"I'm glad you're here. This time, you won't get away."

'Why is she here so early? It's still light out.' Subaru Natsuki stared at Not-Satella with utter confusion as he watched from the side with Rom beside him. Suddenly, a cringeful thought occurred to him. 'Wait, does that mean that if she hadn't been with me, she would reached here way earlier than before?!'

"You never quit, do you?" Felt backstepped away from Not-Satella. "I'm telling you, just give up already!"

"Sorry, but this is something I cannot give up on. If you do as I say, I won't hurt you." The air around the silverette suddenly dropped in temperature as six floating icicles slowly manifested, with half aimed at Felt and the other half aimed at Subaru and Rom. "I only have one demand. Return my insignia. It is very important to me."


Opening Theme 1: Redo - - www. youtube watch?v=0Vwwr3VGsYg

Droplets of spilt blood were shown, monochrome in color only for time to seemingly reverse, pulling them off the ground.

The same was shown for a familiar plastic bag and Devil Fruit, both slowly rolling back until they flew off the ground as well.

The same phenomenon happened to what looked like Subaru's disemboweled corpse, time rewinding as his body buckled before doing the slow reverse of a fall.

Shown from behind, all of the spilt blood returned to Subaru's abdomen along with the Devil Fruit and plastic bag returning to his hands, standing up after his stomach was seemingly returned to normal, along with appropriate colors replacing the monochrome as Miasmic Mist surged into existence to surround him.

~I'm trapped by my own past, losing my way~

Subaru wandered through the immensely dark and thick mist, his face glitching around him. Maybe close by or immensely far away, the same was for Emilia and Felt. As the three were briefly shown together, Elsa Granhiert's glitching figure loomed threateningly over them, with her bloodthirsty smile fixated on the sole male present.

~Please tell me it isn't true!~

Beatrice was shown inside the Miasmic Mist as well, stoic as brief glimpses of her library appear at her side, only for her attention to be stolen as a bioluminescent butterfly fluttered past her, causing her to desperately and futilely reach for it.

~I'm not really sure if I can control it all at will~

Ram and Rem appear next to each other in the Miasmic Mist, with the former looking straight ahead while the latter bowed her head.

~The sky grows hazy~

Standing before the twins, Roswaal L. Mathers's glitching form stared off into the distance, an enigmatic smile on his face.

~Where can I find the right path?~

The World glitched, revealing glimpses of a burning village and monstrous hooded figures wielding blades against beings with glowing horns protruding from their foreheads.

~The only precious thing left in these hands, is an unforgettable memory...~

Subaru and Emilia stood before each other with many lesser spirits surrounding them both. However, a hand composed of the Miasmic Mist suddenly attacked and popped Emilia out of existence, causing Subaru to recoil in fear and look around in confusion.

~Over and over again~

Another Subaru tapped him on the shoulder and smiled as he walked past him, leaving his temporal double behind as it disappeared as well.

~I shout that I'll protect you in the end!~

Emilia was standing in a white mist while multiple Subaru's were walking around her. However, there were differences in them despite the similarities. One was older with his longer spiky hair tied back in a ponytail while dressed in simple blue clothes. One was dressed extravagantly with a cocky grin. One was dressed in a butler outfit while possessing an immensely stressed look. One was a madman dressed in the manner of a villain who wished to be slain by his preferred hero. One was also a madman who reeked of directionless insanity born from the guilt of murder. One was a white haired version possessing the worst madness of them all and unknowing of his own name.

~The love I grasped amidst this rewind...~

Everything disappeared out of existence and only one Subaru remained screaming in frustration.

~Yeah, I'll never let it go!~

Emilia and Subaru faced their backs to one another while they spun around, with Felt, Ram and Rem being present as well.

Making separate appearances, Puck stuck out his tongue, Rom hefted his club, Reinhard and the appa vendor gave their different smiles, the three thugs... just appeared.

~Feelings studding the sky become a wish that can only be granted once~

As the capital's road appeared to rush past, the words 'Re:Zoan' flickered into existence, first in Japanese, then in English, finally in Lugnican.

~So I entrusted it to the next version of myself~

Subaru was shown running away from the dark fog and trying to reach another smiling version of himself, except that guy looked a bit older, had white hair, fang-shaped teeth that glimmered and was dressed in light combat wear, along with a staff with a pearly orb at the end on his back.

Another Subaru was shown running behind him and trying to reach the happy ending before the first one. And after him was a desperate third who sported draconic features from his Devil Fruit, only barely managing to touch fingertips with the One Who Smiled.

~That promise we once made will become a guiding light~

Subaru stumbled through the Miasmic Mist and briefly closed his eyes from the shining light before him.

~I make a vow that exists for your sake... until the very end!~

Standing in the light were the figures of Beatrice, Rem, Ram, Felt, and Emilia, waiting patiently for him. Subaru smiled and began walking towards his happy ending, but a dark hand stopped him, penetrating through his back and causing him immense pain as his heart was grabbed.

~Turning even my tears to strength, I'll find the futures I'd always desired~

As the hand squeezed, time began to rewind through the whole events, Subaru screaming and writhing the whole time.

~And tie them together!~

A flash of a purple edged blade.

The rattle of chains attached to a spiked mace.

The rumble of an immense, black, clawed and scaly hand.

And Subaru was harshly disemboweled, returning to where he started from the beginning of the scenario.

Alone in his death.


Everyone tensed at Not-Satella's glare as the ice shards floated around her.

Rom narrowed his eyes in worry. "If she were just another Magic User, I wouldn't back down but this one's trouble…"

"What's with you, Rom-jii?" Felt snarked in disbelief. "Admitting defeat before the fight's even started?"

