"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Crap! Crap! Crap!" Subaru's frantic screams reverberated through the bustling city as he sprinted with Climb close behind.
Behind them, deafening explosions from high-explosive rounds rent the air, a relentless storm of destruction relentlessly pursuing them.
"Crap! That German guy just won't quit!" Subaru exclaimed, frustration oozing from his words.
"German?" Climb replied, his voice filled with curiosity, his eyes darting about as they fled for their lives.
"Yes, that guy's definitely German. His accent, uniform, and even his choice of words. It's all there! Damn it!" Subaru cursed as another volley of explosive rounds erupted around them, sowing chaos and destruction in their wake.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A blood-curdling scream pierced the air as a woman fell victim to the explosion.
"MY LEGS!" Another voice, a man this time, screamed in agony as his legs were severed.
"Damn! That guy is utterly ruthless!" Subaru muttered, the urgency of their escape never more apparent.
"Watch out!" Climb shouted, his voice a mix of fear and warning, pointing upward at the relentless Imperial trooper.
The Imperial trooper, a menacing figure in the sky, continued to close in on them. His rifle was poised to unleash a devastating onslaught that could put an end to their escape in violence.
"Why don't we use that gun of yours to escape?" Climb suggested as he stared at the Imperial trooper, his voice tinged with desperation.
"Uh, why? Because I haven't bookmarked another reality yet, that's why!" Subaru exclaimed as he ducked under debris to evade the trooper's deadly crosshairs.
"Look, I need a moment to access the Morty navigation network from my tablet, which means we've got to hide from that maniac. And before you suggest we go back to your frightening world or that total war world—NOPE, ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
"Very well, but what's our next move?" Climb asked urgently.
"Tsk, let me think," Subaru muttered as he surveyed the battlefield. The Imperial trooper was once again preparing to launch an onslaught.
"We could head east, where there are many factories and foundries, but I'm not confident we could safely outrun the guy. Plus, we might trigger something that would incinerate us both... hmmm," Subaru pondered, his brow furrowed in concentration. "So, the only option is north through the commercial district," Subaru declared, and in an instant, he burst out of cover, dashing forward.
"Look out!" Climb shouted as a high-explosive shell was unleashed from the Imperial trooper's rifle, hurtling down from above them.
Instantly, Subaru fired his portal gun, summoning a green portal above them. The shell disappeared into another dimension, forming a makeshift shield.
"Heh! That was cool, huh?" Subaru exclaimed as he continued to dash forward, their escape route through the commercial district now clear.
"Come on, let's go!" The raven-haired Japanese boy urged as he and his blonde knight companion raced toward a modern-looking department store.
"Huh? Strange. This mall looks like the ones back at home," he mused, scanning the storefronts.
Countless shoppers bustled about, and in the center stood a light blue statue with seven females and a sole male at the top.
"Did we manage to lose him?" Climb chimed in, sword in hand, as he surveyed the surrounding area for potential enemies.
"Nah, I don't think so. Heads up, we might have company," Subaru replied as they entered the establishment with caution.
Act cool, Subaru. I'll just have to hide in one of the stalls in the bathroom, then open the Morty navigation network, and I'll be out of here in no time.
As they ascended the stairs to the second floor, they could now clearly see the statue.
"Elves," he stated, contemplating the design. It was fine, but what weighed on his mind wasn't the design but rather. "Emilia," he closed his eyes as he remembered the girl he left in another world.
"What is bothering-"
"YOU!" a voice at the front entrance of the mall exploded, sending shivers down Subaru's spine.
"Fuck me!" Subaru exclaimed as he stared back. It looked like they were found again. "Would you give up already?! Jeez."
"NO!" the Imperial trooper shouted back as he raised his rifle once more. "DIE!" he exclaimed, firing another high-explosive round.
"Damn!" Subaru and Climb, managed to reach the stairs just in time, escaping the deadly blast radius that obliterated the statue. However, they were knocked off their feet, and thrown deeper into the department store.
Others weren't as fortunate, with bodies and blood splattering throughout the mall. Panic and chaos ensued as the survivors fled in terror.
"OW! That hurts!" the raven-haired Japanese man exclaimed as he collided with a row of clothing racks.
"Are you okay?" Climb asked, quickly getting to his feet.
