RE:Avenger Chapter 26, an Avengers + Re:Zero Crossover fanfic

Chapter 26 – Present and Future

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"TSK!" Subaru clicked his tongue as he barely managed to dodge an explosion by diving under a mound of broken trees and debris. "That damn clown… At this rate, you are really gonna cripple me!"

Subaru and his group had been fighting fiercely against Roswaal for an hour now, the mage never relenting in his assault. The original intention of the fight was to force Roswaal into submission to deactivate the spell that had turned Sanctuary into a snowy landscape, but now, the Margrave was fully intent on murdering Subaru's reason for fighting. Although he had attempted to use his trump card to sabotage Spider-Man's efforts and kill everyone, the Avenger was successful in thwarting such a plan by the use of a mysterious cosmic energy…

*FWOOM!*

"UL GOA!" Roswaal shouted from the sky as he summoned a vast array of fireballs with the intention of incinerating the forest.

*THWWWWWWIIIIIIP!*

*SNATCH!*

"Not so fast!" Subaru said as Roswaal casted the spell. By constructing a net out of his webbing, Subaru bundled together the rubble he was hiding in; now, he just needed some muscle to launch the rudimentary cannonball in Roswaal's direction. "GARFIEEEEL!"

*GRAB!*

"ON IT!" The half-beast boy shouted as he grabbed onto the extreme of the net. "RAAAAARGH!"

"EEEEEIYAAAA!" Subaru and Garfiel grunted as they threw the webbed mound of debris upwards, the monstrosity crashing against Roswaal's projectiles and blocking them.

*FWIIIIIISH!*

*BOOOM!*

"Hmph!" Margrave Mathers did not relent, however. Even through the pain of broken ribs and scorched red arms from Subaru's previous blow, the animosity in his offence did not decay. "UL HUMA!"

*CRA-KOOM!*

"Here they come!" Subaru mumbled in alarm as a jungle of ice spears began sprouting underneath himself and Garfiel.

"LEAVE IT TA ME, CAP'N!" Garfiel, in response, exuded an aura of confident power. "HORRRAAAAAA!"

*STOOOOOOOOOOOMPPPP!*

*BOO-BOOOM!*

*CRASH!*

The demi-human boy partially transformed his legs into their beast form, stomping hard on the ground. With his Divine Protection of Earth Spirits activating, accompanied too by the shockwave generated by his raw strength, Garfiel isolated and destroyed the spears with a barrier of earth mana.

"Oh crap!" But Subaru, as perceptive as he was, sensed yet another threat to his and Garfiel's safety. "This asshole-!"

"EL DONAAA!" The expert mage in the sky chanted loudly as he rewrote his water magic spell into an earth-based one.

*FRWOOOM!*

"Garfiel! Dodge!" Subaru ordered.

"What's he plannin'?!" Garfiel roared in confusion as the ice he had stepped on became solid rocks. Soon after though…

*BOOOM!*

*PRUSHUM-PRUSHUM-PRUSHUM!*

"ARGH?!" The blonde boy grunted in pain as a million rock bullets burst forth, some lodging themselves in his calves and feet. "Oww! Ack!"

*GRAB!*

"We need to take cover!" Subaru said as he grabbed the injured Garfiel by the arm, dodging the assault.

*BOOOM!*

*PRUSHUM-PRUSHUM-PRUSHUM!*

*SPLURT!*

"Kegh-!" Subaru moaned in discomfort as the rock bullets struck him the thighs and calves as well. "Low blow, Roswaal!"

"You don't get to say that!" The Margrave retorted as he prepared another wave of spells, searching for the pair of boys hidden in the foliage.

"Geh, we are sittin' ducks down here!" Garfiel angrily spouted as he glared at the man in the sky looking for him and his Captain.

"How are your wounds, Garf?" Subaru wondered.

"Better dan yers, Cap'n." Garfiel mumbled in whispers. "Any plans? Where's Ram?"

"Hidden, like us. She told me she'd make a move once we can ground Roswaal…" Subaru responded with frustration.

"Easier said dan done! How are we s'pposed ta take a bird from da sky?!"

"…Ever heard of how Gon caught the fishing bird?" Subaru prompted, much to Garfiel's wonder.

"Who da fuck is Gon?" Garfiel raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Fuck it! Dunno what dat means, but I'm in!"

"You didn't even… Well, don't blame me for what happens next!"

*BOOM!*

*SMASH!*

*CRASH!*

"Where are you…?!" Roswaal mumbled in frustration as he fired spell after spell to the

"OI! ROS-CHI!" Spider-Man yelled from the ground as he exited the thicket of bushes and shrubbery. "LOOKING FOR SOMEONE?!"

"There you are!" Roswaal growled as he prepared a slew of fireballs.

*FWOOOM!*

"GOAAA!" The Margrave yelled as the rainbow fire rained on the young hero.

"HUP!" Subaru groaned as he produced an equal amount of lightning bolts to counter the assault.

*CRA-CRACKLE!*

*ZAAAAAAP!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The fireballs and electric bolts clashed against one another, producing a cloud of smoke between the Avenger and the court mage.

*SHWOWOOOSHH!*

"Hmph!" With a swat of his hand, Roswaal dissipated the smoke generated by the clash of elements. But what greeted him as the cloud disappeared was a ridiculous surprise. "?!"

*FWIIIIISH!*

"INCOMIN'!" Garfiel yelled as Subaru threw him directly at the nobleman, as though a ball he were.

*DASH!*

"…Is this really all you can muster? To throw an idiot at me?" The Margrave dodged the demi-human projectile by moving to the side in the air. As Roswaal doubted Subaru's sanity, however, the real plan came to fruition.

*THWIP!*

*SNATCH!*

"Hey! Over here!" Subaru shouted as he caught Roswaal by the right arm with a web.

*FZZZZZZ~!*

"How many times must you do that to learn I won't-?!" Roswaal mocked as he incinerated the web instantly, without realizing that… Subaru was missing a web-shooter.

*THWIP!*

*SNATCH!*

"?!" Roswaal noticed in alarm at the last second as a web attached to the back of his head. "Garfiel-!"

*TWING!*

*ZOOOM!*

"SECOND ROUND!" Garfiel had shot Roswaal with his own web from Subaru's left web-shooter, the string reaching a tension point and making him ricochet in the direction of the Margrave. Garfiel wasn't the decoy, Subaru was.

*STAB!*

"GAHARG?!" Roswaal involuntarily groaned as he failed to dodge Garfiel's attack, the blonde boy stabbing his shields edges deeply onto the legs of the Margrave.

*GRAB!*

"An' dat's not all!" Garfiel said as he grabbed Roswaal by the hem of his suit's collar. "DORYAAAA~!"

*SMAAAACK~!*

"Kuh-!" Roswaal's head wobbled as the blonde-boy head-butted him in mid-air.

*ZOOOOM!*

*CRAAAASH!*

Having lost his concentration, Roswaal crash-landed on the snow covered grass of a clearing created by his devastating attacks.

"Hehe!" Garfiel giggled as he landed besides the man. "How ya like 'em appas, huh?!"

"…" Roswaal did not answer as He groggily stood up.

"Oi, oi. Seriously? Imma have ta break yer spine or somethin' just so ya can give it a rest?" The blonde boy smirked as he mocked the injured mage.

"…" But Roswaal remained silent as he raised his gaze to meet Garfiel's own.

"Hmn?" The demi-human boy noticed in alarm… How Roswaal's demeanor changed. "?!"

"…" The Margrave was glaring directly into Garfiel's green eyes as he prepared a spell.

*CRASH!*

"!" Instinctively, Garfiel put his shields up, while at the same time he casted a barrier of rocks before himself.

*SMASH!*

But Roswaal punched through the earth shield.

"AL GOAAAAA!" The Margrave screamed as he casted a gigantic fireball at pointblank.

"OH SHI-!" Garfiel did not even have the time to curse as the fire exploded before him.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"…" Subaru stared with a nervous expression; he arrived just in time to witness his companion being launched several hundred feet into the forest, a trail of fire following him.

"You seem uncaring…" Roswaal commented in a chilling tone. "Garfiel just died… Yet your expression has not changed in the slightest, Su~baru-kun. Is it not, perhaps, because you are not grieving? Because you know you can undo~ this?"

"That's the worst kind of joke, you clown." Subaru sighed in disappointment. "Garfiel is not dead. Even if you shot him with a big scary ball of fire, he won't die that easily."

"Are you su~re?" The mage inquired as he scowled.

"Your bluff won't work." Subaru smirked cockily behind the mask. "After all, that 'Al Goa' you just casted looked more like your generic 'Goa'. Slightly bigger, maybe."

"…" The Margrave glared.

*RUSTLE-RUSTLE!*

"Isn't it time to admit you are spent, Roswaal-sama?" Ram announced as she appeared from the foliage behind Roswaal, flanking him.

"Ram…" The mage growled. "Come to relief Garfiel?"

