As Subaru and Demiurge passed through the Flames of Gehenna, the Japanese teenager was elated to find that he was not instantly incinerated upon touching the multicolored fire. But according to Demiurge, it had absolutely no physical effect in burning. Rather, it was an area effect skill that he possessed which granted noticeable status buffs to all demons who lurked within.
Needless to say, Subaru found this to be an extremely convenient skill.
"Before we go any further, I think it's time that I finally tell you about the Archbishop and his own secret weapon. I've actually escaped from it in the past. And it was sorta on...instinct." He was suddenly reminded of his last encounter with the grinning madman. He was holding the silver-haired half-elf in his arms, her body devoid of life. And there he had appeared, completely unwelcome and unwanted. And worse, he seemed to be under the impression that Subaru had done the job he came for. And at the moment when he sought to strike, Subaru could finally see it.
Those ghastly hands appeared out of nowhere, stretching out to grab at Subaru and the girl he had risked so much for.
Just the thought of remembering the unnatural way those things moved sent a shiver down Subaru's spine.
"They're called the Unseen Hand. And as you can guess, they're an invisible attack of some kind. They seem to reach out from his body and can mangle a person's body in their grasp. And from the way I was able to avoid it that last time, his reaction gave off the impression that he's not accustomed to people noticing his power." Indeed, Betelgeuse freaked out to the point where he even exclaimed that it was wrong that someone other than him could perceive his attack.
Unfortunately, Subaru had no great education on how versatile each branch of magic was in this world. If he had to guess, he would have assumed that the ability used by the crazed Archbishop was perhaps some sort of advanced version of Shadow magic. "But, that Possession thing he apparently does with his fingers definitely doesn't sound like any kind of element-themed magic, either. So I shouldn't rule out that maybe it's some sort of unique ability. Like Return By Death?"
Having taken in everything that was explained to him, Demiurge had already formulated multiple ways in which he could prevent such a skill from doing him harm. "An invisible attack, is it? A troubling skill against those without high detection abilities, but there are ways of which I can easily evade such, if necessary."
Invisible attacks were quite useful for killing one's opponent stealthily and without their notice. But, if such a thing could physically interact with another person's body, then it stood to reason that these Unseen Hands had something resembling a physical form and as such, could be interfered with provided something got in their way before they reached their target.
"Hnm, I do wonder how someone like Cocytus would counter such an ability."
Quickly, Demiurge snapped back to reality. "You seem to be well informed on your enemy, Subaru. I suppose you are taking what I told you and applying it. That is good."
Nodding, he was quick to say, "Yeah. The only surprises I want are the ones that I'm dishing out! This bastard's had things his own way for way too long. And it's about time I turn his lights out for good!" Subaru punched a fist into his own palm to demonstrate his meaning. Indeed, he had absolutely no intention of letting Beteluese Romanee-Conti leave this place alive.
This place would be his grave.
"So then, with this knowledge in mind, what aid do you believe you will require from me? It sounds as if this is something resembling a personal battle and that you would prefer to be the one to land the death blow." Demiurge was one who never took things to heart in a fight. He simply viewed his enemies as being potential resources, test subjects to verify new, sadistic theories, or simply victims. There were precious few scenarios wherein the Archdevil would ever find himself investing so much spiritual energy into a foe.
"I did have something in mind. And I think we can use this guy down here to make sure no one knows what we're up to," An insidious smile crossed Subaru's face as he looked down at his own feet. A pair of sickly, yellow eyes emerged from his shadow, alerting him to the secret familiar. "The Shadow Demon!" He clenched his fist in an almost dramatic sort of way, rather proud of this method of sneak attack he had devised.
Even though Betelgeuse had his secret attack that apparently nobody else could see, wouldn't it be a little bit too strange to rely only on that? After all, he was the leader of his forces. Wouldn't it make sense that he had personal security around him, ready to jump in just in case something went wrong? Subaru was going to take that exact same tactic and throw it straight into the faces of those Witch Cult bastards!
An almost wild look appeared in Subaru's eyes and he gave off something that resembled an air of excitement. "You monsters have been running around long enough in this world. And I'm going to do to you exactly what you've done to countless others. You'll all die horrible deaths, not having a single clue what's going on. It's what you all deserve."
Further explaining his plan, Subaru decided to keep going. "I don't want to get too cocky. It might look a little bit too weird if I was searching around before is as if I was waiting for someone. So, the Shadow Demon can scout around in secret and quietly come back to tell me when I'm close to any of your demons that are lurking. Then, I can lead the Witch Cult right into a death squad where your guys will do their thing!"
Demiurge smiled a quiet, but impressed smile. "An incredibly simple, but very efficient means of deception and attack, Subaru. You seem to be growing quite comfortable in plotting the downfall of these people."
Subaru was silent for a few moments. He thought back to his last time in the capital. At that time he and Rem were accosted by those three green-haired jackasses in the alley.
"Back then, I thought about blowing that one guy away. But I didn't. I hated the way they talked about Rem like she was some kinda object, but I don't think I hated them." How many teenage punks were there on the streets who did things like that but weren't menaces to everything that looked at them? People like that, Subaru could just walk away from and forget about them. "Guys like that don't deserve a fire blast to the face. Its...too much. They're assholes but it's not that big a deal at the end of the day."
And then, he drifted back into a most painful memory. One that he never wanted to see before his eyes again. The people in Arlam had been totally slaughtered by the Witch Cult. No one had been spared. Bodies and weapons littered the small town and blood polluted the streets. And for what? What was even the purpose of it? To revive a world-ending Witch who no one truly understood the nature of? Subaru wouldn't have been surprised if the first thing the Witch of Envy did was annihilate all her so-called followers.
Subaru wouldn't allow it. The Witch Cult deserved no mercy from him. None.
His decision had been made.
"Just because you fight someone, it doesn't mean you hate them. But I hate the Witch Cult. Every single one. And I'm not gonna be satisfied until every one of them in this forest is dead."
Demiurge responded with a mirthful chuckle, his fangs exposed. Once again, Demiurge found himself silently thanking Sebas for locating this boy. From his incredible gift of prescience, Demiurge felt that Subaru Natsuki was one who had the potential to bring about great slaughter and destruction. He could tell from interactions that his enmity toward the Witch Cult likely stemmed from personal loss wherein Subaru may have ended up the lone individual to walk away.
Personal grudges oftentimes did lead to some of the most entertaining revenge.
"If you are looking for a massacre, then I know just the spell to help you achieve that."
Demiurge approved of Subaru's plan to lead his enemies into a false sense of security, and then finally lead them straight into their deaths.
"Well, if we have all the info spread around, I guess I should get going! Don't want to be late for the party. Especially since they're expecting me!" If Subaru wasn't covered in day-old blood he would have looked a bit cooler in the way he fluffed the collar of his jersey. But even still, he departed into the forest with naught by a sole Shadow Demon for silent company, ready to face his foes once and for all.
"Well, I suppose I mustn't slack. He is expecting a slaughter, so I must do my part in bringing about the bloodshed he desires." With this in mind, Demiurge activated one of his skills from the Prince of Darkness class that would summon a large number of lesser demons, all of which could be controlled and respond to orders from him.
"[Fiesta del Diablo]"
Everything had been proceeding the way Subaru wanted. And now here he was, face to face with the worst of them all.
Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti had done well in telling Subaru many things that he wouldn't have heard anywhere else. The Witch Cult was a secretive organization, after all. And they probably thrived in ensuring no one on the inside spoke of their clandestine ways.
Though he didn't want to admit it, the Witch's Scent had been of great help to him. It had fooled dozens of members of the Witch Cult into believing Subaru was one of them. And with it, every single one of them let their guards down, making it easy for Subaru to lead so many of them to gruesome, merciless deaths.
Those foul villains would never again trouble the innocent. They would never again sneak into an unprotected town and slaughter every man, woman, and child in sight.