"Yeah, just got knocked off my feet is all." He attempted to stand up but—
"NO." Suddenly, the Imperial trooper appeared in front of him before he could even rise, his rifle aimed at the raven-haired Japanese boy's face.
"Tsk!" Subaru clicked his tongue. "You really are that stubborn, huh?" he added.
The Imperial mage trooper just nodded, his face ice-cold. "My name is First Lieutenant Vooren Grantz and this..." He loaded his rifle once more and pressed the barrel against Subaru's head. "This is for Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff."
In the corner of Subaru's eye, he could see Climb sneaking up on the Imperial trooper.
"Ah, ah, ah. You move one more time, and I'll gladly put a bullet on your companion's head." Lieutenant Grantz warned.
"Look... Grantz, right?" Subaru spoke, attempting to control the situation as he lay there with the barrel of a gun on his forehead. "Can't we just let this go? Yeah, we attacked your... commander or whatever she is, but... we just knocked her out... she might have a little concussion when she wakes up, but no harm done," he reasoned.
"...What?" spoke the lieutenant, disbelief, and shock evident in his voice.
"You're lying! I clearly saw her-"
"Unconscious? Yeah, no shit it. Climb here knocked her out when she attempted to put a bullet in my head, just like you're about to do. But honestly, we mean no harm, and she's safe," Subaru explained.
"I don't belie-"
"Look, how about we go back to your reality and show you that your commander loli is safe? In exchange, you explain everything to them and let us go," Subaru cut him off once more.
"But you attacked-" Grantz tried to speak.
"So? Big deal! You attacked us too remember! Not to forget you also killed that poor blonde woman in a hoodie and that cute black-haired girl. Seriously, that's messed up, man!" the raven-haired boy didn't let him finish his sentence.
"N-No! Y-you used the blonde and black-haired girls as a human shield!" Grantz's voice was a mixture of anger and shock. "YOU ARE EQUAL TO BLAME!"
"Exactly, but shit happens," the raven-haired boy explained as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Look, I'm not trying to pin all the blame on you, but could we just chill and maybe have a truce right now? I swear I'll explain everything to you once everything is calm and done. What do you say, Lieutenant?" Subaru added, his voice very genuine and truthful.
"Tsk!" Lieutenant Grantz's face was still tense, but little by little, it softened, and just as he was about to lower his gun and accept the truce,
"LOOK OUT!" Subaru's scream pierced the air as a swarm of elemental magic struck the Grantz in the back, causing him to stagger. Thankfully, his shield absorbed most of the impact but sent him crashing to the cold floor alongside Subaru.
"Subdue them!" A commanding female voice resonated through the chaos.
Suddenly, figures in black cloaks emerged from the shadows, surrounding the trio in a circle. Their presence was ominous, their faces concealed by hoods, leaving only a hint of their eyes visible, gleaming with unsettling rage.
"Identify yourself! Are you with the cult of Diablos?" said one of the figures.
"Cult? Heh! Don't make me laugh. I've been secular for ages!" Subaru roared back. "Look, this is but a big giant mis-"
"SILENCE! We have no time for your wretched lies! All units, annihilate them at once!"
"Shield Wall!" Climb shouted as a force field enveloped them just before the swarm of magic bolts could reach them. Grantz, too, raised his hand and created another barrier, providing an additional layer of protection.
The combined force fields held back the onslaught of magic. However, Subaru knew that it wouldn't last. "I need all of you guys to go all out once this shield is down, got it?"
Climb nodded in agreement, but Grantz sneered. "I don't take orders from you!" he spoke with annoyance.
"Sheesh, whatever! Just do what you have to do," Subaru replied, rolling his eyes. "Alright, get ready."
The trio steeled themselves for the imminent confrontation. This is it, any moment now.
Without warning, the combined shield faltered and collapsed, and a battle cry resonated through the air.
Pandemonium!
Utter Pandemonium consumes the entire department store as a fierce battle rages on. Lifeless bodies and pools of blood stain the corridors, and the store's interior resembles a bombed-out husk, with remnants of magic and explosives scattered about. The once lively and extravagant establishment now burns under a massive fire.
"Frag out!" Lieutenant Grantz's voice echoed amidst the turmoil as he hurled a fragmentation grenade at a group of cloaked individuals repeatedly firing projectiles at him, instantly neutralizing them.
