside on its own.

I swear… I will open the Gates of Hell… just for you.

Pandora asked the young girl who stood in front of her parents.

Echidna looked at the two dead bodies before her.

Her mother and father, despite being dead, had smiles on their faces.

Her mother had asked her if she felt remorse over her father's death, which she didn't. However, she certainly felt something that she never felt in her entire life.

"Ne, Witch of Vainglory. Who are you to talk about my mother?"

Strong miasma was released from the teenager's body, the density surprising even Pandora. This kind of miasma was something that could only be emitted if one was a Witch of Sin.

Besides the Witch Factors of Envy which was currently in her hands, there was one other Factor that currently wasn't known.

Greed.

"What?" Subaru asked, his glare stopping. Did he hear that right?

Pandora had the Witch Factor of Envy. That meant…

She planned it. She planned to forcefully give that thing to Satella.

The Warlock of Envy was just a fluke. A freak accident that happened when one Subaru forcefully took that thing for himself to avenge his fallen Satella.

In all the other timelines…

I'm the end result. Along with a disaster that ended half a world.

This girl was able to awaken her Witch Factors of Greed and even manifest her Authority? She was wondering where the Greed Factor was after its disappearance and it seemed to have reappeared in this girl.

However, now was not the time for admiration.

"My mother was the best witch I ever met. Compared to her, I'm an evil Witch. A Witch who murdered her own parents."

While everyone else was comprehending that Pandora had the Witch Factor of Envy, they didn't notice Subaru's sick smile as he saw what was about to happen.

Wreck her for both of us, Echidna-chan.

"The time I spent with my family was something that I truly enjoyed. They were the only ones who allowed me to even feel a true sense of joy and happiness. They helped me feel like a regular human being when everybody else called me a monster behind my back.

"And you took that away from me."

Pandora instinctively took a step back as Echidna gave a dark smile. Her black book opened as the Tome of Wisdom awakened for the first time. The Authority of Greed began to resonate and emit a stygian aura as if she had been using it her entire life.

"Tell me, fellow Witch. How should I repay you for letting me experience this new emotion?"

When she killed her own parents, what filled her wasn't remorse. It was something else.

Something darker.

Hatred.

The Witch of Greed learned hatred for the first time as her black eyes locked into Pandora.

Pandora looked at Echidna. She weighed her options and quickly decided.

She retreated.

The Cast was surprised at this turn of events. The Witch of Vainglory retreating? She didn't even do that when the Warlock of Envy showed up.

But she did fall back, Subaru noted. When the Warlock of Envy attacked Pandora, she only stayed because she knew he couldn't truly hurt her. That was, until the Warlock used Gates of Hell. Not even Pandora's apparent pain tolerance could help her against the black flames. So, she fell back and let Regulus handle the situation due to his temporal invincibility.

The only reason she hadn't retreated was the fact that her mission was still incomplete.

Wait a minute… Why didn't Pandora just bring Echidna's parents back to life? Subaru wondered. If Pandora could warp reality, then she would have already brought the Witch of Decimation and her husband back to try her plan again. Which means…

Her Authority has its limits.

Her plans already were in disarray as her target had died. She would need to search again for a potential candidate once more.

As for the Witch of Greed, there was no merit in battling against her. As much as she coveted the latter's Witch Factor, she knew it was difficult in battling a fellow Witch of Sin. She might even lose in the process.

Echidna made no signs of chasing after her but her eyes continued to stare at Pandora, burning her into her memories. She would never forget this witch until the day she died.

"Oya, it looks like the Witch of Decimation is dead. How disappointing."

Hector walked forward, approaching Echidna. However, his appearance was a far cry from his normal appearance. His clothes were tattered and ripped while his skin was burned all over his body. It was the first time that he'd been injured after becoming a Warlock.

He didn't like that he had to feel pain after such a long time.

Looking towards the scene, he realized that something major had happened while he was gone. The Witch of Vainglory seemed to have disappeared while another Witch seemed to have awakened. The Warlock of Melancholy felt his Witch Factor pulsing in response to the young girl in front of him.

"So, you were the Witch of Greed? To think that such a cute girl as you would actually be such a monster. It's a shame that you'll have to die at such a young age."

Seeing this, everyone had gained a little hope.