"He accomplished his duty by grounding you, so Ram can finally resume her rightful scolding." Ram admitted as she looked at the bleeding feet and arms of her master. "Those wounds… Barusu's golden thunder and Garf's relentless assault have completely demolished your body."

"…" Roswaal remained glaring at the two.

"Isn't it time you realized that there is a girl here worried about your wellbeing, Ros-chi?" Subaru bellowed.

"Were she wo~rried, she wouldn't be here raising her hand at me." Roswaal smiled with satisfaction. "In truth… She is here because she ha~s grown tired of the humiliation of servi~ng under me."

"…" Ram frowned at the wording, much to Subaru's anger.

"The oath between us both… What you pursue is my book." Roswaal deflated slightly, his deranged smile faltering.

"The swordsman for the sword. The mage for the magic. The arsonist for the fire…" Ram reminisced.

"And he who trusts in a demon, for the demon." Roswaal finished.

"Ram…" Subaru, at the exchange, wondered with caution.

"If I am left without desires, empty… Then it is only fitting I accomplish my side of the deal and give myself up to you." Roswaal pronounced with an ear-to-ear grin.

"It's a shame that I'd be exposed so much in front of some lowlife like Barusu…" Ram sighed with shame. "But yes. Come that time, Ram is the one who determines whether you live or die Roswaal-sama."

"Do not make a mistake, however…" Roswaal mumbled as he looked at Subaru. "He might not show it, but your tru~mp card is also spent, my dear Ram… You played your cards to quickly. You were premature in your chase to see me fall."

"I will admit that I'm not at my best…" Spider-Man nodded with regret as his knees wobbled like Roswaal's. His body was covered in wounds and cuts from ice spears, cutting gales, explosions and the like, not to mention the bite dealt by Garfiel previously had opened. "My healing factor isn't so overpowered I'd regen instantly like Elsa, nor is it such a boon like Garf's Divine Protection or Rem's oni genes…"

"But you won't stop until Roswaal-sama gives in." Ram concluded Subaru's words. "In comparison to an exhausted Roswaal-sama, pitted against an eager Barusu and myself; do you really think you can win?"

"…" Roswaal bit his lip as even his maid denied his destiny.

"This altercation you are losing isn't in the book." Ram proclaimed as she glared at Roswaal's jacket. "If you lose here… Everything will be lost, won't it?"

"It's so insignificant a ski~rmish that the book need narrate it. Even if I'm exhausted, your decision was premature." Roswaal shook his head. "I won't lose, not even in this state. I'm not underestimating Su~baru-kun nor yourself any longer… You already failed to kill me, Ram."

"…You made a mistake in that assumption, Roswaal-sama." Ram shook her head as Roswaal claimed she came to kill him. "I came because I want your life, yes… But I don't want to kill you. Ram never sought for you to die."

"…?" Roswaal made a confused expression as Ram denied his words. "Then what was the purpose of… Ah, you wish to torture me so-"

"You are even worse than me, Roswaal." Subaru growled with shaking fists as he cut off the clown's insensitive words. "Does she really need to spell it out for you? You cruel bastard…"

"…I fear you~ might be the one misinterpreting things, Su~baru-kun." Roswaal narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"No, he hasn't." Ram admitted, much to the Margrave's surprise.

"Ram?" Roswaal turned to look at her again.

"If Barusu is greedy, so am I." The pink oni admitted. "Because I don't want to have your life when you are nothing but an empty casket. Ram wishes for the Roswaal-sama that has not lost himself… Not even to his own ambition."

*FWOOOM!*

"Is that why you chose to side with Su~baru-kun… To even the playing field by banking on his otherworldly powers to counter mine?!" Roswaal asked as his hands shone with rainbows of fire.

*FZZZZZZZZZ~!*

"Once again…" Subaru took a combat position as Roswaal's sheer aura began burning the grass around them.

*CRA-CRACKLE!*

"…" Ram raised her wand at the Margrave. "I swear, Roswaal-sama…"

"GOA!"

"ELECTRO-BLAST!"

*FWOOOSH!*

*ZAAAAAPPP!*

*BOOOOM!*

As Roswaal and Subaru's attacks clashed, another cloud of smoke and dust was formed, settling in place before the maid.

*FWIIIIISH!*

Ram then pronounced her innermost desire by dispelling the dust cloud that ensued with a flick of her wand...

"I'll free you from that mirage."

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Sanctuary, within the Tomb Emilia had locked herself in…

…

"Come on, Lia!" A gentle, motherly voice said as Emilia opened her eyes. "You are moving too much! At this rate, I rea~lly might pull down hard unintentionally!"

*Cchirp-chirp-chirp!*

*Flutter~…*

"…" Emilia found herself in a cozy bedroom; birdsong, gentle breeze and sunlight sweeping into the ambience as her surrogate parent, Fortuna, caressed her hair with a brush. "Mother Fortuna…"

"Hm? What's wrong?" The elf inquired her niece with an amused face. "Do you feel sleepy still?"

"…" Emilia gazed downwards, inspecting her mother with curiosity. "You put on a skirt… Actually, you rea~lly dolled up for today, huh? You look beautiful!"

"…Dolled up?! Who even says-! Emilia, don't tease me so!" A flustered Fortuna reproached the half-elf with a blush.

"Ehehe!" Emilia giggled, basking in the peaceful surroundings of her home as she inspected the abode further. However, her chuckles soon turned into silent curiosity as she gazed at a wall. "…"

It was an ordinary wall, by any means. Made of wood, a handmade painting dangling in the upper part, a coatrack by the side, a few cupboards leaning on it… And a single mirror at the center that failed to reflect Emilia's appearance.

"…?" The half-elf stared intensely at the mirror, captivated by the confusion of the ray of light that masked her reflection.

*Knock-Knock!*

"Ah!" Emilia became distracted from her trance as someone knocked on the entrance door to her home. "Someone is here! I'll go get them!"

"Ah! Lia…" Fortuna jolted in surprise at her niece's sporadic behavior.

*Creak~!*

"Good morning, Emilia-sama." A kind, quiet man's voice and figure greeted Emilia as she opened the door. "Thank you for welcoming me inside."

"Geuse…" Emilia mumbled Petelgeuse's nickname as he smiled back at her. In return, she smirked back as well. "Good morning!"

"You are early!" Fortuna greeted the man cheerfully as she walked towards the pair by the entrance. She was now sporting sunhat over her head whilst holding a basket filled to the brim in food and utensils. It seems the three were going out for a picnic. "Shall we go then?"

Having just finished her first trial, the half-elf candidate had experienced many a gruesome sights and depressing endings for her comfort. Had she the time, she would have paused to cry her heart out before continuing. Alas, her second trial HAD to be performed immediately after the first one, for lives depended on it. Having said so… Emilia was pleasantly surprised by the contents of her unthinkable present.

The following morning and noon were a dream come true for the half-elf… After a full week of struggles, be it back on the Capital or within the Sanctuary, Emilia scarcely had moments to relax as she was doing now beside Fortuna and Geuse.

They greeted her neighbors and friends in the forest, as well as play and fool around by the lakeside… Emilia even had fun teasing a romance between the crybaby Petelgeuse and the stoic Fortuna, much to their bewildered stupors. She liked how her mother wore a dress instead of pants today, indicating that for once she could truly relax without minding about leading others or protect her from the outside…

"You should come to live with us, Geuse!" Emilia proposed to the Archbishop, much to the man's awe.

"…I'm afraid that would only spell trouble." The man, however, denied vehemently. "Fortuna-sama is quite the important person, her duty is vital. Were I to prolong my stay here… People would start rumors about us. I couldn't trouble you so either of you, Emilia-sama."

"But everyone already thinks we are a family!" Emilia affirmed to Petelgeuse. "I mean, did you not hear the women gossiping?"

"…The…" The Archbishop processed the words with trouble. "Ah?! I-I mean, I thought they were referring to Emilia-sama and Fortuna-sama!"

"…" Fortuna looked away with embarrassment at such words.

"I-It's just…!" Geuse attempted some damage control as the elf sweated. "It's not as if I wouldn't like it so?! But I just- My duty and yours-! We-Well, Emilia-sama would-!"

"Well, I think it is a wonderful idea!" Emilia continued with a joyful tone, interrupting Petelgeuse's panic. "I wouldn't let anyone begin any rumors about you, or say any mean things."

"*Sigh* Seriously, Emilia…" Fortuna shook her head while blushing. "Where do you get this stuff?"

"I have spoken what I wished to speak!" Emilia celebrated as she stood up. "It's time the dame and the sir decide by themselves!"

"…Ahahahahaha!" Geuse and Fortuna giggled together at the girl's forward antics.

"Seriously… When did you grow so much?" The Archbishop wondered with a satisfied grin.

"We are happy to see that though!" Fortuna accompanied him in his pride.

"Hmm! Indeed!" Geuse agreed to Fortuna's remark about the two. "We are proud of you, Emilia-sama!"

"…Hm, yes." Emilia mumbled timidly as she turned her back to them, her smirk faltering. "I know."

