01
The words had sunk deep into his conscience. It was like a knife had struck his nerves fatally wounding him as the girl spoke without ever actually knowing what she had done. Subaru didn't care as this was something he had experienced many times before.
This girl had not known that she would be leading him to his death.
That was something Subaru remembered as he tilted his head and rubbed his index and thumb across his chin in a bowl shape. And then he remembered the events of how it went down.
(Once I talk to her and take her to the tavern, we'll come into contact with her friends and then a Ryuzu clone will take my life and I'll die. But what was the reason? Dammit I couldn't hear her voice.)
If everything went as planned Subaru will escort the girl to the Tavern and end up losing his life as a result. It didn't matter if he repeated the exact same steps as when they eventually come into contact blood will burst from his mouth and his life will pour out. And after that He will not hear the girl's words that she whispered into his ears.
No matter how many loops he experienced, that was one thing that could never be changed. Subaru nearly forgot what he was supposed to be doing when the girl started to walk away.
"Hey wait! I can take you there."
"Ew are you some type of pervert that chases girls as they flee."
"Noooo, I have a girlfriend!"
Just like the last loop he had thought it would be best to take the same actions that will eventually end in his death. There was a lot he did not know and what was the method of killing that girl had used. He had no power himself so he could only combat this by trial and error.
The girl let out a giggle and turned to face Subaru who had instinctively tried reaching out to her, only to awkwardly sink back down to his side.
"Haha my name is Colette. I'm not from around here and I guess you're not either."
"Wow what a rude thing to say, you're basically calling me broke."
"Huh, what was that ?"
"...Nevermind."
"Say what is your name I don't believe I asked for it ?"
The girl who had brown hair and round puppy dog eyes flicked her finger upwards in a childish manner. She kicked her feet upwards as she walked and eyed the boy by her side who looked as if he was thinking about something.
"Ah, it's Natsuki Subaru."
"Are you even listening to me Mr Natsuki-san? "
"Hey Colette. By chance why are you going to the Tavern anyway ?"
He had changed the subject.
"Hmm, is there really a reason not to go ? "
It was pretty obvious why anyone would want to go to the Tavern. It had been the same for Natuski Subaru. He was not from the country so it was only natural he would want to explore. And the Tavern was one of the best tourist spots in this town.
If Subaru had said he had not known why Colette was going to the Tavern it would have been a terrible lie. He knew the reason for her wanting to go, but he still needed information on that girl.
The Ryuzu clone that would be the one to lop off his head and send him to hell.
"Well it is a great tourist spot so I thought it would be nice if I went to check it out before doing other stuff."
"Yea that obvious but why that specific place ? Going there alone would be pretty depressing, wouldn't it ?"
"I'm not alone, in fact my friends and teacher are waiting for me there. "
Jackpot but the word teacher caught his attention as he faced her for the first time ever since they had begun walking. Colette also turned to face him but as they locked eyes, Subaru could only think of dogs as he saw her.
"Your teacher must be a wonderful person. What kind of person are they ?"
"Eh, you want to know about my teacher ? I guess but why would you want to know ? "
"Well it's interesting for someone to be all the way out here from wherever you came from. So this teacher must be a wonderful person to give you this. "
A master was at work. Subaru knew what he was doing yet the smile on the small girl's face was something he had not expected. The girl jumped up with her arms on her small chest and he could have sworn he saw stars form in her eyes at the time.
"Yes, my teacher is an amazing person ! Back in my hometown there was a little incident, but my teacher was the one to help me out and take me under her wing. So now I owe her everything, even my own life."
"...So- "
"And that's not all when my friend was in trouble she had helped her and even a priest from Gusteko ! Isn't she amazing !"
The girl had practically been jumping up and down but was quickly stopped when Subaru put both hands on her shoulders to prevent her from hurting herself.
(This is going nowhere. )
He looked disinterested so when the next few words that came out of her mouth talked about something she shouldn't have said it brought his eyes to full view.
02
It wasn't unnatural for her not to grow worried when her companies went missing. She was a being who had no emotions so it would be more worrisome if she suddenly did start caring for someone.
"Uhh where had she gone off to."
It was Palmyra who voiced her concern. She had been one of the girls she had saved that day in that small village. Well she had no intention of saving this one but she had insisted on not leaving the brown haired girl's side so there wouldn't be any harm in taking one more.
But why had the other one been here was simply unknown.
"Maybe she had gone to the restroom ? "
This one had been by mere chance. She had long blonde braided hair and wore something similar to a nun's habit. This one had been someone she had saved off a whim. Omega sighed. The reason for the sudden visit to Kararagi was to find the great spirit of wind Zarestia, yet this delay had caused a few minor problems.