Subaru Natsuki felt a bit happier knowing that the world was just a mite safer without such people.
But he hadn't yet crossed the finish line. That goal was one milestone away, and Subaru attended to grab it, no matter what!
Betelgeuse stood before Subaru, absolutely stunned into silence. Though he may have been insane, he was not deaf. But, it also did not mean he was able to immediately comprehend the words that came out of the mouth of this unfamiliar stranger. He was here to...kill him?
Him? An Archbishop of the Witch's Cult?
Confusion wracked the mind of the madman to the point where his mouth hung open in dumb confusion.
Seeing that he was too paralyzed by his words to even properly respond, Subaru took this opportunity to taunt his enemy. "What's wrong, Juice? Cat got your tongue? Or are you people not familiar with that phrase around these parts? Or did you not hear what I just said? I can repeat it for you if you want."
Subaru was not just running his mouth for the sake of it. Indeed, he didn't intend to end up like those people who lost an advantage because they became overconfident the second it looked like they had an advantage. She was waiting period and this taunt was not meant exclusively for the Archbishop standing in front of him. "C'mon, make a move! If you're out there, do something!"
The crazed cultist finally came back into the moment. This was incomprehensible. Why would someone who had received such love deny the caring embrace of the Witch? Such a mockery of her faithful could notnotnot be tolerated! He would not allow it!
"PROOF OF LOVE! Authority of Sloth! Unseen Hands!"
Betelgeuse's shadow exploded—no, it was more accurate to say that it swelled up and expanded, multiplying into what Subaru counted as about eight black arms that coiled around the Archbishop like wild serpents! And though he may have called it the Unseen Hand, Subaru could perceive this ability just as easily as he saw the green-haired freak wielding them!
These were evil hands, imperceptible to normal people, able to destroy a human body with ease. He had already watched how someone as hardy as Rem was turned into a mangled mess after those hands touched her body. The mere thought of it infuriated Subaru.
The hands danced high above like serpentine heads, locking on to Subaru. The black, shadowy, evil hands snapped down like whips, the tips of their fingers aimed at the ground, shooting out at breakneck speed. And a moment before those black tendrils reached him, Subaru pushed his body directly to the left, evading every single hand that came his way.
Once again, Betelgeuse was forced into silence. His wide eyes were bloodshot and strike with unrestrained emotion.
"WHAT IS THIS?! YOU CAN SEE MY UNSEEN HANDS?"
A confident smile on his face, Subaru was quick to respond, "If you can see'em, then they really aren't that big a deal!" And to his surprise, the Unseen Hands weren't faster than he could avoid.
Upon seeing this situation unfold, those who had been hidden within the cavern emerged. Six Witch Cultists, all wearing that ugly, but familiar hooded robe made their entrances. Their Archbishop was in danger, and loyal underlings that they were, each one of them would lay down their lives for their superior.
And lay down their lives they would.
The moment the Witch Cultists sprung into action, a pleasant, but a bone-chilling voice spoke the words that would lead them to their immediate doom.
"[Hellfire Wall]"
Crashing down from the sky, a wall of flame that stretched dozens of meters into the air blocked off Betelgeuse from his Fingers. But, unlike the multicolored Flames of Gehenna which anyone could harmlessly pass through, this new, pitch-black fire proved itself to be considerably more lethal.
As if taking on a life of its own, the wall of flame pushed forward and bathed the Witch Cultists in its infernal heat. And just as quickly as it had presented itself, the flames vanished without a trace of having ever been there.
The bodies of the Fingers fell to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut.
Despite having been immolated in fire, their bodies hadn't suffered a single burn. Their clothes hadn't even been burned off, and there was no scent of a fire having ever scorched anything at all. By all accounts, the Witch Cultists had simply dropped dead.
"How…how can THIS be…? That spell...it was nothing like the fire spells in the GOA FAMILY! WHAT MANNER OF TRICKERY IS THIS?!" The madman's throat trembled. He plucked at his head, causing droplets of blood to begin to flow. His violent gesture tore hair away, and as the skin on his head bled, Betelgeuse stamped the ground in a mad fury.
A peal of laughter interrupted his rant. But it was not Subaru Natsuki who was laughing. Finding the source of this mockery, the Archbishop's already wide eyes grew in size once more as he took notice of an unknown man wearing a fine red suit. He was floating in the air above them at about thirty feet. His skin was tanned and were it not for the metallic tail that floated behind him, Betelgeuse would have thought the man was an elf, given his long, pointed ears.
"WHO ARE YOU?! IDENTIFY YOURSELF! What have you DONE to my Fingers?!"
Subaru, having been watching the entire thing, allowed himself a satisfied smile. "So those were Fingers. And it sounds like there was more than one of them, too. Just what I was looking for." Subaru had no plans to reveal that he'd already tricked many other subordinates to their demise. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the worst-case scenario. "There's a chance that he might try to run away if he thinks he's out of spare bodies." Self-preservation was a powerful motivator. Even Elsa ran away from Reinhard when she realized his presence was too much of a danger for her.
Another round of laughter burst from Demiurge, his mirth cruelly mocking the loss of the Archbishop. Demiurge opened his hand, and six, small spheres of fire circled his palm in a slow, glowing dance. It was the same number of victims that his spell had just claimed, coincidentally.
As if looking down on an inferior lifeform, Demiurge remained silent, leaving Betelgeuse to flail in his mad confusion. But before long, he spoke only four words.
"Their souls are mine."
Without anything resembling pity for their lives, Demiurge's heartless words sang through the ears of the Archbishop, sending a wave of cold fear into the core of his being.
And with that, the man in red vanished into the air, disappearing from the scene and leaving no trace of his presence.
Once again, the Archbishop was forced into silence. But this time the expression on his face was more than simply shock. No, it was something more than that. He was bewildered to the point where he could not even lash out to inflict wounds upon himself.
"He...took their souls? He...stole them? This is bad, so very very bad..."
In his stupor, the Archbishop had left himself completely wide open to the world.
"Hey, Betelgeuse!"
The sound of his name being called woke the Archbishop once more, only to find that something was colliding with his face. Something hard and metallic.
It was a fist. But a fist unlike any he'd ever experienced in his 400 years.
Subaru hadn't wasted this opportunity to attack. Having closed the distance when the Unseen Hands were nowhere in sight, armed with the Hand of Algol, Subaru Natsuki delivered the hardest punch he had ever thrown in his entire life. He was no trained boxer, but with multiple lifetimes worth of fury behind his adamantite-clad fist, Subaru unleashed a torrent of pent-up anger upon the one he hated most.
From the moment his fist made contact with his face, Subaru felt the Archbishop lift off his feet and collide with the hard, unforgiving ground with a pleasing and resounding SMASH!
Standing over his opponent, Subaru watched as the likely half-concussed Witch Cultist lay at his feet, blood drooling from his nose and at least two teeth having been knocked from his mouth. Looking down on him from above with pitiless eyes. Three eyes, in fact. The two in his own head, and the eldritch, black iris eye upon the palm of the Hand of Algol. And it was now that Subaru reminded him of one thing:
"Don't even think about averting your attention, Betelgeuse. Didn't I already say it? Your opponent is me."
Thrashing about, the crazed Archbishop grasped at his hair, his eyes bulging out as if they were about to pop, even leaking blood instead of tears!
"My brain is TREEEEEEMBLES!"
Chomping on his fingers, thin strands of green hair still locked in between his bloody digits, Betelgeuse began to mumble in an almost alien sort of way, his tone switching cadences every few seconds.
"yeS oFcOurSe iT aLL mAkEs sENse. yeS oFcOurSe iT aLL mAkEs sENse. yeS oFcOurSe iT aLL mAkEs sENse."
The madman's mood rose just the same as he lifted himself to his feet. His voice turning shrill, as he regained whatever measure of awareness that he had lost. "It is fine. It IS fine. It is fine! Ahh, fine! FINE! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!"
