He could have stopped her. He could have cried out, yelled, shouted, screamed, pleaded, begged. He knew what would happen, after all. It had happened before.
But he refused to say a thing. He'd already earned his peaceful life, his family, his beloved wife. Why should he have to make an extra effort to get it all back? It was his already. It was rightfully owed to him.
Halibel… Tia… Rigel… Spica…
So Subaru had said nothing as Rem made the terrible decision to take him to the Mathers Domain. And now she would pay the price. The price for not trusting him. The price for shamelessly pretending to be the woman he loved.
Rem…
His Rem was Natsuki Rem and she would have understood. She would have listened. She knew to trust his judgment.
Still, even as he denied and rejected the very world around him, Subaru wasn't exactly thrilled with possibly having to encounter a certain unpleasant figure again.
His best bet was to hope that the cultists had already completed the 'Ordeal', guaranteeing that Subaru would shortly be frozen solid by the inevitable blizzard that always followed.
"I see… Certainly interesting… Such potent… awe-inspiring… powerful… LOVE!"
No such luck.
Sure enough, Subaru found himself in front of the sadistic madman who had haunted his nightmares for pretty much the entirety of his previous life. A thin and sickly man with an ashen complexion, lifeless dark-green hair and a body seemingly composed of nothing but skin and bones. Indeed, the hideous Archbishop was just as Subaru had remembered him.
The monstrous figure loomed over Subaru as another cultist locked shackles around his wrists, chaining him to the wall. The Archbishop moved in uncomfortably close and contorted his body until he and Subaru were face to face.
"You wouldn't happen to be Pride, would you?"
…So there's a Pride too, huh?
Subaru's expression remained totally blank. Even though there was such a horrific visage filling his entire field of vision, Subaru was still looking past it. He was aware of what was taking place around him but it didn't register as anything beyond raw information and as such didn't cause any visible reaction. The corpse-like Archbishop seemed to notice this non-response and took exception to it.
"My my my, so aloof. So dismissive. So ARROGANT! Yeeees, Pride would suit you rather well." The man stuck his thumb into his mouth and crushed it between his teeth, with the awful sound of crunching bones echoing off the cave walls. Had Subaru not witnessed this sight before already, it likely would have made him cringe at the very least.
"Shtill…" The Archbishop continued with the mangled and profusely bleeding digit still in his maw. "…It ish truly a tragedy for one sho loved to adopt shuch an uncaring attitude… My brain tremblesh!"
"…"
"Ahhhh, but of course. I have yet to introduce myself, how rude of me." He bowed at the waist in an exaggerated manner that would surely have damaged the spine of any normal person. "I am the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult charged with the duties of Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanée-Contiiiiiii!" The Archbishop straightened his back and twisted his head what must have been a full 90 degrees to the left. "At your service!" Petelgeuse cackled as he finished the dramatic introduction.
Hearing the name again triggered some particularly traumatic memories within Subaru. This monster had gleefully tortured Rem close to death in one loop. He'd tried to rip apart Emilia's dead body after the Witch's hands had crushed her heart in another. If Subaru could summarize all the reasons why he'd run away all those years ago and why he was so adamant to do so again, he would need but a single word: Petelgeuse.
Anyone who witnessed the grotesque being bearing that name would surely understand. Lifeless, pale skin. Claw-like, unkempt fingernails. Exaggerated, unnatural gestures. Seemingly random outbursts followed by brutal acts of self-mutilation. A creepy yet grating voice. A bloodcurdling cackle. A toothy, sadistic grin.
And worst of all, bloodshot eyes that burned with an ever-present madness.
Sin Archbishop of Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, was more of an otherworldly horror than anything remotely resembling a human being.
Given all that, how could anyone possibly blame Subaru for wanting to stay as far as possible from this nightmarish creature masquerading as a man?
And yet…
And yet, the actions of Rem had brought him right back to the very last place he wanted to be. Right back in front of Petelgeuse. Even though he'd given her an alternative, an opportunity for both of them to escape the gruesome fate that would befall everyone else in Arlam Village and the Mansion. Instead, Rem would die an unnecessarily painful death, Emilia would be murdered by the Witch Cult, and Puck would enact revenge by freezing the world until someone came to stop him, most likely Reinhard. That was how it would go. That was how it always went. That was the only way it could go. The Mansion was a guaranteed Dead End regardless of what Subaru tried.
