RE:Avenger Chapter 12, an Avengers + Re:Zero Crossover fanfic

Chapter 12 – Feel the Thunder!

Silent, quiet… yet not tranquil in the least, this was the atmosphere present in Arlam. The sounds of birds chirping and forest creatures skulking about had died down, the woods growing into an ominous flat tone. The surrounding shadows turned sinister and, replacing the wildlife one would see from time to time beyond the fence, hooded figures began emerging.

"…" One after the other, the witch cultists spawned from the forest and once the last of them appeared, in their ever-present taciturn and dark manner, the men and women congregated at the entrance to the village. They inspected the surroundings and noticed several carriages in stationary positions, seemingly awaiting for people to board them. This was expected; after all, they were informed by their fellow men on the inside that the army was carrying an evacuation at this hour. What was odd, however, was that the carriages were empty. Not just the carts themselves, the reins had no steeds to pull them; there were no Earth Dragons, no Ligers, nothing of the sort.

"…What?" One the cultists whispered as he had tried opening the door to one of the homes to no avail. Soon, most other cultists realized that something was up. They had expected panicking men and women to their visage, a handful of armed soldiers quick to be disposed of, maybe some merchants begging for their lives… Yet there was no one. "…This isn't right, this is-!"

*CRACK, CRACK*

*ZAP*

"!" As soon as the group took notice of things going awry, a bolt of lightning shot from out of nowhere and straight into the cultists near the well at the center of the village. "GAGHhhk…!" Unceremoniously, a pair of the hooded figures fell unconscious.

"EVERYONE, GET-GHGHK!" One of the cultists attempted to warn the others with no success, as the door to the house they were trying to break in burst open with a sword immediately stabbing the degenerate right through the heart. "GAGHK!"

"A stab in the back isn't exactly an action a knight would take." The purple haired knight, Julius, admitted with some regret. "Unfortunately for you scum, I am no knight today." He pulled his sword from the dead cultist as this one fell to the ground.

"Wha-?!" The cultists turned around to see what had happened to their brethren, but their surprise was cut short by the battle cries of the mercenaries and soldiers that burst out en masse from the locked houses and atop the trees.

"RAAAH!" The army roared as they trampled the unaware cultists.

*SLASH*

*BLAM*

*CHINK*

*SHWING*

*SLASH*

"DGAGH!"

"GHGH!"

"AHH!"

The village filled with the pained yells, screams and moans of either dying or injured cultists. Whenever one of them would find a way to avoid getting killed by a knight or a mercenary, they'd get immediately knocked out by an invisible force either shocking them, trapping them in a series of strings or just knocking them over the head. Either way, the group was outmatched; they dropped like flies against enemies that seemed to know everything about them.

"This is wrong! This isn't what-!"

"HAH!"

*SLASH*

"-URGHK!" The cultists fell in combat as Medium slashed them across the back, followed closely in a tight formation by the Vollachian mercenaries.

"You lot really screwed up! We knew your every move from the start!" As she yelled this, the cult turned around to face her. They were shocked at her words, in denial that their intentions and plans were so easily predicted as the girl had claimed, and yet… The proof of such a statement was right in front of them as their numbers dwindled by the second in a one-sided brawl.

"You bitch!" One of the hooded men yelled, hurling his daggers at the girl. Medium noticed and attempted to dodge, but one of the dying cultists on the ground quickly stood up and attempted to restrain her in a suicidal maneuver to get the both of them impaled on the blades.

"Ghk!" The girl groaned, pushing the dying man aside, but her timing was off as the daggers almost connected with her head.

*THWIP*

*SITCH*

"What?!"

"Huh?"

Just as the blades were about to stab her, a series of strings latched onto the handles of the daggers, the momentum and elasticity stopping them in midair before bouncing back towards the man that had thrown them.

*WHOOSH*

"OH SHI-!"

*SLASH*

"GAGHK!"

"GHH!"

"ACKH!"

Several of the cultists, including the one that had thrown the knife, moaned in pain as the daggers either stabbed themselves on their legs and arms or shot past them, grazing them across their faces and limbs. Either way, a sizeable part of their group were rendered immobile as the bulk of the army moved onto finishing them off.

"HAH!" In a desperate attempt, one of the cultists managed to set some of the carriages on fire, trying to use them as a makeshift barricade whilst looking for a way to escape with as many survivors as possible. Nevertheless, things would not go his way.

"A bit rude of you to run away, eh?" Subaru made himself visible in front of the handful of fleeing cultists, his arms crossed in disapproval of their cowardly actions.

"Wha-?!"

"You were pretty cocky thinking you could just raid a village with no consequences." He nodded a bit while reproaching with a stern tone.

"GOA!" the cultists pointed their palms and daggers at the boy, expecting to set him on fire instantly.

"Hup!" Subaru dodged the attacks, jumping over the fireballs and performing acrobatics around the hooded figures, mocking the raiders still. "That is so not cool! I'm trying to teach you a lesson here!"

*THWIP*

*SNATCH*

*FWOOP*

"HEL-!"

"DAUGH!"

"EEP-!"

In a quick motion, Subaru shot webs at the ankles of the assailants and pulled them towards himself, making the group fall over as their bodies dragged against the rough ground in his direction.

As the cultists regained their bearings the hero inched closer to the face of the head of their group and, with a shit-eating grin hidden by his mask, he imparted his wisdom. "Next time, don't do the deed if you don't wanna feel the heat."

"The wha-?"

*ZAP*

"GAGH!" As soon as the cultist retorted to his taunt, Spidey electrified the web tying them together, spreading a bolt so powerful it knocked the cultists unconscious.

"You do know you should be disposing of them, right?" Julius, who had just finished cutting down another hostile, squinted his eyes at the boy with clear disapproval. "What happened to Sir Wilhelm's words of encouragement?"

"Hey hey, I really appreciate Wilhelm's encouragement, I truly do! It is just, you have your standards; I have mine. Plus…" Subaru unmasked before looking at the village, noticing the defeated forces of the Witch Cult. Some of the cultists he had paralyzed had been killed off during the crossfire, much to the boy's regret. "I made a compromise, didn't I? I immobilized them; your men took care of the rest. Not that I celebrate it, anyhow…"

"…You feel guilty still about the loss of life?" The knight raised an eyebrow. "And a bit cowardly to leave the killing just to us, your hands are just as dirty at the end of it all."

"That's harsh… but true, I guess." The boy dejectedly answered.

"Truly, I don't understand you. It's not a good life to be a cultist, you know?"

"But it's still a life." Subaru answered back as he gathered the bodies of the still living cultists. "Sure, I promised I wouldn't hold back against the Archbishops of the cult; if it's to the death against an irrational maniac, then I can't exactly afford it. But… my stance against the common cultist... it still stands; I WANT to give them one last chance, to turn around and do the right thing, live to atone. Surely one of them had to have been a decent person before whatever fucked their lives' up, right?" He tied the cultists individually to a sturdy carriage, making sure to gag them so that they wouldn't bite their tongues off upon waking up.

"…*Sigh*" Julius exhaled, still doubtful about such a stance. "Very well, we'll… do as you say. For the moment at least. However, I'll be the one to escort that group back to the Capital. And the moment even one of them tries anything funny I'll have them thrown off the carriage at full speed. With a sword to their gut."

"Eesh… Got it, commander…" Subaru sweated with nervousness.

"AND!" The knight stressed.

"You are still going?!"

"Once we arrive to the Capital, they shall be under the knights' jurisdiction in all matters, from interrogations to… punishments, sentences and executions. Understood?" Julius gave a serious glare at the restrained and unconscious cultists before him.

"…Very well." Subaru nodded meekly. Even if the topic of just executing them or having them tortured disgusted him, he already did his part in bringing such people to justice. Many cultists died in the altercation, it is a miracle there were even enough for the country to judge. "Thank you, Julius… For giving it a thought. Even if you were kind of condescending about it."

"…I didn't promise they would all get a free pass to live a life of atonement, Natsuki." The knight faced away from him. "I just promised they shall face justice in front of the Lugunican law, is all."

"Still, thank yo-"

"And it's Juli." He walked away from the young man.

"A~nd you've ruined it." Subaru rolled his eyes at the knight's statement before sinking into his own mind once more. Dammit… Am I still just some spoiled brat? Cap wouldn't hesitate killing an enemy… He fought on World War 2 of all battlefields! Surely, I am the moron here… The young hero distracted himself with self-deprecating thoughts, still bitter about his stance being so easily shaken in his current environment even if he wouldn't admit it outspokenly.

"YAY!" In the distance, Medium celebrated the victory. "We won!"

"That was quick…" Flop commented while coming out of the mayor's house. "They were all defeated already? Huh…"

"See? We ran no risk at all in the end!" The merchant princess commented with fake cheer, still a bit nervous about having to exit the house to witness a scene of carnage.

"Why are you holing up in there? You were the one that insisted on staying during the fight, why are you still inside?" The blonde boy commented to Anastasia's reluctance.

"Hey, I just came for the hands-on promise of new technology. Just… tell them ta' clean up before I come out, all right?" She answered with apprehension.

"Don't worry, my Lady." Julius entered the home. "My men are already conducting a sweep of the surroundings and the flame of the burning carriages are being put off with water from the well as we speak."

"Well, that's a relief… Although, I can't help but feel a bit nervous at things going so perfectly, ya' know?" The merchant girl admitted. "Call it a merchant's intuition, I guess…"

"*Sigh* It's why I insisted you stayed behind… Or at least evacuated with the residents." Julius made a tired face at such a statement. "It is rather perplexing that you would remark on staying, we don't know whether we are still in danger or not-"

"Actually, we do!" She managed to beam a smile at her knight while raising her wrist. "This just in! Ricardo and his lot were successful!"

"Huh?"

From the projection of her arm, the widened image of a familiar wolf-man appeared on the screen. "Hunh… Is this thing alive or-?"

"AH! It's moving again!" The voice of the acute Mimi resounded from behind him. "Hey! Hey, my Lady! Is this fly thing showing us back to you?!" The girl's ears appeared intermittently as she desperately jumped to reach the altitude of the camera.

"I'm pretty sure she can't answer back, you two. This thing only works one wa-" The brother to the cat-girl, Tivey, suggested from behind with a disappointed look before being rudely interrupted.

"Er- Well! All's done here, anyhow!" Ricardo said as he lifted his thumb, pointing at the cave beside him. The focus of the drone's camera shifted as it pointed to a bunch of dead cultists slumped on the ground, the cheering mercenaries of the Iron Fang celebrating over them. Amongst them, however, was a very much alive yet whining gray-haired man tied to a pole, a couple of Ligers biting firmly on the stick restraining him holding him back from escaping.

"GAH! I keep telling you! I'm no cultist! I'm- GHFGH!" As the man complained, the orange girl gagged his cries by shoving the top of her staff in his mouth.

"You don't get to decide that! Just be a patient little boy and wait for us to return to camp!"

"GHG~!" The man ugly-cried from his pathetic position.

"Well, there was that guy and a ground dragon tied up inside… But I'm sure we can sort out his affiliation concretely once we rendezvous!" The wolf-man affirmed with confidence. "Anyway, we're heading back already. See ya!"

"Hey, I know that guy!" Subaru came up from behind Julius, entering the house while indicating to the image fading away.

"Who?" Anastasia turned, looking puzzled at the young man. "As in, ya' knew the cryin' green weirdo?"

"Yeah, his name's Otto." The boy nodded. "Was' a merchant that got robbed back in the Capital… a couple of days back, I think? Totally stopped that robbery by the way, you are welcome~." He smugly nudged at the annoyed Knight in the room.

"Yes, I heard of it. The other knights kept complaining that the apparatuses you used to restrain the thieves were most disgusting." He quickly responded.

"Oh? What might you be talking about?" Subaru's face turned malicious. "You spoke with knights?! Must be a real important traveler now, Juli the Wanderer! To have such connections…"

"…" Julius limited himself to silently groaning.

"So he really is some poor fool that got himself nabbed!" Anastasia laughed aloud. "Anyhow, with two fronts covered, I wonder how things are going on the other side…"

"You mean Crusch and Priscilla? Psh! They'll be fine; I lent them my stuff back at the mansion! They'd have to be blind to lose!"

