Note: This is the second chapter released today, so if you haven't read that one yet make sure not to miss it.

Chapter 10: Apocalypse Awakened

2 Days Later

Day 349

An explosion shook the air, sending ripples of heat and pressure coursing through the city. Reinhard watched in despair as yet another royal manor disappeared in the midst of the flames, the shattered timbers casting twisted shadows throughout the air as they soared across the sky. The twisted figures of the manor staff cried out in pain, their limbs bent in unnatural angles as they crawled out from underneath the wreckage.

A short, slightly tubby man dressed in a butler's uniform looked up. His legs were pinned underneath a burning section of wall that had collapsed on him. His screams echoed throughout the sky, piercing Reinhard's ears. Looking up, Reinhard met the man's eyes for the briefest of moments, and saw a glimmer of hope within.

Manipulating the winds around him, Reinhard soared down from his aerial perspective to assist the man, all other thoughts gone from his mind at the image of such horrific suffering. This laxness cost him as multiple Divine Protections screamed to life, shouting at him in panic.

Twisting frantically to the side, Reinhard was, for once, too slow. An unknown force slammed into Reinhard with the terrifying precision of a surgeon's scalpel, cutting a deep gash through Reinhard's left arm, severing it completely. With superhuman reactions, Reinhard ducked and dodged the next series of strikes, each one invisible and virtually undetectable. Only his supernal reflexes and dozens of Divine Protections kept him alive.

Beneath him the wall shifted, and the butler's screams were abruptly cut off. Reinhard was so busy that he barely noticed- just another event to make him hate himself even more.

In a scream of anger and frustration, Reinhard sprinted towards his attacker, an inconspicuous man dressed in a clean white outfit. An expression of complete boredom seemed to be the man's default expression.

Reinhard's mad dash was interrupted by a second force slamming into him, this time into his side, ripping out a large chunk of skin, bone and flesh. In his anger Reinhard ignored the wounds, forgoing all technique and decor to land a monstrous punch on the white-clothed figure.

A massive boom echoed throughout the streets as the man was sent flying. His body crashed through multiple buildings, their walls crumbling like paper with the force. A long line of dust and debris coursed throughout the city in a line stretching halfway to the Slums District. A scream of anger let Reinhard know that his foe wasn't yet dead- but this had at least bought him some time, several precious minutes.

Reinhard lowered his fist, barely even noticing the blood dripping slowly from his knuckles onto the street. The air around him began to glow a bright blue, dozens, hundreds of lesser spirits congregating on him. Their combined light and mana formed into delicate threads directed at his wounds.

As the light fell on them, his knuckles quickly repaired, and the hole in his side began to reknit, several organs slowly regrowing. His missing arm, however, was a much bigger issue. The light that congregated around his stump intensified into a deep cerulean blue, but despite the radiance, the skin and muscle were slow to regrow. It would take a significant amount of time to regrow this injury, and Reinhard knew that he was in no shape to continue fighting until it had.

Taking to the air, Reinhard surveyed the city. His divinely enhanced eyes picked out the tiniest of details even when they lay across entire districts; but right now this blessed sight was much more of a curse than a blessing. A dismal sight arrayed itself before him, the image burning itself into his retinas; a sight that he knew could never be forgotten.

Smoke billowed into the air from the combined blaze of hundreds, thousands of buildings. Worse yet were the ashy remnants that stretched across vast portions of the city, each one littered with the bloodied and disemboweled bodies of tens of thousands.

To the east in the Merchant's District, the figure of a woman shrouded entirely in bandages whirled above the streets in a destructive dance. Two spiked chains, each dozens of feet long and covered in blood, danced with her, their barbed tips soaked in the blood of the dozens of guards and Royal Knights that lay scattered beneath her feet. With each flickering movement one of her chains would slam into a nearby building, bursting into a blazing, ferocious flame as it did, spreading the conflagration.

To the west in the Slums District, a man dressed in a forest green clerical robe rose above the buildings, carried by an unseen force. His mouth constantly moved in an unholy litany, preaching his insane teachings to the world. Beneath him dozens of dark robed figures moved, a wall of corpses in their wake as the swiftly broke into the houses and shacks that lined the street, dragging their occupants out onto the street and butchering them indiscriminately in time with the mad teachings of their leader.