Emilia left the pair by the lakeside after excusing herself, feeling that if she stared at their happiness any longer she would break down and cry. As she distantly contemplated on the two for a moment, atop one of the cliffs by the lake, Fortuna's assistant and the future leader of the village came to grant her company.

"What do you think about them, Archie?" Emilia asked to her impromptu companion as she gazed at the couple down below.

"They make a good pair." Arch blissfully admitted. "Fortuna-sama is far too strict on herself, so she can do with giving more thought to her own happiness. Even if it is complex to say anything concrete at the moment, with time they could-"

"But such a world is no longer possible… It's fiction." The half-elf lamented melancholically as she dried her tears and snot.

"An unthinkable present… Is it not the reality you wished for?" Arch proposed neutrally.

"…"

"To wish for their happiness, their wellbeing… Is this not your ideal present?"

"Yes." Emilia answered briefly.

"Fortuna-sama is dead. So is Petelgeuse. The forest has frozen. And I too have…"

"Yes, I know."

"You had to venture into the outside, be shunned and insulted, challenged at every turn and risk your life and even then, you parted ways with the Spirit you once called family as he betrayed your trust. Now, the world outside now seems unbelievably wide as an otherworldly visitor has arrived, and he even has the gall to keep secrets from you, like the Spirit that betrayed you."

"Yes…"

"If that is the case… Should you not remain here then? Where you can be happy? Where such matters mean nothing to you?" Arch asked with concern in his voice. "Returning to your world, there's nothing but bitterness in that road."

"…I'm sorry, Archie." Emilia shook her head. "I want to be strong by myself… So I cannot help but to yearn for that world."

"…"

"As my diligent Mother Fortuna… And like Geuse, the gentle crybaby too… As well as you who didn't give up in protecting me and smiled all the way, and even everyone else, awaiting for my return here in this forest." Emilia smiled as she remembered Elior and its residents, both the dead and the frozen.

"Emilia-sama…"

"For Puck too, who stood by my side and loved me, even when I wanted to shun him or forsook him. And Ram and Rem, who wish to save the persons they love and be there for them. Like Otto, who wishes to help a friend in need, no matter his gain in the end. Garfiel as well, who supported everyone in Sanctuary without complaining. For Subaru, who pushes feat after feat, regardless of the danger or peril, because he believes in a better tomorrow- I want to be able to say I can stand by these amazing people, that I have strength of my own."

"…"

"I want to be the sort of extraordinary person that who can reach her hand to those stars. That is why I shall be fine, Archie… Thank you for worrying." Emilia joyfully pronounced as she looked back at the elf with hopeful eyes. "I don't fear the future nor the outside world anymore. I'm looking forward to them, in all truth."

"…That's the stubbornness to be expected of you, Emilia-sama!" Arch chuckled as he relaxed. "Always worrying us with that attitude of yours…"

"Ehehe… My rea~lly sincere apologies for that!"

"No need." Arch reassured. "As a family, we were supposed to be worried about you."

"Thank you, Arch onii-chan!" Emilia prompted as she turned around to greet Fortuna, who was waving at her.

"…" As the conversation ended… another presence appeared where Arch stood.

"Thank you, Echidna." As Emilia waved to her mother down below, she announced her gratitude to the Witch of Greed that suddenly manifested behind her. "Had it not been for you, I would have never seen Archie again. Or Mother and Geuse's smiles once more. So… Thank you, Echidna."

"…" The Witch of Greed bellowed in murmurs. "You…"

"Hn? What is it?" Emilia failed to catch her words.

"…I hate you." In response, however,Echidna spouted venomous words laced in disdain.

"Huh?" Emilia turned around in confusion. "Echidna?"

"I just hate you." In apparent disgust as tears brimmed in her eyes, Echidna spoke one last time to Emilia. "I hate you so much, it's unbearable."

*Fwooooom…*

Echidna's figure disappeared, turning into nothing as she expressed her hatred for Emilia.

"…" Unable to do anything to stop her, Emilia turned to look back at Geuse and Fortuna again.

*ZhwoooooOOOooom…*

Immediately after, the world of fiction created by the Trial began crumbling into sporadic lights and bends in reality. It was turning blurry, indicating that the Trial of the present would soon end.

"…"

"Witch!"

"Half-devil!"

"Don't get near us! Stay away, half-devil!"

"What a disgusting woman!"

"Won't you apologize for being born a half-devil?"

Whilst Emilia pondered on the life that could have been, she began reflecting on the life she had already lived as well.

"I love you, Emilia."

"You are my precious daughter."

"Emilia-sama!"

"I trust you."

"VICTORY~!"

"…" Emilia remained pensive as she stared at the lake beneath her, at the bottom of the cliff.

How much longer will I need to be protected by others? How long have I already been shielded by others?

*SWOOOOOSH!*

Emilia leapt into the water as that thought coursed through her mind.

"…" As she was mere centimeters away from touching the water, Emilia saw her reflection within the Trial at last…

Huh… I do not look like Mother Fortuna at all. My eyes are all different… What a shame.

*CRAAAAASH!*

As opposed to a splash of water as she dove into the lake, the shattering of glass accompanied Emilia's descent.

"Ah…" In awe as she freefell from the sky, from the top of an appallingly tall construction… Emilia found herself in an alien landscape to her forests and villages.

Towers of crystal and metal, reaching for the heavens.

A body of water so vast, one could not imagine an end.

Lights of all colors and people of all appearances.

Sirens, sounds and smells unrecognizable.

And a myriad stars and the moon above, shining gorgeously.

"Is this…" Emilia mumbled as she gawked.

"A glimpse of the present that could be as well." Before her, occupying the space where her reflection should have been as she fell from a glassy skyscraper... Spider-Man answered.

"Subaru…" Emilia gazed at the masked vigilante reflected in the windows.

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"If you don't do something soon, you'll fall to your death." Spider-Man warned as he raised a wrist.

"…I won't die." Emilia smiled as she raised her own wrist in response, revealing the gold and silver web-shooter the hero had gifted her. "You are here with me."

Mirroring each other, they both aimed upwards. And then…

*THWIIIIIIIIIP!*

The half-elf, as if out of instinct, pressed the trigger on the web-shooter. Following this, a string was shot out of the bracelet, attaching itself to the top of the building and saving her life in the nick of time.

*SWWWIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNG~!*

*THWWIIIP~!*

*SWWWIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNG~!*

*THWWIIIP~!*

"WOOOOHOOOOOO!" In a liberating fashion, Emilia swung across the air and buildings, basking in the surroundings of a world foreign to hers with joy.

She knew… This is where the Subaru she knew came from.

Where he is trying to return.

Where she will help him reach, as the future ruler of Lugunica she aims to be.

This is the world of a hero.

The hero that showed HER the world.

*Tap-tap!*

"Ah…" Emilia sighed in exhaustion as she landed on the roof of a tall tower. "Oh wow…"

*WHIIIIOOOOOUUUUSHHHH~!*

The winds raged, making her turn around.

"So this is Subaru's world…" Emilia admired the nightscape of New York City with wonder from atop the Empire State Building. "It rea~lly is odder than I thought it'd be, and I saw his recordings… I find myself a bit flummoxed by the altitude of everything and the lights down below. It's supposed to be night out already and everyone still moves about as though it were the middle of Fire Time!"

*WHOOOSH!*

"What wind currents run up here…" The half-elf smiled as she basked in the view. "Everybody is like little ants down below… Hehe! I've decided; he is going to take me on a 'date' here, no matter what. I won't take no for an answer! Hmm, once Subaru finds a way back home, I will come to visit all the time! And he won't be able to say no as the Queen orders him so!"

But as she appreciated the hero's world…

*CRACK!*

"Huh?"

A fissure in the sky opened up, a blinding light disrupting Emilia's vision and twisting the surroundings into nothing.

*SHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Whoa, whoa!" Emilia mumbled in surprise as she suddenly lost her footing, preparing to aim her web-shooter again. "…I'm not… Falling? Huh?"

Witness the impending tragedy.

"AH!" The half-elf yelled as light engulfed her.

The third Trial has begun.

Whilst the Royal Candidate faced her last tribulation in the Tomb, Subaru's duel reached its climax…

*FWOOOOOOM!*

*CRASH!*

*BOOOM!*

"Dagh!" Subaru spat as he destroyed a giant ice shard aiming for Ram. "Hey! You okay?!"

"The more you concern with me, the more you shall bleed needlessly." The maid retorted, antagonizing him. "FURA!*

*SLASH!*

*FZZZZ~!*

"Huh…" Subaru mumbled in astonishment as Ram cleaved an incoming fireball in half, saving him.

"You've gone dull, Barusu." Ram assured with disappointment. "The point of you being here is so that you can distract Roswaal-sama. Do your job."

"You know…" Spidey chuckled at the abuse. "You are a really bad liar; your worry shows a lot."

"Shut up, ugly."

