Writer's note:
Thanks for being patient everybody! I've been working on this one steadily and slowly for the past couple months, putting in a hundred or so words in here and there. I didn't think this chapter would turn out as long as it did, but here it is... Anyways, a few important details to clarify since my story is confusing as all hell, and having two Subarus to write is sadistic. I try to separate the two in ways you might have noticed. Originally in the Web novel, Amnesia-baru was classified separately from the real Subaru from whether or not his name was in italics. You might see a bit of that. But the main difference I try to show is in their perceptions of each other. For example, Amnesia-baru views himself as [Weak] and Ley-baru as [Strong], while Ley-baru views himself as [Fake] and Amnesia-baru as [Real].
Beyond that, I have a few things to mention about this story and it's future. I intend to finish this arc in the next couple chapters, and then put the story on hiatus. This is because I have another story that I have been cooking up in my head for the past 6 months and really want to put full effort into writing it. I look forward to everyone's reactions to it in the future, and hope you understand my decision. It may not be for everybody, but I primarily want to write it for myself. I know it's a selfish reason, but that's the entire point of fanfiction for me.
Anyways, the pacing is hard to pin with this one, but I tried to make it flow as best I could. If anybody has any feedback, I would super appreciate it! Make sure to leave a review if anything sticks out to you, whether you loved it or hated it! You guys keep me going. I hope you Enjoy!
Chapter 12: Natsuki Subaru Dies
"Onii-san, what about the purple haired lady and Ram onee-sama?" Meili chirped at Subaru's side having made it to the Green Room, setting Julius on the bed.
"Beatrice and Shaula too. All we can do is wait for Emilia to find them." He spun around after setting Julius on the vines.
Now with Rem, Julius, Subaru and Meili inhabiting the Green Room, the door had abruptly closed before Emilia was able to get in. Anastasia and Ram were most likely at the central room, but the entrance was on the opposite side of the circular hallway.
"Meili, you have some kind of weird... Sixth sense power, right? Can you see where they are?"
Meili puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.
"That's not what it is, you dork! I can talk to Demon Beasts and control them. You are so~ clueless."
It was almost cute to her, the fact that he was so utterly blank was a breath of fresh air. Someone without ulterior motives, an empty slate. He was innocent and yet assertive. She hoped that the world he had now found himself a part of wouldn't tarnish him.
Ending their banter before it could continue, the door flung open and a familiar half naked woman burst through. "Master! There you are, Shaula has been-"
The girl threw her arms wide and made a direct line for Subaru, but before she could reach him, the group noticed that a strange black pool open beneath the boy's feet.
"Uh-?" Was the last thing that came from his mouth, before he was swallowed into the ground.
"Wh...Onii-san!?" Meili reached for him, but her hands only managed to hit the floor.
"Wh-What."
Her complexion broke. Fear and guilt began to swell. It was only for a few seconds, but she lost all composure in that brief moment. She pulled her arms and and grabbed her shoulders. Her nails dug into her skin as she shivered.
"I'm useless. Why did I even begin to think that I could do anything?" She muttered.
But before she could fall further into her stupor, the tall half naked women across from her pouted, not much differently than she herself did a moment ago.
"Jeez. Master always tries to get away from me. That other ankle-biter is lucky. Next time I'm grabbing him and I'm not letting go."
Meili opened and closed her eyes hearing Shaula speak like this. Wasn't she worried? Did she really have faith that nothing terrible had happened to him? And the "other ankle-biter", what did she...
"Oh. The great spirit lady took him." She quickly realized.
So stupid.
Really, how was she even able to live like this? And she only even managed to bark out insults at him before Beatrice took him... Even if they had no bite, she still felt ashamed.
She shook hear head and gazed back at Shaula. Why would Beatrice take him? Regardless, She needed to find out what had happened.
"Naked onee-san." Meili raised her hands in the air.
"What is it, ankle-biter number two?" The demi-scorpion responded.
Meili opened and closed her fingers in the air, trying to make the gesture a bit more obvious. Shaula simply stared at her with a blank expression for a few seconds, before letting out a sigh.
"You want me to pick you up? You've been crawling all over me the past couple of days pulling at my scorpion tail!"
Meili stayed in place with her hands raised.
"We need to find him." Was all she said.
Shaula looked at her for another several seconds, then let out a "tch."
"Fine~, But I won't slow down just because you're up there ya know."
Shaula bent over and started to reach towards the child.
"Hhk."
She stopped half way.
Meili could feel the shaking of another impact coming from the fight outside.
"What is it?" The young girl spoke again.
She looked closely at Shaula, who she quickly noticed had a horrified expression painted over her face. The women sluggishly pulled her arms back away from the girl, shaking and muttering under her breath.
"R...R-run." She barely managed to spit out to Meili, who only grew more perplexed the longer she stared.
"Huh? What do you mean naked onee-san? We need to get go~ing."
Shaula simply continued to tremble and step back, gasping and stuttering.
"R-run! I said run! You… You have to get out of here!" Shaula berated the girl, covering her own head with her hands.
"If you don't, I'll... I'll..."
Shaula fell to her knees and began to shake and mutter even more vigorously. Meili fixated on her eyes. Three red dots lining her pupils began to grow bright. The girl recalled the conversation they had with Shaula when they had first arrived at the tower.
"About these rules, Shaula-chan." Emilia gestured to the girl with a scorpion tail on her head. "What happens if we break them?"
Another boom shook the tower.
"Don't do that. If you do that, the Doom music will start playing and I'll just turn into a crazy killing machine."