Hector could be hurt. He could feel pain.

He could be beaten.

That meant that if Hector could be beaten, so could Pandora.

"Mother will not fall to you, Warlock!" Beatrice hissed.

"Yeah! Go get him, Echidna!" Petra cheered, along with everyone else.

Subaru smiled as he heard everyone rooting for a Witch like she was a hero, something he didn't consider possible before coming here. It actually gave him hope that one day, after he saved Satella, they would accept her.

Echidna looked at Hector with a detached look. Well, this was perfect timing anyway. She needed someone to vent this anger on.

"Warlock of Melancholy, it seems that your Authority is quite useful. Even after that spell, you seem to be in relatively good condition."

Echidna reached her hand towards Hector as she began to use her Authority of Greed for the first time. Her Tome of Wisdom glowed in response to her wishes as pages began to turn indescribably fast.

"But, I wonder if it works for attacks like these."

Echidna tightened her fist.

"Cough!"

Hector suddenly felt a tight pressure in his stomach as he suddenly instantly put his hand on there in pain.

"What is this magic attack…?"

"It's not magic. It's an Authority."

Upon hearing that, everyone paid closer attention.

"Natsuki-san, what is Echidna's Authority?" Otto asked.

"I don't know, I always assumed that it was her omniscience, given that she always carried that book around with her, but now, I'm not too sure. Maybe I never saw it?"

"Betty and Roswaal never saw it either, in fact," the Great Spirit said.

"Then I guess we'll find out right now," the nasty-eyed teen chuckled.

"I normally wouldn't be able to do this if you were at full strength, but it seems that you're quite weakened."

Echidna pulled her hand. Ever since she was young, she was obsessed with souls. The soul was a representative of one's self and defined who a person was.

She wondered what the Warlock's soul would look like.

Hector screamed as he realized that his soul was being pulled away from his body. At this rate, his body would end up as an empty shell.

"Don't get cocky, you brat!"

Despite being weakened, he was still the Warlock of Melancholy. He wouldn't allow himself to die in such a foolish way. However, Echidna also knew that.

"I'm not. It would be much easier if I got closer to you but even I'm not that much of a fool. Instead…"

Echidna opted to only take a piece of his soul away. It could barely be called a piece as it was only 1% of his soul. However, the feeling of one's soul being separated could never be a good feeling.

Hector widened his eyes as he fell to his knees. He felt a vague emptiness inside of him. It was just 1% yet he felt indescribable pain as something that should be there wasn't.

"What."

"The."

"Fuck."

Everyone agreed with Al, Ricardo, and Garfiel's sentiments. That was… hard to watch. Seeing the shining light that was a person's soul being physically removed from their bodies was… disturbing, to say the least.

They could never imagine Hector in such pain, let alone themselves.

Echidna stored his soul into her Tome of Wisdom as the book darkly glowed. It seemed that she required more souls to unlock its full potential. Well, no matter. She simply needed to gain more then.

"Witch of Greed, don't think that you'll get away. I'll surely hunt you down no matter where you go."

Hector looked at Echidna as he swore an oath to her. As long as she had a piece of his soul, he would continue to track her till the ends of the earth.

"Yes, I'm sure you will."

"So that's why he was after her…" Anastasia whispered.

Subaru's eyes widened as he heard the narration. Her book needed more souls to work. Her book was an extension of her Authority, allowing her power that would make so many…

Wait… back when he spoke with Echidna, she told him that kings and great leaders always came to her for knowledge, and that she had done a great many horrible things in the pursuit of knowledge. At first, he assumed she meant things like what she did to Beako, but…

What if Echidna wasn't the one full of knowledge… but her book? What if she constantly fed that thing souls in order to gain more power from it?

"I'm a very, very, evil magic user."

Yeah, no shit, Subaru grimaced, remembering Echidna's self-proclamation.

Echidna agreed as she opened a portal in front of her. There was no more reason to stay here. There was unknown knowledge out there in the world, waiting to be discovered by her. She needed to keep searching, keep learning, keep analyzing. She would learn all she can. With the limited knowledge she knew, she would then help the people around her.

Perhaps the amount of knowledge will never be enough. Perhaps even if she did acquire the maximum amount of knowledge from this world, she would never be satisfied. She would be a slave to her desire for knowledge, forever seeking more even when there would be none to be found.