With all ten of his fingertips crushed, a considerable amount of blood flowed as Betelgeuse said, "It is fine. Now I understand! Now IS the time for struggle! For love, yes, for looooove! We will find out which one of us is WORTHY of her love! WORTHY OF HER LOOOOOVE! YES, LOVE!"
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in love, today. The only thing I want right now is your life, Betelgeuse."
having grown up in modern-day Japan, Subaru would have never even imagined that he would say such words with a straight face as well as having every intention of carrying them out. But he now understood. This was a world where one could not rely on proper authorities to keep one safe. That was just naive. He already knew this from personal experience. If he did not solve problems like this himself, or at very least take measures to ensure that he had assistance along the way, then people like the Witch Cultists would roam around free, doing whatever they wanted.
Subaru hated this loop. He hated that the responsibility of solving these problems fell so harshly on him. But if it was killing Witch Cultists to keep other people safe? Subaru could live with that.
"[Shockwave]!"
He aimed his palm up toward one of the craggy rock faces of the cliff, the impact from his spell collapsing part of the mountain wall and falling directly above the head of Betelgeuse!
But, though he had been repeatedly taken off guard by every trap that Subaru Natsuki had laid in front of him, even someone as insane as he was not going to allow himself to be crushed by falling reach that he could clearly see coming down right above him.
Summoning ten Unseen Hands, each one of them at least three times as large as the normal ones. They all surrounded Beteleuese, their palms open to catch the falling rocks that would have otherwise crushed him! With a flick of their shadowy wrists, the hands pushed the danger away, leaving Betelgeuse unharmed.
Subaru was a little bit annoyed to find that his opponent could use that power of his to attack and defend. But, it would have been naive to think that this was going to be a cakewalk. "I guess it's good that I can see those damned Unseen Hands. Otherwise, it would have looked like some kind of force field blocked those rocks from flattening him."
If Betelgeuse could summon a bunch of those Unseen Hands and even change their size, it would be terrible if Subaru ended up getting mauled by them all at once. But, that was exactly why he had an ace in the hole for just such a situation. Whoever designed the Hand of Algol sure knew what they were doing when they wanted to make what was basically a Swiss Army Knife for magic spells.
"WHAT manner of trickery is this? What are you doing and HOOOOW did you make that rock face collapse?!"
Subaru couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, you didn't see it? Gee, I wonder how it feels to not be able to see an attack coming. I guess it's hard for you of all people to relate, isn't it?"
"Your mockery will by your last, Subaru Natsukiiii!"
Unseen Hands appeared from behind Betelgeuse, once again, totaling ten in number. Shooting out at him from all directions, the Archbishop know knew his opponent would have nowhere to dodge!
Except, Subaru had seen this same tactic before. Indeed, he had been near-comatose in a state of mental shock. But he still remembered. He could never forget how those damned hands touched Rem and lifted her off the ground. And that was not going to happen to him on this day!
Hoping that this would work, Subaru took on a dramatic pose, kneeling on one knee and holding out his armed hand as if bracing himself for a powerful attack. At the absolute top of his lungs, Subaru bellowed out the non-existent spell, "[DEATH BURN, HELL OVERDRIVE]!"
The name of this spell was completely out there and over the top. So much so that Betelgeuse's Unseen Hands slowed to a crawl before swiftly retreating to become a frontal shield for him, forming multiple layers of Unseen Hand barriers to stop an attack that never came.
"He fell for it!"
It was likely that the Archbishop was so on guard against this unknown opponent that he was intimidated by anything that even sounded vaguely threatening. And it was at this moment that Subaru did not waste the new opening to attack. The Unseen Hands were only set to block anything coming from the front, leaving all other sides of him exposed!
"[Shockwave]!"
Once more, instead of aiming at Betelgeuse himself, Subaru attempted to have him crushed under the mountain, which was proving to be a good environmental advantage for Subaru. He would exploit everything around him to ensure he had even the slightest edge! He wouldn't give Betelgeuse any opportunity to become the aggressor, here!
Subaru's attack collapsed another shelf of rock that descended from on high above the Archbishop. But just like last time, he was prepared to defend himself. "THAT won't work, boy!" The Unseen Hands moved away from their frontal position and once more became an overhead barrier that protected the madman from harm.
But this time, Subaru was not going to fake his next attack! Directing the Hand of Algol to Betelgeuse, he didn't care if his opponent actually blocked this attack. He simply wanted to deal as much damage as possible!
"[Fireball]!"
Upon his command, three blasts of the spell launched from the magical eye upon Subaru's hand. Though completely visible, the fire spell raced across the rock quarry and slammed into the Unseen Hands one after another! And this time, Subaru could feel the heat from the trio of explosions as his attacks made contact with something. Though Betelgeuse had been protected, the impact from the blast had kicked up a substantial amount of black smoke!
It was nice to finally see fire acting the way it was supposed to be.
Using his Unseen Hands to push away the smoke, Betelgeuse was much too infuriated to realize that Subaru Natsuki was noticeably a few meters further back than he had been, before.
"What's wrong, Betelgeuse? You seem a little bit frustrated. Don't tell me that petty little Unseen Hand is failing you. I guess it's no wonder why you still haven't been embraced by the Witch. I doubt she'd be interested in the sort of man who only has one trick to show her. Unlike me, who already has the key to her doors."
Thrown back by this insult, Betelgeuse could not allow himself to tolerate this sort of...of...BLASPHEMY!
"Key...? You speak as though you are familiar with the Witch. Tell me what it is you speak of and tell me now!"
"It's just what I said. She and I have been real intimate. And the best thing about it is, I didn't have to put in an ounce of work. The Witch comes to me and whispers all kinds of things in my ear. All about love." Once again he intentionally used a trigger word to set the mad Archbishop off. Though he had never once asked for the favor of the Witch, he still didn't mind using it to set his opponent off.
And it worked like a charm.
This boy had adhered to no creed? He had practiced no diligence? He had claimed to have engaged in SLOTH? And yet the Witch who owned his heart, his soul, his entire existence would come to someone who did not worship? Who did not even own a Gospel?
"WHYYYYYYYY?! Why!? Why!? Why!? Why!? Why!? Why!?"
Betelgeuse leaned back so far that it was impressive he could still keep his balance in such a ridiculous pose. "You have received the LOVE! Love that is on par with even one of the Sin Archbishops! Tell me WHY you would reject the love of the Witch?!" None of these events were in the guide to his chosen destiny as written by the Gospel! It made no sense!
"Inconceivable! Unimaginable! Unthinkable! Preposterous! ABSURD!"
He had never felt such humiliation in his entire life! How could someone who should have occupied the new seat of pride reject the love of the witch in such a way?! He would not allow such a thing!
"Utter nonsense, heresy! You shall pay for this! I shall rend YOU limb from limb and offer your soul to the Witch!" Betelgeuse's laments cut off in an instant. His shadow seemed to explode,
spreading and swelling as it became a multitude of pitch-black arms, so many so that Subaru didn't even think he could count them all. It was an absolute storm of Unseen Hands that even partially blotted out the daytime light. These objects of overwhelming density cascaded toward Subaru like a waterfall to tear him limb from limb, just as the crazed man threatened.
In his unthinking anger, Betelgeuse himself had not even taken notice that the number of Unseen Hands he released had drastically increased. His Fingers slain, the temporary Witch Factors instilled in them returned to him, granting him access to his own full power.
The Unseen Hands barreled down upon Subaru, who seemed to offer absolutely no resistance. Hand after hand slammed down, pounding the ground and grasping at everything in sight, attempting to shred the one target before them.
And yet, Subaru Natsuki wasn't there.
But Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti was completely unaware. His reaction was far too slow. And he knew nothing else until he felt his body blasted from his own feet along with a searing, mind-melting heat that immolated him in flame!
