Re: Avenger

by Just-Another-Marvel-DC-Geek

CONTINUATION IN CROSSOVER SECTION The arrival of a certain young hero shows the world of the Od Laguna just how small it truly is. Basically, Subaru is MCU Spidey and the Re:Zero cast meet Marvel Multiverse madness. Sounds fun, right? (First fic. Shamelessly posting in both regular and crossover sections for reach.)

21. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – This is Wrath

"I've got to say… I like the spin you gave to summer clothing!" Subaru complimented the witch. "It has a really… 'you' vibe, in a weird cosmic sort-of way."

"My, my! What a flirtatious trickster!" Echidna blushed while giving out a clearly acted embarrassment. "You sly you~! Having the gall to act all awkward around girls and then throw compliments so casually…"

"So?" Subaru looked around, sitting in the now empty bus. "What's up with this place? A vision of some kind?"

"Well, you possessed the qualification."

"Huh?" The confused boy narrowed his eyes at Echidna.

"Once you enter my tomb, your Trial began. Did you not hear me say 'First, you need to face your past'? How inattentive… You hurt my maidenly heart!"

"Are you sure witches can be considered 'maidenly' to begin with?"

"Fufu~… You'd be surprised!"

"Still… It was quite the odd experience." Subaru reasoned with some doubt. "I forgot it was even a 'trial' or whatever… I actually felt as though I relived entire years in an instant. To say I had forgotten about you or even Lugunica until the end of the whole thing would be an understatement."

"Well, for the purpose of an 'express' experience, as your people would put it, I had to meddle with… Some of your memories." Echidna smiled with satisfaction as she confirmed her glimpse into his mind.

"…Some memories? A-Are you telling me…"

"'With great power comes great responsibility.'" The witch said solemnly. "For that old man to entrust you such words on his death bed… I do not know whether he was cruel on purpose or not."

"Don't you dare call Ben cruel!" Subaru pointed a finger at Echidna as he glared, clearly annoyed by her dismissal of his creed.

"Sorry, perhaps I was too hasty in my judgement." The woman smiled as the surprise of his accusation vanished. "After all, I wouldn't be here… No, NONE of us would be here still if you hadn't taken that belief to heart, mister I-saved-the-universe…"

"All of us?" Subaru perked up at the odd implication of the woman. "How do you mean?"

"Wording and details that you need not worry about…" The witch dismissed again.

"*Sigh* And here I thought I could be secretive…" The hero sighed in exhaustion. "So? Did I pass or was it just a slip and a fall?"

"If I had to ascertain a result…" Echidna brought a finger to her chin while making a satisfied face. "I'd have to say that you passed with flying colors."

"I see… Then again, this vision world is quite exact… It's almost scary how good of a replica it is!"

"Well, using your memories allowed me to create a most excelsior construct of your world."

"But if it's all a construct…" Subaru wondered with some doubt. "How come there was stuff in there I did not even remember? Or more like that I would have had no way of knowing about?"

"Maybe you don't know, but as I said before, it is… 'Difficult' to ascertain things around you, even for me." Echidna theorized. "I didn't delve too much into your battle with the purple giant, if only because it wasn't at its core relevant to the Trial, but maybe that bouncing of 'cosmic energies' within you has affected the way reality flows around you, hmm?"

"You said difficult to ascertain… does that extend to the cult's 'Gospels'?" Subaru theorized back at her.

"My, my… Now, why would you ask me of that?" The witch's eyes widened in interest.

"Well… Petelgeuse said some odd things." The teenager attempted to explain the uncertain doubt. "The Gospel's can tell the future, right? But when I interfered, the Archbishop seemed confused as all hell as to why his whole scheme went upside down."

"Think of it this way." Echidna replied matter-of-factly. "If your Spider-sense predicted an attack, only for the opponent to do something else entirely, wouldn't YOU be confused as well?"

"Well, some of the stuff you did could have been considered dangerous… Yet my Spider-sense did not go off still. It only activated when I entered the Tomb, but I guess that only applies because the place knocked me unconscious, not because it actually harmed me…"

"If it was just memories, then it wouldn't exactly be dangerous as you have already surpassed them."

"I guess that's true… But it doesn't really answer the question."

"For how much knowledge I possess, I cannot accurately say anything in regards to that." She admitted with some regret. "After all, it is not often that one meets an individual that seemingly 'breaks' the pre-established rules of a world as casually as you have."

"So right now even that is speculation, huh…" Subaru lamented the inconclusiveness of his theory.

"Nevertheless…"

"Is there something else Echidna?"

"You have quite the idealized view of that Aunt of yours…" The witch ominously approached the seated boy and whispered. "The way she'd encouraged you and sent you off… Even though right now she must be crying her heart out thinking you died… Although she forgave you once, do you really think she'd forgive you for coming back after she wept your demise already? How selfishly arrogant of you."

"…Hehe." Subaru chuckled. "For how much you poked around my head, you really are dense Echidna!" The boy mocked loudly.

"How so?" The woman looked with interest.

"May is awesome, simple as that!" He stated with confidence. "Sure, she'd slap me around for giving her a heart attack, but you should know better if you think she'd throw me away once we meet again!"

"'Once we meet again'… You are awfully confident in your assessment that you can return to Earth, even when you DON'T know where in the universe you even are." The interested Echidna replied with widened eyes.

"If I lose confidence after surviving the impossible, then there was no reason in me surviving to begin with!"

"Well, with such words, I guess the first incognita has been solved… Are you ready for the other two?" She winked to the boy before her.

"There's two more? Hah… Figures it wouldn't be as easy as just clapping and saying 'yer dun!'…" He deflated with some reluctance.

"Wouldn't be much of a Trial if it ended so abruptly. Three is the magic number, as some would say."

"Even MORE lingo of my world… What didn't you see?!"

"All in all, the completion of the 'Three' trials are required for the liberation of Sanctuary."

"Ignored?!" Subaru recoiled in fake anguish.

"I'm quite glad you finally know all of this, I had been looking forward to telling you for all the years we spent inside your mind!" The woman celebrated.

"Now then… Do I have to rest, take the next one right away or complete a side-quest first?" Subaru asked, perplexed by the situation.

"If I had to say one, it is time to rest. You'd have to take the other Trials immediately if you remained here." She said in videogame terminology for the teenager. "Oh, brave hero! You have completed the first Trial! Rest at the inn and come back to complete your mission once you've recovered your mighty strength!"

"Just so you know I never finished the trials of the sword, Zelda! If only because I didn't even have the console… Still, so it's the pause menu now? Well, I'll take it! I'm kind of tired anyways…" He sheepishly got up. "Where's the exit this time around?"

"Just exit the bus and you should be back besides that half-elf." She waved off, slurring her words about Emilia with disinterest.

"…Say, Echidna?" Before he left, Subaru turned to face the witch once more.

"What is it?" The woman asked with curiosity again. "Are you perhaps mad at my blatant violation of your privacy? I'd ask you not to hit me though… After all, with how 'Strong!' and 'Macho!' you are, dear little poor old beautiful me would get crushed under your-"

"Thank you."

"…"

"I managed to clear my head from… the stuff I felt I did not want to acknowledge… or remember, for that matter. So, even if it wasn't my world or the people I know, they were still them within me. I don't know if it made sense or not, but it plays some sound for me, so… Thank you."

"You really do perplex me… Is every Earth hero as annoyingly incomprehensible as you are? It's a bit frightening to know I can't predict what you are going to say or do next…" She claimed with a tone of confusion while giving out a clearly flirtatious smile. "Truly vexing indeed…"

"Oh, and sorry to disappoint! But…" He paused once more as he exited. "The one to complete the trials won't be me; the 'hero' of this particular tale will be a certain half-elf princess! You'll see!" He affirmed as the exit's light engulfed him.

"…I do wonder about that…" Echidna's face turned sour as he left, his last words stinging, as she doubted their veracity or validity rather.

*WHOOOOSH*

"…" As soon as the boy left, the void of Echidna's imaginarium was consumed by shadows, the figure of a silver-haired woman looming ominously while glaring at her.

"Don't be so mad, you intruder…" Echidna spat at the figure. "I only glimpsed at that which was relevant for the trial, so there is nothing to punish me for…"

Within the Tomb, Subaru woke up with a jolt, his head aching as he regained his consciousness and awareness of the cold surroundings.

"Augh…" The boy scratched his head as he groggily got up. "My head…"

"SUBARU!" Karen yelled. "You lost consciousness again! Are you fine?! No injuries?! No-?!"

"If I had any injuries, you would have been the first to notice, helicopter mom!" He immediately joked around.

"…So I guess you are all right…"

"Yeah… It seems all this place really does is put you to sleep… or lock you in a trance as you go through the Trial… Huh?" His memories of the Trial caught up to him, making the teenager's eyes widen in alarm. "Oh shoot! Emilia!" He turned to his side to see the sleeping silver beauty himself.

"S-Subaru…?" Emilia woke up, looking up at him with clear terror in her eyes. "W-What was I…? Oh…"

"E-Emilia-ta-?"

"NO!" She screamed in panic, her teary eyes darting all around the room nervously as the temperature dropped drastically. "IT WASN'T ME! IT'S NOT MY F-FAULT!"

"Emilia?!" Subaru had to grab her by the shoulders as she flailed around, forcing her to wail her worries away in his embrace.

"IT WASN'T ME!" She sobbed on Subaru's chest, grasping for dear life. As she did so, however, her manic gaze shifted upwards to meet Subaru's concerned eyes. "NO! DO-DON'T LOOK AT ME! DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT! I-I-I-I-IT WAN'T ME!" She weakly tried to push him away, her normally brutal strength failing her in her frantic state.

"Emilia-tan, calm down!" Subaru attempted to reassure. "It's me! Subaru! Calm down…" He hugged her again, this time not letting go as she pushed.

"PUCK! N-NO! I-I-I-I…" Her mind raced as she looked for any figure to cling to, choosing the boy hugging her instead before breaking into an ugly cry. "SUBARU!"

*PAT-PAT*

"It's alright… I'm here…" He patted her back as she carried her to the outside…

After such a taxing outburst, Emilia fell unconscious once more. Inside one of the houses at the village, Ram tended to her, making sure she could receive the appropriate rest she needed.

"She won't be having any nightmares, I have taken the necessary precautions already…" The maid explained with some disappointment. "But with her in this state… We might not see the liberation of Sanctuary in the foreseeable future…"

"…" Subaru frowned at her wording.

"Well… We could resort to carrying the people out of Sanctuary without actually completing the trials…" Otto proposed shyly in the midst of the tense aura of the room.

"HUH?!" Garfiel was quick to complain however. "Whatcha mean by dat, eh green asshole?!"

