Honestly, I don't think there are a lot of solo stories that involve a crossover with The Spectre (one of my favorite characters) from DC. Which is kind of disappointing. So that's why I'm making this story.
Please enjoy.
Natsuki Subaru has always had his issues in life. Being a NEET, and living with his parents in his home, Subaru often saw his life as being worrisome from his perspective. He wondered if he always wondered how he would make his parents proud in some way. However, on April 4, 2016, an incident had occurred in which an unknown group of gangsters caught Subaru as he was returning home in the middle of the night, and killed him by stabbing him in the chest with a knife. But due to the unfairness of the way he died, when the dying Subaru closed his eyes, a bright light appeared in his vision.
It asked "Natsuki Subaru of Japan, do you wish another chance at life, and to become an agent of vengeance?"
Subaru had no idea what to say, but he was afraid of dying, so he quickly nodded and yelled"YES! I want to live!"
It was then that he heard the voice reply "Very well, you shall be brought back to the world of the living. However, you will not be returned to your own world. I hence forth will sentence you to another world, and bond you to the Spirit of Vengeance, The Spectre! You will dispense my divine justice on evil, and once your mission is complete, you will return back."
Those were the final words the voice said before the light disappeared, and Subaru slowly opened his eyes.
...
Subaru slowly opened his eyes and got up on his feet, expecting to find himself in the alleyway in the dead of night.
But he instead found himself in the middle of a crowd, and in broad daylight. The fact of his appearance was such that one could instantly lose him in the crowd, however the gazes directed at him were those of wonder and incomprehension, as though they were looking at something strange.
Obviously, there wasn't a single person sporting black hair or a jersey among those looking at him. Their hair varied extensively, blonde, white, brown, green, blue and so on. Furthermore their outfits were armor, dancers' clothes, monotone robes and more which possessed a certain vibe.
The youth could only cross his arms in comprehension as their brazen gazes washed over him.
"So basically, it's like that, huh."
Snapping his fingers, he pointed at those who were staring at him.
"Seems I've been summoned to another world."
Before his eyes was a carriage drawn by a massive lizard-like creature, looking something like a stegosaurus but without the spikes.
"Still, who was that voice that I heard inside my head? And what was that 'Spirit of Vengeance' stuff?"
"The Spirit of Vengeance is I."
Subaru quickly spun around upon hearing a dark and sinister voice denounce its presence, but found no one behind him.
"Do not waste your time, boy. For I am within you now. I am vengeance. I am... The Spectre."
"You're inside me?!"
"Indeed. You have been chosen to be a vessel for divine justice that awaits this world."
Subaru thought carefully for a moment. If he was summoned to a medieval fantasy world, he would have accepted that without putting too much thought into it. He would frequently let his imagination run wild, as a result he was more than prepared for his present situation.
But having a 'Spectre', or whatever it was called, inside his body to deliver divine judgment was something he was not expecting. Still, this could mean that he would have some pretty awesome powers.
"Do I have some powers now that you are inside me?"
"Only when you are in the presence of evil, will I manifest."
Subaru shrugged.
"Fair enough."
...
Subaru calmly analyzed that time period's culture and its differences with Japan. Ascertain any differences in the laws of physics, and possibility of contact with humanoid organisms.
"Alright, let's do this. I'm not imagining you guys, and I'm fairly certain about the level of civilization. It seems like my money won't be of any use, but I took the opportunity to speak to a shopkeeper and we had no problem communicating."
Upon realizing he'd been sent to another world, the first thing Subaru did was attempt to negotiate with a 'grocer'. Having attempted to purchase the apples with his Japanese Yen, but he was promptly denied. It seemed that this world used gold, silver and copper coins as its currency. The inherent value of currency in this world was easy to understand, certainly befitting a parallel world fantasy.
"Well, I suppose there would be mixed-metal fakes. Something like a 500-won coin would probably degrade, though."
'Probably heavy to carry around', he thought as another dinosaur-drawn carriage passed through the street. This produced a giant cloud of dust and yet the townsfolk paid it no mind, as though they were completely used to this.
"Strange. I haven't seen any dogs or cats around since I came here."
The dinosaurs drawing the carriages appeared considerably larger than horses. Their body mass seemed constant relative to their proportions, but it was certainly worrying to see reptiles of that size, especially sine he was not used to seeing them.
Then the final piece he had to confirm, the unique looks of this world's humans.