"Oh no."
Meili could feel it. The pressure began to mount in the girls chest as she understood exactly what Shaula meant.
The person in front of her was a monster. She couldn't see a horn of any kind, but it was easy for her to tell.
Meili didn't know exactly what Shaula was going to turn into. But none of that mattered in the first place.
"We'll be here with you. I'll be here with you. When you want to run, just run to us. If you want to fight, fight along with us. If you want to have fun, have fun with us. We'll work together."
The memory of Subaru's words earlier that day rang out in her head.
For one reason or another, those words soothed her. Even if they were just memories, Even if they never came to fruition.
She would turn those words into wishes. She wouldn't let them become hallow, not while she could still breath.
Meili reached down and tied her fingers around Shaula's hands, which were still locked to the women's ears. Her skin was beginning to darken, hardening little by little.
Shaula opened her eyes to see the girl. Her forehead was pressed against her own. The child was entirely focused on her.
"...Why... Are you, still... Here?"
Everything was going dark. Her vision blurred as she fought to stay conscious. But before she could fade, a reply made it's way through her ears.
"I... I won't let you become like me. I won't let you become a murderer... We're in this together."
The small child closed her eyes and grit her teeth. Shaula could make out blood conveying from the girls nose. And a voice, almost like a command pushed it's way into the scorpion's head.
Stop. Was all it said.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. The voice repeated.
It was attempting to overwrite the words of her master. A commandment she couldn't control.
The speed of her transformation was waning, but it's progress could only be slowed.
There was no stopping it.
Stop. The words said again.
'I... Want to...'
Stop.
'But I can't…'
Stop.
Stop.
'Why. Why can't I-'
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
"Ghk...Ahk..." She could hear the distressed breathing from the girl across from her.
STOP.
Meili's breathing continued to hitch as her grip grew tighter over Shaula's head.
STOP.
The words in Shaula's head had grown erratic. Desperate.
STOP.
Through the faint amount of light that entered her eyes, she saw Meili.
STOP.
Blood pooled from her nose, ears and mouth.
STOP.
And moments later...
STOP.
The little girl had collapsed.
"..."
The commands to stop were finally cut off.
Shaula hung on to her mind for only a short moment longer.
Before the command of something greater took it's place.
"..."
Destroy
The wall behind Subaru was immediately turned to dust as he narrowly evaded the Sword Saint's attack.
Just using two fingers... How cocky can this guy get?
Reid wound his hand back in front of his chest. Steam was expelling at the tips of his fingers from the sheer heat generated from his attack.
"Yer on the back foot, even with that new blade a' yers... I was pretty sure youd've went all out on me by now."
It had become clear to the man that Subaru was stalling. The boy simply remained quiet, choosing not to speak. He was hoping to convince Reid that he was earnestly using everything at his disposal to take down the man.
If I go all out right now, I won't be able to kill him.
His gate was exhausted of mana. Subaru hated to say it, but magic would be the only way to kill him. For the time being, Subaru had to resort only to physical attacks so that he could focus on absorbing as much mana as possible. In the meantime, he would have to poke and prod until he found the extent of Reid's weaknesses.
"Hey, Reid. How about we play a game?"
The red haired man looked uninterested.
"Game? Do I look lika' kid to you?"
Subaru waved his hands in front of his face.
"No no no, nothing like that. I mean a gentleman's game. A betting game."
Reid raised his eye. "Tha only bet I'm makin is kickin' yer ass."
Subaru shrugged. "Ah, I guess that's it. We'll never find out who the winner might have been..."
Reid jerked his head back.
Heh. There it is.
"Nnnng. Aight. Ya' got my attention. What's the game?"
That quickly?! I though he would have been a bit more of a tsundere about it.
Subaru did a double take as he stood in front of the man.
"Uh-uhum. Yeah. So, here's here's how it goes."
Subaru started by lifting his hand in the shape of a fist.
"It's called Rock Paper Scissors."
He swapped his hand into different forms to show the different shapes.
"Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. Before you choose which one you want to use, you have to go- Rock-paper-scissors, shoot!"
Subaru gestured his fist over his other hand, showing the ritual they had to perform before casting scissors, teaching Reid the method.
"I figure that aint too far off from a bett'n game. But what're we wagerin?"
Subaru grinned. "Simple. If you lose, the other person gets to hit you wherever, and however they want to. You can't dodge. A test of sheer strength."
The Sword Saint smiled in return. "Now yer speakin' my language! Take me on, ya prick!"
Julius opened his eyes.
He made no attempt to shield his pupils from the light that carved it's way into his sight. Every agonizing detail was important, even if he had already seen this ceiling multiple times.
Beneath him, he could make out the rough, but warm sensation. He was on a bed of vines, his left hand which had been leaned off the side of the bed could feel the prickly sensation of the grass beneath.
He quickly shot up, putting his feet to the grass and standing. The quick change in blood pressure antagonized his vision, before regulating enough that he could draw in his surroundings.
At his feet, a young girl with blue hair lay on the ground, blood lightly pooled around her head. He could make out the slow, but pained breaths, proof that Meili was still alive. That revelation was quite relieving to Julius, who under most circumstances would have blamed himself if she had been lost beyond all hope before he could do anything.
Strangely, he didn't find a trace of any type of wound on her, it seemed that the blood had come from the orifices of her body, almost as if it was a result of incredible stress. But seeing it to such a degree, he worried that blood loss might be the least of her worries. Fortunately they were in the Green Room, the best possible place to be in such a predicament.