"I ask that you please address the candidates fighting with their lives on the line with respect…" Julius stressed in a low tone, whispering at the boy with exasperation.

"Dude, get real. 2v1? Green and Red versus that Goblin? They are winning for sure!" Subaru muttered back.

"I do not doubt their strength, but-!"

"If the two boys have something to share with the class, I'd appreciate it if they spoke out with an audible tone!" The annoyed merchant princess stated in a loud voice while glaring at the pair.

"…Nothing of importance…" The pair said at the same time while looking away from her, a hint of embarrassment over the petty argument on their faces.

"*Sigh* Still… How are they faring?" As she sighed, the Mauve girl turned to look through a window in the direction of the mansion…

As Subaru's and Ricardo's groups had finished their respective tasks successfully, the trails of smoke rising from the burnt carriages of the village served as a signal for Petelgeuse's group to appear from the woods behind the Margrave's mansion, the Archbishop at the head of the formation.

"It seems things are indeed going as planned indeed!" He spoke with cheer, smiling widely from ear to ear while misinterpreting such a signal as a confirmation that the village raid was successful. "Our brethren has claimed the villagers successfully! We must do our part and perform the ritual as expected of us! Let's demonstrate her the proof of our love and let the Witch to return to us!"

*CLANK-CLANK-CLANK*

The metal bars of the fence twisted unnaturally; the sound of them being torn away from their foundations resounding awkwardly like a screech. As the madman floated from his spot to the other side of the fence, his 'Fingers' followed closely behind. Once the whole group was within the mansion's grounds, however, the Archbishop was quick to notice some oddities on the surroundings. "…That's odd." He said with a tilt of his head. "Why are the carriages empty?"

"…" The group surrounding the man studied the situation, noticing that instead of a single evacuation carriage, there were multiple instead. Moreover, apart from the Earth Dragons, all of them were empty. Even more perplexing was the fact that, although the smoke trail from the village was quite visible, no one was outside the mansion to observe it.

"…What is-?" As Petelgeuse's eyes narrowed, a woman's voice suddenly called out from in front of him.

"I must admit, you are far more repugnant in person; your very stench is nauseating." A haughty noblewoman in red exclaimed with a mix of hatred and amusement. "I am, nevertheless, a merciful leader. Bow down and allow your head be sliced off right this instant; that is the least painful execution mineself can offer the likes of you. Far more than you deserve, anyhow." Priscilla said whilst adjusting her glasses, her Yang sword readied in her right hand to execute the monster.

"…What the…" The Archbishop's eyes widened in disbelief, not understanding what was happening. After all, what could one of the candidates be doing here of all places? Should they not be with the rest of the forces, raiding the caves? Unfortunately for the lunatic, that wasn't the only noblewoman on his way.

"Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti!" The commanding yell of Duchess Karsten alerted the man of her presence. "Sin Archishop of Sloth! For your crimes against this land and this very world, you are set to be punished! By the authority conferred to me by the late crown, the citizens of the Kingdom of Lugunica and the position of Royal Candidate I, Crusch Karsten, sentence you to death!" With a stern glare, Crusch unsheathed her blade and aimed it directly at the man's head.

"…" Petelgeuse's expression dropped even more, his sickly features quickly becoming enraged as his bulging eyes turned red. "….WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

"Give yourselves up Witch Cultists!"

"Yeah!"

"Surrender now!"

"End of the road!"

Just as the candidates had done so moments prior, the rest of the knights and soldiers made their appearances by jumping from the mansion's windows or flanking the cult from the sides. Either way, enemies in all fronts surrounded Petelgeuse's group.

"How… HowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhoWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOWHOW?!" He reached for his own face, desperately dragging it downwards as he clawed away at his skin. "HOW?!"

"Tsk!" Priscilla and Crusch glared even further at the disgusting scene.

"YOU! WHY ARE YOU HERE?! WHY ARE THE TWO OF YOU HERE?! SHOULDN'T YOU BE IN THE FOREST?! WHERE'S THE HALF-ELF?! WHY IS IT THE TWO OF YOU?! HOW DARE YOU DEFY HER KNOWLEDGE! HER GUIDANCE! HER LOVE! THE WITCH'S LOVE!"

"Unfortunately for you…" Rem emerged from the formation of soldiers surrounding the Archbishop, her morning star in her hand. "Emilia-sama evacuated a while ago. Surely you realize what that means?" She spoke with a cruel and satisfied voice while mocking the cultist, an intense scowl on her face. In truth, she was thankful Subaru stayed back in the village; after all, he wouldn't have to bear witness to the oni committing a slaughter, he wouldn't need to see her darkest self.

"What?!"

"No…"

"…What?"

The 'Fingers questioned themselves, looking perplexed as to why the account of their Gospel had been denied by the maid's words.

"ARCHBISHOP-SAMA!"

"…" Petelgeuse looked at her for a moment incredulously before dropping to his knees and looking at the ground. "…No." He muttered. "Nononononononononononononononononononononononononononono…" He kept whispering to himself. "THAT CAN'T BE!" He screamed, denying reality still. As he did so, he glared back at the candidates in before him while bracing himself for combat. "AUTHORITY OF SLOTH, THE UNSEEN HAND!"

*WHOOSH*

With his proclamation, a barrage of phantom limbs sprouted from his back, invisible to everyone except for the Royal Candidates before him.

"SPREAD OUT!" Crusch ordered as she moved aside, dodging the hand that would've otherwise crushed her skull. Thus, the offensive of the army in the mansion grounds began.

"HAH!"

"ATTACK!"

"DIE!" All of the knights and Rem yelled their battle cries while raining the 'Fingers' in a shower of spells, spears and arrows.

"EL HUMA!" Rem casted her ice pillars, immediately taking the first kill of the battle by impaling one of the cultists through the chest.

"URGH!" The hooded man moaned in pain before his brethren jumped over him, choosing to give their lives in an all-out assault against the infidels standing between them and their devotion.

"Well, this is most odd!" Priscilla stated while cutting the pair of arms approaching her.

"WHAT?!" Petelgeuse screamed incoherently as he bore witness to the impossible. "You… YOU! HOW?! HOWHOWHOW?! HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO SEE THE UNSEEN HAND?! HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO INFRINGE ON HER LOVE LIKE THIS?! TO MEDDLE IN OUR TRUST LIKE THIS?!"

"I expected the arms to look as-HNGH!"

*SLASH*

"-Warm as Natsuki in the recording! Instead…!" Crusch kept commenting to Priscilla in the heat of battle as she cut down the arms flying towards her.

"The rotten bastard's limbs look just as cold as the surroundings! HAH!" The Vollachian answered as she incinerated the hand reaching for her legs. "It seems this savage's power is as cold as a corpse! Perhaps even more so! Fitting for a being so horridly pathetic!" She mocked while stabbing another arm in place.

"DIE!" One of the cultists yelled as he speedily approached one of the knights.

"Why you-!" Just as the knight attempted to retaliate though, the blue oni of the group was quick to act on his behalf and save his life.

"HYAH!" Rem screamed in abandon and rage, swinging her mace and chain towards the hooded man.

*FWOOM*

"What the hel-!" Before he could even process what was happening, the man was split in half horizontally, his torso detaching from his legs and his innards spraying over the ground.

"WHOA!" The knights marveled at her strength in surprise. "What power-!"

"RRAGH!" As she killed one of the 'Fingers', however, Rem's horn began glowing on her forehead, the ground beneath her feet breaking apart.

"Shit!"

"OH FUCK-!"

*CRACK-CRACK*

*FWOOM*

*KA-BLAM!*

*CRUSH*

*SPLURT*

In a flurry of unadulterated hatred and wrath, Rem flashed through the courtyard, slaying the despairing 'Fingers'. Her movements and blasts were so fast, the knights just couldn't keep up; so much was their shock that some just dropped to the ground, sitting and lowering their guard as they knew instinctively… "We are not even needed here… That maid… It's so one-sided…" One of the knights muttered without realizing, prompting the rest to nod.

"…Scary…" Aldebaran, who was standing in the back of the formation, could do nothing but tremble at the sight of such a massacre. "You oni really were no joke…"

"GRAAAAAAHHH!" Rem growled as her form was covered in entrails and blood, the few remaining cultists scrambling to use each other as shields to no effect.

"GAGH!"

"GHGH!"

"GYEEEEGH!"

They groaned in pain as she killed them; a dancer of pink, blue and red in a maid outfit.

"…So this is the power of an oni…" Crusch widened her eyes at the spectacle; her combined forces were mere surplus in comparison to the power of her ally. In truth, she was now, more than ever, glad that the alliance had been established; after all, not fighting with the Emilia camp meant not fighting against an enraged Rem.

"YOU-!" He cried tears of blood in horror as the lone girl swept the ground with his most loyal cultists, one by one. "MY PRECIOUS FINCERS! MY LOYAL, SERVICEFUL, FAITHFUL, TRUE-HEARTED, UNWAVERING, TRUSTWORTHY, DEDICATED, DUTIFUL, STEADFAST, STAUNCH CUTE LITTLE FINGERS! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

*WHOOSH*

More arms sprouted forth, all aiming for Rem as she finished another degenerate. Nevertheless, none of them would reach their desired target.

*FSHWOOM!*

"!" Petelgeuse's enraged eyes bulged even further out of their sockets as a wall of white fire destroyed his ghastly hands, protecting Rem. "WHAT?!"

"You have the gall to ignore me?!" A furious Priscilla insinuated. "You baseborn imbecile! I'll gut you alive!"

"KUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Petelgeuse brought his hands to his hair and began to pull. As he did this, he arched his back a bit while making his eyes roll into the back of his skull, creating the disgusting scene of white yet reddened and veiny eyes crying blood as his mouth filled with the hair and blood trickling down from his forehead. Truly, his green skin did nothing to better such an image. "YOU! ALL OF YOU! ALL YOU OBSTACLES! RENDERING… RENDERING HER LOVE! HER LOVE USELESS! IRRELEVANT! FUTILE! IMPRACTICAL! UNUSABLE! VAIN! POINTLESS! FRUITLESS! INSUFFICIENT! SLOTHFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL~!" He screamed to the skies as he fell to the ground. "MY BRAIN! MY BRAIN TREMBLESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" The lunatic cried as his eyes rolled in all directions, threatening to burst out from his head at any second.

*SLASH*

"Will you ever cease your despicable ramblings?!" Crusch denigrated as she cut down his approaching arms once again. "You are defeated! Let yourself be struck down already, you beast! HAH!"

*SHWING*

She commanded a wind blade in his direction.

The Archbishop brought his hands to his mouth, all of his fingers except for his thumbs resting on his lower jaw until-

*CRACK-SPLURT!*

"UL DONA!" He yelled as his mandible broke one of his fingers. The spell activated, making the ground shake and take the form of a dome around himself.

*BLAM*

The Duchess' green blade collided with the dome, destroying it. With his shield destroyed, the candidates assumed it a good time to end the fight by killing the man, but just as they enclosed on him…

*CRACK-SPLURT!*

"UL DONA!" He broke another finger, casting the same spell.

"TSK!"

"KUH!" Priscilla and Crusch leapt away just in time; a second later, and the spawning dome would have split them in twain.

*CRACK-SPLURT!*

"UL DONA!"

*CRACK-SPLURT!*

"UL DONA!"

*CRACK-SPLURT!*

"UL DONA!"

*CRACK-SPLURT!*

"UL DONA!"

"Shit!" The soldiers began taking their distance from the Archbishop as well; the closer they got, the higher the risk of being crushed or impaled by the sudden appearances of stone and rock pillars, walls and domes.

*CRACK-SPLURT!*

"UL DONA!" Petelgeuse had snapped, biting his own fingers off while casting earth spell after earth spell. As he did this, his unseen hands started flailing around uncontrollably…

*WHOOSH*

"GET DOWN!" Crusch ordered as an extraordinarily large arm and hand waved across the garden, destroying all fences, fountains and trees on its path.

"WHOAH!"