And what exactly had Rem even been hoping to achieve by bringing him here? Forcing a reconciliation between him and Emilia? Subaru wouldn't have wanted to see Emilia anyway. It would have just been yet another painful reminder of everything he'd left behind. Of everything that he'd been forced to abandon after recognizing that the situation was hopeless. Whether Subaru intervened or not, Emilia would die. It wasn't a question of if, it was only a question of how. Subaru had seen it or its aftermath enough times to know that Emilia's death was set in stone.
A bony finger touching his cheek disrupted Subaru's train of thought. Petelgeuse was examining Subaru's face, likely waiting for some kind of reaction.
"I imagined meeting a fellow Archbishop of Sin would have elated you in some way, Pride…" Petelgeuse paused. "You are Pride, are you not? I should know the faces of all the others so Pride is the only one you could be. And yet… You are not written anywhere in my Gospel. Truly truly truly curious. And yet… here you are on this fateful night, with Her affection thick around you. Ahhh, but surely you have your own Gospel with you to show your devotion, yes?"
A large and heavy book with a black cover was thrust in front of Subaru, this book presumably being the Gospel that Petelgeuse had spoken of. Subaru made a mental note of that information but showed no outward signs of having heard the question.
Then, without warning, the Archbishop of Sloth bent backwards and started clawing at his scalp in frustration.
"Ahhhh, my brain is trembling! I simply cannot cannot CANNOT fathom it! To find one so loved and for them to so callously ignore a Gospel before their eyes, the great symbol of Her Love! For them to be so egotistic and ungrateful ungrateful ungrateful ungrateful ungrateful UNGRAAAAAATEFUL! Why, Pride? Why have you no appreciation for the One who loves you?! Surely… Surely you love her back, Pride! Our beloved Witch loves you so. Will you really deny that precious Love? No! You MUST not! You CANNOT! Her Love cannot be denied denied denied deniiiiiiiied! Her Love MUST be repaid with diligence of the HIGHEST order!"
Petelgeuse firmly clamped his hand around Subaru's chin, causing the latter to wince, and then looked directly into his eyes.
"Ahhh, but perhaps this is not mere arrogant ingratitude after all. Those eyes, yes those eyes… They lack the necessary confidence and self-importance. What they do not lack… is FEAR! Yeeeeeeees… It is hidden but anyone who looks closely at the eyes can see through the facade… They belong to one… overcome with DESPAIR!" Petelgeuse cackled as he said it, as if he knew himself to be the cause of Subaru's despair. "You do not think yourself too good for the world around you… No no no no no no… Quite the contrary, even. And so you wish to escape it. To run from it. But you do not even will your own legs to move. You simply wait for something else to take you away from it instead."
The Archbishop twisted his neck far beyond its natural limits as he continued what seemed to be an analysis of Subaru's very soul.
"In that case… Are you not in fact the very definition…"
Petelgeuse's mocking grin disappeared and his tone became deadly serious.
"…of slothful?"
For reasons unclear to Subaru, something about that rhetorical question resonated deeply within him. As if it was the last thing he had wanted to hear. Words that pierced the core of his being in exceedingly uncomfortable ways. Although only briefly, his breathing quickened and his entire body shivered.
Before the Archbishop could follow up on this, a hooded witch cultist whispered something into his ear.
"Ahhh, yes, of course. I apologize for my rudeness but I simply cannot waste too much time on you, Pride. And surely you know why, yes? Of course, you must know. Tonight is the night where we will see if this Domain's half-devil can prove herself worthy as a vessel for our dearest Witch for Her coming rebirth. An ordeal! A trial! A test! Yes, a test of our FAITH and of our DILIGENCE! We MUST always be diiiiiiligent when repaying Her Love! Ahhh, my brain trembles, trembles, TREEEEEEEEMBLES!"
Subaru needed no explanation of what exactly this 'ordeal' entailed. He'd seen its results with his own two eyes. Not just the murder of Emilia but that of Ram too and possibly even Beatrice.
But before the killings in Roswaal Mansion began, the Witch Cult would first barbarically massacre everyone in Arlam Village. Men, women, and children alike. Twice, Subaru had been forced to witness sweet, innocent Petra reduced to a corpse. Twice too many. He'd had constant nightmares of the poor little girl's face with her eyes gouged out and blood streaming down her cheeks like tears.
