RE:Avenger Chapter 17, an Avengers + Re:Zero Crossover fanfic

Chapter 17 – Dissonance

"*GASP!*"

"…"

"NO!" Emilia screamed. "It-It wasn't me! What?! No! I-I didn't-!"The half-elf cried desperately, as if something or someone was chasing her.

"NO! PUCK!" The memories that she could not bear to remember haunted her psyche, the denial prompting a maddened behavior that made Emilia completely ignore the perturbed teenager kneeling beside her. "NO! NO!"

"E…" Subaru tiredly turned to look at the girl. "Emilia…" He muttered in a tone barely above a whimper.

"Su-!" Emilia noticed his presence at last, her panic forcing her into a rather forthcoming approach. "SUBARU!"

*GRAB!*

"SUBARU!" She cried again, hugging the chest of the boy with desperation, not letting go as she denied her past. Even now, when she was so close to him that their breaths could intertwine, she did not notice how he trembled like a leaf. In truth, it would be more accurate to say she was confusing his distress with hers, reveling in her trauma enough that any other outside stimuli went over her head.

"…I-I'm here…" Subaru grabbed her by the shoulders, not feeling strong or deserving to hug her completely after witnessing his failure to save her from the machine's merciless assault moments prior.

"I'm here…" Ignoring his own pain and loss, trying to drive it to the back of his mind in fact, Subaru prioritized comforting the distressed girl instead.

"I'm here, Emilia…"

Back in the Sanctuary's village, as Emilia calmed down, Subaru and company reconvened to discuss the matters ahead.

"So she failed, huh…" Garfiel lamented with inconsideration for the frowning girl seated across him.

"…" Emilia closed her eyes, frustrated by the truth of the boy's words. "I'm sorry…"

"…" Subaru remained silent, seemingly detached from the entire conversation. Ram, Otto and even Garfiel expected him to say something… but Subaru was far too distracted by the implications of all that had transpired inside the Tomb to really pay any attention.

"Oi!" Garfiel barked in irritation at the boy's ignorance of Emilia's pain. "Ya gonna say somethin' or just stand there like a fuckin' moron nasty eyes?! Look at me when I'm talkin' ta ya!"

"Please, don't yell at Subaru like that!" Emilia quickly protested.

"Why not?!" The blonde objected. "This guy… He's been all silent since comin' from dat Tomb! We need ya ta release the barrier an' da jackoff seems unfazed over yer failure! What gives?!"

"He was there for me! To-To help me back onto my feet!" The candidate debated.

"…" Subaru slowly opened his eyes and locked eyes with Garfiel.

"!" Instinctively, the half-beast boy stepped back as he gazed into the hero's dull black-brown eyes. Subaru's gaze… was terrifying, as if his thoughts were far more sinister than what Garfiel could comprehend. "W-What…?!"

"I passed the Trial." Subaru coldly explained, not much of his usual emotion within his voice.

"…Huh?" Emilia muttered in disbelief. "What…?"

"There's three trials in total to dispel the barrier, and the first one has you confront your past." He continued, ignoring the surprised gazes looking back at him. "Listen… I know this all sounds like way too much, like I'm just dumping a lot of stuff on you-"

"Damn right ya are!"

*SNATCH!*

Garfiel grabbed Subaru by the collar. "Dat ya passed the Trial?! So what?! I don't believe ya, ya ain't mixed blood! And even if ya did pass, then what?! Are ya trynna say dat ya wanna replace Emilia-sama just cuz' she failed once?! Just so ya know, yer da last person I'd want ta say thank ya to!"

"…" Subaru remained silent, looking away from him while not denying his accusation.

"Subaru?" Emilia's eyes grew wide with concern, as he did not reject the claim. "You are not… You are not considering it, are you?" She smiled nervously, refusing within her mind that Subaru would hold so little trust in her.

"…The truth is… the circumstances are just so dire, that I am." Subaru looked at the shocked Emilia with pity. "If we had time I'd entrust you with taking the trials Emilia. But… We can't afford that. We are working on a timer… And I do not know how many seconds are left on the countdown…"

"Huh?!" Garfiel angrily snarled once more. "Da fuck's dat supposed ta mean?! Timer?!"

*GRAB!*

"GACK!" Garfiel let go of Subaru, yelping in pain as the Avenger grabbed his arm and twisted it, forcing him into kneeling submission on the ground. "LET GO YA ASS-!"

"Sorry, but I genuinely have no time for this." Subaru warned in a threatening voice as he glared at the boy below him, raising all sorts of alarms in the people surrounding him. Ram, Ryuzu and Otto looked on with caution and confusion at the angered teenager. Emilia… she looked with vexing and hurt, not knowing what to say or do.

"I'll be blunt." Subaru gulped his insecurity before looking ahead once more. "We are facing an Avengers-level threat here. Something on the scale of the Witch of Envy, at the very least."

"WHAT?!" Otto exclaimed in terror at the proclamation. "Are you serious?! Just what is in that Tomb?!"

"Barusu!" Ram shouted with an intense glare. "I don't now what you are trying to pull here, but Roswaal-sama won't stand for you comparing the figure his ancestors have protected for generations to that calamity-!"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" Subaru immediately cut them off. "This has nothing to do with Echidna or the Witch! It was just a comparison!"

"Th-Then what are you saying?!" The terrified Emilia asked, almost whimpering at his tone. For her and for everyone in the room really, it was their first time witnessing a Subaru so temperamental and volatile. Knowing he could subdue Garfiel in a hold, they dared not attempt a forceful method. Not just yet, anyway. Not until he explained himself.

"What we are dealing with here… It's a threat from beyond the stars, from my world…" He said ominously. "From Earth."

"Earth… From Beyond the Waterfall, then?" Ryuzu narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"From Earth, yes…" Subaru nodded. "Ultron… A program that has achieved nigh-unstoppable powers thanks to the Infinity Stones. He took Karen and the Iron Spider after I completed my trial and he's currently travelling around… universes and dimensions, I know not where."

"Uni… verses?" The pink half-elf's face turned befuddled at the boy's wording.

"At least that's the theory…" Subaru continued. "You see… Ultron is supposed to be dead. Gone. And yet… He's back, and he's set out to destroy all life. Look! I cannot stress this enough!" Subaru let go of Garfiel, prompting the blonde kid at his feet to jump away to Ram's side.

"TSK! YER NOT MAKING ANY SENSE YA ASSHOLE! DA FUCK IS WRONG WITH YA?!" Amidst a resentful, reddened glare, Garfiel inquired wrathfully while rubbing his injured arm.

"Are any of you familiar with the concept of the multiverse?" Subaru explained nervously.

"The… what?" The panicking Otto asked in a confused voice, his tone not surpassing a mumble.

"I thought it was theoretical… But as it turns out, it's true. At least… It's the only explanation that makes sense, apart from time travel…"

"Time travel?!" Ram wondered now, still not being capable of grasping the concepts Subaru kept introducing in his manic state.

"Ultron is supposed to be dead, and yet he's alive! Not only that, he possesses the Infinity Stones! The kind of stuff that could distort the world or end it in the blink of an eye!" Subaru gazed back at Ram and Emilia. "You remember what I explained when we first met, right? Back at Roswaal's mansion, two months ago… When I arrived to this world and showed you my own."