"SHIT"

"OH MY-!"

The soldiers and Rem, as per the command of the candidate, narrowly avoided the invisible wave of destruction while keeping a safe distance from the earth magic of the maniac.

*CRACK-SPLURT!*

"UL DONA!" He casted again, making the battlefield even more uneven as it filled with spikes and walls. These consecutive spells had a toll on his physical form, making the man bleed profusely from every orifice. Nevertheless, he did not care for the pain, resolving himself to keep destroying his body and the surroundings with reckless abandon.

"STOP DESTROYING MY HOME YOU MONSTER!" Rem jumped high into the air, right above the Archbishop's head, and prepared to cast a spell. "AL… HUMA!"

With a raise of her palm, a giant spear of ice manifested above the man. Petelgeuse prepared himself and directed all of his hands to destroy the falling pillar. "PROOF OF HER LOVE! UNSEEN HAND!"

*WHOOSH*

*CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK*

*CRACK!*

The dozens of giant hands invoked by the madman managed to destroy the glacial behemoth, breaking it into a hundred of ice arrows that rained down on the ground and rock protrusions casted by the Archbishop seconds earlier.

*BLAM*

The subsequent clash of elements left behind a thick cloud of mist and dust, obscuring the maniac's view of the battlefield.

"*PANT, PANT* Hah… Hah… *Cough, cough!*" Petelgeuse exclaimed while regaining his bearings. "You… YOU!" He yelled into the cloud with frustration. "SHOW YOURSELVES!"

*STAB*

"GHK!" The moment he yelled, his fate was sealed. "Wh-What…?!" He looked down towards his abdomen, noticing two women impaling their blades on his body. "What is-?!"

"…" Thanks to the visors, Crusch and Priscilla's disadvantage in the dust cloud was non-existent, allowing them to quickly dash towards the man during his exhaustion. In the end, the Duchess had stabbed him from the front while the Baroness' stabbed his back, resulting on their blades colliding within his absolutely destroyed innards. "…Perish." With but a word from the scowling Vollachian, the pair lifted their swords into the air, the following arch cutting the man from the stomach all the way to his shoulders.

"GUGHAGHK!" Petelgeuse vomited blood into the air as the two slices broke through his ribs and lungs. "GHGHHK!" He plummeted to the ground; face down, a trail of blood following the deep cuts on his torso.

*THUD!*

"…" As the cloud finally cleared, the knights looked around themselves to see a triumphant view… Crusch and Priscilla were standing purposefully over the slumped corpse of the Archbishop, the sunlight shining on the ice crystals in the air making the pair look almost ethereal. "WE'VE WON!"

"YEAH!" The group of soldiers hollered with cheer and screams of victory as they had managed the impossible: A triumph over the Witch Cult without casualties.

"…Serves you right, scum…" Rem glared at the corpses of the cultists laying around the wrecked garden, her horn deactivating. In truth, she didn't feel happy or overjoyed, just repulsed. The very fact that such disgusting maniacs had reached her abode was nothing short of a tragedy in and of itself. The only redeeming result of such a situation was that, with the death of the Archbishop, her hero would most certainly be recognized as such by her world. At the very least, that is what she hoped for… "Subaru-kun…" She whispered while calming down.

*WHISH!*

*CLINK*

The Duchess swung her blade to the ground in a quick motion, cleansing it from the cultist blood ruining its shine. She then sheathed it back into her scabbard while returning to her cheering men. "The glasses were a resound success in felling the Archbishop…" She smirked confidently while nodding. "Truly… I must extend my utmost thanks to Natsuki Subaru once we return to the Capital…" She blushed a bit, planning on her head to invite him over to her manor for dinner in the guise of a business discussion, much like she had originally planned.

"Yes, yes, all due thanks to the boy for his contribution; this victory still stands as my own regardless!" Priscilla chuckled while readjusting the pair of glasses, brushing all praises but her own aside. "Honestly though… I find it difficult to return such a marvelous artifact…"

"You are not seriously considering keeping the lenses, are you?!" Crusch glared at the noblewoman. "They were lent to us, not given. No self-respecting nobility would have the gall to-!"

"Of course mineself knows they are lent! This ugly Metia doesn't even match with my jewelry!" The crimson Lady explained. "So before you go around reproaching ME of all deities, like the broad you are, I suggest you calm yourself Karsten trash!"

"Tsk! You are so annoying; I cannot fathom living such a vain life…" The Duchess turned away from her rival.

"Hmph! You couldn't hope to understand greatness, even if it smacked you right across your repugnant visage." The petty princess answered back. "Still… I suppose commanding the boy to construct me a fitting pair for my golds and gems shall be a fruitful endeavor. I simply cannot wait for my repertoire to increase!" Priscilla smiled greedily, imagining a pair of glasses bathed in crimson and gold.

"*Sigh* How disappointing…" Karsten whispered as she overheard the woman's almost childish excitement. "…We should report back, anyhow. Karen-dono, please contact Subaru-dono."

"Immediately." The A.I. answered.

"Hm?" Back in the village, Subaru raised his wrist to shoulder level, the image of a victorious Crusch greeting him warmly. "Oh! Hey!"

"Greetings, Crusch-sama."

"Subaru-dono, Anastasia and… Juli." The green-haired woman smirked. "I assume it pointless to state, figuring from my demeanor, but… We've triumphed over Sloth."

"Hehe! Yeah, I was sure you would!" The young man nodded energetically.

*CLAP*

"Mission accomplished, then!" The Mauve merchant celebrated with a clap of her hands. "See now? We were fated for victory with me around ta' increase productivity!"

"Hm? What might you be talking about?" The Duchess inquired with a perplexed tone at the merchant's insinuation.

"Well, there WAS a worrywart here getting on my nerves about your situation!" The hero claimed.

"…" Julius simply glared at the smug boy from the sidelines.

"Hm? Was it one of the mercenaries?" The clueless noblewoman wondered. "Regardless of some soldier's doubts, your Metias proved quite useful in discerning the Archbishop's power. I'll be expecting for a full report on your end as we return to the Capital, but on the meantime… Well, this expedition has been a success. Congratulations, Subaru-dono."

"Wait! We are not returning right away! No sir!" Anastasia protested, butting her way in between Subaru and his wrist. "I see what ya' are pullin' here Karsten! I'm not returnin' until I visit that shack!"

"*Sigh*" The Duchess exhaled with disappointment. "A pity; I would have hoped you'd be too tired to insist still on your greedy dealings…"

"Uhm… A shack?" Subaru questioned with incredulity. "Are you- Are you talking about the makeshift workshop?"

"Of course! It's the sole reason I would agree comin' here in the thick of battle!"

"Well, I'm sure we can arrange something in the meantime- Er! More like, all of my stuff is in Emilia-tan's home, isn't it?! Thinking it over, won't we need her permission for you to-?"

"Are you tryin' ta' exclude me? After basically every other candidate has seen it already?" Anastasia's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the boy. "Havin' second thoughts on little me ridin' along?"

"Hunh? No! It's just…" Subaru tried to deny the accusation. In truth, he was still wary of Anastasia taking a look at his technology. From what I could gather from her, she is the type of smart person that might figure technology out if exposed to it long enough; her interactions with the bracelets in comparison to the other candidates are already proof enough of her adaptability! I'm standing on the fence on whether it'd be risky or not to showoff tech to her as carelessly as I've already done. "L-Look! We have Emilia-tan and the others marching towards the Capital still! They are likely close or- or at least midway through already! Surely it'd be rude to keep them waiting, right?!"

"They can wait, for all I care."

"HUH?!"

"I'm going to the mansion and that's final. Take it as… me invitin' myself over ta' the Margrave's manor in alliance business, see?" The girl declared in a matter-of-fact voice, her accent fluctuating in order to indicate her seriousness.

"…huh…" Subaru nodded tiredly. "Well… At least contact Emilia-tan beforehand, won't you?"

"Of course I will! I may be bold, but not crass!" The smiling merchant girl turned to look at her wrist. "You heard it Karsten! Have the maid prepare me an' my mercs some rooms to stay the night as I contact the elf-girl!"

"…You really just push everyone around, huh?" An equally exhausted Crusch rubbed her eyes. "And here I thought Barielle would be the only headache…" With those words, the transmission between the village and the Mansion ended.

"Now then, you two go outside and clean this mess before the rest of the Fang arrives. And Juli?"

"Yes, My Lady." The knight brought a hand to his heart.

"Go fetch us a carriage." With her last order, the girl sat down on a chair while making attempting to contact Emilia's web-shooters. The pair of Subaru and Julius then exited the house, the boy still grumbling about the Mauve girl's stubbornness.

"Ngh…" He muttered in frustration. "I knew she was clever, but I get the feeling this is just the first of many instances…"

"In which Anastasia-sama will get the best of you?" Julius smirked in amusement.

"…" Subaru gave a petty glare at the knight. "Is this the usual for you? Does she just get away with bossing you around?"

"Well, it's what comes with being her knight."

"And you just agree?"

"I do protest when I feel the need, as you have seen." Julius reminded Subaru of their little spat over having Anastasia stay in the village during the battle. "But for the most part, I trust her judgement; enough to place my life on the line."

"Ghhhgh!" The Avenger's face scrunched up in frustration at the prospect of the pretty boy beside him having a better idea of loyalty than he did. After all, he was rather rash himself; what with disobeying Tony's order to stay on Earth just so he could board the Space Donut.

"Are you that annoyed? That you'll essentially be subservient to the candidates from now on?" Julius kept mocking. In truth, he was having the time of his life teasing a frustrated Subaru. "It is the duty of a man with the rank of knight, after all. Surely you realized this when you agreed to form part of the alliance, right? Or even as far back as when you were Emilia-sama's bodyguard? Were you really that clueless as to the ramifications of-?" He kept saying while approaching one of the intact carriages, walking side by side with the hero.

"Argh! Fine! Whatever! The Alliance was for sharing technology anyhow! So what if she pokes around my stuff?! Doesn't mean she'll suddenly know how to make it, right?! And she still needs my permission for shit to work!" The young man went around yelling his annoyance into the skies above, trying to dissipate his mind of troubling ideas of his relationship to the other candidates in the future being just as nerve-wracking. "Yeah! I'm still the brains here! So I don't-!" Before he could keep complaining, Subaru's senses flared up in alarm. "Ju-Julius!" He yelled while pacing around, not understanding what exactly he was expecting to happen.

"…What is it now? Please, just remember to use the pseudonym for-"

"Drop it you idiot! Something is- GHK!" As he kept complaining, however, the boy felt a sharp pain on his gut. So confusing it was that he almost buckled over as a flow of bile expelled from his mouth and into the ground before him.

*BARF*

"*COUGH-COUGH* Blargh… *Pant, Pant*" Subaru grabbed onto Julius for momentary support.

"Subaru?!" The knight turned to the boy in a panic, the sudden state of his companion alarming him. "Hey, what's going on?! Are you injured?!"

Sloth…ful…

"I-I… RGHHH!" The young man grunted once more, a splitting headache breaking his mind apart. "Ju-Julius! Something is not- GARGH!"

"Something is happening!" Karen chimed in from Subaru's wrist, warning the knight.

"Karen-sama?! What is wrong with Subaru?!" The knight inquired while holding onto the boy.

"His brainwaves and heart rate are all over the place! It's as if he was alternating between two different people!" As the A.I. informed Julius of the situation, Subaru managed push the knight away from him, proceeding immediately after to make a beeline for the forest while grabbing his head in pain.

"Between two people… Could it be?!" The knight recounted the boy's pale complexion as he saw him sink into the sea of trees. "Subaru, wait!" He ran after him at full speed.

"Hn?" As the pair disappeared, Medium managed to catch a glimpse of the knight's cape entering the woods. "Was that Julius?"

"What's wrong?" Her brother inquired while reloading the cargo of weapons into his carriage. "Medium?"

"Nothing… Or at least I hope it's nothing…" She looked concerned while answering. "It's just… I think Subaru and Julius just ran into the forest…"

"Could it be there was a survivor? Apart from the ones captured, that is…" He turned to look at the roped cultists; they were being viciously glared and insulted by the knights and mercenaries guarding them at the moment.