Rom ignored Felt and focused at Not-Satella. "Young lady, you're an Elf, ain't ya?"

Subaru blinked as Felt froze in response to that. 'So not only are Elves really a thing here, they're just as undeniably superior in magic to humans like fiction usually dictates.'

Not-Satella sighed. "Not exactly. I'm only a Half-Elf."

"A Half-Elf?" Felt flinched and stepped backwards as if it sounded even worse. What was this World's problem with half-elves? "And that silver hair... Wait, are you-"

"It is just a coincidental resemblance!" Not-Satella cut her off in exasperation before stealing a glance at Subaru. "Really, it's been bothersome to me for years."

Subaru looked between Emilia and Felt not knowing what to do. 'This is one dangerous situation. How do I fix this?'

Felt pointed at him while glaring. "You set me up, didn't you?"

"Huh? No, I didn't do anything…"

"After you said you'd return it to its owner, I thought you were suspicious!"

Not-Satella looked at Subaru, clearly baffled. "What do you mean? You two aren't working together?"

"I literally didn't know a single person in this city before today..." Subaru trailed off as he noticed a small flower placed on the Half-Elf's white robes.

The same one from the little girl in the first loop...

'Her nature never changes, no matter how many times I start over in this world.' Subaru smiled warmly as he remembered his first loop.

"Hey!" Felt yelled at Subaru's weird behavior. "What are you laughing about?!"

"Come on, isn't that enough? Return her insignia and I'll give you my metia immediately." Subaru said to Felt before turning to Not-Satella with a wider smile. "And Sat-" He hastily cut himself off from making that mistake again. "Pretty girl in white... Sorry. Just hurry up and get out of here. Try not to let anyone steal it again."

Perplexed, Not-Satella stared at Subaru with a hand on her hip. "Why are you suddenly being so nice? I don't understand you at all."

Felt stomped her foot down and yelled at him. "I don't understand you, either! What's up with you?!"

Subaru smiled at the two girls joined in their confusion of him and looked at Not-Satella, his good mood evaporating as a familiar blade glinted in the darkness behind the latter. "Puck! Shield!"

Not-Satella's back was instantly defended by an intricate shield of durable ice that blocked the oncoming strike from Elsa's blade. In an instant, Elsa leapt away from her revealed spot, landing in a crouch at the far corner where she faced all of them.

"That was a bit closer than I expected." Puck held a thumbs up to Subaru in gratitude. "Despite our earlier bad introduction, you saved us. I'll even be willing to ignore how you knew I was here with her."

"No problem!" Subaru returned the favor. "If anything, it's my thanks to you for still being active by now."

"A spirit... That is a spirit, right? How wonderful." Elsa giggled as she slowly stretched upwards from her crouch. "I have never cut open a spirit's stomach before. And the boy from before is present as well. What a wonderful coincidence."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Felt asked in confusion.

"If the insignia's original owner is present, we can hardly negotiate." Elsa shook her head and brandished her blade for emphasis. "So, I have changed my plans. I shall simply slaughter everyone here and take away the insignia. You failed to see your job through to the end. You talk a big game but you do terrible work. You really are just another slum dweller."

"Rom-san. I'm apologizing in advance." Subaru stepped forward as he stepped forward and raised a transformed fist, surprising everyone as purple lightning burst into existence when he raised it. "I'm about to wreck a hole in your building."

"You..." Not-Satella and Puck stared in surprise at what they thought was magic being generated before them. "Is that lightning...?"

"Go ahead, boy." Rom seized Felt by her scarf and ducked with her behind his counter. "This lady's giving out all sorts of bad vibes."

"There's no way..." The purple lightning crackled louder as it increased in ferocity along with Subaru's emotions. "I'll fight you again... in such an advantageous environment like here!"

And then he punched forward.

*KRACKASH!*

The loot house's front side suddenly exploded as an immense blast of purple lightning tore out of it, luckily only causing no excess damage as it flew upwards and slowly sputtered away into the sky.

""Waaaaaaaaa...""

Felt and Rom had their jaws dropped from the sheer power they had just seen.

Not-Satella was of similar opinion, although she had some control over her own jaw.

However, both Subaru and Puck stared at a spot in the smoky dust formed from the attack, with the former frowning. "Just what the hell are you? How did you get so little damage from that?!"

"That is a question I have for you as well." Elsa's voice startled the others as she stepped forward out of the smoke, wounded but not as much as she should've been, with even her clothes taking little damage as well. "My cloak here has the ability to stop at least one magic attack. The fact that something that powerful didn't do anything to it means that you weren't using magic in the slightest. So in my opinion," Elsa twirled her dagger in Subaru's direction, "what are you, boy?"

Subaru frowned a bit before suddenly shivering as the temperature suddenly dropped further than before.

"To be honest... I am quite curious as well." Puck said from high up in the evening sky, surrounded by hundreds of sharp icicles pointed at Elsa. "However, that can wait until your death, young lady. We haven't introduced ourselves, have we? I am called Puck. Remember my name after you die!"

The ice spikes all launched themselves as one, converging on Elsa's form and smashing onto her and her surroundings until all that was left was a huge chunk of ice with her frozen inside.

"Did they get her?" Rom questioned.

"Don't trigger that flag, old man!" Subaru snarled, eyes narrowing as the Woman in Black's cloak glowed and destroyed itself, smashing apart the surrounding ice as well and freeing Elsa. "Dammit!"

"Now, that's how my cloak was supposed to work." Elsa cooed at Subaru. "It seems you're truly the anomaly present. Please, let me see what your guts look like!"