He lifted her off of the grass and placed her in the bed that he had just risen from. There wasn't much more information to be gained from her, so he decided to look around.
Rem was also still safely in bed, the rise and fall of her chest was evidence that she had been unharmed. Across the room, near the entryway, a massive hole had been made in the wall. Bricks and broken stone lined the entrance, and he could make out the sounds of a struggle not too far outside.
Julius quickly made his way out into the hallway, before two familiar earth dragons arrived directly in front of him.
"Anastasia-sama!" Atop Patrasche, the candidate he had sworn loyalty to looked down at him. Julius' own ground dragon was also in tow.
"Eh, Julius, right? You should stay in there, it's dangerous-"
"I appreciate your concern my lady, but let me assure you that I will be quite alright."
Anastasia seemed perplexed at this, but quickly caved to his intentions.
"If ya say so. I'll take Gyan and Patrasche-chan in the Green Room, but you might want to give the other two a hand."
She gestured towards the end of the hallway where there was an opening, the commotion of a battle was noticeable from the quaking sounds of brick.
Without another word, Julius sped forward to catch a glimpse of the scene.
Two figures stood at the front, a massive pool of blood and carcasses covered the entry to the staircase. Fortunately, Julius could tell that they were not human, as they were Demon Beasts of varying sizes, and each seemed to have the familiar multicolored pelt covering their bodies. But closer to him than the mass of blood and carrion, he focused his attention on the two maidens that were likely the cause of such devastation.
"Ram, Emilia-sama!"
The two turned around to address the knight, but were quickly distracted as another foe shot through the bloody entryway.
"What is that?!" Emilia shouted.
"It appears all of the Courtesan Bears have been dealt with, but that was only the beginning. Emilia-sama, that is a Hungry Horse King!"
Emilia would have replied, but she was called to immediate action by the looming threat.
"Gyyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaak!" The creature screamed, the noise was like a gross combination between a howl and the cry of a child.
"El Fula!" Ram bestowed the first blow on the creature before it could reach the duo, slicing it's right arm off at the elbow, and carving a large cut through the right side of it's chest.
Despite this, the monster quickly shook off the attack and resumed it's path towards them.
"I don't think so!" Emilia shouted, raising a large battle axe made of ice, sweeping it sideways in an attempt to cut the beast in half at the abdomen.
Unexpectedly to her, the beast reached to it's back, pulling forth a flaming sword, even larger in size than her battle axe.
The sword met her axe, blocking her strike completely, whilst simultaneously melting through her weapon.
"E-ehh?!" Catching the girl off guard, the centaur lifted it's blade again, ready to attack.
"Al Cranvel."
A blinding white light covered her vision, before she could make out that the beast had been struck. An enormous hole, nearly the circumference of it's body in size, opened in the lower torso of the monster, incinerating it's innards and simultaneously cauterizing the massive wound.
Bereft of any ability to continue functioning, the creature died instantly and collapsed to the ground.
Julius stood in front of her, an aura of mana surrounding him. He almost appeared to be a rainbow, if not for his voice, he might have been unrecognizable to her.
"Please support me from the back with ranged attacks. I will handle them from the front."
The girl stood in place, a confused expression quickly swapped to a more determined one.
"Right."
As the princess backed into position, two additional Hungry Horse Kings stormed through the opening of the stairs, charging directly at the man.
Shards of ice flew over Julius' back, smashing into the creature on the right. Now finding himself able to close the distance as one of them was distracted, he sprinted towards the monster on the left, lifting his hand as if he were intending to chop away at the beasts head.
Raising his palm, his fingers began to glow an array of colors. The change in air pressure throughout the room caused the air to swell, wind blowing his hair from side to side as he readied his strike.
Bringing it level with the ground in an instant, the air stilled. A mild wake of calm overcame the room as his target stood in place.
A short moment later it collapsed to the ground, it's entire body separating in two parts, splitting it from head to hoof in a symmetrical line.
The remaining centaur froze in place a few seconds later. A fist had met with it's side, blood and guts exploding from it's lower body and painting the wall in crimson as it's life came to an abrupt end.
At the center, the lone man stood. He ripped the tattered regalia from his back, tossing it to his side and revealing a black shirt.
A sword would be nice. He thought to himself.
Regardless, he was perfectly capable with his hands. Thanks to the support of his spirits, his body was enhanced with magic by such a degree that a sword wouldn't make much difference. Although he inwardly preferred the elegance of a sword, he almost felt like a suitable change had been made to be left without it, given his prior resolution.
He shook away his thoughts as he returned his attention to another few creatures spilling in from the stairs.
He wasn't sure what might have been causing the sudden attack, but sealed away all but one thought which was left to dominate his mind.
"I will protect them."
Reid's fist centered in Subaru's jaw.
The boy's body flung through the wall, flipping backwards like a toy. His momentum continued to carry him through wall after wall, until he had finally lost enough of the force not to burst through the next.
His back crashed into the final layer of brick, quickly coming to a stop.
"Ghhh." His body let out a groan.
It wasn't of his own volition however. It was honestly a miracle every bone in his body wasn't already broken. But even something like that was only a drop in the bucket for what he had experienced before.
Tortured and disintegrated countless times, there were few things capable of making Natsuki Subaru bat an eye.
"Rock beats scissors, doesn' it? Don't tell me yer already callin' it quits, ya prick."
It was almost comical.
Without changing the form of his hand, the moment Reid had casted rock, his fist slammed into Subaru's face without hesitation.
