A Broken Multiverse

by mgman

"You think you know Natsuki Subaru? You couldn't be further from the truth, you know nothing of the man that you call friend and ally. He is one who's path can diverge from even the slightest change, his fate never truly set in stone. Watch as the man you claim to know so well breaks down everything you thought you knew about him. I will show you the truth about Natsuki Subaru."

Introduction

"I need to use my head and think, hmmm hmmmm"

Hello and welcome to A Broken Multiverse, a collab project that has been in the works for some time down. This is the product between me and four other writers (WritingPupil, HereticSlayer, ArmoredMan, and GaryOnGod) and potentially many more. I'm sure you can guess that having that many writers in one room has led to a lot of chaos and you'd be write. Throughout this story, you will 100% notice different writing styles from the other people who've worked on this. If that bothers you don't worry, I wrote the vast majority of the story, so their sections don't take up too much time.

This was originally intended to be a very long chapter (around 60-70k) but I decided to scrape that idea since I figured no one wants to read something so long. Because of that every different Subaru you see will get their own individual chapter where they are the main focus. You'll see the order for the first seven towards the end of the story. If you want your own Subaru added message me or the other guys and we'll talk it out.

Otherwise enjoy the first chapter of A Broken Multiverse :)

(mgman here, I'm uploading this on behalf of my friend Shape of Evil, wild shape and I will be uploading all future chapters of this collab on FF from this day forward while my friend Shape uploads them on AO3)

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There was an explosion of sound that echoed throughout the theater, the most prominent noises being cheers and clapping from the recent viewing. The screen had just faded to black, signaling the end of Arc 4, ending Subaru's depressing journey on a much needed high note. Arc 4 had been especially brutal to the nasty eyed young man which went double for the cast, so much betrayal and revelation caused the warden to pause the screen on more than one occasion. The deaths particularly were also rather grotesque, the screams that came from Subaru while he was being devoured will remain engraved in their minds forever. Thankfully the warden gave them as much time as they needed to sort out their problems and every last minute was used. A few hours of a mix of screaming, crying, and in some cases destroyed furniture, the cast were able to somewhat solve their issues.

Despite most of the cast being able to work through a small portion of their trauma, their problems were far from gone. However, that was pushed to the side in order to offer their support for Subaru's triumph over such impossible odds. Defeating not only the Great Rabbit but also Elsa while saving the Sanctuary would be unfeasible for anyone that wasn't Reinhard. It was cathartic to see their friend and ally conquer these obstacles and earn his place amongst the ranks of the knights. Even those who thought less of Subaru (cough Ram cough) could admit that the other worlder deserved this small patch of happiness in his rather bleak stay in Lugnica.

"You have more than proved yourself to be my knight…thank you Subaru for staying with me despite everything that we put you through…myself included." Emilia wiped away a stray tear that trailed down her cheek. The "Kiss of Death" loop had been rather shocking for the half-elf; she didn't know she was capable of being that weak willed. It was sickening, how could she possibly save her people if she couldn't even save herself. It was all thanks to her knight that she was able to push past her fear and embrace the past she once rejected.

"Rem is sorry she wasn't there to see you Subaru-kun." The blue haired oni brushed her thumbs across the knuckles of the sleeping boy. A pang of anger surfaced for a brief moment, Rem loathed Gluttony for taking her away from her hero. It was quickly squashed in order not to spoil one of the rare moments of levity that emerged from the viewing.

"As if Betty's contractor could accomplish anything less." The great spirit crossed her arms and smiled smugly; her nose held high to show off her superiority. Arc 4 had been a roller coaster of emotions for Beatrice, everything from seeing her mother and the mistakes of herself was overwhelming at times. However, she was immensely happy watching Subaru never give up on her and still try to save her.

"I must admit I'm very surprised that you managed to conquer such monumental odds." Crusch hummed, her tone more curious than demeaning. In all honesty the duchess was rather impressed by the boy's resolve to save everyone in the face of enemies from all fronts. Crusch would be lying if she said she didn't find those qualities somewhat appealing. The strategy that he came up with was rather ingenious, the duchess didn't think

"Your eyes are far brighter than they've ever been, it is a far more pleasing sight than your usual look, Subaru-dono." Wilhelm smiled wistfully, his eyes gaining a far away look. This recent viewing was a painful one to witness, on more than one occasion the butler had expected Subaru to fall into the abyss of despair. Yet, through sheer willpower alone the young man was able to push through his own limitations and come out on top. Wilhelm had no problem in admitting that it was inspiring seeing Subaru stand triumphant over his enemies.

"Damn bro, I would've left them all to die after the rabbits, you're honestly something else." Al didn't know whether he meant that as a compliment or an insult. On one hand, beating a Great Mabeast, a gut-crazy assassin, and winning the bet against the clown simp was awe-inspiring. However, not getting out of dodge after literally getting eaten out was the dumbest fucking thing anyone could ever do. The knight of the sun princess decided that he'll settle on a compromise, Subaru was incredibly brave, but was equally idiotic.

"Hmph, I suppose you have some worth, even if it is minuscule at best." Priscilla stared down at the sleeping boy with interest. His most recent achievements were unforeseen, the sun princess did not expect the boy to make it out in one piece. Yet, he somehow managed to defy her expectations and not only save his own life, but the lives of countless others as well. Priscilla surprisingly did not feel the least bit annoyed by this outcome, if anything it only strengthened her interest in the boy. No one had ever defied her will before, it was both irritating and fascinating seeing her expectations denied.

"Ha ha, big bro really taught that clown face fucker a lesson!" Seeing the clown get what was coming to him, after everything it was certainly a welcome relief to the former thief. However, even with the Arc ending on a positive note, it would still not erase the absolutely horrifying things she had seen. From the return of Elsa to Subaru's absolutely horrifying and gruesome death at the hands of the great rabbit. In particular his death to the great rabbit would forever be scarred into her memory, even now his screams of agony still rang in her ears, along with the sound of his flesh being consumed by the great beast.

"Felt-sama please refrain from using such vulgarity, it is unbecoming of a royal candidate." Despite Reinhard trying to sound stern in his reprimand, he could not keep the smile off his face. The red haired knight for one of the very few moments in his life felt a sense of peace and contentment. His best friend triumphed over enemies that would give even the strongest of knights trouble, all while saving countless lives, doing far more than a pathetic monster such as himself could ever do. The Sword Saint wished he could be as brave and courageous as Subaru; no Divine Protection could ever substitute real bravery. Reinhard pushed down his own weaknesses, he would not ruin his friend's big moment because he was a selfish person.

"A nice little ending to such an 'interesting' journey, wouldn't you agree?" The voice of the warden returned, sounding bored yet at the same time holding a note of condensation. "Ah Natsuki Subaru, such an intriguing individual, malleable, and capable of achieving many things…so many possibilities within one individual."

"What are you talking about?" Emilia strengthened her hold on Subaru's hand, the warden's tone was slightly worrying. A shared thought among the rest of the cast, all feeling themselves moderately tense up.

"Hmm there are a great many things that I could be referring to, Emilia. However, I think you all know who I am alluding to, why else would you be here? The multiverse is a concept for which you mortals know very little about and that goes double for how little you understand about Natsuki Subaru." The warden gave a thoughtful hum as he answered his question, more so in response to the confused looks on the cast members faces.

"Mutiverse? What are ya talking about?" Anastasia's eyes gained a gleam of interest. Despite the word being alien to her, the merchant princess could tell it referred to something very powerful. Anything that held power must surely be very valuable, and Anastasia wanted nothing more than to increase her business. The merchant princess nearly salivated at the possibilities, there were so many things a "multiverse" could refer to, and nearly all of them meant more money in Anastasia's pocket.

"What is this "multiverse" that you speak of? The word was a strange one to say the least." Crusch tried racking her brain, desperately searching for a word that could possibly be similar to it, yet much to her annoyance, the word was completely alien and did not match anything she had ever heard before. Yet, even though she could not think of a word that sounded similar to it, there was something about the word that had an undeniable presence, as if it was describing a concept much bigger than she could imagine.

'Multiverse, eh? Haven't heard that since my college days." Al raised an eyebrow underneath his helmet, his curiosity invisible to the rest of the people around. Frankly, the one armed knight couldn't remember much about the multiverse theory, but from what he could remember things might become a lot more complicated than they already are. He's had to deal with time loops, time reversal, reincarnation, and all sorts of weird fuckery in the last few decades alone. Al decided it wasn't worth the headache to add even more space-time bullshit to it.

"Let me answer with a question of my own, how well do you think you know your domain? There is so much more to the world than you could possibly imagine…and I don't mean just yours." The warden gave a deep sigh as if he explained himself a thousand times before.

"Other worlds hmmm, dooooo~ tell more Warden-sama." Roswaal gave a wide smile while leaning forward in his seat in interest, much to the detriment of everyone else. If the simp clown was interested then that was more than enough to put them on edge, the Margrave was no doubt already forming a plan.

"Hmmmmm other worlds?... I understand completely" Emilia smiled confidently, puffing out her chest, thinking that she had just accomplished in completely turning everyone into thinking she knew what she was talking about. When in reality everyone could see through her ruse almost immediately. The members of our camp couldn't help but laugh and chuckle to themselves at her display, while the other royal candidates shook their heads in dismay and disappointment at her very childlike behavior. Despite their amusement, the others pondered Emilia's statement, could they be returning to Subaru's world, but why? What importance is there in returning to Subaru's world?

"Sure you do, you cute little potato, I'll get you your cookie later." The Emilia camp members gave a glare toward the ceiling, the subtle insult was not lost to them.

"A cookie?! Really?! Yay!" Unfortunately or thankfully, Emilia did not notice the supercilious tone Warden had used when speaking to her. Various people around had to resist face palming at the girl's social ineptitude.

"We really need to work on your social skills, Emilia-dono." Crusch mumbled into her hands as she dragged her palm down her face, Wilhelm and Felix looking at her with raised eyebrows.

"Back to the intellectual talk, there is far more out there in the great beyond than you realize. So much intelligent life that you have yet to see, so many paths that you will never walk. It's amazing to see the infinite possibilities that are out there, and you would never get to see them in any other scenario. How interesting it is how one small change could have such devastating consequences, similar to how a small nudge in a particular direction can cause a ripple effect that changes the outcome entirely."

"Great beyond... wait does he mean the Great Waterfall?!" Despite the concept of there being something beyond the Great Waterfall, not being a foreign one to him. Julius couldn't help but stop for a second and marvel at maybe just how big the world truly was beyond the great waterfall if the warden's words were to be believed.

"I have reason to believe that what the Warden might be talking about goes eveeeen~ beyond the Great Waterfall." Roswaal commented in a wide smile, leaning slightly forward in his seat listening to the warden with great interest. The moment he mentioned 'infinite possibilities; the clown's curiosity reached an all time high as he wondered what the warden could truly mean by that.

"Life we haven't seen? What could that mean, is there more than just humans and demi-humans?" Otto's eyes widened, his mind conjuring up all forms of creatures that could potentially exist, but how could they? There is only Subaru's world and theirs, how is it possible 'intelligent life' can exist beyond these places.

"So there is something beyond the Great Waterfall after all." Being the skeptical and rational woman that she was, Crusch ever since she was a young girl had always wanted to believe that there was something beyond the great waterfall. Whether it be some kind of unexplored land or maybe something more magical, but to finally be given some confirmation was certainly a welcome surprise.

"So many questions, so little time to answer them. I suppose I could offer my insight albeit briefly." The voice gave off an aura of superiority with its tone, practically radiating with smugness. It was the type of arrogance that screamed it knew something they didn't, something very important that would change everything they thought they knew. "What you are about to witness is something that even entities such as myself would only tamper with slightly. I can only allow a small fraction of 'them' through, and I cannot keep them for long. I'm only doing this so that you can understand him better, it always comes back to him doesn't it.."

"Let who through?"

"Betty is getting annoyed with the lack of answers."

"Rem gets the feeling this involves her hero once more."

"Natsuki-san does tend to draw trouble to himself."

"Keep 'em' for long? Da hell does that mean."

"What could you possibly mean by 'them'?"

"I can tell this is nyot gonna be good."

"It must be about you Subaru-dono, it always has been."

"I wonder what we'll see, hopefully it can be patented."

"Understand Subaru, what do you mean by that Warden-sama?"

"What is this bullshit?! Big Bro finally gets his happy ending and now this!"

"Perhaps we should wait and see Felt-sama, we do not know what the Warden has in mind."

"I can already feel a headache coming on."

"Would your pathetic self cease speaking in riddles?"

'This is going to be verrrrrry~ interesting."

"Honestly you are about as useless as Barusu... wait…was that door always there?"

With that the rest of the cast members ceased speaking, leaving the room in an almost uncomfortable silence. All eyes turned toward the pink haired maid, holding a sense of curiosity and some having a glint of concern. The oni in question never noticed the stares, her eyes were locked onto something off to her left. Their gazes turned from the maid, following her line of sight they eventually found what she was staring at. There on the left wall of the theatre was a lone door, a dark brown wooden door that would look ordinary in any other situation.

However, as the cast continued to observe the door, the seemingly ordinary entrance became more abnormal the more they looked at it. There was a strange air around it, almost as if something was trying to worm its way into their minds. Whispers with an alien and otherworldly pitch were heard from the door, soft yet powerful. It was similar to how a signal would be broadcast from a TV or radio station, trying to send some kind of message to any that it could reach. If one were to pay close attention, they would even see symbols idly floating around the door, most looking to be nothing more than squiggles drawn by a child. A soft red hue colored the symbols, making them appear more sinister and ominous than they already did.

"Anyone else getting weird vibes from that door?" Al uneasily scratched the back of his helmet, his nervous expression hidden behind his armor.

"Yeah…something is clearly off about it." Ricardo slightly tightened his hold around the two demi-humans in his lap.

"Soooo~ it begins hmm." Roswaal's smile widened by a fraction. Even if the logical part of his mind was telling him whatever was on the other side of the door was dangerous.

The cast continued to stare at the door with a mix of caution and worry, waiting for something to inevitably happen. They did not realize that someone familiar yet at the same time different was about to come through that very door. A name and a face that has come from the same as their own, but has become his own variation. A man who had hell itself leave its mark on him, yet still continued forward, ripping the monsters in front of him limb from limb.

The Ishimura: Medical Wing

"Ahhhhh! Fuck!" A loud scream of pain and rage shattered the uneasy silence of the Ishimura's medical wing by one of the few livings uncorrupted beings left on the ship of nightmares. A ship of pure and holy nightmare that was slowly plummeting towards its oblivion courtesy of the inescapable gravitational pull of the cracked planet below.

"Fuck you!" The voice cried again as a man in a strange suit rounded one of the many corners in the medical wing, almost slipping on the slicks of blood that cover the floor. He continued to fire his weapon over his shoulder at an indescribable mass of twisted flesh and muscle. The creature, despite having no mouth, seemed to respond to the man's words, letting out an indescribable unholy roar of pure rage and anger.

Subaru continued to run as fast as he could, unloading another round of his plasma cutter into the tentacle behind him. Quickly rounding another corner in the medical wing, the tendril going at full speed crashing into the wall opposite the corner, piercing through the wall with ease. It completely destroyed gurneys and beds that were lined up against the wall, the appendage ripped itself from the wall before it resumed its advance towards him. Giving out another terrifying roar of rage as twisted and broken human arms that made up its front reached out to try and grab him yet again. Arms on the front of the tentacle opened up, almost like a demented and twisted flower made of flesh. Yet, as they did so Subaru caught a glimpse of something bright and yellow that had been obscured by the arms up until a moment ago. It was a glowing yellow sack filled with volatile infected fluid that threatened to explode at the slightest touch. An idea suddenly occurred to Subaru, one that would hopefully kill the creature and give him a much needed break.

In his many encounters with the necromorphs he had noticed many of them had some kind of weak spot on them, usually it was a horribly infected and yellow patch of flesh that would often give off a weird glow. Shooting these points would often cause a brilliant explosion of blood and gore, rendering the necromorph a twisted red stain and a pile of viscera that could no longer pose a threat to anyone.

With his mind made up, Subaru came to a halt spinning on his heels, bringing the plasma cutter up to eye level. The monstrous tentacle, noticing that its prey had stopped not too far in front of it, increased its speed letting out a victorious rage filled roar. With the tendril less than an arm's length away from him, Subaru pulled the trigger of his plasma cutter, a line of brilliant blue energy shot across the short distance between him and the yellow infected bulb. Upon contact the tentacle was almost completely destroyed by a loud fleshy explosion, knocking Subaru onto his back as a shower of blood, flesh, and guts covered everything from the walls, ceiling, and even him.

"Shit...that hurt…" Subaru barely managed to say as he tried to pull himself from the blood drenched floor. Managing to get himself onto one shaky knee, Subaru's head snapped to attention when suddenly he heard a loud beeping sound. His helmet unsealed itself, quickly folding up and retreating into the armor panels where it originated from. With his face now visible to the rest of the world, Subaru let out a frustrated sigh, pressing a button on his wrist that brought up a pale blue message.

"Helmet system compromised, please seek an engineering specialist."

"Goddammit!" He shouted a bit louder than he intended to. Quickly realizing his mistake, Subaru brought his plasma cutter up ready to cut down any potential Necromorphs that would respond to his shouting. Yet, after a couple moments of tense silence no Necromorphs came much to his relief. With a sigh he brought himself to his feet, which turned out to be quite the effort considering the floor as well as everything else for quite a distance around himself included was completely covered in thick rotten blood.

After getting to his feet, Subaru looked down and noticed his plasma cutter had almost used all of its available energy. Instinctively he pulled a tab on the back of the wagon, ejecting the spent plasma cell before unclipping a spare one from his belt and putting it in the weapon. The weapon let out a satisfied humming noise as it re-energized that self.

"Shit...where the hell am I?" Subaru's voice was partially muffled by the sound of his helmet deactivating. The entire helmet quickly folded itself up and disappeared from sight, revealing his face to the outside world. Wasting no time he quickly pressed the button located on a small device on his wrist, a bright blue frame appearing a moment later. The detailed three-dimensional map, that had been his guide so far, was projected into the air in front of him. However, much to his shock and surprise, instead of the map showing his current position, it was a complete glitchy mess. His exact position along with the positions of other important landmarks unable to be defined, meaning he was lost on this maze of a ship.

"What!?" Was all that Subaru could say, in all of his experience with engineering suits of all different kinds, he had seen all different kinds of malfunctions, ranging from the mundane to the almost deadly. Yet to have the rig mapping system completely glitch out like this, was something that he had never seen or heard for that matter.

"Fucking dammit! Just my luck…" The frustration was evident in Subarus voice, ever since coming to this bloody hell hole of a ship. Everything that could possibly go wrong had gone wrong, from mundane stuff such as doors that he needed to go through being conveniently locked. Resulting in him having to take the long way around, to more deadly stuff such as, the weird organic growth that seems to be spreading throughout the ship. Which at every possible turn seems to try and swallow him up or hinder his progress. It was almost as if the ship was a living being, with its own immune system, and he was the virus that it was trying to kill.

However, before he could vent his frustration anymore, about the current situation at hand (probably bringing a few Necromorphs with it), something in the far corner of the medical wing caught his attention. It was an object so visually striking compared to its surrounding environment that it was almost comical how it didn't belong. In fact it looked practically alien compared to the dark and haunting surroundings of the Ishimura's medical wing. The unnatural looking object was not a new form of twisted Necromorph or an amalgamated blob of flesh that could rip you apart in seconds. No, it was in fact an ordinary looking wooden door, with the symbol of the marker carved Into its dark wood surface.

Considering everything he had seen on this hellhole of a ship; he should have turned and ran in the opposite direction as soon as he laid eyes on it. But it was almost as if he was possessed by something. Something was compelling him to walk towards the door, and as he inched ever closer to the door, every rational part of his brain was telling him to turn and run. But there was just something about the door that seemed to pull him in, almost as if it was the most inviting thing in the world.

Standing in front of the door with no more than a foot between him and it, Subaru could see that it was for all intents and purposes a completely normal wooden door. Being housed in a normal looking wooden door frame, attached to the metal wall of the medical wing. Looking at the door up and down Subaru could see that there was nothing extra about the door which just made its entire appearance even stranger (ironic considering there were literal zombies on the ship). It was almost as if someone had ripped a door from a basic 20th Century house and placed it neatly into the wall of the medical wing. In fact, the door itself did not seem to have any kind of holographic opening mechanism, instead it had a traditional bronze colored doorknob with a keyhole located beneath it.

Subaru, please don't die...

Subaru-Kun, you'll always be my hero...

Subaru's hand stops barely inches away from the doorknob, his eyes widening in both shock and terror. The voices he had just heard were quiet and faint barely above a whisper, yet even after not hearing them for nearly two decades, they were as recognizable as they always were.