Elsa dashed towards Subaru who transformed his forearms to block her blades. After successfully kicking her away from him, Elsa was forced to cartwheel away from Subaru while Puck continued to shoot at her from above.

"For a young lady, you're well accustomed to battle against unusual opponents." Puck said as he kept shooting icicles at the ridiculously agile killer.

"My, it has been a while since I've been regarded as a young lady." Elsa jumped on a tree and began swiping her blade against icicles being shot at her by both Puck and Not-Satella before jumping off as another of Subaru's lightning bolt destroyed her tree.

"Now that I think about, aren't you pretty well spoken?!" Subaru panted as he hurled as much lightning as he could to try and box Elsa in, only for her ridiculous flexibility to save her repeatedly. "You've got pretty good speech patterns for a mere killer!"

"I could say the same for you. You're obviously a foreigner but still as well spoken as an educated noble." Elsa dodged to her left to dodge a particular large blast, before swiftly getting to Subaru's back. Before she could behead him, electricity burst across his form, nearly electrocuting her through her weapon before Elsa was forced to back away. "Judging from your earlier reaction to me before, you must have been a witness to one of my old jobs, which is strange considering my tendency to kill others beyond just my targets, but no matter."

Elsa spun about about through several icicles until she was right before Subaru. "I can rectify that in an instant."

Before he could do or say anything, Subaru choked as Rom suddenly appeared and grabbed him back by his collar, allowing Puck to fire a rather large attack at where there was now only Elsa to hit.

Ducking downwards, Elsa suddenly lurched as she found herself unable to move her feet. Looking down, her eyes widened to find her right foot frozen stuck to the ground, with Not-Satella's smirk revealing her as the culprit.

"Sayonara!" Puck shouted as Not-Satella prepared a powerful magic attack with both hands and fired it, causing it leave a trail of oncoming spiky ice as it shot swiftly straight at the stationary Elsa.

It looked like the end for the lady.

To everyone's shock, Elsa flipped away from the blast and landed next to it, uncaring about her mutilated and bleeding foot. "My, how lovely. I thought I was going to die."

"Puck, can you keep going?" Not-Satella asked the cat on her shoulder.

"Sorry, I'm starting to get really sleepy…" Even as he yawned, Subaru could see Puck's corporeal form going translucent and grimaced at the setting sun. "I underestimated her a bit… My mana's gone, so I have to disappear."

"I'll take care of things here, so you can rest." Not-Satella eyed Subaru as he glared at Elsa. "I still have some support here with me so thank you for your time."

"If anything happens to you, I'll act according to my contract. If it comes down to it, call me, even if you have to squeeze me out of my Od." Puck whispered before disappearing into thin air.

"You're going away?" Elsa pouted as she cut off a piece of ice and placed it against the sole of her foot. It let off some steam as it started to stick to the ice growing around it to make it serve as her makeshift shoe. Elsa tapped the new ice shoe she had made and began walking. "Well, that is very unfortunate. When next will I have the fortune to observe a spirit's bowels cut open?"

"Never if we have anything to say about that!" Subaru shouted before crossing his arms and shooting them upwards with a loud shout. "HENSHIN!"

Last time had been an uncontrolled burst used carelessly against the three stoo- I mean, thugs. But now, Subaru fully desired the full capability of his Devil Fruit.

With his cry, Subaru's skin turned bluish, thickening as it turned tough and leathery. Then nigh invulnerable scales began to form all over his body. Though naturally pitch-black in color, because of their almost glossy and burnished look, they shone with hints of aquamarine.

Subaru's face stretched and contorted, becoming triangular as it grew in size and took on more lizard-like qualities. His eyes changed from brown with round pupils to turquoise with slit pupils as they grew and moved more to the sides of his head.

Above, two polished-looking sharp horns formed on the top of his head and curved back while a smaller set grew from just below the bigger ones but pointed forward over his face.

Teeth grew into daggers, his canines turning into fangs, with the top pair poking out over his bottom jaw a bit; the lower barely staying concealed. Back molars grew larger as their edges sharpened, becoming suited for scraping flesh from bone before the bone itself was crushed and eaten.

His skinny neck grew many times longer and thicker, ropes of strong muscle emerging to properly support his enlarged head. The scales formed along the front of his throat become denser and larger, packed close and tightly overlapping one another to protect his otherwise vulnerable neck while taking a bluish white hue that stretched over his front and underside.

A long and sinuous tail grew as his spine lengthened; three pairs of spined fins forming on either side towards the tail's end.

Body width expanding, Subaru's bones morphed and shifted as new chords of muscles rippled into existence to support the serpentine shape he was taking. Shoulders and hips morphed to better support the added bulk of his changing form. His arms and legs changed as well as he fell forward onto all fours.

Hands and feet grew deadly talons matching his horns, fingers and toes lengthening and thickening to match his developing paws. His thumbs moved back from the rest of his fingers, shifting around so that they face backwards. The big toes moved to a similar position, his back feet elongating as they became slightly larger versions of the front pair. Thick pads developed at the base of each foot where the four clawed toes converged and webbed features emerged between them as well, allowing him to more comfortably swim, walk and run on all fours.

Like his scales, the soft and fluffy strands of "hair" that comprised Subaru's thick mane were just as jet black as they were in his Human form, running down his spine like a reptilian crest. Across his body, tribal marks appeared, closely resembling his tracksuit design.

By the way, the whole transformation took a total of fifteen seconds.

With a growl that finalized his transformation, Subaru slammed his right forelimb into the ground, causing a miniature earthquake and terrifying just about every witness who wasn't a combatant.