"There are too many of them! We need to retreat!" He urgently shouted while firing another burst from his machine gun, trying to hit any moving target within the department store.
Meanwhile, the blonde Ironed Knight, Climb, fought off relentless melee assaults with his sword and magic, but he too struggled and faced the risk of being overrun. "More enemy reinforcements up ahead! How much longer? We're almost overwhelmed here," he informed Subaru.
"Just a couple more seconds guys! Hold them off a little longer," Subaru replied as he hid in one of the cashier's booths, his eyes fixed on his tablet displaying the Morty navigation network. He feverishly searched for the coordinates of the safe reincarnator world. "Just a little more... AHA!" he exclaimed as he found it.
Bookmarking the coordinates, Subaru's portal gun instantly registered the information.
"Alright, we're good to go, guys!" he exclaimed as he peeked from the booth. "Guys?"
His heart sank as he saw Grantz surrounded, being bombarded with magical bolts, while the cloaked assailants moved like shadows, exploiting any weaknesses they could find.
Climb, too, was on the brink of being overwhelmed.
"Shit," Subaru muttered, torn between escaping alone and feeling guilty about it. "What am I gonna do?" He then checked his tablet, tapping on apps that might assist him. "Purpose Robot 3.0?" he mused as he began to read the details.
"This app can transform this ordinary iPad into all sorts of cool stuff, including a butter passer... Who needs that crap?" Subaru clicked on the app, and what he saw left him stunned.
"Battle suit? Plasma cannon? Matter decompressor? And many more? Holy smokes!" He exclaimed in amazement as he gazed at the numerous options. "Alright, this will do," he said as the iPad transformed into a floating robot ball.
"Oi oooi!" Subaru squealed as he stumbled backward, taken aback by the sudden transformation of his iPad into a circular robot. However, what happened next left him in utter shock.
"Commencing purge battlesuit. Please refrain from moving," a robotic voice announced.
"Uh, okay," Subaru replied, his eyes widening in amazement. "Whoa!"
The robot emitted an intense orange light, enveloping Subaru as it scanned him from head to toe. In an instant, he found himself equipped with a futuristic battlesuit, which fit him perfectly as if it was tailored for him. It felt lightweight, yet incredibly sturdy and technologically advanced.
"Suit initialization complete."
"Emotional emphatic suppression complete."
"Bloodlust Activated... Welcome to the Purge Battlesuit, Subaru Natsuki." the robotic voice intoned.
Subaru's heart raced with excitement as the suit's heads-up display lit up with various options.
"Oh sweet!" the raven-haired boy commented as The instructions appeared, outlining how to use the suit's arsenal: missiles, machine gun fire, autocannons, and blasters. "now we're talking!"
The interface felt intuitive as if he had trained with this technology his entire life.
"Alright, let's dance!" Subaru exclaimed, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Subaru charged headlong into the heart of the battle. Missiles streaked through the air, finding their mark among the cloaked attackers, their fiery explosions creating a temporary sanctuary for him to unleash a hail of machine gun fire.
"Heh, that was easy!" Subaru remarked with a confident grin as four cloak-clad assailants were dispatched with astonishing ease. "Alright, here's more!"
The Purge Battlesuit roared to life, its autocannons churning as it tore through the enemy's ranks. Blasters erupted from the suit's palms, reducing any obstacle in Subaru's path to smoldering ruins.
"Need a hand, pal?" Subaru's voice crackled through the suit's speakers as he swooped in to incinerate the attackers surrounding Climb.
"Whoa! What's that?" Climb exclaimed in awe, his eyes fixed on Subaru's newly acquired, awe-inspiring power.
"My new toy, cool right?" Subaru boasted, the raven-haired Japanese boy exuding newfound confidence. "Alright, sit tight. I'm gonna save the German guy then we leave." With a burst of speed, he rocketed toward Grantz.
Arriving at the scene, Subaru could see that Grantz was already surrounded and under attack.
"Hey, get off him, you bitches!" Subaru's voice roared as he swiftly gunned down the cloaked figures surrounding Grantz with remarkable ease.