Near the center of the city in the Noble District a mass of blackened flames rose high into the sky. Their unrelenting flames devoured manor after manor, sending massive sheets of acrid smoke rising in thick billows into the air. The shrouded shape of a massive obsidian dragon prowled through the smoke, emerging only to set new buildings on fire and watch with glee as its victims burned alive, their skin sloughing off in sheets.

All over the city the uniformed bodies of guards and Royal Knights lay strewn about, surrounded by the lifeless corpses of Witch Cultists. Each one had fought bravely to the end- but what did that matter now? Reinhard's thoughts turned bitter as he hung above the city, his blood forming an endless stream as it trickled towards the ground in a macabre waterfall.

Turning towards teh east, Reinhard surveyed the horizon with frightened, hollow eyes. The horizon overhead the Witch's Seal- the prison that contained the most powerful evil this world had ever fought- was darkened and writhing, the sky breaking with its obsidian mass. A singular form flew above it, a golden dragon with glittering scales. From its mouth an immensely powerful stream of pure white and green light burst forth, scattering the darkness; only for it to reform moments later and continue its assault on the Divine Dragon Volcanica- supposed projector of Lugunica.

Turning away from the east, Reinhard looked out with bitter, disgusted eyes as he surveyed the city before him. Reaching down, he grasped the hilt of the legendary Dragon Sword Reid. With a helpless futility, he tried once more to pull the blade out of its sheath- and, just like before, it refused to budge.

Reinhard stared down, hatred in his eyes as he surveyed the blade. All respect and deference for the fabled sword was gone, replaced by a searing anger over its obstinate refusal to be drawn- over its unbelievable pride, its unwillingness to fight all but those it deemed 'worthy.' How many had died today because it refused to do the one thing a sword should do? How many more would die because of its stupidity?!

Another immense explosion blasted through the air, rocking Reinhard where he floated, breaking even his ironclad stance. Twisting around frantically, he saw a horrific sight. The castle of Lugunica- the very essence of all that the country stood for- swayed drunkenly to its side. A massive section of its foundation was missing, and many of its spires began to break off, falling to the ground and shattered, the sound of rocks blasting apart overshadowing even the most fervent screams and pleas for help from those trapped within.

Reinhard stared in shock, his emotions frayed completely away. Then he started laughing- a terrible, throaty sound that roamed across the city. Tears rolled down his face, filled with the shock and horror of the day, at the realization that everything he had every worked for was now gone. Everything that had ever protected was naught but dust.

The city of Lugunica lay in ruins, its many buildings and markets shredded and ablaze, burning with an unquenchable fire. It's citizens, laying strewn about like carelessly discarded dolls, their blood filling the streets like an unholy river. The Royal Candidates, who had been picked off one-by-one over the course this year. Now even the castle- the symbol of pride and power that was Lugunica- lay in ruins.

Clenching his fists, Reinhard forced himself to accept the grim truth- that there was nothing more he could do. Even if he managed to defeat the Sin Archbishops roaming about the city, it wouldn't matter. The citizens were all dead, the buildings already destroyed. A prickling on the back of his neck informed him that his opponent from before had begun moving towards him once again.

Reinhard stared down at the results of his broken vows. Every promise he had made was now for naught, broken into pieces, along with what little shreds of his honor had remained. Frantically scouring his mind, he searched for some purpose- some meaning that might arise from his memories.

Then he straightened. A small flicker of determination entered his gaze once more as a memory from months prior reemerged from where it had lain forgotten under the insanity of the day. A memory of a promise given, an oath of redemption sworn- the words he had spoken to that strange, black-haired man deep underneath Lugunica Castle. His name flashed like fire through his mind- Subaru.

Ignoring the rapidly approaching white-haired man, Reinhard plummeted towards the ground, hitting the street with such force that an explosion of stone splinters burst from around him, spiderweb cracks forming in the solid stone with him at the epicenter. Activating every Divine Protection he had, Reinhard dashed through the streets, hoping that his speed would cause his assailant to lose the trail.

The streets nearest the Castle were especially bad. At the end of one street stood a cluster of wagons and furniture that had been piled into the street, stretching across the entire length of the road. Without slowing down Reinhard burst through the obstacle, emerging from the other side to find himself in the center of a cluster of guards and Royal Knights. Cuts and blood covered them as they shouted in surprise as their barricade shuddered, threatening to fall completely.