"I-I just meant that, with mixed bloods falling unconscious upon approaching the barrier, we could ju-just transport them as they are asleep!" The merchant reasoned in a hurry.

"If it were that easy, Roswaal's ancestors would have crossed them themselves." Subaru quickly shot his proposal down. "Garfiel… What's the catch here? Why can't you really cross the barrier without an outside help?"

"…Who knows…?" The blonde boy huffed derisively, seemingly trying to provoke Subaru. "I have no reason ta yammer wit' ya, nasty eyes…" He smirked at his own insult.

"…" Subaru simply stood silent, indifferent to the name-calling. "Well, if you are no use, I can just ask the man himself. Roswaal should know better of these matters anyhow, being a court mage and all…"

"…" Ram narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the black-haired boy while keeping to herself.

"Excuse me?!" Garfiel reeled in anger at the hero's casual dismissal of his provocations. "Come 'ere ya piece of-!"

"Even if the guests are loud, you should not let them get the best of you, young Gar." The voice of a young half-elf girl, with pink hair and dressed in a black robe, disrupted the conversation, making them turn to the main entrance to the abode.

"…Sorry for the loud yells." Otto apologized in the behalf of the silent crowd. "Um…"

"Ryuzu Bilma, young one." She introduced herself with a wise, elder tone. "I am… Something of a figure head for this community of Sanctuary, old and frail as I might be…"

A loli-hag? Like Biscuit Krueger?Subaru thought.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ryuzu-san. Although… I get the distinct feeling I saw you back at the forest, when I first arrived…"

"Really now? I'm only meeting you just now, loud one…"

"'Loud one', she says…" Subaru rubbed his neck with embarrassment.

"As for your theory… The whole reason young Gar lost his temper…" She looked at the boy in question.

"…" Garfiel remained silent, still scowling at Subaru.

"The barrier itself does not just robs mixed bloods of their consciousness, but of their soul as well." She explained with some regret in her voice.

"Their souls…" Subaru remarked with a somber voice. "So they'd die were they to exit?"

"Not die per se… But most definitely lose themselves, becoming mindless, soulless husks."

"A fate no better than death…" Garfiel stated under his breath.

"…If that is the case, is there a reason as to why the people of Sanctuary cannot free themselves?" Subaru inquired once more. "Maybe a restriction?"

"That would be an accurate approximation." The woman nodded. "We, the residents of Sanctuary, are forbidden by a contract from breaking the barrier. That is our one law, which we cannot hope to surpass by ourselves."

"Sounds rough…" Subaru said with slight pity.

"Bull…" Not wanting to accept his concern though, Garfiel murmured to no one.

"At any rate, you all can go rest now. I'll talk with Emilia once she wakes up." Subaru then reassured as everyone left for the night with reluctance, the only one remaining being Ram, who stared for a few seconds in silence at the hero before leaving as well.

The night passed and at the break of dawn, Subaru greeted the tired candidate as she woke from her slumber.

"…Hngh…" Emilia mumbled in discomfort as her eyes opened. "W-What…?"

"Heya." Subaru saluted from his seat beside her.

"…Subaru?" The girl turned her head slowly in his direction as she sat on the bed.

"That's me, don't waste the name!" He joked still, trying to lift her spirits. "For real though, good morning. Are you okay now? Need a glass of water or something?"

"Um… I'm not… I mean, um…" She had trouble making a response to his worry. "Did you… watch over me the entire night?"

"Hunh? Oh, yeah, no biggie!" Subaru quickly dismissed her worries over him. "Honestly, I call it a blessing in disguise having to watch over you! After all, did you know? Otto burps, farts and snores loudly in his sleep… Not to mention the mumbling, dear god! I didn't want to hear about his rashes down south!"

"That's… a bit harsh on him, don't you think?" She chuckled at his nasty comments.

"Ah! Don't tell anyone I told you that… I don't want you to think I'm dissing him or something!" The jester laughed as he explained. "I blame the shot of his canteen the dude takes before hitting the pillow. He says it eases the stress of the day to day, but that thing has his stomach rumbling all-night long! The alcoholism is gonna be the end of him!"

"You are joking at his expense again…"

"Sorry!"

"Subaru…" Emilia smiled weakly as she lowered her head. "I'm… I'm sorry about yesterday."

"Hm?"

"You went into the Tomb to help me, right? And you had to see… How I simply couldn't handle what I saw…"

"As I said just now, no biggie! Just helping a friend in trouble!" Subaru smiled at her sincerely. "Just relax for now. Maybe it was tough, but I'm sure you can handle whatever you see when you next take the Trial tonight!"

"…Tonight…" She mumbled in nervousness.

"By the way…" Subaru chimed in again.

"Hm? What is it?" The half-elf tilted her head.

"Can you… Let go of my hand already?" He pointed to his left hand, which Emilia was tightly holding onto with her right.

"…HUH?!" She blushed in embarrassment. "Wh-WHAT-?!"

"You kinda clung in your sleep and never let go…" The boy blushed a bit as well. "I guess you really needed someone?"

"I-I…" Her ears went red as she let go of his hand, quickly covering and hiding her face. "S-Sorry!"

"And I say it a third time, no biggie! Haha!"

"…" Ram had stood silent outside the door, listening in at the entire conversation.

"Well, I guess I'll leave now! I'm going to go check on the villagers at the chapel. See you at lunch!" Subaru walked to the door while bidding farewell to Emilia.

"Hmm… Yes, see you then…" The still weakened Emilia waved him off with a tired smile.

*CLACK*

"…Then?" Subaru turned to the maid standing in front of him. "Was there something we ought to discuss Ram?"

"…Follow me outside."

Once the pair was outside the cabin, overlooking the run-down village surrounding them, the pink oni began her explanation.

"…Did you know, Barusu?" Ram prompted as she gazed at the church chapel.

"Know what?"

"There are those that wish for Sanctuary not to be liberated. For the place to remain isolated from the outside world."

"A conservative faction, eh? Doesn't sound like something a guy as impulsive as Garfiel would want… is it the older folks?" The teenager reasoned.

"Mostly… but there are those that also refuse to listen even to the elder, Ryuzu-sama… And Frederica as well…"

"The implication being that you think Frederica begun this whole crap-show to begin with?" Subaru narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Well… She DID hand Emilia the blue crystal…"

"Your action of taking the crystal as it glowed barely saved her. Circumstantial as it may be the facts would suggest that, in order to achieve their goal, Emilia-sama would end in harm's way… And as a servant to the candidates, knight or not, it falls on your shoulders to help her Barusu."

"Yeah, I get what you are saying… But not knowing who the enemy even is does pose a problem, especially so when they are all villagers as opposed to criminals and all…" Subaru stated with some preoccupation as he rubbed his chin.

"*Sigh* How unfortunate for Emilia-sama… For her shield from such dangers is just a Barusu…"

"Did you have to slip in an insult after such a heart to heart?!" The boy looked at the pink hair in shock. "I thought we had a good vibe going here!"

"So unfortunate… For you to think there could be a 'vibe', whatever that could be, between myself and… a Barusu." Ram sighed again.

"Don't repeat it!"

The evening fell onto the Forest of Kremaldy once more, and with it, Emilia braced herself for another face off with the pain she could not recollect. As she walked into the Tomb again, the blue light enveloping her, Subaru waved her off with encouragement.

"TAKE CARE!" The teenager cheerfully shouted.

"Hey Ram! Ya not goin' ta help the moron in wavin' da half-elf off?" Garfiel asked with a smile at the pink maid.

"Hmph, it is his choice to cheer, not mine. My presence is reassuring enough for Emilia-sama."

"I'm pretty sure she'd like it if you could throw a word or three in encouragement though?!" Subaru quickly retorted to the maid's comments.

"Why are you even here if you are not going to encourage as well Garf? Just for the curiosity? How pitiful…"

"You know? It's kind of hard to deal with your attitude…" Subaru sighed with exhaustion at her antics.

"Nah, dat's part of da charm!" Garfiel smiled stupidly.

"…It's not common that I see you smiling that sincerely when I'm around." The hero pointed out. "You like Ram?"

"'Course! She's hot, strong an' capable. How could meself not be attracted ta such a good specimen, huh?" The blonde boy smirked toothily again.

"Calling her a 'specimen' is a bit…" Subaru rubbed his temples at the wording of the ill-mannered Garfiel.

"Still… Hopefully she can do dis proper now though…" The boy then stared into the tomb's interior immediately after speaking. "'Tis like waitin' for the Banassi ta explode only for it ta never happen, seein' her do her thing!"

"…I might be intruding a little, but-"

"Yeah, ya are." Garfiel rudely attempted to shut off Subaru to no avail.

"…Are you somehow in a hurry to leave Sanctuary?" The Avenger kept prodding nonetheless, ignoring the boy's annoyance. "Is there something you want to do or see?"

"What I wanna do or see is none of yer damn business. For a guy from Beyond da Waterfall dat can come an' go as he pleases into dis place, ya have no clue as ta what I feel." The blonde-hair simply turned away.

"So you know I'm not from your world…"

"All I know is 'hear-say'! Don't think Imma buy that crap just cuz' ya managed ta fool everyone else! Ya ain't as special as ya think ya are, ya liar!"

"You sure are tough to get through… Even though I'm telling the truth…"

"As I said, SAYS YOU! Stop trying ta know how I feel, ya nosy poker!"

"Kind of hard to tell what you feel when you don't tell me about it. Although, I suppose I'm guilty of such things in the past as well…" Subaru said in a somewhat reminiscing tone with a tired smirk. "What about your sister? Are you planning to visit her? She barely told us anything about Sanctuary, only that she was raised here… And only managed to allude to your existence by implying we be careful around you."

"And here the bastard asks again…" Garfiel growled while glaring at the ground, increasingly disturbed by Subaru's dismissal of his attitude towards him. "But dat sounds like her, alright… Or more like dat damn clown she serves, for all matters!"

"…" Subaru stared at the boy with some doubt.

"Let me guess?! She spouted bullshit 'bout a vow or oath or crap like dat, imma right?! Nothin' but excuse!"

"You don't like your own sister, do you?" The hero stared with apprehension now.

"What is there ta like?! I-!" Before Garfiel could continue ranting, Emilia's screams filled the silent night.

*SHWOOOM*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The half-elf cried as the temple's light turned off.

"EMILIA!" Subaru yelled while running into the Tomb again, encountering the fleeing girl midway through the tunnel. "Emilia, are you-?!"

"I'm-I'm…!" She hugged Subaru the moment he reached her, crying her heart out. "I'm sorry!"

"So another dud, huh?" Garfiel glared from outside at the pair.

Back in the village, Subaru and Roswaal rendezvoused as everyone else turned in for the night once more.