"The… When you explained you'd come back from a fight?" Emilia timidly pointed.

"Exactly." The hero confirmed. "Back then, we Avengers had fought against Thanos for the sake of saving the universe, all life known in existence… But now, we are facing an even bigger threat in Ultron, because he is a menace from beyond our universe and thus… he could end all life as we know it. That is, if we don't do something right now-!"

"He's insane…" The maid dismissed immediately, not wanting to accept such an apocalyptic rambling. "You lost your marbles inside that Tomb, Barusu."

"Dammit, this isn't about the Trial! I told you already, this is way more important than-!"

*THWACK!*

"!" Subaru recoiled in surprise as Garfiel punched him over the head. He should have been able to dodge or sense such a threat and yet… He didn't feel the punch until it struck him.

"Now everyone knows how full of shit ya are!" Garfiel laugh as a derisive smile was drawn on his face. "Look ya bastard! Do ya see anyone in this room believin' da bullshit ya spout?!"

"Huh?" Subaru raised his head, finally recovering some of his senses after his fatalistic speech. When he looked up and paid attention to their expressions, he saw nothing but doubt, confusion… and distrust. "…"

"Subaru…" Emilia spoke apprehensively. "You said… That you'd take the Trials for me? Just… because you passed when I couldn't?" She said, the breaking of her voice clearly indicating her hurt.

"That's… That's what you are focusing on?!" The angered Avenger retorted. To be precise, Subaru's recent circumstances had been so traumatic; his mind was not in the right state to debate, formulate or converse at all. For as great a hero he might be, he's still a teenager; a child faced with the end times, without anyone around him to understand his pleas or warnings. Without a team of other heroes to rely on. Alone… In a world that could not possibly understand the threat before them.

"Is this all… Because you saw me fail?" She asked as an attempt to glare at him between tears formed in her face. "Are you doubting I can do this?!"

"Emilia, I-!"

"What will be there left for me if I leave everything to you, huh?!" She got up, scowling at Subaru.

"Dammit, I told you again and again! This has nothing to do with Sanctuary! This is-!"

"It absolutely has ta do with it!"

*GRAB!*

"Kgh!" Garfiel surprised Subaru yet again, gripping the hero by throat.

"Ya say all ya want, an' we supposed ta take it?! Ya don't get ta decide what ta do 'round here ya jackass!"

*SMACK!*

"Tsk!" The blonde boy punched Subaru, making the Avenger stumble.

"Garfiel, stop!" Emilia shouted with anger, apprehensive of the blonde boy's approach to the situation.

"Emilia-sama stays here and completes the Trials, end of discussion Barusu." Ram, much like Garfiel though, ignored the candidates plea. Instead, she stated with clear contempt the finality of the situation, glaring heatedly at the black haired teenager. But Subaru… He wasn't satisfied with their answer at all.

"…That's right…" Subaru slowly regained his posture, an ominous feeling and aura enveloping him. "If you hear only what you want to hear… Then there is no use convincing you. I… Have a duty, one that goes beyond the Selection or Sanctuary, one that now extends to the universe itself."

"N-Natsuki-san?" Otto prompted with nervousness at his grandiose proclamation. "Wh- What are you-?"

"I'm leaving; you can stay and try to complete the Trials or whatever. I'm not needed here." Subaru stated, walking towards the house's entrance.

"HOLD IT!" Garfiel growled, stepping in front of the hero as he was about to exit the premises. "YER NOT GOIN' ANYWHERE! THE DEAL WAS-!"

*GRAB!*

*CRACKLE-CRACKLE!*

"WHA-?!" Garfiel tried to question Subaru's action as this one grabbed him by the face, but then…

*ZAAAAAAAAAAP!*

*THUD!*

"YOUNG GAR!"

"NATSUKI-SAN?!"

"SUBARU?!"

"WHAT?!" Ram raised her wand at the Avenger as Otto, Ryuzu and Emilia screamed in alarm. Subaru… had shocked Garfiel. He had forced a bolt of lightning directly onto his brain and immobilized him. "What have you done?!"

"He's not dead, just unconscious." Subaru hastily explained, not even looking in her direction. "And if you get in my way, you'll be the same, Ram."

"Tsk!" Ram attempted a spell, but Emilia stopped her.

"Ram, wait!" The half-elf grabbed her by the arm.

"Emilia-sama, please!" The maid pleaded. "We cannot let him leave! He's-!"

"Why don't you tell Emilia the real purpose of this entire situation, Ram?" Subaru turned to look at the maid with a scowl.

"!" His acute gaze surprised both Ram and Emilia, as if he were staring directly into their souls. "Wh-What are you…?" The maid attempted to ask to no avail.

"Roswaal is Echidna's direct lackey, take that as you will. Surely you can explain better to Emilia why her sponsor would support a dead Witch in the shadows."

"Huh?!" Otto stepped away from Ram, not understanding what Subaru was saying yet being too terrified to wonder aloud.

"…" Ryuzu, nevertheless, remained silent as she tended to Garfiel on the floor.

"What?!" Emilia slowly turned to look at the nervous Ram, the maid lowering her weapon as the chaos of the situation got a hold of her. "Ram, what is he talking about?!"

"…" The oni remained silent, looking away from the candidate.

"RAM!"

*CLACK!*

"!" Subaru opened the door and began walking towards the stables in which Patrasche was resting. "Wait! Subaru!" Emilia yelled whilst running behind him.

"Emilia, please." Subaru said, looking ahead instead of at her. "I'm busy; you go deal with the Trials or something."

"You can't leave!" She cried.

"I can and I will. I must return to the mansion and fix the communications system to contact the other candidates in the Capital. Then, I have to return to the city and command the strike force against Ultron. That's final." He explained as he kept walking.

"Fix the- what?!" The befuddled half-elf questioned, not understanding his words.

"You did not hear a single thing I said back at that house, did you?!" Subaru turned to face her, insulted by her lack of comprehension.

"Subaru?!"

"Karen and my armor are gone! We are isolated from the outside world! I cannot access the satellite! Moreover, your bracelets, beyond the basic functions, are useless without Karen! Did you not even notice that, in this entire time?!"

"!" Emilia looked down at her wrists. "K-Karen?!" But the bracelets remained silent, not answering her call.

"KUAAAAAA!" Patrasche roared with emotion as Subaru rode atop her.

"Su-Subaru, wait-!"

"I'm not." The boy denied.

"But how can you ignore the people of Sanctuary?!" She protested again. "How can you be so-?!"

"I'm not ignoring them; I'm doing this FOR them. And for you." Subaru affirmed while looking down at her.

"H-Huh?!" Emilia shook her head, not buying into his claims. "That's wrong! Abandoning them while heading to the Capital… How can you be this insensible?!"

"I'm sorry…!"

"It hurts!"

"So cold!"

"You call me insensible again…" Subaru lamented as he remembered Emilia's painful cries, clenching his hands around the reins. "Do you even realize what I've seen?! Who I'm doing this for?! I just told you! And even now… You still don't understand?! Where the hell did your promise to trust me go to, huh?!"