"I hope it's just that. That Julius guy looked panicked…"

"SUBARU!" Back in the forest, the knight kept pursuing the young man. "Subaru, answer me!" He turned his head around frantically, looking for signs of his mean-eyed companion.

"GHGH!"

"Julius! Over here!" Karen called out.

"!" The grunt from deeper into a clearing, along with the intelligence's signal, alerted the knight to the Avenger's whereabouts. "Subaru, are you-?!" As he ran into the clearing, the figure of a kneeling and seemingly pained Subaru greeted him grimly.

"Stop! Just… Stop!" Subaru raised his left palm at the knight, his right hand grabbing his head in pain.

"What is wrong?! Can you not-?! Karen-sama!" The confused knight pleaded, not knowing what was happening or how to help.

"I'm sending a distress signal to the other communicators!" Karen advised. "Subaru is in pain! Something is not right with his mind!"

"His mind… So is it-!?" Julius took a step forward towards the young man, but it was futile.

"Don't come any closer Julius! I…" Before he could continue explaining himself, the trembling form of the boy stood still, facing away from the purple-haired man. "It's too late…"

"…Subaru?" Julius cautiously said, the sudden ominous silence of the forest around them making him instinctively reach for the sword at his hip. A trickle of sweat rolled down his forehead as his eyes narrowed at the boy… no, the creature in front of him.

"…Wrong…" In a creepy voice, the body of Subaru answered whilst slowly getting back up and turning around. "Within the Witch's Cult, I am revered as the Sin Archbishop representing Sloth…"

"!" Julius drew his blade anxiously, his hand trembling.

"Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti… DESU!" Subaru head turned in a 90° degree angle, a degenerated expression replacing his usually annoying smirk.

"You bastard!" Julius scowled at the man before him, pointing his blade at him.

"Ah… This body! This body is truly! TRULY the best one! This strength!"

*CRASH*

"!" Julius looked in alarm as the lunatic decimated a tree behind him with one punch.

"This speed!"

*SHWOOM*

"Khg!" The knight barely managed to avoid Subaru's kick; the possessed body had dashed towards him before his eyes could see it properly.

"This body is the best! Her greatest gift! Her mercy in my time of greatest peril! Her blessing in the guise of my failure!" Petelgeuse celebrated. "The reward to my diligence! The perfect body! Her present! Her gift! Her charity! Her offering! Her award! Her boon! Her favor! Her benefaction! Her trophy! Her prize! Her kindness!" The man dropped to his knees, pointing his open palms to the clouds as he professed his devotion, not even breathing during his rant. "HER LOVE!"

"You madman!" Julius rushed him, pinning the lunatic to a tree with his sword poised to the boy's throat. "You leave that body! RIGHT NOW!"

"Or what?" The Spirit smiled. "You shall kill me? You'd kill your companion?" He moved a step forward, the blade grazing the neck and dealing a surface-level cut. "If you really were prepared to do so, that movement right now would have cut straight through…"

"Tsk!" Julius leapt backwards, building some distance between the two.

"You cannot kill me; your conviction falters! Truly, you are… slothful~! Hihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihi!" He laughed maniacally while raising Subaru's hands in the air once more. "You lack the will to do what you must! To kill me even if it means victory!"

"Damn it Subaru, fight it!" Julius pleaded, refusing to accept Petelgeuse's option. "I know you are there! Someone as annoying as you does not get to die like this! Please!"

"It's fruitless!" The Archbishop mocked. "This body is already mine! It is completely under my sub-conscious control! There is nothing the boy can do to reclaim it, so… why… don't… you… SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"!" The knight's eyes glimmered with hope, as the voice coming from the body was not the distorted version that Sloth had manufactured. Rather… it was the obnoxious yet endearing voice of the arrogant idiot; the one he had butted heads with just minutes ago. "Subaru!"

"Wh-What?!" Half of Subaru's face twisted in a disgusting and exaggerated expression of shock and disbelief. "This cannot be! How are you-?!"

"Fuck off you asshole!" The other half of the face protested with an irritated tone and a furious scowl. "This ain't your body, it's mine!"

"No! It's the reward to my diligence! The road to the ritual that-!"

"Shut up! It's my body, you hear me?! It doesn't belong to your swamp-smelling ass!"

"You can fight it Subaru! Come on!" Julius cheered from the sidelines.

"Julius!" Subaru called out to the knight. "If this one doesn't work, then you kill me! Got it?!"

"What?! Subaru, are you insane?! I can't-!"

"JUST… DO IT!" Subaru exclaimed with a pained scowl.

"What are you planning, you impertinent fool?!" The estranged Petelgeuse wondered in confusion.

"Run Julius!" The boy warned. "I'm about to… go all-out!" Subaru's body began shining with sparks flying about.

"This is-!" Julius realized what was about to happen. Subaru was filling his body with electricity, hoping it would expel the Spirit out of him somehow. However, such an extraordinary amount could be harmful for Subaru as well. "It better work!" The knight yelled before taking cover from the radiant shine behind a tree.

"What are you-?!" Petelgeuse protested as Subaru's bioelectricity reached an unstable peak, covering himself in a pillar of energy and light.

"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!" Giving out a primal scream from the bottom of his lungs, Subaru's body was enveloped by the subsequent lightning.

*CRACK-CRACK-CRACK*

*CRACK-BOOM!*

Meanwhile…

As Subaru and Julius struggled within the forest, Anastasia toiled away with calling Emilia, both of them clueless to the direness of the situation. "Took ya' awhile ta' answer!" The merchant princess protested from inside the Mayor's house. "I didn't take that long in figuring this stuff out, ya' know?"

"I'm-I'm sorry…" Emilia apologized as she finally managed to answer Anastasia's call. "To tell the true, I failed to remember how these bracelets work…"

"And yours are supposedly more advanced than mine…" The merchant rolled her eyes. "I'm deviatin' from what I want ta' say though; I'm not here ta' reproach ya'."

"Then again, you are not here at all!" The voice of Puck resounded while as the Spirit manifested itself besides Emilia. "You come off as awfully rude to Lia though; as her father figure, I'd appreciate it if you could keep your comments concise."

"Don't interrupt such a important conversation Puck!" Emilia grabbed the floating kitten, apprehension on her own stare for the interruption.

"GEH- LIA?!" The trapped grey cat protested. "What are you- GYAHH?!"

"EY!" She tossed the cat to the children in the carriage, kids that very enthusiastically swarmed the Spiritual being.

"Kitty!"

"Cat-Cat!"

"EHH!" The little ones rejoiced as a very uncomfortable Puck squirmed in their hands.

"LIA?! Can you please-?!"

"Just stay there for the moment, Puck… This is Selection matters and I'd rather not be interrupted."

"But I- I mean… F-Fine…" He dejectedly resigned to his fate as a toy, at least for the time being.

"So little miss 'head-in-the-clouds' finally grew a backbone, eh?" Anastasia answered as the interaction ended. "I half-expected ya' to let the Spirit do all the talking, with how reserved ya' are."

"…I'd appreciate it if you didn't mock me either, Hoshin…" Emilia answered sternly.

"Formalities still? Just call me Anastasia."

"…What is the purpose of this call, anyways? Was…" Emilia's fist clenched as the temperature around her dropped slightly. "Is something wrong? Was everything…"

"Everything went perfect, don't worry about it." Anastasia was quick to reassure. "The cult was defeated; Karsten and Barielle kicked the Archbishop's green butt thanks ta' Natsuki-kun's Metias."

"Eh?" The half-elf processed the information carefully. "So… He is dead, then?"

"The Sloth guy? Yeah, from the sound of it."

"…I-I see…" For some reason, the worry would just not cease to exist. "So he died…" Before she realized it, a few tears rolled down Emilia's cheeks.

"…Are you crying?!" The merchant called out with confusion, dropping her accent momentarily. "Are you- Are you seriously crying over the Archbishop?!"

"What?!" Emilia realized what she was doing with a mix of shock and surprise. "N-No! I'm not crying! Not for an Archbishop! I'm not!" She quickly dried her tears, denying giving out a bad impression to her rival.

"…Uh-huh…" Anastasia nodded hesitantly, not really believing her. "I guess ya' are just a softy then… I mean, that would explain why he agreed ta' work with ya' in the first place."

"Huh?"

"I meant to say, I can see why ya' first hired him… Ya' are lamentin' some scumbag's death and he is willing to spare a few cultists… Ya' really are a pair of softies at the end of it all."

"Spare some cultists…? Ah! You mean, as prisoners?" Emilia reasoned.

"That's the gist of it, from what I understand."

"I-I'm glad the conflict has been resolved, anyhow…" Emilia nodded with relief. "I'm… thankful, Anastasia. To you, and everyone, for lending your help…" The half-elf pushed her feelings on the matter to the back of her head, attempting to maintain her composure. "I'm not certain I would have been able to protect everyone had I been by my lonesome."

"Well, if yer' thankful an' all… Would you mind doing ME a lil' itsy-bitsy bit of a favor?" The Mauve girl snaked her way towards her request.

"If it's within my power; I feel it is the least I'd owe you for saving the village."

"Great! Then… I wish to inspect Natsuki-kun's technology, and for that, I have to remain here for the night. Ah! Don't worry about his permission, he'll be here and explain-" Before she could even finish her plan, Karen's voice interrupted their conversation.

"EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY. THIS IS A DISTRESS SIGNAL." The A.I. voiced in a loop.

"What the-?!" The perplexed pair of candidates looked at their respective holographic screens with confusion. "What is this?! Emergency?!"

"K-Karen! What is going on?!" Emilia urged with panic. "Is something wrong?!"

"Hoshin! Emilia-dono!" Crusch and Priscilla's faces appeared on screen. "Are you hearing this as well?!"

"Crusch!" The half-elf called to the Duchess. "What is happening?! What is this about an emergency?! Was the Archbishop not defeated?!"

"He is as dead as the Whale, elf-girl!" Priscilla yelled with annoyance. "Or do you doubt mine skill with the blade so?!"

"She's right, Emilia-dono." Crusch reassured. "The two of us, Barielle and I; we vanquished the Archbishop together. His corpse lies right here, at my feet." She projected the image of the disgusting man, slumped on the ground on a pool of his own lifeblood.

"…" Emilia's face instinctively turned sorrowful but she was quick to suppress her emotions.

"Then what in the blazes is all this emergency business bout'?!" Anastasia complained once again.

"Subaru and Julius are in the forest! The Archbishop is attempting to possess Subaru!" Karen finally warned.

"WHAT?!" All four candidates yelled in a mix of confusion, panic and fear.

*CRACK-BOOM!*

"!" The background in Anastasia's image suddenly lit up, the sound of a thunder following right after. "Dammit! What now?!"

"Was that lightning?!" The panicked Emilia asked in a panicked voice, her urgency was palpable enough for the children riding with her to drop their charade with Puck and gaze intently at the projection.

"Onee-chan?" One of the youngest kids grabbed onto Emilia's dress, prompting her to turn around. "Is something wrong?"

"U-Umm…" Emilia didn't know how to answer, the worried faces of the children alarming her.

"E-Everything is going to be fine!" Puck, ever wishing to be a source of strength for his daughter figure, managed to reassure the children. "Did you forget who is back at the village? Fighting the cult?" He hated the fact that he had to rely on the rude boy's image, but if it helped his daughter, then so be it.

"Subaru!" Petra exclaimed with excitement. "If Subaru is there, then everything is going to turn out okay in the end!"

"Yeah!" The boys of the group rallied behind her, cheering for their hero.

"…" Emilia didn't know what to say; after all, there wasn't anything she could hope to do from her position.

"We managed to see the lightning from over here…" Crusch stated. "Chances are we won't make it in time, Barielle and I…"

"Dammit!" Anastasia growled in frustration. "Hey you! Go check with some mercenaries to the forest! Right now!" The angry merchant barked an order to the O'Connell girl.

"Uh-Uh, Yeah! Of course!" Medium hastily answered, the sudden order breaking her and the soldiers out of their stupor. "Let's go you lot!"