Without a second thought, Subaru grabbed the door handle twisting and pulling with such force that the door was almost ripped clean off its hinges, with it now open Subaru wasted no time and ran straight through the now open doorway. He wasn't quite sure what he expected to be on the other side, maybe it was all just a hallucination or maybe he was just going crazy. But he certainly could say that he wasn't expecting to see a theater-like space full of very familiar faces, in fact seeing all of his friends and other acquaintances' faces again, caused his brain to momentarily misfire, as he tried desperately to wrap his head around just what the hell was even happening anymore.

With each passing moment Subaru could feel his brain beginning to tremble, as tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes, looking around that everyone in the room he felt his knees beginning to buckle, the strain of everything he had been through was beginning to take its toll. he had spent so long being convinced by everyone around him that what he had experienced was nothing more than a psychotic episode, born out of a shattered and demented mind. In his weakest and darkest moment he truly began to believe everything he had been through, all of the friends he had made, all of the enemies he had slain, all of the acquaintances he had met, was nothing more than a fabrication of his own mind.

But to see them all again right here in front of him, seems to be too much for the poor man's brain, finally his knees caved, his cracked and blood stained metal shin pads contacted the floor with a loud metallic thump. And after a moment of silence a quiet sound could be heard, followed by another and then another, before the emotional dam that Subaru had constructed in his mind fully gave way, letting out nearly two decades of pent-up grief, sorrow and self-loathing in one tremendous flood of emotion.

The Theater

The cast collectively jumped back when the strange door suddenly burst open, a man wearing a strange set of bronze armor coming through a moment later. Rather than simple plates the armor was divided into ring-like shapes that were separated evenly across the body. At first the cast were wary and suspicious of the newcomer; it didn't help that they couldn't clearly see his face either. He was carrying some strange weapon that looked similar to a crossbow, but smaller and the limbs were vertical rather than horizontal. There was also a vibrant blue light that came from his back which contrasted with the darkness of his armor rather well. Dark red splotches could be seen across the metal, everything from long splatters across the chest to small droplets dripping from the knuckles.

Needless to say the audience did not trust the newcomer, the warden found that somewhat amusing though he chose not to comment. However, once the man-made eye contact with the rest of the room the hostility melded away into confusion. The stranger looked eerily familiar, yet for some reason most could not place where they'd seen him before. The cast could feel a connection to the man albeit strained and weathered one. That confusion then transformed into shock, the eyes of the man belonged only to Natsuki Subaru, but how could that be? Subaru was still in his same spot between Emilia and Rem, it was impossible for him to be in two places at once. Hesitantly the two elf and the oni called out to the man, hoping he could explain what exactly was going on and to confirm if he was indeed Subaru.

"Subaru?" Emilia's voice wavered under the emotion she felt, it was her knight, but he was different and not in a good way.

"Subaru-kun?" Rem shared her mistress' concern, the man looked far from ok, his eyes holding a tired and pained look.

Subaru said nothing as if he hadn't heard the two women speak, his eyes were wide, and his body began to tremble. Suddenly the man sank to his knees, the metal from his suit scraping against the floor with a harsh screech. The plasma cutter that was usually held with a death grip clattered to the ground next to Subaru. Various looks were directed at him, from concern to curious and even some annoyance (Ram), his reaction being rather odd to them. Their confusion only increased when they noticed his eyes became hazy and unfocused, looking at them as if he was seeing them for the first time in a long time. Then out of nowhere the silence that dominated the room was broken by the sounds of droplets hitting the floor.

Unprompted by anyone within the audience, Subaru began sobbing uncontrollably and violently, his form shuddering with each wail he let out. The cast for their part didn't know how to deal with the sudden change, one moment the man was, relatively, ok. But now he was hysterically crying after just being in the room for a few seconds. Most shifted uncomfortably in the seats, awkwardly looking away from the sight before them. It was always hard watching their friend break down on screen, but to see it in person was on another level. Even those closest to Subaru couldn't think of a way to help, despite numerous times promising to help him.

The sobbing continued for a painful amount of time, each passing second of Subaru's breakdown chipped away what little confidence some in the audience had of helping him. It wasn't as though they didn't want to comfort the man, quite the opposite. They simply just didn't have a clue on how to approach him or even what to do. This Subaru was far different from the one they viewed on screen, there was not a single bit of light within him. It was as if this Subaru had suffered great loss time and time again with no one there to help him. Considering the suffering that Subaru had faced in just four Arcs alone, the cast shuddered at what horrors had been engraved into his mind.

A small light creak came from one of the chairs in the theater, a variety of eyes traveling to see who decided to get up. Surprisingly it was not any of the Emilia camp members who decided to stand, it was the duchess herself. Crusch began steadily making her way toward Subaru's sobbing form. The cast watched the candidate with a mix of concern and curiosity, no one had a clue what she was planning. Only Wilhelm and Felix understood what their mistress' intentions were, the Sword Demon looked fondly down at the two. Upon reaching the man Crusch crouched down and waited for Subaru to notice her presence. When he continued to cry unaware of the duchess next to him, the green haired woman tentatively reached out a gloved hand and lightly grasped his shoulder.

The sudden contact caused Subaru to jump, his head suddenly snapping upward, his frenzied eyes meeting her soft gaze. In that moment she noted with sorrow that the man's eyes looked far sadder than anything she's seen on screen. The kindness that was often buried under tremendous amounts of grief was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing in those eyes but grief and pain, they were the eyes of someone who had lost everything and was barely holding himself together. Unable to stand the sight of Subaru's broken state, Crusch slowly lifted her other arm, similar to how one would approach a wounded animal. Carefully the duchess snaked her arms around the man's shoulders, trapping him in a soft embrace.

Crusch rested her head against Subaru's shoulder, not bothered by how the man's arms hung limpy at his sides. The tears in Subaru's eyes began to slowly stream down his face, his loud wailing replaced by soft hiccups. Hesitantly, almost as if he was afraid the woman hugging him would disappear, Subaru wrapped his own arms around Crusch's midsection. The duchess felt a pressure on her own shoulder, the man now resting his chin against her. She couldn't see that Subaru's tears had basically come to a stop, the only thing coming from the man were his shuddering breaths. The two remained in their embrace for a few minutes, the rest of the cast looking down in relief, mostly due to Subaru's breakdown being halted for the time being.

Gently Crusch ran her hand across Subaru's armored back, unsure if he could actually feel her touch, but nonetheless still tried anyway. She could feel the tenseness in his body slowly recede as she continued to caress him. The duchess was fine with keeping the hug until Subaru was ready to let go. Crusch could tell he needed the affection, so she waited for him to release her rather than her ending the embrace. After a few moments and a few more shaky breaths, Subaru released the duchess, the woman doing the same but still keeping her hand on his shoulder. She let the man wipe away the lingering droplets before asking one of the many questions everyone in the theater had.

"Are you ok now, Subaru?" Crusch stared with obvious concern, searching for any sign that the man may be unwell.

"Heh, I haven't been ok in a long time…but thank you Crusch. It's good to see you again." Subaru gave a bittersweet smile as he directed his gaze to the rest of the occupants. "It's good to see all of you again."

"Eh uh capn' is that really you? You look uh a lil' different." Garfiel gave a quizzical look towards the man buzz cut hair style.

"Yeah, it's me, Natsuki Subaru. Sorry about the new haircut, my old one got in the way too much." Subaru ran a hand over his lack of hair to further the point. "Heh or maybe my age is finally catching up to me."

"You do look as though you've aged quite a bit, how old are you exactly?" Crusch asked out of curiosity.

"Oh uh I'm 47 years old as of two months ago." Subaru turned to face the woman and answered nonchalantly.

"...wait what?!" There was a brief period of silence in the room before it was replaced by the surprised exclamation of the cast.

"But-but that's impossible Subaru is only 18!" Emilia frantically gestured to the sleeping boy right next to her.

"Huh, weird that I didn't notice myself until you pointed it out." Subaru idly scratched the back of his head. "Speaking of which, can you guys explain to me where we are exactly? It kinda looks like a movie theater from back home."

"Wait, you mean you don't know what this place is, Natsuki-san." Otto asked after a moment, Subaru's comment caused the cast to fall into a shocked silence.

"Uh can't say I do…sorry." Subaru's eyes lowered to the ground as if ashamed for not knowing what the theater was.

"It's quite alright Subaru. This is the theater; we were all brought here from Priestella by a strange being known as the warden." Crusch quickly recovered from her stupor and began explaining the situation, a solemn look in her eyes. "We have been watching your journey ever since you came to Lugnica. We just finished watching you triumph over the Sanctuary-"

"Wait if you guys have been watching my journey, does that mean…" Subaru's voice trailed off, his eyes becoming glazed over and unfocused once more.

"Return by Death…we know of it Subaru-kun. You don't have to be afraid of saying it here." Rem's eyes gained a guilty look in them.

"Heh…" Subaru gave a pained smile, his gaze still hazy. "Don't gotta be afraid of something you don't have anymore."

"Return by Death gone…but how could this be?" Frederica, like the rest of the audience, stared in disbelief. The power that caused Subaru so much pain and suffering yet allowed him to save his friends time and time again couldn't have just vanished.

"Please explain this Subaru, we both know such a power could not be stripped from you so lightly." Roswaal's accent was completely absent from his statement, staring down at the man with serious yet concerned eyes.

"..." Subaru suddenly became rigid causing Crusch to jump slightly and the rest of the cast to look down in shock at the sudden change. His shoulders became tense, and his irises wildly looked around the room as if he was reliving a distant memory. Subaru's hands trembled at his sides, the nails from his fingers dug into the palms, drawing tiny droplets of blood. The ragged and shaky breathing returned, however this time it was far more severe. The room practically reverted back to what it was a few moments ago, the cast staring helplessly at the man as he continued his breakdown.

"...fine-I'm fine…everything's ok, I'm ok…it's in the past now, it's over…" Everyone looked at the man with clear worry as he repeated the same few phrases. The repeated mantra only increased their concern, whatever happened to Subaru had left a far larger scar than they realized.

"Subaru please calm down; you are safe here. There is no need to be scared." Crusch lightly grasped the man's shoulders, making sure to keep her voice relaxed and quiet.

"Safe…it's never safe-I'm never safe…when will it ever end. No matter where I go-no matter what I do it always ends the same. It all leads back to pain and suffering for me, it doesn't matter if I stay and fight or keep my head down and walk away…so forgive me if I don't believe the fact that I'm safe, when I haven't been in god knows how long." With each word Subaru's tone became increasingly frenzied, his form trembling severely. The cast exchanged worried glances with one another, unsure of how to deal with the man's outburst.

Thankfully they didn't have to bother thinking of a way to help Subaru, a low unnatural sound began to fill the room. It was as if the fabric that separated dimensions was being torn apart, allowing for anyone to move between realities with ease. Light purple wisps and sparks of electricity appeared a few feet away from Subaru and Crusch, the former picking up his plasma cutter and the latter retreating back to her seat. The wisps floated aimlessly before beginning to take form, the electricity also becoming more intense. It was a human shape similar in height to the new Subaru, however there was a more fit body type, like that of a soldier. The occupants of the room watched the manifestation warily, not knowing the newcomer would also have the same face and name as their Subaru. Though this one had decided to rise above his shortcomings, becoming a legendary soldier with a titanic ally to back him up.

Typhon: Ares Division Research Station

"Man, this was a bad idea." A panicked voice could be heard coming from a man in a glowing blue helmet, carrying a glowing purple box in his left hand. Holding a pistol in his right hand while running down a dirt and debris covered hallway. The former plastic white coloring of the building was falling off, vases and pots shattered to pieces as the Pilot raced by. Large debris had started falling from the ceiling, nearly crushing the Pilot on more than one occasion. What made matters worse was he could feel the building tilting forward slowly, making an already deadly run even more nerve wracking.

Heavy footsteps could be heard behind Subaru getting closer by the second, no doubt the IMC's version of a welcome party. Despite it clearly being a bad idea Subaru felt his body move its own. He turned around and what he saw an entire group of at least 30 men, all carrying futuristic guns, wearing white bodysuits, and matching helmets with glowing red visors. All of their rifles were trained in his direction. With no alternative route available Subaru continued to run toward the group, although he desperately hoped they wouldn't see him. His hopes were crushed immediately when he spotted one of the soldiers pointing at him.

"There's the Pilot, fire at will!" The soldier ordered aloud, shortly after that a hail of bullets began striking the area around Subaru. With such a narrow hallway and no cover to be found anywhere, Subaru would've certainly turned into Swiss cheese but luckily his time in Lugnica taught him how to adapt and overcome dangerous situations. As the hail of bullets continued to rain towards Subaru, they missed him entirely when he jumped up onto a nearby wall and began wall-running. Turning around, while still keeping his balance, Subaru turned around and squeezed off a few shots at the group of IMC grunts, managing to take three of them out. Their direction of fire focused on the surface Subaru was running on, some rounds getting too close for comfort. This forced the Pilot to jump off his wall and plant his feet back on the ground, turning around and managing to take a few more out before darting off again.

The process repeated several times for a good minute, the soldiers behind the pilot would aim and focus their weapons in the direction he was in. Processing in Subaru making a last jump on the side of the wall, dodging each bullet that passes by, some nearly grazed the opening in his suit.

"Damn Pilot, he can't keep this up forever. Keep firing!" The command was drowned out by the gun fire, but Subaru was lucky to hear it through the radio in his helmet.

'He's right, but I don't have to keep this up forever.' Subaru thought to himself, still running forward and dodging Instead of taking a few shots at the grunts as he normally would, his hands moved to the back of one of his many pockets in his cargo pants. Without looking down, the bullet storm hadn't let up, Subaru made sure his equipment was still there. He gave a small, relieved sigh when he felt the shapes of both his smoke screen and frag grenade still there.

Jumping up onto the wall again, Subaru pulled his hand from his pocket and tossed the smoke grenade first behind his back. It exploded on impact and filled the room with dark gray smoke, clouding the visions of the people behind him. Some even stopped in their tracks entirely to cough out the fumes they inhaled. Subaru didn't stop there, shortly after he tossed the frag grenade into the smoke, making a loud thud sound in the process. The noise was overwhelmed by the building falling apart, and the loud coughing from the various soldiers.

Boom

The gray smoke evaporated in an instant being replaced with a large explosion, leaving only behind a bright flash of light and a loud bang. What followed soon after were loud screams of pain, but even those were quickly silenced a few seconds after. Subaru knew as stopping for a second and looked at the grim scene, the men that were following him were no more. The grenade was a point blank shot, only a titan could survive that and they were only human. He stared sympathetically at the possible burnt and ashed up bodies behind the smoke for a few seconds before running once again. Killing never was easy, it never will for Subaru.

After that display, Subaru expected to have at least a few more minutes of peaceful running ahead behind him. Reinforcements would come, they always do but he had bought more than enough time, right? That sadly wasn't the case as to his horror, more footsteps could be heard behind him. He turned his neck around and his eyes widened in shock behind his visor blue helmet. Soldiers in all white , this time in thicker looking armor, were behind the pilot. They aimed their weapons up high and opened fire without any hesitation. Forcing Subaru to go back to the same wall jumping back and forth dance, he did just a few minutes before.

"How are they closing the distance so fast? That's not fair at all, damn it." Subaru cursed out looking behind him for a quick moment, before turning his attention back in front of him. Just in time for him to notice the giant hole opening in the middle of the floor. He looked to the left and right of him but there was no other direction he could go, he either had to keep going forward or risk the possibility of being caught or worse yet killed.

So taking a deep breath, Subaru did the only thing he could. He increased his speed and jumped back onto the wall next to him. Pieces of debris crumbled beneath his foot, nearly killing his momentum all the while bullets flew past him. Except one, gazing at the side of his helmet which popped up a notification for him to see inside the visor.

"Coming here was a bad idea, I nearly lost my head three separate times!" Subaru whined, touching the small scratch his helmet had suffered. Ironically enough, by the small scratch there were two other scratches alongside it. Much larger than the ones he had suffered through, he would ponder on his a little longer but with the fact several heavily armed men were still behind him, the pilot kept on running, dropping a small smoke grenade in the process behind him.

"Pilot, may I remind you it was your idea to infiltrate the enemy's base in order to acquire the experimental phasing technology from the enemy." Subaru's voice comms once again came online, this time the voice from the other side was more robotic and lifeless. That was because it was robotic and lifeless, to the corner of Subaru's eyes in his visor, he could see a picture of who was talking. It just showed a green metal humanoid robot with one glowing lime green eye, staring back at him.

"I know, I know. It's my fault, you don't have to keep reminding me." Subaru whined to his trusty friend, making a small turn to the left in the process.

"Pilot, this is the first time I am reminding you throughout this entire mission. Am I supposed to not remind you at all?"

"BT, I'm just playing with ya bud."

"Humor during stressful situations is a natural , Pilot but do not let it distract you from the mission."

"Ok, mom

"I am not your maternal caregiver Pilot. Now hurry, I am sensing multiple additional hostile presence, behind you and closing the distance at a rapid rate."

"No way, I just made decent ground no way-" As if tempting fates itself once again, Subaru turned and what he saw made him want to scream up at the heavens at what he was seeing. The number of soldiers in white armored armed to the teeth with weapons that can turn the pilot into Swiss cheese had tripled.

Not only that but BT was not kidding when it said, they were closing the distance at a rapid rate. Cause right behind Subaru, a soldier was there literally in arms reach prepared to tackle the Pilot to the ground right at the moment. However, before the soldier could even jump forward Subaru was quickly able to pull out his pistol and put three armor piercing rounds in the soldier's helmet. Barely giving him any time to even think about his life decisions before his dead body fell to the ground.

"BT! I can't outrun them! They seem to be coming from nowhere. Seriously, they're spawning like enemies from your typical FPS game."

"I am detecting energy similar to the phase technology in their suits, Pilot."

"They have phasing, but it was supposed to be experimental! I thought they only had one of these, damn it!"

"It's similar but clearly not the same, it seems like short range teleportation. If they did acquire phasing, you would've been caught a few moments ago Pilot."

"Nearly got caught, but ok, do you detect in any way so I can lose them? They're gaining fast and I really can't run forever."

"Pilot, I regret to inform you. The only way out of here is to keep moving forward, the only exit route is to keep running down the hallway, make a turn, and head down the stairs. This action will take about 10 entire minutes due to the structure of the building, not accounting for the fallen debris."

"*sigh* In other words, I have a 10 minute run with people who can catch me any second now."

"Yes Pilot, your chances of escaping out of here alive is close to 5% if nothing is done soon"

"Ok, no need to panic." Subaru told himself quietly, trying and failing to calm himself down. Just as BT said, he needed to do something and something fast if he wanted to live. He could hear the footsteps getting closer behind him every second. The bullets he's been dodging and weaving for the past 2 minutes were closer than ever before, it was a miracle that one hadn't landed yet, but his luck wasn't going to last long.

Subaru's eyes shifted in every direction trying to find a way out, but there seemed to be no way out. If he tried breaking through one of the walls he would probably fall to his death, if he tried jumping in the air to get to the high ground, he would just be a sitting duck begging to be shot at. It really did seem like an end for the pilot, no way to escape, enemies right behind him, not to mention he was getting tired from the constant running and dodging.

But life was not done with him just yet, as a sudden jolt of inspiration entered the Pilot's mind, and his gaze changed his surroundings to exactly what he had in his hands at the moment. The glowing purple box that got him into this mess in the first place seemed to call out to him. Begging him to set it free and use it, well it wasn't like the pilot had a choice. So he did that he could do, took a deep breath and steel his resolve knowing exactly what to do next.

"BT! I am going to attempt, trying to phase out of here with the tech." Subaru declared to his AI partner, and without hesitation broke open the glowing purple box. Revealing inside what looks like to be a watch attached firmly with crude wiring on a black arm sleeve. All the while a light purple glow emitted all around it, with the wires pumping in what looks like purple electricity all into one button at the bottom.

One thing for sure, it did not look safe. When they said it was experimental oh they meant it, Subaru was scared to put it on but what choice did he have really. So with no choice, the pilot took the phasing device from the box and quickly put it on. A surge of electricity entered his body, but it did nothing but cause his body to tingle a little.

"Pilot, are you sure about this?" BT spoke again, this time his robotic voice sounded more worried at what his pilot was attempting to do.

"Yes BT, I don't have much of a choice!" Subaru answered firmly, mentally preparing himself for whatever could happen, the pilot took one last massive deep breath. Holding it in even for a few seconds before pressing firmly on the purple button.

The moment the Pilot pressed the button, he could feel his entire body changing. His legs felt like they were no longer attached to his body, but he was still running. His entire vision was filled with a bluish purple as he noticed his own body being nothing more than a purple outline. But to his enemies…he was gone, completely gone with nothing but a purple line but even that quickly faded. Not a single trace of the Pilot remained.

"Man…I don't know when to undo the phasing… this is making me sick." Subaru said aloud, running through the now bluish gray environment of the area he was running in.

"Ok… let's run without phasing in three, two, one!"

With that Subaru pressed the bottom again, and just as quickly as he entered phasing he exited. His normal vision returned, but what he saw shocked him…this was not the Research division he had previously entered. Hell this looked nothing like Typhon, in fact this looked alot more like a movie theater.

