Chapter 4: Until it's over


"...Excuse me?" The figure before Subaru asked in confusion.

He couldn't really be blamed for feeling perplexed. After all, the person who called for help had just knelt before him and asked to be arrested, smiling madly all the while. This situation was incredibly bizarre, even compared to his past experiences.

"I need you to take me away… Put me in Prison…! Lock me up and never let me go!" Subaru rambled on frantically, not easing the worry of the figure. But it didn't matter what the figure thought of him; He was already a monster, rightfully deserving of other's hate and blame.

"Okay, calm down-"

"No! Stay away!"

Subaru quickly tried to back away from the figure, who tried to place a hand on his shoulder, falling on his back while doing so.

"I'll hurt you! That's the only thing I do!"

Tears started to take over his face in place of the smile.

"You're a hero, always ready to save people… I'm just a villain. Prison is the only thing that's good for me if death doesn't work!"

Returning to a submissive position, he begged of the figure once more.

"So don't waste your time trying to understand me… just arrest me already, and you can get back to helping others. It's your job to rid the world of evil, isn't it…?"

"..."

The figure stood quietly for a moment, trying to process what Subaru had told him in his pitiful display. Then, he knelt down beside him while keeping a small distance between them, careful not to scare him again.

"Listen, calm down and tell me what happened, then I'll see what I can do." He told Subaru in a reassuring voice. His tone had an almost magical aura, making Subaru feel weirdly safe around him.

"I… I was attacked by some thugs in an alley."

Calming down a little, Subaru complied and began explaining what had happened

"I was trying to return something that was stolen, and I didn't have any time, so when they got in my way I… I…!"

His breathing and tears accelerated their flow as he began to panic all over again.

"I was supposed to save people…! But that isn't who I really am! I'm a murderer!"

Before he could fully resume his crazed ramblings, the figure hurried to calm him down again. Only after confirming his stability did he continue with his questioning.

"Do you know who it was?"

"I… I think his name was Camberley… He was short and had mushroom hair… I'm sorry, I-I can't remember anything else… I just ran away afterwards like the coward I am-!"

"You there, just give us everything you've got on you, and there's no need for anyone to get hurt."

The voice he had feared the most was suddenly heard from behind him.

"Ah-!"

Subaru froze, refusing to face its bearer. He didn't have to listen to it in order to know what they wanted. There was only one thing they could possibly demand - his life.

If only that would have worked, he would have gladly given it to them. But every time he seemed close to death, he would somehow turn out fine while leaving a trail of corpses behind.

"I…I'm sorry…! H-Here, I'm turning m-myself in! I'll be locked up, like a terrible monster like me should be…!"

"What is he going on about?"

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure he's making fun of us. We'll put you in a world of hurt!"

"Huh?"

A voice that shouldn't be able to be heard joined the one that called out to him, and was immediately followed by another one, as if it wasn't irregular at all.

Subaru turned around to see how that voice could possibly be produced.

Standing there were the figures of the thugs from before. One had gray hair and clothes, with chains around his wrists and throat. Another had purple hair and tan clothes, his large body towering over the rest. And next to them was-

"H-Huh…?"

"Why are you looking at me like that, moron? You wanna get beaten up!?"

The man that shouldn't be standing there spoke to him, seemingly unaware of how impossible such a thing should be.

It was the short man with mushroom hair, Camberley. The man who was supposed to be dead. He saw his neck twisted and his breathing stop; There was no possible way for him to survive that. So how could he still be alive despite all of that?

"What…? How…? I…I killed you…! I killed you with my own hands- Huh…?"

Subaru looked down at his hands, the bloody hands of a killer. But that wasn't what he saw.

His hands were nowhere near clean. They were filthy, filled with dirt and traces of vomit.

But amongst all that filth, not a single drop of blood could be found, nor any remnants of a struggle.

It was as if his hands forgot the atrocities he had committed. No, not just his hands. The entire world seemed to have forgotten them.

As Subaru kept staring at his hands, the three thugs began approaching him, but suddenly stopped.

"That's enough."

The figure who had knelt beside Subaru had stood up and placed himself between him and the thugs. Only now noticing his presence, the faces of the three went pale and their lips started to quiver.

"It can't be… Are you the Master Swordsman Reinhard?!"

The thugs stared on in disbelief.

"Well, I suppose I don't have to waste time introducing myself, Although I am not fond of that title everyone gives me. It's still too heavy for me." The man, Reinhard, muttered with a tinge of self-deprecation in his voice. But the light in his eyes was unwavering.

"If you're planning on running away, I'll let you off this time. Just head back out toward the main street. However, if you plan on being stubborn, you will have to deal with me." He said as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Screw this! It's not worth it!"

The thugs didn't seem to even consider the second option. They scattered like baby spiders, forgetting to even hide their weapons as they ran out onto the main street.

As soon as the thugs left the alley, the figure, Reinhard, turned back to Subaru.

"The thugs seem to be okay, so do you still want me to arrest you?"

"..."

The world seemed to have given him another chance. A clean slate from which he could start over.

"…Yes, I do."

But that mattered not. The world may have forgotten about his deeds, but he remembered everything. His current slate may have been clean, but the ones before it were rotten to the core.

His head was now clear enough to put the pieces together. This instance wasn't the only anomaly to happen before him.

Rom had died. The silver haired girl had died. He himself had died the most out of all of them. They may have returned back to life without a trace of what had happened before, but that didn't stop him from hurting them all over again.

It wasn't a one time mistake that happened by chance - there was a clear trend, one that couldn't be ignored. No matter how many opportunities he was given, he always managed to make the worst of each one.

"...He may be alive, but my actions were as good as having killed him. You solved the situation peacefully, and now they're all fine. But doing it my way never works. It always ends with someone getting hurt or killed."

"..."

Reinhard paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to respond to Subaru's unchanged answer.

"...What's your name, mister?"

"...S-Subaru Nat-hk!" He choked midway through his reply. "...It's Subaru. Just Subaru…"

"...Listen, Subaru." Reinhard said as he retook his kneeling position next to Subaru. His tone, although quiet, was dead serious and contained traces of great pain.

"You seem to think of me as some perfect hero who can do no wrong. Many others see me like that too. But that isn't true at all. I have been granted so many amazing gifts, and to that I am endlessly thankful. But even so, I can't always save everyone, and sometimes, I am the one who ends up getting someone killed."

The pain in his voice grew as he seemed to recall certain events from the past.

"One of my loved ones died because of me, and I'll never forgive myself for that. But that's all the more reason for me to try even harder. To do everything in my power so that won't happen again."

His voice began filling with determination as it grew in volume and firmness.

"I have been given a chance to make up for my mistakes, so I can't let it go to waste by doing nothing. I have to do my utmost to carry out their will. That is my duty to those who I failed to save!"

He grabbed both of Subaru's shoulders, forcing him to finally look at his face.

"It's easy to drown in the vicious cycle of regret. Guilt and doubt quickly build up and consume you completely. Soon, you view your entire being as nothing but a mistake, and see no reason to continue living. But I'm sure that isn't the case with you, Subaru."

He had flaming red hair and sparkling blue eyes brimming with emotion, his extraordinary good looks further magnifying his sense of gallantry. But that young man, who was clearly a cut above the rest, was looking at him at the same eye level, as if seeing him as an equal.

"I've seen many bad people in my life, and you're not one of them. You care about others, try your best to keep them safe and feel regret when you mess up. Even now, you're trying to do good in your own way."

There wasn't a hint of deceit in his eyes as he said that. He genuinely believed the words coming out of his mouth, as if knowing from experience.

"B-But it doesn't matter who I want to be or what I want to do! The fact is that I never manage to do that! I only make everything worse!"

"If you ever think that all you have done was nothing but bad things, a single smile can prove that statement wrong."

"Look mommy! Spider-Man made this for me!"

"Hk-!"

Seeing that Subaru seemed to remember something, Reinhard let out a charming smile.

"You see? I knew that it wasn't all bad."

"Y-You're wrong. I just helped some child find her mom, anyone would have done that!"

"But from all the people that could have helped her, you were the one to actually do it. Doing the things that should be done is the essence of being a hero, isn't it?"

"But that was just one child! What difference does it make if everything else I did was bad for the world!?"

"You think of you helping that child as an exception in you destroying the world, but to them, you have as good as saved it."

"She got lost, and the two of them found her."

"You saved my daughter. I want to thank you."

"Thank you, Spider-Man!"

"..."

"The thugs seem to have forgotten about it, and you can still do good. I don't see a reason why you should deserve to be put in prison. So that being said, do you still want to be arrested?" He asked him again.

"I…"

Subaru's head was in chaos. Yes, he had done some horrible things. No one could deny that.

"I…"

And yet, he couldn't refute any of Reinhard's claims. He did help the little girl, and got her back to her parents without hurting anyone. The smile she had on her face was because of him. He did that, yet the result of his actions was definitely no mistake he regretted. He did have the capacity to help others, small as it may be.