Betelgeuse found himself flying straight into the wall of the cliff, smashing his head against the hard, craggy stone. His already crazed mind was knocked for a loop, having been shot with that fire spell from behind! Rolling about the ground, his body moved on pure instinct to pat out the flames! "The pain! Agony! Suffering! AnGUisHHHHHH!"
Bloody tears streamed from Betelgeuse's eyes, and through blurred vision, the Archbishop saw the form of his enemy once again standing above him. "...How? How did you escape my Unseen Hands?" He was certain that there were far too many of them for the boy to have simply run away! Indeed, there were so many hands barreling down that they'd been blocked Betelgeuse's own sight! So how could he have escaped the proof of his love?
Silence took over for a few moments before Subaru answered, "None of your damn business." Like hell he was explaining his trick to the enemy.
The truth was, Subaru used one of the spells implanted in the Hand of Algol. It was called [Dimensional Move]. According to Sebas, it was a short-range teleportation ability that allowed the user to put distance between himself and the opponent. So, if Subaru was hoping to quickly get back to the mansion, that would absolutely be impossible. He wouldn't even be able to cross out of the forest the way Demiurge could.
[Dimensional Move] + [Fireball] had proven to be a most excellent surprise attack that Betelgeuse never saw coming. He didn't know what it felt like getting slammed into a mountain and burned alive by a small explosion, but he imagined it was unpleasant.
"The further away you move your Unseen Hands, the more open you are to a middle-range attack. You're so used to killing people without them knowing what's even going on that you never thought someone would come so close to you. Am I right?"
Confusion. Rage. Suffering. Indignation.
All these things burned in the eyes of Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti. But, his body was wracked with pain and intense burns, it even hurt him to move!
Approaching, there was one thing Subaru wanted before he finished his opponent off for good.
Subaru was no Pele, but he kicked Betelgeuse in the face with all the force he could muster, sending the Archbishop's head rolling back from the impact! "You have something I want."
Rummaging around through his robes, Subaru finally located what he was looking for. It was the same little black book that Betelgeuse had demanded that Subaru display to prove himself a true member of the Witch Cult. It was the Gospel that belonged to Betelgeuse.
Subaru was still very curious about the inner writings of this book. According to what the madman had spoken, Subaru himself and his arrival should have been written within its pages. But he didn't know how that could work. Perhaps taking it would allow him to understand later who wrote it and why it was so important.
"...My Gospel...give...it back."
The weakened Witch Cultist could barely choke these words out, his lungs failing him.
If his body was destroyed, death was an inescapable reality! Before that point, Betelgeuse made his decision. "Having lost all my Fingers, my destruction is nigh. BUT! There is still, one vessel, that remains for me...!"
He had realized it too late. Subaru Natsuki had gone all over the forest to destroy his precious Fingers. And consequentially, he had to select an emergency replacement.
His madness-suffused eyes opened wide and moved around. He locked eyes with Subaru Natsuki, and the dark-haired teenager felt an odd chill run down his spine and an alien sensation course through his body!
"Ahh. My brain...TREMBLES."
Stuffed into his chest, the invisible entity robbed him of his right to control his own body, and its shrill, earsplitting laughter echoed inside Subaru's own skull. Subaru proceeded to bend exaggeratedly backward, opening his eyes and mouth to their utmost in acclamation. "I. Knew. It! This flesh is a vessel with the capacity to hold ME! And with no way to stop ME! No way to impede my path! AHH, ahh, you, were SLOTHFUL!"
Betelgeuse's existence felt so close, it was as if they were sitting side by side in the same brain. This was the final stage of Possession. With his Fingers lost, Betelgeuse had moved to take over Subaru's body as an emergency spare.
The body of Subaru Natsuki jerked around in a disturbing, irregular way. Indeed, it was appropriate to say that the body was fighting with itself from within. Two wills, both desperate for dominance battled within the sole body.
"What is it with you?! Why do you reject the Witch?! Why would you reject Love? Love is everything!"
"I...DON'T...CARE!" Subaru struggled from within, using every fiber of his will to not be taken over. He couldn't care less about any of this love shit that Betelgeuse kept running his damn mouth about. He never had anything different to say. Love this, Witch that! Subaru was sick of hearing it and he was sick of him!
"You wanna see the Witch that bad? Then let me open the door for you, Betelgeuse!"
Preparing himself for what was to come next, Subaru summoned up his last bit of strength to utter the words that would trigger the taboo.
"I...CAN RETURN BY DEATH!"
The instant he spoke the forbidden words, the world lost its color, and all came to a stop. And then, it came for Subaru.
The world that greeted him was dominated by darkness, and darkness alone. It was a hazy space, a world of nothing, an empty vacuum where even his own real body did not exist.
Whether his body existed or not was unimportant. There was a sense of oblivion alone, and there was a blissful, familiar feel to that oblivion. If he could feel anything at all in that place, he could
somehow make out his own existence. Within that darkness, where even his mind was hazy, there suddenly came a change, and the world's ambiance seemed to change.
In that world without light, there was a pitch-black figure blotting out even that same darkness. It was a woman. He could grasp that at least.
Her face and the contours of her body were so uncertain, he could not be sure of anything about them. And yet his heart seethed. This chance meeting with her. No, not a chance meeting. This was a
reunion. A REWARD!
This was a blessing, this was grace, this was gospel itself. This was true love. His lack of fingers irritated him. He wanted to walk over and take her hand that very instant. His lack of a mouth irritated him. He wanted to lavish words upon her to express his feelings. His lack of a body irritated him. If she so desired, he would offer her blood, bone, flesh. All of it. His being only a soul irritated him, for he had but that single thing to offer her.
As before, she continued to hold her silence. But her mind had certainly shifted in his direction. That was enough. Being in a world where she paid heed to his existence felt as good as if he had ascended to the heavens. And his soul, yearning for love for so long, would be hers, forever.
Until, "No. This is wrong."
The voice was tinged with disappointment and despondency.
He had prepared to receive her first words with supreme bliss, whatever they might be. Yet the instant he heard her voice, it created a shadow of worry that made his entire being tremble.
Why did it feel like this? Here, in the place that would surely grant the love that he sought. "You are not that person." Her disappointment deepened, her enthusiasm dissipated, and finally her
despondency changed into another emotion: Anger.
"Why is someone not him here, in our place?"
The voice shook with anger. The angry, hateful, accursed words rejected the soul, ripping it and his dreams into pieces. Unable to grasp the reason for her pushing him away and unable to accept the reality that she truly detested him, and that his love could never reach her...he desperately sought words of sadness and lament, a voice that he could exhaust to assuage her heart.
But he had no mouth to use to form such words, nor fingers nor a body to act out his will. All he had in that place was his soul—and she had rejected him, not permitting him to offer even that.
"Begone. You are not welcome, here."
The bewilderment, consternation, and grief of his thoughts never reached her. They were meaningless, for to her he was worthless, meaningless, and idle.
She merely gazed silently, earnestly, into the pitch blackness.
"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."
The voice repeated these same words for what seemed like an infinite number of times. And each declaration of love pounded into Betelgeuse like an unforgiving hammer. but it was the final admission that both crushed his hopes once again and sent him flying back to his own self.
"I LOVE YOU, SUBARU!"
"Aaagh! I'm back!"
Freed from the agony he'd thought would last forever, Subaru's mind caught up to the speed of reality. He was absolutely in control of his own body once more! The pain of his heart's being mercilessly squeezed was the strict penalty for speaking that which was taboo. The hands wrought from black shadow greatly resembled Petelgeuse's Authority, a fact likely related to the Witch.
Was it possible that the love he was always running his mouth about was actually a gift bestowed by her?
Return by Death probably had something to do with some fated connection between Subaru and the Witch of Envy. Or perhaps it had something to do with Subaru's being summoned to this world in the first place.
Subaru's plan had worked. He'd had a feeling that if Betelgeuse truly was an evil spirit of some sort that hopped between bodies to stay alive that the Witch wouldn't take kindly to this if Subaru invoked the taboo while an intruder was taking up residence in him.