"…" Subaru's raised voice terrified her. "If-If this is because I failed the trial, then I-I could-!"

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU! NOT JUST YOU!"

"!"

"Emilia…" The calmed a bit after his yell. "Ultron is beyond me, he's beyond you or Roswaal's schemes. I won't stop repeating that, because it's the truth. This isn't about you, nor is it about me. It's about everyone and the possibility of not having a tomorrow…"

"Subaru…"

"You called me insensible twice already… And maybe that really is true. Yet… I'd rather be called that than there being no one left to say such words to me."

"Just- Just explain properly!" Emilia yelled again. "What is it about this- this whole situation… Is it really true?! How can you know?!"

"…The truth is…" Subaru tried to gauge his statement before speaking. "Ultron… the truth is, he kille-" But just as he was about to explain his terror over the construct, the world around Subaru turned dark, time stopping as a black fog surrounded and enveloped him

! The boy thought in alarm. What is-?! Are you serious?! I can't… I cannot talk about it?!

*GRAB!*

AUGH! Shadow hands reached for his heart, squeezing it tightly as the boy was unable to move. And just as suddenly as they had spawned…

"Subaru!" Emilia yelled, making him unfreeze from his slouched stupor. "What is going on?!"

"…" Time had resumed and Subaru was unable to explain his pain to Emilia. "I'm leaving, end of discussion." He pushed his pain back again and simply ignored the girl's worry.

"WAIT!"

"I won't… I can't afford to wait. Not anymore…"

"If you leave… I won't forgive you! I-I'll…" Emilia was far too alarmed and panicked to weight her own words as she spoke. "I'll hate you! I really will!" She warned while pointing with a trembling hand.

"…That's fine too. I've got way more important things to deal with than Sanctuary or Roswaal's games at the moment." Subaru explained, dismissing Emilia's words. "You can despise me all you want afterwards, beat me up even, because at least you'll be there to hate me. But right now… Your world, and every world out there, stands at the crossroads between annihilation and survival. That takes precedence, even over your own pain Emilia."

"!" She flinched at the cutting comment of the boy. In her entire life, that statement alone had been the most hurtful she had ever heard. Not because it was especially insulting, but because the affirmation reduced her to nothing but a speck of sand amongst millions. Emilia and her problems… were not important enough for Subaru to choose them over the world. However twisted such a conclusion might be the Trial had deteriorated her mind enough that she could not conceive a better one.

*WHIP!*

"KUAAAAAAA!" Patrasche roared as Subaru whipped her reins, prompting her to run.

"W-Wait! Subaru!" The girl extended her hand, trying to reach for the boy.

"…" However, Subaru ignored her completely, charging ahead while biting his lips with remorse over his attitude.

"SUBARU!"

"…" Ram observed from the house's entrance as Emilia fell to her knees crying the name of the boy. Subaru had become one with the shadows of the forest as he ran away from them, leaving the maid with nothing but a scowl. "Tsk! Don't think this is over! Roswaal-sama will most certainly have a voice in this matter…"

As the night turned to early morning, around what a person of the Od Laguna would understand as Earth Time or 3:00 A.M., Subaru and Patrasche traversed through the thick woods of Kremaldy. The boy, as he contemplated on the recent events, attempted to reorganize all the messy thoughts in his head and formulate a more concrete plan of action.

"…" Subaru remained pensive as Patrasche accelerated, his inner reasoning taking precedence over his views on the road. "Emilia… Dammit, this sucks!"

So I cannot tell anyone the specifics about how I know of Ultron's attack? Well, goddamn am I lucky or what?! This is the worst!

Subaru scowled to no one.

I can release tidbits, like how I know Roswaal and Echidna are connected… But I cannot specify on how to justify such words because they occurred within my 'visions'! 'Vision'…

He bit his lip remembering the synthezoid.

Ultron looked exactly like the Vision under his armor… So, he comes from a timeline in which he won? How… Horrifying. But 'visions'… I'm not sure if that's the appropriate term for what I've gone through…

Subaru then remembered Ultron's words.

"There are universes beyond my own…"

"A temporal anomaly that rewinds time… Was it you?"

"You really were the trigger. And the only condition for the anomaly to take place is your death."

"But if that's the case, perhaps what I must first do is kill the Witch that hexed you and THEN kill you… Would that be a sufficient method, hmm? Although, I could simply break through time and forcefully cancel her spell from activating as well…"

His mind jolted back to memories of the first future he had redone in this world.

The first time it happened, it was when Sloth attacked. Back then… Rem and everyone back at the mansion as well… They all died. And then Puck killed me… But after that, I woke up two whole days earlier. More likely to say I 'returned'… And Ultron also said something about a Witch… The Witch of Greed maybe? We were in HER Sanctuary after all, but…

The hero's theory, however, did not resonate with himself.

Maybe not… It'd be too coincidental, Echidna is dead after all and Roswaal's aim is to resurrect her. She couldn't have done it… I initially thought all had been visions given to me by the Time Stone's radiation, just like Strange had done before on Titan. But… If it really is the hex of a Witch… Then the only Witch that'd make any sense would be…

Subaru's gaze turned sour as he mumbled a name.

"Satella… The Witch of Envy…"

He trembled a bit just by saying her name, prompting him to shake his head to clear his muddied and confused mind.

But why would the Witch of Envy hex me?! I mean, I just arrived to this world, what do I have to do with her?! And why would she prevent me from talking about my deaths, even the one from before I arrived to the Od Laguna?! This makes no sense… Yet then again, did things make sense before as well? To begin with? Not really…

He swallowed as he confronted the facts in front of him.

So I really am cursed. Great. And every time I die, I rewind back to an unspecified point in time. I… 'Return by Death'… Yep, it is morbid no matter how I try to spin it… Fuck me man, it would be way more convenient if it were just visions in my dreams or something… At least I could justify it as a 'Hypersensitive Spider-Sense'. Nevertheless, even if I can rewind time, Ultron can simply travel 'through' time and ignore the effect. With the Time Stone in his grasp, he can detect and interfere with temporal distortions at will. Talk about 'Overpowered'… So even 'Return by Death' is not infallible against that fucker. I want to say that he'll hopefully take a while travelling through dimensions. But Karen…

The Avenger's gaze focused on the road as he concluded.

I don't even have an accurate timeframe of when Ultron will be back, but that is no excuse! I have to rendezvous with Crusch, Priscilla and Anastasia immediately and amass an army again! Maybe Felt and Reinhard will be available too… I really wish they would be. My only hope at the moment is that any Universe in which Ultron won did not have a super powered Reinhard in it, even if he was the Sword Saint still. Because if the dead Universe's Rein was just as strong as ours…

"Then we really might have no hope left…" Subaru whispered to himself with dread.

*ZOOM!*

"KUAAAAAAA!" Patrasche roared in surprise as something blitzed over the night sky above their heads.

"!" The hero noticed with alarm as well, halting his steeds pace to a halt as the figure landed before them.

*BLAM!*

"…" The silhouette stood idle yet menacing for some moments in the shadows of the surrounding trees.

"An Ultron drone?! No… This is…"

"GOA!"