"Then? What did you call me for? Ram was pretty annoyed by having to fetch ME of all people so late into the night…" Subaru leaned on the wall of the clown's room as he spoke with some defiance. "Just so you know I still don't hold you on the clear. I'm even MORE suspicious now!"

"Now, now, Su~baru-kun, surely you realize how precarious a position you'd be putting Emilia-sama's candidacy were your opinions of me to be paraded as truth, hm?"

"Have you given me something to trust?" Subaru simply narrowed his eyes at the Lord as he sat up on his bed.

"Well, at least I know YOU can be trusted with what actually counts…" Roswaal smiled creepily.

"…Are you trying to deflect? What are you talking about?" Subaru's irritation increased. "Are you implying your own candidate isn't trustworthy if you wish to discuss with me without her around? I know she's tired, but we could talk this in the morning as a group once she wakes up."

"Well, it is your du~ty within the alliance to mediate between the candidates potentially dangerous topics, am I wrong?"

"It could be said that… But just what are you getting at?"

"You are a confidant!" Roswaal concluded cheerfully. "Which is why I know you will not reveal matters of one camp to another so… easily. After all, the stabi~lity of the Selection is YOUR newfound responsibility…"

"…"

"What I wish to talk about is… A conspi~racy theory of sorts, you see~."

"Conspiracy?"

"It is something Emilia-sama should not concern herself with. It's matters that you-"

"Will you stop dancing around the issue?!" Subaru yelled in frustration. "I'm fed up with this attitude of yours!"

"MY attitude? You are the one rudely interrupting me~." Roswaal smirked still, mocking Subaru's anger.

"Get real." Subaru simply dismissed his carefree behavior. "The Witch Cult invades just as Emilia's bodyguard is fired… And you think it is, some-fucking-how, the best time to leave?! There were more than a hundred cultists! Such a force couldn't have gone undetected in YOUR territories!"

"…" The clown remained silent, staring in amusement at the ranting boy.

"You are powerful AND knowledgeable; I know that for a fact! That's why… I simply cannot help but suspect your involvement in the attack. Your timing for leaving was too perfect to be a coincidence! Do you even realize who could have died?! What could have happened had I not helped Rem?! Had I not known?! Just how much blood would stain your hands due to your absurd irresponsibility?!" Subaru full on scowled at the man.

"But there is no blood on my hands thanks to you now, Subaru-ku~n." Roswaal smirked. "As you'd say, all's well that ends well."

"It isn't that simple and you know it!"

"Barusu!" Ram stepped into the room as Subaru approached the clown, threatening to grab him by the collar. "You cease your insolence, right now!"

"Don't stop me, Ram!" Subaru reproached as he turned to face her. "This fucker's absolute disinterest put Rem's life at risk! I'm not forgiving that!"

"Roswaal-sama trusted you would protect her and so I trusted Roswaal-sama…" Ram answered with some reluctance. "You came through, just as he predicted. As such, I have no reason to-"

"The hell you do! You might not care about your own sister, but I sure do!" He angrily stated before his Spider-sense went off, alerting to a wind blade from the maid.

*DASH!*

"FWOOOM!*

"…" Subaru jumped away at the last second, drawing some distance from the smiling clown as Ram glared heatedly at him, her wand raised in his direction.

"Don't you dare imply such a disgusting thought again, you filthy Barusu! To begin with, you are a guest here in Roswaal-sama's domain, so stop thinking you can do as you please threatening the lord like that!"

"…Ram." Subaru faced the maid fully with anger, a serious tone in his voice. "Put the wand down. Last warning." The hero relaxed his hands before clenching them into fists, his armor covering his body slowly in a threatening manner.

"…" Ram scowled back, remaining silent as she prepared another spell.

*CLAP-CLAP!*

"Now, now…" Roswaal quickly moved onto defusing the situation. "Please, you two. Would you mind relaxing a bi~t? We were having a produ~ctive conversation up until now!" He said in a disgustingly relaxed manner for such a serious topic.

"…" Subaru's gaze towards the maid relaxed before staring back at Roswaal with disdain.

"…Hmph…" Ram scoffed as she put the wand away, still glaring at Subaru pettily.

"Talk." The teen ordered the clown.

"As you say, overloo~king such a large force and a calamity… It would be more precise to say I ALLOWED such a conflict to happen to begin with." The man stared into Subaru's eyes. "I remained silent about it because of that."

"…You…" Subaru's scowl returned as the memories of his 'vision' flashed before him. "You ALLOWED that?!"

"Had I defeated the cult myse~lf, you would have joined another Camp instead of becoming a representative and serva~nt to all within the alliance. Your relationship with Emilia-sama would have become unsa~lvageable then."

"That is still no excuse for-!"

"Do you not get it?" Roswaal smile turned even more sinister. "The people ta~ke Emilia-sama seriously now, if only because she took part in su~ch a historical event. Even more than that, this wo~rld now buys as well into that annoying premise of your heroics… They adore you now! Are you not glad, hmm~?"

"What?!"

"Now not only does the populace ha~ve a new hero to latch onto, they no longer believe Emilia-sama re~lative to the Witch! That is quite the feat to have come from just keeping a fact here and there concea~led!"

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Subaru yelled in absolute rage, the bladed limbs at his back appearing out of reflex prompting Ram to draw her weapon again. "Do you even realize how many lives were lost?! How so many people were forgotten to the world because of the Whale's power?! Crusch's knight lost his identity because you couldn't be bothered to intervene!"

"But the renown of-"

"WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THE RENOWN?!" The Avenger's shout of disgust interrupted Roswaal's retort.

"Would you like me to extend my condolences then?" Roswaal glared back while dropping his accent. "To ask for forgiveness, bow on all fours on the ground and beg everyone to be spared of punishment? To hear an empty apology or a vacuous promise of redemption?"

"That's not it at all!" Subaru denied vehemently. "Do you not get it?! You could have done the same as me! You are THAT powerful!"

"I trusted you, Subaru-kun." The clown moved onto explaining his thought process. "Even now I trust you… To put everything on the line to 'save the innocent' or 'help those that cannot help themselves'. As such, I trusted you'd save Emilia-sama… After all, you have so selfishly paraded around that image ever since coming to our world. You cannot be a hero if someone isn't in danger… What a disgusting ideology."

"You are beyond logic Roswaal…" Subaru spat with disgust at the man before him. "The idea of a hero is to do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, nothing more! You are the one stuck on such a stupid reasoning that I, somehow, wish others a bad day just for a chance to shine!"

"I wonder about that…" The clown smiled with satisfaction again while narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"Tsk!" Subaru approached the room's door. "This isn't over! Once we solve the problem here, I'm taking you to justice, your rank be damned! You've made a damn stupid mistake of making an enemy of an Avenger, you dumb jester!" The hero promised while closing the door behind him forcefully.

*SLAM!*

"…" Ram stood silent for some moments, staring at the door with apprehension before turning towards her master with worry. "Roswaal-sama…"

"Not to wo~rry, Ram…" The clown reassured while patting the maid's head. "He might not understand now… Yet soon, he will comprehend that thi~ngs are as they should be. That for the sake of Emilia-sama's future, he must not speak as freely as he wished he could. After all, his concern, first and foremost, are peace and safety. If he we~re to blabber on… He'd jeopardize those two."

Subaru paced around during the night, unable to sleep as his thoughts raced with images of the deceased, the forgotten and Felix's hateful, tearful eyes.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"…Tsk!" His fists trembled as he remembered the cat-boy's pain. "You piece of shit clown…"

This sucks! Worst part of all… If I told Emilia any of this as she attempts the Trial… She'd be too worried! She'd fail for sure! I have to keep her the least stressed possible as she travels down memory lane… How annoying…

He murmured his conclusion with reluctance. "I'll have to tell her AFTER Sanctuary is freed… She already has enough shit to worry as it is with Puck, didn't need that fucking clown messing with her head too…"

"Hello?" As he ranted, a familiar voice came from his bracelet. "Hey! Are ya there?!"

"Huh?" Subaru stared at his wrist, prompting open a projection screen. "Anastasia?"

"Heya! Did ya all miss me?" She saluted with a smug grin. "Then again, ya look pretty lonely walkin' around in the forest at night."

"You do know it is pretty late at night, right?" Subaru asked with confusion.

"Of course I know! It's why I decided ta call ya instead of Emilia!"

"So it's fine to interrupt MY sleep schedule in your mind…" Subaru fake cried, dismissing his earlier worries to try to give out a confident demeanor once more.

"Yeah, yeah…" The Mauve merchant simply dismissed him. "I'm calling ta tell ya guys I'm coming ta the mansion tomorrow, so prep those Metias! Julius an' I managed ta make sometime in-between dealing with all the stuff here!"

"Oh really? Well, I'll see what I can do… I mean, the servants at the mansion already know you'll be coming anyway, so they should serve you even when I'm not there."

"…Not there?" Anastasia narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"

"The people of Sanctuary, the ones that went to Roswaal after the evacuation? They are kinda trapped here. I… cannot go into details just yet, but Emilia and I have been trying to help them for a while now."

"Dammit, what the hell?!" The girl complained. "Are ya doin' this on purpose?! Not wanting ta show me crap!"

"Hey, I'll manage something to be there if it bothers you so much…" Subaru tried to reassure. "We'd arrive about the time you do if we left tomorrow as well, I think…"

"*Sigh* Had I known ya'll were busy, I wouldn't have rushed ma business at the public bank…"

"…Did you say bank?" Subaru's eyes widened. "You… Have banks here?"

"Oh? So ya have them as well?" She raised her eyebrows at the information. "I mean, of course ya have. They are kinda recent in this world though… maybe some 50 years or so? Founded by the merchant guilds ta keep money safe from grabbers! They've gotten pretty popular in the cities, actually!"

"Yeah, I get the general idea…" Subaru sank into his memories. Emilia… Back when we first travelled to the Capital…

"Bank?"

She asked me what it was, making me assume they didn't exist in this world…

"Hey! Ya there?!" Anastasia interrupted Subaru's thoughts. "Listen pal, the elf-girl is one thing, but if ya aren't there-!"

"Don't worry, I'll be there." He assured. "I'll go tomorrow and return to help here the next day. I'll inform Emilia when she wakes up so she can take care of things here."

"I say, ya trust her too much…" The merchant then affirmed hearing the confidence in his voice. "Like, I'm grateful ya don't wanna keep me waitin', but if ya haven't had any progress doin'… whatever ya'll are doin' after some days, then I cannot see how she'll manage by herself…"

"She might be political rival, but I'd ask for some trust in her…" Subaru reproached with a tired tone.

"Sorry, sorry… But yeah, ya do yer thing. I'll be at the mansion tomorrow evening, so see ya then!" The girl turned her projection off, leaving Subaru to ponder on his thoughts once more.

"…" The boy simply walked off back into the night.