They possessed very colorful hair, but one could easily obtain any hair color with dye. For a parallel world fantasy, that was nothing extraordinary. Instead, Subaru focused on their 'animal ears'.
At a cursory glance he spotted dog ears, cat ears, perhaps even bunny ears and he even caught sight of a crocodile-like being. There were also those who looked no different from Subaru himself which led him to conclude his suspicion about this world.
"The genre is parallel world fantasy. The culture is that of your typical medieval civilization. Demi-humans are common, so battle and adventure might be common as well. The animals show some minor changes but they basically serve their functions. Is that how it is?"
"Indeed, boy. That is how this world works."
"Oh, I totally forgot that you're with me. Feels kind of creepy to have someone constantly beside me, listening to what I'm saying."
Subaru then decided to as The Spectre something else.
"Say, could you help me out here? I'm kinda lost with this society, and I have no idea of what I'm doing."
"No. As I said, I will only manifest when vengeance is needed."
"Jeez. Some help you are."
Subaru sighed.
...
Eventually, Subaru sat down in some alleyway.
He was already at his limit as he muttered complaints. He honestly wanted to go back to his own world, but considering it was either this or dying on the street at night, he didn't have much of a choice at the matter.
It was fun to imagine arriving in another world and obtain incredible power, and he did receive that wish, but knowing he cannot use said power whenever he desires was another story. And that 'Spectre' guy that's still inside of him, he refused to help him, despite Subaru's pleads.
"Maybe I should try to find some bad guys or criminals, and see what I can do."
The voice and light that brought him to this world did tell him to become an agent of vengeance and punish bad guys. So he guessed he would be like a superhero in those American comics he enjoyed reading, or those anime shows that he watched.
Subaru placed his hand on his chin, thinking what to do next... or better yet, give himself some kind of a hero name. However, his thinking was interrupted when he heard the sound of footsteps echoing through the alley. He looked up to see three men blocking the exit.
The men gazed at him with scorn and contempt as Subaru looked at them in confusion. They appeared to be in their mid-20s. Their clothes were filthy and it was as though their inner evil had manifested on their faces. They weren't subhuman, but they couldn't be called decent humans either.
"Damn, a compulsory event."
Facing the grinning men, Subaru stood up and looked at them with a confident smirk. They were clearly bandits, and considering the state of the world they might even take his life. Finally, he found something which might cause his powers to manifest.
"So, you guys wanna rob me, huh? Well, you're going to wish you never met me."
"Oh yeah! And what are you gonna do about it, huh?"
Subaru simply folded his arms and smirked.
"Spectre, should these guys receive justice?"
"You are correct, Subaru. These three individuals have done many bad deeds, and should be dealt with accordingly."
"Well then, they're all yours."
The three thugs' faces changed from smug confidence to fear as they watch Subaru's body transform. A green cloak with a hood enveloped Subaru, his skin turned pale-white, and his eyes began glowing with an ominous green light. Subaru's facial expression becomes deathly cold and emotionless.
"You three have done many crimes, and harmed many innocents, and shall now be judge by The Spectre."
The Spectre declared, his voice devoid of mercy.
The thugs began shaking and whimpering at the sight of the vengeful spirit as he floated in the air.
"Crap! Let's get out of here!"
They turned tail and began fleeing, but a 10-meter wall of bricks suddenly rose from from the ground, blocking their path of escape.
"There will be no mercy for you..."
The thug who had a knife felt his arm moving on its own, before it forcefully moved and stabbed himself in the throat with his knife. The other thugs watched in horror as their friend slit his own throat, allowing blood to escape his wound before he dropped dead.
"P-Please! We're sorry! It won't happen again!"
His cries for mercy were left unheard as The Spectre raised his hand and clenched his fist, causing the larger thug to feel an invisible force squeeze his trachea and preventing air from entering his lungs, effectively choking him.
The last thug watched as his comrade died from the lack of oxygen and slumped to the ground. The final thug, the smallest, pressed against the wall in fear, unable to move, but soon blood started oozing from his nose, which he noticed.
"You wished for coins, yes? Then you shall have them."
The last thug began to feel an intense pain inside his stomach, and started vomiting all kinds of coins from his mouth along with a large amount of blood. He continued to vomit coins and blood continuously, until he finally fell over and died from blood loss and internal injury.
"My job is done here."