"…I don't know anymore…"

Reinhard looked at Subaru's troubled face, having finally managed to get to him. Now all he needed was a little push.

"You have someone you want to help, don't you?"

"..."

Of course he did. He had a few people that fell under that category.

Rom, the old giant who watched over the loot cellar. Despite his scary looks, he was very caring of Felt, who was something like a granddaughter to him, and was even willing to take Subaru in with no guaranteed return.

Felt, the mischievous young girl who stole the insignia from the silver haired girl. She was incredibly rash and annoying to deal with, but that was only a product of her surroundings. He was sure that she would change for the better were she given a better home alongside Rom.

And most of all, the silver haired half-elf whose name he didn't know. Ever kind and caring, she saved him at a great loss for herself and with no gain. She always put other people's well being before her own, reluctant to let him go in the cellar alone and refusing to look away from a crying child even when her time was scarce.

The three of them were all going to gather in the loot cellar by nighttime, whereupon carnage would be bound to ensue. He didn't want that to happen, but could he do anything about it?

"...Yeah, I do… but I don't think I- Wait! You can go help them! I'm sure you can do it!"

He turned to Reinhard, hoping to find a solution for all of his problems. In return, he replied with a simple sounding, yet tough to answer question.

"If I were to do it, would the result be one that you're satisfied with?"

"..."

Although sending Reinhard would give the three a better chance at survival, it would do nothing else. Felt and Rom would be arrested for stealing goods and managing them respectively, and the silver haired girl would probably be unsatisfied as well. Not wanting to involve others in her problems was typical of her, but trying to tackle a matter of this scale with no help from guards probably stemmed from other important reasons.

"...No, but…"

Of course he wanted the best for them, and he was sure there was a way to get a better result than simply them surviving. But was their well-being really worth gambling on for them?

He could try to do it himself, but Reinhard's evaluation of him was only in theory. Would Subaru really be able to do it in practice, given his past record?

"...if I mess up, the outcome will be horrible…"

"You're talking as if you have already messed it up, but it's not over yet, Subaru. You have the power to make everything right."

He grabbed Subaru by the shoulders once more, this time applying enough force to pull him back up to his feet.

"The outcome isn't set until it's over. Until then, everything's still possible. So don't be scared of a second chance. Take it, and use it so that you will have no regrets!"

"..."

Subaru watched the fire truck pass by, and did nothing. The regret from that decision would haunt him for the rest of his life. And now, the same choice lay before him: either entrust the job to the professionals, or try to do it his own way.

Were he to try and fail, he was sure he would never be able to forgive himself. But more than that, Subaru was sure about one thing: he didn't want to regret not doing anything ever again.

Seeing that Subaru had decided on an answer, Reinhard asked him for the third and final time.

"So, do you want me to arrest you after all?"

And thus Subaru replied.

"...How should I know?"

Although giving the same answer as before, his tone was completely different, and so was the look on his face.

He had realized that Reinhard's question, along with any answer he could have given, were faulty at their core.

"You're right Reinhard. I can hurt them, but I can also help them. So how the hell should I know if I need to be arrested until it's over?!" Raising his head to look at Reinhard straight in his blue eyes, Subaru loudly objected to his inquiry.

"I have no idea how it will end. But what I do know is that I won't give up as long as I can make a change, and not before trying everything. I won't stand by and do nothing anymore. Not when there's someone who needs my help."

His legs, which were shaking moments before, have become stable on the ground. His face, which was full of tears, was replaced with a determined look, as if ready to take on the world. And his voice, which was miserable and filled with stutters, suddenly became loud and confident.

"In that case, I suppose I will refrain from arresting you." Reinhard replied, smiling back at his display of resolve.

"Oh, you can come and arrest me if I fail, but you can bet your ass I won't make it easy for you!" Subaru replied, pointing a finger at Reinhard as if challenging him.

Then, he raised it to the heavens, and took his signature pose.

"I swore to fix that situation, and that's exactly what I'm going to do! And at the end of the day they will all smile together, without a single scratch on any of their bodies!"

Thus declared Subaru to the world which had graciously granted him another chance.


"Are you sure? Even if it doesn't have to do with the situation you want to fix, I'd be ready to help you with anything."

"Thanks a lot, Reinhard. But what you've already done for me is more than I could have ever asked for. You can return to your duties now, I'm sure there are others who need your help as well."

Subaru declined Reinhard's offer, while holding two steaming cups of instant ramen in his hands. After regathering his thoughts, he had asked Reinhard about a place to heat up his cups, whereupon he somehow did so himself. The two of them had since left the alley, and were about to part ways.

"Actually, today's my day off, so I wouldn't mind accompanying you for a while."

"It's your day off!? I can see why people think that you are a perfect hero…"

Subaru noted to himself another rule that he should follow.

"But don't worry, all of this is a matter I can take care of myself. Plus, the way to the loot cellar is quite far…"

"The loot cellar?" Reinhard raised an eyebrow at that information.

"O-Oh, never mind. Forget it. It's far away from here, so it's probably better for you to focus on helping others instead of coming with me all the way there…"

"...I see." Reinhard seemed worried for a moment. "Well, if you happen to need me you can give the guard station my name. They'll know where to find me."

"I'll be sure to call and thank you properly after I'm done. You won't be needing to arrest me anytime soon!"

"Be careful." Reinhard said, as cool and gallant as ever as Subaru went his separate way, all the while not noticing just how much the young man with the blue eyes was sizing him up as he watched him leave.

How the hell are they so good? It's just instant ramen!

As he walked toward the loot cellar, he began eating the contents of the instant ramen cups, which were much tastier than he remembered.

Well, I can't focus on that now. If I want to save everyone this time, I need to go in with a game plan.

Every time he seemingly died in this world, all of his actions were reset. No matter the time and place he died in, he would somehow be returned to the front of the appa shop owner at noon.

"I guess I'll call it 'Return by Death'… Well, if I let some people die, I suppose dying myself to get another chance to save them is quite fitting…"

This power had given him a second chance to save everyone. He didn't know whether its source was the spider bite or not, but he was nonetheless grateful for having it.

"...Not that I'm particularly fond of using it. I'd much rather keep both me and them alive, so I can't count on that. Plus, I'm not that sure about the extent of this ability…"

Deciding not to rely on Return by Death, he tried to look for a different way to better prepare himself for the encounter.

In every prior attempt, Subaru has jumped into the fray completely unprepared and unknowing of the situation. Thinking back, it was his carelessness that was probably the main reason for his many failures. He had incredible powers, but he had no idea how to use them in a fight.

He looked back upon what had occurred until then, checking to see what he could learn from each mistake he made.

The reason he died in the first loop: Obstruction caused by outsiders. He had to keep an eye on the silver haired girl, hindering his performance.

Solution:

Evacuate everyone, so that I can deal with the threat without worrying about them.

The reason he died in the second loop: Usage of a hostage close to him. Elsa knew about his powers, so she took the silver haired girl as hostage in order to prevent him from running away. And it wasn't just her - she always talked about some mother figure being interested in him, so he couldn't use a single time solution.

Solution:

Keep my powers hidden, so that no one will be able to use the people I want to protect as hostages.

The reason he died in the second loop: Lack of self control. He did not know how to properly wield his powers or how to restrain them, and that caused devastation. His lack of fighting experience also limited how much he could contribute to the fight overall in each of the other loops as well.

Solution:

Be aware of the strengths and the scale of your powers. I can't have another slip up like the one before.

"In conclusion…" Subaru muttered as he finished his second instant ramen cup.

Implementing all of his deductions, he came up with a plan.

First, I need to get my hands on a cloak or face cover so that no one recognizes me when I use my powers. After that, I'll go to the loot cellar as fast as possible and try to get everyone out of there. I'll use force if it's needed, but absolutely none that may cause harm.

After I'm left alone with Elsa, I'll try to explain that she can't buy the insignia, but I can't tell her that I'm returning it. If she'll be reasonable like in my second encounter, I can avoid a fight entirely. And if she still chooses to fight, I can run away from her without her using a hostage against me. She'll think that I got what I wanted and that I won't come back, so she'll have to give up.

Then after waiting for enough time, I'll return the insignia to the silver haired girl and save the day.

But as he was about to start searching for a way to hide his identity, he noticed a familiar figure in the corner of his eye.

With shoulder-length brown/green hair and tears starting to well in her eyes, the little girl whom he helped before was standing nervously near the buildings across the street.

Of course she's still here. No one helped her in this loop yet!

But should he really spend his time helping her when people's lives were on the line?

To him, the answer was obvious.

"Even if we got my insignia back, I'm sure I would have regretted not helping that girl."

"Well, it's nowhere near as cool as Web-Puck, but I hope it will do." Subaru spoke to himself as he approached the lost girl, taking out a ten yen coin from his wallet.


In the middle of all the bustle in the city, a figure could be seen running around at high speeds.

"Wow, mister, you're super fast!"