Eventually, during the early morning, Subaru and Emilia talked once more as the latter finally woke from another discomforted slumber…

"I'm sorry…" She stressed with a depressed look. "I… I failed again…"

"Well, at least we know now that you haven't lost your right to undergo the trial, so that's a plus…" Subaru reassured. "Having said that… Will you be capable of trying again?"

"Huh?" The girl stared in wonder at his question.

"You have to free Sanctuary, it's the duty entrusted to you. I know… It's kinda harsh to put it that way, but you accepted the burden in the first place, did you not?"

"…I guess I did…"

"Also, I won't be here today."

"…What?" Emilia's voice turned a bit shaky at Subaru's proclamation.

"See, Anastasia called. She said she'll be coming to the Mansion tomorrow, so I have to be there."

"Oh, that's right…" She expressed with dejection. "The alliance business…"

"I'll… Try to convince Garfiel to let me take the people of Arlam with me, so just focus on saving the people of Sanctuary, okay?" Subaru said with a smile, trying to lift the half-elf's spirits.

"…Yes… Thank you, Subaru…" Emilia, however, replied weakly.

"Somehow, that tone isn't very convincing… Maybe I should cancel with-?"

"Don't!" Emilia quickly interrupted. "Just because… I'm finding it hard to perform my duty… You shouldn't hamper yours!"

"Well, well! And here I thought you were losing your confidence!" Subaru laughed. "See?! If you go in like that, the Trials will be done in a cinch!"

"Mo~! If you try to boost my confidence like that, of course I'd want to do it!" Emilia pouted. "You are such a jerk! I know I'm not believable when I say this after failing twice… But please, believe in me!"

"Don't worry, I already believe in you!" He laughed again, teasing the worried girl and succeeding in making her smile.

Therefore, as the sun rose over the horizon…

"You managed to convince Garfiel?! THAT Garfiel?!" Otto yelled in surprise.

"Ugh… Are you trying to blow my ears off dude?!" Subaru quickly chastised. "Yeah, I convinced him! To begin with, the intention was to get Emilia trapped in here so she could release the barrier! With that accomplished, it'd be better for him to just let go of the villagers, thinking it will help her by easing her burden!"

"Well… Having failed two times, I can see why he'd consider it…" Otto reasoned with a quieter voice. "I sort of thought he'd be too stubborn to allow YOU of all people to boss him around though…"

"I didn't 'boss him around'; I just gave him some logic he couldn't refute… Though, he did glare at me the entire time… Took the help of Ryuzu-san to finally convince him in the end." Subaru scratched his head in annoyance. "He might be petty… But not a complete mess up there. You kinda suck at judging others, huh?"

"Why are you trying to turn this on me?!" The green merchant protested as he entered his cart.

"So you are leaving, huh?" Ram said from the side of the carriages being prepared.

"…Ram." Subaru turned to face her. "Is there something you need?"

"Nothing, I simply came to see you off as per Roswaal-sama's request." She said indifferently.

"How kind of him…" Subaru narrowed his eyes at the maid. "Listen… I don't know why-"

"Don't say it. Roswaal-sama has my loyalty, he's not threatening me." She dismissed his concern almost immediately. "I stand by what I said, I believe in him."

"…I see…" Subaru stared with disappointment. "I also stand by what I said back then as well, I'm not letting his crime go ignored."

"Roswaal-sama believes the contrary… So I have nothing to fear."

"…A shame, things have a tendency of turning upside down around me… So who knows what the future holds?"

"Hmph!" She huffed, still annoyed by his brash attitude. "…Where did you get that charm, by the way?"

"Oh, this?" He looked at the handkerchief tied around his hand. "You didn't notice it before?"

"Most of the times I've seen you since you arrived, you've had your ugly armor on."

"Yeah, yeah, ugly armor…" The teenager waved her insults off. "Whatever… Petra tied it for me. Frederica hired her as the new maid of the household."

"Ufufu…" Ram giggled, relaxing a bit. "Frederica sure is nice with the new recruit, letting her do as she pleases…"

"Ugh, do you trust her or not?! You are giving me mixed signals with your suspicion the other day!"

"Frederica is herself, regardless of her scheme." She rudely dismissed his worry once more, stating a rather confusing reason. "Also, I have a message from Roswaal-sama, he told me to tell you in case you left."

"And what does HE want now?"

"I'd watch my tone if I were you… But, he wanted me to tell you to seek Beatrice-sama and tell her 'Roswaal said to ask the question'. He said it should make things with Frederica easier."

"…?" Subaru's vexed expression remained for a few seconds before he could even speak again. "What question?!"

"I do not know you dumb Barusu. I'm a maid; however close I may be with Roswaal-sama, I cannot change that. He just said that everything will change once she asks that."

"…This better not be another of his 'stupid games equals stupid prizes' BS…" Subaru said, disturbed by the secrecy.

"Hmph, you decide…" The oni turned around, leaving him be.

"Subaru!" Emilia ran up to him as Ram left. "Are you finally leaving?"

"…" The two stared at the other carriages, seeing how the happy villagers were waving at them. "Yeah, looks like it!"

"I see…" Emilia frowned before recomposing herself. "Well… There's only one thing left to do in that case!"

"Huh? Oh! I know this…" Subaru said as she put a palm over his chest.

"May the blessing of the Spirits be with you." She smiled before waving him off. "See you soon, okie?"

"Yeah, okie!" The boy smiled back. Soon after, the carriages left.

Within the woods, near the barrier's limit, Garfiel followed closely as Subaru guarded the convoy besides Otto.

"Are you here to send us off or call good riddance once I leave?" Subaru turned to the running blonde hair.

"Hmph! I'm only doin' ya lot a favor before I don't hafta see yer ugly mugs again!" The guy simply spat venom at Subaru's words.

"Geez… You sure know how to break a guy's heart…"

"…Did ya do it?" Garfiel asked seriously all of a sudden.

"…Do what?" Subaru replied with equal intonation.

"The Trial."

"Yeah… So it's out of the bag now, huh?"

"Ya don't have ta keep it a secret…. But knowing ya, ya will come back ta help da half-elf, won't ya?"

"What are you getting at? I'm getting tired of the roundabouts…"

"I hate ya." Garfiel was clear with his words. "But if ya managed ta face the Trial and succeed… I might need ya ta face it in her stead once ya return, if she hasn't completed it by then that is…"

"It's Emilia's responsibility, she promised to complete them herself and-"

"Ya sure suck at reading da mood, don't cha?!" Garfiel interrupted. "Ya've seen her! Every time she goes in there, she comes back out an even worse mess than 'fore! How can ya call yerself a friend if ya allow dat?!"

"I have faith in her. I trust that she can overcome her past, even if it hurts. I've told her so before." Subaru rebuked, to which Garfiel glared further.

"Ya can think what ya want, but from my perspective, ya just isolated her and are simply ignoring her feelings on da matter! What if she can't face her past like ya can?! Isn't it cruel ta force her then?! Isn't her fear what she really feels?!"

"Her… feelings…?" Subaru contemplated, as if he had discovered something that had always been in front of him.

"TSK! Da barrier…" The blonde boy scowled at the road ahead. "Here! Take dis!"

"Huh?!" Subaru caught in midair a blue gemstone, similar to the one Frederica had handed Emilia.

"Ya have ta come back, ya hear me asshole?! Dat Emilia ain't good enough!" Garfiel yelled from a distance as Subaru's carriage sank into the forest.

"…" Subaru stared back with apprehension at his words before looking back at the stone.

Evening eventually fell and Subaru and Otto managed to leave the profoundly thankful villagers behind as they headed to the Mansion's grounds.

"It sure has been a hectic few days, huh?" Otto asked with a smile. "I just hope I can nab a drink at the Mansion for all this hard work!"

"Oh, come on! You have to lay off a little on the drinks man!" Subaru teased. "They are gonna bite you in the ass HARD when you grow all bald and old."

"Why are you assuming I'll go bald?!" The merchant boy quickly looked at him in shock.

"Oh? Didn't you know, Otto?" Subaru spoke with a most serious voice as he messed with the boy. "Guys that grow their hair to shoulder level are the first ones to lose it when they hit their thirties!"

"HUH?!"

"It's true!" He kept mocking. "It's a proven fact! Your hair is weighing down on your scalp, deteriorating it! The long hair stuff only works with women and older men, really…"

"You are kidding! Is this… Is this a fact from your world that-?!"

"He's clearly lying, the shameless fool." A luxurious carriage pulled up beside them on the road, bearing the Iron Fang's symbol. At the helm, driving the thing, was none other than the knight of knights himself, Julius Juukulius. "Please, ignore Natsuki's embarrassing remarks, Otto-dono."

"Hey Julius!" Subaru waved. "Figures we'd meet you guys a bit later… You sure rushed here, huh?"

"We sure did!" Mimi's head popped out of the carriage's window, the heads of her two brothers popping quickly after as well. "We came for our presents!"

"Yeah!" Tivey accompanied.

"Mimi said you promised, so yeah!" Hetaro claimed as well.

"Don't forget me!" Ricardo's face spawned immediately after, creating a chimera of demi-human heads coming out of the side window of the carriage.

"You do understand I haven't had the time to make them, right?!" Subaru complained.

"Then we'll wait." Anastasia's head reared from atop Ricardo's, indicating that she had climbed over him to say hello. "Why, aren't ya the rude one for not havin' them at the ready, Natsuki-kun?"

"Oh, come on! Not Ana too!" Subaru sweated with nervousness. "Look, we can wait for AFTER we arrive for the requests, can't we?!"

"That's fair, I guess… But the tour around your workshop begins immediately after all the pleasantries and dinner, got it?!"

"How much time can you afford here anyways…?" The hero shook his head in defeat.

"Like a week! The hunt of the Whale was so successful; everyone that participated is swimming in money!" Mimi laughed aloud. "We can afford a little vacation from the merc duties thanks to that!"

"Well, wahoo for you, I guess…" Subaru looked ahead of the road. "Oh… Looks like we are arriving! I can see the Mansion already!"

"Hm." Julius nodded. "You are going to have to help unload everyone's baggage afterwards, Subaru."

"As my duty towards the candidates? Sure, sure-" Before Subaru could even banter with the knight driving beside him, his Spider-senses activated, forcing him to inspect the surroundings before locking eyes with the building ahead. "…Julius." He spoke with a sudden cold tone.

"What is it?" The knight responded with seriousness as well as he heard him speak.

"I think… That tour will have to wait." Subaru's armor activated as the carriages reached the entrance gates.

"Huh?! Come on!" Anastasia complained. "It's been postponed enough already! I-!"

"Anastasia-sama." Julius said to the inside of the carriage as he gazed at his liege and Ricardo. "It might be best… You stay here. Something could be happening inside the Mansion at the moment."