"Either way, I'll find an explanation someday. But right now?" Brushing his misgivings aside, Subaru moved his cramping limbs and rose to his feet. He vigorously used a sleeve to rub grimy drool off his cheek.
Subaru looked down at Betelgeuse, who had been rejected from his body by the Witch. In that world of nothing but darkness, she had taken notice that an unwelcome guest had encroached upon a place where only Subaru was desired.
Subaru saw Betelgeuse there, crawling in a pool of blood. Having returned to his own corpselike body, Betelgeuse dragged it forward as he wept, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. His body was still suffering from the fire attack Subaru launched forth from before. There was no way this body was going to last for very long.
"Why!? Why?! Why!? Why?! Why!? Why?! Why!? Why?! For 400 years I have remained diligent, always seeking her favor, her approval! What have I done wrong to be rejected, so?!"
"Witch! Witch! O, Witch! I have given this much to YOU! I have done so much for You! Why, why have You forsaken ME?! Why?"
Subaru found the way Betelgeuse writhed around to be truly pathetic. "400 years for a woman who didn't even know you exist. You wasted your life and the lives of so many other people, Betelgeuse. And this is what you get for it. Even if you never ran into me, the same thing would have probably happened, regardless. The Witch never loved you. And you never knew her."
Subaru's words were without any shred of pity. "All this death, and what for? You didn't accomplish shit in the end. An here you are, dying out in the middle of nowhere with not a single man or woman to care about you. You did this to yourself, Betelgeuse. You went around doing nothing but making enemies for all these years and never thought one of them would come back to return the favor."
Subaru trained one hand toward the heavens. It was the hand upon which he wore the Hand of Algol. As he departed the scene, Subaru launched three [Fireball] spells from his gauntlet, each one of them collapsing a section of the cliff overhead, the rushing debris now a victim of gravity and falling toward a single target.
"Didn't I tell you before, Betelgeuse? The one to kill you will be nobody else but me. And you won't hurt me or my friends ever again."
Tears flowed from the broken Archbishop's eyes as they connected with the callous eyes of Subaru Natsuki. "My brain...trem...bles."
Giant fragments of the gouged rock face split off and fell. Directly below was Betelgeuse, seeking the heavens, seeking love. And in the end, his hand was unable to grasp anything at all.
"She never loved m—"
The mass of rock crushed his flesh, and there was a grand sound of flesh and bone being squished. There were multiple bangs and rumbles as dust was blown upward from the impact, and in an instant, Betelgeuse was crushed, buried by his enemy under the rubble that would serve as his tombstone.
As the dust cleared, Subaru didn't feel the same sense of...ease as when he'd given the killing blow to the White Whale. While he knew that as only the halfway point, Subaru still felt as if a weight had been lifted out of his very heart at the time and made him feel eager to complete the rest.
He didn't feel that at all this time.
"...He's finally dead."
Burned to the point where he knew he could no longer stay within the body he currently inhabited and then crushed under a rockslide. Subaru should have felt elated. He had just killed one of the Sin Archbishops and walked away from it with no true wounds to show.
But he wasn't elated.
In fact, there was a great sense of emptiness inside him, now.
How could this be? It had only been a bit over a week since Subaru had made the worst mistake of his entire life. Allowing his emotions to drive his actions and challenge that purple-haired knight to a duel, which ended up making Emilia leave him behind in the capital city. All those things were what contributed to the path he'd followed for what seemed like months!
Subaru had put so much mental, physical, and spiritual energy into this seemingly impossible quest. And he'd completed it. Everyone he cared about was alive and safe.
But...what now? Was he supposed to just go back to the mansion, tell everyone what he'd accomplished, have a celebration party, and then hope he could go on from there? The people from Arlam Village would surely be thankful.
What was ahead of him at this point? Subaru still hadn't met with, or even apologized to Emilia for his actions back in the capital. And if he was honest, the thought scared him. What if he did and she continued to reject him the same way the Witch rejected Betelgeuse? Was Subaru no longer welcome in Emilia's life? Were his actions that unforgivable. At this moment, Subaru slightly understood why Betelgeuse may have believed he was Pride.
Arrogantly thinking he alone could save Emilia and going to such lengths just to get back in her good books when there was so much more at stake than trying to act like some kind of hero!
His mind immediately flashed back to some rather unpleasant words from a certain busty baroness. "I think I pity you just a little. Whether you are aware of it or not, you so thoroughly play the fool. It is no virtue. It is merely a thin shell within which you conceal your weakness. It is as repellant to the eye as your face."
All Subaru could feel was a sense of blank emptiness within himself. Was he going to go back to the way he was before? A grinning idiot who hid his inadequacies under a veneer of false bravado? Subaru could not stomach the idea of falling back into a life of meaningless flailing around and going with the flow, responding to everything that happened instead of being ahead of it.
"...I don't know what the hell I'm even supposed to do, now."
To Emilia's good fortune, she and Puck managed to pass into the forest unharmed. As a matter of fact, as far as she could tell, absolutely nothing happened when the two of them entered through that mysterious wall of fire. It was still a complete unknown to her as to where it came from. It stretched for as far as the eye could see, and only an extremely powerful magician should have been able to erect such a thing period where in the world did it come from? Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to ponder such a thing.
Deciding to try once more to persuade his daughter away from this place, the Great Spirit of Fire floated out to the silver-haired girl's side. "Lia, I really don't think this is a good idea. We should just go back to the mansion and trust that Subaru will—"
"The answer is no, Puck. We aren't going back Especially after coming this far." If it turned out that Subaru was dead, Emilia would never forgive herself. The last things she said to him were such horrible words. But, she told herself that it was for the best. Every time Subaru was around her, all he did was overexert himself to the point where he got hurt. And she could not bear to see other people putting themselves through such things for someone such as her.
As she and her father figure traveled through the forest, the two of them encountered signs that were like what they saw in the village. But much worse.
There were a few bodies that had been ripped to absolute shreds with very little remains being present. Indeed, the only thing that confirmed the identity of these people were the few pieces of clothing and especially the hoods. Nobody else wore these things except Witch Cultists.
All Emilia could think was that some sort of savage mabeast attacked the Witch Cult when they let their guard down. After all, this forest was an absolute breeding ground for those creatures. And the only safe way to ward them off, aside from violence, was to carry one of the green barrier stones that she had on her person.
"This is all too horrible, Puck. What sort of mabeasts do you think did this?"
As far as she was concerned, being eaten alive was absolutely something the Wolgarms would do. They attacked in groups and considered people to be ideal prey.
But, to her surprise, Puck remained silent. The silver-haired half-elf took this as him analyzing the situation in order to understand more of what was going on. After all, nothing had been explained to either of them.
All Emilia could do was hope and pray to the spirits that Subaru was alive and well. What in the world could he have been thinking, taking on the Witch Cult by himself?
"But, what if they have no idea he's coming? What if he has somehow taken them off-guard?"
This question popped into her mind without Emilia even being consciously aware. It was all far too incomprehensible for her to understand. Even though Subaru had a way of coming out on top, she simply didn't believe he would do something as reckless as taking on the Witch Cult by himself. But then again, according to Puck, he was not necessarily alone.
She thought back to some of the last words she had exchanged with him. They seemed like a lifetime ago. "If you don't say it, I can't understand, Subaru."
"Subaru...have you found new people who do understand everything without you having to say it?" Were these people ones who had helped him in accomplishing something as unattainable as slaying the White Whale?
Had he done something like that, run into that kind of danger without her?
But why? Why couldn't Subaru just tell her? Why was it always secrets with him? as it that Emilia hadn't given him the right amount of time to open up about himself? Had she asked for too much, too soon, just the same as he did in believing their relationship was purely transactional? Was that why she'd left him alone?
No. He wasn't alone.
He had Rem.