"I have to be at least this fast if I ever want to save people in time!" Subaru replied to the little girl who he was carrying on his shoulders. "A beautiful girl that saved me and some other nice people I know are going to be in trouble soon, but I'm going to get there first and save them!"

His superhuman speed was much less conspicuous than web swinging while still hastening the trip dramatically, so he opted to run while carrying the little girl in order to save himself some time. Knowing where he needed to go also shortened the search, and they soon reached the appa store where the girl's father was supposed to be. And sure enough-

"Hey you! What the hell are you doing with my daughter-!" The store owner yelled at him as he did many times before.

Subaru lowered the little girl down, and she ran to her father.

"Daddy! This man helped me find you!"

"P-Plum, you can't be serious… Did this guy really help you?"

"Yeah! He did amazing magic with this coin and carried me here super fast!"

Having been shown the ten yen coin that Subaru gave her after performing a trick with it, he seemed to finally accept his daughter's words.

"You saved my daughter. I'm sorry about earlier. Is there any way that I can thank you?" He asked as the little girl ran to the back of the shop.

"It's fine, really. Your thanks alone has already done so much for me…"

Their gratitude and smile have given him the motivation to continue trying. And speaking of trying…

"...Actually, do you know where I can find a good cloak that can hide someone's identity? A friend of mine needs one pretty urgently."

This guy was pretty knowledgeable last time…

The shop owner thought for a moment.

"I don't know what you mean by 'good', but if you're looking for some rare metia, your best bet is the loot cellar that's in the slums. I've heard that some rich guy wanted one a while back and went there to get it."

"...I did receive one a while back, but the client rejected it before I could appraise it, so it's just sitting here, gathering dust…"

"That's perfect!"

Securing the little girl's safety was important in and of itself, but the fact that by doing so he found a way to get his hands on a cloak that was not only magical, but also located in a convenient place was staggeringly lucky, and made it all the more worthwhile.

"Look Subaru! Some things really do come around and help us in the end!"

Yeah, you're one hundred percent right. I sure would have regretted not helping her!

As Subaru recalled fond memories and chuckled to himself, the little girl returned from the back of the shop, holding something in her hands.

"Here, mister! Give it to your girlfriend when you save her!" She told him while offering him the same flower ornament she gave the silver haired girl in the first loop.

"She's not my girlfriend…"

The silver haired girl's safety, as well as everyone else's, came before anything else. That being said…

"...You know what? I'll think about it after I save her."

He was not entirely opposed to the idea. Once everyone's safety was secured he could allow himself to consider it, and whether or not it was right.

Regardless, he decided to accept the little girl's gift. It will serve as yet another reminder for him to try his hardest.

"Thanks a lot! I'll come back and bring her too when I get the chance! I'm sure she'll be happy to meet you! Oh, and I'll also be sure to come with money so I can buy some appas!"

"Well, if you do, I'll be happy to welcome you as a normal customer for once. Work hard, Mr. barf." The shop owner replied with a smile, satisfied with the way Subaru managed to redeem himself.

"Bye! I'm sure you can do it, mister!" The little girl shouted while waving him goodbye.

Subaru couldn't help but smile at her declaration. He waved back and ran off at high speeds, his destination: the loot cellar.


"Man, I know Reinhard's a highly acclaimed guard and all, but there's no way he didn't smuggle some drugs into my instant ramen."

Apart from the amazing flavor, the instant ramen cups revitalized Subaru's energy in a way no junk food, or even high class specialized food for that matter could ever hope to.

"Not that I'm complaining…"

He had a large task before him, for which he would use all the extra energy he could get.

That boost allowed him to run all the way to the slums at a faster speed than any human from his world could wish for without so much as breaking a sweat. Of course, he didn't go all out with his running since he didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. Just like before with the little girl before, he made sure the pace was at least somewhat believable to be kept by a human if seen from afar.

Now, to start phase one: the evacuation.

It was the late afternoon, and from what he remembered, Felt shouldn't have arrived at the loot cellar yet. She would most likely be at her home now, that is if she had one.

"You're looking for where Felt lives? If you just take that road over there until it turns into another street, you should be able to find it."

"Thanks, you really helped me out, brother."

"No problem, brother. You uh… live strong and take care of yourself out there, okay?"

The man Subaru was talking to smiled at him weakly as he answered Subaru's question. Throughout their entire conversation, the look of pity on the man's face never once disappeared from his awkward smile.

Getting beaten up and groveling on the floor sure seem to boost my reputation here…

But Subaru didn't mind - he was one step closer to realizing his plan.

"Hk-!"

Feeling his spider sense suddenly tingling, he quickly ran behind a nearby building to hide from the foreseen danger. And sure enough, the danger went directly through the path he was about to take in just moments before.

It was Elsa, who walked around the slums seemingly without a care in the world. But Subaru knew the truth of what hid behind that mask of innocence.

As she got closer to his hiding spot, she stopped for a moment, as if sensing his presence. But she didn't bother to check on what she sensed, even though she looked rather interested in it, and continued walking her own way.

Only after ensuring that she was far enough away from him did he emerge from hiding. Letting out a sigh of relief, he returned his search for Felt's house.

"I…I definitely didn't expect to run into her again just yet. I guess she was just wandering around the area before she went to the loot cellar…?"

Although he knew he had to face her eventually, he wasn't mentally prepared for it yet, plus, he didn't want to encounter her more than was necessary.

"I think that Felt's place is just farther down ahead, but…Elsa couldn't have found Felt and already wreaked havoc, could she…?"

She said that she was told to be as discreet as possible, but she was a deranged psycho who derived pleasure from cutting open people's stomachs, after all. It was not unthinkable that she would have slaughtered two or three people just to kill time.

"B-But it's probably all right. She didn't kill her in the other loops, and I didn't see or smell any blood. …I think."

About five minutes after his encounter with Elsa, Subaru reached a dilapidated shack.

"With the information I was given, I think this is it, but… does this really count as a living space?"

The inside of the shack was about the size of two portable toilets, and it had wooden plank serving as its door.

"Well, I suppose if it's just a place to sleep, then it fits the description…"

As he took a look at the inside of the shack, he could feel a presence coming up from behind him.

She couldn't have followed me here, could she!?

Quickly hiding, Subaru prepared himself for the worst. But it wasn't Elsa who appeared.

"Hehe, I won't be living in you for long now!" A familiar cheeky voice could be heard from where he was standing a few seconds before.

It was felt, who seemed to be talking to her shack with a smile on her face.

Everything was going according to plan.

"Well, I can't say I'll miss you!" She added as she entered her home, which could hardly be classified as one.

That was when he acted.

*Thwip!*

He shot a web at her eyes, blocking her vision.

"Wha-!"

*Thwip!*

He quickly followed up by webbing her mouth before she could let out a scream.

"Mmf!"

*Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!*

Then, he finished up by webbing all of her limbs and her torso to the shack in quick succession, rooting her in place.

"Mmf! Mmf!"

She tried to break free of the webs, but just like the other times, she found herself completely unable to.

Subaru got closer and inspected her head, making sure that she was still able to breath through the webbing.

"Sorry, but it's dangerous to go to the loot cellar right now. The webs will dissolve in about an hour, and by then everything should be solved." He told her, deepening his voice as much as possible to make it unrecognizable.

He took the insignia out of her hand, which couldn't resist, and put it in the pocket of his jacket, since the ones on his pants were occupied by his cell phone and the little girl's ornament. He didn't want Elsa noticing it in his hand again.

"I'll help you as best I can after I finish fixing up the situation, but I'm afraid I'll be taking this."

"Mmmfff!"

Felt cried in protest, but Subaru didn't let her go. He knew that simply telling her not to go wouldn't work, and from his experience, webs were the best way to restrain her. Now she had no choice but to stay away from the danger as Subaru took care of it.

Turning away from the struggling Felt, he could now move on to deal with the next person: Rom.


After a few minutes of running, he reached the front of the loot cellar.

"Okay, Rom's a reasonable guy, so persuading him shouldn't be too difficult… I hope."

If all went well, Subaru would be able to sell his cell phone for the metia cloak and an hour break for Rom. He really hoped that that would be the case, since using force would be much trickier with a person of his size. Being seen carrying a giant wrapped in webs out of the loot cellar was bound to arouse suspicion. That being said, if push came to shove, he would be willing to do so.

However, when he came to knock on the door, he realized it was open. A wave of fear surged through his body.

Am I too late? Did Elsa already…!?

Gathering his courage, he went inside and prayed it wasn't all over yet.

"Where is she, then? You must know since you're working with her."

The scene presented before him thankfully wasn't the one he feared, but was still far from the one he was hoping for.

Rom was sitting behind the counter with his hands raised above his head as multiple chunks of ice were aimed at him. His face took on a confused look as he noticed Subaru entering the building.

"Hmm?" Following his perplexed gaze, the person who was just speaking turned around to see what he was looking at.

It was the silver haired girl, who was wearing an annoyed expression for having her interrogation cut short.