With that the Spectre reverted back to Subaru Natsuki and the wall disappeared. Upon witnessing what he had just seen, Subaru could only look at the three dead bodies in utter disbelief and horror.
"Holy shit! Spectre, you can't just kill people!"
"They were guilty, Subaru. They had to pay."
"I know, but not like this! This is going way too far! Listen, from now on, I decide who dies. You hear me?! No more killing whoever you feel like!"
Subaru felt bad, even though these guys tried to rob him and possibly even kill him. There was no excuse, but at least no one saw this.
"What have you done?"
A clear voice rang through the alley. At the entrance to the alley stood a girl, and with a look of utter horror in her face.
She was a beautiful girl.
She had long silver hair which reached her hips, her piercing gaze was brimming with intelligence, her soft features were both seductive and youthful and she exuded an air of nobility that was dangerously charming.
She stood about 5 feet tall, her royal blue-toned garments weren't particularly flashy, and yet their simplicity emphasized her presence even further. The one conspicuous feature was the emblem on her coat, a bird resembling a hawk, and even its magnificence was nothing more than a supplement to her sublime beauty.
"You! You killed these people!"
She demanded. Obviously, seeing Subaru standing all alone and with three dead bodies, which were killed in unusual ways, laying around him — it was natural that she would blame him.
"N-No! Listen, I can explain."
"Then I suggest you do it quickly. I'm in a hurry."
Subaru takes a deep breath and sighs.
"These guys were murderers who were trying to kill me. I was minding my own business when they showed up and tried to rob me and then kill me. So I was left no choice but to defend myself. I didn't want to do this, but they gave me no choice."
The girl looked at him intensely after he finished his story. Her eyes were filled with caution and skepticism. Despite this, he was enthralled by the beauty of her amethyst eyes. He wasn't used to dealing with beautiful women, so that alone caused him to turn red and avert his eyes. Seeing this, the girl glared at him even more.
"Your guilty conscience made you avert your eyes. Looks like my judgement was spot on as always."
"I swear! I would never hurt innocent people! This was done in self-defense!"
"Hmm. I didn't sense malice whatsoever, that was probably just an instinctive male reaction."
Yet another voice filled the alley, androgynous and high-pitched, as though speaking for the girl.
Subaru started looking around in surprise. He couldn't find anyone who might have spoken those words, not at the entrance and of course not within the alley. The girl held out her hand, her palm faced upward, and then something floated above her white fingertips.
To his surprise, Subaru saw a cat small enough to fit in a palm, standing upright.
Its coat was gray and its ears were floppy, to Subaru it looked very much like an American Shorthair. But setting aside its pink nose and the length of its tail, Subaru was now completely dumbfounded.
"You be quiet, Puck."
"Would you not have done the same thing if you were in my situation?"
Subaru asked, making the girl look at him in surprise and slight defeat.
"He's gotta point. If this is what happened, then he surely is justified for what he did."
The floating cat agreed with Subaru, but the girl was still skeptical. But finally, she sighed and looked at him.
"If this is indeed true, I will forgive you. But if I find out that you are a killer who kills people for fun, I will make sure that you pay dearly! Understand!?"
"Yes! You have my word! If I do anything you don't like, I'll let you punish me however you want."
The girl sighed and lowered her guard, apparently accepting this.
"Alright. Now I have to go. I think I saw her here."
The girl and her cat were about to leave until Subaru stopped them.
"Wait! Why are you in a hurry?"
"A girl stole my insignia. I chased her down this way, but I think a lost her."
Subaru looked in surprise.
"Wait, maybe I can help you with that."
The girl turned to look at him, apparently surprised by his offer.
"I may not know who exactly stole your insignia. But I will do whatever I can to help you get it back, and show you that you can trust me."
The girl was still skeptical, obviously she still did not trust him despite his genuine words. Still, having one more person to assist her may prove useful. That's when the cat on her shoulder spoke again.
"I'm not sensing any malice, wouldn't it be best to take him up on his offer?"
"Very well, I'll allow it. But if you are secretly trying to do harm to me or Puck, you will suffer!"
"Yeah, I got that. Don't worry about it."
The girl sighed again.
"Very well. We should get going now."
...
His first friendly interaction in this world. About thirty minutes after he offered to help her in that heartwarming exchange.