"Are you quite do~ne, yet?" Roswaal prompted as his hands and the trees around him burned in blue and golden fires.

"Ros-chi… You really are a freak, holding this much in you." Subaru insulted as he looked around at the destroyed surroundings. "When the hell do you run out fuel, huh?!"

"I shall admi~t I have tired myself more than I ever expected against you." Roswaal sighed as he ignored the pain coursing through his body. "But then again, if you must compla~in at every turn, it must mean that you are at your limit yourself far more than me, Su~baru-kun."

"We acknowledge that you are a force to be reckoned with, Roswaal-sama." Ram nodded with reluctance. "But even you should be at your worst at the current moment."

"Fortunately…" Roswaal smirked at the doubt of the oni. "Being that Su~baru-kun strained Emilia-sama and Puck-kun's relationship, I saved a lo~t of mana I would have used otherwise in disrupting their contract."

"Of course he had that shady a plan, the bastard. So in the end… I'm the one that cranked the difficulty up, huh?" Subaru lamented. "I did you a favor without noticing… Fuck, if I had known-!"

"If you had known, would it have changed anything?" Ram reassured, indicating that the hero was not at fault. "You might be a disgusting, untimely troublemaker Barusu. But you made no mistake in revealing the truth to Emilia-sama. That is what Ram believes."

"Ram…"

"So you ba~ck him up, even when at a disadvantage it put you?" Roswaal pondered with amusement. "I wonder if you'll say tha~t… when a pincushion you become."

*SHWING!*

"Kuh!" Subaru grunted as he and Ram noted Roswaal's next spell. "Ice spears?!"

"Not qui~te." The clown bellowed as he fired the magical spears forward.

"ELECTRO-BLAST!"

"FURA!" Ram and Subaru shouted as they summoned blades of combined wind and electricity to intercept the projectiles.

*SLASH-!*

*FWOOOOSH!*

"?!" But Roswaal's ice spears ignored their blades, instead lighting on fire as they started rotating.

"Ice on fire?!" Spider-Man wondered in surprise.

"That isn't all…" Roswaal mumbled with a grin.

*ZOOOM!*

"!" Subaru then noticed how the spears, more akin to missiles, changed direction in mid-air… They were pursuing him.

"RUN! BARUSU!" Ram ordered in alarm.

*DASH!*

*KRA-KOOM!*

"NO NEED TO TELL ME-!" Subaru screamed as he turned tail into the forest, running for dear life while dodging and leaping around the trees in an attempt to intercept and destroy the seekers.

"Now we are left alone… Ram." The battle damaged Roswaal bellowed to the determined Ram.

*ZOOM!*

"…EL FU-!" Ram tried to chant a spell, but Roswaal interrupted her as he closed the distance in a flash.

*SMACK!*

"ACK!" The oni maid groaned as the Margrave punched her in the stomach at super speeds, sending her backwards.

*SLAM!*

"I'm disappointed, Ram." Roswaal lamented as the girl crashed against a chunk of debris. "For what is worth, I really did wish for your happiness."

"Ergh…" Ram painfully stood up after the blow.

"For the day you and Rem could avenge your village by killing the monster that left it to die. I really wished for that, too." Roswaal sighed. "Now, you are left with nothing as you die against a shell with no future."

"Even now… You do not understand Ram at all, Roswaal-sama." The maid cried in a quiet voice. "You do not know my heart's wish at all…"

"Hmn?" He wondered in confusion. "What are you…?"

"If only I could be a merciless oni, a demon that was consumed by revenge and hatred towards yourself." Ram spouted with frustration. "Were that the case… My chest wouldn't ache like this."

"Ram…"

"Roswaal-sama…" Ram locked gazes with the court mage, her eyes tearful and sincere. "I love you."

"…Huh?" The baffled and outraged expression on the man was priceless. For the life of him, Roswaal could not process those words. His heart and mind refused to. "Is this… Your idea of a joke?"

"Never." Ram shook her head vehemently. "Ram has spoken solely the truth since the begin-"

"DO NOT MOCK ME!" Roswaal bellowed with rage. "THAT YOU LOVE ME?! WHAT IN THE BLAZES DO YOU SPEAK OF?! ME?!"

"Yes." The pink oni meekly nodded.

"CEASE LYING! YOU HATE ME!" The mage raised his hand, firing a multitude of fireballs and earth spikes at her erratically.

*DASH!*

*BLAM!*

*SWISH!*

"HAGH!" Ram scoffed as she painstakingly avoided and blocked the barrage of attacks from her master.

"THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF YOU LOVING ME! OF YOU SAYING THOSE WORDS WITH VERACITY!" The perturbed Margrave screamed. "I'M THE MAN RELATED TO THE DESTRUCTION OF YOUR HOME, YOUR PEOPLE! THE MAN THAT ORPHANED YOU AND YOUR SISTER BY DOING NOTHING TO PROTECT YOU!"

*BOOM!*

"Agh!" Ram yelped as an explosion of fire made her fall to the ground. "Kgh…"

"AS IF I COULD SWALLOW SUCH A BOLD LIE! YOU DESPISED ME SO MUCH YOU WISHED TO GUT ME ALIVE! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO HATE ME!" Roswaal claimed as the maid stood up again. "YOU SWORE TO YOUR KIND! TO SLAUGHTER ME FOR WHAT I DID! YOU SWORE VENGEANCE!"

"That may be so… I do feel guilty for betraying them… But that was then, not anymore." Ram spoke up again, not backing down. "I love you. So I wish to put my feelings above my deceased brethren's."

"Tsk!" Roswaal clicked his tongue with fury, summoning another ball of fire. "GOA!"

*FSHWOOOOOOOOOM!*

*DASH!*

As the fire was about to collide with Ram's face, a familiar shield appeared to protect her.

"DORRRYAH!"

*CRAAARCK~!*

*BOOOOOM!*

"Garf…" Ram gawked aloud as the battered, burnt Shield of Sanctuary jumped in-between her and the fire, guarding her with a barrier of rock.

"…Ya fine, Ram?" Garfiel inquired as he saw the bleeding maid.

"Barely some scratches… But your arms…" The maid pointed to Garfiel's red biceps and forearms.

"Da shields took most everythin' o' da blow… They broke though. Fortunately, Cap'n's tool is 'till dandy." The blonde boy responded while showing off the left web-shooter. He then proceeded to glare back at the clown staring him down. "Oi, fucker!"

"Garfiel-kun… So you really were alive…" Roswaal scowled.

"Yer power ain't what it used ta! Cap'n swung ya down real good!" The boy giggled excitedly. "I told ya however dat I wasn't givin' ya Ram so easily!"

"When the hell did you have any right to me, imbecile?" Ram shook her head with disappointment.

"You wish to die that badly?" Roswaal growled in response. "Then I shall kill you together, as you so wish to-!"

*RUSTLE-RUSTLE!*

"GARFIEEEL!" Subaru shouted as he burst through a tree from Roswaal's right, interrupting the Margrave's threat. He was covered in wounds and burns, but he persisted through the pain to attack the maniac.

"I GOT YA, CAP'N!" The boy answered as he ran to Roswaal's left, understanding Subaru's idea.

"Have you not realized you cannot beat me?!" Roswaal glared at Subaru as he produced another set of ice spears, shooting them in both directions simultaneously. "HUMA!"

*KRA-KOOM!*

*DASH!*

*STAB!*

"GAGHK!"

"KKUHK!" Both Garfiel and Subaru moaned in pain as the spears embedded themselves in their shoulders… But just because they landed, it did not mean the boys were down for the count. "NOW!"

*THWIIIIIP!*

*SNATCH!*

*ZAAAP!*

"Hmph!" Roswaal groaned in discomfort as Subaru and Garfiel webbed his arms, the Avenger electrifying his string and paralyzing the nobleman's muscles temporarily.

"NOW! RAM!" Garfiel shouted.

"BEAT HIM NOW!" Subaru accompanied as the two held him down for as long as they could through their wounds.

"…Thank you, Garf, Barusu." The maid nodded with gratitude as she rushed forward.

*DASH!*

"TSK!" Roswaal braced himself for defeat, awaiting for the maid to kill him.

*FWIP!*

"…"

But the coldness of death never arrived to claim the Margrave.

"No way…" Garfiel bit his lip.

"R-Ram…" Subaru mumbled in vexation.

"So you really do love me, wretched as I am… Ram." Roswaal chuckled ominously and in bafflement as he realized the trio had failed. "There is hope for my future still, if that is how you feel…"

*FIZZZZZZLE!*

"ARGH!"

"GYAGH!" Subaru and Garfiel cried as Roswaal incinerated the webbing binding him, burning their hands.

"Thank you, Ram." Roswaal smirked as he turned around, aiming his palm enveloped in fire at the maid. "For granting me the chance to correct my fate. For showing me the road back to my teacher."

*FWO-SHOOOM!*

"No… Thank you, Roswaal-sama." The maid denied as she stood still, ready to tank the fiery projectile with a smile. "For destroying the root of all evil."

