Spoiler warning:
This story contains spoilers beyond season 2. AN at the end.
Prologue
-Sometime during an impossible future-
Back then, I thought it was completely possible.
Subaru Natsuki stood there, struggling to catch his breath.
I mean come on, I was on the road to pure, unadulterated power!
Subaru wiped the blood from his mouth, staring at the scarlet smudge on his skin.
Blood. So much of it was dropped on my path to glory.
Blood of his friends, his allies, his enemies, Subaru saw it all.
However, what I want more than anything right now...
Subaru glared at the man before him, red flowing hair, blue determined eyes, and not a single drop of blood.
"Is... to... see you... bleed! Hah! Hah..."
Subaru would use everything he could; his absorbed strength, mana, spirits, Authorities, and artificial Divine Blessings.
Subaru started the same fight over and over again at the same spot; after Reinhard has pushed him to his limits with a single push.
"I'll... kill... you... I... will."
With a whisper from his throat, Subaru went for a new set of attacks and magic.
With a sword slash, Subaru Natsuki died.
Why?! Why can't I kill this bastard?! After everything I've been through! Everything I've achieved! Reinhard!
Those were Subaru Natsuki's last thoughts before he would Return By Death.
I've always felt so powerless since I've been here...
Subaru had suffered defeat from Reinhard again and again, totalling fifty deaths so far.
Damn it! If I couldn't kill him the first three times, what made me think I could kill him around fifty?!
Subaru had never died so much in such a short amount of time before. He had used Return By Death if he failed to absorb someone.
He had used Return By Death if he didn't absorb a person properly. He used Return By Death if a situation seemed dire.
Here, Subaru Natsuki was using it to make Reinhard Van Astrea bleed. Why use Return By Death on such a trivial matter?
Simple.
It's for my own sake... I need to see him bleed. He isn't a God!
...
I am.
-Returned-
Subaru had returned to the same moment as always.
Bloodied, bruised, and exhausted before the Sword Saint.
"What's... your... deal? Hah... Hah..."
Reinhard stood glaring at the sorry sight that was Subaru Natsuki.
"Even if I hadn't been ordered to do this, I'd have gladly hunted you down myself. You are a monster, more so than I."
Subaru barely managed to snicker.
"No... Reinhard... You are... Hah... No monster... You're... A fucking degenerate! Hah! Hah..."
Reinhard could only stare at Subaru, giving out a tired sigh.
"It seems you truly believe in what you say to yourself about me. Do not worry fiend, the feeling is mutual."
Reinhard pulled out his sword.
"It sickens me that you're even considered worthy by this sword."
Subaru cackled blood, enjoying the sight of disgust on Reinhard's face.
"Of course, I am worthy because I! Consider it worthy for me to wield!"
Subaru had gained a sudden burst of energy from having his ego stroked.
Reinhard jumped toward Subaru. Yes, he can kill him from a distance, however, he wanted to deliver a personal blow.
The sword's light left, only bouncing off Subaru.
"What?!"
Subaru smiled as wide as he could, baring his bloody remaining teeth.
"As I said! It is only worthy if I consider it worthy!"
Subaru chuckled and gave an innocent smile, despite the crazed eyes.
"I must thank that self-righteousness of yours. If not for you, I'd be stuck in an endless loop! Haha!"
Reinhard could only stare in shock at what had just happened.
He shook off the shock to punch Subaru as hard as he could.
-Returned-
Subaru Natsuki stood there in a state of exhaustion, the same as before.
Subaru had a new plan.
"Hah... I... Surrender... You... Win..."
Subaru fell to his knees and gave in to his need to sleep.
-20 hours later-
Subaru had woken up in a cell.
He flashed a grin at this perfect situation.
"That idiot. He's brought me here because of that attitude."
Subaru opened the bars open and left the room.
A guard had noticed him at the end of the hall, gasping at the sight.
"He's...!"
Before he could finish his shout, Subaru sped toward him, striking his throat.
Blood!
The guard fell to his knees, slowly dying from the hole in his throat as Subaru left.
-1 hour later-
Reinhard and a bunch of the kingdom's knights were heading to Subaru Natsuki's location in a carriage to bring him to trial.
The first to speak was a younger knight.
"Is it true? Did Subaru Natsuki kill everyone at the Margrave Mansion and Arlem?"
The second, far older one spoke up.
"That's right! That bastard made those poor people lower their guard around him! Sick bastard left no one behind."
"What about that half-elf? I thought he was head over heels for her?"
Another knight shook his head in sorrow.
"It was just an act. I can't believe I'm sayin' this for the one that resembles the witch but... Poor girl."
The other knights nodded in agreement.
"Say Reinhard, I know you're super powerful and all, but I wanna know. How did you capture Subaru Natsuki?"
Reinhard could only sigh before seeing the location that held Subaru in the distance.
"He went to cut me with his sword but I had shoved him away. After that, he just... gave up. Fell unconscious."
"Wow! I guess not even that powerful fiend was a match for the Sword Saint! Haha!"
The knights had laughed along with the young knight.
"Wait! Somethin's not right..."
The other knights ceased their laughter before donning serious faces.
The knights left the carriage to open the front door.
The stench of blood hit them like a loose dragon carriage, bringing the young knight to vomit.
Reinhard stepped in to see bodies everywhere. Cellmates, guards, knights, and... civilians.
This made Reinhard extremely angry.