*FWOOOM!*

"WHAT?!" Subaru grabbed Patrasche by the neck and leapt away from the danger with the Earth Dragon in tow.

"KUUUUUUUUAAAAAA?!" The lizard barked in confusion.

*FSHAAAAM!*

*FIZZZZZLE~*

"Dammit… A mage?! No… Not just any mage!"

"I'm qui~te disappointed, Subaru-kun." The figure stepped out from the shadows, basking in the melancholic moonlight. It was the figure of a blue haired man with makeup over his face, dressed in a formal yet mismatched attire, vibrant purples and blues clashing against each other. Although, one could notice with some attention that it was hastily put together, as bandages were visible from underneath the suit.

"Roswaal!" Subaru grunted with disdain. "Dammit, are you serious?!"

"I'm afraid I a~m, Subaru-kun." The clown scowled back at the boy with a voice denoting fake cheer and quite clear animosity. "To thi~nk you'd bail immediately from Sanctuary after one glimpse at the Trial. Or perhaps… It was more than one glimpse that made you give up?"

"The hell?! Wait… Give up?! Dammit, what did Ram tell you?!"

"You are quick to assume the Ra~m was the one that told on you… Perhaps you'd be hurt to know that she was not the only one, Su~baru-kun."

"Huh?"

"Emilia-sama… She was crying quite profusely whilst denouncing you… Even if I don't much care for her, it was quite cold of you to simply throw her aside after one trial." Roswaal dropped his accent, making the seriousness and malice of his intent show through his voice.

"Emilia…" Subaru stood still with shock at the implication of his words. "Emilia… was the one that sent you after me?"

"Needless to say, with your relationship this broken, my path lies muddied as well." Roswaal ignored Subaru's surprise however. "My only wish… Do you realize how inexcusable it is that it now remains unreachable because of you?"

"Your wish… Echidna? The Witch of Greed?!"

"So you know… Did I tell you myself or did you find out by yourself?"

"For fuck's sake Roswaal! Ultron is coming; we have no time for this! The more we dawdle about, the less time we have until-!"

"Your Trial must have been especially awful… But that is none of my concern you brat."

"IT IS NOT ABOUT THE TRIAL! WHY CAN'T NONE OF YOU SEE PAST THAT?!"

"It is ALL about the trials! And of how… You ought to make yourself useful, Subaru-kun."

"What are you saying here you confusing bastard?! Wait… No, that doesn't matter right now! Roswaal, I have to get to the Mansion as quickly as possible! If I don't… Who knows what-?!"

"That it doesn't matter?" Roswaal's voice turned threatening. "After all I've lived and done, don't you dare state such imbecilities!"

*FWOOOM!*

"KUAAAAAAAAA!"

"WOAH!" Subaru and Patrasche barely dodged the incoming fireball, this one landing between them and creating a wall of fire separating the rider from the steed. "Tsk! What the hell?! Again?! Why did I not feel that coming?! Why is the Spider-Sense not working?!"

"Why are you in such a hurry, Natsuki Subaru?!" Roswaal asked with a nasty glare directed at the teenager. "Is the situation at the Mansion that dire?! That you would throw everyone aside to save some maids?! Or did you value Emilia-sama that little?!"

"…You…" Subaru turned in alarm as Roswaal mentioned the Mansion, remembering the gravely injured Petra and the dying Frederica from loops past. "How do you know that Elsa will appear at the Mansion?!"

"…"

"Answer me Roswaal!" Subaru demanded with a scowl of his own before masking himself, readying for combat.

"You'll have to answer me first, if Sanctuary really is not as important as the Mansion… Perhaps you've yet to experience all that can happen. In that case… My only option would be to force you to experience it…"

*FWOOM*

Roswaal ignited multicolored fireballs from the tips of his fingers.

"Something tells me you just won't give me a straight answer in this environment." Subaru's fists shook with indignation and anger as Roswaal's tone turned perplexing. "You don't make any sense, not even when speaking normally… But I can't let you stop me. The entire Universe… It depends on what I do right here and now!"

"So it's a battle then…" Roswaal concluded with a resentful tone. "Hopefully the me that is not me shall be capable of forcing something decent out of you…" He whispered inaudibly to himself.

"Patrasche!" Subaru yelled to his dragon across the firewall. "Wait me up ahead! I'll reach you… once this clown is done in."

"…KUAAAA!" The ground dragon shivered a bit at the sinister voice of the boy, but managed to understand the gist of it.

*RUSTLE-RUSTLE!*

Running into the forest instead of the road, Patrasche sought to avoid Roswaal, circumventing around the path and leaving the two men alone.

*CRA-CRACKLE!*

"…" Spider-Man's fists shone blue, the electric bolts enveloping his forearms as he took an offensive crawl, close to the ground and ready to leap towards Roswaal at a moment's notice.

"…" Likewise, Roswaal readied himself by raising his two hands in the arachnid's direction. As his fingers extended, pointing at the hero, the amount of fireballs doubled.

"…"

For some moments longer, the pair stared each other down, until… The Margrave made the first movement.

"UL GOA!"

*SHWOOOOOM!*

"Kgh!" Subaru barely dodged the dance of fireballs launched in his direction. Each one of the colored lights exploded into a rainbow of destructive flames, igniting the bushes behind the hero.

*ZOOM!*

"!" Roswaal was quick to go on the offensive, flying at speeds comparable to an accelerating car, easily over the 80 or 90 kilometers per hour mark. "Shit!"

*POWM!*

"Urgh!" Subaru recoiled in pain but was quick to regain his footing after Roswaal punched him on the right cheek. However, all he could hear now of the Margrave was the buzzing of his zigzagging flight within the darkness of the forest surrounding them. The only light source available were the nearby remnants of the flames from the recent explosions, and that was barely enough to illuminate the immediate surroundings of the hero, so his vision was also limited.

*ZOOM!*

*SMACK!*

*ZOOM!*

*THWACK!*

*ZOOM!*

*SLAM!*

"TSK!" Subaru grunted in pain, his thoughts panicking as he couldn't keep up with the speed of the man in the darkness, not without his senses alerting him of his movements.

Dammit! Just when the Spider-Sense doesn't work, this shit happens! This speed isn't even something I haven't dealt with before!

*ZOOM!*

"Hah!" Subaru leapt past the danger just in time, managing to predict the incoming path of Roswaal's flight within the shadows. However, he failed to account for the mage's other tricks.

"EL DONA!" Mid-movement through the trees, Roswaal extended his right hand towards Subaru's feet. Normally, this spell manifested in a singular area of focus, but for casters as versed and talented as Roswaal, casting such a minor trick in double digits came as naturally as breathing.

"Oh shit!" Spidey noticed with alarm how the ground around him began deforming, morphing into a myriad of earth spikes pointed in all directions until…

*BOOM!*

*FWOOSH!*

"Argh!" The hero grunted in pain once more as the spikes grazed him all over. Although he managed to avoid any lethal injuries, his suit was torn to shreds, with the cuts showing all over due to the barrage.

*ZOOM!*

*SMACK!*

"Kuh!" Spider-Man was smacked again from behind.

Fuck!

Subaru thought in exasperation.