"You! Do you know anything about the insignia that was stolen from me?" She asked him in a likewise irritated tone.

Subaru was too confused to answer her.

Why is she here so early? In all of the other loops she got here much later-

"-!"

Looking at her clothes, he suddenly realized why. During every prior loop she had the little girl's flower ornament adorning the left breast of her cloak, even in the ones where he didn't help her. But now, he had that same ornament resting in his pocket instead.

Him helping the little girl hastened her arrival. His plan quickly crumbled before his eyes.

"Please answer me! The insignia is very important to me."

She repeated her question, diverting some of the ice chunks' direction to him.

"W-Wait a second! I have your insignia, but the two of you need to get out of here! Someone dangerous is coming, and she wants to kill all of us!"

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he warned them of the urgent matter.

No matter! I'll just get them both out at the same time!

"I'm sure this is just another one of your tricks, but I won't let you get away this time."

"You don't understand! It will all be over if she comes here!" Subaru continued to beg of the silver haired girl. But she didn't listen.

"You say that you have the insignia, so take it out and walk toward me slowly. Then I'll be happy to leave."

If that was what it would take to get her out of there, he would gladly do it.

Complying to her demand, he slowly approached her with his left hand above his head and his right one entering the pocket where he left the insignia.

But as he got near, he suddenly sensed a dangerous presence lurking behind her.

Leaping as fast as he could, he reached the silver haired girl and pushed her aside before she could react.

This action saved her from the blade that approached the place where she stood a fraction of a second ago. However, it put Subaru in a position where he couldn't defend himself.

The attack connected with his stomach, sending him crashing into a wardrobe and through the window behind it. Flying outside the building, Subaru rolled several times before his momentum finally came to a halt.

He was lying on the ground outside the loot cellar, the pain emanating from his stomach reminding him of what had just happened.

I… I've failed again…

He had failed to get her out in time. He couldn't protect her this time as well.

No! The plan failed, but she's still alive! I can still save her! It's not over yet!

Before, he would have probably given up, thinking that it was hopeless. But now, even though that was probably the case, he wouldn't let that fact stop him.

It's not over yet, so I'm gonna continue fighting until it is! Death won't stop me, so what's a little pain going to do!?

Saving her was still in his reach. And so he got up to his knees and fought the pain.

It's not over yet, and I won't let it be! Not in any other way than the one where everyone's safe!

And to do so he would happily ignore the blunt pain in his stomach, no matter how agonizing it is.

Wait a minute… blunt…?

He had experienced Elsa's blades on his own body multiple times, something he would never want to repeat again. The pain from it was excruciating, and made his body feel as if it was burning from the inside. But 'blunt' wasn't a word he would use to describe it.

Checking his stomach, he found the source of the anomaly. His jacket was sliced halfway, with something stopping the damage in its tracks.

It was the insignia, which didn't have so much as a scratch on it despite preventing Elsa's powerful blade from piercing his skin. By doing that, it had saved his life.

I would have saved them either way, but I'm glad I won't have to do it while my guts are spilling out!

Grateful for the insignia's contribution, he quickly returned it to the pocket on his jacket and sealed the hole that was created there using his webs. But just as he was about to return to the loot cellar, he noticed the contents of the closet he had crashed through nearby.

Amidst all of the clothes that were scattered around, one of them caught his eye. It was a dusty black cloak with orange bulges resembling ears or horns atop where the head should be. It followed the description Rom gave him beforehand, but even if it wasn't magical, it was still better than nothing.

And so, putting on the cloak, he went to enter the fray once more, this time with no need to hold back.


"Why are you attacking us!?"

"I came here to buy the insignia, but it's hard to hold any negotiations if its owner had already come and taken it away. So, I decided on a change of plans."

Although being in the middle of a battle to the death, the silver haired girl and Elsa still somehow managed to exchange a few words between them.

Puck had appeared at the silver haired girl's side and assisted her in her fight against the Prowler of Guts. Together they launched a barrage of frozen artillery at Elsa's direction, which she easily dodged, and when she came to attack them, they defended with barriers of ice.

Watching the three fight, Rom waited for his chance to help the half-elf and spirit duo, judging them to be the better option between the two sides.

"So you're a spirit mage, huh? Ah…ha-ha… That's wonderful. I haven't ever opened the stomach of a spirit before!" Elsa happily said as she jumped from one side of the building to the other and crawled on the walls, continuing to avoid all of the pair's attacks.

But as she lunged at them once more-

*Thwip!*

"That's enough."

She found her blade wielding hand empty, having the weapon pulled away from it by an unknown force. The source of the unusual attack was a hooded figure that jumped into the building through the broken window.

"I won't let you have your way with them. Your rampage stops here."

"And who might you be?" Elsa asked, intrigued by the unknown intruder.

"Me? That's a good question. Lately I've been asking myself the same thing." The figure let out a small chuckle, realizing how strange his answer must have sounded.

"I thought of myself as someone like you - someone who does nothing but harm others. I thought that that was all I amounted to." It said while examining Elsa's missing blade in its hand.

"But then I realized that I'm still worthy of a second chance. That I could change my fate. So I decided that I'm not going to be like you." The figure raised its head to look directly at Elsa.

"You hurt others as you please, I'm going to help them even through restrictions. You cut others, and I'm going to web those tears shut. You're going to try and kill people, but I'm going to save them!"

It threw the blade at one of the walls, and stuck it there using a material resembling spider webs.

"I'm the amazing Spider-Man, the hero who's going to do just that!"

And so, one last time, Spider-Man was introduced to this new world. No longer a stage name or a wishful title, but a mantle, one that came with its own set of great responsibilities.

"Interesting…" Elsa mumbled, her gaze lingering on her webbed weapon.

"That's one heck of an entrance, Spider-Man! Nice to meet you, I'm Puck!" The gray cat floating near the silver haired girl gave his name back, as more than twenty large icicles formed above him. His speech seemed to have the added effect of distracting Elsa from Puck's attack.

"Hey, don't kill her, Puck."

But Puck's actions opposed one of the responsibilities he took upon himself.

"Are you really saying that about the person who wants to kill us? Well, fine. I'll leave her alive, but just barely."

The icicles adjusted their direction slightly, and then shot toward Elsa at blinding speeds.

"-!"

The crisscrossing icicles whipped up a white mist and Elsa's black coat was lost in the low-temperature storm. Subaru hoped Puck knew what he was doing, since all of the sharp-tipped icicles seemed very lethal.

"Did you get her?!" said Rom.

"It pays to be prepared… I don't like wearing it because it is heavy, but it looks like I was right to wear it this time."

However, that was far from the case. Besides getting rid of her coat, the attack left no injuries on her body.

"Didn't you say metias were rare, Rom!? Her coat seems pretty magical to me!"

"What are you talking about!? I've never met you before- Wait a minute! Is that my metia cloak!?"

"You weren't selling it anyway! You can see this as payment for me saving you if you want!"

Good, so it was the metia cloak.

"Sadly, that coat wasn't a metia like the one you're wearing. It simply had a formula woven into it that can ward off magic a single time. It looks like it saved my life." Elsa politely answered Subaru's question before drawing out a second kukri blade and leaping toward the silver haired girl.

"I'd like it if you didn't underestimate spirit mages. We're pretty frightening if you make enemies of us."

She, in turn, clapped her hands together in front of her chest, forming a multilayered ice shield before her. But before she could reach it-

"Don't ignore me!"

Not wanting to take any chances, Subaru hit Elsa's back with a web.

"You're not getting to her-!"

With it, he pulled her away from the silver haired girl-

"-as long as I'm here!"

-before slamming her into the wall on the other side of the building, causing all the different items and furniture there to be destroyed.

But Elsa took no time staggering after the hit, and quickly dodged Subaru's follow up of webs meant to bind her.

"So you are indeed one of those… I'm starting to see why Mother was so interested in your kind! I suppose I'll listen to your request."

Saying that, she changed her target to Subaru, and managed to close the large distance that was just opened between them in a single leap.

As per his spider sense's decision, he dodged to the left, avoiding the incoming blade. Immediately after he shot a web upward and pulled himself to the ceiling, avoiding Elsa's follow up attack as well as reopening the distance between them.

Elsa quickly followed suit, leaping to his location on the ceiling and killing the afterimage he left there a split second ago. He crawled away on all fours across the ceiling, with Elsa right behind him.

The chase rapidly changed orientation, with the two of them moving on to one of the walls, then to another, then to the floor, then to a different wall, and then back to ceiling, all the while being continuously bombarded by bullets of ice from the silver haired girl and puck.

Their target was Elsa, but amidst all the chaos of the fast and constantly changing path of the pursuit, Subaru had to be careful not to be hit by one of the bullets himself. Unfortunately-

"Hk-!"

He found one of his legs stuck, frozen in place by a remnant of one of the ice firing duo's prior attacks.

"Ah-!" The silver haired girl gasped, horrified by what she had done.