The Theater

Electricity crackled with intensity as the shape's form became more detailed, the purple glow now burning into a bright white light. Then without warning there was a loud crack, similar to that of a lightning strike, and with it came the appearance of another newcomer. The man wore a dark red jumpsuit with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, black combat boots, and black fingerless gloves. There were two layers of armor, the under black and the over white, on the knees, the shoulders, chest and the back. An orange scarf was wrapped around his neck and a strange helmet with glowing blue eyes adorned his head. A weapon similar to the new Subaru was held in the man's right hand, in his left was a knife that had a series of buttons and a blinking blue light.

The room was back into a state of silence, the cast watching the man with cautious yet curious eyes. Subaru had his weapon pointed at the floor, but the tenseness in his shoulders gave away the man's readiness to shoot at a moment's notice. The look in his eyes was that of determination, ready to face the stranger no matter what. Said man himself had lowered his own weapons, sheathing his knife and placing his pistol in its holster. The man looked back and forth between the cast and Subaru, his posture giving off confusion more than anything else.

"O-kay…this is not what I expected to see when I activated the phase shift." The voice caused everyone in the room to do a double take, even Subaru lowered his plasma cutter and gained a look of bafflement. Despite being somewhat deepened from the helmet on his head, the voice belonged to none other than Subaru himself.

"I believe we have all figured out the answer to this, but could you please tell us your name?" Julius asked politely.

"Hehe yep, you're definitely Julius, only he could be polite while sounding like the biggest tool ever when asking a simple question." Unable to stop themselves, some members in the cast and the other Subaru snorted in amusement. "I'm Natsuki Subaru, Pilot of the Frontier. It's been a while, how have you guys been?"

Subaru gave a causal wave before reaching up with both his hands and grasping the underside of his helmet. There was a brief hiss of air and the sounds of something unlocking before the piece of armor was taken off. With a slight tug the helmet came off, revealing the young but clearly matured face of Natsuki Subaru. Unlike the other one his hair remained in its iconic spiky state, albeit slightly longer than the sleeping Subaru. His eyes were far brighter as well like a raging fire that refused to be extinguished. There was also a hint of affection hidden underneath the light in his irises. His lips formed a small yet fond smile, complementing his confident yet compassionate aura well. What drew most of the cast's gaze however was a hair pin that looked identical to Emilia's was placed by the man's left ear.

"Damn capn, you look cool as shit!" Garfiel's eyes sparkled with amazement, the boy excitedly tapped his foot against the ground.

"Hey!" The shorter haired Subaru gave an exaggerated look of disappointment.

"Ah yer also cool capn', like capn'...eh I mean other capn'? Err my amazon' self is gettin' confused." Garfiel looked back and forth between both Subarus.

"Now that the kid mentions it, how are we gonna address the two of ya?" Ricardo's question caused the two Subarus to exchange glances for a moment. They both turned back and simultaneously shrugged their shoulders, as if their brief interchange gave them more than enough time to answer the question.

"Hell if I know." Short haired Subaru answered nonchalantly.

"His guess is as good as mine. Considering he is me that means I don't got a clue either." The other Subaru added behind his clone-but not clone.

"We can't just call you both Subaru, that would be far too confusing." Frederica pointed out with a look between the two.

"How about 'Cool Looking Big Bro' and Slightly Less Cool looking Big Bro." Felt offered with a slight shrug.

"Why do I get the feeling the 'slightly less cool' one is me?" Short haired Subaru muttered under his breath, giving a dejected sigh soon after.

"Kind of a mouthful, don't you think Felt?" The other man looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow, still keeping the smile on his face.

"As good as your idea is Felt-sama, I don't believe that would be fair to the 'slightly less cool' Subaru." Reinhard awkwardly scratched the back of his head, his Divine Protection of Empathy letting him sense the crestfallen mood of one of the Subarus.

"Ha! It's quite easy to solve this. You will be Barusu 1." Ram suddenly spoke up, she pointed her index finger at the short haired man. Her gaze then shifted to the other Subaru, who was looking at her with a mix of annoyance and amusement. "And you will be Barusu 2."

"Eleven years and she still refuses to call me by my name." Subaru 1 whispered, though it was loud enough for the demi-humans to hear.

"Wait, why am I Subaru 2?" Subaru 2 complained.

"Because you came here second. Truthfully neither of you deserve to be Barusu 1, Barusu should never be number one at anything." Ram starred the two Subarus with a resigned, but disappointed look.

"How I missed your upbeat attitude and positive reinforcement Ram." Subaru 2 said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, his tone gave away his amusement.

"A natural response, how could you not miss my greatness?" Ram crossed her arms and smugly smirked down at the two men.

"Anyway, can I get a fill in on what exactly is going on?" Subaru 2 glanced between the Subaru 1 and the cast, waiting for someone to speak up.

"Don't know too much myself, but from what Crusch told me they've been watching our time in Lugnica like some kind of anime." Subaru 1 gave a shrug of his shoulder as the quizzical look given by his duplicate.

"So uh do they about you know…" The Pilot gestured between the two men then did a finger gun and pretended to shoot himself.

"Um I don't know what you're doing, but if you mean Return by Death then we know Subaru." Emilia answered with sad and guilty eyes. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've put you through."

"Don't be a dunderhead Emi." Subaru 2 playfully threw back her own insult before staring at the half-elf with a serious expression. "You were the only one to never hurt me in all of my time in Lugnica so don't apologize for something you didn't do."

"Um y-yes o-o-of course S-Subaru." Emilia stuttered; her cheeks painted a bright red."

"Besides, how could I ever stay mad at my loving and beautiful wife?" Subaru 2 sent a cheeky smile and wink toward the half-elf. Which only furthered the burning face of Emilia who hid behind her hands to avoid embarrassment.

"Anyway!" Subaru 1 said loudly, not so subtly trying to move on. "What exactly is a Pilot? I heard you say you were one when you introduced yourself."

"...oh yeah, guess I did say that." The Pilot stared blankly before remembering his own words just moments ago. "Well a Pilot is basically the best of the best soldiers, the 1% of the 1%. Ordinary men and women think of us as demi-gods, flying around the battlefield with divine grace and unmatched skill."

The cast and the other Subaru looked in awe, in the latter's case some jealousy, at the man before them. If what this Subaru was saying was true, then he was very different from the same sleeping boy they've been watching for so long. The longer they looked at the Pilot the more they began to see how very different this Subaru was different in more ways than one. Where their Subaru's eyes were dark and cloudy, this Subaru had eyes that shone brightly and were clear as day. This Subaru stood tall but kept his shoulders relaxed, wore a small but genuine smile, and had a confident air around him but not too big that it became cocky. The cast felt a sense of satisfaction and happiness at seeing their friend finally become the man he always said he wasn't.

"So you've finally grown up and become a true knight, a wonderful sight to see." Julius nodded his head in pride.

"Pshh naw I'm still kind of a goof." Subaru smirked up at the knight, who slumped his shoulders and sighed in defeat.

"While that may be, I can see you have become a fine soldier Subaru-dono." Wilhelm smiled fondly down at the man.

"Eh I guess, I just do what needs to be done." Subaru 2 shrugged.

"I believe that's undermining your achievements my friend. I have no doubt that you have accomplished a great deal on the battlefield." Reinhard chimed in with confidence and seriousness.

"I mean yeah, but that was because I had my best bud, B.T backing me up." The man smiled fondly as he stared up at the ceiling in remembrance.

"B.T, who's that?" Otto looked at the man with a questioning gaze.

"Best titan a Pilot could ask for, saved my ass the first time we met actually." Subaru 2 responded in a wishful voice.

"Um what's a titan?" Petra raised her hand and asked innocently.

"Good question squirt. They are the pinnacle of engineering, a giant machine that's as tall as the White Whale is wide. We Pilots uh pilot them with our greatest attributes combining into one, the vast intellect of man and the strength of a fifty ton war machine. Heh and I haven't begun to talk about what makes each titan special. Some can manipulate fire, others can fly, and a few can shoot lasers from their chests." Subaru 2 puffed his chest out, clearly enjoying the stares of amazement from most of the cast.

"Huh, giant robots you say? I think I could cook up something like that." Subaru 1 idly rubbed his chin in thought.

"Wait, you're an inventor?" The Pilot turned toward his duplicate, a curious and excited gleam in his eyes.

"Engineer actually, got a few PhDs in Electrical, Mechanical, and Aerospace Engineering respectively. I mostly just worked on ships, rockets, and some satellites that have traveled over thousands of miles into the vacuum of space. Made a few gadgets and tools in my spare time, this device right here was my first success. A multi-use plasma tool that can reach up to 25,000 degrees Celsius making it capable of cutting even the toughest of metal." The armored man inspected his weapon while giving his explanation, unaware of the stares he was getting from everyone else in the room.

"Um…" Even Anastasia, who was the most excited at knowing he was an engineer, was confused by the amount of scientific jargon used in so little time.

"Oh uh or you know you can just call it a plasma cutter for short hehe…" Subaru 1 awkwardly laughed while scratching his cheek.

"I understood about half of that, which is better than usual. It's usually a sixth whenever I chat with any of the guys working on the titans." Subaru 2 gave a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.

"Bro went back to the hellhole that is college and got not one but three PhDs…what the fuck was I doing with my life back on Earth?" Al gave a depressed sigh while slumping in his seat.

"Eh I wouldn't beat yourself up about it, I only did it after-"

Before the man could finish his sentence the theater briefly shook, causing everyone in the cast to look around worriedly. The two Subarus pulled out their weapons, both warily looking around the room trying to find the source of the rumbling. Their gazes, and subsequently their weapons, were aimed at a brief flash of blue energy not too far from where Subaru 2 appeared. The power began to rapidly intensify, now creating a small blue vortex that swiftly grew in size. The portal expanded until it was nearly fifteen feet tall with electricity crackling dangerously. With each passing second the shaking became more violent, accompanied by the portal's hue becoming darker.

Vaguely the people in the theater could make out two shapes approaching the new entrance, though it was hard to make out exactly what they were. One figure was far larger than the other, almost the size of the portal itself, with what looked like two horns on its head. The other looked more human though it appeared very bulky with a round helmet on its head. The cast and the Subarus were unsure of how to handle the two approaching newcomers, unaware that the smaller figure would be another man that shared their face. A man who suffered loss time and time again, awakening the slayer that laid dormant in his heart.

Advanced Research Complex, Mars

The Doom Slayer, a being known as The Unchained Predator, The Hellwalker, Doom Marine, Doomguy, and The Only Thing They Fear. But there was another name he had once gone by, Natsuki Subaru. A name he hasn't heard for so long, except in his own memories. The last time someone had called him by that name was so long ago now. The Slayer dashed through the corridors of the Advanced Research Complex, ripping and tearing his way through the demonic hordes of Hell, spilling unholy blood onto his suit.

He came to this facility for one reason and one reason only and that was to figure out whatever secret this place holds that will allow him to stop the demonic invasion happening on Mars, in hopes of preventing another invasion of Earth. But just like every other facility that he's been through on this god forsaken planet, it's overrun by demons, which he isn't complaining about because despite his hatred for the demons…

BLAM!

He definitely enjoyed killing them. It was something he did with a twisted mixture of hatred, rage, and glee.

He had his trusty Super Shotgun out ready, loaded, and smoking from having been used against an Imp that thought it would have been a great idea to charge the Slayer head on. Well, the demon didn't get the chance to realize it's mistake as its head was gone, as was most of its body as well since the Super Shotgun blew it apart.

The Slayer paid no heed to the slain demon as he dashed past the parts that once had made up its entire body, heading towards the next room that shall lead him to Oliva Pierce's secret lab so he can gain access to the Helix Stone.

The Slayer stepped into the next room, it was fairly spacious but wasn't too huge. There was at least another floor above him with a bunch of catwalks seemingly connected to something in the center of the room and that something looked like an elevator. The elevator that should lead him to the Lazarus Labs however above the machine was a familiar sight. It was a gore nest, one of the many things he had destroyed on his way here. He cracked his knuckles in anticipation for what's about to happen next.

He jumped up to the platform above the elevator that had the gore nest in one go with relative ease. Guess that's having primordial strength made a lot of physical activities easier. Not to say those Delta V Jump Boots are useless. They helped him maneuver while he was in midair which saved him a lot of trouble and time.

The Slayer gripped the flesh of the gore nest and with his right hand, he thrusted it into the center. He then proceeded to rip out the heart of the gore nest, which then caused it to explode into bits, pieces, and chunks of flesh and meat. As if on cue, a bunch of red, ethereal lights appeared around the room, surrounding the Slayer. From those lights, the demons materialized. Imps, Hell Knights, Revenants, and multiple Mancubus had appeared, ready to fight and each of them looking at him.

There was an Imp standing across from him, eyeing him with those soulless glowing eyes. It cautiously looked at him, looking at the slightest hint of movement from its enemy. It stayed like this for a few more seconds before it screeched and launched a fire ball of hellfire towards the Slayer who, of course, dodged it. With that, the room became a warzone.

That Imp was the Doom Slayer's first victim.

That very same Imp didn't have much time to do much else as the Slayer charged towards it and before it could even blink, he grabbed it by the throat and slammed it onto the catwalk hard enough to leave cracks. The last thing that Imp saw was the Slayer's armored boot coming down onto its head, leaving nothing but a pile of bone, blood, and brain in that spot and on the Slayer's boot. The demons looked at the sheer brutality in fear, staying frozen in fear for a split moment before resuming their hostility.

The Slayer pulled out the combat shotgun and proceeded to shoot a round onto the face of another Imp. As a result, most of the Imp's face was dangling off as it was howling in pain. The Slayer then picked up the Imp and slammed it's back onto his knee, breaking the Imp's spine. The spine poked out of its stomach, causing its guts and other organs to be exposed. He then tossed the dying Imp off of the platform, leaving it to die slowly and very painfully.

One Hell Knight tried to attack next, attempting to hit the Slayer with one of its massive arms with all the strength it could. The Slayer ducked under its strike and jolted upwards, punching its head with enough force to crack most of its skull and have it be dazed. While the Hell Knight was struggling to attempt combat once again, the Slayer grabbed one of its legs and picked it up, hoisting it over his shoulder as if he were wielding a bat.

He swung at the remaining demons on the catwalks with the Hell Knight, using it as a bat. He crushed an Imp with enough force to turn it into a pile of crushed meat, causing the upper half of the Hell Knight to be more mangled, but was somehow still alive and feeling every bit of the pain coming from its injuries. And then, there was another Hell Knight charging at him, roaring as loud as it could.

As the Hell Knight got within range, the Slayer swung his Hell Knight bat horizontally, hitting the other Hell Knight upside the head. The standing Hell Knight began to rub its head in pain while obviously dazed. While this was happening, the Slayer lifted up the barely alive Hell Knight bat as high as he could before bringing it down onto the Hell Knight standing before him, caving in its skull. The impact also caused the upper half of the Hell Knight that he was using as a bat to explode, killing two Hell Knights with one strike.

He felt the catwalk shake as if something heavy had just landed on it. He turned around to find one of the Mancubues from below had jumped onto the catwalk. When he set his eyes wide, an ugly creature before him, roared as it shot its cannons at him.

This was a simple thing for the Slayer as he has done this more times than he could possibly count. He dodged the blasts from its cannons, which wasn't that difficult as it was only a single mancubus firing at him. Before it could use its flamethrowers, the Slayer took out the rocket launcher and shot it in the face with a rocket, staggering it. The Slayer ran forward, climbed on top of its torso and unpinned a grenade, shoving the grenade in its mouth and then jumped off of it. But instead of getting away from the fat demon, the Slayer picked it up and lifted it above his head, and then tossed it towards the group of demons on the bottom floor. The moment it landed in the middle of those demons, it exploded, blowing up some of the demons that were near it.

After that, he shot four rockets from his rocket launcher aimed towards the bottom floor, where most of the demons were, which of course resulted in some really dead demons. The Slayer looked down and saw that there were still some demons left alive, but not for long. He hopped off the catwalk and onto the bottom floor, where every demon that was left alive began to attack him.

The first one to attack was a Revenant who was still standing instead of flying around. It shot its rockets towards the Slayer. He dodged most of them except the last one. He caught the rocket, merely an inch away from his visor. He kept hold of it, even while it was still blasting and effortlessly twisted it in the direction of the Revenant. He let go of the rocket once it was aligned to the Revenant. The rocket made an impact with the Revenant's head, causing an explosion that pretty much not only blew up its head, but most of the upper torso as well.

There was a Pinky that's next to the previously alive Revenant. He summoned his assault rifle into his hands and shot a couple of micro missiles into its face, which caused it to roar out in pain as the missiles blew up its eyes. While the Pinky was distracted, the Slayer grabbed it by its tail.

As the Slayer did this, he noticed there was an Imp trying to attack him from behind. While keeping his grip on the Pinky's tail, he turned slightly to the side and proceeded to kick the Imp into the wall. Two more Imps were trying to attack him again, so he swung the Pinky at the two Imps and sent them flying into the other Imp that was still at the wall.

Once the Imps gathered their bearings, they looked back at the Slayer. The Slayer was gripping onto that Pinky's tail. He turned his body towards the Imps and then tossed the Pinky at them. He tossed it at them with enough force that it crushed the Imps onto the wall, flattening and killing them instantly. As the Pinky was struggling to get up off of the group, with blood pouring from its eyes and the blood and organs of the Imps littering its body, the Slayer charged at it with high speeds. He brought his armored boot down onto its skull, completely shattering it and leaving a large blood splatter on the wall accompanied with cracks.

After killing more demons, which he didn't know how many since he pretty much stopped counting after 25, the soulless voice of an A.I echoed throughout the room.

"Demonic presence eliminated. Lockdown disengaged."

After that announcement, the Slayer walked towards the elevator that would lead him to the Lazarus Labs. He looked at the touchpad next to the elevator door and pressed on the option that said 'Call Elevator'. He began to wait for the elevator to come up, but the elevator was abruptly interrupted as the lights in the room flashed again in warning.

"Demonic presence detected. Lockdown reengaged."

Now the Slayer grew agitated by this interruption as two red ethereal lights began to appear on both sides of the elevator, indication of demons coming through to this universe. Two hulking beasts materialized. They were taller than he was, covered in red skin and muscle, had hoofs where legs should have been, glowing eyes, sharp teeth and sharp pointy nails. The Slayer had recognized these beasts as he had slain them countless times during his war against Hell.

Both Barons looked at the Slayer with hatred and caution, watching their eternal enemy to see when he'd make his move. The Slayer did the same thing as not only were these things actually somewhat intelligent, but he was depowered due to the sarcophagus siphoning away some of his power. He did regain some of it due to the argent cells that he had found during his journey, but he is not at his maximum, but he is still capable of handling the barons as these weren't the first ones he had encountered since he had woken up.

The one on the left attacked first, while the one on the right stood in the very same spot it appeared in, watching its enemy with curious eyes. The Baron of Hell that attacked slammed its massive hand where the Slayer originally was, but he rolled away right before the Baron's attack could hit him. The Baron tried to attack him once again by swiping its arm in an upward motion, trying to hit him but just like the last time, it didn't work as he jumped slightly back, dodging it. But that wasn't all as he saw a green flash of light from the Baron's other hand and he knew exactly what it was, leading to him ducking beneath an incoming green ball of flames that missed him and exploded the wall behind him.

The Slayer had to give credit where it was due. This demon had the right idea. Back when he was a mortal human, the Barons and of course the Arch-viles were the demons who gave him the biggest trouble. These things were actually smart and sometimes had some neat tricks in their arsenal. Of course, the Imps, Cacodemons, Lost Souls and Hell Knights were trouble too back then, but they were just mindless attack dogs compared to the Barons, Arch-viles, and Summoners. But now, it was his turn.

He unpinned a grenade and chugged it at the Baron. It exploded at its feet with a loud bang, staggering it a bit. The Slayer took a hold of this opportunity to summon the chain gun and equipped the mobile turret modification.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat

The Slayer rained piping hot lead onto the Baron, ripping and tearing apart the flesh of the demon with each impact on its body. Blood, skin, muscle, and bone were littering the spot where the Baron was, with most of its skin and muscles gone, showing off its gory itsides. Its intestines were hanging out, its heart was barely exposed, and its lungs were mostly gone. There was nothing but blood and pieces of organs dropping from its still alive body. But that wasn't for long.

The Baron dropped down to its knees, roaring in pain as the Slayer walked towards it menacingly. The Baron looked up at the Slayer as he stood before it but was too weak and in pain to do anything except look at the orchestrator of its demise. The Slayer grabbed one of its horns and yanked it, ripping it out of its head and then proceeded to jam it into its skull, killing it.

The Slayer looked down at the corpse of the Baron, watching it as it disintegrated until he felt something. It felt like a tug, as if something was trying to gain his attention and lead him somewhere. It confused him as it seemed like it was leading him to nowhere in particular.

Vroomsh

A blue flash of light caught his eye, drawing his attention to a wall where a blue portal had opened up, something he knew wasn't there before. That's when he felt it again. That tug, and it was seemingly coming from that portal. He decided to ignore it until he sensed something from the other side of that portal. Something he hadn't felt in eons.