A familiar person strode over to Reinhard, six Quasi Spirits of differing colors surrounding his head in a nimbus. Reinhard felt his lip curl back in unexpectedly strong distaste at the sight, but his long years of knightly etiquette quickly erased the expression from his face.

[Julius] "Reinhard, it's good to see you! Take a position along the barricade. We're preparing to make a push towards the Priscilla Mansion to attempt a rescue."

Reinhard replied curtly, his entire body aching to be gone already. Too much time had already been wasted to spend any more in a pointless rescue attempt.

[Reinhard] "Negative. The Priscilla Mansion is completely destroyed; it was one of the first places that they targeted. I'm going to the Castle."

Julius paused, looking taken aback.

[Julius] "... that is truly unfortunate news about Priscilla's Mansion. The plan remains unchanged, however! If there is even the tiniest chance that a Royal Candidate remains alive, then it is our duty to take that chance."

Reinhard gave that same, bitter laugh. The guards and knights around him looked shocked at such a display from such a normally stoic and reserved individual. Julius merely frowned at the unknightly behaviour.

[Reinhard "Do as you wish. I'm going to the Castle, however. As for the rest of you… I'd recommend running, as far and fast as you can."

Julius stared at him, his expression beginning to show anger. His tone was warning as he took a step forward, the situation fraying even his nerves.

[Julius] "Reinhard! It is our duty as Knights of Lugunica to protect the Royal Candidates! Do not forget yourself."

Reinhard closed his eyes, taking a deep steadying breath. Now was not the time to express the pent-up emotions he had towards his former friend. His pulse rate began to slow, and he felt himself regaining control over his emotions.

Then another explosion echoed through the city. The guards and Royal Knights surrounding him started shouting at each other, relaying information about potential enemy movements. Their voices sounded in an unending clamor in his ears. At the same time his severed arm gave a twang of pain, strong enough to bypass his Divine Protections.

With all that, Reinhard finally felt himself snap- and a part of himself was relieved.

[Reinhard] "Knights? Of Lugunica? Ha! Look around you, Julius. Open those blind eyes of yours and look around for once! Lugunica is dead! The Royal Knights are all dead! Sending these guards to go on a suicidal mission will only lead to their deaths. Forget about your damned titles and do what is right for once! As for myself, I'm going to clean up one of your messes and free Subaru- it's been long overdue!"

The clearing fell dead quiet as Reinhard's words echoed through the street. Julius stepped forward, his eyes flaring with a cold anger. His voice was low and harsh as he spoke, each word holding the weight of an anvil.

[Julius] "Traitor. A true Royal Knight would never hesitate to follow his vows."

Reinhard gave another of those bitter laughs. His words were low and soft when he began, but progressed into a thundering shout by the end.

[Reinhard] "Fine. You don't believe I'm worthy of being a Royal Knight… then I won't be. I, Reinhard van Astrea, hereby declare myself severed from the Royal Knights!"

With a cruel grin, Reinhard stared back at Julius's shocked expression. With a swift, violent motion he tore the Dragon Sword Reid off of his belt and threw it at the ground in front of Julius. All eyes were on the fabled blade as it slid across the ground, the metal making crystal clear 'pinging' sounds until it came to rest at Julius's feet.

[Reinhard] "You think yourself so high and mighty- then take that useless blade if you can. You'll be a good match."

Turning to the rest of the shellshocked guard and Knights, Reinhard softened his expression considerably.

[Reinhard] "I recommend that you run while you can. This city is already dead, and you should leave while you still can… I'm sorry."

Leaving them with those final words, Reinhard sprinted off down the streets. Tears formed in his guilty eyes, but it wasn't from the wind. Head down, Reinhard continued his run towards the Castle, his mind broken, only a sliver of hope remaining.

—-

Subaru stared up at the ceiling of his dungeon, sword in hand. Another rumble shook the cavern, rattling Subaru's bones and teeth. He gritted his teeth in frustration, potential scenes of Crusch and Wilhelm in danger rolling constantly through his mind.

At his belt he fingered a small double edged knife. Barely larger than a kitchen knife, it was nonetheless razor sharp. He had selected it because it was the perfect size to slit someone's throat- most likely, his own.

When he had first read about Return by Death in that black-bound book of his, the possibility had terrified him. The thought of spending an eternity with the Surgeons, being killed over and over again yet never able to die had filled him with dread for weeks.