Bile rose in the back of Subaru's throat as the traumatic memories returned.
No! Those things have nothing to do with me. I can't stop a damn thing or save a single person anyway so why bother agonizing over it?!
Subaru pushed the guilty thoughts away. He'd already resolved all those years ago to give up and let the atrocities take place. They would happen out of sight and out of mind. And aside from reports of tragedy in the Mathers Domain, those living in Kararagi would be largely unaffected. Even Puck's rampage that was supposed to destroy the entire world would presumably be stopped long before it could so much as hinder the daily lives of Banan's residents. This was the happiest ending that he could be allowed to hope for. It was the one he had already earned. The one he deserved.
The only future that he would accept.
Halibel. Tia. Rigel. Spica. Rem.
Those were the only names that should matter to Subaru. Not Ram. Not Beatrice. Not Puck. Not even Emilia. They were all beyond saving and that was that.
There's only one person that I can save from this nightmare… And only one person who can save me.
For a moment, Subaru could have sworn he'd heard the familiar rattling of heavy chains. Then the broken body of a cultist flew into the cave with great force and landed right beside Petelgeuse's feet.
"What?! What is the meaning of this?! My diligent left ring finger destroyed? How how how how how HOW?!"
The Archbishop bit down on the corresponding finger until it was just as ruined as the cultist's corpse on the ground. For some reason, Petelgeuse assumed Subaru had a better understanding of what had happened. His bony fingers wrapped around Subaru's throat and held him up against the wall.
"You are already one unforeseen element on this fateful night of the Ordeal! And suddenly another appears! Explain yourself, Pride! No… You must not be Pride after all. But then… who who WHO are you?"
This time, the clattering of chains was unmistakable as it echoed off the cave walls.
"Get. Your. Filthy. Hands. Off. My. SUBARU!"
The ground shook as a spiked iron ball struck the earth, causing a shower of rubble and dust. The cultist closest to the attack was instantly flattened by the weapon's weight while others nearby lost only some limbs if they were lucky. The one responsible for this act of carnage, the one who had cried out in rage, emerged from behind the dust cloud. Her white maid outfit from head to toe had been dyed the dark crimson of blood, though it was impossible to tell how much of it was her own and how much had come from the enemies she'd slain. Her short blue hair and pretty face were likewise caked with bloodstains. Her pink Oni horn crackled with energy and unyielding flames of determination burned in her eyes.
"Ahhh. Ahhhhhh, now I understand! What an admirable feat! This lone girl has forced herself to go far beyond her limitations, even as her body is injured and broken! Wonderful! Marvelous! BEAUTIFUL! Ahh, what a truly truly truly intriguing display of diligence! All for the sake of LOVE! Tender love! Ardent love! Passionate love! Love love love love love lovelovelovelove LOOOOOOOOVE! Ahhh, my brain is trembling."
Rem?!
For a fleeting moment, Subaru almost believed that his beloved wife had jumped across worlds to rescue him. For that briefest of moments, the light of hope returned to his eyes.
But, of course, Subaru knew that was impossible. There was nothing left of Natsuki Rem other than Subaru's own memories.
This was just the same Rem who had brought him to this hell in the first place. Though, if he was inclined to give her any kind of credit, it had taken her considerably less time to reach him compared to the Rem of a previous loop. And it appeared that she'd pushed her body above and beyond its limits in order to accomplish that feat. As a result, she'd likely fare poorly against the remaining Witch Cultists in the cave.
"Subaru! I'm here to save you! Subaru's Rem is here!"
With that insult to injury so casually uttered, Rem continued with her unrelenting assault on the Witch Cultists. As if she had no idea about the significance of the statement that she'd just shamelessly made.
About what she was claiming to be.
Unforgivable!
"My… Rem?" Subaru sputtered in disbelief, breaking his silence for the first time since the argument at Karsten Manor.
"Ahhh, so the words of that woman are capable of getting through to your slothful heart. I seeeee now, YOU are the object of her adoration. How very very very very very interesting!"
The Archbishop of Sloth's jeering did not improve Subaru's mood, to say the least. Especially when he used that loathsome word, the same which had previously struck a nerve in Subaru.
"Yes!" yelled Rem as her flail ripped apart several more cultists. "Rem is Subaru's Rem!"
Is this some kind of sick joke?
Once had been enough. Twice was far too much to bear. Subaru felt like he was about to explode.
