—The black destruction covered the sky with such force and volume that it could be mistaken for a nightmare.
At the feet of the woman with a twisted smile, there was no limit to the amount of ``invisible hands'' erupting from the swelling shadow.
Stretching out into the sky, their palms facing towards me - there was no need to count; there were nearly a hundred.
"--Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti!!"
"Oh? It's strange that you called me before I even gave my name! I'm sure I'm moving different fingers from the one you know."
Subaru shouted in rage, the dust still billowing as Betelgeuse stomped his foot, suspicious of what he was saying, but with an expression of even greater amusement,
"It appears that most of the Fingertips hidden in the forest have been annihilated, destroyed, wiped out, but that can't be helped! As well as the precious, important lives of the devout believers which cannot be treated carelessly! Now, know that they were there for this time, for this moment! Ah! Ahhh! Love, favor! Beloved Witch!"
In his excitement, he bit off the fingers of his right hand, one by one, which he had inserted into his mouth. Betelgeuse decorated the battlefield with a blood-stained, manic grin, and swung his blood-dripping arm.
"Now, let the end begin, and I will proclaim the end of the end! And and and and and and and andeeeee! Before my love, before my diligent service! I will offer up my body, my life, my soul――Death!!"
At the same time as the proclamation was made, the arms covering the sky came raining down towards us - and the Witch Cultists who had been surrounding the raging Petelgeuse also took off running with crucifix daggers in their hands.
On the other hand, our preparations were delayed by being thwarted by the opponent.
The surrounding extermination squad was still feeling the confusion of the explosion behind them, and smoke was rising from the hypocenter - they were worried about the safety of their two main forces. However,
"There's no time to be idle! Kill or be killed - that's how it is!"
Ricardo shouted as he swung his large machete and flashed his sharp canines. With that, the confusion in the beastman mercenary corps subsided, and everyone, led by the leader, raced off on their ligers.
At the same time, Julius raised his sword high in the air, drawing the attention of the knights.
"Do not be disturbed by the actions of those despicable people! The situation remains unchanged, as behind us are the people we must protect. All hands, charge!!"
With a swing of his sword, Julius' Earth Dragon took off first. Following behind, the knights also raised their weapons high and took to the path of the greatest knight.
And so the mercenary and knight alliance took off - leading the charge was Natsuki Subaru, clinging awkwardly to the back of an elegant black earth dragon.
Before the two leaders could calm their comrades' confusion, Subaru ordered Patrasche to dive headfirst into the oncoming threat of the Witch Cult.
There is no chance of winning.
In fact, Subaru, whose fighting power hadn't changed at all, was so powerless that he would be killed even if he went up against a single dagger-wielding Witch Cult member.
But, even so, Subaru had to take the lead. The reason was――
「Oi, Prince Pete! Aim at me! --I can see your many hands so clearly!!」
「――――!?」
Suppressing his fear, Subaru put up a provocative smile and raised his middle finger, freezing the manically grinning expression of Petelgeuse.
As if to prove his statement, an invisible hand wriggled towards him, but Subaru used the reins to make Patrasche dodge.
He leaned to the right to dodge the outstretched arm, then lowered his body to face the palm that was thrust straight out at him. With a sharp turn he evaded the swarm of arms blocking his front, and accelerated, leaving behind the demonic hands that were closing in on him from all sides.
The main reason for Subaru's successful evasion was not because of Subaru's high skill, but because Patrasche was able to instantly read his intentions through the reins.
And when Subaru proved his point, albeit by a thin line, Petelgeuse's innocent-looking face was distorted with rage and humiliation,
"What a stupid thing to say... It can't be! Why, why why why wheeze wheeze... My, my, my only favorite! You're grinning with your eyes, your eyes, your eyes, your eyes!?"
"Isn't it true that witches are unfaithful? Hey, hey, hey, did you just play with me? That's so cute!!"
"What an insult! What a humiliation! What a disgrace! Not only to me, but even to the guide of my love, to speak like that...it cannot be forgiven! It must not be tolerated! It must not be tolerated!!"
Forcing his bloodshot eyes open, Betelgeuse, foam at the mouth, pursued Subaru. The black demonic hands bound together formed into a mighty palm, and as they closed in to crush him, Patrasche swerved sharply to the left and broke through—the aftermath caused the earth to turn up, and a deep crack was dug into the grassland by the giant's palm.