What he was sensing was…people. Actual living people and not just souls.

What made him more intrigued was how those people somehow felt familiar and nostalgic to him. It was as if these were people he once knew. He also sensed presences in there that felt similar to himself, but at the same time different. He didn't have time to ponder this however as he felt giant footsteps shaking the area around him at a rapid pace, coming from behind him…

"RHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAGGGG!"

The Slayer turned around to see the Baron of Hell from earlier, and it didn't seem so happy about being ignored. But before the Slayer could move, the Baron tackled him, knocking him off his feet due to his guard not being up and due to the trajectory, the Baron tackled him straight into that portal.

The Theater

Now the cast expected to see something big emerge from the portal, the shadow of the figure itself was massive on its own. What they didn't expect was the most terrifying creature that they had ever laid their eyes on to come barreling through. It towered over even the tallest people in the theater with red hot skin, large, jagged horns, and massive hooves where legs would be. The monster had glowing green eyes, sharp claws, and a massive frame that showed off its muscles. Underneath the hellish creature was a rather tall man clad from head to toe in green armor. The most impressive armors in Lugnica paled in comparison to the man was wearing. Despite having the creature loom over him and slash him across the chest the metal was left barely scratched.

Swiftly the man lifted his boot and slammed it into the monster's chest, sending it stumbling back a few steps. The man jumped back to his feet, bringing his fists up and settling into a boxer's stance. The monstrosity roared in anger before charging at the man who did the same in return without hesitation. While the two continued to trade blows everyone else in the room looked at the ensuing fight in shock and awe. The two titans traded blows with such power that every hit sent a mini shockwave that slightly shook the room. Surprisingly the only one who was able to shake out of his stupor was Subaru 1. The engineer brought his plasma cutter up, waiting for the perfect moment to help the new armored man.

Said man gave a grunt as the creature grabbed him by the neck and choke slammed him into the ground, cracking the floor and smashing some of the tile into the pieces. Three claws appeared in the visor of the warrior's helmet, rapidly approaching the head. This caused the man to bring up his own arm to grab the creature's arm, pushing against each other in a battle of strength. While the two struggled three bright neon blue dots appeared across the creature's eyes. There was a loud bang when a fast horizontal line of light sliced perfectly into the monster's eyes, rendering it completely blind. Naturally the creature immediately released its hold on the man, bringing both hands up to cover its eyes while roaring in pain. Not wasting a second with his new opening, the man got to his feet and began to unleash a flurry of punches into the monster. The warrior's own rage grew with each passing second, the chant from his once fellow night sentinels ringing in his ears.

'KAR EN TUK!'

The first was directed into its chest, eliciting the audible sounds of ribs being shattered and causing the demon to remove its claws from its face.

'KAR EN TUK!'

The second and third were sent into the monster's face, breaking every bone from the jaw to the skull. A weak roar of defiance was given by the demon, blood dripping from every orifice on the creature's face.

'KAR EN TUK! KAR EN TUK! KAR EN TUK! KAR EN TUK! KAR EN TUK!'

With each chant a powerful blow was sent toward the demon, slowly driving the monster back toward the portal. Eventually the pain became too much for the creature who dropped to one knee, unable to even roar in protest. Nearly every bone was broken with some of the sharper pieces tearing their way through the red skin. Weakly the demon lifted its head to stare at the man, only a few people in the cast noticed that the creature's eyes held nothing but fear.

"RIP AND TEAR!"

The voice of the newcomer was shocking to the cast, it was hoarse as if it hadn't been used in a long time. Yet, it was powerful, bouncing off the walls with such intensity that the scream echoed with clearness. The power of the yell was complimented well with the final punch sent toward the creature's head. However, rather than simply send the monster back through the portal the man's fist tore the creature's head clean off its shoulders. The decapitated head disappeared through the portal, the body following soon after when the man forcefully kicked it in the chest. Once the body had crossed the portal, the blue vortex began to shrink in size before vanishing all together, leaving the green armored man in the theater.

The cast watched the man with wary, in some cases scared, gazes as he continued to breath heavily with rage. That monstrosity was enough to send a chill up the spines of the most experienced soldiers, so to see the man before them effortlessly kill such a behemoth was concerning to say the least. It didn't help that the man did it all bare handed, even if he got some help from the other Subaru that didn't take away from the sheer power the newcomer possessed. The two Subarus themselves were surprisingly relaxed, their weapons lowered and they looked at the man as if he was familiar. After a few tense moments the man turned around to stare at the audience, his helmet hiding his eyes from view. From what the cast could guess the man was scanning each and every one of them, only stopping once at Petra before moving on. Few in the audience saw this, but they also saw something else when he looked at the maid: the look of confusion, regret, and guilt. The man's stare came to a stop at Subaru 1 who looked back with unblinking eyes.

"...thanks…" Came the raspy but quiet reply of the newcomer. The man gave a nod of appreciation toward the engineer, who returned it without hesitance.

"No problem." Subaru 1 gave a dismissive wave while holstering his plasma cutter.

"How the hell can you be so casual about seeing that thing?" Subaru 2 looked at the other in bewilderment.

"I've seen worse." The engineer replied darkly. No one could see the sympathetic look that the green armored man gave him.

"Um excuse me Mr. Scary Looking Armor Sir…" Petra tried to question but immediately dove into Frederica's arms when the man turned his attention toward her. "Eep!"

The astute of the members noticed something off about how the heavily armored man responded to the redhead's reaction. He didn't do anything too expressive with body language, plus it was hard to tell with how bulky his armor was. But they were able to spot some emotion that flickered in his eyes that were behind the visor, that being shame. It was clear to those who could see what he felt shame for, it was how the young maid had reacted to him.

"Um what she probably wanted to say was who exactly are you?" Frederica said, clearly wanting to know as well as her interest was piqued.

"..." The man did not respond, causing some members in the cast to look at him weirdly.

"Oi! Ma sis asked ya a question!" Garfiel hotly replied to the man's silence.

"..." More silence was the answer to the demi-human's comment.

"I think our new bud here has a hard time speaking here, Garf." Subaru 2 answered before Garfiel could become even more heated.

"Frankly it's pretty obvious if you think about it. Once is an incident, two is a coincidence, and three is a pattern." Subaru 1 gestured to himself, then Subaru 2, and finally the man in green armor.

"Arrreee~ you saying this man is alsooo~ Natsuki Subaru?" Roswaal questioned with curious and excited eyes.

"Yep, and a well built one too. Damn I'm ripped as hell." The Pilot gave a low impressed whistle directed at the man.

"Interesting armor, it appears to be enhanced by some kind of energy though whatever element it is I can't seem to pinpoint it. Perhaps my own R.I.G could have a similar style implemented in it…maybe increase the speed and range of my kinesis." Subaru 1 looked over the armor with an analytical gaze.

"Are you two seriously just going to forget that this guy just punched the head off a demon looking motherfucker five seconds ago?" Al looked between the two Subarus in confusion but was ignored by both.

"You know you can take your helmet off, this place is a safe haven…for the most part anyway." Subaru 2 glanced briefly to spot where the portal once was before turning back to the man.

"I'd also like a look at it if you don't mind, I think I will be able to fix some of those dents in it. I'm also curious how your HUD differs from my holographic map." Subaru 1 said.

"Mn…"

The man gave a low hum as he reached up to and unlocked the clasps of his helmet, a hiss of air escaping from the armor. The helmet came off easily, revealing the rage filled eyes and battle scarred face of Natsuki Subaru. Small claw looking scars littered the man's face, some looking far more recent than others. The man's hairstyle was in its usual spikey state, but it was slightly longer than usual. The usual smile, whether it be fake or genuine, was replaced by a thin line with the corner tilted down slightly. However, what was most striking about the man was the barely contained fury that was being held in his eyes. Even the rage filled eyes of Arc 3 Subaru were nothing compared to the inferno that was within Subaru 3.

It didn't take a genius to see that this Subaru was angry, so angry that it was the only emotion he probably mainly ever felt anymore. He was a man who suffered a great loss, something that could not be replaced and held a high position in his heart. Whatever was lost to this Subaru had forever changed him into a man fueled by hatred and rage. That anger was felt in the brief encounter with the creature, every punch was laced with unrestrained fury. It was easy to see that Subaru's hatred most likely stemmed from whatever race the monstrosity was. A man doesn't just beat something to death with his bare hands without having some form of hatred toward that being.

"Subaru-dono…" Wilhelm muttered, concerned and shocked at the sight before him. When he looked at Subaru 3, he felt like he was looking at his past self, especially with those eyes filled with seething hatred and wrath. But somehow, the rage and hatred contained within those eyes seemed much more intense than what he could have mustered back in his youth, even against the White Whale. Those kinds of eyes shouldn't belong to someone like Subaru.

"By the Dragon, his power is immense…it is unlike anything I've ever seen before." Reinhard for the first time in his life finally understood what it was like to be in the presence of someone far more powerful than he ever could be.

"Yeah, I can feel it too bud. I'll fight you over this guy any day. Christ the man is built like a fucking demi-god." Al nervously shifted in his seat when Subaru 3 directed his eyes towards him. It was as if all of Al's sins were being revealed all at once and this titan of a man was judging him for them wordlessly.

"Ma amazin' self thinks he looks cool as hell!" Garfiel stared with amazement, stars practically shining in his eyes.

"You think Natsuki is cool no matter what Garf…though I will admit his armor is rather awesome looking." Otto chided before also admiring how badass his friend looked.

"I'd say more violent than anything, his technique is rather brutal. Though his armor does appear to be like that of a knight. Perhaps he was part of some kind of order." Julius warily looked at the man, still unnerved by the death of the creature.

"..." The air within the room suddenly became tight as waves of aggression radiated off of Subaru 3, who clenched his fists in anger. The fire that dwindled ever so slightly in the man's eyes reignited with renewed rage. It was as if Julius' comment awoke a dormant beast, one composed of nothing but hate. It was the type of hatred that was far more potent than Subaru's arrival, the kind that rooted itself deep within one's heart. No one, other than the two Subarus, could fathom what event could turn lovable-kindhearted Subaru into such a hate filled person. How could the same man who harbored no hate for Rem or hell even Roswaal of all people carry such a menacing aura? More importantly those within the theater wondered who or what that anger was directed at.

'His power increased exponentially at the mention of being a knight.' Julius thought with a worried frown on his face. 'Could it be…is your hatred directed toward Lugunica?'

Thankfully, Julius nor anyone else sharing the knight's thoughts, had to spend too much time thinking about the answer to their question. Several loud, yet somewhat muffled bangs came from a newly formed door a few feet away from the other Subarus. Unlike the Subarus entrances which either crackled with power or held an unnatural aura, this one looked to be just a plain regular door. The wood seemed worn out as if this door had not been in use for a long time. It was as if the door was ripped straight out of a stereotypical wild west movie, the only thing missing was the upbeat piano tune that was played in every saloon.

Despite the normal appearance of the door the cast still watched the entrance with caution, even though they already knew who would be coming through. There was no question that another Subaru would be coming through that door, but that just left the cast with the question of what this one would be like. Granted none of the Subarus, so far as they could tell, were bad but then again, the most recent addition just punched a monster's head off with ease. Unknown to them the newcomer would end up being one of the more normal additions to the theater. He was not an engineer, a legendary soldier, nor someone with power that could rival a god. He was just an ordinary man looking for his own redemption through a sea of red.

New Hanover-Roanoke Ridge Region, Van Horn

"What in god's name were you thinking, Dutch?!" Notorious outlaw Natsuki Subaru, enforcer of the Van der Linde gang shouted at his leader.

He had come to Annesburg at Dutch's request, but Dutch never told him why, much to his frustration. All he knew was that it had something to do with Leviticus Cornwall, which turned out to be more than true considering the pompous man had gotten his chest shot open by Dutch after a failed negotiation. After that, Cornwall's men and the Pinkertons swarmed them and began shooting at them, raining hell on the three men. Subaru, Dutch, and Micah quickly dove to cover and returned their own fire against their well-dressed enemies. The three gang members moved to take cover alongside some crates, a hailstorm of bullets blasting against wood unrelentingly.

"Got any ideas Dutch?" Micah asked the man after taking a few shots at some Pinkertons. Dutch seemed nervous, but he still looked at Micah, about to respond.

"Don't worry son, I got a plan." Dutch confidently said as bullets continued to crash against the crates. He had fired shots from his revolver at the agents, striking two men in their chest before returning to his cover once more.

"It was your plan that we're in this mess! I'm not so sure you're next one will be any better!" Subaru yelled out as a bullet whizzed past his head, barely missing.

"Oh, quit complaining Black Lung and listen to Dutch." Micah said, giving Subaru a nasty look.

"Shut yer' mouth you pathetic weasel!" Subaru scowled at Micah, glaring with a cold hatred.

"Shut up! Both of you! But Micah is right, Subaru. Have some goddamn faith!" Dutch said to Subaru, aggravated with the insubordination of his enforcer. "Now, as I said, I have a plan."

"Does it involve us getting out this place alive? Because I really don't feel like dying today." Subaru sarcastically ground out. Flashing his revolver at Micah as he saw the bearded man had begun to open his mouth. A warning look was sent out, letting the other man know that he was willing to put him down at any moment.

"Yes, it does! You two see that saloon over there?!" Dutch pointed towards the saloon across the street. It looks worn down and old, like it hasn't been used in years, but it was pretty damn big and it had windows on both sides of the front of the building.

"I don't think we need a drink right now, Dutch." Subaru said, cursing as wood exploded from another stray bullet.

"It's been abandoned for years, and the place looks like a good spot to hold them off, and there are some doors at the back. We hold off the Pinkertons for a few minutes, and when it seems right, we go out through the back, and we can call our horses. After that, we ride away from here and lose em." Dutch told them.

"Sounds like a solid plan. Don't you say so Black Lung?" Micah remarked while looking back at Subaru.

Subaru closed his eyes and let out a retrained exhale, trying his best to not let the intrusive thoughts win. 'Don't shoot him-don't shoot him-don't him.' He chanted to himself knowning he couldn't kill Micah no matter how much he wanted too.

"On the count of three, we run into that narrow space over there and head towards the saloon." Dutch said as he pointed towards the narrow space between some buildings beside them.

"One."

"Two." All three men gripped their revolvers, fingers on their triggers.

"Three." As soon as Dutch said three, all three men dashed out of cover and into the narrow space between the buildings beside them, bullets barely missing them as they did so. As they were running, Subaru heard the Pinkertons begin to shout.

"Shit! They're running between the buildings!"

"Don't just stand there! Go get them! If we don't get them this time, Milton's gonna have our heads!"

As Subaru, Dutch, and Micah were running, Subaru saw three Pinkertons climbing onto the roofs of the short buildings, aiming their rifles at them. As soon as he saw this, he aimed his Double Action Revolver at them and started shooting them, killing all three with headshots. The bodies fell down to the ground, forming a bloody puddle underneath. They kept running, making many twists and turns, hopefully leading them in the direction of the abandoned saloon.

One Pinkerton jumped down from the roof that the trio had barely passed and ran into Subaru, wrapping his hands around his neck. That didn't last long however because Subaru swiftly drew his Double Action Revolver, placed it under his chin, and pressed the trigger. Blowing the man's brains out and causing some blood to spew on Subaru's face and hat.

"Ugh, goddammit! Some of it got in my mouth!" Subaru said as he began to once again run with Dutch and Micah, recovering almost instantly.

"Look, there's the exit!" Subaru shouted, pointing ahead. Ahead of them was an open space that seemed like it would lead them out of there, and hopefully, to that saloon.

"There they are! Shoot!"

Subaru heard shouting from behind them. As he was running, he turned around, only to see a whole mess of Pinkertons following closely behind them, aiming their guns at them. Seeing this, the trio of outlaws began to pick up their speed, running faster and more frantic due to not wanting to be shot, and ran out through the exit. As soon as they ran through, the Pinkertons began to open fire. The hail of bullets barely missed them, but Subaru, Dutch and Micah made it out without being shot.

"There's the saloon!" Dutch said as he was running, almost out of breath. And there it was. It looked old and worn down. It just looked dead. But it should provide the trio with the cover they need until they can find an opening to get out of there. At least, that is what Subaru hopes.

"I'm gonna take the left window! Micah, you take the right one! Subaru, get the front door!" Dutch said while running towards the saloon with the other two in tow. Dutch and Micah busted through the saloon's aged doors. Subaru was the only one still outside and as he was heading towards the saloon doors, he heard shouting behind him.

"There's one of them! Shoot! Get the bastard!" Someone shouted. Subaru looked back at the direction of where that shouting was coming from and saw a bunch of Pinkertons flowing out of where they came from, with their guns raised and aimed at him. That was when they began to fire their shots at the nasty eyed man.

"Shit!" Subaru shouted as he continued to run towards the door of the saloon, trying to avoid getting shot by the many Pinkertons that were firing at him right now. He pulled out his other revolver and began to fire behind him, hoping that he managed to hit at least of those fancy hat wearing fucks. He would have liked to look back and see if he did, but right now, he was trying to avoid getting filled with bullet holes, those very same bullets making an impact with the saloon's wall and windows.

Subaru ran up the stairs and burst through the door of the saloon with his shoulder. He didn't expect to see much inside. What he did expect to see was probably an old bar table, a bunch of other tables and chairs, possibly some empty beer bottles and a shit ton of dust. But what he sure as shit didn't expect was seeing a room that looked like a theater, and in the seats of that theater were people that he hadn't seen in at least two decades, people that brought back wonderful, but also painful memories. It was these same people that he never expected and frankly never wanted to see again.

The Theater

Everyone in the room, minus the Subarus, slightly jumped out of their seats when the door was suddenly kicked open by a pair of dark brown cowboy boots. Less than a second later a man with an all too familiar face ran into the theater wearing the most typical cowboy outfit. However, the man's face showed he was one of the older Subarus, his hair was also shorter and slicked back rather than spikey. The usual clean-shaven face was covered with some light stubble, not exactly a full-blown beard but not unnoticeable either. The eyes that belonged to man looked tired as if he could lay down and sleep for an eternity. There was also a hint of regret and pain though no one in the crowd noticed.

A light black duster coat was worn over the blue shirt underneath, on top of his head was a dark brown Stetson with an orange ribbon wrapped around the hat. Dark blue pants were held up by a belt lined with bullets, a bandolier was wrapped around his right shoulder. Two revolver holsters rested on both of the man's hips, however both guns were currently in the man's hands. The weapons were briefly pointed toward the cast before they were lowered. A look of confusion mixed with disbelief was plastered on the man's face.

"...what in the blue hell?" The man's wide-eyed gaze swept over the cast before resting on the three Subarus, who stared back with blank expressions. "...what…"

"Subaru 4." Subaru 2 answered in a casual tone while pointing at the newcomer.

"...what?" The cowboy looked behind himself to see that the door he just came through had disappeared from the wall. "...I'm dead…I've died and gone straight to hell."

"You're not dead yet my fellow Subaru, even though it feels like it." Subaru 1 sympathetically responded.

"Then where the hell am I, what is going on, and who the hell are you three?" Subaru 4 pressed, the grip on his guns tightening slightly.

"Easy there cowboy, you're in a theater where they've been watching our time in Lugnica right up to the Sanctuary incident." The Pilot nodded toward the cast who watched the man with wary eyes. "As for who we are, come on…we're not that handsome but I'm sure even you can recognize yourself."

"...no way in hell...you're me, but all of you look so…different." Subaru 4 holstered his revolvers while staring at the three men in disbelief.

"Speak for yourself, you look like you just walked right out of a Quentin Tarantino film." Subaru 2 snorted while motioning to the man's attire.

"Heh…fair enough partner." Subaru 4 gave a slight chuckle; his expression became neutral when his gaze met the rest of the cast. "So…it really is you guys huh. Didn't expect to see y'all again anytime soon."

"Um hello Subaru. It's nice to see you um again." Emilia shyly smiled and waved.

"Yeah…something like that."

The cowboy's response caused many to look at him with varying degrees of shock and disbelief, none more so than the half-elf herself. They didn't expect such a dismissive greeting considering it was Emilia of all people he was talking to. The unease amongst the audience quickly returned, if this Subaru treated Emilia like a stranger, then there was no telling how he would feel about everyone else. Thankfully for the cast, this Subaru didn't radiate with power or anger like his other self. Though there was a brief flash of anger when his gaze met Julius', it vanished before anyone could notice.

"So, what's your story then?" Sensing the tension between the cast and the new Subaru, Subaru 1 tried to divert the conversation.

"Whatcha mean? Aren't we all the same person?" The westerner looked at the engineer in confusion.

"Not exactly, I mean sure we all share the same name and face, but we are not the same." Subaru 1 began explaining his own theory, everyone listening with rapt attention. "I think our time in Lugnica must have diverged from one another. Therefore each of us have walked a completely different path from each other. Take me for instance, I have multiple engineering degrees and was previously on a ship stranded in space before walking through a door and ending up here."