"Y-Yeah!" Half of the village's soldiers answered while following the blonde-haired woman into the forest.

"Subaru…" Emilia whispered with worry.

"Stay connected, you three." Priscilla advised with some apprehension. "We don't know whether the pair is alive or not, or if the Archbishop managed to get his way… In case he did, we'll need every bit of information, and communication will be key." The Baroness' wise words didn't go unnoticed, as the three reluctantly braced themselves for the worst possible outcome. "Karsten? With me! We are riding back to the village!" The redhead stated while mounting her Earth Dragon.

"Way ahead of you!" Crusch said as she mounted her steed as well. "Emilia-dono! Keep watching! If we somehow fail, the Archbishop will come after you!"

"I understand, so please… Help Subaru!" The half-elf steeled herself while making her request.

…

Darkness.

…

Just an endless expanse.

…

"!" Petelgeuse suddenly woke up. "What?!" The perplexed madman asked himself. The moment he regained consciousness, he found himself submerged in an infinite darkness. Anywhere the Spirit looked, there was nothing but shadows. A darkness so thick he couldn't even see his own hands.

…

"What is that?!" Although he couldn't notice it before, Sloth finally managed to grasp someone's form within the darkness. A form he had dreamt off many times… A form for which he had committed nearly all atrocities known to man… A form the rest of the world repudiated… The Witch of Envy, Satella herself, stood before Petelgeuse.

"…"

"…AAAAH~!" The Archbishop's face contorted into a manic smile, his form trembling as his eyes brightened up, tears of joy pouring out like waterfalls. "AT LAST~!"

"…" The Witch stood silent, staring ominously at her admirer.

"FINALLY!" He celebrated, euphoric to meet her. "YOU HAVE FINALLY COME TO ME! TO GRANT ME YOUR LOVE! YOUR GENEROUS, MERCIFUL, SAVING LOVE!" He claimed while taking a step forward.

"…No." The half-elf said.

"…Huh?" Petelgeuse perked up at her word, thinking he heard her wrong.

"No…" She repeated. "You are not him." She stated mercilessly before dissipating into thin air.

"Wh-What?!" The Archbishop took a step back, a face full of shock and denial painting his green semblance chalk-white. "Wh-Wh-WH-What is the meaning of this?!" He asked to the eternal darkness, receiving no answer. Or at least he thought he didn't…

*CREAK*

"Huh?!" Hearing the sound of something sneaking about, Petelgeuse looked around himself, into the void…

*CREAK-CREAK*

"What is it, damn it?!" He saw nothing. There was nothing around yet something was making a sound…

*CREAK-CREAK-CREAK*

"SHOW YOURSELF!" The wrathful lunatic screamed in exasperation.

*CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK-CREAK*

The sound filled the void around him until suddenly…

*CRACK!*

"!" Petelgeuse turned around, seeing in front of him… an arthropod leg breaking through the air as if it was glass. "Wh-?!" Before he could even question the sight before him, another leg appeared.

*CRACK!*

And then another.

*CRACK!*

In succession, eight legs appeared in total, all disrupting the darkness as though it was broken pieces of a mirror or a window's glass. Then, as the cracks grew wider and connected with each other, a blinding light broke through the gaps and gave birth to a monstrous silhouette right in front of the Archbishop.

"Ah…Ah…" Petelgeuse was left speechless by the sight. Before him stood… A gargantuan spider. An arachnid so big it could swallow a man whole in an instant. "WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"CREUAAAAAAAAAAAAKH!" The spider yelled in retaliation as it sped towards the Spirit. In an instant, it toppled him over and managed to ensnare the Archbishop between its many legs.

*CRUNCH!*

"GGGGGGGGRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Petelgeuse screamed in panic and pain as the monster bit down on him, eating away at his very soul.

"UGHAGH!" Just as the Archbishop screamed into the void, Subaru woke up. "Ghgh!" He managed to stutter in pain from his place on the ground. He had released such a blast of power; he was surprised he didn't lit himself on fire… The surroundings, however, were not so lucky.

*FIZZLE-FIZZLE*

*FFFFFSSSSSSHHHHHHHH*

"Oh crap…" As he regained his bearings, the young man noticed how some trees were charcoal-black from the impact of lightning; so was the grass, which threatened to ignite if not disturbed. "Holy cow… did I do this? I mean, yeah, of course I did, but… wow…"

"Subaru!" As the boy contemplated the charred remains of the once green clearing, he turned to see a familiar looking knight treading through the smoke, running in his direction.

"Hey! Hey Julius!" The boy called over from his seat of burnt grass. "Hey man! That was a bit scary, wasn't- HUH?!"

*SHWING!*

Julius lifted his blade, pointing it at Subaru's face with a hesitant and nervous expression. "…"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" The young hero protested with surprise.

"…Are you really Subaru?" Juukulius narrowed his eyes at the black-haired boy.

"OF COURSE I'M ME, YOU ASS!"

"…Prove it."

"…'Hey! I'm Subaru Natsuki! The most irritable and insufferable ugly boy you've ever met!' Is that enough?! Cause' I know that's what you think of me!" With a sarcastic act that mocked his interrogator, Subaru hoped the man would be annoyed enough to realize it really was him.

"…Karen-sama?"

"His heart-rate and brainwaves are stable, knight." The A.I. responded with an indifferent voice.

"*Sigh*" Julius visibly relaxed, sheathing his blade back onto its scabbard. "You had me worried for a second."

"Oi! How come you believed her right away?!"

"I simply believed that the Archbishop would be ridiculous enough to mock me still, even with a blade to his face. Needless to say, it's a blunder that I didn't expect you'd be the same."

"YOU-!" Subaru bit his lip in frustration. "UUUUUUUUUUUGH! And here I was thinking about being nicer to you after this whole fiasco!"

"I think it suits us best that you won't be; this dynamic of wanting to get under the other's skin seems much healthier than… whatever could come from being your friend." The knight reasoned, still displaying a shit-eating grin.

"Damn right! Who'd wanna be YOUR friend anyway?!" Subaru turned his head, facing away from Julius with an annoyed expression. "HMPH!"

"Nevertheless…" Julius looked around the clearing while tending his hand to the young man on the ground. "What did you do, exactly? I understand it must have been that wind magic you are always-"

"Wind magic?" Subaru tilted his head, grabbing the knight's hand for support whilst getting up.

"You know; the lightning you shoot. That is a byproduct of combining wind magic with-" The purple-haired man wondered as the pair had begun exiting the clearing.

"No, no. The lightning was not magic; if it was, the Whale would have absorbed it during the fight." The boy hurriedly explained, looking to cut the misunderstanding short.

"Hmm? So is it a Divine Protection of some sort?"

"Not really, I'm just kind of… able to do it? I don't understand the specifics yet, but I know for sure it is no Divine Protection; Reinhard said a while back that my powers are unlike anything he could wish for."

"Huh… That's interesting…"

"To say the least!" The boy boasted disgracefully. "Now do you understand how awesome I am?"

"I understand that your powers are. The user, on the other hand…" The knight gave a tired look to the Avenger. "…Let's just say, he leaves much to be desired."

"Tsk! You know what?! Shove it!" Subaru stormed off from the knight's side, quickening his pace.

"Subaru?!" As the pair drew some distance, a familiar bell-like voice called to the boy from his wrist.

"Uh-What?" Subaru turned to his arm, seeing in the screen's projection the image of Emilia, surrounded by Arlam's children. "Emilia-tan! And- hey people!"

"SUBARU!" The kids cheered the moment they saw their hero.

"Ehehe… I'm glad to see you guys too." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, not noticing how Julius was peeking over his shoulder.

"Would you mind explaining what exactly just happened?" In a stern tone, Emilia interrupted the greetings. "You do understand everyone got worried after you sent that signal, right?"

"Well…"

The stubborn young men relaxed and trotted through the trees back to the village while explaining their story to the worried half-elf, unaware of the activity currently occurring within the Mansion…

"…"

"*Sigh* Barely even a word and they left… Must have been SOME emergency…" Al suspired into the air with annoyance. "Worst of all, they left ME in charge. What am I supposed to do with Princess absent, huh?"

"And here I thought you had left as well, Onee-sa~n." Within the interior of the building, bustling with knights coming and going, Meilli stood just outside one of the offices, gazing intensely at Rem, Al and the Iron Spider while holding a plushy of Subaru in her arms.

"Meilli…" The oni noticed the presence of the little girl. "How did you get out of your cell?" Along with some of the knights, Rem had resolved to clean some of the mess within the Mansion grounds, including the office used to organize the counter-offensive; many weapons and armor surplus had been left lying around.

"Cell?" Aldebaran questioned with a bit of shock. "You lot had a little girl imprisoned?!"

"Don't let looks deceive you; Meilli is an assassin. She was sent here by an unknown third-party to kill Emilia-sama."

"Huh?! That pipsqueak is-?!"

"I can confirm this." Karen said while projecting a recording of the events of the mabeast invasion months prior to Al. "She has a Divine Protection that allows the control of mabeasts and she used it in her foiled plan. Subaru captured her afterwards."

"So that's where the rumor of him beating an army of mabeasts came…"

"Yeah, yeah, we've been over this, you know~?" The braided girl retorted to the knight's shock. "Pink Onee-san left the door open when she left; something about me getting caught in the crossfire if I ran away or something, so it was futile to have me locked up."

"I'm sure you are simply distorting Nee-sama's words; she wouldn't be so careless as to set you free without a reason, or informing me about it."

"You overestimate her, I say~." Meilli mocked, making Rem frown. "So the whole Sloth and Witch Cult thing… Is it over? Was Onii-san behind this?"

"Subaru-kun made this entire defense possible, yes." Rem nodded with satisfaction.

"Hmm~." The little girl hummed in response. "And where is he anyways? And those candidates too~?"

"…That's…"

"Do you really have to tell her?" Al interrupted the maid. "She's an assassin, isn't she? Shouldn't you go lock her up now that the coast is clear and all?"

"…You are right, Al-san. I fear Rem still has much to learn if she can allow a little girl get the best of her." The oni agreed with a stern tone. "Come Meilli. The danger has passed, so you best return to your cell."

"Sheesh, no trust for anyone these days~."

"Like an assassin is one to say that."

"Just behave and Rem promises she will-!" As the oni reassured the little assassin, her nose scrunched up at the sudden smell plaguing it. "WHAT?!" She yelled while jumping out of the office's window and back into the garden.

"Oi, oi! What gives?!" The perplexed Aldebaran wondered to no avail.

"…So… Does this mean I'm free to go?"

"Not a chance in hell kiddo. Whatevs' happening, my guess is it's better if you remain with me. After that lightning from earlier, who knows WHAT is going on anymore…"

"Hah, hah!" Rem panted as she approached her target within the uneven terrain.

"Rem-dono?" One of the knights called to the unresponsive maid as she ran past them.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, Rem-dono just dashed through…"

"She can smell cultists, right?"

"A survivor, perhaps?"

"She might need help…"

One by one, the knights joined in the maid's pursuit, until suddenly… The girl stopped right before the Archbishop's corpse. A pair of knights was guarding the body as Rem stood in front of them, a squadron to her back.

"…Khg…" Rem muttered, gripping her morning star.

"Rem-dono? Is something wrong?"

"The Archbishop is dead, right?"

"I don't think he poses any more danger-"

"No!" As she yelled this, the corpse unnaturally raised from the ground behind them, floating into the air.

"What the hell?!"

"Oh shit-!"

"You two…!" In the heat of the moment, Rem hesitated on what she should do. Knowing the Archbishop's powers, the possibilities within the short time frame were clear: If she moves in to kill him with her mace, Sloth will kill the knights that were standing over his corpse. And so, she opted for what Subaru would do… "MOVE!"

*PUSH*

*WHOOOSH*

*CRACK*

"GAGH!" In the heat of the moment, Rem pushed the knights on Sloth's path away from the danger. However, Petelgeuse managed to catch her and twist her limbs within his grasp.

"REM-DONO!" The knights yelled as they moved in to attack the floating monster and save their benefactor.