Despite his... 'Enthusiastic' behavior, it was clear that he had been taking it easy on Subaru. The boy could only imagine what might have happened if the Sword Saint took his time, or perhaps gave himself a running start. If he didn't quickly become paste on the ceiling, Subaru would have likely been flung off the edge of the Great Waterfall.
Subaru focused some healing magic over his wounds.
He wondered whose memories the magic might have come from. It didn't take him very long to recall who it might have been.
Rem.
He considered the use of memories that constituted Gluttony's abilities.
Each of the Gluttony trio had the abilities of every name or memory they had eaten. But the memories of that person weren't simply copied. The memories were almost like a physical transcript, they were passed between each twin at their will, only allowing one of them to use the memories at a time. Despite that, they were able to share the abilities without such worries.
He assumed that if one died, the memories would then rest with another Gluttony. It was for that reason that he had to kill them. Both Roy and Ley. One of which was the body he was currently inhabiting. He would have to kill himself.
He wanted to laugh, but it wasn't funny. The business of taking lives had fallen squarely on his own shoulders. He would kill Reid to kill Roy, He would kill himself to kill Ley.
However revolting a scenario it was, he would have to move forward. This was the only chance he had at saving Rem. The opportunity had practically been thrown in his lap. If he didn't make good on it, he wouldn't even know how to atone.
Wearily, he raised himself to his feet. He had been there for over a minute, but finally remembered what Reid said to him.
"I'm just fine. I'll be even better when I destroy that rock of yours with my paper."
Reid cocked his head. "Tch. Go ahead and try,"
The two stood facing each other for a moment longer, before putting their hands out.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" They both audibly said.
Subaru's hand was in the shape of a rock.
He cast his glance over to the red haired man, who wore an astonished look on his face, and his fingers were in the shape of a pair of scissors.
WHAT?! HE ACTUALLY FELL FOR THAT!? Subaru screamed internally.
Subaru could not have hoped for a better opportunity, he had been conserving mana specifically for this reason.
Just a few more minutes and I will have enough.
"Well, I hope you're ready Reid, I've been winding this one up for a while."
The man lit up with a grin. "That so? Look 'ere, you. Think yer gonna do shit ta' me? Yer bluffin'."
Reid stood in place, a grin stretched across his face.
That was exactly what Subaru wanted.
The Sword Saint was underestimating him, his guard was clearly down.
"Suit yourself I guess. Just remember that you're the one who signed up for this."
"Shut yer yammerin' ya prick! I'll act the way I wanna, as if yer... Well shit."
The debate was cut short, as a gap in the wall opened behind the boy.
"Subaru! Behind you, in fact!" The familiar voice of his contracted spirit beckoned him from across the room.
Turning around, he saw it.
It was literally a giant scorpion, Shaula's hidden form, launching a strike directly for him.
He had to reinforce his body with mana to avoid getting killed. Mana that he had been saving. But did he even have time? He cast his thoughts aside, there was another option.
Dorkell-
He began to imagine the shape he needed to take, but before he could, a red flashed intercepted a strike from the beast.
Reid's palm caught the strike from Shaula's tail. Subaru realized that the Sword Saint may have temporarily saved his life, but quickly understood the possibility that he would take it too far.
"Wait... Reid, don't hurt-"
"Annoyin' bug. Eat shit."
Before the words could finished escaping his mouth, he laid witness to the scorpion as it was brutally dismembered.
Each of it's legs separated from it's body, as Reid traced his fingers through the joints.
Finishing what he had started, the man grabbed the top of Shaula's carapace, raising her above his head.
"Nobody's interruptin' our fight."
His arms pulled her body and tail in different directions, finally ripping her tail from her abdomen.
Blood-like juices descended onto the floor, leaving behind a gory mess.
"Now screw off."
He dropped what remained of the Scorpion onto the ground as it let out an animalistic shriek. He took note of the massive hole in the side of the tower, the red sun still spilling through the gap.
The man looked down at the bug, then smashed his foot into her side.
The body of the scorpion spun through the air, letting out a whimper as her torso fell from the tower and into the sand below.
"Shaula!"
Subaru heard himself scream.
But it wasn't from his mouth. He had an idea this might happen, and as shocking as it was, he wasn't entirely ready to lose his cool. But the one who was shouting her name at the top of his lungs, was the real Subaru.
He turned toward the noise, roughly the spot Beatrice was. He saw himself, his original self.
He was grieving.
Why was he grieving?
He had lost something important. But it wasn't him... No, it was him.
Subaru turned to look at his younger self again, so enveloped in the loss of a friend.
A friend that Natsuki Subaru had made. She was killed.
So what did that leave for him?
Only to reset?
He would have to Return by Death. Reid had killed him. Not him, but Natsuki Subaru.
"Shaula has been waiting on her master for four hundred years!"
"...Huh."
Those words stood out to him. A memory from meeting her earlier on in the tower.
Why did he remember this? Was that even important? He moved his eyes back to the [Weak] Subaru.
Crying. He was crying? That Subaru didn't even remember that encounter with Shaula. Somehow, in the short span of time that Natsuki Subaru was gone, Natsuki Subaru had already bonded with the girl.
He knew he was practically a baby. He might feel sorrow for people he might never have even met.
But he was crying. Grieving.
He was going to reset. Reid had killed him. Reid had killed Shaula.
"Tell me you love me, Master!"
"...Ugh... Ghk..."
Reid had killed her.
The [Real] Natsuki Subaru had to reset. He had to die. Because Natsuki Subaru had failed.