"?!" Roswaal's eyes grew aghast at the visage before his eyes. In a microsecond, he looked down at his jacket, only to notice that it had been torn open by the maid. What Ram was holding in her hand… Was the Book of Wisdom. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!" The hero and the shield screamed, but it was too late.

Roswaal couldn't modify his spell, as tired and battered as he was.

Subaru couldn't deflect it, as exhausted as he was.

Garfiel couldn't guard it, as incapacitated as he was.

Therefore, Ram became the epicenter of the explosion.

With a beautiful smirk, holding the book victorious, the oni maid set herself ablaze.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The battle was over. Roswaal… Had truly lost at last.

In the coming hour, as the dust and ash settled and the snow covered their heads, Subaru and Garfiel attempted all they could to stabilize the oni maid. Ram's critical condition went barely averted by her oni genes, but eventually, they failed to activate in their entirety across her body. Even if the burns were not killing her, the impact of the explosion in her internal organs and the lack of mana flowing through her body would surely finish the job and snuff out the candle of her life.

*Shooooon~*

"COME ON RAM!" Garfiel cried as he poured healing magic into Ram's body; the girl oscillated between the waking world and the unconscious as her mouth ran with rivulets of blood.

"Shit…" Spider-Man cussed as he knelt on top of Roswaal, pinning the man against the dirt. "Are you satisfied now, fucker?"

"…" The Margrave was unresponsive; he ignored Subaru's anger as his mind focused on one spot on the ground. "My teacher…"

"…" Subaru followed the Margrave's gaze to the spot, realizing it was the charred remains of the book Ram had sacrificed herself to destroy.

"TSK!" Garfiel clenched his teeth in frustration as he failed to help her. "FUCK! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!"

"Garfiel…" Subaru attempted to calm the boy to no avail.

"CAP'N, SHE'S DYIN'!" Garfiel cried with sadness and scorn in his eyes. "Even though I'm tryin' ta heal her, Ram is dyin'!"

"…" The Avenger clenched his teeth in frustration.

"OI! YA FUCKIN' SHITHEAD!" Garfiel bellowed as his aura turned red.

*GRAB!*

"YA HEAR ME?!" The blonde boy shouted as he grabbed the dazed Roswaal by the neck. "IF RAM DIES, I'LL FUCKIN' SLAUGHTER YA! YA HEAR ME?! HUH?!"

"…" Roswaal did not answer, limiting himself to mumbling in response.

"Ya fuckin'…!" Garfiel raised his fist, tired of the mage's silence and ready to bash his skull in. "ORAAA!"

*CLAP!*

"?!" Garfiel almost jumped in confusion as Subaru caught his fist mid-swing. "Cap'n?! What gives?!"

"…Garf, listen to him." Subaru indicated as he pointed to the mumbling Roswaal.

"Huh?! Listen ta what?! This guy-!"

"Shh!" Subaru silenced the demi-human again. "Listen…!"

"…" Garfiel calmed down as he paid attention to Rsowaal's incoherent whispers.

"My teacher…" The left, yellow eye of the Margrave twitched as he muttered. "I made it snow, like the book foretold… But what now?"

"…" Both Subaru and Garfiel glared with disgust and pity at the pathetic fool. Roswaal, the great Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers, was mewling like a sorry child.

"Ram… Your horn, Ram…" The mage kept pleading. "If I heal… Ram… My teacher… Will there be a road…? Even now… I know nothing… My teacher…! What am I supposed to do?!"

"…No, we are not-!" Garfiel realized Suabru's intention in making him hear Roswaal's ramblings.

"Do we have another option to save Ram?" Subaru advised.

"…Dakh…" Garfiel bared his fangs in anger at the suggestion, staring at Ram with tender eyes. "Fuck…!"

"Ram… Ram…!" Allowed by Subaru and Garfiel, the battered Roswaal crawled to Ram's side, holding her close to him, clinging for dear life to her burnt body. "Ram… Ram…"

*SHWIIIIIIN~!*

"!" Garfiel and Subaru noticed with awe how Ram regained her color and life the moment Roswaal put his hand over her forehead.

"Dat's not healing mana…" Garfiel signaled in shock. "He's just…"

"Roswaal is making Ram's genetics heal her by acting as her horn." Spidey affirmed.

"Ram… Ram…" Roswaal cried as a single tear escaped his eyes.

"So this should save her, right?" The blonde boy relaxed slightly. "Can't say I like it… It's da clown's fault in da first place."

"Yeah…" The Avenger nodded with relief. "Hah…"

*CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!*

"?!" All of a sudden, Subaru panicked as his Spider-Sense felt it... "OH SHIT!"

The imminent danger.

The slaughter.

The blood.

The muscles.

The eyes.

The organs.

The entrails.

The arms.

The legs.

The mouth.

The face.

The bones.

The pain.

The presences…

"Huh?!" Garfiel noticed the foreign smell of as well, ignoring Subaru's fear. A scent of blood and gore bloomed ominously in the air. "Da fuck?! What's-?!"

"…" A cute looking abomination stared intently at the group.

"LOOK!" Subaru pointed to the burnt tree line some fifty yards away. It was a mabeast. One of many of the calamity. "THE- THE GREAT RABBIT IS HERE!"

"Fuck…" Garfiel groaned as he noticed a few more of the beasts behind the first one. "Any chance those are da only ones?"

"A wet fart's in a tornado…" Subaru answered as his knees wobbled.

"Ram… Ram…" Roswaal mumbled as he ignored the danger, continuously pouring mana into Ram's forehead.

*CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!*

"…Garf." Subaru ordered in a low voice as he sighted more and more rabbits within the forest by the second, all of them clicking their fangs menacingly. He was barely holding himself together, but he couldn't succumb to the pressure. He couldn't. Not for Garfiel. "Take Ram, I'll grab Roswaal."

"Where we goin' Cap'n?" Garfiel answered as he scowled at the multiplying calamity.

"We meet at the Tomb. We make our stand there!"

With the resolution to one conflict close… With the appearance of a calamity… Emilia faced her third tribulation at last.

…

"…"

"…Huh?" Emilia wondered as she had begun floating in an empty space. There was nothing in the void of darkness, safe for herself.

Supposedly, this Trial was meant to inspect the future? But I don't…

"Ah!"

As she pondered in confusion, a myriad stars began shining in the void, filling the darkness and turning it into a blinding aurora. Immediately after, a cacophony of sounds flooded her mind.

*CRUMBLE!*

*CRA-CRACK!*

*BOOOOOM!*

*SIZZZZZZZLLLEE~…*

The surroundings turned into a scorching inferno, unrecognizable locations appearing one after another. Crumbling rubble and debris, cities set ablaze, the echoes of battle in the distance… Surrounding a dilapidated Throne Room, the landscaped looked more like an ill matched visage of odd and alien landscapes forcefully stitched together, stranger than any sight Lugunica could offer. And at the center of the destroyed Throne Room… Stood a crying Emilia.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you so much. Since the day we met… I've hated you so much. I wanted to deny it, to say I was wrong… But it's true. Looking at the nightmare around us, it cannot be anything but the truth. I… I wish we had never met." Emilia cried with defeat as the apocalyptic surroundings turned into a blinding light.

*SHWOOOOM!*

"Quill calls it 'Operation Galactic Storm'. Me? I call it 'Operation let's crack some Shi'ar-Kree ass'!" An unknown man said in a cocky tone.

"Your Divine Protections are nothing before the might of the Phoenix Force, Reinhard. You'll die and won't come back to tell it; it is a fool's errand."Yet another mysterious man spoke, this time directing himself to Reinhard. The ominous words spoken being capable of chilling one's spine.

"Perhaps… Even I wasn't as lonely as I thought I was. There were people walking beside me, I just didn't want to see it." Roswaal spoke with resignation.

"The annihilation wave shall soon descend upon your world! There is NOTHING the puny Nova Corps can do to stop it so!"A threatening, boisterous voice claimed with cruelty.

"I'm so sorry… I just cannot kill you… I just can't… I'm sorry!" Aldebaran yelled with regret.

"IMPERIUS REX!"Another unknown man spoke incomprehensively.

"For the man I wish to kill to be this kind… Surely, this is a ruse, is it not? Were it not to be one…" Ram hesitantly spoke.

"You absolutely disgusting, foolish undead! NO ONE ORDERS DOOM WHAT TO DO!"A clearly angered man claimed with authority behind his words.

"You've rendered your Grandmother's sword useless… Was staining her legacy not enough, thief?!"Wilhelm shouted with disdain.

"Ever since, I was a kid… I have been nothing but a burden, haven't I? Someone for you to save without me ever being able to tell you how I felt…"Petra claimed with sorrow. However, the strangeness of hearing her voice… was how much older it sounded.

"IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" A man with a rough sounding accent yelled.

"Where Zeus and his Pantheon currently reside! To the Omnipotence City!" A man with a powerful yet cheerful voice yelled.