"…Her…LOVE!" Petelgeuse yelled in a moribund form before leaping into the woods, ignoring his pursuers and leaving them behind.

"Dammit!" The knights protested with frustration.

"What the hell was that?!" Aldebaran, Meilli and Karen ran out of the Mansion, the helmeted man inquiring his companions about the status of the situation. "Was that Sloth?! Wasn't he dead?!"

"He was supposed to be! But… Rem-dono…" The knights made way for Al's group, showing the battered body of the oni slumped on the ground, her arms and legs twisted in all directions.

"Holy fuck…" Was all Aldebaran could whisper.

"Blue Onee-san?!" Melli called in shock as well. "Ar-Are you okay?! I mean, clearly not, but- but are you alive?!" She kneeled beside her captor with worry, which surprised even her.

"Ghghk!" Rem managed to mutter as she activated her horn. "D-Don't worry… I'm an oni… This will heal in no… GAKH!"

"Don't try to get up, you idiot!" Al reproached her. "You lot! Bring me a stretcher or something! We need her to lay down!"

"Y-Yes!" The men immediately ran for the carriages, scrambling for first-aid supplies.

"…Ugh…" The man brought a hand to his helm, clearly in distress. "I suppose I'm lucky princess wasn't around to see this… Knowing her, I'd lose my remaining arm over letting someone get injured when she left me in charge…"

"We must… Khg! We must inform Subaru-kun and the others-!"

"You lay back down, you hear me?!" Al ordered to the oni. "Chances are that thing is suicidal enough to go to the village in search of the candidates."

"Rem-dono!" The knights arrived with a stretcher, tons of bandages and salves as well as casts for the maid's broken limbs.

"I've already sent the signal, you lot." The Iron Spider informed to the trio. "There is not much we can do anymore. Rem, just rest."

"Karen-sama…" The oni whispered with regret while being lifted into the stretcher, the knights and Meilli tending to her wounds with urgency.

"…Dammit, bro… You better pull through against that thing…"

Right before this disaster though…

As the pair of Subaru and Julius exited the woods, they came face to face with Medium's group. "Huh?!" The girl exclaimed as she and her soldiers looked on with surprise at the two young men before them. "Subaru! Julius!"

"Heya." Subaru greeted. "What's up? Is this because of Karen's distress signal?"

"Wouldn't be the first people worrying over it…" Emilia reproached with a pout from his wrist.

"Uh…" Subaru looked away from the image.

"Distress signal? Was that what the pillar of light was just now?" One of the men asked, confusion arising amongst the group. "Wait… E-Emilia-sama?!"

"Hey, it's that Metia of yours!"

"So the lightning was…"

"N-No, that was…"

"We had some trouble with the Archbishop's Spiritual form attempting to possess Natsuki here." Julius disclosed with a stern voice. Before either Medium or the soldiers could freak out though, he managed to complete his explanation. "Alas, the Archbishop failed and he was forcefully expelled from Subaru's body."

"Expelled? So what does that mean, that he is still around or something?" Medium wondered with doubt.

"Not probable." Julius kept explaining. "If he was a Spirit that required a physical body to inhabit, he has most likely lost his last lifeline the moment he failed to takeover Subaru's body."

"Huh… So we really are in the clear?" The soldiers exhaled with relief.

"…As it seems, Sloth shouldn't be a threat anymore if he has no body." Puck informed from the bracelet. "Take it from a Great Spirit, if you are doubtful."

"Phew…" Medium relaxed as well. "We better return to the village then! That Anastasia lady seemed real worried!"

"March hastily, I advise. Don't say I told, but Anastasia-sama isn't exactly lenient when she's worried and made to wait…"

"Oh! You just ratted on your boss!" Subaru was quick to point out. "You wanted to sound all elegant now, but you let it slip! So Ana can be one of those 'so-worried-I-get-mad' kind of people, eh?"

"She's not- I mean, I'd appreciate it if you could not push such a distorted view on a candidate."

"Don't attempt to backtrack now, Julius-kun. Ah! I meant... Juli-ku~n." As the group saw Arlam, the voice of a certain merchant princess resounded just beyond the trees. "So I am a tinge aggressive when worried, hm~?"

"Anastasia-sama?!" Julius turned to look at his liege with embarrassment as the group exited the woods.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure ta' be the laid-back boss ya' want me ta' be in the future. After all, ya' don't like worrisome leaders…" She fake cried while turning away from the knight, igniting a chain of laughter from everyone in the group except for the suffering Julius.

"Th-That is not what I meant! I simply thought that-!"

"HEY!" From the entrance to the village, Mimi's voice boisterously called for the candidate. "MY LADY! WE ARE BACK!"

"Keep it down, will you?!" Her brother, who was riding before her on the Liger, protested. "Think a little about me! Your yells are all on the level of MY ears!"

"Oh, shush it ya' wuss!" Ricardo exclaimed from beside him while riding his own steed. "Gahahahahahaha!"

"Welp, Ricardo and his group are back." Subaru stated the obvious while approaching the incoming mercenaries.

"MGHGGHGHGGGH!" From behind the Wolf-man, the green-dressed Otto complained with a gag on his mouth.

"KUAAAA!" Frufroo followed loyally as well, carrying the tied up merchant on her back.

The Iron Fang finally stood still, parking all their carriages and steeds by the side of the Mayor's house. As the two groups came together, Subaru proceeded to untie the saddened and tired Otto from his restraints. "MGHAH!" The merchant boy muttered as the hero remove the cloth and rope from his mouth. "Th-Thank… You?!" He exclaimed as he recognized his savior.

"Well then… And here I thought you'd stay out of trouble! How the hell do you even get tangled up in this kind of situations man?"

"Ugh… And now, I owe you all over again…"

"I said it back then, I say it again; you owe me nothing Otto. Just doing my part."

"Oof!" Otto dismounted Frufroo from his slumped position atop her. "...So I take it… you organized all of this?" The merchant shook his pained wrists while pointing at the amalgamation of soldiers, mercenaries and knights running around the village.

"Pretty much, yeah." Subaru nodded. "I mean, the candidates did most of the technical stuff, I just happened to be there to tell them of the cult and the White Whale appearing-"

"Wait, wait, wait! The White Whale?! You mean-!"

"We exterminated it? Yeah! It's as dead as Disco!"

"I don't know who this Disco guy is but I sure hope he's a skeleton!" Otto cried with emotion, the absurdity of Subaru's statement causing a baffling expression. "Wait a second… Candidates?" He turned to look at Anastasia, who was talking with Julius now. "As in- As in Royal Candidates?!"

"Is your brain okay? You are taking awful long-time processing things."

"Sheesh, he's probably confused Subaru!" The kind half-elf said from the boy's right arm.

"A disembodied voice?!"

"She's not disembodied, just not here!" Projecting the image on his face, Otto almost fell-over as Emilia's face appeared in front of him.

"HIII~!"

"You worrywart! Can't you stop screaming?!" The hero reproached.

"Natsuki-sama, you can't just show this… Whatever this is without expecting me to not act surprised!" The merchant begged with confusion.

"Um, I know this all reaaaaaally strange for you, but I promise you are in good hands!" The half-elf reassured. "You were the man captured by the cult, right? I'm Emilia, candidate to the throne of Lugunica. I assure you, it is all going to be fine; the knights, the other candidates and Subaru have all taken the necessary precautions to defeat the cult, so please, trust in us."

"Oh… Well, that is comforting, I guess…" Otto gave the silver girl in the screen a tired smile.

"…" Subaru smiled, noticing how comfortable Emilia was explaining the situation. In the course of the past few days, she must have really taken to heart what I said… Maybe she's a bit more self-assured right now? God knows I ought to be like that as well… "Well, look at you! Quick to calm the nervous wreck here, I see!" Subaru teased.

"Geez, can't you be serious Subaru? The poor kid looked really frightened!"

"Um- I'm actually not a child-" Otto retorted awkwardly.

"Well, you sure yell like one!" Petra was quick to tease from her seat beside Emilia.

"Ahahahahaha!" The children laughed aloud, much to the merchant's dismay.

"Ugh… this is really not my day…" The man slouched over with some tears on his eyes.

"Ah-ah~, the important thing is you are safe now, dude!" He patted the back of the gray-hair mop.

"Don't console me as if I were a kid either!"

"Subaru-dono!" As Subaru reassured Otto, another set of people marched into Arlam, this time from the direction of the Mansion.

"Crusch!" Subaru waved at the green-haired woman. "And Priscilla too! Now I know for sure the two of you came because of the distress signal!"

"It seems unnecessary now, though…" The Vollachian princess stated with indifference "And here I thought you'd be a walking corpse by now. Hmph, be grateful that you get to keep your life after the blunder of getting possessed, you incompetent buffoon."

"Ouch…" The young man recoiled a bit at the red-haired woman's harsh treatment. "You do know I had no control on whether he possessed me or not, right?"

"Clearly you underestimated the enemy if you did not realize he could possess you from such a distance."

"Wouldn't it be more accurate to say we all underestimated the guy?"

"Are you, perchance, implying MINESELF made an oversight?" Priscilla's eyes narrowed as she descended her Dragon. "You must not be very attached to that head of yours, I presume."

"…Please don't behead me." Subaru took a step back instinctually. "Contrary to what you might think, I enjoy being alive and having a neck."

"Hah! See how easily my grandeur makes someone as low as you squirm?"

"Why can't you at least be nice about it?!" Emilia protested as Priscilla laughed. "Subaru was in very real danger!"

"Brought upon by himself, mind you. You sure are inattentive, half-elf."

"It was a collective failure, you-!" The frustrated silver girl racked her brains for a comeback to no avail. "You nincompoop!"

"…" Crusch, Priscilla and the children all stood silent at the old-fashioned insult, looking at the elven girl incredulously.

"…Emilia-tan? I don't think anyone says nincompoop anymore…" Subaru suggested with a monotonous voice.

"…Brushing all of Barielle's and Emilia's comments aside, I am glad you are safe, Subaru-dono." Crusch shook Subaru's hand with relief.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you are safe t-!" Before Subaru could let go of Crusch's hand, a petrifying jolt coursed through his spine as though a freezing blizzard it was. His Spider-senses activated; something was approaching them from the same direction Crusch and Priscilla had just returned from. "…You two…" He muttered as he took a step forward, positioning himself in-between the candidates and the presaged danger.

"Hm?" The Duchess perked up at his odd behavior. "What is it?"

"…Did you make sure nothing was following you?" Subaru inquired while masking his face.

"Subaru?" Emilia inquired with worry at his sudden change in demeanor.

"Follow us? What are you-?"

*BLAM!*

"!" The entire group turned to see in the direction of the woods to the side of the Mansion's road. "Return to formation!"

"What is…!" Priscilla was about to ask before she was interrupted by another loud sound coming from the forest.

*BLAM!*

"It's Sloth!" Karen called from the Baroness' wrist. "He's back!"

"What did you say?!" The panicking children yelled in terror from the screen.

*BLAM!*

"Tsk!" Crusch and the soldiers readied themselves for combat. "Never a dull moment, huh?" She scoffed while narrowing her eyes.

"Karen, do you have a visual?" Subaru prompted the intelligence to respond.

"…Negative." The program answered dejectedly. "The woods are too thick and dense; I can't get a proper look from the E.M.T. No. 1."

"That doesn't sound good…" Priscilla suggested while drawing her own weapon.

"You still have the visors, don't you?" The young hero urged to the two princesses.

"I'm adjusting them as we speak…" Crusch assured as she and Priscilla readied themselves.

*BLAM!*

"What was that?!" Otto asked with panic.

"Um- I think its best we leave this to the knights, don't you think?" Flop suggested to the nervous mess, prompting the gray-hair to follow him to the carriages set.

"Y-Yeah…"

*BLAM!*

*CR-CRACK…!*

A few trees fell down quite audibly in the distance.

"…Was there another group we weren't made aware of? That sounds like a bit too much to come from one person…" Medium suggested to Ricardo as the pair drew their blades.

"Probably…"

"Sorry Emilia-tan, it's best if I cut the projection short…"

"Subaru, wait! I-I need… Please, let me witness this!" The nervous elf asked with urgency.