"I'm a soldier of the Frontier, was at a research station on the planet Typhon. I activated some phase-shift technology then boom I was here." Subaru 2 snapped his fingers to show how instantaneous the change was.

"...Mars…demon…pushed through a portal…" Subaru 3's gravelly voice caused many to wince from how strained it sounded.

"What the hell? Space, other planets, and portals…can't say I've been through any of that." Subaru 4 rubbed the back of his neck with a look mixed between impressed and disbelief "I was in a shootout with some Pinkertons before runnin' into a nearby saloon then I was here. Huh guess that means we are different people or some like that."

"That's impossible I suppose." Beatrice suddenly spoke up causing the Subarus to turn their attention toward the spirit. "There can only be one Subaru, you all must be the same person, but from different points in time."

"Eh I dunno about that one Great Spirit." Anastasia challenged, looking back and forth between the four Subarus. "Maybe this is the other worlds that the Warden mentioned earlier."

"I mean sure I've been to other planets, but I know for a fact I was born and raised on Earth for the majority of my life." The Pilot gave a slight shrug, the other men giving nods of agreement to the statement.

"Then that would make Great Spirit-sama's theory correct. The Subaru we know also grew up on Earth before coming to Lugnica." Crusch pointed out.

"Not sure about that one Crusch. I have no memory of ever being a Pilot, going to Mars, or fighting these uh Pinkertons?" The engineer turned toward the cowboy, who gave a nod at his uncertain tone.

"Then how is it possible to have 4 different Subarus? Surely your time in Lugnica is the same for all of you right?" Julius looked down at the men with a questioning gaze.

"I doubt it, my last moments in Lugnica were not the most pleasant. I was transported back to my home after being stuck in Vollachia for 2 months…not counting the deaths of course." The engineer answered vaguely, his eyes held nothing but pain and sorrow.

"Got transported back immediately after killing Pandora. Not my proudest moment but it had to happen." Subaru 4 answered with a resigned sigh.

"...after…Witch cult…and Pandora…Hell…demons! Lost everything to them!" The armored warrior clenched his fists, a new wave of anger beginning to surround him. The other Subarus shot sympathetic looks toward the man.

"Easy there big guy, save that hate for another day. You're surrounded by friends here, not enemies." Subaru 2 placed a hand on the man's lower arm, he was too short to reach his shoulder. The act was enough to get Subaru 3 to calm down slightly, his hands unclenched themselves and his shoulders lost some of their tension. "I was taken after Satella…well died. Lived a few more years in Lugnica, got married, had a kid, all that mushy stuff before I was out on the front lines of the Frontier."

"Wait did we-" Emilia was cut off before she could voice her interest at the new information.

"Interestinggg~you all seem share some basic history in Lugunica." Roswaal's smile slightly faltered as he stared down at the four. The half-elf below him was giving a slight glare, though he didn't notice "So how is it possible your time after the Santucatury greatly differs from one another?"

"Hmm perhaps time has something to do with it." Subaru 1 muttered under his breath before turning toward the cast. "When exactly is your Subaru from before coming here?"

"We were heading to Priestella before the warden brought us here." Emilia answered in a small voice.

"Mm, has your Subaru died recently? Though we've all had Return by Death for some time, even we don't know the limitations of the power. From what I was able to uncover in the watchtower the ability sends us back in time to a certain checkpoint." The engineer pressed, his analytical mind working far too fast for Emilia to process.

"I...um…" The half-elf stuttered nervously, looking around for help from someone else.

"As far as Betty could tell her contractor was in perfect physical and mental health, I suppose." Beatrice responded, saving the silver haired candidate.

"What about you guys?" Felt spoke up, uncertainty lacing her tone.

"Whatcha mean squirt?" The pilot asked innocently.

"Did you…ya know…die?" The blonde cringed throughout her question.

"Heh I would hope not considering I don't have Return by Death anymore." Subaru 2 gave a small chuckle.

"You don't have it either huh." Subaru 1 looked unsurprised by the information.

"What about you two?" Anastasia and the rest of the cast turned toward the cowboy and the Slayer.

"No…gone after…the extermination." Subaru 3's voice, while still sounding scratchy, was a bit easier to tolerate now.

"I'm in the same boat as these boys. After I got teleported away, I tried usin' my other authorities. Couldn't use them and couldn't feel 'em either. Since Return By Death is an authority…well I'm sure y'all are smart enough to connect the dots." Subaru 4 explained while adjusting his hat.

"Guess that means my theory is off the table. Hmm if Return by Death isn't the cause of this then what?" Subaru 1 rubbed his chin while staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought of the many possible answers.

"Hey what about the mult-" Al's question was cut enough when loud, but muffled footsteps echoed through the room.

All eyes in the room turned toward a rather worn out looking door, unlike Subaru 4's this one looked to be a bit more modern. The wood was peeling with various small chips falling off the frame where they floated to the ground. The metal knob had a rusty and sickly yellow tint, it looked as though the slightest amount of force would take it off. Though none really cared about the look of the door, only the fact that another Subaru would be joining them shortly. The other Subarus were equally as curious as how different this version of them would be.

They had an engineer, a soldier, a titanic warrior, and now a cowboy so anything at this point could have been possible. He could be another outer space explorer or perhaps another powerful warrior like Subaru 3, maybe even just another ordinary man like Subaru 4. What none of them understood was that this new Subaru would turn out to be far different than any of them would expect. Not because he held any extraordinary power or lived an extravagant life, but because he was willing to see his mission through to the end. There was no cost too great for protecting the free world, he had a job to do and would sacrifice everything to see it fulfilled to its end.

OPERATION CHAOS

(Redacted) Natsuki - (Redacted)

(Redacted) Mexico

(Redacted) 2021

Subaru and Woods had been in the helicopter for hours chasing down their target. It made for a dull sight but Subaru hardly minded, he was focused on the mission. "I can't believe Aldrich betrayed the CIA," said Subaru, "Betrayed the whole fucking country," Woods replied.

Aldrich was their target, a CIA agent turned spy for the KGB. Subaru didn't have any love for traitors, But he didn't seem to care as much. No…it wasn't that he didn't care, his heart just wasn't in it. He was focused, mentally ready, but just slightly off.

"Phoenix 2-4, this is Pheonix 2-1, 30 seconds out." The pilot spoke into his headset.

"We're up, Natsuki." Woods looked at Subaru noticing the look in his partner's eye. "Something wrong?" Woods asked as he went to the sliding door of the helicopter.

Subaru looked out the window. Rocky hills and desert went on for miles, a few trees here and there, but nothing special. It was mostly a wasteland.

"Nothing important." Subaru looked at Woods with a dismissive expression. Woods looked at him concerned, he wasn't lying per se, he'd been having weird dreams as of late, some were good, others bad. But he would wake up feeling like they were important, more important than anything.

"Targets ahead, taking the lead." The pilot spoke again.

"Shitheads think they can hide from us," Woods got his attention, "Time to send a message." They were starting to approach a convoy of trucks on a dusty highway. "Aldrich is in one of those trucks, We hit the ground hot, watch for runners," Woods briefed the pilots and troops with them. "We'll cut off the lead truck, 2-1, provide overwatch." The helicopter pulled ahead to the front of the convoy and descended. Woods readied his gun, "Let's go!" They hopped off the helicopter and started firing at the convoy.

He and Woods had killed the driver and passenger of the lead truck and had taken cover behind it. They were a well-oiled machine, moving from one piece of cover to the next, chasing their target. Killing everyone that stood to defend the traitor. There was a gas station they were moving up to, so it was close to the motel their target would most likely flee to.

"There are too many of these fuckers! 2-1 where's the target?" Woods shouted into the comms.

"I see movement on top of the hill." The pilot replied.

"Hear that Natsuki, They're moving up to the motel!" Woods shouted to Subaru. Ducking and weaving from car to building, to rock, cover to cover, always pushing forward. Eventually they got to the motel.

The whole time he was focused on the battle, but a small part of his mind couldn't help but wander to the dreams he had been having, they started vaguely around the time he'd been brainwashed by the KGB. But as time had gone on, he'd been having them more frequently. They were on his mind more and more each day. The dreams were always about people he had never met but found strangely familiar. They always looked a bit off, in more ways than one. Their clothes were weird, nothing from the US for sure and they looked foreign. Some of them felt more familiar than others, but there was always that same sense of resolve.

"No matter what, I'll save you." It sounded a bit narcissistic to him. But who was he to judge, he felt the same way when he was younger.

They were forced to take cover inside a gas station. Their enemy had the positional advantage, there was really only one route they could take, which happened to be right where their enemies were, and even worse they had RPGs, it always felt like one problem after another.

"Fucking assholes got every advantage," Woods said.

"We've been through way worse than this shit," Subaru replied.

"Well you're the one with the tactics. So get tactical, Natsuki."

By the time Woods was done with his sentence, Subaru had already come up with a plan "Hand me your flashes, I'll hit them with those, and rush them. You bust through the windows over there and get the angle on them." Subaru was pointing to the other side of the gas station.

"Your gonna rush them while they're blind? It feels like you get more reckless with age you psychopath!" Woods was exasperated, they'd done some crazy things together, but this took the cake.

"Trust me, Frank, I haven't got you killed yet have I?" Subaru dryly joked.

"Not yet you haven't!" Woods was blind firing while he replied. Subaru stood by the back door and waited for Woods to get into position.

"Flashes out!" Subaru threw his flash grenades out in several different directions. A few seconds later they went off, he could tell they worked from how their enemies yelled out in surprise.

Subaru sprinted out of the gas station and took cover behind a car, taking potshots at anybody that would peek their head out. At the same time, Woods busted through the window and was able to get a better angle on their opponents. With a few well-placed shots they were able to clear out the enemies that surrounded them. As they approached the motel Subaru started to think.

Lately his dreams had been more intense, more vivid than usual. They almost always seemed to feature two specific people. A little girl with a short frilly red and white dress, she had long pigtails, they sort of looked like drills when he thought about it. He felt close to her, like the closest thing he'd ever have to a sister. It felt nice in a way, he'd always been an only child, so it was comforting in a way.

Then there was another girl, older, with silver hair and Amethyst colored eyes. She wore a white and purple dress, though sometimes she wore all black, her outfits were the most inconsistent thing about her. Everything she said and did always came back to one thing.

"I love you."

She would always say it with such passion that he couldn't help but absolutely believe her. The memories he had with them were always pleasant. When he woke up, he always felt rejuvenated and ready for absolutely anything.

But then he would have other dreams, bad dreams. Well… Bad dreams put it lightly. They were more along the lines of nightmares, worse than anything he could have had before. Those dreams were fuzzy most of the time, hard to remember. But there was always a sense of pain and loss, he would wake up and forget to breathe at times.

They ran up the hill into the small motel parking lot. "Three up top, Three on the ground, flank the fuckers on the ground! I got the ones up top!" Subaru called out to Woods. "I'm on it!" Woods replied. Subaru gave covering fire as Woods bull rushed the enemy, moving to the front of the motel entrance. In his new position he was able to get a good line of sight on their enemy ground level. Blood splattered on the concrete and vehicles. Subaru meanwhile was able to make quick work of the guys on the second level of the motel, bullets passed clean through their bodies, killing them instantly.

As they were running up the stairs, Subaru couldn't help but feel a strong sense of anticipation. Which for some untrained soldier that might have been normal, they were going after a high priority target after all. But Subaru was trained, broken in, he'd been doing this kind of work for years. There was no reason for him to be this nervous. If he were religious, he might have thought God was trying to send him a message. Luckily, he didn't really give a fuck.

As they walked to the room Subaru thought about his dreams. Why did those people feel so familiar? What might have been his relations with them? Why was he thinking about them as if they were real people? They were from his dreams; they shouldn't matter at all. And yet he was thinking about them anyway. But he shouldn't be too surprised, he'd been doing this same song and dance for a while now.

Having dreams, contemplating them, worrying about it, discarding it all as a dream, not to be remembered. This same cycle had been repeating since its beginning with his brainwashing, a little at a time. But as time went on it got worse and worse, more and more common. He'd thought about seeing a therapist, but what could he say? He had already said so much about all the other shit that came from the KGB, how would he bring this up?

"Let's crash their party, Natsuki. 2-1, we're going up." Woods spoke to the pilot.

The pilot replied, "Roger that. I'll see you gentlemen afterwards for extraction." The motel up close looked seedy, and unkept, the doors looked like they would break with a good kick.

"This is the place," Woods said, "let's terminate this motherfucker." Subarus came to the front of the door. "On my mark, Three, Two, One!" Subaru kicked the door down and pointed his M4… at the… target?

But when he looked in the room… Well, it wasn't a motel, that was for damn sure.

The Theater

Used to the abrupt entrances by this point, none of the cast members were too shocked when the door was suddenly kicked open by a pair of black combat boots. What caused many in the room to tense up was that the new Subaru was pointing his gun towards the cast. His finger was already on the trigger, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Thankfully, the weapon was lowered after a few tense moments, the man looking back and forth between the now missing door and the cast. No one but him was able to see a series of red flashing numbers where the door once stood, the others were too busy taking in the appearance of the man.

He wore a pair of dark brown cargo pants with black knee pads and an equally dark pouch wrapped around his right thigh. A pistol holster, that was currently holding his side arm, rested on his right hip. A dark gray bullet proof vest covered the majority of his chest, showcasing various types of equipment. Everything from medical supplies to a radio to a few grenades were on the vest, it was as though he was prepared for every situation. Underneath all of the tactical tools was a navy-blue jacket, the black under shirt could only be seen near his collar. The man also wore a pair of black tactical gloves, ensuring that his grip would remain firm. There was also a strangle insignia on the right shoulder of the jacket, but none of the cast could decipher its meaning.

The man's attire, however, was not what caught the eyes of everyone in the room, it was the newcomer's face. The man looked eerily similar to Subaru, but at the same time he looked like an entirely different person. Instead of the usual spiky haircut it was replaced with shorter strands that were slicked back. The almost pointy chin and angular face was gone, a squarer jaw line and even facial shape in its place. The rather smooth looking skin Subaru appeared rougher, blemishes and bruises covering the once clear face. However, what everyone in the room focused on the most were his eyes. The entire shape of the man's gaze was completely different, no longer did he have the iconic permanent glare. Despite the man looking very much not like how they expected, the cast couldn't deny their gut feeling that the man had to be Natsuki Subaru.

"Um Subaru-kun…" Rem hesitantly spoke up, unsure how the newcomer would react to seeing people from his past again.

"How the hell do you know my name?" The soldier tightened the grip on his M4, distrust and caution lacing his rather deep voice.

"What do you mean, Subaru-kun? It's Rem, your Rem." The oni answered back, slightly unnerved by how the man was glaring at her.

"I don't know who the fuck you are so I'll ask you again…how do you know my name?" The glare intensified, anger beginning to seep into his tone.

"At ease, soldier boy, no need to get worked up." Subaru 2 made a calming gesture, sensing the growing hostility from the operative. His own hand resting on the holster of his smart pistol preemptively. "Sheesh I didn't know I could be so uptight."

"What are you talking about?" The newcomer turned his attention toward the pilot, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. His own grip on his weapon became slightly tighter when he noticed the other man's hand near his gun. "You're talking as if we are the same person."

"Eh yes and no. We are definitely not the same person, but your name doesn't happen to be Natsuki Subaru does it?" Subaru 2 smiled smugly in response to the slight glare he received.

"Tch, yeah it is. What's your point?" Though the man came off as defensive there was an undertone of curiosity within his eyes.

"Well it's just that my name is also Natsuki Subaru." The Pilot then nodded toward the other three men next to him. "And so are they…also you're Subaru 5"

"That's not possible, I know for a fact that I'm the only Natsuki Subaru in the world." Subaru 5 glanced between the four men, off put by how similar they looked to himself.

"Hey man, we all came from a world where dragons, time travel, and magic existed so this isn't too big of a stretch." Subaru 2 nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. There's no such thing as magic." The agent's statement caused everyone to look at him as though he grew a second head.

"Uh, pretty sure our first day in Lugnica we saw like three different types of magic." Subaru 1 gave a confused tilt of his head.

"What the fuck is a Lugnica?"

With that one question the entire room plunged into silence, all eyes directed at the man with varying degrees of shock and disbelief. If what this new Subaru was implying, they think he was, then things just become far more complicated. Each Subaru up to this point had at least one thing in common, that being they all spent time in Lugnica. The overall time may have been different, but it was still a major similarity between the four men. However, this new Subaru just completely threw any current theories out of the window. It was now impossible for any of them to be from different points in time and Return By Death was also no longer an option. How was it even possible that a Subaru who has never visited Lugnica would end up in the theater?

"But-but Subaru you've been in Lugnica for nearly a year now. Don't you recognize any of us…don't you recognize me?" Emilia's shoulders sagged dejectedly.

"No I don't…wait…It's you…the one from my dreams." The cautious air surrounding the man dissipated as he locked eyes with the half-elf. Try as he might, the operative couldn't explain why this woman out of all them was so familiar. It was as though he's known her all his life, but it wasn't the one he was currently living.

"Dreams? Mind explainin'' that one capn'." Garfiel asked curiously.

"I have these dreams…they feel almost like visions. I see a lot of places, a lot of faces I don't recognize but yours…yours is the one I see the most." Subaru 5 intensely stared directly into the half-elf's eyes. "For some reason it feels like I've known you my whole life, yet at the same time you're a complete stranger to me."

"Huh weird, maybe you lost your memory or something." Subaru 1 suggested after thinking for a few moments.

"Impossible, I remember everything from my childhood up until this very moment." The CIA agent debunked gruffly.

"O-kay then nevermind." The engineer threw his hands up with a defeated sigh.

"Eh, you tried partner." Subaru 4 gave a sympathetic pat on the other man's shoulder.

"Anyone else got any theories they wanna toss out?" The cast looked between one another with uncertain looks.

"I do what about the multi-" Surprisingly it was Al of all people who decided to speak up…before immediately being slapped on the back of his head by his mistress.

"Silence mongrel, no one wants to hear what a commoner has to say." Due to the helmet no one could see Al briefly open his mouth before closing it a second later. A barely audible sigh escaped the knight's mouth as a response to Priscilla's antics.

"If you're all done looking like students who didn't do their homework, then I think it's about time I get some answers for my questions." Subaru 5's harsh stare scanned through the crowd as if trying to decipher everyone with just his eyes alone. Those same eyes eventually returned to the silver haired candidate, who meekly shrunk from the stare. "You…what's your name? And how do you know me?"

"Um m-my name is Emilia, just Emilia, no surname." The half-elf nervously answered, clearly intimidated by the glare. "And I know you…because you wanted to help me find my insignia. You didn't want a reward, fame, or even a favor…you just wanted to help me. Even after you did, you still stayed by my side, eventually becoming my knight…but more importantly my friend." Emilia softly finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

"...*sigh* yeah that sounds like me. At least when I was still a dumbass teenager, going around helping out everyone." For the first time since his arrival Subaru 5's hostility seemingly disappeared. Replaced by a tone that sounded more wistful as if recalling memories that had been buried a long time ago. "But that's not who I am…not anymore."

"What do you mean, Subaru?" Emilia hesitantly asked, concerned with how the gruff and angry visage had returned full force.

"I see that look in your eyes…in all of your eyes." Subaru 5 turned to stare at the other cast members who were watching the exchange curiously. "You're getting your hopes up if you think I'm going to miraculously remember everything you all. Because I won't, I know who I am-I know what I've done, you are nothing more than strangers to me and that's all you ever will be. I don't know why I'm here-I don't know why I'm suddenly meeting people I've only seen in my head…but I do know that the second I'm back where I came from, I'm going right back to my mission without thinking twice about this little encounter. Because I've got a job to do and I'm one of the few people that can do it. None of this or any of you are worth remembering."

The coldness of the speech was unlike anything the cast had ever felt before, the words hurt even more coming from Subaru's mouth. Instead of the upbeat optimistic view that Subaru was always promoting, it was hard listening to Subaru speak with such blatant realism. Even those like Ram, who found the man's enthusiasm irritating, preferred that Subaru over this one. There was no warmth in his eyes, no infectious smile, and no can-do attitude. In front of their eyes was a man who had seen the world for what it really is, a cruel, dark place where very little happy moments ever happened. The cast didn't know which made their skin crawl more, a Subaru who had become jaded and unsympathetic or the fact what he was saying sounded like the most honest thing to ever leave his lips.

"By the dragon." Reinhard muttered under his breath, shaken to his core by the detachment from the operative.

"...dragon…fuck…" Suddenly Subaru 5 clutched his head as a wave of nausea traveled throughout his body. The red flashing numbers returned, more frequently and a lot brighter this time around, taunting the agent with their mystery. 'The numbers…Ascension…3, 24, 20, 12, 19, 17, 17, 22, 19, 23, 19, 4…what do they mean…'

"Hey man you alright?" Subaru 2 shot the newest addition a concerned look, though he didn't bother approaching him. Something in the back of the Pilot's mind told him he'd get a few new holes if he tried doing anything physical.