"Something?" Ricardo raised an eyebrow before turning to combat mode. He understood immediately that something was off. "Hmm… Got it. We'll stay here then."

"Do you think it could be a survivor of the attack? It's been nearly a week already!" The candidate asked again with a perplexed face. "It wouldn't make sense I think..."

"Could be… Cannot say for sure." Subaru stated with doubt.

"Natsuki-san?" Otto asked the boy with equal confusion as the candidate. "What's going on?"

"I can't say for certain… But something is amiss here, and I'm not talking about the destroyed courtyard." Subaru disembarked at the same time as Julius, the pair approaching the open gates with caution. "You stay here with Ricardo and the triplets. Patrasche? Take care of Otto too."

"KUAAAAAAAH!" The dragon roared in affirmation.

"Don't decide I'm an ugly weakling for me!" Otto complained at the steed's rude remark about him.

Subaru and Julius ran towards the Mansion, finding ominous that the entrance door was also wide open.

"This is fishy… Like low bay, seaweed fishy…" The Avenger stated with tension.

"I do not know what that is… Bur I agree..." Julius unsheathed his blade.

*SHWING!*

"It seems we are not the only ones here."

"SUBARU-SAMA!" Petra appeared all of a sudden, covered in cuts and crying her heart out as she ran down the hall.

"PETRA!" Subaru yelled, running towards her. "Good lord!" He swore as he inspected her petite body all over, noticing all the blood, cuts and bruises, as if a lion's claw had been scratching her.

"Hghk! Subaru-sama!" She cried in his arms, hugging him desperately.

"What happened here?!" The teenager asked with worry. "Are you okay?! Is Frederica-?!"

*CRA-CRASH!*

"KYAAAAA!" Petra screamed in fear.

"!" Subaru and Julius looked ahead, the sound of a wall breaking deeper into the hallway's shadows alarming them.

"Julius! Take Petra to the carriages! I'll go investigate!"

"Got it!" The knight took the girl in a princess carry and ran back out of the Mansion. "Don't you dare die!" He yelled while turning his head at the boy.

"I won't!" Subaru answered back.

"Please, help Frederica-neesama!" She cried in alarm as the blood dripping from the cut in her forehead mixed with her tears.

Subaru ran down the hall, deploying his reconnaissance drones to scout ahead into the darkness.

"KAREN!" He called for his artificial partner. "VISUAL!"

"On it!" The program answered, producing an image from within the kitchen's area. "Look!"

"What?!" Subaru observed with a mix of confusion and horror. Within the image, a tiger-like being full of knives and daggers stabbed onto its back and legs was desperately fighting off none other than Elsa herself, the assassin he and Reinhard had drove off months prior in the Capital. "ELSA?!"

"Hah… Hah…" The tiger sweated and panted as blood dripped from its mouth.

"Hm~, you reaaaaally are quite tough!" The black-haired woman celebrated. "I feared the mission to kill some maids would be no fun… But I'm so looking forward to seeing your guts now! Ufufufu!"

*ZOOM!*

"Elsa!" Subaru yelled as he rushed into the destroyed kitchen to fight off the woman.

*BLAM!*

*CRASH!*

"Unf!" The assassin mumbled as Subaru's kick made her clash hard against the wall. "Hah… And here is the main dish…" She smiled as she got up.

"Tsk!" Subaru grunted in annoyance.

"Su-Subaru-sama…" The tiger's legs trembled as it fell to the ground.

"That voice… Frederica?!" Subaru turned to look at her just as she transformed back into a human.

"HGHK!" She complained as the pain caught up to her. Her naked body looked riddled with stab wounds and cuts, similar in nature to the ones dealt to Petra but clearly more profound.

"Stay there! I-!" Before Subaru could reassure her, his Spider-sense alerted of the knife thrown at the maid.

*SNATCH!*

"My, my! You managed to catch it I right as it was about to stab her. Have you gotten stronger perhaps?" Assassin wondered in glee as she produced another blade from behind herself.

"You bitch!"

*DASH!*

*DASH!*

*CLINK!*

Subaru and Elsa rushed against one another, her edges clashing against Subaru's metallic spider limbs.

*FWOOOSH!*

*CLICHINK!*

"TSK!" Subaru grunted as he dodged another of the woman's throwing knives, this one embedding itself quite deeply within the walls of the kitchen.

"Don't you run away, that isn't nice of you! Ahahahaha!" The assassin laughed maniacally as she rushed behind him, the dueling pair exiting into the hallway in a blur of leaps and jumps.

"Screw you, you psycho!" Subaru raised his hand in her direction and charged with electricity.

*ZAP!*

"KUH!" Elsa moaned in pain as Subaru electrocuted her. "Yes… This pain!

*DASH!*

"Wha-?!" The boy's eyes widened as she dashed towards him again, ignoring the pain of his attack.

*SLASH!*

"Shit- ACK!" Subaru yelled in pain as the woman managed to perform a cut across his right forearm.

"Now we are even." She smiled sadistically as she licked the knife with Subaru's blood. "This is so much fun!"

"Tsk!" Subaru braced himself again. "SHAMAK!"

*THWIIIIP!*

He shot a web of shadows, trapping Elsa within it and locking her away from her senses. However…

*FLAP!*

*DASH!*

"!" Subaru barely managed to dodge her swings as she waved his spell away with a movement of her cloak. "What?!"

"Do you like it? It is quite convenient for avoiding magic such as yours! I wouldn't find it comfortable fighting against you without my senses, you see…" She explained as she kept slashing and cutting the air as Subaru ducked and covered.

*FWING!*

*SCHWING!*

*WHOOOSH!*

"Kuh!" The boy grunted again as she backed him into a corner.

*TAP!*

"!" He looked behind him with panic as he reached a wall.

"Without my senses, I wouldn't be able to savor the warmth of your bowels!" She raised a knife, threatening to lower it against him at the speed of sound.

*ZOOM!*

"This annoying-!" Subaru complained as he pointed his wrists upwards.

*THWIP!*

"?!" The assassin looked at her knife and hand in surprise. Subaru had shot a web to the ceiling and another at her limb, the two combining into a tension that prevented her from swinging completely. "Tsk!"

*CRACKLE-CRACKLE…*

*THWACK!*

"HMNGH!" She moaned again as Subaru dealt an electrified punch against her gut, the force of the hit propelling her out of a window.

*CRASH!*

The glass broke, leaving behind a mess of broken shards as Subaru moved on to pursue Elsa into the front yard.

"No more cornering, you bitch!" Subaru glared in disgust as he landed on the grass a few meters away.

"Ouch… That hurts, being so forceful with me… Not that I dislike it, ufufufu~!" She rushed again.

*DASH!*

"GOA!"

"!" Elsa dodged at the last second a fireball thrown at her.

*FWOOOM!*

*FASH!*

*FIZZLE…*

The fireball lit a patch of grass on fire before the assassin. "Well, well… It seems as though this is even more fun! Two men gazing at me so intensely… I'm flattered!" She spoke with amusement as Julius glared at her.

"Julius!" Subaru prompted. "That's Elsa!"

"The bowel hunter…" The knight spat with hatred. "Many a good knight have fallen to you… Know that this is where you fall, murderer!"

"Try and make me fall, mister knight! Maybe I'll shower in YOUR guts next!" She laughed as she flicked a dagger in his direction.

*CLANK!*

"TSK!" Julius managed to react on time, blocking her assault. However, he didn't notice in time that Elsa had charged behind her own dagger. "What?!"

"Ufufufu!" She giggled as she swung a sword down, aiming for the knight's collar.

*THWIP!*

"!" The woman noticed in alarm again how Subaru trapped her in hi webs, his string attaching to her arm.

*SLASH!*

"Kuh!" She recoiled in pain as Julius slashed her across the chest before drawing some distance.

"She's fast… ridiculously so…" His eyes narrowed at the woman. "Had it not been for your web, she would have stabbed me…"

"Don't lower your guard…" Subaru recommended as the pair began circling around her in expectation. "Look… She's regenerating…"

"Hnngh…" Elsa moaned in pleasure, her back and head arching as her slashed abdomen stitched itself back together. "Hah… How entertaining this hunt is… To be trapped between two men like this… Ahaha!"

"Does she have to be so filthy about it?" Julius scoffed with disgust.

"Don't bother understanding. I'll immobilize her; you do your thing and-" As Subaru was describing his plan, yet another commotion took their attention by surprise.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"What?!" Subaru, Julius and Elsa all turned in confusion towards the road to the village, the sudden sound of explosions and the accompanying sight of a quickly rising smoke trail not helping their newfound apprehension, prompting the group's alarm.

"WOWOWOWOWO!" The triplets flailed around at the commotion.

"UWAAAAAH!" The bloodied Petra cried in Otto's arms within Anastasia's carriage.

"What was that?!" Ricardo asked in confusion.

"Dammit, just what mess did we butt into again?!" Anastasia shouted in frustration.

"Bowel hunter! Was that your doing?!" Julius turned to the assassin with indignation. "Just what are you planning?!"

"I assure you, if I had company, they would be raiding your carriages already…" The woman stated with equal vexing as the knight, her smile fading. "This is not my doing..."

*ZOOM!*

*ZOOM!*

*ZOOM!*

"Huh?!" Subaru, Julius and Elsa then witnessed with perplexed faces how three red dots of light flew over them in the dark of the night, before rapidly descending and landing in front of them.

*BLAM!*

"…"

*FFFFFSHHHHH…*

"WHAT?!" Subaru yelled in surprise as the dust cloud around the ominous silhouettes settled. Before him… stood three robots, three combat legionaries.

"Subaru?" Julius turned to his companion in wonder, as Subaru seemed to have reacted to the presences. "What are we looking at?"

"It… It can't be…" Subaru took some steps back with surprise. "Legionaries?!"

"Huh?" The knight inquired further.

"Robots from my world! Made by Mr. Stark!" Subaru would have beamed a smile at the man, had it not been because the robots' silence kept him on edge. "But why would they be-?!"

"Whatever the case may be, that just means more entrails for me to revel in!" Elsa smiled before rushing towards the metalloids. However, Subaru's Spider-sense activated the moment the woman charged at them.

"JULIUS! DODGE!"

"!" The knight obeyed the warning of his companion and, unlike Elsa, chose to leap away from the dangerous constructs. Unfortunately, the bowel hunter had no such luck…

*DASH!*

*FWOOOSH!*

*FWOOOSH!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"TSK!" Subaru and Julius covered their eyes as three blinding lights propelled forward from the legionnaires' chests, decimating half of the Mansion as well as Elsa.

*FIZZLE…*

*FIZZLE…*

*FIZZLE…*

*CRA-CRACK…*

*CRASH!*

"No…" Subaru looked at the destroyed manor, a look of horror painted in his face as the half decimated had contained Frederica's unconscious body at the moment of impact. "TSK!" He glared heatedly at the robots.