Though the maid had stayed with Subaru at her own instruction, surely if the black-haired boy was as untrustworthy and reckless as she thought at the time of their splitting up that even Rem would have...
No. Again.
Though Rem herself refused to give full details in everything that had happened between her and Subaru, she had returned to the mansion covered in what Emilia was certain was blood. Rem had stayed by Subaru's side through what was undoubtedly a life and death experience and come home looking no worse for wear and with nary a negative thing to say. Once again, Emilia was consumed with a feeling she knew all too well.
"Was...I the one who failed you, Subaru? In the end, I never told you much about myself, either, but I expected you to understand without explaining."
This sense of self-loathing toward herself and her choices. How was she supposed to potentially lead an entire nation when she couldn't even keep her first real friend by her side? Without being aware, Emilia stopped running and leaned against a tree, her back slumping down. "Why can't I do anything by myself.? Why don't I make the right decisions?"
"...ia."
Drowning out everything, Emilia wondered just what she was even doing here. If Subaru had found new companions who'd succeeded in every area where she had failed, perhaps it was best if the two of them just stayed away from each other?
All sound began to fade as she sank deeper into her own thoughts. Until a familiar voice snapped her back into reality.
"LIA!"
It was Puck. He was directly in front of her, so close in fact that their faces could have almost been attached to one another.
"I was trying to tell you to watch where you step. You're already up to your ankles in, well..." The floating cat gestured toward the ground.
The silver-haired half-elf had been so inside of her own head that she hadn't even realized what she had walked into. Literally. The feet of her white boots were now stained red with the blood and entrails of what looked to be nearly a dozen or more members of the Witch Cult. However, it was impossible to truly count them. Their bodies were not in one piece. Not a single one. But, there was something that was just as familiar to the girl as the scene was repulsive and gut-wrenching.
Jumping away in an uncharacteristically girly sort of way, Emilia took a few more moments to inspect the scene. "They look...just like the one in the village."
Yes, the bodies were blown apart in that same horrific manner. It was a truly disturbing sight to see.
"Subaru did it."
The half-elf's eyes widened upon hearing this. Turning to the Great Spirit with a bewildered expression, Emilia was stunned into silence, unable to find the correct words to convey her feelings.
"Lia, I know it might be hard for you to believe. But Subaru is killing these people, which means we have—"
"Puck! Why do you keep trying to steer me away from Subaru? And even more, why do you suddenly have so much sympathy for members of the Witch Cult? What's going on with you, Puck? Nothing is making sense and you're not making any, either!"
Having finally been called out, Puck froze in midair. He didn't have an immediate response. "...I just don't think this place is safe for you, Lia."
Frustrated, her face contorted in irritation. "That isn't an answer! Plenty of places are dangerous and you always say it's okay as long as you're with me. Well you're here right now, aren't you? Why do you keep trying to act like Subaru is at fault, here? We only keep running into dead Witch Cultists." The fact that she hadn't seen any living people, either travelers or civilians, it seemed to show that only Witch Cultists were haunting this forest, and somehow, Subaru was the one defeating them.
If anything, Emilia was isolated from whatever danger was lurking, here.
"Puck...what are you hiding from me? I can't tell what you're thinking and it scares me. I know Subaru and I aren't...talking at the moment. But why do you insist that he's the cause of all this?"
The Great Spirit of Fire could barely look at his daughter. Only halfway turning to her, Puck muttered a feeble excuse, "I just can't forgive him for the way he acted in the capital, Lia. You asked him to stay there and he wouldn't listen. Again. He doesn't think about your feelings the way I do. He just wants what he wants. Why would you ever tolerate his selfishness?"
"But Puck, what happened in the capital has nothing to do with what is happening right now. That was between Subaru and myself. But what's going on here and now involves the lives of everybody who lives in that village. How can you try and keep making this about only me when other people are at risk?" She just couldn't understand. Why was Puck being so...selfish? And possessive. It wasn't like the father she knew at all.
Puck's entire reason for being was Emilia. Anything else was secondary, if not tertiary. Anything that caused his daughter distress was his sworn enemy. She already had a life difficult enough by being born the way she was. As far as Puck was concerned, Subaru was nothing more than an unwanted distracted in her life.
His Lia...she was beginning to think in a way that Puck never believed she would.
It was at this moment that Puck truly wished that she never left that cold forest. Where the only one she needed for company was himself. Where there was no mansion, no royal selection, no human society. And no Subaru Natsuki.
Only him. Him and his daughter.
Silence took over between them. Emilia didn't think she could truly call this an argument between her and her contracted spirit. But this was a difficulty that she never before expected. Emilia thought that above all, Puck would always be on her side, just the way he always said. That's what he always told her when she was uncertain of what to do. So why was he changing his mind, now?
Emilia was in a world where nothing made sense to her. So many things that she believed to be close to her were now causing the silver-haired girl to question what she knew. And she wished for something, anything to come to her that she could understand.
But she received no answer from Puck.
This was a time where she didn't believe she could be satisfied with his usual response when she was in dire straits. Simply telling her that anything she decided was fine with him didn't lead Emilia to what she sought.
All she could do was continue on with the path she'd chosen up until now.
However, just before she could pull Puck to follow her lead, Emilia's ears picked up on the sound of someone approaching in the distance.
Immediately she set herself on the defensive! In a place like this, anyone could be the enemy!
But the person who was coming her way wasn't an enemy. As a matter of fact, it was someone who she knew quite well.
He had black hair, something that was very unusual for this country, and easily identified him as a foreigner. And his clothes were truly unusual, also. He wore black pants along with a jacket she had come to know as a jersey. However, the boy's clothes were covered in what Emilia immediately recognized to be dried-up blood. He looked the exact same as Rem had when she returned to the mansion. His face showed that he was in such a deep state of contemplation that he clearly didn't even notice who he was closing in on.
"...Subaru?"
The question of what he was going to do now rumbled around inside his mind like a pinball being constantly shot in all directions.
Subaru couldn't put this off forever. He couldn't even put it off for one day. After all, he basically promised the villagers that he would have this entire matter resolved as soon as possible and they will be able to go back to their homes. Well, they could do that. But what about him?
It couldn't be put off any longer. He was going to have to see Emilia one way or another.
But the thought of doing so scared him senseless.
He didn't know if he had the heart to open the doors of the mansion, go find that silver-haired half-elf, then explain to her the details of everything that he had been doing.
Well, not necessarily all of the details. Subaru already knew from a prior experience what would happen if he attempted to force himself through the taboo. He would not be the one that suffered. And there was no way that he could never put that innocent girl through something so horrible. Just the thought of even thinking of it made him feel an entire world's worth of guilt.
Truly, after how he acted, Subaru couldn't even show his face. The shame was too great.
"Heh, if I was a samurai, I'd probably have to commit seppuku." But, considering his personal, and very unique situation, maybe that kind of dark humor was not appropriate. But even still, he found himself amused at the idea and enjoying a quick laugh before his face returned to its former expression of doubt.
Subaru had told Demiurge through a message by his Shadow Demon that he would head back to the mansion and finally face the music. It was time. And fortunately, Demiurge seemed to understand. But, Subaru had the feeling he wanted to make a report to his mysterious master.
Sebas and Demiurge.
Those guys were the sort who took their service to someone real seriously. Not like him. There was nothing wishy-washy about their convictions or how they did business. His expression crestfallen, he wondered what the steely-eyed Sebas would have said to him with such a lame expression, even though he was walking away as the victor.
"I guess I still have a lot to learn."
So consumed was he in his own thoughts that Subaru didn't even notice whose presence he had entered. But his distraction could not last forever, because the moment the black-haired teen heard his name called out, Subaru immediately looked up and came almost face-to-face with one of the last people he ever expected to see in a place like this.
"Emilia?"