"Hey, bro, let's get out of here," Subaru began, but his sentence was abruptly cut short by a sudden realization. "Shiettt." Subaru clicked his tongue in frustration as he assessed the imperial officer's condition.
Grantz's body was horrifically torn in half, and his body showed signs of burning, most likely from a devastating magical blast. Surprisingly, he was still alive, groaning in severe pain.
"Look, man, you were a jerk to us, but... you were cool in the end," Subaru sighed. "I'm sorry it had to end this way." With a heavy heart, he uttered his final words before mercifully ending Grantz's suffering with a single, devastating shot to the head.
As Subaru carried out his actions, he noticed a profound absence of empathy. Even though he had just taken down a group of cloak-wearing assailants and, out of mercy, ended Grantz's suffering, he didn't experience any regret, remorse, or abhorrence. Instead, he felt an exhilarating sense of being alive.
As he Scanned the department store, Subaru's gaze quickly locked onto another wave of cloak-wearing individuals advancing on his position.
However, in the rear, he couldn't help but notice a tall cloaked woman with long, flowing blue hair, standing regally amidst her four formidable bodyguards.
"Must be the leader, huh?" Subaru remarked with nonchalance. "Alright, time to take the queen out!"
Subaru wasted no time. He swiftly closed the distance between himself and the cloaked leader, bypassing the wave of enemies that stood in his way.
"Take this!" Subaru declared, unleashing a relentless barrage of missiles and bullets at the bodyguards. They proved to be a formidable challenge, their powerful shields deflecting his projectiles.
"Oh yeah? Try blocking this then!" The raven-haired boy's voice echoed with defiance as he unleashed a searing laser attack, one that effortlessly bypassed their defenses and reduced the bodyguards to nothing but ashes.
"Warning: Critical low power. Munitions almost depleted," his Purge Battlesuit urgently warned.
"Don't need much, to be honest," Subaru replied confidently. In a breathtaking display of skill and agility, he performed a roundhouse kick that dispatched two charging assailants with remarkable ease, leaving them incapacitated on the ground.
With her protective shield shattered, the cloaked leader attempted to make a hasty escape. However, in her panicked attempt to flee, she stumbled and fell to the ground, leaving her vulnerable and at Subaru's mercy.
"Wait, don't! I'll give you anything you want!" the woman pleaded, desperation evident in her voice as she lay in a prone position, blood trickling from her nose. Her hood had fallen, revealing her striking features. "Do you want money? Wealth? Land? Stocks in the Mitsugoshi Company, I'll give you anything! Let's negotiate!" she implored with an air of elegance.
Subaru moved to her front and knelt, studying the blue-haired woman who was revealed to be an elf. Despite her apparent maturity, her age-defying looks were remarkable. Her hair cascaded nearly to the ground, and a delicate mole adorned the left corner of her lips. "An elf, huh?" Subaru's voice remained chilling in its detachment.
"Such a shame, really, such a shame," Subaru lamented, shaking his head. She was undeniably beautiful, an enchanting vision that should have captivated anyone, yet for some inexplicable reason, he remained unfazed.
"Eh? What do you—" Her words were forever silenced as Subaru ended her life with the remaining bullets at his disposal. The echoes of the gunshot reverberated through the destroyed department store, marking the end of a chaotic and deadly encounter.
"Lady Gamma!" one of the cloaked women exclaimed, her voice filled with concern and panic.
"How..." another murmured, disbelief evident in her tone.
"Oh no, this can't be!" a decloaked, short-haired elf cried.
"YOU BARBARIAN! Attack him!" another roared, their initial shock now turning into a fierce determination as they rallied to confront Subaru.
Immediately powering up his suit, Subaru made a beeline for Climb, who was waiting for him with a wearied expression.
"Where's Grantz?" Climb asked, his voice strained from exhaustion.
"He's gone. We have to go!" Subaru replied urgently as he readied his portal gun, preparing to fire it into the air.
"But we still have enemies pursuing us!"
"Screw them! I'm almost out... Oops," Subaru replied, his voice tinged with concern as he felt the Purge armor dematerializing.
"Purge armor depleted. Now deinitializing," a robotic voice announced as the formidable armor vanished, leaving Subaru once again without its protective shell.
"Well, there goes my power. Now we really need to—" Subaru's words were abruptly cut short by a piercing cry of pain as a firebolt struck him in the back, causing him to collapse to the ground.