"MAYBE she was someone else before, but she's just a child now… So if you are that willing to take her life, I'll be willing to protect her with mine. If you raise your swords, you'll be pointing them at me." Subaru declared with an air of finality.

"If I had known all you went through because of us… That this is how it all ends… I would have rather you'd never saved me from that cave!" Otto cried with frustration.

"I'LL KILL YOU! SUBARU NATSUKI!" Garfiel shouted immediately after Otto.

"Spider-Man… He was the best of us. That's why I'm placing my trust in you." A formidable sounding man reluctantly admitted.

"These energy readings…! The cosmic rays are-! Impossible! Is he here already?!" An intelligent sounding man speculated with alarm.

"The might of a Valkyrie... I like the sound of that." Crusch admitted with confidence.

"WAKANDA FOREVER!" A man exclaimed a battle cry with pride.

"I can save everyone! So long as YOU don't exist, everyone can be saved!" Felix spoke with ominous cheer.

"The Gah Lak Tus swarm is nothing but a prelude. The real being… Is something no civilization could handle." A calm sounding man explained in a monotonous voice.

"See, its simple: I know it all." A smug man's voice claimed, as if answering an unknowable question.

"I just thought you'd like this body more. Something good had to come out of this entire disaster, don't you think?" Echidna's words resounded with a self-congratulatory tone.

"At the bottom of all despair and tragedy, 'hope' is found. And 'hope' is FAR crueler than any ailment." A man spoke in a quiet, meditative manner; as if pondering on the very origins of the words he spoke.

"Without a title, without a name, without my blade, without my companions… Is there nothing left for me but to fall to my knees?! If that is the case, have I not the right to give into this one temptation, to cling to it with bleeding hands in the hopes that we can be saved?! Answer me! Natsuki!"Julius shouted in a mix of anger and defeat.

"Your master can be saved from hell; for a price, of course. Sign the contract and kill Spider-Man. I'll take care of the rest…"A sinister, macabre man's voice spoke with uncanny glee.

"I'm not going back to Mama! She can rot in hell for all I care!" Meili's voice cried.

"Move it, bub. I'll turn you into shredded cheese if you don't." A man with a hoarse voice warned.

"So they have reunited at last… The Midnight Sons. My Moon Knight, your duty is not yet done, it has only just begun."A paralyzing, ethereal voice ordered.

"Martial Arts were born not to kill your enemy, Tinsel; they were born to conquer yourself. You can rampage in your beast from all you want; neither your claws nor your fangs will ever reach me. For so long as you do not conquer the beast within, you shall forever remain a loser before my fist."A man spoke sagely whilst referring to Garfiel in a disappointed tone.

"Claim not to be a god all you want, the divinity surrounding you is as pestilent as a rotten corpse's stench. Thus, this is my promise to you 'Sword Saint': All deities must perish, all divinity shall crumble… and all gods will die."Yet another man threatened Reinhard with unspeakable power.

"Master is master! He smells like master, so he is master! Hmph!" A woman animatedly chanted.

"We are the Guardians of the Galaxy." A man confidently affirmed.

"Look Elwing, or whatever your name was, take the sorry mop over there and gun it. We don't have time for 'not-saving-saving-the-world' crap. Capisci?" Another man ordered arrogantly, dismissing the worries of whomever he was speaking to without a care.

"Don't succumb to your wrath… Don't be like me. You are 'Spider-Man' now, aren't you?"Subaru's voice begged with sorrow.

"I guess that's why admire Cap… Not because of my respect for the military, but because I cannot be like him. See, I don't have a heart of gold; the only shiny thing I carry is the lead meant for the brains of scum." A man admitted with nigh indifference.

"Kazuma! Kazuma! See?! Someone finally recognizes my godhood!"A girl celebrated with happiness to a so-called 'Kazuma'.

"See this box? There's a whole Omniverse inside it!" An erratic sounding man explained.

"You can claim to be a deserving God all you want Korvac, we don't need to be geniuses to know where you are headed, even though I AM a genius. Intelligence and power, they don't equate to wisdom buddy; telling you from personal experience. Point being: You are just another fool in the pile, and I'm here to kick your ass." A man accused another named 'Korvac' with disgust.

"You've grown Felt. My little granddaughter… You shine like the stars, WITH the stars now. Greater than anything I could have ever hoped." Old man Rom spoke with genuine love in his voice.

"Naofumi-sama! Where are you?!" A woman called for her master in alarm.

"I say we should tell him the truth. He deserves as much." An older man spoke wisely.

"SHH! SHHHHH! If they discover I am a faker, my reputation goes down the drain! Of course I'm not an Avenger, but can you blame me?! You set the bar too high for guys our age! You realize how unfair that is?! So take responsibility and let me mooch off your achievements Subaru!" A comically pathetic teenager's voice pleaded pettily.

"My name is Peter Parker… And I'm just like you." A man calling himself 'Peter' spoke with glee.

"I don't want to be alone. That is all I want, for someone to be there, so that I am not left alone. If some god, devil, army or whatever wants to destroy my world, the people beside me… I will stand up to them, even if I'm weak or it hurts or I can't stand up anymore, I'll stand up to them. Like you did for me, Subaru." Anastasia spoke in the end with uncharacteristic gratitude and care.

"You are accused of treason, of instigating a revolution in the middle of wartime! The sentence is death! So pronounces… Hala the Accuser!" A woman screamed with fury.

"To each his own. I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero. And they found you amusing for a while, the people of this world. But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything, you have done for them… Eventually they will hate you. Why bother?" Another man spoke with apathy for his listener.

"Is that the prowess beyond that of the Observers? Were that to be the case, then it is fitting for Pride's return. Wouldn't you say so, Dormammu?" A man claimed with a sinister undertone whilst conversing with someone called Dormammu.

"There is nothing for you beyond this place! Nowhere and nobody to return to, you hear me?! Your universe is DEAD and long gone!" A woman shouted in irritation, pleading to someone else.

"What were you expecting Ainz? You are not the only top dog anymore; no one in this battlefield was foolish enough to fall for your ruses. This is a war; of course, there would be severe consequences for your actions. You have no one to blame but yourself."A man mercilessly criticized another called 'Ainz'.

"Lady Vermin? Rhino and Beetle at your service." A strong sounding man spoke in reverence of a so-called Lady Vermin.

"I'VE GROWN WEARY OF YOUR TRIFLING PLATITUDES. I HUNGER AND YOUR WORLD SHALL SATISFY ME, THAT IS ALL." A potent, commanding voice spoke without much care for the listener.

"This is… The power of a million suns, in the palm of my hand!"Priscilla claimed with arrogant cheer, as if she had triumphed over someone.

"Celestials, Deviants, Eternals, it all just flies over my head pal…" Ricardo's voice claimed with exhaustion.

"Father!" A young man's voice called with panic.

"They say you are unfortunate but I WISH I had as many skirts chasing me as you do, man! I'm just going to call what you have the 'Natsuki' luck from now on." Another young man said with amusement.

"BEGONE WITCH!" The voice of the loudest sounding man up until now reverberated, the echoes drowning everything else as though explosions they were.

"If they are to die… Then it is their fate. You cannot change that any more than you can change what they have become." A man warned with pity.

"If I wish to atone, then shedding every last drop of blood in my body is required." Frederica admitted with remorse.

"As the sworn protector of the Imperium, as the Imperium itself, I order you to surrender immediately!" A man that sounded like a warrior ordered.

"WE are his son. Regardless of good or bad, we are his son. So why don't you drop all this doom and gloom already and start acting a little more like the old man we know and love?" Subaru's voice spoke again with a reproaching intonation.

"You are linked to the Web; however you are not aware of it. The totem within you, is it still not awake? You are not ripe enough for us to feast on yet…" A man tried to explain incomprehensibly.

"'Quantum' this, 'Quantum' that, do you just name EVERYTHING that's even remotely wonky and cool 'Quantum'?! Do you even realize how much of a turn off and a headache it is to hear the word 'Quantum'?!" Medium complained with annoyance.

"You can pull any trick you want, you hear me?! Outsmart me with shiny screens and magic I cannot understand! Bring Dragons, Witches, monsters and devils! Bring out anything you want, because I won't lose!"Felt declared with emotion behind her words.

"WE ARE VENOM!" A distorted voice that sounded neither manly nor womanly declared.

"I'm just continuously losing… What was the meaning of my life, of all this power, if there is nothing but defeat ahead? Not even as a sword was I enough… Does that not mean I cannot even be a hero? What is there for me to do then?"Reinhard's voice spoke with struggle, as if he was clenching his teeth in frustration.

"I AM GROOT." A man with an odd, deep voice spoke.

"So amongst the stars… I'm not the main actor?" A man lamented with excitement.

"HNGH?!" Emilia grunted in pain as the voices kept raining down on her, drowning any other thought she could muster, leaving her helpless. As she struggled, one final voice began speaking. "AHHH!"

"I think praying to make a wish is arrogant." A familiar voice… Rem's voice said as her silhouette appeared before Emilia. "Praying is to beg forgiveness."