Natsuki Subaru had to die. Natsuki Subaru had to take on the suffering wrought by Natsuki Subaru's failure.
But... I don't get it...
He pushed his hands over his ears. He couldn't get it out of his head.
Natsuki Subaru was crying.
Why hadn't it stopped?
It was so, so loud.
He hated it.
He did this.
No...
Reid did this.
Reid killed her.
Reid killed him.
Reid.
Reid Astrea.
The first Sword Saint.
The Heavenly Sword.
Stick Swinger.
"Fucking..."
He reached within himself.
What was he doing? He didn't have enough mana yet. What if he...
It didn't matter. All that mattered was Reid.
Al Huma.
A large spear of ice formed over his head. The air pressure changed from the sudden loss in temperature.
He choked up some blood and spit it out. He was dipping into his od.
Doesn't… Fucking matter.
His body was reeling. He didn't care. He cast the next spell.
Al Minya.
Two separate crystals of mana were now hovering above his head.
Bile rose to his throat. He forced it back down. It didn't matter.
Reid.
He pushed his mana through his gate again.
"Cocytus."
The chunk of ice and the shimmering crystal faded into each other. Subaru plunged his sword into the mass, down to the hilt until it was entirely buried inside the crystal.
Slowly, the crystal condensed. As it condensed, it started to form the shape of his sword.
Finally, the shape finished.
The sword fell to the ground, slamming into the brick with a heavy thud. The weight had increased hundreds of times over, alongside it's durability. The transformation was fully complete, it would not fade away like the last one had.
Subaru leaned over and lifted it out of the small crater that had formed around the edges of the blade.
It glowed white and purple, dark swirls of mana weaved through it like waves in a body of water. A few sparks generated around it's edges as he lifted it onto his shoulder, holding it steady with his right hand.
"I don't care..."
He put his left hand on the hilt, now holding it with both arms.
"If I have to use everything..."
He reinforced his body with mana directly from his od.
His feet left the ground, rampaging footprints carved their way into the brick under the weight of the sword he carried.
He released the blade from his shoulder and began to wind his arms backwards.
"Just Fucking die."
Sweat made it's way down Reid's forehead. He readied himself for the coming blow.
Subaru made a final leap, having twisted the blade behind his back, steeling himself for the swing he was about to drive into his opponent.
Aiming directly for Reid's face, he landed his feet in front of the man, pulling the incredibly heavy weapon over his own head. The tip of the sword made a straight line from back to front over his shoulders, as if aimed to slice the Sword Saint himself in half from hair to hell.
As the sword reached it's apex, the boy cast his final spell.
"Ul Vita."
At his words, the already incredibly dense sword had increased in weight by a factor of ten.
Subaru could hear the man beneath him mumble something.
It didn't matter. Reid's death was all that mattered.
He had to be punished.
The blade finally completed it's arc, smashing into Reid's cranium.
Behind it, the air swept anything and everything that wasn't secured to the walls or the floor into a storm of debris. The stone beneath them breached into a wide fissure from the pressure, with Reid at the center, the momentum from the strike tunneling his body through the brick and stone as he was forced further downward into the tower.
After a short period it had broken through the bottom of the fourth floor, his hands and feet spinning as he reached the open air of the fifth.
Then after a few tenths of a second, he slammed into the ground floor, tunneling his way through into the sixth floor as his body ragdolled.
Finally, his back slammed into the bottom of the sixth floor, flattening a Hungry Horse King in the process.
Not far behind, Subaru followed, diving through the air with his sword in both hands.
Cratering into the bottom of the Sixth floor, his feet landed in a wide stance, barely managing to keep himself upright thanks to the weight of the sword.
He noticed several Hungry Horse Kings surrounding him. He heaved some more blood out of his throat.
His gaze fell off of Reid for a few seconds, aware of the unwanted attention. One of the beasts felt inclined to take action and charged at him. Subaru took a step forward, his footprint driving into the floor like a sledge hammer.
He pulled the sword over his shoulder, guiding it in a sideways arch and slamming the flat end of the weapon into the beast's lower body.
Air forced itself in the direction of the blade, following it and then kicking up dust, before a sound resembling a popped balloon aired out into the tower.
The monster's body instantly imploded from the collision, and the following air eviscerated it into a fine red mist. One quarter of the circular wall of the Sixth floor was painted red from the ensuing gore.
Paradoxically to Subaru, the remainder of the centaurs followed suit, as if they had not just watched one of their kin become paste on the wall.
Whatever, it's probably because they don't have sight.
He angled his shoulder towards them, drawing a straight line through the three monsters with his eyes.
He put another step forward, breaking into the layer of brick covering the ground. His hands ripped the sword forward again, this time without colliding with the targets.
Using the sharp edge of his blade, he traced the line he had mentally drawn a few seconds prior. The wind tore it's way out from behind the blade again, this time assisted by some amount of wind magic.
In it's wake, all three of the beasts had been separated in half horizontally, which then limply fell to the ground in multiple pieces. The boy didn't bother to eye his handiwork any further, instead using what remained of his strength to approach Reid.
He eyed the Sword Saint like a laser, surveying his condition. A small white crack was evident along the man's chest. Otherwise, he did not notice any further activity from the man.
He walked closer and began to ready his sword again.
"HyUUUhk-"
Reid's eyes opened wide, his mouth drawing forth breath as if he had just been pulled from a river.
After gasping out a few breaths, his eyes landed on Subaru.
"Sh...Shit, kid."
Subaru grew a scowl as he looked at the man.