Subaru himself had offered to help her search for her missing item, but there were a number of problems that made their search extremely difficult:
To begin with, he had no idea where he was. As far he was concerned, it couldn't really be helped considering he was just summoned from another world, but it was a major hurdle considering the girl was also unfamiliar with the area.
Obviously, the Spectre would easily help them in this situation, but knowing just how dangerous the phantom can be first hand, Subaru felt more reluctant to ask him.
To make matters harder, he couldn't read this world's language.
He'd neglected this since conversation wasn't a problem, but upon examining his surroundings again he noticed what seemed to be hand-written hieroglyphics all over the place.
He didn't realize this at first, but considering they were even written on signs and the like, unless mystic runes had become all the rage around here, they were probably this world's alphabet. As a result he couldn't differentiate shops by their signs, and he couldn't rely on signposts to navigate either.
In summary, the typical cliche of 'Why do they speak and write the same language?!' had only delivered on the former it seemed. But if one considered that he'd probably be dead in some ditch if he didn't at least have that, it could be said that his situation wasn't that bad. Then again, Subaru began to wonder if he even could die, considering he had an all-powerful ghost inside of him.
They looked and asked every person who had seen or heard of the person who stole the girl's insignia. But eventually, after asking a few more people, they finally got a lead:
"If it's Felt, your lost item's probably in the loot house right now. Stolen goods are tagged and stored there, and the owner gathers them up to sell elsewhere."
A shopkeeper about two streets away had told them about a narrow alley connecting to the slums. It was true that the sun was going down, but despite being right next to the street, the place was gloomy for reasons other than the light source. The depressing atmosphere and foul smell caused Subaru's face to scrunch up reflexively.
...
After walking and exploring some more, Subaru and the girl saw a shabby-looking building in the distance. It was a large decrepit house, some of the windows were broken and the tree next to it was dead. This had to be the place. And what's more, they still had daylight to spare.
"Well then, let's do this."
"Right."
They walked up to the wooden door, and the girl knocked gently. After a short while, the door opened, allowing the duo to enter the building. Upon entering, they saw only a young girl with a small frame, and she possessed shoulder-length blonde hair. Her eyes suggested a strong will and her fang-like canine protruded mischievously. She looked rather cheeky, but it could be said that she was cute considering her age. This must be the girl 'Felt' that the shopkeeper told them about.
And she wasn't alone, for beside her stood a rather intimidating man. He was bald and had a large build. Perhaps his garments had once been white, but dust and many years of sweat and the like had turned it brown, a very unsanitary sight. Under his clothes was a very muscular body. Contrary to his aged appearance, he didn't seem frail in the slightest, he clearly had some toughness to him.
In summary, a huge bald old man in exceptional health was standing beside a small, possibly mischievous, young girl, who seemed to be at the age of 14 or 15.
Immediately, the girl recognized Felt as the one who stole her insignia, which was evident by the mortified expression as she glared at her, and her lips warped in annoyance.
"You stole my insignia!"
"You really are a stubborn woman."
Felt retorted.
"You're quite impertinent for a thief. I won't hurt you if you hand it over quietly."
While Felt seemed to be grinding her teeth, the girl's voice was extremely cold. Subaru felt the temperature of the room drop rapidly, and couldn't help but shiver at the changing atmosphere.
Felt had already crossed the center of the room and reached the back as she continued to retreat, but the girl smoothly blocked the path to the door as she turned her palm toward them.
The silver-haired girl gathered in her palm caused the air to crackle faintly. Much to Subaru's surprise, the room's temperature dropped as she formed several icicles.
"I have but one demand: Return my insignia. It's important to me."
There were six icicles floating in the air. Their tips were rounded, so their power came from their weight rather than their sharpness. But if she scored a direct hit, the damage would definitely be fatal without a doubt.
Of course, this caused Subaru to break out in a cold sweat. He certainly wasn't expecting for the girl to be capable of magic. Though he somehow doubted her magic was on the same level of The Spectre.
"… Old man."
"I can't move. You picked up something troublesome and someone troublesome came with it, Felt."
Felt quietly called to him, but the old man shook his head, his giant body filled with tension.
He was holding a large club in his hand, but his arm didn't look like he could swing it. As if lost, as if bewildered, he alternated between loosening and tightening his grip on it, something Subaru took notice of. If this large man was frightened by the silver-haired girl, then she was certainly someone not to be messed with.
"The fight hasn't even started and you're already giving up?"
Felt asks in surprise.