「That was close! It was a very close call from here on out… but, this is it!」
With hatred burning in his eyes, Petelgeuse had completely forgotten himself and was targeting only Subaru.
With the madman's spear aimed right at him, Subaru felt goosebumps in fear, but he clenched his fists as things unfolded according to his expectations.
Given the situation in the previous loop, it was possible to predict that the number of invisible hands of Betelgeuse, who had been possessed and revived, would increase.
If those countless deadly demonic hands, which ordinary people cannot even see, were to be unleashed, even a numerically superior extermination force would be driven to annihilation.
Therefore, Subaru chooses to thoroughly fuel Betelgeuse's insane obsession with the witch, and make him focus only on himself.
Meanwhile, behind them, a fierce clash had begun between the Witch Cultists and the members of the punitive force.
The first attack from the superior numbers of the extermination squad exploded, sending the Witch Cult's leading group flying through the air in blood splattering everywhere. However, the Witch Cult's eerie movements as they slithered from there made it clear that the knights, unfamiliar with them, were having a hard time.
It would be too selfish to keep pushing and expect help to immediately come rushing to the scene.
Subaru regretted that at the very least, Wilhelm, whose skills were unrivaled in human combat, was still alive and well.
"My mistake was that I was too shallow in my thinking... If he has the ability to possess someone after death, I should have at least anticipated that he had a way to commit suicide!"
That was surely the reason behind the explosion of the dragon carriage carrying the old Betelgeuse.
It is likely that Betelgeuse had planted something like a bomb inside the cultists' bodies beforehand, and given instructions to activate it when the situation required.
As a result, the old Betelgeuse's body successfully transferred into a new body, taking with it the dragon carriage and our main forces that were nearby.
Smoke was still rising from the hypocenter, and Wilhelm and Ferris were nowhere to be seen. --It seemed hard to believe that they had simply disappeared like that.
Subaru: "I can't be so optimistic as to think that we'll get away unscathed. ——Please follow the plan!"
"Death death death death death death death deatheeeeessssssssssss!!"
Shaking his head, Petelgeuse went into a frenzy, and an invisible hand extended to block his path. However, he quickly dodged it, closing the distance and striking the surprised Petelgeuse's face with,
"Bang, bang!!"
"Bwah?!"
As Patrasche drifted, his feet dug into the ground, sending a chunk of earth flying and hitting Betelgeuse in the face. He raised his middle finger at the dirt-smeared face, and circled around, inviting everyone to join him.
"Yes, yes, even if you have lots of hands, it's no use if your brain is useless. Learn from the way Patrasche and I communicate with each other through eye to eye, hand to hand, and heart to heart. Are you lazy!?"
"--------!!"
Already lost for words in his rage, Betelgeuse silently delivers his palm of death.
However, excited by Subaru's exceptional talent for the skill ``Provoke,'' Petelgeuse's thoughts became noisy and his attacks lacked luster.
In other words, even though he had the advantage of having countless palms,
"Your brain isn't processing it properly. It's a laughing matter if the hardware is so weak compared to the software's required specs. Maybe your brain was shaking too much!?"
Subaru couldn't help but laugh at his own mental state, being able to make such light-hearted jokes in this situation where one wrong move would mean instant death. He let out a breathless laugh, which served as an even more provocative reaction to Betelgeuse.
It should be a fine line between offense and defense, but the evasive behavior has become so habitual that it feels like they've become accustomed to it.
Just a few hours ago, Patrasche and I had barely managed to synchronize our breathing, but now our heartbeats were synchronized, and we could clearly sense each other's intentions through the reins.
Julius had said, "Entrust your trust to us and leave it to the wind."
--Now I understand the meaning of those words not just with words but with my heart!
"--Ru!!"
Breaking through the dust that had been created, Subaru's eardrums suddenly caught sight of it, his internal organs churning from the centrifugal force of the sudden turn, his brain heating up with a sense of euphoria rather than a feeling of vomiting.
From far away came a voice calling his name, and there was no way he could have mistaken it for another voice.
"Subaru――!!"
As the dragon carriage suddenly increased its speed and attempted to leave the battle area, Emilia was seen leaning out the window in the distance, her long silver hair blowing in the wind.