"You killed Shaula you bastard. Don't play the victim."
Reid's face contorted slightly, almost in a maniacal way.
"Not interested in yer mercy… Besides, 'Killed' is a strong word. I'd say 'relocated' is a bit more accurate."
The boy sucked in another breath, his teeth chattered slightly as he tried to control himself.
"Y-You… You even knew it was her."
He raised his sword to the man's neck. He noticed that the crack on Reid's chest had grown slightly in size.
The man wheezed heavily and smiled.
"Listen, whether ya kill me right here, or let me die, I'm on my way out either way, so just listen ya prick."
Subaru pulled his sword away from the man. As angry as he was, he knew that Reid wasn't going to last much longer, so he chose to heed his words.
"There's a large mountain in the west, biggest there is, ya can't miss it. I live next to a guy who's been working on this sword fer me-"
"Yeah. Your great-great-great-great-whatever grandson has it."
"Huh?" Reid returned a puzzled look to the boy.
"The Dragon Sword, Reid. Everybody knows about it. It's been passed down the Astrea family for the last four hundred years."
The Sword Saint closed his eyes.
"So that's how it is, huh?"
Subaru stared at the ground for a few seconds, before turning back to the man.
"You've been dead for a long time. You're just a bundle of memories as it is right now."
He flinched somewhat and gave a wry smile.
"Damn it, I knew that second part, but hell… I didn't think it'd 'ave been four hundred years… Whatever, kid. I was gonna say the sword is yers, but, shit."
The crack in his chest widened further. The man's smile began to settle.
"Yer girl is just fine. I kicked er outta the tower before she could grow er legs back, but she'll be on yer tail again soon. Good luck kid."
"H-What?!"
He closed his eyes as his body began to shift back.
"R-Reid, hold on, you said she's alive?!"
Soon after, Reid assumed the shape of a familiar boy.
All this time, Reid was none other than Roy Alphard. Subaru had an idea of what had happened.
Roy had probably managed to sneak into the second floor and took Reid's memories, and in return Reid had managed to force his image onto Roy's body, forcefully taking it over just like Subaru had.
Now that Reid had been defeated, Roy had returned to his original state.
Subaru hovered his hand over the boy's chest, checking for a pulse.
It seemed like ages, but he felt one.
But his mind hung onto Reid's last words. Was Shaula truly alive?
He shook his head. He would learn in due time.
He ripped his sword through Roy's neck as if it were butter.
A splotch of blood covered his face.
So Easy. So fragile.
Roy was finally dead.
"S-Subaru?"
He turned around. Beatrice was standing there, next to his original body. They had managed to make their way down the hole, probably with the use of Murak.
The pair of Beatrice and the [Real] Subaru stared at him. All of them wore tired faces. Killing someone like that wasn't easy to do, or easy to watch.
He dropped the sword. The tip sunk into the ground, digging several inches deep before it stopped.
"I'm sorry you had to see that." He barely managed to cough out those words.
Beatrice shook her head. "It needed to be done, I suppose."
He shook his head again and choked up some more blood.
"S-Subaru!"
Beatrice ran to his side as he struggled to keep himself standing.
"Shaula." He mumbled.
He quickly turned and began sprinting for the stairs.
Beatrice and the boy's doppelganger quickly followed behind him, understanding the reason for his urgency. Unfortunately, neither could keep up with him as he bounded up the stairs, skipping dozens of stairs with each leap.
Reaching the fifth floor, he was immediately met with the smell of rendered flesh. He could see a mountain of gore lining the stairs. It was far too great in volume to be human, which he wasn't sure relieved him or amplified his worry.
"Subaru!" The sound of a bell rang through his ears.
Towards the top of the stairs, he could see Emilia splashing her way down the steps, her ankles covered in blood that wasn't hers. Ram and Julius followed closely behind.
Relief immediately overcame him.
If Julius was there, then it was almost certain that Anastasia was safe. Meili was likely with her. He found himself somewhat concerned about Patrasche.
"Emilia, where are Patrasche and Gyan!?"
Still making her way down the stairs, she answered him.
"Anastasia moved them to the Green Room with Meili and Rem."
He felt like an enormous stone had been lifted from his shoulders. He sucked in another breath and turned his head, now able to find enough resolve to proceed to the next obstacle.
"Shaula." He spoke again.
His foot exploded from the stone as he made his way towards the main door that led outside.
It was extremely large and heavy. He pushed his shoulder into it, but it hardly budged. His feet slipped backwards as he pushed harder, unable to grip the floor.
"Damn it... El Vita."
Blood erupted from his throat again. He couldn't swallow it, so he let it run freely.
His body increased in weight multiple times over, gaining enough mass to dig into the soft tile below his shoes.
With his newly found weight, he pushed his feet into the ground and forced both of his arms forward.
More blood forced it's way out of his mouth. At this point it was like a steady river. He didn't try to stop it. He had to die anyway.
The doors began to open, finally leaving enough space for him to push his body through. The door immediately closed behind him as he fell into the sand at the floor of the entrance.
He pushed himself back to his feet and waded through the sand, quickly releasing the spell he had just made.
He continued to follow the edge of the tower until he could see where the gaping hole had been made in the side, hundreds of feet above the surface.
He eventually found it, and turned away from the tower to begin his search.
Finding the highest point he could find amongst the sand dunes, he scoured the landscape. Minutes passed by as he eyed the terrain, until he could finally see a disturbance in the fine sand.
A small crater from a heavy impact, as well as some markings in the sand that ran off in a direction outward from the tower. He immediately began to follow them.