"I wouldn't withdraw if she were just some magic user, but… She's trouble."
He chided Felt for her provocation.
His gray eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the girl who had icicles at the ready. His eyes were filled with strong caution and even stronger reverence as he looked down at her.
"Young lady… You're an elf, aren't you?"
The old man asked with trembling lips, causing Subaru to look at the girl in surprise. An elf? Of course! Subaru cursed himself for not noticing the girl's oddly-pointed ears earlier. But it made sense:
In this sort of fantasy world, elves were an indispensable race. They had long pointy ears, long lifespans, and were extremely beautiful. No wonder he found her so gorgeous and attractive on first sight.
The old man's question caused the girl to close her eyes briefly, after which she sighed.
"That's not quite right. I'm actually only half elf."
She spoke as if this confession was painful, and Subaru only raised an eyebrow at this. But the other two had much bigger reactions. Felt's reaction was especially striking, she shuddered as she retreated even further.
"Half-elf… And silver hair?! Don't tell me…"
"It's an accidental resemblance! And to be honest, I caused me a lot of trouble."
Subaru didn't understand their exchange, but he did to some extent get that it was one the girl really didn't want to deal with. He didn't know what exactly she was denying, but it didn't seem to calm Felt down at all.
Either way, unless Felt and the old man had some trick up their sleeve, they would have no choice but to return the insignia to the girl.
Subaru simply sighed.
"Listen kid, please give this girl her insignia back. None of us want to resort to violence, so why not just give it back and we pretended this never happened. What do you say?"
The old man seemed eager to agree with Subaru, but Felt was still refusing to comply to his request and glared at him. The silver-haired half-elf appeared even more confused with Subaru's overly-nice behavior.
He had to break up this tension somehow. However, he suddenly heard The Spectre's voice ring in his head:
"Boy! Tell the girl to block! There is an assassin trying to kill her!"
Subaru's happy expression instantly disappeared, he had only a split second to react, but he shouted the first thing that came to his mind:
"Puck! Block it!"
A sensual smile passed through the room's shadows, and a silver glint that seemed to be squirming lunged at the girl's white neck. In an instant, the girl's head was about sliced off as Subaru watched with widened eyes... or at least that's probably what would have happened if he didn't shout...
*Crack*
What hit his eardrums was not the sound of steal severing bone, but that of steel smashing glass. The half-elf girl lowered her body slightly, and a magic circle that glowed a pale blue manifested behind her head.
The blade was stopped when it slammed into it head on, the magic circle had perfectly protected her neck from the blade. The girl leapt forward and turned around. She quickly turned and aimed at her wanna-be killer.
Puck hummed in pride and glanced at Subaru.
"Right in the nick of time. Nice one!"
As for the assailant whose surprise attack was blocked:
"A spirit, huh? Fufufu, how interesting. I've never sliced the stomach of a spirit before."
From the shadows came a middle-aged woman. She had an unusually pale skin and was wearing a black cloak, but she'd left the front open so one could easily see her tight black outfit underneath it. Slender as she was, she had curves in all the right places. And just like Subaru, she had black hair which seemed to be unusual in this world. Her long hair that went down to her waist was tied up as if braided, and she was holding a exceptionally-sharp blade in her hand.
But the smile and vibe she was giving felt more like the presence of a demon than human.
Her sudden appearance placed both the elf girl and Subaru on guard. However, the first one to take action in response wasn't either of them
"Hey, what's this about?!"
Felt yelled as she stepped forward. She pointed at the woman and pulled the insignia out of her bosom.
"I thought your job was to purchase the insignia. Turning this place into a sea of blood wasn't part of the deal!"
"Purchasing that insignia is indeed my job. But negotiating won't be possible since you've also brought the owner along, so I've decided to change my plans."
Felt's face had turned red with rage, but when faced with the woman's gaze full of killing intent she instinctively stepped back. The dark woman looked down at her as if she found her fear adorable.
"I'll massacre everyone in here, and then collect the insignia."
Her smile was like that of a loving mother as she made this cruel declaration, she then tilted her head,
"You couldn't do your job properly. It's only natural you'd be cast aside."
Felt's face warped in agony, not from fear but from a different emotion.
Subaru, despite not knowing who this woman was, instinctively felt a sense of hatred and anger towards her; perhaps it was because of The Spectre still inside of him.
"Spectre, who's this woman."