But she wasn't alone. Floating beside her head was none other than Puck. Not that such a thing was to be unexpected. After all, unless it was nighttime, she didn't go anywhere without him. And the one thing that did not surprise Subaru was the look of frustration and resentment on the expression of the spirit. He didn't look happy to see him at all.
Neither of the two parties could bring themselves to speak first. Too much had happened between them. And perhaps they had not been separated long enough to truly reconcile with everything that they felt.
The silence was both deafening and stifling. It couldn't last forever, lest things become too painful for either to speak. And so, one of them did.
"So, eh, Emilia...what're you doing out here? It's pretty far from the mansion and this can be a hazardous forest. All the mabeasts that like to hang out in here. I really wasn't expecting to...I mean I thought I'd have more time."
Subaru was babbling. Words were coming out of his mouth but he wasn't making any sense and he wasn't making a point of any kind. He must have sounded so stupid!
He'd encountered the most unlikely person in the most unlikely of places, and yet all he could do was talk about nothing and expose how little he had to say to her. Subaru was hoping he'd at least be able to walk through the village and up to the mansion to gather his thoughts. But even then, he still was uncertain if he'd have come up with anything worthwhile to say.
Fortunately for him, the girl in white was similarly at a loss for words, putting them in the same boat.
But this was the time. Unlike the person standing before her, all Emilia did have were questions. But now that she was in front of the one person who could dispel all these unclear things, she suddenly couldn't find her voice.
But neither one of them had to worry for very long about their inability to speak with one another period because something else was quickly making its way to their location to occupy their attention. Trees were snapped and sent dancing in the sky, brutally devastating the forest's foliage.
And Subaru would not mistake those shadowy hands for anything else in the world. "Why you! Just how stubborn are ya gonna be?!" Subaru let out an angry shout as pitch-black shadows swelled and
wriggled before his eyes. The evil black hands stretched and erupted from a corpse, no longer a person, but a collection of delusions. The remains of Betelgeuse Romanée-Conti consumed the forest as it stalked toward its hated foe.
The body had been crushed under a rock slide. Its right arm and the right side of its torso were both gone. The burns from Subaru's last attack had disfigured Betelgeuse beyond recognition. He hardly had any of his own hair left, which was already a surprise considering how often he ripped out entire handfuls of hair during his periods of self-mutilation. Its limbs drooped, their vitality meager. It wouldn't be wrong to say that this was one step away from being a zombie.
But the corpse had not ceased its morbid defiance, drowning in delusion as it continued its pursuit of Subaru.
"Giiiiive...thaaaat...boooody...baaaaack!"
"Man, you're stubborn. Don't you remember the rough time you had inside me...?!"
Betelgeuse's shout was like a voice from the grave, annoying Subaru to the bottom of his heart.
"Wiiiiitch! Satella! Give! Me! Her! LOOOOOOVE!"
All races of his former uncertainty vanished. Subaru's eyes hardened once more, and so did his heart. He had gone to all this effort to keep so many people safe, to earn his freedom from this hellish loop that just didn't want to end! And now here was nothing more than Sloth returning like a game boss who'd activated a desperation transform mode to trouble him just one more time.
And in front of Emilia, no less. Subaru knew that this was the absolute worst time for her to be here. She was his target, after all. But, in the state that sloth was in, he didn't even know if he could remember his original goal.
There was no time to talk. There was only one course he could take!
His attention shifting toward the girl in white, Subaru held out a hand, but not the one on which he wore his faithful new weapon. It was simply the hand of a young man who needed an ally. "Emilia! I don't have time to explain everything. But all you can know right now is that things are gonna get bad if we don't eliminate this guy right now! I know I've messed up in the past. I know you probably don't even wanna look at my face right now. And I know I've broken your trust. I can't ask for that back. But the one thing I am asking is for you to fight with me!"
This was but one more layer of confusion on top of everything else that had happened this day for Emilia. She didn't understand what this..thing was, but she certainly knew a villain when she set her eyes on one.
"That look in his eyes. It...really is different." It absolutely wasn't the same as the Subaru who was essentially grasping at straws when they fought with that assassin in the Loot House. And it looked nothing like the crazed expression she saw when he was in the knight's garrison fighting that utterly pointless duel with Julius. Right now, Subaru looked like someone whose sole intention was to defeat the enemy in front of him. There was no hesitation in the clarity of his gaze.
Her own eyes embued with a powerful will, she knew that this was not the time for questions, it was the time to defend themselves!
"Yes! We will defeat whatever this is together, Subaru!"
she felt as if she had been left out of the picture for so long period was this truly the same Subaru who she had parted ways with in the royal capital just around seven days ago? Perhaps this would be an opportunity for the two of them to communicate with one another without words, but only with the trust of two people who were trusting the other with their lives.
Trust.
Yes. You could not go into battle with someone you didn't trust.
The light wildly dancing in the sky cracked open, and a surge of mana froze water droplets in the atmosphere. This created a total of four sharp, icy spears, and these, she launched without hesitation! The chill of overwhelming death was merciless. A single blow would sever the thread of life without fail. A being impaled with a solid blow would have his flesh dyed white, frozen down to the soul to become an icy statue.
However, the moment the four spikes of ice neared the raving Sloth, each one of them was smacked away by what Subaru instantly recognized as the Unseen Hands!
This was probably a situation where he could absolutely not allow himself to take any damage. Yes, he was positive that sloth was only running on fumes right now. One or two good hits and they would undoubtedly destroy him.
"Emilia! He's using an attack that is invisible to most people, but I can see it coming. I can guide you to evade all his attacks! You just have to be fast enough to get out of the way." but this didn't particularly bother him. After all, Subaru knew that between the two of them, she was far more athletic. And if he could evade a couple of Sloth's hands when he was well and healthy, Emilia could surely do the same when he was on his last leg.
Especially when it appeared the number of hands he could create at the moment was limited.
"...Invisible attacks? But why can you see them, Subaru?"
But unfortunately, it was Subaru who was not presented with the opportunity to respond to her question. Puck was the one who appeared from underneath her hair and began to give her advice. "Lia, I think I know of a way for you to stay safe from this freako,"
However, just as he was about to continue, Sloth extended one of the Unseen Hands directly toward the girl who's launched her ice magic at him just moments ago. He was so enraged that he hadn't even noticed the most obvious features of the girl he once claimed would be the vessel of his precious Witch. This just confirmed to Subaru that Sloth was already on death's door! He had to stop this attack before it reached Emilia!
"[Open Wounds]!"
Subaru had only once used this spell on the White Whale to worsen all of the many slashes, implements, and beatings it had taken over the course of the battle. And to say it created a bloodbath would have been an absolute understatement.
On someone who was already near dead, Sloth found himself unable to maintain focus, his Unseen Hand vanishing just a few meters before it ever touched the half-elf. The wound that worsened as to his already battered and burned face. From the damage of his spell, Sloth's left eye exploded from the stress of the attack, a burst of blood and fluids spattering out, stopping his movement and sending him doubling over in pain!
Emilia recoiled in shock at the state of this...thing. It was already so near death, but why was it trying to hard to get at Subaru? She could only assume this was a member of the Witch Cult who had refused to be defeated.
But still, she couldn't show any weakness or back down to a villain such as this!
Sloth managed to push itself onto its feet, or rather the Unseen Hands that were serving as its support. "Before my love, such petty moves! Tricks! SCHEMES! Merely futile resistance!"
Floating out into the open to offer assistance, Puck reached out, half a dozen spikes of ice forming at his paws, "I understand you falling for my beloved daughter. I'm very proud of her. But—"
His cheeky comment was thrown off, not by Subaru, and not even by the extra insane Sloth.
It was Emilia herself who'd interrupted her father figure. "Puck! This isn't the time to be coy! Subaru is correct. This is the time to fight!" And so shocked was the Great Spirit that his prepared attack shrank in size until it fizzled out of existence. Puck was frozen, not by ice, not by magic, but the rejection of his daughter, even if in such a small way.