He walked toward another door, parallel to the entrance, and opened it.
Beyond the door were bodies stacked on top of each other, held together by a thin spike of earth magic from the ground.
"Did Subaru do this?"
Reinhard shook his head, glaring.
Of course, he did.
Reinhard walked down the hall to find deformed cells, the bodies of those who were held in the cells.
He deliberately hunted these people down, that monster.
Reinhard opened the door to find a guard with a hole in his throat, slumped against the wall.
Reinhard walked down the hall and opened the door to see one cell's bars pulled open.
Reinhard slammed the floor with his fist, growling in anger.
"Damn it!"
He went back to the other knights, who were horrified at the sight of the deliberate ways the people were killed.
The older knight shook his head.
"This is awful, I tell ya. Just awful."
Reinhard nodded and left the building.
Where are you, Subaru Natsuki?
-In the Augria Sand Dunes-
Subaru jumped and jumped toward the tower, hoping to gain new information.
"Thanks to those souls in that little jail, I'm all patched up!"
Jumping and jumping, he made it to the tower.
There he manipulated the sand to let him through.
He climbed the tower to find a tall woman.
"Hiya master! Did ya miss me already?"
Subaru walked past her to climb some stairs, and Shaula followed along.
"So, any new books?"
"Oh yes! Master is doing such a good job filling up the library! I put the new books on the table, they're waiting for ya!"
"Thanks, now then..."
Subaru Natsuki took each step closer to victory, victory against Reinhard Van Astrea.
"So have you decided?"
"Decided what?"
"To proclaim your love for me!"
"Why proclaim what isn't there? That'd be lying you know."
"Ow! Master is so mean!"
Shaula didn't seem to care much for Subaru's constant rejections, so she followed without missing a beat.
Subaru had reached the library and immediately took a book.
Subaru's eyes scanned each book, passing them to Shaula after finishing each one.
After passing the last book, Subaru sighed.
"So? What did Master learn today?"
Shaula asked with stars in her eyes, maintaining the same excitement she did when Subaru first started reading the books.
"I learned of their intentions with me, what they spoke to of Reinhard, what the others were thinking..."
"Did ya gain any new power?"
"Yes, thanks to that little activity of mine, I gained some new abilities after... What? Three books? The rest were pretty worthless, to be honest."
"Wow! Master is getting stronger every day! Yep!"
Shaula flexed her biceps with a grin.
"Yeah, but I'm not getting that much stronger, I need more power if I'm to face Reinhard properly."
"That's true, it took us hours just to kill Reid!"
"Heh, you have no idea."
"I'm so used to being stronger than the trespassers, it's a nice feeling defeating someone stronger! But I wouldn't do it again! Nope!"
"We might have to again one day... Shaula."
"Yes, Master?"
"I'll be counting on you when that day comes."
"Yes... but I can't leave the tower."
"Not yet you can't, I'm close to figuring it out..."
"I sure hope so! I want to explore the world with Master!"
Subaru chuckled and stood from his seat.
"You will, I can't do this without you."
Shaula noticed the hand on her shoulder and beamed.
"Yes! Master should count on Shaula! Yep!"
-1 month later-
"Halt! Monster!"
Reinhard stood there, glaring at the sight before him.
Subaru turned around, smiling at the man he hated most.
"Well if it isn't Reinhard! Buddy, it's only been two weeks, are you that desperate to see me?"
Reinhard only glared, looking around for a woman.
"Where's that servant of yours? Why isn't she here?"
"Oh, you mean Shaula, right?"
Reinhard gulped.
Surely not...
"Where is she? We need to take both of you prisoner!"
Subaru only smiled, hands on his hips.
"Subaru... You... You took her life, didn't you?"
Subaru shrugged.
"It was more of an order, I told her to kill herself."
Reinhard's mouth gaped, shock taking over his head.
"It was pretty sad, she was my only friend in this nasty world of yours, y'know?"
Reinhard shook his head and scowled.
"I will end you."
Subaru nodded and threw his right arm up.
"HELL'S SNIPE!"
White circles appeared above and behind Subaru.
Reinhard got himself ready for battle.
...
But it didn't come.
The circles disappeared, and Reinhard was confused.
No, he was more than confused, he felt... light.
He looked down.
A gaping hole on his chest, where his heart should be.
He blinked and looked up, voices were heard.
"Wow, Master! You sure tricked him! Yep!"
The voice behind him was Shaula.
"Blood... Beautiful blood! Ahahahahaha! BLOOD!"
Subaru was laughing like a madman.
He was a madman.
Reinhard felt his life falling apart, it scared him.
He fell to his knees.
Subaru walked up to Reinhard.
"Reinhard Van Astrea..."
Reinhard looked up.
He felt a sudden pain in his throat.
A hand.
"You lose."
Subaru Natsuki smiled pulling his hand out of Reinhard Van Astrea's throat.
Reinhard's vision faded.
It was darkness, he knew he wasn't dead yet...
Phoenix.
-Returned-
-Prologue end-
Author's note:
This is written with small knowledge of the story, as I didn't read Arcs 1-4, the other stories, etc. I did read Arcs 5-7, a bit of 8, and skimmed through the IFs. Therefore, my only excuse for inconsistency and wrong lore is that this...
Is another universe and timeline.
Despite my excuse, please tell me what you think, I'm open to anything besides spam.
This is only the prologue, I'll do my best to make chapters a bit longer. As long as necessary anyway.