"Huh…yeah-yeah I'm fine." Subaru 5 shook his head, standing tall as if nothing had happened.

"You sure, thought I heard you say something about a-"

A loud inhuman screech rang through the theater, causing some in the cast to jump at the sound and others to groan. It was starting to get a bit annoying with how many Subarus were entering the theater in such a short amount of time. At this point the cast weren't even sure if there was a cap to how many Subarus would enter the theater. If they were being honest the personalities of the Subarus were getting progressively worse. Not five minutes ago did the cast just have the most recent one coldly tell them that he won't care to remember them.

So it was fair that they were a little worn out when another Subaru was inbound. A dark and rusty red door had appeared underneath the screen, a strange mixture of growls and roars were heard on the other side. Underneath the frame was an eerie blue and purple glow, it was bright even with how little reached the room. With a great deal of reluctance the cast waited for the next Subaru to make his robust entry. The cast wondered if the bright glow was any indication of what the newcomer may be like, perhaps his own world was brighter than any of the other Subarus. They were unaware of the irony of that line of thought, this Subaru lived in a world of dying light, lost in the spread of an unstoppable infection.

Harran, Sector Zero 1:13am

"Fuck, this is not one of my better ideas!"

A frayed and disheveled Subaru panted as he ran across the various rooftops on the many buildings in Sector Zero. The sun had long since set, the moon and stars illuminating the town in a soft white glow. In any other part of the world a person could look up and enjoy the view, but not in Harran. When the sun goes down here it means the real monsters come out, if the infected were dangerous then volatiles were a crisis in their own league. Strong enough to tear through steel, faster than a speeding dune buggy, and capable of taking exceptional amounts of damage. If they were still human, a volatile would be considered a super soldier, unfortunately the infection corrupted any sense of rationality. They were the apex predators of Harran, rarely did anyone escape from them unscathed. Hell, coming back alive is an accomplishment of its own. Which makes the current scene involving Subaru even more dumb founding, some might even say suicidal.

Behind the 27-year-old was a swarm of volatiles and virals, their combined screams scared off any bolter around the area. Subaru had just barely managed to save Harran from the GRE's missile strike, but the resulting noise from the jets attracted a good number of infected to the location. Despite there being a safehouse relatively close by, Subaru had spotted a few stragglers making their way to the safe zone. They would most definitely be torn to pieces if they didn't get inside soon, so Subaru, being the good natured knucklehead he was, decided to give them an opening. Getting on top of a car, Subaru fired off several rounds from his German 9mm into the sky, even throwing a few firecrackers just in case. Sure enough within minutes every infected in the area began flocking toward him like a moth to a flame.

Naturally when Subaru saw the sheer size of the horde of infected, he immediately jumped down and began running with unmatched adrenaline. The Nightrunner had tried to lose them, using everything from car alarms, light traps, and good old' dodging and weaving. Unfortunately, his tactics only seemed to slow down the mob at best, leading Subaru to eventually take to the rooftops, hoping to lose them there. Sure some of them may have fallen down where their brains became twisted and mangled. However, the majority of them stubbornly remained, following him with unyielding dedication. No matter the obstacle the infected pushed through, picking themselves back up and continuing their pursuit as if nothing happened. As the chase dragged on, the once human beings began closing the distance steadily, until they were no more than a few feet away from the man.

"Shit!" Subaru side stepped to his left, sliding down the angled rooftop as a volatile flew past where he was just moments ago. Not slowing down for a second the man continued running along a much narrower section of the roof. Some of the virals had dropped down to his level, the others continued following him from the high ground. Glancing back briefly, Subaru noticed that the infected were gaining on him fast and ,much to his annoyance, the roof was also about to end in a few feet. With a defeated sigh, Subaru mentally slapped himself for the second, reckless idea he was about to do.

Willing away any doubts he may have had, Subaru began fumbling with the inside of his cargo pockets, until he felt the familiar smooth cable of his grapple hook. Glancing up, Subaru saw he had about five feet worth of roof left, which meant he didn't have nearly enough time to untangle the grapple. The man gave a soft growl of frustration, this idea of his just became ten times more dangerous now, the howls of the infected behind him reminded the survivor that being injured was better than being dead. As quickly as his hands could work, Subaru untangled a decent enough portion of the cable, just as he reached the edge of the building. At the last moment Subaru dropped down and slid off the roof, hooking the cable on the ledge as he descended. Gripping the grapple for dear life, Subaru gave a deep sigh of relief when the hook remained planted into the ground. Tilting his gaze upward, Subaru watched as the group of virals and most of the volatiles jumped blindly off the roof, not realizing their prey was hanging safely over the ledge.

Whether it be in rage that their prey was lost or the realization that they had been tricked to their deaths, the infected gave one last screech before their bodies shattered against the pavement. Some were unlucky enough to land on loose spikes, their bodies sporting brand new holes, causing the blood to leak out until they were empty husks. The commotion from the now dead volatiles brought a group of walkers toward them, stumbling around aimlessly in search of the human responsible. Said survivor was looking down with a mix of relief and absolute panic, his rather suicidal plan actually worked surprisingly.

"One of these days my luck is gonna run out and it's going to suck so much when it does." Subaru took a deep breath to steady his racing heart, his grip on the grapple loosened somewhat after a few moments. Steadily Subaru began climbing the cable until he could safely grab the edge of the building and pull himself onto the rooftop. With a tired grunt Subaru pulled himself onto the concrete and rolled over onto his back, panting heavily. After taking a few moments to compose himself, the man picked himself off the ground, patting his pants to clear the dirt and gravel.

"Alright, I should probably head back to a safe zone, gonna need the rest after that one. Hopefully I can call out for a sick day…on second thought probably shouldn't say that. " Subaru stretched for a moment despite his aching muscles protests. Once he was able to work out the cricks in his muscles, Subaru walked over to the ledge and unhooked the grapple, the metal hook was slightly bent from the impromptu use. "Great now I need to get this fixed, *sigh* today is not my day."

"RAHH!"

A sudden screech caused Subaru to immediately tense up and turn around, above him stood a lone volatile, staring down at him with its glowing yellow eyes. The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, but the exchange only lasted milliseconds at best. During the brief stare down the volatile was able to crouch down and spring off its legs, arms outstretched and ready to dig its claws into the survivor. Subaru for his part was barely able to bring his arms up in a sloppy block, covering his face and not much else.

"RAHH!"

"FUCK!"

The volatile leapt down from its vantage point and tackled Subaru over the ledge, knocking the air out of his lungs. The force of the shove sent the two soaring across the gap between buildings and through a window into an adjacent apartment. Glass and wood shattered upon impact, sending shards across the room. Landing on the tile floor with a grunt, Subaru barely had enough time to grab the volatile's claws from tearing his face apart. The infected struggled, thrashing wildly in hopes of freeing its limbs but Subaru's grip remained ironclad, knowing that faltering slightly would lead to his death. Seeing that it was partially immobilized, the infected brought its deformed face toward Subaru's. The Nightrunner was able to move his head to the side, avoiding the infected's attempt to take a bite out of him.

"RAGHH!"

"Get the fuck off of me!" With that Subaru lifted his right leg up and kicked the infected directly in the face, leaving a nasty boot print. The kick was enough to send the creature back a good few meters, allowing Subaru to get to his feet. Gritting his teeth, the survivor charged at the infected, throwing his arms around its waist and his entire weight into it. Subaru's sudden tackle sent the pair out the window they had just crashed through. Thankfully the fall wasn't too fatal, only about three stories, with the volatile taking most of the damage.

The two landed on the blood stained ground, drawing the attention of nearby infected who growled in anticipation at their potential next meal. Groaning in pain, Subaru rolled onto his side, wincing as he did so when he felt a stinging sensation on his face. Bringing two fingers up to his left cheek, Subaru felt the digits wetten with blood, the crimson liquid beginning to trail down his face. The Nightrunner brought himself up onto one knee, the red droplets continued to drip down onto the pavement, causing Subaru to glare down at his blood stained fingers.

'Tsk, fucker must've got me when I tackled its ugly face out the window.' A loud moan off to Subaru's right broke him from his thoughts, his head snapping in the same direction. There he saw the volatile was beginning to pick itself back up albeit far slower than normal. 'Guess the fall did more damage than I thought. Its left leg looks broken so I might be able to outrun it if I start-huh?!'

"Graghh."

"Rah!"

"RAGH!"

Subaru's eyes widened when he heard the various cries from the infected, his head snapping in the direction of the sounds. There he could make out a mini horde had begun to mobilize, likely due to the commotion caused from his earlier fight. Slow moving walkers and annoyingly fast virals made up the bulk of the crowd, however that did not stop some volatiles from showing up on top of various roofs. They all stared down at the survivor with hungry eyes, all wanting to tear his flesh apart and gnaw on his bones. Not wasting a second Subaru broke into a sprint from his position, the infected trailing behind him soon after. Now on street level Subaru's options were limited in terms of ways he could lose the horde behind him. The Nightrunner was able to lose some when he zigzagged through a few alleyways, though a large portion still stubbornly remained. This pattern of dodging and weaving continued, slowly draining Subaru of his rather impressive stamina, the man's speed was noticeably slower than before.

'Damn I can't outrun them forever; I need to come up with something fast or else it'll be like the rabbits all over again.' As if some divine entity had heard his plea the survivor spotted a familiar purple glow from a familiar red metal door at the end of the alley. Subaru's slowed down slightly more so due to confusion than out of exhaustion. The Nigthrunner had memorized where every safehouse was in the sector, this door was certainly not one of them. Not only that, but the man could feel something was off about it, like someone was trying to draw him into a trap of some sort. Subaru mentally debated with himself if he should take the risk or continue to try his luck in losing the infected. One glance behind him answered that question instantly for Subaru, hopefully he doesn't regret it later.

Using his reserved energy Subaru broke into one last sprint, widening the distance between him and the infected considerably. Without hesitation Subaru grabbed the handle to the door and threw it open. He ran inside without bothering to get a good look at the room, but from the corner of his eye he could see it was a lot more spacious than he expected. Turning back around Subaru slammed the door as the infected came within a few feet, their growls and shrieks muffled from the other side. Subaru took a deep breath, slumping against the door with a tired sigh and a groan of pain, he lightly banged his head against the door in annoyance.

"What is it with things trying to eat me alive?"

The Theater

The fact that the new Subaru came bursting through the door wasn't too much of a shock, at this point it was the rule not the exception. What caused a good number of people within the room to shudder was the man's words. Most of the Subarus, minus Subaru 3 and 5, looked queasy at the mention of their worst death. Being reminded of the rabbits sent a wave of nausea through the room, even if the man was joking about it. Trying to quell the sick feeling in their stomachs, the cast focused on taking in the man's appearance.

Compared to the other Subarus this one looked far more like their own, albeit with a few very recent wounds. Two small claw-like scratches were on his left cheek, blood still dripping from the two marks. A few light marks were littered across the man's arms, but most of them didn't seem too bad. The most noticeable of which was a large ugly scar that ran down his left eye down to his cheek. Though the injury itself looked far older than others, it was by far the most prominent and looked the most painful. The line was uneven and ragged, not the handy work of any blade, whatever made the mark had to have some form of claws on it. The man's pupil had dulled down to a pale white color, showing that his eye did not escape unscathed.

He wore a pair of light brown pants; the splotches of blood and grime made the clothing appear far darker than they should be. The lower half of the pants legs were tucked into a pair of black laced up combat boots, the tips of the shoes were stained dark red. The man also wore two bandoliers on each shoulder, both carrying a variety of pouches and ammunition. Underneath that was a dark brown collared shirt, the sleeves had been torn off revealing the man's arms, attached on the right side of the shirt was a flashlight. His right hand was covered by a black combat glove, the left glove was similar in color though it was fingerless. Wrapped around the man's neck was an orange bandana, a few small holes littered the accessory.

"*huff* *huff* ugh, I'm gonna feel this in the morn-" The man got up from his sitting position, popping his back and joints while he stretched. He abruptly stopped his movements when he finally noticed the other occupants in the room. "...what in the fuck?"

"Yeah, that was about my reaction too." Subaru 4 gave a dry chuckle as he noticed the wide-eyed expression of the other man.

"Alright…not exactly the weirdest thing to happen to me so let's roll with it." The new Subaru took a deep breath before giving an awkward smile and wave. "Hey, my name is Natsuki Subaru…uh nice to see you guys again."

"Hey, Subaru 6, I'm Subaru 2 nice to meet ya." The Pilot casually waved back.

"Subaru 6?" The Nightrunner looked at the man with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep, I'm Subaru 1." The armored engineer gave a two fingered salute.

"Subaru 4 at your service." Subaru 4 tipped his stetson in greeting.

"...Subaru 3." Subaru 3 nodded.

"I'm Subaru 5 apparently." The operative gruffly added.

"Wait-wait-wait, are you saying you're all also Natsuki Subaru?" Subaru 6 looked between the five men with skepticism.

"Yeah…tl:dr they've-" Subaru 1 gestured to the cast behind him. "Been watching our time in Lugnica, just got done with our time in the sanctuary. We've been trying to figure out why we're here and so far, have got nothing. We're all Natsuki Subaru, however we found out that our lives have been completely different, including our overall time in Lugnica. So yeah…it's been interesting so far…anyway what were you up to before coming here?"

"Oh cool…" The survivor looked as if his brain was about to implode, a very long deep sigh and the look was replaced by acceptance. "Eh not much, just escaped a horde of infected before being chased by another one not five minutes later."

"Wait infected, as in zombies?" Subaru 5 had a look between disbelief and intrigue.

"Ye-p." Subaru 6 replied, popping the 'p'.

"Is it weird that out of everything I've been told, that is what I find most unbelievable." Subaru 2 added.

"You'd be…surprised." Subaru 3 said.

"Pft you haven't heard anything yet." Subaru 1 scoffed. "Hopefully your infected go down when you hit 'em' in the head."

"Uh, excuse me?" The voice of Anastasia caused the group of men to quiet down and turn their attention toward the merchant.

"What's up Anna?" The affection in Subaru 6's tone caused more than a few brows to raise in curiosity.

"Oh uh…" Not expecting such a fond sounding reply, the merchant candidate tripped over her words. Clearing her throat, with a light pink tint to her cheeks, Anastasia continued on as if nothing happened. "I'm curious, what is this infection you speak of and what exactly is a zombie?"

"The Harran Virus…" Subaru 6's demeanor suddenly darkened, causing many in the audience to tense in anticipation. "Its origins are unclear however; it is the most cataphoric thing to ever happen in history. In the span of a few days an entire country was nothing more than a hellhole. It turned ordinary people into mindless flesh devouring monsters. You can cut off their arms, legs, hell even tear them in two and they'll still try to take a bite out of ya."

From that brief description those within the cast shuddered at just what unimaginable horrors that this Subaru must have gone through. The rabbits were bad enough, so knowing that Subaru has to fend off against an entire country that wants to devour him wasn't helping. If anything they just got the bare minimum of the state of his world. There were probably countless other dangers than simple infected roaming around. Based off the scars and marks on the man's face and body, he likely came into contact with those threats on more than one occasion. However, the fact that he was still alive and in seemingly good shape showed that this Subaru was at least cunning enough to outwit his opponents.

"Lookin' at ya now I can see every day is a fight for ya life." Ricardo hummed, rather impressed by how well it appeared the man had been surviving.

"That's true but Big Bro is looking alright to me. He's probably out there kicking zombie ass every day." Felt gave a toothy grin toward the Nightrunner.

"Heh…don't be so sure Felt." Lifting his right arm, Subaru 6 showed off a particular scar on his upper forearm near his wrist. It was a bite mark and a rather nasty looking one too, the puncture wounds were uneven yet were nonetheless deeper than normal. "Not even five minutes into the city and I was already bitten."

"I mean it's gnarly scar and all capn', but what's the point in showin' it off? I mean ya got tons more so what's the deal?" Garfiel scratched his head in confusion.

"You're infected." Subaru 1 answered emotionlessly, he and Subaru 3 were the only ones not to reach for their weapons at the news.

"What?!" All of the cast turned their wide eyed gazes toward the man, their paranoia and caution growing exponentially when he didn't deny it.

"But-but you just said that the infected eat people!" Emilia stuttered, warily looking at the survivor.

"That I did, however it takes time before someone turns into a zombie." Subaru 6 replied casually with a wave of his hand. "Plus we've got this medicine called Aintizen that can delay the infection spread for a few days. I was injected recently so I doubt I'll turn anytime soon."

"Is there a cure?" Felix worriedly asked.

"Sadly no, but before I came here, I did get into contact with someone who may be able to manufacture one." The Nightrunner's answer quelled the concerns of the cast, though that was quickly undone a second later. "Oi oi don't get your hopes up I said maybe. Even if there does end up being a cure, I'm sure I'll be long gone before then."

"Subaru-kun, you don't mean…" Rem felt her heart shatter in two when she received a solemn smile as her answer.

"Relax Rem, none of us here can predict the future so we won't ever know until the time arrives. Besides I ain't dying just yet, I've got people to protect, and I'll be damned if I go down before I'm able to save any of them." Subaru 6 resolutely stated, standing tall and confident to show his seriousness.

"I see your determination has not dwindled in the slightest." Wilhelm smiled proudly.

"Eh don't know about the dying part, but hey at least whoever you're trying to save is gonna be alright with you around." Subaru 1 shrugged.

"I can respect that kind of mentality." Subaru 5 gave a nod of approval. "Seeing your mission through to the end at any costs."

"Wouldn't call it a mission per se." Subaru 6 replied. "I think it's just the right thing to do, helping others who can't help themselves."

"That kind of thinking will eventually get you or worse others killed. I would know." The operative darkly rebutted, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Maybe but that's not an excuse to not at least try." The Nightrunner turned to face the soldier, his own voice becoming tight.

"Ah hell I ain't gettin' in between this one." Subaru 4 crossed his arms across his chest, watching the two.

"Think we should stop it?" The Pilot looked at the engineer and the slayer with a questioning gaze.

"I'd rather not test the sociopath with a rifle in his hands." Subaru 1 answered, the warrior next to him giving an indifferent shrug.

"Don't be an idiot, playing hero will eventually get you put six feet underground. You're one man, not an army." Subaru 5 glared at the survivor with disdain. "Going to be really hard to protect those you care about if your brains are splattered on the ground."

"So what am I supposed to do, sit back and do nothing while innocent people are torn to pieces?" Subaru 6 fired back hotly. "Unlike you I have this little thing called empathy."

"Tch, I care about what happens to innocents just like you." The operative growled out. "The difference is that I'm not stupid to risk my life for every person I see. If I can help them then fine I will, but if the risks are too high then I'm not going to needlessly kill myself."

"So what, you let them die just like that? They're people too, they have families, careers, dreams, they deserve to have a chance just like you." Subaru 6 clenched his fists in anger.

"The real world isn't fair; some people are going to die. Wake the fuck up, there are bigger things than one life."

"Does anyone else smell something burning?"

With that the two Subarus ceased their argument, the room settling into an uncomfortable silence. Though no one could see any smoke or fire, there was a distinct smell of burnt wood circling the room. The scent began to grow in strength, the stench of fumes also beginning to appear as well. It was as if the room was on fire, yet there wasn't a single flame in sight, only though the room did become a bit warmer. With watery eyes and a few coughs to clear their throats, the cast and the Subarus began searching for the source of the unexpected heat. After searching for a few moments their eyes came to rest on a rather ashen looking door.

Unlike the various other doors that appeared underneath the screen and not too far from one another, this one was in the far corner of the room. Though it was closed those within the space noticed how some of the smog was leaking from the cracks in the frame. There was a bright orange glow, no doubt a fire, that complimented the black color of the door. Everyone within the room could feel that something was very wrong, though they couldn't place what. On an instinctual level every cell in their body was telling them something dangerous was on the other side. Most naturally dismissed the feeling as nothing more than nervousness at seeing what this Subaru would be like. However, Subaru 1, 3, and Reinhard could feel the unnatural force that radiated beyond the door. Despite tensing up in anticipation of whatever may come through that door they would be unready for what awaited them. Not man, monster, nor a god would walk through that door, only a shape.

Halloween Night: Haddonfield

The fire that engulfed Laurie Strode's home blazed bright in the night, like a beacon of light in the endless void. Flames danced with unrestrained freedom, flickering wildly as they continued to grow in size. Parts of the house had even begun to collapse; the wood beginning to weaken and char under the immense heat. The metals that made up the foundation and pipes burned with such intensity that even being near it would give off a wave of heat. Anyone caught within this inferno would find themselves dead within a few minutes. If the overwhelming flames didn't scorch them then the copious amount of smoke would.

It was as if Hell itself had come to this home, promising pain and torment to any that stepped into the fiery abyss. A man could not survive this fire, yet at the center of the flames stood an unnaturally still figure. There in the basement of the burning home was none other than Natsuki Subaru, the Essence of Evil. The once blue coveralls that he wore had transformed into an almost black color, smoke and soot staining the clothing. Subaru's wounds also added to the clothing's darker color, Laurie made sure to put a few rounds into him tonight and had even taken off two of his fingers.