However, that was fine. The moment she let go of her greed, she would abandon the resolve of saving everybody.

That's why she'll continue to get hold of more knowledge.

That was her role as the Witch of Greed.

"Whoa…" Kenichi whispered under his breath.

"Are all the Witches of the Deadly Sins really like that?" Naoko asked.

"Yeah," Subaru answered. "They all had some kind of good intentions, like ending world-hunger, getting rid of all evil, ending wars, and filling the world with love, but in the end, their powers and personalities ended up creating monsters, killing innocents, creating natural disasters, and causing wars. That's just the lot Authority users have in life, I guess."

"Well, we won't let something like that happen to you!" Emilia declared.

Subaru smiled at his liege. "Thanks, Emilia-tan. I'll put my faith in you."

Echidna kept her mother's last words in mind.

"Find someone who'll make me happy, was it?"

However, no matter how many people Echidna met, there was nobody who could make her feel happy. At least, not the same way her mother did.

When Echidna met the Witches of Sin, she thought that maybe because they were all Witches, they would have something in common and get along with each other. That part was true as soon enough, they would have tea parties once a year hosted by her. However, that was it.

Well, she was close enough to them that she gathered their souls and stored them after their death so that they wouldn't experience "true" death.

When Echidna created Beatrice, an artificial Spirit, she decided to take on the role of a mother. She decided to care for her and do what her mother used to do for her. It was certainly nice, having someone call her Mother. However, that was it.

"So, after all those years, she kept searching?" Crusch asked.

"I guess," Subaru said.

"Damn, that's an adult Echidna?" Al asked. "Maybe I'm her guy!"

"Al."

"I'll keep my mouth shut, Princess."

"Good."

When Echidna decided to take in Roswaal, it was merely on a whim. His magic talent was somewhat comparable to hers and thought it would be nice to teach him a few things. Seeing him grow quickly too also gave her a sense of pride. However, that was it.

Roswaal looked down as he heard the narration. He was nothing. He had failed, and both this and the previous episode where Hector beat him to death proved that to him.

Beatrice looked back at Roswaal. She too felt bad that she wasn't 'that Person' for her mother, but given that the context seemed to be indicating a romantic kind of love, maybe that was for the best. Plus, seeing the clown suffer was good enough compensation.

No matter who Echidna met, no matter who the other person was, she didn't feel that they were the person that her mother was talking about. To be honest, she half-given up on finding the person. This notion was only reinforced after her death.

It was then she finally met a person.

Everyone's ears perked up as they heard the narration.

Her soul continued to reside in the Sanctuary even after her death. She saw a boy who had unkempt black hair with brown eyes. He was wearing foreign clothes, adding to the mystery behind him.

Everyone's eyes began to widen, their jaws began to become slack, hoping that who they were thinking of, was not who she was describing.

Subaru had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Curious about the boy, she decided to go through her Tome of Wisdom. What she saw shocked her.

His experiences, his motivation, his perseverance, his past, everything about him intrigued her. She kept reading more and more as she felt her heart beat like never before.

What was this feeling welling up within her?

She wanted to know more about him. She wanted him to know about him. She wondered how he would feel about her if he knew about her. She wondered how she would feel when meeting him for the first time.

Suddenly, she couldn't think of anything else besides this person.

Subaru was now sweating bullets, and it wasn't because he was surrounded by beautiful women, they were with him from the beginning. No, now he was worried that Echidna's offer to him back at the Sanctuary had a whole other meaning to it.

That definitely wouldn't fly well with Emilia and Satella.

She wanted this person. His power to collect information was something she desired. His desire to save everybody was something she wanted to support. Everything about him attracted her to him.

Echidna put her hand over her chest. Her heart was beating rapidly like never before. It was greater than even her time with her mother.

She smiled, finally finding the person her mother told her about.

Shit.

"Subaru Natsuki, what an intriguing person."

Shit. Shit. Shit.

The screen went black, and suddenly –

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

WHAM!

Before Subaru could even react, he was tackled out of his seat and onto the floor, where he felt the life getting choked out of his neck. Looking up, he saw his soon-to-be murderer…

"How dare you?" Roswaal hissed, squeezing the black-haired knight's throat. "You little nobody! You rat-faced shit! I was fine with you having your little harem, but my Teacher is off limits!"