In fact, a lot of the residents in the slums took one look at Subaru's massive form and either ran off screaming in the other direction or fell to their knees in worship.

Felt's jaw dropped even further.

Rom had entered into a full body dogeza.

Not-Satella gawked along with Felt, before snapping out of it to concentrate on Elsa. "W-Would you mind surrendering? With him like this and against you, your chances against the both of us are very low."

Subaru took a step forward, cracking the ground as he addressed Felt and Rom, despite his eyes being focused on Elsa. "Felt, leave the insignia here and run away with Rom right now! With both of us here along with what she wants, I can assure you that she won't follow."

"What?!" Felt forgot her astonishment and stomped her feet in outrage, ignoring Rom's attempts to calm her down. "You're telling me to tuck my tail and run?!"

"Of course, I am!" A particular strong burst of wind blew away from Subaru as he yelled, just as Not-Satella started to attack Elsa anew. "Use this last chance, okay? Don't look back and don't look down and run! Not only are you her original target, you're easily the youngest one here. So, it's a given I'd pick the method most likely to keep you alive compared to the rest of us!"

"I agree, Felt." Rom tried to make her see some reason. "That woman's real dangerous, keeping her smile up when she's up against both a spirit and a dragon!"

A quick glance from Subaru revealed that Rom was right, the aforementioned woman running circles around the Half-Elf, trying to cut past her conjured ice shields with her mad smile just as wide as it had always been.

"You think I'll let her go?" Elsa suddenly manifested a small dagger out of nowhere and aimed for Felt's head.

With a shocked grunt, Rom pushed her out of the way, causing the ridiculously sharp blade to slash a deep cut across his shoulder instead.

"ROM-JII!" Felt screamed as the old man collapsed to his knees.

"Oh, my." Elsa idly spoke as she dodged the massive paw that would've crushed her. "I missed."

"Didn't you hear the lad?" Rom fished out the insignia from Felt's pocket as she held unto him. After dropping it on the floor, he grabbed Felt by her jacket and despite his injury, proceeded to throw her far away until she disappeared and landed on a nearby roof. "GET GOING!"

Felt opened her mouth to speak but suddenly found herself meeting Elsa's glare. With a tearful and scared hiccup, her Divine Protection activated as she kicked off in the opposite direction.

"Now then..." Rom turned about with his club at the ready... only to suddenly fall onto his face and faint. Unless you were a Grand Line combatant, being super strong meant shit when you've got severe blood loss, after all.

Taking advantage of his brief distraction, Elsa rushed forward with her blade, slashing at Subaru's unguarded forearm, but…

"Well, that was no good." Elsa commented as her weapons had uselessly clanged on impact against Subaru's scales. "As expected of a dragon, so durable!"

Subaru raised his attacked forearm before suddenly cleaving forward with it. There had been little effort in it, like slapping a roach off a table. Even so, Subaru's strength and claws ripped through the earth, sending several kilos of it flying at Elsa.

With a giggle, Elsa dodged aside from it only for Not-Satella's interference to nearly risk her head being frozen.

It was an immensely strange team-up. Subaru had the immense strength to decisively crush her if he could but was too slow to hit the speedy Elsa. It also didn't help that since this was the first time he was fighting as a dragon, the inexperienced Zoan's stamina was draining at an incredible rate.

Not-Satella wasn't doing much better herself. While her defense was adequate, her offense didn't match, not quite matching Puck's rapid-fire rate.

"Tonight has simply been wonderful." Elsa blocked another ice shard while keeping her eyes locked with Subaru's massive ones. "A boy who was not only familiar with me but also possesses the ability to turn into a dragon like Mother."

"'Mother'?" Subaru questioned as Elsa eyed Not-Satella now.

"And a Half-Elf with such an interesting spirit." Elsa twirled her blade before releasing a sigh. "Still, orders are orders."

"If you are unable to purchase it with money, take the insignia and kill everyone who tries to stop you."

"Let's bring this to a close, shall we?"

Subaru punched forward, only to be assaulted by a sudden wave of nausea and was forced to transform back to his original form, coincidentally landing close to Rom. Subaru struggled to keep his eyes open while his limbs shook. "What the... Why...?"

"Oh, my." Elsa observed as she tilted her head back from another ice shard before clashing her blade against a large ice shard. "Have you not had that ability for a long period? Novices never gauge their stamina properly."

'My stamina?' Subaru frowned as he struggled to get up. 'Shit. First time transformations are always exhaustive no matter the genre! I can't believe I made such a noob-like mistake.'

With a grunt, he forced himself to his shaky knees and called out to Not-Satella. "If you've got some hidden true power, now would be a really good time to use it."

"...I do have a trump card. But if I use it, I'll be the only one left standing."

Subaru chuckled wryly. "No exploding yourself, please... Don't do anything hasty."

"I won't use it. Not when you're both still here…" Not-Satella trailed off, looking sadly at his exhausted form, along with the nonconscious Rom next to him. "doing your best to live. I'll struggle and fight till the bitter end."

"You have no idea where you are, you have no money, you can't read, and you have no one who can help you." The silverette counted Subaru's problems down, her stunned look transforming to one of pity. "You might be in an even more precarious position than I am… um, Subaru, was it?"

"... I believe that you've just answered your own question." Reinhard stated with an acknowledging smile. "But if you still desire an answer, I shall instead ask you this: If you consider the consider the consequences of what will happen to you if you help your friend, what will you regret more? Helping even if it meant your demise or your friend's scorn? Or not helping and assuring that the demise you foresaw would absolutely come to pass?"

"Doing my best to live, huh… " Grabbing Rom's bat, Subaru slowly got up straight on his legs with it as a makeshift crutch. "What a crazy sentence to say to me, considering how I've lived my life up till now."