The two other women, Karen and Allyson, had managed to injure him as well. The former shooting The Shape in the right cheek of his mask and the latter slicing his hand. However, even with all the damage he had been afflicted with, The Shape was none the worse for wear, standing tall and breathing evenly as if nothing had ever happened. The fire itself had done some damage to himself, scarring his iconic mask's left side, leaving the hair charred and portions of the latex blackened. However, even with the desecration of his mask, the same expressionless face and pitch black eyes remained.

Despite the damage the flames had done to him, The Shape was not at all bothered by his current predicament. He could escape easily enough; the metal bars the Laurie had trapped him with bent easily with his supernatural strength. Yet, Subaru remained within the basement when he sensed that there were people outside the house, firefighters most likely. Subaru waited with an inhuman amount of patience, like a predator biding its time until its prey fell into its trap. The Shape knew they would come to him, an unnatural premonition that not even he could explain, nor did he care to understand. Subaru did not care for anything really, not anymore anyway, his mind always locked onto only one thing: fulfilling his one true purpose. He was the embodiment of evil itself, nothing and no one will ever stand in his way, no matter how hard they fought or how strong they were. The Shape is a force of nature; unrelenting, unyielding, and unkillable, he can be delayed but never defeated. Natsuki Subaru will always come back, you can't kill The Boogeyman, you can't kill pure evil.

The Shape was broken from his stasis when he heard the sound of multiple heavy footsteps, a lot sooner than he expected but it mattered little in the end. Judging by the number of steps there were, Subaru predicted that four of them were currently inside, the rest probably waiting outside. Walking robotically toward Laurie's open gun locker, Subaru stepped inside and closed the shutter, the sound muted by the fire and hoses above. Now ready The Shape waited with his usual stillness, his breathing steady, holding his position until the perfect moment to strike his newest victims arose. He did not have to wait for long, a minute later the body of one of the firefighters had dropped from the floor and landed in the middle of the basement. The already weakened floors no doubt became even more unstable with added water damage from the fire hoses.

The man began coughing and sputtering as smoke filled his lungs, the air tank on his back had broken open. The firefighter tried to lift himself upright but found it to be difficult with the lack of oxygen he was getting and the heaviness of his equipment. The halligan bar he had been carrying laid out of arm's reach off to his side. Reaching toward his radio on his left shoulder, the man cleared his throat as best he could before speaking.

"Mayday-Mayday!" The firefighter coughed a few more times as for the command to clear the channel.

"Radio silence we have a Mayday Alert."

"There's been a structural collapse *cough* *cough* m-my air supply has been compromised please send backup immedi-oh shit!" Whatever the man may have said was cut short when the shutter off his left side suddenly opened up. His eyes widened, first in surprise, he honestly didn't expect to find any survivors in the home itself. However, his astonishment soon transformed into terror as his eyes traveled up the stranger's form and to his face. Instead of the relieved (or panicked stricken in most cases) expression of the man, he instead saw a burnt expressionless mask staring down at him with empty black eyes.

"There's someone else down here!" Before he could relay his findings, The Shape was upon the down man. He tried to lift himself up, but Subaru kicked him in the chest, sending the man back to the ground coughing and sputtering. The Shape glanced down and saw the halligan bar laid at his feet, reaching down Subaru picked up the tool and raised it in one fluid motion.

"NO! STOP!"

The duckbill portion of the instrument was brought down onto the man's helmet a moment later, cracking the protective glass. Pieces scattered across the floor and some even fell back into the firefighter's face, either leaving small cuts or stabbing into the flesh. The second strike shattered what little protection was left, sending shards flying across the room. Another hit soon followed, this time the flat end of the weapon was plunged into the man's upper face, piercing through the soft flesh of the eyes. The two orbs instantly burst into a micro explosion of blood, painting the duckbill a deep crimson. Subaru raised his weapon again and struck the man again, the dull edge burrowing further into the skull, breaking the bone and slicing through the tissue. With one final swing The Shape brought down the halligan bar, completely severing the top portion of the man's head from his body.

"All units be advised we have a firefighter down!" In a dark comedic sense the man's radio sprang to life, the voice not realizing how literal his statement was.

The lump of flesh fell unceremoniously onto the floor, revealing the contents which spilled out like pumpkin guts. Brain matter mixed with shattered bone, squashed eyeballs, and ripped meat created an abstract piece of art; the red, pink, and white colors complementing each other well. The portion of the now dead firefighter's face that was still attached to the body hung limply. Subaru stared down at his latest kill with a tilt of his head, almost as if he was a painter admiring his work. He was broken from his curiosity when he heard the sound of footsteps getting closer to the pit above him. Without a second glance back at the dead man next to him, Subaru looked upward at the opening, his body back to his usual unmoving posture. A moment later the dim light from the firefighter's flashlight appeared, the smoke making it barely visible.

"Manny! Are you ok?!...I can't see you!" The thick cloud of fumes blocked the man from seeing anything within the basement. Only the illumination from the flames below were visible and even then, they were slightly dull in color. "Take my hand! Take my hand now!...Manny, grab my hand!"

There was a flash of relief in the firefighter's eyes when the silhouette of hand reached from the depths of the smog and grasped his own. The look quickly morphed into one of utter horror when he saw the face, or rather mask, of the man who he grabbed. Before he could even think of pulling his hand back The Shape's grip became ironclad, crushing the bones within the palm with ease. Subaru, with minimal effort, pulled his own arm back, dragging the firefighter down into the basement, where he fell on his stomach. Releasing his hold on the man's wrist, The Shape lifted his weapon so that the chisel end was now pointed at the downed man. The firefighter was able to get on one knee when he turned toward his attacker, his eyes holding nothing but fear.

"AH!" The man gave one final scream that echoed throughout the house before it was ended by the two claws being impaled into his face. The sound of flesh being torn apart rang through the cellar, creating two large holes where the eyes would be. Blood and brain matter seeped from the pores, dripping down the man's face and onto the halligan bar. With a violent tug The Shape ripped the claws from the corpse's eye sockets, a spray of blood following with it. Shifting the tool so that he was holding it in his right hand, Subaru tossed the weapon onto the floor above. Reaching upward Subaru lifted himself out from the basement's opening, not once did he acknowledge the two dead bodies that lay in growing pools of blood. The Shape has never cared nor thought about whose life he ends; they all died the same. There was no reason to start now.

Free from his temporary prison, The Shape picked up his weapon and began making his way toward the front door, still not bothered by the fire that still surrounded him. He moved automatically, without any hesitation as if he was a machine following its programming, only stopping in the living room when he came face to face with two more firefighters. The left one held a halligan bar similar to his own, minus the blood and skin, while the right one held a fire axe, both stared with obvious bafflement at the man before them. Their shock at the sight before them caused the pair to unintentionally lower their tools slightly. However, that little piece of weakness was more than enough to spring Subaru into action. Stepping forward Subaru brought his weapon up with a two-handed grip, in one quick strike he smashed the duckbill into the mask of the left firefighter. The force from the attack knocked the man to the floor on his side, dropping his bar as well which clattered to the ground.

Now realizing this stranger was clearly an enemy, the second firefighter raised his axe, ready to bring the blade into The Shape's back. With inhuman reflexes Subaru turned around and stabbed the end of the halligan bar into the man's abdomen. The fire axe was dropped to the ground as the man gripped the shaft of the tool, trying to pull it out of his stomach. His effort was all in vain, Subaru pushed back and drove the claws deeper, digging through flesh, bone, and guts. Eventually the two ends pierced through the man's lower back, causing him to lose whatever strength he had left to fight back. Groaning pain the firefighter was barely able to lift his head up and stare at his soon to be killer. The man expected to see many things, sadistic glee, unyielding rage, hell maybe even some sick arousal. However, he was not ready for the emotionless expression that greeted him, not even The Shape's eyes held any feeling, just an endless black abyss. In his final moments the firefighter didn't know whether to be scared at the fact he was about to die, or the inhuman monster that stood before him.

With a harsh yank the prongs were pulled from the man's stomach, spilling everything from stomach acid to pieces of intestines onto the floor. The body slumped against the wall like a puppet that just had its strings cut. The Shape did not care to see as he had already turned his attention back toward the man still recovering from his first hit. Coughing and wheezing, the man tried to reach and grab his own weapon that lay less than a foot away. Before he could The Shape brought down his foot onto the outstretched arm, immediately breaking the joints at the elbow. Subaru paid no mind when the firefighter began screaming in pain, instead he brought his weapon upward and slammed the pick portion into the side of the helmet. The sharp metal easily penetrated through the accessory, stabbing the man through the ear and into the brain. All screaming and movement from the man instantly ceased, his body going limp and motionless, the only sound now being The Shape's breathing. The pick had made an almost perfect sized half inch hole in the man's head.

Subaru pulled the pick from the corpse, not bothering to curiously admire his work this time, and resumed his path. The Shape came to a sudden stop and tilted his head in confusion when he was a few steps away from the door. There wasn't anything physically off, but The Shape sensed that something was different, like a force that could not be seen by mortal eyes had made its appearance. He could feel something, no, someplace had just opened up and was sending out a call to others as well, The Shape did not know why those who answered seemed familiar to him. While he may have felt the broadcast itself, Subaru did not receive an invitation of his own, it was almost as if this entity was trying to keep him out. Standing still for a few seconds it looked as though Subaru was contemplating whether he would answer the signal. Without hesitation The Shape began walking toward the door, however this time he knew firefighters would not be on the other side, whatever was though would die regardless in the end, so it mattered little to Subaru. This entity would soon find out that its attempts to keep The Shape out of its realm will be in vain…

Pure evil obeys only itself.

The Theater

The burnt door opened rather slowly, allowing for even more smoke to begin filling the room, however it soon dissipated, likely due to the Warden's influence. Despite the door being open not a single person could see anything behind the thick fumes clouding the entrance. Although they could make out the sounds of heavy footsteps, traveling at slow but steady pace. Those with heightened senses could also hear soft breathing underneath the sounds of the steps and the crackling fire. This confused any who were able to pick up the sounds, anyone walking through that bad of a fire would be inhaling far too much smoke to breath anywhere what was normal. Yet, somehow whoever stood on the other side of the door was walking through the inferno as if it had zero effect on them. The one within the flames had to be another Subaru, but most of the cast couldn't explain why they still felt uneasy.

The footsteps began to increase in volume as they became closer, through the wall of smoke a dark figure was seen approaching. With each step the soft breathing began to become heavier as though something was obstructing the figure's mouth. With no hesitation the human form walked through the cloud of smoke, showing no signs of being impeded. The sounds of heavy boots hitting the tile floor echoed throughout the theater. The man took only a few steps into the room, his back still close to fire behind him. It looked as though the man just walked straight out of hell itself or worse hell decided it didn't want him.

Now out from the fire, the cast and the Subarus were able to take in the man's appearance, though it was simple it still unnerved many in the room. He wore coveralls that had become an almost black color from how much soot was on it. There were a few holes and cuts in the clothing, showing that the man was likely shot and stabbed multiple times. Yet, for some reason, making the cast slightly uncomfortable, said wounds didn't appear to bother him. On his feet were a pair of basic black worker boots, though the right one had a dark red stain on it. In his right hand was a strange tool that had a pickaxe and duckbill on one end and two prongs on the other, all of which was covered in blood. His left hand laid motionlessly at his side, shocking those within the room considering they could see he was missing his pinky and ring finger, yet he didn't seem to care at his loss of his digits.

However, what got everyone's attention and subsequently made some afraid with others being disturbed was the mask that he wore. It covered the man's entire head, only the bottom portion of his neck was visible. The mask looked eerily similar to a normal person's face, however there were no eyebrows with an emotionless expression. It was a dirty white color almost yellowish looking, likely due to the fire, with dark brown hair combed back. A good portion of the left side was severely burned, the white latex now sporting black spots, the brown hair had also been charred to a black color. On the right cheek of the mask there was a shallow tear in the mask, too small to be a blade, with a line of dried blood trailing down to the neck.

What was the most defining part, other than the blankness of the mask, was the complete blackness of the eyes. There wasn't a hint of color; no red veins, no pupil, not even the white background that all eyes had. It was nothing more than an abyss, an all-consuming void that was devoid of any life. They were not the eyes of any human nor any beast, there wasn't a shred of emotion within that void. No predatory anger, no sorrowful sadness, no human happiness, all of that was swallowed into the endless black space. These were the eyes of something far greater than such things as mortality or humanity, a being that has transcended such concepts. They were eyes of something powerful, something abstract, something…inhuman.

That was the only fitting word those within the room could think of to describe the man in front of them. Though he may have taken the shape of a human, there was nothing even remotely human about him. He stood unnaturally still like that of a statue perhaps even more than that, not even his muscles so much as twitched like a person's would. Even the most minute details such as his breathing didn't seem entirely human. It sounded as if something was trying to replicate how a person would breathe, but it came off as freakish and abnormal. Though the presence of the newcomer put all those within the room on edge it didn't stop some in the audience from trying to communicate with the man.

"Subaru…" Emilia hesitantly called out.

"Subaru-kun, is that you?" Rem tried as well, though she remained at a respectable distance.

"Oi capn' ya good?" Garfiel attempted to mask his unease.

"Subaru, it's your Betty…" Beatrice's voice wavered.

"..." The Shape gave no response to any of the questions he received, he simply remained still, breathing heavily while watching those within the room.

"I don't like this." Subaru 4 gripped the handle of his revolver, the other Subarus also reaching for their own weapons.

"This one is different…be on your toes." Subaru 6 briefly activated his survivor sense, shivering involuntarily at what was reflected back at him.

"Something does seem off about this Subaru." Reinhard tensed in his seat, his Divine Protections alerting him to an unimaginable danger.

"He does seem rather…detached. As though he's not entirely here." Julius agreed, also feeling his anxiety begin to rise.

"Relax Rein and Juli, he looks harmless enough. I doubt he's that dangerous." Felix jokingly tried to diffuse the tension. Though he was also trying to quell the restlessness that had begun to settle in his heart.

Suddenly The Shape moved, shifting his weapon so that his right hand held the neck while his left hand held the base. Blood and brain matter dripped onto the floor, staining the tile with the dark crimson liquid. Breathing steadily, The Shape began walking toward the cast and the Subarus, killing intent radiating off the man oppressively. Feeling the very dangerous threat, the Subarus settled into fighting stances, brandishing their own weapons.

"Fuck me, this guy is giving me Marker vibes…and that shit is never good." Subaru 1 pointed his plasma cutter, his palms sweating from nervousness.

"I've fought giant robots that were less intimidating than this guy." The Pilot gripped his smart pistol tightly, his data knife held underneath his gun. He cursed underneath his breath when the ammo reader displayed only one shot left.

"...Like a demon.." Subaru 3 growled, his eyes alight with rage, cracking his knuckles in anticipation for a fight.

"I'll put six shots in him real quick." Subaru 4 cocked back the hammers of his revolver, shifting his feet continuously in anxiousness. He failed to realize that he forgot to reload after his battle with the Pinkertons.

"I get the feeling no matter how many bullets we lay into him; he ain't gonna go down that easy." The soldier's index finger was on the trigger of his rifle, not taking his eyes off his target for even a second.

"I think I've seen infected more human than this guy." Subaru 6 pulled out his dented grapple hook, mentally kicking himself for leaving his crossbow back at the Tower.

A normal man would hesitate from having six men all pointing some type of weapon at them, some would continue anyway, but at least they would consider their actions, albeit for a moment. However, there was not a sliver of doubt that came from the approaching man, he simply continued walking forward undeterred.

Reaching the closest person, The Shape raised his weapon ready to strike Subaru 6 with the prongs of the halligan bar, however the survivor dodged the strike by rolling underneath. Hook in hand the Nightrunner quickly turned around and stabbed the sharp piece of metal into the man's back. Unfortunately, the blow did very little as The Shape quickly turned around and bashed the flat end of the duckbill into Subaru 6's face. The force was enough to send the smaller man into the wall, a sickening crunch sound signified that his nose had been broken. The grapple hook fell limply to the floor near its owner. The Shape briefly observed the incapacitated man before turning his attention back to the other five men.

"Oi! Move it!" Subaru 1 pushed his way to the front, aiming his plasma cutter at the approaching man with narrowed eyes.

There was a bright white flash, tinted slightly blue on the edges, as the horizontal arc of plasma left the tool. Faster than anyone expected, The Shape sidestepped the bolt, though he was clipped on his right arm by the end of the beam. The sleeve to his coverall was sliced open, revealing the new scorched skin underneath. Cursing to himself, the engineer clumsily pulled out the empty battery, however the masked man was already upon him before he could load his next shot. The Shape raised the pickaxe portion of the tool, the armored man brought his armored forearms to block the incoming blow. Before it could connect a single loud bang echoed throughout the room. Subaru 5 had fired a shot into The Shape's chest, though the force only caused him to stumble slightly. However, that small window of time allowed for Subaru 1 to place another battery into his plasma cutter, The engineer raised his weapon, aiming to slice apart The Shape's head.

Sadly the engineer would never fire off another shot as The Shape brought down the halligan bar onto the plasma cutter. The tool was sent skidding across the ground, leaving Subaru 1 only able to raise his arms up to block. Though he was able to defend against the next strike, his arms were thrown to the side by the sheer force from the blow. Not letting up his attack, The Shape shifted his weapon to his left hand, his right shot out and grabbed the armored man by his neck. With minimal effort The Shape lifted Subaru 1 into the air, choking him with an ironclad grip. Choked gasps were the only thing to escape the man, his arms desperately tried to pry apart the fingers around his throat. Black spots began to fill the man's vision before a voice redirected The Shape's attention.

"Hey fucker over here!" Subaru 5 shouted, his rifle raised yet his finger was off of the trigger. His attempt to get the man's attention was successful, though instead of dropping the engineer The Shape simply threw the armored man at the operative. Unprepared by the move Subaru 5 only had enough time to raise his rifle and brace himself for the impact. "Shit!"

The two men clattered to the ground with the engineer on top of Subaru 5, the agent's rifle fell a few inches away from its owner. Groaning from the collision, the two men struggled to get to their feet, The Shape loomed over them before they could orient themselves. Pushing the armored man off of him, Subaru 5 quickly got to his feet while grabbing his rifle. Pulling back the hammer on his M4, the operative was able to squeeze off one shot. However, by that time The Shape had grabbed the barrel of the gun, throwing the bullet's trajectory into the wall. The rifle was ripped out of the soldier's hands and thrown to the other side of the room. Before Subaru 5 could reach for his sidearm The Shape kicked the man in his chest, a slight cracking sound being heard as he was sent to the ground.

Thankfully before The Shape could harm either downed Subarus, four bullets were fired into the back of the man. The Shape turned to stare at Subaru 4, who had begun to reload his revolver, before walking over to the westerner. The outlaw soon dropped his pistol to the floor when he found himself pinned against the wall. The Shape was using the neck of the halligan bar to choke the cowboy, the latter struggling to reach his knife on his belt. The masked man tilted his head in curiosity as Subaru 4 continued to try to remove the bar from his throat. His target fell to the ground, gasping for air, when The Shape released his hold on him.

"Come on big guy! That was too easy!" Subaru 2 taunted as he removed his data knife from the back of The Shape's right shoulder. The Pilot backpedaled a few steps, trying to gain some distance to execute his plan.

"..." The Shape wordlessly began walking toward the Pilot, his pace steady despite the numerous wounds afflicted to him.

When The Shape was a good few feet away Subaru 2 activated his holograms, all of them indistinguishable from the original. All at once the holograms began to move, some pretending to attack while others simply ran around to confuse the man. However, none of the tricks worked on The Shape, he continued to walk forward without any hesitation. Suddenly the holograms disappeared all at once, revealing The Shape had grabbed the Pilot by his hair. The smart pistol Subaru 2 had been about to fire clattered to the ground unceremoniously. The Shape stared emotionlessly down at the man's pained expression; he threw him roughly to the ground a second later. Landing on his stomach with a grunt, the Pilot tried reaching for his weapon before a boot landed harshly on his left shoulder. Subaru 2 gasped in pain as he felt his shoulder blade dislocate, it was hard to tell if it was broken or not.

Removing his foot from the other man's shoulder, The Shape pointed the prongs toward the back of the Pilot's head. The two claws would have splattered his brain against the ground if not for The Shape being knocked back a few feet. Subaru 3 had shoulder tackled the masked man, sending the latter stumbling back though he remained upright. Standing defensively in front of the Pilot, the Slayer growled angrily, his eyes blazing with unrestrained fury. The Shape stood tall despite the force from the shove, blood leaked from his new wounds though he didn't seem to mind the damage. Breathing evenly, The Shape watched the other man with no emotion, his posture nor his eyes still showing no change from their usual state.