"My… Rem?" Subaru repeated with the same incredulous tone. "You? The one who dragged me into this damn mess after I begged you to run away with me instead? You? You really think you're MY Rem?"
As if reacting to some especially funny joke at his expense, Subaru howled with a crazed laughter that could rival even the madman standing beside him.
Despite being in her Oni form, Rem was noticeably affected by Subaru's words and mocking guffaws. The swings of her Morningstar slowed down ever so slightly. Some of the hooded figures also let their curiosity get the better of them and glanced at Subaru whose face had turned red and filled with tears from laughing so hard. Petelgeuse chomped on his fingers in turn while he looked on, like someone anxiously chewing pieces of popcorn during an especially dramatic movie scene.
Then the laughter reached its end.
"My Rem, huh?"
He asked the question again in a voice so quiet it could barely be heard. This was the calm before the storm that was mere moments away from erupting.
It had in fact been building up all this time. First, his peaceful death by old age had been ripped away from him by that damn Witch's curse, 'Return By Death'. Next had been Rem causing him immense emotional pain by forcing him to remember Emilia and the feelings he'd once had for her. To make matters worse, Rem had turned down his offer to run away, sealing off the path back to his happy family life in Kararagi and making this world a guaranteed Dead End. Then, after Subaru resolved to let the world just pass him by, that same busybody of a Rem suddenly decided she cared so very deeply about his wellbeing and apparently had no better way to show it other than dragging him back to the very place he had been trying to avoid. Only naturally, that timing just had to be the absolute worst it could have been, guaranteeing that he'd once again find himself face to face with the nightmarish creature calling itself the Archbishop of Sloth. And after all that, this woman, who had brought him nothing but trouble since the moment he'd reset, actually had the audacity to claim she was 'his Rem'.
That insult to the memory of his precious wife was the one thing that Subaru absolutely could not let go.
"Subaru, plea—"
"WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT MY REM?!"
Everyone briefly froze in place, bloodied maid and hooded cultists alike, turning to face the snarling man who had just bellowed at the top of his lungs.
All at once, Subaru's frustration had boiled over and exploded. All that remained behind was a cold and cynical fury.
"Ah, sorry about that. I really shouldn't have shouted at you like that when you don't even understand why. In fact, maybe I shouldn't be mad at all. Right? Let's review, shall we? You decided to bring me here because you thought you knew what was best for me. You wanted to give me what I need and not just what I want, right? Great going, Remrin! You figured out exactly what I needed! To get chained up in a cave by Witch Cultists and their ugly freakshow of an Archbishop! Don't you think I should pat your head and praise you for a job well done, Remrin?"
"No…" Rem began, as she continued fending off the relentless cultists' attacks. "Subaru, I didn't mean t—"
"No? So you don't deserve that kind of reward, huh? Oh. And why's that, Remrin? 'Because this was actually a terrible and stupid choice and I'm so sorry for doubting you, my dear Subaru!' Well, better late than never, I guess!"
"I'm… Hah… sorry, I should not have… Ugh… brought you here." Grunts of effort were interspersed throughout Rem's apology, with her trying her best to speak while still engaged in combat.
"Oh, well that changes everything, doesn't it? Now we can both die horribly, but at least we'll have the satisfaction of knowing you acknowledged your mistake, Remrin. Really, I almost want to applaud how responsible you are. Well, y'know, if my hands weren't all chained up like this." Subaru indicated the shackles around his wrists.
"…"
"Do you finally get it? If you don't, I'll be happy to spell it out for you. These are not things thatmyRem would have ever done. If you were reallymyRem, we would be on our way to Kararagi by now. It's really that simple. That's the one and only person who gets to call themselves my Rem. So don't you dare go calling yourself my Rem. Get it through your head already! You're not my Rem!"
Rem hung onto Subaru's every word and the loss of focus made it even easier for the cultists to get past her guard and wound her. Her eyes filled with tears and her attacks progressively lost their impact.
"And you never will be."
With that, Rem stopped resisting entirely and looked directly at Subaru.
"Rem… is sorry she couldn't live up to Subaru's expectations..."
She made the apology in a pitifully weak voice with waterfalls flowing from her eyes as a sad smile made its way across her face.
The very next moment, Rem succumbed to the terrible wounds inflicted to both her body and her heart and collapsed onto the ground.