"Huh?" Not-Satella questioned.

"This was supposed to be a restart! That's how it is! That's how it's always been!" Subaru banged the bat against the ground. "I finally remembered why I'm here to begin with."

Eyes shining with freshened resolve, Subaru bared his teeth to Elsa. "You won't be winning today, Elsa Granhiert!"

Lifting Rom's bat, Subaru pointed it at Elsa. "No matter how long it takes, I'll blow you away and..." Water burst out and swirled around Subaru's form for a brief moment, crackling with electric energy, "get a happy ending!"

"Seems you still have a bit too much energy." Elsa mocked as she swiftly charged at the smiling boy.

Suddenly… a loud voice echoed.

"And for that, I am grateful..."

Everyone looked around to find the source of the voice.

Suddenly, something slammed down between Subaru and Elsa, causing dirt and dust to erupt from the impact.

A red-haired knight slowly emerged from the dustcloud. "...that a person like Subaru F. Natsuki is someone with lots of energy to spare when dealing with attempts on his life."

"You're… " Elsa spoke in recognition.

"I'm truly glad that I took Subaru's advice on taking a walk and was nearby." With the dustcloud surrounding him suddenly clearing away as if the World itself considered him the Main Character, Reinhard van Astrea smiled at the Woman in Black. "Shall I finish the dance that my friend started with you?"

"Rein?" Subaru questioned from behind him.

"Indeed, Subaru." Reinhard turned back reassuringly. "I see that you found the lady you were searching for. By the way, that dragon from before...?"

"Ah, that was me." Subaru sheepishly replied. "Sorry for the commotion I might have caused."

"It's understandable considering your opponent." Reinhard went back to facing Elsa. "Black hair in a long braid, provocative black clothes, and a purple edged blade unique to the Northern provinces. There is no mistaking those characteristics. You are the Bowel Hunter."

"What kind of evil nickname is that?!" Subaru yelped. He'd been fighting someone dangerous enough to gain a title like that?!

"It was derived from her unique killing style." Reinhard explained. "Her name is known, even in the capital, as that of a dangerous individual.

"Reinhard van Astrea…" Elsa licked her lips in anticipation. "Yes, a knight among knights and the current Sword Saint, correct? How remarkable, with everyone here, we could reenact a legend. We're only missing somebody who would represent the Great Sage."

Not-Satella clenched her fists before hurrying over to Rom's side.

"There many things I'd like to ask you." Reinhard commanded. "I strongly insist that you surrender."

"You expect such a starving predator to resist such a choice, juicy prey?"

Reinhard just chuckled a bit and looked back at Subaru. "Subaru, get back a bit. If you could stay next to her, that would be appreciated."

Subaru turned to see Not-Satella healing Rom's wound.

"No problem." Subaru smirked and nodded as he moved accordingly. "Still, that woman is like a monster so don't lower your guard… "

"As luck would have it..." Reinhard looked Elsa in the eye as his smile disappeared. "Hunting monsters happens to be my specialty."

"He's still alive after losing so much blood?" Subaru knelt beside Not-Satella, noting the pained breaths that escaped the muscular old man. "Rom-jii's amazing."

"He isn't out of the woods yet." Not-Satella spoke as she focused on healing him. "If I had gotten to him any later, it would have been too late."

Subaru looked at her in surprise. "You really want to? He's really close to the girl that stole your insignia."

The healing spell didn't diminish in the slightest. "That's why I need him to recover, so he'll repay the favor by giving me information. He wouldn't lie to someone who has saved his life. This is as much for my own sake."

'You're either a really bad liar or a really naïve girl.' Subaru thought fondly as he remembered his memories of her in the earlier loops.


Back to the fight, it begun as Elsa swiftly charged at Reinhard.

"So you've chosen to fight, huh." Reinhard spoke as he took a step forward which cracked the earth and threw up a small shockwave that halted Elsa in her tracks. Taking advantage of her sudden stop, Reinhard kicked her in the side, sending her flying away until she rolled to a stop.

"Just as the rumors say…" Elsa commented as she stood up as if her ribs hadn't just been shattered. "No, you're even better."

"I'm not sure I'll meet your expectations."

"Aren't you going to use that sword at your hip? I would love to experience its legendary sharpness."

"This sword can only be drawn when needed." Reinhard spoke as he held the sword's pommel. "The fact that it hasn't left its sheath means that this is not one of those times."

Elsa stood up. "I do believe I have been underestimated."

"It's an upsetting judgment for me, as well. Therefore..." Reinhard walked up to a nearby sword on the ground which had probably been thrown there from Subaru's destruction of Rom's loot house. With a kick, the sword was lifted into Reinhard's hand. "I shall take you on with this instead. Do you object?"

"No, it is wonderful. Wonderful! Do entertain me please!" Elsa smirked manically and charged. "Even the weakest blade will become a harbinger of death when wielded by the Sword Saint!"

{Divine Protection of the War God} activated and granted Reinhard instant mastery of the sword in his grasp, allowing him to simultaneously block the incoming strike and deprive Elsa of her blade with a single slash.

Catching the tip of the blade with two of his left hand's fingers, Reinhard looked at Elsa. "Now that you've lost your weapon, I strongly suggest you surrender."

Reinhard threw the blade and made it stab into a faraway tree, driving it in deep enough to make retrieval impossible.

"She's not out of blades, Rein!" Subaru shouted from the side. "I don't know whether she's making them on the spot or summoning them from somewhere, but she's definitely not going to be unarmed!"