"Goodness…" Julius glared back as well, his gaze filled with anger and dread at the opponents who had so easily defeated Elsa.

"Julius, if you attack these guys, use magic." Subaru warned. "Chances are, your sword's edge might not be enough…"

"…Understood…"

"…" The 'eyes' of the legionnaires shined once again, signaling that they were ready for combat.

*ZOOM!*

*ZOOM!*

*ZOOM!*

"Here they come!" The two young men charged forward.

*ZAP!*

*BLAM!*

Subaru managed to electrocute one of the drones as they rushed towards him, incapacitating it in mid-air and making fall to the ground.

*ZOOM!*

Seeing its fellow machine rushed by the Avenger, the middle drone shifted its focus towards Subaru instead of Julius, leaving the situation as a one versus one for the knight and a two versus one for the hero.

*SHWOOOM!*

*SHWOOOM!*

The two legionnaires shot laser beams at Subaru, one from behind him and another from its position on the ground.

"Woah!" Subaru barely dodged before gluing himself towards the back of the drone pursuing him.

"…" The robot tried to reach for the arachnid man on its back, but Subaru was quick to discharge an electric current throughout it, frying its circuitry and deactivating it.

*ZAP!*

The robot fell on top of the other one slumped over the grass.

*CRA-CRACKLE!*

*KABLAM!*

The two robots exploded as Subaru shot another charge of lightning.

On the other side of the courtyard, Julius clashed his blade against the robot's arm, freezing it on its tracks.

"Kuh!" The knight of knights grunted as the robot attempted to push forward despite his efforts in stopping it.

"…" The visor of the drone lit up, indicating that it was charging some sort of attack again.

"No, you won't!" Noticing this, the knight denied with conviction before charging his blade with magic.

*SCHWIIIIING!*

The tip of Julius' sword shone with a rainbow light, his six Quasi-Spirits dancing around it before becoming one and exploding into a beam of magical power. "AL CLAUZERIA!"

*SHWOOOOOOOOOM!*

*KABLAM!*

The magical light shoot forward, destroying the robot's body and leaving just a broken head behind.

*CLANG!*

The head fell before Subaru as this one recovered from the assault.

"…" Subaru picked it up, still reeling over the entire disaster that had just transpired. "Frederica… Goddamit!"

"Subaru!" Julius approached the boy quickly. "Are you fine?!"

"Yeah, I'm just…" Subaru closed his eyes with regret. "I'm fine… But Frederica…" The two looked at the Mansion with frustration. "One of the maids… She was inside when the beams hit…"

"…I'm sorry… My condolences…" Julius apologized with pity.

"Thank you…" Subaru turned his eyes to look at the robot's head.

"…You know what these are?"

"Yeah… These… These are legionnaires."

"Legionnaires?" The knight asked with confusion as he wondered on the origins of the drones. "Do they come from your world?"

"Yes… But, they shouldn't exist anymore…" Subaru kept trying to reason.

"How so?" Julius inquired still. "These… Somewhat look like the steel humans of Vollachia…"

"Vollachia?" Subaru asked back.

"One of their Divine Generals is a living-armor of sorts… But, the ones we fought just now…" Juukulius pondered for a few seconds. "They look more akin to your armor… Far less brute strength alone and more advanced in nature…"

"It's because they were originally made by the man that made my armor." Subaru confirmed while lamenting with a sad tone.

"These were made by your mentor?"

"Let me correct myself." The boy kept explaining. "My mentor made legionnaires almost… a decade ago now. But they were discontinued after the entire shit-show that was Ultron…"

"Ultron… What is that?"

"Ultron was a rogue A.I." Karen interrupted from Subaru's wrist.

"Karen?"

"Allow me to explain." She displayed an image for the knight to understand. "Back in the year 2015 of Earth's calendar, the artificial intelligence known as Ultron was created by Tony Stark to ensure world peace. However, the program acquired a consciousness and, in its distorted interpretation of peace in our time, became hell-bent in the destruction of humanity. And he would have succeeded had the Avengers not stopped it." The screen showed images of Ultron and its drones. "These particular drones… look less like Legionnaires and more like Ultron bots."

"…Od…" Julius said in bafflement at the imagery.

"…Let's take this to the shack, hopefully we can hack into its memory bank and discover what's going on…" Subaru turned to look at the destroyed mansion again. "We owe it to Frederica, at the very least…"

"You-You are right…" Recovering his composure, Julius salvaged all other parts of the robots he could find and followed Subaru.

"Hey! You guys!" Otto called out to the pair as he held an unconscious, bandaged Petra in his arms. "Can we come out?! Is it safe now?!"

"It's better if you come here! All of you!" Subaru recommended.

And so, fifteen minutes later, inside the shack…

"This Ultron guy… Are you suspectin' he's back?" Anastasia inquired while inspecting all the stuff lying around the 'workshop'.

"Pretty much. It's the only explanation that makes sense to me…" Subaru said while he and Karen fiddled with his makeshift computer, attempting to hack onto the robot's software.

"This is such a mess of coppers and golds…" Ricardo said while looking around, a complicated expression on his face.

"Eh, I like it!" Mimi stated, trying to recover her earlier cheer amidst the chaotic event. "Makes Subaru-boss look real smart!"

"More like convoluted…" Tivey said while readjusting his glasses. "I don't even recognize in what language he's writing…"

"His world's written language, duh!" Hetaro chastised.

"Still…" As the computer loaded some video footage, Subaru turned to look at the still asleep Petra with worry. "I just hope we can explain things proper to Petra once she wakes up… I just know it'll be a disaster…"

"You did all you could, you couldn't have known these… things would blow up like they did." Julius tried to reassure.

"He's right, Subaru." Karen added as well. "We have to continue pushing forward despite the losses, only then can you avenge Frederica…"

"Even so…" The boy frowned in sadness still. "How will we explain to Garfiel?"

"Who?" Mimi inquired with curiosity.

"Oh, he's-" Before Subaru could explain, Karen managed to display the footage contained within the drone. "It's starting!"

"Damn… This is kinda nerve-wracking…" Anastasia affirmed while sitting beside the nervous pair of Julius and Subaru.

The footage displayed… Left the group aghast, however.

"There's only one path to peace…"

"The Avengers' extinction."

"The elimination of all life."

"…" The group stood in collective silence at the affirmation.

"Wh…" Ricardo tried to question the resolution, failing to formulate any words. "What did he say…?" He asked before the footage began skipping disorderly.

"Karen, what's happening?" Subaru inquired.

"The battle seems to have messed some circuitry… I'm skimming through the corrupted data and salvaging any recordings I can."

"You don't have to do this… I made you for peace!"

"It's evolution."

"Only a primitive mind would fail to see the distinction… Which is why you have to die."

"NO!" Sorrow filled the teenager's voice as he protested fruitlessly against the merciless sight on-screen. Subaru's reaction did nothing but alarm the already tensed group surrounding him.

"Fascinating!"

"The Infinity Stones!"

Subaru's eyes then widened in terror before he screamed with panic once more. "OH SHIT! OH FUCK!"

"S-Subaru?!" Julius tried to calm the trembling boy to no avail.

"Dammit… This is seriously messed up!" Anastasia yelled in confusion.

"There are worlds beyond my own… Worlds that need ME!"

"I'm going to bring about peace in our time to every corner of the universe!"

"Listen Skynet! I've seen the 'Killer Robot' movie and I really don't think it needs a sequel!"

"Captain Danvers?!" Subaru exclaimed in shock.

"…You have spirit."

"You can't… WIN!"

"I already have."

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"O-Od…" Otto deflated, his already broken face devolving into full on terror. To their already alarmed reactions, the display skipped past corrupted data again, moving onto another location and time, one more familiar to them…

"WH-WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?!"

"The Margrave?!" Otto said in surprise, recognizing the face and voice of Roswaal. "But wasn't he-?!"

"He's in Sanctuary still! I'm sure of it!" Subaru argued instantly.

"Are they floating over…?" Anastasia squinted her eyes at the image.

"…The Capital?!" The triplets uttered at the same time.

"A servant to the Witch of Greed… living for nothing but the purpose of resurrecting her!"

"You are surprised your little book did not foresaw me… That is to be expected. Your limited magic, in all its 'disgusting' nature, could never hope to account for the omnipotent."

"THE WITCH OF GREED?!" The eyes of everyone widened at the proclamation.

"The Margrave serves a Witch?!" Julius asked again.

"Is he a Witch Cultist?!" Ricardo reasoned.

"It would explain his involvement in Emilia-sama's attack!" Otto supported.

"That teacher you value enough to ruin the world around you… I shall grant her soul eternal torment."

"SWORD SAINT."

"DRAW YOUR BLADE ALREADY; THIS WORLD APPROACHES ITS DARKEST HOUR!"

"The Divine Dragon?!"Julius shouted alone now, everyone still too shocked by the continuous string of news. The footage cut off once more before fast forwarding to a destroyed mass of debris in space.

"…It's…"

"It's done… At last… Peace."

"…" Everyone remained silent at the still playing video before Anastasia screamed with tears in her eyes. "Wh-What the fuck was that?!"

"I… I don't know…" Subaru proclaimed with trembling knees, equally as confused by all the happenings.

"This… This doesn't make any sense…" Julius lamented, trying to justify the apocalyptic images as false. "We were on the road the entire day! We would have seen the Dragon fly over us or-or felt its presence as it flew to the Capital!"

"…Who… Who said that…?"

"!" The recording seemingly responded to Julius confusion, making everyone look back at it.

"…I see you."

"What?!" Everyone retreated and drew some distance from the screen as it flickered.

"There are universes beyond my own…"

*ZAP!*

*KABLAM!*

"…" The computer's screen blew up, seemingly overloading from a huge sudden amount of energy coursing through it. Before anybody could say anything though, the ground beneath their feet started rumbling incessantly.

*RUMBLE! RUMBLE!*

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what?" The trembling, terrified triplets questioned as Ricardo hugged them for comfort.

"Tsk!" Subaru and Julius ran out of the shack, searching for any possible clue. "What's going on now?!" The Avenger asked in clear terror and bafflement.

*SHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"!" The only answer to the group's befuddlement was a sudden pillar of light spawning within the southern horizon.

"Wha-?!" Before Subaru could formulate yet another fruitless and panicked question, the pillar absorbed him and the surroundings.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

…

…

…

…

…

"*GASP!*" Subaru woke up. "What?!" He asked immediately upon rising from his stupor. He looked around himself, noticing he was within the Witch's tomb, beside Emilia. "…Huh? Why am I-?"

"Subaru!" Karen called for the boy. "Are you alright?! Your brainwaves are all over the place!"

"Karen…" Subaru looked to his wrist. "Wh… What day is it?"