Subaru could feel his life slipping, but with his heightened anger towards Pandora, he directed some of it towards Roswaal. Activating his Authority of Sloth, Subaru used Invisible Providence to shove an Unseen Hand in the clown's face to try and push him off.

"Don't think your little Authority will save you, boy! Even if it kills me, I will –!"

CRACK!

In an instant, Roswaal was thrown back by a punch that was so powerful, that he was thrown all the way to the back wall of the Theater, allowing Subaru to breathe. Looking up, he saw…

"I would not recommend laying another hand on Subaru, Roswaal-sama."

Subaru looked up to see Reinhard standing over him with a punching position, with his other hand holding Subaru down to make sure he wasn't launched as well. Subaru then saw the expression the Sword Saint had.

He was angry.

Damn, he beat me to it, both Priscilla and Kenichi thought as the one of them got up off the floor they had fallen one, while the other one was up and out of their seat. Everyone looked toward the clown, with disgust in their face.

"Thanks for your help, Rein," Subaru said as the Sword Saint helped him back up to his feet.

"Of course, Subaru. I will not allow such injustice to occur again," Reinhard said, never taking his eyes off the clown.

"Injustice…?" The clown spoke again.

"Hm?"

"To call that injustice…? You took my little sister… you took my Gospel… you took my power, connections and allies… AND NOW YOU TAKE THE ONLY WOMAN I EVER LOVED?! WHERE WILL IT END?! WHERE WILL YOUR GREED END, YOU MONSTER?!"

"This coming from the guy who tried dragged me into you plans and to being your slave, all to bring back your crush?!" Subaru yelled back at the absurdity, but the mage did not relent.

"HAVEN'T YOU BEEN PAYING ATTENTION?!" Roswaal screamed. "In every reality we have seen, you come out on top! You are always the winner! The world turns in your favor, while we're all your playthings! You have power, servants, status, the literal Oddamned Divine Dragon at your beck and call, and yet, you never fully use them! You squander them, and then you take more! You take more toys for yourself!"

"..."

"Look at the women who have surrounded you! Since we've gotten here, they have slowly been getting closer and closer to you, until they are all at each other's throats over you! You managed to even get the stoic Karsten and the untamable Barielle into your fold! And yet… that's not enough for you! You have earned the loyalty of the Sword Saint, all the while rejecting the feelings of those you don't desire, and… and… you go after those you find useful! Don't lie to me! I've seen how your mind turns as you see Shaula on the screen, always planning to go and acquire her from your own PALACE OF A WATCHTOWER!"

"..."

"So… why? Why are you never satisfied…? Why are you so… greedy?"

And so, for the first time in a long time, Roswaal L. Mathers broke down in tears.


Author's Note: This was bonkers to write, from start to finish. The original story is called "Origin of Greed" and it was written by SleepingGeneral. The link is s/13923545/1/Origin-of-Greed, while the ArchiveofOurOwn one is /works/32695843. Now, it's comment time!

RandomGuest: Glad you like Priscilla, because after the stunt she ends up pulling in this chapter, I have a feeling a lot of people aren't gonna.

Synicall: Okay, you'll get a reaction to part of the Greed If, just not the entire story. Remember, this is reactions to various fanfics, not the official stories. And in terms of Greed If fanfics, I actually never read any good ones worthy to make the cut. Sorry.

Loli Beatrice: Absolutely no crossovers for the main story. Maybe an omake?

andreevmix11: Dude, trust me, the sister chapter to this one has a lot of Satella. Also, neither of the two stories you mentioned made the cut. Sorry, them's the breaks.

Scattershot98: I kinda stopped reading the Melancholic Path after Emilia freed the Sanctuary, to be honest. Still, glad you liked it.

LouisCy: In the words of the immortal Jet-Vac, "I love it when I'm right!"

R-king 93: Awesome comment.

Chuck B. Winanaki: Okay, first off, the rickroll was in the other timeline. Second, I don't remember Ram blaming the Warden for squat. Maybe Infinite wrote that part? (I did. -Infinite) And third, I don't recall anyone but Rem getting mad at Ram for siding with Roswaal, but even if they did, it's Roswaal. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Insane Womabt: Oh, no, Satella is gonna go nuclear.

tiny taru: Apollo's in the sister chapter. Sorry.