But now that Crusch was in danger… now, that ability no longer looked so horrifying. True, it would cause pain- a lot of pain. Subaru had already died once, and it wasn't exactly a walk in the park. The feeling of pain, then numbness, and finally the disturbing sense of disconnectedness, of unfeeling, was terrifying.

But it didn't matter. If it was for Crusch, he would gladly suffer that feeling a hundred times over, thousands, tens of thousands. He had the ability to ensure that she would never have to worry about her safety and would always be able to accomplish what she wished. That was worth any price in the world. Besides, he knew pain. The hell that the Surgeons had put him through had been worse than death many times over.

Even now, months after their depredations had ended, he still had trouble caring about pain. Wilhelm would often scold him on the fact that Subaru would train until the skin on his hands had been worn thin, blood beading at the joints of his fingers. That wasn't even to mention Wilhelm's disapproval of Subaru's style of fighting, which he called 'excessively aggressive to the point of being suicidal.' Subaru had taken that as a compliment.

The sound of thundering footsteps echoed down the hallway, their noise amplifying down the narrow hallway to the point they penetrated even the unbreakable stone door that imprisoned Subaru. Acting instantaneously, Subaru instinctively drew his sword with his right hand, left hand extended out, prepared to cast magic. With a brief spell he solidified the air around his ears, muffling the thundering, almost painful sound that was crashing towards him.

His eyes trained on the door, readying for it to be opened, Subaru was astonished to see the entire frame shudder as if struck by a train. A second impact sent the entire door shooting off the frame, rocketing into the opposite wall with a tremendous crash that would have deafened anyone without hearing protection.

Standing in the center of the now empty doorway stood Reinhard. His white uniform was pocked with deep cuts, with his entire left sleeve missing below the shoulder. The once-white color was covered in a thick layer of gray ash, and dozens of splatters of deep red blood had mixed with the ash, causing it to form a reddish-brown sludge. His sword was missing, which would normally be extremely disturbing- but today what really drew Subaru's attention was his face.

It was covered in blood splatters, forming lines of jagged red droplets across his proud features. His hair was coated in it, dying the vibrant red a much more sinister color. Worst of all were his eyes- long gone was the friendliness and regalty that they had held; now the only light within them was a fanatic desperation that formed an image entirely unlike the person Subaru had grown to know and- perhaps- care about.

Subaru couldn't help but take a step back as Reinhard searched the room. When his eyes lit upon Subaru, he smiled in relief. It was a surprisingly normal expression, given the circumstances.

[Reinhard] "Subaru, thank the Od that you're here… quick, come with me. The city has been destroyed by Witch Cultists. We're some of the only ones left… we need to run, before they find us."

Subaru nodded, immediately moving to do as Reinhard suggested. However, a sudden thought struck Subaru, and he halted just as quickly as he started.

[Subaru] "Reinhard, wait. Is Crusch alive?"

[Reinhard] "There's no time. We need to- "

Subaru cut him off, his voice low but determined, his words cloaked in an implacable solemnity.

[Subaru] "Reinhard- Is. Crusch. Alive."

Reinhard looked back, seeing Subaru's intense gaze. He averted his eyes briefly, but then looked up. Subaru grabbed on to his knife, prepared to jab it into his throat if the answer was what he feared.

[Reinhard] "... I don't know. She vanished, along with her entire expeditionary force when they went to hunt the White Whale. That was yesterday, before the city came under attack."

Still holding onto his knife, Subaru looked Reinhard dead in the eyes.

[Subaru] "You will help me look for her."

The question came out in a flat tone- a demand, not a request. Despite that, Reinhard answered instantly, no hesitation in his voice.

[Reinhard] "Yes. I owe you a great debt, Subaru. No action is too great to repay my folly."

Subaru nodded, thoughtful. After several long moments of consideration, he dedicated to put his knife away for the moment, though he made sure to keep his hand close to his side.

It took them close to ten minutes for Reinhard and Subaru to navigate the twisting, collapsed passageways and hallways of the Castle. When they reached the surface, Subaru looked out with a grim expression on the ruins of the once-Kingdom of Lugunica. Subaru and Reinhard stood there, on the ruins of one of the many grand spires of the Castle, surveying the battlefield together. Then, together, they began to pick their way through the lifeless streets.