She wasn't the only one evacuating from the battlefield. The surrounding carriages carrying the villagers and traveling merchants were also fleeing, and they were all evacuating as planned, with several knights as escorts.
--The Witch Cult's final desperate struggle, that was to be expected.
If a battle were to break out, bringing along a large number of non-combatants would be ineffective in dealing with the reckless fighting methods of the group. Therefore, he had instructed the peddlers to evacuate if a battle broke out. To avoid spreading confusion among the villagers, he only explained the situation to those who were relatively calm and able to listen, and then split up the group into groups to prepare for the situation.
Naturally, he had also conveyed this to Ram, who would have to navigate to the sanctuary via a different route――
"Why...!?"
Subaru hadn't told Emilia that.
As the dragon carriage recedes into the distance, Emilia's face can be seen, distorted in pain.
He could feel the unbearable shock of the betrayal engraved there, and it sent a deep, tearing pain through Subaru's chest.
However, Subaru hid the shock he felt inside, and, despite the vibrations and the storm, he took one hand off the unfamiliar reins and gave a thumbs up.
Subaru: "Leave it to me, it's a piece of cake, I'm Natsuki Subaru! Go ahead, Emilia-tan! ―I'll catch up with you soon and give you a heartwarming embrace!"
「――――!!」
I don't know if the dragon could see the flash of its teeth, but the only sound coming from the dragon carriage hurtling into the forest road in the distance was the sound of voiceless noises.
And after confirming that the group had safely left the battlefield, Subaru took a deep breath and turned back to Betelgeuse,
"I was surprised that you were so patient as you waited. Are you the type to understand emotions?"
「Shut up shut up shut up shut up! I didn't stop my actions, you just continued to avoid everything! Disrespect! Disrespect! The witch's love! Her embrace! How foolish of you to not accept it! Why did you go to such lengths…!」
"Oh, were you attacking or something? Your palm is so slow when I see it, it feels like a fly is stopping, so I misunderstood that you were stopping my hand, that's it. Just carry on as you are, this one too... oh."
Subaru, who continued to provoke with a flippant display of his true talent, raised his eyebrows at the sudden appearance of a battlefield. Behind him, as Petelgeuse and Subaru faced each other in single combat, a major change occurred in the scene of the clash between the Witch Cult and the extermination force.
--Together, the bodies of several Witch Cultists rose into the sky, covered in bloody mist.
"Nnnnnnn!!"
The glittering sword slashed back, sending blood and sunlight dancing wildly, its blade raging at an incredible speed. Arms, legs, necks, and torsos in the path of the attack were sliced off by the sharpness of the sword, and the knights pursued and killed the enemies one by one.
Covered in copious amounts of blood, the demon of the sword dashed across the battlefield - Wilhelm entered the battle.
"--Wilhelm-san!"
Subaru cheered at his health, while Betelgeuse bit the corner of his mouth in disgust.
As if responding to Subaru's cheers, Wilhelm crawled along the ground and severed two more men's legs below the knee. He dodged the onrushing fireballs with his body, and with the flames hitting his back, he accelerated and mass-produced death.
With Wilhelm's participation in the battle, the momentum instantly shifted in our favor.
Ricardo and Julius also began their fierce attack, trying not to follow suit with the Sword Demon, the sound of flesh crackling every time the machete was swung, and sparks of mana scattered every time the knight sword flashed.
Further ahead, the remains of a dragon carriage, the hypocenter of the explosion. As the smoke cleared, a figure emerged, hiding its naked body with a charred tarp draped over its shoulders.
It was Ferris. He seemed to have been hit by the impact of the explosion up close, but he was still alive and well. His beautiful face, which could be mistaken for a woman, and his meticulously groomed hair showed no signs of being affected. Only his clothes seemed to have been spared from the damage,
"Oh, already – they've died once! Old Vil! I'll never forgive them again, I'll tear them to pieces!"
Raising his small fist, the half-naked boy cheered on the Sword Demon in a high-pitched voice.
Subaru was not at ease with the situation and the man's shout, but he turned to Petelgeuse with a triumphant smile,
"There were no casualties in the suicide mission... the outcome is already decided! It's time to give up!"