Thinking quickly, Subaru turned around and shot webs at Elsa, with one of them managing to hit her leg just as she was about to reach him.

With each of them having one foot bound to the floor, or the ceiling, that is, they both entered a bizarre upside down duel. Subaru dodged all of Elsa's slashes by a hair's breadth, but he knew that he couldn't keep dodging forever, as she quickly adapted to his movements. Luckily, help soon came from below.

"Thanks for keeping her in place, Spider-Man! Now, good night!"

With both paws out in front of him, Puck focused more magic than ever before, and shot it off like an arrow. The magic did not take the shape of ice, but was simply a load of destructive energy.

"You better not- Woah!"

In one fell swoop the loot cellar was filled with white as the beam froze everything in its path.

Twisting his body to its absolute limit, Subaru barely managed to avoid getting caught in the blast, which pierced through the ceiling and would've no doubt killed him instantly were he to react too slowly.

As the brilliant light from the attack passed, Subaru smashed the ice around his frozen foot with his superhuman strength and dropped to the ground. He then angrily walked toward Puck, wanting to question what he had just done.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't have killed her." Puck reassured him, his voice not suiting a being with such destructive power.

"How can you say that when it almost killed me!?"

"It's okay, Spider-Man, I'm sure Puck knows what he's doing. He must have left some room for her to survive." The silver haired girl rushed to defend her companion.

"He did, and that was his mistake. Ah, that was wonderful. You almost got me there."

Elsa, who was supposed to be incapacitated at the very least, could be heard from the other side of the building.

What? How did she escape my webs? She couldn't do it before…

But then Subaru saw Elsa's hunched stance and the blood dripping from where her foot should be, and he understood.

She hadn't sliced the web, but the entire foot that was caught in it.

"That must hurt a lot." Puck said, pointing at her footless leg.

"Well yes, you're right. But it's wonderful. It makes me feel alive."

She cut a piece from one of the ice shards and placed it against her amputated leg, stopping the bleeding.

"Besides, it's not every day that I get a chance to see the bowels of a spirit, a half-elf, a giant and a… Spider-Man." She said, turning to look at Subaru. "These webs you make are certainly sublime."

"I wouldn't take it as a compliment, coming from you…" Although she brought balance to the disgust-from-spider-webs score by making it 3-3, that comment was made by the person who thought the same about others' bowels, after all.

"Puck, do you think you can keep going?" The silver haired girl whispered.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really tired. I think I really underestimated her. At this rate I'm going to disappear from having run out of mana." He replied, his figure beginning to shine and looked as though he would fade at any moment.

"I'll find a way to handle the rest on my own, so go ahead and rest. Thank you."

"If something happens, I'll obey my contract. If need be, call me out, even if you have to use your od." He reminded her as his body disappeared in a wisp of mist.

"Aw… You're going away? That's terribly unfortunate." Elsa said, even though she had been fighting Puck with her life on the line.

"Don't sound so disappointed. You weren't going to kill any of us anyway, with or without his help!"

Sure, Elsa was a huge threat that even the three of them combined had a hard time dealing with. But that was no reason to give up, far from it. Everyone was still alive and well - he was still on the path to victory.

*Thwip! Thwip!*

Subaru shot webs at Elsa's direction, but she nimbly dodged all of them, completely unbothered by her severed foot. Leaping onto the inner wall of the building, she quickly crawled toward her two remaining targets.

"You know, I would consider you quite the Spider-Woman if not for all of your crazy murdering!" Subaru told her while he and the silver haired girl kept shooting webs and ice chunks at her direction.

"Why thank you, that was the intention. I'm sure Mother would be glad to hear that, coming from the specimen himself!"

"It's always 'Mother this' 'Mother that'! You're well above the age of obsessing over your mother, don't you think!?"

"I would consider it much justified-"

"Hraagh!"

Suddenly, a large club came racing at her head. It was Rom, who, despite his size, had been hiding behind the counter, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"Oh, so you've decided to join after all! How delightful!"

But instead of being hit, she tilted her body to avoid the club's trajectory, leaving it to crash into the wall behind her. With his body out of balance as a result of the attack, he was wide open for a counterattack from her.

*Thwip!*

Subaru quickly hit Rom's large body with a web and pulled his large body toward himself with all of his strength.

"Urgh-!"

But he wasn't fast enough, and Rom grunted as his stomach was sliced open by Elsa's blade.

"No!" Subaru shouted in despair as he knelt down beside him.

No…! I can't let him die…!

He webbed the wound shut, but he knew that it wouldn't prevent him from bleeding out.

It can't be over yet! There must be something that I can do-!

"Let me handle it! I can heal him!"

Salvation came from the silver haired girl that was standing next to him. She knelt down beside Rom and placed her hands above the wound, from which light started emanating.

There was still hope.

"Aww, don't do that. No one will be able to see his lovely bowels that way."

Unfortunately, her assistance did not eliminate the threat that was still present. The Prowler of Guts wouldn't be denied her prey that easily.

"But I'm not going to give up either!"

As Elsa approached the three at a pace that didn't suit a limping person, Subaru got up and stood in between the two parties, blocking Elsa's advance with his body.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again - You're not getting to them!"

He won't give up yet. Not when there was still hope. Fortunately, he had one more trick up his sleeve.

Well, it could be called a trick once, but now it's no laughing matter.

To say he was good at juggling would be an understatement. His heightened senses allowed him to juggle a large amount of objects of various sizes and shapes, and he trained like crazy to perfect that talent. Almost all of the stunts that he performed back in his world would involve it to some degree, since his fans seemed to love it. Back then he would juggle relatively harmless objects like footballs or pizzas as per their requests.

But now, he was standing in a building full of heavy objects and sharp weapons.

*Thwip! Thwip!*

Shooting out webs in two different directions, he sent a worn out sword and a chestplate flying toward Elsa at high speeds.

She took a step back to avoid the two projectiles, but that only gave him time to add a mace to the mix. A storm of soaring objects gathering before her, Elsa had no choice but to move through it in order to continue her hunt.

At first it stopped her from advancing completely, putting her on the defensive. But even so, it didn't appear to deter her from it at all. She quickly adapted to it and started to close the distance between. Although the storm around her thickened with more and more items being added to it, she herself seemed to only grow faster and faster.

No, this wasn't just a feeling. Her limp had vanished, and a foot could be seen at the place where it was formerly severed from.

"How the…!? Nevermind…! Is everything going well back there?!"

"Yes! He'll be fine!" The silver haired girl replied, making him feel relieved. But he couldn't focus on that while the battle was still ongoing.

Elsa had managed to exit the storm, and leapt toward its conjuror. But ironically, the fact that her leg had grown back would cause her to miss her opportunity at killing him.

Up until then, Subaru avoided attacking her directly, fearing to accidentally kill her. But as the fight continued, he started to question that fear. She had hit him with enough force to send him flying a freakishly large distance, seemed unfazed after enduring being thrown onto a wall, and fought with one leg missing as if it were barely an inconvenience.

But after seeing her heal from a seemingly irreversible wound over the course of less than a two minutes, Subaru had regained enough confidence. He did not see the need to pull back his punches against her anymore.

Ducking to avoid the incoming slash, he shook away his fear, and delivered an inhumanly powerful punch directly to her stomach, giving her a taste of her own medicine.

Not expecting to be attacked by someone who had only defended up until then, Elsa was yet again sent flying away from the people he was protecting.

Rolling on the floor from the impact, she coughed up large amounts of blood from having her abdomen crushed. But just as Subaru thought, that was the extent of the damage, and she quickly got up using the momentum of the roll. Her face was bloody, but the smile never left it, and neither did her intent of killing him.

Next to Subaru, the silver haired girl seemed to have finished healing Rom. She stood up by his side on wobbling feet, and readied herself for round two.

"That's enough."

But that second round wouldn't come.

Following that announcement, something crashed through the roof, creating another hole in it next to the one Puck left with his attack.

In the middle of a rising pillar of smoke, a red, burning, shining figure stood.

"You've done quite well without me, but I think it's time we put an end to this!" Reinhard declared, brushing back his red hair.


*Crash!*

"Mmmfff!"

The sound of destruction could be heard coming from the direction of the loot cellar even from the small shack where Felt was bound.

"Mmmfff!"

The person who trapped her had said that something dangerous was going to happen there, and that seemed to indeed be the case. But all she could do was struggle against her restraints.

"Mmmfff!"

Mustering all her strength in a desperate attempt to escape, she managed to push the wall behind her enough for it to break, causing the entire shack to topple over.

"Mmff…!"

Within the ruins of her small house, she could feel the tears of despair welling up in her eyes. Rom was in grave danger, and she couldn't do anything but cry…

Suddenly, she could feel the weight of the shack being lifted from her, and the webs that bound her severed.

"Hello there. Are you okay?"

Now free from her restraints, she looked up to see a young man with fiery hair standing above her, a reassuring smile on his face.

"H-Help me…!"