The city was swarming with Witch Cultists. Drawing upon the power of his six Lesser Spirits, Subaru manipulated the air to create a web of delicate air particles around him, extending his senses and allowing him to feel anything that broke the delicate threads of air. With relative ease, he was able to extend the sensory web to a much greater degree than in the stifled cavern below, and his Wind Spirits zipped happily around his head, glad to finally be free of the stagnant air found below. Their playful soft green glow shone a stark contrast to the bloody massacres around them.

Reinhard's strength was greatly diminished from almost 8 full hours of non-stop fighting, and as a result he was mentally and physically exhausted. Even his Divine Protections weren't functionally as effectively as they should, although considering the number of times they had saved his life today, it wasn't too surprising.

Over the course of the next two hours, the two fugitives had almost made it to the edge of the city. Subaru's limited mana pool had forced him restrict the size of his sensory web several minutes previously, and it was this decrease in awareness that ultimately cost them.

A Witch Cultist who had been looting a nearby building had spotted them. Reinhard had dispatched him within seconds, but somehow his absence had been noted, because within two minutes the green-haired fanatic that Reinhard had seen earlier came floating above the buildings, his dozens of Witch Cultists filtering into the streets and alleyways to surround Subaru and Reinhard.

The fight had been short but brutal. Reinhard had launched himself at the green-haired fanatic, but despite killing him repeatedly, he continued to come back to life in the life of his subordinates. While Reinhard was dealing with that, Subaru had been left to fend off the dozens of Witch Cultists. They had seemed adverse to attacking with lethal force, but after Subaru had killed the first two, that limitation faded.

It had been a brutal fight for the both of them. In the end Reinhard had emerged unscathed but with his powers even more drained than before. Subaru, on the other hand, was barely standing. The fight had been brutal, much more so because the Cultists proved to be rather skilled. He had barely held them off for long enough until Reinhard could finish them off, and a variety of cuts and burns criss crossed his body like a macabre game board.

Worse of all was the attention that the fight had drawn. By the time they had finished an all-too familiar figure was walking down the alleyway.

In the end, despite all their efforts, they were no match for the Witch Cult. While Subaru had simply tried to stay alive and out of the way, Reinhard had fought valiantly with the white-haired man. Their moves were blurringly fast, reminding Subaru just how weak he truly was compared to such monsters.

When the other Archbishops arrived, Reinhard finally fell. His bloodied and battered form dropped to the ground, dead for the final time. A massive portion of the city had been leveled, flickers of residual magic still occasionally lighting up the darkened wasteland, providing brief flickers of illumination that chased away the night. In the end the Sin Archbishops of Lust, Sloth, and Gluttony all lost their lives that day- and so had all of Lugunica.

In the end Subaru had crawled away, his legs nearly useless from blood loss. Dragging himself to the top of a large pile of rubble, Subaru looked out over the shattered city. Towards the east the great dragon Volcanica, the legendary Divine Dragon, fell from the sky. Shadows surged over the land, swallowing all in their path with a ruthless intensity.

Looking out over the ruined world, Subaru rubbed the contract on his wrist. The small motion brought him comfort and renewed his sense of resolve. No matter what- he would save Crusch from this fate. And, if she wished, he would save this pathetic nation as well.

His eyes fell over the scattered corpses of innocents that littered the land, and he felt his heart harden. No matter what- he would save Crusch. Even if it meant the loss of all these- he would choose Crusch over them. All of them. He only hoped that he would never have to make such a choice.

The sun broke over the horizon. Taking his last glimpse of the horizon, Subaru pulled his knife free from its sheath- and closed his eyes.

A moment later, true darkness fell over him.

Author's Notes

envy-tan: Yes, Emilia is dead. In this loop she went to the Loot House and was killed by Elsa, along with Felt and Rom. By the end of the loop all of the Royal Candidates are dead, besides (perhaps) Priscilla, whose whereabout were unknown... but who probably died as well.

OreosAreYummy: This loop is very different from the canon story, so I didn't bother keeping track of the exact times when events would correspond. In this loop the attack on Priestella had a bit different intentions that the one in canon. In this loop, the Archbishops (and whatever mysterious force in guiding them) merely had the objective of killing Anastasia and generally spreading chaos and destruction.

prabhjiv: Thanks! Really appreciate it, looking forward to seeing what happens by the end!

Perch 2nd airborne: Hit the nail on the head completely there. Also, definitely agree on the Roswaal bit lol.

Haru: Yep, pretty much :). Still not sure how that's going to play out, but it'll definitely be interesting...