"Give up? Do you really think that something so stupid, such a foolish thing can be allowed?! Do you really think that I, the ``lazy'' one, would sink to such a ``lazy'' choice, one that abandons thought and will?! It is the greatest insult! It is a humiliation! I will repay that love with all my diligence...! If that is the only reason to clear this disgrace――!!"
With both arms outstretched, the invisible hands that had been sprouting from Betelgeuse's entire body suddenly disappeared.
Subaru had a bad feeling about Petelgeuse's posture, but the distance he had kept in order to evade the attack backfired, and he was too late to close the gap.
result,
"Witch! Guide me to love! I offer it to you, let me offer it to you! Come, you immoral fools who have foolishly turned their backs on my favor! You thirsty snobs who do not know love!"
"Wait, Petelgeuse――you!!"
"Now――be lazy!!"
The next moment, a black wave spread across the battlefield, and the front line collapsed.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
Witch Cult Archbishop of the Deadly Sin of "Sloth", Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
This was already the fourth time Subaru had faced this man, but he could safely say that since being summoned to another world, he had never faced such a formidable opponent that had tormented him as much as this man.
Each time he repeated the cycle, Subaru had already lost his life in this world eleven times. During that time, Subaru had never died in the same way, and every death was engraved on his soul with an unforgettable feeling.
Faced with an immense disparity in ability, or faced with unavoidable injustice, sometimes due to a gap in consciousness caused by carelessness, and sometimes due to a mismatch of intentions between the two, Natsuki Subaru had missed his chance to die many times in the other world.
There were horrible foes. There were opponents whose hearts were about to be broken. There were overwhelmingly powerful beings. Against all of this, the powerless Natsuki Subaru had his heart broken countless times.
And yet Subaru still managed to stand up, but this man's ruthlessness was by far the most different from all of those he had faced up to that point.
The "invisible hand" stretches out invisible arms and tears everything apart.
"Possession" involves abandoning one's dead body and transferring one's soul into the body of a subordinate to continue life.
And then there is the authority that can be declared the worst in multiplayer battles: 『Sloth』.
The almost forgotten ferocity of the force engulfed the battlefield, and the fighting spirit of the extermination forces, who had been pushing forward with great vigor up until that point, was shattered. --No, it wasn't their fighting spirit that was shattered, it was their sanity.
"----!!"
"--Ah!?"
Screams and cries echoed across the battlefield, and many dropped their weapons. And most importantly, the Witch Cultists were not affected in the slightest by Petelgeuse's "Sloth".
"Stop...!"
I try to scream, to stop him from moving, but words mean nothing at this moment.
Before Subaru's voice could reach them, the cross-shaped daggers had already sucked up the blood. The spurting blood evoked cries of anguish, and the vanguard was pushed down in one fell swoop.
Subaru was unaffected by "Sloth," and it was unclear what symptoms the mental contamination it caused inflicted on those infected. But anyone under its influence experienced nonexistent hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, and phantom pains that made them foam at the mouth, roll their eyes, and were driven to the brink of insanity.
Only about fifteen of the fifty members of the extermination force were able to resist the effects of the mental contamination. The rest collapsed on the spot, or were cut down by the Witch Cult's blades, bleeding. --The only blessing in disguise was that the main force had almost completely survived.
"How strange--! This is the same as the mist of the White Whale..."
Wilhelm repelled the three blades that attacked him from the front with a single swing, and retreated, dragging the bodies of his fallen comrades. Similarly, Ricardo had a cat brother and sister on either side of him, and Julius had created a cloud of sand with a chant of wind magic to provide cover and blind them.
"Oh, it seems more people stayed than I expected! That's wonderful, and I'm very happy! With so many talented people remaining, we can say the cult is safe and sound!"
"Qualities...? What are you talking about! No, before that, this situation is..."
Bad.
With just one move, the situation was completely reversed.
In terms of fighting strength, the numbers were roughly even, including the number we had lost before the mental contamination spread. However, we had more injured than dead, so our remaining troops had to be devoted to their work.
On the other hand, the Witch Cultists don't care about the lives of their injured comrades. They don't hesitate to step over the corpses of their comrades who could have been saved with treatment, and charge forward despite being mortally wounded, prepared to fight to the death.
And above all else――
"You, it seems like this is a diversion to attract my attention, huh?"
"--!"