"…Rem?" Emilia squinted her eyes at the figure, for she noticed a certain oddity in her; Rem wasn't supposed to have longer hair. As her eyes narrowed, she noticed another silhouette beside her. "Ah!"

"…" Subaru's figure appeared besides Rem, sporting a strange apparel that Emilia had never seen before. It did not remind her of his combat suit as it wasn't a tight fit for his body, but rather, it looked somewhat baggier and the shoes looked odd in shape compared to those of her world. Indeed, it wasn't of this world… For an earthling, these clothes were known as 'tracksuits'.

"Subaru…" Even without his suit, Emilia recognized the figure.

"…" As she called for his name, 'Subaru' raised her hand for her to take.

"…" In response, Emilia extended her own hand, reaching for him when suddenly…

*SHWOOOOM!*

"…" The surroundings dissipated, along with Subaru and Rem's silhouettes.

Emilia found herself vexed by the constant changes as she now stood alone in a field of hills and green grass, at the center of it a parasol and a table set for a tea party, drinks and cookies in waiting.

"Echidna?" Emilia turned around as she walked towards the table, attempting in vain to look for the Witch of Greed. It seems as though she wasn't present anymore. As she approached the table, her eyes focused on the food resting on top of it. "…"

It might be a bad idea to be so trusting, little one. A Witch's treats are rarely a boon.

"Huh?!" Emilia's eyes widened as the silhouette of a bald man made of clouds appeared in the sky, talking and staring at her directly with a mouth and eyes that shone like suns. "Who- Who are you?!"

Hmm, who indeed. You may call me… The Watcher.

"The Watcher… Where's Echidna? Did you…?" The half-elf was about to take a combat stance before the man continued speaking.

Worry not little one; she is not in any danger. I am… Simply filling out for her. Well, me and the Witch behind you.

"Witch?" As the bald man spoke of a Witch behind her, Emilia attempted to turn around. But as she did so, the so-called 'Witch' stopped her by placing one finger on the back of the half-elf's head.

"Way to rat me out, baldie!" A blonde woman with blue eyes cried with irritation. Of course, however, Emilia could not know of her features as she prevented her from looking at her. "You've seen this before, haven't you?! Read the mood!"

Alas, this is not quite like those other realities. Hmm?

"Even then, it is special for us, you know?! Beings that are NOT like you?!" The Witch argued back to the smiling cloud. "Just shut up and let ME handle this!"

"U-Uhm…" Emilia mumbled with confusion. "What exactly is…?"

"Just don't pay attention to that egg-head. All he does is ramble nonsense that you won't get right now." The Witch explained. "Also don't turn around! That's a big no-no!"

"It sounds quite a bit like I'm still in the Trial then…" Emilia lamented, remembering the 'impending tragedy' Echidna just showed her. "What about Echidna anyways? If you are 'filling out' for her, then is she-?"

"You are really worried about her, huh?" The Witch furrowed her eyebrows with apprehension. "It seems you hurt her quite a bit as you performed the Trials. She didn't want to see you."

"…I see." Emilia lamented with frustration.

"So? What did you think about the last Trial?" The Witch asked now.

"…I saw and heard many sad worlds. But there were things I didn't quite get as well." Emilia explained, still troubled about the 'visions'. "Many referred to Subaru and Reinhard. Is their past or their future…?"

"It's useless to trouble yourself so much." The Witch reassured. "At the end of the day, they are possibilities. Still, if she mixed them up so much… It was probably to confuse you, or at the behest of that prick in the sky."

Heh. Why, isn't that a bit rude?

"You are not supposed to chuckle when someone insults you, cueball!" The Witch exclaimed with frustration at the calmness of The Watcher.

"Hehe!" Emilia giggled as well while staring at The Watcher above her. "It seems both you and Echidna rea~lly like pranking and troubling others. What pranksters!"

"You consider those horrible things pranks?" The Witch was amazed by Emilia's words. "How can you be so relaxed, after seeing so many vexing and scary futures?"

"But they are just possibilities, are they not?" Emilia kept smiling. "As you said, they were confusing and scary, but some looked bright and happy. There's all sorts of futures ahead, so I just need to keep in mind the good ones to keep fighting."

"…Won't you give up immediately?" The Witch inquired.

"If I were all alone, of course." Emilia admitted right away as she began staring at the web-shooter on her wrist.

Even if you feel alone… You should have faith that it won't always be that way.

"I know. Nevertheless, I am not alone. Not anymore. There is someone… There are people there for me now."

"…When did you become so strong? No, perhaps I had not noticed you were strong already. In that sense, you are not like your mother at all."

"Huh?" Emilia perked up at those words. "Did you-?! Do you somehow know my mother-?!"

"Yes, I do." The Witch prevented Emilia from turning around again as she continued explaining. "But I promised not to talk about her to you. Speaking of, can you make that promise as well, baldie?"

My lips are sealed on that topic. It is yours and yours alone to speak about, not mine.

"Hmph! At last you give me something to trust." The Witch huffed as The Watcher answered. "Having said that, do you understand now?"

"…Hm, yes. I understand. If you can't tell me anything, then I won't pry." Emilia agreed with reluctance.

"…Are you sure?"

"You said you 'can't' tell me, so I know it's not like you don't want to." Emilia shook her head. "Besides… I already have a mother called Fortuna."

"…*Hic!* I see." The Witch mumbled with difficulty as Emilia spoke. "Didn't think the day would come when I'd thank Echidna for her games…"

"Are you… Crying?"

"Of course not!" The Witch denied. "I don't have the right to cry anyways. Not anymore…"

"You don't need a right to-!" As Emilia attempted to rebuke her words by turning to face her, the Witch suddenly hugged her, pressing the head of the half-elf tightly against her bosom.

"…I told you turning around was a no-no." The Witch, Minerva, cried as she hugged Emilia. "What a bad kid…"

"…" Emilia remained silent, basking in the Witch's body heat and care as she embraced her.

"N-Now then." Minerva ceased hugging Emilia before grabbing her shoulders from the back and directing her towards a door.

"Huh?" The half-elf mumbled.

"When you cross that door, you'll be leaving this place. You'll be right where you were when the Trials began. Once you cross, you'll have the right to release the barrier." The Witch explained as she pushed Emilia to the door.

"…" Emilia stood in front of the door for a few moments before prompting a question for the Witch and The Watcher. "Can either of you tell Echidna something in my stead?"

Ask away.

"What is it?" Minerva and The Watcher nodded to her request.

"When you meet her… Tell her that, next time, I want to have a tea party. With her and all of the Witches. You included, of course." Emilia smiled as she opened the door.

"Yes, I'll tell her!" Minerva smiled back with watery eyes. "Even if she pouts and cries, I'll make sure to drag her to the party!"

"Hm." The half-elf nodded… and the door opened.

*SHWOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

…

"…"

"Hmngh…" Emilia slowly opened her eyes to an empty Trial room within the Tomb. As she groggily stood up, she noticed her right hand ominously shining… And the gate opposite to the entrance, opened. "…"

That room… Is that where Echidna rests? If so, it should be where the barrier resides as well…

Not vacillating on possibilities, Emilia decided to simply walk ahead and perform her overdue duty. Crossing the gate, she found herself walking through a corridor with a plethora of blue lights shining at the end.

"…" As she walked ahead, at the end of the corridor, a room with a coffin at the center welcomed her. The ceiling reminded her of a starry night, with many magic symbols titillating as though celestial bodies they were. The many veins, mana butterflies and magic circles connecting to the coffin below, however, broke this ambience. As Emilia gazed downwards, she noticed at last the real oddity in the room. "…Who is this?"

"…" The body resting in a bed of flowers within the coffin did not answer, for it wasn't alive. Nevertheless, independent of an answer, Emilia would have been left befuddled.

"This is supposed to be Echidna's Tomb. But this woman is… I don't really recognize her." Emilia tilted her head to the side as she failed to recognize the woman's face. After all, she looked quite a bit older than the young 'Echidna' she met during her Trials. "?"

*shwooooom…*

"This is…" Emilia's hand began shining ethereally the closer she was to the coffin, indicating some sort of reaction to the circles floating above 'Echidna'. "This here? Uhm… Ey!"

*CRASH!*

As her hand's shine reached its peak, Emilia understood what she had to do. The half-elf proceeded to punch through the crystal containing the body of the Witch of Greed, dispelling in the process the binding of the barrier.

*SWOOOWWWOOOOOOOO-!*

In a flash of sapphire lightning, the barrier containing Sanctuary was destroyed. At last, the people of Kremaldy were free.

*boooooooooom…*

"?!" As the lights within the grave died down, the sound of a distant explosion outside the Tomb alarmed Emilia.

What's going on outside?!

"…I better hurry." The half-elf said to herself as her right hand and the room around her ceased shining. "I don't know how much time it took me perform the Trials, but those sounds of battle can't be good!"