If I don't predict the hit, I'm assaulted from a blind spot! If I manage to dodge it, he flings a spell to throw me off! To topple it all… His strength is Superhuman! If I had to gauge it, he has to be at least on Cap's level… if not more. And at the speed he's flying around, it won't be long until he breaks my bones!

*ZOOM!*

"Not gonna happen!"

*CRA-CRACKLE!*

"!" Roswaal deaccelerated in alarm as Subaru disappeared. As he was about to smack him, the boy's presence seemingly ceased to exist.

*THWIP!*

"SHAMAK!" Subaru yelled from the darkness as a web of shadows enveloped Roswaal from above.

"This is pathetic!" Roswaal mocked as his yellow eye shone, dispelling the basic incantation. However, for how gifted he was in magic, he was not so much in the matters of quick-paced 'on-the-fly' improvisation.

*SNATCH!*

"!" The clown's face displayed alarm as a white substance suddenly covered his vision. Subaru had hidden a real web by overlapping it with Shamak, succeeding in blinding the spell caster. "Tsk!"

*FIZZLE!*

Roswaal incinerated the web, but it was too late. As he regained his vision, his only greeting was a knee to the face at a speed superior to his flight.

*KA-POW!*

"URNF?!" The Margrave was flung across the road, crashing against a tree and breaking through its trunk before plummeting to the ground.

*CRA-CRASH!*

*BLAM!*

*CLA-KLOOM!*

The tree fell down with a loud sound as it collided with other trees, although it was only within earshot of the pair guilty of all the destruction. The echoes of the fall reverberated around them, creating a tense atmosphere as they died down.

"…Hmph." Roswaal got up, dusting himself from the hit; he seemed quick to brush off the pain, as if he hadn't even felt it.

"That's quite the eye, Roswaal." Subaru was hanging upside down from a web tied to a tree branch. It seems he had swung at the man in order to reach the momentum for his earlier blow. "I never expected Shamak to work against you… But to think you dispelled it? Wow…"

"I'm impressed as well. Even if I knew you could turn invisible, for your presence itself to vanish as well is… quite the feat." The mage narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"You know… Are you sure you aren't a Witch Cultist?" Spider-Man spoke in a mocking, insulting tone.

"…" Roswaal scowled.

"After all, that dispelling and absorbing technique at point blank… It is disgustingly similar to the Whale's mana siphoning. You really sure you don't have a Gospel?"

"GOA!"

"Hup!*

*FWOOM!*

*ZAP!*

*KA-BLAM!*

*FZZZZZ~!*

Roswaal shot another fire spell but Subaru had managed to counter it by shooting a bolt of lightning at it, neutralizing the threat.

*ZOOM!*

The two jumped towards the other, clashing in a bout of martial arts.

"HAAH!" Roswaal threw punch after punch, combining kicks and downward palm strikes.

*SLAP!*

*BLAM!*

"HUT!" Subaru, although struggling by the lack of his Spider-Sense, was capable of blocking and firing fists and kicks back at the man. Fortunately, even though Roswaal was strong, Subaru's innate strength was superior, managing to give him an edge over his opponent in close quarters.

*SMACK!*

*THWACK!*

*BLAM!*

"Tsk!" Roswaal was driven back by Subaru's continuous punches. Although he was capable of fending them off initially, the hero's speed just increased with each exchange, to the point that he didn't even have time to properly conjure even a simple spell, lest Subaru gained the momentum to break his jaw or hands. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

*GRAB!*

"!" The Avenger noticed with surprise how the Margrave caught him by the arm mid-swing, succeeding to perform a Judo-like throw and using his strength against him.

*FWOOSH!*

"Don't think it so easy!" Subaru quickly aimed his wrists as he hovered in the air, expecting to shoot a web.

*THWIP!*

"FURA!"

*SHWOOM!*

Roswaal's wind spell quickly cut through the web's strings, but Subaru expected this. After all, it wasn't Roswaal he had shot at, but at the ground beneath him.

"!" The mage noticed with alarm that he had fell for his ruse. Spider-Man's webs were shortened by Roswaal's wind blade, resulting in the ending tips of them landing on the ground before him. At such a speed Subaru was sent flying and combined with the tension of the strings…

*ZOOOOOM!*

Spider-Man ricocheted towards Roswaal at speeds higher than any normal person could feasibly react to, resulting in the wizard being smacked on the stomach by a human-arachnid bullet.

*KA-BLAM!*

"HMPH!" The Margrave stood firm, tanking the blow and ignoring the pain expertly, but Subaru's assault wasn't over there.

*SHWOOOM!*

"Here! Pain express coming through!"

*SMASH!*

"Gaghk!" Roswaal involuntarily moaned in complaint as Subaru rushed him, kicking him repeatedly across the forest, jumping from tree to tree as he performed a combo on the rag-dolling clown.

"It's payback time!*

*SMACK!*

*SLAM!*

*KA-POW!*

*BLAM!*

*THWACK!*

"ENOUGH!" Roswaal shouted in anger as the surroundings ignited in waves of fire.

"WOAH!"

*BOOOOM!*

"Argh!" Subaru was blown back by one of the explosions of magical fire, making him roll in the ground trying to douse off the raging flame covering him.

"It was one thing trying to go easy on you, to get you to be compliant through pain. It is another altogether allowing you to get full of yourself and try to beat me!" Roswaal affirmed, as he got up, glaring at the flailing boy on the ground.

"Tsk!" Subaru was successful in extinguishing the flame, quickly recovering his stance and glaring back at the bruised man.

"UL HUMA!" Roswaal waved his arm and immediately after, the temperature around Subaru dropped.

*SHWING!*

"Oh crap, I know this one-!" The hero had not the time to complain as a multitude of ice spears formed under his feet. "Again?!"

*SHWOOOM!*

"GHGK!" One of the spears lodged itself in Subaru's left bicep, near the deltoid, resulting in the limb going numb. Not risking another such injury, Subaru hid behind a sturdy tree as the spears kept exploding and shooting upwards around him.

*SHWOOOM!*

*BLAM!*

"!" Spidey's body jolted with pain, as if someone had shot a hot bullet through him. "Augh!" He stumbled, dropping to his knees.

"…See how you are the one ignoring the opponent now?" Roswaal appeared from behind the tree, it seems he had managed to hide himself amongst the barrage of ice spears to strike Subaru.

"Dammit…" The teenager voiced with pain. "The hell did you do Joker?! You didn't strike me directly!"

"It's a bit of a western martial art, you see…" Roswaal raised his right hand for Subaru to see, his palm was glowing red with magical luminosity. "A palm strike capable of sending shockwaves through an object and directly towards the person behind it. The tree is also burning from the inside, much like you."

*FIZZLE~!*

The tree that the Avenger had used for cover was letting a steady streak of smoke from an orifice.

"Burning from the inside- DAUGH?!" Spider-Man flailed with pain on the ground as his guts felt as hot as molten iron. "AUCK!"

"A palm strike infused with fire mana, capable of casting a minor fire spell from within the person once it lands."

"Ghgh!" Subaru dropped to the ground, face down, as he seemingly fell unconscious due to the pain.