As Subaru shouted his warning, Elsa simply charged forward again, her empty hand suddenly having a blade again like he predicted. She would have almost cut his stomach had Reinhard not been fast enough to step back.

Elsa kept her eyes on Reinhard but spoke towards Subaru. "Impressive guess. Just how did I miss you from whenever we met before?"

"Just meeting you once was hell for me..."

"Still, I don't have a mere two fangs." Elsa clarified to Reinhard now. "Would you mind if we continue?"

"If I divest you of all your weapons, will you be satisfied?" Reinhard raised his sword into position.

"If I lose my fangs, I'll use my claws." Elsa blitzed away from before him, moving so fast around Reinhard that she became a mere blur, slowly speeding up as she searched for a weak spot in his guard. "If I lose my claws, I'll use my bones. And if I lose my bones, I'll use my life."

Reinhard blocked a highspeed stab, with Elsa already blitzing away before the sparks had even faded away.

"This is how the Bowel Hunter fights a battle to the death!"

Elsa proceeded to unleash several more blows, entering into a stalemate in which Reinhard could block but couldn't retaliate while she was too fast to catch but too weak to break through his guard.

"Is Rein okay?" Subaru fretted from the side. He'd taken to shielding Not-Satella and Rom with body incase Elsa decided to throw a blade in their direction. Thankfully, Reinhard seemed to have taken all of her attention right from the start. "He's been on the defensive for too long, right?"

"Because I'm near him while using my spiritual arts, he cannot fight at full strength." Not-Satella answered as she focused more on Rom's wound.

"What do those have to do with each other?"

"If the Sword Saint was truly intent on fighting, all the mana in the atmosphere would turn away from me." Not-Satella explained, causing Subaru's eyes to widen in realization. "I'm almost done healing him. When I give the signal, let him know."

Subaru looked down to find Rom's wound fully closing up, leaving only his blood and torn clothes as evidence of his injuries. "Whoa!"

Not-Satella sighed with some relief. "Now he's all right. Go ahead."

Subaru nodded before turning to Reinhard while he shifted into his Hybrid Form. "We're done over here, Rein! Finish her!"

Nodding in affirmation, Reinhard stopped suppressing {Divine Protection of Night Skies} and pushed {Divine Protection of the War God} to the maximum along with the former, causing the air around him to shimmer from just how much mana the Od Laguna instantly offered to him.

"Oh, will this be your final strike?" Elsa asked as she watched his sword become even more saturated with mana. "What will you show me?"

"The Swordplay of the Astrea family." Reinhard readied his sword.

Elsa smiled and prepared two fresh blades in both hands. "The Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert."

"The Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea." Reinhard's sword was now bright enough to shine a far distance in their current area of the slums.

As Elsa charged, Reinhard raised his charged sword and swung it down.

"[Normal Slash.]"

The swung sword unleashed a powerful shockwave, smashing into Elsa as well crashing into the nearby hill behind the loot house, which had nearly been blown away from the attack as it exploded into bits of flying rubble from the concussive power of eight nukes.

"Is that a One Punch Man reference?!" Subaru screamed as he turned about and used his body to shield Not-Satella and Rom from the thrown about debris. When the attack finished its course, Subaru gaped at the destruction left in it's wake. The area was most definitely wrecked now, with the area before Reinhard having a massive gorge torn through it. If Subaru had not witnessed this himself and was told that it had been caused by some guy just swinging his sword, he'd either question the teller's sanity or curse himself for not witnessing it himself. "Hunting monsters is your specialty, my ass! You're a monster yourself!"

"Even I'm a bit hurt by a comment like that, Subaru." Reinhard wryly replied before looking at the sword in his hand as it crumbled from the sheer power he had forced through it. "I'm sorry I asked too much of you. Rest well now."

"Even so..." Subaru stood up and looked around, reverting back to Human. "There isn't a shadow left, let alone a body… this is all that's left after just one sword swing? I guess despite my Isekai status, you're the Hero of this setting."

"Hero?" Reinhard tilted his head with a smile. "It's been a while since I could feel pleased in being called that."

"Well, you saved at least four people tonight, Rein." Subaru patted Reinhard's shoulder. "You're definitely a hero."

"Is it over now?" Not-Satella stood up and tried to walk but stumbled and almost fell as she held her forehead.

Subaru caught her immediately. "Yeah, somehow or other. Literally."

Not-Satella noticed his lingering look on her face and stepped back from him. "Why are you staring at me? That's quite rude."

"It's just, you still have your arms and legs, even your stomach still unslashed… " Subaru sighed in relief. Hopefully, with Elsa defeated, he would never see such a horrible sight again.

"Of course, I do. Don't say such scary things."

"Yeah, you're right. It's obvious huh?" Subaru raised up his hands and stared at them. "I still have my arms, too. And there's no gaping hole in my gut."

"You talk as if you've experienced those things before."

"There were times when I did." Subaru answered with utmost honesty, unminding of being believed in or not. With a crack of his neck, he turned to a nearby derelict building. "Oi, Felt! It's all over, now!"

For a bit, Not-Satella raised an eyebrow as nobody answered Subaru until the blonde girl peered out from behind a broken wall.

"So Felt is her name, huh?" Reinhard questioned as she ran towards her guardian. At Subaru's raised eyebrow, he elaborated. "While you briefly rampaged about as a dragon, I ran into her among the other terrified residents. Upon sighting me, she immediately recognized me as a knight and asked for my help."

"That's… " Not-Satella glared at the girl but Subaru waved her off.

"Now, hang on… if she hadn't brought Reinhard, we'd have been soon killed off by Elsa." Subaru pleaded. "She's just a thief by necessity and nearly lost her pare- friend today. Can you not look at her like you want to make her into an ice statue?"