And as it so happened to be, outside the Tomb…

"Hah… Hah…" Subaru panted in exhaustion as he fried another batch of rabbits pursuing the group. "Dammit… Would you mind doing your part, Ros-chi?! I'm running out of steam here!"

"…" But Roswaal remained silent and useless as he kept holding the injured Ram in his arms.

"Tsk! Fucker causes all da trouble an' then can't be bothered, huh?!" Garfiel clicked his tongue in frustration.

*CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!*

*SMASH!*

"ORAA!" The blonde boy shouted in anger as he swatted away another pair of rabbits closing-in on the stairs to the Tomb, eviscerating them in the process. "Egh, ugly fucks!"

"Dammit!" Otto mumbled from atop the stairs, alongside all the inhabitants of Sanctuary, the ground dragons and the Ryuzus. "We are surrounded!"

As Otto said, the Tomb was under siege by the horde of rabbits surrounding it. The only remaining deterrents stopping the calamity from eating everyone alive were Subaru, Garfiel and the Pearlbaton siblings, who continuously repelled them through brute force.

*CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!*

"INCOMING!" Subaru shouted to Garfiel as another detachment from the horde rushed towards them.

*FRWWWWWOOOOOOOM!*

"IYA!" Mimi, Hetaro and Tivey yelled at the same time as they invoked a tri-elemental wall to stop the advance of the horde, covering the lower stairs and protecting Subaru and Garfiel from an imminent demise.

*CRACK!*

The rabbits, however, clashed in a suicidal fashion against the wall, killing and devouring each other as they attempted to break or climb through.

*SWOOOSH!*

"HEY-YYAAAA!" Subaru shouted as he jumped atop the wall briefly.

*ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!*

*THUD!-THUD!-THUD!*

In a one sweep, Subaru shocked and killed a portion of the rabbits that were attempting to climb the wall erected by Mimi and her brothers. But even that, regretfully, was not enough to stall the horde.

*BASH!*

"…Dat wall won't last long." Garfiel commented as the rabbits continuously head-butted and gnawed at the construct.

"Not much that we can do, I'm afraid." Tivey said with frustration. "With the Margrave like this… What can we even do?"

"Is this the end?" One of the inhabitants of Sanctuary lamented.

"This is what we get for pushing everything on Garfiel…" Another regretted with disgust towards himself.

"Goodness…"

"Mama, are we going to die?"

*SNATCH!*

"…For the love of- ARE YOU SEEING THIS, CLOWN?!" Otto suddenly bellowed in anger as he grabbed the indifferent Roswaal from the collar of his suit.

"…" Margrave Mathers remained silent.

"Your damn book was wrong! You are going to die for nothing!" Otto continuously insulted. "Are you seriously just going to throw the towel and drag everyone else down with you?! Get a grip, you bastard!"

"What's going on?!" As the merchant reprimanded the noble, the bell-like voice of Emilia prompted a question with confusion. "Otto?! Roswaal?! What is- RAM?!"

"Emilia-sama…" The merchant sweated nervously as he gazed back at her.

"Why is she so injured?! What's going on?!"

"Emilia!" Subaru shouted from down the stairs as he pointed towards the horde. "THAT is going on!"

*CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!*

"The Rabbit… Like Ram said…" Emilia glared at the mabeasts with hatred as these clicked their fangs in anticipation of their meal.

*THWWOMP!*

*CRACK!*

*SQUELCH~!*

"Sorry princess, but we failed ta stop dumbass over there from makin' it snow." Garfiel apologized to Emilia as he dispatched of another set of rabbits.

"Roswaal…" Emilia gritted her teeth before shaking her head, trying to dismiss her wrath. "No, he can wait. For the moment-"

*CRASH!*

*CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!*

"OH SHOOT-!" The Pearlbatons and Subaru yelped in shock as the wall broke down, allowing a myriad rabbits to come through, charging at the group.

*FZWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*CRACK!*

"We must focus on stopping this horde once and for all!" Emilia announced proudly as she froze the pack attempting to devour Subaru and the mercenaries with a flick of her wrist.

"WOAH!" Subaru gawked in awe as Emilia's sheer output of mana rebuilt the wall with ice and rabbit corpses. "W-Well… That should buy some time…"

"Correction, it only buys time." Hetaro shook his head, understanding that even though Emilia was powerful her spells could not eliminate the threat so easily. "We are still fighting a losing siege! Any ideas, Emilia-sama?!"

"Emilia-sama!" One of the residents of Sanctuary cried.

"Please, save us!"

"Emilia-sama!"

"Oi, Hetaro!" Mimi shouted with reproach. "Don't put so much pressure on her! She just came out of that Tomb!"

"…" Emilia, although filled with confidence over the fact that everyone was looking at her for salvation, was also quite frustrated about the fact that she could not come up with an idea to stop the horde… Not an idea that would not end up freezing everyone else as well.

"…This is bad." Subaru mumbled as he looked upwards, to the troubled half-elf.

"What is?" Garfiel asked in response.

"It's like Mimi says: we are putting too much pressure on Emilia. If she is only exiting the Tomb now, that means she just finished the Trials. Even if we trust her, it's not like she's at her best mentally to come up with a solution on the spot…"

"Not much we can do, can we?" The blonde boy clenched his fists with anger.

"Subaru! Garfiel!" Emilia yelled as she rapidly descended the stairs. "Are you alright?!"

"Peachy, princess!" The blonde boy answered for himself.

"As alright as a few broken ribs, burnt limbs and missing teeth could be." The hero joked, much to the girl's worry.

"I'd rather you two weren't hurt at all, dummy!" The half-elf cutely pouted. "Seriously… You are a disaster…"

"That makes three of us; your cheeks are dirty with tearstains!" The Avenger nodded in agreement. "You released the barrier, right? No doubts about that?"

"Yes, the barrier was dispelled." Emilia answered quickly. "But… If the Great Rabbit is here, I was late regardless… I failed."

"Nah, you did what you had to." Subaru disagreed. "WE failed... We gave Roswaal too much time to pull this crap."

"Even so…" Emilia lamented.

"Sorry for the pressure, but any ideas?" Subaru interrupted her regret to ask for a solution, attempting to keep her mind away from dreadful thoughts.

"…With the barrier dispelled, we could attempt to create a road for everyone to escape through." The half-elf proposed.

"GOA!"

*ZOOOM!*

*FSHWOOM!*

"…There's too many." Tivey immediately shut down as he set another rabbit ablaze. "Someone would die if we try to dive through them. Too risky."

*CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!*

"Kuh…" Emilia glared downwards in frustration as the monsters continued to click their fangs, uncaring of her power.

"Now, now, what do we have here?" As everyone wallowed in their impotence before the voracious threat attacking them… A lighthearted being gleefully spoke up without a care in the world. "Hmm… This does look like a conundrum."

"Yeah, no shit." Subaru answered to the voice.

"Do you really have zero ideas?"

"Sadly…" Emilia responded to the voice.

"Then, mind if I make a move?"

"What kind of move, huh?!" Garfiel quipped back at the voice.

"The kind only a father as great as I could pull off, of course."

"If you need to… Wait, who-?!" The Avenger suddenly realized he did not know whom he was talking to, as he had been answering to a disembodied voice this whole time.

"Huh?!" Garfiel exclaimed as he looked for the source of the voice. "Da hell are ya- WHOSE THERE?!"

"Wait! That voice… Wait! Wait! Could it be?!" Emilia, however, recognized the presence. As she realized whom she had been talking to all along, a ball of green and blue lights manifested before her.

*SHWOOOOM!*

"You are-!" Emilia's eyes grew amazed at the apparition.

"I told you I'd make it up to you Lia."

"PUCK?!" Emilia and Subaru gawked in confusion at the same time.

"…WHO?!" Garfiel made a weirded out face, not recognizing the furball.

"Heya! Did you miss me?"

AUTHOR'S NOTES

HELLO THERE!

GENERAL KENOBI!

I'm on a roll, about to start writing next chapter as well!

Excited for Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars? I know I am!

I haven't seen Ms. Marvel yet, but already watched Thor Love and Thunder! It was… I mean, from a lore standpoint I liked it, but the effects really were… Yeah. If you have seen it, you will know what scene I am talking about. Gorr was REAL cool though, Christian Bale killed the role. Wish we had seen more of him.

By the way, taking into account 'Isekai Quartet – Secret Wars', as well as the 'TVA', some of the predictions technically take place beyond the scope of the multiverse… Just take them as teasers for the future of this fic rather than a raw demonstration of Echidna's ability to predict the future. (Though I wouldn't put it past her…"

ALSO! Also… I skipped most of the stuff about Emilia's trials because we've seen it already (If you've watched the anime or read the LN or WN you'd know, if you haven't yet and you are reading this spoilery-ass fic instead, what are you doing?). I left what I thought important because… plot, duh. By the way, if you noticed in last chapter, Ryuzu Shima was the one to defend Garfiel before the mob, whilst Alma, Bilma and Delma were the ones that gathered the eyes.

Without further ado~…

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!