"Now, you are coming with me. I don't care if I have to torture you further, until you can undo your mista-?!"

*GRAB!*

"WHAT?!" As the Margrave reached a hand towards Subaru's neck, the hero grabbed him by the arm instead and turned to look at the standing mage once more.

"Don't think it… so easy… Ros-chi…" The arachnid mocked with a shaky voice. Through his natural magical affinities, Roswaal could tell just from touching Subaru that the spell that should have fried the boy's stomach. But Subaru quickly stood up as if nothing had happened.

"How are you-?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know, you knockoff Pennywise?!" Subaru had managed to counter the spell's full effect by producing a spark of lighting inside his entrails. Although he had felt excruciating pain due to the heat, it succeeded in protecting himself from an otherwise devastating blow. Of course, he did not intend to reveal such an outlandish and painful strategy to Roswaal.

*CRA-CRACKLE!*

*ZAP!*

"Argh!" Roswaal grunted involuntarily as the pain surprised him. Subaru had shocked him through the arm. "Tsk! FURA!"

"WOAH!" The hero had to let go of the clown as a wind blade was shot in his direction.

"Hah!" Roswaal took to the skies again, this time flying quite far above the tree line and into the starry night.

*FWOOOM!*

"Hey, come on!" Spider-Man complained at the tactic. "You gonna do ranged shots now?! How much of a cheater can you-?!" But basic ranged attacks was not the strategy Roswaal had in mind at all.

"It's a shame; I wanted to save my remaining strength for when I really needed it… No, this is already a failure for my current self, so I might as well go all out in forcing you." Roswaal raised his hands at the boy on the ground, alarming him. "Survive this and then… Make sure it doesn't happen again."

"What are you-?!" Subaru was unable to wonder as Roswaal's hands shone in a rainbow colored intermittent light.

"Behold a Six-Fold magic!"

*FWOOOM!*

*SHWING!*

*BOOOM!*

*KA-BOOM!*

*ZOOM!*

"OH SHIT!" Subaru yelled in a panic as Roswaal displayed a spectacle of multiple high tier spells, all directed at him. Roswaal had cast six continuous, destructive pillars of magic; Al Goa, Al Dona, Al Huma, Al Fura, even a shower of lightning produced by combined wind magic and a torrent of pressured water that sliced through the trees like butter.

This clown is insane! This stuff has to be on the level of Puck when transformed!

That was the only thought Subaru could manage before the spells landed on the ground.

*BOOOOM!*

"Aurgh!" Subaru yelped as he barely avoided such a certain death situation. However, even if he was quick on his feet and agile enough to leap away at the last second, the shrapnel and shockwaves were something he couldn't simply dodge as easily as the wider blasts.

*BOOOOM!*

"GHGH!"

*BOOOOM!*

"ARCK!"

*BOOOOM!*

"SHI-!"

*BOOOOM!*

"BLURGH-?!"

*BOOOOM!*

"GAGHK!"

*BOOOOM!*

"FUCK!" Subaru dropped to the ground again as the wave of destruction pursued him, his body growing injured as streams of blood rolled down his torn up suit. Even his mask was shredded, exposing a very bruised left eye. "If it's going to be like that, I have no chance! Might as well go for the stupid route again!" The hero planned amidst groans.

*THWIP!*

"Please don't burn!" Shooting multiple webs into the darkness of the forest with both hands, Subaru braced himself for the incoming pain.

"AL GOA!" Roswaal yelled as he shot yet another pillar of fire.

"EYAAAAAAARGH!" Spider-Man expanded forward his own rays in order to fight off the assault, shining blue as he produced a pillar of light himself.

*FWOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!*

*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The red and blue pillars collided, incinerating the surroundings.

*FZZZZZZZZ~!*

*CRA-CRACK!*

*BLAM!*

Burnt trees fell all around as the landscape turned from verdant forest to ashen wastes. The fight had been fierce, but now the conclusion had come.

"…" Roswaal was standing triumphal over a seemingly unconscious Subaru, who sat on the ground, laying on a broken trunk for support. Unlike before, the court mage was confident in the boy's lack of awareness due to him barely even breathing. But as always… It was never a dull moment around Subaru Natsuki. "You stubborn…"

"Hngh…" Subaru managed to open his revealed left eye and gaze back at the mage. "Hehe… Looks like I… still have some… fight left… on me after all…"

"Not for long." Roswaal went to grab the boy's collar, to try to deal a finishing punch to the cocky brat's face.

*TWITCH*

"!" However, the Margrave soon noticed a motion from the teenager's left arm. "FURA!"

*FWOOOSH!*

"…" Roswaal had cut off a web-string attached to Subaru's left hand, one the boy had deviously concealed under a blanket of Shamak in order to hide it amongst the forest's shadows. "A final, petty trick. Did you really think I wouldn't notice you using magic? After this entire battle… You really disappoint me." The nobleman glared at the beaten boy.

"The disappointing one here is you, Ros-chi… Only ever noticing the magic and none of the other cool shit…"

*FWOOOM!*

*STAB!*

"!" Roswaal's eyes grew in surprise as a surge of pain sprouted from his left hip. A piece of burnt trunk had rocketed out of nowhere in his direction and lodged itself deeply within him. "What the-?!"

"You only focused on YOUR world's magic… Never noticing mine…" Subaru had swung his right arm at the same time Roswaal had cut off the strings from his left hand; prompting a sharp piece of wood he had webbed before the explosion to come flying towards the mage at the speed of wind magic. Roswaal had been unable to detect it because, unlike the left web concealed with Shamak and mana, the right web was concealed by the magnetic field of Subaru's cosmic rays. The same field he'd normally use on himself for camouflage, he had used on his webs for a surprise attack.

"Kugh!" Roswaal looked back at the hero with irritation.

"I told you twice already… Not to think it so easy!" Subaru got up and grabbed the Margrave by the head.

*GRAB!*

"TSK! UL-!" Roswaal tried to burn the boy's arms away with a fireball, but Spidey already had the advantage.

*CRA-CRACKLE!*

*ZAAAAAAAAP!*

"Gagh!" Roswaal stumbled in surprise and shock. The same lightning Subaru had used earlier to knockout Garfiel had coursed through him as well. "Th-This is not-!"

*ZAAAAAAAAP!*

*THUD!*

"KGH!" The Margrave fell to the ground as the continuous bolts paralyzed his body.

*GRAB!*

Subaru switched his focus as the nobleman refused to lose consciousness. The hero grabbed Roswaal by the collar of his suit and began pounding on the man.

"JUST!"

*SMACK!*

"PASS!

*SMACK!*

"THE FUCK!"

*SMACK!*

"OUT!"

*SMACK!*

"ALREADY!"

*SMACK!*

"…" Roswaal finally fell unconscious as Subaru's continuous overhead strikes robbed the mage of any chance of retaliating, leaving the man's face full of purple and red bloody bruises.

"*PANT-PANT* Hah… Hah…" Subaru sighed with exhaustion as he dropped besides Roswaal.

*THUD!*

"Fucking… Hah… Hell, man…" The tired Avenger spat with disdain at the clown.