The sun had finally finished setting behind a mountain in the distance. The desert was bathed in a dark shadow, and the top half of the tower continued to glow red from the sunset, steadily shrinking as the darkness consumed it.
Night fell over the Augria Sand Dunes, finally laying rest to the battle that had just occurred. However, a lone boy continued to drudge through the sand.
The sweat that had once covered his forehead from the blistering heat now chilled him to the core. The temperature had changed rapidly as he searched.
The tracks he followed seemed to go on for miles. His mind continued to race as he pushed himself forward.
What if Shaula was dead?
Should he keep going?
Where is she?
If she's dead, wouldn't he have to Return by Death?
No, he couldn't do that.
To do that, he would have to go back and kill himself, the real version of himself.
What should he do?
What should he do?
What should I-
Something interrupted his thoughts.
He noticed the sand around him had illuminated slightly. Was it the moon? Was something coming? He turned in multiple directions, hoping to understand the cause.
He stopped himself again, noticing that he was at the very center of the light. That it was actually coming from himself.
He looked down at his body.
A white crack had formed in Natsuki Subaru's chest.
He blankly stared into the sand beneath his feet. He could feel the air around him slowly warm from his body heat, before a gust of wind tore it away.
He shivered slightly. It wasn't because it was cold. Although, that part definitely contributed, it was almost certainly because he knew he would have to die.
Death.
For Natsuki Subaru of all people, death was not nearly as terrifying. However, this would be true death.
He did not have Return by Death. As he resided in Ley's body, he could only grasp a single Witch Factor.
It wasn't Sloth, nor Greed, nor Envy.
It was Gluttony.
His life was coming to an end. During the battle with Reid, he had abused his od until there was hardly anything left.
He puked up some more blood. His body didn't heave or curl up like it normally would have. Instead he simply stood still, the red bile dripping from his lips until he pursed them.
He traced the tracks in the sand with his eyes. Immediately, he shoved down the idea of his death.
"Gross." He mumbled to no one.
He spit the last of the vomit from his facial orifice and pushed his body forward.
He had to find Shaul-
"Aaaak!"
Ahead of him, his own doppelganger materialized out of thin air, landing face first in the sand.
Next to him landed a red blob... No, that was Beatrice.
Beatrice had teleported the [Real] Natsuki Subaru into the middle of the desert.
"Wh-What the-... Beatrice!"
The [Real] Natsuki Subaru scrambled towards Beatrice, pulling her out of the sand. The boy grit his teeth as he held her.
"Damn it, she's unconscious... You, can't you do something!?"
The [Real] Subaru turned to the [Fake] Subaru, screaming for him to help.
"Can't you wake her up?! She must be completely dry of mana!"
The [Fake] Subaru simply stood still, eyeing the duo down as he considered the boys proposition.
"I can't."
"Huh?"
"I said I can't."
The boy stood up from the sand, Beatrice in his arms. Across from him, the bloodied and battered Archbishop of Gluttony in the form of Natsuki Subaru stared at him, barely showing any emotion.
"That means, I literally can't. If I tried to give her mana, I would die instantly. I've spent everything, even my life force... That idiot. Why did she teleport you out here?!"
The [Fake] Natsuki Subaru seemed to lose his composure randomly.
"We were trying to get through the door. But Beatrice said that she could teleport us out. She said something about luring Shaula out with the Witches scent… Is she really alive!?" The [Real] Natsuki Subaru replied.
The [Fake] Subaru rubbed the back of his neck.
"So she had a plan, huh? It was still reckless. She probably didn't know she would run out of mana by teleporting you this far, did she? Not like it matters. My time is almost out anyway."
The crack in his chest grew larger.
Decades. I spent decades down there. Just to die like this...
The [Real] Subaru stared at the gash in the [Fake] Subaru's chest.
"And I guess you weren't kidding... You totally look like a zombie or something."
The [Fake] Subaru shook his head.
"I-I don't have time for this. I need to find Shaula and-
Once again he cut his thoughts short, this time by the sound of something rummaging through the sand.
He barely reacted in time.
The [Weak] Natsuki Subaru barely even saw him move. One second the [Strong] Subaru was there, and the next he was gone. Merely a gust of wind brought from his split second movements grazed the [Weak] Subaru's face.
He had instantaneously intercepted an attack from behind the [Weak] Subaru.
He turned to see the attacker, and despite the shock of the situation, he couldn't find himself surprised.
It was Shaula. She was growing back her limbs, and narrowly missed carving her pincer through his skull.
Between the two of them, the [Strong] Subaru stood, his hand had wrapped around the underside of her pincer and he pressed his chest into the beast, driving her back from the [Weak] Subaru.
Understandably, the [Weak] Subaru grabbed Beatrice and began to flee the scene.
Noticing this act of cowardice, the scorpion launched a Hell's Snipe from her tail, aimed to kill.
It hit. But it did not hit the target.
Instead, the [Strong] Subaru had managed to raise his right arm in the air, blocking the attack. In the process, his arm was immediately disintegrated, viscera exploding from the side of his body as the limb was utterly destroyed.
The only thing more surprising to the [Weak] Subaru than the sacrifice that was made for him in that moment, was the lack of a reaction from the [Strong] Subaru, who simply used the added surface area of his right shoulder to pin himself further against the scorpion.
"What the hell are you looking at?! Just run you dumbass!" He shouted.
He said it so loud, and so commandingly, that the [Weak] Subaru almost felt his ears pop.
There was a choice to be made.