"She is known as Elsa Granhiert, the Bowl Hunter. She takes joy in killing her victims by slicing them open and observing their innards."
Subaru almost felt like throwing up upon hearing this. This woman definitely needed to die. But before he could act, several sharp icicles surrounded Elsa in every direction. There were more than twenty of them.
"Seems I haven't even introduced myself, lady. My name is Puck. Remember that name in the afterlife."
In an instant, Elsa was bombarded by icicles from every direction. The icicles crisscrossed mercilessly, filling the room with a white mist and covering the black cloaked figure in freezing wind.
The speed of these icicles was incredibly fast, and Subaru doubted any human being could dodge them.
Their sharp tips would easily pierce through the human body and come out red with fresh blood.
There were about twenty of them. If they landed, it'd mean certain death for any normal person. But this was not a normal person...
"Is she finished?"
As if to answer Subaru's question...
"I was prepared, you see. I quite dislike its weight, but it was the right decision to wear it."
Cutting through the white smoke, Elsa dashed forward and reading her blade.
As she brandished her kukri knife and nimbly advanced, there was no sign of injury on her body. She had cast aside her cloak and was now only wearing the form-fitting black clothes she wore underneath it, but there was no change besides this.
"Don't tell me it's the sort of thing where you take off weighted clothing and become faster?"
"That would be pretty interesting, but the reality is simpler. My cloak had a spell woven into it that could negate magic just once. Seems it allowed me to keep my life."
Elsa politely answered Subaru's question, and then swung her blade forward to attack. Standing in her path was silver-haired half-elf who had just unleashed that huge attack.
The blade's path was true, intended to plunge the heavy tip into her chest. Subaru was about to scream, but before that could happen, a multilayered shield of ice easily stopped Elsa's blade.
"You'd do well not to underestimate a user of the spirit arts. We're rather frightening when you make enemies of us."
The elf girl had placed her hands together in order to form that shield. and with the attack blocked, Elsa immediately back flipped away.
A number of slightly smaller icicles rapidly began firing in pursuit and piercing the ground.
This was Puck's attack, he floated by the girl's silver hair as he waved his arms like he was conducting an orchestra.
"They're splitting the roles of offense and defense. It's really two on one."
"That's what makes spirit users dangerous. One handles offense while the other handles defense. Depending on the situation you'll have one stall with simple magic while the other prepares a powerful move. They can do that sort of thing. On the battlefield, it is commonly said that 'If you encounter a spirit user, you should drop your weapon and wallet and run.'"
Countless lumps of ice formed one after another and were blasted all over the room.
Their sizes varied, the larger ones were about the size of a head, and the smaller ones were roughly fist-sized. They were all fired with the speed of a full power pitch, and it was clear just how dangerous they were.
However, even as she was surrounded by all of this ice, Elsa's movements now that she had lost her magic-negating cloak had transcended the realm of common sense.
She would twist her body, lower herself to the ground as if crawling, occasionally even seemingly-defy gravity by running the walls like a spider. If she judged that even this wouldn't suffice, she would strike the ice with her blade, shattering the white crystals. She matched quantity with overwhelming quality, her skill was exceptional.
"You handle yourself well for a girl."
Even Puck had to admire her combat sense that could only be described as exceptional.
His mutter caused Elsa to smile cheerfully even in the midst of that chaotic battle.
"Oh my. It's been quite a while since I was last regarded as a simple girl."
"Most of my opponents might as well be babies from my perspective. But even so, you're so strong it's almost pitiful."
"It's quite the honor to receive praise from a spirit."
Genuinely delighted this compliment, she swept away the ice surrounding her with her blade.
He must have fired close to a hundred by now, but besides that first bombardment not a single one connected.
Puck was pressuring her with the sheer quantity of his offense, but he was unable to land a decisive blow on the Bowl Hunter.
"At this rate, won't they run out of MP and lose?"
The old giant next to him shook his head.
"I don't know what this MP is, but there's no need to worry about a spirit user running out of mana in battle."
"No need to worry about them running out of mana…?"
"Unlike magic users, spirit users do not use the mana within them, but rather the mana around them. Unless the world itself runs dry, a spirit user will never run out of mana."
"They've got unlimited gasoline so they can rev their engines as much as they please, huh. Quite a cheat."
The old man cocked his head as Subaru's response was completely incomprehensible to him.
"However, there's also the matter of how long the spirit can remain corporeal. Once the spirit is gone, the situation might change drastically."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
Subaru wasn't told this.