5queso: In my head, I'm pretty sure Priscilla has had enough of Subaru's insanity, so she just went, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," with the kiss. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Commissar Gaunt: Okay, so for the majority of that rant, the only thing I have to say is that I haven't read everything under the Re: Zero sun, so forgive me for some parts not being completely accurate. And as for everything else, I can see that you have a strong dislike for a lot of characters, and finally, I agree with you about Subatu having the patience of a saint. Hence yet another reason for why he's the Great Sage. Probably.

Godzilla is the goat: Yes, wow indeed. Also, nice name.

Pryd: Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy the aftermath!

Deathenglegamers1144: Hector's inconsistent speech will always be a love-hate relationship for me. Also, yes, Priscilla pretty much started a war, and Subaru's probably gonna die of anime-styled blood loss. I hope you enjoy the rest. Cheers, mate.

The reader2234: Yeah, about my Discord server… I'm gonna have to talk about that. If you wanna know about the If stories, see my previous comment. The Subaru Great Sage theory was just a coincidence we decided to roll with, actually.

Jpx0999: Don't forget Ricardo, he would also like to learn from the Harem King.

vtorx: Subaru being the same as Roswaal? I guess in a way, they are. But the major difference is that one of them tried to abandon their humanity.

AlexG2409: Yep, Priscilla really did just do that.

Phanton: If anyone saw Priscilla's smooch coming, then they're psychic.

hlglh: Can you type words, by chance?

Claudespeed123: Ram staying quiet for a few minutes? Hmm… I'll think about it…

Don tico: Glad you like my work. And as for your requests, these are for fanfics only, so I have no idea where I would be able to pull out two stories like that.

Terra: Thanks for your honest opinion on the openings, bro. Also, wish granted.

Imperius: I haven't read a majority of these but for the ones I have… I won't be doing "The Otherworldly Sage" because I already have one of my own in the roster, and "Re: Resolve and Power" is a crossover, so it's immediately out.

Bob2: BRO, HERE'S THE REST OF THE STORY!

aj2362: Yeah, the second option will cause a right for the sister chapter.

Wolfx88: I don't get the reference.

KingVessel: I was kinda considering all the other girls (minus Petra) kissing Subaru on the lips in an effort to overwrite Priscilla's kiss, but it was scrapped.

Phoenix_Rayz: There might be Reinhard x Felt? Let me double-check.

Mythril: Glad you liked the reactions! I honestly have no idea if Priscilla planned that.

shiru99: Yeah, I know I didn't show the more depressing parts of the last story, but that's only because I wanted the Cast to see what powers they were dealing with.

Meiliholic: Yeah, some would consider it that.

zazazza9: It's not pure shock, as it's more they're pretty numb to it now.

A special thanks to Infinite the Celestain for helping me in making this story, and for being an all-around great guy! If you want to join my Discord server, the link is /pwCawVGN. You can chat with others, post memes and fan art, and I'll drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! If you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! If you want to read more, check out my other stories! Thanks for reading, it's good to be back!

Alright, now that this is done, an important announcement: Last week, we had to do some major overhauls on my Discord server (including banning people), so for anyone interested in joining, follow some ground rules: Be respectful, keep profanity to a limit, all content should remain in their content-specific channels, stick to the topics assigned for each channel, no spamming pings, no asking to Mod, no derogatory slurs, especially in the voice chat, non threatening others, and no spamming moderators asking for an unban, verbally or through DMs. I'm the ultimate authority on my Discord, followed by Infinite and vinhd15, so what I say goes. If you can't follow the rules, then don't join.

Now that that's out of the way, a special thanks to Infinite the Celestain for helping me in making this story, and for being an all-around great guy! If you want to join my Discord server, the link is /TZ2kmetk. You can chat with others, post memes and fan art, and I'll drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! If you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! If you want to read more, check out my other stories! Thanks for reading, see you next time!

- Ernalore


Next time:

What if Subaru Natsuki met Subaru Natsuki?

OR

What if Subaru Natsuki's memories were eaten?