Subaru's intentions are seen through by Betelgeuse, and his shocked expression is clearly visible.
Seeing this, Betelgeuse clapped his hands together and twisted his cheeks in delight,
"Well then! That is a very, very, very, very, very diligent idea! I don't know how you found out about my invisible hands, and my fingertips, but knowing that, it makes sense to my actions up until now! And... if you understand that, then there's no reason for me to bother you, right?"
With that statement, Betelgeuse turned on his heel. His gaze was directed towards the battlefield where the knights and witch cultists were clashing, and if the fingertips reaching out from the shadows reached out in that direction, it would be inevitable that they would be forced into an even greater disadvantage.
Subaru gasped at the wicked act, and ordered Patrasche to lunge at the madman's back. If he could at least inflict enough damage on the madman that he wouldn't be killed by ramming into him――
"--You're lazy, aren't you?"
"--Ah!?"
However, for Betelgeuse, this impatience and abandonment of power was nothing more than an event that could be controlled.
A shadow stretched out, and out of Subaru's field of vision - an invisible hand approached directly behind, grabbed Patrasche's tail, which was picking up speed on the wind, and hurled the earth dragon's massive body effortlessly into the air.
After feeling a tremendous force and a floating sensation as the wind hit his entire body, Subaru was tossed about by the air so much that he couldn't tell front from back or left from left, and fell - slamming onto the grass on his back.
"K――hah."
His whole body creaked, sparks flew in front of his eyes, and his vision went dark.
The impact of his back hitting his body sent shockwaves through his internal organs, his spasming lungs refused oxygen, and the vomit rising up his throat burned hot.
And then, a beat later, a throbbing sensation in his head and a pain as if he'd been struck by lightning ran through his limbs, and a scream spilled out of his writhing throat.
--Ouch, bad, bad, hurts, hurts, bad, bad!
With his limbs going numb and his internal organs twitching, and the pain dominating his consciousness, Subaru was cursed as he listed all those dangerous signals in his spinning head.
He had to make an instant decision and do something, but Subaru couldn't think of a clear meaning or the correct form for it.
Pushing aside reason, which is despised, instinct alone asserts itself.
If I don't move, I will die, I don't want to die, I have to do something to live.
However, his body would not move, no matter how much he wanted to follow his instincts, and Subaru could only barely keep breathing by taking rough breaths. And then――
"--Oh, huh?"
"What a diligent person..."
Subaru groaned in incomprehension at the sudden sensation, while Petelgeuse, who had witnessed the result, exclaimed in admiration with a look of respect on his face.
Subaru turned his head and realized what on earth had happened, his whole body being tossed about by the sensation of being floating and swaying.
--Patrasche had Subaru by the waist in her mouth, and was trying to escape from Petelgeuse's clutches.
The jet-black earth dragon was worried about its immobilized master, not even bothering to put him on its back. Thanks to its unwavering loyalty, Subaru managed to escape from his encounter with Petelgeuse.
Petelgeuse also seemed to be somewhat touched by Patrasche's decision to protect the rider without being told to, and tears began to flow from his eyes as he covered his face with his hands.
"Earth dragon... Oh, earth dragon! It's wonderful! Love, love ...
Betelgeuse, tears streaming down his face, stomps away in a frenzy and spins around on the spot. He points his palm at the back of the receding Earth Dragon, but without attacking, his fingertips point upwards, as if reaching out to a distant loved one.
"Love! Supreme love! Unconditional love! Pure love! How wonderful! How beautiful! Worried about your master, your aspirations, your will, your way of being, your way of loving are truly remarkable! Oh, oh, oh! You are diligent! You are a diligent follower of love! Wow, wow, wonderful!"
The thrilled madman is so engrossed in his one-man show that he has no interest in the escape itself.
Subaru then ran through the grassland, bypassing the battlefield and heading to the rear, where Ferris was still there tending to the wounded.
"Subaru-kun?! Did you get hit?! Did you die?"
Subaru: "I'm… barely alive. My whole body hurts a lot, but thanks to Patrasche… I mean, on my back."
Subaru responded to the harsh greeting with a wry smile, but the moment he reached Ferris' side, he was roughly dumped onto the grass.
Subaru was stunned as he plunged face-first into the ground and the taste of leaves and earth mixed into his mouth. Then he turned to Patrasche, ready to complain――
"Hey, if you've brought me this far, you should treat me better..."