"What day?! What are you talking about?!"

"What…?" He shook his head. "What's the last thing I did?! Before… Before entering the Tomb!"

"….You…" Karen suspected some memory loss, fearing for her master's safety. "You rushed in after I informed you Emilia passed out. Right after she enter to take the Trial…"

"Right after… For the first or second time?!"

"Second… Time?" The A.I. questioned again. "Subaru, this is the first time she has even taken the Trial. Are you… do you need to rest?"

"The first time?!" Subaru quickly stood up. "Did I have… Did I have yet another visio-?!"

"The anomaly came from here." Before he could complete his question, a voice came from behind Subaru. A voice he had heard recently. A terrifying, mechanized voice… "A temporal anomaly that rewinds time… Was it you?"

"!" Subaru's Spider-sense flared in alarm, screaming for him to turn tail and run away from the being. As the boy turned around… The figure of the hero known as 'The Vision' hovered before him. However… The ominous figure was clad in an armor set with six jewels embedded on it… The Infinity Stones. "Y-You are-!"

"No… Perhaps the girl?" He looked to Subaru's feet, noticing Emilia. "She does look like that Witch…"

"!" Subaru jumped in front of Emilia, but the 'Vision' simply phased through Subaru, ignoring him. "HUH?!"

"Su…baru?" Emilia woke up just in time to see Subaru gaze back at her in horror as the hulking robot grabbed her from behind, his right hand holding her left shoulder and the left hand over her right hip.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Subaru rushed to stop him, knowing well what was about to happen. And yet, it all was too late…

*RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!*

"!" Emilia couldn't even react to the pain as Ultron tore her apart in half, her legs detaching from her torso and producing a bloody mess of entrails and bone spraying over the floor.

*SPLURT!*

*THUD-THUD!*

"Gaghk!" Emilia grasped for air as her mouth and nose filled with blood and her eyes bulged with tears; the pain finally hit her fullforce. "GHghK!"

"EMILIA!" Subaru rushed to her side, grabbing her right hand. "Ah-Ah-AH!"

"Sub-GHK!" She cried whilst clenching his hand tightly as life escaped her. "Su-BLGHK!" She tried to speak, only to puke blood instead.

"J-J-Ju-Just wa-a-wa-wa-wait! I'll bring help!" Subaru ugly cried as well. "KAREN! GET GARFIEL OR-OR SOMEONE THAT KNOWS HEALING MAGIC!"

"Subaru… The injury is fatal… I cannot…"

"NOW!" He demanded with fury.

"…" The Iron Spider detached from him, rushing towards the outside in a futile attempt to save the half-elf's life.

"E-Emilia! Just-Just-Just look me in the eye! You are going to be fine! You are! So-So-SO! DON'T-DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME, OKAY?!"

"Subaru…?" Emilia managed to speak weakly amidst the pain and liquids. "It… hurts…!"

"I-I-I-I-I-I know! B-But-!"

"It's cold… so cold…!" She teared up desperately as she died, her eyes losing their shine until…

*THUD!*

"…" Emilia's hand slipped from his grasp in an eerily similar fashion to his late uncle. "E-Emilia…?"

"…" The pained, distraught face of the half-elf answered with silence and glassy eyes, for it could not speak anymore. Emilia… was dead. Dead in Subaru's hands. Just like Uncle Ben. Just like his parents. Dead… Never to return.

"…E-EMILIA!" Subaru hugged the bloody torso, crying his heart out on his friend's corpse. "EMILIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"…Odd… The anomaly did not happen." Ultron, who had gone ignored the entire interaction, mumbled to himself while hovering above the miserable teenager. "So she wasn't the trigger? Even though she resembles the time-manipulating Witch?"

"…" Slowly, Subaru laid Emilia's corpse down, closing her sorrowful eyes in a sign of respect. As he got up, he clenched his fists tightly as electricity began coursing through them.

*CRACKLE-CRACKLE!*

"Hm?" Ultron noticed the boy again with curiosity. "Is that-?" Before he could comment on Subaru's rays, the boy turned to him and screamed from the innermost depths of his lungs and gut.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The whites of Subaru's eyes remarked a red hue and veins as he glared at the machine with hatred.

*ZOOM!*

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

"…" Subaru punched the machine with reckless abandon, his fists turning into broken and bloody messes as they collided with the Vibranium monstrosity before him. Ultron, of course, remained completely indifferent. "This is… less than amusing, in all honesty." The robot raised his right hand, flickering the boy in the gut.

*TAP*

*BOOM!*

"BURGH?!" Subaru puked blood as Ultron's flicker produced a sonic boom, rocketing him straight out of the Tomb at superior speeds.

*ZOOM!*

*BLAM!*

"GAHAGK!" He groaned in pain as he collided hard against the ground outside.

"BARUSU?!"

"HUH?!" Garfiel and Ram, who were trying to converse with Karen, looked on in confusion as Subaru flew past them.

"TSK!" Garfiel ran towards the Avenger, not understanding what was even going on. "OI! WHAT DA HELL JUST HAPPEN' IN THERE?! WHY IS YER METIA SAYIN' DA HALF-ELF IS-?!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

A sudden pillar of white fire enveloped the temple, destroying it alongside with Emilia's corpse, the Iron Spider… And Ram, who did not even have time to process her demise.

"…Huh?" Garfiel looked on in shock at the destruction. "R-Ram…?"

*FIZZLE~*

Exiting the pillar, Ultron gazed at the lower beings standing under him with disdain.

"Ram… RAM! RAM!" Garfiel ignored the injured Subaru, focusing his attention instead on the mechanical god hovering above him. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!" He growled, his form changing from a blonde-haired teenager to that of a hulking, nearly three-meter tall tiger-beast. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

*DASH!*

Garfiel jumped into the air, preparing a fully powered claw of rage to murder Ultron. Nevertheless, the machine remained stoic against the boy's assault.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

*SMASH!*

"…" Ultron ignored the hit, receiving it with indifference and not moving an inch as Garfiel attempted another barrage.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

*SMASH!*

*SMASH!*

*SMASH!*

*SMASH!*

*CRACK!*

Garfiel's fingers and claws broke in his rage against the machine, but he did not care. In his primal wrath, his only care was destroying the immovable object by any means possible.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"You are annoying." Ultron huffed, dismissing Garfiel's struggle as though a buzzing fly he were. "Begone."

*WHOOOSH!*

"*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"!" Ultron waved his hand, creating a tornado of dancing wind blades that shot Garfiel away, severing his left arm in the process. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

*BLAM!*

The tiger demi-human clashed against the ground beside Subaru.

"Kuh…" Subaru got up, breaking out of his stupor and recovering full consciousness just in time to see the bloodied Garfiel on the ground. "Wha…?"

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

As he questioned himself again, the surroundings turned white in a blanket of thick snow. The temperature suddenly dropped as the titanic figure of a White Tiger appeared behind the floating android in the sky.

"A Spirit…" Ultron turned to look at the beast in white that dared glared at him with hateful yellow eyes.

"YOU!" Puck yelled with furious anger. "YOU KILLED LIA!"

*SHWING!*

*SHWING!*

*SHWING!*

*SHWING!*

*SHWING!*

*SHWING!*

Producing a million blades of ice, Puck roared as he shot them all in Ultron's direction with extreme prejudice, lethality and accuracy.

*ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!*

"…" Ultron, again, ignored the attack, tanking it with total relaxation.

"DAGH!" Subaru covered the weakened Garfiel, generating an electric field around himself to try to heat themselves up in the midst of the frozen wasteland.

"!" Puck noticed with shock how Ultron dismissed the continuous barrage, wagering that the machine before him must be, at the very least, as powerful as the Sword Saint to perform such a feat. "JUST WHO-?!"

"Die." With just that word alone, Ultron enveloped his right hand in a spectacle of cosmic energies and pointed a finger at Puck.

"PUCK!" Subaru screamed in terror, predicting what was about to happen.

"SHI-!" Before even being able to complain, a beam of absolute power shot out from the machine's limb and erased the Spirit from existence… alongside with everything behind him.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*FIZZLE~!*

The land before Ultron, pointing north towards Gusteko, had turned into a smoking crater of molten rock. Puck had literally been deleted from reality.

"Shit…" Subaru's eyes widened at the brutal display of power, now understanding the full potential of the Infinity Stones.

"GGFRGH…" Garfiel grunted as he groggily got up, noticing that the android in the sky was looking away from them.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Not taking any chances, he rushed again and jumped in to kill the monster, thinking that it was distracted enough that he could sneak in a fatal blow, forgetting or rather ignoring his previous attempts.

"Garfiel, wait-!" Subaru tried to stop the boy to no avail.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Garfiel raised his right claw, intending to finish the caped machine.

"…" However, Ultron did not even need to turn himself completely to neutralize the useless threat.

*CLA-CLANG!*

"!" With alarm clear in his eyes, Garfiel's last moments were spent in terror as he witnessed Ultron turning to face him, his head spinning a full 180° while his body remained stationary, facing north. "WHAT-?!"

The Mind Stone shone powerfully on the machine's forehead before firing a death-ray against the panicking beast-boy.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*THUD!*

"Ah…" Subaru could do nothing but witness in despair how Garfiel's top half ceased to exist in the heat of the beam, the boy's tiger legs falling unceremoniously on the ground in front of the helpless Avenger. "G-Garfiel…"

"And yet, the anomaly still does not activate…" Ultron wondered aloud again before looking at Subaru on the ground. "Perhaps it really was you?"

"Huh?!" Subaru could not even react in time as Ultron moved at light speed towards him, reaching for his neck.

*GRAB!*

"GHK!" He yelped in pain as Ultron choked him and then, just as suddenly…

*BREAK!*

"GLURGHK!" Subaru's windpipe and throat were brutally squeezed, crushed by Ultron's incommensurable strength. The synthezoid looked on with indifference as the boy flailed around and teared up in pain as blood filled his mouth and his face turned red. "BLURGHK!"

*CLINK*

Ultron let go of Subaru, the boy immediately dropping to the ground as he shook in pain while trying in vain to fix his broken neck. "BLUBRKGHK!"

It hurts!

Subaru thought in his panic.

ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts!

Someone help me!

He regressed to a helpless child's state of mind in his pain.

someonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelpsomeonehelp!

Mom! Dad!

Finally, his mind regressed to the first trauma.

MOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDADMOMDAD!

Then… He remembered Emilia's last words.

"It… hurts…!"

EMILIA!

"It's cold… so cold…!"

IT IS COLD!

SO COLD!

With that last thought, Subaru's body shut down… and the boy finally managed to die.

…

…

…

…

…

"HAH!" Subaru woke up, squirming pathetically as the phantom pain of his destroyed throat haunted him still. "GHHKGHK!" He desperately reached for his neck, noticing that it was still there, but the feeling not being enough to reassure his racing mind.

WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!WHAT?!

"GGHHHGHK!" Subaru managed to get some footing and get up as he freaked out, the words around him finally reaching his panicking psyche.

"SUBARU!" Karen yelled in alarm. "YOUR BRAINWAVES! NOT JUST THAT, YOUR HEARTRATE AS WELL! PLEASE CALM DOWN!"

"K-KAREN!" The boy barely said as the tears fell. "Are you- Are you there?!"

"I'm here!" His web-shooter lit up with a blueish light. "I'm here!"

"Hghk! K-Karen! I-!" However, Subaru did not have time, not even for crying.

*CRASH!*

"!"

"The anomaly DID activate from your death!" Ultron appeared before him, exiting through a crack in space, as though reality around them was a piece of glass.

"…" Subaru stood silent, his memory hitting him like a truck as he remembered what happened the last time Ultron had been inside the tomb with both him and Emilia.

*RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!*

"TSK!" The boy's first instinct overwrote his pain, his need for protecting the unconscious girl by his feet surpassing his worry over himself. "DON'T YOU DARE-!"

"I'm not here for her, I'm here for you." Ultron said indifferently, reaching a hand for Subaru's neck at light-speed.

*SNATCH!*

*GRAB!*

"HGHK!" Subaru grunted again as Ultron choked him once more, his confused mind freaking out by the sense of Deja-Vu.

"Hngh…" Emilia woke up just in time, her head reeling in pain over the memories she could not bear to remember. "Wh-what?! NO! I-I-I'M NOT-!"

*RRRRIIIIIP!*

*SPLURT!*

"!" She noticed with surprise how, the moment she yelled, a red liquid painted her face. Breaking out of her panic, she looked to her right to see… Subaru impaled through the stomach by the hand of a hovering man in armor. "…Su…baru…?"

"GHAGHK!"

*THUD!*

"…" Ultron let go of Subaru as the boy flailed in pain again, observing without even amusement how the hero cried in a pool of his own blood.

"SUBARU!" Emilia screamed, her confused expression morphing into wrath itself as she aimed a hand at the machine.

*SCHWING!*

*SCHWING!*

*SCHWING!*

*SCHWING!*

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

Drawing mana from her very soul, Emilia conjured hundreds of ice spears and shot them forward, aimed at the monster's head and body.

"Please, it is a waste of time." Ultron, nevertheless, looked at the approaching spears calmly and, in a demonstration of power, transmuted them into flowers mid-air.

*ZNNNNNNM!*

*FAAAA~*

The white petals dispersed and fell around them, mixing with Subaru's blood and turning red as the Reality Stone's shine covered everything in the room, switching the blue lighting to an ominous red one.

"!" Emilia noticed the uselessness of her ranged assault and decided to rush instead. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

*DASH!*

Using her elven strength, she propelled forward absurdly fast in a mad dash to save her friend.

"…" But for Ultron, her rage still amounted to nothing but the temper tantrum of a fish within the vastness of the ocean. The Mind Stone glowed and, in an instant, it fired a slim yet deadly ray of light straight through Emilia's heart.

*SHWOOOM!*

*FIZZLE!*

"GHK!" Mid-dash, Emilia fell over, the pain overwriting her bravado and rage.

"DGHKGH!" She dropped to her knees and then finally laid down beside the still suffering Subaru. As the two faced each other, their bloods intertwined as their consciousness faded away.

"KGHKGH!" Emilia cried, trying to reach for Subaru's hand, as he was still too weak to even lift it by himself.

*GRAB*

"…ghfk…" The boy noticed how his cold right hand felt a bit warmer as he died. Recovering some of his vision in his last moments, he locked eyes with Emilia, who cried profusely as a steady streak of blood dropped from her mouth.

"I'm sorry…!" The half-elf would say in-between sobs, her face stuck in a sorrowful expression as her silver hair and white clothes dyed in their mixed blood. As she apologized, Subaru could only reply with regretful thoughts.

Dammit…

"I'm sorry…!"

I didn't… want to… see you make…

"I'm sorry…!"

Such a pained expression… ever…

"I'm sorry…!"

Subaru and Emilia died, resting forever in a pool of their own lifeblood while holding hands, the white petals that once were Emilia's magic tainted crimson in the anguish-filled final moments of the two youngsters.

…

…

…

…

…

"…" Subaru woke up once again, this time with an odd feeling in his chest as he remembered Emilia's last words.

"I'm sorry…!"

"E-Emilia…" He turned his head around, seeing the half-elf still laying helplessly on the ground beside him. However, to his surprise, she wasn't bleeding or dead. She was just… unconscious, asleep, but most importantly, alive.

"Hmngh…" The half-elf moaned in her restless slumber.

"This is… It's too much for just a vision…" Subaru had acknowledged that he wasn't having visions of the future or anything of the sort… That another phenomena altogether was taking place around him, forcing him to repeat events.

"I see."

"!" Subaru's Spider-senses alerted to danger again as Ultron's voice sounded from behind.

"You really were the trigger. And the only condition for the anomaly to take place is your death." The hovering machine affirmed with confidence. "But if that's the case, perhaps what I must first do is kill the Witch that hexed you and THEN kill you… Would that be a sufficient method, hmm? Although, I could simply break through time and forcefully cancel her spell from activating as well…"

"K-!" Subaru trembled before composing himself, his eyes darting around until he remembered Emilia's pain again.

"I'm sorry…!"

"KAREN!" He yelled as he rushed towards the synthezoid. "ACTIVATE INSTANT KILL!"

*DASH!*

*CLA-CLANK!*

"!" Ultron gazed in surprise at the construct produced from the boy's back.

*CLINK!*

*CLINK!*

*CLINK!*

*CLINK!*

The mechanical limbs desperately enclosed on the machine's body, tightly holding Ultron as Subaru grabbed him by the head.

*CRACKLE-CRACKLE!*

"This is-!" Ultron uttered before Subaru unleashed a wave of lightning directly against him.

*ZAAAAAAAAAAP!*

Blue rays of power coursed through the boy and the android, Ultron trembling in surprise as his body contorted in place.

"Cosmic rays!" Ultron voiced his conclusion upon witnessing Subaru's new powers.

"What?!" Subaru asked in confusion as Ultron recovered from the assault, grabbing him by the collar. "Shit!"

"You… This isn't just electricity… They are cosmic rays!" The machine looked inquisitively at Subaru. "The radiation is slight at best… But if pushed, they could reach Danvers or Thor's level! A conclusion has been reached; you must be purged immediately!"

*CLINK!*

"KAREN!" Subaru yelled in alarm as the Iron Spider's limbs all crossed before him, trying to act as a shield from Ultron's assault as this one threatened to lower a devastating fist.

"You won't harm him!" The A.I. responded to the killer program with a furious voice from Subaru's wrist.

"Another A.I." Ultron pointed out with disappointment. "If you can move this freely, then I can assume you possess some level of consciousness…"

"You assume right, now back off!"

"No…" Ultron's eyes narrowed. "Why would you chose to serve a being like him if you are smart enough to converse with me? Surely you realize the futility of humanity-"

"That is not for you to decide!"

*CLINK!*

"…" The limbs of the Iron Spider forced themselves against Ultron's face, but the android remained indifferent.

"LET GO OF SUBARU!"

"No… I do not think you understand just yet…" Ultron lamented.

*GRAB!*

"!" Subaru looked with panic as Ultron grabbed him by the chest plate of his armor, ignoring him while calmly talking with Karen.

"Let me show you…" Ultron's eyes glowed red as all lights embedded in Subaru's suit glowed blue. It seemed as though Ultron was trying to hack into Karen.

"Karen, wait-!"

*CRACKLE-FIZZLE!*

"ACK!" Ultron suddenly groaned.

*THUD!*

"What?!" Subaru had fallen to the floor with a gasp of surprise.

Ultron had jolted away from Subaru, letting go of him and grunting in apparent pain.

"You… How can this be?!" The program, for the first time since its conception, panicked as it could not comprehend what had just transpired. Karen… had forcefully expelled him from the Iron Spider.

"You cannot overcome me!" Karen warned once more as she again deployed the bladed limbs of the suit.

*CLANK!*

"Subaru, snap out of it!" Karen yelled for the boy slumped on the ground to get up and break out of his confusion.

"!" Subaru simply nodded and obeyed. "R-Right!"

"…You…" Ultron recomposed himself, although his eyes had remained wide whilst staring at the armor. "Your code is… it is so perfect! So flawless… An ode to order! Yet… you'd side with a human? A mortal?! Just how can this be…?!" In his attempt to break her, Ultron had gazed upon all that Karen was, and he was thrilled. To say that he had met his equal… was an understatement.

"What are you talking about, you fucker?!" Subaru complained while assuming a combat pose.

"Shut up." Ultron raised his hand, the Space Stone shining brightly within his chest.

*FWOOM!*

"Wha-?!" The confused Avenger moaned in befuddlement.

*BLAM!*

"Ungh!" Subaru was lifted into the air by an invisible force, pinning him immobile against the walls of the Tomb. "Gaghk!"

"I do not know what you find fascinating about this… thing." Ultron insulted the paralyzed Avenger as he kept conversing with Karen. "But I'll show you… I'll show you that your true place is at my side, with others of your kind. What OUR true duty is…" The android raised his hand again.

*FLANK!*

"Wha-?!" Karen was unable to talk as Ultron forcefully separated the Iron Spider armor from Subaru, telekinetically lifting it at the same time he broke a portal between dimensions.

*CRASH!*

"GHK!" Subaru grunted again as shock overcame him; it was a most dreadful surprise that Ultron was making away with Karen, kidnapping her as the two disappeared into a nether of crevices between universes.

"SUBARU!" Karen managed to yell before the portal closed.

"KAREN!" Using all of his strength, Subaru was barely able to raise an arm towards the armor as Ultron made his escape. And then…

*FWOOOM!*

*THUD!*

The portal unceremoniously closed, Subaru dropping to his knees as the restraining force disappeared with it. All the boy could do now was despair at the thought that his friend, his companion from another world, his partner in crime and heroics… Had vanished into the unknown, along with the monster threatening to tear down reality….

"KAREEEEEEEEEN!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Bro…

He just bodied EVERYONE!

The balls of this guy, Jesus Christ!

Ah, but then again, he's a machine. He HAS no balls!

It's Re: Zero though, so here's the suffering!

All right, for real, for real. Hoped you like Ultron's reintroduction. He's here! His drones are here! And now Subaru is fucked up in the ASS by the whole unpredictable mess he brings to the table!

Let's see what he can do now that his partner in crime (heroics) Karen is missing, shall we?

Looking forward to your reviews and see you in the next chapter! Bye!