"Understood. I'll help you."


"Reinhard?"

"Looks like I don't need to introduce myself… and who might you be?"

"I'm the amazing Spider-Man! We were just about to kick this psycho's ass!"

He originally did not plan on Reinhard interfering, but his plan was already long forgotten. He would have to figure something out with him later.

"I heard that there was a commotion taking place here, so I came to check on it…"

Without letting his guard down for a moment, Reinhard looked ahead, and turned his eyes toward the bloodied beauty who was now focusing her animosity toward him. Reinhard's blue eyes narrowed, as if he were remembering something.

"Black hair and black clothes, and your weapon is the bent blade particular to the northern countries. With all of those characteristics aligned, there's no mistaking it. You are the 'Bowel Hunter', aren't you?"

"The Bowel Hunter, huh…? I guess I wasn't that far off…" Subaru muttered to himself.

"And you must be Reinhard. Ah, yes. The knight among knights… and of the 'Master Swordsman' lineage. How remarkable to have all my opponents be so much fun!" In a manner completely reversed to how a normal person would think, she seemed more excited with every new impressive title of her opponent that she mentioned.

"There are many things I would like to ask you. I recommend you surrender."

"You expect a starving predator to bear its hunger and move on before such choice, juicy prey?" Elsa licked her thin red lips erotically as she stared at Reinhard.

"I see." Reinhard responded, scratching at the side of his cheek as though he wished there was another way.

"I'm sorry, Spider-Man, but I'm going to have to ask you to get farther away. If you could please take that elderly man with you and any other injured out of harm's way, it would help me a lot."

"What? But-!"

"It's okay. There is no need for you to worry about me." Reinhard said confidently while placing his hand on the sword at his hip. "This sword is made so that it can only be drawn when it should be drawn. The fact that the blade has not removed itself from its sheath means that now is not the proper time. There is no need to worry."

"I suppose I've been underestimated."

"Personally, I would have preferred to take you up on your offer. So…"

Reinhard suddenly turned his eyes away from Elsa, and looked about the many objects scattered on the floor as a result of Subaru's deadly trick, his eyes eventually settling on an old-looking two-handed sword. Reinhard used his foot to kick up on the hilt, sending the unsheathed sword spinning through the air. He easily grabbed it in his hand, and swung it once lightly as if testing it out.

"…I'll use this one to face you. Any complaints?"

"I would like it if you didn't kill her, Reinhard…"

"No… This is wonderful, wonderful! You had better show me a good time!"

The situation was beyond bizarre - one would expect Subaru to cheer Reinhard's actions while Elsa opposed them, but the roles were somehow reversed.

"...but still, I don't want to have you facing her alone! I'll stay here and help you!"

"As I said, Spider-Man, you need not worry about me. I've faced off with many monsters like her before. The best way to help me is to get the others away, so I won't accidentally hurt them." He reassured him, and asked a familiar request of him.

Of course he would send everyone away. This is what I tried to do myself, after all…

The villains in this world were monstrous, so it would only be natural that the knights fighting them would be equally powerful.

"O-Oh…! Right…!"

Heaving up Rom's massive body to carry him on his back, he signaled to the silver haired girl to follow him outside.

"Hey, do the two of you happen to know Subaru? He has dark hair and eyes and was headed toward here." Reinhard suddenly asked the two of them.

"Uh…"

"Oh! That's right! Just before you came here there was a boy that was knocked out of the window trying to protect me!" The silver haired girl exclaimed while pointing at the broken window through which Subaru had crashed.

Reinhard's eyes widened in fear from hearing that, so Subaru rushed to calm both him and the silver haired girl.

"Y-Yeah! That was him! B-But don't worry, I saw him on my way here and he was okay!" He said in a panic, trying to cover up the fact that it was him she was talking about.

"Indeed, something didn't feel quite right when I cut him…" Elsa added, but her opinion carried no weight in their discussion.

"That woman slashed him with her blade! There's no way he could be fine after that! We need to go and help him!"

Why does she have to be so persistent…

"Then after we go outside, I'll go and bring him here while you wait and look after the old man. Okay?" Subaru came up with a solution that won't compromise his identity.

The two seemed satisfied with his suggestion, and so he and the silver haired girl ran to the exit while Reinhard prepared himself for the confrontation.

"Oh, don't go, Spider-Man!"

Not wanting to let her prey escape, Elsa darted toward Subaru and made a slicing attack with her blade.

Subaru sensed her attack coming, but before he could even start to move away from its path, Reinhard intercepted it.

"I will be your opponent, Bowel Hunter. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't divert your attention to them."

Dashing to defend the escapees faster than Elsa or even Subaru could, he arrived in between the two parties and swung his sword from below straight upward.

In that moment of attack and defense, Subaru was able to get a clear view of what was happening thanks to his heightened senses.

Reinhard's strike was sublime, it was magical, it was perfectly trained. In his hands, even a throwaway sword at its end of life, sleeping away in a cellar, shone like some treasured sword passed on by legend across generations. Reinhard's sword technique captured every ounce of performance that could be extracted by the sword and he used it at will.

Reinhard's sword hit the base of Elsa's blade, slicing it right off the handle.

"Now that you have lost your weapon, I recommend you surrender."

As Reinhard turned around, he held the severed blade of Elsa's kukri in his free hand. With a flick of his wrist he threw it, and with a sharp sound it stuck, lodged in the wall.

All the onlookers were left speechless after witnessing that supreme display of legendary talent.

Subaru was convinced - just like Reinhard had said, when he was on the scene, there was no need for anyone to worry. Subaru was just starting to learn how to be a hero, but Reinhard knew all the ins and outs of it, down to the finest detail. Always concerned for the safety of others, ever ready to defend it, and reliably succeeding to do so. He was the hero Spider-Man should aspire to be like.

"Now that you have lost your weapon, I recommend you surrender."

Returning to his senses, Subaru tugged on the silver haired girl's sleeve to remind her of their role in the fight, and they both continued toward the exit.

"Of course, Master Swordsman, I would have never forgotten you. I simply wanted to secure my next prey, but I suppose I'll take care of it after I finish here." She said, her signature erotic smile returning to her face as she turned her focus to Reinhard.

"Be careful, Reinhard! She didn't give up even when her foot was cut off. Don't let your guard down next to her!" Subaru gave Reinhard one last warning.

"Understood, Spider-Man. Then I don't suppose you will be satisfied if I destroy all of your weapons?" He turned to ask Elsa after affirming Subaru's request.

"If I lose my fangs, I'll use my claws. If I lose my claws, I'll use my bones. If I lose my bones, I'll use my life. That is how the Bowel Hunter fights."

"In that case, I'll just have to have you forsake your ideals…"

The voices of the two powerful beings locked in combat faded as Subaru and the silver haired girl left the building.

"Old Man Rom!"

Just then a familiar voice called out from nearby.

"Wha-? How did you-? O-Oh, it was Reinhard, wasn't it…?"

It was Felt, who was waiting outside the loot cellar and appeared to have been watching the fight unfold for some time, despite him binding her entire body to her shack earlier.

Moving some distance away from the loot cellar, Subaru lay Rom's body down on the ground. Felt knelt down beside him and checked his condition. The wound on his stomach was gone, and he was breathing steadily.

"Spider-Man! I can't see the boy from earlier!" The silver haired girl told said boy in a worried voice.

"Oh, that's because, I, Uh… I moved him to somewhere safe! I'll get him now!" As he was about to go and search for a place to switch back to Subaru without being noticed, he could feel a tug on his cloak.

Grabbing it tightly in fear of his identity being revealed, he turned around to see that it was Felt who did it. But exposing him wasn't her intention.

"H-Hey, Spider-Man… I'll never forgive you for tying me up, but… thanks for protecting Rom for me…"

"Listen, I'll make it up for you later, but right now I need to make sure this all ends well. Okay?"

"...You better."

Getting her approval, he ran behind the nearest building and checked that he wasn't being watched. He then took off the cloak he was wearing and hid it as best he could with the little time he allowed himself to do so.

Remember, you're not Spider-Man anymore. Now, you're just a weak and helpless boy that got hit very hard, and you want to see if the silver haired girl is okay.

Coming out of hiding, he started to run back to the loot cellar, although he made sure to change the way he did it.

You're weak, so remember to pant. And have a desperate look on your face- huh?

He could suddenly feel immense danger coming from the loot cellar, and before he could figure out why-

*Boom!*

The loot cellar suddenly exploded, with a brilliant light blowing off its roof and ripping right through it, cutting the entire space into two halves.

The pretend worried face he put on suddenly became very real, as he ran desperately toward the building to try and figure out what happened.

It couldn't have been Elsa's doing, she would have used such a move if she could, right? Surely it must have been Reinhard! He did say that it would be dangerous, but…!

He needed to make sure everyone was safe. There was no time to switch back to Spider-Man, so he would have to make do with Subaru.