My throat froze when I saw the pitiful appearance of the earth dragon.
When he was thrown by an invisible hand, Patrasche was grabbed by his tail. The part of his tail that would have been his tail was torn off at the base, and a tremendous amount of blood spilled out, staining the grassland red even now. He was also wounded in two places on his side, and perhaps when he was thrown and slammed to the ground. The tip of his left front leg was mangled.
Without a doubt, he is literally completely injured.
Having used up all his remaining energy by dragging Subaru to the rear, Patrasche lay his large body on the grass with a thunderous roar. Just like that, he kept breathing shallowly and low as if he was dead.
Subaru instinctively clung to that body,
"Oi! You're lying... Patrasche! You, you... I, I made a mistake in judgment and ended up like this... oi!"
Even when he called out to her and touched her, there was no response. Instead, the sensation of her breathing became weaker and weaker, and her vitality weakened.
"Fee, Ferris! Patrasche... please, help me..."
"This child did an excellent job of protecting you. You should be proud of that."
Turning around, Subaru pleaded with a trembling voice, and Ferris spoke sharply.
For a moment, Subaru didn't understand the meaning of that reply. It wasn't the answer he was looking for. It was as if he was being told to give up on Patrasche.
"That earth dragon lived its entire life. Neither you nor I can pick up everything. You understand, right?"
Ferris' words seemed so blunt to Subaru at the time. Subaru wanted to argue with him, but he didn't know what to say.
However, the presence of Patrasche, who should still be touching him, seemed far away, and all he could feel in his palm was a fading sense of loss――
"And because you left... the Sin Archbishop will take action!"
"--!"
Turning towards the voice, Subaru saw an invisible hand reaching out towards the battlefield.
There were two knights in the path of the palm, an old knight and a young knight who were fighting bravely and were not contaminated, but
"You two there, it's dangerous--!"
Before his voice could reach them, his palms ripped the heads of the two knights off their necks.
Blood spurts out, the head grasped in a black palm floats in the air, and in the next moment the body, with a stunned expression, is crushed like a fruit. After a delay, the body collapses, convulsing, and the victim bursts into laughter.
「Come on! Come on! Come on, come on, come on, come on!! This is the beginning of the end! It's going to end! I will end the end, and offer everything to you! Right now I am deeply moved, moved to tears, and overwhelmed! Therefore, with my own hands, and with my love, I want to give you a peaceful end!」
Petelgeuse's laughter and selfish speeches continued unabated.
Subaru could see countless invisible hands reaching out from the shadows, selecting their prey with licking lips.
Wilhelm and the others were on guard, wary of this invisible thing, but there was no way to defend against this invisible demonic hand that would mean an end if it touched them.
"What should I do...?"
Desperately, Subaru turned his head.
In this situation, Subaru is the only one who understands the situation. If there's anyone who can come up with a plan to turn things around, it's only Subaru.
But no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't find an answer; instead, his consciousness was half-taken by Patrasche, who was still losing consciousness.
--What will I do, what will I do, what will I do, what will I do, what will I do, what will I do, what will I do, rrrrrrrr.
His thoughts raced so fast his brain felt like it was burning, but all he could say was a raspy breath.
In a situation where I was about to become disappointed in myself, without waiting for a decision, Betelgeuse raised both hands as if to announce that time was up.
"--Hmm?!"
With an instant decision, the small body flew away, and a split second later mana focused where Betelgeuse was standing - creating a stake of ice that protruded from directly below, sadly failing to kill the madman.
"Who on earth could it be?!"
Petelgeuse yelled and turned around, looking up at the top of the hill.
Everyone in the room followed his gaze and noticed his presence.
The wind is blowing, her silver hair is fluttering in the wind, and a beautiful girl is standing with the sunlight behind her.
He was out of breath, sweat was pouring down his forehead, but his amethyst eyes still held strong.
"--That's enough, scoundrel."
The sound of the silver bell carried a sharp, dignified sound on the grassland wind.
Seeing this, Betelgeuse's eyes widened in joy, while Subaru's eyes widened in shock.
Subaru's throat filled with despair at his own regret for having let a madman who should never have met a girl who should never have met.
--The end is near. The end is approaching, with no light at the end.