And one of them had been Colette who had gone missing.
"She will turn up."
"B-but."
If it had rained that day then maybe the girl's tears wouldn't have been so visible. Omega placed her hand on her head as she comforted her. A sound like something was shaking caught Omega's ears. If she had to guess it was Noelle's figure that started convulsing.
"What's funny, don't you see the issue."
"Haha it's just funny to see you so worried about that girl."
Noelle, whose figure looked to be almost convulsing from poison, laughed as she grabbed her belly and covered her mouth with her off hand. Palmyra seemed to have a vein popping out of her head.
"I'm sure she'll show up in no time and, wait… Isn't that her right there. "
When they all turned to the side to see the brown haired girl who smiled resembled a kitten, time felt like it had stopped for Omega.
She noticed a familiar figure standing right beside that girl.
Behind the crowd of people Colette noticed them and quickly ran towards them while the man standing behind her walked cautiously towards the group, looking only at Omega as he approached.
(Did he know ?) Omega thought.
It was impossible if he knew, unless.
(Return by death but why was he here ?)
Something had changed and it had happened quickly Omega charged her staff and aimed it at the boy. If he had noticed now it would be too late. She focused her energy into the staff and shot out an invisible ball of wind that would quickly shatter that boy's torso, killing him in mere seconds without any delays.
It was not time to meet him yet, so maybe the pain will make him not intrude on her plans in the next life. But she couldn't have been far more wrong.
This shouldn't have happened.
The ball of invisible wind dispersed when it hit the boy's torso if it had even touched him in the first place. The ball flew past him and hit a sign where it dispersed into formless wind. The boy dodge it by stepping to the side.
("This isn't his first loop. I will have to change my attacks and kill him quickly.")
When she lifted up her staff and pointed it at the boy he had not moved and a look of determination glared back at her once more.
Just like that time before.
"Echidna! "
03
"My teacher is such an amazing person ! She projected a real life witch and made the thugs claw at their faces while throwing up, isn't that cool. "
04
A beam of light struck up from below. If he had been even a fraction of a second late his body would have been split apart and obliterated from the scorching heat. After a few more beams of light he ducked down behind a tree like a lizard running from a predator and waited for her next attack.
The sounds of screams filled the air. The people around the area that minded their own business finally saw the danger in these attacks and started running in all directions. It wouldn't be long till some type of authority got dispatched and both Echidna and Subaru got arrested for whatever you could call this crime.
The 2 girls including Colette looked on in panic, especially Colette who had made a new friend and had no idea why he and her master were fighting.
She tried to say something but was quickly pushed back by Echidna's wind.
"Echidna I don't know what you're up to but isn't this kind of going too far."
He never got a response.
Instead something like a gigantic spike that roared from the heavens came down and split the earth like a missile. To a normal person it would have been impossible to dodge something so gigantic that caused as much damage as it did.
Yet when the giant spear landed Subaru had managed to avoid the initial attack by simply ducking down underneath one of the buildings nearby. But that couldn't be said about the aftermath.
Was that blood, or had that been something else. More or less Subaru had been damaged by the shockwave of the attack hitting the ground causing his side to rupture. This wouldn't kill him so he still had the strength to fight.
"Vol 24 text Full green "
That voice that spoke in a language Subaru didn't know had spoken something into existence. 4 beams of light in the shape of triangles appeared around his neck. He knew it was over. Colette who had been watching nervously screamed at the top of her lungs startling the other two girls.
"STOPPPP!"
Yet Omega didn't notice or maybe she didn't care.
The 4 triangles of lights began closing in on the boy's neck drawing blood and eventually lopping off his head similar to what happened in the last loop. He had gotten so much information that he could use in the next life.
He closed his eyes and waited for his death and just as he did his life had ended.
That's what should have happened.
Before the 4 triangle lights could sink into his neck and take his life something had saved him. No, it would be better to say he saved himself. The 4 triangle beams of light vanished and something like an invisible force had viciously destroyed them.
" !"
He had not known what was happening. Why was he still alive? He did not know but he couldn't have let this opportunity go to waste. He simply clenched his fist and made a dash towards the witch who was still stunned.
05
"Oh he used it ?"
Zarestia stopped, magic was leaking from her open wounds and something like an emotionless doll stood in front of her with an innocent smile that had a hint of real emotion.
"What are you talking about ?" Said the great spirit of wind Zarestia.
"Oh it's nothing you should worry about… But it still feels weird when you split an authority. "