"The main problem with spirit arts-users is that their spirits only appear from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon. After that, they must rest."
Subaru's eyes widened in shock. If that was true, then Puck should be going to sleep any time now since it was well past five. At this rate, Elsa should start gaining the advantage over the elf girl and her spirit.
"Ah, this is bad. I'm getting a little drowsy. Actually, I was fighting in my sleep just now."
"Hey, Puck! Get it together!"
"I'm up! I'm awake! I'm definitely not sleeping!"
Puck seemed to be nodding off already, and he could see that the elf girl who had Puck on her shoulder was also starting to look anxious.
"Just when it was getting good. You're not even paying attention, how rude of you."
"That's the problem with being a popular guy. The girls just won't let you sleep. But staying up too late is terrible for your skin, you know?"
Bending her knees slightly, Elsa prepared to leap. But Puck anticipated this and shrewdly winked at her.
"How about we go ahead and put an end to this? You must be tired of seeing the same old performance, right?"
The instant she tried to advance, she tipped forward and had to put out her hands to stop her fall.
"My leg."
Subaru stared in shock at this unbelievable screw up, the reason for which was at her feet.
Elsa's right foot was stuck to the frozen floor.
The shattered ice had slowly piled up, and had now been used to trap her foot.
"It's not like I was just firing randomly, you know?"
"So you've got me, is that right?"
"Just think of it as the difference in experience, I believe this is worthy of some praise. Good night."
As he threw his chest out, Puck's small body started to waver.
He thrusts his hands out in front him, a pose that suggested he was about to use a killer technique, and started gathering up the largest amount of magic thus far. That magical power did not turn into ice, it was fired as pure destructive energy.
The bluish white light froze everything in its path, and dyed the loot house white in one fell swoop.
The energy passed through Elsa and slammed into the entrance to the loot house, blowing away the poorly-fitted door. The freezing waves left in the aftermath even reached outside.
Once that magnificent light passed through, all that was left was frost. The goods, the furniture, the counter, everything else was completely frozen. Naturally, anyone who took a direct hit would inevitably be turned into an ice sculpture.
Unfortunately, in this case...
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
"I'm afraid not. Aah, splendid! I thought I was going to die."
If she had taken it head on, she definitely would have.
"You're a girl, so I can't really praise that sort of thing."
She had managed to avoid his last attack, but Puck wasn't any angrier than his words suggested. Though he truly was displeased by the act itself.
Subaru could see blood dripping, and traces of steam coming off the frozen floor.
The source of the blood was Elsa's right foot. She was standing barefoot just barely out of the path of Puck's attack, and a large amount of blood was pouring out of her right foot.
Elsa had sliced off the sole of her foot to evade the attack.
"I was in such a hurry I almost chopped the whole thing off, that was a close one."
"But even that amount ought to be quite painful."
Elsa raised her bleeding foot and pressed it against a nearby lump of ice with no hesitation. It sounded like the air was cracking, Elsa moaned after which she used her kukri knife to smooth the ice's surface.
With that, she managed to stop the bleeding. She had attached a part of the ice to her sole.
"It's a little hard to move, but it's enough."
Her ice 'shoe' produced a stiff sound as she tested it against the ground, she then smiled even more cheerfully.
The fact that she was so addicted to battle, and that she didn't even mind mutilating herself, left Subaru speechless, but it also left an even bigger impression on Puck and the half-elf who were facing her.
"Puck, can you continue?"
"Sorry, I'm really sleepy. I underestimated her a bit. I used up too much mana, gonna disappear."
The cat on her shoulder, by her silver hair, started to emit a faint glow and looked as though he could disappear at any moment. He was out of time.
"I'll handle this somehow, so get some rest for now. Thank you."
"Should anything happen to you, I'll act in accordance with the contract. If it comes down to it, wring your Od to draw me out."
As if urged on by the half-elf girl's tender voice, Puck's body suddenly scattered and vanished.
Every single person in that room lamented his retreat, but the one who was most disappointed was Elsa herself.
"Oh my, he's gone. How terribly unfortunate."
She sighed and once again readied her blade, before moving toward the elf girl with high-pitched footsteps. In response, the ice-magician started forming icicles one after another, but she couldn't form nearly as many as Puck had.
But considering Elsa's mobility had dropped significantly, their chances of winning were still 50/50.