"What the hell happened? Hey! Are you-"

"Be careful, everyone! She's hiding somewhere, I made sure to keep her alive!" Reinhard's voice could be heard within the ruins of the loot cellar, where a massive cloud of dust had risen. But by the time he started running in their direction, it was too late.

Bursting out of the dust was Elsa, who had her eyes set on killing the silver haired girl. She was battered all over and the blade she held was bent out of shape. But just like the time when her leg was severed, that didn't seem to bother her one bit - rather, her murderous intent was greater than any she had before.

The silver haired girl shot chunks of ice at her, but they were all dodged just like before. As Elsa got within striking range, the girl formed a barrier of ice in front of her. Although she tried to continue fighting, her exhaustion from the fight was apparent. The ice shield absorbed her attack but shattered as a result, causing her to stagger backward, leaving her wide open for the following attack.

"Hyah-!"

As it was about to connect, Felt dashed in its trajectory in the blink of an eye, opposing the strike with her knife. But the force her small body could produce was no match for Elsa's monstrous strength, and she was knocked away as a result.

"No-!" Desperate to prevent the third attack as well, Felt threw her knife at it as a last resort. It collided with Elsa's blade and managed to weaken it somewhat, but not enough to divert it completely from the silver haired girl.

However, the split second delay in Elsa's strike it caused was enough.

"Hrrgh-!"

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise as she took in what was happening before her, as did all the others'.

Standing in her way Subaru, with Elsa's blade drawing blood from his stomach. But despite that, he had a determined smile on his face.

"Good…! I made it in time…!"

Looks like I didn't have to resort to webs after all...

Everyone's surprise wasn't derived from his wound, but rather from what he did to prevent it, for the blade at his abdomen had pierced nothing but his skin.

"-!"

Gripping the blade with both of his hands, he stopped it from moving further into his stomach. His hands were cut as a result and were bleeding profusely, but that didn't stop him from smiling.

Good luck trying to continue fighting!

As she tried to move the blade, she found out that she couldn't, neither forward nor backward. It was now stuck to his hands, and had no hope of leaving them - the stickiness from even a single one of his fingertips could easily support the entirety of his weight.

"There you go, getting in my way again- tsk!" Elsa spat, clicking her tongue as she took a look behind her. Her time was up.

She immediately abandoned her blade and backed away as fast as she could, causing Subaru to fall down to the ground.

"That's enough, Elsa!" Reinhard called out, finally arriving to protect Subaru and the others.

"One day, I will open the stomachs of everyone here, so take care of your bowels for me until then!" She cried, leaping onto the roof of one of the nearby buildings.

Subaru could only watch in frustration as she leapt lightly from roof to roof as she made her getaway. Chasing after her would undo all of his efforts to hide his identity.

"And be sure to relay this message to Spider-Man! Tell him that he will be the first!" And with that promise, Elsa finally disappeared from view.

After making sure that she went away for good, Reinhard ran over to Subaru.

"Are you all right? I'm sorry, Subaru. This is all my fault for letting my guard down. If you weren't there we would have been in trouble-"

"...Is everyone okay?"

But that wasn't Subaru's concern yet. Everyone's safety came first, with everything else being secondary. He wouldn't divert his attention to his condition until that was confirmed.

Ignoring Reinhard's concerned voice, he got up and went toward the silver haired girl to check on her first.

"I'm fine! More importantly…!" She shouted back before racing over to him with her unsteady feet, intent on healing Subaru. "Are you alright?! What were you thinking?!"

"No…! I need to see that everyone's okay!"

Reinhard was okay, as was the silver haired girl. And so looking past her as she held his wounded hands, he checked how everyone else was doing.

"You're really stupid, you know? Catching her blade like that could go wrong a million different ways!"

Felt was already up on her feet and walked toward Subaru.

"Ugh…"

Rom, who was lying on the ground nearby, let out a weak grunt. He probably thought that such a familiar phrase coming from her was directed at him.

Subaru stared at them, then moved his head back and forth between all of the people around him.

"Yes, the Bowel Hunter is gone, and everyone's alive and well. You did it Subaru." Reinhard told him, spelling out what Subaru hadn't fully accepted yet.

"I… did it?"

"That's right, Subaru. You saved everyone!"

"Ah…!"

He could feel a lump in his throat as tears welled in his eyes.

"I… T-That's right…! I did it! I really saved everyone!"

At long last, he made good on his promise. He finally managed to save all the people who were in danger, not letting a single one die.

He looked down at his hands, which stung as the silver haired girl held them. They were bloody and worn out even more than the last loop, but unlike then, he savored that unpleasant feeling.

That was because this time, his hands had served to save people, and were now literally drenched in his own blood, sweat and tears.

He couldn't have asked for more. His hands were a physical reminder of the result of his efforts, which did not leave a single ounce of regret in his heart.

"We're all okay, but that doesn't mean that you don't need help either!" The silver haired girl pouted while examining him from head to toe. "Huh? You got hit by her, but apart from your hands, you look surprisingly well…"

"That's all thanks to your insignia! I told you I had it… Hm? I was sure I put it here… Oh."

As he tried to reach for it, he realized why it wasn't where he left it. Although Elsa's slash at him didn't damage him too much, it did cut a hole through the pocket of his jacket. It was only natural that the insignia would fall out of it.

"Never mind that now! It couldn't have gone too far away, so let me heal you first." She grabbed the hand that searched the pocket once more and began channeling her healing magic.

"...It's here." Felt said, picking up said insignia from the ground nearby.

"You're the girl from before, aren't you? Listen, that insignia is very important- Huh…?"

But instead of hiding it, Felt held out her hand, offering the insignia to the silver haired girl.

"If it's that important to you, make sure you hide it better so it doesn't get stolen again."

"O-Oh! Thank you…!"

"Just so you know, I'm only returning this to you this time because you saved Old Man Rom's life. He's the only one I have left… I guess he's like my grandpa… Anyway, I don't think I did anything wrong, and I have no plans to stop."

"I guess that would be asking for too much…"

"If I was able to eat without having to work for it, I might quit, but that's not happening. Anyway, here you go."

As the silver haired girl finished healing Subaru's hands, Felt opened hers to finally pass the insignia back to its rightful owner, but then…

"Huh?"

"Reinhard…?"

The knight who had been looking at their exchange from the side suddenly grabbed Felt's hand, which was still holding on to the insignia.

"Th-that hurts… Let go…" said Felt, shaking her head and trying to resist.

"Hey, Reinhard! What are you doing!?"

However, Reinhard did not loosen his grip, nor did he answer Subaru's question. The strength in his hand was such that, if he wanted to, he could bend steel. Even if he wasn't using his full strength, it was not something that a slender girl like Felt could shake away from.

"I don't believe it…" muttered Reinhard, his voice shaking.

"Wait, Reinhard! I understand that it is hard to let her off without a word, but she doesn't know any better! Didn't you tell me that everyone can have a second chance!?"

"You're mistaken, Subaru. That's not what I have a problem with." Reinhard said in a forceful tone while staring intently at Felt.

Confused, both Subaru and the silver haired girl went silent. As Felt looked back at the young man with hair as red as her eyes, those red eyes of hers wavered with anxiety.

"…What is your name?"

"It's F-Felt…"

"What is your surname? How old are you?"

"I-I'm an orphan, all right? I don't have a surname and I…I think I'm about fifteen years old. I don't know my own birthday. But enough about that. Let me go!"

As Felt spoke, she seemed to regain a bit of her composure and tried to wrestle herself away from him.

Reinhard kept his firm hold on Felt and then turned to the two confused onlookers.

"You're coming with me. I'm sorry, but I can't let you refuse."

"What are you, crazy?! Just because you saved me doesn't mean you can just… Huh?" Just as Felt was about to continue yelling at Reinhard, her body went limp.

"What did you do!? You still haven't answered us!" Subaru cried out in protest.

"I would like to know as well. If the reason has anything to do with this insignia…"

"That is certainly not a crime I would like to ignore, but considering the far greater crime it would be to watch this moment before me unfold without any action, it is a trivial matter."

Picking up Felt's unconscious body, he looked at the two, a serious look in his blue eyes.

"I still need to make sure about some things, so I can't disclose any information yet, but don't worry. I give you my word that no harm will befall her while she's under my care, nor to this man here."

Subaru became quiet for a moment.

"...It's not that I don't trust you, after all you've done for me… But what you've done is suspicious, no matter how you look at it…"

"Hmm… I suppose that's true. Well, as I said before, you can always contact me through the guard station. I will try to keep you updated." Reinhard replied while handing the silver haired girl her insignia, and by doing that one of Subaru's goals has been accomplished.

With her insignia secured, the silver haired girl then had him lie on his back as she healed the wound on his stomach.

"Honestly, I'm fine! It's a shallow wound! You look very tired, so there's no need to push yourself."

"No, you are the one that should take care of himself! You don't want the wound to get infected, do you?" She said in a serious voice, like a mother scorning a child. "Besides, you got hurt trying to save me, so I can't have you stay like that!"