Not-Satella looked away with a pout. "I wouldn't do something so cruel! By the way, I need to have some words with you-"

"Subaru!" Reinhard's shout rang out just as Elsa burst out of some debris, her bleeding form charging right at the Half-Elf. Reinhard ran towards her but he wouldn't be fast enough.

Lightning surged into Subaru's clawed hand as he intercepted and clashed it against her blade while catching her free hand in his other one in other to stop any more sharp surprises. "Got you! I won't let you hurt her!"

"Hold her and lean back, Aniki!" Felt quickly threw her blade, her {Divine Protection of Wind Armament} activating to give it extra sharpness as it spun and aimed to decapitate Elsa. With a grunt, Elsa leaned back and sacrificed her arms instead.

"Yikes!" Subaru let go immediately, letting the severed arms flop to the ground.

"...not bad, slum rat." Elsa turned to glare at Felt who flinched from her dark Killing Intent. "A little faster and you would've had my head."

"That's enough, Elsa!" Reinhard ran in front of Felt while Subaru stayed with Not-Satella.

With a sighing smile, Elsa's arms instantly regenerated and allowed her to toss one last blade at Reinhard.

Without even trying to dodge, Reinhard's {Divine Protection of Arrow Evasion} activated and caused the weapon to unnaturally swerve out of the way.

"Soon enough, I'll disembowel everyone here." Elsa jumped and landed on a broken roof, turning to lock eyes with Subaru. "Especially you, boy. Until then, be sure to take good care of your dear bowels."

With that, The Bowel Hunter leapt out of sight and disappeared into the night.

Reinhard ran to Subaru's side in a hurry. "Are you unhurt?"

"I'm A-Okay!" Subaru cheerfully replied, only to nearly stumble into the knight's arms. "Scratch that. Maybe less than okay."

"Are you all right? That was far too reckless!" Not-Satella chastised as she pushed past Reinhard to scold Subaru.

"Oh, it was no problem." Subaru rubbed his hands as he faced her. "I sure took the long road, but I've finally reached this checkpoint."

Subaru quickly pointed at the sky and did his pose. "My name is Subaru F. Natsuki! And I'm sorry for what I called you earlier today! Due to some miscommunication, I actually believed Sate- I mean, the S-word to be your actual name and I truly apologize for that."

"...I see." Not-Satella let out a small smile. "In that case, I gratefully accept your apology. I'd also like to apologize for my behavior back then-"

"It's fine, it's fine!" Subaru waved her off. "Besides, I'd actually like to ask for a favor!"

"A favor?" Not-Satella tilted her head in confusion. "Asking for a favor right after apologizing?"

"I, your comrade born from battle against a shared enemy, have now found myself lacking in the most basic of necessities in our new friendship!"

"R-Really?" Poor girl was really confused by now.

"Therefore, I have only one request." Subaru grinned, making the Half-Elf gulp in nervousness, before he snapped his fingers and spoke in what he thought was a suave tone. "Please, tell me... your name."

The Half-Elf stared at the boy for a few seconds, causing Subaru to start blushing from it until she started to giggle softly. "Emilia."

"Huh?" Subaru looked at her with surprise.

"My name is Emilia. Just Emilia." Subaru stared as she smiled under the moonlight. Like an elven angel adorned in silver, she actually curtsied a little bit. "It's nice to formally meet you."

Not-Satel- Emilia opened her palm for him.

Subaru looked at it, all his painful memories of the longest day ever flashing through his mind. 'All those times I got hurt, all the crying I did, all the pain I felt, all the fighting with my life at stake… And my reward was her name and a single smile.'

"Jeez… talk about unequal compensation." Subaru took Emilia's hand and shook. "But there's no way I'm unsatisfied with what I got."

"Well, I'm glad that this incident ended with all of you out of death's grasp." Reinhard said as he looked his new friend over. "Also, I have some questions regarding the dragon that was sighted earlier tonight."

"Ah, that." Subaru scratched the back of his head. "That's an ability I just recently gained. Total noob right here."

"You possess Demihuman blood? I see." Reinhard hummed as he wrongly assumed Subaru's true powers. "No wonder you look ready to faint. I've heard that initial transformations actually take a toll on both body and psyche."

"I don't know about psyche, but I'm definitely feeling the pain in my body!" Subaru replied energetically. "Which is why I hope to not see Elsa ever again for the next century if possible!"

"Subaru, sit down and stop moving your body so carelessly!" Emilia fussed as he started to stretch his body. "I can't replenish stamina like I can treat wounds so, you should res..."

Emilia trailed off, her eyes fixated on the sudden and very clean cut that appeared over his clothing.

"Ah."

Emilia's small voice caught Subaru, Felt and Reinhard's attention, the former's indignation and horror spiking at the long bloody line appearing over his stomach, almost as if the World itself had forgotten about it until that moment.

"I specifically held both her arms and restrained her from slashing anyone. I did a fancy physical routine to get Emilia's name. What bullshit did Elsa pull to make something like a 'delayed slash' work like-" Subaru's stomach bursted open, causing blood to spill everywhere as he fell down fainting.

"Subaru?!" Emilia worriedly knelt by his side.

Subaru looked up at her as she looked down at him. 'Man… she's so cute even when she's panicking… Truly a parallel world fantasy...'


"There. His treatment should be complete. He should be over the hump now."

Reinhard sighed in relief before addressing Emilia. "By the way, Emilia-sama, what is your relation to Subaru?"

"A passing acquaintance?" Emilia thought to earlier in the day. "I don't recall ever meeting him before. I thought our meeting today was the first time."