"We can't just stand around staring anymore."
The old giant said, as he grabbed his club and was ready to go in and help the elf girl.
Subaru sighed.
"You guys stand back. I'll handle this myself."
Both Felt and the old man looked at him as if he said something crazy — which, from their perspective, he did.
"Are you insane! You can't beat her!"
"Watch me..."
To her declaration, Subaru simply smirked.
The half-elf continued to fire an endless barrage of icicles, but they were all smashed apart by Elsa's blade.
The Bowl Hunter sprang toward her, slashing as if she was dancing, and in response, the silver-haired girl halted her attack to block with her ice shield and then froze the ground underneath her to slide away, barely avoiding the subsequent attacks.
If she managed to gain some distance she would once again go on the offensive with her ice barrage, but Elsa wasn't the kind of opponent who'd fall for the same trick twice.
Sensing an opening, Elsa dashed forward at top speed and readied her blade, aiming for the half-elf's abdomen. The moment of truth came when Elsa slashed at the elf girl's stomach with blinding speed.
But nothing happened...
To be more precise, rather than cutting through the elf girl's stomach, Elsa's blade bent and gently slided across its target instead of piercing it, as if it was made of...
"Rubber?"
Elsa looked at her kukri blade in confusion and surprise, realizing that it was turned into harmless rubber.
"That was my doing."
A cold and sinister voice spoke, turning everyone's attention to its source.
In the middle of the trashed room, floated an apparition that was dressed in a green cape-like cloak, wearing black pants and boots, and having pale-white skin. It had a hood which partly concealed its face. But everyone instantly recognized that it had the same face as Subaru, with the only exception being the eyes, which now glowed with a green light.
The Spectre had used his reality-bending power to transmute Elsa's steel blade into rubber, effectively saving the half-elf girl.
"Elsa Granhiert the Bowl Hunter, your Judgment Day is long overdue."
"Oh my. I didn't expect you to posses such power. You are truly an amazing deceiver. You even had me fooled."
"That's where you are wrong. I am not that boy. The boy is a vessel for me. I am beyond the comprehension of mortals like you."
Without any warning, a long chain with a sharp hook at the end bursted from the wooden wall with such a speed that even Elsa couldn't react in time. By the time she managed to respond, the hooked chain had already snared her right hand, easily piercing her flesh.
Unlike in her previous battle with Puck, Elsa will not be able easily escape without severing her entire hand. But even that won't be an option as another chain bursted from the opposite wall, hooking Elsa's left hand.
Blood was dripping from both of Elsa's hands as the others looked in shock at what was happening. Elsa herself, for the first time, felt genuine fear as she looked at the looming Spectre, who had a look of disdain on his face.
"You enjoy killing your victims painfully. Cutting open their stomachs and examining their innards. I suppose it is only fair that you die in a more painful way."
After The Spectre said that, countless more hooked chains began bursting from both walls, and all aiming for Elsa. The Bowl Hunter screamed in pain and agony as the hooks pierced her legs, thighs, knees, shoulders, ankles, elbows, thorax — and one chain even pierced her left cheek.
By the time the chains stopped their assault, Elsa was barely breathing and barely moving, her clothes were completely soaked in her blood. Her eyes were filled with fear, as this was a type of pain she had never experienced before.
"Do you feel that, Elsa? That is fear. That is how your victims felt when you ended their lives. I hope you enjoy this experience."
With a wave of his hand, all the chains began pulling in the opposite direction with incredible force. Elsa screamed at the top of her lungs, but her scream was cut short. In the blink of an eye, Elsa Granhiert, the Bowl Hunter, was dismembered and torn to pieces by the chains.
The elf girl instinctively put her hands together to create an ice shield, preventing a wave of blood from splashing over her.
After it was all over, the hooked chains retracted back into the walls without explanation and disappeared. The floor was a bloody mess, and there was no body, only severed pieces of flesh and organs.
"Once again, the guilty have been punished."
The Spectre slowly floated to the floor, and reverted back to Subaru Natsuki.
He was met with the looks of shock, astonishment, and above all, horror, from everyone in the room. He sighed, knowing there was no way of hiding this anymore, and it was time to explain himself.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Yeah, Spectre just killed Elsa, Hellraiser style. There will be more references to such movies in future chapters. And yeah, there will be some changes from the original series.
I should also note that I'm using the New 52 design of The Spectre.