Roswaal… Fuck, he's really strong… His movements that entire fight were sluggish, to say the least. If he had been on top condition… His strength might have rivaled mine. In addition, even WITH my Spider-Sense, he might have folded me… He really is as strong as Puck… The sole reason I had a proper opening was that he underestimated me… Sucks to be him.

"…" Kneeling besides the beaten court mage, Subaru proceeded to use a piece of burning wood to cauterize Roswaal's stab wound. He might hate the man, but he cannot bring him to justice dead after all.

*FZZZZZZ~*

"Shit… I think my ribs are cracked… And my left arm really IS broken… This shit sucks!" Subaru groggily got up, limping pitifully back to the road as the Margrave remained unconscious behind him. "Hey! Ronald McDonald!" Subaru turned to look at the man.

"…" Roswaal could not answer back.

"Even if you are unconscious… Don't you dare think this is over! I'll come back for you after Ultron is done… So make peace with your fucked up life before I lock you in a cell forever asshole!"

Subaru managed to clumsily fumble his way back towards the remnants of the road, making a direct line towards where Patrasche would be.

*FLAP-FLAP-FLAP!*

"KUAAAA!" Patrasche came running to the boy's side as he walked towards her, wagging her tail with cheer the entire time.

"Hey girl…" Subaru mumbled. Although it had taken a while, the young man was successful in defeating Roswaal. Now, as he rode atop her once more, his only focus was the Mansion. "Let's go…"

As the sun rose in the horizon, Subaru and Patrasche managed to arrive to the Mansion. As the boy crossed the gate he noticed how, although quiet, there weren't any signs of breaking-in like before.

"*SIGH* It seems Elsa isn't here… So I have time to warn them, huh?" As his dragon came to a halt, Subaru was quick to approach the shack in which his technology lied.

"Subaru-sama?!" As he was about to open the door to the shack, Subaru turned with mixed feelings to look at the surprised Frederica. "Wha-What happened?! You are bruised all over! Is that blood?!"

"Frederica… Were you gardening? It is quite early…"

"It's one of my duties but… Disregard that! What happened?!" The maid tried to approach him, but Subaru raised his palm as sign for her to stop.

"Frederica… Roswaal and I fought." Subaru quickly explained.

"…Huh?" The maid grew anxious at his tone.

"It seems the entire situation at Sanctuary was part of his plan… He's trying to resurrect the Witch of Greed."

"…" The maid trembled a bit at his ominous tone.

"I don't know the other specifics either… But he seemed to know that Elsa will come here tomorrow to kill you and Petra. You should- UNGH!" Subaru leaned on the closed door as the pain caught up to him.

"S-Subaru-sama…" Frederica mumbled, cautious of the unstable man.

"You must take Petra and Meilli and run… Or ask Beatrice to help you fight her… I-I have to go to the Capital…"

"The… Capital?"

"Ultron is coming… No one back at Sanctuary would listen to me, but he's coming nonetheless! If we stay here doing nothing… Then not just Lugunica, the entire world will cease to exist!"

"Subaru-sama… What are you saying…?" The maid was alarmed by his tone and warnings, as if he was issuing an ultimatum.

"You have to run away from here! In the meantime… I'll try to amass an army, so just-!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

"!" The pair trembled in surprise as an explosion down south, in the direction of Arlam, interrupted their conversation. The ground and the air shook, speaking volumes about the danger ahead to the tired Avenger.

"No… NO! It can't be!" Subaru grunted in a panic.

*ZOOM!*

*BLAM!*

"…" Before Subaru and Frederica, three of Ultron's legionnaires stood menacingly.

"Wha…" The maid wondered in alarm.

"FREDERICA!" The boy pleaded with desperate eyes. "RUN TO THE MANSION! TAKE MEILLI, PETRA AND BEATRICE AND RUN AWAY!"

*ZNNMMMM!*

The machines were loading death beams aimed at the building, but Subaru was quick to jump into action.

*ZAAAAP!*

*BLAM!*

*CLA-CLANK!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The machines' aim was disturbed by Subaru's lightning, making them shoot their lasers into the air instead, narrowly avoiding the Mansion.

"!" Frederica looked with dread at the sheer destructive capability of the drones. She readied herself for a fight, but Subaru cut her thoughts short.

"NOW!" He reproached the blonde woman, prompting her to look at him with wide eyes. "Please… I'll take care of things here, so leave!"

"…" Frederica said nothing, choosing to heed his words and run towards the mansion at full speed.

"Patrasche! You go with her!" Subaru quickly ordered his trembling steed.

"K-KUAAAAAAA!" The dragon answered awkwardly while pursuing the maid.

"…" The drones recovered from the Avenger's assault, standing up and directing crimson gazes at the injured boy.

"Tsk!" Subaru's wounds had opened up with his earlier motion, making blood trickle down his battered body and making his movements sluggish. In truth, he was not confident about overcoming such foes in his current state.

*ZOOM!*

"Come on!" Subaru caught one of the robots as it rushed him, grabbing its head with his hands and producing a direct shock to fry the inner circuitry.

*ZAAAP!*

*CLANK!*

*THUD!*

The robot fell to the ground, defeated. However, such an action gave the other two drones a window of opportunity to attack the injured Avenger.

*STAB!*

"ARGH!" The machines flanked Subaru, stabbing him on the sides with vibranium blades protruding from their arms. "You… Fuckers!"

*GRAB!*

Subaru grabbed their heads and proceeded to fry their circuits as well.

*ZAAAAAAP!*

*CLA-CLANK!*

The robots dropped immediately. It seems they were part of the weaker infantry of Ultron if they were defeated so easily by mere shocks. Nevertheless, the damage was done, as Subaru dropped to the ground with his blood pooling around him.

"HGNGHK!" The Avenger grunted again, the pain taking over as the desperate situation turned grim.

*ZOOM!*

"What?!" Just as he was drifting into the embrace of death, another set of drones flew above him. An army of them, flying in all directions. "No… Was I… Too late…?!"

In Sanctuary, Emilia had confined herself to her room. After the disaster that was the entire discussion last night, she couldn't bear to face anyone, not even the villagers of Arlam that depended on her.

"You called me insensible… Maybe that really is true. Yet… I'd rather be called that than there being no one left to say such words to me."

"What did you mean by that? Subaru…" Her hands trembled in anger and confusion as she hugged her knees in a fetal position beside her bed.

"Do you even realize what I've seen?! Who I'm doing this for?! I just told you! And even now… You still don't understand?! Where the hell did your promise to trust me go to, huh?!"

"You broke your promise too! You didn't… You didn't believe in me!" She argued to no one.

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU! NOT JUST YOU!"

"Ultron is beyond me, he's beyond you or Roswaal's schemes. I won't stop repeating that, because it's the truth. This isn't about you, nor is it about me. It's about everyone and the possibility of not having a tomorrow…"

"If you are going to be confusing like that…" Emilia uttered while holding back tears, not really giving any thought to what she was saying, just speaking out of spite. "I'd rather Puck had stayed instead of you-!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

"!" She got up in alarm as the earth beneath the house shook and the sounds of explosions inundated the surroundings. "What?!"

She ran outside, leaping through the window and witnessing in shock… As flying suits of armor destroyed the forest around her, killing the inhabitants of Sanctuary and Arlam mercilessly.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"AUGH!"