Grabbing the other end of the halligan bar with his hand, The Shape began advancing toward the armored warrior, his weapon raised and ready to strike. Subaru 3 remained immobile, his clenched fists were kept down, leaving himself open for any attack. With robotic motions, The Shape swung the halligan in an overhead arc, the pick aimed to pierce his opponent's head. However, with relative ease the Slayer knocked the tool to the side with his armored gauntlet, his hand reached out and grasped the weapon once it was thrown off balance. Subaru 3 applied his absurd strength, harshly yanking the weapon out of the other man's hands and throwing it to the floor.

Not relenting his aggressive attack, Subaru 3's right hand shot out and grabbed that masked man by the throat. With relative ease the Slayer pushed the other man into the wall just underneath the screen, he made sure to keep his grip on the other's neck. Growling, the Slayer increased the pressure on The Shape's neck, waiting for the moment the man dropped dead from suffocation or until his head popped off. However, Subaru 3's hate filled gaze gained a tinge of confusion as he continued to choke The Shape. The man's demeanor had not changed in the slightest despite the situation he was in. His breathing was still steady and even, his posture still straight and unmoving, and there was still no emotion behind the black eyes.

"..."

The Shape's own arm reached over and grasped the Slayer's armored gauntlet, his own grip far stronger than the Slayer expected. Subaru 3's eyes widened when, with some struggle, The Shape began to pull away the hand around his neck. In all of the Slayer's time he has never seen any creature, much less a normal human match him in strength before. He was broken from his shocked musings when he felt himself get kicked in the chest. The Shape had released his arm once he removed it from his throat. The force from the kick sent him skidding back a few feet, but he was still standing as if no damage was taken. The slayer looked down at his chest piece, scowling as he saw a slight dent in the armor. Glaring at the masked man, Subaru 3 was about to charge once more before a loud booming voice echoed throughout the room.

"That is quite enough."

A large wall of fire erupted between the two combatants; two similar walls boxed in The Shape into a small chunk of the theater. Even those furthest away from the flames could feel the intensity of their heat, it was as though they were in the deepest pits of hell. However, unknown to the other occupants in the room the one in the middle of the fire remained ever still. The Shape stayed motionless as the inferno continued to blaze around him, whoever was controlling the flames wasn't trying to hurt him. It was as though the fire itself was trying to guide him away from the theater. The Shape did not and would not listen. He was here to stay, there were too many victims, powerful ones as well. This entity would not stop him from achieving his purpose.

'Tch, I was hoping he'd get bored and leave, guess he's here to stay. Better make sure to keep him in one spot…for however long I can.' The Warden allowed for the flames to dwindle to nothing more than embers on the floor. Putting in every ounce of power he had, the voice constructed an invisible barrier where the walls of fire once stood. If the man so much as touched the barrier he'd be knocked back by a massive shockwave.

The Warden couldn't help but sigh in irritation when The Shape made no move from his spot. It secretly wanted to see the masked man get knocked on his ass for causing so much trouble. 'Of course he can see it. Why am I not surprised?'

"Ok what in the fuck is going on?!" Felt shouted in confusion, voicing what everyone in the cast was currently thinking.

They had watched the fight between the seven men with wide eyes and opened mouths, unable to think of any way to help. The masked Subaru had dispatched five other Subarus with relative ease barring Subaru 3 since that Subaru is the only one he really struggled against, despite the wounds he received. Even the toughest warriors within the audience found themselves wincing at the damage dealt to the man. They may not have ever used a gun or 'plasma cutter' before even the cast could tell that getting hit by either one would be painful. Yet, here was this new Subaru, standing tall and breathing evenly as though he didn't just take both weapons several times to the body. Not to mention the numerous stab wounds and being choked by a man who punched the head off of a gigantic monster.

"Something that shouldn't." The Warden gruffly answered, irritations dripping from his voice like poison.

"Yeah, real helpful pal." Al bit back sarcastically, rolling his eyes behind his helmet. "How about you stop being a cryptic asshole."

"Mm, very well then." A reluctant sigh escaped the disembodied voice. "As you can see there are seven newcomers, each one sharing one thing in common."

"Yes, we've already established that they are all Barasu, get to the point." Ram quickly cut off with an annoyed glare.

"The point, little miss stockholm syndrome, is that while they may share the same name and origins, they are not the same." The Warden snapped coldly, causing the pink haired oni to flinch harshly and lower her head bashfully.

"The hell's that suppose' to mean?" Garfiel intervened.

"Let's just say that I had a little lesson planned for you to understand." The Warden explained coolly. "Natsuki Subaru is a man with many paths laid before him, branching into seemingly endless routes. Some intertwine, others are outliers from the rest, the seven may share the same origins and face of your Subaru but they are not the same person."

"Ok, so these Subarus are different, you've given us that much and we've witnessed that firsthand with our interaction with each." Crusch surmised, staring at the seven men critically. "But that doesn't explain how and why they are different from our own."

"Some of the smartest people in the world and yet they can't see the answer that is in front of them." A deep sigh echoed throughout the room; the occupants could feel the disappointment in the air. "Use what little brain power you have in those heads of yours and think about what I've said before the first Subaru appeared."

The five other Subarus didn't bother trying to help the other occupants out in answering the Warden's question as they were too busy picking themselves up off the floor. In Subaru 3's case hatefully glaring at the masked newcomer before stomping away to help his counterparts. The green behemoth offered his hand to the downed pilot, who took it with a grateful smile. Now back on his feet Subaru 2 gave a low hiss of pain as his shoulder blade flared angrily. The pilot pressed his right palm to the injury, letting out a sigh of relief when he realized it was just dislocated.

"Need help?" The Slayer offered, pointing at the wound with his armored finger.

"Yeah sure, just take it easy on me will ya big guy." Subaru 2 offered with an uneasy smile.

"Hmm." With a small hum the giant stood behind the smaller man and placed one hand on the dislocated bone and the other on the pilot's opposite shoulder. Using minimal effort Subaru 3 realigned the bone, causing a loud cracking noise to emit from the man.

"Mother-mmm!" The pilot yelped before quickly closing his mouth, a muffled scream rumbling deep within his throat.

"...sorry." Subaru 3 sheepishly apologized, 'lightly' patting Subaru 2 on the back.

"You're fine, just need a minute." The smaller of the two smiled weakly.

"Did someone get the license plate on the truck that hit me?" Subaru 6 groaned from his spot on the floor, holding his broken nose.

"Think it was the same one that hit me." Subaru 5 grunted in pain as he stood up. One hand reached out to pick up his rifle while the other clutched his aching chest. "Yep, something in there is definitely fractured."

Both the soldier and the Nightrunner suddenly felt an invisible force grip their respective injured areas, surprisingly neither felt any pain from the contact. The feeling intensified as bone and tissue began to rearrange itself, stitching the damaged muscle back together. It took half of a second before both men were completely healed with not so much as a bruise on them. A look of bewilderment and relief appeared respectively on each man's face.

"Ah, much better." The survivor sighed gratefully.

"What the hell?" Subaru 5 muttered to himself, prodding his chest in disbelief. "I swear Woods slipped something into my drink."

"You get used to it eventually." The armored engineer mentioned as he stood up from his spot on the floor.

"Speak for yourself, partner." Subaru 4 answered raspily, rubbing his aching throat and picking up his peace maker as he did so.

"Apparently thinking is a foreign concept to you people.' The deadpan tone of the Warden re-captured the attention of the Subarus. Most of them stared in some form of amusement at the argument between the disembodied voice and Lugnica's residents.

"Apparently being straightforward is a mystery to you as well." Crusch noted irritably with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Yeah, come on an' just spill already!" Garfiel shouted towards the Warden.

"If I give you the answer then what is the point of the lesson?" He replied with restrained annoyance.

"Your methods have been ineffective so far." Julius chimed in. "Perhaps it is time to be forthcoming with your intentions."

"And perhaps it is time to drop the pretentious knight act." The voice instantly snapped back with irritation. "Your pompous attitude has been ineffective so far."

"Ha, I'll admit that was a good one." Felt giggled childishly.

"Felt-sama that hardly seems appropriate to laugh at."

"Eh, it was kinda funny." Al agreed with a small shrug.

"Insulting us, how very mature." Crusch bit back, rolling her eyes as she did so.

"All right, let's settle down now." The pilot made a placating gesture as he stepped forward. "How about we talk like actual adults instead of arguing like a bunch of angsty teens." He turned his attention toward the ceiling. "I think you owe us an explanation for why we're here don't ya think?"

"Not complaining or anything about the peace here, but some context would be nice." Subaru 1 added.

"Very well, I suppose you six do deserve some kind of answer." A long, pregnant pause was the immediate answer to the raven-haired man; however it was soon followed with a long, tired sigh.

"Uh, don't you mean seven?" Ricardo cast a wary glance toward the masked figure in the corner.

"I know what I said." The Warden repeated with pure steel in his voice. "We'll get to it later."

The reply filled the air with a sense of unease, directed entirely toward the still figure watching them silently. Those that turned their attention towards him quickly looked away when they locked gazes with the blackened eyes. He stood still, watching the residents of the theater with a cold, unfeeling stare while the Subaru 3 visibly kept his guard up just in case the masked man tried anything. It was unnerving how despondent he was being and the participants within the theater were more than eager to forget about his presence. Their attention moved back to the disembodied jailer, the sense of unease receding but not disappearing.

"Now, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, the men who stand before you are far more familiar than you first thought."

"Oh for the love of the dragon we established that they are Barasu, stop being a-" Ram started before her mouth suddenly snapped shut, effectively cutting off whatever insult she had planned.

"As I was saying, the men before you are all indeed Natsuki Subaru, however they are not the same person." The Warden explained with a sigh. "Now before you bombard me with questions, allow me to explain." It explained hastily, knowing that several members had opened their mouths to voice their inquiries. "I intended for you to converse with each one, learning how their paths diverged, how different they were from one another."

"I wanted you to understand that you do not understand Subaru as well as you think you do."

The statement was about as vague as any other that the Warden provided to them, yet each camp found themselves puzzled by the statement. Of course, they didn't know Subaru as well as they would've liked, some could even admit that they were not that well acquainted with him. However, after watching four Arcs of the raven-haired teen's journey the cast thought that they had a pretty good understanding of Subaru. Those within the Emilia camp were especially insulted, they were Subaru's closest friends and allies. They may not have known everything about him, but they knew for certain who their friend was.

"That's some bullshit!" Garfiel, surprisingly, was the first to speak out. "We know capn' better than anyone!"

"I know my knight; we've been through so much together." Emilia added with a firm nod of her head.

"We may have our differences, but I think I understand Subaru well enough after these viewings." The purple haired knight contested.

"I believe we have a far better understanding of him than you could ever have." Crusch argued defiantly. "What do you know?"

"Natsuki Subaru…a brave yet idiotic man who continues to pick himself up even if he is beaten into the ground repeatedly." The voice began somberly, a stark contrast to its usual booming presence. "A hero to some, a friend to others but above all else he is a man who refuses to give up on his friends-no matter what it may cost him. But he is also a broken man-who can never escape the monsters of the world. Whether it be yours…or his own."

The armored engineer's eyes widened, staring at the ceiling in disbelief and fear. The Slayer's eyes had an understanding look in them.

"He is also a man who refuses to sit back and allow others to fight on his behalf." With each passing word the tone began to shift to a more aggressive inflection.

Subaru 2 rubbed the back of his sheepishly, feeling his cheeks tinge pink.

"Or a man whose rage is the only thing he has left in the world. Someone who is constantly stuck in a never-ending cycle of rage, violence, and bloodshed."

Subaru 3 felt his chest tighten at the statement, memories of his bloody past resurfacing once more.

"He's also a man who rides with a band of criminals because he knows how far he has fallen."

Subaru 4 shifted the brim of his stetson to cover the coldness that had filled in his irises.

"But also a soldier who will get his hands dirty so the rest of the world can sleep peacefully." The Warden was not outright shouting, but his volume was far louder than any of the cast had heard before.

Said CIA operative narrowed his eyes in suspicion, wondering just how much this 'Warden' knew about his life.

"And a survivor who will fight to his last breath just to make it through the night." The Warden finished firmly.

Subaru 6 nodded along with the voice, keeping a composed and kind expression.

"I know Natsuki Subaru better than you ever will, Crusch Karsten. Remember that."

The room was consumed by an uncomfortable silence, the only real sound being the even breathing of Subaru 7. The residents of Lugnica were in a state of shock and puzzlement, their minds beginning to understand what their jailer was saying. Though they've only spoken to each Subaru for a few minutes at best, they noticed that each one had their own quirks and differences. Though they all shared the same face and name, no two Subarus were ever the same, each had their own distinct personality. Turning their attention toward the group of six, the cast took a real look at each Subaru, noticing how each reacted in a different way to the Warden's words.

Subaru 1's demeanor visibly sagged for reasons that alluded and concerned the cast, reminding them of his breakdown when he first arrived. In stark contrast Subaru 2 looked bashful, an awkward but kind smile plastered on his face. The rage filled eyes of Subaru 3 seemed to burn with even more ferocity than before with pain and sorrow being buried underneath all of that anger. Subaru 4 seemed to be looking anywhere but at the cast or the other Subarus, his hat pulled down to hide whatever expression he may have had on. Subaru 5's suspicious stare did not surprise the audience, however the unwavering resolve that radiated off of him did. Subaru 6 appeared to be the closest the cast could get to their own Natsuki, standing proudly with a kind smile on his face. No one bothered to spare the newest Subaru a glance, they just got rid of the uneasy feeling crawling up their spines.

Seeing each Subaru react with such diversity threw the cast in for a loop, a single, unspoken thought appearing in their minds. The men that stand before them are not Natsuki Subaru, not the one that they knew anyway. Sure some had a trait or two that could be found in their Subaru, but there was never a direct duplicate. The six Subarus had stories of their own, unknown trials and tribulations that shaped them to be who they were at this very moment. It was a bit unsettling to see how their friend could have so many distinct changes to his personality.

"Perhaps, you may have a point." Crusch conceded with a defeated sigh.

"So she finally admits it." The voice responded with a flat tone. "It took you long enough."

"Ok, so these Natsukis are different from the one that we know, but why?" Otto questioned with confused expression. "Isn't Natsuki you know…Natsuki."

"Barasu is easily predictable, so either these men are not Barasu or there's more to them than we understand." Ram added.

"Oh, they are Natsuki Subaru, of that there is no doubt." The Warden answered without hesitation.

"Then the questionnnn is, what is the storyyyyy behind you seven then?" Roswaal gave a wide, intrigued smile.

There was a beat of silence as the six Natsuki's glanced at one another, unsure of how to answer the clown's question. They all had a lifetime, in some cases several lifetimes, worth of stories to tell to the cast. Some were open to sharing the details of their new life while others were far more reserved in opening up. When none of the six men made a move to speak the disembodied voice made the first move.

"You wish not to share your tales?" It asked.

"I don't really mind, not sure about the other guys though." The pilot answered, jabbing his thumb in the direction of his counterparts.

"Eh, sure why not." Subaru 6 shrugged casually.

"I guess I can spare a few stories." Subaru 4 said with a sigh. "Though I ain't gonna tell ya my whole life story."

"I…I-I don't know." The necromorph slayer muttered quietly. "I've seen a lot…been through a lot, I don't think I can relive some of it again."

"Mmm." Subaru 3 hummed thoughtfully. "Not for faint of heart."

"Not a chance." The CIA operative quickly and firmly shot down. "There's a reason my file is covered in black ink."

"What exactly does that mean?" Julius prodded curiously.

"It means the people who know who I am are either my colleagues or dead." Subaru 5 responded with a dark tone. "Want to know which category you'd fall into?"

"Ah-I think I got the message." The purple haired knight replied swiftly. The hairs on the back of his neck stood tall with alert.

"Hmm, it appears we've come to an impasse then." The Warden's voice garnered the room's attention once more. "I intended for them to learn about a piece of each of your origins so they may better understand my lesson. Perhaps an agreement can be made CIA."

"You have twenty seconds."

"You have full control over what you may reveal to the cast no matter how small it may be. On my part I will not interfere by any means when it is your time."

"And if I refuse?" Subaru 5 questioned with a hardened tone.

"Then I'll send you on your merry way back to your mission, however I'll have full discretion over any and all details I feel are necessary for them to know." The Warden answered smoothly.

"Tch." The operative gave an annoyed grunt as he mentally weighed his options. Settling on the fact that he'd rather have control over what information gets out about him. If this Warden is as omnipotent as he appears then there's no telling just what it would reveal. "Fine, but I do it my way."

"By your command, special agent." It agreed. "As for the rest of you that are hesitant, perhaps I can lend a hand by using the screen to convey information that you might have trouble explaining." The voice offered calmly.

"Sure, I'll take that deal." Subaru 6 accepted. "Don't know how I would explain a volatile or bolter to them."

"Thanks, but I'll pass. It'll kill all the fun of explaining it." The pilot declined kindly.

"Double that for me." The CIA operative added. "Last thing I want is a picture book of my whole life story."

"...acceptable." Subaru 3 grunted in affirmation. "Voice…is still dry."

"I suppose I can use the help." The outlaw shrugged indifferently. "Saves me the trouble of speaking."

"Excellent, now that is settled, who would like to go first?" The Warden proposed. However, before any of the Subarus could volunteer the cast began to voice their own opinions.

"Ma amazon' self thinks that big fuckn' capn' should go first." Garfiel started, eagerly pointing at the green armored behemoth.

"I…want to see that Subaru's story too." Petra added, curious as to how he went from being like their Subaru to the rage filled person that he is now.

"I want to know how Natsuki became like this." Otto said, looking over at Subaru 3, wondering how his brother became like whatever Subaru 3 is.

"I'm interested to know as well." Reinhard included, questioning how his friend, someone who is one of the most kind hearted and good natured people he has ever met, could become someone like Subaru 3. A brutal, rage filled man capable of killing what he could only think of as the stuff of nightmares.

"I additionally would like to learn this Subaru-dono's story." Wilhelm nodded along, agreeing with the others which shockingly included his grandson. In his mind, he needed to know how Subaru, someone who he thought of as his own grandson, could become capable of ever becoming a person of such violence. A kindred spirit to what he was like when he himself was younger.

"While he certainly looks interestin' I want to know more about this Harran Virus." Anastasia rebutted, glancing at Subaru 6 with pure intrigue. "I wanna know just what this Subaru has been through."

"Could you be more transparent in your biases Hoshin?" Crusch asked rhetorically. "Subaru 1 has a lot of potential that you are overlooking."

"Now look who's being biased." The merchant princess muttered underneath her breath.

"I think Subaru 2 should go first." Emilia piped up between the two other candidates.

"The half elf is right on this one, I suppose." Beatrice agreed.

"Emilia-sama, that Barasu looks as interesting as our own. Which is to say not as much." Ram said with a flat tone.

"Thank you." Said Natsuki fixed the oni with an unamused stare.

"Eh, I agree with Big Sis. I wanna hear more about these 'giant robots'." Felt added with a shrug.

"I kinda wanna knyow more about Subaru 6 as well." Felix chimed in with his own opinion.

While the cast argued amongst themselves, the different Subarus watched the unfolding chaos with amusement. Frankly the majority of them didn't care about the order, however it was highly amusing to see the well-respected residents of Lugnica argue like a bunch of children. Those that hadn't been brought up found the situation more enjoyable to watch.

"I don't know whether to feel insulted or not about being talked about." Subaru 4 mumbled to himself.

"I don't." Subaru 5 responded evenly.

"Shocking." The Nightrunner rolled his eyes.

"I think it's funny." Subaru 2 said. "Reminds me of my back and forth with B.T."

"Missed…having moments…like this. Haven't had them…in a long time." Subaru 3 said, his voice still scratchy. He was slightly smiling, but only enough to be barely noticeable, something that he hasn't done in he doesn't know how long.

"Moments like this are long gone now for me. Best it stay that way too." Subaru 4 said, watching the cast with an unreadable expression.

"Alright that's enough, this is taking far too long. They don't have all day and neither does my patience." Their jailer suddenly intervened, killing the debate between the cast. "Since you can't decide, I'll do it for you. Slayer, you'll be the first one to go, the rest of you make yourselves comfortable with the rest of the cast."

With that the other five men made their way over to the audience while Subaru 3 remained standing just underneath the screen. The pilot took a seat to the right of Emilia, flashing the half elf a kind smile as he did so. Caught off guard by the closeness of the man, Emilia's face gained a noticeable red tint, much to Subaru 2's amusement. Subaru 1 decided on taking a spot next to Crusch, giving his thanks to Wilhelm who had moved over one seat. The green haired candidate gave the armored engineer a comforting look before turning her attention back to the slayer.

Subaru 4 sat a few seats away from the cast, about two seats away from where Felt and Reinhard sat. The Nightrunner maneuvered his way up the aisle until he was on the same row as Anastasia's camp. Secretly enjoying this development Anastasia ordered her knight to move over, his seat now being occupied by Subaru 6. Finally, Subaru 5 made his way to the opposite wall of Subaru 7, the operative leaning his back against the stone casually. The silent, masked Natsuki remained motionless in his spot, watching the crowd with his blank gaze.

"Now sit back, relax, and witness true hell on earth."

Next chapter: "The Slayer"