"Well, he was looking for you." Reinhard clarified as they both gazed at the unconscious guy. "He said he had something to give you."

"That's why it's so strange… "

"What shall we do with him? I would be glad to take him home as a guest." Reinhard offered. "Even if I ignored his status as a foreigner, I have some questions I'd like to ask about his transformation abilities. After all, there's never been a dragon Demihuman before and the appearance of a dragon so close to the capital will make waves whether I wish for it or not."

"...no, I'll take him home with me." Emilia shook her head, being curious about that as well. Plus, they'd just become friends! Subaru said so himself, meaning that Emilia wasn't deluding herself like Puck might claim! Who knew when next she'd see him again! "That way, I can learn what's really going on." Emilia looked at Felt and the still unconscious Rom. "But more importantly, what would become of Felt and that old man?"

"Officially, I cannot overlook what they've done. But…" Reinhard shrugged with a smile. "Unfortunately, I'm off duty today and was simply taking a walk around the area my new friend recommended to me."

Emilia giggled. "You're a bad knight."

Felt squirmed away guiltily as Emilia approached and squatted next to her. "Is this old man your family?"

"Something like that." Felt answered. "Rom-jii's the only one I have… I guess he's like my grandpa."

"I see." Emilia replied with a sympathetic smile. "I only have one family member, too. But he's always asleep at the most important times. When he's awake, I'd never say that aloud, though."

"I thought you'd be a lot harsher on me." Felt gave a shaky smile. "Sorry. You guys all saved my life and I can't let a debt go unpaid." Felt took out the insignia she had picked up from where Rom had dropped it after collapsed. "I'll return what I stole. If it's so important, keep it hidden so no one can steal it again!"

"It feels funny, having you give me that warning."

As Felt opened her palm to Emilia revealing the insignia, Reinhard looked at the jewel with widening eyes. The gem… was glowing.

Felt gasped as her wrist was grabbed roughly by the Sword Saint.

"Reinhard-san?" "You're hurting me! Let go!"

"H-How could this be?" Reinhard glared at the jewel shaken before turning to Felt with a stern, yet desperate tone. "What is your name?"

"Huh? It's Felt…"

"And your family name? How old are you?"

"I ain't got anything fancy like a family name! I'm… about fifteen, I think. I don't know my birthday. Look, just let me go!"

"Emilia-sama, I am afraid I can no longer keep my promise to you." Reinhard turned to Emilia, not being bothered by Felt's kicks and punches. "I shall be taking this girl with me."

"May I ask why? If it's for stealing my insignia… "

"That is, indeed, no small crime. But next to the gravity of overlooking this transgression unfolding before me, it's trivial."

Reinhard stood up with the struggling Felt as he kept a firm grip on her wrist. "I need you to come with me. I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to refuse."

"Get over yourself! Just because you saved me-" Felt's words cut off as Reinhard instantly drained her mana, rendering her unconscious.

"That wasn't very courtly, either." Emilia chastised as Reinhard put the blonde girl into a bridal carry.

"I was careful not to take too much. Emilia-sama, I'll be calling upon you soon, most likely. I hope you understand." Reinhard handed Emilia her insignia back. "Please take good care of Subaru."

The moon above them both glowed brilliantly after some overcast clouds suddenly cleared away, startling them both and making them look up at it.

'Today, a draconic being made contact with a Sword Saint and a Half-Elf, and has unearthed and strove to protect someone who might be descended from Volcanica-sama's treasured family.' Reinhard alluded to the distant past as he and Emilia looked up to the silver celestial body. "Today might be our last chance we have to calmly gaze up to the moon."


Chapter 03: 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝔸𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕆𝕟𝕖


Start the SBS!

Devil Fruit: Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Leviathan (Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Leviathan). The Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Leviathan is a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to transform into a hybrid and full version of a Leviathan at will. It was eaten by Subaru Natsuki.

Strengths: This fruit allows the user to transform into a Leviathan, which is a draconic sea creature of the Mythical Bestiary, as well as in theology. Christian theologians usually identify the Leviathan with the deadly sin Envy(*insert totally innocent whistling*). Apart from scales, acquired features include horns, sharp fangs, glowing slit eyes and limbs with clawed hands and feet. In his full Beast Form, Subaru grows to rival a whale in size and will slowly grow even bigger as he ages into adulthood. His Hybrid Form, while not as large, is still almost twice his human size with scales on his arms, outer torso, back and legs as well as four horns on his head, claws on his hands and feet and a long tail.

As with all Zoans, Subaru's transformation significantly boosts his physical abilities. Strength, speed, durability, senses and endurance are all multiplied several times over. Beyond the transformation itself, Subaru is bestowed with supernatural abilities, such as the ability to create and manipulate water and electricity.

Also, having been granted the abilities of a mythical creature of demonic origins, Subaru is highly resistant against curses and the likes even when untransformed.

Weaknesses: Due to the massive amount of space Subaru takes upon transforming, his mobility drops severely in enclosed spaces. Also, he cannot protect against attacks that directly inflict damage without needing to affect his external defenses or 'holy' attacks which technically don't exist in the Re:Zero World... unless we consider the Sword 'Saint', or the 'Divine' Dragon. Of course, any attack significantly strong enough can still brute force through his scales.

Besides these factors, standard Devil Fruit weaknesses also apply. (However, it should be noted that despite this creature's existence as an aquatic lifeform with the natural ability to breathe underwater, Subaru is very wary about entering a large body of water to test his swimming capabilities in his Beast Form, especially after having nearly experienced death via drowning.)


KingVessel: Describing a transformation sequence in words is harder than I thought...