"What? Why-?!"

*BLAM!*

"Please! I… I don't know why! But please…" Deep within her, even though she couldn't pinpoint her feelings towards the Archbishop accurately, she knew she wanted to witness the climax to the conflict one way or another. "Just until the end… Please…"

"J-Just leave it to me! I can project it from the side as you shield me, eh?!" The Mauve merchant recommended to the fighters.

"…Yeah, you do that…" Subaru dismissed, turning his projection off as Anastasia's turned on.

"Anastasia-sama, please…" Julius indicated to his liege to group up with the merchants near the carriages.

"Y-Yeah, ya' don't have ta' tell me twice…"

"Be careful!" Emilia warned through the screen in Anastasia's palm.

"You go! Subaru!" The boys beside her cheered for their hero.

*BLAM!*

*FWOOOOOOOOOM!*

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!" As a sizeable amount of trees were ripped from the ground and launched into the air, roots and all, Subaru and his group came face to face with the half-dead flying body of Petelgeuse.

"So he really didn't die?!"

"How durable is this bastard?!"

"How the hell is a guy this persistent Sloth?!"

"MGHGH- PWAHGH!" The captured cultists looked up to see their enraged leader with some relief, rekindling hope within them. "ARCHBISHOP-SAMA!" The men guarding them had returned to the bulk of the army, leaving their gags and carriage unattended.

"Prepare yourselves! He's heading this way!" Crusch warned, knowing well that the only ones that might be able to discern his power were Subaru, Priscilla and herself.

"That's so creepy!" Tivey said while pointing at the hovering beast approaching them.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" The children of Arlam shouted as they witnessed the image of the monster storming their village. To them, a flying living corpse covered in blood was invading their home. And not just them; that's the visual everyone else had… All except for Subaru.

"The hell?!" The young man had to rub his eyes shortly before his vision could clear, not believing his sight as Petelgeuse appeared to him as a monster; a blood-soaked head covered in a black mass of made up of giant shadowy hands. "Is that how his power really looks?!"

"YOU! YOU! YOU!" The scarred and bleeding Archbishop screamed like a banshee the moment he laid eyes on Subaru.

"Oh-oh, seems like I'm the ball here!" Subaru yelled while distancing himself from the group.

"Subaru, wait!" Crusch yelled as the Archbishop changed targets and locked-in on him, floating away from the army.

"SLOTHFUL! SLOTHFUL!"

*WHOOOSH*

"WOAH!" Subaru managed to yell as he dodged the hands raining on him with pirouettes and leaps.

*SHWOOM!*

*THWIP!*

*CRASH-AM!*

"GHGHK!" The Archbishop recoiled as a piece of rubble Subaru had webbed hit him over the head.

At every turn, the hero's senses warned him of where the arms would attack, as though they were foretelling the immediate future. Thus, he had managed to come up with the offensive of dodging and baiting the Archbishop into an opening every time he used his Authority. "Seriously! I'm debating on whether I should use the heat vision or not! I'm thinking I don't need it!"

"YOU!" Petelgeuse yelled once more at the boy, fed up with the acrobatics he was pulling off when dodging his every attack. "YOU ARE THE ONE! THE ONE WHO REEKS OF HER LOVE! WHY WOULD YOU AID THEM?! HOW DARE YOU DENY HER FAITH IN YOU?!"

"Hey, hey! I haven't denied anything! Well, maybe the knight's conduct… and a good pay as a knight… But apart from that, I've been candid about not rejecting anything! I think!"

"YOU LIE!"

*WHOOOSH*

"Like I said, you better come up with something better than that… Wait, I never DID say it, did I?!" Subaru mocked while dodging another set of arms flying at him, the phantom limbs destroying the trees behind him. "WHOAH!"

*CRASH!*

"Don't forget we are here as well!" Julius said while commanding a group of archers and spell casters. "On my signal!"

"Ready or not…" Mimi chuckled while preparing her own spell.

"FIRE!" Julius commanded, a wave of projectiles following the direction of his blade pointed at the Archbishop.

"AWAY!" With a movement of his hands, Petelgeuse waved the majority of the projectiles away, barely a few making it towards him.

*STAB*

*FSHWOOM*

*STAB*

*KA-BLAM*

"GHGH!" He protested with a grunt to the pain.

"Don't lose momentum! So long as his focus remains on Natsuki, we can finish him off!" Crusch ordered while preparing her wind blade.

"YOU… PESTS!" The enraged Petelgeuse turned his head towards them, his crazed eyes sinking into his skull as the sockets began bleeding out red tears.

"!" Priscilla took notice of what was happening, ordering the forces to hastily step back. "MOVE ASIDE!"

"GET BACK!" Subaru yelled as well, knowing that Petelgeuse was about to try something dangerous.

"Oh shit!" The soldiers caught onto what the candidate and the hero were sensing, choosing to obey them rather than risk keeping the assault.

"Look out! Look out!"

"RETREAT!"

"Archbishop-sama, wait! Wait!" The cultists by the carriages knew what the madman was about to do and they all trembled in fear. "We are still here! We are still-!"

"AL DONAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Petelgesue screamed as an explosion of earth magic devastated the surroundings, creating a cloud between the army and himself.

*BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!*

The cloud was not the only problem, however, as a wall of fire exploded between some carriages.

*KA-BOOM!*

The pyroxenes the Army had recovered from Ketty's carriage ignited the trees and houses, further increasing the explosion's power towards the forest.

"Woah!" The Avenger dove into the trees as debris and rubble flew in his direction. The sturdiest of trunks managed to shield him from the incoming wave of stone and fire, however…

"GAHGH!"

"KHGH!"

"UGHGH!"

"IIIIIIAAAAAGH!"

The sediment was merciless… The explosion consumed half of the village's plaza, destroying various houses as well as turning the cultists Subaru had captured into red stains on the ground, chunks of charred organs and limbs scattering around and raining upon the dilapidated terrain.

"…You…" Subaru, who had managed to dodge the attack, responded to the Archbishop's brutal destruction with indignation. "Were they not your men?! You would kill them… Just like that?!"

"YOU! YOU! YOU!" Petelgeuse incoherently rambled as he recovered from the spell's recoil. The moment he stood up, he charged against Subaru once more. "YOU! YOU ARE SLOTHFUL! IGNORANT TO HER LOVE! SLOTHFUL!"

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Subaru yelled in retaliation, rushing forward as well.

As the two clashed, Crusch took to reorganizing the confused forces. "Ugh…" She grabbed her head as it still ached from the loud explosion. "…Is everyone alright?!"

"Ugh…"

"Ghk!"

"I think my butt just cracked…" Mimi complained from beside the Liger that had shielded her and her brother.

"Your butt is always cracked though…" Tivey answered in an equally tired voice.

"That explosion sure was something… But madman was so dead-set on killing mister hero; the shockwave was what mostly hit us…" Ricardo said while holding his head as well. "Sure hope he's a'ight…"

"I-I think everyone survived…" Anastasia grumbled as the smoke cleared, clearly uncomfortable with such a disaster. "There- There might be some injured- THOUGH?!"

"MY LADY?!"

"Anastasia-sama?!" Julius perked up at the panicked voice of his liege, prompting him to return to her side. Yet as he neared the distance, he witnessed the reason for her yells.

"Akgh…" As the merchant girl managed to get up, she realized a certain mop of blonde-hair slouch over in front of her. "Ghk!" Flop had protected her from the wave of pebbles the explosion had shot in their direction with his very body.

"H-Hey! Are you alright?!" The panicked Otto held onto the fellow merchant, supporting him.

"FLOP!" Medium rushed to her sibling the moment she recovered. "Oh my- Flop!"

"I'm… not dead, you know…" The man managed to smile as he leaned on Otto. "I'd rather you didn't go crying as if I did, Medium…"

"You idiot! You are- you are bleeding all over!" The tearful young beauty argued.

"Ehehehe…" Sheepishly, the older brother dismissed her worries.

"You… You protected me…" Anastasia was left perplexed by the man's actions. In truth, she had thought him and his sister an opportunist seeking to cash-in in Subaru's existence. To see him risk his life for her, especially after SHE had warned Subaru about them being ruthless Vollachians, left the girl utterly confused and speechless. "Why?"

"W-well… I wouldn't have liked for the candidates to think all Vollachians the same… GHK... after the spat at the mansion… Moreover…" The struggling Flop lied down on a carriage as Otto and Medium lifted him. "I guess I just… wanted to be just a bit like Natsuki-san…"

"…" Otto stood in silent admiration of both Subaru and Flop at that moment.

"I can't exactly say I approve of him as a role model." Julius knelt beside the injured man to examine him. As he did so, he made a statement about the blonde-haired man's bravery. "But for what you've done today, I am indebted to you Flop O'Connell. Although your wounds appear not to be fatal… Rest assured that, on my family's name, you shall be nursed back to health in the Capital."

"An-!" As the cloud of dust finally dissipated, the familiar voice of a half-elf resounded from the Mauve girl's bracelet. "Ana-ia!"

"Huh?"

"Anastasia!" Emilia yelled with worry. "Thank goodness! Karen said the 'signal' or something was- was unstable due to the sudden explosion and cloud! Is everything- everyone alright?!" She asked nervously, the group of kids surrounding her glued to the screen with glossy and teary eyes.

"Oh! Ah… I-I don't know…" The candidate looked around the village. "I mean, everyone's alive… I think. Some injured… Sloth triggered an earth magic explosion… And-"

"Subaru!" Petra asked through the monitor with tears in her eyes. "Where's Subaru?!"

"The boy and the Archbishop are now brawling within the forest." Priscilla said while pointing towards the woods with her blade. "Neither the visors nor mine eyes lie; they are currently engaged in the forest up ahead!"

"Anyone able, follow me!" The Duchess commanded while running into the woods.

"HAH!" A handful of soldiers and Priscilla followed, prompting everyone else to tend to the injured.

"Julius!" Anastasia called for her knight. "Here, take this!" She gave him the communicator hastily while indicating to the trees the rest of the forces were heading. "You go and- and help too!"

"Anastasia-sama, with all due respects to Priscilla-sama and Crusch-sama, they might have it under control already with that many soldiers. My foremost priority is-"

"Julius!" Emilia pleaded with the knight as well. "Please! I NEED to see this through!"

"But…"

"Ah, don't worry man!" Ricardo appeared from behind, flailing a barely injured arm around. "I'm technically an injured fella too, see?! I'll stay here with my Lady; you go act all gallant an' all, pal!"

"…Understood." The knight simply nodded, quickly getting up and running to the forest with the rest of the army.

"I hope they'll be fine…" Otto murmured.

"Don't jinx it man! Just focus on helping Flop!" Medium reproached while bandaging her brother.

"Y-YES!"

As the village reorganized itself, Subaru and Petelgeuse continued their fight through the woodland.

*CRACK-CRACK!*

*BLAM!*

"HYUP!" Spider-Man jumped from tree to tree, webbing from two at a time and propelling himself forward like a slingshot as Sloth rained hand after hand in his pursuit, uprooting the trunks around him and launching them towards Subaru.

"THE WITCH! THE WITCH!" Petelgeuse screamed desperately, "HER LOVE! HER LOVE! YOU DENIED HER! SHE DENIED ME BECAUSE YOU DENIED HER!"

"Won't you shut it already, you freak?!" Subaru shouted back. "Here! A little gift from me to you!"

*THWIP-THWIP!*

"HNGH!" Webbing a pair of boulders before him, Subaru then flexed them towards himself; the force was enough that the chunks of rock flew at awesome speeds in his direction. The moment they almost collided with him though, Spidey leapt backwards, flipping over Petelgeuse as the lunatic clashed face-first against the boulders.

"BUGHFH!" Although they weren't enough to topple him, the recoil stopped the Archbishop In his tracks. "…GHK! THE- THE WITCH!" He exclaimed once more while turning around.

"What's this all about her anyways?! You love her that much?!" Subaru retorted while sticking to the side of a tall tree. "Just give up already!"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

*WHOOOSH!*

"Hands off, weirdo!" He punched the incoming hands away the moment they got close to him.