"Emilia! If you can trap him and prevent him from moving, I can absolutely land a finishing blow that will take him out for good! Are you with me? Together the two of us can finish this!"
The silver-haired half-elf had never heard Subaru sounds so sure of anything in her life. This did not feel like the same boy who said anything he could to impress her. And he certainly was not the same person who caught at impotent excuses in a hospital bed to explain his poor behavior. She did not know how, but she was certain that she was looking at a Subaru who trusted her to do this. And looked at her as someone with who he wanted to fight side by side with.
A sense of something she'd felt as if she lacked for so long returned to her heart.
With a firm nod, she responded to his offer with all the conviction she could muster! "I understand, Subaru!"
Wasting no time to attack whilst her foe was incapacitated from the loss of an organ, Emilia froze the water in the air, forming a box-shaped cage around the unknown Witch Cultist, seemingly attempting to trap him in place for a follow-up attack.
But even a foot away from death, the user of the Unseen Hands could shatter a wall of ice. And he did. A single fist from the Unseen Hand broke apart his icy fortress, prepared to lash out once more at his foe. "Naive! Naive! Naive! Naive! Naive! Naive! Naive! You will be cleaned by Her favor, the symbol of LOVE!"
Ready to rend both his targets to chunks of meat and bone, Sloth found that the moment he had broken out of that one box, what awaited him outside was another. A cage that was easily three times as large! With only one eye he was slower to understand his surroundings. But Emilia was not going to give him the chance to do even this.
Her voice conveying her only thoughts to this pitiful creature, Emilia prepared to unleash the true intention of her attack, "Freeze and rest forever. You will do no murder in this place."
Clenching her fist closed, each of the walls surrounding Sloth unleashed blasts of supercooled air, leaving him with nowhere to escape! From the outside, Subaru noticed the Unseen Hands making a futile attempt to reach out and escape from this vicious ice coffin. But, as shadowy as those hands looked, they weren't phantasms. Subaru knew from watching that they had a physical form. And just as Sloth froze in that mega deep freezer, even the Unseen Hands themselves slowed to a pathetic stop.
Sloth, the thing that had once been a fearsome Archbishop of the Witch Cult, had been turned into a half body on display in a frozen cube. And soon, the entirety of the body was dyed white, showing that Sloth had been frozen to the bone.
The temperature of the immediate vicinity slowly began to return to its natural state as the particles of frost in the atmosphere vanished. The girl's silver hair fluttered as the last specks of diamond dust vanished before her. She truly cut a striking figure like that.
Looking at the scene as it unfolded in front of him, Subaru could only think that he did nothing more than serve as her backup. But then again, it wouldn't be the first time. Inside his heart, Subaru could not help but remember that this was the Emilia who he thought was so cool, so stunning, and so powerful! "Yeah, she's Emilia, alright. She really does look like the main character right now."
Stepping forth, it was at this point that Subaru knew that he had to do his play as well. He could no longer do any half jobs. He thought that he left his opponent dead the last time period but it was seen he had been a little bit too shallow. This time, he absolutely would not make any mistakes.
The Hand of Algol pressing against the giant block of ice, Subaru looked at the figure that was once a man. At this point, he felt no anger in the slightest toward the thing that used to be Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti. Perhaps it was this impromptu alliance with Emilia that changed something inside of him, but now? All Subaru wanted was to eliminate this pest from her sight so that he would never appear before her again.
From Emilia's perspective, she had no idea what Subaru was about to do. As a matter of fact, she had no idea what he did when he's thrown this monster...man-thing off balance! Indeed, he'd thrown out his hand and somehow their enemy had doubled over in agony so great that it opened the door for her to attack and imprison him. "Subaru, tell me, how is it that you are able to..." She cut herself off, unsure of how to ask this otherwise simple question.
Puck, meanwhile, could do nothing but watch silently as his daughter drifted away from him. At this moment, his entire being was nowhere in her heart. She was looking at...someone else. Not wishing to see anything further, the Great Spirit dematerialized, returning to his mana form and housing himself within the crystal carried by the girl who was supposed to be his daughter.
Preparing himself, Subaru knew exactly what it was he needed to do. Inhaling in, he mentally willed the spell that he felt would be most appropriate in this situation.
"[Shockwave: Shotgun]"
In spite of the ice cube being at least a few feet thick, Subaru's spell punched straight through, obliterating half the cube as well as what was only half of a broken man's body! Splinters of cold ice fragments flew in every direction but harmed no one.
"Subaru, w-what are you doing? Isn't this...person already defeated? Do you really think we ought to—" Even if this person was an enemy, the silver-haired half-elf could not exactly say that she was comfortable desecrating the body of somebody that was already dead.
Subaru on the other hand had no such issues. Especially when the very same enemy had just come back for round two. "He was a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, Emilia," Speaking softly, even Subaru was surprised by the tone he was able to muster. "I already buried him under a rockslide and look what happened. You can't take any chances with these people. They have to be destroyed or else our own sloth with put others in danger."
Hearing this, Emilia recoiled in surprise! That's who they had been fighting? One of the leaders of the Witch Cult? And Subaru had been the one to reduce him to this half-dead state by himself?
Approaching Sloth, it was now that Subaru chose to deliver the final blow.
"[Fireball]."
Launching from his hand, the blast of fire caused the defenseless cadaver in a localized explosion, bathing it in an unforgiving flame that turned the half-body into a roasting pile of meat. Smoke rose into the sky as Subaru watched with unfeeling eyes as the body became a charred black. The smell of a burning body was absolutely repulsive, but Subaru made no face of disgust. He wouldn't even give that to the corpse that was once Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
The few pieces of him that were left slowly crumpled to bits of ash.
"I'll tell you the same thing I told the White Whale: I don't ever wanna see you again."
The chapter of Slothfulness in his life, was over.
For the first time since the battle with the gigantic mabeast, Subaru allowed his trusty weapon, the Hand of Algol to return to its resting state. From the eldritch, black gauntlet, it once again retracted into what looked like a simple bangle hidden under his jersey sleeve, totally invisible to the naked eye.
Standing in silence for a few moments, Subaru did not know how to turn around and once more talked to the girl behind him. Why had things suddenly become so easy in the heat of battle? Was that going to be the way it was for him, now? Could he only make these snap decisions when his life was potentially being threatened? Why was it when everything was placid that his nerves suddenly turned to jelly?
"...Subaru." There were so many questions that she wanted to ask him. She never would have imagined that Subaru would have suddenly become so reliable in a way that she never expected in a fight with someone such as an Archbishop of the Witch Cult. Where had he been? Who had he been with? How did he have this unfamiliar power all of a sudden?
As the black-haired boy turned to face her, he rubbed the back of his head in a way that could only be called sheepish. It was a sort of mannerism that didn't fit a person who had fought a lethal battle and made such split-second decisions with ease.
There was no way that he could simply keep dancing around the topic. It was better to just rip the band-aid off, completely. Otherwise, he would be sitting here in the middle of a forest that stank of blood and gods all day. And Subaru didn't want that, either. "Emilia, I think I have a lot of explaining to do. You're owed...a lot of words from me."
But to the surprise of both of them, a third, but very familiar voice sang out, interrupting their long-awaited reunion and question answering session.
"Yeeeees. I would also say you owe me an explanation as weeeeell, Subaru."
The way the newcomer spoke had an airy tone, and the way he stretched out certain words was something Subaru always felt was incredibly odd. In front of them, a vibrantly dressed man with long, blue hair descended down from the sky, his boots touching the forest floor. If one looked at him and then looked away, they'd be forgiven for thinking he was a clown. Or a weird cosplayer. Well, the second one may have been accurate. After all, how many grown men, much less vaunted aristocrats would go around in full face paint making themselves resemble a court jester.
He was the landlord of this domain who held the rank of Margrave. Roswaal L. Mathers.
"Such as, why are there soooooo many guests in my house?"