"EYAAAAGH!"

"AAAAAAH!"

"SUBARU-SAMA!"

"AUUGH!"

"ACK!"

"NO-NO!"

"UAAAAAAAAAHN!"

"A-Ah…" Her knees trembled at the absurdity of it all. People were screaming, running around like headless chickens as the flying hostiles set them on fire or obliterated them in the blink of an eye.

"EMILIA-SAMA-!" Otto yelled with fear and tears in his eyes as an armor pursued him. The boy was seeking salvation from his predicament by running towards the confused half-elf, but…

*BOOOM!*

"ACK!" The machine's ray deleted the merchant, turning him into a pile of ashes in the wind.

"OTTO!" Emilia shouted with anger as the boy ceased to exist.

*SCHWING!*

*FWOOOSH!*

Emilia produced a vast quantity of ice spears, all aimed at the robots surrounding her.

"GO AWAAAAAAY!" She cried with tears rolling down her cheeks as the spears propelled forward, embedding themselves deeply into each and every construct.

*CLANK!*

All the machines dropped around her, dismembered or frozen as Emilia's spells destroyed them.

"…" She calmed down, enough to assess the situation surrounding her at the very least. With horror, she noticed how most villagers, from both Arlam and Sanctuary, had died in the assault. A few crawled in pain before their burns and pain took a toll in them, making them fall silent as death overtook them. "H-How…"

"Emilia-sama!" Ram announced her presence as she called for the candidate.

"Ram!" The girl turned to face her with some relief, but one glimpse at the maid's appearance shook that entire notion out of her head. "Wh-Wha…"

"Hnghk!" The oni tripped, falling on top of the candidate, seeking support. With panic, Emilia noticed how her entire left arm was missing, replaced by a burnt stump. Not just that, she was covered in lacerations and burns, bleeding profusely from some of them.

"R-Ram!" Emilia began applying healing magic to her wounds, trying to make sense of the disaster. "Pl-Please, calm down!"

"Ro-Roswaal-sama… Garfiel…" The pink girl murmured as she laid on the half-elf's arms.

"…" Emilia remembered that Roswaal had returned in the early morning, defeated and injured, not wishing to talk about his encounter with Subaru. The man locked himself in his room, rejecting even Ram's assistance. He wasn't the only one, however, as the blonde boy had done something similar after waking up from the unconscious state the hero had left him in last night. Much like her, the two men had chosen reclusion after confronting Subaru. "Wh-What about them?" Dreading an answer, Emilia inquired with reluctance.

"Those things… They killed them! I couldn't… I…" The maid gasped and cried, passing out as tears welled in her eyes. "Barusu was right! These things… look like his armor…!" Ram passed out, the pain and blood loss taking their toll on her at last.

"…" Emilia laid the maid down on the ground, swallowing her words bitterly.

"Barusu was right!"

"Ultron… A program that has achieved nigh-unstoppable powers thanks to the Infinity Stones. He took Karen and the Iron Spider after I completed my trial and he's currently travelling around… universes and dimensions, I know not where."

"If you hear only what you want to hear… Then there is no use convincing you. I… Have a duty, one that goes beyond the Selection or Sanctuary, one that now extends to the universe itself."

"I'm leaving; you can stay and try to complete the Trials or whatever. I'm not needed here."

"No…" Emilia's knees trembled as she faced the merciless reality before her. "Subaru… he was right? Then… What have I been…?"

*ZOOM!*

*BLAM!*

"…" A hundred drones arrived, all intending to eliminate any life remaining in the vicinity. Their visors all homed on Emilia, concentrating and analyzing her features before they engaged in combat.

"…" The silver girl's fist trembled before she resolved herself to glare at the monsters. She scowled and cried, her face growing terrifying as though a malicious witch she were.

*ZNNNNMMM!*

The pack of drones charged their beams, preparing for eliminating the half-elf.

*SHWING!*

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Emilia shouted with anger and desperation, a thousand ice spears spawning behind her as she raised her hands. "DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

*KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

In a collision of ice and heat, the magical spears exploded as the laser beams impacted against them, covering the Sanctuary in a thick mist.

As these events transpired, Subaru could do nothing but lament his impotence as life escaped him again.

*BOOOM!*

Explosions and fire raged all around the boy as the machines trampled on everything in existence.

Fuck!

Subaru thought with regret.

This can't be it! Please, please! To whoever or whatever it is out there that cursed me… make Return by Death activate! Please! If I already wasted all my chances… If Ultron is back…! Then… The universe…!

*ZOOM!*

*BLAM!*

"…" A pair of legionnaires stood above Subaru as he grasped for air, looking at him without emotion or care.

*CLANG!*

*ZNNNNM!*

The two aimed their cold, metallic limbs at the boy and charged their attack.

PLEASE ACTIVATE! RETURN BY DEATH!

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

…

"*GASP*!" Subaru woke up with a jolt, his eyes growing tearful as he got up. Noticing his surroundings, he found out… That he was back at the Tomb, besides Emilia. "Augh!"

Am I-?! Am I… Alive?!

*PAT!*

Subaru patted himself all over, trying to make sure that his body was still in one piece.

"I… I AM ALIVE!" The Avenger cried, tears falling from his eyes. "Oh, thank goodness! Oh, good lord… Man… Dammit…!" He leaned on the wall as his knees trembled, all whilst hugging himself. "I am alive…! I am…!"

"Hmngh…" Emilia groaned in her unconscious state, ignorant of all that had just happened.

"E-Emilia… She's here too! You are alive-!"

"If you leave… I won't forgive you! I-I'll…"

"I'll hate you! I really will!"

"…Yeah… You are alive…" Subaru's relieved smile disappeared instantly, replaced by a saddened frown as he remembered their parting words.

"…N-No…" The girl muttered.

"…" Subaru looked at his wrist, still in shock about the previous loop, yet hopeful about things being different this time. After all… Ultron hadn't made his presence known upon him waking up. "Karen… are you there?"

But there was no response, and said lack of response… shattered his heart.

"…Th-Thought as much… If Ultron can interfere with time and reality… then… He could have removed Karen altogether from the Timeline itself… So you really are gone…?" Subaru trembled in fear and awe at the machine's feat. Ultron hadn't just kidnapped Karen, he had erased her presence from the time loop, cutting her off from the possibility of Return by Death recovering her.

"Goddamnit…!" The boy kneeled, crying again. "Karen…! I… Need you…!" He whispered to no one as his tears stained the cold, hard stone floor of Echidna's Tomb. "GODDAMNIT!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Sheesh… Subaru sure has it tough. His Spider-Sense not working? Must be an existential crisis kicking in…

On another note though… Woohoo! I managed to upload!

Then again, these chapters might be getting a bit shorter than expected…

I'll try making them more concise so I can upload faster, I'm kind of in a tight schedule.

Having said that, I'll make sure quality stays as best as possible, even if it spans over multiple chapters!

As always, looking forward to your reviews and criticisms! See you on the next one!

OH! And before I forget… Happy Birthday to everyone's favorite ball of joy and suffering! Happy Birthday, Natsuki Subaru!