"WHY CAN YOU SEE THEM?! WHY?! HOW DID YOU DISRUPT HER BLESSING?! HER INTIMACY WITH ME?!"

"Don't ask me! If I can disrupt it, then I guess you weren't so intimate to begin with!"

*THWIP*

"BNHGH!" Webbing the Archbishop's face, Subaru blinded him for just enough time to close the distance between them and land a punch to his gut.

"Take this!"

*SLAM*

"GAGH!" Petelgeuse recoiled in pain as the punch launched him across the forest and into a clearing. "GHGHK! YOU-! YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! YOU ARE THE ONE THAT DENIED HER PATH! OUR PATH! OUR LOVE! HER LOVE!" He kept rambling whilst forcing his battered body to move again.

"Actually, it was you… because… you know…" Subaru immediately activated the interrogation protocols of the suit, modifying his voice. "YOU CHOSE TO HEAR ME OUT."

"GHK!" Petelgeuse squirmed in horror at the revelation. "Y-YOU!"

"Yeah, me! I guided you away from your 'oh-so-precious' Gospel, but you were the one that chose to trust me! Thanks for that, by the way!" The teenager mocked smugly; he was so disgusted with the Archbishop's madness that he would say anything if it got a rise from him at this point. "What you gonna do about it now, huh?!"

"IT IS YOUR ENTIRE FAULT! YOU DENIED HER! YOU! NOT ME! YOU! I WAS NOT SLOTHFUL! YOU WERE! YOU WERE!"

"I don't even know what you are talking about, but… Hell, I'm sure she'd like ME more than some creep drunk on his own madness like you!"

"YOU DARE IMPLY INTIMACY WITH HER?!"

"I'd do better than you, yeah!" I don't even know what I'm saying, but it sure is working!

"YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

*WHOOOSH!*

"Hamana-Hamana-Hamana-Hamana-Hamana-Hamana-Hamana!" Subaru grunted as he dodged giant hand after giant hand, jumping from tree trunk to tree trunk.Dammit! This is so annoying! If I could shoot another bolt, he'd be out already… but I'm spent! In truth, Subaru's outburst of energy back in Arlam had drained him; enough for his bioelectricity to remain dysfunctional. "Guess we are doing it the old-fashioned way!"

"YOU! YOU! INDOLENT! LAZY! INERT! TORPID! SLOTHFUL! SLOTHFUL! SLOTHFUL! SLOTHFUL! SLOTHFUL!" Petelgeuse screamed while spitting blood and bile all over, professing his delusions to the heavens as he launched a myriad of hands after Subaru. "LET MY DILIGENCE BE PROVEN! LET MY LOVE REMAIN TRUE! PUNISH MY SLOTH!"

*WHOOOSH!*

"Yeah, I'm punishing you alright! You goddamned Octopus!" Spidey yelled while balancing over the treetops. "Hm?" In the distance, as he moved around, he noticed a familiar abyss… One he had used previously against the mabeast army. "Well, would you look at that?!"

*WHOOOSH!*

"Hey! Petelgeuse! You know what the law of gravitation is?! The abridged version, that is!"

"THE WITCH! THE WITCH! PUNISH MY SLOTH! GRANT ME YOUR LOVE!"

"Wrong, you moron!" Subaru insulted while leaping downwards from the canopy, the hands and Petelgeuse following closely behind. The pair jumped from tree to tree, height to height, until Subaru suddenly jumped from one tree and over the cliff's border, straight into a plunge towards the stony bottom. "Everything that goes up!"

"THE WITCH! THE WITCH!" The Archbishop kept yelling, following behind without a care for himself or noticing where he was heading. "THE WITCH!"

"COMES CRASHING DOWN!"

*THWIP!*

*SNATCH*

"THE WITCH! THE-!" As Petelgeuse dashed behind him, Subaru applied the same strategy he had used against the wolgarms and webbed himself towards the upper part of the cliff, flying right past the madman as he plunged towards the spikes below.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" As he fell to his doom, Petelgeuse reached for Subaru once again in reckless abandon of his own life, seeking to end him even if he ended himself as well.

*WHOOOSH!*

"Woah-woah!" Subaru exclaimed as the hands flew past him. "Not a chance, pal!"

*CRASH*

"!" With a loud sound of rocks smashing against each other, Subaru looked to the side. Petelgeuse had managed to attach one of his hands within the cliff-side's rock wall. However, it was fruitless for the Archbishop to struggle anymore… His body was already laying battered at the bottom, impaled from all sides. "Seriously, man… how are you even alive right now…"

"GHGK!" Petelgeuse moaned in pain with a weak voice. "I-It's- GAGHK! I-It's not over!" He managed to say with much effort as a spike penetrated his already disfigured torso. "It is- It is not over!"

"No, it is over." The hero assured with a look of pity as he climbed over to the top of the cliff. "I really wish you had just given up… That you and your lot had attempted to turn around and cease this… this blood-soaked path…"

"The Witch's- GHGHK! The Withth gove! The p-poof of my diligenth! It ith not ovher!" The Archbishop could not even comprehend the words said to him as life escaped from his body, his voice finally giving in as his words slurred. "It ith not ovher! Not ovher!" The green man would cry pathetically.

"…If you must hate anyone as you pass on, hate me. Not because I stopped you, but because I couldn't save you from yourself." The boy melancholically said while taking off his mask.

"Y-You!"

"The name's Natsuki Subaru. Spider-Man. An Avenger…" Subaru said with conviction as he stared down the dying man. "The man who killed you."

*CRA-CRACK, CRACK!*

The rock wall broke down as Petelgeuse's hand dissipated. The moment it disappeared completely, a rain of boulders fell upon the dying Sin Archbishop. Before being crushed to death by the debris, Petelgeuse's face twisted in an angered scowl, streaks of blood pouring out of his mouth and glaring eyes; his last words a scream of hatred, despair and wrath to the man witnessing his demise. "NATSUKI SUBARUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

*CRACK!*

*BLAM!*

"…" In silence, Subaru contemplated the remains of the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, now buried for eternity in a tomb of rock and rubble. "Rest in peace, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti…" He turned away from the disaster, just in time to notice the army that had arrived to his aid stare at him in shock. "…Hey people. Kind of… late to the party, don't you think?"

"Ah…" Julius muttered in surprise before…

"YAY!" The children that witnessed his actions through the screen initiated a wave of cheers.

"We- We've won!" The soldiers followed suit and celebrated as well.

"YEAH!" The amassed forces cheered aloud.

"Well, I'll say!" A cheerful Priscilla approached the cliff, peering over it. "So you got him to kill himself? Way to work around that 'code' of yours, commoner."

"It is a fitting end, I gather." Crusch followed as well with a relaxed smile, approaching a hand to Subaru's shoulder. "I don't suppose I'm in any position to say this, being that I cut him down, but… I'm glad your hands are not stained with the blood of such a monster, Subaru-dono."

"They are though… After all, I'm the one that tricked him into jumping…"

"There was no other option." Julius approached the hero. "If I have to say, you made the right choice. And I'll continue to say so even if you deny it, Natsuki."

"…Hearing a reassuring statement from you feels weird, man!"

"*Sigh* And that's how I know I shouldn't have even tried to do so…" The knight lamented with disappointment that his words of encouragement were met with annoyance instead.

"Subaru!" The joyful children called to the name of their hero with smiles and laughter.

"Hey guys!" Subaru waved at them with a tired smirk. "We made a mess of the village… Will probably take a while before things can go back to normal… But, crisis averted!"

"Hehehe! You suck at reassuring!" Petra said with a blushing smile of her own at the black-haired mop onscreen.

"Yeah… I sure do, don't I?"

"…" Emilia sat in silence within the image, her face a mix of relief and sorrow still.

"Hey Emilia-tan…" Subaru called to her. "Um… I know we fought a lot and all… But I'm glad you trusted me for this… I mean that."

"…Y-Yes… I'm… I'm glad too… That you would come to my aid…" Emilia nodded while giving him a weak smile. "I'm really sorry… that we couldn't agree before…"

"Well, it's all in the past now! I'm sure there'll be tons of times in the future in which we'll be in danger and all, being that you are candidates to the throne… But I hope we can trust each other a bit more when that happens."

"I'll…" The half-elf's eyes widened as he said this, a real smile this time adorning her pretty features. "Yes! I'll trust you… So, I'll make sure you can trust me next time!" She stated with self-assurance.

"I like that! Show me confidence and I'll make sure to answer it back!" The pair stared intently at each other through the screen, much to a certain Spirit's annoyance.

"…" Puck remained silent to the interaction, relieved that his daughter was safe from the cult's clutches yet still miffed about the boy's involvement. "I hate to interrupt, but I actually don't! Stop gazing at one another, don't you have injured to attend to?!"

"Oh?! The ugly cat is right!" Subaru responded to the feline in kind, much to his disgruntlement. "Well, I guess we'll see each other back at the Capital, Emilia-tan!"

"Yeah! I'll… See you later, okay?!"

"Okay!" With a thumbs' up from the boy, the screen in Julius' palm turned off. "Well then! Time to see to our non-fatalities! First things first! Anyone at the mansion?!" He said while walking into the forest with the rest of the forces.

"Not when we left, but…" The worried Karsten brought a hand to her chin, sinking in her own mind. "If Sloth made his way here… there's a possibility that…"

"There is no such possibility, Crusch." Karen interrupted the Duchess' disturbing train of thought.

"Karen-dono?"

"Details please, Karen!" Subaru commanded.

"None of the soldiers back at the mansion died, but Rem resulted injured as the Archbishop made his escape."

"Wait, what?!" The alarmed boy asked with panic. "Is she- Is she fine?! Is she-?!"

"She's alive; her oni genetic allowed for her body to heal passively when her horn is activated. Although the Archbishop twisted her limbs, she has managed to heal the splintered bone back in place, as well as the lethal bleeding."

"TWISTED LIMBS?! BLEEDING?!" Subaru panicked further, yelling as though a mother hen he were. "Oh, hell no! We are going to her right away! ASAP!"

"This is a wise decision; even if she can heal the bone, she must have bled profusely from such injuries…" Julius said without realizing the insensitivity of his words until after he said them.

"Not helping me here, man!"

"My apologies… I just…"

"Blurted it out? Been there, done that. Happens to the best of us, really… Not that you are though!"

"…" The knight simply gave a petty glare to the mocking boy.

"Still, we really should hurry! Even with no casualties, Rem really worries me! Crusch?"

"Hmm? What is it?" She looked at him with a confident smile.

"I know this is sort of egoistical-"

"You are the man behind what was once thought impossible; the least I owe you is something egoistical."

"Well… In that line! Could you have Felix personally take a look at Rem's wounds once we arrive to the Capital?"

"…What?"

"Being the best healer in the country as well as your knight, I'm sure he'll be busy… Ah! But I'll make sure to repay you in the long run! You see, I have this idea for-!"

Crusch and Julius turned to face him completely with a perplexed and worried look in their eyes, the noblewoman immediately raising an eyebrow in confusion before asking... "Subaru…"

"Hmm? Yeah, what is it?"

"Who is Felix?"

"…"

Subaru just stopped walking, the sudden question halting even his facial expressions. As he processed the Duchess' words, however, his eyes widened as his visage turned into one of pure shock and disbelief.

"Huh?"

AUTHOR'S NOTES

17K! Phew!

Been a while people! And with this chapter, Arc 3 is F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D!

Sure took me long enough…

To answer some questions: yeah, I'll make sure to watch future Marvel properties a lot. They might serve to inspire some stuff in the future… I also plan to watch Multiverse of Madness on release, but if not, please don't spoil in the comments. Same for Moon Knight!

I might throw in things from the animated shows, like Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes, as well as Spectacular Spider-Man and 94's Spider-Man animated series. Hell, maybe even Spider-Man Unlimited as well; being that it had animal people (demi-humans) and all.

But anyways! I'm hoping my writing improves as the story goes on; I have plans for this fic to last a LONG time after all.

Until next time, take care everyone! See you in the next chapter! Ah, but next one is an Interlude!