"NOOO!" Climb exclaimed, swiftly dispatching the nearby threats before rushing to Subaru's side. "Are you okay?" he asked the raven-haired Japanese boy with genuine concern.
"Ahhhhh! No, I'm in pain, damn it!" Subaru grimaced, his voice filled with agony as he clutched his wounded back.
As more and more reinforcements poured into the department store, determined to end the duo, an ominous presence emerged. A powerful Beastkin wolf now rampaged through the chaos, further intensifying the peril.
"Listen, you must fire that item of yours, or else we will be torn to pieces if that thing reaches us... which would happen in a couple of seconds from now," the blonde-haired knight urged urgently, doing his best to tend to Subaru's injuries.
"Damn!" Subaru muttered, sitting on the ground as he raised the portal gun and fired it. A shimmering green portal materialized once more. "Look, I can't stand. You have to carry me!"
Without hesitation, the blonde-haired knight hoisted Subaru onto his back and sprinted toward the portal's welcoming embrace.
"YOU WILL PAY!" a woman's voice echoed behind them, dangerously close to reaching them. However, the two managed to enter the portal just in time, which whisked them away to safety.
"I smell horrible... HORRIBLE!" Aqua, covered in slime, lamented as she trailed Kazuma, who was carrying Megumin on his back.
"I don't know if you knew this, but the inside of the frog is both stinky and cozy," Megumin, also covered in slime, chimed in as she held Kazuma back while they made their way toward the city center.
"Gee, thanks! I can die happy now!" Kazuma replied, his voice tinged with annoyance. "You're banned from using explosion magic, unless it's an emergency, alright? So from now on, stick to less apocalyptic magic, got it?"
"That's not possible," Megumin replied.
"Why not?" Kazuma questioned, his voice annoyed as he fixed his gaze on the loli mage.
"I can only use explosion magic. I can't use any other type of magic," Megumin replied with a poker face.
"For real?" Kazuma asked, finding it hard to believe her words.
"For real," she confirmed with a straight face.
Kazuma was about to retort, but suddenly, a green portal materialized in front of them. "Huh?"
From the portal emerged a blonde ironclad knight, carrying on his back a raven-haired guy dressed in a yellow and black tracksuit. The raven-haired man holding a brown paper bag and a gun-like device in both his hands.
"Oh look, it's that guy," Kazuma commented as he locked eyes with the raven-haired kid.
"I told you he's going to be back," Aqua remarked.
"Yep, you're right for once, Aqua, I guess you're right for once," Kazuma replied.
As the green portal closed, the blonde-haired knight, covered in wounds, collapsed to the ground, dropping the raven-haired Japanese boy onto the cobblestone streets.
"AHHHH!" groaned the Japanese man, his body wracked with pain as he lay on the cold floor, shivering and retching.
"What's the matter, dude? Didn't like what you saw?"
"Help!" Subaru convulsed, tears streaming down his face. "Eldritch monsters... warlike lolis... crazy magical girls... I killed many! I killed a lot! I'm a murderer!" he cried out, overwhelmed by the traumatic experiences he had just endured.
Atop the ruined temple overlooking the capital city of Lugnica, a somber scene unfolded.
Rem lay sprawled on the floor, her eyes swollen with tears as her once-pristine clothes now crumpled and dirtied. She hadn't left the ruined temple for two days, ever since Subaru had departed through that mysterious green portal.
Just a few days ago, Rem's look had been full of life and happiness. Now, her appearance mirrored the chaos and emptiness in her heart.
Her quiet sobs filled the desolate space as she clung to the faint hope of Subaru's return, her world shattered without him by her side.
"Subaru-kun, why?" she spoke, her voice laden with profound sorrow. "Why did you leave Rem like this, Subaru-kun?" Her words carried the weight of her heartache, echoing in the empty temple.
However, she wasn't alone in her grief. From the nearby shadows, hidden from sight, a silver-haired elf with amethyst eyes also wept in sorrow and anguish.
"I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him," her voice rang out in a never-ending chorus, a lament for the loss of her beloved.
"I love him, I love him, I love him... Why did he leave me?" Her cries were filled with the agony of separation, and her words echoed through the desolate temple.
"I love him"