"…!" Subaru then suddenly remembered something.

Reaching for the other item he had in one of his pockets, he confirmed that it was indeed still there. Its condition was far from perfect, having been dented in various places as a result of the fight, but it was still intact, and that was what mattered.

"...Hmm?"

But as he was about to hand it to the silver haired girl, he realized that he still didn't know her name.

"Speaking of which, we fought together and saved each other, but we still haven't introduced ourselves, have we?" He asked her as the two of them got up, the wound on Subaru's stomach now being sealed.

"I don't remember saving you, but… It's Emilia."

She had a confused look for a moment, but it quickly faded into a soft smile.

"...Just Emilia. Thanks for saving me… Subaru, was it?"

"Yeah, I'm Subaru. Natsuki Subaru!" Subaru announced, finally being able to take pride in the name once more.

And so they gave each other their names, rid of aliases. It wasn't Spider-Man and Satella, but Subaru and Emilia.

Then, Subaru took her hand into his and placed in it the flower shaped ornament given to him by the little girl from earlier.

"Here. A secret admirer told me to give you this gift." He told her with a wink.

The girl, Emilia, was a little surprised by the unexpected gift, but then…

"Pfufu…"

…putting her hand to her mouth, she started to giggle, her white cheeks blushing, and her silver hair swaying behind her as she smiled.

She was smiling simply because she was happy. That was all there was to it. But to Subaru, that smile meant the world.

He had already decided to pursue others' smiles, but at that moment, his heart told him that this one came above all others.

"Well, please convey my thanks to them when you see them again!" She said, still giggling.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to let them know it was a success, in more ways than one!"

I suppose I would regret not trying to go after her, huh…?

Looking at the two's exchange, Reinhard wore a confused look.

"Subaru, you said before that you wanted to help her, but how is it that you don't know each other's names?"

"W-Well, does it really matter if I know her or not for me to want to save her…?"

"I suppose it doesn't… By the way, do you happen to know where Spider-Man went? We didn't see him after he left to look for you."

"Oh, you're right…" Emilia joined Reinhard's question.

"O-Oh, I'm sure he has somewhere he needs to be in. He probably saw that everything was okay and decided to leave. We don't really hang around together more than we need to…" Subaru gave not the most convincing answer.

"Subaru, even if it doesn't seem like it, I'm sure Spider-Man cares about you a lot. He was the one who moved you to safety when you were knocked out of the loot cellar. If the two of you had a fight you should try to make up with him. The two of you will be happier that way."

Emilia interpreted his explanation in a very different way than he expected, and even tried to help him solve the problem she thought he had.

This may have been a very heartfelt moment were Emilia talking to him about anyone other than his other identity. He didn't really know how to react to her words, so he just stared blankly at her.

"Lady Emilia, I'm sure both of them have their own reasons for acting that way." Reinhard told her as he looked at Subaru. "But I'm glad you were able to talk to him today. I know it must have been rough."

Reinhard was probably also attributing Subaru's earlier conversation with him to the supposedly rocky relationship between Subaru and Spider-Man. To them, Subaru probably looked like someone reliving some painful memories right now. But that was simply a product of his evil gaze. In actuality, he was just looking for a way out of the conversation.

Well, I guess that's our relationship now. I'll need to remember that so there won't be any contradictions…

"Hmm… but the two of you are very unusual people. You don't seem to be from around here either. Where do you come from?"

"Oh, uhh… we come from the same place. It's very far away, and we arrived here only today…" Subaru said, shaping his backstory to fit the narrative the other two came up with.

"Where are you staying at right now? I'll accompany you there later." Reinhard suggested, chivalrous as always.

"I, uhh… don't really have one…"

"In that case, how about you come to where I live as a guest?" Emilia offered. "I'm sure Roswaal would be more than happy to meet you. That is, if he isn't somehow involved in all of this…" She added while giving Subaru a questioning look.

"I'm sure this Roswaal guy is very nice, but I'm sorry to inform you that I don't know him. I don't even know how to read the letters here…"

"If you would like, I could take you in and teach you myself…" Reinhard offered him another option.

"I appreciate the offering, but I insist that he come with me. You must have your hands full with that girl right now, not to mention the fact that he saved me twice. It would be wrong if I didn't repay him in some way."

Here she goes with her weird debt logic again…

He would have liked to brush it off, saying "You don't have to worry about me, I'll manage somehow".

But Subaru had learned a harsh lesson in the short time since he was transported to this world. Even with his powers, he couldn't just jump into every situation and come out victorious.

He saw what happened when he couldn't control his powers properly, or when he didn't know how to go about using them. A lot of thought needed to be put into every decision, so that instead of harming people, he may be able to save everyone just like he did today.

He still needed to learn about the world around him, and figure out how to perfect the mantle of Spider-Man and shape it into what it should be.

"...I guess I can't argue with that. I'll take you up on your offer."

Once he had that sorted out, he would return here, and help protect the city as Spider-Man full time.


"Again, thank you for helping us, Reinhard."

"Thank you for your kind words, Lady Emilia, although I regret not being of much use protecting you. Please take good care of Subaru. I believe you'll hear from me again soon."

Reinhard was bidding Subaru and Emilia farewell as they entered a carriage that was going to bring them to where Emilia lived. Accompanying them were several knights to protect them, as per Reinhard's request.

Subaru had since managed to collect all of his belongings that were scattered around the area, including his newly acquired identity-hiding cloak.

"And Subaru, if you see Spider-Man again, could you please tell him that I would like to have a word with him, if possible?"

"O-Of course!"

I'll figure something out…

"Thanks again for everything you've done for me! You were right - I definitely would have regretted it if you were to arrest me!" Subaru told him with a wide smile spread across his face.

"...The pleasure was all mine."

Reinhard smiled at Subaru's strange sounding announcement while still carrying Felt in his arms. He brushed her blond hair away from her forehead and looked at her face. When she was unconscious like this and didn't have to be so on guard, she looked both innocent and charming. If she were given a change of clothes and a bath, surely she would shine.

A strong wind blew and Reinhard's bangs danced in front of his face. Through those bangs Reinhard looked up at the sky and saw floating in the twilight above the capital, the moon.

It was a full moon that shone with a bluish white light, and its beauty was both alluring and bewitching.

"This may be the last time I can look up at the moon and feel at ease…" muttered Reinhard, his words only reaching the moon that looked down upon them.

In the carriage, Subaru made himself comfortable as they began their journey. He heard that it would take them a few hours to get there, and it was already late at night after a very long and tiring day.

Come to think of it, I haven't had any proper sleep in a long time… Ever since I got here it was always either me being knocked out or dying…

"You don't mind if I take a quick nap, do you?" He asked Emilia, mostly out of formality. He didn't expect that she, of all people, would refuse.

"Not at all! You must be exhausted. I think I will have some rest myself…"

And so Subaru leaned against the wall of the carriage and closed his eyes.

This day was the weirdest one I've ever had, thank god I was able to fix everything with no regrets… no major ones, at least…

His attempt at saving everyone was far from perfect. Everyone was hurt in some way, and he made them all worry. He had a long way to go, but he supposed he'd give himself a passing grade.

Although both Rom and Felt were unconscious right now, they were taken care of by Reinhard, so there was no need to worry about them. As for Emilia…

I saved a beautiful girl, and now I'm going to her house… Even without all the other stuff, I'm sure this will make you proud, Dad…

With that playful thought in mind, Subaru dove into the realm of unconsciousness, feeling that he finally earned some good rest.


To be continued…

Thus concludes the first arc of the story! I'm really happy with how this chapter turned out. I feel like I fleshed out both Subaru and Spider-Man more than any of the previous chapters.

The two main highlights are of course Reinhard's encouragement talk and the fight scene. I was thinking about splitting it into two parts, since it turned out longer than any of my previous chapters, but I have ultimately decided against it. The fight was Subaru's way to apply the lessons he learned during the pep-talk, and by that an extension of it. Besides, I feel like cutting it into two parts would have hurt the flow of the story regardless.

The talk with Reinhard was something I put a lot of effort into - I had to somehow un-fuck up Subaru's mindset. I came up with the idea of drawing parallels between him and Reinhard and having them talk about what it means to be a hero, as opposed to Reinhard just sending him on his way in the original story. I hope I was able to deliver it well!

I have been looking forward to the fight scene as well, since Elsa and Spider-Man have a lot in common in terms of strength. Them crawling on the walls was something I knew I had to add. Right now they are more or less equally matched, but Subaru will be stronger than her after some training.

A rule that I have given myself in this fic is to have all the characters react to Spider-Man, while also getting to know Subaru separately. An imaginary relationship was already created between them, and it will be further solidified as the story continues. It will come into play later when Subaru will have to talk about his complex of his dependence on his powers.

As always, all feedback and criticisms are welcome, no matter how small of a nitpick it is. It helps me see if I need to change something about my writing and has the added bonus of motivating me :)

Hope you had a good read! Till next time!