He was [Weak]. He had always been [Weak].
And in this moment, he couldn't shake the feeling that his weakness might forever hang over him.
He took martial arts. He lifted weights in the gym. He even did pushups regularly. And despite all of those things, he realized he had been missing the point every step of the way.
He never had an ideal to work towards. Everything he had ever done to better himself was simply a means of justification for his pathetic lifestyle.
You can see me trying, right? I'm doing something, aren't I?
That's the way he made it sound in his head.
And maybe, just maybe, he might have fooled someone into thinking that way.
But here, when it counted the most… When it might have effected him, and others the most…
He was useless.
And in the face of that uselessness, he watched someone take the hit for him, sacrifice themselves for him.
All just so he could run away. Because he was useless.
But the choice was clear. If he turned back now, and faced the threat head on, that sacrifice would be for nothing.
No. He wouldn't attempt to justify something like that so logically. It wasn't the fault of the logic. It could only be his own fault.
Because he was a whelp of a man.
So he would run away. He would run away like the frightened child he was.
In the bottomless pool of all his sins, Natsuki Subaru cursed his cowardice the most.
He pushed his shoulder into Shaula's torso.
Even with his feet pushed deeply into the sand, she was still able to push him back. After a few seconds, he felt his head begin to become lighter, slowly becoming dizzy.
He quickly realized that it was entirely due to blood loss.
"G-go...a." A flame sparked from the shoulder where his right arm used to be, cauterizing his wound and stopping the flow of blood temporarily.
He grit his teeth and tinged in pain as he only burned through more of his limited od. He wasn't important right now. He had to keep the [Real] Subaru safe.
That goal gave him strength.
He raised his remaining arm and forced his palm into Shaula's shell. He drove the scorpion into the ground, while also forcing his feet further beneath the sand and halting her progress.
But the crack in his chest grew brighter. He tried to force the thoughts out of his mind. But they quickly returned.
What happens when I die?
Why… Why is it always me who has to die?
Will the [Real] Subaru be able to protect everyone with me gone?
How am I going to stop Shaula?
...
Will… Will I have to kill her?
Despite his injuries, that singular question was the only thing that made him flinch. The idea of accepting that reality was more painful than his missing arm.
He grit his teeth and dug his heels into the ground. Pushing his head against the scorpion, he forced himself to speak.
"Please… Stop."
His lips curled in sorrow as she refused to relent.
His knees began to buckle as the weight of the beast continued to push down on him.
"P-Please… Shaula."
Her regrown pincer managed to break free from his grasp, snapping at his lower abdomen. He tried to pull back from her attack, but his body was completely bereft of energy.
Shaula's pincer jammed through his stomach, sawing through several of his ribs and vital organs. Blood forced it's way back up his throat.
An overwhelming urge to give up subdued him. The crack in his chest grew wider. Blood spilled out of his mouth, ears and nose. He sucked in another breath, wheezing as he could barely bring in any more air.
He brushed his hand across Shaula's carapace again. The tingle of prickly hairs tickled his fingers as he considered finally throwing in the towel.
What little water remained in his system used itself to create the tears that were now running down his face.
"Shaula has been waiting on her master for four hundred years!"
"I've been so lonely waiting on you to come back!"
"Come on Master, give Shaula a hug!"
"Tell me you love me, Master!"
He could see her wide smile in his mind.
"I'm…"
She had been waiting so incredibly long, and for no reason.
"I'm sorry…"
What would she think of this? The fact that she was killing the one she believed was her own master?
"Shaula, Please-"
Subaru searched inside himself for anything and everything. Something to stop her. Something to save her.
Deep within, a primal instinct, almost as if it were an insatiable hunger, took control. His emotions flowed through unabated, culminating in an indescribable feeling. As if he had simply flipped a switch, he felt as if a part of his own humanity had been ripped out.
But that wouldn't stop the feelings that surfaced from within him.
"Shaula, please! I'm sorry I never gave you anything back! You've been here, waiting, hck, waiting for so long, and I never thought things would turn out like this… I-, I don't want to kill you… Please, I'll give you that h-hug you wanted! We can quit everything right now, w-we can go back to how it was! Why, hck, why are you doing this!? I don't want to hurt you Shaula, please… Please STOP!"
"…"
The air stilled as his demands echoed over the dunes. His eyes remained closed, an unusual lack of motion between the two.
His eyes pried themselves back open, attempting to find explanation in the continued silence.
He placed his arm on her shell, a futile effort to steady his body.
Her shell disappeared.
"H-huh..?"
The scorpion was shrinking.
Subaru's body collapsed in the sand, barely managing to lock his eyes on the girl as she materialized back into the form of a… Child?"
"S-Shaula…?"
He spoke, unable to form anything else from his blood filled jaws.
His head dipped backwards into the sand.
He could see the stars glistening above. Despite his confusion, he was able to form a smile.
I wonder, just how did it end up like this? Did I seriously strike it rich that easily? He thought, confused as to how he had managed to narrowly dodge a bad ending.
'Tsu~, you really are blind.'
"Huh?"
A voice within his head spoke, mocking him.
'We are the Archbishop of Gluttony, and she is a Demon Beast. Put 'two and two together' as you say, tsu~.'
Subaru let out a grim chuckle. He really was an idiot.
I guess that makes sense…
His eyesight began to dim under the moonlight. He finally accepted the embrace of the cold sand beneath him.
A final gasp of air drew from his lips as his consciousness faded.
Beneath the stars among the Augria Sand Dunes, a hero breathed his last.